Science Fiction (and Fantasy) on Television

Friday 28th November 2003

The Paycheck website is now open. This is a film based on yet another of Philip K. Dick's dystopian visions. PKD unfortunately died over 20 years ago (before being able to see the theatrical release of Blade Runner), but particularly in recent years, his stories have proved all too prophetic and are now hot properties for movies. Apart from the aforementioned (best film ever made) Blade Runner, his stories have formed the inspiration for such movies as Total Recall, Screamers, Impostor, Minority Report and of course Paycheck. Familiarise yourself with this trend with the Wired in-depth report. Then read some of his books!

Friday 28th November 2003

Richard Hatch has been interviewed in depth by the Cylon Alliance about Battlestar Galactica - the past, his BG books and the new TV series. He is not overly happy about it. Read the interview yourself to get another perspective on what has been changed.

Wednesday 26th November 2003

If you've been checking the latest trailers in the last week, you've probably seen the one for Hellboy. If you haven't then watch the trailer now! And check out the official Hellboy site. Start getting in the mood for one of next year's best films!

Wednesday 26th November 2003

I've previously mentioned Indy IV almost certainly being made next year and Ford not doing anything else before then. According to an inside scooper at The Indy Experience .com, rumours of Indy IV prepping are now very strong. If pre-production is indeed getting under way, filming should start in mid-2004 and thus a late December 2005 release date sounds reasonable.

Tuesday 25th November 2003

The excellent Michael Caine as Batman's butler Alfred? Looks like it! Of course Alfred is far more than just a butler, being Bruce Wayne's confidant, operational guru and manager (effectively), so worth Sir Michael getting to grips with the role. With the excellent Christian Bale as Batman and rumours of another excellent actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) as one of the bad guys, it is quite possible that there is life in Batman yet. And if the script and direction is even half-excellent, then perhaps we will all want more of the same after all? Michael Gough did a great job as the butler in the first four films, so it needed a good actor to take the role fiurther.

Thursday 20th November 2003

More Stargate anyone? Yes please! Stargate SG-1 is so successful, (they announced the eighth season as they started filming the seventh), that another series is being spun off it - Stargate Atlantis. The SciFi Channel will start making the new weekly series early next year to premiere next summer alongside the SG-1 eighth season. Set concurrently, unlike the animated series, this will allow SG-1 characters to guest. "Stargate Atlantis will center on a secret Earth base left by the originators of the Stargate, buried among the ruins of the legendary city of Atlantis. A new team of explorers will travel to a distant galaxy, where a primitive human civilization is threatened by a sinister new enemy," SCI FI announced.

Thursday 20th November 2003

Just like a Terminator, the franchise just keeps going. After the success of the third and news that during the making of the third they were already talking about the fourth and how it would happen potentially sans Arnie, it is no big surprise that C2 Pictures has given the go to an Arnie-less Terminator 4. And I stick with my prediction that after an excellent first two films, it will now continue to be a series of mindless popcorn sci-fi robot action flicks. Which reminds me, there is going to be another Highlander movie. New writer to the series Joel Soisson will try to bring new life and new direction to the next one. And there I thought that the exponentially worsening Highlander films, that started with an excellent first film and ended ... well have you even seen the last one ... was dead and buried already. Next thing you know they'll be trying to make more Batman and Superman movies. Oh ... they are.

Wednesday 19th November 2003

Just under a week ago, I said that something was definitely happening with Farscape. Savefarscape.com has released the fan-side of the announcement that Farscape will return as a 4-part miniseries. The official announcement is still to come, but I'm confident that this is news and not just rumour. And more than that, it is the Scapers - the fans of Farscape that have got the resurrection to happen after the SciFi Channel cancelled it prematurely. It is not the full season that is deserved, but at least will allow the final cliffhanger to be resolved. And if you think there is plenty more in the series, then why not join the campaign to get a full series resurrection?

Wednesday 19th November 2003

The five-book series The Lost years of Merlin by T.A. Barron may make it to the big screen soon. Emrys is the boy with no memory of his past who eventually becomes the legendary wizard Merlin. The books follow his growth from boy to young adult, searching for his identity, travels with Arthur and adventures in magical lands. With Harry Potter going strong, Lord of the Rings set to continue breaking records this Christmas and King Arthur in the works, it is obviously the right time for this to happen. Dimension are optioning with Simon Kinberg adapting the first book to screenplay.

Tuesday 18th November 2003

More witches in the pipeline: MGM has taken on Bragi Schut Jr.'s Season of the Witch movie script. It is the story of a group of 14th-century French knights who must take a woman accused of witchcraft to a mountain abbey, where the monks will seek to understand and destroy her supposed "powers", believed to be the source of the Black Plague! Hopefully the film will show the horrific travesties perpetrated in the name of Christianity against witchcraft.

Lifetime Channel meanwhile have picked up a pilot for a TV series called The Coven. With exec producers Charlie Craig and Gale Anne Hurd (is there anything she isn't involved in?) and director David Wu. The drama is about a coven of witches living in suburbia and hopefully will show a more realistic view of modern witchcraft.

Production of The Coven will be by Lions Gate who are also signed up to make the series Fly Girls, where the stars of a fictional sci-fi series get accidentally endowed with real superpowers. This one is a comedy...

Monday 17th November 2003

Empire Magazine has new pics of Terry Gilliam's The Brothers Grimm. A few scans, like the one of the purpose-built village above can be found at ComingSoon.

Friday 14th November 2003

Lena Olin is definitely not returning for Season 3 of Alias. The hot actress has declined despite producers of the show really trying. Beautifully cast as Sydney Bristow's mother, Irina Derevko, who is also an intelligent, charismatic, powerful and dangerous enemy, it is a shame, but the door is still open. Go to BringBackLena.com to check out the campaign to get her back.

Thursday 13th November 2003

There is definitely something happening with Farscape. Dark Horizons has really been following up on this after serious rumours that production is gearing up to wrap the series with another 4-6 episodes. The very strong non-answers they've got are the sort of thing you get when they cannot say something rather than they have nothing to say. Like all the other SF websites, we are wholeheartedly hoping the rumours are true.

Wednesday 12th November 2003

Are you a secret admirer of The Goonies - that kids adventure released back in 1985? Well the The Goonies 2 looks very likely now. Richard Donner and Steven Spielberg are pushing for it to happen. Spielberg co-wrote and exec produced the original, and is very keen to make the two-decades-later sequel. Potentially with main cast members (now grown up) Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman returning with of course a new bunch of kids.

Wednesday 12th November 2003

The first part of the new animated Doctor Who adventure is on-line at the BBC. The story is called Scream of the Shaka and the Doctor is voiced by Richard E. Grant. Also has conversations with cast and crew.

Tuesday 11th November 2003

Vampires being resurrected for a second time? WB are going to produce a new pilot for Dark Shadows - an ABC 60's series attempted again by NBC in the early 90's. Described as a "vampire soap opera", I suppose they think that in the post-Buffy era, there must be new interest. The link to the past isn't lost as original series producer Dan Curtis will join the production team.

Tuesday 11th November 2003

The new Battlestar Galactica TV miniseries is still a month away from screening, but there is already positive talk of a full series. Mary McDonnell who plays President Roslin is certainly up for it and sees a lot of potential for stories, particularly with senior co-star Edward James Olmos (General Adama). With their contracts including the option for a series, I'm guessing that a full series will happen - particularly with the reinvented premise and background and the range of good characters (and I for one am more than happy to give Katee Sackhoff a flying chance as the female Starbuck). The original BG was fine for its time, but let's please look forwards now.

Tuesday 11th November 2003

Lauren Shuler Donner, X-Men 3 producer is definitely planning a Wolverine film to follow. Although they would not be filmed concurrently, development for Hugh Jackman's central role will proceed while making X3. Hugh likes the character and is definitely up for it. Then there's the rumour that Halle Berry might not return as Storm for X3, but she might be convinced if she's given a bigger part. Well, I'd say don't bother. Much more interesting is whether X3 will have Famke Janssen return as the evil Dark Phoenix. Now that would be cool.

Monday 10th November 2003

WB's Tarzan series has been given the chop.

Monday 10th November 2003

Saruman will not be in the theatrical release of LotR:RotK. His scenes were held over from The Two Towers as they would have made the closing too long, but according to Peter Jackson, they don't work at the beginning of Return of the King either, (in case you were wondering, Saruman doesn't make it, hence isn't in the rest of the film). The scenes will now appear on the super-duper, ultimate, multiple-extended, collector's final edition DVD set.

Friday 7th November 2003

Sir Ridley Scott

I'm not going to make a habit of linking to other Top SF Movie lists, but this one in the Oregonian is relatively good. It is a poll of 15 writers and hardcore sci-fi buffs to rank the best 50 science fiction films. The Top 5 were: Alien, Blade Runner, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Metropolis, The Empire Strikes Back. I wouldn't put them in quite that order and Blade Runner is actually the best film of all time, but it is a good primer and the whole Top 50, while you may disagree with the order, certainly makes for an excellent set of films you need to watch!

Wednesday 5th November 2003

Mmmm.... The Ghost in the Shell 2 website is now open. Go check it out (in Japanese) and then salivate over the trailer.

Archive Index

Archive Index

Odyssey 5, Firefly, Star Trek, X-Files, Babylon 5, Crusade, Dr Who, Andromeda, Lexx, Dark Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, The Invisible Man, Stargate SG-1, Blake's 7, Farscape, The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy, The Lone Gunmen, The Avengers, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Red Dwarf, Roswell, Total Recall 2070, Hercules, Xena: Warrior Princess, Earth: Final Conflict, Charmed, Alien Nation, Futurama, Outer Limits and so many more. Essential information, background, links, etc. on all Science Fiction and Fantasy shows are here!