The Week In Geek: Darth Maul Returns, Lone Ranger A Go Once More, Buffy Reunion On The CW & More
Darth Maul Returns, And Learn The Secret Origin of the Star Wars Galaxy
Just about anyone reading this who wasn’t five when Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace came out pretty much hates it. Between Jar-Jar and baby Anakin, there aren’t a hell of a lot of positive things one can say about it…oh, except for that one cool thing: Darth Maul. He barely speaks during the film, but his lightsaber duel with Obi Wan Kenobi and Qui Gon Jinn remains the best lightsaber fight in the entire saga, at least from a technical standpoint. And Darth Maul is one of the coolest ever designs for a villain, like…well, ever. And then he gets cut in half and goes out like a chump, the biggest wasted opportunity in sci-fi movie history.
Luckily, David Filoni and the producers of the animated series Clone Wars have announced this week that Darth Maul will be returning to life this season on the show, and not just for a one off episode either. “There’s a lot of ground that has not been covered as far as Darth Maul is concerned, so there’s a lot of room to grow with him” says Filoni, speaking to USA Today. I have often said that Clone Wars is the sweet lemonade made from the lemons of the prequels (aside from the annual episode every season dealing with the Gungans. Naturally, those always suck.) But Filoni I trust to make good on the promise of epic coolness that was Darth Maul.
In other Star Wars related news, Dark Horse Comics, in an early New York Comic Con announcement, have announced “Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi.” This will be an ongoing set of 5-issue miniseries launching February 1, 2012 with an introductory #0 issue, with #1 following two weeks later. Written by former Star Wars comics creator John Ostrander and drawn by artist Jan Duursema (both of Star Wars: Legacy), this series is set at quite literally “Year Zero” of the Star Wars timeline, exactly 36,453 BBY (In Star Wars Nerd terminology, BBY means “Before the Battle of Yavin”; in slightly less nerdy terminology 36, 453 years before the events of Episode IV: A New Hope. So now ya know). This is an era before lightsabers, before anyone even knew what the Force really was. For hardcore Star Wars fans who always wondered how that whole galaxy far, far away came to be, this could make for a truly fun series.
The Lone Ranger Is A Go, At Least It Is As I’m Writing This…
It’s happening, it’s not happening, then it is, then it isn’t….now it is again. I dunno, I give up. Anyway, yeah…it seems Disney’s “Will They Or Won’t They” movie of the year, The Lone Ranger, is happening after all. According to Variety, director Gore Verbinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and stars Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer will all take 20% paycuts, and certain payments will be deferred until The Lone Ranger starts making actual money. Bruckheimer Films will be responsible for any cost overruns this time as well. Seems the House of Mouse is covering all their financial bases this time. Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio (from the Pirates movies… Editor: and the made/unmade Monkey Island script) reworked the script by Justin Haythe (Revolutionary Road) to remove a few costly sequences involving supernatural elements that require a lot of special effects work. So now the formerly $250 Million dollar western is going to cost “only” $215 million. Without any supernatural elements in it though, what the hell costs even $215 for a freakin’ Western?? As it stands now, The Lone Ranger is set to bow on May 31st, 2013. But ya never know, with this movie I could be singing a WHOLE different tune in next week’s column.
Buffy Reunions All The Rage At The CW This Fall
The CW Network, the bastard child of the old WB Network and UPN, is staging not one, but two reunions for cast members of one of the old WB Network’s signature show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Apparently Supernatural is re-uniting Buffy and Angel alumni James Marsters (Spike) and Charisma Carpenter (Coredelia Chase) for an episode airing October 21st. The episode will be titled, “Shut Up, Dr. Phil,” and in it Carpenter plays a witch who casts a spell on a small town, upon learning that her husband (Marsters) cheated on her.
Meanwhile, former slayer Sarah Michelle Gellar’s new show Ringer is staging a Buffy reunion as well, as Amber Benson (who played Tara for 3 seasons of Buffy) is making a guest appearance on the tenth episode of the series scheduled to air sometime in November. And according to Gellar, Benson won’t be the only Buffy alum to be guest starring soon. I think you can rule out either Alyson Hannigan (Willow) or Nicholas Brendan (Xander) ever making special appearances though…apparently, there is no love lost between any of those actors. My guess is Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s kid sister Dawn, shows up before too long though. Just a hunch.
Thor 2 Director Official
Although it had been rumored for several weeks now, it is now official: Patty Jenkins, the director of Monster, is the new director for Thor 2. Curiously, also announced with the hiring of their new director, Marvel Studios also changed the release date for Thor 2 from July 2013 to November of that year. No reason was given, except maybe their feeling is that Summer 2013 is crowded already, and Thor already has a good shot at an opening weekend in the Fall season due to being a sequel to an already successful movie franchise. Principal photography is still set for the early part of next year.
The JLA Show Up In Your Lucky Charms
What, you didn’t think I’d finish a whole column of the Week in Geek without making at least one mention of a DC Comics property did you? Silly Rabbit.
This week, in a pre-New York Comic Con announcement, DC Comics has announced a partnership with General Mills to distribute 12 million DC Comics featuring the Justice League in boxes of their cereals. The four separate 24-page comics will be formatted as 5 inches by 7 inches and free of ads, except for a mention that they’re “brought to you by Big G cereals.” The stories will begin in the comics, but continue online.
I find this interesting, as more kids will read these DC Comics than any “New 52” promotion that DC could ever hope for, and yet all the images look like the DC Characters in their classic pre-52 costumes. If you really wanted to get the masses in on you whole new direction, wouldn’t this be the time to do it? In any case…I’m glad the classic versions of these characters are still going to be floating out there somewhere.
And finally, I’d like to mention that my thoughts are with anyone and everyone affected by the tragedy in Seal Beach, California this week. I realize these horrible shooting rampages happen like at least once a year somewhere in the United States, and for most of you reading this, this is just another one of those, but this one hit very close to home as it happened in my own back yard.
I grew up and still live in an unincorporated part of Orange County that borders two cities, one of which is Seal Beach, so in most ways I consider this my home town. Many nights of my youth were spent on the Seal Beach pier wasting time with my friends, and I still go there on many occasions. Not more than two weeks would go by that I didn’t frequent the shopping center where this tragedy happened. That my home town is now known for the worst mass murder in Orange County history does not fill me with pride, but I know the residents of Seal Beach will recover and bounce back. I’d say my prayers are with the victims, but I’m not a religious person…. I’ll just go with my thoughts are with them, and hope that will be enough.
