Sci-Fi Sunday: Tranformers 2, Green Hornet, Heroes, Lost, Spaceballs, Stargate, Prisoner + more

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

• Edward Norton says he’s out of the loop in terms of what plans Marvel has in store for the “Hulk” franchise: “I won’t say [they’re] obtuse, but I don’t have any idea what they want to do.”  The same holds true for the studio’s “Avengers” film, scheduled for 2011, that’s due to unite several characters including Bruce Banner. [MTV]
• Tobey Maguire has reportedly agreed to shoot “Spider-Man 4” and “Spider-Man 5” back-to-back over six months next year.  The deal calls for a record $50 million in salary and profit shares. [The Times Online]
• There’s a photo of actress Eva Longoria leaving the offices of Marvel Studios with a business card and a stack of reading material, including an “Avengers” comic.  Could the actress have been tapped to star in the upcoming film? [Flawed Hollywood]
• Last week we reported on Jon Favreau’s discussions about filming the sequel to “Iron Man” in IMAX and in 3D.  SCI FI Wire has put up a more complete and thorough interview they conducted with the director that you can check out at this link.

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

• Latino Review has read the first draft (dated 6/9/08) of “Green Hornet” and graded it a solid B+.  The site has also shot down the rumor that David Boreanaz (“Buffy”, “Angel”) was up for the lead role.  The script is out to a few name actors who are a bit younger than David. [Latino Review]
• Avi Arad has optioned the film rights to Bioware’s Sci-Fi action RPG “Mass Effect”. Neither EA, nor Arad, have confirmed the news. [Variety]
• Writer-director M. Night Shymalan says he’s still considering a sequel to “Unbreakable”.  Star Samuel L. Jackson is interested in returning. [MTV]
• There’s a rumor that Nu Image has offered Brett Ratner the job to direct their new $100 million “Conan” project. [Dread Central]
• Viggo Mortensen say’s he’s still waiting for a call from Guillermo del Toro to reprise his role in “The Hobbit” and its sequel. But there’s no cause for alarm as the projects are still in the very early stages. [MTV]
• Gil Kenan, director of Fox’s upcoming adaptation of the Walden property “City of Ember”, gave journalists a tour of the film’s set in Belfast Northern Ireland.  Read a report at this link. [SCI FI Wire]
• Sam Rockwell is involved in two upcoming Sci-Fi projects; the comedy “Gentleman Broncos” from director Jared Hess and “Moon”, a drama about a stranded astronaut.  The actor discussed both projects with SCI FI Wire.
• SCI FI Wire has an extensive two-part interview with “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” actress Karen Allen.  Check out part one here and part two at this link.  The film hits DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def on October 14th.
• 20th Century Fox has picked up “The Eighth Wonder”, an action-adventure film starring and produced by Nicole Kidman.  The story, written by Simon Kinberg, follows an archaeological discovery that sets off a globe-spanning race. [THR]
• Rian Johnson, writer-director of “The Brothers Bloom”, has set up a new time-travel thriller entitled “Looper”.  The project will be based in a present-day world in which a group of hitmen are sent their victims from the future.  Production is slated to begin in 2009.  Johnson will direct the film from his own script. [THR]
• “Watchmen” star Patrick Wilson told MTV that they’ve "talked about" a sequel to the movie, but nobody, including director Zack Snyder, has any idea how it would work, adding "If Alan Moore writes it, I would love to read it". [MTV]

CASTING BITES

• Clark Duke has been signed to star in Mathew Vaughn’s adaptation of the comic book “Kick Ass”. Duke will play Marty, good friend to the film’s title character. [Moviehole]
• Bill Hader and Anna Faris have signed on to voice the lead characters in Sony Picture’s “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs”.  (January 15, 2010). The animated 3D film is based on the best-selling children’s book where food falls from the sky like rain. Hader will voice Flint Lockwood, a young inventor who dreams of creating something that will improve everyone’s life. Faris will play Sam Sparks, a weathergirl covering the phenomenon. [ComingSoon.net]
• Director Neil Burger (The Illusionist) told ComingSoon.net that shooting begins this winter in New York City on his sci-fi thriller “Dark Fields” and Shia LaBeouf has been cast in the lead role. [ComingSoon.net]

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:

• Colonel Everett Young – 40’s handsome, capable, former SG team leader. Like the Jack O’Neill of ten years ago, but Young’s edges have tended to sharpen over time. He requested permission to serve the remainder of his commission on Earth upon marrying his wife, Hailey, two years ago, but for now he’s temporary commander of a secret off world base. The loss of two members of his team several years ago has taught him never to take anything for granted, and be prepared for anything. He stays on top of his team so they stay alive. STAR NAMES ONLY.
• Tamara Jon – 20-25, all ethnicities (Asian Preferably). SGC Field medic, Captain grade. Off world experience. Beautiful, tough, smart, capable. Paramedic level training. Able to triage serious injury. Modest background. Dreamed of being a doctor but couldn’t afford medical school and the Air Force was her best option. She ends up being the most medically inclined person on the ship but is overwhelmed by the lack of knowledge and experience treating seriously wounded and ill patients. She also lacks the medicine and supplies and has to make do.
• Chloe Carpenter – 20ish. Stunning and sexy. Daughter of a U.S. Senator. Silver spoon upbringing and a little spoiled but not stupid either. Politically and socially savvy. Dreams of following in her father’s footsteps but for now she’s a bit of a party girl in her first year at an Ivy League school. Her father’s tragic death and the dire circumstances of being trapped on a spaceship seriously tests her character.
• Eli Hitchcock – 20-25. Total slacker. Utter genius. Mathematics, computers, anything he puts his mind to. Acerbic sense of humor. A social outcast. Comes from a broken home. Lacks confidence because his true intelligence has never really been recognized like Matt Damon’s character from Good Will Hunting with a little Jack Black thrown in sptv050769.
• Lt. Jared Nash – 20-25. Junior S.G.C. team member. Officer material but green and rough around the edges. Every teenage girl’s fantasy. Like a college quarterback thrown into his first pro game, he is thrust into the role of leader well before he’s ready for the responsibility and must learn to take command, earn respect through action, and manage the diverse personalities on the ship to keep everyone alive. Like Jason Bourne, he is skilled and well-trained however he is mentally unprepared for the urgency of the situation.;
• Ron "Psycho" Stasiak – 20, all ethnicities. Marine. Big, strong, silent. You want him on your side. You don’t want him mad at you. Lacks control over his temper in non combat situations. His past is a mystery but it’s clear something dark formed the hard shell around him. Yet, there must also be some moral center because otherwise he’d kill everyone around him. Think Eric Bana’s character "Hoot" in Blackhawk Down.

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

• HBO has given an early second season renewal to vampire drama “True Blood”. Although it premiered to just 1.4 million viewers, HBO was encouraged by its cumulative audience when repeats were factored in (4 million total audience) and a solid increase of 24% in week two. [THR]
• There are two new articles about the departing “Doctor Who” show runner, Russell T. Davies at The Times of the UK. In the first he talks about his upcoming book and in the second he reveals some insights from his time on the show and his choice for the eleventh doctor. [via TV Squad]
• Dave Filoni, director of the recent ‘Clone Wars’ film, talked about the upcoming Cartoon Network animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” (October 3rd at 9pm ET), discussing different aspects of the show including George Lucas’ input, what he thought of the film version and more. [SCI FI Wire]
• The fourth season premiere of “Supernatural” drew a series-high 3.96M viewers and a 1.7 A18-49 rating.  That’s an increase of 33% (+990,000) among viewers and 42% among A18-49 (1.2 rating to a 1.7 rating) from its year-ago premiere. Earlier in the evening, the eighth season premiere of “Smallville” drew 4.34M viewers and a 1.8 A18-49 rating, off 840,000 viewers/8% and 5% among A18-49 from last season.
• Stephanie Jacobsen, who played Kendra Shaw in the “Battlestar Galactica” TV movie “Razor”, has been added to the cast of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”.  She’ll play another resistance fighter from the future. [EW]
• Oscar winner Susan Sarandon has been cast in the upcoming second season of the ABC series “Eli Stone”.  The actress will play Janet Weiss, but details about what episode she’ll be in or story details have not yet been revealed. [EW]
• 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. The movie is based on the Stephen King novel and is set to air next year, with shooting currently ongoing in and around Davenport, Iowa.  Donald P. Borchers is directing the movie from his own script. [THR]
• Meanwhile, week two of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” saw a decline of more than 12% from its season two premiere, but the news was much better for “Fringe”, which saw an impressive increase of more than 4 million viewers (9.13M to 13.27M) and 59% among adults 18-49 (3.2 rating to a 5.1 rating) thanks to its strong retention from lead-in “House” (90% among viewers and 91% among A18-49). Check out a preview for episode three (September 23rd at 9pm ET) below. (And click here to read an interview with cast member John Noble.)

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

• The fan site Whedonpolis is sponsoring a Halloween-night screen of Joss Whedon’s “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” and Felicia Day’s Web series “The Guild” to benefit charity.  The screening will take place at the Regency Fairfax Theatres in Los Angeles at 9pm on October 31st.  Proceeds will benefit Paul Ventures, an affordable-housing community group. [SCI FI Wire]
• Several Hollywood props, including bloody shirts from the guys in Cloverfield, the jacket worn by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and more, are being auctioned off by Premiere Props for charity on October 11th to benefit the Entertainment Industry Foundation, which raises awareness for health, educational and social issues of interest to the Hollywood community. Bidders can view the props in a warehouse in El Segundo, California before the auction begins. [SCI FI Wire]

SCI-FI RATINGS

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

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

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