NEWSCHUNKS for 06.11.09

RIDLEY SCOTT IN DISPUTE WITH STUDIO OVER ALIEN PREQUEL?: Last month Tony Scott told Collider.com that an Alien prequel was going ahead with commercial director (and first-time feature director) Carl Rinsch at the helm and original Alien director Ridley Scott producing. But now Entertainment Weekly has revealed that Fox apparently isn't interested in greenlighting the film unless Ridley Scott himself directs it. The magazine also notes that Rinsch is apparently dating Scott's daughter. Interesting... It almost sounds like the studio is more interested in protecting the integrity of the Alien franchise than Scott is! (Click the image at left to buy the Alien: 20th Anniversary Edition [Award Series].)

ABRAMS SHOOTS DOWN JACK BLACK TREK RUMOR: A few days ago a rumor was circulating online that Jack Black would play lovable rascal Harry Mudd in the upcoming Star Trek sequel. Black could be a pretty good younger version of Mudd, actually. But Ain't It Cool News asked producer J.J. Abrams about it, and he wrote back to deny it: "Yes, talking to Jack Black about doing something -- but not Mudd. Bryan, Damon, Alex and Bob and I have not had MEETING ONE about a sequel. Brief, casual, blue-sky conversations, of course. But 'okay, what's next for The Crew?' Not a meeting. So any character decisions, let alone actor discussions, feel like a ways away."

PIRATES 4 SAILING AHEAD: While that third Pirates of the Caribbean movie was kind of a confusing mess, the Pirates pictures are a lot more fun than any movies based on a theme park ride should be. Fortunately it looks like another entry in the series is on the way, with producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirming to Coming Soon that Johnny Depp is signed to star and the original writers, Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot, are "writing Pirates as we speak." He added that it was "funny" and a "whole new way of going."

Interestingly, Bruckheimer also said that Depp would be starring as Tonto in a new version of The Lone Ranger, the first I've heard of the project. Given that Tonto is very specifically an American Indian and Depp isn't, I can imagine his casting will be a bit controversial these days.

MOORE'S VIRTUALITY VIRTUALLY CERTAIN TO NOT BE A SERIES: Speaking with Io9, screenwriter Michael Taylor said it looks highly unlikely that Virtuality, the would-be series from Battlestar Galactica vet Ronald D. Moore, will ever be anything more than a Fox TV movie. "It would take pretty much a miracle for that to happen. It would take millions of people watching, on this night when people normally aren’t watching television in general." Taylor expressed some hope that the show could move to Sy Fy, Galactica's old home. "I can say if a lot of people watch it and like it, and make their feelings known whether it’s writing a letter to Peter Rice, or even better, to someone like Mark Stern at the Syfy Network, who really does love the show. It’s part of the NBC Universal family, and I think they’d love to put it on if they could afford to put it on. If they could find backing, that would be amazing a miracle. Neither Ron nor I are holding our breath for a miracle. We’re just happy people have a chance to watch what we made."


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