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Neil Gaiman Returns to Non-Fiction

  • News
  • November 6, 2008

Publisher’s Weekly reports that Neil Gaiman has signed with Morrow to write three non-fiction titles.

Monkey and Me: China and the Journey to the West will be the first tile and is described as "inspired by Journey to the West, a classical Chinese text by Wu Cheng’en, who lived in the 16th century."

The author has previously written non-fiction, breaking into writing as a British journalist. His last non-fiction book was 1998’s Don’t Panic: The Official Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Companion. His most recent novel, The Graveyard Book, was published last month.

The first of the three new books will see print in 2009 according to Morrow.  All three were acquired from Gaiman’s agent Merrilee Heifetz by senior v-p and director of editorial development Jennifer Brehl. After Moneky and Me, the remaining two books will cover subjects regular readers of his blog will be familiar with.

Gaiman will also be returning to comics with a two-part Batman story to see print in early 2009.

Away from print, he is involved as producer or director on several of his projects including Death: The High Cost of Living.  He recently announced The Graveyard Book will also see life as a live-action film. The next film based on his works will be February’s Coraline, a CGI-animated proejct from director Henry Sellick.

 

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Batman to Sue Warner Bros.

  • News
  • November 6, 2008

batman-road-sign-7272613Batman, the small subdistrict of Ankara, Turkey announced on Wednesday their attention to sue Warner Bros. for its Batman movie franchise.  According to the story at India’s Top News, Batman mayor Huseyin Kalkan feels permission should have been obtained prior to filming. The very first filmed Batman was the 1943 serial with the first full-length feature being the 1966 movie with the television cast. More recently, The Dark Knight amassed $992,764,009 in global box office receipts according to Box Office Mojo.

Batman became a distinct subdistrict in 1937, two years before the character’s debut in Detective Comics #27. The name comes from the Batman River and as it prospered it first became a town of Siirt in 1957, and in 1990 was made its own province.

"There is only one Batman in this world," said Kalkan. "Without telling us, the US makers of the films have taken the name of our region."

The mayor confirmed for the press that he would file suit in the United States if it came to that.

‘Wanted 2’ on the Boards

  • News
  • November 6, 2008

Chris Morgan confirmed he will be writing the sequel to Wanted for Universal.  He spoke with MTV and said, “Yes, I will be writing it. I’m actually leaving this conversation with you to go to a meeting with the director, Timur [Bekmambetov], and we’re talking about the story.”

Despite confirming interest in a sequel to June’s action thriller starring Angelina Jolie, Universal continues to negotiate with writer Mark Millar who wrote the original comic miniseries, with artist J.G. Jones. A deal is said to be imminent.

“As far as I know, the studio is finishing their deal with Mark [Millar], and then we’re all going to get together and collaborate,” said Morgan, a longtime comics fan. “And that’s something I’m very excited about.”

After all, the movie deviated from the comic, creating its own mythology and now has to explore new facets of that world. Terence Stamp has already hinted to the press his Pekwarsky will return in the sequel which may be wishful thinking.

“That is the challenge here,” laughed Morgan, “but the point is to continue the journey that Wes started in the first film. Wherever he ended up at the end of the film, now it’s time to move him forward.”

The $75 million movie went on to earn good reviews and more importantly, scored $134,327,125 domestically plus an additional $203,210,478 in foreign box office.  The 
$337,537,603 global total before licensing and home video revenue more than justified Universal wanting a sequel. 

The DVD version will be released on December 2 in multiple versions: single-disc widescreen and full frame DVD editions, 2-disc Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def versions, and deluxe collector’s sets. The limited edition 2-disc versions and collector’s sets include a digital copy of the film.

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‘Doctor Who’ Speculation Grips England

  • News
  • November 6, 2008

david-tennant-4181492The British media has been in overdrive since David Tennant announced last week that the four specials in 2009 will be his final year as The Doctor. He appeared this week on BBC Breakfast and said, “Who knows what might happen in the future? The door isn’t necessarily closed forever.

“I actually think it’s one of those parts that any actor could bring something very valid to, because he can be anything and because it’s a sort of blank canvas every time.

“In fact, the difference is the virtue with each doctor, it’s not like recasting Tarzan, where you have to got someone who looks good in a loin cloth. It can sort of be anything.”

After all, his predecessors have managed to reprise their incarnation of the Time Lord for the annual Children in Need charity special and audio books.

When pressed, he refused to join in the speculation for a successor, saying, “It’s not down to me. I’ve got nothing to do with it.” Then he lightly suggested if they wanted to go with a female doctor, Billie Piper, who played the beloved Rose Tyler, would get his nod.

He also mentioned that when incoming producer Steven Moffat outlined his thoughts on the doctor, Tennant was tempted to reconsider his decision which he apparently made some time back with current producer Russell T. Davies.

The odds continue to favor James Nesbitt (Cold Feet)as receiving the key to the TARDIS. When asked, Nesbitt said it would be career suicide to follow Tennant and said his competition, Paterson Joseph, “would be great”.

Reuters notes that “Bookmaker William Hill has made 44-year-old David Morrissey, who starred in BBC dramas State of Play and Blackpool its favorite to get the job, while the Daily Mirror is tipping former Eastenders actor Tom Ellis.” (more…)

Captain Fantastic Faster Than Superman Spiderman Batman Wolverine Hulk And The Flash Combined

  • Uncategorized
  • November 6, 2008

Honest. Would we fib? From the London Independent:

A Glastonbury teenager is claiming to have the longest name in the world – Captain Fantastic Faster Than Superman Spiderman Batman Wolverine Hulk And The Flash Combined.

Captain Fantastic – formerly George Garratt – changed his name by deed poll "for a bit of a laugh" through a service he found online.

The Legal Deed Poll Service, based in Islington, north London, charged £10 for the legally-certified deed poll, which the company said was accepted by UK Government departments including the Home Office and HM Revenue and Customs.

The 19-year-old music student said his name beat the Guinness Book of Records’ longest personal name registered on a birth certificate by 24 letters.

Question for the ComicMix Brain Trust: What web comic solutions do you like?

  • News
  • November 6, 2008

The release of ComicPress Manager 1.20 for ComicPress (which in turn is for WordPress) and D.J. Coffman’s post on how to host your own friggin’ webcomic prompts me to ask: what’s the current state of the art for posting comics online? Who likes what versions and why? Is there a decent way to post comics using Movable Type or LiveJournal, say, or even MySpace or FaceBook? Do you find it more useful to create your own content management system, as Zuda, Marvel, and we have done?

We’d really like to hear from people who are already using the tools. Feel free to link to your comic sites in your comments as well, show us what you’ve been doing.

Death Cab for Sarah Palin

  • Uncategorized
  • November 6, 2008

Editorial cartoonist Ted Rall and animator David Essman have released a hilarious, vicious parody of GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin to celebrate Election Day 2008.
Distributed for free on YouTube and at tedrall.com, "Death Cab for Palin" is an animated political cartoon that lampoons Sarah Palin’s presidential ambitions. Noting that vice presidents frequently become presidents, "Death Cab" depicts a rabid Vice President Palin trying to poison and bomb President McCain in the manner of the classic "Road Runner" cartoon series.

Rall, a syndicated cartoonist for Universal Press Syndicate, is no stranger to controversy. His "Terror Widows" and "FDNY 2011" cartoons after 9/11 were some of the most controversial cartoons in U.S. history. Will "Death Cab for Sarah" join their ranks? "I don’t know," says Rall, "but it was such a fun idea I just couldn’t resist going with it."

Rall’s editorial cartoons and columns are syndicated to more than 100 newspapers around the U.S. Twice the winner of the RFK Journalism Award and a Pulitzer Finalist, he is President of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.

Essman is an animator currently at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His animated films have been screened across the country, including Animation Block Party, The Chicago Underground Film Festival, and the St. Louis International Film Festival.

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Jesse Stone Returns to CBS

  • News
  • November 6, 2008

Robert B. Parker may be known for his series of Spenser novels, but his second creation, Jesse Stone, is gaining popularity through a series of CBS telefilms starring Tom Selleck. A sixth chapter has been announced as now being in production.  No Remorse has started shooting in Halifax, Nova Scotia for eventually airing.  A fifth telefilm is completed with no airdate.

Jesse Stone is a small town Sheriff in Massachusetts who fights his alcoholism and unhealthy addiction to his ex-wife, now living in the area as a local television news reporter.

The new film will be an original story, not based on one of the seven novels in the series which launched in 1997. Night and Day will be published in the first half of 2009. Stone inhabits the same universe as Spenser and Parker’s other creation, Sunny Randall. In fact, Stone and Randall was an item in several novels but their emotional commitments to their exes kept the relationship from continuing.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new telefilm tells of Stone “having been suspended by the local town council, moonlighting for his friend, State Homicide Commander Healy (Stephen McHattie), by investigating a series of murders in Boston.”

Kathy Baker, Kohl Sudduth, William Devane, William Sadler and Saul Rubinek will all be back in their familiar roles with Krista Allen joining the cast.

The teleplay is from Selleck and Michael Brandman, who double as executive producers.

Jerry Bruckheimer Updates ‘Pirates’, ‘Lone Ranger’, ‘National Treasure’

  • News
  • November 5, 2008

Jerry Bruckheimer updated Coming Soon on the status of various film projects, debunking some rumors and providing timetables.

"We’re doing another National Treasure so we’re working on that, we’re preparing Sorcerer’s Apprentice right now—it’s going to be shot in New York—we have another picture that’s in post-production that we’re finishing called Confessions of a Shopaholic with Isla Fischer and Hugh Dancy, so that comes out in February," he told a gaggle of reporters on the set of Prince of Persia, due out next year.

National Treasure: The third film in the Nicholas Cage series is having a script written.

Lone Ranger: The new adaptation of Fran Striker’s radio hero is having a screenplay written.  Since the film was announced by Disney in September, people have swooned at the notion of who would play the Ranger opposite Johnny Depp’s Tonto. Bruckheimer debunked the most frequent suspicion that George Clooney would wear the black mask. "We haven’t decided who is going to play the Lone Ranger yet. Get a director first and then figure it out."

Pirates of the Caribbean 4: Again, a script is being conceived and it’s little surprise that all three films are being written by the team of Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio who have written most of Bruckheimer’s blockbusters. He speculated about shooting the next installment in IMAX, saying, "Absolutely. I’d love to do it, so let’s just see if we can work it through the production schedule with everything else.

"I think they’re pushing towards 2012. Hopefully we can make it we’ll see."

Stephen Colbert wins Presidency! *

  • Uncategorized
  • November 5, 2008

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The Daily Bugle Reports That Colbert Wins Election in Marvel Universe!
 
New York City, November 5, 2008—The early results are in and the Daily Bugle is reporting that Stephen Colbert has won the United States Presidency in the Marvel Universe. While many states still have yet to report their numbers, Colbert is already claiming a victory.
 
More on this story as it develops… like how they’re going to work this into continuity. If you thought President Luthor was over the line…

UPDATE 6:06: Never mind, late reporting precients…

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