Live-Action Star Wars TV Show Enters Pre-Production Down Under

It’s certainly been a long time coming, but George Lucas’ live-action Star Wars television series is moving forward in Australia, according to SCI FI TV. The site notes that producer Rick McCallum has approached several well-known Australian writers to work on the project, which is still reportedly slated to begin airing in 2010 (although that seems unlikely at this point). The series will also be shot in Australia.

I know that it’s gotten pretty popular to rag on all things Lucasfilm post-Return of the Jedi (and even that has its fair share of critics), but I was pleasantly surprised by The Clone Wars when it began airing on Cartoon Network last fall. The computer-animated series is a lot more fun than the prequel films, and captures that swashbuckling space opera spirit that turned many of us into Star Wars geeks in the first place. Hopefully, this new live-action series will similarly expand on the best parts of the mythology.

Universal Wins Bidding War Over Asteroids Adaptation

Wow. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal won a four-studio bidding war over the movie rights to Atari’s Asteroids. You know, the 1979 arcade game where you control a triangular spaceship and blow up giant rocks. Pardon me while I facepalm for a moment.

...Still facepalming...

Okay, I’m going to ask the obvious question: Why does this need to be a movie? With no plot or characters to speak of, this is one of the most cynical attempts at brand exploitation I’ve ever seen. Can we soon expect Missile Command and Pong movies? I’m personally holding out for the Frogger trilogy and the Tetris prequel saga. Blech.

The producer behind the Asteroids film is Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who’s responsible for recent Eddie Murphy bomb Imagine That and the critically thrashed Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. So you know it’ll be awesome! [Ed. note: Sarcasm]

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Sigourney Weaver Has No Plans to Appear in Upcoming Ghostbusters, Alien Films

There is no Dana. Only…who? Actress Sigourney Weaver, who played the paranormally troubled Dana Barrett in the first two Ghostbusters films, told TVSquad.com that she will not be joining co-stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson in the upcoming third film. Weaver was also noticeably absent in Ghostbusters: The Video Game, which hit store shelves June 16, and was replaced by Alyssa Milano as Peter Venkman’s new love interest, Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn.

“I think they're trying to create something new completely with the Ghostbusters, although I know Bill is in it,” she said. “I hope my little son Oscar [from Ghostbusters II] is a Ghostbuster! ... I don't expect to have anything to do with it, although I wish them well.”

That’s a shame. The actress added that she also has no intention of returning to the Alien franchise, after 20th Century Fox revealed that it would be rebooting the series. Not only would her appearance in the film not make sense—it is rumored to be a prequel to Ridley Scott’s 1979 original—but she’s really had enough of the series and her toothy, acid-bleeding co-stars. She also said she wasn’t very happy with the two Alien Vs. Predator films, but, then again, who was?

“I never saw them, but one of the reasons I died in [Alien] 3 was to not have anything to do with those,” she said of the 1992 film directed by David Fincher. She returned to the franchise five years later as a cloned Ripley in Alien: Resurrection.