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Thursday, June 26, 2003
FoyWonder's News Roundup for June 26, 2003
Good afternoon, Mr. & Mrs. Fanboy and all the geeks at sea . . . let’s go to press!
Warner Brothers execs and superhero movies – two things that when combined seem to practically guarantee catastrophe. Well, in case you haven’t heard, its looking more and more as if Ashton Kutcher will be playing Batman in the next film and, no, it apparently isn’t even a BATMAN: YEAR ONE scenario. Like I said before, just call it DUDE, WHERE’S MY BATMOBILE?
And there’s always the continuing saga of SUPERMAN. Latest word is that McG may not be back in the director’s chair again after all as word comes from Dark Horizons that Jonathan Frakes, AKA Commander Riker and the director of next summer’s potential blockbuster THUNDERBIRDS, has been hired to direct the newest outing of the Man of Steel. Hey, they must have really liked CLOCKSTOPPERS, huh? If that wasn’t enough, Warner Brothers, who still hasn’t even gotten the damn SUPERMAN movie off the ground yet, are hoping to get a new SUPERGIRL movie off the ground as well. According to Dark Horizons, the current leading contenders for the role are Alicia Silverstone and Naomi Watts. Sorry, but any movie where Alicia Silverstone is considered a front runner for the starring role isn’t going to get off the ground anytime soon.
But we’re still not done with this topic yet because according to C.H.U.D., Warner Brothers is also planning a feature film adaptation of SHAZAM! For those not familiar with this superhero, a twelve year-old paperboy named Billy Batson can transform into a Superman-like superhero named Captain Marvel by shouting the word SHAZAM!, but maintains his twelve year old mind while in superhero form. And whom does Warner Brothers want to play Captain Marvel? None of than Captain Miscast himself, The Rock. The good news, this is all just a rumor at this point. The bad news, we are talking about Warner Brothers so it's probably true.
Speaking of The Rock, his next film has undergone a name change yet again. So it’s gone from HELLDORADO to WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE then back to HELLDORADO and now it has the incredibly lame title THE RUNDOWN. Ugh.
Speaking of wrestlers turned actors, World Wrestling Entertainment has announced that they will soon begin production on a direct-to-video action film starring Stone Cold Steve Austin. No details about the film yet but the script is said to very much fit Austin’s on-screen persona. Poor Stone Cold, The Rock gets to go the big screen with a chance to become the next Schwarzenegger and poor Stone Cold is relegated to video store shelves with a chance to become the next Lorenzo Lamas.
Despite widely mixed opinions and the strong possibility of a major drop-off at the box office this weekend, a HULK sequel is said to be already in the works. Odds are that Ang Lee won’t be back to direct it and the sequel is expected to be more of a straightforward superhero movie. Word is that one of two classic HULK villains is being considered as the big green behemoth’s nemesis in the sequel and those two villains are The Leader and The Abomination. One’s an evil genius with psychic powers and a humongous head and the other is a huge, rampaging, reptilian creature. Personally, I’m not entirely convinced a sequel will actually get made. No way Universal is going to shell out $150 million again.
Continuing the superhero theme, the makers of South Park are going to voice their disdain for both over-bloated, CGI-driven blockbusters as well as self-important actors with their new superhero comedy TEAM AMERICA, which is going to be R-rated and done with marionettes like the old Thunderbirds TV show. The flick will be a comedy about a group of generic superheroes. Hopefully this won’t turn out to be another BASEKETBALL.
Oh, there is another bit of superhero news to report. Entertainment Weekly claims that Sarah Michelle Gellar is the current frontrunner for WONDER WOMAN. If this happens, Gellar will also make history for playing the world’s tiniest amazon!
Rumors as to what the title of the next STAR WARS movie will be are flying all over the place the last couple days. The rumor mill reports of two possible titles: REVENGE OF THE SITH and A REPUBLIC DIVIDED. Hey, as long as Lucas actually gets his act together for this one I don’t care what he calls it.
It has been announced that the next TREMORS movie will have no CGI in it. I’m guessing what that really means is that they didn’t have the budget to produce any computer effects this time out.
Is the world really ready for an animated version of LEFT BEHIND? Well, the producers of the two movies and the upcoming TV series based on the LEFT BEHIND books are currently seeking an animation studio. They claim the animated version will be more faithful to the books because of the freedom animation brings. Roughly translated, they really didn’t have the money necessary to make the live-action movies properly. But two questions remain unanswered regarding this potential animated movie: Will the real Kirk Cameron ever come across as life-like as his animated version and will it feature tentacle rape? I’m guessing “no” on both counts.
Hot off the success at the box office and at the Oscars for CHICAGO, Miramax is planning another foray into the musical realm with a big screen version of DAMN YANKEES. No, not the 80’s hair band. This is a classic musical about a die-hard New York Yankees fan that sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for his beloved team winning the World Series. No word yet on potential casting, but as for Satan, Harvey Weinstein will not be playing himself in the movie.
According to Dark Horizons, there’s trouble brewing behind the scenes regarding the movie TRAVELLIN’ SOLDIER, which is based on a hit Dixie Chicks song. In the song, the soldier dies. However, the producers would prefer a happier ending and want him to live. I got a better idea. Just don’t make the movie! It’s a movie based on a song, for crying out loud!
Be very afraid, there is word of a possible Saturday morning animated series based on the CHARLIE’S ANGELS movies. Be very, very, very afraid!
The A&E Network is planning a movie based on HILLARY’S CHOICE, based on Hillary Clinton’s book about life in the White House. According to the New York Post and Ananova, Sharon Stone has been approached to play the role of the former first lady, current New York Senator, and potential future presidential candidate. Makes sense. Takes an ice queen to know an ice queen.
Finally, for those of you unaware, my review of FROM JUSTIN TO KELLY is up at Ain’t It Cool News. You can read it by clicking here. Also, the SCHLOCKTOBERFEST site is up and running. By all means, check out my Summer Movie Quiz in the Games section.
–Scott Foy
posted by Christopher 10:07 AM | Comments
Chadzilla's News Roundup for June 26, 2003
Plissken fans rejoice! Starlog has a nice teaser of the upcoming Snake Plissken comic books series. They also share the news that Special Edition DVDs of both Escape from New York and Escape from L.A. are forthcoming, and that said Special Editions will contain a preview for the Anime feature getting released next year.
Misty Mundae's website has some interviews for those fans itching to get to know the self-described hippie girl just a teeny bit better. The soft-core superstar's immediate plans? Making the Dean's List, for one thing. She also shares thoughts on working on Seduction Cinema's most recent offering, Dr. Jekyll and Mistress Hyde, and the various directions her career has taken.
Fangoria and Halloweenmovies.com reports that Halloween 9 is official, though no storyline has been announced yet. After Halloween: Resurrection took in 30 million at the domestic box office, I find this news about as surprising as my having to shave every morning.
Fangoria also debunks the rumor that New Line has gotten hold of the Chucky franchise. They fact checked the rumor with New Line and Don Mancini (producer/screenwriter of the series), both denied it. Too bad, I was kind of looking forward to Chucky climbing into the Freddy Vs Jason ring. Really.
–Chad H. "Chadzilla" Saxelid
posted by Christopher 1:02 AM | Comments
Tuesday, June 24, 2003
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith?
Quoth Chadzilla: "Cinescape reports an 'Exclusive Scoop' on a rumor that the final
installment of Star Wars will be subtitled Revenge of the Sith. Sounds better than ATTACK OF THE CLONES."
The report is fraught with the backpedaling one would expect with a rumor of this potential magnitude. Cinescape (and the newly-absorbed Corona's Coming Attractions) is usually pretty reliable, and they seem confident in their anonymous source, but editor Patrick Sauriol is quick to point out -- repeatedly -- that this is, after all, just a rumor.
posted by Christopher 6:15 AM | Comments
Monday, June 23, 2003
Fistful of Boomstick - available now
THQ's new game based on the Evil Dead series is now available for Xbox and PS2 (but sadly, not for the GameCube). In the game, players take on the role of Ash (naturally), the fast-talking, zombie-butt-kicking anti-hero played (and, in the game, voiced) by Bruce Campbell. Weapons include Ash's stump-mounted chainsaw and a shotgun, which may be aimed over-the-shoulder to blow away Deadites who may be in pursuit. Amazingly, the game retails for a mere twenty bucks (which may be why the company decided not to release a GameCube version). Check out the official Fistful of Boomstick site for more info.
posted by Christopher 10:30 AM | Comments
Introducing SCHLOCKTOBERFEST! October 18, 2003
After lots of hard work and much delay, the official website of SCHLOCKTOBERFEST 2003: SCHLOCK & AWE has gone live. The site is divided into 7 sections. We’ve got more information on the upcoming schlock film festival, a brand new message board, and a Games section featuring an interactive b-movie themed word find game. Also, the site will play host to Foyeurism, my new online column and you can check out my Summer Movie Quiz for a chance to win a bad movie DVD. Yep, we’re even kicking things off with a contest. Oh, there’s also an Easter Egg hidden somewhere on the front page assuming you’re clever enough to find it. God help you if you’re not. So everyone is invited to come on over and check out what may very well be the tackiest looking bad movie site on the World Wide Web. Heck, maybe you’ll even make it to the fest. So head on over to www.schlocktoberfest.com and I assure you, YOU WON’T BELIEVE YOUR EYES!
–Scott Foy
Schlocktoberfest will take place on October 18, 2003 in Long Beach, MS.
posted by Christopher 8:47 AM | Comments
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