Sci-Fi Saturday: Forbidden Planet, Robocop, Batman, Superman, Doctor Who, Dollhouse, Stargate, + more November 1, 2008
by Rosario T. Calabria , Filed under: Sci-Fi , trackback
In the world of genre movies there is remake news for Robocop and the classic Forbidden Planet, and we have updates on the next installments for the Batman, Superman and Spider-man franchises. In the world of genre TV there is big news for Doctor Who, an update on Whedon’s Dollhouse problems, the new Stargate show, the premiere of a new show featuring Trek vets and more. Plus the usual pics and vids!
MOVIE NEWS
JMS To Write Forbidden Planet Remake
"Babylon 5" creator/writer J. Michael Straczynski has been signed by Warner Bros. to write the long-in-development update to the Sci-Fi classic "Forbidden Planet", according to THR. The original film was released in 1956 and told the story of an expedition sent from Earth to check on a colony of scientists on a far-off planet. Joel Silver is producing the project. Gene Roddenberry acknowledged that the Original Forbidden Planet was one of the inspirations for his Star Trek and for his part Straczynski is a Trek fan who even pitched an idea to Paramount for a Star Trek TV series a few years back. For Trek fans and sci-fi fans, this will be a project we will be keeping an eye on.
Forbidden Planet coming back via JMS
Nolan’s Waiting for a Good Batman Story
The LA Times conducted an extensive interview–click for: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3–with Christopher Nolan, in which the "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight" director discussed why he isn’t sure he’d make a third Batman movie, his thoughts on the critical and box office success of "The Dark Knight", his favorite scenes and more.
LA Times: Could you see actually yourself not making the third Batman film?
Christopher Nolan: Well … let me think how to put this. There are two things to be said. One is the emphasis on story. What’s the story? Is there a story that’s going to keep me emotionally invested for the couple of years that it will take to make another one? That’s the overriding question. On a more superficial level, I have to ask the question: How many good third movies in a franchise can people name? [Laughs.] At the same time, in taking on the second one, we had the challenge of trying to make a great second movie, and there haven’t been too many of those either. It’s all about the story really. If the story is there, everything is possible. I hope that was a suitably slippery answer.
Nolan also talked about how he was mystified by the film’s success: "It’s terrific but at the same time it’s a little abstract, the numbers are so big…We were all pretty happy with the performance of the first film but so we really didn’t know, “Where does it go from there?” For it to become such a phenomenon is extraordinarily gratifying. And finally, Nolan said that he doesn’t like the idea of any superhero crossover within the Batman universe:
“I don’t think our Batman, our Gotham, lends itself to that kind of cross-fertilization. It goes back to one of the first things we wrangled with when we first started putting the story together: Is this a world in which comic books already exist? Is this a world in which superheroes already exist? If you think of “Batman Begins” and you think of the philosophy of this character trying to reinvent himself as a symbol, we took the position — we didn’t address it directly in the film, but we did take the position philosophically — that superheroes simply don’t exist.
David Lindsay-Abaire to Write Spider-Man 4
David Lindsay-Abaire, who won a Pulitzer prize in 2007 for his drama "Rabbit Hole", is in final negotiations with Columbia to write "Spider-Man 4". THR also reports that Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire are back as director and star and that Kirsten Dunst is also expected to return. Plot details are still unknown and it’s unclear if Lindsay-Abaire will be writing a new draft, or simply rewriting James Vanderbilt’s previous draft.
Mark Millar Opens Up About His 8-Hour Superman Epic
In an interview with Empire magazine, comic-book writer Mark Millar talked about how he wants to create an epic 8-hour story that would follow the entire life of Kal-El. The story would begin with his birth on Krypton a thousand years ago and follow through until he is the last being on Earth.
Mark has been working closely with a ‘big-Hollywood action director’ – who he refuses to name at this stage – on a pitch for what he is calling the Magnum Opus of Superman stories. His idea is for an 8-hour saga, split into 3 films to be released a year apart, in a Lord of the Rings fashion. Although several other sources have reported similar conversations with Mark, he went into further detail, fleshing out the story arc a little more.
Millar claimed that the story would “be like Michael Corleone in the Godfather films, the entire story from beginning to end, you see where he starts, how he becomes who he becomes, and where that takes him. The Dark Knight showed you can take a comic book property and make a serious film, and I think the studios are ready to listen to bigger ideas now.”
McG Talks Terminator Salvation
Before principal photography for “Terminator Salvation” (May 22, 2009) ended, Premiere Magazine visited the set and spoke to director McG about the film:
"The interesting thing about this movie is that Connor comes to be under suspicion. Command will look at him and say, ‘How come you keep coming through these things alive? And you know so much about the machines? What is that all about?’ And they point a finger at him while the audience is realizing…" and here McG’s voice is raised to an indignant shout: "… that is fucking John Connor! If anybody is on the side of humanity, it is this guy!’ One thing I learned from Amy Pascal at Sony," he muses, "is make sure your hero deserves all the credit in the world and gets none. And that is John Connor."
McG also told Premiere how the film begins (SPOILERS courtesy io9):
John Connor runs up and jumps in his helicopter. He thinks there’s a pilot in there, but the pilot is dead with a gunshot wound to the head, thanks to a Terminator. Connor takes the controls of the helicopter and takes off, just as the communication outpost explodes below. It implodes before it explodes, like in a 1960s nuclear test film. The shock wave hits the helicopter, which goes into a flat spin. But Connor finally manages to land it.
The camera stays on Connor in his cockpit, and follows him as he crawls out of the crashed bird. "We shift to a steadicam and go with him, arch around until we see the body of the cloud of the explosion behind him, and we register his grief. But before he can do anything about it, he is interrupted by the hand of the Terminator which he landed on on the way in." And then Connor fights the Terminator, in a scene that mirrors his mom’s fight against a Terminator at the end of the first movie. He finally destroys the Terminator with a machine gun.
Downey and Cheadle Sign on for Iron Man 2 and The Avengers
Marvel Studios has made it official. Not only will Don Cheadle be replacing Terrence Howard as Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes, but he and Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man) have been signed on to both "Iron Man 2" (May 7, 2010) and "The Avengers" (July 11, 2011). Additionally, Downey Jr. was also signed for "Iron Man 3". The studio has also confirmed that Jon Favreau will serve as executive producer for "The Avengers". Click here to read the full press release. There’s also a bit more news on the Terrence Howard replacement situation. According to Entertainment Weekly, when "Iron Man" was first coming together, Howard was the first actor signed on for the project. That made him the highest paid actor; above Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow and even Robert Downey Jr. EW sources say that "Favreau and his producers were ultimately unhappy with Howard’s performance, and spent a lot of time cutting and reshooting his scenes." When it came time to begin work on the "Iron Man 2" script, Rhodes’ role was minimized, resulting in Marvel going to Howard’s agents with a "drastically reduced offer" somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 to 80 percent lower than the first film. That obviously didn’t go well with Howard and his people, resulting in the re-casting.
Aronofsky Talks About RoboCop Remake
Darren Aronofsky has confirmed that his new "Robocop" film will not be a sequel. The director told Empire Magazine that the reboot will be "…[a] real reinvention… Me and David Self are working on the screenplay. He’s a great, great writer and we’re trying to do something new and fresh." Aronofsky also hinted at a cameo from the original Murphy, Peter Weller:
“There’ll be…” he started to say, before Prime Directive 4 (“classified”) kicked in and moved him onto safer, vaguer ground. “I’m a big fan of the original. It still holds up as an amazing film, and I think it’s more just looking at that same type of material in the 21st century and seeing where it leads us.”
NEW IMAGES
Angels & Demons
Drag Me to Hell (more here)
Fanboys (more here)
Friday the 13th
Kick-Ass
My Name Is Bruce
Push (more here)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Soundwave Satellite and Truck with Ravage Concept Art)
Twilight (more here)
NEW VIDEOS
Angels & Demons
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Dragonball
Friday the 13th
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
MOVIE BITES
- Principal photography for "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" has wrapped. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on June 26, 2009. [Michael Bay]
- Essential Pictures is developing a potential franchise based on "Outlander", the Diana Gabaldon series of fantasy novels. The six novel series is centered on an 18th century Scottish Highlander and his time-traveling wife. [Variety]
- Warner Bros. has acquired the film rights to the Japanese action thriller anime "Ninja Scroll". [Variety]
- Sam Mended will be directing a big-screen adaptation of the supernatural graphic novel "Preacher" for Columbia Pictures. [Variety]
- French director Pascal Laugier is in final negotiations to write and direct a remake of "Hellraiser" for Dimension Films. [THR]
- The Weinstein Co. is pushing back the release of its long-delalyed "Star Wars"-themed comedy "Fanboys"–which was suppose to finally be released this November–to February 6, 2009 so they can “so [they] can do a major promotion with Comcast, who’s arranging for a big advertising tie-in for us on the film.” [LA Times]
- Someone’s seen and reviewed the new "Dragonball" movie. [AICN]
- Christopher Lee and Alan Rickman have been added to the cast of Tim Burton’s "Alice in Wonderland". Lee’s role is unknown, while Rickman will play the hookah-smoking caterpillar. Eleanor Thompson has also been added to the cast and will star as Fiona Chataway, a friend of Alice created by Burton for his adaptation. [Digital Spy]
TV NEWS
David Tennant Leaving Doctor Who After 2009 Specials
BBC has confirmed that David Tennant, the second Doctor in the networks revival of the hit sci-fi series "Doctor Who", will be leaving the series after the 2009 specials. Here’s what Tennant said after winning the outstanding drama performance award at the National Television Awards:
“When Doctor Who returns in 2010 it won’t be with me,” he said.
“Now don’t make me cry,” he added. “I love this part, and I love this show so much that if I don’t take a deep breath and move on now I never will, and you’ll be wheeling me out of the Tardis in my bath chair.”‘I’ll miss it’
Russel T. Davies, who’ll be stepping down as showrunner when the fifth season returns in 2010, had the following to say about decision:
“I’ve been lucky and honoured to work with David over the past few years – and it’s not over yet, the Tenth Doctor still has five spectacular hours left!
“After which, I might drop an anvil on his head. Or maybe a piano. A radioactive piano. But we’re planning the most enormous and spectacular ending, so keep watching.”
And finally, in an interview with BBC, Tennant said that he felt three years was "about the right time" to play the role: “I think it’s better to go when there’s a chance that people might miss you, rather than to hang around and outstay your welcome,” he said. Watch the interview below.
Whedon Acknowledges Dollhouse Problems; Says Worst is Over
In a post at over at Whedonesque, “Dollhouse” creator Joss Whedon acknowledged that there have in fact been problems behind the scenes, but says that the worst is over:
Yes, we’ve had to make adjustments. Yes, it’s been hard and I’ve been depressing to be around for awhile. Basically, the Network and I had different ideas about what the tone of the show would be. They bought something somewhat different than what I was selling them, which is not that uncommon in this business. Their desires were not surprising: up the stakes, make the episodes more stand-alone, stop talking about relationships and cut to the chase. Oh, and add a chase. That you can cut to. Nothing I hadn’t heard before on my other shows (apparently my learning curve has no bendy part) but frustrating as hell given our circumstances – a pilot shot, scripts written, everybody marching together/gainfully employed… and then a shutdown. Glad I was for the breathing room, but it’s hardly auspicious. So back into the writer cave I went, wondering why I put up with this when I can make literally dozens of dollars making internet movies.
In terms of what’s been altered, here’s what Whedon had to say:
As for what’s been changed, well, some things I obviously can’t tell you. Some I can, for the record: The original pilot was in fact thrown out. Again, at my behest. Once it became clear what paradigm the Network was shooting for, it just didn’t fit at all, even after I’d reshot more than half of it (see above re: despair). To get a sense of how completely turned around I was during this process, you should know there was a scene with Eliza and the astonishing Ashley Johnson that I wrote and shot completely differently three different times, with different characters in different places (actually I wrote it closer to eight times), and none of it will ever see air. Which is as it should be (though I’m determined to get Ms. Johnson back in the future).
Click here to read the rest of the post. “Dollhouse” is still scheduled to premiere on Fox in January 2009.
Stargate Universe Updates
There are a couple new items to report about the SCI FI Channel’s upcoming ‘Stargate’ spinoff "Stargate Universe". According to SCI FI Wire, executive producers Brad Wright and Robert Cooper are planning on delivering a first draft of the pilot script by the end of the year. Here are some other bits of news:
- We’re told that work on the script started after a major creative meeting last month between SCI FI executives and representatives from the show’s producer, MGM, where the two companies discussed and agreed on the overall creative direction of the show.
- We learned this week that producers have already pitched some initial episode ideas and that preliminary concept art was Fed-Exed from MGM offices in Vancouver, Canada, to SCI FI’s development team in Los Angeles.
- MGM and SCI FI have already begun batting around casting ideas for Universe, although they haven’t shared information about what the roles will be or which actors are being considered. Yet.
Production on "Stargate Universe" is scheduled to begin in early 2009, with the two-hour premiere set to premiere next summer.
Legend of the Seeker Premieres This Weekend; Reviews Mixed
The Sam Raimi-produced
fantasy series "Legend of the Seeker", based on the Terry Goodkind novel "Wizard’s First Rule", premieres in syndication this weekend and reviews are mostly on the poor side. The show also features writers Mike Sussman, John Shiban and Ken Biller from Star Trek days.
Here are some review excerpts, courtesy AICN:
Newsday
… Raimi and Tapert have sleepwalked through the pilot. Viewers can only hope they awaken during the next 20 or so episodes. …The LA Times
… the series’ two-hour opening is a bit of a goulash of "Star Wars," the Arthurian legends, "Superman" and the Bible. … It is, basically, good-looking fun, and if I say that much of this might have been written by a 12-year-old, you must understand that I mean that as a good thing. …Variety
… There’s nothing howlingly bad here (except perhaps for a few of the supporting performances), but nothing particularly distinctive, either. Rather, "Legend of the Seeker" feels like a hodgepodge of better sci-fi/fantasy fare, including slow-motion action sequences that looked way-cool in "300" and this time around merely feel like a cheap way of ensuring nobody gets clipped by an errant sword. …
Check your local listings to find time and channel information (the show will air in most markets on Saturday or Sunday night). SCI FI Wire has a few interviews/Q&A’s up which you can check out here and here.
TV IMAGES
Eleventh Hour (more here)
Fringe (more here)
Heroes (more here)
Knight Rider (more here)
Life on Mars (more here and here)
Smallville (more here and here)
Stargate Atlantis (more here)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (more here and here)
TV VIDEOS
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Heroes
Primeval
TV BITE
- As work comes to a close on the fourth and final (for now) straight-to-video "Futurama" film ‘Into the Wild Green Yonder’ (Tuesday, November 4, 2008), co-creator David X. Cohen says that he remains hopeful that the show may return as a weekly series, a feature film or another DVD film: "Hope never dies on Futurama, or not anymore," Cohen said. [SCI FI Wire]
MISC IMAGES
G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra (possible Solid Snake bike pics–details here)
Iron Man (Pumpkin–details here)
MISC VIDEOS
South Park ("Cloverfield" spoof)
Star Wars: Clone Wars – Lightsaber Duels (Nintendo Wii)
MISC BITE
- Blizzard Entertainment has announced that their subscriber base for "World of Warcraft" has surpassed an impressive 11 million players worldwide. The game premiered nearly 4 years ago, on November 23, 2004. [via SCI FI Wire]
SCI-FI RATINGS
|
Top 10 SF&F Broadcast Shows |
HH Rating |
|
1) |
7.5 |
|
2) Eleventh Hour |
7.2 |
|
3) Ghost Whisperer |
6.3 |
|
4) Heroes |
5.0 |
|
5) Knight Rider |
4.2 |
| 6) The Ex List |
3.9 |
| 7) Chuck | 3.7 |
| 8) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | 3.6 (5.73M) |
| 9) Pushing Daisies | 3.6 (5.50M) |
|
10) Smallville |
2.6 |
10/6/2008 to
10/12/2008 – Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire
|
Top 10 SF&F Syndicated Shows |
HH Rating |
|
1) Lost |
1.2 |
|
2) Star Trek |
0.8 |
|
3) The Dead Zone |
0.6 |
|
4) Stargate Atlantis |
0.5 |
10/6/2008 to
10/12/2008 – Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire
|
Top 10 SCI FI CHANNEL Shows |
HH Rating |
|
1) Ghost Hunters |
2.0 |
|
2) Sanctuary |
1.6 |
|
3) |
1.5 |
|
4) |
1.4 |
|
5) |
1.2 |
|
|
1.2 |
|
|
1.2 |
|
8) Swamp Devil |
1.1 |
|
9) Needful Things |
1.0 |
|
10) Never Cry Werewolf |
0.9 |
10/6/2008 to
10/12/2008 – Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire
Loading ...
Comments»
Fanboys looks cool
Their going to write the long-in-development update to the Sci-Fi classic “Forbidden Planet”
so,,is that Forbidden Planet part 2 ?
hmmm,,,
I’ll keep my scifi eye on that one
:-D
o no…stargate universe is gonna SUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKKK…
and please tell me theyre gonna get a guy we’ve heard of to replace david tennant as the doctor..maybe dominic keating or ANYONE GOOD…
ADD-ON: patrick stewart said he wanted to join the show…PATRICK STEWART AS THE NEXT DOCTOR—P.S.–MARINA SIRTIS ALSO SAID SHE WANTS TO BE PART OF THE SHOW…IMAGINE THIS–PATRICK STEWART AS THE DOCTOR WITH MARINA SIRTIS AS HIS COMPANION :)
Now we can expect to see some cool transformers stuff now that shooting has wrapped. I can’t wait for the FX in this one!
Heroes pics aren’t showing up. :(
Did anyone watch that Ghost Hunters Live show last night. Six hours of complete boredom.
question anybody else looking forward to the new Friday the 13th? I know i cant wait considering JASON ROCKS and its out on my bday woohoo
Ok, this is outta left field a bit, but I wanted to say this…
I currently live in a smallish southern town in Texas with one mall (I work there). Not exactly an epicenter of Trekkers. But on Halloween I dressed as Cdr. Riker (I have a beard). People’s reaction was way better than I expected. I got the vulcan salute from lots of people, even ones you wouldn’t expect to get them from. Most people called me Kirk, Spock or Scotty, or just smiled and said “Hey, Star Trek” or “Beam Me Up”, etc. One guy even said “Captain Kirk, now that’s what’s up”.
Everybody reading this knows these people had the wrong generation characters in mind, but I thought it was cool that so many people still have it in their minds at all. Again, there aren’t a lot of trekkers here.
This all leads me to believe that the new movie may do better than expected. When you’re dressed as Riker, but they only remember Kirk, Spock and Scotty, it just shows you how deep Star Trek is embedded in people.
Just something I wanted to share with you all. If people where I live remember, then that’s a good sign.
They won’t cast anyone Stewart’s age as the Doctor on the new DW. Thank God.
Yeah, cause there’s never been any old dudes on that show.
#3 – HSIV
“o no…stargate universe is gonna SUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKKK…”
Bite your tongue. How the heck do you figure that?
As far as I’m concerned, the team running Stargate has not let us down yet, and I don’t expect them to start any time soon. (Though, I admit, I don’t see why Atlantis couldn’t have run for another season or two….)
That idea for the Superman reboot stinks.
#7
I totally agree with you. I only watched it for about 30 seconds, and I thought “WTF is this?”.
#12 – True enough, they haven’t let me down yet either, although I was a much bigger fan of SG1 than Atlantis.
At the same time, it’s just too much fun calling it “Stargate 90210″ until next summer :p
Will Fanboys come out so we can stop talking about it?!
A “Hellraiser” remake? Already? I wonder how Clive Barker feels about that? Maybe there should be a law that a film must be at least thirty or forty years old before some other “auteur” thinks they can do a better or more interesting job than the original director or creator or writer (Mr. Barker having filled all three roles in this case). C’mon, Hollywood. You can do better. Or can you?
There are a few sci-fi films that really don’t cry out for re-making. I would count “Forbidden Planet” among them. (Along with “Them!” and “The Day The Earth Stood Still” – I’m incredibly leery of that one…”)
They are all deeply products of their time, and “modernizing” them I don’t believe can help.
Here’s a direct case in point: In the original DTESS, we’re told that Klaatu simply walked out of a secure facility and no one knows how he did it. In the video above, it appears we are shown EXACTLY how he did it. Why? We shouldn’t NEED to. This is exactly the sort of literalism that I think ruined the ill-fated “Twilight Zone” movie many years ago. They showed us things and answered questions that should have been left as mysteries.
With all of today’s film wizardy, the question is too often “How can we show that?” when it should be “Should we show that?”
Kristen Bell in a Leia slave outfit?! This IS the best movie EVER!
18
I totally agree on the 3 movies that should never be remade, with the 4th being the already released War of the Worlds Spielberg-Cruise travesty.
16., 19.
How many times has Fanboys’ release been delayed? I first heard about it over a year ago, maybe even closer to a year and a half. Also, they’re releasing it at a time when movie attendence traditionally takes a downturn after the holidays. Something tells me this movie is not going to do very well.
BTW, the LA Times blog says it’s coming in January. Anyway, marketing for Fanboys should start up fairly soon, if anyone is still interested.
The Fanboys film was finished almost three years ago, yet hasn’t seen the light of day.
No more original ideas Hollywood?
Ok… How bout remakes of the last 3 Star Wars movies?
Or the last four Trek movies?
I watched Forbidden Planet on TCM earlier today. It was my first viewing and I loved it. The film was able to rise above the trend of the “red scare” invader themes of the time. Not only was it the perfect fifties sci-fi flick with great action and set design, but the script also had some thought provoking ideas lifted from no less than Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
So, let’s leave the film in the fifties, a far off decade when originality still meant something. Besides, elements from that film have been incorporated (ahem, ripped-off) in countless movies (blasters, hyperdrive, a transporter like beaming room, etc.). Remaking Forbidden Planet is utterly pointless.
By the way, did anyone see the last Clone Wars episode?
I have to admit the show is turning into something interesting. “Rookies” surpassed my expectations. It was like watching old school Star Wars for 22 minutes.
There are enough movies and TV shows that have already been made and remade…too many, for that matter. Shut down Hollywood.
18 – I agree. “Planet of the Apes” was certainly a case in point. Also very much a film of its era — the height of Vietnam and the Cold War. Look at the travesty Tim Burton made of it with his much-hyped, so-called “re-imagining.”
Plus, there are numerous classic sci-fi novels that have never made it to celluloid and should: Sturgeon’s “More Than Human” or his “The Dreaming Jewels” or his “The Golden Helix.” Or Ellison’s “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream” (a short story, granted, but it could be turned into a feature — as was “A Boy and His Dog”– and “Mouth” would make a better film, if done right). What became of the talk a few years ago of Heinlein’s “Stanger in a Strange Land” making it to the screen? How about C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy? “Perelandra” if done right would be incredible on the screen.
Why remake Barker’s “Hellraiser” when his “The Damnation Game,” “Weaveworld” or “The Thief of Always” are there for the filming for the first time?
The list is a potentially lengthy one, and I am too tired at this hour to think of more titles. I regret to admit that I have yet to read “A Canticle for Liebowitz,” but I hear it is a wonderful book. Any thoughts from those who have read it as to whether it is “filmable”?
While not exactly one of his sci-fi novels, I have believed for years that Bradbury’s “Dandelion Wine” would make for a very beautiful and poignant film.
It’s sad that the suits at the studios won’t take risks with such source materials and give us cinematic versions of such classics and other works that have never been filmed but should be, in favor of trying to redo films that were mostly done right the first time.
There’s no want of excellent literary source material if Hollywood would just have the gumption, for a change, to give the people something new and not something the studio heads mistakenly believe will be successful just because people paid to see the original versions of such films years earlier.
for the love of shit weinsiein, release the goddamm movie!
#13 I agree
I’m about the biggest Superman fan I know, and I’m ashamed to say the newer ones seem to be kinda… ehhh
Forbidden Planet, 2010 (the origins story)
-We learn how Cmdr. John J. Adams first showed up on the C-57D lookin’ all buff in a black shirt and the crew just decided to make him captain (as soon as he ordered them to turn down the blinding bridge lights.)
-We learn how Morbius reimagined Robbie out of some recycled coke cans and the Belerephon’s sump pump.
-We learn that the invisible ID creature had a rough childhood because mom was a stripper and dad drank too much.
Yep, sign me up.
Wow! JMS and Forbidden Planet, that promises to be a terrific combination. JMS has the best SF credentials you could imagine. I expect an outstanding movie.
But despite all my enthusiasm for that project: can’t they come up with any original SF ideas any more?!
The Day the Earth Stood Still, Forbidden Planet, Star Trek, and what have you, these are all overarching classics which don’t need any remaking. But one really gets the impression Hollywood is too inflexible to scan through some newer SF literature for fresh ideas. Or are they unwilling to take a risk by taking on untried material? Why isn’t Niven’s Ringworld adapted for the screen, for example?
David Tenant quits: What a shame! He’s become a classic Doctor. I’d compare his Doctor only with Tom Baker’s 4th Doctor in popularity and quality. I’ll miss him!
- I like ROBOCOP very much …but i don’t think that a remake to this movie can be done….
Id prefer to see Nolan direct Bond 23 instead of Batman 3.…he’s stated hes a big bond fan and dosnt seem overly keen to do a third batman..so maybe we’ll have a rerun of what happened with Singer and X3? (unless he were to direct bond before batman)
Regarding Millers proposed Superman done Godfather style – arent Superman I and II generally considered ‘The Godfather’ of Superhero films? what with them being the first of the big screen big budget star studded serious superhero films that paved the way for todays (like GF I/II were the first real mafia films allowing the likes of Goodfellas etc to be made)…they were written by GF writer Puzo, star Brando (in a similar role to Don Corleone – i.e is the main father figure who dies and then passes it all one to his son who becomes the star) and pretty much show superman from beginning to end…plus like GF the first two are excellent but suffer a hugely disappointing part III… (either Superman III or Superman Returns – whichever you consider to be part III)
That said I did like Superman Returns and wouldn’t mind a ‘wrath of khan’ sequel with Routh and Singer (more action, no kid, recast Lois, brighter suit etc)…I know SR didn’t do well as expected at the BO but it still out grossed Batman Begins and look what the sequel to that has done!…. Warners is probably at a cross roads right now – sequel with singer, sequel with another director, or total reboot with Miller….maybe a drastic reboot is needed and Singers film could be considered a one off homage….Millers idea does sound impressive (I guess Millers trilogy would split the 3 parts of Superman The Movie over 3 films) …in which case theyd need a new superman as I couldn’t see them going with Routh for this…itd be like having Clooney for Batman Begins….(could keep the Williams theme to use at certain points though…although not all the time like in SR)…
or maybe they could go ahead with a sequel to SR…and keep Millers ideas for a reboot at some point in the future?
The end scene of Millers propsed scene it sounds like hes suggesting an almost Godfather III style end to superman there.
I could see Patrick Stewart taking over from Tennant for 1 year like the guy b4 Tennant…(in fact Stewarts already said he wants to be in Dr Who and is currently appearing with DT in Hamlet so we’ll see)
as for age – remember the first 3 doctors were all quite old…
biff
34: But I don’t think you can do an old Doctor any more. I personally wouldn’t mind Stewart or another older Doctor, but I guess the producers would not wanna do that. They want to attract a younger audience.
Of course that’s only my guess.
Damn it!! don’t Turn Ninja Scroll Into a F*%king live Action Movie ARRRG!!
Joss getting shafted again. Not surprised. What a shame.
Remake FP?? Why??? Re-doing TDTESS is wrong enough.
Boo to remaking Forbidden Planet. Come up with your own ideas, studio jerks!
What the heck? Is Stargate: Atlantis turning into The Sopranos?
I may be alone, but I’m really looking forward to Darren Aronofsky’s Robocop remake, if only because he’s a truly interesting guy and I could see him bringing his own ’serious’ aesthetic to it, much like Chris Nolan has with Batman.
That “Avengers” project has the potential to be real crap, I must say. I’ve always hated the thought of a movie where all the superheroes get together. It just…I think it reduces all of them, as characters. I agree with Nolan that it would be COMPLETELY inappropriate for his Batman to interact with any other superhero. No no no. Just wrong.
I had no idea that JMS had ever pitched a Star Trek series.
It’s not surprising that JMS would want to remake Forbidden Planet… as that movie served as major visual inspiration for the Great Machine located on the planet just below Babylon 5. Check out the first-season episodes “A Voice in the Wilderness” Parts One and Two to see what I mean. :-)
Remake Forbidden Planet?
Didn’t Roddenberry already do that back in 1966?
remake=rehash=retread=rerun=really bad idea!
I was totally against a remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, but damn if that trailer doesn’t make it look interesting.
And JMS doing Forbidden Planet? Why not, in this day and age of Holly wood, everything old is new again…for better or worse.
31. “Wow! JMS and Forbidden Planet, that promises to be a terrific combination. JMS has the best SF credentials you could imagine. I expect an outstanding movie.”
Eh, B5’s middle years were excellent. Everything else of his has been mediocre. “Jeremiah” was pretty bad, and “Changeling” is boring (well-acted but slow moving.) “Forbidden Planet” could go either way.
45. Mr. Bob Dobalina… “I was totally against a remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, but damn if that trailer doesn’t make it look interesting.”
It looks like an abomination to me. The original story was about curbing human militaristic tendencies and making its point through non-violence, but this remake looks overloaded with explosions, gunfights, and mass mayhem. And yet another new trailer out that still has no reference to “Klaatu Borada Nikto”. Does this remake have anything at all to do with the original story, or did they just steal the title and the character’s names? I think I’ll pass on Keanu’s travesty and just pop in my copy of the original in my DVD player.
I think Colm Meaney would make a good Doctor. He’s got the hair to wink back at previous incarnations, and he’s got the right tongue-in-cheek attitude that the Doctor needs.
I personally think that Tennant and Eccleston both brought too much energy to the character, made them erratic and too excitable. After everything the Doctor has gone through (even that which we haven’t seen), I think he’d be a little more contemplative. Maybe not more careful, but definitely more somber. I mean, really, how would it change you to have destroyed an entire planet, even if it was the Dalek homeworld…
Other possibilities could be David Thewlis or Bill Nighy, unless we want to turn things around and export some Americans to Britain, for a change. In that case, I’d add Victor Garber or John deLancie.
Malcolm McDowell might make a good Doctor, as well.
Let the lists commence!
And I just watched the trailer for DAY. Doesn’t look anything like the original. They just took the title and the robot. Gort, at least, looks similar to the original.
But it begs the question: WHY?????
I think Hollywood is being run by people who are showing their age by deciding to bring back ideas/stories/movies/shows they were exposed to as kids and teens. It’s a classic case of trying to recapture youth by producing new versions of things they liked when they were young.
Of course, they forget that tastes change. Audiences are more savvy these days. Stories have to come first, and the accountants and marketing people running Hollywood just don’t get it anymore.
I have made a pledge that I will not buy The Dark Knight unless another Batman movie exists that follows it up and returns the smile to my face and the hope to my heart before things end. Batman is my childhood hero and the pain he suffered through the Dark Knight is not suitable for me. Nolan really should make a third movie called “The Caped Crusader”. I’m totally with J.J. on this! Dark, angry, ugly movies are a bad and lonely trend.
I never walked away from Batman depressed. Nolan owes it to me and all of the Batman fans, to give us back that warmth and hope before the curtain closes.
Just thought id mention this – it was Quinto who presented the best actor award to Tennant at the national TV awards on itv…tennant appeared via live video as he was in the middle of performing Hamlet…he mentioned at the end that he had to go get back to killing Patrick Stewart to which Quinto LOL…
so Spock comminicated with the doctor who was in the middle of offing Capt Picard!
Wonder if Quinto met with Stewart on the ST set?
Me again….Regarding Forbidden Planet – those grey uniforms dont look unlike some of those early shots we saw at the starfleet academy (the ‘imperial’ style grey uniforms with the cap)
FP is ALOT like TOS…the whole starship visiting an outpost with a crazy monster and scientist and the captain romancing the girl was seen in stuff like Cage and Requiem…The capt is abit like Kirk…the tone is similar to TOS and the backdrop of the planet looks like somethoing out of the pilots..and theres a kirk/bones thing going on with the Capt and Doc (who i think later appeared in TOS in By Any Other Name)
In fact FP could probably be worked into the star trek chronology as taking place pre Enterprise!
oh yeah and TOS practices Shakespeare just like FP…(Conscience of the King for one)
#49
Batman was always one of the darkest and most somber comic characters. His entire motivation in life is the senseless murder of his parents at the hands of a criminal. It’s never going to be smiles and sunshine (unless you let Joel Schumacher run amuck again). Batman will never get a parade.
Also, and this has been bothering me ever since the film was released – the ending was hopeful, not depressing. Batman proved himself a true hero by protecting the citizens as well as the memory of Harvey Dent. There’s a very obvious Christ analogy taking place there, with Batman assuming ‘the sins’ of the people as his own burden. Real heroes don’t always get recognition for what they do, but they keep doing it anyway. To me, that was the real message of the movie, and that’s a good message to get out there. We don’t do good deeds for recognition or because they’re easy – we do them because it’s right.
Why do they have to bother doing remake of some classic sci fi movies such as the Forbidden Planet, The Day Earth Still Stood and War of the Worlds while the movies are already classic? Look at the remake of War of the Worlds! IT BOMBED! I would not be surprised if the Day Earth Still Stood and the Forbidden Planet fails miserably in box offices.
I am always against the remake of classic movies.
@ #4, that couldnt be a worse lineup for Dr Who, I dont want to see Picard as the doctor and Sirtis, give me a break, troi is a really boring character, and she plays it really boring, she sounds boring in real life and she aint that pretty or young anymore (never was really).
#15
I do admit that the “SG 90210″ monniker is funny. ;D
Still, I will always have faith…until they let me down (which, of course, I don’t anticipate).
#33
Nolan doing Bond? I can’t think of a more fantastic idea!
It would be worth delaying a third Batman if he did Bond!
Yeah, cause we really want a 3 hour Bond that stands around and talks.
54 – not really a fan of remakes either…but WOTW did NOT bomb – $600m ww is not a bomb…i really liked it (ok the end wasnt that great but thats a Spielberg trait)…However i guess paramount expected Spielberg directing a Cruise starring war of the worlds would do something more along the lines of $800m..
looking fwd to TDTESS (for the star trek trailer more than anything) and id like to see a FP remake too…
32
A page outta my book, brother.
36 – yeah but think of all the SF fans who would tune into see Stewart as the Dr…the ratings would be emense…plus Stewart isnt adverse to doing SF on tv is he – TNG and more recently 11th Hour…plus hes been working flat out on stage for the past couple of years ..maybe hed like to get back onto tv..
itd be good to see him do one year just for a change from a young Dr…then get another younger guy to do it…
however its more likely Stewart would be just a guest star (perhaps in one of the 4 specials next year)
#53.
Batman’s realism and somber stories were always what drew me in, so I truly appreciate them. And I did understand The Dark Knight, all the way to the Christ analogies and the significance of this hero taking on the burden of the sins committed in order to save the people. I totally get all of it, and I loved the movie.
But I’ve never put down a Batman comic where one horrendous event after another had ripped through me… and had no comic to pick up afterwards that would see Batman through the difficulties. THAT’s what I’m saying.
If Nolan leaves us like this, I would rather just keep my Batman Begins alone on the shelf… because when that one ended, I was smiling, my hero was there and he would survive.
Right now I’m in a dark, ugly hole with Batman, and Nolan owes me a little sunlight.
Robocop is a terrific movie, even by today standards. The slow motion for ED-209 is totally acceptable, I don’t cry for CGI. This is a movie that doesn’t need a remake.
New teaser poster for Star Trek? It seems so:
http://www.greekgeek.de/
Joss Whedon makes great TV shows with action, character development and great writing. So why are the studios execs who know nothing meddling? His Dr Horribles Sing Along Blog was brilliant and made without studio interference. If Dollhouse fails, it will not be because of Joss but because of some guy sitting in an office who is making decisions about what he thinks I want. I trust Joss to figure out what I want, not some guy who probably never wrote a script in his life. Sad that someone as proven a talent as Joss has to deal with all this BS.
#62 “ED-209 is totally acceptable”
Actually, more effective than we all might think!
When Robocop first came out my son (then 6) and I went to see a *different* movie at a multiplex in North Hollywood, where he rounded a corner and came face-to-grill with a studio mock-up of Ed-209. It was just standing there, on display in the lobby. Scared the living bejeebers out of him!
Regarding Doctor Who…..
BRING BACK TOM BAKER!!
:D
Luckily, they did Iron Man, so there’s really no need for a Robocop remake.
Remake Forbidden Planet? Is Hollywood completely out of ideas?
List of some bad sci-fi remakes,
The Invasion
Planet of the Apes
House of Wax
War of the Worlds
Godzilla
The Stepford Wives
The Time Machine
What ’s next remake Close Encounters? Remake Star Wars (1977)? Remake Star Trek ii, The Wrath of Khan? STOP the madness!
Heh, they’ve been remaking TWOK for years now.
I thought Stewart was in talks for a recurring guest role.
Seems like a good idea to me.
They remade A NEW HOPE and called it THE PHANTOM MENACE.
And TWOK has been called Undiscovered Country, First Contact, and Nemesis.
I think Brett Ratner should remake 2001: A Space Odyssey with Zac Efron.
*runs away*
#66 – Agreed. And then take a look at how the special effects of today do not necessarily make for better storytelling. The masterful directors like Robert Wise (I’m thinking here of especially in the case of “The Haunting”) have the sense to let viewers draw inferences and engage their imaginations to be drawn deeper into the suspense and terror of the story .
The effects-laden remake did not produce a fraction of the genuine frisson generated in me by the original, which curled the hairs on the back of the neck in many scenes. And most of this was done by the power of suggestion from a well-crafted screenplay of a brilliant novel by Shirley Jackson.
The makers of the remake commit the same folly of so many of today’s horror and fantasy filmmakers: they go for gross-out for failure to produce chills. The remake takes Ms. Jackson at a pinch here and a dash there and afar from the fields she knew, and not necessarily in a good direction. Whereas the original is faithful to its source and the filmmakers trusted in the novelist’s ability to create fear through the implied horrors in the ways she crafted the tale and allowed the reader to the fill in the gaps with her or his imagination and mind’s eye.
Lovecraft worked on this principal of keeping the greater horrors off-stage, yet all the more terrifying for what is still implied in the main frame of the tale. “Jaws” worked on this principle. Will it’s inevitable remake with a CGI great white do the same? They’ll probably show too much of too often so that it eventually bores. “Alien” also worked on this principle of the power of suggestion even as it drew me in the pacing of the tale and the build-up of suspense and keeping the monster on-camera only so long as to reveal a little more of its menace it each time. The original “Psycho” also worked on this principle. The viewer’s imagination is engaged throughout each film until the full view — literally and metaphorically — of the monster (one human, one extraterrestial) is revealed briefly at the climax of the story. Sometimes less is more.
Previous post’s “should reads:” “…show too much of it too often…” and “… as it drew me in by the pacing of the tale and by the build-up of suspense and keeping the monster on-camera only so long as to reveal a little more of its menace it each time.”
So, anyway, sorry I forgot that “it” and that “by” and “by.” Bye-Bye.
#57
I guess we both saw a different ‘Dark Knight’.
COlonialOne-thanks for the heads up. Love the new poster!
60: Absolutely, Stewart would make a great Doctor, reminiscent of the first Doctor.
#63 ColonialOne
Not sure if that’s an ‘official’ poster or not, but at least it shows something approaching the original TOS ‘Star Trek’ typeface on it, which is far preferrable to me than the bland different version which has been showing up of late….
It’s not a big thing in the overall scheme of things, but the original TOS lettering *is* a detail that I would welcome in the design of this Movie.
I liked Babylon 5 for the stories but a lot of the scripting/acting/directing was crap. I hope JMS can do better with Forbidden Planet and wish him well.
Forbidden Planet is the one film I wish they’d leave the frakk alone.
#72 – “I think Brett Ratner should remake 2001: A Space Odyssey with Zac Efron.”
It would only work if “Gary Mitchell’s” character was made into a female and they cast Hannah Montana. Maybe the Jonas Brothers could write the soundtrack. Maybe that would signal the end of civizilization as we know it.
#70
Uhh, no. TUC was not a remake of TWOK. At all. And while First Contact may have contained shades of TWOK (someone from the Captain’s past, themes of revenge) it was hardly a remake either.
80.
You are mistaken. Nemesis was closely related to TWOK, not First Contact.
12 more days!!!!!!!!!
#62
Let’s be fair – ED209 looked bad when the movie came out. The California Raisins had better stop-motion effects. I’m not one to favor excessive use of CGI either, especially when it’s used as a crutch for bad storytelling, but let’s not give excessive credit to limited effects.
#81
Re-read what I wrote and get back to me.
I notice that the trailer was not released for Bond in the UK. Massive marketing mistake. It’s the biggest grossest movie in UK history. Thanks Paramount for once again shunning the UK when it comes to Star Trek, as usual.
oops meant grossing, not grossest. think halloween caught up with me
JMS writing Forbidden Planet?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
86
JMS writing Forbidden Planet?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
—–
Word, brotha! As much as I found to like about B5, his dialogue could really stink up the joint!
72
Hey Brett,…well written and well put.
66: And don’t forget Lost In Space. (OK, the original TV show was trash to begin with.)
Perhaps the LIS show can be considered “trash” to contemporary adults, but to this 5 year old in the late 60’s, it was my absolute favorite show and I still have a very warm and soft spot for it.
#94 Ooooh the pain. Doctor Zachary Smith is as great a character as any of the Star Trek characters past and present. Altho the movie version of him sucked!
94
I love it too. And the wall to wall John Williams music inside each episode had a lot of gems to offer.
Ohhh, GOD, did that Veronica Mars chick blossom into some little piece of ass!
Down, Boy, down!
92 – Andy, thank you. Very nice to hear, especially as I was exhausted when I wrote it and wasn’t sure if I had articulated coherently and cohesively or not. Thanks. Have a great evening.
Lost In Space was fun-to-watch, to be sure. But compare the stories to the stories in TOS.
RE: GIJoe: The Rise of Cobra pics…
If SOLID SNAKE is in the GIJoe movie…well, let’s just say I’ll be using my MASS Device on the production company with great malice! Surely that is a small typo and one meant to type “Snake Eyes” as the possible owner of that motorcycle?
One is a mute ninja commando from the seminal 1980’s cartoon/toy/comic book line…the other was a Rambo rip-off who found new life in the seminal 2000’s action video game line. Surely, we can keep them separate, no?