Introduction

Project Blue Book is an American historical drama television series that premiered on History on 08 January 2019.

A tough US Air Force officer and a sceptical scientist investigate UFO and alien conspiracies as Cold War paranoia spreads.

The series is based on the real-life Project Blue Book, a series of studies on unidentified flying objects conducted by the United States Air Force.

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Outline

The series revolves around the real-life Project Blue Book, a secret series of investigations into supposed UFO encounters and unexplained phenomena undertaken by the United States Air Force with sceptical astrophysics professor – and eventual ufologist – Dr. J. Allen Hynek in the 1950s and 1960s. With his partner, Air Force veteran Captain Michael Quinn, they investigate sightings across the US, and Dr. Hynek discovers that not everything can be explained by science.

Also see Project U.F.O., a 1978-1979 TV series.

Cast

• Main:
  • Aidan Gillen as Dr. J. Allen Hynek, an astronomer, astrophysicist, professor and UFOlogist working on Project Blue Book. Sceptical about the existence of alien life and UFOs in the beginning, Hynek attempts to explain the cases using his analytical and scientific mind.
  • Michael Malarkey as Captain Michael Quinn, a decorated veteran who served with the United States Army Air Force as a pilot during World War II, and working with Dr. Hynek on Project Blue Book. The character is inspired by USAF Captain Edward J. Ruppelt, the first director of the real-life Project Blue Book.
  • Laura Mennell as Mimi Hynek, Allen Hynek’s wife.
  • Ksenia Solo as Susie Miller, a friend and neighbour of Mimi Hynek, also a KGB agent.
  • Michael Harney as General Hugh Valentine, a high-ranking military official, and founder of Project Blue Book. The character is inspired by USAF Major General Charles P. Cabell, the founder of the real-life Project Blue Book.
  • Neal McDonough as General James Harding, a high-ranking military official and a co-founder of Project Blue Book. The character is inspired by USAF Brigadier General William Garland, a member of General Charles P. Cabell staff during the time period of the real-life Project Blue Book.

• Recurring:
  • Robert John Burke as William Fairchild, United States Secretary of Defence.
  • Ian Tracey as “The Fixer” a.k.a. “The Man in the Hat” (later revealed to be one of the Men In Black), a mysterious man who follows Dr. Hynek.
  • Matt O’Leary as Lieutenant Henry Fuller, a USAF pilot whom Hynek and Quinn meet on their first case.
  • Nicholas Holmes as Joel Hynek, Mimi and Allen’s son.
  • Currie Graham as Susie’s Associate, also a KGB agent.
  • Jill Morrison as Faye, a member of the Air Force and Captain Quinn’s secretary at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
  • Michael Imperioli as Edward Rizzuto, an American/Russian double agent.

• Historical figures:
  • Adam Greydon Reid as Donald Keyhoe, an American writer and UFO researcher. Keyhoe was widely regarded as the leader in the field of UFOlogy in the 1950s and early to mid-1960s, appearing in the episode entitled “Operation Paperclip”.
  • Thomas Kretschmann as Wernher von Braun, a German-American aerospace engineer. Von Braun was the leading figure in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany, before coming to the US to develop rockets for NASA, appearing in “Operation Paperclip”.
  • Bob Gunton as President Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States, appearing in “The Washington Merry-Go Round”.
  • Caspar Phillipson as Senator John F. Kennedy, appearing in Season

Production

The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was co-produced by the History Channel and A&E Studios. Filming on the second season began on 15 July 2019, and was expected to conclude on 13 November 2019.

In May 2020, it was announced that the series had been cancelled. A petition has been launched to support the creators in finding a new network for the series on 07 May 2020.

Trivia

• Dr. J. Allen Hynek worked on three different US Air Force projects related to UFOs: Project Sign, Project Grudge, and Project Blue Book. He formulated the classification system for reporting UFO and alien sightings which he dubbed “Close Encounters”.
  • The title of Steven Spielberg’s film Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) comes from Hynek’s work, and in addition to serving as a technical adviser on that film, Hynek appears as one of the scientists at the film’s climax.
• Dr Hynek was hired to run Project Bluebook because he was sceptical of UFOs being real.
  • By the time the project shut down, he had changed his beliefs.
• Doctor Hynek after the closure of Project Blue Book, went on to state many of the stories were left out of the project and encouraged further investigation.
  • He was once the biggest pain to the entire project, as he claimed 20% of the stories were “unexplained by conventional explanations”, or “Unsolved”.
• The house at the beginning of the second episode where the mother & children live who witnessed the alien crash, is the same house that is used for filming The X-Files (Mulder’s House).

Project Blue Book Series

• Series 01 (2019):
  • Episode 01: The Fuller Dogfight.
  • Episode 02: The Flatwoods Monster.
  • Episode 03: The Lubbock Lights.
  • Episode 04: Operation Paperclip.
  • Episode 05: Foo Fighters.
  • Episode 06: The Green Fireballs.
  • Episode 07: The Scoutmaster.
  • Episode 08: War Games.
  • Episode 09: Abduction.
  • Episode 10: The Washington Merry-Go Round.

• Series 02 (2020):
  • Episode 01: The Roswell Incident, Part 01.
  • Episode 02: The Roswell Incident, Part 02.
  • Episode 03: Area 51.
  • Episode 04: Hopkinsville.
  • Episode 05: The Men in Black.
  • Episode 06: Close Encounters.
  • Episode 07: Curse of the Skinwalker.
  • Episode 08: What Lies Beneath.
  • Episode 09: Broken Arrow.
  • Episode 10: Operation Mainbrace.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • Norma Bailey … (4 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • Pete Travis … (4 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • Thomas Carter … (2 episodes, 2019).
  • Alex Graves … (2 episodes, 2019).
  • Robert Stromberg … (2 episodes, 2019).
  • Deran Sarafian … (2 episodes, 2020).
  • Wendey Stanzler … (2 episodes, 2020).
  • Loni Peristere … (1 episode, 2020).
  • John Scott … (1 episode, 2020).
• Producer(s):
  • Sean Jablonski … executive producer (20 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • Barry Jossen … executive producer (20 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • Jacqueline Levine … executive producer (20 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • David O’Leary … co-executive producer / executive producer (20 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • Harley Peyton … co-executive producer (20 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • Jack Rapke … executive producer (20 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • Robert Zemeckis … executive producer (20 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • Matt Tauber … co-executive producer / supervising producer (19 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • Arturo Interian … executive producer: History (10 episodes, 2019).
  • Brennan Parks … associate producer (10 episodes, 2019).
  • Thania St. John … co-executive producer (10 episodes, 2019).
  • Brad Van Arragon … producer (10 episodes, 2019).
  • Linda Burstyn … co-executive producer (10 episodes, 2020).
  • Chris Nguyen-Gia … co-producer (10 episodes, 2020).
  • Cecil O’Connor … producer (10 episodes, 2020).
  • Robert Stromberg … executive producer (2 episodes, 2019).
• Writer(s):
  • avid O’Leary … (created by) (20 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • David O’Leary … (written by) (20 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • Emily Brochin … (story editor) (11 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • Emily Brochin … (written by) (11 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • Alec Wells … (staff writer) (10 episodes, 2020).
  • Alec Wells … (story) (10 episodes, 2020).
  • Alec Wells … (written by) (10 episodes, 2020).
  • Sean Jablonski … (written by) (4 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • Sean Jablonski … (story) (4 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • Harley Peyton … (written by) (4 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • Thania St. John … (written by) (2 episodes, 2019).
  • Linda Burstyn … (written by) (2 episodes, 2020).
  • Stewart Kaye … (written by) (1 episode, 2019).
  • Aaron Rapke … (written by) (1 episode, 2019).
• Music:
  • Daniel Wohl … (20 episodes, 2019-2020).
• Cinematography:
  • C. Kim Miles … (14 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • François Dagenais … (4 episodes, 2020).
  • Ken Krawczyk … (2 episodes, 2019).
• Editor(s):
  • Noah Pontell … (8 episodes, 2019-2020).
  • Steven Sprung … (4 episodes, 2019).
  • David Beatty … (4 episodes, 2020).
  • Joel T. Pashby … (3 episodes, 2019).
  • Martin Nicholson … (3 episodes, 2020).
  • Anna Hauger … (1 episode, 2019).
• Production:
  • IMN Creative.
  • A+E Studios.
  • Compari Entertainment.
  • History Channel.
  • ImageMovers.
• Distributor(s):
  • Cosmote Series (2019) (Greece) (TV).
  • Epic Drama (Turkey) (TV).
  • History Canada (2019) (Canada) (TV).
  • History Channel (2019) (USA) (TV).
  • Syfy (2019) (UK) (TV).
  • Walt Disney Television (2019) (World-wide) (all media).
• Release Date:
  • Series 01: 08 January 2019 to 12 March 2019.
  • Series 02: 21 January 2020 to 24 March 2020.
• Running Time: 42-44 minutes.
• Rating: 15.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.

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