Sci-Fi Storm

Not a lot new, but according to Deadline the live-action Star Blazers movie at Skydance Productions announced in 2011 is still on track, but now Christopher McQuarrie will direct as well as write.

Based on the 1974 cartoon series Star Blazers, which had two seasons aired on TV in the U.S. (as well as a [sfs=387]third series released on DVD[/sfs]), which itself was a re-edit and English dub of the anime Space Battleship Yamato, it follows the crew of the Argo, a spaceship rebuilt from the buried remains of the Japanese battleship Yamato, on a mission to save an Earth devastated by radiation from the constant bombardment from an alien attack. Aided by alien technology including the Wave Motion Engine, which can jump the ship across light years of space, and the Wave Motion Gun, one of the most powerful weapons ever built, they race across the universe to pick up the Cosmo DNA, which can remove all the radiation from the surface of Earth and make it livable again.

Space Battleship Yamato was made into a live-action Japanese movie in 2010, but it so far as not seen a release in the U.S.

To no one’s surprise given the stronger-than-ever ratings since the debut of Season 4, AMC announced today that it is renewing its flagship drama The Walking Dead for a fifth season. “This is a show that has erased traditional distinctions between cable and broadcast.” said AMC President Charlie Collier in the statement. “Its expanding base of passionate fans has grown every season, most recently – and most notably – with the season four premiere earlier this month, which broke viewership records for the series and became the biggest non-sports telecast in cable history.” Also announced is that the team behind it – showrunner Scott Gimple, executive producer Gale Anne Hurd and executive producer/creator Robert Kirkman – will continue with the show as well.

Here is the official trailer for X-Men: Days of Future Past, featuring Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellan, James McAvoy, Michale Fassbender…and Hugh Jackman, with a few cameos as well…and a glimpse into the plot…
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This was just an amazing performance by the OSU band at halftime, performing a movie-themed set from this past weekend, featuring Superman, Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and Pirates Of The Caribbean.

I even said at one point, “If they make it eat somebody, it would be AWESOME!” I wasn’t disappointed. 🙂
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With the premiere of Almost Human pushed off by Fox, Fox is at least making the first 8 minutes of the show available for viewing now via Hulu, and you can watch it here as well!

Almost Human will debut on November 17th, with a second episode airing the next night on November 18th.
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A little more than a month away from the release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, on November 5th Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will release the Extended Edition of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which will feature 13 minutes of extra film footage that extends individual scenes, and nine hours of additional special features! It is available now for pre-order in a [sfs=1373]Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/Ultraviolet 5-disc package[/sfs], [sfs=1374]Blu-ray/DVD/Ultraviolet 3-disc package[/sfs], and a [sfs=1375]DVD 5-disc package[/sfs]. A digital version is already available on iTunes and includes the same extra features (iTunes extras may not be available in all countries.)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first in Peter Jackson’s highly anticipated trilogy adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome Dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the Wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of 13 Dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild, through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins, Orcs and deadly Wargs, as well as a mysterious and sinister figure known only as the Necromancer.
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Michael Arndt is out as sole screenwriter for Star Wars Episode VII, and J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan will be taking over.

In a statement from LucasFilm, LucasFilm president Kathleen Kennedy said, “I am very excited about the story we have in place and thrilled to have Larry and J.J. working on the script. “There are very few people who fundamentally understand the way a Star Wars story works like Larry, and it is nothing short of incredible to have him even more deeply involved in its return to the big screen. J.J. of course is an incredible storyteller in his own right. Michael Arndt has done a terrific job bringing us to this point and we have an amazing filmmaking and design team in place already prepping for production.”

Kasdan had already been involved in helping develop some of the future Star Wars films, which was expected to include screenwriting duties for a “non-saga” film to come after Episode VII. Kasdan is also no stranger to LucasFilm properties, having written the original Indiana Jones film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and co-written the next two sequels.

Pre-production work is already well underway for Episode VII, which is expected to begin filming next Spring for a 2015 release.

On tomorrow night’s Haven, Nathan and Lexie hunt a trouble that attacks Haven’s citizens in their nightmares, while Duke deals with the very real nightmare. Tune in for “Lay Me Down” Friday at 10/9c. Check out the sneak peek below, and also the latest “Inside Haven”, Adam Copeland answering questions, and Lucas Bryant and Emily Rose talk about last week’s episode.
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Syfy today announced the greenlight of Opposite Worlds, an all-new reality competition series – with an interactive twist – from Eyeworks USA. Set to premiere January 21, 2014, Opposite Worlds will run for 12 episodes over six weeks (two episodes per week), with the second weekly episode featuring a live element (a first for a Syfy reality series).

In Opposite Worlds, 14 people from all walks of life face off in opposing teams that live in a house separated into two distinctly different worlds: one past and one future, each with its own unique advantages and disadvantages. Adding to the drama is a glass wall dividing the house into the two environments, allowing the teams to watch, envy and dread each other’s every move.

Every week, as cast members compete in a series of fast-paced challenges, viewers will be asked to participate in real time on social media and affect the outcome of each player’s fate.

Said Dave Howe, President, Syfy and Chiller: “Building on the success of Defiance, Opposite Worlds delivers on Syfy’s on-going strategy to create fully immersive 360 transmedia experiences in both the scripted and now unscripted worlds. It invites our audience, who thrive on seeking out what’s new and next, to participate in the ultimate multiplatform experience. And with Syfy’s first-ever weekly live series, they will have the opportunity to become a part of a groundbreaking social experiment, which engages them, as well as the players onscreen, to influence the show’s story-telling action and outcomes.”

Opposite Worlds will be executive produced by JD Roth, Todd A. Nelson, Brant Pinvidic and Adam Kaloustian for Eyeworks USA. The series is based on the hit Chilean format, Mundos Opuestos, originally broadcast on Canal 13.

If you were looking forward to the premiere of the new Fox human-android-cop-partners drama Almost Human starring Karl Urban (Star Trek), you’re going to have to wait a couple more weeks. Fox has decided to push back the premiere from November 4th to November 17th, to take advantage of a football double-header as a lead in. A second episode would air on the following night.