Odds and ends for Wednesday:
  • In news possibly of interest only to me, Chris Deaux has scored a distribution deal with Seventh Art for The Last Western, his full-length documentary about "the era of the B-Western." The movie actually has an even narrower focus than it sounds, and is concerned primarily with a set (built by Gene Autry and Roy Rogers!) known as Pioneertown that was home to many films during the period in question.
  • Universal has picked up the rights to Alfred Bester's disturbing-sounding sci-fi classic, The Stars My Destination, and handed it over to the outrageously busy Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who will co-produce. The book, written in 1955, is about (ready?) "the sole survivor of a wrecked spaceship that drifts through deep space. When a passing vessel ignores his distress signal, he becomes obsessed with revenge and ultimately uncovers a secret destined to change the course of history." Yikes. Anyone who's read it, feel free to add details in the comments. It sounds sort of terrifying.
  •  Despite earlier reports that new Dreamworks queen Stacey Snider would have to serve out her full contract at Universal (keeping here there through year's end) before cleaning out her desk, sources say Universal and Paramount (which owns Dreamworks) are working on a settlement to get her out in a matter of weeks. And I do not lie to you when I report that the terms of said settlement just might - get this - involve the ride at Universal's theme park that is based on Dreamworks character Shrek. That's right, friends: human-for-animated-creature swaps are taking the industry by storm.