By Romeo San Vicente
Elton John + Jane Austen + aliens = 'Pride & Predator'
The upcoming novel "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" is the talk of the publishing world, but the idea of mixing Jane Austen and gory genre fiction must be out there in the ether somewhere, because a similar notion is coming to the big screen. Elton John's Rocket Pictures is developing "Pride & Predator," a sci-fi spin on the classic novel to be directed by Will Clark and written by Andrew Kemble and John Pape. This sci-fi action movie follows the story of the original quite closely – until aliens crash-land in Meryton and begin slaughtering everyone. It's up to the headstrong Elizabeth and the inscrutable Mr. Darcy to save the day, facing down beasties and rayguns with … empire waists? Morning coats? We'll have to wait until 2010, when "Pride & Predator" invades theaters, to find out.
The Kids in the Hall are back and 'Death"s got 'em
Throughout the '90s, the Canadian quintet known as The Kids in the Hall were responsible for some of the wildest, smartest and most unapologetically gay comedy around. (The gay part came mostly from queer icon Scott Thompson and the bisexual Kevin MacDonald.) All five of the Kids – including Scott Foley, Bruce McCullouch and Mark McKinney – are reuniting for "Death Comes to Town," a new eight-episode miniseries in which they'll all star, with McCulloch directing as well as co-writing with the four other members of the troupe. Unlike their popular sketch comedy show (which aired in the U.S. on HBO and, briefly, CBS), "Death" will be a narrative series with the Kids playing all the different characters. It's set to air on Canada's CBC in 2010, with a lower 48 run presumably to follow.
Kevin Williamson returns with teen vamps and another 'Scream'
Prolific gay film and TV writer Kevin Williamson (he created "Dawson's Creek" and the "Scream" franchise), after what appears to have been a brief sabbatical, is back and busier than ever. With retreads of "Friday the 13th" and "My Bloody Valentine" in theaters and cashing in, the timing is perfect for "Scream 4," the latest entry in the postmodern-slasher-spoof series, which Williamson will write for director Wes Craven. Williamson is also penning a pilot for the CW based on the popular "Vampire Diaries" series of young-adult books. (Between the success of "Twilight" and "True Blood," who can blame the network for wanting a little adolescent bloodsucker action?) If the one-hour pilot takes off, "Vampire Diaries" could haunt TV screens as early as this fall; "Scream 4," meanwhile, is set to shriek its way into theaters in 2010.
Mike White sets out to expose 'Them'
You've most recently seen Mike White bungee-jumping off one of the world's highest dams on the latest season of "The Amazing Race," but he was already well-known in Hollywood as the gay screenwriter of "School of Rock," "Chuck and Buck," and "Year of the Dog." With his feet planted back on the ground, White is staying busy – he's writing "Them" for British director Edgar Wright ("Shaun of the Dead"). But this isn't a remake of "Them!," the sci-fi classic about giant ants; this "Them" is based on the book by humorist Jon Ronson, who interviewed some very different conspiracy theorists (including a Muslim jihadist and a Ku Klux Klan member) who are convinced the world is really run by a shadowy organization called the Bilderberg Group. Find out the shocking truth when "Them" opens next year.
