Ashes To Ashes , Duncan Jones’s Judge Dredd , Tom Hanks on Starship Troopers and more…
With the new and final series of Ashes To Ashes only a few weeks away (apparently), its creators and stars have been busy Twittering. Dean Andrews, aka the Met’s cerebrally challenged Raymondo, Tweeted that, “I think it’s planned for 23rd March but don’t quote me!” No, of course we won’t, Dean (whoops!). Meanwhile, Ashes’ creator Matthew Graham was fielding questions this week about the ill-fated American version of Life On Mars . “Keitel seemed like a god-send until we saw the rushes,” he wrote, following it up with: ‘Harvey Keitel is one of the world’s great actors but he was physically too slight and too old for the role. Great shame.”
Elsewhere on Twitter in the last week, the newly BAFTA-ised Duncan Jones responded to a question about whether he’d be interested in doing the planned Judge Dredd movie: “One day, I would love to tell you my idea for a Judge Dredd film... But not yet. :)” he Twittered, before adding, “Hmmm.. you know.... Sam Rockwell WOULD make a pretty fantastic Dredd, when you think about it...” Is this a subtle announcement that he’s under consideration for the directing gig and that Rockwell may be donning Mega City One’s finest’s helmet? Then again, he might not be being completely serious: “Haha! Ok... I'll give you my tweet version. It's a Dredd take on the film ‘Man bites Dog,’ & involves Death & the League of Fatties.”
After letting slip through Twitter that he’d read the Avengers movie script, Marvel boss Joe Quesada responded to a question about Kenneth Branagh’s currently-lensing Thor and seemed keen to reassure worried fans: “ETA on reveal of Thor movie costume, I honestly don’t know, but will assure you this. Every Marvel fan will love it. Not kidding.” And proof that even comics top dogs get star-struck, he also Twitteredd this: “Is it wrong of me to go into full blown fanman nerdgasm when I see an e-mail waiting in my inbox from John Lasstter? Just askin’.” Bless him, he’s just like US!
Also last week, director Edgar Wright did some unsubtle name-dropping: “Met Tom Hanks. Said I heard Starship Troopers was his favourite film. He says it’s the Citizen Kane of Sci Fi. Proceed to love him even more!” And just to prove that becoming part of Hollywood’s a-list hasn’t diluted his fanboy heart, Simon Pegg Twittered: ‘Got the complete Buffy on DVD for my birthday. Starting from the top, ep one. Welcome to Sunnnydale peeps. Shit’s about to get teenspooky!” Surely he had the boxset already though...?
Finally, SFX ’s own columnist Warren Ellis felt the need last week to clarify the difference between himself and the other famous Warren Ellis: “I am not the musician Warren Ellis who works with Nick Cave,” Tweeted the Comic Ellis. “Leave now if you're looking for an Aussie with a Hobo Rape Thicket beard!”
And what’s Neil Gaiman been chatting to Guillermo Del Toro about. On his Tweet he mentions, “Guillermo was in fine form. Many movies were discussed over lunch including Death and The Hobbit .” Death? As in Death from Sandman? Ooooh, tantalising. Unless Death And The Hobbi t is what The Hobbit Part Two is going to be called…
