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Apparently, that 'Monster Hunter' movie is still happening
Films based on video games really don't have the best track record. From 1993's Super Mario Bros. to this year's Warcraft, these movies almost always seem to lack whatever it is that resonates with fans of the games they're based on. What's the next potentially disappointing adaptation? Monster Hunter, apparently. Speaking at Tokyo Game Show, Capcom's Ryozo Tsujimoto revealed that a live-action adaptation is currently under development.
Palm and Verizon looking to take shine off Apple and AT&T
In a minefield of failed "iPhone killers" one is making some headway on fulfilling that murderous promise: the Palm Pre. Perhaps it's no surprise: the Palm Pre was conceived by a team that includes plenty of Apple alumni, including Jon Rubenstein, who was made Palm's CEO yesterday to replace Ed Colligan. (John Gruber reminds us of one of Colligan's more famous quotes.) Rubenstein used to be the general manager of Apple's iPod division. Not only that, but Fred Anderson, Lynn Fox, and Mike Bell are all connected (if not employed by) the re-energized Palm. Valleywag's Ryan Tate says it's no wonder, then, that the Pre syncs with iTunes right out of the box. Competition is good, though, right? We'll see improvements to both the iPhone and the Pre because of the products' competitive relationship with each other. Look at the rivalry between Canon and Nikon: The result? Awesome cameras both. In the end, the customer wins. This is true with carriers, too, as exclusivity agreements begin to expire. There were rumblings that the Pre would be released on the Verizon network around Christmas, but blowback from Sprint CEO Dan Hesse pushed the rumor mill's schedule back a month to January 2010, according to The Wall Street Journal. Watercooler talk suggests that the iPhone's exclusivity agreement with AT&T expires around the same time for U.S. customers, but the Magic 8 Ball says that we might not see an iPhone for Verizon until both they and AT&T finish their LTE networks. If you're using a Pre with your Mac, especially if you're taking advantage of the iTunes sync capability, let us know in the comments how it's going.
Western North Carolina's WLOS takes local news to high-def
The Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson DMA just netted itself another local station with HD news: WLOS (ABC). Starting this week, the station -- which serves the western parts of both North and South Carolina -- will be broadcasting from its new set and studio, which features a "rotating desk with two different back drops, more than two dozen HD monitors, new HD studio cameras, HD graphics, and the advanced HD 'Sky Watch' Weather Center." The station is just about a year late on being numero uno in the market, as rival WSPA-TV (the local CBS affiliate) took its local news HD in September of last year. Nothing wrong with choices, though.[Thanks, PopWeaverHDTV]
Turbine gets new CEO, but what happened to the old one?
Turbine Studios, developer of Lord of the Rings Online and D&D Online, announced a new CEO yesterday to replace long-time CEO Jeff Anderson (pictured). New CEO Jeff Crowley, who came from outside the industry, was brought on board a couple months ago as "one of many [hires] that Turbine has recently made to invest in new talent that will drive the next wave of the company's growth." Translation: The Turbine board wasn't happy with the management or money the company was making and decided to make changes.There's no mention of Anderson's fate in the press release, but word is that he's been pushed out of the company. It'll be interesting to see how Crowley handles the company, Anderson was always the public face of Turbine and its games. It'll also be interesting to see if Crowley survives the behind-the-scenes issues which caused the shakeup in the first place.
Stomping the Castlevania yard with Sylvain White directing
Sylvain White is set to direct the Castlevania movie according to Variety. White is best known for directing the sleeper hit Stomp the Yard, which was a classier version of You Got Served and not even half as delusional as Center Stage. Shooting for the movie will begin this fall in South Africa and Romania and will be released in 2008.White is obviously in demand as a director and people apparently think he's got chops. He has a couple deals going currently, including the film adaptation of Ronin, originally a graphic novel by Frank Miller (Sin City, 300). The Castlevania movie was scripted by W.S. Anderson (Alien vs. Predator) and follows a "Transylvanian knight" who ends up at a gothic castle seeking refuge from the Turkish army. There they discover the castle is controlled by the "original vampire". White says he grew up playing the game and plans to work with Anderson on a rewrite of the script. Say what you will, this movie may be in better hands now -- the man made Stomp the Yard work.
