Sci-Fi Storm

The casting for the primary roles in the upcoming Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is complete, with 4 relative unknowns joining Johnny Depp (Wonka) and Freddie Highmore (Charlie, J.M. Barrie’s Neverland). They are Annasophia Robb (Violet Beauregarde), Jordan Fry (Mike Teevee), Julia Winter (Veruca Salt), and Philip Wiegratz (Augustus Gloop).

Zach Turner writes “Award-winning director Jim Jenkins has created four new spots for The Discovery Channel’s new “Know More Than You Should” campaign. Inventive and downright hilarious, The Discovery Channel is hosting a poll for viewers to pick their favorite commercial. (The current winner is “Milk Truck, ” featuring a girl gifed with ESP who predicts a flurry of cats are about to invade downtown Manhattan.) Please check them out at http://media.dsc.discovery.com/knowmore/ and show your support of The Discovery Channel’s exciting and inspired marketing endeavor.”

Just a few updates in the Sci Fi TV Store: New sections for The Dead Zone and Earth: Final Conflict; Babylon 5 fans can look forward to the TV Movie Set; Doctor Who, which is slow at releases, gives us Pyramids of Mars and Earthshock; Farscape: Season 4 Collection 5; and Andromeda: Season 3 Volume 5 is released tomorrow.

Harlan Ellison and America Online have agreed to settle Ellison’s long-standing suit against the internet company, which was filed in 2000. The suit stemmed from iilegal copies of Ellison’s work being distributed via the UseNet newsgroup alt.binaries.e-book, which was carried by AOL’s news servers, among thousands of others. AOL had removed the newsgroup when the suit was filed, but the suit went on anyways. 2 years ago AOL won a summary judgement, but that was partially overturned later. No details of the settlement were given.

Richard Dean Anderson, who plays Col. (and soon to be Gen.) Jack O’Neill on Stargate SG-1 spoke with SCI FI Wire about his shooting schedule and his character, and how he’ll adapt to his new position. Anderson has altered his shooting schedule to spend more time with his 5 year old daughter by shooting scenes for several episodes together.

Nick Pollotta writes “”That Darn Squid God” by Nick Pollotta and James Clay.
“Set in Victorian England in the year 1881, That Darn Squid God is an hilarious parody of the otherworldly mythos of H. P. Lovecraft, strewn with delightful trappings of mystery and magic. Two British explorers must race against time before a prehistoric squid god rises again to destroy the world, which would after all be a ghastly inconvenience. Tongue-and-cheek humor and a fresh and fast-paced narrative style set apart That Darn Squid God as a fantastically funny end-of-the-world ride.” – Midwest Book Review, June 2004″

David Twohy, who wrote and directed The Chronicles of Riddick which opens this week, is also writing a spinoff TV movie for the SCI FI Channel focusing on the character of Kyra, who also appeared in the first film, Pitch Black – the girl who masqueraded as a boy. This movie would fill in the 5 years between the theatrical films. The Kyra spinoff would also serve as a pilot for a potential series.

As the third movie installment in the strong Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has to overcome several things: the fact that it is a sequel, a new director, an older cast, and a darker story. It succeeded admirably.

(continue reading…)

This ls late, since I did get to see it on opening weekend. If you are one of the three people who haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for? This is one of the few cases where a sequel can actually be as good as the original…

(continue reading…)

Seems that the screenwriter for I, Robot is at it again. This time, Jeff Vintar is working on adapting Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy of stories into a couple of films. The big problem? the fact that the stories take place over 500 years, and involve separate characters. “How can I create something which is still recognizably Foundation, and yet give us a narrative that has the requirements of a film?” Ironic, given reaction to his last adaptation.