Science Fiction Today

Doctor Who Movie in the Works

The perennial British Science Fiction TV series Doctor Who will get a reboot from Harry Potter director David Yates.

The movie will reportedly ignore the TV series continuity in favor of its own story. That likely means you won’t see any of the current series’ stars, including Matt Smith as the Doctor, in the film:

“It needs quite a radical transformation to take it into the bigger arena. … The notion of the time-travelling Time Lord is such a strong one, because you can express story and drama in any dimension or time.”

Doctor Who received two big screen treatments starring Peter Cushing in the 1960’s, and a made for TV movie in the 1990’s that jump started the series revival. A writer has not yet been chosen, and production is expected to take at least two years.

SyFy Announces Three New Scripted Shows

SyFy is expanding its scripted line up with three new projects:

UNT. ROBERT H. WOLFE PROJECT
Universal Cable Productions
Robert H. Wolfe — Executive Producer/Writer

After decades of war, the newly formed Unity Democracy orders a volatile mix of humans and trans-humans to lead the Starship Defender on an expedition in search of lost worlds requiring law and order.

SEEING THINGS (working title)
Fox Television Studios
David Slack — Executive Producer
Scott Rosenberg and Robert Cort — Co-Executive Producers
David Slack and Gabrielle Stanton — Writers

A cop becomes a ghost after his violent death and the only person who can help close his last case is a socially awkward man who realizes that the hallucinations he’s had all his life may not be a figment of his imagination.

GHOST PROJEKT
Oni Press
CBS TV Studios
Brett Matthews — Executive Producer/Writer
Andy Bourne, Eric Gitter — Executive Producer

Based on the popular comic series, a female KGB agent and male American weapons inspector form an unlikely partnership when a deadly force is unwittingly unleashed from a Siberian research facility.

SyFy Picks Up “Wild Cards”

Syfy Film’s Senior Vice President of Production, Gregory Noveck, has announced that it has acquired the rights to the sci-fi superhero anthology called “Wild Cards” edited by George R.R. Martin. The ongoing anthology was first published in 1987 and consists of 22 books of stories by various sci-fi writers.

“‘Wild Cards’ presents a terrific franchise opportunity given the volume of material from this compelling fantasy series,” said Noveck. “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to develop a film based on the anthology’s supernatural heroes, and to be working with such talented and visionary writers as George R.R. Martin and Melissa Snodgrass.”

“Wild Cards” is one of the most successful and longest running, sci-fi book series. Its characters were developed with the goal of creating a realistic take on people with super powers and how they affect their daily lives. The series was conceived as a shared universe in which different authors contributed new characters and storylines to the overall mythos.

Martin and Snodgrass will serve as executive producers. Contributors include contemporary sci-fi writers Roger Zelazny (“The Chronicles of Amber”) and Walter Jon Williams (“Hardwired”).

Real Steel Tops Box Office

Real Steel knocked out the box office competition with an $8.7 million opening. That sets it up for a solid $27 million opening weekend in a traditionally slow time of year for movies. However, with a budget exceeding $110 million, not including marketing costs, the film will need good word of mouth to gain the legs it needs to go from “good opening” to “profit maker” for the studio. 

Leonard Nimoy Attend His Last Convention

Leonard Nimoy has stated that the 45th anniversary convention in Chicago is his last. The 80-year-old actor spoke for an hour about his life and career, thanking his fans for their unwavering support.

Creation Entertainment CEO Adam Malin says the company has toured and collaborated with Nimoy for nearly three decades and that Nimoy “will be missed.”