Heroes star Masi Oka and Nate Torrence, who are shooting the big-screen adaptation of Get Smart, are set to reprise their characters for a direct-to-DVD spinoff. Get Smarter: Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control is being positioned as parallel content to the feature film, and will be released domestically 10 days after Get Smart. The story will at times cross over with the feature film and the direct-to-DVD movie might even recycle scenes from the feature. It is being put out by Warner Premiere, the new direct-to-DVD and direct-to-platform production arm of Warner Brothers Entertainment. Oka will play Bruce, a techie at spy agency CONTROL, while Torrence is Lloyd, a geeky analyst. No director has yet been hired yet but the division hopes to shoot this summer, as Get Smart, is wrapping up. Torrence is a regular on NBC’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
MGM announced an ambitious development slate of new films for DVD, including science fiction titles aimed at young men and women, as well as two telemovies based on SCI FI Channel’s Stargate SG-1: Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum. The Ark of Truth began production on April 15, while Continuum, which will feature epic ice-camp scenes shot on location in the Arctic, will resume filming on May 15. The films will feature SG-1 stars Richard Dean Anderson, Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Claudia Black and Michael Shanks. MGM has plans to release 12 or more projects per year, primarily based on popular film and television franchises with wide appeal to young-adult entertainment consumers. A list of SF&F MGM DVD titles under development follows.
•Audrey Rose, a remake of the 1977 supernatural suspense film, to be written by Andrea Meyer
•Pet, a horror-thriller written by Jeremy Slater
•Angelmaker, written by Alexander Vesha
•A new film based on Showtime’s supernatural series Dead Like Me, written by Steven Godchaux and directed by Stephen Herek
•Species: The Awakening, the latest installment of the SF film franchise
•Wargames: The Dead Code, based on the 1983 movie WarGames
Warner Home Video will release a number of catalog titles on June 26th. Arriving under the “Cult Camp Classics” banner are Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman, The Big Cube, Caged, Colossus Of Rhodes, Giant Behemoth, Hot Rods To Hell, Land of the Pharaohs, The Prodigal, Queen Of Outer Space, Skyjacked, Trog and Zero Hour!. All come with newly mastered anamorphic transfers, except Caged which is fullscreen. Retail is $14.97 apiece. The titles also will be available in themed boxed sets, including Cult Camp Classics vol. 1 – Sci Fi Thrillers, Cult Camp Classics vol. 2 – Women in Peril, Cult Camp Classics vol. 3 – Terrorized Travelers and Cult Camp Classics vol. 4 – Historical Epics. Retail is $29.98 each.
Warner Home Video will release Superman: Doomsday on September 18th. Adapted from the Death and Return of Superman comic book story arc that killed off the iconic DC comics hero in the 1990s, the feature film adaptation will include the featurettes The Clash of the Juggernauts, “The Artists Playground: From Art to Sound Design in Superman Doomsday” (producer Bruce Timm and his creative team of writers, animators and designers take us on an exciting journey of character evolution), a sneak peek at Justice League: The New Frontier and Defeat Doomsday: Battle Challenge. Retail price will be around $19.98.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release Donnie Brasco: The Extended Cut on May 8th. The true story of FBI undercover agent Joe Pistone, starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino, returns in this new edition featuring more than 20 minutes of additional footage reintegrated back into the film. The DVD includes a 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer, Dolby Digital 5.1, an audio commentary track and featurette. Retail will be $19.95.
