Lost in Translation has big news! With Steve, the review’s host, about to make changes to the Seventh Sanctum, Lost in Translation is moving to a new home. This was always the plan; get Lost in Translation established, then strike out on its own, like a baby bird leaving the next. Details to come, but expect the move in the coming weeks.
As it stands, I am working out the name space, something easy for people to remember and easy to type. I have hosting lined up. There is no time frame, but I’m hoping to get this done in the next two weeks if possible, with the migration of old articles over to take a little longer afterwards. Once that is done, I can set up collections, such as the Bond Project and the year-end round ups, to make it easy for people to find articles.
Thank you all for reading over the years. I never thought I’d have been writing reviews of adaptations for ten years and I never expected to not run out of works to review. And a big thank you to Steve for allowing me to develop the reviews on his site.
CG Peanuts movie to use classic comics for thought bubbles.
The CGI animated Peanuts feature will pay homage to the original comic strip through the use of the classic comics in thought bubbles.
Dan Aykroyd excited as Ghostbusters reboot starts filming.
Aykroyd, who was the co-creator of the original movie and is the executive producer of the remake, is happy with how the new movie is turning out. While that may not be persuasive, the photos of the costume and the new Ecto are promising.
The Rock’s going to be busy.
Not only is he working on a remake of Big Trouble in Little China, as reported last month, he’s also looking at an adaptation of the classic arcade video game, Rampage. The video game allowed players to take the role of kaiju and destroy a city while fending off the puny defenders.
New Spider-Man film, new Spider-Man actor.
Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios have announced the casting of Tom Holland in the title role. Holland will play Peter Parker in the new movie.
The Rocky franchise continues with Creed.
Rocky Balboa turns coach this November. Michael B. Jordan plays Adonis Creed, son of Apollo Creed, played by Carl Weathers, from the first four Rocky films.
Classic Canadian animated series, The Raccoons, may be returning.
Kevin Gillis, the creator of the original cartoon, is working out how to bring back the the show, featuring raccoons Bert, Melissa, and Ralph. The Raccoons aired on the CBC with TV movies in the early 80s and a regular series starting in 1985. The series also aired on the Disney Channel.
Farscape movie has been confirmed.
Rockne S. O’Bannon has confirmed that a Farscape movie is in the works. The film doesn’t have a script yet, but one is being drafted by Justin Monjo, who wrote for the series.
Dynamite Entertainment to bring Atari classics to comics.
Dynamite will produce comics based on classic Atari video games, including Asteroids, Centipede, and Missile Command. The same company will also be producing James Bond comics helmed by Warren Ellis.
Lost in Translation to take a hiatus.
There’s a shake up coming here at MuseHack. Steve will have the full details, but Lost in Translation will be on hiatus during this time. The reviews will return, as will the history of adaptations.
Almost missed all of April, but there was news about adaptations coming in. Here is your news round up.
Sony Pictures to make live-action Robotech.
Sony now has the rights to Robotech, via Harmony Gold, and is looking to use the series as the base of a franchise. Harmony Gold seems to be still involved.
Steven Spielberg to helm Ready Player One adaptation.
Ernest Cline’s cult novel, Ready Player One has been optioned by Warner Bros, who will be working with director Steven Spielberg to make the movie. Some rights issues, mostly involving video game icons of the 80s, will need to be cleared, but Warner is hoping for a repeat of what happened with The LEGO Movie, where rights owners jumped on board.
Coach returning after 18 year hiatus.
Craig T. Nelson is coming back as the titular character in a follow-up series. Thirteen episodes have been ordered. This isn’t the only TV series making a comeback.
X-Files returning.
The reboot re-unites David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, and Chris Carter. The three said they would only come back if the others did as well.
Galaxy Quest Returns to TV.
Okay, technically it was never on TV. But the show in the movie was, in-universe. And thus is getting a reboot. Sort of. Metafiction weirds timelines.
Full House Returns to TV.
This, however, is simpler. Fuller House is a continuation, with Candance Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, and Andrea Barber returning to their original roles. Talks are ongoing with other members of the original cast, though John Stamos is on board as producer and will guest star.
It’s Time to Get Things (Re-)Started!
A new Muppet series to air on ABC. The new show will be aimed at an adult audience, though that’s not new for Muppets, and will take a look at their personal lives.
Archie will face his most deadly crossover yet!
Archie vs. Sharknado is a real thing. Sharknado director Anthony C. Ferrante has teamed up with Archie artist Dan Parent to bring the latest Archie crossover. Move aside, Punisher. Too bad, Predator. Archie has a new danger in his life.
The dam broke. News just keeps flowing, with nothing outside consideration. Let’s get started on the March news roundup.
Catan TV and movie rights purchased.
Gail Katz, producer of /The Perfect Storm/, has bought the rights to the board game, The Settlers of Catan. While the purchasing of rights is just the first of many steps to get a movie or TV series made, it’s not a guarentee. Catan also has the interesting problem of having no set plot. Instead, players are in competition to settle the land of Catan, but may also trade with each other. The trading is the source of endless “wood for sheep” jokes amongst the game’s players.
Jim Starlin’s Dreadstar becoming TV series.
Starlin, creator of Guardians of the Galaxy, will also be the executive producer of the TV series. /Dreadstar/ will follow Vanth Dreadstar, sole surviror of the Milky Way galaxy, as he tries to end an war between two empires. No casting has been announced.
Fox greenlights Sandman spinoff.
Lucifer, a spinoff of Sandman, has been ordered by Fox. The original Lucifer had the lord of Hell giving up the title and moving to Earth to run a piano bar while interacting with other religious figures. The Fox series, though, has Lucifer assisting the Los Angeles police department in solving crimes.
New Alien movie to be directed by Neill Blomkamp.
Blomkamp, who directed /District 9/, has a deal with Fox to film a new /Alien/ movie. This film is separate from Ridley Scott’s Prometheus 2. Blomkamp’s movie will be a sequel to Aliens, and will bring back Sigourney Weaver as Ripley.
EL James to write script for 50 Shades sequel.
James, who wrote the 50 Shades trilogy, is exerting ownership and control and will be the scriptwriter for the next movie in the series. The sequel may be delayed as a result; James has not written a script before and the Valentine’s Day 2016 release date may not be possible. The sequel also needs a new director; Sam Taylor-Johnson will not be back after numerous fights with James on set during the filming.
MacGuyver may be getting a reboot TV series.
Lee Zlotoff, the creator of the original MacGuyver TV series, is working with the National Academy of Engineers on a crowdsourcing competition to find the next MacGuyver. The challenge – the new character must be a woman, who doesn’t necessarily need to be named MacGuyver. The prize is $5000 and working with a Hollywood producer to develop the script.
Netflix to make new Inspector Gadget, Danger Mouse series.
Netflix is becoming the newest source for series. Besides the Marvel offerings, Netflix will be adding animation to the lineup. First, Inspector Gadget, a 26-episode reboot of the classic cartoon, will start in March in the US and in other countries later. A revival of Danger Mouse, will follow.
Not to be outdone, Disney brings back Duck Tales.
Duck Tales, a staple of the late 80s and early 90s, is returning with new episodes on Disney XD in 2017. The same characters from the original will be in the new show.
The Search for More Money may become a reality.
Mel Brooks has said he wants to make Spaceballs: The Search for More Money. Nothing is confirmed, but the idea is to have the sequel come out after Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Alfred Bester’s The Stars My Destination may be adapted in near future.
Paramount Pictures may be signing a deal the lead the way to a movie adaptation of the novel. The novel’s been in development hell for twenty years, with Richard Gere and Paul W.S. Anderson being attached to the project. Talks are still early, though.
Electra Woman and Dyna Girl getting remade.
Taking the titular roles are Grace Helbigg and Dana Hart, both of whom are known through their work on YouTube. The original Electra Woman and Dyna Girl was a 1976 Sid and Marty Krofft series and starred a pre-Days of Our Lives Deidre Hall.
Adventure Time to become feature film.
Cartoon Networks’ Adventure Time is in development for an animated film. Chris McKay and Roy Lee, producers of The LEGO Movie and the upcoming The LEGO Batman Movie will produce the film.
John Barrowman to develop project from Heavy Metal.
Barrowman, known for his role of Captain Jack Harkness on Doctor Who and Torchwood, will produce and star in The 49th Key, a miniseries based on a story by Erika Lewis that just started in the magazine, Heavy Metal, as of issue #273.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM being remade.
MGM will adapt the book by Robert C. O’Brien as a mix of live action and CGI. Adapted once before by Don Bluth as The Secret of NIHM, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM is about a widowed mouse who gets help from escaped lab rats to save her home and her son.
Valiant Comics bringing their characters to the movies.
DMG Entertainment of Beijing has invested in Valiant Comics and wants to bring the Valiant characters to the silver screen and television. Valiant has Bloodshot, Shadowman, and Archer and Armstrong already in development.
Live action Akira film delayed again.
The director attached to the project, James Collet-Serra, is taking time for himself after making the movies Non-Stop and Run All Night back-to-back. The fate of the adaptation is back in the hand of Warner Bros. The studio has been trying to cut the budget from the initial $180 million estimate down to between $60 and $70 million to offset the fan backlash currently happening. Warner has had the Akira adaptation in some form of development since 2002.
Sony working on an male-driven Ghostbusters remake.
The male-driven remake/reboot is being developed in parallel with the female-driven version. Sony is hoping to expand the franchise. Maybe the best approach for the movies is to borrow from the West End Games Ghostbusters role-playing game and set each movie as a separate Ghostbusters International franchise in different cities. Ghostbusters Tokyo: The Anime anyone?
Three Days of the Condor becoming a TV series.
The conspiracy thriller of the 70s is being developed for TV by Skydance and David Ellison. The original movie was itself adapted from the book, Six Days of the Condor, and involved a a CIA operative whose co-workers were murdered as part of a government cover-up.
Archie getting a reboot, new look.
In a possible first for the publisher, Archie Comics is getting a reboot and a new #1. Mark Waid and Fiona Staples will helm the title and will bring Archie to the 21st Century in appearance without taking away from what makes the character who he is. The re-imagining comes with Archie’s 75th anniversary and follows such works as AfterLife with Archie and the announced Riverdale TV series.
A third Tron movie is in the works.
A sequel to Tron: Legacy will be directed by Joseph Kosinski, who directed the previous Tron movie. The movie should follow from events in Legacy.
Hey everyone, so what’s up here at the Sanctum!
Well, the big thing is I’ve wanted to add more ways to socialize – and try out a few ideas I had. So I’ve got the official Seventh Sanctum Tumblr – AND I created automated updates for it. Not only does it repost links to what’s at The Codex, but every day there’s a new, randomly generated story! Yep, every day you’ll have a story untouched by human hands, delivered straight to Tumblr!
I may also be adding some more things over time as I experiment, and of course reposting Sanctum related things.
I also played up our social media on the site – for instance I never really promoted our Twitter. It has a randomly generated idea every day, plus posts from here and anything I think to send down. So now I’m promoting it – join up!
I want to see if this provides some more socializing to the Sanctum before I look at other elements like a more active Facebook community or a mailing list. Yep, still working on that adding-more-social elements goal!
OK, with that done, the Writing Prompt Generator!
I haven’t done much with it recently since I’ve been pretty busy with work – and this takes a certain level of creative energy I just wasn’t feeling (sometimes it seems writing code is more workmanlike than building the data files and kind of relaxing). However the plan is still to get it working well enough and then posting it to get feedback and ideas from everyone. That’s my next goal, actually.
Meanwhile with Way With Worlds, I’m now working on a four to five part series on Worldbuilding and Sex. If you assume that’s going to be exciting, you’re probably going to be disappointed unless you really get into Worldbuilding. Then again you’re here. . .
Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach. He blogs on careers at http://www.musehack.com/, publishes books on career and culture at http://www.informotron.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at http://www.stevensavage.com/.
First, A Lupin the Third live action movie has been announced! The movie will be a prequel, showing how Lupin met his crew.
Next, it’s weird where you can find an adaptation. Back while getting info for the comments about the It’s a Wonderful Life sequel, I discovered that the movie is an adaptation of a short story, “The Greatest Gift” by Philip van Doren Stern. Unlike the sheer mess of rights that It’s a Wonderful Life became, van Doren Stern properly renewed his copyright in 1971 on his story.
Moving on, here’s what I hope to do for December. There will definitely be a review, though of what, I do not know yet. I’m half-tempted to review Miracle on 34th Street because of the number of times the films has been remade; movie versions in 1955, 1959, 1973, 1994, a Broadway musical in 1963, a stage play in 2006, and a half-hour puppet version at Macy’s in New York City. For the year’s end, a look back on 2013 followed a week later by a look ahead to 2014 and beyond. Given the sheer amount of news in October and November, twice even, I won’t be short of material. That leaves one week, which I may leave as a surprise.
I’m also open to suggestions. The catch is, I need to have access to the original and the new work. I am keeping my eyes open for certain titles, either due to personal interest or because of influence. However, as mentioned above, there will be times when I run across a remake or an adaptation without realizing it. Along with It’s a Wonderful Life, I found out that Bedazzled, with Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley, is a remake of the 1967 film of the same name, with Dudley Moore and Peter Cook. I will make a note of when I encounter the new work before the original; it could, as I mentioned previously, make a difference in how the adaptation is perceived.
Next week, back to the reviews!
Over half a million Macs have been infected by the Flashback virus. The virus creates a botnet designed to steal personal information. A new variant was found over the weekend that takes advantage of a vulnerability in Java that Apple released a patch for today.
Takeaways:
– Keep up to date on patches, especially when online.
– Don’t get cocky about whatever platform you’re running. For a while, Mac enthusiasts laughed at how vulnerable to viruses Windows was. Now, the Mac is as vulnerable.
-ScottD
A teaching aide was suspended for not showing her employer her Facebook account. As mentioned a few times here at Fan To Pro, employers have been demanding access to interviewees’ Facebook passwords. This may be the first time that an already employed person has been suspended for it. The original complaint came about when a photo was posted to the aide’s Facebook page and was seen by a parent who was a friend of a co-worker. The principal demanded access, the aide refused and was thus suspended after having union representation denied. The aide is now going after back pay through legal means.
Remember, according to Facebook’s Terms of Service, sharing a password is a violation. The image in question was taken when the aide was not working. And, while teachers and teaching aides appear to have more scrutiny on them by the community, they, too, deserve privacy like we all do.
–Scott D
Last week, I mentioned Google offering cash prizes if anyone could hack Chrome. Hackers in Vancouver managed to find two previously unknown holes at an IT security conference. The CEO of Vupen Security, one of the winners in the Pwn2Own contest, mentioned the difficulty of finding the security holes. This was the first time Chrome was successfully hacked in the contest’s five years.
It’s been a week, so things have built up again. Bill C-30 is starting to wane with the Robocalls Scandal and the return of the omnibus crime bill. Here’s the rest of the news:
Didn’t Take Long
After three months of .xxx domains, ten complaints of cybersquatting have been filed. Among the complainants are banks, jewellery stores, and an online store. All of this could be foreseen, really – it’s not new. Similar happened after .info and .biz came out.
Small ISPs Look for Relief
Smaller Canadian ISPs are looking to overturn a ruling that would allow Bell and Rogers to charge by capacity. Capacity-based tariffs allow the larger ISPs to charge per megabyte and would replace a flat-fee. However, the Canadian Network Operators Consortium says the pricing is excessive.
House of Commons to Probe Anonymous
Calling Anonymous’ missive a threat on the life of Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, the Speaker has directed Parliament to investigate. Experts, however, say that finding members of Anonymous would be difficult at best.
RIM Expected to Disappoint According to BMO
BMO Capital Markets is expecting RIM’s revenue and market share to disappoint in the coming quarters. RIM’s Blackberry 10 is expected out in the latter half of the year. However, a lack of clarity on the launch prompted BMO to be disappointed.
Cloud Jobs
Cloud Computing is expected to add 70 000 jobs to the Canadian economy. Many of the jobs are expected to be in non-IT fields, such as administration, marketing, and even plumbing and carpentry. Vancouver and Toronto are expected to pick up about a third of the jobs, but the impact will be felt across the country. Takeaway: get in early on cloud adoption.
PCs Dead Says Microsoft Exec
Ray Ozzie believes the world has moved beyond the personal computer. Ozzie succeeded Bill Gates as Microsoft’s tech visionary and believes that tablets and smartphones will do the bulk of personal data crunching due to their wireless nature.
Ford to Mail Software Updates
To keep their cars’ onboard computer up to date, Ford will be mailing USB sticks with upgrades. Owners of 2011 or 2012 model year vehicles with MyFord Touch infotainment and control systems should expect the updates in the mail. The need to keep vehicular computers up to date could lead to a new avenue of research and design.
Canadians Number One Online
Canadians spent an average of 45.3 hours online in the last quarter of 2011. This beats the US (38.6 hours), the UK (35.4) and South Korea (30.0). The study shows that Canadians spend a good portion of those hours on social media. This goes a long way explaining the resistance to moves by Bell and Rogers to restrict online usage.
Playbooks Outsell iPads
During the last week of February, RIM’s Playbook outsold Apple’s iPad. The combination of price cuts and the release of Playbook OS2.0 with the imminent announcement of the iPad3 may have allowed RIM to surpass Apple.
Watson Goes Into Finance
IBM’s Watson will help Citigroup improve banking. Watson, best known for its impressive win on Jeopardy, will be helping improve the accuracy and speed of decisions and assisting on retirement plans. IBM keeps creeping under the radar, but could have a huge impact here.
Scholastic Enters eBook Field
Scholastic is developing Storia, an app containing 1300 books in the publisher’s library. Series like Clifford, the Big Red Dog will be available in digital format for the first time. Storia is the first major ebook reader for children’s books, a field that has been neglected for the most part.
More C-30 Fallout
A Manitoba judge ruled that Public Safety Minister Vic Toews should be allowed to know who looked at his divorce records. The records, which are available to the public, were tweeted by @Vikileaks30 after Bill C-30 was first introduced. It might be considered an abuse for many many individuals to go to the court house and request a copy of the records.
Defection Via YouTube
The Syrian deputy oil minister announced his defection via YouTube. The video was recorded from an undisclosed location. This may be the first time online social media was used to announce a defection.
— Scott D
