Sci-Fi Sunday: Tranformers 2, Green Hornet, Heroes, Lost, Spaceballs, Stargate, Prisoner + more | TrekMovie.com
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Sci-Fi Sunday: Tranformers 2, Green Hornet, Heroes, Lost, Spaceballs, Stargate, Prisoner + more September 21, 2008

by Rosario T. Calabria , Filed under: Sci-Fi , trackback

A bit of a slow week in genre movie news but we do have updates on Transformers 2, Green Hornet, a host of Marvel movies, and more including some new pics and vids. For TV news there is a ton of stuff from The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Heroes, Stargate, Lost, and more, including lots of new images and video (including the new Prisoner).

MOVIE NEWS

Orci and Kurtzman Talk Transformers 2
Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who wrote “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (June 26, 2009) with Ehren Kruger, revealed to SCI FI Wire that they’ve looked to other successful sci-fi sequels: "We loved Superman II, we loved Empire, we loved Aliens," Kurtzman said. "And those were all movies that felt like they truly stood apart from what had come before them in great, great ways." Added Orci: "And even though they were bigger, per se, it was not just about that. There really was something else going on."  And while the film will have its expected increase in big explosions and the like, the two felt that the film also needed to up the stakes emotionally: "What it’s about is making sure the emotional stakes feel like they are at a new place and that this movie has a reason to tell itself beyond just ‘The studio wants another Transformers movie,’ said
Kurtzman. And a lot of that has to do with ‘How do you make this movie more emotional? How does this movie stand out from the first one?’" The duo also noted that the close of principal photography is just a week away.

Stephen Chow to Direct and Star as Kato in The Green Hornet
For more than a year now, we’ve known that Seth Rogen wanted Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle) to co-star with him in “The Green Hornet” as sidekick Kato, and now the actor has not only been signed on for the role, but will also direct the June 25, 2010 film: 

“I’m excited to be taking on The Green Hornet–obviously, I’ve been a huge fan of the show since I was a kid. The idea of stepping into Bruce Lee’s shoes as Kato is both humbling and thrilling, and to get the chance to direct the project as my American movie debut is simply a dream come true.” – Stephen Chow 

“Stephen was always my and Evan’s first choice for director and to play Kato. We just hope that he never finds out we’re not the Wachowski Brothers.” – Seth Rogen

D.J. Caruso Still Interested in Thor + Talks Y: The Last Man
“Eagle Eye”
director D.J. Caruso has reiterated his interest in a “Thor” movie: "It’s something that has [piqued] my interest; it has been of interest to me a little bit," he said. "Hey, I haven’t seen the screenplay, and I know Marvel’s thinking about it, so if it’s a good screenplay and things work out, it’d be something I’d be interested in."  Caruso added that he would want to do a first Thor film dealing with the supernatural realm, before introducing the Norse god/superhero to the real world:

"The fear I’d have would be if Thor were immediately thrust into the modern-day world, because I think that’s something that would have to sort of evolve over the series," Caruso said. "But if it deals with Asgard and deals with what’s happening up there– … the brother-against-brother relationship and dealing in the world of the gods–I think that would be a more interesting movie to introduce Thor instead of throwing him down here in the real world."

Caruso also talked about “Y: The Last Man”, first film in a planned trilogy based on the best-selling graphic novel from Brian K. Vaughn, and confirmed that a script has been turned over to Warner Bros.  In terms of casting, Caruso revealed that while Shia LaBeouf remains attached to star as the lead character, Alicia Keys in the role of the character 355 is not yet a lock.  Read more from Caruso about the film at this link.

More Marvel news on Iron Man, Spider-man, Hulk and Avengers

NEW IMAGES

The Spirit (more here and here)

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (more at this link)

NEW VIDEOS

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Saw V

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (another video here)

MOVIE BITES

CASTING BITES

TV NEWS

Tim Kring Talks Heroes Season Three + More from Ramamurthy (Mohinder) and Kristen Bell (Elle)
Tim Kring, creator and executive prodcuer of “Heroes told SCI FI Wire that among other things, the season premiere will settle the question about Claire’s (Hayden Panettiere) invulnerability in a scene with her and Sylar (Zachary Quinto):

"We left a little bit of a back door on that question, so there’s a tiny little ‘out’ there," he said. "It’s still not completely clear what Sylar’s doing, so that part of the question is still there. But, like I said, … as a show we need to be able to answer questions."

Kring also added that he hopes to keep up the show’s pace by breaking it up into shorter chapters, or volumes: "Volume [III, 'Villains,' ] is 13 episodes long," he said. "Now, if we were a serialized show that just dragged our story along from year to year to year, we wouldn’t be able to have that kind of pace. Because we know we are going to contain the entire story in 13 episodes, we’re able to cram a lot into each episode."  Kring also talked about bringing back characters from the dead, including Nathan Petrelli, who will survive his second “Heroes death:

"You know, I think he’s got about four more deaths in his contract before we use up his quota," Kring joked. "But, no, this idea of people who are dead and not dead is something that we play with all the time. People come back on the show in very different, unique ways. That’s one of the things, again, we love to do, is find ways to take characters you thought were dead and gone and bring them back. As Jack Coleman answered, quoting Princess Bride, he said, ‘On Heroes, people are only mostly dead.’"

Meanwhile, Sendhil Ramamurthy, who plays Dr. Mohinder Suresh said the the upcoming third season could see his character turn to the dark side:

Everybody has a little bit of an evil side. They have a little bit of a dark side, even people who are good. And you are going to see that part of a lot of the characters that you thought were fundamentally the ‘good’ on the show, and not just the Suresh character, but other characters as well."

Rounding out the “Heroes news, Kristen Bell told SCI FI Wire that her character, Elle Bishop, will be undergoing significant development over the course of the season, including getting her very own back story:

"They’re showing more of her human side," Bell said. "She’s this vaguely barbaric, unfeeling, antisocial adaptive killer who’s coy. However, she’s had some tough decisions to make [over the years, and the writers are] giving her more depth. There are flashback scenes showing that she’s intricately woven into people’s lives before you met her. She met a lot of [the characters] before she was introduced on the show."

SCI FI Gives Series Order to Warehouse 13
The SCI FI Channel has given a green light to production on “Warehouse 13”.  The network has ordered 11 hours of the drama, including the previously produced two-hour pilot that stars Eddie McClintock, Joanne Kelly and Saul Rubinek.  The show follows two Secret Service agents find themselves abruptly transferred to Warehouse 13–a massive, top-secret storage facility in South Dakota–which houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and supernatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government.  Production is slated to begin in February, with a premiere scheduled for July 2009.

Big Changes Coming for John Connor in Sarah Connor Chronicles
Thomas Dekker, who plays John Connor on Fox’s “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”, tells fans to expect big changes to his character as the season progresses:

"It gets worse, way worse," Dekker said in an interview. "This episode, I think, he was kind of still reeling from the whole first episode, so he’s still a little bit in limbo in this one. By the time of the fourth one–and especially the fifth one, which is where he goes off with Uncle Derek–you really see, ‘Holy s–t, this is the new John!’ It’s the next few episodes."

Dekker also discussed the issue with preserving the Terminator, Cameron who was sent from the future to protect him and whether he has a genuine affection for her, or is simply hung up on why this particular model was sent back to him:

"I just think he’s in love with her," Dekker said. "I think that he knows technically that she shouldn’t be here. She’s this dangerous [thing]. But he can’t let go of her. He needs her, and there’s that whole weird teen thing where you take out your resentment on the wrong person. And I think it sort of ended up going onto Sarah unfairly. He’s sort of on Cameron’s side, and, of course, it has huge repercussions in the future. That’s why Cameron says he can’t be trusted, because John has chosen the wrong side, it seems."

Dae Kim, Garcia and Emerson Talk Lost Season Five + Casting Bite
Daniel Dae Kim (Jin) spilled some information about the "very bad things" that happened to the Left Behinds after the Oceanic Six were rescued: "There are definitely consequences to moving the Island. There are some that will pay a heavy price. Some people will suffer physically, some will suffer psychologically…" For his part, Jorge Garcia (Hurley) told EW that when he got the first scripts for season five he was "shocked" and noted that Hurley has some big changes in store this season.  Michael Emerson (Benjamin) also gave an interview with EW, which you can read at this link, discussing several aspects of the upcoming season. And in casting news, Dark UFO is reporting that Sterling Beaumon, who played young Ben in "The Man Behind the Curtain", will be reprising his role in season five.

Details Revealed on Red Dwarf Specials
We’ve now got a few details about the return of the British Sci-Fi sitcom “Red Dwarf”.  According to the official fan site, co-creator Doug Naylor will be heading the return and four new 30-minute episodes (one of which will be a clip show) will air on the UK cable channel Dave.

Here are the four episodes:

Show One – The Making Of The Specials
A highly entertaining look at what goes on behind the scenes on a Red Dwarf production.
Show Two – Red Dwarf Special: Part One
The cast get back into character, and costume, a decade on…
Show Three – Red Dwarf Special: Part Two
The adventure continues…
Show Four – A Clip Show With a Serious Difference
The cast do it their way. Red Dwarf as you have never, ever seen it before!

About that clip show, cast member Robert Llewellyn hinted:

[The plan for the clip show] is so exciting I’ve been asked not to say anything about that because other people will steal the idea – and it is a great idea, quite challenging for us as performers.

Stargate Universe Cast Descriptions Revealed
Descriptions for the cast of the upcoming spinoff “Stargate Universe” have been revealed.  Courtesy Gateworld:

ABC Orders Flash Forward from Braga and Goyer
Billed as a companion series to “Lost, ABC has ordered a pilot for “Flash Forward” from Brannon Braga (TNG, VOY, ENT) and David Goyer (“The Dark Knight).  The Sci-Fi series is based on Robert J. Sawyer’s novel that 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 their lives forever.  Goyer is directing the pilot and will executive producer with Braga and Jessika Borsicky Goyer, along with Vince Gerardis and Ralph M. Vicinanza, who own the rights to the book.  This is the second collaboration between Goyer and Braga, who last worked together on the short-lived CBS series “Threshold”.

TV IMAGES

Eli Stone (more at this link)

Heroes (more here, here, here, here, and here)

Ghost Whisperer (more at this link)

Heroes (more here and here)

Life on Mars (more at this link)

Supernatural (more here and here)

Sanctuary (more at this link)

Stargate Atlantis (more at this link)

TV VIDEOS

Chuck

Fringe (another video here here–and click here to watch an interview with J.J Abrams)

Heroes (more videos here, here, here + Writer Aaron Coleite answers fan questions here and check out an interview with Kristen Bell on Leno here)

Knight Rider (another video here + Interviews with Justin Bruening and Bruce Davison)

Life on Mars

Lost (another video here)

The Prisoner (more here and here)

Pushing Daisies

Spaceballs: The Animated Series (Details about the show here)

Smallville (another video here)

Supernatural (more here, here, here and here)

Torchwood

TV BITES

MISC

Geoff Johns Brought In To Write DC Universe Online
Sony Online Entertainment has signed comic writer Geoff Johns to write the company’s upcoming massively multiplayer action game “DC Universe Online.  Sony is collaborating on the project with DC Comics and Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment.  The game will be released on the Sony Playstation 3 and PC platforms.  “DC Universe Online will allow players to enter the DC Universe and battle alongside or against DC Comics heroes and villains, including Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and the Joker.  The action will take place in locations such as Gotham City and Metropolis.

MISC BITES

SCI-FI RATINGS

Top 10 SF&F Broadcast Shows   HH Rating
1) Ghost Whisperer (R) 3.0
2) Chuck (R) 1.7
3) Smallville (R) 1.3
4) Reaper (R) 1.1
5) Supernatural (R) 1.0

8/25/2008 to
8/31/2008
– Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire

Top 10 SF&F Syndicated Shows   Rating
1) Stargate SG-1 0.8
2) Star Trek 0.7
3) The Dead Zone 0.6
4) Stargate Atlantis 0.5

8/25/2008 to
8/31/2008
– Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire

Top 10 SCI FI CHANNEL Shows   Rating  
1) WWE Raw 2.8
2) Eureka 2.0
3)
ECW
1.3
4)
Jurassic Park
1.3
5)
Ghost Hunters
1.1
6) Star Trek: The Next Generation 1.1
7) Black Swarm   1.0
8) Eye of the Beast    0.9
9) King of the Lost World    0.9
10) Raptor    0.8

8/25/2008 to 8/31/2008 – Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire

Comments»

1. Gustavo - September 21, 2008

Yeah!! Really excited about Transformers 2!!!!

First!!!

2. Xai - September 21, 2008

There’s a lot going on! Including… Red Dwarf!

Huzzah!

3. Blake Powers - September 21, 2008

it’s amazing how long sci-fi sundays are… Good job TrekMovie team…. When are you going to start selling T-shirts? I need one for the opening of the movie.

4. sean - September 21, 2008

Should we start taking bets on how long it will take for Knight Rider to be cancelled? That TV movie was AWFUL. I don’t even know how they managed to get a series greenlit.

Nice to see TNG is still doing well, 14 years on.

5. Brett Campbell - September 21, 2008

Seth Rogen is playing the Green Hornet?! There goes my childhood.

And “Clone Wars” is airing on Comedy Central?! Well, perhaps that’s about right.

Also, is it me, or does Jennifer Love Hewitt wear enough mascara to tarmac a runway? Pretty woman, but easy does it on the make-up (I side with Lt. Kevin Riley on that issue).

6. Captain Pike - September 21, 2008

Alot to wade through in this report. Interesting that people should be talk of a sequel to Watchmen the film when the releasse is still months away. And original graphic novel / miniseries narrative hasn’t been touched in 20 years. I can confirm that the sets are still standing here in Vancouver, so who knows. It would sure make Alan Moore apoplectic. But the Watchmen were not really his characters to begin with – they were just his spin on the old Charlton comic characters from the 70s.

7. boJac - September 21, 2008

The Clone Wars on Comedy Central?

I knew having a whole series based on that terrible movie was just a joke!

Now, a story like The Force Unleashed, THAT would be a good Star Wars series. The upcoming live action series better be just like it. Complete with Sam Witwer cameos and a whole lotta Imperial subjugation.

8. SirMartman - September 21, 2008

It will be interesting to see abit more of “Red Dwarf”

That was dam funny

:-D

9. Thomas - September 21, 2008

I clicked the link to the Times Online story about Russell T. Davies, and it mentions that Dennis Hopper was interested in appearing on Doctor Who. The article doesn’t go into any more detail than that, but I thought that sounded interesting. Offbeat, yes, but it could be really good if handled properly.

10. The Last Maquis - September 21, 2008

what the Smeg?

11. Spock with a Crowbar - September 21, 2008

#6, “just his spin?!!”

Whether or not Moore wants to support movies being made out of something intended only for the comics medium is his own business. Please don’t presume to belittle his involvement in the creation of one of the single most original (and widely imitated) works of fiction ever created.

12. Odkin - September 21, 2008

I grieve for Will Eisner. The Spirit could be so good, and Frank Miller appears to have brought his usual perverse ruination.

13. Buckaroohawk - September 21, 2008

I’m very interested in seeing Frank Miller’s “The Spirit,” as the Will Eisner character has always been a favorite of mine, but I wish they hadn’t gone with a black suit. In the comics, Spirit always wore a (very) bold blue suit. I can understand them not wanting the suit as bright as it appeared in the comics, so why not go for a dark navy, or even royal blue instead?

14. MiniKirk - September 21, 2008

Can’t wait for the new Red Dwarf. Going to rock. You should have mentioned the new Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy novel, due to be done next year, called “…And Another Thing” by the guy who wrote “Artemis Fowl”

15. The Enterprise - September 22, 2008

I’ve seen some of Spaceballs – it can be easily found on Youtube – man it sucks.

16. SirMartman - September 22, 2008

If you take the time to watch the hole movie,,and not just a clip or two while surfing youtube,,,
your bound to understand Mel Brooks power of the Schwartz !

“Comb the desert,,, do you hear me,,I want you to,,comb,,the,,desert !!

17. The Underpants Monster - September 22, 2008

Looking forward to heroes. By “development” for Kristin Bell’s character, I hope them mean they’re going to try to make her less of an annoying insane pixie with a screeching voice and Disney-villain delivery. “I’s cwazy, put I’s PERKY! And Sexy! Wook at widdle eviw Betty Boop!” But I probably hope in vain. Even if one believes she’s good at that style of acting, it’s just too incongruous with the rest of the show.

I’ve been hearing rumors about a new version of “V.” I was way into that back in the day.

18. Spectre_7 - September 22, 2008

WOW! Keanu Reeves movie looks amazing, love any believeable well-made sci-fi movie with a huge scope, especially Earth Disaster ones :)

On another note: Megan Fox is a hot dumb broad… the best kind :P

19. Derf - September 22, 2008

#4 – Knight Rider – I concur.

Perhaps they are thinking they can get some scenes of a drunk Hasselhoff eating hamburgers off the floor of his condo? “Knight Rider Swap”? “So You Think You Are Smarter Than A Washed Up 80’s Action Star”? Lots of possibilities there.

20. Daoud - September 22, 2008

Stargate Universe sounds like Wormhole Extreme.

That’s not a good thing.

Seems to have zero continuity from the previous series, although I know the stuck spaceship format is different. Is offering the lead to Joe Flanigan out of the question? After his experiences in Pegasus, I could completely see his character of John Sheppard (who we’d have SEEN earn the Colonel rank)… or even Ben Browder’s similar Cam Mitchell in the lead. Because what the hell “major star” that’s more major than that are they really going to draw to this project?

I hope they think this way: replacing Ingram with McKay was one of their few good moves with Atlantis.

Then again, it seems this new show is really:
“Stargate: Space Cases”
“Stargate Academy”
or
“Stargate 90210″, you pick’em.

21. Captain Pike - September 22, 2008

Stargate Universe does not sound good to me. Lost is Space meets Star Trek: Voyager.
If I ran circus I’d have gone for an anthology series set at Stargate Command. Use the existing sets/props/costumes and whatever returning actors and guest stars you want.
I wish them success – I really do – but SG:U looks like a train wreck waiting to happen.

22. trekkiefan16 - September 22, 2008

#20 LOL Stargate 90210

Looking at all those 20-25 tells me they are trying to compete with Gossip Girl/90210 etc. I wish they would consider a few good actors in their 30’s and 40’s and 50’s as well. I loved Don Davis as General Hammond and
the actors that played Jacob Carter/Salmak and Bratak. I thought they added alot of depth and character into the series.

I wonder who their lead will be since they specificed “Star Names Only”

23. Andy Patterson - September 22, 2008

“…. the brother-against-brother relationship and dealing in the world of the gods–I think that would be a more interesting movie to introduce Thor instead of throwing him down here in the real world.”

Absolutely. No question. DJ Caruso…you go. That’s the only way to go. Just crack open a Kirby era Thor comic and there you go. It’s a set designer, CGI artist, and costumer’s dream. The blueprint is all there. Just go with it and make it right.

And by the way…you’ve got to have the melo-dramatic, fake biblical talk. That’s the only way to do it right. It could be soooo good.

24. Spock with a Crowbar - September 22, 2008

12,
“I grieve for Will Eisner. The Spirit could be so good, and Frank Miller appears to have brought his usual perverse ruination.”

I couldn’t have said it better.

I’ve been saying much the same in more detail and with fouler language on other boards. Miller knew Eisner did not want a film (especially this kind of film) about his most cherished character. While I retain much respect for who Miller used to be as an artist, I have nought but disappointment and disgust for what he’s doing to Eisner’s Spirit (double meaning there).

25. Energize - September 22, 2008

You guys forgot about Max Payne – the trailer looks awesome.

26. Danpaine - September 22, 2008

“The cast for SCI FI Channel’s upcoming “Children of the Corn” remake has been set. David Anders, Kandyse McClure, Preston Bailey and Daniel Newman have all boarded the two-hour TV movie.”

Never heard of any of these actors, but more importantly, why does SCI FI insist upon creating such CRAP? And why remake this mess?

27. Energize - September 22, 2008

Kandyse McClure plays Dee on Battlestar Galactica.

28. PAL - September 22, 2008

THE GREE HORNET SCRIPT REVIEW ACTUALLY A GREENLANTERN STORY

29. Dr. Image - September 22, 2008

Red Dwarf series 7 was its absolute peak. Series 8 was its low point.
Hopefully, the boys can recapture the magic.

30. Kirk's Revenge - September 22, 2008

Judging from the trailer, the Spirit movie looks downright confusing. I think I’ll just go back and read my old comics and pretend this flick never happened.

On a side note, DC started a new run of Spirit comics a couple of years ago by Darwyn Cooke. They’re really quite good, and they bring the character into the 21st Century without losing Eisner’s original design. Too bad Miller couldn’t do the same. :(

31. Cervantes - September 23, 2008

Another great round-up in general.

I hope that any director that gets the ‘Thor’ Movie has some of D.J.Caruso’s sensibilities towards the material. Someone somewhere said that this should be the ‘Lord of the Rings’ of ’superhero’ franchises, and I like the sound of that. Hopefully we’ll get a reasonable amount of his homeworld ‘Asgard’ in future, and that this gets a good creative team with a reasonable budget. As #23 said, the Jack Kirby work is a ready-made blueprint, and with a reasonably ’serious tone’ this could be fantastic.

‘Day the Earth Stood Still’ is ‘looking’ good so far, and I’ve higher hopes for this remake now. Fingers crossed, as the original got so much right to begin with…. I certainly hope the score is as memorable, and that the new Gort design is impressive.

Unbelievable figures for Tobey McGuire! I was never keen on his casting, as he always seemed to just be a sort of ‘younger-looking’ Sam Raimi to me…. After their last shambolic outing, I hope this team can get back on track a bit.

#9 Thomas – Dennis would make a great ‘Master’….

32. Cervantes - September 23, 2008

Aaargh, I seem to have made Tobey an honourary Scotsman!

That should have been Maguire NOT McGuire! :(
My point still stands however….

33. Lord Garth, Master of the Universe - September 23, 2008

Really can’t wait for TF2.

I’m probably the only one who can only think of a certain episode of Fullmetal Alchemist when I see “Warehouse 13″.


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