Howard Praises The Phantom Menace
hen George Lucas realized he needed to cut some footage from his upcoming film Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, he called on a few friends to help him out.
One of those friends was actor-turned-director Ron Howard, who had nothing but praise for what he saw during a private screening of the film at Lucas' Skywalker Ranch.
"The story is great. The effects are absolutely the next step in technology," Howard reportedly told the Calgary Sun. "This is one movie that is going to live up to all the hype."
Howard described the picture as the most humorous Star Wars film yet and said that the humor is used in "an appropriate way."
Lucas Lays Down Star Wars Laws
heaters that hope to be playing Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace in the near future will have to meet a lengthy set of restrictions set down by George Lucas.
According to Variety, cinemas that don't abide by Lucas' demands will face stiff penalties and may even have their prints of the flick confiscated. The restrictions include:
- The film must run in the largest auditorium in the complex and cannot move to a smaller room for the minimum length of the run without permission from Fox;
- Minimum runs are eight or 12 weeks--depending on the market--for theaters that open the film on its May 19 release date. A four-week run is available for theaters that start playing the film five weekends later, on June 18;
- If an exhibitor commits to playing the film on two or three screens in a multiplex, the film must stay on those screens for the minimum run as well;
- In competitive zones--where more than one exhibitor has theaters--the film must play on at least three screens.
- Interlocking, which allows theaters to use one print to present a film on two screens, is prohibited;
- Exhibitors may not deduct additional security expenses from the film rental fees they charge Fox;
- Theaters are not to honor passes for the first eight weeks;
- Payment is to be made within seven days (30-60 days is typical) for the first several weeks;
- Paid on-screen advertising is prohibited for the first two weeks;
- No more than eight minutes of trailers are to run before the film. (Fox has attached 2-1/2 minutes of trailers to the beginning of the picture.);
- Theaters can begin playing the two-hour, 11-minute film at 12:01 a.m. on May 19.
Star Wars Is A Sight To See
tar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace has become a tourist attraction for overseas travelers, according to Variety.
The film opens in North America two months before it will debut in the United Kingdom, and that's got many British fans on the move.
The STA travel agency in London reports that people are coming in and booking flights to the United States specifically to see Star Wars, while Sports Mondial is offering a New York air-and-hotel package for the film's May 19 open. How these fans will get their movie tickets remains to be seen, however, as George Lucas has put a moratorium on advance sales in order to thwart scalpers.
DS9 Finale Will Bring Closure
hen the final episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine airs during the week of May 31, fans can expect all of the loose ends to be tied up, according to the show's producers.
"There will be closure of the story arcs for all nine main characters, as well as for the over 20 guest stars that will appear in the episode," said DS9 executive producer Ira Steven Behr.
"Like Star Trek: The Next Generation, we had always intended to tell the story of Deep Space Nine in the span of seven years," added series creator and executive producer Rick Berman. "However, now that the show is coming to an end, there isn't a single character that we don't wish we had time to develop further."
The final episode of DS9 is called "What You Leave Behind" and was written by Behr and Hans Beimler, with Allan Kroeker directing. Behr promised fans that they can "expect one of the biggest special effects sequences the show has ever done."
Viacom May Launch New Sci-Fi Channel
iacom Chairman Sumner Redstone caused a stir in the cable industry when he announced that his company would be launching its own channel dedicated to science fiction in the coming years.
According to numerous reports, Sumner made the announcement on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, saying "our sci-fi channel will consist of real, true sci-fi, not horror."
Although a Viacom spokesperson later told reporters that the company was merely investigating the idea, there is strong evidence to suggest Sumner's statement may be more accurate. Viacom currently holds the rerun rights to three of the most popular SF series of all time, the Star Trek spin-offs The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager.
Although the SCI FI channel has the rights to Viacom's The Twilight Zone and the original Star Trek, those rights will expire in 2004 and 2005 respectively. That's not too far off, considering that Viacom can't launch its own sci-fi channel until after the fall of 2001 due to a noncompete clause with USA Networks.
In fact, until 1997 Viacom owned half of SCI FI with Seagram Co., although that partnership ended in a messy court battle. Eventually Viacom was forced to sell its stake in SCI FI to Seagram, which in turn sold the company to present owner USA Networks.
Meanwhile, USA Networks president of operations Steve Brenner was quoted as saying, "We're putting a tremendous amount of our company's resources into SCI FI Channel. I don't know how [Redstone] will compete."
Shatner To Appear On 3rd Rock
he producers of NBC's hit SF sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun have something special planned for the show's May 25 season finale.
Viewers will finally get a chance to see the supreme alien commander, a character called the Big Giant Head who is often mentioned but never seen.
What's more, the Big Giant Head will be played by none other than Star Trek superstar William Shatner, who has plenty of experience with commanding roles. During the one-hour episode, Shatner will journey to Earth to visit High Commander Dick Solomon, played by Emmy Award-winning actor John Lithgow.
After a bit too much to drink the Big Giant Head will reportedly end up demoting Dick and chasing after Mary (Jane Curtin). Mum's the word on how this cliffhanger will end, though rumor has it that Vicki Dubcek (Jan Hooks) will wind up pregnant.
Straczynski Earns Bradbury Award
abylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski will receive the Ray Bradbury
Award for Dramatic Screenwriting, which is given by the president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
The award was founded by SFWA president Ben Bova in 1992 and has only been given once, to writer/director James Cameron for his work on Terminator 2.
"The membership of SFWA voted overwhelmingly this past fall to reinstate the Dramatic Nebula Award," SFWA president Paul Levinson said. "But eligibility for this award, chosen by the membership, begins with work made available to the
public on Jan. 1, 1999.
"I thought it especially appropriate, in these circumstances, to give the Bradbury
Award one more time," Levinson explained. "It signals to the world SFWA's deep
interest in dramatic media."
Straczynski is being honored for his work on B5, which SFWA called "one of the most imaginative and influential science fiction television shows in years." The series recently concluded its five-year run and is currently being shown in repeats on TNT.
The Bradbury will be presented to Straczynski during the Nebula Awards Ceremony, which is being held on May 1 in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Ridley Scott To Direct Eternity
aramount Pictures has acquired the film project The End of Eternity--based on the Isaac Asimov novel of the same name--for Ridley Scott to direct, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Total Recall scribe Gary Goldman is adapting the 1955 book for the big screen, while Scott Free Productions and Wind Dancer Films plan to co-produce the flick.
The story of The End of Eternity centers around a ruling class in the future known as the Eternals, who are able to create and destroy the past, present and future. The Eternals are not allowed to have feelings, which causes strife when an Eternal called Andrew Harlan falls in love with a non-Eternal.
Groening Does It His Way
uturama creator Matt Groening lashed out at Fox executives after the network moved his new animated SF series from Sunday to Tuesday nights.
The New York Daily News reports that Groening feels the move was made in part because he refused to look at notes from the higher-ups at Fox who suggested changes he should make to the show.
"The executives like to think they have something to do with the success of their shows, and with The Simpsons and Futurama they can't say that," Groening said of his two popular TV series. "The shows are done with complete independence, and I think that grates on their nerves."
After drawing in an estimated 19 million viewers during its Sunday, March 28, debut, Futurama has since lost a lot of ground. The second Sunday night show was only seen by 14.2 million people, while the third episode--and the first to air on a Tuesday--attracted just 8.8 million TV watchers.
Futurama Ratings Drop
att Groening's new animated SF series Futurama saw a significant audience drop in its second outing, falling from an 11.2 household rating during its March 28 debut to an 8.1 rating on April 4.
Variety reports that things will probably get worse before they get better for the Fox show as it makes its transition to Tuesday nights.
Fox is currently running third among the networks on Tuesdays, eking out just a 4.3 average rating for the evening. However, Futurama's strong debut and the fact that it has twice outdone its lead-in show The Simpsons may be enough to turn Fox's luck around.
Antarctica Wins Alex Award
im Stanley Robinson's near-future SF book Antarctica has won the American Library Association's Alex Award.
The award is given annually to "books published for adults that are absolutely guaranteed to be enjoyable reading for teenagers."
The award will be officially announced during National Library Week, which runs from April 11-17. The hardcover edition of Antarctica was released last year by Bantam Books, while the paperback edition is due out on July 12.
McDowell Lends His Magic To Visiteurs
alcolm McDowell, the man who killed Captain Kirk in Star Trek: Generations, has signed on to play a wizard in the English-language remake of the 1993 hit French film Les Visiteurs.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, McDowell will join a cast that includes the stars of the original movie, actors Jean Reno and Christian Clavier.
Visiteurs director Jean-Marie Poire has agreed to helm the remake, which will feature Christina Applegate, Tara Reid and Matt Ross. Shooting is scheduled to begin later this month on the John Hughes picture, which will be distributed by Disney.
The film is a comedy about a nobleman and his squire who are accidently sent forward in time to the present day.
The Matrix Makes It $27.2 Million
eanu Reeves' SF action flick The Matrix pulled in $27.2 million over the Easter weekend, setting a new three-day opening record for the month of April.
According to Variety, The Matrix blew away previous record-holder Indecent Proposal, which took in $18.4 million during its first three days of release in April 1993.
After five days in theaters, The Matrix has earned an estimated $37.7 million, far more than industry analysts predicted. That's an impressive feat, considering that the film was rushed through post-production in order to make its April 2 debut, leaving little time for promotion.
Pepper May Fight On Battlefield Earth
arry Pepper, who starred as a sharpshooter in the epic war picture Saving Private Ryan, is in talks to star opposite John Travolta in the big-screen version of Battlefield Earth.
According to reports, Pepper is trying out for the role of Jonnie, a hero who is attempting to overthrow alien invaders who have subjugated humanity in the year 3000 A.D.
The $80 million film is being directed by Roger Christian and will be released domestically through Warner Bros. Battlefield Earth is based on L. Ron Hubbard's 1982 best-selling novel of the same name and will feature Travolta in the role of the alien leader Terl.
TBS Green Lights Thrill Seekers
BS Superstation has given the green light to a two-hour time-travel movie with the working title Thrill Seekers.
The flick was written by Gay Walch and Kurt Inderbitzin and will be produced by Cary Brokaw and J.J. Jamieson along with Inderbitzin and Abandon Entertainment.
Thrill Seekers follows the story of a former star reporter reduced to tabloid journalism who makes a shocking discovery while investigating a story on great disasters. While researching photos of calamities such as the sinking of the Titanic and the burning of the Hindenburg, reporter Tom Merrick sees the same unknown man in all of the photos.
The man turns out to be a futuristic tourist who is visiting the scenes of historic disasters. As Merrick seeks to learn the man's identity, he ends up putting his own life on the line to avert imminent catastrophes.
Thrill Seekers is slated to air on TBS in October.
TNT To Film Animal Farm
urner Network Television is planning to turn George Orwell's classic novel Animal Farm into "the most expensive and ambitious two-hour film ever made for television."
John Stephenson of Jim Henson's Creature Shop has been signed to direct the picture, while Pete Postlethwaite will star as Farmer Jones.
The extensive animal cast will be voiced by a variety of well-known actors, including Peter Ustinov as Old Major, Patrick Stewart as Napoleon, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Mollie, Julia Ormond as Jesse, Ian Holm as Squealer and Kelsey Grammer as Snowball. Animal Farm tells the story of farm animals who rise up against their masters and is considered one of the greatest literary works of the 20th century.
USA Announces Verne Miniseries
roduction has begun on a USA Network four-hour miniseries based on Jules Verne's classic SF story Journey to the Center of the Earth.
Treat Williams will star in the drama as Theodore Lytton, a professor of geology and paleontology, while Jeremy London will play the role of Lytton's nephew Jonas, a law student.
George Miller is directing the project, which is being produced by Hallmark Entertainment. Bryan Brown has signed on to play the role of Casper Hastings, while Tushka Bergen will portray Casper's wife, Alice Hastings.
The story centers on Theodore, Jonas and Alice as they set off in search of Casper, who has been missing for seven years. Their journey takes them into the bowels of the Earth, where they find a netherworld filled with exotic plants and animals, as well as a tribe of humans.
USA Network is owned by USA Networks Inc., the parent company of the SCI FI Channel.
Controversial Xena Episode Pulled
he producers of Xena: Warrior Princess have decided to pull an episode called "The Way" out of worldwide circulation following weeks of protests by Hindu groups, Variety reported.
The episode angered Hindus because it treats the Hindu deities Lord Krishna and Hanuman "as fictional characters by putting words in their mouths that they never spoke and having them engage in activities that they never engaged in," according to a joint press release issued by the World Vaishnava Association and American Hindus Against Defamation.
Renaissance Pictures apologized for causing any offense to Hindus with the episode and said that the company had even hired an Indian expert to advise them when making "The Way." Renaissance also said it would work with Sunil Aghi of the Indo-Americans Foundation to see if "The Way" could be altered in the event the company decides to air the episode in the future.
Briefly Noted
- As expected, James Cameron has cast Jessica Alba in the lead of his upcoming SF TV series Dark Angel. Alba will play Max, a genetically enhanced human prototype who escapes from the military.
- The novelization of Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace will be released on May 3 by Ballantine Books, more than two weeks before the film hits theaters.
- World Events Productions reports that its animated series Voltron: The Third Dimension was the No. 1 weekly syndicated kids show last quarter.
- George Romero is reportedly in final negotiations to helm Carnivore, a surreal gothic fairy tale written by The Matrix sibling directors Larry and Andy Wachowski.
- Members of the Save Brimstone campaign took out a second ad out in the entertainment trade publication Daily Variety in hopes of convincing a network to pick up the canceled series.
