Cage Passes On Superman
icolas Cage told the Mr. Showbiz Web site that he's going to pass on the starring role in the long-delayed Superman Lives movie.
"Superman, I've decided that I'm not going to do," Cage told the Web site while promoting his new film, Gone in 60 Seconds.
Warner Bros. has been taking a long time developing the next installment in the superhero saga, based on the DC Comics series Superman. The studio had eyed a summer 2002 release. But Cage, who has been in line to put on the blue suit, has apparently had enough.
"It's just been too long," Cage told Mr. Showbiz. "At first it seemed like a good idea and would've been a lot of fun, but, uh ... it's just too much time has passed and I wanted to part company with it."
Pullman: ID-4 2 Plans On Hold
ill Pullman, who played the fighter-pilot president in Independence Day, told SCI FI Wire that plans are on hold for a sequel to the 1996 hit movie.
"That has been one of those flowers that blooms and wilts and blooms and wilts," he said.
Pullman added, "I think there's definitely been some attempts to ... get it going." But, he added, "I think right now, it's a little bit quiet. And I don't know if there's anything going yet." If there is an ID-4 2, it would have to wait for Pullman: he's scheduled to appear in several feature films now in various stages of production, including Nora Ephron's Numbers and a thriller entitled Cadillac Tramps.
Pullman spoke to SCI FI Wire while promoting Titan A.E., Fox's upcoming SF animated epic, in which he voices the character of Korso.
Green Mile, Now and Again Top Saturns
he Green Mile and Now and Again topped the list of big winners at the annual Saturn Awards ceremony Tuesday, June 6, in Los Angeles.
The awards were presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, a non-profit organization founded in 1972 to recognize excellence among genre movies and television shows.
The Green Mile was the big winner among feature films with three awards, including best action/adventure/thriller film, best supporting actor (Michael Clarke Duncan) and best supporting actress (Patricia Clarkson).
Now and Again, which CBS just canceled, was the biggest winner among television shows, taking home three awards, including best network television series, best actor (Margaret Colin) and best supporting actor (Dennis Haysbert).
Among movies, Being John Malkovich, The Matrix, The Sixth Sense, Sleepy Hollow and Star Wars: Episode I each won two awards.
Among TV shows, Angel, Seven Days, Stargate SG-1 and Stephen King's Storm of the Century each won one award.
Bruce Campbell (Jack of All Trades) hosted the event, which was cybercast live on SCIFI.COM. A full list of winners follows.
Best Science Fiction Film
•The Matrix
Best Fantasy Film
•Being John Malkovich
Best Horror Film
•The Sixth Sense
Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film
•The Green Mile
Best Actor
•Tim Allen, Galaxy Quest
Best Actress
•Christina Ricci, Sleepy Hollow
Best Supporting Actor
•Michael Clarke Duncan, The Green Mile
Best Supporting Actress
•Patricia Clarkson, The Green Mile
Best Performance by a Younger Actor
•Haley Joel Osment, The Sixth Sense
Best Direction
•Andy and Larry Wachowski, The Matrix
Best Writing
•Charlie Kaufman, Being John Malkovich
Best Music
•Danny Elfman, Sleepy Hollow
Best Costume
•Trisha Biggar, Star Wars: Episode I
Best Makeup
•Nick Dudman, Aileen Seaton, The Mummy
Best Special Effects
•Rob Coleman, John Knoll, Dennis Muren, Scott Squires, Star Wars: Episode I
Best Genre Home Video Release
•Free Enterprise
Best Network Television Series
•Now and Again, CBS
Best Syndicated Television Series
•Stargate SG-1
Best Single Television Presentation
•Stephen King's Storm of the Century, ABC
Best Actor on Television
•David Boreanaz, Angel
Best Actress on Television
•Margaret Colin, Now and Again
Best Supporting Actor on Television
•Dennis Haysbert, Now and Again
Best Supporting Actress on Television
•Justina Vail, Seven Days
Special Saturn Award Winners
•Dick Van Dyke, Life Career Award
•George Barris, Life Career Award
•Douglas Z. Wick, The George Pal Memorial Award
•Richard Donner, President's Award
•Jeffrey Walker, Service Award
SCI FI Renews Farscape
he SCI FI Channel has renewed its hit original series Farscape for a third season of 22 new episodes, the cable network announced.
The series was created by Rockne S. O'Bannon (Alien Nation) and is produced in Australia by The Jim Henson Co. in association with Hallmark Entertainment.
Farscape will switch time slots on June 16 to Fridays at 9 p.m., following SCI FI's new original series, The Invisible Man, at 8 P.M.
Farscape's viewership jumped 16 percent in its second season, the network announced. The series stars Ben Browder, Claudia Black, Anthony Simcoe, Virginia Hey, Gigi Edgley, Jonathan Hardy and Sean Masterson.
Did Mulder Father Scully's Baby?
s Mulder the father of Scully's baby, about which viewers learned in the season finale of The X-Files? Depends on if you believe the spoilers in a post to the alt.tv.x-files newsgroup.
The post purported to be a translation of an Italian radio interview with X-Files co-star David Duchovny.
Duchovny, who was in Italy promoting his feature film Return to Me, was reportedly asked, "In The X-Files season finale, 'Requiem,' [which] aired in the U.S.A. a couple [of] weeks ago, we learn that Scully is pregnant. Is it remotely possible that the father is Mulder, or [do] we have to endure another alien-baby?" according to the About.com X-Files fan Web site.
Duchovny reportedly replied, "Yeah. ... I don't want to give too much away too soon, otherwise I would spoil you all. Then again I didn't write this episode, so I really don't know. Anyway they told me that yes, it should be Mulder's baby, a little Mulder, and the baby is not alien, that is if you don't believe that Mulder is an alien himself! When we shot this episode, I had not signed the contract for the eighth season yet. It could be they were looking for something interesting happening in the season to come, give the fans something to wait for. Or maybe they were hoping to have my child growing up really fast to take my place in the show."
Carter Primed For X-Files Changes
he X-Files creator Chris Carter told the Los Angeles Daily News that the upcoming eighth season of the hit Fox television series presents new challenges for him and the cast and crew.
"I'm excited," Carter said. "I think that there are lots of interesting stories to tell, and in coming back, I think we've created lots of interesting problems to solve, which is what we like. We want the problems to solve."
Among them: How to deal with co-star David Duchovny's decision not to appear in as many as half of next season's episodes, and how to develop the season-ending surprise that Gillian Anderson's character, FBI Agent Dana Scully, may be pregnant.
"We'll bring in some new characters," Carter said. "We have some chances here to expand the show yet again. We're still going to tell great stories. I want to focus more on the character of Scully and tell stories that deal with a more mythological magic realism approach than we have done before."
Howard Gets Set To Leave Earth
isa Howard, who plays Capt. Lili Marquette in the syndicated television series Earth: Final Conflict, told fans that she won't be returning to the show after the first episode of season four.
"The producers only offered me the first episode and very strongly indicated to me that it would be the last," Howard told fans during a June 4 chat on The Official Lisa Howard Web site fan page.
Howard added, "Well, they had to move on story-wise, and the new direction does not include Lili. They did offer to have me back as the occasional guest star, but I was not interested in that, for obvious reasons. I'm actually OK with being let go. The show has gone in a new direction ... and the new direction is very exciting and well produced, but it is NOT the show I signed on for four seasons ago. I really agree with the producers that Lili has no place in this new Earth."
Howard joins fellow castmate Richard Chevolleau (Augur), who is also leaving the series, she said. As for her farewell episode, Howard added, "[I] just finished filming the season opener for [season] four. Let's just say that if you liked the direction season three was going with Lili, then you will like the season opener. ... If you didn't like the finale, then you won't like what the first episode does for poor Lili."
More Roswell Secrets Coming
ason Behr, star of The WB's teen alien series Roswell, told CNN Online that fans should expect to learn more about his alien side in the series' second season.
Behr added that he's thrilled the show got picked up for a second year. "It feels great. It feels wonderful," he said.
Behr added, "We still have a lot more story to tell. There is still a lot left with where we can go with the three aliens and the relationship."
Behr, who plays Max, said he wants to believe in aliens. "If you sit and you look at a map of the galaxy and the universe, you feel really small," he said. "You feel like there has to be something else out there, at least you hope. The idea that there is no one out there is really sad."
Site Offers Crusade Scripts
abylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski will publish unaired scripts for his aborted TV series Crusade, as well as short stories and a novel, on the Bookface.com Web site.
The advertiser-supported site offers free online books and other fiction through a browser-based interface.
"Bookface is ... presenting my last two Crusade scripts, 'To the Ends of the Earth,' designed to be that season's arc-starting episode a la B5's 'Signs and Portents,' and 'End of the Line,' slated as the first-season Crusade finale," Straczynski said. "This is the best chance for people to find out where the show was going."
Straczynski added, "As a gift to B5 fans who've supported us in the past, I'm making my new novel--the first novel I've had time to complete in 12 years, my first two other novels having been published in hardcover by Dutton--Tribulations, available for FREE online reading at Bookface.com starting later this month, in four serialized sections."
Bookface will also offer a new Straczynski short story, "Cold Type," and reprints of the previously published stories "Say Hello, Mister Quigley" and "We Killed Them in the Ratings."
Sciography Seeks Hulk Material
ciography, The SCI FI Channel biography-style series that looks at SF entertainment, is seeking footage, behind-the-scenes photos, collectibles and trivia about the 1970s series The Incredible Hulk for a future show.
Producers are especially interested in finding a super-fan to be interviewed on camera. The producers need submissions by the end of June.
The Hulk episode of Sciography will look at the history of the series, which is based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name. The episode will feature interviews with star Lou Ferrigno, executive producer Kenneth Johnson, producer James Parriott and other behind-the-scenes personnel. Interested fans can e-mail Sciography.
Burton Mulls Hawaii For Apes
irector Tim Burton, in Hawaii to scout locations for his upcoming remake of Planet of the Apes, told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin newspaper that he's not used to so much natural beauty.
"Usually the places I scout films are toxic waste dumps or dripping with asbestos," Burton told the newspaper. "I don't know if I could actually work here, it's so beautiful. You know they say I am a very dark director."
Burton added that Hawaii may not be the ultimate location for Apes. "The stage we're in right now with [Planet of the Apes] is to think and dream and look," he said. "Once you get going on a film, you don't get a chance ever to sit and appreciate a place, even a toxic waste dump."
Burton said he was drawn to remake the 1968 film, which starred Charlton Heston. "It was a movie that had impact on me as a kid," Burton said. "It's like a fairy tale, a folk tale to me. I had a feeling that there is a way to do it differently, exploring thematically similar things but in a different way. I think it can be revisited and re-imagined to a whole new generation and to people like me who are interested in other aspects of what the film said." Burton plans to start filming later this year.
Damon Mulls Apes Role
att Damon (Titan A.E.) is considering starring in Planet of the Apes, director Tim Burton's remake of the 1968 feature film of the same name that starred Charlton Heston, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Damon met with Burton on Monday to discuss the role, according to the trade paper.
Damon won't decide until he sees the most recent draft of the Apes script, due in a couple of weeks, according to the Reporter. The film is set to start filming in the fall, and Burton has recently scouted locations in Hawaii.
Burton, meanwhile, is also considering bringing Danny DeVito into the project to play one of the apes. Burton worked with DeVito on 1992's Batman Returns and 1996's Mars Attacks!
Loncraine To Helm Godspeed
ichard Loncraine (Richard III) will direct Godspeed, Lawrence Mann, a feature film about an astronaut who returns mysteriously after being lost in space, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Michael Douglas and David Ladd will produce; Douglas may also star, according to the trade paper.
Godspeed is an original script by Chris Momenee and Gary Nadeau.
Shrek Heads For Imax
reamWorks will release the animated fantasy movie Shrek in Imax's 150 digital 3-D theaters in December 2001, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film will hit the Imax theaters about six months after its release in traditional theaters, the trade paper reported.
Shrek stars the voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, John Lithgow and Linda Hunt. It tells the story of an ogre whose swamp has been overrun by annoying fairy-tale creatures.
The Imax release of Shrek will have an ending that differs from that in the conventional release to take advantage of the 3-D format, the trade paper reported.
Attic Web Site Opens
se Tse Fly Productions has opened an official Web site for its independent supernatural horror film The Attic Expeditions.
The film, which is now in post-production, stars Seth Green (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Jeffrey Combs (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and Andras Jones (Nightmare on Elm Street).
The film tells the story of a man convicted of murder who is sent to a peculiar halfway house, where dreams and reality intertwine, leading to the deaths of the house's inhabitants.
Love Rehearsing For Mars
ourtney Love, speaking to the official Web site of her rock band Hole, said she's rehearsing for her lead role in the upcoming SF thriller movie John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars.
"I'm doing rehearsals and reading for my John Carpenter movie with Ice Cube ... tomorrow," the singer and actress said.
Love will play the tough leader of an expedition to Mars sent to investigate the disappearance of colonists. "I have to work out every day for four hours," Love said, adding, "They cast Clea Duvall (who was in Girl, Interrupted) and Joanna Cassidy (from Blade Runner) and, I think, Pam Grier (from Jackie Brown), so it's a really cool cast. I'm gonna try and see if Cube will teach me how to signify."
Jolie Trains Hard For Croft
ngelina Jolie told the IGN Movies Web site that she's in heavy training to play Lara Croft in the upcoming feature film version of the Eidos video game Tomb Raider.
"I've been in England for three weeks, and we're there over a month more, just doing training," Jolie said.
Training includes a regimen of "bungee ballet, diving, weapons training with special forces [and] kick-boxing," Jolie said. "I'll train through the whole film. It's been great for me at this time in my life. I get up and do yoga at 7:30, which is insane. And I'm on protein shakes. They've taken my cigarettes and alcohol and sugar away from me."
Jolie added that she'll share the screen with her new husband, Billy Bob Thornton. "Billy's playing a barber [laughs]. He's cutting hair, and I'm shooting guns."
Reeves Awaits Matrix II Script
eanu Reeves told TV Guide Online that he's still awaiting a script for The Matrix II and III, the proposed sequels to his 1999 hit film The Matrix.
Andy and Larry Wachowski, the brothers who wrote and directed the first Matrix, are still writing, Reeves said during the MTV Movie Awards.
"They haven't finished the scripts yet, so I don't know what I'm in for," Reeves said. "But speaking with Larry and Andrew Wachowski, they say, 'It's going to be insane.' So I'm looking forward to it."
Reeves' Matrix co-star Carrie-Anne Moss told TV Guide that she can wait. "All I know is my workout routine for the next two Matrixes is going to be harder. That's why I'm doing nothing but eating until that time!"
For his part, producer Joel Silver told TV Guide, "The stuff that we're doing in this next one is outrageous. Forget about special effects that have never been done before; we're seeing how far we can take it."
Expect Jackson Action In Episode II
amuel L. Jackson may finally get to swing into action as a Jedi knight in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode II, soon to begin production in Australia.
While accepting the MTV Movie Award for best action sequence for the pod race in Episode I, Lucas told Access Hollywood over the weekend to expect Jackson on the podium in a couple of years to accept the award for best fight.
Jackson, meanwhile, told the Popcorn UK Web site that he's traveling down under next month to start shooting. "I'm supposed to be there on the sixth, and according to George, [it] sounds like I get to turn my light saber on," Jackson said.
Smits Reps Deny Episode II Role
epresentatives of actor Jimmy Smits (NYPD Blue) denied rumors that Smits has joined the cast of Star Wars: Episode II, according to USA Today.
The Coming Attractions Web site had reported the rumor that Smits would take on a small role as a Jedi in Episode II, a role that would expand in Episode III.
Meanwhile, Fox spokesman Tom Sherak told USA Today that director George Lucas will begin shooting Episode II this month in Australia. "They finish shooting in September in Australia, right before the Olympics," before moving to Tunisia, Sherak said.
Star Wars Dolphin Game Coming?
ucasArts is rumored to be planning a Star Wars game for Nintendo's upcoming Dolphin platform, set in the time period between Episode I and Episode II, according to a report on TheForce.net Web site.
The time period would be the same as that in the Shadows of the Empire video game, the site reported.
LucasArts is also rumored to be developing Star Wars titles for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance.
Boba Fett Designs Progress
tar Wars: Episode II production designer Gavin Bocquet told the official Star Wars Insider magazine that designers are busy creating environments for bounty hunter Boba Fett.
Fett, whose first movie appearance occurred in The Empire Strikes Back, has become a favorite among fans.
"Most of the character designs and costumes have evolved from [conceptual artist] Doug [Chang's] group and the concept group, but we're already moving into looking at Boba Fett's ship and slight derivations of that, as well as Fett's apartment and other environments that Fett exists in," Bocquet told the magazine.
Bocquet added, "It's very interesting going back to a character that is such a favorite. I think people will know a lot more about Boba Fett after this film."
Farrell, Rodan Up For Spidey?
wo unknown actors will screen-test for the lead role in Sony's upcoming Spider-Man film, according to rumors on the IGN Movies Web site.
The contenders are Colin Farrell, soon to be seen in Warner Bros.' Jesse James, and Jay Rodan, now shooting Caveman's Valentine for Universal, according to the site.
If the report is true, the actors join a raft of young Hollywood thespians vying for the coveted role of Peter Parker in the feature film version of the Marvel Comics series Spider-Man. Sam Raimi (A Simple Plan) is set to direct.
Charles To Run The Tick
arry Charles (Seinfeld) has signed to run Fox's upcoming superhero sitcom The Tick, based on Ben Edlund's comic series and animated TV show of the same name, according to Variety.
Charles will become an executive producer of the series, which will likely join Fox's lineup in mid-season.
Charles joins executive producers Barry Sonnenfeld, Barry Josephson and Edlund. Charles recently executive produced UPN's animated comedy Dilbert.
The Tick, starring former Seinfeld actor Patrick Warburton, has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the 8:30 p.m. Sunday slot when it debuts, Variety reported.
Fox Hears Echo
ox 2000 bought the feature-film rights to Echo, an SF comic series from Dreamwave Productions, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Thai director Kaos (FHA) has adapted the comic and will direct for producer Chris Lee (Final Fantasy: The Movie), the trade paper reported.
Echo is set in the near future and tells the story of an elite government squad sent out to destroy a human-like species. Dreamwave also publishes the SF&F comics Darkminds, Warlands and Neon Cyber.
Devilman Lady Coming To Video
DV Films has bought the home video rights to Devilman Lady, the television series based on Go Nagai's manga of the same name, ADV announced at the Project A-kon anime convention in Dallas.
Devilman Lady is a spin-off of Nagai's Devilman, which was originally released as an original animated video.
ADV also said it was delaying plans to release Neon Genesis Evangelion on DVD in order to take advantage of fan input. An earlier DVD release, Queen Emeraldas, was plagued with audio problems. ADV recently corrected the problems and is working on a way for fans to trade in their copies.
FX Drove Hollow Man
irector Paul Verhoeven decided to revisit the old invisible-man genre in his upcoming film Hollow Man in part because new special-effects technology makes it possible to surprise the audience, according to the Dark Horizons Web site.
"As the technique is there, there'll be a lot of these movies made in one form or another," Verhoeven told the Web site.
Verhoeven added, "Many people will see the possibilities of these new techniques, and a lot of writers will take advantage of what is possible, and that will emerge in their screenplays." Hollow Man writer Andrew Marlowe told Verhoeven "that he'd been investigating the state of the art of special effects at that time, and he wrote it with special effects in mind that were not ready then, but would be in a year," the director said.
Hollow Man, starring Kevin Bacon, is "a story about the transference of evil. Kevin's character begins sympathetically; what we want the audience to experience is how he becomes this soulless, evil being," Verhoeven said. Hollow Man opens Aug. 4.
Pioneer To Release Card Captor Video
ard Captor, the upcoming television series based on the CLAMP manga of the same name, is also coming to home video, Pioneer Entertainment announced at the Project A-Kon anime convention in Dallas.
Pioneer will release dubbed DVD and VHS versions of the series, which is slated to air in the fall on The WB network.
Pioneer will release subtitled, uncut versions of Card Captor and a second, dubbed and edited version similar to the one that will air on The WB. Canada-based animation studio Nelvana currently licenses the Japanese series. Fans have been clamoring for the home video releases, at one point overwhelming Nelvana's e-mail servers with requests.
Pioneer also announced plans to release the Fushigi Yuugi original video animation series in the late fall, Duel (four parts starting in September), Black Heaven (four parts starting in October) and the 3x3 Eyes series boxed set in time for Christmas. Armitage III: Poly-Matrix is scheduled for 2001.
Buffy Stakes Out Critic Nominations
he WB's hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer garnered two nominations for Television Critics Association Awards, which honor excellence in TV programming, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The awards, determined by a survey of more than 220 North American print journalists, will be presented July 15 in Pasadena, Calif.
Buffy was nominated for best drama series and for program of the year. Few other genre programs received nominations. They included ABC's Arabian Nights, which won a nomination for best miniseries, and the Discovery Channel's Walking With Dinosaurs, which received a nomination for best news and information program.
X-Men FX Too Intense For Trailer
-Men director Bryan Singer told Premiere magazine that the upcoming Fox feature film will boast more than 370 visual effects shots--some so intense that they were left out of the first trailers for the movie.
The film is based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name and opens July 14 nationwide.
"The [Motion Picture Association of America] wouldn't let me keep a shot of a laser light coming out of Cyclops's eyes; they thought it was too intense," Singer told the magazine. "I was like, 'It's just a beam!' Fans who saw [the laserless trailer] were livid." Cyclops' famous eye-beam makes it into the third trailer, now on view on the film's official Web site.
X-Men Claws Draw Blood
ichael L. Fink, the visual effects supervisor for Fox's upcoming X-Men movie, told Cinescape Online that filmmakers used plastic, metal and digital versions of Wolverine's famous adamantium claws for different parts of the film.
X-Men is based on the venerable Marvel Comics series of the same name and opens July 14.
"They were pretty lethal items," Fink says of the claws his crew whipped up. "We used [computer graphics] to create claws when we were doing stunts. There were even a few close-ups where [the claws] couldn't be used. When they come out too quickly, they would definitely put a hole in
you."
Hugh Jackman, who played Wolverine, attested to the metal claws' sharpness. "I've got a nice scar on my leg, actually," he told Cinescape. "The X-Men uniforms have padding built into them around the knee [made from] high-density rubber about a centimeter thick. And I was doing the big fight with Sabretooth [Tyler Dane] and I don't even know how I did it, but I punched
straight through [the padding]. I remember thinking, 'That was a bit close.' And at the end of the day, I took off the suit and there was this red patch all over. I'd punctured straight
through the skin."
Fox Planning Dragon's Lair Movie
nimator and game creator Gary Goldman, who co-created the original laser disc arcade game Dragon's Lair with partner Don Bluth in 1983, told SCI FI Wire that there are plans for a feature film based on the game and its sequels.
"Our fan base for that game is big enough that ... one of the projects we're developing for Fox is a feature film based on Dragon's Lair."
Goldman added that gamers are enthusiastic about previews for the next installment of the game, Dragon's Lair 3D. "We're doing a 3-D video game that we premiered at [the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles] this year," he said. "And we just got word back that in the top 10 there, it was rated No. 5 in its performance."
The game, coming from Blue Byte Software and Dragonstone Software later this year, will combine 2-D and 3-D animation in new ways, Goldman said. "We did the opening in traditional animation, and at the end of the opening, it transitions into 3-D. And it's very exciting." Goldman added, "It's sort of a combination of the original game concept and Myst, so you can explore the castle."
Goldman spoke to SCI FI Wire while promoting Titan A.E., the upcoming Fox SF animated epic he co-directed with Bluth, which opens June 16.
Stainless Steel Rat Goes Hollywood
an de Bont (Twister) will direct a Fox feature film based on the Adventures of the Stainless Steel Rat series of SF novels by Harry Harrison, according to Variety.
Harrison is perhaps best known for the novel Make Room! Make Room!, which was made into the 1973 movie Soylent Green starring Charlton Heston.
Rat tells the story of a con man in the future who gets caught and avoids a prison sentence by agreeing to work as an undercover cop. He is paired with a femme-fatale officer. Rat is being adapted for the screen by Eric Blakeney (Gunshy).
Verhoeven Sees Hollow Victory
aul Verhoeven expressed surprise to the Fandom Web site that his upcoming SF thriller movie Hollow Man earned a coveted R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America without needing any cuts.
"It's the first time in my life," said Verhoeven, whose movies are notorious for their high levels of graphic sex and violence.
"All my movies have been called X or NC-17 [at first]," requiring him to make cuts, Verhoeven told Fandom. "It was X when I started here. Flesh And Blood, Robocop and Total Recall all got an X. Then Basic Instinct, Showgirls and Starship Troopers got NC-17."
As for Hollow Man, an invisible-man thriller starring Kevin Bacon, "It's still an R; it's not a PG-13, and I couldn't make it a PG-13," Verhoeven said. "The muscular body, and the way he is sometimes expressed in certain forms, is too scary for a PG-13. He is sometimes seen in layered form, and certainly during the transformation he is mostly of course layered, in between. Later, he is seen in layered forms or muscular form. So it's disturbing." Hollow Man opens Aug. 4.
Revell Plans 'World' Music For Dune
raeme Revell, who said he is composing the score for The SCI FI Channel original miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune, told SCI FI Wire that he's creating music with many cultural influences.
"It's going to be both orchestral and synthesized electronic [music]," Revell said over the weekend of June 3.
Revell added, "The main theme through-line will be orchestral, but we're also doing mysterious versions of [it] with world instruments and so on as well. I think you need to [be multicultural] because, ... it's [a story of] the profane versus the sacred."
Revell said he has composed music to represent the different houses, or families, depicted in the miniseries, which is based on Herbert's classic SF novel Dune. The evil Harkonnen family, for example, "will be done with a lot of strange Asian instruments, just because [they're] quite different from the others." He added, "Although there are a lot of people out there who love Herbert's work and saw the [1984 David Lynch feature] film, we're trying to take it from the point of view, 'What if somebody's watching this, and they don't know the story?' And we really have to make sure that everything that we do helps people get through the political story line."
There will also be music connected with the mysterious sacred elements of the story. "A lot of the spiritual story line I'm doing with ... sacred voices. But even then, trying to make it otherworldly, so that you can't just say, 'Oh, that's Tibetan chant.'"
Throughout the miniseries, there will be Arabic influences, Revell said. "Definitely. ... [but] we're trying to make it less obviously Arabic if we can."
Revell spoke to SCI FI while promoting Fox's upcoming animated SF movie Titan A.E., for which he also composed the score. (The SCI FI Channel has not made an official announcement about a Dune composer yet.)
Ricci Pumps Up Adrenalynn
hristina Ricci (Sleepy Hollow) will star in Adrenalynn, a Warner Bros. feature film based on the SF cult comic series of the same name, according to Variety.
Ricci will play a half-human, half-cyborg orphan who grew up in post-Cold War Russia and is programmed to destroy the United States, according to the trade paper.
Adrenalynn is based on the Image Comics series by Tony Daniel. Joel Silver (The Matrix) will produce the film. Ricci will also produce under her Blaspheme Films production company.
Universal Buys Almighty Comedy
niversal Pictures will develop Bruce Almighty, a comedy-fantasy movie based on a spec script by Steve Koren and Mark O'Keefe, Variety reported.
Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) may direct.
Bruce tells the story of a disenchanted man who acquires the power to play God for 24 hours.
Fox To Beam Titan Digitally
ox will beam a digital version of its upcoming animated SF epic Titan A.E. across the country for a screening in Atlanta, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The transmission, to the Supercomm trade show, will mark the first time a full-length feature film has been sent digitally from a remote location, the trade paper reported.
Titan A.E. will travel from Qwest Communications' Cyber Center in Burbank, Calif., using a secure Internet transmission protocol developed by Cisco Systems Inc., according to The Reporter. Titan A.E. opens nationwide June 16.
MTV Honors Genre Films
he Matrix swept three top categories at the 2000 MTV Movie Awards, including best movie, best male performance and best fight sequence, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The awards were presented on June 3 and broadcast on June 8.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar won best female performance for her starring role in Cruel Intentions. She and co-star Selma Blair won the award for best kiss in that film.
Mike Myers won best villain honors for his performance in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and Myers and co-star Verne Troyer (Mini-Me) were named best on-screen duo. Haley Joel Osment won for male breakthrough performance in The Sixth Sense.
George Lucas won best action sequence for the pod race in Star Wars: Episode I. Spike Jonze won the award for best new filmmaker for his directorial debut in Being John Malkovich.
M:I-2 Tops Box Office
ission: Impossible 2 remained the No. 1 film for the second week in a row, earning $27 million and the top box-office spot during the June 3 weekend, according to the Hollywood trade papers.
M:I-2 has grossed an estimated $130.7 million in just 12 days.
Dinosaur took the No. 3 slot in its third weekend of release, bringing in $12 million for a total of $96.8 million. Frequency was the seventh highest-grossing film, earning $2.1 million for a total of $37.9 million after five weeks.
Briefly Noted
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Activision has opened an official Web site for its upcoming Star Trek Bridge Commander game, which places players on the bridge of a Next Generation-style Federation starship.
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Stan Lee Media has teamed with producer Mark Canton to develop a live-action feature film based on Lee's animated Internet series 7th Portal, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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An executive for Canadian broadcaster ChumCity revealed the following Star Trek: Voyager spoiler to the Toronto Sun newspaper: The titular starship will return to the alpha quadrant in the middle of next season.
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David Prowse, the former Mr. Universe who provided Darth Vader's body in Star Wars, was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) honor for his charity and road safety work, according to the BBC.
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The upcoming feature films Pokemon The Movie 2000 and Space Cowboys each have new official Web sites.
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Writer Russell T. Davies dismissed rumors that he was writing a new big-screen version of the venerable BBC TV series Doctor Who. "It's so not true," he told the SFX Web site, adding, "I wish!"
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Fans of Now and Again, the SF series recently canceled by CBS, planned to inundate the network with letters of protest on June 6. About 440 fans on a Now and Again e-mail list collected letters and postcards for a mail drop to urge the show's renewal. The mail campaign coincided with the annual Saturn Awards ceremony, in which Now and Again took top honors as best network show.
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Tim Burton, who is scouting Hawaii locations for the upcoming feature-film remake of Planet of the Apes, won the first Maui Film Festival Silversword Award for "imagination and creativity in filmmaking" in recognition of his body of work, according to Variety.
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Alec Baldwin will voice a character in the upcoming live-action/animated fantasy feature film Like Cats and Dogs from director Larry Guterman, Variety reported. The Warner Bros. movie tells the story of the dog world's secret service, which tries to thwart a feline super criminal.
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Star Wars composer John Williams will receive a Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame Award from director Steven Spielberg and actor Richard Dreyfuss in a gala charity concert June 23 in Los Angeles, according to Variety.
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Producer Joel Silver said The Matrix II, the upcoming sequel to his 1999 hit film The Matrix, likely won't appear until Christmas 2002, according to the Coming Attractions Web site.
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The SCI FI Channel has opened an official Web site for its original series The Invisible Man, which premiered on June 9.
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Activision and Genetic Anomalies are seeking beta testers for Star Trek ConQuest Online, a turn-based strategy game due to be released in June. Gamers interested in trying out the game between June 6 and June 18 can sign up at the official Web site.
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Paul McGann, who starred in Doctor Who, the 1996 U.S. television movie based on the venerable BBC series, reprises the role in four audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions, the company announced. The audio dramas will be released over consecutive months starting in January.
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Minions of the Moon by Richard Bowes won the Lambda Literary Award for best science fiction and fantasy novel. The 2000 "Lammy" awards, presented in ceremonies in Chicago on June 1, honored excellence and vision in gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender literature.
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John Travolta rose out of his chair in anger when grilled by a French journalist about the Church of Scientology while promoting his film Battlefield Earth in Barcelona, Spain, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Travolta's people confiscated the reporter's videotapes; when the reporter got them back, they were wiped clean, the trade paper reported.
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The Dark Horizons Web site reported a rumor that Catherine Keener and David St. Clair are in line to star in Benjamin Button, Spike Jonze's upcoming fantasy film based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."
