Science Fiction Today

2011 Nebula Award Nominees

Save Terra Nova with Dinosaurs

Terra Nova star Jason O’Mara is asking fans to #saveterranova by sending plastic dinosaurs to Fox, saying:

“If you want to address your package of little plastic dinosaurs to somebody at Fox, send them to president of the network. He’s a good guy so keep it friendly please. Mr Kevin Reilly, Fox Broadcasting Co, PO BOX 900, Beverly Hills, CA 90213.”

Terra Nova is an expensive production and its ratings have been low. Rumor has it that the well received, and much cheaper, Alcatraz will replace Terra Nova  so long as its ratings hold up. Overseas Terra Nova is a much bigger success, which may be the only reason it hasn’t already been canceled.

Past fan efforts have saved other shows from extinction, with the prime example being the post-apocalyptic drama Jericho. Cancelled after its first season, fans flooded the network with peanuts (a reference to a line at the end of the season ending episode) and a surprised CBS revived it for a seven episode second season. Although critical reviews were positive, the ratings were worse than ever and the show was again given the axe.

O’Mara is also asking fans to create viral buzz for the effort by using the #saveterranova tag in their Twitter posts.

(Source: scifinow.co.uk)

Riddick Begins Production

Universal officially announced production start for Riddick, complete with plot details and cast information:

Universal Pictures, One Race Films and Radar Pictures announced today that principal photography has begun on the action-driven, sci-fi thriller Riddick. The shoot will take place in Montreal.

The latest chapter of the groundbreaking saga that began with 2000’s hit sci-fi film Pitch Black and 2004’s The Chronicles of Riddick reunites writer/director David Twohy (A Perfect Getaway, The Fugitive) and star Vin Diesel (the Fast and Furious franchise, xXx). Diesel reprises his role as the antihero Riddick, a dangerous, escaped convict wanted by every bounty hunter in the known galaxy.

The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he’s encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.

The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won’t leave the planet without Riddick’s head as their trophy.

Riddick also sees the return of Karl Urban (Star Trek, The Bourne Supremacy) as Vaako and introduces to the series Jordi Molla (Bad Boys II, Colombiana) as Santana, the arrogant captain of the mercenary ship; Matt Nable (Killer Elite) as Boss Johns, a man looking for answers; Katee Sackhoff (TV’s Battlestar Galactica) as the Nordic mercenary Dahl; and Bokeem Woodbine (upcoming Total Recall) as bounty hunter Moss. Rounding out the cast are Dave Bautista (The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption), Conrad Pla (Immortals), Raoul Trujillo (Apocalypto), Nolan Funk (TV’s Aliens in America) and two-time Grammy Award-nominated singer Keri Hilson.

The film is produced by Vin Diesel (upcoming Fast & Furious 6, Fast Five) and executive produced by Samantha Vincent (Fast Five, Fast & Furious) for One Race Films. Ted Field (The Last Samurai, Pitch Black) produces for Radar Pictures, while Mike Drake (Dream House, A Nightmare on Elm Street) also executive produces.

Twohy is joined on the film by a talented behind-the-scenes team, including director of photography David Eggby (Pitch Black, Mad Max), production designer Joseph Nemec III (A Perfect Getaway, The Hills Have Eyes, Terminator 2: Judgment Day) and editor Tracy Hall (Limitless, A Perfect Getaway, The Flock).

The Riddick franchise has also produced two popular video games: The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena and The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. As well, Universal Studios Home Entertainment has released the anime DVD The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury.

Riddick, which is shooting in Montreal, Canada, is a One Race Films production. The film will be released by Universal Pictures in the U.S., and Lionsgate is handling international sales.

NBC Picks up JJ Abram’s Revolution Pilot

NBC has picked up a new drama pilot from J.J. Abrams (Star Trek) and Warner Bros. TV titled Revolution:

“In this epic adventure thriller, a family struggles to reunite in a post-apocalyptic American landscape: a world of empty cities, local militias and heroic freedom fighters, where every single piece of technology — computers, planes, cars, phones, even lights — has mysteriously blacked out … forever.”

An air date has not been announced.

Win Tickets to The Hunger Games Premiere

With only 50 days to go until the premiere of The Hunger Games the promotion machine has churned into overdrive. In addition to new movie stills and a new trailer, the studio has announced a series of contests from a slew of websites that will hand out free passes to the movie’s premiere. Rules for entry may vary by site so read the directions carefully as you complete each entry.

1. Access Hollywood
2. Badass Digest
3. Barnes & Noble
4. BOP and Tiger Beat
5. Break.com
6. BuzzSugar
7. Cambio
8. Celebuzz
9. Chud
10. Cinemablend
11. Collider
12. Comic Book Movie
13. Crushable
14. EXTRA
15. E! Online
16. Fandango
17. FEARnet
18. HitFix
19. Hollywood.com
20. HollywoodLife
21. Hot Topic
22. IGN
23. iVillage
24. J-14
25. JustJared
26. M Magazine
27. Movie Fanatic
28. Movies.com
29. Moviefone
30. Movieline
31. MovieTickets.com
32. MovieWeb
33. MSN Movies 
34. MTV
35. Myspace
36. NextMovie
37. Pink Is The New Blog 
38. Popstar Magazine
39. Reelz Channel
40. Scholastic (Hunger Games books) Facebook
41. Screen Crave 
42. Seventeen
43. ShockYa
44. Teen
45. The Hunger Games Facebook
46. The Twilight Saga Facebook
47. TooFab
48. Universal Republic
49. Yahoo! Movies