Smith Re-Ups For MIB2
ill Smith will reprise his role in Men in Black 2, the sequel to Barry Sonnefeld's hit 1997 film Men in Black, according to Access Hollywood.
"We just signed up for that one," Smith told Access host Pat O'Brien. "The script is brilliant. Essentially, there's an intergalactic war, so this one takes place beyond the boundaries of Earth."
Robert Gordon (Galaxy Quest) will write the sequel. Neither director Barry Sonnefeld nor co-star Tommy Lee Jones have committed to the follow-up film.
Anderson Wants More X-Files
illian Anderson has gone on the record saying she would like to return for an eighth season of her hit Fox television series The X-Files, according to TV Guide Online.
Anderson, who wrote and directed the recent episode, "All Things," told the Web site that she'd like to do it again.
"[But] I'm not crazy about writing a script again during the season," she said. "On the other hand, I can't imagine directing an episode that wasn't mine, so if I am going to direct again on this show, I would just have to bite the bullet and try to write another one."
No decision has been made on whether The X-Files will return, though the current season is winding down fast. The decision seems to hinge on star David Duchovny, whose contract expires at the end of this season.
Duchovny has said he's tired of the show, but has left the door open to returning. "I have my terms that I would come back under," Duchovny said on the morning show on KROQ-FM in Los Angeles. "And it doesn't necessarily have to do with money; it has a lot to do with time commitments. And I made those clear. I'm not the one holding up negotiations. I am not in a negotiation. I have my terms, which will not move. So, that's where I am. It's really up to Fox."
For her part, Anderson is not happy that the show could go out with a whimper and not a bang. "The thought of [taping] two more episodes and that being the end of it is infuriating," she told TV Guide Online. "It hasn't given any of us the opportunity to mourn the ending. And it also hasn't given Fox the chance to advertise the s--- out of it. This could be incredibly lucrative for them [if they] do it correctly, and it tells me that they believe very strongly that there is going to be an eighth season."
Godzilla 2 In The Works?
hough 1998's big-budget Godzilla feature film disappointed at the box office, a sequel may be in the works, according to Hollywood.com.
The Web site quoted an insider saying that the sequel won't come from filmmakers Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin, whose Centropolis Entertainment made Godzilla.
Sony, which holds the U.S. rights to the Japanese franchise, reportedly disagreed with Centropolis on terms of the sequel and parted ways. Sony is now looking for a new production team for the film, Hollywood.com reported. Centropolis had already commissioned a treatment for G2 from writer Tab Murphy (Tarzan), which featured a fight between the big lizard and a giant insect in downtown Sydney, Australia, according to the site.
The proposed sequel is not to be confused with Godzilla 2000, the next Japanese installment of the venerable film series, which comes to U.S. theaters this summer.
Hales To Rewrite Episode II
eorge Lucas has written several drafts of the script for Star Wars: Episode II and has now enlisted the aid of screenwriter Jonathan Hales to polish the final version, according to the Star Wars official Web site.
Pre-production continues on the second prequel to Lucas' epic space saga, and principal photography begins this summer, the site reported.
Hales and Lucas worked together previously on Lucas' The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles for television. Hales wrote or co-wrote several episodes of the critically acclaimed series, including the feature-length Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal, Young Indiana Jones and the Scandal of 1920 and Young Indiana Jones: Tales of Innocence, the site reported.
Brendon Considered Anakin Role
icholas Brendon, who plays Xander on The WB's hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, confirmed that he's talked with George Lucas about playing Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode II, according to Cinescape Online.
"George Lucas came to our set two months ago. And so I talked to him," Brendon told Cinescape magazine contributor Melissa J. Perenson.
But, he added, "When I realized the little kid in the first episode is Anakin, I
[also] realized that this is probably not going to happen."
As for his future on Buffy, he said, "Buffy, Xander, Willow, and Xander are the four people that will never die. Unless, of course, there's a bitter contract dispute with Fox. Anyone above and beyond that is expendable in Joss'
eyes."
Portman To Meet Would-Be Anakins
atalie Portman, who will reprise her role of Queen Amidala in Star Wars: Episode II, told The Calgary Sun newspaper that she will soon be reading opposite several actors auditioning for the coveted role of Anakin Skywalker.
"I'm reading with potential Anakins at the end of the month," she told the paper.
She added, "I asked George Lucas who some of the guys are, but he refused to tell me. He knows I'd let the information leak out."
In the next prequel, Anakin and Amidala fall in love. But Portman is still in the dark about the details. "All I know is that it's a romance between Anakin and Queen Amidala and that Ewan McGregor, Sam Jackson, Jar Jar Binks and Yoda are returning. Beyond that, nothing," she said. "Once again, it is all cloaked in secrecy. I've heard that George is still working on the screenplay, and that wouldn't surprise me or worry me." Episode II is scheduled to begin shooting in Australia in June.
Episode II Goes Digital
eorge Lucas will use six $100,000 high-tech digital cameras to shoot much of Star Wars: Episode II, Variety reported.
The cameras' maker, Sony, announced Lucas' plans at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas, the trade paper reported.
Lucas and his crew will use 24-frame progressive high-definition camcorders to shoot the Star Wars prequel starting in June in Australia, Italy and Tunisia. Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic have been testing prototype cameras built by Panavision and Sony for the last four months, Variety reported.
"The tests have convinced me that the familiar look and feel of motion picture film are fully present in this digital 24P system, and that the picture quality between the two is indistinguishable on the large screen," Lucas reportedly said. Lucas has long argued for a transition from film to digital moviemaking.
Titan A.E. Rough Cut Screened
rough cut of the first half of Titan A.E., the upcoming animated SF space opera from Fox, screened for press in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 8, a sign that the studio likes what it's seen so far.
The film, from animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman (Anastasia), is set for a June 16 release and is still in post-production, but the studio chose to preview a rough cut more than two months early.
The hour-long preview of Titan A.E. began with the evacuation of Earth and its subsequent destruction by a hostile alien race, the Drej, in the year 3028. The story picks up 15 years later, following the life of Earth survivor Cale (voiced by Matt Damon), who works on an alien salvage asteroid. The mysterious Capt. Korso (Bill Pullman), skipper of the starship Valkyrie, persuades Cale that he alone holds the key to the survival of the human race. Cale reluctantly joins the ship's crew, which includes the spunky Akima (Drew Barrymore), to search for Titan, the starship Cale's father piloted away from Earth as the planet was vaporized.
Though the preview was a rough cut, Titan A.E. included many near-finished sequences that blended traditional 2-D animation with 3-D computer effects and animation. The soundtrack featured songs by alternative bands such as Lit, Smashmouth, The Urge and Powerman 5000. The film also echoed images and thematic elements from many previous SF movies, such as Star Wars, The Matrix and Independence Day, but also added a few new eye-popping visuals of its own.
Catherine De Camp Dies At 92
atherine Crook de Camp, an educator, author, editor and longtime collaborator with her husband, SF writer L. Sprague de Camp, died April 9 in Texas.
She was 92.
Catherine de Camp wrote The Money Tree, Teach Your Child to Manage Money and Creatures of the Cosmos, and collaborated with her husband on The Bones of Zora and The Swords of Zinjaban, among others.
De Camp was a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the Authors Guild, First Fandom and other groups. Born in New York, she graduated from Barnard College in 1933 with degrees in English and economics. She taught English and tutored students in private secondary schools in New York until she met L. Sprague de Camp. She and her husband had lived in Plano, Texas, since 1989.
De Camp is survived by her husband; her sons, Lyman Sprague de Camp and Gerard Beekman de Camp; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Fireflies Coming From MGM
rench commercial director Nic Mathieu will helm Fireflies, an SF military thriller feature film from MGM, according to Variety.
Production could begin by the end of the year, the trade paper reported.
Mathieu also wrote the film, which is set on a floating military base in the Pacific Ocean. A top-secret, water-seeking miniature weapon gets loose and threatens humankind's survival. The film calls for more than 1,000 digital special effects shots, Variety reported.
Carter May Helm Serios
he X-Files creator Chris Carter may direct his first feature film, The World of Ted Serios, based on a true story of a psychic bellhop, according to Variety.
Carter is near a deal with Dimension Films to direct the film, based on the novel of the same name by Jule Eisenbud, the trade paper reported.
Carter's X-Files partner Frank Spotnitz would produce and co-write the film with Carter, Variety reported. Serios tells the story of a psychiatrist in 1960s Chicago who studied a bellhop who was able to project his thoughts onto unexposed film negative.
Bentley Drops Queen
es Bentley (American Beauty) won't play the vampire Lestat in Queen of the Damned, the feature film adaptation of Anne Rice's novel of the same name, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The actor dropped out of the project reportedly because he needed time off after the whirlwind of activity surrounding the Oscar-winning Beauty and the completion of roles in two subsequent films.
Aaliyah, the singer who made her film debut in Romeo Must Die, is set to star in the titular role in Queen, the trade paper reported. Filmmakers must now scramble to replace Bentley because the option on Rice's book expires in October and the film is scheduled to begin shooting in Australia on Aug. 21, according to the Reporter.
Gaiman To Helm Own Death
raphic novel writer Neil Gaiman (Sandman) told IGN Sci-Fi that he will transition to the big screen, writing and directing an adaptation of his own comic series Death: The High Cost of Living.
The film will follow the adventures of Morpheus' sister and marks Gaiman's Hollywood film debut, the site reported.
It's not the only media project for the prolific writer. Gaiman has also said he and his partner Dave McKean are developing an animated children's show based on The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish. And Gaiman is also working on a short film for Miramax based on his Smoke and Mirrors series, IGN Sci-Fi reported.
Arnold Awaits Savage Script
rnold Schwarzenegger told SCI FI Wire that he's still awaiting a script for Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze, a proposed new feature film based on the Doc Savage series of novels and comics.
"That's being written now as we speak," Schwarzenegger said on the Vancouver set of his current SF thriller The 6th Day. "But ... I've not seen a finished draft. I've only seen parts of it."
The project, spearheaded by directors Frank Darabont (The Green Mile) and Chuck Russell (who directed Schwarzenegger in 1996's Eraser), has been in development since last summer. Based on the series created in 1933 by pulp writer Lester Dent, Doc Savage tells the story of a millionaire philanthropist adventurer named Clark Savage Jr. Filmed once as a campy 1975 movie, Doc Savage is best known for his robust physique and blond widow's peak.
Schwarzenegger told SCI FI Wire that the character has been in his mind since his early days as a body builder. "There was a guy in the gym who was a good photographer and a writer. ... And he had blond hair, he combed it forward. And he had certain behaviors. ... And I'd say, 'What the hell are you doing? Who are you trying to be? ... ' And he said, 'Just remember, Arnie, I've trained for 20 years ... to look like this, because one day, I know they're going to do a Doc Savage movie.' ... And I'd say, 'Who is Doc Savage?' So he took me home ... and he had books, and he had paintings and he had literature and drawings and all this stuff. And it was, like, wild. That's when I got exposed for the first time to Doc Savage."
It was actually Darabont's idea for Schwarzenegger to assay the role, he added. "Frank Darabont and Chuck Russell [and I] ... were always sitting down together talking about what would be great to do, what could we do together. And Frank Darabont said, 'You know something, I've been watching you. You're like Doc Savage. Have you ever thought about it? ... You're more Doc Savage than you are Conan or the Terminator. You'll be great. ... Would you ever do it?' And I said, 'Why not?' That's how that all happened."
Potter To Be Delayed?
he anticipated feature film version of J.K. Rowling's best-selling children's novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone may be delayed to mid-November 2001 from its original summer 2001 release slot, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The trade paper quoted insiders saying that the film's heavy special effects may require a longer production schedule than at first thought.
The film has yet to be cast, though director Chris Columbus (Bicentennial Man) has already signed on. The start of the film was reportedly delayed while Warner Bros. awaited Steven Spielberg's decision whether to direct it or not. Spielberg eventually opted out in favor of A.I.
Arnold Says No T3 Without Cameron
rnold Schwarznegger told SCI FI Wire that he is not interested in appearing in Terminator 3 or 4, the proposed new sequels to director James Cameron's hit films Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, unless Cameron himself is helming.
Speaking during a break in shooting on his upcoming SF thriller The 6th Day in Vancouver, Schwarzenegger added that he has not yet been asked about T3 or Terminator 4.
"I have not been approached, because there is no script," Schwarzenegger said. "So until I see a script, I cannot comment on it." He added, "There is nothing here. There is no financing for it, there is no script for it, there is no director for it. There is nothing."
Even if the script were good, the actor said unequivocally that he would pass without Terminator creator Cameron's involvement. "No," he said. "I'm only interested in it if Jim Cameron does it."
Cameron has said he's not interested in doing the two follow-up movies. Terminator co-star Linda Hamilton has also said she won't reprise her role in the sequels without Cameron.
Hamilton Says No Jim, No T3
inda Hamilton, star of the first two Terminator films, told the Los Angeles Times that she'd be willing to do another one, but only if her ex-husband, director James Cameron, is helming.
"A script is being written [for Terminator 3], but if Jim doesn't direct it, I wouldn't do it," she told the paper.
"Jim's the genius behind it, and I'm loyal to that," Hamilton added. "Sarah Connor was a wonderful character, but not one I want to revisit. It could have been my way of life, because it's so empowering, but I'm not that woman anymore. I've become this normal human being." Neither Cameron nor star Arnold Schwarzenegger is attached to T3 or a proposed Terminator 4.
Hamilton added that she's moved beyond her Terminator role. "My greatest strength became my huge Achilles' heel. OK, I've done this really invincible character, and I liked what I did with my body and the feeling of power it gave me. But people think I'm going to go in, chew up the scenery and eat them alive. I'm not. I want to be adorable now."
The 6th Day May Move Up
xecutives are apparently pleased enough with the dailies of The 6th Day, Sony's upcoming SF thriller film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, that they are considering bumping the film's release date to Oct. 6 from its current November slot.
That would put additional pressure on the filmmakers, who are still shooting the clone-themed movie in Canada.
Filmmakers have been shooting the movie at locations in Toronto and Vancouver since December, and plan to wrap principal photography in early May, production sources told SCI FI Wire. The film, which will feature 300 to 400 visual effects shots, will then go into post-production.
But Jon Davison, the film's producer, told SCI FI Wire that the Oct. 6 date is "engraved in water" and that the film's final release date is still under discussion. The title of the film was recently changed from The Sixth Day to The 6th Day to avoid confusion with The Sixth Sense.
Sony is already gearing up publicity for the film. This week, filmmakers invited SCI FI Wire and other media representatives to visit the Vancouver set and speak with director Roger Spottiswoode and Schwarzenegger, who is also an executive producer. The studio has also quietly posted a sly new Web site for a fictitious company from the movie, RePet, which offers to replace deceased pets with cloned duplicates. The trailer for The 6th Day, which screened last month at ShoWest in Las Vegas, will be posted soon.
Smith Would Take On Spidey
err Smith (Final Destination) told Big Hit Magazine that he is interested in tackling the lead role in the upcoming feature film version of the Marvel Comics series Spider-Man, according to the Dark Horizons Web site.
Smith said he'd take on the role if Jude Law (The Talented Mr. Ripley) isn't interested, as rumored, the site reported.
An official Sony spokesman has said Law's casting is just a rumor for now, according to Dark Horizons. The Spider-Man film has been linked with several hot young actors, including Wes Bentley, Nicholas Brendon and James Marsden.
Young Actors Vie For Spidey
dd a new bunch of young actors to the list of those contending for the role of Peter Parker in Sam Raimi's feature film version of Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series, according to Variety.
Raimi will direct the film for Columbia.
The list includes Heath Ledger (The Patriot), Wes Bentley (American Beauty), Chris Klein (Rollerball), Tobey Maguire (The Cider House Rules) and Ewan McGregor (Star Wars: Episode I) and possibly Leonardo DiCaprio, according to Variety columnist Michael Fleming.
Kilner To Rewrite Alice
ritish director Clare Kilner (Janice Beard 45wpm) will rewrite Alice, a contemporary pop-music film based on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
MTV Films will produce the update of the classic tale.
Sarah Thorp wrote the original script for Alice, in which the title character encounters musical characters played by real-life pop stars, rappers, rockers and R&B singers, the trade paper reported. Britney Spears is reportedly interested in the film.
B5, Trek Actors Get Net Shows
abylon 5 actress Claudia Christian will write, produce and perform in Claudia Christian's Shorts, a series of story vignettes for the GalaxyOnline.com Web site.
The shorts will begin production in late April, GalaxyOnline.com announced.
The first episode, The Experiment, will showcase Christian in three separate vignettes tied together through an isolated telephone booth located in the middle of the desert. "The Experiment is very progressive and challenging, and we are shooting the piece on 35mm film, which gives us top-quality production values that translate well to the Internet and beyond," Christian said.
Star Trek: Voyager actor Tim Russ, meanwhile, recently completed filming the teaser of the site's upcoming comic SF series Farenheit 452: The Art Police, in which he stars with Bruce A. Young (The Sentinel) and Dan Chace (East of Hope Street). The trio portrays the Art Police, a special law enforcement unit whose assignment includes busting artists who create distasteful work. Russ and the others will generate 24 three-to-four minute episodes for GalaxyOnline.com.
MST3K Vets Do Online Mag
he creators of Mystery Science Theater 3000 have launched the online humor magazine, TimmyBigHands.com, according to the Seattle Times.
Five of the former SCI FI Channel series' cast and writers are behind the venture.
"This is what we're up to. I'm not really interested in trading on my past accomplishments," Kevin Murphy, the voice of robot Tom Servo, told the newspaper. Added Michael J. Nelson, the onetime chief writer and host of MST3K, "Not having to have it be good makes it easier to get out there."
The magazine went live on April 1. It features games, comics, essays and reviews.
Roswell Ratings Improve
he WB's teen alien series Roswell saw an improvement in ratings during its first Monday outing on April 10, drawing 3.8 million viewers, up from the 3.5 million it drew on Wednesday nights, according to the Hollywood trade papers.
Roswell moved to the 9 p.m. Monday slot that follows The WB hit series 7th Heaven.
Roswell also reported the best retention levels of any WB show that's followed Heaven, keeping 61 percent of total viewers, 67 percent of adults 18 to 49, 70 percent of adults 12 to 34 and 77 percent of adults 18 to 34, the trades reported. Roswell also topped the ratings for both male and female teens.
Roswell, which is finishing its first season, has not been renewed yet, and The WB was withholding approval depending in part on the series' performance in its new time slot. Ardent fans of the show have been campaigning for the series' renewal, taking out a full-page ad in Variety and sending hundreds of tiny bottles of Tabasco sauce to WB executives. (The teen aliens in the series use the spicy condiment on everything.)
Traci Lords Joins First Wave
ctress Traci Lords has been cast opposite leading man Sebastian Spence in the SCI FI show First Wave, which is currently in the midst of its second season.
Lords will join the series in progress as the mysterious and sexy Jordan Radcliffe, who teams up with Spence's character, Cade Foster, on his quest to stave off an invasion of aliens who appear as humans.
Radcliffe is described as the leader of the militia force "Raven Nation," who possesses a keen intelligence and athletic prowess. "My character is out fighting for humanity," Lords said. "It's great to play a role where you're trying to save the world."
"We searched high and low for an accomplished actress with the right
combination of substance and sexiness," said First Wave creator Chris
Brancato. "Traci is the perfect person for this role."
In upcoming episodes Jordan and Foster will discover a simmering attraction to one another that's blocked by clashing personal styles. Ultimately they'll realize that the key to defeating their enemy lies in fighting together and overcoming their differences. They will also go on a journey to catch and destroy Mabus, the Antichrist predicted by Nostradamus who has come to lead the alien invasion.
Hunter Helms Mutant Chronicles
ritish director Simon Hunter told Access Hollywood that he will helm a feature film based on the video game Mutant Chronicles, according to the Dark Horizons Web site.
Producer Edward Pressman has been developing the project for years, according to the site.
Hunter will direct a first installment subtitled Doomtroopers, according to Dark Horizons. And he's making script changes: "I've brought it down from the Starship Troopers level to the Alien level," Hunter reportedly said.
HOMer Award Nominees Announced
he CompuServe Science Fiction and Fantasy Forum has listed the final ballot nominees for its Annual HOMer Awards for works published in 1999.
The HOMer Awards were founded in 1991 on the CompuServe Information Service, the world's oldest commercial computer network.
The name derives from the command used in the early days to access the Science Fiction and Fantasy Forum: HOM-9. The awards recognize excellence in the field. A full list of nominees follows, from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America official Web site.
Best Novel
•Hour Of Judgment, Susan R. Matthews
•Civil Campaign, Lois McMaster Bujold
•The Veiled Web, Catherine Asaro
•The Radiant Seas, Catherine Asaro
•Precursor, C.J. Cherryh
•A Deepness in the Sky, Vernor Vinge
Best Novella
•"Hunting The Snark," Mike Resnick
•"The Executioner's Guild," Andy Duncan
•"Son Observe the Time," Kage Baker
•"Living Trust," L. Timmel Duchamp
•"The Wedding Album," David Marusek
•"The Astronaut from Wyoming," Adam-Troy Castro and Jerry Oltion
Best Novelette
•"The Women of Whale Rock," Kristine Kathryn Rusch
•"The Hestwood," Rob Chilson
•"Stellar Harvest," Eleanor Arnason
•"Smart Alec," Kage Baker
•"How to Make Unicorn Pie," Esther Friesner
•"Chanoyu," Esther Friesner
Best Short Story
•"Hothouse Flowers," Mike Resnick
•"Jennifer, Just Before Midnight," William Sanders
•"Absinthe Eyes," Charlene L. Brusso
•"Goliath," Neil Gaiman
Best Dramatic Presentation
•The Matrix
•The Sixth Sense
•The Iron Giant
•"Hush," Buffy the Vampire Slayer
•Galaxy Quest
Buffy Fans To Protest
ans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other shows plan to protest the heavy hand of 20th Century Fox Television, which has been cracking down on fan Web sites' use of images and text from various Fox-produced series, according to the SF Gate Web site.
OPERATION: Blackout is recruiting webmasters to take part in a Web strike on May 13 that would shut down fan sites for Buffy; its spinoff, Angel; Xena: Warrior Princess; The X-Files; and other shows for 24 hours, SF Gate reported.
Another group, the Buffy Bringers, is organizing a letter-writing campaign and Fanstock 2000, a protest at Fox's Santa Monica headquarters on the weekend of June 17. (Although Buffy, Angel and other series do not air on the Fox network, they are produced and owned by Fox's television production division.)
At issue are directives and threats from Fox attorneys telling fan Web sites to get rid of copyrighted material or face legal action. The fan groups want to press for a change in copyright laws that would allow the use of such images and text for unofficial sites.
Rings Downloads Set Record
record 1.7 million people worldwide downloaded the preview trailer for New Line's upcoming The Lord of the Rings movies in the first day of its release on the films' official Web site, New Line announced.
That number exceeded the downloads for the online trailer for Star Wars: Episode I in its first day, the studio said.
Apple Computer said that 1.67 million people downloaded the Rings footage on April 7, compared with 1 million downloads for the Episode I trailer in its first 24 hours of posting. The Rings trailer features early images from the three Rings movies, which are still in production in New Zealand, as well as behind-the-scenes footage and comments from director Peter Jackson.
New Line reported that traffic to the Rings Web site was steady through the day and night, due in part to the studio's outreach to about 25 Rings fan Web sites. The first Rings film, The Fellowship of the Ring, is slated for a Christmas 2001 release. The three films are based on J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy trilogy of the same name.
YTV To Air New ReBoot
s expected, Mainframe Entertainment announced a deal with youth-oriented Canadian broadcaster YTV Canada to produce two new, two-hour ReBoot movies.
YTV, Canada's No. 1 youth network, is seen in over 8 million homes in that nation, Mainframe said.
"ReBoot fans around the world have never given up hope that we would continue the story," co-creator Ian Pearson said in a statement. "Even though season three wasn't seen in the U.S. until the last year, the fans have never deserted the show." He added, "With these new TV movies, we get to say a great big 'thank-you' to our fans, and mark my words, they will not be disappointed. Fans may, in fact, be shocked, as we answer some of those questions that have been on their minds for years."
The first TV movie is entitled "Daemon Rising" and picks up the story line where season three of the TV series left off. The second movie is yet to be titled. The movies will air in the spring and fall of 2001 on YTV. Negotiations are still underway to secure U.S. distribution, Mainframe spokeswoman Mairi Welman told SCI FI Wire.
Love Goes To Mars
ock star/actress Courtney Love is in final talks to appear opposite Ice Cube in the SF horror film John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars, the Hollywood trade papers reported.
Love would also join Jason Statham (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) in the movie, which is set to start shooting in early summer.
Love would play a police lieutenant in the film, set 174 years in the future, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The movie tells the story of a team sent to rescue Mars colonists who have become possessed by Martian spirits. Carpenter wrote the screenplay with Larry Sulkis.
Briefly Noted
-
David Burke (Party of Five) joins the cast of Barry Sonnenfeld's pilot of The Tick, a proposed live-action television show based on the comic and animated series of the same name, according to Variety.
-
Scooby-Doo, a live-action feature film based on the animated children's television series of the same name, is in fast development at Warner Bros., with Mike Myers (Austin Powers) under consideration for the role of Shaggy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. James Gunn wrote a draft of a screenplay based on a story by Myers and Myers' partner, Jay Kogan.
-
A California appelate court dismissed Francis Ford Coppola's suit against the late author Carl Sagan and Warner Bros. seeking a share of the profits on the book and 1997 motion picture Contact, according to Variety. The California Court of Appeal found that Coppola filed his claims too late.
-
the No. 1 renting VHS and DVD title for the week ending
April 9, besting even Star Wars: Episode I in video rentals, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
-
Frank Darabont (The Green Mile) is in talks to direct New Line's remake of the classic 1956 SF movie Forbidden Planet, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Darabont was a writer on the previous SF movies The Blob and The Fly II.
-
Jet Li is in talks to play Kato, sidekick to the title character in Universal Pictures' feature film version of The Green Hornet. Bruce Lee played the character in the 1960s television series based on the old radio show of the same name.
-
The April 9 broadcast of Fail Safe on CBS drew solid ratings, averaging a second-place 15.9 million viewers. The feature-length show was the brainchild of George Clooney and starred Clooney, Richard Dreyfuss and Harvey Keitel.
-
Phil LaMarr, Jason Marsden and Danica McKellar will provide voices for the new Kids WB animated series Static Shock!, based on the Milestone Comics series Static, according to the Comics Continuum Web site.
-
Final Destination ranked ninth among the top 10 highest-grossing films of the April 8 weekend, with $3.9 million in revenues. The supernatural thriller dropped from seventh place and has earned a total of $34 million in four weeks of release.
