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 SCIFISPACE.COM NEWS
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The most recent 10 (2008-05-09) stories are below - browse the links at right for lots more.
X-Files movie has a title
X-Files creator Chris Carter has announced the title of the X-Files movie: "I Want to Believe" which was the slogan on the UFO poster that hung in the basement office of FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson).
Unlike the previous X-Files film, this adventure will be its own story about a supernatural mystery instead of a continuation of any stories from the TV show. The movie is an attempt to draw in a new base of fans that may have never seen the show as well as allowing fans to enjoy the latest adventure of their heroes.
In addition to Duchovny and Anderson, the film stars of Xzibit, Amanda Peet and Billy Connolly, though little is known about their roles. The filmmakers have also not revealed if X-Files series alums like Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) or the Lone Gunmen will be appearing.
The X-Files: I Want to Believe is due out July 25.
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Scifi okays Galactica pre-quel
As the Peabody and Emmy-winning original series Battlestar Galactica heads into its fourth and final season, SCI FI Channel has greenlit production on Caprica, a two-hour Battlestar backdoor pilot prequel from executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick. Production on Caprica is slated to begin in Vancouver this spring.
“We couldn’t be more excited to see this long-anticipated project get off the ground. It’s an amazing script, and, though clearly inspired by the Battlestar mythology, it is not just a pale spin-off. This is a smart, hought-provoking, emotional, and compelling character drama in its own right,” said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Original
Programming.
Set 50 years before Battlestar Galactica, Caprica follows two rival families – the Greystones and the Adamas – as they grow, compete, and thrive in the vibrant world of
the 12 Colonies. Enmeshed in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe-totoe. Caprica will deliver all of the passion, intrigue, political backbiting, family conflict and
hardcore action that always leaves Galactica fans begging for more.
“I'm thrilled with the chance to expand on the Galactica world and get deeper into the origins of the story we've been telling,” said Moore. “It's also great to have a chance at doing a completely different kind of science fiction series, one that's even more character-oriented and doesn't rely on pyrotechnics to carry the story."
“While Caprica will have its own personality, it will carry on Battlestar’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of the genre, and we're thrilled that SCI FI has seen fit to giving
us another opportunity to tell character-driven stories in challenging ways,” added Eick.
“We've assembled a true dream team to produce this exciting project," said Universal Media Studios president Katherine Pope. “Building on the brilliance of SCI FI's Battlestar Galactica, we all know Caprica will be a critical and commercial success."
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Iron Man & Indy Jones posters released
Paramount sent me the new posters for Iron Man due to open May 2 and Indiana Jones 4 in theaters May 22 and they are awesome! Click on one to see it larger.
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Indy Trailer debuts Feb 14
Paramount will attach the first teaser trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to the fantasy movie The Spiderwick Chronicles on Feb. 14, with the spot to hit the Web shortly thereafter, Variety reported.
The trailer comes relatively late in the marketing game, with only four months to go before the movie opens for the Memorial Day weekend.
The reason for the delay is that the film only recently wrapped, so much of the material that would go into a memorable trailer just wasn't ready until now.
Nevertheless, awareness and anticipation are already high for the fourth installment in the beloved franchise, so producers didn't feel the need to show too much too soon. The fourth Indy movie opens May 22.
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Star Trek Tour debuts January 18
 SEE Touring Productions and Metropolitan Talent present STAR TREK THE TOUR, the largest interactive Star Trek exhibit ever, which makes its North American debut on January 18th for a limited engagement at the Queen Mary Dome in Long Beach, CA.
This unprecedented event will give the public the opportunity to step inside the Star Trek world and become active participants in the legacy that has captured the imagination of generations: From the chance to sit on a starship bridge from the Original TV series to traveling through space on motion simulators, STAR TREK THE TOUR offers the whole family the opportunity to be fully immersed in the action.
See the complete story in our Star Trek News section or click the banner at left.
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HBO Gets True Blood
HBO has officially picked up the vampire series True Blood from Six Feet Under's Alan Ball, based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire novel series, Variety reported.
Ball will executive-produce and act as show runner for True Blood, which is expected to go into production this fall. HBO is still ironing out an episodic order and airdate. Ball wrote and directed the pilot and has already penned several more episodes.
The pilot stars Anna Paquin, Ryan Kwanten, Sam Trammell, Stephen Moyer and Brook Kerr. It is set in small-town Louisiana and follows the world of vampires, who are able to co-exist with humans by drinking a Japanese-manufactured synthetic blood. The show contains a dose of humor alongside the horror.
Paquin plays Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress who winds up falling for vampire Bill Compton (played by Moyer) and who has powers of her own. Carrie Preston and Michael Raymond-James round out the cast.
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Dark Horse releasing anthology by Whedon and other
Dark Horse posted the following release on their Myspace blog that I thought might interest everyone:
July 27, 2007--MySpace, the nation's most trafficked website, and Dark Horse Comics, pioneers of creator owned and licensed comics material, today announced a partnership to revive one of the most celebrated comic anthologies with the launch of a new online comic book, "MySpace Dark Horse Presents…". The online series will include original content by top creators and premiere artists, all available exclusively on MySpace and free of charge to users. The announcement was made on-site at Comic-Con International in San Diego.
"MySpace Dark Horse Presents…" takes its cues from the original Dark Horse Presents, a hard copy comic book published from 1986 to 2000, where high celebrated comics including Frank Miller's Sin City and Paul Chadwick's Concrete, made their mark in issues of the anthology and were later spun off into their own standalone comic franchises.
The inaugural August issue of "MySpace Dark Horse Presents…" goes live on MySpace today and will include the following comics:
* Sugar Shock, the debut new comic from artist Fábio Moon and Joss Whedon, creator of the popular television shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly, and author of the highly successful Dark Horse Comics miniseries, Fray, among others
* The Umbrella Academy by artist Gabriel Bá and Gerard Way, lead singer of the band My Chemical Romance
* Samurai by Ron Marz and Luke Ross
* Comic-Con Murder Mystery by Rick Geary
"Dark Horse Comics, with a dedicated fan base and history of innovative comic properties, is the ideal partner for MySpace," said Shawn Gold, SVP of Marketing for MySpace. "We are thrilled to help resurrect Dark Horse Presents in its new digital format and continue the long and storied legacy of this comic institution classic."
The comics contained in future issues of "MySpace Dark Horse Presents…" will include a mix from both established, successful, comic creators as well as talented amateurs. Site editors from both MySpace and Dark Horse Comics will search MySpace profiles for new talent to feature in every upcoming issue. New issues will be available exclusively on MySpace the first week of every month, with the second issue premiering the first week of September.
"Just over 20 years ago, we published our first comic, Dark Horse Presents 1. Our goal was to bring new and talented creators to the forefront of comics culture, and also to give industry luminaries a chance to retain the rights to their work" said Mike Richardson, president and founder of Dark Horse Comics. "Years later, with that same goal in mind, we are reviving this title online, with the help of MySpace.com, whom we feel may be the most culturally relevant website on the net. With their broad cultural significance, and incredibly wide reach, we felt they would be the perfect partner to lead our charge into original online content. Our hope is to both reach new readers, and to give longtime Dark Horse devotees a new and exciting comics experience."
For fans at Comic-Con this week, MySpace will be giving away 400 "MySpace Dark Horse Presents…" limited edition, screen-printed posters available at the Dark Horse Comics booth. The posters feature original art from Sugar Shock by Fábio Moon, and were designed by Micah Smith at Blacktop Creative.
In March 2007 MySpace launched MySpace Comic Books, a community dedicated to the best in comics, manga, and graphic novels. In addition to the latest comic book news and interviews, MySpace Comic Books spotlights the most exciting projects, creators and events in the industry. With over 125,000 friends, and growing, MySpace has seen significant interest from its members in the comic book arena. "MySpace Dark Horse Presents…" will complement the burgeoning MySpace Comic Books profile.
Very cool stuff!
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Depp to take on Dark Shadows
Johnny Depp will star in a feature-film version of the 1960s vampire soap opera Dark Shadows, Variety reported.
Warner Brothers is teaming with Depp's Infinitum-Nihil and Graham King's GK Films to develop the movie.
Depp has said in interviews that he has always been obsessed with Dark Shadows and had, as a child, wanted to be Barnabas Collins, the vampire patriarch of the series. The role was originated by Jonathan Frid.
A rights deal just closed with the estate of Dan Curtis, the producer/director who created the soap, which aired weekdays on ABC from 1966 to 1971. Depp and King will produce with David Kennedy, who ran Dan Curtis Productions until Curtis died last year of a brain tumor.
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Reboot Gets Movie
"ReBoot," one of the earliest computer-animated episodic TV series, will be redeveloped as a trilogy of feature-length films by Rainmaker Animation.
Originally produced in 1994, the series centered on life within a computer, where good forces fought invading viruses and videogames were viewed from within.
"ReBoot" was created by MainFrame Entertainment, which was acquired by and renamed Rainmaker in 2006. The show aired for several seasons on ABC, YTV and Cartoon Network.
"The idea is to relaunch the brand in a new way," said Rainmaker Animation executive vice president Paul Gertz, who will oversee the project.
To do this, Rainmaker has entered into a strategic alliance with Zeros 2 Heroes, a Web site set to launch Monday (July 23) to provide a social network for comic book fans.
Five undiscovered writers chosen by Rainmaker were selected to work with the animation studio's production teams to prepare a pitch for the new "ReBoot" story line. These will be posted on the Zeros 2 Heroes site Thursday (July 26), the opening day of San Diego Comic-Con International. Those who visit the site will be able to work with each production team to help refine the ideas for "ReBoot" and later vote and select a favorite pitch. The brainstorming environment is what the site calls "Think Ups."
A Web-based comic, based on the selected story, will be published this year. Production on the features will commence at that time.
"'ReBoot's' legions of fans have been incredibly loyal and continue to keep the property alive on dozens of fan sites," Gertz said. "We're very enthusiastic about how we're reconceiving this classic series by creating an innovative way for those fans -- who were kids when the series started -- to use new technology to help guide us."
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Harry Potter Finale Breaks Records
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling's seventh and final Harry Potter book, published in the U.S. by Scholastic, hit bookstores nationwide at 12:01 a.m. on July 21, 2007 and once again Harry Potter made history. Early reports estimate that Scholastic broke all publishing records, selling an unprecedented 8.3 million copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in its first 24 hours on sale.
"The excitement, anticipation, and just plain hysteria that came over the entire country this weekend was a bit like the Beatles' first visit to the U.S.", stated Lisa Holton, Chief Muggle, Scholastic (aka President, Scholastic Trade and Book Fairs). "This weekend kids and adults alike are sitting on buses, in the park, on airplanes and in restaurants reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The conversations the readers have been waiting to have for 10 years have just begun." Holton continued, "The glowing reviews have been calling this book a classic for all time. Congratulations to J.K. Rowling on her tremendous literary achievement."
Scholastic announced a record breaking first printing of 12 million copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and retailers reported fast-paced pre-sales leading up to the release date.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling's sixth Harry Potter book, was released on July 16, 2005, with a first printing of 10.8 million copies. At the time, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was the fastest- selling book in history, selling 6.9 million copies in the first 24 hours. All six Harry Potter books, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince have been number one bestsellers in the United States, the U.K., and around the world. The American editions of the Harry Potter books are published under Scholastic's Arthur A. Levine imprint.
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