DAN’S MOVIE DIGEST 46

HELLBOYThe best images yet of Hellboy and Abe Sapien have been released (seebelow and right). Director Guillermo Del Toro’s adaptation of Mike Mignol’sacclaimed comic-book series will be released in 2004. BEVERLY HILLS COP 4Eddie Murphy is set to return as motor-mouthed cop Axel Foley in yetanother Beverly Hills Cop sequel, again likely to co-star Judge Reinholdand John Ashton.

Michael Bay (Armageddon), Tony Scott (True Romance) and original helmerMartin Brest are all interested in directing duties.

BLADE IIIScreenwriter David Goyer will direct Blade III, having previouslywritten both previous instalments of Marvel’s vampire franchise.Worried? Don’t be. Goyer recently directed star Wesley Snipes in Zig Zagwith impressive results. Blade III begins filming very soon with anapocalyptic storyline.

ELEKTRA’Access Hollywood’ talked to Jennifer Garner regarding her Elektraspin-off movie from Daredevil.

Garner confirmed the project’s existence, saying: “I think that there issomething in the works to be made next summer, definitely. We still needto read the first draft of the script, and if it isn’t great than noneof us want to do it. I am hoping that it will be done. I had a reallygreat time playing that role.”

FAMILY GUY – THE MOVIEThe cancelled comedy animation Family Guy may return as astraight-to-DVD movie, says creator Seth MacFarlane: “It’s certainlysome vindication and a sign that the show is as popular as we alwayssuspected. ‘Fox’ certainly gave the show more of a chance than a lot ofshows would’ve gotten, and we’re indebted to Gail [Berman, ‘FoxEntertainment Chief’] for the fact that we even got a third season. Butit’s also frustrating for everyone who worked on the show. We all feltit was killed before its time.” THE FANTASTIC FOURIs singer Jessica Simpson set to star as Sue Storm (a.k.a InvisibleGirl) for the Fantastic Four movie? Recently she told reporters: “Idon’t know if your everyday person would know but I can tell you this -it’s not Wonder Woman.” GARFIELDBill Murray (Ghostbusters) is providing the voice of Garfield in thesarcastic feline’s live-action movie, to be directed by Peter Howitt(The Borrowers).

Producer John Davis ensured that Garfield will look like a real liveanimal, despite being computer-generated: “The goal there is to make youbelieve that we found a cat that did all those things, even though itwas all created in a computer. A tremendous amount of research anddevelopment has gone into making that cat look absolutely real.”

“He has features like his ears and his eyes, and he’s kind of a fat cat.He’s bigger than any cat you’ve seen. You’ve got those big paws. You’lllook at him and go, ‘He’s Garfield. That’s Garfield.'”

Garfield also stars Breckin Meyer (as owner Jon), Jennifer Love Hewittand Stephen Tobolowsky.

INDIANA JONES 4Harrison Ford finally received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame infront of the Kodak Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Director StevenSpielberg was there and Indiana Jones 4.

“We’re about to launch production next year on Indiana Jones 4,” saidthe legendary director. Ford commented that he doesn’t “know anythingabout it except that Steven’s very enthusiastic. He’s got a period oftime to work on the script before I see it. So I should see it in acouple of weeks.”

“I can’t say [the film is going ahead] until I read it. But it feelslike a go to me.”

IRON FIST’Comics Continuum’ asked Ray Park about the status of Iron Fist. Parksaid “I still want to do it, of course. We better hurry before I get tooold [laughs], but we’re doing it.”

“I get asked all the time when Iron Fist is going to happen. I want tomake the film happen.”

IRON MANAn article on the proposed Iron Man movie appeared in ‘Cinescape’magazine recently. Inside, producer Don Murphy said: “In Iron Man, he’sputting on a suit of armour that protects his heart – I totally get it.To me it’s always about, ‘Can I see it as a movie?’ So Iron Man worksfor me because of that very reason. He’s not going to be Supermanturning back the world. It’s believable stuff.”

Screenwriter Gough added: “The intriguing thing to us [Gough & co-writerMiles Millar] was [Iron Man’s alter-ego Tony Stark] has an alcoholproblem and he needs the suit to stay alive. [He is] a very uniquecharacter in terms of he’s not a teenager struggling with asuperpower… he’s like the Howard Hughes of superheroes.”

“[Iron Man is] a very relevant sort of thing to be doing – somebodywho’s basically a weapons manufacturer in this world situation we’re in.And also, it’s global. It’s not a guy protecting one city; it has aJames Bond-meets-Tom Clancy feel. That’s our approach.”

WALKING TALL’Variety’ reports that Jackass star Johnny Knoxville is set to co-staralongside WWE wrestler The Rock in Walking Tall.

The movie is a remake being directed by Kevin Bray, with Knoxvillepicking up $5 million for his services. Walking Tall has The Rock as acharacter who returns to his hometown, stands up to local roughnecks andbecomes sheriff. Knoxville will play a local underachiever with isdeputized by The Rock.

Screenwriters Channing Gibson and David Klass wrote the script, andfilming begins on 23 June in Vancouver.

JOE 90’Disney’ is to make a live-action movie adaptation of Gerry Andersonpuppet series Joe 90. The 60’s series concerned a device known as BIGRAT that could transfer a person’s intelligence and skill into another.Joe, a nine-year-old boy was the guinea pig for the machine’s test and,after its success, became a super-intelligent secret agent fororganisation W.I.N.

If Joe 90 is greenlit, 2003 has been quite a year for creator GerryAnderson – whose most popular series, Thunderbirds, is currently beingmade into a film for 2004. Rumours still persist that acomputer-generated TV remake of Captain Scarlett, about an invulnerablefuturistic law-enforcer battling aliens known as Mysterons, is alsoimminent.

SPIDER-MAN 2Apparently the sequel is now unlikely to retain its The AmazingSpider-Man title, instead opting for Spider-Man Unmasked. STAR WARS EPISODE IIIDesigner Ian McCaig recently talked about what fans can expect from StarWars Episode III regarding Anakin Skywalker’s transformation into DarthVader.

“In Episode I, when we saw Jake Lloyd, we wondered where’s the darkside? Why isn’t this kid creepy? And then, in Episode II, HaydenChristensen came across as a justifiably angry teenager more than a kidwho crosses over to the true dark side. Killing the Sand People… theykilled his mom! I could go mad and do something like that.”

“So, I kept waiting for the dark side to take hold. In this film, yourealize, it’s more about Anakin making the wrong choices. He’s given aglorious moment by George – I’m so happy with part of the script – wherehe truly has to make a choice. In the end, I think that’s a smarter wayto go than a slow transformation. It’s more tragic this way.”

“What are we wearing this year in Star Wars? In Episode I, [NataliePortman] was the Queen, and she was wearing disguises. I once said sheshould be able to slip out of the back of the costume, and you’d neverknow she was gone.”

“Ironically, in this one, she’s back to wearing disguises. As well asnow hiding this marriage to a Jedi, which is not allowed, she has tohide the fact that she’s going to have babies. All of the costumes hadto disguise these facts.”

SUPERMAN’E! Online’ reported that write JJ Abrams‘ Superman screenplay has”changed quite a bit” from the draft that infamously made its way ontothe internet to receive harsh critique.

Abrams revealed his motive for writing the script, saying: “I fought forthe job. I thought it could be really good despite it being Superman.”

And his thoughts about the difficulty in casting Superman, which was onereason director Brett Ratner left the project? “Someone was born to playSuperman, and they will get the role whether it’s someone you know ordon’t.”

WESTWORLD’Variety’ reports that Terminator 3 writers Michael Ferris and JohnBrancato have been hired to pen a remake of sci-fi movie Westworld. Themovie is still attached to Arnold Schwarzenneger – who should as therogue cowboy android, a role made famous by Dirty Dozen actor YulBrynner.