X-Files Picks Up Mulder Arc
he X-Files creator Chris Carter told Science Fiction Weekly that the next few episodes will deal with the ultimate fate of Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny).
"As of last Sunday night's episode, Mulder returns," Carter said in an interview. "But to the shock and horror of Agent Scully [Gilian Anderson], he is not doing too well. In fact, the title of the episode is 'This Is Not Happening.' That takes us to a cliffhanger, which brings Mulder back for the rest of the episodes for the season."
Carter added, "I'll tell you that all of the remaining episodes, which begin in April, take place in present time, so people should not be too overly concerned, or should not expect the worst when they see Sunday night's episode."
Carter said it's been hard balancing the various old and new characters this season. "It's always difficult--even when you've got all of the elements, and you've got them all the time," he said. "This season, it was a different show in many ways with Mulder missing. We've sort of corrupted the dynamic. But bringing in someone like Robert Patrick [Agent John Doggett] actually created a new dynamic, which I think is great. Now, we're creating an even different dynamic for the show, with Mulder's return and the addition of Annabeth Gish as Agent Monica Reyes. So far our experiments have worked wonderfully. We continue to pay very careful attention to how these things are working, so that X-Files may go on to season nine, and we still maintain our ability to do what we have always hoped to do, which is feature films." (Read Carter's full interview in SFW next week.)
X-Files May Go For Year Nine
he X-Files creator Chris Carter told free-lance SF columnist Ian Spelling that the show could go on for a ninth year.
David Duchovny returns this month for the arc building to the season finale, "as a cliffhanger for season nine or perhaps even the end of the show," Carter told Spelling.
Carter added, "My preference is to do The X-Files next year, if we can find a way to do it right, to make it creatively interesting for ourselves. I think the stories are out there to be told, but when you get to the ninth year of a show, you need resources to keep doing the same good work. The costs go up. So my preference is do The X-Files next year, but there are things that need to be hammered out between all the participants in the process."
Gunmen Is Surprising People
he X-Files creator Chris Carter told free-lance SF columnist Ian Spelling that his upcoming spinoff, The Lone Gunmen, is already surprising people.
"I can tell you that there are a lot of people in Canada who are still scratching their heads," Carter told Spelling. "They're trying to figure out how Tom Braidwood, who was a first assistant director on The X-Files while we were in Vancouver, is the star of a television show."
Braidwood is one three actors who play the show's titular conspiracy geeks; the other two are Bruce Harwood and Dean Haglund. They will be joined by two new characters played by Zuleikha Robinson and Stephen Snedden when the series premieres on Fox March 4, Carter said. "You need something to bounce the geek comedy off of, and that something is a straight man and a straight woman, if you will. But I have to say that Zuleikha and Stephen score on their own. Stephen in particular is not a straight man at all--he is becoming the fourth Gunman."
Carter hopes that fans of his other work will tune in. "I hope X-Files fans will watch it," he said. "The comic episodes we've done of The X-Files are some of the most beloved episodes of the 180 we've done so far. So I'm hoping people will come to watch The Lone Gunmen like they watched those comic episodes of The X-Files."
SCI FI Unveils New Schedule
he SCI FI Channel plans to air a Farscape special on March 16 at 8 p.m. to kick off the third season of its highly rated space drama and to launch a new programming schedule.
The special will be followed by the third-season premiere of Farscape at 9 p.m. and the seventh-season premiere of The Outer Limits at 10 p.m.
Starting March 23, The Invisible Man will join the Friday lineup in the 8 p.m. spot, moving from its current home on Monday nights. Meanwhile, The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne will move from Friday nights at 10 p.m. to Saturdays at 10 p.m. starting March 24.
Also on March 24, First Wave will join the Saturday lineup at 9 p.m. and Black Scorpion will begin airing in the 11 p.m. position. First Wave currently airs Mondays at 8 p.m., while Black Scorpion can be seen Fridays at 10 p.m.
The Lexx season finale will be shown on Feb. 26 at 10 p.m., followed by a repeat episode on March 5. Lexx will then go into reruns on Sundays at 2 a.m., until the new season premieres on July 28 in the Saturday 10 p.m. spot, replacing Jules Verne after that show completes its freshman season.
New Trek Ship Designed?
esigner John Eaves--who with art director Herman Zimmerman designed the Enterprise-E--has designed the starship at the center of the upcoming fifth Star Trek series, now in development, according to a report on the Trek Today Web site.
The site attributed the rumor to Dan Madsen, president of the official Star Trek fan club.
Other rumors have suggested that the new series, which could premiere in the fall, will center on the birth of the Federation and will be set in the time period just before the original Star Trek series. The central starship is rumored to be named the Enterprise, but Paramount has never confirmed that, the site reported.
Eaves has a long history designing Trek vessels, having worked on all three Star Trek: The Next Generation films and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Trek V Sets Built?
rmin Shimerman (Quark of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) told convention-goers in Champaign, Ill., that sets for the proposed fifth Trek series have already been built, according to a report on the Trek Today fan Web site.
The report adds fuel to rumors that the series is gearing up production for a fall premiere, notwithstanding the effects of impending writers' and actors' strikes.
Star Trek executive producer Rick Berman has previously said that he thought production on the pilot would begin in March or April, Trek Today reported.
Designer Looks To Episode III
tar Wars: Episode II design director Doug Chiang told the official Star Wars Web site that he's looking ahead to the next film in the series while working on this one.
"We are always conscious of how the new designs will be integrated into the entire Star Wars universe," he said.
Chiang added, "Because we are only working on one part of a six-part series, the designs need to evolve with the characters and the story in a convincing manner. There needs to be some logic in the designing process to make the series visually cohesive."
Lucas Says No To Episodes VII-IX
tar Wars creator George Lucas told USA Today that he has no plans to make a third trilogy of films after he completes Episode III. "No way," Lucas told the newspaper.
"I guarantee that. After the next one [Episode III], I'll move on."
Lucas is currently in post-production on Episode II, which is due in theaters in May 2002. Lucas said he was lured back to the Star Wars saga because of technology. "When I came back to do Episode I, I'd reached a point where I could tell the story I always wanted to tell in a way that I wasn't able to before, because of the technology required. So, I thought, 'This will be fun.' I can tell the story any way I want, as if I were writing a book. In the other films I was constantly saying, 'I can't do that. It's too expensive, too hard or technically impossible.' I wanted to tell the story of Darth Vader, because he'd become such an icon. And I was driven by being able to move around in his world technically. It's been enjoyable taking a new medium and pushing it to its limits."
Singer On Board For X-Men 2
-Men director Bryan Singer told the Empire Online Web site that he plans to helm the sequel to last year's hit film.
It's the first time Singer has made public his intentions.
"I am doing the sequel to X-Men," Singer told the site. "I think it's going to be called something like X-Men 2."
Singer added, "The original cast will join us again, along with some new characters. Other than that, I can't really tell you anything." Singer said filming should start toward the end of the year and run through early 2002. "We're going to spend a few more bucks, bring in some great new characters ... and up the stakes. ... I'm already working on the script for X-Men 2 now, so that's going to take most of my time and energy until I start shooting."
X-Men Game Aims At 2002
-Men--a video game for the PlayStation 2 gaming platform--will likely appear at the end of next year, coinciding with the release of the next X-Men movie, the FGN Web site reported.
Like the films, the Activision game is based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name.
Ashley Hall, chief executive at the game's developer, Warthog, told FGN that the X-Men game is scheduled for release in the second half of 2002. "The game has been in development for a number of months now," Hall said. "You'd expect such a game to draw heavily from [the] movie. It's going to be focused around the major characters."
X-Men movie director Bryan Singer recently said he would helm the sequel, which should start filming toward the end of the year and continue through early 2002.
Singer To Revive Galactica
-Men director Bryan Singer will reinvent an updated Battlestar Galactica television series for Studios USA, which inherited the rights to the 1970s cult SF show from Universal, Variety reported.
Singer has made a deal with Studios USA to executive produce it with his X-Men partner Tom DeSanto, the trade paper reported.
Singer will also direct the pilot if it doesn't conflict with his plans to helm X-Men 2. The studio is finalizing deals with show runners and will shop the series to networks shortly, though USA said it might work out an arrangement to share the show with The SCI FI Channel, Variety reported. Studios USA and SCI FI are both owned by USA Networks, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
The original series, starring Lorne Greene, was created by Glen Larson and ran on ABC for two seasons starting in 1978. Larson is attached to the new series, but Singer's plans would appear to torpedo earlier efforts to revive Galactica by original series star Richard Hatch (not the Survivor winner).
USA Television Production Group president David Kissinger told Variety that he received frequent e-mails from fans, but never considered reviving the series until Singer approached him. "I never dreamed a filmmaker of Bryan's stature would be enough of a hard-core fan that he saw this as a franchise that could be reinvented," Kissinger told the trade paper. "In the initial meeting, I was wary that he might be just another feature guy looking to slap his name on a TV project, but it was immediately clear this wasn't so. He's got a whole mythology and arc for the series already worked out."
New Galactica To Look Ahead
an Pasternack, the Studios USA television executive shepherding Bryan Singer's proposed new Battlestar Galactica series, told SCI FI Wire that the show will likely pick up the story after the events of the original 1970s series.
"It's a little bit premature, and we're in the very early creative inception," Pasternack said in an interview. "I will tell you that Bryan Singer's intent is to be very faithful to the spirit and legacy of the original show. I think his intent is creatively to go forward in time as the saga has continued in his mind."
No scripts have been written yet for the new show, but Pasternack said it's likely the show will not feature characters from the original series, except the Cylons. "I think it's safe to say you can't do Battlestar Galactica without Cylons," he said. "But what our relationship to the Cylons will be, I can't say."
Pasternack added that no one involved in talks about the new series has had any conversations with original Galactica star Richard Hatch (Apollo), who has been trying to mount his own revival of the series. But series creator Glen Larson is on board in an advisory capacity. "Bryan and Glen sat down," Pasternack said. "We wanted to make sure this union was very blessed by Glen. ... He has blessed this and wants to see it go forward. ... We want to make sure that respect is paid."
Singer will bring on writers to help him and partner Tom DeSanto come up with scripts for the new show, which Pasternack said will be conceived on an epic scale and make use of up-to-the-minute special-effects technology. "I can assure you [Singer] is very committed to adhering to that which came before," he said. "He's not looking to take it in any direction that would be disappointing to the fans of the original show." Among other things, Pasternack said it's possible the Galactica will find itself on an entirely new mission. "I don't know if [finding Earth] is the goal in this show. ... We could be on a different exodus."
Pasternack--who admitted to collecting Galactica trading cards and action figures as a boy--said that Studios USA hopes the show will air on a broadcast network and also on The SCI FI Channel in the same way the studio's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit airs on both NBC and USA Network. Because of the lag time in producing the effects-heavy show, and the prospect of writers' and actors' strikes this spring, Pasternack added that Galactica won't appear any earlier than mid-season 2002. "It's pretty epic stuff we're going to do," he said. "We're committed to doing it right, now that we have Bryan. It's waited some 20-odd years to be reborn. We're committed to doing it right."
Studios USA, USA Network and The SCI FI Channel are all owned by USA Networks, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Katz Talks Special Unit 2
van Katz, executive producer of UPN's upcoming midseason series Special Unit 2, told SCI FI Wire that the series deals with a top-secret squad of monster-hunting Chicago cops.
"It's sort of a black comedy, action-adventure creature show," Katz said in an interview. "It's fun and a little weird. It's basically an attempt to give genre fans what they want, but also give the audience a really good time."
The series, which doesn't have a premiere date yet, stars Michael Landes as Detective Nick O'Malley and Alexondra Lee as his new partner, Kate Benson, who investigate mysteries involving "links," as in missing links. Patrick Tatopoulos (Godzilla) provides creature design and Syd Mead (Blade Runner) created the space-age weapons, Katz said. "It's a real visceral show, with lots of stuff blowing up," he said. "We have gargoyles. ... Instead of a regular mummy, we have a samurai mummy, a martial-arts expert. ... We have stockbroker werewolves and a creature made up of human liposuction fat."
Nick and Kate provide an alternative to the familiar skeptic vs. believer, Katz added. Nick "is the wish-fulfillment character. He does what other people wish they could do and says what they wish they could say. Kate represents more the voice of reason, the brains. And we gave them a gnome version of [Starsky and Hutch's] Huggy Bear, Carl [played by Seinfeld alumnus Danny Woodburn]."
Katz added, "I can't say there's a great plan involved. I wanted to do a monster show. I wanted it to be reality-based, so that Special Unit 2 is a police precinct. I didn't want to do aliens. And I wanted to mix comedy with drama, particularly black-comic elements, and wanted a medium to do that in. It's a real hard tone to pull off, because it can get stupid easily. And I think we did it. Time will tell."
Six episodes of Special Unit 2 have been shot in locations around Los Angeles that stand in for Chicago, including the offices of the old Los Angeles Herald-Examiner newspaper. Katz said the series will air in the next four to six weeks.
The I Inside Time-Travels
tephen Dorff, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Christian Slater are in talks to star in the time-travel thriller The I Inside, Variety reported.
The film tells the story of a man who awakens in the hospital with amnesia and discovers that he can travel back in time to change his future and solve the mystery of his brother's murder.
The independent project, which is budgeted at about $10 million, is based on Michael Cooney's upcoming stage play, Point of Death, the trade paper reported. Cooney wrote the script
adaptation for Inside, which marks his third feature, after directing the horror picture Jack Frost and its sequel. Point of Death is scheduled to bow on stage in England in September and transfer to London's West End after Halloween, Variety reported.
Animal Sequel Gears Up
ob Schneider and Tom Brady are finalizing a deal to write a sequel to their SF comedy movie Animal, which doesn't even open until June 8, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Schneider stars in the first film, in which a man receives organ transplants from various animals and begins to take on their traits. Luke Greenfield directed the first film.
Animal executive producers Adam Sandler and Jack Giarraputo will also be back on board for the sequel. The sequel talks began after an early cut screened to enthusiastic reviews at Revolution Films, the production company that made the movie.
Special Dreamthief Edition Coming
ichael Moorcock has written The Dreamthief's Daughter, a new adventure featuring his fantasy character Elric of Melniboné, specialty press publisher American Fantasy announced.
To mark the new book, American Fantasy is releasing a special edition featuring illustrations by eight fantasy artists in March.
Randy Broecker, Donato Giancola, Gary Gianni, Robert Gould, Michael Kaluta, Todd Lockwood, Don Maitz and Michael Whelan will illustrate the volume, which will be published in a limited edition of 600 numbered copies, signed by the author and artists and retailing for $125.
The Chinese Get Zen
teve Stern--co-creator of the Zen Intergalactic Ninja comic series--told SCI FI Wire that the movie version of Zen is being bankrolled by a Chinese company because the story spoke to them.
"This is an American comic, but nonetheless, it's named Zen," Stern said in an interview. "When I first created it [in 1987], I was studying Zen Buddhism. ... The hero's like the embodiment of the ultimate Zen master. ... The Chinese people I'm dealing with said, 'It's possible that when it's released in China, they'll think it was created there and for them.'"
The film is being produced by Shanghai-based Eight Celestials Entertainment, which has a deal with the famed Shanghai Film Studio. The $6 million film will be shot entirely in China, where the modest budget may stretch further, Stern said. No director or cast has been attached, but Stern said they are seeking someone expert at Matrix-like wire work for the story's many stunts.
Though the film is a Chinese production, it will be shot in English, with Chinese subtitles, Stern added. So far, there is no U.S. distributor, though Stern said the filmmakers will shop the movie at the American Film Market.
Stern--who wrote the Zen screenplay--added that he plans to issue a new series of Zen comics later this year as production gears up.
Stars Grace New Outer Limits
he Blair Witch Project star Heather Donahue and Twin Peaks star Sherilyn Fenn are among the actors who will appear in new episodes of The Outer Limits, which begin airing on The SCI FI Channel March 16.
Writer Jeffrey Hirschfield, who also voices the robot head 790 on SCI FI's Lexx, will pen an episode of Outer Limits.
Donahue will star in "The Surrogate," about a struggling young artist who signs up for a surrogate birth program only to discover that she has made a life-altering decision. The episode airs April 13. Fenn appears in "Replica," playing a scientist who volunteers to be cloned, with disastrous results. It airs June 22. Hirschfield will write an episode entitled "Father," which airs in July.
Peter DeLuise--who has written and directed episodes of Showtime's Stargate SG-1--steps behind the camera for the episode "Alienshop," the story of a shopkeeper who has an eerie knack for knowing what customers need. DeLuise, who also appeared in the SF TV show SeaQuest DSV, plays a small role in the episode, which airs June 8.
Elfquest Movie Moves Ahead
roducer Marv Wolfman told the Comics Continuum Web site that he is looking for a late 2002 or early 2003 theatrical release for an animated movie based on the Elfquest comic series by Wendy Pini.
Wolfman and partner Craig Miller are producing the Elfquest film, which they will also write with Pini.
"We're pleased with where the movie is going," Wolfman told the site. "Wendy is very happy, which is vitally important to us. We're in the process of trying to sell all the merchandising and make good deals for their property."
Wolfman said the film is still in the storyboard phases. "I don't think you need to spend $100 million like Disney does to make it a good film," Wolfman said. "You just have to plan it out a little smarter."
Miramax Wants Rights To Zu
iramax is in final talks to acquire the North American and Mexican distribution rights to Legend of Zu, the Chinese-language fantasy film starring Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Variety reported.
Zu, which also stars Sammo Hung, tells the story of the ancient mythological province of Zu, with Zhang as a warrior princess who battles an evil lord.
Tsui Hark directed the film, which features martial-arts choreography by Yuen Wo Ping (Tiger, The Matrix). The film is in post-production, the trade paper reported.
First Wave Future Uncertain
hris Brancato, creator and co-executive producer of The SCI FI Channel's original series First Wave, told Science Fiction Weekly that he's still waiting for word on whether the show will be renewed for a fourth season.
The series began airing its third season only last month.
"The decision comes from SCI FI here domestically and also from Pearson Television, who distributes our show in all other territories in the world," Brancato told SFW. "It would be a combined decision between the two of them."
Brancato said the show's ratings have suffered. "Our ratings were hurt last year here in the U.S., because we were moved from Friday nights, where we were on with Farscape, to stand alone on Sunday nights," he said. "Our ratings went down about a 10th of a point on average every episode, because we were just sort of all alone on Sunday night with Highlander and The Crow reruns. And now, we're part of a new block of programming on Monday nights, with a couple of other new shows. Hopefully we'll do well there." Subsequent to this interview, SCI FI announced that First Wave will be moving from its Monday night slot to Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET beginning March
24.
Brancato added, "Our initial commitment to the SCI FI Channel was to do three years. I think what we've been able to do is create a wonderful season finale for season three. Should we continue, that's going to require a lot of discussion about where we're going with the show. So the answer to your question, no, I don't have in mind yet what the [series] finale of the show is going to be; however, I feel the finale of season three is very effective to end the season. We'll see what happens after that."
Next Stargate Film Based On TV?
targate SG-1 stars Don S. Davis and Teryl Rothery told Australian convention-goers that a sequel to the 1994 feature film Stargate is in the works and will be based on the cast and concepts from the Showtime series, according to the Starguide Web site.
Both Davis (Gen. Hammond) and Rothery (Dr. Fraiser) said they had been approached about appearing in the planned sequel.
The two actors also said that production on the sequel should begin in October, shortly after filming of season five of the show wraps, Starguide reported. The TV series stars Richard Dean Anderson as Col. Jack O'Neill, a role originated in the first movie by Kurt Russell.
Fraser Touts Mummy Returns
rendan Fraser, star of the upcoming The Mummy Returns, told Cinescape Online that the sequel to 1999's hit The Mummy will be better than the original.
"I will go out on a limb here and say it's mo' better," Fraser told Cinescape columnist Cindy Pearlman. "The party line in Hollywood, when you do a sequel, is to try and remake the first one. But we didn't do that. We took what was so successful in the first one, and we upped the ante."
Regarding working with professional wrestler The Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson), Fraser said, "He's a myth. He's a legend. He's a very scary guy. He plays the Scorpion King. Actually, I have yet to meet him. He was cyber-scanned onto a bug body. ... He did all of his scenes in Morocco before we got there. But it's funny the effect he has on people. Even the guys on camels in Morocco knew who he was. Everybody knows The Rock, I guess."
Heckerling Mulls After Life
my Heckerling is in talks to direct a remake of the 1998 Japanese fantasy film After Life, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
There is no start date yet for the project, which was adapted by the writing team of Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel from Hirokazu Kore-eda's film.
The film tells the story of a way station between Earth and heaven, at which angelic counselors help the recently deceased choose a single memory from their lives to carry with them through the afterlife. The film, released domestically in 1999 by New York-based Artistic License, was a film-festival favorite and picked up a special prize at 1998's San Sebastian (Spain) Film Festival, the trade paper reported.
Justice Highlights Cartoon Slate
he Cartoon Network unveiled a full slate of new programming--including its new Justice League series--at a press conference in New York Feb. 21.
The new shows will launch in the summer and throughout the 2001-2002 television season.
Justice League is a new one-hour action-adventure series based on the popular DC Comics series Justice League of America. It premieres in November.
Among the other new shows:
•Time Squad, a half-hour comedy series set to launch in June.
•Samurai Jack, a half-hour action-adventure set to launch in August.
•Grim & Evil, a half-hour comedy set to launch in October.
The network has also acquired the rights to Batman: The Animated Series, The Adventures of Batman & Robin, The New Batman/Superman Adventures and Superman. The series will air throughout 2001-2002.
The network will also air 96 new episodes of Dragonball Z; six new anime series to premiere in 2001, including Mobile Suit Gundam, Pilot Candidate, Gundam 8s, Outlaw Star, Big O and Dragonball; and a three-day "June Bugs" marathon of Looney Toons in June.
Dark Horse Readies Apes Books
ark Horse Comics will produce a miniseries based on Tim Burton's upcoming Planet of the Apes movie, the publisher announced.
Dark Horse will publish a three-issue series building on the film's story, starting in June, and an original graphic novel adaptation in July.
Ian Edginton will write and Paco Medina will do art for the series, entitled Planet of the Apes: The Human War, with covers by J. Scott Campbell. Scott Allie will write and Davidé Fabbri will do artwork for the original film adaptation.
Like the film, the comics will tell the story of an astronaut stranded on a remote planet, where humans cower in tribal chaos, fearing enslavement and extinction at the hands of a horde of massive, English-speaking apes who rule with brutality, Dark Horse said.
Fox Delays The Tick
ox's upcoming live-action version of The Tick, based on Ben Edlund's comic series and animated show of the same name, has been bumped back on Fox's schedule to either summer or fall, a spokeswoman told SCI FI Wire.
The Tick--a satirical take on superhero stories--had originally been slated as a midseason replacement to debut in March.
But the Fox spokeswoman said in an interview that Fox was now holding it for later so that it will have something new to air in the event that impending writers' and actors' strikes take place this spring. Fox also doesn't have a current slot for the show, which wrapped production of its initial nine episodes on Feb. 16.
The Tick, from Edlund and Men in Black director Barry Sonnenfeld, stars Patrick Warburton as the big blue superhero.
Clock Starts On Time Machine
roduction has begun on director Simon Wells' updated movie version of his grandfather H.G. Wells' classic SF book The Time Machine, DreamWorks Pictures announced.
Principal photography began on location at Vassar College in upstate New York, with additional location filming to be undertaken in Albany, Troy and Schenectady. The film then returns to Los Angeles, where shooting will be completed on soundstages at Warner Brothers studios.
Time Machine stars Guy Pearce as Alexander Hartdegen, a scientist and inventor who tests his theories about time travel by hurtling 800,000 years into a future. The cast includes Jeremy Irons, Mark Addy, Philip Bosco, Phyllida Law and Sienna Guillory. John Logan (Gladiator) wrote the screenplay.
Sixth Sense II In Works
pyglass Entertainment Group revealed plans to develop a sequel to the hit ghost movie The Sixth Sense, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Spyglass outlined its plans in a 525-page document filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with an initial public offering, the trade paper reported.
The company lists The Sixth Sense II among its films "currently in development, preproduction and production." Spyglass said it has begun to "selectively exploit" the original film through other media projects, including a deal with Scholastic Inc. to create a series of spinoff books, the trade paper reported. Spyglass said it owns all prequel, sequel and remake rights to Sixth Sense.
The company did not say whether director M. Night Shyamalan or star Bruce Willis is attached to the project.
Dunst Won't Fret About Spidey Hype
irsten Dunst--who is playing Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi's upcoming Spider-Man movie--told the Comics Continuum Web site that she's not worried about the hype surrounding the film.
"I'm not concerned if people think this way or that," Dunst told the site. "You just have to be true to the character. It's a challenge when some people don't think you're right for a role."
Dunst said she was unfamiliar with the Marvel Comics series on which the movie is based. "Only recently have I gotten into the comics," she said. "I think Spider-Man is a superhero people definitely connect to." She added, "Sam Raimi exudes such love for this movie, and he's so intelligent. It's such an amazing project to be part of."
Rhys-Davies Sees Rings Success
ohn Rhys-Davies--who plays Gimli the Dwarf in Peter Jackson's upcoming Lord of the Rings film trilogy--told the Empire Online Web site that the movies will amaze audiences.
"It's going to be the biggest film series of all time," Rhys-Davies told the site. "The casting--present company excepted--is remarkable, just extraordinary. You look at each of these people and think, 'I know exactly who that is.'"
About director Jackson, Rhys-Davies said, "I've never met or worked with a director with a more comprehensive artillery of qualities for a big project like this than Peter Jackson. Someone should give him a medal pretty damn quickly."
Powerpuff Has Hip Appeal
.G. Daily--the voice of Powerpuff Girl Buttercup--told TV Guide Online that she understands the Cartoon Network show's appeal--which the network hopes to translate into feature-film success.
"The show is very hip," she said of The Powerpuff Girls. "When I'm in a recording session and see the producers and writers in the booth, they look like some kind of an alternative [rock] band. That's why the show is so hip--the guys themselves are. They come up with the most twisted ideas."
Daily said she wouldn't mind having superpowers herself. "I'd probably want super-strength, like to be able to pick up things. ... I'd want enough super-strength to pick up cars or, in an emergency, a building."
Navy Creates Heinlein Chair
he United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., is taking applications for its first Robert A. Heinlein Endowed Chair in aerospace engineering, named in honor of the famed SF novelist (Starship Troopers) and academy alumnus (1929).
The inaugural Heinlein Chair "will provide vision and direction for the USNA's astronautical engineering curriculum, our small satellite program and our satellite ground station," the academy said in a statement.
Applicants must have a strong background in designing, building, testing, launching and operating spacecraft, along with demonstrated research ability, a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching and excellent communications skills. An earned doctorate is desirable, but applicants with strong industrial or laboratory experience will be considered, the academy announced. Interested applicants can check the academy's official Web site for more information.
LaBelle To Guest On SF Shows
ob LaBelle--Crazy Eddie on The SCI FI Channel's original series First Wave--told SCI FI Wire that he will make guest appearances on two other SF television series this season.
Production on First Wave recently wrapped, he said in an interview.
LaBelle appears on the Feb. 20 episode of Fox's Dark Angel, playing a scientist for Manticore, the top-secret government program that developed the genetically enhanced warrior Max (Jessica Alba). "I'm a doctor, who's an associate of Lydecker [John Savage], and we've captured Zack [William Gregory Lee], and we're torturing him brutally with psychotropic drugs, burying him alive, and trying to extract the whereabouts of the other kids, especially Max," LaBelle said.
LaBelle will later shoot an episode of Star Trek: Voyager, one of the last episodes of the series. LaBelle will play a Talaxian--the same species as Neelix. Ironically, LaBelle appeared in one of the first Voyager episodes as the first Talaxian viewers saw other than Neelix. This time around, LaBelle plays the same species, but a different character.
Morton In The Minority
amantha Morton will play the female lead in Steven Spielberg's upcoming SF thriller Minority Report, Variety reported.
Morton will star alongside Tom Cruise and Colin Farrell in the film, which starts shooting in the spring, according to the trade paper.
In the film, which is based on the Philip K. Dick story of the same name, Cruise plays a detective hunted by a colleague (Farrell) and charged with a murder he hasn't yet committed. Morton's character connects with the fleeing detective, Variety reported.
Chimera Comes Together
oel Silver and Robert Zemeckis' Dark Castle Entertainment will develop Chimera, an SF horror film based on a spec script by Mark Hanlon, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The movie will tell the story of a group of boat salvagers who claim a lost 1953 passenger ship in the Bering Sea, only to find that strange things begin happening after it's towed back to land.
Dark Castle draws inspiration from the films of the late schlock horror director William Castle; its next production is a big-budget remake of Castle's 1960 13 Ghosts.
Spider Is Third Creature Feature
an Aykroyd and Theresa Russell will star in HBO's The Spider, the third Creature Feature SF movie for the cable network, inspired by Samuel Z. Arkoff's 1950s B movies, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Scott Ziehl will direct the giant-arachnid film, which will shoot in Los Angeles.
Devon Gummersall (Roswell) and Amelia Heinle also star in Spider, which tells the story of a young man (Gummersall) whose dream of being a superhero goes awry. He ends up with a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality when the creature within him takes over, the trade paper reported. Max Enscoe and Annie DeYoung wrote the script for Spider, based on a story by Mark McCreery.
Studio Wants Potter Kids Longer
arner Brothers has requested an extension on work permits for the child stars of its upcoming Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone movie, but the production is not behind schedule, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
A studio representative told the Reporter that it has requested a license to allow the child actors to work an additional 20 days as a precautionary measure.
The film began shooting in the United Kingdom in September. "We are well within our existing number of days with the children, and there is no indication that we will require extra days," the representative said. "This is standard procedure in filmmaking. There has never been any question of us not being on schedule [or] of running out of the allocated days with any of our child stars. To suggest otherwise is completely untrue."
In other Potter news, the Empire Online Web site reported that John Hurt will play Mr. Ollivander, the proprietor of a magic wand shop, a role originally connected with Derek Jacobi. Hurt was previously reported to be playing a witch in a cameo appearance.
Warner, meanwhile, has selected the Coca-Cola Co. as its soft-drink marketing partner for Potter, according to the Reporter. The deal will put $150 million of Coke marketing money behind the film as part of a global campaign tied to the movie's Nov. 16 U.S. release, the trade paper reported.
Varela Bites Into Blade 2
eonor Varela (Cleopatra) will play the female lead in Blade 2, the sequel to Blade, Variety reported.
Varela will play the daughter of a vampire overlord in the New Line movie, which is directed by Guillermo del Toro. The movie starts shooting in Prague next month, the trade paper reported.
Wesley Snipes reprises the title role in the sequel, whose subtitle has been reported as either Bloodhunt and Bloodlust. The film is based on the Marvel Comics series Blade the Vampire Hunter.
Campbell Hails The King, Baby
ruce Campbell (Jack of All Trades) will play an elderly Elvis in the independent supernatural film Bubba Ho-Tep, co-starring Ossie Davis, syndicated columnists Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith reported.
Genre favorite Campbell will play the King, who is stuck in a nursing home after having switched identities with an Elvis imitator years before.
He and his fellow residents come together to battle an ancient force of evil. Davis plays a resident who believes he's John F. Kennedy.
Murphy Moons Over Nash
he moon is a fun mistress in Ron Underwood's upcoming SF comedy Pluto Nash, the director told Cinescape Online.
"This is a fun action/adventure/comedy, with Eddie Murphy running all over the moon," Underwood told the site. "We've seen films about travel to other planets, and usually they take it very seriously. We don't. This is a fun popcorn movie."
Murphy plays a lunar nightclub owner in the year 2087, who gets into trouble when he refuses to hand over his casino to the local mob, Cinescape reported. "We figured mining-based exploration would lead people to start colonizing the moon," Underwood said. "And as the miners had more free time and some disposable income, they started bringing up some of the creature comforts of the Earth. So our movie's world developed out of that kind of culture. In a way, it's a kind of boomtown not all that dissimilar from the Wild West." Pluto Nash opens in April.
Chi-Chian Wins Flash Award
CIFI.COM's original animated series Chi-Chian on Feb. 19 won the "People's Choice" Award of the Flash Film Festival of the flashforward2001 conference in San Francisco.
Chi-Chian was one of 55 finalists for the award, which was chosen by a public online vote.
Starring Bai Ling, Chi-Chian tells the story of a young Japanese girl living in war-ruined Manhattan in the year 3000. Raised a pacifist, she takes up arms to protect her friends, a race of good-natured, six-foot-tall cockroaches.
Flashforward is an educational conference dedicated to supporting the Flash community of designers and developers.
Buffy Fans Party For Charity
ans of The WB's hit shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel raised more than $12,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation with their fourth annual gala, the Posting Board Party, in Hollywood, Calif., on Feb. 17.
The charity party is an outgrowth of the Buffy/Angel posting board known as the Bronze, after the nightclub where Buffy and her pals hang out in Sunnydale.
More than 350 guests from all over the world joined about 100 cast, crew and production staff at the American Legion Hall, including Buffy creator Joss Whedon; Buffy cast members Anthony Stewart Head, Michelle Trachtenberg, Amber Benson, Claire Kramer and James Marsters; and Angel cast members J. August Richards, Alexis Denisof, Andrew Hallett, Christian Kane and Stephanie Romanov, organizer Bryan A. Bonner said.
Myst III Release Date Set
yst III: Exile, the third installment in the popular video game franchise, will be released on May 7 in both a CD version and a CD-ROM collector's edition.
The collector's edition will include a special Squee toy, the official Prima Myst III: Exile Strategy Guide, a 22-minute making-of video, a soundtrack CD and Atrus' journal, a softbound book identical to the one used in the game, with extra space for notes.
The DVD version has been delayed to the third quarter of 2001.
FGN, meanwhile, reported that TLC has chosen the Xbox gaming platform over the PlayStation 2 for its console version of Myst III: Exile. TLC is reportedly working closely with Microsoft to ensure that the Xbox title is released first in Japan. The project should be released in Japan before the hoidays. Myst III: Exile will be released for Xbox in the U.S. and Europe in 2002.
Hallett Lucked Onto Angel
ndy Hallett--who plays the karaoke-singing demon "The Host" on The WB's Angel--told Horror Online that he got the job purely by accident.
A former property management company employee, Hallett invited a college friend to hear him sing at a talent showcase at B.B. King's blues club. The friend brought along her brother-in-law, Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, who immediately loved Hallett's act and created the Angel character based on Hallett.
"It wasn't until six or seven months later that I ran into Joss at the airport, and he told me about this character and how he thought it would be a good idea for me to audition for the role, seeing that it was sort of inspired by my performance," Hallett told the site. He won the role, and a single appearance turned into a recurring character, a green horned demon who can read the future of karaoke-singing denizens of the underworld.
"The character, in terms of being the karaoke host and running around the bar with a drink, is not too far away from home for me," Hallett said. "My friends and I are always at the local karaoke bar whenever we get a chance. But as far as the rest of the character goes, it's quite a stretch--but it's definitely fun and interesting to play."
Xena Sings Into Sunset
ucy Lawless--star of Xena: Warrior Princess--told Cinescape Online to expect the unexpected as the long-running syndicated show ends its run in May.
"We're doing one of the last four episodes as a musical," she told the site. "I know musicals don't rate particularly well, but we don't care. We always made the show to express our ideas."
Lawless added, "There is no stopping us now. Plus, I think what has made us so successful are the wild ideas. On Xena, you'll have heavy drama and then slapstick comedy. And then every now and then you'll do a musical. We're going to do a takeoff of The Donkey Show, which is a disco version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. There are all sorts of relationship mix-ups and gender-bending. All kinds of crazy stuff."
Earth Takes No. 2 Slot
own to Earth--Chris Rock's first starring vehicle--debuted at No. 2 in the President's Day weekend box-office rankings, earning an estimated $20.1 million, according to the Hollywood trade papers.
Earth is Rock's remake of the 1978 Warren Beatty film Heaven Can Wait.
Oscar-nominated Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was the only other genre film in the top 10, coming in at No. 5 with an estimated $11 million in ticket sales. The film more than doubled last weekend's take, in part because it expanded its run into 1,651 theaters in the wake of its 10 Oscar nominations. Tiger has earned $73.8 million to date.
Briefly Noted
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Stephen King's Riding the Bullet topped Peanutpress.com's list of the top 25 best-selling e-Books for 2000.
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SF fans will gather Aug. 4 in Bloomington, Ill., to honor SF writers and fans Wilson and Fern Tucker for their contributions in the science fiction and mystery fields and contributions to fandom.
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The Dark Horizons Web site reported that Grammy-winning rapper Eminem (Marshall Mathers) recently hinted that he'd been offered movie bad-guy roles, including the lead villain in The Crow: Lazarus, the fourth installment in the supernatural franchise.
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Ted Raimi--brother of director Sam Raimi--told the SFX Network that he will play a Daily Bugle advertising guy in Sam's upcoming Spider-Man movie. Coming Attractions, meanwhile, reported that Bill Nunn will play Joe "Robbie" Robertson, the Bugle's assistant editor, and Elizabeth Banks will play Betty Brant, secretary to Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson.
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Paramount has signed with Taco Bell, Pepsi, Ericsson and Land Rover as promotional partners for its upcoming Tomb Raider movie, which premieres June 15, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Michael J. Fox, Nathan Lane, Steve Zahn, Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie and Jonathan Lipnicki will reprise their roles for Stuart Little 2, the sequel to the film about a mouse and his family. Rob Minkoff will again direct.
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Sigourney Weaver again denied a rumor that she would be paid $22 million to reprise the role of Ellen Ripley in a proposed fifth Alien movie, as reported in the British tabloid press. Weaver reportedly told syndicated columnist Liz Smith, "I haven't really talked to Fox about making another."
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The Dark Horizons Web site reported that a teaser trailer for Tim Burton's upcoming remake of Planet of the Apes will hit theaters March 2. The trailer has already screened at this month's New York international toy fair.
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According to an SEC filing, Spyglass Entertainment Group confirmed plans to make a movie version of Douglas Adams' satirical SF novel Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in a co-financing deal with Disney's Buena Vista distribution arm, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Adams is attached to write and Jay Roach (Meet the Parents) is set to direct.
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The Ain't It Cool News Web site reported a rumor that the subtitle to Star Wars: Episode II will be The Shadow Falls. Earlier rumors suggested the subtitle would be The Rise of the Empire, but those rumors were denied.
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British fans of David Lynch's cult TV series Twin Peaks will gather May 3-6 at a "Damn Fine Convention" in Shepperton, England.
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Ben Kingsley is in talks to play a leading role in Disney's upcoming fantasy film Tuck Everlasting, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Shooting is scheduled to start in April in Baltimore on the movie, which is based on Natalie Babbitt's 1975 children's book of the same name.
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James Cameron told the American Association for the Advancement of Science that filmmakers should go into space to make movies, according to the BBC. "If such a thing proves to be possible, I think some filmmaker should go. ... It should be someone who is dedicated to the cause of trying to popularize space flight again, because the public has lost its passion."
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A Japanese TV station on Feb. 20 postponed airing a Godzilla movie, fearing that scenes of the monster attacking fishing boats could remind people of a U.S. submarine's recent collision with a Japanese trawler off Hawaii, the Reuters news service reported.
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Phoeniz Pictures will develop Werewolf, a supernatural horror film based on a script by Marshall Todd, Variety reported. Italian commercial helmer Dario Piana will make his feature film directing debut on the project. The film will tell the story of a blues musician whose mission in life is to rid the Earth of werewolves.
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