Bits for the Day

- there's a rumour going around that Kristen Bell is up for a regular role on Lost next season, following the cancellation of Veronica Mars. Granted, all TV Guide's Michael Ausiello knows is that the producers have her in mind, but whether they'll approach her and whether she'd accept is a different question. She'd be a tremendous asset to any show with her formidable presence and wit, but I'm skeptical as to whether she'd take on another series so soon, and a supporting part on a long-established series to boot. But if it does happen, I'd be thrilled.

- Eighteen-year-old Anton Yelchin (Road to Perdition, House of D) will be playing Chekov in the new Star Trek movie. Fans are confused as to how Chekov can be in a prequel when he only joined the crew in the second season. But come on guys, a true prequel would mean using that original series bridge set, and there's no way in hell that that's going to happen. This must be more of a retcon/reboot than people are assuming. A full-on prequel is just implausible. But then, Leonard Nimoy is back too.... It's all very confusing.

- an in-house Warner Bros. promotional document reveals that six Batman anime short films will be released on DVD prior to The Dark Knight next year, Animatrix-style. It's a sensible move and will get the Batman fanboys hot and foamy, and it's clearly worthwhile after both the Matrix sequels and The Chronicles of Riddick did likewise, and look how they turned out. Seeing Batman done in an anime style, cliched as it has become for Hollywood to anime-ise things, will be thrilling, especially since superb comic scribe Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets and a terrific Batman arc) and A History of Violence screenwriter Josh Olson are involved. Can't wait.

- Jesus, the rumour that Ridley Scott was going to make a Monopoly movie is actually true! WTF?! It appears to be just a twinkle in his eye at this point, and perhaps some good comedic mileage could be wrested from the concept, especially if the plot involves giant dogs and thimbles terrorising London.

- George Miller (Mad Max, Happy Feet) is strongly rumoured to be directing Warners' rapidly developed Justice League movie. A good choice - they've clearly learned from hiring Nolan rather than Pitof. But will it be made? The back-and-forth about this movie versus a Superman sequel is getting tiresome. Let's just decide, guys, yeah?

- in the least surprising news ever, a Warcraft movie is on the slate for 2009. Expect it to be the highest-grossing video game movie ever, by far (unless the Halo film actually gets made). I know absolutely nothing about the game and intend to keep it that way not being a gamer, but if this ends up being a genuinely decent rather than hopelessly derivative fantasy flick then it's win-win. And check out this gorgeous concept art, which you've glimpsed above.
I find the mass obsession with World of Warcraft quite fascinating based on how spectacularly uninteresting it looks and the head-crushingly derivative fantasy tropes it contains ("Duskwood", "Dreadsteeds" et al). I'm tempted into making a kneejerk reaction but will refrain since I've never played it and am in no fair position to damn it. I did enjoy Devin Faraci's description though: "This isn't a game, it's an obsessive-compulsive disorder."

- John from Cincinnati's renewal chances are looking grim. If this means that the Deadwood movies get made (HBO says it's an either/or proposition), or even a return of the series (massively unlikely as that is), then I'll be happy. But if not - and even it so - it will be sad to lose this diverting bit of strangeness, especially as it begins to coalesce as the season ends. This will mark the first time that HBO has cancelled a drama after its first season. Factoring in the cancellations of Deadwood, Rome, and Carnivale, not to mention The Comeback and Lucky Louie (although I hear they were mercy killings), HBO is looking more like a regular network every day.

- Stardust director Matthew Vaughan introduced a screening of the film via recording at famous geek haunt The Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas by apologising for leaving X-Men 3 in the hands of Brett Ratner. GOLD!

- I'm fairly disheartened with Ian McShane's post-Deadwood choices. The guy's one of the very finest actors around today, yet he's appearing in the woeful looking The Seeker: The Dark is Rising (yes, that's now the full title. Hollywood needs a colonoscopy - pardon the bad joke) spouting cookie-cutter dialogue, and now he's signed on to Paul W.S. Anderson's remake of Roger Corman's Death Race with Jason Statham and Tyrese Gibson. Sure, Joan Allen's in it too, but she doesn't quite tip it into respectable territory. Instead, her joining adds more fuel to the WTF fire. Come on Ian, you could be doing some really solid dramas with the rep you have. Well, unless he's less well-liked in the industry than his acclaim suggests. Who knows. Just make sure you're back for the Deadwood movies.

- JJ Abrams pal Tom Cruise may cameo in Star Trek as Captain Christopher Pike. Makes sense, looks kinda like him. Will it, won't it? Who knows. Could, couldn't, anything's possible. Just so y'all know.

- DID YOU KNOW: Gary Oldman was offered the role of the big villain in the seventh season of 24? Oldman naturally turned it down. Even if the show was on a critical high it'd still be implausible given his mainstream resuscitation with two big franchises, but after the alleged bellyflop that was season 6, they were nuts to even try.

And I am very pleased to report that I'll be seeing David Lynch's new film, Inland Empire, this Sunday thanks to the Brisbane International Film Festival. Although it was released in the US in December last year, it won't be released in Australia properly until the end of this year. It'll be glorious to see a new Lynch freakout with a full cinema of fellow neophytes. I've heard it likened to the final act of Mulholland Drive stretched out to three hours. I predict a restless sleep on Sunday night... Look for a review early next week.