Star Trek Actor's Ashes Were Smuggled Onto International Space Station

Star Trek star James Doohan's remains were smuggled aboard the International Space Station, a secret mission kept under wraps for 12 years. Richard Garriott, the famed entrepreneur and video game developer known also as "Lord British" who created the Ultima series, hid Doohan's remains among his belonging and then placed them beneath a floor piece aboard the ISS. “It was completely clandestine," Garriott tells The Times in a new interview. "His family were very pleased that the ashes made it up there but we were all disappointed we didn’t get to talk about it publicly for so long. Now enough time has passed that we can. As far as I know, no one has ever seen it there and no one has moved it. James Doohan got his resting place among the stars.”

After twice being denied their request to send Doohan's ashes to the station, Doohan's family contacted Garriott just days before his 12-day private mission to the station in 2008. “Richard said ‘We’ve got to keep this hush hush for a little while’ and here we are 12 years later," Doohan's son, Chris, says. "What he did was touching—it meant so much to me, so much to my family and it would have meant so much to my dad."

Doohan played Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in Star Trek, reprising his roles in the six live-action films featuring the show's cast, Star Trek Generations, and the episode "Relics" of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and voicing him in Star Trek: The Animated Series and multiple Star Trek video games. He died in 2005 due to complications from pulmonary fibrosis, a condition it is believed he contracted due to substances he came into contact with during World War II.

Doohan was cremated following his death. In 2007, a portion of his ashes was sent into space on the SpaceLoft XL rocket during its four-minute suborbital flight. In 2012, an urn containing some of Doohan's ashes was placed aboard the Falcon 9 rocket during the second test flight of SpaceX's unmanned Dragon cargo capsule.

As Scotty, Doohan left an indelible mark on popular culture through the phrase "beam me up, Scotty," which even non-fans associate with Star Trek and Captain Kirk requesting a return to the Starship Enterprise. That the phrase was never once spoken on the show, at least not in that exact configuration, hasn't done stopped it from being widely used.

Disney's Soul Pays Tribute to Late Pixar Animator Behind Cars and Toy Story

Soul pays tribute to late Disney and Pixar animator Joe Ranft, a 20-year animation veteran whose credits include Toy Story and Cars. When middle school band teacher and jazz musician Joe (Jamie Foxx) suffers an accident, his soul separates from his body and ends up in the Great Beyond. To buy time and reunite his soul with his body back on Earth, Joe poses as a soul counselor in the Great Before and becomes the unwitting mentor of 22 (Tina Fey). As an eons-old soul who has never found her "spark" — despite the teachings of notable figures like Abraham Lincoln, Mohammed Ali, and Mother Teresa — 22 proudly shows Joe a wall collecting the nametags of her many mentors.

 Conspicuously placed in the center is a name tag for Ranft, who died in a 2005 car accident aged 45. Ranft and Soul director Pete Docter worked together on Toy Story, the first Pixar feature film, where they broke the story with Andrew Stanton and director John Lasseter.

Ranft also served as the story artist on Docter's first feature as director, 2001's Monsters, Inc., where Ranft voiced the blue-skinned monster who panics when he's nearly touched by a human child. Ranft's other voice roles include always-hungry caterpillar Heimlich in A Bug's Life and penguin squeaky toy Wheezy in Toy Story 2.

Ranft made his directorial debut on Cars, serving as writer and co-director with Lasseter. The film released posthumously in 2006 and was dedicated to his memory.

Soul is just the latest Pixar film to honor Ranft in the form of an Easter egg. An engraved portrait of him appears in 2012's Brave, and the home to brothers Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley Lightfoot (Chris Pratt) in Onward gets its address from Ranft's birthday. Docter also paid tribute to Ranft in his previous film, Inside Out, by modeling the Jangles the Clown character after Ranft's real-life clown costume.

"We wanted a wall full of stickers. So there were plenty of chances for people to fill in their own," Docter told /Film about 22's Easter egg-filled wall of name tags. "Another one for me was Joe Grant, who was one of the great Disney story artists and development guys back in the ‘40s. He worked with Walt Disney. I got to know him when he was like 95 or something, and he was a great mentor to me. As well as the father of Frank Oz, this guy named Mike Oznowicz. He lived locally in Oakland, and we would meet him every weekend, and his was just a fantastic, full of life guy. And a bunch of other folks."

Batgirl and Static Shock Reportedly HBO Max Exclusives

The DC Films universe has gone through quite a few different evolutions over the years, as Warner Bros. has worked to bring a slew of beloved DC Comics characters onto the big screen. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic shifting elements of the franchise's schedule, there are still quite a lot of new films either on the schedule or in the pipeline -- and it sounds like DC Films could soon be expanding how they release them. A recent article from The New York Times profiles DC Films president Walter Hamada, and previews what the company's strategy could look like following the hybrid theatrical and HBO Max release of Wonder Woman 1984. Part of the article outlines that DC Films plans to release two films a year exclusively on HBO Max, with the article hinting that it could perhaps be films that are "focused on riskier characters like Batgirl and Static Shock."

Of course, there's no official indication of whether or not that will ultimately be the fate of either of those films, especially since that portion of the article does not quote Hamada directly. But still, the mention of both of those films in particular - especially when DC has countless other films in the work - is definitely interesting. The Batgirl solo film has been in the works for several years now, with Joss Whedon initially lined up to write and direct the project, only to drop out months later. Christina Hodson, who has penned both Birds of Prey and the upcoming Flashpoint for DC Films, has been handling the Batgirl script since April of 2018, but no official updates have been announced recently.

Static Shock, meanwhile, was just announced to be in the works in October of this year, with Michael B. Jordan lined up to produce the project.

While there are definitely fans who would want to see either Batgirl or Static Shock on the big screen - and again, this article doesn't definitively confirm either film's fate - there is an argument to be made for either film ending up on HBO Max, or even doing a hybrid release similar to Wonder Woman 1984 and WB's current 2021 film slate. Given how beloved Batgirl and Static Shock are as characters, there's a good chance that either film could reach a wider audience with the help of HBO Max, similarly to how Birds of Prey got a second wind once it hit PVOD and HBO Max earlier this year. Plus, as the theatrical experience proves to be more and more of a logistical challenge amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the idea of definitively having blockbuster films premiere on filming could have some upsides. It also would provide an experience equivalent to what the Marvel Cinematic Universe has planned for the future, with a mix of theatrically-released films and Disney+ exclusive series.

DC Films President Addresses Live-Action Multiverse Plans

DC Films president Walter Hamada believes moviegoing audiences are "sophisticated" enough to understand the multiverse, a concept allowing the studio to bring multiple versions of DC Comics superheroes to the screen — even at the same time, or in the same movie. That will be the case in The Flash, where the super-speedster (Ezra Miller) will encounter the Batman of his world (Ben Affleck) and a Dark Knight from another dimension (Michael Keaton). Yet another Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) will exist on a new Earth outside of the DC Extended Universe in the rebooted The Batman, which is separate still from Arthur Fleck's (Joaquin Phoenix) reality in the standalone Joker.

"I don't think anyone else has ever attempted this," Hamada told The New York Times. "But audiences are sophisticated enough to understand it. If we make good movies, they will go with it."

The DCEU — home to such superheroes as Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman and Jason Momoa's Aquaman — has already crossed over with the Arrowverse, home to television superheroes like Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) and Supergirl (Melissa Benoist). During TV's ambitious Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, Miller's big-screen Flash crossed paths with the Arrowverse Flash (Grant Gustin) to tease things to come.

"This really opens the door for us to do more crossovers, to really establish this idea that there can be a Flash on TV and a Flash in the movies," Hamada said during the virtual DC FanDome event over the summer. "You don't have to pick one or the other, you can love both. On one Earth, you have Gal and Jason and Ezra as this Justice League, and you can continue telling these stories. While on another Earth, you can have a more grounded, real, Year Two Batman [in The Batman]."

The move allows filmmakers like Matt Reeves the freedom to operate outside of a pre-existing continuity in The Batman, and filmmakers like Todd Phillips the opportunity to tell standalone stories like an R-rated villain origin in Joker. And Zack Snyder's Justice League, the filmmaker's long-awaited Snyder Cut, will exist "slightly elsewhere" in the ever-expanding multiverse.

"We're trying to keep it as simple as that, like there is that one Earth that exists in Justice League, and then the beginnings of another earth that is happening in its early stages of [The Batman]," Hamada said in August. "And then, obviously, there are outliers like Joker, which doesn't exist in either earth, but that's okay, it's all part of the multiverse. Matt Reeves can continue to build out his Gotham, and he's got great plans on how to build it out and build it out in a way that's innovative."

Transformers War for Cybertron: Siege Trailer Released

Netflix has released the new trailer for Transformers: War for Cybertron: Siege, the first installment of the Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy. The trailer sees the Decepticons, led by Megatron, assembling to try to stamp out the Optimus Prime's Autobot resistance. The trailer reveals that the series will launch on Netflix on July 30th. "You know, it's really exciting to be part of Transformers history right now, because the toys are super exciting to work on, obviously," Hasbro designer John Warden said at San Diego Comic-Con 2019. "But having partners to work with, you know, Wizards of the Coast to do a customizable card game, the great comic books, the stories being told in comic books, and now with our partnership with Netflix.

"It's their last moments on Cybertron. The decisions that are made, and being able to bring the story to life on that medium, I mean. Everything we do is, we're very story-focused, and I think trying to find other mediums...it just makes everything about our franchise stronger. Because not only are we talking to the G1 fans like me, but we're also talking potentially to a whole new group of fans out there, and it's just an exciting time to be a part of it."

According to the show's synopsis, "It is the final hours of the devastating civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons. The war that has torn apart their home planet of Cybertron is at a tipping point. Two leaders, Optimus Prime and Megatron, both want to save their world and unify their people, but only on their own terms. In an attempt to end the conflict, Megatron is forced to consider using the Allspark, the source of all life and power on Cybertron, to "reformat" the Autobots, thus "unifying" Cybertron. Outnumbered, outgunned, and under SIEGE, the battle-weary Autobots orchestrate a desperate series of counterstrikes on a mission that, if everything somehow goes right, will end with an unthinkable choice: kill their planet in order to save it."

Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy's voice cast includes Jake Foushee as Optimus Prime, Jason Marnocha as Megatron, Linsay Rousseau as Elita-1, Joe Zieja as Bumblebee, Frank Todaro as Starscream, Rafael Goldstein as Ratchet, Keith Silverstein as Jetfire, Todd Haberkorn as Shockwave, Red Alert, Edward Bosco as Ultra Magnus and Soundwave, Bill Rogers as Wheeljack, Sophia Isabella as Arcee, Brook Chalmers as Impactor, Shawn Hawkins as Mirage, Kaiser Johnson as Ironhide, Miles Luna as Teletraan I and Cliffjumper, and Mark Whitten as Sideswipe and Skywarp.

Transformers: War for Cybertron: Siege debuts on Netflix on July 30th.

Jun Ji Hyun Is Reportedly Making Her Comeback in a New Korean Drama

It seems that the Korean actress Jun Ji Hyun is making a comeback to television this 2020. According to reports, the actress is about to get a new drama titled “Jirisan” or “Mount Jiri”, which is the initial title for the series. Writer Kim Eun Hee is said to be working with the new drama and if everything has been set to stone, Jun Ji Hyun will surely be making an extravagant return.

Apart from the reported news, Ji Hyun will also be appearing in the upcoming second season of the Kingdom series on Netflix. As of writing, Ji Hyun’s character in the series is yet to be revealed but it seems she will be one of the characters that will be introduced in the season finale.

Kung Fu Hustle 2: Release Date, Cast and Latest News

The original instant cult favorite film, Kung Fu Hustle, that released on December 23, 2004, in China, is being planned to have a sequel finally after fifteen years. The original one is written and directed by Stephen Chow, and the movie will have him at the helm of the franchise’s newest entry, yet again. Having a runtime of 95 minutes, the movie went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time in Hong Kong and the highest-grossing foreign-language film in the US in 2005. The story of the movie is about a poor young man, pretending to be a gang member aiming at menacing the residents of a Chinese ghetto. As the article contains spoilers about the upcoming season, proceed further only if you are comfortable with it.

With our fingers crossed, we can only wish that Chow doesn’t end up pushing the release of this long-awaited sequel, back another fifteen years, as even though he has confirmed the making of the sequel, he is still tongue-tied about the official date of its premiere. Though the original movie was set in native China, Chow has declared that Kung Fu Hustle 2 will have a foreign background, contrary to most of his films. The colorful cast of the first part of Kung Fu Hustle had added to the charm of the movie, many of whom were more memorable than the main characters. However, the new sequel will be casting new faces, yet keeping the possibility of casting the recurring actors alive, along with the starring of a female lead. Along with directing, co-writing and co-producing Kung Fu Hustle, Chow has even starred in the film as the main character, as Sing. This time, Stephen Chow, though, will not be a part of the franchise as the lead, he will still be making a cameo role. The original movie, Kung Fu Hustle, cast Stephen Chow, Yuen Wah, Yuen Qiu, Kwok Kuen Chan, and Bruce Leung in lead roles. Kung Fu Hustle is a Chinese martial arts film, a humorous parody, and a special tribute to the wuxia genre. Though it contains most of the characteristics of a typical wuxia movie, it is salted with a lot of exaggerations, serious situations, and comic plots to make the movie worth watching. The second part of the film will be more like a spiritual follow up to the original. Rather than being just a sequel, it is going to be a reboot of the original one. Kung Fu Hustle is Stephen Chow’s only film where the mood turns darker and serious as the movie proceeds forward.