FOX to David Cronenberg: Shoo, ‘Fly’

November 21, 2011

By Tom Blunt

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David Cronenberg/Photo by Stuart Wilson/ImageNet

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Sad news for sci-fi geeks: FOX has passed on David Cronenberg’s script for a new “The Fly” installment (described by the director as not a remake but a “parallel story.” Either way, the entire plot is based on a short story by George Langelaan).  In the meantime he has also dropped hints about a sequel to “Eastern Promises.” Is Cronenberg growing nostalgic in his old(er) age, or has he simply run out of ideas? I say let him have his fun — as long as no one allows “Naked Lunch 2″ to happen.

New casting rumors abound for the adaptation of Akira, but it looks as if they’re still hellbent on an all-white cast — regardless of what George Takei thinks. (Though I have to say, we could do worse than Michael Pitt or Paul Dano.)

Brain Pickings would like to introduce you to seven obscure children’s books by authors of grown-up literature, including the likes of Virgina Woolf and James Joyce. When will our kids get the 3-D animated version of Mary Shelley’s Maurice, or The Fisher’s Cot that they deserve?

Filed under pranks and humorously bad casting ideas, we find this choice nugget: The Beast blogger Ian Murphy claims to have suckered Newt Gingrich into accepting a cameo role in “Transformers 4.” If you can believe the audio recording, Murphy posed as director Michael Bay and offered Gingrich a part in which he’d refer to the evil Decepticons as “job-creators.” The real Michael Bay was unavailable for comment, but I bet he secretly wishes he’d actually thought of this himself.

Tags: Akira, David Cronenberg, George Langelaan, George Takei, James Joyce, Mary Shelley, Michael Pitt, Naked Lunch, Newt Gingrich, Paul Dano, The Fly, Transformers, Virginia Woolf