THE ZOCALO TODAY – December 11, 2004

WHAT'S NEW

The big news this week --

THE MEMORY OF SHADOWS

Finally -- news is popping up all over the internet about this
project JMS has been hinting at for about a year. According to
Production Weekly, the movie will begin filming next April in the
United Kingdom under the direction of Steven Beck. Here is how the
project is described:

"The technology of the ancient and extinct Shadow race is being
unleashed upon the galaxy by an unknown force, and Earthforce
intelligence officer Diane Baker, whose brother was recently killed
in a mysterious explosion, is out to find out who is behind the
intergalactic conspiracy. Joining her in her investigation is Galen,
a techno-mage who has been charged with keeping the technology out
of the hands of those who would abuse it."

No word on whether we'll see Peter Woodward back as Galen -- but
that would be awesome! In October, JMS wrote: "...Oh, and for the
first time in five years, there is an office somewhere in England
with the words Babylon 5 on the door..." So we'll have to wait to
see if JMS will give us more information on this soon. I sure hope
so.

JMS UPDATE

From the B5 moderated newsgroup, here is an update from JMS on his
various projects:

Comics:
The latest issues of Supreme Power and Amazing Spider-Man came out
this past week, and I'm very happy with them, especially Supreme
Power. The next issue coming out has probably the most brutal and
realistic fight I've ever done in this area, it really shows what
would happen in this kind of situation, with these sorts of
individuals. The first two trade paperback collections of Supreme
Power have also come out, available at amazon.com for those who'd
like to catch up on the story.

I've turned in the first issues of two books that Marvel has asked
me to write, which I'll have to wait for them to announce publicly --
one's a regular ongoing title and the other is a six issue mini --
and we're about halfway through the art on Dream Police, which Mike
Deodato is drawing. (It looks gorgeous, by the way.) And I'm three
issues in on The Book of Lost Souls, also for Marvel.

"But in Purple..."?
Slight delay due to a shift in publishers, but I should have some
info soon about when that will be coming out.

TV (if any)?
Not at the moment. There are two times a year when show-runner types
get hired: in March and April to produce pilots when the scripts
have come in, and in July/August to pitch new series. So that window
will open next in the spring.

Since it's no longer an issue, because the show was not picked up,
the series I'd mentioned that had come to me to talk about coming
aboard as an EP was Warren Ellis' Global Frequency. I'd met with the
people involved, been approved by the network, went by to meet
Warren during filming in Vancouver, who seemed like a very nice
sort, and was waiting for the next round of serious
conversations...but the show has not been picked up by WB. I know
they're shopping it elsewhere, so we'll see, but for now, at least,
that's that. (I have to say, by the way, that the pilot script is
probably the smartest script I've ever read. It could really be one
hell of a series.)

One last aside, on a long term project...a certain known film
writer/director was recently asked by a particular studio to do a
series using an established character. This person is a big fan of
B5 as well as a friend, so a call came to me to ask if I wanted in
on this. I said hell yes. I can't say much else about it, because a)
it wouldn't be appropriate and b) things can still fall out, though
that's doubtful at this stage (negotiations have formally begun with
the studio), but if it does go ahead, the plan is to write the whole
first season over the course of 2005, shoot in the spring of 2006
for a fall 2006 debut. There are reasons why we'd have to write the
whole thing first that will become clear once I can explain what the
character is. Again, I dont want folks to get too excited about
this, because this is a weird business and this is the one town
where hope can kill you, but if it goes ahead as discussed, it could
be massively cool.

Animation (just covering all bases)?
Warners came to me last year about a possible B5 animated series,
but I don't think it's going to go anywhere. This happens every
couple of years.

Shared Universe?
They've picked the first writer for the Distant Stars series of
books, but I don't know where things stand yet on the first novel.
That reminds me, I have to check in and see how that's going.
The preliminary copies of Tribulation (the last of my original
novels bring reprinted by iBooks/Simon and Schuster) came in last
week, so it should be coming out soon. That puts all of my novels
now back in print: Demon Night, OtherSyde, and Tribulations, with
Straczynski Unplugged also available, all on amazon.com.
and....whatever it is that you're not able to tell us about this
week?

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (the Canadian equivalent of
the BBC) will be producing my radio drama series The Adventures of
Apocalypse Al. I'll be co-directing with their people up in Toronto.
It's a series of 5 five-minute dramas per day, for four weeks,
recapped in half-hour installments on the weekends, for a total of
two hours. It's comedy/action, very noir, with a supernatural bent.
The script is all done, so now we just get to have fun. (Like all
CBC productions, it'll be syndicated worldwide, to the BBC and
elsewhere, as well as released on CD down the road, for those not
living in Canada.) I'm *really* looking forward to this because I
love the radio drama form, and this could be a lot of fun.

Finally, because there is a lot of stuff that's going to be popping
this coming year, I've decided to end my hermit period and barnstorm
a number of conventions in 2005. I didn't do any this year, not
counting the NJ fund-raiser, and only one or two the last few years
before. I opted out because I'm much more comfortable talking about
the work and what's going on than just appearing as myself, and
because I view the cult of personality thing pretty much the way
G'Kar did, with a jaundiced eye at best. Because of B5 and
everything else, it all just kind of got too big, and I had to
withdraw for a while or risk losing perspective.

So there will be FedCon in Bonn, Germany, the Comics Expo in Bristol
England, and a bucket of comics conventions here in the US. I may
also do a few non-comics cons, depending on what comes along, before
ducking back into my shell for another couple of years.
And that's that for now.
jms

DISCUSSION TOPIC

With the news that THE MEMORY OF SHADOWS will go into production in
April, what would be your reaction if Peter Woodward was NOT Galen --
and other B5 cast members were replaced by "name" actors?

Send in your thoughts and comments to sgbruckner@... and I will
post them on the Discussion Page for everyone to share and enjoy.
See what has come in so far. If you see an old topic you want to
respond to, go right ahead. We enjoy hearing from you.

KEEPING UP WITH CAST AND CREW:

ROBIN ATKIN DOWNES: Robin and his lady love, Michelle, tied the knot
on November 6. If you would like to leave a note of congratulations
for Robin and Michelle, drop over to The Galactic Gateway at
http://www.thegalacticgateway.com and put a note in the forum.

STEPHEN AUSTIN: Stephen Austin, the wonderful Pak'Ma'Ra Ambassador
of Babylon 5 is taking his stand-up comedy routine on the road. Here
is his schedule for December.

Wed., December 15, 8:00pm
The HaHa Cafe
5010 Lankershim Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91601
Tel: (818) 508-4995

Fri., Dec. 17th, 2004, 8pm
STAND-UP FOR IMPROV - THE CHRISTMAS SHOW
The WestEnd Theatre
Los Alamitos,CA
Call: 559-224-9800

December 18-19, 2004
CELEBRITY CHARITY EVENT
Lightspeed Fine Art The Sun and Sail Club
Lake Fortest, CA
www.lightspeedfineart.com

Tues., Dec. 21st, 2004 -8pm
HENNESSEY'S TAVERN
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Call: 760-729-6951

December 31, 2004
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE
Lancaster, CA

JEFFREY WILLERTH: Jeffrey's show on UFO Files: Cattle Mutilation
aired last night on the History Channel. For more information, look
at the listing for 11/29 on
http://www.historychannel.com/global/listings/listings.jsp?
NetwCode=THC . Hopefully this will be rebroadcast.

BILL MUMY: Bill's band, The Jenerators will ROCK IN THE NEW YEAR
with Special Surprise Guest Stars
SATURDAY - December 31, 2004
RUSTY'S SURF RANCH on the Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica, California
CALL RUSTY'S FOR DETAILS AND RESERVATIONS -
RESERVATIONS ARE RECOMMENDED
CALL 310-393-7437
The Jenators are: Bill Mumy, Gary Stockdale, David Jolliffe, Chris
Ross

BABYLON 5 BIRTHDAYS

Mary Woronov (Kka'Dath) - December 8
Sarah Douglas (Jha'Dur) - December 12
Kim Holly - December 25
Dark Hoffman - December 28
John C. Flinn III - December 28

NEW VIDEOS

CRUSADE DVD - AVAILABLE NOW
Warner Bros Home Video has announced that the Babylon 5 spinoff,
Crusade will hit DVD on December 7. The series stars Peter Woodward,
Gary Cole, Marjean Holden, Tracy Scoggins, Daniel Dae Kim, David
Allen Brooks and Carrie Dobro. This 13 episode series (576 mins)
will be released in a 4 disc set, and carries a suggested price of
$59.98 US. It'll contain an English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track,
along with English, French and Spanish subtitles. The video will be
presented in the original aspect ratio: 1.33:1. We have little
information on the special features, just that there will be audio
commentaries and a documentary.

For those of you not familiar with CRUSADE, here is a synopsis of
the plot:

In 2267 the Earth is quarantined, having been infected with a deadly
plague by an attacking alien force. Scientists estimate that it will
kill every inhabitant within 5 years, not nearly enough time for a
cure to be developed. So the planets only hope lies with the
Excalibur, an advanced prototype starship sent out to search ancient
alien ruins for their former inhabitant's secrets, hoping that
somewhere out there a cure can be found.

For more information on the BABYLON 5 and CRUSADE DVDs, go to
http://www.isnnews.net/zocalo/B5-DVDs.shtml Page.

CARNIVALE: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
Winner of Five Emmy Awards
Carnivāle: The Complete First Season
Arrives Exclusively on DVD from HBO Video, December 7, 2004
Additional DVD Content Includes "Making of Carnivāle" Featurette and
Audio Commentary Featuring Creator Dan Knauf, Executive Producer
Howard Klein and Directors Rodrigo Garcia and Jeremy Podeswa

For more information about this wonderful series, go to
http://www.hbo.com/carnivale/. Season two begins on January 9 at
9:00pm

For more information and trailers from The WB to watch, go to
http://www.isnnews.net/zocalo/carnivale.shtml .

THE MATRIX COLLECTION

MATRIX lovers! Your perfect Christmas gift will arrive on December 7.
With Over 35 Hours of Extras Highlighted by Five All-New DVDs
Featuring Never-Before-Seen Bonus Materials Including Over 100 New
Featurettes, New Commentaries, Enter The Matrix Videogame Footage
and More!

For video clips from Warner Bros, go to
http://www.isnnews.net/zocalo/matrix.shtml The Matrix Page.

CLASSIC VIDEO AVAILABLE - THX 1138
On September 14, Warner Bros released to DVD - THX-1138. Made in
1971, THX 1138 marked the stunning debut of one of the screen's most
innovative filmmakers and was produced by Francis Ford Coppola and
his revolutionary American Zoetrope studios. Produced at the height
of the American independent movement, THX 1138 stars Robert Duvall
in a thought-provoking and visually rich exploration of a theme that
would repeat itself throughout Lucas's career: One man's quest to
realize his own potential amid an oppressive society.

For more information about the film, click on THX-1138 Press
Release. Warner Bros has provided a number of video clips for your
enjoyment -- in a variety of formats to suit whatever connection you
have to the internet.

NEW SCI-FI PUBLICATIONS:

Cult Times Special #32: Looking back on 2004, and forward to 2005!
This issue includes previews of Andromeda, Boston Legal, Charmed,
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Dead Like Me,
Desperate Housewives, Joan of Arcadia, Las Vegas, Lost, Scrubs,
Smallville, Star Trek: Enterprise and Without a Trace.

Expose Special #27: This 100-page yearbook takes a look back at the
past year of science fiction and fantasy. LORD OF THE RINGS, ANGEL,
LOST, CHARMED -- all this and more in this issue.

COMIC BOOKS

CSI: SECRET IDENTITY
CSI: Secret Identity, a five-issue mini-series by writer Steven
Grant and artists Gabriel Rodgriguez and Steven Perkins, launches in
February from IDW Publishing.

Here's how IDW describes the series:
"There is nothing routine about murder and death. Each body leaves
its own fingerprint and trail of clues. That's why the CSI team
treats every one like it was the first murder they investigated.
"When a tourist is murdered in a cheap off-strip motel, the
investigation seems surprisingly routine‹but there's nothing routine
about any murder, especially when things get complicated by a
missing videotape and an imploded Vegas casino.

"The trail of evidence points to a man who died twice and left two
different corpses, immersing Gil Grissom and the CSI team in a
quagmire of deceit and treachery that stretches back 20 years--and
still threatens them today."

"This is the first chance I've had to write about Las Vegas since I
moved here, and so much more goes on here than most people realize,"
Grant said. "It's the most unique city in the world, a place where
dreams and passions collide daily, a place where chance rules, and I
really wanted to get that aspect across. Though I'm no stranger to
crime fiction, it's an exciting challenge to measure up to the best
crime show on network TV. So I've tried to amp things up a notch or
two. The story will keep readers guessing, just like it keeps the
CSI team guessing."

STARGATE STARGATE SG-1: DANIEL'S SONG #1

Written by James Anthony, art by Jorge Correa, cover by Lucio
Rubira.

The SG1 team discovers an ancient alien device that promises to
bring "peace to the past." While attempting to decipher its glyphs a
sudden electrical discharge engulfs and throws Daniel unconscious to
the ground. He wakes on Abydos to find Skaa'ra and Sha're are still
alive and free of Goa'uld possession. Somehow he has been
transported into the past before the arrival of Apophis and has been
given another chance to save his wife and the people of Abydos.
Determined not to make the same mistakes again Daniel prepares an
ambush for the System Lord in an attempt to change the outcome of
this pivotal moment in his life. When the Goa'uld arrive he springs
the trap but is not prepared for the unexpected consequences. Is
this a chance for Daniel to right a wrong in his past or will his
interference cause of series of events that will shake the very
fabric of time? Available in regular, photo, wraparound, and a
special Glow-in-the-Dark cover that is limited to 1000 copies.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

January 14-16, 2005
THE ONE RING CELEBRATION
Presented in association with TheOneRing.net
City: Pasadena, CA
Place: Pasadena Center, 300 E. Green St.
Guests: Tons of stars from Lord of the Rings
For more information, visit the website at
http://www.creationent.com/cal/one_ring.htm

January 21-23, 2005
OFFICIAL XENA CONVENTION: THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Place: Burbank Airport Hilton and Towers, 2500 Hollywood Way
City: Burbank, CA
Guests: LUCY LAWLESS (Xena) Saturday; RENEE O'CONNOR(Gabrielle)
Saturday; HUDSON LEICK (Callisto) Saturday; CLAIRE STANSFIELD (Alti)
Sunday and many, many more
For more information, visit the website at
http://www.creationent.com/cal/xebur.htm

February 2-4, 2005
THE OFFICIAL STARGATE SG-1 and STARGATE: ATLANTIS CONVENTION
Place: Sheraton National Hotel, 900 South Orme St.
City: Arlington, VA
Guests: Michael Shanks, Christoper Judge, Don Davis, Teryl Rothery,
Peter Williams
For more information, visit the Creation Entertainment website at
http://www.creationent.com/cal/sgva.htm

February 11-13, 2005
Farpoint
Place: Hunt Valley, MD (near Baltimore)
Guests include: Jeffrey Combs, Kathy Garver, Bob Bergen, Tony
Amendola, David Franklin, Wayne Pygram
For more information, visit their website at
http://www.bcpl.net/~wilsonr/farpoint.html.

February 18-20, 2005
VisionCon 2005
Place: Springfield, Missouri
B5 Guest: Mira Furlan
For more information, visit their website at
http://www.visioncon.net/Welcome.htm.

February 25-27, 2005
THE OFFICIAL STARGATE SG-1 and STARGATE: ATLANTIS CONVENTION
Place: Hilton DFW Lakes, 1800 Hwy. 26 E.
City: Grapevine, TX. (near Dallas)
Guests: Michael Shanks, Christoper Judge, Don Davis, Teryl Rothery,
Peter Williams
For more information, visit the Creation Entertainment website at
http://www.creationent.com/cal/sgtx.htm

March 11-13, 2005
Grand Slam XIII - The Sci-Fi Summit
City: PASADENA, CA
Place: Pasadena Center, 300 E. Green St.
Guests: Stars from Star Trek, Stargate, Firefly and more
For more information, visit the Creation Entertainment website at
http://www.creationent.com/cal/stgs.htm

March 19, 2005
Richard Biggs Memorial Show
Place: Beverly Garland Hotel, 4222 Vineland Ave., N. Hollywood, CA
91602
Guests: Matthew Ashford (Days of Our Lives); Bruce Boxleitner
(Babylon 5, TRON); Ricardo Antonio Chavira (Desperate Housewives);
Jerry Doyle (Babylon 5); Mira Furlan (Babylon 5, Lost); Melissa
Gilbert (Babylon 5, Little House on the Prairie), Lisa Howard (Earth
Final Conflict, Highlander), Michael T. Weiss (The Pretender);
Afternoon Only: Andreas Katsulas (Babylon 5, Star Trek)
For more information, visit the website at
http://www.richardbiggs.com.

INSIDE SCIENCE FICTION THIS WEEK:

KING KONG:
At the CineAsia movie convention in Bangkok, Thailand, director
Peter Jackson took the wraps off some of the models and sketches
he's using for the giant-ape movie and spoke passionately about his
motivation for remaking the classic. Variety reported, "It's not a
love story; it's a story about love." KING KONG is currently being
shot at his studios in Wellington, New Zealand. Jackson aims to
portray the 25-foot gorilla as an "absolutely believable creature"
who bears the scars of many battles. As for the romantic angle,
Jackson said he will show King Kong as a brutal creature who for the
first time in his life feels empathy for another creature (the
character played by Naomi Watts). Jackson said, "We will play on the
similarities between the jungle of the New York skyscrapers and the
jungle where King Kong lives."

MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.:
According to Variety, Matthew Vaughn is negotiating to direct the
feature-film version of the classic TV series The Man From
U.N.C.L.E. for Warner Brothers. John Davis will produce, with
Warners-based producer Basil Iwanyk's Thunder Road Productions. The
series, which ran on NBC from 1964-68, featured the espionage
adventures of Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, agents of United
Network Command for Law Enforcement (U.N.C.L.E.) who fight the
forces of T.H.R.U.S.H. (Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of
Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity). The show was produced
by MGM Television and starred Robert Vaughn and David McCallum.
Warners inherited the rights from Turner Broadcasting, which
acquired them from MGM. Lynn Harris will oversee for Warners.
Matthew Vaughn, who produced the Guy Ritchie films "Lock, Stock and
Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch," directed the Brit gangster
film "Layer Cake."

FANTASTIC FOUR:
More news from the set of the FANTASTIC FOUR movie. Special effects
supervisor, Kurt Williams, said that the Human Torch is "one of the
most challenging characters I've ever done" to bring to life. "We
have to bring a flaming man onto the screen that doesn't look
animated," Williams said. "It has to feel like he's really on
fire. "In order to do that, we've had to create different stages of
his development, where, in the very beginning of the movie, he snaps
his fingers and flame shoots up. It starts very small, and that's
going to feel like an actual flame element that doesn't necessarily
take over his body." "When he goes super nova, it's going to be very
white hot. What happens is the heat will come off his hands, for
instance, and like a solar flare off of the sun, as it lives off the
hot surface, in the case of Johnny, that heat will be exposed to
oxygen and then will create flame, just out from the surface of his
hand."

THE MEMORY OF SHADOWS:
Over at Cinescape.com, there is a little article giving a little
more information about the upcoming MEMORY OF SHADOWS. A UK based B5
newsgroup reports that the BABYLON 5 feature is heavy into pre-
production at EMI Elstree Studios. Additionally, this current phase
of production is under the aegis of production manager Peter Heslop
(whose credits include GLADIATOR, STAR WARS EPISODES I and II and
WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT).

TOP SF NETWORK SHOWS:
Lost 10.6
Joan of Arcadia 6.0
Charmed 2.4
Enterprise 2.0
Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report, 11/15/04 - 11/21/04.

ALIAS:
There is a chance that Isabella Rossellini will be back to reprise
her role as Katya on ALIAS this season. In a recent interview,
Rossellini said, "They called me the other day to see if I was
available in January, so I hope they'll make me kill someone else
soon." Rossellini guest-starred three times last season as Katya,
the sister of Irina Derevko (Lena Olin). In her first
episode, "Crossings," Katya informed Jack (Victor Garber) that
Sydney (Jennifer Garner) was still alive, and offered to do
everything in her power to save Sydney, so long as Jack agreed to
kill Sloane (Ron Rifkin). Later, Katya tried to kill Sydney and made
romantic advances toward Jack. ALIAS begins its new season with a
two-hour premiere on Jan. 5 and moves to a new timeslot, Wednesdays
at 9 p.m. ET/PT, following Abrams' other series, LOST.

LOST:
Since there are now two former B5/Crusade cast members (Daniel Dae
Kim and Mira Furlan) on this show, everyone will be happy to learn
that LOST hit its highest Nielsen numbers to date this week making
ABC the winner of Wednesday night ratings. LOST averaged 18.9
million viewers and a 7.0 rating/19 share in the adults 18-49
demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research.

BLADE: TRINITY:
New Line Cinema's BLADE: TRINITY opened with an estimated $5.5
million on Wednesday in 2,912 theaters. The R-rated film cost about
$65 million to make. The first two installments of the franchise
both opened on a Friday; BLADE earned $17 million its first three
days from 2,322 theaters and Blade II pulled in $32.5 million from
2,707 theaters.

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS: A trailer is up and running at
http://www.waroftheworlds.com/.

SHREK 3:
DreamWorks Animation Studios has pushed back the release of SHREK 3.
The picture was originally scheduled for a Christmas 2006 release,
but will now be a summer release, hitting screens in May of 2007.

CARS: Disney/Pixar has decided to move its upcoming computer-
animated film CARS to the summer of 2006.

TOP SF DVD SALES:
1. Return of the King platinum edition
2. Star Wars trilogy
3. Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Spider-Man 2
5. Lord of the Rings trilogy
6. Shrek 2
7. Elf
8. Hero
9. Barbie Princess and the Pauper
10. Ultimate Matrix Collection
Source: Amazon.com, top-selling genre DVDs, 12/8/04

SMALLVILLE:
In a recent interview promoting her upcoming EARTHSEA miniseries,
Kristin Kreuk, Lana Lang in SMALLVILLE, said that the show is
entirely different this season and that her character has undergone
changes as well. "That's actually quite fun for me." Lana's
relationship with Jason Teague (Jensen Ackles) will continue to
develop. Kreuk declined to discuss details. "I'm just going to be
selfish about this, because I really only know where I'm going,
mostly," Kreuk said. "But we've got the storyline with Lana's
tattoo. Jane Seymour has come onto the show to play Jason's mother.
Jane's character is quite evil and complex, and Lana has dreamt of
her in her past, from when she was a witch. It's all convoluted, but
they're going to flesh out that storyline and see how it connects to
the mythology and to Superman and to these crystals. And that will
eventually lead to ... well, that's the secret."

SPIDER-MAN 2:
According to the Hollywood Reporter, SPIDER-MAN 2 ruled the charts
last week. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment reported that SPIDER-MAN
2 led home video sales last week, capturing the No. 1 slot on both
Nielsen VideoScan's First Alert DVD and VHS sales weekly charts. The
sequel has sold through more than 8 million combined DVD and VHS
units during its first week on retail shelves. The film, starring
Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, also was the nation's top rental
title during the same frame, generating about $14.5 million in
rental revenue.

TOP SF SYNDICATED SHOWS:
Stargate SG-1 2.1
Twilight Zone 1.6
Andromeda 1.5
The X-Files 1.5
Mutant X 1.4
She Spies 1.4
Buffy 1.3
Angel 1.2
The Outer Limits 1.1
Sabrina 1.0
Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report, 11/15/04 - 11/21/04

SUPERMAN RETURNS:
Despite the fact that the movie will only begin shooting in March,
Dan Harris, one of the writers of Bryan Singer's upcoming SUPERMAN
RETURNS movie, said in a recent interview that the film promises to
be larger in scope than Singer's X-Men sequel, X2. Harris said, "I
thought that [X2] was a big movie, but this scope is another step
bigger." "It's [being shot on] a permanent backlot. It will be like
a permanent New York City-slash-Metropolis." Harris is co-writing
the movie with Michael Dougherty and Singer and has relocated to
Australia for preproduction. "They are building a portion of
Metropolis, like a major backlot that's amazing. It's, like, three
intersecting city blocks, and everything is four stories tall."

NEW DVDS OUT THIS WEEK:
Besides the CRUSADE DVD that was released yesterday, here are some
other DVDs that might be of interest to you -- and a great addition
to a Christmas list:
(O) THE ULTIMATE MATRIX (Warner Bros.) Beautifully packaged TEN(!)
disc set includes deluxe remastered editions of all three MATRIX
movies with all-new commentraks, THE ANIMATRIX, and six discs of
documentaries and extras. Also available in a limited edition gift
set that includes a Neo bust and 80-page book.
(O) BOURNE SUPREMACY (Universal) Matt Damon is framed for an
assassination, leading him into conflict with his old bosses, during
which he begins to piece together his past. Wonderful action
sequences highlight this hit spy thriller in wide and fullscreen
editions. Includes deleted scenes and seven Making-Of featurettes.
(O) CARNIVALE Complete First Season (HBO/Rysher) Surreal HBO series
set in a traveling carnival in the middle of the 1934 American
dustbowl. With commentraks, game, pilot and more.
(O) CRUSADE: Complete Series (Warner Bros.) All 13 episodes of the
short-lived BABYLON 5 follow-up series on four discs, with
commentraks, Making-Of and more.
(O) GUNGA DIN (Warner Bros.) George Stevens' wonderful 1939
adventure film, widely considered one of the best adventure films
ever. For some reason, I just love this movie!
(O) MUTANT X Season 2 Discs 9 & 10 (ADV) Episodes 218-222. With
behind-the-scenes, interview and more.
(O) STAR TREK VOYAGER Season 6 (Paramount) Season 6. 26 episodes on
seven discs, plus featurettes.
(O) WALT DISNEY TREASURES: Mickey Mouse Club (Week One) (Buena
Vista) Two-disc set presents the 1955 debut week of Disney's popular
daily kids' show. Includes home movie footage, interviews with
original Mouseketeers, and more.

FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX:
20th Century Fox has decided to up the release of THE FLIGHT OF THE
PHOENIX five days ahead of schedule. The picture will hit theaters
on Friday, Decembere 17. Bruce Snyder, Fox's President of Domestic
Distribution says the move will leave FLIGHT as the only action
adventure picture of the holiday season. And as the first plane off
the runway, we'll have extra holiday playing time for a film that
will have terrific word of mouth." A remake of the 1960s film of the
same title, 2004's FLIGHT stars Dennis Quaid, Giovanni Ribisi,
Tyrese Gibson, Mirando Otto and Hugh Laurie. After their plane crash
lands in a remote area of China, the ten survivors realize that it
will be up to them to save their lives by rebuilding their downed
aircraft.

THE DARKNESS:
Yesterday we reported that Dimension Films will develop Platinum
Studios' THE DARKNESS as its latest big screen comic book
adaptation. The folks at Platinum Studios sent over the press
release, so if you would like more information about this project,
go to The Darkness Page.

SHREK 2:
The People's Choice Award nominations have been posted and SHREK 2
led the field of film nominees, with nominations in virtually every
movie category, including a nod for favorite film of 2004. Other
multiple nominees include: The Incredibles, Spider-Man 2 and Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

FULL MOON FEVER:
FULL MOON FEVER, a graphic novel from comic book writer Joe Casey,
has been optioned by Director Renny Harlin (DEEP BLUE SEA, DIE HARD
2). Casey will write the screenplay for the movie, with direct input
from Harlin and the movie's producers Adrian Askarieh (SPY HUNTER)
and Daniel Alter (2176). Set on the moon in the not too distant
future, the story follows a group of blue collar workers that travel
to the first lunar base which is found mysteriously deserted of its
crew. The team discovers that they aren't actually alone: the base
is now home to a pack of werewolves. Casey pitched the idea to
Askarieh at this year's San Diego Comic Convention. The book will be
released next year by AIT/Planet Lair.

THE DARKNESS:
Variety reports that Dimension Films will develop Platinum Studios'
THE DARKNESS as its latest big screen comic book adaptation. The
Platinum Studios project, published by Top Cow Productions, Inc.,
revolves around a 21-year-old former assassin who inherits a family
secret, an unholy power known as "the darkness," which changes his
life. "Darkness," which has sold more than 1 million copies
worldwide, is also being developed as a video game by Majesco.

NEXT:
According to Variety, Revolution Studios is in talks with Julianne
Moore to play the female lead in NEXT opposite Nicolas Cage. Cage is
also attached as a producer, while Lee Tamahori will direct the sci-
fi thriller. Moore would play a federal agent who's looking for
people who can help predict terrorist acts. Her search puts her in
pursuit of a man (Cage) who has the ability to see his own future
and take a different path if he chooses. Gary Goldman adapted Philip
K. Dick's short story "The Golden Man."

That's about it for now.
Have a terrific weekend.
Be safe,
Sandy

Sandra Bruckner
Editor/Publisher
ISN News: The Zocalo Today
http://www.isnnews.net