Update on 24: Live Another Day

He's baaaaaaaaaaaaack... well not yet, but soon... in 2014, DAMN IT. Jack Bauer is set to return to the network that idiotically cancelled his show a couple of years ago. It's not the movie we were expecting, a movie that looked like it was never going to see the light of day, but an event mini-series beginning May 2014. It's not a full season either, much to my chagrin, but I'll take it. Better than a movie as far as I'm concerned, though seeing Jack with unrestrained violence has a certain appeal.

24: Live Another Day will be 12 episodes long. Curious how they'll manage it, but I just know that as soon as I hear Jack Bauer's "Who are you working for!?" I'll be shedding tears of joy.

Jack Bauer is coming back.

Fox executives said Monday that its drama "24" is returning next May for a limited run that will stretch into the summer. The adventure series with Kiefer Sutherland starring as Jack Bauer ended its original run in 2010.

Fox programming chief Kevin Reilly said creators had been thinking about doing a movie with the original cast. But when Fox announced it was interested in doing a big event miniseries, they realized it was the perfect format.

“They always had this idea of maybe someday doing a feature film,” he said. “I think they all agreed 24 being compressed into two hours is not 24.” Sutherland said he was excited to see his character return to TV.

“The response to ‘24’ is unlike anything I have ever experienced as an actor before,”

Sutherland said in a statement. “To have the chance to reunite with the character, Jack Bauer, is like finding a lost friend. The story ideas from [producer] Howard Gordon are exciting and fresh, and will not disappoint...Make no mistake, my goal is to knock your socks off.”

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/05/13/24-returning-to-fox-for-12-episodes-network-announces/

Update on ARCANE WEST, a New Series by K.A. Stewart (Mihir)

Last year I found out that one of my favorite series was dropped by its publisher because they adjudged that the series wasn’t selling enough books. The Jesse James Dawson series was truly a good one and I’m looking forward to the author's next book in the series whenever she releases it independently.

Yesterday the author revealed a new book, which is set to be released via Intermix, Penguin’s new e-book imprint in January 2014. The book is currently titled Peacemaker first in the Arcane West series and here’s the blurb:

Caleb Marcus is a Peacemaker, a roving lawman tasked with maintaining the peace and bringing control to magic users on the frontier. A Peacemaker isn’t supposed to take a life—but sometimes, it’s kill or be killed… 

After a war injury left him half-scoured of his power, Caleb and his jackalope familiar have been shipped out West, keeping them out of sight and out of the way of more useful agents. And while life in the wild isn’t exactly Caleb’s cup of tea, he can’t deny that being amongst folk who aren’t as powerful as he is, even in his poor shape, is a bit of a relief. 

But Hope isn’t like the other small towns he’s visited. The children are being mysteriously robbed of their magical capabilities. There’s something strange and dark about the local land baron who runs the school. Cheyenne tribes are raiding the outlying homesteads with increasing frequency and strange earthquakes keep shaking the very ground Hope stands on. 

Something’s gone very wrong in the Wild West, and it’s up to Caleb to figure out what’s awry before he ends up at the end of the noose—or something far worse…

I have to say this alternate historical story sounds very exciting and combined with K.A. Stewart’s writing style, both Bastard and I can’t wait to get our hands on this new title from one of our favorite authors.

For those interested in knowing more about the Jesse James Dawson books can read the following reviews:

• My review of A Devil In The Details
• My review of A Shot In The Dark
• Bastard's review of A Shot In The Dark 
• My review of A Wolf At The Door
• My interview with Kari A. Stewart

Also you can follow the author over at her blog and via twitter.

Guillermo del Toro developing an adaptation of Urasawa Naoki's Monster for HBO

With the assumption that they won't fuck this up, this has to be the best news I've heard in a while. Monster by Urasawa Naoki is simply an amazing story. I've read the manga and watched the anime, both have become one of my favorites for both mediums, and I really can't express how excited I am if this comes to fruition.

According to Deadline Hollywood, Guillermo del Toro and HBO are "teaming on Monster, developing a potential series culled from a series of 18 volumes of Japanese Manga by author Naoki Urasawa published by Shogakukan Inc. Del Toro will co-write the story with Steven Thompson, best known for his work on Dr. Who and Sherlock." That's excellent news, a very good team to get the ball rolling as I'm a big fan of Sherlock too, and even though I haven't watched Dr. Who, I don't need to explain the importance of the series around these circles.

Urasawa Naoki has been for some time my favorite mangaka. He has a real talent for writing and drawing characters and telling carefully crafted compelling stories. He has a talent to make even the most minor of characters an interesting one. Not only interesting, but even important to the story. He has an amazing ability to show us the ugliness and the beauty of what it means to be human, and all his characters serve this very purpose. Urasawa will give you an engaging story, with good drama, awesome memorable characters, great character interaction, a good mystery, a good amount of tension, and stories that have meaning. I hope this happens, and if it's successful, that it opens the door to other of Urusawa's stories like 20th Century Boys or Pluto.

Monster is simply amazing and be ready to meet one of the best antagonists I've ever encountered. Even if this project doesn't become a reality, I exhort everyone to either read the manga or watch the anime, doesn't matter which as the anime was a very loyal adaptation. You will not be disappointed.

Kenzou Tenma, a Japanese brain surgeon in Germany, had it all: incredible skill at his work, a rich and beautiful fiancee, and a promising career at his hospital. However, after becoming disenchanted by hospital politics, he chose to save the life of a young boy who got shot in the head over the life of the mayor. As a result he lost the support of the hospital director, as well as his position in the hospital and his fiance. A short time later, the hospital director and the doctors that replaced him were murdered, and once again he was catapulted back onto the top. But as the chief suspect of the murders, Tenma did not get a easy life. As a matter of fact, it seems that the boy he saved was much more than he had appeared to be... Now to clear his name and to correct his past mistake, Tenma must get to the bottom of these and other murders, and investigate the truth of the Monster who is behind all of this.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=3750

Takami Koushun's Battle Royale on The CW?

Yesterday it was reported on the L.A. Times that the famous Japanese story, Battle Royale is being sought by The CW to adapt it to a TV Show on its network. My first reaction, was "fucking awesome!," but then I did a double take; The CW?

You see, Battle Royale is one of the most disturbing stories to ever hit the mainstream. What began as a novel by Takami Koushun, has been adapted to a Japanese film and manga (with sequels) to the glee of many, and to the horror of others. The film had long been speculated to be banned in the US, while inaccurate, it's true that fears of the repercussions of the movie reaching America prevented the movie of being distributed.

It was understandable. American society has become quite sensitive to issues that involve school violence and abuse. What would be the reaction to a story that involved students killing each other, beating the shit out of each other, among other twisted and disturbing scenes? All in its graphic violence glory. Thankfully, we now have a very nice blu-ray edition that came out in 2012. Do yourself a favor, and grab a copy, but certainly not for the faint of heart and those easily offended. Only for the curious of the twisted.

So why the major interest now? Well, those who have any knowledge of the Hunger Games phenomenon have probably stumbled upon the comparisons being made to this Battle Royale, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the potential for the mighty dough. But to The CW? I have a hard time seeing a proper adaptation being made. I mean, if it was HBO or Showtime, then I'd be more than ecstatic despite the whatever would get lost in translation as the story is Americanized.

Still, I can't help to be curious of what The CW might do with it if it gets its hands on it. I can't help but assume that they'd turn it to a romantic crap it was not meant to be to attract their demographics. Yet I see some of their attempts to be a bit edgy, with their Nikita adaptation, the recent Ringer show, and the ultra popular Supernatural, and I think it just might work.

Got to ask, Battle Royale to The CW...good idea?

You can buy the Battle Royale novel from The Book Depository.

For now, here's a trailer for the movie: