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Renee O'Connor cast as lead in new Sci Fi channel movie "The Genesis Code"

by
Sarah Warn

I just got an exclusive tip that Renee O'Connor has been cast as the female lead in the new Sci Fi channel movie The Genesis Code, which starts filming next month.

Here's how the movie's plot is described:

Buried under the sands of Iraq world famous archaeologist David Solomon has found a clue to the one of the ancient mysteries of the Old Testament. Solomon’s discovery leads to a remote desert which contains the remnants of an ark. The team must fight off insurgents as they uncover the mystery. Things turn deadly as they discover this ark didn’t carry animals, it carried something evil.

Okay, sounds cool and all, but let's get to what you care about: how Renee figures in to this. She plays an accomplished scientist — who also happens to be David's ex-wife:

Eva is stunning and sophisticated. She's an accomplished scientist that specializes in carbon dating and translating ancient documents. She's confident, cocky and at the top of her game. She also can't stand David Solomon, even though they were married for five years. Now that they're divorced she likes him even less.

Renee playing confident and cocky? I like the sound of this already! (But let's be honest: they had me at "carbon dating" — because who can resist a woman who's sexy and smart?)

Unfortunately for Renee's lesbian fans, I'm pretty sure Eva's dislike for David isn't due to repressed longing for female companionship (damnit!), so we'll have to settle for Renee playing confident, cocky, and heterosexual. This time, anyway.

Actor Tim DeKay plays her ex-husband David, who is described as a "smart," "funny" and "brilliant" archaeologist who is "a cross between Indiana Jones and John McClane from Die Hard."

Sorry Tim — you're a good actor, but to me, you'll always be the guy who couldn't decide if he was straight or gay in Big Eden (2000):

But back to Renee — I thought this would be a nice opportunity to review the variety of looks she's sported on screen since her late teens (as Lori started to do in our first video blog). I've helpfully provided the scientific names for each, in case you want to adapt any of them for yourself:

The High School Hair (Teen Angel, 1989)

The Nelly Olson (Huck Finn, 1993)

The Bonnet (Follow the River, 1995)

The Newbie Gabrielle (Xena: Warrior Princess, 1995)

The Grown-Up Gabrielle (Xena: Warrior Princess, 2001)

The Single White Female (One Weekend a Month, 2004)

The Cowgirl (Ghost Town, 2007)

The Renee Laughing at Sarah (Dinah Shore, 2007)

(Wait, how did that get in here? My bad!)

Here are a few of her headshots from the last few years, for good measure:

Finally, here's a sneak peek at Renee in The Genesis Code, being all calm and confident in the face of imminent danger while her tough-talking ex-husband runs like a little girl:

Because if anyone can fight off insurgents and an evil ark, it's a focused, redheaded Renee!

(Get more info on Renee at her official site, and reneeoconnor.info, and hat tip to AfterEllen.com member withpurpose for the great Renee photo at the top of the post!)

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    • Submitted by
    Sarah Warn
    on July 12, 2007 - 12:58am.
    TAGS :: 
    • ameliefanatic's picture

    Redheaded Renee.....

    Submitted by
    ameliefanatic (32 posts)
    on July 12, 2007 - 2:56am.

    oh wow..... you know, i alwasy thought she was ok looking, but you know, i was more into lucy lawless, but omg, those headshots you put in there have made me rethink the whole Renee thing :-)  how GOOD does she look as a redhead!! or you know, darker hair in general - she's hot. ESPECIALLY in that middle shot - grrrrowwwwr ;-) 

    And of course, great to see her on the screen again soon, hurrah!

     

     

    Sneaky's picture

    Middle Shot

    Submitted by
    Norma (72 posts)
    on July 13, 2007 - 12:01am.
    I just luv that middle headshot! Omg. She's smokin' hot
    Gelphie's picture

    Hehe

    Submitted by
    Gelphie (52 posts)
    on January 16, 2008 - 7:53pm.
    i have a huuuuuuge Wallpaper of that shot :P it's...AWESOME!
    Pesto the Pirate's picture

    Short Hair

    Submitted by
    Delicable Tofu (21 posts)
    on July 12, 2007 - 3:34am.
    I loved her with the short hair when she became a Amazon Princess/Queen person-something. Those headshots are, um, really-really nice.
    NorthernStar's picture

    not to nitpick or anything

    Submitted by
    NorthernStar (144 posts)
    on July 12, 2007 - 9:31am.

    but when Gabs became an amazon princess she had long hair (see photo under "newbie Gabrielle", that's in season one).

    She got her haircut during the famous Indian episodes (season four).

    xenafan71's picture

    Sarah

    Submitted by
    xenafan71 (37 posts)
    on July 12, 2007 - 3:39am.

    I’m so jealous of you I don’t even have the words…

    eohl's picture

    BSG to Xena = fan crush on Gabrielle

    Submitted by
    eohl (20 posts)
    on July 12, 2007 - 5:46am.

    I'm a new fan of Renee, especially of her character Gabrielle S4 and S5 of Xena. Poetry in motion re: fight scenes.

    After watching BSG S2 and S3 and viewing an interview with Joss Whedon who reflected on his fan love and the influence of Xena ... finally influenced me into giving Xena a go and I watched it as my Winter activity for this year. Where was I in the 90's when this show was huge? Oh yeah ... overly social and never home. Having all six seasons on DVD made it easy to view and i adored the developing friend and partnership of Xena and Gabrielle. The Battling Bard was very easy to watch.:P

    Omega II's picture

    Show off

    Submitted by
    Omega II (366 posts)
    on July 12, 2007 - 5:54am.

    The Renee Laughing at Sarah (Dinah Shore, 2007)

    (Wait, how did that get in here? My bad!)

    Way to inspire jealousy... If you weren't awesome, I would be so mad.

     

    "I can explain why I like, but not why I love."

    NorthernStar's picture

    Renee - my future wife ;)

    Submitted by
    NorthernStar (144 posts)
    on July 12, 2007 - 5:56am.

    what - a girl can't dream?

    She was and is my reason for watching Xena. Saw one episode and complete fell in love with that smile!

    boobookitty79's picture

    Wow

    Submitted by
    boobookitty79 (5 posts)
    on July 12, 2007 - 5:59am.
    I've always found Renee really cute but as a redhead? SMOKIN'! Be still my beating heart.
    Ashley Green's picture

    A bit random, but, is it

    Submitted by
    TVDORK (42 posts)
    on July 12, 2007 - 7:48am.

    A bit random, but, is it just me, or does Renee O'Connor look quite like Lauren Lee Smith in the red-headed headshot... for some reason that just jumped out at me. Nonetheless, Renee O'Connor- Smokin' Hot!

    "The quick to think are never sure"

    --Tiresias, Oedipus Rex

    twistation's picture

    I noticed that too. It's not

    Submitted by
    IHeartHudson (9 posts)
    on July 12, 2007 - 2:13pm.
    I noticed that too. It's not that they look alike normally, but that there's a picture of Lauren Lee Smith that is almost exactly the same (angle/position or whatnot) as that middle picture of Renee. Either way, they're both terribly attractive ;)
    Harpy's picture

    ...

    Submitted by
    Harpy, Moderator (9311 posts)
    on July 12, 2007 - 8:39am.
    Yay!  While I didn't bother to watch any of the shows Lucy was in post-Xena, I will be there with bells on for Renee.  :D
       
        
    Doc McG's picture

    Yay!

    Submitted by
    Doc McG (58 posts)
    on July 12, 2007 - 11:15am.

    Renée! Renée! Renée!

    OK, y'all may love those headshots, but I gotta say that the cowgirl hat is really doin something for me.

    Here's hoping the SciFi flick doesn't have that cheesy ending where the angry ex-wife lets down all her defences and comes to lurv Her Man again.

    TheWeyrd1's picture

    I'm still partial to the short hair blonde look...

    Submitted by
    TheWeyrd1 (371 posts)
    on July 12, 2007 - 12:44pm.
    along with those abs..sighhhhhhhh...I just loved Renee as Gabrielle! And I do love to check out whatever she is doing. That said, I still haven't seen Ghost Town, but hope it's out on DVD soon. I will definitely be checking back here to see when Renee's new project is airing (cause I know you all will keep us up to date!)
    withpurpose's picture

    That's my pic!

    Submitted by
    withpurpose (5 posts)
    on July 12, 2007 - 2:52pm.

    As excited as I am by the prospect of Renee being on my tv screen again... it was seeing my ROC candid at the top of the page that really made my day.  (And the little one super-imposed over the 'Raiders' one, too.)  Very cool.  Not my favorite shots, but still... wow.

    I think these are better though:

     http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2002-12/76314/reneebike.jpg

     http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2002-12/76314/roc-macbeth01.jpg

     http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2002-12/76314/Renee-6-29-02(2).jpg

    sarahwarn's picture

    Those ARE great photos!

    Submitted by
    Sarah Warn, Editor in Chief (3073 posts)
    on July 12, 2007 - 4:33pm.
    Thanks for sharing!
    mollyblooming's picture

    Those are killer!

    Submitted by
    mollyblooming (54 posts)
    on July 12, 2007 - 5:05pm.

    Thanks, withpurpose, for the links. Especially that last one - she's a redhead in that one, and I am with everyone who says that the red-headed thing on Renee is all good.

    AfterDiane's picture

    Glad to see Renee...

    Submitted by
    AfterDiane (17 posts)
    on July 12, 2007 - 7:22pm.

    working! Sadly, this is one of those god-awful made in Bulgaria movies. What did Bulgaria ever do to us? They must have a work-shop somewhere on how to make the worst movies possible and ..heh, heh, heh...we'll make them all in Bulgaria.

    Still, I'm glad Renee is still out there getting work. I've always wished her the best and over the last six years have often wondered why she didn't end up doing more than she has done. Could have been her personal choice. Either way, hope Renee is having a wonderful time in her personal life and her career.  I'll definitely force myself to watch one of those oddly made Bulgarian sci-fi movies to see Renee.

    dodo77's picture

    Bulgarian ! movies

    Submitted by
    dodo77 (2 posts)
    on August 13, 2007 - 7:11am.
    Dear me, the movies are not Bulgarian. They are low-budget, poor-quality, poor-written, poor-acted American rubbish, which they choose to film in Bulgaria. That is the quality, that America can provide. What can we do? That's all we can.
    trheusi's picture

    ROC will probably always be

    Submitted by
    notmuchcompany (5 posts)
    on July 12, 2007 - 8:57pm.

    ROC will probably always be my number one girl-crush! =))) For me, she's the essence of everything that's great!

    And red-headed Renee is the best! Specially on the teaser of Greater Good! =D

    Xena37013's picture

    Gabby lucks great

    Submitted by
    Xena37013 (4 posts)
    on July 13, 2007 - 9:41pm.
    I am so glad she is back on the TV.  She is asssummee!!!
    Mari SanGiovanni's picture

    Just stumbled on this blog post---thanks!

    Submitted by
    Mari SanGiovanni (81 posts)
    on January 26, 2008 - 4:16pm.

    Loved the Hair History----great stuff!

     

    --Mari

     

    Mari SanGiovanni

    Author of: Greetings From Jamaica, Wish You Were Queer...

    www.GreetingsFromJamaica.com


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