Two Qs In New Voyager
hen John de Lancie reprises the role of Q in the upcoming Star Trek: Voyager episode "Q2," he'll have some company: real-life teen-age son Keegan, the official Trek Web site reported.
Keegan, 15, will play Q's offspring in the episode.
"Q2," which also brings back the Borg, will be directed by the elder de Lancie's Star Trek: The Next Generation co-star LeVar Burton.
Buffy Bites Her Tongue
day after threatening to quit if her hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer moves from The WB, star Sarah Michelle Gellar backed away from her ultimatum, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"I'm not going anywhere, and I can't stress that enough," a contrite Gellar told the Times on Wednesday, adding that she was "humiliated" over the reaction to comments she made to E! Online.
On Jan. 23, Gellar told the site that she would leave the show if it switches networks. Fox, which produces the series, has been threatening to pull it from The WB if it can't reach agreement on terms of a new contract, including more money per episode. Both ABC and the Fox broadcasting network have reportedly expressed interest in acquiring Buffy.
But on Jan. 24, Gellar told the Times, "I just said it in passing, and it was only meant to show my appreciation and support for The WB. But Fox has been very good to me, too. I intend to stay with Buffy, no matter what." Gellar--who has at least one more year on her contract after the current fifth season--added that she "absolutely" hopes to continue doing the show even after that, the Times reported.
Angel Star Eyes Film Roles
avid Boreanaz, star of The WB's Angel, told SCI FI Wire that he's under consideration for roles in two upcoming genre films, including the World War II supernatural thriller movie Below.
Boreanaz--speaking to reporters about his upcoming horror movie Valentine, which opens Feb. 2--said he auditioned for one Below part that ultimately went to another actor, but that he's hopeful the producers may consider him for another role.
"It's still kind of up in the air with that right now," Boreanaz said. "I know there's still some ... interest for me for one of the characters. But the one character that I went in and read for and met the director [David Twohy] for, ... they had me [in mind] for another type of character. So I don't know what's going to happen with that. I found out just a couple of days ago. ... I just know he's one of the guys in the submarine." Below, which begins shooting in the United Kingdom in March, tells the story of the crew of a haunted American submarine. Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense) was recently cast in the film, which was developed by Pi creators Darren Aronofsky and Eric Watson.
Boreanaz, meanwhile, is also hoping to win a role in Resident Evil, the feature-film version of the popular video game. "Resident Evil is still there, a possibility," Boreanaz said. "So, yeah, I'll see what happens." Milla Jovovich will play the lead in the movie, to be directed by Paul Anderson, based on the Capcom video game series of the same name. Evil is slated to begin shooting in and around Berlin in early February.
Fox Fined For X-Files Death
al/OSHA, California's occupational safety and health watchdog agency, fined 20th Century Fox Television more than $41,000 for a fatal accident last year on the set of The X-Files, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The accident--in which scaffolding came into contact with high-power lines--killed one worker and injured six others.
In assessing the fines, Cal/OSHA determined that Fox had committed three "serious" safety violations, including allowing employees to work near high-voltage lines without taking steps to guard against the danger and failure to properly secure the scaffolding, the trade paper reported. The agency also determined that Fox committed a general safety violation by not having a "written code of safe practices posted at the job site." Fox has 15 days to challenge the ruling, but a Fox spokesman declined to tell the Reporter whether it would appeal or pay the fine.
Duchovny Evolves In New Role
avid Duchovny--star of Ivan Reitman's upcoming SF comedy film Evolution--told the Eon magazine Web site that the movie is actually a stretch from his usual duties on The X-Files.
"It's different, and that's why I wanted to do it, because it's a totally different performance style for me," Duchovny told Eon. "I was looking for something different to do. The fact that there were aliens in it was kind of a drawback, but it's just a superficial coincidence."
Duchovny plays a discharged Army medic who joins Orlando Jones and Julianne Moore to deal with a meteorite that crashes to Earth with microbes that evolve at an accelerated rate. "Comedy's challenging, because there's really only one criteria, and that's if people laugh or not," Duchovny said. "Drama--people like it a little or they like it a lot, but you don't have to cry to like it. In comedy, if people aren't laughing, it's not successful, so you're really putting your ass on the line."
Duchovny said he's not worried about being typecast in SF roles. "Who's going to do that?" he said. "Is the great casting director in the sky going, 'Hmm? Did The X-Files, and now he's done this. That's all he can do!'" Evolution is set for a summer release.
A New X-Files Face To Come
he second half of The X-Files current season will reveal more about the character of Agent John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and introduce a new character, played by Annabeth Gish, executive producer Frank Spotnitz told the Horror Online Web site.
"You'll see more unfold about his character--who he is and where he came from," Spotnitz told the site.
Spotnitz added, "We sort of hinted at that in one episode that we saw, when he took out a picture of a little boy, and we didn't know what that meant to him. But now we're going to find more about him and people he knows. And we're going to meet this new agent, named Monica Reyes and played by Annabeth Gish, in episode 14, who has some history with Doggett. For us, it's exciting, because it's new things to play with, and it changes the dynamic of the show."
Gish's character will change the balance of the show, Spotnitz said. "She, like Doggett, is completely unlike anybody we've seen on The X-Files before. We'd never had somebody like Doggett, a kind of a working-class cop, before. And Annabeth is also a completely different element on the show. Reyes smiles, laughs and is a little off-center; there's a slightly neurotic quality to her. She's an FBI agent from the New Orleans field office; I'd say she's more a believer than a skeptic. So when you have Mulder, Scully, Doggett and Reyes, you've got two and two, if you will--if you still count Scully as a skeptic. While Scully believes in a lot of things, I still think she approaches things from that side of the world, as a scientist."
Marsden Awaits X-Men 2 Call
ames Marsden--Cyclops in last year's hit X-Men movie--told the Calgary Sun that he's still awaiting the call for the expected sequel.
"X-Men made a dump-load of money, so of course there will be a sequel, but I'm a pretty low priority," Marsden told the newspaper. "These first couple of movies belong to Wolverine [Hugh Jackman], so things will be worked around him."
Marsden added, "Of course I'm glad I was part of X-Men, but it wasn't a great acting experience. It's all about special effects." Marsden signed a two-picture deal, which, he says, "benefits the studio, not me. If there's a third one, and they want me, then I'll be able to negotiate."
Dispute To Delay New Trek?
he SFX Network Web site reported a rumor that the upcoming fifth Star Trek television series may be on hold in part due to a dispute over the number of episodes initially requested.
The site reported that ABC--not UPN or NBC--is interested in the series, but only wants an initial order of 13 episodes, not the full season's worth of 22.
Former Trek writer and producer Ronald D. Moore had told SCI FI Wire that the series might be put on hold because of uncertainty over the future of UPN and the impending writers' and actors' strikes.
B'Elanna Becoming A Mom
oxann Dawson--who plays B'Elanna Torres on Star Trek: Voyager--told the official Trek Web site that her character is going through major changes.
"I think it was necessary [to marry Tom Paris] in order for me to get pregnant!" Dawson told the site. "I actually like the way they're going with the storylines this year. Pregnancy is an interesting choice, considering that I was pregnant two years ago on the show, and we spent an entire year covering it up. Now, they're making me pregnant. It's an interesting choice, but it offers a lot of dramatic possibilities. And I don't have to watch what I eat!"
As to what kind of mother her character will be, Dawson said, "I don't know. That's all up to the writers, isn't it? I think that she will [be a good mother]. In the [upcoming] episode ["Lineage"], we see her take a lot of steps towards growth in that direction."
Farmer Named Grand Master
hilip José Farmer will be the new Grand Master for 2001, the highest honor of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the SFWA announced on its official Web site.
Farmer will receive his Grand Master Award at the Nebula Awards banquet in Los Angeles on April 28. All former SFWA presidents and current members of the board of directors voted on the designation.
Beginning with his publication of "The Lovers" in the August 1952 issue of Startling Stories, Farmer has pioneered the exploration of crucial human relationships and dimensions in science fiction and inspired generations of writers from Chip Delany to Jonathan Lethem, the SFWA said. Farmer joins previous Grand Masters such as Robert A. Heinlein, Jack Williamson, Clifford D. Simak, L. Sprague de Camp, Fritz Leiber, Andre Norton, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Alfred Bester, Ray Bradbury, Lester del Rey, Frederik Pohl, Damon Knight, A.E. van Vogt, Jack Vance, Poul Anderson, Hal Clement and Brian Aldiss.
Stone Advises Pi Guy On Batman
n the current Premiere magazine, director Oliver Stone had this advice for fellow helmer Darren Aronofsky about the upcoming Batman: Year One movie: It's all about the script, according to a report on the Eon Web site.
"Unfortunately, the very first obstacle is that the expectation level on Darren is very high, where he has come from nowhere and made two powerful films one after another [Pi and Requiem for a Dream]," Stone told the magazine. "How does he maintain that intensity and purity in a form that is very commercial? It can be done. The script has to be as intense and pure as your other two were, but perhaps incorporating more characters into that world and seeing that world with integrity."
Stone added, "If you maintain that integrity in the script, and you fight for it, they'll let you do it. I believe that. But if they really don't like the script, they'll move on, and you'll lose that turn, but it won't stop your career. But it's a big number that you bit off. I mean, in the old days we worked our way up more. Now, young first-timers are given $100 million movies. My largest budget has been $62 million on Any Given Sunday, which was a lot. But stand your ground, and I think you'll win."
BBC Backs Off Who Report
he BBC has backed off a report that it was closing in on a feature-film version of its longstanding Doctor Who series, the SFX Network Web site reported.
The British Telegraph newspaper had quoted BBC movie head David Thompson saying that a movie was on the horizon and that it would be budgeted at around £40 million ($59 million).
But, a BBC spokeswoman told SFX, "the Sunday Telegraph got it wrong." She added that plans for a movie version of the show were in development, but that there had been no progress.
Yip Up For Matrix Sequels?
irst it was Jet Li, then Michelle Yeoh. Now the Coming Attractions Web site is reporting a rumor that Francoise Yip (UPN's short-lived Freedom) may be in line for the role of a martial-arts expert in the upcoming Matrix 2 and 3.
Citing an unnamed source, Coming Attractions reported that Yip was considering the role, but had not yet signed a deal.
Vancouver-born Yip has previously appeared in two other productions from Matrix producer Joel Silver: Romeo Must Die, with Li, and Freedom.
Williams To Go Below
livia Williams (The Sixth Sense) will appear in the supernatural thriller movie Below for Dimension Films and writer-director David Twohy (Pitch Black), according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Production is scheduled to begin in March in the United Kingdom.
Williams will play Claire, a young British doctor who is rescued by an American submarine crew during World War II. The seamen are pitted against ghosts below the waves and the German Navy above. Below was developed by Darren Aronofsky and Eric Watson, the creative team behind Pi, the trade paper reported.
Blanchett Wouldn't Miss Rings
ate Blanchett told the Eon magazine Web site that she couldn't pass up the chance to play Galadriel, Queen of the Elves, in Peter Jackson's upcoming Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
"People said I was crazy to commit to three weeks in the middle of the year," she says of her shooting schedule on location in New Zealand last year.
But, Blanchett added, "it's one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. And you really sense that. There's a real-life fascination with the books. After the Bible, they're the most-read pieces of literature in our time. I read The Hobbit as a child, but I'd never read the other books until I came to do the project, so it was fantastic." The first film, Fellowship of the Ring, opens Dec. 19.
Mutant X Gears Up For June
utant X, the upcoming syndicated television series from Marvel, will begin filming in Toronto on June 4, the Comics2Film Web site reported.
Producers have also sent out a casting call for the show, which will spin off Marvel's successful X-Men comic series and feature film, the site reported.
Mutant X--which has no relation to the Marvel series of the same name--will reportedly tell the story of five genetically engineered humans who were all victims of the Human Genome Project, a top-secret experiment on fetuses that created children with enhanced gifts.
The New Mutants will be led by Adam Xero and will battle a covert government agency called the Genetic Security Agency, led by Albion Magnus, the site reported. Each adventure will pit the good mutants against other powerful mutants working for the GSA.
Because the show is being shot in Canada, it is expected to be immune to the impending U.S. actors' strike this summer.
Staying True To Croft
ngelina Jolie--who plays Lara Croft in Simon West's upcoming Tomb Raider movie--told the Los Angeles Times that she feels a sense of duty to be true to her video game heroine.
"There's an image about Lara, something she represents, that people like about her, and we hope to capture," Jolie told the newspaper from a London soundstage where the film is being shot. "Lots of people love this game. We didn't want to dismiss that."
Jolie said she genuinely likes her character, the hero of the popular Eidos video game series on which the movie is based. "She's got a great spirit of adventure," Jolie said. "She's also a lady. It's funny, this is me doing an action movie, but I'd never done such a lady. She was raised properly in England, she's very well bred, but not uptight or stuffy. She has all the great gadgets a Bond would have, she's wicked and wild, with the same sense of freedom of an Indiana Jones. Lara doesn't use her sexuality in a silly way. She's completely sensual--sexual, open, free, primitive--but it hardly comes into play. She's just human, she's alive. She's like a wild animal."
About the story, director West would tell the Times only the broad outlines. "The story has a slightly dark edge," West said. Jolie added, "She gets to solve, umm, the world's puzzle."
SCIFI.COM Adapts Butler's Kindred
CIFI.COM's Seeing Ear Theatre will feature Emmy Award-winning actress Alfre Woodard in a four-part audio drama adapted from Octavia Butler's SF novel Kindred, starting Feb. 15.
Lynn Whitfield will co-star in the drama, which SCIFI.COM will post in commemoration of Black History Month.
Part 2 of Kindred will go live on Feb. 20; Part 3 on Feb. 22 and Part 4 on Feb. 27. Kindred tells the story of Dana (Woodard), a modern African-American woman who finds herself transported back in time to the antebellum South to protect Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, when he comes face to face with life-threatening situations. Dana is summoned in these instances to insure Rufus will grow to manhood and father the daughter who will become Dana's grandmother--the first free-born woman in her ancestry. With her visits becoming longer and more dangerous, will Dana's life end before it even has a chance to begin?
Cartoon Net To Air JLA
he Cartoon Network confirmed that it will air a new half-hour animated show based on DC Comics' Justice League of America series.
Bruce Timm (Batman) will run the new series, the network announced.
Cartoon Network has given Justice League an initial order of 26 episodes, which will incorporate familiar superheroes, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter.
"After working on the Superman and Batman series for the last several years, Justice League is a great opportunity to develop those characters a step further and bring more of the iconic DC Comics superheroes to life," Timm said in a statement. "I am looking forward to exploring whole new realms of the superhero world."
New Powerpuff Voices Sought?
nable to come to financial terms with the three women who voice the Cartoon Network's Powerpuff Girls, the network will seek sound-alike voice-over talent to replace them in the upcoming Powerpuff feature film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The movie, to be produced by Warner Brothers for release in 2002, will mark Cartoon Network's first theatrical release, the trade paper reported.
Agents for the actresses--Tara Strong (Bubbles), Catherine Cavadini (Blossom) and E.G. Daily (Buttercup)--told the Reporter that the Cartoon Network has informed them that their clients will not be paid more than scale for their services, and that there will be no back-end participation, the trade paper reported. Sources told the paper that the Cartoon Network has offered Strong, Daily and Cavadini about $5,000 for a guaranteed five sessions, and that the typical pay would range from $7,500-$10,000 each.
New Writers Hired For Old
riters Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio (Bubble Boy) will rewrite the script for Disney's upcoming fantasy movie Old, Variety reported.
The proposed film is based on a pitch by Oliver Butcher and Eric Freiser.
Old tells the story of two bratty teen-age boys who make fun of senior citizens until they're turned into old folks themselves overnight, the trade paper reported.
Genre Films Up For Makeup Oscar
everal genre films are among the contenders for the Academy Award for best makeup, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled the contenders on Jan. 23 in Hollywood.
The five movies include Bedazzled, The Cell, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Shadow of the Vampire, as well as the non-genre Cast Away. The academy's makeup award nominating committee will narrow the field to three films for Oscar consideration, recommend a single film for a special achievement award or elect to recommend that no award be given in the category. The final Oscar nominations will be announced Feb. 13, the trade paper reported.
Caviezel Stars In Princess
im Caviezel--who talked to his dead father in last year's Frequency--will star in Princess of Paradise Park, an upcoming fantasy movie in which he will try to talk to his dead sister, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Michael Seitzman will direct from his own script of the movie, which is slated to start production April 15.
Caviezel will play one of two brothers who inherit a broken-down carousel on an abandoned boardwalk on the New Jersey shore. They believe that if they rebuild it, they might somehow communicate with their sister, who died mysteriously on that beach 18 years earlier, the trade paper reported.
Irons, Addy To Time Travel?
eremy Irons and Mark Addy (The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas) are rumored to have joined the cast of Simon Wells' upcoming movie based on the classic SF novel The Time Machine by Wells' grandfather, H.G. Wells, the IGN FilmForce Web site reported.
Addy will reportedly play Philby, the best friend of Guy Pearce's time-traveling hero, Alexander. Irons will reportedly play the dean of Columbia University.
The Time Machine will shoot at Vassar College in New York from Feb. 4-6, the site added. Vassar will stand in for Columbia, circa 1899.
SCI FI Confirms JMS Talks
spokeswoman for The SCI FI Channel told SCI FI Wire that the network has opened discussions with Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski and producer Douglas Netter about possible future TV projects.
The spokeswoman did not specify the nature of the projects, except to say that they might include made-for-television movies or a new series. SCI FI executive vice president and general manager Bonnie Hammer is involved in the talks.
In the past, SCI FI has said it is pleased with the performance of Babylon 5 reruns. Straczynski is also the creative force behind City of Dreams, an original audio drama anthology series for SCIFI.COM's Seeing Ear Theatre.
The SCI FI Channel is owned by USA Networks, which also owns SCIFI.COM. SCIFI.COM is the official Web site of SCI FI.
Lee To Alter The Hulk?
ng Lee--who will direct the upcoming feature-film version of Marvel Comics' The Hulk series--told the Eon magazine Web site that he'll put his own spin on the familiar story.
"I'm familiar with the comic, but not as fanatic as some of the people," Lee told the site. "I'm just beginning on the script and [will] probably be changing it entirely. I don't know. I would like to have a new approach to the material. I like to bring drama and character study into a pop-entertaining genre."
Lee had reportedly been attracted to the project on the strength of David Hayter's draft of the much-rewritten script. But, the director added, "it's just in the beginning stages. We've got to do so much research and prepare work and just see what's happening." Lee said he's aiming at a 2003 release.
Spawn 2 Will Change Things
pawn creator Todd McFarlane told the Toronto Sun newspaper that the upcoming sequel to 1997's PG-rated Spawn movie will feature a new cast, new effects--and an R rating.
"When New Line's rights lapsed, it took us, like, 72 hours to sell it to another studio [Columbia]," McFarlane told the Sun. "We're supposed to deliver a treatment in a month. And if we can get them to say OK, we'll start scripting. We can get it sort of in shape to shoot by the end of this year."
McFarlane added, "To me, the real Spawn movie will be the sequel, the one I've been living with in terms of mood and attitude. This'll be one of those sequels that will have nothing in common from the first to the second, other than the name and the character. It's not a special-effects movie. It's a suspense thriller--a spooky, creepy movie that'll scare people."
Time's Right For Machine
rincipal photography for Simon Wells' upcoming The Time Machine--the latest feature film based the classic SF novel by his grandfather, H.G. Wells--begins Feb. 5 in New York and Los Angeles, the Dark Horizons Web site reported.
The movie will shoot for 76 days, until May 21.
The budget for the movie is reportedly around $85 million, with a quarter of that slated for the visual effects, the site reported. Time Machine is tentatively set for a Dec. 21 release.
Statham Didn't Give Up Ghosts
ason Statham, who appears in the upcoming SF thriller movie John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars, told the Calgary Sun that he didn't get the role he auditioned for.
"John saw me in Lock, Stock [and Two Smoking Barrels] and set up a meeting," Statham said. "He wanted me to play the prisoner the cops have to transport in Ghosts of Mars, but the studio insisted he cast a higher-profile actor." The role went to Ice Cube instead.
But Statham ended up with a meaty role in the movie anyway. Carpenter "reworked the screenplay so that my character is far more important to the plot and far more visual," Statham said. Ghosts opens Aug. 24.
Activision Sharpens New Blade
ctivision said it has signed an agreement with the British game developer Mucky Foot to create a sequel to its Blade video game, based on Marvel Comics' Blade: The Vampire Hunter series, the Comics Continuum reported.
The game is being developed for next-generation console systems.
Mucky Foot created Urban Chaos for Eidos Interactive.
Oz School Bans Potter
n Australian Christian school has banned J.K. Rowling's best-selling Harry Potter series of children's novels, saying they are violent and dangerous, the Associated Press reported.
Chas Gullo of the Christian Outreach College, a private school in Queensland state, told the AP that he read one chapter from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and was exposed to four murders.
Parents' groups and academics criticized the school's decision, arguing that the books pose no threat.
Trek X To Wait On Strikes
irector Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: Insurrection) told the syndicated columnists
Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith that the upcoming 10th Trek movie will get underway once the impending Hollywood writers' and actors' strikes are resolved.
Gladiator screenwriter John Logan "is on board, and we've allegedly got a script on the way that everyone's thrilled with," including producer Rick Berman and star Patrick Stewart, Frakes told the columnists.
Frakes, who will direct the next Trek movie, has begun directing the SF thriller Clockstoppers for Paramount/Nickelodeon. "It's a huge visual effects movie ... about a kid who finds his father's watch, which speeds him up so fast everything else stops," Frakes said. "I'm glad I did a lot of Star Treks. I'm used to working with a lot of motion control and Matrix-type tricks."
The film is aiming at a July release. "We're delivering final effects shots while we're filming--which is unheard of--instead of during post-production," Frakes said.
BBC Mulls Dr. Who Film
avid Thompson, head of BBC Films, told the British Daily Telegraph newspaper that the studio is considering a feature-film version of the BBC's longstanding Doctor Who television series, Cinescape Online reported.
"We are talking to a famous American director and hope to announce his name in the next few months," Thompson reportedly told the newspaper.
Thompson added, "A British actor will definitely play the Doctor, but we have not decided who yet." The paper reported that the planned budget for the production will be in the £40 million ($59 million) range.
Roswell Returns To Roots
onald D. Moore--co-executive producer of The WB's Roswell--told SCI FI Wire that the second half of the season will see a return to the character drama that characterized the first year, while preserving the stronger SF elements of the current one--and offering a few surprises.
"The network had wanted a stronger sci-fi component, and had made that clear in the middle of last season, ... but we never really wanted ... to lose contact with the human elements of the show, which is what, I think, attracts everyone to the series," Moore said in an interview. "Even though the sci-fi plot lines have moved to the forefront, ... you see that all the emotional storylines are still there, and that we're playing on a lot of the character development from last season."
Moore added, "As we approach the second half of the season, we see those elements step forward [and] the plot and the sci-fi elements retreating into the background. ... We've never seen it as an either/or proposition. ... It's just the rhythm of the show.
"We have some rather big surprises in store for the viewers in terms of what happens among the regular cast," Moore said. "Revelations about their backstory, where they came from, how they were created on Earth. There are deeper surprises within the group: How they interact, the relationships that form, the relationships that will be broken. The Max-Liz-Tess triangle will be a big component in the run to the end of the season. All the character relationships will. ... Michael and Maria are headed for a turn, as are Isabel and Max. Things about the show in the second half of the season to watch are very much the relationships among the characters. That's where we're concentrating. That's where things will happen, as opposed to a great external threat. ...We have a direction for [Kyle and Tess], the kind of storyline where Kyle decides to make his play for Tess, and then discovers something he didn't expect." And there will be a new enemy, Moore added. "Yes, ... there will. But not until the very end."
Moore said that the outlook for a third season of the teen alien drama is still up in the air. "Everything is just an open question," he said. "It's not a sure thing. We hope we get a third season. The ratings are strong, the network is happy with the show, the fan reaction has been great. ... It depends on whether there's a strike or not. ... There are just a lot of open questions."
Lucas To Shoot More Episode II
eorge Lucas will go behind the cameras at least three more times to shoot additional footage for his upcoming Star Wars: Episode II, producer Rick McCallum told the official Star Wars Web site.
"George really crafts the film in the editing room, so we always put several weeks of additional shooting into the post-production schedule," McCallum told the site. "That way George can add scenes as he edits the film."
McCallum added, "There are three additional shoots in the current schedule. We have a few days in front of blue screen in March, which will most likely take place in England, since most of our Australian crew is currently working on other productions. Later in the year, we plan to return to Australia for the final round of shooting."
Wonder Woman Writer Hired
odd Alcott (Antz) will write the screenplay for producer Joel Silver's upcoming Wonder Woman movie, based on the DC Comics character, Variety reported.
Susan Levine will oversee the project for Silver Pictures, and DreamWorks' Courtney Valenti will shepherd the script for the studio, the trade paper reported.
Alcott co-wrote Antz with Chris and Paul Weitz and has set up Astro Boy at Sony, Variety reported.
Fox Cancels Freakylinks?
ox will cancel its low-rated paranormal drama Freakylinks, the Coming Attractions Web site reported.
The show was pulled for most of the November sweeps period, but returned to the air this month only to see its ratings continue to fall, the site reported.
The last episode will air Jan. 26. Freakylinks starred Ethan Embry as the head of a Web site that investigated paranormal events.
SCI FI To Aid New Filmmakers
he SCI FI Channel announced the creation of Exposure Studios, a new production entity aimed at developing SF projects by new filmmakers.
Established during the successful Exposure Film Festival in New York, Exposure Studios is committed to finding promising new filmmakers and giving them the opportunity to write and direct SF movies.
SCI FI kicked off the company at the Sundance and Slamdance film festivals in Park City, Utah, Jan. 18-28. Attendees are encouraged to apply in person and online at the Exposure booth inside the Interactive Lounge, hosted by ShowBiz Data. Interested filmmakers may also submit applications to Exposure Studios at SCIFI.COM.
Exposure Studios is based at the channel's SCI FI Lab in Los Angeles. Exposure will commission films between three and ten minutes in length, from independent and student filmmakers from different artistic fields, as well as Exposure series alumni. Once complete, these works will have their world television premiere on SCI FI's short-film series, Exposure, and be streamed online on SCIFI.COM. Participating filmmakers will also be granted meetings with development executives and agents, allowed to shadow directors of existing SCI FI original series and will be given access to industry mentors and guidance.
Ultraman To Cross Pacific
he 4Kids Entertainment said it would develop a live-action children's television series based on Tsuburaya Productions' Ultraman Tiga show from Japan.
4Kids will unveil Ultraman and other children's programming for the 2001-'02 season at the National Association of Program Executives meeting in Las Vegas, which starts Jan. 22.
Ultraman Tiga tells the story of a silver-clad superhero who battles the forces of evil. The original Ultraman was created by Eiji Tsuburaya, whose credits include directing special effects for the first seven Godzilla films.
Audiences Still Want Women
hat Women Want, Mel Gibson's fantasy comedy movie, remained strong at the box office, ranking No. 5 for the weekend of Jan. 19 with an estimated $7 million in ticket sales, according to the Hollywood trade papers.
After 38 days, the film has grossed about $162.4 million.
The Gift--Sam Raimi's supernatural thriller starring Cate Blanchett and Keanu Reeves--grossed about $3.5 million from 805 theaters in its first weekend of expanded release. The movie had previously played on only one Los Angeles screen in order to qualify for Academy Award consideration.
Briefly Noted
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Director John Landis will produce The Kronenberg Chronicles, a new comedic paranormal television series for FX, Variety reported.
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Tribune Entertainment announced renewals on all three of its major weekly shows--Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, in 96 percent of the country; BeastMaster in 70 percent; and Earth: Final Conflict in 71 percent.
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The documentary The Gospel According to Philip K. Dick will screen at New York's Cinema Village and Chicago's Facets Theater on March 2 and will be released on DVD and VHS on April 17. The documentary looks at the life and work of the legendary SF author.
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LucasArts Entertainment announced that it will release a PC version of its Star Wars: Battle for Naboo video game in March. The game, based on events and characters in the movie Star Wars: Episode I, was previously released for the Nintendo 64 gaming platform.
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Kevin Feige of Marvel Entertainment told the Comics2Film Web site that work is proceeding quickly on the Ghost Rider movie, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name. "[Writer David] Goyer and [director Stephen] Norrington are still banging out the script," Feige said. "We hope towards the end of the month to have it, and then to go out to cast."
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RealNetworks has entered into a four-year deal with New Line Cinema to promote the upcoming Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Variety reported. RealNetworks will set up a RealChannel on the Internet to offer Rings teasers, interviews and behind-the-scenes material.
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The Matrix 2 star Keanu Reeves dispelled rumors that he broke his ankle while training for the sequel when he appeared at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony Jan. 21 without a cast or limp.
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Michael Clarke Duncan suffered a minor injury while filming his role as a gorilla warrior in Tim Burton's upcoming Planet of the Apes movie, syndicated columnists Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith reported. Duncan reportedly sprained an ankle while trying to make a leap; he was wheeled into an emergency room in full makeup and armor.
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Newcomer Tom Welling will play 15-year-old Clark Kent in The WB's upcoming series Smallville, based on DC Comics' Superman series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The fall series has a 13-episode order.
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Genre fare was shut out of the Golden Globe Awards, passed out Jan. 21 in Los Angeles. Both Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Jessica Alba (Dark Angel) lost the award for best actress in a television drama to Once and Again star Sela Ward.
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Daniel Craig will appear in the upcoming Tomb Raider movie as Alex, fellow adventurer to Angelina Jolie's Lara Croft, Empire Online reported.
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The X-Files executive producers Frank Spotnitz and Chris Carter will develop a feature film based on Jule Eisenbud's book The World of Ted Serios: Thoughtographic Studies of an Extraor, about the real-life psychic, the Horror Online Web site reported. Carter and Spotnitz are slated to co-write the screenplay for Miramax's Dimension Films, and Carter will likely direct, the site reported.
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