Backlog
October 05, 1999
September 23, 1999
September 22, 1999
September 18, 1999
September 08, 1999
September 07, 1999
August 30, 1999
August 27, 1999
August 19, 1999
August 16, 1999
©1995-99, To Be Continued...
|
DVDs coming Summer 2000?
New information for BTTF2/3 DVD release dates
Once again, information lately has been coming in much slower than it did this past summer, so there hasn't been a lot of material to report lately. Regardless, our always reliable inside source has chimed in with some updates on the DVDs and games for us:
Universal is making an announcement concerning their Dec.-Jan. release slate in the next week or so. Don't expect BTTF to be on it. They might be adding some DVD-ROM elements to it (this is my speculation — this has been delayed way too long for simple market placement; it has built-in sellability as it is). I **do** know that BTTF2 and BTTF3 are being released next summer (late June, if memory serves) on DVD, so maybe they're all being packaged together. Folded into the big 15th anniversary promo?
This is exactly what I had suspected when the most recent delay came about. The DVDFile.com website has been expected to reveal new information on the BTTF1 DVD release for a couple of weeks now, and I believe they'll have some good solid news for us any day now on this disc's eventual release. Expect to see popularity of the entire franchise soar to all new heights by next summer when these three DVDs finally hit stores along with anything else that's planned alongside the discs and planned games. Speaking of which, our source revealed a deeper look into the developmental route that games derived from movies usually take. When asked why the game developers haven't announced the titles yet or why this information hasn't been heard about anywhere else, they had this to say:
You will. The lead time on games extend further than most films, in actuality. Case in point: Nintendo licensed the rights to GoldenEye (from MGM) way back in 1993, a full two years before the film was released and a full year before a script was even seen by the licensees. It went through no less than six concepts and pre-prods before finalizing the one that eventually became the N64 game. The game itself didn't even come out until 1997, I believe.
The BTTF games/programs are undergoing the same process, I'm sure. I don't personally know anyone at the development studios, but they're undergoing a lot of concept revisions. Once one is finalized, they'll begin the process of design, etc., etc. And, like most games, once they announce a release date, tack on another six months. They never get released on time.
At least we can still expect to see these multimedia projects released before the end of 2000! It may seem like a long wait until next summer and beyond, but it'll all be here faster than you realize. Expect more information regarding these projects and most likely others that we've yet to learn about to be forthcoming in the near future as Universal & Amblin celebrate the 15th Anniversary of one of their biggest franchises!
Huey Lewis & The News celebrate 20 with the 'Niners
Newsline II reports that Huey Lewis & The News will now take place in the half-time festivities during the San Francisco 49ers / Green Bay Packers game on Monday Night Football, November 29. Originally slated to sing the National Anthem at the 49ers' October 3 game, Huey and the guys will be commorated for their 20th Anniversary together as a band. No word yet as to whether their performance during half-time will be aired in part or whole.
DreamWorks Celebrates 5th Anniversary
Principal partners Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg together cut the first ceremonial slice of cake at a company party on October 12 celebrating the Fifth Anniversary of DreamWorks SKG. The duo, along with David Geffen (who was out of town), formed the studio in 1994 and have since then become a powerful force in Hollywood, producing and distributing some of the most successful and most talked about films of the past couple of years, including Saving Private Ryan and American Beauty.
Project updates
A FATE TOTALLY WORSE THAN DEATH:
Christopher Lloyd is staying quite busy these days, having recently been cast in this supernatural teen comedy about three high school girls who begin aging prematurely a year after their involvement in a classmate's demise. Principle Photography is scheduled to begin on October 25 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This should be quite interesting to see how Lloyd juggles the filming schedule for this one, since he will supposedly still be filming Wish You Were Dead in Los Angeles with Mary Steenburgen until early November.
KIDS WORLD:
Remember those reports a couple of months ago about Christopher Lloyd being spotted in New Zealand reading a script in a local cafe? Speculation had been that he was up for a part in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, but now we've learned he was there instead to star in Kids World, about a young boy who discovers an ancient wishing stone that allows him to make all adults disappear and his perils that follow. The film is in post-production now, and will be released sometime next year. [Thanks to "clockwize" for the tip!]
PROMISE HER ANYTHING (a.k.a. TAXMAN):
This one has been a real puzzle to figure out. Billy Zane stars as "George Putter" in this tale about a town who hasn't paid any taxes since the end of World War II. The mystery in this film is that it was long known as Taxman, which at the same time, another independent film also was being filmed called The Tax Man with a similar theme. Funny thing is, that Zane accepted the role in Taxman, however at the time he met with the director, he thought he was signing up for the other film (turned out that his reps also got the two scripts mixed up). Being the man of his word, he gladly took the role he accepted. Since that time, there have been various reports of release dates for both films of the same name that have caused confusion as to whether or not it was Zane's film coming out. In addition, Zane's BTTF & The Phantom co-star Casey Siemaszko has also been reported to co-star in Taxman, according to the official site
to Siemaszko's last film, Limbo. Exactly which of the two films is still a mystery, since Siemaszko doesn't appear in the credits for either film in any other resource I've found, so he may or may not be in this one. Finally comes word that the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival will be showing Zane's film under the new title Promise Her Anything later this month and early next month. [Thanks to "Bosch" for the lead on the film fest site.]
UNTITLED KATHLEEN KENNEDY/FRANK MARSHALL PROJECT:
Daily Variety reports that Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall will once again reteam with The Sixth Sense's director/writer M. Night Shyamalan & star Bruce Willis to produce their next film, which is slated to begin filming April 2000. The untitled film will also reunite Willis with his Die Hard With a Vengeance co-star Samuel L. Jackson.
— Stephen Clark
|