.
Arac Attack
The Patriot
The 13th Floor
Godzilla
Independence Day
Stargate
Universal Soldier
Event DVD's
Expanded
Universe
Devlin &
Emmerich
---
Guestbook
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have said about
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About Dean Devlin
& Roland
Emmerich
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"Quotes"
"We make
pop-
corn movies. We
love popcorn
movies. When
you have that
kind of passion
for the films you
make, there's a
chance that that
passion may
become
infectious."
-- Dean Devlin
"...Emmerich
and
producing partner
Dean Devlin --
two guys who
know how to
crank out an
event movie..."
-- Entertainment
Weekly magazine
"Very
difficult.
Very difficult.
Never comes out
of his trailer.
Also, like, where
do you park his
trailer? I love
that problem."
-- Roland
Emmerich on the
problems with
accomodating a
giant lizard on
a movie set.
"He does
have
the biggest
trailer. I was
pretty upset by
that. But, you
know, who's
gonna go tell
him?"
-- Hank Azaria on
the jealousy of
the other actors
towards Godzilla
on the movie set.
event
DVD's
Check out cool
screen shots of
animated menus
from event movie
DVD's like the
above shots from
the Godzilla DVD.
You'll also find
reviews about
all of the extra
features that
can be found on
these discs.
Visit the Event
DVD's section
for more...
expanded
universe
Check out the
Event Movies
expanded
universe section.
You'll find info
and reviews about
the original-story
ID4 and Stargate
novels that
expand upon the
movies that
inspired them
to be written.
Currently, ID4:
War In The Desert
by Stephen
Molstad and
Stargate:
Rebellion by Bill
McCay have been
reviewed.
VOTE!
Vote for your
favourite Devlin/
Emmerich event
movie and see
which of these
flicks is the most
popular with the
fans. You'll find
the voting booth
just below the
Recent News &
Rumors area on
the Event Movies
home page...
LINKS
Devlin & Emmerich's
production company
Sci-fi movie news
Sci-fi movie news
from Cinescape
magazine
Ain't It Cool News
The official site
The official site
The official site
A DVD message
forum for
Canadians
Film Force
Cool movie news
FAN
LINKS
Outpost 247
(a Centropolis
fan website)
What's Next?
July, 2000:
Dean Devlin will be
making his debut as a
director for a movie
called "Cellular". The
plot centers around a
man who receives a
call on his cell phone
from a strange woman
who is being held
hostage. He has until
her phone battery runs
out to find her and
save her life. It's a
unique concept that
could translate into a
big box-office hit with
a relatively low budget.
April,
2000:
Cinescape Online
described this
"different" project that
Centropolis is going to
be involved in:
Centropolis
Entertainment is teaming
up with Village
Roadshow and Warner
Bros. for a giant
monster movie called
Arac Attack. The film,
which Centropolis had
been developing, will
have a budget of $30M.
According to Variety,
the eventual pic will tell
the story of a toxic waste spill that results
in the creation and
rampage of giant
spiders. Described as a
comedy thriller, the film
will be directed by Ellory
Elkayem (They Nest)
and will shoot on
location in Australia.
Production is scheduled
to start in September.
Dean Devlin and Roland
Emmerich will produce
the project. Centropolis
Effects will handle the
film's effects.
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of problem with
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Devoted to the movies
of Dean Devlin & Roland Emmerich...
"...Emmerich and producing partner
Dean Devlin -- two guys who know how to crank out an Event Movie..." -- Entertainment
Weekly Magazine, April, 2000
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Click on a link above to obtain movie reviews, commentaries, teasers and trailers, sounds, images and much more for that movie. Scroll down for recent news & rumors about upcoming projects...
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Recent News & Rumors |
ORA March 9, 2001 |
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More info on "Arac
Attack" spiders February 7,
2001 Dark Horizons posted this report about the upcoming Centropolis movie. We now know how big the spiders are going to be: A few basic details have just been released on the monster sci-fi movie "Arac Attack" currently shooting in Arizona. The giant spider attack movie uses the reasoning that a toxic chemical spill outside a rural mining town is the cause of the mutations of hundreds of little spiders into monsters "the size of SUVs". David Arquette plays a mining engineer and Kari Wuhrer is the local female sheriff who team up to stop them - Scott Tera & Scarlett Johansson play her young son and daughter whilst Doug E. Doug is in the role of a paranoid radio announcer. The film is scheduled for release at the end of the year. |
"Stargate:
Retaliation" reviewed |
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Dedicated
"Arac Attack" page added January 23, 2001 |
Arac cast
grows again |
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Mel Gibson in 'The Patriot' is
the people's choice January 9, 2001 Congratulations to Mel Gibson who won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture Star in a Motion Picture for his role as Benjamin Martin in "The Patriot". This one was well deserved... |
| Centropolis and
Sony get divorced January 7, 2001 A parting of ways between Centropolis and Sony was recently reported on Cinescape Online: Word has it that Centropolis Entertainment's deal with Sony/Columbia is over. According to Variety, a spokesperson at Centropolis has confirmed that such is the case stating that the parting was "mutually agreed upon." The company's partners, Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin, are said to be exploring other options right now, including a self-financed venture as well as possibly setting up a first-look deal with another studio. |
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Agent Pat reveals
Frakes project... December 27, 2000: Many thanks to "Agent Pat" from the Centropolis BBS who has revealed the following about the rumored collaboration between Centropolis and Commander Riker, er, Jonathan Frakes: According to an old Variety magazine, "Jonathan Frakes has been tapped to direct the sci-fi lampoon film 'Steve Was Here.' Obviously hoping to cash in on a sub-genre created by Galaxy Quest, Steve tells the story of a poor town hoping to bolster its fading economy with a fake alien. Predictably, things go wrong when the town gets more than it bargained for. The screenplay is by Norman Steinberg, who co-authored the idea with Michael Hertzberg (Entrapment). Centropolis partners Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich (Godzilla, Independence Day) will exec produce. Following his stint with Steve, Frakes, who directed the Trek films First Contact and Insurrection, is scheduled to begin work on Total Recall 2." |
| Wuhrer 'slides'
into 'Arac Attack' role December
20, 2000: Another cast addition for the upcoming giant spider flick, "Arac Attack", was announced on Cinescape Online. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Kari Wuhrer (from tv's "Sliders") has been signed to take on the role of the Sheriff of the small town that comes under attack from giant spiders. Wuhrer is the second cast member to be announced after David Arquette signed on for the lead in the movie. This one's starting to take shape... |
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| Arquette to be lead in 'Arac
Attack'? December 13, 2000: Another tidbit of information came from the Mothership website today regarding the upcoming Centropolis film, "Arac Attack": According to an item in Daily Variety, David Arquette is in "final negotiations," as opposed to what, not-so-final-just-playing-around-negotiations, to take the lead in the upcoming comedy monster movie ARACH ATTACK. The Centropolis Entertainment originating movie, ATTACK tells the very 1950s style monster story of toxic sludge creating... GIANT SPIDERS. The film came from a script by Jesse Alexander, who has recently been billed as penning Alex Proyas adaptation of BERSERKERS. ATTACK is set for a late 2001 release. |
| Dean's father passes away
December 13, 2000: Sad news came out of the Centropolis camp today as Dean Devlin's father, Don, died at the age of 70. To Dean and his mother go all of the thoughts and condolences of Centropolis fans everywhere. The following is from the Mothership website: Don Devlin, the producer of 1987's THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, notable as one of the few times Jack Nicholson ventured into the genre, has died at the age of 70. Devlin, as you may know, was the father of Dean Devlin, the originating force behind EON Magazine and MOTHERSHIP, and writer/producer of big budget genre splashes, STARGATE, INDEPENDENCE DAY and GODZILLA. "Some people are so purely themselves that they are irreplaceable," Nicholson the AP. "That was Don in spades." Devlin has been working in the industry since the 1950s as an actor, writer and producer. In addition to WITCHES, Don Devlin produced one of my favorite movies as a kid, MY BODYGUARD, which inspired salvation fantasies of boys beaten up by schoolyard bullies for an entire generation. "He was my father, my teacher and mentor, and my closest and dearest friend in the world. His loss is enormous," said Dean Devlin to the AP. Don Devlin is survived by his son Dean, and his wife Constance Chestnut. |
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ID4 DVD easter
eggs revealed! November 2, 2000: Check out the Event DVD's section for the lowdown on how to access the easter eggs on the ID4 Special Edition DVD... |
| 'Stargate 2'
rumors October 28,
2000: Dark Horizons recently quoted a Variety magazine article which stated that MGM has announced their intention to develop a sequel to 1994's "Stargate". I asked Suzanne at Centropolis if she knew of such plans and if Centropolis was going to be involved. She basically said that there were no plans for a sequel, but she will keep me posted if anything pops up. Cross your fingers! |
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More great pics from Jon! September
14, 2000: Former Centropolis insider, Jon P. Mooers, has graciously supplied me with more behind-the-scenes pics from the sets of "Universal Soldier" and "Stargate". Click on the thumbnails above for larger versions of the photos and check out below for descriptions of them in Jon's own words. Many thanks again to Jon for the great photos! Here are a couple other pictures of myself and Roland filming Universal Soldier. I also have many more of Roland and film crew, from Universal Soldier - Stargate etc. You may use them on your site, I am attatching some more. One of myself on the cliff at the Grand Canyon pushing the model 18 wheeler off of it. (from Universal Soldier) One of Roland and Jean Claude Van Damme and Aly Walker on the cliff at the Grand Canyon - and Roland directing us (his crew) on the set of Stargate in the Yuma Arizona desert. (He is telling us where to place the James Spader's suitcase after French Stewart frustatedly threw out of base camp. The last picture is of myself and Doug Harlocker (propmaster) setting the suitcase, being careful not to get footprints around the case. |
| More Patriot SE
DVD details September 12, 2000: Here are some more details concerning the October 24th DVD release of "The Patriot": • Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only) • Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby • Commentary by director Roland Emmerich, Producer Dean Devlin and Mel Gibson • Production notes • Theatrical trailer(s) • Visual Effects Interactive Featurette • Battlefield Featurette - The Art of War • Authenticity Featurette • Deleted Scene with Audio commentary by Director or Producer • Conceptual Designs • Alternate Ending • Talent Files • Scene Selections with Motion Images • Widescreen anamorphic format |
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A word from a Centropolis insider September 12, 2000: Jon P. Mooers just sent me the following e-mail after visiting the website. Jon was a close friend of Roland Emmerich during his days as an on-set special effects artist / scenic supervisor for Centropolis. Read what he had to say and check out the cool pics of him and Roland on the set of Universal Soldier. Many thanks to Jon for this great insider perspective: Hey, Just wanted to let you know, how much I enjoyed your website. Its nice |
| to keep up with the "guys" to see what they are up to. I am a former roland emmerich team player. Having worked on Universal Soldier, Stargate, Independance Day - its nice to be able to keep in touch with their next projects. I chose to leave the centropolis gang with the onset of Godzilla. I was an on-set special effects artist/ scenic supervisor and found the new world of digitally enhanced effects abit dissatisfying. Almost all effects on stargate were completely created in real time, with models and hard work. I now live on the east coast and am pursuing a career as a mural artist. (www.muralsacrossamerica.com) Roland Emmerich was one of my best friends in Hollywood throughout the '90s and its exciting to see him grow in filmaking. Thanks for your hard work. Send me a note, let me know of your interest in centropolis. Thanks, Jon P. Mooers |
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Rick meets Boba
Fett!!! August 29,
2000: Yours truly attended the Science Fiction Expo Convention in Toronto during this past August 25-27 weekend. Although there was no Centropolis-related information to be found, I thought that I'd report a bit on my experience there. Surprisingly, this was my first sci-fi convention. Overall, it was pretty cool with lots of unique merchandise available for purchase. It was very difficult not to buy everything in sight because my wife and I are currently having a new house built and money is tight. But one thing that I did treat myself to was a personalized autographed photo of Boba Fett, who was played by Jeremy Bulloch. The first photo above is a digital pic of the photo that Jeremy signed for me with a short but cool message that's definitely Fett-like. The second pic shows Jeremy signing autographs for other people at the convention. The third pic is of Roxanna Dawson who plays Belanna on Star Trek: Voyager while the fourth pic shows some dude decked out in an Alien costume. For more information about what went down at the convention, check out www.hobbystar.com. |
| King Tut snuff
film in the works August 10, 2000: Cinescape Online posted the following scoop for a potentially intriguing future project. Looks like Dean and Roland aren't quite done with their fascination for Egypt: Once again, Centropolis has snagged another property as a potential movie, though this one is not franchise fodder. According to a number of sources, the studio has snagged the rights to Bob Brier's non-fiction investigative book The Murder of Tutankhamen. Brier's book suggest that the reason King Tut died so young was not due to illness but that the boy king was actually murdered by his stepfather. Plans are for Roland Emmerich to direct the coming film, though there's no word on when it might happen. |
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Kevin Spacey set
to star in Centropolis film August 5, 2000: I don't know how this one slipped by me, but the following are some excerpts from the April 12th issue of "The Hollywood Reporter" that outline some details about an upcoming Centropolis project in collaboration with the ultra-cool Kevin Spacey. Thanks to Suzanne and Maura at Centropolis for this information: Two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey has come aboard to star in and produce an untitled romantic comedy for Sony-based Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich's Centropolis |
| Entertainment and DiNovi Pictures. Previously titled "The Role of a Lifetime", Allison Burnett's romantic comedy spec script was acquired by Columbia Pictures more than five years ago for producer Denise DiNovi. Burnett's script revolved around an actress who turns the tables on a director when he tries to persuade her to star in his play. The project now centers on a legitimate stage director who is forced to cast a movie star in order to launch his play on Broadway. The project could go before the cameras before year's end. And while no director is yet attached, Devlin did not rule out the possibility of Spacey, Emmerich or himself taking the helm. Spacey and Centropolis are said to have sought a project together for some time now, as the actor and Devlin go back to their high school years in LosAngeles when both were aspiring actors. "This project is a bit of a stretch for both of us," [says Dean Devlin]. "It's a romantic comedic lead that Kevin hasn't really played before and it's a genre that (Emmerich and I) haven't produced before and we thought, let's do something out of our profile." |
| Devlin talks
about directing 'Cellular' and other projects July 9, 2000: Film Force recently talked to Dean Devlin about some upcoming projects on the Centropolis agenda, including Dean's directorial debut at the helm of 'Cellular': "It's called Cellular," Devlin explains with obvious excitement. "We're reversing hats on this one – Roland will be my producer the way I'm his producer. It was written by Larry Cohen [It's Alive], and it's about a guy whose cell phone rings and a woman says that she's being held hostage, and they're going to get her child and husband and kill all three of them. So the hero has basically until the cell phone battery runs out to find her." In preparation for the film, Devlin is studying suspense classics. "Just two nights ago, I ran North by Northwest. Hitchcock was the genius at taking a person in a normal everyday situation and throwing them into some fantastic story. In a contemporary sense, I'm also looking at a movie like Speed, which I really admire. I want to see how exciting I can make a movie about a guy on a cell phone." The film begins shooting in July and has not been cast as of yet. "Heath [Ledger, who plays Mel Gibson's son in The Patriot] and I talk about it a lot," Devlin reveals, although no deal has been made. Centropolis is also working with other filmmakers on various projects in development. "We're a big enough organization now that we can turn out more movies a year," says Devlin. "We have a movie with Kevin Spacey we're developing. We have one with Tony Bill. We have one with Jonathan Frakes. We're really hoping to expand how many films we do each year." |
Fan Poll
M a k e y o
u r o p i n i o n c o u n t !
Vote for your favourite Devlin/Emmerich event movie below...
The *Official* Hollywood
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ORA
A novel of adventure and suspense...
I'm currently writing a
fiction novel and I'm looking to get some unbiased criticism from people that I don't
know. I've created a special page on my website with which to showcase my novel in
hopes that some people might read it and subsequently give me their honest opinion about
it. To start off, I've posted the Prologue only and I'll consider posting subsequent
chapters if people request it. Click here
to start reading "Ora". I hope that you enjoy it...
Commentary
June 15, 2000
Thoughts on Godzilla 2000
Out of curiosity, I just recently
downloaded the trailer for the upcoming Toho-made movie, Godzilla 2000. As
previously mentioned in the April 20th commentary entitled 'Centropo-less Godzilla
Sequel', die-hard old-school Godzilla fans will finally get their wish this August when
the 23rd Godzilla movie from Toho is unleashed in North American theaters. My
original thoughts that this movie will be a laughable failure in North America (despite
being an apparent hit in Japan) were confirmed upon seeing the recent trailer. It's
just pathetic that, in this day and age, any movie studio expects second-rate special
effects to translate into big-time box-office money. The success of any Godzilla
movie is heavily dependent upon the quality of the special effects. For some reason,
Toho is either unable to or unwilling to fork out the big bucks to put together a quality
effects movie. Instead, as is evident in the Godzilla 2000 trailer, we are expected
to be amazed by the dazzling realism of a guy in a rubber suit stomping on poorly detailed
and scaled models. And to those who criticize Devlin & Emmerich for copying the
ideas of others, I could only laugh at the irony of the Godzilla 2000 trailer shots of the
rolling swell of water and the frightened people as everything shakes as Godzilla
approaches. It seems as though the shoe is now on the other foot. Let's be
realistic here. These effects were considered top of the line back in the 60's and
70's. But it's just downright insulting to an avid moviegoer like myself to be
expected to accept such outdated crap with technology being as advanced as it is today.
To all of those who wanted to see a guy in a rubber suit: you'd better go and
see this movie as soon as it comes out, because it won't last in theaters for very long at
all.
Commentary
April 29, 2000
ID4 Sequel: To Do Or Not To Do?
I just recently received an e-mail from a rabid ID4 fan going by the name of Eagle Leader. You can read his comments in full in the Guestbook section by the way. Among some of the great points that he brought up was the question of whether a sequel to one of the most spectacular sci-fi epics in film history should be made or not. As I briefly touched upon in my response in the Guestbook section, I'm somewhat torn by this issue. I salivate at the thought of seeing this great movie continue on the silver screen. However, I, like Eagle Leader, have some trepidation where this issue is concerned. History has given us some absolute disasters for movie sequels. In many of these instances, no sequels should have been made in the first place. On the other hand, history has also given us some wonderful sequels such as "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Aliens". So what should Centropolis do? To do, or not to do? One thing that is encouraging amidst all of the rumors of an ID4 sequel is that nothing short of a spectacular sequel will ever be made. Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich have repeatedly stated that they absolutely will not make a sequel to their crown jewel unless they have an "original...knock-out idea". So we're safe with the knowledge that if a sequel to ID4 does eventually get made that it will be just as special as the original.
Commentary
April 20, 2000
John Williams' Patriot Score
Back in February, Centropolis proudly
announced that they had signed on John Williams to score the music for their upcoming
summer blockbuster "The Patriot" starring Mel Gibson. Being a big fan of
John Williams (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, E.T. and more) I was very excited
to hear this news. Coming off of the critical disaster that was Godzilla, one had to
wonder how Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich were going to redeem themselves. Well,
the first step had been taken by putting together a talented cast to do a respectable
movie written by a talented writer (Robert Rodat of Saving Private Ryan fame). This
alone was good enough to gain instant respectability. But, they didn't stop
there. Give credit to the dynamic duo for taking that extra step and hiring a
world-class composer to score their movie. This seemingly insignificant move could
be what propels The Patriot towards blockbuster status. I've always been a fan of
movie music, especially John Williams. I firmly believe that a good movie can be
turned into a crappy movie if the music is poor. Likewise, a good movie can be
turned into a spectacular movie with brilliant music that adds drama and intensity at the
critical moments. I still get goosebumps every time I watch the scene in Star Wars:
Episode I where the doors part to reveal Darth Maul and the rousing music of Williams'
Duel Of The Fates starts up. Despite this great move by Centropolis, there is
actually someone who loses out -- David Arnold. For those who don't recognize the
name, I have praised the energetic work of David several times on this website. He
is the composer who spiced up Stargate, ID4 and Godzilla with ambitious zeal. Rumors
persist that there has been no falling out between David and Centropolis due to the hiring
of John Williams over him, and let's hope that this is one rumor that is true. I for
one am looking forward to the next movie that contains David Arnold's music. But
until then, movie fans are in for a treat this summer when they get to hear another
"patriotic" and triumphant score from the master himself. Nothing adds
excitement and class to a film more than a score by John Williams.
