Jim Butcher

Courtesy of the Sci Fi news wire…

Blackthorne To Play Dresden
SCI FI Channel has cast Paul Blackthorne (24) as Chicago-based wizard and detective Harry Dresden in its upcoming TV movie The Dresden Files. David Carson (Star Trek: Generations) has been tapped to direct the two-hour backdoor pilot, which will commence production in Toronto later this month, with plans for a summer 2006 premiere, the network said. Blackthorne is perhaps best known as the villainous Stephen Saunders on Fox’s 24.
The Dresden Files is based on the best-selling series of novels by Jim Butcher. It is being produced by Lions Gate Television, in association with Nicolas Cage’s Saturn Films. Hans Beimler (Profiler) and Robert Wolfe (The 4400) will serve as executive producers alongside Cage, his Saturn Films partner, Norm Golightly, and Morgan Gendel. Beimler and Wolfe wrote the script.
The Dresden Files centers on Dresden, a private eye with extraordinary abilities. Where others see typical crimes of assault, kidnapping and murder, he sees otherworldly forces at work.

It’s Halloween, and that means it’s Harry Dresden’s birthday. In honor of our favorite sleuthy wizard, we’re releasing the third chapter in the Proven Guilty preview a day early. It’s a present for anyone!
In honor of the event, please post your favorite quotable moments from the Dresden Files by adding a comment to this post…!

We are pleased to announce ButcherCon 2006, to be held next October in Oak Park, Illinois (a neighborhood of Chicago, and childhood home to this webmaster’s mom).
Here’s your chance to meet the creator of the Dresden Files and the Codex Alera…
Join Jim Butcher and Pocket editor Jennifer Heddle, Tor editor Anna Genoese, author CE Murphy, agent Evan Fogelman, game designers Fred Hicks and Rob Donoghue and other Special Guests for a weekend of Butcher fun! We’ll have writing workshops, panels, games, booksale and signing and an author reception featuring Mr. Butcher himself!
If you are even a little interested in attending, please take the time to fill out our survey, so we can gauge potential attendance and make sure the Con is everything it needs to be! (If we don’t hear from you, we don’t know you’re interested!)
Salient details:

Harry Dresden has spent years being watched and suspected by the White Council’s Wardens. But now he is a Warden, and it sucks more than he thought… So when movie monsters start coming to life on his watch, it’s officially up to him to put them back where they came from. Only this time, his client is the White Council, and his investigation cannot fail — no matter who falls under suspicion, no matter the cost.
Proven Guilty, the eighth book in the Dresden Files, will be released in hardcover from Roc publishing in May 2006.
But in time for Halloween (Harry’s birthday!), we’ve got sample chapters for you! Starting today, and continuing for the next 3 Tuesdays (through November 8th), you’ll get a new preview chapter from the upcoming book.
Trick or treat? It’s all treat!

This news article from Variety says most of what needs to be said!
(Read the article)
Jim adds:
NOW it’s official. 🙂
The script is based on the novel for Storm Front, but it ain’t like it’s going to be letter-for-letter or anything. Some elements are going to be discarded for the sake of story-length, others emphasized. There might be special effects! Don’t expect the movie mirror the book precisely, although the writers have read the entire series and they’re using elements from several different books, though not necessarily in the same way–think, I dunno, maybe X-Men comics versus X-Men movies versus X-Men cartoon series. Similar use of the story’s characters and elements, but not necessarily positioned or utilized in the same way.
(Which is itself just the modern version of comedia del arte, but that’s neither here nor there.)
I’ve seen the scenes they’re using to audition for Dresden, which was interesting as hell. I hope to get a look at the full script before too terribly much longer. They’re doing casting now (and I’ll share information about it as it becomes share-able) and filming is scheduled for November 19.