Film Junk » TV

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?

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

American Gladiators Movie Gets a Writer

Sean — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:32:47 +0000

Peter Iliff (Point Break, Varsity Blues) to re-envision the Gladiators as superheroes.

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Jackass 3 Confirmed for 2010… in 3-D!

Sean — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:14:12 +0000

My mind is reeling thinking of all the disgusting pranks that the world needs to see in three-dimensions.

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

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.

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Chris Elliott to Star in Conan O’Brien-Produced Adult Swim Show Eagleheart

Sean — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:23:32 +0000

If it wasn't Adult Swim, I'd give it two episodes, tops... but this could actually be pretty awesome.

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Does Anyone Want to See a Gilmore Girls Movie?

Sean — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:23:19 +0000

Series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino does, apparently.

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

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!

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Jamie Foxx and Martin Lawrence Head Back to the ’90s with Sheneneh and Wanda

Sean — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:57:00 +0000

Oh no you di'n't! I can't believe I'm about to say this, but Jamie Foxx and Martin Lawrence are teaming up for a comedy that will mean absolutely nothing to anyone over the age of 15. The two actors have signed on to bring two of the most enduring characters from their stand-up comedy days to the big screen: Sheneneh and Wanda! You may remember Martin Lawrence cross-dressing to play Detroit ghetto girl Sheneneh Jenkins from time to time on his sitcom Martin, while Jamie Foxx's flirtatious, cross-eyed Wanda was one of the more popular characters on In Living Color. Now the two of them will join forces in a feature film that is being fast-tracked by Screen Gems. Apparently this whole thing came about because Foxx and Lawrence created a fake trailer for the BET Awards called "Skank Robbers" featuring the two women, and it was so popular that they decided to essentially make the movie for real. Jamie Foxx is writing the script, while he and Lawrence will co-produce together. I have to admit, this is the first Martin Lawrence movie in a long time that I might actually be interested in purely for the sake of nostalgia, and I'm impressed that Jamie Foxx doesn't think he's too good for this kind of thing anymore. There will be some who call it a bad career move, but it's nice to see him not taking himself so seriously for once. What do you think, could this be so ridiculous that it might actually work? Check out the original BET trailer after the jump.

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin to Host the Oscars… Together!

Sean — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:40:54 +0000

Well this is a pleasant surprise. It came out a week or two ago that Hugh Jackman would not be returning to host the Academy Awards this year, and also that Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. were offered the gig but apparently turned it down. Yesterday it was announced that the Oscars would, however, still have two hosts after all as both Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin have agreed to come together to do the honours. What a great idea. Steve Martin previously hosted the Oscars back in 2001 and 2003 and, from what I remember, he did a great job. A lot of people have wanted to see him back, and with the addition of Alec Baldwin (his first time hosting) I think a lot of people will be very happy. "I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin," Martin said. Baldwin responded: "I don't play the banjo but I'm thrilled to be hosting the Oscars -- it's the opportunity of a lifetime." It remains to be seen whether or not this year's ceremony will once again have a strong musical element (Hairspray director Adam Shankman is still co-producing, I believe), but either way I think the arrangement has a ton of potential. What do you think, will Martin and Baldwin make for a great team? And more importantly, will they find a way to get Tina Fey involved somehow?

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Sony Developing a Gattaca TV Series

Sean — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:49:00 +0000

Andrew Niccol's Gattaca is one of my all time favourite science-fiction movies, so you can imagine how my ears might perk up at the mention of the film being turned into a television series. The details, however, are still a bit sketchy at the moment, and it's hard to say whether or not it will even come close to capturing the myriad of intriguing ideas contained within the film. Buried away within a Variety article about Denis Leary, Jim Serpico and their Apostle Films production company is the following bit of news:

"Next up, the company has secured the rights to the feature film "Gattica," which they plan to develop as a one-hour police procedural set in the future. The "Gattica" smallscreen adaptation will be written by Gil Grant and is being developed through Sony TV's international division."

Yes, they misspelled the name of the movie (I guess they didn't get the DNA reference). At any rate, Gil Grant has previously written for 24 and NCIS, but doesn't have much experience in the realm of sci-fi as far as I can tell. I can see this having potential in a "Minority Report meets Caprica" kind of way, but I'd hate to see it reduced to the same old cop show formula. What do you think, is a Gattaca TV series a good idea?

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

SyFy’s The Phantom Trailer from Carnivale Creator Daniel Knauf

Sean — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:35:10 +0000

Oh yes, that's right... it's time to Slam Evil all over again. The Phantom is back baby! If you thought the 1996 movie starring Billy Zane was amazing, just wait until you see SyFy's new re-imagining of the masked superhero. Written by Carnivale creator Daniel Knauf and his son Charles, this new version of The Phantom is a two-part made-for-TV mini-series starring Ryan Carnes (Desperate Housewives, General Hospital) as the 21st Phantom. This isn't your father's Phantom, however. Chris Moore is a law student and parkour runner who learns that he was adopted. After his parents are murdered, he must don the famous Skull Ring and train in the jungles of Bengalla so that he can take on the evil Singh Brotherhood. Oh, and in case you haven't guessed, The Phantom costume has been heavily re-imagined as well. Sandrine Holt, Jean Marchand, and Isabella Rossellini also star in what is sure to be a must-see television event!! The Phantom will air on SyFy in the U.S. and The Movie Network in Canada sometime in 2010. Check out the trailer after the jump.

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Hulu to Start Charging for Content in 2010?

Sean — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:42:30 +0000

Aside from YouTube, Hulu has been the single biggest organization responsible for bringing TV into the digital age, by legally streaming all kinds of TV shows and movies over the internet absolutely free. The success has been astounding, and it has even allowed many people to cancel their cable subscriptions entirely (in the U.S., anyway). But not so fast, all you Hulu addicts out there... the free ride may soon be coming to an end! Over the past year or so there has been a lot of pressure for them to turn Hulu into a profitable business, and right now the short commercials just aren't cutting it. Recently, at the On Screen Media Summit in New York, News Corp. Deputy Chairman Chase Carey confirmed rumours about Hulu starting to charge for their content:

"It's time to start getting paid for broadcast content online... I think a free model is a very difficult way to capture the value of our content. I think what we need to do is deliver that content to consumers in a way where they will appreciate the value. Hulu concurs with that, it needs to evolve to have a meaningful subscription model as part of its business."

He also speculated that these changes would start taking effect in 2010. Now, at the moment it doesn't sound likely that the entire service will become subscription only. They've built up such a huge user base that it would be foolish to alienate them all at one fell swoop. However, they would need to have some pretty amazing exclusive content if they want to attract subscribers that way. Would you pay for Hulu? Is this the direction that television should be heading, or is there a better alternative out there? All I know is that here in Canada we have no Netflix and no Hulu, so this makes absolutely no difference to us whatsoever! Update: Hulu has now told Entertainment Weekly that this is all getting blown out of proportion, and that "any possible subscription or pay-per-view service has no set timeline and would only build upon what Hulu offers, not replace it". (via /Film)

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!