Sci-Fi Saturday: Terminator, Green Hornet, Ghostbusters + BSG, Caprica, Lost + more

We got good news if you were spoiled by that leaked Terminator 4 ending? We also have updates on Seth Rogen’s Green Hornet and 3rd outings for the Ghostbusters and the Riddick franchises and more movie news and previews. For TV the SciFi SyFy channel is still dealing with name change fallout, plus we have updates on BSG, Caprica, Lost and more. Plus all the usual previews, including the new Doctor Who.

 

MOVIE NEWS

Terminator Salvation Ending Re-Tweaked Due to Internet Leak?
We’re going to be entering pseudo-spoiler territory here, so you’ve been forewarned.  Last year, CHUD and Ain’t It Cool News leaked what they said was the ending to "Terminator Salvation" that had John Connor dying before the end of the movie and being replaced by Marcus, a "good" Terminator.  According to Moviehole, the third act of the film has been completely changed "because of the internet leak.  The ending doesn’t resemble the previous one in any shape or form". More, via Moviehole:

[T]he WB were as red as Daredevil about the ending being spoilt online and had begun to rewrite the script. And that’s exactly what they did. Its now, according to our friend on the inside, "A complete [180] from the original film. Works better. Probably not as hard to swallow. Real good though".

Movie theater standee featuring all the main stars [Latino Review]

Harold Ramis Talks Ghostbusters 3
Harold Ramis talked with MTV about the third "Ghostbusters" film that is currently in the scripting phase, and Ramis revealed that while he’s still waiting on a first draft of the script from "Office" writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, he, along with Dan Aykroyd and original director Ivan Reitman, have been consulting with the duo.  Ramis also promised that all of the original core players will be taking part in the updated version, including Bill Murray (Dr. Peter Venkman) and Dan Aykroyd (Dr. Raymond Stantz): "We’re all going to be in it in different kinds of roles," Ramis said. "We’re going to be the sage mentors. There are going to be young Ghostbusters."

First Details on 3rd Riddick + Official Announcement in April?
According to sources close to IESB, the next film in the ‘Riddick’ franchise is expected to be more down and dirty with less "fantasy epic stuff".  IESB also reports that a bounty hunter/space pirate type of story line is expected.  The film’s budget will be capped at around $35 million ("Pitch Black" had a budget of $23 million while "The Chronicles of Riddick" cost $105 million) and an official announcement about the film is expected sometime after "Fast & Furious" hits theaters on April 3rd (the production start date is expected to be sometime in early 2010).

Seth Rogen Updates Green Hornet
While doing promotion for his latest film, "Observe & Report", Seth Rogen provided a few updates on the status of "The Green Hornet", which he co-wrote and stars, telling SCI FI Wire that Michel Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind") — who was recently tapped as director — will not be doing any of his homemade style of effects, Rogen was also asked about whether or not the hero/sidekick story is still intact:

Yeah, and I would say if anything, it’s taken on a much greater [scope]. At first we were kind of resisting the notion of an origin story, but then we realized we could kind of embrace it and then play with that idea; it could be a lot better. So that’s something we’ve added.

Superhero Hype! also chatted with Rogen, where he talked a bit about Stephen Chow’s involvement ( possibly as Kato). And lastly, Rogen again confirmed earlier reports that the character will be Lone Ranger’s grandnephew and that the end of June is the current "tentative start date" for shooting.  "The Green Hornet" is scheduled to hit theaters June 25, 2010.

NEW IMAGES

Angels & Demons

New domestic and international posters [via ComingSoon.net]

Astro Boy

New poster [MTV]

Dragonball Evolution [more at io9]

Gatchaman

First poster [via twitch]

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

First look at the face of Cobra Commander from the action figure [via Topless Robot]

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Character posters [four more for Dumbledore, Hermione, Draco and Severus Snape at MSN]

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

First look at Nicolas Cage filming a scene with co-star Jay Baruchel [more at JustJared]

First look at Teresa Palmer (Baruchel’s love interest) on the set [more at Celebrity-Gossip]

Where the Wild Things Are [more at USA Today]

NEW VIDEOS

Angels & Demons

New TV spot

Astro Boy

Second teaser trailer

Blood: The Last Vampire

New trailer

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

New trailer

Dragonball Evolution

Character spot for Lord Piccolo

Four more: Bulma | Chi Chi | Goku | Roshi

Game

Italian trailer

The Haunting in Connecticut

New clip: "Shower"

Four more clips: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

New trailer

Mutant Chronicles

New behind-the-scenes featurette

Watch the first five minutes of the film

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

International trailer

Up

New featurette: "Up: Discovering a Lost World" (watch another featurette at Disney.com)

New clip: "Meet Kevin" [watch another clip at MSN]

Where the Wild Things Are

First trailer

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

TV Spot #8: "War"

Three more TV Spots: #5 | #6 | #7

MOVIE BITES

• Ridley Scott says that he’s been inspired by what he’s seen of James Cameron’s 3-D work on "Avatar" and intends to do his upcoming sci-fi action film "Forever War" in 3-D. [Wharf via /Film]
• Mark Millar, who has talked in the past about pitching an epic 8-hour trilogy of "Superman" films, now admits on his website that it’s not likely to happen, or at least not anytime soon…[via /Film]
• Speaking of Millar, he and director Mathew Vaughn are in talks to reteam for another comic-book adaptation; Millar’s "American Jesus".  The series centers on the return of Christ in the modern world. [THR]
• Richard Warren Stern is working on a new movie called "Villain" about a supervillain that finds his most diabolical inventions have been stolen and used to terrorize the globe. [Production Weekly]
• Emily Blunt, who had to drop out of "Iron Man 2" due to a scheduling conflict with "Gulliver’s Travels" and was subsequently replaced by Scarlett Johansson, discussed the situation with MTV: "It was one of [the] things that was conflicting," adding, "…it’s a shame the two of them couldn’t work together. It just got complicated, so I think I had to pull out for my own sanity more than anything." [MTV]
• DreamWorks Pictures is moving forward with the sci-fi action thriller "Nonstop" from writer Michael Givary. The original story follows the passengers of Flight 209 after their plane is abducted by an alien ship.  Patrick Tatopoulos ("Underworld: Rise of the Lycans") is attached to direct. [THR]
• A poster for the 1931 film "Dracula" owned by actor Nicolas Cage sold for $310,000 at Heritage Auction Galleries’ Spring Vintage Movie Poster auction.  It’s only one of three known existing copies. [via SCI FI Wire]
• Anna Farris, who plays a time traveler in the British comedy film "Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel", briefed reporters on the film. [via SCI FI Wire]
• Disney has launched the official website for Pixar’s "Up".  Check it out at this link…
• …And Warner Brothers has launched a teaser website for Spike Jonze’s adaptation of "Where the Wild Things Are".  Check it out here…
• …Plus a there’s a new "Terminator Salvation" viral website: ResistOrBeTerminator.com.
• Writer Eric Heisserer has reportedly been hired by Universal Pictures and Strike Entertainment to rewrite Ronald D.  Moore’s script to "The Thing". [Bloody-Disgusting]
• Alex Proyas talks about bringing John Christopher’s "Tripods" novels to the big screen in a new interview with Digital Spy.
• New Regency has acquired the film rights to "Freedom Formula: Ghost of the Wasteland", an adaptation of the Radical Publishing comic book series.  The project may be helmed by Bryan Singer. [Variety]
• Universal Pictures has purchased the film rights to Mac Carter and Jeff Blitz’s graphic novel "The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft" from Image Comics. [Variety]
• James Cameron wrote an essay for Wired in which he reminisces about the first "Terminator" movie. [Wired]
• The DVD release of "Twilight" sold 3 million copies in just its first day of release. [Summit Entertainment]
• "Slumdog Millionaire" screenwriter Simon Beaufoy "was approached by Wolverine producer Lauren Shuler Donner to gauge the writer’s interest in [Wolverine 2], but no formal offer was made." [EW]
• Jon Favreau Twitter updates on "Iron Man 2": "Worked all weekend with Robert refining script and prepping to shoot. Meeting with Gwyneth this week. Can’t wait to catch up with her," and "Great rehearsal today with Gwyneth, RDJ and Don Cheadle." [Twitter 1, Twitter 2]
• 20th Century Fox is pushing back the release date of "Dragonball Evolution" by two days, from Wednesday, April 8th to Friday, April 10th… [via SCI FI Wire]
• …And in related news, SCI FI Wire visited the Mexico set of the film last year, and have released their report on what they saw.  You can read it here.
• Previously on TrekMovie: Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci don’t think they’ll be returning for "Transformers 3" plus Orci talks about the possibility of Leonard Nimoy voicing a character in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen". LINK

CASTING BITES

• Bill Hader may have a part in Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s sci-fi comedy "Paul". [via CHUD]
• Serinda Swan ("Smallville") has confirmed that she’s playing one of the "temptresses from inside the computer world" in the "Tron" sequel. [TV Guide]
• Taye Diggs has been tapped to star opposite Brandon Routh in "Dead of Night", the adaptation of the supernatural comic book "Dylan Dog". Diggs will be playing the leader of the town’s gang of vampires…
• …Anita Briem was also cast in the film and will be playing Dog’s mysterious love interest. [STYD]
• "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" has found its wolf pack.  Actors Chaske Spencer, Bronson Pelletier, Alex Meraz, Kiowa Gordon and Tyson Houseman have all signed on to Summit Entertainment’s sequel. Each member is of Native decent. [via STYD]
• Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan and Sean Bean have all signed on to play Medusa, Chiron and Zeus, respectively, in the Chris Columbus-helmed fantasy adventure film "Percy Jackson" for 20th Century Fox.  Kevin McKidd (Poseidon) and Melina Kanakerides (Athena) are also joining the project. [Variety]
• Amanda Seyfried may not be able to take on the lead role in Zack Snyder’s "Sucker Punch" because HBO won’t release the actress from her "Big Love" contract.  Snyder’s film begins shooting this fall, which would conflict with season four shooting on "Big Love". [EW]
• Brian White has been cast in the Joss Whedon/Drew Goddard horror film "The Cabin in the Woods".  White will play a character named Truman.  Little is known about the secretive project. [THR]
• Rhys Ifans announced on "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross" that he’ll be playing a role in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". The clip is below (he starts talking about Harry Potter at the 5:55 mark). [SnitchSeeker]

TV NEWS

Robert J. Sawyer Praises Flash Forward TV Adaptation
Robert J. Sawyer, who wrote the 1999 novel for which the ABC sci-fi pilot drama "Flash Forward" (from Brannon Braga and David Goyer) is based upon, had nothing but praise for the two producers:

"I had a wonderful meeting in Los Angeles with [executive producers] David Goyer, Brannon Braga and Jessika Goyer early on in 2007, where we talked about what should be retained, what should be dropped, what should be changed," Sawyer told SCI FI Wire. "The plan is for the series to run five years of 22 episodes. And Brannon and David and, to a much lesser extent, I as a consultant have brainstormed all the myriad ways that the story will be developed."

Sawyer will also be writing an episode during the first season, but won’t reveal what it’s about:

"Brannon and David will probably write the first half dozen themselves, to set the tone and flavor that they want," he said. "Sometime in the next block I will be doing my episode. David and I talked about what should I write, and we quickly converged on where in the overall arc of the series my talents might best be put to use.

Sawyer also told SCI FI Wire, in a separate interview, that he will have a cameo in the pilot. Be sure to head on over to SCI FI Wire to read the entire interview.

Discovery Channel Announces Stephen Hawking’s Universe
The Discovery Channel on Thursday announced a new multimillion-dollar three-part special titled "Stephen Hawking’s Universe" that will use the world-renowned physicist’s theories and CGI to explore the mysteries of our galaxy and beyond, according to THR:

"You got the greatest living mind on the universe, and we’re taking his knowledge and presenting it to people with fabulous computer graphics," Discovery president and GM John Ford said. "We start at beginning of time, then go into whether time travel is possible, whether we are alone and some of the great questions, done with spectacular special effects."

Discovery is shooting for a 2010 release for the series.

Three Join CW’s Vampire Diaries, Including Lost’s Boone
Warner Brothers TV has tapped Ian Somerhalder, who played Boon on ABC’s "Lost", to the cast of the CW’s drama pilot "Vampire Diaries".  According to Variety, Somerhalder will be playing Damon, a smug vampire who can go from playful to evil in a split second.  Also joining the project, which is based on a series of books from Alloy Entertainment about a woman who falls for two vampire brothers — one good and one evil — is Zach Roerig, who will play the jock Matt, and Kayla Ewell, who will play Matt’s sister.

Young Ben Speaks + News on Future Episodes
Sterling Beaumon, who plays Young Ben on "Lost", told TV Guide that [SPOILERS] he’ll be in two more episodes of the show and that his shooting in last week’s episode by Sayid won’t be the incident that turns Ben into evil Ben, and "that big older mean Ben that we know may not even exist". Also, Elizabeth Mitchell says "there’s a good reason" why Daniel Faraday is missing in 1977 and that the reason "flows really nicely for the character."  In related news, the two-hour finale (May 13th) will apparently focus on an attack on the Dharma Initiative, with SpoilersLost noting that Jack has some "explosive plans".  The site also notes that Rose, Bernard and Vincent will all appear in the finale.  And rounding out this week’s "Lost" news, EW reports that the show has begun filming a wedding ceremony that will air during the show’s finale:

Here are a pair of clues: Actors of Asian-American descent are being sought to play extras, and the wedding will take place on the mainland, not the island. That pretty much rules out Jack/Kate or Sawyer/Juliet. "One theory is that it’s a flashback to Sun and Jin’s wedding," whispers a Lost insider. "But the wild rumor is that Sun and Jin’s daughter will marry Aaron in the future."

During a recent podcast, producers Calrton Cuse and Damon Lindelof revealed that next week’s episode (watch the promo below) will feature Kate flashbacks and we’ll seen enough of the four-toed statue to definitively know what it is.   The producers also revealed that by the end of the season we’ll get an explanation by Ben on why he killed Locke and one from Miles about why he specifically wanted $3.2 million.

Promo for episode 11, "Whatever Happened, Happened"

Bryan Fuller Talks + Familiar Character Makes His Return
On the episode commentary for "Cold Snap", writer Bryan Fuller clarified the status of Tracy [SPOILERS], confirming that the character will return in the next volume ("Redemption"), where she’ll be taking on a leadership role.  Daphne, however, is not coming back.  Her death is permanent.  In other news, writer/producers Aron Coliete and Joe Pokaski answered some fan questions, as they do every week, over at Comic Book Resouces.  Here are a few highlights:

• We haven’t seen the last of the characters Luke and Doyle.
• We won’t see more of John Glover — who played Sylar’s dad — this season, but there are big plans for him in future episodes.
• There will be a gay/bisexual character on the show.

And rounding out this week’s "Heroes" news, IMDB notes that Christopher Eccelston will be back as Claude in the show’s season finale.  The episode is titled "Invisible Thread".  And finally, the promo for next week’s episode, "Into Asylum", follows below.

SCI FI/Syfy Upfront Presentation + More on the Name Change
SCI FI, soon to be Syfy, have ordered three fantasy miniseries, including a retelling of "Alice in Wonderland".  SCI FI is also working on a fresh take of the comic-book hero "The Phantom" and will be developing an adaptation of the "Riverworld" fantasy books by Philip Jose Farmer.  All three projects will be four-hour movies from RHI Entertainment.  "Alice in Wonderland" is scheduled to premiere in the winter, while both "Riverworld" and "The Phantom" will be released sometime next year.  In other SCI FI news, that name change is still generating a bit of negative press.  One of the channel’s original founders, Mitch Rubenstein, wrote a letter to Hollywood.com, recounting how he and others, including Isaac Asimov, found it difficult to convince fans of the network’s original name:

Then Isaac started to speak and said that the name had to be Sci Fi Channel and not the SF Channel, in order to draw a wide, diverse audience and be successful. To be in a financial position to acquire and produce the best programming. That’s really what counts, right? The writers came around and agreed. Heck, it was Isaac Asimov saying "Sci Fi Channel" was OK, and that was that.

What would Isaac have said if the name was instead SyFy Channel. He would have said (we believe): That’s just plain dumb. 

In a conference call with bloggers to discuss the name change, SCI FI’s president Dave Howe revealed two potential names for the network: SFC and Beyond:

Howe said he could reveal those names because there was no way the network would have been able to use either of them due to issues such as owning the trademark or securing the URL. "Which is why having a made-up name is more open and enables you to give it the perception and values you want it to have," he added.

"The conversation that we’re having today and the feeding frenzy in the chat rooms and online would have been considerably greater if we changed the name completely."

Despite the negative opinion of the name change, Howe wants to reassure viewers that the network will not be shifting its focus (via io9):

This is not about alienating our existing core viewers because frankly we are still the scifi-fantasy channel and will continue to be so. This is absolutely about embracing our heritage, and embracing our future, and figuring out how we can bring even more people into the camp. The thing that I think disturbs us most was, people, as we expected, saying ‘Well this is just another opportunity to put more ECW on the air.’ Or, ‘This is another opportunity to do even more reality.’ That isn’t true and recent announcements [prove otherwise]. We’ve picked up Caprica, it’ll launch in the new year. We’ve picked up Stargate Universe, the next exciting chapter of the longest running space opera in TV history. This isn’t about retrenching, this is about absolutely embracing the totality of not just our core audience but actually, a new audience in the future."

New Genre Shows Headed to Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network unveiled a slate of 19 new series/movies during last Wednesday’s upfront presentation and four of those series are sci-fi themed:

• Ben 10: Alien Swarm: Director Alex Winter and writer John Turman (Hulk ’03, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer) team for an all-new, live-action movie based on the hit animated series Ben 10: Alien Force, set to premiere in fall 2009. Ben 10: Alien Swarm follows teenage hero Ben Tennyson (Ryan Kelley) as he breaks ranks from the Plumbers, a secret organization that battles alien forces, to help Elena (Alyssa Diaz), a mysterious young woman, uncover an alien threat to our world. Additional cast members include Barry Corbin (No Country for Old Men) as Grandpa Max, Galadriel Stineman as Gwen and Nathan Keyes as Kevin.
• Sym-Bionic Titan: From creator Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack) comes an exciting hybrid of high school drama and giant robot battles. Sym-Bionic Titan follows the adventures of three beings from the planet Galaluna who crash-land on Earth while attempting to escape their war-torn world.
• Generator Rex: Infected by microscopic molecular-altering nanites, 15-year-old Rex has the ability to grow incredible machines out of his body. Recruited by an organization called Providence, Rex travels the world investigating a host of biological mutations that were created by the same nanites that give Rex his powers. Generator Rex is from Man of Action, creators of Ben 10. John Fang of Cartoon Network Studios serves as supervising director.
• Firebreather: Cartoon Network’s first original all-CG animation adventure presents Duncan Rosenblatt, a rather typical, awkward high school kid, except that his dad is a fire-breathing dragon and he is destined to protect the earth. Created and co-executive-produced by Phil Hester (The Wretch), Firebreather is executive-produced by Julia Pistor (Lemony Snicket) and co-executive-produced by Andy Kuhn (Freedom Ring)—Jim Kreig (Ben 10: Alien Force) joins as writer. Peter Chung (Aeon Flux) is attached to direct.

The network also announced that "Star Wars: The Clone Wars", "The Secret Saturdays" and "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" will all be back for new episodes next season.  Read the full press release here.

Extended Cut of BSG Finale on DVD + Moore on Alternate Endings
Ronald D. Moore told SCI FI Wire that DVD for season four of "Battlestar Galactica" will have an extended cut of the series finale:

Well, there was a series of flashbacks that had to do with Boomer [Grace Park] and Helo [Tahmoh Penikett] and Tyrol [Aaron Douglas] back on Galactica when she was a rookie pilot. It was the first time she kissed Tyrol, the beginnings of that relationship, the beginning of Helo having his longing for her, and sort of establishing where that triangle was way back in the beginning. We cut that, just for time. It will be on the extended DVD version.

The DVD will also have some longer versions of the same scenes, including one after Tyrol says, "We have to hook Anders into CIC", which involves a heated argument between Tyrol, Adama and Starbuck in Adama’s quarters.  To read Moore’s reactions to the series finale, head on over to SCI FI Wire.  In a separate interview with io9, Moore talked about a different ending that they had in mind for the series, this one focused on Ellen:

There was a different ending that we had, it was all about Ellen aboard the Colony. She was sort of turned by Cavil, because she found out that Tigh had impregnated Caprica Six, and that deeply embittered her. And she sort of became dedicated to the idea of destroying Galactica and the fleet out of revenge. And [she and Cavil] got Hera, and then the final confrontation became very personalized between Tigh versus Ellen, and should they forgive.

Moore says that over the course of the writer’s strike, he rethought about it and decided that it wasn’t "epic enough", and that’s when they "decided to start over, and reinvent the last arc of the show."  Moore also discussed another ending all together with SCI FI Wire, telling the site that in another version of the finale, the Galactica ends up on earth instead of being flown into the sun and manages to show up in our present-day timeline:

"There was a point in the development process where we discussed the idea of the Galactica not being destroyed, but having somehow landed on the surface more or less intact, but unable to ever get into orbit again (the particulars here were never worked out, so don’t ask how she made it down without being torn apart). We talked about them basically abandoning the ship and moving out into the world.

"Cut to the present-day in Central America where there are these enormous mysterious mounds that archeologists have not been able to understand (it may have been South America, I can’t recall the exact location, but these mounds really do exist). Someone is doing a new kind of survey of the mounds with some kind of ground-penetrating radar or something and lo and behold, we see the outlines of the Galactica still buried under the surface."

There’s also a new interview with Mary McDonnell, who calls the series finale "very eloquent, very hopeful and very necessary".  Check it out over at SCI FI Wire.

Esai Morales Explains Caprica
Three of the stars of "Caprica" chatted with E! Online about the upcoming "Battlestar Galactica" prequel series from Syfy.  Here’s how Esai Morales, who plays Adm. Bill Adama’s (Edward James Olmos) grandfather Joseph Adama, explains the series:

"It mirrors, in my opinion, what’s happening today on our own planet and our own country. [The nation-state planet of] Caprica represents the values that we as Americans represent, and my family comes from [the nation-state planet] Tauron, which is a more repressive establishment, like a mixture of Iran and Latin America or the Soviet Union, where the state is a lot more paternal, repressive and restrictive. We come from the old world and are trying to thrive in this world, and my family gets victimized or caught up in the politics of monotheism and polytheism."

Paula Malcomson, who plays Amanda Greystone in the series, and Polly Walker (Sister Calrice Willow) also offered their thoughts on their roles and the series.  Read them here. We’ve also got eight new clips from the film.  Watch the first below, and look below for links to the others. The two-hour pilot for "Caprica" hits DVD and digital download on April 21, 2009.

More clips: #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8

TV IMAGES

Doctor Who

First look at the new villain species, the Tritovore

Other images from the Easter special, "Planet of the Dead" [more via io9]

Dollhouse

Promotional images from episode x, "A Spy in the House of Love" [two more here and here]

Fringe

Promotional images from episode 15, "Inner Child" [more at Fringe Television]

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Promotional images from episode 22, "Born to Run" [one more here]

TV VIDEOS

Caprica

Trailer

Chuck

Clip from Monday’s episode, "Chuck Versus the Broken Heart", which features Tricia Helfer

Promo for Monday’s episode

Dollhouse

Promo for episode eight, "Needs"

Eureka

Interview with the show’s cast

Iron Man: Armored Adventures

Music video of the theme song and clips from the show [EW]

Reaper

Sneak peek for episode five, "I Want My Baby Back"

Promo for the episode

Red Dwarf

Viral video

Smallville

Webclip from episode 18, "Eternal"

Stargate Universe: SGU

Sneak peek clip

 

Supernatural

Promo for episode 18, "The Monster At The End Of This Book"

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Promo for episode 21, "Adam Raised a Cain"

Warehouse 13

Interview with star Joanne Kelly

Trailer

TV Note:

Don’t forget to tune in this Sunday on Fox to catch the Star Trek-themed episode of "Family Guy".  The episode airs at 9PM (8c).  And if you missed it, be sure to check out an article about the episode that was run on TrekMovie this past Wednesday.  Check it out here.  Here’s a preview that was featured in that article:

TV BITES

• Actress Carrie Preston says to expect more supernatural elements in the second season of HBO’s "True Blood". [SCI FI Wire]
• A major male character on "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" will die in the season finale. [EW]
• This is probably a spoiler for "Smallville", so highlight to view: Nothing major, but the fight scene between Doomsday and Clark is apparently going to be quite the spectacle.  Ausiello calls it ginormous. [EW]
• Dr. William Bell will be ID’d in the season finale of "Fringe", but keep your eyes peeled because that may not be his first appearance on the show.  That could happen sooner. [TV Guide]
• The Empire Strikes Back-themed episode of "Family Guy" will probably air at the end of next season, but may be released on DVD before then, according to "Family Guy" producer David Goodman. [io9]
• Lourdes Benedicto has been added to the cast of ABC’s drama pilot "V".  She’ll play a love interest for Erica’s (Elizabeth Mitchell) boyfriend (played by Morris Chestnut). [THR]
• ..Did you notice Elizabeth Mitchell’s ("Lost") name above?  That seems like a confirmation of Michael Ausiello’s report at EW that the actress had been cast in the pilot of the show, no?
• …Alan Tudyk ("Firefly") and Laura Vandervoort ("Smallville") have also been cast in the pilot.  Tudyk will play an FBI agent, while Vandervoort will be playing a seductrress alien named Lisa. [via io9]
• James Marsters ("Dragonball Evolution") says that he’s completed filming on the ucpoming SCI FI original movie "High Plains Invaders".  Marsters discusses his role in the film in a new interview with SCI FI Wire.

MISC NEWS

Preview of Spider-Man Musical
There was a sneak peek at the musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark" on Thursday and Modern Fabulosity was on hand to provide a report. The musical, "Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark" will be directed by Julie Taymor and features music by U2.  According to Modern Fabulosity, the musical takes a different approach from the films, and it will feature several villains:

Unlike Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films (which moved from the story’s comic book roots toward a more naturalistic, real-world interpretation), Taymor is, unsurprisingly, going the other way — embracing the webcrawler’s inherent theatricality, and placing him inside a stylized New York City populated with heroes and (multiple) supervillains.

The site gave a run down of all the villains — in costume — that they witnessed during the sneak peek, all of which apparently look amazing:

Ishioka’s costumes were breathtaking — a rogues gallery of the villains that appear onstage in the musical received audible gasps from the audience, including the Green Goblin, Lizard, Kraven, Swarm, and a new female villain created at the behest of Taymor, Swiss Miss (dressed in immaculate white dominatrix gear and multiple knives…hot!). Fans of Dr. Octopus and Sandman should know, however, that neither made an appearance in the presentation, although Taymor hinted at a special villain yet to be identified who appears in the piece.

You can read the full report on the sneak peek over at Modern Fabulosity.  Poster art is below.

New Batman Comic Writer Talks
Judd Winick, who’ll be taking over writing duties on the "Batman" comic series in June, tells Comic Book Resources that he’s looking forward to writing tons of action, and won’t be focused much on social commentary:

We’re talking three-issue arcs, four-issue arcs where it’s Batman whooping it up, kicking ass, getting his ass kicked and coming back and kicking some more ass. This is a superhero book and it’s one of the things that I enjoy. I mean, I do enjoy Batman as a masked detective but I myself enjoy Batman beating the living hell out of people in various ways, shapes and forms… This is a "Batman" title. And I don’t think it will have any of the social commentary, which I’ve done maybe five or six times out of 10 years I’ve written comics.

Be sure to head on over to Comic Book Resources to read the entire interview with Winick.

Marvel Launching New Writers Program
Marvel Studios has started up a new writers program with the hopes of bringing more than a half dozen film writers together to work and develop on ideas for future comic book film projects.  According to Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood Daily, the writers will have to sign a non-disclosure agreement and a 70-page, non-negotiable contract.  But the contract is very strict, giving Marvel ownership over everything the writers create during the one year term of the deal, plus a first look and last refusal to anything the writers previously wrote or will write for 24 months in the future.  Everyone is open to applying, including current Marvel comic book writers.

MISC IMAGES

Transformers

Megan Fox on the cover of Empire Magazine (note the Autobots tat) [Empire]

Big Numbers

Lost, never-before-published Alan Moore comic [one more image, plus background and a link to the complete third issue, can be found at SCI FI Wire]

Buck Rogers

Buck Rogers #1 Covers

MISC VIDEOS

Battlestar Galactica (BSG Rap: "I Love Battlestar!") [via io9]

Ghostbusters (Video Game)

Alyssa Milano talking about her role in the game (she replaces Weaver, who was late in signing up for the project)

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (Video Game)

New featurette

Nightmare on Elm Street

Video script review [Latino Review]

SCI FI RATINGS

Terminator: TSCC and Dollhouse Ratings Watch
Last night’s episode of "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" drew 3.83M viewers and a 1.3 A18-49 rating, staying even from last week’s episode (up 3% among viewers, flat among adults 18-49).  This is actually the third week in a row that the show has shown growth. After hitting a series low 2.90M viewers and a 1.0 A18-49 rating on March 6th, the show is up 32% among viewers and 30% among adults 18-49.  Unfortunately, its ratings remain very low.  As for lead-out "Dollhouse", the news wasn’t good.  Although it slightly improved upon its lead-in, last night’s episode drew just 3.87M viewers and a 1.3 A18-49 rating which was a 7% from last week’s episode among viewers and a steep 13% among adults 18-49.

Chart (3/2/2009 to 3/8/2009)