From Scifi.com:
Empire Online reported that Chris Weitz will move from “The Golden Compass” to Michael Moorcock’s “Elric,” with his brother, Paul. The Weitz brothers will adapt the fantasy saga, about Elric of Melniboné (aka Elric Kinslayer or The White Wolf) for the big screen, the site reported.
The Elric books first appeared in print in 1961 and number more than a dozen volumes.
“Of the great classic fantasy series it’s the one that hasn’t been done yet,” Chris Weitz told Empire Online. “My brother, Paul, and I liked those books growing up, and we’ve met Michael Moorcock, and he trusts us to take those books forward.”
The Weitz brothers’ Depth of Field production company will develop the adaptation, although no director is yet attached. “I’d really like it if my brother directed them,” Chris said.
Looking for a great book for reading poolside or at the beach this summer?
Naomi Novak’s “His Majesty’s Dragon” may be exactly what you’re looking for. The first in a series of novels set in Napoleonic times and featuring a dragon named Temeraire, the novel is a fun and enjoyable read. And now it’s an award-winning novel.
“His Majesty’s Dragon” took home the Compton Crook award at this year’s Balticon. The Crook award is given to the year’s best debut novel. “Dragon” beat out “The Lies of Locke Lamora” by Scott Lynch, “Sojourn” by Jana G. Oliver and “The Skewed Throne” by Joshua Palmatier.
The award is named after Towson State College professor of natural science Compton Crook, who wrote SF under the name Stephen Tall. Crook died in 1981, and the award was first presented in 1983. The winner receives a $1,000 cash prize.
“Dragon” also made the short-list for this year’s Hugo.
The first three Temeraire novels were released last year over the course of three months by publisher DelRay. The novels caught the attention of Peter Jackson who has optioned them to be made into movies by his production company. Rumor has it Jackson may be interested in directing the films, which once you read the books you will understand why this redefines the words “awesome.” (These movies have the potential to be better than “The Lord of the Rings”).
The fourth novel in the series is set for publication in September.
From Scifi.com:
Film Ick reported a rumor that author Neil Gaiman will direct his first feature film later this year: an adaptation of his graphic novel “Death: The High Cost of Living,” based on his own script.
Citing an anonymous source, the site reported that Gaiman discussed the movie with Pan’s Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro a couple of weeks back.
The site also reported that the film will most likely shoot in late autumn or early winter in the United Kingdom, that “Transformers” star Shia LaBeouf is “almost certainly going to play the male lead,” named Sexton Furnival in the comics, and that Death—or Didi as she calls herself in her mortal form—has snagged the interest of a famous young actress who will be named soon.
Fans of boy-wizard Harry Potter rejoice. Warner Brothers has moved up the release of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” two days. The new release date is set for Wednesday, July 11.
Speculation as to why Warner Brothers has moved up the release date runs the gamut from wanting to break the $100 million mark on opening weekend to giving “Transformers” a run for its money to not wanting to conflict too much with the release of the seventh and final “Harry Potter” novel later in July.
The fifth movie, adapted from the novel by J.K. Rowling, follows Harry’s fifth year at Hogwarts. Harry trains with Professor Snape to fend off an attack by the evil Voldemort while everyone prepares for the upcoming battle between Voldemort’s forces and the Order of the Phoneix, headed by Dumbledore.
As with the previous “Harry Potter” film, the movie will be released on IMAX. This time, there will be 20-minutes of footage in 3-D for the IMAX experience.
Pre-production is underway for the sixth “Harry Potter” film that will begin filming later this year.
Who will fill the shoes of Arnold Swartzenegger in the upcoming fourth “Terminator” movies? Swedish underwear model Marcus Schenkenberg.
Schenkenberg told a Dutch talk show last week that he has booked four new movie roles while at Cannes, one of the being the title role of the “Terminator.”
Schenkenberg also hinted that Swartzenegger could have a small cameo in the upcoming installment.
From Dark Horizons:
Out doing promotions for his new film “Bordergate,” actor Michael Madsen brought up the topic of both Robert Rodriguez’s ” Sin City 2″ and Quentin Tarantino’s WW2 opus “Inglorious Bastards” in an interview with Premiere Magazine.
Whilst Tarantino is still typing away on the ‘Bastards’ script, the real revelation are comments about the ‘Sin’ sequel which isn’t moving as well as fans were hoping:
“They haven’t shot it yet. I don’t know if they ever will. I am not sure [about] the franchise. I think the Grindhouse thing didn’t kind of work out… I don’t know what effect that is going to have on making ‘Sin City 2’,” said Madsen.
He adds that the only reason he did his small role in the first film “was because Robert Rodriguez said that if I took that little part I would get a bigger role in the sequel, that Bob would have more [for me] to do in the sequel.”
And as for that sequel, which was said to begin filming next month? – “I haven’t seen the script for Sin City 2,” Madsen continued. “I don’t know if they are gonna make it. I hope they do. And if and when they do, I will be in it.”
