Sci-Fi Storm

While it’s been a couple years and it doesn’t seem like much movement forward since we reported that Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich still planned to reboot the Stargate movie franchise, the fact that they are still talking about it is a good sign it might still happen, and it appears they are actively developing it at Warner Bros.

After MGM took the rights and decided to develop a TV series without the duo, also responsible for Independence Day and it’s upcoming sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence – the first sequel that Emmerich has actually worked on, apparently – spawning two additional TV series, the studio now considers the TV franchise as “played out”, sitting idle since 2011, opening the door for the reboot. The various regime changes at MGM likely has helped as well.

“It was taken away from us, and it’s tough to have your children raised by other parents, even if they do a very good job…for us, it’s not putting down what has been done. It’s to let us finish telling our story,” according to Devlin.

Devlin and Emmerich have always talked about how they planned Stargate as a trilogy, but now with over 20 years having passed since the original movie, instead of just moving on to a sequel the two feel an entire reboot would make the most sense. It will be interesting to see – it worked for the Battlestar Galactica reboot.

We knew that although CBS picked up MacGyver to series, there was a major retooling in the works. We figured it would be the not-rare practice of simply replacing characters, but it turns out they are really chucking the entire pilot episode and starting over – to the point that George Eads will play an entirely different – yet familiar – character and how things get started will change – and James Wan will direct the new premiere episode.

Whereas the pilot had followed similarly to the original – MacGyver being recruited by a clandestine organization – the new one will apparently have MacGyver (Lucas Till) creating the organization itself within the U.S. government, utilizing his skills to save others’ lives. Co-star Eads, who was to play an original character who was described as something of a conspiracy theorist, will now play maverick former CIA agent Jack Dalton, a role originated by Bruce McGill in the original series. Peter Lenkov, showrunner for Hawaii Five-0 is writing the new script and will likely act as showrunner. And James Wan, who has been shepherding the production but had conflicts and couldn’t direct the pilot, will direct the new episode.

The Flash will lead off the CW’s parade of shows this fall, starting at 8/7c on Tuesday, October 4th. It’s sibling series The Arrow picks up the following night at the same time, followed by the series premiere of Frequency, based on the 2000 movie.

Supergirl makes it’s return the following Monday at 8/7c, and will feature the on-screen appearance of Kara’s cousin Superman (with Teen Wolf‘s Tyler Hoechlin as the Man of Steel). Then Legends of Tomorrow picks up the pieces on Thursday, October 13th, at 8/7c.

It’s a bit interesting that DC/Warner Bros have had the about face on allowing the CW to use Superman, as the triumvirate of Superman, Batman and Wonder Women were considered untouchable for TV properties while WB was working on spinning up a movie universe franchise.

Let’s not let the fact that he was just a head controlling a robot body working as a waiter in a restaurant at the end of “The Husbands of River Song” get in the way of the squee-inducing news that comedian Matt Lucas will return as Nardole in the upcoming 10th series of Doctor Who opposite Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie!

It isn’t clear for how long, but Lucas will be joining right away with the first episode, which starts filming next Monday, and he isn’t going away soon.

“Delighted and slightly amazed to be welcoming Matt Lucas back on to the TARDIS – and this time it’s not just for Christmas, he’s sticking around,” remarked lead writer and showrunner Steven Moffat. “One of the greatest comedy talents on planet Earth is being unleashed on all of time and space.”

“I’m chuffed to bits that Nardole is returning to the TARDIS for some more adventures,” Lucas said. “I loved acting with Peter and I’m excited to work with Pearl.”

This will actually mark the second time that a one-off Christmas episode character ends up returning for an extended run. The first was Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), who appeared in “The Runaway Bride”, and then returned as the Doctor’s companion for the fourth series. But Nardole is doing it a lot sooner…

After almost 13 years in Hollywood purgatory, a feature film based on J. Michael Straczynski’s maxi-series comic Rising Stars may finally move forward.

We last heard about a movie based on the comic in 2003, when we learned that everything was on hold due to a dispute between writer JMS and Top Cow Productions, the comic producer, over rewrites that possibly violated WGA rules (and common courtesy) and radically changed the story, and even halted the production of the comic, with the final 3 issues not being released for a couple years.

Now it seems that things are on the movie again with MGM optioning the rights for a feature film, with JMS writing a new script and Atlas Entertainment’s Alex Gartner and Richard Suckle producing, along with JMS under his Studio JMS shingle.

Rising Stars is the story about 113 people born after the appearance of a mysterious comet. These people, dubbed “Specials”, are born with unique abilities. The story explores how society reacts to the Specials, and the Specials to society – and themselves.

Battlestar Galactica may in fact get it’s long-rumored big screen treatment…Deadline reports that Lisa Joy, currently working on the HBO series Westworld, is working on a script, while Francis Lawrence, who helmed the last three Hunger Games films, may be tagged to direct.

The film is expected to be a new retelling, and unrelated to the 2003-2009 remake on Syfy.

Bluegrass Films partners Scott Stuber and Dylan Clark are producing with Michael De Luca through his Michael De Luca Productions.

Head TAPS Ghost Hunter Jason Hawes just announced moments ago that Ghost Hunters will be leaving the Syfy Channel, where it has been for over a decade.

Ghost Hunters, produced by Pilgrim Studios, will have run for 11 seasons on the channel, starting back when it was still the Sci-Fi Channel, and has been very successful. Details as to why the split, or where the Ghost Hunters will end up (it’s pretty clear that they are not ending, just moving somewhere else with some new plans), but with the seeming near-complete management changes, the focus of the channel could once again be changing.

X-Files alum Gillian Anderson is the latest actor to sign on for Starz’ series adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, about the struggle between the old gods of mythology and the new gods that represent modern society’s influences – money, power, technology, etc.

Anderson will play Media, who is – surprise – the spokesperson for the New Gods. Ricky Whittle (The 100) portrays the protagonist Shadow Moon, an ex-con who becomes the bodyguard of conman Mr. Wednesday, who is actually on a mission to marshall the old gods in preparation for battle.

I’ve been thinking that I might be living in the Domed City before we get the long, LONG promised remake of Logan’s Run that Joel Silver and Warner Bros has been trying to make for years, but it may have finally taken another step forward.

Simon Kinberg was last reported to be working on a script, and he is still involved but now they have brought in Colony co-creator Ryan Condal to build off of Kinberg’s work.

This movie isn’t a remake of the 1976 film (which modified the story in several ways, such as increasing the age of Lastday to 30), but is to be based on the original novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. It follows Logan, who works as a Deep Sleep Operative (also referred to as a “Sandman”) – the police of the of the post-apocalyptic world where population is strictly controlled. The Sandmen were charges with hunting down and executing “runners” – those who upon reaching the age of 21 refused to report to a “sleepshop”, where they were humanely executed to keep the population steady. The Sandmen use a gun that can fire different types of projectiles, including the dreaded “Homer” which zeros in on body hit and upon contact ignites every pain nerve in the body, causing an excruciatingly painful death. Logan decides to become a runner on his Lastday in order to track down and infiltrate an underground railroad for runners.

Call us cautiously optimistic. The current appetite for young adult post-apocalyptic action movies might increase the interest in finally getting this done.

The Agents of SHIELD will have some company on the TV dial with a new cable cousin – Marvel’s Legion has gotten an 8 episode order by FX. Fox’s X-Men production team of Lauren Shuler Donner, Bryan Singer and Simon Kinberg along with Fargo‘s Noah Hawley head the project, which stars Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) as David Haller, the son of Professor Xavier, who has struggled since he was a teen with mental illness. Diagnosed as schizophrenic, David has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for years. But after a strange encounter with a fellow patient, he’s confronted with the possibility that the voices he hears and the visions he sees might be real.

Legion also stars Rachel Keller, Jean Smart and Aubrey Plaza. Marvel TV’s Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory with John Cameron (Fargo) are also producing.