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Science Fiction & Fantasy News & Gossip | ||
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There have been numerous reports over the years of a reincarnation of the 80's sci fi series Battlestar Galactica. It now seems like it is actually going to happen. X-Men director Bryan Singer has made a deal with Studios USA to executive produce the new series with his X-Men partner Tom DeSanto. Singer may even direct the pilot if it doesn't clash with the filming of X-Men 2. The budget is expected to be well over the original series' $1 million per episode. Its looking more and more like the current eighth season of the X-Files will be the last. Chris Carter has confirmed that if the spin-off, The Lone Gunmen, is successful, another season of the X-Files won't go ahead. Instead, he is quote as saying the "two-hour season finale will be a cliff-hanger either for next season, if we return, or for the movie". David Duchovny is expected to return for a movie, but not another series. The end is in sight for another US sci fi series - 3rd Rock from the Sun. The cast have apparently been told that the show won't return for another season. 3rd Rock has already filmed a finale, in which the aliens return to their home planet. Ronald D. Moore, producer of Roswell, has spoken to Sci Fi Wire about the pilot for his Pern TV series. The pilot will be based on Anne McCaffrey's first Pern novel, Dragonflight, and is currently in pre-production. The series itself will be live-action, with computer-animated dragons. "We're going to be pushing the envelope on what we can do on TV, and deliver creatures that haven't been seen before and in a way that hasn't been seen before," he said. To read the full story, visit Sci Fi Wire The NBC TV network has apparently given the green light to as yet untitled pilot created by author Anne Rice. According to the NY Daily News, the project is a good against evil story about angels at war on Earth starring Timothy Hutton. An animated movie based on the Elfquest comic series by Wendy Pini is to be made, with an expected release date of late 2002 or early 2003. Marv Wolfman and partner Craig Miller are producing the Elfquest film, which they will also write with Pini. The official Harry Potter website has been launched. You can read the Daily Prophet to keep you up-to-date with all the latest movie news, be sorted into your own Hogwarts house, join the online community, create a postcard, and play games! Beware though, its a flash-heavy site! An adaptation of Neil Gaiman's kid's book, Coraline, is being written by director Henry Selick (Monkeybone). Selick told Sci Fi Wire that the film will be live action with some animation. Coraline tells the story of a young girl who unlocks a forbidden door into a parallel world. "It's a beautiful, elegant story," Selick said. "My main job is not to mess it up and keep it as close to the original, because it's so beautifully written." A movie based on the cancelled Millenium TV show is seeming more likely all the time. Frank Spotnitz, head of Millennium creator Chris Carter's Ten Thirteen Productions, told Fandom "I know it's something that Chris would like to do and [Millennium star] Lance Henriksen would like to do, so it's really, like, if your audience is there to support the idea. I wouldn't say it's impossible." Spotnitz added that it's possible Henriksen's Frank Black character could show up on the X-Files spinoff series, The Lone Gunmen. On the subject of The Lone Gunmen, two of the three stars have told the Coming Attractions site that the show will be more fun than the X-files. Tom Braidwood said: "It's not X-Files at all. It's an entirely different animal. It's a comedy," while Dean Haglund added: "It's comedy-action. It's like the funny episodes of The X-Files." The actors said the spin-off series would remind fans of the best comedy episodes of its parent show, while still offering something new. Rick Berman has told Star Trek Communicator magazine that the new Star Trek series may be the first to omit the words "star trek" from the title. But according to Berman, the new show won't depart from tradition too much, with the new show still being ship-based. As for the premiere date, Berman says "These decisions are currently resting with Paramount, but I think it is pretty certain that the target date is going to be September/October 2001." We reported recently that a TV show based on Anne McCaffrey's Pern series was being considered by a US TV network. According to Variety, the Warner Bros TV network has given the project the go ahead. Ronald D. Moore (Roswell, Star Trek), who developed the project, will executive produce the series. Variety has reported that Stephen King has written a screenplay adaptation of the 1998 Patrick McGrath novel Asylum for Paramount Pictures. Director Jonathan Demme's (The Silence of the Lambs) name has been attached to the film, while Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson are possibilities to star. The novel tells the tale of a romantic relationship between an asylum superintendent's wife and a murderer housed at the asylum. The London newspaper The Sunday Express reported last week that Sigourney Weaver has agreed to a £15 million pound deal to play Ripley once again for a fifth Alien film. The paper claimed that the movie will be set on Earth, and with a script to be written by screenwriter Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer). These claims have since been shot down by a number of sources, including Variety mag who quotes a spokesperson for Sigourney Weaver as saying that, at this time, there is no fifth movie in the works. Del Rey Books are to publish a Star Wars ebook. Star Wars: Darth Maul: Saboteur, to be published on February 15, will be the first original Star Wars story to be made available exclusively in e-book format. Saboteur is the preface to the Star Wars novel Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, recently published by Ballantine Books. Saboteur is by Star Wars: The New Jedi Order author James Luceno, is priced at US$1.99, and will be available through most online bookstores which "stock" ebooks. A Dr. Who Regeneration Campaign has been launched by fans wanting the British sci fi series to make a come-back, and is aimed not at the BBC, but at American production companies. For more info, check out the official campaign website. Games Workshop, the creators of Warhammer have secured the rights to do a 'tabletop warfare' game based on the upcoming Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Early indications are that the game will probably be similar to Warhammer, with extensive models and real-time game play. In more gaming news, Interplay Entertainment has won the videogame license to The Matrix with the first project expected to be a 3-D action/adventure game with the plot tying into the upcoming sequels. The Aurealis Awards 2000 Short List has been announced, with a number of Voyager authors featuring on the list: Division A: Science Fiction Division B: Fantasy Best Short Story: Division C: Horror Best Short Story: Division D: Young Adult Convenors' Award Congratulations and best of luck to all the shortlisted Voyager authors. Simon & Schuster Interactive, in association with The Jim Henson Co, will publish a computer game based on the sci fi show Farscape. The game will be an action adventure in which gamers can assume the role of astronaut John Crichton, Peacekeeper Aeryn Sun, Chiana, D'Argo, Rygel or Zhaan. In the game, the Farscape crew will be stranded on a desolate planet, caught between warring native factions and the deadly Peacekeepers. Gamers will have to uncover clues to a mystery to stop a threat to galactic stability before time runs out. The game is expected to be released early next year. We reported last week that Sarah Michelle Gellar threatened to leave Buffy the Vampire Slayer if the hit show left the Waner Bros network. It seems she has since withdrawn those statements, made to E! Online, saying "I'm not going anywhere; I can't stress that enough. I just said it in passing and it was only meant to show my appreciation and support for The WB. But Fox [the show's production company] has been very good to me too. I intend to stay with Buffy no matter what". Coming Attractions has reported that former Alexander Siddig (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) has joined the cast of Reign of Fire, Disney's futuristic dragon-slaying flick. Rob Bowman (X-Files: Fight the Future) will direct, while other cast members include Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale. Production is set to begin in Ireland next month. Michael Dorn (Star Trek: The Next Generation) will provide his voice to an upcoming video game - Emperor: Battle for Dune - based on Frank Herbert's Dune series. The real-time strategy game is due out later this year for PC from Electronic Arts. Dorn will voice the character Duke Achillus of House Atreides. The game features a non-linear planetary campaign, with 33 different maps and 100 plus missions. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) is in negotiation to play the lead villain 'Mondavarious' in the upcoming Scooby-Doo movie. The movie is to begin shooting shortly in Queensland. Ain't it Cool News has reported that the lead female role in the remake of The Time Machine has gone to R&B singer, Samantha Mumba. She has apparently been offered the role of Mara, who the time travelling professor (Guy Pearce) meets in the future.
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