BACK TALK for August 19, 1999: Universal planning return to the “Future”?

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August 19, 1999
Universal planning return to the “Future”?

New source indicates Universal will indeed send BTTF to the plate

An interesting email showed up in my box a few days ago anonymously from a source I've not heard from before, backing up claims made by other sources about the plans for two more Back to the Future sequels. There's not a lot of detail here, but it is refreshing to hear these things from another source on the inside, assuming of course they are who they say they are...

"There is a strong possibility that BTTF4 and maybe BTTF5 will be in production soon. Although your sources have much more infomation than mine, having worked for Universal many years, and also knowing how desperate Universal is to have a sucessful franchise, many rumors have arisen around BTTF. Other than Jurassic Park (of which the 3rd sequel has already been announced), despite it's many attempts to establish another franchise (read: sequels and merchandising, i.e.: The Shadow, Beethoven, TimeCop, Babe, and their latest and lamest Mystery Men), it should be no surprise that Universal will attempt to revive their only other recently internationally popular franchise — Back to the Future."
"The fate of BTTF4/5 rests on the fate of the studio. Edgar Bronfman Jr. only seems to be interested in controlling the music industry. He has sold off many of Universal's best assets, including the television and concert venue businesses. Similarly, he has sold off many of Segrams' valuable properties, such as 'Tropicana' brand products, in order to buy up record labels. He does not seem to be terribly interested in the movie-end of the business."

I've been following Universal's business practices and trends, particularly this past year, and it has been quite interesting to say the least. I had mixed feelings for Universal's string of flops last year and the string of hits this year — while I always want Universal to succeed and to put out good quality products, I knew that a string of flops would have them trying to revive long-forgotten successes, but that a string of hits could quickly grind those revivals to a halt, or at least temporarily. Of the recent successes Universal has enjoyed this year, there has not been anything that could easily be "sequelized" for a future franchise, other than The Mummy, which a sequel is already underway in development. Mystery Men was definitely a possibility, but mediocre box-office probably has already dashed those hopeful wishes at the moment. Let's just hope that more of the folks at Universal & Amblin see what we already know — it's prime time for another trip Back to the Future.

New DeLorean automobile finally moving forward?

For years, John Z. DeLorean has been talking about developing a brand new DeLorean automobile, but every time he's gone on record with his plans, there hasn't seemed to be any action behind those words. But now, it sounds as if he's really serious about designing a new car. According to 'deloreandude', the car is definitely being developed. Here's what we were recently told about the new vehicle:

The chassis and body will be made of "space-age materials" used previously only in the aerospace industry, according to DeLorean. Same goes for the engine. Here's a hint: go to the U.S. Patent Office website and search for patents owned by DeLorean. He patented a very unusual engine unlike the world has ever seen not too long ago...
The company name is still secret. So is the official project name; it is not the "DII" (D-Two).
The car will weigh around 1500 pounds and will go 0-60mph in around 3 seconds.
It will be available in ragtop convertible with swingout doors (normal) or gullwing sedan. There is a slight chance that around 100 cars will be made with stainless steel gullwing bodies, if so plan on spending at least US$45k on one. The normal models should sell for around US$22k.

I'm warned though that DeLorean is always changing the specs for the car, just as he did 20 years ago on the first design, so who knows what the future may bring?

New territory ahead for “Spin City”

The new season of Michael J. Fox's hit sitcom, Spin City, begins on September 21 in its new timeslot on Tuesdays at 8:00 PM ET. The fourth season kicks off where the cliffhanging third season ended, with Mike having to explain to his girlfriend and coworker Nikki (Connie Britton) why his ex-girlfriend, supermodel Heidi Klum, is in his bedroom when she comes over to his appartment. The new season should be quite interesting with the addition of Heather Locklear to the cast as the Mayor's campaign manager, stirring up the tension among Mike's coworkers. It should also be interesting to see how the writers will exit Stacy Paterno (Jennifer Esposito) from the show.

In a related story, the lead singer for the Spin Doctors, who perform the catchy Spin City theme for the show, has been diagnosed with a rare form of vocal cord paralysis. Singer Chris Barron has confirmed the diagnosis that may leave him permanently unable to use his voice ever again. The full story can be found on the Wall of Sound website.

Huey Lewis & The News announce 20th Anniversary concert

Just got word from Debbie Parry over at the Newsline II Fan Club, that Huey Lewis & The News will be performing a concert on Saturday, October 9, 1999 in Berkeley, California in celebration of their 20th Anniversary together as a band. The concert will be held at the Hearst Greek Theater on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley, and we understand that tickets for this event are already on sale now. Contact the university for further details at 510-642-6000.

Huey and the boys will also be performing at the Millennium Party 2000 San Rafael in San Rafael, California on the last day of this century! Tickets are limited to only 9,000 for this event, and begin at $225 each! For more details, call 415-457-2266.

For a complete tour schedule for the band, visit Newsline II's website.

Spielberg collaborates with Clinton on new film

Speaking of millennium parties, according to The Hollywood Reporter, President Bill Clinton will narrate a 17-minute film by Steven Spielberg commemorating the transition to the new millennium. The yet-untitled short film will debut during the New Year's Eve Millennium Gala at Washington's Park Mall. Longtime collaborator John Williams will compose an original score for the picture, which will look at the past 100 years of U.S. history.

Robert Zemeckis pulls out all the stops

I was overwhelmed today when I checked out the latest updates at In Hollywood, and discovered nine brand new listings for projects underway by Robert Zemeckis! Here's what Zemeckis has recently added to his endless list of projects:

Babes in Toyland (Producer, Story): Models are shrunken in a toy store.
Beowulf Project (Producer)
The Borgias (Producer)
Click, Inc. (Producer)
Interface (Producer, Writer)
Notes From the Revolution (Director, Producer): After President Gorbechev shifts the Soviet government to a democracy, he and his family are kidnapped by revolutionaries wanting to stage a coup. Two reporters, one Soviet and one American, report on the breaking story and become actively involved in the events as they unfold.
The Pedestrian (Producer)
The Supernote (Producer): Thriller about a Middle Eastern conspiracy to ruin the U.S. financial system by smuggling in mass quantities of almost perfect counterfeit $100 bills is uncovered.
Thursday Night (Producer): Comedy about a married couple who make an unusual deal: for one night, they have "time off" from their marriage and total freedom to do what they please.

Interestingly enough, Zemeckis is credited to be writing Interface, which I believe would be the first script he's written since Back to the Future (other films, such as Bordello of Blood and Trespass were written earlier, but were't made into films until the early to mid '90s). He's also credited for coming up with the idea for Babes in Toyland, which is not a Disney remake, however, it is being set up at Disney (I love that title!). I'm a bit confused from the listings though, as two of the films (Beowulf Project and Notes From the Revolution) are listed as "Inactive", even though they have just been added to In Hollywood's databases. Finally, filming on What Lies Beneath finally begins on August 23 in Los Angeles and Vermont, which will keep him from producing any of these films for quite some time. Soon after he completes What Lies Beneath, he is scheduled to return to filming the completion of Cast Away early next year, so who knows when the infamous Bob 'Z will find time to do all these projects.

— Stephen Clark