Farscape Season To End Big
en Browder, who plays Cmdr. John Crichton in The SCI FI Channel's original series Farscape, told SCI FI Wire that the third season's final episodes will be "really big."
"I actually think that perhaps the best episode of the season is in the final four," Browder said in an interview at the recent Farscape convention in Burbank, Calif. "It's huge in scale, from a practical standpoint of shooting it, and effects, and emotionally. It's big. It's really big."
Browder added that he couldn't reveal the secrets of the upcoming episodes, but added, "There's a super-secret scene, which only three people know about. ... There's actually three storylines [from the season], which all come together in the end."
Executive David Kemper was equally circumspect, saying only, "Everything that [fans] expect is wrong, and I'll be disappointed if people aren't upset, exhilarated, angry and completely befuddled. We have to get them to expect one thing, and then give them something else. So everything they think is going to happen doesn't, but yet it will happen. ... Lots of things will happen, but they'll happen so differently, that they'll feel different. ... Let's just say, themes that have been developed in the year will come together and pay off by the end of the year. All the clues are there."
A key question will be how the surviving John Crichton deals with Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black), who developed a romantic relationship with Crichton's doomed doppelganger during the season. "I think you'll see a lot of that in the last four" episodes, Kemper said in an interview. "They have to talk to each other. They have to deal with it. They have to find out what their relationship is, and what it's going to be."
The final episodes of season three, which have already been shot, will air in January. As for season four? Browder said he will be writing at least one episode. And, Kemper added, "There's a story here that's unfolding for us, almost against everyone's will. It's happening on its own. That story will continue. The end of this season is simply, in terms of storytelling, ... artificially imposed upon us by the network. The next story is the next story, no matter what happens."
Austin 3 Is Green Lighted
ew Line has given the green light to the third installment in Mike Myers' Austin Powers franchise, to be titled Goldmember, Variety reported.
The movie is slated to start shooting in mid-November with an eye to a July 26, 2002, release date.
The film reteams star Myers and director Jay Roach; Myers and co-writer Michael McCullers drafted the screenplay. Myers will play Powers, his nemesis Dr. Evil and well-fed baddie Fat Bastard, as he did in the first sequel, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Variety reported. He'll also play the title character, the villainous Goldmember.
Roach told Variety that talks are under way for Verne Troyer to return as Mini-Me, and the plan is to have Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Seth Green reprise his role as Dr. Evil's son, Scott, with Robert Wagner back as No. 2 and Rob Lowe possibly returning to play the younger Wagner in a time-travel moment, the trade paper reported. Heather Graham, who succeeded Elizabeth Hurley as the love interest in the sequel, might return for a cameo, but a new love interest will be introduced, Variety added.
The script leaves open the possibility for star cameos, but both Roach and New Line denied a published report that Tom Cruise had been approached to be among them, the trade paper reported. Sean Connery was also rumored to appear in a cameo; Variety did not address that rumor.
Angel Man Stays Put
. August Richards—who plays vampire hunter Charles Gunn on Angel—told SCI FI Wire that he figured the show would return to the airwaves for a third season, but wasn't sure whether it would wind up on UPN or The WB.
"The only thing that was strange about it was the uncertainty, not knowing exactly what was going to happen with our show," Richards said in an interview.
The dust eventually settled, with Angel remaining on The WB, while its sister series/progenitor, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, jumped to the network's archrival, UPN. As before, Richards' character will work at Angel Investigations with the brooding one himself (David Boreanaz), Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and Wesley (Alexis Denisof).
Angel will kick off its third season on Sept. 24 in its new Monday timeslot, following, of all things, the family drama 7th Heaven. "When the shows separated, it kind of sucked, because it was cool to have that block of time for the two shows that were related to each other, that had stories told across both shows and [that] complement each other and contrast each other," Richards said. "So we'll be missing out on that. On the other hand, it's OK, because we get to stand on our own and be our own show and not necessarily have the Buffy lead-in. We have to be our own man, as they say."
Richards used his summer hiatus to shoot the upcoming TV movie Ground Zero, to attend a couple of conventions and to visit New York, London, Scotland, Bora Bora, Tahiti and Las Vegas. Angel airs Mondays at 9 p.m.
UPN Rolls Out Buffy Blitz
PN will roll out a major marketing push to promote its newly acquired series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which debuts on the Smackdown network on Oct. 2, the New York Daily News reported.
The campaign—the network's largest in five years—includes thousands of billboards, bus ads and poster-sized pictures of Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar's eyes looming over the caption "Buffy Lives," the newspaper reported.
"Our promotions in New York for Buffy will be everywhere," UPN chief operating officer Adam Ware told the News. "It won't be unlike what people saw around the premiere of the movie Pearl Harbor."
Prime-time commercials will feature Buffy cast members speculating about the storyline for next season. The campaign kicks off this week.
Buffy Fans Want Crossovers
ore than 6,400 fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series, Angel, are petitioning for more crossover episodes.
When Buffy jumped ship to UPN from The WB, which remains the home of Angel, both networks announced that crossover episodes would end when both shows return in the fall.
"We, fans of both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, respect the decision to move Buffy to UPN, while keeping Angel on The WB," the petition reads. "However, we would also like to keep the premise of the shows and the connection between them alive. The shows derive from the same mythology; they share a common history, and the bond between the main characters is well-established. We realize each show must stand on its own, but we don't believe that means they must be estranged from each other. We want the crossovers tradition to continue, despite the change in networks. Crossovers are a special aspect of the shows and a great luxury to the fans, even for fans across the globe, who still get both shows on the same channel. We don't want to lose that treat."
The petition is being sent to both networks and to Buffy creator Joss Whedon.
Rings Reel Previewed
ew Line Cinema screened footage from Peter Jackson's upcoming Lord of the Rings films for SCI FI Wire and other invited guests in Los Angeles on Aug. 5, offering a glimpse at the films' elaborate production design and a peek at a few key sequences.
In particular, the 26-minute reel—the same screened for journalists at the Cannes Film Festival—highlighted a harrowing and action-filled battle sequence in the Mines of Moria between the nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring, an army of orcs, a huge Cave Dweller creature and the demonic Balrog. The screening was part of several New Line is holding to build anticipation for the first Rings movie, The Fellowship of the Ring, which opens Dec. 19.
The reel included Gandalf's (Ian McKellen) arrival in the Shire; scenes from Bilbo Baggins' (Ian Holm) 111th birthday party; establishment of the fellowship before Elrond (Hugo Weaving) and the Council of Rivendell; the fellowship's trek through snowy mountains and lush Middle-earth countryside; and the descent into Moria. The mine scene depicts an immense cavern with a forest of tree-like stone columns. The ensuing battle offers highly choreographed swordplay and archery by Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Boromir (Sean Bean), Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) and Legolas (Orlando Bloom) against computer-generated orcs and monsters, with the camera swirling in and around the action. The Hobbits are portrayed by Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan.
The reel ends with quick, intercut scenes from the second and third films, culminating in Frodo's (Wood) and Sam's (Astin) ascent of Mt. Doom. The audience catches glimpses of Lothlorien and Helms Deep; Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), Saruman (Christopher Lee) and Arwen (Liv Tyler); and battles and death scenes. The extremely detailed production design borrows from Romanesque and Gothic castles and cathedrals, Viking long houses and Celtic illuminations, as well as from Alan Lee's illustrations of J.R.R. Tolkien's books. The audience at one afternoon screening broke into spontaneous applause at the end.
Wood Fought To Be Frodo
lijah Wood told SCI FI Wire that he went all out to win the role of the heroic, Ring-bearing Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's epic Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
"I heard that they wanted to do casting calls," the actor said in an interview. "They were basically asking anyone in L.A. to go into a casting director's office and be filmed against an office background, a white background."
That frustrated Wood, who felt he wouldn't be able to convey his passion in such a sterile environment. "I was so passionate about the role and so passionate about the films that I wanted to do something else that would somehow convey how much I loved it, how much I wanted to be a part of it," he said. "So I said, '[Screw] it, I'll do my own video.' So I got together with my friend. We got wardrobe. I got a book and looked to see what a Hobbit looked like. We shot it, did different angles. I did all that stuff just so I could make it the most realistic I possibly could. Then I sent it off."
Wood, of course, went on to beat out all comers for the coveted role, and he subsequently spent 16 months in New Zealand, sharing the screen with the likes of Ian Holm (Bilbo), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Christopher Lee (Saruman) and Frodo's loyal Hobbit pals, Merry (Dominic Monaghan), Pippin (Billy Boyd) and Sam (Sean Astin). "There's an innocence about Frodo, but also a strength and a courage that is sort of unlike other Hobbits," said Wood, whose previous genre credits include Back to the Future II, Forever Young, The Faculty and Deep Impact. "Most Hobbits tend to want to stay in the Shire and live off the land. They find comfort in it. They don't want to know what goes on outside their world. Frodo, like Bilbo, is intrigued by what's out there. He wants to travel. He loves Bilbo's stories. He knows that there's this amazing world out there, and he's fascinated by it. And I loved that about him."
The Fellowship of the Ring will be released on Dec. 19, followed by The
Two Towers in December 2002 and The Return of the King in December 2003.
Wood Campaigned For Rings
lijah Wood was so eager to play the part of Frodo in Peter Jackson's upcoming Lord of the Rings trilogy of films, he took a break from filming The Faculty to videotape his own homegrown audition, E! Online reported.
The 19-year-old actor put on a medieval shirt for the tape, which he sent to executive producer Mark Ordesky, who worked with Jackson and casting agents to fill more than 50 speaking parts in the three movies.
"From the moment we saw the tape, the discussions were over," Ordesky told the site. "Elijah had the right combination of vulnerability and innocence for Frodo, as well as an inner strength." Wood appears on the cover of the August edition of Premiere magazine. The first Rings film, The Fellowship of the Ring, premieres Dec. 19.
Kreuk Flies Into Smallville
ristin Kreuk—who will play Lana Lang opposite Tom Welling's Clark Kent in The WB's upcoming Smallville—told SCI FI Wire that she chose not to pick the brain of Annette O'Toole, who portrayed Lang in the Superman III feature film.
O'Toole will play Clark's mother, Martha Kent, on the new series, which takes flight Oct. 16.
"I don't think it's something we're planning on doing," the 20-year-old Kreuk said in an interview. "I've gotten to watch her in action, and she is amazing. Everyone sits in front of the monitor and goes, 'That woman is so talented. She's so good. And she's funny. She's got the greatest timing. As far as Lana, I figure that Annette played Lana at a different time in the character's life. I'm playing an almost different person. I didn't want to go there."
Kreuk is a Canadian actress whose credits include the series Edgemont and the upcoming ABC television movie Snow White, in which she plays the title character.
Smallville is the latest telling of the Superman saga, following countless comic books, the original Superman TV series, as well as movies, TV's Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Superboy and so on. Kreuk admitted she didn't know much about the history of Superman before signing on for Smallville, but she thinks she understands its enduring appeal. "The story of Superman is universal and timeless, because the stories themselves—the adventures and all of that—are very interesting and always will be," she said. "Also, I think that the messages behind Superman—truth, justice—are things everyone can relate to and understand. Doing a TV show like this, we'll be able to show these stories and [convey] the messages to [younger] people who might not have known about them otherwise." Smallville will air Tuesdays at 9 p.m.
Potter Premiere Set
he world premiere of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone will take place Nov. 4 in London, the Reuters news service reported. The film—based on the first of J.K. Rowling's four popular Potter novels—will debut in a huge gala celebration in the city's West End, the news service reported.
(In the United Kingdom, the film will be called Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as was the book.)
Potter fans, meanwhile, will get a peek at the $150 million film in this month's Vanity Fair magazine, which features cast photos by photographer Annie Leibowitz. Potter opens to the public in North America and Britain on Nov. 16.
Potter Coins To Be Legal
U.K. mint will issue Harry Potter commemorative coins that will be acceptable as legal tender—at least on the Isle of Man, the Empire Online Web site reported.
Popjoy Mint will issue the coins in cupronickel, silver or gold, with an image of Queen Elizabeth II on one side and Harry Potter on the other, the site reported.
The coins are due to be issued in the fall, just before the release of the first Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. They can be spent as legal tender on the Isle of Man, but other shopkeepers will have the option of accepting them or not. But it's not likely they'll get spent: the gold coin costs £39.95 ($58.20), but has a face value of only 5 pence (7 cents).
Potter 2 Images On Web
mages reportedly from the production of the second Harry Potter feature film have found their way to the BBC's official Web site.
Though the first Potter film, based on J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone book, doesn't reach theaters until Nov. 16, the second film has already started, the BBC reported.
The images depict the Hogwarts Express train as it rumbles through the Scottish countryside. The second film is based on Rowling's second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Matrix Cast Grieves Aaliyah
he Matrix Reloaded star Carrie-Anne Moss told USA Today that the cast is still recovering from the death of co-star Aaliyah, who was slated to play a role in the sequel.
"We were all devastated and shocked," Moss told the newspaper. "She had already become a part of the Matrix family. We still think about her." The pop star and actress died in a plane crash Aug. 25.
Meanwhile, Moss told the newspaper that the physical demands of the film and The Matrix 3 are greater than those of the original. "They want more intense fighting, more complicated moves," Moss said from Australia, where the two movies are shooting. "I'm exhausted." Moss and co-stars Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne will spend nearly two months in martial-arts training to intensify the fights from the original, the newspaper reported. "I get up, train, eat dinner, go to bed and start over the next day," she said. "I've forgotten what a social life is like."
Matrix 2 Spoilers Revealed?
he Ain't It Cool News Web site reported a rumored spoiler that the upcoming Matrix Reloaded sequel will feature a fight among several Neo characters.
Citing an anonymous source, the site disputed an earlier rumor that the film will feature clones of Neo, played by Keanu Reeves.
But the site added that the movie will feature a fight among 100 versions of Neo. Moreover, the site reported that the sinister agents in the film will be able to morph into inanimate objects. The film is currently in production for release in 2003.
Queen Rumor Squelched
arner Bros. is trying to squelch what it calls a "vicious" rumor that the tragic death of pop star Aaliyah is prompting the studio to reconsider a straight-to-video release of its upcoming vampire movie Queen of the Damned, which stars the actress.
Contrary to rumors on the Ananova, Empire Online and other Web sites, Warner Bros. is saying that it always planned to release the film in movie theaters and never slotted it for a straight-to-video release.
Moreover, the studio said it has long intended to release Queen in 2002, not 2001; the release date is and remains February 2002. "The rumor that Aaliyah's tragic death has rescued it and put it back on course for theatrical release is vicious," a studio source told SCI FI Wire. "It must be very hurtful for her family." Queen stars Aaliyah as the vampire Akasha in a story based on Anne Rice's novel of the same name.
McGregor Recants Clones Slam
wan McGregor—who plays Obi-Wan Kenobi in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode II: The Attack of the Clones—backed off his earlier criticism of the film's title in an interview with the BBC, according to a report on Cinescape Online.
"I don't know how it feels to be in a film called Attack Of The Clones—they have never told me to this day that that's what it's called," McGregor told the BBC. He added, "It reminds me of a Flash Gordon episode. Flash Gordon is an episodic science fiction drama, and so is Star Wars on a much bigger scale. So maybe it's absolutely right."
Shortly after the title's announcement earlier this summer, McGregor told reporters, "It's a terrible, terrible title."
The official Star Wars Homing Beacon newsletter, meanwhile, offered a hint at the prequel's plot. Reporting on the upcoming comics adaptation of the film, the newsletter reported that the story in part concerns Obi-Wan Kenobi's embarking on an important mission to unravel a crucial mystery.
Episode II Convention Set
he official Star Wars fan club will host Star Wars Celebration II in Indianapolis on May 3-5, 2002, a convention to commemorate the release of Episode II: The Attack of the Clones.
The fan convention will also honor the 25th anniversary of the first film in the saga, A New Hope.
The Indianapolis Convention Center will be filled with Star Wars-related exhibits, displays and events, and the convention will feature movie footage, appearances by celebrities and behind-the-scenes talent from all of the Star Wars movies and other entertainment. Celebration I took place in Denver in May 1999 and attracted more than 25,000 fans from all over the world.
No Indy IV Until 2006?
fourth Indiana Jones movie won't begin production until at least 2006, at least according to an interview with producer George Lucas in a French magazine.
The Movie Headlines Web site reported that Lucas told Tele 7 Jour that commitments to the Star Wars prequels will hold his attention at least until then.
"Up to 2005, my mind is focused on the Star Wars episodes," Lucas reportedly said. "I don't know how I can manage to find time for Indy before 2006. [Director] Steven [Spielberg] and [star] Harrison [Ford] agreed for a new adventure, but due to other projects, we are very busy. The most difficult thing will be to block on our schedule a whole year to focus only on Indy IV. Steven is not afraid of working on several projects at the same time, as writer, producer and director. I cannot do that."
Horror Guild Winners Named
he International Horror Guild announced the winners of its annual awards recognizing outstanding achievement in the field of horror and dark fantasy from the year 2000.
The awards were presented Sept. 1 at Dragon*Con in Atlanta. Andrew Hallett, who plays the Host on The WB's Angel, acted as master of ceremonies. A list of winners follows.
Novel
•Declare by Tim Powers
First Novel
•Adams Fall by Sean Desmond
Long Story
•"The Man on the Ceiling" by Melanie and Steve Rasnic Tem
Short Story
•"The Rag-and-Bone Men" by Steve Duffy
Illustrated Narrative
•I Feel Sick, Nos. 1 and 2, by Jhonen Vasquez
Collection (Tie)
•City Fishing by Steve Rasnic Tem
•Ghost Music and Other Tales by Thomas Tessier
Anthology
•October Dreams: A Celebration of Halloween, ed. by Richard Chizmar and Robert Morrish
Nonfiction
•At the Foot of the Story Tree by William Sheehan
Publication
•Horror Garage
Art
•Joel-Peter Witkin
Film
•American Psycho
Television
•Angel
Living Legend Award
•Alice Cooper
Chesleys Honor Artists
he 16th annual Chesley Awards, honoring genre artists, were handed out at the World Science Fiction Convention, or Millennium Philcon, in Philadelphia over the weekend.
The awards, named for famed astronomical artist Chesley Bonestell, are given out by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists. A complete list of winners follows.
Best Cover Illustration: Hardback Book
•John Jude Palencar for Forests of the Heart by Charles de Lint
Best Cover Illustration: Paperback Book
•Jean Pierre Targete for Circle at Center by Douglas Niles
Best Cover Illustration: Magazine
•Todd Lockwood for Dragon, July 2000
Best Interior Illustration
•Kinuko Y. Craft for Cinderella
Best Color Work, Unpublished
•Michael Whelan for Reach
Best Monochrome Work, Unpublished
•Drew Willis for A Wizard of Earthsea
Best Three-Dimensional Art
•Sandra Lira for Millennium Angel
Award for Artistic Achievement
•Frank Kelly Freas
Award for Best Art Director
•Irene Gallo for Tor Books
Best Gaming-Related Illustration
•Todd Lockwood for Forge of Fury
Best Product Illustration
•Donato Giancola for Dracopaleontology
Award for Contribution to ASFA
•Todd Lockwood, Jon Schindehette and Wizards of the Coast
Spectrum Winners Announced
he Gaylactic Network, the premiere organization for gay and lesbian fandom, announced the winners of its Spectrum Awards, honoring works in science fiction, fantasy and horror that include positive explorations of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender characters, themes or issues.
The awards were presented at last weekend's World Science Fiction Convention, or Millennium Philcon, in Philadephia. A complete list of winners follows.
2001 People's Choice Award
•Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Best Novel
•Jumping Off the Planet by David Gerrold
Best Other Work
•Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2001 Hall of Fame (Tie)
•Imperial Earth by Arthur C. Clarke
•The Sparrow/Children of God by Mary Doria Russell
•The Weetzie Bat books, collected as Dangerous Angels, by Francesca Lia Block
Sidewise Winners Named
he judges for the Sidewise Awards for alternate history announced the winners of the 2000 awards.
The awards were presented at Millennium Philcon, the 59th World Science Fiction Convention, in Philadelphia on Aug. 31. The winners follow.
Best Short Form
•Ted Chiang, "Seventy-Two Letters"
Best Long Form
•Mary Gentle, Ash: A Secret History
Hugo Winners Announced
.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire won the 2001 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel during ceremonies held at the World Science Fiction Convention in Philadelphia on Sept. 2.
The 2001 Hugos, recognizing work from 2000, were voted by the membership of Millennium Philcon.
The Hugo Awards—named in honor of Hugo Gernsback, "the father of magazine science fiction"—are presented annually by the World Science Fiction Society. The Hugo Awards are also known by their more formal name, the Science Fiction Achievement Awards. A complete list of winners follows.
Best Novel
•Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Best Novella
•"The Ultimate Earth" by Jack Williamson
Best Novelette
•"Millennium Babies" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Best Short Story
•"Different Kinds of Darkness" by David Langford
Best Related Book
•Greetings from Earth: The Art of Bob Eggleton by Bob Eggleton and Nigel Suckling
Best Dramatic Presentation
•Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, directed by Ang Lee
Best Professional Editor
•Gardner Dozois
Best Professional Artist
•Bob Eggleton
Best Semiprozine
•Locus, edited by Charles N. Brown
Best Fanzine
•File 770, edited by Mike Glyer
Best Fan Writer
•Dave Langford
Best Fan Artist
•Teddy Harvia
John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
•Kristine Smith
In addition to the Hugo Awards, the Big Heart Award honoring active fans who have demonstrated their "Big Hearts" was given to Steve and Sue Francis. The First Fandom Hall of Fame Award for fans who have given a lifetime of service to science fiction went to Frank Robinson.
The newly created Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award, which is presented to a science fiction or fantasy author whose work deserves renewed attention, went to Olaf Stapledon. The Japanese Seiun Award for non-Japanese-language works that were first published in Japanese translation in 2000 went to "Oceanic" by Greg Egan for Best Short Story, and Frameshift by Robert Sawyer for Best Novel.
Rock Denies Conan Rumor
wayne "The Rock" Johnson denied a rumor that he will appear in the proposed third Conan the Barbarian film, reportedly titled King Conan: Crown of Iron, according to a report on the 4W Wrestling Web site.
In an interview on the Late Night with Conan O'Brien show, The Rock reportedly dismissed the rumor, though he admitted a friendship with likely King Conan star Arnold Schwarzenegger.
John Milius, who wrote and directed 1982's Conan the Barbarian, has reportedly drafted a screenplay for a third Conan film.
Conan 3 At Stalemate?
he Dark Horizons Web site reported a rumor that writer John Milius is clashing with directors Andy and Larry Wachowski over the script of a proposed third Conan the Barbarian movie.
Citing an anonymous source, the site reported that the Wachowskis have requested changes to Milius' script for King Conan: Crown of Iron, but that Milius is balking.
The directors reportedly want the script toned down. Milius has declined, and the project is reportedly at a stalemate.
Mutant X Comic Delayed
comic-book version of the upcoming syndicated television series Mutant X has been delayed, Marvel Comics marketing communications manager Bill Rosemann told the Comics Continuum Web site.
Mutant X debuts in syndication the week of Oct. 1.
"After viewing the first few episodes of the new syndicated Mutant X TV series, we've made a scheduling change to properly capitalize on the show's debut," Rosemann told the site. "By moving the launch of our Mutant X comic book from October to a later date, we'll give the program time to build audience awareness and loyalty, rather than delivering a product before the source material actually hits. Then, once the show has generated excitement, we'll capitalize on that recognition by releasing the comic."
Howard Chaykin and David Tischman will write the comic series, with art by Lee Ferguson and Jon Holdredge. In addition, the Mutant X comic is scheduled to have features on the television cast by the Continuum's Rob Allstetter.
Sony Appeals Spidey Fine
ony Pictures has appealed the state of California's proposed fines of nearly $59,000 for alleged safety violations on the Spider-Man set in the wake of a March 6 accident in which a welder was killed, Variety reported.
California's division of Occupational Safety and Health cited nine violations against Columbia Pictures in its notification, the trade paper reported.
Welder Tim Holcombe died instantly after being struck in the head when a boom extension toppled onto an aerial basket in which he was riding at the former Rockwell International aerospace plant in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, Variety reported.
Fox Picks Up Neverworld
ox has picked up Neverworld, a science fiction pilot from Kelsey Grammer, Robert Nathan and Paramount Network TV, Variety reported.
Under development for fall 2002, Neverworld will tell the story of a young man who lands in a parallel universe.
Nathan (Law & Order) will create and executive produce the project; Grammer (Frasier) will executive produce, the trade paper reported.
Night Visions Tanking
V Guide Online reported that Fox's supernatural anthology series Night Visions averaged only 4.5 million viewers for its Aug. 24 episode, placing fifth in its timeslot.
That doesn't bode well for the series, which airs its second-to-last first-season episode on Sept. 6.
The new episode features Chad Lowe as a man who is horrified to discover that his life is mimicking the plot of a popular horror novel, TV Guide reported. The series is hosted by rocker Henry Rollins.
Saberhagen Goes Beserker
F writer Fred Saberhagen told SCI FI Wire that he's just sold a new Beserker novel to Tor Books.
"I'm just starting the new Beserker, and, as with every book I do,
I have the feeling I can't, mustn't, shouldn't talk about what's in it until it's 99 percent done," Saberhagen said in an interview. "I do look forward to providing a lot of action."
Saberhagen also revealed that New Line Cinema has optioned the Beserker series. "I've been consulting on screenplays," he said. "No, I don't mean to write one. [I] would much rather stay home and have Hollywood send me money." The 30-plus-year-old Beserker series follows the ongoing battle between mankind and robot killing machines, called Beserkers, which were created by a race called the Builders and which are determined to wipe out all life they encounter.
Saberhagen reported that a "number of possible titles" are in the running for the new tome and suggested that "only a wizard" could predict at this point when it will reach bookstores. He was more forthcoming, however, when it came to explaining the three-year gap between Berserker novels; the last one, Shiva in Steel, was released in 1998. "The delay is partly due to the fact that I've been doing the Book of the Gods series for Tor and have also just finished another Dracula—A Coldness in the Blood, publication date probably next year," said the 71-year-old author. His other popular series include the Swords and Lost Swords novels. "[I] also had to spend some time and energy defending my registered trademark—yep, the big one, the R in a circle—on Beserker as a science fiction series. This required filing a federal lawsuit against Dark Horse Comics and Random House when I got a look at a paperback called Aliens: Beserker. [The] lawsuit [was] successfully settled before it got to trial."
Phoenix Reads The Signs
oaquin Phoenix (Gladiator) will replace Mark Ruffalo as Mel Gibson's co-star in Signs, the upcoming supernatural thriller movie written and to be directed this fall by M. Night Shyamalan, Variety reported.
Ruffalo dropped out because he is recovering from ear surgery.
Signs, which will begin shooting in October, is set in Bucks County, Pa., and revolves around the appearance of mysterious crop circles on a family farm, the trade paper reported.
DreamWorks Revives Planet
reamWorks has acquired remake rights to Forbidden Planet, the classic 1956 SF film that was based on Shakespeare's The Tempest, Variety reported.
James Cameron and Frank Darabont have previously expressed interest in being involved in a remake, the trade paper reported.
The film, which starred Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen, told the story of a space mission that lands on Altair-4 in the year 2020 and discovers a doctor and his daughter, the sole survivors of a colonization attempt. The film was plucked out of the development dumpster at New Line by the studio's former production chief, Michael De Luca, who is steering production at DreamWorks, the trade paper reported.
Genre Duo Closes Film Deals
he writing-directing team of James Wong and Glen Morgan (The One) has closed deals to remake the supernatural horror films Willard and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Variety reported.
Morgan will make his directorial debut with Willard, based on 1971 movie about a persecuted young man who summons rats to wreak revenge on his tormentors, for New Line. Morgan's draft for a remake of Willard—written with input from Wong—went out to studios with two live, caged rats, the trade paper reported.
Miramax's Dimension Films unit, meanwhile, will develop Dark, based on a 1973 ABC television movie, about a woman who inherits a mansion inhabited by miniature demons. Dark will begin production immediately after Willard, Variety reported.
Wong is nearly done directing Revolution's SF thriller movie The One, starring Jet Li, which Wong wrote and produced with Morgan, the trade paper reported. The duo also wrote and directed Final Destination for New Line.
Rats! New Willard Shopped
artners Glen Morgan and James Wong (The One) are shopping a new incarnation of the 1971 rat horror movie Willard by sending copies of a spec script in a cage—with rats, Variety reported.
The duo's representatives at the Endeavor Agency sent the packages to various executives on Aug. 4, the trade paper reported.
DreamWorks principals Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg and Miramax co-chairmen Harvey and Bob Weinstein were among those who received the cages, Variety reported.
The original movie, which starred Bruce Davison, was produced by Bing Crosby and told the story of a socially persecuted young man who exacts revenge on his co-workers with bloodthirsty rodents.
Gale Denies Future 4
ob Gale—co-writer of the Back to the Future films—denied to the BTTF.com fan Web site rumors that a fourth installment in the popular franchise was in the works.
The rumor has circulated widely in the last week or so.
"I don't have any knowledge of any of this stuff," Gale told BTTF.com. "I think these were just idle rumors. No one at Universal or Amblin ever asked [director] Bob [Zemeckis] or me to think about a part four, and certainly [producer] Steven Spielberg would never consider the prospect without our involvement. Years ago, Bob and I would kick it around, but we couldn't do it without Michael J. Fox, and Michael just isn't in any condition to do something like that. I can't believe the fans would want to see a part four without Michael in it either. As a fan, I certainly wouldn't. It would smell too cheap. There will not be a part four."
Rollerball Worth The Wait
hris Klein—star of John McTiernan's upcoming Rollerball movie—told Chicago Sun-Times columnist Cindy Pearlman that the delayed film will be worth the wait.
Rollerball—a remake of Norman Jewison's 1975 SF film—was bumped to January from this summer.
"The patient bee gets the flower," Klein told Pearlman. "And I'm very happy with the movie." He added, "It was a movie where I read the script and said 'Yes, yes, yes.' Something inside you just says 'Whoa.' I play this guy who is down on his luck and lives for extreme sports. The movie is really about going from a zero to a superstar. It asks questions about government and sports hypocrisy."
Klein also said he did his own stunts on the movie. "I was in harnesses flying 30 feet above a concrete floor,'' he said. "I pulled my ... muscle in my knee and got strep throat. Then I got this weird knot in my rear end. I crashed into walls every day, sometimes butt first."
Stream Flows To CBS
cott Glenn and Saffron Burrows will star in The Seventh Stream, a fantasy television movie for CBS' Hallmark Hall of Fame, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
John Lynch (Sliding Doors) will co-star with Burrows (Deep Blue Sea) and Glenn.
Stream tells the story of an Irish fisherman, Owen Quinn (Glenn), who is recovering from the death of his wife and who falls in love with a mysterious, beautiful woman (Burrows). The woman's arrival brightens up the life of the entire village, but as Quinn uncovers details about his new love's past, he stumbles upon a mystery straight out of Irish folklore, the trade paper reported.
John Gray wrote the screenplay and will direct. Filming of the movie is set to begin this month on the western coast of Ireland, the trade paper reported.
Roswell Fans Boost Charity
ans of the teen alien series Roswell raised more than $14,000 to benefit the Pediatric Cancer Foundation at their second annual fan party in Los Angeles last month, according to a report on the Modesto Bee Web site.
Stars Majandra Delfino and Brendan Fehr were among the VIPs in attendance at the Sheraton Hotel in Universal City in Los Angeles.
The party was 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.
Fans also raised about $16,400 in charitable donations as a thank-you to UPN for picking the series up from The WB, which canceled it at the end of last season, the Bee reported.
Top Cow Raises Angel
omic publisher Top Cow will develop Fallen Angel, a supernatural story based on a pitch by writer William Zide, for comics, TV and movies, Variety reported.
The story centers on an archangel who was cast out of heaven for fomenting a rebellion and who must redeem himself with good works on Earth, the trade paper reported.
Zide is a singer-songwriter and first-time writer. Top Cow (Witchblade) is the third-largest American comic book publisher.
New Trek Books Open Gateways
ocket Books' upcoming new Star Trek novels, Doors into Chaos and Demons of Air and Darkness, will bring together the worlds of The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine.
The books—volumes three and four in the seven-book Gateways series—arrive on store shelves Sept. 11.
Doors into Chaos, by Robert Greenberger, heralds the return of the Iconians, a civilization that long ago disappeared, taking the secrets of their interdimensional Gateways with them. Once back, they offer to sell the
Federation their technology and, as a good faith gesture, open the Gateways that had been shut for nearly a quarter of a million years. But reactivating the Gateways wreaks havoc in the alpha quadrant and leaves Capt. Picard and the crew of the Enterprise to deal not only with a galaxy of questions about the Iconians and their motives, but also with the ensuing skirmishes between the Klingons and Romulans.
Demons of Air and Darkness, by Keith R.A. DeCandido, follows the impact in the delta quadrant of the Gateways having been reopened. In this story, the Deep Space Nine crew attempts to save a nearby planet from annihilation, though Quark doesn't make matters any easier.
Greenberger has authored or co-authored such Trek tomes as The Disinherited, Wrath of the Prophets and Q's Guide to the Continuum. DeCandido counts among his credits the Trek comic-book miniseries
Perchance to Dream, as well as the Buffy the Vampire Slayer-themed The Xander Years,
volume one. Doors to Chaos and Demons of Air and Darkness are both mass-market paperback originals, and each will retail for a suggested price of $6.99.
Jeepers 2 Creeping Up
GM/UA, which distributed the hit supernatural horror film Jeepers Creepers, is already talking a sequel, Variety reported.
The scary movie topped the Labor Day box-office rankings with a record $15.8 million bow, the trade paper reported.
"We're already in talks" for a sequel, MGM/UA distribution and marketing president Bob Levin told Variety. "We're very interested in doing a sequel for a picture like this that performs so well." The studio and its co-production partner, Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope, hope to rehire director Victor Salva to shoot the sequel, the trade paper reported.
MGM paid $2.5 million for all North American rights to the movie, which cost an estimated $10 million for Zoetrope to produce.
Jeepers Scares Up No. 1
eepers Creepers premiered in the No. 1 position in the Labor Day weekend box-office rankings, scaring up an estimated $15.8 million in the four-day period, according to the Hollywood trade papers.
The movie set a record for a Labor Day opening, surpassing The Crow: City of Angels' $9.8 million take in 1996, the trade papers reported. Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope banner produced Jeepers Creepers for about $10 million.
Nicole Kidman's The Others took fourth place, with about $10 million for the weekend, for a total to date of about $59.8 million.
New Apes Games Due
bi Soft, Fox Interactive and Visiware have signed a worldwide deal to publish games based on Pierre Boulle's original Planet of the Apes novel, the FGN Web site reported.
The games will also feature elements from the classic Planet of the Apes film franchise, the site reported.
The games are scheduled to be released for the PC in September, followed by Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color versions in November.
Apes 2 Appeals To Roth
im Roth told SCI FI Wire that he would play the villainous chimpanzee Gen. Thade again in a Planet of the Apes sequel, if Tim Burton would direct it.
Roth also said in an interview that he suspects that Burton may take back recent comments that he has no interest in a sequel.
"If Tim [Burton] wanted to do it I would," Roth said. "He is tired. He may change his mind, but he's had to deal with the press for so long. He went straight from editing to a plane to start talking to press. He's exhausted. If he did want to, I would be interested in doing that, because it would be a great exercise to revisit a character and see what else you could do with him. I've never done that. Just as a challenge, it would be fascinating."
Roth had no opinion on the controversial ending of Burton's remake of 1968's original Apes and insisted that he actually has not yet seen it. "We were doing so much press that I kept dozing off during the screenings," he said. "I've done that before. I did it at Reservoir Dogs in Cannes, and I was snoring. That's what happens when you do a huge amount of press, so I really haven't had a chance to just sit and enjoy it and watch it. For me, it's get your popcorn out, get your soda, sit back and have a laugh. It's supposed to be pure entertainment, so I'm quite looking forward to seeing it. I loved playing that character. I loved Thade. I thought he was great."
Briefly Noted
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The 13th Street Web site has posted an English-language trailer for the upcoming French werewolf movie Brotherhood of the Wolf, which opens in limited release Jan. 11.
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The Dark Horizons Web site reported that Blade 2 director Guillermo del Toro was so pleased with Luke Goss' performance as Nomak, the villainous leader of the Reapers, that he has expanded the role.
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With little fanfare, New Line unveiled a new television trailer for the first of its upcoming Lord of the Rings films, The Fellowship of the Ring, during the Sept. 6 broadcast of the MTV Video Music Awards show. TheOneRing.net Web site has posted screen captures, and the Ain't It Cool News Web site has posted Quicktime video of the new trailer.
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Creative Forces, an Internet-based movie company, released its first computer-animated fantasy short, Paper Clips, about a paper clip who discovers the importance of teamwork. Paper Clips is available for download for $3.99.
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Cartoon Network will air Toonami: Lockdown as its latest Total Immersion Cartoon event, an on-air, week-long, serialized story and online game. The official Toonami Web site includes a game; fans must watch Toonami from 5-7 p.m. to retrieve special codes, then log on to the site to pilot robots, known as DOKS, through three different levels of space.
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Fans of Fox's Dark Angel will be able to download a second-season poster for the series, starting Sept. 7, from the DarkAngelFriday Web site, which was set up to promote the show's move to Fridays this fall. Dark Angel begins its new season on Sept. 21.
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Dark Horizons reported that Titan A.E. animators Gary Goldman and Don Bluth confirmed at Dragon*Con that their next project would be a feature-film version of their Dragon's Lair video game for a 2003 release.
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The 13th Street Web site has posted a review of what it says is a script for the upcoming feature film based on Marvel Comics' Daredevil series.
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Pendragon Pictures, which will shoot an independent feature-film version of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds book, said it shot images of recent forest fires in Washington state to incorporate into the movie. Production on the movie is slated to start Oct. 15; Timothy Hines will direct. No cast has been announced, and the film has no distributor.
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A rumor is circulating that former Angel co-star Christian Kane is under consideration to play Gambit in the upcoming X-Men 2 movie. Fans of the hunky actor, who played villainous lawyer Lindsey McDonald on The WB vampire series, are already gearing up a campaign to lobby for their favorite star.
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The Dark Horizons Web site reported a rumor that the final cut of Chris Columbus' upcoming Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone film clocks in at a hefty 142 minutes—nearly two and a half hours.
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David Gerrold's novel Jumping Off the Planet won the Hal Clement (Young Adult) Award of the Golden Duck Awards, honoring excellence in children's SF, at last weekend's World Science Fiction Convention in Philadelphia. Other Golden Duck winners were Nancy Etchemendy's The Power of UN and Robert Gould and Kathleen Duey's Rex, illustrated by Eugene Epstein.
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More than 500 Battlestar Galactica fans have signed an online petition asking that the producers of a new Galactica series include original cast members in their original roles.
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Anne McCaffrey, creator of the Dragonriders of Pern book series, has authorized a biography, Anne McCaffrey: Science Fiction Storyteller, by Martha P. Trachtenberg, which came out in July from Enslow Publishers Inc. The book is available at Amazon.com or through McCaffrey's own Web site, which will allow the writer to share in the book's proceeds, Trachtenberg told SCI FI Wire.
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The Emusic Web site is offering users up to 100 free MP3 tracks of Star Trek soundtrack music to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the franchise.
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Mad TV director Bruce Leddy will make his feature-film directorial debut on an as-yet-untitled spoof of action movies, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The project is out to actors for a fall start.
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Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski told Prevue Magazine that he's working on Delicate Creatures, a new fantasy comic for Top Cow. "I wanted to write, for lack of a better term, a fairy tale, but one with teeth for grown-ups," Straczynski told the magazine. "It takes a lot of the tropes and motifs of the fairy tale and turns them into a more sophisticated, darker point of view."
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