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ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS FOR NOVEMBER
-Marc Forster, the man behind the direction of Quantum of Solace, was recently given the reins of the film version of the book World War Z. Max Brook, the son of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft, wrote the novel as an oral history of the survivors of the war against the ravenous undead. Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski is writing the screenplay for the movie.
-The End of Eternity may be on its way to the big screen. New Regency has purchased the rights to Isaac Asimov’s 1955 novel about time travel. New Regency isn’t the first one that’s taken a swing at this project. Paramount, Ridley Scott and Tom Cruise were putting together an effort, which unfortunately failed.
-The score of The Dark Knight has been disqualified for Oscar consideration due to technicalities in the application which listed 5 names while the music is generally attributed to Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. The soundtrack of the prior film also suffered from the same fate. The other collaborators signed an affidavit citing that Zimmer & Newton were responsible to 60-70% of the music.
-Typical of Pixar productions, when WALL*E was released on 11-18-08 it came with a new short. This one features a character who was briefly on screen, a welding robot named BURN*E. The action of the short takes place in the background of the main movie, similar to the short in The Incredibles.
-From Abe Sapien to Frankenstein’s monster– Doug Jones is someone who does well by staying in Guillermo del Toro’s good graces. When caught at the premiere of the DVD release for Hellboy II : The Golden Army, Jones opined that while he might be interested in a part in del Toro’s Hobbit, he hadn’t heard anything yet. Word came from another reporter who’d spoken to del Toro who commented that he was considering Jones for the part of Frankenstein’s monster in his re-imagining of the classic tale. Jones seemed elated at the prospect.
-Harry Potter buffs will recognize the actor playing Edward in the recently released Twilight, based on the book by Stephanie Meyer, from his former role as Cedric Digory in The Goblet of Fire.
-After Stardust, the next Neil Gaiman book to make its way to the large screen will be Coraline, a cautionary tale set in modern times. The movie coming in February 2009 is done in stop motion and features the voices of Terri Hatcher and Dakota Fanning.
-Apparently the lack of view support is My Own Worst Enemy’s downfall as NBC has cancelled the show and put a stop to production after the 9th episode. No word as to what will fill the spot after Heroes.
-With Legend of the Seeker rolling into its fourth episode, HBO must assume that swords and horses is once again a viable commodity as they have green lighted the production of a pilot for a series based upon the massive George R.R. Martin series A Song of Ice and Fire that begins with A Game of Thrones. HBO acquired the rights to the books about 2 years ago.
-The CW and the WB have pulled their support from the development of The Graysons. Designed to focus on the life of Dick “DJ” Grayson before the fateful events that lead him to become Batman’s sidekick Robin, the networks originally envisioned the show to fill the void left by Smallville at the end of its run. The president of Warner Brother’s Pictures Group who initially backed the idea has withdrawn his support.
-For some good news, Skiffy has decided to back its new show Sanctuary by ordering a second season. The show will resume production in beginning of next year for another 13 episodes.
-Stargate : Universe’s development continues apace. Wright and Cooper, from both prior series will once again executive produce. Preliminary concept art was produced and ideas are being considered for initial episodes. While casting is in consideration no word of names has leaked to the public. A first draft of the script is scheduled to be delivered before the end of the year. The goal is be able to debut the show with a two hour premiere next summer.
-Battlestar Galactica returns for its final run on January 16th. The remaining 10 episodes will set the finale on March 20th. Action will pick up from this year’s cliffhanger where Galactica discovered Earth to be a nuclear wasteland.
For those of you that enjoy trailers:
-May is a way off but that’s not stopping the release of the second trailer for J.J. Abrams Star Trek (May 8, 2009) film. Bundled with the latest Bond flick Quantum of Solace, the second trailer hit theaters on November 14th.
-A little further down the road in July is the latest Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (July 17, 2009) and its first trailer is now available on the web.
-A second Watchmen (March 6, 2009) trailer is now online.
-The Day the Earth Stood Still’s (December 12, 2008) latest trailer debuted on MTV. The trailer shows more of Gort and Fox launched a contest called Gort Lives where fans are invited to send in their artwork based upon the destructive robot. Winners will be displayed in IMAX theaters and included in the DVD release.
-Ridley Scott may finally be getting what he wants after a 20 year hiatus– the rights to make the movie for Joe Haldeman’s Forever War. Rights complications stopped Scott from his desire to follow Bladerunner and Alien with the big screen version of the classic book.
-Kurt Williams, director of the Hulk wanted something a little extra for the Blu-ray DVD release of the film so a new sequence was shot featuring David Banner in the arctic. Banner tries to end it all and instead transforms. There are rumors that this new portion, shot in Bella Coola, Canada also contains a cameo of another Marvel super hero, possibly Captain America, but Williams is being very close mouthed about the whole affair.
-In order to promote the Blu-ray release of the latest Indiana Jones movie, various retailers are looking at add-ons to the DVD such as a steel case from FYE, or a Lego mini poster & a Lego replica of the original poster from Sears or Kmart. Perhaps if Target is your destination you may find an exclusive 80 page book of making of pictures, lithographs from Circuit City and finally from Best Buy a gift set with a replica crystal skull. Are all of these add-ons going to help overcome the lack of praise from pundits about the movie?
-Pros and Cons of Watchmen: while Alan Moore has asked to have his name removed from the upcoming film, artist Dave Gibbons is taking a more positive view. He states that while Moore has nothing specific against the film, that his experiences with V for Vendetta have convinced him to make the request. Gibbons on the other hand feels that he may have always had a different view of things since he was asked to create the visual end of things. While he admits that it is impossible to create an exact version of the book, Gibbons says that Zak Snyder has, “has taken it by the scruff of the neck and turned it into a really good movie.”
-Tim Burton is heading back into the spotlight with a new version of Alice in Wonderland starring Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp and Ann Hathoway. The film will be a mixture of live action and performance capture technology. Mia will star as Alice, Depp as the Mad Hatter and Hathoway as the White Queen.
-Apparently Bill Murray got a little more than he bargained for in his recent role as the Mayor of the City of Ember, who eats a great deal of sardines– over and over during filming– more than Murray planned on.
-V is back and ABC is fronting it. The 80’s series about alien invasion is set to begin a cycle of rebirth at the hands of its former executive producer Scott Peters. Peters has the new adaptation set to open once again with the massive alien invasion fleet darkening the skies of earth’s cities.
-Recently released on DVD is the family flavor of the Doctor Who franchise : the Sarah Jane Chronicles. The set comprises al 10 episodes of the first Series. The second series of twelve episodes has just recently premiered in England.
-With the heroes developing their own movies, Marvel’s cartoon division’s latest creation is the Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The 26 episodes are set for a release some time in 2011.
-The AMC is taking on the ambitious task of creating a miniseries based off of Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red Mars. AMC is also in the process of creating a new version of the Prisoner starring Ian McKellan and Jim Caviezel.
-Due to good ratings and public acceptance, Fox has ordered a full season of its new paranormal show The Fringe.
-What’s coming your way from the SciFi channel in terms of more movie dreck? How about: Hellhounds, Rise of the Gargoyle, Alien Western, Carney and Sand Serpents. All of these promise to be just as fine as the enviable Mansquito…
-Sanctuary, the new series on SciFi channel, keeps its star, Amanda Tapping very busy. When she’s not dealing with representations of various mythical beauty and being shot in green screen, Tapping is responsible for executive production of the show. Tapping also could be called upon the fill in if the principal photographer were to call in sick. Tapping also finished out her shooting for Stargate: Atlantis and has been approached about reprising her role in another Stargate SG-1 direct to DVD movie, by which point Atlantis will be filming the first of its direct to DVD movies too.
-Set 51 years before the events of Battlestar Galactica, Caprica is now wavering on the cusp of being either a 2 hour movie or a lead in pilot for a TV series. Mark Stern, the SciFi Channel’s Executive Vice President said that Skiffy would accept the delivery of the movie and then make their determination.
-Could there be more than many? Rumors are starting about yet another Highlander film, this time starring Kevin McKidd.
-Morgan Freeman has always been behind a big screen adaptation of the Arthur C. Clarke book Rendezvous with Rama, but David Fincher, who was the most recent directorial candidate, believes the project is dead. Citing Freedman’s poor health and lack of a script, Fincher said that after 8 years of attempts, the project remains dead.
ALL the News That Fits For September
-HBO is gearing up to tackle the epic fantasy of George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones. With other fantasy works being tapped for production such as Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series, the network purchased the TV rights for the adaptation of the book. While Martin cautions that this is not a miniseries, the expectation of the studio is to complete a season focused strictly around the events of first book with the second season following the second book and so on.
-Going back to Blue Harvest, Seth McFarland has plans for a second Family Guy homage to Star Wars, this time centered around the Empire Strikes Back. McFarland says that once again the familiar characters from the show will
reprise their roles. Which puts Stewie in the awkward position of revealing to Chris that he is his father. Boba Fett will be played by Peter’s nemesis, the Giant Chicken. McFarland warns that this episode may be available first on DVD before it is shown on air.
-In other animated parody efforts, this year’s Halloween episode of the Simpson’s will feature the Springfield gang as the Peanuts as they mock It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. The second portion of the episode will use the Transformers movie as envisioned by Michael Bay for their backdrop. The creators have already decided that next year’s Tree House of Horror will be based around zombies like those from 28 Days Later.
-Joss Whedon made some changes in his episode order earlier in his new series Dollhouse, reshooting the pilot and making the original the second episode. Now that he is on the fourth, the studio and Whedon are calling a brief halt since his directing has held up the writing process. Shooting is set to resume September 25th.
-Executive producer, Tim Kring of Heroes promises that the first 3 hours of the third season of Heroes will resolve the lingering questions that remain from the end of the second season. Heroes premieres on September 22nd. Shortly after that the main punch of the season, called volume 3 : Villains, begins.
-October 3rd will see the premiere of the television version of Clone Wars, whose movie was released on August 25th. The Cartoon Network is billing the series as part of its Secret Saturdays lineup. The first episode will contain two parts, making it an hour long.
-While HBO moves forward on the Game of Thrones, one thing that won’t be happening is the TV series adaptation of Garth Ennis’ Preacher. Mark Steven Johnson, known for directing Ghost Rider and Daredevil, was set to start on an adaptation when the new head of HBO began to question the dark nature of the material. Johnson says he’s glad it fell through and while he’s heard rumors of a miniseries or a movie, he hopes that whomever gets involved with the project decides to be true to the source material. Johnson says that his original version was nearly word for word of the books.
-September 16th sees the release of the second season of Torchwood as
filming for the third season begins. The third season is currently a 5 part
miniseries entitled Torchwood: Children of Earth which will debut in 2009.
-The Stargate franchise is being given yet another opportunity with Stargate:Universe. As Atlantis draws to its end after 5 seasons, although like SG1, it will receive a telefilm, the creators Brad Wright and Robert Cooper will be starting yet another installment with Universe. In Universe a 9th chevron is unlocked and a team of explorers finds themselves aboard an ancient ship called Destiny. The unmanned ship is on a mission launched by the ancients at the peak of their civilization. The team finds themselves with no way home and no escape.
-Besides the X-Men Origins:Wolverine film the is set for May 1st, 2009, 20th Century Fox is also considering other X-Men spinoffs. Due to their lackluster showing in the box office this summer, the studio is considering other
possibilities, even going so far as to revive the Daredevil franchise.
-Apparently some things will just not lie down and die. After finishing a live action version of Land of the Lost with Will Ferrell, Universal approached the Kroffts with the concept of a live action Sigmund and the Seamonsters movie which will be written by Dana Gould, a Simpson’s writer. The project was
recently given a green light.
-In more retromania, creator of the 80’s comedy The Greatest American Hero,
Steven Cannell, confirmed that he is working on a feature length film based off of the concept of the TV show. There are going to be some web shorts and a comic based upon the concept, to gauge the public’s response to the idea
-So let’s dig up another one, Ghostbuster’s 3 is apparently a possibility
according to Harold Ramis one of the original creators. While Bill Murray has agreed to participate in a limited fashion and there are no firm ideas, one possible conclusion is that the originals with be there to nursemaid the new ghostbusters as they take up the mantle.
-Things are moving towards Spiderman 4 which has finally been confirmed with both Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire. Kristin Dunst has yet to be signed but the word is the film will have a Mary Jane Watson. The release date is set for May 2011 and there are several questions floating around such as a villain and will the studio attempt to film both 4 & 5 at the same time.
-Guillermo Del Toro is going to be one busy man. If you think your schedule is booked, it is nothing compared to this man’s– Del Toro has movies scheduled through 2017 currently. He will be doing remakes of Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Slaughterhouse 5, The Hobbit and possibly even Lovercraft’s At the Mountains of Madness.
-If you simply can’t get enough of Joss Whedon’s musical insanity, Dr. Horrible’s Sing—Along Blog, then go to I-tunes where you can download the entirety of the soundtrack.
-Just in time for the holidays and the perfect gift for all of your uber-geek buying needs for a mere $2000 you can now be the proud owner or gifter of an official reproduction of Kirk’s Captain’s chair. The chair is life sized, swivels, has the appropriate lights and even spouts snippets of dialog from the show. Get yours now, available soon.
All the News That Fits for August
-Interest in and sales of Watchmen exploded after the release of the long awaited trailor of the upcoming film. Originally written in 1986 by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, Watchmen sold 10,000 copies that the publisher attributes to interest in the film due for release in March of 2009. Watchmen is touted by booksellers as a bridge to encourage readers to try graphic novels.
-For SF authors, most of their imaginations require room outside of the box of ordinary considerations. At Denvention the think tank known as Sigma, which contains 35 authors who advise the government on dealing with the unthinkable, was lauded by the publication of a 44 page document dealing with some of their work. Usually their topics are so top secret that they cannot be publicly discussed. The group whose membership contains: Greg Bear, Jerry Pournelle, Larry Niven and Arlan Andrews has a motto of “Science Fiction in the National Interest”
-In what is becoming an embarrassing series of accidents, the ashes of James Doohan and astronaut Gordon Cooper once again failed to achieve orbit. This is the third attempt for company Celestis Inc. Other launches have failed do to a leaky fuel line, loss of control over the second stage and most recently rocket failure two minutes and twenty seconds into the flight. While apologetic, the company maintains that it their intent to keep at it until they get it right.
-Author John Ringo will be doing several radio spots on his opinion concerning the presidential candidates and their ability to react to a major disaster. This is part of a National Radio tour to help promote his most recent novel The Last Centurion.
-Wizards of the Coast has dropped all publishing not directly related to D&D and Magic:the Gathering. Their new line Discoveries will be discontinued, but all books scheduled through 2008 will be released.
-Unique Features, the company formed by NewLine Cinema founders Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne may be taking on the ambitious task of bringing Isaac Asimov’s Foundation to the big screen. Bob & Michael left when Warner Brothers incorporated NewLine into its structure and have been searching for just the ambitious project to launch their new company. Currently they are only looking to adapt the first book.
-Stephen King on your phone– no its not an evil entity coming after you via the cell phone, but rather a 25 part adaptation of King’s short story “N” that will be available for download via phone.
-Swords and Sorceresses 23 ran a contest to find the right cover model for their latest anthology. Entrants were encouraged to send links to photos of athletic women dressed in pre-industrial striking a martial pose preferably holding a weapon.
-Kiefer Sutherland said recently that even if asked he would not have participated in Lost Boys 2 : The Tribe . The fact that Joel Schumacher, the original film’s director wasn’t even contacted and that only Corey Feldman was involved from the first cast seems to have soured his view of it. His younger half-brother Angus Sutherland did play a character named Shane. Kiefer was working on his own horror movie Mirrors in Romania at the time and never found out that his relative was involved.
-Robert Sawyer, Walter Jon Williams, and Kevin J. Anderson recently went where few go—into the Cheyenne Mountain. The enigmatic government base has been part of Wargames, Jeremiah and of course the home of Stargate Command. While the base is top secret there are areas that are available to the public. The base was once the primary for NORAD, the joint US/Canadian early detection of ICBMs, it is now the alternate site and Peterson Air Force Base is the primary. One of the most unusual portions of the tour was moving through the tunnel to the base proper. Here large bolts and screws as well as chain-link fence and tarps keep seeping water and rock from falling on visitors. The building structures within are housed on giant springs to alleviate any damage from shifting. While compact in design the base contains rec rooms, gyms, offices even a store where one could purchase NORAD merchandise. Col. Brian Lihani who coordinated the tour said that it was a special occasion due to some of the conversations about letting zombies loose in the facilities or which areas might be more vulnerable to magnetic pulses. In his opinion it was more interesting than the typical tour, after all Walter Jon Williams is one of the authors who are part of Sigma that advises the government.
-While optioning does not guarantee a picture, Universal has bought the rights to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series in a seven figure deal. Red Eagle Entertainment, which is responsible for the graphic novels is set to work on adapting the first book for the big screen.
-Heroes season opener is on track for September 9th but there are some surprises in the guest star roster, like Seth Green and Breckin Meyer. The two who are well known for their involvement with Robot Chicken, will play comic book nerds who run into one of the heroes and offer valuable advice. Their parts will be reoccurring for an arc.
-November 1st marks the debut of Legends of the Seeker, the TV version of Terry Brooks Sword of Truth series produced by Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert. Despite concerns by fans about the adaptation, Raimi made reassurances that the show’s 22 episodes would be based upon the events of the first book and that while in the past he had used the absurd in Xena & Hecules, this time there was enough humor in characters such as Zedd, that Seeker could be played straight.
-Because more Battlestar cannot be a bad thing, SciFi Channel announced plans for a 2 hour prequel movie be aired after the final episode. The film will focus on characters Anders, Tyrol and Cylon Number one in the events that follow the fall of Caprica. It will also be directed by Edward James Olmos.
-Sanctuary, which bows this fall, was originally an online property. With SciFi’s backing the show, shot against green screen and given digital background’s will open up new depths. The 13 episodes mix the real and unreal.
ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS FOR JULY 2008
-While many well respected scientists and astronauts enjoy science fiction and tout its inspiration, Buzz Aldrin has a slightly different take on things. Aldrin recently expressed his unhappiness at the films of science fiction because they present unrealistic images that do not inspire young people to become involved in the space program. Aldrin says that the youth of today have excessive expectations of NASA and are therefore bored with real space travel. He did however praise Apollo 13 and From the Earth to the Moon stating that while these were fictionalized history they were grounded in reality. Aldrin is working with National Geographic Channel hosting a program called The Unseen Moon that uses high definition cameras to view the areas of the moon where he once walked.
-Eleven fans of Babylon 5 recently got together to make a unique purchase for a good cause. Pooling their resources, the purchased at auction a prosthetic mask of G’Kar worn by Andre Katsulas during filming of the show put up on EBay by writer Mark Scott Zicree. Amy Guskin wanted to see the mask available to all and not merely a private collector, so she set about gathering people of a like mind, many who hadn’t met previously to gather funds to purchase the mask. After careful consideration to its disposition, the mask has arrived at its new home, The Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, NYC where it can be properly appreciated by fans from all over.
-More Metropolis found– the original version of Metropolis clocked in at 3 and a half hours and when the film was to be distributed in the US a third, approximately 100 minutes was cut regardless of how it affected the plot of the film. This additional footage languished in a museum in Buenos Aires until recently. Returned to Germany and reunited with the edited version, plans are still up in the air about a complete DVD release as the newly found film is heavily scratched and will require a great deal of editing and re-mastering.
-Comic book artist and creator of Witchblade, Michael Turner passed away on June 27th due to complications arising from the treatment he was under going to attempt to halt chrondrosarcoma. The cancer was found in Turner’s pelvis and before beginning irradiation, he lost half of his pelvis, a significant amount of bone and his hip. Turner’s Witchblade was turned into a live action series that ran for two season in 1995. He is also known for creating the character Fathom as well as painting the covers for the recent Identity-Crisis series.
-Robert Jordan’s the Wheel of Time series will soon begin its transition to a comic series at the hands of the Dabel Brothers. Jordan’s wife, Harriet McDougal and Del Rey Publishing are supporting the project and the Dabel Brothers have previously produced a graphic novel for A New Spring in 2005. The individual issues, available this December, will eventually be collected into graphic novels in 2009.
-Actor Don Davis, perhaps best known for his re-occurring role on Stargate SG-1 as General George Hammond, passed away on June 29th of a massive heart attack. With an extensive resume in genre television and films including The X-Files, The Outer Limits, Highlander, and Twin Peaks, Davis starred in more than 150 episodes of Stargate. He worked with co-star Richard Dean Anderson in MacGyver as a body double for Dana Alcar.
-Heroes webisodes entitled Going Postal will start on July 14th at 3:00PM. The short bits will focus around a mail carrier, Echo DeMille as he discovers his unusual ability that lets him stand out from the crowd. The webisodes serve as an intro to the new season this fall on NBC.
-Creators of the BBC show Primeval, which concerns characters who fight monsters that slip through a rift in time from the past and the future before they can terrorize the earth, love the involvement their fans have with the show. Fansites have sprung up about the program, which is now beginning its third season, that are making it easier on the writers. Apparently the fans have some really good ideas, such as naming the entirety of the universe where the beasts originate from as the “Primaverse” as well as the 16 year old fan who won a contest to design a new monster which will appear in season three, episode eight.
-After the Andromeda Strain, AMC is moving onto The Prisoner as its second miniseries. Casting includes Jim Caviezal and Ian McKellan as Number Six and Number Two. The series is not on AMC’s docket until 2009, so a great deal is currently hush-hush, but general manager of AMC Charlie Collier, did say that the giant white ball, Rover will be part of the update. Referring to their prior roles, Collier also quipped, “We got Jesus and Gandalf.”
-Apparently genre fans all scream for ice cream…its just one of the ploys that NBC and Skiffy will be using at the San Diego Comic-Con to promote their new fall line up. The Eureka ice cream truck will be running a dedicated route and delivering frosty goodness. If participants go to the NBC booth they’ll find actors from Heroes and the Office while Skiffy’s booth will have stars from Stargate: Atlantis, BSG and Eureka.
-In filming The Dark Knight, director and co-writer Christopher Nolan found that the use of IMAX cameras was more profitable than he’d planned. Originally, Nolan wanted to shoot some of the large scale action sequences in IMAX simply because he was already thinking in that size. Nolan also found that cameras worked for smaller details as well and used them more often. Since the 35mm version can be extracted from the film, he felt more free in terms of deciding what to film. He did say that not everything filmed in IMAX made it into the final, which leaves a tantalizing possibility for another cut.
-The Bastion, look carefully and without too much trouble you can find an Egyptian Cat goddess in the title, is a new online community created by editor Moshe Feder for lovers of SF/F and Felines. The Bastion is a Yahoo Group encouraging readers to share stories, pictures and tips about their felines.
-On July 24th at the San Diego Comic-Con George Lucas will announce this year’s winner of the Star Wars Fan Films Competition. 41 finalists were selected and voting was done on Atom Films, now just atom.com, until July 10th.
ALL THE NEW THAT FITS FOR JUNE 2008
-Get your Mythos on– Boom! Studios will be bringing the Necronomicon to the comic world in a four part installment, written by William Messner-Loebs, artwork by Andrew Ritchie and covers by J.K. Woodward. The story line follows Henry Said an Arkham college student who is sent after the book and follows in the footsteps of the tome’s unfortunate author Abdul Alhazard.
-Since it worked with the Dark Tower series, Marvel is now going to do a comic book version of the Stand. This will be overseen by King himself as the Creative and Executive Director and based off of the “Complete and Uncut” version of the book. The comic is set to start in September and when the run is complete all of the issues will be collected together into a book. Published in 1978, The Stand has sold more than 4.5 million copies and been translated into 22 languages.
-A fire in a back lot of the Universal Studios, Los Angeles did extensive damage. Among the lost sets were the courthouse square from Back to the Future; the King Kong exhibit, including the 30 foot tall mobile Kong as well as some of the sets in use for the TV show the Ghost Whisperer. Also lost was a vault containing 40-50k reels of film, which Universal authorities say were all backed up. The fire started on a soundstage and while contained after 2 hours continued to smolder for twelve hours.
-Universal studios has snapped up the rights to the Dragonology books by Dugald A. Steer. Working with writer Leonard Hartman they are producing a film based upon the series which is fictionally written by Victorian dragonologist Ernest Drake. Dragonologists will seek to save humanity from a foe that wants to use the creatures to wipe out all mankind. Games are also being developed for the Wii and DS.
-Composer Alexander Courage passed away in May. While the name may not be familiar, the theme music of the original Star Trek certainly will be. Courage also did music for Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space and Land of the Giants. He composed works for the soundtracks of Deep Rising, The Thirteenth Warrior and The Mummy. He was also an award winning photographer whose pictures appeared in Life magazine.
-J.K. Rowling continues to use Potter for charity auctions. Similar to her hand created books which were auctioned for charity last year, Rowling offered an 800 word outline for a prequel book as a unique piece to be auctioned to benefit Dyslexia Action and the charity English Pen. The piece ends with the words, “From the prequel I am not working on, but it was fun.” Other works auctioned were provided by Sebastian Faulks, other of the most recent Bond novel and Doris Lessing, Nobel Laureate.
-Fox has set a premiere date for the anticipated J.J. Abrams show Fringe of September 9th at 8:00PM. The show will start with a two hour debut.
-Fox network is looking at a new idea the Remote Free Experiment, which is designed to enourage viewers to stay tuned by showing less commercial content and station self promotion. This does however mean that episodes of programs will need to be longer. As Joss Whedon looks at Dollhouse, his latest project he has several thoughts about the issue. He doesn’t want to overshoot and include material that may not be the best possible. At the same time, he doesn’t mind having extra material to be included once the project is put on DVD. Whedon set himself the goal of writing 46 minute episodes instead of 40 to help maintain the quality. Dollhouse centers around Echo a
character played by Eliza Dushku and is about people who have been cleansed of their original personalities and been imprinted with others which allow them to carry out operations by their handlers.
-Allen Steele has launched a website based on his series about Coyote an earthlike world orbiting a gas giant, www.coyote series.com. The site features interactive maps, a concordance for the books as well as stories and podcasts also set in the Coyote milieu.
-2012 will feature Amanda Peet in the female role. The disaster film, helmed by Roland Emmerich also stars John Cusack, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt and Roger Glover. Those in the know will remember Peet as the plucky assistant and confidant in Max Headroom.
-Walden Media has found a unique way to promote their upcoming movie The City of Ember at Comic-con International. Redecorating two classic Pullman train cars as part of a private train in the style of the movie to showcase the city and taking 25 members of the media on a 2 and a half hour ride to Comic-con, Walden hopes to wow its passengers with the movie’s concepts. The second of the two cars features screens to view 15 minute exclusive clips from the movie.
-Mishaps seem to be plaguing the filming of the 22nd Bond movie, A Quantum of Solace. Recent reports indicate that star Daniel Crag injured his hand during filming. Craig also a facial cut that required eight stitches. One of the stuntmen suffered injuries after an accident in Italy involving an Alfa Romeo. Just before that another vehicle, an Aston Marten skidded off the road into a lake. Fortunately the driver only received minor injuries in that incident.
-As NBC prepares to prime viewers for a new season of Heroes, they are looking at innovative ways to promote the show. E-comics featuring 12 new potential characters will be available online. The self contained storyline will lead into the beginning of the new season. Fans will be able to vote on the characters for potential inclusion into the TV series when it debuts.
-A&E did not wait on making the new version of The Andromeda Strain available on DVD. The DVD was released on June 2nd, just one week after the series was shown. Robert Shenkkan, writer of the miniseries says that A&E was confident that the show would do well and didn’t want to keep fans from owning it.
-What do music group Garbage and The Sarah Connor Chronicles have in common? Well, now they share lead singer Shirley Manson. The pop star will play the role of Catherine Weaver, the head of a high tech company in a reoccurring role.
ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS FOR MAY
-Ship your friends to the moon or off into space. The LRO, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is accepting names, which will be put on a microchip and launched with the Orbiter. Once you add you name, you can print a nice certificate. Also the Kepler Mission, which is a space telescope to be launched in February of 2009 will take your name as well as 500 words about why the mission is important out into the black. Kepler unlike most satellites is designed to orbit the sun, not the Earth, Names will be placed on a DVD attached to the craft and a duplicate will be given to the Smithsonian for Display purposes. You have from now until November 2008 to get your name in.
-Danton Burroughs, grandson of Edgar Rice Burroughs passed away on May 1st. Danton suffered from Parkinson’s disease but died of heart failure. Tragically this happened a day after a fire at his home which destroyed his collection of memorabilia. Danton was to be named the chairman of Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc., a privately held multimillion dollar concern.
-This past Friday was the last episode for Moonlight, the CBS vampire series. The network sites lack of audience interest.
-Bantam books came up with an interesting way to get folks interested in the new Odd Thomas book by Dean Koontz. They produced a 16 minute mini-movie entitled Odd Passenger and made it available in four chunks on YouTube. Odd Hours was released for sale on Tuesday, May 20th.
-It’s not even out and already Lucas is saying that there could be an Indy V. Did anyone ask Harrison? At Cannes Lucas said that he and Spielberg left the ending of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull open enough to allow a sequel. Lucas also added that possibly Shiaf Lebouf would be the main character and Ford the secondary, much as Connery in the third film. Doesn’t Clone Wars just scream Disney? Disneyworld will be hosting Star Wars themed weekends in June with visiting cast members, specialty events and rides as well as sneak peeks at the new animated feature film due out in August 15th.
-J.J. Abrams says that he’s not convinced to do a follow up to Cloverfield. Instead he indicated that he would rather work with his collaborators on something else instead. He did say that there were some good ideas for Cloverfield 2, but that ultimately it would be up to the studio. Abrams also recently finished work on the Star Trek franchise movie, says of working with Leonard Nimoy that, it was difficult to bring himself to tell Nimoy about acting part of Spock since he made the role what it is. Nimoy however broke the ice and asked Abrams what he wanted. -One of Joss Whedon’s new projects which is nearing completion is Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog. The 40 minute musical stars Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day. Written by Whedon and his brother and put together during the writer’s strike, the short film was shot in six days and three parts. Whedon is looking at various methods of distribution after completion, like through I-Tunes and DVD.-You can chat with the men who will bring the Hobbit to life. WETA is putting together a large internet chat to allows fans to comment and ask about the two films the Hobbit and its follow up with director Guillermo Del Toro and producer Peter Jackson. Fans can register at the WETA site under the listing “Unexpected Party”.
-Visitors from Latino Review got a small surprise when they visited the creature workshop to look at some of the effects for Hellboy II: The Golden Army. There was a picture of a young Beast that they were told would be part of the new X-Men franchise film, Magneto that the workshop would be designing.
-Times Square, Will Smith was observed as scenes were re-filmed for his up coming movie Hancock. Due out in about 2 months, the film is having some issues with the MPAA. Submitted twice, it is still receiving an ‘R’ rating where the producers would like a PG13, apparently there is still more editing on the way.
-To Darko or not to Darko, Richard Kelly, the writer and director of Donnie Darko, stated recently after questions asked of his personal blog, that he has not connection to the proposed Donnie Darko 2, nor has he seen the script. He added that since he does not own the rights to the original that he would not make anything from a sequel.
-Love ahead for Sheriff Jack Carter, finally. Executive Producer Charlie Craig confirmed that Colin Ferguson’s character in Eureka will finally have a relationship this season and so will his house. Apparently SARAH wants to see what all the fuss is about and downloads into a physical avatar to experience the ups and downs of dating. On the other hand Fargo will not get the girl, just unrequited crushes once again.
-Uwe Boll, the director responsible for such movies as Bloodrayne and In the Name of the King, has been the target of an online petition– to stop him from creating any more movies. Boll responded with a challenge to garner a million signatures and then he would stop. He also posted a rejoinder petition for people to sign if they would like him to continue. So far it’s 154,000 against, 1180 for…
-George Lucas in general accepts that Stars Wars has become a cultural phenomenon, to which he owns the property rights. In general the man looks the other way with good reason when Robot Chicken or Family Guy decides to spoof his material, but selling imperial storm trooper costumes is too much. Prop maker Andrew Ainsworth designed the original helmet so it shouldn’t be surprising that he still has the mold. What’s surprising is that he’s been casting them and selling them. Lucas surprised him with a lawsuit attempting to stop production in Britain. The American suit in 2006 was already successful. Ainsworth is of course countersuing that he did not receive merchandising revenues to the tune of 24 million dollars.
-On another Star Wars note, Kenny Baker, the actor who motivated the original R2D2, is currently in the hospital with a chest infection. The 73 year old actor, who chronically suffers from asthma, came down with the illness at a recent convention.
-Now that the military robots like SWORDS and other war drones are possible, perhaps that gave Dimension films the idea that it made sense to go back and acquire the rights to do a remake of Short Circuit. The original writers and creators of the concept have been hired to be part of the project which Dimension says will be part of its family films.
-Simon Pegg, of Shaun of the Dead as well as now the latest Star Trek franchise, says that his part in the movie is done, but that he’s been offered the opportunity to be involved in two more planned sequels, dependent on how well the first on does. The latest Star Trek movie will open May 9th, 2009.
-In four years Disney has some very ambitious goals set for its animated films. It is not only looking at releasing 10 films, with its partner Pixar but also a film based on, wait for it, a Philip K. Dick short story. The films will all be in Disney Digital 3-D and also Disney will be releasing Blu-Ray versions of Toy Story & Toy Story 2 in 3-D to prepare for the release of Toy Story 3. Cars 2 is also in the line up which consists of six films by Pixar and four by Disney Studios. The Philip K. Dick inspired movie is entitled King of the Elves and is of course, the last one due out.
-Disney is also at work on a SF thriller entitled The Surrogates starring Bruce Willis. The film deals with a future in which humans isolate themselves and interact with each other indirectly through androids which are idealized versions of themselves. The movie is based off of graphic novel and will also star Rosamund Pike and Radha Mitchell.
-Production will begin this month for the SciFi Channel series Sanctuary which will be 13 episodes and premiere this fall. The series stars Stargate alum, Amanda Tapping and focuses strange and unusual creatures which Tapping’s character, Dr. Helen Magus protects the world from or in the case of the good ones, protects from the world. What makes this one unique is that similar to 300 and Sin City, the actors will be shot against green screen and the entire set will be added in post production.
-In an interview, taking a very dark view on things, that only fits with the show, Edward James Olmos, said he wouldn’t be surprised if everyone in BSG all dies in the final episode. Olmos says that the show is a commentary on our times and the in a very true fashion we may all not make it and it depends on our choices. This is BSG’s final season, currently airing. Ronald Moore, the co-executive producer said that all along the team has been planning the final episodes, but that the writer’s strike actually game them a breather in which to further refine things. The final nine shows will air in 2009. DVICE, SCIFI.COM and Make magazine are all teaming up to allow you the opportunity to make a better cylon. The entrants may be machine type or humanoid. Winners will be judged by stars Tricia Helfer and Grace Park, and the finalist may appear on the SciFi Channel, the contest which started March 25th will run through early June.
-To help promote the new X-files movie, X-Files-Revelations, an 8 episode set will show fans vital information, due out July 8th.
ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS FOR MARCH 2008
-The meteor that hit Peru in September and gauged out a large crater is still puzzling scientists. At first the reports of sickness caused by fumes from the meteor were the news of interest, but now scientists want to know how the crater occurred. According to common knowledge most rocky meteors will break up in reentry and then make holes in impact– not gouge out craters. The pieces of the meteor traveled together 40-50 times faster than expected. In fact it was odd enough that initially investigators thought the crater might be a hoax. The rock from the impact is completely unfamiliar to meteor specialists.
-Richard Garriot, computer game developer and soon to be space tourist offered the grade school students of the UK a unique challenge. While onboard the International Space station in October the American game designer plans to do several experiments of his own, but he has graciously offered a contest to allow 7-10 year olds in Britain to come up with an experiment of their very own that he will perform while in space. Students have until June 20th.
-The ultra secret world of the X-Files is headed for the big screen once again on July 25th. March 13th marked the end of production of the second X-files movie in Vancouver. Typical to its background very little is known about the movie except that it is a stand alone from the Mythology. It is already attracting attention as paparazzi attempted to snaps shots from a black unmarked vehicle. Duchovny was quick to point out that the photo posted online of the two agents in a lip lock was “staged”.
-With the work on the latest Trek movie in progress rumors are flying that Paramount maybe repackaging or re-editing the movies for re-release. This includes everything from adding additional content to redoing the transfers for eventual blue-ray release.
-Get Heavy again, Paramount pictures is going back to the format of the original Heavy Metal film and is backing a production of eight or nine individual animated segments of an adult nature. David Fincher is heading up the project and will be joined by current Heavy Metal magazine owner Kevin Eastman and Tim Miller, owner of Blur studio which will be responsible for the animation of the feature.
-Stargate SG1’s finale the Ark of Truth is currently available right now and ties up the loose ends of the series mythology. Ben Browder in a recent interview said that the follow up coming out in July, Continuum will be more accessible to the new viewer and casual fan. Browder also revealed that he got a little fried in one of the explosion stunts during the filming of Ark. While most of danger was dealt with by his stunt double, he sis comment that his clothes were smoking after the shot. Ark also includes an extra segment where Browder compares playing Colonel Mitchell and John Crichton. Browder is also busy developing a miniseries for the SciFi Channel called Going Homer about a young boy who discovers Greek Gods and Goddesses alive and well in the US.
-Two big for just one film, Warner Brothers announced that the final Harry Potter film will be split into two installments. Part one of the Deathly Hallows will bow in the holiday season of 2010 with the second part in 2011. Director David Yates, responsible for Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince will direct. The two parts will be filmed concurrently.
-In order to refocus attention on the returning BSG, 10 stars from the show will be appearing on the David Letterman show on March 19th. Battlestar returns to the SciFi Channel on March 28th with two half hours specials and the first episode of the fourth season premiering the following week.
-SciFi has brokered a deal to show the fourth season of Doctor Who as well as the spinoff The Sarah Jane Adventures to start in April. The Doctor is joined by the runaway bride from the second Christmas special and when Martha Jones is done with her stint at Torchwood will return to give the Doctor two traveling companions. The Sarah Jane Adventures focuses on former companion Sarah Jane Smith who continues the good work of saving the earth from inimical alien influences and is aided by a younger cast of companions. K9 even makes an appearance. Recent magazine covers with the Doctor, Martha and Donna also included another evil alien from the past, a Sontaran.
-What’s in a name? Apparently the title “Watch the Skies” strikes a chord with Tor publications as they are using the same name for their online electronic newsletter. In order to encourage you to sign up and read the newsletter, Tor is offering free book download every week. Perhaps imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...
-Terry Pratchett, who announced to his fans in December that he is suffering from early onset Alzheimer's, is hoping to complete his new novel Nation in the next few days. He reports that he has started taking medication which will aid in increasing his typing speed and decreasing the levels of errors. He is working with the Alzheimer’s Research Trust and other medical associations to keep an eye on research for a cure. Fans are encouraged to donate to the Trust.
-To celebrate the 7th birthday of his blog, yes you did hear me correctly, Neil Gaiman will be putting a complete novel up for free download. Fans are in the process of determining which one by voting and currently American Gods in is the lead. The book will be posted for download on the Harper Collins website and his blog.
-While NewLine is capable of producing wonderful films as evidenced by the Lord of the Rings trilogy, their finances leave something to be desired. Now it is the Tolkien Estate’s turn to be unhappy with their accounting practices. Peter Jackson and Saul Zaentz, the holder of the rights to the film, both sued NewLine which settled out of court. The Tolkien Estate was to receive 7.5% of the gross ticket sales. The Estate have so far only received the initial payment of $62,500. They are seeking 150 million in damages.-Actor Roy Schneider, known mostly for his role in the movie Jaws but also for starring in 2010 and SeaQuest DSV passed away on February 10th. Schneider had been receiving treatment for multiple myeloma.
-GLAST is not good enough, NASA is searching for help naming its next big telescope. The Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope is too much of a mouthful. NASA is looking for a name that calls attention to the field of gamma-ray and high energy astronomy. Names do not have to acronyms. Names maybe of deceased persons if they have not been used for other missions, the contest is open until March 31st.
-NASA has also been busy in another sense, to celebrate a series of anniversaries the agency broadcast the Beatles “All Across the Universe” towards Polaris 431 light years away. This celebrates the 50th anniversary of NASA, the 45th anniversary of the Deep Space Network, the international system of space telescopes and the 40th anniversary of the song itself. When asked about the event Paul McCartney told NASA,” … Send my love to the aliens.”
-How do you know your father writes science fiction? When you’re named Poesy Emmeline Fibonacci Nautilus Taylor Doctorow. Apparently Cory Doctorow is doing well enough now as an author that he can spare the change for more than just one name for his new daughter. Poesy was born on February 3rd.
-The wait for the new Star Trek Movie just got a little longer. Concerned over the movies coming out in opposition to the film’s 2008 Holiday release, the studio has moved the date to May 8th of 2009 to take advantage of the summer film rush.
-Some things apparently come back to life as movies, evidenced by Bender’s Big Score, the latest Futurama installment, Looking to cash-in in a similar fashion expect Tripping the Rift: The Movie.
-When you’re thinking big screen versus small screen and trying to keep your Terminator franchises separate, know for your own personal mortification that the new movie is Terminator Salvation: the Future Begins. This is the one where Skynet wins and John Connor is played by Christian Bale.
-Send in the Clones, this summer a theater version of The Clone Wars, the Lucas ones, will be in box office August 15th. A television series with 30 minute episodes will premiere on the Cartoon Network. 30 shows are already complete.
-Yet another lawsuit is in the offing due to a film and this time its over Watchmen. While the film is still in production, Fox is calling Warner Brothers on their rights to develop the film property. The rights were acquired by Fox in the late 80’s, then given to another production company who gave the rights to a producer with the agreement that fees would be paid before any development of the property was undertaken. Fox wants Warner to stop going forward with the project and pay damages.
-Heroes, despite its shortened second season has been renewed for 2008-09 and will get a massive media re-launch.
-Coming to the really small screen, iTunes & Jim Henson company made Farscape season one available a $1.99 / episode.
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Torchwood and Buffy, what a combo. Apparently James Marsters (Spike) will be playing Captain John Hart another time agent similar to the infamous Captain Jack Harkness in the first episode of the second season. His character is described as charismatic and psychopathic, big change for him there. Torchwood premiers in England on January 26 and shortly thereafter on BBC America. Torchwood is the grownups only spin-off from Dr. Who.-Ron Howard and Universal Pictures are lobbying for a look through the Lens. Imagine Entertainment is in talks with the estate holders of E.E. Doc Smith the creator of the Lensman series to acquire the rights to the books in the series for possible films. Smith began the Lensman series by serializing the novel Triplanetary in Amazing Stories in 1934.
-Lionsgate has accepted an offer by Nu Image/Millennium Films to be the North American distributor for the Conan film written by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer. Production is set to begin later in the year if things change with the writer’s strike. To that end, the film company is looking to possibly make a deal with the Writer’s Guild to speed things along.
-Director Kimberly Peirce has announced that she would like to be the one to see Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End as a big screen production. Peirce has a potential draft and is looking to approach Universal with the concept.
-If you can imagine Salma Hyek with a beard, then it’s got be because you know she’s signed on to play Madame Truska in the movies version of Cirque du Freak. The film adaptation of the first of Darren Shan’s series will also star John C. Reilly as the vampire who snares a young teenage boy to be his assistant.
-Genre films make up the lion’s share of the 7 short-listed films for the Oscar for best special effects. They are: I am Legend, 300, Transformers, The Golden Compass, Pirates of the Caribbean Three: At World’s End, Evan Almighty, and The Bourne Ultimatum. Three will selected Jan. 22nd to continue.
-Going as far back as the Lensman books, Robert Howard’s Solomon Kane is being brought to the screen in a trilogy starring James Purefoy, Max von Sydow, Alice Krige, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Peter Postlethwaite and Mackenzie Crook. The books center around a 16th century soldier who battles an evil threatening the kingdom in an attempt to atone for past deeds. The novels were serialized in the 20’s and 30’s.-For those of you who enjoyed one of the better productions by the SciFi Channel recently, Tin Man’s DVD will be available for purchase on March 11th. At $19.95 it won’t set you back to far and will also contain a 30 minute making of featurette.
-In an attempt to rescue the Journeyman back to a second season, fans are sending in boxes of Rice and Vermicelli Rice-a-roni to NBC executives. The San Francisco treat is to encourage the Exec’s to hold on to the show set in that city. Similar ploys in the past have sent SciFi’s Exec. a drum stick to try to rescue The Dresden Files and Jericho fans shipped CBS peanuts.
-Fans4Writers is a website that is helping to support the writers involved in the current strike and they have chosen a unique way to raise money. They are auctioning scripts of BSG, autographed pictures from Serenity, Smallville and Buffy.
-Is Anakin Case? Could the star of the two final Star Wars movies be the broken down hacker at the center of a film adaptation of William Gibson’s Neuromancer? Rumors are flying.
-It’s been how long since the publication of Harry Potter 7 and apparently J.K. Rowling is now admitting to considering an eighth installment to the series. She calls these weak moments and lays some of the blame upon her 14 year old daughter who keeps requesting more adventures. Rowling makes no promises but says that if she were to consider it, Harry would not likely be the main character.
-Brandon Sanderson, the author chosen by Robert Jordan’s widow Harriet Popham Rigney, to complete the Wheel of Time saga’s final book, A Memory of Light is somewhat in awe of his responsibility and the notes that will help him accomplish the task. Sanderson is overwhelmed by the outline and the quality of the information and as much as he can he promised that the loose links would all be tied up in the final volume. Sanderson will be working closely with Rigney to ensure that the book turns out the way Robert would have wished.
ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS FOR NOVEMBER 2007 -The amazing effects and computer generated imagery of Beowulf are turning some heads–
including those of the actors who suddenly realize that the characters who are based off of their images are wearing less
than they thought they would. Ray Winstone, the voice of Beowulf, found his character wearing nothing but his birthday suit
in the final fight with Grendel. However through some clever camera work nothing really is over exposed. Angelina Jolie said
she felt a little shy about her character but then added she like the tail. Apparently nobody told Anthony Hopkins that his
character’s robe occasionally slips enough to moon the audience, he asked if the interviewer had seen the right movie
and then commented, “I must have been drunk at the time.” -In exactly one year, the next installment of the Harry Potter movies will make its way
to the big screen. Casting has just been completed for the new members of the 6th movie, Harry potter and the Half Blood
Prince with Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn, Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown, and Helen McCrory as Narcissa Malfoy. All
of the other actors from the prior films will reprise their roles. -Tim Burton working with Disney has laid out two future projects. One is a live action and
motion capture animation version of Alice in Wonderland. The second is the opportunity to revamp one of his older works
Frankenweenie into a full size movie done in stop-motion. -Mark Young (no relation, unfortunately) trashed Philadelphia for his post apocalyptic movie
Tooth and Nail by doing such things as closing the Ben Franklin bridge and covering it with garbage and car wrecks
to achieve a backdrop for his film. Tooth and Nail is part of the After Dark Horrorfest, had a budget of 4.2 million
and was shot in 20 days. The film centers around a group of people trying to escape cannibals in remains of the City of Brotherly
Love. -Apparently the movie version of The Mist gets a thumbs up from its creator Stephen
King. Directed by Frank Darabont who is responsible for four King adaptations including The Green Mile and The Shawkshank
Redemption, the film is based on the novella that originally appeared in King’s collection Skeleton Crew. King said
that he was impressed with the documentary feel to the movie and that it reminded him of childhood favorites such as The
Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. King was also happy with the casting of Jeffrey DeMunn who has a actually recorded
the audio versions of King’s books. -Twentieth Century Fox is bringing one of the long standing manga/anime franchises to the
movies with director James Wong producing a Dragon Ball Z movie. Justin Chatwin will be playing Goku and Buffy’s favorite
vamp to hate, James Marsters will take on the villain’s role once more as Captain Piccolo. Releasing April 15, 2008. -Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather will make its American premiere on the ION cable
network on November 25th at 7:00pm. The British miniseries is four hours long, and having seen it myself, I can tell you that
it is a wonderful adaptation true to the story. If you look carefully you can even find Mr. Pratchett himself making a cameo
appearance as the Toymaker. While it is creepy and sadly cool, Death is voiced by the recently deceased Ian Richardson. -Futurama for you! Futurama : Bender’s Big Score returns with a straight
to DVD movie on November 27th. With a totally ridiculous plot centering around nudist alien internet scammers, time travel
secrets (found tattooed to Fry’s buttocks), true love for Leela, the Xmas holiday and starring the voices of none other
than Al Gore, Coolio and Sarah Silverman—the film promises the usual blend of fine genre insanity. -With the continuing Writer’s Strike the genre shows are beginning to feel the pinch.
The Bionic Woman stopped its production a month early and Heroes has shelved the idea of the Heroes: Origins
and is even now in the process of readying a stand in season finale. The episode this early finale would replace would
have been a close to the current arc, but in light of the continuing disagreement the studio is covering all of its bases,
just in case. Sadly the Writers Strike does not seem to be stopping NBC from going forward with its two hour movie of Knight
Rider with Justin Bruening as Michael Knight’s son and Kit supposedly having abilities more like a Transformer .
. . -Mix one part X-files, one part Indiana Jones and one part comedy and you
get—well SciFi would like you to believe that you get Warehouse 13 which has recently been given the go-ahead for a
one hour premier which will hopefully lead to a series. It involves two FBI agents who, after saving the President’s
life a promoted to Warehouse 13 where the government stores all of its bizarre and mystical artifacts. The hapless duo are
then tasked to recover more unusual objects. -Space Shuttle Discovery took something a little unusual into orbit last time, one of the
prop lightsabers from Episode VI: Return of the Jedi—so to compliment that the Star Wars Site is partnering with
the Huston Space Center to create a CD filled with greeting from various Star Wars fans for the astronauts when they returned
to earth. -”Once More With Feeling” is something Fox doesn’t share, the network
shut down screenings in theaters where fans dressed as the Buffy characters to sign along with the episode due to rights
issues.
ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS FOR OCTOBER 2007
-From Hot Fuzz to the engine room. When he’s not dealing with the undead or over the top police antics, apparently Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) has no problem dealing with keeping the Enterprise running as he accepts the role of Scotty in the latest Star Trek installment. Also more known for his comedic roles such as Harold and Kumar Go to Whitecastle, John Cho will portray Sulu. According to rumors actor Chris Pine has been offered the prestigious captain’s seat. The studio’s goal is to begin shooting in November for a Christmas Holiday release in 2008.
-Richard Matheson’s story “Button, Button” is being adapted into a movie called The Box which will star Frank Langella and Cameron Diaz. The box, given to Diaz by a stranger, Langella has the power to grant wishes, but each wish costs a person’s life.
-Making some late changes to the ending of the film adaptation of The Golden Compass, director Chris Weitz decided to end the movie sooner than the book. He, after discussion with the author, Philip Pullman who has been assisting with the adaptation, saved the action that would have occurred in the last three chapters for use as the beginning of the second movie The Subtle Knife. All of this comes as the movie’s premiere on December 7th draws closer.
-Saturday mornings in the 70’s used to have a show that made the production quality of Red Dwarf and Doctor Who look like HD and apparently Chris Farrell can’t wait to star in a spoof of it. Universal Pictures has put a stamp of approval on a comedic version of Land of the Lost. The Sid and Marty Kroft show featured a father and his children trapped in a land of dinosaurs, australopithecines and reptilian creatures called Sleestak.
-Halycon Co. has apparently made an offer that the executors of Philip K. Dick’s estate couldn’t refuse. Halcyon has acquired the options to produce films and other media based upon the library of Dick’s works which include 45 novels and 120 short stories. Currently 9 movies have been made that are based upon Dick’s works.
-What an unusual combination this may be, Disney/Pixar is preparing to embark on an animated adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Carter of Mars. Purported to be the first in a trilogy of movies with a release date as early as 2012, the movie brought several Pixar executives to the Burroughs archives in Tarzana, CA for research.
-From star to director, Sid Haig, who has amassed more than 100 acting credits in genre films, gets set to make a directorial debut with his film, The Last Door. The film, about a family that tries to save their son from a secret society is set to start filming in October with a release in 2008. Haig’s credits include several Star Trek appearances, George Lucas’s THX-1138, House of 1000 Corpses and the recent Rob Zombie Halloween remakes.
-Another well known name, Jeffrey Combs, (Re-Animator, 4400) was the only actor asked back for a continuation of a 1999 film, in Return to the House on Haunted Hill. The movie will go straight to DVD so that a new system of menus and navigational will allow the user a greater flexibility and interactivity as they watch. Combs will reprise his role as the phantom of the insane asylum director, Dr. Vannacutt.
-Starting October 15th, fans of the Doctor Who spin-off, Torchwood can vote for the cover artwork of their choice for the DVD box set of the American release in January of 2008. 20 voters will be chosen at random to receive a copy of the box set.
-Recently George Takei, Lieutenant Sulu from original Star Trek, was honored by the Committee on Small Body Nomenclature of the International Astronomical Union by the naming of an asteroid, 7307 Takei, in his honor. Nichelle Nichols, Lieutenant Uhura and show creator Gene Rodenbberry have also previously had the honor.
-The SciFi Channel, in one of its few moments of sanity and wisdom has approved a third season of the show Eureka for 13 episodes. This past year the show did a good job of balancing a mythology thread in a show that is primarily episodic in nature.
-Shades of Third Rock are revisited in Earthlings a comedy drama being developed by the SciFi Channel as a 90 minute pilot for a possible series. The show focuses on the misadventures of three aliens trapped on earth an their run ins with social mores. It is supposedly based off of some of the general ideas from The Day the Earth Stood Still, Stranger in a Strange Land and Starman yet with in a Southpark vein.
-Things you find in the attic– like Batman or at least an issue of Detective Comics #27 in nearly mint condition that features the debut of the dark knight. The comic was in near mind condition and has an estimated worth of up to $500,000 and is the second most sought after comic next to Action Comics #1 in which Superman arrives. Comics experts estimate that 20-200 issues of #27 are in existence.
-Just in time for Halloween Universal has updated parts of its theme park to include some familiar faces such as Freddy, Leatherface and Jason. The work involved was extensive to recreate the backdrops and scenes from the famous films so that fans could enjoy a hands on experience from now until the end of the month.
-It all started off so good for the 6 hours adaptation of the Stephen King and Charles Straub book The Talisman. But the project, initially set for a summer 2008 release, has run into a budgetary blockade. TNT and Dreamworks have begun to realize the capital necessary to accomplish the elaborate special effects which were planned and have called a halt to the project as they consider alternatives.
-Reworking classic Star Trek starts again with the episode “Galileo 7”. Besides the cleaned up sound and redone beginning, news effects include a digital rendering of the shuttle craft as well as the space storm which causes the crash. The episode update premiered last week on TVland.
-With all of the SciFi on TV, the Emmys snubbed the genre only recognizing Terry Quinn with the best supporting actor award for his work in Lost. Quinn will read some material about and from the show as an accompaniment to the Honolulu Symphony Toyota Pops as the musicians perform the world premiere of the score on Saturday, the 22nd. Lost is filmed in Hawaii on Oahu.
-The Doctor will be in– in 2010. Season four will start with another Christmas special, then begin its regular run in the spring of 2008. Season five will begin in the spring of 2010. In 2009 fans will not be left completely out of the loop as head writer Russell T. Davies plans to have 3 special episodes for throughout the year. All of this is still with David Tennant starring as the Doctor. The darker sibling of the Doctor Who franchise which will have its first series released on DVD on January 2, 2008 will contain in its boxset a series of 10 additional short episodes about the making of Torchwood. Season 3 of Doctor Who will be available on November 6th, 2007 and will contain additional material as well as an easter egg of the Doctor’s message from the amazing episode “Blink”.
-Colm Meaney, a familiar face from Star Trek, both NextGen and DS-9 (as Miles O’Brien) as well as Stargate: Atlantis is in final talks to star in the US adaptation of the BBC show Life on Mars. Life on Mars is a time travel detective story where the hero is sent back to 1972.
-Much as Helo was brought back from the dead by fan outcry such is the fate of Dr. Carson Beckett, the medic from Stargate: Atlantis. Actor Paul McGillon said that he was glad to be back. Beckett is currently only slated for 2 episodes, creating a question as to the character’s fate.
-In order to help keep rabid BSG-fans in check before the premiere of Battlestar Galactica : Razor, the 2 hour movie set for November 24, the SciFi Channel will release a series of mini-episodes, 2-3 minutes in length in October. The episodes will air for 8 weeks and chronicle the events of the original Cylon war from the viewpoint of a young William Adama who discovers a cylon weapon that weapon that will tie into season four. The episodes will also be available on SciFi.com.
-Not surprisingly given its recent accolades, the nod from Oprah and the Quill award for best fiction novel, Cormac McCarthy’s the Road, a tale of a father and son traveling in a post-apocalyptic America searching for civilization is now being readied for the big screen. Production is set to start in January. Viggo Mortensen is rumored to be interested in the lead role.
-No Connery for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. George Lucas explained recently that while he and Sean had discussed having him reprise his role as Indy’s father, that the fact that the character had such a limited role in the film, that fans would want him to be present throughout the entire film. Since his father isn’t key to the plot, the character was replaced and Connery can go back to enjoying his retirement. The movie is currently in production and slated for a release of May 22, 2008.
-Jamie Bamber (Apollo, BSG) is set to star in the two straight to DVD sequels that follow the horror film Pulse. Pulse:Afterlife and Pulse:Invasion will keep the BSG star busy since the canceling of the show.
-Fans of the Mummy franchise will have to adjust their views as actress Maria Bello steps into Rachel Weisz’s shoes to take on the leading actresses role in The Mummy : Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Bello said that her role makes her much more of an active rather than passive participant and that she had to practice with a rifle, learn various martial arts and swordfighting for her role. Despite a black eye received from the butt of a Winchester rifle in the first two weeks of shooting Bello seems to have settled into the role of Evelyn Carnahan. The movie is set for an August 1st release, 2008.
-Director Joseph Kosinski is in final negotiations to direct what is billed as the next chapter of the classic 80’s science fiction movie Tron. Kosinski will deal with the visual development and have input on the script being written by Lost writers Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Kosinski was recently signed on to helm the remake of Logan’s Run.
-Tobey Maguire of Spiderman fame will take on the role of producer for the film version of the well known anime, Robotech. Maguire may also star in the film which he hopes may produce a franchise similar to Paramount’s Transformers. The original anime was show in a serial format in the 1980’s.
ALL THE NEWS THAT'S FIT TO PRINT FOR AUGUST
-Some lucky fans at the Wizard World convention in Chicago got a look at footage from the next Batman movie, The Dark Knight, set to be released July 18, 2008. The teaser featured: a new batsuit, the Joker-played by Heath Ledger, the Batpod-a newer version of Batman’s motorcycle, some close quarters fighting between Batman and Joker and Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes-replacing Katie Holmes.
-News continues to trickle slowly out about the Watchmen movie, helmed by Zack Snyder (300). Recently Carla Gugino (Threshold) was confirmed as The Silk Spectre/Sally Jupiter. Filming is set to begin in the fall in Vancouver.
-Continuing the thought of adaptive films, New Regency is considering turning the 80’s TV show Voltron: Defender of the Universe into a feature film franchise. Transformer’s success is obviously fueling the concept and Justin Marks is working not only on the Voltron script but also one for He-Man and the Masters of the Universe as well.
-Save the cheerleader– if you can find her. Claire and her family go into hiding at the Heroes season ender and Hayden Panatierre says that despite their low profile her character inadvertently continues to find ways to test her endurance and durability. Apparently there are still plenty of scenes with copious amounts of blood and nasty bone fractures and snappings coming up.
-What does Ronal D. Moore do when he’s not dreaming up more BSG? Apparently plan for 2008 where as Galactica wraps, he will begin work on several projects which will allow NBC to garner one of his shows for 2008. Full length feature projects in the near future include a remake of The Thing and a follow up to I, Robot.
-After winning a charity auction for a dinner with Joss Whedon, Suzanne Brockmann walked away with some interesting information on the writer/producers upcoming projects. Whedon is working on a 90 minute TV feature on Rupert “ripper” Giles and a horror movie called Cabin in the Woods with ex-Buffy writer Drew Goddard.
-Chiller network is running several contests which accept entrants during September to highlight October as The Scariest Month on Television. These include the Dare to Direct short film contest with categories: best picture, creepiest character and best special effects which will be voted upon online and the America’s Next Top Monster where fans can enter Halloween Costume pictures.
-Howard Berger, in charge of the creature effects and look for Prince Caspian, the second installment of the Narnia Franchise due out on May 16, 2008, has decided to request a greater variety of creatures. He wants to vary the ages, sizes and other attributes of the various fantasy creatures in order to diversify their appearance. This time there will also be an actor, Shane Rangi who will be present on stage during filming to represent Aslan similar to Andy Serkis standing in for the digital Gollum. Shane also has other creature parts to play including the chief of the minotaurs, a character that was added by director Andrew Adamson, not in Lewis’ original book.-The rights to Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian were acquired by Millennium Films after their release from Warner Brothers in the spring. Rumors have flown back and forth for a long time about new movies based upon the book series but Millennium’s goal is to start production as early as next spring and to be truer to the spirit of the books than the prior movies starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
-Remakes, remakes and more remakes seems to be the theme any more but some studios are at least looking at films outside of the language barrier for inspiration. Nicole Kidman will produce and star in a remake of the Colombian Horror film El Final del Espectro, where she plays a shut in who has a ghost for company, with Vertigo Films. Her fellow producers also worked with her on Invasion. They are also working on an English version of the Eye, by the Pang Brothers. Screen Gems is looking for other opportunities as well with Rec, a movie about a rabies outbreak in LA-originally in Spanish.
-Apparently the money is talking to New Line Cinema’s Co-chairman Robert Shaye as he admitted to the Los Angeles Times that he is speaking with Peter Jackson in the hopes that they might be able to reach an agreement to have Jackson’s involvement in the Hobbit. Their prior disagreement brought about by Jackson’s suit concerning payment for some of the Ring’s films had prompted Shaye to state he would not work with Jackson again.
-Katee Sackhoff, Starbuck of BSG isn’t giving any hints as to the method or reason for her miraculous reappearance at the end of the season finale. According to her the writer’s haven’t shared the reason with her yet, which considering the way other actors were kept in the dark about being cylons follows the previous path. David Eick when asked at Comic-con assured his interviewer the mystery would be revealed but so far, as Katee and crew wrap the 7th episode in their finale season, nothing more has been revealed.
-Farscape Fans—rejoice the webisodes are coming. From 3-6 minutes in length, the mini-isodes will serve to expand the Farscape universe. Let’s have a moment of silence in hopes of a revival—hallelujah...
ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS FOR JULY
-With the advent of the final volume in the Harry Potter series and the release of the fifth movie, movie studios are looking at other books to inspire movies that could ride the coat tails of the Potter popularity. Warner Brothers has acquired the rights to Septimus Heap, a familiarly enough, seven volume set based upon surprise—wizards and magic. Relativity Media has acquired the rights to Tunnels, the book which the publisher who signed Rowling is touting as the next big sensation. Again more wizards but this time, you guessed it—underground.
-To promote the new Indiana Jones movie, due out May 22, 2008 and currently in production the website IndianaJones.com is showing some small clips as well as items from the props archive.
-Universal is returning to the classic monsters with three films. Director Alex Proyas(Dark City) will be working on Dracula Year Zero that will focus upon the background of Vlad the Impaler before his transition. Also in the works for revamp
(sorry) are Wolf Man starring Benicio Del Toro and the third installment of the Mummy franchise.-Director James Isaacs is also returning to the classics with Skinwalkers. Based upon the werewolf premise, the movie deals with a civil war between skinwalkers that have accepted their curse and those who wish to return to a more normal life. Enter twelve year old Timothy who upon his thirteenth birthday will suddenly have the ability to change the curse. Suddenly the conflict is about protecting him.
-Return to being bald. That’s what Kevin Spacey has to look forward to as he returns to the role of Lex Luthor in the next movie Superman : Man of Steel. Bryan Singer whose plate is currently filled with Valkyrie and the Mayor of Castro Street hopes to meet a 2009 release date.
-J.J. Abrams, director for the new Star Trek film seems to be at the heart of controversy or perhaps causing it. He has denied any Involvement with several viral advertising campaigns that have arisen over his secret laden current project called Cloverfield. And now also William Shatner has let it drop in a recent interview that in speaking to Leonard Nimoy, he’s found out that Nimoy is in on the latest script for the next Star Trek movie and Shatner is not.
-As the Emmy list begins to get whittled down, Heroes and Lost both have episodes in the running. Battlestar Galactica did not make the cut. The judges will select 5 from the current list of ten entrants to be unveiled on July 19th and the awards will be given out September 16th.
-Some truth to the rumors—Freema Agyeman, the lastest in the long string of Doctor Who companions will be taking a break from the Doctor’s company in the fourth season. Fansites had been spreading the news that she was off the show earlier in the year. However her character Martha Jones won’t just be sitting on her laurels instead she’ll be hoofing it with the spinoff Torchwood for three episodes before returning to her rightful place aboard the Tardis. But who is the Who’s companion in the mean time? Remember a certain unhappy bride? Catherine Tate will be back to start things off with another Christmas episode, Voyage of the Damned, this time including Australian singer Kylie Minogue, and Tate will continue as the good Doctor’s Companion throughout the season as well as Freema.-Andre Braugher(Homicide) has joined the cast of A&E’s miniseries based up Michael Crichton’s Andromeda Strain. The 15 million dollar, four hour series is the biggest undertaking A&E has ever done.
-ABC is hoping that like the Office, a Brit show can be transposed for a Yank audience with Life on Mars. The US version will star Jason O’Mara and is based around time travel where a detective is transported back to the 1970’s after the kidnapping of his girlfriend.
-Cartoon Network has seen their opportunity after the success of the summer movie Transformers and are reviving the franchise with new animated episodes set to premier in January.
-Rumors continue to fly about the Watchmen movie and new ones indicate that Billy Crudup may take the role of Dr. Manhattan .
-In other unconfirmed tidbits, Neil Gaiman maybe directing a version of Death : The High Cost of Living. Shooting could start as early as this fall and Shia LaBeouf may have one of the lead roles.
-Doesn’t this sound familiar– Stargate : Atlantis will be encountering a new race in the Pegasus galaxy in their fourth season called the Travelers
(hmm, shades of Star Trek Next Gen.?). The technologically advanced race, Travelers will have gained their technology from scavenging the remains of civilizations brought down by the Wraith.-Last year’s Battlestar Galatica season finale brought about revelations concerning crewmembers who were actually cylons in disguise. What’s interesting is that the cast members were kept in the dark about the development as long as possible and have had different reactions to the revelation. Michael Hogan(Colonel Tigh) found it hard to take at first but now considers that it makes him try harder as an actor and that his character has an extra depth. Aaron Douglas(Chief Tyrol) had some offset acting to do when he accidentally found out before everyone else the fate of his character. After a long talk with executive producer Ron Moore he finally came around and says he doesn’t portraying a cylon god, and adds, our models have differences too.
ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS FOR JUNE -Roberto Orci admits that the script for the latest Star Trek Movie is complete. Preproduction
are casting is beginning to allow production to begin in November. Orci said that hopefully they may have some of the cast
members, such as Kirk nailed down by Comic-con in July. As to the rumors of Matt Damon and Adrien Brody as potential Kirk
and Spock, his reply was that he has heard those rumors as well as well as ones indicating CBS was considering a series based
on the movie. -The Repossession Mambo will feature Forest Whitaker and Jude Law. In the future
you can buy new organs to replace your worn out ones with credit. Things are fine as long as you keep up the payments . .
.Shooting begins this summer. -The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova is being turned into a script for a movie by
former child star, now writer Brad Caleb Kane. -Twisted Pictures has cut a deal with RKO Pictures to remake four classic horror films.
Three have been chosen so far: I Walked With a Zombie, Bedlam and The Body Snatcher.
-Upon completion of Iron Man, Marvel pictures will next turn its attention to Captain America. This will be a mix of period piece and modern elements. Marvel still has many other irons in the fire such as Thor, Sub-Mariner, The Incredible Hulk, Punisher 2 and Wolverine.
-Universal’s version of The Incredible Hulk gains more star power mass with the addition of William Hurt to the roster as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. Currently Ed Norton will play the Hulk, Liv Tyler, Bruce Banner’s love interest, and Tim Roth the villain, Abomination. Shooting is set to take place in Toronto this summer.
-With the expectation of The Chronicles of Narnia 2 : Prince Caspian set with a release date of May 16th 2008 and currently in production, perhaps the studio has been feeling rather confident because they have now issued a date for The Chronicles of Narnia 3 : The Voyage of the Dawn Treader at May 1st 2009.
-Heroes has added yet another reoccurring cast member with Nick D’Agosto who will play West, Claire’s boyfriend. Rumors are flying that he has a very cool superpower. Look for Season 1 DVDs August 28th.
-When ABC Family shows the first three Harry Potter movies starting on July 6th, watching fans will be treating to unreleased footage from the upcoming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which is set for release on July 11th.
-Animated upcoming-Two of the Stars of the Rise of the Silver Surfer (which pulled in 57.1 million dollars on its opening weekend) Michael Chiklis and Chris Evans have recently provided vocal talent for two animated films set for a 2008 release. Chiklis voiced the villain for Legend of the Secret Pass a story based on the Native American Indian culture also featuring the vocal talent of Frankie Muniz and Ron Perlman. Evans’ story Terra is set in the future where mankind having used up earth is looking for a new world, but the one they choose is already inhabited and war ensues. Also involved in the project are Ron Perlman, Amanda Peet, Danny Glover and Rosanna Arquette.
-Following the trend of being unseen, David S. Goyer is writing and directing The Invisible Man. The movie is conceived as a continuation of the traditional H.G. Wells story where the nephew of the Invisible Man finds his formula and creates more of the invisibility compound. Subsequently, he is drafted by MI6 in World War II. Prior to this Goyer wrote and produced a remake of the Swedish ghost film The Invisible.
-Fans of the new Transformers movie know Peter Cullen as the voice of Optimus Prime but his next gig is reprising his role as the voice of Eeoyre of Winnie the Pooh fame. Cullen has also been the voice of the Evil K.A.R.R. in Knight Rider as well as voiced characters in Johnny Quest, The Gummi Bears, My Little Pony, Rainbow Brite, Dino-Riders and DuckTales. Hard to reconcile those two images, isn’t it?
-ABC will finally make available four of The Masters of SciFi programs that it ordered which are based around classic works of science fiction by such authors as Harlan Ellison, Robert A. Heinlein and Walter Mosley. Shows feature such acting talent as John Hurt, Terry O’Quinn, Anne Heche, Judy Davis, Sam Waterston and Malcom McDowell. They will be shown at 10:00PM on Sat. starting August 4th.
-In a recent interview Joe Flanigan who plays Lt. Col. John Sheppard on Stargate:Atlantis let slip a few facts about the fourth season. Not returning are Tori Higgins, Dr. Weir and Paul McGillion, Dr. Beckett while joining the team is Amanda Tapping, Colonel Samantha Carter from Stargate:SG-1. Also Rachel Luttrell, Teyla Imagen has found that her pregnancy has been accommodated by the shooting of episodes out of order since this seems to be a very active season for her.
-With the last episode of Stargate:SG-1 airing this Friday, the loose ends of the finale arc will be tied up in the straight to DVD movie Stargate : The Ark of Truth. A stand alone movie Continuum will continue the team’s adventures. Continuum was born of an opportunity offered to Stargate:SG-1 creator Brad Wright by the US Navy to shoot in the Arctic on nuclear submarines. The military has maintained a very friendly relationship with show since they had to approve initial shots of the Cheyenne Mountain complex.
ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS FOR MAY -We’ve never really heard him, but in the next Hel