Lucas May Relent On Star Wars Tickets
eorge Lucas and Fox may give fans a break when it comes to buying advance tickets for the May 19 release of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
Originally Fox and Lucas said no advance tickets would be made available during the film's opening weeks in order to protect moviegoers from scalpers.
However, a Fox spokesperson told Sci Fi Wire that the film studio is now considering a request by exhibitors to ease up on those restrictions. Contrary to a story in The Hollywood Reporter, though, the move is just in the discussion phase and nothing has been set in stone.
"The exhibitors came to us and said you should rethink this idea," the source said. "We're trying to figure out, if we did that, how we can make sure the public is protected."
Lucas Names Star Wars Charities
ucasfilm and Twentieth Century Fox announced the 11 cities in the United States and Canada that will host premiere screenings of Star Wars: Episode I on May 16.
Tickets to the shows will reportedly sell for between $500 and $1,000 apiece, money that will go to various children's charities selected by Lucas.
The cities and charities include:
- Boston
The Joey Fund
(508) 655-6000
- Chicago
The For All Kids Foundation
(212) 573-6933
- Dallas
Children's Medical Center of Dallas
(214) 456-8360
- Denver
The Children's Hospital Foundation
(800) 458 5437
- Los Angeles
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
(310) 201-5033
- New York
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
(212) 639-3041
- Philadelphia
Big Brother Big Sister Association of Philadelphia
(215) 557-9009
- San Francisco
San Francisco Boys & Girls Club
(415) 831-0826
- Seattle
Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center
(206) 528-2777
- Toronto
The Hospital For Sick Children Foundation
(416) 410-0793
- Washington, DC
Children's National Medical Center
(202) 884-5631
The Matrix Earns Another $22.2 Million
eanu Reeves' SF action flick The Matrix is well on its way to becoming the first science fiction blockbuster film of the year.
The movie, which was written and directed by brothers Larry and Andy Wachowski, earned $22.2 million during its second weekend in theaters, bringing its 12-day total up to $72.9 million.
What's more, the film is reportedly attracting plenty of repeat business, with moviegoers of all ages lining up to watch a cast that includes Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss. Meanwhile, Turner Broadcasting's sister stations TBS and TNT have picked up the broadcast premiere rights to the film for a deal that could be worth more than $10 million, according to Variety.
Wachowskis Complete Matrix Sequel
he now famous writing and directing brothers Larry and Andy Wachowski have already completed a sequel to their hit SF film The Matrix, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Don't look for this one in theaters just yet, however.
This sequel comes in the form of a comic book written by the Wachowskis and illustrated by Geoff Darrow, the man who drew the storyboards for The Matrix. Fans will reportedly be able to download the new adventure from the official Matrix Web site in the near future, at no cost.
In the meantime, the Wachowskis are lining up their next film project, which probably won't be another Matrix picture. According to EW, Warner Bros. production chief Lorenzo di Bonaventure said, "When we bought The Matrix, they were working on [an adaption of the DC comic book] V for Vendetta, which I hope they'll still do."
Fox Orders More Futurama
ox has ordered 22 episodes of Matt Groening's animated SF series Futurama for next season, according to Variety.
Futurama debuted on March 28 with an 11.2 household rating but dropped to a 6.1 average rating when it moved from Sunday to Tuesday nights.
However, in its second Tuesday try Futurama helped Fox finish No. 2 among the networks in the key demographic of adults 18-49, a much-needed boost to Fox's usually poor Tuesday performance. Futurama has also attracted more viewers than its lead-in show every time that it has aired.
Warner Bros. Launches Mars Flick
arner Bros. has given the green light to an SF film called Mars that will be helmed by TV commercial director Anthony Hoffman, according to Mr. Showbiz columnist Jeffrey Wells.
The go-ahead was reportedly granted with the understanding that the flick will hit theaters before Disney's big-budget film Mission to Mars.
Mars tells the story of a team of explorers who reach the Red Planet only to begin dying one after the other until just a single survivor is left. The lone adventurer must find his way out of danger with the help of a female astronaut who is orbiting in a spaceship overhead.
Mars--formerly known as Alone--is slated to hit theaters in April 2000.
Pi Gets Net Release
arren Aronofsky's independent SF film Pi will be available as a pay-per-view Internet download on the SIGHTSOUND.COM Web site until May 12.
The acclaimed movie, which earned Aronofsky the Director's Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, is being offered for $2.95 in the Windows Media Technologies 4.0 format.
Pi is about an eccentric mathematician who creates a computer that may be able to predict the rise and fall of the stock market. After playing at various film festivals, the movie had a successful limited theatrical release in 1998 and is currently available on video.
Terminator 2: 3D Unveiled At Universal
rnold Schwarzenegger plunged head-first out of a transport helicopter hovering 150 feet above the ground to promote the latest Universal Studios Hollywood theme ride, the Terminator 2: 3D virtual adventure.
The exhibit was officially unveiled on April 13--although it won't open to the public until May 6--in a gala event that included T2: 3D co-creators Stan Winston and John Bruno, as well as music by George Thorogood and several other guest appearances.
The new ride joins a variety of movie-based attractions at the theme park, including Jurassic Park - The Ride, The E.T. Adventure and Waterworld - A Sea War Spectacular. Universal is billing T2: 3D as an "immersive 'virtual adventure' fusing live action and visceral special effects with the most sophisticated three-dimensional and digital compositing film technology ever created."
Hercules Wants More Money
evin Sorbo, the star of the syndicated TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, is looking for a pay raise, according to published reports.
Unfortunately for Hercules fans, Sorbo's agent told Variety that the actor and series producer Renaissance Pictures "can't agree on terms."
That means that Sorbo will probably be leaving the four-year-old show after the current order of eight episodes is finished shooting. To the further dismay of Hercules followers, Sorbo even went so far as to tell the New York Daily News, "I'm actively pursuing more work now."
Sorbo added that the show's writers are working on a grand finale for the mythical strongman, and his only request was that they not kill off his character.
DreamWorks Buys Craven's Fountain
reamWorks picked up the film rights to Scream director Wes Craven's debut novel The Fountain Society for $1 million, according to Variety.
Craven is also attached to direct and executive produce the project, which could boost his paycheck to a total of $5 million.
The Fountain Society will be published this fall by Simon & Schuster. It tells the story of Dr. Peter Janze, a high-level weapons expert dying of cancer who unknowingly becomes part of a government genetics project that's researching cloning and the fountain of youth.
Craven will likely begin shooting the project in the spring or summer of 2000, following the completion of Scream 3.
Crichton Launches Game Company
est-selling SF author and acclaimed screenwriter Michael Crichton announced that he is forming Timeline Studios, a game company focused on creating the next generation of computer entertainment.
Timeline is teaming up with Virtus Corp. to design immersive 3-D games that will focus on realism and interactivity.
"As a computer gamer for the past 20 years, I've noticed a lot of 3-D games have featured large environments--big worlds, a few monsters, some puzzles--but limited interaction," Crichton said. "Timeline is going to change this standard through fast-paced gameplay in a tight, complex and highly interactive world."
Acclaim's 'Machines' Ready For Battle
cclaim Entertainment says it will unleash its new real-time strategy PC game, Machines, on the public starting April 14.
This science fiction epic takes place in the year 2136, when robotic probes launched from Earth begin preparing the distant planet Eden 4 for colonization by humans.
Trouble arises when the probes begin spreading to nearby worlds, only to run into a second group of mysterious--and hostile--robots, also sent from Earth. The two groups begin an automated battle to the death, which escalates into the greatest war the galaxy has ever seen.
Although the game market is already saturated with real-time strategy titles, Acclaim says that Machines is different because players can control their forces from either a third- or first-person perspective. This gives gamers the ability to crawl inside of individual units and use them not only for attacking but for spying and sabotage as well.
Briefly Noted
- Toys R Us will begin selling Star Wars: Episode I toys at 12:01 a.m. on May 3 in most of its 1,500 stores, according to the Associated Press.
- John Travolta will delay work on the film Standing Room Only until he finishes the SF action picture Battlefield Earth, according to Variety.
- Xena star Lucy Lawless, 31, has announced that she's pregnant with her second child, according to Entertainment Weekly. Lawless is currently married to Xena executive producer Rob Tapert and has a 10-year-old daughter from a previous marriage.
- Anchor Bay Entertainment said there was a sound problem with the recent DVD release of the Disney SF flick The Black Hole. A corrected version of the DVD will ship to stores on April 19.
