TORCHWOOD!
The second series of the Who spin-off kicks off in the new year, so we caught up with lead writer Chris Chibnall for a spot of lunch the other week. So what can we expect from the show’s second spin around the Cardiff block? “More fun, more adventure, more warmth, more romance, more excitement,” he said. “We’ve plussed everything! We were really pleased with the first series, but there were things we thought we could finesse and tweak a little, things like more sense of humour, a little bit more heroism from the team, and not going dark all the time. It’s like a kind of graphic equaliser – you fade up a couple of things and pull a couple of things down, but it’s not like you put a new song on.” You can read more from Chibnall – including his thoughts on Martha Jones, the revelation that Jack could well be the Face of Boe and Ianto’s stopwatch - in the new issue of SFX, on sale from Wednesday 21 November.
PRIMEVAL!
Torchwood isn’t the only high profile British SF show starting in the new year. ITV’s dinos-on-the-loose drama hits screens early in 2008, so we had a natter with series creator Adrian Hodges. As well as covering the obvious ground like the future of the series, we couldn’t let the opportunity pass to discuss one of the first series most pertinent talking points: Hannah Spearitt’s ubiquitous pants. “It’s just one of those things that happened,” Hodges told us. “I’m very well aware that many people enjoyed that, and that’s fine. It was never our intention that that should become the thing it did. I know it may sound as though I’m protesting too much, but it genuinely was originally a joke in one of the scripts, and it was basically meant to be a joke on Connor in his pants, ironically. But of course, these things have a habit... Andrew [Lee Potts, who plays Connor]’s bottom in pants is not quite as compelling as Hannah’s. Although he’d probably be very upset with me for saying that. It’s just one of those things that happened. As far as I can recall, she will not in her pants in this season. She will certainly be wearing pants but she will not be seen in them.”
The new issue of SFX features brand new Primeval pictures (including shots of the team’s new base of operations, the ARC), and you’ll be able to read more about the show’s return in the new year.
CARNAGE!
The film that went from being called Cloverfield to 01/18/08 to Untitled JJ Abrams Project is now called Cloverfield again, and the brand new trailer’s up at Apple . With its grainy, home video style, the trailer makes it look like the Blair Witch of monster movies and, as you’d expect for a film so shrouded in secrecy, gives away the bare minimum of information. Cloverfield opens in the UK in February.
THE HOFF!
A while back NBC announced it was bringing Knight Rider back from the ‘80s, and cast US soap star Justin Bruening as the man squeezing into Michael Knight’s too-tight jeans. (Kinda – he’s playing the son Michael Knight never knew he had). How could this story get any better? Well, Sci Fi Wire is reporting that KITT’s first careful owner, David Hasselhoff, is in negotiations to take a new but just as shadowy flight into the world of a man who does not exist. We’ll keep you posted.
SPOCK SR!
The Star Trek casting news just keeps coming. We have a Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), we have a Spock’s mum (Winona Ryder) and now we have a Spock’s dad. The role of Sarek (previously played my the late Mark Lenard) will be taken by Brit actor Ben Cross, best known for pulling on his running shoes in Chariots of Fire. Clearly a logical choice. Thanks to Digital Spy .
