Douglas Trumbull, VFX Pioneer on ‘Blade Runner,’ ‘Close Encounters’ and ‘Star Trek,’ Dies at 79

Sally Kellerman, who was best known as US Army Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in Robert Altman’s MASH, has died. She was 84 and died today at an assisted living facilty in Woodland Hills, Calif from complications of dementia.

Following a successful reboot of the franchise, Paramount has been trying for years to get a fourth “Star Trek” movie together. Previous incarnations attempted to bring back the cast led by Chris Pine as James T.

Nichelle Nichols' impact on American culture and the TV landscape cannot be overstated. The celebrated actress' legacy is truly unique and it began with her role on a TV series that would become an iconic franchise.In 1966, Nichols appeared in the utopian sci-fi drama.

Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are celebrating their big news!

Sonequa Martin-Green has taken over the captain's chair in the fourth season of, and the actress couldn't be more excited about the opportunity and her character's growth.«It was exhilarating, it was solidifying, it was cementing and fulfilling in so many ways,» Martin-Green shared with ET's Nischelle Turner. «I felt as if I had arrived, or sort of reached the pinnacle of what this season is about.»With her character, Michael Burnham, in command, she's become the first black female captain in the franchise's history.

franchise begins to materialize.On Tuesday, producer J.J. Abrams revealed the news that a fourth film was in the works during the Paramount Investors Day Presentation.Paramount is in talks with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Karl Urban and Simon Pegg, to reprise their roles as, respectively, Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Sulu, Bones and Scotty.«We are thrilled to say that we are hard at work on a new  film that will be shooting by the end of the year,» Abrams said, according to Variety, adding that the movie «will be featuring our original cast and some new characters that I think are going to be really fun and exciting and help take  into areas that you’ve just never seen before.»The cast first came together  — along with the late Anton Yelchin as Chekov — for the first time in 2009's, which both reset the universe's continuity and, through time travel, blended the universes of the multiple timelines.The crew reassembled in 2013 for , where they faced off against Benedict Cumberbatch's super-soldier assassin Khan, and for a third outing in 2016's, where they matched wits and brawn with Idris Elba's ruthless warlord Krall.Abrams told investors, «We’re thrilled about this film, we have a bunch of other stories that we’re talking about that we think will be really exciting, so can’t wait for you to see what we’re cooking up.

The Art Directors Guild has opened an exhibition of its members’ work at Los Angeles City College. Titled “Bringing Imagination into View,” the exhibit is open to the public through Feb. 24. An opening reception will be held on Thursday at the school’s Da Vinci Hall from 4-7 p.m.

There’s another Star Trek on the way!

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterThey’re boldly going back.Paramount is planning to enter negotiations for “Star Trek” stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, and Simon Pegg to return to the Enterprise for their fourth tour of duty in the venerable sci-fi franchise.The announcement was made by J.J.

Manori Ravindran International EditorLondon-based outfit The Mise En Scène Company has taken global rights to “The Magnificent Meyersons” as part of its European Film Market slate.Directed by Evan Oppenheimer, “The Magnificent Meyersons” is a New York-set family drama with a sci-fi twist. Its cast includes Kate Mulgrew (“Star Trek,” “Orange is the New Black”), Lauren Ridloff (“Eternals,” “Sound of Metal”), Daniel Eric Gold (“Ugly Betty”) and Richard Kind (“Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Tik Tik…BOOM!”).The story centers on a day that starts out like any other, full of small hostilities, self-doubt, moments of tenderness, and the other quotidian battles and joys that comprise a normal day in the big city.

US comedian Bob Saget’s death last month stemmed from an accidental blow to the head, his family have revealed. The Full House star was found dead on January 9 in a Florida hotel room.

Douglas Trumbull was a visual effects legend and filmmaker who created groundbreaking effects for films including “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Blade Runner.”Trumbull was new to the field of visual effects when he was hired to work on “2001” – his sole previous credit was a short about spaceflight for the 1964 New York World’s Fair, “To the Moon and Beyond.” But he created visual magic for “2001” as he built memorable effects including the “Star Gate” sequence. Trumbull innovated the use of slit scan photography for the sequence.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorVisionary visual effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull, who died Monday, contributed his groundbreaking inventions and techniques to classics including “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” and “Blade Runner.”Among his many honors were three visual effects Oscar nominations (“Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” and “Blade Runner”); the Academy’s Scientific and Engineering Award for creating the Showscan Camera System; and the Visual Effects Society’s Georges Méliès Award, honoring those who have made significant, pioneering contributions to the effects business, in 2012.A generation of visual effects artists and filmmakers were influenced by his work, including Weta FX senior VFX supervisor Joe Letteri, who said, “Doug stands out as an iconic figure in visual effects, one of the early pioneers who blended a deep knowledge of cinematography and mechanics to develop techniques that we still use today. An early evangelist of high frame rate processes, Doug’s vision for where we can take cinema is just now coming to fruition.” Here’s a look at a five iconic moments Trumbull helped create.Trumbull was Oscar nominated for visual effects for Spielberg’s “Close Encounters,” and one of his significant contributions was the motion control photography used in the scenes featuring the alien’s massive mother ship.