Hartnett Tops For Superman?
osh Hartnett has emerged as the top contender to star in Warner Brothers' upcoming fifth Superman film for director Brett Ratner, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The actor shot a screen test on Feb. 11, and sources told the trade paper that Warner president and chief operating officer Alan Horn, production president Jeff Robinov and Ratner were supposed to watch the tape Feb. 12 in New York. No word has come down on the outcome of the viewing, but no other actors are expected to test for the role until a decision is made on Hartnett, the trade paper reported.
The trade paper added that the negotiation of a deal and Hartnett's willingness to commit to three consecutive films are believed to be more important than his looks or acting ability in winning the role.
Spidey 2 Script Done
arvel Comics studio chief Avi Arad told SCI FI Wire that the script to the upcoming sequel film The Amazing Spider-Man is completed. "That's it," Arad said in an interview.
"We are done." The Amazing Spider-Man is scheduled to open May 7, 2004. Several writers have been reported to be doctoring the script.
Arad added that several other movies are coming along based on the publisher's superheroes, in addition to the upcoming Hulk and Daredevil. Arad said The Fantastic Four was in the script stage. "It's going to happen very soon," Arad said in an interview. "[20th Century] Fox is doing it." He declined to say who was writing the screenplay.
Arad added, "Silver Surfer is just starting with Fox, no writer yet." But Arad confirmed a previous SCI FI Wire report that he had spoken with David Self about writing Sub-Mariner.
JMS Denies Spidey 2 Rumor
ablyon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski has denied a report that he was brought on to doctor the script for the upcoming sequel film The Amazing Spider-Man.
Posting on the official JMS News bulletin board, Straczynski said, "Nope. Not true. First I heard of the rumor was when I had guys on the 'net asking if it was true or not."
The report surfaced on E! Online, where columnist Anderson Jones posted a brief notice. Straczynski has written several editions of Marvel's Spider-Man comic series. The Amazing Spider-Man begins filming later this year for a summer 2004 release.
Hu's On Deathstrike
elly Hu, who plays Yuriko Oyama in the upcoming X-Men sequel, X2, told SCI FI Wire that her character required long, mutant claws.
Oyama is a mutant who becomes the villainous Deathstrike.
"I had to actually grow out my own fingernails, and [the makeup team] fitted [the claws] so that they would fit exactly perfectly under my nails," Hu said in an interview. "They sort of molded them to my hand. It was like a hand cast, and they glued them to the bottom of my nails. So whenever I accidentally hit something, it would actually pop off my nail or my nail would rip. It was a little scary."
An experienced martial artist, best known for TV's Martial Law and the upcoming movie Cradle 2 the Grave, Hu said the superhero film did not require her to use her fighting skills. "There wasn't a whole lot of martial arts per se in this character, because they didn't want to do that kind of choreography. [But there is] ... a lot of wire work and stuff like that involved." X2 opens May 2.
New Line Readies Iron Man
ew Line Cinema will adapt Marvel Comics' Iron Man series for the big screen, Variety reported.
Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, creators of The WB's Smallville, will write the screenplay adaptation, the trade paper reported. New Line Cinema will team with Avi Arad's Marvel Studios and Don Murphy's Angry Films on the project, which is slated for a 2005 release.
Iron Man first appeared as a Marvel comic in 1962 and tells the story of Tony Stark, inventor and owner of Stark Enterprises, whose work in corporate espionage and international terrorism leads to an accident that forces him to go on life support in the form of a high-tech bodysuit, the trade paper reported.
Iron Man becomes the latest Marvel superhero making the transition to the movies, after X-Men, Spider-Man, this week's Daredevil and the upcoming The Hulk.
Marvel also is readying adaptations of Fantastic Four at Fox, Man-Thing and The Punisher at Artisan Entertainment and Ghost Rider at Dimension Films, the trade paper reported.
Farrell Hits The Bullseye
olin Farrell, who plays the villainous Bullseye in the upcoming Daredevil movie, told SCI FI Wire that the character was a refreshing change from his other roles in serious movies such as Tigerland and Minority Report.
"It was fun to do, man," the Irish actor said in an interview while promoting Daredevil.
Farrell added, "I've always ... just tried to concern myself with the character and what's going on in the character's head and heart. But this time there was no major internal struggle going on. It wasn't someone that lost a father or found himself in a prisoner-of-war camp or was going through anything really except just the fun and enjoyment and pleasure that he derived from killing people. He was fairly black and white, Bullseye."
In the film adaptation of the Marvel Comics series, Farrell plays the bald assassin who helps the evil Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan). "It was just a case of checking in your subtlety at the door and having a f--king good time, you know?" Farrell said. "And [director] Mark [Steven Johnson] was great to be around, because he was always inspiring me to just push the envelope and go further and further. And I enjoyed it."
Farrell said that it helped to wear a flowing black leather coat and the imprint of a bullseye on his forehead. "The costume was a huge help," he said. "You put that sh-t on, they put a bullseye on your head, you're bald, you've got piercings, and you just start moving a little bit differently and swaggering like your sh-t doesn't stink. ... You growl a lot, and you feel like you're just ridiculous and just a caricature and over the top, so you just deal with that." Daredevil opened Feb. 14.
Carrey Is Next To Bruce
oger Birnbaum, executive producer of the upcoming fantasy comedy film Bruce Almighty, told SCI FI Wire that fans will see a different side of star Jim Carrey.
"He's going to be God," Birnbaum said in an interview. "He's never played God before. Morgan Freeman allows him to be God for a week."
A Super Bowl TV commercial for the film showed Carrey abusing his power as God to blow a woman's skirt up and make his dog use the toilet, and there will be other similar scenes, Birnbaum added. "There are some scenes in there that will be landmark scenes forever," he said.
Birnbaum added that the film will balance emotion with humor. "There is emotionality to it, but it's funny," Birnbaum said. Bruce Almighty is set for a May 23 release.
Buffy Goes Blair Witch
om Lenk, who plays the nerdy Andrew in UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told SCI FI Wire that the Feb. 25 episode, "Storyteller," will have his character shooting a video documentary of the Scooby Gang.
"The writers call it a Lenk-tastic episode," Lenk said in an interview. "It's all about Andrew documenting everything that happens in the Buffy household. He talks to the camera and whatnot, sort of Blair Witch-style meets Waiting for Guffman."
The episode includes Lenk's first-person segments. "It's a normal Buffy [episode] intercut with lots of video footage," Lenk said. "So you see the footage of the actual documentary that I'm making, in addition to flashbacks and dream sequences." Lenk added that he's concerned that the audience may not be ready for him to star in an episode. "I am a little concerned that perhaps I'm not funny in large doses. We'll see. It will be the test." Buffy airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Angel To Visit Buffy?
he WB and UPN will apparently allow a crossover between the frog network's Angel and the smackdown network's Buffy the Vampire Slayer if Buffy ends this year, as speculated, sources told TV Guide Online.
Angel (David Boreanaz) would appear in the series finale of Buffy in May, should the series end its run then, the sources told the site.
Boreanaz wouldn't confirm the crossover, but he did tell the site that "fans would enjoy that. It would be really nice for them." So far, no decision has been made on whether Buffy will end this year, though rumors of a crossover lend weight to that speculation.
SCI FI Wire earlier reported that Buffy's Alyson Hannigan (Willow) would cross over on the March 26 episode of Angel.
As far as the future of Angel, a WB spokesperson told TV Guide that a decision will come in May. Boreanaz told the site that he is "confident that we'll have another season. I think that the show has done remarkably well for the network, and we've proven to have a [loyal] following."
Torres Guests On Angel
ongtime genre TV staple Gina Torres (Firefly, Alias) will guest star in three upcoming episodes of The WB's Angel, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Torres will reportedly play a "godlike" being who's been the guiding hand behind recent events on the show, the trade paper reported.
Angel returns to The WB's schedule on March 5.
Mumy Back In Zone Cornfield
ill Mumy, who reprises the role of Anthony Fremont in an upcoming sequel episode of UPN's The Twilight Zone, told SCI FI Wire that it was a challenge getting back into the mindset of a character he first played when he was only 7 years old.
Mumy first played Fremont in the classic 1961 Zone episode "It's a Good Life," about a small boy with omnipotent powers who sends people to the cornfield.
In the sequel, "It's Still a Good Life," Mumy, now 49, plays Fremont as a grown man with a daughter of his own, played by Mumy's real-life daughter, Liliana. "I think the hardest thing for me was to really reconnect with the monster that is Anthony Fremont, because that's how he was described in the original, and that's really what he is," Mumy said in an interview.
Mumy added that he had to find a balance in the character, given his affection for his daughter. "She's obviously his emotional touchstone, and his love for his daughter is obvious," Mumy said. "And Anthony always thought he was doing the right thing, if you think about it. He didn't take away electricity and take away cars and things like that to punish people. He took it away because he didn't like it, so he figured they were bad."
Cloris Leachman, who played Anthony's mother in the original 1961 episode, also returns in the same role, Mumy said. "It was really easy [to get her]," he said. "She read it and said, 'Oh God, I don't want anyone else to do this.' And the work on-camera between me and Cloris and Liliana felt really strong, I have to say. I've been doing this since 1959. I've worked with a lot of talented people, and I've done a lot of good stuff, and this feels like way up on the list right now." "It's Still a Good Life," written by executive producer Ira Steven Behr and directed by Allan Kroeker, airs at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Feb. 19.
SCI FI Names Galactica Leads
he SCI FI Channel has cast the key roles of Starbuck and Apollo for its upcoming original miniseries Battlestar Galactica, based on the 1978-'80 TV series.
Oregon native Katee Sackhoff (Halloween: Resurrection), 22, will play a female Starbuck in executive producer Ronald D. Moore's reimagination of the series, SCI FI announced.
Meanwhile, British actor Jamie Bamber (HBO's Band of Brothers), 29, will play Apollo. In the original series Starbuck was a male character played by Dirk Benedict, while Apollo was played by Richard Hatch.
The four-hour Galactica miniseries, from Roswell and Star Trek: The Next Generation veteran Moore, is slated to debut later this year.
Towers Gets 6 Oscar Nods
he Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers—the second installment in Peter Jackson's epic film trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved books—was nominated for six Oscars, including best picture, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Feb. 11, according to the Associated Press.
That compares with 13 nominations last year for the first installment, The Fellowship of the Ring.
But Jackson, who was nominated as best director last year for Fellowship, wasn't nominated this year, the AP reported.
Otherwise, genre films were generally shut out of the major Oscar categories. Spider-Man, 2002's top-grossing movie, earned just two technical nominations, the AP reported.
The nominees for best animated feature film included Ice Age, Lilo & Stitch, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Spirited Away and Treasure Planet.
Nominees for best visual effects included The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Spider-Man and Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones.
ABC will broadcast the Oscar ceremony March 23 live from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.
Nebula Final Ballot Released
he Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America has announced the final nominees for the 2002 Nebula Awards, honoring outstanding creative performance in the science fiction and fantasy field.
The awards will be presented during the annual Nebula Awards weekend in Philadelphia, April 18-20. A full list of nominees follows.
Novels
•Solitaire by Kelley Eskridge
•American Gods by Neil Gaiman
•The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin
•Picoverse by Robert A. Metzger
•Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
•Bones of the Earth by Michael Swanwick
Novellas
•"Sunday Night Yams at Minnie and Earl's" by Adam-Troy Castro
•"Bronte's Egg" by Richard Chwedyk
•"The Chief Designer" by Andy Duncan
•"The Political Officer" by Charles Coleman Finlay
•"Magic's Price" by Bud Sparhawk
Novelettes
•"The Pagodas of Ciboure" by M. Shayne Bell
•"The Ferryman's Wife" by Richard Bowes
•"Hell Is the Absence of God" by Ted Chiang
•"Madonna of the Maquiladora" by Gregory Frost
•"The Days Between" by Allen Steele
•"Lobsters" by Charles Stross
Short Stories
•"Creature" by Carol Emshwiller
•"Creation" by Jeffrey Ford
•"Cut" by Megan Lindholm
•"Nothing Ever Happens in Rock City" by Jack McDevitt
•"Little Gods" by Tim Pratt
•"The Dog Said Bow-Wow" by Michael Swanwick
Scripts
•Shrek by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio
•"Unreasonable Doubt," The Dead Zone, by Michael Taylor
•The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson
•"Once More With Feeling," Buffy the Vampire Slayer, by Joss Whedon
Stuart Guests On Miracles
loria Stuart (Titanic) will guest star in an episode of ABC's paranormal thriller series Miracles airing on Feb. 17, Zap2it.com reported.
In the episode, "Little Miss Lost," Stuart plays Rosanna Wye, who revisits a tragedy from her past, inspired by the true story of a still-unidentified child found after a circus fire in Hartford, Conn., in 1944, the site reported.
"The mother had left the husband and had a little girl with her," Stuart told the site. "They were driving through Hartford, and they saw the advertisement for the circus. You remember the great circus fire. She was there with the little girl, and the panic started, and she let go of her."
Paul Callan (Skeet Ulrich) and Alva Keel (Angus Macfadyen) track down the little girl, who appears before disasters. "I could identify [the role] with my daughter, who is the jewel in my crown," Stuart said. "How would I feel if I had done this to her? I would kill myself. That part of my life served my purpose very well." Miracles airs on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Miracles Digs Deeper
oger Birnbaum, executive producer of ABC's paranormal drama series Miracles, told SCI FI Wire that the next 11 episodes will further develop the show's mystical themes.
"I think fans can look forward to more paranormal sequences or storylines, more sequences that explore the darkness," Birnbaum said in an interview. "This is going to get edgier and edgier as it goes along."
The show stars Skeet Ulrich as an investigator of miracles who finally stumbles on some real unexplained phenomena. Unfortunately, these phenomena appear to be the work of a dark force. Miracles airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Cronenberg Takes Painkillers
irector David Cronenberg (eXistenZ, The Dead Zone) told SCI FI Wire that his next film, Painkillers, will find him once again tapping into the SF vein.
"I've been saying that it's about performance artists in the future, but in the near future," Cronenberg said in an interview. "That's all I can really say, because I'm rewriting it, and it's sort of a deep rewrite. I haven't looked at it in a while, and now I'm coming back to it."
Cronenberg confirmed rumors that both Nicolas Cage and Ralph Fiennes (who appears in the director's upcoming Spider) are
considering playing the lead character in Painkillers. "No one is attached," he said. "No one has made a deal. But yes, Nic Cage has read the first draft and liked it and said he was interested. And, yes, Ralph has read the same script and said he would be interested in doing it. So that's good. Maybe I should get them both in the movie. Now that would be interesting."
Riddick Adding Dench, Feore
udi Dench is in final talks to star opposite Vin Diesel in Universal Pictures' Chronicles of Riddick, the sequel to David Twohy's SF hit film Pitch Black, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Colm Feore, meanwhile, has come aboard to play the lead villain in the film. Twohy will write and direct for Radar Pictures and One Race Productions. Production begins in Vancouver in April, the trade paper reported.
In the sequel, Riddick (Diesel) is now a hunted man and finds himself in the middle of two opposing forces in a major crusade, the trade paper reported. Feore will play Lord Marshal, a warrior priest who is the leader of a sect that is waging the 10th and perhaps final crusade 500 years in the future. Dench will play Aereon, an ambassador from the Elemental race. She is an ethereal being who helps Riddick unearth his origins, the trade paper reported.
Universal Pictures is owned by Vivendi Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Plissken Anime Coming?
he Coming Attractions Web site reported on a rumored anime film based on Escape From New York character Snake Plissken, which is slated for theatrical release in 2005.
Citing an anonymous source, the site reported that John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles will feature the voice of Kurt Russell, who originated the role in the 1981 Escape From New York and reprised it in the 1996 sequel film Escape From L.A.
In the anime, America falls under the rule of a facist dictator, and Plissken must travel across the country to assassinate him, the site reported. Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) will reportedly direct for Production IG.
Plans also call for a companion comic book and video game, the site added.
Nakata Is True Believer
apanese director Hideo Nakata (the Japanese Ring) will make his English-language feature-film debut with the MGM supernatural thriller True Believers, Variety reported.
MGM and Cheyenne Enterprises will produce.
True Believers is based on Doug Richardson's novel, about the intersecting paths of a senator with White House aspirations, a woman who wants to have a child and a death-row inmate who thinks he is a messiah who must carry on his bloodline, the trade paper reported. Richardson wrote the script and Cheyenne's David Wally is shepherding the film.
Nakata directed The Ring and a sequel that inspired the Gore Verbinski-directed DreamWorks film, the trade paper reported.
Indy Xbox Game Is Ready
ucasArts announced that the Xbox version of its Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb video game is ready for manufacture, the GameSpot Web site reported.
Emperor's Tomb is slated for a Feb. 25 release.
The game allows players to take on the role of the archaeologist as he attempts to retrieve a sacred artifact known as the Heart of the Dragon, which is also being sought by the Triads and a German mercenary, the site reported.
Fox Saddles Up Mister Ed
he Fox network has given the green light to a Mister Ed pilot, an update of the classic 1960s talking-horse sitcom, which starred Alan Young, Variety reported.
Twentieth Century Fox TV and Original TV will produce the pilot.
Original's Marty Adelstein, Dawn Parouse and Neal Moritz will executive produce the pilot. Writer Jack Handey (Saturday Night Live) is behind the Mister Ed update and will also executive produce, the trade paper reported.
Norowzian Scares Up Boogeyman
ehdi Norowzian will direct the horror film Boogeyman for Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures, a unit of Senator International, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Principal photography begins in May in New Zealand.
Boogeyman tells the story of a young man who returns home to face his childhood fears of a monstrous entity that may or may not be real, the trade paper reported. Eric Kripke, Juliet Snowden and Stiles White wrote the screenplay, which is being produced by Spider-Man director Raimi and his Xena: Warrior Princess producing partner Tapert. Steve Hein and Gary Bryman are executive producing the film.
Raimi and Tapert founded Ghost House in April 2002 with Senator to produce horror, SF and fantasy movies. The company is also producing 30 Days of Night, based on a comic-book series.
Minkoff Conjures Apprentice
ob Minkoff (The Lion King) will direct and produce Disney's planned remake of The Sorcerer's Apprentice, the 1938 animated short that also appeared in 1940's Fantasia, Variety reported.
Minkoff, who also helmed both Stuart Little movies, will use live-action and computer-animation techniques to create a new film inspired by the short, the trade paper reported.
David Berenbaum, a graduate of the Disney inhouse screenwriters program, will write the script. Berenbaum recently set up Elf, starring Will Ferrell, at New Line Cinema, the trade paper reported. Berenbaum and Minkoff recently worked together on the Eddie Murphy supernatural film Haunted Mansion at Disney.
The original Sorcerer's Apprentice was based on a fairy-tale poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and a musical composition by French composer Paul Dukas. It starred Mickey Mouse as the apprentice whose misuse of the sorcerer's powers wreaks havoc, the trade paper reported.
Schumacher Helming Phantom
he ScreenDaily Web site reported that Batman and Robin director Joel Schumacher is to helm a new film version of The Phantom of the Opera, based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit stage musical.
Principal photography will begin in the autumn in the United Kingdom, the site reported. Casting is to be announced, although Antonio Banderas has long been linked to the project, the site added.
Lloyd Webber will produce the film through his company, Really Useful Films. Warner Brothers owned the film rights until Lloyd Webber recently bought them back, but the studio retains the option to distribute the film in North America, the site reported. U.K.-based sales firm Odyssey Entertainment will also distribute the film, the site reported.
Minority Campaign Criticized
ritish advertising regulators are backing consumer complaints about a Fox campaign of unsolicited cell phone calls to promote the video/DVD release of the Tom Cruise movie Minority Report in the U.K., the Zap2it Web site reported.
Eighteen people complained to the advertising standards authority after receiving a message on their mobile phones to promote the release, the site reported.
The message includes a short film clip of a man drawing breath as people answer the phone, the site reported. The voice, belonging to Cruise, says: "Where's my Minority Report?" before screaming: "Do I even have one?" Moments later a woman's voice replies: "No." Only at the end of the message does it state: "Don't miss out on your Minority Report. Buy it now on DVD and video."
Those who complained say that the advertisement is "offensive" and could cause distress, because it's not clear it's a promotion, the site said. Some owners also object to having to pay to call their answer phone to retrieve the bogus message.
The authority is upholding the complaints, saying consumers "would not necessarily immediately recognize the voice as being Tom Cruise's," believing the message could be seen as "menacing" and might "cause serious or widespread offence," the site reported.
Fox Home Entertainment said the message is sent only to people who registered their contact details on the company's Web site and asked for information about film and DVD releases, the site reported.
Paramount Options Interman
aramount Pictures has optioned the film rights to the SF graphic novel The Interman for producer Gale Anne Hurd's Valhalla Motion Pictures to produce, Variety reported.
Illustrator-turned-author Jeff Parker wrote the novel, about the Interman, the lone creation of a Cold War laboratory, who is able to rewrite his DNA and adapt instantly to his surroundings, the trade paper reported.
Valhalla senior vice president of production Jeff Davidson will co-produce with Hurd and Parker collaborator Ford Lytle Gilmore.
Cherry Shoots Up Dead
onathan Cherry, star of the upcoming film based on the House of the Dead video game, told SCI FI Wire that he plays the guy who represents the player of the first-person shooter game.
"If there was a guy behind the gun, that’s me," Cherry said in an interview.
Cherry added, "He’s a doctor named Rudy, and he’s a med student on an island with his ex-girlfriend, and zombies come and start killing their friends."
The film will incorporate footage from the video game whenever it cuts to his character’s point of view. "They actually put a lot of snippets from the video game into the film," Cherry said. "I’ll be shooting, and then they’ll go right into footage from the game, and back to me. It’s cool. It’s very original."
Cherry himself is an aficionado of the Sega video game. "I like the game," he said. "I played the game a lot." House of the Dead has no release date.
Large Run Due For Potter V
cholastic Corp. said that it plans an initial printing of 6.8 million copies of the long-awaited fifth installment in the Harry Potter book series, so the book won't disappear before eager fans of the boy wizard can buy it on June 21, Reuters reported.
J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is likely to have the largest initial printing of a general-interest hardcover book in the United States, the wire service reported.
Rowling's last installment, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, became the fastest-selling book in history, selling 3 million copies within 48 hours in 2000. Scholastic went back to press for an additional 3 million copies immediately, Reuters reported.
To meet demand from fans who have waited for three years for the latest book, Scholastic said in a statement that it will use between three and five different printers with multiple plants, the wire service reported.
Scholastic said that it will price the latest book at $29.95. It weighs in at a whopping 896 pages, compared with 752 pages for the last book, which cost $25.95, Reuters reported.
Coogan Lands 80 Days
he British ScreenDaily.com Web site reported that U.K. TV comedian Steve Coogan has landed the starring role of Phileas Fogg opposite Jackie Chan's Passepartout in Walden Media’s movie adaptation of Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days.
Citing Coogan's U.K. agent ICM, the site reported that the role marks Coogan's first lead part in a Hollywood movie.
Frank Coraci (The Wedding Singer) is directing, with production starting in March at Studio Babelsberg in Germany, the site reported.
Witchblade Star In Court
ormer Witchblade star Yancy Butler appeared in a New York courthouse on Feb. 10 to report on her treatment for alcohol abuse in the wake of accusations that she attacked her father and uncle last month, the New York Post reported.
Prosecutor Dina Cangero told Suffolk County judge Joseph Santorelli that she wanted Butler to continue with the program, which is her second time in alcohol rehab, and be placed on probation as part of any disposition of the case, the newspaper reported. The judge asked for a follow-up report from the treatment program and set March 17 as the next court date.
Butler faces felony criminal contempt and harassment charges in connection with a two-day rampage in January in which she allegedly attacked her father, former Lovin' Spoonful drummer Joe Butler, and her uncle and head-butted a female cop, giving her a fat lip, the newspaper reported.
Butler is also accused of violating an order of protection.
Butler has reportedly enrolled in an outpatient treatment program in Manhattan for alcohol abuse. Defense lawyer Robert Macedonio told the Central Islip court that Butler was doing well in rehab.
Tomb Extras Offered
idos announced that the upcoming PlayStation 2 version of its Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness game will come with either a Lara Croft figurine or a bonus DVD at certain retailers, the GameSpot Web site reported.
Copies preordered from Electronics Boutique or GameStop will come bundled with the bonus items, the site reported.
GameStop's bonus item is a Lara Croft bobble-head figure. Electronics Boutique's bonus is a special-edition DVD, featuring a making-of featurette, cinematic clips from previous Tomb Raider games, TV spots, character profiles, a Lara Croft "interview" and a gallery of images, the site reported.
The PS2 version of Angel of Darkness is slated to ship on April 15, just a week after the PC version comes out.
Stallone Joins Kids 3
ylvester Stallone has signed up to play the chief villain, called the Toymaker, in the upcoming Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, Variety reported.
In the third installment in the popular franchise, Stallone will play the longtime nemesis of the Cortez family, who traps young Carmen (Alexa Vega) in a warped virtual-reality game, the trade paper reported.
Vega, Antonio Banderas and Daryl Sabara will be returning to the third picture, as will helmer Robert Rodriguez, the trade paper reported. Carla Gugino, who played mom Ingrid Cortez in the first two films, is said to be in advanced talks to return for 3-D.
Spy Kids 3-D is now shooting, with an eye to a July release.
Maxey Writes Comic Novel
ames Maxey, who penned the title story to the recent SF anthology Empire of Dreams and Miracles, told SCI FI Wire that he would take his innovative storytelling solo with Nobody Gets the Girl, a comic-book adventure about quantum physics, to be published by Phobos Books.
"The novel was born out of a lifetime of reading comic books and my need to return to my word processor," Maxey said in an interview. "It was the first time I sat down to write a novel in five years. It was the beginning of November 2000, and I wanted to complete a novel by Jan. 1, 2001. It would be my last novel of the millennium."
In the story, Richard Rogers wakes up trapped in an altered reality that doesn't include him. Invisible and intangible, Rogers' only hope for a normal life—any life—is through Dr. Knowbokov, architect of the reshaped world and one of the few people who can see Rogers. Renamed Nobody, Rogers reluctantly agrees to assist the mad genius and his beautiful, super-powered daughters: the mind-influencing Thrill and the steel-surfing Rail Blade. Rogers quickly discovers that his biggest task might be separating the villains from the heroes.
Described as a "comic-book novel," Nobody Gets the Girl explores provocative science themes. "I used some of the science-fiction comic-book rules," said Maxey, who counts Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett as inspirations. "People use strange powers to fight other people who have
strange powers, but you also get very deeply into quantum physics and the nature of reality. It's a nice blend of the comic book and science fiction."
Comic writer/editor Jim Shooter will serve as the official presenter of Nobody Gets the Girl. "It's a great honor," Maxey said. "He's one of the comics greats. The industry owes a lot to him. He put quality first when most of the industry was into clash and splash and making every issue a collector's item." Nobody Gets the Girl will arrive in stores in the fall.
Man-Thing To Shoot
arvel Comics will begin shooting a low-budget movie based on its Man-Thing comic series, E! Online reported.
Man-Thing is aiming to begin production in New Orleans in two months, the site reported. Brett Leonard (Lawnmower Man, Virtuosity) is slated to direct.
Man-Thing, one of the lesser-known Marvel heroes, is a mutant who lives in the swamp and avenges environmental wrongs and is not to be confused with DC Comics' similarly themed Swamp Thing, the site reported.
Pinocchio Re-Released
oberto Benigni's live-action Pinocchio film, which flopped in its English-language release in the United States, will be re-released in its native Italian in Los Angeles and New York, the Zap2it Web site reported.
Miramax is putting the film out with English subtitles this time around.
When it was first released on Christmas Day, the critically slammed movie performed poorly, in part because of the bad dubbing, the site reported.
Troopers Sequel To Shoot
sequel to 1997's Starship Troopers will begin filming in Los Angeles in May, Production Weekly reported.
Phil Tippett, who supervised visual effects for the first Starship Troopers, will direct the sequel, the publication reported.
Paul Verhoeven helmed the original movie, which was based on Robert Heinlein's classic SF novel. Edward Neumeier will return to script the sequel, about a small group of soldiers who find themselves taking refuge in an abandoned outpost as they attempt to fight the bugs, not realizing that a much graver danger is infiltrating their unit, the publication reported.
Old School Fantasy Hits PS
inal Fantasy: Origins will ship for the PlayStation game console in North American on April 8, game publisher Square announced.
The video game will combine Square's Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II role-playing game titles into one disc and will carry a suggested retail price of $30.
The remakes of the two original titles will feature new movies, new opening theme songs, new event scenes and updates of the original event sequences, with enhanced graphics, improved sound quality and new gameplay modes, the publisher said.
Final Fantasy was originally released in North America in 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Paramount Eyes The Eye
aramount is in talks with Massy Tadjedin to write the script for The Eye, a remake of the hit Asian horror-thriller film, Variety reported.
The studio acquired the remake rights last year for Tom Cruise's Cruise/Wagner company to produce, the trade paper reported.
The movie tells the story of a blind woman who undergoes a corneal transplant that restores her sight, but also allows her to see unearthly things, the trade paper reported.
Peter Chan will produce the film with Cruise/Wagner; Roy Lee and Doug Davison are executive producers.
Lucas Breaks Ground
tar Wars creator George Lucas broke ground Feb. 8 on the $300 million special-effects campus for his film company in San Francisco, near the Golden Gate Bridge at the historic Presidio, the Associated Press reported.
Lucas said that he hopes the project will help San Francisco rival Hollywood as a producer of movie magic, the AP reported.
"San Francisco's always had a quality of filmmaking that most people haven't been able to recognize," Lucas said at the ceremony. "We always get shoved under the title 'Hollywood.' I think this will begin to put a stake in the ground for San Francisco as a filmmaking community, as a creator of world cinema."
The campus, for the digital arts project of Lucasfilm Ltd., is scheduled for completion in 2005 and eventually will house 2,500 workers, Lucasfilm officials told the AP. Lucasfilm's headquarters, Skywalker Ranch, is across the Golden Gate Bridge from the Presidio in Marin County.
SF Writers Support Space Missions
ore than 320 members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America signed a statement expressing condolences over the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and offering support for the continued exploration of space.
"The exploration of space is one of the human race's oldest ambitions, one that has been reflected in our literature long before we developed the technological capability to venture forth into the cosmos," the statement read.
The statement added, "We must not allow this tragedy to bring an end to this magnificent journey, but instead let their courageous example lead us upward and outward." Signatories included science fiction and fantasy writers and other members of SFWA.
Clooney Blasts Journalist
eorge Clooney reacted with a stream of invective when a journalist called the American actor's film Solaris "boring" after it was screened at the Berlin Film Festival, Reuters reported.
Clooney was happily answering questions at a news conference late on Feb. 8 when a reporter rose to say the film was boring.
"I find you fascinating," Clooney said, responding to the Turkish journalist's remarks on the film, which got decidedly mixed reviews in the United States, Reuters reported. "You crack me up, man," Clooney reportedly said. "You just wanted to get up and be a rat, you know that? You just wanted to get up and say something rotten. What a jerk! I mean honestly, you know, what a [expletive] thing to say!"
Solaris, directed by Oscar-winning Steven Soderbergh, is one of 22 films in the running for the Golden Bear prize at the Berlin film festival, which opened Feb. 6, the wire service reported. Soderbergh, asked by the same journalist if he was happy with his film, remained calm. "Yes, I am. And thanks for the question," he said.
Free Enterprise 2 Due?
riter Mark Altman told the Entertainment Zone Web site that he and Robert Meyer Burnett are developing a sequel to 1998's Free Enterprise, according to a report on TrekToday.
Altman also said it's possible a TV series could happen based on the movie.
"Well, there is some truth to that [TV series possibility], although it's more likely that we'll be doing a sequel first," Altman said. "Rob and I are writing the script now, and [William] Shatner's on board, and we have a great idea."
The original film starred Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) and Rafer Weigel as two Trekkies who happen to meet William Shatner in a bookstore and are shocked to discover what their idol is truly like.
Altman added, "I didn't really want to do a sequel, but Rob and I came up with a great idea that we took to Shatner that he loved and proceeded to make even better, and now it's taken on a life of its own. It's sort of Curb Your Enthusiasm meets Swingers."
Briefly Noted
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America Online subscribers can view a preview of an interactive map which will be featured in the upcoming Smallville soundtrack CD, the Kryptonsite Web site reported. The preview, which includes detailed history of the Kent farm, can be accessed by going to keyword: Smallville.
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The film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage musical The Phantom of the Opera is on its way for a fall production start, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Joel Schumacher will direct.
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Robert Downey Jr. is in talks to star opposite Halle Berry in Dark Castle Entertainment's supernatural thriller Gothika for director Mathieu Kassovitz, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Production begins in April.
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The Kids' WB is teaming up again with ShoPro Entertainment, producer of Pokemon, for the Japanese animated import MegaMan: NT Warrior, Variety reported.
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Zentertainment reported a rumor that Men in Black II star Lara Flynn Boyle is the front runner to play Lois Lane in Brett Ratner's upcoming Superman movie. Other rumored contenders include Catherine Zeta-Jones, Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Julianna Margulies.
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Dark Horizons reported that production is already underway on the third Harry Potter movie, The Prisoner of Azkaban, in West London, where filmmakeres are shooting the Knight Bus sequence.
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Annie Parisse is joining the cast of Steven Bochco's futuristic cop show NYPD 2069, Variety reported. Parisse will play a member of a four-person police squad, which NYPD detective Alex Franco, reanimated after 66 years of being cryogenically frozen, is joining.
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Former Ally McBeal star Josh Hopkins has landed the lead role on Fox's Steven Bochco-produced futuristic cop pilot NYPD 2069, TV Guide Online reported.
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U.K. commercial network Five has acquired TV rights to USA Network's original series The Dead Zone, Variety reported. The show is slated to air on Five starting in July.
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Release dates have been set for the following upcoming genre films, according to the Dark Horizons Web site: Freddy vs. Jason, Aug. 15; The Order, Sept. 5; Mission: Impossible 3, May 21, 2004; Chronicles of Riddick, June 25, 2004; and Thunderbirds, July 23, 2004.
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The Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported a rumor that Guy Pearce (The Time Machine) is in the running to play Bruce Wayne in the next Batman film, to be directed by Pearce's Memento director Chris Nolan, according to a report on the Dark Horizons Web site.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers topped the list of nominees for the eighth annual AOL Moviegoer Awards, Variety reported. Winners will be revealed March 17.
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Nominees for the 2002 Razzie Awards, aimed at the worst in cinema, included Eddie Murphy's The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Roberto Benigni's Pinocchio and Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones. Losers will be announced March 22.
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