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Sci-Fi Sunday: Wolverine, Terminator, Transformers, Predators + Lost, Heroes, Fringe, Reaper + more April 26, 2009

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

We are just a week away from when Wolverine rips open the summer movie season and we have all the latest on that X-Men prequel. Also in our genre wrap-up we have news on Nimoy and Transformers, Arnie and Terminator, and much more for upcoming movies, including New Moon. In TV news, we have all the latest on the final episodes of the season for Heroes, Lost, Fringe, Reaper, Smallville, and more.

 

MOVIE NEWS

Leaked Wolverine Workprint Identical To Final Cut?
When the DVD-quality of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" leaked onto the internet last month, Fox said that it was an incomplete version in both actual content and audio/special effects.  Turns out, however, that’s actually not at all the case.  Ain’t It Cool News reports that with the exception of finished visual effects and other technical tweaks, the two versions are identical:

"It’s obvious that Fox is trying their darndest to keep this news from getting out, because it will eliminate most of the motivation for people who have seen the workprint to pay for a ticket."

In related news, producer Lauren Shuler Donner denied internet rumors that her husband, Richard Donner, had taken the directing duties on the film, although she does say that he has helped out in the process:

"I was making four movies at the same time last year, one in North Carolina, one in Los Angeles, one in New Orleans and one in Sydney, Australia, and I just could not do them all. I finally turned to him; there’s no better person to have come down and help out on this kind of movie than the director who did Superman…because he did come down, which was, I think, wonderful for Gavin."

Rounding out the week’s ‘Wolverine’ news, Fox has announced that Tempe, Arizona has won the contest to host the world premiere of the film (Monday, April 27th), edging out Davis, California.  Star Hugh Jackman will be hosting the event, along with a few of his "friends and enemies" from the film. And lastly, at a recent screening of the film director Gavin Hood told reporters that Fox has hidden multiple secret endings on different prints and theaters will be showing different versions. FirstShowing.net reports that the ending they saw was of the character Deadpool. It’s unclear how many secret endings there are.

Magneto Still Possible + Thoughts on ‘First Class’ and Constantine 2 On Track
Producer Lauren Shuler Donner told SCI FI Wire that whether or not 20th Century Fox moves forward with a "Magneto" prequel will depend, in part, on the success of ‘Wolverine’:

SCI FI Wire: What’s the latest on Magneto?

Shuler Donner: I don’t know. We have a great script. Honestly, we have all been just so focused on getting Wolverine out that we didn’t take the time to sit down and explore "What are the movies we’re going to do next within the genre?" We will do that. We will do that. We all want to. Magneto is a fantastic script, and hopefully we’ll make it. I don’t know.

Shuler Donner was also asked about what interests her in making "X-Men: First Class" into a franchise, to which she responded, "It’s action. There seems, to me, to be more humor, or more potential for humor. I really like that idea. The relationship … I don’t want to get into what the script is about, but it provides a bit of a lighter touch to the franchise."  And finally, Shuler Donner was also about the progress of "Constantine 2": "Looks very good. Thinking about it. Looking for a writer."

New TV Spot featuring voice-over by Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier)

Arnold Schwarzenegger Officially In Terminator Salvation…Sorta
We finally have confirmation that Arnold Schwarzenegger will be in McG’s "Terminator Salvation", but there’s a slight catch: it’ll be a digital-effects version.  According to Variety, the California Governor has been working with director McG and the effects team to reprise his role:

A body-cast mold of Schwarzenegger, created when he first appeared as the muscle-ripped cyborg, provided the basis for a digital-effects version of his famous character. The figure appears in "Terminator Salvation" as a living, breathing actor.

Variety adds that Schwarzenegger has viewed the resulting footage and gave his go-ahead just in time for McG to incorporate the footage into his cut.  Warner Brothers will screen the film in early May.  It hits theaters on May 21, 2009.  Rounding out this week’s coverage, here are few news bites:

• Warner Brothers has launched a new iPhone app called "Terminate Me", which as its title suggests, allows you to turn anyone into a damaged cyborg. [Terminate Me]
• And the studio also launched a Twitter game at Twitter.com/Resistance2018.  The goal of the game is to team up with fellow Twitter users to help in the fight against Skynet and the Terminators.  You earn points which in turns gets a higher position on the site’s leader board. [2018 Blog]

Transformers Interviews + Nimoy Open + Details for Trailer Screenings
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" co-writer Roberto Orci recently participated in a Q&A session with fans over at Transformers Live Action Movie Blog.  Here are some highlights:

• There will be "no shortage of robot time" in the film, they’ll be on screen longer than they were in the first movie
• Soundwave is summed up in one word: "Spy", and he’ll be "doing his own thing in the movie"
• Dinobots weren’t featured in this film, but that’s not to say they won’t show up in future installment’s

In related news, Leonard Nimoy told IESB that if director Michael Bay wants him to voice a character in the film, all he has to do is call.  Sticking with interviews, MTV has one with co-stars Ramon Rodriguez (who play’s Sam’s college roommate Leo Spitz) and Isabel Lucas, who plays Alice. Also, Paramount Pictures has announced that the new trailer for the film will premiere with select showings of "Transformers" on Wednesday, April 29th.  RSVP details can be seen in this image. And finally, you can check out another interview with Roberto Orci, joined by co-writer Alex Kurtzman, discussing the action and comedy in the film at SCI FI Wire and there are two new video interviews: one that director Michael Bay gave to TV Guide, and another of writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman at the Paley Festival.  Watch them both below.

Michael Bay TV Guide interview

Interview with Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman at the Paley Festival

Robert Downey Jr. on Iron Man 2
Robert Downy Jr. took a short break from filming on "Iron Man 2" to do press for his latest film "The Sololist", but still managed to answer some questions related to the upcoming Jon Favreau-directed sequel.  Collider participated in a roundtable interview with RDJ, and asked the actor to about the role Gary Shandling plays in the film:

"Day one I’m doing a Senate hearing where the government is saying the Iron Man tech needs to be turned over to the Senator and the Senator is Gary Shandling. And we had this fantastic day that was somehow this controlled chaos of a Senate hearing where I keep interrupting them and dah dah dah."

RDJ told Collider that he’s well aware of expectations from fans, and is taking the film "probably more seriously than any movie" he’s ever done.  For more, including RDJ’s thoughts on newcomers Mickey Rourke, — who he hasn’t worked with yet but has seen his stuff which he calls "remarkable" — Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson and Don Cheadle, head on over to Collider.

Sam Raimi On Spider Man 4; Meeting Soon With Kirsten Dunst
"Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi told reporters that he’ll be meeting with Kirsten Dunst soon, and hopes the actress agrees to reprise her role as Mary Jane Watson in "Spider-Man 4":

“I’m hoping that she is going to come aboard, and I’ve got a meeting coming up with her,” Raimi said in a group interview last week in Beverly Hills, Calif., where he was promoting his upcoming horror film Drag Me to Hell. “I think she would like to. But I don’t want to speak on behalf of her.”

Raimi also addressed questions pertaining to whether the film will take on a darker/edgier approach, ala "The Dark Knight" and "Watchmen":

“Whatever it is, I think will be a direct result of the best style to bring about our writer’s screenplay. And as soon as I read that, I will know what that is. Edgy could be a direction, but I don’t think it will be applied without really understanding the character’s journey from the inside out first and then figuring out the best way to bring that about.

…I hope we don’t react to these very good and sometimes bad superhero movies around us. I hope that we just [look] ever deeper into the truth of who Peter Parker really is—as a human being and the unique character, and that we celebrate that, which is a lot of the reason I want to make this next picture. I still believe I have an understanding of Peter Parker as the character that I have not quite put onto the screen yet."

Has TWC/Dimension Allowed Rights to Sin City 2 Lapse?
About three weeks ago IESB reported a rumor that The Weinstein Co./Dimension Films had allowed the film rights to "Sin City 2" to expire.  The report was debunked courtesy MTV, who received a statement from The Weinstein Co. attorney Bert Fields: “TWC’s rights to produce sequels to Sin City remain intact as they always have been. Any suggestion to the contrary is complete hogwash.”  But now THR is reporting a similar fate for the property, stating that rights to the Frank Miller sequel are being shopped around Hollywood "in what appears to be a sign that Dimension Films has lost rights to the property."  For their part, The Weinstein Co./Dimension Films continue to maintain that they hold the rights to any sequel.

Will Ferrell Talks Land of the Lost
Will Ferrell, who stars in this summer’s "Land of the Lost" with co-star Anna Friel, chatted with MTV News.  Here are some excerpts:

"It needed to have the key features of the show," Ferrell said. "The Sleestaks, the dinosaurs, the world that is kind of reminiscent. But at that same time we wanted to get away from the kitsch value and make the action and adventure part look real and then have the comedy play off that."

The article also notes that the movie keeps the original theme song, but instead of only three Sleestaks, the world will be filled with many more creatures:

"We decided — let’s not make the dinosaurs cute," director Brad Silberling explained. "Let’s make them lethal so that when you put the wrong people in the situation making really stupid decisions it’d be really funny.

"It’s an out-and-out comedy — at times psychedelic," he added. "It’s a real comedy adventure."

Head on over to MTV News to read more.

New Live-Action Turtles Headed To Big Screen in 2011
The Teenage Mutant Turtles are making a live-action return to the big screen.  Coinciding with the property’s 25th anniversary, The Mirage Group announced that they’re moving forward with a live-action film that will focus on the origins of the Turtles.  The studio is targeting a 2011 release date.  This will be the fifth big screen outing for the property, following 2007’s CG-animated "TMNT".

Predators Set for July 2010
20th Century Fox has officially announced that they are moving forward with a new installment in the "Predator" franchise, setting a July 7, 2010 release for "Predators".  Robert Rodriguez is attached, but only as a producer.  The studio has yet to hire a writer or director for the project, which Fox promises will be "a bold new chapter in the Predator universe."  Meanwhile, AICN has scored an exclusive chat with Rodriguez.  Here’s an excerpt:

"…What I’d like to do with it is expand on ideas I dreamt up back in the original treatment, that had really expanded on the universe both the Predators and other species live in. We’d create new otherworldly characters while not taking away from the draw our main Predator has. I think another reason I called it Predators was to mark it as a project that should be taken seriously by a filmmaker to make a worthy follow up to a classic, much in the way Cameron made Aliens a compelling work on its own, following Ridley Scott’s Alien."

Head on over to AICN to read the rest.

NEW IMAGES

Avatar

Images from the set — featured in latest issue of Empire Magazine [via MarketSaw]

H2 [Rob Zombie]

The Lovely Bones [USA Today and Empire]

Empire Magazine scans [more at Access-Saoirse]

The Time Traveler’s Wife [SCI FI Wire]

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

First look at Wolf Pack actors [USA Today]

NEW VIDEOS

G-Force

New trailer [HD Version]

H2

Teaser trailer [HD Version]

MOVIE BITES

• Universal Pictures has put "Bioshock" on hold, out of concern of the film’s budget ($160 million). “We were asked by Universal to move the film outside the U.S. to take advantage of a tax credit,” Verbinski said. “We are evaluating whether this is something we want to do. In the meantime, the film is in a holding pattern.” [Variety]
• David Slade has been tapped by Summit Entertainment to direct "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse".  The film hits theaters on June 30, 2010… [Summit Entertainment]
• …Meanwhile, planning on "Breaking Dawn", the fourth and final film in the Twilight saga, is reportedly already in the works, with production set to start in late spring 2010. [The Wrap]
• Disney will screen footage from the 3D Robert Zemeckis film "A Christmas Carol" at a press event at the Festival de Cannes on May 18th. [THR]
• Paramount Pictures has acquired the film rights to the Image Comics series "Lions, Tigers and Bears", from Mike Bullock.  Lorenzo di Bonaventura will produce the live-action film, which will be written by Joey Aucoin. [THR]
• Columbia Pictures has announced that they’re moving forward with "The Lost Symbol", based on author Dan Brown’s next novel (which will be published in the U.S. and Canada on September 15th). [Variety]
• Kevin Macdonald has been tapped to develop and direct a big-screen adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s 1955 novel "The End of Eternity". [Variety]
• The Warner Bros.-based horror label Dark Castle has acquired the film rights to the Devil Due’s graphic novel "The Nye Incidents". [Variety]
• "Wanted" co-creator Mark Millar told fans on his message board there’s no reason to be alarmed over the hire of "Winnie to Pooh" writer Evan Spiliotopoulos to script "Wanted 2". [MillarWorld]
• Producer Kevin Misher updates the status of the "Dune" reboot, saying that the script is being worked on and he and director Peter Berg are "hoping to get a green light shortly". [io9]
• Here are some release date changes: "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" moves from November 6, 2009 to November 13; "The Tooth Fairy" moves from November 13, 2009 to January 22, 2010, "Gulliver’s Travels" has been slated for June 4, 2010; "Alpha and Omega" moves from April 16, 2010 to October 1, 2010; "Cats and Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore" moves from November 20, 2009 to July 30, 2010 and finally, Zack Snyder’s "Guardians of Ga’Hoole 3D" has been delayed from July 30, 2010 to an undetermined Holiday date. [Dark Horizons]
• Robert Venditti, author of the sci-fi graphic novel "Surrogates", says that the upcoming film adaptation starring Bruce Willis will stay true to the key themes from the graphic novel. [SCI FI Wire]
• Check out interview with Chris Mintz-Plasse from the London set of "Kick-Ass" at HitFix.
• A January 2008 interview with director David Yates from the set of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" has been released. [SCI FI Wire]
• In addition to carrying over the extras from the DVD version, the upcoming Blu-ray release of "Ghostbusters" (June 16th) features new interviews with the cast, as well as a demo and making-of for the upcoming video game, plus a bonus featurette no the Ecto-1, as well as a picture-in-picture track.  Check out the cover art below. [SCI FI Wire]

CASTING BITES

• Kate Mara and Clark Gregg have joined the cast of Marvel Studios’ "Iron Man 2" from director Jon Favreau.  Mara’s role is being kept secret, while Gregg is returning as Agent Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. [THR]
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been added to the cast of Christopher Nolan’s original sci-fi film "Inception".  The actor will play an associate of star Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, and replaces James Franco, who had to bow out due to scheduling conflicts… [THR]
• …Also joining the film is Michael Caine, who says he has a "little part" in the project. [In Contention]
• Kellan Lutz, Thomas Dekker and Rooney Mara have all joined the cast of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" from director Samuel Bayer. Lutz is still in negotiations, but will play a popular school jock. They join Kyle Gallner and Jackie Earle Haley (Freddy Krueger). [THR]
• Richard Dreyfuss has been cast in director Alex Aja’s upcoming horror project "Piranha 3-D". [NY Post]
• Charlie Hunnam ("Sons of Anarchy") confirmed that he has screen-tested for the title role in Kenneth Branagh’s "Thor". [IGN]

TV NEWS

Promos of Flash Forward To Air During Lost’s 100th Episode
ABC has announced plans to market its new series "Flash Forward" during the 100th episode of "Lost" (Wednesday at 9:00pm).  The network says that viewers who tune in for the episode will be treated to various glimpses at "Flash Forward" (via THR Feed):

While questions from the dense mythology of Lost probably will be answered in the episode, the commercial breaks are sure to raise a host of new ones. Viewers will see perplexing snippets that might direct viewers to a Web site.

The mystery spots will in fact be for Flash. They are said to be part of an elaborate marketing campaign for the drama, which has not been officially picked up but is quietly being positioned on ABC’s schedule for next season. ABC has used several online Web sites to promote Lost over the years; sites designed to expand on various aspects of the the show’s complex mythology. 

Based on Robert J. Sawyer’s sci-fi novel, "Flash Forward" chronicles the aftermath of a global event in which everyone in the world blacks out for 2 minutes, 17 seconds and has a mysterious vision of the future. The project is headed by David S. Goyer ("Batman Begins", "The Dark Knight") and "Star Trek" veteran Brannon Braga. It stars Joseph Fiennes.

Cast and Crew of Fringe Reveal Season Finale Secrets
The cast and crew of the Fox drama "Fringe" were at the Paley Festival last week, here are some snippets of information they each provided (courtesy SCI FI Wire).  Anna Torv (FBI agent Oliva Dunham) says that by the season finale, her character’s secret powers will become more clear.  The actress also discussed her screen time with guest star Leonard Nimoy (who plays the mysterious William Bell), saying that her scene with him is calm yet threatening:

"That’s what’s kind of cool about working on Fringe, is everything seems kind of calm and lovely, but there’s always something going on underneath," Torv said. "Where she meets him is the cooler question, but I’m not saying any more." 

Meanwhile, Joshua Jackson (Peter Bishop) says that the season finale will confirm that while Peter was involved in some of Walter’s experiments, he was not part of the Cortexiphan experiments:

"There’s a piece of information that gets revealed about Peter at the end that tells you why I think that," Jackson said. "…It’s not something that Peter does. It’s something that happens around him, and he’s not even aware of, but the audience becomes aware of, and it sort of radically changes how you think about this guy." 

On that point, show runner and executive producer Jeff Pinkner says that a bigger question about Peter will be asked in the finale:

"’Is he Peter?’ is a good question," Pinkner said. "’Is there only one Peter?’ I think it’s really exciting. We knew the secret of Peter before the season started, and it’s been hinted at or sort of laid in in the architecture of the show since the pilot. We start to acknowledge to the audience what that secret is. He, Peter himself, will not learn the secret or one of the secrets at the end of this season, but we will."

Read more over at SCI FI Wire.  Also, check out a new interview with John Noble (Walter Bishop) over at TV Guide (via Fringe Television).

Promotional images from episode 18, "Midnight" [Fox]

More images from the episode: 1 || 2 || 3

Promotional images from episode 19, "The Road Not Taken" [Fox]

More images from the episode: 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5

Set images from the season finale, "There’s More Than One of Everything" [more at On Location Vacations via SpoilerTV]

Promo for episode 18, "Midnight"

Fox "Midnight" Scenemaker

Primeval Movie In the Works + Third Season Premieres May 16 on BBC America
BBC America has announced that Warner Brothers and Impossible Pictures are developing a feature film based on the hit British sci-fi series "Primeval", for release in 2010.  Additionally, the third season of the show will make its debut on BBC America on May 16th, airing Saturday nights at 9:00pm.

Evan Rachel Wood Joins True Blood + Season Two Sneak Peek
Evan Rachel Wood has been cast in HBO’s "True Blood" in the role of Sophie-Anne, the vampire Queen of Louisiana.  The character is described as a 500-year-old vampire from France who is charming, wily, ruthless and wise.  Wood is signed for at least two episodes that will air towards the end of the second season, but if the show is renewed for a third season, she’ll be back for more.  Season two premieres on HBO on June 14th.  Check out a sneak peek video below.

Pushing Daisies Comic Series Confirmed
Last week we reported on the news that "Pushing Daisies" creator Bryan Fuller was looking to extend the short-lived ABC series beyond the television format in a comic book series.  now comes confirmation…with one change.  The series will be set up at DC Comics, not Marvel as originally indicated.  Here’s what Fuller told E! Online about the series:

"We got a 12-issue order for a comic book for DC Comics. I think the comic book is great, because it has all the characters in it, and it starts a new story. It’s basically Chuck, Ned, Emerson and Olive versus 1,000 corpses, so it becomes a zombie movie, but the zombies are articulate and smart and can do things that no other zombies can do. The Pie-Maker versus 1,000 corpses."

Fuller says that the series will be out this fall, but hopes to be able to offer a special treat to Comic-Con attendees in the form of some artwork.  Fuller also notes that there’s a good chance the 12 issues won’t be the last we see:

"I literally just finished outlining the 12-episode arc, which has an ending that propels us into another big story, so it’s kind of blackmailing them into ordering more comics, but we’ll see if that’ll happen. We were unable to blackmail ABC, and we had to go back and redo our [television] ending, so it’s more satisfying for the fans."

And don’t forget, the final three episodes of "Pushing Daisies" begin airing on ABC Saturday, May 30th at 10:00pm.

Smallville Producers Talk Season Finale
Here are some highlights from a recent interview with "Smallville" executive producers Brian Peterson and Kelly Souders at E! Online [SPOILERS]:

• Clark/Doomsday throw down confirmed for the finale
• While they’ve created their own version of Doomsday for the show, "ultimately, everything we do in the finale is in order to line up with the DC mythology."
• In addition to the two deaths planned, "there’s a metaphorical death that happens on the show as well"
• On members of Justice League crossing over in the finale or next season: "We started what will hopefully be a new focus of the show that we’ll be bringing in allies for Clark next year"

Promotional images from episode 21, "Injustice" [more at OSCK]

Promo for episode 20, "Beast"

SCI FI Unveils Summer Schedule; Eureka Returns July 10
The SCI FI Channel has announced that the second half — 10 episodes — of "Eureka’s" third season will debut on Friday, July 10th.  Yes that’s right, "Eureka" is moving from Tuesdays at 9:00pm to Fridays at 9:00pm. SCI FI also unveiled its slate of Saturday-night movies which include "Malibu Shark Attack", "High Plains Invaders", "Hellhounds" and "Sand Serpents" (details at SCI FI Wire).  "Eureka" joins the already slated premiere of new series "Warehouse 13" (July 7th at 9:00pm) while "Ghost Hunters International" returns with new episodes July 8th at 9:00pm, followed by the return of "Ghost Hunters" on August 19th at 9:00pm

Ming-Na To Play First Openly Gay Character on Stargate
Ming-Na, who plays one of the regular characters Camille Wray on "SGU: Stargate Universe", will be playing a lesbian, one of two openly gay characters on the show, Gateworld reported:

"There are at least one and potentially more gay characters on Universe," series creator Robert C. Cooper said, with executive producer and creator Brad Wright adding, "There’s actually two."

The other Wright is referring to is Camille’s significant other, who’ll we’ll meet in the show’s seventh episode, "Life".  Its in that episode that the character’s orientation will be revealed, as well as when we meet her longtime partner, Sharon, who lives on Earth. The character Sharon is listed as a lead guest, and could be recurring.  Cooper and Wright said that other "Stargate" shows had gay characters, but none were revealed on screen:

"This goes towards our goal to make the characters on Universe as complex and complicated and realistic and identifiable as we can, to as many people as we can," Cooper said. "And that’s not just a desire for ratings. That’s the desire to portray humanity and make a show that is saying something about who we are."

Interview with Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof
"Lost" executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof gave an interview with Bullz-Eye.  Here are some highlights:

• The show always was about time travel, they just couldn’t reveal that aspect until they neared closer to the end
• We’ll learn more about Richard, including why he doesn’t age
• The question of why Sun didn’t travel back in time with the rest of Oceanic Six will be answered at some point in the future
• The whereabouts of Rose and Bernard will be addressed "very specifically" by the end of the current season
• We’ve seen and heard the last of the following characters: Libby, Shannon and Boone
• Lindelof on the online talk of an upcoming ‘major death’: "Carlton and I have been particularly devious in conjunction with some of the actors, in terms of misleading certain fates. I would not feel comfortable saying anything a death rivaling the impact of Charlie’s."

And here are a few other ‘bite’ sized updates for the show:

• Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond) is being sued by a former ABC employee who alleges sexual battery and harassment against the actor. [EW]
• The "major-ish" death on "Lost" is coming very soon and contrary to what was originally expected, the death will be more major than first thought (probably important to keep in mind what I posted from Lindelof above, however). [EW]
• Michael Emerson (Ben) hints that the "incident" that occurs in the season finale will be the one that results in the Dharma initiative folks having to push the button every 108 minutes.  We also may see Jacob in the finale.  Watch the video interview at TV Guide.
• A summary of this week’s official Lost audio Podcast with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse can be read at The ODI, or you can just listen to the Podcast below.

Stills from episode 14, "The Variable" [more at The ODI]

Promotional images from episode 15, "Follow The Leader" [one more at The ODI]

Promo for episode 14, "The Variable"

Canadian promo for episode 14

Heroes Will Have Shortened Fourth Season
NBC has confirmed plans that the number of episodes of "Heroes" next season will be cut down 25 to anywhere from 18 to 20, according to Ad Age.  In addition to the episode cut — which was decided upon, among other factors, due to declining ratings — NBC promises to run the series with fewer interruptions.  Last season’s strike-shortened run averaged about 11.6 million viewers, but this season through last week’s episode, the show have averaged just 7.7 million viewers (last week’s episode drew 6.45 million viewers and the series has gone as low as 6.11M).  There’s no better news in the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demo, where it’s down an equally disappointing 31% (from a 5.2 rating to a 3.6 rating), with last week’s episode garnering just a 3.1 rating (season low is a 2.6 rating).  That’s a far cry from the 13.91 million viewer, 6.1 A18-49 rating average snagged by the buzz-worthy first season back in 2006/2007.  Hopefully the reduced episode count helps the quality of the show (which in my opinion has been on the rise since the return of Bryan Fuller, despite some continued flaws).  Adrian Pasdar (Nathan Petrelli) agrees, telling TVGuide.com:

"We love the work, but in order for the quality to be maintained, you can’t just keep grinding it out," adding "This will make it better for everybody, and ultimately for the viewers," he said. "It will be a more streamlined version of a show that’s very complex. It will still maintain its complexity, but I think it will be easier to follow."

Here are some bites:

• The death in the season finale is a major character we’ve known since the first season. We also know the person is male, and that his death sticks, but there’s one twist: there’s a possibility no one will be leaving the show.  Also: "In many ways, the killer also dies…" [E! Online and EW]
• Check out an extensive new interview with Greg Grunberg (Matt Parkman) at Bullz-Eye, where among other topics, he discusses something his character does in the season finale this Monday that "he will regret forever": "It’s something that’s gonna haunt him and he may have to fix, and there’s no real easy way to fix it…It’s the big season finale sort of cliffhanger thing that I’m involved in, and people are gonna be shocked, but they’re gonna be shocked at what happens, at how it happens…"[via The ODI]
• The goal for season four is to take every character and make their story evolve into an entire series. [E! Online]
• Tracy (Ali Larter) will be back in season four, says creator Tim Kring: "It looks fairly dire for Tracy Strauss’ character, except if you stop and rewind the last couple of seconds when she was melting down the grate you may see some indication that the impossible could happen with that character." [E! Online]

Promotional images from the season finale, "An Invisible Thread" [more at HeroSite]

Promo for Mondays season finale, "An Invisible Thread"

Extended sneak peek from the season finale

Three more sneak peeks: 1 || 2 || 3

Analysis of 2009 TV Pilot Season
Here are some highlights from a few articles discussing the 2009 TV pilots, with a focus, of course, on the sci-fi side:

ABC

• "Flash Foward" already has a series order.
• Pickups for both "Eastwick" and "V", two re-imagined series, are "looking good".
• The network is also looking at "Captain Cook’s Extraordinary Atlas", which is back after being introduced during last year’s pilot season, but a pickup doesn’t seem likely at the moment as it could be too expensive a series to produce on a weekly basis.
• The comedy "No Heroics", based on the British series about a group of underwhelming superheroes, isn’t expected to be picked up.

The CW

• "The Vampire Diaries", based on novel series by L.J. Smith, has a chance at making the schedule. The demographics fit in well with who the The CW markets to and the success of "Twilight" — which was actually introduced after this series — may help its chances.

FOX

• The comic book-based pilot "Human Target", which stars Jackie Earle Haley, is considered a lock for pickup.
• "Masterwork", described as a cross between "National Treasure" and "The Da Vinci Code" is not a front-runner for pickup.
• "Eva Adams" also seems unlikely to be picked up to series.
• Ron Moore’s "Virtuality", already reduced from a two-hour movie to one-hour, has no chance.
• "Reincarnationist" (working title) also is likely dead.

NBC

• Very little buzz for the post-apocalyptic drama "Day One", but chances for a series order are still promising.

Read more at SCI FI Wire (part 1:  part 2) and THR.

TV IMAGES

Dollhouse

Promotional images from the season finale, "Omega" [Fox]

Two more: 1 || 2

TV VIDEOS

Caprica

Ron Moore explains the show + new clips

Chuck

Promo for Mondays season finale, "Chuck Versus The Ring"

Sneak peek from Monday’s season finale

More sneak peeks: 1 || 2 || 3 || 4

Behind-the-scenes clip from the season finale

Dollhouse

Promo for episode 11, "Briar Rose"

Ghost Whisperer

Promo for episode 21, "Cursed"

Legend of the Seeker

Promo for episode 19, "Cursed"

Reaper

Promo for episode 9, "No Reaper Left Behind

Supernatural

Promo for episode 20, "The Rapture"

TV BITES

• RUMOR: Gillian Anderson ("The X-Files") is reportedly in line to star as The Rani in Matt Smith’s first season as The Doctor in "Doctor Who". [The Daily Express via Den of Geek]
• The SCI FI Channel has ordered a new crime procedural drama co-executive produced by Will Smith.  "Unfinished Business" centers on an ex-cop who starts seeing flashes of memories from the recently deceased.  The project will run as a two-hour movie, with the potential to serve as a series pilot. [THR]
• The horrible numbers for last Saturday’s episode of "Kings" (2.24M viewers and a 0.5 A18-49 rating) has resulted in NBC pulling the show from its lineup.  It’ll return June 13th and run through July 25th. [THR Feed]
• Chuck, the comic book geek/prophet, will be back in the season finale of "Supernatural". [EW]
• Writer Jane Espenson talks about "Caprica", a series she’ll serve as show runner on, in a new interview.  Espenson says the 12 Colonies are not yet unified in the series, so there will be travel off-world to other colonies. Espenson also promises that the show will offer up more "humor and fun". [Televisionary]
• The complete series of "Battlestar Galactica" will hit DVD (25-discs) and Blu-ray (20-discs) on July 28th, the same day as the Season 4.5 release.  Check out the package art below. [DVD Active]

MISC NEWS

2008 Nebula Awards Announced
Winners of the The 2008 Nebula Awards were announced in a ceremony last night by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Here’s the full list (via SCI FI Wire):

• Best Novel: Powers by Ursula K. Le Guin
• Best Novella: "The Spacetime Pool" by Catherine Asaro
• Best Novelette: "Pride and Prometheus" by John Kessel
• Best Short Story: "Trophy Wives" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• Script: WALL-E, screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter
• Andre Norton Award: Flora’s Dare: How a Girl of Spirit Gambles All to Expand Her Vocabulary, Confront a Bouncing Boy Terror, and Try to Save Califa from a Shaky Doom (Despite Being Confined to Her Room) by Ysabeau S. Wilce
• Solstice Award: Kate Wilhelm, A.J. Budrys and Martin H. Greenberg
• SFWA Service Award: Victoria Strauss
• Bradbury Award: Joss Whedon
• Grand Master Award: Harry Harrison
• Author Emerita: M.J. Engh

And here’s a video of Joss Whedon accepting the Bradbury Award, which recognizes excellence in screenwriting (via SCI FI Wire):

 

MISC IMAGES

Bioshock 2 (Video Game) [more at Gamespot]

Stargate SG-1

Teal’c maquette [io9]

MISC VIDEOS

Bioshock 2 (Video Game)

New featurette

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Michael Emerson, in character as Ben from Lost, reading the poem "Little Boy Blue" [via Collider]

MISC BITES

• Sci-fi author Kevin J. Anderson says that he’s very interested in writing a novel about "Wonder Woman". [SCI FI Wire]
• Digital versions of J.R.R. Tolkien’s "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy were released in e-book form on Monday.  HarpersCollins says that "The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun" will be released next month, followed by the author’s other works before the end of the year. [AP via THR]
• Guillermo Del Toro talks about Vampires, the inspiration behind his upcoming book trilogy "Strain".

SCI FI RATINGS
Bad news for fans of "Dollhouse".  Based on preliminary data, Friday’s episode dipped to a new series low of just 2.99 million viewers and a 1.2 A18-49 rating (minus 15 and 14 percent, respectively, from the episode prior).  As for ratings for other sci-fi shows last week (all data final, unless noted):

• NBC’s Monday trio of "Chuck" (6.11M viewers and a 2.4 A18-49 rating), "Heroes" (6.45M viewers and a 3.1 A18-49 rating) and "Medium" (7.34M viewers and a 2.5 A18-49 rating) were all down from the week prior, albeit not too severely.
• On Tuesday, Fox’s "Fringe" (9.90M viewers and a 3.9 A18-49) was down only slightly, while The CW’s "Reaper" (2.15M viewers and a 0.9 A18-49 rating) had an insignficant increase.
• A "Lost" special on Wednesday did well, snagging a solid 6.75M viewers and a 2.9 A18-49 rating.
• "Smallville" (3.10M viewers and a 1.3 A18-49 rating) and "Supernatural" (2.70M viewers and a 0.9 A18-49 rating) had poor returns on Thursday night, with both shows dropping to season lows.  "Harper’s Island" on CBS stabilized in its third week, but still fell to a series low with 7.02M viewers and a 1.9 A18-49 rating.
• Based on preliminary data, Friday nights return of "Ghost Whisperer" drew 9.15M viewers and a 2.1 A18-49 rating.  While that was enough to make the show the night’s most-watched, it was down 9 and 16 percent, respectively, from the prior episode.

Check back next week to see the above shows listed in chart form.

CHART (4/6/2009 to 4/12/2009)

CHART (4/13/2009 to 4/19/2009)

 

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