 |
|
Science Fiction and Fantasy News
The Archives
> News Archive Menu > Back to Newswire
News for: June 20, 2001 - July 5, 2001
|
Berman will talk Enterprise in TV Guide |
|
by
The Master, Thursday, July 5, 2001 |
TV Guide has announced that its July 14 issue, on sale July 9, will feature an interview with Enterprise co-creator and executive producer, Rick Berman.
This will mark Berman's first official interview about the project. Berman will reportedly discuss details about the ship's number and warp drive, information about the new crew and the birth of Starfleet technology.
"The terrific thing about this for longtime fans is that they'll get to see the development of all the technological gadgetry and capabilities that have become part of the Trek mythos," Berman said. "They'll see them in their infant, trial-and-error stages, before they end up being what we know them to be."
The TV Guide issue will be dedicated to the upcoming series and is sure to make the "must have" list for Trek fans. It will feature a pull-out poster of the new Enterprise starship on one side, and images of all 34 past Star Trek TV Guide covers on the other.
Enterprise premieres this fall on UPN. |
|
source: TV Guide |
|
|
Cinescape lives! |
|
by
The Master, Tuesday, July 3, 2001 |
Cinescape's future, both the print magazine's and website's, was looking grim. When their parent company, Fandom Inc., went bankrupt, the magazine was ready to go down with them. The website has been offline for several weeks, leading many to believe the nail was firmly sunk in the Cinescape coffin.
Now, its back online and under new ownership--Mania Entertainment.
In an open letter to readers, editor in chief Anthony C. Ferrante explains the hiatus (basically, the bankruptcy), and the Mania pickup. He indicates that Cinescape online will now be a stronger companion piece to the print version. For instance, Cinescape.com was always a great source for news, but never featured interviews or articles from the print magazine. No more. Ferrante promises in-depth features, reviews and opinion. News won't suffer either...Frank ("The Insider") Kurtz rejoins Cinescape online.
Ferrante also says they are reforting the news section to resemble the old site in response to readers. The new site bears no resemblance to the old site, which used a framed interface.
A major new feature is "FanSpeak", a section containing six fansites devoted to specific topics. The six sites range from Batman to Bond, and may have been sites that were left high and dry during the Fandom meltdown (Fandom hosted a network of fan sites, most of which were returned to their original owners).
As for the print version, Ferrante says there will only be a one-issue gap, with the first issue under the Mania banner this fall (Cinescape publishes quarterly, missing its summer issue due to the BK).
In related news, another Fandom property has been miraculously resurrected from the dead: the AnotherUniverse, Fandom's old online store, is back online. CMI Holdings bought the store and domain, and is eagar to get fans back to the site. They promise to rebuild and expand stock in the very near future. |
|
source: Cinescape |
|
|
Warner squashes Queen of the Damned rumor |
|
by
The Master, Tuesday, July 3, 2001 |
Scifi.com, and various other sites, are quickly retracting a rumor first reported on Ain't It Cool News (or Coming Attractions depending on who you talk to) that Queen of the Damned would go straight to video.
Sci Fi states that a spokeswoman for Warner Brothers has officially denied the rumor. "It's an absolute lie, no truth to it whatsoever," the spokeswoman said. The rumor spread across the internet like wildfire, and fans are relieved that Warner Brothers spoke up quickly to set the record straight.
The upcoming vampire movie is based on Anne Rice's popular novel of the same name, and is sequel to the hit movie Interview with the Vampire. Queen stars pop star Aaliyah, and is slated for a 2002 theatrical release. |
|
source: Scifi.com |
|
|
It's official: Galactica is a go |
|
by
The Master, Friday, June 29, 2001 |
Fox has ordered a two-hour Battlestar Galactica movie from Studios USA, which will be a pilot for a planned 2002-03 season premiere. The series will run jointly on the Fox network and on The Sci-Fi Channel, according to Sarah Timberman, president of Studios USA Programming.
X-Men director Bryan Singer will helm the series, and executive produce with Tom DeSanto, Dan Angel and Billy Brown. "We're tremendously excited to be bringing the originality and immense talent of Bryan Singer, Tom DeSanto, Dan Angel and Billy Brown to bear on reinventing what was clearly such a pop culture phenomenon," Timberman said in a statement.
The next-generation Galactica will be set after the seventh-millennium time frame of the original series, which ran on ABC from 1978-80. "Our goal is to take the Galactica franchise and move it forward in both style and character, while bringing the scope and sensibility of epic science-fiction filmmaking to the small screen," Singer said in a statement.
Studios USA is a division of USA Networks, which also owns The Sci Fi Channel.
|
|
source: Scifi.com |
|
|
British censors demand Tomb Raider cuts |
|
by
The Master, Friday, June 29, 2001 |
British censors have ordered scenes of head butts and throat chops cut from the U.K. version of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
The British Board of Film Classification demanded that producers remove several violent scenes or settle for a 15 certificate, which would exclude viewers under the age of 15. The cuts allow those over the ages of 12 to see the film. In the US, the the movie earned a PG-13 for "action violence and some sensuality". A PG-13 rating means "Parents strongly cautioned - some material may be inappropriate for children under 13", but does not actually prevent younger children from seeing the film without parental attendance.
According to the Internet Movie Database, Norway has already given the movie a 15 certificate, the most restrictive of all the countries listed.
Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie, opens in the United Kingdom on July 6. |
|
source: Scifi.com |
|
|
Elfwood shuts down...and reopens? |
|
by
The Master, Thursday, June 28, 2001 |
Elfwood, arguably the premiere Sci-Fi/Fantasy art site on the web and certainly one of the largest, suddenly shut down site operations on June 26.
In a series of statements posted on the site, Elfwood reveals that the decision to close was prompted by death threats and other forms of harrassment against the site's administrators and volunteer "review board", which helped administer the massive web site.
The threats reportedly stem from the removal of several artworks, including one which may have been posted in violation of another artist's copyright. Soon after the removal of the artworks, someone who identified themselves as "Assassin" sent a series of death treats. Further investigation revealed that the threats were sent via a hacked e-mail account, the owner of which has filed formal compaints with the police.
Elfwood indicates that "Assasssin" sent a later e-mail asserting that the prior threats were "jokes", but firmly states that it takes all such threats seriously.
In the latest statement, Elfwood now indicates that, due to the overwhelming amount of e-mail they have received in support, they will eventually reopen. |
|
source: Elfwood |
|
|
Bakula on Enterprise |
|
by
The Master, Thursday, June 28, 2001 |
Trek Today has posted are report from Orlando Leap, a Quantum Leap convention. Bakula did not attend the con himself, however actress Natasha Pavlovich played a taped interview with Bakula in which he commented on the upcoming Enterprise series.
"It's only a hundred and fifty years from now in 2151 - that's just around the corner," Bakula said. "It's a really great part. I was really excited when I got the script because it's the first Starship and I'm the first Captain and it's right from the beginning," he said. "Even if you don't know Star Trek and you haven't followed the other series this is basically the first one, so you don't need to come to it with lots of lore in terms of what Star Trek is or was."
The actor also gave a brief summary of what the series will involve. "It's basically these people are getting on a ship and going out to explore for the first time. It's very much like 'The Right Stuff' or any of those kind of movies, where it's much more humanly based in terms of emotion and seeing this Universe for this first time. Which I think is really exciting."
Bakula mentioned that he does read some of his fan mail, but he doesn't get on the internet to read the news and rumours about him. "[I use the internet] very seldom," he said. "If I go on it's for research."
Bakula laughed when asked just what his role as Captain of the Enterprise will involve. "It means that I sit in the middle of the Bridge and I give all the orders, and everybody follows me," he said wryly.
Links to an MP3 version of the entire interview are available on the . |
|
source: Trek Today |
|
|
Angel and Brown on Galactica |
|
by
The Master, Thursday, June 28, 2001 |
Dan Angel and Billy Brown, producers of Sci Fi Channel's upcoming Battlestar Galactica series, told Sci Fi Wire that the proposed series will feature both newly created characters as well as characters from the classic 1970s TV series. "Some of the characters will be revived," Brown said in an interview, but declined to say which ones. Added Angel, "All that is in discussion stage right now, but absolutely, the intention is to keep in the spirit of what was there before and to preserve--as Billy said--what was there."
Angel and Brown will run the series, which is being developed with X-Men producer Tom DeSanto and director Bryan Singer. "Hopefully, what we're trying to aim for is, there will be new characters, there will be some of the old characters," Brown said. "But since it's not totally written and totally signed off on--and also because there's such a huge fan base--we don't want to get out false rumors and have people, like, go crazy. But I think one thing we can say is that we're very much aware of the old fans. ... We want to honor the old show. We don't want to violate anything. It's like, if you watch the show, you're not going to go, 'Oh, well, they totally contradicted what was in the old show.' There won't be any contradictions, but there will be a taking it further and taking it further in time."
Brown added that he and Angel were working on the script for a two-hour pilot for the series, which will advance the original storyline. "It does take place in a not-so-distant future from the end of the old show," Brown said. "It's going to be a sprawling, family saga that is set amongst the travails and adventures of the human colony."
All indicatations are that the ill conceived, and ill fated, Galactica 1980 will be completely ignored and the new series will be solely based on the original series. |
|
source: Scifi.com |
|
|
Firestarter wraps |
|
by
The Master, Thursday, June 28, 2001 |
Principal photography has wrapped in Salt Lake City on The Sci Fi Channel's upcoming miniseries Firestarter: Rekindled.
The four hour miniseries is based on Stephen King's original novel and picks up the story of Charlene "Charlie" McGee 20 years after the events portrayed in the 1984 feature film Firestarter, which starred Drew Barrymore. Charlie, now played by Marguerite Moreau (Queen of the Damned), is tired of running from the government that created her. But as she searches for answers to her psychic firestarting ability, she runs afoul of Rainbird (Malcolm McDowell), a sociopathic government agent who wants to control Charlie's powers.
Danny Nucci and Dennis Hopper also star. Philip Eisner (Event Horizon) wrote the miniseries, which is directed by Robert Iscove. Firestarter: Rekindled will air in December. |
|
source: Scifi.com |
|
|
Tapert defends Xena finale |
|
by
The Master, Thursday, June 28, 2001 |
In an interview with E! Online, Rob Tapert, co-creator and executive producer of Xena: Warrior Princess, defended last week's series finale. In the finale, Xena (Lucy Lawless, who is also Tapert's wife) was shot with arrows and eventually decapitated to save the inhabitants of a Japanese village. Fans have been highly critical of the brutal death of their favorite heroine.
Tapert said the fan reaction was "exactly what we thought it would be." He added, "We certainly have taken the heat. I have a friend who sends me e-mails, and I've gotten some faxes from people and letters. And people have had a very mixed reaction. But the finale was really based on where the series started, and it seemed to complete her journey looking for redemption."
Tapert, who wrote the finale with co-executive producer R.J. Stewart, added, "I thought Xena dying in the midst of battle worked for me. People would say it was too ignominious to have her dragged around like a slab of beef, but I think it was what fueled Gabrielle to take the steps to be motivated. I really thought Xena's death was appropriate. You don't really want to upset people, but we knew it would be emotional for the right reasons."
As for the future of the Xena franchise given the gruesome death, Tapert said, "This is about the fifth time that Xena has died in the series, so I'm not worried about the franchise ending."
For the record, Speculative Vision was not amused by this ending. We think the series could have been ended without the need to kill Xena at all, let alone doing so in a graphically violent way. |
|
source: E! Online |
|
|
Fantasy comic sweeps nominations |
|
by
The Master, Thursday, June 28, 2001 |
|
News submitted by: Carson Fire |
Online comic strip Elf Life was honored with 6 nominations in the Cartoonists' Choice Awards, the first annual effort by online cartoonists to offer recognition in this quickly growing field.
Among the nominees were many well-known online comics, including Kevin and Kell, PvPOnline, Sinfest, and Sluggy Freelance. Capturing the most nominations was the black-and-white fantasy adventure Elf Life by cartoonist Carson Fire, which garnered best comic, best serial, best fantasy, best male character, best female character, and best "other" character nominations. The last category is an unusual concession made to an entertainment that often offers a supporting cast of inanimate objects, talking animals, and mythological beasts.
Elf Life draws inspiration from many sources, including Lord of the Rings and video games such as Legend of Zelda and the Final Fantasy series. But the strip is "a vision and voice that is refreshingly unique," according to veteran cartoonist and author Bob Staake.
The awards have not been without some controversy, however. Some artists shunned the process and asked not to be considered, most notably gamer favorite Penny Arcade.
Results of the final vote will be announced at Keenvention on July 1.
Related online comics:
http://www.ElfLife.com/
http://www.kevinandkell.com/
http://www.pvponline.com/
http://www.sinfest.net/
http://www.sluggy.com/
http://www.penny-arcade.com/ |
|
source: Cartoonists' Choice Awards |
|
|
A.I. not a kid's movie |
|
by
The Master, Wednesday, June 27, 2001 |
Kathleen Kennedy, producer of Steven Spielberg's A.I., told Sci Fi Wire that the movie is not intended for young children, despite the prominent presence of child star Haley Joel Osment. "This is where I wish more parents paid attention to ratings," Kennedy said. "I think that it is a perfectly defined PG-13 movie, and I think the kids that are anywhere from 8 to 13, it's questionable."
The movie is based on a story idea by late director Stanley Kubrick and includes some graphic violence against humanoid machines and a few emotionally wrenching scenes involving children. "I do realize--and I think Steven does too, and it's a difficult quandary--that because it's him, and because there's a child in the movie, there's a tendency to think, 'Oh, gee, this may be for younger children.' And it's not," Kennedy said. "And the only thing you can hope for is that parents take part of the responsibility and see the movie first and then decide for themselves whether it's appropriate for their kids."
Kennedy added, "Both Steven and I have kids. We've talked about this incessantly. It's the difficulty you face as a filmmaker, because you can't make movies that you know are going to appeal to young adults and adults, and then feel that you have to make choices that are OK for 6-year-olds. It's a really tough dilemma. And then you're also faced with the dilemma that if you put a child in a movie, does that immediately then have to be a children's film? Because there are fantastic adult movies made through the eyes of children. And Steven's done a remarkable job of making those kinds of movies. So you're right, it's a dilemma, and we may end up getting some flak for it. I don't know what more we could have done. We've been extremely careful about how we've constructed the advertising and the campaign so as to not in any way try to target young children in what we're trying to do. But we show Haley, so some people are going to jump to that conclusion."
A.I. opens June 29. |
|
source: Scifi.com |
|
|
Matrix sequels will have R ratings |
|
by
The Master, Wednesday, June 27, 2001 |
Warner Brothers has been pressuring producer Joel Silver to tone down the violence in the upcoming Matix sequels to get a PG-13 rating. Silver's not budging. "There's greater freedom in an R-rated picture for doing the kind of movies we like to do," Silver said at a press briefing in London. "These pictures are not for children."
Silver added, "The Matrix sequels are both R-rated, and that's just the way that worked out. ... I'm proud that we do not make these pictures for children. These films are R-rated for a reason."
|
|
source: Scifi.com |
|
|
Red World rewrite |
|
by
The Master, Monday, June 25, 2001 |
Tomb Raider writers Patrick Massett and John Zinman have been hired by Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer's production company to rewrite the sci-fi thriller Red World.
The movie is set in both present and future Los Angeles, and tells the story of a man who travels back in time to stop the ruling class of his world from colonizing the past and coming into power. The original script was written by newcomers Travis Wright and John Glenn, and was picked up by Bruckheimer last summer. |
|
source: Popcorn |
|
|
Cromwell cameo in Enterprise? |
|
by
The Master, Monday, June 25, 2001 |
|
Ain't it Cool News is reporting that James Cromwell will reprise his "Zephram Cochrane" role from Star Trek: First Contact in the premiere episode of Enterprise. In the cameo appearance, Dr. Cochrane makes a supposedly stirring speech that sends this first crew of explorers on their way. |
|
source: Ain't it Cool News |
|
|
Tomb Raider plunges, Diesel on top |
|
by
The Master, Monday, June 25, 2001 |
Tomb Raider dropped an astounding 58% in box office during its second weekend of release. The movie went from first to third place, adding about $20.2 million to its total. Thanks to it huge opening, the film has still grossed $84.2 million in only two weeks, but the sharp drop doesn't bode well for its staying power.
The surprize of the weekend was the huge success of Vin Diesel's (Pitch Black) street racing movie The Fast and the Furious. The $38 million film recouped its production costs easily, raking in $41.6 million and first place for the weekend.
The debut of Eddie Murphy's Dr. Doolittle 2 took second place, with a respectable $26.7 million, only slightly less than the original. Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire came in fourth, sinking 35 percent from its opening with an estimated $13.2 million. The movie's $44.3 million total so far is highly disappointing for a Disney animated adventure. At number 5, Shrek tacked another $11 million onto its impressive total. Dropping all the way to number 9 with a paltry $3.6 million ($32.6 million total), Evolution is a certified dud. |
|
source: Popcorn |
|
|
Jackson confirms Ep2 plot |
|
by
The Master, Monday, June 25, 2001 |
Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Mace Windu, told Popcorn U.K. that Star Wars: Episode II will indeed focus on the developing love between Anakin (Hayden Christensen) and Amidala (Natalie Portman) against the backdrop of the Clone Wars. "There's a lot of intrigue, there's a lot of back-fighting and back-biting," Jackson told the site.
Speculation about inclusion of the Clone Wars has been rampant. The inclusion of the love story isn't too big of a surprise given the facts known from the previous films.
Jackson also said there'll be a lot more action and a busier plot than there was in The Phantom Menace. However, he added that what we finally see on screen remains to be determined by Lucas who is currently working on post production for the film. The subtitle name of the movie has not yet been determined...or at least not yet divulged.
Star Wars: Episode II opens May 2002, with The Phantom Menace coming to DVD in October. Menace will also reportedly be shown on television during November sweeps. It was originally promised this May, but was reportedly pulled due to a soft advertising market. |
|
source: Popcorn |
|
|
Spider Man one-sheet |
|
by
The Master, Wednesday, June 20, 2001 |
Ain't it Cool News has posted a copy of a movie poster (known as a one-sheet) for the upcoming Spider Man movie. The teaser poster shows Spidey peaking out from the side of a building over a spectacular cityscape, and the only text is the anticipated release date (May 3, 2002).
The Spider Man budget is reportedly growing to astronomical proportions, prompting rumored cuts of planned special effects sequences by Sony to control costs. |
|
source: Ain't it Cool News |
|
|
Illustrated Man on SciFi |
|
by
The Master, Wednesday, June 20, 2001 |
The Sci Fi Channel announced that it will produce a two-hour TV movie based on Ray Bradbury's 1951 short story collection The Illustrated Man. The book revolves around a carnival man whose body is covered with tattoos depicting stories of people with whom he comes in contact.
Bradbury has adapted and updated his own book for the movie. "I'm very happy that my muse has given me a lot of new ideas to go along with the old ones," Bradbury said in a statement. "It's exciting to be working with [Sci Fi Channel President] Bonnie Hammer again, and I'm looking forward to seeing The Illustrated Man being done right on The Sci Fi Channel." Bradbury's book was previously adapted as a 1969 feature film starring Rod Steiger. John Dayton and Stephanie Germain will executive produce the Sci Fi version. |
|
source: Scifi.com |
|
|
T3 Rewrite |
|
by
The Master, Wednesday, June 20, 2001 |
Terminator 3 is getting a rewrite from John Brancato (NBC's The Others) and Michael Ferris according to Variety. Tedi Sarafian's original script reportedly pitted Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 against an indestructible female character who can change shapes and even disappear. No word on why a rewrite was requested, or what changes the new writers may make.
In related news, The Calgary Sun reports that the subtitle for the sequel may be "Rise of the Machines". The Sun also reiterated a previous rumor that Vin Diesel (Pitch Black, The Fast and the Furious) will have a co-star role. Diesel has not confirmed or denied the rumor. |
|
source: Variety |
|
|
|
|
|
 I knew that would happen! |
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
|
