SF&F Shows Get Emmy Tech Nods
enre shows were shut out of most major categories in the nominations for the 54th annual prime-time Emmy Awards, which were announced July 18 in Los Angeles.
Among genre series, only ABC's Alias boasted nominations in top categories, including best lead actress in a drama series, for star Jennifer Garner; best supporting actor in a drama series, for Victor Garber; and best writing in a drama series. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its musical episode, "Once More With Feeling," which was inadvertently left off the nominating ballot for best dramatic writing at first, got several technical nods, as well as a nomination for best musical direction, but no writing one.
There were 433 nominations all told in 86 categories announced by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The 54th annual prime-time Emmy Awards will air Sept. 22 on NBC. A list of genre nominees follows.
Animated Program Less Than One Hour
•As Told by Ginger, "Lunatic Lake"
•Futurama, "Roswell That Ends Well"
Animated Program One Hour or More
•Samurai Jack
Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series
•Alias, "Truth Be Told"
Art Direction for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
•Dinotopia, "Part 1"
•The Mists Of Avalon, "Part 1"
•Stephen King's Rose Red, "Part 2"
Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series
•Alias, "Truth Be Told"
Costumes for a Series
•Alias, "Truth Be Told"
•Farscape, "Into the Lion's Den (Part 1); Lambs to the Slaughter"
Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
•Dinotopia, "Part 1"
•Anne Rice's The Feast of all Saints, "Part 1"
•The Mists of Avalon, "Part 1"
Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Series
•Alias, "Q&A"
Hairstyling for a Series
•Alias, "Q&A"
•Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Hell's Bells"
•Enterprise, "Two Days and Two Nights"
Hairstyling for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
•Dinotopia, "Part 1"
•Anne Rice's The Feast of all Saints, "Part 1"
•The Mists of Avalon, "Part 1"
Main Title Design
•Wolf Lake
Makeup for a Series (Non-Prosthetic)
•Alias, "Q&A"
•Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Hell's Bells"
Makeup for a Series (Prosthetic)
•Enterprise, "Broken Bow"
•Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Hell's Bells"
Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Non-Prosthetic)
•Dinotopia, "Part 1"
•Jim Henson's Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story, "Part 2"
•The Mists of Avalon, "Part 1"
Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Prosthetic)
•Jim Henson's Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story, "Part 2"
Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)
•The X-Files, "The Truth"
•Xena: Warrior Princess, "A Friend in Need II"
Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Dramatic Underscore)
•Jim Henson's Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story, "Part 2"
•The Mists of Avalon, "Part 1"
Music Direction
•Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Once More With Feeling"
•Dinotopia, "Part 1"
Main Title Theme Music
•Justice League
•Wolf Lake
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
•Jennifer Garner, Alias
Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
•Victor Garber, Alias
Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
•Joan Allen, The Mists of Avalon
•Anjelica Huston, The Mists of Avalon
Miniseries
•Dinotopia
•The Mists of Avalon
Children's Program
•SpongeBob SquarePants
Sound Editing for a Series
•Enterprise, "Broken Bow (Pilot)"
•Smallville, "Pilot"
Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
•Anne Rice's The Feast of All Saints, "Part 1"
Special Visual Effects for a Series
•Enterprise, "Breaking the Ice"
•Enterprise, "Broken Bow (Pilot)"
•Smallville, "Pilot"
•Stargate SG-1, "Enemies"
•Stargate SG-1, "Revelations"
Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
•Dinotopia, "Part 3"
Stunt Coordination
•Alias, "Q&A"
Writing for a Drama Series
•Alias, "Truth be Told (Pilot)"
Signs Has More Feeling
. Night Shyamalan, writer and director of the upcoming SF thriller film Signs, told SCI FI Wire that he wanted to infuse his new movie with more emotion—something he had shied away from in his previous two movies, The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable.
"Emotion is something that I ... struggle with, because I'm an emotional guy. ... I'm definitely more emotional than the average Joe, you know?" Shyamalan said in an interview while promoting the new film.
Shyamalan added, "It's a very delicate balance, the emotional thing, and one that I had gone a little crazy with in my [first] movie, Wide Awake. ... It was emotional all the time. And I had, like, a violent reaction from the critics and the audience. I didn't realize that they would, like, say, compare me to bad movies. ... And so, I really pulled back on that on Sixth Sense. And I said, 'I'm not going to let myself get emotional until the car scene.' ... And then I was like, 'Wow, that was really successful! You know what? Unbreakable, I'm not going to have emotion at all! You know, that'll even be better!' And I felt like ... somehow I didn't show a part of myself."
In Signs, Mel Gibson plays a farmer, father and former priest who has a crisis of faith as the result of a family tragedy and who finds his beliefs challenged by the sudden appearance of crop circles and other strange phenomena. At the heart of the movie is Gibson's relationship with his brother, played by Joaquin Phoenix, and two small children, played by Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin.
"Signs is a little bit of coming back home to emotion," Shyamalan said. "This is as emotional as big movies get. ... I felt more courage to go right to the line and stop. Find where that line is and have courage, rather than being so scared of it." Signs opens Aug. 2.
Alias Gets More Complex
usan Lyne, president of ABC Entertainment, told reporters that ABC's spy series Alias will take on a new level of complexity in its upcoming sophomore season, with Lena Olin joining the cast as the mother of Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner).
"I will tell you that we have seen the first episode script for Alias," Lyne told journalists at the network's fall preview. "This is going to drive some really provocative episodes this fall and certainly a big arc for the next season. I will promise you this is going to be the most interesting family on television this year."
The show will continue to send Sydney to exotic locations. Lyne said that the secret to shooting foreign locations on a TV budget is simple. "[The producers] do a remarkable job, and the studio does too, Touchstone, in creatively using locations and sets that look as if they are traveling around the world, when they are in fact usually in the back halls of some of those Disney buildings," Lyne said. "They have a phenomenal creative team that has been able to write and shoot and build and edit in such a way that it feels like a big feature film every week. ... The first episode of the new season is as good an hour of television as I've ever seen, and it will take you around the world."
On July 18, Alias was nominated for several Emmy Awards, including best writing for a dramatic series, best actress in a drama (Garner) and best supporting actor (Victor Garber, who plays Sydney's father, Jack Bristow). Alias returns in the fall to its Sunday timeslot at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Old Faces Back In Buffy
oss Whedon, creator of UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told SCI FI Wire to expect some familiar faces and a return to an old haunt as the show kicks off its seventh season.
In a series of possible spoilers for the upcoming season, Whedon said in an interview to expect the return of Glory, the god played by Claire Kramer who was apparently killed at the end of season five; Warren (Adam Busch), the evil geek killed by Willow in last season's finale; and possibly Faith (Eliza Dushku), the bad-girl Slayer last seen a few season back on Angel. The season will also begin with Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) beginning classes in a newly rebuilt Sunnydale High School, Whedon said.
Glory "will make a guest appearance, maybe more than one," Whedon said during UPN's fall preview party on the Buffy set in Santa Monica, Calif. "We're going to see a lot of old faces. A lot of them. And it's going to be ... for a very particular reason that I will not explain to you. But it's going to be a lot of fun."
Whedon also revealed that he has been in talks with Dushku about returning as Faith to both Buffy and its spinoff series, Angel—if Dushku's schedule allows. "Well, hopefully she's going to be integral" to both shows, Whedon said. "But ... nothing has been set. ... We know we'd love to have her back, and we've been talking to her. We're sort holding off. ... [But] I really feel she has a place on both [shows], and it's different in each. She brings something to anywhere she graces the screen. She's an extraordinary actress. And we just want to work with her again. But until things are, you know, definite, we're keeping all that loose, in case, you know, she's suddenly making more movies, that inconsiderate girl."
Whedon confirmed that he and his staff will lighten Buffy up after the previous season, which many felt was very dark. Part of that will include a return to Sunnydale High, which was destroyed at the end of season three, and following Dawn as she treads in her older sister's footsteps. "It's nice," Whedon said. "Dawn is now the age Buffy was when the show began. And what's nice about that is that it gives us the opportunity to tell more high-school stories, which were the centerpiece of the show, and which we only got to do for two and a half years. I mean, they graduated at the end of year three, and the first season was a half season. And the only time I've ever truly felt sad and like I'd lost something was when they graduated, because I was like, 'Wait, wait, I went through more bad things! There's more pain I haven't talked about yet! I haven't complained enough!' And now I have that opportunity to complain to America again, and I'm looking forward to taking it." Buffy returns Sept. 24 in its regular Tuesday 8 p.m. timeslot.
Buffy-less Buffy Possible?
oss Whedon, creator of UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told SCI FI Wire that he's leaving open the possibility of carrying on the show after next year, even if star Sarah Michelle Gellar decides not to renew her contract, which expires at the end of year seven.
Meanwhile, regular cast member Emma Caulfield, who plays Anya, told SCI FI Wire that she intends to leave the show after the end of the seventh season, which kicks off Sept. 24, but added that every other cast member has already signed up for year eight.
"I'm game for almost anything," Whedon said in an interview, when asked if he'd go on without Gellar. "It's an incredibly strong ensemble. It's a very strong mythos. It's a huge universe we've created and an incredible cast of actors. So there are definitely opportunities for different kinds of shows."
Earlier, Buffy executive producer Marti Noxon told SCI FI Wire that she thought the show could continue without Gellar in the lead. For his part, Anthony Stewart Head (Giles) said that he thought season seven would be the show's last. Gellar has made plain her desire to move on after the show's seventh season ends, whether the show goes on or not after that.
Similarly, Caulfield said she's gone after next year. "Uh-huh," she said in an interview. It's "my last year. It depends on whether or not the show goes beyond a seventh season. Sarah has not signed on. The rest of the cast has signed on for an eighth season. I have not. I'm leaving. I'm done. It's just time, you know? It's been five great years. But it's sort of like, I use the analogy of, like, high school. ... Four years. It's time to graduate, you know? It's time." Buffy airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Buffy RPG Set To Slay 'Em
den Studio will release Buffy the Vampire Slayer Corebook, the first-ever official Buffy role-playing game, in August, according to the company's Web site.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Corebook was written by C.J. Carella, creator of the WitchCraft and Armageddon role-playing games, and lets would-be Slayers and Scoobies operate within the Buffyverse.
According to Eden, the hardcover, 256-page book will offer role-playing basics for newcomers; a Buffyspeak guide; detailed instructions for devising role-playing episodes, seasons and series; a guide to character creation, including pre-constructed heroes and white hats; a primer on magic; and the Buffy Unisystem, streamlined for cinematic slayage and sneakage. Buffy the
Vampire Slayer Corebook will also feature a foreword by Christopher Golden; it will sell for the suggested retail price of $40.
Angel To Twist Tighter
he cast and creator of The WB's Angel told SCI FI Wire that old friends may return and things could get darker before they get lighter as the vampire series enters its fourth season.
Co-creator Joss Whedon said in an interview that he's talked with Eliza Dushku about returning as bad-girl Slayer Faith next year and that he also wants to bring back the vampire Drusilla, played by Juliet Landau if her schedule allows. And in a major spoiler for the upcoming season, Whedon hinted that viewers can expect to see the return of Angelus, the evil version of Angel (David Boreanaz).
"Juliet Landau, is somebody else that I think we're probably going to try to woo back again this year," Whedon said at The WB's fall preview. "But again, nothing is set. We never know exactly where these people are at. We have to hunt them down. I've actually spoken with Eliza. ... It's really the question of, will they have the schedule? And this year it may work out. I really hope it does. Because she's such an extraordinary presence."
Regular cast members Andy Hallett (Lorne) and Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia) return, joined by new cast member Vincent Kartheiser (Connor). Cordelia, who ascended into a higher plane of existence, will come back to Earth. "That's a mystery that I must not answer, only to say that she will," Whedon said.
Co-star Alexis Denisof, whose character, Wesley, flirted with the dark side at the end of last season, told SCI FI Wire that Wesley will find himself on an even darker journey this year. "That was the beginning of Wesley kind of finding other colors and other dynamics, and that carried on through the end of the season, and now this year we're really going to take that and go with it and twist it even tighter, that knot," Denisof said in an interview. "So he will be light, but he will also be dark. And it will be a good counterpoint to what's going on with Angel. ... They will reflect each other in their journeys a little bit, through light and dark. ... Pretty dark. Yeah, they've got some crazy ideas. The first show is just nuts. It's just so exciting. There are so many twists and turns, and every scene you think you know what's going to happen, and it's just like, bam! You get the uppercut."
Even the lovable character of Fred, played by Amy Acker, may find her life getting complicated, Acker told SCI FI Wire. "It seems like that Gunn [J. August Richards] and I are still pretty happy. ... But Joss always says that happy couples are boring. So ... we've been happy for kind of a long time, so I'm guessing something bad is going to happen to him. But I don't know. They really keep us in the dark, because I guess they know that we're going to tell everyone." Angel airs in its new timeslot, Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, in the fall.
New Angel Boss Welcomed
oss Whedon, co-creator of The WB's vampire series Angel, told SCI FI Wire that it has been an adjustment replacing co-creator and show runner David Greenwalt, who is stepping aside to run ABC's upcoming new supernatural drama Miracles.
Greenwalt will remain with Angel as a creative consultant, but TV veteran David Simkins (Freakylinks) will take over the job of running Angel on a daily basis, Whedon said.
Greenwalt's decision to leave "was a bit of a shock to the system, because we obviously created the show together, and he's such a central part of it," Whedon said in an interview at The WB's fall preview. "But [executive producer] Tim [Minear] and I brought in David Simkins. ... We have built a staff over the years. It's now our fourth year, so we have enough people to sort of stop the gap. And the process is more difficult without David, but the show isn't going to suffer, because I won't let it."
Whedon added that Simkins brings a complementary sensibility to the show. He's "someone that we could really get into the story with, who can really work with the actors and do all the things we need a producer to do," Whedon said. "Unfortunately, though, Greenwalt was also a great director, which means we have to find new guys there. But Simkins ... has done a lot of shows, and he understands the dynamic when you're coming onto a show that suddenly has this vacuum, which is great. Because [with] a lot of people, ... it would be a real conflict, because it's a position of power. But he understands what that power is, and he's a really gracious guy, and he really fits with our sensibility, and so it's working out well."
Whedon, who is running a new SF series, Firefly, for Fox, in addition to overseeing UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will lean on Minear as well. Minear will also run Firefly with Whedon. "He is running Angel with me the way he is running Firefly with me. ... He is, like, completely bifurcated at this point. Eventually he'll be more on Firefly, when Angel gets on its feet, but for now, with the sudden hole that Greenwalt has left, ... Minear is spending a lot more time on Angel than we intended."
Angel co-star Alexis Denisof (Wesley) told SCI FI Wire that Simkins has been doing his homework in preparation for taking over Angel. "He sat down this summer with his wife and watched 66 episodes of Angel from beginning to end in a marathon," Denisof said in an interview. "Can you imagine? ... They just took one tape out and put the next one in. He was just hammering it. I mean, that's more than any hardcore fan would do. So ... he's already got the bible in his head of the show. He's done his homework, and he's ready to go."
Park Likes Enterprise Surprises
inda Park, who co-stars as Ensign Hoshi Sato on UPN's Enterprise, told SCI FI Wire that that she doesn't feel the need to pressure the show's writing staff to give her more to do or to suggest specific story or character ideas.
"We've only been back for a week, so I haven't really talked to [executive producer] Brannon [Braga]," Park said in an interview. "I have talked to some of the writers, and they've told me what's coming up, just in the near future, just the next couple of episodes, not for the whole season."
Park added, "I like to be surprised. I've talked to the writers about where I'm at, but they don't know either. That's their work. They're figuring it out as they go along. They have a good idea of the major points they want to hit, but within that, there's a lot of room to come up with spontaneous ideas or to try things out and see if that's a direction they want to go." Enterprise will begin its second season on Sept. 18.
Braga Hints Enterprise Spoilers
rannon Braga, co-creator of UPN's Enterprise, offered SCI FI Wire a glimpse of the Star Trek prequel's upcoming second season, complete with a few key spoilers.
Among other things, Braga promised revelations about T'Pol (Jolene Blalock), more on the Temporal Cold War, more about the Vulcans and a brush with the Romulans. In addition, former X-Files producer John Shiban joins the writing staff this year; his first episode, the season's third, will deal with Lt. Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating), who finds himself pinned under a deep-space mine on the exterior hull of the Enterprise. The show kicks off its new season Sept. 18.
"We're trying to improve on the first year," Braga said in an interview at the UPN fall preview party. "We've got a great part two to the [first-season-ending] cliffhanger, which we were very pleased with, and that's terrific. And we've got, gosh, we're about seven stories in. We're just starting. ... We want to capitalize more on the fact that it's a prequel. We want to have a season that maybe has even more action than it had last season. And we want to just keep the creative juices flowing."
Braga added that the central character of Capt. Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) will get his "space legs. " "[Executive producer] Rick [Berman] and I have discussed this at length going into the season," Braga said. "We would like to see Archer start to really get it together. ... We still would like to see him struggling, making mistakes. In [the season premiere,] 'Shockwave II,' he's basically on trial. This whole mission's on trial. So I think season two, he's really got to prove himself. He's really got to take command and figure out how to do this right. Because he made a few blunders last year. And this year, we're hoping that we see a guy who really starts to fulfill his potential as a captain. And what that means, I have no idea."
With regard to Archer's Vulcan science officer, Braga said, "We have some big surprises in store for T'Pol. Some very surprising character revelations for T'Pol."
In other spoilers for the season, Braga revealed:
•The Romulans: "I think I can say without getting into too much trouble that very early in the season we will have our first brush with the Romulans. ... Capt. Archer will have a very lethal brush with the Romulans early on." He added, "We've been very careful. The continuity is airtight. Believe me. We know. We know."
•The Temporal Cold War: "In part two of the cliffhanger, we're going to learn some really interesting things about what Archer and Enterprise's role might be in the formation of the Star Trek universe. And then beyond that, we're going to wait awhile, and then come back to the Temporal Cold War. But we're not going to do it too much. We want it to be a kind of an ongoing element."
•The birth of the Federation: "The birth of the Federation will be hinted at in 'Shockwave II.' It will be hinted at. And in the back of our minds, that's something that may play a part in the series. We're not sure to what extent, but we definitely begin to hint at such far-reaching things in that episode."
•The Vulcans: "One of the things we realized early on, when we were doing this series, was that there was a chance to make the Vulcans really interesting again. ... The Vulcans are really a paradoxical species, especially on this show, in that they are very enlightened, and consider themselves to be enlightened, but they're really kind of screwed up, too. ... The second or third episode will be a big [Vulcan] episode, which actually takes place in the 1950s, and we learn that first contact with Zefram Cochrane actually wasn't the first time Vulcans had been on Earth. And the High Command has this secret thing that they're trying to cover up."
•Other characters: "I think Phlox [John Billingsley] is definitely a character that we'd like to explore more, and Mayweather [Anthony Montgomery], and then maybe Reed and Hoshi [Linda Park]. But I think Phlox and Mayweather are the two you're going to see a little more of."
Daredevil was Terra-fying
cott Terra, the 15-year-old actor who plays Matt Murdock as a 12-year-old in the upcoming Daredevil movie, told SCI FI Wire that the role required him to learn how to pretend to be blind.
"They had a blind consultant," Terra said in an interview. "He taught me about what to do with your eyes and to turn your head, maybe turn past somebody when you're talking. Focus on one point. Don't ever directly look at somebody in their eye."
Terra said he did not get to work with Ben Affleck, who plays the adult Matt Murdock and his alter ego, the superhero Daredevil, based on the Marvel Comics series. "Because I was the younger version of him, and he's the older superhero, I was just in the beginning stages of it, so it was a different character."
Terra was involved in some action scenes, but he was not allowed to do his own stunts. "My stunt doubles did a lot that I couldn't do," he said. "They took advanced gymnastics, stuff like that and everything." Daredevil is scheduled for a February 2003 release.
Jones Joins Marvel
ncredible Hulk writer Bruce Jones has signed an exclusive deal with Marvel
Comics, according to Cinescape Online.
"Crafting stories that cut to the heart
of the title character, Bruce is carving a new audience for Incredible Hulk,"
Hulk editor Axel Alonso told the site.
Jones added, "Working with Marvel on Incredible Hulk, Tangled Web, The Call
of Duty: The Precinct and other projects has been equal parts challenging and
rewarding. Coming to know its enthusiastic, always warm and supportive staff
has been one of the highlights of my career. I've worked for the House of
Ideas in the past, but never when the stars were aligned so perfectly and the
excitement and good vibes so absolutely palpable."
Prey Fills Girl Gap
eata Kalogridis, creator of The WB's upcoming Birds of Prey superhero series, told reporters that her show will fill a gap in genre entertainment.
"There's a lot of exploration being done on television and in movies of the way in which boys become men, men become superheroes," Kalogridis said at The WB's fall preview. "There's a lot of exploration of that. And ... outside of Buffy [the Vampire Slayer], [women haven't] really been explored, and it was an opportunity to do that within a franchise that was so firmly identified as ... having female superheroes that people recognized and knew about."
Birds of Prey is based on the DC Comics series and stars Dina Meyer as Barbara Gordon, the former Batgirl, who is now disabled and, as the Oracle, oversees a trio of femme superheroes in New Gotham City. "Batgirl is kind of an icon, but she just had not had her own time to be explored," Kalogridis said. "And it gave us an opportunity to do that, which was really, frankly, too good to resist."
Ashley Scott plays Helena Kyle, aka the Huntress, who is the secret offspring of Batman and Catwoman, and Rachel Skarsten plays Dinah, a young clairvoyant who will eventually morph into the Black Canary. "I think the wonderful thing about the show is ... we have Dina [Meyer], who is a woman in her 30s, Ashley, who is in her 20s, and myself, I'm 17," Skarsten told SCI FI Wire. "So I think for girls and women, there's all sorts of different characters, age levels, generations that they can relate to. And then of course there's going to be the guys who watch it to see some booty."
Scott told SCI FI Wire that her role required a lot of physical training. "A lot of wire work," she said in an interview. "There's a lot of gymnastics and stuff. ... I did all my fight sequences in the pilot, but I wanted to go a little further and do back handsprings and really kind of get into it a little bit more physically. So we're training hard." Scott added that the wire harnesses are "so uncomfortable, man. It sucks. I had bruises here and here just doing a stinking photo shoot the other day. ... I was going forward, and they cut off my breathing. And I'm a tough chick. But ... at the end I was like, I started to cry. I was like, 'Guys, this is too much right now.'" Birds of Prey will air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, starting in the fall.
Meyer Flies In Birds
ina Meyer, who stars as Barbara Gordon in The WB's upcoming Birds of Prey series, told SCI FI Wire that her character is more than just the former Batgirl.
"She's a genius," Meyer said in an interview during The WB's fall preview in Pasadena, Calif. "She's the glue. She's the backbone of the Birds of Prey. She runs everything. She keeps everybody on track."
Meyer (Starship Troopers) plays Gordon, who has been disabled by the Joker in a future Gotham City. Confined to a wheelchair, Gordon has become a computerized crimefighter known as the Oracle, who leads a team of female heroes in the series, which is based on the DC Comics series of the same name. "She was Batgirl, a wonderful superhero, and has ... this horrible disability," Meyer said. "But she grew from it. She got strong from it. She found her calling from it. Initially she was running ... in Batman's shoes. And it took her getting shot and paralyzed and being confined to a wheelchair to find out who she really was and, in a sense, becoming a better person than she ever could have been had she not fought these villains. So I think that's really, really wonderful. She could have thrown in the towel. She could have said, 'You know what? The hell with it all. I don't have legs, I can't kick ass, I'm done.' And she didn't. She said, 'You know what? I'm going to find out who I really am and do what I got to do and be even bigger and better than I was.' It's the new and improved Barbara Gordon. And I salute her. I think she's fabulous. And I feel honored to be playing her."
Birds of Prey, which also stars Ashley Scott and Rachel Skarsten, premieres on The WB in the fall and will air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
UPN Sets Premiere Dates
PN announced premiere dates for its upcoming fall season, with the debut of its new Twilight Zone SF anthology series kicking off at 9 p.m. ET/PT Sept. 18, right after the second-season premiere of Enterprise at 8 p.m.
UPN's other new genre series, Haunted, begins at 9 p.m. Sep. 24, right after the seventh-season opener of Buffy the Vampire Slayer at 8 p.m.
The Twilight Zone, an update of Rod Serling's groundbreaking 1950s series, features Forest Whitaker as the host of hour-long episodes with two self-contained stories each. Haunted stars Matthew Fox (Party of Five) as a private investigator whose near-death experience gives him the ability to communicate with the spirits of the dead.
UPN also unveiled a partial slate of movies, which will air on Fridays at 8 p.m., starting Sept. 27. UPN will offer the broadcast TV premiere of The Cell and will air other genre films, including Eraser and installments of the Star Trek film franchise.
Do Over Mirrors Then?
roducers of The WB's upcoming fantasy comedy series Do Over—about a man who gets a chance to relives his 1980s high-school years—told reporters that they're unconcerned that ABC is debuting a similarly themed dramatic show, That Was Then.
"Well, needless to say we were a little surprised," Do Over executive producer Rick Weiner said at The WB's fall preview. "We had no idea that the other show existed. And obviously they were very surprised when they heard we existed. And we said, 'Well, maybe it's just a good idea, and two people did it at the same time.' Theirs is a drama, which is much different than ours."
In the half-hour Do Over, 15-year-old Penn Badgley plays Joel Larsen, a 34-year-old man who awakes to find himself back in his high-school body in the early 1980s. In the hourlong That Was Then, a man on the verge of his 30th birthday wakes up to find that he's 16 again, with a chance to relive his past. "Theirs is a drama. Ours is a comedy," Do Over executive producer Kenny Schwartz said. "We haven't seen their show, so we really can't make [comparisons], see which one is better than the other."
Do Over executive producer Warren Littlefield speculated that the coincidence of the two shows might reflect the times. "I think given everything that we're dealing with in our society today—these are some pretty difficult times on pretty much every level—that when you're in that kind of a place, you tend to look backwards and think of it in a really positive way. There is a lot of nostalgia. It seems right. It felt right. I mean, I'm shocked that nostalgia is the '80s, but here we go, it is." Do Over will air Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT, starting in the fall.
Fox Gets Haunted
atthew Fox, star of UPN's upcoming supernatural thriller series Haunted, told reporters that he was eager to play a character who differed markedly from his role as Charlie Salinger on Party of Five.
"One of the things that really attracted me to the series was ... getting to play a guy who didn't do a lot of talking," Fox told journalists at the network's fall preview in Pasadena, Calif.
Fox added, "I mean, the last series I was on, all the characters sat around and talked about everything. ... It was a great experience, and I enjoyed it. But from an acting standpoint, I wanted an opportunity to play a guy who was a little bit more active and who didn't do so much thinking before he acted. ... A classic noir character that is looking for redemption and through his work."
In Haunted, Fox plays Frank Taylor, a private investigator and former cop who has a near-death experience that allows him to perceive and communicate with the souls of the dead. "When I read the Haunted [pilot] script, ... it was really hard to put a finger on the thing that really speaks to you about the script, but I could completely see the show in my mind. I could see the feel of it, I could see how dark, intense and gritty and hard-hitting the thing could be. I felt ... Frank Taylor would be a huge challenge to play. ... The paranormal activity is something that you really have to spend a lot of time thinking about. I mean, how does somebody deal with that happening to them? And all the different levels [in] coming to terms with [it], if he ever comes to terms with it. I mean, I would think it would be more of a curse than it is a blessing. ... And then it's got a whole other level of this, where you have a man who's had his own child abducted out of his house two years before and does not know what happened to him. And not only is he a father, but he's also a cop, and it happened on his watch. ... There's something so incredibly haunting about that. ... I think the title of the show works on a lot of levels." Haunted will air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, starting in the fall.
Mack Talks Smallville
llison Mack, who plays Chloe Sullivan on The WB's Smallville, told SCI FI Wire that her character and Clark (Tom Welling) may explore their relationship in the coming season, the Superman series' second.
"They always knew that they wanted Chloe to have a love for Clark and a crush on Clark, but they never really knew if he was going to return it or not," Mack said in an interview at The WB's fall preview party. "And Tom and I became really good friends on the show, and our chemistry kind of played on camera, and so they decided to go with it for a little while. We'll see how far they take it. And it makes an interesting little twist on his relationship with Lana [Kristin Kreuk] and where they go with that."
Mack added that she's eager for more to happen. "Um, yeah! It's a good storyline for me, so why not? You know, it gives me more camera time." Mack added that she'd like to see her character go to the big city. "I want to see them go to Metropolis," she said. "That's where Chloe's from, and that's Chloe's hometown, and that's ... her natural ... habitat. ... I have suggested it to them several times, so hopefully, we'll see if they listen to me." Smallville will air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. in the fall.
Judge Dredd Game In Works
DA Productions, a unit of Vivendi Universal's games division, announced a deal with game developer Rebellion to release Judge Dredd vs. Judge Death, a video game set in the Judge Dredd comic series universe.
The PC game will be a first-person shooter in which gamers take on the role of Judge Dredd as he patrols the streets of a future metropolis.
Judge Dredd vs. Judge Death is planned for release in 2003. Vivendi Universal also owns SCIFI.COM.
Alien Vs. Predator Readied
he long-rumored Alien vs. Predator film has gained momentum with the hiring of Resident Evil director Paul Anderson to write and helm the proposed spinoff movie for Fox, Variety reported.
Alien producers David Giler and Walter Hill and Predator producers John Davis, Lawrence Gordon and Joel Silver will produce the spinoff, which brings together characters from the two franchises, the trade paper reported.
Alien vs. Predator will take its cue from the popular video game titles published by Fox Interactive, the trade paper reported.
Frakes To Helm Thunderbirds
onathan Frakes will direct a live-action version of the SF marionette TV series Thunderbirds for Universal Pictures, Variety reported.
The film will stick closely to the premise of Gerry Anderson's cult-favorite 1960s series, which followed the adventures of a clandestine rescue team made up of a retired astronaut, his five boys and several other associates.
According to Variety, production company Working Title developed the project for several years, with Peter Hewitt originally on board to direct the property as an adult action film. The story has been reconceived as a family-friendly adventure, much like the British series. Frakes last directed the Nickelodeon/Paramount SF family adventure Clockstoppers.
Production on Thunderbirds is slated to begin in early 2003. Universal Pictures is owned by Vivendi Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Then Stands Up To Over
roducers of ABC's upcoming fantasy series That Was Then—about a man who awakes in his 16-year-old body in the 1980s—told reporters that they never considered scrapping the show, even after discovering that The WB was readying a similarly themed series, Do Over.
Speaking to journalists at ABC's fall preview, producer Jeremy Miller said that he and his partner, Dan Cohen, "were sitting in our office, and we just finished our last draft of this, and our agent called and said, 'There's this show on The WB called Do Over.' We panicked at first, and then found it interesting that we had the same agent as the other show. We pushed forward and really were never bothered by it."
That Was Then is an hour-long drama; Do Over is a half-hour comedy, also about an adult who awakes to find he's a teenager in the 1980s again. Earlier this week, producers of Do Over also said they forged ahead, despite the two shows' similarities.
The coincidence of having the same agent raised suspicions. But producer Jeff Kline dismissed it, saying there are always similar projects in development everywhere. He added that he thought the motivating factor for two shows about correcting the past was America's recent national tragedy.
"I think after September 11th, and for other reasons as well, people are wishing they could go back and do something differently," Kline said. "Wish fulfillment becomes more of a priority when you're faced with a real life that dramatic." That Was Then will air Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, beginning in the fall.
Stahl Gives T3 Thumbs Up
ick Stahl, who plays a grown-up John Connor in the upcoming sequel film Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, told MTV Online that he's impressed with the screenplay.
The Disturbing Behavior actor is currently in Los Angeles shooting the film, in which he co-stars opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger's title character.
"The script is really solid," Stahl told the site. "I think the main aim was to basically up the stakes from the last one and to make the newest one even more groundbreaking. Because the second one ... really nothing like that had been done before, ... and the effects, there are a lot of effects that are [being] done these days that weren't available 10 years ago. In that way, visually, it's going to be more realistic. It's hard to know how it's going to turn out, but if the script says anything, I would say that it's definitely as good [as], if not better than, the last one."
Stahl added that he is trying to create his own version of Connor, who was previously played by Edward Furlong. "[I'm not trying] to imitate anything about the character that's been done," he said. "I just don't think that that's really realistic or even possible. You just have to kind of use your own arsenal. So I've really just tried to make it my own." Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines opens nationwide on July 2, 2003.
Marshall Reveals Indy IV Genesis
ndiana Jones producer Frank Marshall told USA Today that the notion of reviving the film franchise became a reality only after the series' key players gathered in 2001 at an American Film Institute dinner to honor Harrison Ford.
"[We] all saw each other backstage in tuxedoes, and it was a nostalgic moment where we got to talking, and we found how much fun we had on these movies," Marshall said. "But these days it takes us all a while to clear our
schedules."
Marhsall, who also produced the upcoming Signs, added, "It's going to be the
same team: George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg and me. We are
working on the film as we speak. I think production will start in 2004 for
release in the summer of 2005. There are certain elements that are in all
three movies that we will strive to maintain: the archaeology aspect, the fun
of the movies and a little bit of the supernatural."
Combs Logs On FearDotCom
enre favorite Jeffrey Combs told SCI FI Wire that's he's seen the upcoming SF/horror/thriller movie FearDotCom and thinks it's scary as hell.
FearDotCom follows New York City cop Stephen Dorff and Department of Health researcher Natascha McElhone as the try to solve several murders connected by a single common thread: All of the victims died precisely 48 hours after logging onto a Web site called feardot.com. Combs co-stars.
"It's come together very well," Combs said in an interview. "The buzz in town is real strong. It's a real visual tour de force. [Director] Bill Malone has really done something here. The film has a world that's very contained and very specific. It's a supernatural, sci-fi, psycho-thriller, and it just really captures it all very well. It rains a lot, and it's kind of murky and edgy and yet beautiful.
Re-animator and Deep Space Nine star Combs plays a slovenly and disinterested cop in FearDotCom. "The film is wonderfully edited and there are some really strong performances," he said. "Stephen Dorff is real good in this. His instincts are just great. Stephen Rea is in it, too, and he's just fabulous. And Natascha is wonderful. Warner Brothers has very high hopes for it, and so do I. It was also a very nice change of pace for me." FearDotCom opens nationwide on Aug. 30.
Doig Up For More Andromeda
exa Doig told SCI FI Wire that she's excited about the upcoming third season
of Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, but noted that, with nearly half of the
year's episodes already completed, there's been little activity for her
characters Rommie and Andromeda.
"We are just finishing up episode nine and are about to start episode 10," Doig said in an interview.
Doig added that, "strangely enough," she's happy with the situation. "I haven't had to do much, and the weather here in Vancouver has been amazing, so I've had some time off, and that's been great," she said. "That means, however, that I will get nailed for it when I come back from hiatus. I'm
going to probably be in every day, but that's when the weather in Vancouver is not all that great, so it's fine to be indoors all day long. But there's nothing [from the first 10 hours] I'd describe as a Rommie episode. There are a lot of team episodes, where everybody is involved. There's a fun romp where Dylan [Kevin Sorbo] and Harper [Gordon Michael Woolvett] go off on a little
adventure. It was a lot of fun to watch, and they looked suspiciously like Herc and Iolaus. Rommie falls in love again, but not really. What else happens? Beka [Lisa Ryder] and Tyr [Keith Hamilton Cobb] have a bit of fun in the first episode back." Andromeda will begin its new season in the fall with "If the Wheel Is Fixed."
Dark Shadows Lurks Again?
ark Shadows creator Dan Curtis confirmed that he is developing a new big-
screen version of his gothic soap opera, according to TV Guide Online.
"We are working on making that happen," Curtis told the site. "We have people who are interested in providing financing, and we're having lots of conversations."
Curtis added, "Will it happen? I can't say, but it's a possibility. Do you want to hear something funny? We'd heard for ages that Johnny Depp always wanted to play Barnabas Collins, so we checked into it, and lo and behold, depending on the script, it is something that he'd like to do." He continued, "I'd also very much like to work with [screenwriter] Steven de Souza, and we've had a lot of fun talking about it. Dark Shadows has an undying audience. The show never goes away. It's running on SCI FI Channel, and 40 episodes were recently put out on a four-disc DVD set. I understand they sold out within days and [Mpi Media Group] had to go back for a second printing. Never in my life did I imagine that the show would still be around."
Haas Re-Envisions Lathe
ukas Haas told SCI FI Wire that before signing on to star in a new TV version of Lathe of Heaven, he knew nothing about either the Ursula K. Le Guin novel or the original made-for-TV film.
Haas, whose genre credits range from Mars Attacks! to Solarbabies, stars in Lathe of Heaven as George Orr, a young man whose reality-altering dreams are exploited by Dr. Haber (James Caan), a psychologist specializing in dream analysis.
"I just went by the script I got," Haas said in an interview. "What's interesting to me about George, and what made it difficult to play, is that he really doesn't know reality from his dreams. He can't really make a conclusion about whether he's going crazy, or if his dreams actually are changing reality. So that was interesting to play. He goes through a cycle and ends up realizing that his dreams are the truth or are changing reality. I hadn't been working that much [lately], and I'd been wanting to [try] interesting projects with challenging roles. That was my motivation for doing this." Lathe of Heaven will air as an A&E original movie on Sept. 8.
Gyllenhaal Circles Tomorrow
onnie Darko star Jake Gyllenhaal is in final negotiations to join Frequency's Dennis Quaid in the genre film The Day After Tomorrow, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
If he signs on, Gyllenhaal will play Quaid's son in Tomorrow, which explores the disastrous effects of global warming.
Production on the $100 million film will begin in November, with Roland Emmerich on board as director and Mark Gordon producing. According to The Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Fox is targeting a summer 2003 release.
Artisan Options Tonight, He Comes
rtisan Pictures has purchased the film rights to Tonight, He Comes, a long-languishing spec script about a disaffected superhero, according to Variety.
Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, who penned Lost in Space, Batman Forever and the upcoming Pitch Black sequel, The Chronicles of Riddick, will produce.
Vincent Ngo wrote Tonight, He Comes more than six years ago. The story, which
involves the unlikely bond between a fallen superhero and a troubled 12-year-old boy, initially attracted the attention of director Tony Scott. Ngo went on to script several episodes of Scott's television series The Hunger, but the Tonight, He Comes script continued to sit on a shelf untouched, the trade paper reported.
Then Richard Saperstein, newly installed as president of development and production at Artisan, got hold of it. "I read it and was astonished no one had made the script," Saperstein
told Variety. "It's atmospheric and edgy and seemed to reflect the next
generation of superhero movies."
Armageddon Gang To The Rescue
Mindfire Entertainment, the company behind the films Free Enterprise and The Specials, will broaden its genre product base by launching its own comic-book line, Cinescape Online reported.
"Mindfire's entry into comic-book territory will begin with The Armageddon Gang, which the company described as "a sci-fi adventure in the vein of The Dirty Dozen, in which a group of rugged heroes must solve an intergalactic mystery, fighting against deadly alien threats, as well as themselves."
Genre journalist and screenwriter Mark A. Altman will write the comic-book miniseries, while Edwin David will draw it, based on designs by Scott Christian Sava. "I've always been a huge fan of sci-fi films like Star Wars, Blade Runner and The Matrix, but I grew up loving movies like The Magnificent Seven and The Searchers as well," Altman told Cinescape. "So I see Armageddon Gang as a chance to combine some wonderful genres, like westerns, sci-fi and film noir, while working in a medium that I really enjoy." The Armageddon Gang will debut in October.
Griffith Had Little Trouble
elanie Griffith told SCI FI Wire that providing the voice for Margalo, the talking bird in Stuart Little 2, was more difficult than she ever expected.
"It was so much more difficult than acting, than being in front of a camera," Griffith said in an interview. "You have to be very big, just different. You can't use the things that you're used to using. You can't be manipulative with your body or your face, even though they're filming you while you do it. They're filming you so they can create the character, so that the cartoon has your mannerisms. The first time I did it, I [recorded] with Michael [J. Fox, who voices the title character]. We were right across from each other. I thought it was great, and then afterwards I got a call from [director] Rob [Minkoff] saying, 'You know, we really need to work with you.'"
Minkoff explained to SCI FI Wire why he thought Griffith took longer to adapt to the process of voice performance than some of his other Stuart Little 2 actors. "Somebody like Nathan Lane, who's done a lot of theater, understands what it means to reach the last row of the audience," Minkoff said in an interview. "Also, he understands how to perform alone. When you get somebody in front of a microphone, if they've never done it, it's an uncomfortable experience, because it's you and nothing. Nothing is coming back. I think Melanie was just having to confront that, and it was a kind of uncomfortable place for her. Because so much of the character is going to come through the voice, you need it to have great impact, to be strong. Then again, because she's not with everybody at the same time, it's a little hard to get the sense of that. So I kind of described it as being the conductor of the orchestra conducting one musician at a time. You're standing with them going, 'No, it's not loud enough, louder! Faster, faster!' They're like, 'What are you talking about? It doesn't make any sense. I don't understand. Why do you want it that way?' And I'm thinking, 'Well, I know what Michael J. Fox is doing, and I know what James Woods did, and I know that all these pieces have to come together,' and the actor doesn't. You're pushing them to a place, and they're going, 'Agh, I'm not comfortable at this level.'"
Making it all connect was just a matter of trial and error. "The first thing that you do with the actors is you kind of play around," Minkoff said. "You say, 'Can you do a New York accent? Or, what would it sound like with this attitude?' Then you get around until you feel it, and it may not be quite as intellectual as that. You just sort of go, 'That's really starting to click,' and that's where we are. Then you also have to get the actor back to that, and the actor may come in a month later. Sometimes the simplest thing to do is play the scene that they already did that you cut together. You don't make it a big deal. You just let them hear it and let them find it again and then go from there." Stuart Little 2 opened July 19.
Little 2 Game Ships For GameBoy
ctivision has just shipped Stuart Little 2 for the Nintendo GameBoy Advance to stores nationwide.
The game, which is rated "E" for everyone six
and older, features voiceover and sound effects from the Stuart Little movie
sequel and lets players be the adventuresome mouse as he searches for his
missing friend Margalo, scales skyscrapers in a hot air balloon, rides a
skateboard, faces down assorted foes and pilots a biplane.
"Fans can now experience Stuart's fun-filled adventures in the only GameBoy
Advance game inspired by the story and scenes from the much anticipated
feature film," Activision Worldwide Studios executive vice president Larry
Goldberg said in a release. "With appearances by the film's lovable
characters, as well as an all-new multiplayer component, Stuart Little 2
captures the action and hilarity of the movie, making it a must have title
for older and younger children alike."
Wuhrer Not Gun-Shy In Freaks
ari Wuhrer, who plays the sheriff of a small town overrun by giant spiders in the upcoming SF
feature Eight Legged Freaks, told SCI FI Wire that firing at the computer-generated creatures wasn't as easy as it looks.
"I think that was the most difficult challenge physically for me on this movie," she said in an interview while promoting the film. "You get the hang of it pretty quick when you've got effects guys breathing down your neck telling you this shotgun does have a kick and you have to play that. ... They gave me the real thing, and my arms were aching. I had to do the kickback all in rapid-fire time, and I was just running, and it was insane. If I wasn't working out at the gym or something, I'd be totally dead."
As the daughter of a police officer, Wuhrer said that she grew up around guns, but nothing could
have prepared her for having to wield one against giant, imaginary spiders. "We had to do a scene
in the mall where all these spiders were coming after us," she said. "And I had to shoot up and
down and over and get all these areas covered, because they were going to be coming from all
sides. And I had to shoot the gun and cock the gun, point it in a different place. ... I was just like,
'Please, you guys, if I look like a dork, or if it doesn't look real, let's do it again.' So we did.
Again and again and again."
In addition to being a sheriff, Wuhrer's character, Sam Parker, is also a single mother of two, an
aspect that the actress found just as daunting as battling giant monsters. "I was a little nervous
about playing a mom. I think that was my biggest challenge. I don't have kids, let alone teenage
kids, and I was just worried that the relationship was going to work," she said. "The courage to
battle the spiders didn't come from Sam Parker being a sheriff. It came from Sam Parker having
kids and having raised them by herself and having to protect her family, which, you know, it
made it a little bit easier all around once I got that relationship down." Eight Legged Freaks opened July 17.
Neeson: Exorcist 4 Still Lives
iam Neeson, who is slated to play a young Father Merrin in the proposed Exorcist 4:1 prequel film, told SCI FI Wire that the movie is still alive, despite the departure and death earlier this month of director John Frankenheimer at age 72.
"We lost our director, John Frankenheimer, who passed away, so we're all still in a state of mourning and actively looking for another director," Neeson said in an interview. Frankenheimer left the project in June to undergo back surgery and subsequently died on July 6 of a stroke due to complications.
Neeson declined to answer questions about his motivations in playing Merrin or whether he would look to the original film for inspiration. Exorcist 4:1, which deals with events preceding the original Exorcist, was scheduled to begin production in August, with an eye on a release on July 18, 2003.
Sumpter Cast As Pan
fter a three-month search that spanned three continents, Revolution Studios, Red Wagon Productions and director P.J. Hogan have found their Peter Pan in the form of 13-year-old actor Jeremy Sumpter, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Sumpter, best known as young Adam Meiks in the Bill Paxton-directed Frailty, will star in the title role of the live-action project.
Peter Pan also stars Jason Isaacs as Captain Hook and will begin principal photography in the fall in Queensland, Australia, for a Christmas 2003 release, the trade paper reported.
Carrey, Shandling In Toon Debut
im Carrey and Garry Shandling will voice characters in the upcoming animated feature film Over the Hedge, based on Michael Fry and T. Lewis' comic strip of the same name, Variety reported.
The film is slated for a 2005 release.
It marks the first animated film for Carrey, who will voice a raccoon, and for Shandling, who will voice a turtle named Verne. Over the Hedge will be created at DreamWorks' Glendale facility, following the completion of the animated film Sharkslayer, which is due in 2004.
Artisan To Remake Scanners
rtisan Pictures (The Blair Witch Project) will remake Scanners, the 1981 David Cronenberg SF movie, Variety reported.
The original film told the story of a scientist who infiltrates an underground movement of people with telepathic abilities.
The remake will amp up Cronenberg's themes of paranoia and terrorism conspiracies, as well as special effects, the trade paper reported.
Raimi Mulls 30 Days
pider-Man director Sam Raimi has expressed interest in 30 Days of Night, a proposed vampire thriller film based on Steve Niles' comic series of the same name, Variety reported.
DreamWorks, MGM and Senator International all bid in the $1 million range to acquire the comic book, the trade paper reported.
Senator appears to have the inside track on 30 Days of Night. In May, Raimi forged a production deal with the overseas sales division of German independent film giant Senator Entertainment, under which Raimi and longtime producing partner Rob Tapert's new genre label will produce modestly budgeted horror, SF and fantasy films that will be fully financed by Senator International, which will retain worldwide distribution rights, Variety reported. It remains unclear if Raimi is interested in producing or helming 30 Days.
Niles' comic is based on the idea that the sun disappears from Barrow, Alaska, for more than a month each winter, offering vampires an attractive venue. Niles, who also writes the Hellspawn comic, sold out the first edition of 30 Days last June. The second edition will debut at the upcoming International ComicCon in San Diego in August.
Fantasy Books Draw Big Bucks
irst-edition books by Beatrix Potter and J.R.R. Tolkien sold for tens of thousands dollars at a British auction, while a signed Harry Potter volume drew a respectable $16,660, the Associated Press reported.
Potter's Peter Rabbit sold for $64,780 at a Sotheby's auction on July 12. It was one of the first 250 copies printed, the wire service reported.
A first edition of Tolkien's The Hobbit from 1937 fetched $66,630, the AP reported. The book was inscribed by the author to his aunt and was signed within two weeks of publication. Sotheby's told the AP that it was the highest price ever paid at an auction for a Tolkien classic.
A copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, inscribed by author J.K. Rowling, went for $16,660, the AP reported.
Briefly Noted
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Craig Bolotin will write the screenplay for Descent for Francis Ford
Coppola's American Zoetrope, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The trade
paper described the film as "an adventure film with a ghostly twist"; no director is yet attached.
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James Marsters (Spike on UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer) was on hand at the Shore Leave convention in Baltimore on July 18, when fans collected $750 to donate to the Maryland chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in memory of Marsters' cat, Zachary.
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More than 10,000 fans for the defunct teen-alien series Roswell have signed an online petition seeking a feature film based on the show.
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Star Trek star Leonard Nimoy and his wife, Susan, donated $1 million to the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, according to the Associated Press. The Nimoy Fund for Emerging Artists will be used to showcase new talent and support such projects as sculpture and painting, publications and performance and video works.
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The first artwork developed for the upcoming film version of Mike Mignola's Hellboy comic series will be unveiled at the Comic-Con International in San Diego on Aug. 1, according Cinescape Online. Hellboy creator Mignola, director Guillermo del Toro and film star Ron Perlman will also speak on a panel.
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TV Guide Online reported that Buffy the Vampire Slayer supporting player Amber Benson, whose character Tara was killed at the end of last season, will return in the fall for several episodes, most likely playing a new character.
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The official Web site for Warner Brothers' upcoming SF comedy film The Adventures of Pluto Nash has gone live. The film, starring Eddie Murphy, opens Aug. 16.
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Spider-Man is coming to DVD and VHS on Nov. 1, Columbia announced.
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Disney is reviving its The Shaggy Dog film franchise in a big-screen feature that Robert Simonds Company will produce, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Shaggy, originally a 1959 film, spawned several Disney telefilms, including 1987's The Return of the Shaggy Dog and 1994's The Shaggy Dog. Jack Amiel and Michael Begler will write the updated version, about a man who changes into a sheepdog.
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Columbia Pictures is mulling a feature film based on the best-selling video game Return to Castle Wolfenstein, which combines Nazis and World War II with the occult, Variety reported. Mark Gordon and John Baldecchi are producing.
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Miramax has bought the rights to the Bartimaeus Trilogy, a series of British novels about a djinni and a young magician by Jonathan Stroud, Variety reported. Talk Miramax Books will also distribute the trilogy in North America. The first installment, The Amulet of Samarkand, follows an ancient djinni named Bartimaeus, who is summoned by a disobedient young wizard to steal a magical amulet from a powerful magician, the trade paper reported.
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The role of Harley Quinn in The WB's upcoming superhero series Birds of Prey, played by Twin Peaks actress Sherilynn Fenn in the pilot, will be recast, because Fenn isn't available to fill the ongoing role, producers told journalists at the network's fall preview in Pasadena, Calif. No one has yet been cast to take Fenn's place, though her scenes will have to be reshot.
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