In the past 2 weeks, theres been a lot of stuff happening... the Family Guy Movie, titled Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story has been leaked to the internet in high quality a full 2 months before its direct-to-DVD release date. According to the information file published by the release group Angelic Evolution, the movie has been ripped from an “exclusive DVD premiere.” The movie follows Stewie, the family’s maniacal baby genius, who sets out on a road trip to find who he believes to be his real father. The actual DVD, with features and all will be in stores towards the end of September. By the way, if you're a Family Guy fan you won't be dissappointed.
TvshowsonDVD reports that the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Volume 1 has an October 18, 2005 street date. The first volume contains the Best 10 Episodes as chosen by the those who voted on he-man.org last summer.
Everybody knows Thomas Hayden Church is playing Chameleon in the next Spider-Man movie... what everyone might not know, is so is Topher Grace. Church plays Dmitri Smerdyakov, who goes by false name Dr. Turner at Peter's college. The Chameleon also has a brother in this film, which will set up Kraven the Hunter for a future sequel. And Harry will indeed become the Green Goblin, at the very end. Spider-Man 3 will debut in theaters May 4, 2007.
The live-action Transformers movie site has been up for a few weeks now & personally, I can only wonder which way it'll go. The movie is set to open July 4th, 2007 & is now in pre-production.
It seems that we'll be getting a new Spawn Animated series soon... as noted during the San Diego Comic-Con, Spawn:The Animation will air in 2006. Keith David will be returning to do the voice of Spawn & this will serve as a pilot/mini movie which may be shown on TV before reaching DVD next year. Todd McFarlane and Terry Fitzgerald will be executive producers on the new Spawn animated series.
The Press Release From Spawn.com
Today we are proud to release the animation trailer that was shown at San Diego Comic-Con '05 for all to see here on spawn.com. Our update this week will give the "state of the animation report" as well as fan reaction to the animation trailer at the Con and an overview of the panel discussion TME President Terry Fitzgerald led along with IDT/Film Roman.
As of press time, we are trying to choose voice actors for our characters, as we plan to record early next week. Todd has been in Canada on vacation, making this an even bigger challenge than normal. It's decision time and with 12 main characters to cast it can be quite a daunting process not being in the same room with the actors.
Based on the casting choices made this week, Todd and Terry will be in studio in early August to direct the chosen actors. We are moving right along with pre-production and it's been quite an exciting process. On top of nailing down voice talent, our counterparts at IDT/Film Roman are flushing out and polishing up the last of the story boards in preparation for sending them to Korea to be animated. We have been introduced to our directing team in Korea and they have presented us with some stunning work to highlight their talents. We are thrilled to be working with them, as their participation will eliminate many sleepless nights of wondering how it's going overseas.
Reaction to the Spawn: Animation teaser trailer, which was revealed for the first time at the 2005 San Diego Comic-Con, has been overwhelmingly positive. Eager fans who have been waiting patiently for Spawn's return to the world of animation crowded not only the 1000-seat panel discussion -- featuring the creative minds from IDT/Film Roman as well as Terry Fitzgerald and his unique hands-on insight into the project -- but also the McFarlane Companies' booth where the trailer was on display for all to see. Eyes were continually, and in many cases repeatedly (as legions of fans and curious onlookers would return time and again) cast skyward toward the large plasma screen display in order to catch a glimpse of what is to come.
Check out the trailer right here.
Also, Justice League Unlimited fans should read Jim Harey's interview with story editor Dwayne McDuffie... Warlord fans should be ecstatic!
Press Release
Company to Release All 130 Episodes This Summer
Initial Two-Disc, 10-Episode "Best Of" Collector’s Edition
To Premiere, July 12th, and Be Featured at San Diego Comic-Con
Los Angeles, CA – One of the most requested—and anticipated—animation series ever created is heading to DVD. The recent agreement between BCI Eclipse, a Navarre Corporation Company, and UK media company Entertainment Rights granted BCI the license to distribute all 130 episodes of the classic "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" animated series on DVD. BCI Eclipse is currently working on an initial two-year release strategy, and the first, two-disc set—available July 12th during the week of the 2005 San Diego Comic-Con International convention—will be a special, 10 episode Collector’s Edition, and include a groundbreaking number of extra features. The announcement was made today by Greg Glass, Senior Vice President, BCI Eclipse.
"As studios and independent suppliers release television programming on DVD, one of the most requested shows for DVD release over the years has been the original ‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe,’" said Glass. "We have not only acquired the rights to this classic ‘80s, iconic animation series, but have spent many hours interviewing virtually all of the key players in the creation and production of the series. The initial Collector’s Edition is just the beginning of what ‘He-Man’ fans will see over the course of the next 18 months."
Mike Heap, CEO, Entertainment Rights, added, "We had the opportunity to work with a number of partners for ‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe’ and decided to partner with BCI because of their innovative marketing approach to He-Man. The extraordinary level of demand for this release underlines the level of affection the public holds for He-Man and its position in the market as a classic brand."
"The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" will feature five of the all-time best episodes from season one (disc one) and five of the all-time best episodes from season two (disc two). The "best of" episodes were chosen in part by "He-Man’s" multitude of fans through voting on the www.He-Man.org website. In addition, each disc in the Collector’s Edition will feature documentary interviews with a variety of talent involved with the original series, including Emmy-award winning writers, directors, artists, and others working behind the scenes. These first two documentaries, produced and directed by best-selling entertainment writer Andy Mangels, are the beginning of a 16-part documentary series produced by BCI Eclipse for release in future "season" box sets.
The two-disc set will also include two 4" x 6" He-Man art cards, which will feature one-of-a-kind renderings of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe characters drawn by two of the world’s most famous comic book artists. These first two cards will be part of a collector series of 16 cards released throughout the "season" box set series – each displaying the work of another world-famous comic book artist.
The Collector’s Edition will include two exclusive art cards by Bruce Timm and Adam Hughes. Timm is one of the world's finest animators, well known for his contributions building the modern DC Comics cartoon franchise. Timm landed his first animation job in 1981 with Filmation Studios where he worked on He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra Princess of Power and a variety of others. He also illustrated a number of the mini-comics that came with the toys from Mattel, before going on to an Emmy-award winning career on shows such as Batman, Batman Beyond, Superman, Justice League and Teen Titans. Hughes is one of the greatest artistic contributors in the field of comics today, and has won multiple Harvey and Eisner Awards in the comic book industry. Primarily known as a ‘good girl’ artist, his credits include Justice League, Wonder Woman, Star Trek, Tomb Raider and Gen 13, as well as countless covers and pin-ups for just about every comic company. Hughes was recently chosen to illustrate Warner Bros. Wonder Woman film poster.
Beginning this fall, BCI Eclipse will begin releasing the complete, 130 episode series in multi-disc "season" box sets, each including an abundance of extras that, altogether, will make up the most comprehensive collection of extras ever produced for a classic animation DVD series. Consulting with BCI on the project and providing extra content is Val Staples, the owner of www.he-man.org , the internet’s largest portal for the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe fan community, the owner of MVCreations graphic design company, and the publisher of the recent Masters of the Universe comic. Producing the special features documentaries and most of the extra content is entertainment writer Andy Mangels, a best-selling novelist, and author of Animation on DVD—The Ultimate Guide.
"He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" is a landmark in children’s television history, being the first nationally syndicated television program based on a successful toy line. Originally produced from 1983-1985 by world renowned Filmation Studios and syndicated until 1990, the show has experienced consistent popularity over the years, demonstrated by its two subsequent animated series which from 1990-1991 and from 2002-2004. The series has also experienced an exceptional multi-year run as a successful toy and merchandising line for Mattel.
BCI Eclipse is a leading independent entertainment video and audio supplier. Since 1988, BCI has continually redefined the standards and concepts of this industry, often introducing national success categories through its intuitive mass marketing skills.
Its vast collection of titles represents both exclusively licensed titles from around the world, as well as in-house produced CDs and DVDs. BCI offers a wide variety of the best value-priced CDs and DVDs being sold. For over 15 years, BCI Eclipse has brought the finest music and movies to homes at a value price.