Slice of SciFi News Briefs

“Star Trek: The Experience” is ending its 11-year run at the Las Vegas Hilton on September 1, right after The Official STAR TREK CONVENTION, which runs August 6 to 10, 2008.

Wesley Snipes will be allowed to leave the United States to work on two movies while his lawyers appeal his tax convictions, according to Federal judge William Terrell Hodges. On Wednesday the judge approved the actor’s motion to travel to London and Bangkok, Thailand. Snipes will be in England about three days this month for post-production editing of “Gallowwalker,” and in Thailand for eight weeks to film “Chasing the Dragon.”

Warner Bros. will be bringing Christopher Long’s graphic novel “Hiding In Time” to the silver screen. Story is about a Witness Protection Program that uses time travel to relocate high-profile witnesses.

Val Kilmer, Shane West, Cam Gigandet, Arielle Kebbel and Eric Balfour have signed on to star in “Silver Cord,” the story about the brother of director James Ordonez’s brother who, after being declared clinically dead on more than on occasion, returned to life.

James Ordonez will helm the project set to begin filming this September.

Could a SF film be in the running for an Oscar nod? According to many on the inside track of Hollywood, Heath Ledger may well be up for an Academy Award in the Best Supporting Actor category for his role as The Joker in the upcoming film “The Dark Knight.”

Will Smith’s new film “Hancock” has already been scarfed up by the FX Cable Network for its first no-pay channel television release sometime in 2010. Along with “Hancock” the same network also paid for rights “The Step Brothers,” with Will Ferrell; “The International,” a thriller with Clive Owen and Naomi Watts; and “Pineapple Express,” with Seth Rogen. Other 2008 Columbia releases bought by FX include “21,” “Walk Hard,” “Untraceable” and “We Own the Night.”

In the business side of show-biz, the mega DVD rental company Blockbuster has dropped its bid to buy-out the electronics franchise Circuit City citing changes in the market for is decision to back-off.

Thomas McCarthy, the writer and director behind the season’s indie sleeper hit, “The Visitor,” is moving into disaster movie territory by booking a role in Roland Emmerich’s “2012.” He joins the existing cast that includes John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover and Oliver Platt. McCarthy will play the boyfriend of Peet, who is the ex-wife of Cusack’s character.

In other biz news, Lionsgate has commited to a first-look deal with Comcast Entertainment Group for home entertainment rights to specialty shows on E!, the Style Network and G4.
The deal starts with the August 5 home-video premiere of “Sunset Tan,” followed by E!’s “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and “Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood” as well as Style’s “Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane.”

Columbia Pictures has set an untitled comedy that will star Sacha Baron Cohen (”Borat”) as master detective Sherlock Holmes and Will Ferrell as his side-kick Watson. Etan Cohen (”Tropic Thunder”) is writing the script, and Judd Apatow and Jimmy Miller will produce. Although a comedy, it will be inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes tales. Baron Cohen, has been filming “Bruno,” based on his character creation, and Ferrell, who just wrapped “Land of the Lost,” will next be seen starring in “Step Brothers.”

Finally, actor Dennis Haysbert believes his portrayal as the first African-American U.S. president on Fox’s “24″ may have helped pave the way for making it feasible in the minds of the average American that Senator Barack Obama could be a viable President. However, many more feel that the inspirational role of a U.S. President performed by Morgan Freeman in the blockbuster disaster film “Deep Impact” may have made more of a lasting impression on voters. Either way, both roles were landmarks.