Dark Shadows poster

The first trailer for Dark Shadows, the big-screen adaptation of the 1970s campy cult gothic soap opera was released this weekend by Warner Bros. The movie is set to open in the U.S. on May 11.

Johnny Depp has coveted playing the role of the romantically doomed vampire Barnabas Collins for years and used his considerable Hollywood heft to get this project green lighted.

A collaboration of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, the film is a period comedy set in 1972 – equal parts Beetlejuice and Austin Powers, it’s 100% campy comedy.

Joining Depp in starring roles are Eva Green (The Golden Compass, Casino Royale, Camelot) as the witch, Angelique Bouchard, Michelle Pfeiffer (Stardust, Witches of Eastwick, Wolf) as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, Jonny Lee Miller (Æon Flux, Eli Stone, Dexter) as Roger Collins, Helena Bonham Carter (Harry Potter series, Alice in Wonderland, Sweeny Todd) as Dr. Julia Hoffman, and Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen, Shutter Island) as Willie Loomis.

Actors with Cameo parts in the film include Christopher Lee and Alice Cooper.

Press release from the studio below:

Image via Wikipedia

One of the three genre shows on the CBS network will live to see another season. The network announced that 18 of its shows will return next year, including freshman science friction crime drama, Person of Interest.

The two other genre dramas, Unforgettable and A Gifted Man seem destined for the scrap heap as both are pulling in abysmal ratings.

The official press release is below:

PRESS RELEASE: MARCH 14, 2012

CBS ANNOUNCES RENEWALS FOR 18 PRIMETIME SHOWS FOR THE 2012-2013 SEASON

Renewals Showcase the Strength, Stability and Success of Television’s #1 Network

In a move that renews a large portion of television’s #1 primetime lineup, CBS announced today it has picked up 18 returning series for the 2012-2013 broadcast season.

 

The renewals include four comedies, nine dramas, three reality series and two newsmagazines. The returning shows encompass every night of the week and every hour, many of which are #1 in their time period and some #1 on the entire night.

 

The renewed comedies include the previously announced multi-year pickups of How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory, the season’s #1 comedy and the first scripted program to top “American Idol” in viewers and adults 18-49; 2 Broke Girls, the season’s #1 new comedy in viewers and key demographics; and sophomore hit MIKE & Molly.

 

Also in comedy, CBS and Warner Bros. Television are in preliminary discussions regarding future seasons for Two and a Half Men.

 

Renewed dramas are NCIS, television’s #1 drama/scripted program for the third consecutive year; NCIS: LOS ANGELES, the #2 drama for the second straight year; Hawaii Five-0, Criminal Minds, CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION, Person Of Interest, the #1 new series of the season, THE Mentalist, Blue Bloods and the award-winning and critically acclaimed THE Good Wife.

 

Among the Network’s returning reality series are THE Amazing Race, Undercover Boss and the previously renewed SURVIVOR.

 

Television’s top newsmagazines, 60 Minutes and 48 Hours Mystery, will also return in the fall.

 

“This large-scale renewal is testimony to the strength, stability and success of a deep and diverse roster of top-rated programming,” said Nina Tassler, President, CBS Entertainment. “It positions us for continued success next season and certainly creates an environment that will give our new shows the best possible chance to succeed.”

 

Season-to-date, CBS is first in viewers (12.13m) and adults 25-54 (4.1/10) and a strong second in adults 18-49 (3.1/08). The Network is posting across-the-board year-to-year growth, up +1% in viewers, +2% in adults 25-54 and +3% in adults 18-49.

The only sci fi flick to debut this weekend was the Spanish-language Sleep Dealer, whichwas shown only an a hanful of theatres in Los Angeles and New York. It debuted at No. 10 on the genre movie list and No. 37 overall with just over $30 thousand.

The sole genre film set to debut next week: The Mutant Chronicles also is set for a limited release befire going to DVD and a broadcast TV debut on the Sci Fi Channel later this summer.

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of April 17-19 , 2009.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

1. (1) 17 Again – $24 milllion | $24 million [N/A]
2. (3) Monsters vs. Aliens – $13 million | 163 million [$175 million]
3. (8) Knowing – $3.4 million | $74 million [N/A]
4. (10) The Haunting in Connecticut – $3.2 million | $52 million [N/A]
5. (11) Dragonball Evolution – $1.6 million | $7.8 million [N/A]
6. (15) Race to Witch Mountain – $0.7 million | $64 million [N/A]
7. (23) Coraline – $0.2 million | $75 million [N/A]
8. (26) Push- $0.09 million | $32 million [$38 million]
9. optical channel(30) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – $0.06 million | $127.5 million [$150 million]
10. (37) Sleep Dealer – $0.03 million | $0.03 million [N/A]

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.

Starring: Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Matthew Perry, Tyler Steelman, Allison Miller, Sterling Knight, Michelle Trachtenberg

Director: Burr Steers

Writer: Jason Filardi

Plot: What would you do if you got a second shot at life? Class of 1989, Mike O’Donnell is a star on his high school basketball court with a college scout in the stands and a bright future in his grasp. But instead, he decides to throw it all away to share his life with his girlfriend Scarlett and the baby he just learned they are expecting. Almost 20 years later, Mike’s glory days are decidedly behind him. His marriage to Scarlett has fallen apart, he has been passed over for a promotion at work, his teenage kids think he is a loser, and he has been reduced to crashing with his high school nerd-turned-techno-billionaire best friend Ned. But Mike is given another chance when he is miraculously transformed back to the age of 17. Unfortunately, Mike may look 17 again, but his thirtysomething outlook is totally uncool in the class of 2009. And in trying to recapture his best years, Mike could lose the best things that ever happened to him.

Starring: Eric McCormack, Jenni Baird, Robert Patrick, Jody Thompson

Director: R.W. Goodwin

Writer: Steven P. Fisher based on the story by Steven P. Fisher and James Swift.

Plot: Aliens invade – and hilarity ensues. Set in 1957, Alien Trespass chronicles a fiery object from space that crashes into a mountaintop in the California desert, bringing the threat of disaster to Earth. Out of the flying saucer escapes a murderous creature – the Ghota, which is bent on destroying all life forms on the planet. A benevolent alien from the spaceship, Urp, inhabits the body of Ted Lewis (Eric McCormack) – a local astronomer – and with the help of Tammy, (Jenni Baird) a waitress from the local diner, sets out to save mankind.

Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire – following the exploits of a neurotic hero, a free loving pagan warrior woman, a conman/sorcerer, a pig-troll-man, and a fiercely proud queen as they quest to fight evil while battling to overcome their own foibles.

NETWORK: Comedy Central
DAY: Thursdays 10 p.m. (9 Central)
STARTS: April 9, 2009

GENRE: Raunchy Action-Adventure, Anachronistic Period Comedy, Fantasy, One-Camera Sitcom (no laugh track)
RUN: 6 episodes (Premiere: 1-hour; other eps: 30 min.)

CHILD FRIENDLY: No
PARENT WARNING: Although semi-adult language may be a concern to some, the overriding theme of this show is its sexuality with the open mocking of heterosexual and homosexual foibles. This is refreshing for an adult audience – but may not be appropriate for children.

EYE CANDY: Lots of well-toned male and female body parts are shown. But rest assured, the only nipples on display are male.

(NO SPOILERS)

I have to be honest that when I heard that Comedy Central was planning a spoof series lampooning the sword and sorcery genre, with the name of Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, my reaction was more about skepticism than excitement.

Let’s face it, Comedy Central is much more frat boy than fanboy.

Added to that, the title character is played by British actor Sean Maguire – best known to American audiences as “Leonidas” in the groaningly un-funny and not-good 300 spoof, Meet the Spartans.

So, when I sat down to watch the reviewer’s screening pilot episode, I was dreading the worst. Boy, was I wrong.

This show is brilliant. Seriously. Despite some cheap shot broad comedy and fleshy gratuity, I was laughing out loud and wishing out loud that the episode was longer than a mere hour.

HERE’S WHY THIS SHOW IS GOOD: The WRITING

The studios that created this series are MTV Networks and the BBC, believe it or not. How can this be any good?

It’s quite simple: the creative energy behind this show is BBC Television – not Comedy Central parent, MTV Networks. That means the writing is witty, subversive and written for folks with IQs in the three-digit range. But the MTV influence really helps this show be more accessible to a broader audience. Somehow it works.

The creative force is series creator Peter A. Knight, creator of turn of the century cult favorite, Big Wolf on Campus.

HERE’S WHY THE SHOW IS GREAT: The VILLAIN

The old saw in fannish circles is that a heroic adventure series is only as good as its villain. If that is true, Krod Mandoon is destined for greatness.

Here, the personification of petty blithe evilness is Chancellor Dongalor, played by the glorious Matt Lucas, from Little Britain . He brings his talent for being unabashedly unselfconscious and somehow brings a sense of wit and dignity to what otherwise would be a series of cheap gross-out scenes in less able hands.

The character Dongalor is self-centered and so ignorantly blissed out in a stream of consciousness manner, he is a joy to watch. It’s like he embodies all that is shockingly hilarious about the best of Monty Python and Saturday Night Live skits.

OH YEAH – THE STORY

This show follows the all-too-familiar formula of an unwitting but able hero who discovers and accepts his destiny to save the world from an evil overlord. And as you can tell by the title, it has a flaming sword in it.

I’d tell you more, but I promised no spoilers.

THE CAST
The obligatory “Scooby Gang”:

• Sean Maguire (Eastenders, Meet the Spartans) as Krod Mangoon, the “golden one”
• India de Beaufot (Run, Fatboy, Run) as Aneka, the pagan warrior
• Steve Speirs (PotC: Dead Man’s Chest) as Loquatso, the half ogre
• Kevin Hart (Superhero Movie) as Zezelryck, the sorcerer
• Marques Ray as Bruce, the widow queen

Other Noteworthy cast members and future guest stars:

• Matt Lucas (Little Britain) as Chancellor Dongalor
• John Rhys Davies (Lord of the Rings trilogy) as Grimshank
• James Murray (Primeval) as Longshaft
• Roger Allum (V for Vendetta) as Gen. Arcadius

Opens:

What do you get when you re-make a classic landmark of science fiction film history like the 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still?

Better yet, throw in box-office favorite Keanu Reeves as the alien with the warning to humanity and replace the cold war message with one dealing with today’s obsession about environmental catastrophe.

Sound like a good idea?

Well, according to most of the mainstream critics, the result is an unqualified mess that may not appeal to anyone with a mental age over 12. And critics make a special note to point out to fans of the original film to skip this version altogether.

Of the few good comments on this update, critics point to a winning performance by Kathy Bates in a supporting role as a tough-as-nails politician. Also, the use of special effects and computer-generated imagery also got high marks.

But the lowest marks went to the story and script. More than one critic called the dialogue unintentionally laughable.

So, for those in fandom, this version it either destined for cult comedy status – or is headed to the dustbin alongside atrocities such as the remake of Planet of the Apes and the film version of Battlefield Earth.

WATCH THE TRAILER

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“… will probably resonate best with the preteens in the crowd, who might not necessarily care about the sluggish direction or the considerable gaps in logic. Everyone else would be much better off staying home and revisiting Armageddon or Deep Impact, which — compared to this movie — are models of intelligence, wit and complexity.” – Christopher Kelly

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“… Klaatu barada stinko. Pointless remake of the sci-fi classic is loaded with unintentional laughs.” – Alonso Duralde

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“… The original movie is beginning to show its age, but at least it holds up as a story. That’s more than you can say for a preachy, draggy blockbuster that espouses a radical message of Luddite technophobia at the same time as it conspicuously plugs Honda and LG Electronics, and dresses up its half-baked thinking in blinding (but not that brilliant) CGI wizardry.” – Tom Charity

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{for=”Hollywood Reporter” value=”4″}

“… the best science fiction has always been about innovative ideas and challenging issues. In this regard, the updated The Day the Earth Stood Still falls far short of the original.” – Tom Charity

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Starring: Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, Téa Leoni

Director: David Koepp

Writer: David Koepp & John Kamps

Plot: He sees dead people… and they annoy him.

Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais), is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts. Even worse, they all want something from him, particularly Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear) who pesters him into breaking up the impending marriage of his widow Gwen (Téa Leoni). That puts Pincus squarely in the middle of a triangle with spirited results.

Starring: (voices of) John Cusak, John Cleese, Steve Buscemi, Sean Hayes, Eddie Izzard, Jennifer Coolidge, Jay Leno, Molly Shannon

Director: Anthony Leondis 

Writer: Chris McKenna

Plot: In a land of mad scientists and diabolical inventions, what do you do when you’re born with a hunch on your back? You become an Igor. A hilarious twist on the classic monster movie, “Igor” tells the story of one Igor who’s sick of being a lowly lab assistant with a Yes Master’s degree and dreams of becoming a scientist. When his cruel master kicks the bucket a week before the annual Evil Science Fair, Igor finally gets his chance.

With the help of two of his experimental creations – Brain, a brain in a jar who’s a little light on brains, and Scamper, a cynical bunny brought back from being road kill, Igor embarks on building the most evil invention of all time, a huge, ferocious monster. Unfortunately, instead of turning out evil, the monster turns out as Eva, a giant aspiring actress who wouldn’t hurt a fly.

Just when the load on his back can’t get any heavier, Igor and his band of monstrous misfits uncover an evil plot that threatens their world. Now, they must fight to save it and prove that heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

They have been around since the dawn of time, survived the Ice Age and witnessed the evolution of the Homo sapiens, making them one of the world’s oldest minorities. Keeping mostly to themselves over the millennia and living in remote communities, a small number of cavemen and cavewomen have been slowly migrating from these sub-societies and attempting to acclimate themselves to the Homo sapien world. Needless to say, this has proven difficult.

Joel (Bill English) is a sophisticated and intelligent man who has a beautiful girlfriend, a decent job and shares an apartment with his younger brother, Andy (Sam Huntington, Superman Returns), and his best friend, Nick (Nick Kroll, VH1′s Best Week Ever). Nick is wary of the Homo sapien world and feels like he’s running away from his heritage. Andy, on the other hand, looks at this new world with his eyes wide open and is willing to take risks in order to learn and to live life to the fullest.

Nick questions Joel on many of his choices, including his girlfriend, Kate (Kaitlin Doubleday, The TV Set), a beautiful Homo sapien woman. The fact that Kate’s eccentric mother, Leslie (Julie White, Tony Award winner for The Little Dog Laughed), owns Joel’s condominium complex makes things even more complicated for the three roommates. Meanwhile, Kate’s best friend, Thorne (Stephanie Lemelin), is intent on discovering the cavemen’s wilder side.

Joel, Nick and Andy have to overcome prejudice from most of the Homo sapien world and the misconceptions that modern society has of its earliest ancestors. In order for these cavemen to survive in the 21st century, they must work together to render those misconceptions extinct.

Cavemen stars Bill English as Joel, Nick Kroll as Nick, Sam Huntington as Andy, Kaitlin Doubleday as Kate, Stephanie Lemelin as Thorne and Julie White as Leslie.

The series is based on characters from the GEICO commercials by the Martin Agency. Cavemen was developed by Josh Gordon & Will Speck (directors of Blades of Glory) and Joe Lawson. Bill Martin & Mike Schiff (Grounded for Life, 3rd Rock from the Sun), Gordon & Speck, Daniel Rappaport (Office Space) & Guymon Casady serve as executive producers. Cavemen is from ABC Studios.