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Over a decade into the 21st Century, our imaginations are captivated by creations of the 19th and 20th. Sherlock Holmes rules television and movies. We're eagerly awaiting new movies about James Bond, Captain Kirk, Superman, Batman and Spider-Man. Where are the 21st Century mass-media heroes and villains? Why isn't anybody even trying to create them? More »
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We expect a lot from Syfy, because it's the only cable channel devoted to science fiction. So it's inevitable that the network formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel will disappoint us occasionally. And sometimes people blame Syfy unfairly — like when Syfy pulls the plug on a low-rated show. More »
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One of the great joys of watching science fiction and fantasy is to appreciate the unintentionally hilarious lines that come out of people's mouths sometimes. It's inevitable that when you're exploring mind-expanding premises and weird worlds, you're bound to run into some really insane conversations. More »
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You can't conquer the final frontier unless you can cut an imposing figure. That's why so many science fiction and fantasy characters rock the awesome shoulderpads. Or, as we call them, "swagger pinnacles." Here are science fiction/fantasy's most astounding shoulderpads. More »
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Science fiction and fantasy films of the 1980s were filled with a ton of memorable, iconic, and patently ridiculous music. Here are 30+ of the decade's finest (and most painful) movie tunes for your listening pleasure. More »
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If you feel naked without a phaser or a pulse rifle, then you can make sure you're fully clothed with this T-shirt from ThinkGeek. It includes 10 famous science-fiction weapons with the year they first appeared. Can you name them? More »
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Dino De Laurentiis, producer of Barbarella, Army of Darkness, Dune and many other classics, passed away in Los Angeles Thursday morning. He was 91. More »
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In celebration of today's Scott Pilgrim DVD/Blu-ray release, guest editor Edgar Wright is posting all day at io9. First up: his detailed list, given to io9 exclusively, of the top 10 DVDs that influenced Scott Pilgrim. More »
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Gary Kurtz was George Lucas' partner in making the first two Star Wars films, but they had a huge falling-out after Empire Strikes Back. Now, for the first time, he's explained what went wrong with Star Wars. More »
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X-Men: First Class has brought on two awesome actors to play major villains. Will Transformers 3 start with a presidency-themed flashback? There's a new image of Odin and Thor doing godly stuff. And does Superman have a director after all? More »
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The illustrator who made his bones illustrating classic titles like Creepy and Eerie before continuing Alex Raymond's genre-defining work on Flash Gordon and bringing Star Wars to comics has died at 79, leaving a vibrant legacy. More »
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Mika's single for Kick-Ass continues the cherished tradition of musicians penning (often absurd) songs for superhero flicks. Here are some of the best and/or worst songs from comic-book cinema. And no, that Nickelback song from Spider-Man ain't on here. More »
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High School Musical dreamboat Zac Efron is rumored to play spacefaring hero/Freddie Mercury muse Flash Gordon. Could this all be just a disinformation campaign by Ming the Merciless? More »
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Whether you're looking for killer resorts, generational vampires or Iron Man from this week's comics, you're in luck: There's a great selection of new releases reaching comic stores tomorrow. Prepare to say goodbye to your money. More »
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There's only one thing Hollywood loves than a movie based on a toy: remakes. Dozens of science-fiction classics are slated for do-overs. But instead of remaking films that were fine the first time, here are 20 books Hollywood should film. More »
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Breck Eisner, director of The Crazies, is currently heavily involved bringing a new, non-campy, 3-D Flash Gordon film to life. But how do you take the cheese out of Flash Gordon, with all its winged and furry-faced co-stars? Eisner explains. More »
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Lost will give us answers, and closure, that you might not have expected, and a freaky V plotline will totally pay off. Iron Man 2 video-game screens show off War Machine. Plus Supernatural, Flash Gordon, Toy Story, Chuck and Caprica. More »
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James Cameron explains where Avatar 2 picks up, and director Breck Eisner names Flash Gordon's source material. Brian Bendis meets with Spider-Man film-makers. Plus Doctor Who's new game, Kreuk and Nimoy on Fringe, and Lost, Caprica and Toy Story spoilers. More »
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Two freshman TV shows are showing severe danger signs. ABC shortened FlashForward's first season by one episode, as the drama named three new showrunners. Meanwhile, Caprica's third episode got just 1.13 million viewers, less than Swamp Loggers. More »
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These days, every science-fiction hero needs to have an origin story — as if they're all superheroes. But some heroes are actually way better off without cookie-cutter origins. Here are 10 classic scifi heroes whose origins should remain mysterious. More »
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Excited about the prospect of seeing Avatar's Sam Worthington take on Ming The Merciless in a new cinematic take on Flash Gordon, as recently rumored? Don't be: Worthington himself seems to know nothing about it. More »
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Today we hear from Joe Quesada on Thor and Iron Man 2. There's a crazy new Doctor Who rumor and wild new clip. And True Blood's werewolf reveals all. Also, spoilers for Book of Eli, Legion, and Lost. More »
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The internet swears both Sam Worthington and Ryan Reynolds are fighting to play Flash Gordon. But is it true? Probably not. More »
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A Macedonian comics fan recently noticed this panel from a reprint of the 1937 Flash Gordon arc "The Outlaws of Mongo," which depicts the henchmen of Ming the Merciless apparently communicating via laptop computer. [Science Fiction Observer via Reddit] More »
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Why does science fiction television sometimes get a bad reputation? Oh yeah — because of cheesetastic opening credits like this one, from Jason Of Star Command. Here are a few dozen of the absolute scariest opening discredits in SF television. More »
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Whether you like robotic children, superheroic animals or dying detectives about to go all Fringe on you, there's something in this week's comics for you. Here's hoping you can afford it all. More »
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Comics auteur-turned-director Frank Miller is just putting the finishing touches on his movie version of Will Eisner's The Spirit, but he's already looking ahead. Producer Deborah Del Prete told Collider she's working with Miller on revamping a "classic scifi hero." But it's too soon to say which one. Flash Gordon? Buck Rogers? Dan Dare? I'm intrigued by the idea of a Miller pulp scifi movie, since I loved The Big Guy And Rusty The Boy Robot, and his futuristic Martha Washington stories at least started well. Meanwhile, Del Prete also says she's talking to Orson Scott Card about doing an Ender's Game movie, which was still in the hands of Chartoff Productions last we heard. [Collider] More »
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So many of our visions of the future come from decades in the past, it's hard not to wonder how long they'll stick around. We can't help noticing sometimes that many of the new and exciting franchises we write about at io9 are decades old — dating back to the 1930s, in the case of Flash Gordon and many superheroes. Which makes us wonder: will we still be obsessing about Captain Kirk or Darth Vader in the year 2058? Will any of our grizzled old francises survive another 50 years? More »
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It may have been released 28 years (and at least one television revival) ago, but for everyone of a certain age, 1980s' Flash Gordon remains the definitive tale of an All-American sports hero being kidnapped into space, kicking Mongo ass and - most importantly - being turned on by an alien princess while telepathically communicating with his human girlfriend. Thankfully, journalist George Khoury is one of those people, and he's created a moving look back at the making of the movie. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5038337&view=rss&microfeed=true If you're already missing Flash Gordon now that his TV show is officially dead, take heart. The big-screen Flash movie has been floundering in development purgatory for ages, but now it seems as if actual progress is being made. Writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless (Dracula Year Zero) have been hired to write the screenplay. Breck Eisner is still attached to direct this space journey and Neal Moritz is producing. [The Hollywood Reporter] More »
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You're always hearing about Flash Gordon this and Buck Rogers that. You see Flash and Buck, snorting their comet-dust and dancing with robots with obscenely shaped heads. But nobody ever thinks about Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, who rocked just as hard back in the 1950s. Did Buck have a comedy sidekick named Winky? Or a sassy navigator named Vena, in go-go boots? Or zig-zag lightning braid on his jacket-cuffs? Here's a clip where Rocky and Winky deal with some sabotage of the Space Affairs Agency. You'll never guess who the saboteur is! More »
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Here's the first picture of Richard Woolsey wearing his new uniform on Stargate Atlantis. The nature of the medical emergency is our flutters of excitement at seeing Robert Picardo in his snappy new threads. But Woolsey has some serious shoes to fill — bald authority figures (both good and evil) have reigned over science fiction forever. And Jean-Luc Picard isn't even the coolest bald leader in science fiction. Click through for a gallery of our favorite baldies. More »
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He may have saved everyone of us and stand for every one of us, but can Flash Gordon survive a new incarnation that attempts to make his adventures on the unfortunately-named planet of Mongo into a political allegory for the Iraq war? That's just one of the aims of the new Flash Gordon comic book, coming this summer from new publisher Ardden Entertainment. Find out more and look at some preview art under the jump. More »
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Apparently, the movie bigwigs at Sony don't watch the Sci Fi Channel? How else to explain the announcement that Flash Gordon is headed back to the big screen so soon after the recent and, let's face it, kind of shitty TV version? More »
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What is the most devious and unstoppable weapon throughout space and time? No, it's not the Doomsday Device or Death Star — it's a weapon that delivers orgasms. Whether they mind-control you with lust or cripple you with knee-buckling climaxes, the orgasm-inducing weapon of the future will be powerful indeed. We've already told you about scifi aphrodisiacs that come from rays and parasites, and now it's time to count the ways you can weaponize aphrodisiacs and begin the orgasm onslaught. More »
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I am the only person on the internet who is sad that Sci Fi Channel canceled Flash Gordon after a season of ice worms, skull guys, Gwar-looking hawkmen, 80s space fashions, and lots of scenes where Flash looks blond and goes "duh?" Even though Ming looked like a silly Eastern European bureaucrat, I'm going to miss this show. All I really wanted was for Ming's daughter Aura to take off her Stevie Nicks getup and put the moves on mad scientist Rankol. Every woman loves a guy whose lower parts are made of machine. Sadly, I'll never get my wish. Because the show is canceled. But at least I have my memories. [SyFy Portal] More »
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Hey, it's Friday! And if you're like me, you're heading out to the Karaoke to guzzle $1 PBRs and holler into a super-echoey mic at a crowd of people who (hopefully) are even drunker than you are. But being an enlightened, forward-looking person, what you really want is to bellow a science fiction song into the mic. We've got you covered with our handy list. More »
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Now that we know volume three of Heroes will be called "Villains," it's not too soon to start bracing ourselves for the worst. After all, that show hasn't had the greatest track record in creating and sustaining villains so far. There's no surefire way to make a villain scary and memorable. But there are some proven methods for making your villains dull and wimpy, and Heroes has used a few of them. Here's the complete list of how to create a boring villain. More »
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So the SciFi Channel just wound up the first season of Flash Gordon on Friday, and it's clear they're ramping up for a second season. No announcements that the show has been canceled, plus we ended on a serious cliffhanger. There was a lot to complain about in this episode, though we were mollified slightly by the random appearance of a green warrior lady who hits on Ming and makes him her bitch. This show has been our guilty pleasure for months, but one cannot thrive on guilt alone. If SciFi is going to keep Flash going, things need to change. Here are our recommendations for five ways this show could be saved. More »
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Has the Sci Fi Channel lurched too far towards being Lifetime: Television for Women, since its president, Bonnie Hammer, decided to emphasize "human drama" over space battles? Maybe, judging from the suburban Flash Gordan revamp and a spate of Battlestar episodes about Lee Adama's love life. The sad thing is that the Oprah-ized Sci Fi drives away women who really like science fiction, laments blogger Lisa Fary. [Pink Raygun] More »
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