SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS EMILY BLUNT ON BRINGING THE MAGIC

BACK IN MARY POPPINS RETURNS

COUNTERPART // BIRD BOX // THE ORVILLE // ALIEN // TWIN PEAKS // EERIE, INDIANA // TITANS

100
EEK
G
20
THE

19
19

THE
20

G
EEK
100

N IX
AN
BATMAN
E TH
P HO
COV
ERY HEL EM
RK IS LBO
DA :D
RETURNS
THEY CALL HIM MR...
Y
GLASS S TAR
T REK
S TE RS I T:
CH
Inside the explosive final
Inside the superhero
O N
A I N M A RV A
season of Gotham
sequel 18 years in
the making
HE
M
P T EL P
T
C A A

TE
F

R
O
S

R
N

TO
M

100
EN
ME

EEK
IN

2
NA
ZA
DO

:K

GE
G
MI
SHA
ILLA
GOO

TER

20

RS
GODZ

THE

19
JOKER

4
9

THE

W
EL

O
0
G

G
2
N

EEK
100
A

ER
G
LE

W
AM

T O
T M
E

AN
BA O
LE

: 198 F
G

N A L I TA 4 TH
M
O

STAN LEE
O RO O
£5.25
EAS FINAL S
NES VIE ISSUE 153

1922-2018
N I 2:
TH E
DD ALA SE
COND PART TH
We pay tribute to a
IL V E O
pop culture legend E N TE A S
EAS
RESID ON TWO
 SFN 153
Welcome

Another year comes

to a close and the lists of
the very best of 2018 are
amassing, and what a year
it’s been. Marvel established
dominance yet again with
the one-two punch of Black Panther and
Infinity War, Deadpool 2 showed that
actually sometimes the joke is funnier the
second time around, and Venom proved
to everyone that sometimes dismal reviews
don’t stop you from absolutely smashing
box office records.
We had some great franchise revivals
(Jamie Lee Curtis’ return in Halloween was
a triumph) and some not-so-great (we’re
still not sure how The Predator ended up
being quite such a mess).
Our current golden period of horror was
cemented critically (hands up everyone
who’s not over Hereditary), commercially
(The Nun, Insidious: The Last Key, The First
Purge, etc) and sometimes even both (A
Quiet Place).
Big name filmmakers took big genre
swings with the likes of Ready Player
One and A Wrinkle In Time and arthouse
cinema was alive with the sound of weird
brilliance from Annihilation and Sorry To
Bother You to Mandy and The Endless. And
let’s not even start on all the telly…
But with every end-of-year list comes
the growing sense of excitement about
the year-to-come. As you will see in
our massive preview special, there’s an
incredible wealth of genre entertainment
heading our way with huge finales and
grand new beginnings, and we can’t wait
to bring you the latest on each and every
one of them.
But wait! We’re not done with 2018 just
yet. Emily Blunt is stepping into one of
cinema’s most delightfully iconic roles in
Mary Poppins Returns, parallel universe
spy story Counterpart is heading into an
ambitious second season, Sandra Bullock
goes post-apocalyptic with an amazing
cast in Bird Box, and Robin goes extremely
f***ing dark in Titans.
Meanwhile, we pull together some
precious memories from the making of
Alien and The Birds, take a trip back to
everyone’s favourite childhood mystery spot
Eerie, Indiana and have a look at the life of
a true SF legend: Rod Serling. Speaking of
which: Presenting for your consideration…
SciFiNow issue 153.

Jonathan Hatfull
Editor

004 | WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
 Get Excited About
Nightflyers
At the time of writing there’s still
no definite UK release date for
Nightflyers but we’re hoping the
adaptation of George RR Martin’s SF
horror novel will hit Netflix sooner
rather than later. The series follows a
team of scientists who set out to make
first contact and regret it when things
take a turn for the terrifying. There’s
a distinct lack of outer-space horror
out there right now so we’ve got very
high hopes for this one.

www.scifinow.co.uk | 005
 SCIFINOW 153
Contents

PORTAL
08 The Orville
Seth MacFarlane’s SF comedy is back with heightened
expectations and double the ambition.
10 Stan Lee
We pay tribute to a giant of geek culture.
12 Seasonal preview
All of your festive watching planned.
14 One Cut Of The Dead
This Japanese zombie comedy needs to be on your radar.

FEATURES
18 Geek 100
From superheroes to horror, from comedy to fantasy, from
grand fi nales to new beginnings… it’s your essential guide
to everything coming your way in 2019 and beyond.
50 Mary Poppins Returns
Emily Blunt steps into the role she was born to play as
Disney revives one of its best-loved characters.
56 I Think We’re Alone Now
We talk to feted fi lmmaker Reed Morano about
going from The Handmaid’s Tale to her

GEEK 100
post-apocalyptic indie movie.

18
58 Counterpart
The best SF drama more people need to know about heads
to Berlin for more parallel universe espionage.
62 Bird Box
Director Susanne Bier tells us about throwing Sandra
Bullock into a world where seeing is a death sentence.
Plus:
Titans, Vincenzo Natali, Twin Peaks

REVIEWS 08
76 Aquaman
Is James Wan’s underwater epic a splash hit?
77 Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
The animated Spidey movie dives into a whole new world.
82 American Horror Story: Apocalypse
Does tying the threads together make or break the
new season?
Plus:
Ralph Breaks The Internet, Sorry To Bother You, She-Ra:
Princesses Of Power and more…

BOOK CLUB
88 Kameron Hurley
The author of The Stars Are Legion tells us about her
stunning new military SF The Light Brigade.
Plus:
Book reviews, The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier
And Clay

TIMEWARP
94 Rod Serling
The complete guide to the man who brought us The
Twilight Zone and Night Gallery.
102 Veronica Cartwright
Talking Alien, The Birds and Body Snatchers with one of the
genre’s great character actors.
106 Eerie, Indiana
We revisit Joe Dante’s delightfully creepy kids’ TV classic.
Plus:
Night Of The Comet

006 | WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
 50

MEET THE TEAM

Q. What was your favourite genre
movie of 2018?

Jonathan Hatfull
Editor
A. Hereditary
It’s so profoundly
upsetting, I felt awful after
watching it in the best
way. Toni Collette shreds.

Abigail Chandler
Deputy Editor
A. Spider-Man: Into
The Spider-Verse

58 62
Ambitious, funny,
charming and heartfelt -
what a great film.

Poppy-Jay Palmer
News Editor
94 106 A. Coco
Not a single shot that
doesn’t leave me wanting
to tear out my heart and
mail it to my loved ones.

Marcus Faint
Art Editor
A. Avengers:
Infinity War

EVERY ISSUE It could have gone so very

wrong and yet it ended
up being so very right.
112 SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscribe to the magazine and save Rachael Harper
money today. Sub Editor
FREE A. A Quiet Place
114 NEXT ISSUE GIVEAWAY Great story, great
scares, great suspense
Details on
Your first sneak-peek at the next and a great cinematic
issue of SciFiNow. page 111 experience!

WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK | 007
PORTAL
exploring
new heights
We talk to The Orville’s Kaylon science officer about
Season Two, special guest stars and staying hopeful
Words Abigail chandler
We’ll be honest, when Family Guy
creator Seth MacFarlane announced he was
making a space exploration show, we were
expecting a Star Trek parody. Instead we
got a warmly funny homage to the great
space exploration shows (and yes, especially
Star Trek), that boasts brilliant sci-fi stories
alongside engaging drama. It’s not what
we were expecting, but we should have
known better. “You only have to follow Seth
on social media to realise that he’s a very
conscientious observer of the world,” says
Mark Jackson, who plays alien robot Isaac in
the show. “He has very worthy opinions on
the political and socio-economic happenings
in America and the world as a whole, but
that combined with his passion for sci-fi…
meant that we were definitely always going
to get the show that we ended up with.”
And now that The Orville has overcome
the hurdle of people not knowing what to
expect, it can really hit its stride as it enters
Season Two. “Everything is just bigger this
season,” Jackson says. “I feel like the writers
just stepped everything up about ten gears.
We definitely get bigger sci-fi worlds, we get
more planets, we get more aliens. That’s all
Mark Jackson out of
his Isaac costume.
008 |
Your essential, trustworthy
and unrivalled guide to the
latest genre happenings
pretty cool. But we also get more character,
more relationships, more ship-based stuff
as well. There’s a good mix in there.” The
show is still sticking with what viewers loved
the first time round, such as the comedy
and its self-contained stories. “It is still
very episodic, which I think is part the The
Orville’s charm, like it was with The Next
Generation and all those old Star Treks, you
can dip in and out,” Jackson says. He adds
that each episode “is very unique, each one
really is like a movie this year”.
Each character will be given new depths,
including Isaac, the Kaylon android who
memorably misunderstood the nature of
practical jokes in Season One and chopped
Gordon Malloy’s leg off. “He’s such a joy to
play and it’s so fantastic to see how his story
develops. I actually sent an email to Seth
after we wrapped just saying thank you so
much for giving Isaac so much good stuff
this year, it’s a real privilege. He goes on a
journey. We find out a lot more about Kaylon,
about his people and their history and what
that implies about his future aboard The show, which is great really,” Jackson says.
Orville. We see him develop his relationship “What’s quite fun about it is that a lot of
with the other members of the crew, to much them are so happy to do the show that
hilarity, obviously, but also there’s very they’re totally down for playing aliens in full
touching stuff in there as well.” makeup, a la Rob Lowe from the first season.
He mentions that Isaac’s unlikely bond And often you’ll be shooting all day and
with Dr Finn’s sons will continue to be chatting to this person and not even realise
explored: “There’s something quite magical who they are until the end of it. Which is all
about an alien life form and a child getting part of The Orville fun.”
on,” he muses. While some characters find And don’t worry, the show’s not going to
Isaac to be accidentally offensive, Jackson suddenly turn grim and dystopian on us.
thinks of him as a nice change of pace. “It’s “What The Orville brought back was a show
kind of refreshing to have his simplicity of that, although it’s funny, and although it has
thinking on board a ship where we’ve got all very serious elements, it’s very hopeful, it’s
these hormones flying around and baggage full of hope,” Jackson says. “It has an overall
flying around,” he laughs. positive message, which I think was also
Season One surprised viewers with a lacking on TV at the time. That’s why this is
steady stream of guest stars, including, so triumphant, I think.”
improbably, Charlize Theron and Liam
Neeson, and Season Two will be no different. The Orville Season Two begins on FOX on 10
“People are queuing up to be part of the January 2019 at 9pm.
www.scifinow.co.uk
 010 STAN LEE
012 SEASONAL
PREVIEW 014 ONE CUT OF
THE DEAD 016 COWBOY
BEBOP

We pay Everything You’re The beloved

tribute to you need not ready anime series
© Rex Features

one of our to set your for this is getting a

most beloved DVR for Japanese live-action
heroes zom-com reboot

STEERING
THE SHOW
We caught up with The
Orville’s pilot, Lt. Gordon
Malloy, aka actor Scott
Grimes, to find out more
about Season Two…

What can people expect

from the balance of sci-fi
and humour this year?
“The comedy comes from the real
moments now, instead of trying
to be like a modern comeback or
something trying to fit in. It comes
from the personalities of the people,
and with the science fiction we’re
leaning toward darker storylines.
People might say it was funnier last
year, but we’re hoping that people
who enjoy the show will be satisfied
with the futuristic storylines we’re
going to be telling. It’s above and
Clockwise from top: There’ll beyond, I’m telling you, the science
be more focus on character
development this year, fiction. It’s a little darker, but it’ll be
including Isaac and Alara; funny because of the characters.”
Scott Grimes as booze-loving
but extraordinarily talented
Season One told episodic
pilot Gordon Malloy; will Ed
and Kelly continue to work stories – will that continue in
well as a team having put Season Two or will season-
their responsibilities first? long arcs be introduced?
“We’ll have more arcs, more
double episodes and two-parters,
and relationships will go throughout
the year instead of per episode.
The crew relationships stretch
throughout the season, which is
different than last year. All of the

ALTHOUGH IT’S
characters have more of an arc.”

Will we find out more about

FUNNY, IT’S FULL Gordon’s backstory in

Season Two?

OF HOPE “We’ll find out about his backstory,

but really more of his relationship
MARK JACKSON with Ed. Without giving anything
away, there’s definitely more on
everyone’s backstory. It really
touches on how The Orville came to
be, and how we all got there.”

Do you particularly look

forward to filming away
mission episodes?
“I love that, one of my favourite
things to do is get into the shuttle
and go off to these remote utopian
cities. We’ll do that a lot in Season
Two. I love taking this crew out of
the ship for a little while and going
to another planet. On set it really
feels like a different place with the
special effects makeup and props
they create.”

WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK | 009
 PORTAL
STAN LEE
1922-2018
We remember the life of one of the most important
and beloved creators in genre and beyond
WORDS ABIGAIL CHANDLER
FEW PEOPLE CAN be said to
have created an entire universe,
but Stan Lee did just that. Along
with such legendary artists as
Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, Lee
contributed more characters
and worlds to the pop culture
landscape than just about anyone
else. Spider-Man is his most
lauded creation, but that’s barely
scratching the surface.
Born in 1922 in Manhattan
and spending most of his
childhood in The Bronx, Stanley
Martin Lieber was the son of
Romanian Jewish immigrants.
Stanley was a voracious reader
who loved movies and dreamt
of being a serious writer – so it
was with some reluctance that
he took a job working for Timely
Comics at 17, later going
on to be a writer at
the company that
would eventually be ROBERT
renamed Marvel. He DOWNEY JR
“I owe it all to you.
was so embarrassed Rest in peace Stan.”
by the silly comic
book stories he was
writing that he adopted
a pen name: Stan Lee (he
would later legally change his
surname to Lee).
During the Fifties he became
disillusioned with his work,
bashing out thousands of
romances, westerns, adventures
and more. He was on the verge
of quitting when the editor,
Martin Goodman, asked him to
come up with a new superhero
team in response to DC’s hugely
successful revamp of The Flash
and Green Lantern and their
creation of the Justice League
of America. Deciding to finally
create what he wanted to create
– or get fired trying – Lee worked
with Jack Kirby to create The
Fantastic Four. Launching under
the newly renamed Marvel
Comics in 1961, The Fantastic
010 |
TOM
HOLLAND
“How many millions of us
are indebted to this guy, none
more so than me. The father
of Marvel has made so many
people incredibly happy. What
a life and what a thing to
have achieved. Rest in
peace Stan.”
Four was an immediate hit.
Encouraged by that success,
Lee was given more or less
free-rein over creating superhero
characters for Marvel. In 1962
Lee and Kirby created The
Incredible Hulk and Thor. Lee’s
brother, Larry Lieber, wrote the
script for Thor’s first appearance
in ‘Journey Into Mystery’ as Lee
was too busy to write it himself
– perhaps because Spider-Man
debuted in the same month as
Thor. Co-created with artist Steve
Ditko, Peter Parker first appeared
in Amazing Fantasy before
getting a self-titled book when
Amazing Fantasy 15 became one
of Marvel’s best-selling issues.
Lee initially worked with Kirby
on Spider-Man, but found Kirby’s
ideas too heroic – Lee was
adamant that, behind
the mask, Spidey
should be a teenager
with normal teenage
problems, someone
readers could
actually relate to.
But Lee was far from
done – across the Sixties
he co-created the likes of Iron
Man, the X-Men, Doctor Strange,
Daredevil, Black Panther, Ant-
Man, Wasp and redefined the
old Fourties character, Captain
America, bringing some of them
together to form The Avengers.
The Sixties were no doubt
Lee’s creative heyday, and he
created a universe of superheroes
rooted firmly in our world SAMUEL L
JACKSON
that commented on current “Thank you @TheRealStanLee
affairs (Tony Stark was initially for the escape from this world
profiting from the Vietnam War) and great joy inhabiting the ones
and presented very human you created! You made so many
superheroes. Lee eventually believe in the good, the heroic, the
stepped down from writing villainous, the exciting, most of
all, you were giving and
comics in 1972, when he became
gracious to us all.”
© Rex Features
publisher of Marvel – his final
scripts were for Fantastic Four
and Spider-Man, although he
 HOT NEWS
Stan Lee
EVANGELINE
LILY
“Stan... more than a master
of stories, you always seemed
like a master of living. I will look later returned for occasional one-
to you for inspiration for the shot issues.
rest of my life. You live on. In the Nineties he left Marvel
xoxo Your Wasp.”
and set up Stan Lee Media,
which resulted in his business
partner going to prison and Lee
going bankrupt. He later set up
POW! (Purveyors Of Wonder),
a company which developed
films and TV shows (Disney
bought a big stake in it when
they bought Marvel). As Lee’s
characters exploded onto the
big screen from 2000 onwards,
he became known to a new
generation of fans, putting in
cameo appearances in practically
all Marvel adaptations and
becoming a sort-of ambassador
for Marvel and for superheroes
in general.
His wife Joan died in 2017, and
he is survived by his daughter,
Joan Celia ‘J.C.’ Lee.

MARK
RUFFALO
THE MARVEL
“You have made the world a METHOD
better place through the power How a legion
of modern mythology and your of iconic comics
love of this messy business of being were created
human... You let us be extra human...
Stan Lee was such
superhuman even. I am deeply
Pop culture would be very a huge part of the
honored to have been a
different without him. comics industry that
small part in the Stan
he even defined
Lee constellation.”
a specific style of
creating comics that’s
known as ‘the Marvel Method’.
Rather than writing full scripts
then handing them to an artist,
Lee would give his artist a
story synopsis – sometimes
detailed, sometimes little
more than an outline
discussed over the phone
– and then he would
add dialogue, captions
and sound effects to the
artist’s finished work.
This has led to some
disputes over the years
as to who created
characters; the artist or
the writer. Because of how Marvel
(and comics in general) worked at
the time, artists were doing ‘jobs for
hire’ and so weren’t given the credit
they deserved. Later in
life, Lee acknowledged
the work of his artistic
co-creators like Jack
Kirby and Steve Ditko,
without whom his
characters would be
very different, or
perhaps not exist
at all.
Characters like Peter
Parker speak to all of us.

| 011
 PORTAL

HO-HO-HAPPY VIEWING!
‘Tis the season to curl up with a box of Quality Street and dig into some excellent film and TV. From
satanic seasons greetings to ringing in the new year with the Doctor, here are our recommendations
for your festive viewings, without you even having to leave your house
WORDS ABIGAIL CHANDLER

THE
CHILLING
ADVENTURES DOCTOR WHO
OF SABRINA 1 January 2019
14 December 2018 Doctor Who is skipping the traditional
A new episode of The Chilling Adventures Of Christmas Day special this year, in favour of
Sabrina arrives on Netflix, celebrating what we a New Year’s Day special. The episode will
would call the shortest day of the year. For witches, focus on the Doctor, Ryan, Graham and Yaz
it is the longest night of the year, the Winter Solstice, returning to Earth just in time to face an evil
and it’s celebrated with all the singing and eating from centuries of Earth’s history. Quite what
you’d expect from a pagan holiday. The episode that threat is – and whether it’s something
will see Sabrina’s family celebrate the the Doctor has faced before – remains
solstice while she attempts a séance to to be seen.
communicate with her dead mother.

THE DEAD
ROOM
Date TBC
This 30-minute BBC Four ghost story comes
from the pen of Mark Gatiss and stars Simon
Callow as a veteran radio presenter who
discovers that the ‘dead room’ (soundproofed
booth) of his radio horror series isn’t as quiet
as he might have assumed. This could be
a perfect chilling way to spend a cosy THE
ZOG winter night. CHRISTMAS
Christmas Day CHRONICLES
From the makers of The Gruffalo and Out now
Room On The Broom comes the BBC’s 2018 Netflix’s big original Christmas offering sees
children’s animated adventure, Zog, based on Kurt Russell as a disconcertingly sexy Santa in
the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, a magic romp about two kids who have to help
about a dragon who’s having a little trouble him find his lost sleigh, break out of jail, and,
with dragon school. Featuring the voices of of course, save Christmas. This is the perfect
Lenny Henry, Hugh Skinner, Tracey Ullman Christmas film if you wish there were more
and Kit Harington, it’s sure to be films about Santa stealing cars and
another Christmas charmer. A going on a joyride.
MONSTER
CALLS
9 December 2018
The film adaptation of Patrick Ness’ book
reaches Netflix in December, and if you
missed it in cinemas, this story of a troubled
boy and his giant tree monster is definitely
worth viewing. It’s one to watch when you
want to indulge your weepy side, so
be prepared – you’ll be a wreck
after this one.

012 | WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK

© 1975 Dutch National Archives
WILLIAM GOLDMAN
1931-2018
One of Hollywood’s most important writers has
passed away
WORDS jonathan hatfull
You would be very hard
pushed to name a writer who has
had as big an impact on cinema
as William Goldman. From his
record-breaking deal for the Butch
Cassidy And The Sundance Kid
screenplay through to his Nineties
renaissance nailing adaptations of
Stephen King and John Grisham
via the sheer unbridled joy of
The Princess Bride, Goldman was
a writer who seemed to be the
perfect combination of technician
and artist, someone who could
“a writer who seemed to be
the perfect combination of
technician and artist”
construct a flawless machine and
give it a soul.
Perhaps the best illustration
of this is that he was one of
Hollywood’s most in-demand
script doctors while being
profoundly unromantic about the
movie system. He summed up the
eternal hunt for a film that works
with ‘nobody knows anything’
and preferred to think of himself
as a novelist.
Indeed, three of his best-
loved films were adapted from
www.scifinow.co.uk
his own novels: The Princess
Bride, Marathon Man and Magic.
Goldman often cited the former
as his personal favourite and it’s
easy to see why. The combination
of wit, heart and adventure
continues to enchant and inspire
audiences more than 25 years
later and it contains some of
his most sparkling dialogue (we
could fill the rest of this article
simply with quotes from The
Princess Bride, but we’ll settle for:
“My name is Inigo Montoya. You
killed my father. Prepare to die.”).
Although there were the
occasional misfires, there can
be no doubting Goldman’s place
in cinema history. He was a
key figure in what is arguably
American filmmaking’s most
vibrant and exciting era and
continued to show his mastery
of the screenwriting form over
the decades in a stunning range
of genres and scales. One of the
artform’s most influential figures
has been lost.
William Goldman/Nicolas Roeg
NICOLAS ROEG
1928-2018
Remembering the director of Don’t Look Now
and The Man Who Fell To Earth
WORDS jonathan hatfull
You’ll often find people
complaining about ‘safe’ films
but no one ever felt totally safe
watching a Nicolas Roeg film.
The filmmaker had a
remarkable eye for dazzling
visuals, making his start as a
cinematographer on movies like
The Masque Of The Red Death
and Fahrenheit 451. His 1970
directorial debut Performance
(co-directed with Donald
Cammell) was a gloriously
disorienting and challenging
psychological trip that confused
and enraged the studio.
It was the first film in an
incredible run that included
Walkabout (1971), Don’t Look
Now (1973) and The Man Who
Fell To Earth (1976). The latter
was subsequently recently given
a beautiful restoration, allowing
a new generation to discover the
uncanny combination of wonder
and despair as David Bowie’s
spaceman is gradually ground
Hot News
down by television and mankind’s
avaricious nature.
Of course, Don’t Look Now
remains one of horror cinema’s
true masterpieces. No matter
how many times you’ve seen it
you can’t help but get sucked
into those cold, foggy Venice
streets and be horrified by
what’s waiting for Donald
Sutherland’s grieving parent at
the end of them.
For many, their first encounter
with Roeg’s work may have been
his splendidly horrid adaptation
of Roald Dahl’s The Witches
and, given his fame for dealing
with adult subject matter, he had
a remarkable knack for telling
stories that really get under
children’s skin.
While his cinematic output
dwindled in later years, his
influence on cinema only grows
more pronounced. We should all
pay another visit to the strange
worlds he conjured.
Petr Novák, Wikipedia
| 013
 PORTAL
FOUND FOOTAGE IS (UN)DEAD
Japanese horror comedy One Cut Of The Dead is one of the year’s best surprises
SCIFINOW IS SITTING in
a nondescript white room in a
nondescript building in Tokyo, a
stone’s throw from the Yamanote
rail line that’s the city’s main
artery. Thousands of commuters
hurtle past here each day, not
giving this building a thought. But
many would know the film born
here, a zombie comedy with a
twist you haven’t seen before:
One Cut Of The Dead.
A huge sleeper hit in Japan,
the film enjoyed standing ovations
and rave reviews round the
world, and comes to cinemas
and home formats this January.
Some readers will have seen it
already but we hope they’re not
spoiling the film as One Cut’s
success owes much to cunning
story sidesteps, and to how
its twists work in tandem with
014 |
its human characters, a band
of disorganised but spirited
filmmakers chasing or being
chased by zombies.
We’re in Enbu Seminar, an
acting and directing school where
the One Cut team conjured the
film into being. “When planning
began, nothing was settled,”
explains Shinichiro Ueda, looking
so young in his One Cut T-shirt
that we wonder if cinemas allow
him into his own film. “I used my
gut feeling as to who would suit
the project and then chose my
actors. They were awkward but
somehow interesting.”
The first part of the film involves
the filmmaker characters in an
abandoned water filtration plant.
They’re shooting a film-in-a-film
about (what else?) zombies, when
they’re interrupted by the real
WORDS TOM ARDEN
shambling thing. While this part
of the film seems to be the most
conventional it’s still technically
audacious, as the whole
37-minute sequence is filmed as a
continuous camera take. Welles
and Scorsese, eat your hearts
out, or let zombies do it for you.
The ‘one cut’ sequence, plus
a later part of the film, was
indeed filmed in an abandoned
purification plant, in the city of
Mito north of Tokyo. “My crew
found it,” says Ueda. “It was the
first place on our location hunt…
I felt we would be hard pushed
to find a better place.”
However, the plant still
wasn’t exactly ideal.
“It did not have any
electricity, which we
needed for lighting...
We have a
rainy season in Japan, which
coincided with the filming so it
was pouring rain most of the
time. That building had a sort of
sunken level so it was always full
of water. Before filming we all
mucked in to get rid of the water
and then we could start work. It
was also quite a job cleaning up
the fake blood, as after the ‘one
cut’ shot it was everywhere.”
One Cut celebrates
improvisation, which was
required as much of the real
film-makers as it was of the
characters. “The blood
splashing on the camera
lens during the ‘one cut’
sequence is purely
accidental,” Ueda
reveals.
“The scene
where the
WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK

cameraman fell over was
inspired by the actor playing
the cameraman falling over
during rehearsal. At one point
[in the ‘one cut’ sequence] we
had to apply zombie makeup
in one minute, but we couldn’t
finish in time, so until the zombie
appeared the actors ad-libbed.
So the mistakes (on screen) were
a mix of ‘fabricated on purpose’
and real ones.”
The ‘one cut’ sequence was
rehearsed in the room where
we’re sitting. Ueda thinks there
were about eight rehearsals for
the ‘one cut’ scene. “I used this
room like an abandoned house
and we used the desk and so on
for the furniture. Sometimes we
could not use this place, so we
used a park for rehearsing.”
As for the actual ‘one cut’
shoot, there were six different
takes. “We made it to the end
on four takes,” Ueda says. One
Zombie attack?
Keep filming!
Don’t ruin the
surprise...
www.scifinow.co.uk
failed because the zombie
make-up couldn’t be applied
in time. “Another time, as the
cameraman fell down, he
pressed the record button
accidently and stopped filming.”
Post-production CG was kept
to a minimum, used only to add
“spew” to a vomit scene, and to
fix a moment where a character
peels off her skin. “Everything
else was done practically on set,”
says Ueda. “I prefer to show the
really man-made practical effects
rather than CG.”
Ueda’s favourite horror film
is Night Of The Living Dead,
while his pantheon also includes
Evil Dead and Texas Chain Saw
Massacre. Beyond horror, he’s
partial to other films about film-
makers, such as Bowfinger and
France’s Day For Night.
One Cut itself is far more about
the film-makers than the zombies.
“The story is about getting over a
It’s a future cult
classic for sure.
Hot News
One Cut Of The Dead
the
mistakes on
screen were
a mix of
fabricated
and real
ones
shinichiro ueda difficult time in life and grouping
together to overcome those
difficulties,” says Ueda. “I tried
to bring out each of the actors’
strengths from the rehearsals and
by drinking together. I wrote the
characters to reflect the actors.”
Ueda admits that some of
the characters – such as a
condescending producer and
a self-important thesp – are
based on people he’s met in the
film industry. However, they’re not
exactly drawn from real life.
“If I had to work with people
like that in reality, I expect it
would be really annoying!” Ueda
says. “I made them parodies,
exaggerating their quirks, so
they would endear themselves
to the audience.”
One Cut’s official budget is a
miniscule $27,000. So how was
Ueda able to make the money go
so far? “From the very beginning
this film was created in a
workshop environment,” he says.
“The cast were not paid for either
the rehearsal or actual filming.
So, compared to a commercial
film, my film it is quite different
budget-wise.
“We used my house for
some scenes… My own baby
appeared in the film. I made the
blood-soaked T-shirts. Plus, I did
not need to pay for using the
abandoned building. I managed
to reduce the budget in lots of
ways. But I believe the low-budget
hand-crafted approach added to
the charm of the film and enabled
me to have total control.”
The gambles certainly paid
off. Now, see it before someone
spoils it for you.
One Cut Of The Dead is
released in cinemas on 4
January and on Blu-ray/DVD/
VOD on 28 January.
| 015
 The remake has a

PORTAL
lot to live up to.

Be his victim
Jordan peele’s candyman remake is
definitely happening WORDS POPPy-JAy PALMer
Rumours of Jordan Peele’s
involvement in a Candyman reboot
had been circling like a swarm of
bees, and happily it turns out that
the rumours are true.
Not only that, but the project
has already found itself a director:
Nia DaCosta, the filmmaker behind
crime drama Little Woods, starring
Tessa Thompson and Lily James.
Peele, the director of Get Out
and upcoming social horror-
thriller Us, is producing the
project through his Monkeypaw
Productions banner, with MGM
producing and financing the film,
and Universal handling domestic
theatrical distribution. Production is
expected to begin in spring 2019.
“The original was a landmark
film for black representation in
the horror genre,” Peele said in a
statement. “Alongside Night Of
The Living Dead, Candyman was
a major inspiration for me as a
filmmaker — and to have a bold
new talent like Nia at the helm of The bounty hunter SF is
this project is truly exciting. coming to live-action.
“We are honoured to
bring the next chapter in
the Candyman canon to life and
eager to provide new audiences
with an entry point to Clive
Barker’s legend.”
The film is being described
as a “spiritual sequel” to
Candyman, and will return to the
neighbourhood where the legend
began: the now-gentrified area of
Chicago that was once home to the
Cabrini-Green housing projects.
However, it’s unclear whether or
not actor Tony Todd will be back
to reprise his iconic role. Hooks
crossed for yes.
The Candyman reboot will be in
cinemas on 12 June 2020.
see you, space cowboy
the live-action remake of cowboy bebop
is heading to Netflix
WORDS POPPy-JAy PALMer

We all lost our minds last year there’s currently no news

when it was announced that a
live-action Cowboy Bebop TV
series was on the way, and we’re
doing the same again: it was
recently revealed that the show
will be setting up home at Netflix.
The streaming service is taking
the anime series about a rag-tag
band of cool inter-planetary
bounty hunters and bringing it to
life in full live-action glory. Netflix
seems very keen on it: it’s already
been given a ten-episode order.
Midnight radio’s Andre
Nemec, Josh Appelbaum, Jeff
Pinkner and Scott rosenberg will
be executive producers and Thor:
ragnarok writer Christopher yost
is at work on the first episode.
Original director Shinichiro
Watanabe will be a creative
consultant, and Sunrise’s yasuo
Miyakawa, Masayuki Ozaki,
and Shin Sasaki will executive
Will Tony Todd reprise
produce with Tetsu Fujimura and
his signature role? Matthew Weinberg. However,
regarding casting or directors.
For those unfamiliar with the
original series, Cowboy Bebop
begins with Spike Spiegel and
Jet Black hunting for profitable
crooks in their ship Bebop.
They’re quickly joined by fellow
bounty hunter Faye Valentine,
hacker radical edward and data
dog Welsh Corgi ein.
The anime is a mix of noir
and sci-fi with a healthy dose of
deadpan wit and eccentricity. The
only bad thing is there are only
26 episodes and a movie.
Cowboy Bebop doesn’t yet have
an air date.

016 | www.scifinow.co.uk
 best of the billboards
Celebrating the best, worst and weirdest movie posters out there
WORDS poppy-jay palmer

1
up
er
lm

n
n
ru
fi
st
be

Detective Pikachu
You might miss him at a first
glance but Pikachu is still the
star in this exciting noir-style
poster for Detective Pikachu.

2
up
er
n
n
ru

Artemis Fowl
Disney is going big with
its Artemis Fowl marketing
campaign. This cool and
mysterious poster embodies the
spirit of Eoin Colfer’s books.
n
io
at t
imbes
an

Child’s Play The LEGO Movie 2:

What is it about empty warehouses that sends shivers down your spine? The new poster for the Child’s Play reboot takes full The Second Part
advantage of that, plus the scare factors that come with dusty spotlights, dark shadows and windows that you can’t quite see into, The poster for The LEGO Movie
to create a poster with the power to chill you to the core. The doll is the scariest thing about Child’s Play, but we don’t even need to sequel has put its very own spin
see him to come away feeling cold. That’s pretty impressive. on every space opera poster.

www.scifinow.co.uk | 017
 e k 100
e
G

20
The

19
01. The Passage
Showrunner: Liz Heldens
Cast: Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Saniyya Sidney,
9

The
Jamie McShane
Release date: 15 January 2019
1

Justin Cronin’s trilogy of books are

0

G making their first appearance on screens

2

in 2019 on FOX. The show centres on a

eek science experiment intended to eradicate
100 disease, but which goes terribly wrong.
Gosselaar and Sidney play the agent and
test subject forced to go on the run.

02. Y
Showrunner: Michael Green
Cast: Barry Keoghan, Diane Lane,
Imogen Poots
2019 is nearly upon us and we’re preparing ourselves for heartbreak. Yes, Release date: 2019 TBC
two of the genre’s biggest franchises will be coming to an end, in a manner of
This long-awaited
speaking (spin-offs never die). Game Of Thrones will air its ninth and final season,
adaptation of Brian K Vaughan
and God help us all if that series finale doesn’t live up to expectations. Arguably and Pia Guerra’s comic book
the only thing more certain to cause fan debate and heartache over character series centres on the last man
deaths is the second part of Avengers: Infinity War, which at the time of writing alive after every mammal
remains so shrouded in secrecy we can only assume that Mark Ruffalo and Tom with a Y chromosome keels over and
Holland are being kept in a high-tech Marvel prison until May, watching re-runs dies. Showrunner Michael Green is on a
of that time Ruffalo actually gave away the real damn ending of the first movie hot streak – this is definitely one worth
keeping an eye on.
while Don Cheadle died a little inside.
Meanwhile, the new Star Wars trilogy comes to an end with Episode IX, the
Losers’ Club head back to Derry for a final showdown with Pennywise in IT: 03. Snowpiercer
Chapter Two, and we’re fully expecting floods of tears from the final chapter of Showrunner: Graeme Manson
How To Train Your Dragon. Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Daveed Diggs
But it’s not all about endings. We’ve got franchises going to the next level with Release date: TBC
the likes of Godzilla: King Of The Monsters, DC continuing to have fun (Shazam!)
This adaptation of a French graphic
and getting weird (Joker), new takes on old classics like The Twilight Zone, horror
novel – which previously received the
being absolutely everywhere (we cannot wait for Pet Sematary) and Sarah big screen treatment courtesy of Bong
Connor herself Linda Hamilton donning her shades and shotgun for the untitled Joon-ho – has undergone some hiccups,
Terminator movie. And let’s not forget that Patrick Stewart is returning to the including the departure of original
bridge as Jean-Luc Picard… showrunner Josh Friedman, but we
It’ll be a bumper year for Neil Gaiman fans as both Good Omens and the should finally get to see it in 2019.
second season of American Gods finally hit our screens and BBC America is
working on a series based on Terry Pratchett’s The Watch. Seth Rogen and
Evan Goldberg are taking on one of Garth Ennis’ most outrageous comics with
04. Another Life
Stars: Katee Sackhoff, Selma Blair,
The Boys, we’ll all be watching the Watchmen TV show with a combination of Tyler Hoechlin
excitement and caution, and Locke & Key has a series order at Netflix so we might Creator: Aaron Martin
be able to stop talking about that pilot. We’ll also be able to stop thinking about Released: 2019 TBC
how much of a missed opportunity The Golden Compass was as the His Dark
Materials TV series could finally do Phillip Pullman’s work justice, and while we’ve Killjoys’ Aaron Martin has created
this space-bound Netflix SF which stars
got no idea what to expect from The Witcher series, we can’t wait to see it and the
Katee Sackhoff as the commander of a
same goes for The Dark Crystal. perilous mission to discover the origins
From familiar faces like Hellboy, Chucky and the X-Men to great unknowns of an alien artefact, and Selma Blair as a
like Captive State, Us and Lovecraft Country, 2019 is shaping up to be an journalist working to uncover the secrets
unforgettable year. Let’s take a closer look… they find. This is one to keep an eye on.

018 | www.scifinow.co.uk

05. Picard
Stars: Patrick Stewart
Creator: TBA
Released: 2020 TBC
Since Patrick Stewart shared
that picture of the formidable writers’
room that had been assembled for
the Picard solo show, it’s all gone a
bit quiet. What we do know is that
the show will be set roughly 20 years
after Nemesis in a different time and
place, and that CBS is interested in
seeing it go beyond one season.
As for who the showrunner will be
and whether or not the rest of the
Enterprise crew will appear, well…
we’ll have to wait and see.
08. Avenue 5
Showrunner: Armando Iannucci
Cast: Hugh Laurie, Rebecca Front
Release date: TBC
HBO has ordered a sci-fi comedy pilot
from Armando Iannucci. We don’t know
much about it, except that it will be set on
a space ship and, if Iannucci’s other work is
anything to go by, it will be sweary, smart,
political and absolutely hilarious.
09. Raised By Wolves
Cast: TBA
Creator: Aaron Guzikowski
Released: 2020 TBC
Ridley Scott is producing this SF series
about human children being raised by
androids in space from Prisoners writer
Aaron Guzikowski. From the limited
information we have to go on, it sounds as
though Scott will be continuing to explore
the ways in which AI will overtake us.

06. Star Trek Discovery Season Two 10. The Testaments

Writer: Margaret Atwood
Cast
Showrunner Release date Publisher: Chatto & Windus
Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones,
Alex Kurtzman 17 January 2019
Anthony Rapp, Anson Mount Release date: 10 September 2019

After a fair bit of behind-the-scenes drama, the second season of Discovery still seems to be on Margaret Atwood has
course as franchise vet Alex Kurtzman has stepped in as showrunner following the firing of Aaron announced she will return to the
Harberts and Gretchen J Berg. We’ll have our main feature in the next issue but we can’t wait to see world from The Handmaid’s Tale:
“Everything you’ve ever asked
how Pike and Spock fit into the Disco storyline, and how Dr Culber will return…
me about Gilead and its inner
workings is the inspiration for this book,”
she said. “Well, almost everything! The other
inspiration is the world we’ve been living in.”

07. The OA
Season Two 11. The Mandalorian
Showrunner: Brit Marling, Zal Batmanglij Stars: Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Nick Nolte
Creator: Jon Favreau
Cast: Brit Marling, Jason Isaacs
Release date: 2020 TBC
Release date: TBC
The details surrounding the live-action Star
The OA Season One left us with a lot more
Wars TV series are being kept hush-hush, but
questions than answers – as did the Season we do know that the great Nick Nolte has just
Two teaser trailer. signed up to star. Set between Revenge Of The
Sith and A New Hope, we do know that creator
Something Always Survives Jon Favreau has assembled a formidable
Those words accompanied the launch of the directors’ roster, including Taika Waititi, Bryce
teaser trailer, and the braille word that pops Dallas Howard and Deborah Chow.
up on screen means ‘survive’ – does this mean
that Prairie survived?

The Golden Gate Bridge 12.

The iconic bridge was briefly glimpsed in development
during Homer’s weird near death experience
flashback, so this could mean that we Kaos, Away, Recursion,
will find out a lot more about Homer in Chronicles Of Narnia, Avatar:
Season Two. The Last Airbender, Cowboy
Bebop, Roald Dahl universe
series, Cursed…

www.scifinow.co.uk | 019
 100
eek
G

13.Captain

20
Cast
The

19
Directors Release date
Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson,
19
Marvel Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck 8 March 2019

The
20 G Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law
eek
100

It feels like we’ve been waiting a long, long

time for Carol Danvers’ solo movie. Captain
Marvel was announced back in 2014 and Brie
Larson was confirmed two years later, and now
we’re just a few short months away from seeing
the Nineties-set origin story. While a lot of the
fun is sure to come from the fact that the time
period allows for younger versions of familiar
characters both good (Samuel L Jackson’s Nick
Fury and Clark Gregg’s Phil Coulson) and evil
(both Guardians villains Ronan The Accuser
aka Lee Pace and Korath aka Djimon Hounsou
have a significant part to play in Carol’s time in
Kree military team Starforce), there can be no
question that we’re all showing up for one thing:
the title character.
So while it’s very exciting that we’re getting a
window into a time period and galactic conflict
previously unexplored in the MCU, it’s also very
telling that the first teaser for the movie (directed
by Half Nelson duo Anna Boden and Ryan
Fleck) put the emphasis entirely on Carol and
her search for her memories.
We’re also thrilled at the prospect of an origin
story that will get to go interstellar significantly
quicker than some of the MCU openers as we’ve
been promised a significant chunk of the film will
be spent off-Earth.
As we learned from the closing moments
of Infinity War, Captain Marvel’s going to be
crucial going forward and we’ve got every
confidence that she’ll knock it out of the park
first time.

020 | www.scifinow.co.uk
 How will Infinity
War play into
Peter’s journey in
Far From Home?

14. Spider-Man: hasn’t confirmed that’s who he’s playing).

Far From Home
Director: Jon Watts
Cast: Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zendaya
Release: 5 July 2019
The secrecy surrounding Spidey’s
sophomore outing is understandable given
where we last saw him (oh God, just thinking
about it… moving on) but we do know that
it’ll pick up just a few minutes after the end of
Avengers and that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker
will be thwipping around Europe with Ned, MJ
The idea of an on-the-road-style superhero
movie is appealing and could help to bring
something new to the MCU visual palette
(we all love New York but, you know, there
are other places), and we’re also thrilled that
Michael Keaton is returning as Adrian Toomes.
It remains to be seen just how big a role he’ll be
playing, and if there’s any truth to the myriad
rumours about other villains popping up (we’re
a little sceptical given how many times Spidey
movies have fallen prey to the “too many bad
guys” problem) and we might have to wait

© Georges Biard
and company on their summer vacation. There, until after Infinity War 2 is released to find out
they’ll run into Jake Gyllenhaal’s Quentin what the score is. Hey, Gyllenhaal and Keaton
Beck/Mysterio (well, probably, Marvel still feels like enough.

15. Avengers: Infinity War Part Two

Cast
Director Release date
Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson,
Anthony Russo, Joe Russo 29 April 2019
Chris Hemsworth

At the time of writing, we’ve been in a holding pattern waiting for the Avengers trailer to drop for what feels like a lifetime, waiting for any hint of what’s to
come. So, rather than wildly speculate, here’s what we want to see post-snap…

JONATHAN HATFULL: One of
the things that can be easy to lose
sight of given the rolling nature of the
MCU and their love of the post-credit
goodness is the importance of an
ending. While it remains to be seen
how many, if any, of the Marvel
heroes actually meet their deaths, I’d
like there to be a feeling that this is,
as advertised, the end of an era, to
have the sense of a chapter closed.
ABIGAIL CHANDLER: The stakes
in Infinity War were sky-high – until
Thanos clicked his fingers that is.
By killing major new characters
such as Spider-Man and Black
Panther, we knew they were
actually safe. I would like to see
Part Two add a real sense of peril
and emotional weight, with death
feeling real, permanent, and
horrifyingly likely.
POPPY-JAY PALMER: All I
want from Avengers 4 is a solid
conclusion that isn’t 80 percent
battle sequence. I know battle
sequences are important and are
the foundation superhero movies are
built upon, but there are only
so many times I can watch Tony
Stark blast someone in the chest,
and that quota was reached with
Iron Man 2.
RACHAEL HARPER: Infinity
War brought together all of the
elements audiences have come to
love and expect from the MCU in
an explosive finale. I don’t want Part
Two to conclude everything nice and
neatly but to mix things up and turn
what we have come to expect on its
head with a sense of a fresh, new
beginning and a brand-new new era
of the MCU.

www.scifinow.co.uk | 021
 100
EEK
G
Cast
16.Birds

20
THE

19
Director Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Release date
19
Of Prey Cathy Yan Winstead, Ewan McGregor, 7 February 2020

THE
20
100
EEK
G
Jurnee Smollett-Bell

Harley Quinn Black Mask Black Canary

Alias: Harleen Quinzel
Description: Villain-turned-antihero
with an obsession with the Joker
Affiliated with: Gotham City Sirens, Suicide
Squad, Secret Six, Secret Society Of Super
Villains, Justice League
Abilities: An expert gymnast, immunity to various
toxins, weaponised props user, genius level
intellect, trained psychiatrist
First comics appearance: The Batman
Adventures #12 (September 1993)
Played by: Margot Robbie
Alias: Roman Sionis
Description: A major crime lord of
Gotham City and all-around bad guy
Affiliated with: The False Face Society, Gotham
Mafia, Secret Society Of Super Villains, Black
Lantern Corps
Abilities: Criminal mastermind, a master of
torture, skilled marksman, firearms expert, ability
to use mind control via his mask
First comics appearance: Batman #386
(August 1985)
Played by: Ewan McGregor
Alias: Dinah Lance
Description: A skills
combatant/vigilante that just so
happens to be married to a Gotham
City detective
Affiliated with: Justice Society Of America,
Justice League, Birds Of Prey, Team 7
Abilities: Ultrasonic scream, expert
martial artist
First comics appearance: Flash Comics #86
(August 1947)
Played by: Jurnee Smollett-Bell

17. Joker
Director: Todd Phillips
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie
Beetz, Frances Conroy
Release: 4 October 2019

It’s getting hard to keep track of all the

various Joker projects going on, but this
one sounds pretty sick (in a good way, not
a ‘Jared Leto doing method acting’ way).
Joaquin Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, a
struggling stand-up comedian that turns to a
life of crime in Gotham City, 1981. Originally,
Phoenix had only been interested in a low-
budget character study about a comic book
villain but, not wanting to have to commit to
a huge franchise, he declined meeting with
Warner Bros about Joker. However, after
learning that the studio wanted to pull
the Clown Prince of Crime away from the
DCEU for the fi lm entirely, Phoenix signed
the heck up.

18. Suicide Squad 2

Director: TBA
Cast: TBA
Release: TBA

Even after the terrible reviews of 2016’s

Suicide Squad, Warner Bros is still putting its
money on a sequel. But unlike most other comic
book sequels, WB is not promising more of the
same. Director David Ayer isn’t coming back to
helm, James Gunn is penning the script, and it’s
still unclear whether or not the same cast members
– or even characters – are returning. It’s going for
a fresh new look and it’s crossing its fingers and
hoping that it might get it right this time.

022 | WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
Team time Meet the players on Harley Quinn’s other super-team

Huntress Batgirl Renee Montoya

Alias: Helena Bertinelli
Description: The daughter of a mafia
boss who vows revenge when her
family is murdered
Affiliated with: Birds Of Prey, Batman
Family, Justice League International, Outsiders,
Checkmate, Spyral
Abilities: Highly skilled gymnast and hand-to-
hand combatant, expert marksman
Alias: Cassandra Cain
Description: The daughter of
assassins trained in the family business
Affiliated with: Batman Family, Young Justice,
Justice League Elite, League Of Assassins, Titans
East, Outsiders, Batman Incorporated, The Spoiler
Abilities: Highly skilled martial artist and hand-to-
hand combat, ability to read body language
First comics appearance: Batman #567
Alias: N/A
Description: A badass detective
who frequently comes into contact
with Batman
Affiliated with: Global Peace Agency,
Batman Incorporated, Gotham City
Police Department
Abilities: A highly-skilled detective with all the
associated training

© Joella Marano
First comics appearance: Sensation Comics (July 1999) First comics appearance: Batman #475
#68 (August 1947) Played by: TBA. The film is reportedly looking for (March 1992)
Played by: Mary Elizabeth Winstead a young Asian actress. Played by: Rosie Perez

19. Shazam! 20. Flashpoint

Director: David F Sandberg
Cast: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel,
Jack Dylan Grazer
Release: 5 April 2019
One thing stood out more than anything
in the Shazam! trailer: the fact that some
of the characters actually seem to have a
good time. It’s alright frowning when your
alien home planet has been destroyed or if
your parents were murdered when you were
a kid, but as a viewer it can also get a bit
exhausting. Asher Angel plays Billy Batson,
a kid with a big imagination, while Zachary
Levi plays his alter ego, a grown man in a
spandex suit with incredible superpowers.
He is Shazam and we are psyched.
Director: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Cast: Ezra Miller, Billy Crudup, Kiersey Clemons
Release: 2020
After the hours of gloom that made up
Man Of Steel and Batman V Superman:
Dawn Of Justice, Ezra Miller finally brought
some personality to the dude side of the
DCEU as Barry Allen/The Flash in Justice
League. Up to this point, the series seemed
to never know what to do with their male
superheroes, but we have little doubt that
Flashpoint is going to be a blast. Combining
the gritty action of the DCEU, the comedy
stylings of directing duo John Francis Daley
and Jonathan Goldstein and Ezra Miller
might prove to be a winning formula.

21. Wonder Woman 1984

Cast
Director Release date
Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig,
Patty Jenkins 5 June 2020
Pedro Pascal

Let’s take a look at what we’ve got here: Kristen Wiig as Cheetah, a super villain that can acquire
feline powers and turn into a humanoid cheetah; Lynda Carter in a possible cameo role; the whole
thing being set in the Eighties; Diana Prince fighting in the Cold War. There’s no possible way Wonder
Woman 1984 could go wrong. Partner all those points with the fact that the brilliant Patty Jenkins is once
again in charge guarantees that we are going to love it. The only thing we’re scratching our heads over
is the fact that Chris Pine is returning as Steve Trevor. Given that he died at the end of the first film (which
was set in World War I) we don’t quite know how Jenkins is going to bring him back. But we’re excited
to find out.

www.scifinow.co.uk | 023
 100
eek
G
22.Marvel’s

20
Cast
The

19
Runaways
Creators Distributor
Rhenzy Feliz, Lyrica Okano,
19 Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage Syfy UK

The
Virginia Gardner, Ariela Barer
Season Two
20 G
eek
100

23. The Umbrella

Academy
Distributor: Netflix
Creator: Steve Blackman
Cast: Ellen Page, Tom Hopper,
Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan
Air date: 15 February 2019
Based on Gerard Way’s comic book
series of the same name from Dark Horse
Comics,The Umbrella Academy will bring
another family of misfit superheroes to the
small screen. The somewhat dysfunctional
family bands together in an attempt to solve
the mystery of their father’s untimely death.
Vanya Hargreeves/
The White Violin
(Ellen Page)
The most estranged member of the group,
with her only initial power being an interest
in music.
Luther Hargreeves/Spaceboy
(Tom Hopper)
The leader of the Umbrella Academy with
super-strength abilities and a fascination
with space.
Klaus Hargreeves/The Séance
(Robert Sheehan)
He can levitate, use telekinesis and contact
the dead, but his powers only work when he
is shoeless.
Allison Hargreeves/
The Rumour
(Emmy Raver-Lampman)
Very narcissistic, with the ability to instantly
alter reality through lying. Has a cybernetic
left hand.
Diego Hargreeves/
The Kraken
(David Castañeda)
The Umbrella Academy’s rebellious
‘insolent brat’ with the ability to hold
his breath indefinitely.
The Boy/Number Five
(Aidan Gallagher)
Time travel-gone-wrong has caused the Boy to
age mentally but retain the body of child.
Cha-Cha
(Mary J Blige)
One half of assassin team Hazel and
Cha-Cha. Works for the Temps Aeternalis
and loves sweets.
Hazel
(Cameron Britton)
The other half of Hazel and Cha-Cha.
Also works for the Temps Aeternalis.
Also loves sweets.
24. Doom Patrol
Cast
Creator Timothy Dalton, Alan Tudyk,
Air date
Jeremy Carver 2019
Diane Guerrero
With the likes of Timothy Dalton as Dr Niles ‘The Chief’ Caulder and Alan Tudyk as Eric
Morden/Mr Nobody, Diane Guerrero as Crazy Jane, Brendan Fraser as the voice of Cliff Steel/
Robotman and Matt Bomer as the voice of Negative Man lined up to make up the cast of Doom
Patrol, we’re very excited for DC TV’s next adventure. Already set to be introduced to TV in Titans in
an episode written by Geoff Johns, Doom Patrol is quite possibly the comic world’s weirdest group of
supers. The team will come together after a mission from Cyborg that they cannot ignore.
25. Swamp Thing 26. The Boys
Distributor: DC Universe Distributor: Amazon Prime Video
Producers: James Wan, Gary Dauberman Creator: Eric Kripke, Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Cast: Andy Bean, Crystal Reed, Jennifer Beals, Cast: Karl Urban, Elisabeth Shue, Erin Moriarty,
Virginia Madsen Jack Quaid
Air date: TBA Air date: TBA
One of streaming service DC Universe’s The Boys, based on the graphic novels by
biggest projects is a live-action TV series Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, will star
based on Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson’s Karl Urban as Billy Butcher, a mysterious
Swamp Thing. It will follow CDC researcher hard-ass with a secret agenda, and the leader
Abby Arcaneas as she investigates a deadly of a group known as The Boys. Together,
swamp-borne virus. After developing a bond The Boys make it their mission to bring
with local scientist Alec Holland (Andy down the superhero system. With the likes
Bean), he is tragically taken from her, but of Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen behind
it’s not long before the secrets of the swamp the wheel expect witty ultraviolence, social
bring Holland back as Swamp Thing. commentary, and lots of WTF moments.
27. Pennyworth 28. Secret Six
Distributor: TBA Distributor: TBA
Creator: Bruno Heller Creator: Rick Muirragui
Cast: Jack Bannon, Ben Aldridge, Hainsley Lloyd Cast: TBA
Bennett, Paloma Faith Air date: TBA
Air date: TBA
After giving up Supergirl, it looks like
Gotham might have given us a fresh look US network CBS wants to get back on the
at the origins of Batman but Pennyworth superhero horse, ordering a production
intends to go one further. Set in London commitment for a pilot based on DC Comics’
during the Sixties, it will follow a young Secret Six. In the comics, the first Secret Six
version of the Waynes’ butler Alfred team was made up of August Durant, Lili de
Pennyworth and see how he became the SAS Neuve, Carlo di Rienzi, Tiger Force, Crimson
killer-turned-superhero babysitter we know Dawn and King Savage. Since then, a large
and love. Gotham’s showrunner Bruno Heller selection of DC characters have appeared in
may be on board to helm it, but Pennyworth the lineup, including Harley Quinn, Bane,
is said to be completely unrelated. Black Alice and Deadshot to name a few.
29. Harley Quinn
Creators Cast Air date
Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, Kaley Cuoco, Lake Bell,
TBA
Dean Lorey Diedrich Bader, Alan Tudyk
If you have been finding the wait between Suicide Squad and Birds Of Prey (And The
Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn) a tough one, look no further than DC Universe’s
upcoming animated series Harley Quinn for your Harleen Quinzel fix. This is Harley as you’ve
never seen her before (on screen, anyway): being a superhero cartoon series intended for an older
audience, it promises to be packed with adult humour, violence and cussing. Set shortly after Harley
Quinn (Haley Cuoco) breaks up with the Joker (Alan Tudyk), it follows her criminal adventures with
her best friend Poison Ivy (Lake Bell).

024 | www.scifinow.co.uk
 After confronting their greatest foes — their parents — in Season One, the Runaways finally ran away and now have bigger and far
more dangerous battles ahead of them. With the kids camping out in the Los Angeles wilderness in ‘Hostile’, Season Two will see them
Air date find a new semi-permanent hideout (known as the Hostel in the comic book series) to lay low while the Pride is still attempting to hunt
TBA them down. But it’s currently unclear how closely the show will continue to follow the comics. Can we expect the infamous Alex Wilder
twist to play into things come the new season?

30. Batwoman 33. Rumoured Disney+

Marvel TV shows
Distributor: The CW
Creator: TBA
Cast: Ruby Rose
Air date: TBA Cast
Creator Air date
Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Hiddleston,
TBA TBA
Paul Bettany
Following her debut appearance in the
Arrowverse crossover event, Batwoman
will leap into her own solo show in 2019. New streaming service Disney+ has announced some of the shows it might be
With this being the first time Batwoman has working on. Alongside its various Star Wars projects is a series focusing on Scarlet Witch
appeared on screen in a live-action capacity, starring Elizabeth Olsen (and it’s rumoured that she will be joined by Paul Bettany as
The CW will be able to do pretty much what Vision), and a series revolving around Loki, with Tom Hiddleston also set to reprise
they like with the character. Batwoman has the role. Disney hasn’t officially confirmed which specific shows are happening, but
had a number of secret identities over the it’s looking good. We’re intrigued how any potential series are going to revive all three
years and the Arrowverse version is taking characters, especially considering they...well, we all saw Infinity War.
the form of Kate Kane, an openly gay woman
of Jewish descent. Greg Berlanti and Berlanti Marvel’s Most Rejected
Productions’ Sarah Schechter and Geoff TV pitches from supporting characters
Johns are executive producing the series, and
Caroline Dries is penning the script.
To: jeph.loeb@marveltv.com
From: luis@xconsecurity.com
31. Stargirl Subject: Lock, Stock and Luis TV pitch
Distributor: DC Universe
Hi Mr Loeb,
Creator: Geoff Johns I’m just shooting you a message to pitch to you my new TV idea. Check
Cast: Brec Bassinger this out: It’s a sitcom with heart, and stars a dashing Latino man, let’s
Air date: TBA call him Luis, who wants to be a hot shot in the world of security. He
started out real bad, but that’s what makes him charming, you know? I
know a group of guys that makes films on the side, so they’re good to
Next on the list of DC Universe series shoot it right now. And let’s just cut out the audition stage. I’ll play
is Stargirl, which will see the character’s Luis — it’ll be cheaper for you. Lemme know, bro!
Peace out,
creator Geoff Johns serve as an executive Luis
producer. For those unfamiliar with the
character, Stargirl is high school student
Courtney Whitmore when she’s not donning
the supersuit. The series will join Courtney
To: jeph.loeb@marveltv.com
just after her mother gets married and moves From: shuri@wakanda.gov
the family from Los Angeles to Nebraska, Subject: Science with Shuri
and she finds out her step-father used to be
Jeph,
the sidekick to a superhero. Brec Bassinger Picture this: An hour-long, widescreen-shot, premium science documentary
will star as the titular hero and Anjelika series in which I teach the Wakandan youth of today science. Now where do
Washington joins her in a secret role that I sign?
Yours,
will apparently please fans of the comics. Shuri

32. Watchmen
Distributor: HBO
To: jeph.loeb@marveltv.com
Creator: Damon Lindelof From: malekith_the_accursed@hotmail.com
Cast: Jeremy Irons, Regina King, Subject: MALEKITH: REBORN
Don Johnson
Message: Greetings,
Air date: TBA I come to you to pitch a hit new show: Malekith: Reborn. It stars I,
Malekith the Accursed, as an underdog, rising from the bottom to take
HBO’s upcoming Watchmen TV over the world. Commission this series or your world and your family will
be extinguished. The choice is yours.
series has been a slow-burner as far its
Sincerely,
development is concerned, so we have Malekith the Accursed
all been waiting very patiently. Here’s
a basic breakdown of its journey to the
small screen…

March 2011: October 2015: June 2017: September 2017: January 2018: June 2018: Jeremy September 2018:
Damon Lindelof HBO enters HBO puts the TV HBO commissions The Watchmen Irons is cast in a Trent Reznor and
shows interest, into discussions series back in Watchmen with TV series gets a mysterious lead role, Atticus Ross from
telling CBR.com that with Zack Snyder development, and a pilot order and director in the form joining Regina King, the band Nine Inch
it has: “Elements about a potential brings Lost’s Damon back-up scripts. of Nicole Kassell Don Johnson and Nails are hired to
that I try to put into TV series but it gets Lindelof onboard to Lindelof opens up a who signs up to Tim Blake Nelson write the music for
everything I write.” put on hold. lead it. writers’ room. helm the pilot. among others. the series.

www.scifinow.co.uk | 025
 100
eek
G
34.Gotham
20
The
19
19
Season Five
The
20
100
eek
G
The Dark
Knight’s End
We discuss Gotham Season Five and the show’s
ending with Penguin actor Robin Lord Taylor
WORDS Abigail Chandler
Few shows manage to encapsulate
both the pulpy ridiculousness of comic books
as well as their darker elements, but for
five years Gotham has perched on the fence
between The Flash and Daredevil. But, sadly,
it is coming to an end. “I can’t believe it’s
over! It’s so weird!” wails Robin Lord Taylor,
who plays Penguin, when we catch up with
him in his final weeks of filming the show.
But he and the rest of the cast are relieved
to have one final season, because it nearly
didn’t happen: “We had no idea that it was
going to come down to the wire the way that
it did,” Taylor says. “So there was that one
day where we were all collectively panicking
and being like ‘oh, this could be the end,
and we never really got to say goodbye’.
Thankfully they made the right decision and
brought us back to finish up the story.”
Which is a relief because Season Four
ended on one massive cliffhanger, not to
mention a dozen little ones. The bridges in
and out of Gotham were blown up, courtesy
of Jeremiah, the latest definitely-not-Joker,
leaving the whole city completely cut off.
The finale also saw Ed Nygma and Lee
Thompkins kill each other, only to end up on
Hugo Strange’s operating table, Selina Kyle
was left potentially paralysed after being
shot, and Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon are
two of the only people left in Gotham to
protect it from the bad guys – which includes
the weirdly loveable Penguin.
According to Taylor we’re going to see
Penguin “at his most powerful” at the start
of Season Five. “As you can imagine there is
this enormous power vacuum [in Gotham]
and the thing about Oswald, being the
opportunist that he is, this is an opportunity
for him to grab as much power as he can. So
he puts himself into City Hall. He goes right
to the top, and then he also manages to take
over all of the ammunition factories in the
city. So he not only controls City Hall, but
he also controls all the ammunition, so if
there’s anyone who would come and usurp
him, they’d have to go through him to get
026 |
Cast
Showrunner Ben McKenzie, David Mazouz,
John Stephens Robin Lord Taylor, Sean Pertwee,
Camren Bicondova
the bullets to do so. So he’s in a very good
place when we start off Season Five. In a way
it’s his time to rebuild the power structure
of Gotham in his image and he takes full
advantage of it from the get-go.”
Despite being one of the main protagonists
of Gotham, the Season Four finale reminded
viewers that Penguin is a cold, hard killer
when he murdered Butch, and he’s not
getting any nicer in Season Five. “He’s
ruthless and as soon as we come back this
season, he does some of the most violent,
cold acts that he’s done in the entire series,
which if you’ve watched the show you’ll
know that says quite a bit,” Taylor laughs.
But Penguin isn’t the show’s only villain
and on top of the likes of Riddler and Barbara
Kean, Gotham is now adding Bane to the
cast, played by Shane West. But this Bane
is a departure from The Dark Knight Rises
version of the character. This time Bane is
Eduardo Dorrance, “who is an army friend
of Jim Gordon,” Taylor explains. “When
Bane comes in he and Jim Gordon have this
long term connection and it comes between
Oswald’s trust with Jim, so immediately
Oswald has to dance around Eduardo.”
That connection between Penguin and
Jim Gordon will be one of the main themes
of Gotham Season Five. “That familiar
relationship is going to be tested and shaken
up in a different and compelling way,” Taylor
says, as will Penguin’s relationship with
best friend-turned-unrequited crush-turned-
enemy-turned maybe friend again Ed Nygma.
“[N]ow that we’re bringing them to a sense
of closure it’s exciting. One of the things I’m
most proud of in the series is the connection
my character has with Jim Gordon and
Edward Nygma. So we’ll see that being
addressed in very significant ways this year.”
When we spoke to Taylor he was in the
midst of filming the show’s finale, but still
had two more episodes to film after that as
the show was given an extra two episodes
late in the day. “So it’s kind of backwards
and all over the place, but hey, it’s Gotham,”
Release date
2019
Bruce will finally become the hero Gotham needs
Taylor laughs. The finale will feature a
significant time jump, allowing all the
characters to finally come in line with their
comic book counterparts. Which, in the
case of Penguin, means “not just emotional
changes to the character but physical
changes as well”. Yep, we’re getting fat-suit
Penguin. “[T]he city itself has not only
emotionally damaged Oswald and turned
him into a monster, it’s also damaged his
body so much so that his grotesqueness
reflects the grotesqueness that’s inside his
heart. I think it’s visually stunning and also
just incredibly fun to play.”
And speaking of fun to play, when we ask
Taylor if he’s happy with his final scene, he
can’t disguise his joy, gleefully telling us that
it “involves a certain man dressed in a long
black cape… I wasn’t expecting that and just
the fact that my character has any sort of
interaction with the man in black, I feel so
honoured and lucky to be there on that day.”
So we know we’re getting Batman by
the finale. We know we’re getting classic
Penguin. But as Taylor himself says – this
is Gotham. The one thing you can reliably
expect is that it’s going to be a heck of a lot
madder than you expect.
Gotham Season Five will show on E4 in 2019.
www.scifinow.co.uk
 100
eek
G

20
Cast
The

19
35. X-Force Director Release date
Ryan Reynolds, Zazie Beetz,
19 Drew Goddard TBC

The
20 G Josh Brolin
eek
100

01. Gambit
Created: 1990
First on-screen appearance: 1992
(X-Men animated series)
Current status of film: Channing Tatum
has been attached to produce and star since
2014, and since then the film has gained
– and lost – three directors. Producer Simon
Kinberg claims that a final script is ready –
with the movie’s tone being a rom-com with
heist elements – and the film is due to start
filming early next year. It has a release date of
13 March 2020, despite there still being no
director confirmed. Lea Seydoux was cast as
the female lead, Bella Donna Boudreaux, in
2015, but it’s unclear if she’s still attached.
Chances of making it to the screen:
36. Venomverse Strong, ma chère. We’ll get there eventually.
A Venom sequel had yet to be officially confirmed at the time of writing, but the film’s
02. Cyborg
commercial success has pretty much made it a given and Sony has dated two unnamed films for a
Created: 1980
2020 release. We’re assuming that one of those is a second outing for Eddie Brock and his organ- First on-screen appearance: 1985
feasting symbiote, who’ll be going up against Woody Harrelson’s Cletus Kasady/Carnage this (The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians)
time out. While the critical reaction was unkind, there was definitely something loveable about the Current status of film: A Cyborg
weirdness of it all and Tom Hardy’s sweaty, mad-eyed commitment to both characters. There is a stand-alone movie was originally scheduled
lot of room for improvement but we’d be lying if we said we weren’t up for more of Hardy hopping for 2020, and was due to follow Aquaman.
However, since then, the DC shared universe
into a bathtub full of shellfish and getting chompy.
has experienced some, erm, hiccups, and
The second is almost definitely Morbius, which will star Jared Leto as the vampiric antihero
now everything looks pretty uncertain. Ray
for director Daniel Espinosa (Life). The movie (written by Lost In Space’s Matt Sazama and Burk Fisher, however, has made it clear that he’s
Sharpless) is reportedly going into production imminently but everything bar the casting of Leto definitely up for returning to the role.
in the title role has been kept under wraps. There are no further casting announcements, nothing Chances of making it to the screen:
remotely resembling a plot synopsis… we’ll just have to wait and see. Teen Titans GO! To The Movies’ Cyborg
might be the last Cyborg we see on the big
screen for quite some time. Boo-nah.
37. Dark Phoenix 38. The New Mutants
Director: Simon Kinberg Director: Josh Boone 03. New Warriors
Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Cast: Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Created: 1989
Sophie Turner, Jessica Chastain Charlie Heaton, Blu Hunt First on-screen appearance: 2014
Release date: 7 June 2019 Release date: 2 August 2019 (Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors)
Current status of series: The show’s
After jumping around the release The much-delayed X-Men spin-off has cast was announced in 2017 and the pilot
schedule like a particularly skittish Kurt been undergoing some hefty reshoots, episode was shot, but then original distributor
Wagner, Simon Kinberg’s Dark Phoenix is reportedly brought about by the realisation Freeform dropped out. Marvel is currently
(hopefully) finally set for a June release. that an X-Men horror movie is something looking for a Disney-owned platform to air
Everyone has been stressing the heavy that we’d all really like, actually (as opposed the show. Milana Vayntrub, who was cast as
dramatic element over the spectacle of the to a teen movie with a few horror elements). Squirrel Girl, has been voicing the character
latest X-Men instalment, and we’re hopeful The stars’ busy schedules have had some in Marvel Rising mini-series’ this year.
that the delays and reshoots have allowed impact on the delay and we’re hoping that Chances of making it to the screen:
this to finally be the movie Jean Grey’s iconic the assembled talents have come together This one’s in Marvel’s hands.
storyline deserves. We’re also very intrigued to make something that’s worth the wait.
by Jessica Chastain going full villain. There’s a lot of potential here. 04. Spawn
Created: 1992
First on-screen appearance: 1997

39. Hellboy (Spawn).

Current status of film: This one’s been
in development since 1998 as a sequel to
Cast Spawn. Todd McFarlane, the creator of the
Director Release date
David Harbour, Ian McShane, character, has written a script and in 2017
Neil Marshall 12 April 2019
Milla Jovovich, Sasha Lane
announced that he was partnering with
Blumhouse Productions to direct the film. Jamie
We’ve still seen so very little from Neil Marshall’s R-rated, horror-infused Hellboy reboot but the
Foxx is set to play Spawn. It is currently due to
reaction to the trailer at NYCC seemed to be very positive and we’re still loving the cast. Speaking start filming in June 2019 – but the film is still
of which, Thomas Haden Church has reportedly signed up to play Lobster Johnson, a vigilante who without a studio.
brands the bad guys with his crustacean claws. Hellboy ’19 will have its work cut out to avoid Chances of making it to the screen:
making us think about del Toro’s lost third movie, but there’s a good chance for a damn good time. You may as well flip a coin on this one.

028 | www.scifinow.co.uk
 Drew Goddard was still making cautiously positive noises about an X-Force movie as recently as October and it’s clear that Ryan Reynolds and co are all up for it. The question
really is whether or not the Disney-Fox merger will mean less of Wade Wilson’s filthy R-rated adventures, and we’re really hoping that the answer is “f*** no”. Whatever happens, we
need more Domino.

Escaping
Development 03

Hell!!!
Not every film or TV show has a
smooth journey to the screen, not
even well-known and beloved
comic book characters. For every
Wolverine, there’s a Gambit.

01

04 02

© David Cousens
 100
eek
G

40.Carnival

20
The

19
Showrunners Cast Release date
19
Row Rene Echevarria, Travis Beacham Orlando Bloom, Cara Delevingne 2019

The
20 G
eek
100

42. American Gods

Season Two
Showrunner: Jesse Alexander, Neil Gaiman
Cast: Ricky Whittle, Ian McShane,
Emily Browning
Release date: Early 2019

After Bryan Fuller and Michael Green’s

ambitious Season One hit screens in 2017,
the show hit a number of roadblocks.
Firstly, those two showrunners left, with
cast members Gillian Anderson and
Kristin Chenoweth following them. Jesse
Alexander was brought in as the new
showrunner, with Neil Gaiman stepping up
to a more hands-on role, apparently keen
to bring it more in line with his book. But
soon Alexander too was ‘demoted’.
So what of Season Two? It’s still making
its way to the screen, via reshoots and
rewrites. Nonetheless, Gaiman and the
producers remain passionate about the
show, and promise that the behind-the-
scenes troubles won’t compromise the
show’s quality of the episodes themselves.
Season Two will see the series introduce
much-loved book character Sam Black
Crow (Devery Jacobs) and introduce New
Media, played by Kahyun Kim, to fill the
empty shoes of Anderson’s Media. With
McShane’s Wednesday now revealed as
the god Odin as he rallies the older gods
to stand against the new, it looks like the
action can start to kick off in Season Two.

41. Good Omens

Cast
Showrunner Release date
David Tennant, Michael Sheen,
Neil Gaiman 2019
Jon Hamm, Anna Maxwell Martin

Frankly, that cast list barely scratches the surface. Good Omens boasts everyone 43. Prime fantasy
from Jack Whitehall and Miranda Richardson to three quarters of The League Of Gentlemen.
They even have double Oscar winner Frances McDormand playing God, because it turns out Amazon has enjoyed working with
that when Neil Gaiman is adapting his much loved book, co-written with the late, magnificent Gaiman so much that it has signed him up
Terry Pratchett, everyone wants to make sure it’s done right. Telling its story across six to a deal to develop TV content with them.
episodes, Good Omens reportedly maintains its British sense of humour, as a demon and an But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it
angel (Tennant and Sheen respectively) both set out to stop the apocalypse. The teaser trailer comes to its upcoming fantasy shows.
assures us that Crowley and Aziraphale’s not-quite-friendship will be at the heart of the Amazon had already previously
adventure, but everything else is being kept tightly under wraps – for now. announced its Lord Of The Rings TV
series, which is set to run for five seasons
and is looking likely to launch in 2021,
under the stewardship of showrunners JD
Payne and Patrick McKay.
On top of that Amazon is also working
on bringing Stephen King’s Dark Tower
series to the small screen, as well as
adapting Robert Jordan’s The Wheel Of
Time book series, which will be developed
and overseen by Rafe Judkins.

030 | www.scifinow.co.uk
 With Guillermo del Toro on producing duties and Amazon coughing up the cash, this dark fantasy about
a serial killer murdering a city’s immigrant magical creature population sounds right up our street.

Cara
Delevingne
leads the cast of

© Gage Skidmore
44. His Dark Materials
Carnival Row.

Showrunner: Jack Thorne

Cast: Dafne Keen, Ruth Wilson, James McAvoy,
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Release date: 2019

The BBC’s adaptation of Philip Pullman’s beloved trilogy of books is still in production, but it has already
been granted a second season by the BBC, and has been picked up by HBO for international distribution.
The eight episode first season will focus on Lyra (Logan’s Dafne Keen)’s adventures in the first book, in
which she leaves her Oxford home to rescue her kidnapped friend. Along the way she encounters talking
© Getty

armoured polar bears and witches, and learns the truth of her complicated parentage.

45. Buffy The Vampire Slayer 48. The Witcher

reboot/spin-off
Showrunner
Monica Owusu-Breen
For: Jonathan Hatfull
"Into every generation a slayer is
born." As iconic and era-defining
as Buffy The Vampire Slayer
was, it seems perfectly natural
that it’s something that could and
maybe should evolve with every
generation. With a fresh new
voice and (ideally) a new Slayer,
a new BTVS could not only take
advantage of a new era of genre
on TV, but the frequently horrific
and challenging new world we
find ourselves in.”
Cast Release date
TBC TBA
Against: Abigail Chandler
“Were this set to be a complete
reboot, I’d be incandescent with
rage about the whole thing. As
it is, I’m just not sure what the
point is. Wouldn’t a completely
new vampire mythology, which
redefines the genre for a new
generation, be far more forward-
thinking than simply just raking
over Joss Whedon’s old IP? At
least that way the show wouldn’t
have to battle against its own
sky-high reputation.”
Showrunner: Lauren Schmidt
Cast: Henry Cavill, Freya Allan,
Anya Chalotra
Release date: 2019
The popular series of short stories,
novels and games is getting the small screen
treatment thanks to Netflix and Superman
himself. This full-blown fantasy centres on
Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter, who finds
himself thrown together with a sorceress and
a young princess.
A guide to
fantasy wigs
The noble adventurer
His locks are long and lustrous, but
crucially not too shiny. His hair should
always look in need of a good brush,
but should never tip over into greasiness.
See: Aragorn, Geralt of Rivia
The princess
Long, preferably blonde, with some
complicated plaiting going on. Bonus
points if her ears are poking out.
See: Princess Zelda,
Daenerys Targaryen

46. The Watch The witch

Showrunner: Simon Allen
Big hair. Hair that would put the
Cast: TBC
Eighties to shame. Just so much hair.
Release date: TBC
See: Bellatrix Lestrange

BBC America is bringing Terry Pratchett’s Discworld to life with this

eight-part original series. The Watch will focus on a group of Pratchett’s
misfit cops as they try to save their little patch of Discworld. Expect to see
plenty of your favourite Pratchett characters including, of course, Death.

47. The Dark Crystal:

Age Of Resistance
Director Cast Air date
Louis Leterrier TBC 2019

Eighties babies better get ready to be terrified by puppets again, because Jim Henson’s The Dark
Crystal is getting an all-puppet prequel thanks to Netflix and Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier.

www.scifinow.co.uk | 031
 100
eek
G

49.Britannia

20
Cast
The

19
Showrunner Release date
David Morrissey, Mackenzie Crook,
19
Season Two Jez Butterworth 2019

The
20 G Eleanor Worthington-Cox
eek
100

Britannia’s world of voodoo,

possession and trips to the underworld
is about to get even bigger. “Season Two
David is about occupation,” producer James
Morrissey is
Roman genereal Richardson says. “Occupation of the land but
Aulus.
also of the mind and the spirit and the soul.”
The Druids, led by Mackenzie Crook’s
Veran, find themselves under threat thanks
to Roman general Aulus (David Morrissey).
“There are factions threatening [Veran]
now which he hasn’t had in his lifetime
before,” Crook explains, “the Druids have
always been untouchable.” But according
to Morrissey, Aulus is in a difficult position
because “he doesn’t want to wipe [the
Druids] out, because he knows they’ve got
something he needs. Their belief system and
their power, their spirituality, he wants it.”
Joining the show in Season Two is
Steve Pemberton as the Emperor Claudius.
“[Claudius is] a dangerous man,” Morrissey
assures us. “He’s a slightly ridiculous
man, as we know he had his own little
idiosyncrasies, but he is a dangerous man.
He arrives in Britain and he brings Rome
with him really, and you suddenly see the
power of the senate, the power of Rome.”

50. Stranger Things

Season Three 53. Lovecraft Country
Showrunner: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer Showrunner: Misha Green
Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Cast: Jonathan Majors, Jurnee Smolett-Bell,
Winona Ryder, David Harbour Wunmi Mosaku, Elizabeth Debicki
Release date: Mid-2019 Release date: 2019

The cast are all returning along with some Based on Matt Ruff’s book, this
newcomers including Cary Elwes. A teaser HBO show is about a black man
video revealed that a new mall has opened in in ‘50s America who encounters
Hawkins – is it the site of dark goings-on? terrifying beasts and terrifying
racism. This will be a big one.

51. The Vampire

Chronicles 54. The Time
Showrunner: TBC
Cast: TBC
Traveller’s Wife
Showrunner: Steven Moffat
Release date: TBC Cast: TBC
Release date: TBC
Little is known yet about Hulu’s adaptation
2009
of Anne Rice’s series of Lestat novels, except
The film adaption of The Time
that she and her son Christopher Rice are Traveller’s Wife is released.
involved. Hannibal’s Bryan Fuller consulted
early on but is not involved going forward. 2008
The first appearance of Doctor Who’s
River Song – a character created by

52. What We Do In The Shadows

Steven Moffat and later revealed to
be the time-travelling Doctor’s wife.

2019
Showrunners Cast HBO announce a TV adaption of the
Air date
Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia
Spring 2019
book, to be written by Steven Moffat.
Garrett Basch, Paul Simms Demetriou, Harvey Guillen

2003
With Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement on producing duties – and writing and directing the first Audrey Niffenegger’s book The Time
Traveller’s Wife, about the non-linear
episode – we can’t wait to see this US-set spin-off from the hilarious 2014 mockumentary when it hits
relationship between a time traveller
screens next year. The teaser trailers are a hoot. and his wife, is published.

032 | www.scifinow.co.uk
 You’re not
ready for the
newly restored
Resident Evil 2.

Resident Evil 2
Developer: Capcom
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: 25 January 2019

Are you ready to return to Raccoon

City? For gamers of a certain age, even
thinking about Resi 2’s journey into
infection will reawaken those slumbering
nightmares of staggering undead and
arms relentlessly grabbing through
boarded up windows. Well, the good
news – or perhaps bad – is that all of that
horror and nasty is being repackaged into
this Resident Evil 2 remake. But this doesn’t
mean tank controls and an, err, Licker

55. Genre Games

of HD paint. Resi 2 has been completely
rebuilt for 2019 in the engine of last year’s
Resident Evil 7.
The plot remains essentially the same
but the scares and puzzles have been fully
remixed to make sure that even die hard
fans will get a freshly horrific experience.
And yet, going hands-on, it still feels like
old school Resi. Whether you’re Leon,
Claire, or even newly playable, Ada
Wong, save typewriters are scarce and
inventory slots are dangerously limited as
you’re hunted down by T-virus victims, and
whatever else lurks in those sewers. And
yes, you’re going to want to keep an eye
out for herbs once again. Getting puzzle
piece A to point B is never going to be a
walk in the zombie-infected park. Mind
those curtains, Leon.
Control
Showrunner Cast Release date
Anthem
Remedy Entertainment PS4, Xbox One, PC 2019
Developer: BioWare
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: 22 February 2019
Alan Wake developers? Check. Supernatural action adventure? Check. We’re in.
Remedy Entertainment’s mysterious Control was only announced at E3 in June and information Mass Effect developer BioWare’s upcoming
is scarce but what we know already is exciting enough. We’ll be playing as a woman called MMO RPG shooter sees you taking on role
of a Freelancer, an exosuit-clad hero in an
Jesse Faden who, as well as wearing an excellent leather jacket, becomes the director of an
alien world. Like Destiny, you can jump
organisation known as the Bureau of Control when the previous director is murdered by an
into Anthem with friends or on your own
otherworldly group called the Hiss. With rooms of floating bodies, telekinetic powers that mean as you quest to save the world. It’s a mash
flattening enemies with furniture, and a customisable gun that looks a lot like a murderous Rubix up of genres but it looks beautiful and the
Cube, Control has us fully intrigued. emphasis on finding your perfect Javelin
(exosuit) looks like a lot of explosive fun.

Man Of Medan Days Gone

Developer: SIE Bend Studio
Platforms: PS4
Developer Platforms Release date Release date: 26 April 2019
Supermassive Games PS4, Xbox One, PC 2019

Zombie games, like the creatures

If Sony’s teen horror exclusive Until Dawn ticked all your decision-based gameplay boxes, themselves, just won’t die. Biker Deacon
it’s time to get your sea legs on. The first of developer Supermassive’s Dark Pictures Anthology, St. John is a grizzled survivor of the end
of the world and must battle swarms of
Man Of Medan follows a group of attractive young people as they hunt down the titular World
‘Freakers’ to survive. The big difference here
War 2 wreck in the South Pacific. Of course, all doesn’t go according to plan and they end up
is scale. Freakers horde in their hundreds,
stuck on the ghost ship itself. Just like Until Dawn, expect fixed cinematic camera angles, scarily making every interaction like battling walls
realistic faces, jump scares, and deaths so sudden and regrettable you’ll want to pull the PS4 of the undead. Throw in your motorbike
plug out of the wall to stop it from saving. best friend, and this looks like a enjoyably
gruelling addition to 2019’s line up.

www.scifinow.co.uk | 033
 100
EEK
G
56.Game

20
Cast
THE

19
Of Thrones
Showrunners Release date
Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey,
19 David Benioff, DB Weiss April 2019

THE
Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington
Final Season
20 G
EEK
100

dragons – Use younger picture?

Mother of Westeros
mother of
ve lived in
Lannister, I ha
Unlike Cersei ople.
w or ld , am on g the common pe
the s across
and its hardship A vote for me is a
I have seen life a fiercely
d have become vote for stability
many lands, an
cate for justice.
passionate advo As the wife and mother of three strong
scended from
Despite being de e as a
kings, I began lif Baratheon kings – all taken tragically before
generations of , and from
less immigrant their time – I am the natural and just heir
poor and friend empires,
t I have united to the throne. I have served Westeros my
that meagre star aves, and
ge d th e fa ce of cities, freed sl whole life, and I understand the needs
ch an
kers. and wants of the people of my kingdoms
faced White Wal better
esteros deserve far better than an immigrant and a poor
The people of W e strives to
ister – where sh bastard who swore himself to a life of
than Cersei Lann d, I would
ep he r pe op le weak and trappe isolation and enforced celibacy.
ke her own
here she burns As your continuing queen, I vow to
set you free! W s to roast
use my dragon protect you from the threat of the Mad
people, I would ros from the
d protect Weste Targaryen and her monstrous beasts. I will
our enemies an
th. invest in new infrastructure and affordable
threat in the Nor me
ay have heard of housing in King’s Landing to repair the
Some of you m n assure
si alive, but I ca damage done by last year’s tragic fire. I
burning Westero ta ke such
not have had to am already putting plans into effect for the
you that I would pted me
su re s if th ey had merely acce approaching winter – which, I can assure
m ea you, as
r Q ue en . A nd , need I remind you, is not full of terrors, as the so-called
as th ei resume
ar ye n, I am m erely aiming to ‘King in the North’ would have you believe.
a Targ le.
ars of rightful ru Vote Cersei, for many more years of
hundreds of ye born
Daenerys Storm stable Lannister Baratheon rule.
So vote for me, name, the
H ou se Ta rg ar yen, first of her
of the Andals and
Queen of
eaker of Chains,
Unburnt, the Br ereen, protector
of the Seven Kin
gdoms,
een of Me
the First Men, Qu
ne.
to the Iron Thro
ss Sea, rightful heir
i of the Great Gra
gons, Khalees
the Mother of Dra
 Is Sansa the new Queen in
the North? Could be a threat.
Sister rumoured to have
murdered Lord Baelish.

Dear Jon, I’ve re

ached Winterfel
met your famil l and I’ve
y (you’ll be surp
much Bran has ri sed by how
changed!). Got
big news for yo so me pretty
u. Can you stop
soon for a chat? b y some time
Raven intercepted
Sam. between Winterfell and
Jon Snow. Who is Sam?
What is this news?

Vote for the King

Cersei, I have received word that a young
man by the name of Gendry has been seen
using a warhammer with remarkable skill, and
has been said to bear a striking resemblance
to King Robert. He seems to be allied to Jon
Snow. Thought you should know. Yours, Qyburn.
In The North!
I don’t come from the privileged south. I know
what a cold winter feels like – I grew up in
Winterfell, and I served the Night’s Watch loyally
until my death, which I have since fully recovered
from. I am fit and ready to defend the Seven
Kingdoms from the real threat to our borders:
The White Walkers. Cersei Lannister would have
you believe that they are a myth, but I have faced
them myself more than once, and lost many good
men and women to them.
Yes, I’m just a poor bastard, and yes, my sister
is basically running the North these days, but I’m
honest and I’m good with a sword. I might not
know who my mother is, but I know who I am,
and that’s a right tough northern bastard. So if
you’re sick of elitist ruling Houses, vote for me. At
least I’m not just another entitled Targaryen.
 100
eek
G

57.Happy Death

20
Cast
The

19
Director Release date
Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard,
19
Day 2U Christopher Landon 14 February 2019

The
20 G Ruby Modine
eek
100

58. Pet Sematary

Directors: Kevin Kölsch, Dennis Widmyer
Cast: Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow,
Obssa Ahmed
Release: 5 April 2019

“Sometimes, dead is better.” A generation

of moviegoers was scarred for life by Mary
Lambert’s 1989 take on one of Stephen King’s
darkest novels, adapted by the man himself.
Whether it was Gage stalking Jud Crandall,
the eerie warnings of friendly ghost Victor
Pascow or (most likely) the terrifying Zelda,
chances are every horror fan will have a
memory that’ll make them shiver. And while
it’s one of the most critically overlooked King
adaptations, the cult around the movie seems
to grow with each passing year.
Speaking of passing years, the remake of
Pet Sematary had been in the works since
2010 with various writers and directors
attached until the success of IT finally got
the project going. Directing duo Kevin Kölsch
and Dennis Widmyer have got horror cred
following their excellent debut Starry Eyes,
and they’ve assembled a hell of a cast. Jason
Clarke and Amy Seimetz star as Louis and
Rachel Creed, who pack up and move to a
beautiful new home in Maine. Their friendly
neighbour Jud (John Lithgow) tells them
about the old Pet Sematary, where the kids
used to bury their dead animals. But there’s
another sematary further into the trees,
where things that are laid to rest sometimes
come back. They’re just not the same as they
were before they went into the ground…
Given just how nasty Starry Eyes got, we
should expect the directors to fully embrace
the grim, deeply horrible horror at the heart
of King’s story and they’ve already assured
fans that they’re aiming for an R-rating.
While IT: Chapter 2 is the arguably the
biggest of the studio horror releases next
year, Pet Sematary could be the one to
determine whether or not the Stephen King
movie renaissance is here to stay or if the
ground is sour. We’ve got our hopes up.

59. Us 60. The Twilight Zone 61. Grudge

Stars: Lupita Nyong’o, Elisabeth Moss,
Winston Duke, Tim Heidecker
Director: Jordan Peele
Release date: 15 March 2019
We’re just a few months away from the release
of Get Out filmmaker Jordan Peele’s sophomore
effort and the levels of secrecy around Us have
not been lowered an inch. Reportedly about two
couples and operating in the same “social thriller”
(horror) genre as Get Out, or as star Elisabeth
Moss put it to Indiewire, “thought-provoking
popcorn movies”. The cast is ace and we can’t
wait to see what he’s got in store for us this time.
Stars: Adam Scott, Kumail Nanjiani
Creator: Jordan Peele
Release date: TBC
Speaking of Peele, the wheels are in motion
on his new take on The Twilight Zone and the
casting announcements have begun. While we
don’t know whether or not Kumail Nanjiani will
be starring in a new or retooled story, Adam
Scott will be starring in a new take on the classic
‘Nightmare At 20,000 Feet’, stepping into the
illustrious shoes of William Shatner and John
Lithgow as he struggles to convince everyone that
there’s something on the wing…
Stars: Andrea Riseborough, John Cho,
Betty Gilpin
Director: Nicolas Pesce
Release date: 21 June 2019
“Do we really need another Grudge reboot?”
cried the world. Then the world saw Nicolas
Pesce’s first two films The Eyes Of Mother and
Piercing, got a look at that incredible cast and
muttered something about actually quite looking
forward to it. Both of his films are visually striking
but totally different in tone, so the idea of him
taking on a J-horror classic is actually pretty damn
exciting and Riseborough is on a roll.

036 | www.scifinow.co.uk
 The slasher that sold itself as Groundhog Day meets Scream turned out to be one of the best horror surprises of 2017, 63. Child’s Play
so we’re keen to see if the delightfully titled sequel can match its predecessor. Jessica Rothe returns as time-looping murder Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Brian Tyree Henry,
target Tree Gelbman and the trailer looks as though it’s taking everything to the next level while keeping the same sense of
humour. Can Tree beat another more complex death loop? We can’t wait to find out. Gabriel Bateman
Director: Lars Klevberg
Released: 21 June 2019

Our disappointment that the Chucky

Back From reboot is happening while creator Don Mancini
The Dead? is still delivering genuinely excellent movies with
the original cast (and working on a TV series) is
Is there still hope
offset to some degree by two pieces of excellent
for these forgotten casting, with Aubrey Plaza (Legion) as Andy
King adaptations? Barclay’s mum and Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta) as
the detective working the case. We don’t know
REVIVAL who’ll be voicing the killer doll yet but we’re
willing to give this cast a chance.
THE DARK TOWER
TV SERIES

THE STAND

LISEY’S STORY

THE TEN O’CLOCK

PEOPLE
DOLL VS DOLL
Films
Annabelle: Three (including The Conjuring)
Chucky: Seven

Possessed by
Annabelle: A malevolent demon
Chucky: Serial killer Charles Lee Ray

Agenda
Annabelle: Demon business, hunting
62. Doctor Sleep souls, possession, mayhem
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Chucky: Finding a body to return to
Bruce Greenwood, Zach McClarnon old habits
Director: Mike Flanagan
Released: 24 January 2020 One-liners
Annabelle: NA
We’re still some way away from Mike Chucky: Killer
Flanagan’s movie of Stephen King’s Shining
Jump-scares
sequel but it seems as though there may be more
Annabelle: Big fan
hype than expected given the mainstream success
Chucky: More into blood than boos
of his Haunting Of Hill House Netflix series. It’s
Flanagan’s second King adaptation following Weapon of choice
© 2012 Paul Bird

Gerald’s Game, and while he’s working with his Annabelle: Demon powers
starriest cast yet, there’s still plenty of familiar faces Chucky: A sharp knife
in the line-up. Could this be his big breakout?

64. The Feed 65. The Curse Of 66. Annabelle 3

Stars: David Thewlis, Michelle Fairley, Guy
Burnet, Nina Toussaint-White
Creator: Channing Powell
Release date: TBC
What if everything you can do on your
mobile phone was implanted directly into your
brain? You could browse social media feeds and
look up information just by thinking it. What if
it went wrong? That’s the conceit of Nick Clark
Windo’s novel The Feed, which jumps ahead to
a post-apocalyptic future where the few survivors,
including the son of the tech’s inventor, try to keep
from turning into mindless monsters.
La Llorona
Stars: Linda Cardellini, Patricia Velasquez,
Raymond Cruz
Director: Michael Chaves
Release date: 19 April 2019
James Wan presents this take on a Mexican
folk tale about a spirit hunting for her missing
children, and it seems any children will do.
Linda Cardellini leads as a social worker whose
two kids are targeted by the titular ghost, and
the presence of Annabelle star Tony Amendola
as a priest suggests that this could be a sneaky
Conjuring universe movie in disguise.
Stars: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson,
Mckenna Grace
Director: Gary Dauberman
Released: 3 July 2019
After two solo movies Annabelle is coming
home, as Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson’s evil-
hunters Lorraine and Ed Warren return for the third
instalment. Remember how the doll was locked
up in their house? Well, it’s time for Annabelle to
cause chaos and wake up some friends… Series
writer Gary Dauberman makes his directorial
debut with what James Wan has described as
“Night At The Museum with Annabelle.”

WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK | 037
 100
EEK
G

67.

20
Cast
THE

19
Director Release date
James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain,
19
IT: Chapter 2 Andy Muschietti 6 September 2019

THE
20 G Bill Hader, James Ransone
EEK
100

Mike Hanlon
Town librarian, Derry. Pretty much the town
historian too. The faces change but the
town remains the same, and someone’s got
to keep the home fires burning.
Tweets Tweets & Replies Media Likes 68. In The Tall Grass
Director: Vincenzo Natali
Bill Denborough Cast: Patrick Wilson, Harrison Gilbertson,
Author. Husband. Former cyclist. Living
in beautiful England with my darling wife Rachel Wilson
Audra and working on my next horror Release: TBA
story. Write what you know, right?

Beverly Marsh Netflix is behind this

Fashion designer, Chicago. I’ve been adaptation of Stephen King and
lucky enough to be very successful. I don’t
discuss my private life or my partner on Joe Hill’s novella, which recently
social media. swapped out the schedule-
confl icted James Marsden for
Richie Tozier
Radio personality, the man of a thousand Patrick Wilson and follows a brother and
voices, Los Angeles. Finally made it to the sister who go investigating after hearing a
big time and finally found an audience
that appreciates my jokes. I know, I know, little boy crying for help in the long grass.
beep beep. Needless to say, that’s a terrible mistake.
Vincenzo Natali tells us more about the
Ben Hanscom
Award winning architect, Nebraska. movie on page 70.
Former butterball, now no longer quite so
fond of candy but I’ve still got a soft spot

69. Locke & Key

for some of my friends from the Derry days.

Eddie Kaspbrak
Owner of a fine limousine company, New
York City. I see all kinds of famous faces,
and I’ve done very well for myself, thank Creator Cast Release date
Joe Hill, Carlton Cuse,
you. Dependable husband to Myra. Meredith Averill
TBA TBA
“Richie, when are you coming to New
York?”
“When your wife lets you drive me.”
The stars have finally aligned, the curse has finally (probably) been lifted and Joe Hill and Gabriel
Stanley Uris Rodriguez’s beloved horror comic Locke & Key has a full series order at Netflix. There’ll be a completely
Very happily married accountant, Atlanta.
I’m so very lucky to have found my life different cast to the Hulu pilot and director Andy Muschietti is out but The Good Wife’s Meredith Averill
partner and for the first time in a long time, has joined genre veteran Carlton Cuse on showrunner duties. Hill himself is still very much involved,
I feel like I’m home. Keep looking forward.
rewriting his original pilot script with Star Trek: Discovery’s Aron Eli Coleite. We should expect to hear
more announcements soon, and then we can look forward to seeing Lovecraft, Maine brought to life
after so many years of disappointment.

038 | WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
 70.
Alita: Battle
Robert Rodriguez
Angel
Big eyes, big heart
Robert Rodriguez talks his Alita adaptation
interview adam tanswell
Alita: Battle Angel seemed like the
perfect fit for director Robert Rodriguez, a
longtime fan of all things anime. “I’ve been
into this stuff forever,” he tells us. “I started
as a cartoonist, so I was always buying art
and graphic novels. I’ve been tracing and
drawing since I was 12. I would always be
inspired by it.”
Whenever Rodriguez visited Japan on
business, he would return home with heaps
of manga and anime, titles that hadn’t yet
made it to the west. His passion for the
genre has been going strong ever since,
which is why he was so keen to get involved
with James Cameron’s latest film — an
adaptation of Yukito Kishiro’s manga series
Battle Angel Alita — when he was presented
with the script.
“What spoke to me first was his story;
how he created such an amazing story with
the father and the daughter characters,” says
Rodriguez. “I could see he borrowed things
from different books. He moved them around
and made a movie story out of it. I could
see what stuff he made deeper, but it was
still inspired by what was there originally.
It’s amazing to see how everybody could
look at the same thing and see something
different. Seeing what Jim sees in something
is completely different. He made the movie
www.scifinow.co.uk
Cast
Director
Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer
Connelly, Mahershala Ali
that he wanted to make using those story
elements in the script.”
We’re very excited to see what Rodriguez,
a filmmaker who has settled into a role as
one of the most fiercely independent yet
mainstream genre filmmakers out there,
will do with the resources provided to him
by a big studio budget and the backing of
someone like James Cameron. While the
track record of American live-action anime
and manga movies adaptations is fairly grim
(we’re still kind of annoyed about Ghost In
The Shell), the combination of Rodriguez and
Cameron should provide the level of genuine
geek culture love, visual fireworks and heart
needed to get it right.
It’s also worth noting just how great the
supporting cast is, and Rosa Salazar is
definitely on the verge of breaking out.
Release date
14 February 2019
71. High Life
Released: TBA
Director: Claire Denis
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche,
André Benjamin, Mia Goth
Director Claire Denis is back and she’s
giving SF a try, sending Robert Pattinson
to space. As an incarcerated criminal,
Pattinson’s Monte is told that he will be freed
if he joins a group of inmates on an energy-
finding mission to space. But things take a
turn from the worst when the prisoners start
being experimented on sexually and Monte
becomes the biological father of a daughter
birthed through artificial insemination. The
story sounds out of the ordinary, but the film
is rooted in science; French physicist and
black hole expert Aurélien Barrau works as a
scientific expert and consultant.
| 039

72. Terminator 6
Released: 1 November 2019
Director: Tim Miller
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie
Davis, Linda Hamilton, Natalia Reyes
Not satisfied with Terminator: Genisys
(who was?), producer and Terminator creator
James Cameron is back at it again, hoping
to right all the wrongs with the currently
untitled sixth fi lm. Arnold Schwarzenegger
and Linda Hamilton are back as T-800 and
Sarah Connor respectively, while Mackenzie
Davis and Gabriel Luna are machines with
uncertain allegiances.
73. Captive State
Cast: Vera Farmiga, John Goodman, Madeline
Brewer, Machine Gun Kelly
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Release date: 29 March 2019
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes director
Rupert Wyatt returns to genre with his new
thriller Captive State. Set almost a decade after
occupation by an extraterrestrial force, the film
will follow the lives of a Chicago community,
exploring the politics of people on both sides of
the conflict. As well as helming the film, Wyatt
has also written the script with Erica Beeney and
is acting as a producer alongside David Crockett.
040 |
How to build a Terminator sequel
DO
DO bring back old cast members
DO decide whether the film
is a reboot or a sequel before
you start
DO take inspiration from T2
74. Godzilla: King
Of The Monsters
Cast: Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby
Brown, Sally Hawkins
Director: Michael Dougherty
Released: 31 May 2019
We’re optimistic about the third film in
Legendary’s MonsterVerse, especially with
Krampus’s Michael Dougherty behind the wheel.
Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler and Millie Bobby
Brown lead a new story as a paleobiologist, her
ex-husband and their daughter that get caught up
in a creature-related kidnap situation. Returning
cast include Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins.
DON’T
DO NOT spell the title wrong just
for the sake of it
DO NOT endlessly reference
and replay events of the first two
movies
DO NOT get ahead of yourself
and plan sequels and TV spin-offs
before the film is released
75. Men In Black
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson,
Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson
Director: F Gary Gray
Released: 14 June 2019
We don’t think anyone needs to know more
than Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson star
as London-based Men In Black partners to get
onboard for this, but we’re going to say more
anyway. The currently-untitled MIB film is set to
be a sequel, with Iron Man’s Matt Holloway and
Art Marcum writing the script, and Liam Neeson,
Rebecca Ferguson and the always marvellous
Emma Thompson are also starring.
WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK

© Gage Skidmore
76. Gemini Man
Released: 4 October 2019
Director: Ang Lee
Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Will Smith,
Clive Owen, Benedict Wong
Ang Lee is known for genre-hopping,
and it’s been a while since the director has
ventured into the world of sci-fi (we’re still
trying to forget Hulk, his last attempt). Gemini
Man will see him do just that as it follows
Will Smith’s Henry Brogen, an ageing
assassin looking to exit his dangerous career.
But the task proves to be a lot more difficult
than initially anticipated when Brogen ends
up going against up a clone of himself, one
that effortlessly predicts his every move.
Based on a concept by Darren Lemke, Walt
Disney Pictures was originally set to produce
Gemini Man way back in 1997, but after a
lot of unnecessary faffing Skydance Media
acquired it in 2016.
© Elena Ringo
80. Star Wars: Episode 9
Released: 20 December 2019
Director: JJ Abrams
Cast: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver,
Oscar Isaac
We’re simultaneously eagerly
anticipating and dreading Star Wars: Episode
IX, not least because it will conclude the
current ongoing saga in the galaxy far, far
away; Episode IX will also be the fi rst trilogy
fi lm after the passing of Carrie Fisher. But
according to star Oscar Isaac, the fi lm deals
with the fact in a “really beautiful way”.
WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
77. Godzilla Vs Kong 78. Avatar 2
Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Rebecca Hall, Millie Cast: Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Kate
Bobby Brown, Kyle Chandler Winslet, Sigourney Weaver
Director: Adam Wingard Released: 18 December 2020
Released: 22 May 2020 Director: James Cameron
This is the big one. The final showdown Unbelievably, the first sequel to James
between Godzilla and King Kong. As the fourth Cameron’s 2009 sci-fi epic Avatar is still in
film in the Legendary MonsterVerse, Godzilla Vs production and set for release in two years’ time.
Kong still has time to really get itself together and We know Cameron is still keen to get the Avatar
wow the pants off us. In the meantime, we’re universe rolling, even going so far as to open a
enjoying keeping up with the stream of fun new Pandora-inspired section of Disney World, but
cast members constantly being added, including we’re not convinced the films are going to get
Rebecca Hall, Alexander Skarsgård and Hunt For
The Wilderpeople’s Julian Dennison.
further than Avatar 2. But we will happily eat our
words once we see a trailer for the threequel.
79. RoboCop Returns
Released: TBA
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Cast: TBA
RoboCop Returns may be a sequel to the original 1987 sci-fi classic but it seems that
the film will have to start completely afresh now that RoboCop himself Peter Weller has finally
and firmly crushed any dreams we had of him coming back to reprise his iconic role in the
new film. However, it’s not just our dreams that have been cruelly crushed either, as the sequel’s
director Neill Blomkamp was rather hoping that Weller would come back to reprise the role too,
having Tweeted back in August that he would most like Weller to take on the character in his
upcoming film. But you can’t always get what you want, we’re confident Blomkamp will
have a perfect new lead nailed down in no time and we’re looking forward to seeing his take
on the story.
81. Dune
Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Released: 2020 TBA
Having taken on one of the genre’s most
sacred of cows with Blade Runner 2049,
Denis Villeneuve has turned his attention
to Frank Herbert’s Dune and we can safely
assume it’s going to look sensational. Rising
star/internet boyfriend Timothée Chalamet
will play Paul Atreides and Rebecca Ferguson
is up for the role of Lady Jessica. Can
Villeneuve succeed where Lynch failed?
| 041
042 | www.scifinow.co.uk
 100
eek
G
20
The
19
82.Glass
19
The
20 G James McAvoy, Sarah Paulson
eek
100
Heart
Of Glass
After almost 20 years, the long-awaited sequel to
Unbreakable is about to be released. Director M
Night Shyamalan talks heroes and villains...
WORDS Abigail Chandler
Most sequels have a pretty
straight-forward journey to the big screen.
The first film does well, the studio wants
to capitalise on it again, and a sequel gets
greenlit. Glass, on the other hand, is the
product of an 18-year-old movie and its
secret spin-off, which are owned by different
studios. Even director M Night Shyamalan
wasn’t entirely sure if he would ever do a
sequel to Unbreakable. “This is the first time
I’ve ever done anything based on anything,”
he tells us when he comes to London ahead
of Glass’ release. “I own the sequel rights
to all of [my] movies just so nobody does
anything with them.” But for him, Glass
wasn’t a sequel – it was his chance to
finally complete the story he had wanted to
tell with Unbreakable.
Split, the James McAvoy-starring thriller
that turned out at the last minute to be set in
the same world as Unbreakable, was never
supposed to be a film on its own – Kevin,
the man suffering from Dissociative Identity
Disorder who has a monstrous, super-human
identity known as The Beast, was initially
the villain of Unbreakable (and Samuel L
Jackson’s Elijah Price was “a more benevolent
Xavier type”). But in the process of writing
Unbreakable, Shyamalan realised that he had
over-stuffed the film with plot, and there was
no room for character development.
“I couldn’t tell you what it was like to not
know what your place is in the world, what
it’s like to feel grey for David Dunn, say why
is his marriage not working, why is he not a
good dad, why is he not happy at his work.
I can’t spend that much time because tick
tick tick tick these girls need to be saved
[from The Beast].” So Shyamalan reworked
Unbreakable, with the vague intention of
returning to Kevin’s story one day – which he
did with 2016’s Split.
Now that his trio of characters are fully
realised – Bruce Willis’ David Dunn,
Jackson’s ‘Mr Glass’, and McAvoy’s Kevin
and co, collectively known as The Horde –
www.scifinow.co.uk
Cast
Director Release date
Bruce Willis, Samuel L Jackson,
M Night Shyamalan 18 January 2019
The journey from
Unbreakable
to Glass
2000
Unbreakable is released.
2004
Samuel L Jackson voices
superhero Frozone in
The Incredibles.
2005
Bruce Willis appears in comic
book movie Sin City.
Shyamalan can finally explore them properly,
by placing all of them in an insane asylum
with a One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest 2008
vibe, while a psychologist, played by Sarah Samuel L Jackson first appears as
Paulson, attempts to get them to realise that
Nick Fury in Iron Man.
their ‘superpowers’ are all in their heads.
“The whole premise of the movie is what
if Marvel was real?” he explains. “There’s no 2010
flying, there’s no lasers out of eyes, there’s M Night Shyamalan makes
nothing like that, but can a mum lift a car off
a child? Is that possible?” Unfortunately, he
The Last Airbender as he
wasn’t able to make the “grounded” comic moves temporarily into
book movie he wanted to make the first time making family films.
round with Unbreakable because “Disney felt
that we couldn’t sell it as a comic book movie
because they said no-one would come to a 2011
comic book movie,” Shyamalan laughs. James McAvoy plays a
The film marketplace has changed since superpowered person for the first
2000, when Unbreakable was released, in
more ways than one. Back then “we were
time in X-Men: First Class.
just coming off of the era of mainstream
with Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis and 2011
Ron Howard and really kind of uplifting
Sarah Paulson makes her
and reinforcing nuclear family and all these
amazing things that were really resonating first appearance in American
with me and everybody, and Fincher and Horror Story.
Nolan were like the weird dudes over there
that were like ‘what are they making? Those
guys are so weird and dark’, and now they’re
2015
dead centre and it feels like this approach, Shyamalan moves back into
the angle on this filmmaking, the way I making thrillers with The Visit.
saw it, kind of weird and darker, is cool.”
Shyamalan wasn’t able to go quite as weird
or as dark as he wanted to with Unbreakable, 2016
and he’s relished the opportunity to do so Split is released, and shortly after
with Split and Glass. Shyamalan announces Glass.
But let’s go back a bit, to Split, and that
mid-credits scene. Getting Bruce Willis on
board was easy enough – all that took was 2017
a phone call – but getting him in required Anya Taylor-Joy’s casting in The
some cloak and dagger action. “[W]e took a
New Mutants is announced.
small crew, they didn’t know what we were
doing, and Bruce comes and the costumer
knew and the hairdresser knew and they 2019
were like ‘what’s happening?’ and he sat Glass is released.
down at the diner and we did it as fast as we
| 043

could and didn’t talk to the crew… [we]
took him out before anyone even knew he
was there. He literally was there for like an
hour and a half, two hours, and we took him
out. And I didn’t edit it with that [scene] in
there.” He didn’t even tell Universal until he
screened it for them for the first time.
“[L]ights go down, they watch Split, and
the end of it happens and they lose their
minds! They’re like ‘we made a sequel to
ANOTHER STUDIO’S MOVIE?’” Amazingly,
though, it all worked out. Shyamalan had
already got permission from Disney to use
his Unbreakable characters, and Universal
agreed to it too. He puts it down to “just a
confluence of such good people… I dare you
to give me another explanation other than
they were just nice people when I asked
‘could I borrow your character for no reason
and put it at the end of a movie?’ and they
said ‘yeah’, rather than getting all legal
They were just ‘go ahead and do it’. And
they said ‘if it all works out maybe we’ll do
something’. That’s just a supportive thing to
an artist that they like, that is it.”
Universal was similarly accommodating,
and the two are co-distributing Glass. “I
think they just wanted to see the movie
made. I’m a super lucky dude. When I was
writing Glass I wasn’t sure it was going to
work, I was scared when I was writing it
044 |
because this was the one time I was writing
something where I need the actors to say
yes and I need the studio to say yes, because
that’s never usually the case. I can go make
it somehow, right? I can get someone to be
in it and I can get someone else to pay for it
or distribute it or whatever I’m looking for,
but in this case these two had to say yes and
these actors had to say yes. So very lucky.”
In the case of getting Willis, Jackson and
McAvoy back on board, luck barely came
into it – they were all keen to return. Willis
has been gently pestering Shyamalan for an
Unbreakable sequel for years, and Jackson
had been far more up-front about it. “Our
cars would pass on a movie lot and he’d
roll down his window and be like ‘when
are we making that sequel, motherfucker?’”
Shyamalan says, delivering a pitch-perfect
Jackson impersonation. “That happened
twice. And literally at a light in Los Angeles,
same thing happened again.”
As for bringing new cast on board,
Shyamalan had Sarah Paulson in mind for Dr
Ellie Staple from the very start. “I thought,
well, who could really challenge these three
guys, both as characters but as actors, and
really just get in there and rip it up with
them?” Shyamalan says. “I wanted a theatre
trained actress who was really buoyant and
there was definitely only one person for me.”
Shyamalan tells us that Sarah Paulson was his first and only choice.
He says the scenes between her and
McAvoy were so electric that “we had a
hard time shooting because everyone was
clapping constantly... I think [McAvoy] plays
20 personalities in the movie, it’s insane.
And so Sarah’s there firing away and these
two guys are going at it like the best actors in
the world, which is what they are.”
Once the studios and main cast were on
board, Shyamalan was keen to keep the
whole thing as low-key as possible in order
to recapture the fire and passion you bring
to the table as a new director. “The instinct
was to take all the money away, make it
super limited, then work with brand new
people every time. So on these movies that
I’ve been doing recently it’s the editor’s first
movie, the cinematographer’s second movie,
the composer’s first movie... For them, they
haven’t learned any bad habits, everything is
terrifying, everything is hopeful, they want
to do things differently, I don’t wanna do
the same old bullshit.”
Shyamalan even stumped up the cash
himself in order to make Glass. “[L]iterally
there’s a mortgage on my house right now for
this movie. That’s a fact. So you can imagine
what my emotions are on set,” he chuckles.
His passion on the film was matched by
everyone else on set. “The cinematographer
came a month early unpaid just to sit
www.scifinow.co.uk

and watch and draw every shot with me
in the movie. Now I can get the greatest
cinematographers in the world and they’re
great and stuff, but they’re not going to come
and live at my house for a month and just
sit here and draw stuff… I’m never going to
compete against Marvel in the money and
the special effects and stuff, but in the Jiro
Dreams Of Sushi category, the ingredients,
how much care went into making the rice, I
can beat them on that.”
Split marked a return-to-form for
Shyamalan, who had moved away from
the thrillers that made his name after his
daughters were born. “When I first started
telling stories I wrote Stuart Little and The
Sixth Sense in the same year, you know. I
have this really cheesy family side over here
and then over here I’m like ‘ooh, I’m going
to totally shock you and scare you and make
really twisted and inappropriate stuff’…
then the girls started growing up and
they became teenagers and then I was like
‘now I can scare them!’. So I made The Visit
and Split and that whole generation loves
those movies.”
Shyamalan points out that there really are
two distinct generations of viewers eagerly
anticipating Glass. During the David Dunn
scene at the end of Split, Shyamalan says:
Elijah has big plans for The Beast and David.
www.scifinow.co.uk
bo oks t o
sy
ta
re
fan
ad
fan
ad
re
ta
sy
bo oks t o
“Half the theatre’s screaming and the other
half is 21-year-olds going ‘who’s the old guy
in the diner?’” Since then, he says, he’s had
young people coming up to him to tell him
that they’ve recently watched Unbreakable
for the first time, thanks to Split.
The whole thing is all very surreal for
Shyamalan, not least because Unbreakable
was not a huge hit on release – it only
received a C cinema score, he tells us,
although he blames that on no-one quite
knowing how to market the movie.
“There’s a reason that [cinema goers are]
screaming 16 years later. From a C cinema
score movie? Bullshit.” He likens it to the
‘sip test’, and “by the sip test I mean there’s
this thing, Pepsi versus Coke, if they do a sip
test Pepsi wins that because they have more
sugar, everybody knows that. But the take-
home test is always won by Coke because the
83. Black
balance is better. So I’ll take the take-home Leopard,
test every time.” Red Wolf
Unbreakable will have had 19 years of the Author: Marlon James
take-home test by the time Glass arrives in Publisher: Penguin
cinemas – and this time audiences will get
Release date:
the story Shyamalan has wanted to tell for
28 February 2019
almost two decades.
Glass is released in cinemas on 18 Man Booker Prize winner
January 2019. Marlon James is turning to
fantasy for his follow-up to A
Brief History Of Seven Killings.
The book will draw on African
mythology and be the first in
the Dark Star trilogy.
84. Children
Of Virtue And
Vengeance
Author: Tomi Adeyemi
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Release date:
7 March 2019
Adeyemi’s follow up to
the bestselling Children Of
Blood And Bone continues the
What role will Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy) play?
adventures of Zélie and Amari
in Orïsha, as she reaches the
middle of her fantasy trilogy.
| 045
 100
eek
G

85.Fantastic

20
Cast
The

19
Director Release date
Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law,
19
Beasts 3 David Yates TBC

The
20 G Johnny Depp
eek
100

WARNING!
SPOILERS
AHEAD

Fantastic Beasts 2: The Crimes Of Grindelwald

left us with a lot of questions.

How exactly is Credence Albus Dumbledore’s brother? Why was he

being taken to America? And does Albus know about him?
86.Zombieland 2
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Will Queenie be saved? The second film’s most heartbreaking twist
Harrelson, Abigail Breslin was Queenie being manipulated to the dark side – will her and Jacob
Release date: 11 October 2019 ever make it work?

Zombieland joins the ranks of films that How does Nagini become Voldemort’s hench-snake? She’s a good
are getting belated sequels as director Ruben
person in Crimes Of Grindelwald, so how does she become the
Fleischer returns to his zombie comedy world
almost ten years to the day since the first
embodiment of evil?
film hits cinemas. Will it be as good as the
first movie? It will if it sticks to The Rules….

Rule #1 Get the original cast back

All four of the main cast are signed up,
despite being a lot more famous now than
they were then, so that’s a big reassuring tick
87. Masters Of The Universe
for Zombieland 2.
Director Cast Release date
Aaron Nee, Adam Nee TBC 18 December 2019
Rule #2 Remember that the
behind the scenes talent is
just as important A live-action reboot of Masters Of The Universe has been in the running for a while now, but
Not only is Fleischer back, but so are seems to have finally settled on its directors. With no casting announced yet, we’d expect the release
screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick,
date to slide.
better known these days as the writers
behind Deadpool.

Rule #3: Avoid genre overkill

When Zombieland hit, zombies were at 88. Chaos Walking
the beginning of a major comeback. Now,
everyone’s a bit bored of them. So maybe it’s Cast
Director Release date
Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley,
time to make fun of them again? Doug Liman
Mads Mikkelsen, David Oyelowo
1 March 2019

Rule #4 Aim for the heart

Sure, Zombieland was funny and
exciting and occasionally sort of scary,
but don’t lose sight of the heart of the
first film: the characters, and all their
fears and insecurities.
Based on the first book of Patrick Ness’ hit YA trilogy, boasting the stars of both
Star Wars and Marvel franchises, and with a plot line that deals with everything from
misogyny to political manipulation, this film is well-positioned to become a huge hit.
Reshoots earlier this year may mean that the film misses its planned release date, but
we should see it soon.

046 | www.scifinow.co.uk
 93. Frozen 2
Cast
Directors Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Release date
Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee Evan Rachel Wood, 22 November 2019
Sterling K Brown

89. Detective Pikachu Are you more Anna, Elsa or Olaf?

Find out with our personality test!
Released: 10 May 2019
Director: Rob Letterman
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Suki
Waterhouse, Bill Nighy What did you do when you found out
The first trailer for Detective Pikachu Frozen 2 was happening?
caused a bit of a stir when it hit the internet
in November. First, Pikachu spoke English
A Threw a party
and was voiced by Ryan Reynolds. Also, the B Sang about your feelings
Pokemon in the film are much more realistic C Shared the good news with all your friends
than fans are used to, with fur, skin and the
rest of it. However, we’re all still very wiling
to give it a chance. What do you most want to see in the sequel?
A True love
90. The Kid Who B More power ballads
Would Be King C Good times with good friends
Released: 15 February 2019
Director: Joe Cornish
Cast: Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Rebecca Ferguson, How will you watch the film?
Patrick Stewart, Tom Taylor
A With your crush
Attack The Block’s Joe Cornish takes an B As far away from anyone else as possible
Arthurian legend and plops it right in the
middle of an English high school. Andy
C With all your best friends in the world
Serkis’s real-life son Louis Ashbourne Serkis
plays Alex, the titular kid who happens What snacks will you take into the cinema?
across the sword Excalibur and starts
prepping for a battle far more dangerous A Chocolate
than anything he’s ever learnt in PE.
B A slush puppy
C Carrot sticks
91. Are You Afraid
Of The Dark? Results
Released: 11 October 2019
Director: TBA Mostly A: You are Anna!
Cast: TBA
Mostly B: You are Elsa!
Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Mostly C: You are Olaf!
Society: an Are You Afraid Of The Dark? film.
The Nickelodeon horror series will hit the big
screen next autumn and is looking to scare
the bejesus out of kids and adults alike. With
the team involved, it could be a genuinely
terrifying: IT writer Gary Dauberman is
penning the script, and The Lazarus Effect’s
Matt Kaplan is producing alongside him.

92. Sonic The Hedgehog

Released: 26 December 2019
Director: Jeff Fowler
Cast: Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Tika
Sumpter, Jim Carrey

Sonic is back, but this time he’s taking on

his first ever feature film. James Marsden
plays Tom Wachowski, a small town sheriff
who finds himself being whisked off to San
Fransisco to help a blue anthropomorphic
hedgehog (voiced by Ben Schwartz) on the
run from the government while also trying to
take down the evil Dr Robotnik (Jim Carrey).

www.scifinow.co.uk | 047
 100
EEK
G

20
Cast
THE

19
94.Aladdin Director Release date
Mena Massoud, Will Smith,
19 Guy Ritchie 24 May 2019

THE
20 G Naomi Scott
EEK
100

The rules
Your wish can’t kill anybody, so don’t ask.

Your wish can’t make anybody fall in love with

anybody else.

Your wish can’t bring people back from the dead.

It’s not a pretty picture…
95. Pinocchio
Released: TBA
WISH Director: Paul King
NUMBER Cast: TBA
THREE:
No autotune We feel that a live-action remake of
Emma Watson was a Pinocchio could go one of two ways: it
could be a beautiful tale of family, love
wonderful Belle but and imagination, or it could end up being
hearing the autotune the most disturbing family fi lm you have
sort of takes you out ever seen. Think about it… the jackass
of the magic. transformation acted out in real life?! The
WISH original still creeps us out a bit. Luckily, Paul
NUMBER King, the director behind Paddington, in on
TWO: board to helm the movie, so we imagine the
Big musical numbers
former option will very likely win out.
If it doesn’t go the whole
hog with swans, jewels
and dance troupes for
‘Prince Ali’, we’re 96. How To Train
walking. Your Dragon: The
WISH Hidden World
NUMBER Released: 1 February 2019
ONE: Director: Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois
No Guy Ritchie grit
We get that grit has Cast: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig
become a part of Guy Ferguson, America Ferrera
Ritchie’s identity, but
we really don’t need If you can’t get enough/are sick of
it in Aladdin.
Toothless, expect to see a whole lot more
adorable dragon paraphernalia going around
come the release of The Hidden World. In
the fi nal fi lm of the franchise, Toothless and
Hiccup go on a journey and discover a new
community of fascinating winged beasts
that was only thought to be a myth. In the
real world, it will be the fi rst DreamWorks
Animation to be distributed by Universal
after Comcast, bought it for $3.8 billion.

97. The Secret

Commonwealth
Author: Philip Pullman
Publisher: Penguin
Release date: TBC

At the time of writing, the second book in

Pullman’s Book Of Dust trilogy has yet to
set a release date, disappointing those who’d
been hoping it would be out within a year of
La Belle Sauvage. What we do know is that
it’ll be a big time jump from Lyra’s infant
adventures, fi nding her as a 20 year-old
student travelling to the Far East.

048 | WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
 98. Mulan
Released: 27 March 2020
Director: Niki Caro
Cast: Yifei Liu, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Li Gong

Disney’s 1998 animated retelling of

100. Jumanji: Welcome

the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan was very
westernised, but director Niki Caro wants to
bring her version back to the original story,
which is good. However, that also means
we shouldn’t expect the banging musical To The Jungle 2
sequences. You can’t have everything.
Cast
Director Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Air date
Jake Kasdan Gillan, Jack Black, Kaley Cuoco, Lake December 2019
Bell, Diedrich Bader

A film for those wh

o seek to find
A way to leave the
ir world behind.
The Rock returns to
take some names,
But this time playin
99. The LEGO Movie 2: g other games.
The Second Part Kevin Hart is also
back,
Released: 8 February 2019 With Karen Gillan
and Jack Black.
Director: Mike Mitchell, Trisha Gum
With no set-up for
Cast: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, the sequel done
Tiffany Haddish To tell us what is ne
xt to come,
We’ve no idea wh
LEGO meets Mad Max in The Second Part at’s in store,
But one thing that
when Duplo takes over the LEGO room and we know for sure
turns Emmet, Wyldstyle and pals’ home into Is that the players
stay firm friends,
a post-apocalyptic wasteland. While most
But will they meet
of the residents of the city formerly known their gruesome ends
?
as Bricksburg become haggard and tough So for a story to rem
ember
as a result, Emmet has trouble coping and Roll again come ne
continues as normal, like everything is still xt December.
awesome. The sequel welcomes back all the
old cast members as well as some new ones,
including Stephanie Beatriz, Tiffany Haddish
and Margot Robbie, who is replacing Jenny
Slate as Harley Quinn.

Disney Remakes Schedule

Some confirmed, some possible fibs…
2021 TBC
Lilo & Stitch

?
Peter Pan
2020
Maleficent 2

2021 TBC
The Little Mermaid

2022 TBC
The Sword
In The Stone

?
Cruella

?
Tink

?
Rose Red

?
Prince Charming
© Bea Tucker

| 049
 big movie
Mary Poppins Returns

050 | www.scifinow.co.uk
 What’s To
Happen All
Happened
Before
More than half a century after she
left the Banks family on her umbrella,
the world’s greatest nanny is back at
17 Cherry Tree Lane to help them work
through even more family drama.
We speak to director Rob Marshall,
producer Marc Platt and stars Emily
Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda about
Mary Poppins Returns…
WORDS Adam tanswell

Disney likes to take its sweet time

when it comes to sequels.
The studio waited 41 years after the release
of 101 Dalmatians before putting out 101
Dalmatians 2, and the wait was longer still
for the sequels to Lady And The Tramp
(45 years), Peter Pan (49 years), Cinderella
(51 years) and Bambi (64 years). However,
all of those sequels were straight-to-video
affairs. There were no grand premieres, no
tie-in merchandise, and no expectations
whatsoever.
Mary Poppins Returns is a different matter
entirely. Since the original film was released
in 1964, there has been a 54-year gap to get a
sequel together, but the sequel isn’t about to
sneak out on DVD. It’s gigantic. Anyone who
follows film knows it’s happening. It has all
the bells and whistles, and tie-in products
aplenty, from cheap reproductions of
Poppins’ famous two-piece skirt suit to bath
scrubs inspired by ‘A Spoonful of Sugar’. It
even has Meryl Streep.
When a beloved film such as Mary
Poppins has a sequel, reboot or remake on
the horizon, people tend to get nostalgic, but
not always in a good way. There’s a lot of
reflection on how much the first film actually
impacted lives, and how an attempt to make
any improvements on the original could
very well end up ruining the retrospective
childhoods of many in the process. But,
rather strangely, there’s been very little of
that with Mary Poppins Returns.
It could be the fact that we’ve almost
unanimously decided that Emily Blunt really
is the right choice for an updated version of
the nanny, or it could be that Julie Andrews
has personally given the film her approval
(and what Julie Andrews says goes). Or it
could simply be that we all just want to see
Mary Poppins again, in whatever form she
may take.
“I think that she is such an icon, really,”
explains Poppins actor Emily Blunt, “and
sort of emblematic of your childhood
 big movie
Mary Poppins Returns

nostalgia in many ways and the thing that and he’s got such a fantastic eye. I have never
strikes me is, the memory of seeing Mary met anyone who pays such attention to detail
Poppins and being so comforted as a child as he does.”
by the idea of this magical, enigmatic The feeling seems to be mutual, with
person, sweeping in and making it all
right again. And I felt very comforted by
that. And so I did have a sort of love affair
mary is Marshall revealing that he can think of no
one else on the planet who could play the
role better than Blunt. “[It’s] the combination
with Mary Poppins as a child as I think a
lot of people did.”
The sheer mystery of her is a treat as well.
a pretty of all the things that Emily has, which is
that she is an incredible actress as we know,
but in addition to the humour and the joy
“The fact that she has this sort of enigmatic
master plan and yet you are not made aware
of it and she certainly doesn’t push it on
fabulous and the warmth, she also has this knowing,
wonderful enigmatic quality that she is
displaying throughout, she also sings and
you until the end,” Blunt continues. “And
somebody who does so much for people and
improves their lives for the better but takes
person... dances, which is extraordinary. She’s British,
and so it’s incredibly authentic.”
Some fans were slightly saddened to learn
no credit I think is a pretty fabulous person.
She’s also vain and stylish, so there are many
layers of kind of wonderful qualities to play.”
she’s also that Julie Andrews wouldn’t be returning for
the sequel, neither as Mary Poppins herself
nor in a new role. “You know, Julie is a very
The film hails from Rob Marshall, the
man behind such musical spectacles as the
Academy Award For Best Picture-winning
vain and good friend of mine and Rob’s and we all felt
that we didn’t know what Julie could play in
the movie, because we think of her as Mary
Chicago and Disney’s 2014 film Into The
Woods. Both Blunt and Meryl Streep
previously worked with Marshall on the
stylish Poppins,” explains producer Marc Platt. “So
if we bring her to the film, it’s like there’s
the old Mary Poppins. And Mary Poppins
latter, and Blunt was happy to get the chance emily blunt is timeless, she doesn’t age, so to have Julie
to do it again. “He’s heaven,” she says of play another character didn’t feel right to
Marshall. “He’s just so meticulous and so Julie or to the film. And so she is thrilled
elegant and he digs for the gold and he really about it and she is also a big fan of Emily
knows how to do that, every day, every take, Blunt’s and that was the best way to sort of

052 | www.scifinow.co.uk
 Mary Poppins Returns
What’s To Happen All Happened Before

The new family

Meet the characters of Mary
Poppins Returns…
Mary Poppins
(Emily Blunt)
The practically perfect nanny flies back into
the lives of the Banks children.

Jack
(Lin-Manuel Miranda)
This loveable streetlamp lighter was an
apprentice of Mary Poppins’ friend Bert.

Michael Banks
(Ben Whishaw)
Now grown and with three children, Mary comes to bring joy
Michael needs help to move on after the back to the family.
death of his wife.

Jane Banks
(Emily Mortimer)
Michael’s older sister Jane begins to
struggle during the family’s bereavement.
Ellen
(Julie Walters)
A loyal maid of the Banks residence, Ellen
is bewitched by Poppins.
William Weatherall Wilkins
(Colin Firth)
Wilkins has taken over from Mr Dawes as
the president of the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank.
Topsy
(Meryl Streep)
Mary Poppins’ eccentric older cousin Topsy
lives in a bizarre world of upside-downs.
Mr Dawes Jr
(Dick Van Dyke)
After playing Mr Dawes Sr in the original,
Dick Van Dyke returns as the banker’s son.
honour each other, to do it from a distance.”
The film’s Bert-like character comes in
the form of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Jack,
a streetlamp lighter Miranda likes to call
‘Puerto Rican Dick Van Dyke 2.0’. “He
apprenticed to Bert, so I like to picture a little
me, toddling around behind Bert as he had
his 50 jobs,” Miranda tells us. “So Jack is the
one adult who never loses the magic of Mary
Poppins. He knows everything she represents
when she comes back into town and there is
a sort of a thing. Grown-ups forget about the
magic of childhood and Jack is just one of
those guys who just doesn’t forget and that’s
fun to play.”
With Jack, Miranda is attempting to
emulate Dick Van Dyke’s loveable chimney
sweep. But one thing he’s keen to leave
in 1964 is Van Dyke’s famously dodgy
cockney accent. "I have been working on it
for months and you will have to wait until
Christmas to hear it,” Miranda tells us of his
own take on the accent. “I would say it’s just
shy of Cockney, I would say it’s East End but
not Cockney and it’s more Anthony Newley
than Stanley Holloway, if that makes any
sense. And really I have an amazing dialect
coach named Sandra Butterworth who I have
been working with for hours per day. And
then I also wanted to manage expectations.
So I will tell you now it’s the worst accent
you ever heard! I have been listening to a lot
of music and that’s my way into anything, so
I have been listening to a lot of Billy Bragg
and Anthony Newley, and so that’s been the
fun for me. The hardest part are the Os.”
For Miranda, who, like many of us, grew
up with original film, saying playing Jack
in Mary Poppins Returns was a dream come
true is a bit of an understatement. “It would
be audacious for me to have dreams like this,
because this is beyond dreams,” Miranda
says. “Who dreamed there was going to be a
sequel to Mary Poppins? And much less that

www.scifinow.co.uk | 053
 BIG MOVIE
Mary Poppins Returns

TUPPENCE A FACT
A little behind the scenes magic from the original
you are going to get to be in it, singing and
dancing with Mary Poppins and dancing on
lamp posts while BMX bikers are riding by
doing stunts and you are balancing a flaming
stick on the end of your foot? That’s an
audacious dream to have. No, this has been
all beyond.”
Angela
After the few years Miranda has had
Lansbury,
Julie Andrews following the immense success of his hit
Mary Martin
almost turned Broadway and now West End show Hamilton,
and Bette Davis were
down the role, hoping it made complete and utter sense that he
all considered for the role
to be cast as Eliza Doolittle should be cast as Poppins’ kindly all-singing-
of Mary Poppins for the original
in Warner’s My Fair Lady film,
film, while Cary Grant was Walt and-dancing companion. Miranda is used
having originated the role on
Disney’s favourite for Bert. to the stage, but the transition to screen has
Broadway. When Warner
Songwriter Robert Sherman been thankfully a smooth one.
decided to go with
suggested Julie Andrews “The only difference is that you fi nish a
Audrey Hepburn
after seeing her
instead, Andrews musical number and you have to wait a year
perform a song
decided to take and a half for the applause, as opposed to
from Camelot
Disney up on the instant gratification of a theatre ovation,”
on The Ed
the offer. he laughs. “But that is also the joy of it. We
Sullivan
Show. rehearsed for three months before we started
shooting anything and so I feel spoiled as
After it was a theatre actor sort of transitioning to fi lm,
featured in Mary three months is more than we got to rehearse
Poppins, ‘Feed The Bird Hamilton. Rob comes from the theatre as
s’
quickly became Walt Dis well and he really runs it like you are putting
ney’s
all-time favourite song.
Richard on a musical. And so it’s been very natural
Sherman has revealed
on for me and it’s been a very joyous sort of
several occasions that Dis
ney transition to fi lm. Everyone working here is
Th e n would regularly stop by
the
r ma t e Sherman Brothers’ office sort of the best at what they do.”
S e rs wro he
h
Where the original fi lm was set in
th e rt s. on Fridays to request
Bro ngs fo oppin e a private live Edwardian London, Mary Poppins Returns
s o P T h
30 l Mar y itled ‘ made performance. takes place during the Depression Era in
in a g t a ll y nd
n u
orig cut so event obs A 1935, which is also when PL Travers fi nished
e ’ k n Some of the
O l Brin s Bed h also
n y writing the fi rst of her eight Mary Poppins
utif
u ney’ whic son, nannies lined
n
Bea nto Dis sticks, Tomli d’ up outside the
Banks’ books. “When you read the books, you
it i room avid f San ce to wa rds the start of feel [the] depression, which is one of the
B ed D d O nto resid en
r n
star hile ‘La cycled for
i tually stuntmen reasons why we wanted to settle on this era,”
the film were ac
w as re Me’ esses, ready
in wigs and dr Marshall explains. “The original fi lm was
w st In gle ag ge d through
‘Tru he Jun to be dr
Cherry
set in 1910. And what’s interesting about
T ook. the air al on g the original fi lm is that it’s perfect. We love
B n the
Tree Lane whe it, it’s what inspired a lot of us to be in the
wind picks up business… It’s one of those movies that stays
and carries
with you and begins your journey and your
the nannies
away. love of fi lm, and the imagination that opens
up from this incredible journey that happens
in that fi lm. So it’s been such an honour for
Matthew us to take that beautiful fi lm, and take it into
Garber and this other journey, with a whole new story
Karen Dotrice, and an entirely original score.”
who played Jane Poppins’ services are once again required
and
Michael Banks, by the Banks family following the death of
co-starred s
in two other Disn
ey films togethe ast a Michael Banks’ wife. Michael (played by Ben
(The Three Lives r b e ing c Dyke
r
and The Gnome-
Of Thomasina Afte ick Van ey to let e Whishaw) and his three children have moved
D n H
before Garber
Mobile) Bert, Walt Dis Sr too. e in with the housekeeper Ellen (Julie Walters)
died in b ie d a w es rs u a d at 17 Cherry Tree Lane, when they are all
1977 at the age lo b M rD t o pe st
of 21 pl a y ge d e e
n -t paid a visit by the ageless nanny.
after unknowing
ly him ly mana him scre fter
contracting final ey to let , only a “She comes in and helps heal this family,”
hepatitis while Disn the role $4,000 , says Marshall. “I think one of the things that
for king a lAr t s
travelling ma on to Ca art I like about this piece is that it really relates
ti ia
through dona Californ ded to loss and children who have dealt with loss
India. the ol foun in life, and how do you heal a family?
scho Disney. “I know one of the reasons we dove
by
right into this fi lm, [and why] this cast was
desperate to do this fi lm is because of the
world climate right now. I think we are all

054 | WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK

very aware of how fragile it is and how dark
it is. And we want to be reminded 54 years
later that you can find in darkest times – and
this family is experiencing a dark time – the
joy and the childlike energy and feeling
of life and unity. And she does that in this
wonderful way of never taking credit for it
and brings them to life and then is gone, and
they heal in a beautiful way. So it’s a tiny
story in a way, it’s one family, but it has a
huge scope to it, because it says a lot about
the world and trying to heal the world and
heal it in a very simple way.”
When talks of another Mary Poppins film
first started, Disney was never interested in
simply remaking the classic film. The studio
always envisioned something new, and with
eight PL Travers Poppins books published
there was plenty of material to work from.
However, the stories acted more as vignettes
that had to be stitched together to create a
narrative as intriguing as the first film.
“I knew the other PL Travers books
because my kids read them all,” explains
Platt. “[Rob and I] had a love for the
character and the original film.”
Conversations about a new film started
years ago, after 2010’s Alice In Wonderland
but way before Disney’s live-action Beauty
And The Beast. “[It was] a way for us to
tell our version that was true enough to the
integrity of the original, but could take all of
www.scifinow.co.uk
Mary Poppins Returns
What’s To Happen All Happened Before
us on a new journey and a new adventure,”
Platt continues. “So the bar was very high…
We didn’t say yes until we knew we could.
“It’s wonderful and a gift to the world
to take an animated film like Beauty And
The Beast and do a wonderful job with it
and do such a beautiful, magical film –
and obviously the world was ready for it,
because it made a billion-and-a-half dollars,
whatever it was, I don’t know. But for us,
what’s exciting is, we get to do something
even more challenging and a little bit
more unknown, which is to take a familiar
character that is beloved, but to take the
audience with that familiar character on a
very unexpected journey into unfamiliar
territory. And if we do our job well and we
do it with love and affection and magic, then
I think we could have, and we think we will
have, an exuberant, memorable new classic,
that will live on in this century. That’s what
we are trying to do.”
Though Jane and Michael are both now
grown, the magic of Poppins still touches
them. “I always feel that with this film, Mary
Poppins takes the everyday life, and makes
it extraordinary,” says Marshall. “So a walk
to the park or a bath in our film becomes an
adventure. Cleaning up your room, a chore,
becomes something wonderful. It’s how you
perceive life. And she finds that without ever
commenting on it or taking credit for it, and
Emily Blunt is just the
perfect choice for Mary.
denies that it ever happened.”
“This is the wonderful thing about this
film, I think is that there’s so much magic
in it,” adds Platt. “And there’s a little magic
where people do things that you can’t
imagine are possible, there’s magic in
the chemistry of the cast, there’s magic in
the music, there’s magic in the sensibility of
the world… What’s really wonderful about
this particular film is that there’s magic for
every age.”
According to Platt, it’s a film for
everybody, which is something that doesn’t
come around that often: “If you are old like
me with a deep love and nostalgia for the
original film, you can’t [wait] to see it, and
you are curious, and Dick Van Dyke is in it.
If you are a millennial, you grew up on the
film. And if you are a child who might not
know the original and you grew up in the
world of Pixar and all the animated films,
you might know the character from the
theme parks or a song or two, but you get
to discover it all over again. And if you are
a parent, you get to discover it through the
eyes of your child. And that is why this is a
film for everybody. And it starts with magic,
which is really what we need in the world
now more than ever.”
Mary Poppins Returns is in cinemas on
21 December.
| 055
 cult cinema
I Think We’re Alone Now
We talk to Reed Morano, one of cinema’s
most exciting new directorial talents, about
making the jump from The Handmaid’s Tale to
her feature sf with I Think We’re Alone Now
WORDS Katherine McLaughlin
Cinematographer turned
director Reed Morano is part of the team
responsible for creating the eerie look of
Gilead on screen in the critically acclaimed
television series The Handmaid’s Tale.
She directed the first three episodes of the
dystopian nightmare adapted from the book
written by Margaret Atwood and says: “It is
one of the only books I remember reading in
college that left a lasting effect on me. I knew
I could tell it in a way that would connect
to people. I was told that I would not be in
the running for that job, but I still would
not take no for an answer, so I eventually
got to pitch for it and they asked me to do it.
Sometimes persistence can pay off.”
Reed’s determination also led her to
work on Beyoncé’s visual album Lemonade
imbuing her impactful cinematography in
the ‘Sandcastles’ section of the film directed
by Mark Romanek. Her masterful way of
conveying gorgeous stillness and delicate
intimacy spoke volumes in Beyoncé’s game-
changing musical masterpiece and Reed
once again uses that to subvert the typical
056 |
tropes of the post-apocalyptic thriller with
her second feature film, I Think We’re Alone
Now, which she directed from a screenplay
written by Mike Makwosky.
Peter Dinklage stars as Del, the last man
on earth, or so he thinks, until a young
woman literally crashes into the town
where he’s been making order out of all the
chaos. He spends his days cleaning up the
neighbourhood where he lived, listening
to Rush, burying the bodies of those who
perished and logging their existence. At
nightfall he cosies up in the town library,
soaking up knowledge from books and DVDs
and eating peaceful dinners with a river
view. His routine is his pleasure and he’s
doing just fine.
“I’ve always liked the idea of playing with
an alternate reality or seeing characters in
a difficult situation. I like the idea of having
a slightly heightened reality and seeing
how that affects everyday relationships and
normal behaviour. Usually when you have
a post-apocalyptic situation the goals of
the character usually fall into ‘why did the
www.scifinow.co.uk

AUDIENCE TO IMAGINE
THIS POST-APOCALYPTIC
Peter Dinklage’s Del
embraces his isolation.
apocalypse happen and where are the other
survivors? Or where’s civilisation?’. What
I loved about Mike’s script is that not only
did Del not mind, he found a way to make
it his own and it’s like he almost doesn’t
want to go out to look for anyone else. Not
only because he’s content on his own but
he’s more afraid of fi nding out that he’s not
alone. Also, he’s not concerned with trying
to solve the world’s problems. He just wants
to make his small part of the world work.
That’s probably how some people would
react. Not everyone would willingly go fi nd
people and save them. Del thinks: ‘I’ve found
a way to make it work for me and I’ll just be
taking responsibility for myself and keeping
this area where I live as pristine as I can.’ I
thought that was a really cool twist on it.”
Elle Fanning stars alongside Dinklage
as Grace, a young woman who interrupts
Del’s serene world because she’s running
away from a more disturbing one. Initially
a side character in the story, Morano added
agency and took notes from her personal
life for some of her traits: “She had a thin
WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW
Only The End Of The World
back story, so we gave her more
credit. She was initially just a
free spirit in the original version
of the script but Mike was cool
I WANTED THE about figuring out why Grace is the
way she is. It was great because
she ended up becoming a hybrid
of who I was when I was 18 and
who Elle actually is now. That
makes her more complicated to
explain as she’s genuinely looking
WORLD AS A for companionship but she’s also
battling demons of her own because
BEAUTIFUL PLACE of what she’s been through.”
One of the neat touches Morano
uses for Grace’s story is to use
REED MORANO
the bright lights and scenery of
suburban Palm Springs to add
a trace of artificiality. She also
bagged Paul Giamatti and Charlotte
Gainsbourg for this part of the fi lm
which references Michel Gondry
and Charlie Kaufman’s Eternal
Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and Seventies
science fiction fi lms. Morano however, shot
the majority of her fi lm in upstate New York
in a few different towns specifically for
the picturesque scenery. A blend of Nyack,
Congers and Hastings-on-Hudson provide Del
with his beautiful views and a utopia of his
own making.
“I didn’t want it to feel too depressing,”
Morano explains. “I wanted to make the
audience understand the warmth and feel
peaceful and imagine this post-apocalyptic
world as a beautiful place.” She took her
lead from reading The World Without Us, a
non-fiction book written by journalist Alan
Weisman, and the subsequent documentary
that spawned from the title. It’s all about
what would happen to the planet if human
beings just suddenly disappeared.
“It’s a book that describes how the world
would evolve after a certain amount of
months and years if people had vanished
from the planet. One of the things I had to
think about was ‘what would the world look
like and what would still exist?’ I had to
make decisions about what sort of supplies
they would have and we were pretty accurate
with it. The most valuable things in an
apocalypse are batteries as much as we
think we don’t use them now. Gasoline also,
propane and anything solar powered.”
On a bleaker practical level Morano
learned a lot about body decomposition.
There are corpses all over Del’s town and
each one has a very particular decaying
look to it: “I decided how I wanted the
bodies to look based on how long it’d been
since the apocalypse. I studied non-fiction
to make it realistic. It was very educational
in that sense.”
Grace (Elle Fanning) I Think We’re Alone Now is available on
has her own demons.
VOD now.
| 057
 MUST-SEE TV
Counterpart

COUNTERPART RETURNS WITH MORE

ESPIONAGE, DUAL REALITIES AND
DOUBLES. THE STARS TELL US HOW
SEASON TWO CHANGES THE GAME
WORDS KATHERINE MCLAUGHLIN

058 | WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
 COUNTERPART
The Honourable Doppelganger

“It’s easy for us all to other-ise

everyone else who isn’t aligned
with our way of life, our line of
thought,” explains Betty Gabriel who
plays Naya Temple, an FBI agent of Islamic
faith in Season Two of Counterpart.
Gabriel plays a new character to the show
who she describes as having “an air of
mystery and cunning. She's dissecting and
microscopically sniffi ng people out. I love
that about her. As the season continues, you
see her getting closer to the truth but also
grappling more with what she thought was
true her whole life in regard to her faith.” 
Temple is brought in to investigate how the
‘Office of Interchange’ was compromised and
infi ltrated to pull off a tragic mass shooting
at the end of Season One. Due to the terrorist
act, the border between the two sides of
a parallel Berlin has been closed. Though
the gateway is heavily controlled and kept
secret in a government facility this isn’t quite
Stargate with the only destination being a
subtly different reality… the explanation so
far behind the phenomenon is that in 1989
(the same year as the fall of the Berlin Wall)
the world simply broke away and replicated.
The show blends science fiction with Cold
War era spy thriller. Created, written and
executive produced by Justin Marks and
featuring top notch directors such as Morten
Tyldum (The Imitation Game) and Jennifer
Getzinger (Outlander and Jessica Jones)
it taps into timely and politically charged
issues such as border control, warring
ideologies, government corruption, global
overpopulation and terrorism, weaving
them through multiple storylines about
assassination plots and covert operations.
The two realities display minor differences
in technology and population due to a deadly
flu epidemic that hit one of the worlds in
the early Nineties which in turn has led to
conspiracy theories that it was all by design.
“I think what the show does so well is it
takes a deep, disturbing look into the hows
and whys,” says Gabriel. “These issues are
so complex. Of course, we will all never
agree on these matters and we'll always
have our differences, but perhaps a certain
understanding of the deeper roots of these
issues will allow for more awareness and
more participation from the ground up.”

WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK | 059
 MUST-SEE TV
Counterpart
In Season One, Howard Silk (JK Simmons)
a lowly office worker was introduced to
his parallel self out of the blue – a tough
operative for the other side. So, began a
Kafkaesque nightmare for the men and a
meaty dual role for Simmons as they came
to terms with their differences and explored
one another’s worlds. In Season Two with
Howard locked away in a secret compound
the focus shifts towards his wife’s crisis as
she emerges from a coma with no memory
of her previous life. Olivia Williams, who
plays Emily Silk enjoys playing the dual
role, says: “Throughout my life and career,
people inexplicably say that they fi nd me
intimidating. I don’t know why! Emily was
hit by a car and she was unthreatening,
and nobody had any fucking idea what
she was up to. It’s so much fun to play one
person who is unthreatening and has passed
through society unnoticed and the other
person who just trusts what she’s told.”
Harry Lloyd, who plays Peter Quayle, a
director at the Office of Interchange, chirps
in to say: “I enjoyed playing a character who
is doing everything he can to kill all the
drama and get out of every situation that
he’s in! Every step I take forward in this
journey is a step in the wrong direction so
actually it’s a fun and different exercise to
try and actually do as much to do as little
as possible.” He’s a character who has been
offered every privilege in life and risen to
the top thanks to his relationship with the
daughter of a government official. After a
revelation that an army of counterparts are
060 |
BERLIN IS
SUCH A
CHARACTER
IN THE SHOW
OLIVIA WILLIAMS
hell-bent on taking down his society Quayle
begins to realise how much responsibility
rests on his shoulders.
Nicolas Pinnock takes on the role of Ian
Shaw, an operative who plays by the rules
and quells personal relationships to reach his
targets. “I think Shaw does everything by the
book. Everything has to be in order or else he
knows that things will be in complete chaos
in his life. The main plot of the story is going
one way and he’s kind of going another.
There’s an element of him that wants to go
along with it all, but he can’t. He really has
to keep a lid on it because he knows if he
doesn’t it will all just explode.”
Each actor carried out their own personal
research before fi lming. Lloyd read Graham
Greene’s Our Man In Havana, which he
says “was useful as it was about someone
who isn’t a spy but gets caught up in it and
learning the rules of engagement.” He also
watched lots of fi lms: “I think visually,
Counterpart defi nitely borrows from a lot
of those Cold War era fi lms like The Lives
Of Others and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
In fact, we had the DOP from The Lives Of
Others working on Season Two.”
“My preparation mainly involved studying
Islam and working in the FBI,” says Gabriel.
“There’s actually a great book about an
undercover FBI agent who is also a Muslim
called American Radical. That was a tough
but good read. There were some challenging
moments for sure… learning Arabic comes to
mind. I fortunately had the support of a great
coach, Sue Obeidi – she’s a director at the
Muslim Public Affairs Counsel. I wanted to
portray a Muslim woman with authenticity.
That was very important to me.”
Williams took her lead from her previous
theatre and television work and what she
learned while playing roles in a show about
the Manhattan Project and Lucy Kirkwood’s
National Theatre play about the large hadron
collider, Mosquitoes. “Season Two touches on
the scientific side. I don’t want to give away
much, but I did a show about the Manhattan
Project and this group of people who would
have been at Los Alamos fucking about with
particle physics…things like the Trinity
Project could have started a chain reaction
that destroyed the universe. That accidental
nature and power is there and is rendered
unto those who have made that decision and
is a part of Season Two.”
All the actors describe their fi lming
experience as rewarding and collaborative.
As a newbie on set, Gabriel bonded with
Lloyd: “The cast of actors are superb! I
mainly worked with Harry who is incredibly
smart and analytical but he's also quite
playful and tries things. He made an
overwhelming situation a lot less scary.
“Despite the fact that everyone is in
different story lines there’s a nice family
collaborative feel on set… more than any
other TV show I’ve ever done. Justin’s door
is open, he wants to hear your thoughts
after the read through. Not just about your
character but the episode in general. There’s
a sense that the cast feel like crew members.”
The backdrop and recent history of
WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK

Berlin plays a huge role in the show which
is reflected in the locations chosen by
production designer Knute Loewe, who
Lloyd describes as “a gleeful genius”. The
cast all talk about how invaluable working
with a German crew has been to the
success of the show. The old US military
hospital of Licterfelde, Tempelhof Airport
and Wemeuchen – a WWII airfield with
a gigantic bunker near the Polish border -
provide perfect backdrops for the show.
Williams explains her stance on filming in
Berlin: “It’s such a character in the show…
I know that’s a corny actor thing to say, but
it is intriguing where the wall went and the
stories of how people crossed over. I think
the fact that we’re there with the German
crew, with people speaking in their own
language, there is a wonderful sense of
strangeness and refracted existence.”
She goes on to tell a personal story about
her interactions with Berlin residents: “Talk
to a Berliner and they go, ‘Germany is
reunited’, and the young people go ‘there’s
no difference’. Then I remember asking this
young guy, my driver, who would talk about
his girlfriend’s family and tell me her family
were Easters… Ersters… So, the wall came
down 25 years ago but you can still tell that
her mum and dad are from the East? It’s
interesting and it really informs what we do.”
“The thing about Berlin is that the history
is so close to the surface,” says Lloyd.
Pinnock is in agreement: “You can follow a
line across the city and find out so much, like
here’s where a guy tried to parachute across
the wall, and here’s where a guy died in No
Man’s Land and nobody claimed the body.”
Williams too chimes in: “It gives
you goosebumps.
At Tempelhof, where
we shot at the airport,
they say there’s more
www.scifinow.co.uk
Counterpart
The Honourable Doppelganger
There are lots of new
of Tempelhof underground than there is faces in Season Two.
above ground. I went into this incredible
room with all the Bakelite mechanics of it
and then this room that had these incredible
cast iron chandeliers that were like ballistics.
They were like guns in a way and part of
that whole Third Reich era where everything
was going to last for a thousand years.
The balustrades, the parquet flooring, the
doorknobs are all built for ballistic use. It
completely informed me about it.”
Gabriel’s role in Counterpart marked her
first ever trip to Europe, which she made
the most of by visiting the Kafka museum
in Prague as well as filming in Berlin. She
recalls a day she visited a cold war bunker
with one of the directors, Hanelle Culpepper,
saying: “It was pretty depressing. All around
the city are small reminders of its violent
past, a broken clock tower covered with
bullet holes, remnants of the wall of course.
It’s pretty strange, but Berlin is also one of
the coolest cities I’ve ever been to.”
That bunker near Wemeuchen had
an effect on all of the cast, as Williams
explains: “The disused airfield where Echo
is, which is all to be revealed, are these
extraordinary bunkers covered in grass so A stranger
the British couldn’t see them from above. It’s
so atmospheric.”
with my face
Pinnock elaborates further: “You have
The finest genre
these feelings about these places you go to doppelgangers
and the energy is really palpable. Then you Annihilation
discover why, and it makes a lot of sense.” In Alex Garland’s adaptation of Jeff
The type of locations used in Season VanderMeer’s novel, the gorgeous and
Two all feed into the narrative, with Lloyd grotesque live side-by-side and the rules
revealing: “Things that have been abandoned of nature do not apply. Natalie Portman
plays a scientist sent to explore a new
and you can see what they were, but the rust
world packed full of mutations and
and the mould and the ivy have taken over. hybrids and towards the end of the film
That’s a big part of Season Two.” comes face to face with herself for a
surreal dance sequence.
Counterpart is streaming now
on STARZPLAY. Enemy
Denis Villeneuve turns José Saramago’s
Kafkaesque tale of two male doppelgangers
into a film about fear of fatherhood.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays the dual role of a
man who spots his look-alike in a movie
and goes on the search to find his more
successful counterpart.
Buffy
In ‘Doppelgangland’ an evil, blood-sucking
version of Willow sprouts to life to stalk the
streets of Sunnydale after she is tricked into
summoning her vampire-self from another
dimension into existence. Buffy star Alyson
Hannigan has lots of fun posing in leather
and acting wicked.
Cam
An erotic webcam performer’s livelihood is
threatened when a virtual version of herself
appears online, steals her identity and
locks her out of her chatroom. Madeline
Brewer is outstanding in the lead dual role
as she switches between multiple personas
and shifts from playful to frightened and to
furious in a heartbeat.
The old world order is
on a knife-edge.
| 061
 BIG MOVIE
Bird Box

062 | WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK

BLIND SIDED
WE TALK TO DIRECTOR SUSANNE BIER ABOUT HER
SANDRA BULLOCK-STARRING HORROR FILM BIRD BOX
A DARK-HAIRED WOMAN CLASPS
TWO YOUNG CHILDREN CLOSE
TO HER CHEST. She has dirt under her
nails and seems to be protecting the kids
from a danger just out of frame, a danger that
we cannot see and that she wants neither
herself nor the children to see – all three
are blindfolded. “Sometimes, as a director,
you get involved because of a storyline or
character; this time, it was this specific
image which got me intrigued,” director
Susanne Bier explains.
This striking image is on the poster for
Bird Box, her fi rst foray into more fantastical,
less realistic territory. A survivalist drama as
edgy and exciting as any hunger game.
The fi lm opens on Malorie (played by
Sandra Bullock) explaining to the two young
children that they are about to embark on
a dangerous journey which will take them
down a tumultuous river. As if this didn’t
sound intriguing enough,
Malorie also warns them
to keep their blindfolds
on throughout the trip,
“THE MOMENT BEFORE YOU SEE THE
no matter what: rowing MONSTER IS THE MOST TERRIFYING. I
blindfold has become, in
this fi lm's world, somehow
WANTED THIS TO BE THAT MOMENT”
less dangerous than seeing
an unspeakable threat
through the naked eye.
Bird Box delivers its explanations slowly,
at pains to keep questions unanswered and
viewers on their toes right up until the very
end. As the fi lm jumps forward and back in
time throughout, we learn about our central
protagonist only progressively — where she
comes from, what she has been through, and
what exactly it is that she is so afraid to see.
Five years earlier, our intrepid heroine
Malorie is far from the world of perilous
expeditions: she lives a quiet, almost
reclusive life as a painter. She also happens
to be pregnant but, as Bier puts it, Malorie
appears “reluctant about life”. She seems
almost in denial of the enormous thing that
is happening inside of her belly. Her sister
Jessica (Sarah Paulson) has to practically
drag her out of the house to go to the hospital
WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
WORDS ELENA LAZIC
for her scan. The medical appointment
counts as an actual outing for the loner
Malorie, who resorts to dry wit whenever
addressing the people around her, always
keeping them at arm's length.
The stakes in these two moments couldn’t
be more contrasted, but Bird Box beautifully
ties up the personal, interior journey of its
central protagonist, with the life-or-death
fate of humanity in its dystopia. “You might
say the movie has got two arcs, or two
voyages,” Bier says. “One is the physical
voyage – Malorie taking the kids down the
river. The other is her emotional arc – the
way that throughout all these challenging
events, she actually comes to embrace life
and motherhood.”
These two arcs fi rst intermingle at the
outset of the events which, as we know, will
lead to a post-apocalyptic world fraught with
danger and fear. Right after her scan, as she
SUSANNE BIER
exits the hospital, Malorie witnesses fi rst-
hand the wave of violent suicides she had
heard about on the news but did not quite
believe until then. Apparently seized by an
irrepressible death wish, people around her
throw themselves into traffic or run their
cars into one another, with imagery echoing
the brilliant opening of M Night Shyamalan's
otherwise risible The Happening.
Malorie has no choice but to take refuge
in the fi rst house she sees; there, she is
forced to live alongside strangers who, like
her, have just escaped death. It is a setup as
much in keeping with young adult dystopias
as it is with Michael Haneke’s Time Of The
Wolf, and the fi lm provides an opportunity
for Bier to blend her artful and thoughtful
fi lmmaking style with a more commercial
framework. This is, after all, an A-list led
BIRD BOX
Blind Sided
Netfl ix original, quite far removed from the
world of Dogme 95 and the art house from
which the director emerged.
“Malorie really wants to be alone, and
then she’s forced to be with people who she,
under normal circumstances, would never
have anything to do with,” Bier observes.
From Douglas (John Malkovich), the mean-
spirited owner of the house, to the sweet
and strong Tom (Trevante Rhodes); from the
kindly grandmother Sheryl (Jacki Weaver) to
the eccentric Charlie (Lil Rel Howery, seen in
Get Out), Malorie’s ‘roommates’ come from
all walks of life. Although survival would
require them to get along, their desperate
situation only brings out their differences
further, and each actor gets to play a
character who understandably teeters on the
verge of hysteria and paranoia.
“They all bring something very unique,
and kind of extreme in its own way,” Bier
says of her actors. “So
you have that as a gift,
and then you play with
them.” As the assorted mix
of personalities learn to
survive, we witness them
brought closer to each
other by circumstances:
what used to be a simple
grocery run, for instance, becomes a life-or-
death bonding experience.
As Bier explains: “They actually become
a sort of family to Malorie” and our
taciturn heroine forms connections with
some of her housemates despite herself. “I
think that element of forcing yourself to a
forthcomingness is very human and very
endearing, actually,” Bier says.
From the personal drama to the action
movie catastrophe, from one period of time
to another, Bird Box is a fi lm with a complex
narrative structure and scope. For Bier to
keep focus when shooting was defi nitely
a challenge: “All the technical things – for
example, how do we deal with this ferocious
river? How do we ensure safety? How can
we actually photograph it? These technical
concerns easily take over, and you lose track
| 063
 BIG MOVIE
Bird Box
Humanity is forced to confront its worst
fears and reacts accordingly.
of the emotional beat,” she explains. “I kept
asking myself: ‘What is the focus?’ What is
the focus of the movie? What is the focus of
the character? If you keep that as a mantra
at all times, then you can deal with the
technical challenges or the technical issues,
without getting strayed or seduced by them.”
This is Bier’s fi rst foray into fantastical
genre cinema, but not her fi rst rodeo: a
career spanning almost 30 years is behind
her, and she also brings to the table another
kind of experience that some directors might
not have. “I think having had kids, and
having had them while working, I’ve kind
of trained myself to ask ‘what is the focus?’
and ‘how do I deal with a lot of things at the
same time?’” Bier adds.
In an odd symmetry, this is also what
Sandra Bullock’s Malorie has to do in Bird
Box and like Bier, she pulls it off. “I don’t
think Sandra needs help keeping focus,” Bier
says. “She’s probably one of the most focused
people I’ve ever met. But we did talk a lot
during the course of fi lming. It was a very
creative and stimulating collaboration.” This
is unsurprising, considering the way Malorie
feels like a perfect fit for the actress.
The “very contemporary female heroine”,
as Bier describes her, gives Bullock an all
too rare opportunity to demonstrate the full
range of her talents. The elements that form
her unique on-screen persona – her poker
face and seriousness, her independence and
air of natural confidence and strength – have
rarely found a more complete expression
than in Malorie, at once tough and tender,
vulnerable and strong.
Bier is very much aware that, with this
story, the fi lm could have taken a much more
fantastical turn. “I know that other directors
might have gone more into the genre element
of the story, more into the unrealness of it,”
she says. However, the director was anxious
to do justice to her character: “For the
audience to understand what Malorie was
going through and how she got to that point
in life, even the moments of violence and
gore had to feel very real.”
The fi lm indeed features many scenes
where, after seeing the ‘creature’ that drives
people to suicide, entranced characters kill
themselves in whichever is the most direct
064 |
and simplest method at their disposal. And
yet, despite this repetition, every occurrence
feels genuinely shocking.
“It was less about being sensational, and
more about being real,” Bier explains. “I
thought the fi lm needed to both embrace the
genre and to stay with Malorie at all times.
To have complete access to her emotions.”
As such, Bier’s unwavering realism allows
Bird Box to fulfi ll its genre credentials, but
also to honour the character’s emotions
and challenges, as well as Bullock’s own
dedicated work.
This style also makes for an often
terrifying fi lm. The enormousness of the
challenge ahead of Malorie as she is about
to embark on her trip in the fi lm’s opening
sequence is nothing short of jaw dropping.
But the fi lm’s gorier and more horror-inspired
central premise also benefits from this
commitment to plausibility.
The malevolent creature pushes those
who see it to suicide by taking on the form
of their worst fear, but “how do you depict
anybody’s worst fear?” Bier asks. “That’s got
to be individual; your worst fear is going to
be different from my worst fear. And that’s
why you can’t see it in the fi lm.”
Surviving in that world is a paradoxical
existence where you need to be on the
lookout for the creature, but never look at it;
where you shall never know your worst fear,
but live in fear nonetheless. “I personally
always fi nd a fi lm scarier until I see the
villain or the monster,” Bier adds. “That
moment before is, for me, the most terrifying.
I wanted the movie to be that moment.”
In a world where seeing can be lethal,
beauty takes on a splendour and importance
it did not have before. Bird Box, as terrifying fi lm’s visual beauty alone.
as it is, is also gorgeous to look at, the visuals “That was part of the striking thing about
echoing Malorie’s own heightened senses. that very fi rst image, too,” Bier adds, talking
“The fi lm needed that sort of dialectic back about the image of Bullock holding the two
and forth between what she’s seeing – which children on the fi lm’s poster. “It appears
is nothing, because she’s blindfolded – and hostile, and yet beautiful.” Simultaneously
what she’s not,” Bier says. “We wanted enchanting and terrifying; both a survival
to address what she sees and what she’s disaster fi lm and a drama, Bier’s Bird Box
missing out on, so that the audience could sustains the thrill of that image throughout,
understand what she’s experiencing.” The until Malorie fi nally sees it through.
director’s allegiance to and care for her
character shines through even in the fi lm’s Bird Box is released on Netfl ix on 21
quieter, more serene moments, through the December.
WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
 BIRD BOX
Blind Sided

THE JOURNEY FROM BOOK TO FILM

The resemblance of the film’s premise to that of M Night Shyamalan’s The Happening is uncanny,
and something that worried Josh Malerman, the author of the Bird Box novel. In Shyamalan’s film,
humanity is threatened by a wave of mass suicides. On top of this, another film worried Malerman:
in John Hillcoat’s The Road, a father and son try to survive in a hostile post-apocalyptic world.
Malerman had already written the rough draft of his novel when the two films came out, and he
understandably feared that his novel would be forgotten in favour of more high profile disaster-
themed entertainment. In reality, Bird Box was positively received, even compared to the work of
Stephen King. Film rights were soon acquired and Andy Muschietti, who shot the 2017 adaptation of
King’s IT, was set to direct before Bier took over.

WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK | 065
 MUST-SEE TV
Titans

K E I T T O LIVE R TO
S F I N A LLY MAAND CREATOEAM
M I C S ’ TITAN TH THE CAST D HIS NEW T
CO
AS DC N W E M EET WIUT ROBIN AN
,
ACTIO UT MORE ABO SWELL
FIND O TERVIEW
S ADA
R IN
M TAN

ANDLE
AIL CH
S ABIG
WORD

066 | WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
 TITANS
F*@K Batman

2018 HAS BEEN A PRETTY

MOMENTOUS YEAR FOR
THE TEEN TITANS. Not only did
they get their first big screen appearance
in Teen Titans GO! To The Movies, but they
also made their first live action appearance
on television, following on from two successful
animated series. It took them 54 years, but
they’ve finally made it. Although, to be more
accurate, it’s taken them 38 years – that’s when
George Perez and Marv Wolfman’s New Teen
Titans debuted, creating characters including
Starfire and Raven, and bringing in former Doom
Patrol member Beast Boy, all of whom play a major
part in Titans. That’s when the Titans as we know
them truly came to life, rounded out by Dick Grayson’s
Robin (who leads the team in the live action series),
Cyborg (mysteriously absent from the show – for now…)
and Donna Troy’s Wonder Girl (who is set to make an
appearance in the show).
Until now, the Teen Titans have been one of DC’s most
noticeably and bewilderingly under-utilised properties, so
it only seems fair that they got the big launch they deserved,
heading up a raft of original programmes on DC Universe in
the US. The reason it took so long essentially boils down to one
thing: Dick Grayson. As Robin/Nightwing, Dick is one of DC’s
bona fide leading men, and DC was reluctant to give him away
to a TV show when they might want to use him in film. “But Geoff
[Johns, then CCO of DC Entertainment] grabbed Robin and held
him,” explains Titans’ executive producer Akiva Goldsman. “Holding
onto Dick Grayson for a TV show was not exactly [DC’s] favourite
idea, but that was really Geoff just protecting it. We have a startling
number of characters, with one noticeable absence in Cyborg… We’re
guarding them preciously. We have a few more, but there’s some we
ain’t getting at.” Goldsman had an extra incentive to do Dick Grayson
justice, seeing as he was the writer behind the universally derided Batman
And Robin. He jokingly refers to Titans as “the ‘Apology’ tour” when we
meet him and the show’s cast at the New York Comic Con, where the show
premiered. “When folks of my particular age group and generation started
getting into comic book movies, it was a lot more challenging to do reality-
based and psychologically-real characterisations,” Goldsman explains, telling
us that he’s now free to present Robin and the rest of the Titans as realistically
as he wants. There’s much talk about how dark, gritty and violent Titans is –
quite a feat when your main characters include an alien princess and a green
dude who turns into animals.
But let’s start with the heart of the show – Dick Grayson. The series picks up at a
time when Dick has left Batman, and is trying to balance being a solo vigilante with
being a police officer. He encounters troubled teen Rachel Roth (better known as
Raven) and, along with the rest of the Titans team, who form along the way, he sets
out to protect her. But Dick has problems of his own, hence his wash-your-mouth-out-
with-soap-young-man outburst in the trailer. “In the comic books, we all know his time
with Batman and living with Bruce Wayne at the mansion didn't go so smoothly,” says
Robin actor Brenton Thwaites. “It was nice to start the story from that point of view; from
a place where we would most likely end the story.” Thwaites adds that “there's a darkness
and sadness [in Dick] that’s deeper than just getting a full night’s sleep. It’s going to take
a long time to iron out these deep grounded emotional issues that we see in flashbacks
throughout the series.” According to Goldsman, Dick is “somebody who is profoundly
cast under the shadow of Batman. He’s omnipresent in the show, although absent. It’s
exactly the way most of us feel about our dysfunctional fathers. It’s an ideal way for us to
tell a father/son story, and a Batman story, by telling Robin’s story.”
Batman, we can only assume, is one of the characters that the Titans producers “ain’t
getting at”, but the various Robins are, it seems, on the table – Jason Todd, the second
Robin, pops up later in the show. “Midway through the first season, Jason Todd comes
up,” Thwaites tells us. “He’s basically used as a way to describe to the audience what it
is like to work with Batman. We’ve seen flashbacks of this or that – but this is the current
Robin coming in and saying: ‘This is what it's like to work with Batman right now’. When

WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK | 067
 MUST-SEE TV
Titans
“HE’S
PROFOUNDLY
UNDER THE
SHADOW OF
BATMAN”
AKIVA GOLDSMAN
that happens, we see that Dick Grayson was
right. It’s not great [to work with Batman].” And
as for how Jason and Dick get on: “The current
Robin's ideals may be a little less than what he
would have thought,” Thwaites tactfully reveals.
The show may start as Dick and Raven’s story,
but the other characters soon make their debut.
Ryan Potter, who plays Beast Boy, describes the
introduction of the characters as “a slow-burn,
but it’s worth it, because you’re waiting for these
characters to show up on screen.”
Both Potter and Anna Diop, who plays
Starfire, drew upon their own background
as immigrants to America to inspire their
characters. “I just loved the idea of being
alien, and that means so many things to me
personally,” Diop says. “I was born in Senegal
in West Africa and we moved to the States when
I was six years old, so I had to assimilate, and
I learned the language in two months, I was in
school two months later, assimilating into this
culture. And sometimes I feel like an outsider
too, and I think a lot of people can relate to that.
I love being able to embody what being alien
feels like, if that makes sense. Because I think
that’s something I do understand.”
For Potter, Beast Boy and the Teen Titans have
been a big part of his life for a long time.
068 |
“[W]hen I moved from Japan to America,
Teen Titans was the first animated series that
was similar in style to something I’d watch
back home, so Teen Titans was really the first
animated show I fell in love with, and Beast Boy
in particular, the way he assimilates to humanity,
because he’s green, because he’s in exile or a
reject or whatever you want to say, his use of
pop culture and I guess pop culture knowledge
to integrate into humanity and to make friends.”
Potter tells us that he related so much to Beast
Boy because he used to use the same tactics
to relate to his school friends when his English
was still “rough”. “It’s full circle, man. Beast
Boy’s been a part of my life since I was seven.”
He calls actually playing Beast Boy “frickin’
bizarre”, and says that “it’s fun, but it’s also a
bummer sometimes because you almost want
to be the animal.” Unsurprisingly, CGI had to
be employed to bring Beast Boy’s powers to
life in live action, and Potter is thrilled with the
final result: “I think it’s a testament to how much
effort they’re trying to put into the series, and
especially attention to detail.”
The cast is rounded out by Alan Ritchson and
Minka Kelly as Hawk and Dove, characters
who have been affiliated with the Teen Titans
in the past, but have never been regular comic
Robin is struggling to
forge his own path.
book members of the team. Similarly, in Titans,
they’re slightly on the periphery. “They do feel a
bit isolated a lot of the time,” Kelly admits. “But
there’s a history between Hawk and Dove and
Robin. When they were kids, they used to fight
together. They were a team. And so we reunite
and find our way again – but, yeah, we flow in
and out of the Titans team.”
Ritchson, having played Aquaman in
Smallville, was initially reluctant to take the
role. “Geoff Johns called me and pitched me
on the part. I was like ‘I’ve done the DC thing
and respectfully I want to keep trying new
things,’ and he was like ‘let me tell you why this
is different and why it has to be you,’ and he
pitched me so I was like ‘okay, I’m in. If it’s what
you say it is, I’m in’.”
Titans took a while to make it to screens –
initially there was talk of a live action movie,
then the show was originally developed for
TNT (where Barbara Gordon, AKA Batgirl,
was set to be a regular character in the show)
before being reworked for DC Universe. “There
have probably been softer or harder stories
but fundamentally this has been the narrative,
which involves Batman leaving,” Goldsman, who
has been on board since the beginning, says.
“Sometimes it was the day after he left in other
WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK

iterations. Now, it’s a year or so after. It’s always
been that story of, ‘I have become my father in a
way I’d rather not be’.”
As is clear in the trailers, Titans doesn’t shy
away from the brutality of vigilante life. In terms
of the tone of the show, Goldsman describes it
as “the close cousin to the Marvel Netflix shows”,
but that Titans is “a little bit more colourful, in
terms of both characterisation and humour”.
And although the producers state that their
inspiration has come from the Wolfman/Perez
era of Teen Titans, we shouldn’t expect slavish
adaptations of famous storylines. “Although the
stories are similar and it’s all the same people
from the comic books, our [stories] and how we
built our relationships are pretty unique to our
TV series,” Thwaites explains.
Kelly came on board on the strength of how
the tone of the show was pitched to her: “They
said it was going to be very different to any
other superhero show you’ve seen. They said it
was going to be more real, more dark and more
grounded than anything else. And I think they’ve
stayed pretty true to that. They’ve found a great
balance. They’ve kept the superhero aspect of
it, which is obviously very important. It’s even
better than what they said it would be.”
Unsurprisingly, the pressure to make a version
of Titans that would please the team’s many
generations of fans was a massive challenge.
“The great news about Titans is, a lot of people
have an idea about what Titans is. The terrible
news about Titans is, a lot of people have an
idea what Titans is,” Goldsman chuckles. “But it
balances out. I think if you do a good enough
job delivering an object people will find it.”
Titans launches on Netflix on 11 January 2019.
WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
TITANS
F*@K Batman
Teagan Croft as
empath Raven.
There are
no nipples on
this Bat-suit
As with all superhero shows, costumes
play a big part – especially when
you’re trying to bring an iconic costume
off the page. The costumes for the
Titans were certainly a mixed bag for
the cast. Brenton Thwaites describes his
Robin costume as “very ‘active’ friendly.
I could do all my own stunts in it.”
Which is a lot more than could be
said of the other characters: “Hawk can
There’s some light in barely scratch his arse in his costume!”
amongst the angst.
Thwaites laughs.
Alan Ritchson certainly had a tough
time with his Hawk costume, which
is faithful to the comics but next to
impossible to wear. He tells us it “used
to be put together with bolts because
the cape is so heavy, the cape is 30
pounds or something.
“Those wings have steel rods in them
to keep them from moving in a way
they shouldn’t move. It’s just so heavy. It
was bolted and screwed together and I
would then take it off at the end of the
day and my chest would be bleeding,
there would be bruises all over [me]…
it was awful.
“So then they were like ‘alright, we
need to fix this’, so they would get super
Velcro manufactured for them that’s like
stronger than any other kind of Velcro.
So it works now, I’m not bleeding at
the end of the day but it’s just not the
most comfortable thing. It takes like four
people to put it on.”
| 069
interview
Vincenzo Natali

© Rex Features

Master
Puzzles
From Cube to Splice, from Hannibal to Westworld, Vincenzo Natali is
one of the genre’s most subversive and exciting talents. We caught up
with the director to talk King, Gibson and Graboids…
When Vincenzo Natali burst onto
the horror scene in 1997 with the
compellingly unusual Cube, it
was clear he was one to watch.
Clever follow-ups like 2009’s twisted sci-fi
family drama Splice solidified the writer-
director as a force to be reckoned with in
the industry, and fans waited eagerly for his
adaptations of JG Ballard’s High Rise and
William Gibson’s Neuromancer.
And then Natali… disappeared.
Well, not exactly. After numerous projects
failed to make it off the ground – including
those much-anticipated adaptations, and
attempts to remake Predator, IT, and Swamp
Thing – Natali took a break from the big
screen to direct acclaimed episodes of some
of TV’s most beloved shows, from Westworld
to Hannibal. If you love genre TV, chances
are, you’ve fallen in love with some of
Natali’s work.
But it seems that Natali is on the cusp of a
triumphant return to the feature-length film.
Shooting has just wrapped on his adaptation
of In The Tall Grass for Netflix, scheduled for
release in 2019. While we wait, we caught
up with Natali to discuss his move from
film to TV and back again, and what exactly
happened with a certain project we were
trembling with anticipation to see…
What can you tell us about In The
Tall Grass?
Well, it’s based on a novella by Stephen King
and Joe Hill, who are father and son. And
www.scifinow.co.uk
WORDS Samantha McLaren
it’s a kind of family movie [laughs] – in a
manner of speaking! But only as their two
twisted minds could conceive of such a
thing. And it really is twisted. The novella
shocked me when I read it. This has been
a project I have been passionately working
on for a number of years, and it has taken
a while, but Netflix was the first place that
was really brave enough to permit me to do
it. It was a really wonderful experience with
a lovely cast. If the movie adaptation of it IT
is sort of a warm bath for horror fans, I hope
this is a cold shower.
The film is based on your own script. Was
it intimidating adapting a book that was co-
authored by two of horror’s biggest legends?
It was enormously intimidating. But I had
just come off of adapting both JG Ballard
and William Gibson – both of which terrified
me! So, I had walked that road a few times
already. And as daunting as it is, it’s also
really exhilarating to step into the shoes of
a writer that I really admire and try to
channel them and to some degree write with
their voice.
What was really terrifying was that I knew
Stephen King was actually going to read
it! And I didn’t have very long to write it
before I had to submit it to him. I happened
to be very busy on other things when I was
working on the script and didn’t have as
much time as I would have liked. Anyway,
for whatever reason, he chose not to kick me
off of it!
Vincenzo Natali
Master Of Puzzles
Did you have a chance to talk with King or
Hill during the production?
I haven’t spoken to Stephen King. But
Joe Hill I have met and had a number of
conversations with, and he’s a lovely guy.
Both of them are very supportive. They don’t
interfere creatively; they’re very creator-
friendly, and I don’t think they’re precious
about their work. I think they understand
that a faithful adaptation doesn’t mean a
to-the-letter faithful adaptation – that in fact,
to be faithful, sometimes you have to change
things. It was a very positive interaction.
Compared to your first film Cube, you’re
obviously working with much bigger
budgets these days. Is it hard to imagine
making that sort of film now?
You know, the truth is, it always feels like I
have the same budget [laughs] because the
ratio of ambition to what’s being put on the
screen always seems to be the same. And
truthfully, especially in the television world,
the schedules aren’t all that different from
what I had with a movie like Cube. I look
forward to the day when I feel like I have a
luxurious schedule and budget!
There have been rumours about a potential
Cube reboot. How do you feel about people
remaking your work?
It’s a funny thing. I guess I’m a little
ambivalent about remakes in general. Not
that there aren’t good remakes, and not that
they can’t be done well. I feel that often the
| 071
 interview
Vincenzo Natali

movies being remade are not necessarily

the best choices – because to me, the best
choices for remakes would be movies that
had a great idea but weren’t fully realised
the first time around. And usually, the
films that are chosen to be remade are the
opposite: they’re great movies and people
are just trying to recreate that success a
second time.
But I also feel that movies are like
time capsules – they’re very specific to
the moment in which they’re made. So if
someone’s going to remake any film, even
Cube, then they need to find a reason for it to
exist at this moment. I would be interested
to see what someone does with it. I don’t
think the first film is perfect by any stretch
[laughs]! However, I think it would be hard
to do it in a way that still felt fresh. Because
when I made that movie, there really wasn’t
a lot out there like it. After my film – not
necessarily because of it – there were the
Saw movies, and a lot of films about people
being trapped and having to work together to
find a way to escape. That path feels like it’s
been well trod over the last two decades.

When we watched the Saw movies, we

definitely thought ‘this feels familiar…’
Believe me, I’ve found myself many times in
a situation where I’m working on something
that I thought was a completely original idea,
only to discover that somebody else had done
it a long time ago or was doing it at the same
time! These things happen.
I’m not saying anyone was necessarily
imitating Cube – but it’s that Jungian thing;
it was in the air. When we make these
things, it’s like you feel a kind of urge to
make it. You have this itch that you want
to scratch, and it draws you towards a
particular kind of story or idea. I feel like,
often, that’s because a lot of people are
feeling the same way. It’s just the moment
we’re in culturally that draws us to do
certain things.
Recently, you’ve moved more into directing
for television. Was that a conscious decision
for you or did that move happen naturally?
It happened out of desperation! About five
years ago, it started to become really difficult
to get movies made. I wasn’t able to get a
studio movie made – the space that I had
always existed in, the sort of mid-range
budget, was disappearing, and there just
wasn’t a place for the things I wanted to do.
After I couldn’t get High Rise made and I
couldn’t get Neuromancer made – both
of which were very ambitious projects – I
just found myself needing to work. I
didn’t want to make a movie that I wasn’t
passionate about; I just don’t have it within
me to do that.
But TV is the kind of work where you can
go into it a little more as a hired gun, and
Natali was a key
director on Hannibal.
you don’t have to wear it in the same way
that you wear one of your own movies as
a director. So I went into it with this very
mercenary attitude.
Ironically, one of the first shows I worked
on was [Bryan Fuller’s] Hannibal, and I
ended up really falling in love with the
show and feeling that some of my best work
as a director that I’ve ever done – before
or since – was on that show. Overall, I just
found the whole process of working on TV
really creatively rejuvenating. So it actually
ended up being more than just a job. It ended
up being something that revived me after
having a hard time in the feature film world.
We were devastated when Syfy passed on
the Tremors pilot you directed. What do
you think happened?
I think the head of the network didn’t like
it. It was that simple. And I don’t know
why. Of course, I can’t be objective about
it because I made it, and I made it with a
friend, Andrew Miller – it’s his show, I just
directed the pilot. I thought it turned out
really well.
One thing I can tell you for certain – Kevin
Bacon is amazing in it. He’s so good and
was lovely to work with. We had a terrific
shoot, a fantastic cast, and the creatures
looked great. When they tested it, it tested
well – which is very unusual for me, because
virtually everything I do tests badly [laughs].
I thought, ‘oh, at last, I’ve done something
that tests well!’ So, I was doubly shocked
when they decided not to pick it up.
I’ll never understand these things. I
mean, I was with Bryan Fuller on Star Trek
[Discovery] when he was doing that, and
watching that whole thing implode was a
lesson in how studios think, or don’t think.
So, nothing really surprises me.

072 | www.scifinow.co.uk

Can you give us an idea of what we’re
missing with the Tremors series?
You know, the thing that was really
distressing about it was that I worked very
hard on it! And I’ve never done anything
that’s unavailable. I’ve made unsuccessful
movies before. I’ve made movies that very
few people have seen. But, if you wanted to,
you could see them. No one will ever see
this, because it’s going to be buried in some
studio vault. I never want to do that again.
To work that hard on something and then
just have it vanish is very odd.
So, it’s kind of saddening to talk about
– especially because Andrew’s conception
for the show was so clever. Talking about
how a remake needs to be in tune with
the time in which it’s made, Andrew’s
series was really about the moment that
America finds itself in. It was all being
played out through Val, a faded hero who
had his moment in the sun 20 years ago,
and when the Graboids vanished, his star
faded. He became an alcoholic and would
just go to the occasional convention. He
was somebody who was really stuck in the
past – the nostalgic, misremembered past,
much the same way that Donald Trump has
The deeply weird Splice
is one of our favourites.
Vincenzo Natali
convinced many Americans that that was
the time when America was great. And all
the while, the Graboids are about to return.
Or at least, he thinks they’re about to return,
and it’s unclear whether that’s just a form of
wish-fulfilment for him, or whether it’s really
about to happen.
Andrew took this character to an entirely
different and much more interesting place in
this new version. The show was true to the
original film; it had all the fun and the thrills
of an old Fifties B-horror movie, and really
strong character work, and was emotional,
and touching, and funny. I don’t know how
the people who asked him to make the show
could not have been happy with it.
It’s so disappointing. What other projects
from you can we look forward to instead?
I have a TV series that I’m doing with Jonah
Nolan and Lisa Joy who do Westworld, and
it’s based on William Gibson’s last novel,
The Peripheral. That’s with Amazon Studios.
It’s not ordered yet, so we’ll see if it really
happens. But we do have a script which I
think is really amazing. I’ll be directing the
pilot of that, and I suppose as many episodes
as I could – as I’m permitted to!
His debut Cube remains
a cult classic.
Master Of Puzzles
Vincenzo
Natali:
Greatest Hits
Cube (1997)
If Saw took place inside one of Pinhead’s
puzzle boxes, you’d have something close
to the weirdness of Cube. Several strangers
wake up inside a cube made of lots of little
cubes, some of which are booby-trapped.
Gripping tension and some entertaining
gore make Natali’s first one of his finest.
Nothing (2003)
Cube’s David Hewlett and Andrew Miller
star as housemates having an especially
bad day in this Gilliam-esque comedy-
drama. After the world outside their house
is replaced by a blank white void, the
housemates’ friendship is severely tested.
Minimalist, inventive, and philosophical,
Nothing is classic Natali.
Splice (2009)
Natali’s first major studio release, Splice
sees genetic engineers Adrien Brody and
Sarah Polley create life – but not as we
know it. Part creature-feature, part family
drama, and horror through and through,
the film boasts some impressive makeup
effects, high emotional stakes, and one very
weird sex scene.
Haunter (2013)
Natali’s last feature-length film before
moving primarily into TV, Haunter revolves
around a self-aware ghost stuck living the
same day over and over. Unfortunately,
that happens to be the day before she
was murdered. Bummer. Not Natali’s best,
Haunter is nonetheless an affective haunted
house movie with an interesting premise.
Hannibal (2014-2015)
Directing six episodes of Hannibal’s second
and third seasons, including the first three
episodes of Season Three, Natali left his
distinctive mark on Bryan Fuller’s acclaimed
horror series. From a social worker inside a
horse to a skull-splitting drug-addled dinner
party, Natali’s episodes are as aesthetically
pleasing as they are strange.
 interview
Jake Wardle
from uni
to twin
peaks
Jake Wardle was famous
before he had left
secondary school for
his Youtube accent
videos, and found a new
audience as magic-gloved
Freddie Sykes in Twin Peaks.
Recently he has entered
another supernatural
universe with a turn in
Dark Shadows spin-off,
The Tony and Cassandra
Mysteries, for Big Finish…
interview Martin Parsons
“I was at secondary school and it sucked,
it was boring. I had a lot of creative energy
in me, and I found out about this cool thing
called YouTube where anyone anywhere can
upload anything.
“I’d always mimicked accents. Just kind
of instinctively, like a parrot. I had this
YouTube channel, so I was thinking maybe
I should do a video where I do all of my
accents. I sat in the shed and went through
all of them. In the first week it had two
million views, it was crazy. It just blew
up. The fame from my YouTube was
more than Twin Peaks. Nothing has ever
surpassed that.
“I was starting to get a bit fed up with
university. I thought maybe I should look
into screen acting. When I had that thought,
I got a message in my inbox. It was from a
producer [Sabrina Sutherland]. She said: ‘I
work for a film director, and he loved your
accent video and he’s interested in casting
you in one of his films.’ We exchanged
emails for a little bit, then she said: ‘By the
way, the director I work for is David Lynch
and he wants to Skype you.’
“We Skyped and he told me how much he
loved my video. He said he’d love to have
074 |
me in a project. We Skyped every two to six
months, it was really casual. All of sudden
Sabrina emailed me and said: ‘David wants
to talk to you.’ He said: ‘Have you ever seen
Twin Peaks before?’ I said no. He said: ‘It
doesn’t matter, we’re making a new one and I
want you to be in it.’ I finished university
in about June 2015, and production began
in September.
“His directorial style is very focused.
He’s got an idea, he’s got a vision, and he
wants to achieve that vision. He explains
to you everything you need to know. He’s
very clear, and he goes very deep. I don’t
ever remember getting confused about what
he wanted me to do. At the same time, he
allowed me a level of flexibility with the
script, which he apparently didn’t give other
actors. I was allowed to edit it, to make it
more British.
“The first line in the whole show was my
line. In the original script, when they walk in
the Road House, James says: ‘Pretty great in
here, isn’t it?’ and Freddie says: ‘Yeah great,
it’s ace.’ I said Freddie would probably say
‘yeah, it’s decent’ or ‘it’s the dog’s bollocks’.
David liked ‘the dog’s bollocks’.
“When I came back from Twin Peaks,
Helen Goldwyn from Big Finish sent me
a message on LinkedIn saying: ‘Are you
interested in working for us?’
“One of the Big Finish producers, Joseph
Lidster, then got in touch and said: ‘We’ve
got an audio play coming up, The Tony And
Cassandra Mysteries, are you interested?’ I
said yeah, course. We recorded with three
other actors and it was great fun, there was a
great atmosphere. Five different characters,
all American. My cup of tea… and I finally
got a job from LinkedIn!”
The Tony And Cassandra Mysteries
Series Two is available now from
bigfinish.com
Wardle on set with the
master himself.
www.scifinow.co.uk
 76 CINEMA
Theatrical releases
76 Aquaman
77 Ralph Breaks The Internet
77 Spider-Man: Into The
Spider-Verse
78 Fantastic Beasts: The
Crimes Of Grindelwald
78 Sorry To Bother You

79 HOME FILM
Films on DVD, Blu-ray
and more
79 Bird Box
79 Kin
79 Await Further Instructions
80 Unfriended: Dark Web
80 Hotel Artemis
80 John Carpenter
Restorations
81 When A Stranger Calls
81 My Neighbour Totoro

82 TV
TV shows on DVD,
Blu-ray and more
81 She-Ra And The Princesses
Of Power
82 A Discovery Of Witches
82 American Horror Story:
Apocalypse

76 Aquaman
“A rollicking adventure...the kind of film where you
realise you’ve been grinning for the last half hour”
Read all the
latest reviews
78 82 visit www.scifinow.co.uk

CINEMA Add your thoughts regarding

the latest blockbuster theatrical releases
on the SciFiNow website.
DVD AND BLU-RAY Discover our
opinions on the latest film and television
releases and add your own comments.
TOP 10s Read our lists relating to our
favourite genre shows, and give your
thoughts on whether we were right.

AWARD EXPLAINED
THE ‘MUST SEE NOW’ AWARD
GOES TO REVIEWS THAT
SCORE FOUR OR FIVE…

WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK | 075
 Jason
Momoa
proves
himself as
a comedy
action hero.
Aquaman
It’s fishMAN, not fishboy
When DC announced that Aquaman would
be the first of the second-tier Justice League
characters to get his own movie, there was some
confusion. Aquaman? Really? Justice League didn’t
help to reassure us that the film would work – the
handful of underwater scenes in that movie were…
uninspiring. And, to be honest, Aquaman doesn’t
get off to the best start, with the first action scene
subscribing to DC’s most frustrating movie trope
Release 14 December – why use skilled stunt people when you can use
Director James Wan
eerily weightless CGI doubles instead?
Cast Jason Momoa,
But then we catch up with Jason Momoa’s
Amber Heard, Patrick
Wilson, Nicole Kidman Aquaman in the present day, saving a submarine
Distributor from pirates and hanging out at the pub with
Warner Bros his dad, and the movie becomes something else,
Certificate 12A something different to the other DC movies. It’s,
well, fun. The plot is simple enough – Arthur
Curry, AKA Aquaman, AKA fishboy, is approached
by Atlantean princess Mera to help stop his half
brother Orm from launching a war against the
TRIVIA
This is the fifth time surface. To do so, Arthur must be proclaimed the
Patrick Wilson and true king of Atlantis, which leads to a globe-
James Wan have trotting search – above and below water – for a
worked together.
mythical trident. Along the way he also gains a
land-based enemy in the shape of Yahya Abdul-
Mateen II’s Black Manta.
Aquaman boasts a cast who are fully committed
to the inherent ridiculousness of being in a movie
about magical underwater creatures. Patrick
Wilson delivers Orm’s supervillain lines with
admirable gusto. Abdul-Mateen II is a similarly
understandable villain, and does a lot with fairly
minimal screen time. Kidman and Temuera
Morrison are great as Arthur’s parents, making
their love story believable in the space of a five-
minute long montage. Amber Heard is fine as Mera,
landed with the fairly thankless task of playing the
076 |
straight man to Arthur, but that just leaves Momoa
room to shine. Rather than the shambolic dude-bro
of Justice League, this Arthur is funny, kind of
dim, sweet, spontaneous and has a heart the size
of his biceps. He owes a lot to the imperfect heroes
the film’s director James Wan set out to emulate
with Aquaman (Indiana Jones, Romancing The
Stone, etc), and Momoa reveals himself as a pretty
excellent comedy action hero.
Thanks to the nature of the film’s hero,
Aquaman avoids the DC grim ‘n’ dark pitfall. It’s
fun, a silly, and, bar a few on-point references to
our tendency to use the sea as a dumping ground,
it doesn’t take itself seriously. In fact, it leans into
some of the dafter elements from the comics – at
one point Mera wears a dress made out of jellyfish,
and yes, Atlanteans ride sea horses. Aquaman is
just a rollicking adventure film, the sort of film
where you realise half way through that you’ve
been grinning for the last half hour. The action
scenes – bar that dodgy first one – are good. The
underwater battles lean heavily on CGI, but to
the film’s credit it stages most of its key fights
above ground. It looks good too, with the various
underwater kingdoms all having their own specific
designs, and the Trench creatures are monstrous
enough to give younger kids nightmares – perhaps
the only nod to Wan’s background in horror.
Aquaman joins Wonder Woman at the top of the
recent DC movies. It lands its ending better than
Wonder Woman did, but lacks the power of that
film’s key scenes. It’s just a fun adventure movie –
perfect for the Christmas season.
Abigail Chandler

www.scifinow.co.uk
Ralph Breaks
The Internet
Welcome to the
world of Wi-Fi
Release Out now
Directors Rich Moore, Phil Johnston
Cast John C Reilly, Sarah Silverman,
Gal Gadot, Taraji P Henson, Jack McBrayer,
Jane Lynch
Distributor Walt Disney Studios
Certificate PG
Having spent the last six years
following the same routine with her
best pal Ralph (John C Reilly), spirited
video game character Vanellope (Sarah
Silverman) has grown tired of her predictable
life. While Ralph is perfectly content watching
every sunrise, working all day and downing
root beers each night, Vanellope longs for more.
It’s an intriguing concept – an arcade
creation having an existential crisis - and when
Vanellope’s game Sugar Rush gets unplugged
and she’s found without a home or purpose,
it looks as if that’ll be the story’s driver. To
some extent it is, but when she and Ralph delve
Spider-Man:
Into The
Spider-Verse
Not your average
Spider-Man movie
Release 12 December
Directors Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey,
Rodney Rothman
Cast Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee
Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Liev Schreiber
Distributor Sony
Certificate PG
Comic books and animated movies
are clearly a match made in heaven,
and yet we can’t remember ever seeing
anything like Spider-Man: Into The Spider-
Verse before. The scale of it, the visual inventiveness,
the heart and the humour – this film is the closest
we’ve yet managed to get to a comic book come
alive. And it’s brilliant.
The film gracefully leaps the ‘oh no, not another
Spider-Man’ movie hurdle by focusing on Miles
Morales, a regular kid from Brooklyn who gets
bitten by that famous radioactive spider. When
Peter Parker as we know him does show up, it’s a
www.scifinow.co.uk
into the World Wide Web to
retrieve a part that could save
her game, Ralph Breaks The
Internet becomes more of a
MacGuffin-led adventure.
Introducing Wi-Fi proves an
ingenious way of expanding
Wreck-It Ralph’s small-
scale world and the detail
is stunning. Well-known
websites such as IMDb and
Pinterest are visualised as
high-tech skyscrapers; eBay
consists of real auctions and
Twitter sees literal blue birds
squeak out memes. Then there
are the worlds within it; the grimy alley-looking or depression, Ralph Breaks The Internet
Dark Net and online racing game Slaughter Race keeps things simple by examining evolving
– which catches Vanellope’s eye, causing her to friendships. It’s super sweet seeing both
question whether she even wants to save Sugar Vanellope and Ralph come to terms with that
Rush – being particular highlights. fact as they realise their own dreams separately
Along the way, it touches on interesting from one another, but it’s unlikely to have
topics such as online fame and cyberbullying any lasting emotional effect. In a sense, Ralph
but abandons them in favour of knowing or Breaks The Internet is like most things online
meta gags – like when Ralph gets distracted by these days; it’s amusing while you’re engaged
pop-up people selling work-out tricks or when with it but as soon as your mind is elsewhere,
Vanellope stumbles across a plethora of Disney there’s not all that much about it to hold on to.
Princesses in the film’s standout scene – and Amy West
action sequences.
Where other Disney films have been bold
enough to tackle subjects like grief, racism 
shambolic Peter who’s pushing 40 from another
dimension. And he’s not the only rogue Spider-
Person/Pig invading Miles world as he tries to come
to terms with his new powers – thanks to Kingpin’s
nefarious plans, a whole bunch of them are dragged
in from across the multiverse, from Spider-Gwen to
Spider-Ham, each animated in their own distinctive
style, from moody black-and-white to shining anime
eyes. And they’re all an absolute hoot, especially
Nicolas Cage as Spider-Man Noir, spouting
gumshoe nonsense at every opportunity.
But the various Spider-People, as entertaining as
they are, are a side-show. This is Miles’ story – or,
to be more precise, a student-mentor story, with
both Shameik Moore’s Miles and Jake Johnson’s
Peter learning from each other. Anyone concerned
that newbie-Spidey Miles might get lost in all the
pyrotechnics need not worry – he absolutely shines.
Everything about this film is ambitious, from
the voice cast (listen out for some surprise cast
members), to the visuals, adding layer upon layer of
comic book references. The screen splits into panels,
captions appear, black pen-strokes of expression
lines appear on and around characters’ faces. On
top of that the directors and animators have crafted
some excellent, thrilling, often funny, occasionally
heart-in-mouth action scenes. Yes, we’re saying it –
it’s the best Spider-Man movie since Spider-Man 2.
Abigail Chandler

| 077
reviews cinema
Fantastic
Beasts: The
Crimes Of
Grindelwald
Are the beasts fantastic
or mediocre?
Release Out now
Director David Yates
Cast Eddie Redmayne, Johnny Depp,
Katherine Waterson, Jude Law, Ezra Miller
Distributor Warner Bros
Certificate 12A
Fantastic Beasts And Where To
Find Them ended with Johnny Depp’s
Gellert Grindelwald being revealed
and arrested; no prizes for guessing
that The Crimes Of Grindelwald begins with
him escaping. With Grindelwald on the loose
and amassing followers to his regime of magic
superiority, a younger Dumbledore (Jude Law)
recruits Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to
track down Obscurial Credence Barebone (Ezra
Miller) before Grindelwald can recruit him.
Bags of marbles
stand in for the
Nifflers on set.
Sorry to
Bother You
Capitalism sucks!
Release Out now
Director Boots Riley
Cast Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson,
Jermaine Fowler
Distributor Universal
Certificate 15
American rapper Boots Riley’s
debut feature film is funny from the
outset as it satirises workplace matters,
capitalism and corporate corruption.
Set in an alternate reality in Oakland,
California a young African-American
telemarketer, Cassius Green, adopts a ‘white
voice’ to rise in the ranks at his office. As he
reaches the apex of his career he realises how
harmful his actions are to the wider society
and what an ugly place it can be when you reach
the top.
In this universe, everything is a little bit
off, with Riley’s world-building envisioning a
surreal and shockingly dark timeline. There’s
the ‘Worry Free’ facility, which houses low
078 |
The increased stakes in this film leaves script it’s no surprise that his characterisation
the original quartet of Newt, Tina (Katherine is perfectly in line with the older self. Zoë
Waterson), Jacob (Dan Fogler) and Queenie Kravitz, too, lends a weighty, sad presence to
(Alison Sudol) with little to do. The film is so proceedings whenever Leta Lestrange turns up.
stuffed with character and incident that hardly But, as with the first Fantastic Beasts movie,
anyone gets more than a few minutes on screen. there’s a sense of ‘so what?’. It has more to say
Redmayne is once again excellent, although the than its predecessor, but it’s nothing that the
series still hasn’t offered a compelling reason Harry Potter series hasn’t already said. The
as to why the socially awkward animal lover is freshest and most imaginative scenes focus
the right person to stop Grindelwald. Credence, on the magic beasts that Newt (rarely) comes
one of the highlights of the first film, is more of across, and there’s a sense that after his sixth
a MacGuffin than a character this time round, Wizarding World film, Yates might be running
and Fogler and Sudol have a quietly powerful out of ideas to make magic visually entrancing.
storyline that suffers from a lack of screentime. Abigail Chandler
The new cast have more room to make an
impact – Jude Law makes for an excellent
Dumbledore, and with JK Rowling behind the 
income workers in cramped
rooms and essentially forces
them into slave labour and the
most popular game show on
television is called ‘I Got the
Shit Kicked Out of Me!’ – which
is exactly what you think it is.
Neat cultural touchstones are
also inserted such as references
to The Last Dragon and a
beautiful nod to the late Lisa
‘Left Eye’ Lopes from TLC.
Riley crafts stylish chaos
such as telemarketers literally
crashing into living spaces as
they relentlessly intrude with
their hard sells. He heightens and exaggerates elegantly in her role as a political artist whose
the experience of living in a capitalist society by integrity is compromised when dealing with
shoving callous practices and hard truths in the the upper echelons of the art world. Steven
viewer’s face with absurd humour. He observes Yuen charms as a protestor and staunch union
precisely who holds the power when it comes supporter and Armie Hammer is superbly slimy
to the job market, and how difficult it can be to as a CEO.
preserve honour when all the odds are stacked The combination of committed performances
against you and a dazzling pay cheque is waved and inspired magical realism lends the film
in your face. a wild and frantic energy that explodes to
Stanfield leads a stellar cast who are all unexpected ends in the final throes.
captivating in their respective roles – whether Katherine McLaughlin
he’s down on his luck or truly terrified at the
dodgy dealings of rich people he absolutely nails
the comic timing. Tessa Thompson swaggers 
www.scifinow.co.uk

Bird Box
Eyes wide shut
Release In select cinemas from December 13,
on Netflix from 21 December
Director Susanne Bier
Cast Sandra Bullock, Sarah Paulson,
Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Jacki Weaver,
Danielle Macdonald
Distributor Netflix
Certificate 12
Format
A disaster film that takes itself
seriously sounds like a recipe for…
disaster. Yet Susanne Bier’s Bird Box
avoids the expected pitfalls of boredom
and ridicule by centring on its main character,
Malorie. The role sees Sandra Bullock do what
she does best: put up with the people around
her without a smile on her face. She’s often
played brutally honest characters who’d only
engage in small talk if the circumstances called
for it. When a presence outside pushes everyone
Await Further
Instructions
His master’s voice
Release 7 January
Director Johnny Kervorkian
Cast Sam Gittins, Neerja Naik, Grant Masters,
David Bradley
Distributor Trinity Films
Certificate 18
Format
Await Further Instructions
starts off like an English Guess Who’s
Coming To Dinner, as Nick (Sam
Gittins) returns for the first time in
years to his parents’ home with his Indian
girlfriend Annji (Neerja Naik), where his family
subjects her to differing degrees of racism.
They plan to slip away the following morning,
only to find all doors and windows to the house
blocked from the outside, and a strange series of
instructions emanating from the TV.
It is no coincidence that this family shares
their surname, Milgram, with the man behind
a notorious social psychological experiment
in immoral compliance. The TV’s increasingly
www.scifinow.co.uk
who sees it to commit suicide, Malorie has
no choice but to barricade herself in the first
house she sees – and live with people she would
otherwise never event speak to.
The film subtly brings out the existential
contradictions of the situation: the characters
are torn between the selfishness of survival and
the moral duty to maintain a humane society.
But Malorie is the most conflicted: although
she is brave and a loner, she is fair and kind.
She is also pregnant, a living embodiment
of care, if a reluctant one. Bullock excels at
portraying this conflicted woman and her
affecting performance helps make Malorie’s arc
as a mother more about opening up to love than
about conforming to a social role.
Bird Box jumps in time between the outset of
the catastrophe; five years later; and a little after
that, when Malorie and two children are going
down a tumultuous river while blindfolded.
This smart structure, teasing the audience with
the mystery of that dangerous trip, helps Bird
Box maintain a dynamic momentum. So do the
film’s gory moments: Bier’s realist approach to
the violent deaths Malorie witnesses makes the
film more gripping than most post-apocalyptic
fare and will creep under your skin.
Elena Lazic

This is the
second time
Bullock and Paulson
have shared the
screen this year.
unreasonable orders tap right into the
Milgrams’ pre-existing legacy of overbearing
patriarchy and toxic masculinity.
All at once tense family drama,
Cronenbergian horror, social satire and sci-fi
reimagining of the Nativity, this shows how
difficult it is to escape the domineering,
malevolent influence of the media, be it the
xenophobic press, poison-spewing televisions,
or even films just like this one. It is also a
dark vision of both domestic dysfunction and
national polarisation in small-minded, small-
screen Little Britain.
Anton Bitel

reviews home film
Kin
Midnight run
Release 26 December
Director Jonathan Baker, Josh Baker
Cast Myles Truitt, Jack Reynor,
Zoe Kravitz, James Franco
Distributor Lionsgate Home
Entertainment
Certificate 15
Format •
There’s an awful lot
of potential in the debut
feature from Jonathan and Josh
Baker, as young Eli (Myles Truitt)
finds a mysterious otherworldly weapon
shortly before going on the run with his
older brother Jimmy (Jack Reynor), and
it’s easy to see how it attracted such a
strong cast.
With the exception of the gun, there’s an
emphasis on the grim and gritty, from the
family’s hard scrabble life under stern but
loving dad (Dennis Quaid) to the low-rent
thugs that are on their tail, led by a scuzzily
excellent James Franco.
The big problem is that the script doesn’t
ever really match the quality of the concept.
Once Jimmy and Eli hit the road, we’re in
incredibly familiar territory, right down to the
dancer with a heart of gold who joins them
for no reason other than they seem like nice
lads (Zoe Kravitz who deserves much, much
better in this film).
When the striking finale comes around,
it’s pretty hard to shake the feeling that this
is more of a demo reel than a film. That it is
simply a showcase for what the directors can
do on a budget.
Kin does have its moments but ultimately
this is missed opportunity.
Jonathan Hatfull

| 079
reviews home film
Hotel
Artemis
Future noir
Release Out now
Director Drew Pearce
Cast Jodie Foster, Sterling K Brown,
Sofia Boutella, Jeff Goldblum,
Brian Tyree Henry
Distributor Warner Brothers
Certificate 15
Format • Donald Pleasence, Roddy Piper, Tom Atkins
Jodie Foster came out of
an acting hiatus to star in Drew
Pearce’s directorial debut feature
and she absolutely owns her role
as a world-weary nurse in an exclusive LA
hospital run for criminals. Her performance is
a wonderful blend of fragility and wisecracks.
She’s joined by a stellar ensemble cast
including Dave Bautista as her loyal orderly
and muscle and the pair make an endearing
double act.
Set in 2028 there are riots on the streets
of LA with a lack of resources a huge factor
and the poverty divide determining who is
viable for health care. Inside the hotel another
violent war is set to be waged between the
guests and the city’s mob ruler.
Charlie Day has a lot of fun in the wild
card role as a conniving tycoon, Sofia
Boutella gets to slay some fierce opponents in
energetic fight scenes and Sterling K Brown
is as charismatic as ever in his desperation
to save his injured brother played by Brian
Tyree Henry. The similarities to the superior
John Wick do not work in the film’s favour but
there’s real charm in the performances.
Katherine McLaughlin

080 |
John Carpenter
4K Restorations
Art of darkness
Release Out now
Director John Carpenter
Cast Kurt Russell, Adrienne Barbeau,
Distributor Studiocanal
Certificate Various
Format
While the chances of
John Carpenter stepping back
behind the camera to direct
another feature grow slim, the
influence he has over genre cinema grows more
pronounced. These four beautifully restored
classics are some of the master’s most ambitious
efforts and are essential purchases for any fan
(which is all of us, really, isn’t it?)
There are the classical ghost story chills
of The Fog, the badass dystopian thrills of
Escape From New York, the perennially
underappreciated Prince Of Darkness and the
quotable social commentary of They Live.
Each comes loaded with a commentary, a hefty
documentary and various interviews, vintage
featurettes and bits of arcana.
The Fog saw Carpenter and his Halloween
crew setting out to make something very
different from their slasher movie, and despite
the apparently disastrous first cut (discussed
in the doc), the reshoots helped it to emerge
as one of the decade’s most effective chillers.
Meanwhile the eccentric genre-smashing of
Escape From New York has made sure that the
only thing about it that’s dated is the decision to
set it in 1997. In fact, it’s as cool as ever.
Prince Of Darkness has only just started
to enjoy the reputation it deserves and each
successive viewing only heightens that perfectly
judged slow creeping dread as the band of PhD
students and Donald Pleasence’s priest realise
what they’ve found in the abandoned church.
That doom-laden spirit would translate into
They Live, which is superficially crowd-pleasing
but angrier than anything he made previously.
The major selling point for these new editions
are the restorations and they’re fantastic. The
new docs are comprehensive but completists
should note that there’s not much input from the
cast (They Live has interviews with Meg Foster
and Keith David) and Carpenter’s interviews are
archive stuff. Still, you need these.
Jonathan Hatfull

Unfriended:
Dark Web
Killer bytes
Release Out now
Director Stephen Susco
Cast Colin Woodell, Stephanie
Nogueras, Betty Gabriel
Distributor Universal Pictures
Certificate 15
Format •
In a change of direction from
the teen supernatural horror of
the original, this sequel grounds
itself in the real world with a group
of 20-somethings gathering behind their
computer screens to play an online game of
Cards Against Humanity. It toys with timely
political issues and is inspired by online black
market the Silk Road.
Tapping into anxieties about the
manipulation of facts and images in the
digital age, this cyber-horror is interested
in observing the impact our online lives, and
the sharing of information, has on our day-
to-day lives.
It suggests that no one is safe from
being the target of malicious propaganda,
humiliation and threatening behaviour and
that one wrong move or one digression online
can have ruinous effects.
Director Stephen Susco amps up a tense
atmosphere in this creepy morality tale and
as the horror continues it goes to some pretty
bleak places regarding snuff films. As the
torture and violence plays out the focus on
its themes is somewhat lost but the kills are a
veritable roulette wheel of terror.
Katherine McLaughlin

www.scifinow.co.uk
 reviews home film // TV

My
Neighbour
Totoro – 30th
Anniversary
Edition
All aboard the catbus
Release Out now
Director Hayao Miyazaki
Cast Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto,
Shigesato Itoi, Sumi Shimamoto
Distributor Studiocanal
Certificate U
Trying to pick your
favourite Studio Ghibli
film is like trying to
pick your favourite
child, but if we were really backed
against a wall and forced to choose, the
chances are good that we’d go with My
Neighbour Totoro. Miyazaki’s beautifully
sweet, gentle and heartfelt tale of
two children who find and befriend a
giant fluffy woodland spirit while their
mother is ill in the hospital is endlessly
rewatchable. With its deceptive
simplicity and graceful fantasy, it just
never loses a drop of magic. The music,
the design, the sequence at the bus
stop… it’s one of the filmmaker’s best,
When A
Stranger
Calls/When A
Stranger Calls
Back
Have you checked
the children?
Durning) attempts to track him down, doesn’t
Release 17 December have the same raw terror as the opening and
Director Fred Walton finale, this is still a brilliantly made chiller that
Cast Carol Kane, Charles Durning, taps into a very primal fear. You’ll find yourself
Rutanya Alda on the edge of your seat ever time the phone
Distributor Second Sight rings and a trembling Kane goes to answer
Certificate 12 it, and it’s great to see it given such a lovely
restoration by Second Sight.
Along with Bob Clark’s Black In addition to interviews (including chats
Christmas, When A Stranger Calls is with Walton and Kane), they’ve also thrown in
responsible for making a generation of the hugely underrated sequel When A Stranger
teenagers afraid to answer the phone. Calls Back and the original short film. Turn
Carol Kane stars in the spin on the urban out the lights and treat yourself to a great scare
legend as a babysitter who receives a series of courtesy of a true genre classic.
threatening phone calls asking if she’s checked Jonathan Hatfull
the children and… well, we all know what
happens next. While the mid-section of the film,
which follows the villain and a cop’s (Charles 
Noelle Stevenson
has four seasons
of She-Ra plotted out.

She-Ra And
and that is no small feat.
While the disc in Studiocanal’s new

The Princesses
set remains the same, there’s a wealth of
new extras with a 176 page hardback

book The Art Of My Neighbour Totoro,
plus artcards, a tote bag, a notebook…
all in one giant box. Perhaps a little
extravagant to gift to yourself, but if
you know a Ghibli fan who hasn’t yet
upgraded their DVD, this could be the
best way to treat them.
Jonathan Hatfull

www.scifinow.co.uk
of Power
P is for progressive,
not just princess
Release Out now
Creator Noelle Stevenson
Cast Aimee Carrero, Karen Fukuhara,
AJ Michalka, Marcus Scribner
Distributor Netflix
Certificate PG
Format VOD
Adapted by comic artist Noelle
Stevenson, She-Ra And The Princesses
Of Power follows the Eighties show
on which it’s based closely, only in
the sense that it’s about a young woman who
was raised by a tyrant, and leads a rebellion
against his Evil Horde after she discovers she
can transform into a superheroine when in
possession of a mystical sword. This time, she
doesn’t have a brother in He-Man – this girl’s
saving the world on her own.
Well, not all on her own. Perhaps the greatest
thing about She-Ra is how much it champions
friendship. Even snarky antagonist Catra has a
history with the titular character that examines
what can happen when companions head down
very different paths.
Its bright rainbowtastic visuals fit in with
its sweet message of acceptance and standing
up for what you believe in, while its excitable
Pokemon-style pacing moves the plot along
effectively. However, it’s fair to say that the
show needed a little more tension throughout in
order to appeal to older audiences.
Amy West

| 081
reviews TV
American
Horror Story:
Apocalypse
Witch, please
Release Out now
Showrunner Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk
Cast Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Billie Lourd,
Kathy Bates, Adina Porter, Cody Fern,
Jessica Lange
Distributor FX
Certificate 18
Format VOD
American Horror Story’s
latest season centres on the idea of
foreseeing death and destruction and
putting a plan in place to prevent it.
Combining elements from ‘Murder House’ and
‘Coven’ for ‘Apocalypse’, it revolves around
Antichrist Michael Langdon, whose desire to
bring about the end of days can only be stopped
by witch Cordelia Foxx and her magic mates.
Kicking off with the titular event, it later
jumps back in time to explore what lengths
the spellbinding sisters took to thwart it.
It’s basically Final Destination, only more
A Discovery Of
Witches
Vampires and witches and
demons, oh my!
Release 3 December
Showrunner Lachlan MacKinnon,
Kate Brooke
Cast Matthew Goode, Teresa Palmer,
Owen Teale, Trevor Eve, Alex Kingston,
Lindsay Duncan, Louise Brealey
Distributor Sky
Certificate 15
Format • over ancient rules that dictate she stick to her own
Based on the books by Deborah
Harkness, this bewitching tale follows
Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer), a
witch and historian who finds herself
embroiled in a conflict between factions of witches,
vampires and demons after she discovers a book
believed to hold the secret to eternal life. Despite
trying to ignore her witch heritage, the discovery
of this ancient Ashmole text means that getting her,
and that book, becomes everyone’s top priority.
Diana knows nothing of the fragile truce that’s
existed for centuries between witches, vampires
and demons and is not afraid to follow her instincts
082 |
ridiculous as it unravels clumsily towards a are some of the best the show has seen since
meaningless conclusion. ‘Hotel’ (those witches sure know how to serve
Newbies Mallory (Billie Lourd) and Coco some looks), it’s clear that AHS is running out of
(Leslie Grossman), who both discover that creative steam, having used up all of its twisted
they’re more than timid personal assistant and imagination. If only Falchuk and Murphy could
bossy billionaire, make for great new additions have envisioned how messy their show would
but it’s the old favourites that save the show wind up being, perhaps they could have done
from being a complete mess. It is brilliant to something to save it. The only thing we can
see Sarah Paulson’s Cordelia – now confident as hope for now is that its end is nigh.
Supreme – take charge, Emma Roberts’ Madison Amy West
Montgomery bring bitchy back and Frances
Conroy’s Myrtle Snow rock that orange crimped
hair once again. It’s just a shame that the show 
regards them as figures to pose and deliver one-
liners rather than three-dimensional characters.
American Horror Story’s need to indulge fans
has never been so evident, from Jessica Lange’s
Constance Langdon declaring to a snooping
Madison that ‘this is [my] f***ing house’ to
having Stevie Nicks show up and perform
for seemingly no real reason. AHS isn’t an
exploration of dark and interesting things such
as ghosts, trauma or social downfalls anymore;
it’s merely here to offer up a series of ‘YAAAS
QUEEN’ moments for audiences to Tweet about.
While the visuals and costumes this season
As if playing three separate
characters throughout the season
wasn’t enough work for Sarah Paulson,
she also directed episode six, ‘Return to
Murder House’.
A Discovery Of Witches explores many different
kind. She only trusts her new ally, vampire Matthew themes, from loyalty to your own kind and
(Matthew Goode), and their search for the truth relationships between different groups to changing
behind the book, and plenty more besides, soon the status quo. The locations are utterly gorgeous,
blossoms into something more romantic. too, and only add to the deliciousness of the series,
Full of passion, politics and power-grabs, from the timeless beauty of Oxford to the lavish
this story is far more layered than your average properties of Venice and France.
star-crossed lovers tale. Diana and Matthew are On top of this, there is fun with spells and
both interesting and well-realised characters and witchcraft, vampire science and some killer sexual
you believe the love between them immediately, tension and chemistry. We’d say it’s the perfect
which makes everything that follows far easier to guilty pleasure but there’s no guilt here.
swallow. Diana is no wallflower in need of rescuing Amanda Keats
and Matthew is no hero. Together, they make up a
fascinating partnership and in that lies the greatest
strength of this enchanting series. 
www.scifinow.co.uk
 084 Book reviews
090 The Amazing
Adventures Of Kavalier And
Clay and Starship Troopers
Kameron Hurley Folio Society gallery
The award-winning
author on her epic,
mind-bending new SF
 BOOK CLUB
Skyward

Skyward
Forge your own
flight path
Release Out now
Writer Brandon Sanderson
Publisher Gollancz
Price £18.99

Throughout Skyward, the latest novel

from the versatile and prolific author Brandon
Sanderson and the start of his latest series,
everyone is very concerned about the idea of the
correct way to behave and the right way to be.
Young Spensa has always known that she
wanted to be a pilot, to fly with honour and bravery
and to strike terror into the hearts of the alien Krell
before blowing their ships to pieces. She will not
waver in her mission, she will not back down and
she will not let anyone stand in her way.
But there’s a problem. Spensa’s father was a pilot
but he was also a coward, shot down while running
away from the enemy during one of the biggest
battles the planet of Detritus had ever seen. Her
family has lived with the shame of his actions ever
since and everyone believes that she’ll do exactly
the same thing when the chips are down. As a
result, Spensa has been forged into a single-minded
force of nature with a bloodthirsty prophecy for
every situation, two things that will serve her well
in training. However, the further she gets, the more
she begins to realise that everyone is fi ghting their
own personal battles. What’s more, she may not
have been told the whole truth about her father.
Sanderson uses familiar story elements, such as
the school where the loner hero isn’t wanted, the
dead parent with a secret and the gruff but kindly
mentor, but there’s more than enough vivid detail
and world-building to make Skyborn feel fresh.
Thanks to Spensa’s relatively blinkered fi rst person
narration, the bigger picture comes into focus at a
carefully measured pace and the same is true for mushroom-fi xated spaceship who provides a good than just tell a story about a character stepping
her fl ight mates, who become more interesting and chunk of the book’s comic relief. out from the shadow of their parents’ actions,
well-rounded the more time we spend with them. While there are plenty of exciting action Sanderson presents a character who begins to
It’s also superbly judged in terms of tone. While sequences and characters scrambling for their learn that humanity is more important than glory,
no one’s going to be surprised by a YA novel with crafts, Sanderson keeps the mysteries of who questioning her most rigidly held beliefs, and
a body count and complex moral dilemmas, the the enemy are exactly, how the human race learning to let go of what other people think of
deaths do pack a punch. However, Sanderson arrived on this planet and why they haven’t been her and forging a path that is truly her own. We’re
never lingers too long on the darkness. There’s a completely wiped out yet hidden for much of excited to see this series develop.
genuinely affecting budding friendship between the story. Instead, he allows these questions to Jonathan Hatfull
Spensa and her classmates, the sheer thrill of fl ight bubble up slowly, sowing seeds of anxiety and
as she embarks on dangerous missions, and there’s distrust amongst the characters, which brings us
even a morally superior but slightly unhinged back to one of Skyward’s biggest strengths: rather 
YOUR 5... FAVOURITE GENRE NOVELS OF 2018
1. Blood Cruise 2. The 3. The 7 1/2 4. The Ember 5. Revenant Gun
“Splattery vampiric Water Cure Deaths Of Evelyn Blade “Yoon Ha Lee’s
madness on a cruise “The Water Cure Hardcastle “The Ember Blade, trilogy-ending
ship, with a (fictional) by Sophie “Described to me The Quantum Thief Revenant Gun is one
Eurovision singer as Mackintosh. A as ‘Poirot meets and The Traitor I just don’t want to
a main character, how could dark fantasy packed full of Groundhog Day’. An excellent God....but the competition has finish and JY Yang’s output
I not love it? #BookClub” @ dread and truth.” page-turner! #BookClub” @ been ferocious. #BookClub” has been A GREAT TIME.
SarahDobbs @Ms_K_McLaughlin sometimesmovies @gavingsmith #BookClub” @EwaSR

084 | Tell us what you’re reading on Twitter or Facebook WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK


Foe
Better the devil
you know
Release 24 January
Writer Iain Reid
Publisher Simon and Schuster
Price £12.99
Nothing much has ever really
happened in Junior’s life. He works
at the local mill, he takes care of
his chickens, and he doesn’t really
understand his wife. He’s content
enough with his lot.
But then one day, an unfamiliar
car with bright green headlights
draws up outside his remote
farmhouse and delivers some
startling news: Junior has been
selected in a super-secret high-tech
lottery and will be one of the fi rst
people to go and live on a special
facility in space!
Unsurprisingly, he’s not
particularly excited about the
prospect of living in space, but
the good news is he won’t need
A Brilliant
Void
Revisiting
yesterday’s
tomorrows
Release Out now
Writer Various
Publisher Tramp Press
Price £12
Think ‘classic science fiction’
author and there’s a chance you
may not immediately think of those
hailing from Ireland.
You probably haven’t heard of
any of the 15 writers included in
this collection, either: William
Maginn, Fitz-James O’Brien,
Frances Power Cobbe, George
William Russell, Amelia Garland
Mears, Margaret Wolfe Hungerford,
Jane Barlow, LT Meade, Robert
Eustace, Clotilde Graves, Charlotte
McManus, Dorothy Macardle, Art
Ó Riain, Tarlach Ó Huid, and Cathal
Ó Sándair.
WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
BOOK CLUB
Foe // A Brilliant Void
YOUR READS
Reid’s spare prose. Everything
unfolds from Junior’s perspective, What have you been
and he’s not a man of many words. reading this month?
Details of the near future world
“Older book, but
he and his wife Henrietta inhabit
are few and far between, drip-
I’m working my way
through The Dirty
fed into the narrative only when Streets Of Heaven
absolutely necessary, and usually by Tad Williams.
in ways that raise more questions Bobby Dollar kinda
reminds me of Harry
than they answer.
Dresden. With less
Reid painstakingly weaves an fire. #BookClub”
atmosphere of unease throughout @coffee_heathen
the book, so the reader becomes
as desperate for real answers as “I’m over half way
Junior does, until his role in this through the new
@michaelcarey191
mysterious grand experiment is
book, Someone
horrifyingly revealed. Like Me. It’s a page
At just 260 pages, Foe is a turner! #BookClub”
quick read, but the last few pages @MrsHirez
to go for a couple of years. In the demand a bit of extra attention.
“Reading The Light
meantime, however, the company Everything unfolds in the gaps
Between Worlds.
responsible for the space facility between the words at the end, It’s such a brilliant
is going to work with him to so skim read at your peril – the and simple idea, I
record his personality – because actual ending is somehow both wish I’d thought of it.
while he’s away, his wife will happy and really, really scary, #BookClub”
be kept company by an artificial depending on who your @gray_books
lifeform that has been meticulously sympathies ultimately lie with. “In to the final 100
designed to be similar to him in Sarah Lines pages of Halcyon
every way possible. by @Rio_Youers.
It’s a deeply creepy premise, Simultaneously
made all the more eerie by Iain  wanting to find
out how it plays
out and dreading
getting to the end.
But that’s precisely the point of Shaping up to be
Jack Fennell’s book. This anthology one of my favourite
is intended to shine a light on some reads of the year.
#BookClub”
forgotten works, and to demonstrate
@Rozza1210
that when it comes to imagining
the future, Irish storytellers could “I’m reading Sea Of
conjure up new worlds with the best Rust by
of them. @Massawyrm. Half
The oldest story in the book dates way through and
way back to 1837 while the newest
thoroughly enjoying
its take on AI.
is from 1960, so even in this #BookClub”
relatively slim collection there’s a @CamJohnston
huge range of cultural influences
and backgrounds. “Just finished The
End Of Magic by
It’s science fiction in its purest
@markstay which
form, drawing on contemporary was excellent, and
scientific knowledge to extrapolate have now returned
into the future – whether that’s to Seveneves by
imagining the effects of radiation on (and funny,) stories in the book are Neal Stephenson,
which I’m
human beings, befriending invisible by women.
thoroughly enjoying.
creatures through increasingly It may have been a mistake to #BookClub”
powerful scientific instruments, or include abridged novels as short @gavingsmith
even finding ways to peek into stories, however, because those tend
alternate dimensions. to feel a bit unfinished. “Dreams Of The
In his introduction, Fennell Still, there’s a rich variety of ideas Boardwalk by
Matthew Keville.
explains that he had made a on show here – fans of HG Wells
Really enjoying it.
conscious decision to include female and Mary Shelley will get a real kick Has a hint of Charles
writers in this collection, even if their out of this anthology. de Lint about it.
work had actually previously been Sarah Lines #BookClub”
classified as fairy tales rather than @andyangel44
sci-fi. And that pays off brilliantly, Tell us what you’re reading
because some of the more interesting  on Twitter or Facebook
Tell us what you’re reading on Twitter or Facebook | 085
 BOOK CLUB
Big Damn Hero // Providence

Providence
Love will tear us apart
Release Out now
Writer Caroline Kepnes
Publisher Simon and Schuster
Price £8.99
Caroline Kepnes’ latest sees star-
crossed lovers unable to be together
because if shy, nerdy Jon gets too
close to popular, sensitive Anne,
he’ll kill her. Something happened
to Jon, or rather something was
done to him. As a child, he was
abducted and wasn’t found for
four years. When he returns, he’s
transformed from a fragile child
to a strapping young man, but his
kidnapper has prompted a sinister
transformation which dooms him
to unwillingly stop the heart of
those who get close to him.
As Providence hops between the
two leads’ perspectives and that
of investigator Eggs, it’s clear that
Kepnes is less interested in Jon’s
curse (or ability?) than the ways
in which people struggle to let
go. She rides a fi ne line between
sentimentality and clear-eyed
analysis with each of three leads
suffering from obsession and heart-
ache at a personal cost.
As such, the characters can be
unlikeable and more human. Jon’s
disappearing act has consequences
and his stalking is sinister but
there’s never doubting the tragedy
of his circumstances. Chloe’s
inability to shake her obsession
hurts those around her, but there’s
no malice to it, just hope. The most
effective part of the novel, though,
may be Eggs, who is torn between
the thrill of the chase and the terror
that he’s losing his wife.
Heartfelt but incisive and
with some genuinely unnerving
moments, this is excellent stuff.
Jonathan Hatfull


Big Damn
adventures in the opening pages,
while newcomers are likely to be put

Hero
Taking back the sky
Release Out now
Writer James Lovegrove
Publisher Titan Books
Price £16.99
When Captain Malcolm
Reynolds of the Firefly-class
spaceship Serenity disappears on a
seemingly routine job, his crew are
tasked with tracking him down, whilst
also transporting some hazardous
cargo and avoiding the authorities
on their tail. Mal, meanwhile, is
forced to confront the sins of his past.
Though a return to the Firefly
universe is very welcome, this
novel suffers from an apparent
misunderstanding of its target
audience. Even the most hardcore
fans will find themselves worn down
by the Wiki-esque references to past
086 |
off by the weight of weirdly specific
details. Once the story kicks into
gear, it’s more fun, as we get an
alternative perspective on the war
which provided the backbone to
the series’ narrative. It’s satisfying
to see a nuanced approach which
stretches beyond the often too simple
delineations in the show.
This is a solid effort, but a more
innovative approach would be
appreciated. The ‘western in space’
concept is deliciously vague and
rich, but here it’s encumbered
by reverence to the show. It’s
clear Firefly fans want to see a
continuation of the series, but the
show was concluded rather stylishly
in the film Serenity. It feels like too
long has passed to go backwards,
when there are new stories to be told
beyond the film.
Martin Parsons

Tell us what you’re reading on Twitter or Facebook WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
 BOOK CLUB
The Girl King // The Winter Of The Witch

The
from well-known tropes. However,
Yu creates a rich East Asian-

Girl King
Sisters of majesty
Release 10 January
Writer Mimi Yu
Publisher Gollancz
Price £10.99
Two sisters find themselves on
opposite sides when their father,
the Emperor dies. Lu is expected
to inherit the throne, but before
his passing, her father declares her
cousin Set as his heir, with Lu as
his betrothed. She goes on the run,
leaving young sister Min behind,
who discovers she has a power that
is possibly the key to Set’s plans. Lu
fi nds an ally in Nokhai and they set
off for the city of Yunis, which is
also the focus of Set and Min.
Fantasy literature is rife with
usurped heirs and in Mimi Yu’s
debut, she doesn’t stray too far
inspired environment where her
characters can roam. The magic
system is clearly related, as is
the history of this world and the
inherent problems in its hierarchy.
In amongst the swift plotting
Yu fi nds time to confront the
consequences of the imperialism
that Lu and Min have benefitted
from. For Lu, she is faced with the
real cost of her inheritance and
the warmongering emperors who
came before her. Likewise, Min’s
path is a relatable journey of a
downtrodden girl discovering that
she’s not as easily manipulated as
people think. Set is perhaps the
only character who feels thinly
sketched as the entitled villain.
The Girl King is an accomplished
debut with a richly detailed world
and a political intrigue.
Becky Lea


The Winter
Using Russian folklore as the basis
of her tale, Arden has expanded the

Of The
world from Vasya’s home village to
the wider geopolitical landscape of a

Witch
A fantastic finale
Release 10 January
Writer Katherine Arden
Publisher Del Rey
Price £12.99
Katherine Arden returns
to the world of medieval Moscow
with the final instalment of her
Winternight trilogy where Vasya is
in the middle of two worlds. On one
side, the fast-spreading modernity
of Rus as Christianity takes hold. On
the other (the world of the free folk),
the demons and spirits that guard
a people who no longer believe in
them. She also has to navigate the
tricky relationship of the Bear and
the Nightingale, one brother she
loathes, the other she loves.
WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK Tell us what you’re reading on Twitter or Facebook
Moscow under the threat of invasion.
The Winter Of The Witch takes this
even further, bringing in the worlds
of the demons too. Arden weaves
these worlds together with the
themes of change, faith, and loyalty.
The characters all have their own
motivations too. Sasha, Vasya’s
brother, is caught up in all of
them and has a satisfying arc, as
does Vasya who’s a great central
character: strong and vulnerable,
wise and naive, all at once.
The closing third of Vasya’s tale is
perfect reading for this time of year.
It is at once intimate and expansive,
with thrills, romance, and emotional
moments. If you haven’t started the
trilogy yet, do yourself a favour and
tuck yourself up with all three books.
Becky Lea

| 087
 BOOK CLUB
Interview
FIGHT FOR THE STARS
We talk to Kameron Hurley about her dazzling new military SF The Light Brigade
There are certain preconceptions
that come with military SF. We tend to think
of ultraviolent, gung-ho space marine-types
blasting away at anonymous aliens and
mindlessly throwing away their lives. Of course,
given that The Light Brigade comes from
Kameron Hurley, author of The Stars Are Legion
and The Geek Feminist Revolution, we know that
we’re in for something different.
Springing from a short story, the novel follows
a recruit named Dietz as she joins the corporate
corps and heads off to fight, but an accident that
occurs during a jump will leave her questioning
not only her sanity but the nature of this conflict.
What was the starting point for the
original The Light Brigade short story?
I tend to start my pieces with only broad strokes
of knowledge about what’s coming. This story
started with a very small idea – what if we could
break people up into balls of light to get them
from one war front to another? Not invisible
beaming technology, but literally balls of light?
My academic background is in war and
resistance movements, and I’m a fan of novels
like Armor, The Stars My Destination, and
The Forever War. I had a cohort of high
school friends who joined the military right
after high school, and watching their journey
from excitement and propaganda to active
deployment after 9/11 and eventual disillusion
was sobering. There was a powerful quote from
a former soldier that I read over the course
of my research, about how he had signed up
thinking he was going to be a Jedi hero working
for the resistance, and then realised he was
actually a stormtrooper for the Empire. I wanted
to follow a fresh group of recruits as they
experienced that journey.
How did you approach constructing
the timeline of time slips?
088 |
WORDS jonathan hatfull
I wrote the first 40 thousand words or so using a
broad outline that included major events in each
section, and some military details and situations
that I’d come across in my research. But once I
hit that 40-thousand-word wall and stuff started
happening out of order, I got completely stuck. I
was frustrated and pissed at myself. I wanted to
figure it out on my own, but it kept breaking my
brain, and my deadline came and went.
I finally told my agent and editor that I had
no idea what to do. My agent got on the phone
with me and we worked out where the biggest
time problems were. She then broke down the
structure according to my rough outline, and her
husband – who has a Ph.D. in math – created
this complicated graph thing to run all the time
jumps through to make sure that they worked
based on the logic we’d set up for the time
travel. Then she worked those notes into the
outline, sent it back to me, and I revised that
and chunked all of the sections into an Excel
spreadsheet in chronological order first, then in
the order that Dietz actually experiences them.
I broke these out into the ‘base’ sections when
Dietz drops back out of combat, and ‘combat’
sections when the platoon is deployed.
What blew my mind is that all of this intensive
work up front… paid off. When I read the
novel all the way through for the first time, it felt
effortless. That’s how you know someone’s done
their homework, when they just make it look…
easy. Even when it’s you!
Is it difficult writing a protagonist
who spends so much of the book
not understanding what’s actually
happening to them?
Strangely, no. But I think this is because I had
a lot of practice with this while writing The
Stars Are Legion, which has an amnesiac main
character. Having a character experience events
out of order – while structurally harder – was
easier having already written a book where I
needed to carefully reveal information to the
reader and the protagonist at roughly the same
time. I also took a lot of inspiration in structurally
revealing information and connections from NK
Jemisin’s book, The Fifth Season, which was a
master class in how to do this; letting the reader
realise connections about halfway through
without explicitly telling them.
How did you find telling this kind
of human story in a genre that a
lot of people associate with fiction
that’s often seen as not particularly
interested in the more sensitive
aspects of human nature?
There are many military science fiction novels
that address the humanity – or erosion of
humanity – that war inflicts on us. They are
usually written by veterans who saw combat.
People who have seen and experienced the
worst of war write about it much differently.
Books like Armor and The Forever War do a
better job of showing the disillusioned face of
war, and how it transforms those it runs through
the grinder.
As said, I’ve seen some of this first-hand
with friends and family, and my academic
background is in war and resistance. If you
spend a lot of time reading primary source
material from people who have been to war,
you get a good view of the horror of it all
outside the propaganda. The fact that this
responsibility is often dumped on poor young
people with few choices makes it even worse. It
was important to me that we see how the system
is meant to break young people down and
remake them, yes – but also to show how they
can take their lives back and remake themselves.
Similarly, was it important to have an
element of hope to counterbalance
some of the grim aspects of the story
and political commentary?
Absolutely. Ursula K Le Guin’s National Book
Award speech, where she noted that anything
made by human hands can be unmade by
them, really stuck with me. It’s a vital reminder
in this day and age, when the inertia of shit
in the world feels insurmountable. We have to
understand that nothing is truly inevitable. You
can take control of the construct.
Which authors are you most excited
about at the moment?
We’re living in a golden age of science fiction,
which is both wonderful and overwhelming – my
pile of books to read never, ever, gets shorter.
We have masters of the craft like NK Jemisin
coming into their own, folks like Martha Wells
finally getting the respect they deserve, and
newer writers like Cassandra Khaw, Rebecca
Roanhorse, and Ada Palmer doing some really
exciting work.
Tor.com has given a lot of newer writers who
write weird stuff a nice platform, too. Folks like
Spencer Ellsworth and Sarah Gailey have been
able to write work for them and that would have
been nigh-on impossible to sell at that length to
other publishers. Lucky for us the venue exists to
launch a lot of these careers.
The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley is
available from Angry Robot on 4 April.
www.scifinow.co.uk
 090 |
Gallery
BOOK CLUB

Illustration ©2018 Chris Samnee from The Folio Society

www.scifinow.co.uk
edition of The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay

SHOW ME A HERO
With The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay and Starship
Troopers, The Folio Society takes on two wildly different ideas of ideals
IN MICHAEL CHABON’S The Amazing
Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay, arguably
the author’s greatest work to date, a young
refugee from Prague and his New Yorker
cousin create The Escapist, a comic book
superhero who faces up against the fascists
and stands up for what’s right, rescuing the
people who need his help the most.
In Robert A Heinlein’s Starship Troopers,
possibly the author’s best known and
most controversial work, a young man
named Johnny Rico signs up to fight for
the homeland against the swarming bugs,
becoming a better man for putting aside his
The Folio Society edition of The
Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier
And Clay by Michael Chabon,
illustrated by Chris Samnee and
introduced by Michael Moorcock,
is available exclusively from
www.foliosociety.com
WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
WORDS JONATHAN HATFULL
sense of self and embracing his status as a
heavily-armed Roughneck.
One is a sensitive, heartfelt story of two
men growing up and learning to accept
themselves that doubles as a loving tribute
to the founders of the great comic book
characters, the other is an action-packed
and undeniably influential military SF that’s
routinely discussed as a work of fascist
fiction with thinly veiled concerns about the
rise of communism and America’s perceived
moral decline.
These two novels could hardly seem
further apart, but they’re both key texts
GALLERY
Show Me A Hero
and they have both been selected by The
Folio Society for beautiful new editions.
The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And
Clay features an introduction by Michael
Moorcock and stunning illustrations by
Eisner-winning artist Chris Samnee, and
Starship Troopers is illustrated by Hugo-
winner Stephen Hickman and is introduced
by The Forever War author Joe Haldeman.
It seems like an apt time to revisit these
two classic novels which follow characters
responding to horrors in such different ways,
and, as you can see, these new editions
certainly do the stories justice.
Illustration ©2018 Chris Samnee from The Folio Society edition of The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay
| 091
 Illustration ©2018 Stephen Hickman from The Folio Society edition of Starship Troopers

092 |
Gallery

FolioSociety.com
exclusively from www.
The Folio Society edition of

Joe Haldeman, is available

Hickman and introduced by
Starship Troopers by Robert A.
Heinlein, illustrated by Stephen
BOOK CLUB

WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
Illustration ©2018 Stephen Hickman from The Folio Society edition of Starship Troopers Illustration ©2018 Stephen Hickman from The Folio Society edition of Starship Troopers
 Rod Serling | Veronica Cartwright | Eerie, Indiana
MAR 1976 THE PREMIER SCI-FI, FANTASY,
£1.50 HORROR & CULT TV MAGAZINE

100% PURE
SCI-FI
ENTERTAINMENT

e
dl
ee
N

TH OW
t
at
/M
se
os

LY
rP

ON IN
ste
Po

M SCIF
©

A
 COMPLETE GUIDE
ROD SERLING
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO
ROD SERLING THERE’S MORE TO ROD SERLING THAN THE TWILIGHT ZONE.
WE CELEBRATE THE WORK AND LIFE OF THE LEGENDARY
WRITER AND PRODUCER
The year is 1944 and 19-year-old
paratrooper Rod Serling, under
the command of General Douglas
MacArthur, has landed at Bito Beach as
part of the Battle of Leyte, an offensive
intended to take back the Philippines
from the Imperial Japanese Army.
Conditions are punishing, with temperatures
reaching 100 degrees in the day, and torrential
rain turning the ground into, as one newspaper
painted it, “a gumbo of mud”. Soon after, New
York-born Rod Serling has his first brush with
death when a Japanese soldier emerges from
the jungle and points a gun in his face. Quick
His time at war fed
into the work.
094 |
WORDS STEVE O’BRIEN
as a flash, Serling’s fellow grunt, travelling
behind him, shoots the soldier from over
Serling’s shoulder, killing him instantly. “I have
never been so goddamned scared in all my
life,” he would say, years later.
Serling survived that, but shortly after was
wounded when an exploding mortar shell
blasted shrapnel into his wrist and knee. He
was awarded the Purple Heart for his wounds,
and the Bronze Star for his bravery in Leyte. He
never fully recovered from his injuries that day.
For the rest of his life he would wear a knee
brace – a constant, 24/7 reminder to him of
that devastating, memory-scarring war.
It’s rare to find writers today who lived
the kind of life the word-slingers of Rod
Serling’s generation experienced. Serling saw
death up close every day in the Philippines,
including when one of his own squadron was
decapitated when a food crate, dropped from
a plane above, fell on him. The theme of the
unpredictability of death would be a common
motif of Serling’s writing, along with prejudice,
greed, militarism, conformity and xenophobia.
There’s a burning morality behind Rod Serling’s
work bourne of his experiences in combat. “I
was bitter about everything and at loose ends
when I got out of the service,” he said later. “I
think I turned to writing to get it off my chest.”
“Beyond his desire to share some sense of
the trauma that a combat soldier experiences,
the war left him with an intense distaste for
violence in all forms,” Nicholas Parisi, author of
Rod Serling: His Life, Work And Imagination,
tells SciFiNow
SciFiNow. “In his work, there is often an
implication that violence not only destroys those
on the receiving end of it, but that it is spiritually
destructive to those who perpetrate it. The war
also intensified his feeling of nostalgia, his
desire to return to a more innocent time.”
There are few writers in the history of
American television as revered as Rod Serling.
In those fledgling days of TV, it wasn’t easy
to be an auteur of the small screen. Sponsors
and advertisers had a stiff grip over the
programmes on TV, and most writers with
something to say found the fights too guelling to
ever win. Yet Serling never seemed to lose the
stamina in kicking against the pricks. Maybe it
was his background as a boxer. He’d started
WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
 ROD SERLING
COMPLETE GUIDE

“THE WAR LEFT HIM

WITH AN INTENSE
DISTASTE FOR
VIOLENCE”
NICHOLAS PARISI
COMPLETE GUIDE
ROD SERLING

© Anne Serling
fighting in the army, rising to the second round
of the division finals before being knocked out.
Mad Men’s showrunner Matthew Weiner is a
Serling fan and believes that he was drawn to
the sport because of its association with many
great names of American literature (Ernest
Hemingway and Jack London, to name just
two). “There was a mythology that went along
with being a writer, and I think Serling was
acutely aware of it,” Weiner told the website
Grantland in 2014. “He’s from a small town.
He grew up as somewhat of an outsider,
despite being an insider, which is part of being
a white minority. And he might have been
drawn to boxing because of the writer mystique
that went along with it.”
Boxing figures heavily in Serling’s work.
It surfaces as a theme in a few Twilight
Zone episodes – a con man with the ability
to change his face into anything he wants
transforms into a boxer in ‘The Four Of Us Are
Dying’, while ‘The Big, Tall Wish’ tells the story
of an over-the-hill pugilist who has ‘left too
many pieces of his youth in too many stadiums
for too many years before too many screaming
people’. Indeed, it was his boxing-themed
TV play, ‘Requiem For A Heavyweight’, that
Serling considered his best work. The story
of a heavyweight champion (played by Jack
Palance) who is exploited by his avaricious
manager, it won Serling praise from the press
as well as a prestigious Peabody Award (the
first time it had ever been given to a television
writer) and Emmys for Serling and director
Ralph Nelson. ‘‘Requiem For A Heavyweight’,’
wrote The New York Times the morning after
it was shown, ‘was a play of overwhelming
force and tenderness. It was an artistic triumph
that featured a performance of indescribable
WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
ANNE SERLING
Rod Serling’s daughter Anne published her own book, As I Knew
Him, in 2013. We spoke to her about her memories of a remarkable
man and father...
You published your biography of your
father in 2013. What made you decide to
write it after all this time?
“I actually started another book years ago after
he died. I couldn’t finish it as I still hadn’t even
begun to navigate that minefield of grief. There
were three reasons I finally wrote the memoir:
1. Because, like my dad, I find writing cathartic
and still grieving all these years later, I needed to
write it out; 2. I wanted to learn more about my
dad’s professional life, and 3. To dispel rumours,
offensive assertions characterising my dad as
this dark and tortured person. That could not
be further removed from the man I, and all his
friends, knew. I wanted the public – those who
have done so much to preserve his legacy – to
know the father behind the man. Along the way, I
found the man behind the father.”
Was there anything particularly
surprising that you uncovered about
your father?
“I was, and am, astonished by the sheer volume
of the work he produced in such a short time. In
25 years he produced something like 250 scripts.
I learned to appreciate him in a way that I hadn’t
– from an adult perspective. I am impressed by his
courage and stamina in his struggles with censors.
Also, the horrors he went through in the war. I
knew he had nightmares. I heard him scream out
at night and when I asked him in the morning he
told me he was dreaming about the war, about
the enemy but the degree that he (and any vet) is
affected and haunted by those experiences – I had
no idea. It is actually why he became a writer.”
Did you end the writing of the book with
a different impression of your dad?
“I learned about the man behind the father.
Forgive me for this – but that ‘other dimension’.”
What is your favourite memory of your
father, the one you go back to the most?
“It’s an amalgamation of so many. It’s this
brilliantly funny dad with an endearing silliness;
his face when he laughed – his eyes would
ROD SERLING
COMPLETE GUIDE
The Twilight Zone
still dazzles.
crinkle up. Sometimes it’s the stupidest thing I’ll
remember – like a bad joke. The best memory
though? Singing with him in the car. We’d sing
rounds. Often we were looking for our dogs – two
Irish setters. He used to call them ‘The Friendly
Travellers’. That’s where I see us – in that car,
driving off.”
There’s a strong sense of morality and
heart to your father’s work. What do you
think motivated him, creatively?
“He cared deeply about who we are as human
beings. He thought we could do better. He felt
that it was the writer’s job to menace the public’s
conscience. In 1968 when the country was in the
midst of divisiveness and turmoil that was tearing it
apart, my father ended a speech at the Library of
Congress in Washington by saying: “So long
as men and women write what they want, then
all of the other freedoms – all of them – will remain
intact. And it is then that writing becomes an
act of conscience, a weapon of truth, an article
of faith.””
The amount of time and effort he put into
The Twilight Zone is staggering. Do you
remember how the workload affected
him at home?
“As I wrote in my book, I know he said he worked
12 hours but I never had the sense, ever, that he
wasn’t available. He and I would play basketball
after school. He was always there at the dinner
table. His office was in the backyard and although
we weren’t supposed to disturb him when he was
writing – he was there. I am certain he was under
a great deal of stress a lot of the time but he didn’t
often bring that ‘home’.”
He died far too young – was there much
creatively that he was frustrated at not
having achieved at the time of his death?
“He wanted to write a novel, a Broadway show;
he wanted to one day meet grandchildren.
I could never have imagined I would have to
say what he said to me: “If only you had known
your grandfather.””
| 097
 COMPLETE GUIDE
ROD SERLING

TWILIGHT ZONE:
ROD SERLING’S
LOST CLASSICS
Nineteen years after Serling’s death, two
‘new’, previously lost, stories finally found
themselves in front of the camera. Twilight Zone:
Rod Serling’s Lost Classics was a 1994 TV
movie consisting of an unmade story outline for
the original Twilight Zone run, and a script that
Serling had penned in 1968 (four years after
The Twilight Zone ended). Richard Matheson
was tasked with turning Serling’s story, titled ‘The
Theatre’, into a full screenplay, with the other
script, ‘Where The Dead Are’, reaching the
screen just as Serling had intended. Playing like a
delayed coda to the original series, Rod Serling’s
Lost Classics features the sonorously voiced James
Earl Jones as the Serling-like narrator, with Jack
Palance (who’d headlined Serling’s 1956 play,
Far-out concepts
‘Requiem For A Heavyweight’) also headlining and real fears.
‘Where The Dead Are’.

poignancy by Jack Palance.’

Though ‘Requiem’ tends to soak up the praise
(it was even adapted into a movie in 1962,
with Anthony Quinn stepping into the Palance
part), Serling actually penned ten episodes of
Playhouse 90. “The best of the bunch,” says
Nicholas Parisi, “is one that few people today
have seen or heard of: ‘The Rank And File’
starring Van Heflin and Charles Bronson. It’s a
powerfully written story about a man’s rise from
union worker to union president, and the ethical
sacrifices that he makes along the way. It’s one
of the forgotten gems in the Serling catalogue.”
Despite his successes on the Playhouse 90,
the battles with the suits were relentless. Since
first breaking into television in the early Fifties,
he’d been forced to live with the often brutal
realities of corporate sponsorship and network
Serling did begin
censorship. Sometimes the compromises were to tire of TTZ.
small (in ‘Requiem For A Heavyweight’, the line:
‘Got a match?’ was excised because one of “THE TWILIGHT ZONE LOOKS RADICAL
NOW...NOTHING COMPARES”
the play’s sponsors was Ronson lighters), other
times they cut deeper. Spurred by the lynching
of black teenager Emmett Till in Mississippi MARK MILLAR
in 1955, Serling crafted an impassioned and
stirring play about homicidal prejudice in the settle for second best. I don’t want to have to reportedly flooded with over six thousand
present-day Deep South. But sponsors didn’t compromise all the time, which in essence is letters of praise) was enough to convince CBS
want anything to do with something that what a television writer does if he wants to put to commission an anthology series of Serling-
perfect-aimed. When ‘A Town Has Turned on controversial themes.” penned science-fiction plays.
To Dust’ made it to the screen in 1958, it had Of course, The Twilight Zone was as socially Of the 156 The Twilight Zones made, 92
become the story of a white man murdering a charged, if less obviously incendiary, as any were written by Serling. Yet his presence is on
Mexican in a US southwest town in the 1870s. of his work for Playhouse 90. Through the every single episode – quite literally, in fact.
“By the time the censors had gotten to it, my camouflage of science fiction, Serling was able As intrinsic to the show as Marius Constant’s
script had turned to dust,” Serling opined. to slink his social and political messages past blisteringly iconic theme music are Serling’s
Bruised by one too many headbutts with the sponsors and censors. The show, which in-person introductions to each tale. There
gutless sponsors and craven producers, premiered on 2 October 1959, had its genesis he was each week, standing omnisciently to
Serling decided to change tactics. In a now- in a 1958 play titled ‘The Time Element’ about the side, all crisp vowels and a never-absent
famous interview with TV newsman Mike a man who time travels back in his dreams to cigarette, easing us into the fantastical world
Wallace in 1959, he said: “I don’t want to warn Americans about the impending attack of The Twilight Zone. His appearances made
fight anymore. I don’t want to have to battle on Pearl Harbour. The episode was screened him so well-known that he appeared as himself
sponsors and agencies. I don’t want to have as part of Desilu Productions’ Westinghouse on the ratings topping Jack Benny Program
to push for something that I want and have to Desilu Playhouse, and its success (Desilu was on CBS and, a few years after that, even

098 | WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
 ROD SERLING
COMPLETE GUIDE

WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
| 099
 COMPLETE GUIDE
ROD SERLING
“ROD SERLING IS HANDS-DOWN THE
GREATEST SCIENCE FICTION WRITER OF
ALL TIME”
MARK MILLAR
fronted a game show, Liar’s Club, where a
panel of celebrity guests offered explanations
of obscure or unusual objects. He remained
self-deprecating about his on-screen appeal
however, once saying, “There I am, five feet
five of solid gristle. I really don’t like to do
hosting. I just tense up terribly before going
before the cameras. It’s an ordeal.”   travels to the American west in search of a new
Despite its stellar standing now in the TV
firmament, The Twilight Zone only attracted
modest ratings and was, in fact, axed twice
during its original five-year run, only to be
swiftly reprieved. It remains, however, Serling’s
signature series.
“The Twilight Zone is my all-time favourite
TV show,” comic book writer Mark Millar tells
SciFiNow. “Nothing compares. I know the
format isn’t fashionable anymore, but instead
of 22 episodes dragging out a 30-minute
story over the course of a series this gave us
a perfect movie concept every week. It was
romantic to me because it was on later than I
was allowed up and the black-and-white format
never bothered me because I was watching
in the early Eighties on the black and white
portable in my bedroom. Every episode was a
treat because you had no idea what you were
getting. Every story has a beginning, middle
and an end. There was no fat. It was perfect
writing and the casting and direction always
pitch-perfect too. What’s amazing is that there
has never been anything like it before. It looks
radical now, but how radical must it have
looked when it was on the same TV set as
Doctor Kildare and Dragnet?”
The Twilight Zone faced its third and final
cancellation crisis in 1964, with its last episode
airing on 19 June. By now, a burned-out Serling
had tired of his creation. “I don’t blame them
[the network executives],” he said in 1964.
“We’ve been on the air five years and I think
the show took on a kind of aged look.”
Serling had penned his first feature film in
1956 when his acclaimed TV play ‘Patterns’
was optioned by United Artists, and he’d
similarly written the 1962 movie version of
‘Requiem For A Heavyweight’. The Sixties
would see many more offers from Hollywood,
including John Frankenheimer’s 1964 political
thriller Seven Days In May and the 1966
action-adventure Assault On A Queen. Indeed,
he’s one of the credited writers on Franklin J
Schaffner’s 1968 adaptation of Pierre Boulle’s
Planet Of The Apes. Serling produced various
drafts, but his versions of the script were
deemed too costly to film and so Michael
Wilson (Bridge On The River Kwai) was brought
in for rewrites. That iconic finale though, where
Charlton Heston’s character discovers he’s been
100 |
on Earth all along by finding a half-buried
Statue of Liberty? All Serling.
After The Twilight Zone ended, Serling
continued to write and develop TV series. The
Loner ran for one season on CBS from 1965
to 1966 and followed the exploits of a former
Union cavalry captain (Lloyd Bridges) as he
life, while 1969’s The New People told the story
of a group of young people who, after finding
themselves stranded on a remote island in the
south Pacific Ocean, are tasked with building a
new society. It lasted just 17 episodes.
After The Twilight Zone, the series that is
forever wedded to Serling’s name is the horror-
flavoured anthology show Night Gallery. Like
his old series, Serling fronted every episode
as himself and penned over half of its 43
episodes. Yet, unlike The Twilight Zone, he
wasn’t in charge of Night Gallery. Publicly,
the series was Serling’s and yet privately, he
admitted ruefully: “It is not mine at all, it’s just
another species of a formula series drama.”
Still, the series does boast some top-tier
Serling, including the Emmy-nominated and
powerfully poignant ‘They’re Tearing Down Tim
Riley’s Bar’, an episode that saw Serling once
more explore the ache of nostalgia and the
relentless march of time, and ‘The Caterpillar’,
an eerie and unnerving adaptation of British
author Oscar Cook’s original short story.
Despite Serling’s lack of heart, Night Gallery
lasted three series, airing its final episode
on 27 May 1973. His next project took him
back to radio, the medium he’d started in two
decades before. He didn’t pen any episodes
of the anthology show Zero Hero, but he did
present every episode, lending each story the
gift of his effortless authority.
Listeners would have remembered the sight of
Serling on The Twilight Zone, cigarette forever
in hand. In fact, it’s hard to find a photo of
Rod Serling without one. And on 3 May 1975,
his shaky health caught up with him when he
suffered a heart attack. He spent two weeks
in hospital before he had another. Doctors
decided on open-heart surgery. The ten-hour
procedure was scheduled for 25 June, only for
Serling to suffer a third and final heart attack
while on the operating table. He was just 50
years old.
It’s been over 43 years since we lost Rod
Serling, yet his shadow looms large over
broadcast television and film. The Twilight
Zone was revived twice on TV, once in 1984
(with archive footage of Serling included in its
Grateful Dead-soundtracked title sequence)
and again in 2002. And now another is in the
We keep going
planning, with Get Out’s Jordan Peele driving it. back to his work.
WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK

“Rod Serling is hands-down the best science
fiction writer of all time,” says Serling fan Mark
Millar. “The common thread in Serling’s stories
was a relatable human dilemma and even
when he was doing time-travel or alternate
worlds he always accessed the most outlandish
ideas through something anyone watching TV
that night would be able to interface with. He
reminds me of Bradbury in a lot of ways in that
sense, but even better in that he hit the bullseye
more often and hit the mainstream like no other
before or since.”
“Rod Serling’s influence is still profound,”
agrees Nicholas Parisi, whose biography of
Serling was published in October. “Vince
Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad, named
Serling as the one writer he would most like to
add to his writer’s room. David Chase, creator
of The Sopranos, included several references to
Serling in his semi-autobiographical film, Not
Fade Away. Matthew Weiner made Serling’s
‘Patterns’ required viewing for the crew of Mad
Men. Guillermo del Toro has acknowledged
his debt to Serling, recording DVD commentary
WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
ROD SERLING
COMPLETE GUIDE
TOP FIVE
ROD SERLING
TWILIGHT ZONE
EPISODES
TIME ENOUGH
AT LAST
This episode was
actually Serling’s
personal favourite.
‘Time Enough At
Last’ told the story of a gentle, henpecked
bookworm (played by Burgess Meredith) who
finds himself the last man alive after a nuclear
explosion. Based on a short story by Lynn
Venable, it’s a poignant tale with a devastatingly
sad end.
THE MONSTERS
ARE DUE ON
MAPLE STREET
A common theme of
The Twilight Zone is
that humans pose
a greater threat to each other than any extra-
terrestrial ever could. In this first season episode,
‘The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street’, a
classically American street’s residents all turn on
each other as talk of an alien invasion swells.
As the aliens, who never do actually invade,
say at the end: “The world is full of Maple
Streets. We’ll go from one to another and let
them destroy themselves.”
IT’S A GOOD LIFE
A pre-Lost In Space
Bill Mumy starred as
a cute-as-a-button six-
year-old boy who has
God-like powers in this
1961 Twilight Zone favourite ‘It’s A Good Life’.
It’s also the only Twilight Zone episode to ever
spawn a sequel episode, when, in 2002, the
revived Twilight Zone series screened ‘It’s Still
A Good Life’, which saw Mumy return to the
for several episodes of Night Gallery. And now role of a now middle-aged Anthony Fremont,
Jordan Peele has been given the reins to a new who finds that his daughter has inherited
The Twilight Zone series.” his powers.
Rod Serling helped establish television as
THE HITCH-HIKER
a mature artform. While many promising This first season classic
writers of his era chose a different medium episode ‘The Hitch-
or jumped ship after one too many corporate Hiker’ was actually an
battles, Serling stayed there, bringing wit, adaptation of a 1941
intelligence and morality into the homes of radio play by Lucille
Fletcher about a car driver who is haunted
America. It’s a tantalising what-if to see how
by visions of the same hitchhiker during their
he would have responded to the chilly-hearted journey. Serling made a number of changes
worlds of Reagan and Bush and Trump, but for his Twilight Zone adaptation, however,
then maybe the lessons for today are already including swapping the sex of the driver from
there in those Playhouse 90s, in those Twilight male to female.
Zones and in those plays that bigged up the
WALKING
little man and woman.
DISTANCE
“Fame is short-lived,” he once said when A man finds himself
asked about his place in history. “One year passing the town where
after this show goes off the air, they will he grew up in this
never remember who I am. And I don’t care classic episode and
a bit. Anonymity is fine with me. My place decides to pay it a visit for the first time in 25
years, only to find himself walking back into the
is as a writer.”
past in this powerfully poignant metaphor for the
magnetic pull of nostalgia.
The Twilight Zone is available on Blu-ray now.
| 101
FLASHBACK
SUPERGIRL

© Rex Features
 FLASHBACK
VERONICA CARTWRIGHT

INTERVIEW

VERONICA
CARTWRIGHT
PROVIDING MEMORABLE TURNS IN THE BIRDS, ALIEN, INVASION
OF THE BODY SNATCHERS AND THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK,
VERONICA CARTWRIGHT HAS BEEN PART OF SEVERAL ICONIC
SCENES IN GENRE CINEMA. WE TALK TO THE ACTRESS ABOUT HER
MOST PROMINENT ROLES IN SCI-FI AND HORROR
WORDS OLIVER PFEIFFER

Commencing her career as a child
actress in television, before being
cast as 13-year old Cathy Brenner
in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic The
Birds, Veronica Cartwright has
carved out an impressively prolific
career as a character actor over the
past five decades. Notable genre roles
subsequently included classics like Ridley Scott’s
original Alien, Phillip Kaufman’s superior 1978
remake to Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and
George Miller’s The Witches Of Eastwick,
along with a slew of scene-stealing guest
appearances in TV shows like The X-Files.   “HITCHCOCK TOLD ME
 We talk to the award-winning actress about
working with the great master of suspense,
being originally considered for the role of
Ripley in Alien, how equally surprised she was
by the twist ending of Invasion Of The Body
Snatchers and reveal how often she plays the
voice of reason in cinema.  desperate to stay in front otherwise you’d just
 
Tell us how you were cast in The
Birds and your introduction to the
great Alfred Hitchcock…
I did a movie called The Children’s Hour, which
starred Shirley MacLaine and Audrey Hepburn.
Mr Hitchcock had seen me in it and requested
a meeting. So I met him at his bungalow at
Universal Studios. We just talked. He told me
how to cook a steak, as he felt I would need to
know this some day when I was married. Then
after finding out I was born in Bristol he told me
about great wines as his favourite wine cellar
was in Bristol. It was just a conversation to see
if we got along. He was just lovely to me. He
had a very dry sense of humour.   then [people] would just come along with
 
What are your fondest memories of
working with the master?  around… it was creepy.
He was always kind to me. I’d ask him about
how things were done and he’d always
answer me in detail and never made me feel
HOW TO COOK A
STEAK...HE WAS JUST
LOVELY TO ME”
VERONICA CARTWRIGHT
uncomfortable. For example, the cardboard
birds that were mixed in with real birds on the
jungle gym scene… I said: ‘Isn’t the audience
going to know that those are fake?’ And he
said: ‘Well, the audience will see movement
and automatically assume that they’re alive.’ To
this day it’s hard to pick out the fake birds!  finches in fact. They would have hammers and
Was it intense working with real birds?
A couple of times it was creepy. When the
birds came down the chimney, they were sent
down shafts that were pulled in a shimmy and
thousands of them went up and hit the ceiling.
Then, realising they couldn’t go anywhere,
they just dropped, which was disgusting and
shovels and sweep them back in and then into
the shafts again. Thousands of birds flying
 
 
Can you tell us how the famous
bird attack sequence was achieved
upon the running school children?
We shot everything twice. We shot in Bodega
Bay where we ran down that hill and we
had mechanical birds that were on some of
the kids’ shoulders. Those birds were built in
Germany and were remote controlled. Then we
shot it again in the studio with a mobile arm
that swooped down with birds while we were
running on this huge treadmill. We were all
wipe everybody out. We just ran for our lives!
 
Also effective is when the birds invade
the house pecking through the front
door. How was that accomplished?
Well, there were a lot of real birds. They were
things like that so they would be able to go
through the doors. However, they did also have
birds sent in when Rod is trying to close the
door. It was very realistic. The only early CGI

WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK | 103
 FLASHBACK
VERONICA CARTWRIGHT

was during that weird [bird’s eye view] shot

where the birds are circling above the town.   
 
Being so young at the time, how much
of an affect did the film have on you? 
Well, years later I had a wooden shingled roof
house and a big eucalyptus tree outside and
the crows would nest there. One day I heard
this horrific stuff going on and I could hear all
these things running on my roof and I saw 30
birds pulling my shingles to make a nest! It was
so creepy and I told them that I’d done that
movie already and they should just go away! 
 
On Alien you played Lambert but you
were originally considered for the role
of Ripley weren’t you? 
Originally that was the only part I read for so Facing terror in
I assumed that was the part I had. I called my Hitch’s The Birds.
agent and said, ‘it’s for Ripley right?’ because
they were saying I was Lambert! I hadn’t About to meet the
monster in Alien...
even read the script from the point of view of
Lambert. It bothered me that the character was
so weepy, so I tried to make her not such a
campy ass! But in a weird way that character
was the audience and the way they were
feeling; they wanted to get out of there too! 
 
In the Director’s Cut, there was a scene,
following the quarantine altercation
with Kane, where you slap Sigourney
Weaver across the face! Was that real?
That was real. But every time I went to slap her
she kept ducking. Then, Ridley Scott said to me was the cut they used, as it was the only take Your character is essentially the only
‘would you just get her this time!’ So, I went to we ever did. Well, it worked! And everybody real human left at the end. The twist
hit her and then I back-handed her and she remembers it that’s for sure!  when Donald Sutherland’s character
was not a happy camper. Oh, she was pissed!   is revealed to be a pod person and
She felt it wasn’t right for the character that It is infamous for being a pretty emits that infamous shriek… that was
I would cry and so it was cut out of the film. tough shoot too. Was it as tense a surprise to you too wasn’t it?
However, I thought it was a perfect reaction; of on set as reported? At the end of the movie when Donald
course you’d be pissed! It was a very tense shoot. The Nostromo set Sutherland’s character screams at me I just
  was interconnected and you had to literally go freaked out! Both of us were told different
Ripley and Lambert didn’t really get through this maze to get off the set so it was things; so when he was revealed to have turned
along anyway did they? very claustrophobic. Those space suits weren’t into one of [the pod people] I flipped out! My
I think we’d all been in space too long. We comfortable either and they forgot to give us character, Nancy, was the voice of reason
were all aggregated with one another and that air holes so we kept passing out. It was difficult again. I even thought they might make a sequel,
was what the whole thing was. After Dallas and when we shot all that stuff there was a heat because she’d taken every precaution not to
died Ripley becomes the captain but she has to wave in England and all the bottles of beers be found out and made sure nobody else was
earn that; nobody was just going to let her be were popping in the pubs. I’d lost ten pounds in around, but of course, I did not know Donald
the captain. I was sort of the voice of reason just one week. It was grotesque. It was a rough was going to do that!
that thinks, ‘let’s get the fuck out of here!’.  shoot but we all made it work.    
    With George Miller’s The Witches
You get the most blood splattered You were similarly cast in a ‘voice Of Eastwick you play what
on you during the iconic alien of reason’ role in Phillip Kaufman’s ultimately became a very outlandish
chest-burster scene. What are your 1978 version of Invasion Of The Body character. How fun was that role?  
memories shooting that?  Snatchers. Tell us about that. She’s just fantastic and it was so much fun. You
Those were real reactions from everybody. The film is about people being afraid of really just don’t get parts like that anymore. You think
John Hurt had a false chest filled with [animal] loving or hating or of any true emotion… she’s so prim and proper but she wasn’t. You
kidneys and livers… and then there was this making it so much easier to live in that grey just don’t get scripts where you get to go
puppeteer underneath doing the monster stuff, world. That’s what makes it so creepy. I said ballistic and nuts and come up with things off
so we all saw the creature break through, to Phillip [Kaufman], can we just try something the top of your head: growling, galloping and
turn around and look at us. I was told that I here… it builds to a point where I say, ’they’re feeling oneself up – she was just a wacko! But
would get a little blood on me, but the blood like monkeys and apes…’ and that ended up the script made me do all those things!
jet was pointed directly in my face! I had no being in the movie. The information becomes a  
idea. I started getting so fascinated watching stimulating topic of conversation and again my Tell us about filming the infamous
that thing and I then was just covered! That character is the voice of reason.  vomiting scene…

104 | WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
 FLASHBACK
VERONICA CARTWRIGHT

“I WAS TOLD I’D GET A LITTLE BLOOD ON ME

BUT THE BLOOD JET WAS POINTED DIRECTLY
AT MY FACE!”
VERONICA CARTWRIGHT

It took five days to shoot that scene. It was There were reportedly some problems
a tube that went up my dress and into my during production with reshoots...
hand. That was actually the first take because Oliver had directed it originally and then they
after the second take they had to redress ended up reshooting stuff over a year later. It
everything, which took an hour. They were was James McTeigue that ended up doing the
real cherries with pips that were in huge tanks reshoot so they reshot that whole thing again. I
and then it shot up into my hand and looked don’t know what happened, it was kind of odd. 
like I was spewing it up. But the second time
we did it nothing came out so I tried again… So the ‘my husband isn’t my
somebody turned the valve all the way up and husband’ scene was reshot. What was
it got to be so strong I had no control of my different about it originally?
arm! It hit me in the face, my arm flew up, it I was more paranoid about things that were
flew up over the top of the set, it was hysterical happening and it made it seem more like I’d
Her Eastwick role is
a comedy highlight. and there was nothing I could do about it. I been through this before and knew something
couldn’t control my arm!     really wasn’t good. I thought Oliver was doing
  a great job. He was bringing great eeriness
More recently you had a cameo role in to the whole thing and really added a sort
the fourth Body Snatchers movie The of grunginess to it which made it much more
Invasion. Can you tell us how you interesting. Then James McTeigue came in, who
came to be cast?  was a very nice man, but it just looks like an
The director, Oliver Hirschbiegel, requested entirely different movie. 
meeting me because I had been in the other
one. He discussed how [my character] could’ve The Birds, Alien, Invasion Of The Body
survived and taken on a whole new identity Snatchers and The Witches Of Eastwick are
and here it was happening all over again.  available on Blu-ray.

WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK | 105
 FLASHBACK
JUSTIN SHENKAROW
WHERE THE
WEIRD THINGS ARE
WE TALK TO ACTOR JUSTIN SHENKAROW ABOUT ONE OF THE
GREATEST KIDS SHOWS OF THE NINETIES – EERIE, INDIANA
Imagine being 13-years-old and
moving from the hustle and bustle of
New Jersey to a small Midwestern
town with a population of 16,661.
Imagine then finding out that the small,
apparently inconspicuous town is home to all
manner of weirdness, oddballs and sinister
goings-on. Welcome to Marshall Teller’s world.
Welcome to Eerie, Indiana.
This is a small town where Elvis lives on
Marshall’s paper round, Bigfoot eats out of
his trash and the local werewolf is, knowingly,
called Mr Chaney. The freaky thing, however,
is that apart from Marshall and his nine-year-
old sidekick, Simon Hughes, the rest of Eerie
seem to be oblivious to just how strange their
little corner of America is. Investigating ghosts,
visitors from other dimensions and unidentified
flying objects is all in a day’s work for Marshall
and Simon in a town where no one else seems
to mind that the local police force’s motto is ‘to
serve and control’.
The brain child of writers and producers
Jose Rivera and Karl Schaefer – with Joe Dante
acting as creative consultant – Eerie, Indiana
blended the tropes and traits of the science
fiction, horror and fantasy genres with those of
sitcom, soap opera and teen drama to create
19 wonderfully goofy, occasionally creepy
and always very sharply written episodes of a
series that subsequently went on to become a
cult favourite.
Starring Omri Katz as Marshall and Justin
Shenkarow as Simon, Eerie, Indiana gleefully
bombarded the viewer with all manner of
monsters of the week, what-if sci-fi scenarios
and off-the-wall characters. Notable guest-stars,
including a then-up-and-coming Tobey Maguire
as a lovesick ghost and Gomez Addams
106 |
INTERVIEW
WORDS NEIL MITCHELL
himself, John Astin, in a recurring role as World
O’Stuff shopkeeper. Mr Radford, joined the
other regular cast members, Mary-Margaret
Humes, Francis Guinan and Julie Condra as
Marshall’s mother Marilyn, father Edgar and
sister Syndi respectively. The series may have
only aired for one season in 1991-1992 (more
on that later), but its influence on shows that
followed such as American Gothic, Buffy The
Vampire Slayer and, most recently, Stranger
Things, isn’t lost on those familiar with Marshall
and Simon’s weekly pop culture referencing
adventures into the bizarre and unknown.
Though Omri Katz would go on to star in
Hocus Pocus in 1993 and crop up in episodes
of Freaks And Geeks and General Hospital, by
the early Noughties he had retired from show-
business to become a hairdresser in LA.
“THE WRITING WAS
SO AHEAD OF ITS
TIME, IT APPEALED TO
KIDS AND ADULTS”
JUSTIN SHENKAROW
Justin Shenkarow, on the other hand,
successfully made the transition from child to
adult star, providing either his voice or acting
talents to the likes of Hey Arnold! The Movie,
Home Improvement and Z Nation among over
60 other credits. SciFiNow had the pleasure
of chatting to Justin recently to reminisce over
the making of Eerie, Indiana, its reception at the
time and the subsequent fondness with which
it is now remembered. Now a 37-year- old in
charge of his own production company – Shake
That Fro Productions – Justin is still full of love
for Eerie, Indiana.
When asked about his overriding memories
of working on the series, Justin says: “It was
a real blast, and my favourite show that I’ve
ever been involved in. It was a real family, the
whole cast and crew, all of us so committed to
what we were doing.” On the show’s creators
and its myriad nods to genre films and shows
that preceded it, Justin is equally enthusiastic:
“Karl and Jose were brilliant, the writing was
so sharp, so ahead of its time – the great thing
was that there were so many references to old
shows and movies that it appealed to adults,
but kids loved it as well so it reached out to a
broad audience.” As for being cast in what
was in essence a co-starring role at the tender
age of 11, Shenkarow recalls that “Simon was
my first main part, so for me it was fantastic.
I was a kid in a huge playground. We were
crawling through smoke, finding hidden notes,
investigating mysterious goings on in a small
town. It was my first main part and it was real
busy, we were working five days a week.”
On a recent rewatch of the series, we
were struck by how every episode felt like a
movie, which is doubly impressive given the
relatively meagre 25 minute running time for
each self-contained tale. Justin readily agrees:
“Absolutely, with Joe Dante on board, and
directors like Bob Balaban etc, they brought
that eye to the show. We had a $1 million
dollar set for the World O’Stuff that, at the time,
was like the most expensive set assembled for
a TV show.” With seasoned pros like Dante,
Balaban and Tim Hunter appearing behind the
camera, we wondered how much freedom the
young Justin Shenkarow would have been given
to play Simon, and what it was like working
WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
 FLASHBACK
JUSTIN JUSTIN
SHENKAROW
SHENK

WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK | 107
 FLASHBACK
JUSTIN SHENKAROW
“WE’VE BEEN WORKING REAL HARD ON BRIGING THE SHOW BACK
AND WE’RE CLOSE TO MAKING IT HAPPEN”
with those directors? “I learnt a lot from those
guys. I did have a lot of freedom to play Simon
but it was also great to have directors who
cared about actors – some are more interested
in camera set-ups, lights etc. But our directors
were really focused on the actors – and they
would give me more options on what to bring
to a scene, which was great.” Clearly enthused
by the memories of the off-screen camaraderie,
Shenkarow adds: “It really was a collaborative
project and everyone was totally committed to
it, which made it such a blast to work on.”
When asked if he has a favourite episode,
Justin’s answer is perhaps unsurprising given
that it’s the one where Simon got to take centre
stage. “I think my personal favourite episode
would be ‘ATM With A Heart Of Gold’, as I
really got to do a lot in that episode. Simon has
a real journey and I mean, who wouldn’t want
a friendly ATM that spews out money to you,
right? That one was a lot of fun for me.”
As for being a fan of sci-fi, horror and
fantasy in general? “Oh, for sure, but I like stuff
that has more of a realistic edge to it. Shows
like Twin Peaks, The Twilight Zone etc, that’s
the sort of thing I like. I find things that feel a bit
more real are just scarier.”
Once the conversation turns to Eerie,
108 |
JUSTIN SHENKAROW
Indiana’s short-sighted cancellation after just
one series and to whether anyone thought
at the time it would go on to become a cult
favourite, Justin had this to say: “We knew we
were onto something but at the time it was up
against 60 Minutes which was like the biggest
show on TV, and NBC didn’t give us a lot
of leeway so, unfortunately, we didn’t get a
second series. Then Fox bought it in, I think,
2001 and it became a smash hit. And now
people still talk about it and say how much they
love the show, which is great.”
Even the poorly received second season,
Eerie Indiana: The Other Dimension, which
materialised in 1998 without any of the
original cast and crew being involved didn’t
dent the show’s reputation. “Nowadays you
get people involved in shows like Supernatural
and Stranger Things saying that Eerie, Indiana
was a real inspiration for them, which shows
the influence it had. It was The Twilight Zone
for kids, way ahead of its time and came out
before shows like The X-Files.”
It’s not lost on Justin that a number of Eerie,
Indiana’s spiritual siblings, such as Twin
Peaks and The X-Files, have returned to our
screens having never really left the public’s
consciousness. “[N]ow there’s a real nostalgia
for a lot of these shows, some of which have
come back as well. People ask why is there this
nostalgia for a lot of Nineties shows? I think it’s
because the world just felt nicer back then, and
people want to remember that. It’s a lot harder
to get a job now and to make some money,
and the world’s a scarier place in general.”
Further discussions about the nostalgia for
shows of the past and the changing state of
fandom lead Justin to drop an unexpected
bombshell that will be music to the ears of
Eerie, Indiana’s fans: “[W]e’ve been working
real hard on bringing the show back, and we’re
close to making it happen. I’ve been putting
a lot of work into making it happen and since
social media became such a huge thing over
the past seven or eight years, we can see that
there’s a space for fans to congregate and a
market for a show like Eerie, Indiana to come
back.” When pressed for more information on
what a new series of Eerie, Indiana may look
and feel like more than a quarter of a century
after its first appearance, Justin leaves us with
this intriguing teaser: “It’ll have a
darker edge…”
Eerie, Indiana is available on DVD
from Fabulous Films.
WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
 FLASHBACK
JUSTIN SHENKAROW

TO WHOM IT
MAY CONCERN
Five of the best episodes
of Eerie, Indiana…
EPISODE THREE: ATM WITH A
HEART OF GOLD (DIR: SAM PILLSBURY)
A favourite of star Justin Shenkarow, episode
three was a chance for Marshall’s side-kick,
Simon, to take the limelight. Befriended by Mr
Wilson, the town’s new talking ATM machine,
the lonely Simon finds himself showered with
cash and the talk of the town. Simon’s personality
makeover and sudden good fortune would,
however, be short lived, proving that money
really can’t buy you happiness.

EPISODE FIVE: AMERICA’S

SCARIEST HOME VIDEOS
(DIR: SAM PILLSBURY)
What could possibly go wrong when Marshall
and Simon babysit Simon’s younger brother,
Harley, on Halloween? Well, thanks to a ‘video
feedback time-warp shuffly thing’, Harley gets
sucked into the monster movie he’s watching on
TV, with the movie’s creature, a mummy, moving
the other way into the Teller home. Full of zingy
one-liners, episode five is also high on the ‘mega-
eerie-voodoo-weirdness’ front as Marshall and
Simon try to remedy the bizarre situation.

The show went EPISODE 10: THE LOST HOUR

meta brilliantly. (DIR: BOB BALABAN)
Determined not to lose his ‘extra’ hour when he
It wasn’t afraid to discovers Indiana doesn’t follow daylight saving
get spooky.
time, Marshall sets his watch back anyway.
When he wakes up, Marshall finds himself alone
in Eerie save for a mysterious milkman and some
very sinister garbage collectors. Riffing on The
Twilight Zone and the works of Philip K Dick,
‘The Lost Hour ‘is pure sci-fi weirdness, and, once
revealed, the identity of the milkman is revelatory
both for Marshall and the viewer.

EPISODE 17: ZOMBIES IN PJS

(DIR: BOB BALABAN)
When an untrustworthy businessman pointedly
called The Donald turns up at the World O’Stuff
promising to make the owner Mr Radford (John
Astin) rich, the shopkeeper sees a chance to
cover his unpaid tax bill. Unfortunately, The
Donald’s get-rich-quick scheme involves Eerie’s
citizens unwittingly selling their souls, becoming
zombie-like consumers. Part Faustian tale, part
Dawn Of The Dead, ‘Zombies In PJs’ takes
humorous aim at advertising, consumer culture
and late capitalism.

EPISODE 18: REALITY TAKES

A HOLIDAY (DIR: KEN KWAPIS)
Employing the same narrative device used
Marshall and
in Wes Craven’s New Nightmare and in the
Simon in trouble. dénouement of Blazing Saddles among others,
episode 18 obliterates The Fourth Wall for
both the characters and viewers by stepping
out of ‘fiction’ and into ‘reality’. With Omri
Katz playing Marshall Teller but the rest of the
cast and crew – Joe Dante included – playing
versions of themselves, this is the boldest and
most narratively adventurous episode of Eerie,
Indiana. It’s 25 minutes of hyper-smart and
brilliantly executed television.

WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK | 109
 ?

THE SCIFINOW NIGHT

OF THE COMET QUIZ
IS NIGHT OF THE COMET A CULT CLASSIC IN YOUR HEART, OR HAS IT
DISAPPEARED FROM YOUR HEAD? FIND OUT WITH OUR QUIZ!

COMET 7. What is the new legal drinking age, Keener own?

1. How old is Reggie Belmont?
2. What is the name of Reggie and
Sam’s stepmother?
3. What kind of metal protects the sisters
from the effects of the comet?
4. What videogame does Reggie play at
the start of the film?
5. Who has the sixth highest score on
the game?
CUPID
6. At the start of the film, what event has not
occurred for 65 million years?
according to Sam’s radio broadcast?
8. What type of guns do Reggie and Sam use
for target practice?
9. In which US state is the film set?
10. What was the occupation of Reggie’s
boyfriend Larry?
DONNER
11. What does Audrey White inject Sam with
to make it look like she’s dead?
12. What are the names of the children that
are rescued from the lab by Reggie, Hector
and Sam?
13. How many cars does Danny Mason
14. What does most of the planet’s
population turn into following the events
of the comet?
15. During which holiday is the film set?
BLITZEN
16. Who directed Night Of The Comet?
17. In what year was the film released?
18. Which cast member starred in soap opera
Ryan’s Hope from 1979-1982?
19. Which Star Trek: Voyager actor plays
Hector Gomez?
20. Which famous cult TV character did
Samantha Belmont go on to inspire?

DIDN’T HE/SHE DO WELL! See how you did with our arbitrary
scoring system

16-20 11-15 6-10 0-5

REGGIE SAMANTHA THE ZOMBIE DORIS

You may only be a teenager,
but the burden of civilisation has
fallen upon you. It’s nothing you
can’t handle, though, as you’ve
been training your whole life for
a doomsday situation (through
playing videogames).
You pretend to be tougher than
you are, which means you’re not
great at handling catastrophic
events. However, after a quick
cry, you’re back on top form, and
can talk your way out of most
tough situations.
Like the zombie that kills off
Reggie’s boyfriend, you’re
brainless. You don’t really know
what you’re doing. You may
look threatening but you can
also be outsmarted by a teenager
on a motorcycle.
You think you’re hot but you’re
kind of terrible. You might be
able to throw a mean punch but
that doesn’t change the fact that
nobody wants you on their quiz
team. Leave early and look at the
stars while you still can instead.

18. KELLI MARONEY 19. ROBERT BELTRAN 20. BUFFY SUMMERS

10. THEATRE PROJECTIONIST 11. SODIUM PENTOTHAL 12. BRIAN AND SARAH 13. 23 14. PILES OF RED DUST 15. CHRISTMAS 16. THOM EBERHARDT 17. 1984 ANSWERS:
1. 18 YEARS OLD 2. DORIS 3. STEEL 4. TEMPEST 5. DMK 6. THE EARTH ORBITING THROUGH THE TAIL OF A COMET 7. TEN 8. MAC-10S 9. CALIFORNIA

110 | WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
 exclusive

GIFTS FOR EVERY READER!

To celebrate the release of Bumblebee in cinemas Boxing Day, we have teamed up with Paramount Pictures to bring
you a set of brilliant free gifts. Claim a limited edition car freshener, a retro inspired cassette tape USB drive and a
T-Shirt. All the gifts are FREE, all you pay is the cost of postage to deliver them straight to your door.

TO CLAIM YOUR GIFTS VISIT: MEDIAOFFERS.CO.UK/BUMBLEBEE

Postage applies – see offer site for full details

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Offer is strictly subject to availability and while stocks last. Offer closing date is 15th January 2019. Late applications will not be processed. Gifts will be shipped
as soon as possible but please allow up to 30 days. The gifts are free but postage applies. Under 18’s should seek the permission of the bill payer for postage. This promotion is managed by
Creative Path Group. Registered in England No 11040560.

On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie
(Hailee Steinfeld), on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-
scarred and broken. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns this is no ordinary, yellow VW bug.

IN CINEMAS christmas
Copyright © 2018 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
Hasbro, Transformers and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro. © 2018 Hasbro All Rights Reserved.
3ONLINE - shop.kelsey.co.uk/xmas218
EASY WAYS
TO ORDER
POST- SEND FORMS TO
Subscriptions FREEPOST RTKZ-HYRL-CCZX, Kelsey Publishing Ltd.,
Cudham Tithe Barn,Berry’s Hill, Cudham, Kent, TN16 3AG
People love a magazine
CALL- 01959 543 747
and quote offer code XMAS218 subscription for Christmas and we
Lines open Monday - Friday 8.00am - 6.00pm
have over 60 titles for you to choose
YES! I would like to take advantage of these special discounted prices. from. And it’s easy and quick for you!
Please start my subscription with the first magazine after Christmas to:

Magazine No. Issues £ Why give a magazine

Magazine No. Issues £ gift subscription?
Magazine No. Issues £
It’s the gift which keeps giving
UK - 6 Issues £19.99 each month
UK - 12 Issues £34.99
Europe and North America - 6 Issues £30 It arrives direct through your loved
Europe and North America - 12 Issues £55 one’s letterbox
Rest of the World - 6 Issues £35
Rest of the World - 12 Issues £60 We’ll send you a gift card enabling
This subscription is for myself This is a gift subscription you to let them know which magazine
YOUR DETAILS
they will be receiving
ESCAPE TO THE SEASIDE THIS HOLIDAY!
Mrs/Ms/Miss/Mr ............... Forename ................................................................................ Free coaching with our Life Leap
Club – join now! UK EDITION

Surname ........................................................................................................................................
PSYCHOLOGIES.CO.UK

Address ............................................................................................................................................ SEPTEMBER 2018

● £4.30

COOL
AUGUST 2018 £4.50

FREE
elf! CALM EXPLORE WALES WIN!
................................................................................................................................................................ yours
A TRIP TO
THE ISLE
SUMMER • Visit Portmeirion • 10 best Welsh beaches OF MAN
go of
Let
20
From hectic to
control and

.................................................................... Post code ..................................................................

happy without
worry less breaking a sweat MAKE YOUR OWN
COASTAL HOLIDAY JOURNAL
LIFE SCHOOL INTERVIEW
HOMES
TO BUY
Amy
Daytime phone ............................................. Mobile ..........................................................
● Make friends

Adams
as an adult
● Press pause,
be idle On ‘Sharp
‘
Objects’ and

Email .................................................................................................................................................
● Ditch the
backstabbers exploring
the dark side PROPERTY
SPOTLIGHT
16-PAGE EXMOUTH,

your life plan

DOSSIER
DEVON
IF DELIVERY IS TO A DIFFERENT ADDRESS, COMPLETE BELOW Rebo ot
SUMMER GETAWAYS 25 YEARS POTFES
T IN TH E
Mrs/Ms/Miss/Mr ............... Forename ................................................................................
Enjoy glamping in Norfolk

15 FREE
Take a luxury lodge break
HUGE
TRACTOR MART
5 steps to create from
visionFAIR
a newT STEAM VIP TICKEdeckchair
your TS 100s OF ITEMS FOR SALE
PE NS
W INis
Test: ! distractio n, or doubt, stopping you?
GREAT DORSE

| £3.99 MATCH
Surname ........................................................................................................................................
August 2018

POSTERS REPORTS!
19/07/2018 14:48
GOALS
GOAL
GO ALS
S ST MEN
STAR
PINCH, CO

6
1
PSY-september-COVER-V9.indd STATS!
& STATS
TA !
TATS & MORE! Every single World
Cup game covered! IL, SLAB
AND THR
OW
OUTDOO
Address ............................................................................................................................................ R DECOR
ISSUE NO: 1980 ★ £2.30
JUNE 26-JULY 2, 2018

Issue 16

Simple wa
ll planter
GREAT STEP-BY-STEP
PROJECTS INSIDE!

................................................................................................................................................................ WORLD CU
CUP
P
POSTER PULLOUT
UT
IT’S
COMING
HOME!
englan
v belg
TTrippier
d
ium!
talk to & Hazard
PINCH POT
PENGUINS

MA
MA

.................................................................... Post code ..................................................................

ATC
ATTTCH
TCCH
H!!

GLAZES
WITH RAKU Industrial
-FIRED FINIS
or studio ?
Daytime phone ............................................. Mobile ..........................................................
H

COME ON
SUMMER SALA
DS

ENGLAND!
years
Email ................................................................................................................................................. 60 COLLECTO
RS
of MF
' ICONIC
FLEET
COLLECT THEM SUPPORTING THE THREE LIONS ALL THE WAY!
REE S
WE’RE SUPPO
THROWING
A DEEP BOW
COLOURING L

EVERY WEEK! WIN!

CLAY
NCE
MEN PRAIRIE PRESEND
BORDER GRASS IH 1206 WHEATLA PINCH, COIL,
SLAB AND
THROW

& BACK THE STYLE!

UK TO JAPAN IRISH TURN ON
5000
FABULOUS FORD

PAYMENT DETAILS EYE-BUSTERS!

Watford, Liverpool and
loads more new kits! Cool WC Phone Cases!
es! Play
Pla
SICK
SSKILLS
KILLS
l like Lingard!
APPLIQUÉ
TECHNIQU
E
ALSO INS
IDE: Ceramic arti
Issue 16

PLUS!
P FREE ACADEMY TRIAL P QUIZZES

I enclose a cheque made payable to Kelsey Publishing Limited

£4.99
P FIFA 18 BATTLE – KANE V LUKAKU!
001 Clay Craft
Cover Issue
16.indd
sts • Summer eve
nts •
1

Coiled mu
gs

to view our full range visit

05/06/2018

for the sum of £..........................

14:27

Please debit £.......................... from Visa Visa Debit MasterCard

shop.kelsey.co.uk/xmas218
Card number

Security number

Valid from ............ / ............ Expiry date ............ / ............

Signature ............................................................. Date .........................................

Offer closes on the 31 January 2019. Here at Kelsey Publishing we take your privacy seriously and will only use
your personal information to administer your account and to provide the products and services you have requested
from us. From time to time we have special offers that we believe would be of relevance to you. Please tick the
boxes to tell us all the ways you would prefer to hear from us ■ Email ■ Post ■ Phone ■ Text Message. Y
n

ou can update these at any time by emailing us at subs@kelsey.co.uk or by calling us on 01959 543 747.
THE PERFECT PRESENT

SAVE
42%
UPTO

6 ISSUES £19.99 OR 12 FOR £34.99

Visit our secure online store shop.kelsey.co.uk/scix182

SAVE ON THESE FANTASTIC TITLES THIS CHRISTMAS

shop.kelsey.co.uk/xmas218
 THE WORLD’S BEST SCIENCE FICTION
FANTASY AND HORROR MAGAZINE
™

www.scifinow.co.uk
Kelsey Media
Cudham Tithe Barn
Berrys Hill
Cudham
Kent
TN16 3AG
Editorial
Editor Jonathan Hatfull
☎ 01959 541444

NEXT ISSUE 11 JANUARY

Email sfn.ed@kelsey.co.uk
Art Editor Marcus Faint
Deputy Editor Abigail Chandler
News Editor Poppy-Jay Palmer
Sub Editor Rachael Harper
Contributors Tom Arden, Anton Bitel, Louise Blain, David
Cousens, Amanda Keats, Elena Lazic, Becky Lea, Sarah
Lines, Samantha McLaren, Katherine McLaughlin, Neil
Mitchell, Matt Needle, Steve O’Brien, Martin Parsons,
Oliver Pfeiffer, Poster Posse, Josh Slater-Williams, Adam
Tanswell, Bea Tucker, Amy West
Cover images
Wonder Woman 1984 © 2018 WARNER BROS.
ENTERTAINMENT INC.
Captain Marvel © Marvel Studios 2019/ Walt Disney
Studios Motion Pictures UK
Mary Poppins Returns © 2018 Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures UK
Glass © Universal Pictures/ Walt Disney Studios Motion
Pictures UK
Advertisement Sales
Talk Media Sales ☎ 01732 445325
David Lerpiniere
david.lerpiniere@talkmediasales.co.uk
Amy Reeves-Clews
amy.reeves@talkmediasales.co.uk
Production: AT Graphics
kelseycopy@atgraphicsuk.com
☎ 01733 362317
Production Team Leader Melanie Cooper
Management

DON’T
Managing Director Phil Weeden
Chief Executive Steve Wright
Chairman Steve Annetts

MISS OUT
Finance Director Joyce Parker-Sarioglu
Retail Distribution Manager Eleanor Brown
Publishing Operations Manager Charlotte Whittaker
Print Production Manager Nicola Pollard

Turn to page 112 Print Production Controller Georgina Harris

Audience Development Manager Andy Cotton
Brand Marketing Manager Kate Chamberlain
to subscribe! Events Manager Kat Chappell
Subscriptions
13 issues of SciFiNow are published
per annum
UK annual subscription £64.87
Europe annual subscription £78
USA annual subscription £78
Rest of World annual subscription £85

Contact us
UK subscription and back issue orderline:
☎ 0333 043 9848
Overseas subscription orderline:
☎ 0044 (0) 1959 543 747
Toll free USA subscription orderline:
☎ 1-888-777-0275
UK customer service team:
☎ 01959 543 747
Customer service email address:
subs@kelsey.co.uk
Customer service and subscription postal address:
SciFiNow Customer Service Team
Kelsey Publishing Ltd
Cudham Tithe Barn
Berry’s Hill
Cudham
Kent
TN16 3AG
United Kingdom

Website
Find current subscription offers at
shop.kelsey.co.uk/sfi
Buy back issues at shop.kelsey.co.uk/sfiback

Already a subscriber?
Manage your subscription online at
shop.kelsey.co.uk/myaccount
Distribution
Seymour Distribution Ltd, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London,

R E T U R N
EC1A 9PT www.seymour.co.uk
☎ 020 7429 4000
Printing
William Gibbons & Sons Ltd

Disclaimer
Kelsey Media 2018 © all rights reserved. Kelsey Media is a trading
name of Kelsey Publishing Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part is

T O T H E
forbidden except with permission in writing from the publishers. Note
to contributors: articles submitted for consideration by the editor must be
the original work of the author and not previously published. Where
photographs are included, which are not the property of the contributor,
permission to reproduce them must have been obtained from the owner
of the copyright. The editor cannot guarantee a personal response to
all letters and emails received. The views expressed in the magazine
are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Publisher. Kelsey Publishing
Ltd accepts no liability for products and services offered by third parties.

FRONTIER
Kelsey Publishing Ltd uses a multi-layered privacy notice, giving you
brief details about how we would like to use your personal information.
For full details, visit www.kelsey.co.uk , or call 01959 543524.
If you have any questions, please ask as submitting your
details indicates your consent, until you choose otherwise,
that we and our partners may contact you about products
and services that will be of relevance to you via direct mail,
phone, email or SMS. You can opt out at ANY time via
email: data.controller@kelsey.co.uk or 01959 543524.

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY IS BACK FOR SEASON TWO

WITH NEW MISSIONS AND OLD FACES
www.kelsey.co.uk
 “I’ve got a
really good
NEW!
feeling about this.”
HAN SOLO, SOLO: A STAR WARS™ STORY

The most thorough technical guide to

the Millennium Falcon available, fully
authorised and approved by Lucasfilm

AVA ILA BLE AT H AY NE S. COM/SCI-FI A N D A L L GOOD B OOK S H OP S © & ™ 2017 LUCASFILM LTD.