Sci-Fi Storm

The movie poster for Star Wars: The Clone Wars is out, and it looks similar to some of the classic Star Wars posters. The movie comes out on August 15th – the trailer hits the airwaves tomorrow.

Showing it has (iron) legs, Jon Favreau’s Iron Man‘s opening weekend was the second best in history for a non-sequel, with over $100 million. And a lot of feedback from people I know who have seen it basically sum it up as “Go see it. ’nuff said.” Now to find some time…Update: A sequel has already been announced for 2010, along with an adaptation of Thor, also for 2010. 2011 will be the Avengers year, with both The First Avenger: Captain America and The Avengers. Update: Almost forgot – stay until the end of the credits…

Since pretty much any past series or movie is being looked at for remakes, reboots and revivals (3 of the 4 R’s of the current TV landscape – the fourth being “reality”) – perhaps they are out of ideas. But that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t want to see some shows and characters return. This time its good old MacGyver – with a possible big-screen incarnation. No details currently since its VERY preliminary – including whether Richard Dean Anderson will reprise the role, or if it will be recast.

USA Today has a preview of the new Sleestak for the upcoming Land of the Lost film. They look pretty much like the original rubber-suit Sleestak, and that’s intentional – but they are still a far cry superior to the early 90s version. Maybe they can get Bill Laimbeer in a cameo and reprise his role as a Sleestak. The article does confirm that this is to be a comedy, which is a bit disappointing.

Ian McKellen, who played the wizard Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and had expressed interest in playing the role again in a Hobbit production, will indeed return to the role. He also talks of his other alter-ego, Magneto, where he believes it unlikely that he would play the role in a possible Magneto-oriented spin-off.

Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann, who played the original Tia and Tony, kids with special powers in the original Disney Witch Mountain films, will appear in the upcoming remake, Race To Witch Mountain. The new film stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (The Game Plan), Carla Gugino (American Gangster), AnnaSophia Robb (Bridge to Terabithia) and Alexander Ludwig (The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising). Ike will play a sheriff, and Kim will play a waitress.

Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro has finally been confirmed to direct The Hobbit and a sequel for New Line/MGM. He will spend the next four years in New Zealand working with Peter Jackson and Wingnut Films, filming the two movies back-to-back.

Unlike most TV pilots that never resulted in a full series production, this Gerry Anderson production did at least wind up on TV – and at least in the U.S. it did so several times, and for some reason memory of this show stuck in my mind. I even had to ask you what it was, with the memory having been corrupted over 30 years. I recently had the opportunity to watch this again – Read More about it, and you can get even more details about this and other Gerry Anderson productions (and DVDs) at the Fanderson web site.

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The Japanese manga/anime Ghost In The Shell is next to get the live action treatment – including 3D – after Steven Spielberg helped Dreamworks get the rights. ” ‘Ghost in the Shell’ is one of my favorite stories,” Spielberg said. Avi Arad (almost every comic book adaptation in recent history, including the upcoming Iron Man) and Steven Paul (Ghost Rider) of Seaside Entertainment will produce, and Jamie Moss (Street Kings) will write the screenplay.

Guillermo del Toro, in a posting on the official Hellboy 2 forums from earlier this month, says that nothing is official yet about him working on the two The Hobbit films, “BUT there has been a lot of movement.” A lot of work has been done, but he can’t discuss it yet because “I have to be patient and wait until the papers are done and my attachment is real.”