Star Wars Trailer Hits The Net
ucasfilm quietly posted the movie trailer for Star Wars: Episode I on its Web site after dozens of bootleg copies began appearing on the Internet.
A preview of the trailer debuted in limited theatrical release on Tuesday, Nov. 17, and almost immediately Star Wars fans began passing around illicit copies--reportedly made with handheld video cameras--on Web sites and newsgroups.
Unfortunately for fans, downloading the official version of the trailer has proven nearly impossible, as the Star Wars Web site has been jammed with traffic since the two-minute video clip was posted. The official release date for the trailer is Nov. 20.
Fans Flock To Star Wars
tar Wars fans headed to theaters in droves on Tuesday, Nov. 17, to see the sneak preview of the two-minute trailer for Star Wars: Episode I, according to Variety.
The trailer ran in 75 theaters throughout the United States and Canada, preceding the movies The Siege, The Waterboy and Meet Joe Black.
Although fans paid for a full-price ticket to see the trailer, many audience members didn't stick around to see the feature films that followed.
Cunningham Hired For Neuromancer
even Arts Pictures has hired fledgling filmmaker Chris Cunningham to direct the movie adaptation of William Gibson's famous cyberpunk novel Neuromancer.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cunningham first earned attention in Britain for his work as a commercial and video director.
Cunningham will direct from a script written by Gibson, who has previously adapted his own works such as Johnny Mnemonic, The Zen Differential and New Rose Hotel. Neuromancer was published in 1984 and went on to win the Hugo, Nebula and Philip K. Dick Awards.
Disney Halts 'Bicentennial Man'
isney has temporarily put the brakes on its big-budget film adaptation of the Isaac Asimov story "Bicentennial Man" due to a runaway budget, according to Variety.
The movie has generated quite a buzz in Hollywood because it will reunite actor Robin Williams and director Chris Columbus, who previously worked together on the hit film Mrs. Doubtfire.
Disney executives plan to see if they can get the film's price tag down before they decide whether or not to scrap the picture altogether. The story, about a robot who spends 200 years trying to become human, was adapted for the screen by Nick Kazan.
Spielberg Courting SF, Not Geisha
irector Steven Spielberg has pushed back the start date of his upcoming film Memoirs of a Geisha in order to pursue a project with Tom Cruise that will likely involve one of two SF scripts.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Spielberg is interested in both an adaptation of the Philip K. Dick story "Minority Report" (see story below) and a screenplay based on Michael Marshall Smith's cloning novel Spares.
"Minority Report" is the story of a police officer in the "pre-crime division" who must solve his own case after he is accused of a murder he hasn't committed yet. Spares is about an ex-cop who tries to rescue clones that have been raised to provide organs and body parts for the rich.
Cruise, Spielberg Eyeing P.K.D. Story
teven Spielberg and Tom Cruise are interested in working together on the film adaptation of the Philip K. Dick short story "The Minority Report," according to Variety.
The film has been in development at Fox for several years, and initially Jan De Bont was attached to direct from a screenplay by Jon Cohen.
If Cruise and Spielberg decide to take the project--Variety reports they characterized the announcement as "tremendously premature"--De Bont would remain on board as a producer. The story is about a police officer in the "pre-crime division" who must solve his own case after he is accused of a murder he hasn't committed yet.
Harper Plans Legends Audio Series
arperAudio announced it will be releasing a four-volume series of audio books based on Robert Silverberg's acclaimed anthology Legends: Stories by the Masters of Fantasy.
Each installment will include four cassettes with a running time of about six hours and a suggested price of $25.00.
Legends Volume 1: The Dark Tower will feature stories by Stephen King and Silverberg; Volume 2: The Wheel of Time will include works by Robert Jordan, Terry Pratchett and Orson Scott Card; Volume 3: The Sword of Truth will feature stories by Terry Goodkind, Ursula K. Le Guin and Tad Williams; and Volume 4: Pern: Runner of Pern will include stories by Anne McCaffrey, Raymond E. Feist and George R.R. Martin.
The first Legends audio volume went on sale earlier this year, while Vol. 2 was just released. Vol. 3 is due out in January 1999, to be followed by Vol. 4 in February 1999.
Lopez Joins Hollow Man
ennifer Lopez is in talks to appear in director Paul Verhoeven's upcoming SF film The Hollow Man, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film is about a group of scientists who learn how to make people invisible.
Lopez would reportedly play a scientist who is also the ex-lover of the group's maniacal leader. Lopez has previously appeared in Out of Sight, Selena, Anaconda and U-Turn.
Armageddon Destroys Video Market
uena Vista's summer hit Armageddon continued its destructive reign by crushing the competition in the home video market, earning $8.06 million during its rental debut, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
That was the strongest opening week for a video rental since May, when the multiple-Oscar-winning film As Good As It Gets hit store shelves.
DreamWorks' tiny hit Small Soldiers also managed to establish a large beachhead in the rental arena by picking up $8.04 million in its first week of release. Meanwhile, Godzilla continued its rental rampage by chalking up another $6.05 million in sales, while Paramount's Deep Impact took in $5.06 million in its third week.
Canton Makes A Wish
illage Roadshow Pictures and the Canton Co. have picked up the rights to Haris Orkin's comedy script Other People's Wishes, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film centers around a man who steals pennies from a wishing well and then must live out other people's wishes.
Mark Canton will reportedly produce the film.
Briefly Noted
- Fox plans to air Jurassic Park: The Lost World at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25, instead of the originally scheduled Mrs. Doubtfire. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the network is hoping to boost its ratings during the final night of November sweeps.
- David Bowie will host the second season of Showtime's erotic horror series The Hunger, according to Daily Variety. The series was inspired by the 1983 vampire movie of the same name, which Bowie starred in.
- The sister TV stations Fox and FX have picked up the television rights to the SF films The X-Files and Starship Troopers. The movies will alternate between the two channels beginning in 2000.
- CBS has ordered nine more episodes of Becker, the sitcom that features former Star Trek: Deep Space Nine actress Terry Farrell.
- Carsey-Werner Distribution is preparing to offer 62 hours of its speculative fiction drama The Profiler for an off-network debut in 1999, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
- Patrick Stewart has agreed to star in a big-budget TV adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol for TNT, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
