Caddickisms » michael rosenbaum

Sci-fi news roundup

Jeff — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 01:54:04 +0000

Here are a few Science Fiction/Fantasy tidbits I picked up on the smoke-signal network recently.

Like a ship wandering through the seas of Hollywood, it looked like Narnia sequel The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was going to be lost as Disney debated dropping the property after The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian didn’t do quite as well as they’d hoped. Well, apparently they’ve been steered to the correct port, because we now have a release date. Moving back to a winter opening, the third film in the series is now scheduled to launch on December 10, 2010.

I hope this one does well enough to continue the series. I’d love to see the full set realized on screen.

Smallville has been renewed for a ninth season. Is that a good thing?

I’ve made no secret that I thought they should have ended the series at the last two season finales. This show has been on its last legs for three years. There is hope, though, that the ninth season may be worthwhile. Here’s why:

Michael Rosenbaum is rumored to be considering a return to the show to reprise his role as Lex Luthor next year.
Kristen Kreuk’s Lana Lang is essentially out of the picture (though there’s still that annoying option for guest appearances).
Sam Witmer has not yet been signed for next season, so his run could be up as Doomsday by the season finale this year.

If the rumur is true and Lex is to return, and they keep Lana out of the way, they could salvage the show. With Lex gone totally over the edge he could run Clark ragged all season, leading to his final emergence as Superman (and perhaps the incarceration of Lex).

“Oh, but Lex is dead!” you say. You gotta be kidding me. Lex doesn’t get punked by the Arrow, I don’t care how much evidence there is.

Green Lantern - First Flight

Speaking of super-heroes…

I mentioned before that the Green Lantern movie is on its way through early production stages. That has not changed.

What I hadn’t heard before is that we’re also getting an animated Lantern film.

This is another in the Bruce Timm line of animated films. Timm has been responsible for the best animated superhero offerings in the last 20 years (except for Pixar’s “The Incredibles”). On TV and DVD, Timm has brought Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the entire Justice League to life. The man gets it.

The new film focuses on the Hal Jordan character and recounts his entry into the Lantern Corps under the tutelage of Sinestro, the discovery of Sinestro’s duplicity, and Jordan’s subsequent growth into a protector not just of Earth but of the entire Lantern Corps.

Hal Jordan will be voiced by Christoper Meloni of Law and Order: SVU fame. Tricia Helfer, “Six” from Battlestar Galactica, also lends her voice to the production.

The two disc set looks like it will be pretty good. In addition to the standard extras (featurettes, etc.), the second disc will also include at least two episodes of Justice League, chosen by Bruce Timm.

Sounds good to me. I’m in.

Finally, in Doctor Who news, the TARDIS gets a makeover.

When Matt Smith takes over as the new Doctor next year, he’ll apparently reconfigure the interior of the TARDIS. This is far from the first time the look of the ship has changed, but it is a novelty in the rebooted series.

The outside of the blue box will apparently get a polish, to ready it for HD, but will look essentially the same.

According to an unnamed source, “It will be the most hitech, intricate TARDIS ever.” Sounds interesting.

TV updates: 24 and Smallville (w/spoilers)

Jeff — Fri, 16 May 2008 04:43:35 +0000

The networks released their schedules for next year this week. No surprise: Smallville and 24 are both reappearing in the schedules. However, there has been surprising news/rumors about both shows…

24

Jack is back, and as an appeasement from the long wait since last season, we get a 2-hour movie on November 23rd:

24 is also scheduled to return full time in January of 2009. (A spoiler is below.) However, to reward fans who have not seen a new episode since May of 2007, there will be a 2-hour special on 11/23. According to Kiefer Sutherland, they are scheduled to start filming in the next few weeks in south Africa.

“Set and shot on location in Africa, Jack Bauer battles an international crisis, while here at home the nation prepares for a new president on inauguration day. Taking place just a few months before the new day dawns, this story will set the stage and raise the stakes for Season Seven.”

Day/Season 7 spoiler: Tony’s back. Wait a minute… is this a sci-fi show now?

Smallville

We already knew that Kristen Kreuk and Michael Rosenbaum were leaving the show as regulars. Apparently, that fact gave Allison Mack, who plays Chloe Sullivan, the guts to try renegotiating, since that would leave her as the only regular (other than Tom Welling) to have been on since the beginning. However, it looks like those negotiations may be going poorly, and Chloe may be on her way out.

So that would leave just Clark, Lois, and Jimmy as the only regulars. Hmm…. seems like we’re really leaving Smallville behind and just going straight to Superman. I don’t know – I really like the show, but I’m really worried that it’s going to suffer greatly without Lex. I’ve heard Lana will become recurring…. and I don’t care. She’s over, as far as I’m concerned. They ran out of good stuff to do with her character a few years ago. She only really had a couple good episodes in the last few seasons. Lex is the one that’s got to come back from time to time, if you ask me. Besides….

SPOILERS FOR SMALLVILLE SEASON 7 FINALE

… what are they going to do, leave him dead under the ice, buried in his attempt to kill Clark? Obviously Clark will be back somehow, and I really hope the season premiere resolves the whole Clark/Lex fight adequately. I kind of feel like the rug was pulled out from under me for this finale, and not in a good way. This show has had some great finales, but this one just seemed a bit anti-climactic to me. We saw almost the entire end of the show in the previews! Where was the big fight? Where was the surprise? Where was the “holy cow! Who’s gonna survive this?” moment? We know Clark’s going to survive so no drama there. Lex is going to survive somehow too (to do otherwise would really be a kick in the face to the fans). Lana healed (whoopie.) and left (Yeah!), though she’s open to come back (eh.). Jimmy and Lois were never in danger. Chloe was the candidate for cliffhanger-ness, but they gave her a totally happy ending. I guess Kara is still floating out there…

…but that leaves me with another question: what was the deal where Kara/Brainiac collapsed at the end of the previous episode after Kara’s “return”. It would have worked if Brainiac were controlling her, but if it’s really Brainiac, what’s with the weak collapse, and then all powerful for the opening of this episode?

Next season’s premiere better pull out all the stops, as I assumed this finale would.

Smallville, Dr. Who, and Torchwood facts and rumors

Jeff — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:49:37 +0000

Smallville will be back for an eighth season next year! But without Lex, and without Lana. Michael Rosenbaum and Kristen Kreuk are calling it quits after this year. Apparently they’re both open for guest spots next year, but that’s it. I’m okay with Lana leaving. I think they’ve milked that character for all it’s worth at this point. Dropping Lex, however, is a potential death knell for viewership. The interplay between Lex and Clark, and the demise of their relationship, is truly the center of this show. They’d have to find an equally compelling focal point for the series next season, and I don’t think that would be easy.

Dr. Who, as previously noted, will only have 4 specials in 2009, rather than a full season. The rumor mill continues to go back and forth as to whether David Tennant’s 10th Doctor will regenerate during those specials or after the 2010 season. Annoyingly, there seems to be agreement that we’ll be on the 11th Doctor by 2011.

Torchwood has all sorts of changes flying around the rumor mill. Apparently the “family friendly” versions of the show are doing pretty well, and they’re thinking of moving just to that format. It has not yet been renewed for a third season, so nothing is definite (what ever is?) but the word is that three of the major characters, including the show’s centerpiece, Captain Jack Harkness, will be gone. That would leave the character of Gwen and the transplanted Dr. Who companion, Martha, to run the show.

I think it’s a mistake to remove Jack. I think John Barrowman does a great job with the part, and he’s certainly an interesting character. That said, I think there are a couple ways the show could go on without him – though I still think it would suffer. Plus he’d apparently be around for guest spots.

So it’s mixed news for each show, apparently. Hmmm. Kinda leaves me rather apathetic.

[tags]smallville, doctor who, torchwood, michael rosenbaum, tom welling, kristen kreuk[/tags]

Lex Luthor teases Smallville’s final season

Jeff — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 00:55:11 +0000

Michael Rosenbaum Talks Smallville — A JewReview.net Exclusive – Slice of Scifi

Michael Rosenbaum, Lex Luthor on Smallville, gave an interview that reveals that next year’s seventh season will be his final season, and probably the final season for the show. He also gives a vague tease for the rest of this season, and the seventh:

This year is a big year, but next year is going to be the biggest year of all; it’s the final year and everyone’s going to see what Lex Luther is really capable of. All hell’s going to break loose!

Click the link above for more of the interview.

I think the timing is right for the show to end. They’ve been building the Clark/Lex story to a crescendo lately, and it’s time to finally let it loose. Plus, Clark is getting to the point where it seems like he’s on his final excuses to not take up his destiny and finally become the “Man of Steel” we all know and love. I’m sure they could keep coming up with excuses to keep him rooted in Smallville, and denying his calling, but I think anything else they come up with after he cleans up the “Zoners” and deals with the Lex/Lana thing would just seem lame and tacked on. (Of course, there are people who would say they’ve already passed that point.) I think the current storyline they’ve got going is a strong one, though, and when they finish playing it out I think I’ll be happy with the result.

[tags]Michael Rosenbaum, Smallville, Superman, Lex Luthor[/tags]