Sunday 18 November 2007 at 01:18 am.
Used tags: orycon
Every year at Orycon there is a panel by a reviewer and industry insider, Gareth Von Kallenbach, in which he talks about the current going ons in cinema and television. (There is also an assistant producer there who worked on every season of Star Trek Voyager and Enterprise who has shed some very interesting light on the subject, alas this is a tangent). Here are the notes I have taken. Now I checked my notes from the past two years and it seems this guy has a good track record for this industry, about 60-85% successful prediction. Now mind you many of these are just being looked at or are in pre production. Never assume anything is certain until the cameras start rolling. Here are the predictions from last year so you can make your own judgements. Oh, and the basic premise of Indiana Jones 4 and the New Star Trek is down at the bottom.
The current writers strike will be causing major issues for television, starting about in February, and movies that were slated for 2009. Even if the strike were end today it will take about 6 weeks to get new scripts from brainstorm into production for TV series. There are three possible options, series and movies will die and never come back to life, they will be placed on the back burner, or (worst of all) the producers will take scripts in their current form and just make due with them. Series that are in their first season trying to find their audience will be in the first group. Established shows and movies with solid studio backing will be in the middle and I fear a lot of movies will go with the latter group. Negotiations are expected to resume after the Thanksgiving weekend but I doubt there will be much production. Gareth predicts that the strike will end early if a major star (Tom Hanks, etc) working on a major film, refuses to cross the picket line. The studios would break and meet the writers' demands. (Which I am for and which I wish them the best of luck.) This strike may last all of next year, so expect a lot of reality TV. Movie and television studios are also looking at foreign media to help fill in the gap. Award shows will also be interesting as no one will be able to write their quirky jokes.
Some shows, like Battlestar may be asafe as it is filmed in Vancouver BC and some writers are not part of the guild. It is a grey area so take this news with salt. Caprica, the prequel series, has been put on hold because of the strike. Do not expect it to come back to life.
Another casualty of the strike is Seth MacFarlane walked and Fox is continuing production. Not good.
The new Futurama movie is slow to start but is otherwise very good. 3 more to come next year.
A live action movie of GI-Joe is under way. It gets better. Normally a movie script is being worked on for 6-14 months before production. Because of the writers strike the writer for this movie was only given 7 weeks.
Because of the strike X-Files 2 in in production.
Studios are looking at old unfilmed scripts (Mission Impossible, original Star Trek for example) to use as filler if needed.
The next Alien vs Predator movie is looking quite good and gory. Improved from the previous one.
Prison Break's 4 week hiatus is probably going to be dropped to one.
24 is on hold until after the strike.
Lost will show the shows it has.
Dungeon Siege movie, by Uwe Boll, is getting rave reviews in Germany.
The next Rambo movie is looking rather good.
The Halo movie is dead. Peter Jackson has almost no clout and is in fact banned from most of MGM.
The Hobbit is still on the back burner but is being passed around to different directors.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is delayed due to strike.
Here is a list of movies and remakes that are being worked on:
10 Million Years BC
There is a movie called Babylon AD with Vin Diesel. The idea is a woman has a retrovirus that, if spreads, will kill the human race.
Horton Hears a Who
Iron Man is looking all right
Prince Caspian may be good
Sex in the City movie. Expect romances to be the first movies to come out of the strike as they are quick to make and write.
The Hulk with Edward Norton
Get Smart
Valkyrie
Hellboy 2
Dark Knight (New Batman! Such a hunk too)
Another Mummy movie
Mamma Mia! with Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan are staring in it. Yes, James Bond is in a musical.
Bond 22 is in works with Daniel Craig
Death Rays 2000 is being remade
A remake of Scanners
Highschool Musical 3
Scary Movie 5
The Day the Earth Stood Still with Keanu Reeves
Remake of Footlose with Zack Efron
Grudge part 3
Hills have eyes 3
Metal Gear Solid the movie
Remaking Escape From New York. Kurt might play Snake.
Remake Wolfman
Pink Panther 2
Saw 6
The watchmen
GForce
Avatar with James Cameron.
Fantastic Voyage
Spidemanr 4
Poose and Boots moive
Dark tower by King
I Dream of Jeannie
Hitman 2
Invisible Man remake
I Robot 2
Return to wolfenstien
Thundercats
Mortal Combat sequal
Sin city 2
The smirfs
The warrior
When a stranger calls 2,
From jeff bridges mouth: Tron reimage is dead but is doing sequel instead.
Conan film. Going to happen by the Wachowski brothers.
A new Stargate series but the movie is in limbo due to the strike.
A recent screening of the Golden Compass was a disaster. It is back in the edit room undergoing serious editing.
Austin Powers 4 was being planned but, due to the strike, is dead.
24 the movie is probably dead due to strike
Black Christmas 2 might still happen
Remake of Creature from black lagoon on hold
Jurassic park 4 probably dead due to strike. Plot was dinos being used for military applications.
Meg (prehistoric shark) killed by writers stike
Transformers 2 is held up.
Ice age 3 held up
Remake of bird and Prince of Persia also on hold.
Here are some being looked at
Terminator 4. This will be about the future war.
Magneto spinoff is approved but wolverene is first.
Pee Wee Herman is coming back. R and PG versions of the movie.
World of Warcraft movie is in trouble because of the strike.
Still no one cast for Wonderwoman. The studios want an established actress who is six foot and has a bust line. The few who meet all three criteria don't want to.
Independence day sequel fell apart.
New Blade Runner - Final Cut. 2, 4 5 disk version. The way Scott wanted, new footage and effects. 5 disk will have every version. Dec 18th. Also in certain theatres. One main producer of the film just before strike started commissioning scripts for sequel.
Mad Max. Mel Gibson. Cancelled mad max 4 because a scene could only be filmed in africa and terrorism issues. As of two weeks ago George Millar has said (before strike) Mad Max 4 Fury Road is back on. Mel wants to do it. Robert Downy jr may be his son.
Babylon 5 Lost Tales was a total success. The next two stories are a go and jms will have a slightly larger budget. We will be seeing Garibaldi and Londo. And, down the road, don't be surprised if we see what happens with Lennier...
The following contain the basic premise of Indiana Jones 4 and the new Star Trek movie. Do not continue if you do not want to read them
Indiana Jones 4. Some bad news. Sean Connery will not be returning. He was honoured to be asked and gave the script his blessing, but he wants to stay retired. Harrison Ford is doing all his own stunts, and, according to younger actors in previous movies that had fight scenes with Ford, is very much still able to play Indi as they were seriously knocked around by Ford. This film takes place in the 1950's and the Russians are after the Ark of the Covenant which is being stored in Area 51.
Star Trek: This is a very Terminator like story. Ready? Sure? Why don't you look at the cast and the first shots of the new Spock first? Ok. Ready? Romulans go back in time to prevent James T. Kirk from being born. Old Spock, played by Nimoy himself, goes back to warn his younger self to make sure Kirk is born and lives. Add the Portal from the City at the Edge of Forever, Christopher Pike, and an Enterprise under construction. There will be non stop action and $165 million has been put into this movie.
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