WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2008

THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX
Looking for a film to take the entire family to? You might look at THE TALE OF DESPERAUX. It opens December 19 and features such voice talent as Frank Langella, Matthew Broderick, Emma Watson, and Dustin Hoffman. The tale of three unlikely heroes - a misfit mouse who prefers reading books to eating them, an unhappy rat who schemes to leave the darkness of the dungeon, and a bumbling servant girl with cauliflower ears - whose fates are intertwined with that of the castle's princess. For more information and to watch the trailer, go to http://www.thetaleofdespereauxmovie.com.

HEROES WEBISODES
New webisodes tied to NBC's HEROES go live on Dec. 15 on NBC.com. A preview and a behind-the-scenes featurette about Heroes: The Recruit can be seen at www.scifi.com.

TERMINATOR: SALVATION TRAILER
Warner Brothers has posted the official trailer for Terminator Salvation at http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/terminatorsalvation/. The movie, directed by McG, stars Christian Bale, Sam Worthington and Bryce Dallas Howard. It opens May 22, 2009.

FLASH FORWARD
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Sonya Walger has landed the female lead in ABC's SF drama pilot FLASH FORWARD, along with Christine Woods. Based on Robert J. Sawyer's SF novel, Flash chronicles the chaos that ensues after everyone in the world passes out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds and has a vision of the future. It centers on newly sober Mark Banford (Joseph Fiennes), an FBI agent who is patching up his life and marriage. Walger will play Mark's wife, Olivia, who is disturbed by her vision of being in love with another man. Walger has recurred on LOST. Woods will play Janis, a computer-savvy FBI agent who helps to uncover a pivotal clue in the mystery.

NEW BATTLESTAR GALACTICA WEBISODES
SCIFI.COM announced the launch of a new 10-part series of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA webisodes, "The Face of the Enemy," starting Dec. 12 at noon ET. Two webisodes will debut weekly, leading up to the on-air return of the series on Jan. 16, 2009. Each of the three- to four-minute chapters will complement and enhance the action broadcast on SCI FI and give viewers more insight into characters and events from the fourth and final season.
"The Face of the Enemy" follows the action and suspense inside a stranded Raptor carrying a group of passengers, including Lt. Felix Gaeta (Alessandro Juliani) and a Number 8 Cylon (Grace Park). When passengers suddenly start dying in alarming ways, fear, panic and chaos erupt within the confines of the small ship as suspicion grows that there is a killer among them. Michael Hogan (Col. Tigh) and Brad Dryborough (Lt. Hoshi) also star. "The Face of the Enemy" is written by Jane Espenson and Seamus Kevin Fahey and is produced by Universal Cable Productions.
The full schedule: Dec. 12: Chapter 1; Dec. 15: Chapter 2; Dec. 17: Chapter 3; Dec. 22: Chapter 4; Dec. 24: Chapter 5; Dec. 29: Chapter 6; Dec. 31: Chapter 7; Jan. 5: Chapter 8; Jan. 7: Chapter 9; and Jan. 12: Chapter 10.

WALL-E
Disney/Pixar’s robot love story "Wall-E" was named best picture of the year by the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. on Tuesday, marking the first time in the organization’s 33-year history that an animated film has taken the top prize.
In addition to "Wall-E," another well-reviewed summer blockbuster, Christopher Nolan’s "The Dark Knight," proved popular with the L.A. critics. The late Heath Ledger drew the supporting actor nod for his villainous turn as the Joker in Warner Bros.’ Batman sequel, which was also the runner-up for picture and director.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2008

FRINGE
While out promoting his latest film, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, actor Jared Harris, who also appears in FRINGE as the sinister Mr. Jones, said that he is keeping himself available for future episodes of the show. While not a series regular, Harris is not obligated to turn down other offers. But he admits he may be inclined to avoid anything that keeps him away from FRINGE. "I can go off and do other stuff. But I really love the show. It appeals to my [sensibility]. I'm a collector of conspiracy theories, and I love that whole thing so I just love the whole paranoid world of it." Harris, who first appears in the episode "In Which We Meet Mr. Jones," has made an impression as the mysterious character who appears to have orchestrated an elaborate conspiracy to teleport himself out of a secure German prison. Harris confirmed that Jones will be involved in upcoming episodes, though he is not sure in what capacity. "I'm going back again, I know," he said. "They're very, very, very canny about what they'll tell you in terms of releasing information. The sides [script pages] that you get are super secret. Your name's printed on it. You only get the pages that you're involved in. You don't get the whole script. They're really, really tight on it. When I talked to [executive producer] Jeff Pinkner about it, and he gave me some idea about where the character was going, but not that far." FRINGE airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Fox; new episodes will resume in January.

47 Ronin
Variety reports that Keanu Reeves will star in 47 RONIN, an epic period film for Universal Pictures based on the true tale of a band of samurai swordsmen who avenged the death of their master in 18th century Japan. Chris Morgan, who co-wrote WANTED and penned the upcoming FAST AND FURIOUS for Universal, is writing the script. Scott Stuber will produce through his Stuber Prods. banner. In 47 RONIN, Reeves will play one of the swordsmen; the group and their master are revered in Japan for their revenge attack on Dec. 14, 1702. The film will tell a stylized version of the story, mixing fantasy elements of the sort seen in "The Lord of the Rings" pics, with gritty battle scenes akin to those in films such as "Gladiator." Morgan is writing the script and tailoring it so that Reeves -- who's half-Asian -- can fit the role as one of the swordsmen. The intention is to begin shooting next year after a director is hired.

THE DARK KNIGHT SCORE
Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard are back in consideration for an Oscar nomination, according to Variety. The Music Branch Executive Committee of the Academy has reversed its Nov. 10 decision declaring their score for THE DARK KNIGHT ineligible for the 2008 Academy Awards. The score was disqualified due to five names being listed as composers on the music cue sheet. After reviewing information submitted by the affected parties, the committee concluded that two, Zimmer and Howard, were responsible for the score's authorship. Neither nomination ballots nor lists of eligible scores had been distributed so there is no impact on the actual voting process.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2008

THE STORM
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Lauren Holly and Luke Perry are starring in Uwe Boll's latest movie, THE STORM, an apocalyptic thriller in which Holly plays a mother who must deal with the end of days scenario, heightened by the arrival of a mysterious stranger named Silas (Perry) who holds the key to the approaching doom. Currently shooting in Vancouver, the film is budgeted at $5 million dollars.

SYNS
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Showtime is developing a character-driven SF-themed drama called SYNS with JERICHO consulting producer John McNamara and SUPERNATURAL supervising producer/writer Sera Gamble. SYNS (formerly Dolls' Hospital) centers on a world in which humanlike synthetic organisms, known as Syns, are used for various purposes. Showtime has bought U.S. rights to the project, which originally was developed at the BBC. Stephen Volk created the British version; Gamble and McNamara are credited as co-creator/executive producers on the U.S. version. Gamble also is writing the script. Clerkenwell Films is producing with Pangea, the scripted arm of RDF USA.

FABLES
DC Comics' fantasy comic series FABLES is being adapted for a pilot by ABC, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The fantasy project, based on the comic book created by Bill Willingham and published by DC's Vertigo imprint, deals with characters from fairy tales and folklore living in exile in modern-day New York. SIX DEGREES creators/executive producers Stu Zicherman and Raven Metzner are writing the script for the hourlong drama for Warner Brothers TV. David Semel has come on board to direct. Zicherman and Metzner wouldn't elaborate on which fairy tale characters will be featured in the TV series, but noted that Big Bad Wolf and Snow White, who are central to the comics, will have a similar role on the show.

SIX DAYS TILL MIDNIGHT
Variety reports that David R. Ellis will be helming SIX DAYS TILL MIDNIGHT. The film is about a man with a lot of money who is given six days to answer a question. If he doesn't get it right he and his loved ones will perish. The script was written by Mark Bacci and will start shooting in April. The budget on the film is $25 million. "I've been doing high-concept B movies, and this is the best script I've been associated with, a thriller with a great twist," states Ellis.

ESCAPE
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Emmy winning writer of John Adams, Kirk Ellis, will be writing Escape for Relevant Entertainment. Katherine Heigl is set to star in the film that follows the real life story of Carolyn Jessop. She was forced into a life of polygamy and eventually escaped the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints. The screenplay will be based on Jessop's book.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2008

Soon he was using it in Famous Monsters of Filmland, the magazine he helped found in 1958 and edited for 25 years.
Ackerman himself appeared in numerous films over the years, usually in bit parts. His credits include "Queen of Blood," "Dracula vs. Frankenstein," "Amazon Women on the Moon," "Vampirella," "Transylvania Twist," "The Howling" and the Michael Jackson "Thriller" video. More recently, he appeared in 2007's "The Dead Undead" and 2006's "The Boneyard Collection."

Ackerman returned briefly to Famous Monsters of Filmland in the 1990s, but he quickly fell out with the publisher over creative differences. He sued and was awarded a judgment of more than $375,000.
Forrest James Ackerman was born in Los Angeles on Nov. 24, 1916. He fell in love with science-fiction, he once said, when he was 9 years old and saw a magazine called Amazing Stories. He would hold onto that publication for the rest of his life.
Ackerman, who had no children, was preceded in death by his wife, Wendayne.

BEVERLY GARLAND DEAD AT 82
While she may have been known for her role as Fred MacMurray's TV wife on "My Three Sons," many science fiction fans will remember her from a long line of B-movies like "Swamp Women" and "Not of This Earth." Her credits also included "Remington Steele," "Scarecrow and Mrs. King," "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" and "7th Heaven."
"I never considered myself very much of a passive kind of actress," she said in a 1985 interview with Fangoria magazine. "I was never very comfortable in love scenes, never comfortable playing a sweet, lovable lady."

HEATH LEDGER WINS AUSTRALIAN FILM AWARD
Reuters reports that the late Heath Ledger was awarded one of his country's most prestigious film awards on Saturday for his role as The Joker in THE DARK KNIGHT. Ledger, 28, who died of an accidental overdose of painkillers and other medicines in his New York apartment 11 months ago, was posthumously awarded the AFI (Australian Film Institute) international award for best actor.
Guests at a packed awards ceremony in Melbourne's Princess Theater rose to their feet clapping, but with some in tears, to pay tribute to the actor who was nominated for an Oscar for his role in 2005's BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN.
"He was the untamed spirit many of us wish we could be. May the legend live on," an AFI tribute said.

THE LIBRARIAN ON TNT
Not much on TV tonight -- excpect on TNT. I loved the first two installments of THE LIBRARIAN. This third episode looks equally interesting.

Description: The world is in danger of being overrun by vampires, and the only person who can prevent it from happening is Flynn Carsen in the third installment of TNT’s hugely successful Librarian franchise, starring Noah Wyle (ER). THE LIBRARIAN: CURSE OF THE JUDAS CHALICE, co-starring Bob Newhart (Elf, The Bob Newhart Show) and Jane Curtin (Our Town, 3rd Rock from the Sun), sends the bookish hero Flynn to New Orleans, where he tries to undo a nefarious vampire plot and rescue a kidnapped professor (Bruce Davison – X-Men, Knight Rider) with the help of a beautiful chanteuse (Stana Katic – Feast of Love).
TNT’s THE LIBRARIAN: CURSE OF THE JUDAS CHALICE premieres Sunday, Dec. 7, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT), leading up to the launch of LEVERAGE, an exciting, new action-packed series starring Oscar® winner Timothy Hutton, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT). Both projects come to TNT from executive producer Dean Devlin (Independence Day) and his Electric Entertainment.
THE LIBRARIAN: CURSE OF THE JUDAS CHALICE was directed by Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: The Next Generation), who also directed the second Librarian installment, The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines. The story opens with the kidnapping of Professor Lazlo (Davison), a brilliant language and history expert at the University of Bucharest. Elderly and using a crutch to walk, he is taken hostage by a group that wants to force him to locate the Judas Chalice. They hope to use the cup – which was made from the 30 pieces of silver Judas received for betraying Jesus – to bring the notorious Prince Vlad Dracul back to life and foist evil on the world.
Meanwhile, Flynn heads to New Orleans for what he hopes will be a vacation. He has been summoned through mysterious dreams by Simone Renoir (Katic), a gorgeous New Orleans jazz club singer. She has made it her mission to keep the location of the Judas Chalice a secret so it won’t fall into the wrong hands. When the secret is accidentally revealed and the cup taken, Flynn and Simone must do everything in their power to prevent Vlad Dracul from casting the entire world into shadow. Helping from the sidelines are Judson (Newhart), the enigmatic and always surprising head of the Library, and Charlene (Curtin), the extremely serious-minded, no-nonsense personnel director.
THE LIBRARIAN: CURSE OF THE JUDAS CHALICE was executive-produced by Electric Entertainment’s Dean Devlin, Kearie Peak and Marc Roskin. Wyle and Electric’s Phil Goldfarb produced the movie, with the company’s Rachel Olschan co-producing. The teleplay is by Marco Schnabel.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2008

AVATAR
Sigourney Weaver reunited with her ALIEN director James Cameron for his latest SF film AVATAR. She told reporters that she has seen the footage Cameron screened, but she's not telling. Cameron showed some 3-D footage from the film at the 2008 3-D Entertainment Summit.
"My lips are sealed about the fabulous 3-D adventure of AVATAR, but it does look great," Weaver said in a press conference where she was promoting THE TALE OF DESPEREAU. Cameron shot Weaver and co-stars in a motion-capture studio and will use the footage to render their characters as 3-D animation in post-production. Weaver still felt that the human element came through the technology.
"For all of us as artists, there's a trust in a kind of new technology," Weaver said. "They do need to begin with actors with real beating hearts with rushing blood and working minds. I think that's where the smart directors take everything: from the living people."
Weaver has recorded voice-only performances, such as the computer role in WALL*E and the narrator in Despereaux. But she compared her work on AVATAR to theater rather than voice-over.
"Performance capture, they're using all of you physically and vocally, so there's no difference except that you get to scamper around covered with green dots and make believe that this is a gun and this is a tree," Weaver said. "It's just like the way you do theater, so I felt totally at home."
AVATAR is scheduled for release Dec. 18, 2009.

ATLANTIS RISING
Variety reports that UNDERWORLD helmer Len Wiseman has signed on to direct a big- screen adaptation of the apocalyptic SF comic book Atlantis Rising for DreamWorks. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Transformers, Fringe), who brought the project to DreamWorks back when the company was within the Paramount fold, are producing. Created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, ATLANTIS RISING is a five-part miniseries published by Platinum Studios. The story kicks off when seismic disturbances at sea force world militaries to investigate the deepest part of the ocean, where an underground civilization emerges to engage in war with planet Earth.

SALISBURY
According to Variety, SMALLVILLE creators Al Gough and Miles Millar will make their feature directing debut for Disney on SALISBURY, a supernatural script the duo wrote as a spec. Gough and Millar will produce the film in a package deal worth seven figures. Disney and the scribes are keeping the plot under wraps, but the title refers to a fictional town. The plot revolves around a young cast and a supernatural element. The film is expected to cost around $40 million.

MAGDALENA
Top Cow's comic book, THE MAGDALENA, is coming to the big screen. Gale Ann Hurd, who is producing the film said that the film aims to blend two popular mythologies: "It's Da Vinci Code meets Wanted."
THE MAGDALENA centers on the direct descendants of the biblical Mary Magdalene, a royal bloodline that passes great power and great honor from mother to daughter. THE MAGDALENA serves as the warrior and protector of the Catholic Church. Jenna DeWan is set to play the latest Magdalena, who must learn how to use her powers. "The character doesn't have superpowers," Hurd said. "So I think it will be intense, but it will more than likely be a PG-13 as opposed to an R just because of the world of the character and the world of the comic book."
Development is still underway, and Hurd expects to have THE MAGDALENA in production next year. "It's really exciting," Hurd said. "We're working with Matt [Hawkins] at Top Cow, and we're working with a writer. We hope to have that up and running toward the end of the year."

THE DARK KNIGHT COMING AGAIN
Warner Bros. will roll out THE DARK KNIGHT again on January 23. This new release could push the film over $1 billion in worldwide box office. Currently the film has amassed $530.3 million domestically and $465.9 million internationally. This re- release will happen six weeks after The Dark Knight comes to DVD. "We wanted to provide one more opportunity for moviegoers to experience it on the bigscreen as it was meant to be seen," stated Dan Fellman, president of Warner's domestic distribution.
One of the most celebrated and successful films of this or any year, THE DARK KNIGHT has been hailed by both critics and audiences since its original release last July. The film garnered widespread acclaim for its artistic and technical achievements, including the work of its outstanding cast and its director, Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Christopher Nolan (Memento).
Originally released on July 18, 2008, THE DARK KNIGHT broke virtually every possible box office record to become the top-grossing film of 2008 and the second-highest grossing movie (domestically) of all time.

For all Dark Knight fans, please check out some really cool games, widgets and other applications. You can even pick your favorite character and personalize your social network profile/website.
For backgrounds, skins, downloads, widgets, etc., go to www.my-darkknight.com/us. This is a game of concentration. Match the characters to win -- you've got to be fast! Go to www.thedarkknightpuzzle.com to play.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2008

WORLD WAR Z
There is a wonderful interview with our own J. Michael Straczynski over at MTV.com. JMS talks about moving forward with WORLD WAR Z.
“We talk about it as a thriller, the closest comparison being ‘The Bourne Identity,’” explained Straczynski, who’s also penning a “Forbidden Planet” revisiting. “Most zombie movies to this point have been small, focusing on a few people in a house. And this has got real scare. You’re in India with hundreds of boats trying to get out of there with a tidal wave of zombies. The scale of what we’re doing here is phenomenal.”

THE CW SCHEDULE - REAPER RETURNS
The CW announced its midseason schedule, with SMALLVILLE and SUPERNATURAL back on Thursdays with new episodes starting Jan. 15, 2009, and REAPER back Tuesdays at 9 p.m., starting March 17.

HEROES
According to the Hollywood Reporter, PUSHING DAISIES creator/executive producer Bryan Fuller is close to a two-year overall deal with Universal Media Studios that would have him rejoin the staff of NBC's HEROES. Under the seven-figure pact, Fuller will rejoin HEROES, which he left after the first season to launch ABC's DAISIES. Fuller will also develop new projects for the studio.
Fuller is wrapping post-production on the final episodes of DAISIES' 13-episode second-season order. He is expected officially to come on board HEROES starting with episode 20. His exact role on the show has not been determined, but he is expected to play a key role in the writers' room alongside Heroes' creator/executive producer/show runner Tim Kring.
After the end of the season, Fuller might continue on HEROES or join another UMS- produced series while also developing his own projects.

LESS KNIGHT RIDER
The Hollywood Reporter writes that the cast and crew of NBC's KNIGHT RIDER were informed on Dec. 3 that the show's 17th episode will be its last for the season. In NBC's midseason announcement, RIDER is listed as having its season finale on Feb. 25. The network has recently said it plans to overhaul the show to function as more of a crime-of-the-week procedural. The format changes are still going to air in the coming weeks, but the cutback suggests there is little expectation that a revamp will reverse the SF drama's ratings decline.
This episode reduction likely spells the beginning of the end of the show, since RIDER ratings have been abysmal, the trade paper reported.

SORCERER'S APPRENTICE
Variety reports that Jay Baruchel is negotiating to play the title role in a live- action THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE for Walt Disney Pictures. He would join Nicolas Cage, who plays the sorcerer in the Jon Turteltaub-directed film. Jerry Bruckheimer is producing. Baruchel, who co-starred in TROPIC THUNDER, next plays the lead in the DreamWorks romantic comedy SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE.
He's also attached to co-star with Seth Rogen in JAY AND SETH VS. THE APOCALYPSE, a project they've set at Mandate Pictures.
Scripted by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal and rewritten by Matt Lopez, THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE takes place in contemporary New York, where a wizard searches for an apprentice.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2008

CSI: NEW YORK
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Emmy winner Craig T. Nelson is set to do a three-episode arc of CBS' crime drama "CSI: NY." He will play Robert Parker, a powerful NYC publishing magnet and a nemesis to Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise). Nelson, who won an Emmy for his starring role on the comedy "Coach," recurred on NBC's "My Name Is Earl" last year.

IN THE HAND OF DANTE
Variety writes that Johnny Depp's production company Infinitum Nihil has acquired screen rights to the Nick Tosches novel IN THE HAND OF DANTE. The novel will be developed as a potential star vehicle for Depp. Depp will produce with his Infinitum Nihil partner Christi Dembrowski. The company, which has a first-look deal with Warner Bros. and Graham King's GK Films, optioned the book with its own money.
The book revolves around Dante's masterwork "The Divine Comedy," and tells parallel storylines involving Dante in 14th-century Italy as he tries to complete the work, and a contemporary storyline involving Tosches, who is asked to authenticate what might be Dante's original manuscript. Depp would play Tosches. The novel was published in 2002.
Depp, who is playing the Mad Hatter in the Tim Burton-directed Alice in Wonderland, has a dance card that includes toplining another "Pirates of the Caribbean" film, The Lone Ranger, and voicing the title character in the Gore Verbinski-directed animated film Rango.

CAPTAIN BLOOD REMAKE
According to Variety, Warner Bros. has set John Brownlow to pen its remake of the classic swashbuckler CAPTAIN BLOOD. The project is being developed by Philip Noyce with an eye toward directing and produced by Bill Gerber. Warner is developing CAPTAIN BLOOD as a possible U.K./Australian co-production.
Errol Flynn starred in the 1935 original, directed by Michael Curtiz, as a doctor wrongly sentenced to slavery in the Caribbean, where he and his comrades become avenging pirates. It was nominated for the best picture Oscar. No production date has been set.

THE PHILANTHROPIST
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Neve Campbell is returning to TV with a co-starring role on NBC's midseason drama THE PHILANTHROPIST. The story centers on Teddy Rist (James Purefoy), a renegade billionaire who uses his wealth, connections and power to help people in need around the world. Party of Five alumna Campbell will play the wife of his business partner and lifelong friend, Phillip (Jesse Martin), who runs the two billionaires' charitable foundation and has strong chemistry with Teddy. The actress is expected to leave shortly for South Africa where THE PHILANTHROPIST is being shot.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2008

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA'S CAPRICA COMING
Variety reports that the SCI FI Channel has given a green light to CAPRICA, the much-anticipated prequel to its hit series BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. CAPRICA will star Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Paula Malcomson and Polly Walker and will be set 50 years prior to BATTLESTAR's attack on human civilization by the Cylons. The family- drama-themed series will focus on the Earthlike planet of Caprica as two rival families deal with, among other topical issues, the broader implications of their society's emerging artificial intelligence technology sector. CAPRICA will be executive- produced by BATTLESTAR's Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, along with Remi Aubuchon (24). The pilot was co-written by Aubuchon and Moore and directed by Jeffrey Reiner. SCI FI has already produced a two-hour backdoor pilot and is aiming to debut the show in early 2010, the trade paper reported.
BATTLESTAR kicks off the second half of its fourth and final season at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Jan. 16, 2009, with the final 10 episodes culminating their run March 20. A two-hour movie adaptation, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE PLAN, is slated for early summer.

MORE ELEVENTH HOUR ORDERED
CBS has ordered the "back five" episodes of its SF procedural ELEVENTH HOUR, Variety reported. The Jerry Bruckheimer thriller has performed so-so for the network, holding on to only a portion of its strong CSI lead-in--hence the smaller-than-usual full-season order. But ELEVENTH HOUR has nonetheless been winning its timeslot in total audience, averaging 12 million viewers (putting it in second place among new series, behind THE MENTALIST). ELEVENTH HOUR also averages a 3.3 rating/9 share among adults 18-49. Warner Brothers TV is behind the show, which revolves around a biophysicist (Rufus Sewell) who investigates science mysteries. Marley Shelton also stars as an FBI officer teamed with Sewell's character. ELEVENTH HOUR based on the British miniseries written by Stephen Gallagher.

GHOST WHISPERER COMIC ON I-TUNES
IDW Publishing and iVerse Media are making available the first issue of GHOST WHISPERER: THE HAUNTED, a five-issue comic-book miniseries, through the iTunes App Store for 99 cents. Based on the hit CBS series starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, GHOST WHISPERER: THE HAUNTED is written by Carrie Smith and Becca Smith, who are both writers on the CBS series, and features art by Elena Casagrande. The story in the comic fits between seasons two and three of the show and follows Melinda as she spends her days and nights helping earthbound spirits cross over into the light. In the comic series, Melinda gets more than she bargained for when she comes face-to-face with Osiris, Egyptian God of the Dead, who wants the souls for himself.
The digital version of the comic was adapted to the iPhone and iPod touch by iVerse Media. A new issue of the series will be released every few weeks until all five issues of the series have been adapted digitally.
Ghost Whisperer airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

FLASH FORWARD
According to the Hollydood Reporter, Courtney B. Vance and Jack Davenport are the first actors cast in ABC's SF drama pilot FLASH FORWARD, which is rumored as a potential companion to LOST. FLASH FORWARD--from David S. Goyer, Brannon Braga and ABC Studios--is based on Robert J. Sawyer's SF novel and chronicles the chaos that ensues after everyone in the world blacks out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds and has a mysterious vision of the future that changes lives forever. Vance will play Stan Wedeck, the Los Angeles bureau chief of the FBI. Davenport will play Lloyd Simcoe, who is trapped in Northern California when the event occurs and struggles to reach his son in a Southland hospital.
FLASH FORWARD's pilot will be directed by Goyer (The Unborn, Blade). He is executive-producing with Braga (Threshold), Jessika Borsiczky Goyer, Vince Gerardis and Ralph M. Vicinanza.

THE ASSOCIATE
Variety reports that Paramount Pictures has set Shia LaBeouf to play the title role in the big screen version of John Grisham's upcoming legal thriller THE ASSOCIATE, which the studio has just acquired rights to. Lorenzo di Bonaventura is producing. Variety says LaBeouf will play a student who's about to graduate from Yale Law School when he's manipulated into accepting a job at a prestige law firm and given privileged information about a multibillion-dollar lawsuit. The novel, Grisham's first legal thriller since 2005's THE BROKER, will be published in January by Random House. Paramount-based Di Bonaventura, who as an executive worked on the Grisham films A Time to Kill and The Client, received the book in the Middle East, where he and LaBeouf were shooting TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN. There, they agreed to do it together.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2008

STAR WARS AUCTION
If you've always wanted to own Luke Skywalker's lightsaber or Indiana Jones' whip, here's your chance. Auction house Profiles in History is hosting a mammoth auction of more than 500 costumes, props, set pieces and other items from SF&F movies and TV shows on Dec. 11. The items include Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 costume from Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the original "Damien" tricycle from The Omen and a set of all seven Harry Potter books inscribed and signed by author J.K. Rowling. If you've got your heart set on owning any of these iconic items, better break out your checkbook: Items such as Luke's lightsaber are expected to fetch in the neighborhood of $150,000-$180,000, while the United Planets Cruiser C-57D from Forbidden Planet is expected to command $80,000-$120,000.
For bidding instructions and to download the full auction catalog (which includes non-geek items as well), visit Profiles in History's Web site.

TWILIGHT TUMBLES IN BOX OFFICE
The Associated Press reported that TWILIGHT saw its box-office take plummet 62 percent in its second weekend of release, virtually tying for second place for the Thanksgiving period with an estimated $26.4 million. BOLT had an estimated $26.6 million for the three-day period, but TWILIGHT and BOLT could change positions slightly when final figures are reported on Monday. TWILIGHT raised its 10-day total to $119.7 million, while BOLT lifted its sum to $66.9 million.

STRAW MEN
Variety reports that Benderspink has acquired film rights to THE STRAW MEN, a crime thriller by British author Michael Marshall Smith, along with rights to the comic adaptation by Zenescope Comics head Joe Brusha. The book, the first in a trilogy, follows a detective brought out of retirement to solve a series of bizarre murders connected by dark conspiracy. STRAW MEN will be produced by Chris Bender and JC Spink. Zenescope's Brusha and Ralph Tedesco executive produce.

BRUCE BOXLEITNER IN CHUCK TONIGHT
Don't miss tonight's episode of CHUCK at 8:00pm on NBC. Bruce Boxleitner, looking very buff, appears with Morgan Fairchild as the parents of Captain Awesome. Go to http://www.nbc.com/Chuck/video/clips/meet-the-awesomes/853883/ for a sneek peek at tonight's episode.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2008

WALL-E
According to the Hollywood Reporter, a small, waste-collecting robot captured the hearts of consumers last week, much as it did in theaters earlier this year. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment's WALL-E was the top seller and No. 2 renter on the home entertainment charts, topping the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart and scoring a strong second-place finish on Home Media Magazine's rental chart for the week ending Nov. 23. "WALL-E" also was the week's No. 1 Blu-ray Disc seller. Fellow new release TROPIC THUNDER, from Paramount, debuted at No. 2 on the overall home video sales chart and the Blu-ray sales chart.
But in rental stores the comedy, which earned $110.5 million at the domestic boxoffice, saw the most action last week, bowing at No. 1 on Home Media Magazine's rental chart. "WALL-E" finished not far behind, though, with 83.2% as much rental activity, a strong showing for an animated family title geared toward the sell-through market. Warner Home Video's THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2, a third theatrical new release, bowed at No. 5 on the sales chart and No. 6 on the rental chart. The previous week's top seller, Paramount/DreamWorks' KUNG FU PANDA, slipped to No. 3 on the overall home video sales chart, and the previous week's top renter, Universal Studios' HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY, fell to No. 4 with a 37% drop in rental demand.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2008

SPIDER-MAN 4
The Hollywood Reporter writes that playwright David Lindsay-Abaire (upcoming INKHEART), who won a Pulitzer in 2007 for his drama "Rabbit Hole," is in final negotiations to write SPIDER-MAN 4 for Columbia Pictures. Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire are back as director and star, respectively, as are series producers Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad. Kirsten Dunst also is expected to return for the latest movie featuring the Marvel Comics character. Plot details are under lock and key.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2008

NEW STAR TREK MOVIE SWEEPSTAKES
Intel and Lenovo have kicked-off a new "Exploration Sweepstakes" in partnership with the new STAR TREK movie. By entering the sweeps, live now through January 15th, you'll have a chance to win a Lenovo Y530 laptop with Intel Centrino 2 technology, in addition to other prizes. You can enter the sweepstakes by going to http://boldlygo.intel.com/newfrontiers/, where you'll also find a new wallpaper after you have taken the quiz!
Opening in theaters on May 8, the J.J. Abrams-directed film stars John Cho, Ben Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Winona Ryder, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, Eric Bana, Leonard Nimoy, Marlene Forte and Jimmy Bennett.

TERMANATOR SALVATION
The makers of director McG's upcoming prequel film TERMINATOR SALVATION have released an unusual Flash-animated poster for the film. Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, the film stars Christian Bale as John Connor, the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet's operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind. TERMINATOR SALVATION opens May 22, 2009.
Go to http://rss.warnerbros.com/terminatorsalvation/ to see the motion poster.

HARRY POTTER WEEKEND
ABC Family will run Harry Potter the weekend of December 5-7, airing the first four installments of the popular film series as part of the network's "25 Days of Christmas" programming event. In the world television premiere of the special extended edition of HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FILE, viewers will also see deleted scenes not included in the original film version.
To add to the magic, ABC Family will also be airing exclusive first looks at the new film, HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE (opening in theatres July 17, 2009), throughout the weekend's three-day event. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Michael Gambon discuss the upcoming film's exciting storylines, as well as revealing insider information. ABC Family's first looks at the latest Harry Potter feature film also offer viewers a sneak peek of never- before-seen footage of love running rampant through Hogwarts, a look into Tom Riddle's past and an introduction of Hogwarts new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Horace Slughorn. The "Harry Potter" weekend schedule is as follows:
Friday, December 5th
(7:30 - 11:00 PM ET/PT) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Saturday, December 6th
(1:30 - 5:00 PM ET/PT) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
(5:00 - 9:00 PM ET/PT) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
(9:00 PM - 12:00 AM ET/PT) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Sunday, December 7th
(12:30 - 4:30 PM ET/PT) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
(4:30 - 7:30 PM ET/PT) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
(7:30 - 11:00 PM ET/PT) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2008

BOLDLY GOING NOWHERE
David Hornsby and Artemis Pebdani have been added to the cast of Fox's SF comedy pilot BOLDLY GOING NOWHERE, about what happens day-to-day on an intergalactic spaceship helmed by the rogue Capt. Ron Teague (Ben Koldyke), according to The Hollywood Reporter; Hornsby will play Lt. Lance Grigsby, the captain's devoted right-hand man, while Pebdani plays Startemis, the female alien communications officer.

STAR TREK TRAILER
The new Internet Star Trek trailer--with a surprise appearance by a veteran Trek actor at the end--is now available on CraveOnline.com. The trailer is otherwise the same as the one that debuted widely last week. J.J. Abrams' Star Trek opens May 8, 2009.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2008

STAR TREK COUNTDOWN
IDW will publish Star Trek: Countdown, a four-issue comic-book series and prequel to J.J. Abrams' upcoming STAR TREK movie, starting in January. The story is "presented" by Abrams and plotted by Trek film writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. It is written by Mike Johnson (Superman/Batman) and Tim Jones and features art by David Messina (Star Trek: Mirror Images). Messina also provides covers for the series. "Star Trek: Countdown lays the groundwork for what happens in the movie," Orci said in a statement. "It's our way of passing the baton from the Next Generation characters and their movies to the new film." The STAR TREK movie is slated to open May 8, 2009.

CHUCK MEETS BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
Over at TVGuide.com, reports indicate that former BATTLESTAR GALACTICA alpha Cylon Tricia Helfer will guest-star on NBC's spy spoof CHUCK. Citing anonymous sources, the site reported that Helfer--also recently seen on USA Network's BURN NOTICE--will play the new handler for Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi), the walking Intersect. As first reported by Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, Helfer's CIA agent will be placed in charge of Chuck and work alongside Casey (Adam Baldwin) when Gen. Beckman (Bonita Friedericy) decides that Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) might no longer be an effective handler, due to her increasingly apparent feelings for the "asset." Helfer's gig is reportedly for a single episode airing about two-thirds of the way into the current season. CHUCK airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA RETURNS JANUARY 16
A new teaser promo entitled "The Epic Journey" for SCI FI Channel's BATTLESTAR GALACTICA season four can be found at http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA kicks off the second part of its fourth and final season on Jan. 16, 2009, at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
A new international trailer for David Fincher's upcoming THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON is now online courtesy of Paramount Pictures at http://www.benjaminbutton.com/. Fincher's travels back into the world of fantasy stars Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Tilda Swinton, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas and Julia Ormond. Screenwriter Eric Roth penned the screenplay. Plot Summary: "I was born under unusual circumstances." And so begins "THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON," adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards: a man, like any of us, who is unable to stop time. We follow his story, set in New Orleans from the end of World War I in 1918, into the 21st century, following his journey that is as unusual as any man's life can be. Directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett with Taraji P. Henson, Tilda Swinton, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas and Julia Ormond, "Benjamin Button," is a grand tale of a not-so-ordinary man and the people and places he discovers along the way, the loves he finds, the joys of life and the sadness of death, and what lasts beyond time. THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON will hit theaters Christmas Day 2008.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2008

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
Associated Press reports that the vampire romance TWILIGHT not only topped the Nov. 21 box office, it also pulled in a better-than-expected $70.6 million. Catherine Hardwicke's film also enjoyed the biggest opening ever for a female director, blowing away the previous standard of $41.1 million set by Mimi Leder's SF movie DEEP IMPACT in 1998. Drawing from its huge fan base of teenage girls, who fell for Stephenie Meyer's novels, TWILIGHT made a whopping $20,636 per theater, according to estimates. Summit Entertainment, which released TWILIGHT, announced during the weekend that it's going ahead with production of NEW MOON, based on the second book in Meyer's internationally best-selling series. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart will return as its star-crossed lovers, but whether Hardwicke will be at the helm again is still being determined. Hardwicke told the AP on Nov. 23 that she was heading to a meeting later in the day to discuss her possible involvement in NEW MOON. TWILIGHT cost just $37 million to make. The tremendous take far exceeded expectations, which had been set around $50 million.
The other major debut of the weekend, Walt Disney's 3-D animated BOLT, made $27 million to take third place.
Last weekend's number-one movie, QUANTUM OF SOLACE, came in second place, with $27.4 million. The latest James Bond adventure has now grossed $109.5 million, and it crossed the $100 million mark faster than any other film in the franchise. It's also made $309 million internationally.

HEROES - UPCOMING EVENTS
There is just four episodes left 'til the end of "Volume Three: Villains." The end is indeed near. So far, Hiro (Masi Oka) thinks he's 10 years old, the sparks flew when Sylar (Zachary Quinto) and Elle (Kristen Bell) got together, Matt (Greg Grunberg) got inside Angela's (Cristine Rose) head and nearly got killed by her big bad hubby, Arthur Petrelli (Robert Forster), and Mohinder (Sendhil Ramamurthy) got even creepier. He used to be one of the good guys -- but there's still time for change.
According to creator and executive producer Tim Kringe, the last four episodes of the season build to "a real showdown." By the end, "it leaves the Petrelli brothers at real loggerheads with one another, completely on opposite sides."
Coming up on Nov. 24 and Dec. 1 will be "Eclipse," "a true two-part episode ... where we explore the idea of what would happen to our characters if they lost their powers, which is really fun to see how our characters cope when they lose their powers," Kring said. And then, on the big finale on Dec. 15, we'll get a Heroes present to warm us up over the holidays. "If you stick with it, you will be rewarded, because you're not going to get put into a situation where answers never come," Kring promised. "There's a finite number of episodes here, and you know it going in. We've announced that 'Villains' will be 13 episodes long, and so you know by the end of episode 13, you're going to have seen the beginning, middle and end, ... like reading a novel. These same characters are in another novel that starts six weeks later."
That new Heroes "novel" is a new volume called "Fugitives," which will 12 episodes. HEROES airs on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

SAG STRIKE THREAT
The Screen Actors Guild has moved of seeking a strike authorization from its members. Talks between the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) broke down again last week after two days of failed mediation. SAG put out a statement indicating that they will ""launch a full-scale education campaign in support of a strike authorization referendum...No timeline has been set for the mailing or return of the strike authorization ballots." It's estimated that SAG will need 75% of its voting members to approve the measure before it can go forward with a strike.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2008

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2008

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
Summit Entertainment’s “Twilight” could see an opening day take of $30 million from 3,419 playdates after grossing north of $7 million in Thursday midnight shows. If so, “Twilight” could land a spot on the top 20 list of best opening day grosses, somewhere between No. 17 and No. 20. ``Twilight'' is expected to open in the $50 million to $60 million range, although it has a shot of ending in the 60s. It depends upon how much traffic slows down from Friday to Saturday. ``Twilight,'' based on the best-selling book series by Stephenie Meyer, is No. 3 on online ticketer Fandango's list of top advance ticket sales. Only ``Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith'' and ``The Dark Knight'' sold more. Females, specifically tween girls and teenage girls, are driving ``Twilight.'' But it's not just younger femmes turning out to see the teen vampire romancer, but older women and teen boys, too. Sunday could be a bigger movie-going day than normal since 17% to 18% of kids will be out of school the next day. According to a Fandango survey, 34% of moviegoers said they intended to duck out of classes Friday in order to see the movie. “Twilight” is a tremendous victory for Summit Entertainment. “Twilight” landed at Summit after several other shops passed, including MTV Films. It’s a ready-made franchise for Summit, since there are four books in Meyer’s series, which have sold more than 17 million copies worldwide, including $8.2 million in the U.S.

"Bolt," going out in 3,651 theaters, is the first toon fully produced by Disney Animation under Pixar guru John Lasseter’s rule . "Bolt" marks a milestone in that it will play in 982 digital 3-D screens, the most to date for a 3-D pic. "Journey to the Center of the Earth" opened in roughly 800 theaters over the summer. The additional screens are part of the furious race to convert hundreds of conventional screens to digital 3-D, although the economy is hampering that effort. "Bolt’s" opening gross will benefit mightily from the additional cost of a 3-D ticket. Disney isn’t necessarily looking for a big opening, but rather, a strong run through Thanksgiving week and weekend.
Still out in the marketplace, "Quantum of Solace" and "Madagasacar Escape 2 Africa". Both movies had good opening weeks. Time will tell where they fall in this week's rankings.

LOST CLIP/SONG
ABC has released a brand new trailer for the upcoming fifth season of Lost, which is set to premiere on Wednesday, January 21 at 8 PM ET. This brand new promo, featuring a new song from The Fray, footage from last season and this upcoming season and also look for a little flash of a logo for Ajira Airways, which you can learn more about by clicking this link www.ajiraairways.com.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2008

BOOK OF ELI
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Max Payne's Mila Kunis has joined the cast of THE BOOK OF ELI, the Denzel Washington SF action thriller from Warner Brothers and Alcon Entertainment. Albert and Allen Hughes are directing.
The script, by Gary Whitta and a rewrite by Anthony Peckham, centers on a lone hero named Eli (Washington) who must fight his way across the wasteland of a near-future America to protect a sacred book that might hold the key to saving the future of humanity. Kunis plays a woman named Solara; at first enlisted to betray Eli, she ultimately joins him in his quest.
Alcon is financing and co-producing with Silver Pictures. Warner will distribute domestically while Summit Entertainment will handle international sales. Principal photography begins in February in New Mexico.

CAPTAIN MARVEL
Variety states that GET SMART director, Peter Segal is set to helm a film version of DC Comics' CAPTAIN MARVEL, part of a three-year deal among Warner Brothers, Segal and his Callahan Filmworks partner Michael Ewing. Warner acquired the John August- scripted CAPTAIN MARVEL. Segal and Ewing began working on the film two years ago at New Line, but the property has moved over to Warner.
The movie tells the story of teenage Billy Batson, who transforms into the superhero when he says the word "Shazam!"
The deal comes as Segal prepares to direct a sequel to GET SMART for Warner and Village Roadshow Pictures.

ASTRO BOY
Imagi has released the first teaser trailer for its upcoming computer-animated ASTRO BOY. Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist named Tenma (Nicolas Cage). Powered by positive "blue" energy, Astro Boy (Freddie Highmore) is endowed with super-strength, X-ray vision, unbelievable speed and the ability to fly. Astro Boy opens Oct. 23, 2009. To view the clip, go to http://www.moviefone.com/movie/astro-boy/30167/main.

PUSHING DAISIES CANCELLED
Executive producer Bryan Fuller confirms to E! Online that ABC has cancelled PUSHING DAISIES. Other reports suggest that ELI STONE and DIRTY SEXY MONEY have also been canceled, but representatives for both shows have declined to comment to E! "[ABC president] Steve McPherson called me, and said, 'We gave it the best shot we could,'" Fuller told E! "It's very likely that Pushing Daisies will end after episode 13, which as you know, is a cliffhanger. But we are talking to DC Comics about doing comic books that will wrap up our storylines, and I already have a pitch for a movie ready to go. To be honest, I'm really not feeling very boo-hoo about it. I am so proud of the show. We put together 22 really good episodes, and there is a lot to be proud of. I'm sure I'll be working with a lot of these people again, and I would love to do so."

LOST ON BLU-RAY
ABC will release LOST: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON--THE EXPANDED EXPERIENCE on DVD and Blu-ray on Dec. 9.

THE CRAZIES
According to news in the Hollywood Reporter, Timothy Olyphant is about to enter the world of George A. Romero, securing the lead role for THE CRAZIES remake. The film, based off Romero's 1973 original film, will center on the tiny populace of a Kansas town that is plagued by madness and death after a plane crashes nearby, releasing a biological weapon into the town's water supply. Olyphant will portray the town's sherrif. Breck Eisner is directing from a script by Scott Kosar and Ray Wright, with Romero himself executive producing. No production schedule was released for the project.

BOURNE/UNIVERSAL
According to Variety, Universal has come to an agreement with the estate of late author Robert Ludlum, that gives the studio exclusive rights to the Jason Bourne character Ludlum created in his novels, plus first-look rights to the rest of his novels not dealing with Bourne. Although Ludlum only penned three books in the series - The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum - the studio is still moving forward with the franchise, securing Bourne portrayer Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass to helm a fourth film installment, which is being written by The Bourne Ultimatum co-writer George Nolfi.
"Universal has done such an excellent job with the first three films that they deserve the opportunity to keep Jason Bourne at the studio forever," said Jeffrey Weiner, Ludlum Entertainment CEO, who oversees the late author's estate and the company that handles adaptations of Ludlum's work.
While other Ludlum novels are set for adaptation elsewhere - including the Denzel Washington vehicle THE MATARESE CIRCLE at MGM and Relativity, THE CHANCELLOR MANUSCRIPT for Leonoardo DiCaprio at Paramount and THE OSTERMAN WEEKEND for Simon Kinberg to write and direct at Summit Entertainment - this new deal gives Universal exclusive access to Ludlum's library, which includes 25 other novels that haven't been previously adapted.

HOPALONG CASSIDY RETURNING
300 producer Mark Canton is teaming up with Pterodactyl Productioins to bring two classic stories back to life. According to Variety, Canton is reviving the classic tale of Bill "Hopalong" Cassidy for a new film version. The character was created in 1904 by Clarence E. Mulford, which appeared in several stories and novels before hitting the cinemas in 1935. William Boyd portrayed Cassidy in 66 films that spanned through the 30s, 40s and 50s. The character spawned a number of spin-offs into comic books and radio programs and became the first Western TV series in history. Cassidy was also the first character to ever appear on a lunchbox.
"These stories tend to come around again," said Canton. "We're looking to ring in the modern age with a branded, well-loved hero that we approach in a fresh way," Canton added.

WONDER WOMAN COMING IN MARCH
Embark on a journey of untold beauty, grace and strength as Princess Diana uses her remarkable gifts and evolves into Wonder Woman, the world's most renowned female super hero. Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation are set to release the all-new animated original movie Wonder Woman on March 3, 2009, distributed by Warner Home Video. Wonder Woman will be available as a Single Disc DVD for $19.98 (SRP), 2 Disc Special Edition DVD for $29.98 (SRP) and Blu-ray Disc for $34.99 (SRP). Order due date for all versions is January 20, 2009. The animated original movie will also be available OnDemand and Pay-Per-View as well as available for download day and date, March 3, 2009 -- with a number of special features included.
More on this as the release date gets closer.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2008

JONAH HEX
Variety reports that Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor have dropped out as the directors of JONAH HEX, the DC Comics property that is expected to star Josh Brolin as a partly disfigured gunslinger and bounty hunter. Neveldine and Taylor wrote the script, but their exit as directors was attributed to "creative differences." The studio is moving quickly to set a new director, determined to keep Brolin in the fold for a spring start. Neveldine and Taylor are best known for writing and directing the Jason Statham film CRANK.

NEW STAR TREK
Over the weekend, J.J. Abrams showed some 20 minutes of his new STAR TREK movie at Paramount Studios. There are a number of descriptions around the internet. This morning, you can find one at SciFi.com. There is a very detailed account over at ComingSoon.net. Be careful if you really don't want to know what it is all about. May is still a very long time away and I'm sure we will be hearing about the movie in the months ahead. The reviews are somewhat mixed -- but they haven't seen the entire movie so that means the jury is still out. Taking a franchise like STAR TREK and trying to reboot it is hard. In a show like STAR TREK, it's not just the action, space battles, etc. that has made the show a favorite -- it is the personal interactions. The Spock-Kirk, Kirk-McCoy exchanges are among the best anywhere. The subtle humor is key. We'll have to wait and see how J.J. Abrams brings it all together.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2008

THE DAYS BEFORE
Variety reports that Warner Brothers has snapped up THE DAYS BEFORE, a science fiction action spec script by new writer Chad St. John, about aliens invading Earth by traveling backwards through time and wiping out humanity.

UP
Disney/Pixar released new details about and a new trailer for the upcoming 3-D animated film UP--from Monster, Inc. director Pete Docter--which will feature the voices of Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, John Ratzenberger, Delroy Lindo and Jordan Nagai. The studio describes Up thusly: "A comedy adventure about 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell."
Take a look at the trailer http://up--trailer.blogspot.com/.

CAPTAIN AMERICA
According to Variety, Marvel Studios has engaged Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely to write CAPTAIN AMERICA, a film that has Joe Johnston attached to direct. The red-white-and-blue hero with the mighty indestructible shield came to prominence right after the invasion of Pearl Harbor as the United States declared war on Japan. The hero is the Marvel character most closely associated with the United States. Marvel's CAPTAIN AMERICA will be a World War II-set movie, and the character will appear in the modern day-set AVENGERS.

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
Variety writes that 20th Century Fox has hired GOSSIP GIRL creator Josh Schwartz to write X-MEN: FIRST CLASS. He'd also been offered a chance to direct the film, but declined. Schwartz, the creator and executive producer of The CW's hit as well as Fox's "The O.C." and NBC's "Chuck," is expected to inject a next-gen sensibility into the superhero series. The studio has been leaning toward using the younger characters introduced in the previous films in future installments --teenagers with powers taught at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. Resulting film would likely draw from elements of the Marvel Comic of the same name, launched in 2006, and enlist such characters as Iceman, Rogue, Angel, Colossus, Jubilee and Shadowcat, who have appeared prominently or made cameos in prior pics. Lauren Shuler Donner, who produced all three "X-Men" pics, as well as next summer's X-Men Origins: WOLVERINE, is producing FIRST CLASS alongside Mr. & Mrs. Smith scribe Simon Kinberg.

THE SPIRIT TRAILER
On Christmas Day, Lionsgate is release Frank Miller's anticipated THE SPIRIT. Go to http://www.mycityscreams.com/ for a trailer and more information.
Written and directed by Miller and adapted from Will Eisner's comic book series, the action adventure stars Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Paulson, Eva Mendes, Dan Lauria, Paz Vega, Jaime King, Scarlett Johansson, Louis Lombardi and Stana Katic.
The Spirit is the story of a former rookie cop who returns mysteriously from the dead as The Spirit (Macht) to fight crime from the shadows of Central City. His arch-enemy, The Octopus (Jackson) has a different mission: he's going to wipe out Spirit's beloved city as he pursues his own version of immortality. The Spirit tracks this cold-hearted killer from Central City's rundown warehouses, to the damp catacombs, to the windswept waterfront... all the while facing a bevy of beautiful women who either want to seduce, love or kill our masked crusader. Surrounding him at every turn are Ellen Dolan (Paulson), the whip-smart girl-next- door; Silken Floss (Johansson), a punk secretary and frigid vixen; Plaster of Paris (Vega), a murderous French nightclub dancer; Lorelei (King), a phantom siren; and Morgenstern (Katic), a sexy young cop.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2008

OSCAR ROUNDTABLE: THE WRITERS
The Hollywood Reporter has a great interview with writers in contention for the Oscar this year. Among them, is our own J. Michael Straczynski. Each writer talks about writing as a profession and the story that has brought them to the forefront of their profession this year. Here are snips of the article with JMS' responses:
J. Michael Straczynski: I found a long time ago that if you have a compulsion, discipline isn't necessary. I have to be at the keyboard. I'm there 10 hours a day, every day, and if I'm not, I get nervous and twitchy. My wife and I took our first vacation in 20 years and she said, "You're gonna go to London. You're gonna have a good time and not do any writing." Within two days I was vibrating so badly that I got a little notebook in the pharmacist's and was in the bathroom working on my next novel.
Straczynski: I had to go against my own instincts because the story was so surreal and so bizarre. I thought if I fictionalized it too much, I (would) call the integrity of the whole thing into question. I felt I should treat it as almost an article, rather than as a movie, so that virtually every line of every scene is based directly on testimony or transcripts or articles or whatever from the time.
Straczynski: The incremental process you describe is emblematic of what people ask: "Where do stories come from?" Stories are created like lint on a sweater. Over time, it gathers. And you do this one day (brushes his hand down his arm) and -- oh! -- there's a story there, suddenly.
Read the entire article at http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ica2035fd8499625cd2fa51587121d9c1.

CONTROL-ALT-DELETE
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Warner Brothers has picked up CONTROL-ALT-DELETE, a high-concept SF spec script from writers Tim Kelleher and Danny Zuker. Bob Shaye and Dylan Sellers are producing through their Unique Features banner. The concept is described as Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure meets The Matrix. Unique, formed in June by Shaye and fellow New Line founder Michael Lynne, is developing an adaptation of Isaac Asimov's futuristic SF epic Foundation. Vince Gerardis also is a producer on that project.

WAR MONKEYS
Director Kevin Munroe (TMNT) helm WAR MONKEYS, an SF thriller with comedic elements, based on a script by Cleve Nettles and story by Chris Patton. The movie will be produced by Dark Horse Indie. "I had known the writer, ... Cleve Nettles, and because he had some work at Imagi when I was there," Munroe said in a recent interview. "He worked on Cat Tale for a little bit and a couple of other projects. And so I just called him up to say congratulations and that sounds really cool, and so he offered to send it to me, just to check it out. And so I read it, and I was ... just blown away by it." WAR MONKEYS centers on two slackers--"It's almost like a modern-day Abbott and Costello movie," Munroe said--who work low-level jobs in an Area 51-type place and get locked in over Christmas with an army of military-trained research monkeys. "And it's basically like Aliens," Munroe said. "But whenever I spoke to Cleve, Cleve had a high concept, you know: It's ... sort of like if Tarantino wrote Gremlins. ... I was like, 'It's exactly it.' ... It's one of the things where the comedy is really pure, but the scares and the threats are all very real."
WAR MONKEYS will be a live-action film, Munroe added. "What we're planning on is sort of a mix of live monkeys," he said. "One of the producers, Chris Patton, he calls me up and he says, ... 'I've got a lead on a guy who can train rhesus monkeys.' ... [They] like to hold prop guns and wear helmets and stuff. And so there's going to be a mix of live [and puppets]. I'm a real big fan of prosthetics, sort of puppets and stuff, and we'll probably have a little bit of CGI, you know, like for whenever it makes sense and stuff. But I would love to do things sort of as practical as possible with it." Munroe will start WAR MONKEYS after he finishes DEAD OF NIGHT, his next film, which is based on the best-selling Italian comic-book series Dylan Dog. Superman Returns star Brandon Routh will star in the movie, based on a script by Sahara writers Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Dean Donnelly. "DEAD OF NIGHT is actually closing financing, ... I think, within days, it sounds like," Munroe said. "And we are going to be starting prep before the New Year. And if all goes well, we should be shooting in Louisiana by the end of January-ish." DEAD OF NIGHT stars Routh as a detective of the paranormal. "He actually is this guy who's a detective who works in the world of vampires, werewolves, zombies, all of these supernatural creatures," Munroe said. "And he's ... an expert, basically. But we actually meet up with him at the beginning of the story, after he's gone through all that, and the whole course of the story is basically him going back into that world whenever a case comes across his desk, so ... we hit him at his lowest point at the beginning of the movie."
Sammo Hung is negotiations to star in WAR MONKEYS, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

TWILIGHT
Variety reports that Summit Entertainment's TWILIGHT had sold out more than 500 Thursday midnight shows, according to online ticketer Fandango. Summit and exhibitors decided to add hundreds of midnight screenings in advance of Nov. 21's official opening.

STAR TREK
The official trailer is now out at http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/startrek/. The clips are absolutely AWESOME. It's going to be a long wait until May 8, 2008 -- premiere date.

MONK - EIGHT IS ENOUGH
USA network announced Friday that MONK, the defective detective, will be picked up for its eighth and final season. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series final 16 episodes will debut in the summer. MONK has been a consistent performer in the ratings, which supports the report that all parties decided to end the show while it was still creatively strong, and not because of poor performance. MONK stars Tony Shalhoub as a private detective who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. The show has won numerous awards, including an Emmy and Golden Globe for Shalhoub's performance. A special holiday episode of MONK will air on USA on Friday, Nov. 28, before the holiday episode of "Psych."

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2008

QUANTUM OF SOLACE
According to the Associated Press, QUANTUM OF SOLACE topped the Nov. 14 weekend box office with a record $70.4 million, nearly $30 million more over its opening weekend than its predecessor, 2006's CASINO ROYALE. The debut also topped the previous opening-weekend record for a Bond movie: $47 million for 2002's DIE ANOTHER DAY. Adjusting for inflation, Sony's QUANTUM OF SOLACE easily drew a bigger audience than that installment, the last Bond adventure featuring Pierce Brosnan. Meanwhile, DreamWorks Animation's MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA, which debuted in first place the previous weekend, slipped to second place with $36.1 million, raising its 10-day total to $118 million.

HARRY POTTER TRAILER
The new trailer for HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE has hit the Internet and can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAtvkDZ8Lng. The movie, based on the sixth of J.K. Rowling's hit Potter books, opens July 17, 2009.

ROBOTECH WRITERS
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Alfred Gough and Miles Millar have been drafted to write Robotech, Warner Brothers' adaptation of the anime classic. Akiva Goldsman and Chuck Roven are producing with Tobey Maguire and Drew Crevello. ROBOTECH was a 1980s cartoon series from Harmony Gold USA and Tatsunoko Productions. It was re-edited and re-dialogued to combine three Japanese anime series to give the producers enough episodes to air as a daily syndicated series. A sprawling SF epic, ROBOTECH takes place at a time when Earth has developed giant robots from the technology on an alien spacecraft that crashed on a South Pacific isle. Mankind is forced to use the technology to fend off an alien invasion, with the fate of the human race ending up in the hands of two young pilots.

BATTLE: LOS ANGELES
THE DARK KNIGHT's Aaron Eckhart is attached to star in BATTLE: LOS ANGELES, an SF movie that Jonathan Liebesman is directing for Columbia, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The story, written by Chris Bertolini, revolves around a Marine platoon's encounter in the battle on the streets of Los Angeles against an alien invasion. Eckhart will play the platoon leader in the film, which has yet to set a start date.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2008

WORLD WAR Z - DIRECTOR NAMED
Vareity reports that Paramount has set QUANTUM OF SOLACE director Marc Forster to helm WORLD WAR Z, based on the Max Brooks best-selling novel about a worldwide infestation of flesh-eating zombies. BABYLON 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski is writing the screenplay, and Brad Pitt's Plan B is producing. Brooks--the son of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft--wrote a detailed tale in which a researcher for the U.N. Postwar Commission interviews survivors from countries all over the world, 10 years after the crisis, to gather a first-person post-mortem on a war that obliterated every country on the map. "The genre always fascinated me, and when they pitched it to me, it reminded me of the paranoid conspiracy films of the '70s like All the President's Men" Forster states.
JMS writes: I'm now finishing up the revisions per Marc's director's notes, and with any luck, we can get this thing moving forward after the first of the year. Given the scale of the story, Marc's a perfect choice.

STAR TREK TRAILER COMING MONDAY
The new movie trailer from the J.J. Abrams STAR TREK XI movie is scheduled to premiere in High Def on Monday. Go to www.startrekmovie.com. A YouTube version can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUkjjH7RSQk. This is pretty bad quality but the HQ version will be out tomorrow.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2008

STAR TREK TRAILER COMING MONDAY
The new movie trailer from the J.J. Abrams STAR TREK XI movie is scheduled to premiere in High Def on Monday. Go to www.startrekmovie.com.

PINOCCHIO
Variety reports that Guillermo del Toro's developing PINOCCHIO as a stop-motion feature with the Jim Henson Co. as a darker version of the original fairy tale. Project will be produced by JHC co-toppers Brian Henson and Lisa Henson along with senior VP Jason Lust. Del Toro will exec produce.
Del Toro's working on the screenplay with Gris Grimley, who illustrated a 2002 version of PINOCCHIO. Grimley and Adam Parrish King will co-direct the film. Del Toro disclosed the project in an interview with the website bloodydisgusting.com and said that it would take about three years to complete.
Pinocchio first appeared in the 19th Century book "The Adventures of Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi. Walt Disney produced the first feature version of the story with his animated "Pinocchio" in 1940.
PINOCCHIO is the latest in a long list of projects to which del Toro's attached. Top priority is New Line and MGM's THE HOBBIT, the two-picture project he's committed the next five years to as director and co-writer with Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. He also has a three-year first-look deal with Universal, where he's setting up remakes of FRANKENSTEIN, DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, and SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE and an adaptation of DROOD and several other projects.

EARLY BOX OFFICE RETURNS
No surprises here. James Bond's QUANTUM OF SOLACE has quickly conquered the domestic box office. Pic will gross at least $20 million on its first day. Whether critics like the picture or not, SOLACE is on track to nab the biggest opening weekend ever for a Bond pic. Prevous record-holder is DIE ANOTHER DAY, which scored a first-day take of $14 million on its way to grossing $47 million in its opening weekend. Directed by Marc Forster, SOLACE should hit $60 million for the weekend, if not more. SOLACEcontinues the smashing success of CASINO ROYALE, which rebooted the Bond franchise. The new Bond, played by Daniel Craig, is more moody and mysterious, giving a kinetic feel to the most endearing film franchise in history. CASINO ROYALE scored a first-day take of $14.7 million two years ago, and $40.8 million for the weekend. Pic grossed $167 million domestically, the best ever for a Bond installment. SOLACE is already a blockbuster overseas, having hit the $200 million mark through Thursday.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2008

WORLD WAR Z - DIRECTOR NAMED
Vareity reports that Paramount has set QUANTUM OF SOLACE director Marc Forster to helm WORLD WAR Z, based on the Max Brooks best-selling novel about a worldwide infestation of flesh-eating zombies. BABYLON 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski is writing the screenplay, and Brad Pitt's Plan B is producing. Brooks--the son of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft--wrote a detailed tale in which a researcher for the U.N. Postwar Commission interviews survivors from countries all over the world, 10 years after the crisis, to gather a first-person post-mortem on a war that obliterated every country on the map. "The genre always fascinated me, and when they pitched it to me, it reminded me of the paranoid conspiracy films of the '70s like All the President's Men" Forster states.
JMS writes: I'm now finishing up the revisions per Marc's director's notes, and with any luck, we can get this thing moving forward after the first of the year. Given the scale of the story, Marc's a perfect choice.

THOR
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Marvel's THOR is the latest hero from the comics and entertainment company to get the cartoon treatment. Marvel Animation is developing and self-producing a 26 half-hour episode series based on its long-running comic book, with the series targeted to launch in fall 2010, following Marvel's live-action feature THOR, which bows in 2010. The animated series will follow Thor, the Norse god of thunder, as he defends his mythical home of Asgard against fantastical villains, fiendish hordes, winged creatures and angry giants. The show will take place in various worlds -- from mountainous landscapes to places of icy mists and fiery voids -- and will include many of the comic's supporting cast, including Balder the Brave, the Warriors Three and Thor's evil adopted brother, Loki.
Marvel president of animation Eric Rollman said the series is part of the company's plan to follow each live-action movie with an animated series and "offer a continued awareness in the marketplace." It already is in production on cartoon series "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes," which will be available for broadcast in 2011, in time for Marvel Studios' releases of the live-action "The First Avenger: Captain America" and "The Avengers."

SANCTUARY GETS SECOND SEASON
Sci Fi Channel announced that it has greenlit production on a second season of its hit series SANCTUARY. The show, shot in the style of "300" in front of green screens instead of on sets, will come back with 13 new hour-long episodes in 2009.
"Sci Fi will continue to trail blaze the television landscape by further exploring the many worlds of SANCTUARY through its unique green screen environments,"says Mark Stern, Executive Vice President, Original Programming for the network. "Technology and great storytelling makes SANCTUARY a fantastic addition to Sci Fi's 2009 lineup."
On SANCTUARY, Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) is a 157-year-old "terrologist," one who studies monsters that she calls "abnormals." Along with her team, she befriends creatures that have evolved from mankind and gives them a safe haven in which to live. The premiere of SANCTUARY on Oct. 3 brought in more than 3 million viewers, making it the highest-rated original series premiere since "Eureka" debuted in July 2006. The new season will begin production in Vancouver early next year.

THE WATCHMEN
Yahoo! Movies has debuted the new trailer for Zack Snyder's WATCHMEN movie, based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' seminal graphic novel. The movie opens March 6, 2009. Go to http://watchmenmovie.warnerbros.com for more information.

DREAMWORKS SF PROJECTS
Variety reports that DreamWorks is putting a handful of projects on its high-priority list, including several SF&F movies. The writers, directors and actors the studio is talking with or already have attached are a diverse and prominent group, ranging from Clint Eastwood to Len Wiseman to Steve Carell to the writing team of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. While there are many deals still to be negotiated and many green lights yet to be handed out, the studio is expected to move quickly as it builds its Reliance-funded and Universal-distributed slate. Some movies could even go into production well ahead of DreamWorks' original fall '09 target.
Among the projects:
--Cowboys and Aliens: The large-scale comic-book adaptation is now being penned by writer-executive producers Kurtzman and Orci (Star Trek, TV's Fringe), who took on the gig from Iron Man co-writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby. Imagine is producing, and director-producer Ron Howard, who remains a long shot to shoot the film, is developing the project for attached star Robert Downey Jr.
--Real Steel: A futuristic boxing movie being penned by Dante's Peak writer Les Bohem, who created and wrote the Steven Spielberg-executive produced SCI FI Channel miniseries TAKEN.
--The 39 Clues: The project is a potential Spielberg directing vehicle, though it's still in script phase, with Jeff Nathanson only recently hired to adapt the first novel, The Maze of Bones, in the 10-book Clues series.

HEREAFTER
From Variety comes reports that Clint Eastwood is in talks to direct the supernatural thriller HEREAFTER for DreamWorks, based on a script by Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon). DreamWorks principals Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider picked up the spec script. The plot details are being kept under wraps, but it is described as in the vein of The Sixth Sense. Kathleen Kennedy is producing.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2008

AX FALLS ON MY OWN WORST ENEMY
After only a few weeks on the air, NBC has canceled MY OWN WORST ENEMY, the SF-tinged spy drama that starred Christian Slater. Variety reported that the Universal Media Studios show will stop production after it wraps filming on its current episode, the ninth in its original 13-episode order. There's no word yet from NBC on what will fill its Monday 10 p.m. timeslot. In its most recent airing on Oct. 27, ENEMY averaged 5.2 million viewers for a 2.3 rating/6 share in adults 18-49.

NEW WATCHMEN TRAILER DUE TODAY
Yahoo! Movies has announced that it will debut the new trailer for director Zack Snyder's Watchmen online on Nov. 13 at 5 p.m. PT.

CORALINE POSTER
Focus Features has released a new one-sheet poster for its upcoming stop-motion-animated fantasy movie CORALINE, directed by Henry Selick and based on Neil Gaiman's best-selling book. The movie, featuring the voices of Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher, opens in February 2009.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA MEETS GREY'S ANATOMY
After four seasons of playing President Laura Roslin on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, Mary McDonnell is moving on to newroles. McDonnell has a three-episode arc on GREY'S ANATOMY that begins Thursday (today). She plays Dr. Virginia Dixon, a cardiac surgeon who begins a stint at Seattle Grace. The character also has Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism that causes an inability to interact socially with others. "This woman is really an excellent surgeon and a leader in her field, but she has a really interesting twist to her," McDonnell says. "... It's accompanied in her case by an inability, in a sort of normal social sense, to perform everyday functions easily that other people do quite easily."

PRISON PROJECT
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Warner Bros. has picked up the Delta Force prison project, an action thriller written by Ari Rubin with Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend) attached to direct. Michael De Luca is producing along with David Keane, "Black Hawk Down" author Mark Bowden and Aaron Bowden via their Wild Eyes. The project tells the true story of the riots and siege of Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in 1987. Cuban and American prisoners seized control of the maximum security facility and took more than 100 federal prison staff members hostage. The situation was so extreme that the FBI's hostage rescue team was ill-equipped to handle the riots, and Delta Force, the Special Forces detachment, was called in to retake the prison.

NANNY MC PHEE
Actress Emma Thompson will not be returning as Professor Sybil Trelawney for HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, according to MTV News. Thompson has opted instead to make a sequel to NANNY MC PHEE, the 2005 family fantasy movie which she wrote and produced. The McPhee film, entitled NANNY MC PHEE AND THE BIG BANG, the story is set one hundred years later during wartime and follows two families of evacuees - one from the country, the other from the city. "This time, the lone parent is the mother. That's what it's about: The big war, and a war between these two sets of extremely different children...It's not a sequel, actually, it's a new story. The only thing that is the same is Nanny McPhee" says Thompson.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2008

GAME OF THRONES
Variety reports that HBO has given a green light to production on the pilot for a fantasy drama series, GAME OF THRONES, based on a book series by George R.R. Martin. The pilot for the long-gestating project was written by feature scribes David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Former HBO entertainment president Carolyn Strauss will serve as a co-executive producer, along with Guymon Cassidy, Vincent Gerardis and author Martin. HBO acquired the TV adaptation rights to Martin's SONGS OF ICE AND FIRE book series nearly two years ago. The pilot for the HBO series is described as an exploration of an epic struggle for power set in a vast and violent fantasy kingdom.

DEFYING GRAVITY
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Laura Harris has been tapped as the female lead opposite Ron Livingston in the SF drama series DEFYING GRAVITY, about eight astronauts from five countries who take on a mysterious six-year mission through the solar system. Harris will play Chloe, a geologist assigned to the mission alongside former flame Maddux (Livingston).

KYLE XY RETURNS IN JANUARY
ABC Family announced that KYLE XY will premiere on January 12 at 9:00pm ET/PT. In KYLE XY world, Kyle (Matt Dallas) will have to contend with the price he has to pay for his special powers. Greater forces will push him to new levels and to sacrifice relationships with those he holds most dear. Also, viewers will discover the fate of his girlfriend Amanda (Kirsten Prout), who was kidnapped at prom. Season Two of KYLE XY will be released on DVD on Tuesday, Dec. 30.

CAST ADDITIONS FOR 24 AND LOST
The Hollywood Reporter indicates that Reiko Aylesworth is in negotiations for a major recurring role on ABC's "Lost." Amy Price-Francis has landed a recurring role on Aylesworth's former show, Fox's "24."
In at least four episodes of LOST, Aylesworth will play Amy, a smart and successful professional woman with a love for the outdoors who is looking for the right man.
In a six-episode arc on "24," Price-Francis will plays a ruthless attorney working for Jonas Hodges (Jon Voight).

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2008

STAR TREK
Paramount released two new character posters for its upcoming STAR TREK movie, featuring Chris Pine as Captain Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock. The official Star Trek Web site has added a clock that is counting down to the online debut of the new trailer on Nov. 17. The trailer will debut the previous weekend in theaters, attached to copies of Quantum of Solace, the next James Bond movie. STAR TREK, directed by J.J. Abrams, opens on May 8, 2009.

NEW WATCHMEN POSTER RELEASED
Warner Brothers released a second teaser poster for its upcoming superhero movie WATCHMEN, featuring the image of Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley). The movie, directed by Zack Snyder and based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' seminal graphic novel, opens March 6, 2009.

NEW KARATE KID
Variety reports that Columbia Pictures is putting together a new version of the 1984 hit THE KARATE KID, which is being tooled as a starring vehicle for Jaden Smith. According to the trade, the film will be produced by Jerry Weintraub (who launched the original franchise) and Overbrook Entertainment's James Lassiter, Will Smith and Ken Stovitz. Will Smith, who is the 10-year-old actor's father, co-starred alongside Jaden in his feature debut, The Pursuit of Happyness, which Overbrook and Escape Artists produced for Columbia. The script is being written by Chris Murphy, and the film will shoot next year in Beijing and other cities. While the new film will be set in that exotic locale, it will borrow elements of the original plot, wherein a bullied youth learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2008

WEEKEND AT THE MOVIES
According to the Associated Press, MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA topped the Nov. 7 weekend box office with a massive $63.5 million debut. The haul for the DreamWorks Animation comedy far surpassed the $47.2 million debut for the first MADAGASCAR over Memorial Day weekend in 2005. Its three-day total also beat the $61 million gross the first movie took in over that full four-day holiday weekend.
QUANTUM OF SOLACE continued to pull in big audiences overseas, with $106.5 million in 60 countries, raising its total to $160.3 million since it began opening internationally Oct. 31. The movie opens in the United States on Nov. 14.

HEROES
Beginning with today's episode, Eric Roberts' returns as previously deceased character, Company bad guy Thompson. Being dead on this series doesn't mean you're out -- as we have seen with Niki/Jessica/Tracy.
"'Villains' is in many ways the origin story for our villains," cratore Tim Kring said. "You get a little bit more of the origin story of Sylar [Zachary Quinto] and then you get the origin story of Arthur Petrelli [Robert Forster]. Then also some of the Primatech story as well." The Primatech story involves Claire's mother, Meredith Gordon, played by Jessalyn Gilsig.
The irony of having an episode named "Villains" in Heroes "Volume Three: Villains" isn't lost on Kring, but he promises a "cool" episode that will extend the show's mythology. "We go back basically a year before the pilot started," Kring said. "We dig into the whole idea of the Petrelli family when they were actually a family and Arthur was part of the picture. We learn all sorts of little family secrets in that episode."
"Volume Three: Villains" is the first of two volumes slated for this season. "Villains"' volume finale will air on Dec. 15, with "Volume Four: Fugitives" premiering the day after the Superbowl, Kring said. HEROES airs on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

CAPTAIN AMERICA
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Joe Johnston (Jurassic Park III) has signed a deal to direct FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA, Marvel Studios' take on its classic comic-book character. Marvel's Kevin Feige is producing. No writers are on board, but the studio, which is hearing pitches, expects to hire shortly.
Johnston first met with Marvel two years ago. When the two parties clicked, general talks turned into Captain America-specific meetings, with much of the project's current direction resulting from those early conversations.
Created in 1941 by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon for Timely Comics, Captain America is the heroic alter ego of Steve Rogers, who is rejected by the Army for being too sickly and undergoes an experiment that takes him to the pinnacle of human form. Paired with an indestructible shield, he became a symbol of the war effort, in and out of comics. The character disappeared in the 1950s but was revived during the early era of Marvel Comics. He was reintroduced as part of the Avengers, the absence explained by having him being in a state of suspended animation during a war mission until found by the superteam. Johnston is currently in post-production on THE WOLFMAN.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2008

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2008

THE LINE
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Dylan McDermott (The Practice) has been tapped as the lead in THE LINE, Jerry Bruckheimer's drama pilot for TNT. The project, from Warner Horizon and Jerry Bruckheimer TV, is a character-based police drama that revolves around a squad of undercover LAPD officers as they walk the line between doing their job and being seduced by easy money. McDermott will play Lt. Andre Carter, a veteran officer who created and is running the secret unit, trying to strike a balance in his personal and professional relationships with his underlings. He joins the recently cast Logan Marshall-Green, Omari Hardwick and Nicki Aycox on "Line," written by Doug Jung and directed by Danny Cannon. The pilot is executive produced by Bruckheimer, Cannon, Jung and Jonathan Littman. McDermott, who won a Golden Globe for his role as Bobby Donnell on ABC's "The Practice," is filming the feature "Burning Palms," writer-director Christopher Landon's satire of Angeleno stereotypes.

CONAN GETS A DIRECTOR
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Brett Ratner is in final negotiations to direct CONAN, which is aiming for a release in early 2010. Ratner liked the Conan script by Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Dean Donnelly, who looked to Robert E. Howard's original pulp stories of the 1930s to create their take on the character. The writers are doing a quick polish to incorporate some of Ratner's ideas. Joe Gatta and Avi Lerner of Millennium Films are producing, along with Paradox Entertainment president and CEO Fredrik Malmberg. Millennium and Lionsgate are eyeing a potential franchise and envision a very R-rated approach in the $85 million budget range. Preproduction is under way for a shoot at Nu Image's Nu Boyana Studio in Bulgaria.
"The story opens on the battlefield where Conan is born and tells the origin story that sets the stage for what will be the first of multiple films," Lerner said.

THE KILLER INSIDE ME
Casey Affleck and Jessica Alba are teaming with director Michael Winterbottom for THE KILLER INSIDE ME, an adaptation of a novel from noir author Jim Thompson, says The Hollywood Reporter. The story follows a West Texas sheriff (Affleck) and his downward spiral from a boring small-town cop into a ruthless, sociopathic murderer. Alba plays a prostitute. The novel was made into a 1976 film starring Stacy Keach. MuseFilm's Chris Hanley, Cyclone Prods.' Robert Weinbach, Revolution Films' Andrew Eaton and Bradford Schlei are producing the latest adaptation, which was written by Weinbach and John Curran. A mid-January start date is being eyed.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2008

DOLLHOUSE DEBUT SET - FEBRUARY 13
Fox announced it will debut Joss Whedon's much-anticipated but troubled SF series DOLLHOUSE in a problematic Friday-night timeslot on Feb. 13, 2009, following TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES, which also moves to Fridays from Mondays on that day. DOLLHOUSE, starring Eliza Dushku, will air Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, nicknamed "the Death Slot." THE X-FILES flourished in that timeslot, but no other show has survived it, including Whedon's earlier Fox series, FIREFLY.
SARAH CONNOR, which has struggled in the ratings in its Monday 8 p.m. slot, moves to Fridays at 8. DOLLHOUSE was originally envisioned as a follow-up to Fox's hit 24 on Mondays. The show, which scrapped its original pilot and took several weeks off to retune its concept and scripts, is now in production. Meanwhile, Fox's FRINGE, the top new series of the season among adults aged 18-49, will air in its regular time period, Tuesdays at 9 p.m., and will undoubtedly get a boost from a new lead-in, AMERICAN IDOL, starting Jan. 20, 2009.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA AUCTION
Props and costumes from SCI FI's BATTLESTAR GALACTICA will be auctioned off on Jan. 16-18, 2009, in Pasadena, Calif., with proceeds in part going to benefit the United Way. The first Live BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Auction will take place at the Pasadena Convention Center. Friday will be Preview Day, and all the items in the auction will be on display, including full-size spaceships like the Viper, the Blackbird and even a Cylon Raider. Saturday and Sunday, 800 lots will be auctioned off in a live auction that will be Webcast online. On Monday, a 200-item online auction will take place, with less expensive items up for bid.

AFTER.LIFE
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Justin Long and Josh Charles are joining Christina Ricci and Liam Neeson in Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo's supernatural thriller AFTER.LIFE. The film tells the tale of a young woman (Ricci) caught between life and death and a seemingly helpful funeral director (Neeson) who may be intent on burying her alive. Long will play her boyfriend, Paul, who becomes increasingly suspicious of foul play. Charles is set for the role as Paul's friend. The movie begins shooting Tuesday in New York.

ABC NEW SERIES CHANGES
The Hollywood Reporter informs us that ABC is looking to reduce the order on two of its midseason drama series, CASTLE and THE UNUSUALS. The network has cut the order for CASTLE, which hails from its sister studio, from 13 to 10. It also has approached Sony TV, producer of THE UNUSUALS, for the same type of episode cutback. CASTLE stars Nathan Fillion as a horror novelist who helps the NYPD solve crimes. THE UNUSUALS is an ensemble dramedy set in a New York police precinct co- starring Amber Tamblyn. The order reductions came the same day ABC pulled the plug on midseason comedy series SINGLE WITH PARENTS.
Sources close to the network stress that the cutbacks are not for creative but for inventory reasons, as ABC has "Lost" as well as six new scripted series launching in midseason, CASTLE, UNUSUALS, hourlong CUPID and comedies IN THE MOTHERHOOD, BETTER OFF TED and THE GOODE FAMILY. They could be joined by the Bill Lawrence/Courteney Cox comedy COUGAR TOWN, which was fast-tracked last week with a pilot order targeted for midseason.

OLDBOY
Variety reports that Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are looking to remake Chan Wook-park's OLDBOY. Speilberg's DreamWorks Studios is currently looking into the rights to the picture. If it happens then Universal Studios will be tapped as the distributor.
In the original film from 2003, a man is inexplicably kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years and his wife is brutally murdered. On his release, he is given a wallet full of money and a mobile phone. A stranger calls and asks him to try and figure out why he was imprisoned. A girl appears and promises to help him solve the enigma and seek vengeance for his cruel fate. As the search progresses, the man finally comes face to face with his kidnapper, who proposes a game: if the man discovers the reason for his imprisonment, his kidnapper will kill himself. If not, then the girl will be killed - but he has only five days to unravel the mystery.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2008

MICHAEL CRICHTON PASSES
Michael Crichton, the million-selling author of such historic and prehistoric science fantasies as JURASSIC PARK, TIMELINE and THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN, died Tuesday in Los Angeles at the age of 66. He had been privately battling cancer, his family said. "Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand," his family said in a statement.

EVA ADAMS
The Hollywood Reporter writes that James Van Der Beek and David Denman have been tapped to co-star on Fox's supernatural pilot EVA ADAMS about a sexist sports agent who, under a witch's spell, turns into a beautiful woman so he can endure the harassment he's been dishing out.

SIGNS AND WONDERS
Variety reports that A&E is developing SIGNS & WONDERS, a paranormal-themed procedural drama with producer Jed Mercurio (BBC's Bodies), Mandalay Television and Fox TV Studios. SIGNS & WONDERS tracks a psychiatrist who runs the cognitive sciences research department at a prestigious university and leads a team of grad students in solving suspicious medical cases.

DOLLHOUSE PREVIEW
A new trailer for Joss Whedon's DOLLHOUSE, starring Eliza Dushku has been released by fox. The series--which has undergone an overhaul, including the scrapping of its original pilot--comes from the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly. Dushku (Buffy's Faith) plays Echo, an "Active," or member of a highly illegal and underground group of individuals who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas. Hired by the wealthy, powerful and connected, the Actives don't just perform their hired roles, they wholly become them--with mind, personality and physiology--to do whatever a client wants or needs. Whether imprinted to be a lover, an assassin, a corporate negotiator or a best friend, the Actives know no other life than the specific engagements they are in at that time. Confined between missions to a secret facility known as the "Dollhouse," Echo and the other Actives--including Sierra (Dichen Lachman) and Victor (Enver Gjokaj)--are assigned engagements by Adelle (Olivia Williams), one of the Dollhouse leaders. After each scenario, Echo, always under the watchful eye of her handler Boyd (Harry Lennix), returns to the mysterious Dollhouse where her thoughts, feelings, experiences and knowledge are erased by Topher (Fran Kranz), the Dollhouse's genius programmer. But is Echo acquiring a memory of her own? Dollhouse is slated to air in January. Click here http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1545148137/bctid1902520342 for trailer.

GULLIVER'S TRAVELS
Variety reports that Twentieth Century Fox is moving forward with a big-screen adaptation of GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, with Jack Black taking on the title role as his next project. Rob Letterman (Shark Tale) has signed on to direct the contemporary reimagining of the classic Jonathan Swift tale. The story centers on Lemuel Gulliver, a free-spirited travel writer who, on an assignment to the Bermuda Triangle, suddenly finds himself a giant among men when he washes ashore on the hidden island of Lilliput, home to a population of industrious, yet tiny, people. Forgetting Sarah Marshall helmer Nicholas Stoller and Joe Stillman (Shrek) penned the screenplay. Shooting will start in March; locations are still being set.

JESSE STONE: NO REMORSE
CBS has begun production on JESSE STONE: NO REMORSE, the sixth telefilm in the Tom Selleck franchise. Selleck has played Jesse Stone in a series of TV movies including "Stone Cold," "Jesse Stone: Night Passage," "Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise," and "Jesse Stone: Sea Change." The franchise's fifth installment, "Jesse Stone: Thin Ice," has yet to air. In NO REMORSE, Police Chief Stone finds himself suspended by the town council in Paradise, MA and goes to work for State Homicide Commander Healy (Stephen McHattie) on a series of murders in Boston. Meanwhile, Rose (Kathy Baker) and Suitcase (Kohl Sudduth) have to investigate a crime wave in Paradise on their own. Also returning for NO REMORSE are William Devane, Saul Rubinek and William Sadler. New to the franchise is Krista Allen. Production is now underway in Halifax, Nova Scotia with Robert Harmon directing from a script by Selleck and Michael Brandman.

24 PREMIERE SET
Fox has set a premiere day for the return of "24," planning a two-night, four-hour event in January. The seventh season debut will air on Sunday, Jan. 11 and Monday, Jan 12 at 8 p.m. The network used a similar rollout plan for 2007's sixth season premiere. Delayed due to the writers strike, the premiere is the first new regular episode of "24" in nearly two years. "Day Seven" opens with CTU dismantled and Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) on trial. Bauer's day takes an unexpected turn when former colleague Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard) returns after being presumed dead. Two-hour prequel movie "24: Redemption" will give viewers a head start on the season when it airs Sunday, Nov. 23.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008

WAREHOUSE 13
SCI FI Channel's upcoming new series WAREHOUSE 13 has filled out its staff of writers with sci-fi experts, including executive producers Jack Kenny (Book of Daniel) and David Simkins (Blade, The Dresden Files). Other staff members include co-executive producer Dana Baratta (Runaway), supervising producer Drew Greenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Wars: The Clone Wars), co-producers Matt Federman and Steven Scaia (Jericho) and staff writers Bob Goodman (Batman Beyond, The New Batman/Superman Adventures), Tamara Becher (Crash) and Ben Raab and Deric Hughes (The Operator, Afterworld). The series received a green light to production of the new original drama series and has ordered 11 hours, including a previously produced two-hour pilot. WAREHOUSE 13 stars Eddie McClintock (Bones), Joanne Kelly (Jeremiah) and Saul Rubinek (Frasier). After saving the life of the president, two Secret Service agents find themselves abruptly transferred to WAREHOUSE 13, a massive top-secret storage facility in windswept South Dakota, which houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and supernatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government. The Warehouse's caretaker, Artie (Rubinek), charges Pete (McClintock) and Myka (Kelly) with chasing down reports of supernatural and paranormal activity in search of new objects to cache at the Warehouse, as well as helping him to control the Warehouse itself. Production is slated to begin in February in Toronto for a July 2009 premiere.

AFTERLIFE
Variety reports that British-Asian helmer Gurinder Chadha is prepping IT'S A WONDERFUL AFTERLIFE, which she described as MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING meets SHAUN OF THE DEAD. The story follows a British-Asian mother whose obsession to marry off her daughter comically leads to serial murder. Chadha is casting the multicultural project, which has a budget of about $10 million. Shooting begins in the United Kingdom in February. She's co-writing and producing the movie with husband Paul Berges. The two previously collaborated on Chadha's 2002 breakout hit BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM.

GHOST WRITER
X2 star Alan Cumming makes his solo directorial debut with the independent straight- to-DVD supernatural movie GHOST WRITER. Cumming also stars with ANGEL's David Boreanaz, Anne Heche, STAR WARS' Carrie Fisher and E.T.'s Henry Thomas. In the thriller, a failed composer-turned-music teacher (Cumming) mentors a handsome struggling writer, Sebastian St. Germain (Boreanaz), who overstays his welcome. When John discovers that Sebastian has simply been using him, he turns the tables on his young tenant in an effort to make him work off his rent debt. When Sebastian dies accidentally in the process, John tries to make it up to him by helping him get his book published posthumously. When the book is published, John can not help but take credit for the work of genius ... and Sebastian comes back to haunt him. GHOST WRITER is set for release on Jan. 6, 2009.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008

HEROES UPDATE
Following yesterday's announcement that co-executive producers Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb had been fired, Variety reports that Tim Kring, creator and executive producer of HEROES has been under pressure to simplify the show's storylines and refocus on character development. There's been a feeling that he's delegated too much responsibility for writing and story development to his top writing lieutenants. Kring has reportedly assured NBC and Universal Media Studios, which produces the series, that he intends to focus on simplifying what's been criticized, even by ardent fans, as an overly complex storytelling structure to get back to the show's comic-bookish good vs. evil themes and to emphasize character development more than plot twists. The thinking is that his focus is needed most in breaking stories and refining the tone of the show for the remainder of its third season, the trade paper reported. HEROES is averaging 10.4 million viewers and 5.1 rating/12 share among adults 18-49 so far in its third season, a 21 percent drop in total viewers and an 18 percent decline in adults 18-49 from its second season (which was cut short by the writers strike).

WALL-E
WALL*E Director Andrew Stanton said in a recent interview that that the upcoming Blu-ray high-definition disc of the movie comes about as close as is humanly possible to capturing what the creators had in mind when they made the hit animated film. "We always used to say this when we were making any other films: 'It will never look any better than it does here,'" Stanton said. "It's only going to go downhill from here when somebody watches it at home or somebody watches it in their town theater. And now you can go, 'No. They can see it exactly as good as we see it here.'" The prospect that WALL*E would wind up on Blu-ray allowed Stanton to aim for the highest-quality image he could achieve, confident that it would find its way to viewers. "The way that I've always looked at Blu-ray is just it's going to look that much better and be able to hold that much more stuff, so I don't have to think of [the movie and the home-video release] as separate," he said. "At that time, ... I just hoped that one format wins out [HD DVD vs. Blu-ray]. It's just very recently that it became one, but in a weird way, as consumers, we hope that Blu-ray becomes 'it,' because it's the first time that medium, a format, can represent exactly how good it looks for us in the building here."
Because WALL*E, like other Pixar animated movies, was created in a digital medium, the transition to high-definition home video is very smooth, Stanton said. "It's exactly the tones and everything we picked," he said. "That's the nice thing about having a digital medium--and in our case it's 100 percent digital--is that we can control it like God and then put it onto the DVD and make sure that it's exactly the magic [we want]. I couldn't be happier. As a matter of fact, I'll probably be let down from here on in if I ever work in a non-all-CG medium." WALL*E drops on Blu-ray (in two- and three-disc editions) and DVD on Nov. 18.

MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA
MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA will open on Nov. 7 in a record 130 IMAX theaters, including 35 new locations equipped with IMAX's digital projection system, in conjunction with the film's nationwide release.
Here's a clip that you will enjoy http://www.movieweb.com/video/V08K5cptyDKPUX

DEFYING GRAVITY
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Fox TV Studios has teamed with Canada's CTV, Germany's ProSieben and the BBC for "Defying Gravity," a 13-episode adventure drama series starring Ron Livingston (Office Space).
GRAVITY, which hails from creator/executive producer James Parriott ("Grey's Anatomy") and executive producer Michael Edelstein ("Desperate Housewives"), is set in the near future and revolves around eight astronauts from five countries who take on a mysterious six-year mission through the solar system. German actress Florentine Lahme also has been cast in GRAVITY, a co-venture between FtvS and Vancouver-based Omni Film Productions, whose Brian Hamilton and Michael Chechik also executive produce.
David Straiton has signed on to direct the first episode of the series, which is slated to begin production Jan. 19 in Vancouver.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2008

HEROES SHAKE-UP
Variety reports that NBC's HEROES fired co-executive producers Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb, who had been with the show since its first season, on Nov. 2 in a surprise shakeup. The two were known to have led the day-to-day production operation under the direction of creator/executive producer Tim Kring, the trade paper reported. HEROES has struggled in the ratings its third season. It's understood that Alexander and Loeb were let go because of the network's frustration with the creative direction of the show. The show is also said to have been grappling with hefty budget overruns this season, which are going well beyond its already sizable $4 million per-episode price tag. Representatives for NBC and Universal Media Studios, which produces the show, declined to comment to Variety.

DANTE'S INFERNO
According to reports in Variety, Universal Pictures won a bidding battle for an unreleased Electronic Arts video game that sources said will be called DANTE'S INFERNO by the time it hits the marketplace next year. The agreement is the second the studio has made in recent weeks for an EA game property. The deal--an option fee against seven-figure purchase price--ended an auction that pitted four studios against one another late last week. Paramount, New Regency and MGM were the other final bidders, after Warner Brothers dropped out Thursday. The property shook up a sluggish material marketplace. It was a surprise entry, because EA made past movie deals (including The Sims with Fox and producer John Davis and Mass Effect with producer Avi Arad) after the properties were already popular with gamers. This time around, EA hadn't even announced the existence of the game at the time the concept was brought to the film marketplace. EA declined to comment or confirm the game's title. Both the DANTE'S INFERNO game and movie involve a journey through the depths of hell.

SEASON OF THE WITCH
Stephen Graham has signed on for Relativity's SEASON OF THE WITCH, joining Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Graham will play a swindler and navigator in the period horror movie. The film follows 14th century knights who transport a girl suspected of being the witch responsible for spreading the Black Plague. Shooting will start in early November in Austria and Hungary.

TINTIN
Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson have finally secured financing for their three-part movie TINTIN, with Sony and Paramount partnering to fund the movies. The two previously turned down a deal with just Paramount that would have reduced their combined backend deal to just-- horrors!-- $135 million. Variety says the first TINTIN movie is still expected to be finished in 2010, which is an even tighter schedule than the one Jon Favreau was working with for Iron Man 2. I love both Jackson and Spielberg's moves, and I hate feeling sour on them based on this one incident, but this really is just making them look really greedy. While I'm excited that we'll finally get to see this passion project of Spielberg's, I can't help resent the two of them as they go off to sleep soundly on their beds made of money.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2008

QUANTUM OF SOLACE
QUANTUM OF SOLACE, rolled into U.K. theaters Friday and broke the biggest Friday openers of all time by taking $8 million (£4.94 million) on its first day at U.K. theaters. The previous Friday best was HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, which earned $6.5 million (£4 million). CASINO ROYALE did $4.7 million on its opening Friday but, unlike "Solace," it had Thursday previews. QUANTUM OF SOLACE will hit theaters here on November 14, 2008.

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN has wrapped up principal photography and is now entering post-production for the special effects (Industrial Light & Magic), sound and editing. The sequel stars Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Isabel Lucas, Rainn Wilson and Jennifer Alden. Bay is once again behind the camera, based on a screenplay by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Ehren Kruger. Plot Summary:
Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots return for the live-action follow up to Michael Bay's 2007 blockbuster "Transformers."
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN will hit standard and IMAX theaters June 26, 2009.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2008

LEGEND OF THE SEEKER PREMIERES TONIGHT
Action-adventure fans can enjoy a first look of the highly-anticipated epic fantasy series LEGEND OF THE SEEKER before its premiere tonight. Disney-ABC Domestic Television is offering an extended preview of the nationally-syndicated series as a free download, exclusively available on the iTunes Store (www.iTunes.com). The free download, entitled "Legend of the Seeker: A First Look," will give fans the opportunity to view the first 30-minutes of the upcoming two-hour television event executive-produced by Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, the team that brought the characters of Hercules and Xena to life almost a decade ago.
"Fans have been clamoring to get a first look at the series and based on the early response from the clips released on the 'Legend of the Seeker' website, we knew this would be a huge success with audiences," noted Janice Marinelli, President, Disney-ABC Domestic Television.
Shot with the exotic and rugged New Zealand landscape as its backdrop, the one-hour scripted series is an adaptation of internationally best- selling author Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth book series. "Legend of the Seeker" explores the adventures of woodsman Richard Cypher (Craig Horner, "Monarch Cove" and "Blue Water High"), who discovers that he was born to fulfill a prophecy of becoming a guardian hero to oppressed people. With the help of a mysterious woman named Kahlan (Bridget Regan, "Sex and the City" and "Six Degrees") and a wise old wizard named Zedd (Bruce Spence, "Mad Max 2" and "The Matrix Revolutions"), he must stop a ruthless and bloodthirsty tyrant named Darken Rahl (Craig Parker, "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers") from unleashing an ancient evil and enslaving the world.

WCG GAME QUEST
SCI FI Channel has given the green light to production of WCG GameQuest (working title), an eight-episode elimination-style reality competition that pits 12 contestants against each other in a series of video-game challenges in order to find the "Best All-Around Gamer"; the show is slated to premiere in the first quarter of 2009.

WAITING FOR GODOT
Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings, X-Men) and Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation) will team up on the London stage in a new production of Samuel Beckett's classic absurdist play WAITING FOR GODOT, March 5-June 28, which will wind up at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in the British capital. McKellen provided this information on his official Web site at http://www.mckellen.com/stage/godot/081031.htm.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2008

FORBIDDEN PLANET
The Hollywood Reporter indicates that BABYLON 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski, who also wrote Clint Eastwood's upcoming CHANGELING, is writing a long-in-the-works update of the SF classic FORBIDDEN PLANET for Warner Brothers. Joel Silver is producing via Silver Pictures.
Warner picked up the project on the down-low earlier this year. As late as last year, it was set up at DreamWorks, with David Twohy attached to direct. Prior to that, New Line had it. James Cameron, Nelson Gidding and Stirling Silliphant have been associated with the remake over the years. Released in 1956, PLANET told the tale of an expedition sent from Earth to check on a colony of scientists on a far-off planet. They find two members, a man who has found alien technology that doubled his intellect, Dr. Morbius, and his daughter, both of whom have managed to survive an unseen monster roaming the planet. The movie is loosely based on Shakespeare's The Tempest. The movie, directed by Fred Wilcox, starred Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen, but is perhaps best known for the character Robbie the Robot.
THR also writes that Straczynski also has feature projects "The Flickering Light" and "Lensman" with Ron Howard at Imagine Entertainment, and "They Marched Into Sunlight," with Paul Greengrass directing, at Playtone and Universal.

ANGELS & DEMONS
Columbia Pictures has revealed the new teaser trailer for ANGELS & DEMONS, the prequel to the hit supernatural thriller THE DA VINCI CODE. Based on Dan Brown's best-selling book, ANGELS & DEMONS reunites director Ron Howard with star Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, who once again finds that forces with ancient roots are willing to stop at nothing, even murder, to advance their goals. The movie opens May 15, 2009.
The official website hosts the trailer and leads to a Path of Illumination contest.

SPIDER-MAN 4
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole) is in final negotiations to write SPIDER-MAN 4 for Columbia Pictures. Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire are back as director and star, as are series producers Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad. Kirsten Dunst also is expected to return for the latest movie featuring the Marvel Comics character. The plot details are under lock and key. Columbia always has gone off the beaten path during the development process when hiring writers for the Spider-Man movies. Alvin Sargent, a veteran scribe best known for 1973's Paper Moon and 1980's Ordinary People, served as a writer on the second and third films. Michael Chabon, another Pulitzer winner, also worked on Spider-Man 2. James Vanderbilt previously wrote a draft of Spider-Man 4.

AGNES QUILL
Variety writes that Paramount Pictures has acquired screen rights to Dave Roman's graphic novel AGNES QUILL: AN ANTHOLOGY OF MYSTERY. The story follows 16-year-old Agnes who inherits from her grandfather an estate and an ability to see and communicate with the dead. Thor Freudenthal ("Hotel for Dogs") is attached to direct from a script by Evan Spiliotopoulos. Steven Gilder and Jason Clark will produce.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2008

DOCTOR WHO CHANGING
The BBC reports that David Tennant will quit the role of DOCTOR WHO, after becoming one of the most popular Time Lords in the history. Tennant stepped into the Tardis in 2005 and will leave the role after four special episodes are broadcast next year. Tennant made the announcement after winning the outstanding drama performance prize at the National Television Awards. "When DOCTOR WHO returns in 2010 it won't be with me," he said.
Rumors have already begun as to who will play the next incarnation of the Doctor, including Paterson Joseph, David Morrisey, James Nesbitt and John Simm. Tennant, the 10th actor to play the Doctor, left fans guessing about his return at the end of the latest season. In the last episode, which aired in the United Kingdom in July, the Doctor had to defeat his enemies, the Daleks, to save the universe. Almost 10 million people watched as the Time Lord apparently started the process of regeneration-- but did not complete it. Tennant will appear in a Christmas special, titled "The Next Doctor," before filming four more specials in January.

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL
Yahoo! Movies has posted a new five-minute trailer for the upcoming remake of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, featuring previously unseen footage, including more shots of the updated Gort. The film, an update of the classic 1950s SF cautionary tale, stars Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith, Jon Hamm and Kyle Chandler. It opens Dec. 12. Go to http://au.video.yahoo.com/watch/3810106/10430112 to watch.

LEGEND OF THE SEEKER
Bridget Regan, star of LEGEND OF THE SEEKER, said in a recent interview that episodes will spin one-off stories while following the basic trajectory of the fantasy book WIZARD'S FIRST RULE, on which the show is based. WIZARD'S FIRST RULE is the first in author Terry Goodkind's THE SWORD OF TRUTH series. Regan (New Amsterdam) plays Kahlan, a beautiful, mysterious and powerful Confessor who joins forces with a wizard named Zedd (Bruce Spence) to protect Richard (Craig Horner). Richard is a young man who discovers that he's a prophesied Seeker, tasked with saving his world from the tyrannical Darken Rahl (Craig Parker). Together with Kahlan and Zedd, Richard sets about fulfilling his destiny.
"One of my favorite things about the show is that it changes, and because Richard and Kahlan's relationship is being stretched and pulled and challenged every week, we're put into these situations, whether it be searching down this villain or saving one another from a sticky situation," Regan said. "I have to protect Richard on the way to getting to this guy who's really an evil dictator trying to gain control over the land, and each week we face different challenges."
The villains will vary from week to week, Regan added. "Sometimes it may be a sorceress that's captured one of us or declared a prophecy that's going to come true," she said. "We're always pushing things to the limit and seeing how much we can take, how much we can handle. Every day, it feels like it's the end of the world, and it's so intense, and the stakes are always so high. And I love that, because it means we have to keep fighting, we have to stay strong and keep pushing."
Viewers can expect mini-stories within the bigger one that is WIZARD'S FIRST RULE. "The fans that come along for the whole ride will hopefully see that," Regan said, "but each episode is somewhat contained and has its own little beginning, middle and end." LEGEND OF THE SEEKER, which is executive-produced by Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi, will premiere in first-run syndication the weekend of Nov. 1.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE
Princes William and Harry were on the London red carpet on Oct. 29 for the world premiere of the new James Bond movie QUANTUM OF SOLACE, in which Daniel Craig reprise the role of superspy 007. Reuters reported that the 40-year-old actor and his co-stars were greeted by hundreds of fans and a sea of camera flashes in central London for the 22nd installment of the Bond franchise. Craig showed up wearing a tuxedo and his right arm in a sling after a shoulder operation. QUANTUM OF SOLACE, which follows on directly from the plot of the last Bond movie "Casino Royale", is released in British cinemas on Oct. 31 and hits theaters in the key U.S. market two weeks later, on Nov. 14. The film's stars were joined by Prince William, second in line to the British throne, and younger brother Harry. The brothers have asked for proceeds from the night to benefit charities Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion.

BOOK OF ELI
Variety reports that Gary Oldman will co-star with Denzel Washington in BOOK OF ELI, a post-apocalyptic actioner to be directed by Allen and Albert Hughes. Alcon Entertainment is financing the film and co-producing with Silver Pictures. Warner Bros. will distribute domestically through its output deal with Alcon, while Summit will handle international sales.
ELI revolves around a lone warrior (Washington) who must fight to bring society the knowledge that could be the key to its redemption. Oldman has been set to portray the despot of a small makeshift town who's determined to take possession of the book Eli's guarding.
Alcon toppers Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson will produce, along with Joel Silver and Washington. Lensing begins in February in New Mexico, with the pic set for a U.S. release on Jan. 15, 2010.

THE LAST DRAGON
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Samuel L. Jackson is set to star as a bad guy in Columbia Pictures' remake of Berry Gordy's 1985 cult classic THE LAST DRAGON. The actor will play Sho'nuff, the Shogun of Harlem, a role played in the original by the late Julius Carry, whose spiel included asking ego-driven questions like 'Am I the baddest mofo lowdown around this town?' Each time his gang of thugs answered, 'Sho 'nuff!'
Handling screenwriting as well as producing duties is Dallas Jackson, who heads up the urban family label DJ Classicz with Davis. Wu-Tang Clan's RZA is co-producing. This new version of the film will be along the same lines of the original, centering on young martial arts student Leroy Green in his quest through the streets of New York to achieve the highest level of martial arts accomplishment, known as the Last Dragon. Those who achieve the high ranking possess the Glow, making them the greatest fighter alive.
The plan is for the project, announced by Columbia presidents Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach, will take a new look at Last Dragon coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Motown next year.
"We're thrilled to be working with Kerry Gordy as he continues his father's legacy, and we're confident that he along with John and Dallas are the perfect team to develop the project," Belgrad offered. "They will capture everything that people love about the original while also bringing a fresh edge to the remake." Despite poor reviews, LAST DRAGON did well at the boxoffice, grossing nearly $26 million. It soon became a cult classic for scenes like Bruce Lee follower Green remaining so loyal to the martial arts star that he eats his popcorn in a movie theater with chopsticks.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2008

I know this is more appropriate for the magazine section, but I didn't want anyone to miss the gorgeous cover of the latest Empire magazine. The new issue and is jam-packed with exclusive images and interviews from JJ Abrams' STAR TREK.

NEW FALL TV SHOWS
Over at SciFi Wire, you will find a good article giving the rundown of all the new shows for the fall TV season. Look at the ratings and see if you agree.

DEVIL
Variety reports that M. Night Shyamalan and Media Rights Capital have formalized the first project in their three-picture deal to hatch horror films. Brian Nelson (30 Days of Night) is set to write the first project, DEVIL, which Quarantine helmer John Erick Dowdle will direct and produce with his brother, Drew Dowdle. The supernatural thriller is based on an original story by Shyamalan, who'll produce with Sam Mercer under the Night Chronicles banner. The Dowdle siblings will be executive producers. The PG-13 film will begin production next year. MRC set up Night Chronicles as a financing and production partnership with Shyamalan in July. The company's goal is to generate one genre film per year over three years, with Shyamalan hatching the ideas and overseeing the selection of talent and the creative direction.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, French director Pascal Laugier (Martyrs) is in final negotiations to write and direct Dimension's re-imagining of HELLRAISER, one of horrormeister Clive Barker's best-known creations. Released in 1987, HELLRAISER told the story of an unfaithful wife who attempts to assist her dead lover in his escape from hell. The movie introduced viewers to a race of demons called Cenobites, most notably one nicknamed Pinhead--who became one of the most enduring horror characters of the decade--who was summoned using an antique puzzle box. Dimension has been hoping to relaunch the franchise for the past couple of years, first hiring Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo to write and direct a remake, then tapping Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton to write a new draft.

CLIP FOR 24 NEW SEASON
For fans of 24, it has been a very LONG wait. The series will return in January and from the looks of this clip, it has been well worth the wait! Go to http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1513658671/bctid1885474195 for a non-stop seventh season trailer for 24.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA MEETS LAW & ORDER
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA's Katee Sackhoff is set to appear on an upcoming episode of LAW & ORDER. Sackhoff's LAW & ORDER appearance coincides with a starring role in "Lost and Found," a pilot Dick Wolf is executive producing for NBC. She'll play a Los Angeles detective who's relegated to working cases with anonymous victims after fighting with higher-ups in the department. Brian Cox ("Deadwood," "The Bourne Supremacy") will play her old-school partner.

IRON MAN/AVENGERS
Variety writes that Downey has agreed to return as billionaire Tony Stark and his crime-fighting alter ego in "The Avengers" and a third "Iron Man" installment, guaranteeing the thesp a superhero-sized payday and his own ongoing franchise as part of a four-picture deal with the comicbook company. Jon Favreau, who is set to helm the second "Iron Man" pic, will also exec produce "The Avengers," which is skedded for release on July 15, 2011. Pic will unite the Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and the Incredible Hulk characters. Company confirmed that Don Cheadle will replace Terrence Howard as Col. James Rhodes in the "Iron Man" sequels. Cheadle will also appear in "The Avengers." Marvel has long refused to confirm until now whether Downey or Favreau were back for "Iron Man 2" even though both have been forthcoming about their plans for the sequel, which will bow May 7, 2010. "Iron Man" has earned $578 million worldwide. Given the sizable haul, Marvel needed to lock down Downey for future pics. Thesp’s been filling up his dance card with projects. He’s currently lensing Warner Bros.’ "Sherlock Holmes," which could also turn into a new franchise for Downey. Either way, deals put Downey front and center in a major tentpole each year through 2012. Marvel will self-finance and produce its upcoming slate with Paramount distribbing the pics.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2008

THE CHANGELING
The JMS' written movie is getting a lot of positive buzz. NPR interviewed JMS yesterday and you and read the entire article, focusing more on JMS' comic books http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2008/10/we_call_him_jms_comics_fans_on_1.html.

JASON CARTER - THE DEAD MATTER
Gothic Horror Soundscape masters, Midnight Syndicate bring their nightmarish visions to the big screen with the supernatural horror thriller THE DEAD MATTER (coming 2009). Co-produced by Robert Kurtzman (From Dusk Till Dawn, KNB FX) and starring Andrew Divoff (Lost, Wishmaster), Jason Carter (Babylon 5, Angel), and Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead, Grindhouse), THE DEAD MATTER tells a story of vampirism, the living dead, and ancient occult relics all drenched in the dark and shadowy world of Midnight Syndicate's music.
View THE DEAD MATTER trailer exclusively at www.t3nth1rtyone.com, hosted by Hot Topic stores.

TWILIGHT TRAILERS
With the movie set to open on November 21, several new trailers have gone live for TWILIGHT, the feature film based on Stephenie Meyer's young-adult vampire novel. The trailers include a new international spot and two TV commercials.
Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tieJPzpeaA to watch.

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2
Ben Stiller reprises his role as security guard Larry Daley in NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN. In a recent interview to promote his latest project, MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA, Stiller said that his process is simpler than his co-stars may perceive. Stiller jogs in place to get ready for takes. "It just depends on the scene," Stiller said. "It was probably a scene where I had to come running from somewhere. I'm not good at faking being out of breath for something like that." The sequel takes place in Washington's Smithsonian Institution, where the exhibits come to life while Daley works the graveyard shift. Stiller, who is used to improvising with his fellow comedians, found it a challenge to act amid the movie's many visual effects. "It's weird," Stiller said. "I think it's hard to find the comedy within that one. There are all the technical elements going on. I just find it exhausting. It's harder, because you have to really create much more energy on your own. I think it's much easier when you have real stimuli to react to. It's a strange combination of things, of elements that are there and aren't there." Stiller found it most difficult to work on a green-screen stage. "The green-screen stuff is the hardest, I find, just because there's nothing there. I find that really hard, because you really actually are acting on camera, but there's nothing to react to, even like a set."
Meanwhile, Stiller said that he is still working on a feature-film version of HEAT VISION AND JACK, based on a TV pilot he directed. "We've got a draft, and we've been working on the script and continue to work on it. I think it'd be great to do." The unaired satifical show--a lampoon of buddy-copy shows that starred Jack Black and Owen Wilson--has been seen on Youtube.com enough to warrant consideration as a movie. "It was a pilot that I did with Jack," Stiller said. "That's actually how I met my wife [Christine Taylor] 10 years ago. Jack played an astronaut from NASA who flew too close to the sun, so whenever the sun comes up, he's the smartest guy in the world, and when it goes down, he's back to normal. His best friend gets turned into a motorcycle by an evil Ron Silver, who runs NASA secretly. Owen Wilson was the voice of the motorcycle, who was sort of like his Knight Rider buddy." With typical self- deprecation, Stiller joked: "I can't believe they didn't pick it up."
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN opens May 22, 2009.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND
DigitalSpy reports that Christopher Lee and Alan Rickman have joined the cast of Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND remake. Lee has taken on an undisclosed role, while Rickman will play the hookah-smoking Caterpillar. Eleanor Tomlinson is another new addition. She will star as Fiona Chataway, a friend of Alice created specifically for the Burton adaptation. Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Sheen and Matt Lucas are also among the star-studded cast. ALICE IN WONDERLAND is scheduled for release in 2010.

ANGELS AND DEMONS
USA Today has published a first look at Columbia Pictures' The Da Vinci Code prequel, ANGEL & DEMONS. Again directed by Ron Howard, written by Akiva Goldsman and starring Tom Hanks, the adaptation of Robert Langdon's book hits theaters on May 15, 2009. The new film, co-starring Ayelet Zurer, Ewan McGregor, Pierfrancesco Favino and August Fredrik, will move quicker than the first pic, says the article:
The adaptation of Dan Brown's novel continues the sleuthing adventures of Robert Langdon (Hanks), a Harvard expert in religious symbols who discovers a conspiracy to destroy the Vatican.
Da Vinci collected $758 million worldwide, but even Grazer says the movie moved a little slowly. Angels, by contrast, sprints from crypts, catacombs and cathedrals. In adapting the hugely successful Da Vinci novel, "I think we may have been too reverential toward it," Grazer says. "We got all the facts of the book right, but the movie was a little long and stagey."
In Angels, "Langdon doesn't stop and give a speech," Grazer says. "When he speaks, he's in motion."

SKYSCRAPER
Variety reports that Universal has bought Mike Sobel's disaster-action pitch SKYSCRAPER. Neal Moritz is producing via his Original Film. The project is described as a modern-day TOWERING INFERNO, in which a Donald Trump-esque developer sets out to build a mile-high structure in Chicago. When the tower starts to falter, a crew must rescue the city from mayhem. Original's Tania Landau is executive producing. Sobel, a former New York criminal lawyer, moved to Los Angeles 18 months ago to pursue a writing career. His first screenplay, also a disaster project, titled ANIMALS, sold to Columbia with Moritz producing as well.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2008

HARRY POTTER
A new international teaser trailer has gone live for HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, with footage not seen in the U.S. teaser trailer. The movie, based on the sixth of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books, opens July 17, 2009. Go to http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/harry-potter-and-half-blood-prince/feature-trailer to watch.

NINJA SCROLL
Variety reports that Warner Brothers has acquired the rights to turn the Japanese action-thriller anime NINJA SCROLL into a live-action feature film. Alex Tse has been set to write the script. The movie will be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way, with Jennifer Davisson Killoran and Mike Ireland producing. Appian is mounting the film as a co-production with Mad House. SCROLL, set in feudal Japan, revolves around a ninja for hire, who is forced to fight an old enemy who will stop at nothing to overthrow the government. DiCaprio is not planning to act in the film.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2008

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2008

CHANGELING REVIEW
Renowned columist and reviewer Roger Ebert takes a look at THE CHANGELING which opens this week in theaters. He gives the movie 3 1/2 stars! Read his review at http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081023/REVIEWS/810239995.

GARY COLE JOINING ENTOURAGE
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Gary Cole is set to join HBO's comedy ENTOURAGE as a regular next season, playing Hollywood agent Andrew Klein, Ari Gold's (Jeremy Piven) oldest Hollywood friend from their early days in the business. Cole is introducing the character this season in a three-episode arc slated to air in November 2. ENTOURAGE is halfway though its fifth season and recently was picked up for a sixth season to begin production in early 2009 for a summer launch.
Babylon 5 fans will remember Gary from his CRUSADE days, as Captain Matthew Gideon.

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS FOR NOVEMBER
The Cartoon Network has released a rundown of the new episodes of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS airing in November.
All episode will air at 9 p.m., preceded by the previous weeks episode at 8:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 7: "Downfall of a Droid" -- R2-D2 is lost during a fierce space battle -- and Anakin must find him before the Separatists discover the Jedi military secrets locked in his memory banks
Friday, Nov. 14: "Duel of the Droids" -- Anakin, Ahsoka and replacement droid R3 embark on a dual rescue/sabotage mission when they discover R2-D2 is being held at General Grievous' secret enemy listening post.
Friday, Nov. 21: "Bombad Jedi" -- Jar Jar Binks is a Jedi Knight? So thinks the Separatists when comically heroic Gungan and C-3PO fight to save Padme Amidala from doom at the hands of evil Viceroy Nute Gunray.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2008

WATCHMEN
Warner Brothers has released a new teaser poster for Zack Snyder's upcoming WATCHMEN movie, based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' classic graphic novel. The new image shows the ill-fated Edward Blake/The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) going out the window, an act that sets the story in motion. WATCHMEN opens March 6, 2009.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Crispin Glover has signed on to play the Knave of Hearts in Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND movie for Disney. Glover joins Mia Wasikowska as Alice and a cast that includes Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter. Burton is using a combination of live action and performance-capture technology to tell the Lewis Carroll story. Glover is no stranger to performance- capture technology, having worked on Robert Zemeckis' animated BEOWULF. In ALICE, the Knave of Hearts is put on trial for stealing the Queen of Hearts' tarts and is defended by Alice.

DERYNI RISING
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Columbia Pictures is bringing Katherine Kurtz's fantasy book DERYNI RISING to the big screen. The studio has picked up Deryni as a spec script by Alex Sabeti. Jimmy Miller is producing via his Mosaic banner. DERYNI is a historical fantasy novel first published in 1970 that launched Kurtz's Deryni Kingdom series that, almost 40 years later, encompasses five trilogies, short stories and reference books. The story is set in a medieval kingdom of humans alongside the Deryni, a race of people with psychic and magical abilities. The first novel centers on a young prince who, after the death of his father the king, must defend his throne from a Deryni usurper.

PERSONS UNKNOWN
Variety reports that Fox TV Studios has filled out the cast and hired a director for PERSONS UNKNOWN, the company's SF-ish series from writer Christopher McQuarrie. Michael Rymer, who helmed the pilot to SCI FI Channel's critically acclaimed BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, has been tapped to direct the first episode of PERSONS UNKNOWN. The show, a co-production with Mexico's Televisa and Italy's RAI, starts shooting Oct. 27 in Mexico City. The series has an initial 13-episode order and will star Jason Wiles as Joe. Also newly cast: Daisy Betts, who will play Janet; Tina Holmes as Moira; Sean O'Bryan as Blackham; and Lola Glaudini as Kat. They join previously announced cast memberes Alan Ruck, Chadwick Boseman, Gerald Kyd and Kate Lang Johnson. The show's mystery revolves around a group of strangers who wake up in the middle of nowhere and try to figure out how they got there.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2008

THOR
Daniel Craig told reporters that Marvel Studios did indeed offer him the role of THOR in a movie about the Norse god/superhero, but he definitively turned it down. The actor, who also plays James Bond, thought it would be too egotistical to play another man of action. "I'm not doing it. I said no," Craig said during an interview promoting QUANTUM OF SOLACE. "They spoke about it, but I just thought, 'I can't play Bond and Thor.' What am I, on some stupid f--king power trip? I can't imagine, blond hair and a big hammer." The self-deprecating actor joked about his own image, but he was quite serious about avoiding a role that was too physically similar. "It would've been too much of a statement, and physically, [Bond] is kind of as physical as I want to get in movies at the moment," Craig said. "To go and do another role that's just as physical ... "
Meanwhile, Craig said that he had hoped that the film adaptations of Philip Pullman's HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy would be another franchise for him. The first film, THE GOLDEN COMPASS, was produced by New Line Cinema. Since Warner Brothers took over New Line, finishing the trilogy will be their call. "Warner Brothers have it, so you'll have to lobby them," Craig said. "I'd love them to do it again, because I love the books. I think there's a great story to tell." THE GOLDEN COMPASS performed well below New Line's expectations in the United States. Craig hopes the new owners will take worldwide success into account. "I don't know what to say," Craig said. "It failed here. To their mind I think it failed here, unfortunately. It did fantastically worldwide."
As for his other SF projects, Craig commented on THE INVASION, the re-imagining of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, in which he co-starred and which also disappeared quickly. "I think it could've been creepier," Craig said. "Again, I think that kind of got hijacked a bit to my mind."

THE HOLE
According to Variety, Teri Polo is set to star in Joe Dante's supernatural feature film THE HOLE. Additionally, the actress has been tapped for two episodes of CBS' supernatural drama GHOST WHISPERER.
HOLE, from Bold Films and Benderspink, centers on Susan (Polo), a mother who moves with her teen sons to a rural house where the three are forced to face their fears after discovering a bottomless hole in the basement.
Also cast in the project, penned by Mark L. Smith, is Haley Bennett. She will play Julie, a neighbor who is attracted to one of the sons.
Production on the film, which will be filmed in 3-D, starts Dec. 5 in Vancouver, Canada. On GHOST, Polo will play the fiancee of somebody close to Melinda (Jennifer Love Hewitt).

GHOST HUNTERS GO TO COLLEGE
The SciFi Network has ordered a pilot for another spinoff of the popular reality franchise from exec producer Craig Piligian. Tentatively titled "Ghost Hunters: College Edition," the show features a group of students going around the country to seek out paranormal activity. The students will be guided by an experienced ghost investigator. Producers have not determined if any cast members from the other shows will be involved in the new project. "Hunters" launched in 2004 starring two Rhode Island plumbers who investigate purportedly haunted houses in their spare time. The show has since grown every season and is now Sci Fi's second highest-rated series (after new drama "Sanctuary"). The Oct. 8 "Hunters" episode scored an all-time high of 2.7 million total viewers. " 'Ghost Hunters' appeals to a wide demographic, and we felt the college edition would be a great asset to the franchise," Piligian said. The first spinoff, "Ghost Hunters International," took the format around the world. The show debuted in January to record ratings and enjoyed a successful seven-episode run, averaging 2.4 million viewers. "International" has been renewed for a second season. Sci Fi's "Ghost Hunters" franchise has been an on-brand and relatively affordable success for the network. The new show is sure to prompt comparisons to A&E's "Paranormal State," where Pennsylvania college students investigate supernatural claims. A&E launched "State" last year and, along with Travel Channel's U.K. import "Most Haunted," has given Sci Fi's "Hunters" brand some paranormal-investigation-genre company on basic cable.

ANIMAL KINGDOM
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Guy Pearce is set to go back Down Under for his next film. He has signed on for the lead role in ANIMAL KINGDOM. Fellow countryment Ben Mendelson and Joel Edgerton have signed onto the cast as well. The film centers on a 17-year-old boy struggling to survive in a criminal family when he reaches out to a cop (Pearce). No production schedule for the film was released.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2008

WATCHMEN/TWILIGHT FOOTAGE
The teaser footage from WATCHMEN, TWILIGHT and FRIDAY THE 13TH, which debuted on Spike TV's Scream 2008 Awards on Oct. 21, has gone live on YouTube.com. See them all at http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=61570.

CLONE WARS
Lucasfilms reports that since the Oct. 3 premiere of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS on Cartoon Network, more than 27 million people have seen the first three episodes on TV, on StarWars.com and on CartoonNetwork.com, as well as on iTunes.

BOLDLY GOING NOWHERE
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Fox has cast newcomer Ben Koldyke in the central role in its SF comedy series BOLDLY GOING NOWHERE, which will also feature ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT alumnus Tony Hale. The high-concept comedy--from the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia trio of Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton-- is about what happens day-to-day on an intergalactic spaceship helmed by a rogue captain (Koldyke). Hale will play the ship's robot, who thinks he's superior to the human race.

DEXTER RENEWED FOR TWO SEASONS
Showtime has ordered up two addition seasons of its acclaimed drama DEXTER. The premium cable network announced Tuesday (Oct. 21) that the fourth and fifth seasons of DEXTER will be 12 episodes apiece. In addition, shooting on that fourth season will begin next spring in Los Angeles, setting the show up for another fall premiere in 2009. "DEXTER's enormous success is a tribute to the great achievements of its cast, the producing team, the author of the original book, and the gifted Michael C. Hall," says Showtime Entertainment President Robert Greenblatt. "I thought at best we would attract a devoted cult audience but soon realized that, ironically, this show is so thematically rich and layered with humanity that audiences of all kinds have flocked to it." Starring Hall as a Miami blood spatter expert (and moonlighting serial killer), DEXTER is Showtime's highest rated drama and its bestselling DVD title. The series DEXTER received its first best drama series Emmy nomination earlier this year, while Hall earned his second nod for the series. DEXTER won a 2008 Peabody Award, has twice been named one of the AFI's Top 10 TV programs and won a Television Critics Association prize for Hall in 2007. The third season of DEXTER premiered last month and drew 3 million viewers spread out over its first week of airings.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2008

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN
Craig Robinson, who plays a museum exhibit brought to life in NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN, said in a recent interview that his character is half of a pair of unnamed Tuskegee Airmen, members of a group of history-making black pilots who flew with distinction during World War II. "I play Tuskegee Airman number two," Robinson said while out promoting ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO. Keith Powell joins Robinson as Tuskegee Airman number one. "Tuskegee Airman number one is always announcing what's going on, and [Tuskegee Airman number two]'s like, 'Really? You gotta do it? Come on.' That was their play," Robinson said. Robinson added that the Tuskegee Airmen are full-sized characters, a la Robin Williams' Teddy Roosevelt in the first Museum movie, and not miniatures like the Romans and the cowboys. "We do come alive, but we're not miniatures," he said. "We're exhibits."
Ben Stiller returns as a security guard who must wrangle all the museum exhibits when they come alive at night. The action moves from New York's American Museum of Natural History to Washington's Smithsonian Institution. An admirer of Stiller's work, Robinson paid close attention to how the star kept his game up between long, complicated setups. "Ben Stiller was amazing," Robinson said. "Just a nice dude. And watching him work, I've been lucky and blessed to see a lot of people at the top of their game and see how they just get prepared for a scene. Ben would always jog in place and get his energy up. Things like that." Robinson also marveled at the physical sets constructed for the film. "Just the sets on that show were amazing," he said. "They rebuilt the Smithsonian. It was to the letter, so it was nice." NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN opens May 22, 2009.

KNIGHT RIDER GETS FULL SEASON
According to the Hollywood Reporter, NBC has picked up KNIGHT RIDER for a full season. The network has ordered another nine episodes of the Wednesday-night action-drama, which is produced by the network's sister division Universal Media Studios. KNIGHT RIDER has been modestly rated since its premiere, typically matching CBS' comedy block for second place in its 8 p.m. time slot. The most recent episode was seen by 6.9 million viewers and earned a 2.3 adults 19-49 rating. The pickup marks the first freshman fall NBC series to receive a full season order, joining CBS' THE MENTALIST, Fox's FRINGE and The CW's 90210.

SEASON OF THE WITCH
Variety reports that HELLBOY star Ron Perlman has signed on to star opposite Nicolas Cage in the supernatural thriller SEASON OF THE WITCH for Relativity Media and Atlas Entertainment. Dominic Sena is helming from a Bragi Schut screenplay. SEASON OF THE WITCH tells the story of 14th-century knights transporting a girl suspected of being a witch responsible for spreading the Black Plague. Stephen Campbell Moore, Claire Foy and Robbie Sheehan round out the cast. Shooting will start in early November in Austria and Hungary.

BOOK OF SHADOWS
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Castle Rock has picked up BOOK OF SHADOWS, a supernatural action-adventure pitch from Zoe Green that will act as a directing vehicle for principal Rob Reiner. The story follows a young man who must embark on the perilous journey of first love and face many trials of maturity while on the dangerous quest to close a mythical tome called Book of Shadows in order to restore balance to the world. Reiner was in a general meeting with Green and told her of an idea on which he had been working. Green picked up on that and ran with it, fleshing it out.

ROGUE PICTURES/RELATIVITY MEDIA
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Relativity Media is in negotiations with Universal to acquire the assets of Rogue Pictures, the studio's genre label, for as much as $150 million. The proposed deal would see Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity purchase more than 25 library titles, four upcoming films and more than 30 projects in development at Rogue, which was launched in 2004 as a division of Universal's Focus Features. In 2007, Rogue became an independent specialty unit of the parent studio. Universal would continue to market and distribute the Rogue films that Relativity is acquiring, and Relativity would also be able to turn to Universal to handle other titles. Universal would get a distribution fee. The purchase would cover Rogue films now in postproduction, which include FIGHTING, starring Channing Tatum and Terrence Howard; Platinum Dunes' THE UNBORN, from writer/director David Goyer; Wes Craven's 25/8 and a remake of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT. Relativity also would pick up the first-look deals Rogue has with Platinum Dunes and Wes Craven, while Universal would get first right of refusal, for a set period of time, for any sequels based on any of the movies released.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2008

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
MAX PAYNE topped the Oct. 17 weekend box office, taking in an estimated $18 million from 3,376 runs, Variety reported. BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA, meanwhile, declined just 37 percent in its third weekend to gross an estimated $11.2 million for a total of $69 million. MAX PAYNE scored the third-best opening of the fall after CHIHUAHUA ($29.3 million) and EAGLE EYE ($29.2 million).

BATMAN 3 RUMORS
THE DARK KNIGHT producer, Charles Roven, downplayed rumors about an expected third Batman movie when he and co-star Gary Oldman showed up in Hollywood on Oct. 18 to collect an armful of prizes at Spike TV's Third Annual Scream Awards. "I can't speak to that right now," Roven said. "We are excited about the possibility of something coming together, but we're definitely in the stage where we're just thinking about it. [Director] Chris [Nolan] is really the one who is thinking on it." Oldman--who won a Scream Award for best supporting actor for his role as James Gordon and accepted posthumous awards for star Heath Ledger for best actor and best villain-- said that he'd heard nothing about the sequel. "There's no rumor," he said. "I haven't heard a thing [about a third movie]. I've heard the stuff being thrown around online, but nothing from official sources."
THE DARK KNIGHT was lauded with the Ultimate Scream Award and 11 others, which were accepted by Roven, fellow producer Emma Thomas and Nolan. "We sure are excited the movie won all those awards tonight," Roven said. "Even though it's a big spectacle [about Batman], the characters feel kind of relatable. Yet they are also ones [you] can aspire to be. Both the good guys and the bad guys have interesting things about them." When asked to what he attributes the movie's success, Roven said he really couldn't pin it down. Although the production was smooth, that doesn't always mean the movie will turn out well. "I wish it was that easy," he said. "Because sometimes you do get creativity out of chaos. But, really, it's Christopher Nolan. Chris is the kind of director who's very thoughtful and spends a lot of time figuring things out [ahead of time], so, usually, when we get to set, everything is well mapped out." Roven added: "Also, I think people have come to the realization that comic books, graphic novels, are a great source of material, just like any other literary genre. That's really gratifying. We set out to make what we thought was a really great film, irrespective of what the genre was."

THE SPIRIT
THE SPIRIT director Frank Miller said in a recent interview that the film will mix eras and influences. The much anticipated cinematic adaptation of Will Eisner's seminal comic follows young cop Denny Colt (Gabriel Macht) who becomes an urban hero called the Spirit after being declared deceased: a hero who fights the criminal element in Central City. Above all, THE SPIRIT is a romance. "It's romantic, but as in Sin City, you don't know what date it is," Miller said. "It's a very urban/Zorro story. I tried to make it as timeless as possible, so you will see cell phones and vintage cars and not really know where you are." Miller added: "It's my solo directorial debut, so of course that's exciting." Miller shared a director's credit with Robert Rodriguez on SIN CITY in 2005, which was based on Miller's own graphic novel. "I learned everything I know about directing from Robert Rodriguez. Everything," Miller said. "Mainly, I learned never to waste anyone's time. When the cameras are ready to roll, then the actors are ready to go [and so on]. No one gets tired, everyone steps lively, and I think it makes for a better movie." That feel may be not unlike the ambitious SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW, which Miller said had its moments, "Especially when Angelina Jolie put on the rocket- pack," Miller tittered. "That's always a plus." Miller added that his own powerful and beautiful female lead, Eva Mendes, will be even more memorable when "she does her march toward the camera. You really see who's boss in that scene. She is amazing." THE SPIRIT opens on Christmas Day.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2008

SHERLOCK HOLMES RELEASE DATE
Warner Bros. Pictures has set a November 20, 2009 release date for the Guy Ritchie- directed SHERLOCK HOLMES, starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong and Kelly Reilly.
In the thriller, Downey Jr. brings the legendary detective to life as he has never been portrayed before. Jude Law stars as Holmes' trusted colleague, Watson, a doctor and war veteran who is a formidable ally for Sherlock Holmes. Rachel McAdams stars as Irene Adler, the only woman ever to have bested Holmes and who has maintained a tempestuous relationship with the detective. Mark Strong stars as their mysterious new adversary, Blackwood. Kelly Reilly will play Watson's love interest, Mary.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2008

EUREKA
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Jaime Ray Newman (Veronica Mars) has been tapped for a multi-episode arc on SCI FI Channel's original series EUREKA.

KEVIN SMITH SPACE COMEDY
According to the Hollywood Reporter, writer-director Kevin Smith is developing a futuristic outer-space comedy that will reference other SF movies and revolve around a father-son relationship. Smith has nodded to the genre in his earlier work but never made an SF film. Smith is aiming for a budget in the $45 million- $50 million range, which would be his biggest, the trade paper reported. He again will produce with partner Scott Mosier via their View Askew company. Harvey and Bob Weinstein, with whom Smith has collaborated on most of his movies, could reteam with Smith on the film. Insiders told the trade paper that Weinstein Co. executives have read part of the script and are interested in making the movie. Smith has finished a first draft of the script, but the project will not move forward until after his next project, RED STATE.

AFTER LIFE
Variety reports that Christina Ricci and Liam Neeson will star in the supernatural thriller AFTER.LIFE, with Bill Perkins and Plum Pictures producing. Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo will make her directorial feature debut, helming from her own screenplay. AFTER.LIFE centers on a young woman caught between life and death and a funeral director who appears to have the gift of transitioning the dead. The film, which has a Screen Actors Guild waiver, will begin shooting in November in the New York region.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2008

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA RETURNS JANUARY 16
The SciFi Channel announced that BATTLESTAR GALACTICA will return at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Jan. 16, 2009, with the remaining episodes of its fourth and final season. The 10-week run will culminate with the series finale on March 20.
(Spoilers ahead!)
The new episodes pick up from last June's cliffhanger, in which the Colonial fleet, led by Adm. Adama (Edward James Olmos) and the Galactica crew, and their new Cylon allies arrive on Earth only to find it a barren nuclear wasteland.

ODYSSEY
According to Variety, Brad Pitt will star in and George Miller will direct an SF take on Homer's THE ODYSSEY for Warner Brothers. Their intention is to transfer the tale to a futuristic setting in outer space. Warner has quietly set up THE ODYSSEY, and the early hope is that Pitt will star and Miller will direct, with Pitt's Plan B producing. Pitt played Achilles in the Wolfgang Petersen-directed TROY, a hit film that David Benioff adapted from Homer's The Iliad. THE ODYSSEY focuses on the exploits of Odysseus and his long journey home from the Trojan War.

STAR TREK
Entertainment Weekly has released an image of Zachary Quinto as Spock and Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk from J.J. Abram's upcoming STAR TREK movie, the cover of its Trek-themed issue due out on Oct. 17. The magazine also features an interview with director Abrams, who responds to William Shatner's YouTube.com video chastising Abrams for not including him in the film. Abrams has seen the video, of course. "I don't know how my life has become a thing where William Shatner talks to me through YouTube," Abrams told EW. "I was such a huge fan of his, but we wrote a scene for him in the movie, and it didn't feel right. And he said to us--he said publicly--that doing a cameo didn't interest him. Which I totally appreciate. But we did try." EW tried to reach Shatner, but he declined to be interviewed. Through a spokesperson, he said, "I don't think it would be appropriate for me to be involved in the Star Trek universe at this point." STAR TREK beams down May 9, 2009.

FIRE AND ICE
ALIAS and ANGEL's Amy Acker stars in SCI FI Channel's upcoming original movie FIRE AND ICE. "I have always wanted to do any sort of period piece," the Aker said in a recent interview. "I love horseback riding. I got to be a tomboy princess and fight dragons." Helmed by visual-effects supervisor-turned-director Pitof (Catwoman), FIRE AND ICE stars Acker as Luisa, a daddy's girl princess who must team up with a knight named Gabriel (300's Tom Wisdom) to save their kingdom from a menacing fire-breathing dragon. Joining Acker--who's due next in Joss Whedon's upcoming Fox SF series DOLLHOUSE--are such familiar genre faces as Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy) and John Rhys-Davies (the Lord of the Rings trilogy). "I couldn't really think of anything bad about it," Acker said. "It was great, and there were good people involved and a lot of British accents. It was fun to be the only girl with this group of guys and fighting along with them and doing all of that. I hope I get to work with all of them again. Maybe they can make it into a series!" Acker added that she welcomed the change from series television. "It was [also] a chance to do something totally different from your normal television show," she said. "The only thing that wasn't real was the dragon, but luckily they had already drawn up what he was going to look like. I haven't seen it finished, but [from] the pictures and early CG stuff they were doing it was this really cool dragon that looked different from any other dragon I'd ever seen. But it was easy to imagine it huge." FIRE AND ICE premieres Oct. 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

KINGS
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Brian Cox has been tapped to co-star opposite former BATTLESTAR GALACTICA star Katee Sackhoff on the legal drama LOST AND FOUND and has landed a major four-episode arc on the midseason drama series KINGS. KINGS, from Universal Media Studios, creator Michael Green and director Francis Lawrence, centers on David (Christopher Egan), an idealistic soldier who joins the court of King Silas (Ian McShane), monarch of the modern nation of Gilboa. Cox will play Silas' nemesis, former King Vesper. The show is a contemporary retelling of the biblical story of King David.

LEGEND PREVIEW
Lucy Lawless, wife of producer Rob Tapert and former XENA: THE WARRIOR PRINCESS, will host THE MAKING OF A LEGEND, a half-hour preview of the upcoming syndicated fantasy TV series LEGEND OF THE SEEKER, Oct. 18. The preview takes viewers on to the show's set in New Zealand to meet the stars, both on and off the screen, and will include 10 minutes of the premiere episode. LEGEND OF THE SEEKER follows the adventures of woodsman Richard Cypher (Craig Horner) and a beautiful and mysterious woman named Kahlan Amnell (Bridget Regan). When Richard discovers that he has powers from within, he is transformed into a magical leader to stop a sinister tyrant, Darken Rahl (Craig Parker). Kahlan serves as his protective guide, sworn to keep him safe from all harm. Zedd (Bruce Spence), a wise and powerful old wizard, accompanies Richard and Kahlan on their epic journey. The epic fantasy series, based on Terry Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule, premieres the week of Nov. 1.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008

STAR TREK
Paramount Pictures has released the first batch of photos from J.J. Abrams reinvention of STAR TREK with the shots showing off the new crew in uniform, the new bridge, and Eric Bana as the Romulan villain.

SLEEPER
Variety reports that Warner Brothers has tapped Brad Ingelsby to write SLEEPER, an adaptation of the DC Comics/Wildstorm comic being produced by Sam Raimi with Star Road Entertainment partner Josh Donen and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and will be directed by Ridley Scott.
The comic, written by Ed Brubaker, centers on an operative whose fusion with an alien artifact makes him impervious to pain and allows him to pass the ability on to others through skin contact. He is placed undercover in a villainous organization by an intelligence agency and falls for a member of the group named Miss Misery. DiCaprio has replaced the previously attached Tom Cruise.

MEDIUM
According to the Hollywood Reporter, NBC has ordered three more scripts for MEDIUM; the midseason drama typically joins NBC's schedule during the winter, but the production has been told to be ready to go on the air earlier than usual, suggesting the series might join NBC's lineup sometime before the end of the year.

XENA REUNION POSSIBLE?
Rob Tapert, former producer of XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS, said during a recent interview that pretty much everyone involved in the old show would love to see Xena (Lucy Lawless) pick up her chakram once again for a TV movie or some other kind of reunion project. Tapert said he even had an idea in mind, but that matters are entirely out of his hands. "That's a Universal question," Tapert said, adding: "Meaning [NBC] Universal ... Television [Group]. I don't control the strings."
Xena ran from 1995-2001 and starred Lawless--aka Mrs. Rob Tapert--as the title heroine and Renee O'Connor as her plucky sidekick, Gabrielle. The show was both a mainstream and cult success during its time on the air, and to this day its stars and makers attend conventions worldwide. Unfortunately, fans' hopes for a reunion movie have yet to be realized. "We've said long ago that we'd love to do something," Tapert said. "We have a fun, 300-style idea for it. ... I can't answer [why nothing's happening]."

THE ROAD
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Viggo Mortensen's dark thriller THE ROAD, a Dimension title from the Weinstein Co., originally was set for a Nov. 14 limited and Nov. 26 wide release, has been shifted until at least December--and might be moved out of 2008 altogether. Executives are scheduled to meet with THE ROAD's producers this week to discuss whether the movie will debut this year; the discussions come as Harvey Weinstein has pushed ahead with Stephen Daldry's THE READER for a Dec. 10 opening.
2929 Entertainment and Nick Wechsler Productions are producing the film, based on Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic tale about a man and his son wandering a bleak landscape. John Hillcoat's movie, shot this year mainly in Pennsylvania, is in post-production and is not finished, those familiar with the project told the trade paper.

THE MENTALIST
CBS announced yesterday that it would be picking up THE MENTALIST, the most-watched new series of the fall, for a full season order. The order comes closely on the heels of CBS asking for six extra scripts -- which will now become part of the show's back nine episodes.
Starring Simon Baker as a debunked TV psychic-turned-highly observant consultant to the California Bureau of Investigation, THE MENTALIST is averaging about 16.1 million viewers a week this season. That puts it in the top 10 of all shows and several million viewers ahead of any of its fellow freshmen. CBS says the series is also the top newcomer in the adults 25-54 demographic, where it's drawing a 5.3 rating. It's also doing pretty well in the 18-49 demo; its 3.8 rating trails only FOX's "Fringe" (4.6) among new shows. THE MENTALIST is the third new show to be picked up for a full season, following FRINGE and The CW's "90210."
The series also stars Robin Tunney, Amanda Righetti, Tim Kang and Owain Yeoman. Bruno Heller ("Rome") is the creator and executive producer.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2008

DRAG ME TO HELL
Producer Rob Tapert said in a recent interview promoting GHOST HOUSE UNDERGROUND, a DVD set of horror movies, that Sam Raimi is returning to his horror roots in the upcoming DRAG ME TO HELL. "It's Sam Raimi doing what Sam Raimi does best, which is going out of his way and using every trick in the book and every talent that he has to entertain the audience," Tapert said. "So it's a throwback to Sam Raimi somewhere between DARKMAN and EVIL DEAD II and ARMY OF DARKNESS. So it's a movie that's a roller coaster ride in the dark."
In DRAG ME TO HELL, Alison Lohman plays Christine, a young loan officer who denies a mortgage extension to an elderly lady (Lorna Raver) and pays the ultimate price: She's cursed by the old woman. "Part of the beauty of DRAG ME TO HELL was Sam pretty much had absolute, total creative control and yet really not the enormous pressures you have when you're dealing with a hundreds-of-millions-of-dollar franchise like SPIDER-MAN," Tapert said. "So he was able to do a lot of things that he'd been dying to do."
Universal Pictures will release DRAG ME TO HELL, which also stars Jessica Lucas (Cloverfield), Justin Long (Idiocracy) and David Paymer, on May 29, 2009.

JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS
Variety reports that NBC is developing a new take on JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, which would be produced as the first-ever green-screen drama developed for prime time. Media Rights Capital is behind JASON, which comes from executive producers Josh and Jonas Pate (Surface). The network has given a put pilot commitment to the project, which it secured after a fierce bidding war. As for ARGONAUTS, the project is NBC's second stab this decade at the topic. NBC aired the unrelated Robert Halmi miniseries JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, starring Jason London, Frank Langella and Dennis Hopper, in 2000.
The Greek myth also has drawn interest in the feature world: Zak Penn is writing and producing THE ARGONAUTS for 20th Century Fox, while DreamWorks also has a project titled THE ARGONAUTS in the works.

AVATAR
James Cameron was interviewed by CBC's "The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos" and talked about his anticipated December 18, 2009 opener, AVATAR. The sci-fi action-adventure tells the story of an ex-Marine, thrust unwillingly into an effort to settle and exploit an exotic planet rich in bio-diversity, who eventually crosses over to lead the indigenous race in a battle for survival. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Peter Mensah, Laz Alonso, Wes Studi, Stephen Lang and Matt Gerald star. You can watch the clip at www.cbc.ca/thehour.

HEADSHOT
According to Variety, Warner Bros. has picked up screen rights for HEADSHOT, and has set scriptwriter Alessandro Camon to adapt the three-book graphic novel series by Alexis Nolent. The film will be produced by Alexandra Milchan and Smallville creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. In HEADSHOT, an unlikely alliance between a cop and a hitman takes place after each watches his partner die. The new partners seek revenge and discover they have a shared enemy and much in common despite being on opposite sides of the law. No production date has been set.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2008

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING SF&F BOOKS
The Shack
Brisingr (Inheritance 3)
Twilight
Breaking Dawn (Twilight 4)
New Moon (Twilight 2)
Eclipse (Twilight 3)
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
The Graveyard Book
Living Dead in Dallas (Southern Vampire 2)
Inkdeath (Inkheart)
Source: Amazon.com, 10/10/08

IRON MAN 2
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Don Cheadle is stepping in to replace Terrence Howard in IRON MAN 2, Marvel Studios' sequel to its summer blockbuster. In the first film, Howard played Jim Rhodes, Tony Stark/Iron Man's best friend and the future armor-clad hero War Machine. One scene featured Howard looking at a silver suit of armor and saying "Next time," a line that caused great delight for fans. But there will be no next time for Howard. Marvel had no comment, but sources close to the deal told the trade paper that negotiations with Howard fell through over financial differences, among other reasons. Marvel, which had wanted to work with Cheadle, then decided to take the role in another direction and approached the actor. Rhodes is expected to play a larger part in the sequel, which is rumored to go beyond high-tech villains. Justin Theroux is writing the screenplay. Jon Favreau is returning as director, and Robert Downey Jr. is expected back as billionaire industrialist Stark/Iron Man. Gwyneth Paltrow also is expected to be back as Stark's assistant, Pepper Potts.

VALENTINE/EAST MONEY PRODUCTION HALTS
Variety reports that Media Rights Capital has halted production, for now, on The CW's fantasy series VALENTINE and a second show, EASY MONEY. Officially, MRC said the four to six week hiatus was pre-planned and that the time off will allow scribes to catch up on the shows' writing schedules. Shooting won't entirely stop, however, as both VALENTINE and EASY MONEY complete episodes already written (believed to be eight episodes in both series' cases). An MRC spokeswoman said the company still plans to produce all 13 episodes of its initial orders for both shows. But others tell the trade paper that the hiatus will also give MRC a chance to continue examining both shows' ratings in the coming weeks and decide whether it makes financial sense to finish out the orders for one, both or neither. Early ratings for both have been disappointing, with VALENTINE's second episode posting a 0.4 rating and 1 share among adults 18-49 this past Sunday.

KNIGHT RIDER - 4 MORE EPISODES ORDERED
According to Variety, NBC has ordered four more scripts of its new KNIGHT RIDER from Universal Media Studios. The update of the 1980s talking-car show has performed so-so overall in the ratings but has gained traction with young men in its Wednesday 8 p.m. timeslot in three airings. The series stars Justin Bruening and is executive- produced by Gary Scott Thompson, Doug Liman and Dave Bartis.

SHERLOCK HOLMES
Although we will have to wait a long time to see the film in theaters (2010), the internet is sporting a new batch of photos from the set of SHERLOCK HOLMES in London. This new set features Jude Law in period garb as the titular detective's trusted collegue Dr. Watson. Over the weekend Just Jared revealed a set of photos with Robert Downey Jr. in costume. The film stars Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong and Kelly Reilly. Ritchie is handling the directing duties, based on a screenplay that he co-wrote with Tony Peckham.
Plot Summary: Robert Downey Jr. brings the legendary detective to life as he has never been portrayed before. Jude Law stars as Holmes' trusted colleague, Watson, a doctor and war veteran who is a formidable ally for Sherlock Holmes. Rachel McAdams stars as Irene Adler, the only woman ever to have bested Holmes and who has maintained a tempestuous relationship with the detective. Mark Strong stars as their mysterious new adversary, Blackwood. Kelly Reilly will play Watson's love interest, Mary.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2008

SCI FI WIRE EXTRA
SCI FI Wire has expanded its offering of news and features with a new category: Wire EXTRA. EXTRA will be the home for Wire's fun stuff: top 10 lists, opinion columns about hot SF&F entertainment, exclusive streaming video, blog posts from on set, images from behind the scenes. Wire EXTRA will also be the place to find expanded coverage of news about your favorite shows and movies, games, fandom, anything related to science fiction, fantasy and the supernatural.
Like it? Hate it? Want to see something specific? Let us know!

TWILIGHT
The final new trailer for Twilight, based on the best-seller by Stephenie Meyer, is now live at http://www.myspace.com/trailerpark. The trailer also debuts in theaters on Oct. 10 attached to several films. The trailer debuted Thursday night on Entertainment Tonight and is available on MySpace.com. Producers have also issued a new image from the movie, below the video window. Twilight, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, opens Nov. 21.

ABC DEVELOPING A NEW V
Variety reports that ABC is developing a new adaptation of V, the 1980s miniseries about alien lizards visiting Earth. The miniseries spawned a second mini and a TV spinoff, written by THE 4400 co-creator and executive producer Scott Peters. Warner Brothers TV, which was behind the original miniseries, is once again producing the project, which was sold as a spec script to ABC. Peters is set to executive-produce, along with HDFilms principal Jace Hall. Hall, the former head of Warner Brothers' video-game division, who has worked on titles including F.E.A.R., will help expand V into other platforms, including gaming. The original V was an allegory of the Holocaust and Nazi Germany. Peters said he won't duplicate that concept, except that the new V will still focus on what happens when the masses have blind faith in their leaders. The new V will center on Erica Evans, a Homeland Security agent with an aimless son who's got problems. When the aliens arrive, her son gloms on to them, causing tension within the family. As in the original V, several storylines will unfold simultaneously. As in the '80s version, the show will open with an enormous army of spaceships hovering over the world's major cities. Original V writer-producer-director Kenneth Johnson recently attempted to revive V as V: THE SECOND GENERATION but is not involved in the Peters version.

JONAH HEX
According to Variety, Josh Brolin (W) is in talks to star in JONAH HEX, Warner Brothers' adaptation of the DC Comics property. Crank writer-directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor wrote the script and will direct. The report confirms a rumor first posted on Hollywood Elsewhere. HEX, whose face is partly disfigured, is a gunslinger and bounty hunter. The series was hatched by DC in the early 1970s.

DEFIANCE
Over at ComingSoon.net you can see the larger version of this final one-sheet for DEFIANCE, opening in theaters on December 12. Directed by Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond, Glory), the war thriller stars Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, Alexa Davalos, Allan Corduner and Mark Feuerstein. Based on an extraordinary true story, DEFIANCE is an epic tale of family, honor, vengeance and salvation in World War II. The year is 1941 and the Jews of Eastern Europe are being massacred by the thousands. Managing to escape certain death, three brothers take refuge in the dense surrounding woods they have known since childhood. There they begin their desperate battle against the Nazis. Craig, Schreiber and Bell star as brothers who turn a primitive struggle to survive into something far more consequential – a way to avenge the deaths of their loved ones by saving thousands of others. At first it is all they can do to stay alive. But gradually, as whispers of their daring spreads, they begin to attract others – men and women, young and old – willing to risk everything for the sake of even a moment's freedom. Tuvia (Craig) is a reluctant leader and his decisions are challenged by his brother, Zus (Schreiber) who worries that Tuvia's idealistic plans will doom them all. Asael (Bell) is the youngest – caught between his brothers' fierce rivalry. As a brutal winter descends, they work to create a community, and to keep faith alive when all humanity appeared to be lost.

AGENT CRUSH
Danny Glover has joined the voice cast of AGENT CRUSH, the animatronics feature film for Fantastic Films International/Crush Productions. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Glover will supply the voice of Major Rusty Gubbins in the futuristic film, which also features Ioan Gruffudd, Neve Campbell and Roger Moore. No release date has been set.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2008

IRON MAN
The Hollywood Reporter writes that IRON MAN posted the strongest first-week sales tally of any new home-video release this year, with distributor Paramount Home Entertainment selling 7.2 million DVDs and more than 500,000 Blu-ray discs.

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
When the DVD for INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL goes on sale Oct. 14, retailers will be offering different extras to persuade fans to buy the DVD and Blu-ray. Circuit City will offer two lithographs of concept art from the movie. Best Buy will sell a gift set with a replica crystal skull from Sideshow Collectibles and a $25 gift card to Sideshowcollectibles.com. Target will feature exclusive packaging and a hardcover book from Palace Press with 80 pages of behind- the-scenes photos, including many never-before-published images. Kmart and Sears will offer four exclusive LEGO mini-posters, with a LEGO replica of the original theatrical poster from all four Indy films. Trans World will sell exclusive steel packaging.

ASTRO BOY
Variety reports that HEROES' Kristen Bell has joined the voice cast of the upcoming computer-animated ASTRO BOY. Matt Lucas (Little Britain) also joins the cast of the film from Hong Kong-based Imagi Studios. The movie previously announced that Nicolas Cage, Donald Sutherland and Freddie Highmore had been cast. The tale of a boy robot is an adaptation of the classic comic-book story created by manga author Osamu Tezuka and is slated for U.S. release Oct. 23, 2009.

SCI FI AND RHI DEAL
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Sci Fi Channel has inked a deal with RHI Entertainment for five original movies, including an Afghanistan-set telefilm starring Jason Gedrick. The license agreement includes basic cable rights for the U.S. TV premieres of five new horror and thriller projects. Production is set to begin shortly in Romania on three of the movies:
-- "Sand Serpents," starring Gedrick, follows American combat soldiers in the Afghan desert who battle the Taliban and a horde of giant carnivorous serpents.
-- "Alien Western" is set in an Old West town in the 1890s where monstrous buglike machines from another world attack.
-- "Carney," based on the Jersey Devil legend, where a fiendish carnival side-show attraction escapes and terrorizes a Depression-era Mid-Atlantic town.
Also part of the deal are two previously announced movies: "Hellhounds," directed by Ricky Schroder, and "Rise of the Gargoyle," starring Eric Balfour. Those two just wrapped production on location in Romania.
The two-hour movies are produced for RHI by Muse Entertainment. Muse's Michael Prupas exec produces with RHI's Robert Halmi Sr. and Robert Halmi Jr. RHI also will distribute the titles in key territories worldwide and will be at MIPCOM this month in Cannes. For RHI, this marks the company's fourth multipicture deal with Sci Fi in the past 12 months. RHI also produced Sci Fi's record-breaking miniseries "Tin Man." "Last season, we did a third of all of Sci Fi's movies," Halmi Jr. said. "What sets our product apart is that we spend more money so that we can get a better cast and have better production values onscreen."
Sci Fi senior vp programming and original movies Thomas Vitale said the telefilms will premiere in mid- to late 2009, airing during the "Most Dangerous Night of Television" weekend franchise.
"RHI has such a great track record in the genre," Vitale said. "The (weekend franchise) features movies are that are fun, escapist entertainment, and these movies are a perfect fit for that brand." Sci Fi in the summer added Sunday nights to the "Most Dangerous" franchise. It said its original movies are showing growth among households and total viewers.

NEW BATMAN AND SUPERMAN ANIMATED PROJECTS
Warner Bros. and DC Comics are continuing their push into motion comics by putting into development "Batman: Black & White" and "Superman: Red Son." Warner Premiere and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution will adapt the graphic album and graphic novel into digitally downloadable episodes that bring the comic to life by combining the artwork with subtle movement, voice-overs and musical scores. The companies introduced their first motion comic at this year's Comic-Con with the initial chapter of "Watchmen," which adapted the first issue of the 1980s comic book miniseries into that format. Dave Gibbons, the original artist, was even tapped to redraw certain parts of the story. The second chapter of "Watchmen" was just released with the rest of the story to be released every two weeks. The motion comics are available via iTunes, Amazon VOD, Xbox Live and the Sony PlayStation Store. The companies compiled "summary editions" for Verizon Wireless V Cast customers as well as Sprint TV customers via the DC Comics Channel.
"Black & White" was an award-winning four-issue miniseries originally published in the mid-1990s that featured eight-page Batman stories by such writers and artists as Neil Gaiman, Joe Kubert, Brian Bolland and Bill Sienkiewicz.
"Red Son" was a 2003 miniseries by Mark Millar ("Wanted") and artist Dave Johnson that featured Superman as a hero of the Soviet Union rather than America.
It is unclear at this time if the original artists will be involved.

NEW POLITICAL CANDIDATE
With all the political hub hub these days, Ranger Lyta sent me this link and I just had to pass it along:
http://www.tsgnet.com/pres.php?id=370617&altf=Mpoep&altl=Npmbsj

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2008

PUSHING DAISIES/WONDERFALLS
PUSHING DAISIES creator Bryan Fuller told IFMagazine that he will feature a crossover episode with his canceled fantasy series WONDERFALLS: "I had to do a Wonderfalls crossover in this season of Pushing Daisies. That happens in episode eight of the second season, and I'm really excited about it."

WAREHOUSE 13
The SciFi Channel has found a show runner and executive producer for their upcoming drama series WAREHOUSE 13. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Jack Kenny has signed on; reuniting with executive producer David Simkins, with whom he previously worked on NBC's short-lived 2006 series BOOK OF DANIEL.

FORTUNA
The Hollywood Reporter writes that former LOST star Dominic Monaghan and Freddy Rodriguez (Six Feet Under) will star in FORTUNA, an SF horror thriller. Set in 2100, FORTUNA envisions an Earth where a collapsed economy and climate crises have eliminated the middle class, leaving a few very wealthy and the teeming masses in severe poverty. To give hope and avoid revolt, the elite create FORTUNA, a mysterious game where one in a thousand wins a big payday and joins the upper classes. But their hidden goal to "reduce poverty" by 30 percent over 50 years comes with a deadly price tag. Monaghan, Rodriguez and Fortuna writer-director Barthelemy Grossmann will play desperate men who play the game in a nearby tower, despite apprehensions that none of its contestants are ever seen again. The six-week FORTUNA shoot begins Nov. 10 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Desolate, ghettolike sets are being built for a film Zilber compares to 1973's post-apocalyptic thriller SOYLENT GREEN.

THE AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES
Marvel Animation, the cartoon division of Marvel Entertainment, is beginning production on THE AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES, the company's latest animated TV series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Film Roman, the company behind THE SIMPSONS, has been tapped to produce the 26-episode series, which will be available for broadcast in 2011. That same year, Marvel Studios will release the live-action movies THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA and THE AVENGERS.
Producing the TV series is Ciro Nieli, whose credits include Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go! and Teen Titans.
Based on the long-running comic, Avengers features some of the company's most popular characters, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Giant Man and the comely Wasp, who fight forces of evil that no single hero stands a chance against.

TOM THUMB
According to Variety, Warner Brothers and Red Wagon have lined up Kevin Lima (Enchanted) to direct TOM THUMB, a live-action take on the origins of the tiny character. Red Wagon principals Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher will produce, with Chris Chase executive-producing. The film, penned by Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan), centers on an arrogant knight who's shrunk to 6 inches while assigned to protect a princess and then discovers what it means to be a real hero. Warner is aiming to develop THUMB as a tentpole project with worldwide appeal. TOM THUMB is a British legend that dates as far back as the 1500s; the minuscule hero is known for getting himself into mischief in his parents' home and eventually winding up in the castle of King Arthur.

UNINVITED
A new trailer has gone live for THE UNINVITED, a horror movie based on Kim Jee-Woon's 2003 Korean horror film Changhwa Hongryon. It revolves around Anna (Emily Browning), who returns home after spending time in the hospital only to discovers that her father (David Strathairn) has become engaged to her mother’s former nurse, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks). That night, Anna is visited by her mother's ghost, who warns her of Rachel's intentions.
The film, formerly called THE TALE OF TWO SISTERS, also stars Arielle Kebbel. The Guard Brothers directed from a screenplay by Craig Rosenberg and Doug Miro & Carlo Bernard. THE UNINVITED opens Jan. 30, 2009.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2008

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS
Variety reports that the Oct. 3 premiere of Cartoon Network's STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS pulled in 3.96 million total viewers, with bumps of 160 percent and 133 percent, respectively, in the key demographics of boys 6-11 and boys 9-14.

SANCTUARY RATINGS
SCI FI Channel's original series SANCTUARY was the number-one prime-time cable entertainment program among adults aged 25-54 in its Oct. 3 premiere; the show delivered more than 2.7 million total viewers and was the channel's highest-rated original series premiere since EUREKA in July 2006.

MARVEL FILMS
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Marvel Studios has signed a long-term lease with Raleigh Studios to film its four upcoming superhero movies at Raleigh's Manhattan Beach, Calif., complex. The films to be shot in Southern California are IRON MAN 2, THOR, THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA and THE AVENGERS. As part of the agreement, Marvel will move its Beverly Hills, Calif.,-based executive and production offices to Raleigh's facility in Manhattan Beach. The deal is a boon for Los Angeles' and California's beleaguered film industry, which has been battling runaway production for the better part of this decade, the trade paper reported.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Anne Hathaway has signed for a role in ALICE IN WONDERLAND, which Tim Burton is directing for Disney, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Helena Bonham Carter also has joined the film. The movie, which stars Mia Wasikowska as Alice and Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, will use a combination of live action and performance- capture technology to tell the Lewis Carroll story. Hathaway is playing the White Queen, a benevolent monarch who is deposed and banished by her sister, the Red Queen (Carter), who has an affinity for crying out, "Off with their heads!" The White Queen needs Alice to slay a creature known as the Bandersnatch. Richard Zanuck, Joe Roth and Jennifer and Suzanne Todd are producing.

REPOSSESSION MAMBO
Alice Braga (I Am Legend) co-stars with Jude Law in the SF thriller REPOSSESSION MAMBO. The movie, from first-time director Miguel Sapochnik, also features Forest Whitaker, Carice van Houten, The RZA and Liev Schreiber. "It's really interesting," Braga said in a recent news conference promoting her latest project, BLINDNESS. "It's a crazy story in a way, supposing that there's an industry of artificial organs. So, it's kind of a crazy movie." REPOSSESSION MAMBO takes place in the not-too-distant future, when people can buy artificial organs using credit. Pity those who fall behind on their payments, as someone may come calling to get the organs back. Law plays Remy, a repo man whose body is filled with artificial organs ... and who must go on the run when he can longer pay the bills. "I play a character [who's] ... a young girl with dreams and life ahead of her, and then suddenly everything changes," Braga said. "And then her whole body changes. It's really hard to talk about her, because if I say something about it, it [reveals too much about] the journey of the character." There's no release date yet for the movie.

WATCHMEN
There is a new video journal for Warner Brothers Pictures' WATCHMEN being hosted by SciFi Wire at http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=61074&type=0.
The video, "Blue Monday," offers a unique look behind the scenes at how director Zack Snyder and his team brought Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) to life. Based on the seminal graphic novel, the mystery adventure is set in an alternate-universe 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. WATCHMEN also stars Patrick Wilson as Nite Owl, Matthew Goode as Ozymandias, Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian and Malin Akerman as Silk Spectre. The film is coming to theaters on March 6, 2009.

FOR PETE'S WAKE
There is a FREE FOR PETE'S WAKE screening at the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn on October 25th at 9:30pm. viffi.org is the website with info. Screenings are shown in the Beverly Garland Theater at the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn located at 4222 Vineland Avenue, North Hollywood, California 91602.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2008

THE CHANGELING AND J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
In this month's "Creative Screenwriting" magazine, there is a wonderful article by Jason Davis entitled "How CHANGELING Changed J. Michael Straczynski." An excerpt of that article can be found at http://www.creativescreenwriting.com/index.html.

MY OWN WORST ENEMY
When Christian Slater comes to TV this fall in NBC's new series MY OWN WORST ENEMY, he will have twice the opportunity to strut his stuff as he takes on the dual roles of Henry Spivey and Edward Albright. Spivey is the average man living the American dream: a home in the suburbs, a wife, two kids, a dog and a minivan. He works in a mundane job as an efficiency expert. But he has a far-from-mundane alternate personality: Albright, a top-notch government operative who can run a 4-minute mile, speak 13 languages and is a trained killer. Joining Slater on the show is an impressive supporting cast that includes James Cromwell, Alfre Woodard, Saffron Burrows, Taylor Lautner and Madchen Amick as Henry's wife, Angie. As one might imagine, Slater is a busy man appearing in nearly every frame of MY OWN WORST ENEMY as either Edward or Henry. MY OWN WORST ENEMY debuts Oct. 13 and will air Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT, right after HEROES.

THE LOVELY BONES
Saoirse Ronan stars as the doomed Susie Salmon in Peter Jackson's upcoming adaptation of Alice Sebold's novel THE LOVELY BONES. During a recent interview, she said that the film's events are heartbreaking, but that it's ultimately a hopeful story. In the drama, Susie Salmon is a young girl who's raped and murdered by a serial killer (Stanley Tucci). Following her death, Susie looks on from heaven as her parents (Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz) and her sister (Rose McIver) grieve and as her killer sets his sights on a next victim. "Well, in a lot of interviews that I've done recently, obviously, I've been asked about THE LOVELY BONES and how it's going and everything," the 14-year-old Irish actress told reporters in New York on Oct. 3 while promoting her current film, the fantasy CITY OF EMBER. "And, you know, a lot of people assume that it's going to be this--probably like [they think of City of Ember] as well--that it's actually going to be a dark, depressing movie. And it really, really isn't." Ronan (ATONEMENT) added, "I mean, obviously the topic isn't the most ... the brightest topic. I'm killed, yeah. But it's so ... it's so beautiful. And the way Peter [Jackson] and Fran [Walsh] and Philippa [Boyens] have written it, they've just gotten it perfect, I think. And they really know what they're going to do with it. It's completely different, as every film is, really. But it was great to come from [City of Ember] and go on and do that." THE LOVELY BONES will be released in the fall of 2009. CITY OF EMBER opens on Oct. 10.

KEVIN BACON COMING TO SHOWTIME
Actor Kevin Bacon is prepping a series for Showtime that centers on the man who would eventually assassinate Abraham Lincoln. THE BOOTHS will revolve around actor-brothers Edwin, Junius Brutus Jr. and John Wilkes Booth and their dysfunctional relationship in the years prior to Lincoln's assassination. No writer is yet attached, but Bacon will exec produce for the cabler. Showtime is no stranger to period drama, having aired THE TUDORS, among other shows. John Wilkes Booth was the son of British Shakespearean actor Junius Brutus Booth and actress Mary Ann Holmes. John Wilkes Booth eventually became a rabid defender of the South and clashed with his brother Edwin. The three brothers performed together just once, in a New York showing of "Julius Caesar" in 1864. Booth shot Lincoln at Ford's Theatre while the President was watching the play "Our American Cousin" on April 14, 1865. Development is still in the early stages on THE BOOTHS; Showtime hasn't yet brought in an outside production shingle. Bacon's past projects beyond acting include directing and producing the feature "Loverboy," as well as helming the Showtime telepic "Losing Chase" and episodes of TNT skein "The Closer" (starring his wife, Kyra Sedgwick).

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2008

QUARANTINE
Sony's QUARANTINE opens in theaters on October 10th.
Synopsis:
In the film, television reporter Angela Vidal (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman (Steve Harris) are assigned to spend the night shift with a Los Angeles Fire Station. After a routine 911 call takes them to a small apartment building, they find police officers already on the scene in response to blood curdling screams coming from one of the apartment units. They soon learn that a woman living in the building has been infected by something unknown. After a few of the residents are viciously attacked, they try to escape with the news crew in tow, only to find that the CDC has quarantined the building. Phones, internet, televisions and cell phone access have been cut-off, and officials are not relaying information to those locked inside. When the quarantine is finally lifted, the only evidence of what took place is the news crew's videotape.
Go to ShockTillYouDrop.com to view clips from the movie.

WARNER/DC COMICS
According to IESB.net, Warner Bros executives have finally commented on the slate of DC Comics based movies:
'The Dark Knight' Sequel: Recent rumors have indicated that there is pre-production work happening on the movie including some planned filming in Chicago next February. Not so, says the unnamed Warner executives. As most fans realize, the studio isn't going to do anything without director Christopher Nolan on board. While everyone wants a sequel, Nolan hasn't committed to a schedule yet.
'Green Lantern': The execs say the movie is in good shape and might start filming next spring.
'Justice League': As expected, this project has gone dormant. They would love to do it some day, but right now the focus is elsewhere.
'Superman: The Man of Steel': Interestingly, in spite of Bryan Singer and Brandon Routh saying at verious times that they hope to do it next year, and in spite of Mark Millar teasing about his shadow effort to position an alternative to Singer, The execs say that the project is up in the air and they don't know where Singer or anyone else stands.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2008

THOR
Last week, word came out that Kenneth Branagh was being considered to direct Marvel's THOR movie. MTV Splash Page checked in with writer J. Michael Straczynski, currently revitalizing the character in comics, to get his opinion of the potential helmer. "Honestly, I can't imagine anyone better suited to this," said Straczynski. "THOR, at his best, has always had a classical bent to the character in terms of his history, the way he speaks, and the often Shakespearean intrigues and dramas that surround him. That kind of dialogue and character needs the hand of someone who comes from a theatrical/classically trained background in order for it not to sound forced or artificial. Branagh is absolutely the perfect choice."

DOLLHOUSE
Folksinger Jonatha Brooke announced on her Web site that she and songwriter Eric Bazilian have composed the theme song to Joss Whedon's upcoming Fox SF series DOLLHOUSE, which is set to premiere in January.

THE VOICE OF DARTH VADER HONORED
Variety reports that James Earl Jones--best known to SF fans as the voice of Star Wars' Darth Vader--has been tapped to receive this year's life achievement kudo from the Screen Actors Guild.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2008

RED MARS
The Hollywood Reporter writes that AMC is developing RED MARS, a series based on Kim Stanley Robinson's 1982 novel, from writer/executive producer Jonathan Hensleigh (Armageddon). Robinson's acclaimed book chronicles the first human colony on the Red Planet. Hensleigh is the writer and will executive-produce, alongside Michael Jaffe and Howard Braunstein of Jaffe Braunstein Entertainment and Vince Gerardis, Ralph Vicinanza and Eli Kirschner of Created By. AMC is no stranger to the SF arena: The network also is readying a miniseries remake of the 1960s series THE PRISONER, starring Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen.

GEORGE ROMERO-ZOMBIE KING
Variety reports that George Romero is hard at work on yet another zombie flick, though it had nothing to do with his previous entries in the NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD saga. Romero is shooting his latest zombie hell ride in Ontario, and at this moment the film is untitled. The plot of this latest in a long line of Dead films centers around a small isolated island off the coast of North America where the dead are rising to eat their own relatives. The leaders of the island end up debating on whether they should kill off their reanimated kin or preserve them in hopes of finding a cure. Alan Van Sprang, Kenneth Welsh, Kathleen Munroe, Devon Bostick, Richard Fitzpatrick, Stefano Colacitti and Athena Karkanis have all been cast in the film. The untitled thriller should see release sometime next year.

SHERLOCK HOLMES
Principal photography is set to begin on location in London for the action adventure mystery SHERLOCK HOLMES, being helmed by acclaimed filmmaker Guy Ritchie, for Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures. Robert Downey Jr. will bring the legendary detective to life as he has never been portrayed before. Jude Law stars as Holmes' trusted colleague, Watson, a doctor and war veteran who is a formidable ally for Sherlock Holmes. Rachel McAdams stars as Irene Adler, the only woman ever to have bested Holmes and who has maintained a tempestuous relationship with the detective. Mark Strong stars as their mysterious new adversary, Blackwood. Kelly Reilly will play Watson's love interest, Mary.
Based on an original story/comic book by Lionel Wigram, inspired by the classic tales of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the film will be produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin. Steve Clark-Hall and Bruce Berman are serving as executive producers.
In a dynamic new portrayal of Conan Doyle's famous characters, "Sherlock Holmes" sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2008

MORE STARGATE COMING
While Amanda Tapping may be executive-producing and starring in SANCTUARY, SCI FI Channel's upcoming original series, she's hasn't completely left behind her previous role--Col. Samantha Carter on STARGATE SG-1 and STARGATE ATLANTIS. "I just did the final episode of ATLANTIS, and I was blond," a newly dark-haired Tapping said in a news conference last weekend in Colorado. "I wore a wig, but we'll figure it out." Tapping will also reprise the role of Carter in an upcoming straight-do-DVD ATLANTIS movie, she said. "I know nothing about it," Tapping said. "I can honestly tell you that. I was asked if I could make myself available, and I said of, 'Of course I would.' STARGATE is home. I may be off at university right now getting my Ph.D. in craziness, but I will always go home for Thanksgiving dinner at STARGATE." The third DVD STARGATE film is looking at production next year, Tapping added. "Rumor has it late spring/early summer of next year, but I honestly couldn't tell you beyond that," she said. "I know STARGATE SG-1 and ATLANTIS will be shooting movies at that time. And [STARGATE] UNIVERSE, I believe, starts up in January." Will Tapping appear in UNIVERSE, the upcoming third Stargate TV series? "No," she said emphatically. "I think if I were, people would go, 'Enough with the Carter!'" SANCTUARY will premiere with a two-hour episode on Oct. 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
For a sneek peek at SANCTUARY, go to http://www.scifi.com/sanctuary/.

3-D KUNG FU PANDA - PANDAMONIUM
Variety reports that DreamWorks Animation is moving forward with a 3-D Kung Fu Panda sequel, titled PANDAMONIUM and slotted for release on June 3, 2011. Jack Black and Angelina Jolie have signed on to reprise their voice roles in the movie, which will be helmed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson, head of story on Kung Fu Panda. DreamWorks Animation also plans on releasing the film in IMAX theaters worldwide. Like all DreamWorks Animation feature films beginning in 2009, Pandamonium will be produced in stereoscopic 3-D technology. The sequel centers on Po, the world's biggest kung fu fan, as he continues his journey as the chosen one who fulfills an ancient prophecy while mastering the art of kung fu. KUNG FU PANDA will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on Nov. 9 alongside an original companion story, Secrets of the Furious Five.

BATTLE: LOS ANGELES
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Jonathan Liebesman is in negotiations to direct BATTLE: LOS ANGELES, an SF action movie from Neal Moritz and his Original Films for Columbia Pictures. The story follows one Marine platoon's encounter in the battle against an alien invasion on the streets of Los Angeles. Liebesman beat out several other prospects for the job by making a whiz-bang presentation that showed his specific vision and passion for the project, described as BLACK HAWK DOWN meets INDEPENDENCE DAY. In August, Liebesman went out to locations in Santa Monica, Calif., and downtown Los Angeles, shooting sequences and plates and adding computer-generated aliens. He also created a pre-visualized alien invasion sequence. The South African helmer directed THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING and DARKNESS FALLS.

FRINGE GETS FULL SEASON ORDER
Good news this morning. TV Week reports that Fox has ordered up a full season of FRINGE from creators J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The network has ordered nine additional episodes, for a total of 22. The Bad Robot/Warner Bros. TV-produced series has averaged a 4.2 rating/11 share among adults aged 18-49 and 10.7 million total viewers since debuting last month, making it the top-rated new show of the season to date in the key demographic. FRINGE stars Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv and John Noble. Bryan Burk and Jeff Pinkner also executive-produce.

CAMP HOPE
During a recent interview from the set of KNIGHT RIDER, Bruce Davison talked about his starring role in CAMP HOPE, a horror film in which he plays a religious leader who conjures up the devil himself. "I'm waiting to see how that comes out; it's really a fascinating story about a cult religion that creates the devil, and it becomes a real entity," Davison said.
Davison--who first came to fame in the rat horror movie WILLARD--is probably best known among SF genre fans as the liquidated Senator Kelly from X-Men and X2. In CAMP HOPE, "the devil entity crosses over the line and becomes a sort of manifestation of the guy, and that's sort of what I thought Willard would be, that the rats would be more a manifestation of the guy and his anger. We all need a bad guy, and that is what is needed in this world, because of what is going on in the world today." Although his character is called "The Priest," Davison said the cult is more of a Jesuit-like group that believes in exorcisms and spiritual beings. "I am head of the camp, Camp Hope, but not necessarily the head of the cult," he said. "It will be a great project when it comes together." The original release date for CAMP HOPE was to be late this summer, but it has been pushed to early 2009. CAMP HOPE is written and directed by George Van Buskirk and also stars Dana Delaney, Andrew McCarthy, Jesse Eisenberg and Spencer Treat Clark.

YOGI BEAR
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Warner Bros. is developing a feature version of YOGI BEAR, the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon, and "Surf's Up" co-helmer/co-writer Ash Brannon is attached to direct. Endeavor-repped Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia, who exec produced "That '70s Show" and are writing the feature "Tooth Fairy" for Fox, are penning the screenplay. Donald De Line is producing via his De Line Pictures; Karen Rosenfelt is also producing, with Jon Berg overseeing for Warners. The project, culled from Warners' vast library, is planned as a live-action/ animated hybrid along the lines of Fox's 2007 hit "Alvin & the Chipmunks." Much of the movie will be live-action, but Yogi Bear and sidekick Boo Boo will be done in CG. Yogi Bear first appeared as a supporting character in 1958 in another classic cartoon, "The Huckleberry Hound Show." In 1961, he got his own show, which has aired in reruns frequently during the past half-century. Yogi's exploits take place in Jellystone Park, where he and Boo Boo get into good-natured mischief and must elude their nemesis, Ranger Smith.

WATCHMEN
Warner Bros. just unveiled a first look at Watchmen to an eager audience at their studio lot in West Hollywood. Director Zack Snyder joined costume designer Michael Wilkinson and Production Designer Alex McDowell for the event, showing off the first 12 minutes and a few subsequent scenes, totaling nearly a half hour of brand-new footage. Go to ComingSoon.com for a full report of the video. WATCHMEN hits theaters March 6, 2009.

CLINT EASTWOOD AND THE CHANGELING
Variety reports that Clint Eastwood will be feted with the Hollywood Film Festival's director of the year award at the fest's awards gala Oct. 27 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Eastwood's Angelina Jolie-starrer, CHANGELING, is due out Oct. 24, and GRAND TORINO, in which Eastwood plays a veteran forced to confront his prejudices, is scheduled for release by Warner Bros. in Dec. The week-long fest begins Oct. 22. at the ArcLight Theatres in Hollywood. (Our own J. Michael Straczynski wrote CHANGELING.)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008