David Tennant’s return to Doctor Who is simultaneously a curse and a blessing. While every Whovian rejoices at one of their all-time favorite Doctors coming back to the role, they still have to wait an entire year until the 60th-anniversary specials come along. Fortunately, the BBC and returning showrunner Russell T. Davies are going out of their way to ensure that every painstaking speculative day waiting will be worth it in the end.
Meanwhile, Denis Villeneuve and his crew are shooting Dune: Part Two in the desert and a newly leaked selfie from Timothée Chalamet hints at a major location from the second half of Frank Herbert’s novel. Last but not least, Star Wars fans finally realize something about the deep space and deal with the possibility that their entire lives may have been a lie. Come along for the wibbly wobbly timey-wimey ride in today’s roundup of sci-fi news from across the internet.
It was actually Russell T. Davies who asked the BBC if he returns to Doctor Who and not the other way around
With Chris Chibnall failing to keep the momentum going for the BBC’s long-running sci-fi show, one would assume that the network all but begged Russell T. Davies, who masterminded Who‘s return in 2005, to make an epic comeback and save the show before another inevitable cancellation. But according to what the acclaimed television producer has revealed to Doctor Who Magazine, he was actually the one to reach out and ask the BBC if they’d be interested in a one-off featuring David Tennant’s 10th Doctor and Catherine Tate’s Donna Noble.
“So I just thought, well I’ll throw it out there, and since Chris [Chibnall] is doing the busiest job in TV, I won’t add to his workload,” he explained. “I’ll email Piers Wenger, the Director of Drama. Simply reporting in to ask: I have no idea about your future plans, but might this fit in somewhere? A Special? The anniversary? An extra? A one-off, maybe? What d’you think?”
It’s a great thing he did because, for the life of us, we couldn’t imagine a better person taking over from Chibnall after all those rating nosedives and fan concerns about Who continuity. Now, all we want from Russell is to retcon the Timeless Child twist and we’re golden.
Dune: Part Two could feature this iconic place from the novel
You have already caught a glimpse of the Fremen culture in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, but the desert warriors will be depicted in earnest in the movie’s hype-fueling sequel, Dune: Part Two. The pic is currently undergoing production, with Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, and Javier Bardem all returning to reprise their respective roles in the classic sci-fi story.
Recently, a photo has been circulating online that shows Chalamet posing in front of the city of Petra in Jordan. This is probably for scenes taking place in Arrakis, though you’d be hard-pressed to find any in Dune that doesn’t. If the production team is taking advantage of the Nabataean city, though, perhaps Dune is attempting to depict the Fremen fortress of Sietch Tabr, which is a cavernous stronghold housing the Fremen societies deep in the harsh Arrakis landscape.
Villeneuve isn’t cutting any corners when it comes to Dune, so it’s safe to say that we’re all hyped for what the next installment brings in terms of cinematic autonomy, even though we know how the story ends from the book.
Here’s the runtime for David Tennant’s 60th anniversary Doctor Who specials
Russell T. Davies is returning with full force and revolutionizing Doctor Who as he once did almost two decades ago. Not only is the BBC show finding a home on streaming through Disney Plus, but the new contract with the Mouse House has tripled the show’s meager budget, finally giving it the opportunity to play in the big boys’ league. Not that the show ever lacked a loyal and dedicated fanbase, mind you, but we should expect great things from the upcoming tenure.
For one thing, Doctor Who Magazine has just revealed that Tennant’s 3-episode outing for the 60th anniversary next year will each run for more than an hour, in what they’re describing as “hour-long spectaculars.” Of course, our biggest takeaway from this announcement is that we’re going to spend even more time with Tennant’s resurfaced regeneration, especially now that we know he’ll then be handing the sonic screwdriver to Ncuti Gatwa.
Whovians are even hoping against hope that other incarnations of the character, like Christopher Eccleston’s 9th, Matt Smith’s 11th, and Peter Capaldi’s 12th will also appear in the special. It’s been a while for Smith in particular after he bowed out in 2013, and The Day of the Doctor proved his chemistry with Tennant was exceptional, so, could it be? For now, we will cherish what we have in David Tennant, and say, as the man himself used to, Allons-y!
Star Wars fans shaken after this realization about deep space
Have you ever experienced moments of logistical clarity when watching something for the 1000th time? Like when you’re going through Star Wars again after more than 10 years of living with this franchise and then suddenly realize the Stormtroopers can’t use those blasters to shoot a fully-grown Bantha if their lives depended on it. Well, another such devastating realization is now ripping through the galaxy far, far away fandom as folks have just noticed that all spaceships in the Star Wars universe are always perfectly aligned at the same angle, even though there’s practically no reason for them to be, in deep space with artificial gravity and no sense of up or down.
Most folks are attributing this to the Empire’s sense of order and showmanship, but when you start to think about it, even the Rebels are almost always in a tight-knit piercing-arrow formation. The more you know, eh?
That’s all for now but check back in tomorrow at the same time for another dive into the sci-fi universe.
