<![CDATA[io9: sorcerer's apprentice]]> http://tags.lifehacker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/io9.com.png <![CDATA[io9: sorcerer's apprentice]]> http://io9.com/tag/sorcerersapprentice http://io9.com/tag/sorcerersapprentice <![CDATA[Awesome Clips From Doctor Who And Avatar, Plus A Major New Lost Clue]]> Four Avatar TV spots include new walker-stomping action, and Doctor Who explains temporal mechanics in a new clip. Lost set pics reveal a new puzzle piece. Plus Chuck, Fringe, Kick-Ass, Daybreakers, Dollhouse, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Better Off Ted and V spoilers.


Avatar:

A few new TV spots. Spot #13 includes some sexy heavy walker action.



And an early review from someone who's seen the film says its plot is almost non-existent, but it's like the biggest first-person shooter ever. And:

What we have is: Boy meets alien through marines, boy loses aliens and marines, boy fights marines and gets girl. And I was also told that despite all the trappings of special effects, blue people and CGI skies, Sigourney Weaver still manages to register strongly with warmth and a commanding presence.

[Hollywood Elsewhere via Slashfilm]

Lost:

So, trying to piece together all the clues in E! Online's latest spoiler column... Charlotte (Rebecca Mader) is back from the dead, but the timeline in which she's suddenly alive is not the same one in which Flight 815 landed safely in L.A. — it's the other timeline, which we'll be visiting concurrently. Charlotte will be revealed to be alive in the same time period where we saw her die. And the explanation of Charlotte's survival will blow your mind (and presumably has nothing to do with Juliet's hydrogen bomb.) Also, Jack and Rose will be reunited, and it will feel so good. [E! Online]

So if you've been paying attention, you'll have heard there's a "Temple" set being built for the sixth season, and we've only glimpsed its exterior so far. But now, some fans seem to have stumbled on the full Temple set, and it includes the expected Egyptian imagery (Anubis) , but also the Hindu Trimurti. Given that there was a little campfire with a cauldron out front, with some rotting potatoes and an old blanket, the eyewitness suspects these scenes take place on the Island in ancient times — and the Island may be a paradise for many different religions. And there are some pics. (More at the link.) [SpoilersLost]

A new promo for season six is truly "Amazing." Okay, maybe not.

Doctor Who:

Here's another new clip from "The End Of Time Part 1," in which the Doctor explains about the Blinovitch Limitation Effect (sort of) to an uncomprehending Wilf. [BlogtorWho]

Dollhouse:

The show is looking for someone to play "T," a six year old with mixed Asian/Caucasian heritage, who's fearless, precocious and adorable, in the finale. And speculation is, this might be Sierra and Victor's son in the future. [E! Online]

Fringe:

Here's a new promo for this show plus Bones. [Fringe Italia]

Kick Ass:

Matthew Vaughn says this movie won't feature the typical boring action sequences — rather, every action sequence will tell a story:

It's 11-year-old girls slicing and dicing people, and getting shot. I mean, I'm very bored of the way most of the big movies shoot action, all this shaky camera, handheld, close cutting, quick cutting. So I've tried to put a narrative story into every action sequence.

[Crave Online via Comic Book Resources]

Daybreakers:

A new TV spot shows a bit more of the consequences of running out of human blood for this vampire-dominated future. [ShockTillYouDrop]

The Sorcerer's Apprentice:

Here's a new pic showing Nic Cage looking just as magical as he has in all the other pics you've seen. Bigger version at the link. [The HD Room]

V:

Morris Chestnut says the next episodes will be worth the wait (until late March). Things about the Vs will be revealed, and they'll be pushing the envelope. [E! Online]

Chuck:

As we mentioned before, the first 13 episodes of the season have their own arc which wraps up at the end of episode 13. But then the extra six episodes, which the network added to the season after the show was moved back from March to January, will have a totally different story arc, clarifies Zachary Levi. Yay for not trying to pad out the original 13-episode storyline to last another six episodes. [Sci Fi Wire]

Better Off Ted:

Someone sends out a memo with a typo, saying "Employees must now use offensive language," so everybody starts swearing up a blue streak to comply with it. "They think it's good for morale," says Jay Harrington. [E! Online]

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<![CDATA[Trek 2 Will Take Liberties, But Transformers 2 Is Already Taking Plenty]]> Your spoiler frenzy starts with Orci talking Trek 2, and continues with robo-porn moments in Transformers 2. There are hints about the We3 movie. Plus a spoilery Fringe casting call, and Lost, Ghostbusters 3, Heroes, Flash Forward and Sorcerer's Aprentice.


Star Trek 2:

Is this movie Trek 2 or Trek 12? You decide! In any case, co-writer Roberto Orci hints that some more changes to the timeline could happen in the sequel, although nobody's scribbled so much as a napkin so far:

I think the major lesson we learned is that fans were willing to accept differences and surprises, provided that they were somehow echoes or inspired by canon. We still have to be true to Star Trek the next time around, but we've also been blessed with being able to be unpredictable. And that doesn't mean we can just be shocking for no good reason and just throw everything away. ... It still has to echo everything that Star Trek has been.

[Sci Fi Wire]

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen:

Now it's the trade journals' turn to review this movie. Variety says the special effects are improved and the robots are more expressive, but nothing else has changed. When Sam goes to college, he attends a frat party that appears to take place in a strip club, and then he's "treated to a sort of lap dance by a Decepticon posing as a nymphomaniacal freshman." (But they didn't get the "Desexycon" memo.) And there's a shot of John Turturro in a G-string. Because you demanded it, whoever you are. At one point, Optimus muses, "If God made us in his image, then who made Him?" The big forest battle leaves Optimus Prime ready for the scrap heap. The actors have to shout to be heard over the noises and the thunderous music.

The Hollywood Reporter says the movie is an Indiana Jones-style quest for a 1,000-year-old "matrix" that will bring life back to the stricken Optimus Prime. And the movie is basically 147 minutes of colored metal flying around and people shouting loudly and quickly, so you can't understand what they're saying... but you don't really need to know what anyone's saying anyway.

Empire Online says there's a notable moment during the big robot-smackdown in Egypt, when Devastator (made out of several construction vehicles) is cilmbing a pyramid. The camera tilts so we can see Devastator's underside, and two wrecking balls dangle in our faces. Yes, Constructicon tea-bagging is here. Also, dogs hump each other, robots hump human legs, and the camera is glued to Megan Fox's torso. There are 42 robots, including one that can become a jaguar, one that can become a Dyson vacuum cleaner, and one that can become ball bearings to get inside secure facilities. You won't remember which robot is which, and there are four gremlin-esque bots that seem interchangeable. The Fallen can toss tanks around using his jagged staff. (Oh, and the Fallen is voiced by Tony Todd, not Leonard Nimoy as hinted a while back.) In the movie's opening Shanghai sequence, Optimus jumps on the face of a giant unicycle and tells it to "pull over." [via TLAMB]

We3

The comic-book adaptation I'm most excited about is still on track. Producer Don Murphy says he has a director for this film, John Stevenson (Kung Fu Panda) — and the film will be live-action, with a combination of CG, puppetry and real live animals. The cyborg animals' voices will be realized as a sort of robotic monotone, reflecting the fact that the animals have electrodes in their larynxes. Murphy's still looking for a studio for this picture, though. [Sci Fi Wire]

Ghostbusters 3:

During an interview about the new video game, Dan Aykroyd teases what you'll see in the third movie:

Well, for sure we need new recruits. We need a whole new team of Ghostbusters, because the generation of my Ghostbusters are all getting hip and knee replacements. Also, we don't have the strength to handle the heavy equipment to catch the ghosts. We need fresh and new blood to fill up the uniforms. That's the first element we need. And if we can train them with the ethics we had and a similar sense of humor, I think we can have good characters and a good story there. I think as far as bringing back the old cast it will be more like in the new STAR TREK — with cameo styles. But for now, I call this video game our third sequel.

[iF Magazine]

The Time Traveler's Wife:

This time-traveling romance put up a new website, with the following synopsis:

Clare (McAdams) has been in love with Henry (Bana) her entire life. She believes they are destined to be together, even though she never knows when they will be separated: Henry is a time traveler, cursed with a rare genetic anomaly that causes him to live his life on a shifting timeline, skipping back and forth through his lifespan with no control. Despite the fact that Henry's travels force them apart with no warning, Clare desperately tries to build a life with her one true love.

[Time Traveler's Wife via Sci Fi Wire]

Shorts:

Here's the new poster for this Robert Rodriguez joint about a kid who finds a rainbow stone with magical properties. [IGN]

The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

Some new set pics show Monica Belucci and Nic Cage... I have a bad feeling about this. [SpoilerTV-Movies]

Fringe:

A casting call for the series opener includes three new characters. There's a nurse in her early thirties, who takes care of a patient after an accident. She has olive skin and dark hair, but "could be a dark-skinned caucasian." She seems trustworthy, chatting with a patient in the hospital room, but it's clear there's something weird about her. And the actor should be able to portray an assassin.

Also, there's Rebecca, a "real-looking," not glamorous girl in her late teens, early twenties, around 1978. She gets "stoned beyond belief" on some concoction that Walter was working on back then, and talks in a "sexy/funny/scary stupor." And finally, there's Lloyd Parr, a "hyper-competent" guy in his thirties to early fifties. They're seeking a "strong character actor" who can play someone out of John Frankenheimer movie. [SpoilerTV]

Heroes:

Here are the first set pics from season four. Claire is on campus, with her roommate Gretchen (the black-haired woman behind her) and they're going to some kind of anti-war rally. (I love how this show keeps up with what the kids are doing nowadays.) And she pauses to chat with some cheerleaders. More pics at the link. [The ODI]

Lost:

I don't think Michael Emerson has seen any scripts for season six yet, but he says he's got a vague sense that Ben still has an important role to play in season six, and he "hopes" Ben survives until almost the last episode. And he says that it's entirely possible Ben will escape any retribution for his crimes. If the island itself gets destroyed, Ben will still find a way out, says Emerson:

Ben is a great man for the secret exit. Ben always has an escape, I think. It may be a piece of wood, floating on the ocean. Or it may be a rope, or a secret door. Or, you know, an Ecuadorian passport and a plastic bag, something like that. He's probably going to survive

[E! Online]

Flash Forward:

A couple new promos for this ABC series based on Robert J. Sawyer's book. [FlashForwardSeries.com]


Chuck:

Not sure if this is a spoiler or just speculation, but TV Guide's Matt Roush believes the new shorter season of this show will feature fewer annoying subplots at the Buy More. [TV Guide via Chuck TV]

Additional reporting by Alexis Brown.

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<![CDATA[Inside Avatar's Alien Odyssey And Deadpool's Meeting With Captain America]]> Today's spoilers include a synopsis of James Cameron's Avatar, and the first review of Transformers 2. Harold Ramis shares some Ghostbusters 3 dialog, and there's a new Sorcerer's Apprentice set video. Plus Moon, Deadpool, Doctor Who and True Blood spoilers.


Avatar:

Producer Jon Landau narrated the movie for Slashfilm, including a bunch of details we didn't already know. Marine Jake Sully has lost the use of his legs, so he accepts the chance to become part of a mining operation on the planet Pandora, where a new mineral will be a total game-changer for Earth's energy production. The planet Pandora is so harsh, the usual armor and environmental suit options aren't enough, so humans have come up with a clone program, combining DNA from humans and Na'Vi, the native species on Pandora, to create half-human, half-Na'Vi Avatars that are a genetic match for the individual human.

Jake Sully's brother was one of the original Avatars, but he's dead now. So the corporation asks Jake to come to Pandora and "pilot" his brother's very expensive Avatar, because his DNA is a match. That means Jake will be able to walk again.

The story flashes forward a few years, and Jake has arrived on Pandora, a planet of indescribable beauty, including the weird flora and fauna and the bioluminescence. Floating mountains soar above 900-foot-tall trees. Working for the mining corporation, Jake has a nasty encounter with a Viperwolf, one of Pandora's scary creatures, and he nearly dies. But an arrow kills the creature — and it's been fired by one of the Na'Vi, played by Zoe Saldana, who starts telling Jake the truth about life on Pandora.

Jake starts to realize the Na'Vi live in harmony with nature, dangerous as it is, on Pandora. And he decides to help the Na'Vi fight for their freedom from humans — even though it means his Avatar will be driven away, and he'll lose the ability to combine with it. He'll give up his ability to walk, in order to save these noble savages. Landau described the film as not dissimilar to Pocohontas. And Cameron is definitely contemplating a sequel. [Slashfilm]

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen:

This Bay-opus had its debut in Tokyo yesterday, and some spoilers went online soon afterwards. In particular, there are "more robots, less humans." And there's weird sexual innuendo like the little robot Wheelie humping Megan Fox's leg.

Devastator only gets one line in the movie, shouting his own name. Soundwave, meanwhile, has a few lines, and he speaks English rather than Cybertronian. Soundwave never comes down to Earth, and he never becomes a robot — but at least he doesn't blow up, so there's hope for the next movie. In general, the robots all speak English rather than Cybertronian. The Twins are a lame "bust a cap in yo' ass" stereotype. There are three motorcycles, all of which are named Arcee, but she doesn't get much screen time.

Jetfire, meanwhile, speaks with an English accent and is sort of a Monty Python-esque comedy character. He doesn't actually combine with Optimus Prime — it's more like he's fatally wounded, and he gives up his spark so Optimus can use his parts. (When I first read this, I thought it said "pants.") There are lots of kitchen robots, including one Samurai. The only Constructicon who gets named is Ravage, and he's red.

The final battle scene has tons and tons of robots, and looks as though Bay is reusing some animation from earlier on. In fact, after the Constructicons combine to form Devastator, you can still see the individual Constructicons running around in the background. Scorponok is in the final battle, and gets killed by Jetfire very quickly. [Movie Chronicles]

How is this movie different from the first one? Ask Michael Bay:

What you will notice that is strikingly different than Transformers 1, is the level of animation detail. The robot characters (42 in all), you really can feel empathy for them. What is also very different is the sheer scale of the movie. We have been very tight holding back much of the best imagery in commercials and trailers.

He also says "Haters beware." So, you know, you've been warned. Your next warning will probably be in the form of robo-urine. [TLAMB]

Ghostbusters 3:

What's Egon been up to since the last movie? Harold Ramis shares his theory with Empire Magazine, including some dialogue that he may actually put in the movie:

I'm intrigued by my idea for where Egon has been. He's been working in the International Institute For Imaginary Science, in Geneva. He's evolved a post-rational, non-conclusive logic for dealing with problems of chaos. Someone asks him ‘What does that mean?' and he says ‘There are no spatial, conceptual or intellectual models to describe it - so we don't know.' Egon's gone so abstract, even he doesn't know what he's doing!

And Ramis says he hopes Alyssa Milano will play the same character she does in the video game — the love interest, Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn. [Empire Magazine via Slashfilm]

Deadpool:

Ryan Reynolds continues talking up his Wolverine spin-off, which he says is in the planning stages. And he hints that he'll "get to kick Captain America in the nuts" in the movie, which I'm guessing is just a joke. [IESB]

Moon:

Some more spoilers from this movie, which opens Friday in L.A. and New York, and elsewhere in the country over the following weeks:

In Moon, written by Nathan Parker based on a story by Jones, Sam Rockwell plays Sam Bell, a lone astronaut manning a Helium-3 mining facility on the dark side of the moon. He periodically drives his lunar rover to a number of computer-guided trawling machines to retrieve canisters of the isotope, which have been cooked out of the powdery lunar surface, and shoot them back to earth where the gas is used as a clean form of nuclear energy. Sam's only companion on the moon base is GERTY, a HAL-like computer that monitors his every move. Due to a communication malfunction, the astronaut cannot communicate directly with earth, including his wife and daughter, except via increasingly anguished pre-recorded video messages. Sam has also begun suffering from blinding headaches, nosebleeds and hallucinations and his sole source of comfort is the knowledge that his three-year shift is just weeks away from ending. That is until Bell suffers a hallucinatory spell during a Helium-3 collection run and wrecks his rover into one of the trawlers. When he awakes back at the moon base, he realizes that his rescuer is a younger, fitter carbon copy of himself. Although you've probably guessed that cloning is involved, how Bell and his doppelganger unravel the mystery of just who they are is something you should see for yourself.

[Vanity Fair]

The Sorcerer's Apprentice:

Tipster LJ made this Youtube clip of Alfred Molina and Monica Bellucci filming a scene at Bowling Green, where the fountain had been converted into a pedestal:

Doctor Who:

Not really a spoiler per se, but fans are speculating (in part based on the rumors we posted yesterday) that the David Tennant/Russell T. Davies era will end with drastic changes to the timeline that will bring back both Gallifrey and Skaro, undoing the Time War and giving new showrunner Steven Moffat a totally blank slate. (But this isn't even a rumor, it's just speculation.) [Doctor Who Forum]

True Blood:

Here are the official synopses of the first six episodes of season two:

2.01 - Nothing But the Blood: A shocking murder outside Merlotte's bar has the people of Bon Temps reeling; Sookie and Bill's relationship is tested; Sam recalls an encounter he had with Maryann as a 17-year-old.

2.02 - Keep This Party Going: Sookie and Bill contend with teen vampire Jessica; Jason impresses his Light of Day leaders; Maryann casts her spell at Merlotte's.

2.03 - Scratches: Bill enlists Eric's help to save Sookie after she is attacked by a mysterious creature; Jessica finds a willing suitor in Hoyt; Tara finds her attraction to Eggs interrupted by a swirling fog.

2.04 - Let's Take a Trip Together: Bill and Sookie travel to Dallas to carry out Eric's mission; Jason falls victim to a practical joke; Maryann throws a birthday party for Tara.

2.05 - Never Let Me Go: While in Dallas, Sookie connects with one of her own; Jason is rewarded for his hard work at the Light of Day boot camp; Eric shares a secret about his past with Bill.

2.06 - Friend Is a Four Letter Word: Sookie embarks on a dangerous mission to locate Godric; Bill is shocked when a vampire from his past resurfaces in Dallas; Jason must make difficult emotional and physical choices.

What the heck are "physical choices"? [SpoilerTV]

Additional reporting by Alexis Brown.

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<![CDATA[Doctor Octopus Will Destroy Adorable Jay Baruchel]]> Alfred Molina has been cast as the big bad magic man in Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel's Sorcerer's Apprentice. The modern day fairy tale where Cage is the kindly old magic man who has an interest in Baruchel (who I'm assuming is the mouse in all this). Molina is an evil sorcerer of magician or something. Or maybe the two old guys fighting over who gets to teach the adorable Baruchel. [Slashfilm]

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<![CDATA[Nicolas Cage Wants To Show Jay Baruchel His Magic Wand]]> This whole Seth Rogen phenomenon has yielded one good result: more exposure for sassy Jay Baruchel. Now Baruchel is in line to star in the modernized version of Disney's Sorcerer's Apprentice playing, erm, Mickey, I guess. Playing the wizard is omnipresent cheesemaster Nicolas Cage.Jay Baruchel (who will be in the "Flash If You Love Wookies" movie Fanboys) is in talks to play this role for Disney, and they would be mad to pass on it. The story is set in present day New York City, and Nicolas Cage plays a creepy old wizard looking for an apprentice. It's being directed by Jon Turteltaub (who worked with Cage on National Treasure) and has been written by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal (Planet of the Apes) and later re-written by Matt Lopez (Bedtime Stories). Side note: why are all modern day spins on fantastical stuff set in New York City, and when did this start? Sadly, no word yet on Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse.]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5102168&view=rss&microfeed=true