First Eaglemoss Battlestar Galactica ship revealed

Eaglemoss - Makers of well over a hundred model Star Trek starships, and a myriad of other collectables series based on various film, TV, and comic series - Are about to launch another ship collection, this time based on Battlestar Galactica.

The series, Battlestar Galactica: The Official Ships Collection, will feature designs from both the original series, and the 21st century remake, which are being produced at a larger scale than the main run of Star Trek ships, more akin to the special size from that series.

The first ship in the series will be a Mark II Colonial Viper, the newer series' take on the classic Viper design. The Eaglemoss online shop just recently added a listing, showing off the model in all it's glory for the first time.

Thunderbirds Are Go

Thunderbirds is one of my all time favourite things in the universe, so when I heard a new Thunderbirds TV series was in production, excitement doesn't even begin to describe my feelings! Thunderbirds Are Go is set to air next year, with a first season of twenty-six episodes made by ITV Studios, Pukeko Pictures, and Weta Workshop.

There have been a few teaser images around for a while, but now all five of the new Thunderbird designs have been revealed. Here are the clearest images so far released, of Thunderbirds one through four:

There's not been such a well presented image of Thunderbird 5 yet, but you can see it here in this size comparison image of all five:

Continue after the jump for more on the Thunderbird designs and more from this exciting new series:

Monty Python, Benedict Cumberbatch, and aliens

So you know what's awesome and hilarious and wonderful? Monty Python. Definitely one of the best things there is.

And you know who's captivating, irresistibly watchable, and stupendously talented? Benedict Cumberbatch for sure; who doesn't LOVE Sherlock? And, controversial, better Khan than the original Khan, I think so.

And you know what else is great? Aliens, because they mean sci-fi, and sci-fi is awesome.

Well, if you agree with all the above, you're in luck, because those three things are soon to be combined, in one of those sequences of images they call a movie. A movie called Absolutely Anything. Here's how First Showing describe this film:

The Pythons are voicing key roles as a group of aliens who endow an earthling (Benedict Cumberbatch) with the power to do "absolutely anything" to see what a mess he'll make of things — which is precisely what happens.

Also there's a talking dog voiced by Robin Williams. I like Robin Williams, less enamoured by talking dogs... But am willing to chance it. Here's a poster:

Details of Independence Day sequels

Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Roland Emmerich has revealed details of his potential two-part sequel to the ultimate alien invasion film, Independence Day. The two sequels will be set a couple of decades after the original, with the next generation of humanity dealing with the return of the aliens:

The humans knew that one day the aliens would come back. And they know that the only way you can really travel in space is through wormholes. So for the aliens, it could take two or three weeks, but for us that’s 20 or 25 years.

Emmerich apparently already has an art team working on visualising the alternate timeline of post-alien invasion Earth:

It’s a changed world. It’s like parallel history. [Humans] have harnessed all this alien technology. We don’t know how to duplicate it because it’s organically-grown technology, but we know how to take an antigravity device and put it in a human airplane.

Two scripts co-written by Dean Devlin have apparently already been written, with a mix of characters from the first film and new guys:

It’s still some of the same characters, but also new younger characters; it’s a little bit like the sons take over.

Emmerich also commented on the general shape of the two films depicting the second invasion:

The first one ends on a little success, but only enough to give the humans hope. And then in the second one they free themselves again [from the aliens].

What do you think? I am intrigued by the idea of post-alien invasion technological advancement, but also cautious: Independence Day is a pleasingly formed, happily ever after. Is it worth the risk of a less satisfying sequel? Lets hope these live up to the original.

The Doctor returns

The new series of Doctor Who starts in one week! I for one am intrigued and excited about the charming and curiously ever-dying new companion, Clara Oswin Oswald. The first episode is called The Bells of Saint John, and sounds like it will feature an interesting new alien threat. Here's the official synopsis, and movie-style poster:

The Doctor’s search for Clara Oswald brings him to modern day London, where wifi is everywhere. Humanity lives in a wifi soup. But something dangerous is lurking in the signals, picking off minds and imprisoning them. As Clara becomes the target of this insidious menace, the Doctor races to save her and the world from an ancient enemy.

Ahead of that the BBC have released a really cute prequel minisode, enjoy:



And here's a trailer for the episode:



Continue reading after the jump for synopses and images from the next three episodes, and a trailer for the series:

Star Wars Detours

Have you seen the trailer for the latest Star Wars spin off? A new animated series, this time parodying the franchise itself. It looks most amusing:



They've also released a few clips:








Leia and Obi-Wan especially crack me, as does the matt painting gag. I look forward to this very much.

Some trailers

For some films, that I am inclined to watch:

Iron Sky, the Nazis on the Moon film that seems to have been on the horizon for years seems to be nearly here. The Sarah Palin character looks irritating as hell, but the concept is daft and fun enough I think we can over look her:



Men in Black III. Well, it's Men in Black, what's not to like? Especially with the even more retro-aliens of decades past loitering about in MIB HQ:



Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope, Morgan Spurlock's latest documentary:



Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock. Ok this one's a computer game, but it's still a trailer! The game play looks a bit tedious to me (I'm not much of a gamer anyway), but it has the Doctor and River, which will make it hard to resist:

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

A little-hearted romantic sort of take on the classic end-of-the-world meteorite film? Could work. I find Steve Carell and Keira Knightley both quite watchable, and the trailer doesn't put me off, even if it doesn't quite make me dash for the nearest cinema either.

Saucer Country

This caught my eye; a new political UFO/Alien ongoing comic series coming from DC's Vertigo imprint starting in March, called Saucer Country. Here's how they describe the first issue:

Arcadia Alvarado, the leading Democratic candidate for President of the United States, says she was "abducted by aliens."

As the Mexican-American Governor of New Mexico, she's dealing with immigration, budget cuts and an alcoholic ex. She's about to toss her hat into the ring as a candidate for President in the most volatile political climate ever.

But then…a lonely road and a nightmarish encounter have left her with terrible, half-glimpsed memories. And now she has to become President. To expose the truth – and maybe, to save the world.

Arcadia's quest is at the heart of this new monthly series from writer Paul Cornell (DEMON KNIGHTS, ACTION COMICS, Doctor Who) and artist Ryan Kelly (NEW YORK FIVE, NORTHLANDERS). With the help of her quirky staff, Arcadia will pursue the truth of her abduction into danger, mystery and awe. SAUCER COUNTRY is a dark thriller that blends UFO lore and alien abduction with political intrigue, all set in the hauntingly beautiful Southwest.

The writer described it, on his blog, as: "The West Wing does The X-Files", and released this second piece of art:

Pre-order: Things From Another World, Forbidden Planet.

Latest Doctor Who christmas trailer

The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe, coming this christmas.

Stargate novels switch to ebooks

Fandemonium Books, publisher of Stargate novels, have announced (in their last email newsletter) a change in their publishing, with a shift to ebook releases taking priority over print editions:

Some of you might have noticed that times are changing in the publishing world, and after much deliberation we at Fandemonium Books have decided that now is the right time to make the move to ebooks as our prime publishing media.

All our new books will be available for download from Amazon and all major ebook distributors, and in the coming months we’ll be releasing our entire back catalogue in ebook format.

I'm not an ebook convert yet, but this does at least been some of the stupendously expensive out-of-print books will become much easier to get hold of in some form. And there is an option to get print-on-demand copies of new releases too:

But, for those lovers of all things paper, we’re not abandoning you. We will offer all of our new titles as print-on-demand books, so you can still get hold of a paperback copy of our books including the newly released STARGATE SG-1: Transitions.

The two most recent Stargate novels have launched this model. The third book in the post-finale Atlantis series, Legacy: Allegiance:

Reeling from the shocking discovery of Rodney McKay's fate, Colonel Sheppard and his team retreat to Atlantis to regroup. With Rodney not only in the hands of the Wraith, but apparently working for them, Atlantis faces a new danger - their own man, turned against them.

While Zelenka and Colonel Carter work frantically to crack the security protocols McKay embedded in Atlantis's computer system, Ronan revisits his past and finds much is changing on Sateda. Meanwhile, Queen Death prepares to make use of her most valuable prisoner; with Rodney still unaware of his true identity, the fate of Atlantis hangs in the balance…

Set after the TV series' exciting finale, STARGATE ATLANTIS: Allegiance is book three of the gripping new Legacy series.

           Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.es, Amazon.it.

And the new crossover novel, Transitions:

After her mother’s death, Cassie Fraiser is moving on. So she thinks. But there are dangerous forces at work and she soon finds herself caught up in a situation far beyond her control. It’s a good thing Colonel Carter was keeping an eye on her.

But while Carter rallies SG-1 to Cassie’s aid, events on Atlantis are going from bad to worse. Facing a deadly plague and a computer virus that’s shutting down the city, it looks like Colonel Sheppard’s team will provide rich pickings for the incoming Wraith hive ship.

But sometimes events galaxies apart are connected in unexpected ways— and help comes from the most surprising of places. In this action-packed story, Sabine C. Bauer brings together the heroes of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis in the fight of their lives…

           Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.es, Amazon.it.

Men in Black III trailer

Out next summer, the time travel third sequel/prequel to Men in Black:

Out of This World

Out of This World: Science Fiction But Not As You Know It, was an exhibition recently held at the British Library, looking at the historical origins of science fiction - A review of it, by Wired, suggests they nailed that down to 170AD! I unfortunately only heard of it a couple of weeks after the exhibition closed, thanks to a review of the accompanying book I found on Grasping for the Wind. The exhibition and book were/are split into six thematic sections: Alien Worlds, Time and Parallel Worlds, Virtual Worlds, Future Worlds, The End of the World, and The Perfect World. Reflecting the exhibition the book is richly illustrated, and also goes to some effort to expand its exploration of the subject to include sources outside the usual english language male dominated world of sci-fi. It sounds really interesting, and is certainly being added to my to-read list, so I mention it here imagining you might feel the same - Have a read of those aforementioned reviews and I’m sure you'll agree.

Doctor Who complete season six box set

Doctor Who News has reported details of the forthcoming Doctor Who complete season six boxset. All thirteen episodes will be included, plus cutdown versions of Doctor Who Confidential. Also included will be the last christmas speical, A Christmas Carol, the comic relief mini episode, Space & Time, the five webisodes that were released before episodes this season, and audio commentaries for four episodes. Additionally there will be a special five-miniepisode story just on the DVDs and blurays, called Night and the Doctor, with an accompanying Confidential episode.

The UK release will also be available in a limited edition Silence edition, with four lenticular prints (gifs of which are after the jump):

Doctor Who Confidential cancelled

As reported by The Guardian, Doctor Who Confidential, the behind-the-scenes companion program to Doctor Who, will not be returning with the next series, as part of the BBC's cost cutting. The BBC had this to say on the matter:

Doctor Who Confidential has been a great show for BBC3 over the years but our priority now is to build on original British commissions, unique to the channel.

I can't deny Confidential is far from perfect; it's too long, so gets padded out with fluff. But both excuses given by the BBC seem flawed to me: It must be one of the cheapest programs they can make, as everything they need for it is already in place from the production of Doctor Who; all they have to do is throw an extra crew in to film it, and pop it through an edit suite. And it is an original British commission, or is documentary exempt from that classification? What other program gives viewers such an incite in television production? An inspirational and informative look at one of the UK's biggest industries. It seems to me that the BBC should be the proud home of such programing, not removing it for poor reasons.

Jurassic Park Dangerous Games #4 solicitation

IDW's solicitations for December are out, which include the penultimate issue of the Jurassic Park series, Dangerous Games. Here's how they describe it:

Agent Espinoza has evaded near death on Jurassic Park countless times over the past 24 hours. Now he's looking to payback the man behind it all- drug kingpin Cazares! That means breaking into Cazares' headquaters in the Jurassic Park hotel... which is fortified with countless gun-toting goons! How can Espinoza storm the compound? A herd of triceratops might not hurt, for starters!

The issue will be available in a standard cover or black white retail incentive:

 

Out this week was the second issue of the series; if you haven't got it yet Comic Book Resources have a seven-page preview. Here's one page:

The Darkest Hour trailer

I saw this trailer before Rise of the Planet of the Apes (which might be my favourite film of the year), and thoguth it looked pretty cool. Hadn't heard a thing about it before. The characters don't seem that interesting, but the concept for the aliens is great. The Darkest Hour:

Super 8 bluray and DVD cover

The cover for the bluray and DVD releases of Super 8 (which if you haven't seen it, is rather brilliant) have been released. They're based on the old super 8 film packets, and while the extra blue bars of the bluray cases rather butcher the design, it looks quite nice on the DVD:

 

Source Code TV series on the way

According to Hollywood Reporter, ABC is working on a TV adaption of one of this year's best films; Source Code. Each week the Source Code team will jump into the minds of victims of tragic events. Should be good.

Primeval spinoff on the way

Digital Spy reports that the North American Primeval spinoff has been officially commissioned as a thirteen part series, Primeval: New Order, for Canadian channel Space. The new series will be "older, darker and scarier" and have a "younger, sexier" cast (because the current Primeval gang are really getting on...). Which I guess make it the Primeval equivalent of Torchwood or Stargate Universe.

Disappointingly it seems it might not be in the same continuity, as Impossible Picture's Jonathan Drake has commented: "This will be a bigger, better, badder re-imagining of the show, rather than a continuation." I rather hope that's just not the clearest word choice and it will all fit together. But any new Primeval is good news! The series is to film this winter in Vancouver, for release next autumn.