Weekly Entertainment & Movie News

[FH]

A Review of the Fantastic Four Script!
Source: Superhero Hype

'SpiderRocky' pointed us to Latino Review which has a first look at the new Fantastic Four script that Tim Story will direct for Fox and Marvel. Here's a bit from the article....

And Hell No! The Thing will not be black. Mr. Story will be COMPLETELY faithful to the source material. Another thing is let’s give Tim a fair shot. Avi Arad and Tim will NOT go the comedy route with Fantastic Four as it is also being falsely reported. Just because Tim directed BARBERSHOP, people are already making assumptions. Don’t get me wrong, Fantastic Four will have some funny moments as the script has plenty of them.

Hit this link for the full review, which does contain spoilers of course.

[FH]

The 4400 Series Picked Up by USA Network
Source: Coming Soon


Variety reports that USA Network has picked up the sci-fi drama pilot The 4400 to series. The project was ordered as a pilot plus five scripts from executive producers Rene Echevarria (Dark Angel) and Maira Suro (Platinum) last year.

Picking up where most alien-abduction tales end, the hour-long series centers on the return of 4,400 missing people to Earth. The series kicks off with an apocalyptic ball of light sailing toward earth. In place of the expected catastrophic event, however, thousands of returned abductees are left with no memory of their otherworldly experiences. Each has been gone anywhere from a few months to several decades, but hasn't aged a day.

The 4400 is set for a summer premiere on USA, which will also roll out a new season of the scripted original The Dead Zone in June. "4400" is planned as a limited series, with the possibility of more episodes should the first round perform well.

Peter Coyote, Joel Gretsch and Jacqueline McKenzie starred in the pilot alongside Michael Moriarty, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Laura Allen, Kaj-Erik Eriksen and Chad Faust.

[FH]

Quentin Tarantino Talks More Kill Bill Vol. 3
Source: Coming Soon


While Kill Bill Vol. 2 doesn't hit theaters until next Friday, writer and director Quentin Tarantino has talked even more about a third film.

"Oh yeah, initially I was thinking this would be my 'Dollars' trilogy. I was going to do a new one every 10 years. But I need at least 15 years before I do this again," he tells Entertainment Weekly.

"The star will be Vernita Green's (Vivica A. Fox's) daughter, Nikki (Ambrosia Kelley)," he adds. "I've already got the whole mythology: Sofie Fatale (Julie Dreyfus) will get all of Bill's money. She'll raise Nikki, who'll take on The Bride."

"Nikki deserves her revenge every bit as much as The Bride deserved hers. I might even shoot a couple of scenes for it now so I can get the actresses while they're this age."

[FH]

Star Wars Trilogy Pre-Orders Reaching Record Levels
Source: Video Business Monday, April 12, 2004



According to Video Business, retailers are already experiencing vast consumer demand for the "Star Wars Trilogy" DVD set, with pre-orders reaching record levels amid reports of extensive extras on the DVDs. After opening pre-orders on March 30, Amazon.com last week reported that the Star Wars DVD set, which is scheduled for retail on Sept. 21, had already outsold expectations.

"Based on an undisclosed number of sales, the Star Wars DVD set is so far the most requested DVD by our customers of all time," said a spokeswoman for the online retailer. Both Amazon and Trans World Entertainment's FYE Web site have posted details on the DVD set's long list of special features, which 20th Century Fox officials declined to confirm.

The FYE Web site reports that each disc in the set will include a commentary by George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, sound designer Ben Burtt and cameraman Dennis Muren. A fourth bonus disc will include a 150-minute feature-length documentary about the making of Star Wars (directed by Kevin Burns); a 30-minute featurette about the evolution of the Star Wars characters with a still/video gallery of artwork and classic scenes from all three movies for each major character; a 20-minute featurette on the influence Star Wars has wielded on moviemaking during the past two decades; a 10-minute featurette about the creation, filming and cinematic influence of lightsabers; and a 20-minute featurette showcasing the opening of each Star Wars movie and its cultural reach.

The bonus disc also includes a demo of the Star Wars Battlefront Xbox game; teasers and trailers from the original and 1997 theatrical releases of each movie; TV spots from the original and 1997 theatrical releases; a behind-the-scenes preview of Star Wars: Episode III; a stills gallery of posters, artwork and photos; and a DVD-ROM link to the Star Wars website.

[FH]

Tarantino on a Kill Bill Special Edition & DVDs
Source: Coming Soon



Davis DVD reports that Quentin Tarantino has some major plans for the two "Kill Bill" films. He revealed that he plans to recut both films together for a special theatrical release later in the year.

"We did a special version [of Vol. 1] for Japan that's only been shown in Japan and Hong Kong, and I kept the rights to that," Tarantino said. "I'll put the Japanese version together [with Vol. 2] like I would if it was one complete movie, and then I'll release that throughout America and Europe in arthouse engagements."

Tarantino promises more extensive DVD plans for the film. "I'm going to do a special collector's edition of both of them once I'm finished with both of them," he said. He is also considering the possibility of releasing stand-alone supplemental discs.

[FH]

"Star Wars" DVD Details & Rumours

Source: Dark Horizons



Well the most anticipated disc release this year (pre-order sales are currently tipped to break numerous records) finally has some early details available in regards to extras. Be aware that it has been confirmed that these are tentative details and some minor changes are expected to be made to them before the worldwide release in September (expect all Regions to have the same extras):

- 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, THX Certified
- English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX; English, Spanish & French Dolby Surround
- George Lucas, Ben Burtt, Dennis Muren & Carrie Fisher Commentary
- Irvin Kirshner (ESB) & Lawrence Kasdan (ESB, ROTJ) Commentary
- Star Wars: The Independent Films Documentary (150 mins)
- The Evolution of Characters Featurette (30 mins)
- The Influence of Star Wars Featurette (20 mins)
- Lightsabers/Fights Featurette (10 mins)
- 1977 Vintage Star Wars Featurette (20 mins)
- Episode III Behind the Scenes Preview (10 mins)
- Star Wars Battlefront X-Box Video Game Preview
- Original & 1997 Re-Release Teasers and Trailers
- Original TV Spots & 1997 Re-Release TV Spots
- Comprehensive Posters and Artwork Gallery
- DVD-ROM: Link to StarWars.com Website

Meanwhile The Digital Bits reports that it has found seeming proof that further updates to the special editions are being done. The top image below is, supposedly an actual shot of Ian McDiarmid as Emperor Palpatine, newly inserted into "The Empire Strikes Back" in place of the original actor (bottom image). One other scene they've heard is being revamped is the CGI Jabba scene from "A New Hope". Look for the digital Jabba to be replaced by a much better looking CG version (likely based on the Episode I digital model of the character).