Sci-Fi Saturday: Spidey, Supes, Bat, Ghostbusters, Fringe, BSG, Heroes, Stargate + more September 6, 2008
by Rosario T. Calabria , Filed under: Sci-Fi , trackback
The genre movie news this week is (again) almost all about comic book movies, with updates on the next steps in the Spider-man, Superman, Batman and Ghostrider movies (and some movement on the Ghostbusters III front). There are also new videos and images, including some new Transformers behind the scenes. Plus lots of TV news, vids and pics from Heroes, Fringe, BSG, Terminator and more.
MOVIE NEWS
Raimi and Maguire in for Spidey 4 (and maybe 5) + Venom Spin Off News
A good deal of "Spider-Man 4" news has broken over the weekend. Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood Daily is reporting that Sony has locked up both Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire for "Spider-Man 4" (THR has confirming the news). And while there is no deal yet for Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane), the character is in the film and according to Finke’s source Sony "would never recast her". Sony is hoping that Raimi and Maguire shoot "Spider-Man 5" back-to-back. Also, Finke reports that Sony has no interest in a dark movie (ala "The Dark Knight") because "Spider-Man is its own thing" and unlike Batman "Peter Parker has no dark side himself," instead "Peter Parker’s struggle is about sacrifice." As reported earlier, James Vanderbilt’s script for "Spider-Man 4" (still planned for May 2011) leads directly into a fifth movie. Finke’s source also talked about villains in the film, hinting "once you find out who the villain is, you’ll know who’s playing it". Meanwhile on the Venom spin-off front, Finke’s sources say that Sony may let Topher Grace (who played the character in "Spider-Man 3") stay in the role despite his demise in the film because the "likeable actor could be a sympathetic evildoer".
Mark Millar Talks Possible Superman Trilogy
Turns out Mark Millar wasn’t just blowing smoke when he revealed that he had a director and producer in mind for a new Superman project, and revealed that things were happening behind-the-scenes in regards to the Superman Returns sequel Man of Steel (which happened to be true).
In an interview with G4, Millar talked about his plans for a new trilogy of Superman films, which he wants to be shot back-to-back:
“A director approached me about three months ago,” Millar said. “and he said ‘look, [Bryan Singer's] The Man Of Steel might not be happening. If that doesn’t happen, it has been spoken about the possibility of me coming in, would you like to write it?’ And I was like Yeah.”
“I’ve had this plan for like 10 years for a big three-picture Superman thing, like a big Lord of the Rings epic, starting over from scratch again with a seven-hour Superman story. And hopefully release them one year after another,” continued Millar. “If it works out, we’ll have to start shooting next summer.”
Millar also talked up his upcoming independently financed adaptation of the comic book Kick-Ass, revealing that the film will have a fairly hefty $70M budget. Watch the complete interview below.
Nicolas Cage Talks Ghost Rider 2 and Kick-Ass
Making the rounds promoting his latest film "Bangkok Dangerous", Nicolas Cage talked to ComingSoon.net about "Ghost Rider 2"
“Yes, actually, had a nice meeting with the studio about 3-months ago,” Cage told Coming Soon, “and we talked about going international with that character. Taking him into Europe, having him go on a motorcycle tour through Europe, and he’s connected with the church, if you can believe that. So it sort of has elements to it that are very much in the zeitgeist, with The Da Vinci Code and things like that.”
Cage also spoke to Dark Horizon about the sequel, telling the site that the plot will have Johnny Blaze “working with different religious figures.” Moving on to his recently cast role in Mathew Vaughn’s "Kick-Ass", Cage downplayed the film’s violence level, telling MTV:
“I’m not fond of gratuitous violence,” said Cage, who will play the role of a retired cop determined to take down a druglord. “…there will be some moments of action that will be violent, but there will be a sense of elegance to it. [Matthew Vaughn] doesn’t want to get gratuitous with it. At least that’s what Matthew has told me.”
Sony Moving Forward With New Ghostbusters
Sony has announced that they’re moving forward with a new "Ghostbusters" film. Columbia Pictures has tapped "The Office" co-executive producers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky to write the script for the film that will bring back the original cast of Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson, although the focus of the movie will be on a new cast of Ghostbusters. Ivan Reitman, director of the first two films, is also involved in the movie’s development.
BatUpdate: Sequel casting talk + more
"The Dark Knight"broke the $500M mark last Sunday (taking just 45 days–a new record). The film is currently sitting at $506.5M domestic ($923.5M worldwide) through Thursday, so of course all the buzz is is on more sequel casting rumors/talk. Appearing on a radio show, Johnny Depp denied rumors that he would be playing The Riddler, although he did say it would be "a fun gig". Meanwhile Milo Ventimiglia of "Heroes" revealed that he "always thought" he’d "make a great Robin" and would be interested in playing the role in a new film. Oh, and don’t expect Eckhart to return as Two-Face/Harvey Dent (as has previously been confirmed, his character is dead): “[My character is] dead. I couldn’t even get the words out of my mouth. ‘Hey, Chris, am I–?’ ‘No. You’re dead. You’re dead,’” Eckhart told AICN. And finally, Guy Pierce tells MTV that he’d be interested in the role of The Riddler (or any role for that matter) so long as Nolan was still on board as a director.
NEW IMAGES
City of Ember
Dragonball (more at this link)
Green Lantern (concept art–more at this link)
Prince of Persia (set photos–more at this link)
Saw V
NEW VIDEOS
Max Payne
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (from Wal-Mart: Access Code AllSpark62609)
"On the set: Day 1"
"Creating Transformers"
Twilight (another teaser trailer at this link and click here for interviews with the cast)
MOVIE BITES
- Heavy Metal publisher Kevin Eastman says that Zack Snyder, Guillermo del Toro and Gore Verbinski have all expressed interest in joining executive producer David Fincher to direct segments of the upcoming animated film. [rgbfilter.com]
- "TMNT" writer Stephen Murphy has shot down the rumor that there would be a new live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film. [Stephen Murphy]
- Los Angeles federal judge Gary Allen Feess has set a January 6, 2009 trial date for 20th Century Fox’s lawsuit against Warner Bros. over "Watchmen". The trial date is favorable to WB, as Fox was pushing for a date around June in hopes of delaying the movie’s release. "Watchmen" is still scheduled to hit theaters on March 6, 2009. [Variety]
- Asked if he’s involved in the proposed "300" prequel/sequel, star Gerald Butler answered: "No. They mentioned it, and we’ll leave it at that. It’s a very interesting idea, I have to say interest. [MoviesOnline]
- Damon Lindelof says that although he won’t have the time to take on an adaptation of "The Dark Tower" series, which he and J.J. Abrams optioned over a year ago, until "Lost" is finished, he would like to adapt the the seven book franchise into a seven film series. [AMC]
- Because of his commitment to other projects, including "The Hobbit" and its sequel, Guillermo del Toro has been replaced by Stephen Sommers to direct a live action adaptation of "Tarzan". The film will be co-written by Sommers and Stuart Beattie. [Variety]
- Writer-director Sheldon Lettich has been tapped by producer Alexander Nevsky to work on "Hercules: The Beginning". [Variety]
- The rumors of a fight between David Fincher and Paramount over "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" have been confirmed, courtesy Kevin Eastman who gave an interview revealing the film’s length has put the studio and director at odds. [The Playlist]
- Guillermo del Toro is going to be one busy director over the next several years as the director is now booked through 2017, and perhaps beyond. Universal has signed Del Toro to direct four projects, including remakes of "Frankenstein", "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and "Slaughterhouse-Five". The fourth–non-remake–project is an adaption of the Dan Simmons novel "Drood". Del Toro’s also expected to direct "Hellboy 3". [Variety]
- 20th Century Fox has tapped relative unknown Max Makowski to direct "Voltron: Defender of the Universe". [Latino Review]
- "G.I. Joe" executive producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura called Cobra Commander (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) "a very twisted character", telling MTV News that the key lies in his past. “As the backstory evolves, you discover why his personality [is like that].” [MTV]
- So, there won’t be a director’s cut of "The Incredible Hulk" on DVD or Blu-ray, but i09 got their hands on a supposedly genuine script and broke down what’s missing from the film. Check out their detailed rundown at this link.
CASTING BITES
- Denzel Washington has been cast to star in "Book of Eli", a post-apocalyptic drama that will be directed by Allen and Albert Hughes. Washington will play a lone hero in a not-too-distant apocalyptic future who must fight across America to bring society the knowledge that could be the key to its redemption, according to Variety.
- Zuleikha Robinson has been cast in the pivotal role of Ilana in the upcoming fifth season of "Lost". The actress will start off as a recurring player with an option to become a regular in the sixth–and final–season. Her character is described as a European who is intelligent but very dangerous. [Entertainment Weekly]
- Ted Raimi, brother of "Legend of the Seeker" (two-hour premiere on November 1st) executive producer Sam Raimi, will guest star in an upcoming episode of the syndicated sci-fi/fantasy series. Ted will appear in the show’s fourth episode, "Bounty" and play Sebastian, a mapmaker skilled in the lost art of cartogromancy, the making of enchanted maps. [SCI FI Wire]
TV NEWS
Galactica back in January + TV Film Begins Shooting Monday + more
SCI FI has debunked rumors that the second half of "Battlestar Galactica" would be delayed, calling the rumors "inaccurate" as they once again confirmed the second half of the show’s fourth and final season will return with new episodes in January 2009. In other BSG news, shooting begins this Monday on "Battlestar Galactica: The Plan", the new TV movie written by Jane Espenson. Unlike last year’s telefilm "Razor", "The Plan" will fill in a continuity gap using the regular cast. The movie will feature Edward James Olmos (Bill Adama), Michael Trucco (Sam Anders), Aaron Douglas (Tyrol), Dean Stockwell (Brother Cavil), Tricia Helfer (Six), Grace Park (Boomer/Athena), Rick Worthy (Simon), Mathew Bennett (Doral) and Callum Keith Rennie (Leoben). Maureen Ryan of The Chicago Tribune also writes: “My source says that [Saul] Tigh and a fellow Cylon, Tory Foster (Rekha Sharma), are in the film, but ‘not as much.’ As previously reported, Olmos will be directing the two-hour film. It will air in the first quarter of 2009 on SCI FI. Also, despite additional script orders for the prequel spin-off pilot "Caprica", a decision on picking it up to series has still not been made. In other BSG news, Olmos was interviewed in SciFiNow and tells the mag that his character "does break down, he goes to the bottom of the pit and just squirms around in there and it’s really difficult for him to carry on." And lastly, SCI FI Channel VP Mark Stern tells The Huffington Post that the final Cylon is "delicious".
Cartoon Network Sets October Debut for The Clone Wars
Cartoon Network has announced that "Star Wars: The Clone Wars", the first weekly television series from Lucasfilm Animation, will make its film-to-TV premiere on October 3rd. The hour-long premiere features two episodes, "Ambush" and "Rising Malevolence". The first episode centers on Yoda, who’s on a secret mission to forge a treaty with the king of the strategic system of Toydaria when his ship is ambushed by Count Dooku and his assassin, Asajj Ventress. The second episode will follow the characters Anakin and Ahsoka as they race to save Jedi Master Plo Kon and his clone troopers before a devastating Separatist mystery weapon gets a hold of them. Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the movie, was released on August 15th in theaters and has thus far grossed just $31.1M domestically ($53.6M worldwide). Check out a new video featuring director Dave Filoni discussing the animated series below and click here for some images.
TV IMAGES
Fringe (more at this link)
Heroes (check out the remaining character poster art at this link)
Knight Rider (more at this link)
Life on Mars (more at this link)
Lost (more at this link)
Stargate Atlantis (many more here, here, here, here and here)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (more at this link)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
TV VIDEOS
Eleventh Hour
Fringe (Also, check out a John Noble interview at this link)
Heroes (behind-the-scenes clip–click here to watch a BBC promo and here for a Masi Oka/Milo Ventimiglia interview in Australia and here for a new promo)
Knight Rider
Kyle XY (season three teaser)
The Mentalist (more here and here)
Stargate Atlantis (promo)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
True Blood
TV BITES
- CNN has put up an article discussing "frak" in The Curse Word ‘Battlestar Galactica’ created.
- A special deluxe edition soundtrack to the NBC series "Heroes" will be released on September 9th. The soundtrack set includes more than 20 illustrations from graphic artists Tim Sale and Steven Parke and music from Bob Dylan, Brigton Port Authority, Iggy Pop, Wilco, Panic! At The Disco and composters Wendy and lisa, among others. (SpoilerTV)
- Check out an interview with "Fringe" star Anna Torv over at SCI FI Wire and one with creator J.J. Abrams where he talks about how the show will jump the shark as quickly as possible here. Written by "Star Trek" writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, "Fringe" debuts next Tuesday, September 9th on Fox.
- The soundtrack to "Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog" web series is now available to purchase on iTunes. Buy the soundtrack at this link. The official website has also been updated with a the Lyrics/Liner Notes which you can check out here.
- Creature creator Dan Rebert talked chatted with io9 about his latest project, the HBO vampire series "True Blood". Read the interview at this link.
- Santiago Cabrera, who played Isaac Mendez on NBC’s "Heroes", tells Digital Spy that he’d like to return to the show: "You know, with Heroes, there’s always the chance of going back on… You never know. They’re doing the third season now, but anything can happen on that show, so I might come back."
- The SCI FI Channel is having its most-watched summer ever, hitting record highs in total viewers, younger viewers and women according to a press release. "Eureka" is leading the charge with an average of 3.1 million viewers a week. Other successful programs include "Ghost Hunters International" (2.4M viewers), "Scare Tactics" (2M viewers) and its Saturday Night Original Movies (2M viewers). [SCI FI Press Release]
MISC BITES
- "Joker", a new 128 page hardcover graphic novel from Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, the team behind "Lex Luthor: Man of Steel" will be released this October from DC Comics, and Newsarama conducted an interview with Azzarello to discuss the novel. Read it at this link.
- "X-Files" creator creator Chris Carter was hospitalized this past Tuesday due to "physical exhaustion and an acute sleeping disorder". The hospitalization is a result of Carter "working on multiple films back to back over a two year period". He’s expected to make a full and quick recovery. [EW]
- 20th Century Fox and The Multiverse Network have announced that they are working on a Massively Multiplayer online game based on "Buffy the Vampire Series". There will be a 2D flash, web-based version, as well as a fully 3D world with a dedicated client. [Newsarama]
- Greg Berlanti is developing a new Sci-Fi series for ABC called "The Return" with "The 4400’s Rene Echevarria. The series revolves around the effect on the world–including the White House–of an alien landing. [Variety]
- A new charity called the Siegel & Shuster Society has just recently been launched and is running an auction in an effort to save the house where Jerry Siegel created Superman back in the 1930’s. The auction runs from September 2nd to September 30th. Click here to bid on items or make a cash donation.
- IDW Publishing will be releasing "The Transformers Animated: The Arrival", number one, the first in a new series of comics based on the Cartoon Network animated series. The series’ head writer Marty Isenberg and artist Dario Brizuela are penning the comic. Check out some artwork below. [SCI FI Wire]
SCI-FI RATINGS
| Top 10 SF&F Broadcast Shows | HH Rating |
| 1) Ghost Whisperer (R) |
3.3 |
| 2) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (R) |
2.0 |
| 3) Smallville (R) | 1.1 |
| 4) Reaper (R) | 0.8 |
| 6) Supernatural (R) | 0.8 |
8/11/2008 to
8/17/2008 – Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire
| Top 10 SF&F Syndicated Shows | Rating |
| 1) Stargate SG-1 | 0.8 |
| 2) The Dead Zone | 0.7 |
| 3) Star Trek | 0.7 |
| 4) Stargate Atlantis | 0.6 |
8/11/2008 to
8/17/2008 – Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire
| Top 10 SCI FI CHANNEL Shows | Rating |
| 1) Eureka | 1.9 |
| 2) Ghost Hunters International | 1.7 |
| 3) ECW |
1.2 |
| 4) Stargate Atlantis |
1.2 |
| 5) Scare Tactics |
1.1 |
| 6) Black Swarm |
1.1 |
| 7) Boogeyman |
1.0 |
| 8) Final Destination | 1.0 |
| 9) Cursed | 1.0 |
| 10) The Grudge | 0.9 |
8/11/2008 to
8/17/2008 – Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire