SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2014

Yahoo! is reporting, via a tweet from a BBC News reporter, that 22-year-old actress Jessica Henwick has an unspecified role in the eagerly anticipated sequel. The young British actress is known for her roles in the BBC drama Silk, as well as the 2009 series Spirit Warriors. She’s an up-and-comer in the U.K. but a relative unknown in the U.S.

But who will she be playing? Good guy, bad guy? Jedi, or Sith (or something else)? No clue. The report didn’t include any more details, and knowing J.J., we’d think finer points will be hard to come by until they finally drop an official cast list for this flick and confirm some intel.

Whoever she’s playing, Henwick joins a long list of original stars and newcomers in the sequel. We already know original players Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher are back. It sounds like Henwick will be part of the younger, new regime, led by Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, among others.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens Dec. 18, 2015.

FROZEN SEQUEL?
In September, Walt Disney Animation Studios announced that a new animated short, titled Frozen Fever, was coming to theaters in Spring 2015, but what about a sequel to the 2013 blockbuster? Frozen is the No. 1 animated hit of all time (and fifth of all time of all movies) with $1.274 billion earned at the worldwide box office. In addition to that achievement, merchandise is still selling like crazy, there’s a rumored stage musical in the works and there’s a new attraction coming to the Norway Pavilion in Epcot that will replace the Maelstrom ride. And let’s not forget that the Frozen characters are now also appearing on ABC’s “Once Upon a Time,” in the Disney On Ice shows, and in Disney’s theme parks as well.

In other words, Frozen is everywhere, yet Disney has not said anything about the possibility of another movie. Now, however, it appears that Elsa herself, Idina Menzel, might have slipped up and mentioned the sequel. Talking with The Telegraph, the interviewer mentioned the upcoming short and the rumors of a sequel and stage musical. What could she say about them? “That they’re all in the works, ha ha!”

She was then asked if she was signed up for all of them. “Ah, yeah sure… Not the stage show – I don’t know what will happen with that – but the movie hopefully. We’ll see. I’m just going along for the ride,” she added. Menzel could just be talking about the short, but she did specifically say ‘movie.’

Walt Disney Animation Studios currently has an untitled movie scheduled for November 2018, but we’ll have to wait and see if that will be another feature-length story with Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf.

MINIONS
Universal Pictures and AMC Theatres have released this new teaser for Illumination Entertainment’s Minions, the “Despicable Me” spin-off coming to theaters on July 10, 2015.

Minions begins at the dawn of time. Starting as single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. Continuously unsuccessful at keeping these masters–from T. rex to Napoleon–the Minions find themselves without someone to serve and fall into a deep depression.

But one Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he–alongside teenage rebel Stuart and lovable little Bob–ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow.

The trio embarks upon a thrilling journey that ultimately leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock), the world’s first-ever female super-villain. They travel from frigid Antarctica to 1960s New York City, ending in mod London, where they must face their biggest challenge to date: saving all of Minionkind… from annihilation.

STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND
After several years of delays, a theatrical adaptation of Stephen King's beloved novel The Stand is finally moving forward, with Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) writing the screenplay adaptation and directing. Back in June, the filmmaker revealed he is making a three-hour, R-rated movie based on Stephen King's 1152-page book. But last month, Stephen King himself said they are now planning on making multiple movies. Today we finally have some clarification after Josh Boone appeared on Kevin Smith's Hollywood Babble-On podcast, where he confirmed that the adaptation will now span four movies.

Here's what he had to say about the initial script he wrote and how Warner Bros. asked him to expand it, while teasing that some cast members may have already been added and when production may begin.

"I really wanted to do an A-list actor, really grounded, credible version of the movie. I sold them on that and they hired me...I sold them on a single, three hour movie. I went and got [Stephen] King sold on it, everybody's really excited...I told the story non-linear and that was the way I was able to compress that book and get everything into that script. You open with Mother Abigail dying and sending the guys off, and then you jump back in time. So what happened is the script gets finished, I write it in like five months, everybody loves it, (Stephen) King loves it, $87 million is what it was budgeted at, really expensive for a horror drama that doesn't have set pieces. They came back and said 'would you do it as multiple films?' and I said 'fuck yes!' I loved my script, and I was willing to drop it in an instant because you're able to do an even truer version that way. So I think we are going to do like four movies. I can't tell you anything about how we're going to do them, or what's going to be in which movie. I'll just say we are going to do four movies, and we're going to do The Stand at the highest level you can do it at, with a cast that's going to blow people's minds. We've already been talking to lots of people, and have people on board in certain roles that people don't know about. We're looking to go into production next year, maybe in the spring."

We reported in August that Matthew McConaughey is being eyed to play the villainous Randall Flagg, but it isn't known if he has signed on. The original novel was adapted into a four-part The Stand mini-series back in 1994. With four feature films, this could be the most faithful adaptation of the novel yet.

The Stand is in development and stars Nat Wolff. The film is directed by Josh Boone.

FANTASTIC FOUR
The Rotten Tomatoes page for 20th Century Fox's The Fantastic Four reboot has revealed the first official synopsis. An extended and unofficial synopsis released earlier this month revealed that the title characters access another dimension, a plot point which has been confirmed by this synopsis. Take a look at this plot rundown below, then read on for more information.

"The Fantastic Four, a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel's original and longest-running superhero team, centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy. (C) Fox"

The "former friend turned enemy" is most likely Toby Kebbell's Doctor Doom, who we reported last week will be named Victor Doomashev, instead of the character's original comic book name Victor Von Doom. The character is described as an anti-social computer programmer and "hacktivist" who hates Dr. Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey), the father to both Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan) and Sue Storm (Kate Mara). Miles Teller and Jamie Bell round out the title characters as Reed Richards and Ben Grimm.

It remains to be seen when we'll see the first footage and/or photos from this reboot, with producer Simon Kinberg revealing last month that the filmmakers want to make sure that the "voice of the movie" is just right before giving fans their first look. What do you think about this official synopsis? Chime in with your thoughts below, and stay tuned for more on The Fantastic Four, which hits theaters August 7, 2015.

The Fantastic Four comes to theaters August 7th, 2015 and stars Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell, Tim Blake Nelson, Reg E. Cathey. The film is directed by Josh Trank.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2014

Clocking in at under just 90 seconds, the trailer ticks a lot of boxes on a "Star Wars" fan's checklist. Lightsabers? Check. Stormtrooper (albeit without helmet)? Check. Tatooine desert? Check. Space fights? Check. Most epic film score in history? Big fat check.

What is missing are signs of the promised recognizable faces. Of course they wouldn't show the returning cast (Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill) in the first teaser trailer -- but the trailer is scarce on newcomers as well. Zap2it is placing the bet that "Girls" star Adam Driver is the one skulking through the snowy forest with his red lightsaber at the end, but where is Lupita Nyong'o or "Game of Thrones'" Gwendoline Christie? Where are Chewie, R2-D2 and C-3PO?

The tease is definitely present in this teaser trailer.

The seventh chapter of George Lucas' "Star Wars" epic, directed by J.J. Abrams, will fly into theaters Dec. 18, 2015. Fans can see the trailer on the big screens around the world after this weekend.

REBOOT SEQUEL
Fans of the 1990s CGI sci-fi series ReBoot have been patiently waiting for the beloved classic to get another shot for decades now. Well, the time has finally arrived.

After having a proposed trilogy of films die in development hell back in 2008, Rainmaker Entertainment has announced plans for a new sequel series dubbed ReBoot: The Guardian Code. The show had a bit of a Tron vibe and was set inside a 3D world housed in a mainframe computer.

The original series was developed in Canada and debuted in 1994. It ran for 48 geekily awesome episodes on YTV in Canada and was picked up in the U.S. and ran as part of ABC's kids' programming block before it was dropped from the schedule.

No word on exactly what the sequel series’ plot will revolve around, but some reports say the original characters from the 1990s series will play a major role. Other reports say it’ll be dealing with (mostly) new characters, so take that with a grain of salt.

Regardless, we’re glad to see this mostly forgotten bit of 1990s nostalgia is getting another shot at life. The show was a blast and insanely ambitious for the technology available at the time. Here’s hoping the reboot can capture at least some of that magic.

THE PYRAMID
You'd think the whole Mummy's Curse plotline would be totally played out by now, but Gregory Levasseur's fun new horror flick, The Pyramid, mines some new territory by tossing in a found-footage feel and dumping a labyrinth of murdering monsters onto the cast.

Here's the latest trailer, with the formula of a newly revealed pyramid invaded by a curious crew and mixed until bloody used to fine effect. The producer, Alexandre Aja, has some respectable horror creds with Piranha 3D, The Hills Have Eyes and Daniel Radcliffe's latest, Horns, so this shocking little morsel shows

. Check out the official synopsis from 20th Century Fox:

The ancient wonders of the world have long cursed explorers who've dared to uncover their secrets. But a team of U.S. archaeologists gets more than they bargained for when they discover a lost pyramid unlike any other in the Egyptian desert. As they unlock the horrific secrets buried within, they realize they aren't just trapped, they are being hunted.

Starring Ashley Hinshaw, James Buckley, Denis O'Hare and Christa-Marie Nicola, The Pyramid opens on Dec. 5, 2014.

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE
We’ve been cautiously optimistic about Matthew Vaughn’s upcoming comic-inspired flick Kingsman: The Secret Service, but the anticipation meter is officially ratcheted up to 11.

The latest trailer for the spy-fi flick, directed by Vaughn and based on Mark Millar’s comic of the same name, looks like the self-aware, anti-James Bond we never knew we wanted. Though previous trailers played it straight(ish), the latest cut lets loose with the weirdness — to fantastic effect.

Vaughn and Millar previously collaborated on the stellar Kick-Ass, directed by Vaughn and based on Millar’s comic, and it looks like they’re close to replicating that same weird-awesome magic once again. From random puppies to crazy weapons and Samuel L. Jackson’s lisp, this movie looks like a ton of fun. Seriously, the new footage casts this film in a whole new light.

Based on the comic concept, the film tells the story of a secret international spy organization that recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training program just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius. Kingsman stars Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Caine and Taron Egerton.

The film is set to open Feb. 13, 2015, and we’ve just officially added it to our calendar.

THE ZOCALO TODAY

Facebook as well as at ISN News: The Zocalo Today on Yahoo Groups.

Did you miss the news from yesterday -- or earlier in the week. Catch up by going to the November News Archive. I have broken up the huge file into months to make it easier to scan through. It will bring you up to date for all that has been going on in the world of science fiction. Go to:
October News.
September News.
August News.
July News.
June News.
May News.

ON THE TUBE TONIGHT

8:00pm on ABC
Once Upon a Time
Season 4, Episode 10: Fall

8:00pm on AMC
The Walking Dead
Season 5, Episode 7: Crossed
Some members hold down the church while the others are on a rescue mission.

8:00pm on ABC Family
Despicable Me
A man who delights in all things wicked, supervillain Gru (Steve Carell) hatches a plan to steal the moon. Surrounded by an army of little yellow minions and his impenetrable arsenal of weapons and war machines, Gru makes ready to vanquish all who stand in his way. But nothing in his calculations and groundwork has prepared him for his greatest challenge: three adorable orphan girls (Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Elsie Fisher) who want to make him their dad.

8:00pm on TNT
Transformers
The fate of humanity is at stake when two races of robots, the good Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, bring their war to Earth. The robots have the ability to change into different mechanical objects as they seek the key to ultimate power. Only a human youth, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) can save the world from total destruction.

8:30pm on CBS
The Mentalist
Season 7, Episode 1: Nothing but Blue Skies
An undercover agent is murdered; an ambitious agent joins the team.

9:00pm on ABC
Resurrection
Season 2, Episode 8: Forsaken
As anti-Returned rhetoric increases, Pastor Tom's church becomes a refuge.

9:00pm on AMC
The Walking Dead
Season 5, Episode 8: Coda
Rick wants to find a peaceful agreement, but the enemies seem to prefer a more violent resolution.

9:00pm on Syfy
The Happening
An apocalyptic threat to humanity arrives out of the clear blue sky with a series of violent, inexplicable deaths spreading across the country. The cause of the terrifying phenomenon remains unknown, prompting science teacher Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg), his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel) and his colleague Julian (John Leguizamo) to try to elude the invisible killer in Pennsylvania's farmland. Soon it becomes clear that no one is safe.

10:30pm on CBS
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Season 15, Episode 8: Rubbery Homicide
When a man is murdered in an alley, the team winds up delving into the kinky world of rubber dolls.

KEEPING UP WITH CAST AND CREW

MAGGIE EGAN-CUMMINGS
Our wonderful ISN Reporter from Babylon 5, Maggie Egan-Cummings, has landed a part on an upcoming Grey's Anatomy. She is being directed by Debbie Allen! There is a chance this will turn into a recurring role for Maggie. Finger's crossed!

DYLAN NEAL
Dylan Neal, Captain from "Legend of the Rangers", will be in the film "Fifty Shades of Grey." Dylan will play Robbin "Bob" Adams in the film

BE A SANTA
Each year, Pat Tallman works very hard to make the holiday season special for disadvantaged kids at Penny Lane. It is that time of year again and she is working to reach a goal of $15,000 so that she can provide some happiness to these children who have known very little of it for most of their lives. If you can, please go to beasanta.org and help make this holiday a very special one.
Thank you.

LANTERN CITY
Lantern City is not a television show. Not yet. But Bruce Boxleitner is planning for it to be one. As he says…

And now it will be a comic book from Archaia, a twelve issue series, and the first such title since The Secret History in 2007.

More details to come, as and when….

Here is a quote from J. Michael Straczynski about emotions.
I had this theory that the more important and intimate the emotion, the fewer words are required to express it.

First it's in dating: "Will you go out with me?" Six words.
"Honey, I care for you." Five words.
"You matter to me." Four words.
"I love you." Three words.
"Marry me." Two words.
But what's left? What's the one most important and intimate word you can ever say to somebody? It's "goodbye."

While Michael O'Hare (Sinclair), Andreas Katsulas (G'Kar), Rick Biggs (Dr. Franklin), Tim Choate (Zathras) and Jeff Conoway (Zach Allen) are no longer with us, we will not forget their wonderful personalities and talent -- as well as their significant contributions to the BABYLON 5 universe. Be sure to visit In Memory Of for more information about memorial efforts.
Until we met again, in a place where no shadows fall.

BABYLON 5 BIRTHDAYS

NOVEMBER
Robert Foxworth - November 1
Marjean Holden - November 3
John Vickery - November 4
Teryl Rothery - November 9 - She was Miss Chambers, the ISN News reporter who interviewed Interstellar Alliance President John Sheridan, in the direct-to-DVD movie "The Lost Tales" (segment "Over There").
Damian London - November 12
Tracy Scoggins - November 13
Dwight Schultz - November 24
Louis Turenne - November 26
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. - November 30 - remembered fondly

Have I missed anyone? If you know the birthday of someone connected with Babylon 5, pass the information along. We want to include everyone in our Happy Birthday Wishes.

Here is a link to John's Babylon 5 videos:
https://www.youtube.com/user/Babylon5MusicVideos?feature=watch

Richard Biggs memorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyD4L8yNtsA

Andreas Katsulas memorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2UQ2l9NPIg

- This is the extended version that I did for Andreas' widow ater the original cut was released on the net. It's never been seen online until now.

For those of you who've never seen these, I hope you enjoy them - and for those that have (and emailed me many times over the years about releasing them), I hope they're as good as you remember. Working with Joe on these videos was one of the highlights of my career, and I'll be forever grateful to him for the doors these have opened for me. I'm proud to have them on my resume.

John Hudgens
www.zteamproductions.com

LOSCON 41
Dates: November 28-30, 2014
Place: LAX Marriott Hotel, LA, California
Babylon 5 Guest of Honor: J. Michael Straczynski
For more information, go to http://loscon.org/41/.

Creation Entertainment has a large number of conventions planned for the next several months. They include stars from TWILIGHT, SUPERNATURAL, STARGATE, FARSCAPE, XENA, SERENITY, STAR TREK, etc. Check out their calendar to see if one will be in your neighborhood soon. Don't miss their Videos page as well. It is full of some priceless video from a number of conventions.

Be sure to visit the referenced sites to see if there have been changes in dates/guests attending. Visit our Convention Calendar for a full listing of upcoming conventions.

The front page of the The Zocalo Today changes daily, so be sure to check the back issues to make sure that you haven't missed anything IMPORTANT! I hope you will become a regular visitor to The Zocalo Today!

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Take care and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sandra Bruckner (sgbruckner@aol.com)
Editor/Publisher
ISN News: The Zocalo Today
http://www.isnnews.net
Copyright - SBruckner, 1999-2014