Despite rumors, producers for the BBC's Doctor Who are denying that they're working on a movie for the character... But have David Tennant and a BBC press release writer ruined the planned big reveal?
In a post at Bleeding Cool this weekend, Rich Johnston quoted Doctor Who executive producer Julie Gardner's denial about the project at Comic-Con before calling her a liar:
"We are not making any announcement about a Doctor Who movie," she said. "I'm really sorry. I don't know where the rumor started. But what it's made us think is it might be a good idea to do at some point. Is this something that you want?" This is the great thing about people who work on Doctor Who. They are quite happy to lie, lie boldly, lie to your face, swear on their grandmother's graves, say 'scout's honour and promise, absolutely, that the Master isn't coming back.
(That last line being a reference to the fact that The Master is making a return in David Tennant's final episodes, despite very emphatic denials about the possibility earlier this year.)
Citing inside sources, Johnston says that outgoing showrunner Russell T. Davies is already signed on to write the potential movie, and will be working on it in the US; he's previously said that Who and Torchwood: Children of Earth director Euros Lyn will direct the movie. What he doesn't mention, surprisingly, is that David Tennant has dropped the most obvious underhanded confirmation of the movie's existence by hinting very clearly that he will be returning to the character for the show's 50th anniversary in 2013, before adding "That's not an announcement."
The first movie for the character happening on his 50th anniversary sounds surprisingly logical, and fits in with the odd wording of the BBC press release that mentioned that a movie script was in development but that "if the project went into full production, a release would be a long time away." Like, four years away, perhaps?
So What's Actually Happening With The Doctor Who Movie? [Bleeding Cool]