The first bit of casting for the prequel to Jon Carpenter’s classic, The Thing, has hit the web via THR’s Heat Vision.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Grindhouse, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World) and Joel Edgerton (The Secret Life of Us, Kinky Boots) will star in “The Thing.” The film is inspired by the events at the beginning of the 1982 version where remaining members of the Norweigan team are trying desperately to kill a runaway dog that has been infected with the organism.

Winstead will play a Ph.D. candidate who joins a Norwegian research team in Antarctica after it discovers an alien ship in the ice. When a trapped organism is freed and begins a series of attacks, she is forced to team with a blue-collar mercenary helicopter pilot (Edgerton) to stop the rampage.

The film is set for a March 15, 2010 start date in Toronto, Canada. Matthijs Van Heijningen is directing the film, which was written by Ronald D. Moore and Eric Heisserer.

Universal Pictures’ prequel to John Carpenter’s classic thriller ‘The Thing,’ is due to begin filming March and continue till June in Toronto.

The film is to be directed by Matthijs van Heijningen, Jr. from a screenplay by Battlestar Galactica exec. producer Ronald D. Moore and Eric Heisserer (Platinum Dunes’ ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ ).

The prequel is said to be an earlier story about the mutation that attacks the Norwegian base from Carpenter’s movie.

We will bring you more info on this exciting film as it becomes available!

Source: Production Weekly

Syfy has made a bold move in regards to their highly anticipated series ‘Caprica’ , by placing the pilot episode online for all to see… for free. You can check it out for yourself at this location >

The series will debut on January 22, 2010.

‘Caprica’ is a prequel to the channel’s wildly popular ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ which just concluded its fourth and final season back in March. The timeline for ‘Caprica’ predates ‘Battlestar Galactica’ by 58 years. The series stars Esai Morales, Eric Stoltz, Paula Malcomson and Polly Walker.

The series revolves around follows two rival families – one led by scientist Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz), the other by lawyer Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) – living on planet ‘Caprica’ several decades before it’s destroyed by renegade machines.

The pilot episode of the series was written by Ronald Moore and Remi Aubuchon and directed by ‘Friday Night Lights’ director Jeffrey Reiner. The pilot clocks in at two hours and Syfy has ordered an additional 20 hours of the series.

The streamed version of “Caprica” will be different from the one released on DVD earlier this year. The nudity prevalent in the pilot episode will be removed for both the streaming and broadcast versions. New scenes and upgraded special effects have been added as well.

‘Caprica’ will air at 10 p.m. Fridays.

Source: Airlock Alpha

Syfy has unveiled the key art for their highly anticipated series ‘Caprica’ will debut on January 22, 2010. The image features the “Caprica” character Zoe Graystone (Alessandra Torresani).

‘Caprica’ is a prequel to the channel’s wildly popular ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ which just concluded its fourth and final season back in March. The timeline for ‘Caprica’ predates ‘Battlestar Galactica’ by 58 years. The series stars Esai Morales, Eric Stoltz, Paula Malcomson and Polly Walker.

The series revolves around follows two rival families – one led by scientist Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz), the other by lawyer Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) – living on planet ‘Caprica’ several decades before it’s destroyed by renegade machines.

The pilot episode of the series was written by Ronald Moore and Remi Aubuchon and directed by ‘Friday Night Lights’ director Jeffrey Reiner. The pilot clocks in at two hours and Syfy has ordered an additional 20 hours of the series.

‘Caprica’ will air at 10 p.m. Fridays.

Source: The Watcher @ The Chicago Tribune

The stars aligned last night (October 17th, 2009) for Spike TV’s “SCREAM 2009!” The 4th annual event commemorating all things sci-fi, fantasy, horror and comic book will feature the hottest films, TV shows, comics, actors, creators, and icons who have influenced and shaped these genres.

The will premiere on Spike TV on Tuesday, October 27 (10:00 PM-Midnight, ET/PT). ”SCREAM 2009″ will also feature World Premieres from some of the most anticipated theatrical and television releases. Read on for the winners…

Most Anticipated Fantasy Film – Alice in Wonderland

Best Sci-Fi Actress - Megan Fox — Transformers 2

Break-out Performance Female – Isabelle Lucas — Transformers 2

Best Villain – Alexander Skarsgård — True Blood

Break-out Performance Male – Taylor Lautner – Twilight

Best Comic Book Writer – Jeff Jones

Best Comic Book Movie – Watchmen

Rock Immortal Award - Keith Richards

Best Horror Movie – Drag Me to Hell

Best Horror Actor Male – Stephen Moyer – True Blood

Best Horror Actor Female – Anna Paquin – True Blood

Best Director - JJ Abrams – Star Trek

Best TV Show – True Blood

Best Fantasy Movie - Twilight

Scream Mastermind Lifetime Achievement Award - George A. Romero

Comic-Con Icon Lifetime Achievement Award – Stan Lee

Ultimate Scream - Star Trek

The stars are aligned for Spike TV’s “SCREAM 2009!” The 4th annual event commemorating all things sci-fi, fantasy, horror and comic book will feature the hottest films, TV shows, comics, actors, creators, and icons who have influenced and shaped these genres. “SCREAM 2009″ will also feature World Premieres from some of the most anticipated theatrical and television releases. The show tapes on Saturday, October 17 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, CA and will premiere on Spike TV on Tuesday, October 27 (10:00 PM-Midnight, ET/PT).

Continuing its tradition of presenting World Premiere footage, “SCREAM 2009″ will feature “Twilight” star Taylor Lautner as he unveils exclusive footage from “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.” The show will also feature never-before-seen content from the upcoming “Star Trek” DVD release. “SCREAM 2009″ will debut exclusive content from Martin Scorsese’s upcoming thriller “Shutter Island” starring Leonardo DiCaprio. “SCREAM 2009″ will also show a sneak peek of the highly-anticipated new television series “V” with Elizabeth Mitchell.

As previously announced, “SCREAM 2009″ will honor the godfather of the modern horror film, George Romero with this year’s Scream Mastermind Award. Quentin Tarantino has been tapped to present Romero with this prestigious honor. In addition, the cast of “The Big Bang Theory” including Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar will be on hand to present the “Battlestar Galactica” cast reunion farewell tribute.

Fan favorites added to this year’s star-studded talent roster include Megan Fox, Tobey Maguire, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Carpenter, Eliza Dushku, Jackie Earle Haley, Jaime King, Sam Raimi, Eli Roth, Liv Tyler, Karl Urban, Elijah Wood, cast members from “The Vampire Diaries” including Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, stars of the upcoming “Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant” featuring Josh Hutcherson, Chris Massoglia and John C. Reilly, “Drag Me To Hell” cast members Reggie Lee, David Paymer, Dileep Rao and Lorna Raver, along with previously announced talent featuring Stan Lee and the cast and creators of “Battlestar Galactica” and “True Blood.” Additional guest appearances will be announced shortly.

JJ Abrams’ sci-fi action-adventure “Star Trek” tops the “SCREAM 2009″ list with 17 nominations including the categories of The Ultimate Scream, Best Science Fiction Movie, Best Director, Best Ensemble, Holy Sh*t Scene-of-the-Year and a nod in the all-new Fight-Scene-of-the-Year category. Comic book-inspired blockbusters “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and “Watchmen” each nabbed 13 nominations, big screen adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s best selling novel “Twilight” received 10 nominations, while HBO’s vampire-themed television series “True Blood” garnered nine nominations. Fans can log onto scream.spike.com until Saturday, October 17 to vote for their favorites.

Syfy’s contemporary re-imagined spin on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland will premiere on Sunday, December 6th @ 9-11pm ET/PT and air over two consecutive nights. In this modern day spin on the classic stories by Lewis Carroll, Academy Award winner Kathy Bates (Misery) stars as the Queen of Hearts and Caterina Scorsone (Crash television series) as Alice.

Rounding out the stellar cast are Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show) as Dodo, Colm Meaney (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) as the King of Hearts, Philip Winchester (Crusoe) as Jack Chase, Matt Frewer (Watchmen) as the White Knight, Andrew Lee Potts (Primeval) as Hatter, Harry Dean Stanton (Big Love) as the Caterpillar, Alessandro Juliani (Battlestar Galactica) as 9 of Clubs, Timothy Webber (Taken) as Carpenter, Alex Diakun (Sanctuary) as Ratcatcher, Zak Santiago (Kingdom Hospital) as 10 of Clubs, and Eugene Lipinski (Animorphs) as Doctors Dee and Dum.

For this re-imagined adaptation, writer/director Nick Willing mines the bizarre ingenuity and twisted logic of Carroll’s work to create a daringly different, boldly colorful and delightfully skewed dreamscape of his own. Willing also directed the record-breaking, Emmy-winning miniseries Tin Man for Syfy in 2007. Serving as Executive Producers for this ambitious new event are Matthew O’Connor and Lisa Richardson from Reunion Pictures, Jamie Brown from Studio Eight and RHI Entertainment’s Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr.

Using the classic Lewis Carroll books Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass as a jumping off point, writer/director Nick Willing has created the modern-day story of Alice Hamilton, a fiercely independent twenty-something who suddenly finds herself on the other side of a looking glass. She is a stranger in an outlandish city of twisted towers and casinos built out of playing cards, all under the rule of a deliciously devilish Queen who’s not very happy about Alice’s arrival.

Television’s most thrilling science fiction adventure makes a stunning turnabout when Battlestar Galactica: The Plan debuts on Blu-rayTM Hi-Def and DVD on October 27, 2009 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. For the first time ever, fans can experience the uncut and uncensored story of humanity’s futuristic fight for survival through the eyes of their deadly adversaries, the Cylons. This never-before-seen perspective of the Cylon plan reunites the series’ original television cast, including Emmy® Award winner Edward James Olmos (Stand and Deliver), Dean Stockwell (JAG), Tricia Helfer (Burn Notice), Grace Park (The Cleaner) and Callum Keith Rennie (Californication). Ronald D. Moore and David Eick return as executive producers.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan’s executive producer and writer Jane Espenson added, ” Edward James Olmos was our director on the movie, and he did an amazing job. He also shot some great footage that we are not able to show on TV, so I’m thrilled that viewers can experience it uncut as our director envisioned it.”

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan includes the uncensored 90-minute feature and revealing bonus features that take viewers onto the set of the most unexpected twist ever in the intergalactic saga’s history. Interactive features available exclusively on Blu-rayTM Hi-Def include the new Battlestar Galactica Trivia Game, as well as Universal’s acclaimed U-CONTROLTM and BD-LiveTM experience. With Blu-rayTM Hi-Def, viewers can enjoy Battlestar Galactica: The Plan’s stunning visuals with perfect picture and the purest digital sound available.

During four spellbinding seasons on the SCI FI Channel (now Syfy), Battlestar Galactica’s vivid reimagining of the classic television series earned a legion of devoted fans, as well as unfettered critical acclaim, and Emmy® Awards for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in 2007 and 2008 and a Peabody Award in 2008. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan is priced at $39.98 SRP on Blu-rayTM Hi-Def and $26.98 SRP on DVD. Preorder close is Sept. 8, 2009.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE PLAN – BONUS FEATURES
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan on Blu-rayTM Hi-Def and DVD takes viewers deeper into the acclaimed space drama with exclusive bonus features, including:
EXCLUSIVE TO BLU-RAYTM HI-DEF:
* BD-LIVETM: Access the BD-LiveTM Center through your Internet-connected player to download more exclusive content, the latest trailers and more!
o MY SCENES: Bookmark your favorite scenes from the movie.
o BATTLESTAR GALACTICA TRIVIA: All-new trivia game.
BONUS FEATURES (BLU-RAY™ HI-DEF and DVD):

* DELETED SCENES
* FROM ADMIRAL TO DIRECTOR: EDWARD JAMES OLMOS AND THE PLAN – A day-in-the-life with director and actor Edward James Olmos, as he tackles the most ambitious Battlestar Galactica production to date.
* THE CYLONS OF THE PLAN – Features interviews with the actors who play the film’s key Cylons, including Dean Stockwell, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Michael Trucco, Rick Worthy and Michael Bennett.
* THE CYLON ATTACK – This featurette takes viewers behind the scenes for the planning and execution of one of Battlestar Galactica: The Plan’s major action sequences.
* BEHIND THE PLAN – An in-depth look at some stunning visual effects and the role post-production plays in bringing the world of Battlestar Galactica to life.
* FILMMAKER COMMENTARY

SYNOPSIS
Battlestar Galatica: The Plan.. The Cylons began as humanity’s robot servants. They rebelled and evolved and now they look like us. Their plan is simple: destroy the race that enslaved them. But when their devastating attack leaves human survivors, the Cylons have to improvise. Battlestar Galatica: The Plan tells the story of two powerful Cylon leaders, working separately, and their determination to finish the task.

An inspired, visually stunning reimagining of the 1978 series of the same name, Battlestar Galactica captured the imaginations of a new generation of fans with its gritty realism, compelling storylines and commanding performances. The show garnered numerous awards, including two Emmys® and the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award and was recognized by the American Film Institute (AFI) as one of the most outstanding television programs of the year for two years running. In March 2009, Battlestar Galactica’s impassioned explorations of today’s hot-button issues, including politics, terrorism, treatment of prisoners and religion, even inspired the United Nations to host a special panel to discuss the questions it has raised. The series is from Universal Cable Productions and is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE PLAN
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Blu-rayTM Hi-Def
Street Date: October 27, 2009
Copyright: 2009 Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Selection Number: 61110464
Price: $39.98
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Rating: Not Rated

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE PLAN
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
DVD
Street Date: October 27, 2009
Copyright: 2009 Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Selection Number: 61107967
Price: $26.98
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Rating: Not Rated

Comedian Patton Oswalt has joined the cast of Syfy’s upcoming space epic ‘Caprica’. He will play the part of a popular Caprican comedian talk show host named Baxter Sarno. Oswalt has appeared in several films and television shows, and most recently starred in The Big Fan.

Syfy recently announced that the highly anticipated series ‘Caprica’ will debut on January 22, 2010.

‘Caprica’ is a prequel to the channel’s wildly popular ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ which just concluded its fourth and final season back in March. The timeline for ‘Caprica’ predates ‘Battlestar Galactica’ by 58 years. The series stars Esai Morales, Eric Stoltz, Paula Malcomson and Polly Walker.

The series revolves around follows two rival families – one led by scientist Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz), the other by lawyer Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) – living on planet ‘Caprica’ several decades before it’s destroyed by renegade machines.

The pilot episode of the series was written by Ronald Moore and Remi Aubuchon and directed by ‘Friday Night Lights’ director Jeffrey Reiner. The pilot clocks in at two hours and Syfy has ordered an additional 20 hours of the series.

‘Caprica’ will air at 10 p.m. Fridays.

Universal Pictures has brought director Bryan Singer on board to direct and produce a big screen adaptation of Battlestar Galactica. The original series producer, Glen Larson, is also aboard the project.

The story of Battlestar Galactica followed a band of humans who were the only survivors of a devastating attack on their colonial homeworld by the vicious cybernetic race known as the Cylons. The survivors, led by Commander Adama, embark on a journey through space aboard the military vessel Battlestar Galactica to find refuge on a distant planet called Earth.

The new film we would be another reboot with no connection to the original series or the recent Sci Fi Channel Series (helmed by executive producer Ronald Moore). However, staples such as the characters Adama, Starbuck, and Baltar will remain intact.

“Gossip Girl” creator Josh Schwartz wrote the first draft of that script.