Report 32A. This is a digest of recent Sci-Fi- and genre-related news as of 10th April 2001.

News & Notes

Group News:

Convention Teams Retire

Last weekend we had our bi-annual meeting, and the major outcome of this meeting is that the two main convention teams have decided to retire.  This won’t have any effect on the taping division, but it is a point of interest if nothing else.

Initially under the direction of the late Dan Gould, and later under Mike Sanderson, the group’s convention teams have produced literally hundreds of events over the 40 years that the group has been in existence, ranging from small events for just a hundred fans to major events for 5000 delegates.

Anyone who has ever organized such an event will understand how these old and crusty types have run out of steam and decided to quit while they are ahead. Seriously though, those of us who have simply followed in their footsteps, or copied what they came up with, owe them a debt of gratitude.

Mike Sanderson and Jerry Walsh from Team 1 and Peter Fulton from Team 2 are also retiring from the Group, and as John Cross is unlikely to return, as his health is none too good, this leaves the Group at only 7 members now, with the Tape Division the only active element.  However, as I said above, that will have no effect on tape production.

Things Change.  Life goes on.

Oops!

Again with the “Oops!”.  This is yet another cry for help.  During the system upgrade I seem to have lost my TVortex article “16 Precious Minutes”.  If anyone has a copy, I would appreciate having it back.

Thank you! Thank you very much! Thank you!

TV News:

WB Douses Pern Pilot

A spokeswoman for The WB confirmed that the network has pulled the plug on the pilot for a proposed Dragonriders of Pern television series. "It's no longer in development at The WB," the spokeswoman said in an interview, without giving a reason. Word of the cancellation comes just as the pilot was slated to begin shooting.

Roswell co-executive producer Ronald D. Moore –who also wrote the pilot – said that the network pulled the plug only days before production was set to begin in a dispute over the show's creative direction. "It's dead," Moore said in an interview. "We were supposed to start shooting the day before yesterday [April 2]. We were very, very close. We were shooting in Santa Fe [N.M.] We had the cast. We had the production team. We had the CGI [computer graphics]. We had the whole enchilada, and they pulled the plug last Wednesday."

Moore said he had been trying to develop a serious adaptation of Anne McCaffrey's popular series of SF novels of the same name. But The WB ordered a "dialogue polish" from a second writer, and when Moore saw the rewrite, he felt the series had changed "fundamentally." "It was a different show," he said. "I had tried ... to keep the spirit of the books alive ... and make it a classy, interesting show. And ... what was evident in the draft they commissioned, they wanted a different show. It was more Buffy-esque and Xena-esque. It was something they felt more comfortable with on The WB. ... There wasn't a way to split the difference. Ultimately, they decided we should just let the project go. It was their decision. It was very disappointing for everybody. ... A lot of people put a lot of hard work into it."

Moore did not sound angry about the decision, though he was clearly dismayed at the pilot's cancellation just as it was set to shoot. "We ... had to shutter the offices, let the crew go, and it was too bad. But ultimately, I understand and respect the position of the network, because it's their network. But I had a responsibility to the material and the source of the material. ... And I think the fans--while they may be disappointed that the series won't go forward--would have been more disappointed if we had made a series that contradicted the world that Anne had created and was so wonderful."

Among the scenes fans will never see: A recreation of the books' Ruatha Hold in a New Mexico box canyon; an interpretation of Bendan Weyr as a series of pueblo-like cliff dwellings; and the birth of a dragon under the night sky and a blanket of Southwestern stars.

Moore said that Pern's complicated rights will likely prohibit the pilot's being picked up by another network this year or in its current incarnation. As for whether he'll try to mount an effort to revive the Pern series later on, he said, "I started talking about and looking for the rights to this series when I was [a writer] on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. ... The thought of doing it all over again is not something I'm eager to do at this moment. But maybe with a little time and distance, you never know. ... I have no regrets, and I'm glad Anne's property is still Anne's property and won't have been damaged in any way."

Roswell Still Alive

A spokeswoman for The WB denied rumors that its teen alien series Roswell has been canceled. Rumors to that effect were circulating on the Internet over the weekend.

"We won't have any definite answers or commitments for shows coming back until May 15," the spokeswoman told SCI FI Wire. That's the time when The WB will make its pitch to advertisers for the fall season, the so-called "upfront" presentation.

Roswell--which was taken off the air in March and replaced with Gilmore Girls--will return with new episodes on April 16.

And in related news:

Change Comes To Roswell

Ronald D. Moore--co-executive producer of The WB's Roswell--told participants in an on-line chat that the show will undergo a major change when it returns later this month. The teen alien series returns April 16 with an episode that centers on the high-school prom, Moore said.

"It's very much about the relationships and the kids and things happening within the group, with Max [Jason Behr] and Liz [Shiri Appleby] at the center of it all," Moore said in an interview. "In the next episode, there's a shocking change in the cast. ... There's a death that affects everyone. And in turn, that is the catalyst for everything else that happens, the hows and whys of that character dying affect everything."

As for the future of the Monday-night series, Moore said the network would wait to see how the remaining episodes perform in the ratings during the crucial May sweeps period. "They'll want to see how those episodes do before they make a decision" about renewing Roswell for a third season, Moore said.

Moore added, "I really hope that Roswell comes back. It really deserves to get picked up, and it has a loyal fan following."

Editor’s Note:  This sounds very much like the same situation last year at the end of Season 1.  If they didn’t learn the lesson the first time around, maybe they don’t deserve a third chance to screw up.  This series that started out really well, rapidly degenerated into a romantic teen-soar much like 90210 or Dawson’s Creek.  After being threatened with cancellation, the producers tightened up to the SF element for the last few episodes of Season 1, and gained a conditional renewal. Season 2 started out well, but again rapidly fell back into the soft-relationship-feel-good show that it had been for much of season 1, and is now in exactly the same situation as it was a year ago.

I know TV executives are dumb, but is it possible to fool them with the same transparent trick in two consecutive years? 

Minor Voyager Spoilers Below

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Voyager Finale Details Leak

Sources have revealed key details of the upcoming series finale for Star Trek: Voyager. The two-hour finale, "Endgame, Parts I and II," will shoot for 16 days, wrapping on April 9, the sources said.

Following are characters and plot point spoilers for the finale, which airs May 23.

•The finale alternates between the present and the future.

•In the future, several new characters are introduced, including Miral Paris, the daughter of Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres.

•Also in the future, regular Voyager characters have been promoted, including Adm. Kathryn Janeway and Capt. Harry Kim.

•Dwight Schultz appears as Reg Barclay.

•Susanna Thompson appears as the Borg Queen, and the plot involves a confrontation with the Borg.

Spoilers End

And a Few More Items of Trek News:

'Voyager' Wraps

Word has it that production has wrapped this week on Star Trek: Voyager.

As expected and now confirmed by Variety columnist Army Archerd, Monday saw production on the fourth Star Trek series come to an end. Regarding this point, Archerd adds that plans are to start up production on the fifth Trek series in one month. The word is that the new program's sets are in final stages at this point.

Meanwhile, Rick Berman is also looking towards a fall start for Star Trek X, which is likely to be the last of the film franchise to exclusively feature the Next Generation cast.

Regarding the threat of strikes forcing production on both the coming series and movie being delayed, Berman is quoted as joking, "There are no strikes in the 24th century."

Rick Berman on:

Series 5

Regarding casting of the program, Berman says, "We've begun preliminary casting. We've had several meetings and discussions but we haven't had any formal casting sessions yet."

Berman confirmed again that the series to come will be starship-based. When asked if we should assume that the series will have a male captain, Berman answers, "That's not a bad assumption."

More generally, he says, "I would like to think that this show will be different in every way--a different look, a different personality, etc. It's going to be a somewhat dramatic departure, certainly from the last three series and, hopefully, a departure that is going to be appreciated by our fans."

When asked if the original Star Trek series will have any influence on what will be done in the coming series, Berman answers, "Very little. Having been involved with The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager, those series obviously have greater influence on me. The original series does have an influence on me in that it is the core that set all of the precedents. We do try to keep those precedents whole to some degree and try to adhere to them. The original series is very important, but in terms of content and style I don't think it's much of an influence on any of us."

Voyager

When asked if we should assume, based on recent comments made by Robert Duncan McNeill, that none of the cast of characters gets killed, Berman responds, "I don't know why you would assume that!"

As for whether or not any of the Voyager cast or even the DS9 cast might be turning up in future feature films, Berman says, "We have planned surprises in the feature film that we'll be shooting this year with some characters from other series than Next Generation. As far as the Voyager and DS9 casts are concerned, those are all decisions that will be made at some point but there has been no discussion of anything more with them at this point."

Star Trek X

When asked to comment on the coming Trek film's scale in comparison to previous films in the series, Berman says, "I think it is bigger in scope and concept. It is more of a heroic Picard vs. the evil villain type of picture as compared to some of the previous films. I think there is more action in it and it's a film that takes place primarily in space. We have wonderful villains, wonderful species both known and new and I would describe the film as being in the same style as John's film Gladiator. The film has a real epic quality to it."

He adds, "Like all of our films, Picard and Data have the greatest focus but I would like to think that our other five characters all have cool stuff to do in this picture."

As for when the film is likely to ramp up, Berman confirms Michael Dorn's recent comments on the project, saying, "I'm thinking that we would start shooting sometime in October with it being ready for release anytime from Spring 2002 on."

No director has yet has been attached to the project given the potential threats of the writers and actors strikes.

3rd Rock Coming To An End

After months of speculation, NBC officially announced that its long-running sci-fi comedy 3rd Rock From the Sun is coming to an end, according to Variety. The series--which stars John Lithgow, Kristen Johnston, French Stewart and Joseph-Gordon Levitt as aliens living on Earth--has been running for six seasons and has the dubious distinction of appearing in an unprecedented 18 different time slots.

The final episode, which was filmed in such a way that it could serve as either a season finale or a series capper, finds the aliens heading home in the same red convertible in which they arrived, with singer Elvis Costello sending the group off in style with a rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon." The one-hour episode will air on May 22.

To date 3rd Rock has earned 29 Emmy nominations and eight wins.

7 Days Likely For Renewal After All

Tom Ropelewski, executive producer of UPN's time-travel series 7 Days, said that he's confident the show will be renewed for a fourth season, despite being pulled off the air for a few weeks. UPN will air the new SF comedy-drama Special Unit 2 in 7 Days' time slot, starting April 11.

A spokesman for UPN also announced that the network does plan to bring 7 Days back to finish out the third season after the initial run of Special Unit 2. He added that renewals won't be announced until early May.

"If it was any other network, I would say we'd probably be canceled," Ropelewski revealed. "But on UPN, it's really one of the few time slots where they can really test out a new show and learn anything." He added, "I think it's very likely we will be back next year. UPN has been struggling to define itself, and next to Star Trek, we're the most-watched one-hour. ... If you're losing your No. 1-rated show, do you cancel your No. 2-rated show?" Star Trek: Voyager ends its seven-year run in May.

Despite a recent dispute with co-star Justina Vail, Ropelewski added that he expects the entire cast to return. "Whatever [Vail's and star Jonathan LaPaglia's] off-camera chemistry is, their on-camera chemistry is great, and they know how to use it," the producer said.

Smallville Pilot Wraps

Production has completed on the pilot for The WB's upcoming Smallville series, which shot in Vancouver. The X-Files veteran David Nutter directed the pilot, from a script by Miles Millar and Alfred Gough.

The cast of Smallville--which chronicles the high-school years of the DC Comics character Superman--includes Tom Welling as Clark Kent, Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor, Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang, John Schneider as Jonathan Kent and Cynthia Ettinger as Marthan Kent. The WB has ordered 13 episodes of the show.

Excelsior Effort Evolves

The International Federation of Trekkers fan group is redefining its campaign to persuade Paramount to base a film or television series on the Star Trek character of Hikaru Sulu and the crew of the U.S.S. Excelsior. The group is apparently acknowledging its failure to affect the upcoming fifth Trek series and is now focusing on keeping alive what it sees as Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future.

The group's Excelsior Campaign has been folded into the group's Guardians of the Dream campaign. The campaign's Web site (http://www.startrekexcelsior.com/) will offer addresses for fans that wish to write to Paramount to suggest an Excelsior-based television movie, miniseries or theatrical film. The site will also feature an online fiction series, an original art gallery and other initiatives.

Bowie Gets a Role With Teeth

Rock legend and occasional actor David Bowie, who played a vampire in the film "The Hunger," may be putting on the fangs once again. The singer is in talks to play the lead role in a Dracula television series for Italian television, according to BBC News.

If Bowie agrees to play the role he would star opposite Giancarlo Giannini (Sci-Fi's "Dune”) who will play Professor Van Helsing.

The Italian state broadcaster RAI says the miniseries will have a contemporary setting and will feature the vampire tempting a bunch of youths with power and money. The project is slated to air in autumn of 2001.

DeBoer Enters Dead Zone

Former Star Trek: Deep Space Nine star Nicole DeBoer has landed the female lead in UPN's upcoming TV series The Dead Zone. The actress--who played Ezri Dax on DS9 and was recently seen in an episode of The Fearing Mind--will co-star opposite Anthony Michael Hall (Weird Science). Dead Zone is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.

"I just found out the other day that I got the role," DeBoer said in an interview during a break from signing autographs at Creation's Grand Slam Trek convention in Pasadena, Calif. "It just kind of came together very quickly, and I'm incredibly excited. All I really know so far is that we're going to try to do a pilot and probably one episode before the [impending actors' and writers' union] strikes. I'm looking forward to it, and I'm happy for Anthony. He got a lot of praise for the TV movie he did about Bill Gates [Pirates of Silicon Valley], so this is another big project for him. It's another big project for both of us."

Animated Buffy Stretches Story

Jeph Lobe, who will executive produce The WB's upcoming animated version of its Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, said in an interview that the new show will take Buffy fans to a new place. Loeb is working with Buffy creator Joss Whedon.

"Buffy fans should be very pleased with what he has in mind," Loeb told journalists. "What is so exciting is that animation allows Joss' imagination to go in even more extraordinary directions. We're currently writing episode one, putting together the bible [the handbook for the show] and coming up with stories for other fantastic new episodes."

Loeb added that the animated series will have its own life. "But we will be keeping the tone and seeing the characters who have made Buffy such an enormous hit--Xander, Giles, Willow and ... a few surprises, too," Loeb said. "Joss came up with a very unique way that will allow us to stay within continuity and still tell tales Buffy fans don't yet know. Folks who know my work from Superman For All Seasons, Batman: The Long Halloween and Batman: Dark Victory will have an idea as to how we're going to pull it all off. At the same time, if you've never seen the live-action show, it will be very accessible. We want to break down the same walls that [the] Batman animated [series] did originally, both in terms of style and content. So Joss really has set the bar very high. The truth is, he doesn't want to do the show if it can't stand toe-to-toe with Buffy and Angel, his live-action shows. His hallmark is quality, and this is no exception." The show could air as soon as February.

'Smallville' Info

Alfred Gough, one of the creators and executive producers of the WB's coming Smallville TV series, is shedding some additional light on the coming series. While talking to Superman Fan Group “Planet Krypton”, Gough spoke of this latest approach to the story of Superman as a youngster, saying, "Unlike, say, Batman, Superman has always been the goody two shoes of super-heroes. We wanted our Clark Kent to have angst and edge, without losing the essence of who he grows up to be. That’s why in the series Clark doesn’t wear the suit, doesn’t wear glasses and can’t fly.

"We also altered the mythology. When Clark crashes to Earth in the ship he’s accompanied by a meteor shower of Kryptonite. In the pilot you see the meteor shower raining down on Smallville and Clark’s arrival as a three-year-old. Then we cut to 12 years later and discover that the Kryptonite is in the soil and is causing all these strange things to happen...The thing with Smallville is that it appears normal and picturesque on the surface, but because of the kryptonite it’s really Twin Peaks-like underneath."

When asked if the premise was at all like the "Hellmouth" on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gough replies, "It's along those lines, but it's not as specific because that's really only about demons and things like that. Our stories are more bizarre and offbeat, more X-Files than Buffy. We are also very much a relationship show. For example, we’ve got a whole new take on Lex Luthor. He's in his early 20’s and he's been sent to Smallville to run a division of his father's company. In the pilot you see him befriend Clark. It’s an intriguing relationship to play with because everyone knows where the story ends, but you’ve never really seen how it started out. I think it will be fun to watch."

Initially, Luthor isn't really presented in a villainous role. As for the darker side of Smallville's citizenry, Goughs says, "They certainly won’t be larger than life villains. We want to keep the show grounded in reality. Like all rural towns, Smallville is going through change; LuthorCorp's come in, housing developments are eating up the farmland. There are people like the Kents who are trying to hold onto their traditional way of life, and then you have Lex who really sees Smallville as a new beginning and really wants to bring it into the 21st century, so you have those stories as well as the weird things that are happening."

And don't expect to see Clark Kent is his usual blue and red civvies, as the producer notes, "He just wears regular clothes, he isn't in disguise, he just has to keep his powers secret. He won't be wearing glasses. I always thought the glasses and that sort of persona that he plays in Metropolis is to disguise the fact that he is Superman in the costume. Here he's a kid dealing with these sort of extraordinary powers and trying to get through high school. Part of it is keeping these things secret. It's more along the lines of the movie where he didn't have the costume until he went to Metropolis. Basically, we're not doing "Superboy."

Movie News:

Reward Offered For Spidey Suits

Thieves made off with four Spider-Man costumes used in the production of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movie, leading Columbia Pictures on April 4 to post a reward of $25,000 for their return. A studio spokesman would not say how much the signature red-and-blue costumes were worth, but sources have suggested that they cost as much as $65,000 each.

Workers discovered the costumes missing early April 3 from the Sony Pictures Studios lot, where the film is being shot. "They're valuable property, and we'd like to have them returned," a studio spokesman said. "There are others, but we do need these for the production of the movie. Production has not been slowed by this, but they are part of the movie, and we would like them back."

Principal photography on Spider-Man, the live-action film based on the Marvel comic series of the same name, began in January. The film is scheduled for release on May 3, 2002. The film features Tobey Maguire in the title role, along with Willem Dafoe and Kirsten Dunst.

Dorn: 'Star Trek X'

While appearing at last weekend's big Star Trek convention, actor Michael Dorm touched upon a number of points regarding the coming Star Trek X production.

Dorn spoke of the coming production, saying, "There's going to be lots of fighting and dying in the new movie. Gladiator's John Logan is writing, and it’s going to be amazing. If there's not a strike, we'll do the movie right away. If there is a strike, we'll push it to, like, October, they say -- which is right about when I'll be out of money."

As for who might direct the movie, Dorn says, "If anybody from the cast is going to direct the new movie, it'll be Levar (Burton). He's got a lot of credits now. He'll do a great job, and we can tease him mercilessly -- especially Patrick."

Dorn also addressed the one time romantic connection between Worf and Deanna Troi, saying, "There won't be a relationship between Work and Deanna (in Trek X). They've let go of that, even though I like it; it's like Beauty and the Beast." Dorn added that there's a rumor that Troi and Riker will be tying the knot in the next film.

MDP Takes 'Firespill'

MDP Worldwide has acquired Matt Oppenhiemer's script Firespill, based on the book by Ian Slater.

According to Variety, the eventual film will have a budget in the $70M range and tell the story of two supertankers, Russian and American, that crash into each other off the coast of Canada in the Pacific Ocean causing a massive oil spill. Things get even worse when the oil gets set afire resulting in a massive firestorm that threatens the coast and millions of lives, including the President, who is on vacation in Washington state with his family.

Pre-production of the project will begin in the fall. No cast or director has been attached as yet.

Chow Yun-Fat Will Animate Terl

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star Chow Yun-Fat will pick up where John Travolta left off, providing the voice of the alien Terl in an animated series version of L. Ron Hubbard's novel Battlefield Earth, according to Variety columnist Army Archerd. Despite the fact that last year's Battlefield film adaptation ranked as one of the movie industry's all-time misfires, Pine Com International has committed to producing 20 one-hour episodes of the animated series.

Travolta played Terl in the motion picture version of the story, which was lambasted by both fans and critics alike. Despite the critical pounding, producers have said they are at work on a sequel, which will cover the events that take place in the second half of the novel.

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

Disney has bought a pitch from producer Lauren Lloyd for Happily Never After, a fantasy comedy movie about the real lives of classic fairy tale characters, Variety reported. Greg McBride wrote the script.

Steven Spielberg may have jumped over to his Minority Report project, but that doesn't mean there isn't work left to be done on A.I. While talking to Fox 411 columnist Roger Friedman, the director revealed exactly how much, saying, "We still have over 500 optical effects to put into A.I. So in that sense it's not over, and we're doing Minority Report at the same time."

The Canadian edition of TV Guide is reporting that Scott Bakula has been signed to the coming fifth Star Trek TV series. Given how soon the project will be ramping up, it will be sooner rather than later when we find out if this Bakula casting info is the real deal or not.

Can you imagine Christopher Walken in a Disney family film? You won't have to, because you will actually see the actor in Disney's coming Country Bears movie, based on their Country Bear Jamboree attraction. According to Variety, Walken will play the lead human role in the film which will feature eight animatronic bears. Walken's a nasty banker who is trying to foreclose and demolish the old Country Bear Hall. Though the film has been shooting since March 12, Walken will only be joining the production late next week.

Word has it that a remake of Hammer Films' Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires may be in the works. Brigade Entertainment's Dave Elliott revealed that Tim Allen is attached to the project in the role of a Dr. Van Helsing wannabe who must battle kung fu vampires in China. In addition, the producers are said to be seeking a "major action star" for the kung fu side of the project as the film's hero.  Maybe it should be directed by “Fang Lee”. (Sorry!)

The coming Witchblade series now has a regular day and time slot. TNT has announced that the series will be premiering on the cable network in June on Tuesdays at 9 PM ET. More info on the program to come when we have it.  To take a look at the official Witchblade Website go to: http://www2.warnerbros.com/witchblade/home.html

Star Trek guru Richard Arnold announced at a German Trek con last week that the casting sheet for Trek V posted a couple of weeks ago was legitimate.  If this is so, then we are stuck with a pre-pubescent “Flash Gordon” version of Trek for the next 5 years.   I will be interested to see how they get around the problem that this “early” Enterprise is all high tech and CGI while Kirk had to put up with spray-painted cardboard boxes and men in rubber suits playing the monster of the week.

The rumor last week that a “major character” in the WB’s Roswell was to be killed off is true, but we are not going to tell you which one.  Maybe they think this will boost the ratings.

Veteran character actor Joel Grey will play an underworld god in the season finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Variety columnist Army Archerd reported. Grey is no stranger to SF, having appeared in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Resistance" (as Caylem), the "Essence of Life" episode of the new Outer Limits series and as the Ghost of Christmas Past opposite Patrick Stewart in the TNT production of A Christmas Carol.

 

Part B Follows Shortly.

Best wishes,

David Gerhard, Chairman

Bob Jenner, Information Officer

Alexandra Benedict, Entertainment Industry Liaison Officer

Eastlant Sci-Fi Group

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