News of the Week

Lucas to direct first Star Wars prequel, announces new studio deal

eorge Lucas will step behind the cameras for the first time in nearly 20 years to direct the first of the upcoming Star Wars prequels, which is tentatively set to debut in theaters in 1999. The last film Lucas personally directed was the 1977 classic Star Wars, which set box office records after grossing $500 million worldwide.

After Star Wars Lucas turned his attention to special effects and to producing, leaving the directorial duties of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi to others. He has yet to say if he will direct the second and third installments of the prequels.

Lucas also recently signed a contract with Leavedsen Studios to film the prequels, ending more than a year of speculation about which studio would end up landing the lucrative Star Wars deal. Insiders had speculated the Lucas would sign on with Fox in exchange for the copyright to the original Star Wars film, which Fox currently owns. Lucas has said that he will discuss distribution rights to the prequels with Fox before entertaining other offers.

Rusch resigns from F&SF

n Friday, Sept. 27, Kristine Kathryn Rusch ended her five-year stint as editor of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction when she resigned the position to make more time for her own writing. Rusch said the split between she and publisher Edward L. Ferman -- who edited F&SF from January 1966 to June 1991 -- was amicable, and she will remain on board until her successor is trained and on the job.

As to a new editor, Ferman said he is "talking to several people and probably will decide within a month." He added that Rusch has agreed to stay on through early 1997 in order to help with the transition between editors.

Rusch made the announcement on Friday, Sept. 27, in a public posting on the online service Genie. She said all manuscripts already on her desk will receive a response, and she asked prospective writers not to query about them. She also asked that writers wait until a new editor has been announced to submit further manuscripts, although Ferman said writers who have previously been published in F&SF may continue to submit stories as usual.

Second X-Files album hits store shelves

he Truth and the Light, the second spin-off album from the hit series The X-Files, will be released later this week from Warner Bros. The album consists entirely of original music created by series composer Mark Snow, who writes an average of 38 minutes of new music for each episode of The X-Files.

The Truth and the Light follows on the success of the first X-Files album, Songs in the Key of X. Ironically, Songs contained only one composition by Snow and primarily included contemporary works that had never been heard on the show.

The new album contains about two dozen individual pieces taken from Snow's work over the first three seasons of the show, interspersed with dialogue excerpts from series stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. The album also includes an introduction by the show's creator, Chris Carter.

27-year-old actor dies on Sliders set

ctor Ken Steadman, 27, was killed last month on the set of Sliders when a dune buggy he was driving flipped over, throwing Steadman and another actor from the vehicle. Steadman was taken to San Bernadino County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The other actor was not seriously injured.

Steadman, who recently appeared in the season premiere of Maloney, was to be a guest star on an upcoming episode of Sliders. The accident took place between scenes.

Arthur C. Clarke working on TV miniseries

rthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee are reportedly working on an outline for a new television miniseries about Clarke's vision of world as it transitions into the 21st century, according to Variety. The two are said to be writing an outline for Scripps Howard Productions, which will then hire a screenwriter to adapt the story for longform network television.

The as yet untitled show is tentatively scheduled to debut during the 1997-98 season, although there is no guarantee it will be produced. Clarke and Lee will receive a mid six-figure fee for the show if it goes into production.

Starlight 2 open for submissions

tarlight 2, the second volume in an original anthology series from Tor Books, is now open for submissions. Editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden said he is "interested in all varieties of science fiction and fantasy."

All submissions should be sent to:

Starlight Patrick Nielsen Hayden c/o Tor Books 175 Fifth Ave New York, NY 10010

Submissions should be in standard manuscript format and include a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

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