 |
|
Science Fiction and Fantasy News
The Archives
> News Archive Menu > Back to Newswire
News for: July 5, 2001 - August 20, 2001
|
TNT to remake Boys from Brazil |
|
by
The Master, Monday, August 20, 2001 |
TNT will remake The Boys from Brazil, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Carlton America and the Producer Circle will produce the remake of the 1978 feature film, which was based on a novel by Ira Levin and starred Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier.
The Boys from Brazil took advantage of the late 70's cloning debate and tells the story of a young Nazi hunter who learns of a secret SS plot to clone Adolf Hitler. Despite its obvious Science Fiction plot elements, the orignal film was primarily marketed as, and perceived by the public as, a thriller rather than a genre movie.
Heywood Gould, who wrote the script for the film, will also write the television remake for TNT. No projected release date was given. |
|
source: Hollywood Reporter |
|
|
TV Guide Enterprise feature |
|
by
The Master, Monday, August 20, 2001 |
TV Guide has posted a feature story about the upcoming Enterprise series. As you should know by now, Enterprise is a prequel series set 150 in the future, well before the events in the original Star Trek series.
TV Guide's article includes a couple of new pictures (there are more in the print version), some interesting "on the set" observations, and comments from the new crew as well as from the producers. |
|
source: TVGuide.com |
|
|
Roddenberry backs off Earth FC and Andromeda |
|
by
The Master, Thursday, August 16, 2001 |
Majel Roddenberry told Scifi Wire that she's "pulled back" from her executive producer duties on Earth: Final Conflict and Andromeda. Both syndicated series are loosely based on ideas of her late husband, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.
With regard to EFC in particular, Roddenberry said that concept has changed so much that it doesn't have much in common with her husband's vision. Earth Final Conflict begins its fifth season this fall, and is undergoing some major cast cast changes.
Roddenberry went on to indicate that her opinion of the show is, to some extent, based on its Canadian production. "We no longer have Americans on the show," Roddenberry said. "That makes it, to me, a different show. The whole concept has changed so tremendously that even though [earlier seasons] weren't very much of Gene's concept, at least we had the pretext of doing it [per Gene's writings]. Now, I guess, they've just forgotten the whole thing. It's an entirely different concept. There are so many people willing to just go ahead and pay to use the [Roddenberry] name. That's why I always insisted on seeing everything." Roddenberry added that she likely won't play Dr. Belman again in the show, in part because she's not eager to travel to the show's production site in Canada. "Toronto is a long way for me to fly," she said. "Every time they want me for something, it seems it's the winter months, and I'm cold. So I've really withdrawn from that."
As for Andromeda, which will begin its second season this fall, Roddenberry was more upbeat. "You've got someone up there, Kevin Sorbo, who is absolutely one of the most brilliant people in this whole wide world, besides being the nicest guy. He knows story and knows where he wants this to go. And he has a right to take this in a certain direction. He's one of the producers, though he's not credited. The last time I saw Kevin, which was just a few weeks ago, I told him, 'Just keep an eye on it,' because Andromeda is great the way it is."
Roddenberry also commented on the upcoming Enterprise, the fourth spin off from Star Trek. "I have an idea what they're up to, and I'm looking forward to seeing the show," said Roddenberry. "It sounds interesting, but I know they've got a safeguard in there. It is different, but if it shouldn't catch on and shouldn't go the way they want it to, they've already got a ship, already got a crew, so all they'd need to do is [tell] the same kinds of stories we're used to seeing." Enterprise premieres on UPN September 26. |
|
source: Scifi Wire |
|
|
Freddy vs. Jason will happen after all |
|
by
The Master, Thursday, August 16, 2001 |
The on-again off-again Freddy vs. Jason movie project will see the light of day after all. In an interview with Robert Englund (Freddy in the Nightmare on Elm Street series) said the project has been green lighted by New Line. According to Englund, Stephen Norrington (Blade) will helm the project. "He's the guy you want to talk to, because I think it's his baby now," Englund said. "It's still a yes, and it's still green-lit and still definitely in development."
Englund added that New Line chairman Robert Shaye approved the latest draft of the script. "I heard that Bob apparently approved the new script. But I haven't seen it. It's, like, wet." Englund didn't know who the screenwriter would be, but Mark Protosevich (The Cell) was previously reportedly as the latest in a string of writers.
Englund also denied that the film is being held up until executives see how well the upcoming Jason X performs at the box office. "We began getting behind Lost in Space...and Spawn and several other films. So we got hung up. ... So we got backed and backed and backed. And our directors and our special-effects guys all went on to other projects. ... Since this all began about three years ago, you know, what's happened is, the technology has changed in special effects. So knowing New Line, I'm sure that the deal memos coming down from the main office there, from Bob Shaye, have to do with exploiting all the new special-effects technology. So I'm sure that's affecting the rewrite and everything." No start date has been set for the movie. |
|
source: Scifi Wire |
|
|
Doherty won't be on Buffy |
|
by
The Master, Tuesday, August 14, 2001 |
Marti Noxon, co-executive producer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer denied that Shannen Doherty would be guest starring. "I am going to refute the rumor," she said. "We haven't even talked to Shannen's people--that's a complete myth that she is coming on the show. The only truth to that rumor is that Shannen and Sarah are friends. Someone saw them together, I think, and started talking nonsense. It's not true, and ... right now we don't have any plans. We would be interested to have her guest, but ... certainly not [as] a series regular and not now. That's not really happening."
Regarding the rumor of a new villain named Razor, Noxon said, "That is a fallacy. ... I'm refuting that, too. That is not our villain this season." As for the real bad guy, Noxon said, "All I can say is we've never done this before. It's a very different kind of threat." |
|
source: Cinescape Online |
|
|
Star Wars Ep II title announced |
|
by
The Master, Monday, August 6, 2001 |
Lucas has finally announced a name for Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
The official Star Wars site says the title "harkens back to the sense of pure fun, imagination and excitement that characterized the classic movie serials and pulp space fantasy adventures that inspired the Star Wars saga." Fans are likely to have many of their own opinions about the sub-title.
The sequel takes place 10 years after the events depicted in The Phantom Menace, and obviously confirms that the "Clone Wars" referenced in the original trilogy will be a major focus of the movie.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones is scheduled for release on May 22, 2002. |
|
source: Star Wars Official |
|
|
Weekend box office report |
|
by
The Master, Monday, August 6, 2001 |
Planet of the Apes dropped 60% from its opening weekend, taking in a little more than $27.5 million dollars and second place over this weekend. That puts its two week gross at $123.7 million. Although sharp drops in second weekend tallys have become de riguer these days, Apes decline was a bit steeper than usual. Mixed word-of-mouth over the films ending may have played a role in its decline.
Jurassic Park III seems to be following in The Lost World's footsteps, dropping an indentical 46 percent in its third weekend of release. The dino romp managed to grab fourth place with $12.3 million, upping its three week total to $147 million.
The bad news for Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within continues: it's already dropped out of the top 20 movie list, and has reached "certified flop" status.
Shrek and The Mummy Returns continue to lead the as the big winners of 2001, being the only films to pass the $200 million mark so far this year. |
|
source: Zap2It |
|
|
B5: Summoning Light now available |
|
by
The Master, Monday, August 6, 2001 |
|
News submitted by: Jeanne Cavelos |
The second book in Jeanne Cavelos The Passing of the Techno-Mages series, Summoning Light, is now available. The trilogy is based on on original outline by series creator J. Michael Straczynski.
The second book takes us deeper inside the order of the techno-mages, a group of humans and aliens implanted with extremely advanced technology that allows them to perform acts that seem magical.
Only two species, the Shadows and the Vorlons, are more powerful than the mages. And now the Shadows and the Vorlons are going to war. Each threatens to kill the mages if they enter the war on the wrong side. Their only chance is to flee, and so the ruling Circle orders.
Many are unhappy with this decision, none more so than Galen. Galen wants to fight, not flee, and so as the others execute a desperate plan to escape into hiding without leaving a trace, Galen convinces the Circle to send him on a dangerous mission to a Shadow stronghold where he can uncover the enemy's plans. There, Galen will find everything he so desperately seeks--including a shocking legacy that may consume his very soul.
Jeanne's previous books include The Science of Star Wars, The Science of the X-Files, and The Shadow Within, which is also set in the Babylon 5 universe and serves as a loose prequel to the current trilogy.
Summoning Light is now available at Amazon.com or a bookstore near you. Book 3, Invoking Darkness, will be available December 2001, but you can preorder it now at Amazon.com if you don't want to wait.
For more information about the author, visit her website. |
|
|
Poul Anderson dies at 74 |
|
by
The Master, Wednesday, August 1, 2001 |
Science Fiction master Poul Anderson passed away near midnight, July 31, 2001. Mr. Anderson suffered from prostate cancer, and spent his last day at home with his family and friends.
Poul Anderson's distinquished writing career spanned more than 50 years. During that time, he wrote hundreds of short stories and dozens of novels. Later in life, he published a number of popular series novels, and had successful collaborations with several other genre authors including Gordon R. Dickson and Larry Niven.
In 1997, Anderson said that he would like to be remembered for Tau Zero, Midsummer Tempest, The Boat of a Million Years, Three Hearts and Three Lions, The Enemy Stars and Brain Wave.
On July 6, Anderson's novel Genesis won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for the best science fiction novel of the year. This was only his latest honor, having earned three Nebula Awards and seven Hugo Awards. Anderson was a former president of the SFWA and guest of honor at the World Science Fiction Convention. In 1997 he received SFWA's Grandmaster Award, and in 2000 he was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.
Anderson is survived by his wife and writing partner Karen, daughter Astrid, and his son-in-law, SF author Greg Bear. The Anderson family says that he was very pleased and warmed by the e-mails of support he received from friends and strangers around the world who had been touched by his writing.
A memorial is planned for 2pm, Saturday, August 4 at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th Street, Oakland.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to:
SFWA Emergency Medical Fund
c/o Chuck Rothman, SFWA Treasurer
1436 Altamount Ave., PMB 292
Schenectady, PA 12303-2977 |
|
source: Jerry Pournelle official |
|
|
Salem's Lot redux |
|
by
The Master, Tuesday, July 31, 2001 |
Mark Wolper (The Mists of Avalon) will produce a new adaptation of Stephen King's novel Salem's Lot as a four-hour miniseries for TNT. Peter Filardi (The Craft) will write the screenplay.
Salem's Lot is an early King novel that tells the tale of vampires in a New England town. It was previously adapted as a Tobe Hooper directed 1979 miniseries starring David (Starsky and Hutch) Soul and James Mason, which was followed by a poorly received 1987 sequel, A Return to Salem's Lot. |
|
source: Hollywood Reporter |
|
|
Showtime picks up Jeremiah |
|
by
The Master, Monday, July 30, 2001 |
Showtime ordered 20 episodes of Jeremiah, a new science fiction series by J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5.
The series, produced by MGM and Lions Gate Television, is based on the comic book series of the same name by Belgian writer Hermann Huppen. The series will tell the story of the survivors of a epidemic that wiped out the world's adult population, but spared those who hadn't yet reached puberty.
The title character, played by Like Perry, is enlisted to help make peace among warring factions of survivors and prevent the virus from reoccurring. Malcolm-Jamal Warner also stars as Kurdy, Jeremiah's reluctant partner.
There is no official word yet on whether the series will later appear in syndication as have Showetime's The Outer Limits and Stargate SG1, however it appears likely.
Straczynski will executive produce with Sam Egan (The Outer Limits). Production is scheduled to begin September 4 in Vancouver, B.C. |
|
source: Hollywood Reporter |
|
|
Lawless to guest star on The X-Files |
|
by
The Master, Monday, July 30, 2001 |
Lucy Lawless, star of now cancelled Xena: The Warrior Princess, will guest star as a recurring character on The X-Files.
Details about Lawless' character were not revealed, but Fox confirms she will appear in the first two episodes next season, with a good chance of additional appearances.
"We're thrilled to have an opportunity to work with Lucy, whose work we've admired for a long time," said X-Files executive producer Frank Spotnitz. "We think we've found an interesting and unexpected way to have her join the family."
The X-Files ninth season season premieres November 4. |
|
source: Zap2It |
|
|
Apes rules the planet |
|
by
The Master, Monday, July 30, 2001 |
Tim Burton's "reimagined" Planet of the Apes topped the weekend box office with over $69.5 million for its opening weekeng. That was significantly better than the $60 million many had estimated, and makes it the biggest non-holiday opening ever. It is also the second biggest of all time opening behind The Lost World: Jurassic Park's $72.1 million It was also a record for Burton, crushing his previous best, the 1992 $46 million opening of Batman Returns.
Despite a 56% drop in the face of the Apes onslaught, last weekend's champ Jurrassic Park III was a strong second with $22.5 million, bumping its total to $124.8 million.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within continues to fade fast and dropped to number 12 with a measly $1.2 million. The $115 million movie, hailed for its groudbreaking realistic animation, has only earned $30.2 million in 3 weeks of release. |
|
source: Zap2It |
|
|
Tron sequel in the works |
|
by
The Master, Friday, July 27, 2001 |
Disney is working on a sequel to 1982's Tron, and will release a new video game and a 20th-anniversary edition DVD of the original movie, according an article in The Hollywood Reporter.
The sequel is titled Tron 2.0, and is being developed by the original film's director and co-writer, Steven Lisberger. Lisberger is reportedly working on the third draft of the screenplay.
The sequel will blend live action and computer graphics. "I have several characters that will be completely digital creations, but I'm not trying to replace actors," Lisberger said. "I'd like the sequel to retain the artistic look of the original, while employing more cutting-edge technology and introducing a new cast of characters."
Lisberger believes the movie can be revived as a new franchise for Disney. He said the light cycles will definitely be back. "When we created [the character] Tron, there were no PCs. We were looking at a possible future," Lisberger said. "I'd like to bring Tron into today's world and look at how cyberspace will be 20 years from now, because it's still in its infancy." Lisberger added that since computer software is updated all the time, the actors wouldn't need to be consistent from film to film. "Tron's been updated, and he could be completely different from when we saw him before," Lisberger said.
The DVD, available January 15, 2002., will include commentary, deleted scenes and a making-of documentary. The PC video game is scheduled for a 2003 release, and is expected to be available on Microsoft's Xbox video game system. |
|
source: Hollywood Reporter |
|
|
FX to show Buffy reruns |
|
by
The Master, Friday, July 27, 2001 |
Cable channel FX will air reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer weekdays at 7 p.m. ET/PT, starting September 24. The episodes will be from the the show's first four seasons.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is produced by FX sister company 20th Century Fox Television. |
|
source: FX |
|
|
Rollerball troubles |
|
by
The Master, Thursday, July 26, 2001 |
The Rollerball remake has been pushed back from an August release to "sometime in early 2002". However, its not totally clear why the movie has been delayed.
Zap2It.com, the delay is related to a poorly received screening in New York. Ain't It Cool News, which was at the screening, reported that the ending was bad. This lends some credence to the idea that the film may be undergoing reshoots to provide a better ending.
There are also reports that the studio asked for edits of the violent film so they could receive a PG-13 rating. Although an MPAA rating had not yet been given, reports on the gore in the movie, and a full-frontal nude sceen of star Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, indicate that a R rating was likely. Norman Jewison, director of the 1975 original, previously expressed his disatisfaction with the remake, saying that it glorified the violence he satirized in the original movie.
Marketing may be another factor. The PG-13 push may be part of MGM's desire to "maximize profitability" and create merchandising tie-ins. "I want the time to set this up right. In marketing terms, I want to do things with the film that are different than what has been done to date," said Bob Levin, MGM's President of theatrical marketing and distribution. Although a teaser has been in theatres for a while, a full blown trailer had not yet been released. A bad sign for a movie that was supposed to premiere in another two weeks. |
|
source: Zap2It |
|
|
JP3 takes a bite out of the box office |
|
by
The Master, Monday, July 23, 2001 |
Jurassic Park III proved the franchise still has serious teeth over the weekend, grossing an estimated $50.3 million for the three-day period beginning Friday. Since its Wednesday opening, the sequel has taken in an estimated $80.9 million. By way of comparision, the original Jurassic Park opened in 1993 with $50.2M its first weekend, and 1997's The Lost World: Jurassic Park gobbled up $72.1M. Both films went on to be two of the highest grossing movies of all time.
According to a report on the UK entertaiment site Popcorn, Jurassic Park III pulled in over $19M on its Wednesday premiere alone. That makes it the second most successful Wednesday debut, after Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Menace took in an astounding $28.5M on its opening day. Interestingly, Menace only managaed $64M in its first five days, well short of Jurassic Park III's monster take.
The $90M movie stars Sam Neill and Tea Leoni....oh yeah, and some computer animated Dinosaurs that apparently cause trouble for the human cast members. |
|
source: Reuters |
|
|
Carter stays with X-Files |
|
by
The Master, Tuesday, July 17, 2001 |
Chris Carter will stay to produce the ninth season of The X-Files after all.
Next season may be the last for The X-Files. Gillian Anderson has indicating she will leave when her contract expires at the end of next season even if the series is renewed. Carter wrestled with the decision on whether to commit to running the show or to segue into a consultant role. Drawn out negotiations with 20th Century Fox finally led to a one-season deal.
According to the Hollowood Reporter, the coming season will make an effor to be a "new beginning" for the series so it can continue with co-star Robert Patrick and other new actors in the event of Anderson's probable departure.
|
|
source: Hollywood Reporter |
|
|
LeVar Burton donates kidney to ailing mom |
|
by
The Master, Friday, July 6, 2001 |
People magazine reports that LeVar Burton, best known to genre fans as Geordi on Star Trek: The Next Generation, recently donated a kidney to his mother, Erma Burton. Mrs. Burton is in her 70's and suffers from diabetes.
Although she has been on a donor list for some time, but the odds of her receiving a donor kidney in time did not look good. Doctors were able to determine that her 44 year-old son was a good match. The six hour transplant surgery was performed in late May at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento, California.
Both Erma and LeVar Burton are recovering well, and People reports that Mrs. Burton's health has improved dramatically as a result of the transplant. |
|
source: People Magazine |
|
|
Clockwork Orange finally plays in Britain |
|
by
The Master, Thursday, July 5, 2001 |
A Clockwork Orange, Stanley Kubrick's "ultra-violent" 1971 movie, aired on British television July 4 for the first time since its release.
The movie, based on Anthony Burgess' novel of the same name, tells the story of a gang leader (Malcolm McDowell)who is jailed for his acts of violence (which he prefers to commit to the strains of Beethoven). The state sponsored "treatment" he receives turns out to be just as cruel as he is.
The movie has not been shown in Great Britain since Kubrick voluntarily withdrew it due to protests over its content. Subscription service Sky Box Office will run the movie nearly every day until September. |
|
source: Reuters |
|
|
|
|
|
 I knew that would happen! |
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
|
