SCI Fiction Debuts On SCIFI.COM
CI Fiction debuted on SCIFI.COM May 19, featuring original and classic science fiction stories selected by former Omni fiction editor Ellen Datlow.
Each week, the area will highlight a new SF short story or an installment of an original serialized work, as well as a classic SF short story. SCI Fiction also accepts submissions of original fiction.
SCI Fiction also reprints the classic short story, "... And He Built a Crooked House" by Robert A. Heinlein, about a man who constructs a tesseract dwelling for a friend. A tentative schedule for coming weeks follows.
May 24
•"Freeing the Angels" by Pat Cadigan and Chris Fowler (new)
•"The War of the Worlds" by James P. Blaylock (new)
May 31
•"The Ugly Chickens" by Howard Waldrop (classic)
•"Malthusian's Zombie" by Jeffrey Ford (new)
June 7
•"Chimera" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (new)
June 14
•"The Pope of the Chimps" by Robert Silverberg (classic)
•"Castle in the Desert: Anno Dracula 1977" by Kim Newman (new)
June 21
•"Dune: Nighttime Shadows on Open Sand" by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (new)
June 28
•"The Ship Who Sang" by Anne McCaffrey (classic)
•"Winter Quarters" by Howard Waldrop (new)
Woo Says Mission 3 Is Possible
ission: Impossible 2's makers are already talking about another sequel.
Director John Woo told the BBC that a third M:I movie is a real possibility, according to the Dark Horizons Web site.
"We've talked about it, and [M:I 2 star and producer] Tom Cruise is open to it," Woo reportedly said.
For his part, Cruise reportedly said, "I haven't thought about it. If it would be interesting and different for me, then I would do another sequel." Mission: Impossible 2, the sequel to Cruise's 1996 smash hit Mission: Impossible, opened nationwide on Wednesday, May 24.
Expect Less Mulder Next Year
avid Duchovny told the Empire Online Web site that he may appear in fewer than the previously reported 11 episodes of The X-Files next year.
"It would be far less," said Duchovny, who recently agreed to appear in one more year of the hit Fox series, playing FBI Agent Fox Mulder.
So why did he sign on again? "It was all about money," Duchovny said. "When they agreed with me, my legal problems with them were over." Duchovny settled a lawsuit against Fox, claiming that he was cheated out of payments resulting from the network's sale of X-Files reruns to the sister FX cable network.
As for how The X-Files will play out with so little Mulder, Duchovny added, "That's not my problem--it's theirs."
Scully To Get New Partner
ith David Duchovny (Fox Mulder) paring down his appearances on The X-Files next year, expect co-star Gillian Anderson (Dana Scully) to get a new partner, X-Files creator Chris Carter told the Entertainment Weekly Web site.
"Certainly Scully's character has evolved to this point now where she is a believer of sorts," Carter said. "I think that the partner would probably be a skeptic. And more likely than not, it will be a man."
Also expect more screen time for supporting players Mitch Pileggi (Assistant Director Skinner) and Nicholas Lea (Krycek). "We've got a lot of great players on the bench," X-Files executive producer Frank Spotnitz told EW. "It makes sense to use those assets more heavily than we have in the past."
Duchovny recently agreed to return for the X-Files' eighth season, but in a limited capacity. It's unclear whether next season will be the show's last. "If we plan it carefully, there could be [more seasons], but I'm not telling you that there will be,'' Carter said. Scully's likely new partner would be "very important for not just this year, but perhaps the future. ... I still think there are a lot of stories to tell. If the characters worked, and we liked to write for them, I could say yes to another season."
As for this year's season finale, when Scully discovered that she was pregnant, Carter was coy about who the father might be. "There was an episode written and directed by Gillian that began and ended in Mulder's bedroom," Carter told EW. "That would certainly bring up some questions for me."
Is X-Files Cancer Man Dead?
illiam B. Davis, better known as Cancer Man in The X-Files, told the Calgary Sun newspaper that his apparent death at the end of last week's season finale may or may not be what it seems.
"I honestly don't know if I'm dead or alive," Davis said.
Davis added, "I don't know if I'll be coming back. I asked [creator] Chris Carter, and he explained that it is meant to be ambiguous." Davis said he'd like to return, despite plot turns that left his character terminally ill and crumpled at the bottom of the stairs after being pushed by Krycek. "The Bounty Hunter could come back and give me a miracle cure," he said.
Pitch Black II In The Works
he makers of USA Films' surprise SF hit film Pitch Black are eager to come up with a sequel, producer Tom Engelman told SCI FI Wire.
Vin Diesel, who made an impression on critics and fans for his portrayal of the murderer Riddick, is interested in reprising the role, Engelman added.
"We are obviously going to emphasize the character of Riddick and his further adventures as one of the great anti-heroes to come along in a long time," Engelman said. But the sequel will take off in a new direction, he added. "It will not be a return to the planet [of the first movie], with the same animals. It will be an entirely different story, with a different setting and different set of characters."
Engelman said that he envisions a production start in 2001, with a possible release date the year after. It's unclear whether Pitch Black director and co-writer David Twohy will helm the sequel. Twohy is currently committed to direct the World War II SF thriller Proteus as the first project in a three-picture deal with Miramax and its Dimension Films unit.
Engelman invited fans to visit the Pitch Black Web site and send suggestions as to what they'd like to see in the sequel. "I'd love to hear from everyone as to what they'd like to see Riddick do next," he said. "So much of the popularity of the first movie was based on the fans and their getting behind it, when no one knew who Vin was, or what the show was about."
Pitch Black, made for an estimated $23 million, has grossed more than $39 million in domestic box-office earnings since its February release. The film just opened in Australia. USA Films is part of USA Networks, which also owns The SCI FI Channel and SCIFI.COM.
DS9 To Continue In Comics
ans of the defunct Star Trek: Deep Space Nine television series now have a comic book series to tell them what's happened to their favorite characters since the show went off the air.
Wildstorm Comics will ship Star Trek: Deep Space Nine--N-Vector on June 14, according to the official Star Trek Web site.
N-Vector, written by K.W. Jeter with art and cover by Toby Cypress, is a four-part series that picks up the story after the disappearance of Capt. Ben Sisko. Major Kira is in charge of the Federation outpost, and the new adventure involves Quark's lending habits, a Romulan researcher and sabotage.
The comic book series will introduce new characters who will also appear in a new series of DS9 paperback novels coming from Pocket Books later this year.
Decipher To Release Tribble Cards
ecipher will release an expansion set--based on the classic Star Trek episode "The Trouble With Tribbles" and the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Trials and Tribble-ations"--for its Star Trek collectible card game
Players can also use the new 141-card set to play a bonus Tribble game unrelated to the CCG, Decipher said.
The cards will feature characters and the furry creatures from the original series and from DS9. The game will also allow players to pit Tribbles against Romulans, Klingons and even the Borg.
Braga: No Excelsior Series Planned
tar Trek: Voyager executive producer Brannon Braga, in an article in SFX Magazine, again quashed hopes that the next Trek television series will feature Capt. Hikaru Sulu or the crew of the U.S.S. Excelsior.
"I think what our goal is with this new show is to capture the essence and spirit of Star Trek," Braga said, according to a transcript of his interview posted to the Trek Today fan Web site.
Braga added, "We don't want to mess around with that, but at the same time we feel that it should be new and different. I don't think that's going to include Sulu or any of the components that have existed. We really want to move this franchise forward and do something that feels completely fresh. I think that's what the franchise needs." As before, Braga declined to discuss details of the new series now in development.
In a separate interview with SFX, Voyager executive producer Rick Berman confirmed that the next Trek movie will feature the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation. "I would say if there's a lesson to be learned from the last one [Star Trek: Insurrection], it's that we need a more formidable, more classic villain, and we need Picard a little less pensive and a little bit more action-packed. That's what we're leaning towards in the next movie. We're hoping that the next film will get back to the grander adventure we had in [Star Trek:] First Contact."
Cameron's Dark Angel Flying Soon
ames Cameron's upcoming Fox television series Dark Angel is being likened to the director's Terminator films, according to Mr. Showbiz columnist Charles Fleming.
The series, which is on Fox's fall schedule, stars Jessica Alba as Max, a genetically enhanced teenager in a post-apocalyptic Pacific Northwest in the year 2020.
Fleming quotes a TV writer who has seen footage from the pilot as saying it looks terrific. "Visually, it's a feature film," the writer told Fleming. "The only question is, how do you keep that up for 22 or 24 episodes? ... The show looks hip--but more like Terminator than Blade Runner. Cameron doesn't have much subtlety. He kind of hits you over the head with it, and this is no different from his film stuff." The one-hour drama will air Tuesday nights at 9:00.
Fox Buys Magic Kingdom
antasy author Terry Brooks told fans on his official Web site that Twentieth Century Fox has optioned the movie rights to his novel Magic Kingdom for Sale: Sold and its sequels.
"The option includes all of the books in the series, although current plans involve only Magic Kingdom," Brooks wrote. "A well-known screenwriter has been contacted and is currently at work on a script."
Though there's no guarantee that a Magic Kingdom movie will ever see the light of day, Brooks added, "Because of the development of [movies based on] The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, there is new interest in fantasy as movie material. The evolution of special effects and its usage in movies like Star Wars and [The] Matrix makes fantasy more attractive than in the past."
Magic Kingdom tells the story of Ben Holiday, who buys the magic kingdom of Landover, only to discover that it is in worse shape than advertised.
Cube Goes To The Dawgz
ce Cube is set to star in Stray Dawgz, a werewolf movie for New Line Cinema, according to Variety.
Music video director Gregory Dark will helm Dawgz, which is based on a spec script by Darryl Quarles (Big Momma's House).
Cube will play a parolee who discovers that he is descended from a line of werewolf hunters. He must save his sister and San Francisco from a new breed of werewolves, the trade paper reported.
Cube will segue to Dawgz after completing work on John Carpenter's Ghost of Mars, which he is currently shooting.
Pax Orders Mysterious Ways
he cable network Pax has ordered a full season of the one-hour paranormal drama Mysterious Ways for the fall.
The series stars Adrian Pasdar as an anthropologist who investigates the mysteries behind uncanny occurrences, the network announced. Rae Dawn Chong co-stars as a psychiatrist who reluctantly assists him.
Each episode will focus on another drama that deals with a mysterious phenomenon. The show will be executive produced by Peter O'Fallon and Carl Binder, in association with Lions Gate Television.
Games Coming Based On Blair Witch
he video game publisher Gathering of Developers plans to release three PC games based on the mythology of the hit horror film The Blair Witch Project.
Gathering will be publishing games created by other development houses. The first of the games will debut in the third quarter of this year.
Terminal Reality is developing Blair Witch Volume 1: Rustin Parr, which combines adventure elements with action. The game is named for the serial killer mentioned in the film.
Human Head Studios is using the Nocturne game engine technology for Blair Witch Volume 2: The Legend of Coffin Rock, a Resident Evil-style game based on a series of murders mentioned in the movie.
Ritual Entertainment is developing Blair Witch Volume 3: The Elly Kedward Tale, an action game with spell-based combat. The game is named for the legendary witch in the film.
Free Download Of Timeline Offered
eaders can download Michael Crichton's time-travel novel Timeline free for a limited time at the Barnes and Noble Web site.
The novel, which normally retails for $24.25 in hardcover, is being released as an electronic book compatible with the Jornada 545 or other Pocket PC device.
Barnes and Noble said the novel is a perfect choice for an electronic book, since it tells a story about technology and computers used to transport people to another place and time. The best-selling novel focuses on a group of anthropology students transported back to 14th-century France.
Gellar Drops Out Of Harvard?
uffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar may have dropped out of the upcoming film Harvard Man, according to the Dark Horizons Web site.
Quoting an unnamed source, the site reported that Gellar pulled out of the film because of script problems and scheduling conflicts with Buffy.
Gellar was reportedly going to spend her summer hiatus in Toronto, playing a college professor who falls in love with a student, the site reported. Gellar will now reportedly star in a comedy with Tim Allen that is also shooting in the Canadian city.
Sciography Seeks Bionic Material
ciography, The SCI FI Channel biography-style series that looks at SF entertainment, is seeking footage, photos, memorabilia, anecdotes and other material about the 1970s series The Bionic Woman for a future show.
Producers are especially interested in any videotape of or information about star Lindsay Wagner.
The Bionic Woman episode of Sciography will look at the history of the popular show. The episode will feature interviews with stars Lindsay Wagner and Richard Anderson, director Alan J. Levi and producer Ken Johnson, among others. Interested fans can e-mail Sciography.
Sciography is a monthly series that focuses on TV programs instead of people. It will debut on SCI FI in July.
Lucas To Direct Episode II
ot that there was any doubt, but Lucasfilm has officially confirmed that George Lucas will again sit in the director's chair for Star Wars: Episode II, which begins production soon in Australia.
Most of the key production staff from Episode I will also return for the next prequel, including producer Rick McCallum.
Other crew members returning include director of photography David Tattersall, production designer Gavin Bocquet, costume designer Trisha Biggar, casting director Robin Gurland, stunt coordinator Nick Gillard and design director Doug Chiang. The only new member of the team will be screenwriter Jonathan Hales (The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles), whom Lucas brought on to polish his draft.
The official Star Wars Web site also confirms that Episode II will return to some familiar locations, including the planets Coruscant, Tatooine and Naboo.
Episode II Gears Up Production
he crew of Star Wars: Episode II, now in pre-production, are buzzing about the casting of virtually unknown actor Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, according to the official Star Wars Web site.
"Everyone's excited because I showed them some of the screen test," producer Rick McCallum told the site. "He's really an unknown. I think the casting sends the signal that we're living by our word, and that we are anxiously working to deliver something new with this film."
The crew is preparing for filming of the first portion of the Star Wars prequel. "We're down to the wire trying to get everything ready for when George [Lucas] arrives in Australia," McCallum said. "This is when everything major happens. We're making the movie."
Christensen will be put right to work when he arrives in a few weeks. "As soon as he gets off the plane, we'll be handing him over to [stunt coordinator] Nick Gillard for Jedi training," McCallum said. "Plus hair, wardrobe, makeup. He'll be flat out from the minute he gets here until shooting." For his part, Gillard has been "going to a lot of fight clubs all over Sydney and seeing hundreds of stunt fighters," McCallum said.
Jar Jar Returns In Episode II
he alien you love to hate, Jar Jar Binks, is definitely returning in Star Wars: Episode II, Lucasfilm spokeswoman Lynne Hale told the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper.
Despite negative comments about Jar Jar by critics, Hale said the patois-speaking, shuffling Gungan will come back.
"Ohhh, but the kids love Jar Jar Binks," Hale told the newspaper. "We get more mail for Jar Jar than anybody." Even though he's computer-generated? "So what? People love Yoda," Hale said. "And he's a puppet."
Burton Talks Monsters
irector Tim Burton, known for his macabre imagination in films from Batman to Sleepy Hollow, said monster movies help him make sense of the world.
"For me, they acted as what a fairy tale, in my opinion, is supposed to do for you," Burton said in an interview on The SCI FI Channel's Exposure series about filmmakers.
Burton added, "As a child, you see the world, and it's very strange and unusual. ... Children are intelligent, but they're not world-intelligent, in the sense of knowing what cultures and societies are like. So monster movies and fairy tales for me were always ... the exploration of the abstract horrors and bizarreness of life."
It's a lesson on view in Burton's early animated short film Vincent, which was showcased on Exposure. "Animation training for me was great," Burton said. "You basically draw the characters, you act, you draw the sets, you cut it. You totally manipulate it. ... I always felt ... grateful that it was kind of the full film experience, and it's very personal too. ... That training was a real good foundation. ... Animation also shows you that ... anything is possible in a way. And to be that open about things, again, even in live action, is a very liberating experience." Exposure airs on SCI FI at 10 p.m. ET every Wednesday.
The Tick Has Camp Edge
en Edlund, creator of The Tick, said he had another superhero television series in mind when adapting his comic book and animated series into a live-action half-hour pilot for Fox.
"I'd say the most superficial comparison would be with the '60s Batman show," Edlund told the New England Comics fan Web site.
Edlund added, "It's got an edge of camp in it. We didn't want to go entirely to camp; we wanted to 'de-camp,' you know. [But] it's got some real absurd moments, ... whatever I stole from Monty Python to do The Tick in the comic book, or whatever, there are moments there that reflect that kind of influence."
Edlund added that the pilot, starring Seinfeld's Patrick Warburton, doesn't pander to the audience. "It allows an audience to make a lot of their own connections, or it makes no sense," he said. "It moves at a very authoritative clip, which I think is good for setting the tone of a series. ... We get to do what other series don't, because we just refuse to do it." The Tick is under consideration by Fox as a mid-season replacement series in 2001.
SCIFI.COM To Present Jaguar
ou Diamond Phillips and Chita Rivera will star in The Jaguar Hunter, an original production for SCIFI.COM's Seeing Ear Theatre, premiering June 2.
The Jaguar Hunter is an adaptation of Lucius Shepard's Nebula Award-winning short story of the same name.
Phillips will play Esteban Caax, a Honduran hunter coerced into tracking the "Black Jaguar of Barrio Carolina." The jaguar transforms into a Mayan woman (Rivera), who involves Caax in a mystery.
Brian Smith, executive producer of Seeing Ear Theatre, will direct the audio play from a script by Tony Daniel. Seeing Ear Theatre produces original Web-based dramas that synchronize text, illustrations, photos and animations with streaming audio.
Lawrence May Star In Knight
artin Lawrence is in talks to star in Fox's proposed time-travel comedy Black Knight, according to Variety.
The comedian would play a luckless restaurant worker who finds himself transported back to the Middle Ages, the trade paper reported.
Darryl Quarles, who wrote Lawrence's upcoming comedy Big Momma's House, will write the script for Black Knight. Lawrence would step in for Chris Tucker, who left the project last year.
Superman's Suit Auctioned
he Superman suit Christopher Reeve wore in the movie Superman brought $56,400 at an auction of movie memorabilia May 24 at Christie's East in New York, according to the Associated Press.
By contrast, Helen Slater's costume from the film Supergirl went for just $12,925, the wire service reported.
A pair of ruby-red slippers made for Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz sold for $666,000 to David Elkouby of Los Angeles, according to the AP. All told, the auction brought in more than $1.66 million.
AnimeExpo Announces Speakers
tena creators Chiho Saito and Kunihiko Ikuhara will be among the featured speakers at AnimeExpo 2000.
The expo--the country's biggest anime convention--will take place June 30 to July 3 at the Disneyland Resort Hotel and Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif.
Other guests include Rika Fukami (voice actress of Myung in Macross Plus and Sailor Venus in Sailor Moon), Keiji Gotoh (character designer for Martian Successor Nadesico, Sorcerer Hunters and Those Who Hunt Elves), Junichi Hayama (character designer, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and Fist of the North Star), Mahiro Maeda (director of Blue Submarine no. 6) and Yutaka Minowa (character designer of New Vampire Hunter D).
Fushigi Yuugi creator Yu Watase, Kimagure Orange Road and Patlabor character designer Takada Akemi, and Blue Submarine No. 6 character designer Range Murata will also appear. AnimeExpo drew more than 6,400
attendees last year.
Microprose Working On Troopers
asbro Interactive's Microprose unit is developing a real-time strategy game based on the 1997 movie Starship Troopers and Robert A. Heinlein's classic novel of the same name, according to the IGN Games Web site.
The game will feature the mobile infantry's power suits, which were absent in the movie but played a key role in the book.
The Starship Troopers game is slated for an August release, IGN reported.
Fanboy To Publish Comics
anboy Entertainment, the American agent for Japanese manga artist Kia Asamiya, has launched an official Web site and created its own publishing arm, Fanboy Comics.
Fanboy Entertainment represents Asamiya and his comic series Steam Detectives.
Fanboy Comics' first project will be a Steam Detectives sketchbook entitled Pushing Pencils, the company announced. Fanboy's new site will offer information about the manga series Sidekicks and Spellbound and about American artists Dan Brereton and Andi Watson.
El Hazard Manga Overhauled
iz Communications will release the new El Hazard monthly manga series in September, to be serialized in five parts.
The El Hazard manga--based on the highly successful anime series of the same name from Pioneer and AIC--will get an overhaul from artist Hidetomo Tsubura. Each issue will be 40 pages long and retail for $2.95.
Viz also announced the September release of the graphic novels Dragonball Z, Bakune Young and Magical Pokémon Journey, new Pokémon standees and Let's Find Pokémon volumes. Paper Pokémon masks will also go on sale in time for Halloween.
Vitamin C To Star In Dracula
usician Vitamin C will star in Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000, the latest update of the classic Bram Stoker vampire novel Dracula, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Jennifer Esposito (Summer of Sam) will also star in the film, to be directed by Patrick Lucier, the trade paper reported.
Vitamin C, best known for her pop song "Graduation (Friends Forever)," will play a woman whom Dracula seduces. The woman shares an apartment with the daughter of Dracula's nemesis, Abraham Van Helsing (Christopher Plummer). Vitamin C, whose real name is Colleen Fitzpatrick, is the former lead singer of the alternative rock band Eve's Plum.
The central role of Dracula has not been cast yet. Wes Craven (director of the Nightmare on Elm Street series of films) and Marianne Maddalena will produce Dracula 2000.
Trimark Plans Cube Sequel
rimark Pictures plans to develop a sequel to 1997's critically acclaimed independent SF movie Cube, the studio announced.
The original film, by Canadian director Vincenzo Natali, told the story of six unrelated characters who found themselves trapped in a mysterious maze of cube-shaped rooms.
The sequel will place a whole set of new characters in a different predicament, with a new set of real and metaphysical obstacles, the studio said. No cast, director or writers were announced. The project will be overseen by Robin Schorr, Trimark's head of production, and Darin Spillman, vice president of production.
The original Cube, which appeared in limited release in the United States, has been a theatrical success overseas. In France, the cult film earned $7 million at the box office; in Japan, it went on to become the biggest genre hit of the year. Cube grossed $4 million in U.S. home video sales and was one of the highest-rated films ever shown on the USA Network, the sister network of The SCI FI Channel.
AnLab, Asimov Winners Announced
he sister publications Asimov's Science Fiction and Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact announced the winners of their annual reader awards for work that appeared in 1999.
The awards, presented in New York on May 21, include a certificate and a cash prize of $100.
The awards are chosen annually by readers of the two publications. A complete list of this year's winners follows.
Analog Science Fiction and Fact Analytical Laboratory (AnLab) Winners
Novella
•"The Astronaut from Wyoming" by Jerry Oltion and Adam-Troy Castro
Novelette
•"The Giftie" by James Gunn
Short Story
•"Democritus' Violin" by G. David Nordley
Fact Article (tie)
•"Beamriders" by G. David Nordley
•"Planets X" by Stephen L. Gillett
Cover Artist
•Ron Miller
Asimov's Reader's Award Winners
Novella
•"Hunting the Snark" by Mike Resnick
Novelette
•"The Chop Girl" by Ian R. MacLeod
Short Story
•"Ancient Engines" by Michael Swanwick
Poem
•"Christmas (after we all get time machines)" by Geoffrey A. Landis
Interior Artist
•Darryl Elliot
Cover Artist
•Jim Burns
Old Viz Titles Due On DVD
fter assuming distribution of the entire back catalog of Viz Video anime titles earlier this year, Pioneer Animation has announced DVD releases of many of Viz's most popular catalog titles.
The company previously announced a three-disc set of Ranma 1/2 episodes, with a release date of May 9, and a single disc containing the entire Please Save My Earth series, due on June 27.
Pioneer will release the 15-part series Key the Metal Idol on three discs, which will each be sold on the last Tuesday of the month, starting in July. The release will feature subtitles that were either not available on VHS or are greatly improved.
The company will also release the two-part Fatal Fury on Oct. 24. The original 18-episode Ranma 1/2 TV series will come out on four discs, which will each be sold on the last Tuesday of the month, starting in October.
Each disc will be priced at $29.98. A three-disc Ranma 1/2 boxed set will sell for $119.98.
Dancer Star Eyes Potter Role?
amie Bell, the 14-year-old British star of Dancer, will try out for the titular role in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, based on J.K. Rowling's best-selling children's novel of the same name, according to the Ain't It Cool News Web site.
Bell's performance in Dancer at last week's Cannes Film Festival impressed the makers of Potter, AICN said.
Auditions for Potter, directed by Chris Columbus, are reportedly taking place at schools around Great Britain.
T-Rex Won't Stalk Jurassic 3?
aleontologist Jack Horner, who is a consultant on the upcoming movie Jurassic Park 3, recently told an audience that the Tyrannosaurus Rex won't be the sequel's principal villain this time around, according to Dan's JP3 Page fan Web site.
Another big dinosaur fills the T-Rex's footprints in the third movie based on Michael Crichton's series of dinosaur novels of the same name, according to the site.
The site also reported that JP3 is in pre-production, staking out Stage 12 at Universal Studios in Los Angeles.
Lenore Coming To The Screen
ony Family Entertainment has bought the rights to Lenore, Roman Dirge's cult comic, and plans to turn it into an animated movie, Variety reported.
The black comedy fantasy will be written by Caroline Thompson (A Nightmare Before Christmas) and Larry Wilson(Beetlejuice).
The comic tells the story of Lenore, a 10-year-old girl who returns from the dead because she feels her family needs her, Variety reported.
Nick Developing Sector 7 Film
ickelodeon will develop a feature film based on the illustrated children's book Sector 7 by David Wiesner, Variety reported.
Darren Aronofsky (Pi) will direct the fantasy film.
The Caldecott Medal-winning book tells the story of a young boy who travels to the top of the Empire State Building, befriends a cloud and journeys to Sector 7, a factory in the sky. The book tells its story only with drawings and illustrations.
Witchblade Producer Gets Real
roducer Perry Husman told Cinescape Online that filmmakers took a real-world approach when they adapted Top Cow Comics' Witchblade series into a two-hour TNT television movie.
"Comic books very much come from a fantasy world," Husman said. "We're doing more of a real-life show. So you take those two things, mesh them together and get the best of both worlds."
The comic tells the story of New York cop Sara Pezzini, who inherits a mystical gauntlet-weapon that confers unusual powers, Cinescape reported. The TNT movie, starring Yancy Butler, is being considered as a pilot for a possible TV series.
"In terms of a series, there are a lot of possibilities and a lot of directions you can go in," Husman said. "There are no rules or restrictions. Whether they are stories strictly about Pezzini's life as a cop or her life as Sara Pezzini dealing with the Witchblade, it's multi-faceted. We're not locked into anything, like a cop drama is." Witchblade is set to air on Aug. 27.
Universal To Develop Ebony
niversal Pictures will develop Ebony and Ivory, a fantasy comedy movie based on a pitch by writer Stuart Blumberg, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Ebony tells the story of a black rap star who switches bodies with his white lawyer, the trade paper reported.
Brian Grazer and Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment will produce the film, according to the Reporter.
York To Return In Megiddo
ichael York will reprise his role as the evil Alexander Stone in Megiddo, the proposed sequel to last year's Christian-themed supernatural thriller The Omega Code, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film, named after the Biblical site of the battle of Armageddon, will begin filming in October in Nairobi, Rome, Tel Aviv, Los Angeles, Santiago, Chile and Madrid, the trade paper reported.
John Fasano and Code co-writer Stephan Blinn will write the script. No director has been hired yet. The film comes from televangelist Paul Crouch, president of the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and his son, Matthew Crouch, president of Los Angeles-based Gener8Xion Entertainment.
Andromeda Starts Filming
obert Hewitt Wolfe, executive producer of the upcoming syndicated television series Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, told Space.com that the series has begun filming in Vancouver, Canada.
"It's great!" Wolfe told the Web site. "The dailies are looking really, really good. [Star] Kevin [Sorbo]'s been terrific. He totally inhabits the role [of Capt. Dylan Hunt], and the rest of the cast is doing great work too."
Andromeda is starting with episode three, "so we could get some of the bugs out before we did the premiere episode," Wolfe said. "In case there were things that were going to be troublesome, we could deal with them in episode three instead of episode one. We wanted to put our best foot forward."
Wolfe added, "We shot in an abandoned power plant for the last few days. That was fun. We've also been struggling with the 'crew flu.' Everyone in the crew seems to have this nasty little flu virus. That's been the only glitch in the whole process." Andromeda premieres in the fall.
Whedon Writing SF Comic
s if he didn't have enough to do running two hit WB television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel creator Joss Whedon is writing a comic book series for Dark Horse, a spokeswoman told SCI FI Wire.
Whedon is working on an eight-issue series, with the working title Fray, about a vampire slayer 500 years in the future, said Shawna Ervin-Gore, a spokeswoman for Dark Horse in Milwaukie, Ore.
"We've been working with Joss on Buffy [comics], so it naturally evolved, as Joss is a comic fan and always wanted to write a comic," Ervin-Gore said. "We're really lucky to be working with Joss," she added. "It evolved more out of his desire to write comics, since it's a medium he grew up loving."
Whedon wanted to write a comic that was somewhat removed from the characters in his two shows, and opted to place the story in the Buffy universe, but far in the future. Ervin-Gore said the series won't appear until at least summer of 2001. Dark Horse already publishes comics based on Buffy and Angel.
WB Credits Roswell Campaign
n announcing the renewal of its teen alien series Roswell for a second season, The WB gave credit in part to the unprecedented effort by fans to support the freshman show.
Fans sent in thousands of tiny bottles of Tabasco sauce, accompanied by letters, urging the network to renew the series. (Tabasco is the condiment of choice of the series' alien characters.)
"Stability in scheduling is always something that you strive for, and we have accomplished that this season by keeping every one of our anchor dramas in their season-ending timeslots," said Susanne Daniels, the network's president for entertainment, in a press release. "Roswell and Felicity came into their own creatively and ratings-wise the last eight episodes of the year, and they both earned their way onto the schedule," she said, adding, "the Tabasco sauce, e-mail campaigns and demonstrations also got our attention."
Jackson Breaks Unbreakable Secrets
amuel L. Jackson, star of director M. Night Shyamalan's next supernatural thriller, Unbreakable, let slip a few details about the top-secret movie's story line, according to Cinescape Online.
"I mean, how many movies do we have in this information age that really surprise you? That's the thrill. So don't even think about asking me how the thing ends," Jackson said.
But, Jackson added, "I play a guy who has very strange bones. Every time he touches something, there is a chance that his body will break. And that's all you're going to get, OK?" Cinescape reported that the film tells the story of a security guard, played by Bruce Willis, who survives a train accident and learns something special about himself. The film is currently shooting in Shyamalan's hometown of Philadelphia and has a Thanksgiving release date, the site reported.
Crow: Salvation Due In September?
ames O'Barr, creator of The Crow comic book series, told the Comics Continuum Web site that the latest film based on the series, The Crow: Salvation, is in the can and awaiting an official release date.
Miramax's Dimension Films is the studio behind the film.
"Last I heard, they're hoping to release it in September," O'Barr said. "It's been ready to go. They just need a time spot. They're releasing it in Europe on the 28th [of this month]." The Crow: Salvation stars Eric Mabius and Kirsten Dunst.
O'Barr said he screened a rough cut in December. "It was pretty good, a lot better than the second one," he said. "It had the potential to be really good. It was different; it wasn't a repetition of the first one."
Cronenberg Slain By Jason X
irector David Cronenberg (eXistenZ) will appear in front of the camera in Jason X, the SF-tinged new installment of the Friday the 13th franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Cronenberg will play a professor in the year 2455 who takes his students on a field trip to the abandoned planet Earth, the trade paper reported.
There, the group encounters the cryogenically frozen Jason and brings him back on their spaceship, where mayhem ensues. Cronenberg's special effects colleague James Isaac will direct Jason X.
Dinosaur Rules The Earth
inosaur rendered Battlefield Earth nearly extinct at the box office, pulling in $38.6 million in its debut to top the rankings for the May 20 weekend, according to the Hollywood trade papers.
Dinosaur, the Disney blockbuster that places computer-generated creatures in live backdrops, had the largest opening of any film so far this year.
The critically lambasted Battlefield Earth sank 67 percent from its May 12 premiere, bringing in only $3.8 million and dropping to No. 6 in the box-office rankings.
Frequency held strong, coming in at No. 5 with $4.3 million, for a total of $30.4 million after three weeks of release. The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas took the No. 10 slot, earning $2.5 million for the weekend and a total of $27.8 million after three weeks.
Urusei Yatsure Orders Close
nimEigo is no longer accepting orders for the first DVD boxed set of the TV series Urusei Yatsura.
AnimEigo president Robert Woodhead said in a message posted to the Internet, "If you contact us directly, we might be able to squeeze you in, but no promises."
Those who have already signed up should contact AnimEigo at 1-800-24-ANIME (1-910-251-1850) or by e-mail if they have not received a confirmation for their order.
AnimEigo is making the Urusei Yatsura DVD releases available in limited-edition boxed sets only to those who have pre-ordered. The TV series, which ran from 1979 to 1986, is based on a manga by Ranma 1/2 creator Rumiko Takahashi. The series is extremely popular in Japan and among fans of older anime.
Fight!, Kakago no Susume Coming
edia Blasters is reportedly working on a forthcoming release of two previously unannounced OVA titles: Fight!, a spiritual Tenchi Muyo!-style comedy, and Kakugo no Susume, an ultra-violent apocalyptic action series.
Kakugo no Susume will be re-christened with a yet-to-be-determined English title. No prices or release dates have been announced for either title yet.
New York-based Media Blasters was formed in 1997 and has had success releasing more non-traditional anime titles. Their past hits have included Magic Knights Rayearth and Kite. Their much-anticipated Rayearth DVD boxed set is slated for release later this year.
Mononoke DVD Due By Year's End
iramax promises that the DVD release of Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke, originally slated for June, will come by the end of the year, Miramax vice president of home video Eric Maehara told the Team Ghiblink fan Web site.
Maehara gave no reason for the delay and declined to comment on the features planned for the forthcoming DVD.
Princess Mononoke is Hayao Miyasaki's anime movie that was brought over to the United States and dubbed in English, based on a translation by graphic novel writer Neil Gaiman. It opened in a limited number of theaters last fall, where it won acclaim from many critics and reportedly surpassed Miramax's box office expectations. The previously announced DVD included the English version, the original Japanese audio track and English closed captions.
Briefly Noted
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The SCI FI Channel has made the first trailer for its upcoming miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune available online at the Dune Web site.
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Stan Lee's Web comic 7th Portal will become an attraction at Paramount Studios theme parks in spring 2001, according to Zentertainment. Stan Lee's 7th Portal 3-D Simulation Experience will open in the spring.
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Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation) chose not to appeal the decision of the Actors Equity union demanding a written apology for Stewart's remarks scolding the producers of the play The Ride Down Mt. Morgan, in which Stewart is appearing on Broadway.
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Bruce Ferber, former executive producer of Home Improvement, will run Sabrina the Teenage Witch when it moves to The WB network from ABC this fall, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Ferber will replace Miriam Trogdon and will act as executive producer with Paula Hart, mother of Sabrina star Melissa Joan Hart, the trade paper reported.
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The World Is Not Enough topped the charts for video rentals and sales and DVD sales the week of May 15, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Stargate SG-1 won the May ratings sweeps among first-run, hour-long weekly syndicated television series, according to Variety. Xena: Warrior Princess came in second.
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Gail Berman, executive producer of The WB's hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has become the new entertainment president of the Fox broadcast network, the Associated Press reported. Berman has also been president of Regency Television, which makes Roswell for The WB.
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Fans of CBS's canceled SF series Now and Again are trying to rally to save the show with a Web site and letter-writing campaign like the one that helped get The WB's teen alien series Roswell picked up.
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"Unimatrix Zero," the season finale of Star Trek: Voyager that aired May 24, also marked the 500th Trek episode produced by Rick Berman, according to the official Star Trek Continuum Web site. Berman has acted as executive producer of each Trek series since 1987, when creator Gene Roddenberry selected him to help create Star Trek: The Next Generation.
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McKenzie Westmore, who has appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager and the movie Star Trek: Insurrection, will be a celebrity guest in the 96th annual Huntington Beach, Calif., Fourth of July parade.
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SCIFI.COM has opened a new area, Anime Colony, offering Japanese-animation news and reviews, an encyclopedia, a place where users can create their own anime home pages, discussion areas, chat, interviews and other features.
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Bruno Campos (NBC's Jesse) will star in the SF action feature Hardshell for Miramax, according to Variety.
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Writer John Shirley (The Crow) will rewrite the script for the independent horror thriller Blood Moon, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The original script, by Greg Sullivan, tells the story of vampires from another reality who have come to Earth to feed on the blood of humans.
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Ultraviolet, a one-hour vampire drama from producers of The X-Files and My So-Called Life, is among the mid-season replacement series announced last week by Fox. Ultraviolet, based on a British miniseries of the same name, will delve "deep into a bizarre New York underworld, where vampires are fighting a government agency," Fox said.
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Fox's upcoming series Fearsum, about a young Webmaster with a paranormal site, will be paired with an actual Web site that will provide additional content to supplement the television show, Fox announced. Someone has already staked out the domain name Fearsum.com.
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The Comics Continuum Web site quotes unnamed sources as saying the home video of Fox's upcoming feature film X-Men could be released in time for Christmas. The film itself doesn't open in theaters until July 14.
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Top Cow comics has opened a Web site for its Witchblade series, presumably in anticipation of TNT's upcoming two-hour television movie based on the franchise. The Web site is under construction; the Witchblade movie, the pilot for a proposed TV series, premieres in August.
