eaders of Science Fiction Weekly made their own choices for the 2001 Hugo Awards during the weeks leading up to the official ceremonies held at the World Science Fiction Convention in Philadelphia on Sept. 2.
Best Novel
•A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
Best Novella
•"The Ultimate Earth" by Jack Williamson
Best Novelette
•"On the Orion Line" by Stephen Baxter
Best Short Story
•"The Gravity Mine" by Stephen Baxter
Best Related Book
•Robert A. Heinlein: A Reader's Companion by James Gifford
Best Dramatic Presentation
•Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, directed by Ang Lee
Best Professional Editor
•Gardner Dozois
Best Professional Artist
•Michael Whelan
Best Semiprozine
•Science Fiction Chronicle, edited by Andrew I. Porter
Best Fanzine
•Challenger, edited by Guy Lillian III
Best Fan Writer
•Dave Langford
Best Fan Artist
•Brad Foster
John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
•Kristine Smith
Enterprise-Roswell Meld Is Real
oswell executive producer Jonathan Frakes confirmed to the Zap2it Web site that the show will cross over with UPN's upcoming Enterprise series, but won't feature star Scott Bakula.
The Ain't It Cool News Web site first reported a rumor that the two shows would meld, but also said Bakula would make an appearance in the teen-alien series, which moves to UPN from The WB.
"He thought it was too early to break the fourth wall," Frakes told Zap2it about Bakula, who will play Enterprise's Capt. Jonathan Archer. "Bakula is not going to do it." But Frakes—the longtime Star Trek actor and director—will appear in the Roswell episode as himself, along with Roswell star Jason Behr, whose character will audition for a role on Enterprise. "I think we can get as good a laugh out of me directing Jason as Max in the audition," Frakes said.
The idea to do the crossover came as a result of talks between Frakes, Roswell executive producer Jason Katims and former Star Trek: Deep Space Nine executive producer and current Roswell writer/producer Ronald D. Moore, Zap2it reported.
"It's an audition scene," Frakes said. "Max is auditioning to play the role of an alien, only he doesn't know how to play an alien, hence the wacky, ironic hijinks. It's a comedy scene in a serious episode." None of the Enterprise sets will appear on the episode, entitled "Secrets and Lies."
Trek X Shooting On Vulcan?
he Coming Attractions Web site reported a rumor that the upcoming 10th Star Trek movie could shoot in Vulcan—the Canadian town, not the distant planet.
Citing an anonymous source, Coming Attractions reported the unlikely rumor that producers have reserved land in Vulcan, Alberta.
Separately, a studio source confirmed for SCI FI Wire that the working title of the movie is Star Trek: Nemesis. And the IGN FilmForce Web site posted a synopsis of what it says is a draft of the Nemesis screenplay.
Q Will Play Y In Unit 2
ohn de Lancie—who played Q on several Star Trek series—will play Y in a second-season episode of UPN's Special Unit 2, the Zap2it Web site reported.
De Lancie's role in the season's fifth episode is described as the leader of "links"—"malicious paranormal species," the site reported.
Unit tells the story of a top-secret squad of monster-hunting cops in Chicago. The series makes its season premiere on Oct. 3.
Turtles Revival Coming
ction director John Woo and partner Terence Chang will produce the upcoming $40 million-$60 million computer-animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feature film, which will be part of a multimedia effort to update the franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Peter Laird's Mirage Studios, which owns the Turtles rights, and Woo and Chang's Digital Rim Entertainment will produce.
In addition, producers also plan a new animated Saturday-morning television series, a live-action miniseries to air on the Hallmark Channel and a series of next-generation video games, the trade paper reported.
The 2-D animated Saturday-morning TV series will come first, bringing a new look and feel to the franchise, the paper reported. Mirage has reached an agreement and is close to executing a deal with a major network for development of the series, which could launch as early as September 2002. When the TV deal is signed, Mirage has narrowed down six video-game publishers to bid for the Turtles rights. A publisher could be chosen within 60-90 days of the TV deal being complete, the trade paper reported. Meanwhile, Steve Barron, director of the original Turtles feature film distributed by New Line in 1990, is attached to helm the Hallmark Entertainment miniseries. After that, Chang told the Reporter that he expects the computer-animated feature film to be released within four years, featuring "PG-rated versions of Woo's trademark action."
Soap Star To Be Daredevil?
he Coming Soon Web site reported a rumor that soap actor Drake Hogestyn (Days of Our Lives) was in the running for the lead role in Fox's upcoming feature-film version of Marvel Comics' Daredevil series.
Mark Steven Johnson will direct from a script he co-wrote with Brian Helgeland.
Citing an anonymous source, the site reported that Hogestyn's casting could be announced soon. Al Pacino is also rumored to play a role in the film.
Daredevil To Film In Fall
ary Foster, producer of the upcoming feature-film version of Marvel Comics' Daredevil series, told the Popcorn U.K. Web site that the movie starts shooting in November.
Mark Steven Johnson will direct from a script he wrote with Brian Helgeland (A Knight's Tale).
Foster told the site that filmmakers have "a great script" in place and are "just at the point of preparing the movie to start shooting in November." Like the comic, the movie will tell the story of "a blind lawyer who by day tries to get justice for the people who need it, and whatever he can't do during the day, at night he becomes Daredevil and the vigilante," Foster said.
Foster added that Daredevil will stand out from the increasingly popular comics-to-film genre because it is "more character-driven," "darker" and "edgier." As for possible lead actors, Foster said he'd "like to see Edward Norton do this movie. I'd like to see Guy Pearce do this movie. I'd like to see Matt Damon. There are a lot of people who would be great—Mark Wahlberg."
Threepio Nears Completion
he fussy protocol droid C-3PO receives his covering in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode II, courtesy of Natalie Portman's Padmé Amidala, the official Star Wars Web site reported.
Don Bies, an Industrial Light & Magic modelmaker, will design both the stripped and covered versions of the droid, who will be played by Anthony Daniels.
Pieces of the new Threepio costume were outfitted with magnets to assist Portman in the scene were she begins to affix the exposed version with coverings. "It was [director] George Lucas' idea that, in this film, Threepio was not gold," Bies said. "He was just a bunch of found pieces of different robots put together like a patchwork. He specifically requested a rusty arm, a leg that was painted white where the paint was rubbing off, and that the face be bare metal and appear to look like it was made of different materials. So, over a weekend, we had to paint the look of a new C-3PO and bring it in the next day to show it to everybody."
Episode II also marks the first time Daniels dons the droid suit in more than a decade. "When I discussed it with Tony over the phone, we were both agreeing that if he did gain some weight, we could do some nip and tuck on the suit, and it wouldn't matter, because it was supposed to be a hodgepodge of parts anyway," Bies said. "But when we actually put it on, it fit incredibly well. It slipped right on, and he had no problems. On the inside, we sanded parts down just to take some edges off, but that's pretty much all we did to it."
Tolkien Fan Harrassment Disputed
he OneRing.net Web site disputed a recent report that police in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan have been harrassing fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings books.
Citing fans from the region, the site reported that police haven't detained or tortured any Rings devotees, contrary to a report in the British Independent newspaper.
"This article is a complete lie, and nothing described appears to occur in reality," one fan wrote TheOneRing.net. "Like there are only [about] 300 Tolkien fans in Almaty who get together near Tian Shen, and nobody bothers them there. I cannot swear on a bible that my information is correct, but it's obtained from the discussion board of the main Russian-speaking Tolkien fans' portal Arda-na-kulichkah."
Another fan wrote, "I got friends [Tolkien fans] there in Kazakhstan, and they wrote to me saying that it's the first they've heard of such persecution." The Independent reported that at least one fan was placed in a water-torture device; the fan argued that the incident took place, but that its subject was a punk-rock musician, not a Rings fan.
Second Farscape Con Launches
arscape star Ben Browder and the rest of the cast will appear at the second annual Farscape convention, which takes place Sept. 1-3 in Burbank, Calif.
Browder will be joined by Claudia Black, Anthony Simcoe, Gigi Edgley, Lani Tupu, Wayne Pygram and Tammy MacIntosh at the Burbank Airport Hilton hotel. Executive producers Brian Henson and David Kemper will also speak.
The convention, by Creation Entertainment, will also feature behind-the-scenes footage, on-stage presentations, contests and a variety of licensed merchandise. For more information, call Creation Entertainment at (818) 409-0960 or visit the convention Web site.
Aaliyah Matrix Rumors Spread
ith the death of pop star Aaliyah, rumors have begun on who might replace her in the upcoming two sequels to The Matrix.
Aaliyah had been set to play Zee in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix 3; Warner Bros. said that no decision has been made yet on the status of her role.
The Cinema Confidential and FilmJerk Web sites reported that Stacey Dash (Clueless), Brandy Norwood (Moesha) or Eva Mendes (Urban Legends) might be in line for the part.
Though various reports suggest that Aaliyah had filmed as much as 80 percent of her role, Warner Bros. in an official statement said that the majority of her scenes were scheduled to begin production in September, when the production moves to Australia.
Matrix Makers Mourn Aaliyah
roducer Joel Silver and directors Larry and Andy Wachowski—who are preparing to shoot the second and third installments of the Matrix film franchise in Australia—issued a statement saying that no decision has been made on whether to recast actress Aaliyah, who died over the weekend.
In the statement, Silver and the Wachowskis also extended sympathy to the friends and family of the 22-year-old pop star, who died in a plane crash on Aug. 25 in the Bahamas.
Aaliyah was a principal cast member in both films and had begun shooting the two films, although the majority of her scenes were scheduled to begin production in September, Warner Bros. said in the statement.
"We are all deeply saddened by this tragedy," Silver said in his statement. "Aaliyah's acting career was just blossoming. She had remarkable talent and charisma and great potential. The Wachowskis and I, as well as the production executives at Warner Bros. Pictures, were looking forward to working with her in the two Matrix films, as well as many other future projects. Her passing is a tremendous loss. Our hearts go out to her loved ones." The Matrix Reloaded, the second movie in the series, is scheduled for release in 2003.
Matrix Co-Star Aaliyah Dies
op star and actress Aaliyah, slated to co-star in the two upcoming Matrix sequels, died in an airplane crash over the weekend, throwing into question her role in the two films, wire services reported.
The 22-year-old Aaliyah perished when her twin-engine Cessna went down shortly after taking off from the Bahamas on Aug. 25, the Associated Press reported. Eight others on board also died.
Aaliyah, born Aaliyah Haughton in Brooklyn, New York, was to play Zee in the upcoming Matrix Reloaded and Matrix 3. The AP reported that Aaliyah had already shot some scenes for the two Matrix sequels in the spring, but was due to film the bulk of her role next year. It is unclear what affect her death will have on the movies, the AP reported.
Aaliyah also starred in the upcoming feature-film adaptation of Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned novel, playing the titular vampire empress. That film has completed production.
Jeepers Star Stayed Creeped
ustin Long, who co-stars with Gina Philips in the supernatural film Jeepers Creepers, told SCI FI Wire that he tried to remain in a constant state of fear during shooting to keep things real.
"It's tremendously hard," Long said in an interview while promoting the movie. "What I've found is that it just takes an enormous amount of physical energy. I was amazed at how depleted I was at the end of each day."
Long and Philips shot for more than two months in rural Florida, mostly at night, playing a brother and sister pursued by an evil force. Long said he held onto the fear he was supposed to be playing. "You know, there are some actors who can go in and out, and relax between takes," he said. "I had to kind of maintain that energy. And like I said, I think it was partially because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get it back once I got to that point. ... I was thinking of horrible things in my own personal life that could potentially happen. ... And it was destructive, because you feel like these are your own private ... sacred temple, and you're kind of exploiting it, you know?"
Writer/director Victor Salva also kept Long and Philips separated from actor Jonathan Breck, who plays the thing chasing the duo. "It was difficult," Long said. "It turns out he was a really nice guy, and I wish we had been able to hang out. But it helped tremendously, because I didn't shoot my stuff with him until the very end, until the last few days of shooting. And we had had no contact. We went out of our way, in fact, because we lived down the street from each other, and like I said, we were living in this strange, sort of, Twilight Zone-ish retirement village, and there was nobody to talk to. And so, whenever we'd go for lunch, they'd have to sort of escort us around each other. It was difficult, but I think it paid off. For me, I'm glad I didn't know who it was in that suit. It was a lot easier to sort of pretend that he was what he was supposed to be." Jeepers Creepers opens Aug. 31.
Jeepers Got Creepier
ina Philips, who stars in the upcoming horror film Jeepers Creepers, told SCI FI Wire that the movie ended up being a little more supernatural than originally intended.
The film co-stars Philips and Justin Long as a sister and brother who cross the path of an evil entity on a country road.
"And it turned into a little more of a monster movie along the way of filming, actually," Philips told reporters while promoting the film. "In the beginning, it was supposed to be [the entity] was a little more in shadow—you never quite knew what it was. And then the effects guys did such a great job with it, they were like, 'You know what? We can't not go with this.' So it turned into a little more of a sci-fi movie on the way. It didn't start out that way."
Philips—an admitted horror movie fan—said she was attracted to the role of Trish because she wasn't the usual whimpering screamer. "I read it, and I said, 'OK, typical male hero, [but] she's a female. I love it,'" she said. "She's rational. She's the one who calms him down. Even when she's really upset, she keeps it in check so he doesn't lose it and is more worried about him. Yeah, I love it. I thought she was really ballsy and strong, and yet, you know, she's capable of emotion. But I love that her biggest fear wasn't fear for herself, but it was fear for him, of something bad happening to him."
The movie shot for two and a half months in rural Florida, mostly at night—which required Philips and Long to devise creative ways to keep themselves occupied on their days off. "We did spend a lot of time at Wal-Mart," she said with a laugh. "There's not a lot open at night. Because we were on night shoots, ... on weekends, we had to stay on that schedule. So we're up at silly hours, and there's nothing open. ... By the end, we were playing practical jokes nonstop. We were torturing everyone on the set, just to keep ourselves amused. I'll tell you a few. I got down, by the end, to being just the most immature human in the world and actually was toilet-papering people's, like, trailers and cars. ... We would do this thing, which was kind of mean, where I would have a water bottle, like an Evian bottle, and we poke a hole in it. And then we'd sit and talk to someone and be having a conversation while we're squeezing it, and so by the end—and no one would notice it—Justin and I are walking around and giggling, because everyone has these big wet spots on their crotches [laughs]. ... That's what you do after two and a half months of night shoots! You get a little crazy!" Jeepers Creepers opens Aug. 31.
Long Willing To Quest Again
ustin Long, who played the geeky fan Brandon in 1999's hit Galaxy Quest, told SCI FI Wire that he'd be willing to do a sequel, but added that he doubted one could come together.
"They were talking about it when we were shooting it, I remember," Long said in an interview while promoting his current horror movie, Jeepers Creepers. "And I don't know. It was so much fun to do. And it was my first big thing. It was like my baptism by fire. I was working with these great, great actors."
But, Long added, "I think this thing with a sequel, I imagine it would be hard to do it. ... I'd certainly come back. But you're talking about really class-A stars in that, and it would be hard to bring them all back together." Galaxy Quest starred Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman, among others.
O'Toole Returns To Smallville
nnette O'Toole—who plays Clark Kent's mother in The WB's upcoming Superman series, Smallville—told TV Guide Online that the role brings her career full circle.
The 47-year-old actress played Clark's girlfriend, Lana Lang, in 1983's Superman III feature film. "Maybe I'll be Lois Lane's grandmother next," she told the site.
O'Toole added, "I love Superman. As a kid, I read all of the comic books. I was always drawn to it. And when I was Lana Lang, that was a huge thing for me." She admitted one disappointment: "I didn't get to fly. ... I really wanted to be able to fly. I'm still not flying [in Smallville], but I'm still with Superman."
But Smallville isn't your mother's Superman, she said. "It's such a different take on the story," she said. "It's kind of the only way I think you could do it today. It's much more modern and much more sci-fi. [Clark] is an alien after all; you have to go in that direction. He is E.T." Smallville debuts Oct. 16.
No Cape In Smallville
roducers of The WB's upcoming Superman series, Smallville, told the Reuters news service that they're dispensing with a lot of the superhero's trappings—including the cape—to get to the heart of their story, about a teen-age Clark Kent coming to terms with who he is.
"It's difficult to sympathize and really connect to someone who is wearing underpants [over his] tights," writer and producer Alfred Gough told the news service.
Added Gough's partner, Miles Millar, "For us, we wanted a new interpretation. It added a cheesy element when he was a young man. We thought, strip it away, and you could really get inside Clark Kent."
In other words, no red-and-blue suit. "Yes, he wears his regular clothes," Millar said. "The beauty of Superman is that he doesn't need his suit to have his powers. The suit is more of a function of his dual identity when he goes to Metropolis." Smallville, which stars Tom Welling, debuts Oct. 16.
Diesel Fuels Film Rumors
in Diesel addressed several rumors about his future film roles in an interview with Empire Online, focusing on Hellboy and Terminator 3.
With regard to his rumored lead role in the upcoming adaptation of the Hellboy comic series from director Guillermo del Toro, Diesel said, "They've told me to keep quiet about it."
But, Diesel added, "You know why I like Hellboy? I like Hellboy for the same reason I liked The Iron Giant. This guy's just ambivalent about his strength. He's like this cool guy who doesn't understand his strength, and he goes through life like a bull in a china shop. I love it."
As for the proposed third installment in the Terminator franchise, Diesel said, "I haven't seen the script yet." Diesel is rumored to be up for the role of a villainous cyborg.
But Diesel was enthusiastic about the upcoming sequel to his hit SF film Pitch Black, to be called The Chronicles of Riddick. "I read the script, and suffice it to say I like it a lot," said the actor, who will reprise the role of the laconic convict.
Paramount Develops Deathlok
aramount will team with Marvel to develop a feature-film version of the Deathlok comic series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Stu Zickerman and Raven Mentzner will write the script, about a suburban family man who is unwittingly made a test subject for technology research that slowly turns him into a living computer, the trade paper reported.
"We are all becoming more dependent on technology," Marvel Studios chief Avi Arad told the trade paper. "One of these days it's going to be inside of us. For example, we won't need a cell phone; it'll be built into our ear. Now is that a cool thing, or will it destroy us as human beings? Deathlok explores what those consequences may be."
Marvel is producing the project with Crystal Sky Productions. Marvel and Crystal Sky are also developing Dimension Films' Ghost Rider.
Last Man Delayed
i director Darren Aronofsky's much-anticipated SF film The Last Man, which will star Brad Pitt, will delay production to summer 2002 from this fall, Variety reported.
One reason: Co-star Cate Blanchett is pregnant and expecting to give birth in December, the trade paper reported.
Few details have leaked about the top-secret project. Aronofsky is also currently working on the Batman: Year One script with graphic novelist Frank Miller.
Jurassic IV A Prequel?
an's JP3 Page reported a rumor that a proposed fourth Jurassic Park movie would be a prequel to the 1993 original movie.
Citing an anonymous Industrial Light & Magic source, the site reported that director Steven Spielberg discussed the concept with ILM, Universal and writers before the release of Jurassic Park III.
During the meeting, story ideas were supposedly tossed around, including placing the story on Isla Nublar and picking up on the can that was lost in the mud of the original film. Another idea concerned the genetic problems the dinosaur creators were having before the events in the first Jurassic Park film, featuring an adventure with new characters.
Englund Guests On Charmed
ightmare on Elm Street star Robert Englund will make a guest appearance on The WB's witch series Charmed, the Zap2it Web site reported.
Englund will appear on the Oct. 11 episode, "Size Matters," playing a demon named Gammill, the site reported.
Charmed cast member Greg Vaughan, meanwhile, was arrested for investigation of drunken driving after he was pulled over for speeding, the Associated Press reported.
Police stopped the 28-year-old actor Aug. 30 in Hollywood. Vaughan plays construction worker Dan Gordon on the show, the wire service reported.
Charmed starts its new season on Sept. 27, with a two-hour episode that deals with the death of eldest sister Prue, who was played by Shannen Doherty.
Doherty Fumes About Charmed
ormer Charmed star Shannen Doherty told TV Guide that she believes network and show executives acted "badly" when they dumped her from The WB's witch series.
That includes her former co-star Alyssa Milano, producer Aaron Spelling and The WB network, which publicly supported the producer, according to a report in the New York Post.
"I think they handled it badly," Doherty said in next week's edition of TV Guide. Doherty had asked to be let out of her contract with the show last December, after clashing with Milano, her co-star and former close friend, the Post reported.
But when Spelling's office finally called Doherty's lawyer last spring to grant her wish, she was insulted Spelling hadn't broken the news to her himself, the newspaper reported. "The fact is none of us were paid to be buddy-buddy and hang out," Doherty said.
WB Double Books Charmed
he WB is hoping to persuade advertisers that money earmarked for The WB's witch series Charmed could also apply to the show's second airing on sister cable network TNT, Variety reported.
The second dose of the Aaron-Spelling-produced supernatural drama will run at 10 p.m. Tuesdays on TNT, five days after its initial WB airing, starting Oct. 2, the trade paper reported.
Though normal rules prohibit rerunning a prime-time series in the same week during prime time, the TNT airing of Charmed would take place after The WB signs off for the night.
Hogwarts Express Gets Stuck
he Hogwarts Express—a red steam train being used in the filming of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone—got stuck at a railway station in the Scottish Highlands, the Reuters news service reported.
The train, on its way to a filming location, got jammed against the platform at the Bannavie station near Fort William, the news service reported.
Railway engineers had to pull white timbers from the platform edge to make way for the locomotive. The movie, based on J.K. Rowling's first Potter novel, opens Nov. 16.
Consumers Wary Of Potter Toys?
ales of toys related to the upcoming first Harry Potter movie may not break records, despite the franchise's popularity, the Reuters news service reported.
The feature-film version of J.K. Rowling's book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is expected to be a hit when it opens on Nov. 16, but toy sales could be hampered by bad timing, discounted existing Potter merchandise and anticipated lower consumer spending this holiday season, the wire service reported.
Major Potter licensees include toymakers Universal Games, Lego Co., Hasbro Inc. and Mattel Inc., all of whom plan to launch products close to the movie's release, Reuters reported.
Harris A Reluctant Dumbledore
ichard Harris, who plays Prof. Dumbledore in the upcoming Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone movie, told Premiere magazine that he had doubts about taking the role, according to a report on the ShowBiz Ireland Web site.
"I wasn't sure I wanted to do this," Harris told the magazine, adding that he has now agreed to appear in at least three Potter films.
"I hate making dates and appointments—it feels like entrapment," Harris told the magazine. But a call from Harris' 11-year-old granddaughter convinced him.
"She rang up one day and said, 'Papa, if you don't play Dumbledore, I'll never speak to you again.'" The first Potter movie, based on J.K. Rowling's book of the same name, opens Nov. 16.
Activision Publishing Quake IV
ctivision announced that it will publish Quake IV, the latest installment in the popular id Software video-game franchise, for the PC.
Quake IV is in development by Raven Software and marks a return to id Software's trademark single-player gameplay experience set in the Quake II universe and using id's advanced Doom game engine, the company reported.
Activision will also develop a new, as-yet-unnamed game franchise with id, based on an original design by id and to be developed by Nerve Software, a new development company based in Mesquite, Texas. The company was co-founded by Brandon James, a level designer at id Software on Quake II and Quake III Arena.
Activision Gets Marvel Rights
ctivision announced that it will publish interactive games for the PC and next-generation console systems based on Marvel Comics' First Family, Fantastic Four and Iron Man franchises.
Under the terms of a deal with Marvel, Activision acquired the rights to develop and publish the games.
Activision already publishes games based on Marvel superhero characters, including Spider-Man, X-Men and Blade. Fox is currently developing a feature film based on the Fantastic Four, and New Line Cinema is developing a movie based on Iron Man; both projects are slated to be released in 2003/2004, Activision reported.
Bova Confirms Asteroid Book
en Bova has inked a deal with Tor Books for three more Grand Tour novels, the prolific author confirmed for SCI FI Wire, but the big news is the impending release of The Precipice, the first novel in Bova's Asteroid War series.
"The Precipice fits in with the Grand Tour novels, but deals specifically with developing the resources of the asteroids," Bova said in an interview. "It will be out in October."
The Precipice, also from Tor, will deal with a double-edged question: If you want to develop the resources of the asteroid belt, why do you need those resources, and who's going to do it? "What we have is a worst-case scenario, where greenhouse warming really hits with a thud, and it's a catastrophe all around the Earth," Bova said. "To help alleviate the catastrophe—to reinvigorate Earth's shattered economy—a few crazy guys want to go to the asteroid belt and start developing the resources there. There's so much material out there, and there's enough raw wealth to make multimillionaires out of every human being on Earth. The question is, can you do it economically? And that usually depends on [the answer to the question]: What's driving you to do it? And, in this case, it's the greenhouse collapse, the greenhouse cliff. That's the precipice we're talking about. And the other [factor] is a much better system of propulsion, where a thermonuclear fusion propulsion system is developed that allows you to flit out to the asteroids in a matter of days, rather than months and years."
As for the upcoming Grand Tour sagas, Bova reported that two will focus on planets in the solar system, "probably revisits to Jupiter and maybe Venus," and that the third will be about the asteroids.
The Precipice and the Grand Tour novels aren't the only Bova books on the horizon. October will herald the arrival of The Story of Light, to be published by Sourcebooks. "[It's] a nonfiction book about astrobiology," Bova says. "This forces me to learn a lot, which, in turn, is fed back into the novels."
Bova's been in the science and SF game for more than 50 years. He's written more than 90 books, edited Analog and Omni, taught SF at Harvard, received countless awards and served as the president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. After all this time, Bova insisted, it's still fun. "If it weren't fun," he said, "I wouldn't do it."
Ruffalo Drops Out Of Signs
ark Ruffalo has dropped out of M. Night Shyamalan's upcoming supernatural thriller film Signs because of illness, Variety reported.
Ruffalo was set to co-star with Mel Gibson in Shyamalan's follow-up to Unbreakable, which is being produced by Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy and Sam Mercer for Disney, the trade paper reported.
Disney is expected to find a replacement for Ruffalo within the next few days, Variety reported. Ruffalo's representatives told the trade paper that the actor had a minor ear operation that precluded him from performing. "He recently had a minor cyst, termed acoustic neuroma, removed from his inner ear. The procedure was a success, and he expects a full recovery," the representatives said.
Signs tells the story of the sudden appearance of mysterious crop circles on a family farm in Bucks County, Pa. It is slated to start production in early October in Philadelphia for a 2002 release, the trade paper reported.
Cameron Plumbs Fathom
ames Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment company will co-produce a live-action feature film based on Top Cow's Fathom comic-book series for Fox, the Comics Continuum Web site reported.
Writers are currently being interviewed, Top Cow's Chris Carlisle told the site.
"It's very, very much alive now," Fathom creator Mike Turner told the site. Fathom centers on Aspen Williams, an Olympic swimmer who discovers that she has unusual abilities and a link with a mysterious species of underwater creature.
Fathom, which was once eyed as an animated film, is one of several feature films Top Cow has in development, including J. Michael Straczynski's Rising Stars at MGM and Inferno at Warner Bros., the site reported.
Megiddo Marketing Gets Religion
akers of Megiddo: The Omega Code II—the sequel to 1999's Christian-themed The Omega Code—will use churches to market the movie, which opens in more than 400 theaters on Sept. 21, Variety reported.
Megiddo—which will be released by GoodTimes Entertainment and Gener8Xion Entertainment—was screened for more than 5,000 church pastors during a 19-city national tour and was also promoted at music festivals, the trade paper reported.
The goal is to persuade clergy to incorporate the movie and its 25-minute trailer into their messages to congregants, Variety reported. The campaign also relies on as many as 10,000 volunteers to encourage moviegoers. Megiddo will also be touted on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, whose chairman, Paul Crouch, is the father of Gener8Xion's president, Matthew Crouch.
Megiddo stars Michael York, Michael Biehn, Diane Venora, David Hedison and Kent McCord and features 270 visual effects and locations on four continents, the trade paper reported.
Chain Still Possible
oward Gordon, executive producer of the upcoming television series Ball and Chain, told the Comics2Film Web site that the superhero show remains a contender for the Fox network at midseason.
The show, based on Scott Lobdell's comic-book series of the same name, is not on Fox's fall schedule.
The producers shot a pilot for the show with Dan Cortese and Myndy Crist, the site reported. Due to the pilot's heavy special effects, producers screened a presentation piece for the networks, rather than a completed pilot. The show tells the story of a bickering husband and wife who are endowed with super powers—but only when they're together.
Fifth Highlander Due?
he Movie Hole Web site reported a rumor that Dimension Films is readying a fifth installment in the Highlander movie series, to star Highlander television series lead Adrian Paul.
The fifth film, to be called Highlander: The Source, would reportedly be directed by Russell Mulcahy, who helmed the first Highlander film in 1986.
The last film, Highlander: Endgame, grossed less than $13 million at the box office.
Sonnenfeld Talks MIB II
arry Sonnenfeld, who is currently directing Men in Black II in the L.A. area, told SCI FI Wire that the sequel to his hit 1997 film will reunite Will Smith's Agent J and Tommy Lee Jones' Agent K—even though K was "neuralyzed" at the end of the first film.
The two come together to contend with the alien threat Serleena, played by Lara Flynn Boyle, he said.
"How do you make a sequel and not make the same movie over again, but not screw up what was working?" Sonnenfeld said in an interview during a break in filming on the Sony studio lot in Culver City, Calif. "What was working was the relationship of Will and Tommy. How can you screw that up? Well, that would be by having Will be, sort of, Tommy the whole movie, because people want to see Will being sort of, you know, amusing and sort of energetic. So that was a concern that I had."
Sonnenfeld added that an early draft of the script didn't reintroduce Jones' character until halfway through the film. "So one of the first things that I did was to try to get him into the movie early. Because Will said, the first day we worked with Tommy, which was about two weeks into the movie, we were shooting in Grand Central Station [in New York], and it was the first day Tommy was on. We got finished shooting, and Will, with a big grin on his face, came up to me and said, 'K makes J.' In other words, without Tommy, there is no Will. Without K, Tommy's character, there is no J. Which is why I needed to get him into the movie as early as possible."
Boyle is a new addition to the cast. On Aug. 27, Boyle was on Sony's Stage 15 in a recreation of the old MIB headquarters set, where Sonnenfeld directed extras dressed as aliens and stunt actors attired in the familiar black business suits. Boyle was a late replacement for X-Men actress Famke Janssen, who dropped out of the production on the first day of shooting because of an illness in the family. Also on set that day was MTV bad boy Johnny Knoxville (Jackass), who joins the cast as a two-headed alien.
Rip Torn, who played MIB Chief Zed, also returns in MIB II. But Sonnefeld added that one familiar face won't be back: Linda Fiorentino, whose character Laurel morphed into Agent L at the end of the first movie. "Because we needed to bring Tommy back as [Will's] partner, I didn't want to make a movie about the relationship between J and L," Sonnenfeld said. "So rather than bring her in and then get rid of her, ... we did have her actually in the morgue here in one point. But it wasn't a big enough part for Linda to want to do it." Instead, the movie will deal with L's disappearance off camera. Men in Black II is scheduled to continue shooting through October, with an eye to a summer 2002 release.
Gross Goes Back To Tremors
ichael Gross, who reprises the role of survivalist gun nut Bert Gummer in the upcoming straight-to-video Tremors 3: Back to Perfection, told SCI FI Wire that he thinks the third installment in the sleeper franchise is the best yet.
"I think it will be great for the fans of Tremors 1 to get back to our roots and see some of their favorite characters a little older—and Bert too," he said in an interview. "Wait until you see the size of the guns I have in the first part of the movie. The writers have given Bert the usual overkill, his overpreparedness."
Tremors 3 takes the story back to the small town of Perfection, Nevada, where the underground-dwelling "graboids" and the two-legged "shriekers" have mutated into a new, surprising form, Gross said. "People have told me, frankly, that they thought Tremors 3 was better than the first two movies," he added. "In Tremors 2[: Aftershocks], you may remember that we went down to Mexico to save an oil company from the creatures. I always thought that was odd—people hate oil companies! Here, we're back in Perfection, Nevada, and we're saving women and children, and it's back to our roots."
The film comes from the creators of the original 1990 Tremors feature film, Nancy Roberts, S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock, who directs this time around. Though the sequel features new creatures, it brings back familiar faces from the first movie, including Charlotte Stewart as Nancy; Ariana Richards as her daughter, Mindy; Tony Genaro as Miguel; and Bobby Jayne as Melvin Plug. Gross takes center stage in the third installment.
Gross admits that everyone was pleasantly surprised by the durability of the franchise. "I think the writers were able to create a movie that is both horrific, which appeals to the sci-fi fans, but has quirky humor," he said. Tremors 3 goes on sale Oct. 2 in both VHS and DVD formats.
Smith Up For Exorcist 4?
he Coming Soon Web site reported a rumor that Final Destination star Kerr Smith is the front-runner to play a youthful Father Merrin in the proposed fourth Exorcist movie, a prequel to the first one.
Exorcist 4:1, to be directed by John Frankenheimer, will tell the story of Merrin's journey to Africa and his first encounter with evil forces, the site reported.
No other cast members have been announced yet for the feature film, which is due out in 2003, the site reported.
Mutant X Has Comic Feel
oward Chaykin, head writer of the upcoming syndicated SF series Mutant X, told Prevue Magazine that the show reflects a comic-book sensibility, even though it's not based on a comic.
"Our show reflects the classic action-hero concept," he told the site. "We are talking about a group of action heroes in their mid- to late 20s, with the kind of problems one associates with that age group."
The series does borrow the title of Marvel Comics' Mutant X series, but little else, added Chaykin, a former Marvel artist and writer who pioneered the graphic novel format. "What they did was cancel the book, and we are using the title for the show," he said. "The characters in our show did not exist in any of the previous Marvel universe that has gone on before. ... They wanted to create a brand-new franchise."
The Mutant X TV show tells the story of a team of genetically enhanced mutants who are trying to elude the top-secret government agency that created them. John Shea (Lois and Clark) stars. "It's completely an ensemble cast," Chaykin said. "We have six actors that the show revolves around. We have spotlight episodes that bring one character to the fore, and we have an equal number of ensemble shows. Even the spotlight shows have all our actors there." Mutant X debuts in syndication the week of Oct. 1.
King Begins Dark Tower Work
orrormeister Stephen King told fans on his official Web site that he will write the final three books in his Dark Tower series.
"This time I'm hoping to press on to the very end and publish the remaining volumes all at the same time," King wrote. "That probably means three books, one of them fairly short and one of the other two quite long."
King added that the fifth book won't be called The Crawling Shadow, as he previously reported. "If I had to guess, I'd say that the push to completion will take two years, depending on all the usual variables, like sickness, accidents, and—scariest of all—a failure of inspiration," King said. "The only thing I know for sure is that all these old friends of mine are as alive as they ever were. And as dangerous." King also posted "Calla Bryn Sturgis," the prologue to the fifth Dark Tower book.
Producer Loses James Bond Suit
roducer Kevin McClory's lawsuit seeking co-creator credit and a share of profits from the James Bond feature-film franchise was dismissed by a federal appeals court, Variety reported.
McClory had sued Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and production company Danjaq Productions, asserting that he co-created the cinematic James Bond character.
But a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Aug. 27 upheld a lower-court ruling last year that dismissed the suit on the grounds that McClory waited too long to assert his rights to the Bond character—more than 35 years, the trade paper reported.
In the late 1950s, McClory collaborated with author Ian Fleming on a script of Thunderball, and in a 1963 settlement to a lawsuit between the two men, McClory obtained some rights to the story, Variety reported. McClory's rights were the basis for both Thunderball and its remake, Never Say Never Again.
In 1997, Sony paid $2 million for McClory's Thunderball rights and announced it would begin a competing Bond franchise. But MGM sued, which resulted in a 1999 settlement under which Sony gave up all claims to the Bond character. McClory decided to press ahead on his own, Variety reported.
SCI FI Plays Mind Games
he SCI FI Channel is developing Mind Games, a seven-hour miniseries exploring the boundaries between madness and sanity, Variety reported.
The network has not given the miniseries a green light yet.
Mind Games takes place in a mental institution, where the central character is undergoing a complete mental breakdown, producer Gary Pearl told the trade paper. Pearl said that the intention is to enlist top directors to shoot individual episodes of the miniseries.
Ed Naha (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids) wrote the Mind Games script, the trade paper reported.
Long Ago No Fairy Tale
yde Park Entertainment is in talks to develop Long Ago and Far Away, otherwise known as Prince Charming, a fairy-tale movie based on a pitch by writers David Titcher and Diane Saltzberg, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Hyde Park, through its MGM discretionary fund, is negotiating to acquire the pitch, with filmmaker Charles Shyer attached to direct and produce, the trade paper reported.
Titcher and Saltzberg would write the screenplay from their pitch, which combines several classic fairy tales to tell the story of Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, who all find themselves married to the same Prince Charming, the trade paper reported.
DVD To Dig Into Raider
he DVD of this summer's hit film Lara Croft Tomb Raider will include a 25-minute featurette and other extras, Variety reported.
The Digging into Tomb Raider featurette will offer behind-the-scenes looks at the film and star Angelina Jolie's three months of training for the role, the trade paper reported.
The DVD will also carry commentary by director Simon West, four deleted scenes, an alternate main title sequence, the music video for U2's Elevation—Tomb Raider Mix and footage from each incarnation of Eidos' best-selling video game, as well as interviews with game developers, Variety reported. The DVD hits stores Nov. 13.
WB To Sneak Nightmare
he Kids WB! will air a sneak preview of its first-ever original live-action
anthology series The Nightmare Room on Aug. 31 at 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
The preview will feature two back-to-back episodes of the show, which is based on R.L. Stine's The Nightmare Room thriller book series. The series will premiere on Sept. 15 at 11:30 a.m.
The Nightmare Room is one of several new series that will premiere on
Kids WB! this fall. The show is a Twilight Zone-style anthology series, which takes viewers into a world beyond reality and brings nightmares to life.
David Carradine and Robert Englund are among the prominent actors who will appear in the series. The show will adapt Stine's novels and also feature original stories written for television. Tollin/Robbins Productions produces the show in association with Warner Bros. Television.
Mars Nearly Gives Up Ghost
ohn Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars opened in ninth place in the box-office rankings, taking in just $3.8 million for the weekend of Aug. 24, the Hollywood trade papers reported.
The Others, meanwhile, maintained the No. 4 position, taking in about $8.6 million for the weekend, for a total so far of about $46.2 million.
Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes fell to 10th place from seventh, pulling in about $3.5 million for the weekend, with a cumulative total of about $167.9 million.
Briefly Noted
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Marvel Studios executive Kevin Feige refuted to the Comics Continuum Web site a rumor that soap star Drake Hogestyn is in the running to play the title role in the upcoming Daredevil movie. "It's not even worth shooting down," Feige told the site.
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The TrekWeb fan site confirmed that Paramount has chosen English opera star Russell Watson to cover the Rod Stewart tune Faith of the Heart as the opening theme music of UPN's upcoming Enterprise series.
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Eliza Dushku has denied rumors she'll make an appearance on Buffy the Vampire Slayer this season, the Jam Movies Web site reported. "I've seen those stories on the Internet, but I've also read that I'm supposed to be playing Wonder Woman in the film version, and that I'm replacing Shannen Doherty on Charmed," Dushku told the site. "According to rumors, I'm going to be one very busy actress next year, but I haven't had any formal offers."
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Writer Jonathan Hensleigh (Armageddon) has been hired to "reconceive" the on-again, off-again SF movie Gemini Man, Variety reported.
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SFX magazine reported that the BBC's online Doctor Who serial Death Comes to Time received more than 1.5 million hits after only three days, exceeding expectations.
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Battlestar Galactica fans will celebrate the 23rd anniversary of the show at the Dragon*Con in Atlanta on Sept. 1. Members of the original Galactica cast, including Richard Hatch, will participate.
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A second trailer for James Wong's upcoming SF thriller film The One has gone live on the Web. The One, starring Jet Li, opens Nov. 2.
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The moviefone Web site has posted an image of the official poster for the first of Peter Jackson's upcoming Lord of the Rings movies, The Fellowship of the Ring.
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Disney will expand its release of the animated SF movie Atlantis: The Lost Empire for the upcoming Labor Day weekend, Variety reported. The film played in only 125 theaters the previous weekend.
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When it is released in Japan in December, DreamWorks' computer-animated fantasy film Shrek will feature the voices of Japanese movie and TV star Masatoshi Hamada (Space Travellers) as the titular ogre, well-known actress Norika Fujiwara as Princess Fiona, seasoned voiceover artist Kouichi Yamadera as Donkey and veteran actor Masato Ibu as Lord Farquaad, Variety reported.
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TNN will air a Labor Day marathon of five Star Trek feature films, starting at 10 a.m. ET/PT on Sept. 3 with 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The marathon also kicks off TNN: A Five-Day Mission, during which TNN will air 77 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, three Trek movies and a documentary about the series called America Loves Star Trek.
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Danny Strong told the Moviehole Web site that he's slated to reprise the role of Jonathan in the upcoming sixth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which moves to UPN on Oct. 2. "I've just finished the first episode," he told the site. The site added that Eliza Dushku (Faith) is trying to free time on her schedule to make an appearance on the show.
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The Coming Soon Web site reported that Nicolas Cage is up for the lead role in a proposed remake of the classic horror film The Wicker Man, the part played in the 1973 movie by Edward Woodward.
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The Ain't It Cool News Web site has posted a synopsis of what it says is a draft of John Milius' script for a proposed third Conan the Barbarian movie, entitled King Conan, Crown of Iron.
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Dark Horizons reported that preproduction will begin in the next two weeks on the third Austin Powers movie. Mike Myers will reportedly play at least one new villain character, the site reported.
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Dark Horizons reported that a couple of British radio hosts are apparently the source of a false rumor, reported by the Ain't It Cool News Web site, that Seth Green (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) will replace Edward Furlong as John Connor in the upcoming Terminator 3 film.
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Warner Bros. marketing chief Brad Ball said in a memo that marketing wasn't to blame for the poor box-office performance of the live-action/animated Osmosis Jones, according to a copy of the memo posted to the Animation Blast Web site and The Hollywood Reporter. "Parents seemed put off by the content," Ball's memo reportedly said. "It can also be argued that 2-D animation ... was out-executed [during the summer], though [Osmosis'] animation did have a striking look."
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The Ain't It Cool News Web site reported a rumor that the Rod Stewart song Faith of the Heart, previously heard in the film Patch Adams, will be heard as the main title of UPN's upcoming Enterprise series. The song, by Diane Warren, will reportedly play over a montage of film clips showing the exploration of the world and the first steps into space, the site reported.
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The IGN FilmForce Web site reported that the upcoming Resident Evil: Ground Zero film, based on the Resident Evil video game franchise, is slated to open in theaters April 5, 2002. The movie stars Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez as zombie hunters.
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Pop singer Sisqó (Thong Song) will guest star on the Sept. 14 season premiere of The WB's Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, TV Guide Online reported.
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