Sarah Connor Calls in a Doctor

Eleventh Doctor (or Twelfth, I guess if you're really counting) Matt Smith has just joined the Terminator franchise reboot currently titled Terminator: Genesis. According to the Skydance Productions official Twitter as well as news outlet Deadline, the actor has boarded the film for an undisclosed role... and sadly, it won't be a Doctor Who/Terminator crossover for all those fan-fic writers out there who had both ears immediately perk up at the sound. 

I have to say, I'm apprehensively optimistic about the new film. The casting sure is spot-on with a whole lot of great leads stepping into roles. But then again, Terminator: Salvation had a pretty killer cast too and look out that turned out. Also worrisome is the "Robocop Effect" that might be in place with this new film, as the studio is apparently advocating for a PG-13 rating.

How are you feeling about the new film and the potential that it might have? Excited? Pessimistic?

SPT Remembers Bob Hoskins

I know what you're thinking… "Troy, of all the films that this man has graced his presence with - Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Hook, Brazil, Pink Floyd's 'The Wall', Nixon, Michael, on and on and on… why choose Super Mario Bros., the film that he had always expressed disappointment for?"

It's no secret that I hold the Super Mario Bros. live-action film in a dear place of my heart, for so many reasons that people abhor the film, I have grown to adore it. It was weird, it looked super-cool, and these two guys that weren't even remotely Italian really were the epitome of cool. Sure, it probably is a terrible movie, but I still love Super Mario Bros. And Bob Hoskins' presence in that film was one of the biggest drawing factors to that.

That tangent about Mario aside, Hollywood lost another great today, at the age of 71. Hoskins had just recently retired from acting, a result of his deteriorating health from a Parkinsons diagnosis. The BBC is reporting that he passed after contracting pneumonia. 

This weekend why not pop in Roger Rabbit, Hook, or one of the many films that you grew up with that Hoskins was largely responsible for and enjoy in his honor?

Star Wars: This Will Be a Day Long Remembered

In a surprising move (many were expecting the announcement to come in with the hyper-punny May the 4th faux-celebration), Lucasfilm has announced the cast of the new Star Wars sequel, still as of yet untitled.

Original stars Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Kenny Baker (R2-D2) and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) will be reprising their roles from the original trilogy. 

New to the series are actors are John Boyega (Attack the Block), Daisy Ridley (Mr. Selfridge), Adam Driver (Girls), Oscar Issac (Inside Llewyn Davis), Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings), Domhnall Gleeson (Harry Potter)... oh yeah, and freaking Max von Sydow (you know, of many films but let's be honest you know and love him as the voice of Vigo the Carpathian, right?). The new cast's roles are as of yet announced.

The film opens on December 18, 2015 and begins filming in the next few weeks.

UPDATE: Slashfilm has a fantastic breakdown of all the new actors, descriptions of their personalities and how they might coincide with characters on-screen and more. Check it out, it's a great read.

Star Wars Fans Shouldn't Have a Bad Feeling About New Timeline

Before the weekend, Lucasfilm made the announcement that "Expanded Universe" materials that have been released since the mid-1990s including books, comics, video games and more will not be considered in the Star Wars "canon" (or storytelling events that are considered officially recognized as happening within the world of Star Wars). From here on out, a new timeline will be groomed and maintained by a new story department out of Lucasfilm which will oversee all of the books, video games, and others and begin releasing new materials that all coincide with this new timeline. Much like Marvel oversees its "cinematic universe," this story department will be the keepers of everything Star Wars from this point forward.

From the official press release:

While Lucasfilm always strived to keep the stories created for the EU consistent with our film and television content as well as internally consistent, Lucas always made it clear that he was not beholden to the EU. He set the films he created as the canon. This includes the six Star Wars episodes, and the many hours of content he developed and produced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. These stories are the immovable objects of Star Wars history, the characters and events to which all other tales must align.

Now, with an exciting future filled with new cinematic installments of Star Wars, all aspects of Star Wars storytelling moving forward will be connected. Under Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy's direction, the company for the first time ever has formed a story group to oversee and coordinate all Star Wars creative development.

Sure, an outsider reading that first paragraph might be scratching their heads wondering what type of nerdery is afoot here and shrug it off with a, "who cares?" But apparently Star Wars fans are in a frenzy about it, curious how close to 30 years of materials could just be thrown out the window. 

Something like this is actually a great opportunity. Lucasfilm will now be overseeing all of the Star Wars universe to make sure that A ties to B and that, as often seems to be the mantra, everything is connected. How great will it be to pick up new books that directly coincide with the forthcoming movies and TV shows? It'll all be one big story that we all have no idea what path it will travel. And the amazing stories that were told in Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy, the fantastic Dark Empire comics, and others will still continue to exist as great pieces of storytelling and it's not a slap in the face to those artists and writers who poured their heart and souls into those still respected previous works. And this isn't exactly something completely foreign to nerds like us either (how many alternate/parallel universes exist in Marvel and DC comics).

Star Wars fans should be excited and remember that traveling through hyperspace isn't like dusting crops - travel outside your comfort zone and enjoy the adventure that ensues.