World Fantasy Awards Presented
he 2001 World Fantasy Awards were presented Nov. 4 at the World Fantasy Convention in Montreal.
Winners are nominated by members of the World Fantasy Convention and selected by a panel of judges to acknowledge excellence in fantasy writing and art. Judges for this year's awards were Steven Erikson, Paula Guran, Diana Wynne Jones, Graham Joyce and Jonathan Strahan. A complete list of winners follows.
Life Achievement
•Philip José Farmer
•Frank Frazetta
Novel (tie)
•Declare by Tim Powers
•Galveston by Sean Stewart
Novella
•"The Man on the Ceiling" by Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem
Short Fiction
•"The Pottawatomie Giant" by Andy Duncan
Anthology
•Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora, Sheree R. Thomas, ed.
Collection
•Beluthahatchie and Other Stories by Andy Duncan
Artist
•Shaun Tan
Special Award, Professional
•Tom Shippey, for J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century
Special Award, Non-Professional
•Bill Sheehan, for At the Foot of the Story Tree: An Inquiry Into the Fiction of Peter Straub
Clarke Says No More Travel
egendary SF author Arthur C. Clarke, who is suffering from post-polio syndrome, said he likely won't leave his home in Sri Lanka again because he lacks the energy for overseas travel, the Reuters news service reported.
Clarke, 83, made his comments via videotape to a gala dinner in his honor at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.
"I can no longer face overseas travel, and in fact, hope never to leave Sri Lanka again,'' said Clarke, who is best known for co-writing the film 2001: A Space Odyssey with director Stanley Kubrick. "I am now completely wheelchaired owing to post-polio syndrome and am very limited in time and energy."
Clarke was honored by the Space Frontier Foundation at a dinner that included Tom Hanks, James Cameron, Hugh Hefner, astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Dennis Tito, the first space tourist, Reuters reported.
Watts Enters The Ring
aomi Watts (Mulholland Drive) will star in The Ring, the DreamWorks remake of the 1998 Japanese supernatural film Ringu, Variety reported.
Gore Verbinski—who stepped in to finish The Time Machine when Simon Wells fell ill—will helm The Ring.
The original film, based on a series of novels by Suzuki Koji, tells the story of a journalist who investigates an urban legend about a videotape said to kill anyone who views it, the trade paper reported. The film broke Japanese box-office records, and DreamWorks paid $1 million to outbid Disney for the remake rights, with Ehren Kruger adapting the script.
McKellen: Rings Channels Tolkien
an McKellen, who plays the wizard Gandalf in the upcoming Lord of the Rings films, told SCI FI Wire that Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien was "looking down or up" on writer/producer/director Peter Jackson's film trilogy.
"[Tolkien] was always there, just off the set, in every single scene," McKellen said in an interview. McKellen plays Gandalf the Grey and, later, Gandalf the White in three films: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King.
McKellen added, "There were last-minute checks. 'Have we got it right? Is that what he wanted? Is that what he intended?' The devotion to that man, I think, was equal to everyone's devotion to Peter Jackson. It was never, 'Ah good, we've got this storyline, let's see what we can do with it.' Of course, it's Peter Jackson's vision of the films. It's his imagination. It's his response to [the stories]." The three films are based on Tolkien's three Rings volumes of the same name.
The British actor, who's currently on Broadway opposite Helen Mirren in Dance of Death and will soon reprise his role as Magneto in X-Men 2, elaborated further on his strong and positive feelings for Jackson. "When this film comes out, it will just say 'New Line [Cinema] presents The Lord of the Rings,'" he said. "It's not going to be 'A Film by Peter Jackson.' Now, wouldn't you think you'd earned the right, having brought this project to life, to have your name up there? The man you meet is the man we saw every day. He's only got one pair of shoes. He's always in shorts. He's always in the same shirt. He generates such enthusiasm just simply by being himself. He's not a star, but his knowledge is formidable. You can go to him and absolutely get your answer." The Fellowship of the Ring will open on Dec. 19.
New Zealand Has Rings Minister
he government of New Zealand created a cabinet-level position to lure tourists to the country, capitalizing on the nation's growing fame as a result of its role as the location for the upcoming Lord of the Rings films, EW.com reported.
The first "Minister of Lord of the Rings," as the local press has labeled him, is Pete Hodgson, who's also minister of energy, science, research and technology.
"This film will really put us on the map," Hodgson told the site. "Not many people knew that Star Wars was in Morocco, but everyone will know that Middle-Earth is in New Zealand." The first Rings film, The Fellowship of the Ring, opens Dec. 19.
SCI FI Rings In Middle-earth
he SCI FI Channel will give fans an insider's tour of the making of New Line Cinema's upcoming Lord of the Rings film trilogy in A Passage to Middle-Earth: The Making of the Lord of the Rings, a one-hour Scinema Beyond special, 8 p.m. ET/PT on Dec. 9.
Rings director Peter Jackson hosts the behind-the-scenes special.
In A Passage to Middle-Earth, Jackson discusses the creation of the three films with behind-the-scenes footage, video production diaries and interviews with cast and crew. The special looks at the creation of Hobbiton, Rivendell, Lothlorien and the mines of Moria; development of the Elvish language; and the prosthetics that transformed humans into hobbits, elves and Ringwraiths, among other things. A Passage to Middle-Earth will also feature interviews with stars Elijah Wood, Liv Tyler, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan and John Rhys-Davies.
Fans will also be able to log on to The SCI FI Channel's official Web site, SCIFI.COM, for supplemental materials. The first Rings film, The Fellowship of the Ring, opens Dec. 19.
Rings Isn't Potter Rival
ord of the Rings director Peter Jackson told reporters that he doesn't consider the first of his three Rings films as a rival to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which opens a month earlier, the Reuters news service reported.
"I'm a huge fan of the books, so I'm looking forward to it," Jackson told reporters about Potter. "Everybody paints this sort of competition between Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings—it's sort of crazy, because I just wish Harry Potter all the best, and I'm sure it'll be great."
Potter opens Nov. 16; the first Rings film, The Fellowship of the Ring, opens Dec. 19. Both are expected to be blockbusters. "People have another year to wait for the next Harry Potter film, but we're coming along four or five weeks later," Jackson said.
Watson Purrs for Potter
leven-year-old Emma Watson, who makes her big-screen debut as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, told SCI FI Wire that she wants to be an actress when she grows up.
"I love acting," the young Brit, who beat out thousands of other child actors vying for the coveted role, said in an interview. "Now that I've played the snotty, bossy, posh Hermione Granger, I'd like to play some American high school girl. I want to play something totally different. I want to play every kind of character and every point of view, but I'm probably going to be playing Hermione for a while."
Indeed, even as Sorcerer's Stone arrives in theaters nationwide on Nov. 16, Watson—along with co-stars Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron), Richard Harris (Prof. Dumbledore) and Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), as well as director Chris Columbus—are ensconced at Leavesden Studios in England shooting Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, based on the second of J.K. Rowling's best-sellers.
Watson reported that she's most excited by the prospect of Hermione turning feline in The Chamber of Secrets. "A potion turns me into a cat," she said. "I love cats. I'm obsessed with cats. I have two of my own—well, one; I have one, and the other belongs to my brother. My cat is named Bubbles, and I think she lives on my bed, literally. You can tell she's my cat. So to be able to turn into a cat on film will be so cool. I don't know how they're going to do it [through makeup or CGI], because I'm not involved with the technical stuff. You'll have to ask Chris Columbus. [But] it'll be like a dream, to see myself as a cat." Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets will be released on Nov. 15, 2002.
Columbus Discovers Potter
arry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone director Chris Columbus told SCI FI Wire that he has a dream. "My dream, and it is truly a dream at his point, is to see all seven films through and to see the same cast [in all seven]," he said in an interview.
"In the Michael Apted documentaries, like 7-Up and 28-Up, you see these kids grow up from year to year. I think it would be interesting to see that happen on screen with our kids [Daniel Radcliffe,
Emma Watson and Rupert Grint]."
Columbus added, "If I could take three months off between each picture, I could probably do it, but the commitment to get them out [at a pace of one a year] is very strong, in terms of the hours. I don't know if I want to spend seven years away from my family. But the idea of seeing seven Harry Potter films [through] is exciting to me. As a fan of cinema, it would be great."
Great as it might be, one has to wonder if Columbus would find Harry Potter (Radcliffe), Hermione (Watson) and Ron (Grint) creatively challenging by the fifth, six or seventh films. The director, who's currently in England shooting the second film in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, has wondered about that as well. "I truly love the characters," he said. "Maybe after I did three, I'd say, 'I think I've done enough.' We're right at the beginning of film two. They're not sequels, really, because each film exists on its own terms. Jo [Potter author J.K. Rowling] is very careful about bringing the characters to a new and darker place each time. I am interested in taking these characters to a dark territory through each subsequent film." Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone will open on Nov. 16.
Coltrane Praises Potter
obbie Coltrane, who plays Hogwarts groundskeeper Hagrid in the upcoming Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, told SCI FI Wire that he's rather pleased with the first adaptation of J.K. Rowling's best-selling Potter books.
"It's quite shockingly good," Coltrane said in an interview. The larger-than-life British actor plays Hagrid, who befriends wizards-in-training Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint).
Coltrane added, "You think that it's going to slow down, but it just keeps building and building and building. It gets more exciting, and there are more surprises. I also really liked that the [visual] effects are not overwhelming. There are a lot of effects films or films that involve effects in which the bits between the effects sequences are like the middle eight before the chorus starts again. With this story, the strength of the narrative runs straight through, and everything follows on from it. The effects work with the story."
Coltrane's previous genre credits include the current From Hell, as well as Alice in Wonderland, Slipstream, Krull and Flash Gordon. He joked that playing the kid-friendly Hagrid in the Harry Potter series could cause him some problems. "I'll get no peace," said Coltrane, who's currently filming Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in England and could wind up in as many as seven films. "Kids will just run up to me all the time. It might not happen. Kids might not recognize me without all the hair and the costume. And I hope not. I hope they won't, because I do like my privacy."
Coltrane was always Rowling's first choice to play Hagrid. "Careerwise, I don't think it will have either a bad effect or a good effect on me, really," he said. "It's always good to be associated with a huge success, particularly in Hollywood, where they value success above other things that I personally think are far more important." Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone opens nationwide Nov. 16.
Radcliffe Talks Potter Pressure
aniel Radcliffe knows that millions of people will be judging his portrayal of Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, but the 12-year-old British actor told SCI FI Wire that the pressure didn't get to him, because the hardest task was handled by the troika of screenwriter Steven Kloves, Potter scribe J.K. Rowling and director Chris Columbus.
"[They've] actually been able to bring out a vision of Harry," Radcliffe said in an interview. "They kind of catalogued everyone's vision of Harry, put it into one vision, and then Chris told me how to project that vision onto the screen." Radcliffe added, "Chris had a fantastic vision and was great at taking bits and pieces of everyone else's vision of Harry and putting it on the screen."
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone will open nationwide on Nov. 16. By then, production will have been underway for a couple of weeks on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, once again written by Kloves and directed by Columbus, the latter of whom is best known for writing Gremlins and directing Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire and Bicentennial Man. "Chris is an inspiration," Radcliffe said. "He was so happy to be there. He's energetic, and he loves what he does. He was so passionate about Harry Potter. And that made him amazing."
It remains to be seen, however, if either Radcliffe or Columbus will return for future Potter installments. Columbus relocated his family to England to shoot Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets, while Radcliffe claims he could be too tall, too short or too freckly in a few years to convincingly portray Harry. "I'm going to take them one film at a time," he said, "and see what happens."
Potter Debuts In London
arry Potter author J.K. Rowling, pop star Sting and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, were among the attendees at the gala world premiere in London of the highly anticipated Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone film on Nov. 4, the Reuters news service reported.
Hundreds of Potter fans also showed up for the movie, which is called Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in the United Kingdom.
"This is the epitome of nervousness," 12-year-old Potter star Daniel Radcliffe told Reuters at the premiere. "I'll never think of myself as a star," he added. "If my life was going to change, I think it would already have done so."
Rowling told reporters that she was "very happy" with the movie. "The film was just as I had imagined it, especially Hogwarts," she said. Potter opens in theaters on Nov. 16.
New Episode II Teaser Due
he full theatrical teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode II—The Attack of the Clones will be attached to prints of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which opens Nov. 16 in North America and other territories, the official Star Wars Web site confirmed.
The new, two-minute trailer expands on scenes teased in the first trailer, "Breathing," which came linked to Monsters, Inc. on Nov. 2 and is now available on the Web site. Lucasfilm and Apple will also post the new trailer on the Star Wars Web site.
Meanwhile, the site reported that the North American television broadcast premiere of Episode I, which will air on FOX on Nov. 25, will be followed by a six-minute sneak peek at the upcoming Web documentary series Artoo-Detoo: Beneath the Dome. Told in three parts, the documentary will be available only on the official site and will feature interviews with Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Carrie Fisher, Samuel L. Jackson, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola.
Lucas Sues Porn Producers
ucasfilm is suing the producers of a pornographic version of Star Wars, alleging that it's too similar to the SF epic, the Montreal Gazette reported.
George Lucas' production company filed a federal lawsuit against Media Market Group Ltd., the New York producers of Star Ballz, claiming copyright and trademark infringement, the newspaper reported.
The suit argues that consumers could be confused into thinking that Lucasfilm sponsored or produced the X-rated movie. But Linda Wildblood, a partner at Media Market Group, told the Gazette that her company's movie is an animation parody. "Just like Scary Movie is a spoof of horror movies, Star Ballz parodies many different movies and themes," she said. "No one in their right mind could look at it and say this is Star Wars."
Buffy Ratings Sing
he special musical episode of UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer rated well in its Nov. 6 airing, the network reported.
The all-singing, all-dancing episode, "Once More with Feeling," ranked No. 3 among persons 12-34, adults 18-34, teens and female teens, UPN reported.
The Buffy episode also ranked No. 2 in its 8-9 p.m. timeslot among males 12-34, men 18-34 and male teens, beating The WB's Gilmore Girls, ABC's Spin City, CBS' Jag and NBC's Three Sisters, UPN reported.
Buffy Musical Premiered
ast, crew and invited guests turned out for a special theatrical screening of the upcoming musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, held on the Paramount Pictures lot in Los Angeles on Nov. 2.
Attendees included cast members and Buffy creator and the episode's musical composer Joss Whedon. The episode airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT Nov. 6 on UPN.
Meanwhile, clips and behind-the-scenes interviews from the musical episode, "Once More With Feeling," are now on the Web at the Zap2it and official BuffyUPN Web sites. After the show aired, Whedon talked with fans about the episode at 10 p.m. ET Nov. 6, on the official site's message board.
X-Files Gets 'Very Different'
he X-Files executive producer Frank Spotnitz told SCI FI Wire that the upcoming ninth season will feature more gruesome murders, impossible events, thousands of bugs, a possible reunion with Mulder and "some of the comedy that the show did not have last year."
"The X-Files is a very different series this season, because it's become a three-lead show, and two of the leads are basically new characters," Spotnitz said in an interview. The new season sees Annabeth Gish taking on the regular role of FBI agent Monica Reyes, joining regular cast members Gillian Anderson and Robert Patrick. Last season, Patrick replaced David Duchovny.
The two-part season premiere—"Nothing Important Happened Today" and "Nothing Important Happened Today II"—will revisit the mythology of the show and "deals with Scully's baby and what's become of Mulder," Spotnitz said. "Now episode three, which airs at the beginning of December, is the first stand-alone [episode] with this new kind of cast, and it's an episode I wrote and directed, called 'Daemonicus.' The guest star is James Remar, who's been in a lot of features. It's sort of a tripartite investigation [that leads] the three agents to what may be a case of demon possession. It involves escaped mental patients, and it has a character who speaks to the psychology of all three characters. The episode really sets up where The X-Files stands as a series at this point." The new season begins Nov. 11 at 9 p.m. on Fox.
X-Files 2 In The Works
wentieth Century Fox is negotiating with The X-Files creator Chris Carter and executive producer Frank Spotnitz to write and produce a second feature film based on the long-running series, Variety reported.
Carter and Spotnitz wrote and produced the 1998 X-Files film together.
Rob Bowman directed the original film, but no director is yet attached to the proposed sequel. Though no cast has been attached, the sequel is being envisioned as a stand-alone vehicle for Mulder and Scully, presumably to be played by original series stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Both have indicated a willingness to return for the new movie, the trade paper reported. As The X-Files gears up for its ninth season, Duchovny is no longer with the show, and Anderson has long expressed her desire to leave following the end of the current season, which kicks off Nov. 11, Variety reported.
Carter and Spotnitz are reportedly expected to begin writing the screenplay within the next few months. The second X-Files movie could begin shooting as early as late 2002, with an eye to a Christmas 2003 release.
Enterprise Song Defended
ritish operatic tenor Russell Watson, who sings the maligned theme song to UPN's Enterprise, defended the song to the Zap2it Web site.
Fans have gone so far as to mount a petition drive to remove the title song from the show's opening credits.
"Isn't that like everything in life?" Watson asked the site. "Something new happens, and people aren't quite sure of it. But they'll get used to it. By the time they've watched the 20th episode, they'll be thinking, 'Well, it's not that bad after all.'"
Watson also said that producers may shoot a video of the Diane Warren song, Faith of the Heart (aka Where My Heart Will Take Me). "We're actually looking at recording a video [on the set] and releasing the song as a single, so if there are any Trekkies out there that really hate it, sorry, you're going to get it rammed down your throat for a while."
Original Trek Props Auctioned
reators of the original Star Trek—some now in their '70s and '80s—are putting up their personal collections of historic Trek props and memorabilia for auction on eBay next month, Wired magazine reported.
The Dec. 12 auction will feature the only remaining production model of the U.S.S. Enterprise (estimated value $30,000 to $50,000), Capt. Kirk's familiar yellow tunic ($12,000 to $15,000), Spock's bed, Spock's tricorder and the original, handwritten Star Trek fanfare by Alexander Courage, the magazine reported.
All told, the auction will feature 300 premium items, Wired reported. Also included are a complete set of scripts, models of spaceships and phasers and blind dates with some of the show's creators and actors, including James Doohan (Scotty). The items come from the personal collections of art director Matt Jeffries, production executive Herbert Solow, writer Harlan Ellison and others.
Dafoe Squeezes Into Goblin
illem Dafoe—who plays the villainous Green Goblin in Sam Raimi's upcoming Spider-Man movie—told USA Today that it wasn't easy being green.
Getting into the Goblin's form-fitting body costume was like "putting toothpaste back into the tube," Dafoe told the newspaper.
Riding the Goblin's trademark glider was also a challenge, Dafoe said—"a cross between surfing, snowboarding and riding a mechanical bull. I'm locked into these shoes with clips, like a ski boot." The glider's movements are controlled by computer, the newspaper reported. "I have to zig when I have to zig and not zag. It can be hairy."
The official Spider-Man Web site, meanwhile, posted a new image of a one-sheet poster featuring Dafoe's character.
CGI Spidey Due On MTV?
he Coming Attractions Test Pattern Web site reported that MTV is developing a computer-animated Spider-Man series, based on the Marvel Comics series and the upcoming feature film.
The site reported that the new show will follow the current Ultimate Spider-Man comic.
The series is slated to come out after Sam Raimi's live-action Spider-Man movie, which premieres in May 2002. Brian Michael Bendis, who wrote for the Ultimate Spider-Man comic, reportedly penned the first script for the TV show.
Justice Features Aquaman
cott Rummell, who voices Aquaman in the Cartoon Network's upcoming Justice League series, told the Comics2Film Web site that his character makes a special appearance in episodes six and seven.
"He's a cool character," Rummell told the site. "I really enjoyed playing him. There's some things that happen within the show that will surprise people."
Rummell said the character's not slated for any additional appearances on the show, but he hopes there'll be support for it. "It's surprising to me," he said. "When I mention that I play Aquaman, people just freak out. I read something online that the director said it was two of his favorite episodes so far. So who knows?" The first of the two-part episode "The Enemy Below" airs Dec. 3 at 9:30 p.m., Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 9 at 8:30 p.m. Part two airs Dec. 10 at 9:30 p.m., Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 16 at 8:30 p.m.
Fused! Due In Comics
riter Steve Niles, whose credits include Hellspawn, Spawn: The Dark Ages and the Spawn movie sequel, will launch a new comic, Fused!, in March from Image Comics, the Comics Continuum Web site reported.
Niles teams with penciler Nat Jones, inkers Kevin Conrad and Rich Bonk and colorist Todd Broeker, the site reported.
The comic tells the story of robotics engineer Mark Haggerty, who becomes the unwilling pawn of a scientist on the run from rogue factions of the government and, in the course of routine tests, winds up permanently fused with an experimental robot suit, the site reported.
Norrington Gives Up Ghost
irector Stephen Norrington, who dropped out of the proposed Ghost Rider movie, explained to the Comics2Film Web site why he left the adaptation of the Marvel Comics series to helm another film.
"Contrary to [writer] David [Goyer]'s comment that we were 'ready to go,' the movie was not properly prepped or planned, nor had any meaningful [visual effects research and development] been funded or undertaken by the time I accepted Columbia's offer to direct Tick Tock," Norrington told the site.
Norrington added, "To further complicate matters, both the production financing and the VFX design phases relied fundamentally on knowing who would be playing Ghost Rider, so nothing could move forward until [Nicolas Cage's] deal closed." Cage eventually dropped out because schedules could not be worked out. "By August 2001, after over a year of development, I felt that the project was no closer to being technically and budgetarily viable than it was way back at the beginning of the year, when we first put our plan together," Norrington said. "This was doubly frustrating, because we had made detailed plans with major VFX vendors [Tippett Studios, XFX, D.J. DesJardin, Joe Viskocil and Sony Imageworks], all of whom expressed real passion for the material and the project. But no development funds were forthcoming, so those potential liaisons never came to fruition."
Pilgrim Heads For Screen
atch 23 Entertainment has picked up the movie rights to the SF comic book series Just a Pilgrim, created by Garth Ennis (Punisher), according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Set in a post-apocalyptic future, the series tells the story of a religious former Green Beret named Pilgrim who quotes scripture while dispensing the Lord's harsh judgment as he leads a group of refugees to sanctuary, the trade paper reported.
Pilgrim was first published in March by Black Bull Entertainment and has sold more than 230,000 copies. The second comic in the series, Just a Pilgrim: Garden of Eden, bows in March 2002.
Hayter Watchful Of Watchmen
avid Hayter, the screenwriter who will adapt Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon's Watchmen graphic novel for the movies, told the Comics Continuum Web site that his goal is "to do this right or not do it at all."
Hayter (X-Men) told the Continuum that he is also interested in directing the film.
"But right now I'm focusing on writing it," Hayter said. "I have to see how expensive it is, how big a picture it is, and how easy of a process it will be getting the story approved by Universal. If we're not able to do in a way it should be done, and that's not a given, we may not be able to do it at all. I believe in either doing it right or not doing it at all. Having said that, I'm thrilled to be working with Universal. They've been very supportive of me and the three things I have worked on for them. And I think they understand the subject matter. They get why it's so great. It's important for everyone to know just because there's an announcement made about a film, doesn't mean it's a done deal. I'm being very careful along the way to make sure this doesn't unravel storywise."
Smallville Buzz Surprises
ric Johnson, who plays football star Whitney Ellsworth in The WB's new Superman series, Smallville, told the Prevue Magazine Web site that he's insulated from the positive reviews the show is generating because he's up in Canada, where the series films.
"Up here in Vancouver, we're very far from all the buzz, the publicity and even the commercials," Johnson told the site. "I guess it's a good thing, as it allows us to focus on our jobs, instead of our getting sidetracked. The network sent us up a stack of press that's been generated, and I was just amazed."
Johnson's character is named after one of the producers of the 1952 Adventures of Superman TV series, which starred George Reeves. In Smallville, he's the boyfriend of Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) and the rival of Clark Kent (Tom Welling). "He's the all-American high school guy," Johnson said of his character. "He's very popular, he plays football, and is the kind of guy that Clark Kent wishes he could be. He seems to have everything going for him, including the beautiful Lana Lang." But, Johnson added, "he didn't really have a problem with Clark, until Clark got a bit too close with his girlfriend, and that got him a little upset. Now, he's realizing that he's gone a little too far and trying to be a bigger man and not let that bother him. He's not really friendly with Clark and is just tolerating him right now." Smallville airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m.
X-Men 2 Progresses
-Men 2 writer David Hayter told the Comics Continuum Web site that he continues to work with director Bryan Singer on the X-Men sequel.
"Actually, we are closing in on the final draft," Hayter told the site. "I had a great meeting last week with the studio [20th Century Fox], Bryan and Marvel, and everybody seems pretty happy. I can't say much about it storywise, but it's going to be really cool."
Hayter, who wrote X-Men, and Zak Penn worked on versions of the X-Men 2 script this summer, the site reported. "We didn't write together, but we were working on the same treatment that Bryan had approved," Hayter said. "Both Zak and I are big X-Men fans and we both came up with ideas. Now Bryan and I are working together on a final draft."
Hayter said that X-Men 2 will be a natural progression from the first film. "It's definitely bigger," Hayter said. "What I'm telling people is that it's the second part of a much bigger, three-part movie." X-Men 2 is still slated for a spring 2002 production start.
Phifer Reveals Impostor
ekhi Phifer, who co-stars in the upcoming SF film Impostor, gave SCI FI Wire a hint of things to come in the long-delayed movie, which is based on the Philip K. Dick short story of the same name and co-stars Gary Sinise, Madeleine Stowe, Vincent D'Onofrio, Tony Shalhoub and Tim Guinee.
"There's a bio-weapon these aliens have created, where they can mimic or clone a human being," Phifer said in an interview. "That clone is the 'impostor,' and it has a bomb inside of its body. When they get around to talking, they explode. There's a nuclear explosion."
Phifer added, "Gary Sinise [who plays a scientist suddenly accused of working with the aliens and perhaps even being an alien himself] and I are adversaries at first, and we end up working together towards a common goal. I help him get through some things."
Impostor began life three years ago as part of a planned three-part SF anthology feature referred to as The Light Years Trilogy. Gary Fleder (Don't Say a Word) directed the Impostor segment, and Danny Boyle called the shots on Alien Love Triangle, starring Kenneth Branagh, Courtney Cox-Arquette and Heather Graham.
Miramax/Dimension was reportedly so pleased with the Impostor footage that they financed expanding the short to feature length. Enter Phifer. "I wasn't in the short version at all," said the actor, whose credits include I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. "They actually brought me in to do the whole middle-to-end of the film. So I
wasn't in the original." Dimension then sat on Impostor. And sat and sat and sat, as release dates came and went. Now, finally, Impostor will reach theaters on Dec. 25. And the rumor is that Dimension Home Entertainment will include Alien Love Triangle among the extras, whenever Impostor makes its DVD debut. So is Phifer's character an alien or a human? "Ah, I can't tell you," he teased. "I can't tell. You'll just have to see
it."
Gibson Produces Invincible
el Gibson told USA Today that he was so impressed with the martial-arts stunts on his Lethal Weapon 4 that he and co-star Jet Li executive produced Invincible, a TBS television supernatural film that features high-flying stunts.
"I couldn't believe they could get away with it," Gibson said of the wire stunts in Lethal Weapon 4.
Invincible, starring Billy Zane, tells the story of modern-day warriors battling Shadowmen bent on destroying the world, USA Today reported. Gibson said he hopes the film leads to a series. Invincible airs Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
Gibson is currently shooting M. Night Shyamalan's UFO drama Signs in Bucks County, Pa. "What it boils down to is a story of a man who loses his faith and regains it," Gibson said of the movie, which co-stars Joaquin Phoenix in a plot that includes crop circles. "But the machinations of that small journey are so out there." As for Shyamalan, "he's pretty good at misdirection," Gibson told the newspaper.
Bond Fires At GameCube
he IGN Web site quotes unnamed sources close to game publisher Electronic Arts saying that the publisher will port a GameCube version of James Bond in Agent Under Fire.
The Nintendo GameCube version will be released in February, the site reported.
Under Fire, slated for the PlayStation 2 gaming platform this holiday season, is a first-person shooter game in which the player assumes the role of 007, the site reported.
Dead Only On Xbox
ame publisher Tecmo announced that it has shipped its Dead or Alive 3 video game, which will remain exclusive to the Xbox gaming system.
The game hits store shelves a week earlier than expected.
Dead or Alive 3 is a fighting game featuring 16 interactive backgrounds against which combatants can punch, kick and throw others through walls; fly over clifftops; and shatter ice columns. The third installment in the game series, Dead or Alive 3 carries a suggested retail price of $49.99.
Xbox Games Announced
icrosoft announced that a full slate of games will premiere alongside its new Xbox gaming platform on Nov. 15, including several genre titles.
The company said that 15 to 20 games will become available by the week of the system's launch in North America.
Xbox will go on sale with a suggested retail price of $299.99. A partial list of the new games follows.
•Halo, a shooter that takes place on an alien ring-world.
•Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, a 3-D title set in the Oddworld universe.
•Project Gotham Racing, a racing game set in the future.
•Fuzion Frenzy, an SF-themed party game.
•Cel Damage
•TransWorld Surf
•Shrek
•Dark Summit
Spy Kids 2 Rumors On Web
he Ain't It Cool News Web site reported a rumor that Ricardo Montalban will play a part in the upcoming sequel movie Spy Kids 2.
Montalban (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) will play the superspy father of Carla Gugino's Ingrid, who still has issues with Ingrid's husband, Gregorio (Antonio Banderas).
The Coming Attractions Web site, meanwhile, reported rumors that Bill Paxton, Mike Judge and Matthew O'Leary may also have roles in the film, which will be directed by Robert Rodriguez. The film's plot reportedly revolves around the president's daughter.
Hayes Rewriting Tripod
isney hired writer Terry Hayes (From Hell) to rewrite the SF film Tripod, based on John Christopher's popular series of young-adult SF novels, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film tells the story of a boy in a post-apocalyptic world who resists aliens' attempts to brainwash him, the trade paper reported.
Executive vice president of production Mark Vahradian and director of production Doug Short are overseeing the project for the studio, the trade paper reported. Don Murphy is producing through his Sony-based Angry Films.
Disney Buys Cherry
isney will develop the fantasy film Sugar Rum Cherry, a modern-day retelling of The Nutcracker, based on a pitch from writer Quinton Peeples, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Cherry will infuse the story with jazz, hip-hop and R&B music, the trade paper reported.
The story, set in New Orleans, will have magical elements, with music playing an integral role.
Al Qaeda Takes Cues From Asimov?
he Ansible and Locus Online Web sites both reported on the rumor of a possible connection between Al Qaeda, the Islamic terrorist network purportedly masterminded by Osama bin Laden, and, of all things, Isaac Asimov's classic SF novel Foundation, the first in his well-known series of the same name.
Ansible quoted SF writer China Miéville—author of King Rat, Perdido Street Station and Macmillan's upcoming The Scar—as saying, "My supervisor, an expert in the Middle East, told me about a rumor circulating about the name of bin Laden's network. The term al qaeda seems to have no political precedent in Arabic, and has therefore been something of a conundrum to the experts, until someone pointed out that a very popular book in the Arab world—Arabs apparently being big readers of translated SF—is Asimov's Foundation, the title of which is translated as Al Qaeda. Unlikely as it sounds, this is the only theory anyone can come up with."
At least one post on a Russian message board speculated that bin Laden might be taking cues from Asimov's book. According to the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, the Foundation "series was originally conceived by [Asimov] as a single extended tale, the fall of the Roman Empire rewritten as SF."
For the record, the PBS Frontline Web site reported that al qaeda is "an Arabic word meaning 'the base.'"
ABC Rejects Talisman
he Creature Corner Web site reported that ABC has dropped the Mick Garris-directed miniseries adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub's fantasy novel The Talisman.
Garris, who helped adapt King's The Stand and The Shining for TV, told the site that he will try to find another home for the miniseries.
"This does not mean that there will be no Talisman [adaptation]," Garris said. "There are other potential homes, and a theatrical version is not out of the question." The Talisman tells the story of a young boy who sets off on a journey across another dimension to save his mother.
Goodman Toons In Monsters
ohn Goodman told SCI FI Wire he had a simple reason for providing the voice of Sulley in Pixar/Disney's latest computer-animated hit, Monsters, Inc.: "Why not?"
The actor said in an interview that he has previously lent his voice to such cartoon projects as We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie and The Emperor's New Groove.
"[Monsters, Inc.] was a pretty good script, and God knows good scripts around me are pretty few and far between," Goodman said with a laugh. "So I take them, cartoon or not. Plus, I've got an 11-year-old daughter, and about the only thing we can watch together are cartoons. And I like animated movies. I grew up on Bambi—the one that scared the hell out of you—and Fantasia, the one that put you under your bed for a year and a half."
Goodman wishes there were more animated movies of Monsters, Inc.'s quality, as he thinks highly of the format. "I guess it's one more step removed from reality," said the actor, who will step behind a microphone again to voice Baloo in Disney's upcoming direct-to-video production of The Jungle Book II. "It's just a different style of filmmaking and storytelling. It's also another way to catch up with human reaction, to watch how different the reactions can be for something so different." Monsters, Inc. is now playing.
Shrek Videos Trounce Monsters
he video and DVD release of Shrek generated about $110 million in its first three days, topping box-office receipts for Monsters, Inc. in the same weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Monsters set the theatrical record for an animated feature, earning $62.6 million the weekend of Nov. 2, according to final estimates, the trade paper reported.
Shrek opened in theaters in May, with a weekend domestic box-office tally of $42.3 million. Consumers bought a record 2.5 million double-disc Shrek DVDs, priced at about $20, and 4.5 million VHS units, priced at $15.95 each, during the first three days of release, breaking all records for the past six years, the trade paper reported.
Monsters Takes First Place
onsters, Inc. scared up the No. 1 slot in the box-office rankings in its debut, taking in an estimated $63.5 million for the weekend of Nov. 2, the Hollywood trade papers reported.
It was the best debut ever for an animated film and the sixth-best opening of all time, the trades reported.
SF action thriller The One took second place in its premiere, with an estimated $20 million for the weekend.
K-Pax dropped to fourth place, with about $10.7 million for the weekend and a total of about $32.1 million after 10 days of release. Thirteen Ghosts placed fifth, with about $8 million for the weekend and a total of $27.8 million in its second weekend of release. From Hell took seventh place, with about $3.7 million for the weekend and a total of $26.4 million so far.
Johansson Attacks Freaks
carlett Johansson, who stars in the upcoming giant-spider movie Eight Legged Freaks, told the Cinema Confidential Web site that the campy SF film marks a departure from her earlier, more serious roles.
"I play this sort of sarcastic teen-ager—you know, the teen-ager that's like, 'Aahh, a spider!' and 'Oh, spider guts!'" Johansson (Ghost World) told the site. "I like to play all kinds of roles, and I always joke with [producer] Dean [Devlin] and say, 'This is a big jump from The Horse Whisperer,' and he'd say, 'Oh yeah, but this is just as hard.'"
The film's original title, Arac Attack, was changed in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks because producers feared it might sound like Iraq Attack. "I mean, I'm sorry—[and] maybe it's a little politically incorrect to laugh at—but I think that it's a funny thing, because people used to ask me when I first got the project, like, 'Iraq Attack? Oh my God, what is that about? Do you play a refugee?' And I'm like, 'No. ARAC, like ARACHNID.' I always thought that was so funny, and now they actually had to change it."
But Johansson—who turns 17 on Nov. 22—thinks the new title fits. "I think the good part about it is that it portrays the film the way it is, which is very campy, but also scary and gross," she said. "I mean, there's a lot of spider guts and bodies decaying, things like that ... but all in this campy kind of way. I think that's the great thing about Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, who produced it. They did Godzilla, Independence Day and The Patriot. When you take a film like Godzilla, it's kind of a funny thing, but it's also scary, because you see it, and you're like, 'Oh my God, what would I do in that situation?' So that's kind of how I feel about it. I am excited for it to come out." Eight Legged Freaks opens in March 2002.
Banderas Headlines Argentina
ntonio Banderas and Emma Thompson will star in a feature-film adaptation of Lawrence Thornton's supernatural book Imagining Argentina, to be directed by Christopher Hampton, Variety reported. Hampton will adapt his own novel for the screen for Myriad Pictures.
Geoffrey Lands of Tide Rock Entertainment will produce, with Michael Peyser and Diane Sillan of Banderas' Green Moon Productions.
Set in Buenos Aires during the Peron era, Argentina centers on an Argentine playwright (Banderas) who has the ability to see what happens to people's loved ones when he looks into their faces, the trade paper reported. Ultimately, he must turn this power inward, when his activist journalist wife (Thompson) disappears. The film will begin shooting in Spain next April, the trade paper reported.
I-Man Wraps In Early 2002
he SCI FI Channel's original series The Invisible Man will air its season finale during the first quarter of 2002, marking the end of the two-year-old series, a spokesperson told SCI FI Wire.
I-Man is currently airing reruns through the end of the year.
New episodes of The Invisible Man will return in January 2002. The series stars Vincent Ventresca and Paul Ben-Victor.
Law Hydes In New Jekyll
he Coming Soon Web site reported a rumor that Jude Law will star in Diary of a Young London Physician, a new feature-film adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic SF tale Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Playwright and director David Mamet wrote the screenplay and will helm, the site reported.
Art Linson (Fight Club) will produce the film through Indelible Pictures. Shooting is slated to start in late spring 2002.
Cage To Volunteer
icolas Cage will star in and produce The Volunteer, a science fiction thriller movie for New Line Cinema, Variety reported.
Cage will play an Iowa state trooper who attempts to gain retribution for the death of his daughter, but becomes a pawn between two alien races, the trade paper reported.
TV writer Sam Egan (The Outer Limits) makes his feature-film debut with this script, based on an idea by Richard B. Lewis and Egan.
Levine Wins White Award
avid D. Levine's short story "Nucleon" won the 2001 James White Award, named in honor of one of Ireland's best-loved SF writers, organizers announced.
Levine, a native of Milwaukee who now lives in Portland, Ore., received $150 and a trophy.
"Nucleon" will be published in Interzone, Europe's leading magazine of speculative fiction. Levine's story was chosen from a field of more than 100 entries.
Briefly Noted
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The Dark Horizons Web site reported that a teaser trailer for the upcoming live-action
Scooby-Doo movie will hit theaters Nov. 16 with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
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The SyFy Portal Web site reported that a British Star Trek fan is auctioning off his Next Generation-themed apartment in Leicestershire, U.K. Interior designer Tony Alleyne, who transformed his studio living space into a replica of the starship Enterprise, is selling the place on eBay—with an opening bid of $3.9 million. So far, no bidders.
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A new Web site is satirizing the widely read TheForce.net fan site, which follows Star Wars news and fandom.
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Apple has posted a streaming version of the soundtrack to the first Lord of the Rings film, The Fellowship of the Ring, which opens Dec. 19.
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The Dark Horizons Web site reported that a DVD boxed edition of the Back to the Future movies is slated for a summer 2002 release.
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The Los Angeles Times reported that the first of three Lord of the Rings films clocks in at nearly three hours in length. The movie, The Fellowship of the Ring, opens Dec. 19.
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The Dark Horizons Web site reported that the Cartoon Network will air "Unmasked," the final episode of the animated Batman Beyond series, on Dec. 18, three months after its originally planned air date, on The Kids WB.
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Enterprise have helped propel UPN in the first six weeks of the season to the largest year-to-year ratings growth of any broadcast network, the network announced. UPN has seen its prime-time ratings grow in all key demographics, including a 19 percent hike among persons aged 12-34, 26 percent among adults 18-34 and 21 percent among adults 18-49.
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The official Star Wars Web site has posted the teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode II—The Attack of the Clones, which premiered in theaters on Nov. 2 attached to prints of Monsters, Inc. Episode II opens in May 2002.
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer supporting player Danny Strong (Jonathan) will tread the boards at the Hudson Theater in Santa Monica, Calif., in a revival of the 1972 Vietnam play Moonchildren, by Michael Weller, which runs Thursdays and Fridays from Nov. 8 to Dec. 8. For tickets and information, call (323) 856-4200.
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The teaser trailer for the upcoming 20th anniversary re-release of Steven Spielberg's E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial has gone up on the Web. The 2002 re-release will feature new footage, enhanced visual effects and a remastered soundtrack, among other things.
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Dynamic Forces, Top Cow and Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski are putting out a trading-card series to benefit the New York City Police and Firefighters' Widows and Orphans Fund. The upcoming Top Cow Universe trading-card series will have a limited
number of boxes featuring five inserted box-toppers with Patriot from Straczynski's Rising Stars comic series. Straczynski will donate his royalty to the fund, with Dynamic Forces matching.
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The OneRing.net Web site has posted links to soundtrack clips from the upcoming first Lord of the Rings film, as well as an image of a new poster for the movie. The film, The Fellowship of the Ring, opens Dec. 19.
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