The Week In Geek:Paul Haggis VS Scientology! Frodo Lives! No Batman/Superman X-Over!

Welcome to the first Week in Geek of 2011. This is going to be THE geek movie year to end all geek movie years…and that means lots o’ news and gossip comin’ from Hollywood too. Having said that, our first item this year isn’t exactly geeky news per se, but man….it could be explosive. Like a volcano even. Points if you get my stupid reference there….

Battlefield Earth Ain’t Got Nuthin’ On The Shitstorm That Awaits Director Paul Haggis 

Paul Haggis, the acclaimed screenwriter of such films as Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Million Dollar Baby, as well as director of Oscar Winner Crash, is about to blow the lid off the Church of Scientology in a tell all book set to come out sometime this summer called The Heretic of Hollywood: Paul Haggis vs. The Church of Scientology. And if anyone would know about the inner workings of those sworn enemies of Xenu, Intergalactic despot, it would be Mr. Haggis. A member of the church for over 35 years, Haggis very publicly quit after certain statements were made by the San Diego branch of the Church of Scientology in support of  California’s Prop 8. Haggis wrote to the church officials and requested that they denounce these statements; when they remained silent, Haggis responded that “Silence is consent… I refuse to consent.”

Haggis also went on to talk about other issues he has with Scientology, including its policy of disconnection, where one is told to sever all ties with friends or family who actively question Church policy. Also getting under Haggis’ skin was the church smearing of ex-members through the leaking of their personal details.  For example, allegedly, there have been stories for years that prominent Scientologist John Travolta has wanted to leave the church for quite a long time (among the reasons for his issues with them has been their belief that certain mental afflictions simply do not exist…a bitter pill to swallow for someone with an autistic child like Travolta had) But the church was rumored to threaten to leak the details of Travolta’s extra marital activities with certain hung ethnic dudes in LA bathhouses so as to get him to never leave and cause a PR embarrassment (again allegedly. I know how litigous you Scientologists are!)  Sadly, Carrie Fisher recently went ahead and outed him anyways in a recent interview. That Princess Leia always had a mouth on her.

 In any event, this book is no doubt going to cause some serious damage to the Church of Scientology’s already horrible questionable repulation. Others have done this in the past, only to be stalked and hounded by the church, but to have one of their much valued celebrities do so in such a public manner has just got to have L. Ron Hubbard spinning in his grave.

 Elijah Wood To Return To Middle Earth Too??

 Aside from the returning faces from Lord of the Rings like Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis and Orlando Bloom, it now looks like even Elijah Wood might be returning as well as our beloved Ring-bearer Frodo Baggins. This addition really has Tolkien fans heads spinning, as the character of Frodo Baggins should not even be born at the time of The Hobbit. I don’t think that big a change is coming to the original narrative though…Here is my two cents on what a Hobbit movie with Frodo could look like:

 I could easily see the structure of these new Hobbit films as being told in flashback from Bilbo to Frodo, maybe on their long trip to the Undying Lands as seen on (one of the zillion) endings to Return of the King.  After all, these movies are coming out after Peter Jackson’s trilogy has been ingrained in everyone’s mind, regardless of what the order was for their publication history, and there isn’t anything wrong with the movies trying to reflect that fact.

 No Metropolis/Gotham Connection Coming Any Time Soon 

 In a revelation that shouldn’t really shock anyone, given Christopher Nolan’s previous statements, The Dark Knight Rises and Superman: The Man of Steel producer Charles Roven has recently nixed the notions that we would see the start of a shared cinematic DC Comics universe like what Marvel Studios has been doing. In an interview with Shock Till You Drop, this is what Roven had to say on the subject of of seeing a Superman/Batman crossover of any kind in either film: 

 No. That may be in somebody’s mind but right now the Batman lives in his world and the Superman lives in his world. Those stories are those stories and we haven’t thought beyond each individual picture.

 Of course, just because there are no direct references to each other’s worlds in these upcoming movies doesn’t mean that that can’t change in the future. It just isn’t going to be happening anytime soon or with anything Nolan has a hand in.

  Blomkamp’s District 9 Follow Up Starts To Come Together 

After an amazing debut feature film with District 9, people have been wondering what Neill Blomkamp’s next movie is going to be, and just who is going to be in it. We’ve had a title for a while now-Elysium-and the confirmation that it is Sci-fi and does not take place on Earth. And now we have our first casting announcements; Aside from returning D9 star Sharlto Copley, we have Hollywood royalty Jodie Foster joining the cast this week, as well as Matt Damon.  Hopefully, this movie does not suffer the the sophomore slump curse that happens to so many directors. But getting these two actors is a good sign for sure.