The big screen adaptation of I Dream of Jeannie has been years in the making. Now a script writer is attached, so who knows, maybe we'll see it in theaters in the next few years (IMDB.com lists a release date of 2010). And something tells me we'll probably see a belly button or two.
Producer Sid Ganis is bringing Rita Hsiao, who scribed Mulan, on board to rewrite the script for a movie based on the 1960s series. Ganis is psyched for Hsiao's vision of the character -- a Jeannie who's smack in the middle of modern times.
In a Hollywood Reporter story, Ganis said of Hsiao's meeting with the producers, "She has a terrific, bright, fresh approach to Jeannie's story, with a twist and turn along the way. She captured all of our imaginations in the telling of it."
When Keith and I were discussing some of the awards that we were going to do for the TV Squad Awards, we initially thought that doing an award about miscasting was going to get us a ton of nominees. Then we started thinking about it, and we couldn't come up with too many names off the tops of our heads. It seemed like our readers were equally flummoxed, as our call for considerations got less nominees than many of the other categories. I guess casting directors and producers are doing a much better job these days, since it seems like Elizabeth Röhm-esque casting disasters are happening less often.
But some names did emerge, which I'll list after the jump. The Squadders will choose the winner, and you'll get a chance to select the Readers' Choice for this award in the poll at the end of the list. So, here are the four people whose casting made us wonder just what the heck people in Hollywood are thinking:
NBC Universal and Topps have joined forced to create trading cards for the hit show Heroes. The first set is in stores now and second set will be in stores in July. Ninety cards are included in the first round, which features cast members and scenes from season one. Also, the set will contain special foil cars, flip motion cards that show before and after character morphs, swatches of costume material, and original sketches from Heroes illustrators like Tim Sale.
The first card set will include the following characters: H.R.G., Micah Sanders, Matt Parkman, Ando Masahashi, Hiro Nakamura, Claire Bennet, Nathan Petrelli, Mohinder Suresh, Sylar, and Peter Petrelli.
In a recent chat with Kristin, Kristen (that's Ms. Bell -- check the spelling) has been talking with Rob about the possibility of another series. It would be great if they were talking about bringing Veronica back, but that's apparently not meant to be. Only fans like us, we see that that is what we'd want most of all, but it ain't happening.
Cool news for fans of NBC's Heroes: it looks like the show is going to start filming a lot earlier than it usually does.
Shows usually start filming in July/August for the fall season, but according to Heroes star James Kyson Lee (Ando), the writers strike means that the show will start filming in June, and maybe as early as May. He says that NBC plans to really push the show this year, using the Olympics to hype the show.
I'll admit it upfront, Gossip Girl is one of my TV guilty pleasures this season. It fills in the void left after the ending of shows like The O.C. and Gilmore Girls. Now that all the episodes of this CW's new series aired (the show was picked up for a full 22-episode season but had time to complete only the original order of 13 episodes before production was shut down due to the strike), it's time to take a step back and analyze what we've been offered so far.
Heroes didn't have time to complete more than 11 episodes, all of which have aired, before production was shut down due to writers' strike. However, it was confirmed the cast and crew had time to shoot some scenes for episodes 12 and 13 (other sources say they had time to shoot part, if not all, of episodes 12 to 16!). TV Guide's Michael Ausiello reports that Tim Kring presented a new trailer at the Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival of Los Angeles, which includes some of those yet-to-air scenes.
Every fall season I get stoked about all the new shows, with cool new premises ("A guy travels through time trying to make right what once went wrong!"-- Journeyman not Quantum Leap), and all the big changes in store for existing shows. But it's equally exciting to see which beloved actors will be returning to television. Brad Garrett coming back to television in 'Til Death last year? Cool! Patricia Heaton and Kelsey Grammer both coming back to television ... together? That's gotta be awesome, right? Jerry O'Connell on Carpoolers ... well ... ? I like the guy, but I'm not scheduling a 'Welcome Back' shindig for him.
Half the fun of a new television season is the return of great actors and actresses to the small screen. And while I could have easily done 10 or even 20 of these, I've narrowed it down to the six talents who were most welcome back in my house on a weekly basis this past year. I've even been so bold as to rank them. Feel free to agree, disagree and present your own lists in the comments.
It's that time of the year again. Time to put away the bathing suits, winterize the boats, and start thinking about getting the big coats out of the back of the closets, at least up here in the Jet City. While it will be sad to see those long summer days fade into fall, the silver lining is a truckload of new and returning shows, all set to debut.
One of the first out of the gate is Gossip Girl, which premieres next Wednesday at 9 on The CW. They were nice enough to send a copy of the pilot over to TV Squad HQ, and I couldn't resist the possibility of a good teen drama, so here is an early look at what the fifth network has cooking.
It's casting drama times two! Heroes casting news is the Paris Hilton of TV news, you just can't go three days without hearing about it. If you haven't heard about it, you must not come to this website often.
Kristen Bell, formerly of Veronica Mars, was reportedly asked to join the cast of Lost next season as a new, recurring character (one of The Others!). But, Bell has apparently turned down the opportunity to live and work in Hawaii in favor of living and working on Broadway in New York City.
According to TV Guide's Michael Ausiello, Bell will take over the lead role in the Broadway version of Legally Blonde in February. He's putting two-and-two together to come to this conclusion, but it seems pretty logical. She has wanted to do Broadway in the past, but her Veronica Mars schedule would never accommodate it.
This seems like an...interesting...career choice. A role on Lost would boost her visibility with mainstream viewers, while a role on Broadway will only make her visible to those who are into that sort of thing. But, if Broadway's your dream, go for it!
All casting rumors for Lost seem to have been debunked almost as quickly as they spread.
Last week, Isabelle reported on word that Veronica Mars' Kristen Bell and Prison Break's Peter Stormare were being considered for two new recurring roles on Lost. The Stormare rumor got squashed pretty quickly, and today TV Guide's Ausiello is reporting that Kristen Bell won't be joining the cast, either. The reason, he says, is because Bell didn't want to relocate to Hawaii.
Well, shucks. I adore Stormare and would love to see Bell get a gig that'll give her a wider audience.
ABC's hit show Lost may only return in February 2008 but that doesn't mean they will start shooting episodes later than usual. The show is currently casting for the roles of two new recurring characters that may end up to be regulars. One role is female and the other is male (more about those after the jump since it involves spoilers).
Casting rumors are flying all over the Internet but two actors mentioned seem to be the most serious contenders: Prison Break's Peter Stormare and Veronica Mars' Kristen Bell.
The big screen adaptation of I Dream of Jeannie has been years in the making. Now a script writer is attached, so who knows, maybe we'll see it in theaters in the next few years (IMDB.com lists a release date of 2010). And something tells me we'll probably see a belly button or two. 
When Keith and I were discussing some of the awards that we were going to do for the TV Squad Awards, we initially thought that doing an award about miscasting was going to get us a ton of nominees. Then we started thinking about it, and we couldn't come up with too many names off the tops of our heads. It seemed like our readers were equally flummoxed, as our call for considerations got less nominees than many of the other categories. I guess casting directors and producers are doing a much better job these days, since it seems like Elizabeth Röhm-esque casting disasters are happening less often.
NBC Universal and Topps have joined forced to create 
Will it be the magic again? You've gotta hope so... According to Watch with Kristin on E!online, there's a good chance that the 
Cool news for fans of NBC's 
Heroes didn't have time to complete more than 11 episodes, all of which have aired, before production was shut down due to writers' strike. However, it was confirmed the cast and crew had time to shoot some scenes for episodes 12 and 13 (other sources say they had time to shoot part, if not all, of episodes 12 to 16!). 
... Six welcome returns.
It's that time of the year again. Time to put away the bathing suits, winterize the boats, and start thinking about getting the big coats out of the back of the closets, at least up here in the Jet City. While it will be sad to see those long summer days fade into fall, the silver lining is a truckload of new and returning shows, all set to debut. 
It's casting drama times two! Heroes casting news is the Paris Hilton of TV news, you just can't go three days without hearing about it. If you haven't heard about it, you must not come to this website often. 
The Cheers episode Ken Levine's still writing in his head
Giveaway Tuesday: Fastlane - The Complete Series
Giveaway Monday: The X-Files: Revelations on DVD
