Separate sources, including LA Weekly journalist Nikki Finke, Business Week and TheDeal.com have stated that Goldman Sachs has been asked to shop the studio around at the heavy price of $5.2 billion.

MGM is currently owned by a consortium of companies that includes Sony and Comcast, in association with other companies such as TGP Capital, Providence Equity Partners and MGM Mirage. The company was acquired on 8 April 2005 by the collective group, who paid off around $5 billion in debt and other costs to absorb the historic studio.

MGM has unequivocally denied the reports, which have been published in other news outlets in the last few days. In a press release dated 25 August 2008, the studio stated: “Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) is not for sale. There is no ‘asking price’ for the company. MGM’s existing financing arrangements are sufficient to meet its needs. Goldman Sachs has been retained to explore enhancements to MGM’s long-term capital structure.” In addition, the company stated that reported troubles with its owners are little more than fabrication. “All of the MGM shareholders, including Providence Equity Partners, TPG, Sony Corp. Of America and Comcast Corp, are pleased with the Company’s current momentum and are committed to the future growth of the studio.”

We will continue to bring you updates on this story as it develops.

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‘It’s an incredible show of faith by NBC, and so amazingly nice to get  based on the work alone,” Schwartz said to Variety. Chuck was one of last season’s success stories and NBC are intent on carrying the momentum forth with the second season. “This show has really hit its stride and deserves a full-season commitment to carry out the producers’ vision,” executive vice-president of NBC Entertainment Teri Weinberg says. Chuck, it would appear, is a slacker no more.

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For only £19.99, the disc contains every review, interview, column and article featured in the print version of the publication over its first year. From talking to James Callis to analysing Buck Rogers, you won’t find a disc more crammed with science fiction, fantasy, horror and cult content in the galaxy, with over 1500 pages of content. As a bonus, the first episode of the SciFiNow Podcast is also featured.

The eMag is priced at £19.99 with free postage and packing in the UK, and is available now. You can buy it online at http://www.imagineshop.co.uk/emags.php, or by calling +44 (0) 1202 586200.

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While nothing is confirmed, or even halfway definite for that matter, we could see this one happening. And it would make a change to actually have a Scotsman playing the titular Scottish character rather than a Frenchman with a limited grasp of English, as Christopher Lambert was in Russell Mulcahy’s 1986 original.

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“This is an opportunity to reinvent this franchise and make it relevant to a new generation,” Sci-Fi’s president Dave Howe said on the new series. “We really don’t want to be more of the same. It’s going to build clearly off the existing franchise but with a cast that gives it a younger vibe.” Apparently, the idea this time is to cast a known actor in the leading role of Universe, following the same format as SG-1 in their casting of Richard Dean Anderson as Colonel Jack O’Neill. The creators Brad Wright and Robert C Cooper were equally as enthusiastic about the new project, predictably. “In ‘Universe,’ we plan to keep those elements that have made the franchise a success, such as adventure and humor, while breaking new ground in the relationships between mostly young and desperate explorers, thrust together and far from home. Above all, we believe the Stargate itself remains an enduring icon with infinite potential as a jumping-off point for telling stories.”

Stargate Universe is set aboard an unmanned Ancient vessel named Destiny. The crew that discovers the ship find themselves stranded and unable to return to Earth, and as a result are forced to follow the ship’s pre-programmed route to other galaxies, seeding them with Stargates as it goes.

Fans of the Atlantis series needn’t jump through the nearest wormhole in despair however, as the first in what will hopefully be a number of direct-to-DVD movies has been greenlighted alongside the new series. The as of yet untitled film will be written by the showrunners Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, following the same strategy employed by SG-1 after the end of its run with the highly successful Ark Of Truth and Continuum.

So what do you think, readers? Is a new Stargate series targeted at a younger audience a good idea, or would you rather they continue with the current format of Atlantis?

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The scoop comes through Multichannel News, while a press release is expected on Thursday to make the decision official. The show is not finishing completely however, as the crew will return for two-hour direct to DVD movies in the form of SG-1’s Continuum and The Ark Of Truth. “We’re excited to tell Atlantis stories on a bigger canvas,” said Brad Wright and Robert C Cooper, creators of the popular show. “The successes of the two original Stargate [direct-to-video] movies The Ark of Truth and Continuum have shown us the opportunities that the movie format offers. We have plans for both SG-1 and Atlantis to remain vital as we expand the franchise.”

It is widely expected that an announcement will be made soon on Stargate Universe, a new series currently in the development stage, and one that Atlantis is presumably making way for.

Atlantis’s future had been in doubt for a while now, with regular Jason Momoa making no secret of his desire to leave the series soon, and with regards as to how quickly a decision was taken to renew last year, opposed to this season.

The final episode of Stargate Atlantis to be shot will also be its 100th, entitled ‘Enemy At The Gate’. The producers have previously stated that they will finish the series on a cliffhanger, whether or not it continues.

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According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film, which is yet untitled, will not be a straight-up remake of the 1974 movie Earthquake, in which the tectonic plates shifted unleashing all manner of trouble upon Los Angeles and Charlton Heston. Details on the project remain scant, but with Abrams involved there is sure to be more to the movie than meets the eye.

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Brett Ratner is, reportedly, lined up to produce, with Franck Khalfoun (P2) penning the script. Apparently, Saw and the upcoming Repo! The Genetic Opera director Darren Lynn Bousman is the prime target to call the shots.

The original film, about a couple of wayward boys who live with their mother, piling scorn, and evil flesh-hacking, upon all who cross their path, was one of the least memorable of the slasher-let’s-put-a-date-in-the-title film cycle of the Eighties. On the plus side, though, it does seem to indicate that studios and producers are running out of options to remake, what with them trying their luck with even bottom rung offerings. This does, however, mean that it shouldn’t be long before they just turn their attention to another particular (sub)genre of movies.

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