Sci-Fi Storm

From a recent posting by JMS on UseNet: Apparently the director of Daredevil (I am assuming Mark Steven Johnson) has expressed an interest in making the JMS comic Midnight Nation his next movie, so meetings are being set up. Also in the posting – another studio may be interested in Polaris , which was turned down by the increasingly non-SF SCI FI Channel; His commentaries for Season 3 DVDs of Babylon 5 are finished; A new audio drama series is in the works; Season 2 of Jeremiah is pretty much complete, although it probably won’t air until August; A new TV series is in development; and Supreme Power, his Marvel-published title, debuts July 16th.

Lord of the Rings make Peter Jackson has apparently decided do a remake of the classic King Kong. At first I thought, “Why another remake? Haven’t they done enough of them?”, then I realized there really has only been two versions (not including pseudo-sequels and knockoffs). In other news, production on Scooby-Doo 2 is set to begin April 14th, with all cast returning and aimed for a March 2004 release. I have to admit, I was impressed with the first one, especially the portrayals of Shaggy and Velma.

P.S. Catch the history of Jackson’s King Kong project at Cinescape’s Development Heck (formerly Coming Attractions).

I read a review of The Core in a newspaper this morning, which actually was fairly positive. I also came across this review on CNN.com that maybe is overall negative, but they used the same phrase – “Dumb Fun”. So maybe this at least rates a DVD rental for me. If you go to see it, drop a review here…

Seems Tobey Maguire may not be able to return for the impending Spider-Man sequel. Apparently the rough stunt work required by the first movie and Seabiscuit have left him with an aching back, and shooting is scheduled to begin April 12th. Rumors are running that the real life boyfriend of co-star Kirsten Dunst, Jake Gyllenhaal (The Good Girl) may take his place.

Updated 3/19: USA Today says it ain’t true…at least that he’s not coming back. He does have a sore back, but should be fully recovered.

SCI FI Wire is chock-full o’movie goodness today. First, Morgan Freeman’s Rendezvous With Rama project is still alive, but waiting on a final script who can “see the science aspect of this”; Halle Berry will purr on-screen as the title character in Catwoman; Columbia has started development on Men in Black III; and John Rogers (The Core) has finished the screenplay for Issac Asimov’s Foundation.

In case you hadn’t heard, a rumor was making the rounds that J. Michael Straczynski was brought in to help work on The Amazing Spider-Man script, boosted by the fact that he does the comic and has an unnamed project in the works. However, not only did he deny it (“Nope. Not true. First I heard of the rumor was when I had guys on the ‘net asking if it was true or not.” on rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated), but Marvel studio chief Avi Arad stated that the script is finished, and also that The Fantastic Four is in the script stage and Silver Surfer is just getting started.

Rick Berman has finally broken his silence about the dismal failure of Star Trek: Nemesis at the box office. Put it this way – the often labasted-as-the-worst-ever Star Trek V: The Final Frontier made more money. This has put the franchise in doubt, and it will take some time to evaluate. Opening amidst two of the most anticipated movies ever I’m sure didn’t help.

Speaking of the Thunderbirds, Bill Paxton (Aliens, Twister) is in talks to play the billionaire family patriarch in a live-action version of the Gerry Anderson cult favorite supermarionation show. Jonathan Frakes is set to direct from a script by William Osbourne.

Piers Anthony, best known for his Xanth series of fantasy books, will finally get big-screen treatment – but for the first book in his Incarnations of Immortality series, On a Pale Horse. Disney has acquired the rights and is putting it in the hands of Jamie Foxx to produce and star.

Pale Horse is about a guy who kills Death, and has to take his place – later discovering a plot to have him kill his only love…

Now, I can’t wait to see the Apprentice Adept series adapted – but they’d have to do something about the thousands of naked serfs milling about…

This isn’t from some random rumor site. ITV is reporting that the Harry Potter producers have been having trouble finding a replacement for the late Richard Harris, who played Professor Dumbledore in the first two films, and have targeted Sir Ian McKellen – Gandalf of the Lord of the Rings. Warner Bros. is expected to make an announcement after the New Year.

Update 12/30: Well, people are saying that The Sun (about as reliable as Weekly World News here) “broke” this story, so its probably bogus – but most of the refutes I’ve seen seem to be dated prior to this, so they may be refuting the earlier rumor.

Update 12/31: Well, according to E! Online the new Dumbledore is British – and he ain’t McKellen. Michael Gambon (Lyndon Johnson in HBO’s Path to War) is all but confirmed…

Update 1/4:Or not. I give up.