This recognition places the film among Impact DOCS’ top ten awards for the season. According to the judging panel, The Eagle Obsession demonstrated “a depth of craft and creativity that is truly unique.”

The Award of Excellence Special Mention celebrates exceptional filmmaking that stands out for its artistic vision and impact. We’re grateful to Impact DOCS and their panel of judges for this honor, and to everyone who has supported this project.

The post ‘The Eagle Obsession’ Receives Award of Excellence Special Mention! appeared first on FutureDude Entertainment.

Evil, bad characters, doing evil, bad things. Dystopian futurescapes where bleakness rules. These are some of the hallmarks of most science fiction these days. And yes, the times we live in are enough to make it easy to identify with these possible futures. But science fiction is also uniquely positioned to provide hope and optimism: That the future is what we make it.

In his feature-length documentary The Eagle Obsession, director Jeffrey Morris uses his own fascination with a spaceship from the show “Space: 1999” as the jumping off point to interview prominent science fiction stars, as well as real-world astronauts / scientists, to remind us of the once optimistic future sci-fi provided, and could provide again.

We talked to Jeffrey about his film, the process of production, and the possibility of science fiction to inspire once again.

– Scrappy Cinema

Watch the full interview below or on YouTube.

The post ‘Director Jeffrey Morris Reminds Us Of The Potential Positive Power of Sci-Fi’ – Scrappy Cinema appeared first on FutureDude Entertainment.

I’m not going to say “Happy New Year” because what I’m hoping for—and personally working toward—is a “Better New Year” for us all.

Better doesn’t mean louder, faster, or more triumphant. It means more thoughtful. More intentional. More aware of where we are, how we got here, and what kind of future we’re actually choosing to build together.

As we move into another year, I keep coming back to a simple, unsettling thought: we’re getting this wrong. Not just one side or the other. Not just “them.” All of us, in different ways.

We’re no longer really listening to each other. We’re reacting, posturing, retreating into silos that feel safe because they’re familiar. Social media and a 24-hour news cycle reward speed and outrage, not reflection or curiosity. Extremes get amplified because extremes grab attention. And slowly, almost imperceptibly, that constant noise erodes our ability to hear anything else.

Meanwhile, the world feels increasingly unstable. Wars are spreading. Alliances are fraying. Trust—between nations, communities, even neighbors—feels fragile. This is not the 21st Century I imagined growing up. Not even close.

I truly believed we’d be wiser by now. More grown up. More capable of handling complexity without tearing ourselves apart. What worries me most is that we’ve started to treat all of this as “normal.”

We live in a perpetual “now,” as if the way things feel today is how they’ve always been and how they’ll always be. But the truth is, much of what we consider normal—our technologies, our pace of life, our constant stimulation—is less than a century old. Humanity in its current form has existed for hundreds of thousands of years. The vast majority of that time looks nothing like this.

Our nervous systems didn’t evolve for this. Our social structures didn’t either. And part of why we’re struggling is that we haven’t slowed down long enough to acknowledge how radically—and how quickly—our world has changed.

I don’t write this as an accusation. It’s a plea.

We have to relearn how to listen. Even—especially—to people we disagree with. We have to resist the temptation to reduce each other to labels or tribes or talking points. Right and left. Liberal and conservative. None of those categories capture the full complexity of a human being.

I still believe in humanity. Deeply. I believe in our capacity for reason, empathy, imagination, courage, and kindness. I believe we’re capable of doing better than this. But it requires effort. Attention. Humility. It requires us to admit that we don’t have all the answers and that certainty isn’t the same thing as wisdom.

We live in a universe—vast, ancient, and indifferent—and yet here we are, conscious enough to look back at it and try to understand our place within it. That makes us both infinitesimally small and profoundly significant at the same time. We are the universe, in some small way, becoming aware of itself.

That perspective matters. It should humble us. It should also inspire us to grow up, to think longer-term, to choose a path with intention rather than stumbling forward driven by fear, distraction, or ego.

So no—this isn’t a “Happy New Year” post.

It’s a hope for a better one.

A quieter one.

A more thoughtful one.

One where we slow down enough to remember what actually matters—and who we want to be.

—Jeffrey Morris, January 1st, 2026.

The post 2026: A Better New Year appeared first on FutureDude Entertainment.

Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival, a 501c3 nonprofit, is a forum for inventive and imaginative filmmakers to showcase their extraordinary work. Miami’s only international science fiction film festival promises to enrich the community with diverse, award-winning films and a fun, immersive experience.

Check back soon for the festival schedule.

The post ‘The Eagle Obsession’ an Official Selection in The Miami International Science Film Festival appeared first on FutureDude Entertainment.

When news broke that Gil Gerard had passed away this week at the age of 82, I was saddened, but I was also very surprised by the sheer volume of response online. Dozens and dozens of friends and acquaintances shared stories, images, and memories. It was a powerful reminder of just how deeply he resonated with so many of us who were growing up at the time.

I was in seventh grade when Buck Rogers in the 25th Century was released as a feature film. My father was especially excited—he had grown up watching the Buck Rogers serials in theaters back in the 1930s, and this felt like a bridge between his childhood and mine. We went to see it as a family, and I remember being completely taken by it. We all loved it.

I really got into the film, especially the idea of Captain William “Buck” Rogers—a contemporary astronaut—waking up 500 years in the future and experiencing an advanced civilization on Earth. It was something I desperately wished I could do. In addition to having a raging crush on Erin Gray’s Col. Wilma Deering, I was equally obsessed with the film’s central spacecraft—the agile Thunderfighter. It felt fast, purposeful, and elegant in a way that spoke directly to my imagination at that age. The design is my all-time favorite space fighter and still holds a special place for me. In fact, one sits on my shelf in my office to this day.

When the television series followed, I wanted to love it just as much as the movie. I really did. But, to be honest, something felt off. The production values were lower than I had hoped for, and the show’s tone drifted into camp. The second season only amplified those issues, and it became harder to ignore the things that weren’t working. And yet—I kept watching.

Looking back, I understand why. I wasn’t watching for the show. I was watching for Gil Gerard and his portrayal of Buck Rogers. There was something magnetic about him. His presence carried the material far beyond the limitations of the scripts or the sets. He brought confidence without arrogance, strength without cruelty, humor without cynicism.

Gerard’s Buck Rogers felt like a real hero—capable, assured, but grounded. There was warmth and humility in the performance. A sense that heroism wasn’t about domination, but about character and a smile. He represented a version of masculinity and leadership that felt aspirational without being aggressive. 

You didn’t just want to watch him—you wanted to be like him. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to believe something else: Gil Gerard may have played the last great, classical sci-fi hero. 

When I think about the lineage—Captain Kirk (Star Trek), Alan Carter (Space: 1999), Captain Apollo (Battlestar Galactica), and finally Buck Rogers—there’s a clear through-line. These characters weren’t anti-heroes or damaged figures pushing forward despite themselves. They were competent, ethical, curious, and fundamentally optimistic. They believed the future was worth engaging with, not merely surviving. In an era where our stories increasingly reflect exhaustion, distrust, and moral paralysis, the absence of heroes like that feels less like evolution and more like something quietly lost.

After Buck Rogers, that archetype largely disappears. Science fiction didn’t stop producing protagonists—but it stopped producing heroes in the classical sense. The genre turned inward. It became darker, more ironic, more suspicious of its own ideals. Characters fractured into ensembles defined by snark, or were deliberately undercut, or written to resist admiration altogether. Even when stories were intelligent and well-crafted, their central figures were often shaped by trauma, ambiguity, or moral fatigue.

I love characters like Firefly’s Malcolm Reynolds and James Holden from The Expanse. They’re strong, compelling, and often noble. But their worlds are steeped in violence and cynicism, and their heroism exists under constant pressure. It’s a darker lens—one that can feel oppressive in its insistence that optimism must always be earned through suffering.

Gil Gerard’s Buck Rogers was different. He was an embodiment of hope. He stood at the boundary between two eras. He was the last leading man in science fiction who could carry optimism without apology. Buck wasn’t naive, but he wasn’t cynical either. He trusted reason. He trusted people. He trusted that progress was possible if we chose it.

That’s why the character of Buck Rogers matters even more now than he did then. He represents a fork in the road—a moment before science fiction stopped believing in its own promise. Before it became embarrassed by hope. Before optimism was treated as naive rather than courageous.

Judging by the outpouring of affection I’ve seen over the past few days, I know I’m far from alone in feeling that Buck Rogers really mattered. Gil Gerard mattered. In a very real way, he helped pass something forward—from my father’s generation, to mine, and to anyone still willing to believe that the future is something we can choose to build. 

For many of us, he defined what a hero could be.

The post Special Editorial — Gil Gerard, the Last Great Sci-Fi Hero appeared first on FutureDude Entertainment.

One of the most striking things about Pluribus is how deliberately it refuses to rush. In a media landscape trained on violence and acceleration—twists, shocks, and constant motion—this series does something radical: it slows down and asks us to sit with an idea as opposed to simply consuming it. That choice alone has made it divisive.

Online, I’ve seen a growing number of complaints framed around a familiar refrain: nothing is happening. I couldn’t disagree more. An extraordinary amount is happening—but it requires attention, patience, and a willingness to think rather than be carried along.

Pluribus is not a simple puzzle-box mystery designed to be solved in thirty seconds. It’s closer to the kind of speculative inquiry you’d find in a classic episode of The Twilight Zone or the original Star Trek at its best—stories that didn’t just entertain, but quietly stayed with you and lingered in your thoughts.

At the center of the show is a question that’s far more unsettling than any overt threat:

What if a peaceful world isn’t a lie?

The series presents us with an alien-inspired phenomenon—something akin to a viral intelligence—that has effectively unified humanity into a single collective consciousness. All violence has ceased. Environmental damage has been mitigated. Conflict has evaporated. The world appears calmer, gentler, more balanced. Sign me up.

And instead of reassuring us that all of this must be evil, Pluribus resists that comfort and simplicity. And I think that’s awesome. The second it turns into a zombie-themed apocalypse, I’m out. That trope is getting very tired and overdone. This show offers a premise and a dilemma that are much more interesting.

Watching it, I find myself genuinely torn and actively interrogating my own values. If I were one of the handful of people not absorbed into this collective—one of the twelve who remain outside—how would I feel? Concerned and maybe even a little afraid, certainly. But also curious. Cautious. Maybe even tempted.

There’s a moment with one of those twelve unabsorbed characters—a young woman—who isn’t excited about her continued independence. She’s sad. She feels the absence. She wants to belong to the whole. That struck me deeply, because it complicates the usual narrative. Individuality isn’t framed as an obvious victory; it’s a burden as much as a gift.

Would I want to keep my individuality? Probably. I believe I would.

But would I immediately reject the new system without trying to understand it? No. Absolutely not. Nor would I immediately try to undo it. That would bring its own set of well-known complications.

I’d want to talk to the collective. Question it. And most of all—try to understand why this intelligence intervened at all. Was it observing humanity from afar, watching us harm one another and the planet, and deciding that something had to change? Was it a preemptive act—an attempt to prevent a violent species from spreading beyond Earth? Was it altruistic? Protective? Or something more self-interested that simply hasn’t revealed itself yet?

The show doesn’t rush to answer any of this, and that’s precisely the point. And I love it.

What fascinates me most is that I’ve found myself watching episodes more than once because there’s so much to unpack in the silences, the expressions, the ethical weight of what’s being implied rather than stated.

Like Vince Gilligan’s other amazing series (especially Better Call Saul—which is in my top-10 shows of all time), Pluribus rewards attention. It asks something of its audience. That’s why the criticism that “nothing happens” feels less like a critique of the show and more like a confession about how we’ve been trained to watch.

This is a series about consent without preaching it. The central character, Carol, exists in a liminal space—she could choose to join the collective, but she refuses to have it imposed on her. That distinction matters. It’s where the show finds much of its moral tension. Choice versus coercion. Belonging versus autonomy. Plus, Rhea Seehorn (as Carol Sturka) does an amazing job in her leading role. It’s a super heavy lift, and she commands every second she’s on screen.

Anyway… I’m not convinced a peaceful world is inherently a bad thing. I’m also not convinced that peace, if achieved at the cost of selfhood, is acceptable. Pluribus doesn’t tell me what to think—and I’m grateful for that. It trusts me enough to sit with uncertainty.

In an era defined by impatience, outrage, and constant noise, there’s something quietly courageous about a show that says: Slow down. Focus. Think.

If you’re willing to do that, Pluribus offers something rare—instead of simple answers, a space to ask interesting and important questions.

The post Special Editorial – ‘Pluribus’: In Praise of Stillness appeared first on FutureDude Entertainment.

As I watch audiences experience The Eagle Obsession, I often find myself thinking back to how difficult it was to bring the film across the finish line. Before it became a documentary, it lived with me for decades as something quieter and more personal—fragments of childhood memory, the sense of possibility I felt watching the Apollo missions, and the optimism embedded in shows like Space: 1999 and Star Trek. They offered a vision of a future that was thoughtful, humane, and built by people who believed in something larger than themselves.

That belief stayed with me. It’s what ultimately compelled me to make this film—and to see it through, even when the process became far more demanding than I ever expected.

The project took just over two years to complete and cost more than a million dollars to produce. We captured more than 30 hours of footage across multiple countries, then spent seven months shaping it in the edit—finding the emotional through-line, the rhythm, and the story it was always meant to tell.There were moments when it would have been easier to stop. But I never lost sight of why I was making it. What surprised me most this year wasn’t just that the film was finished—it was how people responded once they finally saw it.

From early test screenings to festival audiences in the U.S., Europe, and Australia, the response has been remarkably consistent. Packed houses. Thoughtful questions. Emotional conversations afterward. Again and again, people told me they weren’t just reacting to nostalgia or a love of science fiction—they were responding to the film’s deeper message about optimism, creativity, and the kind of future we once believed was possible.

That response has been incredibly validating. It has also been reinforced by the film’s path through the industry this year. The Eagle Obsession was showcased at an industry screening during the Toronto International Film Festival and continued its momentum through the American Film Market, where it was presented to distributors, sales agents, and producers from around the world. Along the way, the film has been honored with multiple awards at international festivals—recognition that has helped confirm both its emotional resonance with audiences and its viability on a global stage.

Following these conversations, we are now in active discussions with several major film studios regarding distribution. The current goal is a carefully staged release that begins with a theatrical and physical media rollout in late 2026, followed by a Tier-1 streaming release in 2027. This measured approach is about giving the film the time and placement it deserves, and ensuring it reaches the widest possible audience in the right context.

For those of you who are frustrated by the timetable, try to remember that the film has entered the phase of its life cycle that requires patience. I struggle with it too! However, I remind myself that once a project reaches this stage—after festivals, awards, and strong audience validation—it enters serious distribution conversations. Releasing it too quickly would limit its reach. Taking the time to place it properly gives it the best chance to be seen widely, in theaters and at home, by the broad audience it deserves.

I appreciate your patience more than I can say. It’s not taken for granted.

Looking ahead, we’re continuing work on the fan-focused companion film Beyond The Eagle Obsession, which is on track for completion in the spring. We also have additional screenings planned in Italy, with more UK showings currently being organized.As this year comes to a close, I feel proud—not just of the film, but of the way it’s been received and the conversations it’s sparked. The Eagle Obsession began as a deeply personal project. It’s become something much larger, and that’s because of all of you who’ve supported it, shared it, and believed in it.

Thank you for being part of this. The work continues—and I’m genuinely excited about what comes next.

—Jeffrey

The post A Year of Momentum, Reflection, and Looking Forward appeared first on FutureDude Entertainment.

Check out the cover design below!

The post Cover Art for Special Supporter Edition of ‘The Eagle Obsession’ Blu-ray Unveiled appeared first on FutureDude Entertainment.

The decision to rebuild the Eagle Transporter cockpit began with director Jeffrey Morris, who grew up as a huge fan of Space: 1999.

Morris wanted to try to construct a fully professional, studio-grade duplicate of the Eagle cockpit, built to the same spec as for a feature film; not a fan replica.

Makinarium UK, the practical-effects and fabrication studio based on the Pinewood Studios lot, came on board as a partner for the project. Working in the N-Block workshop, the Makinarium team – led by long-time Pinewood craftsman Robin Lawrence – executed the build using a blend of CNC machining, 3D printing, engineered fabrication, and hand-finished detailing. Even the iconic ‘dentist chair’ pilot seats were recreated entirely from scratch.

You can read the full article by Nia Daniels at The Knowledge Online here.

The post Behind the Rebuild of the Iconic ‘Eagle’ Spaceship (via The Knowledge Online) appeared first on FutureDude Entertainment.

First and most importantly: you will absolutely receive the rewards you pledged for. We sincerely apologize for the delay. We understand how frustrating it can be, and we want to assure you that this is not a case of rewards being forgotten or abandoned. We’re a small team managing a very big project, and the truth is that our focus has been on completing the film and securing distribution opportunities that will help bring The Eagle Obsession to audiences around the world.

The film has continued to evolve even in the last few weeks. Based on valuable feedback from festival screenings, we made final refinements to ensure the version you receive is the strongest possible. We wanted backers to have the best experience – not an earlier cut – and that meant allowing time for these final creative improvements.

We’re currently in Denmark filming additional material for our companion documentary, Beyond the Eagle Obsession, which is scheduled for completion this spring. This second film grew organically out of the story and has been an exciting extension of the project, one we can’t wait to share more about soon.

Meanwhile, The Eagle Obsession has been making an impressive impact on the festival circuit since its run began in October 2025. It has earned multiple international honors, including:

• Audience Award, Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival (Australia)
• Raw Breakthrough Award, Raw Science Film Festival (New York)
• IndieFEST Award of Excellence
• Best Documentary & Best Narration, Outer Rim Science Fiction Film Festival (Baltimore)
• Finalist for the Robert Byrd Best Documentary Award & Bill Cooper Best Minnesota Feature, Twin Cities Film Fest (Minneapolis)
• Official Selection, Documentaries Without Borders International Film Festival
• Semi-finalist, Palermo International Film Festival
• Semi-finalist, London International Filmmakers Festival

Along with two recent screenings in Los Angeles (American Film Market and a Hollywood showing), we’re now preparing for additional international screenings in Denmark (Aarhus & Copenhagen) and London in early December, as well as Modena, Italy in January 2026, as we continue moving toward worldwide distribution.

Your support made all of this possible. You backed a project that is not only real, but thriving. And now that the final cut of the film is complete, fulfillment is our next priority. We will share a detailed rewards timeline as soon as possible so you know exactly what to expect, but the current update is as follows: 

• The Blu-ray is being mastered this week and is being mass-produced soon. 
• The posters are printed and in-hand and the Eagle kits are assembled. They will ship shortly in December. 
• The pre-built Eagles are delayed until January due to personal family health issues among the construction team. 
• The cups and hats are created and sitting in storage awaiting shipping in December.

Thank you again for your patience, trust, and belief in this documentary. We are incredibly proud of what has been created, and we can’t wait to get it into your hands.

— The Eagle Obsession Team

The post A Major Progress Update – And What’s Next for Kickstarter Rewards appeared first on FutureDude Entertainment.