The first part of this new version of Riverworld, based on Philip Jose Farmer’s series of novels airs this Sunday, August 15 at 8:30pm on Movie Extra.

This version of the story, written by Robert Hewitt Wolfe (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Andromeda) and Randall M. Badat and starring Tamoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica, Dollhouse) and Laura Vandervoort (Smallville) is a new two-part mini-series distinct from the defunct 2003 series which didn’t make it past the pilot stage.

Here’s the official synopsis:

When American war zone journalist Matt Ellman (Tahmoh Penikett, Battlestar Galactica) and his fiancée, Jessie Machalan (Laura Vandervoort, Smallville), are killed in an explosion, Matt awakens, separated from Jessie, on the banks of a river snaking endlessly across a mysterious new plane of existence. On Riverworld, everyone who has ever lived on Earth, ever soul throughout time, has been reborn along the banks of a seemingly endless river. Determined to locate Jessie, Matt aligns with Tomoe (Jeananne Goossen, Falcon Beach) , a 13th century female warrior, Allegra (Romina D’Ugo, Hairspray), a 15th century courtesan of shifting alliances, and American novelist and Riverboat captain Samuel Clemens (Mark Deklin, Justice), better known as Mark Twain. With a full crew of adventurers, they embark upriver to understand where they are, why they are here, and to what unknowable end the river winds.

Under the guidance of the peculiar Caretaker (Alan Cumming, Tin Man), their quest takes them below to a torturous Cavern of Souls and the Underworld prison, above in a Zeppelin piloted by a brilliant German engineer, and forward to cross paths with renowned explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton (Peter Wingdfield, 24) who has joined forces with Francisco Pizzaro to conquer and destroy Riverworld. For Matt, each unfathomable day, each nefarious encounter, only deepens the conundrum of Riverworld and raises more questions…What happened to Earth and when? What is the purpose of the burning Orb? What powers are contained in the infamous Dark Tower? And why is their every move being followed by the watchful eye of an alien being? The answers are waiting beyond the endless swells of Riverworld.

Charting a territory somewhere between Gulliver’s Travels and The Lord of the Rings” (Time), Philip Jose Farmer’s Nebula Award-winning saga becomes a spectacular miniseries event-a feast for the eyes, the mind, and the heart of everyone who longs to explore the meaning of life, the mysteries of death, and everything that lies between.Three more shiny promo stills are below – click on the images larger versions.

See below for the trailer (and if nothing else the production values are impressive) and three more shiny promo stills – click on the images larger versions.

The second and concluding episode will air on Movie Extra, Monday August 16 at 8:30pm.