Apparently, and I don’t know how much weight to put on this, the Alien prequel script has leaked. I actually haven’t read the synopsis or followed the link to the more detailed article, but I’ve linked to both below.

I can’t say I’m excited by this. The last to ventures into the Alien universe (those would be Alien Vs. Predator and AVP2) really sucked ass. I mean, they sucked so much they cleaned colons, stomachs, entire gastrointestinal tracts.

Now, this one has Ridley Scott, who did such great work with Alien. And I am one of the people who actually enjoyed Alien Resurrection (that would be IV), so I figure if it is a straight ahead Alien movie made by the original Alien director, it can’t be all that bad.

Then again, it certainly can. I love Ridley Scott . . . most of the time. He’s honestly hit and miss. And if the script doesn’t have depth, he’s not a director to add it. Visuals? Stunning. But he needs to work with a good script and good actors.

Let’s hope he gets both for the prequel.

You can read the synopsis here.

The full article is here.

You must have all heard by now: George Lucas is going back to the well yet again. This time, he intends to re-release all six Star Wars movies . . . in 3-D! Dimensionalize those mothers!

I can’t say that I am surprised. If anything, the prequels and the Refrigerator Indy movie seem to indicate that Lucas isn’t the creative machine he was in the 70s and 80s. And he certainly doesn’t have enough money!

Wait, is my sarcasm showing?

I’m done with the whole “he raped my childhood” bullshit. These are his movies. He can do with them what he will. I have to give Lucas props as a producer and creator. His achievement with Star Wars and the first trilogy can never be tarnished by his later profiteering and blatant shitting on his own magnum opus. I just wish he would sit back, throw out general ideas, then let others actually write and direct the stuff while he produces the fuck out of it.

Because that’s what he’s good at.

I won’t be seeing the prequels in 3D (and they will be coming first), but if he gets around to doing the original trilogy in 3D, I’ll be there. Also, if these come out roughly once a year, my oldest daughter should be about the right age for Star Wars, meaning that I can introduce it to her in a movie theatre.

And if that happens, all the other shit that Lucas has done will be forgiven. If I can introduce one or both of my girls to my childhood in the temple of that childhood, Lucas will be sainted in my heart.

My head, though, will still want to feed him to the rape moose.

I don’t know if it a sad or happy . . . or indifferent turn of events, but Peter Berg is off the Dune buggy.

Sorry about that one. Anyway . . .

Pierre Morel is now slated to direct the adaptation of the novel Dune. I know that Morel has said he wants to be deliver something close (or closer) to the actual novel, but I have no idea if he can deliver, or if his “closer” will actually produce a better movie than Berg’s vision.

What is cool is that we get to see some of the concept art that Jock—he of the awesomely awesome comic series The Losers—produced for the Berg project.

Very interesting, very stylized—it’s just very “Jock.” Be sure to check it out.

See the pics here.

I must be missing something here, either that or Liam Neeson has now subscribed to the 1970s Michael Caine school of business—as in, you never know when this business will shit on you, so take just about any paycheque offered.

Neeson has apparently signed on for Peter Berg’s film adaptation of the game Battleship. This adaptation, mind you, includes aliens, which I don’t remember from the game.

Also on board are Taylor Kitsch from the Wolverine movie (meh) and singer Rihanna (eh?). Neeson is said to be playing an admiral, while Kitsch is playing a naval commander and Rihanna is playing a weapons specialist . . . of course she is. They are part of an international task force fighting aliens.

This is just me, but wouldn’t aircraft be a more practical answer to fighting aliens? Or are these like surfing aliens? Seriously, battleships were retired because they make no sense in modern warfare. They are huge targets that cannot project force any farther than a missile-armed cruiser or destroyer, and cannot begin to project the level of force an aircraft carrier can. Unless they are getting all Space Battleship Yamato here (where’s the wave-motion gun?), this just sounds stupid.

Listen, maybe this movie will be pure awesome soaked in cool, but it’s got a lot of work to convince me of that.

It’s great to hear that Ridley Scott may be returning to Alien. It’s great that these prequels may touch on things like the origins of the Aliens and an explanation for the “space jockey” (big, alien thing on the spaceship with ribs blown out). Now another piece of news that is pretty great.

There were talks that Gemma Arterton might have some role in these movies. Now, while the roles in which I have seen her have cast her mostly as eye candy (Clash of the Titans and Quantum of Solace), she is apparently, a good actress. Reviewers have lots of nice things to say about her in the Disappearance of Alice Creed.

The rumour has been officially scotched by Aterton’s publicist, but really I just wanted to post this to talk about Ridley Scott returning to Alien (woo-hoo!) and to post a picture of Ms. Aterton (woo-hoo!). The fact is, until someone signs something, it is all rumour, and we have heard denials before that have led to actual verifications once the deal is struck.

Who knows what will happen with these movies. They might not even get made—but if they are, Ridley Scott has said he wanted to top James Cameron’s Avatar. With the right script in hand, Ridley might do just that.

Okay, so here’s the latest brainstorm, courtesy of the Crystal Method’s Vegas album, but more specifically supported by Keep Hope Alive, the awesome tune that intro’d Chow Yun Fat in the fun but ultimately forgettable Replacement Killers. That movie remains a go-to movie for me because it has Mr. Chow, it has Mira Sorvino being all hot and action-y, and it tries to bring John Woo’s Gun-fu to North America along with Mr. Chow. Unfortunately, it just isn’t a great movie.

In any case, on the way to work this morning and I’m on the bus, listening to tunes. As has happened so often in the past, that leads to the plotting out of a movie and even a couple of scenes.

The elevator pitch? The cast of the Guild as a team of extra-terrestrial technology recovery specialists called Echo Transit 1.

You need more details before you decide to invest in this movie/mini-series/TV series? Why certainly.
Read the rest of this entry »

I’m pretty sure I’ve gone on record as being a fan of the Chronicles of Riddick, and I am mildly excited about another Riddick movie (though, given my track record, I won’t be watching it in the theatre). Given that, I was very interested in the article in Collider about concept art being used to get the needed cash to make the movie.

It looks like an attempt to get back to the Pitch Black style of Riddick, which is fine. I know I’m not in the majority, but I really did love the world/universe building that was going on in Chronicles.

I’m interested because it’s a Riddick movie, and because I’ve liked the other two movies in the series. There is nothing, however, about the concept outside of this that really makes me take notice. As such, my excitement remains only mild.

It seems we may have a synopsis for the next Riddick movie, apparently just titled Riddick. According to Shock Till You Drop,

Betrayed by his own kind and left for dead on a desolate planet, Riddick (Diesel) fights for survival against alien predators and becomes more powerful and dangerous than ever before. Soon bounty hunters from throughout the galaxy descend on Riddick only to find themselves pawns in his greater scheme for revenge. With his enemies right where he wants them, Riddick unleashes a vicious attack of vengeance before returning to his home planet of Furya to save it from destruction.

I had read that they were going back to Pitch Black, and while it sounds like much of the action could be tighter focused, like PB, the story and backstory provided in the Chronicles of Riddick are being retained. Given that I am actually a fan of tCoR, that makes me happy.

This isn’t official, and it isn’t even very widespread, so it is possible the story will be totally different. Let’s wait and see.

Collider brings us news that perhaps Neill Blomkamp is working on a sequel to District 9. Reported tentative title? District 10!

But of course.

This is more rumour than news right now, but if true, it’s pretty cool. District 9 was an excellent film, and while it had its flaws, really delivered. This was a science fiction movie that was really science fiction. This wasn’t an action or fantasy with tech thrown in, this was exploring an idea with the backdrop of technological and human advancement.

My big worry is that this is all Blomkamp has. I’m surprised he didn’t try to do something else for his sophomore shot. Maybe the signals he was getting told him he had been labelled a flash in the pan, a one hit wonder. Maybe he’s going for the easy money to show he’s bankable. Then again, maybe he has more to say.

Could be interesting.