Some of the biggest ClockBlockers of all couldn’t contain their excitement Tuesday after NBC announced that a Timeless wrap-up movie is in the works.
Co-showrunner Eric Kripke celebrated his show’s announcement on social media, while co-showrunner Shawn Ryan told USA Today that enthusiastic viewers’ efforts to revive the cancelled series — including sponsoring a helicopter streaming a banner that read “#SaveTimeless” to fly over San Diego Comic-Con — “was very much on [the] radar” of executives at the network and Sony, which produces the series. “Trending on Twitter, months after the cancellation, was super-impressive. It’s such a passionate fan base.”
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He added: “Ultimately, NBC, which has always been good to the show, heard the fans’ voices and didn’t want to be the bad guys in this. They want the fans to get a proper ending and leave on a high note.”
In a tweet, EP Kripke wrote, “I know you wanted more seasons. But this 2 hour finale will let us end the story right & #SaveRufus,” referencing the Season 2 finale’s cliffhanger ending.
The two-part series finale is slated to start shooting in Los Angeles mid-October. It will air during the holiday season and will, per the official release, give “closure to the globetrotting series that has generated incredible viewer passion” while delivering “one final, emotional story for the Time Team.”
The show’s writers’ room issued celebratory tweets Tuesday, as well, cheering that “We changed history again” — a nod to the show’s un-cancellation in 2017.
The news was a surprise, given Ryan’s recent report that hopes for any kind of continuation for the series looked very bleak.
“[Sony Pictures TV] has notified [co-showrunner] @TheRealKripke and me that efforts to land #Timeless at another network have sadly failed,” the EP tweeted in early July. “While Sony will continue to look at any and all options, actor deals have expired and it appears there will be no Season 3 or beyond.” He added that discussions about a movie “still take place… but there are considerable economic obstacles that make it an uncertainty.”
In an statement released by NBC Tuesday, Kripke and Ryan said, “While we wish we could’ve made another dozen seasons of Timeless, this is the next best thing. We’re thrilled to take the Lifeboat out for one last spin and bring closure to our story. The studio, network, cast and crew are all doing this for one reason only: the fans. Because they deserve it. Because the fans made this happen and we thank them for their passion, support and helicopters. So? You guys want to get Rufus back or what?”
