Masters of the Universe Movie is back on after Columbia Pictures / Escape Artists picked up the rights after Warner Bros dropped the project last year.  I love He-Man and the Masters of the Universe show and would like to see a big screen adaptation.  If you have not watched He-Man then check it out streaming online here.

Mike Finch and Alex Litvak pitched their concept for the project and are now building it from the ground up.

“attempted to balance a treatment that would convince the studio it was cinematic and keep the toy company satisfied that its characters were being portrayed appropriately”

I hope that they bring in J. Michael Straczynski for a consultant on this project.  It was in large part his brilliant writing that made the original show so great.  The movie would benefit greatly from his contribution.

Mike Finch known for being a writer on Predators.

Alex Litvak known for being a writer on Predators.

Predators does not release until 9 July 2010 so we don't have any completed projects to really get a feeling of their style from.



(via Film)

Starting in July J. Michael Straczynski will take over DC Comics' Superman and Wonder Woman on an ongoing basis.  This is great news!

Joe is a gifted writer who has many, many brilliant TV and Comic projects.  He-Man, She-Ra, The Real Ghostbusters, The New Twilight Zone, Jake and the Fatman, Murder, She Wrote, Walker Texas Ranger, Babylon 5, and Jeremiah to just name a few of his TV projects.

Superman has now become interesting.  Batman is way better then Superman but with Straczynski behind him I suddenly find myself interested.

I’m hoping this change will be the gateway into getting a Wonder Woman movie.

Now if the studios will only hold off on the Superman rewrite project waiting for Straczynski to guide them.

(via SCI FI Wire)

Forbidden Planet is a sci-fi classic from 1956 that helped to set the standard.  Upon hearing of a remake I grew concerned that it too would be messed up but my faith was restored knowing that J. Michael Straczynski is behind the project.

Now Straczynski spoke on the project and what he is doing in the remake.  He is going to stay true to the original but with some touchups.

“There’s a little more action, but it’s still a strong character piece, because it’s based on The Tempest and the idea of a father whose daughter is being courted by, in the original play, sailors that are washed up on shore.  You need to have that dynamic still in place to respect the original and the source material. So there’s a fair amount of talking, but there’s some really cool action pieces in it as well.”

“We’ve actually decided to show more of the first ship when it first arrived 20 years earlier to sort of counterpoint what’s happening in the present story. If you’re a fan of the original, as I am, and have always been, I think it’s very faithful to that.” –Straczynski

I like the idea of a remake

• The story is great in the original and am glad to hear he will stay true to it


• The visuals and effects would benefit greatly from modern cinema technology


• I like that we will get to see more of the first ship.

Warner is so excited over the current project there is talks of a sequel.  This is also good news giving me hope that Warner won’t pull the project before it finishes.

(via SciFiPulse)

Theater or Renter: November includes eight SF movies 1/2 of them are books adapted into movies: A Christmas Carol, The Fourth Kind, 2012, Planet 51, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Ninja Assassin, The Road.  Will we watch? Will we rent? or do we even care?

Rules of the Game: Watch the trailers. Rate the Trailer. Then share with us your comments: does the movie, it’s trailer and buzz make you want to watch it in the theater, rent it, or not interested at all, and why?

A Christmas Carol:

Release Date:  NOVEMBER 6th

Listed as:  Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy

Studio:  Walt Disney Pictures

Director:  Robert Zemeckis

Produced by:  Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey, Robert Zemeckis

Written by:  Robert Zemeckis

Stars:  Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Cary Elwes, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins, Robin Wright Penn, Molly C. Quinn

The Plot / Story: An animated retelling of the Victorian morality tale A Christmas Carol.  Ebenezer Scrooge an old and bitter miser undergoes a profound experience of redemption over the course of one night. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

The Fourth Kind:

Release Date:  NOVEMBER 6th

Listed as:  Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Studio:  Universal Pictures

Director:  Olatunde Osunsanmi

Produced by:  Paul Brooks, Joe Carnahan

Written by:  Olatunde Osunsanmi

Stars:  Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas, Will Patton

The Plot / Story: The Fourth Kind is a reenactment of alien abduction events that are claimed to have actually happened.  An investigator is dispatched to Nome, Alaska to puzzle out a 40-year-long mystery involving an extraordinary number of unexplained disappearances in the town. Her videotaped evidence looks to present the most convincing evidence of alien abduction ever documented. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

2012:

Release Date:  NOVEMBER 13th

Listed as:  Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Studio:  Columbia Pictures

Director:  Roland Emmerich

Produced by:  Roland Emmerich, Mark Gordon, Harald Kloser, Larry J. Franco, Ute Emmerich

Written by:  Harald Kloser, Roland Emmerich

Stars:  John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt, Danny Glover, Woody Harrelson

The Plot / Story: The film explores the idea of a global doomsday event coinciding with the end of the Mayan Calendar in 2012.  In Guatemala reports start coming in of mass suicides in the Mayan jungles of people attempting to avoid the impending apocalypse.  A secret organization that realizes the world is ending and is constructing of vast arks beneath the Himalayan mountains to save both the Human race and significant animal species when doomsday finally happens.  The disaster strikes all over with super volcano and mega earthquakes from dramatic shifting in the earths crust.  A group of survivors, including Jackson Curtis and his family fight their way to China before they can board the great arks and save themselves from the gigantic tidal waves sweeping across the Earth. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

Planet 51:

Release Date:  NOVEMBER 20th

Listed as:  Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy

Studio:  TriStar Pictures

Director:  Jorge Blanco

Produced by:  Ignacio Perez Dolset, Guy Colins

Written by:  Joe Stillman

Stars:  Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Seann William Scott, Gary Oldman, John Cleese

The Plot / Story: The film follows a human astronaut, Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker who lands on Planet 51 thinking he's the first to set foot on it. However, he discovers it's inhabited by little green people who live in a white picket-fenced world reminiscent of 1950s America.  The inhabitants of planet 51 are struck with alien fear and Captain Baker struggles to survive and get off the planet before they capture him. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

The Twilight Saga: New Moon:

Release Date:  NOVEMBER 20th

Listed as:  Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Thriller

Studio:  Summit Entertainment

Director:  Chris Weitz

Produced by:  Mark Morgan, Wyck Godfrey

Written by:  Melissa Rosenberg (screen play)

Stars:  Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner

The Plot / Story: Based on the book The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Bella Swan is devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen, but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with the irresistible Jacob Black. Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves, ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested.  (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

Fantastic Mr. Fox:

Release Date:  NOVEMBER 20th

Listed as:  Adventure, Animation, Comedy

Studio:  Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Allison Abbate, Steven Rales

Director:  Wes Anderson

Produced by:  Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Allison Abbate, Steven Rales

Written by:  Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach

Stars:  George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Jarvis Cocker, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Helen McCrory

The Plot / Story: Animated kids film based on Roald Dahl's book Fantastic Mr. Fox.  Mr. Fantastic lives next to the three meanest farmers who push too far.  Now it is time to strike back at them.  (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

Ninja Assassin:

Release Date:  NOVEMBER 25th

Listed as:  Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller

Studio:  Legendary Pictures, Dark Castle Entertainment, Silver Pictures

Director:  James McTeigue

Produced by:  Joel Silver, Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski, Grant Hill

Written by:  Story: Matthew Sand  Screenplay: Matthew Sand, J. Michael Straczynski

Stars:  Rain, Naomie Harris

The Plot / Story: Raizo, kidnapped as a child and raised by the Ozunu Clan, is one of the world’s deadliest assassins.  When Raizo’s friend is executed by the clan, he flees into hiding.  Meanwhile, Mika Coretti, a Europol agent, retrieves secret agency files on The Clan. Finding out about the investigation, The Clan attempts to assassinate her, but she is rescued by Raizo.  Reemerging, seeking revenge he must find a way to take down the Ozunu Clan. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

The Road:

Release Date:  NOVEMBER 25th

Listed as:  Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Studio:  2929 Productions

Director:  John Hillcoat

Produced by:  Nick Wechsler, Steve Schwartz, Paula Mae Schwartz

Written by:  Joe Penhall

Stars:  Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce, Charlize Theron

The Plot / Story: Based on the book The Road.  A father and his young son struggle to survive after an unspecified apocalypse and make their way toward the coast for possible food, shelter, safety, or to potentially find other survivors of the cataclysmic events. Along the way, they encounter grave struggles and hardships across the barren landscapes, with scarce shelter and resources available to them, and having to avoid bands of cannibals and other desperate gangs looking to pillage valuables and food. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

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Writing Career tips for Second Life | Progressive Speculative Fiction | Angels & Demons featurette on Illuminati | J. Michael Straczynski | Dollhouse: Ghost | Clone Wars: Blue Shadow Virus & Mystery of a Thousand Moons | Motion Comics | Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic | Webcomic resources | and Community Comments Today on the Project: Shadow Informant.

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• Angels & Demons Featurette 1 (P:S HQ)


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TV / Series

• Dollhouse: Ghost (season 1, episode 1) (watch it streaming hulu)
  
  
  
  • community comment: thanks emzbox (dashPunk)
  
  
  
  


• Star Wars: Clone Wars Blue Shadow Virus & Mystery of a Thousand Moons (watch it streaming Star Wars)


• Exploring: Motion Comics (dashPunk)


• Exploring: Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic (dashPunk)

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J. Michael Straczynski has given us a bunch of updates:

Forbidden Planet

I'm on draft two of Forbidden Planet, and the process is going well, very exciting stuff, and I hope I can talk about some of that in more detail soonish (JMSNews).

While I am not a big fan of remakes, if anyone could make this movie right, it's Joe.  Rumors persist that the new Forbidden Planet will be a trilogy explaining what happened to the Krell.  I cannot wait to learn more.

World War Z

About to make the final touches to World War Z, then with any luck we can get this thing into pre-productoin also soonish (JMSNews).

I am a little tired of Zombie movies.  The book was good and the audiobook was better.  I am curious how they are going to do the film.

Lensmen

Draft One of Lensman is in, now working on draft two (JMSNews).

The Lensmen is E. E. Smith's Space Opera masterpiece which defined an entire genre.  The very notion of the creator of Babylon 5 working on what will hopefully be to first film in the series makes me as giddy as a kid on Christmas Eve.  Note to Hollywood: Green light this film!

Ninja Assassin

There have been a couple of previews for Ninja Assassin, and the audience scores have been just terrific. I have a suspicion that this is going to do very well (JMSNews) .

This is the next film from the Wachowski brothers who made The Matrix, V for Vendetta, and Speed Racer.  Need I say any more?

Last Words

The pilot script for Last Words has gone in to Dreamworks, and they're very very pleased with the script. So we'll see where this goes (JMSNews).

Wait a minute... Joe + Dreanworks + pilot = awesome series I need to see.

Other News

Interestingly, due to all the writing work, I've lately begun to be offered directing gigs, most of it in the SF genre (natch). Nothing has grabbed me enough yet to want to tackle it, but we'll see what the future holds. A couple of studios have extended the offer for me to write and direct my own stuff, which is pretty cool.

My agent has forbidden me to take on any other screenplay assignments until March/April, but some projects have begun to circle Casa Straczynski of late, looking for an open place to land when an opening comes. Some very cool stuff on the horizon (JMSNews).

Anything I get from Joe, I am ready to go.  Great news all around.

Sad news:

Patrick McGoohan, a two-time Emmy Award-winning actor who starred as a British spy in the 1960s TV series "Secret Agent" and gained cult status later in the decade as the star of the enigmatic series "The Prisoner," has died. He was 80 (Los Angeles Times).

I think J. Michael Straczynski said it best: "The world has suddenly become a far less interesting place."

He-Man the classic animated TV show from the 80’s now has the first season streaming free online on Hulu.

The show is about Prince Adam who is given the Sword of Grayskull and can transform into He-Man defender of Eternia from Skeletor who wishes to rule all of the land.  Along his adventures Prince-Adam is accompanied with his pet a cowardly tiger named Cringer who also transforms into an armored tiger named Battle Cat.  Eternia is also defended by Prince Adam’s mentor Duncan aka Man-At_Arms, his friend Teela, and the wizard Orco.

Skeletor also has his entertaining band of misfit baddies which he uses not only in his attempts to rule all of Eternia but also to help him get at the secret powers hidden deep within Castle Grayskull.

The shows are great fun with a fable type quality to them containing wonderful messages for life like being brave and how lying can be harmful.  The show ran for two seasons before going off the air.  The show had some great writing talent like J. Michael Straczynski, Paul Dini, and and David Wise giving He-Man a great storyline to it.

Watch all of first season on Hulu here.

Or

Get your copy on DVD

Prop 8 Musical | World War Z | Day of the Triffids | Starfleet Shipyard | The Dark Tower | Sanctuary | Kings | Abney Park | Trek Rhapsody | The Tarot Cafe’ | Call for artists | The Tales of Beedle the Bard | The Force Unleashed | and Ghostbusters Game Today on the Project: Shadow Informant.

Culture

• Prop 8 - The Musical (P:S HQ)

Movie

• World War Z will be a HUGE Scale Zombie Movie written by J. Michael Straczynski (via /Film)


• Another Day of the Triffids... (via SFScope)


• Starfleet Shipyard  (via Intel®)


• Apparently Abrams is being given something to mess up after Lost (thanks Wolf)(P:S HQ)

TV / Series

• Tapping Says What's Next On Sanctuary (via Sci Fi Wire)


• Kings Trailer (P:S HQ)
  
  
  
  • Could Kings be the Next Galactica (via SF Universe)
  
  
  
  

Music

• Abney Park: LA, Tuesday December 30th, for cheap! (via Captain Robert)


• Star Trek: Bohemian Rhapsody (P:S HQ)

Book

• Manga Review: The Tarot Cafe’ (Emerian Rich dashPunk)


• Anybody done a comic book or always wanted to do one. (thanks Bill Bittner) (P:S HQ)


• Rowling offers Potter fans a gift with new book The Tales of Beedle the Bard (via AP)

Game

• New Downloads for The Force Unleashed (via StarWars)


• Ghostbusters: Atari Live Trailer (P:S HQ)

Webcomics

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• Looking For Group

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Stan Lee | Flying Car | Tribes | J. Michael Straczynski | Akira | Nutty Professor | Robetech | Meet the Fockers | Battle: Los Angeles | DVD Releases | Boxee | First Vampyre Tale | Last Dalek | Live Action Role Play | Champions | and Star Trek Online Today on the Project: Shadow Informant.

Culture

• Stan Lee and Olivia de Havilland Among National Medal of Arts Winners (via washingtonpost)


• Audi Calamaro: Hottest flying car you’ve ever seen (via DVICE)


• The Tribes Q&A ebook is here and it’s free (via Seth's Blog)


• Play the Game (via JMS)

Movies

• Akira “KANEDAAA!!!” “TRAAAVISSS!!!” “KANEDAA–Wait, Who?” (via Topless Robot)


• New Nutty In Development? (via Sci Fi Wire)


• Smallville Scribes Hired to Ruin Live-Action Robotech Movie (via /Film)


• Ben Stiller’s Little Fockers (via /Film)


• Eckhart goes from fighting Batman to battling aliens (via guardian)

TV / Series

• DVD Releases: November 18th, 2008 (via dashPunk)


• a new bug fixing version is available for download (via boxee blog)

Book

• The First Vampyre Tale, 1819 (via dashPunk)

Game

• You Can Be The Last Dalek! (via dashPunk)


• LARPers connect at the LARP Network (via Ning Blog)


• Cryptic Porting Champions/Trek Engine to PS3 (via Kotaku)

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