Loken Feels No Pain In Jane
Kristanna Loken, who stars in the upcoming SCI FI Channel original series Painkiller Jane, told SCI FI Wire that she got excited after reading the comic book on which it is based: so much so that she also signed on as executive producer. "I read the comic and fell in love with the depth of the comic-book character," Loken said in an interview at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 12. "It just had so many different levels: the pain and the healing and the kind of eternal question of 'why is this happening to me?' is a very human statement. So then I read [executive producer] Gil's [Grant] wonderful first episode and wanted to come up and work also as a co-exec."
In the series, Loken plays a DEA agent who is recruited by a covert government organization tasked with capturing "Neuros"—genetically enhanced individuals who possess superhuman powers of the mind. During the course of her first investigation with the team, Jane inexplicably discovers that she too possesses extraordinary abilities: She is impervious to injury, but not pain. She develops miraculous regenerative powers, healing from every injury and finding herself stronger than she had been before. As she continues to work with the government to hunt Neuros, Jane tries to uncover the cause of her own transformation and what, if any, connection she shares with the very people she is pursuing.
In her dual role as co-executive-producer, Loken also oversees a lot of the day-to-day creative issues while she's on set. "It's been double duty," she said. "It really has been a whole extra job, because lots of questions come to me, and I'm really one of the creative producers on set all the time. So a lot of story points come up or set design things or [whatever]. I don't know, ... you just try to stay present and do as much as you can."
Loken, who also starred in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, is no stranger to action roles, nor to SCI FI Channel, having appeared in last year's miniseries Dark Kingdom. She said that she has always been attracted to films that exploit her strong physique. "I think it's just a physical awareness," she said." A lot of people seem to be kind of disconnected from their bodies. I mean, I just have the physique. It just lends itself, so I think it was something I wanted to embrace. ... If you find something you're good at and maybe not many people can do it, then by God, go for it."
Still, Loken has found that shooting a regular weekly action series is a far different experience from the action films she's done. "It's grueling," she said. "We've started our fourth [episode]. The wonderful thing is you have more time to make an [arc] of a character and explore the character, which is a luxury you don't have with film. It is grueling, though. It's a grueling schedule, for sure." Painkiller Jane premieres in April on SCI FI.

New Painkiller Comics Due
Dynamite Entertainment revives the Painkiller Jane comic series, from Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti, kicking off with Painkiller Jane Number 0. The new series coincides with SCI FI Channel's upcoming original series Painkiller Jane, which begins in April.
The introductory issue will lead directly into Jane's new comic series, which is due in the spring and which will introduce a new character. It is being offered at an introductory price of 25 cents.
http://www.scifi.com/painkillerjane/

Painkiller Not So Comic
Jimmy Palmiotti, co-creator of the Painkiller Jane comic, told SCI FI Wire that the upcoming SCI FI Channel original series will differ somewhat from its source material. In the series, Kristanna Loken (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines) will play a DEA agent recruited by a covert government organization tasked with capturing "Neuros": genetically enhanced individuals who possess superhuman powers of the mind. She discovers that she too possesses extraordinary abilities: She is impervious to injury, but not pain, and she develops miraculous regenerative powers. Painkiller Jane premieres April 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
"The episodes are all going to be self-contained," Palmiotti, who created the comic with Joe Quesada, said in an interview. "There will be ongoing ideas and setups, but the stories themselves will be self-contained. I like to think of it more like The X-Files in a way, where you get the whole story in one episode, yet there's this thing in the background going on. I think it was a great choice to do that. In the land of things being shown out of order, I think it's a great idea."
Palmiotti added that he's actively involved with the Painkiller Jane TV series. "I have some crazy credit," he said. "It'll say 'created by.' I'm a consultant as well. I'm writing an episode, 13, right now. And I'll be directing one of the later episodes."
http://www.scifi.com/painkillerjane/

Painkiller's Loken Has Attitude
Jimmy Palmiotti, who co-created the Painkiller Jane comic-book series with Joe Quesada, told SCI FI Wire that Kristanna Loken captures the title character's attitude in the upcoming SCI FI Channel original series based on the comic. Painkiller Jane premieres April 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
"No matter what goes on around her, Jane has her own way of giving a f--k," Palmiotti said in an interview. "The comic character is emotionally burned out. She wants to care, but it's too much of an effort. Kristanna has actually embraced a lot of the comic attitude, but it couldn't be exactly the comic, because it would never work on TV. It would be rated R the whole time, because there's just too much. But Kristanna actually kept the persona of the character."
In the SCI FI Channel Painkiller Jane, Loken (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines) will play a DEA agent recruited by a covert government organization tasked with capturing "Neuros": genetically enhanced individuals who possess superhuman powers of the mind. But she discovers that she too possesses extraordinary abilities: She is impervious to injury, but not pain, and she develops miraculous regenerative powers.
"Being a creator, watching her do it, watching her act out the character, she's got the attitude," Palmiotti said. "The way she walks, the way she moves, the way she deals with stuff. And that's all I care about, really. The comic stands alone, and the TV show will stand alone, but she managed to bring that [attitude] into the show, and it's awesome for somebody like me."
http://www.scifi.com/painkillerjane/

Painkiller Kicks Off April 13
SCI FI Channel's new original series Painkiller Jane, starring Kristanna Loken, will debut on April 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, following the midseason return of Stargate SG-1 at 8 p.m. and Stargate Atlantis at 9.
Based on the comic book created by Jimmy Palmiotti and Joe Quesada, Painkiller Jane follows the adventures of Jane Vasco (Loken), a kick-ass heroine with remarkable self-healing powers. Formerly a hard-nosed DEA agent, Jane is recruited by a covert government organization tasked with capturing "Neuros," which are genetically enhanced people with superhuman powers of the mind. During the course of her first investigation with the team, she discovers that she also has extraordinary abilities, which render her impervious to permanent injury, if not pain.
Painkiller Jane is executive-produced by show runner Gil Grant (24). Loken will serve as co-executive producer. Following the debut of the show's 22 one-hour episodes on SCI FI, the series will have a domestic broadcast weekly syndication window in the fall. Starz Media will handle U.S. DVD and syndication sales, as well as distribution to key worldwide markets.
http://www.scifi.com/painkillerjane/
http://www.scifi.com/stargate/
http://www.scifi.com/atlantis/