Hey mates, Harry ere... Had a recent visit here in my geek home by none other than Bryan Singer, Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris. I was laying here minding my own business... staring at my enormous black iron boot using my vast mental powers to heal the bone faster, when I get this strange noise from my computer. Looking at it, my iChat was saying that I had a Video Chat Request from Michael Dougherty - Looking at it I thought... "He's in Australia on the Superman set... cool" so I turned my camera on, put on my power pasties and waited for the vastness of bandwidth to figure out our connections.

When the video got all clear - I was laying here looking at Bryan, Michael & Dan chatting at me. It was all dark and cold here, but there - in Dougherty vast lush pad - you could see the ocean lapping at the shore out his enormous bay window. Bryan was quite jealous of his view, as he lives in town and doesn't have nearly as wonderful a view. (Note: Writers get better views than Directors.) Bryan went on to tell me that in 4 weeks they'll be full steam ahead shooting out on the Kent homestead, which they built in studio, then hauled out to location - where there are apparently all manners of poisonous snakes. Eve Marie Saint is apparently a real trooper. They have indeed cast Noell Niel in the film! Who? You heathen! The original Lois Lane from the old George Reeves SUPERMAN tv show! Apparently she plays a cool ol lady that Lex Luthor swindles out of her fortune (at least that's kinda how it was explained to me.) Also - they have a dog... actually an adorable white puppy they're calling KRYPTO... and I have it on good authority that Krypto left a deposit of dangerous Kryptoshit, Red Kryptoshit on the carpet of Bryan Singer's office the other day. Anyway - I don't believe lil Krypto is in the movie, just a set pup. Bryan seems to be in great cheer - and it looks like he's full steam ahead.

I mention all of this, only because... well this is a story about X3 - and having been contacted by the main creative team behind X2 - I figured I'd provide an update on their activities, before providing an update on their old franchise's activities. Here ya go - wonder if they'll go head to head...

Hey-ho from surprisingly sunny England!

Have just been listening to the one and only Patrick Stewart chatting away happily to Simon Mayo on BBC Radio Fivelive over here in Blightly, while I dragged my arse home from another day’s work.

He’s currently appearing in the David Mamet play A Life in Theatre with Joshua Jackson in the heart of London’s West End - to rave reviews too!

But the most interesting part of the interview (apart from learning that he has one of every J-L Picard and Prof. Xavier action figure ever produced) was his info-update on the state of X3, the third installment of the franchise now deserted by Bryan Singer for Superman.

According to Stewart (who is 65 in July - can you belive it?), the studio are in close contact with him and are still aiming for a July start to filming so they can meet their previously scheduled Summer 2006 release date.  Still no word on a director, but he is expecting a copy of the script in his hands within the next couple of weeks!

Sounds pretty good to me, although it’s going to take a very strong director to take on the franchise without ruining the excellent groundwork laid down by the mighty Mr Singer.  Here’s hoping...

England’s poshest scooper,

Top Hat ‘n’ Tails