Sci-Fi Movies Tuesday: Alien, The Hobbit, Mad Max: Fury Road, Roger Rabbit, Spider-Man 4 + more

In this week’s Sci-Fi Movies, we’ve got news about Ridley Scott’s Alien prequel, confirmation of the casting of Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy in Mad Max: Fury Road, Robert Zemeckis talking about his Who Framed Roger Rabbit sequel and more, including the latest box office numbers, casting bites, images and videos.

GENRE MOVIE NEWS

Ridley Scott Talks About His Alien Prequel
Ridley Scott spoke with Empire about the proposed "Alien" prequel film he’ll be directing, which he says will be a good deal detached — at least timeline wise — from his 1979 original:

"It’s a brand new box of tricks," said Sir Ridley. "We know what the road map is, and the screenplay is now being put on paper. The prequel will be a while ago. It’s very difficult to put a year on Alien, but [for example] if Alien was towards the end of this century, then the prequel story will take place thirty years prior."

John Rhys-Davies Says No — For Now — To The Hobbit + Ian McKellen Has Read the Script
John Rhys-Davies (who played Gimli the dwarf in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy) would seem to be the perfect fit to play Gimli’s father Gloin in "The Hobbit", but the actor told Empire that he has already been approached about the role and has turned it down; as well as any small cameos:

"I’ve already been asked and to be honest with you, I wouldn’t. I have already completely ruled it out. There’s a sentimental part of me that would love to be involved again. Really I am not sure my face can take that sort of punishment any more."

"Why would you want to do it if it was just a couple of shots? When you’ve been 1 of 1, why would you want to be 1 of 13?"

However, Davies says he would consider returning if he was offered another role, one which would offer him the ability to create "a different type of persona within [the universe]":

"I’d really prefer to play something quite different. Maybe an Elf. They’ve got a different set of problems with The Hobbit because you’ve got 13 dwarves, a whole band of them… You’re trying to represent a whole race… You’re trying to do for dwarves what The Lord of the Rings did for hobbits."

Meanwhile, Ian McKellen, who is returning to the franchise — reprising his role as Gandalf the wizard — told SCI FI Wire that he has read the scripts for "The Hobbit" and its sequel.  McKellen offered no specifics, but did offer some thoughts about the project:

"As Peter has said, they loved writing Gandalf [for The Hobbit] because they knew who they were writing him for," McKellen said. "There are a lot of characters in The Hobbit, including, crucially, Bilbo, and they don’t know who’s going to play Bilbo. So it’s extremely attractive that this part has been written for me. The other Gandalf was written for, well, just as Gandalf. There’s lots for me to enjoy, in all sorts of ways. And I couldn’t be happier. But I’m sworn to secrecy. I’m not to say anything at all about the script."

As well as some thoughts on director Guillermo del Toro’s input on the script:

"They [Del Toro and Peter Jackson] are the same person," he said. "They were separated at birth. They’re twins. They have the same attitude. Neither likes working in Hollywood. They’re both fascinated by fantasy and violence on the screen, and gore, and things that frighten you. They like going into the psyche. They’re both brilliant storytellers in very much the same way. And I think the script, because I have read it, plays very much to Guillermo’s strengths, as I’ve seen them. I have seen his other movies, and people act very well in them. So I think it’s all fine. And Peter will always be there."

"The Hobbit" is scheduled to hit theaters in December 2011, followed by its sequel in December 2012.

Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy Confirmed for Mad Max: Fury Road
The fourth installment in George Miller’s "Mad Max" franchise, titled "Fury Road", has found its main cast.  Last week it was reported that Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy would star in the film, and now those rumors have been confirmed:

Despite his long association with the fourth movie, Mel Gibson is not reprising his iconic role of Max Rockatansky, the hardened ex-cop in a future beset by gas shortages and marauding gangs.

That job goes to Hardy, the British-born actor who stole scenes as Handsome Bob in Guy Ritchie’s “RocknRolla.” (”RocknRolla” has proved to be a launch pad for Hardy, who booked a gig in Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” as well. He also starred in “Bronson.”)

Theron is playing the female lead.

According to THR, the movie takes place a short time after the events of the third film, 1985’s "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome".  Warner Bros. is eying a summer 2010 shoot.

Roger Rabbit Sequel Script Commissioned
The rumors can be laid to rest, Robert Zemeckis told MTV that a script is development for a sequel to his 1988 hit "Who Framed Roger Rabbit".  Scribes Peter Seaman and Jeffrey Price — who wrote the original — are writing the script for the sequel:

"There’s a script that’s being developed," he revealed, adding, "We’ve got the original writers that are working on it now — Seaman and Price."

Robert Zemeckis also talked about the look of the film, indicating to MTV that it will make use of 3D motion capture for background characters, but probably not for Roger and Jessica:

"All the other characters that [the cartoons] would sort of have fun with would be magnificent in performance capture technology," he explained.

"I wouldn’t use it for the cartoon characters, because I think they should stay two-dimensional because that’s what — I wouldn’t dimensonalize Roger," he said. "And I couldn’t dimensonalize Jessica even if I wanted to because she doesn’t have a nose. We wouldn’t want to give her a nose."

Joss Whedon Wants to Buy Terminator Rights
The rights to the "Terminator" franchise are being sold by Halcyon Company.  According to the Financial Times, the property has received interest from several studios including Sony Pictures who are said to be the leading contender (Sony held foreign rights to "Terminator Salvation" which grossed $380 million worldwide).  Summit Entertainment and Media Rights Capital are also said to be interested.  Joss Whedon has jokingly thrown his name into the mix:

Dear Sirs/Ma’ams,

I am Joss Whedon, the mastermind behind Titan A.E., Parenthood (not the movie) (or the new series) (or the one where ‘hood’ was capitalized ’cause it was a pun), and myriad other legendary tales. I have heard through the ‘grapevine’ that the Terminator franchise is for sale, and I am prepared to make a pre-emptive bid RIGHT NOW to wrap this dealio up. This is not a joke, this is not a scam, this is not available on TV. I will write a check TODAY for $10,000, and viola! Terminator off your hands.

No, you didn’t miscount. That’s four — FOUR! — zeroes after that one. That’s to show you I mean business. And I mean show business. Nikki Finke says the Terminator concept is played. Well, here’s what I have to say to Nikki Finke: you are a fine journalist and please don’t ever notice me. The Terminator story is as formative and important in our culture — and my pretend play — as any I can think of. It’s far from over. And before you Terminator-Owners (I have trouble remembering names) rush to cash that sweet cheque, let me give you a taste of what I could do with that franchise:

1) Terminator… of the Rings! Yeah, what if he time-travelled TOO far… back to when there was dragons and wizards? (I think it was the Dark Ages.) Hasta La Vista, Boramir! Cool, huh? "Now you gonna be Gandalf the Red!" RRRRIP! But then he totally helps, because he’s a cyborg and he doesn’t give a s#&% about the ring — it has no power over him! And he can carry it AND Frodo AND Sam AND f@%& up some orcs while he’s doing it. This stuff just comes to me. I mean it. (I will also offer $10,000 for the Lord of the Rings franchise).

2) More Glau. Hey. There’s a reason they’re called "Summer" movies.

3) Can you say… musical? Well don’t. Even I know that’s an awful idea.

4) Christian Bale’s John Connor will get a throat lozenge. This will also help his Batwork (ten grand for that franchise too, btw.)

5) More porn. John Connor never told Kyle Reese this, but his main objective in going to the past was to get some. What if there’s a lot of future-babies that have to be made? Cue wah-wah pedal guitar — and dollar signs!

6) The movies will stop getting less cool.

Okay. There’s more — this brain don’t quit! (though it has occasionally been fired) — but I think you get my drift. I really believe the Terminator franchise has only begun to plumb the depths of questioning the human condition during awesome stunts, and I’d like to shepherd it through the next phase. The money is there, but more importantly, the heart is there. But more importantly, money. Think about it. End this bloody bidding war before it begins, and put the Terminator in the hands of someone who watched the first one more than any other movie in college, including "Song of Norway" (no current franchise offer). Sincerely, Joss Whedon.

Deleted scene (Moon Bloodgood topless scene–potentially NSFW)

NEW IMAGES

Avatar

Stills [IGN and MarketSaw–more at AvatarMovie]

Russian posters/banners [Kinopoisk via SlashFilm—click to view more]

The Box

U.K. poster [Empire]

Daybreakers

Stills [MTV]

How to Train Your Dragon

Poster

Hunter Prey

Stills [io9]

Inception

Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page on the set [more at Pacific Coast News via Nolan Fans]

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Poster

Sherlock Holmes

Poster [SCI FI Wire]

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Xavier Samuels as Riley Biers [David A. Slade via MTV]

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Director Chris Weitz talking with Kristen Stewart on the set [MTV]

CASTING BITES

• One name coming up as the potential lead in Warner Bros’ "Lobo" is Clancy Brown ("Highlander"), although the casting process hasn’t officially begun yet. [Mania]
• Edward Furlong has been cast in "The Green Hornet", but co-writer/star Seth Rogen wouldn’t reveal what role he’s playing. [Movie Web]

• Anthony Hopkins is in negotiations to play the Norse god Odin in Marvel Studios’ "Thor" (May 20, 2011). The film is being directed by Kenneth Branagh and stars Chris Hemsworth ("Star Trek"), Tom Hiddleston and Natalie Portman. [THR’s Heat Vision Blog]

NEW VIDEOS

Alice in Wonderland

Trailer #2

Avatar

Trailer #2

The Box

Clip

TV spot

Watch two more TV spots here and here

How to Train Your Dragon

Trailer #1

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Trailer #1

The Road

Trailer #2

Shutter Island

Trailer #3

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Michael Bay talking about Transformer 3–Easter egg from the DVD/Blu-ray [via Transformers Live]

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Featurette: "Wolf Pack"

Clip: "Bella’s Paper Cut" [via MTV]

MOVIE BITES

• "Star Trek" director J.J. Abrams says he hasn’t been approached by Warner Bros. to do his version of "Superman" but looks back positively on the experience: "It was a very passionate character for me. As a kid growing up it meant a lot to me. It would be wonderful and fun to see that brought back. I don’t know what Warners is thinking or what their plan is. It would be a blast."  He also says his script that was reviewed and mostly panned by fans wasn’t the latest draft they had at the time. [MTV]
• Writers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz ("Tron Legacy") have been tapped by Universal Studios to write the script for the studio’s board game-to-film adaptation of "Ouija". [THR’s Heat Vision Blog]
• Jackie Earle Haley — who takes on the iconic role of Freddy in "A Nightmare on Elm Street" — sees the film as "pretty much a remake, a re-envisioning of that first film". [SCI FI Wire]
• Ahead of the release of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" on November 20, 2009, Summit Entertainment is re-releasing "Twilight" back into theaters for one day only on November 19th. [Summit Entertainment]
• Columbia Pictures has hired "Tropic Thunder" co-writer Etan Cohen to script "Men in Black 3".  Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones aren’t attached yet, but Smith is expected to come on board.  Jones’ involvement is uncertain.  Sony is said to be eying a 2010 start date. [THR’s Risky Business Blog]
• It may have taken more than eight decades to happen again, but Fritz Lang’s original cut of his 1927 classic "Metropolis" will screen at next year’s Berlin Film Festival.  The version includes 30 additional minutes of footage. [Variety]
• J.R.R. Tolkien placed No. 5 on Forbes’ annual list of top-earning dead celebrities.  The author, best known for "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings", earned $50 million between October 2008 and October 2009. [Forbes via SCI FI Wire]
• "Babylon 5" creator J. Michael Straczynski is teaming with Jerry Bruckheimer to adapt 2K Games’ 2005 videogame "Shattered Union". [Variety]
• Several landmarks were destroyed in Roland Emmerich’s "2012", including the White House and the Sistine Chapel, but the director says he had to bypass destroying the Kaaba, the building at the Islamic holy site of Mecca: "Well, I wanted to do that, I have to admit," Emmerich says. "But my co-writer Harald said I will not have a fatwa on my head because of a movie."… [SCI FI Wire]
• …In related news, select theaters screening the Sony film will feature D-BOX motion technology. [Reuters]
• Production is expected to begin early next year on the adaptation of the comic book "Hack/Slash".  Casting is also expected soon. [Collider]
• Producer Stephen L’Heureux revealed that "Sin City 2" will enter production at the end of 2010.  Like the original, the sequel will be co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, but the project will be based on an original script by Miller.  L’Heureux also revealed Miller will follow-up the film with a big-screen version of his comic "Hard Boiled". [Mania]
• Fox Home Entertainment is reportedly eying a December 29 DVD and Blu-ray release date for "Jennifer’s Body".  The film severely underperformed at the box office grossing just $18.7 million worldwide. [Video ETA via Shock Till You Drop]
• In addition to a TV series, Mike Medavoy and FremantleMedia Enterprises are collaborating on a narrative 3D feature called "Dinosaurs Resurrected". [Variety]
• Grindhouse Releasing plans to bring Sam Raimi’s 1981 horror classic "Evil Dead" back to theaters with midnight screenings across the U.S. and Canada. Dates will be announced at a later date. [GrindhouseReleasing.com]
• "Parnormal Activity" was a solid #2 over the weekend, grossing $16.4 million and pushing its six week total to $84.6 million. [BOM]
• DreamWorks Animation has no interest in a sequel to "Monsters Vs. Aliens": "I’d like to tell you there’s a perfectly rational, clear and easy answer as to why not, but there isn’t," Jeffrey Katzenberg, chief executive of DreamWorks Animation, said. [LA Times]
• "Paranormal Activity" director Oren Peli’s next film is a small-budget sci-fi thriller called "Area 51", but the director is running into problems selling the film.  It reportedly cost $5 million to make — a fair bit more than the $10,000 or so price tag of "Paranormal Activity" — and bidding is starting at about $10 million for domestic rights (DreamWorks and Paramount paid 300,000 for "Paranormal Activity")… [NY Times]
• …however, the success of "Paranormal Activity" may lead to movement on a true sequel to "The Blair Witch Project", one which would ignore the 2000 sequel: "With this whole Paranormal Activity thing, there’s a spotlight shining back on Blair. So the timing might be right. Who knows? We’ll see how it goes", said Daniel Myrick. "We’re at the step where we’re about to pitch to Lionsgate, which owns the movie rights now. It’s pretty much up to them. They can completely squash it or greenlight it," added co-creator Eduardo Sánchez. [EW and Toronto Star]
• "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasuss" opened big in Italy, grossing a second place $2.7 million from only 227 theaters. Its $11,870 per screen average was the third highest for the year in the country. [Variety]
• William Dafoe ("Spider-Man") says that early on he was a candidate to play Batman in Burton’s 1989 film: "Very early, they talked to me about playing Batman," Dafoe said. [MTV]
• According to "Green Lantern" director Martin Campbell, the film will contain approximately 1,300 visual effects shots: "…it’s mind-blowing, quite honestly," Campbell said. [Empire Magazine via Coventry Telegraph]
• "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" sold 7.5 million copies on DVD and Blu-ray during its first week, already becoming the top-selling home entertainment release of the year.  The title also became the best-selling Blu-ray release of the year with 1.2 million copies on the high-def format.  First day sales totaled 2 million (1.5 million on DVD and 500,000 on Blu-ray). [Home Media Magazine]
• Production has begun on writer-director Matt Reeves’ ("Cloverfield") "Let Me In", the American remake of Tomas Alfredson’s Swedish vampire film "Let the Right One In" based on John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel "Lat den Ratte Komma In". [Shock Till You Drop]
• 20th Century Fox has launched a new website for James Cameron’s 3D sci-fi epic "Avatar".  The site is located at AvatarMovie.com.
• Dan Aykroyd ("Ghostbusters") provided an update on Sony’s proposed third film "Ghostbusters III", noting that writers Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg are currently "hacking out a first draft" and saying that although the project still isn’t officially a go, it’s the farthest along it has been years. [IGN]
• In the past director Sam Raimi has hinted at the possibility of "Spider-Man 4" (May 6, 2011) having only one villain — a response to the villain-heavy "Spider-Man 3" — and now comes a report (which will should probably treat just as a rumor for now) that the film will feature The Lizard as the sole villain. [MarketSaw]

Follow Russ on his blog: Your Entertainment Now and on Twitter: Twitter.com/YourEntNow.