Sci-Fi Storm

This looks intriguing – the plot has been kept under wraps and the trailer seems to mainly give the backstory, but I’m interested in seeing what happens beyond the wormhole…

Interstellar opens in November. It is directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and it stars Matthew McConaughey.

Opens in theaters June 6th.

Saban Brands wants to take it’s 20-year-old Power Rangers franchise to the next level – as a series of feature films – and Lionsgate is going to help them do it.

The companies announced today they are teaming up to produce a feature film based on the long running and still popular martial arts/robots vs. alien monster (and often cheesy) franchise, with the hopes of many more.

This would not be the first feature film, though – there were two previous features. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie was released in 1995 midway through the original series’ run when it seemed the initial fascination of American face actors intercut with Japanese action footage from Super Sentai started to wane. Then in 1997, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie kicked off the third series, Power Rangers Turbo. In total, 17 different series were produced along with the two movies in 20 years.

It appears that Matt Smith can’t get enough of time travel stories…but this time he may be facing a really mean looking robot…

Paramount announced today that the actor, best known for being the 11th incarnation of the Doctor (well, depending how you count, but we’ve been through that before – let’s just use classic numbering), will join the Terminator franchise reboot, which is expected to be a new trilogy of movies and will once again feature Arnold Schwarzenegger. Reportedly Smith’s role will be major, expanding in the second and third movies. From the press release:

HOLLYWOOD, CA (May 2, 2014) – Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions announced today that “Doctor Who” star Matt Smith will join the cast of the upcoming “TERMINATOR” reboot.

Smith will play a new character with a strong connection to John Connor, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, J.K. Simmons, Dayo Okeniyi and Byung Hun Lee.

Alan Taylor is directing the film from a screenplay by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier. David Ellison and Dana Goldberg of Skydance Productions are producing. Skydance’s Paul Schwake, Annapurna Pictures’ Megan Ellison, Kalogridis and Lussier are executive producing.

Smith is best known for playing The Doctor on the popular “Doctor Who” television series during the 2011-2103 seasons. His other television credits include “Christopher and His Kind,” “Moses Jones,” and “The Street.” He can be seen next on the big screen in “LOST RIVER,” directed by Ryan Gosling, alongside Christina Hendricks, Saoirse Ronan and Eva Mendes.

He is represented by United Talent Agency and Michael Duff at Troika.

The “TERMINATOR” franchise launched in 1984 with Schwarzenegger as the title character and spanned three subsequent films, which have earned more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office.

Paramount will distribute the film worldwide on July 1, 2015.

Finally! Some cast members have been announced for the about-to-begin-production Star Wars Episode VII – and at least a couple of the names are familiar.

Aside from the core actors who will be reprising their roles – Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker – newcomers to the franchise will include familiar faces Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit) and Max Von Sydow, who has appeared in too many things to mention…

Another name you might recognize is Domhnall Gleeson, who is perhaps best known in these circles as Bill Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (and is also the son of Brendan Gleeson who played Mad-Eye Moody.)

Also listed are John Boyega (Attack the Block), Daisy Ridley (Mr. Selfridge), Adam Driver (Inside Llewyn Davis ), and Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis ).

No mention on roles yet, however.

In a post on Facebook, Peter Jackson announced that they will re-title the third film of The Hobbit from There And Back Again to The Battle of the Five Armies. The former title was a reference to the name of the collection of Bilbo’s memoirs as collected in the Red Book of Westmarch, the “source” of the stories that J.R.R. Tolkien recounts in his Middle-earth books (the first movie’s title, An Unexpected Journey, is a similar reference.) When it was just two movies as originally planned, the title made more sense, but now with how the story is split, it was appears to make more sense to take on a name referring to a latter section of the book.

Here is the full post.

Having just returned from the Kingdom of the Mouse (and thus the reason for lack of updates), they finally announced today the guest lineup for the upcoming Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. Aside from the previously announced returning host of all five weekends, James Arnold Taylor (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Mark Hamill, our friend Ashley Eckstein will return for all weekends to host “Behind The Force” show which provides a behind the scenes look, this year focusing on the upcoming Star Wars Rebels, and will feature a member of the voice cast each week. (Alas, we won’t be able to make it this year…)

The guest stars include (subject to change):

Weekend I: May 16-18

Ahmed Best: Jar Jar Binks (Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace; Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones; Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith; Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Peter Mayhew: Chewbacca (Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith; Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope; Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back; Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi; Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Vanessa Marshall: Hera Syndulla (Star Wars Rebels)

Weekend II: May 23-25

Warwick Davis: Wicket W. Warrick (Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi); Wald (Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)

Jeremy Bulloch: Boba Fett (Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back; Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi); Capt. Jeremoch Colton (Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith)

Tiya Sircar: Sabine Wren (Star Wars Rebels)

Weekend III: May 30-June 1

Ray Park: Darth Maul (Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)

John Ratzenberger: Major Bren Derlin (Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back)

Taylor Gray: Ezra Bridger (Star Wars Rebels)

Weekend IV: June 6-8

Mark Hamill: Luke Skywalker (Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope; Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back; Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi); Darth Bane (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) (Note: Mark will apparently not be signing autographs)

Ray Park: Darth Maul (Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)

Billy Dee Williams: Lando Calrissian (Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back; Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi)

Taylor Gray: Ezra Bridger (Star Wars Rebels)

Weekend V: June 13-15

Dee Bradley Baker: Captain Rex/the Clones, Bossk and several additional characters (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Cat Taber: Padmé Amidala and several additional characters (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Tom Kane: Yoda, the series’ narrator and several additional characters (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Matt Lanter: Anakin Skywalker and several additional characters (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Steve Blum: Zeb Orrelios (Star Wars Rebels)

Opens May 23rd, 2014
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Surprised? Lionsgate will be splitting the third book in Veronica Roth’s Divergent trilogy into two films. Lionsgate is no stranger to stretching out book-based finales – it did so with the Twilight saga’s Breaking Dawn and then again with the upcoming Hunger Games: Mockingjay. Allegiant Part 1 will keep the originally slated date of March 18th, 2016, with the conclusion on March 24, 2017.

The second installment, Insurgent, is scheduled for release on March 20, 2015.

Opens May 23rd, 2014…