Sci-Fi Storm

Coming Attractions has confirmed a previously-posted rumor that WWF wrestler The Rock (a.k.a. Dwayne Johnson) has been offered the title role in Duke Nukem. No idea if he’ll take it yet. It’s not as far fetched as you might think: he will be making his big-screen debut in The Mummy Returns next month as the Scorpion King, and the sequel to that, called The Scorpion King, has been greenlighted.

A couple of renewal rumors running around: The WB has not yet decided on Roswell – they say decisions won’t be made until May 15th. And the exec producer of 7 Days told
Zap2It that he is confident of renewal, although the decision would also come in May.

Those of you old enough may remember fondly all those Sid and Marty Krofft live-action shows – Land of the Lost, The Lost Saucer, H.R. Pufnstuf – well, looks like there is a revival in the works – starting with Electra Woman and Dyna Girl for the WB staring Markie Post (Night Court) and Anne Stedman (Space Cowboys), according to The Hollywood Reporter. Read More for more news…

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According to a report at Sci Fi Wire, the WB has pulled the plug on the Dragonriders of Pern pilot just before filming was to begin. No reason was given.

Update 4/5: Ronald D. Moore, producer of the Pern series, told Sci Fi Wire that it was due to a dispute with the network on the creative direction of the series. Read More…

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Apparently Robert Duncan MacNeil (Lt. Paris on Star Trek: Voyager) spilled some of the beans to Cinescape, and revealed that no one will die in the final episode, at least not any of the regular crew. Surprise.

According to Variety, A&E will produce a new television version of Ursula K. LeGuin’s novel, The Lathe of Heaven. Scheduled to start in it are James Caan (the original Rollerball), Lukas Haas (Mars Attacks) and Lisa Bonet (The Cosby Show). It is scheduled for a mid-2002 release. It was originally a low-budget PBS movie in 1980.

The Test Pattern magazine at Coming Attractions is reporting from various sources that Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace might be a DVD as soon as the Fall. It is rumored to contain two DVDs with three versions of the film, 30 minutes of deleted material, all the usual bells and whistles, and a look at Episode II Production. Mind you, it’s all a rumor…

Update 3/19: The rumors continue…Ain’t It Cool News is reporting the release date will be October 16th, 2001, along with DVDs of the first 3 movies appearing in the 4th quarter of 2002 (Star Wars), 2003 (The Empire Strikes Back), and 2004 (Return of the Jedi).

Updated 3/23: Aldera.net is reporting that someone may have gotten fired for leaking the memo about the DVD, which lends authenticity to the rumor (if this rumor is true…)

OK, I’m hitting random stuff on IMDb, and managed to stumble across a number of things from my childhood. Anyone remember these?

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rinkjustice writes “Electronic Arts has an innovative new multiplayer game called Majestic, which utilizes your browser, fax, instant messenger and even cell phone. Players apparantly weave their way through the internet, scouring for clues on real and bogus websites while computer-controlled characters message death threats! This seems to be pushing the boundaries most traditional games have obediently adhered to. Is this a foreshadowing of what gaming will be like in the future? What other pc games (proprietary or open source) utilize many different mediums and have a truly original concept?” Only mildly Sci-Fi-ish if at all, but I want to encourage submissions…

Caught this one on The Official Red Dwarf Website: Hattie Hayridge (female Holly) and Craig Charles (Lister) from Red Dwarf will appear in an episode of Lexx next season (they call it the 4th series, including the original series of movies). The article is a bit confusing, but as near as I can tell, in the episode “P3X” Craig is a prison warden, and Hattie is his Texan wife and sub-warden.

Update: I have found evidence in a few locations that Lexx has been picked up for a full 24-episode run, and will air on the Sci-Fi Channel. Oddly, Series 3 lasted only 13 episodes. No idea of the plotline for Series 4, but given the end of Series 3, it should prove interesting…