Crusade Waits For Witchblade
t looks like the Babylon 5 spinoff TV series Crusade won't be making its originally scheduled debut date of January 6, 1999.
B5 creator J. Michael Straczynski reports that the show is being held up by TNT due to delays with another of the network's new series, Witchblade.
"TNT is still trying to decide what works best for their needs, given that Witchblade is being vastly delayed, and they kind of want both shows to go out at the same time, or close to it," Straczynski told Sci-Fi Wire by e-mail. "It could still be January, or the February [ratings] sweeps, or March. No one's told us yet, because they haven't decided themselves."
Straczynski added that there was no truth to the rumors that the first five episodes of Crusade had been scrapped.
Apes Star McDowall Dead At 70
lanet of the Apes star Roddy McDowall, a beloved actor in Hollywood since his debut as a child star in the 1930s, died at the age of 70 on Saturday, Oct. 3.
McDowall had been diagnosed with cancer back in April but had kept his illness a secret until just a few weeks ago.
The British-born thespian was probably best known to SF fans for his role as Cornelius in the film Planet of the Apes. McDowall went on to appear in four of the five Apes movies as well as in the TV series, also playing the roles of Galen and Caesar.
In addition to Apes, McDowall had parts in numerous SF movies and TV shows, from Father Stone in The Martian Chronicles to the voice of the robot Vincent in The Black Hole. One of his last roles was voicing the character Mr. Soil for the upcoming film A Bug's Life. McDowall was also an acclaimed actor outside the SF genre, having earned a Tony Award for his work on the play The Fighting Cock and an Emmy Award for his part in the TV movie Not Without Honor.
In addition to his career as an actor, McDowall was a celebrity photographer whose first collection, Double Exposure, was published in 1966. Just days before McDowall's death, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced it would be naming its photo archive after him.
Mercy Point Out, Charmed In
PN has decided to yank the poorly performing SF medical drama Mercy Point from its lineup less than two weeks after the show's debut.
Meanwhile, the WB Network has ordered nine more episodes of its highly rated supernatural series Charmed.
Mercy Point stumbled onto the airwaves with a 1.7 rating in the Nielsens on its debut night, and its average rating after two episodes is just a 1.5. Variety quoted Mercy creator and executive producer Trey Callaway as saying, "We developed an intelligent, sexy, interesting show that was groomed from the outset to be a companion to Voyager. Instead, we were a companion to Moesha and Clueless."
UPN entertainment president Tom Nunan told Variety that Mercy was originally going to be paired with Voyager, but the network's SF action show Seven Days proved a better companion to the Star Trek spin-off. He said the network was considering airing the remaining episodes of Mercy Point back-to-back on Thursday nights as part of the network's two-hour movie block.
Over on the WB, Charmed has proven to be such a hit that the network has made a full-season commitment to the series. Charmed is averaging a 5.1 rating in the Nielsens, and its second episode pushed the WB to the No. 1 spot in the show's target demographic, women aged 12-34.
O'Connells Depart Sliders
hen production begins on the fifth season of Sliders next week, co-stars and real-life brothers Jerry and Charlie O'Connell--who played the on-screen brothers Quinn and Colin Mallory--won't be returning.
The sibling actors have left Sliders for other projects, and they will be replaced by Robert Floyd and Tembi Locke in two newly created roles.
"The Sci-Fi Channel is extremely supportive of Jerry and Charlie and we respect their decision to pursue other projects," said Stephen Chao, the president of programming and marketing for USA Networks. "Sliders' most appealing element is its unique premise of traveling to parallel Earth dimensions, and we are excited to continue the adventures for another season--with more innovative plot twists in store for the audience."
Sliders, which also stars Cleavant Derricks and Kari Wuhrer, ran on Fox from March 1995 to May 1997 before coming to the Sci-Fi Channel on June 8. Since then it has been the channel's highest-rated prime-time program, averaging a 1.5 household rating in the Monday, 9 p.m. ET, time slot.
The fifth season of Sliders will air on the channel in 1999.
Zelazny's Amber Headed To Film
d Neumeier, who adapted Robert Heinlein's classic SF novel Starship Troopers for the big screen, will next turn his hand to Roger Zelazny's fantasy novel Nine Princes in Amber, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Producer Mark Canton and Batman Forever writer Akiva Goldsman are teaming with Neumeier to turn Nine Princes into a feature film.
The story centers around a man who awakens one day with amnesia, only to learn that he is the prince of a powerful realm that exists on a greater plane than our own. He finds he must fight his way through political intrigues that would put the Greek gods to shame even as he struggles to regain his memory.
Corman Brings Nightfall To India
amed director Roger Corman plans to shoot a film adaptation of the Isaac Asimov story "Nightfall" at a new 2,000-acre studio in Hyderabad, India.
Corman chose Hyderabad over Hollywood because of its low production costs, and he also plans to use native actors in many of the supporting roles, according to Variety.
Nightfall is scheduled to start shooting in January 1999, with Corman directing from a script written by Michael B. Druxman. The film will likely be released in late 1999 or 2000.
"Nightfall" tells the story of a planet that is almost perpetually bathed in light from six nearby suns, experiencing absolute darkness only once every 2,000 years. It has been called "the single most popular SF story every published."
CBS Returns To The Twilight Zone
conglomerate that includes CBS Broadcast International, the BBC and Virgin Century Television plans to produce 13 new episodes of The Twilight Zone for European television markets, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The series will be produced in the United Kingdom, but a computer-generated set will allow local networks to provide their own hosts to introduce each episode a la Rod Serling.
This will be the fourth incarnation of the CBS-owned Zone, which originally aired on the network from 1959-64. The show was later revived as a prime-time series for one and a half seasons, then turned into a syndicated offering for 30 episodes. A Zone film also appeared on the big screen in 1983.
Frakes Takes On Roswell Assignment
tar Trek alum Jonathan Frakes has agreed to serve as executive producer for a new Fox pilot called Roswell High, according to Ultimate TV.
The series focuses on a mixed group of alien and human teenagers who go to school and grow up in Roswell, N.M.
Ultimate TV hinted that Frakes' wife Genie Francis might have a role in the show, though Fox reportedly refused to confirm the fact. Frakes is best known to SF fans for his role as Commander William Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also starred in and directed the upcoming movie Star Trek: Insurrection.
West Plans Silent Running Remake
imon West, who made his debut behind the camera with Con Air, is planning a remake of the 1971 SF environmental disaster flick Silent Running.
Variety reported that West pitched the idea to Kevin Misher, an executive vice president with Universal, and the two decided the movie tackled issues and themes that were more relevant today than they were nearly three decades ago.
Silent Running starred Bruce Dern as a spaceship pilot charged with overseeing the last samples of Earth's forests. When the order comes down to destroy the ship, Dern instead devises a plan to save the trees, although it ultimately costs him his own life.
The updated Silent Running will be written by Rudy Gaines and John Rice, though no actors are currently attached to the project.
Cameron To Host Martian Mania
cclaimed writer/director James Cameron (Terminator, Titanic) will host the Sci-Fi Channel special Martian Mania: The True Story of War of the Worlds, which will air at 9 p.m ET on Oct. 30.
The one-hour documentary will commemorate the 60th anniversary of Orson Welles' famous 1938 Halloween Eve radio adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic novel War of the Worlds.
Martian Mania will focus on the broadcast itself as well as the aftermath of the radio drama, which convinced thousands of people that Martians were actually invading Earth. Highlights of the special include interviews with residents of Grovers Mill, N.J., where the fictional invasion first began.
Fox Makes Room For Brimstone
ox has decided to remove the poorly performing sitcoms Living in Captivity and Getting Personal from its Friday night lineup and replace them with its new supernatural action series Brimstone.
The change frees up the Friday 8-9 p.m. time slot for Brimstone, which Fox is apparently hoping will make an ideal lead-in for its dark drama Millennium.
Because of the move, Brimstone will debut on Oct. 23, instead of Oct. 26 as originally planned. The show stars Peter Horton as Ezekiel Stone, a dead cop who makes a deal with the devil to round up 113 souls that have escaped from hell.
Reitman Buys Into Evolution
he Montecito Picture Co., which is owned by filmmakers Ivan Reitman and Tom Pollock, has picked up Don Jakoby's SF thriller script Evolution, according to Variety.
Jakoby, who co-wrote the upcoming flick Vampires with John Carpenter, has reportedly found a new twist to the popular asteroid-strikes-Earth story that has been making the rounds in Hollywood.
In Evolution, an asteroid does indeed hit our planet, but this time it leaves behind what appears to be an alien ecosystem. Reitman is purportedly planning to take a humorous approach to the film, as he did with 1984's Ghostbusters.
Murphy Signs On For Dolittle II
ddie Murphy has agreed to star in a sequel to this year's surprise box-office hit Dr. Dolittle, according to Variety.
Producers John Davis, Joseph Singer and David Friendly have also signed on to the Fox project, although the film currently lacks both a script and a director.
The 1998 version of Dolittle, which was a remake of the 1967 Fox movie of the same name, was directed by Betty Thomas and earned $240 million in worldwide release.
Seven Days, Charmed Start Strong
ednesday proved to be a good night for new speculative fiction TV shows, with UPN's Seven Days and the WB's Charmed debuting to strong Nielsen ratings.
Seven Days, which received mixed reviews from critics, gave UPN its best Wednesday night in nearly a year by earning a 3.4 rating in the Nielsens.
Meanwhile, Charmed set new records when it landed a whopping 5.2 rating during its debut, the best premiere ever for the WB. The show also gave the network all-time high ratings in the adults 18-49, women 18-49 and women 18-34 demographics.
Seven Days stars Jonathan LaPaglia as a CIA operative who is sent back in time in order to prevent a terrorist bombing that kills the U.S. president and vice president. Charmed stars Shannen Doherty, Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs as three sibling witches.
Burton Brings Oz To TV
irector Tim Burton plans to executive produce a live-action syndicated TV series based on the Wizard of Oz stories by children's author L. Frank Baum.
Variety reports the big-budget project is in the early stages of development at Columbia TriStar TV Distribution, which is tentatively planning a fall 1999 debut for the series.
Burton plans to focus on some of the lesser-known characters from Baum's Oz series, which included numerous books and stories. The famed 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz was based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which kicked off Baum's Oz saga. The book later appeared in 1914 under the title The New Wizard of Oz.
Kasanoff Reviving Conan
arry Kasanoff, the man who produced Mortal Kombat, has picked up the recently canceled syndicated TV series Conan: The Adventurer.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kasanoff's Threshold Entertainment will produce 22 new episodes of the show, along with video games, Web sites and other merchandise based on the Conan franchise.
Strongman Ralf Moeller will continue as the star of the series, though the show itself will reportedly have a darker feel to it, much like the Conan movies that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. Kasanoff plans to relaunch the series in early 1999.
Turner, Sabato Jr. Star In Reaper
anine Turner and Antonio Sabato Jr. have agreed to star in the upcoming TBS made-for-TV movie Reaper, according to Variety.
Reaper was written by Rockne S. O'Bannon (Alien Nation, Seaquest DSV) and centers around a computer virus that produces images that can kill anyone who sees them.
Turner, who was a regular on the offbeat sitcom Northern Exposure, plays an army medical field agent who's been assigned to find the creator of the virus. Sabato plays a doctor who teams up with Turner.
Fox Developing SF Western
ox TV Studios and Twister director Jan De Bont are developing a one-hour syndicated SF Western TV show called The Judger, according to Variety.
The series is set on Mars about 100 years from now and focuses on a lawman, played by Northern Exposure's John Corbett, who travels the Martian colonies dispensing frontier justice and avoiding an assassination plot.
Fox is readying a two-hour pilot of The Judger, to be directed by De Bont, for a 1999 premiere.
Stiller Furious For Mystery Men
here's Something About Mary star Ben Stiller is the latest big name to join the ensemble cast of Universal Pictures' offbeat superhero flick Mystery Men.
Variety reports that Stiller has agreed to play the part of mystery man Mr. Furious, a hero fueled by anger at having been neglected by his parents.
Interestingly, Stiller had at one time considered directing Mystery Men, a role that eventually went to Kinka Usher. As Mr. Furious, he will star alongside super pals Blue Raja and the Shoveler as they battle their nemesis Cassanova Frankenstein, who will be played by Shine headliner Geoffrey Rush.
Mystery Men is based on the Dark Horse comic book created by Bob Burden. Its all-star cast includes Hank Azaria, Paul Reubens, Claire Forlani, Janeane Garofalo and Lena Olin.
Six Join Lost Souls
ix actors have joined the cast of New Line's upcoming supernatural thriller Lost Souls, according to Variety.
John Hurt, Philip Baker Hall, Elias Koteas, Leslie Stefanson, John Diehl and W. Earl Brown have agreed to appear in the flick, with Hurt and Hall portraying priests.
The film stars Winona Ryder as a young women who learns of a conspiracy to bring the devil to Earth in human form. Ben Chaplin will star opposite Ryder as a New York crime journalist who finds himself the focus of the evil goings-on.
Janusz Kaminiski, a cinematographer whose credits include Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, will direct.
Some DS9 Fans Miss Premiere
tar Trek: Deep Space Nine fans in Los Angeles and San Francisco missed out on the series' seventh season premiere due to contractual disputes between the Chris-Craft/United TV stations in those areas and Paramount Domestic TV, according to Variety.
The two stations--KCOP in Los Angeles and KBHK in San Francisco--aired reruns in place of the premiere, but they have reportedly settled their differences with Paramount and plan to begin running DS9's seventh season in the show's usual time slot.
DS9, a syndicated series, runs in the Saturday 9 p.m. time slot in both markets.
Briefly Noted
- The Metaverse Web site reports that Sean Connery and Tom Hanks are teaming up for a $160 million film adaptation of Robert Heinlein's classic SF novel Stranger in a Strange Land.
- Lost in Space set a single-week record for DVD sales last week, according to The Hollywood Reporter. New Line Home Video told THR that it sold 75,000 copies of Lost and has taken orders for a total of 211,000 copies.
- Oscar-nominated actor Greg Kinnear has joined the cast of Universal's offbeat superhero movie Mystery Men. Kinnear will play Captain Amazing, the only member in a group of self-proclaimed heroes who actually possesses super powers.
- Marcus Nispel has stepped aside as director of the upcoming Arnold Schwarzenegger supernatural flick End of Days, according to published reports. There is no word on who his replacement will be.
- UPN's SF medical drama Mercy Point earned a weak 1.7 rating in Nielsens during its debut on Tuesday, according to Variety.
- Gene Autry, the famous singing cowboy who starred in the 1935 science fiction musical western The Phantom Empire, died Oct. 2 at his home in Studio City, Calif. He was 91.
