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June 22: More Zombies on the Way,Serenity Filming Just a couple of quick movie notes: Variety reports that a sequel to the zombie film, 28 Days Later is now in development. It is tentatively titled 28 Weeks Later. We thought the first film was a great addition to the zombie genre, so we are happy to hear this news. Although 28 Days Later director, Danny Boyle, and writer, Alex Garland, will not be resuming their roles for the sequel, they are expected to act as producers alongside the first film's producer Andrew Macdonald. Filming is underway on Serenity, the big screen continuation of the short-lived Joss Whedon series Firefly. We are still a bit amazed (and extremely pleased) that this film got the greenlight, so it's good to hear that it's actually in production. The tentative release date for Serenity is April 22, 2005.
Here are a few fun news bits for you zombie fans out there:
The DVD of the 1978 classic George Romero zombie film Dawn of the Dead hit stores this week. This looks like a well put together disc. It includes some nice extras including full length commentary by George Romero (director), Chris Romero (assistant director), and Tom Savini (special effects creator), theatrical trailers, tv and radio spots, and poster galleries. It also has some fun easter eggs including an interview with Chris Romero about how she and George met and ended up married. One note of caution however: a special edition of this film is set to be released this fall. The special edition will have the director's cut of the film (20 minutes longer than the theatrical release which is on the current DVD) and tons of extras. Fans disagree on which is the "definitive" version of the film, so it's a bit hard to say which version is the best to buy if you're only going to get one. But whether you buy the current release or wait for the special edition in the fall, you're in for some great post apocalyptic zombie fun.
A remake of Dawn of the Dead is due to hit theaters on March 19th. We're not sure how we feel about a remake of this film. We think that the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead is an excellent film - true to the themes and claustrophobic feel of the original but also with a modern take on the story which gives it its own identity and makes it a film well worth watching even if you've seen and loved the original. That gives us a bit of hope, but we'll just have to wait and see as far as Dawn is concerned. If you're anxious to see this film and just can't wait till the 19th, we have good news. The USA cable network will be showing the first 10 minutes of the new Dawn of the Dead film complete and uncut on March 15th between 10 and 10:30 pm EST/PT near the end of its telecast of the film Final Destination. USA is advertising this telecast of a sequence from a film prior to its opening as "unprecedented". They do warn viewers that the film contains graphic violence and language consistent with the film's "R" rating.
Well there you have it, the zombies are everywhere!
Variety reports that Universal Pictures has given the go ahead to a feature film based on the short-lived Joss Whedon series Firefly. As was rumored (see Feb. 23 news below) the movie will be titled Serenity. Joss Whedon has written the script for the film and will be directing it. Deals are also in place for the majority of the series' cast members to reprise their roles in the movie, including Nathan Fillion (Malcolm Reynolds), Gina Torres (Zoe), Jewel Staite (Kaylee), Adam Baldwin (Jayne), Sean Mahar (Simon) and Summer Glau (River). Alan Tudyk (Wash) and Ron Glass (Book) were not mentioned in the Variety article. The movie's budget is reported to be somewhere in the mid-eight figures. It is set to begin shooting in June 2004 for an anticipated release in June 2005. The film's story will take place approximately six months after the end of the tv series.
We are extremely pleased by this news. It is a victory for Joss Whedon and for a badly treated little science fiction show that died far before its time. It's also a victory for all those fans who spent their hard earned dollars on the Firefly DVD boxed set and helped convince the suits that there was money to be made by bringing it back to life. We can't wait to see the film, and we are hopeful that this is a sign of more good things to come as DVD sales give science fiction fans a more powerful voice.
There are starting to be some pretty solid rumors out there pointing to a go ahead by Universal for a movie based on the prematurely cancelled Joss Whedon series Firefly. fireflymovie.com reports that Universal has added a project called "Serenity" (the name of the spaceship in the series) to the coming soon section of their website. They have also registered the domain name "serenitymovie.com". This information ties in well with a recent report on the fireflyfans.net site that an insider working in licensing for Universal had stated that the movie was definitely in the works and that its working title was "Serenity". The insider also stated that the first meeting about the movie took place the second week in February and that they are "very excited to be working with Joss Whedon". The timing of these new rumors seems to be consistent with earlier ones which stated that the project was going to get a later start than originally anticipated because Universal was waiting to see what the sales figures were for the DVD boxed set and then because Whedon had been asked to rewrite the script for the movie to make it a better springboard for a possible revival of the series.
We are very pleased about this news for two reasons. First, we thought that Firefly had great potential and so we would be extremely happy to see it return in any form. Second, if Firefly does return as a movie and/or series we believe that the excellent sales of the DVD boxed set will have played a major role in making that happen. If so, then the fans will have spoken by spending their hard earned dollars on the DVD's and the suits will have actually listened. The DVD sales for Firefly are particularly significant because the set contained never-aired episodes. Thus, the high sales hopefully gave the suits a hint that large numbers of science fiction fans will come out and pay for never before seen material from their favorite shows on DVD, and this could help pave the way for future direct to DVD projects in our favorite sci-fi universes.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers extended edition DVD hits stores today. This 4 disc edition will have an additional 43 minutes of footage incorporated into the film. There are also multiple commentary tracks and tons of extras including documentaries and photo galleries. Do we really need to say more? :)
The DVD for the zombie movie 28 Days Later hit stores yesterday. This film was an excellent addition to the genre and if you missed it in theaters now's your chance to get a look at it - just in time for Halloween. Even if you caught 28 Days Later in the theater, the DVD is still worth a look. It has some interesting extras including commentary by the director and writer, deleted scenes, and 3 alternate endings.
If that's not enough to satisfy your craving for zombies, you can head over to www.apple.com/trailers/universal/dawnofthedead/ to get a look at the trailer for the remake of Dawn of the Dead due out in theaters this coming March. The trailer doesn't give you much of a look at the zombies - even if you pause it to try to get a better look - but it does give the sense that the film will be going for the apocalyptic feel of the original.
If you're having as much trouble as we are waiting for the final installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, then check out the trailer for Return of the King now online at www.lordoftherings.net. Well actually, watching this incredible trailer may make you more impatient then ever to see the movie, but if you're willing to risk that, go have a look :)
Happy Fourth of July!
If you're looking for some interesting reading this holiday weekend, there is an article on the USA Today website about the relationship between the fan community on the internet and those responsible for making the movies we love to watch. It talks about how the movie industry is beginning to pay attention to the voice of the fans and coming to realize that a mutually respectful relationship between the industy and the fans can be beneficial for everyone. click here to read the article.
If you're thinking about heading out to the movies instead, we want to recommend a film that might have slipped under your radar. The movie is 28 Days Later, a film made and set in England which has just been released in the US without very much of a marketing campaign. The movie is a new and original take on the classic zombie film, but still effectively evokes many of the classic aesthetics and themes of the best of the genre - isolation, claustrophobia, and the monstrosity of makind itself. This is not a movie for everyone (it's sometimes scary and a bit gory - though not as much as you might expect from a zombie movie) but if post apocalyptic zombies are for you, this is a movie you shouldn't misss.
Now a bit of Lord of the Rings news. New Line Cinema has announced that the final movie in the trilogy, The Return of the King, will premier at the Embassy Theater in Wellington, New Zealand, on December 1st. The mayor of Wellington said, "I can't think of another event in New Zealand in recent history that is going to be anywhere near this spectacle".
For those of you who aren't ready to think about The Return of the King yet because you're still waiting expectantly for the extended edition of The Two Towers, Sci-Fi Wire has reported some info on the DVD which comes from a preview given to USA Today. The extended version will be 3 hours and 43 minutes (Whooo hooo!). It will be packaged as a 4-DVD set and will be available November 18th. If you don't mind being spoiled, check out the article on Sci-Fi Wire for details about what scenes will be added.
Jackson was actually developing King Kong at the same time he was developing Lord of the Rings. He was intitially supposed to make King Kong first, but Universal canned the film, citing the need for an expensive marketing campaign and competition from other monster movies in the year it was due to be released. Thus, after doing about six months of prep work on King Kong, Jackson stopped work on the film and switched over to working on Lord of the Rings.
We love what Jackson has done with Lord of the Rings, so we have high hopes for his version of King Kong. Jackson wrote the script for King Kong with the same writing partners who co-wrote Lord of the Rings with him, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Also, as with Lord of the Rings, Jackson's company, Wingnut Films, will produce King Kong and the effects will be done by the WETA special effects company. Jackson's version of King Kong will be a period piece set in the 1930's, just like the original film. Universal plans to release King Kong during the 2005 holiday season.
There's also some hopeful news for fans like us who are looking forward to the third installment of the trilogy coming next year, but know we'll be left wishing there were more movies on the way. Up until now Peter Jackson, director of the trilogy, has said that he was not interested in doing a movie version of The Hobit. However, in a recent interview for The Sydney Morning Herald Jackson said, "Part of me would love to have somebody else make The Hobbit, so I could watch it as an audience member...On the other hand, it would feel odd." He went on to say that if he were asked to helm the movie version of The Hobbit, he would give it "serious consideration". We hope that someone will ask Jackson to helm The Hobbit ASAP. We want him to take us back to Middle Earth one more time.
So, here goes: There is a widescreen DVD of LOTR already available in stores. This two-disc set has the theatrical version of the film and a bunch of extras including:
You might think this sounds like a pretty complete package, but if you're willing to wait a bit longer, there could be much much more to your LOTR DVD experience. On November 12th, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Platinum Series Extended Edition will be released. This four-disc set will include an extended version of the movie with over 30 minutes of footage added. There will, of course, also be tons of extras including four audio commentaries featuring the director and writers, the design team, the production team, and the cast. Additionally, there will be a bunch of documentaries and design/photo galleries that give viewers an in-depth behind-the-scenes look into the creation of LOTR:FOTR. The topics covered in this behind-the-scenes material include early meetings and storyboards, the location scouting process, wardrobe, weapons, armor, miniatures, stories from the set, personal cast photos, visual effects, and sound design.
If that still isn't enough for you, there's one more DVD option. Also coming out on November 12th is the The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring Platinum Series Extended Edition Collector's Gift Set. This five-disc set will include the four-disc Platinum Series Special Extended DVD Edition of The Lord of Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, plus a new version of National Geographic Beyond the Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring DVD with additional footage and photo gallery, collectible Argonath polystone figures created by Sideshow Weta, and exclusive Decipher trading cards.
Well that's all for now, but who knows if there will be another even more extended edition at some point in the future. (One can only hope :) )
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