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Gaiman Sues McFarlane

merican Gods author Neil Gaiman filed suit in federal court in Madison, Wis., against Spawn creator Todd McFarlane and his companies, arguing that McFarlane used the characters "Angela," "Cogliostro" and "Medieval Spawn" without Gaiman's permission, Gaiman's spokesman told SCI FI Wire. The lawsuit concerns McFarlane's unauthorized use of characters created by Gaiman, as well as McFarlane's claim to the Alan Moore/Neil Gaiman-authored comic property MiracleMan. The nine-count suit includes allegations of fraud and copyright violations and non-payment of royalties.

Gaiman is joined as a plaintiff by Marvels and Miracles LLC, a Wisconsin limited-liability company that owns the MiracleMan rights of writer Moore and illustrator Mark Buckingham, the artist for the MiracleMan comic books that Gaiman authored.

McFarlane's representatives did not respond to a SCI FI Wire request for comment on the suit.

Dawn To Rebel On Buffy

ichelle Trachtenberg, who plays little sister Dawn on UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told SCI FI Wire that her character will have to deal with the consequences of her kleptomania in an upcoming episode. "You can expect that Dawn will be getting a little more rebellious," Trachtenberg said in an interview.

Trachtenberg added, "Obviously, she has shown signs of being a kleptomaniac. Oh, that's such a harsh word! A person who steals a little bit often. ... I know that that storyline will reach a certain pinnacle—that Buffy and Dawn will have to deal with [it] in the way that they do. Definitely, in the end of this season and in the seasons to come, Dawn will be getting more rebellious and more mature and more womanly. She's getting older. She'll be 16 soon. She's 15 now and a freshman in high school. So after you get past the freshman year, you're kind of like, 'OK, I'm good, I'm a sophomore, I'm better. I'm living and experiencing things.' So that's definitely in store for her." Buffy airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Marsters Reveals More Spike

ames Marsters, who plays Spike the vampire in UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, confessed to SCI FI Wire that he's still getting used to the show's new willingness to explore nudity—namely, his. "It's so weird," Marsters said in an interview during UPN's winter press tour. "It is so weird, I cannot tell you. I've known these guys for five years, man, and they're just staring at my sock."

Marsters' frequent nudity is part of a new storyline in which Spike and Buffy find themselves indulging often in extracurricular activities. It's part of the show's move to the more permissive UPN from The WB, but also a salient story point in the show's examination of Buffy's burgeoning adulthood, Marsters said.

"I think that all the sexuality is implied," Marsters said in response to critics who worry that the show is a little too graphic for its Tuesday 8 p.m. timeslot. "I don't think we're doing anything graphic. We're not doing anything more than is being done elsewhere on television. ... I also feel that it is a responsible exploration of a young person's sexuality. It's not just titillation. The thing that's happening between Spike and Buffy is for a purpose. It's going to say something very painful and truthful about Buffy and her journey towards adulthood. It is a decision that springs from an artistic impulse, not just wanting to put booty on the screen."

Marsters revealed that he had to appear naked in his first acting job—a Chicago production of Shakespeare's The Tempest. But having to drop trou regularly on TV necessitates some new discipline. "Trying to retain some shred of dignity in the tempest that is series television," he said. "Luckily, [star] Sarah [Michelle Gellar] and I have built up trust and friendship, so we kind of lean on each other. ... She taught me that love scenes are much like fight scenes. Which is to say, you're going to a level of unreality that is beyond normal acting. ... We did like eight takes. And the director kept doing take after take after take. And finally Sarah just said, 'OK, James. ... Just don't do anything. Just do the worst acting in your life. Think about breakfast.' And we did it, and that's the take you see on television. ... That was a real lesson."

Roswell Spoilers Leaked

onald D. Moore, co-executive producer of UPN's teen-alien series Roswell, offered SCI FI Wire several major spoilers for the rest of the current season and hinted at the demise of a key character. Up first: "I Married an Alien," which makes use of the 1960s TV series Bewitched to look at Isabel and Jesse's marriage, Moore said in an interview. It airs at the end of January.

"And after that, episode 12 kicks off a strong Liz story, where Liz starts developing alien powers and goes off to Vermont boarding school," Moore said. "And Max is killed in an episode. And obviously we bring him back, but he's ... like killed at the end of 13, and 14 is a follow-up."

Roswell star Shiri Appleby (Liz) revealed more spoilers for coming episodes in an interview with SCI FI Wire. "Liz ... asks to go away, because her life is getting a little out of control in Roswell, so she needs a breather from all the alien chaos. ... What happens is that every time Max and Liz get close, ... her facial features disappear, her hands start glowing, all of these weird things in her body start reacting. So that's what triggers her wanting to leave Roswell and get away from Max. Because her life is being disturbed in a way that she's not used to."

Moore added, "There's a lot of action and a lot of things happening in February. And beyond that, we're just starting to get those episodes underway and sketched out. But essentially we're building towards a fairly significant climax toward the end of the season. I don't think it will be a cliffhanger. I think it will be sort of a big, grand, sweeping tale." Roswell airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Spielberg: Indy IV A Go

teven Spielberg told Fox News that he's still intent on making a fourth Indiana Jones movie—and that the proposed sequel will feature his wife, Kate Capshaw, who appeared in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Speaking with the news channel after the Golden Globes ceremony, Spielberg said, "We have a title, but we're not ready to announce it. I will give you one clue, though. Kate is in it." Not via flashbacks? "No. She'll be in the present," Spielberg said.

Harrison Ford told the network that he's ready to reprise his most famous role. "It was always about getting the right script, and now we have it," he said.

Mulder Back On X-Files?

he X-Files creator Chris Carter told the New York Post that former star David Duchovny might return to the show for its series finale. Duchovny had previously said he wouldn't be back after he left the series at the end of last season.

"David was open to it, and now the complication of trying to get it done comes," Carter told the Post. "I just have to make the show as interesting as possible, not just for David, but for the fans." As for the series' finale, Carter said, "I hope to answer as many questions as I feel that I should answer, but hopefully this season finale will lead us in a very clear way towards this next movie that we'd like to do."

Episode II Has New Robes

ostumers for Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones had to come up with new fabric for Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi robes, as the cloth used in Episode I would have been too heavy for the new prequel's purposes, according to the official Homing Beacon newsletter. "The wool fabric from Episode I, we bought bales of it," costume designer Trisha Biggar told the newsletter. "We discovered after we bought the fabric that it had been second World War utility fabric, so it was made very heavy."

In Episode II, Obi-Wan must fight in the rain—and the water would have made the old fabric much too heavy. "On this episode, we had that fabric recreated at a quarter of the weight," Biggar said. "I know [stunt coordinator] Nick Gillard had his doubts about how it's going to be when it's wet, but I don't think it was as bad as he thought."

Biggar added that it wasn't perfect. "There are always little problems," Biggar said. "One day we had Anakin on his speeder going through the desert, and there's a wind machine. Because we had blue screens up, the wind machine couldn't get close enough to him. We ended up having to wire the end of the cloak so that it would be pulled with the wind's help." Episode II opens in May.

McGregor Hypes Episode II

wan McGregor, who will reprise the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones, told the Today show that he has high hopes for the prequel. "I think it will be better than the first one we did," McGregor told the morning show, referring to the maligned Episode I.

TheForce.net Web site, meanwhile, reported that the next trailer for Episode II may come attached to prints of Fox's upcoming animated movie Ice Age, which opens March 15.

And Billboard.com reported that Sony Classical will release John Williams' soundtrack to Episode II on April 30. Recording with the London Symphony Orchestra will begin this month, the site reported.

Episode II Sets Stage For Saga

eorge Lucas told the Los Angeles Times that his upcoming Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones will set the stage for Anakin Skywalker to become Darth Vader. "The issue ... becomes, what is it in Anakin's personality that makes him turn bad?" Lucas told the newspaper. "What is his flaw? He has a couple. The groundwork is put forward in this movie much more clearly."

Lucas added, "What brought me back to finish the whole thing off was the question of why, and how, Darth Vader became evil. The whole reason for going back and doing the backstory on Star Wars is that there is an evolution from this very good person, very kind person, very loving person, into something that one would describe as evil."

The Times also offered a few spoilers for the plot. Amidala (Natalie Portman) is now Senator Padme. Anakin (Hayden Christensen) falls in love with Padme while serving as her bodyguard. His loyalties are torn because the Jedi oath forbids romantic love. "Like Anakin, we all have to make choices, following instinct, reasoning and our heart," Christensen told the newspaper. "We're continually being presented with influences, sometimes very opposing ones, that motivate us and affect our decisions. Hopefully we choose wisely."

Jeremiah Due In March

he Comics Continuum Web site reported that Showtime will premiere Jeremiah, a new SF series from Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski, at 8 p.m. ET/PT March 3. The show stars Luke Perry and Malcolm-Jamal Warner and will open with a two-hour episode. Regular one-hour episodes will air Fridays at 10:45 p.m., the site reported.

Showtime has ordered 20 episodes of the series, produced by Jeremiah Productions in association with Lion's Gate Television and Platinum Studios. Straczynski will executive produce along with Sam Egan and will write about two-thirds of the episodes, the site reported.

Based on a European comic series, Jeremiah tells the story of Jeremiah (Perry) and other survivors of a future epidemic that has spared only those who have not yet reached puberty.

Planet Due For IMAX

isney announced that it will release its upcoming animated SF movie Treasure Planet on Nov. 27 in both regular and IMAX formats. The studio said that Treasure Planet will be the first major studio feature specifically formatted for the giant screen to be released at the same time as the regular film.

Based loosely on Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, Planet comes from John Musker and Ron Clements, the creative team behind The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Hercules, and features the voices of Emma Thompson, David Hyde Pierce, Martin Short, Brian Murray and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Katz: SU2 Canceled

van Katz, creator of UPN's paranormal series Special Unit 2, confirmed for fans that the network has canceled the series and rescinded its order of the current season's last nine episodes. Speaking on the Yahoo! Special Unit 2 message board, Katz wrote, "I could give you a lot of frustrating details, but the bottom line is the new management of UPN feels differently about the show than the old management. Our back order of nine episodes has been rescinded."

Katz added, "I really appreciate everyone's support for the show, and very much want to hear people's thoughts on the episodes that will air in the next few weeks. And as far as I know, UPN will air all the produced episodes. ... Tonight 'The Straw' aired, and we still have 'The Piper,' 'The Love' and 'The Wish.'" Katz said that five additional episodes remain unfilmed. The cancellation came after CBS president and chief executive Les Moonves took over as head of the network, the Zap2it Web site reported. Both CBS and UPN are part of Viacom.

Fans, meanwhile, have mounted an online petition and letter-writing campaign to try to save the show.

Rice Approves Damned Film

ampire Chronicles author Anne Rice has put her stamp of approval on Warner Brothers' upcoming Queen of the Damned movie, based on two of the novels in the series. "Queen of the Damned is an energetic and innovative rendition of the Vampire Chronicles, featuring fine performances and a magnificent look," Rice says in a prerecorded telephone message at (504) 522-8634. "Well-directed, elegant and intriguing, the film is surely destined to take its place among notable modern interpretations of vampire mythology."

Queen of the Damned, directed by Michael Rymer and starring the late Aaliyah, opens Feb. 22.

Smith Previews Mutant X

utant X star Lauren Lee Smith told SCI FI Wire that the upcoming episode "Double Vision" centers on her telepathic character, Emma DeLauro. "'Double Vision' is Emma's biggest episode so far," Smith said in an interview. "She gets to go over to the dark side and play with Eckhart [Tom McCamus] for a while. There are a few little twists and turns in there, and it was a lot of fun."

Smith added that the events of "Double Vision" reflect the character's continued growth and development. "Emma's a lot more confident," said the 21-year-old actress, whose previous credits include a guest spot in the Dark Angel pilot. "She's in there with the team. She's out on missions with them. She's not just using her telepathy anymore. She's starting to get a little bit more physical and getting more comfortable with that physicality. So you're seeing Emma develop her mutant powers, but you're also seeing her develop as a person and get in on the action. As an actress, that's great. That's what you want. You want a character to be fully rounded, and I think that's the direction we're headed in." Mutant X airs in first-run syndication; "Double Vision" debuts the week of Jan. 28.

Psychic Wants To Go Beyond

sychic James Van Praagh told SCI FI Wire that his proposed new show, Beyond, will differ from the SCI FI Channel series Crossing Over With John Edward. Van Praagh was pitching his series at the 2002 National Association of Television Program Executives convention.

"Number one, it's an hour format, which lends itself to being able to do a lot more than just readings," Van Praagh said in an interview. "So I'll [also] be doing stories which really affect the human heart. I'll be doing certain segments on unsolved-mystery type things, stories with other practitioners—other psychics, mediums, astrologers, other types of people in the paranormal field. I'm going to do ongoing stories where you research something and follow up on something."

Van Praagh also takes a different tonal approach. "It's also lighter than John's [show]. My show is about healing, and it's healing the whole person. It's not just giving messages. It's about really doing healing, and that's what people want and need right now, and that's what I'm going to do."

Viewers will be able to interact with Van Praagh through his Web site. "I do prayer circles on there, healing circles. I have chat rooms. The show, Beyond, will be part of that whole Web site, so it will be interactive in that way, too, which is very different. It's a really good way for a community to build a spiritual community on the Web also."

Collins Proud Of Trek Role

tephen Collins, who played Willard Decker in Robert Wise's 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture, told SCI FI Wire that he welcomed the chance to provide audio commentary on the recent director's-edition DVD release of the first Trek movie. "I love being part of this," Collins said during The WB's winter press tour promoting his TV show, 7th Heaven. "When I was cast in the Star Trek movie, and right before we started shooting, there was a photo session, and DeForest Kelley ... who plays Bones, Dr. McCoy, said, 'This will never be out of your life. It will never go away.' And he meant it as a good thing, which it primarily is."

Collins won the role of the captain of the Enterprise, never having seen an episode of the original series. But he quickly warmed to his part in the venerable franchise. "I love being part of Star Trek," he said. "I particularly love that I was a captain of the Enterprise, lest you all forget. I try to put that out as much as I can. For the first 20 minutes of the movie, I was the captain of the Enterprise. And then Kirk demoted me. But it's a good trivia question, if you want to stump your friends. Name all the captains of the Enterprise. Most people won't name me."

Enterprise Highlights Keating

ominic Keating, who plays Lt. Malcolm Reed on UPN's Enterprise, told SCI FI Wire that an upcoming episode will highlight his character and that of Cmdr. Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer). In the episode, "Shuttle Pod One," the two find themselves marooned and convinced the Enterprise has been destroyed. For Keating, it's a welcome chance to stretch his acting muscles.

"[Things] got off to a slightly slow start for Malcolm," Keating said in an interview about his relatively small part so far in the series. "I didn't mind. I sort of started to mind a little in my private moments. I thought, 'Give me a little bit more than telling the captain that the ventral plating is down an extra 25 percent.'"

Keating added, "As an actor, this experience, particularly on 'Shuttle Pod One,' I didn't expect it. I don't want to insult [co-creator] Brannon [Braga] or anyone who writes for the show, but I didn't expect ... to play such a three-dimensional, living, breathing human being on a science fiction show. I didn't expect it. So I'm bowled over. I hope there's more of that to come."

"Shuttle Pod One" centers on Reed and Tucker. "We have a ticking clock, in that we're running out of air," Keating said. "It was quite hard filming, because in the episode we turn the thermostat down to conserve oxygen, so the temperature drops, and they built an igloo for us on [Paramount] Stage 8 and put six air conditioners in there with packs of dry ice, and it took the temperature down to subzero, and we did three days in that. It was pretty tough." Enterprise airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Frakes To Helm Illusion

isney will develop Illusion, a supernatural thriller film, based on a pitch by writers Matt Peterman and Brent Bell, Variety reported. Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: First Contact) will direct and produce with his partner Lisa Olin through their Goepp Circle Productions company, the trade paper reported.

The film tells the story of a magician who is falsely accused of a crime and uses his skills to clear his name. Frakes is currently reprising the role of Cmdr. Will Riker in the upcoming Star Trek: Nemesis. He is also directing the SF movie Clockstoppers for Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount; the release date for the film has been bumped back to March 29 from March 15.

ABC, Fox Duel Over Time Tunnel

BC and Fox may fight over competing remakes of 1964 Irwin Allen SF TV series The Time Tunnel, Variety reported. ABC optioned the rights to Time Tunnel, the 1964 book by William Jenkins, published under the pen name Murray Leinster, and is now developing a script based on the book through its Touchstone Television unit, the trade paper reported.

Fox, meanwhile, partnered three months ago with sister studio 20th Century Fox TV and Regency Television to create a series based on Allen's Time Tunnel series, which ran on ABC during the 1966-'67 season.

At issue is whether the original TV show was based on Jenkins' book. The Supreme Court has ruled that owners of a book on which a filmed property is based are entitled to profits from that property should those rights expire, the trade paper reported. ABC reportedly believes that 20th's rights to the Jenkins work expired in 1992, and, since they weren't renewed, ABC believes it could have a say in how any TV series based on Time Tunnel proceeds. For its part, Fox argues the book rights were purchased only to bring Jenkins into the camp of the TV series creators and to avoid public confusion from any future Jenkins-penned Time Tunnel sequels. The actual series, Fox argues, was based on an original Allen story, the trade paper reported.

The Time Tunnel series differs in several respects from the Jenkins novel, Variety reported. Moreover, Fox sources told the trade paper that the U.S. copyright office doesn't note any similarity between the Jenkins book and the Allen series, and the Writers Guild didn't credit Jenkins for the TV series.

Pa. Group Protests Potter

Pennsylvania volunteer group that directs traffic at fire scenes is refusing to work at a YMCA triathlon because it says the club promotes witchcraft by reading Harry Potter books to children, the Associated Press reported. Penryn Fire Police Capt. Robert Fichthorn said the eight-member group voted unanimously to boycott the 20th running of the triathlon, scheduled for Sept. 7, according to the wire service.

The Lancaster Family YMCA began reading chapters of the Harry Potter books to children enrolled in an after-school program in November. In a letter to the township and the YMCA, Fichthorn challenged the religious integrity of the YMCA and questioned whether it was "serving the will of God" in using the books. The YMCA's executive director, Michael Carr, said he was disappointed by the department's decision, but doesn't expect it to stop about 600 triathletes from participating in the race, the AP reported.

McGowan Grows On Charmed

ose McGowan, who plays Paige Matthews on The WB's witch series Charmed, told SCI FI Wire that her character is destined for greater things. "The storyline for my character, ... she's actually probably going to wind up being the one with the most powers," McGowan said during The WB's winter press tour. "Or the strongest, I should say. Which is a pretty cool development. And maybe I'll get to fly."

McGowan, who joined the show this year to replace the departing Shannen Doherty, said that she's still envious of co-star Alyssa Milano's flying ability. "I did get jealous that Alyssa gets to fly around in the air," she said. "I mean, come on! That's like Peter Pan, like Mary Martin. You get to fly around in a harness. That kicks ass! I don't get to do that. ... Another thing that's on the docket for today for discussion." Charmed airs Thursdays at 9 p.m.

ABC Orders Genre Pilots

BC has given the green light to a pair of genre pilots, Variety reported. They include That Was Then, an hour-long drama about a 30-year-old man who longs to go back in time to relive a week in high school.

The other is an as-yet-untitled drama about a family that fights for justice with martial arts skills.

Rose Red Book Out

yperion has published The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red, supposedly based on a doctoral thesis about the life of an early-20th-century woman and her rambling home in Seattle—but which is really a cleverly disguised promotion for ABC's upcoming miniseries Stephen King's Rose Red, USA Today reported. The book even contains a link to author Joyce Reardon's home college, Beaumont University, where visitors can read more about the house and diary that make up the subject of the miniseries. Beaumont and Reardon are both fictional, the newspaper reported.

The book tells the story of John and Ellen Rimbauer and their house, Rose Red, in which 26 people either lost their lives or disappeared. Reardon is a character in the miniseries, which begins on Jan. 27 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Though the miniseries is based on a King idea, Hyperion wouldn't tell USA Today who wrote the Diary.

Disney Pulls Out New Sword

riter Jay Wolpert, who wrote the original draft for Disney's upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean movie, has signed a deal with the studio to write a contemporary film version of T.H. White's Arthurian novel The Sword in the Stone, Variety reported. The movie will tell the early life of King Arthur.

The film will be a period piece, in which a young Arthur joins with Merlin to prepare for his destiny as king of England. Disney previously adapted the book as a 1963 animated film and still holds the rights to the first of White's four Once and Future King Arthurian novels, the trade paper reported.

Warner Brothers recently optioned the film rights to the other three novels in White's quartet, with Kenneth Lonergan on board to write a script.

Quantum Reunion In Works?

ith Scott Bakula's success in UPN's new Star Trek series, Enterprise, rumors are circulating that Universal is mulling the idea of bringing Bakula back to star in a Quantum Leap reunion film, according to a report on the Sy Fy Portal Web site. The site and TV Guide Online, citing anonymous sources, say that the studio is considering a two-hour television film, most likely for NBC, that would pick up the storyline of Dr. Sam Beckett and his holographic companion, Al (Dean Stockwell).

Quantum Leap creator Donald P. Bellisario recently told TV Guide that he has been working at getting a reunion movie together for quite some time, but "Universal, who truly owns the rights to it, has never shown an interest." Enterprise is currently UPN's highest-rated show.

SCI FI Airs Scinema Saturdays

he SCI FI Channel announced that it will air movies new to the network every Saturday at 9 p.m. ET/PT in 2002. SCI FI 's Scinema Saturdays will include original films, such as the recent Babylon 5: Legend of the Rangers, as well as network television premieres of feature films and theatrical movies making their SCI FI Channel debut.

Upcoming Scinema Saturday original movies will include Jackie Chan Presents: Metal Mayhem, Project Viper, Clive Barker's Saint Sinner and Riverworld.

Amber Spyglass Wins Whitbread

hilip Pullman became the first children's writer to win Great Britain's Whitbread prize, for his book The Amber Spyglass, the final installment of the magical His Dark Materials trilogy, the British Guardian newspaper reported. Pullman eclipsed rival J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter) by writing the first children's book to take one of the big two British literary awards, the newspaper reported.

Pullman won both the Whitbread children's award and the overall book of the year prize. The judges took only two minutes to make up their minds, chairman and Channel 4 news presenter Jon Snow told the newspaper.

The trilogy tells the story of children who find themselves in epic battles between the forces of good and evil on which the fate of the universe hangs.

Pluto Takes A Gamble

uis Guzman, who co-stars with Eddie Murphy in the upcoming SF comedy movie Pluto Nash, told SCI FI Wire that his character shows up again and again after an initial encounter. "It's about the moon becoming Las Vegas, so to speak, and this is 70 years into the future," Guzman said in an interview. "I roll up in my spacemobile, and I save Eddie Murphy, because his car ran out of oxygen. Not gas, oxygen. So I give him a hitch up to the moon, [and] I'm in about a third of the movie."

The film mixes blue-screen effects and an actual lunar set constructed on a soundstage, Guzman said. To simulate zero gravity, "they slowed down the film, so it looks like you're floating through space," he added. "When you get to the moon, you're in this huge dome, [so] you can walk around."

Guzman said to expect people in spacesuits, robotic waitresses and other wonders—including his own presence on the set. "One day I stopped production and said, 'I've got an announcement to make. This is really important.' All the crew stops, and I said, 'History is being made here. The first Puerto Rican on the moon.'" Pluto Nash opens Aug. 16.

Phillippe Up For Exorcist

yan Phillippe is in final talks to join the cast of John Frankenheimer's upcoming prequel to The Exorcist, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Morgan Creek Productions is producing the as-yet-untitled film, which is slated to begin shooting in the spring in the United States, United Kingdom and Africa, the trade paper reported.

Phillippe would join a cast that includes Liam Neeson and Billy Crawford. The prequel will tell the story of Father Merrin (Neeson) and his first encounter with the devil while doing missionary work in post-World War II Africa. Phillippe would play Father William Francis, a young priest who does not understand how Merrin can lose faith in God. Francis later faces the devil, with devastating consequences, the trade paper reported.

Green Back In Powers 3

eth Green told Cinescape Online that he'll return as Scott Evil in the upcoming sequel movie Austin Powers: Goldmember. "I don't start on Austin Powers until the end of the month," Green told the site. As for the plot, "I'm not really sure," he added. "I've read about 20 different versions of the script, and they all reflect different aspects."

Green said that his character, the son of Mike Myers' Dr. Evil, "will develop." "I actually like playing the straight man," Green said. "The whole Austin Powers series, I'm just basically playing it straight. It's a liberating place to be, because I don't have to go out of my way to perform. I can basically let somebody else take the spotlight." Goldmember opens in the summer.

Showtime Readies Odyssey 5

howtime has ordered up a full season of Odyssey 5, a time-travel series, for 2002, the network announced. The network ordered a feature-length pilot and 18 one-hour episodes.

Odyssey 5 tells the story of astronauts who go back in time to avert an apocalypse on Earth. The series stars Peter Weller (RoboCop), Sebastian Roche (Merlin), Christopher Gorham, Leslie Silva and Tamara Craig Thomas. Manny Coto (Star Kid) executive produces the series and wrote the pilot script. David Carson (Star Trek: The Next Generation) directed the premiere.

Odyssey 5 begins as an orbiting space shuttle crew witnesses a catastrophic event on Earth. Through alien technology, they are able to return home to their lives as they were five years earlier, with the knowledge of what's ahead and all the memories of those intervening years—and the chance to change not only the fate of the Earth but also the course of their own lives.

WB Casting Prey

inescape Online reported that The WB is far along in its development of Birds of Prey, based on the DC Comics superhero series. WB entertainment president Jordan Levin told Cinescape, "We're starting to go into casting right now and are [eyeing a] fall premiere. And there are some other [comic-based] properties that we're playing around with, too."

Birds of Prey tells the story of computer intelligence expert Oracle, the wheelchair-bound Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) and her field operative partner Black Canary. "I think it's important that it's accessible," Levin said "I mean, I love comic books. I'm a comic-book junkie, but that's a niche form of storytelling. I think that for broadcast television, you have to balance the ability to not alienate that audience, but also make it accessible and bring in a new audience. I think that Smallville is successful in that largely."

Hunter Coming To Xbox

igital Mayhem announced that is is developing Hunter: The Reckoning, an action-adventure video game for the Xbox gaming system. The game is based on the characters and story of the popular role-playing game of the same name, based in the World of Darkness universe. The video game is slated to ship in the first quarter of 2002.

Played from a third person perspective, Hunter allows players to seek out denizens of the night, who are disguised as mortals, and destroy them before they can plunge humanity into eternal darkness.

High Voltage Software is developing the video title for Digital Mayhem, using the AtlasTech Game Engine technology, under license from White Wolf Publishing.

Romijn-Stamos Scores Rollerball

ebecca Romijn-Stamos, who co-stars in John McTiernan's update of the 1975 SF film Rollerball, told SCI Fi Wire that she has seen the final cut of the new film, and, contrary to rumors from a test screening, the film is not a disaster. On the other hand, she acknowledges that much of the film's violence fell to the cutting-room floor in order to secure a PG-13 rating. "It's really fun," said Romijn-Stamos, who co-stars as the motorcycle-riding, Rollerball-playing, butt-kicking Aurora, opposite Chris Klein, LL Cool J and Jean Reno. "It's a little different from what I thought it would be" when she signed on, she said in an interview.

Romijn-Stamos added, "Everybody knows we went and re-shot some things. We shifted gears a little bit and made it more of an action movie and less of a satire, which is what it was before. I think the studio [MGM] and John McTiernan had to make a decision about who [adults or teens] they want to go see this movie. It's still great fun, but it's just not as thinky as it was." After several delays, Rollerball finally rolls into theaters on Feb. 8.

Later this spring, Romijn-Stamos will begin production on the X-Men sequel, X2, reprising her role as the lethal shapeshifter Mystique, aka Raven Darkholme. "I'm excited, but I don't really know anything about it," she said. "I'm very curious to see what they come up with. I'm starting to get in shape, starting to work out a little bit and get myself ready for it. But I am curious to see what they come up with."

Salva Preps Jeepers II

eepers Creepers writer and director Victor Salva is prepping a sequel, Jeepers Creepers II: Like a Bat Out of Hell, slated for a 2003 release, Variety reported. The original film has taken in $50 million so far in worldwide box-office receipts, and the video has been selling strongly since its debut last week, the trade paper reported.

Francis Coppola's American Zoetrope studios, which is producing the film, is holding a virtual open casting call for the movie. The first film starred Justin Long and Gina Philips.

Universal Conjures Magic

riter Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) will adapt Pure Dead Magic, Debi Gliori's British children's book, for the big screen for Universal, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Published in September by Knopf, the book tells the story of a Scottish family of witches whose children must save their father, who has been kidnapped by a half-brother looking for an inheritance.

Sarah Radclyffe and Courtney Pledger are producing the project, which Universal optioned in July, the trade paper reported. Fellowes also is an actor who has appeared in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.

Marvel Artist Buscema Dead

omic-book artist John Buscema, who illustrated Spider-Man, Thor and Conan the Barbarian, died Jan. 10 in Port Jefferson, N.Y., after a bout with stomach cancer, the Los Angeles Times reported. He was 74.

Buscema drew Marvel comics for more than 50 years and illustrated How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, which was published in 1976, the newspaper reported. Trained as a fine artist, Buscema joined Timely Comics in 1948, before it became Marvel Comics, and went to work as a staff illustrator earning $75 a week before being laid off in 1950. In 1966, Buscema's former boss Stan Lee asked Buscema to return to work at Marvel. Buscema would work for Marvel for the next 30 years, the newspaper reported. Buscema reunited with Lee for his final comic, which was published by DC Comics late last year.

Buscema is survived by his wife, Dolores, of Port Jefferson; son John Jr. of South Salem, N.Y.; daughter Dianne Buscema-Gerogianis of Port Jefferson; and four grandchildren.

Wolfenstein Tournament Online

ctivision and id Software have teamed up with the Online Gaming League to host the Return to Castle Wolfenstein "Battle on the Beachhead" tournament, from Jan. 29 through March 12, the companies announced. Gamers from across North America will compete for prizes, including Nintendo GameCubes, Game Boy Advances and hundreds of games.

The tournament will run on the Speakeasy Network. Gamers may register Jan. 22-28. The Online Gaming League will choose 64 teams to compete, and all entrants will be eligible to win daily door prizes that will be awarded through random drawings.

Briefly Noted

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling told the Arts and Entertainment network's Biography program that her fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, will come out this summer.

The official Star Wars Web site has posted images of upcoming toys tied to Episode II—Attack of the Clones, including the first view of a clone trooper.

The TrekToday Web site reported that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine regular Ren� Auberjonois (Odo) will guest-star in an upcoming episode of UPN's Enterprise, shooting Jan. 28.

UPN is placing its low-rated teen alien series Roswell on hiatus, beginning March 5, the network announced. The show will return with new episodes in late April. UPN recently ordered a full season of the show, whose renewal for next year remains in doubt.

New Line distribution president David Tuckerman told the New York Post that additional footage will be added to the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring with scenes of the upcoming sequel, The Two Towers, following the Oscars in March. "We're going to give a preview of [the second film]," he said. "We're going to change the last reel out and do a preview of Two at the end of the last reel. ... I'm sure after the Oscars are voted, and the ballots are done."

The CommanderBond.Net Web site reported that Will Yun Lee (Witchblade) will play a role in the upcoming 20th James Bond movie. Lee will reportedly play the villainous North Korean Col. Moon in the film, which is in production.

The Comics Continuum Web site reported that Fox will air the final episode of The Tick on Jan. 24 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT.

Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, was one of five nominees for the coveted Directors Guild of America award for outstanding directorial achievement in feature film for 2001. The winner, a harbinger of the best-director Oscar winner, will be announced March 9 in Los Angeles.

Special-effects guru Stan Winston (Jurassic Park, A.I.) will unveil the second series of his Realm of the Claw action figures from 5-7 p.m. Jan. 24 at the Toys 'R' Us store in Times Square in New York City.

UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon told the New York Daily News that a crossover with The WB's Buffy spinoff series Angel may still be in the works, even though the two shows air on different networks and producers have previously downplayed the likelihood of a pair-up. "It's not something we're pursuing this year, but it's something we might get into next year if things have cooled down between the two networks," Whedon told the newspaper.

New Line Cinema has updated the Web site for its upcoming Blade II movie. Blade II opens March 29.

The TrekToday Web site reported a rumor that Star Trek: Voyager alumnus Ethan Phillips (Neelix) will guest star in "Acquisition," an upcoming episode of Enterprise, and will play a Ferengi. So as not to conflict with the Next Generation episode "The Last Outpost," which featured the first reported contact between humans and Ferengi, the Enterprise crew will reportedly never know about their encounter with the aliens in "Acquisition."

The Golden Globe Awards virtually shut out genre entertainment, with only Sting's song "Until ... ," from Kate & Leopold, winning a feature-film award (best original song). Jennifer Garner, star of ABC's Alias, won the award for best actress in a TV drama.

TheForce.net has posted images from the upcoming Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones.

A federal judge in San Francisco ruled against George Lucas in his suit to block the producers of pornographic Star Wars-like movies from distributing their products, E! Online reported. The judge decided against blocking the sale of the anim� saga of Wank Solo, clearing the way for Star Ballz creator Media Market Group to resume hawking the $14.95 video online, the site reported.

Jeff Bridges will star in and produce through his AsIs Productions a feature-film adaptation of Lois Lowry's 1994 SF novel The Giver for Walden Media, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The book tells the story of a world without pain, pleasure, racial or socioeconomic differences, crime, poverty, sickness, free will or love.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the upcoming Star Trek: Nemesis film will open on Nov. 22, just after the second Harry Potter film and just before the second Lord of the Rings movie.

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