Tagged: Star Trek

Bruce Timm sets the record straight on DC Universe Animated Original Movies

Bruce Timm sets the record straight on DC Universe Animated Original Movies

Who’s under the Red Hood? Bruce Timm knows, but he’s not telling. However, he answers a bevy of other questions in a Q&A focused on the July 27 release of Batman: Under the Red Hood, the latest entry in the ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies.

Batman: Under the Red Hood is just the latest finished product to come from Timm’s canon of super hero vehicles at Warner Bros. Animation. A veritable legend among the creative forces in animation today, Timm has spearheaded the elevation of DC Comics’ characters to new heights of animated popularity and introduced generations of new fans to the characters via landmark television series and made-for-DVD films. The latter task includes the creation of the current series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies, which now number eight in total and each has been greeted with critical acclaim and nifty sales.

Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, will be distributing Batman: Under the Red Hood as a Special Edition version on Blu-Ray™ and 2-disc DVD, as well as being available on single disc DVD, On Demand and for Download.

Timm paused long enough in his unthinkably busy schedule for a few cigarettes and a battery of questions, responding in true Timm form – whether it be discussing the casting and art direction, revealing his across-the-board love for all versions of Batman, or setting the record straight on quotes attributed to him from a certain widely reported interview-that-never-was. This is vintage Bruce Timm – read what the man has to say …

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John DiMaggio Talks ABout Voicing The Joker in ‘Batman: Under the Red Hood’

John DiMaggio Talks ABout Voicing The Joker in ‘Batman: Under the Red Hood’

Known to adults as Bender in Futurama and tweens as Dr. Drakken in Kim Possible, John DiMaggio takes an iconic step forward as the voice of The Joker, the pivotal villain in Batman: Under the Red Hood.

In the animated film, Batman faces his ultimate challenge as the mysterious Red Hood takes Gotham City by firestorm. One part vigilante, one part criminal kingpin, Red Hood begins cleaning up Gotham with the efficiency of Batman, but without following the same ethical code. And when The Joker falls in the balance between the two forces of justice, hard truths are revealed and old wounds are reopened.

DiMaggio gets free reign to play the iconic villain amidst a stellar voice cast that includes Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek) as the Caped Crusader, Supernatural star Jensen Ackles as Red Hood, and Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) as Nightwing.

Best known for his near-100 episodes as Bender, DiMaggio has parlayed his deep, gravelly tones and versatile acting style into a major force on the voiceover scene for the past decade. DiMaggio’s credits include roles in Kim Possible, Samurai Jack, Teen Titans, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Duck Dodgers, Jackie Chan Adventures, The Penguins of Madagascar and Chowder.

Voiceover has so dominated his time that DiMaggio has virtually abandoned his on-camera career – despite past work as a regular cast member on Chicago Hope and a number of guest roles in TV series such as Becker, N.Y.P.D. Blue, Felicity, Bones, Without a Trace and My Name is Earl.

Batman: Under the Red Hood is due out from Warner Home Video on July 27, 2010.

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Review: ‘Strange New World’

Gene Roddenberry spent the 1970s attempting to create new series and while many got as far the pilot film, none ever went to series. By the end of the decade he was frustrated and gave up, tying himself to [[[Star Trek]]], riding that cash cow to the end of his life.

His first attempt was 1973’s [[[Genesis II]]], a take on post-apocalyptic life on Earth, starring Alex Cord as Dylan Hunt (a name that got recycled). The CBS movie of the week looked good and almost made the schedule when the network opted instead for [[[Planet of the Apes]]]. Roddenberry continued to rework the notion, revising it into[[[Planet Earth]]], and switching from CBS and Cord to ABC and then rising action star John Saxon.  After that aired and failed, Roddenberry wisely walked away from the idea in favor of [[[Questor]]] and [[[Spectre]]].

Others, though, didn’t give up and tried with Saxon one final time in [[[Strange New World]]]. While the earlier attempts were released as a part of the Warner Brothers Archive program in October, only this week did this final act become available.

The common denominators are that the PAX organization sent astronauts into space in a state of suspended animation. Meantime, Earth was devastated and when the explorers awoke, they had to survive in a world they no longer recognized.

Airing March 23, 1975, we get an info dump narration to open the story of Strange New World, clearly lifted from the opening lines of Star Trek. Similarly, the [[[Enterprise]]] Bridge sound effects that open the telefilm make you think there’s still a Roddenberry connection which there most certainly is not.

Say what you will about him, but when he envisioned the future, he did his homework and researched where we were and where the experts thought we were headed. You see a lot of that especially in Genesis II. Writers Ranald Graham, Walon Green, and Al Ramrus did none of that and as a result the state of the Earth makes little sense after a series of meteors destroyed civilization as the astronauts knew it 180 years earlier.

Saxon, this time, is called Captain Anthony Vico and is accompanied by Dr. Allison Crowley (Kathleen Miller) and Dr. William Scott (Keene Curtis). The movie is actually two stories, neither of which is very good. In the first half, they encounter a utopia only to discover that there comes a price – with the ability to reproduce eradicated, the eternally youthful-looking people have resorted to cloning themselves for an endless supply of body parts. Of course, for some bizarre reason, each swab for more genetic material weakens the donor and eventually, the problems of aging become apparent. The hope is to refresh the supply by capturing our intrepid heroes.

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‘Men in Black 3’ Will be a 3-D Reunion

‘Men in Black 3’ Will be a 3-D Reunion

With the summer 2010 film season officially underway, calendars for 2011 and 2012 are rapidly filling up with eagerly anticipated fare. The latest juggernaut to claim a weekend is Columbia Pictures’ Men in Black III, which staked out May 25, 2012. Jumping on the bandwagon, the film was also announced as a 3-D production.

The film will feature the return of Will Smith as Agent Jay, and Tommy Lee Jones is expected back as Agent Kay, although he has yet to complete negotiations. Portraying a younger Agent Kay will likely be Josh Brolin.

A screenplay has been completed by Etan Cohen after several years of discussion over whether or not any of the principals wanted to reprise their roles. Barry Sonnenfeld will return to direct as he has on the first two installments based on Lowell Cunningham’s black and white comic book from Malibu (now owned by Marvel/Disney).

Summer 2012 will be another sequel heavy period with Madagascar 3 set for the same weekend followed June 29 by the Star Trek sequel and then Spider-Man 4 on July 3. The season kicks off May 4 with The Avengers.

Jeff Blake, chairman of Sony Pictures Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, said in a release, “Sony’s summer of 2012 will get off to a red hot start with an incredible new 3D adventure for the Men in Black. We couldn’t be more excited that the original filmmaking team responsible for the first two worldwide hits is reuniting for this third installment.”

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Third Nolan Batman Date Set, 2012 to be Bat-tastic

Third Nolan Batman Date Set, 2012 to be Bat-tastic

Tip of the hat to The Hollywood Reporter for letting us know that the third installment of Chris Nolan’s Batman franchise will be hitting theaters July 20th, 2012. So long as the Mayans and Jon Cusak were wrong, and that the Earth is still in tact… consider the date iCal-able. July of course seems to be Nolan’s lucky month, as we all recall The Dark Knight was released July 18th of 2008, and his new thriller Inception will be gracing the multiplex July 16th of this year.

2012 is quickly becoming a huge year for us fanboys. In addition to Nolan’s unnamed Bat-sequel, a bevvy of heavy hitters will debut. First out of the gates will be Marvel’s Avengers assembling May 4th, 2012, followed by board-game turned blockbuster Battleship on May 25th. Shortly after that the next launch of the Starship Enterprise (in the J.J. Abrams reboot-a-verse) will be with a Star Trek sequel on June 29th. And one week later? Set your phasers to THWIP! as the Spider-Man reboot swings into place on July 3rd.

Well, there went about 100 bucks in tickets, popcorn, and milk duds.

Warner Premiere Formally Announces ‘Batman: Under the Red Hood’

Warner Premiere Formally Announces ‘Batman: Under the Red Hood’

We were teased with the next direct-to-DVD animated feature when Justice League came out a few months back. Personally, we never understood why Jason Todd was resurrected or why DC and Warner Home Video considered this story worthy of adaptation, but here is comes. What follows is the press release with the details:

BURBANK, CA (April 27, 2010) – Batman confronts new enemies, old foes and painful memories when a powerful vigilante with a penchant for violence comes to Gotham City in the intense graphic-novel-come-to-life Batman: Under the Red Hood, the next entry in the popular ongoing series of DC UNIVERSE Animated Original PG-13 Movies coming July 27, 2010 from Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The full-length film will be distributed by Warner Home Video as a Special Edition version on Blu-Ray™ and 2 disc DVD for $29.99 (SRP) and $24.98 (SRP), respectively, as well as single disc DVD for $19.98 (SRP). The film will also be available On Demand and for Download.

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Monday Mix-Up: Common People, the Star Trek Slashup.

Monday Mix-Up: Common People, the Star Trek Slashup.

Back when anything popular would eventually end up as a cartoon, Star Trek’s original voyage became a cult cartoon classic back in the day. And we all know when it ended, William Shatner broke free of the constraints of over-acting he was tied to. He gave birth to a new form of music. Who needs melody Nimoy? The Legend of Bilbo Baggins? Feh! It’s not hip. Not like Billy’s rendition of “Common People”. Don’t believe me? You will. It’s the Star Trek cartoon Slashup of William’s Shatner’s “Common People”.

Set your phasers to awesome. Enjoy!

‘Star Trek: Vanguard’ Adds Anthology

‘Star Trek: Vanguard’ Adds Anthology

While Pocket Books’ publishing program has to avoid the five year mission era of Captain Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise until 2012 when the second film from J.J. Abrams is released, that doesn’t mean there won’t be stories set in the original universe.

Star Trek: Vanguard,
a novel series conceived by former editor Marco Palmieri and writer David Alan Mack in 2005, continues to tell stories during that fertile period for the United Federation of Planets and this week it has been confirmed that the series will continue with the just announced Star Trek: Vanguard – Declassified.

“This is an idea David and I hatched a few months ago, which was eagerly accepted by our editor at Pocket, Jaime Costas,” Dayton Ward wrote on his website.

Vanguard
tells of the Taurus Reach, a sector of space near the Tholian border and where powerful alien artifacts speak of a once-powerful race that ruled that portion of the galaxy. The UFP is fully exploring it and has built Starbase 47 as its base of operations but such a large establishment has piqued the curiosity of the Klingons and Romulans. Over the course of the five novels to date, the sprawling story and large cast of characters  have learned many secrets and work to preserve the galactic peace.

“The plan is for this collection to be released in mass-market paperback, and indeed count as the sixth book in the current series. Each novella will feature one or more of the series’ rather large cast, with tales spanning the length of Operation Vanguard from inception right up to and perhaps even past the events of the fifth book, Precipice. Further, these aren’t intended to be throwaway tales, but will be considered integral parts of the storyline and may also even set up situations for the series’ next novel-length installments. To be honest, we’re in the midst of figuring out a lot of that as I write this. Any or all of what I just typed could change, depending on where any unhinged brainstorming takes us.

“’Wait,’ I can hear you saying out there in the audience, “who the hell is we?” I’m glad you asked. The four novellas will be written by Kevin Dilmore, David Mack, Marco Palmieri, and me.”

The series to date has included the 2005 inaugural novel,  Harbinger (Mack) along with Summon the Thunder (Ward & Dilmore), Reap the Whirlwind (Mack), Open Secrets (Ward)  and Precipice (Mack). There was also a prequel of sorts in the eBook Distant Early Warning – Star Trek: SCE. #64 (Ward & Dilmore). Declassified is expected for release sometime in 2011.

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‘Hugo Cabret’ Headed for Silver Screen in 3-D

‘Hugo Cabret’ Headed for Silver Screen in 3-D

Slipped into the coverage for Kick-Ass was the fact that Chloë Grace Moretz will also be seen in Martin Scorcese’s adaptation of The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

The 2007 novel from Brian Selznick is a quasi-graphic novel mixing prose with long silent stretches of graphic narrative, totaling 284 of the 533 pages found in the Scholastic release.

Scorsese, known for his graphic violence not his graphic fiction, will be making the film in 3-D. The movie will be the director’s first kid-targeted effort, with London production scheduled to begin in June. Sony has already announced a December 9, 2011 release date.

Moretz will play the daughter of Cabret who befriends an orphan (a part yet to be cast) who has been living with his uncle in the great train station. The story is largely based o the life of pioneer film-maker Georges Méliès, known for his silent film A Trip to the Moon. He was also an invention of mechanical, wind-up figures called automata which plays a major role in the story.

The novel has won the prestigious Caldecott Medal and was a 2007 National Book Award Finalist, Young People’s Literature. Scorsese bought the film rights when the hardcover was released and hired John Logan (Gladiator, Star Trek: Nemesis to write the adaptation).

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You can buy a piece of ‘Star Trek: The Experience’ this Saturday

You can buy a piece of ‘Star Trek: The Experience’ this Saturday

If you were looking for that little special something for your own bridge recreation, here’s your chance.

The Las Vegas Sun reports that unneeded, unwanted and/or unnecessary items and effects from the old “Star Trek Experience” at the Las Vegas Hilton are being put up for sale this Saturday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at a storage facility at 66 Spectrum Blvd. in Las Vegas

High on the list are chairs, stools and tables from the city’s greatest outer-galaxy tavern, Quark’s. Also being made available are segments of bridges, the transporter room and halls from the replica Enterprise, and seats from the Klingon Encounter ride. Prices are set between $50 and $500. Propworx, which specializes in selling assets of movie and film productions, is handling the sale.