Braga Nixes Starfleet Academy Rumors
tar Trek: Voyager executive producer Brannon Braga told Cinescape that, contrary to rumors, there are no plans for a new Trek series based on Starfleet Academy.
"If there is a new Star Trek series, I highly doubt if it will have anything to do with
Starfleet Academy," Braga said.
Braga said he and Trek top dog Rick Berman have been talking about a new series, but that "everything's very nebulous right now." He also said that he had no official word on when the new show would hit the airwaves.
"I don't know what Paramount is thinking," Braga said. "They could be thinking a year, two years, three years. Your guess is as good as mine."
Astin May Join Rings Fellowship
udy star Sean Astin is in talks to play the character of Sam Gamgee in New Line's film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's famous novel trilogy The Lord of the Rings.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Astin will perform opposite Elijah Wood, who has agreed to take on the starring role of Frodo Baggins.
Meanwhile, New Line said it will up the Rings budget to $190 million for all three films, which will be shot back to back by Peter Jackson beginning in October. New Line has also said that it will no longer comment on Rings castings news or rumors until the entire ensemble crew of roughly 100 actors is finalized.
LucasArts Unveils Secret Naboo Fighter
ucasArts is about to give gamers a secret code that will allow owners of the PC and N64 title Rogue Squadron access to the Naboo fighter flown by Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I.
The code will be available on LucasArts' Web site, Nintendo's Web site, and in several print and online magazines.
LucasArts described the Naboo fighter as a highly agile ship that's armed with twin rapid-fire laser cannons, homing missiles and other weapons that can be upgraded. Thanks to an advanced hyperdrive engine and superior handling characteristics, the Naboo fighter can outmaneuver most other ships in the game.
In Rogue Squadron, players join an elite group of starfighter pilots who take part in a series of ground-to-air and air-to-air combat missions. The game was released in December 1998.
Phantom Destroys Tokyo Dinosaurs
tar Wars: Episode I set a new record at the Japanese box office by pulling in $12.2 million during its opening weekend.
That was about $2 million more than the previous box-office tyrannosaurus, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, made during its bow.
So far The Phantom Menace has earned $80.5 million in overseas theaters, capturing the No. 1 box-office spot in Argentina and Israel. In North America Episode I recently reached $385 million in ticket sales.
Tom Will Cruise In DeathRace 3000
yes Wide Shut headliner Tom Cruise will star in Paramount Pictures' DeathRace 3000, which is being directed by Event Horizon helmer Paul Anderson.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, 3000 is a remake of Roger Corman's 1975 cult classic SF flick DeathRace 2000.
DeathRace 2000 featured Sylvester Stallone and David Carradine as two drivers in the near future who are racing from New York, N.Y., to Los Angeles, Calif. The drivers earn points for running down pedestrians, a fact that draws the ire of a group of rebels who in turn try to kill off the racers.
Blair Team Inks Fox Deal
he creative team behind the hot summer film The Blair Witch Project has signed a two-year development deal with 20th Century Fox TV and Regency TV.
According to Variety, the five members of the production company Haxan--who were responsible for writing, producing, directing and editing Blair--will develop TV series for the two studios.
"We're always on the lookout for artists unafraid to buck tradition, and it's clear this group of filmmakers is ready and willing to defy every TV convention," 20th Century Fox TV president Sandy Grushow told Variety. "What I found so amazing was the ability of this team to create completely captivating suspense with no gore," added Regency president Gail Berman.
De Bont May Helm Adaptive Ultimate
he Haunting director Jan De Bont is in talks with Fox to create a feature film based on Stanley G. Weinbaum's 1935 SF short story "The Adaptive Ultimate."
Variety reports that Fox is giving the project high priority and is already set to begin casting the picture.
"The Adaptive Ultimate" tells the story of a scientist who gives a dying homeless woman the power of unlimited adaptability. The woman quickly becomes both powerful and seductive, but also a threat to society, forcing the scientist to choose between his love for her and his responsibility to humanity.
Weinbaum, who is best known to fans for his popular short story "A Martian Odyssey," originally published "Adaptive" under the pen name John Jessel.
King Heads Home To Recover
fter three weeks in the hospital and five rounds of surgery, best-selling author Stephen King has returned to his home in Bangor, Maine.
The famed horror writer was discharged from the Central Maine Medical Center on Friday, July 9, and now faces up to nine months of physical therapy in order to complete his recovery.
King was seriously injured on June 19 when he was struck by a van while walking along the road near his summer house in western Maine. The author suffered numerous injuries during the accident, including a collapsed lung, a fractured pelvis and hip, and two breaks to his right leg below the knee.
Marvel At Work On Super Movies
arvel Enterprises CEO Avi Arad says the legendary comic book company is working on at least 12 feature films that will star some of Marvel's greatest superheroes.
Arad told Variety columnist Michael Fleming that Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk and Prime are all well along in development, while another nine films are in the works.
Both Nicolas Cage and Tom Cruise are reportedly interested in an Iron Man film, while Blade writer David Goyer is currently scripting a version of Dr. Strange. Meanwhile, Blade star Wesley Snipes and his production company Amen-Ra are working on a Black Panther feature.
Marvel is trying to get Home Alone 3 director Raja Gosnell to work on a Fantastic Four film, Fox has hired Seven writer Andrew Kevin Walker to script a Silver Surfer picture, and the producers of Saving Private Ryan are eyeing up Captain America. The Right Stuff director Philip Kaufman is trying to get a Namor project underway with Sam Hamm in talks to script, and director Chris Columbus has expressed interest in Daredevil.
Last but not least, Marvel is developing an animated feature based on Thor.
500,000 Japanese See Episode I
wentieth Century Fox estimated that more than 500,000 Japanese moviegoers saw Star Wars: Episode I when it opened in the Land of the Rising sun on July 10.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, that would beat a record set in 1998 by the Dean Devlin/Roland Emmerich film Godzilla.
The Phantom Menace had a slight edge over Godzilla because Qui-Gon Jinn and friends were shown in 412 theaters, while the Toho Terror ran in just 389. Episode I is expected to bring in at least $100 million during its Japanese run, but it's doubtful that it will surpass the $220 million brought in by Titanic in 1997.
Briefly Noted
- Director Paul Anderson is working on a new Dr. Who movie in conjunction with the BBC, according to Cinescape.
- The Official Jeri Ryan Web Page is reporting that Ryan has signed an extension guaranteeing her commitment to Star Trek: Voyager through a seventh season.
- A special screening of The Blair Witch Project set a new box-office record at the Angelika Theatre in New York, N.Y., according to Variety.
- Britain's Prince Charles and Star Wars creator George Lucas were among the celebrities at the U.K. premiere of Episode I on July 14.
- The delayed debut of the Buffy season finale scored a 4.4 household rating in the Nielsens, beating last year's closing episode by 5 percent, according to Variety.
- The Bohbot Kids Network will distribute the half-hour animated TV series Monster Rancher, based on Tecmo's Sony PlayStation game of the same name.
- A poll of 60,000 people by the film channel Sky Premier in the United Kingdom revealed that Britons think that Star Wars is the "movie of the millennium."
- In its second week in theaters, Wild Wild West dropped from the No. 1 spot at the box office to second place with earnings of about $11 million.
- Jamie Luner will take over the starring role in the NBC series The Profiler from Ally Walker, who is leaving to concentrate on her film career. Walker's character Dr. Sam Waters will be replaced by Luner's, an FBI agent and former prosecutor.
- Beginning in September, the University of Glamorgan in the United Kingdom will offer a Bachelor of Science degree in Science and Science Fiction.
