27 August 2001

Actress and Grammy-nominated R&B singer Aaliyah died Saturday in a plane crash shortly after takeoff in the Bahamas. The 22 year old actress, was slated to play a character named Zee in the two sequels to the Matrix, which are being filmed back-to-back in Australia. Matrix 2 has already been delayed more than six months due to production difficulties, with the release date having been put back from the end of 2002 to mid 2003. It looks likely that Aaliyah's death may delay shooting further. Aaliyah recently wrapped filming on the big-screen adaptation of the Anne Rice novel Queen of the Damned in which she plays the tile role.

Some changes are in store for the nineth season of the X Files. For starters, there will be three lead characters next season. Frank Spotnitz, an executive producer of the X Files told the Zap2It website, "It's really a three-lead show, because you've got [Gillian Anderson] and Robert [Patrick] and Annabeth [Gish]," (who play Agents Doggett and Reyes). "That's what's making it so challenging for us this year, because we've never had to do that before. We had to do it somewhat when Mulder returned, but this is different." Spotnitz also hinted that the show's signature motto - "The truth is out there" - may change. "I think that's going to happen. You'll see changes there. You'll see a number of changes, actually, which I can't divulge yet." The ninth season will feature many new story arcs, including one centering on former Lucy Lawless (Xena).

We reported a couple of week ago that many fans and Kevin Smith believed that director Tim Burton got the idea for the Planet of the Ape's ending from one of Kevin Smith's comics. Director Kevin Smith, who was widely quoted threatening legal action against Tim Burton, now says he didn't mean it. In a post to his official News Askew website, Smith said, "I do not think the Planet of the Apes ending was stolen from the Jay and Silent Bob miniseries Chasing Dogma, nor am I thinking about taking anyone to court." Smith added, "I called the similarities (which I believe are simply coincidental) to the attention of my good friend Lou Lumenick over at the New York Post and made a few jokey comments about being pissed and litigious that seem to have been taken seriously by a slew of other news outlets. This story has gotten way out of hand."

The upcoming DVD of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within will contain a rather strange extra - a remake of Michael Jackson's Thriller music video featuring the computer-animated characters from Final Fantasy, the Square Source website reported. Characters in the music video include Dr. Aki Ross, Dr. Sid and Gray. Other special extras will include features that allow the user to re-edit scenes, a minimovie of Aki's dream, an alternate opening sequence and two audio commentaries by directors and artists. The two-disc Final Fantasy DVD will be released in late October.

20 August 2001

Hot on the heels of the rumour that George Clooney would don the black cape again to play Batman in an upcoming movie comes another rumour that David Boreaenz (Angel) is now being considered for the role. The Dark Horizons website reported that Boreaenz has apparently already been approached by studio executives about starring in the director Darren Aronofsky's proposed Batman: Year One movie as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Boreanaz is reportedly considering the offer.

More rumours about the proposed Batman and Superman movie have George Clooney reprising his role as Batman, while John Travolta is now rumoured to be up for the role as the villain. Travolta was previously rumoured to be playing Superman. The movie is to be directed by Wolfgang Petersen (The Perfect Storm) and written by Andrew Kevin Walker (Seven, Sleepy Hollow).

David Duchovny may be leaving, but the producers of the X Files haven't wasted any time in beefing up the cast of the show. Already, Lucy Lawless (Xena) has been added to the cast list, playing a mysterious character. The latest report has Cary Elwes (Kiss the Girls, The Princess Bride) joining the show as the recurring character of FBI assistant director Brad Follmer, ex-boyfriend of special agent Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish). X Files creator Chris Carter wanted someone very different to special agent John Dogget (Robert Patrick), saying this of the new character: "(Follmer) is a guy who is a little more buttoned up, a little more polished; he represents a different kind of FBI."

David Greenwalt, co-creator of The WB's vampire series Angel, has given away a few "spoilers" for the next season of the TV show. The show will bring back a familiar face, in either Darla or Drusilla. Christian Kane (Lindsey), Eliza Dushku (Faith) and new Law & Order prosecutor Elisabeth Rohm (Kate) may also return. There will also be a new villain. "There's going to be a villain named Holtz," Greenwalt said. "He's a vampire killer who's been hunting Angel for years." Keith Szarabajka, a veteran of Greenwalt's earlier series Profit, will play Holtz. "He's got a great voice ... really low and smoky."

SFX Magazine has reported that a proposed new Doctor Who TV series in the UK is currently aiming for 2003 release, and now has a producer on board. Dan Freedman, producer of the "Death Comes to Time" Dr Who radio drama is believed to be the producer and it seems like the series may have been pitched as a sequel to "Death Comes to Time". Its reported that the new Dr Who series will be a blend of live action and CGI.

13 August 2001

It seems Star Wars fans are not impressed with the title given to the next Star Wars movie - Attack of the Clones, in case you hadn't already heard. A mere day after the film's title was announced, angry fans have started petitions to George Lucas to change it. One such petition explains that "The title of Attack of the Clones brings to mind for some of us cheesy sci-fi movies like Attack of the 50 Foot Woman or Attack of the Killer Tomato's. We understand that Episode 2 deals with the beginning of the clone wars but this title doesn't give Episode 2 the prestige that the titles for the previous films did for those chapters." And it seems that the fans aren't the only ones not happy with the title. Ewan McGregor told the Popcorn website that he thought it was "a terrible, terrible title".

Did Planet of the Apes director Tim Burton get the idea for the movie's ending from one of Kevin Smith's comics? Well it seems many fans, and Kevin Smith himself, think so. Kevin Smith (director of Chasing Amy and Dogma) told fans on his official View Askew Web site message board that he considered suing Tim Burton over the alleged appropriation of the idea. But Burton has denied stealing the idea from Smith. Burton told the New York Post, "I have not seen the image, and anybody that knows me knows I do not read comic books. And I especially wouldn't read anything that was created by Kevin Smith." If you've seen the Planet of the Apes movie, why not make up your own mind - a picture from the comic in question can be found at Kevin Smith's message board.

Writer Phillippa Boyens, who penned the three Lord of the Rings movie scripts, has signed a deal with the US Sci Fi Channel to adapt the first three novels of the Earthsea saga by Ursula Le Guin for TV. The Sci Fi Channel plans to turn the Earthsea books into a six-hour big budget miniseries. The Earthsea saga focuses on a wizard's apprentice who realizes that his fate may be far more important that he ever imagined.

Dr Who has topped a list of the most influential television cult program of all time. The list of cult programs was complied by British media historian Jeff Evans for a new reference book, "The Penguin Television Companion." "It ran for 26 years, it's highly escapist and everyone has their favorite doctor, enemy or assistant story," Evans told the Express newspaper. Dr Who beat Fawlty Towers (at number 2), Star Trek (number 3), Monty Python's Flying Circus (number 4), with The Prisoner and the X-Files in fifth and sixth spots.

Don't be too eager to see the Matrix sequel - Joel Silver confirmed to Sci-Fi Wire that its been delayed until next year. "It's going to be summer now, summer 2003 [for The Matrix Reloaded]. It's just it's an enormous project. It's a staggering project. There's so much dealing with it, it's unbelievable, and they just need time to finish both movies, because we're shooting them as one big movie. It's not back to back. It's one movie, so they'll finish shooting it, and then they'll take the time to finish the movies". No news on what this means for the release of the third Matrix film, Revolutions.

A movie featuring Superman & Batman together is in the works. Warner Bros. has signed Seven screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker to write a script that will pair the two superheroes. Wolfgang Petersen (The Perfect Storm) is touted to direct the film. The project is not yet titled. Walker is also penning an adaptation of the Marvel comic Silver Surfer for 20th Century Fox.

6 August 2001

Xena star Lucy Lawless will be joining the cast of the X Files, having just signed a multi-episode deal with the producers of the show. X Files executive producer Frank Spotnitz explained Lucy's edition to the cast by saying "She and [Chris Carter] met in the past year, and she said she was a fan of the show...Since that time, it's been something in the back of Chris' mind as to how we could use Lucy, and when we began mapping out the X Files mythology, we found the perfect place for her." He's remaining tight-lipped about what that "place" maybe, however, only revealing that she will be "one of those characters where you're not sure whether she's good or bad". Lawless will appear in the first two episodes of the show's ninth season, and may return later in the season.

X-Men 2 writer, Zak Penn, spoke to SCI FI Wire about the latest draft of the script. He confirmed that Wolverine, and possibly Professor X, will be returning for the sequel. However, don't expect any of the more outlandish villains from the comics to appear in the sequel: "Some of the villains are hard to bring into the X-Men universe that was created in the first film, because they feel like something out of Batman. So that's the one thing I hope the fans will be understanding of." Penn also said that the sequel is "going to have the same tone" as the original movie, except that it will "interweave stories about several characters at once".

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy) is rumoured to be playing the lead in a new futuristic action movie. She is up for the role of one of two friends in Mondo Beyondo who survive a nuclear holocaust that happens during a school reunion. Ewan McGregor is also tipped to get a role in the flick.

It appears that George Clooney may be returning to play Batman in the fifth installment of the movie franchise, despite the fact that he apparently hated playing the role the first time around. According to Urban Cinefile, director Darren Aronofosky told someone at Le Film Français that George would be playing Bruce Wayne in his Batman movie, entitled Year One. Warner Bros. is believed to be aiming for production to start in late 2002.

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