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Bob HoskinsWho do you want to be leading the charge when aliens attack Earth? If you answered Bob Hoskins, the distinguished actor and star of Super Mario Bros., then I've got good news for you! Hoskins is set to star in Transmission, according to Moviehole, and will definitely be joined by Jason Flemyng and Talulah Riley. More potential good news: Willem Dafoe is in talks for a role in the alien invasion picture.

Jokes about his portrayal of Mario Mario in the horrid video game adaptation aside (he wasn't a fan of it either), Hoskins brings a welcome measure of gravity to the project, which is reportedly about an attack by aliens during a solar eclipse. He's also had small roles in Terry Gilliam's brilliant Brazil and Neil Marshall's crazed Doomsday; I'm hoping he'll have a substantial role in Transmission, though it's likely that the younger Flemyng, who's made an impression in smaller parts, will actually be leading the charge into battle. Riley is the St. Trinian's girl, an appealing presence, but likely bound for eye candy in this movie. Dafoe, of course, would be a terrific addition to the cast.

Plans are for the British production to shoot in 3-D, and talks are also being held with Roger Christian, infamous for Battlefield: Earth, to direct. Surely Transmission will be better than that travesty? Let's keep a positive thought.

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The SandmanNeil Gaiman's epic DC Comics series The Sandman could be getting the television treatment. Supernatural creator Erick Kripke is being tapped by Warner Brothers Television (who has purchased the rights to the property from sister company DC Entertainment) to run this new show. Comics uber-star Neil Gaiman has not been contacted as of yet to be involved with this project.

There have been a few attempts to move The Sandman to another medium, most notably a movie involving Roger Avary. Much like Watchmen, The Sandman would likely lose something in translation which would incur the wrath of the fans. Eric Kripke would likely be taking a huge weight on his shoulders trying to get the concept right should he accept this project.

Please have this show on one of the pay networks like HBO. Don't put it on the CW. If it was on the CW, Dream and Death would end up becoming human teenagers that try to fit into high school or something stupid like that. Keep to the source material. Thank you.

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wil wheaton george takeiMuch like Chuck, The Big Bang Theory aims to please its core audience with a steady stream of geek-friendly guest stars. Battlestar Galactica vet Katee Sackhoff is returning to the show this season, and executive producer Bill Prady has confirmed that Star Trek alums George Takei and Wil Wheaton have also signed up to appear in upcoming episodes.

Takei will pop up alongside Sackhoff as part of Wolowitz's conscience.

"George Takei plays himself, and he's the other person guiding Wolowitz in his thoughts as he tries to figure out what to do about Bernadette," Prady told our sister site TV Squad.

Wheaton returns to the show to terrorize everyone as Evil Wil Wheaton. In a scene reminiscent of his first appearance on The Guild, Wheaton and three pals will cut in front of Sheldon and crew in line to see a one-time-only screening of a classic geek movie (possibly Raiders of the Lost Arc) with restored footage.



I don't know who I feel worse for: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson for never getting the chance to become The World's Greatest Action Star after the promising The Rundown, or Brendan Fraser for, well, everything. All I know is that Johnson is going to star in another kid-friendly adventure movie sequel and he's doing it by kicking Fraser out of the franchise.

The film is Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, the sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D. No word yet on whether or not they'll drop the colon and change the title to the infinitely hipper Journey 2 The Mysterious Island.

Tell us the plot, Heat Vision!

Johnson will play the boyfriend of Hutcherson's mom, who Hutcherson is forced to bring on a trip to a mythical and monstrous island to find his missing grandfather. The script is loosely based on Jules Verne's "The Mysterious Island."

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linda hamilton chuck

After three seasons and countless geek friendly guest stars, I've finally made up my mind about NBC's Chuck. I love it! Shocker, I know! It's a light and funny spy romp with a likable cast, a sexy leading lady and, as I mentioned above, tons of geektastic guest stars that make my insides feel all good and caressed.

So far we've seen folks like Scott Bakula, super vegan Brandon Routh, and Chevy Chase show up to complicate Chuck's life. This season, we can look forward to seeing former James Bond Timothy Dalton and Olivia Munn on the show. And, of course, the mother of the future, Sarah Conner herself, Linda Hamilton will make an appearance as Chuck's mom in the season premiere.

That's one of the first pics from her guest stint up. Check out more photos of Miss Hamilton in action, and don't forget to catch Chuck when it premieres Sept. 20 on NBC.

[via: Spoiler TV]

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Micky DolenzIt's shaping up to be my most anticipated movie of next year! Already, we heard from our own Mike Moody that pop singer turned actress Tiffany would be joining pop singer turned actress Debbie Deborah Gibson in the upcoming Syfy movie Mega Python vs. Gatoroid. The promise of a physical brawl between the two former teen sensations -- as an "overzealous park ranger" and a "fanatical animal-rights activist," respectively -- sounded too good to be true. The "sneak peak" at Syfy shows it's everything you'd hope it would be: faces get slapped, bodies roll around in the grass, and dresses get wet.

But add a Monkee to the mix and you have (potentially) an instant classic. Micky Dolenz, drummer for manufactured pop group The Monkees back in the 60s, will play an unspecified role in Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, according to Third Age. If Syfy can only find a way to squeeze Micky's daughter Ami Dolenz, star of the immortal She's Out of Control (and 2012 Doomsday), into the picture, all my dreams would come true.

On a serious (?!) note, veteran director Mary Lambert (Pet Sematary) is at the helm of the project, which is currently underway in Los Angeles. And the previous entry in the series, Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, delivered the low-budget, cheesy goods. So that's another reason to tune in when the Syfy original airs sometime next year.

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Kick AssCreator Mark Millar has been rumored to have said in a radio interview in the United Kingdom that Kick Ass will be getting a sequel. While I'm sure Mark Millar is thrilled about his creator-owned property getting another movie, I'm not so sure this is a good idea.

Granted, both the comic and the movie did set up for a sequel (they both had the same ending), but can anything really be said that hasn't been said before with this concept? Minor spoiler: both the comic and the movie did kill off the person played by the most expensive actor, so at least the cost of a sequel will go down slightly (or at least allow for a greater allocation for everyone else).

Money is the biggest motivating factor of sequels in Hollywood (and elsewhere) and the DVD sales of Kick Ass kicked enough ass to warrant another one. Let's hope it does justice to the original.

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Rod SerlingHe was a god among men, yet he recognized his limitations. Rod Serling, who created The Twilight Zone and helped bring science fiction to the masses, described himself to an interviewer as a "Johnny-come-lately. ... I am perhaps the least scientifically knowledgeable man in the whole writing group, and I bow with great deference and respect to the real masters." (All quotes from the interview transcribed by Blastr.)

The interview, recorded in 1970 and conducted by James E. Gunn, a science fiction author (The Listeners) and professor at the University of Kansas, was intended for Gunn's film series, Science Fiction in Literature, but the footage went unreleased due to legal rights issues, according to SF Signal. Gunn, not to be confused with filmmaker James Gunn (Slither), wrote 'hard' science fiction, or "pure" science fiction, as Serling termed it, and he confessed to not being able to "create it on an original level."

Serling cited Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, and Theodore Sturgeon and "all the rest of them" as the real masters. Though Serling denies any humility, it really is remarkable to hear such a talented man admit to his own perceived shortcomings. Whatever he felt about his own work, Serling deftly used science fiction concepts to weave his tales of imperfect humanity. And no matter what he may have felt, Serling was an original; just witness all those who have tried -- and failed -- to capture his spirit in their own work. Serling died far too young, just 50 years of age, in 1975.

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I liked Clash of the Titans. Of course, by "like," I mean "I was expecting to love it but found myself completely let down on almost every level by the execution but it was by no means unwatchable." Seriously, on paper, it's a movie tailor-made for undiscerning Greek mythology geeks like myself; a Greatest Hits of characters and ideas and imagery, all wrapped up into a tight action movie package.

I wouldn't blame director Louis Letterier for all of the film's flaws (it feels like a classic case of too many studio executives in the creative kitchen), but apparently someone thinks differently, seeing that he won't be back for the sequel. His replacement? Jonathan Liebesman, best known as the director of the prequel Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake.

Liebsman doesn't seem like an obvious choice for a sword and sandals fantasy epic (his only other previous film of note is the unwatchable Darkness Falls), but Heat Vision is reporting that he's signed on the dotted line after footage from his upcoming alien invasion flick Battle: Lost Angeles impressed the right suits.

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The ThingAccording to ComicBookMovie.com, Fox would like Bruce Willis to play the role of Ben Grimm a.k.a. The Thing in the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot. This sounds feasible considering that the hero himself will be C.G.I. requiring mostly voiceover work and minimal studio time.

Frankly, I thought Michael Chiklis did a great job in the role the last two times around despite the lackluster scripts. However Willis is known for doing more offbeat roles (including several science fiction movies, some voiceover work in films like Look Who's Talking and sort of playing a superhero in Unbreakable) so this would be right up his alley.

Of course, Willis ain't cheap. This could end up being fantasy casting. Another casting rumor for this movie that has been going around for this flick is Stephen Moyer from True Blood as Victor Von Doom although the actor himself knows nothing about that. With the goal of summer 2012 to release this movie, the clock is ticking.

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