Sci-Fi Storm

In what may be the most ambitious Hollywood plans ever, Universal Pictures and NBC Universal Television Entertainment are planning to make Stephen King’s massive The Dark Tower saga into a series of three movies – and a TV series as well. Ron Howard will direct the first film and the first season of the series, with Akiva Goldsman writing and Brian Grazer producing.

Why are they trying to tap both formats at the same time? Howard told Deadline, “With this story, if you dedicated to one medium or another, there’s the horrible risk of cheating material. The scope and scale call for a big screen budget. But if you committed only to films, you’d deny the audience the intimacy and nuance of some of these characters and a lot of cool twists and turns that make for jaw-dropping, compelling television.”

Alfonso Cuaron’s next planned film, the SF film Gravity, about a woman trapped alone aboard a space station after an accident kills the rest of the crew, has been getting a lot of buzz but suddenly was left gasping for oxygen when planned lead Angelina Jolie pulled out. But out of the ashes there is a report that Natalie Portman has been offered the lead role.

Warner Bros. has a pretty busy release day this Tuesday, September 7th. As well as the previous several reviews, the classic 1956 science fiction masterpiece [sfs=1052]Forbidden Planet[/sfs] sees Blu-ray for the first time. Does high definition do a 55 year old movie justice?
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There will be a sequel to the successful (and a leader in the 3D movie trend) Journey To The Center Of The Earth, but it will not see the return of the original’s star, Brendan Fraser due to issues with schedules. Instead, it will likely feature a new character played by Dwayne Johnson, as the boyfriend of the mother of Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson, possibly the only returning actor). The new film is currently titled “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island,” and is loosely based on the Jules Verne story by that name. Interestingly, that story was a sequel to Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, so it may make for an interesting adaptation…

NEWS RELEASE
Contact: O’Bayley Communications – 760/778-3525 Tim O’Bayley • tim@obayley.net
or Nicky Vallee • nicky@obayley.net

SMALL BUDGET PRODUCTION BUCKS BIG STUDIOS
WITH INDIE SPIRIT & OSCAR-WINNING ACTOR

PALM SPRINGS – August 24, 2010: Enemy Mind, a science fiction-style film written, produced and directed by an upstart cast and crew, is now available on DVD. The film was shot on location in the Salton Sea area of Southern California’s Imperial Valley in early 2010, and completed on a shoestring budget.

“I still can’t believe we did this with only $9,000,” marvels Xu Razer, who plays a futuristic terrorist in the film and is also credited as co-producer. “More than two-thirds of that money was spent to hire Academy Award Winning Actor Ernest Borgnine, who provides the voice for a key character in the film. I don’t know of anyone who has ever pulled off something like this on such a small budget, and we are extremely proud of the accomplishment.” Borgnine will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 17th annual SAG Awards Jan 30 2011 to be broadcast on TNT and TBS.

The action takes place in the year 3074 A.D. when a prison transport ship carrying some of the galaxy’s most dangerous criminals has crash-landed on a remote planet. Only two people survive the wreck: a terrorist accused of a bombing a spacecraft and a soldier ordered to ensure the accused prisoner stands trial for his crime. Each becomes determined to control the other in the name of conviction and faith.

“We wanted so badly to make a movie that would test the boundaries of perception and the concept of reality as it pertains to certain ideologies,” explains Razer, who also moonlights as a doorman at a Palm Springs bar. “The themes are powerful. I believe this is something that will resonate with a wide range of audiences, and we’ve already gotten tremendous feedback.”

Written and directed by Brennan Reed, Enemy Mind is now available for VOD at www.bigstar.tv and indieflix.com and on DVD at Amazon.com and at select Video Depot locations in Southern California. For more information or to schedule an interview, e-mail bnh760@aol.com or go to www.enemy-mind.com.
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Wendy writes in: We are happy to announce that part one of the Star Wars fan film, A Light in the Darkness, has been released. This is a high quality film made with a very small budget. Please check it out at http://www.alightinthedarknessfilm.com/the-film/ and let us know what you think.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 had a test screening in Chicago today (why wasn’t I invited?!?), and the folks at MuggleNet were there, and collecting the feedback. “I just saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. …And it was beyond excellent.” reads the first review.

Apparently there was a growing optimism among the Tolkien fans that there would be a pending announcement on August 21st – hopefully the greenlight on production of The Hobbit – based on a private event following a “refurbishment” being held at the Weta Cave. But later reports showed that the event is nothing special. But if the sets are indeed being unpacked, there is still hope.

Are you really tall (> 6′ 5″) or short (< 4′ 10″) and don’t mind prosthetic makeup? Think you can play stereotypical 1960s New Yorkers, like hippies, bikers, businessmen, etc.? Got a 1960s set of wheels in good condition? If so, there is an open casting call for the upcoming Men In Black 3 movie which will begin filming in NYC in October. The open call will be held on Monday, Aug. 16 from 10am to 4pm at Metropolitan Pavilion, 110 W 19 St (between 6th & 7th Aves) in Manhattan. Here is the full release:
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The following guest article was sent in by Mark Edlitz, director/producer of [asin=B003NVN0UK]Jedi Junkies[/asin]:

My friends and I made a movie about extreme Star Wars fans called JEDI JUNKIES. The film is 75 minutes long and took 4 years to make. Doing a little simple math (and using an online calculator) that means that it took an average of 19.4 days for each minute of screen time. Given that glacially slow work pace people ask me, “Why did you make JEDI JUNKIES?” That’s an easy answer: It was a labor of love.
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