A plague of robots

Forget lumbering rovers or exotic aircraft. Penelope Boston, the director of cave and karst studies at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is proposing sending swarms of tiny robots to Mars that would literally hop about the surface using polymer-based artificial muscles that would propel then unward of a meter a jump. The idea has considerable merit, as the tiny robots would be able to reach places a rover could not. More at the MSNBC website.

Beagle found?

New pictures of Mars snapped from orbit may have found the resting place of the ill-fated British Beagle landing craft. Proffesor Colin Pillinger seems pretty convinced that he has found the crash/landing site and it seems likely that the craft came down to fast because the atmosphere was thinner than expected. There are a lot of detailed images and interpretations available here at the Beagle 2 website.

This is scary

Scary Movie 4, (did we ever need 1-3) has released a bunch of teaser posters, one of which indicates that the newest installment in the franchise is going to spoof (amongst other things) Spielberg's War Of The Worlds.

New War Of The Worlds comic

First there was Classics Illustrated, then Killraven, (and a few more inbetween) but now there is a new and pretty good looking contender on the block. Boom Studios have a new comic book in production. Not much to be seen yet on the website but there are some enticing looking images to be found here.

Energia President talks Mars

RSC Energia President Nikolai Sevostianov has been talking about the future of his company and a possible human presence on Mars. Nikolai Sevostianov has some far reaching ideas for the future of humans in the solar system. The full interview is here.

Exomars given UK backing

The British government has approved a higher than normal spend on a future space mission. 108m euros (£73.2m) has been allocated to the Exomars lander which will launch for 2011. Speaking at the ministerial meeting, science minister Lord Sainsbury said: "As a major contributor, the UK will have a leading role in this programme which is set to improve our understanding of Mars and the Solar System." The probe will use similar airbag landing systems to previous sucessful landers, but will bring some exciting new science to the Red planet, including a drill which will be able to dig deep into the Martian surface.

Orson Welles Lives

Interviewed by Sci-Fi Wire, Jack Black, the star of Peter Jacksons's King Kong remake, has revealed that he modeled his part of filmmaker Carl Denham on Orson Welles. Welles of course made the 1938 radio broadcast that panicked many in America with his version of The War Of The Worlds. More at scifi wire.

Europe meets to decide on Mars mission

The European Space Agency (ESA) is meeting this Monday to discuss funding on a number of new projects, one of which would be a robotic probe to Mars. The project is by no means certain to be greenlit as several programmes are chasing the money. More at the BBC.

Hard times on planet Mars

NASA's continuing exploration of the red planet has turned up fresh proof for a very watery past, but officials are still very cautious about suggesting any form of life may have swum these ancient seas. The latest results from the Opportunity rover at it's Meridiani Planum landing site suggests that at some point in the distant past, the land was acidic, oxidizing and sometimes wet. Unfortunately, not good conditions for life to arise. More can found at MSN.

History Channel does War Of The Worlds

The US History Channel has broadcast a documentary covering many aspects of The War Of The Worlds. It was done as part of their UFO Files stand of programming.

War Of The Worlds gets standing ovation

A live performance of Jeff Waynes' War Of The Worlds at Wirral's International Guitar Festival was a big hit with a sell out audience of 900. It was a dream of guitarist Gary Murphy to revisit the musical and it earned him a standing ovation.

New War Of The Worlds comic

Dark Horse comics have been releasing a new version of The War Of The Worlds as an online publication, one page at a time. Not surprisingly, you can now pre-order the old fashioned paper version from Amazon.

National Geographic documentary

The National Geographic Channel in the UK is showing a documentary on the Orson Welles radio broadcast this Sunday, 10pm UK time.

War Of The Worlds most pirated

Not the most enviable of records, but Spielberg's War Of The Worlds had the unhappy distinction of been the most downloaded movie online for the second month running in September. Internet security company BayTSP recorded 51,292 downloads for the month, with Kong Fu Hustle coming a poor second at 33,511. On a personal note, on a train journey last month, I watched someone calmly open a very nice looking notebook with widescreen monitor and watch a pristine copy of War Of The Worlds without a care in the world.

Jeff Waynes' War Of The Worlds like never before

If you happen to live in, or are visiting Vancouver over the next few weeks, check out a fantastic sounding live version of Jeff Waynes' War Of The Worlds. Its a presentation of the H.R. MacMillan Planetarium and runs October 27 though to Nov. 20th. Full details at the dedicated website.

Doctor Who goes to Mars (with Orson Welles)

I've missed the broadcast of this on BBC Radio 7 tonight, but it will be available on their website tomorrow (Sunday). In this new radio series, the BBC's venerable timelord goes back to 1938 New York for an encounter with Orson Welles. Sounds fantastic and I'll be reviewing it for the website as soon as I've heard it.

And another War Of The Worlds

Maysville, KY: The Maysville Players are another group re-enacting Howard Kochs 1938 War Of The Worlds radio script. Read about it here.

Countdown to broadcast anniversary prompts re-enactments

Here's another War Of The Worlds radio broadcast re-enactment, this time by the La Junta's Picketwire Players based in Pueblo, Colorado.

Mars attacks, maybe.

Bay Area residents got themselves into a flap Wednesday night, a UFO flap. Numerous people saw mysterious lights in the sky and many called authorities, including Vandenberg Air Force Base on the Central Coast and the Federal Aviation Administration. The explanation seems to be that they were seeing Mars and Venus, but make your mind up here with some photos.

Mars at closest approach

Mars is at the closest approach to earth this weekend, at just 43.1 million miles. For British skywatchers, it should dominate the night sky over the next few weeks, rising in the late afternoon and becoming visible above the eastern horizon soon after sunset. You can use this page to determine where Mars is in your night sky. Happy planet hunting.

Ann Robinson talks Mars

Ann Robinson, star of the George Pal 1953 version of The War Of The Worlds, has been talking to the Concord Monitor about her career.

Lost, found, then lost again

The wreckage of Nasa's Mars Polar Lander spacecraft, which was lost in 1999, presumed crashed onto the surface, was tentatively identified on the surface last year by the orbiting European Mars Global Surveyor, but now it appears it was a case of mistaken identity. According to scientists, the features identified as the lander and it's parachute, were in fact nothing but natural features. BBC news has more.

Hines continues to defend his War Of The Worlds film

Timothy Hines, the director of a less than well received version of The War Of The Worlds has been talking to syfyportal about his experiences in making the film. This is a fasinating interview and a great piece of work by Michael Simpson, who writes a very balanced account of events and gives Hines a pretty reasonable hearing.

Magnetic Mars

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft has made another exciting discovery. The probe has spotted the telltale magnetic signatures of transform faults, the points at which tectonic plates have been crushed together. This is yet more evidence of a significantly active past for the red planet. ABC news has the story.

War Of The Worlds with bunnies

Check out one of the weirdest War Of The Worlds sites ever, a 30 second version of The War Of The Worlds cast entirely with rabbits.

John Carter Of Mars gathers speed

A fantastic interview with newly appointed director Jon Favreau is available on the Aint It Cool news site. Sounds like he intends to play it very close to the spirit of the original books and most positively, is not too bothered to set his movie on a completely scientifically implausible Mars. Full interview here.

War Of The Worlds on stage

American Stage, a theatre company in Tampa are producing a stage version of the Orson Welles radio broadcast of 1938. Performances are scheduled October 19 through October 30 and tickets can be bought online at the American Stage website.

John Carter Of Mars has new director

After a period in development hell, the much anticipated movie version of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter Of Mars, has another new director on board, after both Robert Rodriguez and Kerry Conran bailed. Now Jon Favreau is set to direct what may become a long running series of movies - Burroughs wrote 9 books.

Broadcast revisited

There are sure to be many more of these, giving that we are coming up on the broadcast date of Orson Welles' War Of The Worlds (Oct 30th 1938), but here is news of one of the first, from Odessa, Texas.

Brian Aldiss on Science Fiction radio

The author Brian Aldiss presented a great hour long discussion on the history of science fiction radio this Saturday (Oct 1st). The program naturally touched on the War Of The Worlds radio broadcast, but also looked at much more, with a huge number of fasinating clips. BBC Radio 4 generally maintains a streaming copy of past broadcasts for about 7 days, so if you want to hear this program, don't delay, click here and select "listen to the latest edition".

A balloon with a view

Plenty of people are working on possible solutions to further explore Mars. The abiding problem is how to get some range out of the next generation of probes. It looks like the smart money is on some sort of aircraft, and the most plausible idea is to my mind a balloon. It sounds a great idea to send a fixed winged aircraft of some kind, but that's a lot of technology and a lot to go wrong. Physorg has an interesting article on one possible contender for a balloon mission.

Moving Mars

The Mars Global Explorer orbiter has been taking shots of the surface for several years now, and when compared, they have revealed some intriguing indications that the planet is a lot more active than previously expected. Voice Of America has a detailed article.

Spielberg falls out with Cruise

Though it has been strongly denied by Spielbergs representatives, rumour is rife that Tom Cruises' increasingly bizarre behaviour including a rant against the use of Ritalin and the appearance on the War Of The Worlds set of a tent full of Scientology members, has put some strain on their relationship.

Mars Express mission extended

The hugely sucessful European Space Agency mission Mars Express is to have it's mission extended by a further Martian year, or about 23 months. Flight International has some more info.

War Of The Worlds mobile game

There is a nice detailed review of The War Of The Worlds mobile phone game here at blogcritics.

To the Moon and Mars

NASA has officially laid down plans to return to the Moon by 2018, where astronauts will set up settlements capable of supporting 4 astronauts for stays of up to six months at a time. The new missions will need new hardware, including a liquid methane powered lander, which is a forward looking concept as future explorers may one day brew their own methane fuel on the Martian surface. The Moon misions are very much seen as a staging post for the exploration of Mars, with the long duration stays on the Lunar surface providing the extensive experience that will be needed for these missions.

Mars means business

The recently founded 4frontiers company of Florida has some ambitious plans, to see a human settlement on Mars within the next 20 years. Founded by a former Intel manager, the plan is to first develop a terrestrial testing ground which would generate revenue from tourists. They are seeking an initial investment of $25 million dollars. More info here from Businessweek.

Under the moons of Mars

The Spirit rover on Mars continues to send back the most amazing images. The latest is a simply stunning animation showing both moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos rising into the night sky. Check it out here.

Fire and Ice on Mars

These are exciting times for the exploration of Mars. Several reports have arrived in recent days detailing discoveries of great importance to our understanding of the red planet and the prospects for live there, and visits by human beings. First, from Mars Express scientist Gerhard Neukum (Berlin University), comes news that volcanos spotted by the probe have been geologically active in "recent times". Of course, recent times for a geologist can mean a very long time ago, and here we are talking millions of years, but that is so close in geological terms that it does raise the very real possibility that these volcanos could come back to life. More here.

Then from the Mars Odyessy spacecraft, comes positive news that Mars is jampacked with Water. Heat and water, a pretty good combination to make life on Mars just that little bit more plausible.

Armstrong talks up Mars

Neil Armstrong (first man on the moon) doesn't think anyone is going to set foot on Mars for at least twenty years, but he is optimistic that it will prove a smoother and easier trip than his to the moon. CNN are carrying more detail of his comments.

Mars Global Surveyor switches to safe more

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft has run into trouble around the red planet, switching to an emergency "safe mode". In safe mode, most of the spacecrafts science instruments have switched off. BBC news has more on the situation.

Fantastic new image from Mars

The Spirit rover on Mars has climbed to the top of a hill and returned the first of what are sure to be many amazing panaramic views.

Phoenix for Mars

Rising from the ashes of two previous failed Mars Missions, Phoenix is an ambitious mission to scout for life on Mars, including drilling into the surface. Unlike the probes presently on the surface, Phoenix will be a fixed position mission. An excellent article can be found at space.com.

Amazing dustdevils on Mars

NASA has released a stunning animation of a dustdevil caught on camera by the Spirit rover.

Taking a walk back in time and space

For those readers in the UK who can reach Woking tomorrow evening, the first of 3 walks is to take place tracing the steps of the Martian Invaders from War Of The Worlds. Sounds like a fun idea. More details here.

Europe decides on Mars mission

The European Space Agency has decided on sending a single rover with the ability to drill down into the Martian surface and a second stationary probe. The team responsible for the failed UK Beagle mission had proposed a number of small rovers, but this has not been selected, though some of their science packages may make it onto one or more of the selected missions. More here on the BBC website.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in cruise mode

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has entered cruise mode sucessfully and is performing well as mission controllers undertake a series of calibration exercises. More detail can be found at the Planetary Society.

Stepping out on Mars in painful fashion

In focusing as intensely as people generally do on the mechanics of getting to Mars, you tend to forget that once there, someone has to have a way to go walkabout on the surface. The International Mars Society have just held their 8th convention (11-14 August) in Boulder, Colorado, and concluded that old style suits such as those worn on the Moon by the Apollo astronauts would not be suitable (no pun intended). The Mechanical Counter Pressure (MCP) suit aims to use elasticity to provide pressure instead, and was first proposed in Apollo days but rejected at the time. The suits are much thinner than normal, and also very very tight fitting. Says inventor Paul Webb, "its reasonably comfortable so long as the air the astronaut breathes is pressurized to match the suit's constrictiveness. Otherwise, it hurts like hell."

More on the idea at Nature.com and a neat picture of the suit in action here.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launched

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was launched by an Atlas V rocket at approximately 12.50GMT today. Flight as of this time appears to be going well.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter flight scrubbed

With just 4 minutes to launch, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission flight today has been scrubbed. Another attempt will be made in 24 hours.

War Of The Worlds gets age restriction in China

The release of Spielbergs War Of The Worlds in China has highlighted concerns in the country at the lack of a film certification system. Liu Jianzhong, the chairman of the board of Huaxia Film Company, the movie's Chinese distributor, said "We advise that children should watch the movie only accompanied by parents."

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter delayed

Problems with a pair of Redundant Rate Gyro Units (RRGUs)on the Atlas V rocket that is to loft the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter toward Mars have forced a one day delay to the launch. Launch is now scheduled for Thursday between 1135 and 1350 GMT.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launch time

Nasa has announced that it's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will attempt to launch on Wednesday, August 10 at 7:54 a.m. EDT. Launch will take place from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V-401 rocket. The launch window extends until 9:39 a.m. In the event that the launch is delayed, they will try again at 7:50 a.m. on August 11.

You can now pre-order the first season of the War Of The Worlds TV Series.

Veteran politician Michael Foot, friend and biographer of the late writer, believes that Spielberg has missed the point with his big budget War Of The Worlds and is convinced Wells would have been devastated by Spielberg's treatment of the 1938 book.

Says Foot, "(Wells) was bitterly opposed to the British Empire. He thought it was a real disgrace. And that was really what War Of The Worlds was about: it wasn't just a great adventure story, it was about invasion. He would have seen terrible irony in the fact that Hollywood, this year, decided to make a film of his book while America and Britain are fighting in Iraq. He would have been horrified by the film, even though he loved seeing his books reach the screen."

Hmm, well I'm not sure Spielberg was that blind to the original novel. I certainly wonder if Foot has actually seen the film or simply read a few reviews. I would hardly describe the Spielberg movie as an "adventure" film. Its a scary, remorselessly vision of all out war, and I for one found real parallels with Iraq. I'm pretty certain that the average citizen of Iraq faced with "shock and awe" would find a lot to recognise with in the Spielberg film.

TV series release confirmed

My contact at Paramount has confirmed a release date of November first for the rather good but largely forgotten War Of The Worlds TV Series.

NASA extends Mars Missions

The Spirit and Opportunity rovers have been granted a further six month extension of their mission on Mars. It's a fantastic achievement given that these two rovers should have stop working months ago. NASA have no idea how long they can keep going but so far they show no real sign of wearing out.

War Of The Worlds TV series

It appears that finally the 1988 War Of The Worlds TV series is to get a DVD release from Paramount. Early news here. I'll post more as soon as I know it, so far nothing showing up on Amazon.

The Mars that might one day be

Some beautiful illustrations are to be found on this site showcasing the work of artist Thierry Lombry. Lombry has used his art to speculate on the possible course of future terraforming efforts on the red planet.

One ugly Martian

Check out the great concept art on Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds site for a Martian from his proposed CGI movie.

Dark Horse comics War Of The Worlds continues

Well worth a visit to the Dark Horse comics site to see their War Of The Worlds material including an on-going free re-telling of the original novel.

Amazing concept art

The CG Channel website has an interview with War Of The Worlds (Spielberg/Cruise version) graphic designer Ryan Church. The story has some simply fantastic pre-production art from the movie.

Ice lake snapped on Mars

An amazing photograph of a lake of ice has been snapped by the European Mars Express spacecraft. Make sure to click on the "image" link for a fantastic larger image here at space.com

Jeff Wayne article in Soundonsound magazine

I've not seen this yet, but the August issue of SoundOnSound magazine (UK magazine) has a 9 page article on Jeff Waynes War Of The Worlds. This looks to be a "proffesional" magazine on the music sound industry, so expect a pretty heavy article.

War Of The Worlds model kits

Comet Miniatures have released three very nice looking War Of The Worlds model kits, one from the Jeff Wayne version, one from the George Pal version and one that has a "victorian" look. Very neat.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launch date set

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter which will study the planet in unheard of detail has been set a launch window beginning August 10th.

House approves Mars Plans

The House Of Representatives has passed approval on plans to return American astronauts to the Moon and Mars. The bill passed 383-15 but NASA still has to compete with other agencies for a slice of the budget pie.

Mars not warm enough for life

A report published in the science journal Nature suggests that the planet never warmed up enough for life to have a chance. Scientists studied meteors ejected from the surface of Mars which then crashed to earth. Details here.

Pengragon War Of The Worlds reviewed

My thoughts on the Pendragon War Of The Worlds movie are now available.

First WOTW dvd news

Aint It Cool News is reporting some news from a panel at the huge comic-con convention that featured behind the scenes material on the making of Speilbergs War Of The Worlds and word that the DVD will include a 3 minute sequence of Tripods in action that was dropped from the cinema release.

Big Mars Decisions

Nasa Administrator Michael Griffin is due to report his proposals to get man to Mars but is facing considerable opposition from those who believe NASA and space exploration would be best served with unmanned missions. More here at the ft.

What are the Radio Mechanics?

Good question. The answer is a rather great looking short movie (just 19 minutes) that tells of a late night talk radio host confronted by the possibility that his broadcast is going to trigger the end of the world. You can download a trailer from the official site and buy the DVD which I hope to be reviewing in full at a later date.

War Of The Worlds TV Series

Not a spielberg series I have to say, but something is in development (which means the chances are really slim it will ever happen) based on the Best Sellers illustrated comic. The series will take the series idea of a group of new yorkers fighting back against the Martians.

Russia shooting for Mars

The Times is carrying a report that Russia is looking for volunteers to spend many long months locked in an isolation chamber in preperation for their planned mission to Mars. Reading this article, you have to wonder if its really a plot for an especially nasty reality TV show.

War Of The Worlds get political

British film censors are coming under fire from a conservative member of Parliment for giving War Of The Worlds a 12a certification. This means that any age can see the movie, just that 12 years and under need to be accompanied by an adult. As I have already commented in my review, I certainly would not consider bringing my 7 year old daughter anywhere near this very disturbing (but quite brilliant) film. Conservative MP Mike Penning is asking the culture secretary to reveal the names of the censors involved in the decision. Loathe though I am to lend my support to a conservative politician, I have to admit I think this was a bad decision.

Fantastic new War Of The Worlds book

I love this concept. Set in the same period of the book, it follows the adventures of a soldier trying to get home to his wife. The artist has used computer graphics to create some stunning authentic looking photographs of the attack. Get a look at the fantastic images here.

New Mars SF series

Interesting news of a science fiction series in the works from the pen of Stephen Gallagher. Set on a Mars where a colonisation program has come to an abrupt end and is left unfinished, with a few scattered people left on the red planet. More here.

War of the Worlds tops $21m on opening day

Not the greatest opening in history for sure, but certainly impressive. This makes it Cruise's personal best opening. The film made about 35 million globally.

A real Martian invasion

The Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) has advised NASA to beware of the risks of going to Mars. MEPAG reported that, "The most significant risk identified is that associated with the possibility of transporting a replicating life form to Earth, where it is found to have a negative effect on some aspect of the Earth's ecosystem." A beautifully worded way of saying the entire human race may end up dying in terrible agony of some horrible Martian microbe.

Dark Horse comics War Of The Worlds online

A great looking comic book adaptation of The War Of The Worlds is been published online in regular weekly instalments at the Dark Horse Comics site. This freely available production is in support of several intriguing sounding sequels to The War Of The Worlds, the latest of which is due to be published soon. Scarlet Traces and The Great Game speculate what might have happened after the Martian invasion and how Victorian England might have reverse engineered the captured Martian technology left behind after their defeat. Check out the comic here.

Not looking good for Hines War Of The Worlds

The version of The War Of The Worlds directed by Timothy Hines is not doing too well in regard to reviews. I've yet to see it myself, but Amazon and other reviews sources are pretty uniformly negative, citing everything from poor effects to bad acting.

Video from UK premiere including Cruise soaking

You can watch footage of Cruise at the UK premiere here at National Nine News in Australia. I don't mind the rich and famous getting wrong footed in the pursuit of humour when the joke is a good and sophisticated one, but this was pretty purile stuff and does nothing for the UK's reputation. Pretty sad really.

Clues at London premiere

There is a very intriguing photograph at the BBC website. Is this one of the alien invaders?

4 arrested at Cruise premiere

In what appears to be a joke perpertrated by members of a television comedy show, Tom Cruise was skirted with water from a fake microphone at the London premiere of War Of The Worlds. Four men were arrested for the alledged assault.

Tom Cruise given a soaking at premiere

It appears Tom Cruise was fired on by a water pistol waving person at his London Premiere. Nothing to be seen of it here, but there are pictures from the premiere up at the BBC site.

First look at concept art for War Of The Worlds

MSN has an amazing looking piece of concept art up for Spielberg's War Of The Worlds. Click here to see the scene where the Tripods attack the ship, much featured in the trailers but this may give us a clear indication of how cool this scene may be.

New War Of The Worlds trailer

An internet exclusive trailer is available to view at Yahoo Movies. In keeping with the campaign to date, the trailer gives away a few more tantalising glimpses of the alien tripods.

2nd Mars Express Boom deployed

New Scientist magazine is reporting that the 2nd of two booms on the european Mars Express spacecraft has been deployed. Both booms (the first was deployed some time ago) have been a problem for mission managers because of worries that they might not deploy fully. If sucessful, the Mars orbiting craft may be able to start prospecting for signs of water within the next week.

First War Of The Worlds review

Aint It Cool News has a first review of War Of The Worlds from the German premiere. This is pretty safe to read as it is not so much a review as a general impression, so you won't be getting any spoilers to speak of. (Paramount are not terribly keen on any reviews appearing prior to the release at the end of this month). As reviews go, this is a very positive one.

German War Of The Worlds Premiere

Spielberg's War Of The Worlds had it's German premiere last night. The German title is Krieg der Welten which is essentially War Of The Worlds. The German site Prosieben has a mass of material including video and photos from the premiere.

Tit-bits of plot from Japan

This "review" which is dignifying the term does lets slip a few very minor points. Read it here at Yomiuri.

Rivers on Mars

21 new rivers have been identified on Mars by the Mars Odyssey probe. More details can be found here.

War Of The Worlds running time set

The official running time for War of the Worlds is 117 Minutes (1 Hour and 57 Minutes).

Spielbergs War premieres in Japan

War Of The Worlds has had it's world premiere in Japan. The director and his stars were on hand for the event, at which Spielberg revealed "the first tripod is killed in Osaka." Here is a round up of links to pictures from the premiere.
rediff.com
News 24
BBC
And a great selection here at eve of the war.

New Japanese TV Spots

You can view two new Japanese Television spots for the Spielberg War Of The Worlds movie here.

Aurora spotted on the Red Planet

Europe's Mars Express spacecraft has spotted an Aurora on Mars. BBC news has more here.

New TV Spot for Spielberg War Of The Worlds

Another TV spot has airred featured some tantilising new glimpses of the Martians and the Red Weed. Check it out here at the Moviebox.

International Premiere Dates Announced

Spielbergs War Of The Worlds will premiere in the following cities and dates.
Japan – June 13th in Tokyo
Germany – June 14th in Berlin
France – June 17th in Marseilles
United Kingdom – June 19th in London
Spain – June 21st in Madrid
USA – June 23rd in New York

Phoenix Mars Mission approved

NASA has approved a new mission to Mars for 2007. Unlike recent missions, The Phoenix lander is a stationary device intended to land on the northern plains and conduct extensive investigations into the Martian soil with a long robotic arm. More info can be found here.

Hitachi War Of The Worlds site

Hitachi has launched a War Of The Worlds site as part of their global tie-in with Spielberg's War Of The Worlds movie. Some interesting promotional material to be found on the site.

War Of The Worlds rated PG13

Spielberg's War of the Worlds has received a rating of PG-13 for “Frightening Sequences of Sci-Fi Violence and Disturbing Images."

Japan premiere confirmed

Paramount have released a statement clearing up the confusion at the reported cancellation of the Japansese premiere.

Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds starring Tom Cruise will be having its world premiere in Tokyo, Japan on Monday 13 June, Stewart Till, Chairman and CEO of UIP confirmed today in London.

The cancellation mistakenly reported today was simply a change of venue. UIP Japan had originally planned the world premiere at the Budokhan however then decided sometime ago to relocate to the Virgin Roppongi given its more central and convenient location.

Paul Takaki, President of UIP Japan said today that he is extremely proud to be hosting the world premiere and looks forward greatly to welcoming Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning to Japan for this spectacular event on 13 June.

Tom Cruise will continue the promotion of War of the Worlds through Europe with premieres in Berlin, Marseille, London and Madrid. War of the Worlds opens worldwide on June 29.

NASA's Opportunity breaks free

After spending several months trapped in a crater, the Opportunity rover has inched it's way free of a dust filled crater. Controllers will spend several days accessing the rovers position before continuing the incredible trek across the Martian surface.

Japan Premiere still on for War Of The Worlds

The Spielberg/Cruise War Of The Worlds movie was reported by ABC News to have been cancelled due to security considerations. Some 7000 people apparently won the right to see the movie several weeks ahead of it's western premiere. However, Paramount via their webmaster program for the movie are denying the cancellation and promise an update on the situation soon.

New Pendragon War Of The Worlds trailer

The final Pendragon trailer is out now on the How Stuff Works site. I can't say it fills me full of hope. The effects are extremely variable, and the acting has a desperately amateur feeling to it. Lets hope its just a bad trailer. They are really trying for period authenticity and perhaps disjointed scenes in isolation do not do it justice, but judge for yourself here.

Steve fought the law and Steve won

Steven Spielberg has banned a British judge from a private advance screening of The War Of The Worlds. The Judge bought the opportunity at a charity aution for several thousand dollars, only to recieve a cease and desist order from UIP, who had given away the prize only to have it vetoed by Spielberg.

New War Of The Worlds trailer

The last and biggest theatrical trailer is available now. Lots more tripod action, though it still does not give much away. Becoming more and more obvious that this is going to be (hopefully) a character driven movie rather than a massive effects fest.

New War Of The Worlds clip from Oprah Winfrey

They are coming thick and fast now. The Oprah Winfrey show recently guested Tom Cruise and here's a link to an exclusive clip that was broadcast during the interview. As suits Oprah, it's a quiet moment, the lull before the storm.

Steven Spielberg interviewed by Wired Magazine

Wired magazine has a detailed interview with Steven Spielberg which goes into considerable detail on the computer generated effects and features a number of new images.

New trailer on the way

A big new trailer for the Spielberg War Of The Worlds movie will premiere online at 12:01 AM Eastern Time on Friday May 27, 2005 on Apple.com.

Another War Of The Worlds clip

A long clip from War Of The Worlds is online at MSN, featuring Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning fleeing the oncoming alien assault.

War Of The Worlds clip at Yahoo

A new clip has appeared online at Yahoo.com. It features Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning getting a serious case of the creeps in a basement

Cool speculation on Spielberg aliens

Aint It Cool news has posted a set of cool illustrations of the War Of The Worlds invaders, but take note, these are not "official" images, but rather a flight of imagination based on the brief glimpses we have thus far been afforded in the trailers.

Mobile Phone game for War Of The Worlds

Some details on a mobile phone game based on Spielbergs War Of The Worlds have been released. It seems you control a tripod, which is certainly an interesting approach seeing that you are in charge of destroying the earth. Details here.

Mars orbiting spacecraft snaps neighbour

For the first time ever, a spacecraft orbiting another world has snapped a picture of another spacecraft. On 21 April 2005, NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor, which has orbited the Red Planet since 1997, caught the Mars Odyssey orbiter on camera from 90 kilometres away.

Spielberg War Of The Worlds site updated

The War Of The Worlds site for the new Spielberg/Cruise movie has been updated with a revised homepage, 7 new wallpapers and additional images. Click here for the site.

New trailer! Tripods Tripods Tripods

That needed saying three times. The newest teaser trailer to the War Of The Worlds has hit and we finally get to see Tripods (well, their legs) in a breathtaking attack scene on the helpless survivors of an assault on a ship. Think swooping tentacles, think people plucked from the water. On top of that, we get some first hand evidence that Cruise is going to go man on alien with one of the creatures in what looks increasingly like the house beneath the cynlinder chapter in the original book. Check out this amazing trailer at AOL.

Mars Opportunity rover inching out of crater

The Opportunity Rover has been trapped in a crater on Mars for some time now due to it's wheels failing to gain the necesary traction to climb out. NASA scientists are now beginning a painfully slow inch by inch escape plan. More details from the BBC here.

New Asylum War Of The Worlds trailer

The newest trailer for the direct to video version of War Of The Worlds from Asylum is up on their website and you can find some good looking screen grabs at War Of The Worlds Invasion. It looks far from high art, but it certainly delivers the goods in terms of big bangs and a commendable looking reverance for the original material.

Ane Robinson and Gene Barry in Spielberg movie

Ane Robinson, star of the very first War Of The Worlds movie (George Pal, 1953) has been talking about her brief role in the new Spielberg production alongside her original co-star Gene Barry. Robinson explains that they play Dakota Fanning's grandmother and grandfather, though they are not reprising their roles from the original movie. The interview was carried on SCI FI Wire

War Of The Worlds set report, part 2 at AICN

AICN columist Quint has posted the second part of an amazing set report from The War Of The Worlds. The conversation ranges over a lot of films, but there are some choice morsels of information on the WOTWs, specifically insights into the way Spielberg is shooting the movie and several great behind the scenes photographs.

New War Of The Worlds Wallpapers

The official site for the Spielberg/Cruise movie of War Of The Worlds has added 9 new wallpapers.

Martian Icecaps Investigated

A new study form Oregon State University is shedding light on the Martian polar caps. The report has been published in the latest issue of Nature but details can be be found here.

Mars Express first boom deployed

After considerable problems with locking the first of the three Marsis (Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding) booms into place, mission scientists have reported sucess by swinging the probe round to warm the boom. After at least a weeks analysis of the problem, the other 2 booms (two 20 metre poles and one 7 metre pole) will be released. The booms will send low-frequency radio waves to the surface where they will be used to search for water reserves.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launches in Aug

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is due for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on August 10th. The probe carries six instruments, including the most powerful telescopic camera ever flown to another world. Details as small as a kitchen table will be resolved and these sent back to earth at a rate 10 times faster than any previous mission to Mars. This is the next step in identifying landing sites for future probes and possibly humans.

On set report from Spielberg's War Of The Worlds

Aint It Cool news regular Quint has been lucky enough to get to visit the War Of The Worlds set. A great report is up on AICN, but in a nutshell, several fantastic on set photographs and a lot of incidental detail can be found here. Expect fighter jets attacking tripods and lots of battle scarred refugees. You can read the full report here.

A novel trailer for a graphic novel

Best Sellers Illustrated have launched an interesting idea at their web site to promote a new graphic novel interpretation of The War Of The Worlds. It's a promotion in movie trailer style, with voice over, sound effects and featuring snippets from the novel. Nice idea and an interesting looking modern take on the War Of The Worlds. Written by Stephen Stern, writer/creator of the cult comic-book, Zen Intergalactic Ninja, and illustrated by Arne Starr, longtime Star Trek artist for DC Comics, with a cover by legendary artist Frank Brunner View the trailer here.

Opportunity spinning its wheels

The Opportuntity rover on Mars has been stuck in a crater since 26th April. NASA engineers are running simulations to try and find a way out. The rover has far exceeded it's expected lifetime and returned a wealth of data from the red planet.

Mars Express radar boom deployment delayed

A problem has been detected with one of the 13 segments of the MARSIS radar on Mars Express. It will allow Mars Express to map the subsurface of the Red Planet, searching for underground reservoirs of water. Until the problem with the 10th segment of the boom, the second boom deployment will be delayed.

Detail on the Hitachi/War Of The Worlds promo campaign

Hitachi is teaming up with the Spielberg War Of The Worlds movie to promote their plasma tvs. Details here.

New behind the scenes features from Spielberg War Of The Worlds.

The LA Times Calender Live site has a great feature with behind the scenes footage, new images and an interview with Spielberg.

It's All Alien To Me

It appears that the next war of the worlds poster will be in an alien script, which perhaps ties in with the mysterious text spotted on the sidewalk outside a recent science fiction convention that in turn let to a holding page for a site owned by Paramount. I wonder if Paramount are laying down a challenge to clue solvers to try and translate the text?

Mars Polar Lander found?

Michael Malin, president and chief scientist of Malin Space Science Systems, which operates the camera aboard Global Surveyor, believes he and his team have identified the remains of the missing Mars Polar Lander. More details here.

Jeff Wayne web site up

Jeff Wayne has his website up in anticipation of the re-release of his seminal musical version of War Of The Worlds, and a CGI movie version.

What is the alien glyph?

A visitor to a science fiction convention spotted some odd markings on a sidewalk in Denver Colorado. A website address was included and thus the mystery deepened. The site has keywords in its meta tags for War Of The Worlds and other enterprising detectives found the site is registered to Paramount. A viral marketing campaign in the making perhaps? Is there a secret message in the symbols? Check it out here (and try refreshing the page to see the colours change). And the sidewalk image can be seen here.

The search for water on Mars

The European Mars Express spacecraft in orbit around Mars is soon to deploy a radar boom that will search for signs of water miles below the surface. The boom has been stowed away since the craft reached Mars orbit because mission controllers feared it might swing from its release position too fast and damage the spacecraft. Full story here.

Spielberg still believes in ET

Interviewed by the Associated Press, Spielberg said. "I have to certainly believe what my heart tells me. That the first time there is a meeting of the minds between extraterrestrials and human beings, it's going to be friendly."

Hmm, only if we don't shoot first.

Spielberg alludes to big effects

An interesting article has been published with comments from Speilberg. Speilberg says this his most special effects heavy movie in some time and reveals that he originally planned a War Of The Worlds theme park attraction, but could not get the rights at the time. Read the whole store here.

War Of The Words

Looks like Tom Cruise got more than he bargained for in an interview with the German magazine Spiegel. As reported on Cultnews.com, a reporter grilled the War Of The Worlds star on why he had a tent up on the set of the movie to promote his belief in Scientology.

The war (for an audience) is hotting up

By my count, this makes the 4th War Of The Worlds movie to be announced. Just to recap, we have the Speilberg version, the Tim Hines version, the revised Jeff Wayne version and now, the "David Michael Latt" version: Much as i'd like to be positive about this, the fact that www.imdb.com has the movie listed as "invasion" very much suggests this is a quick rename of a movie to cash in on the hype over the other versions, unless this was the cover story. Hines kept his version super secret for a long time. The Independence Day-like poster is a bit of give-away that this straight to video movie has some pretty cheap and cheerful credentials. But hey, who am I to judge sight unseen. It might be fun. Offical website is here, though the link for trailer is dead.

Hitachi chooses War of the Worlds

In the first of what are sure to be numerous tie-ins, Hitachi are teaming up with Steven Spielbergs War Of The Worlds to promote their flat screen televisions. More info here.

War Of The Worlds game

You can now play an online game of The War Of The Worlds at the Spielberg movie site. Its a neat little game which puts you in various situations in which you have to flee the invaders while picking up survivors. Played on my slightly creaking PC, it was a slow experience with lots of pauses, but I'll give it a go on my high speed work connection and report back if it runs better.

War Of The Worlds graphic novel

An interesting looking update of War Of The Worlds is due out May 2005. Its a modern reworking of the story and has a cover by Frank Brunner. Fifteen pages are available for preview on the publishers site.

War Of The Worlds tie in game for April 14th

A highly complex online multi player game is to be made available on the War Of The Worlds site, this April 14th. Quoting the press release, it will be "a human-survival game that echoes the themes and real world environments of the film, the game calls upon players to rescue survivors, collect objects, and escape danger in varying combinations. Players will try to escape maze-like boards while avoiding cataclysmic alien destruction. The game is free for users worldwide and will be available in seven different languages. Designed as both a single and multi-player game, the game’s objectives are scaled to the number of people playing; in addition, multi-player boards will require players to work together to complete their mission. In the weeks approaching the film’s release, additional maps – of increasing complication and difficulty – will become available". You can check out some great screen shots here at Ugo.com

Europe back to Mars

The European Space Agency is planning a Mars rover for arrival in June of 2013. Full story here.

New look site for War Of The Worlds

The Spielberg/Cruise version of War Of The Worlds has a newly refreshed site here. Still not giving much away but plenty of content.

More Spielberg WOTW pics leak

Some interesting new images have shown up on this German site

And this makes three!

A third War Of The Worlds movie is in the works. Its a 48 million dollar all CGI film, and the one and only Jeff Wayne is behind it. This could be great and is in preperation to coincide with a release of his amazing musical version.
The official site (with just holding page for now) is here, but Waroftheworldsonline has some exlusive CGI test films.

War Of The Worlds (not the Spielberg version) Pushed back to late April

(Official Poster: click for larger image)


"H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
RELEASE DATE PUSHED BACK."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 2005

The Principals of Pendragon Pictures announce the push
back of the theatrical release date of H.G. WELLS' THE
WAR OF THE WORLDS from March 30th, 2005 to late April
with the exact date yet to be announced.

"The push back is due entirely to production," states
director Timothy Hines. "I've worked for seven year on
this film and as the release deadline approached I was
faced with a very simple choice, rush the picture or
push the release date back and do the movie right."
Hines is unapologetic about the push back. "This was
absolutely the right thing to do. My picture, H.G.
WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS is an epic with thousands
of special effects. It would have been absurd to cut
scenes or rush effects when the movie was so close to
completion. The thousands of fan letters that pour in
every week reflect that this decision is correct and in
the end it was the only way to go. Nobody remembers
that some episodes of STAR WARS have been up to a year
late, that Francis Ford Coppola, Kubrick and many other
directors have routinely missed deadliness to get their
picture right. H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS is all
we hoped it would be and more."

A few private test screenings have brought
overwhelmingly positive responses. Test audiences have
reacted with strong emotions ranging from tears to
triumphant. "I'm not surprised at the powerful reaction
to the movie from our test groups," says Hines. "We did
the book. Wells was a powerful writer. THE WAR OF THE
WORLDS is a tragic story. It's a horror story. I didn't
play the battles between the human artillery and the
giant three-legged fighting machines triumphantly.
This is humanity losing its planet to an invading
force. Well, for a time anyway. That people have shown
they are moved by the movie says we got it right."

The exact April theatrical release date of H.G. WELLS'
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS will be announced shortly, though
the DVD release is locked. The picture is presold for
DVD into 60,000 retail stores in the U.S. and Canada
and will hit the shelves June 15th, 2005. Worldwide DVD
presales are in progress.

Two books on the making of Pendragon's H.G. WELLS' THE
WAR OF THE WORLDS will hit the bookstores on June 1st.
The books are published by Retrovision in association
with Ed Gross, the east coast editor of CFQ
(Cinefantastique) Magazine.

THE MAKING OF H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
Book One: The Lost Film
A comprehensive behind the scenes look at the War of
the Worlds film that wasn't, taking the project from
its point of conception, through the design stage,
negotiations with studios and talent, conversations
with Dreamworks and Paramount and, finally, the impact
of September 11th on the production. Book one
culminates with the decision to mothball the project
and the reasons behind it. From there, the entire
original script is offered, which is accompanied by
storyboards and production illustrations.

THE MAKING OF H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
Book Two: All's Well That Ends Wells
Book two begins with a recap of the events of Book One,
primarily the terrorist attacks of September 11th, and
the filmmakers' sense of responsibility that they could
not go forward with the movie that they had envisioned,
feeling that it mirrored reality too closely. Tracked,
is the hit the film took in terms of budget, dropping
from $42 million to $8 million and eventually up again
to $20+ million. Creatively, the decision to harken
back to the H.G. Wells novel is explored, and that this
is the first version to truly tap into the source
material. The new screenplay is included accompanied by
numerous production designs and finished sequences.
Also included are interviews with cast members and
behind the scenes special effects personnel to tell the
entire story of the making of the film.

To pre-order the THE MAKING OF H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF
THE WORLDS books contact Retrovision at
http://www.retrovisionmag.com .

On another note, director Timothy Hines addresses some
of the many rumors floating around concerning the
competition between his and Spielberg's respective
productions, amongst which are that Hines is financed
by George Lucas in retaliation for Spielberg cutting
into Lucas' STAR WARS business or that Paramount and
Dreamworks have publicity attack teams that use the
acronym DDP (Discredit Discourage Pendragon).

"Most of these rumors are laughable," smiles Hines, "I
would love it if George Lucas threw some support in our
direction. If Lucas and Spielberg actually do have
tension about Spielberg cutting into STAR WARS
business, I know nothing about that. Concerning our
film, it really exists, it will be distributed and all
who wish to see it in the end will have their
opportunity to do so."

Japanese Trailer seeing red

A slightly different Japanese trailer for the War Of The Worlds (Spielberg version) is up at the apple Japan site. Interesting point: Since we learn that Spielberg's aliens do not hail from Mars, has anyone told the Japanese? Because that looks a lot like the planet Mars on their poster! Hunting around Japanese websites (search for "uchu sensou" which seems to the Japanese title - Altavista translates it as "space war"), I came upon this great large size image of the Japanese poster. It's not quite Mars, but pretty close in spirit don't you think. Check it out here.

Is rival WOTWs going straight to DVD?

With no sign of exactly who is going to release Timothy Hines authentic version of The War Of The Worlds in cinemas, an interesting news item surfaces on Forbes. Could it be the movie is going to ship on DVD in June just in time to ride the coat-tails of Cruise and Spielberg? A little sad if true.

New Trailer, and what a trailer!

By no stretch of the imagination is this shaping up to be H G Wells' War Of The Worlds (that's what we have the Pendragon version for), but this new trailer for the Spielberg movie is simply astounding. Great tension.

New behind the scenes photo from Spielberg movie

A new image can be found here.

New Teaser Trailer

A second teaser to the Speilberg movie is expected March 18th.

Mobile Martians

In what is sure to be the first of many tie-ins to the Spielberg WOTWs movie, Gameloft have secured the mobile phone game rights.

Gritty invasion faithful to original novel.

Rick Carter, the production designer for Spielbergs WOTWs has been telling Sci-Fi Wire that the film is to be extremely realistic in style. Also revealed, the New Jersey location is indeed a bit of a homage to the Orson Welles broadcast. Also speaking to Sci Fi Wire, Doug Chiang, the conceptual artist on the movie has been talking about his desire to keep faith with the orginal novel.

Japan sees a slightly diffrent invasion

The Japanese trailer for Spielbergs WOTWs seem to be a slightly different edit to those seen thus far in America.

Was it Martian Hackers?

Apparently hackers defaced the War Of The Worlds website for the new Spielberg movie.

Jeff Wayne War Of The Worlds sounds off again

SonyBMG Music Europe is to release War of the Worlds in SACD surround sound this summer. Full details here.

Dig that weed

Some images have surfaced taken by a local snapper on an outdoors set of the Speilberg movie. This is our first look at the red weed.

Spielberg reveals link to Orson Welles broadcast

A great on set visit report at Filmforce reveals that Spielberg actually owns one of the few surviving original scripts to Orson Welles 1938 War Of The Worlds broadcast! (He claims its the only one, though I am aware of one other earlier surviving draft.) Don't expect any great connection between his movie and the broadcast, but nice to know he is aware of the broadcast and it's part in the history of The WOTW.

Teaser Trailer

Having watched the new teaser trailer a few times now, I just can't shake the feeling that we are seeing too much of this sort of stuff? Don't get me wrong, the effects look great, but we've seen exploding buildings and flying gas tankers so many times now. Of course the trailer has to grab you by the scruff of the neck so perhaps there is some real substance to this movie. Come on Steven, give us something a bit different?

Plane crash set from WOTW

Some interesting pictures have surfaced of what is claimed to be a plane crash set from Spielbergs WOTWs.

New trailer available tonight

The trailer to be aired during the Superbowl will be online here
I snuck a look unofficially a few days ago on another site (since removed) and it certainly packs a wollop, but the scenes of destruction (expect to see an express way getting ripped to shreds) have that oh so familar feel from previous effectfest movies. There has to be more than endless scenes of destruction.

Those Martians better be good.

Another tantilising image from the Spielberg WOW.

More WOW pics. What are they looking at?

I detect a pattern here with Spielberg WOW images. Are they trying to wip up speculation at exactly what Tom and his co-stars are looking at? Bring on the Martians!

They Live!

The theatrical trailer for the Pendragon version Of The War Of The Worlds is up and running and boy is it interesting. A bit highly strung in places (I don't think its the best edited trailer I have ever seen) but the overall feel is very encouraging. And yes, Martians do move in this one. For one brief moment you can see a Martian tripod striding along and there is a pretty cool shot of Big Ben in London getting decapitated. HG Wells would have loved it. Part of the appeal of writing the book for him was certainly the satisfaction he got from knocking hell out of the established order of things. This movie is clearly going to deliver in spades.
Trailer is here.

New WOTW pictures

A couple of new pictures have surfaced and pretty interesting they look too. The more I see of this, the more I hope the Spielberg movie it is at least trying to stick to the spirit of the original novel. Looks like lots of refugee action as people flee the advancing Maritians.

Dakota Fanning in incredibly nice shock

Young Dakota Fanning, starring alongside Tom Cruise, has really nice things to say about her co-star but gives nothing away in this interview.

War Of The Worlds pictures

Some very cool looking pictures are out from the Spielberg/Cruise version.
Click here