Kathryn Morris UK

The Protocol: Reactivated

Remember The Protocol?

KM UK last brought you news on the project two and a half years ago when a new IMDb page and a small video clip surfaced. OK, there was the frankly hilarious April Fools 2017 post about the film becoming part of the Marvel Universe. That was good.

In fact it goes back to the summer of 2013 when it was filmed. Initially it seemed to be a short film, and then a pilot for a TV series (which is why it ended up in the TV section of KM UK Gallery).

Today we received news, via the actor Xen Sams, that the movie will be screened at the New York Short Film Festival in just two weeks time.

The Protocol is one of the official selection for the NYSFF and is scheduled to be shown on November 3rd (a Sunday) in a slot starting at 6:30pm. As with most short film festivals, groups of films are shown together in blocks, often themed in some way. In this case, as things stand, The Protocol is only being shown alongside one other project, Switch. This appears to be a web-based TV series but probably exists as a short as well. Maybe there are showing a complete episode so it fills much of the 75-minute block.

The Brian A Miller directed short starring Max Ryan, Xen Sams, and Kathryn, always looked a little sci-fi but it has not been clear what the film is about. In her announcement, Xen Sams described it as “filmed and created in effort to raise awareness for our nation’s ongoing mental health disorder.” The tipped over glass of water in the poster (above) raises a few questions too.

If you are in New York in early November perhaps you could get to Cinema Village independent cinema in Greenwich Village to see The Protocol. Tickets are available via the festival’s website HERE. It is Short Block 7, 6:30pm, 3rd November. Let us know what it was like.

The Protocol Becomes Marvel-lous – April Fool

As the phrase goes: mighty oaks grow from tiny acorns.

My post at the beginning of the week about the short film The Protocol appears to have shaken that tree.

News reached KM UK Towers over night that this little project, largely put together by a group of friends, is in the process of being developed into a new branch of the Marvel Universe. That’s what has driven the recent resurrection of the short film.

Early in its life The Protocol was said to be a pilot for a television series. Despite the most recent description we saw showed it returning to being a small movie, it has in fact once again become a prototype for TV. It would sit alongside the other Marvel shows on various networks.

If you’ve watched the short video clip from The Protocol you’ll have picked up the hints that Kathryn’s character, Flair Loop as she is known, is not ‘normal’. She is in some way ‘other’. A mutant perhaps. You will also be aware that Xen Sams and Max Ryan are playing some form of agents. Hmmm. Marvel. Agents. All the clues were there.

The idea is that every episode will involve a new unknown to deal with. The titular ‘protocol’ refers to the agreed way of dealing with this kind of situation by S.H.I.E.L.D. A new protocol will need to be employed for each. No doubt there’ll be plenty for which there are no written guidelines. The squad will have to wing it on those.

In the case seen in the short film Flair Loop is harbouring the next generation of mutated human in that pregnancy bump. It is not known exactly what that could mean for the rest of humanity. Is this a major threat or could it be our saviour?

In the dossier passed to me another planned episode includes a new alternative energy source found in the Antarctic wastes called Polar Oil F. Sounds great but there are hints it could be earth’s undoing, rapidly accelerating global warming rather than helping counter it as it is not a standard fossil fuel.

If the TV series comes to fruition the short film will be re-made as as feature-length episode with the original cast. Unfortunately the tight production budget won’t stretch to a CGI ‘bump’ for Kathryn so she will have to go ‘method’ on it. Filming will need to start in about 8 months. Any volunteers to take one for the team? 😉

More news on this story later.

Update: It’s later. Yes, this is my usual yearly attempt at an April Fool spoof post.

The Protocol Returns

Cast your mind back… No, further than that… Woah there! Not that far! Nobody needs to see that!

Where to begin with this? The beginning sounds good.

The best part of four years ago now we first heard about The Protocol. It was a short film made by Johnny Messner’s (Kathryn’s partner) own production company. A then very pregnant Kathryn had a role alongside many-named Xen Sams and Max Ryan (Sex And The City 2). Nepotism abounded as Xen’s partner was also a producer. It looked like it involved some near future, almost sci-fi setting with Xen Sams as Agent Amanda Chase. The images we saw were set in an interrogation room, with the tables turned on Kathryn on for a change.

For the following couple of years we’d occasionally pick up snippets of info about the project. Mainly from Xen giving interviews in which it was mentioned. At some point The Protocol looked to have become a small pilot for a planned TV series. I even went to the trouble of moving what content we had in the KM UK Gallery from the movie section to the TV area!

After a couple of years the film had dropped off the radar, with its IMDb page being removed. So much for the TV series!

Well would you Adam and Eve it! A few weeks ago I became aware that the project might be resurrected. A new IMDb page has appeared, with very scant information on it, other than a two person cast list (Xen and Max) and describing it as a short film again. I’m not moving the Gallery album until I know more!

This led to tracking down a short clip (which ends abruptly) from the film which I can bring to you today. It’s the Xen and Max show but Kathryn makes a silent showing for a few seconds. Not a lot of acting involved unless you include acting pregnant. And she really didn’t need to act that! The small video (and a few screenshots from it) are now in the KM UK the Gallery. Look at the TV screen we see in the room with Kathryn. There are some odd images on it that I can’t make out. Any thoughts?

Hopefully this is a sign of bigger things to come from The Protocol.

The Protocol Not On IMDb

The movie business gives with one hand and takes with the other. When one door opens another closes. Another such phrase about a good and bad thing happening.

Back in September 2014 the possible TV series The Protocol achieved the milestone of appearing on IMDb. I realise that this is not necessarily proof that a project is on the way to release but it always stuck me as a significant event in its life. The Protocol pilot/short was filmed during the Summer of 2013 by Johnny Messner’s production company and saw Kathryn take a small role.

A month later in an interview at the New York Comic Con the actress Xen Sia (or whatever her name is this week, it seems to change daily!) talked about the project. There were suggestions it was being pursued by multiple networks for development and broadcast.

After the news on Tuesday about 2 Br/1 Ba (now called Roommate Wanted) getting a release things seem to have taken a turn for the negative now.

Three weeks ago The Protocol‘s IMDb page disappeared. Initially it could have been a glitch but it has remained absent and also been removed from the various cast and crew’s pages. As it will all be linked together within the database that makes up the Db in IMDb this isn’t a suprise. It’s as though it never existed. Maybe it never did… spooky!

Will the results of the Summer 2013 labours ever see the light of day? Johnny?

Xen Talks The Protocol At NY Comic Con

The actress and acting coach Xen Sia attended the recent New York Comic Con event to promote a new comic book called Treadwater, aka TRDWTR.

Although Treadwater exists as a traditional comic book, and there is an animated series and much cross-media material (videos, websites etc.), they are using real-life actors to portray the characters in promotional material. Xen is one of them. There is also talk of Treadwater becoming a live action TV series.

As part of her endorsement work at the NY Comic Con Xen was interviewed by Michael Artsis for the BeTerrific!! (their exclamation marks) website. During the chat she also talked about another new project: The Protocol. Regular readers will know a pilot for this possible TV series was filmed in the summer of 2013, with Kathryn making an appearance whilst she was heavily pregnant with her twin boys. The photo above was taken on the set during filming. Xen makes reference to Kathryn’s character, who we know to be called Grace, also being pregnant. I’m not sure that was quite the coincidence that Xen implies.

Just a few weeks ago I reported on The Protocol‘s increasing presence on IMDb, suggesting there is a move to make the show happen. Whether it will or not is another matter.

The Protocol is set in a not too distant future when the government mandates that all citizens take drugs, the titular ‘Protocol’, to control behaviour. None compliance sees you banished to a dystopian realm.

During her discussion Xen makes much of praising Kathryn for her work so far in the likes of Cold Case as well as her nurturing attitude towards an upcoming actress. Xen says the sort of things that we, as fans and followers of Kathryn, would completely expect her to say about Kathryn. It’s all good.

A video of the interview can be seen on YouTube here. A small copy has been added to the KM UK the Gallery. Talk about The Protocol starts at around the 4 minute mark for those wishing to skip ahead.