Sci-Fi Storm

Charlton Heston, who has uttered some of the most memorable lines in some of the greatest movies (and occasionally at press conferences), has passed away at the age of 84. In case anyone doesn’t know him, he starred in several biblical epic films (like Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments), and of course Planet of the Apes. He also starred in The Omega Man, based on the same story that was recently done as I Am Legend.

While not new news, Paramount has announced that Peter Berg will direct a Dune remake, with Kevin Misher (The Scorpion King) as producer, who also worked with Berg (writer/director/producer of Friday Night Lights, but also recognizable as Dr. Billy Kronk on Chicago Hope) on The Rundown. Also mentioned as producer is Richard Rubenstein, who produced the SCI FI Channel’s miniseries versions, [sfs=158]Frank Herbert’s Dune[/sfs] and [sfs=312]Children of Dune[/sfs].

In a press release from MGM naming Mary Parent the chairperson of the Worldwide Motion Picture Group for MGM Studios, both Robocop and The Outer Limits among a focus “on its major movie franchises”. I’m not aware of The Outer Limits even being considered for a movie, how how it would be approached, but the thought is intriguing.

It’s been rumored for the past several movies, but it looks like its happening this time. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the conclusion to the 7-part story, will be a two-part movie, with the parts released in November 2010 and May 2011. David Yates will return as director, as will writer Steve Kloves (who has done all the screenplays except for Order Of The Phoenix). The cast has already been confirmed.

As a followup to the Top 10 SF movies, SCI FI Wire released their readers’ picks for Most Neglected SF movies, defined as having been left off the AFI’s list of Top 50 SF movies. Topping the readers list is Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, followed by Aliens, Serenity, Terminator, Gattaca, The Fifth Element, The Road Warrior, Metropolis, Stargate and Armageddon.

SCI FI Wire conducted a poll on the Top 10 SF movies of all time, and Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope topped the list, followed closely by Blade Runner. The rest of the list: The Matrix, Alien, Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Forbidden Planet and Planet of the Apes (original version).

Dark Horizons is reporting that Disney is working up a bunch of potential blockbuster sequels for 2011 – among them is a long-awaited 3D Tron sequel, along with Cars 2, National Treasure 3, and Pirates of the Carribean 4. These aren’t terribly surprising titles, although cramming all 4 in a single year from one studio could be much. It’s probably too early for definitive plots yet while writers get back to work, but there are probably lingering questions on how the Pirates cast will be handled – if all of them will come back, or focus on a subset.

I hereby coin the term “DVDequel” (I did a Google search with no hits). Get Smart, starring Steve Carell (40 Year Old Virgin) and Anne Hathaway (Ella Enchanted) and opening June 20th, will get a “sequel” of sorts that will go direct to DVD – and come out around the same time. Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control will focus on the minor characters of Bruce (Masi Oka, Heroes) and Lloyd (Nate Torrence, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip). Carell does not appear in it, nor is it directed by Get Smart‘s director, Peter Segal. Warner Brothers is apparently experimenting with a new idea, which will allow you to see a movie in a theater and then get a quick fix for more at home.

The Oscars apparently didn’t garner as good ratings as it has in the past, and some said it was due to the dark, artsy nature of most of the leading contenders and no super-blockbuster films, or the lingering effects of the writers strike. Anyways, a few genre (or near-genre) films did get some technical nods. Disney/Pixar’s Ratatouille (DVD/Blu-Ray. available now) scored a second Best Animated Feature Oscar for Brad Bird, who previously scored with 2004’s The Incredibles, and The Golden Compass (DVD/Blu-Ray, April 29th) won for Visual Effects.

Paramount is shuffling the slate of upcoming movie releases, and Star Trek may be the biggest move – pushing back to May 8th, 2009 instead of its original December release. Trekkies will have to wait a little longer to decide whether to rejoice or storm J.J. Abrams office with phasers on kill.