Sci-Fi Storm

Yes, it is finally happening! Disney, which purchased the film rights to the Indiana Jones franchise from Paramount in 2013, just announced that there will be a new Indiana Jones film with the old gang – Harrison Ford will star, Steven Spielberg will direct, Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy will produce. The film is planned to be released on July 19th, 2019.

Marshall and Kennedy have been involved at the start – the two, married in 1987, were both involved starting with Raiders of the Lost Ark – Marshall as producer, and Kennedy as the assistant to Spielberg, and both cofounded Amblin Entertainment with Spielberg. Kennedy is now the president of Lucasfilm after the acquisition by Disney.

No mention of Shia LaBeouf, who was the heir apparent to the franchise when Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was released in 2008 – until that film nearly sunk the franchise. Whether they will try again to pass the fedora on is unsure, but it is expected to involve younger actors.

It seems like we are still slowly moving forward to seeing Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red Mars (we’ve been following it for about 15 years, since I started the site!), but step-by-step it goes, naming Emmy-winning Greg Yaitanes (House, Banshee) as director for the series from Skydance TV for Starz.

Peter Noah, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Marcy Ross, Brett Conrad. J. Michael Straczynski and Vince Gerardis are all executive producers, with Straczynski serving as showrunner and also writing.

Production is expected to start this summer, with it to begin airing in 2017.

In an interesting development this weekend, Emmy winning actress Shohreh Aghdashloo (The Expanse, House of Saddam) is reported to be the High Command of the Federation for reshoots taking place for Star Trek Beyond, being directed by Justin Lin. The reshoots are not expected to affect the release date, which is July 22nd. It sounds like some last minute improvements or replacements to scenes are taking place.

Oh my…

Although it looks a bit more like “Avengers Divided” than a Captain America-specific movie, this is going to rock! And there is a little surprise at the end…

The Tick is coming back! Well, maybe…it’s only a pilot order, but we can all hope for the big man in blue to make a full series return! Deadline reports that Amazon has given the go ahead, with creator Ben Edlund writing and executive producing alongside original exec Barry Josephson.

But if you were hoping for the return of Patrick Warburton, I’m afraid he won’t be returning, at least not as the star. He’s currently committed to the NBC comedy Crowded, but apparently he may executive produce as well. They are currently casting for a new lead, but two parts have been cast: his sidekick Arthur will be played by Griffin Newman (Vinyl), while Valorie Curry (The Following) will play his sister, Dot.

The new show will follow some time after the original 9-episode Fox series, with the Tick having suffered from memory loss, but re-teams with Arthur, who has been branded a schizophrenic, to fight the evil Arthur has been insisting is trying to take over the city.

Syfy and The Asylum announced today that Ian Ziering will slay again in Sharknado 4 (working title), reprising his role as shark-fighting hero Fin Shepard, while Tara Reid is set to return as April Wexler to reveal the outcome of the fan-voted #AprilLives or #AprilDies social campaign. The fourth addition to the hit global franchise also sees the return of David Hasselhoff as Gil Shepard and Ryan Newman as Claudia Shepard.

Set to premiere on Syfy this July, Sharknado 4 (WT) will take place five years after the East Coast was ravaged in Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!. Fin, his family and the cosmos have been blissfully sharknado-free in the intervening years, but now sharks – and ‘nados! – are being whipped up in places (and ways) least expected…

Sharknado 4 (WT) will also star:

• Gary Busey (Lethal Weapon, Celebrity Apprentice), as Wilford Wexler, April’s father and a lead scientist at Astro-X. He’s at the forefront of advances in the field of robotics.
• Tommy Davidson (Black Dynamite, In Living Color), as Aston Reynolds, playboy tech billionaire. Aston is the CEO of tech company Astro-X, developers of a revolutionary energy system that can stabilize the atmosphere and prevent the formation of tornadoes.
• Imani Hakim (Everybody Hates Chris), as Gabrielle, Matt’s best friend and a fellow soldier. Gabrielle is tough and no-nonsense, can take care of herself and isn’t afraid to show what she’s capable of doing.
• Cody Linley (Hannah Montana, Melissa & Joey), as Matt, Fin and April’s eldest son. After surviving the first Sharknado, Matt finished flight school and joined the Army. He’s experienced the events of the last six years from afar and longs to reunite with his American Hero father.
• Masiela Lusha (George Lopez), as Gemini, Fin’s cousin. Ever resourceful, Gemini is chock full of shark-busting attitude and is ready to dive into the fight once the sharks hit the fan.
• Cheryl Tiegs (The Apprentice), as Raye, Fin’s mother and Col. Gil Shepard’s ex-wife. Raye is a little bit of a former flower child, but not afraid to speak her mind or protect her family.

Currently filming, Sharknado 4 (WT) will include a plethora of additional outrageous and surprising cameos to be announced soon. Stay tuned…

Sharknado 4 (WT) is a production of The Asylum. Anthony C. Ferrante returns to direct an original screenplay written by Thunder Levin.

Genesis Rodriguez (Big Hero 6, Identity Thief) has been cast as the female lead in the upcoming Starz series pilot Time After Time. Rodriguez will play Jane Walker, the museum curator who catches H.G. Wells’ eye in modern-day New York City. Wells is being played by Freddie Stroma.

Syfy has acquired the Canadian 13-episode post-apocalyptic thriller Aftermath from Halfire Entertainment. Casting is currently underway with production expected to start in Vancouver in May for a summer premiere on Syfy in the U.S. and Space in Canada.

The show centers on couple Karen and Joshua Copeland, and their children Dana, Brianna and Matt, who must battle for survival after civilization comes to an apocalyptic end, triggered by massive storms, meteor strikes, earthquakes and plague – and the rise of supernatural creatures.

Julie Sarah Stone (The Killing) and Levi Meaden (The Killing, Olympus), and Taylor Hickson (Deadpool) play the three Copeland children.

The series was created by William Laurin (Missing) and Glenn Davis (Once a Thief), who will executive produce along with Julie Hope. Jason Stone (This is the End) is directing the first two episodes.

Two industry passings were sadly reported this weekend.

Tony Dyson, who referred to himself as “R2-D2’s Dad”, passed away at the age of 68. While working at his own studio, the White Horse Toy Company, he was commissioned by George Lucas to turn Ralph McQuarrie’s sketches of a plug-shaped mechanical character into an astromech that would become the most loved droid in two galaxies.

On his web site Dyson wrote about the return of R2-D2 in Episode VII, “The love for R2 is universal; no other Star Wars character has been loved over the years the way R2-D2 has, his merchandising has rocketed over the years and his influence in the world of robotics is truly remarkable.”

Emmy-winning visual effect artist Gary Hutzel, who’s career shot starward when he helped define the look of Star Trek: The Next Generation including the infamous Borg Cube, as well as the U.S.S. Defiant design for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, passed away on Thursday at the age of 60.

Hutzel later worked in movies, including Red Planet and Spy Kids, but would return to television for Ronald D. Moore’s reboot of Battlestar Galactica, where he won two of his Emmys.

Some Thursday tidbits for you…

Rod Roddenberry, the son of the “Great Bird of the Galaxy”, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and president of Roddenberry Entertainment, will join the upcoming Star Trek series for CBS All Access as an executive producer, along with chief operating officer Trevor Roth. Roddenberry Entertainment will co-produce the series.

Actor Ian McShane (Deadwood) will play the mysterious con man Mr. Wednesday in Starz’ series adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, where the gods of myth are about to enter a war against the gods of modern society representing money, power, etc.

ABC gave quite a few early pickups to its shows, including Once Upon A Time and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Absent, at least so far, is Agent Carter, which appears to be a long shot at this point – especially since star Haley Atwell has signed on to do a pilot for ABC. While Carter currently operates on a half-season schedule it is possible that if the other show is also half-season she could do both, but the shows only modest ratings already were pointing at an ending for the show.

And finally, the Radio Times is reporting that Peter Capaldi is set to show up in the upcoming Doctor Who spinoff Class which is set at the Coal Hill School – where the very first episode of Doctor Who started and where Clara Oswald had been teaching. “It wil[sic] have a close connection with Doctor Who so don’t be surprised if Peter pops up,” according to someone close to the production. Now, my interpretation of that statement is that it isn’t definite Capaldi will appear, but that the story will allow for it.

With several official live action spin-off series in the history of the show (K-9 and Company (only one episode produced), Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and K-9), the Doctor only appeared on The Sarah Jane Adventures – but he did so in two incarnations: both David Tennant and Matt Smith appeared in separate two-parters.