More Shrek Sequels Coming
ust one day after Shrek 2 set records at the box office, Dreamworks has announced that it will move forward with a third and a fourth installment in the franchise centering around the not-so-jolly green ogre, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Ann Daly, head of Dreamworks Animation, told the trade paper that the studio will take the films one at a time and is in final talks with the principal voice actors to return for two more films.
The well-reviewed Shrek 2 exceeded all expectations its opening weekend, taking in a record $129 million in five days and earning a three-day total of $108 million, second only to Spider-Man's tally of $114.8 million in 2002. "It wasn't really advisable to start working on three and four until we knew that we actually had something in two," Daly said. "And certainly this weekend confirmed that we do."
Shrek 2 Is Number One
hrek 2 broke records this weekend at the box office, taking in an estimated $125.4 million during its first five days in release beginning May 19, the Hollywood trade papers reported.
The previous record for a Wednesday opening was set last December by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King with $124.1 million.
Shrek 2 also made history on Saturday, earning the most box office sales in one day with about $44.8 million, besting Spider-Man's one-day total of $43.6 million. The opening weekend gross for Shrek 2, which debuted on a record 4,163 screens, is the best so far this year, the trade papers reported. The first Shrek, which opened in May of 2001, earned $42.4 million in its first weekend, and went on to earn $267.7 million domestically.
The monster thriller Van Helsing, meanwhile, slipped to number three this weekend with $10.1 million, for an estimated total of $100.2 million overall. The Jennifer Garner fantasy-comedy 13 Going on 30 also dropped one place to seventh with about $2.5 million, for a tally of $52 million during its five weeks in release.
Emmerich Weathered Day F/X
oland Emmerich, the writer and director of the SF disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow, told SCI FI Wire that shooting the flooding of New York presented him with his biggest challenge.
"Well, there's like a rule in Hollywood: Stay away from water and stay away from snow. And I had both," Emmerich said in an interview. "I was quite nervous about it, but actually it worked pretty well, and the shooting went really well."
Emmerich chose to shoot many of the flooding and snow scenes with real effects on soundstages. For the flooding of Manhattan, he had stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Emmy Rossum running in a tank of water that held several blocks of a mocked-up Manhattan inside a warehouse in Montreal. "The tank scenes and maybe the blizzards [were the most complicated scenes to shoot]," he said. "Blizzards are very, very hard to shoot, because they're uncomfortable. The crew hates them. The actors hate them. I hate them, because ... they sometimes look really fake, and then you have to do them again. It's just really no joy to shoot like a blizzard."
For the blizzard scenes, stagehands blew shredded paper into fans to simulate blowing snow. Later, the scenes were enhanced with computer-generated visual effects to create the illusion of a massive storm surge flowing into New York, or a vista of a snow-encrusted Statue of Liberty. The level of visual effects surpasses those Emmerich was able to achieve in his earlier films such as Independence Day, he said. "Visual effects [are] constantly developing, and the good news is you can do more," he said. "The good news is you can pretty much do everything now. The bad news is it's all done on computers, so you're dealing with a lot of people ... sitting on the box all day and doing stuff. And it's very hard. [You] somewhat like [to] guide these people in the direction you would like to have the shot. ... That's very frustrating. It's not really there yet." Initial passes at the visual effects for the movie didn't work, necessitating do-overs and hiring extra F/X help, he added.
"There were a couple of shots we had to cut out, because we couldn't make them in time," Emmerich added. "If we could have done them in time, we would have liked one or two more months. But, because these shots were kind of not created in weeks, they were created over months—some over more than a year— ... certain shots where you realize ... [you have] three or four weeks before you have to deliver the movie, and they still look sh--ty. The first thing that you do is that you strive to cut it out. And ... there were, like, five or six shots, and three of them I could cut out. So I then worked ... not on six shots, but on three shots for the rest of the time, and brought them up to the standard of the rest." The Day After Tomorrow opened May 28.
Rossum Drenched In Day
mmy Rossum, who co-stars as Jake Gyllenhaal's love interest in the SF disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow, told SCI FI Wire that she shot the movie while shuttling back and forth to Montreal from the set of Clint Eastwood's Mystic River, in which she had a small part.
Rossum, a 17-year-old actress and veteran of both the Metropolitan Opera and independent films, added that this marked her first big Hollywood epic.
Day was "definitely different than anything I'd done before," Rossum said in an interview. "I mean, I came out of a much smaller, more independent, character-driven movie tradition. Then to go onto something like this [was] a complete 180."
Rossum added, "Working with Clint was so much different, because it was very intimate and very quiet and very character-driven and very personal and one on one. And then the next day I'd fly, and be on [director] Roland [Emmerich's] set, and he'd built four blocks of New York City in a Montreal warehouse, put taxis and buses in it [and] flooded it. There was pounding rain coming from the ceiling. Roland was directing us from a [megaphone], his voice ... coming out of speakers like God. It was like, you know, it was the most bizarre experience I'd ever been on, but in a sense it was almost like being back at the opera for me. Because it was like a big spectacle."
In Day, which depicts the catastrophic consequences of global warming, Rossum plays Laura, a high-school student trapped with Gyllenhaal's Sam in New York as it faces inundation by an immense tidal surge. To film a scene in which the students flee a wall of water bearing down on them on city streets, Rossum performed in a giant tank for two and a half weeks. "It was definitely wet and cold, and we were shivering a lot of the time," she said. "But, you know, there's so much adrenaline behind it, and it was so important to me that, coming out of that small-film tradition, to see if I could bring that commitment to honesty and intimacy, at least within this love story, with Jake’s character. You know, that sense of honesty and that commitment to a bigger film, and see if I could do that." Day After Tomorrow opened May 28.
Gyllenhaal Chills In Day
ake Gyllenhaal, who co-stars with Dennis Quaid in the SF disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow, told SCI FI Wire that he had to unlearn his independent-movie acting style in order to perform in his first big Hollywood visual-effects movie.
"Yeah, you should have seen me," he said. "I was 'independent-ing' it. I was just like not hitting my marks and just being in the moment and doing whatever I needed to do. And they're like, 'There are 800 extras behind you, dude! You got to, like, get down here.' And [director] Roland [Emmerich is] like, 'And there's like an enormous wave that I'm figuring out, so you need to be in the blue screen and not on the other [side].'"
Still, Gyllenhaal said that the biggest challenge was finding the truth in his character and not the big special-effects scenes, such as one in which he had to perform in a giant tank filled with water that stood for the flooded streets of New York. "The most challenging for me was making scenes that I think have very little subtext have some reality to them," said the actor, who is best known for small films such as Donnie Darko. "You know, you have to get so much information in such a short period of time that ... making something seem like you're actually saying it, and it's not some plot device, ... was really hard for me. ... Sitting in a tank with 700 extras going to the bathroom in it, and then, you know, ... reusing that water to then shoot another scene where you're drowning in water is disgusting. And it's hard. But it's not as hard as trying to make, like, 'He will come' work. That's really hard."
Co-star Quaid, who plays Gyllenhaal's father in the epic movie, had some other advice for the young actor. "I was really gung ho at the beginning of the movie, like ... trying to make the relationship really poignant, you know?" Gyllenhaal said. "I remember Dennis kind of sitting me down one day and being like, 'You got to chill out. It's an action movie.'" The Day After Tomorrow, about the catastrophic consequences of global warming, opened May 28.
New Darko Thrills Malone
ena Malone, who co-starred in 2001's cult SF movie Donnie Darko, told SCI FI Wire she was thrilled to learn that Newmarket Films plans to re-release it.
"It's so awesome for the director," Malone said in an interview, referring to writer-director Richard Kelly. "Richard was so passionate about the story."
An SF/fantasy/drama, Donnie Darko followed the title character, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who is a sleepwalking teenager who experiences visions of Frank, a giant and sinister rabbit. Frank foretells the world's imminent demise and compels Donnie to commit evil acts. Malone, who played the young version of Jodie Foster's character in Contact, co-starred in Donnie Darko as Donnie's girlfriend, Gretchen.
The film did little business upon its release in 2001, but later became a popular and profitable DVD title.
The DVD included nearly two dozen deleted or extra scenes. Some of those scenes will be edited back into a director's cut that will premiere on May 29 at the Seattle International Film Festival. Newmarket will then
platform release Donnie Darko in other markets around the country.
"Richard basically wrote and shot the script," Malone said. "Everything that was in the script needed to be
in there. And it was really heartbreaking for him that he needed to take 20 percent of it out to get the
film an initial release. He had to get it under two hours. I think the re-release is because of what it's
become, this cult film with such a built-in fan base. It's exciting for Richard, because he can say, 'OK,
this is the film that I wanted to make and that I wanted to show you guys.' It's really beautiful."
New Potter Hits NY
arry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third film based on the popular book series by J.K. Rowling, had its world premiere before an estimated audience of 6,000 fans at New York City's Radio Music Hall on May 23, Reuters reported.
The latest tale of the famous boy wizard drew crowds eight deep on the sidewalk outside the theater, as fans vied for a glimpse of Daniel Radcliffe, the 14-year-old actor who plays Harry, and his co-stars, Emma Watson (Hermione) and Rupert Grint (Ron), the wire service reported.
After seeing the film, audience members gave mixed reviews. Some were confused at the lack of exposition and felt the story was rushed. Others enjoyed the special effects and appreciated the realism infused by new director Alfonso Cuaron (Y Tu Mama Tambien). The movie will have its European premiere next weekend in London and will open around the world on June 4, the wire service reported.
Potter Stars Predict Fates
aniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, who star in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, made some dark predictions about where their characters would be going in the last two books of the series written J.K. Rowling, Reuters reported.
"People are going to hate me for saying this but I've always had the suspicion that Harry might die," Radcliffe said during a press conference to promote the film. "Harry and [his arch-nemesis] Voldemort have got the same core in them, which you see in the fourth book. The only way Voldemort could die is if Harry dies as well."
Grint, who plays Harry's best friend, Ron Weasley, also saw his character taking a turn for the worse. "I'd like him to turn a bit evil," Grint said. "I've always wanted to play an evil person."
The one uplifting prediction came from Emma Watson, who had high hopes for her character, Hermione Granger. "I hope she ends up doing something she loves," she said. "Maybe with Ron if that makes her happy." Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which is based on the third book in the series, opens June 4.
Coltrane Praises Cuaron
obbie Coltrane, who plays the hulking Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, told SCI FI Wire that he enjoyed working with Alfonso Cuaron, director of the upcoming third film in the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
"A nightmare," Coltrane joked in an interview. "Dreadful. No sense of humor. I don't know how he got the job. He must have slept with somebody."
Coltrane then stopped joking and added, "No, I adore him. I think he's a wonderfully talented man. He's exactly the way I expected him to be, having seen his other films: slightly wild and crazy, rock and roll and adolescent, but phenomenally focused about what he wants to do."
Cuaron assumed the directorial reins from Chris Columbus, who realized the first two films based on the best-selling J.K. Rowling books Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Coltrane explained that he prefers not to compare and contrast the filmmakers. "I don't want to dis anybody or say anyone is better than anyone else," the actor said. "Every film is a year in the life of the children [Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint]. This film had to be darker and more rock and roll and immediate. A big-budget movie, if you're not careful, is a cumbersome beast. It's hard to keep a level of agility and vitality going. [Cuaron] kept the camera moving all the time, which the [visual-effects] people so hate. It's mind-blowing, complicated stuff." Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban opens June 4.
Heyman: Potter Alive And Well
avid Heyman, producer of the Harry Potter film series, told SCI FI Wire that he believes the franchise remains a force to be reckoned with.
"It's hard to tell, but in terms of the books, the books are selling every bit as well" as ever, he said in an interview. "The fifth book [Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix] did incredibly well. I think that it sold 12 million copies in the U.S. in the first couple of weeks, the first two weeks."
Heyman added that the turnout at the New York City premiere of the third film in the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, on May 23 also greatly encouraged him. "Judging by the response outside of Radio City Music Hall, it was alive and well," Heyman said. "It was amazing. So it's hard to tell. I hope that it's alive and well. I think that it is. You see and hear the enthusiasm from friends second-hand and third-hand. I see the response of the fans in the street [at the premiere], and so it seems pretty good."
Heyman is already deep into work on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the next movie in the franchise, based on the fourth book in J.K. Rowling's series about a teen wizard and his experiences at a school of wizardry and witchcraft. Asked what aspect of Goblet of Fire he was most excited to see realized on-screen, Heyman replied, "Well, there's a lot involved. I look forward to the 'three tasks,' and I'm particularly looking forward to the 'unexpected task.' I think that this is a film where boys and girls begin to interact in a much more concrete way. I'm looking forward to seeing that come to life. I think that it'll be a really funny film. I think that it'll also work as a thriller, because it is a thriller. And Lord Voldemort is back." Prisoner of Azkaban opens June 4. Warner Brothers is targeting a Nov. 18, 2005, release date for Goblet of Fire.
Columbus Relinquishes Potter
hris Columbus, who directed the first two Harry Potter movies, told SCI FI Wire that he's not disturbed at all to hear that director Alfonso Cuaron's upcoming Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is being called the best film yet in the series.
"Well, no, because then you're really into it for a whole other reason, as opposed to just wanting to make really great films," Columbus said in an interview. "The desire was to just survive the making of Sorcerer's Stone and put the world together and a cast and create the whole world." Columbus produced Prisoner of Azkaban and had a hand in selecting Cuaron to helm.
Columbus added, "The second film [Chamber of Secrets] was a whole lot more fun to make. The kids [Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint] were better as actors. So they were able to get through a couple of lines. Not an entire sequence, but a couple of lines and almost one shot. Then, to see them graduate to this film, it's a wonderful thing. You see these kids doing an entire scene in one shot and you realize, 'My God, they've actually come this far. They're actually professional actors.' So it's a real sense of pride. I love the visual look of the movie. I love the visual style. I love that we improved the visual effects. It was always our goal to make a better film each time out. So had we done anything less, I'd have felt that we hadn't succeeded."
Prisoner of Azkaban marks Columbus' Potter swan song for the moment. Though he's open to directing another Harry Potter film down the line, he is not producing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the upcoming fourth installment, which is in production now in England, with Mike Newell directing. Instead, Columbus is attached to direct a feature version of the Broadway show Rent and will co-produce a big-screen adaptation of The Fantastic Four. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, based on the third of J.K. Rowling's best-selling books, will be released June 4.
New Potter Cast Announced
rendan Gleeson, who can currently be seen on the big screen as King Menelaus in Troy, and British sitcom star Frances de la Tour have been added to the cast of the upcoming sequel film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, according to BBC Newsround.
Gleeson will play Harry's latest defense against the dark arts teacher, Mad-Eye Moody, while de la Tour has landed the role of Madame Maxine, headmistress of French wizardry school Beauxbatons.
Gleeson, who also appears in the upcoming M. Night Shyamalan thriller The Village, previously worked with Potter star Daniel Radcliffe in the 2001 film The Tailor of Panama. De la Tour is best known for playing Miss Ruth Jones in the 1970s britcom Rising Damp and the film based on it. Goblet of Fire, based on the fourth book in the popular Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, is currently filming in the U.K. for release in 2005.
Rowling Talks Potter VI
arry Potter author J.K. Rowling has hidden hints about her upcoming sixth Potter novel among the games and information on her newly revamped official Web site.
"Book six is well underway, hooray, though I am still at the stage where I have a large and complicated chart propped on the desk in front of me to remind me what happens where, how, to whom and which bits of crucial information need to be slipped into which innocent-looking chapters," Rowling writes on the site.
"I started writing Harry Potter Six before my son, David (who has just turned one), was born, but then took a bit of a break during the serious sleep-deprivation phase of his babyhood," Rowling added. "I am really enjoying writing this book, though for the first time I am conscious that I am approaching the end of the series. So much of what happens in book six relates to book seven that I feel almost as though they are two halves of the same novel. Regular visitors to this site will find information about what's in book six if they can work out where to look. Patience is the key."
Cuaron Mulls SF Film
exican-born director Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) told SCI FI Wire that his next film might very well be a science fiction movie, Children of Men.
"That's a big possibility," Cuaron said in an interview. "I need to see what happens at the end of this [Azkaban] process. I would love to do that."
Cuaron added that he would also write Children of Men. "It's not really science-fiction," he said. "It's the world 30 years from now, [a time] in which for 18 years no human child has been born, for unknown reasons. Civilizations are falling apart. England is the last remaining civilization as we know it, because it's an island that's insulated itself from Europe, which is in civil wars and complete pandemonium. So the story takes place in that context. It's a story about hope and faith."
Cuaron's upcoming Harry Potter and the Prison of Azkaban, based on the third of J.K. Rowling's best-selling Potter books, opens June 4.
Riddick's Diesel Wooed Dench
in Diesel, who reprises his most famous role in the upcoming SF epic film The Chronicles of Riddick, told SCI FI Wire that he personally lobbied to get Judi Dench to take a role in the movie, an unorthodox choice for her.
"I flew out to London and I saw a stage performance that she did with another lovely actress named Maggie Smith," Diesel said in an interview. "And I started courting her. Just begged and pleaded and said, 'You know, this character was written for you, and you are this character. This is how we want to play.' And she was so into it."
Diesel, a fan of Dungeons & Dragons and other fantasy stories, found a kindred spirit in the esteemed British actress. "In Vancouver [where Riddick was shot], we would have dinner together and, like two kids playing in this whole universe, [we'd] talk about different [things]," Diesel said. "I mean, she's just remarkable. No one would ever expect that [she] and I would have a conversation that is so fantasy-based. A conversation you might have had with a friend after watching Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings, you know what I mean? ... Really, really, really cool."
Diesel, who also acts as a producer on Riddick, said that he went so far as to make the casting of Dench as the "air elemental" Aeron a top priority. "I mean, ... I couldn't imagine anyone [else] being [cast] until Judi Dench was," he said. "I kind of made that a point. It was very, very important to me to have Judi Dench play the role of Aereon." He added, "She is a fan of [SF&F]. ... I mean, she hasn't spent her life playing Dungeons & Dragons, but you know, theater is, at the core, mythology-based. We can go through the numerous Shakespeare [plays]. ... It just goes on forever, the mythological references thematically in many of the plays and stuff that she's been doing forever."
Diesel added that his only regret was that he wasn't able to get Dench involved in a game of his beloved D&D. "Like I said, she doesn't play Dungeons & Dragons, and she doesn't necessarily play video games. But she's intrigued." Did he try to get her to play? "Almost," he said. "If it was up to me, I would have." The Chronicles of Riddick, the follow-up movie to Pitch Black, opens June 11.
The Chronicles of Riddick is distributed by Universal Pictures, which is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Hitchhiker's In Good Hands
arey Kirkpatrick, who is writing the big-screen adaptation of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, recently posted an interview on the film's official Web site with himself.
"So we're six weeks into filming Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the powers that be (PTB) thought it would be a good idea to kick it off with an interview with me, the screenwriter," Kirkpatrick wrote. "Since that is, after all, where this incarnation of the film started."
Kirkpatrick, whose previous work includes the CGI-animated film Chicken Run, wrote that he decided to interview himself because he would ask harder questions and because no one has asked to interview him. The interview which follows includes questions such as "Who the H*#&! [sic] are you and what gives you the right to muck around with this treasured piece of literature, you American Hollywood hack?" and "What gives you the right to decide what stays and what goes, you formulaic, chicken-writing BAS%*(&*! [sic]?" Kirkpatrick admits that he never read the book before being asked to adapt it into a film, but insists that the film is in good hands "from the top down."
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, directed by Garth Jennings, stars Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent, Zooey Deschanel as Trillian, Mos Def as Ford Prefect and Sam Rockwell as Zaphod Beeblebrox. Filming is currently underway in London for release in June of 2005.
Ford Returning To Space
arrison Ford will be going back into outer space for Godspeed, an upcoming SF thriller under the guidance of James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment, Variety reported.
Cameron will produce the film, which was written by Ryne Douglas Pearson (Mercury Rising). The project does not yet have a director or a studio.
Godspeed takes place on an international space station, where a life-threatening situation develops that could kill all the inhabitants on board, Variety reported. The film is scheduled to begin production in the fall. Ford was initially planning to reprise his starring role in the fourth Indiana Jones film this year, but the project has been delayed pending approval of the script, Variety reported.
Tippett Talks Troopers 2
hil Tippett, who makes his directorial debut on the direct-to-video sequel Starship Troopers 2, told SCI FI Wire that he didn't have a difficult time making the transition from the world of visual effects.
"I certainly understood all the production processes because of my day job as a visual-effects supervisor," said Tippett in an interview. "I was usually one of the first people hired that would work out a lot of the logistical things with the writers and directors. And of course, you have to deal with every department very intimately."
Tippett, whose previous work in visual effects includes the original Star Wars trilogy, Jurassic Park and the first Starship Troopers, said it was his work on the latter film that landed him his first directing job. "I've been looking for a project to direct for a number of years, and this is the first thing that came up," he said. "[Tippett Studio] did all the bugs in the first Starship Troopers. That was kind of their rationale for letting me do this."
The film centers around a squad of troopers trapped inside a remote outpost on a bug world called Planet Zulu. Tippett said the idea for the story came out of financial concerns more than anything else. "Realistically, we had to design a picture that would fit within that budgetary limitation," he said. "So it was really a design problem, how to get the Starship Troopers world, that world of expectations, in the tiny little space we had. So a great deal of effort went into that, working out the logistics of that."
The solution inspired the filmmakers to create of a new kind of enemy bug, which was much more economical in terms of the special effects. "The bugs come up with a new weapon, which is a saboteur that is able to sneak in amongst the troopers," Tippett said. "If Starship Troopers was Aliens, then ours is more like Alien. It's much more of a [haunted house] kind of a picture." Starship Troopers 2 will be released on DVD June 1.
Marvel, Sony Call Truce
year after Marvel Enterprises filed a $50 million suit against Sony Pictures, claiming Sony had hijacked Spider-Man by doing everything in its power to dissociate Marvel from the webbed hero in the minds of retailers, the two companies have made up, Variety reported.
The two companies issued a joint statement May 27, saying they had "amicably resolved their pending court disputes," the trade paper reported.
The agreement follows in the wake of a series of lawsuits between the two companies concerning contract renegotiations, video-game licenses and merchandise royalties. A Sony spokeswoman said all cases were included in the resolution, though no details were offered in the statement.
The statement also stressed Marvel and Sony's collaboration on upcoming film projects such as Ghost Rider, Luke Cage and future Spider-Man sequels, all of which are based on Marvel Comics characters, the trade paper reported.
Marvel Gets New Imprint
arvel Enterprises announced that it will begin publishing prose novels featuring its comic-book heroes as characters.
Marvel Press will publish its first book next month, a sequel to last year's young-adult novel Mary Jane, which featured Spider-Man's love interest, the company announced.
The new division will release titles aimed at three separate markets: grade school, young adult and adult. In addition to the second Mary Jane novel, the company will release two more books later this year. One featuring the X-Men character Wolverine is slated for October, while a Spider-Man novel aimed at middle-school readers and will be published in November. After that, Marvel Press has plans to publish a minimum of 12 novels next year, the company said.
Marvel Conjures DVD Deal
arvel Enterprises announced that it has struck a deal with Lions Gate Entertainment to develop, produce and distribute original, animated direct-to-DVD features based on characters within the Marvel universe.
Under the terms of the arrangement, Marvel and Lions Gate plan to commence production immediately on eight original animated projects, with the first title expected to be released by Lions Gate in late 2005, the company said.
Lions Gate will provide Marvel with licensing fees for character rights and fund all of the development, production, distribution and marketing for each title. Marvel will spearhead creative development and production. This isn't the first collaborative effort between the two companies, which co-produced the recent theatrical film The Punisher. A sequel to that film is also in the works, along with films based on two more Marvel properties, Iron Fist and Black Widow.
Hall Back In The Zone
nthony Michael Hall, who stars as psychic Johnny Smith in the USA Network series The Dead Zone, told SCI FI Wire that the third season will feature bigger themes and more multi-episode story arcs.
"We feel strongly about doing serialized shows, whether it be about a death or a murder or a kidnapping," Smith said in a recent interview. "And I think that's a lot to latch onto as a group of actors. It's helpful for us, too. It's much easier to make something like that plausible and believable, to kind of latch onto that."
Hall said the goal of season three is to expand on the visual and narrative elements established in the first two seasons and to appeal to an even wider audience. "We're in our third season and what matters to me is the evolution itself," Hall said. "Just making it more cinematic, making it more intense and more visually dynamic, everything we can. And that includes, with the support of the network, bringing in name actors."
Two of those actors include Frank Whaley and Sean Patrick Flanery, who will become recurring cast members this season. Whaley plays a mysterious figure from the future who shares Johnny's psychic abilities, while Flanery plays politician Greg Stillson, a character originated in the Stephen King book on which the series is based. "[Whaley's] character kind of alludes to the future and the Stillson storyline," Hall said. "[He] is kind of goading me forward to kind of meet my fate and deal with the Stillson thing and the idea that Stillson will eventually lead to this incredibly corrupt political figure, even more powerful than he is now as he's running for Congress."
This season, Hall will expand his credits from actor and executive producer to director as well. In the episode, titled The Cold Hard Truth, Richard Lewis plays a DJ haunted by a tragedy in his past. Although it was filmed first to allow Hall preparation time, the episode won't air until later in the season. Hall said he was pleased with how his first television directing effort turned out. "I'm proud of it," Hall said. "I think it has a real emotional impact, where it'll be less busy in terms of the look of the show, and technically it really hits the heart and has a real emotion to it."
The Dead Zone starts its third season Sunday, June 6, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. USA Networks is owned NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Disney Goes Sky High
ichael Angarano, who played the junior version of Tobey Maguire's character in Seabiscuit, will star in the Disney comedy Sky High, which centers on a high school for super-powered teens in a world where superheroes are an everyday occurrence, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The story follows Jeremy, the son of superheroes Commander Stronghold and Jetstream, and his attempts to become a regular teenager and a possible future hero, the trade paper reported. Mike Mitchell (Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo) is directing the film, which begins production Aug. 20 in Los Angeles.
Is Fraser Fantastic?
GN Film Force reported a rumor that Brendan Fraser may take on the role of Mr. Fantastic in the upcoming Fantastic Four feature film based on the Marvel comic-book series.
A source close to the production told the site that Fraser is in the running to play elastic hero Reed Richards, although no official casting has taken place.
Several other actors have been rumored to be attached to the project, including Michael Chiklis (The Shield) as The Thing, Paul Walker (The Fast and the Furious) as Johnny Storm and Tim Robbins as the villainous Dr. Doom. Barbershop director Tim Story will helm the film based on a script by Mark Frost (Twin Peaks). Fantastic Four begins shooting in Vancouver, B.C., in August for release in the summer of 2005.
Turner Stakes Out Blade 3
urner Broadcasting has struck a deal with New Line Cinema to acquire the exclusive first-run, basic-cable rights to Blade: Trinity for its cable channels TBS and TNT, months before the film's theatrical opening in December, Variety reported.
The licensing fee will be tied into the box office gross of the film, the paper said.
Wesley Snipes will return for the third installment of the popular franchise based on a Marvel comic book about a half-vampire, half-human warrior. The original Blade earned $70 million at the box office in 1998. Blade II followed in 2002 and bested that total by 17 percent with $81.6 million. Blade: Trinity also stars Kris Kristofferson, Jessica Biel and Parker Posey.
Mythopoeic Finalists Named
rganizers announced the finalists for the 2004 Mythopoeic Awards, honoring fantasy literature published in 2004.
Winners will be announced at Mythcon XXXV, to be held in Ann Arbor, Mich., July 30-Aug. 2. A full list of finalists follows.
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, Adult Literature
•Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
•Fudoki by Kij Johnson
•Changing Planes by Ursula K. Le Guin
•In the Forests of Serre by Patricia A. McKillip
•Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, Children's Literature
•The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
•The Hollow Kingdom by Clare Dunkle
•Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
•The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
•The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
Mythopoeic Scholarship Award for Inklings Studies
•Tolkien the Medievalist, edited by Jane Chance
•Following Gandalf: Epic Battles and Moral Victory in The Lord of the Rings by Matthew Dickerson
•Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth by John Garth
•C.S. Lewis, Poet: The Legacy of His Poetic Impulse by Don W. King
Mythopoeic Scholarship Award for Myth and Fantasy Studies
•Algernon Blackwood: An Extraordinary Life by Mike Ashley
•A Charmed Life: The Spirituality of Potterworld by Francis Bridger
•Vampire Legends in Contemporary American Culture: What Becomes a Legend Most by William Patrick Day
•The Myth of the American Superhero by John Lawrence & Robert Jewett
•Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit: A Children's Classic at 100 edited by Margaret Mackey
•National Dreams: The Remaking of Fairy Tales in Nineteenth-Century England by Jennifer Schacker
Dark Director Materializes
hris Weitz, co-director of American Pie and About a Boy, is in talks with New Line Cinema to direct the film version of His Dark Materials, the first installment in Philip Pullman's celebrated children's fantasy trilogy, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The books revolve around two children who live in parallel worlds surrounded by a cast of shape-shifting creatures. Described as darker in tone than the Harry Potter books, the series tackles themes of childhood, innocence and sin, and combines magic, science and theology, the trade paper reported. Weitz will also write the screenplay based on an early draft by Tom Stoppard.
Actors Game For Demon
tari announced that Patrick Stewart, Captain Picard of Star Trek and Professor X of X-Men, and Michael Clarke Duncan (Daredevil, The Green Mile) have signed on for major voice roles in the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons-based video game Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone.
Fantasy author R.A. Salvatore has also been tapped to write the storyline for the game, which will include the character of Drizzt Do'Urden from the author's popular Dark Elf trilogy.
According to Atari, Stewart will play Khelban "Blackstaff" Aunsun, "a wizard of legendary power and wisdom," while Duncan has been cast as he evil Slaad Lord Ygorl, the game's main villain. Demon Stone will be developed by Stormfront Studios, creators of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The game will allow players to control a fighter, a sorcerer and a rogue while fighting a wide range of fantasy creatures in the Forgotten Realms universe. It is due out for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox this fall.
Auction Benefits Ill Author
he Horror Writers Association (or HWA) is sponsoring an online auction to benefit legendary writer and editor Charles L. Grant, who has been hospitalized for severe cardio-pulmonary disease and emphysema.
According to a press release issued by the organization, authors Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Peter Straub, Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman and dozens of others have donated items to the auction. Publishers such as Leisure Books, Cemetery Dance, DNA Publications and Night Shade Books have also contributed.
A prolific author of more than 100 novels and short stories, Grant has received several awards for his writing, including the Nebula, Bram Stoker and World Fantasy Awards. He was also honored by the HWA with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work over the past five decades.
The two-part fundraiser is intended to lighten the burden of Grant's substantial medical expenses. The first auction is being held on eBay through May 30. Bidders can find the auction items by searching the eBay User ID "bookwyrm55" or by following this link. The second component is a silent auction to be held June 4-6 at the HWA annual meeting in New York City, where the Bram Stoker Awards will be presented.
Briefly Noted
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The KryptonSite fan Web site is seeking cards and greetings for Lane Smith, one of the stars of the 1990s Superman TV series Lois & Clark, who has been diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease.
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The trailer for the upcoming CGI-animated film The Polar Express, which features the voice of Tom Hanks, will be released in theaters along with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which opens June 4. It will also be available online beginning June 1 in the Daily Prophet section of the official Harry Potter Web site.
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Adam Baldwin, who played Jayne on the canceled Fox TV series Firefly, informed fans on a Firefly message board that Serenity, the feature film based on the series, begins filming June 1.
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ER's Noah Wyle is set to star in the TNT original movie The Librarian, the network announced. Wyle will play the titular character, who is responsible for a massive repository of secret treasures hidden beneath the New York Public Library.
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Eight-year-old Jimmy Bennett has been cast in the leading role in the remake of the haunted-house classic The Amityville Horror, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Bennett will play Chris Lutz, the trouble-making middle child in the Amityville family.
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Jason Hall, senior vice president of Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment, told The Hollywood Reporter that the studio seeks to improve its video-game properties by basing royalty fees on critics' opinions. If a game does not achieve an average rating of 70 percent or more in a review, the publisher will pay a penalty in the form of higher royalties.
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The newly redesigned Batmobile, featured in the upcoming film Batman Begins, will make its first public appearance on June 8 at the Licensing 2004 show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City, Warner Brothers announced.
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Director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) has signed on to helm an adaptation of Rudy Rucker's SF thriller Master of Space and Time. School of Rock star Jack Black is attached to star.
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The Philadelphia Daily News reports that director M. Night Shyamalan has recalled the cast and crew of his latest film, The Village, to Chadds Ford, Pa., to shoot additional footage, possibly for a new ending. The film completed major filming at the location in December.
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Richard Biggs, known to SF fans as Dr. Stephen Franklin on the syndicated television series Babylon 5, passed away at his home on May 22, according to a post by the show's creator, J. Michael Straczynski, on a fan message board. Biggs also recently appeared as a guest star on the SCI FI Channel's original series Tremors. The cause of his death is unknown.
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Game developer Elkware announced that it has signed a licensing deal with Twentieth Century Fox to create games based on the television series The X-Files for mobile gaming platforms.
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NBC has passed on a previously announced television series based on the recent box-office disappointment Van Helsing. According to Variety, the network had originally ordered six episodes of Transylvania from director Stephen Sommers, but did not pick it up for the fall season, citing budgetary concerns as the reason for the decision.
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Variety reports that the producers of the announced (but not-yet-greenlighted) Superman film have brought on special-effects guru Stan Winston to design a new costume for the Man of Steel.
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A poster at the Web log site Strange Interlude has posted several pictures from the set of the upcoming Warner Brothers film Batman Begins, which is currently shooting in London.
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Child actor Freddie Highmore is confirmed to star as Charlie in Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for Warner Brothers, Variety reported. Highmore is featured in the upcoming J.M. Barrie's Neverland.
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