Wednesday, June 6, 2001

BEAU SMITH TALKS PRIMATE

Beau Smith has provided The Continuum with a first look at Primate: Sword of Darwin, a new comic he hopes to turn into a movie.

"It's a special one-shot from a brand-new imprint/banner that Image Comics is doing," Smith said. "This is the first in a series of special presentations that Image is gonna do. We're pretty excited to be their first book for it.

"Primate is something that we have done with Idea and Design Works, a San Diego-based entertainment company. They were the financial backers on it. I wrote and co-created it with noted screenwriter and actor Kevin Bernhardt.

"As we speak, Kevin is pitching it as a film. That was the main purpose behind this project, to have it signed up as a film when the first issue hits the stands in October. We plan on doing more comics straight to films. Five other books are in the works right now. Kevin has written over 15 made movies and has starred in over 20 as well as TV.

"I just got back from Los Angeles where Kevin and I had meetings with Jim Valentino at Image, Leon Fan from Threshold Entertainment as well as Giselle Fernandez's Skinny Hippo Productions.

"Kevin has talked to special effects wizard Stan Winston about directing the film. National Geographics' new film division has also expressed interest in it."

The book, due in October, has two covers, one by David Michael Beck and other by Alex Garner. The art is by Mitch Byrd.

"It's perfect timing because Mitch's newly published art book has just come out from SQ Productions," Smith said. "With Marc Nicholas' colors on it, well, it looks like a movie already."

HUGH JACKMAN TALKS X-MEN SEQUEL

Hugh Jackman, who played Wolverine in the X-Men movie, said that production of the sequel should begin early next year.

"I think we start January or February," Jackman told E! News Daily during the premiere for Swordfish, in which he is reunited with X-Men co-star Halle Berry.

"Halle and I do a film every year together. That's our little contract with each other."

Berry, who played Storm and is getting media attention for a topless scene in Swordfish, also commented on the sequel: "Hopefully Storm will get to be a little more sexy next time, too."

In other X-Men movie news:

* Jackman, who appeared on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Tuesday, will appear on CBS' The Late, Late Show with Craig Kilborn on Wednesday night.

* Entertainment Tonight reports that James Marsden, who played Cyclops, could become a regular on Ally McBeal next season. Famke Janssen, who played Jean Gray, guest-starred on the Fox series last season.

SANDRA BULLOCK AS WONDER WOMAN?

Producer Joel Silver continues to talk about the possibility of Sandra Bullock starring in a Wonder Woman movie at Warner Bros.

"When I came to her and said, 'What do you think about doing this?'" Silver told E! News Daily during the Swordfish premiere. "She said, 'Let's do it.'

"So that may happen."

Silver also talked about the in-production The Matrix: Reloaded.

"It's staggering. It is beyond anything you've ever seen or conceived of," Silver said.

LADY DEATH, BAD KITTY MINIS

John Ostrander is writing Lady Death: Last Rites and Joshua Dysart is writing Bad Kitty: Reloaded. Both are four-issue mini-series that start in September and October from Chaos! Comics.

Here's how Chaos! describes Lady Death: Last Rites, which has art by Ivan Reis and Joe Pimentel:

"Readers were shocked, and gripped by the fact that Lady Death became mortal in her previous series, alive. Lady Death's ability to interact with real humans and be vulnerable to modern day realities made her transcend the boundaries of comic book fandom, and now a whole new audience is discovering her for the very first time.

"As her saga continues, Lady Death will continue to learn new traits, and over the course of the series, she will discover her previous self (as a goddess) and see the true impact of her actions. Will she move toward redemption or has fate charted another course? As readers go along for the ride, they'll be amazed to learn of the new powers that Lady Death has yet to tap into. What could they be and how will Lady Death accept them?

"Lady Death enthusiasts can expect Last Rites to be a story of one woman's epic struggle with who she truly is and what she may become. This breakthrough series sets the stage for Lady Death's ultimate dilemma: Will she return to being the cold, remote goddess she once was or will she remain alive? And also - how are the Chaos Lords and Death involved?"

Here's how Chaos! describes Bad Kitty: Reloaded, which has art by Adriano Batista:

"The story unfolds as Kitty's on the run from the FBI, seeking her parents to tell them the truth about the horrible things that went down in New Orleans. Bad move for this Cat, as the FBI stakeout her parents' house, making it virtually impossible to contact them! If that weren't enough, she's about to become embroiled in the very strange world of the Russian mob. This ghostly mob has a surprise for Kitty, because they are all creatures of the night - werewolves. Can Kitty dodge the FBI, save a little girl from her run-in with the mob, and face whatever lurks on the mean, supernatural streets of New York?"

FIRST LOOK: LAST SHOT #1

Last Shot #1 will arrive in stores in August from Image Comics. The issue is written by Locke and penciled and inked by Long Vo.

Here's how Image describes, Last Shot #1, which is the start of a bi-monthly series:

"Oftentimes, the person holding the biggest gun decides who lives or dies. The continent of Nsen runs on a justice system enforced solely by gunners-- bounty hunters who have modified their bodies with crude cybernetic weaponry. We follow the gunner, Revolver, to Hamilton City, only to find himself up against the biggest gun of them all; Krayde / The Cannon. Dead-Alive contracts, wild outlaws and kinetic gun slinging action accent this medieval western punk universe, where the gun is law and greed reigns supreme. It hurts to get shot by a cannonball. Note: This issue includes a full 24-page story in full color plus a bonus gallery of full color illustrations and development."

Last Shot #1 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.95.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

BRIEFLY