Fox has announced that grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi has joined American Idol has a fourth judge, sitting alongside Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson on the upcoming eighth season of the show that peremieres on Fox in January 2009.
“We are turning the heat up on ‘Idol’ this year and are thrilled to welcome Kara to the judges’ table,” said creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. “She is a smart, sassy lady, and one of America’s most successful songwriters. We know she will bring a new level of energy and excitement to the show.”
AICN is reporting that Danny Elfman will be scoring Universal Pictures remake of The Wolfman. Elfman’s latest film work includes 2007’s Meet the Robinson’s, Spider-Man 3 and The Simpsons Movie.
Synopsis Universal Studios resurrects the classic lycanthrope with this tale of an American who experiences an unsettling transformation after returning to his ancestral home in Victorian-era Great Britain and being attacked by a rampaging werewolf. His brother having recently vanished without a trace, haunted nobleman Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) returns to his family estate to investigate. What he discovers upon reuniting with his estranged father (Anthony Hopkins), however, is a destiny far darker than his blackest nightmares. As a young boy, the untimely death of his mother caused Talbot to grow up before his time. Though Talbot would attempt to bury his pain in the past by leaving the quiet Victorian hamlet of Blackmoor behind, the past returns with a vengeance when his brother’s fiancée, Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt), convinces him to return home and aid the search for his missing brother. But something monstrous has been stalking the residents of Blackmoor from the nighttime shadows, something not quite human. Not even recently arrived Scotland Yard inspector Aberline (Hugo Weaving) can dream up a rational explanation for the gruesome spell that has been cast over Blackmoor, yet rumors of an ancient curse persist to this very day. According to legend, the afflicted will experience a horrific transformation by the light of the full moon, their animal rage becoming far too powerful for their human bodies to contain. Now, the woman Talbot loves is in mortal danger, and in order to protect her he must venture into the moonlit woods and destroy the beast before it destroys her. But this isn’t your typical hunt, because before the beast can be slain, a simple man will uncover a primal side of himself that he never knew existed. Screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker pens a film directed by Joe Johnston and featuring creature effects by special-effects makeup legend Rick Baker.
JustJared has gotten their hands a new set of photos of Shia LaBeouf on the set of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The photos were taken on Friday and the actor is sporting a ton of fake blood and scars on a good deal of his body. This is likely how LaBeouf’s real life injury will be written into the script. Click the image on the right hand side to view all the pictures from JustJared.
In other news related to ‘Transformers 2’, writer Roberto Orci continues to take some time out to answer fan submitted questions on the TFW2005 forums. Be sure to head on over to the site to read the question and answer session (I’ve linked directly to the writers most recent session).
Synopsis
Michael Bay returns to helm the sequel to the highly successful big-screen adaptation of the Transformers toy line for DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures. Much of the original cast returns for the second installment, including Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, and John Turturro, with Rainn Wilson joining in the fun as a college professor.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen hits theaters on May 26, 2009.
Lionsgate has released the first trailer for the Jason Statham action film Transporter 3 and IGN has some new snapshots that they’ve taken from the film that you can check out at this link or by clicking the above image.
Synopsis Jason Statham’s professional driver with a lethal kick is back in Transporter 3, with The Red Siren’s Olivier Megaton taking over the directing duties from Louis Leterrier. The EuropaCorp production continues the successful series, with Luc Besson and Steven Chasman returning as producers.
Universal Pictures has released the first official North American trailer for Ron Howard’s Frost/Nixon and some new production photos and synopsis.
Watch the trailer embedded below, or watch it in High-Def at Yahoo!. Click after the jump for the photos.
Synopsis Oscar®-winning director Ron Howard brings to the screen writer Peter Morgan’s (The Queen, The Last King of Scotland) electrifying battle between Richard Nixon, the disgraced president with a legacy to save, and David Frost, a jet-setting television personality with a name to make, in the untold story of the historic encounter that changed both: Frost/Nixon. Reprising their roles from Morgan’s stageplay are Frank Langella, who won a Tony for his portrayal of Nixon, and Michael Sheen, who fully inhabited the part of Frost onstage in London and New York.
For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans.
Likewise, Frost’s team harbored doubts about their boss’ ability to hold his own. But as cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted. Would Nixon evade questions of his role in one of the nation’s greatest disgraces? Or would Frost confound critics and bravely demand accountability from the man who’d built a career out of stonewalling? Over the course of their encounter, each man would reveal his own insecurities, ego and reserves of dignity—ultimately setting aside posturing in a stunning display of unvarnished truth.
Frost/Nixon not only re-creates the on-air interview, but the weeks of around-the-world, behind-the-scenes maneuvering between the two men and their camps as negotiations were struck, deals were made and secrets revealed…all leading to the moment when they would sit facing one another in the court of public opinion.
Frost/Nixon is a collaboration between Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Films, with Academy Award® winners Brian Grazer and Ron Howard joining Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner as producers. Joining Langella and Sheen as the colorful real-life personalities who provide the men counsel is a formidable roster of actors including Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, Toby Jones and Matthew Macfadyen.
Kevin Smith has been getting some pretty sweet exclusives recently. First he got a chance to check out The Dark Knight before anyone else, calling it “an epic film”, “the ‘Godfather II’ of comic book movies” and “close to a masterpiece” then he got the opportunity to watch an advanced screening of Zack Snyder’s Watchmen calling it “fucking astounding” now he’s is hinting that he’s seen J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek. The writer-director was a guest recently on KROQ’s Kevin and Bean show and this exchange took place:
Host: So thumbs up on The Watchmen, what else you got?
Smith: I saw a movie last night that I cannot talk about.
Host: Was it good?
Smith: It was phenomenal.
Host: Any stars, any break out stars, and do they trek?
Smith: The stars absolutely trek in this film. It is fantastic. Anybody who was worried doesn’t need to be worried–about this film I cannot talk about…It was in very capable hands. The director did a phenomenal job–the director and his crew. Top notch cast and the guy that plays the lead is an instant star. That dude is going to be so famous. He is so wonderful. He picked up a role that I would say is pretty challenging for someone to step into the shoes of, because it is a role that has been played before many times by the same guy.
Host: How do you out Shatner, Shatner?
Smith: I don’t know what you are talking about.
Host: I was just saying that as an expression.
Smith: Yes, absolutely, in a world of expressions, I would agree with that…I am so not good with this game, you are going to bury me man.
Host: We had you on before The Dark Knight and I remember asking you if you could direct a movie like Dark Knight and you said ‘hell no’ it was so far out of your sphere…but I bring that up to preface this. Let’s say a franchise like Star Trek, not that you have seen the movie or we are talking about the movie, but we are talking about it for example. That is something that is so dangerous to attempt. Is that the kind of project you would like to do? Would you like to be the guy who gets to do a movie like that?
Smith: I would not like to be the guy. In the case of something like Star Trek, it would take a really insanely talented filmmaker–storyteller. Like in the case of Star Trek, JJ Abrams. So leave it to the people who are best equipped for it. I am just the guy who should be watching those movies.
Cheer up Stargate fans, the long-running franchise, which began with a film in 1994, then became a TV series (Stargate SG-1: 1997-2007) and another series (Stargate Atlantis: 2004-2009 )is getting a new spin off. MGM and SCI FI have announced that a go-ahead has been given on Stargate Universe. The new show will kick off with a two-hour movie in 2009, followed by a regular weekly run in the summer. Brad Wright and Robert Cooper, co-creators of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, will serve as executive producers and writers on the new series. The news comes just a day after the confirmation that Stargate Atlantis would not be renewed for a sixth-seasonorder. The two-hour movie that was also confirmed yesterday will still go forward.
The goal with the new show is to involve more space-based action than was shown on the two prior series:
“We’ve had great success with ‘Enterprise’ repeats on Monday night, and there’s clearly an appetite for space opera as ‘Battlestar’ goes away,” Sci Fi president Dave Howe said. “There’s an opportunity to keep the space opera as part of our programming strategy.”
“This is an opportunity to reinvent this franchise and make it relevant to a new generation,” Howe said. “We really don’t want to be more of the same. It’s going to build clearly off the existing franchise but with a cast that gives it a younger vibe.”
Said co-creators Wright and Cooper: “In ‘Universe,’ we plan to keep those elements that have made the franchise a success, such as adventure and humor, while breaking new ground in the relationships between mostly young and desperate explorers, thrust together and far from home. Above all, we believe the Stargate itself remains an enduring icon with infinite potential as a jumping-off point for telling stories.”
Here’s a complete description of the new series (and click after the jump for the full press release):
After unlocking the mystery of the Stargate’s ninth chevron, a team of explorers travels to an unmanned starship called the Destiny, launched by The Ancients at the height of their civilization as a grand experiment set in motion, but never completed.
What starts as a simple reconnaissance turns into a never ending mission, as the Stargate Universe crew discovers the ship is unable to return to Earth, and they must now fend for themselves aboard the Destiny.
The crew will travel to the far reaches of the universe, connecting with each of the previously launched Stargates, thus fulfilling the Destiny’s original mission. Challenges will arise though as the ship comes into range of Stargates placed centuries ahead of the Destiny and the crew is unable to control the ship’s navigational schedule. If someone is left behind, there is no way to go back for them, adding to the drama of encountering new races, enemies and adventures.
Just a few days after it was reported that Warner Bros. was debating behind-the-scenes about how they should proceed with the planned Superman Returns sequel Superman: Man of Steel, the Wall Street Journal has an article up with Jeff Robinov, Warner Bros. Pictures Group President, in which he tells the paper that the studio is indeed looking to reintroduce Superman:
Warner Bros. also put on hold plans for another movie starring multiple superheroes — known as “Batman vs. Superman” — after the $215 million “Superman Returns,” which had disappointing box-office returns, didn’t please executives. “‘Superman’ didn’t quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to,” says Mr. Robinov. “It didn’t position the character the way he needed to be positioned.” “Had ‘Superman’ worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of this year or 2009,” he adds. “But now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman without regard to a Batman and Superman movie at all.”
Now I’ve never had a problem with Superman Returns, but I understand Warner’s feelings here. Then again, this article is a little confusing as I had not realized that Batman vs. Superman was as much a possibility as is led on here. Here are a few more highlights from the article, including the studio’s future plans with their various DC properties:
“By 2011, Mr. Robinov plans for DC Comics to supply the material for up to two of the six to eight tent-pole films he hopes Warner Bros. will have in the pipeline by then,” the article states.
The studio is set to announce its plans for future DC movies in the next month. For now, though, it is focused on releasing four comic-book films in the next three years, including a third Batman film, a new film reintroducing Superman, and two movies focusing on other DC Comics characters. Movies featuring Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, and Wonder Woman are all in active development.
With “Batman vs. Superman” and “Justice League” stalled, Warner Bros. has quietly adopted Marvel’s model of releasing a single film for each character, and then using those movies and their sequels to build up to a multicharacter film. “Along those lines, we have been developing every DC character that we own,” Mr. Robinov says.
Robinov also noted that he wants the next batch of superhero movies to take a darker more brooding tone, similar to the studio’s recent box office success The Dark Knight. That includes the Superman franchise.
Sony/Columbia Pictures have announced that the latest James Bond adventure Quantum of Solace will be releasing in North America on November 7, 2008, a week earlier than originally schduled:
“We believe Nov. 14 is a great date that allows us to play straight through Thanksgiving and right into Christmas,” said Jeff Blake, chairman of worldwide marketing and distribution for Columbia Tristar Motion Picture Group.
The film will have its worldwide debut on October 29th in London, England.
Spoilers follow, but has anyone really not seen this movie yet? When The Dark Knight ended I know I wasn’t the only one unsure about the extent of the injuries sustained by Harvey Dent/Two-Face during his fall. However, the script has been released for purchase, and it reveals the fate of the character. On page 163 of the 167 page script, the stage direction reads as follows [SPOILERS–Highlight to reveal]:
“Dent lies at the bottom of the hole, his neck broken. DEAD.”
The capital letters are what’s written by brothers Jonathan and Christopher Nolan, who wrote the screenplay.
So there’s that. If you still had any questions about the character, we now have confirmation that he died.
Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau told the Los Angeles Times that work has begun on the sequel:
I just talked to Jon Favreau a bit ago, and he said that while there hasn’t been an formal announcement on the sequel to “Iron Man,” he’s begun developing it. “We’re working on it now,” he said, “which hasn’t been officially announced. It will be released in 2010.”
Iron Man has grossed over $570M worldwide and is currently the year’s second highest-grossing film at $317.15M. The sequel will hit theaters on April 30, 2010. Justin Theroux (Tropic Thunder) is writing the script, while Robert Downey Jr. will return as Iron Man/Tony Stark and co-stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Terrence Howard are expected to return.
UPDATED ON AUGUST 22ND AT 4:00PM:Because some wondered how the other SCI FI shows have fared, I’ve gone ahead and posted a chart detailing the ratings of Stargate SG-1, Battlestar Galactica and Eureka as well as Stargate Atlantis. Check it out by clicking this link.
UPDATED ON AUGUST 21ST AT 2:45PM: I’ve attached the press release from SCI FI confirming the cancellation and announcing the two-hour TV movie (then video release). Check it out after the jump.
The SCI FI Channel is ending Stargate Atlantis after five seasons on the air, that according to a report by Multichannel News. There is still good news, however, as MGM and SCI FI will continue the straight-to-video venture that has proven successful thus far with the first Stargate TV franchise Stargate SG-1, which has already had two movies released on DVD to financial success. The movie will air on the network in 2009 and then be released on DVD (and presumably Blu-ray as well).
Airing in 10-episode blocks since its premiere in July 2004, the series has seen declines with each string of episodes, until the later half of last season. Its current viewership level of a little over 2 million viewers (includes a mix of live and delayed ratings data per Multichannel’s report) and a 1.22 household coverage rating (Live+Same Day only) through the first five episodes of this season is an increase over the comparable season four start. However, it’s still barely half of where the show started off at (4.2M viewers and a 3.2 household coverage rating) for its series premiere in 2004. Season five’s household rating average of 1.22 is 15% higher than the beginning of season four.
Nevertheless, and regardless of the fact that it picked up viewers when Live + 7-day ratings were factored in, a show with a respectable budget going into its sixth season of production on a cable network available to more than 80% of the nation should be attracting a larger audience.
In the meantime, fans can appreciate that SCI FI has decided to air the season straight through, foregoing their hiatus between 10-episode halves (I suppose that announcement was a hint at things to come huh?) as well as an extended life through straight-to-video movies:
“We’re excited to tell Atlantis stories on a bigger canvas,” Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, co-creators of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis and currently executive producers on Atlantis, said in a statement. “The successes of the two original Stargate [direct-to-video] movies The Ark of Truth and Continuum have shown us the opportunities that the movie format offers. We have plans for both SG-1 and Atlantis to remain vital as we expand the franchise.”
Other than it being announced thatStargate writers and producers (and current show runners) Joseph Mallozzi (who has a blog you can check at this link and confirmed the cancellation in this comment on his site) and Paul Mullie will write the first Atlantis movie script, there is no information about what the movie would be about, how many of the cast members would participate and who would direct. GateWorld.net’s report of the news indicates that MGM will make an official announcement on Thursday, so perhaps will get some more details at that point.
I know cancellations are hard to handle for some people but keep in mind that this is a business and sometimes regardless of how much you enjoy a show, the economics don’t warrant it staying on the air. At least it got five seasons,much more than several other series even get a chance at. Plus in this age of DVD and Internet entertainment there’s always the opportunity to revisit the material in some other form.
Also, Wright and Cooper are developing a third TV series in the franchise — called Stargate Universe –- and pitched it to the network in late 2007 (read a report on that from an April 2007 GateWorld.net article here). SCI FI has made no announcement regarding that proposed new series.
I’ve included a chart below tracking the entire run of the show via the household coverage rating (click to enlarge).
Note: Two-hour episodes/nights are counted as one rating. All data based on live or live+same day ratings.
Ratings for Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Battlestar Galactica and Eureka (click to enlarge)
My complete analysis, including a season-by-season breakdown, of the above chart follows directly after the jump.
Ever since Warner Bros. announced that they would be delaying Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from November 21, 2008 to July 17, 2009,fans have expressed their disappointment quite passionately. To quell concerns, WB’s President and Chief Operating Office Alan Horne has released a new statement. Read it in full after the jump.
TheOneRing.net is reporting that writing on The Hobbit (December 2011) and its sequel (December 2012) has gotten underway. The Lord of the Rings team Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens will be joined by Guillermo del Toro to write the screenplays for both movies. Shooting may begin as early as the fall of 2009 in New Zealand.
CBS has announced the 11 teams that will compete on the upcoming season of The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 13 kicks off on Sunday, September 23rd (8-9pm ET/PT). The teams will travel over 30,000 miles over 23 days in five continents. Full details, including the complete list of team members, is included after the jump.
Rob Thomas, creator of the short-lived UPN/CW series Veronica Mars revealed that a film based on the show may still happen. Thomas has a production office on the same lot where Kristen Bell is currently shooting Heroes and the two sat down for a chat: “Kristen and I ran into each other, and we did discuss a Veronica movie.” Additionally, Thomas said that he’s had conversations with VM executive producer Joel Silver. Sure you don’t want to get your hopes up, but Thomas assures us that “as soon as I have any free time, [the movie is] my top priority.”
Being a big fan of the show, this news has me very excited. Hopefully things come together and we’ll be seeing Veronica Mars on the screen once again.
Vin Diesel told ComingSoon.net that he is directing a 20-minute prequel film to Fast and Furious, the fourth installment (but sequel to the first film) in the street racing franchise. Diesel will also star in the prequel alongside Michelle Rodriquez who will be reprising her role as Letty and Sung Kang who will return as Han. It’s still unclear how the movie will be distributed.
Directed by Justin Lin, Fast and Furious hits theaters on June 5, 2009.
Anne Thompson of Variety is reporting that behind-the-scenes, Warner Bros. is debating how they should proceed with the planned Superman Returns sequel Superman: Man of Steel:
The debate continues to rage about what Warner Bros. should do with Superman. The last movie, Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, paid homage to the Richard Donner Superman movies without completely updating the franchise the way Christopher Nolan did with Batman Begins.
Fans have been clamoring all over the web–and on this blog–for a complete reboot. And within the halls of Warner Bros. the same debate rages on. They too believe that the last movie didn’t break the mold and wound up in some kind of middle limbo. Today I was told that it is a priority at the studio to find the right direction and if Bryan Singer is willing to do that, fine, but if he gets in the way, he may not stay on the project. There are no writers working on a Superman script now. The studio wants to figure it out. “It might be better to start from scratch,” one exec admitted.
I know that many fans had problems with Superman Returns, but I personally enjoyed the heck out of it, and would love to see where Singer would take the sequel. I’m not sure what Warner Bros. expected, afterall, they completely botched the marketing behind it, yet the film still managed to slightly gross more money (because of the overseas market) than the more critically beloved Batman Begins.
Fox has announced that grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi has joined American Idol has a fourth judge, sitting alongside Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson on the upcoming eighth season of the show that peremieres on Fox in January 2009.
Universal Pictures has released the first official North American trailer for Ron Howard’s Frost/Nixon and some new production photos and synopsis.
Kevin Smith has been getting some pretty sweet exclusives recently. First he got a chance to check out The Dark Knight before anyone else, calling it 
Cheer up Stargate fans, the long-running franchise, which began with a film in 1994, then became a TV series (Stargate SG-1: 1997-2007) and another series (Stargate Atlantis: 2004-2009 ) is getting a new spin off. MGM and SCI FI have announced that a go-ahead has been given on Stargate Universe. The new show will kick off with a two-hour movie in 2009, followed by a regular weekly run in the summer. Brad Wright and Robert Cooper, co-creators of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, will serve as executive producers and writers on the new series. The news comes just a day after the confirmation that Stargate Atlantis would not be renewed for a sixth-seasonorder. The two-hour movie that was also confirmed yesterday will still go forward.
Just a few days after 
Sony/Columbia Pictures 
Spoilers follow, but has anyone really not seen this movie yet? When The Dark Knight ended I know I wasn’t the only one unsure about the extent of the injuries sustained by Harvey Dent/Two-Face during his fall. However, the script has been released for purchase, and it reveals the fate of the character. On page 163 of the 167 page script, the stage direction reads as follows [SPOILERS–Highlight to reveal]:
Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau told the 
The SCI FI Channel is ending Stargate Atlantis after five seasons on the air, that according to a report by 
Ever since Warner Bros. announced that they would be delaying Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from November 21, 2008 to July 17, 2009, fans have expressed their disappointment quite passionately. To quell concerns, WB’s President and Chief Operating Office Alan Horne has released a new statement. Read it in full after the jump.
CBS has announced the 11 teams that will compete on the upcoming season of The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 13 kicks off on Sunday, September 23rd (8-9pm ET/PT). The teams will travel over 30,000 miles over 23 days in five continents. Full details, including the complete list of team members, is included after the jump.
Rob Thomas, creator of the short-lived UPN/CW series Veronica Mars revealed that a film based on the show may still happen. Thomas has a production office on the same lot where Kristen Bell is currently shooting Heroes and the two sat down for a chat: “Kristen and I ran into each other, and we did discuss a Veronica movie.” Additionally, Thomas said that he’s had conversations with VM executive producer Joel Silver. Sure you don’t want to get your hopes up, but Thomas assures us that “as soon as I have any free time, [the movie is] my top priority.”
Vin Diesel told 
Anne Thompson of 
Your Entertainment Now 