Matt Smith quits DOCTOR WHO

According to British tabloid The Daily Mail, that is. They've been wrong about this sort of thing before. However, there's also been talk of some big Doctor Who news that's been under an embargo for the last few days and this would certainly fit.

If true, when exactly Smith would depart is unclear. The BBC had previously reported that he'd be on board for the eighth season, which is planned to air in 2014. Whether this remains the case - or indeed if the story is a load of old bobbins - remains to be seen.

Update: The BBC has confirmed the news. Smith will regenerate in the Christmas special this year (not the 50th anniversary special in November). His replacement has not yet been named.

EMPIRE STRIKES BACK writer hired to work on new STAR WARS movies

It has been revealed that Lawrence Kasdan, the scriptwriter of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, will pen either the second or third film in the new Star Wars trilogy. Michael Arndt has already penned an outline for the whole trilogy and will be writing the script for Episode VII. The remaining film will be penned by Simon Kinberg.

Kasdan's involvement has excited fans, since The Empire Strikes Back remains widely regarded as the highpoint of the original trilogy and the entire Star Wars franchise to date. Return of the Jedi is less universally well-regarded, though the problems with the movie (such as the replacement of the planned Wookie army with Ewoks) are more often blamed on changes introduced by George Lucas himself. Kasdan's work since Jedi is less well-regarded, with his biggest hit being The Bodyguard. However, Kasdan's involvement does add some credibility for the fans hoping for a return to the form of the original trilogy.

Kinberg's track record is spottier, with concern being voiced over his position as scriptwriter for X-Men: The Last Stand, widely-acknowledged as the weakest film in the franchise to date. However, he did work on the better-received X-Men: First Class as a producer, as well as co-writing the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes. Kasdan and Kinberg will also produce the new films in addition to their writing duties.

Kinberg's links to Matthew Vaughn - who developed X-Men: The Last Stand before dropping out and later directing X-Men: First Class - have strengthened rumours that Vaughn will be working on one of the new movies as director.

More info about DRAGON AGE III leaked (allegedly)

Dragon Age III may soon be competing for some kind of award for the most information ever revealed about a formally-unannounced game. This time around, the leak comes from a survey BioWare have been conducting of their fans to test out some early ideas they are discussing for the game.

A fanmade logo for the game, nothing official.

First up is a bare-bones plot summary:

"A portal between the worlds unleashes hordes of demons in the land, civil wars rip apart nations and the corruption is limitless. Someone is behind the shadows, drawing the threads which destroy the world. Time has come for the Inquisition.

Take the Inquisitor's cloak and lead the only force able of bringing light into the darkness. Choose the direct method and gather your armies, send spies into the shadows or engage in a political war, make friends and use your connections indirectly: it is up to you how you lead the inquisition. But you'll have to take lead of it from the beginning. Make your player a rogue, warrior or mage and set up your crew from up to ten (!) complex companions to lead them against those who attack you by systematically spying on, revealing and destroying them."

And then a slightly more detailed one:

"The great nation of Orlais, the most powerful empire in Dragon Age, tears itself apart in civil war. The stout men and women of Ferelden struggle to recover and reclaim their nation from the horde of vile Darkspawn that lay waste to its lands a decade ago. The Chantry, the once-unified faith of the Dragon Age world stands divided. The Templar order has broken away, claiming the church has become too lax in policing the dangerous powers of the mages. The Mage circles have rebelled, believing the Templars have become too strict, too zealous in their duties, and too quick to slaughter those who step out of line

The world of Dragon Age is one on the brink of collapse, and when a desperate gathering in the name of peace becomes the epicentre of a magical blast that decimates the Chantry's leadership, it becomes clear that someone or something is manipulating events to drive the world into chaos. From the ashes of that explosion, some new rises: The Inquisition. As the Inquisitor, it falls to you to build up your power and martial your forces, uncover secrets and build connections across the world. You must explore forgotten spaces, uncover ancient mysteries and uproot those who would destroy the fabric of the world."

For possible images related to the art style of the game, check the link.

Finally, a list of potential subtitles for the game. This is intriguing, as BioWare haven't used a subtitle on one of their sequels since Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, a dozen years ago:

Dragon Age 3: The Breach
Dragon Age 3: Exarch
Dragon Age 3: Inquisition
Dragon Age 3: Inquisitor
Dragon Age 3: Apocrypha
Dragon Age 3: Please Throw Us a Bone on This One, It Will Be Good This Time, Honest

(note: one of these subtitles might not be accurate)

Since this appears to still be in the early stage of development (and the game remains - ludicrously - not formally announced yet by either BioWare or Electronic Arts), some or all of this may have changed by the time the game is finally released. Or it might have been a fake in the first place, of course.

Bethesda headed to Boston for FALLOUT 4 (rumour)

It's been widely speculated for a while that Bethesda would be setting Fallout 4 in Boston, Massachusetts. That speculation has gained some credence with reports that Bethesda writers and researchers have been spotted in Boston undertaking research for an upcoming game.

MIT, Boston. Expect to see a Fallout-ised version of this vista if the rumour is correct.

Fallout 3 featured multiple references to the Commonwealth, a small nation established in the ruins of New England following the apocalyptic war. Several characters were featured who hailed from 'the Institute', widely taken to mean the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (or its Fallout equivalent). With Bethesda apparently planning to steer clear of the traditional Fallout stomping-ground of the California/Nevada/Arizona area (the setting for the first two Fallout games and the more recent New Vegas), fans had been speculating that either the Commonwealth or New York would be the focus for Fallout 4 and this now seems more likely.

According to Bethesda, their next game would feature the Creation Engine used by Skyrim (an updated version of the Gamebryo Engine used on all their titles from 2002's Morrowind through 2010's Fallout: New Vegas). Some Fallout fans had been hoping that Bethesda would farm out Fallout 4 to Obsidian, the company behind the excellent New Vegas, whilst they themselves would focus on The Elder Scrolls VI. Clearly this is not the case, with Bethesda now looking like they'll be alternating franchises, perhaps letting other companies come in to handle other projects along the way.

The use of the Creation Engine suggests that Bethesda envisage Fallout 4 as a current-gen title, which is odd given that the new consoles will likely launch no later than the start of 2014 and that seems a little too soon for Fallout 4. It's possible that Bethesda will release low-spec versions of the game for the current-gen consoles and upgraded, more advanced ones for PC and the next gen machines. I doubt Fallout 4 will arrive before the middle or end of 2014 at the earliest, if not later.

Details of a new (old) Scott Lynch book

Or rather, details of a book we heard about more than four years ago but had since dropped off the radar. After completing Red Seas Under Red Skies back in 2007, it was announced that Scott Lynch would be writing two short stories set in the same world, The Mad Baron's Mechanical Attic and The Choir of Knives. These would be assembled into an omnibus edition, The Bastards and the Knives, for publication at a later date.

We haven't heard much about the book since, and it was assumed it would be delayed until some time after The Republic of Thieves (the third novel in the sequence) was published. According to Upcoming4.me, Gollancz have now indicated that the book will be published on 1 March 2013, with a length of approximately 100,000 words. Whilst rough cover art is provided, it's unlikely to be the final artwork as the image is a placeholder that has been used for several Lynch books in the past, and given that the art style has changed radically for the final version of The Republic of Thieves it's likely this will change as well.

As for The Republic of Thieves itself, it is still listed for a very late 2012 release but this date is - still - not finalised yet.

Note the source for the above appears to be Amazon.com, whose reliability is dubious.

Update: The release date of March 2013 is incorrect. It will follow some time after The Republic of Thieves has been published (whenever that is).