Voices From Krypton

DEADMAN: Supernatural's Eric Kripke to Produce TV Pilot

At the TCA in May, CW president Mark Pedowitz claimed that a priority at the network was the development of a new series based on a DC Comics character to replace the departing Smallville. For a time it seemed that Raven of the Teen Titans was under serious consideration, but Deadline is reporting that, instead, it could very well be a TV version of the Arnold Drake/Carmine Infantino character of Deadman. Most importantly, said show - or pilot at this stage - is going to be developed and executive produced by Supernatural creator Eric Kripke. Offers Deadline, "The project is about the spirit of a murdered man, Boston Brand, who lives on as he inhabits other people's bodies and helps them solve crises in their own lives." What Deadline fails to mention is that Brand was given the power to do this by a goddess who was offering him the opportunity to pursue the hook-handed man who had killed him (essentially making Deadman a supernatural version of TV's The Fugitive).

GHOSTBUSTERS 3: Aykroyd Says Yes For 2012, Sony Not So Much

Deadline is reporting that Ghostbusters 3 is going to go into production in 2012, at least according to Dan Aykroyd who said so on the Dennis Miller radio show. Sony, however, may beg to differ given the following comment from Aykroyd: “That is our hope. We have an excellent script. What we have to remember is that Ghostbusters is bigger than any one component, although Billy was absolutely the lead and contributed to it in a massive way, as was the director and Harold (Ramis), myself and Sigourney (Weaver). The concept is much larger than any individual role and the promise of Ghostbusters 3 is that we get to hand the equipment and the franchise down to new blood.” As the website notes, however, without Bill Murray, the studio isn't interested.

GRANT MORRISON: The Death of Comics

While promoting his new non-fiction book Supergods, writer Grant Morrison sat down with Rolling Stone to discuss Superman, the DC relaunch and the death of comics. What follows is an excerpt:
ROLLING STONE: DC is relaunching its entire line – is there some desperation there?
GRANT MORRISON: There's always going to be a bit of that because comics sales are so low, people are willing to try anything these days. It's just plummeting. It's really bad from month to month. May was the first time in a long time that no comic sold over 100,000 copies, so there's a decline.
ROLLING STONE: Do you think this is the death spiral?
GRANT MORRISON: Yeah. I kind of do, but again, you can always be wrong. There's a real feeling of things just going off the rails, to be honest. Superhero comics. The concept is quite a ruthless concept, and it's moved on, and it's kind of abandoned, the first-stage rocket. Abandoning comics? And moving on to movies, where it can be more powerful, more effective. The definition of a meme is an idea that wants to replicate, and it's found a better medium through which to replicate, games, movies. It would be a shame, because as I said in the book, one of the most amazing things about those universes is that they exist, there's a paper continuum that reflects the history, but people don't die, it's like the Simpsons, people don't age, they just change. Pop music is the same. When it's not selling, things are going down, it's nothing to do with the quality. With comics, the quality now is better than it's ever been, there are more people now who are really good at what they do, doing what they do. Everything's available for free, I think that's the real problem, nobody wants to buy it anymore. One comes out, you see it immediately online and you can read it. That's the way people want to consume their information, the colors look nicer. I think that's more the problem, but that's a problem for everybody, it's not just for comics, everyone's going to start feeling that one.
   For the full interview, click HERE.

SUPERNATURAL ACTION: Untitled Horror-Action Film in Development

According to The Hollywood Reporter, actor Paul Sloan (The Scorpion King) has sold a spec script to Millennium/Nu Image, which supposedly crosses elements from The Expendables and Conan. States the story, "The untitled supernatural action script is described as having been inspired by pulp heroes Doc Savage and Tarzan, and centers ona  team of mercenaries whose search for a missing person in the jungles of Cambodia becomes a descent into the heart of darkness as they confront the dark force of a vampire." Production is hoped to begin early next year.

CLEVVER MOVIES: The Avengers vs. The Skrull?

Clevver Movies has filed this video report that compiles the evidence that we know so far about writer/director Joss Whedon's The Avengers, and concludes that the enemy force that will bring Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye and more together will be the shape-shifting alien race known as the Skrull.

FRIGHT NIGHT: The Casting of the Film

With Colin Farrell on board to play vampire Jerry Dandridge in Craig Gillespie's version of Fright Night [for more, click HERE], the production team turned to the other characters populating the film, begining with Charley Brewster, who discovers his neighbor is a vampire. Ultimately they chose Anton Yelchin (Chekov in JJ Abrams' Star Trek), who was thrilled for the opportunity.
   "I like the relationships in this story," says Yelchin. "Charley versus Jerry, Charley and his girlfriend, Charley and his friend who, who he has shunned; are all interesting elements. With Craig Gillespie at the helm, we got to develop the nuances of all the relationships."
   Academy Award nominee Toni Collette signed on as Charley's mother, Jane, helped no doubt by Gillespie directed her in her Showtime series United States of Tara. "I love working with Craig Gillespie," she enthuses. "If I'd been offered this film and there was another director, I really don't know if I'd have taken it, but I trust him wholeheartedly. I think he's going to make the film scarier by making it real and honest."
   Adds the director, "I was very excited to get Toni for this role. She's able to blend humor and drama, which is such a tricky dance to do, and she does it beautifully. Also, you feel an instant bond between Toni and Anton, which made my work easy.

THE AVENGERS: On Location with Thor and Captain America

As Joss Whedon's The Avengers continues to shoot in Cleveland, a number of videos have shown up online depicting what's been going on in the streets involving Thor and Captain America, and "awesome" is too small a word to capture the feeling. Even more impressive is the fact that Marvel Entertainment/Disney doesn't seem to be freaking out about it, perhaps believing that the spreading of videos like these will nothing but help build excitement for the finished product.

MAN OF STEEL: More Photos From the "Smallville" Set

IGN has offered up a variety of photos taken on location in Illinois where Zack Snyder's new Superman adventure, Man of Steel, is shooting. The impression one gets is that Clark Kent's home town will play a significant role in the film.

THE CRATER
This is purported to be the crash sight of young Kal-El's space ship following his long journey from Krypton. It's this location that Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha (Diane Lane) Kent discover the child within the wreckage.

 

 

BLADE RUNNER: Ridley Scott Ready to Revisit That World

According to Deadline, director Ridley Scott is pretty much locked in to directing and producing a new chapter set in the world of his 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner. Writes Mike Fleming, "I’m not getting a clear sense at this point whether Scott intends to do a sequel or a prequel to the 1982 film that was loosely based on the Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Also unclear is whether they start fresh or reach out to Harrison Ford, who starred [in the film] that took place in dystopian Los Angeles in 2019, in which organic superhuman robots called replicants escaped and are hiding somewhere on earth. Ford played Richard Deckard, a burnt out blade runner assigned to hunt them down. His tired life gets altered when he himself falls for one of the replicants and struggles to keep her from being destroyed... This is just the first step and the project will have to be written and it will likely evolve during that process."
   For more, click HERE.

MAN OF STEEL: Warner Bros. Releases Official Synopsis

The official synopsis for Man of Steel has been issued by Warner Brothers and it reads as follows: "In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time. Clark Kent/Kal-El (Cavill) is a young twentysomething journalist who feels alienated by powers beyond anyone's imagination. Transported to Earth years ago from Krypton, an advanced alien planet, Clark struggles with the ultimate question - Why am I here? Shaped by the values of his adoptive parents Martha (Lane) and Jonathan Kent (Costner), Clark soon discovers that having super abilities means making very difficult decisions. But when the world needs stability the most, it comes under attack. Will his abilities be used to maintain peace or ultimately used to divide and conquer? Clark must become the hero known as "Superman," not only to shine as the world's last beacon of hope but to protect the ones he loves."