Sci-Fi Storm

Disney had their shareholders meeting today, and Disney CEO Bob Iger gave some interesting info about the plans for Star Wars…

First up, we now know the title of the first “interstitial” movie to be released in 2016, between Episodes VII and VIII, and it will be Star Wars: Rogue One. That alone may not mean much (it is described as “the first film in a unique series of big-screen adventures that explores the characters and events beyond the core Star Wars saga”), but Rogue Squadron has a fairly extensive presence in the expanded universe, having started with the survivors of Red Squadron who took on the name “Rogue” while on Hoth, and carried through to three games and several books. Filming will start this summer, with a planned December 16th, 2016 release. Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) will helm, and Oscar winner Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) is the first confirmed star. And from the description, it may not be a standalone movie…

Iger also confirmed that Rian Johnson (Looper) will direct Episode VIII, and the release date is set for May 26th, 2017.

Syfy announced today that the widely praised adventure thriller 12 Monkeys has been greenlit for a second season, expected to air in 2016.

With Natalie Chaidez prepping her next Syfy series (UCP and Valhalla Productions’ Hunters), Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett (Nikita), co-executive producers and writers of the pilot, will be stepping up to serve as EP/Showrunners. Atlas Entertainment’s Richard Suckle (Suicide Squad, American Hustle, The International) and Charles Roven (Suicide Squad, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, American Hustle) will continue to executive produce with Atlas’ Jake Kurily producing. Roven served as producer on the original film.

Currently in its first season, 12 Monkeys has reached 15 million viewers to date, and is experiencing record L3 lifts for the network (average L3 lift is 104%). The renewal also comes as the series continues to gain momentum, with its most recent episode (Friday, March 6) seeing an increase of 6% over the prior four weeks, with 1.5 million total viewers.

“We are absolutely committed to 12 Monkeys, and have been incredibly impressed by the outstanding critical and audience praise the series has earned,” said Dave Howe, Syfy President. “The talent both on and off-screen have delivered a series that has us all on the edge of our seats, providing exactly the smart, exciting storytelling Syfy is known for.”

Jeff Wachtel, President and Chief Content Officer, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, added, “12 Monkeys is a show that has exceeded expectations at every stage. It’s had a great first season creatively, and is building a dedicated audience. We can’t wait to see where – and when! – Terry and Travis will take us next.”

12 Monkeys stars Aaron Stanford (Nikita, X-Men: The Last Stand, X2), Amanda Schull (Suits, Center Stage) and Kirk Acevedo (Fringe, Oz, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes).

In this Friday’s episode* – the ninth in the 13-part first season – Cole (Aaron Stanford) finds himself in 2017 at the height of the plague. Out of options, Jones (Barbara Sukowa) faces an impossible choice to replace the Core. 12 Monkeys airs Fridays at 9PM ET/PT; the season one finale will air Friday, April 10.

I sadly found out just a few minutes ago that author Sir Terry Pratchett, best known for his Discworld series of fantasy novels, passed away today at the age of 66 after suffering from Alzheimers since 2007.

Pratchett’s [asin=038553826X]Discworld[/asin], in which many of his over 70 books are set, was a flat world which was sitting on the backs of four enormous elephants, who themselves stood on the back of a giant turtle traveling through space.

He received an OBE for his services to literature in 1998, and was knighted in 2009. In 2001 he was Britain’s second most read author, only behind J.K. Rowling.

He took his illness in stride, and kept writing with his last bpok, an [asin=0544466594]anthology of children’s stories[/asin], released last summer.

His death was announced on his own Twitter account with a sense of Pratchett’s humor and writing style. The first tweet was written in all upper case as he typically represented his character of Death in his books:

AT LAST, SIR TERRY, WE MUST WALK TOGETHER.

Terry took Death’s arm and followed him through the doors and on to the black desert under the endless night.

The End.