Sci-Fi Saturday: Batman, Superman, Terminator, Hornet, Hobbit, Lost, BSG, Prisoner, Altantis + more

Lots of new stuff in the world of sci-fi this week, including a debate on a future Robin for the Batman franchise, a possible (non Singer) Supes sequel, news on the 300 follow-up, Terminator 4, the Hobbit and more. Plus more trailers and images than you can handle. In TV news we got a Battlestar TV movie, Prisoner casting, Atlantis Season 5 details, Star Wars live action news and much more. so read on

MOVIE NEWS

Bale & Loeb debate Robin + Oldman Hints at Villain?
With the film just under two weeks away (over 100 performances for the opening weekend are already sold out!), here are some Dark Knight-related stories to kick off this week’s edition of Sci-Fi Saturday.  Christian Bale stirred up the internet community when he reportedly stated: "If Robin crops up in one of the new Batman films, I’ll be chaining myself up somewhere and refusing to go to work."  Meanwhile, comic writer Jeph Loeb chimed in with his own thoughts on the matter.  "Take the time to tell the story properly," Loeb told MTV. "There is a story of Dick Grayson and how he becomes Robin that is extremely moving and very helpful."  In a brief spoiler-free review, Kevin Smith agrees with the early positive buzz, calling "The Dark Knight" "an epic film", "the ‘Godfather II’ of comic book movies" and "close to a masterpiece".  Christopher Nolan told reporters that the new film shifts genre’s from superhero origin story to urban crime drama.  Nolan also said that he’s not sure if he’ll be involved in a third installment, preferring to keep his options open until the movie releases.  Speaking of a third installment, [SPOILERS] when asked if he thought Ledger’s Joker could be re-cast, Gary Oldman (Lt. Gordon) told MovieWeb.com the following:

"I don’t see why not. I mean, they did it with Katie Holmes’ character. I understand that this is a different circumstance, but I think another actor could do the job. I think Heath would want another actor to do the job." Oldman then took a moment to think about it some more, "Maybe we don’t need the Joker. Because we’ll have The Riddler."

Note: Oldman’s friend/manager has contacted /Film to say that he believes the quotes were "taken widely out of context."

If you order a pizza from Dominos, you’ll be granted access to The Dark Knight Vault which includes exclusive content such as film clips, wallpapers, cast interviews and more.  Click here for details.  And lastly, only three items remain on the Joker’s to-do list on the viral site WhySoSerious.com.

Millar’s Superman?
Apparently Mark Millar (creator of the "Wanted" comic), knows something Bryan Singer doesn’t.  Despite Singer confirming back in March that a sequel to 2006’s "Superman Returns" (tentatively titled "Superman: Man of Steel") was going forward, Millar tells the Daily Record that he’s confident his new pitch to Warner Bros. for a revamped Superman will go over well:

"Since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to reinvent Superman for the 21st century," said Miller. "I’ve been planning this my entire life. I’ve got my director and producer set up, and it’ll be 2011. This is how far ahead you have to think. The Superman brand is toxic after that last movie lost $200 million, but in 2011 we’re hoping to restart it. "Sadly I can’t say who the director is, but we may make it official by Christmas. But fingers crossed it could work out, that would be my lifetime’s dream."

Millar kept the story moving forward with a posting on his official message boards:

"PS: That Superman news is interesting, isn’t it? In the interests of clarity (because I’m sure this will be picked up somewhere) a very well known American action director heard about my love of Superman, approached my and asked me to team up with he and his producer to make a pitch for this. We’ve been talking for several weeks now and, if this is going to happen, we’ll know by Christmas. He has huge pull at WB so fingers crossed. But this is nothing more than a huge US name pulling me into his fold and making me part of a package."

Bale Compares Terminator 4 to Batman Begins + Carter Joins Cast
Speaking at a press junket for "The Dark Knight", Christian Bale said that he was drawn to play John Connor in McG’s "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins" because he saw a lot of similarities between it and "Batman Begins".  "What I saw with Terminator was what I saw with Batman Begins," Bale told /Film.  Though he came around in the end, Bale admits that he found it somewhat difficult to accept a role in another franchise:

“That was actually something that I questioned greatly… ‘Do I want to do that again?’” Bale continued. “While Batman Begins was clearly an origin story and we were in many ways ignoring any of the other films that had come before it, this won’t be the case with Terminator, as we’re staying true to the mythology, certainly to one and two more than three, but it gave us the opportunity and the chance to reinvent and revitalize that. There is no point in making it otherwise. So that is my aim, and that is why I finally decided yes, I want to try this. Because that is the responsibility we have as filmmakers, and that is what I’m aiming to achieve.”

In other T4 news, Helena Bonham Carter is in talks to join the movie. Her role is being kept under wraps, but insiders describe it as being small but pivotal.

Seth Rogen Confirms He’ll Be Green Hornet, Explains Why
When it was announced that Seth Rogen would not only be co-writing but starring in the upcoming "Green Hornet" movie, most fans were against the idea.  But Rogen promises that the movie will be packed with action and offered this explanation about why he and writing partner Evan Goldberg are making the movie.

"To us, it was just this funny notion that, when you say ‘Green Hornet’ to someone, the first thing they say is, ‘Hey, Bruce Lee played Kato in that show.’ We really wanted to make this hero-sidekick movie. … For years we’d really been trying to write a movie that was kind of about a hero and his sidekick. When we heard the ‘Green Hornet’ movie was up for grabs, we thought that could be the perfect way to do this story, because he is the only hero whose sidekick is more known than he is. We thought it would be a good way to tell this relationship story and just do a big crazy action movie."

Sparta is back! – 300 follow-up confirmed
Legendary Pictures has confirmed that it’s developing a "300" follow-up. Frank Miller is still writing the graphic novel that the project will be based upon (unclear at this moment if it’ll be a prequel or a sequel) and Zack Snyder–who has said he won’t sign on until he reads a script–is being targeted to direct. [Variety]

Del Toro on Hobbit + Doug Jones wants in
Del Toro told the gathered press at a screening for "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" that the first "Lord of the Rings" prequel film will be based on the "The Hobbit", but that the second will draw on a wide range of materials from the Tolkien universe, acting as a bridge of sorts between the end of "The Hobbit" and the beginning of "The Fellowship of the Ring". Del Toro further clarified the position, stating that they are restricted to using only the four books licensed for the films and do not have access to any material found in "The Silmarillion", nor any other Tokien writings. But they’re confident there is plenty of material to draw upon.  "There is enough … narrative abridgement and some other pieces of narrative and suggestions and appendix notes and this and that to guide and create something that will not infringe anything else. But it’s too early for me to swear by it. I think that that’s the real creative endeavor on the second film."  And rounding out "The Hobbit" coverage, character actor Doug Jones told MTV that though nothing is official, he’s eying the part of King Thranduil, king of the Silvan elves, for the project.  And lastly, MTV has uploaded a video of Del Toro answering some fan-submitted questions.  Watch it below.

NEW IMAGES

Cirque Du Freak

The Dark Knight (TDK-themed Dominos Pizza Boxes can be viewed here)

click here to read the EW cover story

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (more here and here)

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (more here)

Punisher: War Zone (more here)

Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins (set photos–more here)

Wolfman

NEW VIDEOS

The Dark Knight
More trailers and clips can be found here, here, and here.

The Day the Earth Stood Still [HD Version]—Click here to read the director’s thoughts on the trailer.

Hellboy II: Curse of the Golden Army
More trailers and clips can be found here, here, here, here, here and here.

Knowing [HD Version]

LEGO Batman

Mirrors (Red-Band R-Rated Trailer–HD Version)

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
More trailers and clips can be found here, here and here.

Mutant Chronicles

Star Wars (Star Wars/Flash Dance Mashup)

The X-Files: I Want to Believe

MOVIE BITES

• The original "Hancock" script has leaked.  Read it here. [Hollywood-Elsewhere]
• Dark Horse Entertainment comic book "The Goon" has been optioned by director/producer David Fincher to be developed into a CG animated film. [TheGoon.com]
• "Resident Evil Extinction" director Paul W.S. Anderson told MTV News that he has "just started talking to Sony" about another "Resident Evil" installment and that he believes "there’s a possibility it might happen". [MTV Movies Blog]
• The third installment of "The Chronicles of Narnia" is moving its production from New Zealand–where the previous two installments were shot–to Mexico.  The move is in response to the film, "Voyage of the Dawn Treader", in need of large soundstages and a massive water tank. [Variety]
• The official site for "Saw V" has gone live. [Lionsgate]
• Warner Bros. has picked up the rights to the comic book miniseries "Hiding in Time".  Beau Thorne will adapt the Sci-Fi books, which are based on a future Witness Protection Program using time travel to relocate high-value witnesses into the past for safekeeping. [THR]
• Contrary to what she told MTV back in April (covered in an earlier edition of Sci-Fi Saturday) Signorney Weaver told OK Magazine that she would "definitely do another [Alien] movie", just as long as a director like Ridley Scott was attached, adding: "Ridley is enthusiastic about it". [Mania]
• "Drag Me to Hell", Raimi’s PG-13-rated return to the horror genre, will be released on May 29, 2009.  Raimi co-wrote the movie with his brother Ivan, and it stars Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver and Jessica Lucas. [STYD]
• The German Murnau Foundation in Bueno Aires, Argentina has recovered long-lost portions of Fritz Lang’s silent Sci-Fi movie "Metropolis". The footage, about 25 minutes worth, had been cut after the film’s original release and thought to be lost forever.  The foundation plans to incorporate the new scenes into a new restored version of the movie. [Murnau Foundation]
• Ron Perlman, who stars in the independent Sci-Fi movie "The Mutant Chronicles" told reporters that he and co-star Thomas Jane will screen the movie this month and take a different approach in its promotion by asking the fans how they should make the film better. [SCI FI Wire]
• Gary Oldman confirmed that he’ll be playing at least three characters in Robert Zemeckis’ upcoming motion-captured/animated "A Christmas Carol": Tiny Tim, Marley and Bob Cratchit. [/Film]
• "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe told Empire that "there’s a fair amount of sexual energy and drug parallels" in "The Half-Blood Prince", likening the movie in some respects to "Trainspotting".  Well that’s an odd thing to say about a ‘Harry Potter’ movie, no?  [Empire]
• The soundtrack to "X-Files: I Want to Believe" has been posted on Amazon.com (including track samples). It releases on July 22nd, just three days before the movie hits theaters on July, 25th.

CASTING BITES

• David Murray has joined the cast of "G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra".  He’ll play Destro in a flashback sequence (Christopher Ecelston will play the character for the rest of the film). [Hisstank.com]
• Thomas McCarthy (writer/director of "The Vistitor") is joining the cast of Roland Emmerich’s "2012".  McCarthy will play the boyfriend of Amanda Peet’s character, who is in turn the ex-wife of John Cusack’s character. [THR]
• According to a posting on an "Alice in Wonderland" fansite, Tim Burton has found his Alice: 23-year-old Ryan Nikole Parker.  No confirmation, but the posting notes that a press release will be issued on July 9th confirming the casting news so we won’t have to wait very long to get confirmation. [The Bad and the Ugly]
• Christopher Guest has joined the cast of Fox’s sequel to "Night at the Museum".  He will play Ivan the Terrible for the film, now officially titled "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian".  Also joining the cast are Jon Bernthal (Al Capone), Bill Hader (Gen. George Armstrong Custer) and French actor Alain Chabat (Napoleon). [THR]

TV NEWS

BSG TV Movie Confirmed
Choire Sicha of the LA Times is reporting that the first of as many as three "Battlestar Galactica" made-for-TV movies has been greenlit. The news comes from BSG star Grace Park (Boomer): “I just heard about the first Battlestar movie being greenlit,” said Park, adding “A TV movie, but still! But this — it’s like, yeah, it’s over but we’re ready to move on but nobody’s manager or agent has been called. It’s supposed to start in August.” Park also tells the LA Times how difficult it was to understand one of the scripts, and how she "had to read it three times and "had to sit down with [executive producer] Ron Moore" and have it explained to her.  The article is available to read here, while the full interview with the actress will run on the site July 20th.

Caviezel: from Nazareth to The Village
AMC has confirmed that Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ) and Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings) will star in their upcoming miniseries reboot of  cult classic British series "The Prisoner". Caviezel will play Number Six, McKellen Number Two.  The miniseries will premiere in 2009. Be seeing you. [SCI FI Wire]

Picardo and Mallozzi Discuss Season Five of Stargate Atlantis
Here are some highlights from a recent press conference with new series regular Robert Picardo and producer Joseph Mallozzi discussing the fifth season of "Stargate Atlantis" [SCI FI, July 11th at 10pm]:

• The season premiere, "Search and Rescue", picks up where the season four finale left off and ends with Colonel Carter out and Richard Woolsey now in command of Atlantis.
• A couple of new races will be introduced in the fifth season. They will be taking power by forming into a galaxy-wide version of the United Nations and take Atlantis to task for all the trouble that they have caused.
• More highlights from SCI FI Wire
• Tori Higginson will not be back on the show this season and its unlikely she’ll ever return even if more seasons are ordered: "We sent the script for review, and ultimately she passed," Mallozzi said. "We would have loved to have her come back … I think at this point she’s moved beyond the show and is looking elsewhere, and we wish her the best of luck. She did a terrific job, but we will not see her in season five, and it was her choice, and we respect her decision."
• Mallozzi is hopeful that Jill Wagner returns, however, but because of scheduling conflicts she won’t be in season five either. "We wanted to bring Jill Wagner back, but she was working on something else," Mallozzi said. "I talked to her, and she was awesome in the past season, and we haven’t killed her off. Even if we had, our track record doesn’t necessarily mean she’s gone for good. There is in season six a potential to bring her back. So, yeah, why not?"

ABC.com Launches LOST Book Club
"LOST" producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse want you to sit back, relax and read a book this summer.  ABC.com has just announced the creation of a LOST Book Club, which will highlight titles that have been referenced on the TV series.  More from the press release: "Also available on ABC.com will be a message board to discuss the titles, a synopsis of each book along with when and how it was referenced in the show and an introduction by co-creator/executive producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Carlton Cuse."

George Lucas Talks Clone Wars and Live-Action Star Wars TV Series
In an article over at the New York Times, George Lucas discussed a bit about the upcoming “Star Wars: Clone Wars” TV series (the movie hits August 15th) and the live-action series.  Here are some highlights from the article, which you can read in full here:

• Lucas had been contemplating an animated series that would flesh out the adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker between Episodes II and III since 2002.
• He waited until the first 22-episode season of The Clone Wars was nearly finished before presenting it to television networks in late 2007. The response was weak, with Fox passing on it, and the Cartoon Network originally lukewarm on it.
• Lucas believes that networks simply felt that the series wasn’t compatible with a prime-time network schedule: “It didn’t fit any of the molds that everybody had,” Mr. Lucas said. “It’s not ‘SpongeBob SquarePants,’ but at the same time it’s also not ‘Family Guy.’ ”
• As with all his other “Star Wars” properties, Lucas owns this one outright. He’s financing The Clone Wars and charging Time Warner licensing fees to distribute and broadcast the show.
• The article notes that an anonymous source with knowledge of the company’s animation operations said that the earliest episodes of The Clone Wars probably cost between $750,000 to $1.5M each.

Spaced-Invasion Tour Announced
Though we covered it in an earlier edition of Sci-Fi Saturday, a new leg of the "Spaced" U.S. tour has been announced.  Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes and Edgar Wright will be doing a one-week, four-city "Spaced Invasion" mini-tour across America to promote the upcoming DVD (July 22nd).  The tour starts in New York on July 21-22 with a special free screening of three episodes of the show, followed by a Q&A, then moves to Los Angeles (July 23), San Diego (at Comic Con on July 25th) and concludes with an event in Austin (July 27th.).  Pegg will conclude the advertising blitz for the DVD with an appearance on "Late Night With David Letterman.  All the details can be found in the press release, which you can read here.

TV BITES

• "Sanctuary", Amanda Tapping’s new online-turned-SCI FI Channel fantasy series premieres on October 3rd, the week after "Stargate Atlantis" finishes its summer run. The show will have a two-hour premiere.[Gateworld.net]
• The next “Futurama” direct-to-DVD movie has a title: "Bender’s Game".  The title is a pun on the classic sci-fi novel "Ender’s Game" by Orson Scott Card. [SCI FI Wire]
• On behalf of the Dharma Intiative, Octagon Global Recruiting will be at ComicCon between July 24th and 27th seeking out volunteers to contribute to a brand new research project.
• Matthew Fox ("Lost") is in talks to star as the title character in "Billy Smoke", the big screen adaptation of the graphic novel "Cowboys & Aliens". [Variety]
• Michael Imperioli ("Sopranos") has joined the cast of ABC’s "Life on Mars". [THR]
• Tracy Morgan, the new host of "Scare Tactics", told SCI FI Wire that he couldn’t resist an offer to be the show’s new host because it gave him a chance to channel his inner Rod Serling: "I’m a big … longtime fan of The ‘Twilight Zone’. So this is my rendition of Rod Serling. I got to be Rod Serling. So I’m just excited to do it, you know?"
• Erik Jensen, Jose Pable Cantillo and Clea DuVall have been added to the cast of Fox’s two-hour pilot "Virtuality", from Ron Moore.[THR]
• Speaking of Ron Moore, the "Battlestar Galactica" executive producer has uploaded new podcasts for three episodes from season four of BSG: 408 – "Faith", 411 – "The Hub" and 412 – "Revelations".

Heroes (Season three teaser–click here for a spoiler on the new character Speedster)

OBITS

• Don S. Davis, who acted in several well known SF shows such as "Stargate SG-1" and "The X-Files", passed away June 29th after suffering a heart attack.  He was 65. [Gateworld]
• Comic book artist Michael Turner ("Witchblade", "Superman/Batman" and more) passed away last Friday night after a long battle with cancer.  He was 37. [Comic Book Resources]

SCI-FI RATINGS

6/09/2008 to
6/15/2008 – Source: Nielsen Media Research

6/09/2008 to
6/15/2008 – Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire

6/09/2008 to
6/15/2008 – Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire