The Dresden Files

Harry Dresden - Wizard

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The Dresden Files was an American television series based on the books by Jim Butcher. It premiered January 21, 2007 on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States and on Space in Canada. It was picked up by Sky One in the UK and began airing on February 14, 2007. The series ran for a single season of twelve episodes, and has since been released on DVD. The Sci Fi Channel announced on August 3, 2007 that The Dresden Files would not be renewed for a second season.

In 2005, the SciFi Channel announced that it had optioned The Dresden Files as a two-hour film and backdoor pilot. Nicolas Cage executive produces alongside Hans Beimler, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, Norm Golightly, and Morgan Gendel. It was produced by Lionsgate Television in association with Cage's Saturn Films. Production began during the Autumn of 2005. Originally, a Summer 2006 release was anticipated, but on May 23, 2006, a January 2007 airdate and 11 episode pick-up was announced on JBAnnounce, the official Jim Butcher announcement list. It was confirmed the next day by Sci-Fi.

The pilot film was made from a screenplay by television writers Hans Beimler and Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and based on Butcher's novel Storm Front. David Carson directed and shooting took place in Toronto. It was announced in November 2005 that Paul Blackthorne had been cast in the lead role. The two hour pilot was originally intended to serve as the premiere, but certain last minute developmental and casting changes delayed its completion. Episode three (in production order) was aired in its place. Along with the re-shooting of several scenes, the two hour pilot has been cut to an hour and was the eighth episode to air. The full version of the pilot was broadcast late at night on March 7, 2008 by SciFi Channel but did not adhere to later Television revised continuity.

Most notable in the re-edited version of the pilot was the fact that Bob, played by Terrance Mann in the series as a full apparition, was limited to only a disembodied voice who was centered around the familiar rune covered skull with animated lighting to symbolize the spirit within, more akin to the Bob of the novels. This re-editing was done later in the series as Mann did not join the series until after the original filming of the pilot had already been concluded. The full pilot version of "Storm Front" was not included in the original DVD release of the complete series. Source

Main cast

Paul Blackthorne as Harry Dresden - a reluctant hero, a professional wizard who often helps the police with cases involving "unusual" circumstances and others who seek his help. Harry's mother, a powerful wizard, died when he was young. He was raised by his father, a stage magician. When he was about eleven, his powers began to emerge, and his uncle Justin Morningway wanted to take him and teach him about his abilities, so he murdered Harry's father with black magic when his father did not relinquish Harry to him. Bob makes reference to Harry "self-defensing" his uncle to death. Justin Morningway left a programmed doppelgnger behind to resurrect him if he died. It is later revealed Harry inherited a large amount of money that he gave to charity and owns the Morningway estate, in which he refuses to live.

Valerie Cruz as Lt. Connie Murphy - the Chicago police officer who often seeks out Harry's help with cases that are hard to solve and may be supernaturally related - although she refuses to outright believe in magic, because such things do not fit with her "rules." She is dedicated and takes her job seriously, even going as far as seeking out the only wizard in the phonebook to help with cases. Lt. Murphy is a tough, no-nonsense woman who is divorced and has a daughter (Anna) who she says spends a lot of time with her father because of the long hours she has to work. Connie apparently has some romantic feelings toward Harry as she pointed out at the end of season one if he kissed her again she wouldn't slap him.

Terrence Mann as Hrothbert "Bob" of Bainbridge - the old spirit owned by Dresden. He was once owned by Dresden's uncle, Justin Morningway, before Dresden "self-defensed" him to death. He advises Dresden on both personal and magical matters. Bob is an invaluable source of knowledge which Dresden taps to solve supernatural crimes. In the first episode, Bob is seen redesigning a "Doom Box," which he describes as "a supernatural jack-in-the-box" containing and amplifying magical energy. The original Doom Box formula was included in a grimoire Bob wrote while he was alive; the book had been in Justin's possession until Harry burned it. Bob's current state is a punishment: he was executed, his soul sealed into his own skull for all eternity, for using black magic to bring a sorceress he had loved (Winnifred) back from the dead several hundred years ago. Bob died from an axe blow to the back of the head in the year 900 A.D.

Conrad Coates as Warden Donald Morgan - a Warden of the High Council, the governing body of the wizarding community, and is assigned to the Chicago area. He is a stickler for the rules, powerful, and will often confront Harry because of their differing ideals and personalities; nonetheless, he will often work with Harry - albeit under the table - where innocents are involved.

Recurring cast

Raoul Bhaneja as Det. Sid Kirmani - Lt. Murphy's partner on the Chicago PD, he is perennially skeptical of Dresden's abilities.

Matt Gordon as M.E. Waldo Butters - a Chicago PD medical examiner who has assisted Lt. Murphy on several of her more bizarre cases.

Daniel Kash as Justin Morningway - warden of the High Council and Dresden's uncle, believed to be dead.

Joanne Kelly as Bianca - one of the most powerful vampires in Chicago, and a member of the Red Court.

Jane McLean and Elizabeth Thai as Ancient Mai - the High Council's "top dog" who handles contact with other supernatural powers.

Natalie Lisinska as Laura Ellis - a waitress in a local diner, Harry's love interest in two episodes.

Minor magical characters

Dylan Everett as Scott Sharp - a ten-year-old adoptee with magical talent who was targeted by a skinwalker.

Kathleen Munroe as Heather Bram - a recently-converted lycanthrope who has left Chicago to face her new condition on her own.

Kim Coates as Sirota - an earth-bound demon responsible for converting humans into hellspawn.

Kerry LaiFatt as Sharon Mirell - a former Chicago PD coroner who practices the very dark art of reanimation.

Nathaniel Stephenson as Dante Arrias - a magically-talented college student who temporarily wielded the power to create doorways.

Christine Horne as Amber - a Warden of the High Council, she helped Morgan protect Ancient Mai from a Kirtonian Dracoform.

Yannick Bisson as Sgt. Darren Munzer - a daring Chicago detective who cheated death by stealing other people's second chances.

Source

• Birds of a Feather: Believing monsters are after him, a young boy searches out the help of the only wizard listed in the Chicago yellow pages - Harry Dresden.
• The Boone Identity: The ghost of a murdered girl can't rest until justice is brought to her killer - unfortunately, he's already dead.
• Hair of the Dog: Lt. Murphy requests Dresden's help in solving a series of bizarre murder cases. He discovers werewolves are involved - they're the victims.
• Rules of Engagement: As Harry attempts to save the latest damsel in distress from a vicious Hellion, he finds they share a surprising connection.
• Bad Blood: Bianca, the most beautiful-and most dangerous-vampire in Chicago hires Dresden. Someone is trying to kill her, and she needs Dresden to find out who and why.
• Soul Beneficiary: When a man who has been having premonitions that he's about to die drops dead in Dresden's office, Harry is plunged into a bizarre murder plot that ends up revealing a dark secret from Bob's past.
• Walls: Harry investigates a group of thieving college students who have discovered a supernatural method to bypass the most sophisticated of security systems. But there's madness in their method, because it is slowly killing them off, one by one.
• Storm Front: A grisly crime scene leads Harry to the middle of a gang war, and a nasty reminder of the perils of black magic. (This was edited down from the pilot episode.)
• The Other Dick: While taking classes to get his P.I. license, Harry finds his teacher - another local private investigator - murdered using supernatural means. Harry reluctantly joins forces with the deceased teacher's assistant to find the killer.
• What About Bob?: Harry's latest lover sneaks out of his place with Bob's skull and delivers it to Dresden's uncle Justin Morningway - who died by Dresden's own hand five years ago. Dresden learns that death isn't all it's cracked up to be - especially where his uncle is concerned.
• Things That Go Bump: Ancient Mai and Morgan seek refuge at Dresden's place after they are ambushed by one of Mai's enemies. But once inside, they discover that they're now all trapped by a powerful spell, and the walls are closing in.
• Second City: Minutes after leaving a store, a former gang member is found dead under mysterious circumstances. Meanwhile, Murphy's father comes to Chicago, and he has a bone to pick with her - named Harry Dresden.

• Harry's Volkswagen Beetle is only seen briefly in "Storm Front" and is replaced with a Korean-war era Jeep. Both were chosen by the character for the lack of high tech components.

• One of Harry's trademarks in the books was a black duster, replaced in the series by a leather jacket.

• While Bob exists as a disembodied voice emanating from a skull in the books, he can appear in a (spectral) human form that emerges from the skull in the series. He is also the soul of a human wizard, rather than a spirit of air and intellect as in the books.

• Murphy's name was changed from Karrin to Connie to avoid confusion with real-life Chicago police officer Karyn Murphy. Her character also has a daughter, Anna, who does not exist in the books.

• Bianca, the Red Court vampire who runs the Velvet Room (an upscale "gentleman's club"), was changed significantly. In the books she is a vicious predator who wants nothing so much as Harry's slow death. In the television series their relationship is much more complicated. Bianca becomes a somewhat more sympathetic character who saved Harry's life shortly after he killed Justin Morningway and even seduced him (but didn't attempt to turn him).

• Many of Harry's magical items are constructed using mundane, modern items - for example, a drumstick for a wand/blasting rod and a hockey stick for a wizard's staff.

• In the books Harry has an office (on the fifth floor of an office building) and a separate basement apartment in a house turned into rented rooms; in the show (again, except in "Storm Front") he occupies a home/office/loft style building.

• Harry's home/office is somewhat more modern in the TV series. In the books he has no power, only a wood stove for cooking and heating, and no hot water due to the mishaps wizards experience with technology. In the TV series he has a fully functional kitchen, although his appliances are all from the mid-1900s in keeping with the books' contention that technology from that period and earlier has fewer problems than more modern technology. However, Dresden of the TV series does have the same issues with technology and as a result does use candles instead of electric lamps and has a gas stove.

• In the books Harry's teacher was Justin DuMorne, who was not related to Harry. DuMorne (now Morningway) in the show is Harry's uncle and left much of his magical training in the hands of the ghostly Bob.

• In the books Harry's shield bracelet produces a magical shield in the form of a full or partial dome. In the show it attracts and stops projectiles on the bracelet itself in addition to creating a magical shield in the shape of a large circle in "Storm Front" and in the last several episodes.

• In the books, Harry owns a silver pentacle necklace he inherited from his mother. The shield bracelet is also made of silver. In the show, the necklace is only seen rarely (e.g. in "Storm Front") - it being the shield bracelet (which is now copper) he inherited, whereas in the books he made the bracelet himself.

• In the show lycanthropes appear as their more traditional form of plain werewolves. In the books lycanthropes are humans that possess the body of a human and the mind of a savage beast inducing extreme rage and control issues

• In the show, the governing body of the Wizard community is referred to as the "High Council" as opposed to the Senior Council in the books. The White Council is never referred to.

Source

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