Nia DaCosta to Direct CAPTAIN MARVEL 2

Nia DaCosta

Marvel Studios search for a Captain Marvel 2 director has finally come to an end, with Nia DaCosta now taking on that gig.

Via Deadline, DaCosta has reportedly finalised a deal with take on the director’s chair for Captain Marvel 2. DaCosta is best known for Little Woods and the upcoming Candyman reboot. Marvel and Disney have to make any official comment on this news.

Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck directing the first Captain Marvel movie, although it’s already been revealed that they will not be back for this sequel. Instead, the pair of Boden and Fleck are said to be being lined up to oversee a Disney+ Marvel show.

The last solid information we had on Captain Marvel 2 was back in January, which was when WandaVision writer Megan McDonnell was brought in to pen the screenplay for the second solo outing for Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers.

In terms of what else we know about Captain Marvel 2 so far, the follow-up will be set in the present-day landscape of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Given that the aforementioned WandaVision will feature Teyonah Parris as the older version of Captain Marvel’s Monica Rambeau, it could well be that Monica – played by young Akira Akbar in that first movie – will be lining up alongside Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel 2. Comic book-wise, Rambeau grows up to become a hero in her own right, wielding the ability to control light as she takes on the monikers of Photon, Pulsar, Spectrum, and even Captain Marvel.

At present, Captain Marvel 2 is set for a July 8, 2022 release.

Freeform Cancels SIREN After Three Seasons

Siren

After three seasons, Freeform has pulled the plug on Siren.

This news comes via Deadline, with disappointing third season ratings being the reason for this decision. After an impressive debut season and a second year that was amongst Freeform’s most-watched shows, it’s now been confirmed that Siren will not be returning for a fourth season.

Set in Bristol Cove, Siren saw this sleepy coastal town thrown into mermaid-driven chaos. Here in the UK, Siren could be found on SyfUK.

Demon Release BBC’s Neil Gaiman STARDUST on Vinyl

gaiman stardust

Demon Records is releasing a limited edition, five-disc vinyl set of Neil Gaiman BBC audio dramas in September.

From the press release:

The imaginative talents of writer Neil Gaiman come to vinyl with this collection of three full-cast radio dramas based on his bestselling works. This highly collectible box set presents 5 x 140g gold vinyl, in three individual sleeves (two gatefolds plus one single LP). Each one features exclusive sleeve notes by Neil Gaiman plus full cast, credits and broadcast details. A frameable, full-colour print of Neil Gaiman, signed by the author himself, is also included.

Stardust, adapted by Dirk Maggs (Sandman, Good Omens) tells the story of Tristran who goes in search of a fallen star and enters the world of Faerie.

Norse Mythology is Gaiman’s retelling of myths populated by gods and monsters, all featuring tricks and trust, fiery endings and new beginnings.

Chivalry tells the tale of Mrs Whitaker, who discovers the Holy Grail in a charity shop…The cast for these three productions features the crème de la crème of acting talent: Eleanor Bron, Diana Rigg, Glenda Jackson, Matthew Beard, Sophie Rundle, Frances Barber, Maggie Steed, Derek Jacobi, Natalie Dormer, Colin Morgan, Nathaniel Martello-White, Kit Harington and many more, plus cameo appearances by Tori Amos and Neil Gaiman. A superb soundscape of music and effects accompanies each one.

The signed Gaiman print is strictly limited to 750 copies (500 for Amazon.co.uk/250 for Amazon US), so pre-order now!

MIMIC Being Adapted for TV

Mimic

In some interesting news, Mimic is being adapted for the small screen.

Via Deadline, the Resident Evil franchise’s Paul W.S. Anderson is on board as executive producer for the series and will also direct the pilot episode. Miramax TV is behind the project, with Hannibal’s Jim Danger Gray brought in to write and serve as showrunner on Mimic.

The official blurb for Mimic reads:

Mimic revolves around genetically engineered insects who evolve, developing the ability to mimic their human prey, and the race to stop them from taking over.

While many may well be familiar with Guillermo del Toro’s 1997 Mimic movie, the tale actually began life as a short story from Donald A. Wollheim. That del Toro-helmed Mira Sorvino and Josh Brolin-starrer was followed in 2001 and 2003 by two straight-to-video sequels.

Miramax will soon start to shop this Mimic TV series around to the usual suspects.

Fury for DOCTOR WHO Fans

Doctor Who Fury From The Deep

Hot on the heels of the release of the new ‘special edition’ of the original 2016 animated version of Patrick Troughton’s 1966 debut Doctor Who serial ‘Power of the Daleks’, long absent from the BBC Archive in their live-action form, the BBC have today announced the full details for the next release in their schedule of animations of ‘missing’ classic serials.

The next release is one of the great sought-after stories from the show’s long canon and hails from 1968, in the middle of Troughton’s second season in the starring role. Fury From The Deep is told across six episodes and co-stars Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling as the Doctor’s trusty companions Jamie and Victoria, and concerns a colony of sentient, parasitic seaweed, last seen in the eighteenth century, returning to attack a number of gas instillations in the North Sea in an attempt to take over humanity.

Following the success of earlier animations The Power of the Daleks, The Faceless Ones, Shada and The Macra Terror, Fury From The Deep fills another gap in missing Doctor Who content lost in the purge of the BBC’s archive in 1975.  The three-disc release gives fans the opportunity to enjoy Fury From The Deep in high definition, either in full colour or in black & white.

Animated episodes from Big Finish Creative Limited in association with Digitoonz Media & Entertainment and Thaumaturgy are joined by a wealth of exciting extras including A ‘making-of’ featurette entitled The Cruel Sea – Surviving Fury From The Deep which sees original cast members Frazer Hines, June Murphy and Brian Cullingford revisit filming locations with production assistant Michael Briant, assistant floor manager Margot Hayhoe and helicopter pilot Mike Smith. Other contributors to this segment include writer Victor Pemberton and actress Deborah Watling. Also included will be an archive audio interview with director Hugh David and surviving clips from the originated transmitted 1968 episodes.

Additional supplementary material will include audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes 8mm footage, an animation feature, archive interviews with Peter Day and Victor Pemberton, teaser trailer, photo gallery and 1966 BBC radio drama The Slide written by Victor Pemberton.

Fury From The Deep will be released on DVD, Blu-ray and Steelbook on September 14th and is available for pre-order now.

Rob Letterman to Direct BEYOND GOOD & EVIL

Beyond Good & Evil

Having impressed with Detective Pikachu, now comes word on director Rob Letterman’s next project.

Via The Hollywood Reporter, Letterman has signed on to helm an adaptation of Beyond Good & Evil for Netflix. This movie spin on the Ubisoft game will be a mixture of live-action and animation.

As for the Beyond Good & Evil game, that was released back in 2003. Set in 2435, the central focus was on a resistance battle on an otherworldly mining planet.

With a director now in place for Beyond Good & Evil, Netflix is currently on the hunt for a writer.

Courteney Cox Returning for SCREAM 5

Courteney Cox

With David Arquette’s participation long since confirmed, now comes word that Courteney Cox has signed on to return for Scream 5.

In an official statement from Radio Silence, Cox’s return as Gale Weathers is now official. Much like Arquette’s Dewey Riley, Cox’s Weathers has been a mainstay of the four Scream movies to date.

Of course, Arquette and Cox aren’t the only names to be an ever-present on-screen part of the Scream film franchise, with Neve Campbell famously leading the charge as Sidney Prescott. Where Campbell is concerned, she’s believed to have opened discussions about joining Scream 5 – although she has yet to officially join the project at this stage.

Ready or Not duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett – collectively part of the Radio Silence banner – are on directing duties for Scream 5, with a screenplay being penned by Zodiac’s James Vanderbilt and Ready or Not’s Guy Busick.

At present, Spyglass Media and Paramount Pictures plan to release Scream 5 at some point towards the end of next year.

2020 Hugo Award Winners Announced

ConZealand

The winners of the 2020 Hugo, Lodestar and Astounding Award Winners have been announced. The ceremony took place online as part of ConZealand, a virtual Worldcon. It was a challenging technical environment in which to produce the ceremony, and the many volunteers rose to the occasion.

It was a night of excellent speeches, with many winners taking the time to highlight injustices not only around the world but in the industry itself. Notable speeches included those by Jeanette Ng, R.F. Kuang and Bogi Takács.

The Toastmaster was George RR Martin, who has been a life-long regular attendee of Worldcons. The Game of Thrones author was heavily criticised via social media for not only getting the pronunciation of the names of various nominees and winners wrong but also for taking the time to regale his captive audience with tales of Worldcon’s long and specific history. This made a very long ceremony seem much longer to many.

An edit of the ceremony produced by blogger Reading Outlaw in which the Toastmaster talks less, is two hours shorter. It can be found here.

Best Novel A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine (Tor; Tor UK)

Best Novella This Is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (Saga Press; Jo Fletcher Books)

Best Novelette Emergency Skin, by N.K. Jemisin (Forward Collection)

Best Short Story “As the Last I May Know”, by S.L. Huang (Tor.com, 23 October 2019)

Best Series The Expanse, by James S. A. Corey (Orbit US; Orbit UK)

Best Related Work “2019 John W. Campbell Award Acceptance Speech”, by Jeannette Ng)

Best Graphic Story or Comic

LaGuardia, written by Nnedi Okorafor, art by Tana Ford, colours by James Devlin (Berger Books; Dark Horse)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form Good Omens, written by Neil Gaiman, directed by Douglas Mackinnon (Amazon Studios/BBC Studios/Narrativia/The Blank Corporation)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

The Good Place: “The Answer”, written by Daniel Schofield, directed by Valeria Migliassi Collins (Fremulon/3 Arts Entertainment/Universal Television)

Best Editor, Short Form

Ellen Datlow

Best Editor, Long Form

Navah Wolfe

Best Professional Artist

John Picacio

Best Semiprozine

Uncanny Magazine, editors-in-chief Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, nonfiction/managing editor Michi Trota, managing editor Chimedum Ohaegbu, podcast producers Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky

Best Fanzine

The Book Smugglers, editors Ana Grilo and Thea James

Best Fancast

Our Opinions Are Correct, presented by Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders

Best Fan Writer

Bogi Takács

Best Fan Artist

Elise Matthesen

Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book

Catfishing on CatNet, by Naomi Kritzer (Tor Teen)

Astounding Award for the Best New Science Fiction Writer, sponsored by Dell Magazines

R.F. Kuang (2nd year of eligibility)

The full list of finalists can be found here.

Kevin Smith Developing Animated GREEN HORNET Series

Green Hornet and Kato Kevin Smtih

In some fun news, Kevin Smith is developing a Green Hornet animated series.

Smith has joined forced with WildBrain to put together an animated series showcasing the next generation of Green Hornet and Kato.

To be set in the modern-day Century City, this to-be-titled series will focus on the son of the original Green Hornet as he looks to take on his father’s famed mantle. In his fight against crime, this new Green Hornet will find himself teaming with the daughter of Kato.

This won’t be Smith’s first foray into the world of the Green Hornet, of course, for he has previously penned Green Hornet comic book tales – in addition to at one point being tasked with writing a Green Hornet movie for Miramax that was ultimately canned.

On this news, Smith enthused, “It’s an honour to escort the legendary Green Hornet and Kato into their very own animated series for the first time in the rich history of these iconic pop culture characters! We’ll be telling a tale of two Hornets – past and future – that spans generations and draws inspiration from a lifetime spent watching classic cartoons and amazing animated like Batman: The Animated Series, Heavy Metal, and Super Friends.”

Expect more on this new Green Hornet offering as we get it.

Chicago beats Jeddah to host Worldcon

Chicon 8

The 80th Worldcon will be held in Chicago, USA in 2022, following a successful bid to host the event. This will be the eighth time a Worldcon has come to Chicago since the convention began in 1939. Site selection is decided by the members of the World Science Fiction Society, who are the members of the relevant Worldcon at the time of voting. Members of the current Worldcon, ConZealand voted for the winning bid.

ConZealand is the 78th Worldcon, intended to take place in Wellington, New Zealand, but currently taking place online due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

The event will be called Chicon 8 and the convention chair is Helen Montgomery. The guests of honour are Charles de Lint and Floyd Norman. The Toastmasters are Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders. More information can be found on the website chicon.org.

Chicago won with 517 votes, with the opposing bid, Jeddah, receiving only 33 votes. Write in votes included Antarctica, Zeppelin Hangar, Free Hong Kong, Moderately Expensive Hong Kong, New Zealand, Old Zealand and one that simply read “Any country with an acceptable human rights record.”

The bid for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia was the only opposing bid. It was always very unlikely to win; the bid team was unfamiliar to Worldcon members, the proposed date was around the 4th May rather than the traditional August; and many members had concerns over Saudi Arabia’s human rights record. The Chicago bid had very established event organisers behind it, who are well known to those members of each Worldcon who attend the Convention frequently.

Yasser Bahjatt, who was the chair of Jeddah Bid, told Starburst Magazine “We are thankful to the Worldcon community for their support, and tip my hat to Chicago for the run we had together.”

The Jeddah bid will try again, this time for 2026. You can find out more about their journey via this link.

Shortly before the site selection process closed, the Jeddah bid prompted an open-letter from a number of mostly British science fiction and fantasy authors and fans who expressed their concern about the risks of running a Worldcon in Saudi Arabia. The open letter, orchestrated by Empires of Dust author Anna Smith Spark, acknowledged that the event “would break new ground for SFF Fandom,” before continuing to add “It’s therefore with great sadness that we must face reality for what it is, that the Saudi regime is antithetical to everything SFF stands for.” The letter continues, quoting information from a recent Amnesty International report. The open letter was heavily criticised for its rushed nature, lack of consultation with concerned parties, seeming lack of understanding of the bidding process, and omission of an actual call to action.

Worldcon bids are heavily investigated by members of the community. A video of the most recent investigation process for the 2022 bids can be found here.