What’s shaking in the world of fantasy? Lots, as usual:
- A new version of the fantastic 1979 children’s novel The Neverending Story by German author Michael Ende may be in the works, from Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company. The first movie, which came out in 1984, was a modest hit, but the producers seem to think the project has much bigger potential in an era of Harry Potter mega-grosses. That said, there’s talk of giving the book a “modern spin.” Uh oh.
- A double-amputee New Zealander was once asked by a child about her lack of legs, and she told him she was a mermaid. Now, with the help of the New Zealand shop that did special effects for The Lord of the Rings, she’s become a part-time mermaid for real.
L to R: Neverending Story, real-life mermaid, Peter Jackson
- In the epic battle between Peter Jackson and New Line over profits from the Lord of the Rings films, Jackson has New Line corned in Helm’s Deep — and Gandolf ain’t riding to the rescue! In short, it looks like Jackson was right all along, and New Line was fudging their numbers. Will they get things straightened out before filming starts on the two-part film version of The Hobbit (which Jackson is producing, but, so far, is not scheduled to direct, in part due to the bad blood between him and the studio). The bad news is they’re still only litigating profits for the first film in the trilogy. Talk about a never-ending story!
- A Harry Potter ride coming to Islands of Adventure at Universal Studios Orlando? Plus, the last Harry Potter film (Part 2 of Deathly Hallows) finally has a release date: July 15, 2011. Part 1 is scheduled for November 19, 2010.
- Incredibly, Terry Gilliam is having problems finding a U.S. distributor for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, about a truly magical traveling magician, Heath Ledger’s last film. Still, it’s unlikely a deal won’t be struck eventually.
- John Williams signs on for The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, the first in a fantasy franchise based on the French comic strip, coming from Stephen Spielberg and Peter Jackson in 2011. Jamie Bell (Billy Elliott, Jumper) and Andy Serkis (the body double for Gollum in The Lord of the Ring) star.
![[Bloglines]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/bloglines.png)
![[Digg]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Fark]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/fark.png)
![[Google]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[Squidoo]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/squidoo.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Technorati]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Twitter]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Windows Live]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/windowslive.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
A new Never Ending Story with a “modern spin”. Uh-oh is right! Never Ending Story is one of the classics of my Childhood that I still watch to cheer myself up. Right along with The Labrynth and The Dark Crystal!
Have you read MOMO, Michael Ende’s “other” book? I like it just as much (more on a good day!).