Media

Ray Bradbury has signed with White Oak Films to develop a miniseries, The Bradbury Chronicles, based on six of his short stories. Bradbury and White Oak’s John Dayton will be the executive producers of the planned six-hour event. Dayton previously partnered with Bradbury on Showtime’s The Ray Bradbury Theater, which ran from 1985 to 1992. Full story at Variety.com. ...Read More

Tim Powers has confirmed earlier rumors with the following news: “I can now say that Disney optioned On Stranger Tides and will use elements of the book in the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie. I can also say that I did not ever specify that Serena and I get parts in the movie or have dinner with Johnny Depp! (Not that we’d mind.)”

The fit is an obvious one, ...Read More

In response to the strong reactions to the Sci Fi Channel’s name change, president David Howe held a conference call interview with various media outlets to discuss the new name and why the decision was made. “This is not about alienating our existing core viewers because frankly we are still the sci-fi/fantasy channel and will continue to be so,” said Howe. “This is absolutely about embracing our heritage and embracing ...Read More

Sci Fi Channel’s decision to change its name to “Syfy” in order to distance itself from “geeks” and science fiction, has received a mostly unhappy reception on comment threads. TV historian Tim Brooks, who helped launch Sci Fi Channel, said, “The name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that, as opposed to the general public and ...Read More

Columbia Pictures won screen rights to Isaac Asimov’s Foundation in auction Thursday night, with Roland Emmerich attached as director, and he and Michael Wimer to produce. The Columbia win was a surprise, as Warner Bros. and Fox Studios had been been the original contenders for the film. CAA and Trident Media brokered the deal on behalf of the Asimov estate. ...Read More

Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century Fox have finally resolved their dispute regarding the rights to the upcoming Watchmen movie, based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore, in a confidential settlement. The movie can now move forward, with Fox no longer in any kind of distribution role, but receiving a cash payment upfront rumored to be between $5 million and $10 million, 8.5% of the box office, and a portion ...Read More