Wonderfalls Seeks Viewers
im Minear, co-executive producer of the freshman Fox
series Wonderfalls, has issued an open letter to genre fans imploring them to tune into the new fantasy
show.
Wonderfalls, which chronicles the plight of a young woman (Caroline Dhavernas) who must follow the orders
of talking inanimate animals at the Niagara Falls gift shop where she works, debuted on March 12 to less than
stellar ratings despite mostly excellent reviews.
Minear wrote, "There are several things stacking the odds
against us. Our timeslot, charmingly known as 'The Fox Friday Death Slot,' is quickly living up to its name.
There has been much confusion and differing opinion over just how to promote this odd little series. Maybe the
unique charm, heart and volcanic snark aren't coming through. I dunno. Fact is, I have no power over network
promotion. I can't force Fox to air Wonderfalls on Monday nights. I don't have a Nielsen box or know anyone
who does."
Minear, however, added that he does have a keyboard, a
cable modem and a relationship with genre fans worldwide thanks to the Internet, and he's hopeful that fans who
supported his previous genre shows, including The X-Files, Angel and Firefly, will help get
the word out about Wonderfalls. "I know that every one of you is connected to many others that I can't
reach," Minear continued in his letter. "If you can give a hand here, you might be keeping us afloat long enough
for us to catch the tide. Worth a shot, anyway. I know the network wants this show to work. They're willing for it
to work. And if there's any way that my plea now will help Friday's numbers tick up just a touch, I think that
would be a tremendous sign to them."
The last new episode of Wonderfalls aired on
Friday, March 19. Fox also repeated the show's acclaimed pilot episode on Thursday, March 18, following Tru
Calling.
New Dawn Has Old Gore
ack Snyder, director of the updated Dawn of the Dead movie, told reporters that his remake of the 1979 George Romero classic would feature many of the same kinds of effects as the original film.
"I think the great thing about the movie is that it really is a makeup-effects movie," Snyder said in a news conference. "It's not a movie that relies on [computer graphics] or, you know, cutting-edge, state-of-the-art visual effects to render it."
Snyder said that some digital effects work was necessary to create the zombie throngs that gather around the protagonists' shopping-mall refuge. But overall, few scenes benefited from the use of computers. "There are scenes in the movie with a multitude of zombies, if you will, and that had to be done using a computer," he said. "But other than that, it was really just sort of using the makeup effects and appliances to kind of go old school with the zombies."
Snyder added that one sequence, in which the living characters pick off celebrity look-alike zombies with a rifle, had to be curtailed because of the production's modest budget. "There's always more zombies to kill, there's always more celebrities to shoot, but with our case, we were kind of limited with time and money," he said. "But that could have been its own movie, certainly." Dawn of the Dead opened nationwide March 19.
Spidey 2 Clip Screens
he marketing effort has begun in earnest for the upcoming Spider-Man 2, with the screening of about 12 minutes of the movie in Japan this week, the Comics Continuum Web site reported.
Spider-Man 2 star Tobey Maguire appeared to introduce the footage before several hundred journalists and industry guests at a Tokyo hotel, the site reported.
"I'm very excited about it, and I hope you guys enjoy it," Maguire reportedly told the gathering in a clip shown on Access Hollywood on March 15.
Meanwhile, Wizard World Los Angeles has added a panel devoted to the film on March 21. Marvel Studios' Avi Arad will be a guest. Spider-Man 2 opens July 2.
Dunst No Damsel In Spidey 2
irsten Dunst told SCI FI Wire that Mary Jane Watson won't be a damsel in distress when moviegoers see the character back in action in the upcoming Spider-Man 2.
"Even though she's growing up, she's still young and she's still got a lot to learn," Dunst said in an interview while
promoting her current film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. "Mary Jane is much more aggressive towards
Peter [Tobey Maguire] in this one. She doesn't have a lot of patience for him, because he doesn't really seem to be
growing up."
In Spider-Man 2, Parker is too busy dealing with his own
demons and fighting the likes of Dr. Otto Octavius/Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) to focus his energy on pursuing a
relationship with Mary Jane. As a result, Mary Jane finds herself engaged to marry John Jameson (Daniel Gilles), an
astronaut and the son of Daily Bugle editor-in-chief J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons), who was the first person to buy
Peter's photographs of Spider-Man.
"Mary Jane is not so much a damsel in distress in this one,"
Dunst says. "She's more in control of what's happening to her and she fights back. She's not scared of it all, and she's
not that scared of Doctor Octopus because she's been through this kind of situation before." Spider-Man 2 opens
on July 2.
Batman Begins Hinted
harles Roven, producer of the upcoming Batman Begins movie, told SCI FI Wire that the fifth movie in the franchise returns the story to its roots and bases it in reality.
"The whole concept of this Batman is that it ... will be different from the other Batmans, because it's going to be much more reality-based," Roven said in an interview while promoting his next film, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.
Roven added, "Everything that the character does, a living person today could evolve to do. And everything—... all of the equipment, the plane, the car, the cape, everything—it's got a real scientific, practical reason for being. ... And you're going, 'Gee, that could happen today.'"
Roven said that he just returned from Iceland, where the film began shooting last week with Christian Bale starring as Bruce Wayne and Gary Oldman as Lt. James Gordon. Bale has already signed for possible sequels, and Roven added that Batman Begins sets in motion events that could pay off in subsequent installments.
"You've got to see this one to find out what's going to happen possibly in the next one," Roven said. "All of the seeds, if there will be a next one, are there, even though the exact story for what the next one will be hasn't been worked out. But we're doing Batman Begins, so you can imagine that you find out the history of the character, why Bruce Wayne went on the journey to become this character of Batman, how he got there, and also other characters within the story and they embark on their journey to become maybe some of his biggest foes." Batman Begins is eyeing a summer 2005 release.
Gyllenhaal Going Green?
ake Gyllenhaal is reportedly Kevin Smith's first choice to play Britt Reid/Green Hornet in the writer-director's upcoming film version of The Green Hornet, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Smith reportedly met with Gyllenhaal about assuming the lead role in the Miramax production.
The trade paper added that other actors are still in the
running, but that Gyllenhaal apparently fits Smith's conception of the character. Gyllenhaal is no stranger to genre
fare, having starred in Donnie Darko and the upcoming apocalyptic drama The Day After Tomorrow. Gyllenhaal
was also Sony's backup to play Spider-Man in Spider-Man 2 if Tobey Maguire did not return for the
sequel.
Smith Readies Green Hornet
riter-director Kevin Smith told SCI FI Wire that he and Miramax boss Harvey Weinstein are ready to move forward with Smith's big-screen adaptation of the old radio serial and comic book The Green Hornet.
"I saw Harvey yesterday," Smith said in an interview on March 6, while promoting his latest film, Jersey Girl. "He said, 'Where are we at with the script?' I said, 'Where are we at? I've been doing press all weekend [for Jersey Girl]. As soon as I finish.'"
Smith added, "March 16 I get to go home. So hopefully by mid-April I'll be turning in the first finished draft. And we hope to be shooting by the late-late end of the summer, beginning of the fall. They probably won't let us shoot in L.A., because it would be too cost-prohibitive. Something tells me they'll send me up to Canada."
A longtime comic-book fan, Smith said he intends to make Britt Reid, the Green Hornet's secret identity, the most memorable and intriguing character in his movie. Too often in comic book-based features, Smith argued, the villain steals the hero's thunder.
Meanwhile, Smith revealed, the casting process is just now underway. "We've started to put out feelers to see who's available and whatnot, but we're not close to signing deals," he said. "There was a guy I met with before I went on the press tour, who I'm really kind of in love with, who I think would make an excellent Britt Reid. He's a great actor. He's a really strong actor. He's not an action dude, and I think he'd be great. He'd be awesome."
Smith added that he likes the fact that The Green Hornet is not as popular a title as Batman or Spider-Man. "It frees me up quite a bit inasmuch as I'm not going to be stepping on anybody's toes," Smith said. "Nobody's going to say, 'Well, Green Hornet would never do that, because in issue number 96 back in 1982 ... .' There's nothing like that."
Perlman Hell-bent For Hellboy
on Perlman told SCI FI Wire that Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro fought a long battle for him to play the title demon-gone-good in his big-screen adaptation of the Dark Horse comic book.
"Guillermo could have made the movie on many occasions if he wasn't hellbent on having Ron Perlman play Hellboy," the
actor said in an interview. "There was such a magical coming together of forces along the way that made this so sweet
for me and for Guillermo."
Perlman, who had previously appeared in del Toro's films
Cronos and Blade 2, added, "Guillermo got to make this film and he got to make it totally on his own terms.
I finally got to break through and got to play the role and ride a horse that was as big and as unwieldy as this.
Hellboy is just a labor of love. It's been made in a spirit that's pretty rare in a world that's kind of
bottom-line. So, we really enjoyed every moment of it, every aspect of filmmaking. The shoot was idyllic and joyful and
full of good humor and passion. Guillermo's spent the past seven months holed up [in an editing room] putting the
finishing touches on it, and pretty soon everyone will get to see what we got ourselves into."
The actor went on to note that he's optimistic about
Hellboy because del Toro, during their phone conversations in recent days, told him that he's "incredibly happy"
with the way in which the film is coming together. "It's always been his baby and I've always felt if he's happy, then
I'm happy," Perlman said. "And he seems really happy. I haven't seen the finished film yet, so one always reserves
judgment until one sits down and watches a film from beginning to end. When it's a finished product, a film washes over
you and takes on a life of its own. So far I've seen scenes from it, and I'm thrilled." Hellboy opens April
2.
Promo Previews Hellboy
ony Pictures and retailer Best Buy have teamed up for a
first-ever marketing venture that provides consumers with free preview DVDs of the upcoming sci-fi film
Hellboy, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The DVD includes 10 minutes of Hellboy footage, behind-the-scenes vignettes, and filmmaker and star
interviews, as well as trailers for the upcoming Sony films Spider-Man 2 and Resident Evil:
Apocalypse.
"We thought we'd try to get the movie's essence out to a
much broader audience by going directly to the public with added value that normally goes on a DVD," Geoffrey
Ammer, president of worldwide marketing at Columbia/Tristar Motion Pictures Group told The Hollywood
Reporter. "We believe this picture is a much bigger, broader picture [than most comic book-based
films]."
Sony produced 500,000 of the DVDs for distribution at
Best Buy stores around the country. The promotion began on March 8, and The Hollywood Reporter suggested
that the novel marketing approach will likely be repeated by other major studios and retailers. "It's a great
natural fit: an electronic store giving away something like that is a great cross-promotion for both sides," Aaron
Gordon, president of the entertainment marketing firm Set Resources Inc., told the trade paper. "Best Buy is
giving away something new and innovative that nobody else has. It's also great for Sony because they get exposure
in all the Best Buys. That's extremely valuable space they're in, and it will help [Sony] sell their movie."
Hellboy opens on April 2.
Spielberg, Cruise Go To War
teven Spielberg and Tom Cruise will team together for a
new feature film version of the H.G. Wells sci-fi classic The War of the Worlds, according to
Variety.
The trade paper reported that Spielberg will co-produce and direct the film, with Cruise on board as a co-producer
and likely star. Spielberg and Cruise last collaborated on Minority Report.
David Koepp will rework a first draft by Josh Friedman
(Chain Reaction). Koepp previously wrote the Spielberg-directed Jurassic Park and The Lost World:
Jurassic Park, and received a story credit on the Cruise vehicle Mission: Impossible. Variety
added that pending the delivery of a script satisfactory to both Spielberg and Cruise, production on The War of
the Worlds could start in late 2005. Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks will co-finance the film.
Willis, Wood In Sin?
ruce Willis, Elijah Wood, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brittany Murphy, Kate Bosworth, Mickey Rourke and Jaime King are signed, in negotiations or just recieved offers to appear in director Robert Rodriguez's big-screen adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel series Sin City, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which cited multiple sources.
The trade paper added that Maria Bello and Benicio Del Toro were also on Rodriguez's radar, though offers had not yet
been made to Bello or Del Toro.
Sin City will play out as a trio of vignettes following
a group of dark characters who live in the corrupt titular town. Production on the film is slated to begin next month in
the director's native Austin, Texas, with Miramax's Dimension Films division on board to distribute.
Episode III Reaches Milestone
ndustrial Light & Magic reached a milestone in the post-production on Star Wars: Episode III, with the completion as of last week of 105 visual-effects shots, the official Star Wars Web site reported.
That leaves 1,895 to go in the 55 weeks left before the film's release in 2005.
Director George Lucas, meanwhile, is working with editor Roger Barton to cut out any extraneous material that lessens the important flow and effect of Episode III, the site reported.
Lucas described the process as "hell and brimstone time. We have to take a real hard look at what it takes to tell the story, and what else we still need."
Picardo May Return To SG-1
obert Picardo, who made a memorable guest appearance in two episodes of this season's Stargate SG-1, told SCI FI Wire that he has been asked back to reprise the character of investigative lawyer Woolsey next year.
"I appeared twice on Stargate, and they've contacted me about some more," Picardo said in an interview.
This year, Picardo played Woolsey, who works for Sen. (and now vice president) Kinsey, played by Ronny Cox. "He has his mind turned around and starts to feel that maybe he's been the henchman of an evil character," Picardo said. "So I'm about to turn on my original employer and investigate him. What's fun is, it's always nice to play a sympathetic character, especially to go from a character who seems to be very creepy and evil at first, and then to have his conscience transformed. It's been a nice journey so far."
Picardo, best known for playing the Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager, said he's pleased that the guest shot may turn into something more recurring. "I think they like me," he said. "And I certainly like them. They're a great cast. And they apparently have wanted to have me on for some time, so it was nice that it worked out. And I think they like the fact that they can give me seven pages of solid dialogue and a shooting day, and I manage. ... That old [Star Trek] technobabble brain of mine is still functioning."
Picardo Battles The Borg
obert Picardo, who reprises his Star Trek: Voyager
character of the Doctor in the new Borg Invasion 4-D attraction at Star Trek: The Experience at the Las
Vegas Hilton, told SCI FI Wire that he gets a chance to play action hero in the multimedia immersive ride.
Picardo spoke in an interview at the March 17 preview for the ride, during which reporters and about 300 invited guests
sampled the attraction, which opens to the public March 18.
"They put a blue screen up, and you do a lot of jumping around,
and they say, 'And now this thing is about to fly into your head! And, oh no!' So you do a lot of flinching and jumping
around," Picardo said. "And it's fun for me. I don't usually get to be an action guy, so it was fun just to shoot a
phaser, because I barely ever got to shoot a phaser on Voyager."
In Borg Invasion 4-D, visitors board what appears to be
a space station in the 24th century as part of a group of subjects for a medical research project run by Picardo's
hologram character. While they are being welcomed to the station, it comes under attack by a Borg cube, and visitors
trying to escape aboard a massive shuttlecraft find themselves drawn into the cube and assimilated. The ride features
live actors, Trek-themed sets, stunts, pyrotechnic effects and a 3-D film featuring Picardo, Voyager star
Kate Mulgrew as Adm. Kathryn Janeway and Alice Krige reprising her Star Trek: First Contact role of the Borg
Queen.
For Picardo, playing the Doctor again was like "visiting an old
friend. I had been wrapped about a year and a half from Voyager, and I missed the character. And the only thing
missing from shooting this, of course, was my fellow castmates, because only Kate Mulgrew worked on the show, and we
didn't even work the same day. But it was great fun to revisit the Doctor's character, because I spent a lot of time in
that holo-skin."
Picardo added that the ride represented several firsts for a
Trek project. "This, of course, is the first time Star Trek's ever been shot in digital or 3-D, so it was
groundbreaking in a lot of ways," he said. "And it was also nice to be part of it in that respect, because Star
Trek is about future technologies." Borg Invasion 4-D is part of the Trek-themed area in the gambling
capital that includes the original Klingon Encounter ride, Quark's bar and a Deep Space Nine-themed
shopping promenade.
Cardellini Back In Scooby 2
inda Cardellini, who reprises her role as Velma in the
upcoming Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, told SCI FI Wire that shooting the sequel was easier than
filming the original cartoon-based hit.
"On a second go-round you understand how the effects work and what's involved," Cardellini said in an interview.
"What was really helpful this time was we knew what Scooby was going to look like."
The actress added, "The first time through we were
speaking to thin air and the dog was added later. We had no idea what he'd look like, but we also had no idea how
he'd act or what his personality would be like. It was a risk and a total exercise for your imagination. The
second time we knew what he'd look like and how he'd behave, and we also knew that kids would respond to Scooby
and believe in him. So for us it was easier to predict what the scenes would be like while you were acting with
something that wasn't there."
Scooby-Doo 2 reunites the Mystery Inc. gang
(Cardellini as Velma, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne, Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred and Matthew Lillard as Shaggy)
as they try to save Coolsville from an onslaught of villains they'd previously defeated. Gellar's former Buffy
the Vampire Slayer co-star Seth Green is the main newcomer, playing Patrick, Velma's would-be paramour and
curator of the Coolsville Criminology Museum.
"It was a really fun shoot," Cardellini said. "We'd all
worked together before, so there was a comfort level there. Seth was great to work with. He's a good guy and
really easy to work with. The first time around it was amazing because it was all-new and we were in Australia.
This time, I knew everybody and I trusted everybody and we were back in Australia. It was just more fun. It was
more of a free-for-all." Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed opens March 26.
Scooby Stars Hold Out
inda Cardellini and Matthew Lillard, two of the stars of the upcoming sequel film Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, have already signed to reprise their roles in a possible third film, but co-stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and her real-life husband, Freddie Prinze Jr., have not, producer Charles Roven told SCI FI Wire.
Cardellini (Velma) and Lillard (Shaggy) are "enthusiastic" about the franchise, but Gellar (Daphne) and Prinze (Fred) are more "cautious" about committing too far in advance, Roven said in an interview while promoting Scooby 2.
"The reality is this," Roven said. "We have individuals. They all have their own particular career goals ... and career desires. At the time that we started to make the deals for Scooby 2, ... even if you're not guaranteeing there's going to be a Scooby 3, you're going to want to talk about it. Matthew and Linda were very, very enthusiastic about where their characters had come from and where they were going and felt more positive about seeing out that far into the future and being able to say, 'Hey, you know what? We don't care what we're going to be doing. We're ready to go.' I think Freddie and Sarah were a little bit more cautious about that."
Gellar began production on Scooby 2 almost the day after she completed shooting the final episode of her TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. "Sarah was just coming to the end of Buffy," Roven said. "I don't think that she realized what the future held out there for her, so I think she just wanted to be a little more cautious about making a longer-term commitment out into the future. And Freddie, actually, ... he goes back and forth about how much longer he wants to stay acting. Whether he wants move into other areas of the entertainment business as a writer or director. And I think he didn't want to make that kind of a long-term commitment because he didn't know also where his career was taking [him]." Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed opens March 26.
Zathura Blasts Off
avid Koepp, who wrote the script to Zathura, told SCI FI Wire that the Jumanji sequel is an all-new adventure with a new board game.
"It's completely different, most notably in that it sends the [characters'] house into outer space," Koepp said in an interview. "It doesn't really play like a sequel. [It's just a] similar idea—kids find a board game that leads them on an adventure—but that's about where the similarities end."
Koepp added that none of the characters from Jumanji will return. "I think [Columbia Pictures is] not really concerned that it play like a sequel," he said. "It stands up pretty well on its own. The original was [almost] 10 years ago now, so I don't think they're really pursuing that."
The film is based on the children's book by Chris Van Allsburg, which is only 32 pages long, so Koepp had to embellish the story to feature length. "I burned through most of the ideas in the first 20 pages," he said. "There's a lot of invention that was called for."
Jon Favreau will direct the film, and based on their first meeting, Koepp is excited for the final product. "I think he's very funny and has a wonderful human touch which is just what this needs," he said. Preproduction is still underway and casting has not yet begun on Zathura.
Daleks May Return On Who
he BBC is in talks to resurrect the Daleks on its new Doctor Who series, the BBC reported.
The fan-favorite villains have to clear copyright problems between the BBC and the estate of late SF writer Terry Nation, who created the Daleks, the BBC said.
"We are negotiating to feature the Daleks in the new series, but no deal has yet been made," a spokeswoman for the network said.
Meanwhile, the spokeswoman denied that any actors had been cast to play the new Doctor Who and his assistant, Rose. Filming for the new series is due to begin in Cardiff this spring, for transmission on BBC One in early 2005.
Actors Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Richard E. Grant and comedians Alan Davies and Eddie Izzard have been linked to the new Doctor Who role, the BBC reported.
Home On The Range Evolved
ill Finn and John Sanford, directors of Home on the Range, told SCI FI Wire that the final version of the animated film differs dramatically from the original concept.
Early versions involved ghost towns and cattle drives, but the final story features three cows who try to save their farm by collecting the bounty on a wanted cattle rustler.
The character of cattle rustler Alameda Slim (Randy Quaid) and Buck the horse (Cuba Gooding Jr.) also went through changes. Buck was originally a hero who had seen it all, but Finn changed him to an ambitious horse waiting for his first shot at heroism. "It made him vulnerable," Finn said in an interview. In earlier stages, Slim was a politician. Producer Alice Dewey said Quaid nailed the character in every incarnation. "We always wanted this broad, bigger-than-life comic villain," Dewey said. "That part didn't change. Just his M.O. changed."
Composer Alan Menken had to scrap several songs, but managed to keep one. "Sweating Bullets," which was once the film's title, became the current theme, "You Ain't Home on the Range" simply by changing the chorus. "We loved it so much, we actually reworked that song and took a lot of that energy and some of the lyrics into '[You Ain't] Home on the Range,'" Menken said in a separate interview. Home on the Range opens April 2.
Kingdom Ailing On ABC
tephen King's Kingdom Hospital on ABC is seeing its ratings plummet after three weeks on the air, the Reuters news service reported.
Preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research on March 18 showed Kingdom Hospital down 16 percent in total viewers and about 19 percent among adults ages 18 to 49 in its 10 p.m. slot over a week earlier, the news service reported.
The drama series from the prolific horror author debuted strongly two weeks ago, but has slid in the ratings since. ABC placed high hopes on the program to help with its efforts to turn around a lackluster season, the news service reported.
Kingdom Hospital drew 7.14 million average total viewers Wednesday night, placing third in its timeslot.
Meanwhile, UPN's computer-animated Game Over lost nearly 14 percent of its total viewership in the 8 p.m. slot from its debut a week earlier, Reuters reported. Game Over drew 1.72 million total viewers on average and a 0.5 rating in audiences 18-49, both last in the half-hour among the six major networks, the news service reported.
Predator Game On Tap
ivendi Universal Games will release a new Predator video game later this year, capitalizing on Fox's upcoming Alien vs. Predator movie, which opens in August, Variety reported.
The game will not be a direct tie-in with the film. Two Alien vs. Predator video games not related to the movie have already been published by VU Games' Sierra studio, the trade paper reported.
A release date for Predator hasn't yet been set, leaving up in the air whether the title will hit stores concurrent with the film's August release.
VU Games will also release games keyed to Universal's upcoming films The Chronicles of Riddick and Van Helsing, the trade paper reported. Universal and VU Games are owned by Vivendi Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Amazing Stories Lives
aizo Publishing announced that it will resurrect the classic pulp magazine Amazing Stories in July.
The magazine, which was first published in 1926, will be relaunched as a monthly magazine with both cutting-edge fiction from top authors and coverage of the entire spectrum of SF, fantasy, superheroes and supernatural horror, the publisher said.
The first issue of Amazing Stories this century will run 84 pages and carry a cover price of $5.99. Dave Gross, editor-in-chief of Star Wars Insider, will also helm Amazing Stories.
Gathering Announces Kohan II
athering has announced that it will publish Kohan II: Kings of War this summer, according to the GameSpot Web site.
The site described Kohan II, currently in development at TimeGate Studios, as a fantasy-themed real-time strategy
game that will allow players to visit fantasy worlds, battle bizarre creatures, attack enemy cities and build their own
empire as they proceed through 25 single-player missions.
"We are extremely excited to be working with Gathering,"
GameSpot quoted Adel Chaveleh, president of TimeGate Studios, as saying. "Gathering has a stellar reputation for
delivering top-notch games and we are very pleased to be adding Kohan II: Kings of War to that roster. Kohan
II: Kings of War combines the award-winning gameplay of its predecessor with new groundbreaking features and a fully
3-D game that is sure to drop jaws."
Exorcism On The Way
creen Gems and Lakeshore Entertainment will team up to produce
the horror-thriller The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The trade paper added that Scott Derrickson and Paul Harris Boardman (Urban Legends: Final Cut and Hellraiser:
Inferno) have written the script, and that Derrickson is attached to direct.
Based on a true story, Exorcism is set in 1976, when the
Catholic Church officially recognized the demonic possession of a teenage German college freshman. The young woman died
during the exorcism, and a priest stood trial for causing her death. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the
story is told in Rashomon fashion, with different perspectives on the same events.
Elwes Buzzes About Saw
ary Elwes told SCI FI Wire that he's excited about his
next film, the low-budget horror-thriller Saw.
"It was a page-turner that I could not put down," Elwes said in an interview while promoting his latest film, the
fantasy Ella Enchanted. "Saw was written by two fellows from Melbourne who came fresh out of film
school, James Wan and Leigh Whannell."
Elwes added, "They decided that they wanted to make the
cheapest film they could, so they started with the premise of two people [Elwes and Whannell] chained to a wall,
so they couldn't walk around. There are no windows because they couldn't afford scenery. Then they said, 'OK, so
how do we figure out a story about two people chained to a wall in a subterranean room?' They put a dead man on
the floor between the two guys chained to the wall. And what came out of it was the most extraordinary and fun
experience I've had in a while."
Elwes, who's about to join Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey
and Justin Timberlake in shooting the drama Edison, co-stars in Saw with Whannell, Danny Glover,
Monica Potter and Tobin Bell. "Tobin, who's a wonderful actor, plays the dead guy on the floor, and it was not fun
for him because he spends the whole movie on the floor," Elwes said. "He's dead for the whole movie, but the
character is seen in flashbacks, so we needed somebody who could act. I'm one of the guys chained to the wall.
It's a really taut, suspenseful thriller and very, very dark." Lions Gate Films purchased the independently
produced Saw and anticipates a fall 2004 release.
Vanguard Game On The Way
icrosoft Game Studios and Sigil Games Online announced
that they are developing Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG),
according the the GameSpot Web site.
Brad McQuaid, designer and co-creator of EverQuest, is the man behind the upcoming fantasy game.
"Sigil's unparalleled expertise and experience in the
field will bring groundbreaking advances to the genre," McQuaid, president and CEO of Sigil Games Online, told
GameSpot. "In recent years we've become concerned with a growing trend to water down gameplay in an attempt to
appeal to a broader audience. At Sigil, we're designing our game for the existing MMORPG gamer who is looking for
new challenges and new rewards. One one level, Vanguard combines everything we've learned from MMORPGs, their
strengths, their deficiencies, and how to address them. Even more important, we plan to introduce a whole new
level of gameplay that represents, in our opinion, the logical evolution of the MMORPG genre." No release date has
been set yet for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.
Nispel Reinvents Frankenstein
arcus Nispel, who is directing a remake of Frankenstein for the USA Network, told SCI FI Wire that the TV movie updates Mary Shelley's classic SF tale with modern science and genetic engineering.
"Humans playing God these days has everything to do with [the story]," Nispel said in an interview. "I think that's a big moral question and links that back to the age-old tale of Frankenstein, which is all about 'Who am I? Where am I from? Where am I going?'"
Nispel added that the script, written by thriller author Dean Koontz, hooked him because it reversed the creator and the monster. "The monster discovers a soul, while the creator turns more and more into the monster," Nispel said. "And this whole idea of a disciple becoming the master and the master becoming disciple was always interesting to me. I'm always interested in coming-of-age stories or rites-of-passage stories, baptism under fire."
Frankenstein begins shooting in May in Toronto. Nispel is beginning to cast the project, which will air in the fall. USA Network is owned by Vivendi Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Macdonald Joins Nanny
elly Macdonald told SCI FI Wire that she has joined the cast of Working Title's Nanny McPhee, based on Christianna Brand's out-of-print books in the Nurse Matilda series.
The film tells the story of a magical nanny (Emma Thompson) who uses her powers to teach seven naughty kids their lessons.
"I play the maid of the house, and she is just a lovely character," Macdonald said in an interview. "She's very close to the children, and one of the kids is teaching her to read. She stands by them through thick and thin."
With so many children's fantasies being produced in the wake of the Harry Potter movies, Macdonald said that she feels McPhee has an older sensibility. "It's old school," she said. "It could be set in any time. It's a bit of Mary Poppins, and it's really unusual. I've never read anything like it."
Filming begins in April, with Kirk Jones directing from Emma Thompson's script. Universal Pictures will distribute Nanny McPhee in 2005. Universal is owned by Vivendi Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Muppets Head For Oz
BC is readying a Muppet version of The Wizard of Oz with producers Jim Henson Productions and Fox TV Studios, Variety reported.
The TV movie would likely be the first major production to emerge from Disney's deal to take control of the Muppets brand and characters, though the project was actually in the works long before the February sale was announced, the trade paper reported.
Debra Frank and Steven Hayes are writing a script, which will feature familiar Muppet characters retelling the classic Wizard of Oz story. It's possible the movie will include a human character as well, most likely Dorothy, insiders told the trade paper.
The movie will be based on the original L. Frank Baum novel The Wizard of Oz and not on the classic 1939 MGM musical.
Tilly Spawns Seed Of Chucky
ennifer Tilly, who stars in the upcoming horror film Seed of Chucky, told SCI FI Wire that the sequel is a movie-within-a-movie, in which she plays herself as well as her character from the previous Chucky installment.
Tilly said in an interview that she recorded the voice of the murderous doll Tiffany and even improvised some tongue-in-cheek remarks about her own career.
"I have Tiffany say, 'I think Miss Tilly's career is very underrated,'" Tilly said in an interview. "'I saw her in this movie where she played an Eskimo ... and she looked really cold. She's a really good actress.' And then there's another where I say, 'I think with playing me in Bride of Chucky, she's finally going to get that Oscar recognition that she deserves.'"
Tilly even mocked her own weight problems. In one scene, the dolls struggle to drag the unconscious bodies of Tilly and her boyfriend. "They're huffing and puffing, and Chucky goes, 'This is the worst part about being a doll, when you have to move the body.' And I go, 'What the f--k are you complaining about? I've got the fat one.'"
To distinguish the two characters, Tilly altered her speaking voice for the doll. "I made Tiffany have a little more of a dolly voice, like a baby doll voice, and then I have Jennifer do more of a deeper, movie-star voice."
Seed of Chucky is in production in Romania under Focus Features. Focus Features is owned by Vivendi Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Chucky 5 Starts Shooting
ip-hop star Redman, filmmaker John Waters and Lord of the Rings actor Billy Boyd have signed onto Seed of Chucky, the fifth installment in the Chucky horror film series, Variety reported.
The sequel started production March 15 in Romania for Focus Features, the trade paper reported.
Boyd will voice the character of Glen, the orphan doll offspring of Chucky (Brad Dourif) and his twisted bride Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), the trade paper reported. Redman co-stars as a rapper-turned-director and Waters as a sleazy tabloid paparazzo.
Don Mancini, franchise creator and writer of all five films, is directing, the trade paper reported. Focus Features is owned by Vivendi Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Roven Talks Grimm, Omens
roducer Charles Roven told SCI FI Wire that Terry Gilliam's upcoming fantasy film Brothers Grimm is about a third of the way through post-production and will showcase the quirky director's talents.
"What I've seen of the movie so far, I think it's a Terry Gilliam movie through and through, but the best of Terry Gilliam," Roven said in an interview. "I think that Matt Damon and Heath Ledger work spectacularly together."
The movie stars Damon and Ledger as the fairy-tale-spinning brothers in a fictionalized story about their adventures in medieval Europe. "And ... quite frankly, I couldn't think of a better project that could be blended for Terry's talents," Roven said. "We're going through the process ourselves. But right now, I'm feeling very positive." Brothers Grimm is slated for a November release.
But Roven was less upbeat about a proposed movie based on Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's satirical religous novel Good Omens, which Gilliam was also contemplating helming. "It's only fallen to the side in terms of the inertia it has right now," Roven said.
Controversy surrounding the release of the similarly themed Dogma has spooked distributors who may have considered picking up the project, Roven said. "While there were American distributors interested in distributing [Good Omens], they were not interested in guaranteeing enough money, so we couldn't put the economic package together, that's all," Roven said.
Meanwhile, Roven said that Gilliam remains committed to making The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, which he had to abandon in mid-production after a key actor fell ill. "I think the next movie Terry Gilliam wants to make, if he can, is The Man Who Killed Don Quixote," Roven said. "It's clouded with rights issues and everything, but if he could figure out a way to make it, he'd make it."
Muniz Earns His Stripes
rankie Muniz, who voices a talking zebra in the upcoming fantasy film Racing Stripes, told SCI FI Wire that he recorded all his dialogue twice.
"One day I did all of my dialogue for the movie, and they put it on tape," Muniz said in an interview. "When they filmed it in South Africa with the rest of the actors, they had my voice ... they could act with. Now that the movie's completely done filming and they've edited it and are getting everything finished, I had to go in to watch the movie and resay my lines to make it match up better with the zebra."
Muniz plays Stripes, a zebra who wants to be a racehorse. He said the directors were interested in his natural voice. "They didn't want me to change my voice or be wacky," he said. "They just wanted me to be Frankie Muniz in a zebra's body. So I just was me. I didn't really get to play around with anything that much." Warner Brothers will release Racing Stripes in 2005.
Alexander, Martin In Carol
ason Alexander is in talks and Jesse L. Martin is set to co-star opposite Kelsey Grammer in NBC's A Christmas Carol, a musical based on the stage production at Madison Square Garden, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Director Arthur Allan Seidelman will helm the Hallmark Entertainment-produced take on the classic Charles Dickens tale, which stars Grammer as Ebenezer Scrooge, the trade paper reported.
Alexander will play Scrooge's dead business partner, Marley, whose ghost visits Scrooge on Christmas Eve. Martin will play the Ghost of Christmas Present, the trade paper reported.
Filming on the project, executive produced by Robert Halmi Sr., is scheduled to begin in June in Budapest, Hungary, for a November premiere.
Fantasy XI Launches
quare Enix announced that its upcoming Final Fantasy XI will launch in North America March 23 on the PlayStation 2.
The internal hard-disk drive for the PlayStation 2 will come with the video game title preinstalled and will retail for $99, the company said. Users can play their existing characters on either a PC or the PlayStation 2, the company added.
Square will host a special event at the PlayStation store in San Francisco on the evening of March 22 to commemorate the launch.
Briefly Noted
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A new full trailer has gone up on the Web for the upcoming Hugh Jackman monster movie Van Helsing, which opens May 7.
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Actress Mercedes McCambridge, who secured a place in movie history for voicing the demon child in 1973's The Exorcist, died March 2 at 87, the Associated Press reported. The actress died at an assisted-living facility of natural causes.
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Creature designer Patrick Tatopoulos told the Moviehole Web site that the on-again off-again Superman movie may be on again. "My best friend called me two days ago and said Superman is on," he told the site.
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Emmanuel Lewis guest stars on an upcoming episode of SCI FI Channel's original series Tripping the Rift, which airs Thursdays at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. Lewis will play himself in an episode tentatively slated for April 1.
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Jared Padalecki will join the cast of the upcoming House of Wax, which will be directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Dark Castle Entertainment remake of the 1953 classic horror film starts shooting in May in Australia for Warner Brothers and Village Roadshow Pictures.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King saw its international box-office gross hit $700.2 million on March 17, becoming the second film to cross that threshold after Titanic, Variety reported. New Line reported King's global tally at $1.072 billion so far.
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Disney Channel has green-lighted Disney's Brandy & Mr. Whiskers, a new cartoon series from Walt Disney Animation that will join its schedule in August, about a poodle and a rabbit stuck in the Amazon rain forest, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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A third Mortal Kombat feature still might happen, despite recent rumors to the contrary, according to the Dark Horizons Web site. The site added that Christopher Lambert and others are apparently still attached to the project.
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Tuesday's debut of the CBS futuristic legal drama Century City was trounced by American Idol, according to Variety. The trade paper added that only 8.86 million viewers in the 18-49 demographic tuned in, making Century City the network's lowest-ranking premiere in the last five years.
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Former Star Trek: Voyager star Jeri Ryan is in final negotiations to join Kim Delaney in a CBS pilot entitled Sudbury, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Ryan and Delaney would plays sisters, both witches, in the drama.
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ComingSoon.net has posted a behind-the-scenes video of the making of The Grudge, featuring stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jason Behr and director Takashi Shimizu. The Grudge, based on the hit Japanese film Ju-On and its sequels, is slated for release in the fall.
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Dark Horizons reported a rumor that Paramount wants George Clooney to lead the cast of its proposed remake of Pet Sematary, playing the role of Dr. Creed. No one has officially signed for the movie, based on Stephen King's novel.
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New Line has bumped the release date of David Goyer's upcoming Blade: Trinity to Dec. 10 from Aug. 13.
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The premiere of Fox's Wonderfalls placed fourth in its March 12 debut, earning a 2.0 rating among adults aged 18-49 and a total audience of 4.8 million viewers, Variety reported. The show scored better among younger viewers, finishing in a virtual three-way tie with ABC and CBS for the hour's lead-in viewers aged 12-34.
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