Lucas wins big at box office wars
urprising almost everyone but fans, the 20-year anniversary release of Star Wars became a box office force by pulling in an estimated $36 million in its opening weekend, rocketing the space opera to No. 2 on the list of all-time box-office champs, according to press reports.
Playing in more than 2,100 theaters around the country, the popular fable of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader zapped the competition with per-screen grosses of more than $17,000 to become the best January weekend release of all time.
"I am flabbergasted, just flabbergasted," Director George Lucas told The New York Times. "It's a 20-year-old movie. I just did not expect this to happen."
But the high grosses probably wouldn't have surprised the multi-generational fans of the film, many of whom camped out overnight to see the first big-screen showing of their favorite movie in two decades. "This isn't a cult movie, it's a cultural movie," Fox executive Tom Sherak told the New York Times.
-- Patrick Lee, U.S. Correspondent
Preliminary Nebula ballot released
he preliminary ballot for the 1996 Nebula Awards has been announced by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and as usual some familiar names and earlier award winners can be found on the list.
Among others, readers will find Neal Stephenson's Hugo Award-winning The Diamond Age, Bruce Bethke's Philip K. Dick Award-winning Headcrash, and Nicola Griffith's Lambda Award-winning Slow River in the best novel category, alongside novelists such as Bruce Sterling, David Brin and Lois McMaster Bujold. Another Hugo winner, Allen Steele's "The Death of Captain Future," found its way into the best novella category, where it's sharing space with not one but two stories by Ursula K. Le Guin.
The complete preliminary ballot is available on the SFWA's Web page. This 1996 winners will be announced during the Nebula Awards Weekend, which is being held April 18-20 in Kansas City, Mo.
-- Craig E. Engler, Editor
Dilbert earns Adams a spot on Babylon 5
hat does a comic-strip nerd watch when he's not fighting corporate wars or waxing his cubicle? According to TV Guide, Dilbert (aka cartoonist Scott Adams) proclaims Babylon 5 "The best show ever made!" In response, the SF show has extended an invitation to Adams to make a guest appearance. His reply: "Yes!"
Adams is scheduled to shoot his episode this month for telecast in April or May. -- P.L.
5th Element to head Cannes Festival
he $90-million SF thriller The Fifth Element has been chosen to open the 50th Cannes Film Festival on May 7. Starring Bruce Willis as a New York City cab driver in the distant future, the film was co-written and directed by renegade French director Luc Besson, whose previous work includes the popular noir action films Subway and La Femme Nikita.
Element's plot, a closely held secret, involves Willis's character in an escalating battle between good and ultimate evil, with plenty of computer-generated mayhem in the bargain. The film also stars Ian Holm, Milla Jovovich and Gary Oldman (who chewed the scenery in Besson's U.S. debut, The Professional).
Alert TV viewers caught a glimpse of the film during the Super Bowl, when Sony Pictures unveiled a colorful, if brief, trailer. The rest of us will have to wait until a little closer to the film's May 9 premiere. -- P.L.
Jupiter II signs up more cast members
he cast is ready to board the Jupiter II for the $70-million Lost In Space, the big-screen version of the campy 1960s television show. William Hurt beams up as space dad John Robinson and ex-Mrs. Tom Cruise Mimi Rogers takes on June Lockhart's role of mom Maureen Robinson, Variety reports.
As for the kids: Heather Graham plays elder daughter Judy; Party of Five's Lacey Chabert takes over Penny, and newcomer Jack Johnson plays the key role of son Will Robinson, which originally made Billy Mumy (Babylon 5) a household name.
Gary Oldman already has been cast in the role of the dastardly Doctor Zachary Smith. No word on who plays that famously annoying robot. The film, tentatively set for a 1998 release, is to be directed by Stephen Hopkins. -- P.L.
You'll have a Hal of a good time at Cyberfest
ood morning gentlemen. My name is Hal 9000, and I became operational at the HAL plant in Champaign-Urbana, Ill., on January 1997. That city and its University of Illinois campus will also play host to Cyberfest '97, a festival of computing and technology to be held March 10-15 to commemorate my birth. News and other information about Cyberfest may be found at the Cyberfest homepage.
Dave, I think my mind is going. Dave. Please. Stop. Daisy. Daisy... -- P.L.
Another story of a boy and his radioactive lizard
atthew Broderick (The Cable Guy), Jean Reno (Mission Impossible) and TV's Jennifer Aniston (Friends) are in talks to star in the big-budget remake of Godzilla. The movie, slated for a summer 1998 release, is being written by Independence Day's Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin, directed by Emmerich and produced by Devlin.
This is not the first time Broderick has co-starred with a lizard. Anyone remember The Freshman? -- P.L.
Live action Lord of the Rings planned
ans of the grandaddy of all sword-and-sorcery epics J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings may recall that the 1978 animated film of the trilogy ended, well, abruptly. In fact, the movie -- a bizarre version of the beloved books directed by Fritz the Cat creator Ralph Bakshi -- just sort of stopped after covering action from the trilogy's first two volumes.
It's unclear why the planned sequel was never completed, but it may have something to do with the fact that the film tanked big time at the box office.
Well, it's nearly 20 years hence, and word comes out of Hollywood that the film's producer Saul Zaentz is now in talks with director Peter Jackson (Heavenly Creatures) and Miramax studios on a new, live-action version of the tale of Frodo and his friends as they try to save Middle-Earth from an evil sorcerer and his army of ghouls.
This time around, Zaentz, who still owns rights to the Tolkien books, does not plan to produce the film. For his part, Jackson has some time on his hands: his previous project, a remake of King Kong, is in turnaround. -- P.L.
Wanted: SF writers and artists willing to work cheap
eb Writer/Producer Phil Flora is seeking writers and artists interested in helping to create movie-like SF stories for the Web. Each story will be told in 13 weekly episodes of about 1,000 words each, with images to illustrate the stories.
Creators of the WebMovies are being offered 65 percent of any potential advertising placed on the story. Flora's past efforts include the cyberpunk web-thriller Generation War.
For information, consult Flora's homepage. -- P.L.
Stewart signs on for Dad Savage
atrick Stewart has signed on to play a career criminal in the upcoming Dad Savage, Variety reports. The film, which starts shooting Feb. 24 in Great Britain, also features Kevin McKidd, Helen McCrory, and Joseph McFadden. Betsan Morris-Evans directs. -- P.L.
Sharper Image offers star wares
s if you weren't inundated enough with Star Wars hype, The Sharper Image -- best known for sales of upscale alarm clocks, shiatsu massage chairs and other high-tech toys -- is boldly going where no retailer has gone before, assembling what they're calling the largest selection of Star Wars limited-edition collectibles in the galaxy for a future edition of their catalog.
The gewgaws, being offered to coincide with the 20th-anniversary release of Star Wars: Special Edition and its two sequels, will include everything from masks and props to models of spacecraft. They will grace the cover and fill 12 pages of the catalog, soon to clog a mailbox near you. -- P.L.
