Genre: Science Fiction/Adventure.
Studio:
MGM/UA.
Production Company:
United Artists/Imperial Entertainment.
Project Phase: In the Can.
Who's In It:
James Spader; Angela Bassett; Peter Facinelli (Troy); Wilson Cruz; Lou Diamond Phillips; Robin Tunney;
Robert Forster.
Who's Making It:
Walter Hill (Director); David Campbell Wilson (Screenwriter); Ash Shaw, Dan
Chuba, Jamie Dixon (Producers; Digital Domain (Special Visual Effects); Thomas L. Fisher (Special
Effects Supervisor); Mark Stetson (Visual Effects Supervisor).
Premise: When a deep-space hospital starship rescues a survivor of another ship, their lives are placed in jeopardy from the man they helped.
Release Date: Q1 1999 or November 1999.
Developments:
March, 1998... November, 1997... Geoffrey Wright is now attached to direct the film.
January, 1997... With no further development on the project, MGM has now shied away from mentioning this as a 1997 release.
Comments: Sounds...interesting. Think 'Irwin Allen meets CGI'.
Rumors: Unknown.
Scoop Feedback:
April 28, 1996... Although still a recently-new project, one wonders exactly which star will go boom. Betelgeuse perhaps? [Puzzled over by 'Sandoz'.]
November 10, 1997... Our first hint as to what the story is about is finally revealed. Variety reports that Australian director Geoffrey Wright (who was attached to the Silver Surfer film) is now attached to this film. A March '98 shooting date is planned for, with the story centering upon the crew of a deep-space hospital ship coming to the aid of a space vessel in distress, and subsequently placed in danger by a man they rescued. [Scoop mailed in by 'Echoes'.]
February 5, 1998... We've just been told that the star of the picture (pun intended) will probably be a large red giant "just outside" a thirty light year radius of Sol, with the foreshadowing phrase of "Arcturus is looking nice this time of year," name-dropped. One neat point the scooper mentioned is that the star's supernova is apparently induced to happen. The film will also showcase what the scooper calls an "extensive" use of zero gravity, robots and AI. [Anonymous.]
Variety reports James Spader (Stargate) is reportedly in negotiations to star in the picture. [Scooped by ZENtertainment; originally appeared in Variety.]
February 23, 1998... Here's what our United Artists insider had to say about Wright's departure:
"Director Geoffrey Wright who was attached to project fell out of after a disagreement with the studio about details and plot points in the story. Wright wanted a harder, scientific, NASA-approved approach and the studio wanted more 'warmth and fun' with the cataclysmic supernova event. The cast was to include James Spader, Vincent D'Onofrio, Sean Patrick Flannery, Patricia Arquette, and Robin Tunney. Sets are still under construction and the project is tipped to go on with a new director and cast, though still led by Spader." [We're exploding with plasmatic joy thanks to our anonymous scooper.]
March 17, 1998... We're told that MGM and Walter Hill have decided they want actor Stephen Dorff for the role of Troy, and a $2 million offer has been made to Jennifer Lopez to play the character Kaela. We're also told both Patricia Arquette and Vincent D'Onofrio both dropped out after Geoffrey Wright was "fired by Lindsey Doran,." [Anonymous.]
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April 10, 1998... James Spader and Angela Bassett are confirmed for their roles. Peter Facinelli has been cast as
Troy, the mysterious and dangerous man the rescue ship saves. [Joesph McMahon, 'C14S1657', anonymous.] Still hearing from our anonymous tipster, CA has learned of some new casting developments. Lou Diamond Phillips is in talks to also join the cast, while Digital Domain has landed the FX job. [Anonymous.] Our down under pal heard that Wright vacated the director's chair when he was asked to pick someone else besides his choice for the leading lady (reportedly Patricia Arquette.) Wright left the project rather than cast someone else. [Furinished by 'kplummer'.] This scooper said Hill was re-writing the script to suit his tastes. Another different, anonymous scooper wrote Hill "...has made [the script] way cooler and commercial." [Submitted by 'peltzer' and anonymous.] May 5, 1998... Thanks to the ever-cool anonymous friend-out-there, we now have a pre-production poster for the film to show you. Films usually create these before any photography takes place to promote awareness of the project in trade magazines and press releases. If you look closely at the bottom of the poster, this one advertises the picture's release back in '97 -- so it's dated (but still cool to see.) [Again, thanks to anonymous.] June 2, 1998... An anonymous person steps forth and points us in the right direction. Providing us with a URL, we find MGM's recent press announcement for the film. Delightfully, it tells us more detail about the film's plot than any previous scoop. While it's not like an actual script detailing the storyline and providing character names, it'll do for now. "Supernova chronicles the search and rescue patrol of a deep space medical ship and its six-member crew. When their vessel, the Nightingale 229, answers an emergency distress signal from a comet mining operation in a distant galaxy, the crew soon finds itself in danger from the mysterious young man they rescue, the alien artifact he's smuggled aboard, and the gravitational pull of a giant star about go supernova -- the most massive explosion in the universe."
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Swipe the space below to uncover some MINOR SPOILER MATERIAL in case you want to know more:
According to our scooper, the passenger the rescue ship picks up is able to make stars go supernova.
[Sent in by 'Big Man from Big B.A.'.]
August 25, 1998... A slight correction concerning proper credit should be noted. Previously we had reported that Digital Domain guru Thomas L. Fisher was the Visual Effects Supervisor, when in actuality it's Mark Stetson (who previously worked on a little film you might have heard about called The Fifth Element.) Fisher's still working on Supernova although his role is as the Special Effects Supervisor. [Don't thank us you two -- give a pat on the back to Bob Hoffman.]
December 27, 1998... Uh oh. "It looks like SUPERNOVA is in a heap of trouble," writes our latest scooper. "The MGM/UA website has been taken down, there's no sign of it anywhere at MGM, and it's gradually vanishing from upcomign release schedules. One source indicates a Nov.99 release, others are silent. The script was altered to have a downbeat ending, too, along with a prologue section that seemed to be designed to overcome the slow character intros. Lots of rewriting. Could have been far better, but it will depend on the set design and visual effects now." Oh man. Anyone else hear its been shifted to a late '99 release?? [Scooped anonymously.]
January 3, 1999... According to this person who was speaking to the web designer at MGM a full Supernova Official web site will be online in the next couple of months. [Thanks Phil.]
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