Sci-Fi Sunday: Watchmen, Tron, Ender’s Game, Hobbit, Prisoner, Flash Forward, Smallville + more

This week the Fox/WB Watchmen Drama continues while WB continues to move forward with new promos and details. We also have a new character for Tron, dead or alive updates for Shazam and Ender’s Game and much more movie news, video and images. In TV news we have details on Braga’s Flash Forward, the new Prisoner, and Smallville’s future, plus lots of new promos and more. 

MOVIE NEWS

Watchmen Suit Update: Warner Bros. and Fox Are Talking
It looks like FOX and Warner Bros. are willing to talk about settling the "Watchmen" case after all.  Both studios have asked Federal judge Gary A. Feess to delay the upcoming hearing because "settlement talks have been productive".  The move surprised Feess, who noted that earlier in the week Warner Bros. had asked to move the trial to before January 20th because they wanted a quicker decision on the film’s release. Feess agreed to continue the hearing but says a trial is still set for January 20th, just in case talks break down between the two sides.  Lou Karasik, who is representing Fox, told the judge that the delay would be "very, very helpful" to settlement discussions he calls "productive."  If you’re interested in reading the situation from the prospective of Warner Bros., check out this very interesting open letter from "Watchmen" producer Lloyd Levin.  Here is an excerpt from the letter:

From my point of view, the flashpoint of this dispute, came in late spring of 2005. Both Fox and Warner Brothers were offered the chance to make Watchmen. They were submitted the same package, at the same time. It included a cover letter describing the project and its history, budget information, a screenplay, the graphic novel, and it made mention that a top director was involved.

And it’s at this point, where the response from both parties could not have been more radically different.
[read the rest at hitfix]

Producer Larry Gordon also blames Fox, in a separate letter written to Judge Feess, which you can read at THR.  And rounding out this week’s "Watchmen" news:

  • RopeofSilicon is reporting that the spin-off animated film "Tales of the Black Freighter" has been given an R-Rating by the MPAA for "Violent and Grisly Images". 
  • Warner Bros. has opened up a new viral site: TheNewFrontiersman.net.  The website is a reference to the far right-wing magazine featured in the comic that Rorschach gets much of his conspiracy-obsessed news from.

Check out some new images (more here):

And here’s a new Japanese trailer (watch a new video journal here):

Olivia Wilde Talks Tron 2.0 + Film’s Lead Is Cast
Olivia Wilde, who was recently cast in Disney’s "Tron 2.0", talked with SCI FI Wire about her starring role in the film which begins shooting this April in Vancouver.  WIlde provided few details about her character or her character’s name, but she did reveal a few things about the project and also that she would be playing a new character:

It’s really exciting…the film will be just as impressive for our time as it was in 1982 for the original. The technological advances have, of course, been enormous, and the effects that we have access to have been so revolutionary. … We saw an incredible advancement in technology with the use of the face replacement in Benjamin Button, and I think that is marking some of what’s to come, and certainly …. in the direction of Tron. Just as far as people being incredibly innovative and taking huge steps forward as far as using technology to create alternative realities.

In other casting news, Garrett Hedlund has been hired by Disney as the lead star in the film.  According to THR, Hedlund’s character is described as "a man who finds himself pulled into the world of a computer and retracing the steps of a character from the original movie name Kevin Flynn.

Shazam Project Officially Dead
Screenwriter John August has posted an article on his blog annoucning that a big screen adaptation of "Shazam" is dead. Here’s some of what he had to say.

“When we turned the new draft in to the studio, we got a reaction that made me wonder if anyone at Warners had actually read previous drafts or the associated notes. The studio felt the movie played too young. They wanted edgier. They wanted Billy to be older. They wanted Black Adam to appear much earlier. (I pointed out that Black Adam appears on page one, but never got a response.)”

August actually places some of the blame on the failure of "Speed Racer" and success of "The Dark Knight". August says that the film’s success has created the incorrect assumption among Hollywood executives that in order for a comic book movie to be good, it has to be dark:

“The first flopped; the second triumphed. Given only those two examples, one can understand why a studio might wish for their movies to be more like the latter. But to do so ignores the success of Iron Man, which spent most of its running time as a comedic origin story, and the even more pertinent example of WB’s own Harry Potter series. I tried to make this case, to no avail.”

Ender’s Game Movie Not Dead?
"Ender’s Game"
author Orson Scott Card recently was interviewed by the LA Times about his upcoming novel "Ender in Exile", which is a direct sequel to the original, and revealed to the site that the movie based on the hit original novel is dead.  According to the Times Card "was not interested in a ‘tough-hero action film’ and refuses to condescend to green-screen Hollywood. Card imagines a ‘film where the human relationships are absolutely essential — an honest presentation of the story.’”:

"Ender’s Game" was recently in development with director Wolfgang Petersen ("In the Line of Fire," "The Perfect Storm," "Troy") on board, but Card did not feel comfortable with the movie’s direction. That project was scrapped early in November.

But despite those comments, one of the film’s producers, Lynn Hendee, tells io9 that the "project is not dead".

Sam Raimi Wants Mobius in Spider-Man 4
Sam Raimi tells Empire Magazine that he would like to see Morbius as the next villain of Spider-Man in the fourth film:

“I like it in the Marvel comics when Spider-Man fights Morbius,” said Raimi. “He’s really cool. A vampire! I like that combination of superhero plus supernatural.”

Dark Knight Best Picture Oscar Nom? + Joker in Sequel?
While the film didn’t get a Best Picture nod for the "Golden Globes", which airs this  Sunday on NBC, "The Dark Knight" is receiving accolades from other award shows, leading many to believe that it could grab an elusive, for a comic-book movie at least, Best Picture Oscar nomination.  Over the last week it grabbed nominations from the Producer’s Guild of America (Best Picture), the Writer’s Guild of America (Adapted Screenplay) and the Director’s Guild of America (Best Director).  Fellow SF film, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", received identical nominations. In other ‘Dark Knight’ news, MTV asked producer Charles Roven if they would have changed the fate of The Joker given the death the of actor Heath Ledger, to which he responded “We have to separate the actors from the role,” implying that despite Ledger’s death, The Joker could return for a sequel, should the story call for it. Rounding out this week’s Batman news, radio station KCRW conducted an interview with ‘Dark Knight’ composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard.  Check it out here. (via /Film)

Transformers, G.I. Joe, and More Join Trek for Super Bowl Commercials
"Star Trek"
won’t be the only film with exposure during this year’s Super Bowl telecast on NBC (February 1st).  Variety reports that several other SF films will have their trailers debuted at this year’s NFL title game:

Confirmed for this year’s roster are high-profile titles like Paramount’s “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” “Star Trek” and “G.I. Joe”; Sony’s “Angels and Demons”; DreamWorks Animation’s “Monsters vs. Aliens”; and Universal’s “Land of the Lost” and its fourth installment in “The Fast and the Furious” franchise. Disney is also planning to use the game to raise the profile for Pixar’s next toon, “Up,” while a “Wolverine” spot is likely from Fox.

Fox still hasn’t purchased any time (which is being discounted from NBC’s $3 million per minute to fill last minute spots), but the studio has "Wolverine", "Night at the Museum 2" and "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" in their arsenal.  Disney has also remained tight-lipped, but they could advertise "Race to Witch Mountain". Check out some new images from some of the movies listed above, including a new poster for "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (click here to see an enhanced version of the poster):

Ian McKellan On The Hobbit and X-Men Origins: Magneto
While promoting his upcoming AMC miniseries "The Prisoner" (more on that below), Ian McKellan told reporters that preproduction on "The Hobbit" is underway and that he will be involved in the film:

"I’ve been promised I am [going to be involved]," McKellan said. "And as Guillermo del Toro’s directing it, I should be so lucky. And in New Zealand, a place I love, so it’s almost an ideal job for me."

As to the proposed X-Men spinoff film that will feature his character, "X-Men Origins: Magneto", McKellan says he hasn’t seen a script yet

"I haven’t read a script, no," McKellan said. "It’s not come my way. I’m here and ready and waiting, but I think if they do do a spinoff of Magneto, it’ll be about the young man, the young Magneto."

"If the Wolverine movie does well, well, probably they’ll just make another Wolverine movie, won’t they?" McKellan mused. "I was told that there would be a Magneto spinoff, and anything else I’d say would just be guessing. That was a long time ago."

NEW IMAGES

2012

A Christmas Carol (more here)

Astro Boy (Concept art–more here)

Avatar (possible production photos–details here–another image here)

Coraline

The Descent 2 (more here)

Dragonball Evolution (more here)

Fanboys

Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince

Inkheart

Knowing (more here and here)

My Bloody Valentine 3D

Pandorum

Push

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

Where the Wild Things Are

Wonder Woman (more here)

NEW VIDEOS

Franklyn (International trailer)

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Filming)

Up

MOVIE BITES

  • Danny Elfman has confirmed that he’ll be composing the score for McG’s "Terminator Salvation".  Elfman has only now begun work on the project, but says that the classic Terminator theme song has not been included in the film yet but "if it comes up and it seems appropriate, we will [include it]". [MTV]
  • Warner Bros. executives are reportedly actively hearing takes from writers for a new "Superman" movie and the studio wants a new villain–no Lex Luthor–from Superman’s Rogues Gallery to be the antagonist. [LatinoReview]
  • Paul Bettany has confirmed that he’ll reprise his role as the computer voice in Tony Stark’s house, lab and Iron Man suit. [SCI FI Wire]
  • "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" has been given a PG-Rating by the MPAA "For scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality". The last two films have been PG-13, but the first three were rated PG. [via /Film]
  • "The Dark Knight" took home all five awards it was nominated for on Wednesday night at the "35th Annual People’s Choice Awards": Movie, Action Movie, Favorite cast, On-screen matchup (Christian Bale and Heath Ledger) and Superhero (Christian Bale as Batman). [PCA.com]
  • Sony has confirmed that "Ghostbusters" will hit Blu-ray on June 16, 2009, alongside the DVD (both are 25th Anniversary Editions).  The Blu-ray will have a few exclusive features including a picture-in-picture track (Slimer Mode), a featurette about the Ecto-1 and a Ecto-1 gallery. [MovieWeb]
  • New Line Cinema has hired D.J. Caruso ("Eagle Eye") to direct "Jack the Giant Killer", an adult drama that is based on the Jack and the Beanstalk legend.  When a princess is kidnapped, a long-standing peace between men and giants becomes threatened, and a young farmer is given an opportunity to lead a dangerous expedition to the giant kingdom to rescue her. [Variety]
  • Producer Harvey Weinstein says that he is eagerly awaiting a sequel script from Frank Miller and green-lighting "Sin City 2" is a top priority for the studio: "I hope he’s about to finish a script," Weinstein said. "We’re certainly going to do Sin City 2 eventually, so I’m sure that’s coming up." [SCI FI Wire]
  • McG ("Terminator Salvation") has been tapped by Disney to helm the studio’s  "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo".  The project, scripted by Bill Marsilli, is an origin story of Nemo as he creates his warship, the Nautilus.  It is being fast tracked by the studio and sources say McG will be paid $8 million against 7% of the gross. [Variety]
  • Danny McBride, who stars in the upcoming "Land of the Lost" film, told reporters that the film will feature virtual creatures that compare to those in "Jurassic Park" and "Cloverfield". [via SCI FI Wire]
  • The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have narrowed down the field of films in contention for the Visual Effects Oscar to seven for the "81st Annual Academy Awards".  These seven will be further narrowed down to just three on January 15th: "Australia", "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", "The Dark Knight", "Hellboy II: The Golden Army", "Iron Man", "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor". [Oscars.org]
  • Jimmy Hayward ("Horton Hears a Who!") has signed on to direct Warner Bros. live-action adaptation of "Jonah Hex", which is based on the popular DC Comics character.  Howard replaces Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, who were previously on board as directors (they also wrote the script), but left the project in November over creative differences.  Production is scheduled to begin in March or April.  Josh Brolin is still attached to star. [THR].
  • Michael Sheen discusses the January 23rd release of "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" in a new interview with SCI FI Wire.
  • David Goyer ("The Dark Knight") reveals that Warner Bros. is holding up several of their comic book movies: “A lot of the DC movies at Warner Bros. are all on hold…They’re going to come up with some new plan, methodology, things like that so everything has just been pressed pause on at the moment.” [IESB]
  • Brendan Fraser has confirmed that he’ll have a small cameo in Steven Sommers’ upcoming "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra": "I was there for a morning," Fraser said, adding "It was a cameo." [SCI FI Wire]

CASTING BITES

  • Summit Entertainment has announced that Taylor Lautner will reprise his role as Jacob Black for "New Moon", director Chris Weitz’s sequel to "Twilight". [Variety]
  • Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell are both in talks to star as villains for Jon Favreau’s "Iron Man 2".  Rourke’s character would be a Russian named Ivan who has deadly, technologically enhanced coils.  Rockwell is in talks to play Justin Hammer, a multibillionaire businessman and rival of Tony Stark/Iron Man. [THR]
  • Simon Pegg and Nick Frost ("Shaun of the Dead", "Hot Fuzz") have been cast in the roles of bumbling detectives Thompson and Thomson in the Steven Spielberg/Peter Jackson project "Tintin". [Aint It Cool News]
  • Australian actress Teresa Palmer has been cast to play the female lead in Disney’s "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice", which stars Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel. Palmer will be playing Baruchel’s love interest. [THR]
  • Tim Roth, who played the Abomination in "The Incredible Hulk" revealed that he is signed on for sequels and is open to returning: "Yeah, they’ve got me for three," Roth said. Adding "If we do one". [via SCI FI Wire]

TV NEWS

Flash Forward Will Reset Each Year
Star Trek executive producer Brannon Braga reveals that the ABC sci-fi pilot "Flash Forward", based on Robert J. Sawyer’s novel of the same name, is designed to reset itself each season, starting with a new flash and ending when the premonitions come true:

"Yeah, the structure’s not dissimilar from 24 [on which Braga is a co-executive producer], and we want to reset the show at the end of each year, where we’ll do another flash forward at the end of the first season, and then potentially another flash forward at the end of the second season, each one kind of resetting the core characters’ visions of the future and introducing new characters," Braga said.

Smallville Will Return for Season Nine
It appears as if a ninth season of "Smallville" is all but assured.  Responding to a question from a fan, Michael Ausiello of EW reports:

"Yes, there’s news, and it’s good. Some would even call it, ahem, super. According to a well- placed Smallville insider, Welling is nearing a deal to return for a ninth season. I’m told they’re just ironing out some minor deal points, such as should the Brinks Truck pull into the actor’s driveway, or just unload on the street."

That’ll put the show one year shy of the US record for a genre show, "Stargate SG-1", which went 10 seasons on Showtime and SCI FI.

AMC’s The Prisoner Details
New details have been revealed about AMC’s six-hour re-imagining of "The Prisoner".  The cast and filmmakers discussed the series during a press conference this past Thursday.  Here are some excerpts:

"I don’t think it makes any difference," director Nick Hurran said about the change of No. Six being played by an American (Jim Caviezel) versus being played by a Brit in the original series.. "It’s a mixed-nationality cast. It’s a very global Village. I think we accept that now. We’re so used to a society being of every culture, every race, that it would have been quite parochial to go and do a British thing."

Fans of the original show will also notice some familiar things in the new series:

 "There are a number of, of course, homages that the keen eye will see in what’s said and what’s worn, in pieces of architecture," Hurran said. "Of course, there are a number of salutes that we made to the fantastic piece that was created. I think it would be a shame to take it to the next generation and not acknowledge what an extraordinary piece of work that was. [It’s] enigmatic, I think slightly less surreal, but it is as bizarre, in a good way."

The show also stars Ian McKellan who plays the character Two.  McKellan compared the show’s setting, The Village, to other dystopian futures: "The Village is a wonderful place to be," McKellan told reporters. "You’ll be very, very happy there. People will love you and you will love them and the sun always shines. I think you’d better come and see me later."  McKellan also took part in a Q&A after the panel was concluded.  Read it here.  The show is expected to debut in November, and AMC announced that it will air out of "Mad Men".

TV IMAGES

Kyle XY (more here)

Lost (Empire magazine scans–more here)

TV VIDEOS

Battlestar Galactica (another here)

Caprica

Dollhouse

Eureka

Fringe

Kyle XY

Lost

Reaper

Sanctuary

Supernatural

TV BITES

  • The story of "Battlestar Galactica" told through a Facebook feed. [via io9]
  • Joss Whedon promises that there will be more of "Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog" but won’t say when or exactly in what form: "It is my intention that we will see more of young Billy and his horrible schemes, and I have a very specific idea of what that’s going to be, but until I’m sure how I can roll it out, I will say nothing except that I’m definitely pursuing that". [SCI FI Wire]
  • Whedon also chatted about the up’s and down’s of his upcoming Fox drama "Dollhouse", in an interview with SCI FI Wire
  • …staying with "Dollhouse", there won’t be a comic-book series accompanying the series, at least not until the show has "established an identity", says "Buffy" editor Scott Allie. [io9]
  • "Pushing Daisies" creator Bryan Fuller isn’t sure when, or if, the final episodes of the series will air on ABC: "They are not scheduled to air right now…and that’s all we know."  11 of 13 produced episodes have aired thus far. [EW]
  • The third season of "Kyle XY" premieres on Monday night, but you can watch it early right now. [E! Online]
  • Check out a spoiler-free review of the "Lost" season debut at io9.
  • Competition will be tough for several genre shows this midseason.  THR takes a look at some of them, including "Cupid", "Dollhouse", "Heroes", "Kings", "Life and Mars" and "Lost".
  • "Heroes" producer Mark Verheiden talked about how the writers have worked to improve the upcoming "Fugitives" arc and how they are very much aware of fan complaints in a new interview with Comic Book Resources.
  • Speaking of "Heroes", would you like to put together recap videos using your own words with the help of clips from the show?  NBC.com makes it easy with their new tool.  Here’s an example:

GOLDEN GLOBES

This 66th Annual Golden Globes Awards airs tonight at 8 PM EST on NBC, but there is very little in terms of genre product getting any kind of attention. Here is a breakdown of genre-ish nominations.

FILM

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    • Best Motion Picture – Drama
    • Brad Pitt – Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
    • David Fincher – Best Director – Motion Picture
    • Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
    • Best Original Score – Motion Picture
  • The Dark Knight
    • Heath Ledger – Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
  • Wall-E
    • Best Animated Feature Film
    • "Down To Earth" – Best Original Song – Motion Picture
  • TV

  • True Blood
    • Best Television Series – Drama
    • Anna Paquin – Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Drama

    …and that’s it.

    MISC IMAGES

    Batman (Comic: Neil Gaiman’s "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?"–via io9)

    Judge Dredd (Concept art–more here)

    Spider-Man (Comic: Issue No. 583: Available January 14, 2009–Details and more images here)

    MISC VIDEOS

    Ghostbusters 3 (Filming?–via /Film)

    MISC BITES

    • The Los Angeles comic book store Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, owned by writer/director Kevin Smith, is closing its doors due to poor economic conditions.  They are running a 20% off promotion until the store’s final day, which is today, Sunday, January 11th.  Smith’s other store, which is located in New Jersey, is still going strong and remains a popular tourist attraction. [Newsaskew (via /Film)]
    • Next month, Heritage Auction Galleries will be selling the splash page from the comic-book story "Superduperman", which was found in the April-May 1953 issue of MAD magazine.  The comic was the inspiration for Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ graphic novel "Watchmen".  The page is expected to fetch at least $20,000.  Bidding begins on February 9th. [via SCI FI Wire]


    more images here

    OBIT

    • Veteran actor Pat Hingle, (Commissioner James Gordon in "Batman", "Batman Returns", "Batman Forever" and "Batman & Robin") passed away late last Saturday night after a bout with myelodysplasia, which he was diagnosed with in November 2006.  He was 84. [AP]

    SCI-FI RATINGS (12/15/2008 to 12/21/2008)

    Source: Nielsen Media

  • 40 Comments
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    thanks for the infos :D

    I’m sorry, but…isn’t Chun Li supposed to be ASIAN?!? What is with Hollywood constantly white-washing Asian characters? First “21,” now this…

    Is “Tron 2.0” the final title for the movie? I know the title was in the air for a while.

    WOW!!! Another EXCELLENT Scroll-er-ific Post!!

    Rosario you rock!!! and this site KICKS ASS!! just brilliant…

    R.I.P. Bob Wilkins legendary host of Creature Features passed away Jan. 7, 2009 – We love you Bob!

    Caprica looks interesting

    You do a consistently outstanding job with this weekly column, Rosario.

    Thank you for all your hard work.

    wow. so much info. it must take hours to put this together!
    thanks!

    Jim Carrey in a Zemeckis CGI A Christmas Carol? Is there anyone who’s seen recent work by these guys who think this is a good idea? If I had to make up a self-indulgent, destined-to-miss-the-point, guaranteed-to-be-bad title, this would be it.

    Does anyone now what’s going on with Knight Rider? The last we heard of it was that the season finale was on February 25, 2009 with episode 17. The show’s producer, Gary Scott Thompson, said that the show isn’t dead, but on hiatus. Has anyone heard an update? I’m dying to know.

    Thanks everyone. I’m glad you’re all enjoying this column.

    2. The TOS Purist aka The Purolator

    It’s been called everything from Tron 2 to Tron 2.0 to Tr2n to TRZ even. As far as I’m aware, Disney has yet to give the film an official title, but everyone’s been using Tron 2.0 so we’ll use that for the time being.

    “TR2N” (as seen in the ComiCon teaser), Tron 2.0, and just plain Tron have all been circulated as possible titles. Personally, they should stick to Tron 2.0.

    BTW, I rented the original Tron this week. It holds up really well, apart from the confusing romantic subplot. And Wendy Carlos’ theme music is really hard to get out of your head.

    danny elfman? are you serious? and no i will not read the article again :)

    Morbius? Really, Sam? I know you like monsters and stuff, but Morbius is a fourth rate villain, even for Spidey.

    I was loving the (probably) fan-generated rumors that we’d have Prof. Conners become the Lizard, with Spider-Man trying to help him, and Kraven the Hunter getting in the way. I could see that plotline bringing the franchise back smartly.

    Vampires … is anyone as sick of them as I am?

    Scott B. out.

    P.S. I agree with #7, BrF — A CGI Christmas Carol looks like a dreadful mistake.

    P.S.S. Can’t wait for Eureka’s return! Great, fun, clever series.

    12

    Vampires … is anyone as sick of them as I am?

    Have to admit I’ve never seen the thing with them. They’re (vampires) something to me, you find in an Abbot and Costello movie. That’s always been my thought.

    Interesting that most everything they’re mining from in the SM movies comes from the era I was collecting, even Morbius. I have that first appearance. Wish I enjoyed what they’re doing with that material more.

    Rosario good job again. I enjoy this feature.

    11/toddk

    Danny Elfman just killed Terminator for me. Brad Fiedel owns that score, and without the iconic BUM BUM TA-TA TUM, it ain’t the Terminator.

    I’m sick of the way that vampires have been portrayed in recent years…

    …but sick of vampires? NEVER!!!

    Spidey vs. Morbius should be cool!! I have good memories of reading those mags back in the day…

    that being said tho, I probably WOULD prefer to see more “classic” villains like Lizard or Rhino or Scorpion. (Venom was a mistake IMHO)

    At last, my Sci-Fi Sunday is here. My weekend isn’t complete without it. Thanks, Rosario. Your weekly efforts are much appreciated!

    #2 I hear you on that. Although they are more likely to cast an Asian female lead than a male one, unless martial arts plays a big part in it. I’d give Kreustin Kreuk a pass since she is of mixed decent.

    And kudos again Rosario! This is the 2nd thing i look forward to besides Star Trek movie news.

    Makes me want to throw out my Spidy comics!

    Rockwell and Downey playing off each other sounds like fun cinema.

    @anthony

    Hi, I just read at trekweb.com that Quinto said they did shoot some scenes in Iceland.

    http://trekweb.com/articles/2009/01/11/Zachary-Quinto-Says-New-Movie-Storyline-Focus-on-the-Character-of-Spock.shtml

    I know about the scouting they did but thougt they didn’t realize this in the end. Do you know something about it?

    Greetings,

    Stephan

    How is it that better shows get cancelled and Smallville just keeps going and going with the crappy stories?
    I admit that I watch it just to see if the stories improve, and very rarely I am positively surprised, but the vast majority of stories suck and totally destroy Superman’s character and history.

    You guys complain about Star Trek Canon, well compared to Smallville Trek has nothing to worry about.

    21 – “I admit that I watch it.”

    So you are one of the reasons why “… Smallville just keeps going and going with the crappy stories.”

    12 & 13 – I’ve never understood the vampire mystique either.

    I’ve read where some claim them to be the scariest monsters, but I do not agree.

    I think they have been done to “un-death” no matter what new spin someone tries to put on them.

    I would take Mysterio over Morbius in the next Spiderman movie any day.

    They really need to amke the next SUPERMAN movie with Welling as Superman. Sure, Smallville is cheesey at times, but movies staring Welling dont have to be. Also… nothing wrong with Lex being in a Superman movie… he just doesn’t have to be the main villian. It worked with Superman 2 (General Zod). Lex should always be in Superman movies, just not always the main villian.

    10
    tron 2.0 was a video game released in 2003 by monolith studios. i’m not sure what the legalese would be on them using that title, since time-warner owns monolith now.
    :-)

    (monolith also brought us F.E.A.R. and is working on the upcoming F.E.A.R. 2 )

    ————————-

    Sigh no Ender’s Game? Jeez what ever happen to the concept of faithful adaptation?

    Re: #23 – Brett, my tweenage daughter got caught up in reading those “Twilight” books about the romantic, dreamy vampire. She’s never been one of those head-in-the-book readers, but she was with those. At one point I said, “Don’t believe what you read in those books; REAL vampires smell like death.” My wife laughed, but I got a withering look from my baby girl. :-)

    I agree with you about Mysterio too. I can count several Spider-Man villains more interesting and appropriate for the movies than Morbius (Lizard, Vulture, Kraven, Mysterio, Electro, Scorpion…). But I guess vampires are in the zeitgeist right now. Sigh.

    Scott B. out.

    27 – Scott B.: Yes I guess those “Twilight ” books are all the rage with the young adult readers right now.

    i also thought the Lizard would be a great villain — and thought he was supposed to be foreshadowed for a future appearance when Peter goes to the doctor in “Spiderman 2.” Dunno what happened with that …

    “August says that the film’s success has created the incorrect assumption among Hollywood executives that in order for a comic book movie to be good, it has to be dark”

    Not a shock. The comic book industry has, by degrees, been suffering from the same delusion since the late 80s :)

    Re: Ian McKellan as [Number] Two? Kickass. Here’s hoping they live up to the original. Certainly, it’s a story with a lot of relevance to today (and likely tomorrow, and likely a thousand years from now, alas …)

    Sleestak–Sleestak–Sleestak!

    Okay, I feel better now.

    #18- aww, is someone butthurt still? Seriously, get over it, election’s over.

    As for putting the joker back, just seems wrong since Heath made that joker what he was, and I honestly doubt anyone could nail it like he did. Seems just kinda disrespectful. Id still love to see a new batman movie, though, and maybe bring in cat woman or something, Id love to see what they could do with a villain like her with this new line of movies.

    #2: Kristin Kreuk is Chinese (Her Mom) -Dutch (her dad)

    As for the Spidey villian… Meh… I want Lizard and Black Cat darn it! :/ Vampires are totally over rated.

    Can’t wait for the final season of BSG!!

    Here in Portland, Oregon, all final episodes can be viewed (free admission) on the big screen, at a local brew pub. The establishment is a beautifully renovated movie theater, complete with a balcony section, duplicating a venue from the 1940s:

    “Southeast Portland’s marvelous relic of Hollywood’s Golden Age is a stunning movie palace full of wonder and surprises. For nearly four generations now, the Bagdad’s Mediterranean and neon persona and daily offerings of celluloid adventures have made it an icon of Portland’s vibrant Hawthorne District. A movie hall of the best sort, the Bagdad’s interior is an attraction unto itself with barreled arches, ornate, wrought iron fixtures, brilliant-colored mosaic work, and painted and stenciled Mediterranean designs and mythical characters. Kick back in the theater and enjoy a slice of pizza and a handcrafted ale during the show, or come early and enjoy dinner in the casual pub that fronts the theater. But be forewarned — outdoor tables in the summertime may be hard to come by!”

    Check out these cool pictures of the theater:

    http://www.mcmenamins.com/galleryb.php?loc=9&id=5089

    That’s as about as close to being in “The Opera House” as it gets.

    http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=9&id=176

    I’m tired of seeing that warmed over “Forrest Gump” piece of tripe “Benjamin Button” being lumped into the SF genre. That’s just so way wrong in so many ways. After all, no one would call “Gump” SF, would they? I gotta pee …

    – I like very much to read Orson Scott Card’s books about Ender…it’s great to hear again about an excellent saga without any real chance to be adapted for cinema or tv…

    Vampires can be done well, the trouble is no one owns the rights to Vampires so there’s no quality control. Anyone and everyone can write a vampire into a story. And as a result, you get things like Twilight and Van Helsing. I just try to remember the Vampire highlights like Interview & Buffy, personally :)

    Re: Ender’s Game.

    I for one hope the project *IS* dead if it’s not going to be done right. The character expositions, interactions and human aspect of the story is what seems to have made it a big hit (as evidenced by some of the fan mail, and posts elsewhere about the story). People were able to identify with the characters.

    Elfman?? Terminator??? No no no no no!
    Oh God- I can hear the bongos now.

    gee, to put on an old broken record of mine… I wonder what’s going on with the proposed remake to “When Worlds Collide?”

    All I know is that Steven Spielberg is contractually bound (I think he intends to produce, not direct) to do it for Paramount.

    Smallville- back for Season 9- I wonder if contractually they could turn it into a Superman series? With the creators now gone [Hough & Miller] the ‘no flights, no tights’ edict is surely no longer in effect. Welling is way too old at 31 to play late teens, early 20s now, but he’d look good in the blue tights- even for the next movie.

    24 back with a vengeance.

    BSG starting it’s final leg.

    The loss of McGoohan and .Montalban—

    this week has been the best of times and the worst of times….