Henstridge Was Tough On Mars
atasha Henstridge, star of the upcoming SF action-adventure movie John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars, told SCI FI Wire that there were certain benefits to stepping into the role at the last minute.
"I'm glad I got hired on late for this film," she said in an interview. "Anything you can
give them, they're happy with when you get hired, like, a week before. I mean, [if you're] training for weeks, they expect everything."
The rest of the cast attended boot camp to learn hand-to-hand combat in the weeks prior to filming, but Henstridge joined the production only when original star Courtney Love dropped out abruptly. Henstridge, who plays tough-as-nails police lieutenant Melanie Ballard, had to train individually to catch up to her fellow actors. "I did a little bit of hand-to-hand combat training as well with the stunt coordinator, Jeff Imada, and he helped me out," she said. "We had a few days here and there."
Though the movie was exhausting to make, Henstridge said she related to the role's physicality. "I have a side to me who's a little bit like [her], who's tough and that sort of thing, who sort of beat kids up on the playground." But Henstridge confessed to being intimidated when first meeting her co-star, rap-artist-turned-actor Ice Cube. "The first couple of days I met him, I was, like, 'He scares the hell out of me. How am I going to do this?'" She recalled. But it wasn't long before she broke the ice, and the two actors developed a strong working relationship. "I started to joke with him a little bit, because he's very intimidating, but really he's just a sweet guy. He really, truly is. ... We ended up getting along and joking around, and we had a great time after that. But it was interesting in the beginning." Ghosts of Mars opens on Aug. 24.
Grier Saw Little Mars Action
am Grier--who appears in the upcoming John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars--told SCI FI Wire that her role as a Red Planet police captain required surprisingly few stunts.
"Ice Cube put in the work, got bruised, bumped, thrown around," Grier said in an interview. Natasha Henstridge "came in, got bruised, bumped, thrown around.
I didn't have to. And usually that's what they expect me to do."
Grier added, "I said, 'John, you sure you don't want me to do some of these stunts?' ... He said, 'No, no. That's OK. Let Natasha do it.' I said, 'OK. That's fine with me. I'll cruise in and out.'"
Grier plays the leader of a squadron of police officers assigned to transport James "Desolation" Williams (Cube) from a mining outpost in a largely uncivilized region of Mars. When they arrive, they find that an evil force has transformed the human colonists into savage beings.
Henstridge plays the squad's lieutenant, Melanie Ballard. During the production, Grier recalled, Henstridge jokingly begged her to step in and take over some of the heavier fight scenes. Grier declined: "I said, 'No. Uh-uh. No, girlfriend. Costs to be the boss, don't it?'" Ghosts of Mars opens Aug. 24.
Scooby Star Gets Shaggy
atthew Lillard, who stars in the upcoming live-action Scooby-Doo movie, told SCI FI Wire that it wasn't easy being Shaggy.
"There is definitely a challenge in making a cartoon character--who is an icon for five generations--three-dimensional," Lillard said in an interview while promoting Summer Catch. "You have to find some kind of moment of simplicity so that you can peak at those moments of 'Zoinks.'"
Lillard added, "I put a lot of work into it. I worked my ass off to get the walk, to get the talk, get the physicality. Every day, I kept trying to push myself to be the best possible Shaggy I can be. You're going to have people that are going to hate the movie no matter what you do. You're going to have people that love the movie. I just hope I fall somewhere in between, and more people like me than hate me as Shaggy."
Lillard spent much of his time on set working with an invisible Scooby-Doo, to be added in later via computer graphics. "There were occasionally Xs placed, and we had a dwarf running around in a Scooby suit," Lillard recalled. "He basically put on a Scooby dog suit, and they had a wagon that they tied to him that had hind legs to show where he walked, but he never really worked that well. He's the nicest guy in the world, but he would fall behind, because he's so small. I'd be walking, and he would come running up, so it just got to the point where I would look at him. But there are times in the movie when I'm fighting Scooby-Doo. So Scooby's down and then up and then down and then up. He swings a punch, and you swing back at him, and he farts and talks, and he's not there, you know? So it's definitely a challenge."
Lillard also had a thought on Internet critics and Ain't It Cool News's Harry Knowles, who has been a vocal critic of the production. "We got bad buzz off the Internet ... [because of] the cast photo. And as powerful as the Internet can be, it can also be ... painful. So Warner Brothers and Scooby-Doo [stepped] in to try to alleviate some of the tension from that. A lot of it was generated by this Harry Knowles guy. And this guy, for some reason, is starting to run Hollywood. It's ridiculous. ... I don't know how you can judge a movie if you've never even read the script. I don't know how you can crush a film if you're Harry Knowles, if you have no f-cking idea what you're talking about. The guy is a mook out in the middle of Texas or something who's somehow got power. ... They flew him to Pearl Harbor to get [in] his good graces, and then he turns around and says Pearl Harbor is one of the best movies ever made."
Prinze Blasts Scooby Web Critics
cooby-Doo star Freddie Prinze Jr. told SCI FI Wire that Internet critics of the upcoming film are biased by their feelings of exclusion from the studio.
"Most of the people that said the bad stuff, they [Warner Brothers] didn't show things to," Prinze said at the press junket for his latest film, Summer Catch. "That one guy, [Ain't It Cool News'] Harry Knowles, he wasn't even there [on the set], and he gets mad, because he was never invited, and he was really trying to get there, and they told him no. Unfortunately, the [entertainment] business doesn't give respect to a lot of the Internet writers, and they act like jerks sometimes, so a lot of people get mad."
Prinze--who plays Fred in the live-action adaptation of the popular animated TV show--is confident that the movie will survive any bad buzz on its own merits. "You're not going to please everybody, so if somebody saw something that they didn't like, you know, I'm sorry, but most people are going to dig it, because it's pretty damn good," Prinze said. "There's always going to be good and bad buzz about every movie, but fortunately, it doesn't affect whether people are going to go or not go. I've had movies that got great reviews, and nobody went. I've had movies that got horrible reviews, and everybody went. It's just one of those things where an audience is going to decide whether they want to go to a movie, regardless of what anybody says."
AICN Blasts Prinze Back
in't It Cool News' Harry Knowles swiftly denied accusations by Scooby-Doo star Freddie Prinze Jr. that Knowles' poor opinion of the film stemmed from sour grapes over being left off Warner Brothers' press list.
Prinze made the accusation in an interview with SCI FI Wire. Prinze suggested that critics of the film, and Knowles in particular, were "mad" at the movie because they weren't invited to visit the movie's Australia set during production.
"Well, first off, not a single thing he says above is true," Knowles wrote on his site. "I never once contacted Warner Brothers about attending the Scooby-Doo junket. Not only that, but Warner Brothers never contacted me. And even if I wanted to go, which I didn't, I was busy covering [the] Lord Of The Rings [press junket] in the south of France at the time [at this year's Cannes Film Festival], ... a project about 400,000 times more interesting than a gay-and-lesbian-stoner-in-joke of a Scooby-Doo movie." Knowles went on to attack Prinze's filmmaking record.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Brothers intentionally left Knowles off the set-visit invitation list when it flew representatives from nine movie-news Web sites to the set in late June. The junket was designed to counter increasingly negative buzz on the Internet, and Knowles has been among the Scooby film's harshest critics, the trade paper reported.
"Ain't It Cool News has been a site that has gotten more publicity than the others, but doesn't necessarily speak to the audience we want, which is movie lovers and moviegoers," Warner senior vice president for interactive marketing Don Buckley told the trade paper. "It has become almost like a trade publication."
Knowles disputed Buckley's assessment of his site. "A trade publication?" Knowles asked the Reporter. "I sure can tell by reading the Talk Back [message board] feature on the site that it is filled with executives, producers, actors, [MPAA president] Jack Valenti and director's posts only--no fans there obviously," he added sarcastically.
Trek X In Peril?
he Ain't It Cool News Web site reported that the proposed 10th Star Trek film may be in trouble, with Paramount giving fiilmmakers just 10 days to sign contracts with cast members.
The film is rumored to be called Star Trek: Nemesis.
AICN, citing anonymous sources, reported that the principal players are making demands, and Paramount isn't meeting them. Time is crucial, because Patrick Stewart is set to appear in X-Men 2 later this year, the site reported.
SCI FI To Re-Air Farscape
he SCI FI Channel will air reruns of its original series Farscape in order from the beginning at 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, starting Aug. 27.
The top-rated series, now in its third season, currently airs original episodes at 9 p.m. Fridays.
Launched in 1999, Farscape tells the story of American astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder), who finds himself catapulted through a wormhole to the far side of the universe. He joins a band of renegades as they traverse the Uncharted Territories in their living ship, Moya.
SCI FI Orders More Chronicle
he SCI FI Channel has picked up nine additional episodes of its new original series The Chronicle, making for a full season order of 22, SCI FI president Bonnie Hammer announced.
Production will begin on new one-hour episodes on Aug. 21 in San Diego, with series stars Chad Willett, Rena Sofer and Reno Williams all returning. Fan favorites Curtis Armstrong and Jon Polito will also return as series regulars.
The Chronicle debuted on July 14 and has increased the ratings and household delivery in the 9-10 p.m. Saturday timeslot by an average of 70 percent, SCI FI reported.
Robert Greenblatt and David Janollari executive produce The Chronicle with creator Silvio Horta (Urban Legend) and Gina Matthews (What Women Want).
Stargate Moving To SCI FI
he SCI FI Channel has completed a deal with MGM Television to pick up Stargate SG-1 from Showtime for a sixth season and to produce 22 new episodes, SCI FI president Bonnie Hammer announced.
The series, which stars Richard Dean Anderson, will begin airing original episodes on SCI FI in June 2002.
Stargate SG-1 is the third MGM series to find a home on SCI FI. The channel is currently airing new episodes of The Outer Limits and previously produced 22 new episodes of Poltergeist: The Legacy.
Production on the new season of Stargate SG-1, which is currently airing its fifth season on Showtime and its fourth in syndication, is slated to begin January 2002 in Vancouver, the network announced. SCI FI will also air reruns of the show on weekdays, beginning with season one, starting in the fourth quarter of 2002.
Stargate SG-1, based on the hit 1994 feature film Stargate, stars Anderson as Air Force Col. Jack O'Neill and debuted on Showtime in 1997. It centers on the Stargate, an ancient portal that allows instantaneous travel across the galaxy. O'Neill and Egyptologist Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) explore the uncharted regions of the universe, searching for clues to save the Earth from destruction. The series also stars Amanada Tapping, Christopher Judge, Don S. Davis and Teryl Rothery and is executive produced by Brad Wright, Jonathan Glassner, Robert Cooper, Michael Greenburg and Anderson.
Angel To Don Batwings?
he Dark Horizons Web site reported a rumor that David Boreanaz, star of The WB's Angel, may be in line to play the caped crusader in a proposed new Batman film.
The site speculated that Boreanaz has been approached to play Bruce Wayne in director Darren Aronofsky's proposed Batman: Year One movie.
Boreanaz was reportedly considering the offer.
Daredevil Moving To B.C.?
he feature-film version of Marvel Comics' Daredevil series may shoot in Vancouver, B.C., and not Montreal, as originally planned, the Comics Continuum Web site reported.
Producers were abandoning Montreal in part because of fears of a Canadian actors' union strike in that city, the Hollywood trade papers reported.
A walkout by the union in Montreal could happen on Jan. 16, but the union has a separate agreement in British Columbia, and a walkout wouldn't happen there until March 31, the Continuum reported.
Montreal Blindsided By Daredevil?
roduction of the feature-film version of the Marvel Daredevil comic series may not take place in Montreal as previously thought, the C.H.U.D. Web site reported.
A possible strike by the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists may derail Fox's plans to shoot in the city, the site reported.
ACTRA spokesman Stephen Waddell told the site, "ACTRA is shocked by the studio's lack of respect for the upcoming negotiation process. [We] can only view this decision as a move by the U.S. major studios to set their own strike deadline months before contract negotiations even begin. This action places in question the U.S. studios' desire to negotiate a fair and equitable agreement with ACTRA and is designed to take away performers' power at the bargaining table."
Union Offers Daredevil Waiver
fter producers threatened to pull production from Montreal, a Canadian union has offered a "no-strike" waiver to makers of the feature-film version of Marvel Comics' Daredevil series, Variety reported.
The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists offered the waiver to Fox, which is producing the movie with Regency.
Producer Bernie Williams threatened on Aug. 10 to move production out of fear of a strike. The union's contract with Canadian producers expires Dec. 31, and the country's actors could go on strike Jan. 16, just as Daredevil gears up production, the trade paper reported. Daredevil producers and ACTRA had not reached an agreement by late afternoon Aug. 13.
Bonham Carter Leery Of Apes 2
elena Bonham Carter told the Reuters news service that she'd have to think twice about doing a sequel to Tim Burton's current Planet of the Apes film.
"I should never say never," Bonham Carter told Reuters about reprising her role as humanist chimp Ari. "I'd have to think hard, and they would have to pay me lots of money. I've spent 240 hours of my life sitting in makeup. I'm not sure I really want to do that again."
But Bonham Carter admitted she loved the challenge of interpreting a role from behind a mask. "I love the fact that I didn't look like me," she said.
Burton Nixes Apes Sequel
lanet of the Apes director Tim Burton told Britain's Independent newspaper that he won't helm a sequel to the SF remake, the Reuters news service reported.
"The idea of doing a sequel--I'd rather jump out of the window, I swear to God," Burton told the newspaper.
Burton added about studio executives, "They give you a script, and you do a budget based on that, and say, 'This movie would cost $300 million to make,' and then they treat you like a crazy, overspending, crazy person. It's like, 'Well, you gave me the script.' I'm fascinated by the studio technique that sort of leaves you bloodied, beaten and left for dead right before you're supposed to go out and make a great movie for them." Burton said that the only time anyone listened in Hollywood was when "you go ballistic and psychotic." Apes is now playing.
Smith Backs Off Apes Threat
irector Kevin Smith, who was quoted earlier threatening legal action against Tim Burton for allegedly appropriating the ending of Planet of the Apes, now says he didn't mean it.
In a post to his official News Askew Web site, Smith said, "I do not think the Planet of the Apes ending was stolen from the Jay and Silent Bob miniseries Chasing Dogma, nor am I thinking about taking anyone to court."
Smith added, "I called the similarities (which I believe are simply coincidental) to the attention of my good friend Lou Lumenick over at the New York Post and made a few jokey comments about being pissed and litigious that seem to have been taken seriously by a slew of other news outlets (doesn't anybody pick up a phone to confirm sh-t anymore, rather than just poaching a piece out of another paper?). This story has gotten way out of hand."
Smith also denied that his past history with Burton on the ill-fated Superman Lives movie played a role in the mixup. "Lest anyone think some sort of holy jihad is brewing betwixt me and the mighty Tim, I'd like to set the record straight here. I've always enjoyed the films of Tim Burton to varying degrees. Nothing's going to change that. ... Yes, I worked on a Superman Lives script that he sh-t-canned when he got the gig helming it. Yes, I've told a very long-winded story about the saga of Superman at college gigs, comic book conventions, the [Howard] Stern show and on Conan O'Brien (only when asked about it, though). Yes, I've signed many a bootleg copy of my Superman Lives script 'F-ck Tim Burton' (with tongue firmly planted in cheek). But, no, if Tim, indeed, made that statement about never wanting to read anything I created--although, in truth, the statement didn't come directly from his lips; it was provided by the office of his publicist, Bumble Ward--that's fine. I'll still be there on opening day for any Tim Burton movie, and I urge you all to do the same. Because whether he tells a coherent story or not, he's still one of the most interesting (albeit testy, apparently) directors working today. And that should always be supported."
Creators Mull Blair Witch 3
lair Witch Project co-director Ed Sanchez told E! Online that he's eager to get started on a third installment in the film franchise, a prequel to be co-written with partner Dan Myrick.
"We plan to go up to my land in rural West Virginia and stay there until we have something that truly creeps us out and works as a film," Sanchez told E! columnist Anderson Jones.
Sanchez added, "We'll spend a lot of time in the woods at night and soak in the atmosphere and hopefully get some of that old Blair Witch juice flowing again. We hope to scare the sh-t out of each other like we did when we came up with the original."
Cons To Host Episode II
ans will have two more chances to preview Star Wars: Episode II: the Wizard World convention in Chicago, Aug. 17-19, and Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Aug. 31-Sept. 3, the official Star Wars Web site reported.
Lucasfilm's Steve Sansweet will present the Episode II video Star Wars: Connections, which first screened at the International Comic-Con in San Diego last month.
At Wizard World, Hasbro will unveil next spring's lineup of Star Wars action figures. Dragon*Con will feature Star Wars contests and pageants, with celebrity judges including Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Garrick Hagon (Biggs Darklighter), Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Richard LeParmentier (Adm. Motti), Michonne Bourriague (Aurra Sing), John Rhys-Davies (Sallah, from Raiders of the Lost Ark), Paul Blake (Greedo), Kevin J. Anderson (author of the Jedi Academy trilogy), Rebecca Moesta (co-author of the Young Jedi Knights series) and Shannon Baksa (Mara Jade), the site reported.
Dragon*Con will also host a Star Wars auction of items, including a copy of the Star Wars: Union trade paperback signed by Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Shannon Baksa and author Michael A. Stackpole. The prize collectible in this year's auction is an Episode II production hat autographed by director George Lucas, the site reported. All proceeds will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
TV Guide Previews Enterprise
V Guide will publish new images of the titular starship from UPN's upcoming Star Trek series, Enterprise, in its Aug. 25 edition.
The magazine will feature new photographs of the ship's interior--including the bridge, engine room, transporter, sick bay and corridors--in the issue, which goes on sale Aug. 20.
The magazine will also feature three different covers, with stars Jolene Blalock (T'Pol) and Scott Bakula (Capt. Archer). Two additional collector's covers of other Enterprise cast members are available online.
TV Guide writer Michael Logan visited the Enterprise set during shooting
and writes about the series, which promises to be bawdier and more emotional than other Trek spinoffs, the magazine announced. Enterprise premieres with a two-hour pilot on UPN at 8 p.m. Sept. 26.
Combs To Guest On Enterprise
effrey Combs--who played Weyoun in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine--will guest star on UPN's upcoming Enterprise as an Andorian, the TrekToday and Official Jeffrey Combs Fan Club Web sites reported.
"Enterprise called and asked if I would appear in episode five of the new series," Combs told his fan club. "I was reticent at first, but ultimately my curiosity got the better of me!"
Combs added, "I'll be playing an Andorian. They were a race introduced in the original series, but not utilized very much. They're blue with white hair and antennae and an edge. They despise Vulcans."
Enterprise co-creators Rick Berman and Brannon Braga will write the episode, TrekToday reported. In addition to roles in several Trek series, Combs is known to genre fans for his characters in films, including 1985's Re-Animator and 1999's House on Haunted Hill.
Uncertainty Swims Below
livia Williams, who stars in the upcoming World-War-II/SF submarine movie Below, told the Empire Online Web site that the film raises questions about what's happening.
"It's got a supernatural twist to it," she told the site. "You're never quite sure whether what's happening is real, or whether it's oxygen deprivation."
Williams (The Sixth Sense) plays British nurse Claire Page in the thriller, which was written by Pi director Darren Aronofsky and directed by David Twohy (Pitch Black). "It's set in the 1940s, so women weren't generally military doctors or naval doctors at that stage," she said. She added, "It's a good role, and I took the role because I wanted to act the role and work with those people, and it was an interesting concept."
Freddy vs. Jason Green Lighted
obert Englund--Freddy in the Nightmare on Elm Street series--told SCI FI Wire that the long-delayed Freddy vs. Jason movie has been green lighted by New Line, with Stephen Norrington (Blade) attached to direct.
"He's the guy you want to talk to, because I think it's his baby now," Englund said in an interview. "It's still a yes, and it's still green-lit and still definitely in development."
Englund--who was promoting the upcoming DVD Boogeymen, for which he contributed audio commentary--added that New Line chairman Robert Shaye has approved the latest draft of a script. "I heard that Bob apparently approved the new script. But I haven't seen it. It's, like, wet." Englund didn't know who the screenwriter is; Mark Protosevich (The Cell) was reportedly the latest in a string of writers drafting the script.
Norrington replaces makeup-effects wizard Rob Bottin at the helm of the much-anticipated movie, which would pair two of horror's most notable bad guys. The film has been in development hell for years. "It's like flying to New York and not being able to land," Englund said.
Englund also denied that the film is being held up until executives see how well the upcoming Jason X performs at the box office. "We began getting behind Lost in Space," Englund said. "And Spawn and several other films. So we got hung up. ... So we got backed and backed and backed. And our directors and our special-effects guys all went on to other projects. ... Since this all began about three years ago, you know, what's happened is, the technology has changed in special effects. So knowing New Line, I'm sure that the deal memos coming down from the main office there, from Bob Shaye, have to do with exploiting all the new special-effects technology. So I'm sure that's affecting the rewrite and everything." No start date has been set for the movie.
Stars Film Eyed For 2002
abylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski told Cinescape Online that he has already turned in a fourth draft of the screenplay for a feature-film version of his Rising Stars comic-book series.
"MGM, oddly enough, in a press conference to vendors for upcoming licensing, mentioned Rising Stars as being on the slate for 2002," Straczynski told the site. "So I was surprised; I didn't know that."
Published by Top Cow Comics, Rising Stars tells the story of the Specials, 113 people who are blessed with powers and abilities beyond those of mortal men, Cinescape reported. "[The film adapts] the first eight books," Straczynski said. "It's 24 issues, and each eight-issue section is one act of a story covering 64 years. If this does well, we want to do a trilogy of films. If the first movie does well, they can reach into the second two acts of the books and shoot them concurrently."
The WB Returns To Oz
he WB has green-lighted a pilot for a fantasy series based on the 45 books set in the Oz universe created by L. Frank Baum, Variety reported.
The series pilot will mark the TV debut of X-Men writer David Hayter; the writer is also working on X-Men 2 and the sequel to Pitch Black, the trade paper reported.
Warner Brothers Television will produce the show, which will have a darker tone than the celebrated Wizard of Oz movie. The series will be set more than 60 years after the adventures of Dorothy and her friends and will center on a young woman who lands in Oz, is unable to escape and leads a revolt against Emerald City, the trade paper reported.
Hayter will write the pilot and will executive produce the show with Lawrence Bender (Good Will Hunting), Kevin Brown (Roswell) and Joel Smith, who secured the rights several years ago from the Baum Trust, Variety reported.
Smith Declines Arrow Film
evin Smith, who divides his time between filmmaking and comic writing, told Cinescape Online that he would never combine the two.
"I've been writing Green Arrow [for DC Comics], and it's been panning out," Smith told the site. "But as a movie, I wouldn't go near it. I would never make a comic-book movie. There's too much expectation. Those fans are terrible, and they'll tear you a new one."
Smith added, "Take Spider-Man, for example. The moment they announced that he's going to have organic web-shooters--that the web was going to shoot directly out of his body as opposed to a cartridge--people were tearing [director] Sam Raimi a new a-hole. They were, like, 'The movie's going to suck!' But now, they've settled down. I don't need that kind of torture in my life; I get enough from the life that I lead."
Producer Joel Silver has already bought the film rights to Smith's Arrow. "Joel Silver called and talked to my agent," Smith said. "I just didn't get involved, because, again, I like writing the comic books, but the difference between writing the comic books and writing the movie is that, in the movie, you've got to tell an origin story, and then tell your main story. In a comic book, you can just start from the get-go and whoever's buying the comic knows the character's entire story."
Roswell Fans Crash Down in L.A.
early 500 fans of the UPN series Roswell are expected to gather for the second annual Crashdown Party at the Sheraton Universal Hotel near Los Angeles on Aug. 18 to raise money for the Pediatric Cancer Foundation.
The fan get-together is sponsored by the Crashdown fan Web site--named for the café where the show's teen aliens hang out--and its affiliated Fan Forum message board.
Since the first "L.A. Roswellian" gathering in February 2000, Roswell fans have raised more than $70,000 for charitable causes. At last year's party, one fan paid $4,000 for a set of hospital scrubs worn by series star Jason Behr. Organizers chose the Pediatric Cancer Foundation as this year's charity because of a second-season episode in which Behr's character heals a group of children in a cancer ward.
Cast and crew have been invited, and executive producer Kevin Kelly Brown is expected to attend. Partygoers will also be entertained by a live performance by singer/songwriter Magdalen Hsu-Li. For the first time the event will be simulcast on the Web by HitzRadio.com.
Trek Pilot On View
he rejected pilot episode of Star Trek--featuring Majel Barrett as Number One and Jeffrey Hunter as Capt. Pike--is part of the Museum of Television and Radio's series "Hello, Goodbye: Pilots, Premieres and Final Episodes," the Washington Post reported.
The series continues through Sept. 16 at the museum's New York and Los Angeles locations, the newspaper reported.
NBC sent the pilot, "The Cage," back to creator Gene Roddenberry for retooling because it considered Barrett not beautiful enough, thought that Spock was too "demonic" and believed the story was "too cerebral" and "too erotic," the Post reported. Trek fans know that the story and characters were eventually incorporated into the two-part original series episode "The Menagerie," which ran during Trek's first season.
The museum's series also features the 1959 pilot of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone, including Serling's seven-minute pitch to nervous sponsors assuring them that viewers would still buy "instant Sanka" after watching the offbeat show.
Majel Pulls Back From Earth
ajel Roddenberry told SCI FI Wire that she's "pulled back" from her executive producer duties on Earth: Final Conflict and Andromeda, both of which are based loosely on ideas of her late husband, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.
In particular, she said in an interview that the concept behind Earth--which begins its fifth season in October--has changed so much that it doesn't have much in common with her husband's vision.
"We no longer have Americans on the show," Roddenberry said. "That makes it, to me, a different show. The whole concept has changed so tremendously that even though [earlier seasons] weren't very much of Gene's concept, at least we had the pretext of doing it [per Gene's writings]. Now, I guess, they've just forgotten the whole thing. It's an entirely different concept. There are so many people willing to just go ahead and pay to use the [Roddenberry] name. That's why I always insisted on seeing everything." Roddenberry added that she likely won't play Dr. Belman again in the show, in part because she's not eager to travel to the show's production site in Canada. "Toronto is a long way for me to fly," she said. "Every time they want me for something, it seems it's the winter months, and I'm cold. So I've really withdrawn from that."
With regard to Andromeda, Roddenberry said, "You've got someone up there, Kevin Sorbo, who is absolutely one of the most brilliant people in this whole wide world, besides being the nicest guy. He knows story and knows where he wants this to go. And he has a right to take this in a certain direction. He's one of the producers, though he's not credited. The last time I saw Kevin, which was just a few weeks ago, I told him, 'Just keep an eye on it,' because Andromeda is great the way it is."
Roddenberry doubted that she'll be asked to play Lwaxana Troi in the upcoming Star Trek X feature film. But she said that she's eagerly awaiting UPN's Sept. 26 launch of Enterprise, the fourth series spun off from Star Trek. "I have an idea what they're up to, and I'm looking forward to seeing the show," said Roddenberry, who won't be heard as the computer voice. "It sounds interesting, but I know they've got a safeguard in there. It is different, but if it shouldn't catch on and shouldn't go the way they want it to, they've already got a ship, already got a crew, so all they'd need to do is [tell] the same kinds of stories we're used to seeing."
Bogus Buffy Threats Sent
omeone is mailing out bogus "cease and desist" letters, supposedly from 20th Century Fox Television, to fan sites for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, E! Online and the BuffyNewsWire site reported.
"There's a person or persons out there who are sending out bogus e-mails to Buffy Web sites, purportedly on our behalf," Fox spokesman Steven Melnick confirmed to E!. "We're investigating to see who it might be, because they're not coming from us."
The studio says it has sent out only two cease-and-desist letters in the past month, part of its ongoing efforts to crack down on sites that it says infringe on the copyrights of the popular show. A genuine letter went to the Buffy Shooting Script Site.
BuffyNewsWire reported that at least four other Buffy fan sites have received bogus e-mails.
Riley Still AWOL From Buffy
arc Blucas told SCI FI Wire that his own unavailability means his character, Riley, probably won't appear in the new season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
But Blucas joked in an interview that he and creator Joss Whedon have come up with a backstory for his character while he's gone.
"I think in Joss' mind, Riley is off in the jungle being Col. Kurtz right now [of Apocalypse Now]," Blucas said at the press junket for Summer Catch. "I think he's pretty much off his rocker doing some jungle mission in South America. I think that while he tried to keep up for a little while, separation oftentimes is best. It was just such a well-written relationship. The show's set against a make-believe world, but it just deals with such real issues. Specifically, speaking in a relationship like that, I liked her more than she liked me, and we've all been in that situation. It was a very rich thing to play, and it was a fun experience for me all around."
Blucas and Whedon had discussed Riley's departure and eventual return, but have not yet found a way to coordinate such a return with Blucas' schedule.
"I just haven't been around to be able to do it," Blucas said. "After the first season, when Joss and I had a talk, and I said, 'Hey, this is what I'd really like,' and he said, 'Hey, that really works to do another half season. It's what I have in mind. It's what I want to do. It's right on the money, and then, pending your availability, we'll bring you back and do these things.' And that just hasn't been an option lately, so this next season, as much as I want to say I want to continue to work nonstop, hopefully there's a moment or two in there that it works in their schedule, and they want to have me back, because I'd love to go back and do an episode or two, because it's just a great group of people."
WB Buries Buffy Hatchet?
V Guide Online reported that former WB network executive Jamie Kellner tried to make amends to Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon by shaking his hand at the recent Television Critics Association fall preview.
Kellner and Whedon had feuded publicly over the renewal of Buffy--an argument that got so heated that Buffy eventually moved to UPN.
"He came up, shook my hand and walked away," Whedon told TV Guide. "That was my encounter with Jamie Kellner. I think it was more that he wanted to say, 'Let's put this behind us,' because nobody was paying attention. It's not like he did it in front of a crowd or photographers or anything. He just came up, and I think he wanted to say, 'We've been doing business, there's been acrimony, but it's not personal. It's business.'" Kellner was recently promoted to TBS; Whedon's other series, Angel, remains on The WB.
Whedon added he's not completely over the hard feelings. "You know, I didn't like the way the business was handled. I don't like doing business, because I tend to take things personally. I do agree that I still have a show on The WB, and he's still a part of The WB. I don't work with him day to day. If I did, then he and I would have to sit down and really iron things out. But in terms of what our relationship is--which is basically just peripheral to each other--I think we're fine. Nobody's looking for payback. Nobody's looking to beat the other guy down. Business just went poorly between us. We both learned something from that, and now we move on."
Noxon Refutes Buffy Rumors
uffy the Vampire Slayer co-executive producer Marti Noxon denied several spoiler rumors to Cinescape Online.
Among other things, Noxon denied that Shannen Doherty would be guest starring. "I am going to refute the rumor," she said.
Noxon added, "We haven't even talked to Shannen's people--that's a complete myth that she is coming on the show. The only truth to that rumor is that Shannen and Sarah are friends. Someone saw them together, I think, and started talking nonsense. It's not true, and ... right now we don't have any plans. We would be interested to have her guest, but ... certainly not [as] a series regular and not now. That's not really happening."
As for a rumored villain named Razor, Noxon said, "That is a fallacy. ... I'm refuting that, too. That is not our villain this season." As for the real bad guy, Noxon said, "All I can say is we've never done this before. It's a very different kind of threat."
Buffy Star Snipes At Emmys
uffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar accepted an extraordinary achievement award at this weekend's Teen Choice Awards and took a swipe at Emmy voters for snubbing her acclaimed drama this year, TV Guide Online reported.
"This is better than the Emmys," Gellar told reporters backstage. "And people can say that's a load of phooey or whatever words you can use here."
Gellar added, "The people here--the teens--this is why we make the show. We don't make it for stodgy old Emmy voters. That won't keep our show alive. The fans keep our show alive." Buffy makes its UPN debut on Oct. 2.
Byrne Talking Episode III?
he Coming Attractions Web site reported rumors that Gabriel Byrne is talking about the possibility of starring in Star Wars: Episode III.
Byrne reportedly said he's talked to George Lucas about a character slated to appear in the prequel.
"We're discussing it," Byrne supposedly said. "I think they're still writing the script."
Byrne was earlier rumored to be up for parts in both Episode I and II--rumors that turned out not to be true.
Rumors Surround World's Finest
ore rumors are circulating about casting for Warner Brothers' proposed feature film that will team up Superman and Batman.
The Dark Horizons Web site, citing a radio report, now suggests that John Travolta will play a villain in the film, not Superman, as earlier rumored.
The site also passed on a rumor that Planet of the Apes star Mark Wahlberg might replace Chris O'Donnell as Robin.
Wonder Woman Script Done
odd Alcott's script for a proposed Wonder Woman movie is making the rounds and earning praise, the Comics2Film Web site reported.
Alcott (13 Ghosts) strove for a dramatic tone in the screenplay, the site reported.
A source told Comics2Film that the movie reads like the first Superman or the first Batman movie. The script reportedly does not have a comic-book villain, but does feature a lot of action. Sources also told the site that Warner is pleased with the draft and that there may be some movement on the project soon.
Gilliam Jokes About Omens
irector Terry Gilliam jokingly told writer Neil Gaiman's official Web site that his upcoming feature-film version of Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's novel Good Omens will vary from the text--a lot.
"I'll warn you in advance that we created a very different climax," Gilliam wrote Gaiman, with tongue firmly planted in cheek. "And we dropped favorite characters."
Gilliam also said, "We added some scenes involving cattle drives in the Old West and song and dance sequences from our favorite Bollywood films. We also tried to make the Metratron more Jewish for the sake of the financiers. Woody Allen would be perfect ... or maybe Mel Brooks. Then there is the snuff movie that Crowley is producing, which we get to see in utterly graphic detail. ... We thought it would make him more active in believable evil. And we eliminated most of the comedy. I felt it held the book back from being the 'great and profound work' which we hope the film will be." Gaiman added the comment, "So I don't think we're going to have anything to worry about."
It's clear Gilliam was not serious, especially since Gaiman and Pratchett drafted the screenplay. Good Omens, a satiric novel about the coming apocalypse, was first published in 1990.
Toons Spawn Comic Series
ew comic books are being published based on Cartoon Network's Justice League and The Kids' WB! series X-Men: Evolution, Cinescape Online reported.
Justice League Adventures No. 1 will arrive on Nov. 14, with a cover by producer Bruce Timm and painter Alex Ross. The series, edited by Dan Raspler, will have single-issue stories with a rotating creative team, the site reported.
The first issue, written by Ty Templeton with art by Min S. Ku and Dan Davis, focuses on Green Lantern, who is the John Stewart version of the character in the show, the site reported.
Meanwhile, Marvel Comics will publish a book based on Evolution. "We want to make sure it's not just a pale imitation of the cartoon," Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada told Cinescape. The book will be written by Devin Grayson. The art will be by Long Vo, Charles Park and Saka of Studio XD for Udon, the site reported. The first issue goes on sale Nov. 28.
Justice League will premiere on Cartoon Network on Nov. 17. The second season of X-Men: Evolution is expected to begin on Sept. 15.
Todd Returns In Destination 2
enre actor Tony Todd told SCI FI Wire that he will join returning cast member Ali Larter in the sequel to last year's sleeper hit Final Destination.
"That's what they tell me, but they haven't made an offer yet," Todd said in an interview at the Fangoria convention in Pasadena, Calif. "I've read the script. It's a good script."
Todd, who had a cameo role in the original film, said, "My role's expanded a bit. ... I play the mortician. And once again, they ask me for advice about death. And I say, 'Look kids, don't cheat death.' That's pretty much the extent of my role." Todd added that Larter would reprise the role of Clear in the sequel, which is set to begin shooting in January. "Ali Larter is the only one coming back, besides myself," he said. Neither original star Devon Sawa nor Kerr Smith will return.
Nor will original director James Wong and his writing/producing partner Glen Morgan come back, Todd said. David Ellis (Homeward Bound II) will reportedly direct the sequel for New Line Cinema. Todd wouldn't discuss the sequel's storyline. Rumors have suggested that the story centers on Clear and a busload of fellow students who escape a massive highway accident.
Todd Headlines Minotaur
ony Todd told SCI FI Wire that he'll be starring in Minotaur, a fantasy film based on the Greek myth about a supernatural creature that's half bull and half man.
Todd (Candyman) will star with Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Derek Jacobi; Jonathan English will direct, the actor said in an interview at the Fangoria convention in Pasadena, Calif.
"It's ... sort of Lord of the Flies, about a group of village kids who go searching for the mythological Minotaur, and they stumble upon my kingdom," Todd said. "I play a demented king who's into hedonism and sadism. I control the Minotaur. It parallels modern society. It starts shooting on Oct. 15, six weeks in Wales and London at the legendary Pinewood Studios. I'm really looking forward to it, because I like going out of this country and working."
Hypercube To Start Filming
ypercube: Cube 2, the sequel to the sleeper 1997 SF film Cube, is set to begin shooting Aug. 20 in Toronto, the Toronto Sun reported.
The sequel will star Geraint Wyn Davies, Kari Matchett, Barbara Gordon, Grace Lynn Kung, Neil Crone, Matthew Ferguson, Lindsey Connell and Greer Kent.
Like the original film, Hypercube will place eight characters in a cube-shaped room from which there appears to be no escape. But unlike the original, the sequel will base its prison on the concept of the hypercube, a four-dimensional structure, the newspaper reported.
Sean Hood wrote the script for the sequel. Andrzej Sekula (the cinematographer on Pulp Fiction) will direct.
Greenwalt Offers Angel Spoilers
avid Greenwalt, co-creator of The WB's vampire series Angel, told TV Guide Online that the series will remain mindful of its predecessor, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, even though that show has moved to UPN.
"We're not going to do crossovers, but we're not going to pretend Buffy wasn't the great love of Angel's life," Greenwalt told the site.
Greenwalt also offered spoilers for the season premiere. "In the first episode, everybody's waiting for the other shoe to drop about her death, because they know he's got to be grief-stricken," he said. Later, when the Slayer is resurrected on Buffy, "we won't act as if, when she comes back to life, he doesn't want to see her," he added.
The show will also bring back a familiar face, either Darla or Drusilla, Greenwalt said. "You'll be seeing one of them, and soon." Christian Kane (Lindsey), Eliza Dushku (Faith) and new Law & Order prosecutor Elisabeth Rohm (Kate) may also return.
And there will be a new villain. "There's going to be a villain named Holtz," Greenwalt said. "He's a vampire killer who's been hunting Angel for years." Keith Szarabajka, a veteran of Greenwalt's earlier series Profit, will play the part. "He's got a great voice ... really low and smoky."
Owen Denies Bond Offer
live Owen denied to the Calgary Sun that he'd been approached to take on the role of James Bond should current 007 Pierce Brosnan hang up his Walther PPK.
"I know as much as you do about Bond," Owen (Croupier) told the newspaper. "I read it in the papers, but I haven't been formally approached about anything. I think it's all media hype."
But Owen said he'd be amenable if asked. "It would be hard to say no, because it would be an attractive offer," he said. "But I don't want to talk about it. Pierce is a very good Bond."
Owen--who has also been rumored to be in line for the lead role in a proposed feature-film version of the 1960s cult SF television series The Prisoner--added that he's uncertain he'd take the role. "The Prisoner is definitely the best television series ever made," he said. "It was inspired. It was exactly what TV should be like. That said, I think it would be hard to do it properly on screen. Patrick McGoohan was so much at the center of it, and he was so good in it. It would be hard to pull off. I don't know if I'd want to dare. I wouldn't jump at it as quickly as I might at Bond."
Terminator Game Images Posted
he FGN Web site has posted images from the upcoming Infogrames PlayStation 2 video game based on James Cameron's Terminator films.
The third-person action game is set in the year 2029 in the post-apocalyptic world depicted in the two films, the site reported.
Paradigm Entertainment is developing the game, which is slated for a second-quarter 2002 release, FGN reported.
SF Toons Win Emmys
uturama and Invader Zim were among the winners of Emmy Awards in the category of individual achievement in animation, Variety reported.
The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced the juried awards on Aug. 13.
Storyboard artist Rodney Clouden won the Futurama Emmy for the episode "Parasites Lost." Storyboard artist Kyle Menkeand won the Invader Zim award for his work on the episode "The Nightmare Begins." The awards will be handed out Sept. 8 at the Creative Arts Awards in Pasadena, Calif. The 53rd annual Emmy Awards are set for Sept. 16, the trade paper reported.
DVD Features Fantasy Thriller
he upcoming DVD of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within contains a bizarre extra: a remake of Michael Jackson's Thriller music video featuring the computer-animated characters from Final Fantasy, the Square Source Web site reported.
Characters in the music video include Dr. Aki Ross, Dr. Sid and Gray.
The two-disc Final Fantasy DVD will be released on Oct. 23. Other supplemental material will include features that allow the user to re-edit scenes, a minimovie of Aki's dream, an alternate opening sequence and two audio commentaries by directors and artists. The DVD will carry a suggested retail price of $29.95.
Batman: Year One Dead?
he Ain't It Cool News Web site reported a rumor that director Darren Aronofsky's proposed Batman: Year One film is dead.
Citing multiple anonymous sources, the site reported the rumor that the project has been squashed because Warner Brothers instead wants to build a franchise out of a proposed film teaming up Superman and the caped crusader that would eventually lead to a series of Justice League of America movies.
The site also reported a rumor that John Travolta might be in line to put on Superman's cape opposite George Clooney's Batman.
Spy Kids 2 Shows More Stuff
py Kids writer/director Robert Rodriguez told Disney Adventures that his upcoming sequel will show how the titular children deal with their new careers as secret agents.
"No one at school knows they are spies," Rodriguez told the magazine, according to a report on the Dark Horizons Web site. "But the principal is suspicious, because they are always asking for sick days to go on missions."
Rodriguez added, "Their rooms are completely gadget-automated. They don't even have to tie their shoes in the morning. They have a gadget for everything, even an automated room cleaner. ... They will have more gadgets than they can handle. One is the spy-copter, a cool helicopter built for two kids. They also have a metal lunch box that opens with a secret code, which they don't know. In the sequel, you'll see all the cool gadgets inside it." The sequel, entitled Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, is set to begin production before year's end.
Raven Announces Quake IV
aven Software, a unit of Activision, announced that it will develop Quake IV, the next installment in the popular Id Software video game series.
Raven made the announcement at QuakeCon 2001, held this past weekend in Mesquite, Texas.
The game likely won't be released until 2003. Quake fans at the convention were given a chance to talk about what they wanted to see in the new game.
Nick Develops Barker Kid
ickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures have optioned the feature-film and TV rights to Ecto-Kid, a short story based on the comic-book property owned by writer and director Clive Barker, Variety reported.
The firms will develop it into both a feature film via Nickelodeon Movies and a TV property by cable network Nickelodeon.
Barker's Razorline comic book label created Ecto-Kid, which was first published by Marvel Comics in 1993, the trade paper reported. The series was co-written by Larry Wachowski (The Matrix). It follows Dex Mungo, the love child of a psychic woman and the ghost of a murdered man. Dex has the ability to see the living with one eye and the spectral realm of the dead with the other.
The Others Opens At No. 4
enre films fared relatively poorly on the weekend of Aug. 10, with the haunted-house thriller The Others opening at No. 4 ($13.6 million) and the live-action/animated Osmosis Jones at No. 7 ($5.6 million), the Hollywood trade papers reported.
The Others benefited in part from publicity over star Nicole Kidman, whose divorce from Others executive producer Tom Cruise became final last week.
Planet of the Apes dropped three places to No. 5, with $13.3 million in its third weekend. The Tim Burton film has grossed about $148 million after 17 days, the trade papers reported. Jurassic Park III rounded out the genre films in the box-office top 10, coming in at No. 6, with about $7.3 million in ticket sales for the weekend and a total so far of about $160.2 million.
Briefly Noted
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Michael York will reprise the role of Basil Exposition in the third Austin Powers, Zap2it.com reported. "I'm delighted they asked me to be a part of it again," York told the site. "I haven't yet read the script, and I think that [star] Mike [Myers] is still working on it."
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Freddie Prinze Jr. told E! Online that he has signed a deal with Marvel Comics to write a few books, including a storyline for one well-known superhero whom he declined to identify. "I can't say who, but he climbs walls," Prinze told E!
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The Ain't It Cool News Web site has posted an image from Tom Cruise's upcoming SF thriller Minority Report, directed by Steven Spielberg.
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The Coming Attractions Web site has posted what it says is the script for "Broken Bow," the pilot episode of UPN's upcoming Enterprise series.
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The Dark Horizons Web site reported a rumor that Paramount would release DVD versions of the Star Trek: The Next Generation televisions series early next year. Citing an anonymous source, the site reported that the first season will be released in February 2002, with the second season following in April.
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The Coming Attractions Web site reported that Hans Zimmer (Gladiator) is in line to write the musical score for the upcoming 10th Star Trek movie, replacing longtime Trek composer Jerry Goldsmith.
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Fans of the 1990s CBS TV series American Gothic have mounted an online petition to urge the release of a DVD of the short-lived show.
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Mamisi Digital Media Services has posted a behind-the-scenes video of the making of Blade 2.
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The Ain't It Cool News Web site has posted what it says are spoilers for the upcoming X-Men 2 movie.
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The Dark Horizons Web site reported that horror favorite Tom Savini will appear in Vicious, an SF movie in which his character, a paramilitary named Kane, feeds stray campers to a large military experiment with teeth. Shooting will begin Aug. 27; Matt Green directs.
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George Lucas will move Industrial Light & Magic and other Lucas Digital operations to San Francisco's Presidio by about 2005, following the signing of an agreement to raze existing buildings at the site, Variety reported. The operations will occupy a new, 900,000-square-foot digital arts center on the site of a former military hospital on the park-like former Army base.
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The second season of the Kids WB! animated series X-Men: Evolution will introduce nine new students to the Xavier Institute: Boom Boom, Iceman, Berzerker, Jubilee, Sunspot, Wolfsbane, Magma, Cannonball and Multiple, the Comics Continuum reported.
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Steven Spielberg has pulled out of the Deauville Film Festival and is expected to cancel his appearance at the Venice Film Festival because of post-production delays on the Tom Cruise SF movie Minority Report, Variety reported.
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United Artists has opened the official Web site for its upcoming supernatural thriller movie Jeepers Creepers. The movie comes out Aug. 31.
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Entertainment Weekly reported that Jackie Chan might appear with Bugs Bunny in Spy Jam, a sequel to 1996's live-action/animated Space Jam.
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The 13th Street Web site has posted a trailer for the upcoming haunted-house thriller movie 13 Ghosts, a remake of the 1960 William Castle schlock classic. The film opens Oct. 26.
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Shrek producer John Williams and Berlin animation house Greenlight Media have hired Rob Moreland to write the feature adaptation of the German TV series SimsalaGrimm, a parody of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, Variety reported.
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon told Cinescape Online that his upcoming BBC spinoff series, starring Anthony Stewart Head, will be called Ripper, not The Watcher, as previously reported. The title refers to the old nickname of Head's character, Giles.
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