Gundam 00 Premieres on the Sci Fi Channel Tonight

1st 2 episodes of re-imagining of robot war anime to run at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT

The Sci Fi television network in the United States will premiere Bandai Entertainment's English dubbing of the Mobile Suit Gundam 00 anime series with two episodes tonight at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT. The series provides a new interpretation of the Gundam robot war mythology that is set in our own real-world history.

In this wartorn future, mankind has splintered into three major factions over energy resources. However, a group known as the Celestial Being aims to eradicate war with four giant robotic mecha known as Gundams and their Gundam Meister pilots.

Fullmetal Alchemist's Seiji Mizushima directed this series with scripts supervised by Honey and Clover's Yousuke Kuroda. Loveless and Earthian manga creator Yun Kouga designed the original characters, which Basilisk's Michinori Chiba adapted for animation.

Gundam 00 to Premiere November 24th on Sci Fi Channel's Ani-Monday

November 11, 2008 (Cypress, CA) – Bandai Entertainment Inc. announced today that it has licensed the television rights to the series “Mobile Suit Gundam 00” to Starz Media. The series will have its U.S. premiere on the Sci Fi Channel November 24th at 11 p.m. on SCI FI's “Ani- Monday” programming block. Two episodes will air that night and each week throughout the fall and spring of 2009.

“Mobile Suit Gundam 00” is the latest installment in the long running franchise and takes place in the year 2307 A.D. When fossil fuels have been completely depleted and humanity has turned to solar energy to maintain its way of life, the controlling nations of the solar power find themselves at war with more impoverished countries. These sun-deprived countries threaten the “promised land of God,” which leads to the formation of a group called the Celestial Being, whose purpose is to end war and unite humanity through the use of four Gundam mech.

The series is directed by Seiji Mizushima whose past credits as a director and storyboard artist include Fullmetal Alchemist, Evangelion, and Appleseed: Ex Machina.

Following its U.S. broadcast it will be released on DVD in 2009 by Bandai Entertainment Inc.

Geneon to Merge with Universal Pictures Japan

The advertising and marketing company Dentsu has announced on Wednesday that it will transfer the majority ownership in its Geneon Entertainment home video subsidiary to NBC Universal's Universal Pictures International Entertainmnent (UPIE). UPIE has agreed to merge Geneon Entertainment with its own Universal Pictures Japan (UPJ), which handles operations in the country.

The transfer agreement was signed on November 7, and the actual transfer is scheduled to take place at the end of the month. The merger of UPJ and Geneon will take place in February of next year, and the resulting company will assume a new name. UPIE will own 80.1% of the new company, while Dentsu will retain 19.9%.

Currently, Geneon Entertainment has 3.6 billion yen (about US$37 million) in capital, which is 100% owned by Dentsu. Geneon Entertainment President and CEO Sumio Kiga oversaw 178 employees as of the end of October. Pioneer had originally established the company in March 1981 to produce videos in the Laserdisc format.

Dentsu acquired the majority of the outstanding shares in Pioneer Entertainment and renamed the company as Geneon Entertainment in 2003. Geneon has already been distributing Universal Pictures' DVDs in Japan since March of this year.

Captain America Gets a Director

Marvel Studios has chosen Joe Johnston to direct First Avenger: Captain America. Johnston, who storyboarded the convoy action sequence in Raiders of the Lost Ark and directed Jurassic Park III, Hidalgo, and the new remake of The Wolfman, began talking with Marvel about Captain America nearly two years ago and, according to The Reporter “much of the project’s current directions resulted from those early conversations.”

First Avenger: Captain America will be set during World War II and will likely include an origin saga. Cap will also be appearing in Marvel Studios’ Avengers, which will be set in the present.

Marvel Studios expects to hire writers for the Captain America film in the very near future. The film is currently slated to debut on May 6th, 2011.

Brett Ratner Helming Conan?

According to The Hollywood Reporter director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, X-Men 3: The Last Stand) “is in final negotiations to take on literature’s most famous barbarian.” Be prepared for a massive collective wail from certain quarters of fandom that don’t see Ratner as anything more than a mediocre director of campy cop capers. Speaking of which, it is likely that Ratner will helm Beverly Hills Cop IV (penned by Wanted scribes Michael Brandt and Derek Haas) for Paramount before commencing his work on the new Conan movie—both films are tentatively slated to be released in 2010.

Co-produced by Nu Image/Millennium and Lionsgate, and written by Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Dean Donnelly, the new Conan film is an origin saga for the mesomorphic mutilator that hews closely to the spirit of the original Robert E. Howard stories (see “Conan Movie on the Fast Track”). According to The Reporter, the new Conan film will be R-rated (like the original John Milius 1982 Conan the Barbarian, and not PG-13 like the franchise-snuffing Conan the Destroyer from 1984) and have a budget of $85 million (down from earlier estimates of $100 million).

Adult Swim Increases Anime Programming

Starting on November 8th the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim is revising its schedule once again with a 5-hour anime block that begins at 1am (ET, PT). In a major format change, the Adult Swim Saturday night schedule will not involve repeating shows broadcast earlier the same night. The Saturday night Adult Swim schedule begins with two hours of its original English language programming, which is followed by ten anime series including Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit and Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, both of which had been banished to the “Milkman” hour of 5am (see “Adult Swim Cuts Back on Anime”) and Shin Chan, which had been dropped off the schedule entirely.

The anime portion of the new Adult Swim schedule begins with Bleach at 1am followed by Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit (1:30am), Code Geass (2am), and Shin Chan (2:30am). Then comes a parade of the Adult Swim's greatest anime hits--most of which will start with their first episodes—Fooly Cooly (FLCL, 3am), Death Note (3:30am), Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (4am), Cowboy Bebop (4:30am), Big O (5am), and Inuyasha (5:30am).
The new Adult Swim schedule represents an increase in the number of hours of anime programming from 6 hours to 8.5 hours per week and an even bigger expansion of the number of anime series, due largely to the ending of the practice of repeating the first 3 hours Adult Swim programming during the second late night 3 hour shift. Of course there is no telling how long Adult Swim will stick with this current schedule of anime programs.

'Jurassic Park' author Michael Crichton dies

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Michael Crichton, who helped create the TV show "ER" and wrote the best-sellers "Jurassic Park," "The Andromeda Strain," "Sphere" and "Rising Sun," has died in Los Angeles, his public relations firm said in a news release.

Crichton died unexpectedly Tuesday "after a courageous and private battle against cancer," the release said.

He was 66.

Crichton, a medical doctor, was attracted to cautionary science tales.

"Jurassic Park" -- perhaps his best-known work -- concerned capturing the DNA of dinosaurs and bringing them to life on a modern island, where they soon run amok; "The Andromeda Strain," his first major fiction success, involves an alien microorganism that's studied in a special military compound after causing death in a nearby community.

Crichton also invited controversy with some of his scientific views. He was an avowed skeptic of global climate change, giving lectures warning against "consensus science." He later took on global warming and the theories surrounding it in his 2004 novel, "State of Fear," which attracted attacks in its own right from scientists, including NASA climatologist James Hansen. iReport.com: Were you a fan? Share your tributes.

Crichton was a distinctive figure in the entertainment business, a trained physician whose interests included writing, filmmaking and television. (He was physically distinctive as well, standing 6 feet 9 inches.)

He published "The Andromeda Strain" while he was still a medical student at Harvard Medical School. He wrote a story about a 19th-century train robbery, called "The Great Train Robbery," and then directed the 1979 film version.

He also directed several other films, including "Westworld" (1973), "Coma" (1978), "Looker" (1981) and "Runaway" (1984).

In 1993, while working on the film version of "Jurassic Park" with Steven Spielberg, he teamed with the director to create "ER." The NBC series set in a Chicago emergency room debuted in 1994 and became a huge hit, making a star of George Clooney. Crichton originally wrote the script for the pilot in 1974.

"Michael's talent out-scaled even his own dinosaurs of 'Jurassic Park,' " said Spielberg, a friend of Crichton's for 40 years, according to The Associated Press. "He was the greatest at blending science with big theatrical concepts, which is what gave credibility to dinosaurs again walking the Earth. ... Michael was a gentle soul who reserved his flamboyant side for his novels. There is no one in the wings that will ever take his place."

Crichton was "an extraordinary man. Brilliant, funny, erudite, gracious, exceptionally inquisitive and always thoughtful," "ER" executive producer John Wells told the AP. "No lunch with Michael lasted less than three hours and no subject was too prosaic or obscure to attract his interest. Sexual politics, medical and scientific ethics, anthropology, archaeology, economics, astronomy, astrology, quantum physics, and molecular biology were all regular topics of conversation."

Michael Crichton was born in Chicago in 1942 and grew up in New York's suburbs. His father was a journalist and Michael loved the writing profession. He went to medical school partly out of a concern he wouldn't be able to make writing a career, but the success of "The Andromeda Strain" in 1969 -- the book was chosen by the Book-of-the-Month Club and optioned by Hollywood -- made him change his mind, though he still had an M.D.

Though most of Crichton's books were major best-sellers involving science, he could ruffle feathers when he took on social issues. "Rising Sun" (1992) came out during a time when Americans feared Japanese ascendance, particularly when it came to technology. "Disclosure" (1994) was about a sexual harassment case.

Crichton won an Emmy, a Peabody, a Writers Guild of America Award for "ER," and won other awards as well.

"Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand," the news release said.

Crichton was married five times and had one child.

A private funeral service is expected.

Marvel Confirms Film Movie Details

David Maisel, chairman of Marvel Studios, told reporters that the success of the 2008 theatrical and DVD releases of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk paves the way for a slew of sequels and new films based on Marvel Comics properties and characters. Among those in the works are Iron Man 2, Thor, The First Avenger: Captain America and The Avengers, Maisel confirmed in a conference call with reporters on Nov. 4 to discuss the company's third-quarter earnings.

As previously reported, Maisel also said that Marvel Studios will, for cost efficiency purposes, relocate its headquarters to the Raleigh Studios facility in Manhattan Beach, Calif. All the upcoming movies will be shot at Raleigh Studios, with post-production work done there as well.

"2010 is scheduled to bring Iron Man 2 and Thor, while 2011 has The First Avenger: Captain America and the Avengers movie," Maisel said. "We've announced Robert Downey Jr. will star in both Iron Man 2 and The Avengers and Jon Favreau will direct Iron Man 2 and executive-produce The Avengers. We will be making other talent and director announcements as these deals are finalized."

Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. will be back for the sequel and for an Avengers movie.

Maisel added, "On one other note, by 2010 we also expect that our Spider-Man Broadway musical will premiere on Broadway. This is the musical directed by Julie Taymor, the director of The Lion King, with music written by Bono and The Edge from the rock band U2. In keeping with our conservative fiscal approach, we are not funding the show, but we are co-producing it and have a meaningful first-dollar gross participation, which could create significant upside if the show is successful and spawns multiple touring companies around the world."

Addressing the move to Raleigh Studios, Maisel said that, in addition to housing Marvel's studio headquarters on the premises, they will also have dedicated sound stages and pre- and post-production areas where the next four Marvel movies will be developed and shot.

"That's a significant move on Marvel, a significant investment in space," Maisel said. "We believe that by doing that, we will not only have cost efficiencies by being able to have all the productions under one roof and negotiate various volume discounts and other sorts of cost efficiencies, but also hopefully continue and have a better probability of having the quality that we all saw this past summer in the movies by being the hands-on producers, as we were with Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk."

In a press release issued in conjunction with the earnings call, Marvel Entertainment also confirmed the tentative release dates for company's upcoming film productions. Iron Man 2 is scheduled for a May 7, 2010, release, followed by Thor on July 16, 2010, The First Avenger: Captain America on May 6, 2011, and The Avengers on July 15, 2011. --Ian Spelling

Samuel L. Jackson Reunites with Tarantino

*Samuel L. Jackson will reteam with his "Pulp Fiction" and "Jackie Brown" director Quentin Tarantino for the forthcoming WWII film "Inglorious Basterds" (Yes, 'Basterds' with an 'e'), according to film blog The Playlist.

The movie is a remake of the 1977 Italian movie about a group of American soldiers who are attacked by Germans while being escorted to military prison. The story follows five of the prisoners who managed to escape.

Jackson will reportedly serve as a narrator for the updated version, which is due in theaters next year. The blog site reports of Jackson being "present only in a few spots (beginning page 24), but [he] mostly pops up at random times in the script to add some context and background info."

Jackson's latest film is "Soul Men," starring opposite the late Bernie Mac. The two play estranged members of a one-time R&B group that reunites to honor another bandmate who recently died.

Afro Samurai Game, TV Movie Both Arrive in January

Namco Bandai will release its videogame adaptation of Takashi Okazaki's Afro Samurai manga and anime franchise for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 consoles on January 27, 2009. Namco Bandai first announced the game in August 2005, more than a year before the January 2007 release of the original five-part anime miniseries. The company showcased a playable demo of the game at Comic-Con International 2008.

Afro Samurai will also be returning to Spike TV in January with Afro Samurai: Resurrection. The made-for-television movie will feature Samuel L. Jackson reprising his role of the titular character. Jackson will be joined by Lucy Liu (Charlie's Angels, Kill Bill) and Mark Hamill (Star Wars) in new character roles, as well as Yuri Lowenthal as Kuma, the teddy bear.

Funimation will release Afro Samurai: Resurrection on DVD in February.

"King of the Hill" to New Network

After Fox declined to order any new episodes of long-running animated series King of the Hill last week, it was feared that the series might end, but it appears that ABC may pick up the series, according to the Hollywood trades. ABC has already ordered another series, The Goode Family, from the KotH producers.

King of the Hill, which has reached 260 episodes, is considered too expensive for a cable network.

Despite Fox’s desire to move on, KotH is still getting ratings as good as shows considered strong on some of the broadcast networks, and recently booked its best ratings in a year.

Straczynski Updating 'Forbidden Planet'

Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski, who also wrote Clint Eastwood's upcoming Changeling, is writing a long-in-the-works update of the SF classic Forbidden Planet for Warner Brothers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Joel Silver is producing via Silver Pictures.

Warner picked up the project on the down-low earlier this year. As late as last year, it was set up at DreamWorks, with David Twohy attached to direct. Prior to that, New Line had it. James Cameron, Nelson Gidding and Stirling Silliphant have been associated with the remake over the years.

Released in 1956, Planet told the tale of an expedition sent from Earth to check on a colony of scientists on a far-off planet. They find two members, a man who has found alien technology that doubled his intellect, Dr. Morbius, and his daughter, both of whom have managed to survive an unseen monster roaming the planet. The movie is loosely based on Shakespeare's The Tempest.

The movie, directed by Fred Wilcox, starred Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen, but is perhaps best known for the character Robbie the Robot.

Horror Guild Awards Announced

Winners have been announced for this year's International Horror Guild Awards, which recognize outstanding achievements in the field of horror and dark fantasy. Winners were announced on Oct. 31 in an online presentation on the award's Web site. A complete list of winners follows.

Novel: The Terror by Dan Simmons

Long Fiction: Softspoken by Lucius Shepard

Mid-Length Fiction: "Closet Dreams" by Lisa Tuttle --John Joseph Adams

Short Fiction: "Honey in the Wound" by Nancy Etchemendy

Fiction Collection: Dagger Key and Other Stories by Lucius Shepard

Anthology: Inferno, Ellen Datlow, ed.

Periodical: Postscripts

Illustrated Narrative: The Nightmare Factory, Thomas Ligotti (creator/writer), Joe Harris and Stuart Moore (writers), Ben Templesmith, Michael Gaydos, Colleen Doran and Ted McKeever (illustrators)

Nonfiction: Mario Bava: All the Colors of Dark by Tim Lucas

Art: Elizabeth McGrath for "The Incurable Disorder"

IHG Living Legend: Peter Straub

This year's award will be the final presentation of the International Horror Guild Awards, which has been given out annually since 1994.

Samuel L. Jackson in 'Last Dragon' remake

*Samuel L. Jackson will suit up as the infamous Sho'Nuff, the Shogun of Harlem in Columbia Pictures' remake of the 1985 cult classic "The Last Dragon."

"I'm a huge fan of the original and look forward to bringing Sho'Nuff into the 21st century," Jackson told the Hollywood Reporter.

Columbia's updated version will be along the same lines of the original, centering on young martial arts student Leroy Green in his quest through the streets of New York to achieve the highest level of martial arts accomplishment, known as the Last Dragon. Those who achieve the high ranking possess the Glow, making them the greatest fighter alive.

The original, which also starred Taimak and then-Prince protégé Vanity, was released in March 1985 by TriStar Pictures. Julius Carey III, who portrayed Sho'Nuff in the original film, died in August of complications from pancreatic cancer.

Sony Drops First Trailer for Angels and Demons

It's not even Friday yet, but already the good folks at Sony Pictures are rewarding us for a long work week. Sony released the teaser trailer this morning for Angels and Demons, the followup to Dan Brown's highly successful book/movie The Da Vinci Code.

At first glance, the biggest improvement over the original movie is the subtraction of star Tom Hanks' mullet which was a major distraction in The Da Vinci Code. Also in this trailer is the first glance of Ewan McGregor as Carlo Ventresca, the Camerlengo of the Vatican Church.

You can view a high quality version on the movie's official site or simply watch the YouTube version.

Angels and Demons will debut in theaters on May 15, 2009.