You guys clearly love concept art as much as I do – this was one of the weekend’s most read posts and most clicked links. That may be damning with faint praise – posting and hits are both pretty sparse over weekends – but clearly plenty of readers made an impression on io9 because yesterday they had a huge multiple-gallery concept art post featuring some of the hottest visual designers Hollywood has to offer, including Ryan Church, whose work you’re probably already familiar with. I can’t think of a better way to waste your morning on the computer.
Transformers 2 blowing stuff up in a neighbourhood near you
Or near Yav anyway. Footage for Michael Bay’s sequel to the wildly popular Transformers movie will be shot early next week on the deserted grounds of Bethlehem Steel.
Notices were sent to neighbors and nearby business owners Tuesday warning them about the upcoming noise, glare and road closures that will come along with the filming of one of the movie’s opening scenes, which will feature the computer-generated robots alongside Steel’s instantly-recognizable blast furnaces.
”It is essentially going to be a simulated war,” [Bethlehem mayor] Callahan said.
Practice explosions went off all throughout Yav’s yoga class this morning, shaking the building and making downward-facing dog slightly more challenging than usual.
The folks over at seibertron.com are discussing the whole thing at length and apparently have covert pictures.
Video: Evolution of Dance tribute
You may remember the original Evolution of Dance, as it’s one of the most popular videos on Youtube.
Movie News: LOTR, Indy, Transformers
Just in time for Christmas… The complete soundtrack for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King will be released on November 6. Yup, all three hours and 50 minutes of score. Also, this is the first I’ve heard of a soundtrack book: The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films. And here I though it was Lucasfilm that left no revenue possibility unturned.
- MTV finds Harvard dude to talk more about crystal skulls. Bored now.
- Transformers in IMAX may be 5 minutes longer than standard release. So, fanboys: two extra pairs of underwear this time, okay?
- Buck Rodgers next up for ‘reimagining?’ Yes Hollywood, you have no shame. We know.
- Tron sequel gets director. Is this joke ever going to get a punchline?
- Speaking of, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem will give ‘fans’ a look at the Predator homeworld. It’s full of eels!
- Jessica Alba wants Fantastic offspring in next film. Spandex pregnancy padding: The final frontier.
- Kevin McKidd might show up in Thor film. But not as Thor, it seems. Sheesh. Why bother, then?
Cancel the Fanboy Olympics…
We have a winner! At least it’s only his middle name…
Movies: Blockbusters, reviews and trailers
Pirates leave you cold? Harry Potter not your thing? Transformers not moving you? Take a look at next year’s summer blockbusters.
Getting on with it…
- First Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix review. Not really much for talking about the actual movie, are we?
- Meanwhile, Pablo saw Transformers.
- National Lampoon to weakly parody 300. I think the internet already took care of this one, guys.
- Conan rights up for grabs. Also, another He-Man movie? This can’t possibly end well.
- Justice League film may be next for Superman.
Trailers
- Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. Starring Natalie Portman and Jason Bateman.
- Domestic The Golden Age. Note: international version is less Elizabeth-I-for-Dummies.
TV Roundup: Teacher, Mother, Secret lover
TV sci-fi has cred now. For the moment, anyway.
HEROES
- There’s going to be a seven-city world tour for the DVD set; also some S2 tidbits which may be considered spoilery.
- Jack Coleman and Hayden Panettiere did not make out. Good to know!
- James Kyson Lee (Ando) to guest host show on the Anime Network.
Battlestar Galactica
- Michael Hogan and Katee Sackhoff Q&A Entertainment Weekly
- Extended DVD of Battlestar Galactica: Razor, the two-hour movie that reportedly tells the tale of Admiral Cain and Pegasus before their Galactica encounter.
- TV Squad on Sci-Fi’s digital press tour. And again.
- Billy Campbell of The 4400 wants on BSG. Badly.
AND THE REST
- ABC unearths Masters of Science Fiction as a miniseries.
- Cartoon Network and Hasbro working on new Transformers cartoon.
- CW nabs new Spider-Man cartoon for Saturday mornings.
Joe no!
Because he didn’t have enough fun making the upcoming Transformers movie, producer Leonardo Di Bonaventura has his sights set on a live-action GI Joe movie.
And in an eighties and nineties pop-culture tie-in, he’s considering Mark Wahlberg for the role of Duke. Does this mean Nikki Cox will be Scarlett?
That’s not Truckules!
Honestly, I don’t get the appeal of Transformers at all, but a lot of folks seem excited and/or insane about it. For them, the first trailer.
ILM is everywhere
Star Wars may be over, but ILM certainly isn’t slowing down – they have a staggering amount of work on their plate, including The Spiderwick Chronicles, Eragon, Transformers and the next Harry Potter film.
For folks wondering about some of the technical aspects involved, eWeek talks to ILM, among others, about digital storage.