Aidan Wasley looks at the Saga as a postmodern art film. (Via kottke)
Joss Whedon: Like Luke Skywalker, in a way
This interview with Joss on Star Trek and Star Wars and their effect on Firefly and Serenity is all sorts of cute:
Whedon: There’s always the young punk rebelling against his father.I’m rebelling against Han Solo, but if you are going to tell me that Han Solo isn´t the father of Malcolm Reynolds, then I am going to laugh and laugh and laugh.
He then goes on to say:
At the same time, I owe both of those franchises a huge debt. They are both in my personal, how can they not be? It’s that classic thing : I’m rebelling against my father and doing everything he doesn’t do, but I think I look like him.
Read the full quote on TrekWeb via Whedonesque. The entire article is in the latest issue of Cinefantastique.
Lost’s first tie-in novel
The book will be the product of Gary Troup, a passenger of Oceanic Flight 815 who didn’t survive the crash, but mailed off his book to ABC’s sister company Hyperion Books just days before the flight. The character (via, we assume, a copy of his manuscript or other belongings) will be written into the on-screen story this spring. The real author will be an unnamed “well-known” mystery writer.
Isn’t this why we have Kevin Smith?
According to Variety, the Weinstein’s have picked up a script called “Fan Boys” that follows a group of Star Wars fans in their quest to help their dying friend make it to Skywalker Ranch to see the final film.
About that DVD…
Look sir, exclusives! Why does Walmart always get the interesting stuff? Damn you, Walmart!
ETA: TFN reports that the Walmart bonus DVD costs extra – the movie alone is $14.99, while the version bundled with the bonus DVD is $19.99.
They also cook
Apparently there’s a fan group called the Jedi Chefs. They’ve knighted quite a few “Celebrity Jedi Chefs,” mainly actors from shows like Stargate, Buffy, Firefly, and Battlestar Galactica, but no actual Star Wars personalities, as the Unofficial BSG Blog points out.
Perhaps we should send CJ’s own Jedi chef, Qui-Gon Dave, to check them out. Or at least get himself one of those hats.
Hayden does Dylan
In an interview with Empire, Hayden Christensen reveals that he’s been cast in the Edie Sedgewick biopic Factory Girl along with Sienna Miller and Guy Pearce. He’ll be playing a character “based on Bob Dylan.”
He’ll also be starring with Christina Ricci and Reese Witherspoon in Penelope, which he describes as” a fable-esque tale, sort of like an Edward Scissorhands-type movie, but for a female who
R2-D2 case mod
Adorable computer made in the image of everyone’s favorite astromech.
(I’ve had this in my bookmarks for a few days, but forgot to blog it. Whoops!)
Giant gorillas don’t come cheap
Peter Jackson’s King Kong remake is currently clocking in at 3 hours long, and the extra time has increased the budget by a third – to $207 million. (Two hundred and seven million!) Universal Pictures will be releasing the film at the (for now) full length – no word on how much footage they’ll hold back for the inevitable extended DVD.
Star Trek’s George Takei out of the closet
George Takei, Mr. Hikaru Sulu of Star Trek, came out in Frontiers, a L.A. magazine that covers the gay and lesbian community:
“The world has changed from when I was a young teen feeling ashamed for being gay,” he said. “The issue of gay marriage is now a political issue. That would have been unthinkable when I was young.”
The 68-year-old actor said he considers himself as “having been out for quite some time.” Takei and his partner, Brad Altman, have been together for 18 years.
(Via Fanthropology.)