Animator Jones Dead At 89
cademy Award-winning animator Chuck Jones, who drew such beloved cartoon characters as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd and Porky Pig, died of congestive heart failure on Feb. 22 at his home in Corona del Mar, Calif., the Associated Press reported.
He was 89.
Jones worked on more than 300 animated films in a career that spanned more than 60 years. Three of his films won Academy Awards, and he was awarded an honorary Oscar in 1996 for lifetime achievement. He also received an honorary life membership from the Directors Guild of America, the AP reported.
In addition to drawing Bugs and Daffy, Jones created the Road Runner and his hapless nemesis, Wile E. Coyote, and produced, directed and wrote the screenplay for the animated television classic Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the AP reported.
Perry Weathers Jeremiah Shoot
hen Luke Perry signed on for a tour of duty with J. Michael Straczynski's new Showtime series Jeremiah, the actor told SCI FI Wire that he knew it meant making a long-term commitment to filming in Vancouver, B.C.
Since shooting began last August, Perry said in an interview, he's acclimated "as much as I can. We shoot all the time. We shoot every day. We're out there in the weather—in the rain, in the snow—and this crew is amazing. They go right through it."
Early in February, Perry said, "We were shooting in eight, 10 inches of snow. It just kept coming all day long. And it was beautiful; the trees looked great. You just can't buy that kind of production value. It just looked fantastic. I've heard too many actors come her to work and then bitch about the weather. I promised I wasn't going to do that. And I enjoy it [here]. The people are great."
Of course, the environs aren't the only thing that Perry is enjoying about Jeremiah so far. For the self-avowed aficionado of all things SF, Perry said that Jeremiah was the perfect vehicle to mark his return to series television. "Technology is finite, and there's an end to it," he said. "Whereas the thing with science fiction is, it's infinite. And that, in a nutshell, is why I like it." Jeremiah debuts with a two-hour pilot at 8 p.m. ET/PT on March 3 before moving to its regular Friday timeslot on March 8.
Nebula Nominees Announced
rganizers announced the final ballot for the coveted Nebula Awards, which are voted on and presented by active members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
The awards will be presented at the 2002 Nebula Awards Weekend April 25-28 in Kansas City, Mo. A list of nominees follows.
Novels
•The Quantum Rose by Catherine Asaro
•Eternity's End by Jeffrey A. Carver
•Mars Crossing by Geoffrey A. Landis
•A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
•The Collapsium by Wil McCarthy
•The Tower at Stony Wood by Patricia A. McKillip
•Declare by Tim Powers
•Passage by Connie Willis
Novellas
•"A Roll of the Dice" by Catherine Asaro
•"May Be Some Time" by Brenda Clough
•"The Diamond Pit" by Jack Dann
•"Radiant Green Star" by Lucius Shepard
•"The Ultimate Earth" by Jack Williamson
Novelettes
•"To Kiss the Star" by Amy Sterling Casil
•"The Pottawatomie Giant" by Andy Duncan
•"Undone" by James Patrick Kelly
•"Louise's Ghost" by Kelly Link
•"Auspicious Eggs" by James Morrow
•"Dance of the Yellow-Breasted Luddites" by William Shunn
Short Stories
•"Kaddish for the Last Survivor" by Michael A. Burstein
•"The Cure for Everything" by Severna Park
•"The Elephants on Neptune" by Mike Resnick
•"Mom and Dad at the Home Front" by Sherwood Smith
•"Wound the Wind" by George Zebrowski
Scripts
•O Brother, Where Art Thou? by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
•X-Men by Tom DeSanto and Bryan Singer (story) and David Hayter (screenplay)
•Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon by James Schamus, Kuo Jung Tsai and Hui-Ling Wang
•"The Body," Buffy the Vampire Slayer, by Joss Whedon
Horror Nominees Announced
he International Horror Guild announced nominees for its annual awards, which will be presented at the World Horror Convention April 11-14 in Chicago.
The guild also named William F. Nolan this year's winner of the Living Legend Award, given to an individual who has made a meritorious and notable contribution and substantially influenced the field of horror and dark fantasy, the group announced.
The International Horror Guild's annual awards recognize outstanding achievements in the field of horror and dark fantasy from the year 2001. A complete list of nominees follows.
Novel
•Coldheart Canyon by Clive Barker
•The Living Blood by Tananarive Due
•American Gods by Neil Gaiman
•Sex and Violence in Hollywood by Ray Garton
•Threshold by Caitlín R. Kiernan
•Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub
First Novel
•Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
•The Astonished Eye by Tracy Knight
•Riverwatch by Joseph Nassise
•Moontide by Erin Patrick
•Ordinary Horror by David Searcy
Long Fiction
•"Cleopatra Brimstone" by Elizabeth Hand
•"On Skua Island" by John Langan
•"Eternity and Afterward" by Lucius Shepard
•"Her Hunger" by John Shirley
•"Father Panic's Opera Macabre" by Thomas Tessier
•"Nearly People" by Conrad Williams
Short Fiction
•"Worse Than Bones" by Ramsey Campbell
•"Onion" by Caitlín R. Kiernan
•"Angel of Mercy" by Joyce Carol Oates
•"Blood Money" by Norman Partridge
•"Entr'acte" by David J. Schow
•"Lunch at Charon's" by Melanie Tem
Collection
•Talking in the Dark by Dennis Etchison
•Dark Universe by William F. Nolan
•The Man With the Barbed Wire Fists by Norman Partridge
•Eye by David J. Schow
•Through Shattered Glass by David B. Silva
Anthology
•Meddling With Ghosts: Stories in the Tradition of M.R. James, edited by Ramsey Campbell
•Night Visions 10, edited by Richard Chizmar
•The Museum of Horrors, edited by Dennis Etchison
•The Mammoth Book of Vampire Stories by Women, edited by Stephen Jones
•Darkness Rising Volume Two: Hideous Dreams, edited by L.H. Maynard and M.P.N. Sims
•Bending the Landscape: Original Gay and Lesbian Horror Writing, edited by Stephen Pagel and Nicola Griffith
Illustrated Narrative
•Dark Blue by Warren Ellis and Jacen Burrows
•Just a Pilgrim by Garth Ennis and Carlos Ezquerra
•Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Oz by Christopher Golden and Logan Lubera
•The First Adventure of Miss Catterina Poe by Caitlín R. Kiernan and Steve
Leialoha
•Desperadoes: Quiet of the Grave by Jeff Marriotte and John Severin
Nonfiction
•If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell
•Ramsey Campbell and Modern Horror Fiction by S.T. Joshi
•Book of the Dead: Friends of Yesteryear: Fictioneers and Others by E. Hoffman Price
•Wild Hairs by David J. Schow
•Dark Dreamers: Facing the Masters of Fear by Beth Gwinn and Stanley Wiater
Publication
•All Hallows
•Cemetery Dance
•Hellnotes
•The Spook
•Weird NJ
Television
•No Award
Film
•El Espinazo del Diablo (The Devil's Backbone)
•From Hell
•Ginger Snaps
•Jeepers Creepers
•The Others
•Le Pacte des Loups (Brotherhood of the Wolf)
Artist
•Colleen Crary
•Gail Cross
•Richard Kirk
•John Picacio
•Jason Van Hollander
•Douglas Walters
Spotnitz Misty About X-Files
rank Spotnitz, executive producer of The X-Files, told SCI FI Wire that it's strange contemplating the long-running series' upcoming finale.
"Hopefully we'll be doing a movie next year," Spotnitz said in an interview. "It's funny, because you don't remember any of the pain now [laughs]. Because there was a lot of pain. But all the good stuff comes, and it's just been a great once-in-a-lifetime thing. I'm just grateful and lucky to have been a part of it."
Spotnitz added, "It's a Chris Carter series, so I can afford to be immodest, because I really do think it's a landmark show. And I think it will hold up for quite a number of years, because it had huge ambition both in terms of production and in terms of storytelling, and really achieved a high level of quality. I think it tried to be very smart and very adult, and that's why it reached so many people. Especially for what is essentially a genre show. Shows like this don't usually reach top-10 audiences or win Emmys and things like that. And I think people responded to what was our best effort to deliver a really high-quality show week in and week out. It's been a great experience." The X-Files airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT and will complete its nine-year run in May.
Clones Trailer Due On Fox
he full trailer for Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones will debut not in theaters but on the Fox TV network on March 10, between episodes of Malcolm in the Middle and The X-Files, the official Star Wars Web site reported.
The 2 1/2-minute trailer will then begin appearing in theaters with the debut of Fox's computer-animated film Ice Age on March 15.
Variety, meanwhile, reported that the trailer will also be shown to an industry-only audience at the ShoWest 2002 convention in Las Vegas on March 5. Episode II opens May 16.
Christensen Searched For Anakin
ayden Christensen, who plays Anakin Skywalker in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones, told the Empire Online Web site that he sometimes struggled to find his character's arc.
"Because of the fact that I'm more or less creating a character arc over the course of these two films, the second of which I really have no idea about, which makes it difficult at times," Christensen told the site.
Christensen added, "Obviously you try to incorporate certain sensibilities that justify where I am now and what's to follow, to justify becoming Darth Vader. So a lot of it was a collaborative process with [director] George [Lucas]. He doesn't want to say, 'Here's the script, take what you want and go do it.' It's not that at all. He definitely says, 'Maybe you want to do this scene a little bit more like this, because in the next one, we're just going to add this into this.'" As for turning evil, he added, "Oh yeah, that's where the fun is. That's where you get to play—where you get to be imaginative with what you're exploring. It's easier in a lot of ways to play something more aggressive, more in tune with the dark side." Episode II opens May 16.
Episode II Sneaks For Charity
ucasfilm and 20th Century Fox announced 11 sneak-preview charity screenings of Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones on May 12, four days before the wide release, Variety reported.
Portions of the receipts will be donated to local children's charities, with some seats given to disadvantaged children, the trade paper reported.
Specific theater locations and prices were not disclosed. Screenings will take place in the following cities to benefit the following charities: Boston (the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston), Chicago (Metropolitan Family Services), Dallas (The Family Place), Denver (Kempe Children's Foundation), Los Angeles (The Fulfillment Fund), New York (Children's Aid Society), Philadelphia (The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia), San Francisco (Mentor Foundation), Seattle (Childhaven), Toronto (Child Find Ontario) and Washington (For Love of Children).
Jackson Talks New Rings
ord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has been making several pronouncements concerning the upcoming DVD release of Fellowship of the Ring; the next Rings film, The Two Towers; and other projects.
Speaking to Empire Online, Jackson said that two, not three, DVD releases are planned: an initial theatrical release, to be followed by an extended cut featuring 30 minutes of unseen footage, including a sequence in which Galadriel gives the Fellowship gifts.
Meanwhile, Jackson told the Dark Horizons Web site that The Two Towers will feature Gollum's backstory, including flashbacks of Smeagol, but will not include sequences of the Scouring or the character of Shelob. Speaking on the PBS Charlie Rose program, Jackson added that he's finished a rough cut of The Two Towers and has made a first pass at Return of the King, which comes out in 2003.
Finally, Jackson told Rose that he's interested in remaking the classic giant-ape movie King Kong, on which he was working until Universal back-burnered the project in 1996.
Rings Wins 5 BAFTAs
he Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring landed five top prizes on Feb. 24 at the British Academy Film Awards, a possible bellwether to the upcoming Oscars, the Reuters news service reported.
Fellowship won awards for best picture, direction, special effects, makeup and hair, Reuters reported.
Fellowship, the first of three proposed Rings films from New Zealand director Peter Jackson, has earned 13 Oscar nominations.
Comics Industry Gives It Away
he comics industry will sponsor a Free Comic Book Day at participating retailers on May 4, during which visitors will receive Star Wars, Spider-Man, Justice League and other comics free of charge.
Comic publishers have committed more than 200,000 comic books for the promotion, which is supported by publishers, creators, retailers and others in the industry, organizers said.
The Free Comic Book Day comes a day after the opening of Sam Raimi's upcoming Spider-Man movie. A database of participating retailers will be posted online in mid-March.
Berman Reveals Nemesis Spoilers
ick Berman, producer of the upcoming Star Trek: Nemesis movie, told the official Star Trek: Communicator magazine that veteran genre actor Ron Perlman will be playing a key role, according to a spoiler report on Cinescape Online.
"He will be playing our second villain, so to speak," Berman told the magazine.
Berman also revealed major spoilers for the film. "Our major antagonist in this film is being played by a young English actor named Tom Hardy, who is an extremely talented young man. Tom plays a clone of Picard. He also plays the leader of the Reman Empire—the Reman Empire being the sister planet of Romulus. His trusty Viceroy, and right arm and henchman, is being played by Ron Perlman. The Viceroy is also the man who raised him and is a Reman himself. Tom Hardy is a relative newcomer. He has a small but very effective role in Black Hawk Down. These two guys are both terrific." Nemesis is currently in production for a Thanksgiving release.
McFadden Likes Nemesis
ates McFadden, who plays Dr. Crusher in the upcoming Star Trek: Nemesis film, told the British Starburst magazine that she thinks the new Trek film will be better than the last, Insurrection.
"I didn't think it [Insurrection] was so strong," McFadden told the magazine. "It was a little quick after First Contact, but that really is just a personal opinion. By comparison, I thought that First Contact was a really solid, together script. I loved the story. I wasn't as wild about Insurrection, but I've talked to many people who loved it, so there you are."
By contrast, McFadden said, "In the same way that First Contact was good for all of us as a cast, I think that Nemesis is a more balanced film." She added, "I'm not spoiling any surprises by saying that I think that it's going to be a really good film. I enjoyed filming it, and I think John Logan wrote a really good script." Nemesis is currently in production, with an eye to a November release.
Enterprise Gets Sexy
rannon Braga, co-creator of UPN's Enterprise, told Cinescape Online that he and partner Rick Berman aren't shying away from sex in the new Star Trek series.
"Sensuality is sexual tension," Braga told the site. "And there's a lot of sexual tension between Trip and T'Pol and Archer and T'Pol. Trip got pregnant. There was a lot of sensuality in that one, and we have a show coming up where T'Pol gets nasty with a Vulcan. And that's a real sexy show."
Braga added, "Hopefully the sensuality runs through the show. You see our people in their underwear. You see Archer in the shower. There's an episode where the Ferengi take over the ship, and Trip spends the entire episode in his underwear, running around the ship like Bruce Willis [in Die Hard]. Sensuality can be humorous. It can be obvious, and it can be subtle. Rick and I have been allowed to bring our own sensibilities to the show in a more natural way, which we haven't been allowed to do in some of the other shows." Enterprise airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Bridge Commander Beams Into Stores
ctivision and Totally Games announced that their new PC simulator, Star Trek: Bridge Commander, is now in stores.
Bridge Commander features familiar Star Trek opponents such as Cardassians, Ferengi, Klingons and Romulans. Players can command single- or multiplayer campaigns, participate in team death matches and even link up with other players via the Internet, the companies said.
Star Trek: Bridge Commander carries a suggested retail price of $49.99.
Buffy Game Due In April
he BtVS Gaming Web site reported that the long-awaited video game based on UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer will finally hit store shelves in April.
The report, based on unofficial information, also said the game will be produced exclusively for the Xbox gaming platform, not the PC or Mac, as had been hoped.
The EA game had originally been slated for a March release.
Sadler Directs Roswell
illiam Sadler, who plays former sheriff Jim Valenti on UPN's teen-alien series Roswell, told SCI FI Wire that he recently stepped behind the camera to direct an upcoming episode that will feature the return of a familiar character.
"I have been asking to direct an episode of Roswell since season one," Sadler said in an interview. "I think they are going to be very happy with what they got. We came in on time and on budget with a good show. I think they're going to wish we had started this in year one. I'd be a seasoned old director by now."
Sadler also offered the spoiler that the episode, "Four Aliens and a Baby," will deal with the return of the fourth alien, Tess, portrayed by Emilie DeRavin. "I don't want to spoil it for people, but I think it's all right to say that a character whose name starts with T comes back," he said. At the end of last season, Tess left Earth in a family way after seducing fellow alien Max Evans (Jason Behr). Now she is back, and she's not alone.
"Four Aliens and a Baby" will be the 17th episode of Roswell's current season. It may also turn out to be one of the last, given that a fourth year for the seemingly always-on-the-bubble series remains in doubt. "I know there are rumors flying around about a fourth season," Sadler said. "I heard a rumor a while back about a film—a Roswell movie—but I'm not holding my breath. Everybody seems to be going on with their lives. ... I mean, you always do this in television, because you can never count on [the future]."
For first time director Sadler, the experience was both educational and harrowing at times. "This episode that I do, we have dogs, we have babies, we have green screen, we have stunts and special effects and huge scenes with all of the actors in them," he said. "There were moments there when I was way over my head and had to turn to the people around me and say, 'You're going to have to help me with this one.'" Though Sadler welcomed the challenge, he admitted that he would have preferred a less complicated script for his directing debut. "They chose this episode for me. I would have chosen one where two people sit in an apartment and talk for 40 minutes."
Regardless of the show's fate, Sadler said that he would like to continue directing if given the opportunity. "It's fabulous. Once you've faced each and every one of these challenges, there can never be another first time for it. You've done it already. So it's not going to be unfamiliar territory anymore." After a two-month hiatus, Roswell returns with new episodes at 9 p.m. ET/PT April 30. "Four Aliens and a Baby" is scheduled to air May 14.
Elliott Soldiers On Hulk Villain
am Elliott told SCI FI Wire that his preparations to play a general in We Were Soldiers also applied to his role as villainous Gen. Thaddeus Ross in the upcoming movie version of Marvel Comics' The Incredible Hulk.
"I'm blessed in this film [We Were Soldiers], having an opportunity to hang around a lot of generals—real generals," Elliott said in an interview. "That's the character I'm playing in The Hulk. He's a four-star general. Although I'm out doing service to this movie, I've still got that in the back of my head."
As far as Hulk-specific research, Elliott said he was more familiar with the Marvel comic books, on which the movie is based, than the old TV series. "I read the comics in college," Elliott said. "I didn't watch the TV show much. I wasn't much of a TV watcher in the '70s." The Hulk, directed by Ang Lee, begins filming in March for a 2003 release.
Bana Green With Joy About Hulk
ric Bana, who will play the title role in Ang Lee's upcoming Incredible Hulk movie,
Told Movieline magazine that he's a big fan of the Marvel Comics series, according to a report on Cinescape Online.
"Don't think I don't know how ridiculously lucky I am," Bana told the magazine. "I was a long shot, and I literally thought they had cast someone else. I mean, I would have been a complete assh-le to think 'How dare I not get The Hulk!'"
Bana added, "This project is going to be unbelievable in every way—from its idea to its structure and execution, let alone what Ang expects from me. ... When Ang first explained to me how he was planning to do the film, I was like, 'Would it be appropriate to stand at the door of every theater in the world and offer audiences a money-back guarantee?' For me, this is the ultimate geek reward. If I get hit by a bus when it's all over, so be it."
Rodriguez Embraces Evil
ichelle Rodriguez, co-star of the upcoming supernatural horror film Resident Evil, told SCI FI Wire that she's long been a genre-film fan. "I loved The Birds," she said in an interview.
"I love zombie movies, anything with zombies in it. Night of
the Living Dead. In black and white. Oh, great, sick stuff." She added, "I like the cheesy B pictures. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, oh my
goodness. That was sick. I love that. I still can't watch Poltergeist or The Exorcist when I'm alone at home in the house. Those two give me the
heebie-jeebies."
Rodriguez hopes that Resident Evil will give audiences the heebie-jeebies,
too. Based on the Capcom game series and directed by Paul Anderson of Mortal Kombat and Event Horizon fame, Resident Evil follows an elite team (including
Rodriguez as Rain and Milla Jovovich as Alice) as they battle scientist-zombies, mutant dogs, the infamous Red Queen and other assorted creatures in an effort to thwart a deadly virus from spreading beyond the confines of a maze-like underground complex.
Rodriguez, who gained fame with Girlfight and The Fast and the Furious, doesn't pretend the film or its performances will be remembered at Oscar time next year. "Rain is a pretty simple character," she said. "She's an ex-Navy SEAL. She's very internal and pretty rugged and has seen some sh-t in her day. The next thing you know she starts working for this private organization to make some extra cash. There are some looks of surprise in her. It's not like there's a lot of intense acting going on, if you know what I mean." Resident Evil opens March 15.
Dead Heads For Movies
riter Mark A. Altman told Cinescape Online that he is adapting the Sega video game House of the Dead for the movies with co-writer Dave Parker.
"I absolutely love this video game, so it's really exciting to be bringing the film to the big screen," Altman told the site. "The zombie genre has been in desperate need of some new blood for over a decade now, and with Resident Evil [also based on a video game], which I'm very excited about, coming out this year and House of the Dead in '03, I think zombie fans will be able to find some great entertainment to pass the time while waiting for the next [George] Romero [Night of the Living] Dead flick."
German music-video director Uwe Boll will helm House of the Dead, which starts shooting in May, Cinescape reported. "We want our film to be smart, scary and gory. No PG cop-out here," Altman said. "We're casting now, and I think Uwe's going to do a great job with the film. He's as crazy about this material as I am and has a real vision for the film."
UPN To Air Wolf Lake
PN confirmed that it will air five episodes of the paranormal series Wolf Lake, which sister network CBS canceled last year, starting April 3.
The Smackdown network will air the Wolf Lake pilot at 9 p.m. ET/PT on April 3, followed in subsequent weeks by four never-before-seen episodes.
The series, starring Lou Diamond Phillips, takes place in a small Pacific Northwest town where local residents possess the ability to shape-shift from humans to wolves.
Sommers Bites Into Van Helsing
riter/director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy) will take on Dracula in Van Helsing, a supernatural feature film set to begin shooting in early fall, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Sommers will also produce Van Helsing with his partner Bob Ducsay, the trade paper reported.
Sommers' screenplay is set in the late 19th century and finds Bram Stoker's monster hunter Van Helsing summoned to a distant Eastern European land to vanquish evil. The project will make use of Universal's classic monster characters, including Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man, as reimagined by Sommers, the trade paper reported.
Universal Turns To Evil
niversal Pictures has joined forces with Montecito partners Ivan Reitman and Tom Pollock for The Nature of Evil, a supernatural action-horror film to be directed by Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious), Variety reported.
Pollock, Reitman (Evolution) and Katherine Knowlton will produce the film, to be shot in Turkey and the United States, the trade paper reported.
Variety described the film as The Omen meets Indiana Jones.
Jada's Wired About The Matrix
ada Pinkett Smith, who takes on a new role in the upcoming Matrix Reloaded sequel, told Cinema Confidential columnist Cindy Pearlman that the physically demanding part has been "exhilarating and challenging."
"I've been on my own training mission," said Pinkett Smith, who is doing wire stunts. "The people I've worked with said I missed my calling, which is doing stunts. I think it's just so cool to push yourself to the extreme."
Pinkett Smith added that she's not crazy about the idea of husband Will Smith making a cameo appearance in The Matrix Reloaded and a third installment, Matrix Revolutions. "Will has said, 'Baby, I might be free.' But Matrix is my movie," she said. "It was hilarious, because Will and Trey [Smith's son from his first marriage] made a little home movie with both of them starring in their own version of The Matrix."
Scene Added To Monsters DVD
illy Crystal and John Goodman will voice Mike and Sulley in a new scene to be added to VHS and DVD editions of its computer-animated hit movie Monsters, Inc., Variety reported.
The VHS and double-disc special-edition DVD of the Oscar-nominated Disney/Pixar movie are due Sept. 17, the trade paper reported.
The DVD will also feature the "outtakes" that were produced for the theatrical re-release during the holidays, as well as the Oscar-nominated Pixar short For the Birds, among several hours of extra material, Variety reported.
Smith A Natural In MIB II
ill Smith, who stars in the upcoming sequel Men in Black II, told Cinema Confidential columnist Cindy Pearlman that putting on the black shades again "was just too much fun."
"It was the easiest thing in the world for [co-star] Tommy Lee Jones and me to get back together again," Smith told Pearlman. "It just felt natural."
Smith was coy about the sequel's plot. "Well, let's just say that the alien world is still at it," he said. Men in Black II opens July 3.
O'Connor Travels To Timeline
rances O'Connor, who played the mother in A.I. Artificial Intelligence, has landed the female lead role in the upcoming time-travel film Timeline, Variety reported.
O'Connor would portray an archaeology grad student who travels back in time with her colleagues to 14th-century France to rescue their professor.
O'Connor joins Paul Walker and Gerard Butler (Dracula 2000) in the movie, which is based on Michael Crichton's novel of the same name. Richard Donner will direct from George Molfi's script, with production slated to start in April.
ILM Takes On Timeline F/X
ndustrial Light & Magic has been chosen to create the visual effects for Timeline, the upcoming time-travel movie based on Michael Crichton's novel of the same name, Variety reported.
Richard Donner is directing the movie, which stars Paul Walker (The Fast and the Furious) and Gerard Butler (Dracula 2000) in a story about modern-day archaeology students who travel back to 14th-century France to rescue their professor. The movie is set to begin shooting in Canada in April, with an eye to a summer 2003 release.
Roger Guyett, who created major sequences for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, will act as visual-effects supervisor on Timeline, the trade paper reported. The movie will reportedly require few major computer-generated sequences, other than set extensions of castles and the creation of locations to resemble 14th-century France.
Columbia Goes Deep Core
olumbia Pictures will develop Deep Core, a horror thriller movie based on a pitch by writer John Sweet, Variety reported.
Sweet will write the script based on an original story by Sweet and producers Gina Matthews and Grant Scharbo, the trade paper reported.
Deep Core is set on a research submarine beneath the polar ice caps, where scientists encounter a deadly predator never before seen by mankind, Variety reported.
Goyer Mulls Blade III
lade II screenwriter David Goyer told the Comics2Film Web site that he is already talking about a third installment in the vampire film franchise, even though the sequel hasn't hit theaters yet.
"I've always had in mind an idea for the third one that takes it into really uncharted territory, and I'm curious to see if New Line will go for it or not," Goyer told the site.
Goyer added, "What I really want to do for the third one is set it about 20 years in the future, and the vampires have actually completely taken over the world, so they are the status quo. Because Blade is actually half-vampire, he ages at a slower rate, so Wesley [Snipes] can still play himself."
Goyer also wants to shake up vampire mythology. "In all these different stories, the vampires are trying to take over the world," he said. "For the third film, I just want to say, 'F-ck it. They've won. Now what is the world like?'" Blade II opens March 22.
Cosmic Encounter Aims For Web
eter Olotka, designer of the classic SF strategic card game Cosmic Encounter, told SCI FI Wire that an online version of the game will launch soon.
"When you play Cosmic Encounter, you will become an alien with a special power to break the rules," Olotka said in an interview. "Your goal is to establish a colony on four planets outside your home system. Cosmic Encounter is a highly social experience."
Players will have the ability to choose from 21 alien species, each with a unique rule-breaking power, making it possible for there to be 5,985 different cosmic games. Membership for the site will be free for the first 30 days, after which players will have to pay $5.50 a month. The site is completely self-contained, and no additional software or upgrades are required.
Cosmic Encounter was originally released in 1977 and has since been published in 16 different versions and translated into seven languages. Eon Products holds the trademark for Cosmic Encounter. "When we first designed Cosmic Encounter, we foresaw the Internet decades ahead of its existence and so designed it to evolve to this medium," Olotkan said. "Cosmic Encounter online fits the idea of the Internet as a social gathering place and as a great medium for [players]. It is one of the few games that has common ground among gamers."
Moreau Was Hot For Firestarter
arguerite Moreau, who stars in the SCI FI Channel's upcoming original miniseries Firestarter: Rekindled, told SCI FI Wire that she was excited to take on Drew Barrymore's character from the original 1984 film.
"I loved that idea," Moreau said in an interview while promoting her latest film, Queen of the Damned. "I was like, 'Drew Barrymore? Older? Great. Do it. I love it.'"
Like its predecessor, the four-hour television movie centers around the character of Charlene (Charlie) McGee, a girl born with pyrokinetic abilities as a result of her parents' unwitting participation in a top-secret government experiment. Twenty years later, Charlie is still on the run and just beginning to master her powers. "She's gained more control of her fire," Moreau said. "But what happens is [that] when she starts to let go—when she starts to just go on her instincts, especially when she's with a special man or something like that—things just start blowing up. It makes it really hard to get close to somebody."
In taking on the role of Charlie, Moreau said she consulted Barrymore for advice before the start of filming. Sort of. "I convened with her spirit. We did a little ESP," Moreau joked. "She gave me what she knew, but she really said, 'Honey, it's all up to you, whatever you want to do. Because, really, you have all of her adolescence to decide for yourself.'" Firestarter: Rekindled premieres at 9 p.m. ET/PT March 10 on SCI FI.
Pepper Downplays Earth Sequel
arry Pepper told SCI FI Wire that he doesn't think there will be a sequel to his much-maligned 2000 SF epic film Battlefield Earth, though star John Travolta has said one is in the works.
And even if there is, Pepper added that he's not interested in reprising the starring role of Jonnie Goodboy Tyler, the human who leads a rebellion against invading aliens in the year 3000.
"It's not a reality," Pepper said in an interview. But Pepper said he has no hard feelings about taking part in the critically lambasted film. "It was a great experience," he said.
Witchblade Sharpens Season Two
alph Hemecker, executive producer of TNT's Witchblade, told the Comics Continuum Web site that the second season will have a slightly different approach from the first.
"Last year was pretty serialized," Hemecker told the site. "We're going to go a bit more stand-alone this year. There will be plot threads that carry through the 13 episodes, though."
Hemecker revealed that the first episode of the second season will be called "Emergence." Production of the second season of Witchblade has begun in Toronto, with new episodes targeted for June.
Baldwin Lands In Cooler
lec Baldwin has signed to co-star with William H. Macy in The Cooler, a fantasy film about a man with bad luck so infectious he can turn a hot hand cold just by bumping into a gaming table, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Baldwin will play Shelly Kaplow, a sleazy director of operations at a Las Vegas casino, opposite Macy as Bernie Lootz, the man with bad luck.
Still to be cast is the role of the gorgeous waitress whom Kaplow hires to keep Lootz at the casino, the trade paper reported. Wayne Kramer and Frank Hanna wrote the film, which will be directed by Kramer. Production on Cooler is scheduled to begin in May.
Fan Site Advice Now On Web
technology civil liberties group and a set of law school clinics have launched a Web site aimed at telling fans how their online rights stack up against corporations intent on protecting trademarks, C|net.com reported.
ChillingEffects.org is an educational resource for Internet denizens to learn about their rights related to cease-and-desist letters, such as those sent by studios to fan Webmasters of The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer sites.
The site is set up by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and law school clinics at Stanford, Harvard, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of San Francisco. The project aims to provide basic legal information about ongoing issues related to copyright, trademark and domain names, defamation, anonymous speech and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, C|net reported. Organizers told C|net that they are placing cease-and-desist notices in a database for the site.
Wells Takes His Own Time
imon Wells, director of the upcoming Time Machine movie, told SCI FI Wire that he added Orlando Jones' character, Vox, as an update of elements from director George Pal's 1960 version of the same story, which in turn was based on the classic SF book by Wells' great-grandfather, H.G. Wells.
"Vox is really a descendant of the speaking rings in the George Pal film," Wells said in an interview. "In the original book, the time traveler postulates to himself what has happened to humanity. George Pal realized the need to actually have some narrator explain specifically what has happened. We took that one stage further to have an on-screen character."
Vox, a holographic computer character, appears when the time traveler [Guy Pearce] visits the near future, then again when he arrives 800,000 years from now. For a frame of reference to modern computers, Wells described Vox as "that irritating little character who shows up in the corner of Microsoft Word when you're trying to write a letter, and you can't switch it off. He's that guy." The Time Machine opens March 8.
Time Machine F/X Evolve
amie Pryce, visual effects supervisor for the upcoming movie The Time Machine, told an audience at the Los Angeles Comicon that he relied on both off-the-shelf and custom software to create the computer-generated geological-evolution effects witnessed by the time traveler (Guy Pearce) as he zooms through the ages.
"[For most of] the visual effects, we used [the computer program] Maya almost exclusively, and we got into proprietary code for some of the stuff you couldn't really get [from] out of the box," Pryce told fans.
"Specifically, when you see the geological stuff occurring, most of that was custom code written by Digital Domain, either as a plug-in, shelf modules for Maya or as stand-alone executables that could be used to design a geometry that would be evolving," Pryce said. "The textures of the trees, for instance: All of that was programmed specifically using environmental simulations or some sort of nature-based model for the growing of the trees."
Pryce also employed "ray-tracing" for certain effects, including the time machine itself. "The time machine model has a series of glass lenses that are at each pole of the machine, [which] emit energy that becomes the time sphere that protects the time traveler when he's traveling through time. In a case like that, we required refractions and other digital elements, [so] we would occasionally use ray-tracing." The Time Machine opens March 8.
Brosnan Back Soon On Bond 20
ichael Wilson, who is producing the upcoming 20th James Bond movie, told the Yahoo News U.K. Web site that he expects star Pierce Brosnan to return to work on March 4, following a knee injury on the set.
"It's caused us a few problems, but we're working them out," Wilson said in London at the British academy of film and television awards ceremony. Wilson added that he didn't think the injury would affect the film's proposed November release date, Yahoo reported.
Wilson revealed that Michael Madsen will play a "CIA-type American agent" in the film and conceded that the film may "have one or two additional Bond girls" joining the cast.
Spawn 2 Creeps Ahead
teve Niles—who is working with Spawn creator Todd McFarlane on a sequel to the 1997 movie version of the comics series—told the Comics Continuum Web site to expect movement on the project.
The script for Spawn 2 is set up at Columbia Pictures, the site reported.
"Spawn 2 is coming along great," Niles told the Continuum. "The script has gone through several polishes, and we're working closely with [producer] Don Murphy [From Hell] to make it something special." Niles added, "I think the biggest surprise will be how different this film will be from the first. I think Spawn 2 will be much more accessible to all types of movie fans, because it will cross the lines between the superhero, horror and crime genres."
Sossamon Commits Sin
hannyn Sossamon filled SCI FI Wire in on some details about her next film, The Sin Eater.
Now filming in Rome, the supernatural thriller/murder mystery reunites Sossamon not only with her Knight's Tale writer/director Brian Helgeland, but also with co-stars Heath Ledger and Mark Addy. "I play a girl from New York, and she's a painter," Sossamon said in an interview. "Heath plays a priest who performed an exorcism on her. That's not what the movie is about; that's backstory. She senses things and can feel something bad that might have happened. It drives her insane, even though she's not a crazy girl at all. She's actually very light and loving, but the brutal stuff that's happened to her, it hurt."
Sossamon added, "She's also in love with Heath's character and trying to deal with that. They go to Rome for four or five days, and [the movie is about] what happens in those four or five days. It's about their relationship, and it's actually kind of creepy. It [will] also deal a lot with fate and religion. It's really dark."
Sossamon is far less revealing when it comes to discussing the abrupt departure of Sin cast member Vincent Cassel (The Brotherhood of the Wolf). Cassel left the project three weeks into production and was subsequently replaced by German actor Benno Furmann. "I don't know, actually," Sossamon said. "It was just weird. He's really cool, though. I only met him once. I don't know what happened." The Sin Eater is tentatively set for release in the fall.
Rice Blesses Damned
ose Saralegui, who produced the current vampire thriller film Queen of the Damned, told SCI FI Wire that Anne Rice, on whose novels the film is based, gave the filmmakers permission to use her name only at the 11th hour.
"She ... cleared the use of her name. Which you probably see now in the materials," Saralegui said in an interview. "Now it's Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned. That was her offering it to us after seeing the movie, so that kind of speaks for itself."
Director Michael Rymer said in an interview that Rice was involved in the production from the start, but distanced herself after a disagreement with Warner Brothers executives. "Anne was there at the beginning," Rymer said. "I met with her, and we talked about the style and the sort of casting we were going to do. Anne and the studio parted ways about which book to do. She, I think, would have preferred [to adapt only] the second book [Queen of the Damned] if it had gone forward. But then she was copied on all the screenplays. She gave comments and has pretty much given us her blessing."
Seeking Rice's approval, Rymer flew out to New Orleans to personally screen the finished film for the author. Her response? "Very positive," Rymer said. "She was very objective. She knew that it wasn't going to be the books. She was prepared to evaluate the film on its own merits. ... I can't quote her, but she's put some quotes on her Web site that are very flattering. So I'm greatly relieved." Queen of the Damned is now playing.
Earth's Final Conflict Hinted
aul Gertz, executive producer of the syndicated SF series Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict, told SCI FI Wire that the final episodes will have some surprises, but he added that he believes fans will enjoy the way it ends.
The storyline will pay off all the key players as they "get their moment to shine," Gertz said in an interview.
While Kevin Kilner (William Boone) won't return, other key players will. The
syndicated series is in its fifth and final season. "It's been great, but it hasn't been the easiest show," Gertz said. "Part of the challenge was everybody had a view of what they wanted the show to be, and since it was created by Gene Roddenberry, who is no longer with us, he wasn't there to say, 'Well, this is what I meant it to be.' So actually the first
year was the year that I felt was closest to what Mr. Roddenberry envisioned. So there's been obviously a lot of tinkering with the premise over the last five years. I've had a great time, and you sit back and there are things you wish you could change. But you can't look backward. You can only look forward [laughs]. We've already shot the last episode, and it was quite emotional. ... Call up the people you know [at the SCI FI Channel] and tell them if we get a sixth season, we'll finally get it right [laughs]." Earth: Final Conflict currently airs on SCI FI weeknights at 7 p.m. ET/PT and will move to weekdays at 2 p.m. ET/PT, beginning March 18.
Briefly Noted
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Gina Torres (Alias) and Ron Glass have joined the cast of Fox's upcoming SF series Firefly, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, Canada's All Pop Web site reported. The show starts production in March.
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Makers of The Time Machine are auctioning off two tickets to the March 4 gala world premiere of the SF movie on eBay. The auction ends March 3; Time Machine opens to the public on March 8.
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Director David Lynch (Twin Peaks) has opened a subscription-only Web site offering original series and other content for $9.79 per month.
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Cinescape Online reported that Amy Irving will guest-star as Sloane's (Ron Rifkin) wife on an upcoming episode of ABC's SF spy thriller Alias. Former James Bond star Roger Moore will also guest-star on the March 10 episode, the site reported.
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Behind-the-scenes sketches, interviews and other footage for Sam Raimi's upcoming Spider-Man have been posted to the official German Web site.
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Dark Horizons reported a rumor that Britney Spears will play a superhero in Dazzler, a feature film based on the 1970s Marvel comic series of the same name.
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Cinesite is in talks to handle the visual effects for writer-director Steven Soderbergh's upcoming SF film Solaris, an update of the classic Stanislaw Lem novel that is set to star George Clooney, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The work will include 2-D and 3-D effects and will feature spaceship exteriors, waterscapes, the creation and healing of wounds and green-screen-composited planetscapes, the trade paper reported.
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Danny McBride and Len Wiseman have sold their supernatural thriller film pitch Black Chapter to Disney's Touchstone Pictures, Variety reported. Black Chapter is described as a high-action supernatural tale.
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Alice Krige, who played the Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact, will guest-star on HBO's Six Feet Under, TV Guide reported.
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The Writer's Guild of America, West, will present the fourth annual Animation Writing Award to Alan Burnett, a producer of The WB's animated Static Shock and a former producer of Batman, Superman, The Zeta Project and Batman Beyond, the Comics Continuum Web site reported.
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The DVDfile.com Web site reported that the complete second-season DVD of Buffy the Vampire Slayer will hit stores on June 11.
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Warner Brothers announced that it has moved up the release of its upcoming giant-spider movie Eight Legged Freaks to July 12 from Aug. 30.
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The Ain't It Cool News Web site reported rumored big spoilers about the death of a major character in the series finale of The X-Files.
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The Coming Attractions Web site reported major spoilers concerning the role of Agent Smith in the upcoming Matrix Reloaded sequel movie, which is currently shooting for a 2003 release.
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The Philadelphia Science Fiction Society announced that it reached agreement with the Philadelphia Center City Marriott to move its annual SF convention, Philcon, to the new hotel. The convention will take place Dec. 13-15 and feature Connie Willis, Donato Giancola, Spider and Jeanne Robinson, David Gerrold and Nalo Hopkinson.
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The Gotham Clock Tower Web site reported that Sherilyn Fenn (Twin Peaks) will play Dr. Harleen Quinzel in the pilot episode of Birds of Prey, which is based on a DC Comics series.
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Skeet Ulrich (Scream) will star in the ABC drama pilot Miracles, playing a Vatican-based investigator who probes reports of miracles, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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The Dark Horizons Web site reported that Cate Blanchett (The Lord of the Rings) will appear in The Last Man, Darren Aronofsky's top-secret SF film, which begins production in Australia soon.
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Star Trek: Voyager star Roxann Dawson will direct "Vox Solis," an upcoming episode of UPN's Enterprise, according to a message on her official Web site.
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The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Web site has published a preliminary ballot of titles for the Bram Stoker Awards. The final ballot will be available at the end of March.
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Star Trek's William Shatner will once again voice advertisements for Priceline.com, having renewed his contract with the name-your-own-price service earlier this year, the C|net Web site reported.
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Brad Raider will play the obnoxious older brother in ABC's upcoming That Was Then, a series about a man who goes back in time to the 1980s to relive his youth, Variety reported.
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Roswell co-star William Sadler disputed a report that the UPN teen-alien series is being canceled, saying that the show's sets are not being trashed, but rather overhauled, the Dark Horizons Web site reported.
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Dark Horizons reported that Summer Glau has landed the part of super-genius River in Firefly, the upcoming Fox SF series from Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon.
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Dark Horizons reported that Jackie Chan will appear in the upcoming SF movie Titanium Rain, a time-travel epic in which Chan will play a Ming Dynasty warrior transported to the present. Citing reports in the Asian newspapers Oriental Daily and The Sun, the site reported that shooting begins in October after Chan completes work on Shanghai Knights and The Bellboy, with a release in 2004.
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The DVD Review Web site reported that a new special-edition DVD of Highlander is due from Anchor Bay Entertainment in April. The Immortal Edition DVD will feature a THX-certified widescreen transfer, remixed audio tracks, a bonus CD with Queen songs from the film and a 16-page booklet.
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