Sci-Fi Storm

Warner Bros and MGM announced today that the added third installment of The Hobbit, now called The Hobbit: There and Back Again (using the extended title of the book, which was The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, and was originally to be used for Part 2), will be released worldwide on July 18th, 2014. This means there will be a shorter wait than between Parts 1 (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which opened this December 14th) and 2 (now retitled The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which opens on December 13th, 2013) to finally see the conclusion of Peter Jackson’s extended take on the classic book.

For those of you who have been waiting for the Extended Editions of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy to be released individually on Blu-ray, your wait is over this Tuesday, August 28th. Now you can get [sfs=1254]The Fellowship of the Rings[/sfs], [sfs=1255]The Two Towers[/sfs] and [sfs=1256]The Return of the King[/sfs] each individually.

Each movie comes with 5 discs – 2 Blu-ray discs for the movie and related special features like audio commentaries, etc. and 3 DVDs full of all the extra content.

Pre-order now (or purchase later) via the links above and help us out!

[As usual, instead of attending a big SF event, I get to stay home and do the work of three people, on-call 24×7. I hope to resolve that soon…]

Today at Celebration VI in Orlando, the creators of Robot Chicken, Seth Green and Matt Senreich, showed footage of their upcoming animated show Star Wars: Detours, which is a CGI-animated comedy series that takes place between Episodes III and IV in the Star Wars continuity.

The style shown is deliberate caricatures of the characters themselves – small bodies with big heads, Princess Leia’s hair buns are larger than her head, etc. The Han Solo in this reminds me a bit of the very odd version of him shown in the original animation done for the Star Wars Holiday Special. And the scenes revolve around what goes on when they aren’t trying to blow up planets, smuggle goods or stage a rebellion – when the galaxy is kinda quiet and peaceful.

And a lot of big names are associated with the production – Jane Espenson in addition to the many writers who have contributed to Robot Chicken over the years, Jane Espenson, who has written for many shows our readers should be familiar with including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Tru Calling, Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Torchwood: Miracle Day, etc. etc. is also contributing. And the voices heard include Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy), Joel McHale (Community), and even Billy Dee Williams reprising the role of Lando Calrissian.

Among the other voices to be heard include Anthony Daniels and Ahmed Best reprising their roles as C-3PO and Jar-Jar Binks, respectively, along with Zachary Levi Chuck, Felicia Day (The Guild), Weird Al Yankovic, Abraham Benrubi (ER), and Star Wars: The Clone Wars alums Dee Bradley Baker, Jennifer Hale, and Catherine Taber.

No release date or network was revealed but expect to see it some time next year.

Read on and watch the trailer and clips!
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The biggest question mark regarding casting for the upcoming sequel to The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, was who was going to play the role of Finnick Odair, the former Games winner from District 4 who is a big part of the last two books in the trilogy. Sam Clafin (Snow White and the Hunstman, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) was reportedly the choice for the role last month but had a conflict. Now Lionsgate confirms that Clafin is signed for the role.

From the press release:

Santa Monica, CA, August 22, 2012- Lionsgate® and the filmmakers of THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE are pleased to announce that Sam Claflin has been cast in the role of Finnick in the much anticipated film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ worldwide smash hit novel Catching Fire. Charasmatic and clever, Finnick was a District 4 Hunger Games victor when he was fourteen.

After breaking out in his role as the romantic lead in last year’s PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES, Claflin starred in the box office smash SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN playing Prince William alongside Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth. He recently finished filming THE QUIET ONES opposite Jarred Harris, and MARY & MARTHA, in which he co-stars with Hilary Swank.

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE begins as Katniss Everdeen has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a “Victor’s Tour” of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) – a competition that could change Panem forever.

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE will be directed by Francis Lawrence, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. The novel on which the film is based is the second in a trilogy that has sold more than 50 million books in print and digital in the U.S. alone.

Lionsgate will release THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE on November 22, 2013.

The Hunger Games continues to impress – the [asin=B0084IG7KC]Blu-ray/DVD release[/asin] was this past weekend, and there were plenty of midnight release parties – typically something reserved for blockbuster franchises after they have proven themselves. But it seems that it was warranted – it is estimated that 3.8 million discs were sold on the weekend. Plus the digital downloads were also the highest ever for the studio.

That should give Lionsgate plenty of momentum going forward with the production of the sequel, Catching Fire, eagerly awaited by fans with a November 22nd, 2013 (Thanksgiving weekend) release date.

Ron Howard’s ambitious multi-platform project to being Stephen King’s The Dark Tower to life – originally conceived as a trilogy of movies AND two TV series – is looking for studio backing again. After Universal balked on the project a year ago, Warner Bros stepped in – but now it seems even WB has passed on it, despite getting an updated script from Akiva Goldsman and buzz about Russell Crowe interested in a lead role.

But another funding source may be in the hunt, with Media Rights Capital interested. MRC recently funded the Seth MacFarlane hit comedy Ted, and also the upcoming Elysium starring Matt Damon and Jodi Foster and directed by Neill Blomkamp (District 9). So for now, the project lives on.

Producer/director Tony Scott, who directed movies such as Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, Crimson Tide and True Romance and is the brother of producer/director Ridley Scott, died yesterday afternoon after an apparent suicide from the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, CA.

Tony had apparently been working on a sequel to Top Gun, despite over 25 years having passed since the original.

When news broke early this morning, friends and colleagues took to Twitter to express their feelings. Director Ron Howard was among the first, calling it a “tragic day”. Peter Fonda called him “brilliant” and actor Rob Schneider called him “a great director”, while Stephen Fry said he was “the most charming, modest man.”

Speaking of the Man in the Iron Suit, it appears that Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. injured his foot during a stunt on set. According to Disney:

While performing a stunt on the set of Iron Man 3, Robert Downey Jr. sustained an injury to his foot. There will be a short delay in production while he recuperates.

Nothing else is known at this point. This comes on the heels of actress Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory) who suffered injuries to her hand in an automobile collision in New York City yesterday. Fortunately she tweeted yesterday (with her husband typing) that she was “in pain but will keep all my fingers,” and she was back on set today.

Planning way ahead after confirming that Joss Whedon will be on board for the inevitable sequel to the mega-blockbuster The Avengers, Disney and Marvel Studios have already set a release date of May 1st, 2015, just a day short of a year from The Amazing Spider-Man sequel, which is a year-less-a-day after Iron Man 3. It seems that Marvel wants to own the beginning of May…

The Avengers comes out on [sfs=1249]Blu-ray[/sfs] and [sfs=1250]DVD[/sfs] on September 25th.

Following up on the news of the release of the Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures [sfs=1243]Blu-ray set[/sfs] on September 18th, we have some details on the bonus features and specifications that will be included! And don’t forget to [sfs=1243]pre-order today[/sfs] and help us out!
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