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‘The Dark Knight’ Tops 2008 DVD Sales Charts

  • News
  • December 21, 2008

batman-the-dark-knight-still-0-2-6886703The Hollywood Reporter says sales are so brisk on The Dark Knight DVD in both standard and Blu-ray format that it will top the sales charts for both categories when the books for 2008 are closed.

The DVD sold in excess of 10 million discs after one week in stores according to Warner Home Video. Add in rental dealer sales, the number pushes 13.5 million worldwide which also includes 1.7 million in Blu-ray sales.

The discs that came with digital copy activation codes led to 300,000 copies legally downloaded to computers.

The disc will surpass the year’s current leader, Iron Man, next week according to analysts.

The Dark Knight also eclipsed Wanted as the number one video rental for the week ending December 14.
 

Back surgery Not Expected to Slow Down David Tennant

  • News
  • December 21, 2008

Producer Russell T Davies told the BBC that David Tennant is expected to recover from his back injury in time to shoot the four 2009 Doctor Who specials.  The actor required surgery for the injury which also forced him to drop out of the stage production of Hamlet.

Filming on the first of the quartet remains scheduled for January 19.

"We’ll have to be very careful," he said. "I don’t think we’ll be swinging him on a wire on his first day back."

Davies pooh-poohed the notion the scripts would need to be adjusted to accommodate the actor’s condition. "No, there’s been none of that, and I think David would have told us by now because he’s read the first script."

Two of the four specials are said to be filming overseas, possibly including America. "It’s going to be quite exotic," he said. "I can’t tell you where, but we’ve got four days filming abroad, to give it a bit of size and a new feel to it."

In discussing the specials, which will end with Tennant’s departure from the series as the Doctor, he said each would pair the Doctor with a different companion.  He’s reserved writing the final two for himself to send off the actor in a grand fashion.

"The big climax is mine, all mine," he said.

He refused to join in the speculation as to who will replace Tennant, which has filled column inches for months even before Tennant formally announced his departure last month.

"I think it could be a while – it’s a very big deal to set up. Whoever becomes the Doctor has got to take on a whole life. It’s not just becoming a part of a TV show," he said.
 

‘Conjure Wife’ Gets Fourth Big Screen Treatment

  • News
  • December 21, 2008

Fritz Leiber’s 1943 Conjure Wife is headed back to the screen from writer/director Billy Ray (Breach). United Artists has acquired the rights to Leiber’s debut novel according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The film will adapt the story of “a New England college professor who discovers that his good fortune is the result of his wife’s secret, magical interference. When he pressures her to stop, dark forces descend on the couple without her protection.”

The trade notes, “Ray’s update will amp up the prurience factor as one woman’s desire to take over a more ideal female body factors into the plot.”

This will be the fourth film adaptation, following Weird Woman (1944), Night of the Eagle/Burn, Witch, Burn! (1962), and Witches’ Brew (1980).

Leiber (December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992) was a prolific science fiction and fantasy author, best known for his sword & sorcery series featuring Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser.

Fafhrd appeared in Leiber’s first sale, sold in 1939. Leiber become the Science Fiction Writers of America’s 5th Grand Master.

Marco Pavia on Tokyopop Layoffs

  • News
  • December 21, 2008

Tokyopop Associate Publisher Marco Pavia told ICv2, “Publishers and booksellers are describing this as one of the worst retailing environments in memory and I don’t know what to add. I think that’s an accurate assessment.  We’re adjusting to this landscape that’s shifting every day.  We need to be as responsive as we can to these new realities just to endure.”

This year alone, the company has had to lay off nearly 50 staffers and reduce their scheduled output for 2009.  “Whenever we lay off someone they’re extremely talented, dedicated people, so it’s hard, especially this time of year,” he said of the eight reportedly laid off this month. 
 

First Look: ‘Knowing’

  • News
  • December 21, 2008

Nicolas Cage (National Treasure: Book of Secrets) stars in Knowing, a gripping action-thriller of global proportions about a professor who stumbles on terrifying predictions about the future—and sets out to prevent them from coming true.

In 1958, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. But one mysterious girl fills her sheet of paper with rows of apparently random numbers instead.

Fifty years later, a new generation of students examines the capsule’s contents and the girl’s cryptic message ends up in the hands of young Caleb Koestler. But it is Caleb’s father, professor John Koestler (Nicolas Cage), who makes the startling discovery that the encoded message predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years. As Ted further unravels the document’s chilling secrets, he realizes the document foretells three additional events—the last of which hints at destruction on a global scale and seems to somehow involve Ted and his son. When Ted’s attempts to alert the authorities fall on deaf ears, he takes it upon himself to try to prevent more destruction from taking place.

With the reluctant help of Diana Wayland (Rose Byrne) and Abby Wayland, the daughter and granddaughter of the now-deceased author of the prophecies, Ted’s increasingly desperate efforts take him on a heart-pounding race against time until he finds himself facing the ultimate disaster—and the ultimate sacrifice.

Summit Entertainment, the people behind Twilight, has set a release date of March 20, 2009. (more…)

‘Fantastic Flesh’ Looks Beneath the Surface

  • News
  • December 20, 2008

From classic creatures to modern gore, special effects makeup has always been at the dark heart of movie magic. Now, film fans will go skin deep – and beyond – with Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Makeup EFX, coming from Anchor Bay Entertainment on January 27, 2009. In this Starz Original documentary, viewers will meet the masters of the craft and discover its incredible history.

Directed by filmmaker and visual effects artist Kevin VanHook (Death Row), Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Makeup EFX was lauded as “an enjoyable look at the industry as well as a great nostalgia piece” by IconsofFright.com, while Bloody-disgusting.com said the documentary “offers a unique glimpse behind the lens to a magical place where hardcore film fans who grew up on too many monster movies would love to play.”

From the silent era to today’s blockbuster, this fast-paced documentary examines the techniques, reveals the secrets, and emphasizes the impact that special effects makeup has had on filmmaking for more than a century. Before CGI effects became the norm, special effects makeup was often accomplished through invention, ingenuity and, in some cases, sheer luck!

This in-depth documentary features exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in Hollywood filmmaking, including Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street), John Carpenter (the original Halloween, The Fog), Eli Roth (Cabin Fever), George A. Romero (the original Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead), John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption), Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn), Mick Garris (Masters of Horror), Tom Savini (Creepshow), Dick Smith (The Exorcist) and Academy Award winner Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2), as well as clips from such classic horror and fantasy films as Frankenstein, The Exorcist, Planet of the Apes, The Chronicles of Narnia, An American Werewolf in London, The Thing, Grindhouse, Sin City, Transformers, Day of the Dead, Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2, Total Recall, Cabin Fever, The Howling and many more.

 “[Starz is] becoming – if they’re not already – the best in the genre business with comprehensive documentaries on the slasher and vampire genres, the history of black cinema and many more, but this one will hold a special place in the hearts of every fan-boy out there,” said RogueCinema.com.

The 58-minute documentary will retail for $19.97.

Rick Baker Wins Tesla Award

  • News
  • December 20, 2008

Rick Baker was honored by the International Press Academy this past weekend in Los Angeles.

Director John Landis presented Baker the Tesla Award for recognition of Visionary Achievement in Filmmaking Technology. It was the young director who first hired Baker in 1971 for Schlock. They have worked together ever since including An American Werewolf in London which earned Baker the first of six Academy Awards.

He later told Sci Fi Wire that his work on next year’s The Wolfman pays homage to the Universal original, not his own werewolf efforts. "I had a lot of trouble with that, because Benicio already looks like a werewolf, especially when he grows his facial hair out," Baker said. "I kept telling them that he wouldn’t look too much different.

"This one is different, and harkens back to the classic Wolf Man  I’m not sure what they are going to do about the transformation; I heard they are going to do it in CG, and I think that is a mistake."

As for the film’s delay from April to November, the makeup wizard was somewhat baffled. "It was a troubled project from the start,” Baker admitted. “The first director [Mark Romanek] left, and Joe [Johnston] took it over, but it looks real good. I saw how they set it in [19th]-century England, and it looks spectacular.”

"I had a lot of trouble with that, because Benicio already looks like a werewolf, especially when he grows his facial hair out," Baker said. "I kept telling them that he wouldn’t look too much different."

Dan Lebental won best editing for Iron Man. The film also won also for best DVD extras.

Richard King won best sound editing and mixing for The Dark Knight.

Best original song went to "Another Way to Die" from Quantum of Solace.

HBO’s True Blood won two acting awards in the television division.  Anna Paquin took best TV actress in a drama while Nelsan Ellis won best supporting actor in a drama.

Casting Notes

  • News
  • December 20, 2008

Mark Hamill reprises his vocal work as The Joker for Eidos and Warner Bros’ video game Batman: Arkham Asylum.  The actor, of course, had a memorable turn as the Clown Prince of Crime on Batman: The Animated Series back in the 1990s. He’ll once more be working opposite Kevin Conroy, who also returns.

HBO’s second season of True Blood will introduce Anna Camp (Equus) as the wife of Fellowship of the Sun president Steve Newlin, played by Michael McMillain. As outlined by Alan Ball, Jason Stackhouse will get caught up with the anti-vampire church for much of the season, which debuts next summer.

Casting notes describe Sarah as “an example of the new ‘hip’ evangelical movement, hates vampires with a passion, deeply believes in her mission, her marriage, her country and her church. very feminine, but down-to-earth, also with a healthy appetite for life’s many pleasures… as she sees it, it’s all part of God’s gift to us. No actual nudity, but implied…”

Merlotte will gain a new waitress to replacer dearly departed Amy. Daphne will be played by Ashley Jones (Bold and the Beautiful). She is described as “sexy and down to earth, a real country girl, not the greatest waitress, but Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) couldn’t care less, once he gets to know her better. Common sense, no-nonsense, funny, definitely not neurotic. Nudity is preferable in this role…6 episode arc beginning with this episode.”

Kristen Chenoweth did take long to find work.  The Pushing Daisies star has landed the lead in David E. Kelley’s new legal drama, Legally Mad, for NNBC.  The series is expected to make the 2009-2010 schedule, when the network announcements are made in May.

Tom Cruise Mulls Becoming a Champion

  • Uncategorized
  • December 20, 2008

tom-cruise-2-3270195Tom Cruise and screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie are becoming a formidable duo with three different projects in the works.

The two met during the production of Valkyrie, opening this month, which McQuarrie wrote for his other pal, director Bryan Singer.

McQuarrie had already been developing The Champions, based on the old BBC series with producer Guillermo del Toro and now United Artists’ co-owner may star in the project, the studio’s best chance at creating its own super-powered franchise.

The series lasted all of one season, 1968-1969, and was syndicated in America a few years later. It featured “the adventures of a team of secret government agents who are rescued from a Himalayan plane crash by an advanced civilization and given superhuman abilities.”

McQuarrie and Mason Alley are writing Flying Tigers, based on the volunteer fighter squadron formed to help the Chinese fight the Japanese before the U.S. entered World War II, for New Regency.  The subject has been near and dear to Cruise who may now be interested in acting in the production.

Finally, Spyglass hired McQuarrie to rewrite The Tourist, an espionage drama, for Cruise to appear in with Charlize Theron.
 

GoComics Adds ‘The Doozies’

  • News
  • December 20, 2008

GoComics.com as added The Doozies, a new strip from Tom Gammill. Dean Doozie will be the focal point, a “lovable boob” married to Dana and father to Eve. The new strip will update three times a week and is now live.

"What I meant to say was I’m a lovable boob," the Emmy Award-winning TV writer/producer said in a release. "Dean Doozie is a dynamic new character and a welcome addition to any comics page. He’ll be tackling hard-hitting topics like the importance of flossing."

Additionally, Gammill and writing partner Max Pross will produce Learn to Draw videos. "When I was a kid I bought a lot of "How To Draw" books by famous cartoonists who nobody had ever heard of, and weren’t very good artists," Gammill says. "I’m proud to be following in that tradition."

Gammill has written episodes of Seinfeld, The Critic, and The Wonder Years, and has co-produced episodes of The Simpsons and Futurama.
 

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