a byte of sci fi

Star Wars fans may not be excited about news of the new Pre-K focused series that George Lucas recently announced, but they are eagerly awaiting the live-action television series currently in the works.  And work is progressing on making this series a reality.  Even though it has no name and no network at this point, allegedly work on the scripts is at an “advanced stage” and production will begin once the scripts are done.  The series takes place between the events of Episode III and Episode IV of the movie series and will have mostly new characters and follow more of a soap opera format, focusing on personal dramas.  Supposedly, George Lucas is financing the initial run of episodes himself . . . An upcoming episode of FOX’s Fringe that will air in May will have the entire cast breaking out into song and dance routines.  It will air during a Glee-themed week and supposedly the musical numbers will be part of delusions experienced by Walter Bishop . . . Apparently the BBC’s Merlin is not enough King Arthur for television because Starz has issued a press release stating that they will produce a series titled Camelot which will adapt Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur.  This series will emphasize the romance of the Arthurian tales and “will weave authenticity into a modern telling of the Arthur legends that is relatable to contemporary audiences.”  This production will come from the same creative teamed that brought us The Tudors, Life on Mars and Torchwood . . . And speaking of Torchwood, John Barrowman has said that he hopes they do not change the sexual orientation of his Captain Jack Harkness character in the upcoming American version for FOX: “The last thing I would want would be for Jack to become this heterosexual, straight hero. He’s an omnisexual guy. He likes men, women, aliens, whatever. I think we should continue going down that route.”

The 30 second trailer for the new season of Doctor Who, in which Matt Smith assumes the title role,  is available online (see below) and shows glimpses of the Daleks and the Cybermen as well as the new logo.  The fifth season debuts on the BBC on April 3rd and on BBC America on April 17th.

In the fourth installment of the Shrek animated movie series, our favorite ogre makes a bad deal with a pixie named Rumpelstiltskin that creates an alternate reality where none of his friends and family know him anymore  (is this a sideways reality, or should we expect Hiro to stop by to fix things?)  Following is the latest trailer from the movie:

Predators, the third movie in that franchise (not including the two Alien cross-overs) hits theaters in July with Adrien Brody, Alice Braga, and Laurence Fishburne heading up the cast.  Here is a sneak preview of what to expect, and for more info go to the movie’s official site.:

Also see: We break down what’s new and and what’s cool in Predators from Sci Fi Wire