Indiana Jones IV has been a mystery for quite some time. First it wasn’t going to happen, then it was and filming still has not started yet despite everyone involved getting older, perhaps too old. Now rumor has it that Indy will have an adult son.

Ain’t It Cool News says that “Shia La Beouf will play the son of Indiana Jones.” La Beouf is starring in a couple of new Spielberg films, Distrubia and Transformers, so it makes sense that he may be the man to fill the role.

Indy having a son just doesn’t sit right with me. Sure the father/son relationship was cool when it was between Harrison and Connery but between Harrison and La Beouf?

Indy IV is set to release on May 22, 2008.

Reference for posting: http://uk.movies.ign.com

The Resident Evil series has managed to spawn a film franchise that has done fairly well for itself. Where most game adaptations have failed and or gone direct-to-dvd, the Resident Evil Series has managed to stay alive in true zombie fashion.

The trailer for the latest film, Extinction is now available online. I found this one at YouTube.

It shows a sand swept Las Vegas, Zombies, Unbrella Corporation Satellites and some Zombie smiting from the cast.

Apart from the sand the other thing that strikes me as odd is the fact that the trailer is almost entirely based in the daytime. You don’t get many films with zombies in the sunshine, the dark is their domain, so perhaps the 3rd installment of the popular Zombie franchise will offer us a different approach.

Heroes aired for the first time on British Television last night and it turned out to be rather good. I was expecting the first two episodes to be a tad dull as the characters are introduced and the story starts but it was a good two hours worth of watching.

The show tells the story of a number of people who discover that they have special powers. There’s the cheerleader who is indestructible, a politician and his brother who can fly, a mother with a split personality (with murderous tendencies), a cop who can read minds, a Japanese worker who can warp the space/time continuum and a painter who can paint the future.

The show also shows a shadowy figure who knows of some of their powers and may have been responsible for a couple of murders. What’s even more surprising is the fact that he is the adopted father of the cheerleader. There is also the son of a murdered professor who is trying to track down the “Heroes”.

Even from the first two episodes you could understand why America has fallen in love with the show. The two episodes were fantastic. The show looks very promising. So far my favourite character has to be the Japanese Hero, Hiro who has some very funny dialogue but I’d say the Mother with the split personality is a close second.

One thing I noticed though was that I could swear the SCI FI Channel was really milking the advertising. The episodes were 65 minutes long and I’m sure that extra 5 minutes was spent on adverts. I could be wrong but it would not be the first time a channel has milked a highly popular show (I’m looking once again at you Lost). Next time I’ll Sky+ it.

You can catch Heroes on the SCI FI Channel 130 at 10pm on Mondays after Medium.

There is a very good chance that screen adaptation of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series could be coming soon. Who will produce it and in what format remains to be seen but rumor has it that J.J. Abrams has the upper hand over the competition.

The Dark Tower series is a collection of seven books that blend a variety of genres from sci-fi to horror, even Western. King’s tale is about a man who tries to seek the Dark Tower in a war torn land.

The adaptation could well be a film but many expect that it will be a mini series instead similar to Taken that was aired in 2002.

Abrams is said to be a huge fan of King’s work and King of his especially the mysterious drama, Lost. This mutual admiration could make the partnership happen.

Reference for posting: http://www.backstage.com

Lost has been getting slightly better. Last week’s episode explained something. It revealed what had happened to Desmond after the hatch exploded.

He seemed to have gone back in time, had a discussion with a wise woman/island apparition, then came back and tried to save Charlie. Charlie, we are told, is going to die no matter how many time’s Desmond saves his life. Just like Final Destination, Charlie is going to die.

So one mystery sort of explained. We now know a little more how Desmond gained his precognitive abilities. The trailer for episode 9 promises to explain 3 more mysteries. 3? 4 in two weeks? That’s not like Lost.

From studying the trailer I’d guess that those three mysteries are:
1. What Jack’s extensive tattoos mean.
2. What did the other’s do with the people they had taken.
3. Why did the others take people especially the children.

Please satisfy my hunger for Lost knowledge and not cop out as you often do.

A scientist who flew on the last Apollo mission has recommended that anyone who travels to the moon would benefit from learning to ski. The geologist, Dr Jack Schmitt said that by using Nordic skiing he could move across the surface of the moon at 8 miles an hour which is about the same speed of the lunar rover.

Due to the moon’s gravity being only one sixth of the earth’s, astronauts could use the techniques of skiing without having to wear the skis themselves.

Dr Jack Schmitt took part on the last space mission to the moon on Apollo 17 in 1972.

President Bush announced in 2004 that Nasa would send men on a lunar mission by 2020 and that they would create a lunar base for permanent operations by 2024.

Reference for posting: http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Aaron Eckhart who played main bad guy in Paycheck, is in final negotiations to play Harvey Dent/Two Face in The Dark Knight, Warner Brothers Pictures’ sequel to Batman Begins, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In Batman lore, Dent is the district attorney of Gotham City and an ally of Batman. After half his face is disfigured by acid, Dent becomes the insane crime boss known as Two Face. He chooses to do good or evil by flipping a coin.

Christopher Nolan will be returning to the director’s chair as well as Christian Bale as Batman and many of the actors from the first film such as Morgan Freeman and Michael Cain.

Heath Ledger joined the cast last summer, signing up to play the sardonic and murderous villain the Joker probably the best known Batman villain.

Eckhart gained notice recently for his performance in Thank You for Smoking in which he was nominated for a Golden Globe for best actor.

Reference for posting: http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire

Lucas Arts have announced that Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, its newest video game set in the Star Wars universe and first true step into next gen gaming , will debut in November. The game allows players to become Darth Vader’s “secret apprentice” and promises to reveal new secrets about the Star Wars galaxy.

The game will be set in the time between Episode III and IV. As Vader’s apprentice you will use the force to hunt down Jedi with an array of powers and weapons.

The game’s expansive story was created under direction of franchise creator George Lucas so here’s hoping that it will not be a disappointment.

Star Wars games have been a mixed bunch with its hits and misses but recently the franchise has delivered some fine games in the form of Knights of the Old Republic which is set 4000 years before episode I.

Reference for posting: http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire

Now on display in the Science Museum in central London is a mock-up cabin of the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo. The display will give the public a glimpse into what space tourists for the project will experience until February 23rd.

The space ship, which is about the same size as an executive jet, will carry six passengers and two pilots. There are windows in the floor and also on the ceiling so travelers will have truly amazing views.

The trip itself will cost £100,000 per traveler and will last for around two hours, of which just four or five minutes will be in zero gravity.

So far 200 people have signed up and paid their deposits and they could be seeing space in as early as 2009

Reference for posting: target=”blank”http://www.24dash.com

Every year the US networks churn out a dozen or so Pilots that if successful may be turned into a full series. There’s a couple so far that have got a bit of press attention, most notably The Bionic Woman.

Now I can understand that US television Pilots that may never see the light of day over in the UK may not be very interesting but they do offer a sneak peak of the potential of new offerings.

One of NBC’s pilots is a comedy called “Area 52” which revolves around a group of government employees in the Arizona desert who watch over an alien from outer space. Sci Fi comedies can be pretty good, just take a look at A Town Called Eureka.

Area 52 is to star Matthew Lillard who starred in Scooby Doo as Shaggy and has also appeared in other films such as “Without a Paddle” and “The Groomsmen”.

Lillard will play Col. Steven Isaac, a rising Air Force officer who is ambitious and a little vulnerable.

If it is any good we may see it on our shores some time in the future.

Reference for posting: http://today.reuters.com