Heroic Dreams - All Things Medieval

It is pretty much official that a Shannara movie is being made. The filming is supposed to start this year and the movie is scheduled to be finished sometime next year. I may be released in 09 or possibly 2010. Interesting thing about it is that the movie will not be The Sword of Shannara. It is said that Terry Brooks wanted to start the series of movies with The Elfstones of Shannara. He believes it is a better place to start out.

I have been a big fan of the Shannara series since it came out. I read the first book when it came out! Tells you how old I am getting.

Digging up information about this movie is currently pretty scarce and the IMDB has a listing for it but no information currently available. Warner Bros are making it so it should be well done.

I guess we really have lord of the rings to thank for this resurgence in big budget fantasy movies. It propelled Harry Potter, Narnia and others into the mainstream. Well, maybe not Harry Potter. Those movies didn’t need any help from LOTR.

Anyhoo, I will keep you posted on the progress and specifics of the movie as I can dig things up.  If you can’t wait until 2010 for your big budget fantasy movie fix you might not know but David Farland’s Runelords is set to be released next year.

The Elfstones of Shannara

The Runelords Book 1

Popularity: 11% [?]

I received an advance copy of the latest release in the Highlander franchise. It’s called Highlander: The Source. I have a review and some information about it here but I also have a free DVD and Poster of the movie contest running. All you have to do is submit your email and you will be signed up. A winner will be picked on Feb 29th and will be mailed a copy of the dvd and the poster.

About The Movie

Highlander: The Source was originally released as a direct to tv (Scifi Channel) last September and it becomes available on DVD feb 26th. The official Movie site is here . It’s the fifth Highlander movie and the first in a new trilogy ( So there is plenty more Highlander stuff coming!)

The Basic Premise

The curse of immortality is a strong plot line in all the highlander works and this one takes a bit of a twist. The immortals in this movie are seeking out something called “The Source” which may or may not exist. But if it does it is the way for an immortal to achieve mortality. That’s the major theme and there is a nice little sub theme where we learn that a long time previously another group of immortals sought out the source and it didn’t go well for them and they were turned into guardians of the source. Of course this adds an additional challenge to our new group of mortal seekers.

Thoughts and ratings:

The movie is aimed more at fans of the television series and the return of Adrian Paul as Duncan Macleod attests to this. (Although he also starred in Endgame) And as far as made for TV movies goes it was pretty good. There were some good fight scenes,a  decent special effects budget, and it moved along well. I would give it three and a half stars out of five. Nothing spectacular and it doesn’t compare to the first highlander movie but how could it? The great news here is that we can look forward to even more Highlander stuff because this is the first film of a planned trilogy. Let’s see what kinds of interesting variations on the blessing/curse of immortality the film makers can bring us.

About the DVD Giveaway

On Feb 29th One winner will be picked to receive a free Highlander DVD and Movie Poster

Here is a link to a page on my website where you can sign up to win the dvd and movie poster. All you need to do is enter your first name and email address. One winner will be picked on Feb 29th and notified by email. This contest is run by me on my website and not a big corporate outfit so your odds should be pretty good! The dvd and movie poster are courtest of M80 and Lions Gate Films.

Want to learn more about the Movie? I have put together a page with lots more information about it including a gallery of stills from the movie, links and resources to other sites, forums and the movie trailer: More About Highlander: The Source

Popularity: 28% [?]

It looks like Peter Jackson and New Line Cineman have ironed out their difficulties and we all will be getting another trip to Middle Earth.

If you have been following the drama and the battle you know that Peter Jackson and New Line have been fighting over the making of a Hobbit movie for quite a while now and it seems that they have worked out a deal. Peter Jackson has committed to producing two movies based on Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”.

He won’t be directing them though, which is a shame. Anyway they are tentatively scheduled to be released in 2010 and 2011. And if you want to read more there is a press release here: The Making of the Hobbit

I have discussed this whole battle between Jackson and the studio in a previous post here if you want to read more: Hobbits, and the Golden Ring of Greed

Popularity: 16% [?]