New Thunderbirds

The latest issue of Premiere magazine included a new picture of Bill Paxton in costume as astronaut-turned-aeronautics millionaire Jeff Tracy from the Thunderbirds set. The film is based on the 1960s cult U.K. television puppet series and follows the Tracy family and their top-secret International Rescue organization. They travel around the world carrying out covert missions with the Thunderbirds, a set of five vehicles ranging from a rocket to a space station. Ben Kingsley's character will invade Tracy Island, the secret base and home of International Rescue and the Thunderbirds, in the hope of using them for his own evil needs.

The magazine says the film is aimed squarely at the "Spy Kids" market and centers on Jeff's youngest son, 14-year-old Alan Tracy, who's earning his stripes as a Thunderbird. "If we hit this right, this movie's a celebration of all our childhoods," says Paxton.

Director Jonathan Frakes added that the filmmakers are being careful not to alienate fans of the original series. "We haven't changed [too much], A lot of the casting is physically like the characters. The actors do look like the marionettes."