Lucas Talks Star Wars On 60 Minutes
eorge Lucas took fans behind the scenes of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace during a special two-part report on the March 28 edition of the CBS show 60 Minutes.
Lucas showed a number of special effects from the film--including strange creatures, sprawling cities, spaceships and planets--and also described how they were created.
Lucas explained to CBS that new computer technology has given him a creative freedom that was never before possible. "It's like sketching with a pencil and suddenly, someone gives you paint...Now I can paint the way I was originally seeing things," he said.
Lucas also talked about his 15-year hiatus from directing, which he took in order to spend time with his three children. The segment also featured interviews with Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola, who have known Lucas since his early days in Hollywood.
Lucas Plans Charity Screenings
eorge Lucas will hold charity screenings of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace in a dozen U.S. cities on May 16, three days before the film's general release, according to Variety.
Despite some earlier controversy surrounding the events (see "Star Wars Benefit Criticized" below), Lucas is still planning to charge $500 a head for the special showings, money that will go directly to various children's charities.
So far Lucasfilm has only confirmed the location of one of the screenings, which will be held in Los Angeles to benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Sponsors there are hoping to raise more than $700,000 during the event, while a block of opening-night tickets are being reserved at no cost for children infected with HIV/AIDS.
Star Wars Benefit Criticized
eorge Lucas's plan to raise money for charities by charging $500 per seat at several special advance screenings of Star Wars: Episode I isn't going quite as expected.
Variety reports that the as-yet-unofficial screenings--to be held on May 16 in Denver and five other U.S. cities--were criticized by the Denver Post newspaper due to the hefty price tag of the tickets.
That response has reportedly baffled the folks over at Lucasfilm and Twentieth Century Fox, who will make no money from the events. What's more, about 20 percent of the seats at each screening are being reserved for disadvantaged children, who will pay nothing to attend.
Cameron Drops Apes, Casting Dark Angel
cclaimed filmmaker James Cameron is no longer interested in writing or producing Fox's upcoming remake of the SF classic film Planet of the Apes, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Cameron reportedly cooled on the project after Fox rebuffed his choice of Peter Hyams for director.
Armageddon helmer Michael Bay is now being courted for the flick, which will be scripted by Bill Broyles. The Hollywood Reporter said Bay is enthusiastic about the film but he would like to give it a "teen-friendly" cast.
Cameron, meanwhile, is working on signing a cast for his upcoming SF TV series Dark Angel, which is headed for the Fox Network. He is considering casting Jessica Alba as the lead in the series, a biologically enhanced super-detective.
Cameron is also at work on his Mars script--which will likely be either a miniseries or a movie--though he will no longer be basing that project on Kim Stanley Robinson's famous Mars novel trilogy. Instead Cameron is said to be working up a tale about the first manned mission to the Red Planet.
Hatch Readies Galactica Trailer
hile producers Glen Larson and Todd Moyer are at work on a feature film version of the TV series Battlestar Galactica, former Galactica star Richard Hatch is continuing plans for his own Battlestar project.
According to reports on Hatch's Web site and in Ain't-It-Cool-News, Hatch is finishing up production on a three-minute Galactica trailer that he's hoping will generate interest in either a TV or film spin-off.
Hatch reportedly financed the trailer out of his own pocket, though most of the work--by former Galactica stars as well as special effects people like Brick Price (Star Trek, Deep Impact)--was done for free. The trailer is said to continue the story of the original Galactica TV series while ignoring the events of Galactica: 1980.
Hatch supposedly used many props and costumes from the original series for the trailer, which features him in the starring role of Commander Apollo, who has taken over as leader of the Galactica fleet following the death of his father, Commander Adama. The story is reportedly based on one of Hatch's two Battlestar novels, Warhawk and Armageddon.
Mainstay Galactica characters such as Baltar, President Tigh (formerly Colonel) and Count Iblis make appearances in the trailer, along with new faces like Starbuck's daughter. Hatch, who has been lobbying for a new Galactica series for the last 20 years, said he is dedicated to remaining faithful to the original story.
Robbins Joins Mission To Mars
im Robbins is in talks to star in Disney's upcoming SF adventure film Mission to Mars, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
If the deal goes through, he will play Woody, a gung-ho astronaut who embarks on a rescue mission to the Red Planet along with his space-faring wife.
The rescue mission is sent to Mars to aid an earlier expedition that met with a mysterious disaster, leaving only one survivor behind. Robbins will star alongside Gary Sinise and Don Cheadle in the flick, which is being rewritten by Ted Tally and directed by Brian De Palma.
Shooting on Mission to Mars will get underway in July for a possible release in May or June 2000.
Battlefield Earth To Shoot In Montreal
ohn Travolta's upcoming big-budget SF flick Battlefield Earth will film in Montreal, Canada, for three months beginning in July.
According to the Montreal Gazette, the independent film will be helmed by Star Wars: Episode I second-unit director Roger Christian and will carry a price tag of $120 million (Canadian currency).
Battlefield Earth is based on L. Ron Hubbard's 1982 best-selling novel of the same name. It takes place in the year 3000, a time when Earth is overrun by aliens who enslave humanity and plunder the planet's natural resources.
Travolta will star as Terl, the alien head of security.
Fox Markets Buffy Prom Dresses
ox Licensing and Merchandising is hoping to cash in on the popularity of high school vampire slayer Buffy Summers with a new line of prom dresses.
The dresses are based on the homecoming gown worn by Buffy, who is played by Sarah Michelle Gellar in the TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
The "drop-dead" collection will be available at Nordstrom's, Rampage and Patricia Fields stores with price tags ranging from $124-$148. The new dresses are just part of Fox's Buffy junior apparel line, which was launched in the fall of 1998 and includes clothing such as velvet skirts and slip tops.
Beam Team Releases Star Wars Tribute
music group called The Beam Team has released a new single that pays tribute to George Lucas' upcoming film Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
The track is called "Skywalker" and is available as a free MP3 file on the Audiodiner.com Web site as well as Noisebox.com and The Beam Team's own site, www.beamteam.com.
The Beam Team calls the song "a catchy rap single based on the positive-minded spirit developed in Lucas' Jedi Knight characters." The self-described "total fans" of Star Wars are hoping to convince Lucas to distribute their song on the official Star Wars Web site.
Brimstone Fans Advertise Their Cause
ans of Fox's recently canceled supernatural series Brimstone have pitched in $2,000 to take out an ad in the March 24 edition of Daily Variety in support of their show.
The Save Brimstone campaign is hoping the ad will convince Fox to bring the show back or at least drum up interest in the series from other networks and cable channels.
Brimstone debuted on Fox in February and ran for 13 episodes before being pulled due to poor ratings. Fans of the series immediately established the Brimstone Central Web site to coordinate a campaign to resurrect the series, which stars Peter Horton as an undead cop who's charged with rounding up 113 souls that escaped from hell.
- Gene Roddenberry will be honored with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award during the Hollywood Salutes the Easter Seals telethon. The award will be accepted on his behalf by his widow, Majel Barret Roddenberry, and Star Trek actors Avery Brooks, Jeri Ryan and James Doohan.
- Orson Scott Card is interested in casting Stars Wars: Episode I child star Jake Lloyd in the lead role of the upcoming Ender's Game film, according to Cinescape.
- George Lucas donated $1.5 million to establish a digital film studio at his alma mater, the University of Southern California. The studio will be named after the late Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa.
- Rumor has it that Kevin Sorbo is quitting the cast of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and that the show itself has been canceled as a result.
- According to a report on The Big Picture DVD Web site, Warner Home Video plans to release Babylon 5 on DVD.
- Alpha Centauri game creator Sid Meier will receive this year's Hall of Fame award from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.
- A recent episode of UPN's SF series Seven Days featured the first virtual product placements on a prime-time entertainment program, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The placements were digitally inserted into the episode during the post-production process using a technology called L-VIS.
- The PC game Douglas Adams Starship Titanic won the 1998 Codie Award for Best New Adventure or Role-Playing Software Game.
- What Dreams May Come earned the Oscar for Best Visual Effects during the 71st Academy Awards presentation.
- Canada's Space: The Imagination Station has ordered 13 more episodes of the offbeat SF TV series Lexx, according to Lexx producer Salter Street Films.
