Our top three picks from The SCI-FI-LONDON FILM FESTIVAL

SCI FI LONDON PERFECT

The 19th annual Sci-Fi London film festival is about to start and is looking like its going to be a great year. Here are the three films we are most excited about . You can catch the action from the 15th to the 22nd May at The Prince Charles Cinema and The Stratford Picturehouse.

AFTER WE LEAVE

Near future, Los Angeles is a bleak place: permanent recession, water shortages, and rising crime. Six years ago, Jack abandoned his wife and vanished. Now he’s back because before he left, they’d applied for a visa to immigrate to a better life on an off-world colony. The permit has finally come through, but there’s a catch: it’s a couple’s visa, and Jack cannot leave Earth without his wife. Is Jack back because he wants to make things right or because he needs his wife so he can use this “lottery ticket” to a better life?

May 20th 8.45pm Stratford Picturehouse /Director Q&A

BLACK FLOWERS

Two years after the nuclear bombs dropped and welcome to the future, where there’s no fuel or power, and society is a barbaric mess. Survivors Kate, husband Sam, and daughter Suzi are searching for a rumoured bunker that people say is full of food and medicine.  On route, they meet the solitary Joe, who may not have the group’s best interests at heart. Kate will have to do everything possible to protect her family.

May 16th 9pm The Prince Charles Cinema UK Premiere w/ Cast & Crew Q&A

PERFECT

It is unclear if the young man (Garrett Wareing) has committed the horrible crime, but his mother (Abbie Cornish) sends him to a luxurious retreat full of beautiful hedonistic people for therapy. He

will receive an experimental treatment to cure his ills and discover his true self. His mother has been there, but does she want to help him become ‘perfect’?

Frenetic editing, soul shocking set-pieces and some eye-popping animation by Kidmograph, PERFECT alternates between calm and chaos, and picks at themes of AI, genetic engineering and esotericism.

 May 15th 9pm The Prince Charles Cinema UK premiere

 

 

Check out the full schedule and tickets from at https://sci-fi-london.com/

Don’t Miss Manchester Comic Con This June!

comic con

Monopoly Events, the team behind the hugely popular For the Love of Sci-Fi shows amongst others, are holding their first Comic Con at Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Trafford Park, Manchester on June 1st and 2nd and they have an amazing retro line-up of guests.

The theme for the guest part of the event is ‘80s and ‘90s cult TV and film and appearing over the two days are some huge stars from those eras. Fans of The Lost Boys will be flocking to meet Jason Patric, and there will be a Police Academy reunion! Steve Guttenberg will be making his first ever European convention appearance alongside favourites such as Michael Winslow (the one with the sound effects!), Marion Ramsey and Leslie Easterbrook. There’s a chance to get all four stars together in one photo shoot as well as a reunion panel.
Gremlins fans will be delighted to see Zach Galligan, his movie mother Frances Lee McCain, and Judge Reinhold (who also starred in Beverly Hills Cop) as well as an animated Gizmo! There’s also a chance to meet Mark Dodson, who voiced the Gremlins themselves.

If you loved Baywatch, there’s a chance to meet three of the stars – Angelica Bridges, Brande Roderick, and Erika Eleniak. Also appearing are Rex Smith (Street Hawk), and Paul Blake and Tim Rose (Greedo and Admiral Ackbar respectively!).

For information and tickets visit www.comicconventionmanchester.co.uk.

Fifth PURGE Movie Set for 2020

The Purge

With us long aware that a fifth Purge movie was on the way, we now have an idea of when the chilling Purge Night will be returning.

Despite no concrete plot details or even a title revealed at this stage, Universal has moved to set a July 10th, 2020 release date for this next Purge offering. Interestingly, that date will see the movie open opposite Jason Reitman’s upcoming Ghostbusters picture.

Previously, franchise creator James DeMonaco has talked up how this will likely be the final outing for the Purge series. With four movies and a TV series in the bag, The Purge has proven to be a fascinating concept that has certainly grabbed the attention of many a genre fan.

As ever, expect more on The Purge 5 as we get it.

HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS Reboot on the Way

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

With seemingly a new reboot, remake or reimagining announced every single week, now it’s the turn of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids to get the reboot treatment.

As first reported by Slash Film, Disney is in talks with Frozen and Beauty and the Beast’s Josh Gad to headline the picture, which is to be titled Shrunk.

From the early information we know about the movie, Shrunk will be a continuation of sorts of the world first introduced back in 1989’s original film. Shrunk will be set in the present day and will focus on Gad as Nick Szalinski, the son of Rick Moranis’ Wayne Szalinski. If you remember, Nick was actually enlarged in the second movie in the franchise, Honey, I Blew Up the Kid.

In Shrunk, it will be Nick himself who is tinkering with size-altering science stuff. To be precise, he’ll accidentally shrink his own children and spend the film trying to right this particular wrong.

Following 1989’s Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and 1992’s Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, Disney released the direct-to-video Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves in 1997. In addition to those films, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show ran for three season from ’97 to 2000.

The first rumblings of a new entry in this franchise began early last year, with it believed that Honey, I Shrunk the Kids was being reworked for the impending Disney+ streaming service. Now though, it’s being reported that this rebooting of the franchise will instead be getting a theatrical release.

As ever, expect more on Honey, I Shrunk the Kids as it continues to develop.

ABC Cancels WHISKEY CAVALIER

Whiskey Cavalier

Despite some strong early buzz, the Lauren Cohan-headlined Whiskey Cavalier has been canned after just one solitary season.

Courtesy of TVLine, ABC has cancelled the series due to disappointing ratings. Following this initial report, executive producer Bill Lawrence took to Twitter to confirm the news.

Due to the amount of investment that Warner Bros. TV put in to Whiskey Cavalier, the studio is currently shopping the series around other networks in the hope that the offering can get picked up for a second season somewhere.

If you remember, Lauren Cohan left The Walking Dead behind in order to take on Whiskey Cavalier. As such, if the show is unable to find a new home, that surely increases the chances of Cohan’s Maggie Rhee returning to The Walking Dead at some point down the line.

For those who haven’t had a chance to check out Whiskey Cavalier, the action-comedy show centres on an agency of spies tasked with saving the world.

LETHAL WEAPON Cancelled After Three Seasons

Lethal Weapon

It feels like only yesterday that we heard rumblings of a Lethal Weapon TV series being in development, and now comes word that the show has now been cancelled.

Back in 2016 was when we first heard the news of just such a show being on the way, and the series would eventually get three seasons before FOX has now decided to can the offering. Variety broke the news, with the reason behind the cancellation being driven by dwindling ratings.

For those keeping up with Lethal Weapon, the show had its fair share of problems over the years. Initially staring Clayne Crawford and Damon Wayans as Martin Riggs and Roger Murtagh, the first two seasons of the series were plagued by regular reports of on-set tension and arguments between its headlining duo. As such, Crawford was ultimately fired and replaced by Sean William Scott for the third season. And even after that, Wayans would then rule out his own return for any potential fourth season.

In the UK, Lethal Weapon was housed on ITV.

Mark Wahlberg and Jason Isaacs Join SCOOB

Mark Wahlberg Jason Isaacs Scoob

With Scoobert Cornelius Doo set to return to big-screen action next year, now comes word on some impressive new additions for Scoob.

Scoob, of course, is the upcoming animated Scooby-Doo movie being produced by Christopher Columbus. And now, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Mark Wahlberg and Jason Isaacs are joining the action. Wahlberg will be voicing the heroic Blue Falcon in the picture, while Isaacs is to play the nefarious Dick Dastardly.

From what we know about Scoob so far, the movie will see Scooby-Doo and his pals teaming with some of the Hanna-Barbera universe’s greatest names to stop Dick Dastardly from destroying the world.

Wahlberg and Isaacs join a cast the features Frank Walker as Scooby-Doo, Zac Efron as Fred Jones, Amanda Seyfried as Daphne Blake, Will Forte as Shaggy, Gina Rodriguez as Velma Dinkley and roles for Tracy Morgan, Ken Jeong and Kiersey Clemons.

Written by The Addams Family’s Matt Lieberman and directed by Space Jam’s Tony Cervone, Scoob is currently set for a May 2020 release.

FOX Cancels THE PASSAGE After One Season

The Passage

With its debut season having come to an end this past March, now comes word that The Passage will not be returning.

Courtesy of Deadline, FOX has made the call to cancel the series after just one solitary season. Produced by Sir Ridley Scott and based on the best-selling works of Justin Cronin, the show only actually premiered in January.

Like is so often the case, the reason for The Passage’s cancellation was simply down to viewership ratings not being up to scratch.

Headlined by Saved by the Bell and Dead Man on Campus’ Mark-Paul Gosselaar, The Passage centred on a group of death row inmates turned into infectious vampires by the US government.

Storm Reid Joins THE INVISIBLE MAN as New Plot Details Surface

Storm Reid

With genre fave Leigh Whannell currently working on a new take on The Invisible Man for Blumhouse and Universal, now comes a major update on the project.

Previously, we knew that The Handmaid’s Tale’s Elisabeth Moss had signed on for a key role in the picture, with many speculating that the titular invisible so-and-so may be gender swapped. Now though, we have a new piece of casting news in addition to some concrete plot details.

Courtesy of Deadline, A Wrinkle in Time’s Storm Reid will be joining in Moss in the picture. The young actress is to play a character called Sydney, who looks up to Moss’ character in the absence of her own mother.

In terms of plot, a new synopsis for the film clarifies that Moss will not be playing the title character:

The film follows Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss), who receives the news of her abusive ex-boyfriend’s suicide. She begins to re-build her life for the better. However, her sense of reality is put into question when she begins to suspect her deceased lover is not actually dead.

If you remember, this new incarnation of The Invisible Man was initially set to star Johnny Depp and be a part of the greater Dark Universe that Universal launched with The Mummy. Of course, with The Mummy proving to be a major disappointment, all of those shared realm plans were put on hold or completely scrapped.

Instead, now we have Blumhouse teaming with Universal to deliver a more low-budget Invisible Man that will be character driven and have a focus of true terror.

Fresh off impressing with Upgrade, Leigh Whannell is writing and directing The Invisible Man.

BIRDGIRL Spinoff Show in Development

Harvey Birdman Birdgirl

Well, this is most surely some fantastic news! Indeed, a Harvey Birdman spinoff series is on the way.

Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, Adult Swim is at work on a Birdgirl series. Birdgirl, of course, became a key part of Harvey Birdman, and Paget Brewster will be back on vocal duties as the titular Judy Ken Sebben.

The official blurb on Birdgirl reads:

The series, created and executive produced by original series creators Michael Ouweleen and Erik Richter, will follow Judy Ken Sebben (aka Birdgirl) as she struggles to find a way to balance her work and superhero lives after being named CEO of the world’s largest and most nonsensical corporation, Sebben & Sebben. With her assembled Birdteam, they attempt to bring the company into the modern times by day and by mid-afternoon they must help defuse a lot of bad situations, many of which they might have caused.

For those who are left scratching their head about all of this, Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law was itself a spinoff of sorts from the classic Hanna-Barbera shows of the ‘60s and ‘70s. In the series, a relatively bland and boring character was reinvigorated with a humourous spin over four seasons of, quite frankly, sheer brilliance.

Expect more on Birdgirl as we get it.