B5 Team On Board Rangers
he original creative team behind Babylon 5 is on board to produce The SCI FI Channel's upcoming original television film Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers.
The two-hour film begins production in Vancouver on May 14.
Douglas Netter will return to executive produce along with B5 creator J. Michael Straczynski. Straczynski wrote the script, and B5 director Michael Vejar ("In the Beginning," "A Call to Arms") will helm. Original cast member Andreas Katsulas will reprise the role of G'Kar.
Buffy Fate Mapped Out
uffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon told E! Online that he's had a pretty good idea for years where his show is headed.
The series will air its 100th episode--the fifth-season finale--in May on The WB.
"We leave a lot of big gaping holes--for inspiration to hopefully show up at some point--but we map out seasons very specifically, particularly for Buffy," Whedon told the site. "We try to figure out where she'll be. We actually knew what was going to happen at the end of this season in the middle of the third season. And we pretty much know everything that's going to happen in season six already."
But Whedon remained coy about the series' future. "I can only tell you this much: Every season has an arc, a sort of unifying theme. Last year it was the liberation of college and how it fractures you as a group and as a person. This year was about family and identity and Buffy being a slayer. And next year I refer to as 'Oh, Grow Up.' It's about realizing that we're young adults, and now we're making choices like our parents did, and we're just as bad at it as they were."
As for the end of season five, "obviously, we're bringing the whole Glory-Dawn-Ben-key-Buffy-sister-slayer what-does-it-mean thing to a head. And we're going to have a big-ass apocalyptic battle, because that's what we do. And there's going to be some death."
UPN Slays WB For Buffy
PN has sealed a pact to take over Buffy the Vampire Slayer from The WB, which had declined to meet producers' demands for more money in failed contract renewal talks earlier this year, according to reports on E! Online and in The Hollywood Reporter.
UPN reportedly made the announcement late April 20.
Buffy's producers, 20th Century Fox Television, reportedly struck a deal with UPN for a two-year, 44-episode pickup of Buffy, starting in the fall. Sources told the Reporter that UPN will pay $2.2 million-$2.3 million per episode for the series--well over the earlier reported $1.8 million offered by The WB.
Buffy has aired since 1997 on the Frog network, which also airs its spinoff series, Angel. Angel, in its second season, will remain on The WB for now. But E! reported that UPN's Buffy deal also includes a provision to pick up Angel for two seasons if the WB cancels that show.
"We are incredibly pleased to have Buffy the Vampire Slayer on UPN, not just because it is one of the best shows on the air and represents a new era in UPN's life and direction, but more importantly because [series creator] Joss Whedon is one of the finest writers and producers in television," UPN President Dean Valentine in a statement. "Our main motivation for pursuing Buffy so aggressively was to be in business with Joss and with 20th ... and we're very pleased to have that opportunity." The 100th and final WB episode of Buffy airs May 22.
Gellar Amazed At 100 Buffys
uffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar told E! Online that "it's overwhelming" to realize the series is closing in on its 100th episode, the fifth-season finale airing in May.
"I don't think it really hit me until we all cut into that cake," Gellar told the site during a break in filming the episode. "I mean, I've been here since five this morning. I've been working. It's one more episode; it's the next one to go; it's the next good script we do. And all of a sudden, it hit me: five years, 100 hours of television. It's really incredible."
Gellar--who is currently in Australia shooting a live-action Scooby-Doo movie with her real-life fiancé, Freddie Prinze Jr.--added, "I'm on this show because of the character--this wonderful character. Women in any industry, we all know we're still fighting an uphill battle. And television characters seem to be much more prominent for women. But as a young girl, it's even harder, because most of the time, you're either 'the girlfriend of' or 'the daughter of' or 'the new wife of.' With Buffy, she just is. She's this amazing character who's funny and witty and sad and sharp and all those things, and no other job would ever offer me the range I've gotten here over the years. So that keeps it fresh."
Buffy Engaged To Her Prinze
uffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar confirmed for Access Hollywood that she has become engaged to longtime boyfriend Freddie Prinze Jr., with whom she is currently co-starring in a live-action version of Scooby-Doo.
Access Hollywood reported that the engagement occurred April 13 and was announced over the Easter weekend at a joint birthday party for Gellar (who turned 24 on April 14) and her ICM agent, Eddy Yablans. No wedding date has been set.
In Scooby-Doo, which is currently shooting in Australia, Gellar plays Daphne and Prinze plays Fred. The pair met in 1997, while filming I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Obi-Wan, Buffy To Co-Star?
he Ananova Web site reported a rumor that Star Wars star Ewan McGregor and Dark City star Rufus Sewell are being considered to appear with Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar in a British SF movie.
Mondo Beyondo will focus on two friends who survive a nuclear holocaust that happens during a school reunion, the site reported.
The movie, due to be made in spring next year, will reportedly be produced by British-backed FilmFour and Good Machine.
Anakin Did Own Stunts
tar Wars: Episode II star Hayden Christensen did his own stunts on a mechanical model of a "speeder" vehicle, which was mounted on a movable gimbal, the Star Wars Homing Beacon newsletter reported.
"One particular speeder needed much more extreme movement and needed to move very quickly," practical effects supervisor Dave Young told the newsletter. "It's gimbal-mounted and has outriggers that come out to stabilize it. It weighs around about two tons, and the speeder on top is about half a ton." The speeder had built-in flame effects and was able to complete a 180-degree barrel roll.
Young said Christensen was eager to ride the vehicle himself. "He was doing all his own stunts on this speeder, which is not extraordinary, because we had him up at a safe angle, sliding down to the end of the speeder," Young said. "Then we'd flip the speeder up the other way and slide him right back down to the other end. He was doing all that stuff himself, which he wanted to do. We had stunt mats all around in case he fell off, but he was hanging on pretty well. It came down to how we drove it. This gimbal is totally controllable."
Producer Rick McCallum reportedly joked that he wanted the rig at the wrap party, so that cast and crew could test their mettle by riding the bucking speeder.
Episode I DVD In Works
tar Wars: Episode I producer Rick McCallum told convention-goers in Germany to expect a DVD of the film soon, the Force.net Web site reported.
"Have faith--It will come soon, I promise you!" McCallum reportedly said. "And I guarantee you they will be great!"
McCallum added, "One of the things I think that's been difficult for everyone to understand is ... the minute we finished Episode I, ... we took one week off for the week that it was released in the United States, and then we--[director] George [Lucas] and I--immediately started prep on Episode II."
McCallum added that he and Lucas wanted to take the time necessary to ensure the DVD was something special. "I think when you see it, you will see that there are things in there that took almost as long as the movie, and it will all become clearer to you why it took so long."
Fox Bumps Episode I Air Date
ox will postpone the first broadcast airing of Star Wars: Episode I from April 29 until November, citing a softening ad market, Variety reported.
The network had already started promoting the picture with flashy prime-time ads.
Fox executives reportedly thought the network's sales force could generate more revenue out of the movie later in the year. Overall TV viewership tends to go up in the fall and winter, increasing the likelihood of Fox's drawing a bigger audience for Episode I, the trade paper reported.
Brit Fans To Declare "Jedi" Faith
ritish Star Wars fans are organizing to list "Jedi" as their official religion on U.K. census forms, the London Sunday Times reported.
The fans hope to win formal recognition for their "faith" by responding to the Office for National Statistics' decennial survey of the population, the newspaper reported.
For the first time in Britain, the census, which will take place on April 29, will ask people about their religion, offering various options and a box marked "other." Star Wars fans have seized on the opportunity, and an e-mail is urging them to fill the box by declaring their religion as "Jedi." "If there are enough people who put down a religion that isn't mentioned on the census form, it becomes a fully recognized and legal religion," the e-mail said. "It usually takes about 10,000 people to nominate the same religion."
The e-mail reportedly originated in New Zealand, which held a census on March 6. Its effect there will not be properly known for up to 18 months, but some reports have estimated that 5 percent of the population decided they were Jedi knights.
But a spokesman for the Office of National Statistics said that the e-mail erred. "Regardless of how many people put down Jedi as their religion, they cannot win. It is not up to us to recognize or not recognize religions."
Trek V Having Cast Problems?
he TrekWeb fan Web site reported rumors that Paramount is having trouble casting the female lead of its upcoming fifth Star Trek series.
The site reported that the role is T'Pau, a female Vulcan.
The site also reported that an amended casting sheet described the character as "a beautiful, sensual science officer assigned to oversee humanity's progress on board [the new starship] Enterprise. She has great dignity, confidence and strength--she is never timid. Being a true Vulcan she considers humans primitive and irrational, but she develops a respect for Capt. Archer and becomes one of his most loyal and trusted crew members."
Over the last couple of weeks, sources have told TrekWeb that Marjorie Monaghan (Babylon 5) was in the running for the role.
Meanwhile, the TrekToday Web site reported that Scott Bakula has not formally accepted the series' lead role of Capt. Jackson Archer. Citing anonymous sources, the site reported that Bakula (Quantum Leap) is still negotiating for the role in talks that have been going on for close to a month.
Tyler Eager To Screen Rings
iv Tyler--who plays Arwen in Peter Jackson's upcoming Lord of the Rings film trilogy--told the Empire Online Web site that she's eager to see the finished movies.
"We're all done now," Tyler told the site. "It's amazing. I just can't wait to see it, because there's so much stuff that I haven't seen yet, and so many things that will be added in that I wasn't a part of. I'm really anxious to see how it all turns out."
Tyler plays the half-elven daughter of Elrond and the wife of king Aragorn. "I had never read [J.R.R. Tolkien's Rings] books before I was actually offered the part, which I felt a little bit of an ignoramus about," she said. "But I have read the books and I know absolutely everything now."
Tyler added, "I think everybody's really questioning [whether the film will be true to the books], but I think it's going to be absolutely beautiful. I've seen some footage, and I was so blown away, by the performances more than anything, because none of us will see the effects until the movies [are] completed. But Peter Jackson is a wonderful director, and all of the people involved were perfectly cast to play those parts, and I think that will really come across." The first Rings film, The Fellowship of the Ring, opens Dec. 19.
Roswell Fans Lobby WB
ans of The WB's teen alien series Roswell have taken their campaign to renew the show to the network's official message boards.
The network previously told SCI FI Wire that it will make a decision in May on whether to renew the series for a third season.
Meanwhile, The WB reported that Roswell earned good ratings when it returned to the air with a new episode on April 16, after a six-week hiatus. The show equaled or surpassed its previous best ratings since November and scored dramatic year-to-year time-period ratings increases in various demographics, the network reported.
2001 BSFA Awards Announced
he 2001 British Science Fiction Association Awards were presented at a ceremony on Sunday, April 15, at Britain's annual science fiction convention, Eastercon.
Mary Gentle earned the Best Novel award for her book Ash: A Secret History (Gollancz), Peter F. Hamilton won in the Best Story category for "The Suspect Genome" (Interzone No. 156), and Dominic Harman won for Best Artwork for his work "Hideaway" (cover of Interzone No. 157).
Also presented at the ceremony was the second Richard Evans Award, which
went to Gwyneth Jones. This
award--which includes a check for 2,000 pounds--is given to an author whose body of work within the genre has
attracted critical acclaim without the commensurate financial rewards.
Finally, the winner of the Paper Tiger Art Award (best single piece in the
Eastercon/Paragon artshow) was Jay Hurst for "Despatch Day." Honorable mentions went to Jackie Burns, Fred Gambino and Dave Hardy.
The BSFA Awards are presented annually by the British Science Fiction Association, based on a vote of BSFA members and members of the British national SF convention (Eastercon).
Ledford's I-Man Spy Kicks A
randy Ledford--whose character Alex Monroe debuts this week on The SCI FI Channel's original series The Invisible Man--told SCI FI Wire that Alex is "a strong, smart, take-no-prisoners, kick-ass woman super secret agent."
In an interview, Ledford added, "I'm excited to be on a really good show. It's funny, but intense. ... I just hope the audience likes me, because I really like the show and I like being here."
Alex shows up in the April 20 episode, which airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT, with a secret agenda to destroy Chrysalis, and she enlists Fawkes (Vincent Ventresca) and Hobbes (Paul Ben-Victor) to help her. Alex admits that she and Fawkes have some chemistry, though it's not likely to go far--at least at first. "Everyone keeps asking if we've got a sexual relationship," Ledford said. "I think she has a lot of interest in the fact he can become invisible. But she doesn't have a lot of respect for him, because he was once a thief, and she's in law enforcement and her attitude is, once a thief, always a thief. But she likes him and finds him endearing and charming and funny, and at times good at what he does, and courageous and brave. ... There's a lot of chemistry there. But she's a very professional woman. She's not out here to get laid. She's very serious about what she's doing, and doesn't want to take away from any investigation they're on. She's smarter than that and knows it would cause her trouble."
As for Hobbes, "her relationship with Hobbes is based more on respect," Ledford said. "She thinks he's a really good agent and trusts him a lot, because he trusts his partner Fawkes a lot. And she believes anyone who trusts his partner as much as Hobbes trusts Fawkes is good."
Jurassic III Trailer Coming
he full theatrical trailer for Joe Johnston's upcoming Jurassic Park III will be attached to prints of The Mummy Returns, which opens May 4, a Universal Studios spokesperson told SCI FI Wire.
The trailer will also debut on the Web in that time frame, the spokesperson added.
SCI FI Wire previewed the trailer, which screened for the first time at Universal's summer movie preview in Los Angeles on April 19. Producer Kathleen Kennedy said the film will offer viewers "everything and more that people expect from a Jurassic Park movie."
In the trailer, the film's plot is set in motion when a millionaire (William H. Macy) and his wife (Téa Leoni) hire Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) to guide them as they fly over Isla Sorna in a small plane. But the plane unexpectedly crashes on the island, placing the party in peril of several new species of dinosaurs. In addition, velociraptors from the previous two movies return, with a sinister new agenda. The party is shown wandering through the wrecked birthing lab from the first film, running through rain and dangling from cranes. In the final scene of the trailer, Neill discovers a large birdcage--and Leoni asks, "For what?" Jurassic Park III opens July 20.
A.I. Web Network Revealed
n what appears to be an elaborate Internet promotion for Steven Spielberg's upcoming SF epic movie A.I., a network of elaborate faux Web sites has gone up detailing facets of the futuristic universe of the movie.
Internet investigators have unraveled the web of sites from a single clue planted in the credits of the recent trailer for the film: Jeanine Salla, sentient machine therapist.
Web fans who have searched the name have turned up an affiliation with the fictitious Bangalore World University, and from there, links to Salla's home page. From there, Web surfers have linked to other sites discussing the mysterious death of Evan Chan, a man who apparently died at the hands of an artificial intelligence. The entire network has been deconstructed by several fans at the Trail Web site, as have members of the Yahoo-based discussion group Cloudmakers.
The network is intricately interactive as well: Fans who have listed their fax and phone numbers or typed in their e-mail addresses on the sites have received responses from fictitious companies, organizations and individuals. The various sites also list phone numbers where fans can receive recorded messages. The sites contain various puzzles that offer clues to further sites.
A.I., based on a treatment by the late Stanley Kubrick and the short story "Super-Toys Last All Summer Long!" by Brian Aldiss, opens June 29.
Pi Guy Defers Batman?
i director Darren Aronofsky told an audience in New York that he won't be directing Batman: Year One as his next film, according to the C.H.U.D. Web site.
Speaking April 18 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Aronofsky said he would instead begin an unnamed SF movie to star Brad Pitt, the site reported.
As for the much-talked-about Batman project, Aronofsky said, "Don't believe the hype: It's a sequel." Aronofsky was carrying a copy of Batman: Tales of the Bat with him, the site added.
Rodriguez Declines Superman
py Kids helmer Robert Rodriguez has removed his name from the list of directors rumored to be in line to direct a proposed new Superman movie, the Ain't It Cool News Web site reported.
The Hollywood trade papers had reported that Rodriguez, Oliver Stone and Tim Burton were among the directors under consideration for screenwriter Paul Attanasio's new take on the Warner Brothers franchise.
But AICN reported that Rodriguez said he wasn't interested. Producer Jon Peters called the director's agent, but Rodriguez turned it down because his plate is too full, the site reported.
New Superman Scribe Hired
creenwriter Paul Attanasio (Sphere) will pen the script of a proposed new Superman movie for Warner Brothers, according to the Hollywood trade papers.
Attanasio will reportedly review several previous scripts for the next installment in the popular film franchise, which is based on the DC Comics character.
The project has had several incarnations, including Superman Lives and Superman Reborn, with drafts by Bill Wisher, Dan Gilroy and Kevin Smith, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Attanasio will reportedly come up with his own story based on the death and rebirth of the Man of Steel.
Planet of the Apes director Tim Burton and Family Man star Nicolas Cage had earlier been attached to direct and star in the proposed film. The Reporter said that Burton, Spy Kids helmer Robert Rodriguez and Oliver Stone are still under consideration to direct.
Variety reported that the Superman deal hasn't closed yet, but that the emergence of Attanasio indicates the studio is once again determined to get the superhero saga airborne.
Fantasy Approaches Reality
hris Lee, producer of the upcoming SF movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, told SCI FI Wire that the groundbreaking film's computer animation will get as close as possible to reality.
In an interview at a recent sneak peek of the movie, Lee stopped short of saying that the animation is completely photorealistic, but added that it is "about as close as the technology will let us get
today."
Lee said that a production team consisting of dozens of graphic artists and programmers came together in Honolulu under director Hironobu Sakaguchi, who also created the game on which the film is based. With the help of state-of-the art Silicon Graphics Imagery machines, computer graphics software and specially developed in-house tools, the designers painstakingly created the characters' hair, skin, eyes and facial expressions to simulate live actors. Motion capture technology was also used to recreate realistic three-dimensional movement.
Lee added that the movie--based on the Square video game series of the same name--will merge game elements with those of traditional cinema. "I think what we have here is sort of a convergence of gaming and film and a new aesthetic," Lee said. "This is sort of the next evolutionary step for science fiction, I think. And only a gaming company would have gone to the next level."
The film--set in the year 2065--centers around a beautiful young scientist named Dr. Aki Ross (voiced by Ming-Na) who struggles to save the Earth after a meteor crash brings alien invaders to the planet. Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Peri Gilpin, Ving Rhames, Donald Sutherland and James Woods provide other voices. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within opens July 13.
Swedes In The Minority
he Coming Attractions Web site reported rumors that Swedish actors Peter Stormare and Max von Sydow will join the cast of Steven Spielberg's upcoming SF thriller movie Minority Report, starring Tom Cruise.
Citing reports in the Swedish news media and on Web sites, CA reported that Stormare will play a doctor and von Sydow will play an undisclosed role.
The site also reported a rumor that a special-effects house in Culver City, Calif., is working on a rocket pack for the film, to be powered by propane burners.
Minority Report is based on the Philip K. Dick short story of the same name.
New EverQuest Pack Due
ony announced a new expansion pack for its popular EverQuest online role-playing game, called EverQuest: Shadows of Luclin.
The new pack is due to ship in the fourth quarter of this year, Sony said.
The Shadows of Luclin will take players to a satellite hovering above the world of Norrath. Luclin is divided into a land of light, ruled by Discord, and a land of shadow, ruled by Order. The expansion pack will feature a moonscape packed with new adventure zones, items, creatures and spells and a new playable character class.
Playwright To Adapt Genie
laywright David Lindsay-Abaire is in final talks with Miramax to adapt the BBC fantasy miniseries Bernard and the Genie for the big screen, Variety reported.
Richard Curtis wrote the BBC miniseries.
The movie would tell the story of a 2,000-year-old genie who comes to the rescue of an unemployed man and his girlfriend, the trade paper reported. Lindsay-Abaire previously wrote an animated SF feature for Fox called Robotworld.
Forsaken Mutates Vamp Myth
err Smith--star of the upcoming vampire movie The Forsaken--told SCI FI Wire that the film takes a different bite out of bloodsucker mythology.
Smith, who plays a young man who encounters a band of vamps during an ill-fated cross-country drive, said Forsaken vampires kill with guns, not teeth, and can't be killed with stakes.
"It's different, because it's not about the fangs and all that," Smith (Final Destination) said in an interview. "Being a vampire is treated as a blood disorder, really: a disease. And the transformation can be postponed through medication or drugs, what we call the cocktail, a mix of a bunch of drugs. ... Unfortunately, the drugs don't cure anything. The only way to cure it is to kill these bastards."
Smith plays Sean, a young Los Angeles film editor who is driving a borrowed vintage Mercedes across country to his sister's wedding. He picks up a mysterious stranger (Roswell's Brendan Fehr) and encounters a band of vampires led by Kit (Jonathon Schaech). "He gets into a huge, huge hunt for these vampires, because in the whole process, he gets bitten and he's dying: he's transforming. And the chase begins," Smith said.
Schaech (That Thing You Do!) told SCI FI Wire that the film is "an easy ride with a lot of lost boys and girls. I am the Forsaken. ... My character's name is Kit. I think that's a cover-up for his real name. ... I'm the one who's got this disease inside his soul, and he goes out into the world. He's been around for a really long time, traveling around, feeding his appetite, his addiction, and he's found himself in the United States, which is a great place to play."
Kit's band of vampires includes Alexis Thorpe and Phina Oruche--who, ironically, is best known as Giles' non-vampire girlfriend on The WB's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. "Her function within the group [is] she's Kit's girlfriend ... and her function primarily is to lure people into the group to become part of our clan," Oruche said. "I think it's a real intelligent movie. I think it's different than your quote-unquote slasher movie. There's not a man running around with a mask and a knife. We don't have [vampire] teeth. ... We don't have fangs. We have guns. So we're leaving a kind of serial-killer kind of trail." Forsaken opens April 27.
Jason X Misses 2001 Release
ason X, the SF-themed latest sequel in the long-running Friday the 13th film franchise, has been bumped from its planned August release date by New Line Cinema, a spokesperson told SCI FI Wire.
"It currently is not on the 2001 release schedule," the spokesperson said in an interview. The studio currently has a full slate of movies scheduled for release this year and wanted to hold Jason X for later.
There is currently no new release date for the film, which picks up the story hundreds of years in the future, after Earth has been abandoned. A team of astronauts finds the body of Jason Voorhees and takes him aboard a space station, where mayhem ensues.
Rumors have suggested that Jason X may be released straight to video, but sources told SCI FI Wire that it's unlikely New Line will go that route.
Dolittle Sequel Bearing Up
octor Dolittle 2 producer John Davis told Hollywood Reporter columnist Martin Grove that Fox has high hopes for the sequel, which opens June 22.
The film, starring Eddie Murphy as the man who can talk with animals, was written by Larry Levin and directed by Steve Carr.
"Doctor Dolittle 2 is a really wonderful movie," Davis told Grove. "We have a great young director in Steve Carr [Next Friday], and what was great is that he and Eddie just hit it off wonderfully. We decided to do a sequel after the first movie made $300 million at the box office [worldwide in 1998]. We said, 'Ah--good opportunity to do a sequel!'"
Davis added, "Larry Levin came back and wrote the script. We wanted a story that was going to be meaningful and about something. You know, there was an opportunity to make a movie that was both really funny, but emotional and had something to say. And I think it did. Basically, Dolittle goes and saves the forest, saves the homes of all these animals from loggers who were going to cut it down. And he has to do it by taking an endangered bear and getting it to mate with another bear that's an endangered bear. Unfortunately, the bear [that's] the other suitable mate is a city bear, a performing bear. So he actually has to both teach him to be a real bear and introduce him [to the forest] from captivity, which has never been done before. And he's got to arrange it so the two bears fall in love."
Future Tense In Works
ichael Ovitz' Artists Production Group and the French company StudioCanal have acquired the SF movie Future Tense, to be written by Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson (Urban Legends: Final Cut), Variety reported.
The pitch was based on a story by San Francisco-based journalist Wagner James Au, the trade paper reported.
Future Tense is set 200 years in the future, after World War III, when soldiers are routinely sent back in time to train in past wars. The film tells the story of a commando leader who gets trapped in World War II and teams with an unlikely ally to escape in an effort to change the outcome of World War III.
They Begins Filming
he supernatural thriller movie They began filming this week in Vancouver, Variety reported.
The film stars Laura Regan, Marc Blucas (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Ethan Embry (Freakylinks) and Dagmara Dominczyk.
The film tells the story of a young woman (Regan) who battles terrifying night terrors and a fear of the dark. Robert Harmon (The Hitcher) will direct from a script by Brendan Hood for Radar Pictures, the production company formed by music mogul Ted Field, Variety reported.
SCI FI Ignites Firestarter
roduction began April 17 on The SCI FI Channel's upcoming original Firestarter miniseries, based on the Stephen King novel and starring Marguerite Moreau (Queen of the Damned), Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), Danny Nucci (The Rock) and Dennis Hopper (Blue Velvet).
The four-hour miniseries--tentatively titled Firestarter: The Next Chapter--began shooting in Salt Lake City under the direction of Robert Iscove (Cinderella), based on a script by Philip Eisner (Event Horizon).
Firestarter: The Next Chapter picks up the story of Charlene "Charlie" McGee (played by Drew Barrymore in the 1984 feature-film version of King's novel) 20 years after the events in the original book. Charlie (Moreau) has spent the past 20 years on the run from the government that created her and killed her parents. Tired of running, Charlie searches for answers to her dangerous and out-of-control psychic fire-starting powers. She discovers those answers at the university that ran secret mind-altering experiments on her parents. Rainbird (McDowell), a sociopathic agent who wants to control Charlie's powers, has finally caught up with her. The secret experiments never stopped, and now Rainbird has a human arsenal of powerful children with strange psychic abilities with which to catch Charlie. In the coming battle, Charlie's only chance for survival might be a turncoat government agent (Nucci) and half-mad character named Richardson (Hopper). Firestarter is tentatively scheduled to air in December.
Butler Fired Up About Reign
erard Butler (Dracula 2001) told the Empire Online Web site that he's now dodging fireballs in the upcoming Reign of Fire movie, starring Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale.
"It's this big, insane $95 million dollar beast of a movie," Butler told the site. The film, now in production, tells the story of a band of human survivors struggling against the ravages of fire-breathing dragons.
Butler added, "I play the best mate of Christian Bale. We live in this castle with a bunch of others, and we're just struggling to get by, because everything is burned out and gone, destroyed by the dragons. ... There's going to be six months of [computer animation] once we finish shooting--something like $33 million of the budget is on CGI. It's going to be amazing, absolutely amazing."
Grant Denies Who Rumors
ugh Grant denied that he's been approached to play the title character in a BBC feature film based on its long-running Doctor Who series, the Empire Online Web site reported.
"I spoke to Hugh, and he hasn't heard anything about it at all," the actor's spokeswoman, Karin Smith, told the site. Smith represents Simian Films, the company Grant formed with Liz Hurley.
Smith added that she can't say whether Grant would be interested in the role if offered it. "It's a hypothetical question, so I couldn't comment on that," she said. The British People Web site had reported the rumor that Grant was up for the Who role.
Activision Announces Gaming Slate
ctivision announced several upcoming games based on Marvel Comics' Spider-Man and X-Men series.
Spider-Man for the Sega Dreamcast gaming platform will feature free-roaming, 3-D action and is scheduled for release in the spring.
Spider-Man 2: The Sinister Six is the sequel to Spider-Man and will follow the webslinger's battles with Doctor Octopus, Scorpion, Sandman, Mysterio and Vulture. The game is also scheduled for a spring release. Spider-Man 2 Enter: Electro is a 3-D action-adventure game scheduled for release this fall. Spider-Man: Mysterio's Menace is coming for the Game Boy Advance also in the fall.
Among the upcoming X-Men titles are X-Men: Wolverine' s Rage for the Game Boy Color, X-Men: Mutant Academy for the PlayStation game console, and X-Men: Reign of Apocalypse for the Game Boy Advance, all due in the fall.
Activision also announced that it has signed an agreement with Hudson Soft Co. Ltd. for the North American rights to Bloody Roar 3 for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system. Activision will publish and distribute the game in the United States and Canada.
Apes Toyed With Monkey Business?
BCNEWS.com reported that director Tim Burton toyed with the idea of man-ape love in his upcoming Planet of the Apes remake.
Rod Serling, Pierre Boulle and the other scribes on Beneath the Planet of the Apes earlier monkeyed around with the idea of a half-simian/half-human love child, and Burton mulled a romantic pairing between human astronaut Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) and chimpanzee scientist Ari (Helena Bonham Carter), the site reported.
"[Burton] wanted to have this sexual tension between [Wahlberg and Carter]," five-time Oscar-winning creature maker Rick Baker told the New York Daily News. "Tim wanted her to be sexually attractive to men."
Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa--who plays Ari's servant gorilla, Krull--has reportedly said that apes are "very sensual creatures." But it's unclear whether the idea will make it into the final film, which is currently in production. Planet of the Apes will open nationwide on July 27.
No Free Ride For Potter Fans
eneral Cinemas will not refund tickets for moviegoers who buy them with the sole purpose of checking out the trailer for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone movie, the Mr. Showbiz Web site reported.
General Cinemas--one of the nation's major theater chains--will issue non-refundable tickets for movies with the Potter preview running before it.
"We've posted signs that if [Potter fans] are to see the trailer, they can't come out and ask for a refund afterward," General Cinemas spokesman Brian Callaghan told the site. "If they're big fans and come out to catch a glimpse of Harry Potter, they can't do it for free."
Based on the best-selling J.K. Rowling novel of the same name, Potter is due in theaters Nov. 16. Joining 11-year-old Daniel Radcliffe, who landed the coveted role of Harry, are Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Zoe Wanamaker and John Cleese.
Janssen To Play MIB 2 Villain
-Men heroine Famke Janssen (Jean Grey) is in talks to portray the main villain in Men in Black 2, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Genre queen Janssen--who will reprise her role in the upcoming X-Men sequel--will menace Will Smith's Agent J and Tommy Lee Jones' Agent K as the nefarious Serleena in MIB 2.
Janssen has previously appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Rising, Model By Day, The House on Haunted Hill and Lord of Illusions. Set to co-star with Janssen, Smith and Jones are Johnny (Jackass) Knoxville and Rosario (Pluto Nash) Dawson. Barry Sonnenfeld will once again assume the director's chair for the production, which will go before the cameras in June and shoot for as long as possible before the possible actors' strike halts the proceedings.
Smith Wins PKD Award
ichael Marshall Smith's novel Only Forward, published by Bantam Spectra, won the Philip K. Dick Award for distinguished science fiction, given to a 2000 book published for the first time in the United States as a paperback original.
Smith won a certificate and a check for $1,500. Evolution's Darling by Scott Westerfeld, published by Four Walls Eight Windows, received a special citation honor.
The awards were presented at Norwescon 24 in SeaTac, Wash. The award is named for legendary SF author Philip K. Dick and is jointly sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and the Northwest Science Fiction Society.
Briefly Noted
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Intervisual Books announced that it will produce two interactive 3-D books based on J.K. Rowling's best-selling Harry Potter series of children's novels. The books will be published in the fall to coincide with the release of Warner Brothers' feature film based on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
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Halle Berry told E! Online that her X-Men 2 character Storm would get more familiar with Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman. "Storm's going to be a little more fleshy," Berry told the site.
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New images from the production of Sam Raimi's upcoming Spider-Man movie have gone up on the JoBlo's Movie Emporium Web site.
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French audiences are passing up Just Visiting, the English-language remake of 1993's French hit movie Les Visiteurs, Variety reported. The time-travel tale took in just $2.3 million over five days in France; in North America, it grossed an equally pitiful $4 million in 10 days, the trade paper reported.
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Rumors that Leni Parker (Da'an) may not return to the syndicated television series Earth: Final Conflict have spurred fans to campaign for her reinstatement.
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VH1 will unveil The Devil's Music, a new original series produced by Alliance Atlantis about a record label run by a disciple of the devil, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The new show, slated for fall, is part of a slate of original programming to be unveiled at the network's upcoming advertising presentation in New York, the trade paper reported.
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The official Web site for Tim Burton's upcoming Planet of the Apes movie will post a new trailer on April 20, a week before it hits theaters. Apes opens July 27.
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The Dark Horizons Web site reported a rumor that a prequel was in the works to Wes Craven's classic supernatural horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street. The site also quoted Video Trader magazine as reporting that Gary Scott Thomas (Hollow Man) has signed on to write a sequel to Jean-Claude Van Damme's 1994 SF movie Timecop.
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The Popcorn U.K. Web site reported that the Australian government may fine Star Wars fans $1,000 if they list their religion as "Jedi" on official census forms. An international e-mail campaign is arguing that fans should do so to force governments in the United Kingdom and Australia to recognize "Jedi" as an official religion.
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The upcoming computer-animated fantasy movie Shrek will be the first animated feature to compete for the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or award in nearly a half century, the London Times reported. The last animated film to be selected for the competition was Disney's Peter Pan in 1953.
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Pierce Brosnan denied reports that Whitney Houston has been approached by producers to play the next Bond girl in the upcoming 20th James Bond film, the ShowBizIreland Web site reported. "That's news to me," Brosnan told the site. "I don't know her. But I think she's got a great voice. I think she's got talent out there as an actress."
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Cinefantastique magazine reported that a prequel to Tim Burton's supernatural comedy Beetlejuice is in the works. The sequel will reportedly focus on Beetlejuice's life before death, among other things.
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The CountingDown Web site has posted a new trailer for Steven Spielberg's upcoming SF epic movie A.I.
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Lucas Learning Ltd. and LucasArts will release Star Wars Super Bombad Racing, a video game set in the Episode I universe, on April 25. The game allows players to compete as one of eight Star Wars characters, including Darth Maul, Yoda and Boss Nass.
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CBS will delay next month's scheduled Jack and the Beanstalk fantasy miniseries until later in the year, citing post-production delays on the effects-heavy project, Variety reported.
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As expected, the official Star Trek Web site has confirmed that the two-hour series finale of Voyager will be called "Endgame" and will resolve the ultimate fate of the U.S.S. Voyager and its combined Starfleet-Maquis crew. "Endgame" was written by Rick Berman, Ken Biller, Brannon Braga and Robert Doherty and directed by Allan Kroeker.
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Chita Rivera will headline Casper the Musical, a theatrical production based on the Harvey Comics character, due to open June 5 at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Variety reported.
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The OneRing.net fan Web site reported rumors that the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra has started recording the Howard Shore score for Peter Jackson's upcoming Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
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The yellow-and-chrome, 34-foot Naboo starfighter model used in the making of Star Wars: Episode I will go on display at the Arts and Industries Building of the Smithsonian Institution, the Associated Press reported. The exhibit, which will run from April 28 to June 24, will also include an interactive kiosk that explores the creative process of filmmaking and the development of the starfighter in the Star Wars movies.
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Gary Scott Thompson, who wrote the Hollow Man screenplay, sold his latest script to Warner Bros. as a likely Bruce Willis vehicle, Mr. Showbiz reports. Cross Check involves a detective in Canada who gets in way over his head while on a case.
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