JossWhedon Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Whoa, So Whedon Really is Writing 'Terminator'!
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », Newsstand »
Terminator is in trouble. Halcyon is on the verge of bankruptcy and the only real commodity they have are the rights to make new Terminator films, which they plan on selling for a big chunk of money to pay off their even bigger chunk of debt. Enter Joss Whedon with an open letter plea to buy the rights to Terminator, acknowledging that while his offer of $10,000 may have been a bit low, he would do the franchise right, returning it to the cinematic Sci-Fi glory it once knew.Yet while no one took Joss Whedon's humorous open letter without a grain of salt, the folks at Dark Horse comics did take another Terminator-related Whedon pitch seriously. Except this one is from another side of the family gene pool. Zack Whedon wrote on Techland (via ComicsAlliance):
"I am currently working on a six issue Terminator series for Dark Horse. I just turned in the first script and I'm very excited about it. I love Terminator. I think that movie is so good. Holy Toledo is it good ...."
Read the rest over at SciFi Squad
Five Ways to Save Joss Whedon
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fan Rant »
As much as we all fervently and loyally love Joss Whedon, it's time to face facts: His mojo is off. It's not gone -- I'd never suggest such a thing. One look at Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and the better episodes of Dollhouse prove that the magic is still there. However, it has lost its focus, writhing in the ether, struggling to gain the fame of his earlier television work -- fame that while never massive, was solid, loyal, and passionate.
With Dollhouse canceled, the question on everyone's mind is how can he get back to the success of Buffy? How can he shrug off the pain of two battles for ratings and second seasons, and present a show that ushers in a fandom rivaling what came before with Buffy, Giles, Willow, and Xander?
Joss Whedon Will Gladly Buy the Rights to 'Terminator'
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom »
The rights to the Terminator franchise have only been up on the auction block for about as long as it takes Arnold Schwarzenegger to emerge naked from a time bubble, but a veteran Hollywood mogul has already expressed interest in taking the brand off the hands of the now-bankrupt Halcyon; and that vet is none other than Toy Story, Alien: Resurrection, and Titan A.E. screenwriter Joss Whedon (oh, and he created Buffy the Vampire Slayer and "Firefly"/Serenity, but I don't think anyone has ever heard of those).Mr. Whedon took the time out of his busy schedule running his latest TV show, the Eliza Dushku starring "Dollhouse", to write an earnest letter to Halcyon making the case for why he's the right man for the job. And as with all things Whedon, his proposal has its fair share of the funny.
In it, he outlines the six possible directions he'd take the franchise, which range from simply adding more Summer Glau ("There's a reason they're called "Summer" movies.") to sending a Terminator to Middle Earth ("because he's a cyborg and he doesn't give a s#&% about the ring -- it has no power over him! And he can carry it AND Frodo AND Sam AND f@%& up some orcs while he's doing it. This stuff just comes to me. I mean it.").
Now his opening bid of $10,000 may be a smidge lower than the estimated $200,000 Halcyon is asking for the rights, but with a formal business plan as detailed as Whedon's, I'd be flabbergasted if they turned it down. Read on to check out the full letter, which may or may not contain similar offers to also buy Batman and Lord of the Rings.
Joss Whedon's 'Cabin' Delayed a Year to Go 3-D
Filed under: Horror », Fandom », Newsstand »
Not much is known about Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard's pet horror project, The Cabin in the Woods, beyond a few snarky posters released at last summer's Comic-Con and a Feburary 5th, 2010 release date. Now, MGM is apparently so pleased with whatever the two are cooking up that they want to convert the already shot film to 3-D -- a process that has the release tentatively rescheduled for January 14th, 2011.That's right, a full year's delay. Not the best of omens for any film. However, in the name of all that is silver lining, we turn to our trusted colleagues over at CHUD and Hitfix for their thoughts. Devin was impressed by the footage he saw in a recent visit to the editing bay, while Drew claims that the script had potential to break out in however many dimensions. Neither has seen the finished film, of course, and both admit as much, but whatever they've seen or read has given them cause to think this is a wise move on the studio's part.
Read the rest at Horror Squad
Girls on Film: Bella, Buffy, and Bloodsuckers
Filed under: Fandom », Columns », Girls on Film »
I'm about to make a very unpopular comparison, one that surely will have some fans trying to revoke my own Whedon fandom: Bella, Buffy, and the bloodsuckers from Twilight and Buffy aren't all that different.
I say this as someone who only left her house once during the seven seasons of Buffy night, who watched each episode countless times, and amassed a huge pile of memorabilia. I say this as someone who has read Stephenie Meyers' series and enjoyed it for the ways it reflected and improved on my own fluffy YA reading (The Vampire Diaries), and knocked it for the Mormon-esque message underneath.
I haven't ignored my fandom; I just can't help but see the myriad of similarities between the two characters, ones that make Buffy owning Edward seem quite hypocritical. The power behind the slayer comes from Joss Whedon and the themes explored throughout her story -- not from the character herself. Strip away the story arcs and implied messages, and you've got a troubled woman who is no better off than Bella.
I Reckon Westerns Are Coming Back ...
Filed under: Fandom », Newsstand », Quentin Tarantino », Western »
Sorry, Hugh Jackman ... I don't think its musicals that are back. I think it's the clink of spurs, and the fast draw that's enjoying a renaissance. I know, they say William Munny killed it along with Little Bill Daggett (and if so, it certainly went out with one hell of a last line), but then came The Missing, The Proposition, Open Range, 3:10 to Yuma, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and Appaloosa. There's also been a few that stretched the definition beyond the classic, pistols-at-sunset sort and tackled a more modern definition and locale, such as All the Pretty Horses, Brokeback Mountain, No Country for Old Men, and Australia. Asia has gotten in on the fun with Sukiyaki Western Django and the upcoming The Warrior's Way.
Of course I'm leaving a few of them out (apologies to the Texas Rangers fans out there), and it's also worth noting that not all of them were successful or popular. Some of them were downright disastrous. But they were made when Unforgiven supposedly shot them down, and they were clearly popular or interesting enough to warrant a few more remakes and revivals. The Lone Ranger is set to call on Silver, the Coen Bros are re-hiring Rooster Cogburn, and Gerard Butler will reportedly try to duck the noose in The Hanging Tale. On the graphic novel end, you'll have Jonah Hex wrecking bloody havoc, and Preacher may finally go to Texas. Today, Variety is reporting that Roy Rogers may rise from the dead for a new film trilogy. It won't be a biopic, nor a traditional Western, but be some kind of "family-fantasy adventure" that will use the characters of Rogers, Dale Evans, and Trigger, capitalizing (their words, not mine) on their iconic status, and introducing them to a new generation.
Of course I'm leaving a few of them out (apologies to the Texas Rangers fans out there), and it's also worth noting that not all of them were successful or popular. Some of them were downright disastrous. But they were made when Unforgiven supposedly shot them down, and they were clearly popular or interesting enough to warrant a few more remakes and revivals. The Lone Ranger is set to call on Silver, the Coen Bros are re-hiring Rooster Cogburn, and Gerard Butler will reportedly try to duck the noose in The Hanging Tale. On the graphic novel end, you'll have Jonah Hex wrecking bloody havoc, and Preacher may finally go to Texas. Today, Variety is reporting that Roy Rogers may rise from the dead for a new film trilogy. It won't be a biopic, nor a traditional Western, but be some kind of "family-fantasy adventure" that will use the characters of Rogers, Dale Evans, and Trigger, capitalizing (their words, not mine) on their iconic status, and introducing them to a new generation.
Joss Whedon Says "No Thanks" to New 'Buffy' Movie
Filed under: Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels »
Now that we've launched these two new genre sites -- Horror Squad and ScFi Squad -- there's going to be a good amount of content over there that's not over here. Like this post from SciFi Squad about Joss Whedon and how he was offered the new Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, but turned it down.
Those fans all up in arms over the planned big-screen Buffy the Vampire Slayer remake will either find comfort or disgust in learning that Joss Whedon was offered a chance to reboot his own original idea, and he turned it down presumably after already learning his lesson on the first film. Entertainment Weekly reports the news alongside direct quotes from Whedon and a poll announcing that only 3% of EW readers would want to see a new Buffy movie without Whedon in charge.
Says Whedon, "I believe [the producers] did ultimately reach out to my agent after the news broke. I think that's something better left untouched by me. So, I wish them luck."
Read the rest over at SciFi Squad
Discuss: Is 'Buffy' Better Off Without Joss Whedon?
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », Remakes and Sequels »
We've all had a few days to let the news sink in that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is getting a feature film reboot, and is if that wasn't enough; that the creator, Joss Whedon, would not be a part of it. As to be expected, fans were ticked, and just for the record, I am one of those die-hard Buffy fans with DVD collections and Season 8 comics lining my wall. But, maybe it's because lately everything is up for grabs when it comes to remakes and reboots, because when I heard the news, I was surprisingly calm about the whole thing. Now last week I asked fans if there was a chance they were being a little too hard on a certain time-traveling robot, but then I realized I should probably try and follow my own advice when it comes to something I love. So I ask myself: Is a 'Whedonless' Buffy necessarily a bad thing? Well, I have to tell you, there is a part of me that thinks that the Buffy reboot isn't doomed to fail, and here's why:
'Buffy' Flick Gets Revived (Sans Whedon!)
Filed under: Deals », Fandom »
The original Buffy was a silly early '90s flick featuring Kristy Swanson, dreamy Luke Perry as her BF Pike, Rutger Hauer as the bad vamp about town Lothos, a post-Pee Wee Paul Reubens as one of his henchmen, and Donald Sutherland as a told-ya-so! dude named Merrick who warned her she was a predestined kicker of vampire ass. Blink-and-miss-it cameos include Hilary Swank, Ben Affleck, gossip columnist Liz Smith, David Arquette, and Ricki Lake. Really.Now Buffy is getting a 21st century transfusion with help from the original director Fran Rubel Kuzui and producer Kaz Kuzui to create "what is being labeled a remake or relaunch, but not a sequel or prequel," according to Hollywood Reporter. So with that very oblique description in mind, it looks like this will be a sort of different incarnation of Buffy -- a different vampire "warrior" for a different generation. One with "franchise potential," of course. The Kuzuis are working with Vertigo Entertainment, aka Roy Lee and Doug Davison, which is responsible for many US remakes of Asian films like The Grudge, Dark Water, The Eye, and upcoming adaptations of Death Note, the Spielberg-Smith vehicle Oldboy, and Battle Royale. They're also remaking Creepshow.
Joss Whedon wrote the script for the original Buffy, although he's more famous for his feminist-y take on it in the long-running Sarah Michelle Gellar series. He will, however, not be involved with the new Buffy. Good luck to whomever they're bringing in to revamp this iconic chick because she or he has some big shoes to fill. Or it's entirely possible one of the many, many Buffy-philes might have a go at 'em with a big, pointy stake. Either way.
As far Joss? Well, Dr. Horrible's Twitter only says "Oy... http://bit.ly/gwmRt" If anyone would like to confirm if this is Joss's real Twitter account or not, we're all ears.
Cinematical Seven: Franchises J.J. Abrams Should Reboot
Filed under: Fandom », Cinematical Seven », Lists »
Now that J.J. Abrams has reinvented, and especially, reinvigorated Star Trek for an all new generation of fake-pointy-eared fans, it would be unfair to let the filmmaker simply take time off to garden or crochet, much less celebrate the film's projected $72 million opening weekend. Especially since there are just so many other franchises and film series that deserve – or perhaps more accurately – need his golden touch. As such, we've thoughtfully assembled a short list of franchises that Abrams could and should take over, tackle, and reboot. And while we tailored our selections to suit the filmmaker's writing and directing strengths, we encourage you to leave your comments and suggestions which films and franchises you think might be better suited to Abrams' cinematic style.
In no particular order:
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