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Thursday, May 18, 2000

FIRST LOOK - X-MEN EVOLUTION

The Comics Continuum has obtained the first group image from X-Men Evolution, the new animated series set to begin on Kids' WB! this fall.

Featured in the image are the teenage versions of Kitty Pryde, Nightcrawler, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Rogue and a new character Spike.

Producer Boyd Kirkland, perhaps best known for his work on Batman, is overseeing the look for X-Men Evolution at Film Roman.

"It looks really, really good," said Carlos Lopez of Marvel Studios, which is producing the series with Film Roman. "It's a completely different take than other Marvel animation. It's a lot less generic looking."

"The designs are very cool," said X-Men Evolution story editor Bob Forward.

Wolverine and Storm will appear in the series as adult mentors, and Professor Xavier will appear as head of the Xavier Institute. Mystique will be a principal at the school, which will also include Blob, Toad, Avalanche and Quicksilver as students.

For more on the series, click here.

THIS JUST IN: GHOST RIDER MOVIE

Marvel Enterprises and Crystal Sky Entertainment have entered into an agreement to jointly produce a feature film based on Ghost Rider. The announcement was made today by Avi Arad, president and CEO, Marvel Studios, and Steven Paul, president and CEO, Crystal Sky Entertainment.

Scheduled for production early next year, Ghost Rider is expected to be budgeted at $75 million. Johnny Depp is being targeted to play the Ghost Rider. Arad, Paul and actor Jon Voight, who might also play a role in the film, will produce. The Ghost Rider screenplay was scripted by David Goyer, the writer of Blade and its upcoming sequel.

The Ghost Rider storyline focuses on a motorcycle stuntman, who, seeking revenge for harm done to his one true love, makes a pact with dark forces to avenge the wrongdoing. By day, the Ghost Rider is a motorcycle stuntman able to perform superhuman tricks; by night he is transformed into a burning demon on wheels as he hunts down those who bring pain to the innocent.

Beverly Hills-based MM Media Capital Partners, which recently concluded a $100 million line of credit arrangement with Crystal Sky, will finance the film. MM Media Capital Partners is the new banking consortium headed by Hal Sadoff, Rodney Paine and Myles Nestel, all formerly of Coutts and Co. and National Westminster. Revenues generated from the distribution of the film, as well as from licensing and merchandising will be shared equally by Crystal Sky and Marvel Enterprises.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with Avi Arad on this film venture. His creative voice and business acumen will certainly contribute to making Ghost Rider a cutting-edge and exciting film," Paul said. "Avi has already had tremendous success with Blade, and a sequel is to follow later this year. We are very excited to produce Ghost Rider with Avi and his Marvel team - the same team that just finished X-Men: The Movie and is currently working on Spider-Man: The Movie for 2001."

Arad said, "I met Steven while he was producing Baby Geniuses. I watched and admired as he continually overcame obstacles and naysayers. He produced the film his way, brought the print and advertising budget to the studio, and engineered a most successful release. I couldn't be happier to produce this project with Crystal Sky."

Crystal Sky's senior xxecutive vice-president Andrew Hersh will oversee the production for Crystal Sky. Hersh will work closely with Arad and Paul throughout development and production of Ghost Rider.

RAY PARK TALKS TOAD

Ray Park, who plays Toad in the upcoming X-Men movie, participated in an online chat on Wednesday night, discussing his roles of Toad and Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.

Here's a rundown of his comments:

  • Was he an X-Men/comics fan? "I was as a kid. I used to have the old Batman toys. I wasn't a very deep fan, but I knew what it was about as a kid before the film."

  • How did he become involved in X-Men? "They called me when I was at the Star Wars convention in Denver. And they asked if I would come to L.A. to see them. And when I met with the producers, I did a small audition on tape."

  • Does he have more lines as Toad than as Darth Maul? "Yes, I have more lines at the moment as Toad than as Darth Maul. And it's me ... my voice. And that's a big thing for me."

  • Does he change his voice as Toad? "I still have to go back and do a day's looping with my voice, so I'll tell you about that bit when it goes down. But, of course, it's not the way I speak normally."

  • Did he do his own fight choreography on X-Men? "No. I gave a little input, but mostly, it was written already. I just jump in and do it."

  • Comparing Toad's stunts to those of Darth Maul: "I haven't seen the finished product (on X-Men) yet, so it's hard to say. But it was physically demanding working as Toad. I had to be on the ball, but it was fun."

  • On the fights: "It was planned out, but they wanted to use the full potential of my ability. But my part was on the storyboard the way Bryan (Singer, the director) wanted it. So I didn't have a big input in to it. I did try to improvise a bit in fighting."

  • Who did he fight as Toad? "I have a conflict with Jean Grey, Storm, Cyclops. Toad is all over the place."

  • His favorite fight scene? "The fight I had with Halle (Berry), who plays Storm; it's my main fight scene. I can't wait to see the other fight scenes, though, that the other actors did. Bouncing, jumping, being toady was really fun. I hope fans won't be disappointed."

  • On Toad's background: "He's from England and in the comic he's Magneto's lackey ... in a way."

  • On Toad's powers: "Toad has a long tongue and he can leap and jump and stick on walls. And his legs are powerful and he's got gooey slime."

  • On having the long tongue as Toad: "It was weird. I've never done anything like that in my life. Imagine being at the dentist and being fit for a mold of your teeth. It was like that. It got a few jokes on the set. I went along with it."

  • How did he play Toad? "He's more of an evil, twisted guy. I tried to make him loopy, nutty, but calculating. Nutty, but he knows exactly what he's doing. That's how I tried to portray him. I haven't seen the finished product yet though."

  • On getting into Toad makeup: "I think the max was 30 minutes. I felt privileged that I was in and out. I admire Rebecca (Romijn-Stamos, who plays Mystique) for the patience she had in makeup. She did look fantastic, though."

  • Comparing Toad and Darth Maul: "Toad is evil, slimy, in your face and out of your face real quick. But Darth is more arrogant, domineering, confident. They're different characters."

  • Which action figure does he like better, Toad or Darth Maul? "I haven't seen Toad. But I have a 12-inch Darth Maul on the TV at home."

  • On Halle Berry, who plays Storm: "It was nice. I got to know Halle better. It was good fun. She was up for it. The first time I saw her was in Boomerang. I was 15. And when I met her, I thought, 'Wow!' She was fantastic."

  • What characters in X-Men did he find interesting? "Mystique. I thought the makeup was fantastic. And I was a big fan of Wolverine as well."

  • The best part of filming X-Men? "Just being part of it. Having a chance to show my stuff off again. And also when I was working in front of the camera. That is what I love doing."

  • On director Bryan Singer: "As a director, he knew what he wanted. He was passionate. I liked working for him. It was cool."

  • On Ian McKellen, who plays Magneto: "I remember just standing there with him, watching, observing, standing there ... absorbing. I tried to learn as much as I could. I was so fortunate to work with such a great cast of people."

  • Is he getting tired of playing bad guys? "No, not at all. They are more fun. I haven't played a good guy yet, but if I do, I'll be able to compare, I guess."

  • On having his own fan club and web page: "It's mind-blowing and overwhelming in a way. But it's fun, very nice."

  • Would he like to play Batman? "Yeah, definitely. I know it sounds funny, but before I worked on X-Men, I used to tell friends, 'It'd be cool if I was Batman.'"

  • Is he proud of X-Men? "Yeah. I've made a lot of good friends, and it was a good experience. I'm anticipating it as much as the fans, since I haven't seen it yet. I think I've done a good job, but I'm very self-critical."

  • Will he return in an X-Men sequel as Toad? "Possibly ... I don't know. I'd come back if invited, though."

    CABLE PLANS

    Cable writer Robert Weinberg gave The Continuum a look into the book's future, saying that "anyone who believed that Cable's only purpose in life was to defeat Apocalypse is in for a surprise."

    Weinberg said that "surprise" begins with a story called "Investigations of a Citizen Above Suspicion."

    "As you may already be aware, Cable #85 starts a two-part storyline entitled 'The Search for Rachel Summers,'" Weinberg said. "By defeating Apocalypse's plan to harness the energy of the Twelve, Cable changed the future and the timeline from which he came from now only exists as a shadow timeline - an alternate world quite unlikely to occur. Thus, Rachel Summers never arrived in that future and never became Mother Askani. Instead, she ended up in a far, far different future, and Cable sets out to rescue her. This has been mentioned before and the story is already written.

    "However, the same issue, Cable # 85 also begins a long-running plot thread that will signal a major change in direction in the storyline of Cable, since his very first appearance in New Mutants # 88. I'm calling it "Investigations of a Citizen Above Suspicion' and I thought you might want to know a little about it.

    "Irene Merryweather is going to start an investigation of Cable's early life and going to discover some major mysteries involving his childhood. Like the following:

    "When baby Nathan was first infected with the techno-organic virus on the Moon, (X-Factor #68) both Ship and Beast confirmed that the virus affected him at a DNA/cellular level. That's why he could not be cured in modern times. Thus, Scott allowed the Askani sister to take Nathan to the far future to be cured.

    "But, as we all know, from The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix, Nathan was NOT cured. More important, to fool Apocalypse into thinking he had located Nathan in the future, the Sisterhood created a clone of Nathan who they allowed Apocalypse to capture. That clone grew up to be Stryfe. But, Stryfe didn't have the techno-virus! If he was a clone of Nathan, he should have had the techno-organic virus because the virus affected Nate's basic DNA structure. And clones are created from cellular DNA. Since Stryfe didn't have the virus, it meant the Askani Sisterhood somehow cured the cells used in creating his clone. If they could do that, why didn't they cure Nate of the disease as well?

    "It's not a point that's ever been discussed before in Cable, but it should have been. It's only one of a number of mysteries involving Nathan's childhood and the Askani.

    "There are too many strange contradictions in Cable's life to be mere coincidences. People who have read my novels know that in my stories 'there are no coincidences.'"

    NEW BONE ACTION FIGURES

    Cartoon Books on Wednesday announced plans to launch a new toy line. This time, however, the figures will be coming directly from Cartoon Books, not licensed through an outside agent.

    According to Jeff Smith, creator of Bone, plans are for the toy line to be released in the fourth quarter this year. The line will include Phoney Bone, Gran'ma Ben and the Hooded One, with other figures such as the Red Dragon and Kingdok already in the planning stages for release in 2001.

    The new figures are being designed to complement the existing ReSaurus figures. For example, Grandma Ben will come with the "mystery cow suit" accessory, which the original Smiley Bone can fit into.

    Cartoon Books has also announced a new staff member, Steve Hamaker, former product designer for ReSaurus, who directed the development and launch of the initial action figures. Hamaker will direct development of Bone action figures and ancillary products for Cartoon Books.

    "We expect to have the first prototypes ready for their debut this summer at the San Diego Comic Con International and for Wizard World," Hamaker said.

    "The toys that we have planned look awesome", Smith said. "I can't wait to tear them out of their blister packs!"

    SABRINA ON WB

    Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, the TV show based on the Archie Comics characters, is changing networks, from ABC to WB, but is not changing nights. The show will air Fridays at 8 p.m. (ET) next fall on WB.

    "It's great. We're very excited," said series star Melissa Joan Hart. "We've been on ABC for four years. Now, we're going to be on WB for at least two. It just seems perfect."

    The series will lead WB's new Friday comedy lineup.

    "With ABC giving up on its TGIF franchise, who better than The WB to try to take over that space?" said Susanne Daniels, president, entertainment, of the network.

    Sabrina will get an added boost because previous episodes of the show will be airing in syndication for the first time in mid-September. In all, 34 WB affiliates, covering 56 percent of the country, will carry the show in syndication.

    Here's how WB describes the fifth season of the show:

    "As she begins her new life as a college student, Sabrina gets her first taste of independence. With new friends and newfound freedom, Sabrina will be faced with all of the challenges of young adulthood, but life will be a touch more complex when one happens to be a witch. While having fun is still her credo, Sabrina will explore new relationships and discover that casting a spell is not always the answer to her problems."



    BRIEFLY

  • According to The Hollywood Reporter, Michael Tolkin is the new writer of the Hulk movie at Universal Pictures.

  • WB has picked up The PJs animated series, which stars Eddie Murphy, and will air it on Sunday nights next season.

  • Coming Friday: DC news - and much more!!!
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