Essential Pictures is developing a potential franchise of films based on Outlander, a series of six fantasy novels by Diana Gabaldon. Not to be confused with the potentially bad ass Alien / Viking movie of the same name, which seems to have gotten the shaft from The Weinstein Co.
Braveheart scribe Randall Wallace penned the script, which has already been sent out to potential directors. The goal is to begin production in Spring 2009. The first book in the series, titled Outlander, tells the story of Claire Randall, who travels through time to the eighteenth century Scottish Highlands. Here is the official plot synopsis from the book:
Claire Randall is leading [...]

UPDATE 2: TWC is getting back to us. Now they say tomorrow.
UPDATE: A reader from Outlander.solsector.net says, “There’s been no confirmation about the DVD date and nearest myself and one of the producers can tell there really isn’t a date set for the DVD much less a theatrical release. Plus, The Weinstein Company is contractually obligated to give outlander at least a limited theatrical release.” We’ll be contacting TWC tomorrow.
Recipe: Go into the closet and dust off Castle Grayskull. Place an E.T. figurine with its arms raised on one of the turrets. Pour a goblet filled with red wine all over it. Now set it on fire. Pretend it’s [...]

Rumblings of a new Conan movie have been ongoing for two years now, and today Lionsgate announced a fresh pair of screenwriters for its $100 million, R-rated tent pole. Dirk Blackman and Howard McCain will rework the former script. The duo previously wrote Outlander, the vikings-versus-alien movie currently growing moss over at The Weinstein Co. In recent months, Outlander has earned a fair number of supporters, Slashfilm included. AICN even wrote a letter to Harvey Weinstein praising the film and pleading for a wide release. From our standpoint, their involvement in this franchise has potential. Here’s what producer Fredrick Malmberg told the trades…
“We all want this movie to go into [...]

In this week’s episode of the /Filmcast, Dave, Devindra, and Adam debate whether Robert Downey Jr. would make a good Sherlock Holmes, celebrate Jon Favreau’s return to Iron Man 2, and delve deeply into the cultural phenomenon that is Step Up 2: The Streets. Also, an in-depth review of Hellboy 2. Special guest Dave3 joins us from Geeks of Doom and Peter Sciretta also makes a brief appearance.
Have any questions, comments, or suggestions? Want to advertise your movie, product, or service on the /Filmcast? Feel free to e-mail us at slashfilmcast@gmail.com. You can also call and leave a voicemail at (781) 583-1993. If you’d like us to play your [...]

Remember that trailer we posted the other day for Outlander? You know, the upcoming action fantasy/sci-fi mash-up with the insanely crazy plot involving both Vikings and Aliens? Well another trailer has dropped on the interwebs, and clears up some of the misconceptions I had. For instance, the movie doesn’t have dragons. We get a better look at the alien monster at the story’s core. Oh, and they corrected the spelling error in the Lord of the Rings title credit. Call me crazy but I’m still really interested in seeing this flick. Too bad The Weinstein Co will probably botch the marketing. Watch the trailer after the jump.

I’m not a viking movie type of guy, but who is? The international movie trailer for Outlander has hit the interwebs and I can’t tell you how excited I suddenly am to see this flick. I mean, who doesn’t want to see a movie about “vikings teaming with a human alien to take on an alien creature”? Watch the trailer below, and tell me what you think! Am I insane, or could this be a lot of fun?
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Plot Synopsis: As an [...]

Though it recently showed at Cannes and received a fan-site response equal to, “if you want to watch a movie about vikings and a human alien versus an alien creature, go for it,” Outlander still remains tucked in at the Weinstein Co. and is without a release domestically. Meanwhile, an international release for the James Caviezel (Passion of the Christ) sci-fi actioner is tentatively planned for late summer. Worth noting is how easy it is to get this film mixed up with Marcus Nispel’s dismally received Pathfinder (suped-up vikings versus Indians). Shock received the Frank Frazetta-ish poster, click for the high-res, and you can find more info on the flick [...]