ABC has been enjoying the growing success of its adaptation of the BBC’s Life on Mars.  The original program, though, struggled to keep its stories going and wrapped the series after two seasons and 16 episodes. For a glimpse of what happen next, take a look at the BBC’s sequel Ashes to Ashes, which BBC America just picked up for domestic broadcast in March.

Ashes To Ashes is written and created by Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharaoh, two creators of Life on Mars. The eight-episode first season aired in the UK last February and March.

Julie Gardner, BBC Wales Head of Drama, said in a release, "Sam Tyler took us on an amazing journey with Life On Mars but his story always had a definite life span.

"However, fans will be excited to learn that Gene Hunt lives on through Ashes To Ashes and we’re certain they will love his Eighties escapades."

Jane Featherstone, Executive Producer for Kudos, added, "Ashes to Ashes is the next chapter in the life of Gene Hunt, as seen through the eyes of a modern, no-nonsense woman.

"It’s a touch of Moonlighting teamed with a measure of Miami Vice.” (more…)

From the UGO list of Top 50 "WTF" moments in comics, discussing Speedy and his drug habit:

Sidekick Shoots Arrows and Heroine

Now that would have been a world-changing story. Roy Harper, jealous of Oliver Queen having lost his fortune (and presumably, Roy’s inheritance) and instead spending all his time with a hot chick a decade younger with a thing for fishnet stockings, decides to get rid of the pretty girl in the middle of a melee– a shot just goes wild, and suddenly it’s back to Green Arrow and Speedy, together again. Play it up as a sort of gender-switched Oedipus.

I mean, as long as you’re going to break the Comics Code anyway.

A rumor I just made up has it Gerry Conway actually had this as a story idea, but he later used it when writing for Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

The Washington Post recently posted their lists of best comics of the year and they include:

The Alcoholic, By Jonathan Ames and Dean Haspiel (Vertigo/DC Comics, $19.99)
Bottomless Belly Button, By Dash Shaw (Fantagraphics, $29.99)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season Eight, Volume Two: No Future for You, By Brian K. Vaughan, Georges Jeanty and Joss Whedon (Dark Horse, $15.95)
The Complete K Chronicles, By Keith Knight (Dark Horse, $24.95)
Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes, By Geoff Johns and Gary Frank (DC Comics, $24.99)
Y: The Last Man #60, By Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra (Vertigo/DC Comics, $4.99)

Among their best DVDs, they included:

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Not rated (Weinstein, $24.95)
30 Rock: Season 2, Not rated (Universal, $39.98)
The Big Lebowski (10th Anniversary Edition), Rated R (Universal, $19.98)
Control, Rated R (Weinstein, $28.95)
The Darjeeling Limited Rated R (20th Century Fox, $29.99)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Rated PG-13 (Miramax, $29.99)
Flight of the Red Balloon, Not rated (IFC, $24.95)
Iron Man (Ultimate 2-Disc Edition), Rated PG-13 (Paramount, $39.99)
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, Rated PG-13 (New Line, $19.98)
Lost Highway, Rated R (Universal, $19.98)
No Country for Old Men, Rated R (Miramax, $29.99)
The Office: Season 4, Not rated (Universal, $49.98)
Persepolis, Rated PG-13 (Sony, $29.95)
Spaced: The Complete Series, Not rated (BBC Warner, $59.98)
There Will Be Blood (Two-Disc Special Collector’s Edition), Rated R (Paramount, $34.99)
Trafic, Not rated (Criterion, $39.95)

In case there remained any doubt, Variety confirmed this morning that Chris Weitz will direct New Moon, the sequel to Twilight.

Summit Entertainment is rushing pre-production on the new film, set to begin shooting in March so it can be released on November 20, 2009. The crash schedule is seen as a contributing factor in director Catherin Hardwicke stepping down. Melissa Rosenberg is said to be already polishing the script which was hastily written over the last month.

With $200 million earned worldwide to date, the film’s success has bolstered Summit to be aggressive to capitalize on interest and keep the cast looking youthful.  Eclipse, the third book in the quarter, may well be shot back-to-back with New Moon.

The trade says the second film will focus on “Edward Cullen leaving Bella Swan in order to keep her safe from other vampires” The werewolves will be prominent in the film, which is budgeted at $50 million.

 “The extraordinary world that Stephenie has created has millions of fans, and it will be my duty to protect on their behalf the characters, themes and story they love,” Weitz said in a statement.
 

Warner Home Video has announced an April 7 2009 release date for Ben 10 Alien Force: Volume Three.

In a release, Warner said, “Its been 5 years since Ben last wore the Omnitrix. But when Grandpa Max goes missing, Ben must go hero once again. Now its up to Ben, Gwen and Kevin to find new half-alien allies and stop a secret Highbreed invasion.”

The single disc will retail for $14.95 and contain four episodes:

#10 “Paradox”
#11 “Be-Knighted”
#12 “Plumbers Helpers”
#13 “X Equals Ben Plus 2”

The only extra mentioned so far is a villains database.

Editor Bryce Coleman was among the eight people laid off by TokyoPop last week. Positions were eliminated from around the company.

The other staff cuts were from around the company. The move came in response to the bad economy. “It’s one of the worst selling periods in history,” marketing director Marco Pavia told The Beat. “We’re trying to be responsive to the new realities, and unfortunately some very talented people have been cut.”

In reaction to both a softening booktrade market for manga and the reduced staff size, the 2009 schedule is being retooled with series releases being spread further apart.

He emphasized that “Tokyopop is still in business, and we are still focusing on our core business.”

The Phantom never dies.  From father to son, the legacy is passed on, protecting Africa from evil in all forms dating back 21 generations.  A second generation live-action film about the ageless hero was announced by Symington Productions according to the Associated Press.

Producer Bruce Sherlock obtained the rights to explore the themes in The Phantom Legacy.  He had been an executive producer on the 1996 Paramount Pictures Phantom, which starred Billy Zane as the Ghost Who Walks. The movie suffered from poor marketing but was better than most recall.

The new film, to be shot down under where Symington is based, is budgeted at $87 million and screenwriter Tim Boyle said the movie will focus on the “Father/Son relationship, and what it means to be The Phantom. The film will be set in the present day and will deal with the concept of destiny."

"It has the makings of a blockbuster," Sherlock told the AP. "There’s some surprises that will thrill the Phantom fans worldwide."  No casting was announced but production should begin in the second half of 2009 for 2010 release.

The Phantom is also being developed by Daniel and Charles Knauf for Sci Fi Channel, exploring the next generation Phantom whose father dies before there could be any training.

 “In our story, we have a break in the lineage. The 22nd Phantom, the one we all know and love, his wife and his son died in an automobile accident. So when he died, there was no one to take over,” Daniel Knauf explained. “But it turns out the son survived and has been raised by a foster family and has no idea who he is. They find him through a fluke when he’s arrested on a trespassing charge, and he ends up getting his DNA into CODIS [the national DNA database]. The people in Bangalla who are still part of the Jungle Patrol — which we call Bpaa-Thap (which literally translates to ‘Jungle Patrol’) — they find him and decide to bring him in and train him. So it’s a whole new game for this kid. So he’s very conflicted, as far as who he was and who he thinks he is.”

Meantime, the character remains published in comic strips around the world in addition to Moonstone’s long-running comic book about to be rebooted in 2009.  Dynamite Entertainment also has the rights for a Phantom comic book and has brought in Alex Ross too help modify the look although their incarnation is at least two years away.

The Phantom, introduced in 1936, is considered by most as the first costumed adventure hero, the first super-hero of the 20th Century. Written by Lee Falk from 1936 through his death in 1999, the feature has been a global sensation.
 

Todd McFarlane told Game Pro that he is eager to begin work on a new Spawn feature film.

“Yeah, you know…ever since Iron Man came out, the phone’s been ringing,” McFarlane admitted. “A movie studio CEO called me today, actually: ‘I just wanna say we’re interested. But I think he was the last of the big studios to call me! But I’m still of the mind that [a Spawn movie sequel] is a lower budget, cooler, creepier movie. When we get there, it’ll get made. [This goes back to something I said a few years ago], which is that the movie studios will start burning through the A and A- characters. They did a fantastic job with Iron Man, who I don’t think many fans would describe as an ‘A+’ character, by getting him up to that level with the movie.”

However, to control the look of the film, the artist turned mogul says he wants to direct the film. ”I tell everybody that in advance,” he said. “The answer is, the only way anyone will say ‘yes’ to that is if I keep the budget low. If I make it an $80 million budget, they won’t let me direct it…nor would I want to direct it. There are too many guys who are smarter that can do it. But a $10 million dollar creepy movie? I can do that one….In the movie idea I have for Spawn, there is no super villain. It’s a completely real drama that happens to have a spook in it. And it doesn’t mean that the spook has an arch-enemy or a nemesis, or any of that. It just means that there’s a sentinel stuck in the middle of The Godfather.

“I’ve been living with this movie in my head for a long time. I don’t feel like trying to convey what’s in my brain to somebody else…it would take too long. I can just do it myself. And people aren’t adverse to it. You know, Frank Miller is directing his stuff now.”