Arad Details Coming Marvel Movies
arvel Media president and chief executive Avi Arad told the Comics Continuum Web site about several film projects under development based on Marvel's comic series.
Several new projects are in various stages of development, in addition to Fox's upcoming X-Men and Sony's Spider-Man. They include:
•The Hulk. Arad said Michael Tolkin will rewrite the first draft. "We'll go to directors probably in about a month," Arad said. Hulk is targeted for summer 2002.
•Ghost Rider. Arad said the film would have a budget of $75 million. "Johnny Depp is very interested in this movie, but I can't make it official yet," Arad said. "We also have a very good director, but I can't put it on the map yet."
•Fantastic Four. "Things are moving very fast on this," Arad said. "It will probably be in the year 2001." Raja Gosnell (Never Been Kissed) will direct from a script by Sam Hamm and Mike France.
•Prime. Doug Chamberlain and Chris Webb will write the script.
•Blade 2. "We'll start production late this year or early next year," said Arad. Kris
Kristofferson and Wesley Snipes will return.
•Daredevil. This film is just being set up, Arad said.
•Silver Surfer. Andrew Kevin Walker is writing the script.
•Iron Man. Arad said a deal is close to bringing Iron Man to New Line.
•Damage Control. The first draft of a script has been turned in.
Arthur C. Clarke Knighted
egendary SF author Arthur C. Clarke (2001: A Space Odyssey) was knighted May 26 at the home of the British ambassador to Sri Lanka, more than two years after he was conferred the honor, the Associated Press reported.
Clarke's knighthood had been delayed after the writer was accused of child molestation--allegations that were never proven.
"I have every reason to be happy and, yes, I am very, very happy," Clarke told the wire service after the ceremony. Clarke lives in Sri Lanka.
Rama Film Details Revealed
evelations Entertainment, the production company founded by actor Morgan Freeman, has posted details of its plans to develop a feature film based on Arthur C. Clarke's classic SF novel Rendezvous With Rama.
The company reported on its official Web site that David Fincher (Fight Club) has signed on to direct, with journalist Scott Brick attached to write the screenplay.
Freeman himself would star in the film, which will be produced by Freeman's partner, Lori McCreary. Rama tells the story of humankind's efforts to send a ship to explore a mysterious, massive alien spacecraft hurtling through the solar system.
SF&F Hall Of Famers Announced
oul Anderson and Gordon R. Dickson will be inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Lawrence, Kan., on July 7.
Theodore Sturgeon and Eric Frank Russell will be inducted posthumously, organizers announced.
The inductions will take place in conjunction with the Campbell Conference and the presentation of the John W. Campbell and Theodore T. Sturgeon Memorial Awards at the University of Kansas. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame was founded in 1996 by the Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society and the J. Wayne and Elsie M. Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas.
Anderson has written more than 100 novels in the last 50 years and has won multiple Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1997, he was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
Dickson has written more than 80 novels and many short stories and is the recipient of the Nebula Award and three Hugo Awards.
Sturgeon wrote more than 200 stories and several novels, as well as film and TV plays. He won Hugo, Nebula and International Fantasy awards. Russell wrote 14 novels and 17 short stories and won the Hugo Award.
Mutant Watch Effort Heats Up
he national offensive for U.S. Sen. Robert Kelly's Mutant Watch campaign is heating up.
Supporters demonstrated on the Today show, Access Hollywood covered a rally in Los Angeles last week, television ads are blanketing the airwaves, and more than 150,000 bumper stickers have been distributed, a campaign spokesman told SCI FI Wire.
So who are Sen. Kelly and the Mutant Watch 2000 Coalition? Kelly is the right-wing, mutant-baiting character played by Bruce Davison in Fox's upcoming X-Men film, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name. And the Mutant Watch campaign is a stealth marketing offensive cleverly disguised as a political effort, including the demonstrations, staged by Fox employees, a Web site, and a recorded telephone message, (310) 369-4443. The only mention of a tie to the movie comes in the kicker, "Paid for by the Stop the X-Men Campaign."
The campaign has caught the media's attention, including the mentions on Access Hollywood and in Entertainment Weekly magazine. "There have been a few outlets that either took it seriously or at least were scratching their heads about the elusive Sen. Kelly," a Fox spokesman told SCI FI Wire. "But the vast majority got the joke."
Marvel Chief High On X-Men
arvel Media president and chief executive Avi Arad told the Comics Continuum Web site that he is pleased with the upcoming X-Men movie.
"I love it," Arad said of the Fox film, which is based on Marvel's comic series of the same name.
Added Arad, who is executive producer of the film, "It's really what [director] Bryan [Singer] set out to do. It's high drama and very true to the X-Men [comics]. It's a serious drama with a serious story, but it has magically big action. It's totally different than anything you've ever seen."
Arad said he's also been pleased with Fox's Mutant Watch campaign, a tongue-in-cheek marketing effort based on the anti-mutant sentiments of X-Men character U.S. Sen. Kelly. "The campaign is doing very well," Arad said. "It's interesting to see people try to figure out what it is."
Cyclops Glasses For Sale
-Men fans with a lot of money can purchase Cyclops' ruby-red sunglasses from eyewear maker Oakley.
The "Juliet" sunglasses, which actor James Marsden will wear in Fox's upcoming X-Men movie, are for sale for a limited time only on the Internet, for $300.
Oakley also designed Cyclops' trademark visor for the film, which is based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name. Oakley's site contains information about the visor, which is not for sale.
Fan Hellraiser Art Sought
n preparation for the DVD release of Clive Barker's classic horror film Hellraiser, the writer and director is seeking fan artwork inspired by the film, according to Barker's official Web site.
Anchor Bay will release the Hellraiser DVD in September.
Barker is also seeking "any stories that you might have pertaining to Hellraiser--how it affected you, changed your life, made you sick, etc." The material is intended for a documentary on the 1987 film, to be included on the DVD.
Christian Levatino, who is directing the documentary, told the site he needs the material by July 1. "We are looking for the fanatics!" Levatino said on the Web site. "We want the amazing stories that we know are out there!" Fans with questions can e-mail Clevatino directly.
Lucas Heading Back To Tunisia
unisian officials told the Reuters news service that George Lucas will be bringing his production of Star Wars: Episode II to Tunisia in October or November to shoot scenes set on the desert planet Tatooine.
The desert 300 miles south of Tunis has been the location for Tatooine since the first Star Wars movie in 1977, the wire service reported.
The area, which appeared in Star Wars: Episode I, has even become a tourist attraction, where visitors can go on "Star Wars safaris," Reuters reported.
Burtt To Edit Episode II
en Burtt, the Oscar-winning sound designer behind all of the Star Wars films, will return in an expanded role for Episode II, according to the official Star Wars Web site.
Burtt will return as editor for the film, which begins production in a few weeks in Australia, the site reported.
Burtt told the site that he will take advantage of new technology, with Episode II, which is being shot entirely in digital format. The editorial department will build a database of sounds and images for the film. "We're trying to simplify that process," Burtt said. "Anyone--whether they're the picture editor, or the sound editor, or someone doing a documentary later, or John Williams scoring the music--can all tap into this database, and get the information they want from the latest cut of the movie. The idea is that we have an editing department that includes sound, picture, animation, previsualization, all these things working together."
Burtt added, "Episode II seems to be taking on its own unique character, technically. It also seems to be part of the creative process for each Star Wars film to jump ahead to some frontier, some new-edge technology and try to utilize it to allow us more creative flexibility."
Smits To Appear In Episode II?
he Coming Attractions Web site reported a rumor that Jimmy Smits (NYPD Blue) may appear in Star Wars: Episode II and Episode III.
Quoting an unnamed source, the site said Smits will appear briefly in Episode II, but have an expanded role in Episode III.
Smits will reportedly shoot his role for only a few days, either this summer in Australia, where most of Episode II will be shot, or later this year. The site didn't name or describe Smits' character.
The site also reported that the character of "Beru," the woman who was Luke Skywalker's aunt in Star Wars, will appear in Episode II as a young girl. Meanwhile, actor Hugh Quarshie, who played Capt. Panaka in Episode I, has been asked to reprise his role, though he has not signed on yet, Coming Attractions reported.
Yoda To Go CGI?
nimators at Lucasfilm have been testing a computer-generated version of Yoda for Star Wars: Episode II, according to TheForce.net Web site.
The animated Yoda is being tested to see how it compares with the puppet character operated in all previous Star Wars films by Frank Oz.
Animators at Lucasfilm's Industrial Light and Magic special effects house have reportedly taken footage of Yoda close-ups from The Empire Strikes Back to match the puppet's movements, TheForce.net reported. Previous rumors have said that Yoda will be more active in Episode II than in previous films, even taking part in a light-saber fight. Such action would require an animated Yoda.
Bulloch's Son To Play Fett?
eremy Bulloch, who played the bounty hunter Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, told the MovieCrypt Web site that his son, Robbie, is under consideration to take on the role in the next Star Wars movies.
Bulloch told a MovieCrypt informant that Robbie Bulloch could play the fan favorite character in both Episode II and Episode III.
Bulloch also hinted that Fett could be the main bad guy in Episode III, though no script has been written for that prequel yet. The elder Bulloch may also make a cameo appearance in Episode II.
Mage Screenplay Done
omic book writer Matt Wagner told the Comics Continuum Web site that the screenplay has been completed for the feature film version of his Mage series.
"The final draft screenplay just went to Roger Birnbaum at [the production company] Spyglass [Entertainment] for a weekend read," Wagner told the site.
Wagner added, "We should know by Monday or Tuesday whether we have a firm green light. Everyone seems to have the opinion that the script is 'director bait.'" John Rogers wrote the script, which adapts the "Hero Discovered" story line, the Continuum reported. Mage is a modern-day Arthurian-themed hero story.
Lucasfilm Debunks 'Carrie' Rumor
t's an enduring rumor: that Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker inadvertently yells "Carrie!" to Princess Leia at the end of the original Star Wars film.
But it's not true, according to the official Star Wars Web site.
Star Wars sound editor Ben Burtt investigated the rumor while assembling the improved soundtrack for the special edition of the film, which was released in 1997. "We made loops out of everything Mark said and played them for a panel of listeners," Burtt told the Web site. "We edited the recording and filtered it and did everything we could to clean up the phrase where he yells as he hugs Princess Leia," played by Carrie Fisher.
The verdict? "The consensus was that he is yelling 'hey' or 'yay,' rather than 'Carrie.' In other takes he specifically yells 'yay!' at that point," Burtt said. "Like most garbled dialogue, if you listen to it over and over, with all the other voices in there, you can convince yourself that he is saying 'Carrie' or any number of things. But we were convinced that he really was just cheering."
For his part, Hamill said he was trying to yell, "Hey! There she is!" The actor added, "I ended up swallowing the 'is' part."
ADV Releases New Video
DV Films will release four new anime videos in September in subtitled or dubbed formats.
The dubbed versions will retail for $19.98; the subtitled versions for $29.98.
The second volume of Lost Universe, the long-awaited sequel to Slayers, will appear on store shelves on Sept. 12. The volume is entitled "Flushed into Space."
The first volume of the new mecha show Gasaraki and the final volume of Spell Wars: Sorcerer Hunters' Revenge will all go on sale Sept. 26.
Proyas To Helm Enoch
lex Proyas (Dark City) will direct the supernatural thriller Enoch's Portal, based on A.W. Hill's upcoming novel of the same name, according to Variety.
The book, about a man hired by an executive to free his wife from a medieval alchemy cult, is slated for a fall release.
Jonathan Dana and Topher Dow join Cotty Chubb and Sean Daniel of Paramount-based Alphaville Productions to produce the film.
WB Seeks Potter Actors
arner Bros. has put out a casting call for actors to appear in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the feature film based on J.K. Rowling's best-selling children's novel of the same name.
The call went out on the film's official Web site.
Filmmakers said they are seeking "British children, between the ages of 9 and 11, who look like Harry Potter, Ron Weasley or Hermione Granger," the book's three main characters. Applicants are urged to send in a recent picture and videotape on which they say their name and age, tell a joke and read a paragraph of their choice from any of the Harry Potter series of books.
Cinemax To Air Anime
he premium cable network Cinemax will air two hours of anime programming from Urban Vision at midnight on Sundays, starting June 11.
Four of Urban Vision's top-selling anime titles will air on the network during that time.
Yoshiaki Kawajiri's thriller Goku: Midnight Eye and Golgo 13: Queen Bee will air on June 11. Wicked City will air on June 18. The original Vampire Hunter D will air on June 25.
Meanwhile, contrary to previous reports, Urban Vision reported that it is in final talks to license the 25-episode television series Berzerk, but has not sealed the deal.
Rings Production Moves Indoors
roduction of Peter Jackson's epic film trilogy The Lord of the Rings has moved to Stone Street Studios in Wellington, New Zealand, to film the interiors for Rivendell, according to the E! Online Web site.
Filming has finished in the Ruapehu mountain range, where battle scenes were shot.
Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) is due to arrive on set in mid-June and will film all her scenes on studio sets over 10 days, E! reported. In casting news, New Zealand actor Karl Urban has signed on as Eomer, nephew of King Theoden and brother of Eowyn, and Australian actor Bruce Spence will play the evil Black Lieutenant.
Meanwhile, New Line announced a Dec. 14, 2001, release date for the first Rings movie, The Fellowship of the Ring. Jackson's three films are based on J.R.R. Tolkien's three novels of the same name.
Six-Hour T2 DVD Due
2--The Ultimate Edition DVD will hold six hours of programming centered on James Cameron's 1991 hit film Terminator 2: Judgment Day, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The DVD, from Artisan Entertainment, is slated for a July 25 release.
The DVD will make use of DVD-18 technology, which allows producers to put more programming on a single disc. The DVD will feature the full-length movie, with 15 minutes of footage cut from the theatrical release but added in for cable, and a second version of the film, with five minutes of never-before-seen footage, the trade paper reported.
The DVD, which will retail for $39.98, will also include a Making of Terminator 2: Judgment Day featurette; T2: More Than Meets the Eye, with scenes cut from the film; and T2-3D: Breaking the Screen Barrier, about the Universal Studios theme park rides based on the film. The DVD will also feature audio commentary by director Cameron and star Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Rock In Movie Talks
wayne Johnson, better known as the World Wrestling Federation's The Rock, is in final talks to star in an as-yet-untitled big-budget SF movie and in a prequel to The Mummy, according to Variety columnist Michael Fleming.
Johnson has previously appeared in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager and on other television shows.
In the SF movie, to be written and directed by James Wong and Glen Morgan (Final Destination), The Rock will play dual good-guy/bad-guy roles, Fleming reported.
In the prequel to 1999's The Mummy, Rock will play the Scorpion King character he also plays in the upcoming sequel, The Mummy 2. The prequel will be produced by the Mummy team of Jim Jacks, Sean Daniel and Stephen Sommers, Fleming reported.
Mixx Announces Shoujo Titles
ublishing company Mixx Entertainment has bought a number of new shoujo--or girls' manga--series, most likely slated for release under the Smile insignia.
The titles will be released starting in October, the company announced.
The titles include He Says She Says (Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou) by Masami Tsuda, the hit series that inspired the anime TV show directed by Evangelion's Hideaki Anno. Other licenses include Peach Girl by Miwa Ueda, Miracle Girls by Akimoto Nami, Juline by Narumi Kakinouchi and Saint Tail by Megumi Tachikawa.
Founded in 1997, Mixx Entertainment is the publisher of the magazines TokyoPop (formerly MixxZine) and Smile, both of which focus primarily on aspects of Japanese pop culture. Mixx Entertainment also publishes several hit manga series, including Sailor Moon and Magic Knights Rayearth.
Dragon's Lair 3D Pushes Envelope
on Bluth, the acclaimed animator, told FGN Online that he is pushing the envelope with Dragon's Lair 3D, the latest installment in Dragonstone Studios' series of action-adventure video games.
"The previous Dragon's Lair titles have all been solely in 2-D, and that worked at the time they were released," Bluth said. "But Dragon's Lair 3D--not surprisingly, looking at its title--moves into the third dimension."
Bluth added, "That goes for the game play as much as its appearance. As the previous games were pretty much linear in their story line, this new title will offer multiple options for the player to choose, in terms of where they go, how they approach situations and how they solve puzzles."
Blue Byte will publish Dragon's Lair 3D in the second quarter of next year for both PC and Mac platforms.
Forever Movie In The Works?
ox is rumored to be developing a movie based on the upcoming video game No One Lives Forever, according to the Voodoo Extreme Web site.
Bryan Singer (X-Men) has reportedly shown interest in directing the movie.
Gattaca writer and director Andrew Niccol will take a first pass at the script, Voodoo Extreme reported.
No One Lives Forever is a story-driven, first-person adventure game in the tradition of 1960s spy movies and television shows. The game, previewed at the recent Los Angeles Electronic Entertainment Expo, will be available for the PC platform in the fourth quarter of this year and for the PlayStation 2 platform in 2001.
Disney Developing Shaolin
alt Disney Co. will develop the supernatural martial arts film Shaolin, based on an idea pitched by writer John Fasano and comic book creator Adam Pollina, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Special effects master Stan Winston will produce the movie, the trade paper reported.
Fasano will write the script, which is based on an idea and original character by Pollina. Shaolin is set in 12th-century China and tells the story of an orphaned Italian boy who is raised and trained by Shaolin monks. He joins them in their fight against superhuman Mongols, according to the trade paper.
Pollina created the DC comic book series Big Daddy Danger, which is being developed into a TV show by Miramax Television. He also co-created the comic book Hellhole, which is under development as a feature film by Dimension Films. Fasano wrote the scripts for the movies Alien 3 and Universal Soldier: The Return.
ABC Preps Dinotopia Mini
iniseries king Robert Halmi will produce Dinotopia, based on James Gurney's illustrated children's book series of the same name, for ABC, Variety columnist Army Archerd reported.
The miniseries, to be filmed in England and eight other countries, is set to air in the year 2002.
The Dinotopia series of books tells the story of a land where humans and dinosaurs coexist peacefully in a utopian society. Halmi told Archerd that Dinotopia will be "far superior" to Disney's just-released feature film Dinosaur. "We will have interaction between the dinosaurs and humans, riding them, flying them, helping to hatch their eggs and cohabitating in a new continent," Halmi said.
Halmi will build a special effects studio to create the miniseries' computer-generated dinosaur effects, Archerd reported. Marco Brambilla will direct and Simon Moore (Gulliver's Travels) is writing the script.
Robocop Trailer Posted To Web
ilmmakers have posted a new, six-minute trailer and new images from the four upcoming Robocop: Prime Directives television movies to the official Prime Directives Web site.
The four films--Dark Justice, Meltdown, Resurrection and Crash & Burn--are coming to syndicated television in the fall from Fireworks Entertainment.
Producer and director Julian Grant said in a post to the Web site that he has finished editing the four movies, which were shot in Canada. "Am very tired, very happy and running out of time," Grant said. "Have been on this non-stop for 18 months now and am nearing the end of it and am watching the finished deal in Theatre 4 at Deluxe in Toronto on the big screen and as a fan am totally with the show. I really am."
In addition to the Web trailer, Grant is preparing four promo spots for television and a one-hour special for Canada's SPACE channel in the next couple of months.
Anime Films Vie For Year's Best
erfect Blue, Pokemon the Movie, and Princess Mononoke have won nominations for best theatrical film in this year's World Animation Celebration Competition.
The World Animation Celebration takes place in Agoura Hills, Calif., May 30 through June 4.
Released by Manga Entertainment, Perfect Blue is a psychological thriller created by director Satoshi Kon (Memories), special advisor Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira) and Madhouse Studios (Ninja Scroll). Based on Yoshikazu Takeuchi's suspense novel of the same name, Perfect Blue tells the story of a pop star's attempt to make it big as an actress.
Pokemon the Movie, released by Warner Bros., is the first feature film based on the Pokemon animated television series and card game.
Princess Mononoke is an epic tale that shattered box office records in Japan and received a limited release in U.S. theaters last year.
Contract Killed Nikita
SA Network president Stephen Chao told the New York Post newspaper that the cable net canceled La Femme Nikita because of a contract dispute, not low ratings.
"The truth is, our deal with Warner Bros. [which produces the series] has been--from the beginning--for only four years, and this is the fourth year," Chao told the paper. "We just couldn't come to an agreement."
That hasn't stopped ardent fans of the series, starring Peta Wilson, from sending in letters and dollar bills seeking reinstatement of the show, about a top-secret anti-terrorist group called Section One.
Chao is not unsympathetic. "Nikita is a very good, nice, great show, and even though it was only a ratings fireworks one year, we still wanted to continue," he said. There are still 10 episodes yet to be aired, starting June 25 and continuing until Aug. 27, the Post reported. As for bringing Nikita back, Chao said USA might consider making Nikita feature films. "But, again, there are two sides here," he said.
USA is owned by USA Networks, which also owns The SCI FI Channel and SCIFI.COM.
Jin-Roh Set For Japan Release
fter having already screened around the world, the film adapation of Mamoru Oshii's manga Jin-Roh will finally open in Japan this June.
The movie is one of the most anticipated anime releases ever in Japan.
The joint production by Bandai Visual and Production IG has already been
seen in the United States, Poland, Germany and South Korea, and it has also
picked up several anime awards. Ghost in the Shell character designer
Hiroyuki Okiura directed Jin-Roh, while the manga was written by Ghost in the Shell director Oshii.
Set in Tokyo in the 1960s, Jin-Roh depicts the era of conflict between the government and anti-establishment activists.
Conway Discusses Lathe Appeal
evin Conway, who starred in the legendary 1980 PBS television movie The Lathe of Heaven, told SCI FI Wire he never expected the film to garner so much interest 20 years after its release.
The film, based on Ursula K. LeGuin's SF novel of the same name, aired on PBS in 1980, but hasn't been seen much since. On June 1, WNET in New York made the movie available for the first time in 20 years to PBS stations, in a digitally remastered version.
Conway says he's regularly asked what happened to the movie. "I've been besieged," the veteran character actor said in an interview from his home in New York. "Every so often, every couple of weeks, I'd get a letter or something from someone asking about it. Tom Hanks is a big fan of the show. I bumped into him, and he asked if I could get him a copy. But I didn't even have one for many years."
In the film, Conway played psychiatrist Dr. Haber, opposite a young Bruce Davison's George Orr. Haber discovers Orr's ability to alter the shape of reality through his dreams, and schemes to exploit the power for his own purposes. Conway spent just 10 exhausting days taping his role, between performances in a Broadway production of The Elephant Man.
Conway, who went on to perform widely in television, in movies and on stage, said that Lathe's comeback is a gift. "I thought it would go on public TV, [and] ... I expected it do well. And I thought it would be in their quiver and they'd pull it out and run it every now and then. And that just never happened. ... I didn't expect it to then lead to this kind of outpouring. They showed me the stack of mail from the public ... [it was] a telephone-book size of e-mails and letters demanding that it be re-shown." (Fred Barzyk, co-director and co-producer of Lathe, attributes the long delay between airings in part to a dispute over rights to a Beatles song used at the end of the movie.)
Conway said that Lathe's appeal is universal, and that the film still holds up today, despite its meager budget and rudimentary special effects. "The kind of people who are attracted to Lathe ... are attracted to the whole ... idea of dreams coming true. And [the question of] what actually constitutes reality, as opposed to what we perceive, is wonderfully profound."
Spidey Series Due In '02
arvel Media president and chief executive Avi Arad told the Comics Continuum Web site that a computer-generated Spider-Man animated television series will follow the live-action Spider-Man movie, which is now in development.
"We're going to do that at Sony," Arad told the Web site. "We haven't selected a network yet, but that's not going to be a big problem."
The animated television series could start in the spring of 2002. "Because the movie is coming out Thanksgiving 2001, we'll follow the show right after the movie," Arad said.
Arad confirmed that the movie's villains "will be Green Goblin and Doc Ock," he said. In terms of casting, Arad said he expects it to get underway in the next 60 days.
Frakes To Helm Clockstoppers
onathan Frakes (Star Trek: First Contact) will direct Clockstoppers, an SF comedy for Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Gale Anne Hurd (The Terminator) will produce the film.
Clockstoppers tells the story of a group of children who can stop time. Production could start before January, the trade paper reported. David Weiss and J. David Stem are rewriting the screenplay.
Frakes is also set to direct Total Recall 2 and Steve Was Here, an SF lampoon.
Jake Thomas To Be In A.I.
hild actor Jake Thomas has landed a role in Steven Spielberg's SF epic A.I., according to the 10-year-old's official Web site.
Thomas, who has appeared in small roles on television and in films, met with Spielberg in April and was offered a part in the movie, which is based on a treatment by the late Stanley Kubrick.
Thomas will join Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law and Frances O'Connor in the movie, about a futuristic world run by artificial intelligences. The film is based on a 1969 short story by SF author Brian Aldiss, "Super-Toys Last All Summer Long."
Thomas will also appear in the upcoming SF thriller The Cell, starring Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn and Vincent D'Onofrio, which opens in August.
Miller Joins Dracula Cast
onny Lee Miller (Trainspotting) will join the cast of Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000, an update of Bram Stoker's classic vampire novel Dracula, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Miller joins singer Vitamin C, Christopher Plummer and Jennifer Esposito in the Dimension Films production.
Miller will play a London antiques dealer who joins forces with vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing (Plummer), traveling from London to New Orleans to rescue Van Helsing's estranged daughter from Dracula, the trade paper reported. The key role of Dracula has not been cast yet.
Patrick Lussier will direct the movie, which starts shooting in the summer for a Dec. 22 wide release.
M:I-2 Explodes At Box Office
ission: Impossible 2 started the summer movie season off with a bang over the Memorial Day weekend, bringing in $71.8 million in four days, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
M:I-2 topped the box-office rankings in what the trade paper called the biggest-grossing weekend in box-office history.
M:I-2's four-day earnings were the second largest ever for a Memorial Day weekend, after The Lost World: Jurassic Park's $90.2 million opening in 1997. Since its opening on Wednesday, M:I-2 has raked in $92.8 million.
Dinosaur came in second, with a four-day gross of $33.5 million. The computer-animated film earned a cumulative total of $81.9 million after 11 days of release. Frequency stayed strong as it entered its fifth week of release. It came in seventh in the weekend box-office rankings, earning $3.8 million and raising its total to $35.2 million.
Briefly Noted
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WNET, New York's public television station, has opened an official Web site for The Lathe of Heaven, the classic PBS television movie based on Ursula K. LeGuin's SF novel of the same name. WNET aired the 1980 movie on June 1, the first time the film has been seen in 20 years.
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Lucas Online has opened an official Web site for The Seventh Tower, the upcoming youth fantasy book series from LucasBooks and Scholastic. Australian author Garth Nix is writing the series, which launches on June 5 with the first book, The Fall.
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The first of six Star Trek: New Earth novels has hit No. 7 on the Waldenbooks paperback best-seller list, and the second has hit No. 15, according to Pocket Books.
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Toymaker Hasbro is asking Star Wars fans to pick the next alien character to be turned into
an action figure. Fans can cast their votes at Hasbro's Web site.
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The cable network Pax TV is reportedly interested in picking up the canceled CBS fantasy series Early Edition, according to the Associated Press. Fans, meanwhile, are organizing an "Early Edition SOS" campaign to save the show.
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The third trailer for Fox's upcoming X-Men feature film debuted exclusively on the Internet at the movie's official Web site at 8 p.m. ET on June 1. The movie opens July 14.
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The Official Jeri Lynn Ryan Home Page fan club Web site reported that the actress (Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Voyager) will play a small role in the upcoming feature film Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000.
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Cinescape Online disputed an earlier report that The Equalizer star Edward Woodward would replace Dame Judy Dench as "M," James Bond's boss, in future 007 films. Dench still has the job, the site reported.
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Fox Interactive is developing a second Alien vs. Predator game, based on characters from the Alien and Predator film franchises, according to the Voodoo Extreme Web site. The game will reportedly make use of the Lith Tech game engine, the site reported.
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Wallace Langham (Veronica's Closet) will appear in the final episode of The Outer Limits, with Kelly McGillis and Charlton Heston, according to Variety.
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Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi signed a deal with Icebox.com to provide exclusive animation to the Web site for three years, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Kricfalusi will initially supply The Goddamn George Liquor Program, a spinoff of that show with the characters Slab and Ernie, and a series titled Weekend Pussy Hunt.
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Cinescape Online reported that David Boreanaz, star of The WB's hit series Angel, won his first feature-film role. Boreanaz will star in Valentine, a thriller from Warner Bros. about a former nerd who seeks revenge on his college tormentors.
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New Line has opened an official Web site for the upcoming SF psychological fantasy thriller The Cell, starring Jennifer Lopez and Vince Vaughn. The movie opens Aug. 18.
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Fangoria magazine reported that George Clooney will produce a television version of John W. Campbell's short story "Who Goes There?" which was the basis of two previous feature films entitled The Thing.
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The OneRing.net fan Web site took down preliminary images of the character Gollum from Peter Jackson's upcoming film trilogy The Lord of the Rings. The images, the first of the computer-animated character, apparently angered filmmakers who didn't want the site to spoil the audience's surprise.
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Cinescape Online reported plot spoilers for Blade 2, the sequel to Wesley Snipes' 1998 hit film Blade. In the sequel, Blade goes back in time and messes up the time continuum, leading to a world overrun by vampires, the site reported.
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The first novel based on Matt Wagner's comic series Grendel comes out June 8. Grendel: Past Prime is a 208-page novel, written by Wagner and Greg Rucka (Whiteout) and featuring 50 pen-and-ink illustrations by Wagner.
