Author: Robert Greenberger

We’ve often called Sam Raimi the busiest man in Hollywood between the projects he is personally directing along with those he is involved as a producer.

After all, his Ghost House Pictures are producing films, which we’ll be reviewing in the coming days, and there’s his new television series which partner Rob Tapert discussed with us the other day.  Then there are the various film franchises from Spider-Man to Evil Dead which he’s been involved.

We often wonder here at ComicMix central when he will cry uncle and the answer is, now. Raimi told MTV that he has had to withdraw from his previously announced involvement with Paramount Pictures’ planned reboot of the Jack Ryan franchise. He bowed out to concentrate on Sony’s Spider-Man films which further convince us that the next two will be filmed back-to-back.

 “I’m really excited about Spider-Man,” the director said. “Production [on more Spider-Man films] would start probably by March, I’m guessing of 2010.” Which also means he’s working to meet Sony’s already announced plan for Spider-Man 4 to open in summer 2011. (Probably nestled between First Avenger: Captain America and The Avengers so as not to dilute the appetite for Marvel super-heroes.)

“I love Tom Clancy, and I hope they’d keep me in mind,” Raimi said of the film series which has, to date, starred Ben Affleck, Harrison Ford and Alec Baldwin. “But because I’m committed to ‘Spider-Man and making that picture, I think it’s going to knock me out of the running for the Jack Ryan picture.”

He did not address the choice of villain or who will be the love interest although the blogosphere continues to suspect Kirsten Dunst will be dropped from at least Spidey 4 in favor of Elizabeth Banks, who played Betty Brant back in the first film.
 

Searching for the paranormal has become incredibly popular across the world and has propelled stellar ratings for Sci Fi Channel’s various shows where various people seek the unknown or unexplained.  The most popular of the bunch is Ghost Hunters and now a second spinoff series is in the works.

Ghost Hunters: College Edition will be, according to The Hollywood Reporter, “features a group of students going around the country to seek out paranormal activity”.  We imagine their tour bus will compete with the Girls Gone Wild bus for prime parking spaces.

Conceived by GH’s Executive Producer, Craig Piligian, the series will use an experience investigator to show the students how it’s done.  At present, it has not been determined if a member of the TAPS domestic team seen on Ghost Hunters or the international edition from Ghost Hunters International will be recruited to play professor.  The cast for GHI seemed like castoffs from the prime series and experienced turnover by the beginning of its second season.

The original GH began airing in 2004, featuring Grant Wilson and Jason Hawes as Roto Rooter staffers by day and investigators by night.  The series has averaged over two million viewers a week with the October 8 episode notching an all-time high of 2.7 million total viewers.

GHI began airing in January averaging 2.4 million viewers and has been renewed.

The lead investigators have become celebrities and have been seen at the New York Comic-Con and Comic-Con International.  Some of their cases have been collected in a book, co-written with Michael Jan Friedman from Pocket Books with a second volume due in 2009.

"Ghost Hunters’ appeals to a wide demographic, and we felt the college edition would be a great asset to the franchise," Piligian told the trade.
 

McG reports on the Terminator Salvation blog that principal photography has wrapped and the crew has now moved on to Post-Production as they work toward their May 9, 2009 release date.

"We wrapped principal photography. Now we’re heavy into post. I’ve already shown early cuts to Christian [Bale] and Sam [Worthington]. They seem pleased with where the film is headed. Our focus is on story and character, but its fun diving into the world of visual effects.

“Charlie Gibson is aware of his responsibility as the VFX supervisor and second unit director of this film. He works with ILM and Asylum every day and makes revisions to the finest detail. We want the patina of the machines to be dirty and heavy and perfectly realistic – that’s why we built so much practically with Stan Winston.

“But at some point the effects kick in and like any Terminator fan, Charlie wants his mind blown. There’s one sequence in particular where we’re trying to achieve something that’s never been done before. I don’t want to talk about it because we haven’t been successful yet…But we’re working on it.

“Christian and Sam bring power to the rolls of John Connor and Marcus Wright. This is a story of two destinies colliding. Connor is part of a resistance comprised of the ethnicities that make up the globe. This film is so much more that just Los Angeles. It reflects the global crisis of man, all of man versus machine."

No word yet when we’ll see a full trailer for the feature but you can bet we’ll be seeing exclusive scenes on Fox’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles now that the series has a full season order.
 

Interestingly, 20th-Century Fox is seeking a fresh face to play Greg Heffley, the star of Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series.  The casting agent is seeking Males 11-14 only.  Boys coming to the open call need to be able to handle dialog and ironic comedy, and should bring a current photo and snapshot and a parent/guardian.  The casting call will be held this Saturday, October 25 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Debbie Reynolds Studio 6514 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, California.

We recently interviewed Kinney about his books and a movie adaptation sounds like a swell idea.

Good Vibrations is a potential animated mid-season replacement series for Fox. Created by Pineapple Express’ David Gordon Green, Variety says the show “centers on two high school surfer dudes who live near the beach in California.”

The trade also reports voice casting is complete and will feature Josh Gad (Back to You), Adam Brody (The O.C.), Debi Mazar (Entourage), Olivia Thirlby (New York I Love You), Alan Tudyk (Firefly) and Jake Busey (Broken).

Gad will star as Mondo, an “out-of-shape, shaggy-haired teen looking to master surfing and win over Jeena (voiced by Thirlby) — who thinks of Mondo more like a brother.”

Brody, the once and maybe future Flash, plays Woodie, Mondo’s best friend. Tudyk will supply the voice for Lonnie, “an old surf bum who doubles as the show’s narrator.”
 

Sci-Fi Wire is joining the growing chorus of place claiming that Steven Moffat, the incoming new producer for Doctor Who has cast the first black Doctor, actor Paterson Joseph, to replace David Tennant.

Of course, Tennant, the Tenth Doctor, is contracted through the 2010 season and may well sign for more seasons.  However, since he is not yet signed beyond a fifth full season, speculation has been running rampant as to whom Tennant could regenerate into.

Joseph as an option first surfaced a few weeks back in Rich Johnston’s Lying in the Gutters column.  He wrote,  “Previously playing Roderick in the Doctor Who episodes “Bad Wolf”/”Parting Of Ways,” Joseph is known for fine upstanding and terribly-well-spoken-dontcha-know roles as Johnson in Peep Show, the Marquis De Carabas in Neverwhere, Space Marshall Clarke in Hyperdrive, Lyndon in Green Wing…and more importantly Benjamin in Jekyll. Written and produced by upcoming Doctor” Who showrunner, Steven Moffat.”

Joseph initially told Sci Fi Wire, "I am on a list of God knows how many others, but flattered to be considered."

A follow up e-mail said, "The news on Who was news to me as of last Wednesday, when my agent said they’d had lots of journos asking if the rumors were true. That’s all I know, and I’m very pleased to even be thought of in this way. It’s a blast!"

On the other hand, TV Scoop reported a while back that James Nesbitt would replace Tennant while the London Telegraph wrote just months back that Russell Tovey, who played Midshipman Frame in the most recent Christmas special, was being eyed by producer Russell T. Davies as a potential replacement. He wrote in an e-mail, "He’s amazing. I think I’d make him the 11th Doctor."

Regardless, Tennant is working on the four Specials for 2009 and then will shoot the fifth season to air in 2010.  By then, he may have re-signed for a sixth season or someone else will be taking up residence in the TARDIS.  Isn’t this fun?