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This 1983 film isn't a classic by any stretch of the imagination, but Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone in 3-D is a nice reminder of how far 3-D technology has come. The description on the poster sums up the movie nicely, and it bears a strong influence from both Star Wars and Mad Max, without being nearly as good as either one. Ultimately, it's just an interesting footnote in the checkered past of 3-D technology -- a creaky ancestor to modern day marvels like Avatar.

News on Marcus Nispel's soon-to-be-filming Conan has been flying pretty fast and furious as of late, with Avatar's Stephen Lang and GI Joe's Rachel Nichols joining the cast as the titular warrior's nemesis and love interest. You can guess who will play which. The latest casting casting information to hit these here internets is that Mickey Rourke, who had previously been cast as Conan's father, is out of the film. His replacement?

Ron Motherf*cking Perlman. Yes. That is his real middle name.

Most audiences will remember Perlman as the heroic monster-hunting, world-saving demon in Guillermo Del Toro's excellent and waaay under-appreciated Hellboy films. Like Stephen Lang, he's one of those "Guys." You know, the guys who pop up in movies all the time and never give a bad performance but rarely, if ever, get the spotlight. Perlman's massive resume shifts rapidly between major studio films and direct-to-video junk and about 96.7% of his roles take full advantage of his terrifying physical presence and his trademark growling voice. Few actors look as prepared to kick your butt and abuse your arteries with sharp metal as Ron Perlman.

What kind of a world do we live in where a worldwide box office take of $2.6 billion isn't a satisfying haul for a film? James Cameron and the folks at Fox feel that there's more box office life in Avatar yet, even after its April DVD release. They're talking about re-releasing Avatar in 3-D this Summer with an additional ten to twelve minutes of additional footage added in. Cameron confirms a scene where Jake Sully proves himself to the Na'vi (isn't that already in the movie?) and one where Tsu'tey gets drunk (is that worth a re-release?).

It seems like a very odd move to me, although I understand the business end of it. Avatar got booted from 3-D screens (including all IMAX theatres) to make room for Alice in Wonderland, while Avatar was still making money. I'm sure Cameron and company feel like they're just supplying for the demand, but what do you think the demand will be like for 3-D Avatar in the middle of the big Summer movie season, especially when you can already get it on DVD?

Are the ten minutes enough to spike an Avatar box office resurgence? Has Avatar become a poor-sport football team, just running up the score at this point to show that they can?

(via Hollywood Reporter)

A few days ago, we brought you the Cimmerian-ific news that Avatar's Stephen Lang was being offered the role of the main villain, Khalar Singh, in the upcoming Conan. You may remember how I waxed poetic about the potential cinematic beauty of Lang wreaking havoc across ancient lands and hoped this would come to pass.

Short answer: It did. MTV has confirmed that Latino Review scoop.

By the way...have I mentioned how much I love Lang? Because you will too after you hear him talk about preparing for the role:

"I have no idea how I'm going to do it...First I'm going to find out how I'm going to sound. I'm going to get back on a Mongolian pony and ride like the wind. I'm going to flash my scimitar. I'm going to cut the nuts off Conan and his father."

Follow the link above to see Lang actually say this out loud. You hear that sound? That's the sound of me developing a total man crush.

Lang is too good of an actor to get typecast as the villain in big Hollywood productions, but the guy seems to have a good sense of humor about all of this and looks ready to embrace the fact that he is capable of chewing scenery with the best of them.

Khalar Singh will cut the nuts off Conan and his father in 2011.

Avatar won the Oscar for Best Cinematography last Sunday. It's not unusual for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to award the Best Cinematography Oscar to sweeping big budget epics. It is unusual for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to award the Best Cinematography Oscar to a film that was almost entirely created within the confines of a computer using motion capture technology.

There's an image that's been making the online rounds. Depending on who's posting it or tweeting it or linking it, it usually comes with a caption expressing bewilderment, disappointment or snark. I'm linking you to a snarky one because I'm that kind of guy.

What happened? Were Academy voters entirely aware of what they were voting for here? Did voters make the conscious decision to embrace the motion capture and 3D "revolution?" Or were they simply handing it the trophy because Avatar looked pretty? Both options taste sour in my mental mouth to be perfectly honest.

Before we go any further, let's make sure everyone reading this is on the same page.

By now, everyone knows how the Academy Awards tend to ignore science fiction films, relegating them to the technical prizes, so I won't bore you with that diatribe today. By now, everyone also knows that James Cameron's massively successful Avatar managed to beat the odds and squeeze out a bunch of nominations including Best Picture and Best Director, flying in the face of this trend and promising new hope for the genre at awards season.

By now, everyone knows that Avatar got squashed at the Oscars by Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker. Then again, so did everyone else. I was giving the superb Iraq War drama the edge to squeak out Best Picture and Director myself, but six wins is, by the definition I created for it in my head, a sweep.

However, this will be remembered as the year that science fiction made a big showing at the mother of all major media awards ceremonies. In addition to its many nominations, Avatar went home with Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction, the first an absolute no-brainer, the second a head-scratching affirmation that 3D motion capture is somehow equivalent to real camerawork and the third richly deserved, but the guy who pointed to James Cameron in the audience and said "This Oscar sees you" is never going to live that down. Ever.

Hot on the heels of the news that Avatar's Stephen Lang is in talks to play the villainous Khalar Singh in Marcus Nispel's upcoming Conan comes the news that the heart-stoppingly gorgeous Rachel Nichols has officially joined the cast. She'll be playing Tamara, who

"...is 18 to 24 years old, Caucasian or Middle Eastern, open to all ethnicities; beautiful, studious, correct, a novitiate of a Greek influenced monastery. A master of martial arts, she has been trained to be the Queen's servant, bodyguard and best friend...She finds herself in league with Conan because of a mutual need to find Khalar Singh. She is not in the least intimidated by Conan's size or grim demeanor and their alliance eventually blossoms into something that surprises them both."

Once again, this comes from Latino Review's leaked casting outline. They have even more spoilerific plot details, so hop on over there if you so desire.

Science fiction and fantasy fans should remember Nichols popping up as the green-skinned and, ahem, underdressed roommate to Uhura in last year's Star Trek. She had a bigger role in the very silly G.I. Joe, where her main job was to deliver technical exposition and look very, very cute in tight leather body armor.

A few months back, we heard the news that James Cameron was going to produce a remake of the 1966 semi-classic Fantastic Voyage, which told the harrowing tale of miniaturized scientists traveling inside a human body to destroy a blood clot. Asked about the project after receiving a lifetime achievement award at the Visual Effects Society Awards, Cameron said that the script is finished and they're currently looking for a director.

I'm not going to make any fanboy guesses about who should get behind this, but I do wonder if it'll be someone who will pretty much make the movie Cameron wants or someone who will do his own take on it. Either way, we can surely expect 3D, IMAX and all those shiny, brand new 'ol chestnuts that The King of the World loves so much. Cameron remarks that advances in medical science will allow for some "pretty amazing stuff," so expect to have everything from heart valves to fallopian tubes flying at you in gooey, amazingly rendered 3D.

Cool news, indeed. This is a spectacular B-movie concept and while I doubt the ever-humorless Cameron will embrace the campy side of this, maybe he'll get a director who will.

The script is by Cameron, Shane Salerno and Cormac and Marianne Wibberley. Shooting will commence once Cameron invents the technology to shrink actors and crew and film inside an actual human body. Fantastic Voyage will hit theaters Summer, 2030.

By that time, SciFiSquad.com will be renamed JamesCameronNewsSource.com.

(Via Sci-Fi Wire)

The last bit of news we heard from Marcus Nispel's upcoming remake/reboot of Conan the Barbarian, cleverly titled Conan, was that Stargate: Atlantis thespian Jason Momoa would star as the titular warrior and the ever-busy, ever-terrifying Mickey Rourke was playing his father. Now, Latino Review is reporting that Avatar's Stephen Lang, he of Na'Vi punching, Hometree exploding fame, has been offered the role of the villain, one Khalar Singh.

Who is Khalar Singh? Funny you should ask, 'cause those guys over at Latino Review also have a snippet from a leaked casting outline:

"Khalar Singh is in his 40s to 50s, Asian or Middle Eastern, Central Asian, Mongol, Turkish, or Persian, open to all ethnicities; commanding in size and manner, a warlord and formidable warrior, brilliant, cruel, weathered and tanned by the many campaigns he has waged and won. He is driven in his quest to find the Queen of Acheron and has been building an empire to do so."

It goes on, but it's a little spoilery. Just know that the phrases "demonic minions" and "master sorcerer" are used, so you should consider yourself on board. Follow the link if you have no will and want to know more.

This is such a strange situation. Strange and odd and kind of hilarious in its own right.

It looks like Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Stiller had planned to entertain Oscar watchers with a little Na'Vi themed humor this weekend, but that's been shot down by Oscar producer Bill Mechanic, who is apparently worried a sketch that poked fun at Cameron would offend him so much that "he might even walk out of the Oscar broadcast on live TV."

What were they planning to do? What could so upset the Biggest Director In The World? What piece of comedy would leave Mr. Mechanic quivering in his boots? Well...

"Baron Cohen planned to appear onstage as a blue-skinned, female Na'vi, with Stiller translating "her" interplanetary speech. As the skit went on, though, it would become clear that Stiller wasn't translating properly, because Cohen would grow ever more upset. At its climax, an infuriated Baron Cohen would pull open "her" evening gown to reveal that s/he was pregnant, knocked up with Cameron's love child, and would go on to confront her baby daddy as if s/he were on Jerry Springer."