Sci Fi Mafia: Shiloh Fernandez Joins the Cast of The Evil Dead Remake – Variety reports that Shiloh Fernandez has joined the cast of the remake in the lead male role. No further description of his character was available.

Deadline Hollywood: NBC Picks Up Eric Kripke/JJ Abrams Drama Pilot Revolution – Revolution, written by Supernatural creator Eric Kripke, is being described as a high-octane action drama following a group of characters struggling to survive and reunite with loved ones in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist.

EW.com: Terry O’Quinn heading to TNT’s Falling Skies

BleedingCool.com: Steven Moffat Sets Up Doctor Who Season Seven And A New Companion

Geeks of Doom: Get The First Issue Of The Avengers Prelude Comic Book For FREE

Hollywood Reporter: THR Calls ABC’s The River “a successor to Lost with potential”

ScienceFiction.com: Riddick Movie Casting And Synopsis Revealed

Deadline Hollywood: Beast Master: Gary Fleder To Produce One Beauty & The Beast Pilot, Direct The Other

Sci Fi Mafia: Interview With the Showrunners of Grimm

Deadline Hollywood: Al Pacino Makes Animated Film Debut In Despicable Me 2

TheWrap.com: John Hawkes a No for Walking Dead Governor

Deadline Hollywood: Fright Film Hit Insidious Scares Up Sequel

EW.com: NBC’s Munsters gets new title Mockingbird Lane, ditches makeup

Deadline Hollywood: Back To The Future Heading To Broadway?

Hollywood Reporter: Machinima’s Bite Me Zombie Comedy Headed to FEARnet

Deadline Hollywood: NBC’s Awake Makes it to the Mid-Season Schedule, Grimm will Get Extra Airings

ScienceFiction.com: Lena Headey And Edwin Hodge Join Ethan Hawke In Sci-Fi Thriller Vigilandia

Hollywood Reporter: Clancy Brown Joins Horror Thriller Nothing to Fear

Blastr.com: 8 fan campaigns that saved series—and 14 (sob!) that failed

The Superman comic book character has had a long life on television and in film and he has become forever linked to the names of actors like George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, Dean Cain, and Tom Welling. But what about the actors who could have played the role but chose not to, or were passed over? What names that we would recognize might have been associated with those infamous red and blue tights?

Kirk Alyn had played the role of Superman in the early movie serials (1948’s Superman and 1950’s Atom Man vs. Superman) but turned down the part for the theatrical film Superman and The Mole Men which also acted as a pilot for the television series. Film actor George Reeves was then approached to don the cape. Reportedly, he was reluctant at first to take the gig because television was considered slumming for Hollywood actors at that time and it also did not pay well (he initially only received $200 per episode for the series). He did ultimately put on the blue and red tights, though, and became the face associated with the character for over two decades.

In the late 70’s when plans were underway to bring the character back to the big screen, the names of several well-known stars were tossed around to play the part. Among those on the short list that DC approved were Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, James Caan, and Muhammad Ali (!). When it came time to actually cast the role, 70’s icon Robert Redford was offered a considerable sum to put on Superman’s cape, but he felt he was too well-known to take over the role. Burt Reynolds was also approached, but he turned it down, and Paul Newman was offered the chance to play either Superman, Lex Luthor, or Jor-El, yet declined. Charles Bronson was another well-known actor considered along with Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Nick Nolte, and Jon Voight. Sylvester Stallone was allegedly interested in the part and apparently Arnold Schwarzenegger and singer Neil Diamond both petitioned to wear the cape. But producers ultimately decided it was best to go with an unknown actor, and chose relative newcomer Christopher Reeve. To help Reeve bulk up for the part, David Prowse (who played, though did not voice, Darth Vader in the Star Wars films) was brought in as his trainer. And as a side note, both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg were approached to direct the film, though both declined.

In the early 90’s when plans for the television series Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman were moving forward, Gerard Christopher, who had played Superboy in the late 80’s syndicated series, tried out for the part and was in strong consideration until producers learned of his past history with the character (they wanted a fresh face to take over the role). Another actor high on the list was Kevin Sorbo, though producers ultimately went with Dean Cain clearing the way for Sorbo to set off on his mythical adventures as Hercules. For the 2001 TV revival of the character, WB’s Smallville, Tom Welling was always the top contender for the role. But second on their list if Welling turned it down was Jensen Ackles who would eventually go on to fame of his own on Supernatural.

Superman’s return to the big screen in the 00’s went through a long and bumpy road that at one point had Tim Burton attached as director and Nicholas Cage pegged as the Man of Steel. Will Smith was also an actor considered for the role during this period along with Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law. After multiple missteps, though, Bryan Singer ultimately moved forward with his own version, Superman Returns. During the early stages, names like Keanu Reeves, Brendan Fraser, Henry Cavill, and Ashton Kutcher were bandied about, but Singer decided to go with an unknown actor, much like the 1978 film, and brought on Brandon Routh.

Currently, plans are in place for another big screen reboot of the character, titled Man of Steel with Zack Snyder (Watchmen) directing and David Goyer (The Dark Knight Returns) writing the script. Under consideration for the title role were Brandon Routh who played the character in Superman Returns and Tom Welling from Smallville as well as Zac Efron, Dwayne Johnson, and Sam Worthington. Henry Cavill, who was considered for Superman Returns, was ultimately picked to don the cape for this film which is set for a 2013 release, and he will be the first non-American to play the role.

Sources:
ScienceFiction.com Article Superman Throughout The Years: A Retrospective
Wikipedia entry Superman in Film
Wikipedia entry Superman (film)
IMDB.com entry Man of Steel – Did You Know?

More Sci Fi Trifles at This Link

Superman on DVD from Amazon.com:

By John J. Joex

Alcatraz is the latest offering from genre mogul J.J. Abrams, and he once again manages to deliver a show that rises above most of the other sci fi shows on the broadcast networks and cable channels. In the pilot episode, we discover the reason that Alcatraz was shut down in 1963 is because all of the inmates (as well as the guards and wardens) mysteriously disappeared. But now in 2012, they are beginning to reappear (apparently one at a time) and resume their criminal ways. A task force is put together (which includes Dr. Diego “Doc” Soto played by Lost’s Jorge Garcia) to track down these criminals and to also find out why they have returned and who may be guiding their actions.

Admittedly, premise sounds rather convoluted and high concept, but so far it has succeeded. The show has followed a mostly procedural format through its first four episodes (which network execs like), each of which involves the arrival of an ex-Alcatraz inmate, but framing those episodes are elements of a larger story arc (which appeals to the show’s sci fi fans). Flashbacks are also included, in typical Abrams style, and these are used to flesh out the back-stories of the inmates and also expand on the story of the 60’s Alcatraz setting in general.

I have enjoyed this one so far, finding it well-scripted with engaging stories. Some genre fans may be put off by the procedural format which delivers little in the way of sci fi elements, but I’m thinking patience will reward us with a deeper dive into sci fi as the series progresses, much like what we saw with Lost. And the cast is spot-on excellent with Sarah Jones, as Detective Rebecca Madsen, giving us a strong female lead and Sam Neil, as the mysterious leader of this team, delivering a creepy and at times sinister presence. And then Garcia is onboard as a criminologist/Alcatraz expert, evoking some of the traits of his Hurly character, but still establishing Dr. Diego as his own person (he has yet to utter “Dude” through four episodes).

The show has a lot of promise and can attract a cross-section of viewers, appealing to those who like crime dramas while still offering plenty for sci fi fans to enjoy as well. And it started out strong in the Nielsens, pulling a 3.3 rating in the 18-49 demo and ten million total viewers with its initial outing. It has slipped some since then, but not bad and currently looks like it has a good chance of earning itself a second season.

FOX also gave us a preview last week of another of their new genre entries Touch, from Heroes creator Tim Kring and starring 24’s Kiefer Sutherland (Jericho’s Carol Barbee is also on board as an executive producer). In this one, Sutherland plays a former journalist who’s autistic son is a math genius and can apparently see patterns that predict the future. The pilot episode gives us a first look at this young savant and shows his father first understanding the boy’s talent to predict future events.

I have to say that the preview episode was rather convoluted and confusing, a Tim Kring trademark, and I’m guessing that if you broke it down and tried to thoroughly analyze it then it would not hold up. But then it was not guilty of gaping leaps of logic like we saw in the later seasons of Heroes and for the most part I rather enjoyed the episode. Sutherland heads up a fine cast that also includes Danny Glover, and Lost’s Man in Black Titus Welliver shows up in the episode in a guest-starring role.

My question at this point, though is how are they going to get a weekly series out of this? Does Jake predict a new event each week that his father tries to prevent? And at what point does Jake predict one of Tim Kring’s trademark apocalyptic futures? The series has some potential if approached correctly, but we all know how Kring went far astray with Heroes starting from that show’s second season. Maybe Barbee’s presence will act as a guiding force to keep the series on track, as she did a good job with Jericho. In any case, the series got off to a strong start with a 3.9 rating in the 18-49 demo and twelve million total viewers, so it has piqued the interest of viewers. It will start its regular run on Mondays in the 9 PM EST slot beginning March 19th, after Alcatraz wraps up its first season.

You can watch episodes of Alcatraz and Touch online for free at Hulu.com

Sci Fi TV on Blu-ray and DVD at Amazon.com:

Cell: The Web Series

Web Series (One Season of 13 Episodes Completed)
Credits: Mark Gardner (Creator/Writer/Director), Danny Cameron (Brian), Jourdan Gibson (Woman), Kevin McCarthy (Man)
IAWTV Nominee: Best Drama Web Series, Best Writing (Drama), Best Female Performance (Drama), Best Male Performance (Drama), Best Cinematography, Best Original Music

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars (Highest Rating)

Synopsis: This Prisoner-esque series begins with a man named Brian waking up in a cell, but not knowing why he is there. He screams to be released before he discovers that another person is in the neighboring cell; a woman who claims she does not remember her name and she warns Brian to keep his temper under control. A man then shows up, we do not get his name, and proceeds to punish Brian for his misbehavior with an electric cattle-prod and other means. The man tells the woman that it is her job to teach Brian and keep him in line and from there follows a progression of humiliations to break the will and identity of both the inmates in an at times nightmare setting.

Review/Commentary: This production delivers a series in the vein of The Prisoner and Lost, though in much tighter quarters, giving us engaging drama, confounding mysteries, and an emerging mythology, and accomplishes all that on a single set with no more than three actors (until the final episode at least) and practically no special effects. And while this is definitely a small, intimate, claustrophobic story, it also has plenty of hints toward a grander tale much like what played out on Lost.

The synopsis above basically gives you the set up for the series, but you’ll want no more information than that going in because this tale does not follow the direction you would expect and delivers several shockers. And it also gives us some intense, riveting, drama. There were times that I found myself just staring wide-eyed at the screen with my jaws agape because I was so astounded by the events transpiring. The series runs thirteen episodes of around eight to twelve minutes each (some shorter and the finale goes twenty minutes) and I sat through it all in almost one sitting because I found myself so engrossed. It reminded me of the way I reacted to the early episodes of Lost, amazed by the subtlety and complexity that the writers weaved into the stories. I should note that the acting falls short in a few places and the series kind of drags in the middle, though count those only as nitpicks. For the most part the actors do an excellent job and the few stumbles barely detract from the overall excellence of the production. And Cell definitely manages to outshine much of the more “professional” work we see on television and delivers a much more challenging viewing experience.

Mark Gardner, who has some professional, work on his resume, created, wrote, and directed the series, and I would definitely count him as an emerging talent. And this series has received several awards and many accolades since it first came out last year. It recently received quite a number of nominations (six total) from the IAWTV awards, but unfortunately no wins, which I consider a travesty. While the other web productions that took away multiple awards like RCVR (more about that one at this link) and Aidan 5 have their merits, I consider Cell one of the best productions that I have encountered on the web and this is the one that should have walked away with multiple trophies. Still, the nominations alone speak to the show’s accomplishments and will hopefully bring more attention to Cell: The Web Series and help it move forward with production of its second season.

Links/More Information: Another area where this series succeeds is its website. So many web series out there have barely adequate websites at best and quite a few have next to nothing in the way of a homepage making it difficult to figure out where to view the videos and which one to start with. Not so with Cell: The Web Series. This show’s site (link below) gives you everything you need. It provides a brief description of the show, gives information on the cast and crew, links to reviews, and more. And most importantly, you can watch all thirteen episodes from this site. More web productions should follow Cell’s example and set up a similar, easy to navigate, all-encompassing page like this. You can also watch the entire series on YouTube, if you prefer, at the link below.

Visit the Cell Homepage at this link.

Watch Cell on You Tube starting from episode 1 at this link.

Watch the Trailer:

The Woman in Black
Fresh Rating: 65%
Synopsis: A young lawyer (Radcliffe) travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorner woman is terrorizing the locals.
Rotten Tomatoes Consensus Opinion: Traditional to a fault, The Woman in Black foregoes gore for chills — although it may not provide enough of them for viewers attuned to more modern, high-stakes horror.
See More of What the Critics Had to Say at the Movie’s Rotten Tomatoes Page

Chronicle
Fresh Rating: 85%
Synopsis: Three high school students make an incredible discovery, leading to their developing uncanny powers beyond their understanding. As they learn to control their abilities and use them to their advantage, their lives start to spin out of control, and their darker sides begin to take over.
Rotten Tomatoes Consensus Opinion: It arrives during a glut of found-footage films, but Chronicle transcends its gimmicks with a smart script, fast-paced direction, and engaging performances from its young, talented cast.
See More of What the Critics Had to Say at the Movie’s Rotten Tomatoes Page

Also Opening in Limited Release:

The Inkeepers (Limited Release)
Fresh Rating: 74%
Synopsis: Set in the venerable Yankee Pedlar Inn, which is about to shut its doors for good after over a century of service. Believed by many to be one of New England’s “most haunted hotels,” the last remaining employees -Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy)- are determined to uncover proof before it shuts down for good.
Rotten Tomatoes Consensus Opinion: It doesn’t break any rules of the genre, but The Innkeepers serves as additional proof that Ti West is a young director that discriminating horror fans can trust.
See More of What the Critics Had to Say at the Movie’s Rotten Tomatoes Page

UFO (1970 Television Series)

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Created By: Gerry & Sylvia Anderson
Starred: Ed Bishop, George Sewell, Michael Billington
Aired: 1970 – 1971 (26 Episodes)

What Is It? This British produced television series from Gerry Anderson (best known for his Supermarionation shows like Thunderbirds as well as the cult sci fi series Space: 1999) centers around a secret organization known as SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization) that is carrying on a clandestine war against an alien race from a dying planet. These aliens come to Earth in cone-shaped UFOs and launch attacks against various targets or abduct humans to use as organ donors. SHADO’s main base is set up beneath a London movie studio (because it is a good cover for all of the strange equipment that will be coming and going), and from there they command a moon base, a fleet of submarines, and a reconnaissance satellite in orbit around the Earth. In charge of this organization is Commander Ed Straker (Ed Bishop) with Colonel Alec Freeman (George Sewell) as his second in command.

Why It Stands Out: Because the show managed to buck it potentially formulaic premise and deliver some hard-hitting, intelligent science fiction drama with mature themes.

That said, it is also a relic of its time, and the look and feel of the show has not dated very well. Prepare yourself for cheesy special effects, outlandish costumes, laughable 70’s music, corny dialog, and exceptionally wooden acting. If you can get past these, however, you will find that this is a real sci fi sleeper. This premise could have resulted alien-attack-of-the-week episodes (which it did deliver to some extent), but the scripts branched beyond that and made attempts to explore how this covert war affected the lives of the SHADO officers as well as those unwittingly caught up in this hidden war. As outlandish as the series was, the writers often tried to focus on the realistic consequences of the stories and often the episodes had unexpected, downbeat endings, something eschewed by Prime Time television even today. The series was much more down to earth than Anderson’s later Space: 1999 which all too often grasped at (and fell short of) profundity. Present day viewers watching UFO for the first time may find it a bit inaccessible because it is so dated. But if you stick with it, you will find some good science fiction tales in this rare gem of a show.

Interesting Facts: Early on in the show, the UFO term is pronounced “yuh-fo”.

A second season of the show was originally commissioned, though it would have moved most of the action to the moonbase (because the moon-focused episodes tended to be more popular) and the title would have been changed to UFO: 1999. However, ratings declined during the second half of the show’s syndication run and ITV (who produced the series) changed their mind about the second season. Anderson tinkered with the concept, though, and it eventually morphed into the 1975 series Space: 1999.

More Information: The Wikipedia entry for UFO has a ton of additional information on the show and the fan site UFO Series Home Page also offers an excellent guide to the show.  You can also read more about this and other Gerry Anderson series at the Fanderson web site.

Buy UFO and Other Gerry Anderson Shows on DVD from Amazon.com:

John Carter hits theaters on March 9th. See the full run-down of the early 2012 Science Fiction and Fantasy Movies at our Sci Fi Movies Page.

The Avengers hits theaters May 4th. Here is the teaser that will air during the Super Bowl.

And speaking of the Super Bowl, here is this year’s VW Star Wars spot:

Hollywood Reporter:

Blastr.com: 10 things we learned from Joss Whedon’s Avengers live-tweet event – Writer-director Joss Whedon joined his Avengers cast members Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston and Clark Gregg to field some questions from the Twitterverse.

Deadline Hollywood: Stephen Amell Is Green Arrow: Lands Title Role In CW Drama Pilot Arrow

Hollywood Reporter: ABC Picks Up Supernatural Pilot Gotham from Heroes Writer and Conspiracy Pilot Zero Hour from Prison Break Writer

EW.com: CW orders Hunger Games-style drama pilot

Deadline Hollywood: Ben Kingsley Joins Cast Of Ender’s Game

Deadline Hollywood: Hunger Games Will Have One-Week Imax Run

Sci Fi Mafia: Star Trek: The Next Generation Cast to Reunite at Calgary Expo

Blastr.com: Matt Smith says he has no plans to tie Tom Baker’s Who record

Deadline Hollywood: 9 Untold Secrets of the High Stakes ‘Hunger Games

TrekNews.com: Review of Star Trek TNG Blu-ray

By John J. Joex

FOX’s Alcatraz took another drop in the Nielsens this past Monday, slipping to a 2.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic (down from a 3.0) with 8.4 million total viewers. So is that a sure sign that fans are jumping ship and this one will not make it past a half season run?

Not at all, at least not at this point.

It’s not uncommon for a show to trend downward after its premiere, especially one that has a serialized component to its story. Thus the decline is not unexpected, but the question is where does it stop. The series started out with a healthy 3.3 rating in the 18-49 demo and has since dropped off by 15%. That’s not too bad and neither is a 2.8 rating (at least these days it’s not). It’s also important to note that Alcatraz‘s latest numbers are only one tick behind it lead-in series, the venerable House. And it has so far performed well compared to the other shows on FOX. If it keeps dropping, then there will be some concern. But I would expect to see it level off pretty soon. As long as it stays above a 2.5 rating, then it should be okay. If it starts to go south of that, then it’s venturing into bubble territory.

ABC’s Once Upon A Time continued its up and down trend as it jumped to a 3.5 rating in the 18-49 demo (up from last week’s 3.2) this past Sunday with right at 11 million total viewers. It looks like this one will continue to fluctuate somewhere around the mid-threes and as long as it does it will be safe.

I will have the full ratings results for all of this week’s shows in the regular Monday column next week.

Ratings Source: TV by the Numbers

Book Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars (Highest Rating)
Audiobook Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Synopsis: A strange and enormous creature is sighted by many ships at sea and an expedition is dispatched to hunt down what is thought to be a giant whale or a mysterious beast. The U.S. ship the Abraham Lincoln confronts the creature and is seriously damaged in the encounter. Professor Pierre Aronnax, his assistant Conseil, and Canadian harpoonist Ned Land are thrown overboard in the skirmish only to discover that their quarry is a giant submarine. Its commander, Captain Nemo, brings them unboard, lest they drown in the ocean, but tells them that they can never leave the ship. The three then accompany Captain Nemo and his crew on many adventures beneath the ocean in his submarine known as The Nautilus.

Review/Comments: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is of course the world famous early science fiction novel by Jules Verne and a true masterpiece from among his works in my opinion. The story of the self-exiled Captain Nemo carrying out his vendetta against the surface-dwelling human race in his infamous submersible is widely known and many people who have never read the novel can at least rattle off the highlights of its plot. But how many readers today have actually gone back and journeyed through Verne’s original page-turning tale? If you have not, do yourself the favor. If you have, then perhaps it is time to revisit the story, and the audiobook version gives the perfect means of re-encountering it.

This early genre work delivers a true science fiction tale as the technology behind its premise is rooted firmly in the scientific knowledge of the time. And Verne employs the fantastic elements of his story to also deliver a very human tale of a man torn by the suffering he has seen the human race inflict and that he seeks to avenge. With this novel, Captain Nemo unfolds as one of the great tragic characters of literature and it is his tale that engages the reader and draws us into the world that Verne creates, even if it is told at a distance from the perspective of Professor Aronnax. As a bit of a warning, this book can be quite wordy and at times reads almost like a textbook on oceanography. You may find yourself skimming through several passages (or your attention fading if listening to the audiobook), or you may find the scientific information enlightening (even if parts of it are outdated). But the meat of the story comes with the tale of Captain Nemo and that is what makes this book truly soar and a must-read for all science fiction fans and students of literature.

Comments on the Audiobook: Seeing as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is now in the public domain, there are several audiobook versions available (including an adaptation from Librivox.org read by a volunteer voice cast for free download). I went with the edition read by British actor James Frain (who recently had a stint on True Blood as the psychotic vamp Franklin Mott). I picked the version read by him over others probably for no other reason than I liked the timbre of his accent, but I found he did a very good job with the material and with distinguishing the different characters. As mentioned above, Verne tends to go pretty heavy into the detail on oceanography and the other science he works into his tale, but that’s not too much of a problem when listening to the audiobook version. Maybe some facts interest you and maybe others just fade into ambient noise for a while. But there is still plenty of story here to keep you engaged between the science lectures and Frain’s voice-work succeeds in easing us through the dryer parts of the novel. This version is available from Audible.com and there are several other versions also at Audible as well as eMusic.com and BooksFree.com. And the free version is available from Librivox.org.