6·22·99 Army Of Darkness is finally getting off the ground at Anchor Bay June 22, 1999 We just got more information in on one of the most anticipated horror special editions of the year - Sam Raimi's third installment in the Evil Dead trilogy, "Army Of Darkness". As we had exclusively revealed on these pages in December last year already, Anchor Bay is creating a special edition for this film. Although no exact streetdate has been determined, Anchor Bay informed us that work on the release has finally begun - and here are some frightful facts for this upcoming release! The "Army Of Darkness" Collector's Edition will contain both cuts of the film on one disc, completely THX certified. The disc will also contain the film's alternate ending and other supplements. Currently plans are to put "Within the Woods", the short film that lead to the creation of the original "Evil Dead" on the release as well. The disc will also contain numerous commentary tracks, one with Bruce Campbell, one with the special effects gurus from KNB and hopefully one with director Sam Raimi - Anchor Bay are still negotiating that one. We will keep you posted. For more on this DVD see: DVD Review - AOD 'Hercules' Replacement Series When the ultra-successful syndicated series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys bows on November 15th, a gaping hole will be left in the schedules of many networks. To fill the gap, Studios USA and Herc and Xena producers Renaissance Pictures are teaming up to bring forth new series Jack of All Trades and Cleopatra 2525, which constitute an hour of TV that is being dubbed "Back 2 Back Action." The action series will debut on January 17, 2000, with Herc reruns filling the timeslot for much of November, December and January. "With these two new 30-minute series, both rolled into a themed 'Back 2 Back Action' block, Renaissance will break new ground by producing the only half-hour action-adventure shows on television,'' USA Studio's Scott Rosenberg said. ``The faster-paced stories and action will set them apart from the typical hour fare found on networks. And we believe no one is better qualified to reestablish the 30-minute action-adventure format as a TV staple than Rob [Tapert] and Sam [Raimi], the team that pioneered the modern-day fantasy action-adventure genre in 1995 with the top-rated hits Hercules and Xena: Warrior Princess. "We have the same level of confidence in 'Back 2 Back Action' as we had in Xena when it replaced the Hercules' companion series Vanishing Son. At the time of its cancellation, Vanishing Son was averaging a 4.2 rating, which today would qualify it as one of the top first-run hours in syndication. But we believed in Xena and the abilities of Rob and Sam, and were rewarded with a runaway hit. We believe history will repeat itself.'' Commenting on Hercules, Rosenberg said, "Hercules has been an outstanding performer for us since it debuted as a weekly series in January 1995 after five 2-hour movies. It is the No. 2 action hour in syndication now behind Xena and we want it to go out on top. We wish star Kevin Sorbo and the rest of that very talented cast all the best in their future endeavors. It's been a great run.'' Added Tapert, "The 'Back 2 Back Action' hour will transport viewers to some very exciting times and places. It will be every bit as dynamic and groundbreaking as Hercules and Xena, with the same broad action, strong drama, humor and sex appeal that has attracted both men and women to those shows. While Hercules has been a labor of love and we will certainly miss working with Kevin, Michael Hurst and the rest of the terrific cast, the time is right to move ahead with a new project that will allow us to explore many different creative avenues.'' Jack of All Trades, created by Eric Morris (The Pretender, Sliders), is a swashbuckling action series set on a Caribbean island in the 18th century, where the air is warm, the wine is strong and the fight for the New World is at hand. It revolves around an aristocratic James Bond-like spy in the British Secret Service named Jack Styles. But instead of 1999, it is 1699. He is aided by Emilia, a highly successful working class agent posing as the daughter of a long lost cousin of Governor Don Carlos. While their mutual goal is to serve the Crown, they each have polar opposite ways of accomplishing their objectives while getting tripped up in some very embarrassing and compromising situations. In Cleopatra 2525, created by Xena co-executive producers Tapert and R.J. Stewart, an aspiring actress who moonlights as an exotic dancer in the year 2001 is cryogenically frozen. She is accidentally awoken and de-thawed in the year 2525 by two female warriors who lead her into a world taken over by evil robots. Worse yet, men are in short supply. Technologically, the world has evolved, but in every other respect it has devolved as the robots have driven humanity to endless floors and corridors beneath the Earth's surface. As the three tough, beautiful women fight to reclaim the scenic and wild surface of the planet, they encounter other cultures existing on various floors underground. While the two warriors, Cara and Sarge, educate Cleopatra in the ways of war, she likewise introduces them to the customs she left behind. Casting for both shows will get underway in the coming weeks. 7·16·99 From Cinescape Sorbo's Next Series? The Trek Today website [ http://www.trektoday.com/ ] is reporting a new rumor (or two) regarding Kevin Sorbo's next TV series, which was previously reported to either be Gene Roddenberry's Starship or Andromeda (get the details of each from the original story by clicking here http://www.cinescape.com/insider/990514i.shtml ]). The TT site is reporting that "well-regarded former Trek writer will be taking up the mantle of Executive Producer on Sorbo's new series. This new series, by the way, will NOT be Starship." Hmmm, I wonder who that "well-regarded former Trek writer" might be? I'll see what I can find out through my sources and get back to you all ASAP. 7·13·99 SCOTT SPIEGEL WINS SATURN AWARD Writer-director Scott Spiegel was amongst those honored at the 25th Annual Saturn Awards presented on June 9th, 1999. The Saturn Awards, hosted by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, are devoted to honoring the talent who work in genre filmmaking, video and television. Spiegel received the Saturn Award for Best Home Video Release for FROM DUSK TILL DAWN 2: TEXAS BLOOD MONEY. Special awards were also presented to Ray Bradbury, James Coburn and William Friedkin that same evening. For this complete article please see: The Scott Spiegel Interview
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