Report 16A. This is a digest of recent Sci-Fi- and genre-related news as of 19 December 2000.

Editorial – A Sad Day Indeed For Fandom

Those who have been taking this newsletter for some time will know that I rarely indulge in editorials.  I think the last one was on the death of my good friend DeForest Kelley (Star Trek – Dr. McCoy).

That was indeed a sad day for Fandom, as it lost one of its greatest supporters, but compared to today, that was a drop in the ocean, for today, Fandom has lost more than a character. It has potentially lost its way and maybe its very name.

I once heard it said that Fandom was partly responsible for the expansion of The Internet.  Indeed, in the early days of the World Wide Web, the vast majority of amateur websites were either Fandom- or music-based, and as the years progressed, fans became more involved in the Internet and its development. But now, that development might actually pose a threat to Fandom as we all know it.

Some years ago, a bunch of fellow fans and a few non-Fandom business associates, decided to try their hand at a professional web presence and founded Fandom.com.  Since that day, this group has slowly devoured other Internet companies, such as Cinescape, Another Universe, and this past week, they acquired Creation Entertainment. 

Creation puts on traveling Star Trek, Xena and general science fiction shows, and this might sound like a good thing, putting the conventions back in the hands of fans, but also, Fandom.com's lawyers have recently been sending letters to fan sites utilizing the word Fandom in them and threatening to sue if they do not desist.

Fandom.com serves as an umbrella site for numerous "fandomains" -- formerly independent Web sites dedicated to popular, merchandise-friendly topics such as "Star Wars," "The X-Files" and "Lord of the Rings" that now run under the Fandom.com banner. Each site contains the same structure and design, and there's a large copyright disclaimer placed at the bottom of every page. Fandom.com sites regularly use logos and photographs from various films or series and reprint copyrighted magazine articles.

The initial premise of Fandom.com was straightforward: to protect individual fan site owners from studio censorship (and sell a lot of merchandise and advertising in the process). In the ecology of Fandom, the idea seemed to have merit. One of the most fundamentally appealing aspects of the Internet for many fans lies in the fact that a community can form around even the most obscure of interests, like short-lived, long-since-canceled series such as "Space: Above and Beyond" or "American Gothic." An active community can produce Web sites, conventions, fan fiction and even fan films on its chosen topic in incredible profusion. What drives fans is passion, not solely for the product itself but for the ideas -- fantasy, utopianism, magic -- that those shows express.

But that passion often leads to confrontation between huge corporations and puny individuals. Which is why Fandom.com seemed to make sense -- by joining together the little guys, it would create an institution that could defend itself from the heavy hitters. But Fandom.com's letters to fan sites appear to indicate something entirely different. Fandom.com is accusing others of trademark violation -- a fact that is ironic on at least two levels.

First: Fandom.com may not even own a trademark for the word "Fandom", a term that has been in general use since the 50s, and Second: A company whose individual sites flourished by pushing copyright laws to the legal limit is now turning around and itself playing the role of intellectual property bully. Which leads to the question currently raging in the fan community: Who will protect the fans from Fandom?

My final comment is this:  Isn’t it amazing what a fat bank account and a Mercedes will do to people?  Some of the founders of Fandom.com were decent, loyal fans who would have done anything to defend their fellow fans, but now at the first hint of an extra buck, they are ready to sell their souls.

We have known for a long time that we, The Eastlant Group, are becoming increasingly isolated.  I never truly understood what Gene meant when he told us “One day there will be only you guys left, and then you will know why I want you to do these things”.

Gene, I now know what you meant. It’s getting very lonely out here.

News & Notes

Group News:

And Speaking of Law Suits

We Won!

Although not in so many words, the Judge basically called our land owner a jerk, and his attorney an idiot for not informing his client that the order to remove satellite dishes from all buildings on his land was in contravention of Florida Law, and consequently wasting the court’s time.

The main result of this is that the dishes are going back up as I write, so we will be back to digital quality in a few days.  The biggest difference will be with the terrestrial stations.  Our reception of NBC and CBS is particularly bad in this area, but now, it will be clear again, so there will be no more white specks on shows like West Wing, Friends, Law & Order, JAG, etc.

We will also now be able to fill some gaps in our library.

Non-Genre Show Recycling

Anyone who requested non-genre shows should be aware that we normally recycle the first block of episodes towards the end of this coming rerun period.  We already have up to 10 episodes of some series, including several that we were requested to tape but that have never been sent for.

Remember, you must keep up with these shows, otherwise we stop taping them.  Once we publish the first Part B in the New Year, that would be a good time to decide whether or not you actually want these shows or not.  We will include in the next Part B a list of what we intend to recycle at the end of January.

TV News:

Andromeda Tops Sweeps

Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda was the No. 1 new first-run weekly syndicated television program during the November sweeps rating period, Variety reported. Andromeda averaged a 3.9 rating during the all-important period, during which advertising rates are set.

Among other new first-run weekly genre shows, Sheena ranked No. 3, with a 1.9 rating; Queen of Swords ranked fourth, with 1.6; and The Immortal came in sixth, with 0.8, the trade paper reported.

Returning To Robocop Roots

Julian Grant, director and producer of the upcoming Robocop: Prime Directives television movies, told IGN that he wanted to recapture the bite and wit of the first movie. "We were adamant that the old school fans have something to cling to," Grant said. "We were disappointed with all onscreen adaptations, as they lacked the biting sardonic wit of the first picture. So we used the tone of the first picture, ignored everything else, and constructed our own sequence of events a decade after the first affair."

Prime Directives, from Fireworks Entertainment, tells a new story in four two-hour movies set 10 years after the events in the first film. Paige Fletcher stars as Robocop. "The Alex Murphy/ John Cable story was constructed as a 450-page screenplay," Grant said. "We needed four movies. This was our epic western, and, with that in mind, the timing, tone and acts are designed to maximize this. Plus, it's a ton of fun to work on a canvas this big. All other movies now seem small."

No word yet on airing dates for these 4 movies.

Those “Xena Movie” Rumors

We have been asked several times if we know anything about the proposed Xena TV movies.  Well, nothing is confirmed yet, but the entertainment press is now beginning to take notice, so it is likely that there is some truth in the rumors.

The possibility of a return to Xena is made even more likely with the news that Cleopatra 2525 is not to be picked up after all.  A limited number of full-length episodes have been made, but no further new production has been ordered, so once these eps have aired in the New Year, Raimi and Tappert have no current projects.  We just can’t imagine them sitting on their laurels and doing nothing, and with no new ideas being put forward, Xena TV movies are the most likely way forward for the production company.

As soon as we have details, we will let you know.

'Freakylinks' Lives

The Fox TV network's seemingly short-lived Freakylinks series isn't dead after all. According to the trades, the series, which had been pulled during the all-important November ratings sweeps period, will be returning to the Fox TV schedule.

Starting on January 5th, the series will return for at least the airing of what remains of the initial 13-episode order. Variety reports that Fox isn't currently planning on ordering any more, unless, of course, the program's ratings improve.

In its short history, Freakylinks has gone through major behind the scenes shake-ups with its initial producer, Tommy Thompson, let go in favor of David Simkins. The goal was to alter the initial creepy emphasis of the show in favor of something a little more lightweight. As a result of this tinkering, the program's creators at Haxan as well as writer-producer David Goyer (Blade) chose to step out of their participation.

Ah, well, at least Fox is giving it a second chance, something that Harsh Realm did not have.

'Nikita' Online Promo

Fans eager for the premiere of what are likely to be will be the final eight episodes of USA Network's La Femme Nikita can get an early look at the returning series. Now, a five-minute preview has been posted online which is said to feature "exclusive content as clues to Nikita's secret past and her future", according to the Hollywood Reporter. The preview is available in a number of formats.

Go to:

http://www.warnerbros.com/pages/lafemmenikita/home.jsp

and follow the "First Look" link to see it for yourself, but be warned, the constantly cycling advertising is  annoying.

The new season airs January 7th.

Seven Of Nine To Be Tragic

Jeri Ryan--Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Voyager--told the Los Angeles UPN affiliate that her character may become a tragic figure in the show's seventh and last season, according to the official Trek Web site. Her half-Borg character will be experimenting more this year, Ryan said while promoting her upcoming film Wes Craven Presents Dracula 2000.

Viewers can expect Seven to "do some kind of experiments with her humanity and her sexuality and trying to re-experience the emotions that she felt for the first time in 'Unimatrix Zero' at the beginning of the season," Ryan said. "And I think that Seven is going to be ... more of a tragic figure as we end the series, which I think is an interesting choice," Ryan said. When pressed for more details, she laughed. "Nope! That's all you get!"

As for when Voyager will return to Earth, Ryan said, "I don't know. They won't tell me how the season is ending either, so I don't know if we're getting back. I assume that we'll get back--that's my prediction--but that's with no inside information."

Riley and Spike

Buffy the Vampire Slayer co-executive producer Marti Noxon is carefully talking about what's up with Riley Finn (Marc Blucas) and Spike (James Marsters) on the series.

While talking to TV Guide, Noxon spoke of the rumors that tonight's Buffy episode will be the last for Riley, saying, "We have been hearing the rumors, and as you would suspect, I can't deny or confirm them, [but] we are definitely aware of [the gossip] and we are sort of having some fun with it."

She adds, "What I can tell you - being as vague as humanly possible - is that it's an extremely dark episode and it's a fairly momentous one. Things are going to change."

On the other hand, Noxon also talks about Spike's growing infatuation with Buffy, saying, "Spike's feeling's for Buffy are very real, very sincere. It's not just meant to be played for comedy, and so eventually, it will be played for something other than comedy. It's not a subplot without any destination...The whole notion that, because Buffy can kind of beat him up like nobody else, he's madly in love with her, just sort of fit Spike's character. He needs this kind of abuse from a woman. And after Drusilla (Juliet Landau) left, he couldn't get it from anybody but Buffy."

 

Movie News: 

F5 Heads For Screen

Paramount Pictures will develop F5, a high-tech action film based on a pitch by brothers Tim and Dave Douglas, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The movie--about a super-elite team of crime-fighters--is based on the Image Comics series of the same name by Tony Daniel, the trade paper reported. Daniel will be a consultant on the project.

The Douglas brothers previously set up For the Cause, an SF action movie they wrote, directed and produced for Nu Image and Dimension Films, the trade paper reported.

Daniel recently set up his Image SF comic series Adrenalynn with Warner Brothers, to be developed as a movie by producer Joel Silver and actress Christina Ricci and her producing partner, Andrea Sperling, according to the Reporter.

Wuhrer To Star In Arac

Kari Wuhrer (Sliders) will play the female lead opposite David Arquette in the giant-spider movie Arac Attack, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Warner Brothers and Village Roadshow Pictures are producing the comic SF film in conjunction with Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich's Centropolis Entertainment.

Wuhrer will play a local sheriff who must save the town from an attack of giant spiders after a toxic waste spill. Wuhrer is familiar to SF fans, having appeared in the films Anaconda and Thinner and the television series Swamp Thing.

X-Men 2 Team Almost Signed

X-Men director Bryan Singer, executive producer Tom DeSanto and writer David Hayter will likely sign up for the anticipated sequel to this year's hit movie, the Comics Continuum reported. Sources told the Continuum that negotiations are ongoing with the three and might be wrapped up by the end of the year.

"Everyone wants the same team together," Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige announced. It's possible X-Men 2 might go before cameras for Fox before the end of 2001, with an eye to a Christmas 2002 release. The first film's cast is already signed up for a sequel.

"We want to pick up where the last one ended," Feige said. "There were characters and set pieces that were in and out of the scripts of the first movie as it developed that were eventually left out for various reasons. Those will probably be the first things we want to get to."

Ray Bradbury Story Heads For Big Screen

Pierce Brosnan could star and Renny Harlin could direct a feature-film adaptation of Ray Bradbury's classic time-travel short story "A Sound of Thunder," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The pair are in final talks to team up on the movie, the trade paper reported. The filmmakers hope to bring the project before cameras during the first quarter of 2001, before a possible actors' union strike.

Adapted by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, "Thunder" tells the story of a big-game hunter who goes on a time-traveling safari to hunt dinosaurs. When confronted by a tyrannosaurus, he loses his nerve, stumbles off a path and inadvertently changes history.

Warner Develops Dead Men

Warner Brothers will develop Dead Men Walking, a supernatural horror movie based on a spec script by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, Variety reported. The movie will tell the story of an escape from a zombie-infested penitentiary, the trade paper reported.

Warner is also developing two other movies based on the writers' ideas, including an untitled live-action Looney Tunes project and a third, as-yet-undetermined movie. The pair wrote the script for the upcoming fantasy movie Cats and Dogs, due for release next year.

No Jet Li in Matrix Sequels

Word has it that Jet Li will not be in The Matrix sequels... and that Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) may be playing the part that he had been offered.

According to Variety columnist Michael Fleming, at this point Yeoh is being courted to take on the role once offered to Li. The reason behind this turn of events is said to be due to Li asking for more money than the production was able to pay. The ability to still bring in Li may have become impossible when one considers that Keanu Reeves will pull in $30M against 15% of the gross, with producer Joel Silver and writer-directors Larry and Andy Wachowski participating with gross points. Add to that the costs up front of making two films back-to-back and it becomes cost prohibitive to bring on Li, who Fleming reports was asking for $13M for the two films.

Word has it that Li was only offered $3M for 11 months work in a deal that had no back end participation. This latter point becomes important given that Li's image would be used on whatever licensed materials might come from the two sequels. In contrast, Li will be receiving $9.5M for jumping into Revolution's action film project, The One.

Regarding the role that was offered to Li, and now Yeoh, no specific info has been revealed in keeping with the production's choice to keep the films' story details cloaked under a veil of secrecy.

The two sequels start shooting in 2001, with a planned break to take place during the threatened writers and actors strikes.

New Conan Movie May Be Brought Down By Stock Market

Word from the trades has it that Stan Lee Media has shut its doors and laid off nearly all of the company's entire 140 person staff on Friday.

Last week, Stan Lee Media stock took a significant plunge on the market dropping below $1 per share. However, according to the Hollywood Reporter, unnamed key executives will still remain with the company to explore new financing options.

There's no word on if this turn of events will have any effect on the developing 7th Portal or Conan feature films.

Marvel Movies Info

While talking to the Comics Continuum about the Spider-Man movie, Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige also touched upon a number of other Marvel movie projects. Here's the latest word on some of them:

X-Men 2

Feige confirms that the powers that be are looking to bring back Bryan Singer, producer Tom DeSanto and scribe David Hayter for the next film. He says, "Everyone wants the same team together."

Regarding what we can expect to see in the next film, Feige reveals, "We want to pick up where the last one ended. There were characters and set pieces that were in and out of the scripts of the first movie as it developed that were eventually left out for various reasons. Those will probably be the first things we want to get to."

Blade 2: Bloodhunt

"[Director] Guillermo [del Toro] and his whole art department are in town right now. We hope to see everything and approve everything before they go [to Prague]. There's some beautiful stuff."

Hulk

"It's out to directors now. We're very excited about the people showing interest in doing it," says Feige, though he provides no hints as to whom these directors might be.

Regarding a potential targeted release date for the film, Feige cautions, "Universal definitely sees it as a big, tent pole movie. Everyone's careful with release dates."

Finally, he also reveals that David Hayter is back tightening up the film's script, adding, "David's working on a few tweaks, the type of stuff you have to do with every script you work on."

Daredevil

Feige feels that the Daredevil movie "might be the film under that's been under the radar that jumps up and surprises everyone."

Writer Mark Steven Johnson completed his first draft of the film's script, which is said to feature Kingpin, Elektra and Bullseye. About that script, Feige says, "Mark Steven Johnson has an amazing take on it."

 

Odds and Ends: Short items not worthy of an article in their own right.

·        Jeremy Irons (Dungeons & Dragons) and Guy Pearce are rumored to have joined the cast of The Time Machine, the upcoming feature film based on H.G. Wells' classic SF novel of the same name.

·        The Sight TV movie seen recently on the FX cable network in the U.S. has been picked up as a regular series. According to SFX, the UK's Sky satellite broadcaster and Warner Bros. are teaming up for the series, which will star Andrew McCarthy and Amanda Redman. The site also reports that Redman has already signed a five-year contract for the coming series.

·        Writer Ted Tally, who wrote the Silence of the Lambs script, is talking again about his adaptation of Red Dragon, the first book featuring the cannibal killer Hannibal Lecter. While talking to Cinescape columnist Cindy Pearlman, Tally spoke of the chances of Anthony Hopkins reprising the role of Lecter one more time, saying, "I think Tony Hopkins will do Hannibal for the third time if he likes the Red Dragon script."

·        Still more recent James Bond 20 rumors have been debunked, courtesy of the franchise's production company, EON Productions. On the company's official website, EON has chosen to shoot down those rumors that suggested Kevin Spacey was going to play the next Bond baddie as well as what the film's title will be, saying, "EON Productions denies the recent report from The Sun newspaper, that Kevin Spacey will play a villain in the next James Bond film and that the title of the film will be 'Beyond The Ice'."

As there is little to add, there will be no Part B this week.  We will do a full round up, and update the on-line episode list early in the New Year.

Next Week’s Newsletter will be published on Thursday 28th December.

Best wishes,

David Gerhard, Chairman

Bob Jenner, Information Officer

Alexandra Benedict, Entertainment Industry Liaison Officer

Eastlant Sci-Fi Group

Fans Working for Fandom, Not for Profit.