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March 18, 2002

March 11, 2002

March 4, 2002

Judge Rules Against Ellison

n response to a lawsuit by SF author Harlan Ellison, a federal judge has ruled that America Online is not liable for the unauthorized posting of some e-books on its Web servers, the C|net Web site reported. Ellison sued AOL in 2000, alleging that the company violated his copyrights by allowing unauthorized copies of his work to remain on Usenet servers for two weeks, the site reported.

U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper ruled that AOL is protected by provisions in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that shield Internet service providers from liability if they remove disputed content when notified, C|net reported.

Ellison originally named the newsgroup host and Stephen Robertson, the fan who scanned the work and uploaded it onto the Usenet servers, in the lawsuit, but both parties settled, leaving AOL as the only defendant, the site reported.

Carter Pulled X-Files Plug

he X-Files creator Chris Carter told SCI FI Wire that it was his decision to end the series after its ninth season as the show's ratings dropped. He made the decision over the Christmas break, as the show's ratings had already dipped following the departure of David Duchovny after season eight, and they declined further during the ninth season against savvy counter-programming.

"We were up against Saving Private Ryan in our first week out," Carter said in an interview. "We were up against Britney Spears [and her HBO concert] the next Sunday night, so we took heavy flak and never really recovered from it for the next four episodes after those first two."

Carter, who is collaborating with Frank Spotnitz on the two-hour series finale that will reunite Agents Mulder (Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson), added, "Our audience was just down from the year before, and they didn't seem to be coming back. So they had gone elsewhere, and I didn't know where they had gone. I thought we were doing great work, and all of a sudden I saw there was an opportunity for people to say, 'It wasn't the same old X-Files.' I thought that was unfair, and I thought they would pin that on Robert [Patrick] and Annabeth [Gish], who I think are fantastic actors and are doing incredible work. I just didn't want to see that happen, and so I thought I wanted to see the show go out strong. I wanted people to come back to the show and see the good work we were doing. Ultimately, I really hope that people, when they see these final episodes—I think there are about 10 episodes left—or watch the finale, I hope they say, 'God, we'll really miss this show.'" Fox will air the finale, "The Truth," on May 19.

Anderson Faces X-Files End

illian Anderson, who has played FBI Agent Scully on The X-Files for the last nine years, told SCI FI Wire that it's beginning to dawn on her that the series will soon close up shop. "This is so surreal," she said in an interview. "I swear to God, it's only started to hit me over the past couple of days. And it just feels like the nine years was so short. You know what I mean? While we were in the middle of it, I never thought it would end, and now all of a sudden it feels unfathomable. And that's all I have to say."

Lest anyone assume that she's having second thoughts, however, Anderson added, "I think it's ultimately good. I think it's good for everybody, and I think that everybody has put in such a huge effort over the years in really trying to keep the quality of the show up and continue with its integrity as much as it can. There's a time for everything to end, and I think this is the right time. I think everybody is excited about moving on to other things, but both things can coexist. One can be sad and in the process of mourning and at the same time be excited and hopeful for the future and change." The X-Files will conclude with a two-hour finale in May.

Two Towers Pics On Web

he OneRing.net fan Web site has posted images from the upcoming Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Among the never-before-seen pictures are those of Uruk-hai, Miranda Otto as Eowyn and Brad Dourif as Grima Wormtongue.

The Two Towers, the second film in Peter Jackson's Rings trilogy, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's books, opens in December.

Snipes Had Yen For Blade II

esley Snipes—who reprises his role as the title character in the upcoming SF sequel Blade II—told SCI FI Wire that he brought in Hong Kong martial arts star Donnie Yen as fight choreographer to infuse the film's action scenes with a mixture of styles. "We [brought] Donnie Yen in [to] give us a little bit of that Hong Kong flavor, like you see in some of the opening scenes," Snipes said in an interview. "And then [we] move from there into more of the Wesley Bronx/Brooklyn style stuff as the film progresses, and he gets a little more emotional. ... I threw everything in there. The criteria was that it had to make sense and be in sync with the emotional state of the character at the time, and that it just couldn't be there for the sake of being there."

Yen was also cast in the on-screen role of Snowman, a member of the "Bloodpack"—an elite unit of vampires originally brought together to hunt Blade. When a threat to vampires and humans alike appears, the Bloodpack finds itself aligned with its former enemy. "We didn't get a chance to use him in the fullest capacity that we would've liked to because of the character he played," Snipes said of Yen. "But we appreciated him. He helped very much in that opening sequence. They actually laid all that out, and I came and added the whole Blade energy to it."

As in the first movie, Snipes was very much involved in the creative as well as the physical aspect of the fight scenes in Blade II. "We just wanted it to be creative," he said. "[I] trained in a lot of martial arts styles, worked with a lot of different and good martial artists. So we thought, well, since Blade is already a kind of hybrid type of a film, mixing genres, mixing styles, mixing music genres, why don't we mix the martial arts styles as well?" Blade II opened March 22.

Nemesis Not Offered To Frakes

onathan Frakes, who reprises the role of Cmdr. Will Riker in the upcoming Star Trek: Nemesis film, revealed to SCI FI Wire that he was not asked to direct this time around, though he helmed the last two Trek movies. "I was never offered it," he told reporters while promoting his next film, Clockstoppers. Asked for his reaction, Frakes added, "I was surprised."

Frakes directed Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: First Contact; Stuart Baird (U.S. Marshals) is directing Nemesis. But if Frakes is bitter about being passed over for the current film, he didn't show it. "We just finished shooting it," he said. "It's actually going to be a fabulous movie, Nemesis. It's back to the great big action-adventure galactic stakes, with Picard and the Enterprise coming to save the day. It's old Star Trek. It's big. It's a war movie." As for plot spoilers, he added, "I can tell you that I finally get to marry the beautiful Counselor Troi. That much I'll leak."

Frakes added that he doesn't know if the 10th Trek film will be the last for the Next Generation crew. "I think only if it doesn't do well," he said. "I think, unfortunately or fortunately, the reality in Hollywood is, if your movie makes money, they'll make another one. I think that's true of Star Trek as well."

Frakes also said he admires UPN's Trek TV series, Enterprise—and that he'd like to be a part of it at some point. "I think Scott Bakula [Capt. Jonathan Archer] is a wonderful leader, both on camera and off," he said. "And it seems to have some of the same gestalt as Next Gen. It's got a cast that seems to have jelled. They all seem to genuinely get along. It's a wonderful company of actors. ... I'm hoping to get over next year and do a couple of those ... as a director, I hope. If [executive producer Rick] Berman will have me, of course." Nemesis is slated for a holiday release.

An X-Man Joins Nemesis

atrick Stewart, star of the upcoming Star Trek: Nemesis movie, confirmed to SCI FI Wire a widespread rumor that his X-Men director, Bryan Singer, will appear in the 10th Trek film. "Oh, you heard about that?" Stewart said in an interview.

Stewart also offered spoilers about Singer's role. "It was intriguing for me, because I had seen him as the helmer of a multimillion-dollar movie on vast soundstages with huge sets and a big, classy cast. When I told [Nemesis executive producer] Rick [Berman] that I'd invited him on the set, it was his idea that maybe he'd like to put in a guest appearance. They gave him a line. He does actually have dialogue. He's a bridge officer during a particularly dramatic sequence on the bridge. He has action, and he has a piece of dialogue."

Nemesis opens nationwide in December. X2, the sequel to X-Men, goes before the cameras in May, with Stewart reprising his role as Prof. Charles Francis Xavier, aka Prof. X. Singer will be back behind the camera as director.

Spiner Likes Space Between Treks

tar Trek: The Next Generation star Brent Spiner (Data) told SCI FI Wire that he welcomed the four-year gap between the release of Star Trek: Insurrection and that of the upcoming 10th movie, Nemesis. "The thing is that we promote these movies, and then they take them overseas, and we do that kind of thing [again]," the actor said in an interview. "With the last movie, I think there was barely three years between First Contact and Insurrection, and we all felt as if we'd just finished talking about First Contact when we were filming Insurrection."

Spiner added, "There really just was no air in between them and no time for people to just settle down. And there's every possibility that Insurrection was rushed into production to capitalize on what seemed to be a market. I think they were wise this time to wait a while. Hopefully, it has built a hunger [for a new Trek film] among fans. We'll see." In Nemesis, Spiner reprises his role as the android Data and also co-wrote the story on which John Logan based his screenplay. Star Trek: Nemesis opens sometime this holiday season, most likely Dec. 20.

Dorn Will Direct Enterprise

tar Trek: The Next Generation star Michael Dorn told SCI FI Wire that he will direct an upcoming episode of UPN's Enterprise, the latest Trek actor to step behind the camera on the new series. "We actually got it in our movie deal," Dorn said in an interview, referring to Star Trek: Nemesis, in which he will reprise his role as Worf. "They asked, 'What would [you] like?' and I said, 'I've been really trying to [direct].' They said, 'OK, great,' and that's how it happened."

Dorn, who previously directed Deep Space Nine, V.I.P. and Through the Fire, a sitcom pilot he also co-stars in with TNG alumna Marina Sirtis, added, "I'm very psyched about it. It's a great episode. It's going to be a lot of fun. I've always wanted to do an Enterprise. It's a terrific show. I don't even know what [the episode] is going to be called. They've got a working title now. But I just got the beat sheet for it. It's a pleasure-planet episode, and that's all I'm going to tell you." Dorn's episode will air right before the season finale; Nemesis beams into theaters during the holiday season.

Real Sailors Board Enterprise

rew members of the U.S.S. Enterprise—the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, not the starship—will appear in an upcoming episode of UPN's Enterprise, the official Star Trek Web site reported. Aviation Electronic Technician First Class Robert Pickering, Aviation Electrician's Mate Second Class Timothy Whittington and Personnelman Third Class Sara Elizabeth Pizzo will play starship crewmembers in an episode tentatively titled "Desert Crossings," scheduled to air May 8, the site reported.

Executive producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga extended the invitation to the three crew members, who were selected as "sailors of the year" by a Navy committee. Their scenes were shot on March 7. During a break in shooting, the sailors presented Berman and Braga with a specially designed plaque in gratitude for all the support and encouragement the cast, crew and actors of Enterprise have given the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, which was one of the first vessels deployed in the Afghanistan war. Cast members Scott Bakula (Capt. Jonathan Archer) and Connor Trinneer (Cmdr. Trip Tucker) were also on hand for the ceremony, along with a majority of the cast and crew, the site reported.

Berman Treks On With Paramount

tar Trek honcho Rick Berman has signed a new five-year deal with Paramount's TV and movie divisions that will keep him at the studio through the end of 2006, Variety reported. The pact calls for Berman to create, develop and produce movies, television films and TV series for the studio. He'll also remain as executive producer of UPN's top-rated Enterprise and will continue as a consultant on projects for Paramount's theme parks unit, the trade paper reported.

Berman—who is also producing the upcoming 10th Trek film, Star Trek: Nemesis—is expected to begin developing non-Trek properties at some point during the term of the new deal, Variety reported. "I want to work on the kind of projects where people drive cars and wear sneakers—something a little more earthbound," Berman told the trade paper.

Berman came into the Star Trek franchise in 1987, co-creating The Next Generation with Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. Since then, Berman has been responsible for more than 600 hours of Trek-related programming.

Frakes Enters New Zone

irector Jonathan Frakes told SCI FI Wire that he's helming the pilot for an updated version of The Twilight Zone for UPN, and likened it to another franchise with which he has some familiarity. "The Twilight Zone [is] a franchise not unlike Star Trek that people have very fond specific memories of, and I think the opportunity to tell these kinds of stories that are ... parables is very similar to what [Gene] Roddenberry's original Star Trek was like," Frakes said in an interview while promoting his upcoming SF family movie Clockstoppers.

Pen Densham, who executive produced The Outer Limits for Showtime and The SCI FI Channel, is writing and executive producing the Zone pilot. As for directing it, Frakes said, "We have too little time. But it's going to be spectacular. Pen Densham wrote it, and I think it's got real style." Zone is produced by Trilogy Entertainment. Clockstoppers opens March 29.

Former Trekkers Enter Dead Zone

ichael Piller, executive producer of USA Networks' upcoming supernatural series The Dead Zone, told fans on the show's official Web site that he'll be making use of former Star Trek colleagues. The cast includes Nicole de Boer, who played Dax on the last season of Deep Space Nine, as Sarah.

In addition, Joe Menosky, who wrote for Star Trek: The Next Generation, has signed on as executive consultant, Piller said. Piller himself acted as an executive producer of TNG, DS9 and Voyager.

The Dead Zone, starring Anthony Michael Hall and based on Stephen King's book, will begin airing on USA in June.

Stars Stopped The Clock

aula Garces and Jesse Bradford, the stars of the upcoming SF family movie Clockstoppers, told SCI FI Wire that filmmakers used a combination of new and old technology to stop time. Garces and Bradford play teenagers who come into possession of a high-tech watch that allows them to slow time to a crawl, leaving them free to roam around in "hypertime."

"There's one scene, which is one of my favorite ones, where I'm on top of the kitchen table," Garces said in an interview while promoting the film. "That's actually not a special effect. That's myself just freezing and not breathing or blinking. But all the other stuff is mostly green screen," shooting the actors against a colored screen into which digital backgrounds are later inserted. As a result, the actors were often performing with nothing in front of them.

"Yeah, it's not easy," Bradford said in an interview. "It's not the same as, you know, acting with some people and some props and a set. ... You don't have as much to work with. You don't have as much sort of stimuli around you. So it becomes harder. But hopefully you do a movie where you have to deal with that, and then you take away a better understanding of how to work like that."

Garces gave a lot of credit to director Jonathan Frakes. "He's wonderful," she said. "He really made it a point to communicate to us what it was that we were supposed to be reacting to or feeling at the time. And I think he did an amazing job, because I don't look like an idiot up there. ... There's a lot of technical things, like eye lines and lighting things. And against the green screen, anything that's on your body, like your hair, has to be pretty tight to you, because if not it will blend with the background, and it'll look stupid. Obviously, you can't wear green. Just things like that that I didn't even think about." Clockstoppers opens March 29.

PKD's Elves Heads For Film

irector Wally Wolodarsky (Sorority Boys) told SCI FI Wire that his next project will be a children's movie based on Philip K. Dick's 1953 fantasy short story "The King of the Elves." "[The story] is probably under 10 pages, but it provided the seed of an idea for me," Wolodarsky said in an interview. "The movie doesn't really follow the story very closely, but the genesis of the idea is in that story. The basic element of the story is that these little elves come out of the forest and say to a normal person, 'Will you be our king?' From there, it's pretty different."

Wolodarsky is making the film for Walt Disney Pictures. It will be live-action, with a digital-effects process used to reduce actors to elf size. Wolodarsky suggested his film would satirize recent popular elf movies. "It's like the antidote to Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter," Wolodarsky said. "It's sort of a comedy, and it makes fun of those things, but it's in that world."

Mann Possessed By Exorcist

abriel Mann is set to join John Frankenheimer's untitled prequel to The Exorcist, taking a role of a young priest once connected with Ryan Phillippe, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Morgan Creek Productions movie is slated to begin shooting in the spring in the United Kingdom and Spain, the trade paper reported.

Phillippe was in talks for the role of Father William Francis, but a deal could not be reached because of other commitments, the trade paper reported. Mann joins a cast that includes Liam Neeson and Australian actor Billy Crawford in the story of Father Merrin (Neeson) and his first encounter with the devil while doing missionary work in post-World War II Africa. Francis is a young priest who faces the devil, with devastating consequences, the trade paper reported. Author Caleb Carr (The Alienist) rewrote the script, based on an original screenplay by William Wisher.

Marvel Spinning Spidey Sequel

arvel Comics studio chief Avi Arad told a conference call that plans are already in the works to begin shooting a sequel to Sam Raimi's upcoming Spider-Man movie, though the first film doesn't open until May, the Comics2Film Web site reported. Raimi is on board to direct the proposed sequel, which is eyeing a January 2003 production start, the site reported.

Arad added that plans are underway for Blade III and Hulk 2, which is in development and targeted for a May 2005 release, and an Elektra spinoff of the upcoming Daredevil movie. Marvel still plans feature-film versions of Dr. Strange, Fantastic Four, Deathlok and Namor, based on its Sub-Mariner series.

For Spider-Man 2, everything except the costume will change, Arad said. "He'll deal with new villains. He'll deal with new issues. It takes the first movie, the origin movie really, to tell the story to explain the world. It's tougher to deal with more than one villain. It's really easy in our universe to take our sequels and make them uniquely new from sequel to sequel."

Spider-Man 2 In The Works

aura Ziskin, producer of Sam Raimi's upcoming Spider-Man movie, told the Calgary Sun that work is about to commence on a sequel, even though the first movie doesn't open until May. Tobey Maguire is set to reprise his role as Peter Parker in the proposed sequel, the newspaper reported.

"We're making the deal, so I don't think I can announce it," Ziskin said, but confirmed that director Raimi will be back behind the camera for any further Spider-Man adventures. "We wouldn't do it without him." Production on a second film could begin as early as January, the newspaper reported.

As for the first film, "We're dubbing the movie right now," Ziskin said. "We were going to be finished last week, but it looks like we'll probably finish a couple days after the Oscars [on March 24]. This is hell week. ... The movie is beyond the trailer. It looks great. I'm really proud of the film. It's wonderfully entertaining." Spider-Man, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name, opens May 3.

Spidey Trailer Caught On Web

he new trailer for Sam Raimi's upcoming Spider-Man movie will show up on the movie's official Web site at 9 a.m. PT on March 27, two days before it hits theaters, Sony's Columbia TriStar marketing group announced. The trailer will feature new footage and will be available in three sizes, including full screen.

The trailer will offer a glimpse at the film's visual effects, showing Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) patrolling the city using his webshooters to swing from rooftops, performing aerial acrobatics and crawling on buildings. Spider-Man opens May 3.

Pirates Rewrite Ordered

roducer Jerry Bruckheimer has hired Shrek writers Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott to do a rewrite of the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean movie, based on the Disneyland ride, Variety reported. Rossio and Elliott are said to be putting a more supernatural spin on the material, the trade paper reported. Jay Wolpert and Stuart Beattie each wrote earlier versions of the script.

The story focuses on a rescue mission from dangerous pirates who are trying to reverse an ancient curse, the trade paper reported.

T3 Terminatrix Trains In L.A.

he Coming Attractions Web site reported that Kristanna Loken, star of the upcoming Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, was training in the Israeli martial art Krav Maga for her role as a female cyborg. Loken was reportedly seen training at Los Angeles' Krav Maga National Training Center.

Krav Maga is the official self-defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces.

Glasgow Vies For 2005 Worldcon

lasgow, Scotland, is the only candidate to host the 2005 World Science Fiction Convention, or Worldcon, organizers announced. The site of the convention will be officially announced at ConJose, the 2002 Worldcon in San Jose, Calif.

Glasgow still needs to face a vote of the members of ConJose, who could still choose to reject its bid and pick an alternative site at the convention. But such a move would be unprecedented, organizers said. Voting information has been posted to the convention's official site.

Free Comic Day Enters Matrix

riter David Lapham (Stray Bullets) will offer the comic themed to The Matrix movies that he wrote for the films' official Web site as part of the Free Comic Book Day promotion on May 4, organizers announced. It will mark the first time that a Matrix comic has been available in print.

The comic, There Are No Flowers in the Real World, is part of a 48-page flip book that also features a reprint of Lapham's Stray Bullets story "Victimology." The comic is from El Capit�n Books.

The comic publishing industry and retailers have joined together in the promotion to offer more than 2 million free books to fans at nearly 2,000 stores around the world, organizers said.

Green: Bunny Like Muppets

eth Green, star of the upcoming Fox fantasy comedy series Greg the Bunny, told SCI FI Wire that he was drawn to the show because it appealed to a childhood dream. "It's like being on The Muppet Show, which was a fantasy of mine growing up," Green said in an interview.

Greg the Bunny, a sitcom about foul-mouthed living puppets, is Green's first series television role since leaving Buffy the Vampire Slayer. As to why he returned to the medium, Green said, "It was a great, great show. It was a really great script. [Writer] Dan Milano and [producer] Spencer Chinoy did this thing on the Independent Film Channel, and I saw those things, and I just fell for it. You get an opportunity where you say, 'OK, do I want to spend the next potentially five years working with these people?' So that was why. It was such a great thing." Greg the Bunny premieres at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT March 27.

Green Still 'Evil' In Austin 3

eth Green told SCI FI Wire that his Austin Powers character, Scott Evil, will face the same issues in the upcoming third film in the series. "It's really just a continuation of that theme, trying to cultivate a significant relationship with Dr. Evil and trying to get attention, trying to get by," Green said in an interview.

Scott Evil is the genetically engineered son of Austin Powers' nemesis, but does not want to follow the path of evil. Both Powers and Dr. Evil are played by Mike Myers. In the second installment in the spy-spoof franchise, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Scott colored his hair and pierced his face in rebellion. But Green said there will be no new piercings in the third film. "Different hair color is all," he said.

Austin Powers 3 still has no title after the original title, Goldmember, caused the production to face legal issues with MGM. The movie is slated for a July opening.

Angel Likely To Remain On WB

avid Greenwalt, co-creator of The WB's vampire series Angel, told SCI FI Wire that rival network UPN remains contractually obligated to pick up the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff if The WB cancels it—but added that he's confident the frog network will renew the show for a fourth season. "They will," Greenwalt said in an interview. "But UPN would also be a happy home for me in year five or year six. Even post-Buffy, UPN could be a happy home for me." Buffy moved to UPN from The WB this season after a highly publicized contract dispute, and the Smackdown network committed to at least two years of Buffy.

Greenwalt added, "But we're going to be on The WB. It's going to be a late pickup, and we're going to be on The WB. You heard it here. Year four. I'm only speaking for year four. I'm not speaking beyond that." Angel is currently on hiatus, but will return to The WB with new episodes beginning on April 15.

Area 52 Film Rights Sold

asey Silver Productions has bought the film rights to Area 52, Brian Haberlin's SF comic series about a top-secret Antarctica warehouse in which the government dumps used UFO paraphernalia, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The production company hired Damian Shannon and Mark Swift to adapt the series for the movies, the trade paper reported.

Area 52 was a four-issue series published in 2001. Haberlin also co-created the Witchblade comic series.

Kutcher Stars In Butterfly

ew Line has acquired The Butterfly Effect, a time-travel movie to star Ashton Kutcher, Variety reported. J. Mackye Gruber and Eric Bress (Final Destination 2) wrote the film and will direct it, the trade paper reported. Amy Smart, William Lee Scott and Elden Henson are negotiating to join the cast.

Butterfly tells the story of a young man who discoverers a technique that allows him to travel back to his past and change history, but who finds that every change has unexpected consequences, the trade paper reported. Principal photography is slated to begin May 27 in Vancouver on a budget of $13 million.

Emmerich Talks Alien Prison

oland Emmerich (Independence Day) is in talks to direct and produce Alien Prison, an SF film for Sony's Columbia Pictures, Variety reported. Andrew Marlowe (Hollow Man) wrote the most recent draft of the screenplay, the trade paper reported.

Alien Prison tells the story of six humans who plot an escape from their alien captors in a distant solar system and attempt to foil the invasion of Earth. Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher's Sony-based Red Wagon Productions are producing the film, the trade paper reported.

Left Behind Has Second Coming

fter months of litigation with the authors of the Left Behind book series, Cloud Ten Pictures is set to do a sequel to its Left Behind movie for video and DVD release on Oct. 29, the Dark Horizons Web site reported. The sequel, Tribulation Force, will be an adaptation of the second book in the proposed 12-novel series, the site reported.

Pam Wallace (Witness) will write the screenplay. The sequel will feature multiple storylines about Nicolae Carpathia's attempts to consolidate his power and the budding romance between Buck Williams and Chloe Steele. All the principal actors from the first film are in talks to reprise their roles, the site reported.

More Cast Taken By SCI FI

he SCI FI Channel announced further casting of Taken, the upcoming original miniseries from SCI FI, DreamWorks Television and Steven Spielberg. Joining the cast are Matt Frewer (Max Headroom), Desmond Harrington (We Were Soldiers), James McDaniel (NYPD Blue) and 8-year-old Dakota Fanning (I Am Sam) in the pivotal role of Allie, the network announced.

Other cast members include Gabrielle Rose (Double Jeopardy), Heather Donahue (The Blair Witch Project), Adam Kaufman (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Andy Powers (Oz), Chad Donella (Final Destination) and Emily Bergl (The Rage: Carrie 2). They join a cast that includes Steve Burton (The Last Castle), Joel Gretsch (Minority Report), Ryan Hurst (Remember the Titans), Eric Close (Now and Again), Catherine Dent (The Majestic), Anton Yelchin (Hearts in Atlantis), Julie Benz (Angel), Chad Morgan (Pearl Harbor), Michael Moriarity (The Dead Zone), James Kirk (Dark Angel) and Willie Garson (Sex and the City).

Told from the point of view of Allie, the 20-hour epic miniseries weaves together the stories of three generations and 50 years of close encounters. It begins in the skies over France during World War II and concludes in the present day, when decades of secrets unravel and all three families must come together to unlock a central mystery.

Taken is written and executive produced by Leslie Bohem (Dante's Peak), with Steve Beers also executive producing. Taken is currently in its seventh month of production in Vancouver, B.C. The miniseries will air on SCI FI over 10 consecutive weeknights, starting in December.

Cartoon Network Spoofs Oscars

efore Hollywood trotted out its top stars for this year's Oscars on March 24, the Cartoon Network lampooned the kudofest with its own awards show, the First 13th Annual Fancy Anvil Awards Show Program Special ... Live! ... In Stereo, at 7 p.m. ET/PT March 23. The awards in six of the categories were determined by fans, who were invited to cast votes at the network's official Web site.

The awards show parodied red-carpet arrivals, rambling speeches, cheesy music and celebrity cameos and will feature such categories as "best performance by an inanimate object" and "gratuitous hiney shot." Host Johnny Bravo was joined by both animated and non-animated stars at the fictional Hanna-Barbera Pavilion for an evening that also included a dance tribute by Debbie Allen and a lifetime achievement award for Scooby-Doo.

Evil Star Arrested

ichelle Rodriguez, who plays Rain in the current SF movie Resident Evil, was arrested over the weekend on charges of attacking her roommate in their Jersey City, N.J., home, TV Guide Online reported. The alleged victim, who has not been named, said that Rodriguez punched her and pulled her hair, the site reported.

The 23-year-old actress pleaded innocent on March 18 to charges of simple assault and harassment and was released on $2,500 bail, TV Guide reported. Resident Evil, based on the Capcom video game series of the same name, is currently in theaters.

Romance Fuels Spy Kids 2

he young cast of Robert Rodriguez's Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams told SCI FI Wire that their characters will get a taste of romance in the upcoming sequel to 2001's hit film. Alexa Vega said in an interview that her character, Carmen Cortez, finds herself at odds with rival spy kid Gertie Giggles (Emily Osment) because of puppy love. "She is like this bratty spy who's really mean to us, but she has a cute older brother in the movie, and I have a crush on him," Vega said.

Added Daryl Sabara, who plays little brother Juni Cortez, "I have a crush on the president's daughter."

Vega said that the Giggles family will provide physical challenges, too. "Oh my gosh, it's pretty hard, because their family is really good spy kids. Fighting past two smart girls is kind of fun." Spy Kids 2 opens Aug. 7.

E.T. Special Edition Premieres

.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial—The 20th Anniversary had its world premiere March 16 in Los Angeles and unspooled to the accompaniment of a live orchestra conducted by John Williams, the composer of the film's Oscar-winning score. The red-carpet gala, benefiting the Special Olympics, reunited the film's cast and crew, including director Steven Spielberg and stars Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore and Dee Wallace Stone. "This movie's the only movie I've ever made that was not work," Spielberg told reporters.

The cast and crew marveled at the film's continuing popularity. "I think it's timeless, because it's about something so deep, which is to look beyond your fears of what we don't understand about this person or ... what they look like," said Barrymore, who was just a toddler in E.T. "Look to their heart, look inside of them. As Steven said, look in their eyes. But it's a great adventure. There's a caper aspect of it. We always need those adventures. Those are timeless."

Thomas, who played the starring role of Elliott, said, "Basically the story is a compassionate one, and I think that everyone can relate to that. Anyone anywhere in the world, whatever age they are, those are themes that people like, and so I think the film will always have an audience."

Producer Kathleen Kennedy added that she believed the movie's enduring appeal stems from "really the relationship between Elliot and E.T. and the fact that it's an emotional experience that appeals to children as much as it does adults, and I think that's often a very hard thing to do in films." The restored and enhanced version of the film opened March 22 in theaters.

Hasselhoff Tunes Up Knight

avid Hasselhoff will executive produce and may appear in a feature film based on his 1980s TV series Knight Rider, Variety reported. Revolution Studios is teaming with Mayhem Pictures partners Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray for the film, the trade paper reported.

Hasselhoff will produce the film with series creator Glen A. Larson, who will write the first script draft. Hasselhoff will have input in the film, and he is also expected to play an onscreen role, the trade paper reported.

Depp Flies To Neverland

ohnny Depp (From Hell) will play Sir James M. Barrie, the Scottish author of the play Peter Pan, in Miramax Films' Neverland, to be directed by Marc Forster, Variety reported. Shooting is set to begin in June in London.

David Magee adapted Neverland from Allan Knee's play The Man Who Was Peter Pan. It tells the story of how Peter Pan came to be staged, based on the author's relationship with four fatherless boys and their mother in turn-of-the-century London, the trade paper reported.

Murphy To Haunt Mansion

ddie Murphy (Shrek) is in talks to star in Disney's Haunted Mansion, a supernatural movie based on the popular Disneyland ride, Variety reported. Disney is also talking informally with Rob Minkoff (The Lion King) to direct. Production is expected to start in November, the trade paper reported.

In Haunted, a father (Murphy) encounters a ghost when he and his family visit a haunted house, and the vision helps him appreciate the value of family, the trade paper reported.

Murphy recently signed up to reprise his voice work as the wisecracking donkey in DreamWorks' upcoming sequel Shrek II, the trade paper reported.

Alien Raps In Shorty

esse Dylan will direct Universal Pictures' Shorty, an SF comedy movie starring rapper Lil' Romeo and produced by his father, rap entrepreneur Master P, along with studio-based producer Marc Platt, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The project is on a fast track.

Written by Dallas Jackson, Shorty tells the story of a midget alien stranded in a Los Angeles who becomes the rapping partner of a 12-year-old (Lil' Romeo) who wants to win an MTV talent contest, the trade paper reported.

Barrymore Talks Barbarella

rew Barrymore told SCI FI Wire that her proposed remake of the 1968 French SF movie Barbarella is moving through development and is currently in the screenwriting stage. "Barbarella is being written as we speak by our dear, beloved friend John August, who writes our Charlie's Angels movies," Barrymore said in an interview at the premiere of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial—The 20th Anniversary. "We're full steam ahead on it. We're just writing it right now, and we're doing a couple films first, so we will have to do that afterwards."

Barrymore will play the title character, first portrayed by Jane Fonda in the original Roger Vadim movie. She would not specify if August's script would have the same satirical tone as his Angels scripts, but she said, "It's going to be light, but it's got to have some depth. We like to balance it."

Arnold Won't Star In Legend

rnold Schwarzenegger won't star in the proposed post-apocalyptic SF movie I Am Legend, but will act as producer, Variety reported. Instead, Warner Brothers is now talking with Will Smith to star and Michael Bay to direct, the trade paper reported. The movie, based on Richard Matheson's classic SF novel, is reportedly on a fast track.

Earlier reports had Ridley Scott directing Legend. Mark Protosevich (The Cell) wrote the script. The Matheson book pits the last man on Earth against nocturnal mutants in post-plague Los Angeles. The book was previously adapted for the big screen as The Last Man on Earth and The Omega Man.

Madonna Sings Bond's Die

onfirming widespread rumors, Madonna will perform a new song in Die Another Day, the upcoming 20th James Bond movie, the Reuters news service reported. Madonna will compose and perform the title song, producers told the news service.

Madonna previously wrote "Beautiful Stranger," the theme song for the Bond satire film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, which won a Grammy Award for best song written for a motion picture and a Golden Globe nomination.

Goyer, Barker Prep HBO Show

riter David Goyer (Blade II) told Cinescape Online that he is teaming up with horror maestro Clive Barker to create Shadow House, a new genre series for HBO. "I have a pilot at HBO with Clive Barker," Goyer told the site while promoting his upcoming vampire sequel Blade II. "It's called Shadow House. Clive and I did it with Francis Ford Coppola. We're writing it right now."

Goyer added, "We're trying to see if we can put the HBO spin on it. So it is genre, but what I like about the HBO shows is that they take things in a more intelligent direction. There aren't any special effects in it. It's scary and psychological."

Larter Is Final 2 Vet

raig Perry, producer of the upcoming supernatural sequel film Final Destination 2, told E! Online that returning character Clear (Ali Larter) will resemble previous SF heroines such as Terminator's Sarah Connor and Alien's Ripley. "She's the reliable veteran," Perry said. Larter co-stars with A.J. Scott in the sequel to the surprise hit Final Destination.

The film is currently in production in Vancouver. "We're trying to film spring break, and it starts snowing," Perry told the site. Final Destination 2 is slated for a spring 2003 release.

Kiwi SF Writer Wilder Dies

ew Zealand-born SF writer Cherry Wilder died March 14 in Wellington, New Zealand, after a long battle against cancer, the Locus Online Web site reported. She was 71.

Born Cherry Barbara Grimm in 1930, Wilder wrote eight novels and nearly 40 short stories, including "Aotearoa" in the October/November 2001 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction, the site reported. Her first novel, 1977's The Luck of Brin's Five, was the first of a trilogy and won the Australian Ditmar Award. Her other works included the Rulers of Hylor trilogy, the Torin series, Second Nature and Dealers in Light and Darkness, a collection of her writing, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Web site reported. Wilder's most recent novel was The Wanderer, published in 2001.

Wilder is survived by daughters Louisa and Kathy.

Hanley Opens Karma Files

riter Brent Hanley (Frailty) has signed a deal to adapt Thomas Lane's fantasy novella "The Karma Files" for the screen for producers Colleen Camp, Terence Chang and John Woo, Variety reported. The project is set up at Fireworks Pictures, the Canadian-backed international distribution company of Jay Firestone's CanWest Entertainment, the trade paper reported.

The movie will be called Karma and will tell the story of a detective with the ability to access past lives to solve crimes committed both in the past and in the future, the trade paper reported.

Frailty, a supernatural thriller film directed by Bill Paxton and starring Matthew McConaughey, opens April 12.

Lost Kingdoms Found

ctivision announced that it has partnered with Japanese software publisher and developer FromSoftware to create Lost Kingdoms, a real-time action role-playing game for the Nintendo GameCube platform. The game will be available this spring, the company said.

In Lost Kingdoms, the player assumes the role of Princess Katia, who embarks on a quest to rid the land of a deadly menace intent on engulfing the five Kingdoms of Argwyll.

Briefly Noted

Access Hollywood reported that Today show host Katie Couric will make a cameo appearance in the upcoming Austin Powers 3 movie, playing a prison guard.

The Lord of the Rings won the top Movieguide Award, given by the Christian Film and Television Commission, the Zap2it.com Web site reported.

Production of the 20th James Bond movie, Die Another Day, has reportedly halted while star Pierce Brosnan rushes to the side of his hospitalized son, Sean, the Zap2it.com Web site reported. Brosnan is rumored to have left the set to attend to his son, who is undergoing treatment for a ruptured stomach, an injury linked to an auto accident several years ago.

A new Web site has gone live for the upcoming live-action Scooby-Doo movie, featuring flash animation, a new trailer and movie-related downloads. Scooby-Doo, starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar, opens June 14.

Jonathan Frakes, an executive producer of UPN's teen alien series Roswell, told SCI FI Wire that the network hasn't officially canceled the series, but producers are nevertheless shopping the show to other networks—including the SCI FI Channel—in anticipation of the final ax's falling. "There is no official word, and we're trying to find another home for it on another network," Frakes said in an interview. No deal has been struck.

The Dark Horizons Web site reported that the series finale of The X-Files will air May 19 and will be titled "The Truth."

The Dark Horizons Web site reported that Brad Pitt will voice the title character in DreamWorks's upcoming Sinbad animated film, replacing Russell Crowe, who bowed out because of a schedule conflict.

The Last Man, director Darren Aronofsky's SF movie starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, is set to start shooting in Queensland, Australia, in September, the Moviehole Web site reported.

Matthew Fox has nabbed the lead in the UPN supernatural drama pilot Haunted, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Fox will play a private investigator who receives visions from beyond the grave to help him solve cases.

Newcomer Morena Baccarin has been cast in Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon's upcoming SF TV show Firefly for Fox, taking the role recently vacated by Rebecca Gayheart, Variety reported. Baccarin, a recent graduate of Juilliard, makes her TV debut in the part.

Longtime Star Trek composer Jerry Goldsmith will score the upcoming Star Trek: Nemesis movie, the Film Score Monthly Web site reported. Nemesis is slated for a holiday season opening.

In a possible sign that UPN won't be picking up its teen-alien series Roswell for a fourth season, regular cast member Adam Rodriguez (Jesse) has joined the cast of CBS' new fall series C.S.I. Miami, Variety reported. UPN has said it won't make an official announcement about Roswell's fate until later in the spring.

The Coming Attractions Web site reported a rumor that the first trailer for The Matrix Reloaded will be attached to prints of Steven Spielberg's upcoming SF movie Minority Report, which comes out June 21. The second Matrix movie is slated for a 2003 release.

Viola Davis has joined the cast of Steven Soderbergh's upcoming SF movie Solaris, playing one of the astronauts on a space station orbiting the planet Solaris, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film is set to start production April 29.

X-Men star Hugh Jackman will make his first Oscar show appearance as a presenter at the 74th Academy Awards, producer Laura Ziskin announced, according to the Zap2it.com Web site. The Oscars will air March 24 on ABC.

Dark Horizons reported that Mummy star Arnold Vosloo has spoken with producer James Jacks about the possibility of starting filming on a fourth Mummy film next summer. The third installment, the prequel The Scorpion King, is set to open April 19.

Scottish actor Angus MacFadyen will play a priest in Miracles, a supernatural TV pilot from Touchstone Television and Spyglass. The pilot stars Skeet Ulrich as a spiritually conflicted man who investigates miracles.

Jason Priestley reunited with his Beverly Hills 90210 co-star Luke Perry as a guest star on Perry's Showtime series Jeremiah at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT March 22. Priestley plays a maniac in the episode "And the Ground ... Sown With Salt," written by series executive producer J. Michael Straczynski.

Judianna Makovsky, who designed the costumes for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, took home the period/fantasy award of the fourth annual Costume Designer Guild awards, Variety reported.

Seth Green told SCI FI Wire that he hasn't spoken with producers about reprising the role of Oz on UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. "We've never had that conversation," Green said in an interview. Oz left Sunnydale to seek answers to his werewolf questions and returned for one episode, where he found out Willow was a lesbian.

The Ain't It Cool News Web site reported that it has seen a rough cut of Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones and offers a sneak peek at the upcoming prequel.

Claire Forlani (Meet Joe Black) told Europe's MTV that she'll be playing the role of medical student Kate in the upcoming Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, according to a report on the Dark Horizons Web site.

The IGN FilmForce Web site reported a rumor that Matrix co-star Joe Pantoliano has been cast in the upcoming Daredevil movie as New York reporter Ben Urich.

A new trailer for the upcoming Spider-Man movie will premiere on the film's official Web site on March 27. The trailer will go on to play in theaters with The Panic Room on March 29. Spider-Man opens May 3.

Mattel Inc. will release a second straight-to-video computer-animated film starring its flagship doll, Barbie, in October, the Reuters news service reported. Barbie as Rapunzel will be released by Los Angeles-based Artisan Entertainment.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine regular Rene Auberjonois guest-stars on the April 3 episode of UPN's Enterprise, "Oasis," about an encounter with an alien race that has survived against insurmountable odds.

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