Nolan To Helm Batman V
arner Brothers has signed Memento director Chris Nolan to helm a proposed new Batman movie, though it is unclear—and he would not say—whether he would write the script, Variety reported.
The studio, led by production president Jeff Robinov, has been trying to revive the franchise, which sputtered after four films, the trade paper reported.
Among the supposed incarnations of a Batfilm are Batman vs. Superman, Batman: Year One and Catwoman, the trade paper reported. Batman vs. Superman nearly went into production with director Wolfgang Petersen and a script by Andrew Kevin Walker, until Petersen moved to the Greek epic Troy. Batman: Year One was being developed by Darren Aronofsky and Frank Stack. Catwoman is a spinoff of the character introduced in Batman Returns, with Ashley Judd expected to play the title role and visual effects veteran Pitof making his directing debut from a script by John Rogers.
Superman Rumors Denied
irectors Michael Bay and Brett Ratner denied persistent rumors that Ratner has left the proposed fifth Superman movie and that Bay is in line to replace him, Variety columnist Michael Fleming reported.
"This is 100 percent false," Bay told Fleming. "I haven't spoken to anybody at Warner Brothers about Superman. I have no idea how this rumor got started. Isn't Brett doing Superman?"
Ratner added, "This is the most ridiculous rumor I've ever heard, and it starts with Web sites that have gone from supportive cinephiles to [being] gossipmongers. The studio is spending multiple millions of dollars making test deals with the actors I want. They're paying me, my [director of photography], my [assistant director], my editor, my props guy."
Ratner speculated on the reason for the widespread rumors. "The whole hiccup here has been our search for Superman," he said. "I'm at [Creative Artists Agency], just like Michael Bay. I make as much money as he does. They would not jeopardize pissing me off by negotiating behind my back. I'd know." But Ratner confirmed rumors that he has spoken with both Josh Hartnett and Jude Law about the role. The hangup? Committing to a long-term franchise. "As much as I've told Jude and Josh my vision for the movie, I've warned them of the consequences of being Superman," Ratner said. "They'll live this character for 10 years, because I'm telling one story over three movies and plan to direct all three if the first is as successful as everyone suspects."
Ratner also denied rumors that the film's budget is more than $200 million. "North of $200 million is a lie. We won't have a budget for three weeks," Ratner said.
Ratner Flees Superman?
he Coming Attractions Web site reported a rumor that director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour) left the proposed fifth Superman movie on Jan. 24.
Citing an anonymous source, the site reported that set construction had been going on for two weeks and was halted with the departure of Ratner from the film.
The site added that the Dark Horizons and Last Son of Krypton Web sites were carrying similar reports. The project remains in preproduction, the site added.
Meyer Says Bye-Bye Birds
ina Meyer, who played Oracle on The WB's canceled Birds of Prey, bid fans a farewell on the message board of her official Web site.
"I know how much you all have enjoyed the show," Meyer wrote. "I enjoyed working on it. We will all miss it. However, on a lighter note, I am looking forward to using my legs on the next project."
Meyer played the disabled former Batgirl in the series, which will air its final two episodes back to back on Feb. 19. "Acting in a wheelchair was probably the most challenging thing I've had to do to date," Meyer said. "I kept wanting to get up and do the stunts! Straightening my hair every day was probably the second. (Not really!) I am happy to be moving on, as is my hair. No more blow drying! Woo-hoo!"
Buffy To Be Staked?
source close to Fox Television, which produces Buffy the Vampire Slayer for UPN, has told SyFy Portal a rumor that the network won't bring the show back for an eighth season.
"There is a whole different attitude at UPN right now, and it's not the same attitude that first brought Buffy to the network in the first place," the anonymous source said. Les Moonves, president of UPN parent CBS, reportedly wants ratings winners and nothing else, the source added.
"It is believed around here that if Moonves had been running UPN two years ago, Buffy never would've been there in the first place," the source said.
No official word has been given on the fate of Buffy or whether its star, Sarah Michelle Gellar, has made a decision on whether to renew her contract for the show, which runs out at the end of the current seventh season.
Gaiman Looks In Mirror
eil Gaiman and Dave McKean will collaborate on a direct-to-video fantasy feature film, Mirror Mask, which is set to go into production this year, the Comics2Film Web site reported.
A source at Jim Henson Pictures told the site that McKean will direct from a script by Gaiman (The Sandman). Both men developed the story, the site reported.
The story idea grew out of conversations about a possible sequel to Henson's 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth, the site reported. Preproduction is due to begin in February, with principal photography commencing some time in the spring.
Pirate Towers Flood U.K.
erfect pirated DVD copies of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, cloned from Oscar screener discs supplied by the studios to members of the Motion Picture Association of America, are circulating in the United Kingdom, the Federation Against Copyright Theft told The Hollywood Reporter.
Complete with 5.1 surround sound, the DVDs' only blemish is a "for your consideration" Oscar message that pops up every 15 minutes, the trade paper reported.
Warner Brothers' Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets also is being pirated widely, the trade paper reported.
FACT director general David Lowe told the trade paper that FACT has seized 40,000 counterfeit discs, including more than 10,000 copies of Two Towers, this month. He said he expects that figure to rise considerably by the end of the month, which traditionally is a quiet month for piracy.
Towers Gets SAG Nod
he Lord of the Rings: Two Towers received a nomination for best cast in the ninth annual Screen Actors Guild awards, Variety reported.
The winners will be announced March 9 in ceremonies to be telecast on TNT, the trade paper reported.
The nominated cast included Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Brad Dourif, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, Miranda Otto, John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving, David Wenham and Elijah Wood.
Towers Gets BAFA Nods
he Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers received nine nominations for Orange British Academy Film Awards (BAFA), which were announced Jan. 27 by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), according to The Hollywood Reporter.
This year's awards will be presented Feb. 23, sponsored by the British cell phone company Orange, the trade paper reported.
The nine nominations for the second Rings movie included best film, best direction, cinematography and makeup/hair.
Chamber Is All-Time No. 3
arry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has grossed an estimated $568.2 million so far internationally, overtaking Jurassic Park as the third-highest-grossing international release of all time, the ScreenDaily.com Web site reported.
The sequel took in about $7.1 million over the weekend of Jan. 24 and just over a million admissions from 4,000 screens in 53 territories, the site reported.
Chamber now ranks behind number two Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone ($649.6 million) and Titanic ($1.2 billion).
Libraries Slash Potter
ublic libraries, struggling with budget cuts, may slash their orders for J.K. Rowling's upcoming fifth Harry Potter book, The Order of the Phoenix, the Associated Press reported.
In New York City, for example, the number of ordered copies has dropped from 956 for the last release, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, to 560 for the new one, the AP reported.
In Clinton, Wis., population about 2,000, the public library expects up to 100 requests for the new book. Meanwhile, the library's budget has been cut by double digits, the wire service reported.
At the Bruggemeyer Memorial Library in Monterey Park, Calif., cuts in funding already mean that 800 fewer children's books will be bought this year, from 5,600 titles down to 4,800. Library director Linda Wilson told the AP that the budget could shrink even more.
Libraries get a standard 40 percent discount, but no special deals were planned for those short of money, said Neal Goff, president of Scholastic Library Publishing, a division of Scholastic Inc., the U.S. publisher for the Potter books. Phoenix is slated to be released on June 21.
Dungey Goes Bad On Alias
errin Dungey, who plays gal-pal Francie on ABC's Alias, told TV Guide Online that she's thrilled by the big change in her character's fate, revealed at the end of the Jan. 26 episode.
"I was getting frustrated, because I'd come in once a week and say, 'Hey guys, do you want to try my soup, or bouillabaisse or brownies?'" she told the site with a laugh. "I walked in my trailer, and I was like, 'If I see one more apron. ... Am I Florida on Good Times?'"
Fortunately for Dungey, Francie was killed at the end of the episode, replaced by an evil doppelganger. In her new role, Dungey finds herself training with kickboxer Benny "the Jet" Urquidez, she said. Series star "Jennifer [Garner] is a badass," Dungey added. "She is it. And if I'm going to have to get in there and tangle with her or any one of her fellow foes on the show, I've got to be ready."
But evil Francie will dissemble for a while. "Even though some of the situations seem to be similar—me and Sydney in the house talking—you know Bad Francie is up to no good," she said with delight. "It's sooo good now. It is just delicious every time I get to jump into 'the Francinator.'" Alias airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Alias Game Developing
cclaim Entertainment announced that it has signed an agreement with Disney to publish video games based on ABC's Alias series.
The Alias video game is currently being developed by Acclaim's Cheltenham studio and is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2003 across all of the next-generation gaming platforms, the company said.
Alias will be a third-person action adventure video game that allows players to step into the role of the series' lead character, Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner). Key elements of the game will include high-action combat, stealth missions and time-based objectives, espionage, intriguing plot twists, high-tech weaponry and locations that span the globe, the company said.
Alias Heads For Movies?
.J. Abrams, executive producer of ABC's Alias, told TV Guide Online that there have been some informal talks about adapting the series for the big screen.
"It has come up, and ... it's an interesting idea," Abrams told the site. "My agents have talked to me about it, and I know that they have talked to Disney about it, but it's nothing that is seriously being pursued."
Abrams added, "Given the fact that we try every week to do a movie version of the show, it's not clear to me what we would try to do that we aren't already trying to do. And I wouldn't want to make the show look small by doing a [movie]. You have to be careful of that."
Any Alias movie would likely arrive in theaters after the show ends its run on the small screen, TV Guide reported. As for whether the show will get a third year, Abrams said, "I'm betting it will [be renewed]. But I haven't heard anything official, and it's up to them to say no. But we're plotting our stories ahead as if we'll get picked up, just as during the first season, we were plotting ahead as if we'd get picked up for a second." Alias airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Garner Goes On 30
lias and Daredevil star Jennifer Garner will appear beside Mark Ruffalo in the upcoming fantasy film 13 Going on 30, Variety reported.
Garner will play the lead role of a 13-year-old girl who finds herself transformed into a 30-year-old woman, the trade paper reported.
Gary Winick (Tadpole) will direct for Revolution Studios, the trade paper reported. Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa (What Women Want) wrote the script, and Rita Hsiao and Niels Mueller did rewrites. The movie begins filming in April in Los Angeles, when Garner starts her hiatus from Alias.
Garner makes her big-screen starring debut as Elektra in Daredevil, which opens Feb. 14.
Reeves Sacrificed For Matrix?
eenHollywood.com reported a rumor that Matrix star Keanu Reeves gave up as much as $38 million to prevent the two new Matrix films, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, from being scrapped.
Reeves reportedly sacrificed his cut of the upcoming two sequels' ticket sales when producers began fearing the box office would not cover the costs of making the special effects-laden flicks.
The site quotes an anonymous Warner Brothers source saying, "The special effects in the new movie are beyond belief, but hugely expensive. There was a real danger the projects would be scrapped until Keanu offered to sign away his cut. He has kissed goodbye to a huge sum of money."
Keanu was paid $10 million for the first Matrix movie in 1999 and picked up another $35 million as his cut of worldwide box office sales, the site reported. The Matrix Reloaded opens May 15; Revolutions opens in November.
Osiris Takes Flight
he upcoming Matrix-themed animated short film The Final Flight of the Osiris will accompany the release of the upcoming Stephen King SF movie Dreamcatcher on March 21, Warner Brothers and Village Roadshow Pictures announced.
Osiris is a nine-minute computer-generated short that serves as a prelude to the upcoming sequel film The Matrix Reloaded, which opens May 15.
Osiris is one of nine short films that make up The Animatrix, which delve further into the universe of The Matrix movies. The short-film series was conceived by Larry and Andy Wachowski, the brothers who created, wrote and directed the Matrix trilogy of films. The Wachowskis also wrote four of the nine Animatrix episodes, including Osiris, the studios announced.
Warner Home Video and Village Roadshow Pictures will release The Animatrix on DVD and VHS on June 3. The third Matrix movie, The Matrix Revolutions, opens in November. Four of the Animatrix shorts will be posted online at the official Web site, beginning Feb. 4.
Paxton Mulls T-Birds
ill Paxton (Frailty) is in talks to star in the proposed live-action film version of the 1960s cult U.K. TV show Thunderbirds, to be directed by Jonathan Frakes for Working Title Films and Universal Pictures, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Shooting begins in March on location in the Seychelles, with studio work at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom, the trade paper reported.
William Osbourne wrote the script, about a 12-year-old boy who must save his father (Paxton) and four brothers from imminent death and save the world from the hands of the evil Aristotle Spode, the trade paper reported. Paxton's character is a billionaire former astronaut who is the patriarch of the family and leads the Thunderbirds during their missions to save the world.
Universal is owned by Vivendi Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Arnold Injured On T3
rnold Schwarzenegger tore the rotator cuff in his left shoulder last fall while shooting the upcoming sequel film Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, but waited until Jan. 26, long after the shoot was over, to undergo surgery to repair it, EW.com and the Reuters news service reported.
Schwarzenegger, 55, was treated at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., and released the next day "feeling great and in very good spirits," his publicist told Reuters.
"I'm feeling great," Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "I am very fortunate to have had such fantastic surgeons at St. John's work on my shoulder." The Austrian Oak will wear a sling for the next three to four weeks. T3 opens July 2.
Jackson Preps For Episode III
amuel L. Jackson, who returns as Mace Windu in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode III, told MTV.com a few spoilers about his character's fate.
"I did get an e-mail from the stunt coordinator, who said he'd like for me to show up a little early, because he has some things we want to work out," Jackson told the site.
That's good news for Jackson, who has previously said that he doesn't want his character to go out "like a punk." It's widely expected that all of the Jedi knights, with the exception of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, will meet their demise in the third prequel. "So I guess that sounds like I'm going to go out in a blaze of glory," Jackson said. "I'm looking forward to it."
Lucasfilm Reorganizes
eorge Lucas' main production company, Lucasfilm Ltd., will take over direct control of Lucas' far-flung entertainment enterprises, Variety reported.
At the same time, longtime Lucasfilm president Gordon Radley is leaving the company.
Lucasfilm will take over the previously autonomous Lucas Digital, whose San Rafael, Calif.,-based business includes Industrial Light & Magic; the LucasArts games unit; and Lucas Licensing, which is based on Lucas' Big Rock ranch in Marin County, the trade paper reported. The company also envisions layoffs among the various businesses' 2,000 employees as a result of the reorganization, the trade paper reported.
Radley won't be replaced. Lucas will remain chairman and chief executive officer, with chief financial officer Micheline Chau elevated to chief operating officer, the trade paper reported.
Cook Faced Final Fears
.J. Cook, who stars in the upcoming supernatural thriller film Final Destination 2, told SCI FI Wire that she faced one of her greatest fears during the filming: water.
"That's like my biggest fear in life, being trapped in a car underwater," Cook said in an interview while promoting the film. "It was fun, because it was an opportunity for me to conquer my fear. So it was a blast. That's actually one of my favorite days from shooting."
Despite her fear, Cook said that the underwater sequence was not the biggest challenge she had to contend with on the set. That came during a scene in which her character has a premonition of a disastrous freeway accident. "The end of that premonition, where our car's flipped, and we're like laying on the side, that was so real," Cook said. "Being in that SUV turned sideways and seeing all of my friends with, like, blood all over them, it was crazy. ... And I had to try hard not to really freak out, because it just felt so real, because you couldn't see any of the cameras, you couldn't see anyone."
Now, Cook said, "I think if I ever crashed and found myself underwater, I'd be able to get out of it." Final Destination 2 opened Jan. 31.
Scott Affects Butterfly
illiam Lee Scott, who appears in the upcoming time-twisting movie The Butterfly Effect, told SCI FI Wire that the plot allows him to play both good and evil.
"My character manifests himself in several forms: sometimes the good guy, sometimes the bad guy," Scott said in an interview. "It's an actor's dream. In a film like that, I like playing both. I prefer playing a character more in the middle, not so bad, not so good, just more in the middle."
The film stars Ashton Kutcher as Evan Treborn, a man traveling back in time and returning to experience the present effects of the changes he's made. Scott plays a childhood friend, the brother of Treborn's girlfriend. "Ashton suffers from a pretty serious mental disorder that enables him to jump back into his past," Scott said. "He winds up having these flashbacks, where he can actually have an effect on what's happening in his past."
The results are surprising, Scott added. "He winds up changing a lot more than he thought he would change, and not everything's for the positive," he said. No release date has been set for the New Line production.
Smith Previews Mutant X
auren Lee Smith, who plays the "tele-empath" Emma de Lauro on the syndicated Mutant X, told SCI FI Wire that upcoming episodes of show, including this week's "At Destiny's
End," will cast her character in a new light.
"['At Destiny's End'] is my
big episode," Smith said in an interview just days before Tribune
Entertainment announced its renewal of Mutant X for a third season. "It's my
favorite episode. It's different from the rest of the episodes."
Smith added, "Emma pretty much falls in love with this beach dude [Ryan Scott
Greene] and takes off. She follows him and falls madly in love and gets her heart broken. It was a lot of fun. I got to go on jet skis and be in the water. It's definitely not what you usually see Emma doing."
Smith went on to say that de Lauro will take an even darker turn in the season's 20th and 21st episodes. "She starts questioning Adam [John Shea] and getting a little bit pissed off at him," Smith said. "She starts screwing around with everybody's minds and going into the rest of the team's minds when she's not really welcome to. So they're really playing around with her
the last couple of episodes [of the season]." Mutant X airs in first-run syndication.
Robot, Max Dates Set
wentieth Century Fox has set release dates for its upcoming SF films I, Robot and the fourth Mad Max, entitled Mad Max: Fury Road, Variety reported.
Robot, starring Will Smith, will open July 2, 2004; Fury, with Mel Gibson reprising his most famous role, hits theaters on July 23, 2004, the trade paper reported.
Robot is based on the classic story collection by Isaac Asimov, with Smith as a detective investigating a crime by a robot. Alex Proyas (Dark City) directs from a screenplay by Jeff Vintar and Hillary Seitz, the trade paper reported.
Fox is mum on the details of the new George Miller-penned Max film, which was formerly at Warner Brothers, the trade paper reported.
UPN Knights Kamelot
PN has ordered Kamelot, a new SF series based on the King Arthur legend, contingent on finding a show runner, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Miramax TV and Abandon Entertainment hour-long drama comes from writers Ron Milbauer and Terri Hughes, the trade paper reported.
Kamelot retells the Arthur story, but transforms him into a young revolutionary overseeing a society in the future. Wes Craven is on board to executive produce with Milbauer and Hughes, the trade paper reported.
Scorpion Is Newbery Runner-Up
ancy Farmer's young-adult SF novel The House of the Scorpion is one of five Newbery Honor Books (runners-up) announced by the American Library Association, Locus Online reported.
The Newbery Medal is given annually for distinguished contributions to American literature for children. This year's winner is Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi. Farmer's novel won the National Book Award last November, Locus reported.
Among other honors announced this week was the Mildred L. Batchelor Award, given to a publisher for a children's book published in a foreign language and translated into English, which went to Scholastic imprint Chicken House, publisher of Cornelia Funke's fantasy novel The Thief Lord, published in Germany and translated by Oliver Latsch, Locus reported.
Andromeda, Mutant X Renewed
ribune Entertainment announced the renewal of the syndicated SF series Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda and Mutant X for the 2003-'04 season, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Andromeda was picked up for its fourth season; it is carried in 148 markets, representing 88 percent of the U.S. market.
Andromeda, starring Kevin Sorbo, has consistently been the top-ranked syndicated series with adult men since it debuted in 2000, the trade paper reported. Tribune, Fireworks Entertainment and MBR Productions produce the program, based on work from the late Roddenberry's archives.
Mutant X was renewed for its third season. It is carried in 103 markets, representing 76 percent of the United States. Tribune, Marvel Studios and Fireworks Entertainment produce, the trade paper reported.
McAvoy Is Child Of Dune
ames McAvoy, the Scottish actor who plays Leto II in the SCI FI Channel's upcoming miniseries sequel Frank Herbert's Children of Dune, told SCI FI Wire about his role as the son of Paul Atreides (Alec Newman).
"Leto II is the grandson of Duke Leto, who first came to Arrakis to take over the Spice production for the empire as a service to the then-emperor," McAvoy said. "[The Duke’s] son, Paul Atreides, then proceeded to take the empire down and take over Spice production for his own, thus making himself the emperor."
Leto II—like his aunt, Alia (Daniela Amavia), and twin sister, Ghanima (Jessica Brooks)—was born with all of the memories of his ancestors, McAvoy said. "So he's got a wealth of knowledge and a bank of knowledge, some of which he can access," he said. "He can just call up things as he likes, some of which are buried very deeply. They also have an influence on him as well as him having access to them. He has to control them, because it can become a madness and just noise inside his head, which would drive anyone crazy."
The miniseries Children of Dune is based on Herbert's second and third novels in the Dune saga, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune, which McAvoy said he first read as a teenager. "It's so rich, and it's a real metaphysical [series]," he said. "It's really questioning where humanity is going, and is there a place for the way we perceive things now? Does that have to remain the same? Is anything constant? The world is constantly evolving, as is humanity. It's really about evolution and taking charge of humanity's next step."
Children of Dune debuts at 9 p.m. ET/PT March 16.
Fraser In Victim Talks
he Mummy star Brendan Fraser is in talks to headline Myriad Pictures' upcoming SF film 10th Victim, a remake of the 1965 Italian film La Decima Vittima, which Dominic Sena will direct, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Myriad is in talks with domestic distributors to come aboard the film, which aims to begin production in June.
Victim is set in the future, where contract killing is a sport, the trade paper reported. A woman is searching for her 10th victim in order to achieve the highest possible score and sets her sights on a particular man who turns out not to be such an innocent victim.
The original film, which starred Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress, was based on Robert Scheckley's short story "The Seventh Victim."
Combs Returns To Enterprise
ongtime Star Trek guest star Jeffrey Combs told the TrekWeb fan site that his Andorian character, Shran, gets more to do in an upcoming episode of UPN's Enterprise.
Combs will reprise the blue-skinned alien in the February installment "Cease Fire."
"It's my fourth time back there, [and] they seem to have elevated my character," Combs told the site. "In the first one I was kind of a renegade leader of a not-so-merry band of rebels. And now it seems like I'm leading a bigger band of not-so-merry rebels. I'm more of a strategist looking over maps and negotiating across the table. It's almost like they've put epaulets on me or something. I'm sort of the commander in the field, as opposed to off on a raid somewhere. That's good; it gives me a little more stature."
In "Cease Fire," the Andorians and Vulcans battle it out over galactic rights to an entire planet, the site reported. "I don't know how much of the plot I'm allowed to give away, but it's sort of interesting," Combs said. "There's a planet that is in contention between the Vulcans and Andorians. The Andorians found it, we made it livable, and then the Vulcans claimed it and took it from us, because they claimed we were using it as a spy platform on the outskirts of their territory." Enterprise airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Kwapis Puts On Pants
en Kwapis (He Said, She Said) has signed on to direct The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, a fantasy film based on Ann Brashares' best-selling novel, Variety reported.
Debra Martin Chase and Denise Di Novi will produce for Warner Brothers, the trade paper reported.
Delia Ephron will adapt the book, about four teen best friends who share a magical pair of jeans that unites them when for the first time they are forced to separate, the trade paper reported.
TNN Promotes TNG
NN announced a Star Trek: The Next Generation promotion for February sweeps that will include daily sweepstakes and online interactive elements for its ongoing airings of the series.
Each weeknight viewers can go on a "Mission to Win on The New TNN" and have the opportunity to win prizes through an online sweepstakes.
During telecasts of TNG Monday-Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT, viewers will be directed to log on to TNN's official Web site to answer trivia questions directly tied to that evening's episode. One winner will be selected and announced on air each night. Daily prizes include autographed cast photos and DVD sets, the network said.
During each of February's two Friday Night Bonus Treks at 9 p.m., the network will award a DVD player grand prize.
Dopamine Wins Sloan Honor
opamine, a new feature film from first-time director and co-writer Mark
Decena, won the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at this year's Sundance
Film Festival.
The award was created "to increase the visibility of
outstanding independent films on science and technology and to showcase the
work of emerging filmmakers tackling compelling topics in science and
technology."
John Livingston stars as Rand, a computer animator who is
convinced that love is nothing more than a chemical reaction in the brain.
When he creates an artificial life program and demonstrates it at a local school,
he meets Sarah (Sabrina Lloyd), who tries to convince him that love is more
than just a dopamine rush.
The Sloan award includes a $20,000 cash prize.
Lions Bets On Cooler
ions Gate Films was the first distributor to pick up a movie at this year's Sundance Film Festival, laying down a $1.5 million bet on the gambling picture The Cooler.
The film stars William H. Macy as a loser named Bernie
Lootz whose luck is so bad that the Shangri-La casino hires him to cool off
hot players, which he can do just by standing next to them.
"It's like a ripple effect," director Wayne Kramer told SCI FI Wire. "He's a
superhero of negativity. He's the uber loser of all time."
Ironically for Lootz, when he falls in love with a cocktail waitress named
Natalie (Maria Bello), his luck turns around and ends up costing the casino
millions. That doesn't play well with Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin), the
old-school head of Shangri-La, who puts profits above his longstanding
friendship with Lootz.
Pi Guy Gets Deal
rnon Milchan's 20th Century Fox-based Regency Enterprises has signed a three-year, first-look deal with Pi director Darren Aronofsky's Protozoa Pictures, Variety reported.
The arrangement covers the writing, producing and directing services of Aronofsky and partner Eric Watson for films at all budget levels. The pact also includes a discretionary fund.
The first project under development will be the conspiracy thriller novel Flicker, with Jim Uhls (Fight Club) in talks to adapt, the trade paper reported. Written in 1991 by Theodore Roszak, a California State University history professor, Flicker is told through the eyes of a film student who determines that B movies are part of a plot to destroy life on Earth.
New Lot Gears Up
ikael Salomon will direct a new TV miniseries based on Stephen King's Salem's Lot, which will begin production in Australia in April, Production Weekly reported.
The 1975 novel tells the story of a Dracula-like vampire who slowly takes over a small New England town called Jerusalem's Lot.
The novel was previously adapted as a TV miniseries in 1979, starring David Soul.
TDK Talks Game Slate
DK told the GameSpot Web site that it expects Star Trek: Shattered Universe for the PlayStation 2 to be one of its bigger titles in 2003.
TDK also has high hopes for its console versions of Dinotopia, which are currently in development at Vicious Cycle, the same development team responsible for TDK's Robotech games, the site reported.
A new Robotech game also is in development and will support online head-to-head play. Meanwhile, the company plans to put a big push behind two games based on upcoming films, The Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion, the site reported.
Liebesman Winds Watch
irector Jonathan Liebesman (Darkness Falls) is in talks to helm the supernatural horror film The Watch for New Line Cinema, Variety reported.
Verna Harrah (Anaconda) will produce; John Goldstone will executive produce, the trade paper reported.
Penned by John Claflin and Daniel Zelman, The Watch is described as being in the vein of Predator and The Thing, but set during World War II. The film is expected to go through a final rewrite, with an eye to a late 2003 production start, the trade paper reported.
Odyssey Looks For Home
dyssey 5 may be searching for a new home, as Showtime has decided not to renew the freshman series, sources told The Hollywood Reporter.
Sony Pictures Television, which produces the show, is reportedly shopping the series around.
Starring Peter Weller (RoboCop), Odyssey 5 was Showtime's second highest-rated series, behind Soul Food, and its top series draw in key male demographics and with adults 25-54, the trade paper reported.
Heigl Headlines Evil
atherine Heigl (Roswell) and Thomas Gibson (Dharma & Greg) will star in TBS Superstation's Evil Never Dies, a modern-day version of the Frankenstein story, Variety reported.
Uli Edel will direct the telefilm, which is set to premiere this summer as part of TBS' original movie lineup, the trade paper reported.
Gibson will star as a police officer whose wife is brutally murdered. After being transferred to patrol duty at a college, Gibson's character discovers that the now-executed murderer is part of a professor's strange experiment that results in his being brought back to life, with his murderous tendency intact, the trade paper reported. Heigl plays the professor's assistant.
Max Enscoe and Annie de Young wrote the script, and the Wolper Organization is producing, with Warner Brothers Television. The movie is being shot in Melbourne, Australia, the trade paper reported.
Koepp Helms Depp In Two
riter David Koepp (Spider-Man) will direct Johnny Depp in his own film adaptation of Stephen King's novella "Two Past Midnight: Secret Window, Secret Garden" for Columbia, Variety reported.
The story follows what happens when a recently divorced writer, who's moping alone at a lake house, is interrupted by a psychotic who accuses him of having stolen his best idea for a story, the trade paper reported.
The project marks Koepp's third time in the director's chair, having written and directed the 1999 Kevin Bacon supernatural horror film Stir of Echoes for Artisan and Universal's 1996 Elizabeth Shue movie The Trigger Effect, the trade paper reported.
Koepp is also developing a weekly suspense anthology series at NBC; Dennis Hopper is set to host.
Greenwalt Works Miracles
avid Greenwalt, executive producer of ABC's upcoming supernatural series Miracles, told the CityofAngel Web site that the religious-themed show answers a need.
The series stars Skeet Ulrich (The Craft) as Paul Callan, an investigator of modern miracles.
"The network was so worried about, 'Don't mention religion, don't show anybody with a collar!'" Greenwalt told the site. "And then all of the testing [indicated] people are just starving and hungry: They want people to talk about God, they want people to talk about religion. The thing for me that separates this show from some of the earlier efforts—and I don't mean Touched by an Angel and 7th Heaven, I mean 'cooler' shows like Nothing Sacred—we are absolutely respectful of everyone's beliefs."
Greenwalt added, "We don't look down on Christians. We don't look up at atheists. Everybody is on the same field here with us, and that's what I like about the show. It doesn't have an ax to grind. It's not telling you, 'You should go to church,' and it's not telling you, 'You shouldn't go to church.' It's not really about that. It just tells cool stories. It doesn't take a position, but it really touches this sort of ineffable mystery and a kind of a sorrow that exists in life and a kind of a bright hope at the same time." Miracles premieres at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Jan. 27 and will air at 10 p.m. Mondays.
Briefly Noted
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Warner Home Video will re-release The Matrix in a new double-disc DVD special-edition package on April 29, three weeks before the May 15 theatrical release of the first of two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded, Variety reported. On June 3, WHV will release Animatrix, a DVD with nine animated shorts.
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Dark Horizons reported that Freddy vs. Jason has been pushed back to the fall.
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Writer Kenneth Johnson told Dark Horizons that a sequel to his SF TV miniseries V is still possible. "At this point I am talking to NBC and Warners about a three- or four-hour sequel. No deal is in place, but I'm hopeful."
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The WB has given the green light to The Spaces, an SF sitcom piliot about the teen years of the first boy born in an outer-space colony, Zap2it reported. Greg the Bunny's Dan Milano wrote the script.
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Due to public demand, Star Trek: The Adventure—an exhibition of Trek props, costumes, sets and other items in London's Hyde Park—has extended its run through March 30, the official Trek Web site reported.
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Ethan Embry (Freakylinks) will voice the villainous Electro in MTV's upcoming computer-animated Spider-Man series, which is set to debut in March or April, the Comics Continuum Web site reported.
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The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences nominated The Time Machine as one of only two films in contention for the best-makeup Oscar, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The other film was Frida.
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Dark Horizons reported that Bryan Goluboff (The Basketball Diaries) has been asked by producer Richard Rubinstein to write the script for a proposed remake of Day of the Dead.
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Zach Galligan, best known as the star of Gremlins, was arrested Jan. 22 in Hollywood on suspicion of taking a Deep Purple CD from a Tower Records store, TV Guide Online reported.
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The trailer for Ang Lee's upcoming film The Hulk, which aired during the Super Bowl, is now online. The Hulk opens in June.
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British actor David Thewlis (Timeline) will play Professor Lupin in the third Harry Potter film, Prisoner of Azkaban, the BBC reported. British comedian Jim Tavare, meanwhile, will play Tom, the innkeeper at the Leaky Cauldron.
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ABC's special episode of Alias, which aired after 11 p.m. Jan. 26 in East Coast markets, averaged a 13.3 rating/23 share in Nielsen's overnight markets, which was tracking to be one of the lowest post-Super-Bowl entertainment programs in recent memory, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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