At first, it looked like Nicole Kidman had signed on for the third big screen remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers - a tale about an epidemic of extraterrestrial origins invading the bodies of innocent people. Sounded like a remake to most. But now, Warner Bros is going all out to tell the press that this is an "original sci fi" idea. The trade papers have taken great pains to emphasize that while Warner’s initially commissioned David Kajganich's script, and that the project was intended as the latest in a long string of Body Snatchers remakes, somewhere along the line, it became something new and different. Now just simply called Invasion (with no relation to ABC’s new drama), it will be helmed by German director Oliver Hirschbiegel (Deadfall). Kidman will play a Washington DC based psychiatrist who uncovers a conspiracy when she discovers people are beginning to change, and some how she and her son hold the key to preventing an alien invasion. Jack Finney wrote the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers as a magazine serial and then turned it into a novel that legendary director Don Siegel made into the classic film in 1953. In that version, Siegel spun the story as an allegory of McCarthy-era fears of communism. The 1978 remake, directed by Phillip Kaufman, cooked up the tale as a commentary on pop psychology and New Age cults, while the mostly forgotten 1993 version (also produced by Warner Bros.) directed by Abel Ferrara worked in the themes of AIDS.
New Line Cinema has tapped up-and-coming British director Anand Tucker to helm the first installment of Philip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials. Tucker is also the director of the upcoming fall film Shopgirl (though it was filmed in 2003), based on the novel by funny man Steve Martin. Chris Weitz, who adapted the book, was slated to direct but withdrew in December. For the past half year, more than four dozen filmmakers have been considered for the job with the studio finally locking in Tucker. With His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass, New Lines begins its boldest and biggest project since The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
20th Century Fox is planning a trilogy of films based on the Eragon fantasy novels by 21-year-old Christopher Paolini, Variety reported. The first film, Eragon, will commenced production in August, with a cast that includes Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou and 17 year-old British actor Ed Speleers as the title character. The story centers on young Eragon, who one day finds a blue stone he believes he can sell for enough food to last his family through the winter. But the stone is actually an egg, and when a dinosaur hatchling emerges, Eragon is suddenly caught up in a world of destiny, power and magic. Sooner than he thinks, Eragon must become a Dragon Rider and battle the evil King Galbatorix, the trade paper reported. Veteran visual-effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events) will direct, from a script by Peter Buchman (Jurassic Park III), which was subsequently rewritten by the Planet of the Apes team of Larry Konner and Mark Rosenthal. Fox is eyeing a June 16, 2006, release.
Hollywood’s fascination with remakes continues as 20th Century Fox is fast-tracking a redo of 1976's horror classic The Omen. John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines) will helm the film, from a contemporized script by Dan McDermott. Richard Donner (Superman) directed the original, which starred screen legend Gregory Peck as an ambassador who allows his wife’s dead baby to be switched at childbirth with another, only to discover that his new son will give a new meaning to the word "hell raiser." The film is scheduled to go before the camera’s in October, which could put the remake out for late spring release in 2006.
She returned, somewhat to Doctor Who, in 1981 after almost 5 years in a one-off special called K9 & Company. She played Sarah Jane Smith again in the 1983 20th Anniversary episode, The Five Doctors. Now, 22 years later, Elizabeth Sladen is returning to Doctor Who as Sarah Jane, in an upcoming second season episode called School Reunion. Also on hand is K9, voiced by actor John Leeson. The Doctor’s robot dog will be killed off in the episode, saving the Earth, but weep not, as a new K9 will be given to Sarah at the end of the episode. Also on hand for that episode will be Anthony Stewart Head, who was Giles on Buffy, playing the school’s Head Master. The second season of the new Doctor Who series begins in the spring of 2006 in Britain, but there will be a special holiday episode called The Christmas Invasion, which will air in Britain on Christmas Day. Still, there is no plans to air the new series in the States.
While its unofficial, expect the Sci Fi Channel to announce that they are picking up both Battlestar Galactica and Stargate: Atlantis for third seasons. While the network would wait until January to announce this, word has leaked that will give green lights for both of the shows. It’s also expected that the cable network will also renew Stargate: SG1 for an unprecedented 10th season.
Tim Allen will return one more time as St. Nick, as Disney is getting ready to sign Martin Short as the villainous Jack Frost in The Santa Clause 3...DreamWorks has penciled summer 2008 for Madagascar 2, while the scene stealing penguins will have their own direct-to-DVD movie in 2009.
Legacy:
Director Robert Wise, who helmed the Oscar winning The Sound of Music, died September 14 of heart failure. He was 91. Wise’s career started as an editor of the classic 1941 Orson Wells film Citizen Kane, where he went on to helm a bunch of B films before he hit it big with the classic sci fi film The Day the Earth Stood Still. He would later go on to helm the 1971 adaptation of Michael Crighton’s novel The Andromeda Strain and would help launch the big screen version of Star Trek in 1979. But, perhaps, his greatest legacy will be The Sound of Music and West Side Story, two of the most beloved movie musicals of all time.
New Line Cinema has tapped up-and-coming British director Anand Tucker to helm the first installment of Philip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials. Tucker is also the director of the upcoming fall film Shopgirl (though it was filmed in 2003), based on the novel by funny man Steve Martin. Chris Weitz, who adapted the book, was slated to direct but withdrew in December. For the past half year, more than four dozen filmmakers have been considered for the job with the studio finally locking in Tucker. With His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass, New Lines begins its boldest and biggest project since The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
20th Century Fox is planning a trilogy of films based on the Eragon fantasy novels by 21-year-old Christopher Paolini, Variety reported. The first film, Eragon, will commenced production in August, with a cast that includes Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou and 17 year-old British actor Ed Speleers as the title character. The story centers on young Eragon, who one day finds a blue stone he believes he can sell for enough food to last his family through the winter. But the stone is actually an egg, and when a dinosaur hatchling emerges, Eragon is suddenly caught up in a world of destiny, power and magic. Sooner than he thinks, Eragon must become a Dragon Rider and battle the evil King Galbatorix, the trade paper reported. Veteran visual-effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events) will direct, from a script by Peter Buchman (Jurassic Park III), which was subsequently rewritten by the Planet of the Apes team of Larry Konner and Mark Rosenthal. Fox is eyeing a June 16, 2006, release.
Hollywood’s fascination with remakes continues as 20th Century Fox is fast-tracking a redo of 1976's horror classic The Omen. John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines) will helm the film, from a contemporized script by Dan McDermott. Richard Donner (Superman) directed the original, which starred screen legend Gregory Peck as an ambassador who allows his wife’s dead baby to be switched at childbirth with another, only to discover that his new son will give a new meaning to the word "hell raiser." The film is scheduled to go before the camera’s in October, which could put the remake out for late spring release in 2006.
She returned, somewhat to Doctor Who, in 1981 after almost 5 years in a one-off special called K9 & Company. She played Sarah Jane Smith again in the 1983 20th Anniversary episode, The Five Doctors. Now, 22 years later, Elizabeth Sladen is returning to Doctor Who as Sarah Jane, in an upcoming second season episode called School Reunion. Also on hand is K9, voiced by actor John Leeson. The Doctor’s robot dog will be killed off in the episode, saving the Earth, but weep not, as a new K9 will be given to Sarah at the end of the episode. Also on hand for that episode will be Anthony Stewart Head, who was Giles on Buffy, playing the school’s Head Master. The second season of the new Doctor Who series begins in the spring of 2006 in Britain, but there will be a special holiday episode called The Christmas Invasion, which will air in Britain on Christmas Day. Still, there is no plans to air the new series in the States.
While its unofficial, expect the Sci Fi Channel to announce that they are picking up both Battlestar Galactica and Stargate: Atlantis for third seasons. While the network would wait until January to announce this, word has leaked that will give green lights for both of the shows. It’s also expected that the cable network will also renew Stargate: SG1 for an unprecedented 10th season.
Tim Allen will return one more time as St. Nick, as Disney is getting ready to sign Martin Short as the villainous Jack Frost in The Santa Clause 3...DreamWorks has penciled summer 2008 for Madagascar 2, while the scene stealing penguins will have their own direct-to-DVD movie in 2009.
Legacy:
Director Robert Wise, who helmed the Oscar winning The Sound of Music, died September 14 of heart failure. He was 91. Wise’s career started as an editor of the classic 1941 Orson Wells film Citizen Kane, where he went on to helm a bunch of B films before he hit it big with the classic sci fi film The Day the Earth Stood Still. He would later go on to helm the 1971 adaptation of Michael Crighton’s novel The Andromeda Strain and would help launch the big screen version of Star Trek in 1979. But, perhaps, his greatest legacy will be The Sound of Music and West Side Story, two of the most beloved movie musicals of all time.
No comments:
Post a Comment