I'm well aware that many, many other media outlets have already covered the release of this new trailer for CBS's impending Supergirl program, but I thought I'd post it here for all of you smilers to enjoy (in case you missed it).  This is one program this fall that I'm looking forward to, and here's hoping whatever Powers That Be are hard at work behind-the-scenes don't mess this one up.

Up, up, and away, peeps!

Genre-star Sam Worthington is stepping back up to the plate in an all-new SciFi feature.  It'll be called The Titan, and here's the press release I received just this morning, smilers ...

Los Angeles, CA (August 27, 2015)— Sam Worthington and Ruth Wilson are set to star in THE TITAN, an elevated sci-fi feature produced by: Brian Kavanaugh-Jones’ Automatik, Ben Pugh and Rory Aitken’s 42, and Arash Amel. The film is set to start production January 18 in Europe with Lennart Ruff directing. Voltage Pictures will launch international sales on the film during the upcoming Toronto Film Festival with CAA handling domestic sales; Leon Clarance and Motion Picture Capital will be producing and fully financing. Sofia Boutella will also star.

Based on an original story by Arash Amel (Grace of Monaco), and written by Max Hurwitz ("Hell on Wheels"), THE TITAN is a fresh take on the genre - set in a not too distant future, the story tracks the riveting journey of a military family who are relocated in order to take part in a ground-breaking experiment of man’s genetic evolution into space.

Worthington just wrapped Lionsgate’s The Shack and can be seen next in Working Title’s Everest, which is opening the Venice Film Festival. He is set to shootHacksaw Ridge with Mel Gibson directing this fall before going on to do THE TITAN, followed by James Cameron’s Avatar sequels.

Ruth Wilson is a Golden Globe winner for best actress in a TV drama for her role in "The Affair", which will return to screens in the fall. She was recently nominated for a Tony Award for her role in "Constellations". She is a two-time Olivier Award winner for her performances in "A Streetcar Named Desire", and "Anna Christie". Wilson received a BAFTA nomination and Golden Globe nomination for her role in the BBC miniseries, "Jane Eyre".

“THE TITAN is, at its core, a love story that is set in the pioneering edge of space exploration, a world of fear and wonder, says Arash.“In Brian and Ben, I’ve been lucky enough to find smart, dedicated producing partners to embark on this adventure with, and we now find ourselves surrounded by a highly talented group of artists led by Ruth Wilson and Sam Worthington, under the direction of the incredible Lennart Ruff. I’m very excited that this team will be bringing this passion project to the screen, and to continue the relationship with Automatik, 42, and Motion Picture Capital.”

Kavanaugh-Jones adds, “When Arash shared his vision of THE TITAN with me, I was blown away. To pair that vision with the directing talent of Lennart Ruff and the incredible acting talent of Sam and Ruth is a dream come true. And I’m absolutely thrilled to be collaborating with old friends in Leon Clarance, Voltage and 42.”

“I look forward to working with Brian again and to collaborating with Voltage, 42 and Arash on this brilliantly atmospheric, character-driven sci-fi thriller. Sam Worthington, Ruth Wilson, and Sofia Boutella form a hugely talented ensemble cast, and their performances will bring to life Max Hurwitz’s innovative and original script,” said Clarance.

“The production team has delivered an amazing cast to compliment a highly inventive and unique script and after seeing Lennart’s award winning short film, we believe this is exactly the type of material that our buyers will respond to,” stated the Voltage team.

Motion Picture Capital is also working with Automatik on the recently announced Zach Whedon film, Come and Find Me.

THE TITAN will start shooting in January 2016.

Isn't fandom grand?

I always find it amazing what some folks choose to do when finding the most creative ways to express their various fanaticisms, and this 'Homemade Trailer' is one of the cleverest ones I've seen in quite some time.  Why not get yourself a good chuckle while waiting for Zack Snyder's real version to hit the silver screen by enjoying a bare-bones-budget alternative?

Yuck it up, fuzzballs.

When I saw Ridley Scott's Prometheus theatrically, I was a bit puzzled over what to make of it.  Like all of Scott's films, it was visually exciting and filled with rich characters.  Looking back, I think some of my disappointment in the flick was the fact that for so much of the flick's production there was no explanation about whether or not it was a legitimate Alien sequel or not.  If I remember correctly, methinks it all boiled down to "taking place in the same universe," and -- were it really that simple -- I didn't quite understand what all of the previous denials were about.

In any event, Scott has mentioned many times that he's intent upon continuing that story, and apparently in a recent Empire Magazine interview with the revered director he's let it slip that, indeed, Prometheus 2 is soon to be on-the-way.

Minimally, I'll look forward to it.  Having watched it again on home video not all that long ago, I found a greater measure of appreciation for it.  It doesn't approach Scott's genius in handling other motion pictures, but it's definitely a worthwhile excursion deep into the realm of SciFi ... and, for that, I'm always thankful.

As I've mentioned many, many times before, I am no gaming enthusiast.  I know that comes as a shock and/or surprise to so many, mostly because there appears to be some die-hard internet rule that those of us who worship at the altar of 'All Things Sci Fi' are supposed to be magically and mystically drawn to computer games.  Never was, and I probably never will be.

Still, I appreciate a good game-based cinematic adaptation as well as the rest of you, especially when they are pulled from the realm of SciFi ... and as I've been led to believe the gaming Borderlands definitely is.

This morning, Variety is reporting that the ever-reliable Lionsgate has put a film based on said franchise in development, and I suspect that'll have gamers (and SciFi junkies) everywhere frothing at the mouth ... or is that " with an itchy trigger finger?"

Good morning and (more importantly) Happy Friday, all of you SciFi smilers!  I received an announcement about a forthcoming SciFi film in my inbox today, and I wanted to share with all of you for posterity's sake.


NEW YORK- August 28, 2015 –Fluency Productions today announced the release of its highly anticipated sci-fi thriller, REVERSION, on October 9, 2015 in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, with a wider national release to follow.

Filmmaker Jose Nestor Marquez created REVERSION intertwining technology and identity, which began with his 2014 critically acclaimed feature ISA.

REVERSION centers on Sophie Clé (Aja Naomi King), a delighted user of the Oubli, a wisp of high-tech jewelry that wraps behind the ear and uses neuroscience to help its users experience their most joyful memories as if they were happening for the first time. In addition to being the head of marketing for the company that makes this revolutionary memory-enhancing wearable device, she is also the daughter of its inventor, Jack Clé (Colm Feore).

Sophie’s most joyful memory is the last day she saw her mother alive, fifteen years earlier. But on the eve of the Oubli’s worldwide launch, a stranger named Isa (Jeanette Samano) kidnaps Sophie, setting off a chain of events that remind us all, you can’t escape what you can’t forget.

REVERSION is directed and Co-written by Jose Nestor Marquez (Ana Maria in Novela Land) and stars Aja Naomi King (How to Get Away With Murder), Colm Feore (Gotham, The Chronicles of Riddick), Gary Dourdan (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Being Mary Jane) and Jeanette Samano (ISA, Speechless).

Well, well, well ...

It isn't every day that we get to celebrate a film as iconic as is 1953's The War of the Worlds, so let's pause -- shall we? -- and reflect upon the flick's greatness.

For some reason I've never been able to find out (anybody know?), the George Pal produced The War of the Worlds had its Hollywood premiere on February 20th back in 1953, but it wasn't released to the masses at-large until this day back then.  What makes the delay all the more curious is the fact that the film went on to become one of the biggest blockbusters of that year, earning $2M in the American domestic box office gross.  The film would go on to win the Academy Award for Special Effects, and many of its visual achievements are still impressive even in today's era of grossly overused CGI.  Critics and audiences alike were thrilled with what they saw.

In 2011, The War of the Worlds became one of the few Science Fiction releases to be inducted into the U.S. National Film Registry, which catalogues films based upon their cultural, historic, or aesthetic appeal.  Certainly, your humble webwizard here concurs, as it remains one of my personal favorite flicks alongside 1951's The Day The Earth Stood Still.

Be sure to check out the other highlights from today!

          August 26th

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

Many of you are quite probably familiar with the yucksters who make Honest Trailers so ... well ... honest.  They've been lampooning big budget blockbusters for years, and their shtick never gets old ... mostly because they've always made good points.  Basically, what they do is take everything about the film and skewer it in such a way as to present the truth hidden away under layers of so much glossy advertising.


In any event, they just today blessed the InterWeb with their latest and greatest creation: the Honest Trailer for Mad Max: Fury Road!  (Personally, I had an awful lot of fun with the flick, not as much as I'd hoped, but still plenty of fun nonetheless.  I didn't think it was as efficient as The Road Warrior, but it's definitely a close second.)  Make sure you check it out when you have a moment.

The cast of the in-production (and poorly titled) Star Trek Beyond are looking for you to give a bit of your latinum by way of charitable giving.  It's essentially a chance for these celebrities to put their celebrity to a cause as each of them as highlighted a global charity they're encouraging fans to donate to, and you can see all of the particulars here.  They are offering some pretty spiffy merchandise as well as some awards to those who give, so do check it out.

Look, people: I don't mean anyone to take offense to this, but I really have never seen JJ Abrams as all that great a storyteller.  Sure, he can put it all up on the silver screen with plenty of glitz, pomp, and circumstance, but what I've seen of his actual stories tend to resonate poorly and possess little narrative depth.  That's why -- unlike most -- I don't welcome fully his grand tinkering in the Star Wars universe, and each new tidbit that he dribbles and drops with glee in the media only serves to rile me up more than it does to placate me.

This morning, I read the piece at Collider -- which basically piggybacks on a piece from Empire Magazine (and now I'm piggybacking it here for my own nefarious purposes) -- about how JJ's confirmed that the film's big villain (aka Kylo Ren) isn't even a Sith.  This follows the news from a week or so ago that JJ and co-screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan created a whole "Knights of Ren" from which Kylo is descended from.

Sure, I'm all for expanding the cinematic Star Wars universe, and -- like everyone else -- I'm hoping that JJ doesn't royally screw this up ... so maybe he should really just go back to his demonstrated tactic in handling the Star Trek Cinematic Universe and say nothing.  I'd rather he talk about the story a bit instead of these character underpinnings, mostly because each one feels just a bit less impressive than the one before.

I'm the cynic Obi-Wan warned you about, so don't hate me, haters.  Like you, I want Star Wars to be grand, not just great, so let's keep our fingers crossed.