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Apple TV+'s Foundation show began life as a series of books by legendary sci-fi author Isaac Asimov, but another project from the streaming platform could be part of the same, larger shared universe as Asimov's space opera. Although the Foundation books have been altered quite drastically to create the show, it's still somehow recognizably the same story. Asimov's worldbuilding and extensive lore have allowed for a great deal of flexibility during Foundation's adaptation process, and Apple TV+ has applied a huge piece of Asimov's canon to another project on its platform.

With Foundation season 3 confirmed and on the way, the show's next run of episodes will continue the centuries-long saga of war between the Empire and Hari Seldon's titular organization. Even among the huge number of sci-fi shows on Apple TV+, Foundation stands out for its glossy aesthetic and cerebral premise. The scope of its fictitious universe is so...

In the working draft, the green script, it appears on page 51. "Kane's face screws into a mask of agony," read the terse, throb-like description. "A red stain, a smear of blood, blossoms on his chest. The fabric on his shirt rips open and a small head, the size of a fist, punches out…"

Jump-cut to Dallas in the spring of 1979, the second test screening of Alien. The first, in St. Louis, had been unconvincing: the sound had been out, the audience restless and the effect muted. In Dallas, the tentative Fox execs were to find out what they had on their hands.

As is now so familiar, it built slowly: 45 minutes, as Ridley Scott_); the dead ship (dubbed the "Derelict" by modelmakers); the haunting Space Jockey, a black rupture in its fossilised chest; and the Egg, gently pulsating before it peels open with a squelch – like sucking milkshake… "We were at the back,...

No monster has struck fear into the hearts of moviegoers quite like the Xenomorph. The titular creature in Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi masterpiece "Alien" — as well as the sequels, prequels, spin-offs, video games, comic books, and novels that followed — is a killer beyond compare in science fiction, and today stands as one of the genre's most recognizable antagonists. And while it's fair to say that the franchise has been subject to a few ups and downs over the years, the spine-chilling power of the Xenomorph itself has never been less than total.

How much do you really know about Ellen Ripley's archnemesis, though? Is there more to this horrific beast than what you've seen on screen? Well, yes: Fittingly for a creature designed by a legendary surrealist, the history of the Xenomorph is as strange as the monster is scary. From the earliest concepts to those endless variants to...

Even now, after surviving for more than 100 years and almost as many supposed deaths, the movies are still full of surprises. I submit to you the following as further proof of that phenomenon: At a time when feature-length sci-fi is dominated by franchise spectacle, someone made in which Tom Hanks plays a dying engineer named Finch Weinberg who builds a robot to care for his rescue dog once he’s gone. That isn’t the strange part. No, the strange part is that Finch’s creation — a sentient, Hertzfeldian nine-foot can opener who dubs himself “Jeff” after his AI formatting is interrupted by the superstorm that sends this story on a road trip from St. Louis to San Francisco — is voiced and motion-captured by king weirdo Caleb Landry Jones, an actor who’s always seemed more alien than android. He nevertheless (or directly because of that) delivers a heartfelt and...

An adorable trio pootle around a post-apocalyptic world in this sentimental sci-fi that curiously lacks any sense of danger

What would post-apocalyptic chiller The Road look like if it starred Tom Hanks opposite an adorable robot? A bit like this strange, sentimental sci-fi on Apple TV+ – co-written by veteran British producer Ivor Powell (who worked on Ridley Scott’s Alien and Blade Runner) and directed by Miguel Sapochnik. Well, it undoubtedly boasts some amazing visual effects work.

Tom Hanks plays Finch, an ageing, unwell inventor, who is perhaps the only person left alive on Earth after a human-made environmental catastrophe destroyed the ozone layer and left cities eerily half-buried in heat and dust. Now Finch scavenges for canned food by day and spends his evenings building an android called Jeff (a motion-captured Caleb Landry Jones) which has a Borat-slash-Stephen-Hawking electronic voice. Jeff goofily learns how to walk, to drive Finch...

For a post-apocalyptic saga set in a barren future of extreme temperatures and atmospheric toxicity, “Finch” comes with a strangely cozy premise, one that sends the universally beloved star Tom Hanks on an adventurous cross-country road trip alongside an affable homemade robot and an especially cute pooch.

The ever-paternal Hanks plays the eponymous character of Miguel Sapochnik’s impressively scaled science-fiction epic. He is one of humankind’s few survivors of a catastrophic cosmic event that wiped the earth nearly clean of its most vital resources a decade ago. Despite the bleak backdrop, “Finch” manages to stay true to the fuzzy ring of its basic idea, delivering a family-friendly movie that is big-hearted, comfortingly traditional and bolstered by a genuine love of dogs.

In its finest moments, the film even mimics the spirit of our canine companions in some respects, leaning closely into simple yet virtuous notions like hope, trust...

Finch is the story of a man, a dog and a robot who form an unlikely family on a dangerous cross-country trip across a post-apocalyptic landscape. It’s a simple-seeming premise that was anything but simple to pull off — both technically and narratively after the global pandemic prompted filmmakers to re-evaluate the entire idea of apocalypse-as-entertainment.

The tale began as a decade-old short film by Craig Luck about an ailing-yet-resourceful tech wizard who’s quite possibly the last man on Earth after a devastating solar flare. The short evolved into a screenplay titled Bios by Luck and Ivor Powell which, in ...

Tom Hanks is stepping into the post-apocalyptic genre with his newest film “Finch,” which got its first trailer from Apple on Monday. But this is Tom Hanks, so even a movie about the end of the world with him as its star is going to be heartwarming.

Hanks plays Finch, a robotics engineer struggling to survive on a world where a solar flare has killed all crops and made the planet nearly uninhabitable. He’s alone in his lab except for a faithful dog, and when he discovers that a solar storm is coming to destroy his home, he comes up with a wild plan to build a robot that will help him escape to the mountains.

But again, this is Tom Hanks we’re talking about! As Finch teaches Jeff the robot (voiced by Caleb Landry Jones) to drive and to find the wonders of life even in a...

The first full trailer for the upcoming Tom Hanks sci-fi movie Finch has been released by Apple TV+.

Finch — formerly titled Bios — is about the lone survivor of a global apocalypse who embarks on a dangerous journey to find a new home for his unlikely family — his dog and a newly created robot.

Finch is directed by Emmy-winner Miguel Sapochnik, who helmed several pivotal episodes of HBO’s Game of Thrones, including the fan-favorite “Battle of the Bastards.” It’s written by Craig Luck and Ivor Powell. Among the producing team is Robert Zemeckis, who directed Hanks’ in another solo ...

The first full trailer for the upcoming Tom Hanks sci-fi movie Finch has been released by Apple TV+.

Finch — formerly titled Bios — follows the lone survivor of a global apocalypse who embarks on a dangerous journey to find a new home for his unlikely family — his dog and a newly created robot.

Finch is directed by Emmy winner Miguel Sapochnik, who helmed several pivotal episodes of HBO’s Game of Thrones, including the fan-favorite “Battle of the Bastards.” It’s written by Craig Luck and Ivor Powell. Among the producing team is Robert Zemeckis, who directed Hanks in another solo ...

Apple Original Films has just released a first look at the upcoming sci-fi drama Finch, starring Tom Hanks, Caleb Landry Jones and Skeet Ulrich. The image shows a pensive Hanks joined with his dog and robot, getting ready to embark on a quest across the harsh landscape in a post-apocalyptic world. The mission is to build a robot to save a dog after his person is gone. Gimme the tissues!

In Finch, Tom Hanks, a robot and a dog form an unlikely family, with Tom Hanks playing a robotics engineer who has survived a cataclysmic solar event and global apocalypse inside an underground bunker. He is now on a quest to ensure that his dog, Goodyear, will be cared for after he's gone. He creates a robot named Jeff (voiced by Caleb Landry Jones) to watch over his dog when he no longer can, and the three together embark on...

Apple Original Films have debuted the first look of Tom Hanks in the upcoming feature ‘Finch’ alongside an announcement for its premiere on the streamer.

Hitting Apple TV+ on Friday, November 5, Hanks’ follow up to the Apple Original Film ‘Greyhound’, follows a man, a robot and a dog as they form an unlikely family in an adventure of one man’s quest to ensure that his beloved canine companion will be cared for after he’s gone.

Hanks stars as Finch, a robotics engineer and one of the few survivors of a cataclysmic solar event that has left the world a wasteland. But Finch, who has been living in an underground bunker for a decade, has built a world of his own that he shares with his dog, Goodyear. He creates a robot, played by Caleb Landry Jones, to watch over Goodyear when he no longer can. As the trio...

Apple Original Films announced today that the highly anticipated film “Finch” will debut on Apple TV+ on Friday, November 5. “Finch” stars Tom Hanks and Screen Actors Guild Award winner Caleb Landry Jones, who recently won best actor at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

Hanks’ follow up to the blockbuster Apple Original Film “Greyhound” comes from cutting-edge filmmaker Miguel Sapochnik, with an original screenplay by Craig Luck, making his feature-film writing debut, and Ivor Powell (associate producer of “Blade Runner” and “Alien”).

The film is produced by Kevin Misher, Jack Rapke, Jacqueline Levine, and Ivor Powell. The executive producers are Academy Award winner Robert Zemeckis, Luck, Sapochnik, Andy Berman, Adam Merims and Jeb Brody. Apple Original Films’ “Finch” is an Amblin Entertainment and Reliance Entertainment presentation, in association with Walden Media. “Finch” is an Imagemovers and Misher Films production.

In “Finch,” a man, a robot and a dog form an unlikely family...

Tom Hanks starrer Finch will debut on Apple TV+ on November 5, Apple Original Films said Thursdayt. Check out the first-look image below.

In the film directed by Miguel Sapochnik, the Oscar-winning Hanks plays a robotics engineer who is among the few survivors of a cataclysmic solar event. While that event left the world a wasteland, Finch has built a world of his own in the time since, which he shares with his beloved dog, Goodyear. Also living with Finch in his underground bunker is a robot (played by Caleb Landry Jones) that he’s built to watch over Goodyear when he no longer can.

Ultimately, the trio embarks on a road trip into a desolate American West, and while on this journey, Finch looks to show his creation — who has named himself Jeff — the joy and wonder that come with being alive.

Ivor Powell wrote the script with Craig Luck,...

Movie formerly titled “Bios” is directed by “Game of Thrones” filmmaker Miguel Sapochnik

Apple Studios has acquired another Tom Hanks movie after the success of “Greyhound,” this time the science-fiction film “Finch” from Amblin Entertainment.

“Finch,” formerly titled “Bios,” was meant to be released theatrically by Universal for this August, but Apple has now picked it up and will release the film on Apple TV+ later this year.

In “Finch,” a man, a robot and a dog form an unlikely family, with Tom Hanks starring as a robotics engineer who has survived a cataclysmic solar event and global apocalypse inside an underground bunker and is now on a quest to ensure that his dog will be cared for after he’s gone. He creates a robot named Jeff (voiced by Caleb Landry Jones) to watch over his dog when he no longer can, and the three together embark on a...

“Bios,” an upcoming sci-fi drama starring Tom Hanks, has been sold to Apple TV Plus.

Amblin Entertainment produced the film, which was intended to be distributed by Universal Pictures in theaters this August. With its purchase from Amblin, Apple TV Plus has renamed the movie “Finch.” The company has yet to set an official release date, but sources say it’s aiming for late 2021.

Insiders suggest the pic was sold to Apple TV Plus due to the impaired theatrical landscape. Though the movie theater business appears to be on the mend after nearly a year of Covid-19-related closures, some executives think “Finch” will be better served on a streaming service, given the crowded release schedule in 2021. Though nothing is official, the film likely won’t play on the big screen at all.

The sale marks the second Hanks film to debut on the budding Apple TV Plus following “Greyhound,...

Exclusive: Apple Original Films won a very competitive weekend auction among streamers to land the Tom Hanks-starrer Finch, an Amblin Entertainment sci-fi film that previously carried the title Bios and was originally intended to be released by Universal. It will now be released on Apple TV+ later this year, likely in awards season, with a qualifying theatrical run at least in the cards.

The film is directed by Miguel Sapochnik, who helmed some of the most ambitious episodes of Game of Thrones, including the “Battle of the Bastards” episode in Season 6 which won him the first of his two Emmys for the show. Script is by first-time screenwriter Craig Luck and Ivor Powell, latter of whom was associate producer of Blade Runner and Alien. Pic is produced by Kevin Misher, Jack Rapke, Jacqueline Levine and Powell. The executive producers are Robert Zemeckis, Luck, Sapochnik, Andy Berman and Adam Merims.

Here’s more fallout from Disney’s release date changes moves on Tuesday: With the studio dropping their 20th Century Studios’ Ryan Reynolds action comedy Free Guy on Aug. 13, Universal is now moving their Amblin Tom Hanks sci-fi film Bios, which was on that weekend, to Aug. 20 instead.

That leaves the calendar looking as follows:

August 13

Don’t Breathe 2 (Screen Gems)

Free Guy (20th, moved from May 21)

Respect (Uar)

August 20

Bios (Universal/Amblin)

The Hitman’s Wife Bodyguard (LG)

Paw Patrol (Paramount)

It’s only a matter of time that Reynolds’ Hitman’s Wife Bodyguard moves as well given the arrival of Free Guy.

In Bios, directed by Miguel Sapochnik and written by Craig Luck and Ivor Powell, a robot on a post-apocalyptic earth is built to protect the life of his creator’s beloved dog, learns about life, love, friendship and what it means to be human.

Kevin Misher produces with Jack Rapke,...

“Bios,” an upcoming sci-fi movie starring Tom Hanks and a pup named Goodyear, has been delayed.

The movie, from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, was initially scheduled for April 16, 2021. It has been pushed back by four months and will now open on Aug. 13. “Bios” is taking the place of an untitled Blumhouse Productions project.

“Bios” was directed by Miguel Sapochnik, best known for his work on HBO’s fantasy epic “Game of Thrones.” Craig Luck wrote the script with Ivor Powell. The post-apocalyptic drama follows the last man on Earth, an ailing inventor name Finch (Hanks). As he nears death, he builds an android to protect his beloved dog. The cast also includes Caleb Landry Jones, Samira Wiley, Skeet Ulrich and Laura Harrier.

Robert Zemeckis, who has collaborated with Hanks on “Forrest Gump,” “Cast Away” and “The Polar Express,” is executive producing the film with Luck, Sapochnik, Andy Berman and Adam Merims.

Tom Hanks’ “Bios” will move from April 16 to August 13, Universal Pictures announced on Thursday.

Amblin Entertainment’s film will take the place of an untitled Blumhouse film on Universal’s release calendar.

Miguel Sapochnik will direct, from an original screenplay by Craig Luck, who will be making his feature-film writing debut, and Ivor Powell.

“Bios” follows an ailing inventor, the last man on Earth, who builds an android to keep him and his dog company as he goes on a journey across the country.

Caleb Landry Jones, Samira Wiley, Laura Harrier and Skeet Ulrich also star.

The film is produced by Kevin Misher, Jack Rapke, Jacqueline Levine, and Powell. Robert Zemeckis, Craig Luck, Miguel Sapochnik, Andy Berman and Adam Merims are executive producing.

Currently, the Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect” will hit theaters on August 13, as well as Ben Affleck’s “Deep Water.”

Read original story Tom Hanks’ Sci-Fi Film ‘Bios...

Universal Pictures has moved the Tom Hanks post-apocalypse movie “Bios” back to 2021 in the latest of an array of release date changes amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Bios,” from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin banner, will move from Oct. 2 to April 16, 2021. “Bios,” which came together in 2017 with “Game of Thrones” helmer Miguel Sapochnik directing from a script by Craig Luck and Ivor Powell, follows a robot that lives on a post-apocalyptic earth. Built to protect the life of his dying creator’s beloved dog, it learns about love, friendship, and the meaning of human life. Hanks plays the ailing creator.

Robert Zemeckis and Kevin Misher are producing through their ImageMovers banner. The executive producers are Zemeckis, Craig Luck, Sapochnik, Andy Berman and Adam Merims.

The move for “Bios” was announced Friday in the wake of Warner Bros. moving eight of its titles including “Tenet,” “Wonder Woman 1984” and the fourth Matrix movie.

Universal Pictures said on Friday that the studio has pushed the release of its heartfelt Tom Hanks-led sci-fi film “Bios” to April 2021.

The film was initially set to hit theaters on Oct. 2, 2020 but will now premiere on April 16, 2021. The news comes after Warner Bros. shifted a major portion of its future slate, including moving “Wonder Woman 1984” to Oct. 2, 2020, from its August release date.

“Bios” tells the story of a man, a robot and a dog who form an unlikely family. Hanks stars as Finch, a robotics engineer and one of the few survivors of a cataclysmic solar event that has left the world a wasteland. But Finch, who has been living in an underground bunker for decades, has built a world of his own that he shares with his dog, Goodyear.

Also Read: 'Wonder Woman 1984' Moves Theatrical Release From August to October

In the film,...

Universal/Amblin’s Bios is the first to move off Oct. 2 after Warner Bros. plopped Wonder Woman 1984 on that new date, and will now go on April 16, 2021. Uni already had April 16 on hold with untitled event movie.

Already on that date is the Warner Bros. Lisa Joy-directed sci-fi film Reminiscence which stars Hugh Jackman, Thandie Newton and Rebecca Ferguson.

Bios‘ departure from Oct. 2 leaves Paramount’s Tom Clancy movie Without Remorse standing next to Wonder Woman 1984.

With New York theaters and some prime offshore territories not really open yet, Warner Bros. made some seismic release date changes which has everyone jumping in response. That began with Tenet, which was the event movie primed to get the summer season started, going from July 17 to July 31. However, Warners took Wonder Woman 1984 to the first weekend in October, a frame they bronzed last year as the month’s best...

In today’s film news roundup, “Three Identical Strangers” is moving ahead, Skeet Ulrich has been cast with Tom Hanks, the “Minions” sequel has been titled and “Vegas Dave” is getting a movie.

McCarten Attached

“Bohemian Rhapsody” screenwriter Anthony McCarten will write and produce the feature adaptation of the documentary “Three Identical Strangers.”

Raw, Film4 and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment announced the project last year, based on the story of Robert Shafran, David Kellman and Eddy Galland, three complete strangers who inadvertently discover that they are identical triplets separated at birth. McCarten was nominated for an Academy Award for writing and producing “The Theory of Everything” and producing “Darkest Hour.”

Raw’s original documentary feature “Three Identical Strangers” premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and was awarded the Special Jury Prize for Documentary Storytelling. It grossed over $12 million at the Us box office and won the DGA Award for Documentary.

McCarten...

Caleb Landry Jones is set to join Tom Hanks in Amblin Entertainment’s sci-fi pic “Bios,” sources tell Variety.

The film follows Finch, the last man on Earth. An ailing inventor facing his own mortality, Finch builds a robot to keep his beloved dog safe. As the trio embarks upon an epic cross-country journey, the scientist must teach his creation to become “human” enough to take care of its charge, and the beloved pet to accept a new master.

Jones will be playing the robot in the motion-capture role.

Miguel Sapochnik, who helmed the Emmy-winning “Battle of the Bastards” episode of “Game of Thrones,” will direct with Craig Luck and Ivor Powell penning the script.

The film will be produced by Kevin Misher, as well as ImageMovers’ Jack Rapke and Jackie Levine, alongside Powell. Robert Zemeckis, Luck, Sapochnik, and Andy Berman will serve as executive producers.

Universal Pictures will distribute...

Exclusive: Now this has a familiar ring to it: Robert Zemeckis is revisiting the 1950s to rewrite history with one new project and then he’s going back to the future to prove the power of love with a second project.

No, Zemeckis isn’t revving up the DeLorean for more Marty McFly sequels — however, the director of the Back to the Future trilogy (1985-1990) and Contact (1997) is making a relatively rare return to science fiction with the two projects. This time around, however, his foray into the genre is in a producing role. On Monday, Zemeckis talked about the two projects: Bios, the upcoming feature film; and Project Blue Book, a television series that premieres in January on History.

Bios, scheduled to start filming early next year, reunites Zemeckis with one of his most celebrated collaborators. “We’re producing a really magnificent science fiction project called Bios with Tom Hanks,...

In today’s film news roundup, a science-fiction Tom Hanks project will arrive in 2020, “Hearts Beat Loud” gets a film festival slot, and “Notes on an Appearance” gets distribution.

Release Dates

Universal Pictures has dated Tom Hanks’ sci-fi story “Bios” for Oct. 2, 2020, along with giving horror-thriller “The Turning” a Feb. 22 launch and canine drama “A Dog’s Journey” for May 17, 2019.

Hanks stars in Amblin Entertainment’s “Bios” as the last man on Earth who builds a robot to keep his beloved dog safe. As the trio embarks upon an epic cross-country journey, the scientist must teach his creation to become “human” enough to take care of its charge… and the beloved pet to accept a new master.

“Bios” is directed by Miguel Sapochnik from a script by Craig Luck and Ivor Powell. Producers are Kevin Misher, as well as ImageMovers’ Jack Rapke and Jackie Levine. Robert Zemeckis, Luck, Sapochnik, and...

Universal has given release dates for three Amblin Partners pics: Dreamworks Pictures’ The Turning on Feb. 22 next year, Amblin’s A Dog’s Journey on Friday, May 17, 2019 and the Tom Hanks movie Bios on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020.

The Turning is a haunted house thriller inspired by the Henry James novella and follows a nanny who oversees two distributed orphans who are harboring dark secrets at an estate in Maine. Floria Sigismondi directs with Mackenzie Davis, Finn Wolfhard, Joely Richardson and newcomer Brooklyn Prince starring. The Conjuring‘s Chad & Carey Hayes wrote with Jade Bartlett, and Roy Lee and Scott Bernstein are producing. The Turning will open against IMGlobal/Paramount’s The Rhythm Section.

A Dog‘s Journey is the sequel to A Dog’s Purpose. Based on the bestselling series by author W. Bruce Cameron, pic directed by Gail Mancuso, follows a dog who finds the meaning of his own existence...

Universal Pictures has announced it will debut Amblin Entertainment's Bios, which stars Tom Hanks as the last man on earth, on Oct. 2, 2020.

And the haunted-house thriller The Turning will bow Feb. 22, 2019, while Amblin Entertainment's A Dog's Journey is set to go wide May 17, 2019.

Hanks toplines the sci-fi flick Bios as Finch, the last man on earth and an ailing inventor facing his own mortality. Bios is from screenwriters Craig Luck and Ivor Powell, with Robert Zemeckis, Craig Luck, Sapochnik and Andy Berman executive producing.

Kevin Misher, Jack Rapke, Jackie Levine and Ivor Powell are producing....

Universal Pictures has announced it will debut Amblin Entertainment's Bios, which stars Tom Hanks as the last man on earth, on Oct. 2, 2020.

And the haunted-house thriller The Turning will bow Feb. 22, 2019, while Amblin Entertainment's A Dog's Journey is set to go wide May 17, 2019.

Hanks toplines the sci-fi flick Bios as Finch, the last man on earth and an ailing inventor facing his own mortality. Bios is from screenwriters Craig Luck and Ivor Powell, with Robert Zemeckis, Craig Luck, Sapochnik and Andy Berman executive producing.

Kevin Misher, Jack Rapke, Jackie Levine and Ivor Powell ...

With its cosmic ambitions that still somehow achieved a universal appeal, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a film that has immersed audiences in its unique and singular vision for fifty years, and few were more immersed in the pioneering film than lifelong visual effects wizard Douglas Trumbull.

Working as a contractor on preliminary design work at production house, Graphic Films back when the film was still called Journey Beyond The Stars, Trumbull stayed with the film even as Graphics Film was let go by necessity, and the production moved to England. “I cold-called Kubrick from a telephone number I found in the (Graphic Films) office and I think he was impressed with what I had to say,” Trumbull said. “He contacted my boss (Con Pederson) and he helped arrange my flight tickets to England. I was never actually contracted for the film. I was originally told I would only be needed for about nine months,...

Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment is ready to explore what happens when Tom Hanks is the last man on Earth.

Amblin has picked up Bios, with Hanks attached to star and Miguel Sapochnik (Game of Thrones) set to direct. The project is from screenwriters Craig Luck and Ivor Powell, with Robert Zemeckis, Craig Luck, Sapochnik and Andy Berman executive producing. Kevin Misher, Jack Rapke, Jackie Levine and Ivor Powell are producing.

The project centers on Finch (Hanks), the last man on Earth. As he faces his own mortality, he builds a robot to care for his dog, the only thing he truly loves. Finch must teach...

Exclusive: Amblin Entertainment has acquired the spec package Bios with Tom Hanks starring and Miguel Sapochnik (Game of Thrones) directing. The project would be distributed through Universal. Amblin won the highly competitive bidding war this Am we’re told. Another aggressive bidder was Legendary Entertainment. Writers are Craig Luck and Ivor Powell. The story is about a robot on an a post-apocalyptic Earth who was programmed to protect his creator’s dog. Through that…...

Joseph Baxter Oct 30, 2017

Tom Hanks is set to star in Bios, a sci-fi film from celebrated Game Of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik.

While Tom Hanks has fielded a wide variety of roles over his storied onscreen career, there’s one thing he’s yet to tackle: a proper, fictional sci-fi film. However, that will soon change, since the megastar is now set to headline one such film project, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi project, called Bios. Moreover, he’s got a director in tow whose star is surging, thanks to his phenomenal work on Game of Thrones.

Hanks is attached to Bios as its star, reports Variety. The project – a spec package penned by Craig Luck, rewritten by Ivor Powell – had apparently been shopped around, with Amblin expected acquire it. The story, set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, will see Hanks playing the dying creator of a robot protagonist that was created to...

Bios: Tom Hanks (above in The Circle) will star in Bios. He'll portray a dying man who creates a robot to protect the life of his beloved dog in a post-apocalyptic setting. TV veteran Miguel Sapochnik (Game of Thrones) will direct. Craig Luck and Ivor Powell wrote the original screenplay; Robert Zemeckis will serve as a producer. [Variety]   Nicole: Back in January, we heard that Anna Kendrick (above in Table 19) was in talks to star in Nicole, a comedy about the daughter of Santa Claus, who must "take over the family business" when her father retires. Now the movie has started production and Kendrick has shared the first look at her character, dressed festively for the occasion. Bill Hader, Billy Eichner and Shirley MacLaine also star. [Instagram via...

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Bios: Tom Hanks (above in The Circle) will star in Bios. He'll portray a dying man who creates a robot to protect the life of his beloved dog in a post-apocalyptic setting. TV veteran Miguel Sapochnik (Game of Thrones) will direct. Craig Luck and Ivor Powell wrote the original screenplay; Robert Zemeckis will serve as a producer. [Variety]   Nicole: Back in January, we heard that Anna Kendrick (above in Table 19) was in talks to star in Nicole, a comedy about the daughter...

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Tom Hanks is attached to star in a hot new sci-fi project called Bios, which is currently being shopped to studios, with several potential bidders eyeing the project. Among them are Legendary, Warner Bros. and Studio 8, but whichever studio lands this project, they're expected to get to work rather quickly, with production being eyed to start in the first quarter of 2018, after the busy schedule of Tom Hanks starts to clear up.

The script was written by Craig Luck and Ivor Powell, which is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The story centers on a robot built by its ailing creator (Tom Hanks) to take care of his beloved dog, as he starts to fade away. Along the way, this robot learns about love, friendship and the meaning of human life. No further details were given about the story, or how many other characters still need to be cast. Still, given...

Avco Center Cinemas, Westwood, CA

On Friday, director Ridley Scott arrived in Sydney, Australia, reportedly to scout for locations for Prometheus 2.

Prometheus (2012) starred Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron and Idris Elba, was well received by critics and subsequently a box office hit. The sequel is scheduled for a release in March 2016.

I’ll bet Scott never thought in a million years that he’d be scouting locations for another Alien movie almost 35 years to the day after the original hit theaters.

Jump back to opening weekend… May 25, 1979. “In space no one can hear you scream”

I was a 12 year girl when my mother, after much pleading, took me to the Showcase Cinemas in East Hartford, Ct on that Friday night. These were the days prior to the words “spoilers” and “internet” when audiences went into a film blind and when parents didn’t take their children to R rated movies.

Our International Sales Agent (Isa) of the Day coverage is back again for this year's Cannes Film Festival. We will feature successful, upcoming, innovative and trailblazing agents from around the world, and cover the latest trends in sales and distribution. Beyond the numbers and deals, this segment will also share inspirational and unique stories of how these individuals have evolved and paved their way in the industry, and what they envision for the new waves in global cinema.

The fiery business maverick Andrew Loveday of Carnaby Films has a big message for the dinosaurs of the global film industry; be afraid. Be very afraid!

Andrew is here to create big change in the global film industry, and the time is right for his intentions. Banking partners have just committed 75 million a year to finance Carnaby's whole slate. He closed this deal here at the Cannes Film Festival with the help of his team members Tania Sarra (Director of International Sales), Alex Tate (Head of Acquisitions) and Sean O'Kelly (CEO).

This is incredibly exciting for global cinema because Carnaby only represents films of rich and high standards and has one of the best lineups at Cannes this year, including Damascus Cover, Tom Thumb and A Love of Money.

Andrew shares how he got his start, his philosophy and his honest and raw observations of the film sales world:

How did Carnaby start?

Carnaby was born fifteen years ago. I started it with my father Mike, and my cousin Terry. We worked for another film company, and then we decided to setup on our own. We started by raising the funds for a small budget movie of 200,000 dollars. We ended up raising 3.5 million instead; it blew our minds. It literally started from nothing. There was no plan, and now 13 years later, we've made 14 extremely rich films. The last one was Angel, and then there was The Wee Man, which got four BAFTA nominations and won two BAFTA awards for best film and audience award.

Then we realized after twelve years in the market, all our investors were asking, "Hey Andy, the film's out on the shelf. It's everywhere. Where's our money???" We thought, "Oh, actually... We don't know. We'll go speak to our sales company." Then we asked the sales company, and they blew us of with "Oh... You know, it's a tough time in the market...but talk to that guy. He'll know." Then we'd go talk to that guy, and another, and another and get more of the same; so, it took us twelve to thirteen years to realize that we need to be in charge of our films.

I setup the international sales side of Carnaby in November last year. We launched the company at Afm. I got all my titles back from all the sales agents at other companies and decided to launch Carnaby Sales and Distribution. Our first title that we took to the market was Panzer 88, written by Peter Bricks with producers Gary Kurtz and Ivor Powell (Star Wars, Alien and Blade Runner). We went to Afm, and everybody went "Wow! These guys have a 40 million dollar movie with Gary Kurtz and Ivor Powell. They're not sales agents!" Now, seven months later, here I am in Cannes with my sales and distribution arm.

My star of the company is Tania Sarra, who will be given the Future Industry Leader award on the 23rd. The international film community voted for her, and she deserves it because she's a brilliant and hardworking woman.

What does Carnaby have to offer producers?

My message for producers is that I'll help to make your film, and make sure that you get every single penny you deserve. We all know reputation is everything in a small industry where information goes around like wildfire. This is why, all of a sudden, stunning and unique projects are starting to flood in. We're working with established masters: Gary Kurtz, Ivor Powell, Anthony Wade and Roger Christian, plus a whole bunch of up and coming producers full of innovative ideas. There's no luck involved. These producers come to us because they know we're honest. We're very down to earth, and we don't get frustrated.

What is your philosophy on making films happen?

To sell really great films, you have to go out and get them. I really believe that you are what you eat, in anything you do. If you say, "Oh, I'm going to do small films, and that's all I'll ever do" then that's the market you'll be in. The market has changed so much over the last five to ten years with low budget movies. Everyone goes on the bandwagon of "I want to make another Blair Witch or Paranormal Activity." All it does is swamp the market so bad, that when you get to the consumer at the end of it, people say, "I'm not going to give my fifteen dollars for that film, because I know it's going to be a low budget and no good."

What do you see happening in the industry these days?

What I see in the industry is a very worrying time for a lot of the independent distributors. I think they're frantic and wondering what to do, because most of the new independent and smaller labels out there (especially in sales and distribution) can't afford to sustain their business on the 25-30 cent royalties of a DVD in a market where the DVD is going extinct. They've got overheads and staff; they don't have enough money to do a theatrical release.

People aren't fast to go to the cinema to see an art house or small indie movie unless it's got so much PR and movement internationally; people aren't really interested in it because they can watch it on TV for three pounds. You've got HBO on the Internet, Netflix. Smart TVs etc. The small distribution companies now want to produce their own movies so they can own it all, then they try to be producers. This is problematic because they're not film producers and never have been. They're accountants, clerks and marketing people running around like headless chickens, because they're trying to make movies. They're not always creative, and they think they are. They think, "Let's make a movie, because we know what we want and we know what sells." They saturate the market with poor films, and you are what you eat. If you keep putting shit into the market, after a while people won't go to the theatre. Consumers can only be cheated so many times, and these companies are actually a very big part of their own destruction. All they're doing is fueling a diminishing market in DVDs, which causes it to diminish even quicker.

Where do you believe your success comes from?

I'm a Pisces. This means I'm a dreamer and am very lucky, because I turn my dreams into reality. I get up everyday and never ever plan what I'm doing. I know what will be, will be. I can't change it. I just go with it. I get up and go "What are we doing today, guys?" and that's it. When you try to steer and manipulate something in life, all you do is set yourself up for disappointment. I've always been of this mindset.

This time last year, I sat on the Plage Royale Beach, and said, "You know what? I'm going to start an international sales agency, and it's going to be big. Next year, I'm going to be up there (on the Croisette) with a great office."

It's so hard to make a film. I was at the market last year with my cap in hand, showing my begging bowl to these guys and 97% of them have never made a movie in their life. I look at them as an industry of old boys, and the old boys will be terrified of me. All I have to say to them is that I'm coming for you. I'm here to create real change in the industry.

If you're going to do anything, fucking own it. Don't ever go, "I can't really be bothered" Because if you say you're going to do it, you have got to do it. When you have that, everything is possible. That's what I'm about. I said that I'm going to start an international sales agency and it will be highly successful. One year later, we're here in this beautiful office, and now a major Us bank has backed us for 70 million a year to fund our full slate. This is where we are now.

Learn more about Carnaby's Cannes Lineup

More about Carnaby:

Carnaby International Sales and Distribution is a UK film company specialising in worldwide sales, production, co-productions and UK distribution – with a catalogue of award-winning feature films and documentaries.

We have built up a fast growing and recognisable brand at all major motion picture and television festivals and markets worldwide, including Cannes, Afm, Efm, Berlinale, The Sundance Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Luff, Mipcom and Miptv.

Carnaby International Sales and Distribution focuses on international sales of film, television and film libraries. The company is based in the heart of Soho, London.

Okay, so who is ready to beat off some invading aliens? Um... anyone? Oh, not like that, you filthy pervert! I mean with firepower. You couldn't beat off using firepower. Well, I guess you could if you're really, really kinky! In any event... on tap right now are new goodies from Panzer 88.

From Gary Kurtz and Ivor Powell, the producers of Star Wars, Alien, and Blade Runner, Panzer 88 takes place in 1944 on the Eastern front of Russia.

Synopsis:

An invincible German King Tiger tank retreats across icy tundra. Battle-weary, hungry, and cold, its crack five-man crew are unbroken. But fate twists when they reluctantly pick up a stranded SS officer. Unaware of his part in the massacre of a local Jewish village, it proves a fatal decision, as they become the prey of a vengeful and unstoppable mythical entity that hungers for their destruction.

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

Carnaby sells Gary Kurtz-produced action to Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, among others.

UK sales outfit Carnaby has inked pre-sales on action Panzer 88 with Bobby Jones of Ipa Asia for Thailand and Vietnam.

Additional deals have closed with Monolith for Poland, Blitz Film in the Former Yugoslavia, J&J Media in Korea and Gulf Film for Middle East.

Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz produces Panzer 88 with Alien and Blade Runner associate producer Ivor Powell. Hellboy co-writer Peter Briggs has written the script and will direct.

VFX companies Weta Workshop and Prime Focus are also aboard.

The project, about a five-man German tank crew which encounters a supernatural entity as they motor across Russia, is due to go into production later this year.

And the American Film Market wave of news keeps right on crashing against our shores. Next to hit is the sales artwork for the new horror flick Panzer 88. Dig on it, and look for more on this one really soon.

Carnaby International is in talks with Gary Oldman (RoboCop, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Jay Baruchel (RoboCop, This Is the End), and Thomas Kretschmann (King Kong, Dracula 3D, Resident Evil: Apocalypse) to star in Peter Briggs' film.

From Gary Kurtz and Ivor Powell, the producers of Star Wars, Alien, and Blade Runner, Panzer 88 takes place in 1944 on the Eastern front of Russia.

Synopsis:

An invincible German King Tiger tank retreats across icy tundra. Battle-weary, hungry and cold, its crack five-man crew are unbroken. But fate twists when they reluctantly pick up a stranded SS officer. Unaware of his part in the massacre of a local Jewish village,...

It’s been a while since we last heard anything about Panzer 88, the slowly-developing supernatural horror film being produced by Gary Kurtz (The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars, American Graffiti). The latest word on the project is that producer Ivor Powell, who was being films like The Duellists, Alien and Blade Runner, has joined the team.

Directed and co-written by Peter Briggs, Panzer 88 tells the story of German tank during WW2. In October 1944, the German Army in Russia is in full retreat. The 5 man crew of the King Tiger tank they nickname “Ilsa”, stumbles across a small Jewish town that has previously been the target of an S.S. purge. Soon, they become the target of a vengeful supernatural entity that will stop at nothing until they’re destroyed.

The script is also written by Aaron Mason and Jim Cowan. Briggs and Priscilla Ross are also onboard as producers.

Apart from Ridley Scott, there is one other man who’s ideas and designs are synonymous with the “Alien” franchise, H.R Giger. Having the honor of being credited with creating one of films most terrifying monsters, Giger’s name is now an adjective for anything that carries his signature style.

Giger was born Hans Rudolf Giger in Switzerland in 1940. After studying Architecture and Industrial Design, he used the skills he had learnt and incorporated them into the craft that would make him famous. Moving from the traditional ink and oil paintings, Giger started using Airbrushes to create large canvasses that depicted dark, surreal imagery that hadn’t really been seen before. The subjects in his work are often biomechanical combinations of human and machine which are unnerving to see, as is his strong sexual imagery. It also links with a trend that was prominent in the 70′s that explored...

Over at the Prometheus Forums is an interesting post and set of picture-comparisons by the poster 'Lethal_Mutation', in which it's suggested that the space-suits in Ridley Scott's Alien prequel, released in early June of this year, derive a lot of tech-dna from a 1962 Soviet science-fiction film called Planeta Bur (aka Planet of the Storms, Planet of Storms, Planet of Tempests, and Storm Planet, among many others).

Lethal_Mutation (those of us who don't speak Russian will have to trust him on this) has translated part of a rather aggrieved article from a popular Russian Prometheus blog...

It appears that the design of the Prometheus spacesuits is not original but based on spacesuits from the Ussr developed in the early 1960's. Spacesuits of a similar design were first shown in the 1961 Soviet science fiction film, Planet of the Storms directed by Paul Klushantsev...It was purchased by the American studio,...

For more than three decades, audiences have been gripped as the spaceship Nostromo is invaded and its crew stalked by a terrifying parasitic creature.

This week, two special cinema events will take viewers back into the dark tunnels of Ridley Scott's iconic 1979 movie Alien, tracing its path from embryonic concept to fully-fledged box office success.

Ivor Powell, associate producer on Alien, and Brian Johnson, a special effects supervisor on the film, will be joined at the events by Ian Nathan, author of the new book Alien Vault: The Definitive Story of The Making of The Film (pictured above).

The three will discuss the making of the critically-acclaimed sci-fi horror classic at the Everyman cinemas in London and Winchester on October 19 and 20. At both venues, a talk and audience Q&A will be followed by a showing of the film.

Published by Aurum Press, the hardback book Alien Vault is a fully endorsed,...

American comic book writer Gail Simone and best-selling British science-fiction author Peter F. Hamilton are joining the ranks of star guests at next month's McM Expo London Comic Con.

Perhaps best known for her work on DC Comics' Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman, Gail's writing credits also include Secret Six, Deadpool, The All-New Atom and Welcome to Tranquility. Most recently, Simone has been penning Batgirl and co-writing Fury of Firestorm as part of DC's massive September relaunch.

Noted for combining epic space opera with startling perspectives on tomorrow's technological and cultural trends, Peter F. Hamilton's novels include the much-praised Void Trilogy as well as the galaxy-spanning Commonwealth Saga and the groundbreaking Night's Dawn Trilogy.

In addition, organisers have announced that Empire magazine's Ian Nathan will be interviewing Alien associate producer Ivor Powell and visual effects supervisor Brian Johnson about the making of Ridley Scott's seminal movie. He...