((UPDATES FROM HERE ON WILL BE ONCE A MONTH))
PROMETHEUS fans take heart, the screenplay for the proposed sequel, Paradise, is already in development … AND ACCORDING TO RIDLEY SCOTT, the main character in the Blade Runner Sequel, is a woman. Hampton Fancher, screenwriter of the original, is on board … RACHAEL MCADAMS will play the lead in Richard Curtis’ time travel romance, About Time … RICK BAKER has designed the makeup for Angelina Jolie as the title character, Maleficent … INDEPENDENCE DAY will return to theaters — and in 3D ! And on July 3rd of next year … THE SEQUEL TO RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES now has a title. It’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and it arrives in theaters on May 23, 2014 — the script is being worked on by the writer of Contagion, Scott Z. Barns … SIMON PEGG says Khan is NOT the villain in J.J. Abrams Star Trek 2. And that such a notion that he is, is merely a myth generated on the internet … THE REMAKE OF THE NIGHT STALKER starring Johnny Depp now has a writer. It’s D.V. DeVincentis, of High Fidelity and Gross Point Blank fame … ARE YOU STILL DOWN WITH FRAGGLE ROCK ? Jim Byrkit and Alex Manugian, both of whom worked on Rango in some capacity, certainly hope so. They will adapt Fraggle Rock for the big screen … EDWARD (THE LAST SAMURAI) ZWICK’S NEXT FILM, The Great Wall, appears not to be a historical film at all, but rather a genre pic. The official synopsis reads: Set in 15th century China, The Great Wall is about British warriors who happen upon the hurried construction of the massive wall. As night falls, the warriors realize that the haste in building the wall isn’t just to keep out the Mongols — there is something inhuman and more dangerous. Henry (Man of Steel) Cavill stars … ZACKARY (CHUCK) LEVI has been signed to take over the role of Fandral in Thor 2. Levi replaces Joshua Dallas who played the role in the original film. All other principals from the original film will return. Alan (Game of Thrones) Taylor is directing … IN OTHER MARVEL NEWS, The Russo Brothers (Welcome to Collinwood) will take over for director Joe Johnston on Captain America 2 … AND IN SOMEWHAT RELATED COMIC BOOK MOVIE NEWS, Warner Bros. and DC Comics’ Wonder Woman film now has a writer. Michael (Green Lantern) Goldberg will draft the script. Also on the DC front, the Justice League is now being fast tracked in response to the success of Marvel’s The Avengers. Film will be written by Will (Gangster Squad) Beall … AND SPEAKING OF MARVEL, there is also now talk of a Black Panther movie … REGARDING THE UPCOMING JUDGE DREDD REMAKE, AN “OFFICIAL” IMAGE has been released:
GEORGE LUCAS has reaffirmed that he is done with big budget filmmaking. Essentially retiring, in fact. He has even turned over his company’s operations to none other than Stephen Spielberg’s longtime producer, Kathleen (E.T.) Kennedy … IN OTHER LUCASFILM NEWS, Producer Rick McCallum recently commented further on the forthcoming live action Star Wars TV Series. Said McCallum: “Our biggest problem is that these stories are adult. I mean…these are like Deadwood in space. [It’s] so unlike anything you’ve ever associated with George before in relation to Star Wars. These aren’t for kids. I mean, we hope they’ll watch, but it’s not being targeted at 8-to-9 year old boys. The situation we have is that each episode – or if you put two hour long episodes together – is bigger than any film we’ve ever done. It’s on the Avatar level and we’ll only have about $5-6 million we can spend on each episode.” … GUY (SHERLOCK HOLMES) RITCHIE will reinvent yet another literary work. This time it’s Robert Louise Stevnson’s Treasure Island. Project is said to be updated to the present … SAMUEL L. JACKSON has joined the production of Robocop as a TV Mogul. Also in the cast now are Abbie Cornish (who plays Murphy’s wife,) and Gary Oldman, who will play Robocop’s creator … DREAMWORKS will produce Glimmer, a “found footage” spec script. Project is said to involve time travel and pays homage to the old 80’s Amblin’ Entertainment days … MICHAEL BAY says Transformers 4 will be his last Transformers film. But he’s said that before … AND CHRISTOPHER NOLAN has officially been asked by Warner Bros. to make another Batman film, following Dark Knight Rises. He has declined … IN STEPHEN KING NEWS, Tom (Child’s Play, The Langoliers) Holland will direct The Ten O’clock People for theatrical release. The King story, from his anthology “Nightmares & Dreamscapes,” is about a guy trying to kick a smoking habit, who discovers a variance in the fabric of reality. This film joins remakes of Carrie and The Stand, as well as the long overdue Dark Tower and Eyes of the Dragon adaptations. These films join Cary (Jane Eyre) Fukumaga’s remake of King’s IT, which is being readied as a two-picture franchise … ROB (FAST AND THE FURIOUS) COHEN is planning to make an action-adventure film about … wait for it … Sir Isaac Newton. No shit … AND NOW FOR THE BAD NEWS … Ray Bradbury, a man I was lucky enough to make the acquaintance of and later cross paths with many times in the Los Angeles valley, passed away last week at the age of 91. 
Ray always said he wanted to live to see 100, but sadly, that was not to be. Ray wrote about so many varied subjects, and gave a very intruiging candid interview published in book form a few years ago, wherein he discussed everything from his strange friendship with author Harlan Ellison, to infidelity. His work was adapted many times, but with uneven results. There was Truffaut’s version of Fahrenheit 451, a wonderful episode of The Twilight Zone based on Ray’s story, “The Electric Grandmother,” an unfortunate version of The Illustrated Man, a disasterous television verison of The Martian Chronicles, it went on and on.
Ray became very, very popular in the 1950’s and 60’s, prolificly published in The Saturday Evening Post. He wrote screenplays (John Huston’s Moby Dick,) he wrote novels, short stories, fiction, non-fiction, he spoke around the country, advised Walt Disney on one of his theme park attractions, won numerous awards, greatly influenced the likes of Steven Spielberg, and had a famous row with Rod Serling over Serling’s use of Ray’s imagination as inspiration for television show, The Twilight Zone. 
He was Ray Bradbury, one of the smartest and nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting in my life. Enjoy the trip, Ray. Send me a postcard from Mars.
STARLOGGER 