23 years of this site still chugging along...
Thomas Meehan, writer of Annie and Spaceballs, 1929-2017
by Doc on Aug.24, 2017, under Movies, Obituaries
Thomas Meehan, who wrote many various Broadway productions and book adaptations, passed away on Monday at the age of 88.
Meehan was best known as the writer of the musical Annie with songwriter Charles Strouse, was also a collaborator with Mel Brooks and helped to bring the latter’s 1967 movie The Producers to Broadway. He also worked on the book for Hairspray, making him the only person to have written three productions that each ran for more than 2,000 performances.
Another collaboration with Brooks resulted in the screenplay for Spaceballs, the standard for science fiction spoofs. He won three Tony Awards for Best Book from a Musical.
Dirk Gently Season 2 trailer
by Doc on Aug.24, 2017, under Television
“Somewhere Dirk is waiting for us to find him, and he’ll know how to fix this…”
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency returns October 14th at 9/8c on BBC America!
Teaser for Marvel’s The Punisher on Netflix
by Doc on Aug.21, 2017, under Television
Netflix released a teaser entitled “Demolition” for the next Marvel series to release on the streaming platform, Marvel’s The Punisher. Netflix is still coy on when exactly it will be released, only mentioning “2017” with the rest obscured…
Galaxy Quest series still in works at Amazon
by Doc on Aug.17, 2017, under Television
Never give up, never surrender!
The Galaxy Quest series based on the 1999 movie has been in development for a while at Paramount, with Amazon signing on for distribution, but plans took a hit when Alan Rickman, who played Alexander Dane/Dr. Lazarus in the movie, passed away in January of 2016.
Now it seems things are picking up again, with the series still set for Amazon, with The League star and occasional writer Paul Scheer working on a script based on a new take for the series. No word on whether this version will feature any of the original cast. Mark Johnson is still attached as a producer.
Obi-Wan film in development for next Star Wars anthology film
by Doc on Aug.17, 2017, under Movies
Rumor no more…Disney/Lucasfilm is developing an Obi-Wan-centric movie to be the third Anthology film in the Star Wars franchise.
And this is EARLY in development. There is no deal currently in place with anyone, but we understand that Oscar-nominated director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot, The Reader) is being eyed.
So now the next movie rumor can be put to rest, and now we can speculate on who will play him…
Stuntwoman dies on set of Deadpool 2
by Doc on Aug.14, 2017, under Movies
We have to report the sad news that a stuntwoman working on the set of Deadpool 2 unfortunately was killed during a motorcycle stunt this morning on location in Vancouver near near Jack Poole Plaza. The cause is under investigation.
According to witnesses, the stunt had been rehearsed a couple times, but on the last attempt the motorcycle appeared to accelerate instead of slowing down at the end of some ramps and went out of view, but she apparently jumped a curb and crashed into the plate glass windows of the Shaw Tower. Emergency responders arrived quickly and treated the woman but she died at the scene.
Ryan Reynolds tweeted, “Today, we tragically lost a member of our crew while filming Deadpool. We’re heartbroken, shocked and devastated… but recognize nothing can come close to the grief and inexplicable pain her family and loved ones must feel in this moment. My heart pours out to them — along with each and every person she touched in this world.”
Wonder Woman arrives on Digital HD 8/29, Blu-Ray 9/19
by Doc on Aug.11, 2017, under Movies, Video/DVD
The summer blockbuster hit for DC and Warner Bros. starring Gal Gadot arrives before the summer is out…and it will include a bonus scene not shown in theaters!
It will be available first on [sfs=1618]Digital HD[/sfs] on August 29th, followed by the [sfs=1617]Blu-Ray[/sfs], [asin=B072M856GW]Blu-Ray 3D[/asin] and [asin=B0714QRG51]4K Ultra HD[/asin] discs on September 19th.
Additionally, all of the special features, including an all-new bonus scene, interviews with filmmakers, featurettes, and extended scenes, can be experienced in an entirely new, dynamic and immersive manner on tablets and mobile phones using the Warner Bros. Movies All Access App, available for both iOS and Android devices. When purchased digitally and redeemed on UltraViolet, the Warner Bros. Movies All Access App allows users to watch the movie and simultaneously experience synchronized content related to any scene, simply by rotating their device. Synchronized content is presented on the same screen while the movie is playing, thus enabling users to quickly learn more about any scene, such as actor biographies, scene locations, fun trivia, or image galleries. Also, users can share movie clips with friends on social media and experience other immersive content. The Movies All Access app is available for download on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.
See the trailer again below!
NBC looking again at The Munsters
by Doc on Aug.10, 2017, under Television
NBC has been trying to bring back the classic sitcom The Munsters, and it looks like they are taking a swing at it again. Deadline reports that the network is on board for the development of the series led by Jill Kargman and Seth Meyers, from a concept from Odd Mom Out‘s Kargman. Kargman will write the script and executive produce with Meyers Mike Shoemaker for Sethmaker Shoemeyers Productions and Universal TV.
NBC wanted to reboot the show, which follows the life of a monster family trying to fit into normal society, back in 2012, but opted to try a one-hour format to allow for more of a drama setting. That appeared to be a mistake, with only the pilot being produced and ultimately being shown as a Halloween special with moderate ratings. It did however feature Eddie Izzard as Grandpa, which I thought was an intriguing choice. After it aired, NBC head Bob Greenblat said, “I won’t say we won’t do another version of The Munsters again,” and apparently he meant it…but this time, it’s a sitcom.
An interesting twist is the family will be relocated from a fictional suburb of Los Angeles to “hipster Brooklyn”. No word if the address of 1313 Mockingbird Lane will remain…
Marvel and James Gunn release 70s music video starring David Hasselhoff for release of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2
by Doc on Aug.07, 2017, under Movies, Video/DVD
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 comes out on [sfs=1615]Digital HD[/sfs] tomorrow and [sfs=1616]Blu-ray[/sfs] on August 22nd, and to celebrate, they released a music video with a bunch of cameos…I have no more words to say… 🙂
TidBits: The Dark Tower series, a passing, and Mr. Robot
by Doc on Aug.04, 2017, under Obituaries, Television
A few quick tidbits…
The first TV series as part of he multimedia mega-production based on Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series has officially named its showrunner as former The Walking Dead showrunner Glen Mazzara. We also understand that Idris Elba, who plays The Gunslinger in the feature film that opened today, will also be involved at some level.
The series takes place many years previous to the film and tells the origin story of Roland Deschain – a.k.a. the Gunslinger. It takes mostly from the fourth book, [asin=1501161830]Wizard and Glass[/asin], with flashbacks to the first book, [asin=1501161806]The Gunslinger[/asin].
We had a passing…actor Robert Hardy, best known as the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge in several Harry Potter films and Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great And Small, passed away yesterday at the age of 91. His career spanned 70 years, including playing Winston Churchill in 6 separate productions due to the accuracy of his portrayal. I remember seeing him in his first film role, 1958’s Torpedo Run.
Lastly, Mr. Robot‘s return for Season 3 has been announced for October 11th at 10/9c on USA Network, and also that Bobby Cannavale (Ant-Man) will join the cast. See the trailer below…