Thursday, December 20, 2012

'Muppet' sequel news, 'Moument 14' heading to the screen, Franco out of 'Dawn', Bryan Singer to help revive 'Twilight Zone'



Just after Modern Family’s Ty Burrell was cast in The Muppet sequel, word has come that Ricky Gervais is in negations to lead the film after Jason Segal announced that he was not returning. The European-set film begins production in January, with a December 13, 2013 release date. James Bodin returns as director. 

It’s been described as The Breakfast Club set after the apocalypse, but in the age of studios swallowing any young adult content out there hoping to find a worthy series to follow up successful franchises like Twilight and Hunger Games, it’s no surprise Reel FX and Andrew Adamson’s Strange Weather have acquired the rights to Emmy Laybourne’s post-apocalypse trilogy Monument 14. It’s about a group of teens who are trapped together in a chain superstore and face the prospect of life, death and love and hate while the world as they know it ends right outside. The first book was released last June with its follow-up, Monument 14: Sky On Fire, to hit bookstores in June 2013. Brad Peyton, who helmed Journey 2: Mysterious Island will adapt and direct. While no studio is attached, Reel FX is a company that launched a development and production slate in 2010, and then they finance the development of projects and then take those packages and places them with studios. 

James Franco does not expect to return for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, as he says changes at the studio and a new director (Matt Reeves replaces Ruperert Wyatt) will probably mean his arc is finished in the new take on the classic movie franchise. He told MTV News: “I was going to be a small part of the next one. There was a moment when Rupert Wyatt was going to direct the second one. A lot of the human characters that were in the first movie were dead in the sequel that Rupert was going to direct. But there was one scene, between Caesar and my character, maybe even just like on a video that was left behind, but then a lot of things happened, like [former Fox co-chairman] Tom Rothman who was a big part of the first movie, left. Now Rupert’s not a part of it so I don’t know. My guess is I won’t be in it. Nobody’s talked to me since Rupert left.”

One of things that interested my about Madame Vastra –the Silurian we met in A Good Man Goes to War- was how she got stuck in Victorian London, met Jenny and interacted with the Doctor. Also, I was curious how Sontaran Commander Strax arrived there as well and how it all tied them to that story from last season, considering that these adventures must take place before that season six episode. Or so I thought. Now it seems this story takes place after the events of A Good Man Goes to War. In the prequel clip, we learn why Vastra is there, and in a recent posting I noticed that the explanation of Starx's survival after being killed at Demons Run, is that he's been resurrected by a "friend" of the Doctors. I'm curious who that "friend" is, though. Hope they'll explain that, but those answers may have to wait until 2013, as all three are scheduled to return again in episode 11, The Crimson Horror and the currently unnamed season finale.




Gene Roddenberry deserves a lot of credit for social victories that Star Trek achieved in the 1960’s, but The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) is the template for what was later created by Roddenberry. Why this series remains one of best drama shows of that turbulent era is what Rod Serling achieved, something no network thought he could do in a series, something very much commercial but had a social commentary woven into it. Sure, most went over the heads of the audience and sponsors then, it wasn’t until the show was in syndication, thus repeated again and again, did many see the true genius of The Twilight Zone. And while, like Star Trek, there was to be other science fiction shows with moral codes sewn in, Serling’s original show remains the first. And after fifty-three years, Twilight Zone remains popular as ever, with the Syfy Channel airing a marathon of episodes every New Year’s Eve.Now there is going to be another attempt at resurrecting the franchise on TV, as director Bryan Singer and his production company is close to signing a deal with CBS TV Studios on a reboot. Though no network is attached, it’s clear that since CBS owns the rights to the property and aired the original series, as well as the 1985-1989 underrated revival, it will end up there.There is still a chance we’ll see a big screen reboot as well, as Warner Bros is still actively working on that project that has director Matt Reeves attached to, with a script by Jason Rothenberg.

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