I’ve always been a fan of director Chuck Russell. He doesn’t exactly have one you would call an outstanding film career behind the camera, but more often than not I end up liking his movies (“Eraser”, “The Scorpion King”). You would never really call them great, but they always end up being just good enough. His latest is “Prodigy”, a sci-fi actioner based on the novel of the same name by Dave Kalstein, who is also adapting the screenplay for the movie.
Archive for August 7, 2008
Chuck Russell to Direct Sci-Fi Actioner Prodigy
The Greatest Sci-Fi Movies Never Made (Revised 2008) Book Review
David Hughes is a master at describing the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” that is the Hollywood movie mill. It takes a certain amount of skill to discuss a blockbuster that might have been in a way that leaves you wanting to find a way to buy the rights, get funding and shoot the damned thing yourself. The reality is people with a lot more experience, money and even enthusiasm have tried… and, in some cases, are still trying. Hughes, who also wrote Tales From Development Hell: Movie Making The Hard Way, does a masterful job of getting you right in the middle of all the fuss in his recently updated and re-released book The Greatest Sci-Fi Movies Never Made from Titan Books.
New Star Wars: The Clone Wars Movie Images
George Lucas and company have released more images from their upcoming “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” movie in front of the film’s impending August 15, 2008 release date. Now those of you who have seen the cartoon show that the movie is based on probably won’t feel this way, but man, the animation style on this thing is kinda freaky. Seriously, the characters look like marionette dolls minus all the rope. The creepiest part of the characters are the faces. Wow, I mean, this thing might give me nightmares. Anyways, more new pics from the image below.
Keanu Reeves as Spike in Cowboy Bebop Live-Action Movie?
Big news out of the world of Rumorland today, as Firstshowing.net is reporting a rumor that Keanu Reeves has been attached to play the lead character Spike in the just-revealed “Cowboy Bebop” live-action movie. The site wouldn’t say who their source is, but that he’s close to the production. What’s more, the source also gives the stunner that Reeves has been attached to the project for as long as eight months now. Wow. Didn’t we just hear about this movie last week?
Pat Mills’ American Reaper Headed to Big Screen
I’ve never heard of the comic book “American Reaper” (probably because it’s yet to be published, natch) but it sure sounds like something I’d enjoy. A nice combination of sci-fi, action, and probably political intrigue, given the subject matter. The series is by Pat Mills and Clint Langley, and Xingu Films has already snapped up the movie rights and put it into the pipeline as a live-action movie. If the name Pat Mills sounds familiar, that’s because he was responsible for the comic series “Judge Dredd” and “Marshal Law”, so the guy knows a thing or two about sci-fi action comics.
The X-Files 2: I Want to Believe (2008) Movie Review
When David Lynch’s quirky and often surreal “Twin Peaks” ended after just two seasons in 1991, I didn’t think anything could take its place. But I was wrong. In 1993, Chris Carter unleashed “The X-Files” upon the world. It was the answer to my, and million of others’, prayers. Inspired by the 1970s TV series “The Night Stalker,” Carter placed two very different FBI agents at the center of his creation: Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) is a believer in little green men and things that live under the stairs, because he had witnessed the abduction of his younger sister Samantha by aliens; Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is a skeptic and a woman of science. In the stand-alone episodes, they took on fat, flesh and brain-eating humans, vampires, firestarters, parasitic twins, mutant children, serial killers, and much, much more. In the interconnected stories – these provided the show with its mythology – they confronted government conspiracies and cover-ups, orchestrated and overseen by the Cigarette Smoking Man, the Well-Manicured Man, and Alex Krycek. They were assisted in their search for truth by FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner, Deep Throat, the Lone Gunmen, and Mr. X.
X-Files: I Want to Believe Movie Reviews
Hey, in case you haven’t heard, the second “X-Files” movie, “I want to Believe”, which features the long-awaited reunion of Dana Scully and her paranoid partner Fox Mulder, opens today in theaters all across America. Now the question is, is this the sequel we’ve all been waiting for ever since 1998′s somewhat incomplete “Fight the Future”? Not so much, says the movie critics at Rotten Tomatoes, where the film currently has (as of this writing) a fresh rating (i.e. thumbs up) of 28%. 28%!!! To put that in a little perspective, Paris Hilton’s combined movies have a rating of 25% freshness rating at RT.
Cowboy Bebop Live-Action Movie is Coming
It’s definitely good to be a Japanese anime fan nowadays. With “Robotech”, “Akira”, and “Ghost in the Shell” already gearing up for the big Hollywood treatment (with very notable names behind them, to boot!), fans of “Cowboy Bebop” can expect to see their show turned into a live-action movie sometime very soon. I’ve seen the “Bebop” movie, but not the series, so I don’t really have a firm grasp on the series’ universe. From what I saw, it’s an interesting series, and could make for a good show. Kind of like Joss Whedon’s “Serenity”, actually.
The Day the Earth Stood Still Remake Posters
Who knows if Keanu Reeves and director Scott Derrickson’s remake of the 1951 classic “The Day the Earth Stood Still” will connect with audiences or make them leave the theater groaning in despair — no, not because of the movie’s contemporary message about global warming, but that they just spent another $10 watching Keanu Reeves play a stiff, barely humanoid alien. Doesn’t he play that in every movie? But I digress. Two new posters from the movie have showed up online.
Joss Whedon Reshooting Dollhouse Pilot
I know what you’re thinking: “Uh oh. FOX is doing it again.” Another Joss Whedon show, another FOX cancellation? I won’t blame you for thinking so after what FOX did to Whedon’s last show on the network, Firefly. Whedon’s latest show on the network is Dollhouse, starring Eliza Dushku, and according to Whedon himself, he is currently reshooting the pilot. Why? Whedon answers all (humorously, as always) on his official site.
Amanda Tapping Talks Sanctuary
Yes, yes, I know, it sucks that Amanda Tapping is no longer on Stargate: Atlantis, and that we’re now forced to stare at Robert Picardo’s shiny dome instead of Amanda’s nice curves, but there is a bright side: Amanda Tapping is returning to TV with Sanctuary, the TV version of her web series of the same name. The Sci Fi Channel has greenlight the series, which Amanda stars in as Helen Magnus, and the whole thing will be shot on a green screen studio ala “Sin City” and “300″.
Revamp Knight Rider: Less Driving, More Turbo Boost
Apparently when TV guy Gary Scott Thompson was hired to take over the reins of NBC’s upcoming Knight Rider revamp TV show, he read a lot of online reviews that mentioned the absence of the new KITT pulling out his turbo boot. Wow, really? I don’t think I even noticed there was no turbo boost in my review of the 2-hour backdoor pilot. But then again, I’m not the biggest fan of the old ’80s show, so I probably didn’t realize it wasn’t in the new version. Anyways, according to Thompson, there will be plenty of turbo boosting going on in the new Knight Rider with him in charge. Plus action. And a new cast.
First Teaser Trailer for BSG Prequel Caprica
I have to admit, I’m really not looking forward to Ron Moore’s Battlestar Galatica prequel, Caprica. I just feel that it’s the same old stuff, rehashing what’s already been done, and one of the reasons why I just don’t like prequels in the first place. We’ve already seen what becomes of the characters, why would we want to see how they get there? It all just seems so anti-climactic to me when movies do it, and it’s the same when TV does it. Anyways, here’s your first look at Ron Moore’s Caprica TV prequel to Battlestar Galactica. Maybe you’ll like it better than I did.
Moore Reveals more Virtuality Details
Uber sci-fi TV producer Ron Moore recently spilled more details about his upcoming Virtuality, his new sci-fi show for FOX, that would star former New Amsterdam leading man Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. The pilot, set to be directed by “Hancock’s” Peter Berg, is set to shoot at the end of next month, according to Moore, who also promises that this will be very “different” from his stint on Battlestar Galactica. So, uh, Ron, I won’t have to run to the showers after every episode? Fabulous!
Peter Berg Briefly Talks Dune Remake
Peter Berg, who just had a massive hit with “Hancock” starring Will Smith, is directing yet another version of Frank Herbert’s massive tome “Dune”. So of course when The Hollywood Reporter got a hold of Berg, they talked about his past projects, his current projects, and what he has in the fire for the future. One of those is “Dune”, in which the THR reporter tries to push Berg for a theme. Berg kind of answered, but not really.
