I survived through Godzilla, Batman and Robin, and Spawn... I even sat through that first Mummy. Surely I can "enjoy" the Mummy Returns. A sequel to a film that I loathed. I didn't like the original's humor. I hated Brendan Fraser's over-the-top performance. The supporting characters were lame and unbelievable... even for an action, popcorn flick. The love interest was bland. The effects were somewhat impressive, but nothing too special. The action scenes were blaw. Almost like watching a Universal Studios stunt show. The musical score was nothing we've never heard before. So, when the time came for me to go to the sequel, in order to give my readers a first hand examination of the wrong doing of corporate, executive Hollywood, the sheer painful thoughts of a director returning to a flat formula... I WAS SURPRISED TO FIND A FILM THAT I ACTUALLY ENJOYED.

I shuddered when I first heard that there would be a son of Fraser's character... "Oh Lord, here we go." But the child was a delight. A sarcastic mini-hero who made me laugh.

I saw the cliches of old Hollywood, some Star Wars parallels, and some Indiana Jones rip-offs, but it was fun. Thanks mostly to the action. Stephen Sommers followed the number one "good" sequel rule... make it better than the first without negating it. Which wasn't a hard thing to do considering the original.

The action saved this film. Screw the whole "The Rock" thing though. I don't know what the big deal is. I don't know why the are dedicating a prequel to his character. His name was marketed to get those millions of WWF fans to buy tickets. He had about 5 minutes screen time and then was cast asdie by really bad CGI. If I have any true gripes about the film, it would be that they released it unfinished. The Scorpion King's finale was terrible CG... and there was some more mixed within thew whole film. The fighting scenes were excellent! Far improved over the lame action in the first.

But make no mistake, it's no masterpiece. It's a popcorn flick that you watch MAYBE twice and then put aside. You enjoy it while it lasts, and then move on to the next big thing.

Sure, it made $70 million dollars in ONE weekend... but that doesn't mean it should be embraced as a classic. I'd pay to see a third one though... because I can enjoy a good roller coaster ride.

The thing that makes me sad is this... we have a generation growing up with these Mummy films. Their idea of adventure could be based upon these. This is a generation that will never see Indiana Jones in action again. This is a generation that thinks Brendan Fraser is the true action adventurer. Make no mistake my friends... no one will ever dethrone Doctor Jones. You can make a milliom Mummys... with all of the wrestling stars in small cameos, with all of the CGI possible, and with all of the snide humor in the world.

With that aside, this film will break $200 million and then some. It is a fine summer film that is a thrill to watch. Enjoy, but respect the elder Jones.

DARK ANGEL TALK
Sebastian Spence is taking a momentary break from battling aliens on First Wave to encounter Jessica Alba in Fox's Dark Angel. Regular First Wave reviewer BJ Widro managed to catch up with the actor and get his impression of working on the show. Here's her report:

Setting aside his stoic and intense alien-fighting persona, Cade Foster, from Francis Ford Coppola's First Wave, Sebastian Spence is tackling another Hollywood heavyweight. Sebastian will do a guest appearance on James Cameron's, not to distant future, post apocalyptic opus, Dark Angel, which stars Jessica Alba. Spence appears in "Hit A Sista Back" and plays Charlie Smith, husband of genetic wunder kind, Tinga (Lisa Ann Cabasa), and father to their specially gifted son, Case.

Sebastian enjoyed his experience doing Dark Angel and found it interesting to explore a role that was extremely antithetic from the character he usually plays. Spence's character on First Wave is one who keeps his emotions locked inside while Charlie is acutely overt with his. Mr. Spence recently mused about his experience, "While I love doing First Wave, it was a nice break to get onto another production after three years doing work on it, playing the same character. Charlie is so different from Cade Foster." He amusingly added, " There's a lot Cade Foster could teach Charlie. He is more like a victim in a Cade Foster episode." As with Cade Foster, the viewer will undoubtedly feel empathy for Spence's personification of Charlie Smith.

Sebastian portrays the concerned father of very young Case (Malkolm Alburquenque) who, somewhat like his mother, has genetically unique attributes that the evil government group, Manticore, wants to control. Mr. Spence tremendously enjoyed being with young Malkolm and found the delightfully talented boy to be full of fun and high energy.

Coincidentally, Dark Angel is lensed just up the road from where First Wave is produced. It was almost like old home week for Spence as he enjoyed working with many crewmembers of Dark Angel, who had also worked on First Wave.

Spence can be seen in this episode of Dark Angel, "Hits A Sista Back" on Tuesday, May 8th at 9:00 PM (EDT) on your local Fox affiliate (please check your local listings).

ROACH SEQUELS
Jay Roach is currently at work developing sequels to two of his previous film successes: Austin Powers 3 and the Meet the Parents follow-up.

While talking to E! Online's Anderson Jones, Roach revealed that Austin Powers 3 will ramp up production before Parents 2. Roach also addressed one previous rumor saying that you might not want to count on Heather Graham's character will being dispatched a la Liz Hurley in Austin 2. Roach says, "We did that on the second one, but I'm not sure we're going to do the same thing--that's always formative."

Regarding Parents 2, the film is tentatively titled Meet the Fockers. Roach reveals, "We're working on the story. We have lots of good ideas, but it might be a little while before we get to it. We just like the idea of Robert being confronted by Ben Stiller's parents and having them be as different as they can be. And maybe Robert's a little more off-balance. But we still want Ben to be struggling to keep it all together."

WOODS REPLACING BRANDO
James Woods has come on board Scary Movie 2 to take on the role that had previously been set for Marlon Brando prior to the veteran actor's exit due to health problems, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Woods will take on the role of a priest performing an exorcism in the film's opening scene.

According to E! Online's Anderson Jones, the scene will also feature Natasha Lyonne as the possessed girl and Andy Richter as another priest assisting Woods.

OVERKILL FROM MARVEL
Marvel big shot Avi Arad has been talking again about a plethora of projects in development as movies based on Marvel comic book characters. While talking to the Comics Continuum, Arad touched upon the following flicks to some: Deathlok "Deathlok is going to be one of the greatest movies we ever make because the movie is so amazing. It's fantastic, really an amazing story," says Arad.

He adds, "It's all about the story. If you get the right story, you'll get a great movie. And you have great stories to begin with. But, again, when you see what we're doing with Deathlok, you'll say, 'Hey, there was a story in the books. This is so much better. This is so interesting.' That's going to be a big studio. It's so unbelievable. It's one of my favorite stories."

The original Deathlok comic series from Astonishing Tales told the near future story of a highly trained soldier, Luther Manning, who was killed on a mission. Later, Manning's body is used to create a symbiotic being that is part corpse, part computer controlled killing machine. Initially, the plan was for a brainless hitman, of sorts, but the new electrical activity of the dormant body served to revive Manning's brain, after which he takes control back of his life...much to the chagrin of his questionably motivated superiors.

Since then, the character has gone through a number of confusing revisions. There's no word on which version of Deathlok is heading to the big screen.

MACY ON JP3
While talking to USA Today, Macy gushed over the project, saying, "I had a grand time! I never said I was unhappy on set. Joe Johnston [the director] is such a great guy. I've been on a couple of big movies and this is my favorite one yet."

Still, Macy does touch on a point that may have previously riled him, saying, "The movie that will come out is basically the script we all read. There was tweaking all along. No one was happy with the ending."

Macy also gave his take on the footage he's seen so far, including the new ending, saying, that it "set our mouths hanging around our belt buckles, it was so exciting. We breathed a sigh of relief that we were in such good hands."

HATCH RANTS ABOUT BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
Richard Hatch is talking about Bryan Singer and Tom DeSanto's developing Battlestar Galactica TV series.

While talking to SCIFI.COM, Hatch told of how he first heard about the project, saying, "Someone sent me an e-mail. I had been hearing rumors of the SCI FI Channel doing a Battlestar Galactica series without the original cast and without Galactica. We'd all heard this news before with Glen Larson and Todd Moyer [who wanted to do a feature project]. After you hear so many people coming forth and saying they want to do the project without the original cast, or story, you take everything with a grain of salt."

He adds, "After it became clear that this might be a real deal, the first feeling was a little bit of sadness. It's painful to spend several years developing the property of the show and working to inspire the studios to do new Galactica projects and then they go ahead and do it with someone totally different.

"It can be painful. But the pain was mitigated by the fact that Tom DeSanto and Bryan Singer were passionate fans of Battlestar. From what I read, they were not only interested in the show but had a lot of great ideas to honor the original story and premise. We don't know what that means. We heard different statements coming from USA Networks, who stated they weren't going to use the original cast, that they may not even be trying to find Earth, that they changed the mythology. It sounded from USA they wanted to remake it into something totally different, which is what most studios do with classics and remakes...In the past we've seen many wonderful shows destroyed that we loved and saw brought back. Occasionally, it does work. It's hard enough to create a successful show, but it's even harder to bring back a classic. If you alienate the core audience and fans that supported the show for so many years, and change it so much that it's not recognizable, even if it succeeds, it's! not the same show."

When asked what he thought about the possibility of the new show not featuring any of the cats from the original series, Hatch says, "My feeling is that it would be a monumental mistake to do that. Other studios have done that with other remakes. As I said, even if the show is successful without the original cast in it, I don't think it would be the same Battlestar. A lot of fans would be disappointed. But that notwithstanding, you couldn't ask for two better people to be in charge of the series than Tom and Bryan. You have two extraordinarily passionate, talented and gifted filmmakers at the helm. I think they're going to give it their best shot at something exciting. Hopefully, they will find a way to build a bridge between the past and future and find a way for a win-win situation for the fans and the studio. I think it can be done.

Hatch continues talking about creating a bridge from the original series to the new, saying, "The bridge is always the people. The people and the story are all woven together. You can't separate them. It's the Battlestar, the people, the Cylons. It's the whole dynamic that made the story successful in the first place...I think the bridge is that you can create any number of stories with Battlestar. The way that we discovered that worked was to build a bridge between the past and the future by adding a new generation born to us, who joins with us, the original generation [in new adventures]. What better way to introduce an audience to new characters than to use the original characters that everyone has bonded with? And then the audience will get to know the children through their parents. And then you add new technologies to the old ones. If you're going to do that, you won't lose the audience and then they'll be receptive to whatever else you want to do."

When he was asked if he has any upcoming meetings with Singer and/or DeSanto, Hatch replies, "Not that I know of. My position is I respect their right to do their own research and explorations. Universal owns it, we don't. We've done our best to build a fan network all over the world. We've rallied the troops and have done everything in our power to bring back this show. Now, we can only wait to see what they will do and support them as best as we can."

WEISZ DONE
In spite of the very positive advance buzz for The Mummy Returns, Rachel Weisz is, once again, saying that she will not do a third Mummy movie.

While talking to the NY Post (via SCIFI.COM), Weisz declared, "Definitely not. Not for $200 million. I don't do this for money, and I'm not for sale...I've played the character, and I have nothing left to add to her. Two Mummy movies is enough."

She adds, "I did it because I thought it was a fantastic role for a woman, and it reminded me of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Romancing the Stone, which were movies I really loved as a kid. It was just really unpretentious, honest entertainment, and it was very aware of its own genre--it was self-consciously a B-movie. In a certain mood, it's the sort of thing I'd like to see myself."

WONDER WOMAN
Forget that Chyna rumor, Sandra Bullock is still being considered the top choice for the title role of a potential Wonder Woman movie.

While talking to Variety columnist Michael Fleming, producer Leonard Goldberg spoke of the project, saying, "Sandy's interested, and we've met with her. It all depends on the script and director, of course, but she hasn't done anything this physical in a long time, and she'd like to. We'd love to have her."

REITMAN ON "EVOLUTION"
Ivan Reitman has been talking about his coming Evolution project.

While talking to the NY Daily News, Reitman spoke of the appeal of the project for him, saying, "Ever since Ghostbusters, I've been looking for a good story in which something amazing and large threatens the existence of our planet — something around which I could develop a character comedy. But it's hard to come by."

David Diamond's script for Evolution, about a meteor that drops to Earth releasing alien microbes that rapidly evolve, did the trick.

Reitman adds, "I like cross-genre movies, maybe because they're so hard to do. You have to get the tone right, because the humor often undercuts the truth or the fright or the science."

VAN DAMME'S NEXT
Jean-Claude Van Damme has signed on to star in Millennium Films' martial arts action project, The Monk.

According to Variety, the film will tell the story of a Shaolin monk who journeys to America to find his father. In doing so, he gets caught up in a battle with an evil crime lord.

The project will be directed by Ringo Lam with a script by Les Weldon. The project, which will have a budget in the $25M range, will ramp up production on Nov. 1 with shooting scheduled to take place in China, Bulgaria and New York.

SIMPSONS PAY RAISE
The voice artists of Fox's The Simpsons will be on board the long lasting series for at least two more seasons, with an option for a third.

According to Variety, 20th Century Fox Television and Gracie Films will raise the pay to $100,000 per episode for the actors with word that their paycheck's will be for $125,)) per episode should the network take an option for a third season more.

In addition to the pay raise, actor Don Castellaneta. who voices Homer Simpson, among others, has also received a first look/production deal with Fox.

FANTASTIC FOUR... A COMEDY... GOOD LORD
While giving the latest word on X-Men 2, Marvel big shot Avi Arad also briefly commented on the developing Fantastic Four project.

While talking to the Comics Continuum, Arad spoke of recently signed director Peyton Reed (Bring It On), saying, "He has just the right sensibilities. He has a great sense of comedy, and we are very excited about him."

Arad also noted the difference in tone between Fantastic Four and X-Men, saying, "The Fantastic Four is a dysfunctional family, a comedy. It's about famous heroes. They appear on talk shows. They are celebrities. X-Men is about the dark secrets."

TAKEN FROM VARIETY AND HOLLYWOOD REPORTER CASTING

• Brendan Fraser may star in a sequel to GEORGE IN THE JUNGLE, written by Jordan Moffet. Disney plans to send Fraser the script and offer him a big payday to do the pic. Fraser didn't sign to do a sequel when he starred in the original.
• Gwyneth Paltrow is attached to star in and co-produce a romantic/comedic adaptation of Alex Witchel's forthcoming novel ME TIMES THREE for Miramax Films. It's about an assistant editor at a woman's magazine who finds out her Wall Street tycoon fiance is engaged to at least two other women.
• Lena Olin will join the cast of the horror pic DARKNESS for director Jaume Balaguero. Anna Paquin, Giancarlo Giannini, Iain Glen, and Fele Martinez also star in the feature about a family vs. the evil the find in their new home.
• Christine Baranski joins Marisa Tomei, Heather Graham and Jimi Mistry in THE GURU for Universal/Working Title and director Daisy Scherler Mayer.
• Thomas Haden Church has been cast in BEHIND THE SUN, starring Billy Bob Thornton, Sela Ward and Patricia Arquette. Robby Henson directs.
• Angela Bettis, Josh Lucas, Scott Wilson and William Forsythe join Josh Brolin and Timothy Olyphant in COASTLINES for writer/director Victor Nunez.
• Jack Noseworthy nabbed a role in UNDERCOVER BROTHER for Universal/Imagine and director Malcolm Lee. The pic also stars Chris Kattan, Eddie Griffin, Denise Richards and Dave Chappelle.
• Kiera Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, will star in THE YEAR THAT TREMBLED, based on the novel by Scott Lax that is set against the backdrop of the Kent State shootings. Jay Craven will direct from his own adaptation.
• Mira Sorvino, Mariah Carey and Melora Walters (MAGNOLIA) are in talks to star in the indie drama WISE GIRLS for director David Anspaugh. It's about three waitresses who work in a restaurant owned by the mob and find themselves involved in the business. John Meadows scripted.
• Christopher McDonald is in talks to star in CHILDREN ON THEIR BIRTHDAYS, based on the short story by Truman Capote, for Crusader Entertainment and writer/director Mark Medoff. It's set in the 1940s and centers on an 11-year-old girl who moves to Alabama.
• Cameron Richardson joins the cast of FRANK MCKLUSKY, C.I. for Disney and director Arlene Sanford. Dave Sheridan, Dolly Parton and Randy Quaid star.
• Scott Wolf will costar in the dramatic indie feature EMMETT'S MARK with Tim Roth, Gabriel Byrne, and Khandi Alexander. Keith Snyder directs from his own script the pic about a detective who is searching for a serial killer. He finds out he is dying and hires an assassin to put him out of his misery while he hopes to catch his suspect. He later learns he is going to live and tries to call off the hit.
• Michelle Johnson (BLAME IT ON RIO) will star opposite Harry Connick Jr. in MICKEY for director Hugh Wilson. John Grisham wrote the script.
• Stanley DeSantis joins Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer in the New Line pic I AM SAM. DeSantis is also collaborating with Nathan Lane on THE GREAT ONE, a Jackie Gleason bipic.
• Gary Busey and Sally Kirkland will join Christian Campbell and Nicole Eggert in THANK YOU, GOOD NIGHT for director Chuck Griffith. It's set in 1994, weeks after Kurt Cobain's suicide, and centers on a grunge band trying to make it.
• Al Sapienza ("The Sopranos") will star in A MONTH OF SUNDAYS with Rod Steiger.
• Russell Richardson (TIGERLAND) joins Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths, Brian Cox and Jay Hernandez in THE ROOKIE for director John Lee Hancock.
• Rob Schneider will co-write with Tom Brady and star in an untitled comedy for Disney. Brady will also direct.
• Jeremy Irons will star in the romantic thriller AND NOW LADIES AND GENTLEMAN about a gentleman thief who falls for a singer. Claude Lelouch directs.

DIRECTOR/WRITER ATTACHMENTS

• Pacifica Film Development has picked up the feature rights to Michael Blake's upcoming novel THE HOLY ROAD, a sequel to his DANCES WITH WOLVES, which he will adapt into a screenplay by the end of the summer. The new book picks up 10 years after the first one left off and finds Lt. John Dunbar's on a mission to rescue his wife and youngest child after they are abducted by white men who are invading the Plains Indians. Blake won an Oscar for his adaptation of WOLVES.
• Allen Coulter ("The Sopranos") will direct the romantic comedy pic IN A HEARTBEAT about a gorgeous rich girl and a petty criminal who fall for each other in the tunnel between life and death after they both suffer near-death experiences. When the man comes to, he goes on a search for the girl, whom he thinks is his soulmate.
• Mike Rich (FINDING FORRESTER) will write SOMEONE TO LEAN ON for Tollin Robbins Prods., Warner Bros. and Gaylord Films based on the Sports Illustrated story by Gary Smith about a mentally challenged boy who receives help from a high school football coach that takes him from being the object of ridicule to a well-respected person in town.
• Warner Bros. bought the romantic caper script FOOL'S GOD by John Claflin and Dan Zelman about a man and woman whose discover a treasure that makes them famous. Years later, they are searching for another treasure while their marriage is on the rocks and their finances are in shambles. The two then try to bilk a wealthy investor with the promise of a big score.
• Jonathan Hensleigh (ARMAGEDDON, DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE) will rewrite the project GEMINI MAN for Disney. It's about an older man who is by his younger self. Hensleigh will set the story in modern times as opposed to 20 years in the future as it had been set in previous drafts.
• Writer/actor Levy Lee Simon has sold a feature screenplay based on his play THE BOW WOW CLUB to Fox Searchlight/Spirit Dance Entertainment. It's about the reunion of a group of men who were friends as inner-city teens but who have drifted apart over the years.
• Sheldon Turner will adapt the Eugene Izzi novel THE BOOSTER for Mark Johnson Prods. It's a contemporary crime drama about a thief who comes out of retirement to partake in the biggest, most dangerous heist of his life.
• MINUTE MEN for Disney based on the original script by David Diamond and David Weissman about three teens who invent a time machine which can take them back only 48-hours.
• Jason Reitman will adapt Christopher Buckley's 1994 novel THANK YOU FOR SMOKING for Icon Prods. Reitman will also direct. The story revolves around a tobacco lobbyist who is responsible for marketing smoking to the public. After he finds himself kidnapped and covered with nicotine patches, he becomes an avid fighter against smoking, becoming an instant hero, in the process.
• Melissa Carter's romantic comedy spec LITTLE BLACK BOOK was picked up by Revolution Studios for Shoelace Prods. to develop. It centers on a woman who interviews her love interest's ex-girlfriends to find out why the relationships didn't work out.
• Adam Kulakow will adapt/update ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN for Disney.
• Wind Dancer Films grabbed the romantic comedy pitch FOREVER AND A DAY by Robert Zappia about a couple who appreciate their life together after they have a chance to live out their greatest fantasy.
• Disney has purchased SIGNS, the new supernatural thriller script from M. Night Shyamalan, who will also direct. It is set in Pennsylvania where there is a sudden appearance of a 500-foot array of circles and lines found carved into a farm family's crops. Shooting begins in the fall.
• Peyton Reed will develop and direct FANTASTIC FOUR, based on the popular Marvel comic book series, for 20th Century Fox. A new writer is being sought to pen the script centerin on four astronauts who develop superhuman powers after their spaceship is exposed to cosmic rays. They become Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, the Human Torch and the Thing, the superhero group the Fantastic Four, where they join together to fight the evil Doctor Doom.
• David Reynolds will pen, for Playtone Prods., the adaptation of Maurice Sendak's children's short story WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE about a boy who uses his imagination to take him to a land of giant monsters where he is eventually made the king.
• Miramax Films has acquired Daniel M. Salzman and John M. Kasselakis' action-thriller script INFIDEL in which Antonio Banderas is attached to star and produce. The story centers on Bobby De Leon, an anti-Castro CIA analyst who is sent to Cuba to prevent Castro from being assassinated, though he discovers he's the pawn of a bigger game.
• Craig Rosenberg will write/direct the thriller NEVERMORE: THE NIGHTMARES OF EDGAR ALLAN POE, where Poe plays a role in a murder mystery.
• Ryan Rowe is writing the romantic adventure IL PALIO for Imagemovers about an American rodeo rider who visits Italy to inherit a house and ultimately compete in the legendary horse race, the Palio.
• Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio (upcoming BUBBLE BOY) will write the sequel to THE SANTA CLAUSE for Disney and director Michael Lembeck. The story will center on Santa leaving the North Pole to go on a quest. Tim Allen is attached to play dual roles.
• Adam "Tex" Davis is in talks with Good Machine to develop his script THE GARDENER OF EDEN for MTV Films. It's a dark comedy about a fat guy who becomes a local vigilante.
• Luke Greenfield will develp and direct the pics PLAIN WHITE RAPPER and ANGER MANAGEMENT for Revolution Studios.
• Fox 2000 has optioned SOME KIND OF BLUE, which Aaliyah is attached to star, for writer/director Alison Swan to develop. The project is about a guy who falls for his jazz idol's daughter during the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival.
• Bill Mechanic's Pandemonium grabbed the comedy pitch MOUNTAIN MEN from Bradley Allenstein, Robert Henny and Ralph Green, with Paul Hunter attached to direct. The story follows three brothers from Harlem who find a treasure map in their grandmother's attic and must find the treasure before her home is taken over by the IRS.
• Gone Fishin' Prods. picked up the comedy pitch FAT CHANCE by Jim Thompson about a bitchy female publisher of a woman's magazine who wakes up obese and tries to find a man who loves her for who she is.

MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTION TIDBITS

• Due to health and scheduling issues, Marlon Brando has dropped out of the Dimension Films spoof SCARY MOVIE 2. The part he was to play will now be recast.
• Lars von Trier's new film DOGVILLE has delayed production until after the possible U.S. writers and actors strikes while pic's star Nicole Kidman is in the middle of shooting THE HOUR.
• Bill Mechanic's Pandemonium is in final talks to pick up the film rights to Sebastain Junger's (THE PERFECT STORM) upcoming book FIRE, a fictionalized tale of a raging wilderness fire in a small Northeastern town and the fire-fighters who battle it.

Ken Miyamoto