Angel Not Dead Yet?
re reports of the death of The WB's Angel exaggerated? The IGN FilmForce Web site, citing anonymous sources, reported rumors that the network is in talks with Fox and Mutant Enemy, which produce Angel, about a possible sixth season, even though The WB has already announced that Angel will disappear at the end of the current fifth season.
A source, posting on a WB bulletin board, reported the talks, the site said.
Other posts have suggested that The WB is going to be taking a close look at the ratings for upcoming episodes, including repeats, and basing its decision on whether or not to revive the show on them.
Another source reported that Sky One, the satellite network owned by Rupert Murdoch, has been told that talks for a sixth season of the vampire drama are underway and that there will be a new season available, the site reported.
Wood Eyes Kong Part
ord of the Rings star Elijah Wood (Frodo) told SCI FI Wire that he talked with Rings writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens after last week's Oscar ceremony about returning to New Zealand to snag a small part in director Peter Jackson's upcoming King Kong remake.
"I was up in their suite after the awards on Sunday night, or it was Monday morning at that point, and I was saying goodbye to Fran and Philippa, and they said, 'Well, you're coming down?'" Wood said in an interview while promoting his next film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
"I said, 'I'm coming down in September, when you guys are shooting,'" Wood added. "And they were like, 'Well, we got to get you in there somehow.' So hopefully."
What role would Wood like? "I've talked about" it with Jackson, he said. "I just said I wanted to come down and visit and hopefully be allowed to be stomped on by a foot. So hopefully I'll have something like that." Eternal Sunshine opens March 19.
Dawn Cast Looked Back
arah Polley, who stars in the upcoming Dawn of the Dead remake, told SCIFI Wire that she drew inspiration for her performance from an unlikely old-school source.
"I love movies like Peeping Tom, and I actually thought of that movie a lot while we were shooting this, about what is the most frightening thing is the look of fear," Polley said while promoting Dawn. "You realize as an actor you can kind of just wander through a movie like this, but actually you have to work harder than in any small character-driven piece, because your fear sells the audience on being afraid." About George Romero's first Dawn of the Dead, Polley said, "I loved the original."
Polley's co-star Mekhi Phifer (8 Mile) listed a few of the horror films that influenced him. "Omen, Poltergeist, all of those kind of films as a kid stood out to me," he said. He added that he dislikes the spate of slasher movies that have found success in recent years. "Most horror films, I'm not a fan of, because they're B movies," he said. "Terrible acting, silly situations, chicks running around with their boobs out, nonsense like that. What I love about our film is that we have a really good movie, a very character-driven piece, with good actors."
In the film, a group of survivors hides in a shopping mall while the rest of the world's populace is transformed into flesh-eating zombies. Jake Weber (The Cell), who plays one of the survivors, said there were several classic horror films in whose company he would place Dawn of the Dead. "I think the bar for this movie is at Phil Kaufman's Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Halloween, I think 28 Days Later gets in there, Alien, The Shining," he said. "Those are quality films that are in that genre that are terrifying. I loved the idea of making a smart horror movie, a movie that was a lot of fun and is punk rock and fierce and wild, but also is about real people." Dawn of the Dead opens nationwide March 19.
Dead Cuts Ordered
ack Snyder, who directed the upcoming remake of George Romero's Dawn of the Dead, told reporters that the MPAA ordered several cuts to his update of the classic horror film, presumably for gore, to qualify for an R rating.
In the film, a group of fugitives (led by Sarah Polley and Ving Rhames) square off against a horde of flesh-eating zombies who converge on their shopping-mall hideout.
"We went back and forth with the [Motion Picture Association of America] about four or five times before we got our R, but eventually we did," Snyder told reporters at a press conference. Snyder also said that responses from test audiences helped filmmakers fine-tune the film for maximum effectiveness. "With the testing, in the end the audiences didn't seem like they wanted anything to be taken out. I think they really wanted more. That was kind of a testament to what these guys accomplished," Snyder said of his cast, which also included Jake Weber (The Cell) and Mekhi Phifer (8 Mile).
Snyder, who makes his directorial debut with the update, promised that the excised material will appear in an extended cut on a proposed DVD release. "We will do an unrated DVD that will have probably an additional five minutes of gore, and then another five minutes of more character," he said. "Not that anyone wants that, but that's what they're going to get." Dawn of the Dead opens on March 19.
Winslet Talks Neverland
ate Winslet, who will star in the upcoming J.M. Barrie's Neverland, told SCI FI Wire that she plays the woman behind the man who created Peter Pan.
"Neverland is directed by Marc Forster, who directed Monster's Ball," Winslet said in an interview while promoting her next film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. "And it's myself and Johnny Depp. And it's a period piece ... about how J.M. Barrie [Depp] conceived of the idea of Peter Pan."
Winslet plays Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, a friend who may or may not have had a romantic relationship with the Edwardian-era English writer. "In truth, actually, they were in love and did have a form of a relationship together," Winslet said. "But the movie is very much about his relationship with her and, as a consequence, his relationship with her four sons. And it's through the relationship he had with these boys and the times they shared together that he was able to conceive of the story of Peter Pan."
Winslet is enthusiastic in her praise of her Oscar-nominated co-star. "It was a brilliant piece of casting in casting Johnny Depp, because you immediately pull out of the period world and put it in somewhere that is much more kind of edgy and interesting, in my mind," Winslet added. Neverland is slated for a fall release.
Winslet Filled With Sunshine
ate Winslet, the British actress who plays an American woman in the upcoming SF film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, told SCI FI Wire that she and co-star Jim Carrey had to be friends before they could play on-screen lovers.
"When you come at a script like this that is so incredibly rich and has ... such well-formed characters, a lot of the work is really done for you," Winslet said in an interview. "But ... in order for this to work, Jim and I had to get on. We did have to be friends. And frankly you can't make that happen, you just have to hope for the best. ... And we didn't really work that out, you know? We just did get on very, very well, and he made me laugh. And I was able to make him laugh, too, which was a tremendously rewarding feeling for me."
Winslet plays Clementine Kruczynski, a free-spirited woman who decides to wipe the memory of her ex-boyfriend, Joel (Carrey), from her mind. "Jim and I had a very, very good understanding," she said. "He's quite easy to read, as well, so if we had a very lively scene, where we're tearing about on a beach having a snowball fight, then, yeah, he is kind of goofy and silly and a little more relaxed and comfortable, actually. And when he would have to play the really shy, introverted Joel and be doing the more intense, emotional scenes, then he could become quite withdrawn and just focused and want to be in his own space."
Would Winslet—who just had a baby with her second husband, director Sam Mendes—ever want to erase the memory of anyone herself? "No, I would never do that," she said. "I just feel that all the good and bad experiences that we all go through as human beings are what forms us and what enforces the decisions we make and who we're with and how we are as people. ... I don't really regret anything in my life." Eternal Sunshine opens March 19.
Sunshine Wiped Carrey Out
im Carrey, who stars in the upcoming SF movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, told reporters that the movie deals with the breakup of a love affair in an unusual way.
In the film, written by Oscar-nominated writer Charlie Kaufman, Carrey plays Joel, a man who discovers that his ex-girlfriend, Clementine (Kate Winslet), has wiped him from her memory.
"It wasn't about memory," Carrey said at a press conference to promote the film. "It was about being erased. It was a different perspective on it. It was about how it would feel to be erased. That was the strongest pull for me. That's a heavy feeling. That's what hit me with the script. When he finds out that she's erased him, it's just a brutal thing to hit probably anybody's ego, but a male ego especially."
In response, Joel decides to have Clementine erased from his memory as well. But as he relives the moments of their relationship backwards, he realizes that maybe that's not such a great idea. "I loved the idea that the memories went in reverse," Carrey said. "There were so many things that made it different than your normal losing-your-memory movie. I love the clunky, sci-fi aspect of this movie. It doesn't take it over; it's just a function within it." Eternal Sunshine, directed by Michel Gondry, opens March 19.
Shining A Light On Sunshine
scar-nominated writer Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation) told SCI FI Wire that he got the idea for his upcoming SF movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, about erasing the memory of a loved one, from a friend.
Director Michel Gondry's friend "had an idea about a card that says you have been erased from someone's memory," Kaufman said in an interview. "And Michel and I worked on the story together, and we sold it as a pitch."
In the movie, Joel (Jim Carrey) gets a card saying that his former girlfriend, Clementine (Kate Winslet), has had a procedure to erase him from her memory. Joel then takes it upon himself to erase Clementine's memory from his own brain, but changes his mind halfway through the procedure.
Kaufman (Being John Malkovich) added that there is a reason the movie contains a nonlinear narrative that includes scenes both inside of and outside Joel's brain. "I think that we're trying to create a sort of sense of how the memory works, and also we wanted the audience to be with the character of Joel, and where Joel is at that point is at the end of his relationship, with the feelings that he had at the end of the relationship," Kaufman said. "And so we wanted to see that version of Clementine first, you know, before we get later, as Joel uncovers the better memories and realizes suddenly that he doesn't want to do this anymore. The audience is then seeing those memories, too, for the first time and understanding a different aspect of Clementine. Just like in the beginning of the movie, the scene on the train and then Clementine's apartment and the ice, the audience is with the characters. And Joel thinks this is the first time he's met Clementine and so do we as the audience. So that's sort of the reason for it." Eternal Sunshine (the title comes from an Alexander Pope poem) opens March 19.
Carrey Wigs Out In Snicket
im Carrey, who plays the villainous Count Olaf in the upcoming film adaptation of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, told reporters that his character is "an evil thespian, yeah, which is redundant, really."
Carrey, with a shaved head to accommodate the wigs he must wear for the part, spoke during a press conference to promote his next movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Carrey said he's glad to be in Lemony Snicket, which is based on the children's series of books. "Oh, it's just so much fun," he said. "It's such a different way to tell a children's story. It's very original. It's an opportunity for me to show up as this crazed thespian." But Carrey admitted he didn't know the books before he started. "They asked me to read these books, and I did," he said. "I thought it was a really original voice."
Carrey added that his character changed almost at the last minute. "We were planning on doing a completely different character. He had an Italian accent, it was all worked out—a character named Stefano—and they put the wig on me in the makeup chair like five minutes before they were going to test this character and the wig had changed. I said, 'It's not that guy anymore,' like that. They put this mustache on, and it was all the elements of the character before, but they had been altered in a way. And I said, 'It's not the guy anymore.' [Director Brad Silberling] came into the trailer and said, 'What do you mean? Who is it? Who is it?' And I just started speaking like the guy who belonged to the hair. That's where the character came from, literally five minutes before we went out there. And it just blossomed from there." Lemony Snicket is currently in production for a Christmas release; Eternal Sunshine opens March 19.
Carrey Sees Laughs In $6 Mil
im Carrey told reporters that he sees comic possibilities in a proposed remake of the 1970s SF TV show The Six Million Dollar Man.
"We're developing that script, so I think it's just going to be a whole lot of fun," Carrey said at a press conference to promote his upcoming SF movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. "I love playing ego and insecurity combined. Well, it's the same thing, I guess. Ego out of control. But I think it's going to be fun."
Carrey would assume the role of Col. Steve Austin, originally played by Lee Majors in the TV series. Part of the movie's comedy may derive from how little $6 million may buy nowadays, Carrey suggested. "Six million dollars doesn't get you a lot in the world these days, so you can kind of imagine where the plot's going to go," he said.
But Carrey warned not to get hopes up for the proposed film. "You probably shouldn't even report on this yet, because I don't know if it's going to happen or not, because it's not really that far down the line," he said.
Garner CIA Video Online
he CIA recruitment video featuring Jennifer Garner, star of ABC's Alias, has hit the agency's official Web site.
Garner, who plays fictional CIA agent Sydney Bristow, appeals for applicants to join the agency.
"In the real world, the CIA serves as our country's first line of defense in the ongoing war against international terrorism," Garner says in the simple video. "Right now, the CIA has important, exciting jobs for U.S. citizens, especially those with foreign language skills. Today, the collection of foreign intelligence has never been more vital for national security."
In a press announcement, the CIA said, "Ms. Garner was excited to participate in the video after being asked by the Office of Public Affairs. The CIA's Film Industry Liaison worked with the writers of Alias during the first season to educate them on fundamental tradecraft. Although the show Alias is fictional, the character Jennifer Garner plays embodies the integrity, patriotism and intelligence the CIA looks for in its officers." Alias airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Garner To Be Honored
ennifer Garner, star of the upcoming fantasy film 13 Going on 30, will be honored at ShoWest 2004 as the female star of tomorrow, Variety reported.
Garner is best known for her television work on ABC's Alias.
Garner will be feted at an awards gala set to close the annual trade show on March 25 in Las Vegas, the trade paper reported. ShoWest opens March 22.
Jolie: Sky Is Innovative
ngelina Jolie, who plays a mysterious character in the upcoming Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, told the ComingSoon.net Web site that the retro SF film makes innovative use of computer-animation technology.
Though the movie features performances by live actors, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law, it is mostly animated.
"Sometimes, you have movies that rely on tricks using CGI or special effects, and this one was based on the concept that if you have all this technology, what is the most fantastic thing we can do with it?" Jolie told the site. "What can we make? What can we do to really use this new way of making films? And they really did that. So that's exciting."
Jolie added, "I haven't seen the final and how it looks, but it's really Jude and Gwyneth's film. I'm the shifty character that shows up towards the end, wearing black leather and an eye patch. It's great to work on, since I've known Jude for years, and it was nice to finally work with him." Sky Captain opens June 25.
Ledger Talks Brothers Grimm
eath Ledger, who plays Jake Grimm in director Terry Gilliam's upcoming fantasy movie The Brothers Grimm, told SCI FI Wire that Gilliam took on the big-budget project after the well-publicized failure of his previous movie, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.
"He actually didn't give a f--k," Ledger said in an interview. "The best thing about Terry's attitude is he's like, 'F--k it, just f--k it. Welcome kid, you're doing the first Terry Gilliam sell-out movie.' We had to turn him around and convince him that he wasn't doing a sell-out movie, and we were all going to be passionate and work our asses off for him."
Ledger added that Gilliam said that he found it difficult to get any movie made after Don Quixote fell apart. "So he needed this big-budget movie that will hopefully get his next films [made]," Ledger said. "They threw him $80 million, which is the most money he's had to spend on a movie."
Grimm tells a fictionalized story of the fairy-tale brothers, played by Ledger and Matt Damon, in medieval Europe. "Eventually, [Gilliam] came to love it," Ledger said. "He loves making movies. He's a passionate, passionate creator and super-excited. The only reason that he wants a movie to make money is so he can make three movies that don't." The Brothers Grimm is slated for release on Nov. 19.
Helmer Remakes Own Grudge
akashi Shimizu—the Japanese director who is helming The Grudge, the English-language remake of his original hit film Ju-On—told SCI FI Wire that he was reluctant to take on the project until producer Sam Raimi persuaded him to bring his unique vision to America.
Shimizu, speaking through a translator, talked about the unusual arrangement in a rare interview during a break in production at Toho Studios in Tokyo.
"After the original Ju-On, there are more things that I really wanted to do, but this Grudge is supposed to be a remake of the original Ju-On," Shimizu said. "When I was first requested to do this, I actually didn't want to do it, because I've already made the original. I felt there was no meaning to do a remake. But these producers, including Sam Raimi, they really wanted me to do it again, because the taste I have has never been done in America as a horror movie, and they really wanted to introduce my taste to America. I thought that was nice, and I decided to do it."
Like its predecessor and its Japanese sequels, The Grudge deals with a curse that surrounds a mysterious house and the unfortunate people who come across it. In the U.S. remake, an American cast headed by Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jason Behr joins some of the original films' Japanese actors in a production shot in Tokyo with a Japanese crew. On a recent set visit, reporters watched as Gellar performed a scene with American actress Rosa Blasi while Shimizu directed in Japanese, through a translator.
Shimizu said that Gellar, best known as the star of TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, actually fits the movie. "For the original Ju-On in Japan, we had an actress called Megumi Okina, and she was in the same position as Sarah, which is [to say] they [both] started off as a teenage idols. Sarah was the main actress on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which means that she has been acting a lot, and she's used to acting and she has the basics, but she still is a teenage idol. When I was told that she wanted to try being in a horror movie, I thought that was very exciting."
For himself, Shimizu said that it's also a challenge to adapt his own work for an American audience. "This is going to be a movie for Americans, which means it's going to be seen by a people from a completely different culture," he said. "So I thought that was kind of interesting. Also, since I'm doing this over, there were things I never could have done in the first one and maybe I can do those things in the remake. Also, I can review the first one and go over the things I couldn't do and maybe I can experiment a little bit. ... The taste of Ju-On can only be brought by me, and I think that taste would be lost if it was directed by another director, so I'm really happy to be doing this and, yes, it's a big challenge." The Grudge is eyeing a fall release.
Turning Japanese In Grudge
ason Behr, who co-stars in the upcoming supernatural horror movie The Grudge, told SCI FI Wire that he welcomed the opportunity to live and work in Tokyo during production.
The former Roswell star is part of a cast that includes Sarah Michelle Gellar and Bill Pullman in the English-language remake of the hit Japanese film Ju-On and its sequels, about a curse that is passed down from one group of people to another in a house in Tokyo.
"They sent me a script," Behr said in an interview during a break in production in Tokyo. "I read it, and I knew they wanted to shoot it in Japan, which is a huge plus for me. I've been fascinated by Japanese culture and history for a long time, and I've always wanted to come to Japan and spend a good amount of time here. And then they sent me the movie, Ju-On, the first one, and the moment I saw it I thought, this is so different, so unique in the texture of the movie, I knew I wanted to be a part of it."
Behr and his co-stars had to learn the differences between American filmmaking and Japanese movie production. Ju-On creator Takashi Shimizu is also directing The Grudge and is working with a Japanese crew at Tokyo's famed Toho Studios.
"Well, there's definitely a sense of being 'lost in translation,'" Behr said. "I think that, you know, you have to go through Shimizu-san and then the interpreter, and it took some time to get used to that format. But now I find myself not so much paying attention to [the translator], but watching [the director] as he's telling me what he's saying. Because he's very expressive, his hands. You start to really read him and what he wants from you. So what was a real big communication gap is now a small one."
Behr and former Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Gellar have been spending time off the set as well, getting to see the sights, Behr added. "We can go and shop for 300-year-old samurai swords and go watch sumo wrestling and kabuki and walk down this massive city and see all these giant buildings with all the blinking lights, and walk around the corner and see this ancient Shinto shrine," he said. "And you can't get that anywhere else in the world." The Grudge is slated for a fall release.
Wynter Guests On Dead Zone
arah Wynter (24) has been signed to guest-star in a six-episode arc of USA Network's hit SF series The Dead Zone, starring Anthony Michael Hall, a spokeswoman for the show announced.
Wynter begins shooting this week in Vancouver, B.C., on the first two episodes, which will launch the series' third season as a special two-part premiere in June, the spokeswoman said.
The Australian-born actress will play Rebecca Caldwell, a woman Johnny (Hall) meets when her sister, a campaign volunteer working for the unscrupulous congressional candidate Greg Stillson (Sean Patrick Flanery), suddenly disappears. Rebecca, a therapist who has experience with criminal defendants, quickly focuses on Johnny as the prime suspect. Johnny is accused of murder, and, as he becomes embroiled in an ongoing mystery, his relationship with Rebecca takes several turns, the spokeswoman said.
USA Network is owned by Vivendi Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Macdonald Flies To Neverland
elly Macdonald, who appears in the upcoming J.M. Barrie's Neverland, told SCI FI Wire that she plays the first actress to portray Peter Pan in J.M. Barrie's famous play.
"It was a production within a production, so it felt ensemble-like," Macdonald said in an interview. "The film is about Johnny Depp's relationship with the Kate Winslet character, so the pressure was off. I could go in and dress up in a silly costume and fly around a stage for a while and have everybody go 'Ooh.'"
The movie tells the story of J.M. Barrie (Depp), the creator of Peter Pan, and features the first production of the English stage play. Macdonald said that she researched books and photos from early productions of Peter Pan. "I got an amazing book about all the productions, so there were photographs," she said. "But I didn't watch the [Disney] cartoon or anything and base my performance [on that]. I hope I come across as a mischievous boy."
Macdonald added that she did suffer through wire and harness work for the stage show's flying scenes. "[It was] uncomfortable," she said. "It was bound to be, but it was really exhilarating. It's that way when you go on a roller coaster and you feel almost unreal. I just felt very privileged to be able to do that." Neverland is slated for a fall release.
Rossellini Headlines Earthsea
CI FI Channel has signed Isabella Rossellini to play the key role of High Priestess Thar in its upcoming original epic Earthsea, based on Ursula K. Le Guin's award-winning series of novels, the network announced.
The four-hour miniseries will premiere as a two-night television event on SCI FI in December.
The epic fantasy follows the tale of a reckless youth destined to become the greatest sorcerer that the mystical land of Earthsea has ever known.
Earthsea is produced by Hallmark Entertainment, in association with Bender-Brown Productions. Gavin Scott (The Mists of Avalon) adapted Le Guin's work for the screen. Robert Halmi Sr. is executive producer, along with Lawrence Bender and Kevin Brown.
Wheel Of Time Optioned
ed Eagle Entertainment has optioned worldwide feature-film rights to Robert Jordan's 11-book fantasy series The Wheel of Time, Variety reported.
Red Eagle will work on producing an adaptation of the first novel, The Eye of the World, with others to follow, the trade paper reported.
Eye of the World begins when villagers of Emond's Field are attacked by minions of a force known as the Dark One, forcing three young men to confront their destiny and begin a quest, the trade paper reported.
Red Eagle will not produce programming itself, but will seek a production partner and focus on the ancillary licensing of branded products and services, the trade paper reported.
Jordan's most recent installment was the prequel The New Spring, which bowed at number one on the New York Times best-seller list. Jordan is expected to write at least two more full-length novels to complete the series, along with two additional prequels, the trade paper reported.
Tamblyn Puts On Pants
oan of Arcadia star Amber Tamblyn will star in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, a coming-of-age fantasy film based on the best-selling novel, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Writer/director Ken Kwapis will helm for Warner Brothers Pictures and Alcon Entertainment, the trade paper reported. Shooting is scheduled to begin in mid-May.
Written by Delia Ephron from the novel by Ann Brashares, the film centers on four friends who vow to keep in touch over the summer by circulating a magical pair of second-hand jeans that fits each of them perfectly.
Kingdom Flatlines
BC's Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital saw its ratings drop a whopping 35 percent this week from its premiere, Variety reported.
Kingdom Hospital's second Wednesday-night episode saw a preliminary 3.7 rating in adults 18-49 and a total viewership of 8.5 million. That was down more than one-third off its key demographic audience and a staggering 40 percent off its total audience from the previous week, the trade paper reported.
Kingdom Hospital's two-hour premiere scored a 5.5 rating in the demographic and 14.1 million viewers, the trade paper reported.
Potter Game Has Bonus
lectronic Arts announced that the PlayStation 2 version of its Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban video game will feature EyeToy technology that allows up to four players to compete in four different minigames, the GameSpot Web site reported.
The four EyeToy minigames are "Chocolate Frogs," "Exploding Snap," "Seeker Practice" and "Zonko's Joke Shop." The minigames are in addition to the main single-player game.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is currently scheduled for release during the second quarter of this year, the site reported.
Ella Enchanted Elwes
ary Elwes, who co-stars in the upcoming fantasy film Ella Enchanted, told SCI FI Wire that director Tommy O'Haver found just the right tone in adapting Gail Carson Levine's award-winning novel.
"All good comedy and all good fantasy needs to be grounded in a story that people can identify with and has conflicts that resonate with people," Elwes said in an interview. "Once you have that launching pad, the sky is the limit as to how far you can go with jokes and effects."
Elwes, whose previous genre work includes The Princess Bride and Shadow of the Vampire, plays Sir Edgar, an arrogant royal who stands in the way of both Prince Char (Hugh Dancy) and Ella (Anne Hathaway). Char is a king-in-waiting; Ella is the young woman who loves him and is struggling to overcome a curse that forces her to obey any direct command.
"What I think was so great about having Tommy on board was that he knew just when to bring it up and when to bring it down," Elwes said. "He was very deft at knowing how to handle the tone of his film. I think that Ella Enchanted is a combination of The Wizard of Oz and The Princess Bride, with a little Harry Potter and a little bit of Shrek thrown in. It has everything. I think it covers all the bases. From what I gather from people who've seen it so far, the response has been really overwhelming. So I'm thrilled." Ella Enchanted casts its spell on April 9.
Allen Battled Over Cody 2
evin Allen, who took over directing Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London, told SCI FI Wire that he battled with studio executives over the film's beginning and ending.
Allen won his argument over the way the film's final battle scene was cut, but lost a fight over the movie's early scenes.
Allen wanted to intercut Cody's (Frankie Muniz) climactic fight scenes with sequences of an orchestra performance. Allen said that MGM vice chairman and chief operating officer Chris McGurk supported Allen's position.
But Allen said that he ultimately lost a fight over the film's start, which he felt had too much exposition. "In the beginning, I just think we should have gotten out of America earlier," he said. "There's so much setup we could have done without. You can put some of that setup in a nice little [montage]. Again, kids get it. I think we're in America just three minutes too long."
Allen stepped in to helm the movie at the last minute, after original director Harald Zwart dropped out. "They just called and said, 'Can you go and see this movie quickly? We've got a script that's barely finished, a rush job, I think we're losing our director.' And he walked, and I got on the plane. I thought the script really needed a lot of work. In terms of career opportunism, I'm a father now, and I have different responsibilities that offset my other career, my more independent work." Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London opened March 12.
Cody 2 Shoots For Yuks
rankie Muniz, who reprises the title role in Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London, told SCI FI Wire that the sequel aims straight for laughs.
One sign of this: Funnyman Anthony Anderson replaces sleek actress Angie Harmon as Cody's new CIA handler.
"It was supposed to be Angie in the original script, but the reason that Angie didn't come back was we wanted to make it a brand new, different movie than the first," Muniz said in an interview. "We all thought that the one thing the first movie lacked was ... comedy, and we definitely got that with [Anderson]."
Muniz added that most of the film's jokes were improvised. "Anthony and I would go in and try to come up with some good lines," he said. "I think every line that Anthony says in the movie was unscripted. He ad-libbed everything. It's kind of hard. I'm used to being on Malcolm [in the Middle], where I'm not allowed to change anything. ... Getting the opportunity to do what I want is kind of weird at first, especially being in a scene with somebody who is changing it up and having to go along with that."
Director Kevin Allen added in a separate interview that costs drove the decision to emphasize comedy—leading to the departure of original director Harald Zwart. "MGM wanted to make this movie for a price, period," Allen said. "Harald had [plans for] a lot of CGI that the budget wasn't aware of and thought that he could pull that off. MGM weren't prepared to stump up the extra money for what he wanted. I'm happy with the balance of humor and the action we got anyway. I'd rather [have] more humor, less Neanderthal violence." Agent Cody Banks 2 opened March 12.
Nakata Steps Into The Ring 2
ideo Nakata, the Japanese director behind the hit Japanese horror film Ringu, is in talks to helm The Ring 2, the sequel to the U.S. version of Nakata's original movie, Variety reported.
Nakata would replace Noam Murro, who left the DreamWorks sequel project earlier this week over creative differences, the trade paper reported. The Ring 2 would mark Nakata's American directorial debut now that he is no longer directing True Believers at MGM.
In addition to Ringu, Nakata also directed that film's sequel, released in Japan in 1999, a year after the first film, the trade paper reported.
The Ring 2, written by Ehren Kruger, is a departure from the Japanese sequel Ringu 2.
Murro Out Of Ring 2
oam Murro has dropped out of directing Ring 2, the sequel to the 2002 hit horror film, Variety reported.
The TV commercial director parted company with DreamWorks due to "creative differences," the trade paper reported.
DreamWorks told the trade paper that Ring 2's release date remains Nov. 10. A new director is expected to be named as soon as this week, the trade paper added.
Gore Verbinski directed the first Ring, which generated a surprising $129 million at the domestic box office and $120 million overseas. Naomi Watts and David Dorfman are returning for the sequel, written by Ehren Kruger, who also penned the original, the trade paper reported.
Platinum Unleashes Unleashed
latinum Studios will develop the live-action feature film Unleashed, based on characters from Myatt Murphy's graphic novel and comic series Two Over Ten, Variety reported.
The movie will deal with a man with an uncontrollable affliction that causes things he touches to explode. He's forced to go on the run from authorities and a ruthless enemy intent on harnessing his destructive power, the trade paper reported.
In addition to Unleashed, Platinum will develop other characters from the same series for film and TV projects, the trade paper reported.
Platinum has a library of more than 1,000 comic-book characters and stories from artists around the world. Rosenberg formerly ran Malibu Comics, where he discovered the Men in Black franchise, which he then brought to Sony. Also at Sony, Rosenberg is producing the comic-to-film title Cowboys & Aliens, with Escape Artists.
Other Platinum projects include the SF action-adventure Unique for Touchstone, about a man trapped between parallel worlds, with David Goyer (Blade: Trinity) attached to direct and Michael Cooney (Identity) writing the script. Rosenberg will produce with David Heyman and Heyday Films, the trade paper reported.
MTV Enters Twilight Zone
TV Films has teamed with Maverick Films to acquire feature-film rights to the forthcoming vampire novel Twilight from Phoenix-based author Stephanie Meyer, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Set for publication in September 2005 from Little, Brown, the high-school-set novel centers on Bella, who falls in love with a vampire.
The project is slated to be released through MTV's Viacom sister company Paramount Pictures.
Fund Set Up For Grant
fund has been set up to benefit award-winning horror author Charles L. Grant, who was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Grant has no health insurance but will have to rely on bottled oxygen to live, according to his Web site.
Grant and his wife, Kathryn Ptacek, are soliciting donations to help defray the cost of oxygen and medical equipment.
SpongeBob Bundle Ships
HQ Inc. and Nickelodeon announced that they will release SpongeBob SquarePants Krusty Kollection, which bundles two previously released PC games and a playable demo of a third.
The collection will include SpongeBob SquarePants: Employee of the Month and SpongeBob SquarePants: Operation Krabby Patty, as well as a demo of SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom.
The Krusty Kollection, based on the hit Nickelodeon animated series, is available at retail outlets throughout North America at a suggested retail price of $19.95.
In Employee of the Month, SpongeBob wins a trip to Neptune's paradise and must navigate treacherous waters to get there. In Krabby Patty, SpongeBob must maneuver through a collection of mini-game adventures. The title also features Sandy Cheeks, Patrick Star and Mr. Krabs.
Battle for Bikini Bottom places the fate of the underwater community in the hands of SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Squidward, Mr. Krabs and Gary. The full version of Battle for Bikini Bottom for PC is also available at retailers separately.
Jetsons, Quest On DVD
arner Home Video announced that it will release DVD collections of the classic Hanna-Barbera TV series The Jetsons: The Complete First Season and Jonny Quest: Season One on May 11.
The DVD sets will feature digitally remastered shows in four-disc collectors' sets, each featuring more than 11 hours of original TV programming and new enhanced content, the company said. Each set will carry a suggested retail price of $64.92.
The Jetsons set will include all 24 season-one episodes, as well as "Rosey the Robot" commentary by Janet Waldo, "A Date with Jet Screamer" commentary by Janet Waldo, "The Jetsons: The Family of the Future" featurette, character bios, "Space Age Gadgets" featurette and "Rosey the Robotic Maid" featurette.
The Jonny Quest set will include all 26 episodes from the show's first year, featuring Tim Matheson as the voice of Jonny. The set will also include "Quest Files: Fun Facts & Trivia," "Adventures in Animation: A Cartoon Called Quest" featurette, The "Jonny Quest Video Handbook" and an original P.F. Flyer sneaker commercial.
Bond 21 In The Works
ames Bond screenwriters Robert Wade and Neal Purvis (Die Another Day) told Empire Online that they have begun work on the upcoming 21st 007 movie.
"We started writing the new one two weeks ago, ... so obviously all the cliches are already in place," Purvis told the site at the Orange Screenwriters Seminar at the British Library in London.
Purvis also confirmed that Pierce Brosnan will return as the superspy, despite rumors to the contrary. "As far as we understand it, Pierce Brosnan is Bond," he said. "He's a great Bond, and he gives you a lot to work with as a writer, because he's very good looking. Seriously, he is very good at suggesting an undercurrent of ... you don’t know what. He shows that there is a shadow on this man."
Wade told the site that it's a challenge coming up with a fresh angle on the franchise. "I don't think there's a more difficult task," he said. "It's all been done. The 20th film was harder than the 19th. It's very difficult to think of new ways to blow things up! But character is the thing; it's finding new ways to explore the character."
The writers also said that the proposed Jinx spinoff movie, featuring Halle Berry's character from Die, is dead. "We spent two months with Stephen Frears on it, and it's all down to the studio," Purvis said. "Halle Berry was very happy. Stephen and the producers were happy, and we were happy. ... But the studio didn't want to make it. It was going to cost $80-90 million, and Charlie's Angels and Tomb Raider hadn't done well, so they didn't want to risk it."
Asimov Stamp Urged
ordon Van Gelder, editor of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, is urging fans to come together in a letter-writing campaign to get legendary SF author Isaac Asimov on a U.S. postage stamp.
Van Gelder has already received a letter from the U.S. Postal Service saying that it is considering an Asimov stamp for 2006, the Fantastica Daily Web site reported.
Van Gelder's editorial on the matter will appear in the May issue of the magazine. "Just as Albert Einstein became a familiar icon as a physicist, so too did Dr. A represent the genre of science fiction to the world at large—more so than any other individual, I'd say," Van Gelder writes.
Van Gelder urges that Asimov be included in the ongoing series of stamps called the Literary Arts series, which has included Ayn Rand, Ogden Nash and Zora Neale Hurston. He suggests that letters be sent to:
Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, c/o Stamp Development, 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW Room 5670, Washington, D.C. 20260-2437.
Who Writers Hired
he writers behind the British TV shows The League of Gentlemen and Coupling are joining the team working on the new U.K. Doctor Who series, the BBC announced.
Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffatt will join a select group of writers, led by Russell T. Davies, producing scripts for the 13-part series for BBC One.
Other new writers will be Steven Moffatt, Mark Gatiss and Paul Cornell. Filming starts in Cardiff this spring for a 2005 premiere.
Gatiss created the satiric League of Gentlemen (not to be confused with the film and graphic novel The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). Moffatt's credits include BBC Two's Coupling, winner of the sitcom of the year at the British Comedy Awards and adapted into an abortive NBC series of the same name.
Other writers involved in the project include Rob Shearman, author of three Big Finish Doctor Who stories, and Cornell, who wrote several original Doctor Who novels and two Doctor Who series, the BBC reported.
SCI FI Thursday Ratings Soar
CI FI Channel's new SCI FI Thursday programming block scored ratings that soared over last year's numbers, the network announced.
Ratings for the March 4 block soared 194 percent over those of the previous year among viewers aged 18-34, the network said.
The reality series Mad Mad House delivered a 1.35 household rating (1.57 million viewers). The second-season premiere of Scare Tactics, meanwhile, garnered a 1.5 household rating (1.58 million). And the new computer-animated series Tripping the Rift drew the night's highest ratings, with a 1.8 (2.08 million). Tripping's debut ratings exceeded those for Comedy Central's South Park, more than doubling that show's audience (a 1.34 household rating, or 889,000 viewers, on Aug. 13, 1997).
An encore of the Mad Mad House premiere episode will air on March 11 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The series' second episode premieres at 9 p.m. that night. Tripping the Rift will repeat March 9 at 9:30 p.m.
Kidman Mulling Witch?
scar-winning actress Nicole Kidman flew to New Zealand this week on a top-secret visit to tour locations for the country's latest fantasy epic film The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the New Zealand Press newspaper reported.
Kidman arrived early on March 4 and took part in a whirlwind tour of Canterbury's high country in a helicopter, the newspaper reported.
The visit has firmed up rumors that Kidman (Cold Mountain) has signed up for a major role in the film, which is based on C.S. Lewis' beloved fantasy book, the newspaper reported. Kiwi producer-director Andrew Adamson (Shrek) is overseeing the movie. Lion will be filmed mainly in Auckland, as well as on the country's South Island.
Kidman is thought to be perfect for the role of the White Witch, who in the book puts a spell on Narnia so that it is always winter and never Christmas, the newspaper reported.
Despereaux Gets Film Deal
eabiscuit director Gary Ross' Larger Than Life company will produce an animated movie based on Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Award-winning fantasy novel Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread, Variety reported.
Universal has acquired the book and set DiCamillo to write the script, the trade paper reported.
Ross and Larger Than Life's Allison Thomas will develop the fable about a mouse with dreams as oversized as his ears. Despereaux scurries around a castle with the other mice until he falls in love with the princess, putting him in danger, the trade paper reported.
Universal is owned by Vivendi Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
O'Haver To Helm Magick
irector Tommy O'Haver (Ella Enchanted) has signed on to direct Magick for DreamWorks and Robert Zemeckis' Imagemovers, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film's storyline is closely guarded, but is reportedly a comedy about a man and woman who switch bodies.
The filmmakers are known to be after a high-profile writing team to pen the screenplay, though no deals are yet in place, the trade paper reported. Zemeckis will produce, along with Imagemovers' Steve Starkey and Jack Rapke.
Suffering Ships
idway Games announced that it has shipped The Suffering, a new action horror video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.
The third-person game is set in a maximum-security prison, and players assume the role of Torque, a hardened inmate who can transform into a massive monster.
The Suffering features nine levels, character morphing effects, more than 10 weapons and a dozen monster nemeses.
Briefly Noted
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Morris Chestnut and Eddie Cibrian have joined Cole Hauser in the Lakeshore Entertainment production Prime Evil for Bruce Hunt, who is making his feature directorial debut, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Evil centers on a group of cave divers who are forced to battle demonic creatures when they attempt to escape from a cave.
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Marley Shelton will play Victoria Winters in The WB's upcoming new version of the classic vampire soap opera Dark Shadows, Variety reported.
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Children's author Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel was honored posthumously with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, TV Guide Online reported. The honor is part of a monthlong celebration commemorating what would have been Geisel's 100th birthday.
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The debut of UPN's computer-animated series Game Over drew a disappointing average viewership of about 2 million in its 8 p.m. timeslot, putting it in last place among the six major broadcast networks, down roughly 50 percent from the same slot one week earlier, Reuters reported.
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Fox has posted an Internet-exclusive trailer for its upcoming SF movie Alien vs. Predator, which opens in August.
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Walden Media has denied a rumor that Nicole Kidman is up for a role in the upcoming film version of C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, ComingSoon.net reported. Kidman reportedly flew into New Zealand on a top-secret visit to tour locations for the film.
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TheForce.net has posted what it says are spoiler images from Star Wars: Episode III, showing the injuries sustained by Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) that result in his final transformation into Darth Vader. The image was scanned from the U.K. Daily Mirror tabloid newspaper, which composited the image from makeup tests.
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Scott Speedman will star in Darclight Films' new movie based on the epic ninth-century Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, and producers are seeking Sean Connery for a role, Inside Film reported. Andrew Rai Berzins will write and co-produce; Sturla Gunnarsson will direct the movie, which will be shot in Iceland.
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Mike Werb and Michael Colleary (Face/Off) have been hired to write the script for a remake of Pet Sematary, the 1989 supernatural horror film based on Stephen King's book, Variety reported. King himself wrote the screenplay for Paramount's original movie.
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Paris Hilton is in final talks to join the cast of Dark Castle Entertainment's House of Wax for Warner Brothers, Variety reported. Commercial director Jaume Serra helms the remake of the 1953 classic horror film, with Elisha Cuthbert and Chad Michael Murray starring.
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Paul Winfield, the award-winning actor who played the ill-fated Capt. Terrell in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, died of a heart attack March 7 at Queen of Angels-Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reported. He was 62.
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Warren Zide's Matinee Pictures has bought Michael Stokes' vampire movie script Nightfall and plans to begin shooting later this year, Variety reported. Nightfall deals with two buddies who kidnap a woman who turns out to be a vampire queen.
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The supernatural thriller film River King, starring Ed Burns, starts shooting March 16 in Nova Scotia, Canada, Variety reported. Nick Willing directs a script adapted by David Kane from Alice Hoffman's novel, about a small-town cop probing a suicide at a posh kids school.
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USA Network will air the first 10 minutes of the upcoming supernatural horror film Dawn of the Dead between 10 and 10:30 p.m. ET on March 15. The movie opens March 19.
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New Line Home Entertainment will release the theatrical version of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King on DVD May 25, Variety reported. But New Line did not specify a release date for a special extended edition of the film, except to say it will be out in time for the holidays.
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The WB and Turner, which share broadcast rights to the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, have agreed to give the Frog network first crack at The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which will premiere on The WB during November sweeps, Variety reported.
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Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ rang up a $51.4 million in its second weekend of release, raising its total to a whopping $212 million, Variety reported. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, meanwhile, took in $3.2 million in the wake of its 11 Oscar wins, a dramatic 46 percent improvement over a week earlier.
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