I just realized that having something G-Pal-related as my last post is really depressing (once upon a time, that wouldn't have been the case). So to bump to something cooler...
I just watched An Adventure in Space and Time, the dramatic recreation of the birth of the Doctor Who television program in the 60's. I'd been meaning to check it out for awhile, and it was just as good as I'd heard. A very lovely, moving and inspiring trip back in time...
More broadly, this is an exciting time for a science fiction fan. Besides the obvious pick of the upcoming next Doctor Who series with Peter Capaldi, there are also the actor-connections of Karen Gillian in Guardians of the Galaxy and Matt Smith in the on-the-horizon Terminator: Genesis.
Beyond Doctor Who, there is of course Star Wars: Episode VII, which has begun filming and about which there was a new casting announcement today, that Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie have both been brought on board to join the growing ensemble of actors both new and old. I almost cannot believe that this film is really happening, and while it's impossible to not be a bit afraid, there is plenty of reason to be both optimistic and excited.
In particular with regard to the latest news, it's great to have more significant female characters in Star Wars. Many of the books and The Clone Wars show have featured as much, but the films have of course been a bit...lacking, thus far.
Also, there are upcoming 2014 films such as Edge of Tomorrow (looks like a good bet), Jupiter Ascending (looks sketchy, to be honest, but I'm hoping for the best) and Christopher Nolan's Interstellar. Ridley Scott is another director with some sci-fi allegedly in the works, in the form of rumored sequels to Blade Runner and Prometheus, as well as an adaption of the literary classic The Forever War--which I've never read, but which sounds interesting.
But that's not all. James Cameron has three sequels to Avatar on the way, new Battlestar Galactica film content is possibly under development and Roland Emmerich is working on two sequels to Independence Day and future Stargate films. I really love the original Stargate, so that last bit has me very excited.
Finally, I would probably be remiss if I didn't say something about the Star Trek franchise. I'll admit that I'm unusually pessimistic about the forthcoming third film in the rebooted big-screen series. I was very disappointed with Star Trek Into Darkness, and the fact that Roberto Orci, one of that film's writers, has been selected as the director...not what I was hoping for, to say the least.
But anyway, there's a lot to feel good about, out there. I really hope that Star Trek makes it back to the small screen at some point in the near future. Like Doctor Who, television is where Trek truly belongs.
Here's a parting quote, from a 'doctor' somebody, a long time ago:
"Our lives are different from anybody else’s. That’s the exciting thing. Nobody in the universe can do what we’re doing."
I posted a new editorial write up, 'Film-Usable Star Wars Expanded Universe Characters,' at ComicBookMovie.com as Wolf38. The 'Expanded Universe' refers to material from books, comics, video games and so forth - i.e. sources other than the primary films and Clone Wars television shows. The write up short summary is:
Plenty of intriguing actors have tested for roles in Star Wars Episode VII. In spite of some hints, those roles themselves remain a mystery. Here, I survey established non-film characters who could reasonably make the jump to screen...
I got really psyched to make this list of characters, partly because it allowed me to take a trip to nostalgialand. So that part was fun. However, in the comments, someone brought up some some uncanny...matching points between the subject matter in all of the books so far, the timeline, and the fact that the new film 'Episode VII' is going to be set thirty years after Return of the Jedi. The more that I thought about it and looked into it, it totally rallied my mind.
The question is still whether or not all of the stories/characters from the books (in general at least - I'm sure that some of the bad ones will be ignored) will be retained as part of the canon or 'official continuity' feeding into the new films. I have a hard time believing that on certain levels. But on the other hand, it could happen. Which is to say that the characters, both old and new, who are sill alive in the books thirty years on...they could very well be the roles being cast for Episode VII.
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