SFX - October 2014 UK

contentswelcome to sfx 252

www.sfx.co.uk October 2014 5

56

48

60

82

9 Red AleRtIf its sci-fi and its news, itll be here.

26 development HellThings coming your way from the Hollywood dream factory of delights.

28 dAvid lAngfoRdOur literary columnist rediscovers an old pal

30 Bonnie BuRtonBonnies loving angels but theyre not loving her.

33 post ApocAlypseReaders take the chance to sound off, including saying what childrens TV theyd like to see back.

38 wisHlistWhat you guys would love to see in Godzilla 2.

40 event HoRizonWant to know what happened when we finally made it to the Secret Cinema Back To The Future gig?

42 BlAsteRmind QuizWe want information. So: try our Prisoner quiz!

48 doctoR wHoTwelfth Time Lord Peter Capaldi talks to SFX about taking on the biggest role in television.

52 new tv sHows coveR feAtuRe! Exciting previews of a whole raft of new stuff coming to a TV near you, including: Gotham, The Flash, The Walking Dead, Star Wars Rebels, Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, Atlantis and much more.

75 coucH potAtoThis issue the Couch crew watch TV and movies featuring former Doctors in other roles.

78 Ant-mAnLooking ahead to the mini Marvel movie.

82 tHe mAze RunneRThe latest YA series comes to the big screen.

86 BRougHt to BookChatting to SF author James Lovegrove.

88 RoBin of sHeRwoodWe take a look back at the 80s series that turned the Robin Hood legend into fully fledged fantasy.

92 penny dReAdfulThe latest from the horrid world of horror.

95 RAtedYep, its the best reviews section in the universe!

124 view scReenIn-depth articles on genre TV, including this issue The Strain, Hemlock Grove and Under The Dome.

130 totAl RecAllNick Setchfield on something that made him shiver: his Monsters Of The Movies book.

theres endless possibilities for the villains

i love the notion of the little guy taking down the establishment

i thought: how do you make the maze real?

sometimes i cant get to sleep at night because im so excited

October 2014 7www.sfx.co.uk

welcome

Issue 252 October 2014

Find meon page 60.

Dave BradleyEditor-in-ChiefRAVES I got to meet Adam West in San Diego. Another tick in my I-Spy Book Of Childhood Heroes. Forget The Hobbit movies, Im dead excited about the Shadows Of Mordor RPG!RANTS The press release and @StarWars say thats a new X-Wing, so please calm down all those calling JJs ship a Z95 or somesuch.

Nick Setchfield Features EditorRAVES Still buzzing from Guardians Of The Galaxy. So many corners of the Marvel Universe I never dreamt Id see on the big screen. Heres hoping Doctor Strange goes full Ditko and busts the weird-o-meter. Ah, the simple happiness of seeing Harrison Ford up and walking again. In your face, Falcon door!

Russell LewinProduction EditorRAVES Hugely looking forward to watching Capaldis first series as the Doctor. I predict good things.RANTS You cant have a movie called The Sinister Six and expect it to work. You need a superpowered hero protagonist up front to combat them. I predict bad things.

Jon CoatesArt EditorRAVES Im not much of a Shyamalan fan but Wayward Pines looks like a pretty cool show. Hopefully more a Life On Mars/Twin Peaks-esque crossover than a reworking of The Village! And speaking of Twin Peaks, the new Blu-ray boxset looks amazing. So many cool extras to trawl through and enjoy. Going to have to book a couple of months off.

Andrew OsmondWriterRAVES Im very late to the party, but I recently started watching Felicia Days gamer web series The Guild. Character comedy is so hard to do well, and The Guild pulls it off with such aplomb. Ive a dreadful suspicion that Im VorkRANTS Nothings convinced me that Terminator: Genisys can leap the franchise back over the shark.

Richard Edwards deputy editorRAVES JJs Episode VII X-Wing reveal in the last Force For Change video made me even more excited about the movie than I was before. (And yes, I do know its just a prop spaceship.)RANTS San Diego Comic-Con is still like nowhere else on Earth, but I was underwhelmed about this years line-up. Maybe weve just been spoiled?

Ian BerrimanReviews EditorRAVES Digging the profound quote posters inspired by films like Back To The Future online at www.middleboop.com. After reviewing The Changes (see page 108) Im reading a lovely old Puffin paperback of Peter Dickinsons, The Devils Children. It smells of childhood. Current DVD rewatch: The New Avengers. Better than I remembered!

Jordan Farleystaff writerRAVES Adored Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes. Its that rarest of beasts a superior sequel. Finally played Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons. Must have had something in my eyes by the end because they wouldnt stop watering. RANTS Six episodes in and True Bloods final season has been a consistent disappointment.

Adrian HillAd ManagerRAVES San Diego Comic-Con was another great year, if not for major announcements, but for just how well the whole city embraces the event. The highlight for me was meeting Dolph Lundgren. Made me look like a ventriloquists puppet! (See page 25.) Cant wait to have my Saturday evenings filled in once more by a certain Time Lord. Come on Capaldi, show us what youre made of!

Tara Bennett US Editor (East Coast)RAVES Having seen the gameplay of the upcoming Alien: Isolation game with the exclusive Ellen Ripley from Alien content, Im excited. RANTS Do we really need another Batman origin story via Gotham? Im feeling origin-ed out when it comes to comic book mythology backstories on the big and small screen.

Louisa Hall Work ExperienceRAVES Having watched Gravity on DVD again, I still cant get over that first shot when the camera pans out, showing the incredible view of Earth. Breathtaking. RANTS I hate those teasers at the end of Doctor Who they show bits that ruin future episodes before I can turn the TV off. I hope that changes this year, I want to be surprised by the upcoming aliens!

Rosie FletcherReviewerRAVES Massively excited about the next FrightFest. Im lucky to have already seen The Babadook and its brilliant. Mister Babadook is terrifying.RANTS Can everyone please shut up about Games Of Thrones? I havent seen it. I dont care if its the best thing ever. Lost was the best thing ever and look where that ended up.

W elcome to SFX! That picture above was snapped at the Instagram booth at Nerd HQ in San Diego when the SFX away team headed there for last months Comic-Con. It was another glorious week of geek fun and reminded me how great it is to hang out with like-minded people and what a jubilant atmosphere is generated when over 100,000 fans gather to celebrate what they love (p20).It was a muted year for films, though. Sure, DC

revealed that first picture of Wonder Woman and Marvel confirmed thered be a Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 in 2017. But the loudest hullaballoo came from the TV corner. Whether it was Adam West chatting about the 1960s Batman, Robert Walking Dead Kirkman trying something new with Outcast, Star Wars launching its new kids animation Rebels, or the return of shows like Agents Of SHIELD, the big halls were rocking to the sound of TV jangles.So as we approach this years autumn season, were

going small-screen crazy, with our massive TV preview (p47). Weve interviewed Peter Capaldi about Doctor Who and sneaked behind the scenes of the biggest US shows. When youve read what were looking forward to, why not drop us an email at [email protected] to share your views on the current state of genre TV?

Next issue on sale Wednesday 17 September 2014Postal address: 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, BA1 2BW Editorial team email: [email protected] services UK: 0844 848 28 52 International contact: +44 (0)1604 251 045 Subs info: visit www.sfx.co.uk/subscribe or check out page 29 for the latest offer.

Dave Bradley, Editor-in-Chief@SFXDaveB

The Inside SkinnyWhat your SFX chums are thinking about...


the future firstedited by Richard Edwards

exclusivecreator interviewI

ts no secret that after the exhausting six-year run of Lost, writer Damon Lindelof was firmly out of the tV game. he proved it by spending the last

three years on high-profile screenwriting gigs from Star Trek Into Darkness to Prometheus until he picked up a copy of tom Perrottas rapture-esque novel, The Leftovers, and then it was all over. the reformed Lindelof found his re-entry drug. I was completely and totally, creatively

exhilarated by tom Perrottas writing and

the premise of this thing, Lindelof explains, speaking exclusively to red alert. although its a novel with a beginning, middle and an end, I felt this was a world that was really

interesting to explore. hBo agreed and together with Perrotta, Lindelof has

adapted the book into a ten-episode first season starring Justin theroux, amy Brenneman and christopher eccleston. Both the book and the series revolve

around what happens to the world three years after a global rapture event where 2% of the worlds population just disappears off

Those Left BehindGet ready for life after the rapture in Damon Lindelofs new HBO show

THE LEFTOVERS

THE BENZWe get an audience with the former mayor of Defiance (and Buffy villain) Julie Benz.

LIVING IN A BOXGoing underground to the cheese-flavoured world of The Boxtrolls.

COmIC-CON 2014all the hottest news from this years san Diego geekfest.

17

12

20

Subscribe at www.sfx.co.uk/subscribeOctober 201410

sci-fact!Leftovers author tom Perrotta also wrote Election, the novel

that inspired the ace high school movie.

DEpaRTuRE TImEMajor players in the post-rapture world

CHIEF CONCERNS1 For the police chief and head of a broken household,

Lindelof says, You need a guy who exudes a certain level of coolness, but when hes not around other people you really see the weight of the world on his shoulders and an incredible vulnerability. I think the really exciting thing about Justin is that the majority of his acting work over the course of the last ten years has been comedic, but hes a great dramatic actor back from Mulholland Drive and other things.

JamISONS RISKY2 Played by an American-accented Christopher

Eccleston, Lindelof says Matt Jamison represents the religious side of the show. In the book, Matt is a guy who looks at the Departure as a way to divorce himself from religion. But as Chris and I talked about the character, we felt that another interesting way to go was for him to double-down because thats what people do. Chris is an amazing actor and Im looking forward to peoples responses to Matt.

ENJOY THE SILENCE3 The GRs are a silent cult of people who only wear white

and dont speak. They tend to show up at public events unnerving everyone. Lindelof says crafting them has been very, very hard. As a writer, theres no getting around having characters in a scene where they dont get to do the one thing we do for them, which is write their words for them. Essentially, there has to be a complete and total minimum of words. Poor Amy Brenneman is like, When do I get to talk?

THE CaBLE GuYSHaving spent years in the more conservative network TV arena, Lindelof says writing for HBO, the cable home of True Blood and Game Of Thrones, has been liberating. Its really nice to curse. Theres many times on the Island where you would want a character to say shit or drop an F-bomb, but were trying to not get too carried away [here]. There are opportunities to get down and dirty but I never want to get gratuitous. The show isnt about graphic sex or violence necessarily.

red alert


looming sense that everybody is going crazy. You are dropped in the middle of it as an audience member. There was something so confusing to me about that in the book that I was really drawn to.

Theyve managed to transfer that sense of pervading dread and creepiness everywhere in the pilot episode, presenting a world that looks almost the same yet specifics are off just enough to give viewers an unsettled feeling. Lindelof says the success of that vibe is due to Peter Berg [Friday Night Lights and Hancock] and his direction of it, and just understanding the inherent tension of this world. Kevin has a line in the pilot where he says, In this town nobody is ready to feel better; they are ready to explode. I think its really hard to articulate that idea. You either feel it, or you dont feel. In the huge riot scene, you feel it in your bones, but its the scenes of kids partying, or a guy sitting in his car drinking a beer that is still pervasive.

Since The Leftovers is based on a single, finite book, Lindelof says he and Perrotta have spent a lot of time in the writers room charting an expanded story. There are some things we are doing that are hewing closely to the book and things that are aberrating wildly from the book. As to whether the series will culminate in another Departure event, Lindelof says, Not knowing if its going to happen again is the show. In Toms book, its not a huge spoiler to say, it does not make any effort to explain this phenomena nor does it offer up a secondary phenomena. For me its more interesting to explore the idea of characters who want it to happen again, need it to happen again, or are questioning what it was in the first place. That is interesting enough at least for the first season of the show to generate some pretty cool stories.

The Leftovers is now airing on HBO in the US, and will air on Sky Atlantic in the UK in September.

1

2

3

the face of the Earth. You dont see the event except for a disappearance in the teaser ahead of the pilot episode, and Lindelof says thats the point of why he was attracted to the story. I really like its relationship with genre. It has this huge, big, supernatural premise but its all off camera. Its the sci-fi or fantasy show without overt presentation of fantasy. I havent really seen that before and knew that would be very hard to do. I got turned on by the challenge of it.

In the series, Lindelof and Perrotta dig into the ways humanity has shifted around what is now known the Departure. Its a post-apocalyptic story except when you look around there are no zombies, or crumbling buildings, or mushroom clouds. Theres a feeling like were in the end days, but are we in the end days? I thought that was interesting.

Mapleton Police Chief Kevin Garvey (Theroux) and his troubled family members reflect the different micro factions that have sprung up to process the terrifying event. Lindelof explains, Various characters in the pilot are all chasing prophets to some degree. Certainly, [Kevins son] Tom is with this strange Wayne character [Paterson Joseph]. Kevins wife Laurie [Garvey] has joined this odd cult. And Kevin himself is beginning to see what may, or may not, be spiritual encounters. And Kevins teen daughter Jill (Margaret Qualley) is trying to navigate the anger and nihilism thats blanketed her peers.

By getting deeply involved with the Garveys, Lindelof says the audience will get immersed in the worlds new reality. We are going to do the family drama, or a small-town drama la Picket Fences, except theres a

Its post-apocalyptic, except there are no zombies or mushroom clouds

sci-fact!Boxtrolls producer and Laika

CEO Travis Knight is the son of Nike founder

Phil Knight.

THE BOXTROLLS

October 201412

Troll With It

IT HERALDS FROM WILTSHIRE

1It may be an American movie, but The Boxtrolls the latest from Coraline and Paranorman studio

Laika has its origins in Wiltshire, just down the road from SFX Towers. Its the story of eponymous creatures who live under the town of Cheesebridge, a place author Alan Snow based on his home town of Trowbridge in source novel Here Be Monsters! though back then he called it Ratbridge.Cheesebridge is a fictional place right above

where the Boxtrolls live, Laika CEO Travis Knight tells Red Alert. It looks nothing like our version of it. Our architecture is kind of a fusion of European and Asian. Its like Miyazaki Europe, adds director

Anthony Stacchi.

SIR BEN KINGSLEY TOOK IT LYING DOWN

2The Boxtrolls arent loved by the residents of Cheesebridge, who think the creatures steal both their dairy

products and their kids. The child theft part is, of course, a lie, but its a belief pest catcher Archibald Snatcher uses to his advantage when he wants to increase his social standing in the town.

After his memorable turn in Iron Man 3, Sir Ben Kingsley is back on bad-guy duties as Snatcher, and he played it rather easier than you might expect. I lay flat, I had a seat that pushed me right back so that my voice could come from a very relaxed body, he recalls. I tried to make my voice as elastic as possible. I lengthened vowels beyond their normal length

in certain words. There are things that I can do in an animated film that, if I were in a naturalistic film, would not be acceptable.

ITD BE NOTHING WITHOUT 3D PRINTERS

3While stopmotion is as old as cinema, Laika has brought the technique bang up to date by using 3D printers to

create incredibly versatile puppets.Coraline was the first time that we used 3D

printing, it had never been used that way before, explains Knight. In the infancy of the technology it could only print in black-and-white and shades of grey. On Paranorman we brought colour printing into the mix. For The Boxtrolls we wanted to bring a level of stylisation to the design, so you have these strange opposing colours all over the faces of the characters. When you see it all come to life it looks beautiful.

THESE GUYS LOVE STOPMOTION

4Computer animation may be the dominant medium of the time, but the Laika guys say stopmotion is in

their blood. I think that the artist is inextricable from the art, says Knight. It would be like asking a great painter to become a great photographer, its two different things. We are craftspeople, we build these things by hand, and we make these films by hand, and that ultimately informs our perspective on how they ultimately come out.

THOUGH IT DOESNTGET ANY EASIER

5But for all the technical advances, its still just a case of moving each puppet just a tiny amount. Again.

And again. And again... The process is unspeedupable as far as I can tell! laughs Stacchi.

For every way you can speed something up, it slows something else down, Knight chips in. Animating sucks, its the worst thing, but its also who we are and what we do. I really couldnt imagine a different kind of life for me.

The Boxtrolls is released on Friday 12 September.

Help, theres a big man in a cap invading our world!

Patience-testing, painful,

time-consuming but

worth it in the end.

Five things you need to know aboutThe latest stopmotion animation from the makers of Coraline and Paranorman

October 2014 13

red alert

NEWBIES Anthony Hopkins and Evan Rachel Wood to star in a WestWorld TV show for HBO.

superted returning to TV in 2016. Creator Mike Young is involved, and plans to bring back voice actors Melvyn Hayes and Derek Griffiths.

Guardians of the Galaxy animated show heading to Disney XD.

Papa Midnite and the Newcastle crew to feature in the first season of Constantine.

Hugo Strange and Harvey Dent to appear in Gotham.

MTV greenlights ten-episode shannara series, based on Terry Brooks Shannara books.

Syfy orders an adaptation of Lev Grossmans the maGiCian to pilot.

David Slade to direct PlayStation Networks live-action poWers adaptation.

Allison Williams to play peter pan, alongside Christopher Walkens Captain hook, in NBCs live musical production.

Episode eight of the flash and arroW to be a combined for a two-hour crossover story.

Continued on p15.

aerial assaultsf tv round up

I find that question pretty offensive, frankly, when people start speculating about my death and my health, so fuck you to those people

George rr martin lets his feelings be known about those who suggest he wont be around long

enough to finish a song of ice and fire.

sci-fact!paul mcGillion auditioned to play scotty in JJ abrams Star

Trek, and had a small roleas a federation

officer.

Born In PaIsley, Paul McGillions family moved to Canada when he was two years old. Cutting his acting teeth on guest-starring roles on Sliders, The X-Files, First Wave and The Commish,

McGillion also showed up in a first season episode of Stargate SG-1 before starring as the fan favourite Dr Carson Beckett in spin-off series Stargate Atlantis. More recently, hes appeared in 24, Supernatural, V, Sanctuary, Fringe and Once Upon A Time. Hell also appear in Brad Birds upcoming top-secret movie Tomorrowland next year.

Would you lIkE to play dr CarSoN BECkEtt agaIN? absolutely, if the opportunity came along. It would be a blast!

WhatS thE StraNgESt rEquESt youvE had from a faN? I once signed a blue, rubber surgical glove for a fan. He apparently got a lot of people to sign gloves, and I asked him what he did with them. He told me he filled them with contact cement and put them on his wall. I wrote, Paul McGillion Dr Carson Beckett HelP Me.

havE aNy of CarSoNS SkIllS or attrIButES havE BEEN uSEful IN rEal lIfE? Im the worst doctor in the galaxy, but I think his sense of humour is something great to have.

What Would BECkEtt BE doINg NoW? Hed probably be on a planet somewhere with a bunch of swedish models!

do you thINk aNythINg WaS uNfINIShEd aBout hIS Story? I think theres a multitude of different stories that could be told from his perspective, and with all the characters from Stargate Atlantis. I think there was a lot of room for growth for him on the show.

dId you gEt aNy SouvENIrS from thE SEt? I have the stargate. Just kidding, obviously. I have my costume, a couple of ear buds, and a few little knick-knacks.

IS thErE aNythINg from thE ShoW you WISh WaS rEal? Dude! How great would the stargate be if it were real? To be able to pop through the stargate to another galaxy would be amazing.

What Would It Say oN thE dr BECkEttS gravEStoNE? never gone.

afterlife #94

Dr Carson Beckett in Stargate Atlantispaul McGillion

Rick keRn/WiReimage (1)

tHe evil WitHin

in reCenT years MaInsTreaM survival horror games with their focus on making the player feel helpless have all but died out, replaced with an emphasis on crowd-pleasing gunplay and player empowerment. all that changes in The Evil

Within as the father of survival horror, shinji Mikami, is returning to the genre he pioneered.

I was conscious of making TEW a survival horror game and not an action-shooter game, Mikami says. I wanted to revisit the roots of the genre.

The Evil Within stars sebastian Castellanos, a detective who descends into a world of madness after attending a bloody crime scene at a mental hospital. as sebastian searches for answers hes dragged from morbid serial killer basements to nightmarish mansions loaded with deadly traps, all while trying to survive an onslaught of

undead enemies.Mikami is keeping much of the

game behind closed doors and with good reason he knows to truly terrify you have to give people what they dont expect.

The unknown is what makes us scared, Mikami says. Therefore you will be thrown into situations you least expect. you will be experiencing this with sebastian as he learns little by little, solving the mystery of why hes there.

The Evil Within is available on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC from Friday 24 October.

Resident Evil creator returns to survival horror

The goal was to make the game feel somewhere between Resident Evil 1 and 4.

Inner demons

ReX (1)


sci-fact!Its 17 years since Weaver last

played Ellen Ripley inAlien Resurrection.

We feel old.

GROUP ISOLATION1 Sigourney Weaver and most of the original cast of Ridley Scotts 1979 horror classic Alien are reprising their roles for

Alien: Isolations Nostromo Edition. The two bonus missions, available if you pre-order the game (or as post-launch DLC), will recreate key scenes from the film. Sigourney Weavers Ellen Ripley will be playable alongside Tom Skerritts Dallas and Yaphet Kottos Parker, with each character providing a unique view of the events. Alien: Isolation is due out on 7 October.

Like candy for yourocular nerve

ADVENTURE TIME AND SPACE3 This charming mash-up of Doctor Who and Adventure

Time is the work of graphic artist Alex Dempsey. The series of illustrations, entitled Adventure Time And Space, features Doctors 9-12 and their companions in a style that wouldnt look out of place in the land of Ooo. The Tenth Doctor is joined by Martha and Donna (who looks a little grumpy) and sports a nifty pair of red Converse. To see the full series head to owlhaus.tumblr.com.

BRICK-A-BRAC READING2 Anyone whos played the Lego Star Wars games, or has a Lego X-Wing

on their mantelpiece, knows that Lego and Star Wars go together like Jedi and lightsabers. Sadly this minifig recreation of the Episode VII readthrough picture by Lego isnt for sale (what we wouldnt give for a Lego JJ) but it serves as a loving homage to an already iconic image. The attention to detail is superb, with returning cast members appearing in full costume, Andy Serkis holding the One Ring and, of course, R2 in a box.

red alert


Scott Derrickson in a holodeck.

Youll be watching it the way youve always watched it only now its legalCommunity creator Dan Harmon is looking forward to moving online.

sci-fact!Scott Derrickson directed the Keanu Reeves-starring remake

of The Day The Earth Stood Still.

new author

The Essex authors debut is set in a world where magic is forbidden

edward Cox

DeMon wIth a GLaSS hanD

SHOWRUNNING AgentS Of SHIeLD showrunners hint the last few episodes of season two will be affected by The Avengers: Age Of Ultron as season one was by The Winter Soldier. Season two will also feature Barbara Morse, aka Mockingbird, who is yet to be cast.

tnt renews fALLIng SKIeS for a fifth and final season, and tHe LASt SHIp for a second season.

Ras Al ghul to feature in ARROw season three.

Dan Harmon says he will do anything to get Donald glover back for COMMunIty season six.

fox uK to air episodes of tHe wALKIng DeAD season five just 24 hours after the uS.

Chris Carter in talks with fox uS to reboot tHe X-fILeS.

teen wOLf renewed for a 20-episode fifth season, which will air in two parts.

BBC America renews ORpHAn BLACK for a third season.

Michael Slovis, Mark Mylod, Jeremy podeswa, Miguel Sapochnik and David nutter confirmed as directors on gAMe Of tHROneS season five.

Continued on p18.

Demon Days

no EpisodE of ThE 1960s science fiction anthology series The Outer Limits has influenced as many storytellers as harlan Ellisons soldier, credited with inspiring James Camerons Terminator and its many film progeny.

But another Ellison-scripted episode may soon be making its way to cinema screens demon With A Glass hand, about a time-travelling amnesiac battling alien invaders for his memory. scott derrickson (director of Marvels upcoming Doctor Strange film) is the man tasked with developing the adaptation by MGM.

i loved The Twilight Zone when i was a kid, but The Outer Limits was more to my tastes, derrickson tells Red Alert. it was meatier, more cerebral, more scientifically rigorous... MGM had the property and had talked to me about it a long time ago. so i went back and watched the entire series again. What was interesting about seeing demon again was how surprised i was it hadnt been stolen from more. i realised why when i saw it you cant really steal from it unless you steal all of it. The storys so intricately designed that its not like you can just take this one little element from it and have that much. What makes it work is the whole narrative itself. The fact that soldier spawned such an impressive cinematic legacy, its interesting to me that what i think is the superior story demon hasnt been done yet. There is something about the harlan Ellison story where the narrative itself is the gem. its not just this cool little idea or concept. its just a great story.

WHat WOUlD yOU WRIte aS tHe RelIc GUIlDS cOveR blURb? At the heart of a mammoth labyrinth, in a giant city hidden behind walls a hundred feet high, young Clara knows that an age-old menace has returned to her home. only the last of a secret band of magickers called the Relic Guild can help Clara save the lives of one million humans. Together they must find a way to contact the lost worlds that lay outside the boundary walls.

HOW DID yOU GO abOUt bUIlDING tHe WORlD Of tHe labyRINtH? A good starting point was knowing what was outside the citys boundary walls. Because the Labyrinths glory days are long gone, and it has been abandoned, those that got left behind needed to be able to survive. i dont want to ruin the plot by saying too much, but i arrived at a place where people are governed by rationing, scavenging, recycling. it had to be a dangerous sort of society, with a populace that knows it has already got everything that it will ever get.

tHe RelIc GUIlD ItSelf SOUNDS lIke faNtaSyS aNSWeR tO tHe aveNGeRS i was inspired to create a band of magickers by my love of tabletop RpGs and superhero groups. ive always enjoyed how these kinds of fellowships find a balance in terms of the kinds of abilities that characters require in order to succeed. i also like that these groups are formed from individuals, and that the members dont always get along. if theres one thing that the Relic Guild has, its conflict.

WHIcH Sf/faNtaSy aUtHORS WOUlD yOU lIke tO be cOmpaReD tO IN a DReam RevIeW? id have to go for writers who inspired me as a young man. david Gemmell, Neil Gaiman and Tad Williams. Thats not aiming too high, is it?

The Relic Guild is published by Gollancz on Thursday 18 September.

rex (1)

aerIaL aSSauLtSf tv rounD up

Doctor Strange director goes to Outer Limits

The original hand.


Freeze Frame

the b

uzz

sci-fact!Aubrey Plaza was named

after a song by 70sband Bread.

Meet Beth (Parks And Recreationss Aubrey Plaza). Shes madly in love with

Zach (The Amazing Spider-Man 2 s Dane DeHann). Judging by that scarf hes possibly a Fourth Doctor fan.

Zach is heartbroken when Beth unexpectedly dies.

Until she comes back from the dead, that is. Beths parents (John C Reilly and Molly Shannon) are happy to have her back, but not to see this in their living room.

Anna Kendrick plays Zachs friend Erica.

Unfortunately Beth returns with a few anger issues and hungers for human flesh so Zach ties her to the oven.

I Heart Huckabees writer Jeff Baena makes his directorial debut with this horror comedy, which debuted at Sundance.

Matthew Gray Gubler plays Kyle, Zachs brother. Notice the body on the road one of Beths victims?

She might be a zomboid, but with an oven tied to her back Beth isnt much of a threat.

RussellI liked DeHaan in Spider-Man and Plaza in Safety Not Guaranteed, but I cant say I like the

look of this. Zombies tend to be a turn-off anyway, but zombie comedy...? Nah. Nice title, though.

DaveIts no cinch balancing horror and comedy, and masterpieces like Shaun Of The Dead

are rare. Can a US teen romance measure up? Anythings possible going by this trailer.

IanWish-Id-thought-of-that concept, great cast (loved Dane DeHaan in Chronicle), best gag involving a

cooker ever... This could be excellent, if they can nail the emotion as well as the laughs.

CoRey RIChaRDs (WoRKIe)The trailer itself isnt all that captivating. However, the hilarious Audrey Plaza from Parks And Recreation

taking the undead lead should prove interesting. Its a shame the zombie genre is falling flat.

RosIeIts basically a gender-reversed indie version of Warm Bodies. Im happy to see a female zombie

though I cant think of any others since the sympathetic zombie became a thing.

This MonTh: We exhume the first trailer for zom-com Life After Beth

Release Date

3 Oct 2014

xxxmonth 20xx 15

red alert

October 2014 17

red alert

Christopher polk/NBC/G

etty (1)

PUSHING YOUR LIMITS Like everyone else on the planet, I was obsessed with Star Wars as a kid. I read a lot of sci-fi as well. I enjoy working in the genre because the circumstances are so extreme, and its my job to bring them to life. It challenges you as an actor because your parameters are expanded. You have to create this whole world and make it believable.

GET BACK TO WHAT YOU KNOW Rita on Dexter was probably one of the furthest removed characters from myself Ive ever played. Darla on Angel was a 400-year-old vampire! Amanda definitely is the closest to me. Shes a very Type-A personality, very career-driven. I love her humanity. In season two you see her dark underbelly revealed, and you still root for her. You still want her to succeed.

If YOU CANT BEAT EM, JOIN EM It hurts at her core that Defiance has been taken over by the Earth Republic, and she still has a sliver of hope that she can somehow get her town back; that having one hand on the steering wheel is better than not helping at all. So she does end up helping the Earth Republic, but ultimately shes just trying to save the town. Defiance is like her child.

SISTER ACT At the end of season one, [my character] Amanda lost her job, lost the election, her ex-husband died, and her sister disappeared. Shes struggling with all this loss. Shes become a bit of a drug addict. And shes now keeping her sister [Kenya]s business alive in the hope that shell return. She shoulders a lot of the guilt and the responsibility surrounding Kenyas disappearance.

NEW BEGINNINGS At the end of last season, we saw everybody lost something thats important to them. At the beginning of season two, its nine months later, and we see how everyone is dealing with what they lost. Those that were on the top are now on the bottom, and those that were on the bottom are now on top. We hit the reset button for season two, and everybody starts in a different place.

star turn

Julie BenzThe former mayor of Defiance shares her re-election plans with Red Alert...

Defiances second season airs on Syfy in the UK from 18 September.

Subscribe at www.sfx.co.uk/subscribe

Episode VII gets added X-appeal

October 201418

REX (1)

The hive ConsTruCT

Alexander Maskills award-winning novel is out now

Hive Mind

Thinking about what film I want to try and do after Warcraft. May give Mute one more push before I put it on the Don Quixote shelf

Could Duncan Jones finally land his white whale after Warcraft?

sci-fact!Many fans speculated the new ship was a Z-95 Headhunter, but Lucasfilm has confirmed

it is an X-Wing.

aerial assaulTsf Tv round up

Gearing up to fly away

Its bEEn a yEaR sIncE studEnt alEXandER Maskill was named the latest winner of terry Pratchetts anywhere but Here, anywhen but now first novel prize, which bagged him a contract with Pterrys publisher transworld.

the whole project has been a part of my life for almost two years, says Maskill, who was sitting his exams when he heard that hed been shortlisted for the prize. It probably caused me to drop a grade in my degree that said, Ill take a 2:1 and a book over a first and no book!

The Hive Construct is set in new cairo amid a viral outbreak. but Maskill didnt blow too many uni hours writing its history: I was more concerned with the present of new cairo, making it feel like a functional, lived-in city. My model was baltimore as portrayed in The Wire more than anything.

Maskills now preparing for life as a published author, learning from the process of working with an editor. What I submitted to the award was still largely a first draft, he says. now Im working on plans for a sequel. and theres another very different project Im toying with that has a working title of The Funeral Diner I can only describe it as Arrested Development by way of House Of Leaves, which illustrates nothing so well as what a weird guy I am.

The Hive Construct is out on 25 September.

if Theres An equIvAlenT of petrolheads in that galaxy far, far away, theyll all be rejoicing at this first sight of an Episode VII-era X-Wing. Revealed in a video for Disney/Lucasfilm/Unicefs Force For

Change charity initiative the scheme thats giving a very lucky fan the chance to visit the set of JJ Abrams movie the new-look fighter boasts a new paint job, different engines and a shorter, curvier nose. The pilots togs are much as they were before, however as is the briefly sighted mouse droid.

Its been confirmed that part of Episode VII will shoot in IMAX, and another actor has joined the movie. Brit Christina Chong, a veteran of Doctor Who, 24 and Line Of Duty, will play an as-yet undisclosed (arent they all?) role.

As for the established cast, Harrison Ford has been sighted without crutches after his unfortunate encounter with a door, and a hirsute Mark Hamill had a chat with the BBC at the Guardians Of The Galaxy premiere. I hear [Ford] is doing really well, Luke Skywalker confirmed. Itll take more than that to stop Harrison Ford.

He also gave some clues about the movie without giving anything away. Titbits like: I thought even if they did a third trilogy we wouldnt be involved, because its really about the new generation of characters. Were just there to lend our support and grow contractually obligated beards. And: The characters are so relatable. I think thats always the most important thing, because no matter what kind of special effects you have, the audience has to identify with each of the characters. Theyve done a great job, JJ and Lawrence Kasdan, writing a script where you immediately understand who these people are and relate to them. I think thats the most important thing. Jedi may not crave adventure and excitement but it looks like theyll be getting it here.

casting coucH True Bloods Deborah Ann Woll to star as Karen Page, Matt Murdocks longest-running love interest, in Netflixs DareDeviL series.

Lucy Lawless, Nick Blood, Simon Kassiandes and Reed Diamond sign on for agents Of sHieLD season two.

JR Ramirez to play Wildcat in arrOW season three.

Prison Breaks Wentworth Miller to guest star as Leonard Snart, aka Captain Cold, on tHe fLasH.

Syfys 12 MOnkeys finds its Brad Pitt. Emily Hampshire will play a gender-swapped Jennifer Goines.

OnCe UpOn a tiMe adds Tyler Jacob Moore (as Frozens Prince Hans), John Rhys-Davies (as Pabbie the King Troll) and Losts Elizabeth Mitchell (as a villain with ties to Anna and Elsa).

aMeriCan HOrrOr stOry: freak sHOW enlists Wes Bentley, Finn Wittrock and John Carroll Lynch (as the new seasons Big Bad).

Former Punisher Thomas Jane has nabbed the lead role, detective Joe Miller, in eXpanse.

Winner of the Terry Pratchett first novel competition.

October 201420

California Dreaming


Forty things we learned at

No, honestly, it is Wonder Woman. Theyre really not kidding.

Zack Snyder, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot and Ben Affleck assemble at Comic-Con.

Enjoy this beard while you can.

BATMAN AND SUPERMAN WILL HAVE ONE HELL OF A BARNEY...

1Theres nearly two years to wait before Batman and Superman have their Dawn Of Justice. That wasnt

enough to keep Con fave Zack Snyder away from Hall H, and the director even brought some superfriends along to meet their public: a Man of Steel (Henry Cavill), a Caped Crusader (Ben Affleck) and a Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) arguably the highest profile superhero team-up of the weekend, despite the later efforts of the Avengers.

The director showed off the first footage from the movie, with Bats decked out in an armoured suit (much like the one from Frank Millers The Dark Knight Returns), apparently getting ready to duke it out with Supes.

THE THIRD HOBBIT MOVIE IS PETER JACKSONS FAVOURITE

3Peter Jacksons on the final straight of his six-movie jaunt in Middle-earth, and hes rather keen on the

recently retitled third Hobbit movie, The Battle Of The Five Armies. By the time we are done with this film, which is going to be the most emotional and tense of the three, I think its my favourite, he said. Its got a nice thriller pace to it. When you get to the end of it, I think its going to feel like the right time to hand it over to The Fellowship Of The Ring.

One day, long after all of this is all over, all thats ever going to exist in the world is these movies as a six-film series. Thats how future generations are going to think of them.

...AND WONDER WOMAN WILL LOOK LIKE THIS

2Snyder also showed off this picture of Gal Gadot in costume. Needless to say, the internet talked.

red alert

October 2014 21

Images getty (4)

THE NEW MAD MAXIS A REVISITING

7Weve had reimaginings, reboots, regrets (Tim Burtons Planet Of The Apes was arguably all three), but Mad Max creator

George Miller is describing the fourth movie in his series in his own way. Its not a reboot, its not a sequel, the best description I have is a revisiting. It certainly goes back to the post apocalyptic world. Its pretty well a 110-minute chase and during that chase you discover the characters, their relationships and the backstory, and because of that its closest to Mad Max 2. The world is very, very elemental, very spare, and therefore you can tell stories within it that are basically allegories, morality plays. The simplest way to describe them is Westerns on wheels.

GAME OF THRONESIS OFF TO DORNE

4The ever-expanding Game Of Thrones cast well, expanded. Prince Oberyn may be [SPOILER!] gone, but

his homeland of Dorne will become a key location. Star Trek: DSNs Alexander Siddig earns yet another genre spur as Oberyns big bro Doran, Toby Sebastian is Oberyns nephew Trystane, and Jessica Henwick, Rosabell Laurenti Sellers and Keisha Castle-Hughes play his illegitimate daughters Nymeria, Tyene and Obara Sand. Cerseis daughter Myrcella, exiled in Dorne since season two, is recast as Nell Tiger Free. And the casting frenzy doesnt stop there, as Jonathan Pryce (of Brazil and Bond villain fame) has signed up to play religious leader High Sparrow. Wrapping up the newbies, DeObia Oparei will play Areo Hotah, and Enzo Cilenti will play Yezzan.

ROBIN DIDNT HAVEA STUNT DOUBLE

5The classic 60s Batman TV series was out in force in San Diego to promote its long-awaited DVD/

Blu-ray release. Adam West, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar slid down the batpoles to attend, and former Robin Ward revealed that he wasnt afforded the same stunt double privileges as Caped Crusader West. I was hanging about 14 feet above the tigers [in Catwomans first episode] and I asked the trainers how high can they jump. I was told about 19 or 20 feet.

KING KONG IS BACK6

Legendary Pictures, the outfit behind Godzilla, the Dark Knight movies and Pacific Rim, had a big presence in San

Diego, and took the opportunity to announce their next big movie and the emphasis is on big. Teased with footage of a big gorilla

emerging from a jungle, they revealed that Skull Island is heading our way on 4 November 2016. Attack The Blocks Joe Cornish is reportedly being lined up to direct.

MOTHRA WILL RISE8

Godzilla director Gareth Edwards showed up on video to confirm that hell be directing a sequel to his

city-pounding spectacle just as soon as hes wrapped on his standalone Star Wars movie. Classic Zilla foes Rodan, Mothra and Ghidorah are on Big Bad monster duties.

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN WANTS TO TAKE USINTO SPACE

9Matthew McConaughey came to town to talk Interstellar and brought director Christopher Nolan

along for his Comic-Con debut. Anyone expecting major spoilers clearly doesnt know Nolan, but he did talk about his inspiration for his trip into outer space: I grew up in a time when to be an astronaut was the highest ambition. I really like the idea that were on the cusp of a brand new era of exploration. Im very much hoping that the experience were putting together will take the audience on that ride.

WARCRAFT ISAN ORIGIN STORY

10Duncan Jones popped into Hall H to talk about his big budget Warcraft movie and it turns out its going

back to franchises beginnings. There is an awful lot to draw on from Warcraft, the son of Bowie said. In this case I think it really merits an origin story. We want to show how the world of Azeroth falls into conflict between orcs and humans.

THE EVIL DEAD ISCOMING TO TV

11Surprise Hall H guest Sam Raimi revealed that hes working on an Evil Dead TV spin-off with his bro, Ivan,

and Ash himself Bruce Campbell. Campbell has since said on Twitter that hes planning to star.

RAIMIS ALSO LOOKING AFTER THE LAST OF US

12Ace zombie videogame The Last Of Us is also heading to the big screen under Raimis watchful eye. The

games writer, Neil Druckmann, is on board to script, and Raimi has had conversations with Game Of Thrones Maisie Williams to star.

Thanks for everything, Julie Newmar, say Burt Ward, and Adam West.

Christopher Nolan and Matthew McConaughey are going Interstellar.

We love it that Sam Raimi always dresses smartly.

October 201422

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON HAS A REALLY BIG CAST

13Robert Downey Jr took to the stage throwing roses into the Hall H crowd, bringing the Avengers back to

their spiritual home. He was joined by Samuel L Jackson, Paul Bettany, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, James Spader, Cobie Smulders, Elizabeth Olsen, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo and even Josh Brolin (the voice of Thanos greeted his public brandishing an Infinity Gauntlet). In fact, the only principal players who didnt show up were Scarlett Johansson (pregnant), Joss Whedon ( just had knee surgery) and Don Cheadle (we havent seen his excuse note).

There was, of course, also some footage. Youre all not worthy, says Ultron, crashing a party at the Avengers Tower. How could you be worthy? You are all killers. You want to protect the world but you dont want it to change. Theres only one path to peace your extinction. This is presumably how the age of the Tony Stark-built law enforcement bot begins.

YELLOWJACKET IS ANT-MANS BAD GUY

14We already knew that Michael Douglas is original Ant-Man Hank Pym, and that Paul Rudd his protg

(and leading man) Scott Lang. The Hall H panel also confirmed that Evangeline Lilly will play Pyms daughter, Hope, and that Corey Stoll will be Darren Cross, a business rival of Tony Stark wholl become diminutive bad guy Yellowjacket. The movies new director Peyton Reed was in attendance, which perhaps explains the decision not to invite questions from the audience were assuming many would have been awkward and Edgar Wright-shaped.

THERELL BE A GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2

15Bear in mind that the announcement came before Rocket, Groot, Star-Lord and co bagged the biggest August

opening of all time, so this was (slightly) bigger news then than it is now. But Hall H was first to learn that the sequel to Guardians Of The Galaxy will be released on 28 July 2017.

MARVEL DOESNT ALWAYS GET IT RIGHT

16In 2010 they Assembled the Avengers cast for the first time. In 2013 they unleashed Loki on an unsuspecting

Hall H, and flew all of the Guardians Of The Galaxy from London to San Diego. This year, however, greeting the casts of Ant-Man and

Avengers: Age Of Ultron (including new additions) didnt feel all that. Maybe our expectations have been lifted to insane levels by Marvels usual gift for the theatrical, but without the Doctor Strange announcement that had been rumoured, there was a whiff of anticlimax to the close of movie proceedings.

OUTCAST IS THE WALKING DEAD FOR DEMONS

17Outcast is Robert Kirkmans new TV show and comic combo, and with it he plans to reinvent exorcism the

way he did zombies in The Walking Dead. When I started The Walking Dead the zombie genre was something I thought was ripe for a new take. And with Outcast I think I have the same thing, he told assembled press. I have a new angle on the exorcism story thats never been done.

Robert Downey Jr: shy and retiring as ever.

Outcast: bangin.

Yes, but Wheres Wally?

Images getty (1)

red alert


OCULUS RIFT ISLOTS OF FUN

18An Oculus Rift virtual reality headset is the perfect way to recreate a tornado, if you blast freezing cold air

at the user. We discovered this courtesy of Warner Bros who were promoting Into The Storm, the disaster film starring The Hobbits Richard Armitage. We experienced the twisters heart with Oculus Rift and a cubicle blasted by fans. The 4D experience was just a couple of minutes long but was one of the most thrilling experiences in San Diego.

AGENT CARTER HAS TOP DIRECTING TALENT

19Agent Carter is bringing Captain Americas directors from the big screen to the small. The First

Avengers Joe Johnston, and The Winter Soldiers Russo brothers will all direct the post-war series set against the origins of SHIELD. Since we know that HYDRA will eventually blow SHIELD wide open in the present day, wont that undermine what Peggy Carter is trying to achieve in her own series? No, insists Marvel TV boss Jeph Loeb, because well see at what point [HYDRAs infiltration] happens. And its not the biggest problem she has.

BATMAN DOESNTJUST WEAR BLACK

21What happens when you give a latex reproduction of the Bat suit to a bunch of artists and trendsetters, and

invite them to decorate it as they like? The Cape/Cowl/Create exhibit is the answer. Featuring 20 versions of the iconic costume based specifically on the model from Batman: Arkham Knight the gallery was open every day at San Diegos Hard Rock hotel. Contributors included Will Arnett, Sara Blake, VNM Yardley and Buff Monster, as well as Nathan Sawaya who built a Lego version patterned like the first Batman Detective Comics cover from 1939. Director Zack Snyder, bless him, simply replaced the cowl with a Rorschach outfit.

DANIEL RADCLIFFE ENJOYED HAVING HORNS

22Getting journalists to fight I took pleasure in that scene Daniel Radcliffe presented a clip from the

tragic-comi-horror-dy in which his Ig Perrish suggests that local reporters beat the shit out of each other, and the winner gets an exclusive interview with me! Next, he heads into a bar, discovering that his horns cause everyone to spill their darkest secrets, with the landlord acting on his impulse to torch the bar and collect the insurance payout.

THIS WAS RADCLIFFES FIRST TIME

23Despite being the face of eight Harry Potter movies, Radcliffe had somehow avoided making the trip to

San Diego until this year. Despite owning one of the most famous faces on the planet, however, he managed to wander the Con floor unrecognised thanks to a rather neat Spider-Man disguise.

THERES A NEWCAPTAIN AMERICA

24Okay, this was announced just before Comic-Con, but the timing clearly wasnt a coincidence.

Marvel has confirmed that Steve Rogers is retiring after being sapped of his Super Serum powers. Sam the Falcon Wilson will take on Caps mantle in Rick Remenders All-New Captain America.

M NIGHT SHYAMALAN IS BACK20

M Night Shyamalan is adapting all three Wayward Pines novels by Blake Crouch into one ten-episode series. And that

means the big mystery of the first book will be revealed about half way through. It stars Matt Dillon as a secret serviceman who winds up, after a car crash, in a small town from which he seems unable to leave. Part The Prisoner, part Twin Peaks? Every single thing in the entire story makes sense, promises screenwriter Chad Hodge. Youll find out the truth about episode five and then it keeps going, its not over, its about how you deal with that truth.

Dont have nightmares, kids.

Wayward Pines will also feature houses, dont worry.

Daniel Radcliffe! Should Andrew Garfield be worried?

THORS BECOMINGA WOMAN

25Marvels also making big changes on sister title Thor, having announced that Jason Aaron is

writing a new series in which Mjlnir will find a new owner a female hero whose identity is, for now, under wraps. This is not She-Thor, said Aaron. This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita. This is THOR. This is the THOR of the Marvel Universe.


CAPTAIN KIRK WILL MEET DR ZAIUS

27IDW and Boom! are hooking up for a Star Trek/Planet Of The Apes crossover. Kirk and co will have to

join forces with Dr Zaiuss orangutans after they discovers the Klingons are backing a renegade gorilla faction. Frankly they had us with the Primate Directive tagline.

HELIX IS RELOCATINGTO AN ISLAND

29In its second season, Syfys Helix will move its team of scientists from their first-season arctic base to an island,

where red herrings will add to the mystery. Showrunner Steven Maeda says he hopes year two will take a smart audience, lead them down a path and then go, Nope. Its not that.

Were doubling down on the crazy this year, he says. The show is a claustrophobic thriller. Thats what were trying to protect, moving into a new season. But also have fun with it and make it as crazy as we can.

OUTLANDER IS THINKING ABOUT A SECOND SEASON

30Ahead of its August launch, buzz was growing for Starzs adaptation of Diana Gabaldons Outlander novels,

and showrunner Ronald D Moore was hopeful about a second season pick-up. Were already thinking about prepping and planning ahead how we would do certain things, Moore explained. In the second book we go to Paris and return to the 20th century and theres Scotland again. Were having conversations about how wed realise some of those things.

FALLING SKIES IS BRINGING ITS WAR TO AN END

31Just before the con, TNT announced that Falling Skies would get a fifth and final season to bring the tale of

COLIN FIRTH KNOWS HOWTO USE AN UMBRELLA

28Director Matthew Vaughn dressed as Kick-Ass for a video introduction to his latest Mark Millar adaptation, Kingsman:

The Secret Service. He was joined by Mark Hamill (dressed as Hit-Girl seriously), who starred in the first clip as a kidnapped professor whos almost rescued by Jack Davenports impossibly smooth agent. The second clip saw a slick Colin Firth taking out a pubs worth of thugs with a gadget-packed umbrella and some electrifying choreography.

The Helix cast will get a bit more sun in season two.

Outlander can boast a man in a kilt, if nothing else.

If only the Falling Skies lot looked this happy on the show

You know that feeling when you enter a pub you know you shouldnt have

Images getty (3)

MARVELS OFF TO A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY

26Having delivered its own take on space opera with Guardians Of The Galaxy, Marvel announced its return

to the Star Wars Universe with three titles set after A New Hope. Jason Aaron, John Cassaday and Laura Martin will take on the ongoing Star Wars, Kieron Gillen will write Darth Vader, and Mark Waid and Terry Dodson have signed up for the five-issue Princess Leia. Theyre due in 2015, and will be part of official Star Wars canon.

red alert

October 2014 25

humanitys fight against warring alien occupiers to a close. What I wanted to bring to the show was a Cain and Abel struggle between these two brood mates of the Espheni, who were hateful to one another and deeply competitive, said showrunner David Eick. We dont learn too much of the backstory except to know one regales in the failure of the other. Taking that idea in another step in season five has been tremendously fun.

WINTER IS COMING TO ONCE UPON A TIME

33Since the reveal in the season finale that Frozen characters were coming to Once Upon A Time, theres been

some concern in the fandom that Disneys smash hit wont fit in their fairytale world. We love Frozen and we think it fits thematically so well, said co-creator Eddy Kitsis. Frankly, Elsa reminded us of Emma and Regina and Anna reminded us of Snow White. We really felt they would fit well in our universe.

UNDEAD UNICORNS34

There are mounts in the third Dragon Age game. We were shown horses but promised other creatures including

an undead unicorn (a zombie horse with a sword jutting from its head). Youll need them to get around the vastly more open world than in previous games. Everything has been supersized: locations for sure the demo took us to a revamped Redcliffe but also dragons, with you able to target individual limbs now as part of your battle strategy.

TRUE LOVE WONT RUN SMOOTH IN ORPHAN BLACK

35Theres nothing quite as strong as a fans desire to watch two attractive characters hook up. So could Orphan

Blacks Paul (Dylan Bruce) and Sarah (Tatiana Maslany) still be an item in the wake of his hooking up with her evil sister Rachel? If you like a couple, said Bruce, you would always try to drive a wedge between them. The introduction of the Cal character really did that; and Paul harbours some guilt over what happened to Beth so he sees redemption in Sarah and he always has. So you never know. But not with Eyepatch Rachel! I dont think he wants none of that any more!

THE 100 PICKS UP WHERE IT LEFT OFF

36Before showing a teaser of The 100s season two premiere, showrunner Jason Rothenberg revealed that,

The season is about these people coming together and emotional reunions. Well understand Mount Weather, who the Reapers are and how they got like that. Well understand

the Grounders way more than we do, mainly through Lincoln and Octavia who take us into that world pretty intensely.

ASCENSION IS INSPIRED BY REAL-LIFE (KINDA)

37Syfy miniseries Ascension is loosely based on a Kennedy administration Cold War scheme called Project

Orion. In the show 600 people in 1963 are secretly sent into space via a starship. Fifty years into the 100-year experiment, their utopia is disrupted. When we open up the show a murder takes place and its the first act of real violence so it starts to unravel our strength, said star Brian Van Holt. It puts a question in many of the crew members minds about our mission and what is really going on.

CATELYN STARK IS BACK FROM THE DEAD

38In a cruel tease for Game Of Thrones fans wanting to see Lady Stoneheart, Cat Stark actress Michelle Fairley is

being resurrected as one of the returned in Resurrection. She will play Jacobs grandmother and Henrys mother for the whole season, revealed executive producer Michelle Fazekas. Shes the mother-in-law from hell, literally. When the returned come back they tend to have secrets. Her secrets have to do with the family business and what that secret entails uncovers a big part about the returned phenomenon itself.

NOT EVERY YEAR CAN BE VINTAGE

39Much like Glastonbury, Comic-Con is so popular that you have to book your tickets well in advance, with no idea

who or what is going to be on the bill. So while this year was rammed with more geeky stuff than you could shake a very nerdy stick at, there was a sense that many of the biggest movies, the real headline makers, had stayed away this time around. The likes of Star Wars: Episode VII, Jurassic World, Tomorrowland and Terminator Genisys were conspicuous by their absence.

DOLPH LUNDGREN IS VERY, VERY BIG

40Either that, or our ad manager Ade is very, very far away.

BOOK OF LIFE HAS TUNES32

The Guillermo del Toro-produced Book Of Life presented a standalone clip that showed off the animated films USP

giving well-known songs a Mexican twist. So lead character Manolo (Diego Luna) stood in the middle of a bullfighting arena, serenading Maria (Zoe Saldana) with a rendition of Radioheads Creep (albeit with a slight mariachi vibe).

Were putting money on the bull.

Ades small stature is no laughing matter.

Orphan Black goes all 80s movie poster on our ass.

The Greatest Photograph Ever Taken. Ever.

smallz+RaskInd/WaRneR BRos./getty (3)


illustratio

n by paul cemmick

development hellYour monthly glimpse into Hollywoods hoped-for future

A tAngled web?THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3 Is the webslinger on a losing streak? In the comics they called it Peter Parker luck but in Hollywood they call it box office and theres no denying that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 saw the rebooted franchise continue to fall short of the blockbusting heights of the Sam Raimi years. Sony may be Spidey-sensing its time to regroup and rethink: the studio has just declared that its pushing The Amazing Spider-Man 3 from 10 June 2016 to an undisclosed date in the summer of 2018.

Screenwriter Roberto Orci is also officially off the project (well, he does have an Enterprise to fly). Sony is, however, still very much committed to The Sinister Six set to mash together major Spider-villains in one almighty foegasm, this spin-off has just locked an 11 November 2016 release date.

From romA with love!BOND 24 Will 007 be taking his gelato shaken not stirred? New intell suggests that the superspy is bound for Rome in his next adventure astonishingly the first time MI6s favourite blunt

instrument will have visited the Eternal City on the big screen, though Ian Fleming placed him there in the short story Risico. Lazio Film Commission president Luciano Sovena reveals that he recently met with the Bondmakers to discuss potential location filming and let slip that a spectacular car chase in Via Quattro Fontane provides a key sequence in the screenplay. Watch yourself, Luciano people have taken bullets in the head for lesser indiscretions. Other potential locations for Bond 24 are tipped to include Morocco and Austria, conjuring the oddly boggling

possibility of Daniel Craig on skis. Skyfalls Alexander Witt returns to head up the second unit.

trip Advisor!DOCTOR STRANGE Hey, kids, care to expand your minds? We got some good stuff here. The best. Pure. Real pure. On the street they call it Strange. Youll soon find out why. Let Marvel main man Kevin Feige fill you in: We love the idea of playing with alternative dimensions, he tells those cats at Collider. Strange, in the crazy acid trip way, travelling through other dimensions and realms, is something we think

October 2014 27

also burning

rex (1)

red alert

www.sfx.co.uk

PLUS: Star Trek 3! Kingsman: The Secret Service! Daniel Radcliffe! The Last Starfighter! Life After Beth! all contents subject to change. its almost as if some

otherworldly force is playing a cosmic game of mousetrap. Go to www.sfx.co.uk for an existential crisis.

SUBSCRIBE NOWNever miss an issue see page 29

is very, very cool. Playing with the perceptions of reality. Heavy, Kev. Tell the kids more. I just watched the Neil Degrasse Tyson Cosmos series, which is amazing and which may as well be an acid trip. Its mind-bending and its all based in physics and quantum mechanics and were going to play a lot with the notion of that as an explanation of how the sorcerers do what they do. Sounds like a trip, huh, kids? So come on. Do some Strange. Hes a qualified doctor, right? Its cool.

oF curse you cAn!THE MUMMY The entrance to the tomb creaks a little further open with the announcement that Alex Kurtzman has signed to direct Universals latest invocation of the Mummy franchise. Youll know him as co-screenwriter of Transformers and the JJ Star Treks but hes earned helming credits on Alias and New Day. Summoning the immortal Imhotep to the modern day, The Mummy is an opening salvo in Universals new box office ambitions. Sensing the possibility of some Marvel-style success, the studio is scheming to create a shared monsterverse from their portfolio of classic horror icons, connecting every great screen fiend from Dracula to the Creature From The Black Lagoon. Of course the last time they tried this we ended up with Abbot And Costello Meet Frankenstein Best brace yourselves for Dumb And Dumber: Mummy And Mummier.

From chimpAn-A to chimpAn-Z!PLANET OFTHE APES 3 Turns out you cant hurry evolution, not even in Hollywood. Director Matt Reeves reveals that hes in no rush to accelerate the timeline of the rebooted Apes

franchise, for all that longtime monkey junkies may be yearning to return to the world of the original film. He tells Cinema Blend, People have asked me, Isnt it boring, because you know how its going to end? And I say thats the best part about it. This world is nothing like that world. How do we get from here to there? Instead of being a story about what it becomes a story about how and why, which is all about character. And if this is Caesars story, and the story of the mythic character that he becomes, then as we know in the Apes timeline, Caesars begat other Caesars, and its a generational story. This is an epic journey toward the trajectory of that story. So just be patient, lovers of orangutans in beige jerkins.

lost in Austin!THE SIX BILLION DOLLAR MAN Steve Austin. Astronaut. A man barely alive. Gentlemen, we can reboot him. We have the technology Yes, Universal still aims to revive the slumbering bionic icon, played on television by squinty beefcake Lee Majors. This inflation-adjusted big screen adap has been stalling for over 15 years now, with everyone from Chris Rock to Leonardo DiCaprio to Jim Carrey in the frame to play the crippled-astronaut-turned-cyborg-secret-agent. Now comes word that Mark Wahlberg is top pick for some slo-mo derring-do, building on his newfound action king status after the success of Transformers: Age Of Migraine. Either that or someones a Funky Bunch fan. If Wahlberg does land the gig hell reunite with Lone Survivor helmer Peter Berg, whos attached to produce and potentially direct this upgrade of the 70s TV classic.

with one mAgic wordSHAZAM Oh, hes a terrible tease, that Dwayne Johnson. The former Rock recently confirmed to Total Film that hes in the frame to play a DC Comics icon on the big screen. He just wont say who. He could always be an out-of-the-box choice for Lana Lang, of course, but given that he cryptically added Just say the word. Thats all Im going to say our fine minds conclude that the geologically inclined thesp is alluding to Captain Marvel, the white-caped hero who uses the magic word Shazam! to transform from little kid to ubermensch. Either that or hes playing Black Adam, Captain Marvels pointy eared arch nemesis, who also wields those two mighty syllables. We can probably rule out obscure Swamp Thing character The Word, cant we? It is going to happen, he tells Today. We still have to find the right writer. Were having two, three takes right now.

nextmonth# 253

DRACULA UNTOLDThe prince of darkness is back for blood!

ARROWThe inside word on the archers third season!

THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!International Rescue returns to TV!

Eva GrEEn in the frame for Tim Burtons Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children at Twentieth Century Fox Paul FEiG frontrunner to direct Ghostbusters 3, rebooting with all-female team... Will FErrEll planning a big-screen take on Manimal EdGar WriGht directing adaptation of YA novel Grasshopper Jungle darrEn aronoFsky considering lunar Fargo-style tale Moonfall Mark roManEk helming Shining prequel Overlook Hotel soska sistErs directing comic book adap Painkiller Jane QuEntin tarantino mulling SF project Matt rEEvEs following Planet Of The Apes 3 with The Invisible Woman F JaviEr GutiErrEz tapped to direct The Ring 3 MichaEl and PEtEr sPiEriG helming period horror Winchester for Hammer, inspired by Californias Winchester Mystery House kEvin sMith planning Canadian horror Moose Jaws (Jaws, with a moose) Argo screenwriter chris tErrio negotiating to write Justice League toMMy lEE JonEs joining kEvin costnEr and Gary oldMan in neuroscience thriller Criminal stEvEn sPiElbErGs take on Roald Dahls The BFG targeting a 22 July 2016 release albErt torrEs writing Universals adap of Locke & Key idris Elba orbiting Knights Of The Roundtable: King Arthur, the first in a proposed six-film retelling of the Camelot saga akiva GoldsMan writing Space Invaders (pew! Pew!), and many, many more

On saleWednesdaY

17 september

October 201428

opinion


Thogomized!David Langford says hello to an old friend

SF writer David Langford has had a column in SFX since issue one. David has received 29 Hugo Awards throughout his career. His celebrated SF newsletter can be found at http://news.ansible.co.uk. He is a principal editor of the SF Encyclopedia at http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com.

Theres altogether too much Thog identity theft

ILLuStrAtIo

n by AnDy w

Att

I ts been some time since Thog the Mighty, barbarian hero and connoisseur of barbarous prose, paid a state visit to this page. While he was away, others got in on the act and donned the Mantle of Thog, an almost unbelievably smelly garment from the middens of antiquity.

Famous author Adam Roberts, for example, recently survived a heroic read-through of Stephen R Donaldsons five 1990s Gap space operas, and found rich pickings which he dutifully submitted to Thog. Its a tale of high melodrama and great steaming lumps of emotion: Without warning, a tingle ran down Holts nearly strong spine and tightened around his scrotum. ...he was smiling like a corpse with an orgasm. Angus Thermopyle laughed a sound like the pulping of flesh. With his mouth full of ash and fatality, he recognised that before long he was going to go mad. His hands thrashed like dying fish at the end of his arms. (All from A Dark And Hungry God Arises.)

Overwrought similes, mystifying metaphors: Wheeling like a blow, he raged. Angus heart clenched in a grimace which didnt show on his face. His aura yowled of furies that didnt show on his face. Davies looked like his chest was congested with shouts. The air had grown viscid with mortality. Nick let out a clenched laugh. His beard moved like a blade whenever he spoke or turned his head. (Chaos And Order.)

In the final volume, people become very excitable indeed: Indignation and confusion appeared to flush through Chief Mandich in waves, staining his skin with splotches like the marks of an infection. Her voice ached like Morns arm. Mins jaws clenched and loosened as if she were chewing iron. Smoke seeped out of her hair as if the mind under it had been burned to the ground. His voice sounded as bleak as hard vacuum. Standing rigid, as if he

were remembering a crucifixion, he shouted. The sound of knives filled Hylands voice. Blaine wore her sexuality like an accusation. In response he brandished his beard at her like a club. (This Day All Gods Die.)

There are other magical phrases (Anodyne Systems, the sole licensed manufacturer of SOD-CMOS.)... but I should say more about Thog himself, who presides over the tortured-prose department of the SF newsletter Ansible. Officially hes a creation of my pal John Grant, whose The Book Of The Magnakai has the only authentic painting of Thog as its cover art. But Thog gets around. Back in the 1950s, US humorist James Thurber reported that his cranky radio would often say thog, thog, thog before

dying altogether. Can this be coincidence?

Gary Larsons cartoon cavemen in The Far Side are often called Thog, though also more famously Thag, a name now immortalised in paleontology try googling for thagomizer. A 9-foot shaggy blue monster named Thog was introduced in a 1970 Muppets Christmas special: this Thog made several comebacks and was once seen hugging Mia Farrow. Theres altogether too much Thog identity theft going on.

Knowing Thogs fondness for eyeball antics, a friend of Ansible sent a link to the Nyanglish English example search websites coverage of a forgotten crime-fiction heros eyes: nyanglish.com/jimmie-dale-s-eyes. Try it! Naturally I wondered what nyanglish.com/thog might reveal, and was boggled by the range of unlikely contexts in which the scourge of the writing classes appears. I dont want to know the source of the sentence Thog wears a leprechaun costume, while he packs a giant wooden alpaca with potato salad. There are things with which even Thog was not meant to meddle.

David Langford warns the faint-hearted to avoid Thog.org and its I Feel Unlucky random selection button.

Alsoavailablevia:

Free trial not available on Zinio. 14-day trial available on Nook.

SearchforSFXonyourdevices

subscribe to sfx

www.sfx.co.uk October 2014 29

Digital EditionTry two FREE issues!

iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc, registered in the US and other countries. App Store is a service m

ark of Apple Inc

GetthecurrentissueofSFXandournextissueabsolutelyFREEwhenyoustarta30-dayfreetrialonyouriPad,iPhoneorAndroiddevice!


IllustratIo

n by m

arIa colIno

opinion

Not So AngelicBonnie Burton wonders where the good angels are

our columnist bonnie burton, a san Francisco-based author, has written a number of books including her latest The Star Wars Craft Book. bonnie appears on the massive Geek & sundry and stan lees World of Heroes youtube channels. more of her writing can be found at Grrl.com.

Why have angels transformed into violent agents of destruction?

A ngels have a long biblical history of comforting humans and acting as Gods messengers. Guardian angels supposedly protect us from harm that crosses our paths daily. However, you wonder if they would rather shove us in front of cars and push us off rooftops, thanks to their depictions in popular culture.

Lately Ive noticed that angels are being portrayed in TV shows, movies, videogames, comics and books as anything but caring creatures. No longer do we have the benevolent and compassionate characters that graced us in the likes of Highway To Heaven and Touched By An Angel. Instead of angels that come to the aid of us lost humans so that we find our way back to redemption, we have the likes of Tilda Swinton as an insane angel Gabriel in Constantine (2005), demanding that humans suffer in order to earn the love of God.

In Neil Gaimans Neverwhere the Angel Islington is an evil menace. The angel Castiel in Supernatural tries to remain neutral among the humans but helps the Winchester Brothers so often other angels resent him. Even the Weeping Angels of Doctor Who send shivers down our spines from the mere idea of death by blinking.

So why have angels in popular culture transformed from happy-to-help angels of classics like Its A Wonderful Life into bitter, violent agents of destruction we see portrayed in film and TV?

Perhaps sci-fi, horror and fantasy have little use for religion and those who inhabit it? The everyday evil that lurks behind every corner and within us is fairly horrific to think about, so stick a pair of wings on our fears and suddenly it becomes entertainment. Its not that hard to contemplate considering weve been letting lost angels entertain us since Milton.

But that still doesnt quite explain the sudden desire for us to accept angels as creepy jerks.

To be honest, the descriptions of angels in the Christian Bible dont exactly make them sound approachable. The Bible describes the seraphim as having six wings covering their bodies. Then there are other angels that are reported as having bodies that are constructed of multiple wheels covered in flaming eyes, with limbs of bronze.

When we think of angels now, we dont immediately think these curious agents of God always have our backs. Then again, God did banish an entire legion of angels rather quickly for not bowing down to Adam after he was created, or so were told. If I were an angel, Id have a chip on my shoulder where wings used to be too.

And what happens once angels fall off the corporate ladder? In popular culture, they end up

mixing in with us unwashed masses. Many of them mate with humans and create children known as Nephilim. Or worse, they get management positions in Hell.

The Prophecy film series (1995-2005) has angels killing pesky humans who keep trying to undermine their power. And the never-ending angel battles in Supernatural make you wonder if Gods old beardy face should be printed up on LOST DEITY flyers and posted around the neighbourhood.

Perhaps thats the biggest question of them all. When

Gods away, is this how the angels play? Are angels just a bunch of juvenile delinquents who bully anyone beneath them when the ultimate authority figure isnt around to smite and banish them?

If pop culture has anything to say about it, were not going to see those helpful Jeeves-like angels around to keep us out of trouble. And if I were you, I wouldnt stand too close to those commuter train tracks. Guardian angels with grudges might give you a slight nudge towards a painful retirement.

Bonnie ponders that if Nietzsche was right and God is indeed dead, then does that mean were stuck with a bunch of moody angels from Abaddon to Zaphkiel?

GREATESTGAMESEVERAS VOTED BY YOU

PLAYSTATIONS

THE 100TH ISSUE S P E C I A L

P R E S E N T S

ON SALE NOW

OPM100_house_ad_222x285 62 12/08/2014 5:16 pm

Thurs 9pm18th Sept#Defiance Sky Virgin TalkTalk BT

Brand New

EVERY TOWN HAS A BREAKING POINT

SciFiMafia.com

DARK, RAW, EDGY

201

4 Ope

n 4 Bu

sine

ss Produ

ctions

LLC

. All Righ

ts Reserved.

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Def_SFX_PressAd_222x285mm_1.0.pdf 1 28/07/2014 14:23

letters

www.sfx.co.uk

Contact us: Email [email protected]

Write to Post Apocalypse, SFX, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, BA1 2BW

Facebook Facebook.com/SFXmagazine

Twitter @SFXmagazine

October 2014 33

THIS MONTHSLETTERS COMPILED BY

Russell Lewin, Production Editor Weve got a fantastic selection of letters from you this month, so without further ado, lets get cracking!

Oh bum. Ive got to fill this box out first havent I? This is as bad as IMDb! Okay then get ready for Star Trek, Doctor Who, kids TV, Leatherface and more. That okay now?

34 ask the sfxperts 35 videolink 36 soapbox 38 wishlist 40 event horizon

HOT TOPICWHICH KIDS SHOWS WOULD YOU BRING BACK?

STARLETTER

and fully delve into the Welsh mythology (the dragon was nice, but we can do more) and have a Big Bad in the form of Dr Beeching always threatening to send Ivor to the Barry Yard. It could rock.

CrypticmirrorChorlton And The Wheelies or Jamie And The Magic Torch. Basically any Cosgrove Hall

programmes as they were all pretty trippy lets inspire/mess up kids imaginations.

hornetxtThere was a mid 70s series called Sky that might be worth a revamp. Id add Children Of The

CITYS LIMITSI read the article on The City On The Edge Of Forever (Time Machine in #250) and I have to say I disagree with the great Mr Ellison.

Ive just read the first part of the new comic and thought the final version was still superior to the original treatment. Drug dealers in Star Fleet indeed!

Mr Ellison seemed to disregard the bible of the show for instance, would the death penalty still exist? Even Khan, who murdered millions, was given a second chance in exile.

I know I should wait to see how the comic pans out, but already I feel the rewrites served the story better, and gave us a tale that resonates with an emotion we all understand, mourning the loss of great love.

Maybe Harlan would be better off admitting that he created the gem of a great story, but others polished it and made it shine. All those awards and votes suggest they got something right.

Bob Pierce, Liverpool Collaboration is often what makes the best TV and movies great, and this episode seems to be an example of lots of talented people working at the top of their game. Interesting, too, to see how a classic TV episode started life.

Defenders Of The Earth. Man, that was a cool cartoon. Maybe ditch the kids and just keep the original heroes. Flash Gordon, the Phantom, Mandrake, that Lothar guy. They could throw in some more characters and have an Avengers-like team going on.

texmex1Either Robin Of Sherwood or Jim Hensons The Storyteller. Both were fantastic. As far as 80s cartoons go then the most awesome of the lot has to be Ulysses 31.

Ian PonsfordThe Storyteller would only work for me if they got John Hurt back.

BobcatJackanory. Nothing was more delightful than hearing a good story told by a well-known actor. I am sure for many it was one of the things that made them want to read books.

StumpyWhat would a reboot of Space: 1999 be called?

MarcelvandrielIm sticking with Ivor The Engine. Give it a half-hour slot, some CGI,

PostApocalypse

WRITE INAND WIN!

Kirk and Spock start their hunt for the giant moth

Space: 1999: orange alert!

Images ITV/rex (1), cbs/g

eTTy (1)

We know that in these days of wall-to-wall entertainment on your TV, laptop and phone, it can be difficult to sit down and

pen a good old fashioned letter (or even send a good old fashioned email). Thats why were super grateful when you do

and you do so we reward you with a prize.

The writer of this months star Letter will receive a brace of books from our pals at the

black Library Blood Of Asaheim, the latest space Wolves novel, by chris Wraight, and Priests Of Mars, the first book in the mechanicus Trilogy, by graham mcNeill. aces!

October 201434 Subscribe at www.sfx.co.uk/subscribe

ask the If you cant remember it, we can! Your sci-fi problems solvedsfxperts

Stones as well, but Im not sure I want anyone tampering with my memories of that...

CrystalWitchTimeslip could do with a reboot. Never mind the monsters of Doctor Who, that programme gave me the most vivid nightmares.

PummeluffpapaNone. I would reboot or remake absolutely none of them. I would repeat the original episodes. There are so many freeview channels, and most classic series still work as they have universal themes.

RomseyKeithId love to see reboots of those 60s shows shown on Sunday mornings on Channel 4 in the late 80s/early 90s. Land Of The Giants, Lost In Space or The Time Tunnel could easily be updated and with the quality of production values in TV these days could look amazing.

ColossalpikachuThe Tripods. Maybe they would make it to the third series.

ChrononThe Adventure Game. Moira Stewarts participation a must.

Me Thanks to all who contributed to this great chinwag. Personally Id love to see a modern Threads. (That was for kids, right?)

CROSSING THE DOCTORReading the Doctor Who/Star Trek: The Next Generation crossover graphic novel recently got me thinking what a pity it will never be a TV episode. But if all the legal technicalities got sorted out between various TV stations and networks could sci-fi crossovers happen between shows? Doctor Who meets Continuum or Falling Skies or even Arrow for example? The beauty of Doctor Who is that it could probably crossover onto just about any show.

Robert Graham, Lincoln That is indeed one of its beauties, and I for one would love to see a Doctor Who-News At Ten crossover.

GALLIFREYS FINESTAfter reading your Greatest 250 Science Fiction Moments, Im sending in my own favourite moments, from Doctor Who.

The Daleks: Barbara threatened by a Dalek.

The Eleventh Hour: The Doctor sees a grown up Amy Pond in that police outfit.

Comic story Prisoners Of Time: Adam Mitchell dies with the

PHANTOM LIMBI saw a cartoon years ago. It had a bad guy who was a mans head and a bit of his torso which was

attached to a full robot body. It was set in a slightly dystopian future.

Sam Gibson, emailRich Says:Youre thinking of Phantom 2040, a futuristic take on the Phantom, the comic book hero who summoned the strength of ten tigers in Defenders Of The Earth and was played by Billy Zane in a mediocre 90s movie. The cyborg character in question is Hubert Graft, the head of security for Maximum, the evil corporation that has its designs on world domination. Hes a former environmentalist who blames the Phantom for the loss of his body below the torso. He was voiced by Ron Perlman in the first season.

I REGRESSDoes anyone know the name of a film where a man turns into a Neanderthal? The only bit I can

remember is someone in a cage in a sort of laboratory and, crucially, the final shot of the Neanderthal walking away into a sunset and turning back to look at the camera. Its a British film, late 60s to early 70s and in colour.

Steve Hyett, emailRussell Says:Im pretty sure this is The Final Programme (1973), which I actually reviewed in SFX #241 when it was recently released on DVD (I gave it

Send us questions at [email protected]. Want to be a guest SFXpert? Head to www.sfx.co.uk/SFXperts to see a list of unanswered questions.

just two stars). It is indeed British and directed by Robert Fuest (the Dr Phibes films) and stars Jon Finch, from Hitchcocks Frenzy. The scene you remember is the final result of the scientists plan to create the perfect human being (ironic, ysee). I felt the problem with the film was that it doesnt make the viewer give half a damn about whats going on. But now, Steve, you can watch it again and see if you agree!

WAR GAMESMany years ago I remember seeing a feature-length pilot episode of something on Sky

Movies. Set in the future, an old human empire had fallen, apart from a small hidden group. They raised a man to be their hero, he promptly buggered off with an advanced ship and became a warlord. Any ideas?

Matthew Coates, emailGuest SFXpert Nic Moore says:This is The Warlord: Battle For The Galaxy, the 1998 Joe Dante pilot film which stared John Corbett as Justin Thorpe, a thief who seeks the aid of Warlord Xian when his little sister Nova disappears. Xian refuses and Thorpe forms an alliance with General Lars Sorenson, played by Rod Taylor. The series was to be John Corbetts big return after Northern Exposure but Paramount and CBS passed. VHS copies of the two-hour pilot occasionally come up on Amazon.

A man in Children Of The Stones. Shurely shome mishtake?

Maybe the Twelfth Doctor will be greeted by a woman dressed as a firefighter.

The final shot of The Final Programme. Sorry, spoiler-phobes.

Images ITV/rex (1), kobaL (1)

letters


1 2 3 4 5

The best of YouTube and beyondvideOlink

Jedi Musicalhttp://bit.ly/JediMusical A whole New Hope Jeffrey Gee Chin and George Shaw have created a delightful Disney musical parody of Star Wars. It features vocals from Luke, Leia and more as they sing their way through Episode IV.

Game Of Turretshttp://bit.ly/GameOfTurrets How do Portals turrets express their love of Game Of Thrones? Through a beautiful, melodic harmony it seems. YouTuber Harry101UK is responsible for bringing them together. Bravo.

Lord Inquisitorhttp://bit.ly/lordinquisitor Take a glimpse at the movie Warhammer 40K deserves with this 4K trailer rendered in real-time using CryEngine. The Lord Inquisitor is a fan-made Warhammer short film due soon.

Guardian

Documents

SFX - October 2014 UK