86581181
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bowman9991 writes:
Science fiction authors have long been outcasts from the literary world, critics using the worst examples of the genre as ammunition against it. Unfortunately though, at times even science fiction authors themselves can turn on their own kind: “Science fiction is rockets, chemicals and talking squids in outer space,” mocked Margaret Atwood, one of her many attempts to convince people that she is not a science fiction author, even though one of her most famous novels, A Handmaid’s Tale, is exactly that. Considered by the literary establishment, and frequently by non-SF award-giving institutions, to be trashy, pulpish, commercially driven lightweight gutter fiction, it’s no surprise that very few works of science fiction have won major literary awards. Kim Stanley Robinson, author of the award-winning (not “literary” awards obviously) Mars novels recently hit out at the literary establishment, accusing the Man Booker judges of “ignorance” in neglecting science fiction, which he declared was “the best British literature of our time”.
13640702
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bowman9991 writes:
Remember to check your palm to ensure that your crystal hasn't gone black. If it has, you better start running. The 1976 science fiction classic 'Logan's Run', starring Michael York, is being remade in 3D with British writer Alex Garland now onboard to write the screenplay. Garland's film 'Sunshine', directed by Danny Boyle, was one of the stand out science fiction films of the last decade and he wrote the screenplays for Leonardo DiCaprio's 'The Beach' (based on Garland's own novel) and the science fiction horror '28 Days Later' (a massive adrenaline rush of a movie). This should give first time director Carl Rinsch some great material to work with — a great premise meets a great writer.
11352096
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bowman9991 writes:
Even after Blade Runner, A Scanner Darkly, Total Recall, the Minority Report, Paycheck, Impostor and Next, it appears Hollywood's lust for movies based on Philip K. Dick material continues. The Adjustment Bureau, starring Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and Terence Stamp is the latest, and features some classic Dick themes, including the fragile nature of reality and a fight against a world controlled and manipulated by powerful unseen entities. When Congressman David Norris meets the love of his life after a political defeat, he must peel back the layers of reality to discover why a mysterious group is so desperate to make sure they never meet again. He is up against the agents of fate itself — the men of The Adjustment Bureau. The Adjustment Bureau adaptation follows news that Terry Gilliam will adapt Dick's novel The World Jones Made, that Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said and Ubik are being adapted and that a remake of Total Recall is being developed by the ironically named Original Films Studio.
10980996
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bowman9991 writes:
If one isn't enough, there are reports that 2 sequels to Roland Emmerich's 1996 alien invasion blockbuster Independence Day are in the works. Will Smith is back too. Apparently he delayed a sequel earlier by asking for too much money. Fox have made so much Avatar 3D cash they are planning as many big budget franchise movies as they can find (or invent).
9496284
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bowman9991 writes:
Can George Lucas' new Star Wars TV series, the first Star Wars spin off with real actors, atone for the flawed follow-ups to his original classics? Producer Rick McCallum calls the new series "much darker," a "much more character-based series" and "more adult," while George Lucas himself calls it more like the first Star Wars film. The new TV show takes place in the "dark times" between the last prequel Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, when most of the Jedi and anti-emperor politicians were hunted down and killed.The characters of Boba Fett, C-3PO, and the Emperor Palpatine will return, and casting has now begun. Mark Hamill, the actor who played Luke Skywalker from the original movies, believes George Lucas lost his way, "making it bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger until you're just exploding with special effects all over the screen like some fireworks display," but thinks the new show is a "positive" step forward. Hopefully George Lucas can wipe the memory of Jar Jar Binks, Anakin and Padme's romance, his shameless merchandising, and some lame attempts at humour from everyone's minds once and for all.
9211336
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bowman9991 writes:
The new Dune remake is becoming as epic as Frank Herbert's Dune series itself. Now that director Peter Berg has been ousted, new director Pierre Morel has decided to throw out Peter Berg's script entirely, starting afresh with his own ideas and vision. "We're starting from scratch," said Morel. "Peter had an approach which was not mine at all, and we're starting over again." Morel also reveals that "It's the kind of movie that has the scope to be 3D." He's also keen on sticking to the original material and recognises that he must try and delete the images associated with David Lynch's 1984 version of Dune from the public’s consciousness.
