Alias Gets Back To Basics
.J. Abrams, creator of ABC's SF spy drama Alias, told SCI FI Wire that the upcoming fourth season will refocus on Sydney Bristow's (Jennifer Garner) personal life and pick up from last year's cliffhanger, in which Sydney makes a shocking discovery about her father, played by Victor Garber.
"Wait until you see what it is," Abrams said in an interview. "It's ... really cool. ... We won't start in that moment. But what that moment was plays an enormous part in what this year is."
Abrams added, "I can tell you that the show in a way realigns all the characters and their relationships that were in the first season and a half or so," Abrams added in an interview. "And I think that you'll find that you'll get more of a sense of who Sydney is as a real person and less of ... Sydney in the black suit all the time. I mean, I always felt that Sydney at rest was Sydney in jeans and Sydney in sweat pants and hanging out at home. And that we'd see her sort of go to work. ... Season three to me was Sydney at rest ... in her suit, and it just felt like we lost her as a woman first. And I think that's the biggest change."
The fourth season may also feature the return of Will Tippin (Bradley Cooper), who was last seen in the middle of the third season. "We're talking to Bradley right now about coming back, and a couple of other people from the first season, too," Abrams said.
One person who definitely won't be back: Lena Olin, who played Sydney's duplicitous mother, Irina Derevko. "I'm very disappointed about that, too, because ... she's so good," Abrams said. "And at the same time, [she] has no interest in returning. So I'm just depressed about that." But he added that he wouldn't recast the role. "I don't think I could. She's so good. I wouldn't want anyone else to play that part." Alias is currently shooting the third episode of the upcoming fourth season, which begins in January. The third-season DVD box set of Alias, meanwhile, hits store shelves on Sept. 7.
Abrams Waffles On Alias DVDs
.J. Abrams, creator of ABC's Alias, told SCI FI Wire that he's happy about the upcoming third-season DVD box set of the show, despite earlier comments that he thought the show lost its way during the year.
"I ... really look at the show as we all look at the stuff we do, in a hypercritical way," Abrams said at a preview of the DVD set. "I'm incredibly proud of a lot of the work that was done in the season. To me, the biggest problem with the season was I just felt that we went away from the character-first stuff that I love. I just love the specific character interaction."
Abrams added, "I think we made a lot of sort of ... fundamental mistakes up front in terms of what the season would be. So, just for me, ... it wasn't like I wanted. But you can't tell sometimes. You're so in it. You're so in the middle of it. So it wasn't hard to do the special features [for the DVD set]. I was actually really happy. ... There were some really great episodes ... over the course of the year. It's more like in the aggregate I just kind of feel like it didn't live up to my ambition. And at the same time, I'm really proud of it."
The upcoming set will include several special features, including an all-new animated short with a new story about Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) and her missing two years. The DVD also includes From Burbank to Barcelona, a featurette on how the show simulates locations around the world; deleted scenes; a blooper reel; audio commentaries; The Alias Diaries, a documentary about the crew; and fan commentaries.
"This animated piece, ... which really was ... [Buena Vista] Home Entertainment's idea, ... came out of discussions about how cool it would be to do, like, a hidden episode or a lost episode," Abrams said. "But we can barely shoot one episode. So ... it was like, 'Yeah, that would be great. But ... .' And so this animated thing came up. It was beautifully produced. We're ... proud of it." The Alias third-season collection comes out Sept. 7. The fourth season of Alias doesn't hit airwaves until January.
Abrams Admires Darabont's M:I3
.J. Abrams, newly hired to direct the upcoming third Mission: Impossible movie, told SCI FI Wire that he admires Frank Darabont's script for the film and that it's too early to say whether he will rewrite it.
"We're still figuring out what the next step's going to be," Abrams said in an interview at a preview of the upcoming third-season DVD box set of his TV show Alias. Abrams added that Darabont is "one of my favorite writers. He did unbelievable work on that script."
But Abrams said he's looking forward to beginning work on the movie, which will be produced by and star Tom Cruise. "I could not be more excited," he said. "And working on that series is ... sort of a dream for me. ... I am excited. I am so excited. I've been waiting for a long time to find something ... to direct, and that felt like the right thing. I've been lucky enough to be offered a couple of things. Nothing's ever felt right. This is the first time that I just cannot wait to get going. ... The movie won't shoot until next summer."
In the meantime, Abrams is in the middle of shooting the fourth season of ABC's Alias, as well as executive producing the upcoming SF series Lost for the network. "Alias has been in some ways ... good preparation for [M:I3]," he said. "I have to say that to some degree I owe Buena Vista Home Entertainment this job, because I had a meeting with Mr. Cruise, and I gave him the Alias DVDs. He'd never seen the show. And I thought, 'You know, he'll never [watch them].' I got a call a couple of months later. He had watched every episode. And that was sort of the beginning of the discussion. So if it hadn't been for the DVDs, I definitely wouldn't have the job."
NBC Eyes Horror Cable Net?
he Hollywood Reporter ran a story speculating that NBC Universal is mulling a new cable channel devoted to horror-themed programming.
Citing anonymous sources, the trade paper reported that the network would be the first in-house launch since NBC acquired Vivendi Universal Entertainment, which includes USA Network and SCI FI Channel. NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM, declined to comment on the speculation to the trade paper.
NBC Universal now controls Universal Pictures' library of classic horror films and characters, including Dracula, Frankenstein's monster (which USA is reviving for a limited series this year) and the Wolfman.
Stars Again Vie For Superman?
ctor Nathan Marlow (TV's Big Brother) told the Inland Empire Strikes Back Web site that he auditioned for the role of Superman under new director Bryan Singer, along with Josh Hartnett and Jake Gyllenhaal.
If true, it means that Hartnett, who previously turned down the part when McG was in charge, is again interested in the role, possibly because it no longer involves a three-picture deal, the site speculated.
"I auditioned for the role of Superman," Marlow told the site. "You know, it's kind of funny. I went in there, and Jake Gyllenhaal was right in front of me, and Josh Hartnett was coming in after me. I was surrounded by all these A-list actors. But I went in and auditioned for it, and the casting director liked me. But I think that I got to get away from all the reality buzz to be considered for Superman. The casting director is also the same one for X-Men 3, so I'm hoping to maybe get a part in that one."
Marlow added that the audition was recent and it was for Singer, who recently took on the job of helming the off-again, on-again superhero epic.
Smith Backs Off Hornet
riter-director Kevin Smith told SCI FI Wire that he may withdraw from directing the upcoming Green Hornet movie because his last film, Jersey Girl, failed at the box office and shook his confidence in his ability to handle a major movie.
"Right after Jersey Girl came out and kind of underperformed, I was just like, 'I got no business making large-budget movies,'" Smith said in an interview at a preview for the DVD set for his first movie, Clerks. "I should always make movies that cost less than 10 million bucks. ... I just don't think somebody like me should be in charge of big-budget movies. I'm too interested in dialogue, and dialogue and big budgets just don't blend very well."
Smith continues to write the script for the proposed movie, an update of the 1930s radio serial about millionaire newspaper publisher Britt Reid, who masquerades as the crime-fighting Green Hornet, for Miramax. Smith added that Miramax honcho Harvey Weinstein has encouraged Smith to keep his options open. "Ideally, yeah," Smith said. "He said, yes, he would like me to do it. He wants me to get over my chickens--t attitude. I don't know if it's chickens--t."
What would it take for Smith to helm the film? "I don't know," he said. "Like I said, if I do it, I don't think I'm going to do it alone. I think I'm going to bring somebody on with me to co-direct it. Because I just don't trust myself. ... There's people that I like. And whether or not Miramax would agree to let me bring those people on is a whole different story."
Smith said that he is about 50 pages away from completing the script. He added: "We have to start making the movie by April [2005]. Or Miramax has to start making the movie by April '05, so whether it's with me or not, it'll go into production."
Rowling Teases New Potter
arry Potter author J.K. Rowling offered up hints to future novels while answering children's questions at the Edinburgh Book Festival on Aug. 15, her official Web site reported.
"Well, I don't think it is giving too much away to say that [Harry] will survive to book seven, mainly because I do not want to be strangled by you lot, but I am not going to say whether he grows any older than that, because I have never said that. You are good at putting me on the spot!"
Rowling, who is currently writing the sixth volume in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, talked about the new books in an elliptical way. "I thought that I would give you something though, rather than get to the end of today and think that I have not given you a lot. There are two questions that I have never been asked, but that I should have been asked, if you know what I mean. If you want to speculate on anything, you should speculate on these two things, which will point you in the right direction. The first question that I have never been asked—it has probably been asked in a chatroom, but no one has ever asked me—is, 'Why didn't Voldemort die?' Not 'Why did Harry live?' but, 'Why didn't Voldemort die?' The killing curse rebounded, so he should have died. Why didn't he? At the end of Goblet of Fire he says that one or more of the steps that he took enabled him to survive. You should be wondering what he did to make sure that he did not die. I will put it that way. I don't think that it is guessable. It may be—someone could guess it—but you should be asking yourself that question, particularly now that you know about the prophecy. I'd better stop there, or I will really incriminate myself."
Rowling added, "The other question that I am surprised no one has asked me since [Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix] came out—I thought that people would—is why Dumbledore did not kill or try to kill Voldemort in the scene in the ministry? I know that I am giving a lot away to people who have not read the book. Although Dumbledore gives a kind of reason to Voldemort, it is not the real reason. When I mentioned that question to my husband—I told Neil [Murray] that I was going to mention it to you—he said that it was because Voldemort knows that there are two more books to come. As you can see, we are on the same literary wavelength. [Laughs.] That is not the answer; Dumbledore knows something slightly more profound than that. If you want to wonder about anything, I would advise you to concentrate on those two questions. That might take you a little bit further."
Shaun DVD Extras Promised
dgar Wright, writer-director of the upcoming horror movie Shaun of the Dead, told SCI FI Wire that he and the film's co-creator, Simon Pegg, promise several extras on the zombie film's eventual DVD release.
"[A comic book] was an idea for an extra that we had never seen before, and we thought it would be funny," Wright said in an interview. "You know, a couple of times on the Internet people would say, 'Yeah, but what happened to so-and-so?' So we thought we would kind of answer some of those things. It's almost like a 'frequently asked questions' thing, and we did them as little black-and-white [comics]. My brother drew them, and we did voice-overs. It was really fun, and I'm really proud of that."
Wright added that the film was designed in part for multiple viewings, since the filmmakers pack so many references from older zombies films into the background details. "We designed the film so if people watch it a second or third time they spot things they had not spotted before," Wright said. "In the first third of the film there's a lot of background details of the crisis that are significant later. In the opening sequence and the choreographed sequence, all of the people in that sequence are significant later. There are a lot of things like that and a lots of dialogue, some more subtle than others, that's like foreshadowing."
Simon Pegg, who stars in the film as Shaun, said in a separate interview that many of the filmmakers' creative flourishes were purposely relegated to the background, but enhance the film upon second and third viewings. "Those are things you won't notice until you see it again," Pegg said. "It's like having the punchline before the setup, and that's why I think it will bear up to repeated viewings." Pegg added that the film has an unusual structure. "We might have been the first generation of filmmakers, even though we did read Syd Field and stuff, that structured our film in DVD chapters before we filmed it," he said. Shaun of the Dead opens in theaters Sept. 24.
Shaun Gives U.K. Spin To Genre
dgar Wright, writer-director of the upcoming horror comedy movie Shaun of the Dead, told SCI FI Wire that he and his co-writer Simon Pegg enjoyed subverting the well-worn zombie genre.
"You couldn't make Shaun of the Dead in the States, because half of the joke is the fact that it's a British spin on an American genre," Wright said in an interview. "We kind of wanted to shy away from what people think of horror movies, with the graveyard and the full moon and stuff, and just try to get away from it being kind of gothic. And it just makes it a lot creepier, because it's just on your street in the suburbs in broad daylight, and zombies are eating people."
Simon Pegg, who plays Shaun in the film, said the film takes place in the very British setting of a pub and pokes fun at the cultural differences between America and England. "The thing in the pub just came about because all through the film, it's, like, what you have at hand," Pegg said in a separate interview. "[In the U.K.], there are only sporting-gun shops, and they are very few and far between. It's really, like, what do you have near you?"
Despite the satire, Pegg said that director George Romero, who invigorated the zombie genre with his classic horror films such as Night of the Living Dead, gave his blessing to Shaun. "We wanted the film to be a companion piece to Romero's [films]," Pegg said. "It was sort of a Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Undead, like what was going on in London when this stuff was kicking off in some mall or whatever, and we wanted it to be absolutely true to Romero's [movies]."
The master himself liked the idea, Pegg said. "I was on the phone talking to him, and I was waffling away, because I was so excited. And I said, 'The only thing in our film is that the zombies reanimate slightly quicker,'" Pegg said. "I was going on and on, and he said, 'You know what, Simon? I don't mind.' Which was real sweet of him." Pegg added that Romero's zombie movies impressed upon the filmmakers what makes for an effective zombie tale. "Zombies are like a sort of bizarre, tidal, lavalike encroachment. They are death itself and come slowly, but they will get you in the end. And as soon as they start running around, you can't see the sort of shuffling old zombies any more. I think they missed slightly the point of the original, but for us it was very much about traditionalism." Shaun of the Dead opens Sept. 24.
Zero Stars Bonded
aron Eckhart, star of the upcoming SF thriller Suspect Zero, told SCI FI Wire that working with Carrie-Anne Moss was one of the highlights of the project. "She was a breath of fresh air," Eckhart said in an interview.
"She kept the set loose and had that great female energy, which was really kind of a good place for me to go. We would sit next to each other and talk, and I think she really saved me from some intense moments."
In Suspect Zero, Eckhart plays a troubled FBI agent who teams up with his former partner (Moss) to track down a rogue agent (Ben Kingsley) who may or may not be the notorious serial killer Suspect Zero. Eckhart said he appreciated the consummate professionalism of his other co-star, Kingsley. "Sir Ben has got it all worked out, and he's right there," Eckhart said. "His body is like a void, and it gets filled up with what's needed, and that's what he uses. I mean, he's like a vessel. He uses only the energy he needs to use. He's totally focused. He's absolutely, totally professional, and he's the nicest guy in the world. It's like watching one of your heroes work, and the fact that he's working with you and saying words with you and sharing the screen with you is quite nice."
Eckhart added that he didn't spend that much time with Kingsley on set, but that he was aware of the research and preparation his fellow actor underwent for the role. "I don't know if he slit anybody's throat during rehearsal or anything like that, but I think that he was affected with the material that we had to deal with inasmuch as it was dealing with nasty subjects," Eckhart said. "It was dealing with nasty drawings and with kidnap victims, and doing research on these kind of movies is never pleasant. I mean, putting pins in maps and looking up people's real-life cases and talking to their parents and stuff like that is always difficult." Suspect Zero opens Aug. 27.
Hero Balances Action, Acting
et Li, star of the upcoming martial-arts epic film Hero, told SCI FI Wire that he felt the action took a back seat to the acting.
"I don't think martial arts is very important in this film," Li said in an interview. "I did a lot of martial arts films before, even ancient stories [like this one]. But this was very special and unique for me, because the director used martial arts to tell his story. When you watch the film, it's not just martial arts; it's much deeper, much wider."
Hero tells the 2,000-year-old story of the violent start of the Qin dynasty in China, centering on the loyal subject (Li) who stands in the way of three opponents determined to assassinate the king. Li said that he was particularly attracted to the unique approach Hero takes to martial-arts material. "Usually action films have a formula: The good guy gets in trouble, his wife died, or his friends have problems, so he goes to the mountain, learns martial arts, comes back and kills the bad guy," Li said. "With this film, we talk about a totally different angle to see my character. In the beginning, he wants to kill the king. His parents died, and he spent 10 years learning martial arts. But after going through this journey, he's confused by ... things. He needs to kill the king, but who can guarantee the next king is better than him or not? If he killed him, maybe it would cause more problems and more people would die in the future. So he said, 'Look, people just want peace. If you can give them that, I walk away.' I think that's the whole point." Hero opens in theaters Aug. 27.
Blair's Head Turned On Exorcist
riginal Exorcist star Linda Blair is being used in trailers for the upcoming prequel film Exorcist: The Beginning, but the 45-year-old actress is only being paid Screen Actors Guild minimum of $279 per day for the use of her image from the 1973 movie, Variety reported.
"I am astounded and mortified," Blair told the trade paper. "I was shocked to see my image and hear my voice, and I'm certain the public thinks I'm in it. I want to work, and it's hard to get past this image."
Blair's manager, Brian Holt, told Variety columnist Army Archerd that she is talking with
Warner Brothers about the payments and is also consulting attorneys.
Guy McElwaine, president of Morgan Creek, which made Exorcist: The Beginning, told Archerd that he allowed the use of Blair in the trailers. "I'm sorry she's upset," he reportedly said. "I like Linda. The clip is a 'heritage' use, paying respect." Morgan Creek only finished the film last week and is readying 3,100 prints for the premiere on Aug. 20, Archerd reported.
SCIFI.COM Hosts Exorcist Game
CI FI Channel aired a digitally remastered widescreen cut of the 1973 classic supernatural horror film The Exorcist on Aug. 19 at 9:30 p.m. and also sponsored a sweepstakes.
The grand prize is a private screening in the winner's hometown of the Warner Brothers prequel film Exorcist: The Beginning, which hit theaters Aug. 20.
Viewers could log on to SCIFI.COM to answer trivia questions about The Exorcist for a chance to win a screening of the franchise's latest installment for family and friends. Ten first-prize winners will receive Exorcist: The Beginning gifts and merchandise, including the DVD of the original horror classic.
Feldman Monkeys Around
orey Feldman told SCI FI Wire that he is providing the voice of a regular character on ABC Family's upcoming animated TV series Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!
"It's basically Transformers meets Ninja Turtles meets The Powerpuff Girls," Feldman said in an interview. "It's this combination of all the great warrior team animated shows of the last 20 years. It's got the core elements of all of them, and yet it's got its own original sparks."
Feldman added, "And speaking of sparks, that happens to be my character's name, which is Sprx-77. Basically, it's a team of super robot monkeys that are half-robot and half-monkey. They were created, I guess, as some kind of an experiment and ended up being stronger and greater. They each have their own super power, if you will. There's the scientific genius. There's the dumb one who's really good at doing things luckily. Then there's a [human] kid, [Chiro, voiced by Greg Cipes,] who is the leader of all the monkeys. And there's a female monkey, and I see that there's probably a love interest brewing between her character and mine. My character has a magnetic hand: He can take off [and put on] different attachments. His main power is this huge magnet that can pretty much grab anything. My character is sort of the Harrison Ford monkey. He's kind of the Han Solo in the group. He's got the smart-ass remark. He's the tough one and the one taking the kid under his wing." Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, which will also feature the voices of Tom Kenny, Mark Hamill, Wil Wheaton and Clancy Brown, will debut next month on Toon Disney and also as part of ABC Family's JETIX blocks.
Ledford Boards Andromeda
randy Ledford, formerly of SCI FI Channel's The Invisible Man, joins the cast of SCI FI's original series Andromeda this fall, SCI FI announced.
Ledford will play an android named Doyle in the upcoming fifth season of the SF series, which stars Kevin Sorbo.
Ledford played Alex Monroe in 2000's I-Man, and has previously played Dawn Masterson on Baywatch Hawaii and had a guest role on Smallville. A trailer of Ledford as Doyle has been posted to the Andromeda Web site. New episodes of Andromeda return to SCI FI on Sept. 24 and will air Fridays at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
Pan Sequel Writer Sought
he British children's hospital that owns the copyright to J.M. Barrie's classic fantasy story Peter Pan is searching for an author to write a sequel to keep the money flowing when the copyright expires in 2007, the Reuters news service reported.
In 1929, Barrie donated the copyright to London's Great Ormond Street Hospital.
The hospital has invited publishers to submit the names of established authors, who will then have to write a synopsis and sample chapter, the news service reported.
Peter Pan has been adapted into a Broadway musical, a classic Disney cartoon and other films, including a new Hollywood version last year. The hospital says the royalties are a "significant but confidential" source of income, Reuters reported. Peter Pan celebrates its centennial this year.
Anderson Produces The Dark
aul W.S. Anderson told SCI FI Wire that he's producing the psychological thriller The Dark for Ginger Snaps director John Fawcett.
"That's just wrapping up at the moment, and I'll be involved in the post-production of that," Anderson said in an interview. "It's kind of a smaller picture with Sean Bean [The Lord of the Rings] and Maria Bello [Sin City], and it's really, really scary."
Anderson said that The Dark is a psychological thriller about a man and woman and their dead daughter. "But it's also got a very twisted ghost story worked into it," he said. "It's got elements of Don't Look Now in it, and that's the movie that I would relate it to the most. It's really f--king scary, but it's also got some very good character elements in there. Sean Bean and Maria Bello are just terrific actors. They look great together, and they feed off one another. I think there's a little bit of magic about the movie." The Dark, based on the novel by Simon Maginn, will be released in 2005.
Creating Evil's Nemesis
aul W.S. Anderson, writer and producer of the upcoming zombie sequel Resident Evil: Apocalypse, told SCI FI Wire that he and makeup effects artist Paul Jones put a new spin on the Nemesis, a monstrous mutant familiar to fans of the best-selling Capcom video-game series on which the film is based.
"He is mainly—as we did with Alien vs. Predator—a very big guy [Matthew G. Taylor] in a very big rubber suit, with a lot of animatronic movements built into his facial features," Anderson said in an interview. "And then, on top of that, there's a lot of [computer-graphic] enhancement that went on with him."
Anderson added, "So it's 80 percent reality and 20 percent CG enhancement. We went with the traditional design of the Nemesis from the video game, and we went with his traditional weapon, which is this huge rocket launcher that he carries. And then, just for extra fun, we made him carry around this huge rail gun as well, to mix up the action a bit."
The Nemesis is the final obstacle that stands between the main characters—including Alice (Milla Jovovich) and Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory)—and an escape from the zombie-ridden Hive. Anderson, who ceded the directorial reins of Apocalypse to Alexander Witt in order to helm Alien vs. Predator, said that he's been an integral part of the whole filmmaking process and likes the final version of the movie. "I'm really delighted with it," he said. "I think it's a very, very good sequel. We just showed it to Sony a couple of days ago, and they couldn't be happier. You kind of look at it, and you definitely want to know what's going to happen in Resident Evil 3." Resident Evil: Apocalypse opens Sept. 10.
Resident Evil 3 Mulled
aul W.S. Anderson, who wrote and produced the upcoming zombie sequel film Resident Evil: Apocalypse, told SCI FI Wire that he would like to oversee a third installment in the video-game-inspired franchise.
"I think it's a franchise that has legs, and I would very much like to see a third movie," the filmmaker said in an interview. "I don't know if I'd direct it. I think it would have to depend on what happens." Anderson (Alien vs. Predator) also wrote, produced and directed the first Resident Evil movie, which is based on the best-selling Capcom game series.
Anderson, who passed on directing Apocalypse to helm Alien vs. Predator, added, "Either way, whether I directed it or not, it would be a franchise I would want to stay very much in control of and very involved in. There's a broad range of stories to tell, a very wide Resident Evil universe, so there are a lot of potential stories that we could do that would be tied in to the video games."
In Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Milla Jovovich returns as Alice, joining newcomers Oded Fehr, Jared Harris, Sandrine Holt and Sienna Guillory as Jill Valentine, Alice's equal in butt-kicking. Anderson describes Apocalypse as a "direct continuation" of the first Resident Evil. "At the end of the first movie the Umbrella Corp. are going to reopen the Hive and discover what went on down there," Anderson said. "And at the start of this movie that's what they do. And the infection, the T-virus, escapes and infects Raccoon City, which is above the laboratory. The story then basically takes place over 24 hours, as the city is completely overrun with undead and is actually sealed by the Umbrella Corp. so that no one is allowed out of it. And we follow a handful of survivors as they attempt to escape the city. The survivors include Alice, who survived from the first movie, and she hooks up with well-known characters from the video-game series, and Jill Valentine is one of those characters." Resident Evil: Apocalypse opens on Sept. 10.
Metal Gear Phones Home
onami has ported the original 1987 Metal Gear Solid video game to mobile phones in Japan, the GameSpot Web site reported.
Series director Hideo Kojima supervised the transition of the 8-bit game to the phones.
Services for Metal Gear begin Aug. 20, and players can download or play it online at a monthly rate of 315 yen ($2.88), plus connection fees, in Japan. In the games, the player takes the role of rookie soldier Solid Snake, who sneaks around to defeat a variety of enemies.
Chestnut Reacted To Anacondas
orris Chestnut, one of the stars of the upcoming giant-snake sequel Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, told SCI FI Wire that he had to act against nothing in his climactic scene with the title creature.
"Seriously, I was talking to [director] Dwight Little, like, 'Dwight, come on,
man,'" Chestnut said in an interview. "There is no snake, and I'm watching a tennis ball or an X on a screen move all over the place. And I have to be afraid of this?"
In a spoiler for the movie, Chestnut said that his character is bitten and paralyzed by a spider
and then sized up by a giant anaconda. The director wanted Chestnut to twitch in fear, though the snake wasn't really there (it would be added in with computer animation in post-production). "He wants me to sit there and have [the snake] come in my face and all that," Chestnut said. "I haven't seen the finished product, so I'll know after the premiere if I should be mad at Dwight or not." Anacondas opens nationwide on Aug. 27.
No R Rating For Anacondas
atthew Marsden, co-star of the upcoming action-horror-adventure film Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, told SCI FI Wire that hard-core fright fans shouldn't expect to see an R-rated DVD version of the PG-13-rated theatrical release.
"I don't think so," Marsden said in an interview. "With Black Hawk Down [in which he appeared], we had limbs blowing up everywhere and swearing. I'd be sitting there having lunch, and there'd be a guy with his arm off next to you eating a sandwich."
Marsden, who plays the lead scientist on a perilous expedition made more dangerous by oversized snakes, added, "It was strange [on Anacondas] only being able to say 's--t' once or twice or 'f--k' once. That's my first experience of that. Excuse my French, but [it was], 'Sorry, but your f--k quota is up for today. No more.' When we went over the waterfall, initially we got really messed up. The makeup artist is an Oscar winner. He did Braveheart. He did a fantastic job. We were all mashed up. But they were like, 'No, no, no, no, no.' The truth of the matter is I didn't even think about that when I watched [the finished film] yesterday, that they've gone over a waterfall, and everyone's fine." Anacondas opens nationwide on Aug. 27.
Anacondas Is Lax With Facts
ohnny Messner, who stars in the upcoming sequel film Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, told SCI FI Wire that viewers shouldn't let facts get in the way of a good story.
In the follow-up to 1997's Anaconda, Messner stars as a hired gun who ferries a group of scientists through treacherous waters in Borneo in search of a life-extending orchid, only to come under siege from giant anacondas—even though there are no anacondas of any kind in Borneo.
"For me, it always matters," Messner said in an interview. "[But] there are always those guys on the Internet, [writing] 'This is bulls--t. Look at that guy. He had more scruff at the f--king beginning of the movie than he does now.'"
Messner (Angel, Tarzan) added, "It's not about the fact that snakes are in Borneo or China or America. If you're still thinking about that, then you're not involved in the movie. That's my whole philosophy. If you're thinking, 'Hold on, there are no snakes in Borneo. ...' I don't care what snakes are f--king in Borneo [or if] there are any snakes in Borneo. Who cares? The point is, it says 'Borneo' in the movie. After that, it's irrelevant.
"That to me means nothing, because they're trying to make a movie about this group of people that are trying to find the Fountain of Youth," Messner said. "So it doesn't matter where they go. So there are snakes here, snakes there, whatever. As soon as you start thinking about that, then the movie's over. You know what I mean? That's it, if you start pinpointing everything in the movie. This is not The English Patient, all right? That's not what it's about. What is it? Grab some popcorn, enjoy yourself. That's all it is." Anacondas slithers into theaters on Aug. 27.
Strickland Holds A Grudge
aDee Strickland, who co-stars in the upcoming supernatural horror film The Grudge, told SCI FI Wire that she was reluctant at first to sign on right after finishing Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid.
"I read the script and liked it, and then I was like, 'OK, I've just done Anacondas. What's this going to look like?'" Strickland said in an interview. "What is the new challenge of this? [But] when I saw [the original Japanese movie Ju-On] and what [director Takashi Shimizu] was able to do with that budget and with that cast and all of that, I thought, 'Wow, this is going to be really exciting.'"
The Grudge, the English-language remake of Shimizu's hit Japanese film Ju-On, follows a supernatural curse that spreads from person to person. Shimizu also directs the remake, which is also set in Tokyo, and Sarah Michelle Gellar stars alongside Jason Behr, Clea DuVall, Bill Pullman and Strickland. "It's very scary," Strickland said. "I play a businesswoman who has lived in Japan, and her family's coming over. So I am sort of the seasoned, cultured girl over in Japan. She's a businesswoman gal, and it's just so funny, because I'd never said a lick of Japanese in my life before, and I'm not Southern in the picture, so that was also going to be fun, to have to speak Japanese and not have a Southern accent. There were all kinds of twists and turns in that job for me. But this character basically comes into contact with this cursed house and as a result of it is affected by 'the grudge.'"
Stickland added that she never shared a single scene with Gellar. "She has a completely separate plotline, but she's an absolute sweetheart," the actress said. "She's hysterical. She's just a very funny girl. Sarah had [the language] down within a day. She's that girl. 'Japan and a wig? No problem. You want to get on a train? You want a cab? How do you want to talk? I'll learn what that means. I'll order ... miso [Japanese soup]. ... Blah blah blah.' And I'm just sitting there like, 'Thank God she did that.' It's crazy. But then you pick it up, because I fell in love with it, so I couldn't do anything but pick it up after a while." The Grudge spreads into theaters on Oct. 22.
McMahon Up For 007?
! Online reported a rumor that Julian McMahon, the Australian-born star of FX's Nip/Tuck, has had talks with producers about taking on the coveted role of James Bond, played in recent years by Pierce Brosnan.
Citing a "reliable source," the site's Watch With Kristin column reported that McMahon met with producer Barbara Broccoli this week to discuss the role.
"He's under contract with Nip/Tuck, so, from what I understand, it would have to be filmed during his hiatus," the site reported. "And that should be fairly easy, because Nip/Tuck does only a dozen or so episodes, not the usual 22."
Perkins Joins Hercules
lizabeth Perkins has been tapped to co-star in NBC's four-hour miniseries Hercules, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Other new cast additions to the $20 million-plus project include Kim Coates, Tyler Mane and Leeanna Walsman, the trade paper reported.
Hercules, from Hallmark Entertainment, chronicles the life of the Greek hero who, after killing his two sons and two of his brother's sons, performs 12 labors to repent, the trade paper reported.
Perkins will play Hercules' mother, Alcmene. Actor-wrestler Mane will play Antaeus, a giant whose strength appeared invincible until he wrestled Hercules. Walsman will play Megara, Hercules' first wife and later his archenemy, the trade paper reported.
The three join a cast that includes Sean Astin as Hercules' music teacher, Linus; Leelee Sobieski as Hercules' second wife, Deianeira; Timothy Dalton as the hero's stepfather, Amphitryon; and British newcomer Paul Telfer in the title role, the trade paper reported. Production on Hercules, executive produced by Robert Halmi Sr., is scheduled to begin Aug. 23 in New Zealand, with the premiere eyed for May. NBC is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
De Souza Has Presence
teven De Souza (48 Hours) has been set to write and direct The Presence, a supernatural thriller to be financed by Four Winds Pictures, Variety reported.
Filming will begin by year's end.
In The Presence, a mother who died in childbirth haunts the home where her son returns 25 years later to begin a married life, the trade paper reported.
Drew Grindstaff, who founded the Portland-based Four Winds in 1988, came up with the film, and Grindstaff is producing, with Tom Craig and Khamraj Anrud. Mitch Ducksworth, Ron Bard, Hans Koch and Rosemarie Lizarraga executive produce.
Surf's Up Catches Wave
sh Brannon and Chris Buck are set to co-direct Surf's Up, a computer-animated surfing mockumentary featuring penguins, Variety reported.
Chris Jenkins is producing, with surf apparel giant Quiksilver on board to serve as a creative consultant, for Sony Pictures Animation, the trade paper reported.
In Surf's Up, a documentary crew will take audiences behind the scenes at the Penguin World Surfing Championship, the trade paper reported. Quiksilver's Danny Kwock and Matt Jacobson will consult on behalf of the company's Quiksilver Entertainment arm.
Brannon co-developed and co-directed Toy Story 2 for Disney/Pixar, where he was a story artist and director. Buck made his feature-directing debut on Disney's Tarzan and was a supervising animator on Disney's Pocahontas, the trade paper reported.
Astro Games Released
ega released PlayStation 2 and GameBoy Advance versions of Astro Boy video games, based on the venerable Japanese animated character, in North America, the GameSpot Web site reported.
Sega shipped Astro Boy for the PS2 and Astro Boy: Omega Factor for the GBA. The PS2 game will retail for $39.99, and the GBA game will be available for $29.99, the site reported.
Astro Boy is the most famous character from Osamu Tezuka, who wrote and illustrated Japanese manga films and TV series in the 1960s. Both games follow the robotic superhero as he fights various bad guys around Metro City. The abilities to fly with Astro Boy's jet-powered feet and to shoot lasers out of his fingers play prominent parts in the games' battles, the site reported.
The action-adventure PS2 and side-scrolling GBA games were developed by Sonic Team and Hitmaker, in conjunction with Treasure, the site reported.
Aeon Award Announced
lbedo One, Ireland's SF magazine, announced the creation of the Aeon Award, a competition for the best short story.
The grand prize is €1,000 ($1,229) and publication in Albedo One.
The first deadline for submission of stories is Sept. 30. The winner will be chosen from the six highest-ranking stories on the short list by science fiction, fantasy and horror author Ian Watson. The winner will be announced in August 2005 at the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, Scotland.
Platinum Develops TV Projects
latinum Studios will team up with First Family, headed by former Disney and UPN president Dean Valentine, to adapt the graphic novels Meet the Haunteds and Spaced for half-hour television series and direct-to-DVD premiere movies, according to Platinum chairman Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.
Valentine will executive produce both projects, along with Rosenberg and First Family executive Scott Imergut. The deal is Platinum's first expansion into half-hour sitcoms and DVD premieres.
Meet the Haunteds deals with a white family who moves into an old mansion that turns out to be haunted by the ghosts of a African-American family. The upcoming comic book is written by Chris Wichtendahl. Meet the Haunteds will be adapted as a half-hour sitcom and a series of two-hour, direct-to-DVD movies.
Spaced centers on teenage Danny Mason, who gets his shot at popularity after a teenage alien called Bok pops into his body, endowing him with great strength, speed and the ability to defy gravity. Adam Rifkin (Detroit Rock City) will write and direct the pilot for Spaced. The upcoming Spaced graphic novel will be written by Rob Moran.
Platinum controls the largest independent library of comics in the world, with development deals at all major studios.
New Freddy vs. Jason In Works?
he Hollywood Reporter confirmed that New Line Cinema is in talks with director-producer Sam Raimi for Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash, a franchise-melding movie that would throw together the hero from Raimi's Evil Dead films with villains from A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th.
Such a project has been the subject of rumors since Freddy vs. Jason hit movie theaters in August 2003.
In the proposed sequel, Nightmare's Freddy Krueger and Friday's Jason Voorhees would go up against Ash, the cynical antihero survivor of Raimi's Evil Dead films. Bruce Campbell played the character in the trilogy and would play him again if the deal were to close, the trade paper reported.
Raimi would not direct, but he holds rights to the Evil Dead franchise. Freddy vs. Jason grossed more than $74 million, so even if a deal with Raimi can't be reached, New Line is determined to find a way to extend the franchise by introducing a new character or just pitting Freddy and Jason against each other one more time, the trade paper reported.
BloodRayne Cast Fills Out
ichelle Rodriguez, Matt Davis and Michael Madsen have joined the cast of BloodRayne, an upcoming vampire movie based on the popular video game of the same name, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
They join Ben Kingsley and Kristanna Loken in the movie, to be directed and produced by Uwe Boll.
The film centers on a sexy supernatural huntress named BloodRayne (Loken), who hunts down and eliminates supernatural threats around the globe for a secret society called Brimstone. Davis will play Sebastian, and Madsen is set for the role of Vladimir, two of the greatest vampire hunters. Rodriguez will play Katarin, who runs the local Brimstone Society chapter. The script was written by Guinevere Turner, the trade paper reported.
BloodRayne is set in Romania, where the film will begin principal photography this month. The BloodRayne video game debuted in 2002, and a sequel is set for release in October, the trade paper reported.
Christmas Comes To A&E
&E has green-lighted Karroll's Christmas, a holiday-themed fantasy telefilm starring Tom Everett Scott, Variety reported.
Dennis Dugan will direct, from a script by Drew Daywalt and David Schneider, the trade paper reported.
The update of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol finds the ghosts of Jacob Marley and Christmas past, present and future visiting the wrong guy, Allen Karroll (Everett Scott), neighbor to a cantankerous Scrooge-like man and greeting-card writer whose career and love life are in a slump. After the ghosts take him for a trip down memory lane, Allen is compelled to help his neighbor redeem himself before it's too late, the trade paper reported. Production begins Sept. 13. A&E will premiere the movie in December.
Psi-Ops Film Deal Struck
roducers Adrian Askarieh and Chuck Gordon (Spy Hunter) have optioned the film rights to the SF video game Psi-Ops from publisher Midway, Variety reported.
They're in negotiations with a helmer and plan to take the property and director as a package to studios after Labor Day, the trade paper reported.
Psi-Ops centers on a government agent with "psionic" or psychic powers, whose erased memory slowly returns as he is sent to infiltrate a group of rogue agents who were also part of his training program, the trade paper reported. The game, which was released in June, has been a solid but not spectacular seller. Reviews were largely positive, the trade paper reported.
Act of War Coming
tari unveiled details behind its upcoming near-future, geopolitical techno-thriller video game Act of War: Direct Action for PC.
Developed by Eugen Systems, with a storyline and game universe created in cooperation with military expert Dale Brown, Act of War: Direct Action is scheduled for released in spring 2005.
Act of War: Direct Action centers on an elite U.S. force fighting an international plot to overthrow the current world order. While offering a first look at tomorrow's war, the game takes players through a frightening and believable reality filled with suspense, international intrigue and geopolitical military conflict, the company said. Players can zoom in and engage in the battle from a street-level perspective on urban battlefields such as San Francisco, Washington, London and Moscow in either single-player or multiplayer mode, including an eight-player online skirmish.
Briefly Noted
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Spider-Man 2 arrives on DVD Nov. 30 with more than 10 hours of bonus features, including a making-of documentary, a blooper reel and a feature called Enter the Web that will give viewers the experience of being on the set, TV Guide Online reported.
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Two of ABC's new fall dramas, Desperate Housewives and Lost, have been licensed by Disney to Germany's Premiere pay channel, and, in a novel twist, they will air just days after their U.S. premieres, Variety reported. Lost premieres Sept. 22 in the United States, and Housewives follows Oct. 3.
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Rhino Home Video will release the classic anime TV series Battle of the Planets in a 25th-anniversary DVD collection on Sept. 28, featuring all 14 episodes of the show at a suggested retail price of $24.95.
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Movie mogul Saul Zaentz is suing New Line Cinema for $20 million in unpaid royalties from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Variety reported. Zaentz purchased Rings rights from author J.R.R. Tolkien in the 1970s and licensed the property to New Line in return for a share of the profits.
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Finding Nemo will be adapted for the latest Disney on Ice show, the Associated Press reported. About 145 fish, sharks, turtles and other sea creatures will perform in the tour, which begins on Sept. 3 in Lakeland, Fla., and makes stops in 11 other cities in the United States before ending Dec. 12.
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Fox has signed a three-picture deal with the writer-director of the Russian-language supernatural hit movie Night Watch (Nochnoj dozor), Variety reported. Fox Searchlight will distribute Timur Bekmambetov's film and its sequel, Day Watch.
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Former Angel star Charisma Carpenter will guest-star in at least two episodes of The WB's Charmed next season, E! Online reported. The first episode is scheduled to air Sept. 26, with the other in October.
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David Boreanaz, star of The WB's former vampire series Angel, reiterated to TV Guide Online that he's not interested in reprising the role for proposed television movies, but left open the possibility of returning in a theatrical movie. "I'm not into the movie-of-the-week [idea]," he told the site.
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Six months before the Academy Awards ceremony, Columbia kicked off a campaign for Spider-Man 2 by sending Oscar voters a coupon to screen the film at any AMC Theatres location or at Regal Cinemas in Manhattan, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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ESC Entertainment, the visual-effects company behind The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, is reducing its staff because of its failure to win the visual-effects work on the upcoming new Superman film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Edo van Belkom's supernatural novel Scream Queen has been optioned for film by producer/director Jamie Schutz and his company Real Scary Films, Van Belkom told SCI FI Wire. Scream Queen deals with a reality television show in which six contestants agree to spend a night in a haunted house, which turns out to be real.
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Cinematographer Neal L. Fredericks (The Blair Witch Project) was killed on Aug. 14 in a plane crash while shooting the independent film Cross Bones in the Florida Keys, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 35.
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Ian McKellen has signed up to provide the voice for the magical character Zebedee in Pathe's computer-animated movie version of the children's TV fantasy classic The Magic Roundabout, scheduled for U.K. release next February, Variety reported. McKellen joins a voice cast that also includes Robbie Williams, Jim Broadbent, Ray Winstone, Kylie Minogue and Bill Nighy.
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Isaac Hayes (South Park) will guest-star in the upcoming Stargate SG-1 two-part episode "Reckoning," along with Mel Harris (reprising the role of Oma) and Cliff Simon (as Baal). Hayes, who recently completed a role in SCI FI's upcoming two-hour film Anonymous Rex, will also guest-star in the upcoming episode "Threads," along with George Dzundza.
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Former Wonder Woman Lynda Carter will play the principal of a high school for super-powered teens in the Disney family comedy Sky High, which also stars Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston and Dave Foley, TV Guide Online reported.
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