Previous 'Semper Fi' Articles
**View the Semper Fi photo gallery**
Burton Series Delayed! Is More GH Ahead? (from Soaps in Depth, Oct. 17th, 2000)
Steve Burton's GH six week return wraps up on Wednesday, October 11. But now that his primetime project, SEMPER FI, has hit a major snag, might there be a little more Jason in his future?
The In Depth Story: The military drama, which was being readied for a midseason launch on NBC, has been the victim of "hostile fire." Behind-the-scenes battles between the Peacock Network and DreamWorks, the production company, have thrown the series' future into major limbo.
"It's been interesting to see how everything works," Burton tells Soaps In Depth. "Now the show is up in the air."
Currently, DreamWorks is shopping around SEMPER FI to other networks. If it isn't picked up, NBC will air it as a two-hour movie - and Burton will be free to return to GH. "I love this place," he admits. And though Jason's lover, Carly, now is a married woman, her desire for her ex still lingers. "She doesn't take no for an answer."
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NBC dumps Spielberg series (from Canoe - Reported September 18th)
Steven Spielberg may be a titan in the movie world, but that hasn't stopped NBC from saying no to his new TV series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"Semper Fi" -- a military drama set in boot camp and executive-produced by Spielberg -- was supposed to pop up on the network as a mid-season replacement. Instead, the show's producer, DreamWorks Television, is hoping either Fox or CBS will pick up the $5 million pilot and order it as a regular series.
The Hollywood Reporter says if neither of those two networks picks up "Semper Fi", NBC will air the two-hour pilot as a TV movie.
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Steve and some of this new "Semper Fi" castmates made an appearance on the April 18th episode of "Entertainment Tonight". They had a few clips of Steve as he went through actual military boot camp to prepare for the series. To read the transcript from this appearance, click here!
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Reported July 14th, 2000
SPIELBERG DRAMA GETS GREEN LIGHT: TV Guide Online has learned that Semper Fi, the troubled NBC military drama from producer Steven Spielberg, will go into production this fall for a tentative midseason debut. The highly-touted DreamWorks series — which nearly was reduced to a two-hour TV-movie after being felled by a slew of production hurdles — stars Scott Bairstow (Party of Five), Sharon Exler (10 Things I Hate About You) and
Steve Burton (General Hospital).
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Uncertain Future of Semper Fi
There is now talk that Semper Fi will be shown as a two hour movie instead of becoming a series. Here's the latest news!
From Soaps In Depth, July 11th issue
A spokesperson for NBC concedes that the future of SEMPER FI - which follows a group of U.S. Marines from boot camp to field action - remains "undecided, but the plan is to move ahead with the series [as a midseason replacement]."
SEMPER FI's impressive pedigree - it's being produced by DreamWorks SKG, the studio founded by Steven Speilberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen - has made it one of the most eagerly anticipated offerings of the new season. But when it failed to secure a place on NBC's fall schedule, there was talk that the project was troubled. The latest reports only seem to confirm the buzz. The on-line magazine Inside suggested that Speilberg's "feverish schedule," as well as "a spate of production hurdles," were SEMPER FI's biggest problems.
"At this point, NBC hasn't even seen the pilot," says DreamWorks' head of television publicity, Robert Pietranton. "And once they do, a decision is going to be made on the future of the show."
The pilot - which completed production on May 18th in Parris Island military base in South Carolina - is slated to be two hours long, therefore it could conceivably be turned into a movie of the week.
"There's a 13-episode commitment behind the show and we're operating under that assumption," Pietranton insists. "We'll probably have word in the coming weeks as to what the ultimate fate of the show will be."
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Burton Series Debut Postponed - From Soaps In Depth
In a surprise move, SEMPER FI, the much-hyped primetime pilot starring Steve Burton (ex-Jason, General Hospital) as a U.S. Marine, did not land on NBC's fall schedule. However, the network has picked up the Steven Speilberg-produced show as a midseason replacement.
The In Depth Story: At press time, NBC's hadn't returned phone calls regarding why the series, from Speilberg's Dreamworks company, was being held till midseason. But new details about the show - and Burton's character - are emerging.
SEMPER FI follows a group of U.S. Marines from boot camp to field action, and according to NBC, "The raw recruits hail from a variety of backgrounds, but are united in their desire to make the code 'honor, commitment and courage' their new way of life."
Burton plays "gritty" Steve Russell, "who tries desperately to live up to the standards set by his fellow Marine father and brothers before him." The series also stars PARTY OF FIVE's Scott Bairstow, Sharon Exler (10 Things I Hate About You) and Vicellous Reon Shannon (The Hurricane).
The news of SEMPER FI's midseason pickup is bittersweet for GH fans. On the one hand, they'll be able to see Burton on the small screen again on a regular basis, but on the other, it is doubtful that he will be returning to the soap anytime soon.
Even GH headwriter Bob Guza admits that the recent Sonny/Carly romance sets up Jason's return beautifully. "We've got great stuff in place," he marvels, adding that it's unlikely that the soap will recast in the near future. "I'm holding out for Steve. That's one of those places where it would be very difficult for me to recast."
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From Entertainment Weekly, May 26th issue:
Turns out that Steven Spielberg doesn't always have the golden touch. His military drama "Semper Fi" failed to make the cut on NBC's fall schedule amid concerns the show would skew old (though one insider says the network "was worried it wasn't going to skew anything" because the script was so bad).
But Semper Fi will march on: NBC will pick up the drama about about young Marine recruits, but not without major changes in the production staff and scripts, resources say. It will likely air in 2001.
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After turning down roles on "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Charmed," Steve has landed a role in a new drama series called "Semper Fi". Here is the article from "The Hollywood Reporter"
Burton reports to boot camp for 'Semper Fi'
Steve Burton, who won a daytime Emmy award for his role in ABC's
"General Hospital," is trading his hospital whites for camouflage gear. He has joined the cast of Steven Spielberg's military drama "Semper Fi," which is expected to bow on NBC in the fall. The ensemble drama follows the lives of young Marines from boot camp through their tour of duty. Burton's credits include NBC's "Days of Our Lives" and the syndicated comedy series "Out of This World." Another "Days of Our Lives" veteran, Tammy Townsend, who
stars in UPN's "Grown Ups," has also been cast in "Semper Fi," produced by DreamWorks TV and NBC Studios. The two join the group of five that were tapped earlier, lead by Vicellous Shannon ("The Hurricane") and Scott Bairstow ("Party of Five")
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