Ridley Scott and Leonardo DiCaprio are set to adapt Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. The novel, written in 1932, features a dystopian future where society is divided into castes, humans are genetically engineered and learn through sleep technology.

In an exclusive interview with io9, Scott confirms that he’s hard at work on the project. He admits that the material is a "big challenge" because it’s essentially translating the predictions of a visionary.

"They were predictions in a way," Scott says of Brave New World and George Orwell’s 1984. "So the Aldous Huxley [novel], literally what is called Brave New World, that’s a very hard adaptation."

As a result, Scott admits that he’s "still struggling" with the script.

"Even with a good writer, he’ll do it and screw up," says the director, reemphasizing just how hard it is to translate the novel onto the big screen.

According to Scott, it was DiCaprio’s production company Appian Way that approached the director with the project. Scott calls the actor "perfect" for the film, and while he doesn’t explicitly say that he’ll appear on screen, it’s incredibly likely. Brave New World is chalk full of interesting male characters, including John the Savage, an outcast from both modern civilization and the primitive society he was born into.

It’ll probably be a while before any further movement occurs on this one, since Ridley Scott is prepping Nottingham and admittedly has "40 things on the go at once." Still, the project is "a very important one" to the director, so hopefully the show will get on the road before too long. In the mean time, pop a soma and relax, because a thoughtful, carefully planned Brave New World is definitely a movie worth waiting for.

Chicago’s Strawdog Theatre Company has mounted a new production of Karel Capek’s 1920 play R.U.R.  The seminal science fiction play gave the world the word “robot” (based on the Czech word for laborer) and this will run through October 25.

The play stars Ryan Bollettino, Brennan Buhl, Zachary Clark, Andrew Gebhart, Joe Goldammer, Sara Gorsky, Carmine Grisolia, Jocelyn Kelvin, Nick Lake, Anderson Lawfer, Michaela Petro, Henry Riggs, John Henry Roberts, Noah Simon, and Rebekah Ward-Hays.

The initials stand for Rossum’s Universal Robots. The theatre company’s site says, “Forget clunky metal boxes, these robots are genetically engineered humans with the troublesome parts, like needs and desires, omitted. The men of R.U.R. live alongside their constructs on a remote island, closely guarding their secret formula while supplying the world with all the cheap labor it can stand. It runs like clockwork until a beautiful young robot rights activist arrives via her father’s private boat.

“Shade Murray, director of Strawdog’s Jeff Award-winning Detective Story and Marathon ’33 once again breathes new life into a forgotten gem, a funny and fast-paced character piece that happens to blow the lid off a whole mess of deep metaphysical questions. What is life? What is love? You won’t find out on the web site.”

Tickets cost $20 and performances are Friday & Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 7 p.m.
 

David Cronenberg, the director best known for creepy fare such as The Fly and Scanners, is about to change genres.  Variety reports he is in negotiations to direct The Matarese Circle, the political thriller written by Robert Ludlum.

The MGM film would star Denzel Washington and its story is set back when there was still a Cold War. Washington’s American would have to find a way to cooperate with a Russian counterpart to stop a plot aimed at destroying multiple national governments.

Ludlum’s best seller has been adapted by the writing team of Michael Brandt and Derek Haas (3:10 to Yuma). It has been fast-tracked since the studio, headed by Tom Cruise and Mary Parent, acquired the rights in April.

Cronenberg most recently directed the action-packed Eastern Promises.
 

Cinema Blend is reporting that rather than Gore Verbinski, Tim Burton may helm the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean feature for Disney. While the rumor is unsubstantiated, the site values its source.

Additionally, the film may introduce a brother for Captain Jack Sparrow, giving Johnny Depp someone new to play off of. Additional rumors have the story centering on Sparrow’s search for the Fountain of Youth. Geoffrey Rush is also said to be interested in returning to the high seas.

If any of the above is true, we feel it will most certainly refresh the franchise and possibly allow it to sail towards open seas where the possibilities are endless as opposed to getting further tangled in its convoluted mythos. Certainly, replacing Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom as his foils would keep things new.

Jimmy Gownley’s delightful Amelia Rules! has been picked up by a division of Simon & Schuster for repackaging for the bookstore market.  Gownley began sel-fpublishing the comic in 2001 thoruhg his Renaissance Press imprint and features the advenuteres of Amelia Louise McBride and her fourth grade buddies.  Since its inception, the series has tackled real world issues through the prism of youth and has received priase.

The series has been nominated for three Eisner Awards,  two Harvey Awards, and a short list finalist for the Howard E. Day Prize. in 2002. In 2007 Amelia Rules Volume 3: Superheroes won the Cybil Award for Best graphic novel for readers twelve and under.

Ginee Seo Books, an imprint of Atheneum/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, will reprint the first four Amelia Rules! trade collections beginning with Amelia Rules!: The Whole World’s Crazy to be published in Spring 2009 and the last reprint Amelia Rules!: When the Past is a Present scheduled for release in Spring 2010. The fifth volume, Amelia Rules!: The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular will be the first original publication with the hardcover and paperback scheduled to come out simultaneously in Fall 2010.

“Jimmy is a true creative genius, and Amelia Rules! has that rare combination of mass appeal and literary substance that every publisher dreams about. We are thrilled for Jimmy to be joining the S&S list, as we work to expand our list with some of the top comic and graphic novel talent publishing today, and we look forward to making his name and his characters known to even wider audience beyond his already substantial following,” said Ginee Seo, VP, Editorial Director of Ginee Seo Books.

Jimmy Gownley added in a release, “It was important for me to find the perfect home for Amelia Rules! and I strongly believe Simon & Schuster and Ginee Seo books are a great match. I am more excited than ever about Amelia and kids graphic novels in general”

In today’s Action Comics #870, Jonathan Kent dies. Again.  While this is his first death since 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, it’s a significant alteration to Superman’s status quo. ComicMix asked historian John Wells to take a look back at the character’s role in Superman’s life.  Graphics were selected and are courtesy of our pal Mark Waid.

A bitterly fought election had come to a close but the victor had little time to enjoy himself.  Instead, still in a rage over a blackmail attempt targeting his family, Jonathan Kent clutched his chest and collapsed, dying in the arms of his wife and son.  Speaking of this pivotal event in Smallville’s 100th episode (January 26, 2006), executive producer Al Gough told TV Guide that this was “part of the Superman mythology that was always going to have to be told.”   But did it really correspond with the comics?

In the beginning, Ma and Pa Kent didn’t exist at all.   As far as Action Comics #1 (June 1938) was concerned, the infant Superman was simply discovered by a passing motorist and dropped off at an orphanage.  And, even with a considerably longer account, the 1939 Superman comic strip stuck to that particular detail.  Ultimately, it was 1939’s two-page origin at the front of Superman #1 that set down many of the details that fans would consider sacrosanct.    Here, the Kents were actually shown discovering the super-baby’s rocket and asking a relieved orphanage to adopt him.  And, as the vignette concluded, Clark Kent was seen standing at his foster-parents’ graves, inspired to honor their memory by becoming Superman.

The subsequent Superman radio show sidestepped the issue of Clark Kent’s formative years altogether.  In this one, the passing motorist didn’t find a baby.  Inside this rocket, he found a full-grown Superman ready to take on the world.  Yikes! (more…)

Something is going on in comic books. Have you noticed? It’s been happening for a few years now. For some reason, certain comics are not making sense with the rest of the established universe and history. For some reason, things that don’t make sense have been running rampant throughout the fictional realities of DC and Marvel.

Have you noticed it? Sure you have. I’m not the only one, right?

Have you checked out DC Decisions #2? It’s very interesting. Guy Gardner is on Earth rather than Oa. And Power Girl is around instead of still trapped on the new Earth-2. Does this story take place before the current JSA storyline? Or afterward? It would be nice to be told in a brief footnote.

Then there’s the recent Hawkman Special where Carter Hall was told that his memories of being the Ancient Egyptian Prince Khufu were a lie and it basically was said that Khufu couldn’t have existed. Okay, um, wait a second. Black Adam and the wizard Shazam were both there and lived alongside Khufu. And the JSA actually went on a time travel mission a couple of years ago and worked with Khufu against a younger Vandal Savage. How can all of that be explained by false memories? Has the entire JSA been infected with identical delusions? (more…)