Back in September it was reported that the estate of Jack Kirby had issued termination of copyright notices to Marvel, Disney and any studio that produces films based on characters created or co-created by the late Jacob Kurtzberg (Jack Kirby). The characters impacted by the termination notices include the iconic Captain America, the X-Men, Hulk, and of course, the Silver Surfer.

The basic purpose of the Kirby lawsuit was to place the Kirby Estate in a position to be able to negotiate with Marvel over their terms to continue publishing comics based on Kirby’s work which, in turn, would extend into Marvel/Disney’s use of those properties in film.

If the Kirby Estate’s claims are found valid, word is they would regain their copyright ownership to those characters in 2014. Obviously this wouldn’t have an impact on the current Silver Surfer movie, but it could impact future movies if the film’s were to evolve into a franchise (and let’s hope they do!). It doesn’t mean they wouldn’t get made, it simply means Kirby’s Estate would be in a position to influence their development and, obviously, reap more financial reward from them, something the studios don’t want as an additional financial burden.

It’s taken a few months, but today Marvel formally announced that they’ve lodged their own lawsuit to counter the Kirby Estate’s claims. You can read the entire lawsuit after the jump, but in a nutshell they are seeking, as would have been expected, to obtain judicial approval that the notices of termination are invalid.

Read more…

Sideshow Collectibles' "Silver Surfer Comiquette"

Sideshow Collectibles are set to release an awesome new Silver Surfer comiquette with their December 17th Newsletter. They’ve released a promotional video which gives you glimpses at the statue alongside a cool music track (screenshot from the video above).

Watch the promo video now:

Personally, I’m not sure I like the cosmic power/stream effect on the hands. The pose perhaps could have been more bad-ass action oriented instead of grace oriented, but the detail of his physique still looks amazing. My view on the detracting elements may change once I hold the statue in my hand or see a few more images.

Unfortunately I’ve searched but been unable to find full specifications. To get all the details and to ensure you don’t miss out on nabbing one if it turns out to be a Limited Edition item, you’ll need to sign up for Sideshow’s newsletter. At the time of writing this post, signing up will give you a $5 e-coupon code which will, obviously, save you $5 on your first order.

The item isn’t listed on Sideshow yet, but if you want to visit the preview page go here.

A new rumor has begun circulating that Michael Green (Heroes co-executive producer and co-writer of the upcoming The Green Lantern) is writing the screenplay to the Silver Surfer movie.

The origin of this rumor seems to have stemmed from an article on Reelz Channel. The article in question, titled ‘Silver Surfer is NOT Dead‘, quotes J. Michael Straczynski’s clarification earlier this week that his now obsolete script has nothing to do with the other Silver Surfer script under development at Fox, leading Reelz to report:

The other script that Straczynski mentions is likely the one that Michael Green, co-executive producer of Heroes and the co-writer of Green Lantern, has been working on for Fox. Green’s script will likely reboot the franchise, in light of the lackluster performance of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

To clarify, Michael Green has been hired by Fox to write the reboot screenplay for the new Fantastic Four movie. There has been no information to suggest he is also working on the Silver Surfer movie.

Whilst the Reelz article does, perhaps inadvertantly, suggest Green is likely working on the Silver Surfer film, the fact is the name of the scribe – if indeed there is one at this time – remains unknown. It should be remembered that active development of a screenplay includes a whole lot of processes in addition to the actual writing. It is entirely possible that at this early stage Fox have yet to select a script or a screenwriter yet.

When they do, I’ll post it here.

Numerous news and blogs continue to report the false rumor that the Silver Surfer movie is dead. Some aren’t reporting that it’s dead, but are reporting that the film is in doubt. All of these reports are false.

The core rumor appears to have started with IGN who took some comments made by J. Michael Straczynski in an interview with Collider out of context.

Now, J. Michael Straczynski has personally clarified the issue to correct the mistake, and has posted this clarification on a number of websites running the story:

Guys…guys…GUYS…whoa, slow down, back the bus up a second.

When I was asked about the Silver Surfer script, I responded about the one I’d written around the time that FF2 was launched, and was designed to pick up where that one left off.

When FF2 didn’t do as well as hoped for, that script was set aside, but that has NOTHING to do with the Silver Surfer script that is NOW under development at Fox with other folks. As far as I know, that is proceeding apace. So the hysteria that’s gripped the nets about “ohmygod the Surfer movie is dead!” is not correct, as I was again referring to only that one specific script tied into FF2, NOT what’s being done now.

J. Michael Straczynski

Whilst JMS is not currently actively involved with the new film, he has confirmed (to his knowledge) that the film is still proceeding and, at the very least, that all comments associating him to confirmation that the film isn’t proceeding are wrong. Hopefully now this rumor can end.

A rumor has begun circulating that the Silver Surfer movie is now dead. The rumor seems to have started with IGN who, after reading comments made by J. Michael Straczynski in an interview with Collider, have reported the following via an article titled ‘Silver Surfer Dead‘:

Don’t expect to see a Silver Surfer movie for a while, according to Ninja Assassin scribe J. Michael Straczynski, who was tasked with co-writing the flick.

At no stage in his interview with Collider did Straczynski say or allude that the Silver Surfer film was dead, or that it would be delayed. He merely confirmed that his original script, which told a story that unfolds after the events of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, was no longer applicable.

Unfortunately a number of other blogs/news sites are taking IGN’s article on board and posting that the Silver Surfer movie isn’t going to happen. All of these reports stem back to the original Collider interview which has simply been taken out of context.

The fact remains that whilst Fox are keeping a secretive lid on things, nothing Straczynski has said to Collider has changed a thing. A movie based on the Silver Surfer remains in active development.

Scene from Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Verifying my speculation in this article, during a recent interview with Collider Babylon 5 guru J. Michael Straczynski has confirmed that his original script for the Silver Surfer movie will no longer be suitable for the upcoming film.

Straczynski wrote a script for a Silver Surfer movie that was slated to be a sequel to Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. The script was said to be pretty good, taking off immediately from the end of Fantastic Four 2 and picking up the back story of why Silver Surfer was working for Galactus. The story was to follow the Silver Surfer as he raced to his homeworld in fear that his betrayal of Galactus would lead the planet eater back there to destroy it.  Sounds cool, but that’s not the story we’re going to get.

From Collider:

Q: Is your Silver Surfer draft dead?

JMS: What happened was when FF2 didn’t do as well as they hoped it would do, it caused them to call into question a Silver Surfer movie. The script that I wrote picked up right where FF2 left off. So if they do a Silver Surfer film down the road, it’ll have to be its own separate things.

Q: Fans thought the tone wasn’t right. Was yours geared at children?

JMS: It was definitely adult fare. I wanted to tell the origin of the Surfer and get into that whole thing.

From the tone of Straczynski’s reply it would seem he’s also completely unaware of what’s happening with the Silver Surfer film. It’s probably fair to say that Fox don’t intend for him to be involved given that the script for the film is, apparently, in active development as we speak. If true that, to my mind, is potentially bad news – although I say that without any clue as to who is actually working on the script. Fox are deathly quiet on dropping any screenwriter names, so what exactly ‘active development’ means right now is anybody’s guess.

For now, we just have to sit tight and be happy that it is in active development.

Doug Jones as the 'Silver Surfer'

Although rumors that Doug Jones will reprise his role as the Silver Surfer in the upcoming Marvel Enterprises Silver Surfer movie are at this stage false, information has emerged that Doug Jones is, at the very least, still under contract to play the Silver Surfer.

Jones confirmed as much during an exclusive interview with It’s Just Movies, verifying that he’ll remain under contract for either two more years or for two more films as the Silver Surfer, whichever comes first (which, no doubt, will be the two more years).

From It’s Just Movies:

Where are we on another “Silver Surfer” movie?

Doug Jones: Your guess is as good as mine … probably better. There are still a couple of years left on their option for two more pictures with me, as a three-picture deal is quite standard when starting a franchise-potential character. But with all the “re-boot” talk of the Fantastic Four, I have no idea where that leaves the Silver Surfer end of things. I would love to re-visit this character. I do love Norrin Radd.

Casting on Silver Surfer won’t start until a green-light is given to the script, which is currently in active development at Fox. Until then, whether Jones’ options will be exercised by the studio or not remains unknown.

Silver Surfer is slated for release in 2012.

Silver Surfer 'Annihilation' Framed Giclee on Canvas Fine Art Collectible

Whilst we all wait patiently for the next piece of Silver Surfer movie news, fans may be interested in this hot new Silver Surfer collectible just released by Sideshow Collectibles – and it is hot as they only released it today and already more than half of them have sold out!

Here’s how Sideshow summarise it:

Sideshow Collectibles is proud to present the limited edition fine art prints of Every Picture Tells a Story. The Silver Surfer, in a fantastically rendered painting by GABRIELE DELL’OTTO from the cover of ANNIHILATION: SILVER SURFER 1 — reproduced in a signed, edition of 70 on canvas. Gabriele Dell’Otto is an Italian illustrator author whose works have been published around the world. His artwork has been widely seen in scientific illustration, calendars, lithographies, books, magazines covers and video games. In 1998, he began collaborating with the European division of Marvel Comics, producing covers, posters and lithographies for Italy, France and Germany. In 2002, he began the art for the acclaimed U.S. Marvel series, Secret War, written by Brian Michael Bendis and editor Joe Quesada. Between 2006 and 2007, Dell’Otto provided all the covers of the saga, ANNIHILATION, including the SILVER SURFER ANNIHILATION #2, which has been reproduced by Every Picture Tells A Story’s Marvel ArtWorks into a striking canvas print. Each piece is expertly framed by the gallery professionals of Parker Jordan Fine Art.

They stand 24″ high, there are only 70 in the world, and each one is manufactured upon order by ‘Every Picture Tells a Story’.

You’ll need a cool $770 to nab one.

Check out the product page here.

Doug Jones as the Silver Surfer in 'Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer'

Since the news surfaced that Fox were discussing a Silver Surfer movie the interwebs have been alive with chatter and speculation.  The two misconceptions hat have caught my eye the most are that the ideas that the new Silver Surfer looks awesome and that Doug Jones has been cast in the title role.

First, the film is only in a discussion stage at the moment.  No official announcement has been made.  Images of the Silver Surfer that have been posted with the announcement are images taken from Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. So yes, whilst the Surfer looks awesome in those images, they are not from the proposed movie.

Second, a lot of people seem to think Doug Jones, who played the physical Silver Surfer in Rise of the Silver Surfer (Laurence Fishburne provided the voice), has been cast as the title character in the upcoming movie.  Whilst many fans are keen to see Doug Jones reprise his role as the Silver Surfer, the fact is Jones’ involvement is nothing more than rumor – at least at this stage.

It is simply too early in the development process to discuss the Silver Surfer’s look or the cast.

Hopefully that will all change soon.

Now that we know 20th Century Fox are “working on” a Silver Surfer movie, many fans are wondering if Fox will continue to develop Babylon 5 guru J. Michael Straczynski’s original screenplay or if they’ll head in an all new direction.

If you didn’t already know, Straczynski wrote a script for a Silver Surfer movie that was slated to be a sequel to Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Here’s what Straczynski had to say about the premise of his screenplay in an interview with AMCTV:

I was writing it as FF2 was about to come out, and the theory was for it to pick up literally the next frame after the FF2 movie, where you find out why Silver Surfer was there and what happened to him. We would have seen Galactus, his home world, what happened and him trying to get back there, because now that he’s betrayed Galactus, he’s concerned his home world might be in jeopardy.

The script is pretty good, I like it, but whether or not it goes into production, I have no idea.

With the announcement by Fox that they intend to reboot Fantastic Four completely, it would seem reasonable to speculate that Straczynski’s screenplay might now either be out the window or, if it is to be used, will require a certain amount of reworking.  It would be doubtful that the studio would be disappointed enough in a franchise that they would reboot it whilst at the same time being willing to fund a spin-off sequel to the franchise that they no longer want to continue with.

Of course, the corollory to that notion is that Straczynski is now as big a Hollywood name as he is a fanboy favorite, thanks to three Oscar nominations for Changeling, a film he penned.  He also wrote the upcoming Ninja Assassin which is sure to be a hit with The Matrix team behin dit, and has a truck load of films including some epics (such as Lensman) on the way.  So whilst it seems reasonable to speculate that Fox might want an all new direction for the Silver Surfer movie that distances it from Fantastic Four, they may also want to retain Straczynski for the screenplay.

Perhaps the answer will reside in just how tied to Rise of the Silver Surfer Straczynki’s sequel screenplay is.  If only loosely, it may be that the Silver Surfer movie could be developed faster than you might think if the script is already good to go.

Let’s hope so.