• It turns out Harrison Ford didn’t actually break his ankle: it was his leg . The Star Wars star was injured by the door of the Millennium Falcon last week, and has been recovering in hospital since. Producers of Star Wars Episode VII have been reorganising the shooting schedule at Pinewood Studios to move Han Solo’s scenes until after he has recovered, and the movie’s still aiming to meet the planned 18 December 2015 release date.
• Now the furore around Edgar Wright’s directorial departure has settled down, details of Ant-Man ’s villains are starting to emerge . According to sources for joblo.com, Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) is set to face the comic book villains Darren Cross and his cousin William. Cross is the head of Cross Technological Enterprises, and his cousin William later becomes Crossfire, but it’s not clear whether this transformation will happen during the Peyton Reed-helmed feature. The Wrap reckon that Corey Stoll ( The Strain , Law & Order LA ) will be Cross, while Patrick Wilson ( Insidious, Watchmen ) takes on the role of William.
• Rumour has it that Ben Affleck’s Batman will be getting a movie all of his own . Sources for Latino Review seem to think that Affleck will get a solo outing in 2019, entitled The Batman . Before that comes around, Bats and Superman will share screentime in 2016’s Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice and the Justice League pic in 2017.
• Dr Strange director Scott Derrickson has just been attached to write the Outer Limits movie . He’ll be scripting it alongside C Robert Cargill, with whom he previously collaborated on Sinister . Apparently the film will focus on classic TV instalment “Demon With A Glass Hand”, written by Harlan Ellison. Key plot points of the original episode include a computerised hand, a “time mirror”, and an alien invasion.
• Seven new posters have been released for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part One . Unlike normal teaser pics though, these posters aren’t of Hollywood leads showcasing abs and explosions, but are propaganda posters from the evil ruling government, The Capitol. The seven images feature people from seven of Panem’s districts, and all share a rather creepy undertone.
• Bob Kane, creator of Batman, is due to be honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . Kane, who died in 1998, first introduced Batman in the May 1939 issue of Detective Comics . However, there is some controversy around the decision, as some feel that Bill Finger – Kane’s collaborator, and the person who coined the nickname The Dark Knight – should also receive recognition.
Eighth Doctor Paul McGann has revealed that there’s going to be a follow-up to The Five(ish) Doctors . The spoof, which aired last year on the red button after the 50th anniversary special, featured Doctors Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy on a quest to get involved in “The Day Of The Doctor”; McGann had a brief cameo. Speaking to the Cambridge Union Society , the actor said that work has already begun, but didn’t reveal any more details.
Finally, a huge job lot of sci-fi memorabilia goes under the hammer this evening, as seized assets from a criminal couple are sold off in Belfast . The most valuable items are a set of six costumes from Star Trek , bought for $27,000 at auction in New York; they include Scotty’s jacket from Star Trek VI and outfits for Geordi, Guinan and Q from The Next Generation . The memorabilia belonged to a couple who stole over £2 million over the course of 8 years, using some of their ill-gotten gains to build an impressively geeky collection .
VS Wells
