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I saw the clip that Travolta showed on The Tonight Show and unless he chose the worst scene in the whole movie to show, this movie looks like it's going to suck and suck big-time. As one memorable post on AICN said, Battlefield Earth looks like it could be the Howard The Duck of the year 2000. :) It kind of reminds me of The Postman in that it's a big star's pet project that just didn't turn out well. Of course it's not out yet so I could be wrong but from the clips I've seen and script reviews I've read, I'm not holding out much hope.

And about the size of the book, the movie is focusing on only the first half of the book. Plans are in the works to make the second half of the book if this one does well.

My personal favorite, one that paramount apparently did not follow up on is as follows:

[ This was apparently pitched to paramount, who turned it down (I guess it had too much potential)]

The basic premise is a show based in the Star Trek Universe, set in the time period AFTER the fall of the Federation. And Everything has gone to HELL. (let your imagination run wild)

Enter one Star Ship, which has some how been a stasis for up to 500 to 1000 years - so that the Star Trek federation is a faint memory at best.

the goal is to rebuild what was lost, and which everyone now believes to be a fairy tale.

They do have superior technology, but they are all ALONE. If they blow it, that is it.

We as the audience, know what was lost, along with the Star ship crew. but no one else does.

This has potential. Too bad paramount threw it away.

The film will be directed at the hand of Simon West

Erk! Only the other day aicn was reporting that Simon West was to direct a film remake of The Prisoner.

Perhaps the Brit-property adaptation stories have got muddled up. Or perhaps they are the same film. Personally, the thought of a Hollywood version of The Prisoner is bad enough without Lara Croft starring.

Who is number one?

You are number fifty double D.

OT: OOG's post above seems to have attracted the following moderation:

Moderation Totals:Troll=3, Funny=3, Total=6

Last time I checked, Troll was normally negative. Unless minus three people have moderated it. Hello sid=moderation people; there really is something odd going on...

The film will be directed at the hand of Simon West

Erk! Only the other day aicn was reporting that Simon West was to direct a film remake of The Prisoner.

Perhaps the Brit-property adaptation stories have got muddled up. Or perhaps they are the same film. Personally, the thought of a Hollywood version of The Prisoner is bad enough without Lara Croft starring.

Who is number one?

You are number fifty double D.

OT: OOG's post above seems to have attracted the following moderation:

Moderation Totals:Troll=3, Funny=3, Total=6

Last time I checked, Troll was normally negative. Unless minus three people have moderated it. Hello sid=moderation people; there really is something odd going on...

Like many things that show up on Slashdot, this one is an old story (not that being old news is intrinsically bad - old news is still a good starting point for discussion).

This first showed up as a rumor while Kubrick was still alive - shortly after the ShoWest teaser for Eyes Wide Shut appeared (this was one featuring a single shot of Kidman, topless, with three words successively covering up the "naughty bits" - Cruise, Kidman, Kubrick, then the title Eyes Wide Shut0). At that time, it was to have been a collaboration. There was even a young actor named who'd been booked for summers for many many years. The stock for AI on the Hollywood Stock Exchange doubled that day (it had been doing well because of Kubrick's name, then slumped when Eyes Wide Shut was announced).

People that play HSX find many rumor sites to get info on upcoming movies (HSX is a play stock exchange speculating on the success of upcoming movies - usually gets opening box office take right within a million). Perhaps the two most well-known are the following:

• Ain't It Cool News (reference to John Travolta in Broken Arrow). This site is widely credited with single-handedly ruining the box office of Batman and Robin. The guy that runs the site used to be loathed by Hollywood - now they invite him to screenings and studio visits.
• Dark Horizons. A little slow sometimes (loading the page, not speed of rumor - either DH or AICN is equally likely to get a scoop on a rumor), being in Australia, but a good site.

Enjoy.

aicn have a few piccies from the trailer. All I can say is... Mmmmm, Mystique...

and at this site there is a cool campaign site parody that is very relevant to the x-men.

Enjoy!

Hmm, I followed that link to the Ain't It Cool News article about Jeff Garner. Now I personally have no interest in the subject, but I must say one thing:

Damn, the comments are funny!!

Check this shit out! These guys flame and whine and bitch and swear so much, they make Slashdot look a garden party! Sorry guys, the AICN trolls are way better than any Slashdot trolls!

Jeff Garner is going to be Anakin Skywalker. At least if Ain't It Cool News has got the ruour straight. Looks the part, IMHO.

Someone posted on AICN a few weeks ago that the release announcement would be in (early?) February. She works at a video store, and also said that such announcements are generally made about 3 months prior to the release, maybe in time for Memorial Day.

But then again, this is Lucas. Oops, typo. I meant LuCASH. He'll probably delay it until next Christmas just because the fans will put up with it.

The Lord of the Rings is more worth the wait anyway.

This was originally posted on the Ain't it Cool News website back in August (1999), and you can find the original full story here.

The interesting bit is this:

"Interestingly enough, there was a surprising lack on consistency between the reports, save for info on one of the titles - Gene Roddenberry's PHOENIX RISING. All of the reports about this show said pretty much the same thing. Thus, the Phoenix Rising information should be considered rather reliable, although please be aware some changes will likely come down during the show's developmental process."

....

"Gene Roddenberry's PHOENIX RISING. Phoenix Rising is being developed by Star Trek: Deep Space Nine alumni Robert Hewitt Wolfe.

FLASH BACK: Remember Roddenberry's two series pilots from the '70s (Genesis II and Planet Earth)? Both featured a man called Dylan Hunt being frozen in (more or less) modern day, then revived on an Earth that has fallen to great savagery and barbarism. The point of the proposed series would have been for Hunt and his sidekicks to work towards reuniting and re-unifying mankind. Remember this concept for a moment, and the name Dylan Hunt.

PRESENT DAY: Robert Hewitt Wolfe conceives of his "perfect" Star Trek series: a series set thousands of years in Star Trek's future. The galaxy is in turmoil, all of the governments to which Trek fans are accustomed have crumbled and imploded. The galaxy is a really screwed up place: Vulcans have renounced their logic and are now savage enemies of anyone who crosses them. Homeless Klingons roam space in violent packs of attack ships. The Federation is long gone - but it is an ideal not forgotten to those living in this untamed reality.

A Federation Starship...an "Enterprise" from a bit further down the ship's lineage...is discovered drifting in space, its Captain (and maybe a few crew) are frozen in stasis. Ship and crew are revived, and are horrified by the galaxy to which they awaken. Using their Enterprise as an icon for the cohesion and strength that used to be (but is now lost), Enterprise and her rag-tag crew set out to restore the Federation to what it once was, and restore peace and balance to the galaxy.

It is unclear if Wolfe ever formally approached Paramount with this Trek series concept. None the less, the basic idea for his series is finding its way into a new (non-Trek) "Roddenberry" series called Phoenix Rising.

Take the Genesis II / Planet Earth scenarios mentioned above...throw them together with Wolfe's "ideal" Star Trek series...and you get Gene Roddenberry's PHOENIX RISING. PR is the tale of a spaceship and captain found drifting in deep space. They are revived into a galaxy that is all messed-up. They set about trying to restore peace and order to the way of things - by trying to re-unite the galaxy and resurrect the glorious old days of solidarity and (relative) peace. It's a tough job in a tough place, but somebody's gotta do it.

Given this formula, one significant question sticks out: this "galaxy in decay" notion would have worked magnificently on Star Trek - as viewers would already have a general frame of reference for what Trek history looks like & feels like. Thus, we can understand what has actually been lost, and are able to visualize what our heroes are trying to resurrect.

But Phoenix Rising does not have the benefit of dealing with such solid and established notions of what has come before, because its back history (on which the entire series is predicated) has never been seen or experienced by the audience. As such, one concern regarding Phoenix Rising is that our heroes will be struggling towards a "new order" / "golden age" which has no resonance or point of association to the viewer. Thus, the "goal" of the series might seem tenuous or abstract, unless the show (somehow) conceives of a brilliant & effective way to convey the coveted age of hope which our characters are striving to bring back - so we can associate with what their endgame really is.

As far as I can tell, Hercules' Kevin Sorbo has expressed great interest in playing the revived captain in Phoenix Rising, although no final decisions have been made on this. I am told that Sorbo will either go for PR, or Gene Roddenberry's ANDROMEDA (see below).

Phoenix Rising is currently being developed with an eye towards a Fall 2000 premiere."

.....

I would LOVE to see it a star trek series developed as mentioned above, but it looks like Paramount will find a way to mess with it again and screw it up...

and I haven't seen anything as far as recent news on Phoenix Rising, since I am not really that heavy of a TV watcher, etc...

but one can always hope, I suppose...

This was originally posted on the Ain't it Cool News website back in August (1999), and you can find the original full story here.

The interesting bit is this:

"Interestingly enough, there was a surprising lack on consistency between the reports, save for info on one of the titles - Gene Roddenberry's PHOENIX RISING. All of the reports about this show said pretty much the same thing. Thus, the Phoenix Rising information should be considered rather reliable, although please be aware some changes will likely come down during the show's developmental process."

....

"Gene Roddenberry's PHOENIX RISING. Phoenix Rising is being developed by Star Trek: Deep Space Nine alumni Robert Hewitt Wolfe.

FLASH BACK: Remember Roddenberry's two series pilots from the '70s (Genesis II and Planet Earth)? Both featured a man called Dylan Hunt being frozen in (more or less) modern day, then revived on an Earth that has fallen to great savagery and barbarism. The point of the proposed series would have been for Hunt and his sidekicks to work towards reuniting and re-unifying mankind. Remember this concept for a moment, and the name Dylan Hunt.

PRESENT DAY: Robert Hewitt Wolfe conceives of his "perfect" Star Trek series: a series set thousands of years in Star Trek's future. The galaxy is in turmoil, all of the governments to which Trek fans are accustomed have crumbled and imploded. The galaxy is a really screwed up place: Vulcans have renounced their logic and are now savage enemies of anyone who crosses them. Homeless Klingons roam space in violent packs of attack ships. The Federation is long gone - but it is an ideal not forgotten to those living in this untamed reality.

A Federation Starship...an "Enterprise" from a bit further down the ship's lineage...is discovered drifting in space, its Captain (and maybe a few crew) are frozen in stasis. Ship and crew are revived, and are horrified by the galaxy to which they awaken. Using their Enterprise as an icon for the cohesion and strength that used to be (but is now lost), Enterprise and her rag-tag crew set out to restore the Federation to what it once was, and restore peace and balance to the galaxy.

It is unclear if Wolfe ever formally approached Paramount with this Trek series concept. None the less, the basic idea for his series is finding its way into a new (non-Trek) "Roddenberry" series called Phoenix Rising.

Take the Genesis II / Planet Earth scenarios mentioned above...throw them together with Wolfe's "ideal" Star Trek series...and you get Gene Roddenberry's PHOENIX RISING. PR is the tale of a spaceship and captain found drifting in deep space. They are revived into a galaxy that is all messed-up. They set about trying to restore peace and order to the way of things - by trying to re-unite the galaxy and resurrect the glorious old days of solidarity and (relative) peace. It's a tough job in a tough place, but somebody's gotta do it.

Given this formula, one significant question sticks out: this "galaxy in decay" notion would have worked magnificently on Star Trek - as viewers would already have a general frame of reference for what Trek history looks like & feels like. Thus, we can understand what has actually been lost, and are able to visualize what our heroes are trying to resurrect.

But Phoenix Rising does not have the benefit of dealing with such solid and established notions of what has come before, because its back history (on which the entire series is predicated) has never been seen or experienced by the audience. As such, one concern regarding Phoenix Rising is that our heroes will be struggling towards a "new order" / "golden age" which has no resonance or point of association to the viewer. Thus, the "goal" of the series might seem tenuous or abstract, unless the show (somehow) conceives of a brilliant & effective way to convey the coveted age of hope which our characters are striving to bring back - so we can associate with what their endgame really is.

As far as I can tell, Hercules' Kevin Sorbo has expressed great interest in playing the revived captain in Phoenix Rising, although no final decisions have been made on this. I am told that Sorbo will either go for PR, or Gene Roddenberry's ANDROMEDA (see below).

Phoenix Rising is currently being developed with an eye towards a Fall 2000 premiere."

.....

I would LOVE to see it a star trek series developed as mentioned above, but it looks like Paramount will find a way to mess with it again and screw it up...

and I haven't seen anything as far as recent news on Phoenix Rising, since I am not really that heavy of a TV watcher, etc...

but one can always hope, I suppose...

For those interested in this, and movies in general, visit Ain't It Cool News.

The site is dedicated to movie industry news and rumours, and the search engine should point you to past rumblings about Mononoke and anything else at all..

Don't forget to check out the buzz on Pitch Black.

In the off chance that someone will read this, even being a multi-day old topic, with plenty of comments already--

There's a part of an interview with Neil Gaiman at Aint-It-Cool-News:

http://www.aint-it-cool-news.c om/display.cgi?id=4583

(it's towards the bottom). It mentions what else he's currently working on, including a movie versions of Neverwhere.

Aint-It-Cool-News has some comments on G.C. Scott.
-- Moondog

I'd also throw in Film Threat for independent movies, with a caveat. These guys are, as a rule, downright hostile to anything with actual financial support. But you will learn about some excellent stuff!

I very much agree with you about Rushmore. My girlfriend didn't especially like it, but I was entranced. And also surprised that Peter Venkman :) would take on such a meaningful role.

Regarding looking for info on the latest flicks, I highly endorse the internet movie database and aint it cool news.

-konstant

Here is link to a recent thread about Neuromancer from Aint It Cool News. The script the guy is discussing in from 1990! I still think this is low level buzz.

He now has more positive reviews. Cheez, of course there are going to be people dissapointed with the film, we're all different ! Don't depend on someone else's opinion and form your own.

Go see the movie !

www.aint-it-cool-news.com

As I recall they're singing a couple of lines in Sanskrit. If you go to the Boston Globe's website and search around for articles dating back to the first week of April, you ought to find a very nice article about John Williams and the new music. Ain't It Cool News also had a link to this, earlier in the month.

but lots more. There was a bit on it over at Ain't It Cool News about the DVD, and there's a ton of other features that weren't mentioned. Things like restored footage, an interactive look at the original script (which allows you to go from a bit in the script to the actual movie, to see what changed), actual use of "angles" to show pre and post-production shots. The MST3K bit is not limited to watching them watch the show; the audio of the MST3K bit can be listened to as a separate audio track overlaying the movie. All in all, good stuff. I'm there.

There's more reactions and info at


Ain't it Cool News

I think AiCN is the film fan equivalent of
Slashdot.