Fillion Flies Again In Serenity
athan Fillion, star of the upcoming SF movie Serenity, told SCI FI Wire that he's enjoying the transition to film from his canceled Fox series Firefly. "Yeah, it's a little different," Fillion said during a break in filming on the film's Universal Studios set last August. "We had eight days to put on a one-hour show. Now we've got the better part of three months to put out a two-hour show. So the timing is a little different. But certainly I can tell that the quality is also extremely different."
Fillion reprises the role of Captain Mal Reynolds, skipper of a transport spaceship 400 years in the future. He welcomed the chance to revisit the world of the short-lived Firefly, created by Joss Whedon, who also wrote and directed Serenity. "The series being canceled was such a heartbreak," Fillion said. "I broke the cardinal rule of: Don't fall in love with what you're doing, because the rug can get yanked out from underneath you. And when it did, I was heartbroken. So Joss really had it in his head that he was going to get it made into a movie, and that's a great dream. And I really wanted it to happen, but I couldn't fall in love with that idea again, just to be heartbroken again. So we got the green light, Joss wrote a script, everything was rolling, we started doing rehearsals, we actually started filming. I don't think it actually settled in until about three weeks into filming that we were actually making the movie.
Fillion added that he doesn't feel pressure making the transition from TV star to headliner of a big-budget Hollywood movie. "I don't feel a lot of that pressure," he said. "My schedule is much the same as it was on the series: I'm here a lot. But I get to perform with everybody in the cast. I get to have great scenes with all of these great characters that I fell in love with. I don't feel a great deal of pressure. You know what, I'm starting to feel the thing, now that it's wrapping up. I'm starting to feel that ... I just really hope people enjoy this movie. I really hope they do. I hope folks that ... weren't fans of the series will catch this and maybe go get the DVD collection and say, 'What was I missing?'" Serenity opens Sept. 30. Serenity is produced by Universal Pictures, which is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Glau: Firefly Secrets Revealed
ummer Glau, who reprises the role of the mysterious River in the upcoming Firefly movie, Serenity, told SCI FI Wire that fans will finally learn some of the secrets behind her character. In the short-lived Fox SF show Firefly, on which the movie is based, viewers knew only that River was a genius who had been surgically altered by mysterious forces for unknown reasons.
"We were setting up all the characters," Glau said in an interview. "We were going back into the past and trying to set up each storyline for each character. And my character was just getting started. And now, in the film, you're really going to see an explosion of what's really going on with River. It's going to be exciting."
In one scene shot on a Universal Studios soundstage last August, Glau and her stunt double filmed a sequence in which her character fights a bar full of bad guys—and more than holds her own. During a break, Glau said that she's pleased that her character figures prominently in the film. "I'm very happy," she said. "I'm in a lot of it."
Even so, Glau admitted that it took a moment to reacquaint herself with River and the Firefly universe, which is set 400 years in the future. "I was very nervous," she said. "I hadn't played River for a year and a half. I was so close to her in the beginning and through the whole series, and then when I came in for my first read-through with the entire cast, I was shaking and sweating and I was really scared. And then after the first few days, it felt like I'd never left." Serenity, written and directed by Joss Whedon, opens Sept. 30. The film is being released by Universal Pictures, which is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Is Bosworth Superman's Lois?
he Superman V Web site reported a rumor that Kate Bosworth (Beyond the Sea) has won the role of Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane in the upcoming Superman Returns movie. Citing anonymous "reliable sources," the site reported that Bosworth beat out Elisha Cuthbert, Claire Danes and Keri Russell for the coveted role in director Bryan Singer's movie, based on the venerable DC Comics franchise.
The site also reported that Legend of Earthsea star Shawn Ashmore will play Jimmy Olsen, and Bosworth's Sea co-star, Kevin Spacey, will be Lex Luthor opposite Brandon Routh as Superman.
Spacey Is Superman's Luthor
s rumored, Kevin Spacey has been cast as the villainous Lex Luthor in director Bryan Singer's upcoming Superman movie, Variety reported. The film, also called Superman Returns, is set to begin production at Fox Studios in Sydney on March 3.
Warner Brothers, meanwhile, is seeking to sign Spacey's Beyond the Sea co-star Kate Bosworth to play Lois Lane, as previously rumored.
Spacey and Bosworth will join newcomer Brandon Routh, who was chosen in October to play the Man of Steel.
Singer told Variety that when he and writers Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris hatched the idea for the film, Spacey was always the template for Luthor. Singer directed Spacey to his first Oscar in The Usual Suspects.
Singer added that his take on Superman will be "a little like X-Men, where the mutants existed when the movie began. It's not an origin story. I didn't want to remake what Richard Donner did so well in the original and didn't want to tread on the great work they're doing on Smallville. He's already part of the culture; he has left the planet. This is the story of his return."
Batman Has Strong U.K. Ties
mma Thomas, the British producer of the upcoming Batman Begins film, told SCI FI Wire that Warner Brothers wasn't worried that the quintessentially American superhero story features a largely British cast, led by Welshman Christian Bale as the caped crusader. "No, because I mean the way that we approached ... the casting was a very organic process," Thomas said in an interview during a break in filming in England last September. "We started with Christian, and then we went from there. I think the next person we cast was [Londoner] Michael [Caine] as Alfred, and nobody was really thinking about that, because all of the cast we have are right for their roles, regardless of their nationality."
The cast also includes London native Gary Oldman as Lt. James Gordon, Irish-born Liam Neeson as Henri Ducard and fellow Irishman Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane. Director Christopher Nolan, who is also Thomas' husband, is himself a Brit. The international cast also includes Japan's Ken Watanabe and Americans Morgan Freeman and Katie Holmes.
"And, of course, the only one who's actually playing an Englishman is Michael, as Alfred," Thomas said. "And I don't think anyone sort of ever thought, 'Well, gosh, we've got so many English people.' Because all of them are just right for the characters, and I think ... [with] Christian, ... a lot of people don't even realize he is English. Because he plays Americans so often." Bale especially made an impression in the 2000 film American Psycho as the red-white-and-blue title character.
Thomas added: "I think that everyone was sort of pinching themselves that we got such a great cast." Batman Begins opens June 17.
Nolan Seeks Batman's Origins
hristopher Nolan, director of the much-anticipated Batman Begins movie, told SCI FI Wire that he won the job in part because he wanted to tell a story that had never really been dealt with fully on film: Batman's origins. "I was just very interested in the idea of creating a Batman [film] from what I thought had never been made, which in a way is what you would have expected them to make first, which is the origin story and the journey of the character from an ordinary person to Batman," Nolan said in an interview during a break in filming in England last September. Nolan added: "I'd heard they were wondering what to do without looking for somebody to have a vision of what to do with it. It was a very appealing idea to me."
Nolan (Memento) tackles his first big-budget franchise film with Batman Begins, which shot partly in a massive 12-story-high, World-War-II-era hangar a couple of hours outside London. Inside, Nolan and his crew constructed several blocks of Gotham City, including buildings eight stories high. Part of the set included The Narrows, the notorious trash-strewn slums of Gotham, where some key action takes place.
But Nolan says he doesn't feel real pressure moving from small independent features to his first big movie. "I don't know, really," he said. "A certain amount of pressure. The pressure I feel, really, is just that responsibility, you know? He's a beloved icon. Obviously there's a lot of weight that comes with trying to interpret that. But beyond that, really, it's just about having fun with it. Making a great film ... [or] trying to."
Nolan's wife, Emma Thomas, who is a producer on the film, said that Nolan always wanted to make a big blockbuster film like Batman Begins. "Yeah, I don't know why," Nolan said. "Now I'm beginning to wonder why I ever wanted to do that. No, I mean, I have. I grew up watching huge blockbusters and really enjoying them as a kid. So I've always enjoyed films that create a whole world, provide escapism, as well as food for thought, [and] that create [a] world outside of the one we're actually in. So it's a great opportunity to actually try that." Batman Begins, which stars Christian Bale and Liam Neeson, opens June 17.
Bale Bulked Up For Batman
hristian Bale, who plays the title role in the upcoming Batman Begins, told SCI FI Wire that he had to bulk up quickly to play the caped crusader after dropping 60 pounds to star in the independent feature film The Machinist. "I finished The Machinist in July [2003], and then we started filming on this at the end of February [2004]," Bale said in an interview during a break in filming in England last September. "I did have a lot of work to do. Just because, … you know, it's one of those parts that you have to be in decent shape for. Visually, but also ... just dealing with being in that suit for 12 hours a day."
Bale not only had to regain the 60 pounds he lost playing a sleep-deprived factory worker in Machinist, he also had to add weight to his normal 180-pound frame to play the muscular DC Comics superhero. "[I was] eating, just eating like crazy, just trying to put on pounds and pounds and pounds," Bale said. "I actually went … way overboard. By the time I arrived in England, you know, [director] Chris [Nolan] kind of looked at me in shock and kind of went, 'God, you're like some grizzly bear.' Because I arrived with long hair and a beard and stuff , and I was, like, filling up the hallway. I had actually, by that time, ... put on exactly 100 pounds from the day of finishing The Machinist to arriving in January in England. And it was not very healthy. It wasn't a healthy way to go. I could lift a lot of weights, but you ask me to run across the room, and I would have been exhausted. So when I got here, that's when I had to really start leaning out and doing a lot of running and all of that stuff, and got my weight way back up."
Bale plays Batman at the beginning of his journey. "It's the early days," Bale said. "So you do see him as a very young boy, and you see him at , like, age 22, and then you see him again at like age 29-30. ... He was very much bent on enacting revenge, of maintaining a promise that he makes to his parents. " Batman Begins opens June 17.
Oldman Reveals Batman Spoiler
ary Oldman, who plays Lt. James Gordon in the upcoming comic-book movie Batman Begins, revealed a spoiler to SCI FI Wire: He gets to drive the armored new Batmobile in the film. Though Oldman only sat in the vehicle for a visual-effects shot, rather than taking the working Batmobile out for a spin, "I do get [to drive it] in this film," he said in an interview during a break in filming outside London last September. "I think I'm one of the few characters [who does]."
Batman (Christian Bale) actually tosses Gordon the keys to the Batmobile in a key scene late in the film—a scene that required more than one take when Oldman couldn't catch them. But, he said, "It's a coup to be able to get to drive the Batmobile. ... They may let me take one home. I think there's about six or seven of them," he added with tongue in cheek.
Oldman, last seen as Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, plays a character whom comic readers know as police Commissioner Gordon. But Oldman said he wasn't familiar with the Batman comics on which the film is based. His character is a younger version of the familiar police commissioner. "He had to start somewhere, you know?" Oldman said. "I'm not gray yet. Maybe the next one." He added: "I was surprised, because I went online, and there's an enormous amount of stuff written [about Gordon]. I was amazed at how detailed the bio is on Gordon. So I kind of went there, and then you're pretty much working [from] the script." Batman Begins, directed by Christopher Nolan, opens June 17.
Elektra Helmer Has SF Chops
ob Bowman, director of the upcoming comic-book film Elektra, told SCI FI Wire that he was able to bring to bear his strong SF background from directing The X-Files and such movies as Reign of Fire. "You're always looking for what's the story that you're telling, regardless of the genre," Bowman told reporters during a break in filming in Vancouver, B.C., last June. "And after I'd read the screenplay for Elektra, I did research on who she was, back to Greek mythology. And this seemed to be quite an interesting, complicated person to investigate."
Bowman added: "In terms of the hyper-real, surreal or science-fiction aspects of it, I'm obviously very familiar with it, and I think I was comfortable handling the more exotic parts of the story, balancing that against [star] Jennifer [Garner's] very real, gut-wrenching personal story. So I felt like, 'OK, this is within my realm, and I know that it needs to be commercial.' But more important to me was the power of Elektra's personal story. And so bringing, you know, muscles built during The X-Files and X-Files movie and Reign of Fire, I thought, 'I understand how to make this film.'"
In Elektra, Garner (ABC's Alias) plays Elektra Natchios, a super-assassin who begins to question her dark choices when she finds herself protecting a young girl and her father from a squad of lethal killers. Elektra, based on the Marvel Comics series, opens Jan. 14.
Garner Fought Time On Elektra
ennifer Garner, who stars in the upcoming comic-book movie Elektra, told SCI FI Wire that budget and time constraints prompted filmmakers to emphasize the Daredevil spinoff's story over its visual effects. "We took something that could have been a disadvantage—we didn't have the budget Daredevil had, for example, and we didn't have the time they had on Daredevil, and we didn't have the huge scope of characters Daredevil had—and we made it work for us," Garner said in an interview. "We really focused on the story. We found a story to tell in the comic books, and we've told it."
Garner, who first played Elektra Natchios as a supporting character in Daredevil, takes center stage in Elektra. In the Rob Bowman-directed film, the character has been resurrected and is operating as an independent assassin when she befriends a father (Goran Visnjic) and his young daughter (Kirsten Prout), whom she's supposed to slay. Her change of heart puts all three in the sights of Kirigi (Will Yun Lee) and his team of elite killers.
"The fights and all the action you see [are] real," Garner (ABC's Alias) added. "When you see a special effect, it's really, really cool, but this is not a special-effects-driven movie, and that's a relief to me, watching it. I love the ballet of watching people on wires and the ballet of effects, because CGI is so incredible now, but it's kind of fun sometimes to just see people on the ground beating the s--t out of each other."
As far as the time factor, Garner and Bowman raced the clock to wrap Elektra in a mere 12 weeks in order to ensure that Garner made it back to the set of Alias for the start of production on the show's fourth season. "We went so fast that every now and then I would look at Rob and say, 'What are we doing? Does anyone know what we're doing?'" she said. "And Rob would say, 'Yeah, I know what we're doing. I know what we're doing.' And he would try to talk me through it. But I was in such a frenzy all the time and trying to keep my feet under me." Elektra opens Jan. 14. The fourth season of Alias kicked off in its new Wednesday 9 p.m. timeslot on Jan. 5.
More Garner Ailment Details Emerge
ennifer Garner isn't suffering from a viral infection, as reported earlier; she actually sustained nerve damage to her back while performing a stunt on ABC's Alias, TV Guide Online reported. Garner still plans to attend this weekend's Las Vegas premiere of her upcoming superhero film Elektra this weekend, but her Jan. 15 hosting slot on Saturday Night Live remains a question mark, the site reported.
Alias returned for a fourth season on Jan. 5 in a two-hour premiere that averaged 16 million viewers, the show's best ratings in three years, the site reported. The show will air in its new post-Lost timeslot of Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
New Trek Movie Shelved?
aramount has reportedly shelved a proposed Star Trek prequel film under development by producer Rick Berman, as he told SCI FI Wire last July. The Trek Today Web site and others are reporting that Paramount wanted the idea for the film to be "reworked" as they were "not happy with the direction that the story was headed."
Berman told SCI FI Wire last summer that he was in the early stages of development on a Trek feature film that "would have nothing to do with any of the characters that have ever existed on any of the Star Trek series. It would be an entirely new setting and an entirely new set of characters, and it would take place prior to any of the series, including [UPN's Star Trek:] Enterprise."
But various Web sites, citing anonymous sources at Paramount, suggest that it's back to the drawing board.
The most recent Trek movie, Star Trek: Nemesis, fared poorly at the box office. The only Trek series still in production, Enterprise, has drawn kudos for revitalized storylines this season, but the ratings continue to lag, throwing into question the franchise's fate. Word on whether UPN will pick up a fifth season of Enterprise likely won't come until spring.
Moonstone Acquires Banzai
omic publisher Moonstone announced that it has acquired the rights to the Buckaroo Banzai franchise, best known from the 1984 film starring Peter Weller. Moonstone said it would publish a new book written by Buckaroo creator Earl Mac Rauch, who also wrote the film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.
Stephen Thompson (Star Wars comics) will draft the interior illustrations, the company said. The company added that the film's director, W.D. Richter, would have input into the comic, but didn't specify in what capacity. No publishing date was announced.
The film centered on Buckaroo Banzai, a surgeon-physicist-rock star (Weller), and his band of "irregulars" as they battled an invasion of aliens.
Harryhausen Hosts Films
isual-effects master Ray Harryhausen has been tapped by the American Cinematheque to present a lineup of classic double features that exhibit his pioneering effects, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The 85-year-old stop-motion effects veteran will introduce new 35mm prints of 1958's The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and 1960's The 3 Worlds of Gulliver on Jan. 15 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., the trade paper reported.
The following day Harryhausen will be on hand to present 1961's The Mysterious Island and 1963's Jason and the Argonauts at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica, Calif. The celebrated effects designer recently published a richly illustrated autobiography of his career titled Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life.
SF Artist Freas Dies
rank Kelly Freas, the Hugo-Award-winning artist who painted covers for some of the best-loved SF books of all time, died at his home in Los Angeles on Jan. 2, his official Web site reported. He was 82. Freas, who was under hospice care, died in his sleep before dawn in the company of his wife, Laura.
Freas, who was known as Kelly to his friends, won 11 Hugos and painted covers and interior art for science fiction and fantasy books, advertising and MAD magazine in a career that spanned more than 50 years. Freas was active until weeks before his death and had illustrated stories by writers including Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, A. E. Van Vogt, Poul Anderson and Frederik Pohl.
Freas was also an official NASA mission artist, and his space posters hang in the Smithsonian Institution. He was commissioned by the Skylab I astronauts to design their crew patch.
Freas also did album and CD covers for bands such as Queen. In 2000 Kelly was elected a Fellow of the International Association of Astronomical Artists.
A memorial will be held at 1 p.m. Jan. 3 in the chapel at the Gates Kingsley & Gates Praiswater Mortuary, 6909 Canoga Ave., Canoga Park, Calif.
NBC Picks Up Daniel
BC has picked up Book of Daniel, a one-hour religious-themed pilot from Titus creator Jack Kenny, contingent on casting, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The darkly comedic drama, which Kenny wrote on spec, centers on an Episcopalian minister and father who finds himself conversing with a hip, modern Jesus who helps navigate family problems, church politics and even his nagging reliance on prescription painkillers, the trade paper reported.
Kenny is executive producing Book of Daniel, along with Flody Suarez (8 Simple Rules). Kenny's spec script impressed NBC to take the rare step of buying a finished script not developed through the network's traditional process. Book of Daniel will be produced through the peacock's studio sibling, NBC Universal Television Studio, the trade paper reported.
NBC and NBC Universal Television are owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Armstrong Joins Lohan Movie
amaire Armstrong, who has appeared in The O.C., has been cast in the untitled Lindsay Lohan "lucky" movie at Regency Enterprises, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Donald Petrie will direct the film, in which Armstrong will play Lohan's character's best friend.
Lohan plays a girl who is the luckiest lady around until she meets the unluckiest man. Armstrong's character is a struggling songwriter whose songwriting comes into play later in the film, the trade paper reported.
Darkness May Turn Profit
helved for two years after its completion, the supernatural horror film Darkness has grossed a respectable $16.5 million since its release on Christmas Day, the Hollywood trade papers reported. Produced by Spain's Filmax label and directed by Spanish helmer Jaume Balaguero, Darkness was acquired by Dimension Films for only $4 million, the trade paper reported. The movie was completed in 2002 and has sat on a shelf until just recently.
The film, which wasn't screened for critics prior to its release, stars Anna Paquin, Lena Olin and Giancarlo Giannini in a story about a family in a gloomy house haunted by a grim past. The movie looks like it'll be profitable for Dimension, despite dismal reviews, the trade papers reported.
Dimension Buys Wolf Rights
imension Films paid $3.5 million to buy Greg McLean's horror film Wolf Creek a month before its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Variety reported. The deal closed Christmas Eve.
With a scary plot ostensibly based on true events, Wolf Creek is the story of three backpackers who head into the Australian outback and experience a terrifying journey after meeting a seemingly friendly stranger, the trade paper reported.
The film will premiere Jan. 24 in Sundance's world dramatic competition.
Arclight/Darclight Films and Mushroom Pictures distribute Wolf Creek in Australia. The Australian Film Finance Corp. financed the film, the trade paper reported.
NBC, SCI FI To Air Tsunami Benefit
he NBC Universal Television Group, which includes SCI FI Channel, will air a live special on its broadcast and cable TV networks to benefit victims of the south Asian tsunami at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Jan. 15, the company announced. Jeff Zucker, president of the group, made the announcement.
The hour-long broadcast, featuring music and celebrities, will air live on the East Coast and will be tape delayed in the west on NBC, USA, Bravo, Trio, SCI FI, MSNBC and CNBC, with phone lines remaining open throughout the evening, the company said.
Clear Channel has signed on as promotional partner and will promote the broadcast on its radio stations across the country. The special is being executive produced by Dave Broome of 25/7 Productions, Tony Eaton and Larry Kline of Tall Pony Productions.
NBC Universal Television Group is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Nebula Early Ballot Released
he Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association of America announced the preliminary ballot for its Nebula Awards, selected by the organization's members. The final ballot will be mailed Feb. 15 to all SFWA members.
The Nebula Awards are chosen by active members of the group, which was founded as the Science Fiction Writers of America in 1965 by SF author Damon Knight. SFWA now has 1,400 members, among them most of the leading writers of science fiction and fantasy.
The awards will be announced at the Nebula Awards Banquet in Chicago on April 30. The full preliminary ballot follows.
Novels
•Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
•Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow
•Omega by Jack McDevitt
•Perfect Circle by Sean Stewart
•Conquistador by S.M. Stirling
•The Knight by Gene Wolfe
Novellas
•"Walk in Silence" by Catherine Asaro
•"Off on a Starship" by William Barton
•"Time Ablaze" by Michael A.Burstein
•"The Tangled Strings of the Marionettes" by Adam-Troy Castro
•"Sergeant Chip" by Bradley Denton
•"Arabian Wine" by Gregory Feeley
•"The Cookie Monster" by Vernor Vinge
•"The Green Leopard Plague" by Walter Jon Williams
•"Just Like the Ones We Used to Know" by Connie Willis
Novelettes
•"Paying It Forward" by Michael A. Burstein
•"Zora and the Zombie" by Andy Duncan
•"Basement Magic" by Ellen Klages
•"The Voluntary State" by Christopher Rowe
•"Dry Bones" by William Sanders
•"The Gladiator's War: A Dialogue" by Lois Tilton
Short Stories
•"The Strange Redemption of Sister Mary Anne" by Mike Moscoe
•"Travels With my Cats" by Mike Resnick
•"Embracing-The-New" by Benjamin Rosenbaum
•"Shed Skin" by Robert J. Sawyer
•"In the Late December" by Greg van Eekhout
•"Aloha" by Ken Wharton
Scripts
•The Incredibles
•Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
•The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Drakengard Sequel On Tap
quare Enix announced a sequel to its apocalyptic dragon-riding game, Drag On Dragoon, known as Drakengard in North America, the GameSpot Web site reported. Slated for release on the PlayStation 2 in spring 2005, the sequel will be titled Drag On Dragoon 2: Love Red, Ambivalence Black, the site reported. Cavia will develop the title.
Square Enix has opened a teaser site for Drag On Dragoon 2, which currently features a 51-second trailer. The teaser hints that the sequel takes place in the same world as the previous installment, only 18 years later.
USA Rides The Bullet
SA Network locked up a six-year exclusive deal for the supernatural film Stephen King's Riding the Bullet, which debuted last year on only 100 screens before being pulled for lack of box office, Variety reported.
For a license fee of about $1 million, USA has blown out any pay TV window so that it can start playing Bullet in a double run Jan. 23, followed by three more plays within the next 10 days, the trade paper reported.
Bullet, based on King's e-book of the same name, stars Jonathan Jackson as a man who's obsessed by the prospect of his own death and that of his mother (Barbara Hershey). It opened in mid-October in a few test markets, averaged only $1,010 a screen and was pulled, the trade paper reported.
A USA spokesman told Variety that the network does not regard the movie's failure in the theaters as a gauge of its eventual cable TV performance. USA is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Jordan To Helm Tripods
ustralian-born director Gregor Jordan has signed on to rewrite and direct the adaptation of John Christopher's The Tripods Trilogy for Walt Disney's Touchstone Pictures label, Variety reported.
Disney picked up the feature rights to Christopher's SF book series in 1997 for producer Don Murphy, with an eye toward the project's franchise possibilities.
In 2000, Darren Lemke came on board to adapt the trilogy, and subsequently, Terry Hayes, before Jordan signed to rewrite and direct, the trade paper reported.
The Christopher trilogy, which comprises The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead and The Pool of Fire, tells the story of an Earth conquered by Tripods, who have enslaved the human race by implanting a mind-controlling device in the heads of everyone over 15, the trade paper reported. The books, first published in 1967, tell the story of a boy and two of his friends who race to overthrow the Tripods before they must undergo the capping ritual. The Tripods Trilogy was previously adapted by the BBC as a TV series, beginning in 1984.
Medium Debuts Well
he Jan. 3 premiere of NBC's heavily promoted mid-season supernatural drama Medium generated the network's best numbers for a drama premiere in more than four years, nearly catching CBS' hit CSI: Miami in key demographics, Variety reported. The series, starring Patricia Arquette, centers on an Arizona psychic who uses her abilities to help solve crimes.
Medium scored a 6.3 rating and 16 share (16.09 million viewers), the best results for a Monday debut on the network in nearly 11 years and the best for a drama on any night since Ed in October 2000, the trade paper reported.
Medium finished a close second in demographics to CSI: Miami (6.7/16 in 18-49, 18.49m) and, in an encouraging sign, grew by 10 percent in its second half-hour (6.6 vs. 6.0 in 18-49) and closed the gap with CSI: Miami to just two-tenths from 10:30 to 11 (6.6 vs. 6.8), the trade paper reported.
NBC is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Vaugier Stars In Painkiller
mmanuelle Vaugier will play the title role in SCI FI Channel's upcoming two-hour pilot Painkiller Jane, based on the Event Comics series, the network announced. Painkiller Jane, which will also feature Walker Howard, deals with a young Marine officer (Vaugier) who acquires rapid self-healing powers after being exposed to a biochemical weapon. NBC Universal Television Studio and MGM are producing.
Candian-born Vaugier had a recurring role as Dr. Helen Bryce on The WB's Smallville and has appeared in such TV series as Charmed and Veronica Mars.
Portman Mulls V For Vendetta
tar Wars' Natalie Portman is in final talks to star in the Wachowski brothers' film based on Alan Moore's graphic novel V Is for Vendetta for Warner Brothers and producer Joel Silver, Variety reported. The Matrix creators wrote the script for the film, and their longtime first assistant director James McTeigue will make his helming debut on the movie. The Wachowskis will produce Vendetta with Warners-based Silver.
Vendetta takes place in an alternate future in which Germany wins World War II and Great Britain becomes a fascist state. A terrorist freedom fighter known only as "V" begins a violent guerrilla campaign to destroy those who've succumbed to totalitarianism, and recruits a young woman he's rescued, or possibly kidnapped, from the secret police to join him, the trade paper reported.
McTeigue recently wrapped duties as first assistant director on Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith, in which Portman reprises the role of Padme Amidala. She was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in Closer.
Before Vendetta can start shooting in Berlin, Portman will first need to wrap up her work on Free Zone. Insiders familiar with the studio's plans say the first week of March has already been carved out to start production, with a fall 2005 release planned, the trade paper reported.
New Worlds Photos On Wire
CI FI Wire has posted new images from Steven Spielberg's upcoming War of the Worlds in the new Photo Gallery section of the site. The images, from Paramount Pictures, show stars Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning in scenes from the film, an adaptation of H.G. Wells' classic SF novel about a Martian invasion.
War of the Worlds, from the director of the beloved SF films E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, is currently in production for a June 29 release.
SCI FI Wire Gets New Features
o kick off the New Year, SCI FI Wire has a new look, new images and new pages of photos and links to trailers for upcoming SF&F films. The Wire also features new links to frequently updated reviews of TV, films, books, games and other entertainment, as well as interviews with stars, directors, authors and other creators. Visitors to SCI FI Wire can access the new features through the menu on the left side of the page. The Wire is available through RSS feed and on handheld devices.
In the Photo Gallery, the Wire will post pictures from upcoming movie productions and shots of celebrities from premieres, parties and other events. Many of these will be special to SCI FI Wire, such as the new images from the upcoming films Aeon Flux and War of the Worlds now on view. A selection of these Gallery Photos will appear above the poll, on the right side of the page.
In the Trailers section, the Wire will post links to coming attractions for SF&F movies, with photos, posters and details about the productions.
SCI FI Wire invites readers to let us know what you think of the new features, images and trailers. E-mail us!
Darkstalkers Launches PSP In U.S.
apcom announced that its fantasy game Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower, will launch Sony's much-anticipated PSP handheld gaming device and entertainment system in North America. The game brings back Capcom's greatest monster warriors to battle for control of the night, the company said.
The game features 18 characters from the five previous installments of the Darkstalkers franchise, remastered to include additional content with Wi-Fi functionality, the company said. The new PSP features high resolution and a 16:9 widescreen display. Sony has said the PSP will launch in March.
Jackson Mulls Lovely Bones
ing Kong director Peter Jackson and his writing partner Philippa Boyens told the official Lord of the Rings fan magazine that their next project will be a film adaptation of the best-selling supernatural novel The Lovely Bones, according to a report on Ain't It Cool News.
"We feel comfortable with each other," Boyens said. "I am sure there will be other projects we do separately, but at the moment, as long as it works, we'll keep doing it."
The Alice Sebold book is narrated by the spirit of a murdered young girl as she watches her family and friends deal with her death. She also watches her murderer and follows the events in his life.
Nightstalkers On Hold
he Creature Corner Web site reported that a proposed Nightstalkers spinoff film, based on characters in the recent Blade: Trinity film, is on hold for now. Toby Emmerich, head of production at New Line Cinema, told the site that "there are no plans right now for a Nightstalkers film until I see how well Blade: Trinity does on video."
The film was supposed to deal with the further adventures of Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds) and Abigail Whistler (Jessica Biel), who were introduced in Trinity, the third installment in the Blade franchise. The film has grossed a little more than $45 million domestically since its release last month.
Inmate Sues Horrormeister King
man awaiting trial for making bomb threats against a U.S. attorney is suing best-selling horror author Stephen King, Court TV reported. In a suit filed Dec. 27 in U.S. District Court, inmate James Richards asks for $10 million from the writer and his publisher for allegedly stealing the idea for the novel-turned-movie The Green Mile from him, the TV network reported.
Simon and Schuster, parent company of the 1999 novel's publisher, Pocket Books, is also named in the suit. Richards wants the publisher to stop selling the book and asks that the film's producer, Warner Brothers, stop broadcasting the film version, although the company is not named as a plaintiff.
Richards is currently an inmate at the Norfolk Corrections Detention Center in Massachusetts, where he is awaiting trial on charges of making bomb threats to Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan, according to a federal indictment.
"The plaintiff seems to have some credibility issues," Adam Rothberg, a spokesman for Simon and Schuster, told Court TV. "We have every confidence that Green Mile springs from the evergreen and ever-growing imagination of Stephen King."
Orphan Dawns At Fox
wentieth Century Fox has optioned Orphan's Dawn, an SF spec script by Josh Friedman, Variety reported. Orphan's Dawn takes place on a city-sized starship that has been floating in space for a century as its inhabitants seek a planet on which to settle after their own world was rendered uninhabitable, the trade paper reported.
John Davis and Wyck Godfrey of Davis Entertainment (I, Robot) will produce.
Friedman wrote the first draft of War of the Worlds, which was redone by David Koepp after Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise decided to do the film together, the trade paper reported.
Friedman then did rewrite work on the upcoming The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, based on Douglas Adams' beloved radio series and book.
Clone Tees Up Episode III
nimator Genndy Tartakovsky, who created Cartoon Network's cult animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, told Now Playing Magazine that a new season of shorts will bring fans right to the beginning of next summer's Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith. "Basically, if you cut out the scroll [from the beginning of Episode III], it would be completely seamless where we end and the movie starts," Tartakovsky told the magazine.
Tartakovsky added: "We're doing five 12-minute episodes. [The original episodes] were like three minutes. It's harder, but in a way it's easier, because in the three-minute ones it's basically just piling in a bunch of action. But in these new ones, we have a lot of character and still a lot of action, but we were able to really do some more acting and relationship-building. So it was much more fun to do, and that way it didn't seem harder."
The new episodes will be darker as they lead in to the prequel about Anakin Skywalker's descent into the Dark Side, Tartakovsky said. "I think the tone is a little darker initially. We're kind of carrying all the ideas from Episode II that were established: the secret marriage of Anakin and Padmé and his relationship with Obi-Wan progressing beyond just bickering. That was one of the main things that we tried to focus on. They maybe become more friends than simply master and padawan. It's a little bit more [like] a movie. It feels more like one story [than the first series did]. We have one story building into the climax, and then there are a couple of side stories, but they're all very interrelated."
The newest batch of Clone Wars episodes is set to debut on March 26.
Briefly Noted
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Yahoo! Movies has posted the first five minutes of Jennifer Garner's upcoming Elektra movie, which opens Jan. 14.
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ABC scored its highest Wednesday night numbers in more than two years with the first fresh installment of Lost since last month and the fourth-season debut of Alias, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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The Directors Guild of America nominated director Marc Forster
(Finding Neverland) and four others for its coveted award, to be presented Jan. 29.
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Steven Spielberg has donated $1.5 million to help victims of the South Asia tsunami, wire services reported.
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The Incredibles and Finding Neverland were among the films nominated as best movie of the year by the Producers Guild of America, the Reuters news service reported.
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TV Guide Online reported that producers of Showtime's canceled Dead Like Me have approached The WB about picking up the show, and that the Frog network is mulling the offer.
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Former Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Alyson Hannigan is set to join Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ed O'Neill on ABC's upcoming comedy series In the Game, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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The official Web site for the upcoming Bloodrayne film, based on the video game, has been updated with several new images.
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Entertainment Tonight on Jan. 4 unveiled the Star Wars-themed cover of this month's Vanity Fair magazine, a four-page foldout featuring stars from all the movies.
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Cinescape Online reported that a trailer for the upcoming Fantastic Four movie will ship with prints of Elektra, which opens Jan. 14.
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