Film Junk » Sci-fi

Steven Spielberg Teaming with Stephen King for Under The Dome TV Series

Sean — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:03:47 +0000

I was lucky enough to get an invite from my friend Mike to go check out a special event with Stephen King last night in Toronto where David Cronenberg was conducting an informal interview with him on stage. The event was to promote King's new book Under The Dome, but they talked about plenty of other things including King's upcoming comic book series American Vampire, a screenplay he just wrote for Cell, and the fact that he's thinking about writing a sequel to The Shining (no, really). Although I can't really call myself a hardcore Stephen King fan, I have to admit that it's pretty crazy that he's written as many books as he has, and he's still coming up with interesting new material today. Under The Dome is about all the madness that ensues when an invisible force field suddenly materializes around a small town in Maine, cutting them off from the outside world. Considering its length, it seems more well-suited for adaptation to a TV series and that's exactly what King is going to do... with the help of Steven Spielberg! Dreamworks TV have picked up the rights to Under The Dome, and will be developing it as an "event series", probably for cable. I guess that means HBO might still be the ones to broadcast it, as had been previously reported. I don't know if I'll get around to reading the book anytime soon, but I think the concept is great and I'm definitely looking forward to this. Anyone out there reading the book right now? Will it make for a great HBO series?

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Brad Pitt Producing Dark Void Video Game Adaptation

Sean — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:12:29 +0000

The game's not even out yet and it's already been optioned. Probably because it has jet packs!

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The CW to Give Warren Ellis’ Global Frequency Another Shot on TV

Sean — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:11:56 +0000

I guess being one of the most downloaded unaired TV pilots carries some weight in Hollywood.

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Michael Jackson’s Captain EO Returning to Disneyland

Sean — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:51:52 +0000

Francis Ford Coppola's 3-D extravaganza stages a comeback.

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Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse Gets Deactivated for Good

Sean — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:24:11 +0000

Executives at Fox have finally uttered the word that has become every Joss Whedon fan's worst nightmare: "canceled". This is in reference to his latest show Dollhouse, which is currently in the midst of its second season. Whedon will apparently get to finish filming and airing all 13 episodes of the season in order to give it a proper sendoff, with new episodes resuming on December 4th despite low ratings. Most fans will probably not be too surprised by this news since Dollhouse has performed poorly pretty much out of the gate and Fox has a long history of aborting Whedon's babies. The show was not even expected to get picked up for a second season, but Fox gave it the benefit of the doubt. When ratings failed to improve, they pulled it off the air for November sweeps, at which point the writing was basically on the wall. Do you think Dollhouse deserved more time? Why did it not catch on? I only watched the first episode or two and found it to be a mess, but many fans have insisted that it eventually found its stride. There has also been talk of a direct-to-DVD movie to wrap things up. So what do you say we just skip all the outrage and petitioning to save the show this time around? I think Fox has actually been pretty fair for once, and besides, now we all know that Whedon's got more important things to tackle!

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Len Wiseman in Talks to Direct Untitled Post-Apocalyptic Thriller

Sean — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:44:05 +0000

We've been hearing Len Wiseman's name thrown around a lot over the past year or two, but despite being courted for some high profile projects, he still doesn't have a gig lined up to follow 2007's Live Free or Die Hard. It's possible that he's just being choosy (which makes sense considering that Die Hard was reportedly a pretty grueling shoot), but it also seems like he's had a bit of bad luck with a few projects falling through or being put on hold. At one point he was supposed to direct the Escape From New York remake, but that seems to be dead, and he is also still attached to the Gears of War movie and the comic book adaptations Atlantis Rising and Shrapnel. However, at this point his next project is shaping up to be something entirely different. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wiseman has signed on to direct an untitled thriller for 20th Century Fox. Based on a script by Jeremy Passmore (Special, Red Dawn) and Andre Fabrizio, the movie is "about a group of people who survive the end of the world and the mystery surrounding how they got to that position". Yep, another post-apocalyptic thriller... just what we need! The working title for the movie is said to be Nocturne, but that doesn't really put us any closer to knowing what the movie is about. Are you looking forward to seeing what Len Wiseman does next? And does this movie have any hope of standing out among all the other "end of the world" movies coming out lately?

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Is Avatar One of the Top 100 Movies of the Decade?

Sean — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:23:32 +0000

The end of the decade is almost upon us, which means that over the next month or so you can expect to see all kinds of lists counting down the "Best Of" the previous 10 years in just about everything. One of the first publications out of the gate with their Best Movies of the Decade list is London's Telegraph, who count down their top 100 movies from 2000 to 2009. There are some interesting choices and some predictable ones, along with a few movies I've never even heard of. One thing that has a few people raising an eyebrow, however, is the fact that they've included James Cameron's Avatar on their list, based solely on the 15-minute IMAX preview! Isn't that a little presumptuous? To be fair, they did tack it on at the end of the list at #100, but it still feels like they're going mainly based on hype rather than anything concrete. Do you think that Avatar will end up being one of the decade's best films? Do you agree with the rest of their choices? I have a feeling they're going to get some flack for that #1. Check out their top 20 after the jump, and read the rest over at Telegraph.co.uk. 20. Lost in Translation 19. Capote 18. Mamma Mia! 17. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days 16. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 15. Before Sunset 14. Saw 13. West of the Tracks 12. Amelie 11. The Lives of Others 10. Slumdog Millionaire 9. The Passion of the Christ 8. Amores Perros 7. Borat 6. Memento 5. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring 4. There Will Be Blood 3. The Incredibles 2. Brokeback Mountain 1. Fahrenheit 9/11

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Duncan Jones to Direct Source Code Starring Jake Gyllenhaal

Sean — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:16:14 +0000

A lot of people still haven't had a chance to see Duncan Jones' Moon, the indie sci-fi film starring Sam Rockwell, but from all the positive reviews, it's clear that critics are marking this as the arrival of an exciting and talented new director. The movie hits DVD on January 12th, but in the meantime Jones has started to line up a number of new projects. A WWII submarine thriller called Escape From The Deep, and another science-fiction film called Mute had been previously announced, but now it looks like something else will take priority over both of those projects. Variety reports that Jones has signed on to direct Source Code, a sci-fi thriller about a soldier who wakes up inhabiting the body of a stranger. He must relive a train bombing over and over again until he can find out who is responsible. Jake Gyllenhaal is in talks to star, taking over for Topher Grace who was previously attached. The script was written by Ben Ripley (Species III), with a new draft by Billy Ray (Breach, Flightplan). According to Jones, the offer was one he couldn't turn down; Mute is still in the works, but having a bit of trouble finding a studio to back it. In other news, a bunch of Moon-related props are now up for auction on Ebay!

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Mandalay Picks Up Max Barry’s Real-Time Novel Machine Man

Sean — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:04:25 +0000

There's a growing trend in Hollywood where studios buy the screen rights for books before they are even released (see the recent acquisition of Daniel H. Wilson's Robopocalypse for just one example). I suppose it makes sense that if you have a big name writer (ie. Dan Brown) or a property that will probably be a big hit, you should get on board before anyone else finds out about it (and before the price goes up). But in some cases, it strikes me as a little odd that a studio might option a book before it has even been fully written yet. This is definitely the case with Mandalay Pictures, who have just picked up the rights to Max Barry's sci-fi thriller Machine Man, a serianlized novel that is being written and posted online daily, page by page. It's a pretty interesting experiment in writing, and the premise is kind of cool (a tech engineer is replacing body parts with "titanium upgrades of his own design"). You can read the first 43 pages online here, but you have to pay to read further. Barry previously wrote Jennifer Government, an awesome action-packed satire of corporations in the future, which Steven Soderbergh currently owns the rights to. As a fan of his writing, I'm definitely intrigued, although I am curious as to why they felt this was worth buying before it was even finished. Then again, I guess if they don't like how it ends, they can always change it afterward! The book will officially be published by Vantage Books in 2011.

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J.J. Abrams’ Next Mystery Project: 500 Rads

Sean — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:04:19 +0000

Looks like the rumour mill is starting up again for another under the radar J.J. Abrams movie that is slowly being developed in secrecy -- just like Cloverfield was a couple of years ago. The folks over at Pajiba recently got word from an inside source that Abrams and his Bad Robot production company are working on a new project called 500 Rads, and while they don't know exactly what it's about, they do have a few intriguing ideas. The term "rads" refers to an "absorbed radiation dose", and since the movie is being described as having similarities to both Cloverfield and 28 Days Later, they are speculating that it could be a zombie, viral plague or nuclear post-apocalyptic scenario of some sort. Lost, Alias and Fringe writer Jeff Pinkner has reportedly been the man working on the script thus far. The movie is budgeted at $25 million and will shoot somewhere in Europe (possibly to keep it under wraps). Although it's not much to go on at the moment, it's certainly enough to get me excited. The secrecy is frustrating, but at the same time, I respect that Abrams is trying to tightly control the information that gets out. That being said, did Pajiba cross the line by breaking this story? Should it all be stricken from the record? Let's just say that I'm glad to know that Abrams has got something else up his sleeve. Now forget that you ever read this.

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Dreamworks Embraces Daniel H. Wilson’s Robopocalypse

Sean — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:56:51 +0000

Dreamworks just can't say no to giant f'n robots. The studio seems convinced that in the wake of Transformers, almost any action movie with large mechanical creatures is destined for success, and who knows... they might be right. In addition to the robot boxing movie they're setting up with Shawn Levy called Real Steel, they have also just acquired the rights to Daniel H. Wilson's upcoming book Robopocalypse, which "explores the fate of the human race after a robot uprising". Sound familiar? Wilson has previously written such humourous books as How to Build a Robot Army: Tips on Defending Planet Earth Against Aliens, Ninjas, and Zombies and How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion (the latter of which is also currently in development at Paramount), but before anyone (ahem... Jay) jumps to conclusions and assumes this will be another gimmicky Zombieland-esque comedy with a strict set of "rules", it's worth nothing that Robopocalypse is actually his first serious novel. On top of that, Wilson has a Ph.D. in robotics, so the story is said to be somewhat authentic and rooted in real science. Co-president of production Mark Sourian had this to say:

"Daniel H. Wilson's cautionary tale of man versus machine grabbed us from the very beginning... Wilson's background in robotics and artificial intelligence grounds his story with a frightening level of realism."

Okay, I'm interested. The book isn't expected to be published until 2011, but Dreamworks is supposedly fast-tracking the movie so perhaps we'll see it on screen before the book hits stores? He also has another upcoming book called Bro-Jitsu: The Martial Art of Sibling Smackdown, which has been optioned by Nickelodeon. Sounds like this Daniel Wilson fellow is a bit of a machine himself.

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Joss Whedon Puts in a Bid for the Terminator Franchise!!!

Sean — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:49:19 +0000

In case you haven't heard, the rights to the Terminator franchise are once again going to be up for grabs when they are auctioned off later this month, and a number of studios are said to be interested including Sony, Summit Entertainment and Media Rights Capital. It's unclear what this will mean for the future of the franchise, but apparently big media corporations aren't the only ones hoping to get a chance to repackage and resell the robot apocalypse. Believe it or not, there are a few other interested parties out there, including one... Joss Whedon? In a somewhat humourous and irreverent open letter posted on Whedonesque and Deadline Hollywood, the man behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly and Dollhouse offers up a tidy sum of $10,000 for the franchise, and proceeds to give some of his ideas about what to do with it. As expected, there is at least one reference to his good friend Summer Glau, who appeared in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and must have been part of the inspiration for this little write-up. Oh Joss... must you always be the class clown? I'm not sure what the point of all this is except that he thought it would be a real gas. It seems like he is implying that the Terminator franchise isn't worth very much anymore, but maybe in some sly way he's saying that he really does want to get involved with the next movie? I'm sure the Browncoats are already raving about the possibilities! Bask in the comedic genius of the full letter after the jump.

An Open Letter to the Terminator Owners. From a Very Important Hollywood Mogul 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.

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