The Week In Geek: The Latest SF and Fantasy News - October 2012

Things change rapidly in the world of geek and popular culture - but to guide you through this maze of rumours, spoilers, high pitched squeeing and angry rants, SF Girl will be presenting a weekly look at what's hot in the genre-verse. From the newest fiction releases to TV show and film rumours and the latest developments in the world of comics.

If it's science fiction and fantasy or something beyond your imagination - we'll be covering it with our own special brand of commentary. So let's get started. *shuffles paper in a reasonably serious manner.*

COMICS 

 Marvel Launches Its "Marvel Now!"titles this coming week:

Coming off another big summer crossover event - Avengers vs X Men - Marvel launches its "Marvel Now!" initiative this week. 

Described as a "soft reboot" at this year's San Diego Comic-Con and by Marvel Editor-in Chief Axel Alonso as "Not a reboot, but a new beginning." Marvel Now will see many established titles relaunching and many ending for good.

 It has been seen by some detractors as an attempt to mirror the sales success of DC Comics' "New 52" last year. A company wide hard reboot that saw Marvel's rival DC re-envision all of their iconic characters from Batman to Wonder Woman to create 52 newly numbered titles.

"The New 52" caused a real stir in 2011 amongst comics fans and some speculated whether Marvel would do something similar and grab their piece of the pie. They haven't had to wait long.

Following the events of Avengers vs X Men where: HIGHLIGHT TO READ SPOILERS:  Five X-Men were accidentally imbued with the Phoenix Force (Emma Frost, Colossus, Magik, Cyclops and Namor) leading to a full-scale conflict between the X Men and the Avengers. The African nation of Wakanda was destroyed by Namor and the mutant island of Utopia was left in ruins. The event ended with Cyclops possessing the full Phoenix force, going Dark Phoenix and killing his life-long mentor and leader of the X Men - Professor Charles Xavier. Mutant messiah and originally intended Phoenix host Hope Summers and exiled Avenger Scarlet Witch teamed together to end the Phoenix's destruction, which resulted in the rebirth of the dying mutant race. Cyclops was arrested and imprisoned by the Avengers and Captain America pledged to work with the X-Men to create a better future. Leading to the launch of the Uncanny Avengers - a newly created combined team of Avengers and mutants/X-Men. END SPOILERS  A new era of combined Avengers and X-Men titles has been created.

The Marvel Now initiative will be pairing new creative teams for several newly numbered titles and ending long established Marvel titles such as X Men Legacy (which has run since 1991) and Silver Age titles Uncanny X-Men (which has run since 1975 and been one of Marvel's flagship titles for decades) and Amazing Spiderman (which has run for 700 issues since the early 1960's). It's fair to say it's the end of an era for Marvel and the start of something very new.

Marvel will be launching a new title each week from October 2012 to February 2013, whilst still keeping some older and newer titles on their rosters.

This change to the status quo of the Marvel Universe will be most clearly seen in Uncanny Avengers.  A brand new Avengers title that will see Avengers characters working directly alongside X-Men characters for the first time in Marvel's 50 year history. (Feel free to nit-pick with me as to whether Wolverine already counts!) 

Written by Rick Remender with art by John Cassaday, the new superhero team will see Avengers Captain America, Thor and Scarlet Witch pairing with X-Men Rogue, Havok and Wolverine. The first issue launched this Wednesday (October 10th) and as a big fan of both Scarlet Witch and Rogue, I'm excited to see what the writers do with the variety of characters on the team and how they will interact.

The Uncanny Avengers team line-up.

Another upcoming Marvel Now! title causing controversy is Brian Michael Bendis' All New X-Men. Having wrecked merry havoc on the Avengers since 2005, Bendis is now being given the reigns of Marvel's new X-title. The premise of this new beginning for the X-Men is that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's original five X-Men (Beast, Angel, Iceman, Cyclops and Jean Grey/Marvel Girl) will time-travel from their time to the future. Once there they will encounter the current X-Men and learn the shocking end result of Xavier's dream of mutant equality. 

Bendis told Comic Book Resources:

"It's not a time-travel story like 'Back To The Future.' It's a time-travel story like 'Pleasantville," adding: "Here's the big question that they original X-Men are gonna be faced with: "We're gonna grow up, and this is what we're going to get? That is not acceptable."

All-New X Men also sees the return of Jean Grey - a character that has a long and controversial legacy. Eternally popular and eternally killed and brought back again, Bendis knows this character comeback will be watched keenly by comics fans:

"It’s the one thing X-Men fans have always asked for is: They want Jean Grey back. But they want Jean Grey. Not reincarnated Jean, or the ghost of Jean. Well, you’re getting Jean back. And Jean is gonna be looking at a world that rattles her."

For this writer - who has been an avid Jean Grey fan (and a fan of the X-Men) since childhood, I'm both keenly excited at what Bendis will do with her and the original X-Men and full of anxious trepidation as to whether it'll hold up to everyone's high expectations. We'll know more when All New X-Men #1 hits the shelves on November 7th.

The original Sixties X-Men time travel to our future in All New X-Men.

Expect in-depth reviews of both new titles over the coming weeks right here on the SF Girl blog and let us know in the comments what you think about "Marvel Now!"

FILM

 Black Widow and Sharon Carter to star in Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier: 

It’s looking increasingly certain Scarlett Johansson will be reprising her role as Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff in the next Captain America film: Captain America: The Winter Soldier. 

Deadline Hollywood confirms.

The sequel to 2011’s Captain America will see the focus being placed on Steve Rogers’ friendship with Bucky Barnes. Known in Marvel comics as The Winter Soldier – Bucky was presumed dead in World War II (and died on screen in the first Captain America film.) In reality, Bucky was captured by the Soviets and reprogrammed as a master assassin. With Black Widow’s shared history of mind-wiping and Russian espionage and the two characters already written as an established couple in the comics, it seems fitting Natasha would have a role to play.

Having been impressed by how Joss Whedon developed the character in The Avengers (2012), I’m looking forward to potentially seeing some of her origin story onscreen in 2014. Though I’d still sell my soul for a solo Black Widow movie (with added Hawkeye).

Also rumoured to be in the mix for Captain America: Winter Soldier is love interest Sharon Carter, an ancestor of Steve’s wartime sweetheart Peggy Carter (played by Hayley Atwell) and SHIELD field agent.

At least five actresses are being considered for a female part in the sequel including Emelia Clarke (Danerys in Game of Thrones), Jessica Brown-Findley (Sybil in Downton Abbey), Theresa Palmer (Warm Bodies), Imogen Poots (Fright Night) and Alison Brie (Mad Men and Community).

Whilst Sharon Carter hasn’t yet been confirmed as the part in question – with the comics’ characters strong ties to Captain America, it looks increasingly likely.

Casting rumours suggest Ms Marvel may be appearing in Avengers 2: 

Former US Airforce pilot, imbued with Kree superpowers – Carol Danvers has been kicking up a storm in her newly launched solo comics series “Captain Marvel” and if rumours circulated by the Daily Mail are to be believed she may be the next female star of The Avengers 2.

Both Emily Blunt (who narrowly missed out of the part of Black Widow to Scarlett Johansson) and Ruth Wilson are being hotly tipped for the potential part.  Avengers 2 director Joss Whedon has gone on record in previous interviews as wanting to even out the gender balance of the cast and bring a few more female Avengers into the fold for the sequel, mentioning founder Avenger Janet Van Dyne (Wasp).

While nothing has been confirmed yet, SF Girl is hopeful we’ll see a few more female Avengers added to the team alongside Black Widow and Ms Marvel has a strong enough fan following to make a real impact on the big screen. Hopefully we’ll hear some positive news on this soon.

Katee Sackhoff to star in "female Expendables" action film and play Karen Gillan's mum in new US horror film Occulus.

SF fan favourite actress Katee Sackhoff, best known for her career defining turn as hotshot headstrong pilot Kara Thrace/Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica, has been cast in a new all-female action movie version of The Expendables.

Film project leader Adi Shankar has this to say about his casting choice:

“If you spend five minutes with Katee it becomes blatantly obvious that she would pwn most male action stars.”

We whole-heartedly agree and whilst an all-female action film isn’t something this blog would normally cover genre-wise, it’s definitely a source of great excitement. Here’s hoping they ask Sigourney Weaver and Linda Hamilton to appear in it too!

Sackhoff is currently filming a part in horror film “Occulus” in Alabama, where she will be playing the mother of former Doctor Who companion Karen Gillan’s character in flashbacks. Occulus is a horror film in which Gillan’s character Kaylie is convinced a haunted antique mirror is the real perpetrator of the murder of her parents, a crime her brother has been put in prison for, and wants to prove that the mirror was responsible for destroying her family.

Fans of Sackhoff will also be able to see her kicking butt and taking names alongside Vin Diesel in the new Chronicles of Riddick film due next year. It’s a good time to be a Starbuck fan!

TELEVISION

X Files creator Chris Carter is developing a new sci-fi series:

Chris Carter, creator of iconic 90’s show The X Files is returning to television. It’s been a decade since Mulder and Scully left our screens, but Carter’s new show “The After” seems to hit on similar themes.

Georgeville CEO Marc Rosen has pitched the show (currently being shown to networks) as:

“[A] thriller which revolves around a mysterious, unexplained event. In the vein of The X Files, The After incorporates elements of science fiction, suspense, and real-world fear and paranoia. Chris has woven his mythology magic within a very human, grounded story about the moment when we realize all of our worst fears about the world and its future."

The description is suitably vague – but feels much like the “big global event” sci-fi shows we’ve seen in recent years such as “The Event” and “Flashforward.” What’s funny is that this style of “sci-fi conspiracy” TV arguably stems from The X-Files’ success and we’d argue shows such as J J Abrams’ “Lost” wouldn’t have existed were it not for the twists and turns Carter created and used to dramatic effect on The X Files.

If Carter’s back to doing what he does best, then this could be fantastic, but this writer wonders whether sci-fi viewers have become jaded in recent years by these types of shows and whether Carter can bring something new and innovative to the table. Time will tell, but we’ll be looking at this show’s progress with interest.

Blade Runner star Rutger Hauer to appear in True Blood Season Six:

He’s seen things you wouldn’t believe and this time he’s making a trip to Bon Temps. Legendary Blade Runner actor Rutger Hauer has been cast in a new role as a series regular on True Blood’s sixth season.He will play Macklyn, a mysterious and sinister figure with deep ties to both Sookie and Jason Stackhouse. Colour us intrigued.  

Sharp-witted cult fans will recognise this is not the first time Hauer has been in a supernatural production – he also played vampire villain Lothos in the original 1992 Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie.

The sixth series of True Blood will begin filming soon, but won’t air until June 2013. Waiting definitely sucks.

Red Dwarf's Comeback Nets the 3rd highest UKTV audience ever:

Smegging hell! Red Dwarf’s back and you’d have to have been living under a rock to miss all the excitement this comeback has caused.

The beloved sci-fi sitcom made its return on UK channel Dave last week and netted the channel 1.43 million viewers. Making it the third highest UKTV audience ever, only being beaten by the two episodes that made up the Red Dwarf mini-series ‘Back to Earth’ in 2009.

Red Dwarf X reunites Lister, Rimmer, Cat and Kryten for their first full series in 13 years. The series has a six episode run, but judging by the audience figures it’s looking likely we’ll be seeing more from the boys from the Dwarf very soon.

BOOKS

Stephen King and son Joe Hill release e-book "In Tall Grass" on Oct. 9th:

Horror maestro Stephen King and his son Joe Hill (writer of the fantastic horror comic Locke and Key) have collaborated on a new e-book “In Tall Grass” released this week.

The eBook will retail in the UK for £1.99 and the audio book for £9.99.

The story begins with a sister and brother who pull off to the side of the road after hearing a young boy crying for help from beyond the tall grass. Within minutes they are disoriented, in deeper than seems possible, and they’ve lost one another, while the boy’s cries are growing more and more desperate . . .

It’s a story with all the suspense, twists, scares and masterful storytelling people expect from both writers.

“I loved working with Joe, ” says King. “Our styles mesh pretty well. Maybe it’s the similar DNA. Certainly we feed on each other’s energy, and as the old man of the combo, I’m impressed with Joe’s narrative drive and narrative clarity. Working with your kid is an amazing gift.”

His son Joe Hill says writing with his Dad is like “…buckling up for a ride in the meanest, fastest, baddest eighteen-wheeler on the roads. He’s got a V12 engine under the hood; all the rest of us writer-types are stuck with little sewing machine motors. Been learning from him my whole life and I doubt I’ve picked up a tenth of what he knows.”

The eBook also includes an exclusive extract of Joe Hill’s forthcoming novel NOS4R2 and an extract of Stephen King’s forthcoming novel Doctor Sleep.

Sir Terry Pratchett Launches His Own Production Company Narrativia: 

Sir Terry Pratchett, author of the endlessly popular and ridiculously prolific Discworld series has launched his own production company.

NARRATIVIA is a new multimedia production company with exclusive worldwide rights to all of Pratchett’s work across film, television, merchandising and digital media.

Based in London Soho and run by managing director Rod Brown alongside NARATIVIA directors, author Rhianna Pratchett (Sir Terry’s daughter) and Pratchett’s business manager Rob Wilkins, the company will ensure that projects will stay true to the author’s unique vision whilst bringing the Discworld to new media platforms and audiences.

NARRATIVIA is already working on a number of Pratchett-related television and film projects, with high profile production partners and scriptwriters, details of which will be announced in due course.

One, which many may be aware of is a TV adaptation “The Watch” - a Discworld based fantasy “precedural” based on the books’ Night Watch.

Sir Terry says: “This is an exciting and natural development for me and my works, and I look forward to working closely with the team to develop new stories in areas other than just print and ebooks and, of course, seeing my first Big Screen project come to fruition.”