Welcome and thank you for dropping by. Babylon 5 brought many of us together -- and it remains with us, despite the fact that is no longer in production. The good thing is that
the internet provides a LOT of ways to stay in touch. Don't be shy. Join in the discussion today. You can also find plenty of Babylon 5 fans on FaceBook and Twitter eager to talk about their show, Babylon 5.
If you have questions or items for the news, drop me a line at sgbruckner@aol.com.
Again, WELCOME!
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2014
GOTHAM NEWS: HARVEY DENT IS COMING
Watch out "Gotham," there's a couple new faces coming to town. FOX has revealed when Harvey Dent, the eventual Two-Face, will debut on the series.
Played by Nicholas D'Agosto, Dent will first appear on the Nov. 17 episode, appropriately titled "Harvey Dent." The official episode description from FOX reads, "Trying to close the Wayne murder case, a young Harvey Dent and Gordon team up, much to Mayor James' chagrin. Meanwhile, Penguin makes contact with Mooney's secret weapon, Liza."
At the moment, D'Agosto is merely a guest star on the series. However, it's no secret how important Harvey Dent is to the story "Gotham" is trying to tell. This definitely won't be the only time he sets foot in Gotham City. After all, what's Gotham City without a little Two-Face in the works?
"Gotham" airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.
12 MONKEYS ON SYFY
Another new trailer for Syfy’s upcoming 12 Monkeys series has landed, showing off a ton of new footage from the time-travel thriller.
Put into development as part of the network’s renewed push toward original fare, 12 Monkeys looks to use Terry Gilliam’s acclaimed 1995 sci-fi classic as a jumping-off point to put a more layered spin on the apocalyptic story of a man sent back in time to save the world.
The new footage looks top-notch, and it really does a good job of setting the stakes for what appears to be a high-concept drama with a ton of great time travel and action beats. Syfy has been promising more big-budget science fiction shows — and this one seems to pass the eye test, at least at this point. The series stars Aaron Stanford, Zeljko Ivanek, Amanda Schull, Kirk Acevedo, Tom Noonan and Shannon Lucio.
Here’s the official synopsis:
12 Monkeys follows the journey of a time traveler, Cole, from the post-apocalyptic future. Using a dangerous and untested method of time travel, Cole arrives in the present day on a mission to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will eventually decimate 93.6% of the human race. Will Cole be able to save the fate of mankind or is mankind bound by fate? Taking place in the ravaged future of 2043 and the present day (2015), 12 Monkeys explores themes of destiny, fate, love and the possibility of second chances.
12 Monkeys debuts Friday, Jan. 16, 2015, on Syfy.
SUPERGIRL
Character descriptions for CBS’ upcoming Supergirl TV series have been released, revealing quite a few intriguing details for the upcoming small-screen comic-book adaptation. Not only that, but they show that there will be some major changes from the comics.
Casting has now begun for Supergirl — and the good casting folks are the same ones who awesomely cast The CW’s Arrow and The Flash — and TVLine have gotten their hands on who the upcoming drama series is looking for to fill its two lead roles.
Here’s the description for Kara Zor-El, aka Kara Danvers, aka Supergirl:
For Kara Zor-El aka Kara Danvers, the show is eyeing Caucasian females, age 22 to 26, to play 24. As the series’ mythology goes, Kara at age 12 was sent from her dying home planet of Krypton to Earth, where she was taken in by the Danvers, a foster family who taught her to be careful with her extraordinary powers. After repressing said skills for more than a decade, Kara is forced to bust out her super moves in public during an unexpected disaster. Energized by her heroism for the first time in her life, she begins embracing her abilities in the name of helping the people of her city, earning herself a super moniker along the way.
The other lead character currently being cast is a major departure from the original comic-book source material. The role is that of Kara’s sister. Yep, you read that right. But she’s not her sister sister. She’s a foster sister. Here’s the description for the character:
The other lead role currently being cast is that of 26-year-old Alexandra “Alex” Danvers, Kara’s gorgeous, brilliant, science-minded foster sister. Growing up, Alex was partly jealous of her sibling yet also fascinated by her abilities, prompting Alex to learn as much as she could about alien anthropology, sociology and culture. Today, Alex works for a secret government organization and, alongside her heroic sis, will face many challenges, both mundane and super.
It’s going to be interesting to see this new take on the Supergirl mythos — with a flying Supergirl, thank you very much! The pilot was penned by Ali Adler (No Ordinary Family) and Greg Berlanti (Arrow). Both Adler and Berlanti will executive-produce the superhero TV show alongside Sarah Schechter (of Berlanti Productions) and Warner Bros. TV.
INTERSTELLAR
We're now a little more than a week away from the release of Christopher Nolan's sci-fi epic, easily one of our most anticipated movies of 2014, and after being wowed by trailer after trailer, we finally got to see our first clip from the film today. We already knew that the film would focus on a dying Earth that could no longer support the human race, and the team of astronauts who embark on a daring voyage to find humanity's next home, but this clip sheds new light on just how much things have changed.
In the clip, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is apparently in the midst of a parent-teacher conference regarding his daughter, Murph (Mackenzie Foy). Murph brought an old textbook to school to show her friends pictures of the Apollo missions to the moon, and that's apparently a problem.
t's not just food we've run out of in the future Nolan's imagined here. It's ambition. It's hope. It's a sense that our achievements as a species are anything but cynical, or even simply self-serving lies. Apparently, in this future, even medical science has taken a step backward in favor of preserving what little Earth has left to offer us. It's a dark vision, to be sure, one that's countered by the hope inherent in the film's tagline: "Mankind was born on Earth. It was never meant to die here." Nolan's wrestling with light and dark, hope and resignation, ambition and complacency, and those themes will likely only be writ larger when the film takes us to space.
Interstellar lifts off Nov. 7.
EX_MACHINA
We’ve been intrigued by Alex Garland’s upcoming sci-fi flick Ex Machina for a while, and now that we’ve seen the first trailer, we’re definitely psyched for this high-concept thriller.
Set around the tag line “To erase the line between man and machine is to obscure the line between men and gods,” the film is Garland’s (28 Days Later, Sunshine, Dredd) latest attempt to push the boundaries of the genre. This time, he’s taking aim at artificial intelligence.
The crux of the story follows two techies (Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac) as they’re tasked with testing out a cutting-edge new AI that has been uploaded into a creepy, semi-sexualized robot played perfectly by Alicia Vikander. From there, things get weird and twisty — and we’re dying to see more from this real-life Turing test.
Ex Machina is slated for release April 10, 2015.
ZOOBIQUITY
Fox is adapting New York Times best-seller Zoobiquity for the small screen.
The network has committed to a script with penalty for the TV version of the 2013 nonfiction book written by Dr. Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers, teaming with Bones executive producers Stephen Nathan and Jon Collier, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Zoobiquity is a medical drama following a dynamic group of doctors helping treat patients by searching for correlation in an unexpected place — the animal kingdom. Nathan will write the pilot script with Collier.
Produced by 20th Television, Nathan and Collier will serve as executive producers, along with Spencer Medof. Natterson-Horowitz and Bowers will produce.
This should be familiar territory for Nathan, who executive produces Fox's long-running crime procedural Bones, itself an adaptation from a series of novels by author Kathy Reichs.
Nathan is repped by WME. Collier is repped by UTA, The Shuman Co. and Morris Yorn. Medof is repped by WME, manager Eric Ortner and attorney Myman Greenspan. Natterson-Horowitz and Bowers are repped by WME and Franklin Weinrib.
SKULL ISLAND
Deadline brings word today that Legendary Pictures and Universal's upcoming King Kong prequel Skull Island is set to get a re-write from screenwriter John Gatins, who was nominated for an Academy Award for the 2012 film Flight and also penned the adaptations of Real Steel and Need for Speed. The initial draft of the film was penned by Godzilla scribe Max Borenstein.
Set to be directed by The Kings of Summer's Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Skull Island will star Loki himself Tom Hiddleston, though what role he plays in the film has yet to be confirmed.
Appearing to be a sort of Kong “origin story,” Skull Island looks like it will explore the life of the classic movie monster before he was taken to civilization. Previous works have touched on the island, but staying and exploring this mysterious and dangerous place offers Legendary the opportunity to take audiences deeper inside this rich world with a style and scope that parallels other Legendary productions.
Skull Island is set for release on November 4, 2016 where it is scheduled to go up against Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange film.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2014
AMERICAN HORROR STORY
Matt Bomer is guest-starring on "American Horror Story: Freak Show" in what creator Ryan Murphy calls "maybe one of the most disturbing things we've ever done and a true horror scene." The first photo of Bomer on the show has been released via Out.com and it unfortunately does not give much away about the nature of Bomer's role.
But here are a few things gleaned from the pic and interviews:
The photo was taken inside Twisty the Clown's trailer o' terror, but Bomer's look is fairly inscrutable. It certainly doesn't appear as though he's looking at anything horrifying.
Bomer is sharing the screen with Michael Chiklis, so does that mean Dell Toledo is paying Twisty a visit?
If FOX is looking for someone to play Danny Zuko or Kenickie in its live "Grease" musical, perhaps Bomer should be added to the short list. Look at him rock that '50s pompadour!
"American Horror Story: Freak Show" airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX.
WES CRAVEN'S COMING OF RAGE
Wes Craven has been creeping us out for decades, and the horror auteur shows no signs of stopping now. Up next? The horror comic Coming of Rage, which is also set to spawn a new TV series.
Created by Craven along with graphic novelist Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), the five-issue series marks Craven’s first real foray into the comic realm. The first three issues are being released as a digital Halloween exclusive for Amazon’s Kindle via Liquid Comics.
Along with the comic, Craven also plans to turn the project into a television series with the help of producer Arnold Rifkin's Cheyenne Enterprises (Live Free or Die Hard). Just about every hot horror comic on the market these days has a TV deal, and with Craven’s name recognition, it’s no surprise this one got snatched up.
Craven chatted with The Hollywood Reporter about the project, and we have to admit we’re mildly intrigued by the setup:
“About a year ago, I had the beginning of an unwritten joke come into my head: A Vampire, a Werewolf and a Zombie walk into a bar. Just that. What was the punchline? Who cares – I just liked the sound of it. My imagination went crazy thinking about what could happen when three such impossibly different characters were thrown together…
[Me and Niles] hit it off, and decided to beat out the story of a very special young man’s coming of age, and the two unlikely friends who helped him to survive it. After a bit of hard, fun work, a series of comic books was born, telling not only the story of how these three ended up on the run together, but how the central character, Ritchie, lost his innocence and became one of the most powerful vampires in the world.”
It’s an intriguing pitch — plus it covers the horror trifecta of zombies, werewolves and vampires — so how could this not be a hit? But seriously, we are intrigued to see more from what a mind like Craven’s can do in the comic medium. Here’s hoping the comic is solid, and if so, we’ll be dying to hear more about the series.
HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1
A lot of Hunger Games fans are dreading, or at least seriously worrying about, the two-part adaptation of the final book in Suzanne Collins' trilogy: Mockingjay. They're worried not just because Lionsgate chose to go the route of Harry Potter and Twilight and divide -- perhaps unnecessarily -- the last book into two films, but because Mockingjay is a book that many of Collins' readers saw as a letdown (And they're wrong, because it's actually the best of the trilogy - Ed.). For some viewers, Mockingjay could be serve up the same disappointment onscreen that it did on the page. For others, two films just feels like meangingless stretching of story for profit.
But then you see trailers like this, and all those worries just melt away.
In Mockingjay Part 1, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) has joined the District 13 rebellion led by President Coin (Julianne Moore) and Plutarch Heavensbee (the late Philip Seymour Hoffman), where she'll fight alongside her friends Gale (Liam Hemsworth) and Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) to take down the Capitol and its tyrannical leader, President Snow (Donald Sutherland). But as this trailer shows, Katniss might not be up to the task of serving as the powerful symbol of rebellion that District 13 needs her to be. Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), her friend and partner who survived two Hunger Games alongside her (often thanks to her efforts to save his life), is in Capitol custody, and fighting in two Games has left her an emotional wreck. Snow is prepared to wipe Katniss and her friends off the Earth, but as the battle lines are drawn, and as Katniss realizes what's at stake, she grows more willing to face the Capitol.
Check out the trailer below, and be prepared for a haunting final line.
TERMINATOR GENISYS
It's looking more and more like the new Terminator film is going to drive everyone crazy.
It certainly did that to the folks at io9, who lifted this plot synopsis for Terminator Genisys from Entertainment Weekly's preview of the film (spoiler warning!):
Sarah Connor isn't the innocent she was when Linda Hamilton first sported feathered hair and acid-washed jeans in the role. Nor is she Hamilton's steely zero body-fat warrior in 1991's T2. Rather, the mother of humanity's messiah was orphaned by a Terminator at age 9. Since then, she's been raised by (brace yourself) Schwarzenegger's Terminator -- an older T-800 she calls "Pops" -- who is programmed to guard rather than to kill. As a result, Sarah is a highly trained antisocial recluse who's great with a sniper rifle but not so skilled at the nuances of human emotion.
I don't even think I know how to unpack all this. So Sarah Connor (played by Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke) knows about Terminators already? She's being raised by one? That essentially wipes out the entire previous storyline, which has been severely warped already thanks to Terminator 3 and Terminator Salvation.
It also positions the returning Arnold Schwarzenegger -- once again -- as a "good" Terminator, and in fact as a sort of Grandpa Terminator for lack of a better description. In fact, the whole thing sounds like a rehash of Terminator 2, with Sarah taking over the function of her son, John.
John is played by Jason Clarke in this film, while Jai Courtney is Kyle Reese and Matt Smith appears in a yet-to-be-identified role. Entertainment Weekly has also offered up two alternate covers showing off some of the cast, and let's just say they don't look all that impressive.
Terminator Genisys comes out July 1, 2015.
ASCENSION AND BRINGING SCIENCE FICTION BACK TO SYFY
In case you haven’t noticed, some of the best sci-fi shows on the air these days are on networks like AMC and HBO. The execs at the Syfy network have also noticed — and here’s their plan to regain some relevance in the marketplace.
The network has already ramped up development on a boatload of high-concept sci-fi properties, including series like 12 Monkeys, Ascension, Childhood’s End and The Expanse. But Syfy’s new programming chief Bill McGoldrick tells Entertainment Weekly that’s just the beginning of the network’s new direction.
McGoldrick did an extensive Q&A, touching on everything from the state of the genre overall to exactly how they plan to recapture the critical buzz the studio once enjoyed back in the award-winning heyday of Battlestar Galactica, along with the rabid fan love of Farscape. He acknowledges that the “lighthearted” direction worked well for a while, but now they’re trying to refocus on serious sci-fi drama:
“In terms of where it was before with original content and some of the series that were on the air, maybe they were more procedural, more lighthearted in tone—and by the way, those shows worked really well for a long time. I’m referring to the Warehouses and the Eurekas. What we have in development now is more of a serious tone, more back to our roots. You’ve seen and probably heard about our desire to get back up to space. We have a couple really big shows that are trying to accomplish that—Ascension, The Expanse in particular, which play more toward I think the harder core sci-fi fan who used to be perceived as niche but is now mainstream and commercial in a way they have never been before. That’s what we’re trying to accomplish …
We have bigger budgets now. We have budgets that could compete with anybody else in basic cable. Premium cable is a different story, obviously. The budget that HBO has—they’re playing a different game. But when you look at The Walking Dead or Breaking Bad or anything that I worked on at USA, we are at least at that level, if not above. We are trying to bring in directors, producers, you name it, that can execute. I certainly think our shows are already looking better than they have in the past because the corporation supporting us [Comcast], and the corporation understands that we should be investing in genre right now. That’s been the biggest pleasant surprise I’ve had since I’ve arrived — the amount of resources Comcast is providing and kind of everybody up the food chain is recognizing that to pull off sci-fi in the way that we really want to pull it off, you do have to spend. You don’t have to be a reckless drunken sailor, but you do have to sometimes even outspend basic cable competitors for the shows to look the way they will.”
As the initial trailers for Ascension seem to indicate, not to mention the footage we’ve seen of 12 Monkeys, the projects definitely have a different feel than what the network has been cranking out before the current development cycle. They feel like the natural evolution of shows like Defiance, which is a good thing.
FRIGHTPIX
Every year, network TV and cable channels replay the same old horror films. But what about horror fans that want a new treat this Halloween?
Frightpix offers over 400+ obscure fright flicks, Asian horror films and campy classics to watch this Halloween. Categories include: Scary Good, Creature Feature, Slasher and Zombies.
Some of the favorites include: Aaah! Zombies!, The Attic, The Collector, Devil in the Flesh, Infection: The Invasion Begins, Mask Maker +#, Psychoshark, Seduction of Dr. Fugazzi, They Wait and The Toxic Avenger.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014
AGENT CARTER
During Tuesday's (Oct. 28) "Agents of SHIELD" episode, ABC debuted the first TV spot for "Agent Carter," the sister series coming in the new year.
In the above video, the voiceover intones, "Sometimes the best man for the job ... is a woman," as the dashing titular agent (played by Hayley Atwell) engages in all manner of action-packed, sexy espionage.
The teaser comes on the heels of ABC releasing the synopsis for the eight-part series, which lays out the series' focus: "When old acquaintance Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) finds himself being framed for unleashing his deadliest weapons to anyone willing to pony up the cash, he contacts Peggy -- the only person he can trust -- to track down those responsible, dispose of the weapons and clear his name."
"Agent Carter" premieres in January 2015.
BLACK PANTHER
Marvel rolled out a lot of big movie announcements yesterday, and one of the biggest introduced us to the big-screen Black Panther.
In a special presentation in Los Angeles earlier today, Marvel Studios blew fans and journalists alike away by unveiling its entire "Phase Three" slate of films, spanning all the way to spring 2019. The announcements included an official Doctor Strange release date, a Captain Marvel movie, two more Avengers films and, of course, Black Panther.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige revealed that Black Panther will be released on Nov. 3, 2017. We don't know much about the plot yet, but here's what Feige had to say about the movie's story:
"He’s a bit of a prince, he may even become a bit of a king, but it’s all about how this isolationist country meets the world. Maybe it goes well, maybe it doesn’t.”
Things got even more exciting when Feige said that film won't actually be the first time we see T'Challa. He'll actually debut more than a year earlier in Captain America: Civil War, which will be released on May 6, 2016. Feige also teased that something he'd already shown the crowd "contains an easter egg that leads directly into Black Panther." Since the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer was shown at the event, that seemed to confirm speculation that there were Black Panther hints in the trailer. In a Q&A with press after the event, Feige confirmed that Wakanda is indeed part of the Avengers sequel.
But even that's not all the Black Panther goodness we got today. Marvel also announced that T'Challa will be played by Chadwick Boseman, a critically acclaimed actor best known for his recent roles as Jackie Robinson in 42 and James Brown in Get On Up who'd been reported as one of Marvel's possible choices for the role last year. During the Civil War announcement, Boseman actually joined fellow Marvel stars Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans onstage.
So, on the Black Panther front, we got his first appearance alongside Cap and Iron Man, his first solo film, the actor who'll be playing him and a costume design. Not a bad day for T'Challa fans.
MARVEL SLATE
Marvel Studios has blown the roof off Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre - not literally, but you get the point. Marvel Chief Kevin Feige delivered an exciting look into the studio's future, which included some game-changing films. Here's their complete Phase Three slate:
Captain America: Civil War opens May 6, 2016. Feige pulled a fast one on the audience by first announcing the film as Serpent Society (we see what you did, there), but the rumors are true and we'll get a super hero schism storyline Feige says will be inspired by the comic book, but more grounded in the MCU continuity.
Doctor Strange makes his debut (possibly with Benedict Cumberbatch) Nov. 4, 2016. Fans might have been hoping for a Cumberbatch sighting, but if the reports of his negotiations for the part are true, the deal obviously wasn't signed in time to get him on stage. Some day, Marvel's going to announce a Stephen Strange...but it was not this day.
We'll see Guardians of the Galaxy 2 sooner than later. It's been bumped up to May 5, 2017. You're welcome.
Thor:Ragnarok opens July 28, 2017. Ragnarok itself means 'The end of all things.' The film will pick up right after The Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Feige called the story "game-changing." Of course, he's said the same thing about Age of Ultron, so it could be that "game-changing" is the new hyperbolic adjective du jour. Still, Thor as a solo franchise likely doesn't have legs far beyond a third film (and Chris Hemsworth's contract only stipulates so many films), so it could be that Ragnarok will put the wraps on Thor outside the Avengers banner.
Black Panther will finally grace the big screen on Nov. 3, 2017, and he'll be played by Chadwick Boseman! This was probably the biggest reveal of the day, and was accompanied by an awesome moment when MCU vets Chris Evans and Robert Downey, Jr., introduced the man who'll play T'Challa. Boseman's a great pick - a strong actor and a star on the rise, but not big enough that Marvel can't lock him into their usual multi-picture deal at what is likely reasonable money. Feige had this to say about the storyline: ""He's a bit of a prince, he may even become a bit of a king, but it's all about how this isolationist country meets the world. Maybe it goes well, maybe it doesn't." We were also told we'll meet Black Panther in Civil War.
Captain Marvel gets HER time to shine on July 6, 2018, and Feige confirmed that it WILL be the Carol Danvers version of the character. No word yet on whether the rumors Captain Marvel will show up in Age of Ultron are true, but this is a promising step for fans who've been clamoring for a female-led film from Marvel.
Inhumans will hit theaters Nov. 2, 2018 following in Guardians of the Galaxy's cosmic footsteps. In a day less packed with news, this would have been a centerpiece story, but as it is, it's still pretty cool. Feige says we can expect to see Inhumans-related easter eggs popping up, soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
Finally, it looks like the rumors of Avengers 3 being split into two films were true. The sequel will be split into two installments: Infinity War: Part I and Infinity War: Part II. They're slated for May 4, 2018 and May 3, 2019 respectively.
It's a pretty massive and exciting slate that serves as a direct response to Warner Bros./DC's recent announcements and sets up a pretty titanic clash between the two comics giants at the movies over the next five to six years...and an overall release schedule that should have any funny book fan's mind ready to overload.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND
Orson Welles' final film, which has remained unfinished for decades, could hit theaters in time for the 100th anniversary of the filmmaker's birth next May.
Royal Road Entertainment has secured the rights to The Other Side of the Wind, The New York Times is reporting. The Los Angeles-based production company plans on bringing it to the American Film Market next month to promote distribution for the film.
Welles never completed his film, which (quite fittingly) tells the story of a director attempting to finish a masterpiece while clashing with the Hollywood system. The film stars John Huston, Susan Strasberg, Lilli Palmer, Dennis Hopper and Peter Bogdanovich.
The rights to the film have been tied up in legal battles among Welles's daughter Beatrice Welles, his collaborator Oja Kodar and Iranian-French production company L'Astrophore. Welles spent the final fifteen years of his life on the project, up until his death in 1985. He left behind roughly 45 minutes of edited film.
Royal Road hopes to release the film timed to the May 6, 2015, anniversary of Welles' birth.
SCREAM REBOOT AT MTV
Get ready for more Scream.
MTV has ordered to series the long-in-the-works small-screen reboot of Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson's horror film franchise, it was announced Tuesday. The 10-episode series will premiere on the network in October 2015, just in time for Halloween.
MTV took to social media to make the announcement, tweeting a cryptic message to its followers with a simple phone number. When the number is dialed, a male voice inquires, "Do you like scary TV?" before announcing the show's official premiere.
The one-hour project, officially put into development last spring, stars Willa Fitzgerald as Emma Duvall, Bex Taylor Klaus as Audrey, John Karna as Noah Foster, Connor Weil as Will, Amadeus Serafini as Kieran Wilcox, Carlson Young as Brooke Maddox, Tracey Middendorf as Maggie and Joel Gretsch as Sheriff Clark Hudson. The Scream series join MTV's current scripted offerings Teen Wolf (also adapted from a film franchise), Awkward, Faking It, Finding Carter and Happyland, as well as the upcoming Victoria Justice drama Eye Candy.
Jamie Travis (Faking It) directed the pilot, which hails from Dimension Films and The Weinstein Co. Jay Beattie and Dan Dworkin (Criminal Minds, Revenge) penned the original script, with Jill Blotevogel (Harper's Island, Ravenswood) executive producing and serving as showrunner.
Harvey and Bob Weinstein will executive produce alongside Craven, Marianne Maddalena and Cathy Konrad, all of whom served in the same capacity on the original franchise. Tony DiSanto and Liz Gateley, who originally brought the Scream project to MTV in 2012, also exec produce via their DiGa banner. Matthew Signer and Keith Levine are producers. Williamson, who has three shows on the air (Stalker, The Following, The Vampire Diaries), is not involved.
The first Scream movie starred Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, a high school student who becomes the target of a killer known as Ghostface. FunWorld's R.J. Torbert, who holds the rights to the Ghostface character, which is closely linked with the franchise, indicated recently he currently is not involved with the series, writing on Ghostface.co.UK: "GHOST FACE® is not involved in the new format ... it does not mean, that Ghost Face® will not be involved at a later date. So, there is still a question, to the question. However, as of now, there is no involvement."
On the development side, MTV is readying comedy Ken Jeong Made Me Do It and dark comedy Self-Promotion, to be directed by Zach Braff.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2014
DOCTOR STRANGE NEWS
The long wait may be over for Marvel's Master of the Mystic Arts, as Deadline is reporting today that Benedict Cumberbatch is in final negotiations to play the title character in their big-budget Doctor Strange film. Cumberbatch has been on the short list lately, with everyone from Tom Hardy, Ethan Hawke, Jared Leto and even Keanu Reeves tossing his hat into the ring.
Sinister's Scott Derrickson has signed on to direct this epic odyssey into the mystical, supernatural side of the Marvel Universe, with Prometheus screenwriter Jon Spaihts on board penning the latest draft. No dried ink on the contract yet, but the all-seeing Eye of Amagmotto doesn't lie!
AGENT CARTER
"Agent Carter" won't debut on TV until 2015, but Marvel and ABC are opening up a bit about what to expect from the show, which follows Agent Peggy Carter in her adventures as a member of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, a predecessor to SHIELD.
According to the official synopsis for the series, Carter will go on secret missions to help Howard Stark (Father of Tony Stark) clear his name, after he's framed for selling dangerous weapons to evil entities. Working with Stark may be her undoing, as getting caught could cast her as a traitor. She's also dealing with the loss of her one true love, Steve Rogers.
Here is the full synopsis, care of Marvel:
"ABC presents its second action packed series from the creative minds at Marvel in 'Marvel's Agent Carter,' inspired by the feature films Marvel's 'Captain America: The First Avenger' and Marvel's 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier,' along with the short 'Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter.'
"Years before Agent Coulson and his SHIELD. team swore to protect those who cannot protect themselves from threats they cannot conceive, there was Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), who pledged the same oath but lived in a different time when women weren't recognized as being as smart or as tough as their male counterparts.
"But no one should ever underestimate Peggy.
"It's 1946 and peace has dealt Peggy a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy finds herself stuck doing administrative work when she would rather be back out in the field; putting her vast skills into play and taking down the bad guys. But she is also trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life, Steve Rogers -- aka Captain America.
"When old acquaintance Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) finds himself being framed for unleashing his deadliest weapons to anyone willing to pony up the cash, he contacts Peggy -- the only person he can trust -- to track down those responsible, dispose of the weapons and clear his name. He empowers his butler, Edwin Jarvis (James D'Arcy), to be at her beck and call when needed to help assist her as she investigates and tracks down those responsible for releasing these weapons of mass destruction. But Jarvis, who is a creature of habit and sticks to a rigid daily routine, is going to have to make some major life changes if he's going to be able to keep up with Peggy.
"If caught going on these secret missions for Stark, Peggy could be targeted as a traitor and spend the rest of her days in prison -- or worse. And as she delves deeper into her investigation, she may find that those she works for are not who they seem, and she might even begin to question whether Stark is as innocent as he claims."
"Agent Carter" is slated to premiere in January.
STALKER, MADAM SECRETARY, NCIS: NEW ORLEANS, SCORPION GET FULL SEASON ORDERS
Here's some good news for fans of CBS' freshman dramas. The network has given full season orders to "Stalker," "NCIS: New Orleans," "Scorpion" and "Madam Secretary."
All four shows have performed well for the network, with "NCIS: New Orleans" ranking as the highest rated new show of the season. It averages 18.16 million viewers and a 2.8 in the adults 18-49 demographic.
RELATED: No happy ending for 'Manhattan Love Story,' the first canceled show of fall 2014
The only one pickup that might be a bit surprising is "Stalker." It's definitely the lowest rated of the four and hasn't won itself many critical fans. One might hope the full order will give it time to right the ship. Based on how it already seems to be spinning it's wheels, that seems unlikely though.
KRYPTON
It seems the recent wave of The Flash, Gotham and Constantine were just the beginning for DC’s expanded slate of television projects. Up next? Something called Krypton.
Bleeding Cool has broken a report that David Goyer (Man of Steel, the Dark Knight trilogy) is involved in deep development on a potential television series currently going by the name of Krypton. As any geek will note, that’s the name of Superman’s native alien planet — a place that got a good bit of screen time in the recent, Goyer-penned Man of Steel film.
So what’s the potential series about? We have no clue, and neither does the initial report. The name would suggest this could be a Superman-based prequel series, which is something DC has had success with in recent years via Gotham and Smallville. Or, you know, it could be something completely unrelated. But with Goyer involved, it’d stand to reason this is something legit. He also has a hand in NBC’s new Constantine series.
If this turns out to be a Superman series of some sort, it’d join CBS’s upcoming Supergirl series in tapping into one of DC’s biggest properties. But if this really is a series set on Krypton, it seems like an odd pitch for a television series. Sure, it’s a largely untapped area of the story — but a series set completely on an alien planet could be a tough sell for the average viewer. But as comic fans, we have to admit it could be extremely cool.
Or, you know, it could be something else entirely. Here’s hoping now that word of the development has leaked, some new details won’t be too far behind.
THE FLASH
A new clip is now online from tomorrow night's episode of The CW's hit new series, "The Flash" and in it, we get a brief rundown of Wentworth Miller's Leonard Snart and Barry Allen himself almost gets a superhero name. Titled "Going Rogue," the episode airs Tuesday, October 28 at 8:00pm ET/PT.
The Flash (Grant Gustin) stops a robbery but the culprits get away after shooting a guard, and The Flash chooses to save the man instead of following the criminals. Joe (Jesse L. Martin) shows Barry a book of suspects and Barry identifies Leonard Snart (guest star Wentworth Miller, "Prison Break") as the leader of the group. While investigating the case, Barry gets a surprise visit from an old friend -- Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards, "Arrow"), who heard about his new abilities and came to check them out for herself. She joins him at S.T.A.R. Labs to help stop Snart after it's revealed that Snart his gotten his hands on a stolen "cold gun," which could kill The Flash. Dr. Wells (Tom Cavanagh) is furious when he finds out that Cisco (Carlos Valdes) built the cold gun without telling anyone and now it's missing. Meanwhile, Iris (Candice Patton) is getting the silent treatment from Joe because of her relationship with Eddie (Rick Cosnett). Finally, The Flash and Captain Cold have an epic confrontation.
Glen Winter directed the episode written by Geoff Johns and Kai Yu Wu.
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
Adrianne Palicki made her first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe on last week's "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," starring as Agent Bobbi Morse, the character who, in the comics, goes on to become the superhero Mockingbird. Then, later in the week, we got to see a still of Palicki in her comic-inspired outfit. Now, the G.I. Joe: Retaliation star joins Clark Gregg for a special video message, inviting viewers to join them on Twitter for live-tweets of tomorrow's new episode, which will also debut a brand new clip from next summer's Avengers: Age of Ultron! Check out the video in the first player below, a new TV spot beneath that and, in the gallery viewer at the bottom of this page, find a new still of Palicki as Morse!
Titled "A Fractured House," the sixth episode of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." season two airs Tuesday, October 28 at 9:00pm ET/PT on ABC.
The "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." cast includes Clark Gregg as fan favorite Phil Coulson, along with Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May, Brett Dalton as Agent Grant Ward, Chloe Bennet as Skye, Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz and Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons. The series is executive produced by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, Jeffrey Bell and Jeph Loeb.
MISSIONARY
The psychological thriller Missionary hits select theaters and VOD this Friday, October 31st. Today, we have an exclusive clip to share with you.
Directed by Anthony DiBlasi, the film finds Dawn Olivieri ("House of Lies") playing married Katherine Kingsmen. It’s worth mentioning that she is married because she engages in a fling with Kevin Brock (Mitch Ryan), a Mormon missionary with a troubled past.
But, Katherine opts to save her marriage and, inevitably, Brock’s obsessions and insanity take over. He will stop at nothing to prove to Katherine that they are destined to be together by God's will.
Freestyle Releasing and The Orchard are handling the day-and-date release. It's one of the first films that was acquired under The Orchard's partnership with our brother site, ShockTillYouDrop.com
MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2014
INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3
Insidious: Chapter 3 actually leaves behind the Lambert family from the first two movies and is a prequel showing how paranormal investigator and psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) first learned of the mysterious spirit realm known as the Further. She makes this discovery while investigating the haunting of a young girl (Stefanie Scott) and her father (Dermot Mulroney) in their apartment by a malevolent entity.
Unlike a lot of later sequels, which tend to get passed along to outside filmmakers, Insidious: Chapter 3 is staying in the family. Although director James Wan has not returned, his filmmaking partner and screenwriter Leigh Whannell -- who has written the entire series and plays one of Elise's assistants -- is making his directorial debut this time around. If anyone knows this material and what makes it work, it's Whannell.
Still, Insidious: Chapter 2 was a huge disappointment, so here's hoping that the latest entry -- billed as the "darkest chapter" yet -- gets back to the feeling of the terrifying original.
Insidious: Chapter 3 comes out in theaters May 29, 2015.
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
The weekend before Halloween saw an obligatory horror film in the form of Ouija (Universal), pairing Blumhouse Productions and Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes for a low-budget supernatural thriller based on the popular Hasbro sleepover party game. Opening on Thursday night and taking in $8.3 million in its first 24 hours, Ouija ended up with an estimated $20 million for the weekend in its 2,858 locations, or $7,000 per theater. 69% of the audience for the movie was female, but its "C" CinemaScore is not a good sign for the movie sustaining any sort of legs even with Halloween next Friday.
Taking a strong second place was Keanu Reeves' revenge thriller John Wick (Lionsgate), which scored approximately $14.2 million in 2,589 theaters, an average of $5,465 per site. It's Keanu's best showing since 2008's The Day the Earth Stood Still remake almost six years ago.
Brad Pitt's WWII tank movie Fury, directed by David Ayer, followed closely behind in third place with $13 million and $46.1 million in its first ten days of domestic release.
David Fincher's Gone Girl (20th Century Fox), starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, continued its strong run for the month with another $11.1 million (down 37%) to bring its domestic total to $124.1 million. That makes it the highest-grossing movie of the fall movie season.
In fifth place, 20th Century Fox's animated adventure The Book of Life added another $9.8 million to its domestic take of $29.9 million.
The Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy comedy St. Vincent (The Weinstein Co.) expanded nationwide into 2,282 theaters after grossing a million in limited release, and it had a strong presence in sixth place with roughly $8.1 million. Its "A-" CinemaScore is a good sign that the movie was able to connect with its intended audience.
That was followed in seventh place with $7 million by Disney's family comedy Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, starring Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner, which has grossed $45.5 million so far.
The latest Nicholas Sparks romantic drama The Best of Me (Relativity), starring Michelle Monaghan, James Marsden, Luke Bracey and Liana Liberato, tanked in its second weekend, down 54% to fifth place with $4.8 million. With $17.7 million grossed so far, it's looking to become one of the biggest Nicholas Sparks bombs to date.
The Robert Downey-Robert Duvall dramedy The Judge (Warner Bros.) took ninth place with $4.3 million, just ahead of Universal Pictures' Dracula Untold, starring Luke Evans, which rounded out the Top 10 with $4.3 million (down 57%) and $48.3 million domestic gross. The Judge has grossed $34.4 million so far. Despite its relatively weak showing in North America, Dracula Untold has grossed $166 million worldwide with another $14.7 million added in overseas markets this weekend.
The Top 10 grossed an estimated $96.5 million, which is slightly better than the same weekend last year when Johnny Knoxville's Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (Paramount) won the weekend with $32.1 million and Ridley Scott's star-studded crime-thriller The Counselor (20th Century Fox) bombed with just $7.8 million in over 3,000 theaters.
Although New Line's horror prequel Annabelle fell outside the Top 10 with $3.3 million, it's being reported that it's now grossed over $200 million with just $79.5 million of that grossed in North America. Being that the movie reportedly cost $6.5 million to produce, that's another hugely profitable horror movie for New Line following last year's The Conjuring. This past week, it was announced that director James Wan would be returning for the sequel to the 2013 horror hit.
Disney Animation Studios released their upcoming Big Hero 6 in Russia, two weeks before its North American release, to take advantage of school holidays there, and it grossed $4.8 million, which is more than previous Disney releases like Wreck-It Ralph and Monsters University.
In its second weekend, Alejandro Inarritu's acclaimed Birdman (Fox Searchlight, starring Michael Keaton, expanded into 50 theaters where it took in $1.4 million, or $28 thousand per theater, for a $2 million total after ten days.
Filmmaker Justin Simien's debut Dear White People (Roadside Attractions) expanded into 384 theaters where it took in $1.3 million, or $3,422 per site, to bring its total to $1.8 million.
Two movies opened in five theaters each with the Laura Poitras doc Citizenfour (RADiUS-TWC) about Edward Snowden taking in an estimated $125.2 thousand or $23 thousand per site to the $78 thousand taken in by Lynn Shelton's Laggies (A24), starring Keira Knightley and Sam Rockwell, which averaged $15.7 thousand per location.
THE NOLANS AND DC CINEMATIC UNIVERSE
Although The Dark Knight trilogy helmer Christopher Nolan both provided the story and served as producer on Zack Snyder's apparent DC Cinematic Universe launcher Man of Steel, don't expect Nolan or his brother, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises screenwriter Jonathan Nolan, to be eyeing any of the films on Warner Bros.' massive upcoming slate.
"I love those guys and my brother was involved in 'Man of Steel' with Zack [Snyder] and David [Goyer]," Jonathan told ComingSoon.net today during the press junket for he and his brother's latest, Interstellar. "I kind of feel like that chapter for us is closed."
He does not, however, rule out one day returning to a big screen DC Comics film.
"To be continued somewhere farther down the line?" he asks with a smile. "Maybe."
THE CROW REMAKE
Attending the Abu Dhabi Film Festival this week, producer Edward R. Pressman revealed that production begins on The Crow remake this spring, while revealing that no cast members have been confirmed at this time.
We reported in May 2013 that Luke Evans (Dracula Untold, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) had signed on to play Eric Draven, and the actor has spoke about the role in interviews over the past year. The Hollywood Reporter states that the actor is the "current favorite" for the role, which contradicts the May 2013 report that he has already signed on. We also reported last November that The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus was in talks to play a character named James.
Edward R. Pressman revealed at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival that The Crow remake is the "anti-Spider-Man," while speaking about the franchise's fan base.
"It still has a big fan base even though it was so long ago. But the generation today doesn't even know The Crow."
Based on the James O'Barr comic book of the same name, The Crow centers on rock star Eric Draven, who is murdered alongside his fiancee, when he is brought back to life to avenge his own death.
The Crow is in development and stars Luke Evans. The film is directed by F. Javier Gutiérrez.
STAR WARS SPINOFF MOVIE?
With Star Wars: Episode VII deep into production, Disney and LucasFilm are also prepping their Star Wars spin-off movies, the first of which will hit theaters sometime in 2016, under the direction of Gareth Edwards (Godzilla). There is still much we don't know about the Untitled Gareth Edwards Directed Star Wars Spin-Off, but a new interview from Hitfix reveals that Greig Fraser will serve as the cinematographer.
While he wouldn't divulge any specific details, here's what Greig Fraser had to say about the project.
"And then I'm doing a f---ing Star Wars movie, which is like - I don't know about you but Star Wars is like my first film love, do you know what I mean? Gareth is doing a standalone film. Of course I do know some specifics, but it's obviously something I've signed my kidneys away for."
There have been a number of rumors that one of the spin-offs will center on Han Solo, with another on Boba Fett. When pressed for details, Greig Fraser wouldn't say what the spin-off is about.
"No. I can't tell you what it's about. I think I signed my left kidney to Disney and my right kidney to George Lucas. So I'd hate to be talking to you next time when I'm on dialysis."
Greig Fraser did say that the spin-off does have a working title, but, naturally, he wouldn't say what it is.
"It does have a working title but I don't know if it's up to me to tell you what that is."
Greig Fraser served as the DP on two upcoming films coming out later this year, Foxcatcher (November 14) and The Gambler (December 19). His previous work includes Bright Star, Let Me In, Killing Them Softly, Snow White and the Huntsman and Zero Dark Thirty.
Untitled Gareth Edwards Directed Star Wars Spin-Off comes to theaters December 16th, 2016. The film is directed by Gareth Edwards.
LATEST NEWS FOR OCTOBER:
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2014
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is a war zone, and Peter Jackson's got the battle plans to prove it.
Peter Jackson is no stranger to epic battle scenes. This is the man who directed the massive Battle of Helm's Deep in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and the even more massive Battle of the Pelennor Fields in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. He's shown us Ents assaulting Isengard, Aragorn leading a charge at the Black Gate and a close-quarters battle with goblins in the depths of Moria. Now, with his final Middle-earth film looming, he's got one more epic battle to show us: the Battle of the Five Armies.
The battle -- in which armies of dwarves, elves, men, orcs and eagles will clash at the foot of Lonely Mountain over the lost dwarven treasure of Erebor recently reclaimed by Thorin Oakenshield and his company -- is set to take up the last 45 minutes or of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. That means a lot of post-production work for Jackson and his team as they put the finishing touches on effects shot after effects shot, but it's also meant lots of careful planning. Before setting out to film the battle, Jackson had to determine just how big it would be in relation to the landscape.
“Before we could loose the first arrow, we had to design the landscape itself and figure out, ‘Okay, if we have 10,000 orcs, how much room are they going to take up?’?” Jackson said. “?‘Are they going to fill up the valley or look like a speck?’ Then we could start drawing the arrows on the schematics.”
To help visualize the battle, Jackson drew some maps of his own that show where the forces are coming from and where they fall in the whole scheme.
Because the battle is so long, Jackson also had to be careful about how it's paced. Sure, 45 minutes of nonstop orc-slaying sounds fun in theory, but it can also drag on if you don't keep it focused on something familiar, something we actually care about. So Jackson made a little battleground rule.
“We have a rule that we’re not allowed to go more than two or three shots of anonymous people fighting without cutting back to our principal characters,” he said. “Otherwise the audience just ends up with battle fatigue.”
As you might have noticed in the drawing above, the battle will indeed feature the return of the massive eagles of Middle-earth, including the never-before-seen Lord of the Eagles. Jackson was careful to emphasize, though, that the creatures are just another part of the battle this time, and not the plot element that will save the day. And yeah, he knows you've thought about them carrying Frodo all the way to Mordor.
“Tolkien uses eagles in a way that can be kind of awkward because they tend to show up out of the blue and change things pretty quickly,” says the director. “So here they’re just part of the plan, not the saviors. I mean, I do realize that if the eagles had just been able to bring Frodo to Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings and let him drop the ring in, those movies would have been much shorter.”
In less than two months, we'll see the Battle of the Five Armies unfold on the big screen, and then Jackson's Middle-earth movie journey will (most likely) be done. For some viewers, the Hobbit trilogy has been great fun, for others it's been a slog, but however you feel about the saga ending, it's clear Jackson's ready to go out with a bang.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies arrives Dec. 17.
LEGO MOVIE SEQUEL
Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the writers and directors of The LEGO Movie have signed a deal to write the sequel for Warner Bros., according to Deadline. There's no word yet on whether they'll direct it as well again.
The first film earned an impressive $468 million at the worldwide box office earlier this year on a budget of $60 million. Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman provided the voices.
The sequel will be produced by Dan Lin and Roy Lee along with Lord and Miller, and Jill Wilfert, Matt Ashton, Chris McKay and Kara Lord Piersimoni are executive producing. Warner Bros.' Greg Silverman, Courtenay Valenti and Chris Defaria are overseeing the film for the studio.
The studio had originally scheduled The LEGO Movie sequel for May 26, 2017 before announcing that The LEGO Batman Movie was being put on the fast track first for a release that year under the direction of Chris McKay. That movie will be written by Seth Grahame-Smith and feature the return of Will Arnett as the Dark Knight.
The LEGO Movie sequel is now expected to hit theaters after 2017.
Lord and Miller also directed 22 Jump Street this year, a sequel that has brought in $327.6 million worldwide on a $50 million budget.
WALKING DEAD COMPANION SERIES
Things are starting to gear up for AMC's upcoming companion series to "The Walking Dead," as Deadline brings word that Academy Award winner Adam Davidson has been brought on to helm the pilot episode of the new series. Davidson won the Best Live Action Short Film Oscar back in 1991 for The Lunch Date and has gone on to direct countless episodes of television including "LOST," "Deadwood," "Dexter," "Rome," "True Blood," "Fringe," "Community," and even AMC's own "Hell on Wheels" and "TURN: Washington's Spies."
The pilot is scheduled for production in late 2014. No additional details are being provided about the location and/or casting for the pilot at this time though a breakdown of characters for the series did debut online a few weeks ago.
Co-created by Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson, the series will take place in the same zombie apocalypse depicted in "The Walking Dead" albeit in a different location and potentially at a different point in time. Erickson will serve as the showrunner for the new series which will be executive produced by Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert.
WORLD BREAKERS
Will Eubank's low-budget sci-fi thriller The Signal got a lot of attention at the Sundance Film Festival, even if it didn't do as well in its limited release, but that hasn't deterred Warner Bros. from buying a second project from him. World Breakers was co-written with Philip Gawthorne (the Starz sci-fi drama "Human Error") with Eubank planning to direct.
According to Variety, the story is about a "mythical Scottish warlord and his sons who withstand a massive castle siege launched by the ruthless commander of an invading army." It will be produced by Bryan Kavanaugh-Jones, Ben Pugh and Rory Aitken with Joseph Vicenti and Joshua Horsfield executive producing, along with Drew Crevello and Julia Spiro.
Although it didn't perform that well at the box office, Eubank's The Signal found many fans due to its impressive use of FX, working with a relatively small budget, and he'll be following the likes of Godzilla's Gareth Edwards and Rise of the Planet Apes' Rupert Wyatt from doing indie films to bigger budget movies.
Eubank is already working on another project for Warner Bros., reuniting with The Signal co-writers Carlyle Eubank and David Frigerio for Tautona, which will be produced by Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian and Kavanaugh-Jones.
This will follow Warners' other medieval-themed project, Guy Ritchie's King Arthur epic Knights of the Round Table, which is scheduled for release on July 22, 2016.
AGENT CARTER ADDITION
Marvel's upcoming Hayley Atwell-led Marvel Cinematic Universe series, "Agent Carter" has added "Nikita" star Lyndsy Fonseca to its cast. Fonseca will play Angie Martinelli, who is an aspiring actress living in 1946 New York. Angie will befriend Peggy Carter as she herself seeks to find her place in the post-war world.
"'Marvel's Agent Carter' opens up an exciting world of new characters for us," said Jeph Loeb, Marvel's Head of Television. "Lyndsy brings a warmth and humanity to Angie, who'll be the friend Peggy needs if she's to survive the dangers that lie ahead."
It's 1946, and peace has dealt Peggy Carter a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy must balance doing administrative work and going on secret missions for Howard Stark all while trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life–Steve Rogers.
Also starring Chad Michael Murray as SSR Agent Jack Thompson, Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, Enver Gjokaj as SSR Agent Daniel Sousa, James D’Arcy as Edwin Jarvis, and Shea Whigham as SSR Chief Roger Dooley, "Marvel’s Agent Carter" was written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Executive producers are Tara Butters, Michele Fazekas, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Chris Dingess, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Joe Quesada, Stan Lee and Jeph Loeb.
"Agent Carter" will debut in 2015 on ABC.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2014
CHILDHOOD'S END
We’re extremely curious to see how things come together with Syfy’s high-concept Childhood’s End miniseries, and the first big casting move has us even more excited.
Iconic character actor Charles Dance, likely best known to modern-day genre fans as Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones, has signed on for the first major role in the project — based on Arthur C. Clarke’s sci-fi classic of the same name.
The basic plot: The six-hour miniseries focuses on a breed of aliens called the “Overlords,” who peacefully invade and rule Earth, then create a pseudo-utopia that comes at the price of human identity and culture. It’s an ambitious pitch, and Dance’s presence will definitely bring some legitimacy to the proceedings.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Dance plays Karellen, the ambassador for the Overlords who makes first contact with human Ricky Stormgren (currently uncast). The character is described as using “comforting words and amazing technological gifts quickly win humanity’s favor, beginning decades of apparent utopia at the cost of human identity and culture. However, his refusal to reveal his physical appearance and insistence on dealing only through Ricky have some people questioning whether his intentions are truly benevolent.”
The miniseries will be executive produced by Akiva Goldsman (Lone Survivor) and Mike DeLuca (The Social Network). The pilot (and possibly entire run) will be directed by Nick Hurran (Sherlock) and scripted by Matthew Graham (BBC’s Life on Mars).
ARROW 2.5
In the latest installment of DC Comics' Arrow 2.5, the comic set between The CW show's second and third season, our green-hooded vigilante heads to St. Walker's Church to confront Brother Blood. And we have an exclusive sneak peek at the issue, written by Arrow executive producer Marc Guggenheim and Keto Shimizuwhich.
Check it out now, then download the entire issue on Monday via the DC Comics App, Readdcentertainment.com, comiXology.com, Google Play, Kindle Store, Nook Store and iBooks.
Written by Marc Guggenheim and Keto Shimizu, with art by Joe Bennett, Craig Yeung, and Szymon Kudranski.
HELIX
Syfy has released a brand-new promo teaser for the upcoming second season of its sci-fi series Helix, and looks like things are about to get chilling again.
Whereas the tension-filled viral action of the first season took place in the arctic, the second is firmly moving away from the freezing cold and onto an island with warmer weather. So what does executive producer extraordinaire Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica, Outlander) have in store for us? Well, a new viral outbreak is heading our way, and Steven Weber's cult leader looks sinister enough ...,p>
As per TV Line:
Season 2 of the sci-fi drama finds Billy Campbell’s Dr. Alan Farragut and his CDC team, still haunted by the Narvik crisis at Arctic Biosystems, investigating the outbreak of a new disease on a Windjammer. Clues lead them to an island inhabited by a cult that is dead-set on creating a utopian society.
Weber (Murder in the First, Studio 60) will heavily recur as Brother Michael, the cult’s charismatic leader… who just so happens to be a world-class geneticist.
Syfy's Helix season two will premiere on Friday, Jan. 16, 2015.
ASCENSION
When the journey on the spaceship Ascension begins this December on Syfy, viewers will find themselves on a blast from the past that takes place in an alternate retro sci-fi timeline, and one that might just recapture the network’s previous success with Battlestar Galactica.
Loosely based around the actual atomic-powered spacecraft of Project Orion, the 6-hour miniseries (and likely ongoing series) is about a covert craft that was launched by the U.S. in Kennedy-era 1963. The U.S.S. Ascension was to carry the smartest men, women and children to populate a new world, and 50 years into the journey, a mysterious murder -- the first on board -- takes place.
“It’s Mad Men meets Star Trek meets Lost,” summed up actor Al Sapienza at this week’s Syfy press tour in Orlando, where he was joined by costars Tricia Helfer, Brian Van Holt, Andrea Roth and Brandon P. Bell.
Premiering Dec. 15 at 9 p.m., and airing over three nights, Ascension is a big-idea kind of show, and the return of Helfer to the network makes it feel like this could be Syfy’s next BSG.
The world on the ship is a small microcosm of what U.S. society looked like in the early ’60s, with the intention of preserving that.
“I’m very excited about the concept of this show, and the parallel society, not influenced in any way by what’s happened on Earth in 50 years,” said Sapienza, who plays Councilman Rose. “We don’t know John Kennedy got shot, we don’t about know the civil rights movement or women’s lib; our input from Earth stopped in 1963.”
But to maintain balance, there is genetic pairing, arranged marriages and limits on how many children can be born -- which looks to be part of a major plot point.
“There’s a birthless ceremony every year, so it depends on how many people have passed away as to how many children can be born,” said Helfer. “So many couples on the ship will never have the right to have a child.”
She teased that her character, Viondra Denniger, and her husband, Capt. William Denniger (Van Holt), have opted out of having a kid.
Additionally, a self-created caste system is in place. It was not initially established when Ascension launched, and it consists of the upper decks and lower decks. But the system allows for a lower-decker like Bell’s African-American character Oren Gault to achieve second-in-command status despite the civil rights movement never happening on board.
Gender equality is also skewed in this timeline, and Helfer’s Viondra has gained behind-the-scenes power through her sexuality and position as the captain’s wife.
“She stands behind her man, but is the steel in his spine,” said Helfer. “She works hard to stay in power; she grew up in the lower decks and made her way up, and is determined to stay there.”
Meanwhile, Roth’s Juliet Bryce is the Ascension’s head doctor and has a job of importance. But Bryce’s teenage daughter is flexing her muscles and trying to push beyond the restrictive rules of their on-board life.
Speaking to this, Helfer said their world has evolved in the 50 years since they launched.
“It’s not exactly like Mad Men; it is its own society that has evolved in its own way, but a society of 600 people evolves much slower.”
Sapienza said he thinks that evolution is any human culture, but on Ascension –- and anywhere that the status quo is challenged –- “there are always those forces that are self-serving, with their own reasons to keep things unfair.”
Some of the other threads the series follows: A ground government is tracking the starship, and the craft is nearly at the point where they won’t be able to turn around and head back to Earth. In conjunction with the first murder on board, people are starting to panic.
He revealed that, aside from his character, most of his co-stars play the first generation born on the vessel. And their children mark the second generation. So the brain trust of Ascension may be deteriorating.
“President Kennedy picked the smartest people, and most qualified, to take this journey,” he said. “Well, as you know, you could get a perfect score on your SATs, but your kids may not be so bright. This is the second generation, so you don’t have (what was the phrase Kennedy used?) the best and the brightest.”
Still, some things never change, even in an alternate sci-fi timeline.
“Interestingly enough, even though we’ve had no influence from Earth, politics have evolved in the same way as on Earth,” said Sapienza about his character. “I’m self-serving, put myself ahead of the good of the ship and am having an affair with the captain’s wife -- I’m the perfect politician!”
Speaking of the captain, Van Holt introduced his character as a natural-born leader in charge of 600 passengers but “definitely not Captain Kirk,” and referred to Helfer’s Viondra as “the real captain.”
“He’s not without his moral ambiguities,” he said. “He deals with his demons, and his outlets are morally questionable.”
Wrapping up the panel, Bell said the purpose of the Ascension mission is “super righteous” because they’re leaders on a new frontier.
He added, and his co-stars agreed, that a show compared to Mad Men, Star Trek and Lost has the makings to be the focus of social media conversations.
“It’s extremely socially relevant and has the ability to be one of those shows people will want to talk about the themes,” he said. “There are so many parallels to what’s going on currently to what’s going on on the ship. Social media is the new water cooler talk, and there are so many angles and elements to Ascension that lean into that that it’s something people will want to discuss,” said Helfer. “I’m looking forward to engaging.”
“It’s a forward-thinking show ... plus, we’ve got a great-looking cast,” joked Van Holt.
EXPOSURE
Sony has picked up Exposure, a pitch from Eric Heisserer with Neal Moritz and his Original Film producing.
Heisserer, who will write the script, is also attached to direct and executive produce.
Details of the plot are being kept under quarantine but it is described as a supernatural thriller with elements tonally similar to The Ring, the 2002 horror movie in which a mysterious videotape caused the death of those who watched it.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed but insiders say it was a competitive situation.
Heisserer is already exposed to Sony, working on an adaptation of the Valiant comic Harbinger that Moritz is also producing.
The scribe has made a career writing smart genre material. Earlier this year he sold Understand, a spec based on a Ted Chiang short story, to Fox with 21 Laps producing. He also wrote (and is exec producing) Story of Your Life, another sci-fi drama based on a Chiang short story, that has Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners) attached to direct and Amy Adams attached to star.
His produced credits include the prequel to The Thing, the 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Final Destination 5. He made his directorial debut with Hours, a thriller that starred Paul Walker.
Heisserer is repped by WME, Julie Bloom at Art/Work Entertainment and Jackoway Tyerman.
Moritz is coming off of the success of 22 Jump Street, which grossed $191 million domestically and over $327 million worldwide.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2014
THE HOBBIT - AIR NEW ZEALAND
Buckle up -- it's time to fly to Middle-earth.
In honor of the upcoming "Hobbit" film, "The Battle of the Five Armies," Air New Zealand went all out for its new safety video aptly titled "The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made."
How all out? Well, in the 5-minute video, two "Hobbit" fans are followed as they encounter Elijah Wood ( "Wilfred"), an enchanting elfin flight attendant, an orc using an oxygen mask, a wizard strapped to an eagle explaining what to do in case of a crash, a life-jacket adventure involving the notorious ring, a dwarf explaining exit protocol, Sir Peter Jackson calling cut and so much more.
"May your path always be guided by the light of the stars and may the future bestow upon you all the happiness and adventure our Middle-earth has to offer," says Wood at the end of the video.
Hopefully this means that British Airways is going to come out with a "Sherlock"-inspired safety video starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. It only makes sense.
BLOODLINES
Netflix has released the first teaser for its upcoming series "Bloodline," and first indications say the family drama will be the anti-"Parenthood."
The series centers on four adult siblings and the family secrets that threaten to be exposed when one of them returns home to the Florida Keys. It stars Kyle Chandler ("Friday Night Lights"), Ben Mendelsohn ("The Dark Knight Rises"), Linda Cardellini ("Freaks and Geeks," "Mad Men"), Norbert Leo Butz, Jacinda Barrett, Jamie McShane and Enrique Murciano.
"We aren't bad people," Chandler's characters says in voiceover in the teaser, "but we did a bad thing." So, yeah -- tearful, heartwarming reunions probably are not in the cards for this particular clan.
"Bloodline" comes from "Damages" creators Todd and Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman and will be released on Netflix in March 2015.
THE FLASH
The people behind The CW's new superhero spectacle, The Flash, certainly haven't been shy about bringing the villains so far. We've only seen three episodes, but we've also already witnessed battles with Weather Wizard, Multiplex and the Mist, and plenty more villainy has already been promised. Now we've got a trailer for next week's episode, "Going Rogue," and it features not only a little mini Arrow crossover but the first appearance of one of the Flash's most enduring enemies: Captain Cold.
Played by Wentworth Miller (Prison Break), this version of Captain Cold doesn't have the bright blue fur-lined suit, but he does still have cold guns, and he puts to them to good use in this footage. Plus, we get a glimpse at a special appearance by Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), who's come over from Starling City to meet up with Barry, wear a very nice dress and get to know the STAR Labs team a little.
Captain Cold's first appearance isn't just another supervillain fight for Barry, though. It's the beginning (as the episode title suggests) of a plan to bring the Rogues team of villains together on the show, which, if done well, would add an entirely new layer of comic-book-ness to a series that's already embraced its comic-book roots in a big way. Whether the Rogues will work on the show remains to be seen, but at least The Flash is more than willing to give them a try.
"Going Rogue" airs Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 8/7C on The CW.
FRANKENSTEIN
Fox is remaking a literary classic but with a twist. The network has greenlit a pilot for a modern-day take on Frankenstein. Mary Shelley's famous story is getting the Sleepy Hollow treatment. If it can work for the Headless Horseman, why not Frankenstein's monster?
The pilot comes from Homeland's Howard Gordon and Crisis' Rand Ravich. It will be a sci-fi drama centering on a morally corrupt FBI agent called Adam Tremble. Early on, Tremble is killed, but eventually he's brought back to life. He's a changed man who feels much younger and stronger than before.
"Tremble will have to choose between his old temptations and his new sense of purpose — all while navigating the complicated relationship with his 'creators' (an antisocial Internet billionaire and his bio-engineer twin sister)."
If they find the right tone, this could definitely work. Sleepy Hollow's successful because it embraces its campiness. It doesn't try to be something it's not. Plus, its stars are likeable and have great chemistry.
THE LAST WITCH
Lionsgate has revealed that their upcoming Vin Diesel-led fantasy actioner The Last Witch Hunter will hit theaters in one year. Look for it in on the big screen October 23, 2015.
Also starring Rose Leslie, Elijah Wood and Michael Caine, The Last Witch Hunter follows an immortal witch hunter (Diesel) who partners with his natural enemy, a female witch (Leslie), to stop the covens of New York City from unleashing a plague on humanity.
On that date, The Last Witch Hunter will face off against an untitled Warner Bros. horror film (the spot placemarked after the just delayed The Conjuring 2) and Paramount Pictures' live action adaptation of the 80s cartoon series Jem and the Holograms.
Breck Eisner (The Crazies) directs the Lionsgate film, which will continue to lens in Pittsburgh until December.
RIVERDALE
It was announced last year that Archie Andrews and his friends, the comic book teens originally created by Bob Montana in the pages of "Pep Comics," are headed to the big screen with a feature film based on the characters' 73-year history. Today, however, Deadline reveals that a television version is now on the way to FOX. Titled "Riverdale," the series is said to explore the "the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome façade".
Likely replacing plans for a feature version, "Riverdale" is being scripted by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Initially announced to script the film version, Aguirre-Sacasa is currently the CCO of Archie Comics and is well-known for his horror-inspired series "Afterlife with Archie" which pits the Riverdale gang up against the undead.
In addition to the full cast of Archie regulars like Betty, Veronica and Jughead, plans call for visits from other Archie Comics titles with a specific note that Josie and the Pussycats will appear.
Said to be a contemporary series, "Riverdale" is currently in the scripting stage with Warner Bros. TV producing alongside Berlanti Productions, the same company responsible for "Arrow," "The Flash" and the upcoming "Supergirl." Aguirre-Sacasa is executive producing Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Archie Comics CEO Jon Goldwater.
THE MARTIAN
The ensemble cast of Ridley Scott's The Martian continues to grow as EW today reports that Mackenzie Davis (What If), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, and Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier are joining Matt Damon, Jeff Daniels, Kate Mara, Michael Pena, Kristen Wiig, Jessica Chastain and Sean Bean for the science fiction tale.
The Martian is based on Andy Weir's 2012 e-book publication, which issued a print edition this past February. It is officially described as follows:
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.
Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.
Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first.
But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?
Simon Kinberg and Aditya Sood are attached to produce The Martian, which begins production in Budapest next month.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2014
CONSTANTINE
The show might just be making its debut this Friday, but NBC’s Constantine series has already had its fair share of shake-ups. Want to get a peek at the latest addition to the cast?
As has been well documented, Lucy Griffith’s character Liv — who was conceived as a series regular — has been dropped from the show after the pilot. So, who took her place? DC character Zed, played by Angelica Celaya. Now, thanks to a newly released clip dropped ahead of the series premiere, we have our first look at her in action.
Having seen the pilot, we can attest that Griffith’s character was not a great fit for the series. Going back to the comic canon, Zed has some guts and should be a great foil for Matt Ryan’s Constantine — as is displayed in the clip below. Heck, that one minute below shows off more chemistry than the entire original pilot with Griffith. So, yeah, probably a good change.
The scene below seems to show Constantine and Zed’s first meeting. Not sure if this is one of the reshoots for the pilot, or a clip from a future episode, but regardless, it’s great to finally get a peek at what should be a major player in this DC adaptation. Check out the footage and let us know what you think:
Constantine debuts this Friday on NBC.
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
We were promised a trailer next week for Avengers 2: Age of Ultron during last night’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and guess what, we got it sooner -- for the briefest of moments. And you best bet your Aunt Petunia's flowers it was good.
In what almost looked like it was a spam link as we started seeing it populate our social media feed this evening, the trailer was indeed living on the The Film Stage site before being taken down – and exploding the Twittersphere in the meanwhile.
The trailer included some of the footage that lucky Hall H attendees saw at last July's San Diego Comic-Con, along with a whole lot of new stuff.
Ultron, voiced by James Spader, provides a menacing, slightly metallic voice throughout the trailer:
“I'm going to show you something beautiful ... everyone screaming for mercy ... you want to protect the world but you don't want it to change ... you're all puppets tangled in strings ... strings ... but now I'm free ... there are no strings on me”
Moody, solitary piano keys play, which gives way to a creepy kid rendition of "I've Got No Strings" from Pinocchio (way to make use of the parent company library, Marvel!):
We see a city in the distance at sunset, then inside its borders are terrified citizens. In another cut is a crowd, seemingly protesting. A robotic hand emerges from a molten liquid and flexes, then more screaming people. We encounter our heroes; Captain America walks in slow motion into wreckage, an alert Hawkeye spins around and a backlit Thor stands in front of a smashed cityscape.
And here's Ultron, mangled but shambling into Avengers Tower, where the heroes -- in plain clothes -- stand to meet him for the first time. The next face we see close-up is Robert Downey, Jr. He looks pretty concerned as the bot-who-will-be-Ultron picks up a Stark drone and crushes his head.
The message here is pretty clear: Things get real bad real fast in this flick. There is no shortage of destroyed cities, terrorized citizens and authorities fighting something off camera. Every hero we see early on in the trailer shows them walking slowly, looking forlorn and beat down. Poor Bruce Banner is crouched and shuddering, clearly terrified … then stumbling through the snow, presumably post Hulk-out. A hospital bed wheels down a hall, and there’s a close-up of surgical equipment.
Ultron, Quiksilver and Scarlet Witch appear to exchange a moment in some sort of factory before the evil droid’s armies swarm a mountain (the same one with the castle, which Iron Man looked up at earlier and Cap stormed into?). The heroes, inside an old structure, appear shocked enough to make Thor drop Mjolnir. Tony Stark says, “It's the end of the path I started us on,” to which Black Widow replies, “Nothing lasts forever.” Yeah, so this is seeming like Stark's fault.
Oh hey, there’s Nick Fury, briefly. But who is that bearded dude with the funky haircut looking really angry/nervous?
Cue a really pissed off Scarlet Witch among some wreckage. We don't know a lot of about the Maximoff kids but they pop up a lot in this trailer. And here's the moment fans have been excited about for a while (especially since Marvel promised it in concept art in its TV special): Stark’s Hulkbuster armor facing down against the angry green giant. A series of action cuts show Widow dropping out of a Quinjet on a motorcycle, hitting the ground running riding. Lots of angry hero faces and Cap on another cycle follows.
While there’s a brief moment of tenderness between Hulk and Widow, things seem not so nice when Thor lifts Stark by the throat and Hulk throws a car at the Hulkbuster -- then punches through that car.
And … more destruction, along with Cap’s broken shield. At last, we see a nice close up of the cleaned-up super nasty Ultron.
Then title logo.
What is particularly interesting is not what who see – although no Vision – but the UK release date of April. That’s right, not the US date of May 1.
Was this the trailer that will be revealed after next week’s S.H.I.E.L.D.? We will have to wait and see, but this was certainly pretty official looking and chockfull of new footage.
Did you see the Avengers 2 trailer before it was pulled? What did you think about it?
UPDATE: Marvel has pulled the trigger and officially released the trailer on its YouTube page, now with the corrected May release date.
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
Following Adrianne Palicki’s (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Friday Night Lights) kick-ass debut on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. last night, Marvel has released the first official image of the actress fully suited up in her “Tactical Suit” as Mockingbird.
Not only that, but we also got some concept art, giving us a clearer look at the outfit. And now that she’s SPOILERS a full member of S.H.I.E.L.D. again, after an undercover stint as an Hydra agent, Bobbi Morse is now back to being a blonde. But do blondes really have more fun?
Costume designer Ann Foley explained how this suit actually plays homage to the character’s comic-book roots:
“It's important to me to keep certain elements, but we had to change it, obviously, for practicality, because it had to fit into our world. It had to have a kind of tactical feeling to it too so that it made sense in our universe.
She's got rivets that are in the straps across her chest, and those are there as a tribute to the buttons that go down the side of her [most recent] costume [in the comics], as well as the colors that we were using, [which] are a tribute as well. Her colors are navy blue and white with a little bit of black in there, [but] white would not have been pretty on camera so we changed it to grey. [We] still tried to maintain the original style of what was in the comic book because [with] that white panel that goes up her center and down her legs, [so] we've mirrored that in her costume but in gray instead of white.”
INTERSTELLAR
New TV spot titled "Risk," are now online for Christopher Nolan's much-anticipated Interstellar.
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Ellen Burstyn, John Lithgow, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, Wes Bentley, Bill Irwin, Mackenzie Foy, Topher Grace and David Gyasi, Interstellar chronicles the adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.
Interstellar will be released in 70mm IMAX film, 70mm film and 35mm film formats on Wednesday, November 5, two days ahead of its nationwide release. The advance showings will play in select theaters in more than 225 locations across the U.S. and Canada.
DOCTOR STRANGE
Is there a man in Hollywood not already connected to the Marvel cinematic Universe that isn't being looked at for Doctor Strange? With Joaquin Phoenix's publicists confirming that all talks with the actor are dead, Marvel and Disney are casting a wide net to find their Stephen Strange. Today, they are adding Colin Farrell to a shortlist that has grown to become very long.
Previously rumored Benedict Cumberbatch is said to be at the top of this want list, and The Wrap confirms that Keanu Reeves is now officially in the mix after he publicly talked about the role with the press earlier in the week.
Marvel has no comment at this time, and its not known when we can expect an announcement.
Other recent contenders include Ewan McGregor, Matthew McConaughey, Jake Gyllenhaal, Oscar Isaac, Jared Leto and Ethan Hawke. All are said to be seriously interested in the role.
Colin Farrell was confirmed for the lead in True Detective Season 2 a few weeks ago. He is now preparing to shoot new episodes for HBO. With shooting scheduled to wrap early next year, Colin Farrell could easily move right into Doctor Strange, and he's said to have the right amount of 'heat' Marvel usually looks for when casting its leads. If cast, he will play a Sorcerer Supreme in charge of the mystical side of the Marvel Universe.
Ryan Gosling is also said be a serious contender, though he doesn't usually sign on for superhero flicks or franchise fare. He's also currently being considered for one of the three leads in DC Comics Suicide Squad. Ryan Gosling actually shares a manager with Colin Farrell, though no one from either camp is talking.
While Benedict Cumberbatch is incredibly high on Marvel's want list, his shooting schedule on the popular BBC series Sherlock may be standing in the way of the actor signing on the dotted line. Issues would need to be worked out, and may be too tricky to overcome. If he does pass, Marvel may look at him for a different character somewhere else down the line.
As of now, Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Farrell and Keanu Reeves are said to be the three top contenders, but that could easily change at any minute. Director Scott Derrickson actually made his directorial debut The Day the Earth Stood Still with Keanu Reeves, which could help the actor's chances.
We'll have to wait and see where we are on Monday morning. By then, a whole new set of actors might be in contention.
Doctor Strange is in development . The film is directed by Scott Derrickson.
JUSTICE LEAGUE/MORTAL COMBAT
Warner Bros. announced today that all of its short-form media will now be produced through a new company entitled Blue Ribbon Content, with the company issuing series orders for a new Mortal Kombat web series, along with the previously-announced Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles and the Veronica Mars spin-off Play It Again, Dick. All of the studio's web series' will be produced under the Blue Ribbon Content banner, which is being lead by Sam Register.
Take a look at the descriptions for these new programs below.
Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles (Machinima)
This animated shortform series from Bruce W. Timm and Alan Burnett (producers of the legendary Batman: The Animated Series) will debut on Machinima in 2015. The series is based on Justice League: Gods and Monsters, an original animated film executive produced by Timm and co-produced by Burnett that will be released by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment later in 2015. Chronicles explores a newly conceived reality in the DC Universe where Justice League members Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are much darker versions of the Super Heroes that people think they know.
Untitled Mortal Kombat Series (distributed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
The next generation of Mortal Kombat is coming! In association with the upcoming Mortal Kombat X video game releasing April 14, 2015, Blue Ribbon Content and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment are teaming up on an all-new series that showcases some of the franchise's most storied characters, while introducing a new generation of fighters.
Play It Again, Dick (CW Seed)
The first project to have debuted under the Blue Ribbon Content banner is Play It Again, Dick, co-written and executive produced by Veronica Mars creator/executive producer Rob Thomas for CW Seed, the digital-only studio of The CW Television Network. Play It Again, Dick stars Ryan Hansen as himself as he begs, cajoles and pleads with his former Veronica Mars castmates (some of whom make guest appearances) and friends to help him get his character, Dick Casablancas, his own spinoff show.
Play It Again, Dick has debuted on the CW Seed website, with the first six episodes already online. As for the Mortal Kombat program, it isn't clear if this will be related to Warner Bros. and Machinima's previous series, Mortal Kombat: Legacy, which was created by Kevin Tancharoen, or if this will be an entirely new series. Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles was announced back in September, with the series focusing on alternate versions of Justice League members Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2014
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
A new trailer for Stanley Kubrick’s iconic sci-fi masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey has been unveiled, nearly 50 years after it was first released in theaters (in 1968). The new trailer was put together ahead of the digitally restored film's special limited U.K. release on Nov. 28, as part of the British Film Institute’s "Sci-Fi: Days of Fears and Wonder" season, and was commissioned by the BFI and Warner Bros.
And, guys, we’re getting chills just watching it. The trailer is the first for the movie in 40 years, and it uses HAL as the focal point. Jan Harlan, Kubrick’s executive producer, described it as “the best trailer for this film I have ever seen! To use HAL’s voice is brilliant," he said in a statement released Tuesday.
In addition to the screening of 2001: A Space Odyssey, stars Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood will also take part in a panel discussion at the BFI Southbank in London on Nov. 28. Other flicks to be shown in the sci-fi season (which kicks off Tuesday) include other iconic titles such as Barbarella, Brazil, A Clockwork Orange and 1984. There will also be series of complementary events running alongside the films.
HALO 5: GUARDIANS
Halo 5: Guardians doesn't launch until late 2015, but Master Chief mania is already rising to feverish levels. As an antidote to the hysteria, Microsoft and Xbox Entertainment offered up this video teaser for Halo: Nightfall, a digital feature directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezza and executive-produced by Ridley Scott and David Zucker, with a script by Prison Break's Paul Scheuring.
Nightfall stars Mike Colter as Jameson Locke, an ambitious black-ops super-soldier climbing the ranks between the events of Halo 4 and Halo 5 and is meant to act as a bridging device and primer to inform gamers of the amped action leading up to the next Halo installment, landing sometime at the end of 2015. The Locke character will play a vital role in Halo 5: Guardians, and his inclusion in this film establishes his origins and dramatic arc in relation to John-117. Nightfall will be included in the Nov. 11, 2014, release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which gathers special remastered edtions of four previous Halo titles into one massive super-set.
Have a look and let us know if you're ready to charge back into more Halo heroics.
JOHN CARTER
Still wishing John Carter had more of a chance on the big screen? There's a new glimmer of hope.
Director Andrew Stanton's ambitious adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars was much-anticipated by many genre fans ahead of its 2012 release, but sadly it wound up being one of the year's biggest flops. The film earned a fair amount of critical praise, and a number of enthusiastic fans, but most moviegoers just never seemed to be interested in the sci-fi spectacle, something that's often been blamed on Disney's poor marketing of the flick. Stanton had plans for two more Mars films, but John Carter's financial failure meant Disney wasn't keen to make them. So Stanton returned to Pixar to make a sequel to Finding Nemo, and any John Carter sequel hopes evaporated.
Well, those sequel hopes are likely still dead, but new adaptations of Burroughs' Barsoom novels could be in our future. Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. announced this week that rights to the novels have now reverted back to them, and that they're eager to find a new avenue to deliver more filmed adventures for Carter and his friends.
"We will be seeking a new partner to help develop new adventures on film as chronicled in the eleven Mars novels Burroughs wrote," Burroughs Inc. President James Sullos said. "This adventure never stops."
The Barsoom books are among the most influential science fiction adventures of all time, so they certainly deserve every opportunity to make it to the screen, and hitting the reset button on a franchise is certainly not uncommon in Hollywood right now. It's easy to see John Carter coming back to the big screen, but the problem might be getting him back to the screen so soon after the financial failure of John Carter. Sure, we can blame Disney marketing all we want, but the writeoff Disney took on that film is still enough to make any executive skittish about diving back in that water. The small screen might be an option, particularly since there's so much Barsoom material to adapt. But again, financial fear could linger. So we might see John Carter on the screen again, but it could take a while.
THE FLASH PREVIEW
Following tonight's third episode, titled "Things You Can't Outrun," The CW has released a preview and new photos from next week's fourth episode, titled "Going Rogue."
In "Going Rogue," The Flash (Grant Gustin) stops a robbery but the culprits get away after shooting a guard, and The Flash chooses to save the man instead of following the criminals. Joe (Jesse L. Martin) shows Barry a book of suspects and Barry identifies Leonard Snart (guest star Wentworth Miller, "Prison Break") as the leader of the group. While investigating the case, Barry gets a surprise visit from an old friend -- Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards, "Arrow"), who heard about his new abilities and came to check them out for herself. She joins him at S.T.A.R. Labs to help stop Snart after it's revealed that Snart his gotten his hands on a stolen "cold gun," which could kill The Flash. Dr. Wells (Tom Cavanagh) is furious when he finds out that Cisco (Carlos Valdes) built the cold gun without telling anyone and now it's missing. Meanwhile, Iris (Candice Patton) is getting the silent treatment from Joe because of her relationship with Eddie (Rick Cosnett). Finally, The Flash and Captain Cold have an epic confrontation.
Glen Winter directed the episode written by Geoff Johns and Kai Yu Wu (#104). The episode will air on October 28.
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
The first teaser trailer for next summer's Joss Whedon-helmed Avengers: Age of Ultron is coming one week from today! At the close of tonight's "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," it was revealed that next week's all-new episode will offer the reveal, so be sure to tune in to ABC Tuesday, October 28 at 9:00pm ET/PT.
When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth's Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.
Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk. Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision.
Avengers: Age of Ultron hits the big screen on May 1, 2015.
CONSTANTINE
NBC has released a new clip from their DC Comics-inspired series, "Constantine." Based on the "Hellblazer" character, the new show debuts this Friday, October 24. Check out the player below to watch Matt Ryan's Constantine converse with "LOST" star Harold Perrineau, playing an angel named Manny.
Seasoned demon hunter and master of the occult John Constantine specializes in giving hell… hell. Armed with a ferocious knowledge of the dark arts and his wickedly naughty wit, he fights the good fight - or at least he did. With his soul already damned to hell, he’s decided to leave his do-gooder life behind, but when demons target Liv (Lucy Griffiths), the daughter of one of Constantine's oldest friends, he's reluctantly thrust back into the fray - and he'll do whatever it takes to save her.
Before long, it's revealed that Liv's "second sight"--an ability to see the worlds behind our world and predict supernatural occurrences--is a threat to a mysterious new evil that's rising in the shadows. Now it's not just Liv who needs protection; the angels are starting to get worried too. So, together, Constantine and Liv must use her power and his skills to travel the country, find the demons that threaten our world and send them back where they belong. After that, who knows… maybe there’s hope for him and his soul after all.
JUDGE DREDD
Following a wave of images yesterday, Dredd executive producer Adi Shankar's unofficial animated spin-off, "Judge Dredd: Superfiend" has brought online a teaser trailer!
Much like Shankar’s previously-released Punisher short starring Thomas Janes, the upcoming “Superfiend” series is not officially related to the original film in question but is intended as more of a treat for fans. The series is expected to debut online later this month and a full trailer will arrive this Thursday, October 23.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2014
BATES MOTEL
Are you still reeling from the death of Opie on "Sons of Anarchy"? If so, you might find this particular casting decision to be very exciting.
Deadline is reporting that Ryan Hurst will appear on Season 3 of "Bates Motel" as a recurring guest star. While that's great news, things get a bit weird from there. His character, Chick Hogan, is described as the owner of a motorcycle shop who makes his money running guns. Does that sound familiar? Motorcycles and illegal firearms are right up SAMCRO's alley.
His shop will be located near Dylan's pot farm, and Hurst will stick around for six episodes. Whether or not his character will be married to a porn star named Lyla remains to be seen. It'll be interesting to see if they throw in any Opie-related treats for fans, though.
THE GOOD WITCH
Wisteria Lane's hottest plumber is heading to Middleton, USA. James Denton has joined the cast of Hallmark's "The Good Witch" television series alongside Catherine Bell and "The Fosters" star Bailee Madison.
Denton will play Cassie Nightingale's (Bell) next door neighbor -- a divorced father and a doctor who stirs up a lot of trouble in Middleton when he discovers that Cassie's signature charm is "more than just a magic touch" in the series based off of Hallmark's popular TV movie franchise "The Good Witch."
Could having such an attractive (and single) next door neighbor also stir up trouble between Cassie and Jake? It wouldn't be too far out of range for Denton, who specialized in marriage shenanigans for eight years on "Desperate Housewives."
The fourth movie in "The Good Witch" franchise airs on the Hallmark channel Oct. 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Fans can look forward to the series, and Denton's appearance, in early 2015.
AMBITION
We don’t know exactly what this is, but we’re extremely intrigued.
Dubbed Ambition, the plot tells of a young apprentice (Aisling Franciosi) struggling to master nanotechnology on an alien world and prove herself to her enigmatic master (Aidan Gillen). The film asks: Will her herculean goals remain tantalizingly out of reach, or will she fulfill them and in the process, change life as we know it?
Oscar-nominated director Tomek Baginski (The Cathedral) directed the mysterious “special film project,” and judging by the way it’s described, we’d think it could potentially be a short film or even a web series. Maybe. Or, perhaps a feature length film with some additional stuff tying in. We don’t really know, but it sure looks nice.
Sploid inquired for more details, but the folks behind the project would only tease more info coming on October 24.
SUICIDE SQUAD
While doing press rounds for his WWII flick Fury, David Ayer answered questions about his upcoming DC supervillain flick Suicide Squad.
While speaking to Empire, who quizzed the director about the Warner Bros. movie, Ayer revealed he was more than ready for the challenge of bringing this DC comics property to the big screen:
“Fury whetted my appetite for a bigger canvas and this idea of world creation. You can do amazing things as a filmmaker if you have the proper tools, and those are time and money.”
Suicide Squad is set to be the second big whopping DC flick to hit theatres with a release date of Aug. 5, 2016, right after David Goyer's highly anticipated Batman v Superman in May of that year. Ayer couldn’t reveal much about the movie, but he could say this, which should definitely please the fans:
“I can say that it’s a Dirty Dozen with supervillains. Then I can ask the question, ‘Does a movie really need good guys?’”
Though he wouldn't spill the beans as to who could potentially be cast in the movie — Will Smith, Tom Hardy and Margot Robbie are rumored for roles — Ayer appears to have somewhat confirmed that we’ll get to see the villainous Captain Boomerang in the upcoming flick when the director answered a question as to how he'd go about casting the Australian racist, saying:
“Like one would cast any other role. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m going to do what I do in my typical fever dream of directing.”
He also added:
“I love the passion [comic-book fans] have for these characters and these worlds. I think there’s something incredible about the comic genre and technology has finally caught up with pen and ink to render these fantastic worlds in a way that feels believable and visceral to audiences. It’s a secular religion in that regards. The mythology that these characters represent – the idea of them as fallen gods on Earth – is intriguing to me. I can’t wait to start exploring those corridors.”
RED LANTERN
Are you ready for more Red Lanterns? We've teamed up with DC for an exclusive preview of the next issue in this epic series.
"GODHEAD," Act 1 Part 5: Guy Gardner's at his lowest point in he horrific aftermath of "The Atrocitus War," consumed with rage towards himself for the many lives lost, and he's taking it out on whomever he can! His actions have caught the attention of Earth's sole Green Lantern, Simon Baz! Unfortunately, Earth itself has caught the attention of the New God, Malhedron!? But unlike his green compatriot, Guy's on a rage-filled suicide mission, and he's just looking for a target!
THE MARTIAN
Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, "Game of Thrones") has taken a role in Ridley Scott's upcoming science fiction feature The Martian. The Hollywood Reporter has the news, bringing word that Bean will play a NASA flight director opposite Matt Damon, Jeff Daniels, Kate Mara, Michael Pena, Kristen Wiig and Jessica Chastain.
The Martian is based on Andy Weir's 2012 e-book publication, which issued a print edition this past February. It is officially described as follows:
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.
Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.
Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first.
But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?
Currently starring on TNT's "Legends," Bean can be seen next year in both the Wachowskis' Jupiter Ascending and in Chris Columbus' Pixels.
Simon Kinberg and Aditya Sood are attached to produce The Martian.
THE GOOD DINOSAUR
In its original incarnation, Disney•Pixar's animated feature The Good Dinosaur was supposed to hit theaters this past May. That all changed last year when the formerly-attached co-helmer Bob Peterson (co-director on Up) was removed from the project. Shortly thereafter, the release date was shifted to November 25, 2015 and word on the status of the film has been relatively quiet every since.
That changes today with the release of the below video. Posted to Disney•Pixar's official feed, it shows Peter Sohn, now the sole director on The Good Dinosaur, drawing an image of the film's lead, Arlo the apatosaurus.
The Good Dinosaur is set to feature the voice talents of Lucas Neff, John Lithgow, Frances McDormand, Bill Hader and Neil Patrick Harris. The storyline asks, "What would have happened if the cataclysmic asteroid that forever changed life on Earth actually missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct?"
CONSTANTINE
We're just a few days away from the series premiere of "Constantine," NBC's television adaptation of the long-running Vertigo comic series "Hellblazer," and the network has revealed a new extended TV spot for the series that features quite a bit of new footage.
Seasoned demon hunter and master of the occult John Constantine (Matt Ryan) specializes in giving hell… hell. Armed with a ferocious knowledge of the dark arts and his wickedly naughty wit, he fights the good fight - or at least he did. With his soul already damned to hell, he's decided to leave his do-gooder life behind, but when demons target Liv (Lucy Griffiths), the daughter of one of Constantine's oldest friends, he's reluctantly thrust back into the fray - and he'll do whatever it takes to save her.
Before long, it's revealed that Liv's "second sight"-an ability to see the worlds behind our world and predict supernatural occurrences–is a threat to a mysterious new evil that's rising in the shadows. Now it's not just Liv who needs protection; the angels are starting to get worried too. So, together, Constantine and Liv must use her power and his skills to travel the country, find the demons that threaten our world and send them back where they belong. After that, who knows… maybe there's hope for him and his soul after all.
Set to premiere on Friday, October 24, "Constantine" will air Fridays at 10 PM on NBC.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014
STAR WARS EPISODE VII
Ewoks in galaxies far, far away are joyously singing the "Yub Nub" celebration song today with news of Warwick Davis' return to the Star Wars universe in J.J. Abrams' upcoming mega-sequel.
Davis played the loveable, candy-bar-munching, spear-poking Wicket in Return of the Jedi and is a fan favorite wherever he appears. Just returning from Star Wars Celebration Europe II in Germany, the actor delivered this amusing video announcing he is confirmed for a role in Star Wars VII.
No mention of exactly what he'll be playing, but this is an exciting casting proclamation that will echo into the bright corners of the cosmos. To have a revered Star Wars legacy actor included in the new film makes us ache that much more waiting for December 2015.
ORPHAN BLACK
Production on the third season of Orphan Black has begun, and BBC America has released an overview of what’s coming up for our clone club.
So what can we look forward to see in season three? And, more importantly, who's back?
Here’s what BBC America revealed:
Season 3 plunges the clone sisterhood into unexpected territory with the realization that they’re not alone. Just when they thought they knew their enemies and allies, season three reveals our clones are more vulnerable than ever before. Highly trained, identical male-soldiers raise more questions than answers. Who are these new clones? Who created them? And more importantly, why do they exist? Sarah, Cosima, Alison and Helena are stronger together than they are apart, but this season will put that bond to the test. Will they forge towards their truth, or fall at the feet of those that seek to control them?
Back for the third season — and joining the absolutely magnificent Tatiana Maslany as a series regular — is Ari Millen, who’ll be returning as the newly discovered male clones that includes Mark, the Prolethean cult follower, and Rudy, who is a prisoner of war.
Also back are Jordan Gavaris (Felix), Dylan Bruce (Paul), Maria Doyle Kennedy (Mrs. S.), Kristian Bruun (Donnie), Skyler Wexler (Kira), Kevin Hanchard (Art) and Zoé De Grand Maison as Prolethean escapee Gracie. Also returning are Evelyne Brochu as Cosima's lady love Delphine, and Michiel Huisman (who’s been promoted as a series regular for the fifth season of Game of Thrones) as Kira’s dad Cal.
Shooting is currently taking place in Toronto, with a premiere date tentatively scheduled for spring.
DOCTOR WHO AND THE DALEK
The BBC said Monday it would launch The Doctor and the Dalek, an online game, using Doctor Who characters and voiced by the sci-fi show's star Peter Capaldi, that will teach children basic computer programming skills.
The puzzles featured in the game are linked to the computing curriculum in the U.K. and are designed to allow children to learn core programming principles as they play, the U.K. public broadcaster said.
The game is designed to be part of the BBC's Make it Digital initiative to inspire a new generation to get creative with digital technology. It will be available for free at bbc.co.uk/cbbc starting on Wednesday. BBC director general Tony Hall has made digital initiatives, education and diversity goals key themes of his tenure, among other things.
The game sees the Twelfth Doctor go on a dangerous quest in a story from Doctor Who and Wizards vs Aliens writer Phil Ford. After answering a distress call from a Dalek, one of the Doctor's long-time enemies, the Doctor takes his unlikely ally on a mission to save all of creation from destruction, a description of the game says.
A range of puzzles are featured throughout the game, with players having to take control of the Dalek and program it to "power up" its ability to perform a range of tasks, such as flying. Each puzzle unlocks an achievement that helps the Doctor build the Dalek back to full strength, ensuring it can take on increasingly difficult challenges as the game progresses.
Resources accompanying the game will be available from BBC Learning at bbc.co.uk/schoolscomputing for teachers and parents to help children get the most out of the game.
Said Danny Cohen, BBC director of television: "The Doctor and the Dalek is a brand-new Doctor Who story and a fantastic game, voiced by the wonderful Peter Capaldi. It’s an excellent example of how a hugely popular BBC show can give fans something extra, whilst also introducing wider audiences to increasingly important skills, such as coding and programming.”
Sinead Rocks, head of BBC Learning, added: “We’re really excited about the launch of The Doctor and the Dalek as not only is it a really entertaining platform game for kids to play but it’s also a great introduction to some key principles of computer programming."
THE WALKING DEAD
Following tonight's second episode of "The Walking Dead's" fifth season, AMC has released the promo and first clip from the next episode, titled "Four Walls and a Roof" and airing on Sunday, October 26. In the episode, Rick and the others find themselves pitted against a group of nasty people, but may have a plan to gain the upper hand.
HALLOWEEN 3
This year has seen more Halloween 3 rumblings than usual. It’s hard to sift through the rumors, but there has been a steady energy signaling that progress is being made and fans are edging closer to seeing Michael Myers return to the big screen.
Ha
ShockTillYouDrop.com was the only horror outlet to partake in a small Halloween screening event on Saturday at the AMC located on the Universal CityWalk Orlando.
During a small press conference, Halloween Horror Nights creative director Mike Aiello and current "Halloween" series producer Malek Akkad (Moustapha Akkad's son) spoke about the new Halloween-themed maze featured at the theme park. Later in the discussion, Akkad presented an update on Halloween 3.
"It's been a joy to work with so many creative people - ten films," Akkad said, touching the franchise's legacy. "We're working on eleven as we speak. We're working on a script right now. A new draft - perfect timing - is supposed to hit the day before Halloween. Hopefully my Halloween night reading will be a good read."
Akkad remained secretive on the writers involved.
The last entry in the "Halloween" series – Rob Zombie's Halloween II – hit theaters in 2009 and grossed nearly $40 million worldwide ($33 million domestically). Patrick Lussier and Todd Farmer were brought in at one time to tackle Halloween 3D, however, Dimension Films and Trancas International opted to go in another direction.
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
Fury flattened all other movies in wide release and is projected to take in around $23 million in its debut weekend in theaters. The Brad Pitt-starring World War II action-drama, set largely within the cramped confines of an M4 Sherman tank rolling across Nazi Germany, comes in at the lower end of pre-release audience tracking expectations. But it caps off a recent run of cinematic success for Pitt (a producer of the multiple Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave and star of last year’s sci-fi disaster hit World War Z). Fury also features Michael Peña, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Bernthal, and Logan Lerman as a shell-shocked army crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines.
“The relationship and camaraderie of the cast is really poignant in the film, which is also very visceral and action packed,” said Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribution for Sony, the studio behind Fury. “We’re feeling really good about it. It’s a very good opening for us and it’s a movie that we’re so proud to be a part of.”
Director David Fincher’s venomous adaptation of Gone Girl slipped to No. 2 in its third week in theaters (passing the $100 million mark domestically in the process with a projected take near $18 million). While producer Guillermo Del Toro’s mythic animated adventure The Book of Life claimed the third box office spot, estimated to earn around $17 million in its first weekend.
The Best of Me, an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ 2011 novel starring James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan, fared worst of the new films in wide release. The romantic drama fizzled with critics and appears to be on track for a $10 million opening, on the low end of the spectrum of such bankable Sparks movie adaptations as The Notebook and 2010’s Dear John.
In limited release, director Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Birdman took flight in just four theaters, hauling in an impressive $415,000 to become one of the biggest specialty film debuts of the year. The industry-skewering dramedy features Michael Keaton as a washed-up superhero movie star attempting to mount his comeback as a Serious Actor on Broadway (the movie expands into 18 new markets next weekend). Writer-director Jason Reitman’s Men, Women and Children continued to struggle in its transition to wide release. The ensemble Information Age drama—whose cast includes Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner, and Ansel Elgort—is expected to pull in just over $300,000 after platforming into 608 theaters this weekend.
1. Fury – $23.5 million
2. Gone Girl – $17.8 million
3. The Book of Life – $17 million
4. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day – $12 million
5. The Best of Me — $10.2 million
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2014
GAME OF THRONES - SPOILER WARNING
Some pretty awesome Game of Thrones behind-the-scenes pics have surfaced, giving us our first look at Alexander Siddig as Prince Doran Martell of Dorne.
[As always, spoilers below]
Not only do we have our very first peek at the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine star in full princely Dornish garb, looking all regal and stuff (love those flip-flops, but we’re pretty sure that’s not gonna be in the show), but we also have some very nice pics of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister, also dressed in Dornish clothes — you know, when in Rome...or, in this case, Dorne.
We also get another look at the luminous Indira Varma as Prince Oberyn Martell’s (Pedro Pascale) lady love and paramour Ellaria Sand, and another one of Areo Hotah (DeObia Oparei), the captain of the Prince of Dorne’s guards.
But before you go take a look at the gallery below, there's this pretty cool BTS video of the filming of that scene, providing us with a tantalizing look at what is to be seen in episode nine of the fifth season (the filming of that scene took place in Alcázar Palace, in Seville, Spain):
Now, we want talk about the last pic in the gallery.
It was taken when filming moved in Osuna, Spain, and it’s subtitled as “Jaime and a walk in Dorne” by Juego de Tronos on his Facebook page. If you squint your eyes just a bit, you can make out Jaime in the procession of Dornish soldiers (he’s the last one). Could this be how Jaime will get into Dorne? It looks more and more that the second half of our favorite twincest couple may be fulfilling the Balon Swann storyline from the books (with the whole "Uncle" Jaime catches Myrcella kissing Trystane), since it looks like the character may not appear on the show. And you know what? We're actually pretty OK with it.
In other rather thrilling news, it appears that Game of Thrones will finally break with tradition and give us the first ever flashback scene! So, will we get to see Lord Eddard Stark again? After all, Sean Bean’s dying (pun intended) to make a splashy return to HBO’s fantasy series. Well...nope. But it's still good.
Entertainment Weekly reports that the opening scene of the fifth season will feature a glimpse into Cersei Lannister’s (Lena Headey) youth, which may also include the return of Charles Dance — who has hinted that he would be back for more just a few weeks back, despite his, hum, “tragic demise” — as Lord Tywin.
Here’s what Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss told film students during a Q & A in Spain (it was roughly translated and makes no mention of WHO actually said what):
“By making the first season, we set a rule: No prophecies, dreams or flashbacks. We failed the first two and this season the third. So yes, this season will finally have flashbacks.”
Despite the fact that it's been translated as flashbacks, plural, it looks like it may be only one. But guess we'll have to wait and see. Have a look at the pics below, and let us know what you guys think of Alexander Siddig’s look as Prince Doran, and about Jaime’s Dornish storyline.
PACIFIC RIM II
After barely getting a sequel to Pacific Rim off the ground, director Guillermo del Toro is already cooking up plans for a full-fledged trilogy. You’ve got to respect the ambition.
While promoting his new family flick Book of Life, del Toro chatted with Collider about his plans for the future of Pacific Rim. The first film was a moderate success in the U.S. but a solid hit globally, which finally led Legendary Pictures to pull the trigger on part two.
Del Toro is already in deep development on a Pacific Rim animated series, and he said they plan to start shooting the sequel film in late 2015. But the best part? While scripting Pacific Rim 2, del Toro is already laying the groundwork for story arcs that will set up a third installment. He teases a mix of new and old characters, and an ending that sounds almost like a cliffhanger:
“We got the first draft of the movie now, and we are going to spend another 4-5 months on the screenplay before we start pre-production. We start pre-production next year in August-September and start shooting November-December next year … Some of your favorite characters come back, some others don’t because we have decided that we’re going to shoot ambitiously and say ‘Let’s hope we have three movies,’ so some characters come in at the end of the second, hoping that it will ramp up on the third one.”
As if that news wasn’t enough to get us psyched up for more Jaeger vs. kaiju battles, the studio has also revealed the first tantalizing teaser poster for the sequel. Check it out above. It doesn’t reveal much, but it looks like another Breach has opened up and is in need of patrol. Hard to tell much on the locale, but it definitely looks like a different setting than the first film.
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
Although it's not entirely a surprise given the studios' tendency to push the bar with the scale of their films, Marvel Studios executive producer Victoria Alonso confirmed tonight during a speech for the Visual Effects Society that next summer's Joss Whedon-helmed Avengers: Age of Ultron will feature over 3,000 VFX shots. That's roughly 500 more than this year's Captain America: The Winter Soldier and 250 more than Guardians of the Galaxy!
Building those effects will take the involvement of artists all over the world with plans currently calling for the utilization of seven to twelve different VFX vendors. The Hollywood Reporter relates Alonso's belief in making the extended creative team of Marvel's films as international as possible, allowing for ideas to come in from as many sources as possible.
Alonso, who also serves as Marvel's VP of visual effects and post production, also announced that she's like to see more gender-neutrality on the creative playing field.
“You’ve got to get the girls in here, boys," Alonso said. "“I have been with you beautiful, handsome, talented, creative men in dark rooms for two decades and I can tell you those rooms are better when there are a few of us in them. So as you take this with you, please remember that it’s okay to allow the ladies in. They’re smart, they’re talented. They bring a balance that you need.”
Does the same go for Marvel's upcoming marquee plans? Variety posed to her that very question, reminding her that the Distinguished Competition just announced Wonder Woman for 2017.
“If it were up to me," Alonso said of Marvel's long expected announcement of a female-led superhero film, "It would be today."
Alonso has long been a vocal champion of equal rights in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She and Hayley Atwell famously teased the "Agent Carter" television series during a 2013 Comic-Con presentation. It was the same one, in fact, that Marvel EP Louis D'Esposito got a loud audience reminder that many fans would rather see a film titled Captain Marvel than one called Miss Marvel.
Avengers: Age of Ultron hits the big screen May 1, 2015.
HANNIBAL
Work on "Hannibal season three is well underway up in Canada and, today, we're learning about the first major casting news. Deadline reports Tao Okamoto will play Lady Murasaki. Introduced in Thomas Harris' novel "Hannibal Rising," Murasaki was Hannibal Lecter’s aunt.
In the NBC series, there will be some slight alterations made to the character. When ShockTillYouDrop.com spoke to showrunner Bryan Fuller in August, he explained: "We're taking the spirit of the character because of the events that happen in their lives. Her relationship to Hannibal will be more damaged and different. That will definitely be interesting to the fans of [Thomas Harris'] literature."
The actress playing Murasaki, Tao Okamoto, was last seen in The Wolverine.
Season Three of "Hannibal" finds Lecter going on the run after the bloodbath that occurred in the season finale of Season Two. A manhunt will begin in Europe as Will Graham and the FBI track the killer.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2014
DOCTOR WHO
Doctor Who's eighth season has been chugging along and, with a mummy on the Orient Express in space recently dispatched, we're more than halfway through it. Former soldier -- and current boyfriend for Clara Oswald -- Danny Pink has played a key role so far, and it's clear that he'll be crucial in the final episodes of this season.
But where is he headed, what motivates him, and where on the board will he be at the end of the day? Actor Samuel Anderson revealed a bit of what we can expect.
Eps 11 and 12 were such challenging ones for me. I had to get it right. Forget your inhibitions. It would have been crappy if I hadn’t believed in it. You’ll see where Danny lies morally what he hopes to get out of his relationship with Clara… By the end of the season, Moffat has kind of immortalised Danny Pink. That has definitely been my proudest moment ever, ever, ever. Coming out the other end of Eps 10,11 and 12, and realising, ‘Wow, I’ve survived, I’ve made it, I’ve really pushed it,’ kind of makes you want to go, ‘One more year, c’mon!’
So maybe Danny won't be dead, but will he, like the Doctor, make decisions that push Clara away? Or will Danny be the reason Clara finally leaves? The thing we've heard repeatedly is that Clara is leaving. On the other hand, Anderson is really making a case for Danny to stick around. Or at least his descendent.
Start a campaign for Danny Pink. If not Danny, bring back Orson, as his descendant. Yeah, I feel like I’ve only just got started.
Orson could be interesting, although, considering the events from Listen, we're not so sure he'd want to do any more time traveling.
SHADOWLAND
David Goyer is a guy who knows his niche, and he’s following up NBC’s Constantine with another dark series based on Peter Straub’s Shadowland novel.
Goyer (Man of Steel, The Dark Knight) is developing and producing the NBC project, which is one of those ever-popular limited “event series” with a shortened episode order. The acclaimed 1980 horror fantasy novel focused on two young boys who spend their summer with an uncle who is an accomplished magician and just might be a sorcerer. The novel is good, and was a World Fantasy Award nominee.
Since Goyer is also keeping busy with the upcoming Batman v Superman, Deadline reports he will co-write the adaptation with BAFTA-winning writer Jack Thorne. Thorne is currently scripting the long-gestating graphic novel adaptation The Sandman, so it seems everyone is sticking close to the genre.
Though he’s been cranking out huge films the past decade, Goyer’s track record on the small screen is a bit more checkered. We’re hopeful Constantine will be a hit, but the only active series Goyer currently has in production is the modest cable success Da Vinci’s Demons. The rest? Blade: The Series, FlashForward, Freakylinks, Threshold, etc. were all canned in just one season.
SUICIDE SQUAD
We’d heard DC and Warner Bros. wanted to lock in some A-list talent to kick off that Suicide Squad film, and it sounds like they’ve might’ve found ‘em.
Deadline is reporting the studio has offers out to Will Smith (I Am Legend), Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) and Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street) to headline the 2016 film — which will be among the first phase of DC’s massive release schedule anchored by two Justice League films. According to the report, the actors are “circling” the project, meaning there’s seemingly interest on both sides to make it happen.
No word on exactly which characters they could be playing, or who’ll make up the roster for the big-screen Suicide Squad, but this trio would definitely bring some clout to what will easily be one of the least recognizable properties on DC’s release slate. You’d also think these three would have the charisma to pull off playing a team of villains brought together to take on high-rise black op missions for the government.
We already know Hardy can play one heck of a cool villain from his tenure as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, while Smith is still awesome — despite some recent high-profile flops (see: After Earth) to the contrary. Oh, and Robbie? She was great in The Wolf of Wall Street, and is also co-starring in the upcoming drama Focus with Smith, so there’s chemistry already there.
The small-screen version of the Suicide Squad on The CW’s Arrow has become a highlight of an already great show, so it’s easy to see that if it’s done right, this could be one heck of a fun movie. If they’re actually able to lock in this cast list, this could be a great way to kick off the next decade of DC movies.
TOMORROWLAND
Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow (land, that is) is going to see the sun of box-office success.
The teaser trailer for Tomorrowland, the secretive sci-fi project from Damon Lindelof and Brad Bird, was the most viewed coming attraction on Youtube for the week ending Oct. 13. The movie about an aging inventor (George Clooney), a curious teen (Britt Robertson) and a fantastic invention (we think) notched 6 million views in its first week, according to technology firm Zefr which tracks the numbers.
The first look at the project (which was originally titled 1952) and opens in May 2015 doesn’t give much away about the plot but features a couple of cool glimpses of a retro-futuristic city.
The only other new trailer in the top ten was Focus in the tenth spot. The Will Smith-Margot Robbie vehicle about a veteran grifter (Smith) and his young protege (Robbie) arrives in theaters on Feb. 27. Focus recorded 809,000 YouTube views in its opening week.
The rest of the top ten (in order): Exodus: Gods and Kings, American Sniper, Interstellar, Taken 3, Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Inside Out and Big Hero 6. All were in the top ten last week. In the No. 2 slot Exodus managed 4.6 million views and American Sniper and Insterstellar about 3 million each. Fifty Shades continues to be the trailer hit of the fall. It added 2 million views for each a cumulative total of 73.5 million.
Dropping out of the top ten was last week’s No. 6 Inherent Vice (No. 6) and Dracula Untold (No. 8).
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2014
HAVEN
"Haven" fans haven't seen the last of Darkside Seekers. Zap2it has a first look at the return of Seth Byrne (Kris Lemche) in a special Halloween episode of the Syfy series.
Byrne was first introduced in Season 4 as the host of Darkside Seekers, a low-budget TV reality show that followed a duo of paranormal investigators. Their unique motto is, "We hunt what's haunting you." Feisty Byrne is described as a true believer who has dedicated his life to the search for absolute proof of the supernatural.
Check out the photo of Byrne's return where he joins Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) and Duke Crocker (Eric Balfour) at the Haven police department to search for the electromagnetic presence of a ghost.
This episode of "Haven" Season 5 airs Friday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on Syfy.
ORPHAN BLACK - SPOILER ALERT
"Orphan Black," BBC America's fan-favorite clone drama, is currently in production on Season 3. Beyond the fact that Rachel is notably absent from Tatiana Maslany's clone lineup (at least in the first episode), little is known about the new season.
Well, no longer. BBC America released a synopsis for Season 3 that contains several key spoilers about what's coming next. Unsurprisingly, it involves the new male clones and some serious sestra bonding.
1. The male clones will have a big presence. So big, in fact, that Ari Millen has been upped to a series regular in Season 3. The synopsis says of the Project Castor subjects: "Highly trained, identical male soldiers raise more questions than answers. Who are these new clones? Who created them? And more importantly, why do they exist?"
2. Helena is no longer on the The Clone Club outskirts. Helena has spent the past two seasons having a fairly fraught relationship with her Project Leda sestras. Well, no longer. The synopsis fully incorporates her into the group, and thank goodness. "Sarah, Cosima, Alison and Helena are stronger together than they are apart, but this season will put that bond to the test. Will they forge towards their truth, or fall at the feet of those that seek to control them?" the synopsis asks.
3. Cal and Delphine will return. The casting list for Season 3 includes the usual regulars -- Tatiana Maslany, Jordan Gavaris, Dylan Bruce, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Kevin Hanchard and Skyler Wexler -- and both Michiel Huisman and S. Evelyne Brochu are returning as well.
The rest of the synopsis reads: "Season 3 plunges the clone sisterhood into unexpected territory with the realization that they're not alone. Just when they thought they knew their enemies and allies, season three reveals our clones are more vulnerable than ever before."
"Orphan Black" Season 3 is slated for a spring 2015 premiere date.
PLANET HULK
Marvel seems to be dusting off more than a few classic arcs recently, and it seems one of Bruce Banner’s most iconic stories will also be making a comeback. Get ready for more Planet Hulk.
The acclaimed 2006-2007 Planet Hulk comic arc found Hulk shot off into space and forced to become a gladiator on an alien planet as he tries to fight his way home. It was one heck of a fun run, and fans have been clamoring for a film adaptation ever since. It remains a long shot, but still, it’d be cool as hell to see this imagine on the big screen with a big budget.
As Newsarama confirms, Marvel is bringing the Planet Hulk story back for another round in 2015 — though the debut art by Mukesh Singh indicates it’ll apparently put a few twists on the formula. For one thing, the “Summer 2015” artwork shows a planet full of Hulks (literally) duking it out, along with Devil Dinosaur and a savage-looking version of Captain America diving headfirst into the fight with an ax.
The original report seems to think the new Planet Hulk (and everything from the upcoming Age of Ultron vs Marvel Zombies to Years of Future Past) could tie into Marvel’s bigger plans for a new Secret Wars arc. Or, you know, maybe Marvel is just totally trolling us. We don’t know, but we’re dying to find out.
STEPHEN KING SCARY SHORT STORIES
Two years ago, as part of our annual Halloween celebrations here at Blastr, we rounded up a collection of scary short stories from great horror writers available to read for free online. We had so much fun that we came back and did it again with a new crop of stories last year. So we saw no reason not to keep the tradition going for Halloween 2014, and we went out and found a few more spooky tales that you can go read right now, for free.
This year's tales come from icons of the past like H.P. Lovecraft and Bram Stoker, from living legends like Stephen King and Robert McCammon, and from modern and rising stars like Kelly Link and Sarah Langan. They include classic weird fiction, dark fantasy, Bram Stoker Award-winning horror and more, and they're all just a click away. Check out the stories below, and get ready to stay up all night reading.
"Herman Wouk Is Still Alive" by Stephen King
The King of Horror is always a welcome part of our Halloween reading. Check out this 2011 Bram Stoker Award-winning story about 11 lives that come crashing together.
"The Lady of the Shroud" by Bram Stoker
From the author of Dracula comes this novella about a man who inherits a fortune but must live in an ancestral castle for a year in order to claim it. During his stay, he meets a mysterious woman and suspects she might be undead.
"Varney the Vampire" by James Malcolm Rymer and/or Thomas Preskett Prest
Though its authorship is somewhat disputed, there's no disputing the influence of this serialized vampire tale. It predates Dracula by 50 years, and even came before J. Sheridan Le Fanu's highly influential Carmilla. Many of the tropes we attribute to vampires now start right here.
Go to http://www.blastr.com/2014-10-16/18-spooky-stories-stephen-king-more-you-can-read-free for links to these stories and many more.
PETE'S DRAGON REMAKE
Robert Redford is in early talks to join Pete’s Dragon, Disney’s remake of its 1977 classic children's movie.
David Lowery, who helmed the crime drama Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, is directing the feature, which is eyeing a shoot in New Zealand this fall. Jim Whitaker is producing.
While the original was set in a fishing village at the turn of the 20th century, the new story is set against the backdrop of loggers cutting down a forest. Pete is a boy whose parents died in car crash, and who has been subsequently raised by Elliot, the titular dragon, who resides in the threatened forest.
Figuring into the proceedings are a forest ranger who finds the boy, the young daughter of the mill owner and the greedy brother of the mill owner (Look out, Elliot!).
Boardwalk Empire actor Oakes Fegley is starring as Pete while Oona Laurence (who won a Tony for Broadway’s Matilda) has been cast as the mill owner's daughter.
If a deal makes, Redford will play a local who tells tall tales involving dragons that no one believes. The project will be live-action with CGI used for the dragon.
Redford seems to be enjoying a revived interest from Hollywood after years of indie filmmaking and is coming off of a key role in Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The actor is currently in Australia shooting Truth, in which he plays Dan Rather. The film, also starring Cate Blanchett, explores Rather’s final days at CBS News.
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
ABC and Marvel Entertainment have released a new clip from episode 2.05 of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and it features an intense conversation between Clark Gregg's Director Phil Coulson and Ruth Negga's Raina.
Titled "Hen in the Wolf House," the episode is officially described as follows:
"Coulson's team is up against the beautiful and deadly Bobbi Morse--Security Chief for Hydra. Meanwhile, Skye's father forces Raina to reunite him with his daughter at any cost."
"Hen in the Wolf House" airs October 21 at 9:00pm ET/PT on ABC.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2014
CAPTAIN AMERICA
Much has been mulled over after news of Sam Wilson becoming the newly-anointed Captain America broke back in July. Now, the moment of truth has arrived, showcased here in his shiny new ongoing series when All-New Captain America #1 hits store shelves in November.
With Steve Rogers sucked dry of Super Serum, it's up to his loyal partner the Falcon to pick up the good fight where he left off. Until then, check out this 4-page preview of this lofty revamped title written by Rick Remender (Uncanny Avengers) with art by Stuart Immonen (All-New X-Men).
Here's Marvel's official synopsis:
Drained of the Super Soldier Serum that gave him his strength, speed and endurance – Steve Rogers is no longer fit to wield the shield. But there must always be a Captain America – and his trusted friend and partner Sam Wilson is ready and able to take the job. With Steve’s son Ian at his side as the new Nomad, he’ll spread his wings as the new star spangled Avenger! The threat of Hydra is growing, as the terrorist band has infiltrated the Marvel Universe completely. Even worming their way into the super hero community. Anyone can be a threat, and no one is to be trusted. But what is Hydra’s ultimate goal? United by this new and more vicious Hydra, Captain America’s rogues gallery prepared to strike – aiming at the new and untested Captain America and Nomad.
DARK MATTER
If you’ve been jonesing for that classic Stargate vibe, we have some good news — Syfy is developing a new sci-fi series from franchise alums Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie.
The duo is producing Dark Matter, based on their own Dark Horse graphic novel published in 2012. The project was originally conceived as a television series, but Mallozzi and Mullie turned it into a graphic novel when development stalled. Following some positive buzz for the comic, the television series is back on the table.
According to TV Line the series will follow the crew of a derelict spaceship awakened from stasis with no memories of who they are or how they got on board. Facing threats at every turn, they have to work together to survive a voyage charged with vengeance, betrayal and hidden secrets. Syfy programming SVP Chris Regina noted Dark Matter will be a “refreshing and entertaining space opera that blends an intriguing premise with fast-paced suspense.”
Considering Mallozzi and Mullie’s extensive experience with the genre, not to mention spaceship-set action, this could jump out as one heck of a fun series. The comic is a white knuckle run with some nice twists and turns, and it also represents another space opera on the schedule. We’re always up for a new space opera. Of course, it remains to be seen if Syfy can execute on its new dedication to the genre, but with Dark Matter now added to a lineup that includes Ascension and The Expanse, we should have plenty of opportunity to find out.
Syfy has picked up the U.S. rights to an initial 13-episode season. The show is being produced by Prodigy Pictures (Lost Girl), and Endemol will handle international distribution. Prodigy’s Jay Firestone and Vanessa Piazza will also serve as executive producers.
DC FILM SLATE
It seems the folks at Warner Bros. and DC have finally gotten tired of Marvel stealing all the headlines — and they’ve announced a slate that could potentially rival what Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are cooking up.
The studio has officially announced an astounding nine new DC films, including a boatload of spinoffs and plans to split the Justice League film into two parts. We’ll be getting Suicide Squad in 2016 to join Batman v Superman, Wonder Woman with Gal Gadot in 2017, Justice League Part One in 2017, The Flash in 2018, Aquaman in 2018, Shazam in 2019, Justice League Part Two in 2019, Cyborg in 2020 and Green Lantern in 2020.
Yeah, you read that right — DC has announced plans that’ll carry them through the rest of the decade and introduce an absolute ton of new franchises to the mix. The info dump also included some major casting reveals, with confirmation that long-rumored Jason Momoa will headline Aquaman, newcomer Ezra Miller will star in a Flash spinoff film (meaning The CW’s Arrow/Flash universe is definitely a separate continuity) and David Ayer will direct Suicide Squad. As we’d heard a while back, Cyborg will be played by Ray Fisher in his film.
To no one’s surprise: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams and director Zack Snyder will return for both Justice League films. One big mystery is how they’ll move forward with Green Lantern in the wake of Ryan Reynolds’ mess of a film from a few years back. Do they go Hal or John? By slotting that one in 2020, we’d think they’ve at least left a bit of time to figure it out.
All this info comes after months of rumors that Warner Bros. was laying the groundwork behind the scenes for a massive cinematic universe, and this sounds like a solid way to do it. Splitting Justice League into two parts also makes sense — one film to bring them together, leave space for some standalones along the way, then pull them all back together. Also, just to get the “squee!” out of the way — Wonder Woman! Finally!
UPDATE: Though not directly included in the original schedule, the initial release from Warner Bros. has been clarified to note we will also be getting some standalone Superman and Batman movies mixed in along with all these new additions, though they apparently haven't specifically dated those just yet.
One very surprising bit that stands out: There are apparently no plans for a standalone Batman movie with Ben Affleck, and he’ll instead be relegated to the upcoming Batman v Superman and the Justice League two-parter. Honestly, this is probably a wise move coming off Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. It should help avoid Batman fatigue, and makes room for more characters to get the spotlight — plus it saves Batman and Supes for the Justice League movies to help set them apart.
When you combine all these projects with the mysterious release schedule DC teased a while back, /Film came to the realization that we can essentially expect the schedule to break out like so:
Aug. 5, 2016: Suicide Squad
June 23, 2017: Wonder Woman
Nov. 17, 2017: Justice League
March 23, 2018: The Flash
July 27, 2018: Aquaman
April 5, 2019: Shazam
June 14, 2019: Justice League 2
April 3, 2020: Cyborg
June 19, 2020: Green Lantern
It’s taken a while to come together, but it seems DC has finally fired a massive shot across the bow toward Marvel’s connected universe. It also seems like they’re doubling (tripling?) down on Zack Snyder as their Joss Whedon-esque mastermind in the wake of Man of Steel's relative success, which could be a positive or negative, depending on your opinion of Snyder.
Regardless, we’re psyched we’ll have a boatload of superhero movies to watch over the next few years — and with all these different projects on the docket.
NEW HBO SERVICE COMING
For three years, now, as its ratings have continued to rise, we've talked about the pop-culture punch of Game of Thrones, but we've also talked about its prominent place in online piracy. It's been the most pirated show on TV for three consecutive years, and a few months ago, the season-four finale's download rate was on pace to shatter the show's previous record. Torrenting numbers that big reflect not just the show's status as one of the most talked-about on TV, but also its presence on HBO, a network you can only get if you first purchase a cable package, then spend even more money to subscribe to the channel.
Fans and pundits alike have been clamoring for HBO to launch a subscription-based streaming service for a while, to pull in all of those Thrones viewers who don't want to pay for cable but happily pay for streaming services like Netflix and Hulu while either torrenting the show or borrowing an HBOGo (the network's streaming service that comes with its cable subscription) password to stream it. This year alone, the season premiere of Thrones and the season finale of runaway hit crime drama True Detective crashed HBOGo's servers thanks, in part, to viewers who didn't actually subscribe to the network but were simply borrowing passwords. Many have argued that a streaming-only service would bring in more legal viewers and cut down on password sharing, and though HBO has said in the past that they're not all that worried about Thrones torrenting, they seem to have finally heard the call.
While addressing a Time Warner Inc. investor meeting Wednesday, HBO chairman and CEO Richard Plepler noted that there are currently 10 million broadband-only homes in the United States, a number that's projected to grow.
“That is a large and growing opportunity that should no longer be left untapped. It is time to remove all barriers to those who want HBO," Plepler said. Then, he dropped the big news.
“So, in 2015, we will launch a stand-alone, over-the-top, HBO service in the United States. We will work with our current partners. And, we will explore models with new partners. All in, there are 80 million homes that do not have HBO and we will use all means at our disposal to go after them.”
That's right, HBO's finally giving us a standalone streaming service, and we might even get it by the time Game of Thrones returns for season five (though we don't yet know release details). Plepler did not elaborate on exactly how the service would work, what it would cost or whether it would eliminate the password sharing of HBOGo, but the news is big nonetheless. It has huge implications for the future of HBO's most popular shows, as well as the future of TV itself. For years, HBO's been a big draw for cable companies, and now it's at least in some way cutting out the middleman.
It'll be a while before we see just how much this will change the landscape of HBO's influence, but at the very least the service will pick up subscriptions from people who would've happily paid to watch Game of Thrones live before, as long as they didn't have to also pay for other cable channels they didn't want.
HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1
Lionsgate has released the new trailer of sorts for the highly-anticipated The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, which features Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen returning to the ruins of District 12 to the tune of the new song, "Yellow Flicker Beat," by Lorde.
Opening in theaters on November 21, the Francis Lawrence-directed third film in the franchise stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland.
"Mockingjay - Part 1" finds Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) in District 13 after she literally shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin (Moore) and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta (Hutcherson) and a nation moved by her courage.
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB
20th Century Fox has released the new poster for director Shawn Levy's Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, starring Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, Dan Stevens, Rebel Wilson and Ben Kingsley.
Get ready for the wildest and most adventure-filled "Night at the Museum" ever as Larry (Ben Stiller) spans the globe, uniting favorite and new characters while embarking on an epic quest to save the magic before it is gone forever.
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb opens in theaters on December 19.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014
JURASSIC WORLD
The poster for the dinosaur-centric reboot captures the same classic look of the original film's poster. However, instead of that film's bold yellow-and-red logo, this one is gray and features a smoky background.
The poster reveals the film's first tagline: "The park is open." Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) tweeted the poster Tuesday.
Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Judy Greer, Jake Johnson, Ty Simpkins and Omar Sy star. Few plot details are currently known.
The franchise has been dormant since 2001's Jurassic Park III. Directed by Joe Johnston, it grossed $363 million worldwide, which was down significantly from Steven Spielberg's The Lost World: Jurassic Park, which made $614 million worldwide upon its 1997 release. Jurassic Park was re-released theatrically in 3D last year to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
Universal Pictures releases the new film June 12, 2015.
THE ILLUSIONIST
The CW is getting into development season's remake game.
The younger-skewing network is adapting The Illusionist, the 2006 feature film starring Ed Norton, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The feature, written and directed by Neil Burger, is based on Steven Millhauser's short story and centers on a magician who uses his abilities to secure the love of a woman (Jessica Biel) far above his social standing. The CW's version is set in turn-of-the-century New York and follows a renowned illusionist who returns home from a decade in prison to find his wife married to the ruthless crime boss who framed him. Posing as an underling in the crime boss' own organization, the illusionist uses cunning magic to pull off elaborate heists, rising quickly through the organization in order to take down the boss from the inside and win back his one true love.
Former True Blood showrunner Mark Hudis is on board to pen the script for CBS Television Studios, Electus and the Yari Film Group. Electus' Ben Silverman and Bob Yari will executive produce. Yari's banner produced and distributed the feature film alongside Brian Koppelman, David Levien, Michael London and Cathy Schulman.
The Illusionist grossed $87 million worldwide, with the film garnering an Academy Award nomination for best cinematography.
The Illusionist comes as The CW has found success with magic-themed unscripted fare, including Masters of Illusion and Penn & Teller: Fool Us, as the genre continues to gain popularity across the dial.
The Illusionist becomes the latest big-screen remake this development season as broadcast networks look to existing properties to help cut through the clutter in an increasingly competitive scripted landscape. Fox is reviving Big, Minority Report and Monster-in-Law; CBS is tackling Rush Hour; Showtime is rebooting In the Heat of the Night and She's Gotta Have It; and NBC is readying Problem Child and The Money Pit, among scores of others this season.
For The CW, the news comes a day after the network launched its adaptation of Venezuelan telenovela Jane the Virgin — produced by Silverman's Electus — to solid returns.
RANSOM
Entertainment One Television (eOne TV) is teaming up with TF1 in France and Canada's Shaw Media to develop and produce Ransom, a new drama series based on the life of renowned crisis negotiator Laurent Combalbert.
Frank Spotnitz, the showrunner on TNT's Transporter action series and an Emmy-nominated writer of such series as The X Files, co-created Ransom with David Vainola (Combat Hospital). Both will act as executive producers on the series.
“The real-life cases Laurent undertakes make for nail-biting suspense and incredible human drama,” Spotnitz said. “This is going to be a thrilling series.”
Ransom will be based on Combalbert's true-life exploits but will be set up as a prime-time procedural, following the private negotiator as he travels the globe handling international crisis together with a team that includes a computer hacker, a therapist and black belt. He travels the globe to defuse a number of international crises, from hostage negotiations to kidnappings.
Ransom is actually the second hostage negotiator series to be announced at international television market Mipcom this week. On Monday, Gaumont International Television said it was doing its own similarly-themed drama with showrunner Tom Fontana, based on the 2011 bestselling memoir of psychologist-turned-hostage negotiator Ben Lopez, The Negotiator: My Life at the Heart of the Hostage Trade.
Ransom will be produced by Jennifer Kawaja and Julia Sereny via their Sienna Films banner together with Valerie Pechels and Odile McDonald and their newly created Wild Cat Productions shingle; and Spotnitz via his London-based Big Light Productions.
JUSTICE LEAGUE: THRONE OF ATLANTIS
Following its premiere at New York Comic Con, Warner Bros. Animation has revealed the first clip for the upcoming Justice League: Throne of Atlantis animated film which you can check out in the player below. Skip ahead to the one-minute mark to see the clip and keep watching to learn more about DC's announced comic titles and LEGO Batman 3. Adapting the crossover comic series by Geoff Johns, the feature will see Aquaman going toe-to-toe with his fellow superheroes while also facing off against his brother Orm and Black Manta.
Matt Lanter will provide the voice for Arthur Curry in the animated feature. He’s joined by Jason O’Mara as Batman, Shemar Moore as Cyborg, Christopher Gorham as The Flash, Sean Astin as Shazam, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern, Rosario Dawson as Wonder Woman, Jerry O’Connell as Superman, Sam Witwer as Aquaman’s devious brother Orm, and Sumalee Montano as his future bride Mera.
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis will debut on Digital HD, DVD and Blu-ray in early 2015.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2014
CAPTAIN AMERICA 3
Marvel-verse fans can get excited about Robert Downey Jr.'s next project -- he's reportedly on board for "Captain America 3."
Variety reports that RDJ is close to inking a deal for the third "Captain America" movie, which will feature his character of Tony Stark at odds with Chris Evans' Steve Rogers over the Superhero Registration Act. The act forces superheroes to register their identities and abilities with the U.S. government, which Stark supports but Rogers does not. Rogers and other Marvel superheroes eventually go on the run to avoid being arrested for not registering.
The entire storyline stems from the "Civil War" arc from the comics, which was first published in 2006. It was one of the biggest crossover arcs in recent Marvel Comics history, though it's unclear just which Avengers will clash in the upcoming movie.
Having RDJ appear as Stark/Iron Man in "CA3" almost didn't work out, as Downey wanted a larger role in the piece than he was originally offered and was then cut from the script entirely. But Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige insisted that having Downey and Evans face off in this "Civil War" storyline would propel the entire universe forward, giving them new sequel and franchise plotlines for years to come.
Hopefully in between his busy Marvel movie schedule, RDJ can find time for a "SHIELD" cameo as well.
Joe and Anthony Russo will return to direct "Captain America 3" after helming the 2014 release "The Winter Soldier." The third installment is set for a May 6, 2016 release -- which was, incidentally, also the release date of "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice," until that one was moved to March 25 of that year.
According to Badass Digest, the Russos are also likely candidates to direct "The Avengers 3" and "4," following in Joss Whedon's footsteps. As for Evans, he is expected to sit out "The Avengers 3."
HARLAN ELLISON SUFFERS STROKE
Let's muster up all the good wishes we can for one of science-fiction's most towering figures.
Word came over the weekend that the great Harlan Ellison suffered a stroke last week and is recovering at the moment in the hospital. His wife Susan wrote at his website, "A couple of days ago Harlan had a stroke. He’s in the hospital. His right side is paralyzed. He’s comfortable -- as possible. We will keep you up-to-date with his progress."
A close friend of Ellison's, screenwriter Josh Olson, later wrote that the legendarily garrulous scribe was "talking a mile a minute, and throwing out more obscure references per minute than anyone can possibly keep up with.” If that is indeed the case, then we're hopeful that the stroke wasn't a debilitating one and that Ellison will be back on his feet and at his (manual) typewriter soon.
Famously confrontational, endlessly creative, and fiercely humanist, the 80-year-old Ellison is a personality with which every fan of science-fiction should be familiar. His career stretches across seven decades and every written medium -- short stories (some 1,700 of them), novels, screenplays, TV scripts, comics and non-fiction -- and his most famous tales are landmarks in the field: "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman," "The Deathbird," "Jeffty is Five," "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream," "From A to Z in the Chocolate Alphabet" and the classic novella A Boy and His Dog are practically required reading for any fan. So is his anthology Dangerous Visions, long considered a seminal collection of speculative fiction.
He also wrote the original Star Trek episode still regarded as the series' finest -- "City on the Edge of Forever" -- and the 1964 Outer Limits segment not just hailed as the best of that show but one of the greatest hours of televised sci-fi ever: "Demon with a Glass Hand." It's no surprise that the upcoming Outer Limits feature film will reportedly be based on that episode.
Ellison has a shelf-full of awards for his work, but most importantly, he's always been one of fantastic literature's most unique and outspoken voices. He's also been a champion for writers -- long defending our right to, you know, get paid for what we do like everyone else -- and a ferocious fighter for copyright ownership.
He doesn't rub everyone the right way -- nor should he -- but the world would be a far emptier place without him. Get well soon, Harlan!
WONDER WOMAN
Though we know what she’ll look like, we’ve been extremely curious to learn how Batman v Superman will handle Wonder Woman’s origin story. Well, wonder no more.
Charles Roven, a producer on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, recently let slip that they’ll apparently be following the New 52 origin story as opposed to the more convoluted, original origin story dating back to the character’s creation. Here’s the quote, short and sweet:
“She’s a demigod. Her father was Zeus.”
Raven is obviously someone who should be in the know, here, and it doesn’t get much more definitive than that. Considering the New 52 origin is decidedly more streamlined (and is the modern-day origin from the ongoing run) it makes sense Snyder’s story would co-opt it. But, that probably won’t quell the potential backlash from hardcore Wonder Woman fans.
As for how this origin story stacks up to the original, here’s the crux of the classic origin as Badass Digest has succinctly recapped:
The Amazons were created by the gods using the souls of all the women murdered by men. There was, when it was all said and done, one soul remaining, the soul of the unborn daughter of the first woman to ever be murdered by a man. That woman was Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, and she molded a figure of clay and gave to it the soul of that unborn girl. The clay was animated and became Diana, who was gifted abilities from the gods.
Admittedly, that sounds like a hard sell and a boatload of confusing exposition to cram into a story — especially one in which Wonder Woman is a secondary player behind the top-billed Dark Knight and Man of Steel. So, yeah, not a huge shocker. But, now we know — and we can rest easy (apparently) knowing Snyder isn’t going to create his own origin story, such as the rumored option to tie the Amazons to Krypton.
OPERATION S.I.N.
With the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. prequel series Agent Carter on the way, Marvel has decided to kick off a new comic digging into Peggy Carter and Howard Stark’s early adventures.
Dubbed OPERATION S.I.N., the comic will be written by Kathryn Immonen and artist Rich Ellis following the duo on a globetrotting adventure set in Cold War-era Russia as they track a powerful alien artifact that could upset the balance of international relations. The comic will be set in the 1950s, and we’re probably a little too excited for a noir-ish period thriller set in the Marvel Universe with some characters desperately deserving of more screen page time.
Immonen dropped a few hints about the story — including a tantalizing bit about talking animals — and it sounds like Peggy and Howard won’t exactly hit it off. She also confirmed via an in-house interview that they’ll be facing off with HYDRA and using the rest of the Marvel Universe in some unique ways:
“Peggy and Howard know each other and if she didn’t particularly like him before, he certainly shores up that position in the opening pages of the first issue … The HYDRA in our book is a splinter group operating in a remote place co-opting a good part of the imprisoned Soviet brain trust. The sliding time line of the comics universe can make it difficult to figure out who we can use in a way that makes sense but I can tell you you’ll see two characters in their early days, just before they truly come into their powers,” she hints. “Also, I think my love for talking animals is well known. I’ll just leave it there.”
Though it sets the book outside the obvious alignment of the rest of the Marvel Universe, editor Jonathan Moisan noted the period setting should give the creative team more freedom to dig into their corner of that world and tell a compelling story outside all the other “events” constantly going on:
“To be honest, I actually find it more freeing to have this story set during the 50’s. While most big event [series] are confined to whatever is going on around them, I told Kathryn and Rich that they were more or less free to run wild with the characters and time period. While there were a few rules put in place, both Kathryn and Rich used the setting and time period to run with the ball.”
OPERATION S.I.N. is set to hit comic store shelves in January 2015.
THE FLASH
Titled "Fastest Man Alive," the second episode of "The Flash" is officially described as follow:
Barry escorts Iris to a university gathering honoring scientist Simon Stagg (guest star William Sadler). When six gunmen storm the event, Barry changes into The Flash and tries to stop them. While he does save a man’s life, he passes out before he can capture the robbers, which frustrates him. As Dr. Wells, Caitlin and Cisco scramble to find out what’s wrong with Barry, Joe comes down hard on Barry for taking the law into his own hands and risking his life. Barry realizes that it wasn’t six gunmen but a metahuman named Danton Black (guest star Michael Christopher Smith), who can make multiples of himself. Meanwhile, Iris becomes even more intrigued by the ‘red streak.’”
Directed by David Nutter with story by Greg Berlanti & Andrew Kreisberg and teleplay by Andrew Kreisberg & Geoff Johns, “Fastest Man Alive” will air on October 14 at 8:00pm ET/PT.
ARROW
"Arrow" returns for its second third season episode, "Sara," officially described as follows:
Lance calls the Arrow when another archer appears in town and starts skewering businessmen. Diggle uses A.R.G.U.S. to find the archer’s identity; he is a man named Simon Lacroix (guest star Matt Ward), who goes by the codename Komodo. However, the team hits a rough patch with the mission and gets help from a surprising source – Laurel. Meanwhile, Oliver begins to worry that he hasn’t heard from Thea, which forces Roy to tell him the truth about why she left town. Ray Palmer pursues Felicity. In the flashback, Maseo (guest star Karl Yune) tells Oliver that Amanda Waller has ordered his first kill. As Oliver looks down the scope of the rifle, he sees the target is his best friend, Tommy (guest star Colin Donnell). Despite her promise to her sister, Laurel debates sharing a secret about Sara with Lance.
Directed by Wendey Stanzler and written by Jake Coburn and Keto Shimizu, “Sara” is set to air October 15 at 8:00pm ET/PT.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2014
STAR WARS REBELS
"Do or do not. There is no try." That was the theme of the upcoming episode of Star Wars: Rebels screened for an eager audience at New York Comic Con. Because trying, as the padawan Ezra learned during lightsaber practice, isn't committing. And commitment is part and parcel of Jedi business.
Rebels and its accompanying novel, A New Dawn, are the first glimpses we have into the brave, new, rebooted world of Star Wars. As fans know from the first episode, the TV show is set after Revenge of the Sith but before A New Hope. The Jedi have been Order 66'd into oblivion...but a few managed to survive, including Ezra's mentor, Kanan.
But in this episode, which fans will be seeing later this month, Kanan learns that Jedi Master Aayla Secura has been captured by Imperial forces, led by the Inquisitor. It's up to our misfit Rebels to rescue her. Without giving much away, it's a rollicking good adventure, full of little touches and big ideas that made Star Wars great. It also has moments of genuine menace. The evil Inquisitor has the slow pace of the serial killer who always manages to catch his fast-fleeing prey. For a brief flash, in the middle of New York Comic Con, I was suddenly afraid. I wasn't expecting that. It was pretty nifty.
Fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, will find a lot to love in this new TV show. Vanessa Marshall, who plays Hera, told a panel at New York Comic Con that the animation is done by the same team, and both are directed by Dave Filoni. But "The Clone Wars dealt with a time that was incredibly dark...and dangerous." Rebels, however, will have more of Star Wars' humor, less Revenge of the Sith's horrific implications. "We're going from the darkness into A New Hope" (Or perhaps she meant "a new hope" as a thing, not the title of a movie).
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
After finally confirming that an animated series based on Guardians of the Galaxy is on the way, Disney has released the first test footage from the project. Not surprisingly, it looks awesome.
The clip focuses largely on Rocket Raccoon and Peter Quill/Star-Lord, and it gives us a feel for the animation style and tone we’ll likely see in the finished product. One thing’s for certain — it’s definitely modeled after the blockbuster film starring Marvel’s cosmic heroes, and the series will reportedly pick up immediately after the events of the film. Thanos will also “figure prominently” in the story.
The footage has a different aesthetic than Disney’s current slate of Marvel-inspired animated shows, which includes Ultimate Spider-Man, Avengers Assemble and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. The Guardians test footage has more of a technicolor, '80s-tinged pop to it — which works to great effect. Marvel has also teased that this series won't be "afraid to go deeper" with storylines, which has us hopeful for something that could cross over and actually be a solid show.
One thing we don’t know: If the series will actually connect to Disney XD’s universe of other Marvel shows. The Guardians have already popped up in a few cameos on those other properties, though that version of the team looked largely inspired by the comics, while the test footage here shows off a more movie-version look. That obviously doesn’t mean they won’t connect, and it’d stand to reason they will (synergy!), but if nothing else we’re glad to see Marvel investing in a unique style with this property.
The series is being handled by a who’s who of Marvel heavyweights, with executive producers Alan Fine (The Avengers, Iron Man), Dan Buckley (Avengers Assemble), Joe Quesada (Avengers Assemble) and Jeph Loeb (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.); co-executive producers Stan Lee, Eric Radomski (Spawn), Cort Lane (Ultimate Spider-Man) and Stephen Wacker (Avengers Assemble); supervising producers Marty Isenberg (Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters) and Harrison Wilcox (Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.); consulting producer Steven Melching (Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.); and supervising director Leo Riley (TRON: Uprising).
The Guardians animated series is currently slated to premiere on Disney XD in 2015.
LOST IN SPACE
We haven't seen the last of the classic sci-series Lost in Space. The show, which originally aired from 1965-1968, is getting a reboot, and the Robinsons are returning to the airwaves courtesy of Legendary TV and two film screenwriters.
Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, who penned Dracula Untold, have been hired to script the revamped Lost in Space. The original series was set in 1997 (very futuristic at the time) and centered on the Robinson family and their attempt to colonize deep space. Unfortunately, their mission is sabotaged and they veer off course, hence the show's title.
The series was created by Irwin Allen and starred Guy Williams, June Lockhart, Jonathan Harris and Angela Cartwright. There was a 1998 feature adaptation led by William Hurt, Gary Oldman and Matt LeBlanc. The film received less than favorable reviews, but was still a moderate box-office success, earning more than $136 million worldwide.
Lost in Space lasted three seasons, and left a major mark on genre television. There was an attempt to revive the series back in 2003, but the pilot never got off the ground. Maybe it'll have better luck this time around?
INCORPORATED
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are setting their sights on cable.
Charles Roven: Ben Affleck "Was the First Guy We Went to" for Batman Role
The duo, via their Pearl Street Films, are developing drama Incorporated for Syfy, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Incorporated is described as a futuristic espionage thriller set in a world where corporations have seemingly unlimited power. The drama will be the story of one man's efforts to beat the system.
Brothers David and Alex Pastor (Selfless, The Last Days) will pen the pilot, which hails from CBS Television Studios and Pearl Street. Ted Humphrey (The Good Wife) will serve as showrunner and exec produce, via his overall deal with the studio. Damon, Affleck and Pearl Street president Jennifer Todd are also attached to exec produce. Pearl Street creative exec Margaret Chernin is on board as associate producer.
For Pearl Street, Incorporated marks the shingle's first scripted cable foray and second scripted overall. Last year, Fox handed out a pilot order to drama The Middle Man, with Affleck set to direct. The project was rolled to accommodate Affleck's film commitment to Batman v. Superman. The company is currently producing HBO's revival of Project Greenlight and is in pre-production on feature Live By Night, which was written and directed by leading man Affleck.
For Syfy, Incorporated arrives as the NBCUniversal-owned cable network is focusing more on science fiction fare a la Battlestar Galactica. The cabler has a roster of new dramas including Dominion, Ascension, 12 Monkeys, Olympus, Z Nation, The Expanse and Hunters joining returning series Defiance, Haven andHelix, among others.
Affleck, who currently stars in Gone Girl — the country's No. 1 movie for two weeks in a row — is repped by WME and Ziffren Brittenham. Damon is with WME and Ziffren Brittenham. The Pastor brothers are with WME and Kaplan/Perrone. Humphrey is with WME, Industry Entertainment and Hansen Jacobson.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014
FIVE GHOSTS: THE HAUNTING OF FABIAN GRAY
Syfy has just snagged another interesting paranormal property: Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray, a treasure-hunting comic centering around a gang of famous literary ghosts.
The project was initially optioned by Universal Cable Productions, then picked up by Syfy, partnering with Black Mask Studios and Benderspink. Written by Frank J. Barbiere and Chris Mooneyham, Five Ghosts follows the exploits of Fabian Gray, a dashing '30s-era adventurer, and the legendary group of sophisticated spirits who possess him: Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Musashi, Robin Hood and Merlin. The comic book began life as a Kickstarter project, then was grabbed by Image Comics and featured at last year's Emerald City Comic Con. Sounds like a bit of Indiana Jones meets League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in the afterlife's netherworld.
The pilot is being developed and wriiten by Evan Daugherty (Snow White and the Huntsman, Divergent) and has the potential to be an intriguing addition to Syfy's ever-growing roster of serious genre projects in development.
THE INFILTRATOR
Good Films and its sister development and packaging label, George Films, said Wednesday that Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, Argo) is attached to star in the thriller The Infiltrator, the first of the company's slate of seven projects.
Brad Furman, who worked with Cranston on The Lincoln Lawyer, will direct. Produced by Good Films’ founder, Miriam Segal, principal photography is scheduled to begin in January on location in London, Paris and Florida. WME is handling domestic sales. Relativity International will present the project to distributors at the American Film Market.
Adapted for the screen by Ellen Brown Furman, the film is described as an investigative thriller based on Robert Mazur’s autobiography of the same name. Cranston will play Customs and Excise Agent Mazur and his undercover alias, Bob Musella.
Cranston’s involvement in the film stems from a relationship that he developed with the director while shooting The Lincoln Lawyer, the company said.
“Brad and I have invested a great deal of time ensuring that the casting on this film is absolutely perfect, and we feel we’ve done just that," said Segal. "Bryan’s talent is immeasurable, and he continues to demonstrate his versatility and skill as an actor. The Infiltrator is a film that demands a dynamic and complex leading man, and we could not be more excited to have him on board.”
Camela Galano, president, Relativity International, said: “Relativity International is thrilled to build our relationship with Good Films and bring The Infiltrator to audiences worldwide. We are excited to work with the talented filmmakers and star Bryan Cranston on a film that delivers edge-of-your-seat thrills.”
Good Films' other project going into production is best-selling author James Patterson and Liza Marklund’s The Postcard Killings with Everado Gout (Days of Grace) attached to direct.
The company's projects in development include playwright Tena Stivicic’s Invisible, author and journalist Peter Godwin’s When a Crocodile Eats the Sun, author Siri Hustvedt’s What I Loved, a film based on Rolling Stone reporter Randall Sullivan’s investigative book Labyrinth and Ellen Brown Furman’s 52 Windows.
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
Weaponry is getting unsheathed in the new promotional artwork for the final Hobbit film.
The two The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies posters, shared on the film's Twitter page, each focus on a main character from the film trilogy.
In one poster, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) points a sword in front of him as the world gets destroyed. At the top reads the film's tagline: "The defining chapter."
The other image shows a close-up of Gandalf (Ian McKellan) as he appears devastated. Clearly, these are not happy-go-lucky times.
The forthcoming film centers on Bilbo and his pals doing battle with Smaug to prevent the destruction of Middle-Earth. Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, Lee Pace, Orlando Bloom and many others co-star in director Peter Jackson's film.
Warner Bros. releases the film on Dec. 17. Last year's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug grossed $958 million worldwide.
THE FLASH
A new trailer for The Flash is here.
Following Tuesday's highly anticipated debut of The CW's Arrow spinoff, a one-minute teaser previewing the first half of the season revealed new developments. From Iris' sudden interest in the "Red Streak" to Wentworth Miller's villainous debut as Captain Cold, things in Central City seem to be ramping up and Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) is feeling the pressure. "I'm in over my head. This was a mistake," Barry says.
While Barry's romantic life is nonexistent at the moment, with Iris dating Detective Eddie Thawne, the trailer reveals that he and a certain bespectacled Starling City resident will lock lips. Gustin told THR over the summer that Felicity's trip to Central City in episode four "does complicate things for Barry."
IRON MAN 4
Last week, Robert Downey Jr. seemed to indicate that he might continue on as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the future, despite the facts that his current contract only includes Avengers: Age of Ultron and the upcoming Avengers 3 and that he was quoted as saying one month ago today, "No, there’s no plan for a fourth 'Iron Man.'"
All that aside, Downey made an appearance on today's episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" where he was once again asked about the possibility, and this time seemed to reveal it's in the cards.
"I know there's going to be a bunch more Marvel movies," he said. "And they have big ideas of how to do it best and we're in the middle of negotiation..." Ellen quickly prompted, "So, yes?" leading Downey to reply "Okay, yes!"
Downey also took part in a Reddit AMA this today where he offered this very cryptic teaser: "Sooner than later the Marvel Roster will be made public and all questions will be answered."
What does all of this mean? Is Iron Man 4 really going to be a part of the upcoming slate of unannounced Marvel movies?
Downey can next be seen as Iron Man in Avengers: Age of Ultron on May 1, 2015.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2014
FLASH
The Flash (CW) Tuesday, 8 p.m. - "City of Heroes"
Series premiere! - The second of this season's new comic-book-inspired shows is here, and it's also easily one of our most anticipated new series of the year. When The Flash was first announced, there was a concern that Barry Allen's world might end up too much like the world it spun out of: Arrow's dark and moody Starling City. Then we got to meet Grant Gustin's Barry Allen, and we eventually got to see the TV version of Central City he'll live in, and I for one let out a sigh of relief. From the looks of The Flash, it seems The CW isn't just building a little superhero universe on its network. It's building a universe where each hero has a distinct personality and style. Everything we've seen from The Flash so far seems slick, fast and fun, and the show definitely isn't pumping the brakes on giving us superpowers in action. With any luck, we'll get a very enjoyable, relatively non-cynical new superhero series out of this, but we still have to see if the show will garner the same kind of fan response that Arrow's gotten so far. Will The Flash be a hit? We'll see starting this week.
SUPERNATURAL
Supernatural (CW) Tuesday, 9 p.m. - "Black"
Season premiere! - Supernatural kicks off of their 10th season. The elder statesman of The CW lineup is back for another round, and we're all wondering the same thing we've wondered with every new Supernatural season for the past few years: Will this be the last one? A lot of viewers will tell you the show probably should've ended a good while ago, but the show's ratings tell a different story. A lot of shows that've been around this long would show a steady decline in viewers from season to season, as more and more simply decided they were done and only the core fanbase stuck around. It was that way with Supernatural for a while, but then something very interesting happened: Season nine pulled in more viewers on average than the previous four seasons did. After nine years on the air, this show actually bounced back, and so we got season 10. Now we wait to see if season 11 is in the cards. In this week's premiere, Dean enjoys life as a demon, while Sam tries to find out what became of his brother.
DEADPOOL
Fox studios has brought the long-gestating Deadpool project back to life with a release date set for February 2016, no doubt thrilling fans of the "Merc With the Mouth" all over the world no end.
Well, at least until we all heard Fox might slap a PG-13 rating on it, but, moving on.
Since Deadpool is so often associated with the X-Men franchise, the question remained whether the new comic-book flick would be part of the X-Men cinematic universe at large.
In an exclusive interview with ComicBook.com, X-Men: Days of Future Past and the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse writer and producer Simon Kinberg confirmed that Deadpool will indeed be part of a larger, expanding, shared cinematic universe with the other X-Men flicks.
Here’s what Kinberg had to say:
“There’s definitely a sort of overall plan that we’ve all been talking about for the X-Men universe now, and Deadpool obviously fits into that. So yeah, I guess I would say it's part of certainly an overall timeline and thought process that goes into these films, some of which is inspired by the comics and some which is inspired by seeing what Marvel’s done with telling a larger tapestry and linking all those movies together, even as they stand independently as well. The same kind of thought is going to go into these X-Men movies at Fox.”
Apparently, the original script for Deadpool is said to have been detached from the main X-Men flicks. There are even jokes aimed at that rather tepid entry in the X-franchise, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, where Deadpool made his on-screen debut. And we all know how THAT one ended.
But the inclusion of Deadpool in the same shared universe as the X-Men flicks does open up an infinite realm of possibilities for crossover and a shared, overarching narrative.
Now, crossing our fingers that Ryan Reynolds can return to bring Wade Wilson back to life.
Deadpool is set to hit theaters on Feb. 12, 2016.
TWIN PEAKS TO RETURN
This time it's real: Twin Peaks is back.
A quarter century after the show went off the air, and after years of hints, rumors and sly winks, Twin Peaks will really return in 2016 with a nine-episode run on Showtime, with co-creators Mark Frost and David Lynch at the helm once more. The Internet more or less exploded with enthusiasm today when the revival was announced, even though we knew basically nothing about it at the time.
We still don't know much, but in a new interview with TV Line, Frost laid out a little bit of what we can expect from the new episodes and explained how the revival came about in the first place.
"David and I stayed in touch and remained close friends throughout all these years," Frost said. "It was about three years ago this summer we were having lunch at [famed Hollywood eatery] Musso & Frank, where we often used to go. And we were just kicking stuff around and we started getting some ideas in our heads about Twin Peaks. Suddenly, it felt like a place we wanted to visit again. And that was the kickoff."
Frost noted that he and Lynch wanted to do the series at Showtime because Gary Levine, an executive there, worked closely with them during the show's original run at ABC, and they trusted him with the continuation of the series. He also confirmed that the episodes will not be a remake, and revealed that the next chapter of Twin Peaks has its roots in where the show left off.
"The seeds of where we go were planted where we’ve been."
Frost said he doesn't consider this revival "season three" of Twin Peaks, but rather "another volume of the saga," comparing the original series to "a novel we filmed every page of." As for whether even more episodes could follow, Frost's happy to leave that possibility open.
"We’ve learned never to say never. Anything is a possibility."
For more Twin Peaks hints from Frost -- including thoughts on returning cast members, how the Fire Walk With Me movie fits in, and more -- head over to TV Line.
METAL HURLANT
The sci-fi series Métal Hurlant Chronicles (Heavy Metal Chronicles) is already getting the reboot treatment, despite the show being barely two years old. But this time they're bringing a Doctor Who writer along for the ride.
Yep, you read that right.
Deadline reports that Transporter series producer Atlantique Productions has signed Doctor Who and Being Human scribe Jamie Mathieson to script its brand-new take on the sci-fi comic brand.
Métal Hurlant: Origins will be a an English-language co-production with Paris-based WE Productions, the producers of the initial series. The first two seasons aired on France 4, and on Syfy in the good ol’ U.S. of A in 2012 and 2014.
The sci-fi TV series was based on the French sci-fi and horror comics anthology created back in 1974 by Jean Giraud (aka Mœbius), Philippe Druillet, Jean-Pierre Dionnet and Bernard Farkas. It had a small cult following and included some awesome genre actors, such as Michael Jai White (Spawn, Arrow), James Marsters (Buffy, Angel, Torchwood), Joe Flanigan (Stargate: Atlantis) and Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner, True Blood).
In the original series, each episode consisted of a self-contained story taking place on a different planet with different characters. These episodes were ultimately linked by the concept that an asteroid — the titular Métal Hurlant — passes that particular planet during the events of the story, changing the destiny of anybody whose path it crosses.
Atlantique says that a key aspect of the show’s new incarnation is that it will depart from the anthology format used in the first two seasons to become more of a serialized story, complete with a seasonal arc, as well as a recurring cast of characters.
The one-hour-long series is currently in development, with production eyed for early 2015 and delivery in the third quarter.
Here’s what head writer Mathieson said:
“Métal Hurlant is an iconic comic and the wellspring from which a lot of fledgling UK comics talent took their inspiration. Without Heavy Metal there would be no 2000AD, no Judge Dredd and my childhood would be a much duller place. I am therefore immensely proud to have been invited to helm this redefinition of one small corner of the immensity that is the Heavy Metal universe.”
DOCTOR WHO
"Doctor Who" is back in full swing with Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman starring in the series' eighth season (or 34th, to longtime fans) and the show has today revealed a trailer for next weekend's "Mummy on the Orient Express," the season's eigth episode.
The Doctor and Clara are on the most beautiful train in history speeding among the stars of the future. But a deadly creature is stalking the passengers. Once you see the horrifying Mummy you only have 66 seconds to live. No exceptions, no reprieve. As the Doctor races against the clock Clara sees him at his deadliest and most ruthless. Will he work out how to defeat the Mummy? Start the clock!
Written by Jamie Mathieson. Directed by Paul Wilmshurst. Guest starring Frank Skinner, Foxes, and David Bamber.
NEW ROBIN HOOD PROJECT AT SONY
Sony Pictures has plans to develop the characters of the Robin Hood legend into a multi-film shared cinematic universe, says a story today at The Hollywood Reporter. According to the outlet, the original pitch, titled Hood, will establish Robin alongside Merry Men like Will Scarlett and Little John, the plan being to potentially then give them solo spinoff films further down the road.
Likened to Marvel's The Avengers in terms of scope with a story tone compared to the Mission: Impossible and The Fast and the Furious franchises, Hood arrives from the Lore pair of screenwriters Cory Goodman and Jeremy Lott.
Michael De Luca will oversee Hood for Sony.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2014
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
For the first time in recent memory we had a bonafide photo finish for the top spot at the box office as two R-rated thrillers went neck and neck all through the weekend, ending up less than a million apart. Both of those movies did big business, well above tracking, and are likely to be among the Top 12 openers for the month of October.
According to estimates, Gone Girl, the David Fincher-directed adaptation of Gillian Flynn's bestselling novel, starring Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Tyler Perry and Neil Patrick Harris, will win the weekend with $38 million despite trailing its main competition on Thursday night and Friday. It averaged $12.6 thousand in 3,014 theaters and with strong word-of-mouth, it shouldn't have a problem making back its $61 million production budget. It marks the largest opening for David Fincher, whose 2002 thriller Panic Room opened with $30 million on its way to $96.4 million, and Gone Girl should be good for another $100 million movie under the director's belt. It's also Ben Affleck's biggest opening since 2003's Daredevil opened with $40 million.
Gone Girl also opened internationally with $24.6 million on 5,270 screens in 39 markets including the UK, where it earned $6.9 million and was #1 there. Australia took in $4.6 million, which like in the UK, was Fincher's best opening on the continent. It also opened in Russia, Mexico, Germany, Brazil, Hong Kong and other territories with more opening next week.
The spin-off horror prequel Annabelle, featuring the doll from last year's breakout hit The Conjuring, won Friday with $15.5 million, but it had a small drop-off on Friday and ended the weekend with an estimated $37.2 million for second place. Averaging $11.7 thousand, that's slightly less than the $41.9 million opening for The Conjuring last July and there are still plans to make a direct sequel to that film, presumably based on one of the other cases of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.
This made it the third weekend in a row with a movie opening over $30 million, in this case two movies in the same weekend, which shows a strong moviegoing surge during the normally slower months of September and October.
Despite the new competition, Denzel Washington's The Equalizer (Sony) held up surprisingly well in it second weekend, grossing an estimated $19 million (down 44% from its opening week) to bring its domestic total to $64.5 million. It added another $13 million overseas in 70 territories bringing its international total to $39.6 million.
LAIKA Studio's stop-motion animated The Boxtrolls (Focus Features) took third place, down 28% from its opening weekend with $12.4 million and $32.5 million total. It grossed another $6 million overseas where it's handled by Universal Pictures International for a non-domestic total of $26 million with the UK accounting for nearly $10 million in a month.
Universal's Dracula Untold starring Luke Evans, Sarah Gadon, Charles Dance and Dominic Cooper also got a headstart on its North American release with a release in 25 markets where it scored $21 million. It was the #1 movie in Mexico, Hong Kong, Portugal and (where else?) Romania. It opened at #2 (to Gone Girl) with $2.7 million in the UK, and it also opened in Germany, France, Australia and Malaysia. It will open in North America on Thursday night, October 9, as well as open in Russia and Korea.
It pulled just ahead of James Dashner's The Maze Runner (20th Century Fox), starring Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Will Poulter, which took fifth place with $12 million. It has grossed $73.9 million domestically, paving the way for a sequel to be released in the fall of 2015. It added another $16.5 million internationally in 62 markets bringing its overseas total to $119 million.
Nicolas Cage starred in the remake of the spiritual epic Left Behind, based on the bestsellers by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, which took in $6.9 million in 1,820 theaters for an average of $3,764 per location and sixth place.
That was followed by Shawn Levy's ensemble dramedy This is Where I Leave You (Warner Bros.), starring Jason Bateman and Tina Fey, which took seventh place with $4 million and a three-week domestic total of $29 million.
Dolphin Tale 2 (Warner Bros.) took eighth place with $3.5 million, bringing its total to just under $38 million.
Marvel and Walt Disney Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy added another $3 million over the weekend to bring its year-best domestic gross to $323.4 million. It has grossed another $330 million internationally to bring its global total to $653 million.
The thriller No Good Deed (Sony/Screen Gems), starring Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson, wrapped up the Top 10 with $2.5 million and $50.2 million after a month in theaters. Produced for $13 million, it's already another hit for Screen Gems and producer Will Packer.
The Top 10 ended up with about $138.5 million this weekend, up over 20% from the October-opening weekend last year when Alfonso Cuaron's Oscar-winning Gravity opened with $56 million, over $15 thousand per theater, and Ben Affleck's previous movie Runner Runner, bombed with just $7.7 million in 3,024 theaters.
Bang Bang, a Bollywood remake of the Tom Cruise-Cameron Diaz action comedy Knight and Day in Hindi, opened in 271 theaters on Thursday, bringing in $1.4 million, the largest opening weekend for a Bollywood film in North America for 2014 and enough to crack the Top 12. It had a much more impressive opening in India itself where it took in $19.3 million on 4,200 screens, the 3rd highest opening for a non-franchise film.
Reese Witherspoon and Corey Stoll played supporting roles in the true-life drama The Good Lie (Warner Bros.), which opened in 461 theaters on Friday where it grossed $930 thousand. Despite the weak opening, the film which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last month received a rare "A+" CinemaScore.
Jason Reitman's new ensemble film Men, Women & Children (Paramount), starring Adam Sandler, Rosemarie DeWitt, Judy Greer, Ansel Elgort and more, opened in New York and Los Angeles on Wednesday and expanded to 17 theaters Friday where it grossed $48 thousand over the weekend or $2,800 per location, which does not bode well for the film's wide expansion on October 17.
OMBRA AMORE
The Rome Film Festival’s New Cinema Network co-production market has announced a special section, dubbed “Great Beauties,” focusing on films that promote Italy as an ideal production partner for global films.
One of its eight projects this year is Joe Dante’s Ombra Amore. The Gremlins director, who premiered his latest film Burying the Ex in Venice this year, has his sights set on underground Rome as the setting for the vampire/werewolf love story that puts a classical Romeo and Juliet tale into today’s financial crisis-ridden Italy.
Pete is a werewolf whose pack is a crew of hotheaded financial traders responsible for Italy’s current economic crisis. Maggie is a vampire whose family is a formerly-wealthy aristocratic clan brought to bankruptcy by the greedy werewolves. Amongst a series of other-worldly troubles, it remains to be seen whether or not their love can survive among the warring families.
“Rome. The Eternal City of Gods and Monsters. Where a She-Wolf suckled Romulus and Remus,” said Dante in a statement. “And what could be more eternal than Un-death?" Ombra Amore is budgeted at around $14.6 million. Dante promises “a compelling new take on a classic genre.”
The New Cinema Market has lined up a selection of global talent this year to highlight Italy. Other “Great Beauties” projects include Bruno Barreto’s Duetto, Yim Ho’s Nessun Dorma, the Manetti Bros.’ The Bizarre Journey of the Soul Traveler, Paolo Benvenuti’s Caravaggio’s Secret, Bady Minck’s 1313—Dante’s Emperor, Ahmed Maher’s In Which Land You Die, and Sheng Zhimin’s Il fu Mattia Pascal.
FLASH NEWS
Are you keenly awaiting to see Brandon Routh's Ray Palmer character on "Arrow" slip on a superhero suit to become the size-changing 'The Atom'? You will get to see that, just not on that show.
Executive producer Marc Guggenheim tells Green Arrow TV that the plan is to maintain keeping "Arrow" as grounded as possible, super powers are still out despite sharing the same universe as "The Flash":
"I think anything is possible. My instinct is that if Ray Palmer's going to shrink, he'll probably shrink on another show. With The Flash in existence, there's no real compelling reason for us to do super powers on Arrow. We can bring characters to Flash to have super powers. We have plans for Ray that don't involve shrinking, but our plans for Ray are actually really cool."
Guggenheim also spoke about the upcoming crossover episodes between the two shows to take place later this year. He tells Collider:
""It's so freakin' awesome! It really is. I've never had so much funwriting a script before, maybe in my life. It was such a blast to work on. We're filming the Arrow episode right now, and it's just so much fun. I keep telling everyone that we should try for Avengers. It's these two heroes together with a big production value. We're blowing out the doors on this.
There's the opportunity for inside jokes, and seeing all of the characters together. What happens when Cisco gets his eyes on Thea? There are moments like that, that you just can't do in a normal episode. It's just so much fun. It's really going to be a blast. Jesse Warren is directing it, and he is just crushing it. Those dailies are really, really insane.
Nick Tarabay plays Boomerang/Digger Harkness, and he's amazing. And that weapon is a whole new visual language in the show, and a whole new visual language for our stunt guys to work with. And watching Grant [Gustin] and Stephen [Amell] together is just magic."
Guggenheim also confirms they're still thinking about the plot thread of the mysterious organization H.I.V.E. which was brought up last season, however there are no plans at the moment to do anything with it.
THUNDERBIRDS NEWS
ITV and Weta Digital have unveiled a new photo from "Thunderbirds Are Go," the upcoming CG-animated/live action series reboot of the classic franchise. The members of International Rescue Crew can be seen from behind in this shot which is part of a promotional tie-in for the show's presence during next week's 16th BLE Expo in London.
Speaking of "Thunderbirds," the original show's creator Gerry Anderson had a son named Jamie who has taken up his father's mantle and launched a Kickstarter campaign to shoot a new adventure show using puppets.
STAR TREK NEWS
Oscar winning "TRON: Legacy" and "Life of Pi" cinematographer Claudio Miranda has come onboard to lens the third "Star Trek" film reports TrekMovie.
The site indicates that the majority of the film will be shot in Vancouver, Canada while some of it will be filmed in Seoul, South Korea. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon has confirmed on his personal Facebook page that he had met with "Star Trek 3" producer Jeffrey Chernov and filming will take place in Seoul in the first half of next year.
This will also mark the first time a "Star Trek" movie has been shot digitally. Daniel Mindel served as cinematographer on the previous films.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2014
ARROW
Following the first clip released yesterday, The CW has debuted another clip from the season three premiere of "Arrow" this one featuring Oliver Queen taking on both the new Count Vertigo (Peter Stormare) and another unlikely foe. Check it out in the player below! Titled "The Calm," the episode is officially described as follows:
"With crime in Starling City at an all-time low thanks to the Arrow and his team, Oliver thinks he can finally balance being both the Arrow and Oliver Queen and asks Felicity out on a date. However, when a new villain (guest star Peter Stormare) emerges, who has claimed the name Vertigo from the recently deceased Count, Oliver is caught off-guard and someone close to him is hurt. Oliver and a newly suited up Roy take on the Count. Meanwhile, Diggle becomes a father, Lance is promoted to Captain, Laurel joins Arrow's inner circle and Felicity gets a part-time job at a tech store to make ends meet. Also, Oliver fights to regain his company, Queen Consolidated, but comes up against a very worthy opponent – the charming Ray Palmer."
Directed by Glen Winter with story by Greg Berlanti & Andrew Kreisberg and teleplay by Marc Guggenheim & Jake Coburn, "The Calm" will air October 8. "Arrow" airs Wednesdays at 8 on The CW.
CONSTANTINE
It's been a big week for NBC's "Constantine," which has debuted a behind-the-scenes featurette and over twenty new images, and now a new TV spot and an illustrated poster have made their way online (via Hero Complex). The poster, drawn by "Batman," "Green Lantern" and "Justice League" artist Gene Ha, shows the titular character caught between the forces of Heaven and Hell with Angelica Celaya's "Zed" and Michael James Shaw's "Papa Midnite" behind him.
Seasoned demon hunter and master of the occult John Constantine (Matt Ryan) specializes in giving hell… hell. Armed with a ferocious knowledge of the dark arts and his wickedly naughty wit, he fights the good fight – or at least he did. With his soul already damned to hell, he’s decided to leave his do-gooder life behind, but when demons target Liv (Lucy Griffiths), the daughter of one of Constantine’s oldest friends, he’s reluctantly thrust back into the fray – and he’ll do whatever it takes to save her.
Before long, it’s revealed that Liv's "second sight"-an ability to see the worlds behind our world and predict supernatural occurrences–is a threat to a mysterious new evil that’s rising in the shadows. Now it’s not just Liv who needs protection; the angels are starting to get worried too. So, together, Constantine and Liv must use her power and his skills to travel the country, find the demons that threaten our world and send them back where they belong. After that, who knows… maybe there’s hope for him and his soul after all.
Set to premiere on Friday, October 24, "Constantine" will air Fridays at 10 PM on NBC.
ANTICIPATED MOVIES BIRDMAN
Birdman (Oct. 17): Birdman really took flight after its impressive debut in August at the Venice Film Festival, where the dramatic, darkly comedic film received a long standing ovation and near unanimous praise from the international press. In his review, The Hollywood Reporter's chief film critic Todd McCarthy praises Birdman's "exemplary cast" and writes, "The film's exhilarating originality, black comedy and tone that is at once empathetic and acidic will surely strike a strong chord with audiences looking for something fresh that will take them somewhere they haven't been before." In a potentially Oscar-worthy performance, Michael Keaton plays a former superhero-movie star trying to make a comeback in theater, but the chaos within his personal life and stemming from his theatrical debut leads to raucous dramatic and darkly comedic moments. The film is also a frontrunner in several other Oscar categories.
BOOK OF LIFE
Book of Life (Oct. 17): Guillermo del Toro and Jorge Gutierrez's The Book of Life uses vivid and ornate animation to depict protagonist Manolo facing a series of trials in the land of the dead, which he must complete in order to come back to life and reclaim the heart of the beautiful Maria. Behind the eye-catching visuals lie the voice talents of Channing Tatum, Zoe Saldana, Christina Applegate, Ice Cube, Ron Perlman and Diego Luna in a well-rounded family flick.
NIGHTCRAWLER
Nightcrawler (Oct. 31): Jake Gyllenhaal's Nightcrawler has already received attention for its creepy trailers as well as the actor's dramatic weight and blood loss while making the indie thriller about an aspiring L.A. crime reporter who gets a little too close to the action. The Open Road film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, where it received a loud standing ovation, with THR's Scott Feinberg saying it was "destined to become a classic" genre film, with co-star Rene Russo having a shot at a best supporting actress Oscar nomination.
INTERSTELLAR
Interstellar (Nov. 7): While much of the plot of Interstellar remains unknown, that hasn't dulled the enthusiasm for Christopher Nolan's latest secretive project. Hints about the star-studded film's focus have been teased out via trailers and a particularly revealing Australian TV spot, which may offer the first indication of the stakes of movie. The epic sci-fi film is expected to feature Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway on a mission to save humanity as the Earth faces an ecological disaster. The film also stars Jessica Chastain and Nolan's good-luck charm Michael Caine. There will also likely be some impressive special effects.
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
The Theory of Everything (Nov. 7): The Stephen Hawking biopic is getting awards buzz after its Toronto premiere, which received a prolonged standing ovation, with Feinberg arguing that stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones have strong shots at landing Oscars for their performances in the Focus Features film directed by James Marsh, who won the best documentary Oscar for his 2008 film, Man on Wire. Feinberg added, "The Theory of Everything checks off a lot of boxes that have historically correlated with Academy success."
THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART 1
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 (Nov. 21): Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson and the rest of the Hunger Games gang return for the first installment of the series' two-part final chapter. The film's set to feature more of Philip Seymour Hoffman's Plutarch Heavensbee, including some scenes that may have been digitally constructed following the actor's shocking death, and marks the Hunger Games debuts of Julianne Moore and Game of Thrones' Natalie Dormer.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2014
ARROW
The CW sure has honed its ability to seamlessly blend gritty action sequences with romantic comedy tropes over the years...
Arrow is a show about Oliver Queen, a guy who is trying to save the city he lives in from the evil within it by dressing up like Batman, but green. Also, Ollie has ridiculous abs and everyone (especially Felicity Smoak) wants to touch them. The will-they-or-won't-they of Felicity/Ollie ab-touching is the other thing Arrow is about.
This clip from the premiere of Arrow's third season touches on both these topics.
Why is Felicity working at what appears to be a stand-in for Radio Shack? Is that weird to anyone else? Seems like she would be able to get a better job than that somehow, what with the brains and the charm and the pretty and all.
Guess we'll have to wait until the third season premieres next week on October 8th
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
ABC has revealed a new clip (via TV Guide) from "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." which features Elizabeth Henstridge's Simmons going to her new job... with an unexpected company. Is she going in as a double agent? We'll have to wait and see!
The third episode is titled "Making Friends and Influencing People" and is described as follows: "Coulson and his team race against Hydra to get to Donnie Gill – a dangerous gifted with the ability to freeze objects – while Simmons is caught in the crossfire."
Written by Monica Owusu-Breen and directed by Bobby Roth, the episode is set to air on Tuesday, October 7.
DAREDEVIL
Marvel and Netflix have today revealed a new (albeit quite familiar) logo for their upcoming "Daredevil" series, which is also set to make a major showing at next week's New York Comic Con. Click on the above art for a larger version! A signing event has also been announced for Saturday, October 11 from 3:45-4:45 p.m. ET at the Marvel Booth (#1354).
For the first time, Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock), Deborah Ann Woll (Karen Page), Elden Henson (Foggy Nelson), and Vincent D'Onofrio (Wilson Fisk) will meet with fans. All fans who participate in this signing will also receive an exclusive "Marvel's Daredevil" production concept art poster, drawn by Marvel Chief Creative Officer and legendary artist Joe Quesada.
"Marvel's Daredevil" follows the journey of Matt Murdock, who was blinded as a young boy but imbued with extraordinary senses, now fighting against injustice by day as a lawyer, and by night as the super hero Daredevil in modern day Hell's Kitchen, New York City.
Marvel's first original series on Netflix is Executive Produced by series Showrunner Steven S. DeKnight ("Spartacus," "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer," "Angel") and Drew Goddard ("Cabin in the Woods," "Lost," "Buffy The Vampire Slayer," in addition to writing the first two episodes of "Marvel's Daredevil"), along with Marvel TV's Jeph Loeb ("Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," "Smallville," "Heroes").
"Marvel's Daredevil" is produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios for Netflix.
AMAZON GIVES FULL SEASON ORDERS
The process of letting audiences vet pilots has proved fruitful for two recent Amazon Original productions, as both the revenge drama "Hand of God" and the '80s-set comedy "Red Oaks" have been given the greenlight for full season orders on Amazon's Prime Instant Video.
"Hand of God" stars Ron Perlman (Hellboy, "Sons of Anarchy") as Judge Pernell Harris, a rough, law-bending justice who suffers a breakdown and seeks revenge on the rapist who tore his family apart through visions he believes are sent by God through his ventilator-bound son. Directed by Marc Forster (Monster's Ball, World War Z), the series co-stars Dana Delany, Garret Dillahunt, Andre Royo, Julian Morris, Elizabeth McLaughlin and Emayatzy Corinealdi.
"Red Oaks" stars Craig Roberts (Submarine) in a coming-of-age story about a young tennis pro named David Meyers working at the Red Oaks Country Club in suburban New Jersey circa 1985 who meets a group of wacky co-workers and tries to think of a major the summer before heading to college. Directed by David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, "Eastbound and Down") and executive produced by Steven Soderbergh ("The Knick," Ocean's Eleven), the series co-stars Richard Kind, Alexandra Socha, Paul Reiser, Ennis Esmer, Jennifer Grey, Oliver Cooper and Gage Golightly.
"We are excited to get working on full seasons of 'Hand of God' and 'Red Oaks,'" said Roy Price, Vice President of Amazon Studios. "These shows come from some of the most talented creators in the business. Customers loved the pilot episodes and we can’t wait to hear what they think of the entire series."
MOCKINGBIRD COMES TO AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
It was first revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con that Bobbi Morse, AKA Mockingbird, would be joining the crew of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and now Marvel Entertainment has confirmed that “Friday Night Lights” and G.I. Joe: Retaliation star Adrianne Palicki has been cast in the role. Palicki will debut in the fifth episode of the series with the potential to return for a few more appearances in the second season.
This isn’t Palicki’s first foray into super heroics, as she appeared in an episode of The CW’s “Smallville” and was cast in the role of Wonder Woman for David E. Kelley’s failed series in 2011.
A member of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Avengers in the comics, Mockingbird was first created by Gerry Conway and Barry Smith and introduced in “Astonishing Tales” #6 in 1971. Though she doesn’t have any super powers, she was injected with an experimental serum that gave her enhanced strength and speed. The character also became romantically involved with Hawkeye in the source material.
The “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” cast includes Clark Gregg as fan favorite Phil Coulson, along with Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May, Brett Dalton as Agent Grant Ward, Chloe Bennet as Skye, Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz and Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons.
The series is executive produced by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, Jeffrey Bell and Jeph Loeb. Season 2 of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” will premiere on September 23.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2014
GOTHAM NEWS
Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue have gotten their wish. The two told Zap2it they wanted to see Harvey Dent on "Gotham" and now it's happening. The man who eventually becomes Two-Face will make his way onto the show.
TVLine has learned that Nicholas D'Agosto will play the role at a point in his career where he's Assistant District Attorney for Gotham City, which is no easy job. He will start off in a recurring role, but the option is there to become a series regular if the show continues into a second season.
D'Agosta was most recently seen as Dr. Ethan Haas on "Masters of Sex." You may also remember him as Jan Levinson's assistant/possible lover Hunter on "The Office."
STAR WARS REBELS
"Star Wars Rebels" hasn't even premiered yet, but the animated series has already gotten a Season 2 renewal from Disney XD.
"The global expectations for this series could not have been any higher. And I am proud to say that the team at Lucasfilm has delivered something that has surpassed even that incredibly high bar -- artistically and thematically," Disney Channels Worldwide president and chief creative officer Gary Marsh says in a release.
The series will premiere with the TV movie "Star Wars Rebels: Spark of a Rebellion" on Friday (Oct. 3) at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel, with an encore Monday, Oct. 6, at 8 p.m. on Disney XD. It will then air Mondays at 9 p.m. on Disney XD beginning Oct. 16.
As for the larger "Star Wars" universe, "Rebels" may have ties to the upcoming "Star Wars: Episode VII," which is being directed by J.J. Abrams. Executive producer Simon Kinberg previously revealed that certain characters and imagery from "Rebels" may end up in the movie.
DOCTOR STRANGE UPDATE
Back in late July, as Marvel headed for Hall H for its annual Saturday night presentation at San Diego Comic-Con, many of us were hoping for, and even expecting, the actor who would be Doctor Strange to walk out on stage and join the rest of the Avengers. At the time, thanks to reports that hit just the day before, all signs pointed to Oscar nominee Joaquin Phoenix being the studio's top choice for the role. Phoenix didn't appear at Comic-Con, though, and we later heard that while Marvel was hoping to close the deal in time for Hall H, they ended up taking their time to make sure Phoenix would be comfortable working inside the Marvel system. Now it looks like they never quite got there.
Deadline's Mike Fleming reports that talks between Marvel and Phoenix for Doctor Strange are "kaput," and that the studio is now restarting their search for an actor. We don't know the exact reason for the split, but Phoenix's deal was never final, and Fleming notes that the star has never seemed like a "Comic-Con kind of guy" who'd be comfortable in the Marvel Studios media spectacle machine. Rumors are circulating this week that fellow Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke is Marvel's choice to replace Phoenix, but Fleming calls those "speculation run wild."
So it looks like Marvel's had to circle back a bit in the Doctor Strange development process. Of course, they'll land a leading man eventually, and since the film already has a director, a writer and a reported July 2016 release date, we can expect the casting to happen sooner rather than later.
DEBUG
If you’ve been jonesing for the good ol' days when Stargate Atlantis was a staple of the TV schedule, we have some good news — two of the show’s stars have reunited for a new indie sci-fi flick.
Dubbed Debug, the flick is written and directed by David Hewlett (aka Atlantis’ Rodney McKay) and co-stars fellow ‘Gate alum Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones). The plot is an interesting concept, following six young computer hackers sent to work on a derelict space freighter and forced to match wits with a vengeful artificial intelligence. Hewlett has described the film as "2001 from Hal’s perspective.”
Hewlett wrapped principal photography on the film more than a year ago and has finally revealed 3 minutes of footage from the project, featuring co-stars Momoa and Tenika Davis. It’s admittedly a bit strange, but Hewlett has a penchant for making some quirky-cool low-budget films, so we’re definitely interested to see more.
Even cooler? Hewlett reportedly used some leftover Stargate Universe sets when filming the project, and it also features Hewlett’s sister (and fellow Stargate alum) Kate Hewlett in a supporting role. So, yeah, should be one heck of a Stargate connection there.
STAR WARS #1 COMIC BOOK
Star Wars is about to return to Marvel Comics, and with it comes this beautiful wraparound cover by legendary artist Joe Quesada.
Quesada long ago rose through the ranks at Marvel from fan-favorite artist to editor-in-chief and finally to chief creative officer, so he doesn't have a ton of time to pencil comics anymore. When he does, though, you know it's going to be something special, and he's definitely delivered with the cover above, which will serve as a variant edition of Star Wars #1 when it hits comic-book shops early next year. To accompany the unveiling of the cover on the official Star Wars website, Quesada explained why it was so important to him to get this cover right.
“I was asked to give a quote about this cover and to tell fans about the first time I saw Star Wars or how it completely changed my life, but it’s a story I’m sure isn’t all that interesting when compared to the countless others that have been told, much more eloquently, by so many before me,” said Quesada. “While each of us has had our unique moments of discovery and love affair with the property there’s nothing that I think I could say or add that hasn’t been said before and truthfully it really isn’t all that important because It’s that love for Star Wars that binds all of us who share those unique moments like the Force itself. That’s why when I was offered the opportunity to do this cover I was both thrilled beyond belief and as nervous as I was when I did my very first professional work over twenty years ago. To have the opportunity to illustrate the classic cast members in one piece has been by far one of the highlights of my career as an artist. I can only hope that it turned out okay and that maybe, just maybe, I get the chance to do it again someday.”
Star Wars #1 -- written by Jason Aaron, drawn by John Cassaday and colored by Laura Martin -- goes on sale in January.
JEFF DANIELS JOINS THE MARTIAN
With his TV show Newsroom ending with its third season this fall, Jeff Daniels is gearing up to join an exciting film project: Ridley Scott's high-profile sci-fi movie The Martian.
The actor is in talks to join the Fox film, which has had a flurry of casting news lately. Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig and Kate Mara are circling the project, which stars Matt Damon.
The story centers on an astronaut (Damon) who is stranded in a Martian colony and struggles to survive. Back on Earth, NASA tries to launch a rescue mission.
Daniels would play the director of NASA dealing with the crisis.
Scott signed on to direct the project after Drew Goddard exited, due to his directing commitments for Sony’s Sinister Six, the planned Spider-Man spinoff. Scott is producing with Simon Kinberg and Aditya Sood, who originally found the book that is the basis for the film. Steve Asbell is overseeing for Fox.
Goddard wrote the script for The Martian based on the book by Andy Weir, which was self-published by Amazon on Sept. 27, 2012.
Daniels has been starring as witty news anchor Will McAvoy on HBO's Newsroom, which will air its final season beginning in November. He'll reprise his iconic role as Harry Dunne opposite Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber To, which will hit theaters Nov. 14, 20 years after the original film. He's repped by ICM Partners and manager Paul Martino.
THE WALKING DEAD LOOKING AHEAD
AMC has debuted a new behind-the-scenes featurette for the upcoming fifth season of "The Walking Dead" featuring the cast and crew teasing the characters and locations we'll see in a few weeks.
Based on the comic created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard, Season Five of “The Walking Dead” premieres Sunday, October 12 at 9:00pm ET/PT. It stars Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Chad Coleman, Chandler Riggs, Melissa McBride, Emily Kinney, Danai Gurira and Sonequa Martin-Green.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014
FRANKENSTEIN UNDERGROUND
Hellboy creator Mike Mignola's next comics project will feature his take on a legendary monster.
Back in 2011, Mignola introduced Frankenstein's monster to his Dark Horse Comics "Mignolaverse" with the Hellboy graphic novel House of the Living Dead. Now he's revisiting the creature with a five-issue miniseries set to hit comic-book stores next year. Featuring story and cover art by Mignola and interior art by Baltimore artist Ben Stenbeck, Frankenstein Underground will take the monster deep into the mysteries of Mignola's creepy comic-book world.
“This version of the Frankenstein monster has the same thirst for knowledge readers will remember from Mary Shelley’s novel,” Dark Horse editor in chief Scott Allie said. “The monster takes the reader through some of the biggest mysteries of the Mignolaverse, shedding new light on important stuff we’ve only touched on before."
Mignola's always had a talent for taking legends, folklore, myth and other pre-existing stories, giving them a new spin and weaving them into his Hellboy universe, and now he's hoping to do the same with Frankenstein by giving us a version of the character that's part Mary Shelley, part Boris Karloff and all Mignolaverse.
“It’s intimidating as hell to take on an icon like the Frankenstein monster,” Mignola said. “I’m trying to do something that’s true to the origin Mary Shelley created for the creature but also captures a bit of the feel that Boris Karloff brought to the role in the classic Universal films. At the same time I’m throwing the monster into an entirely new environment, so I think the result will be something new. It’s an odd one, but ultimately will add an important new wrinkle to the Hellboy/B.P.R.D. world.”
STAR WARS: EPISODE VII
We're still not in possession of very much official knowledge about Episode VII. We know who's in it, we know who some of those people are playing, and we know when the film's set. That's pretty much it at this point, but even as J.J. Abrams keeps his Star Wars Mystery Box (mostly) shut for the moment, rumors with varying levels of credibility just keep coming. One of the more prominent, and believable, sources for these reports so far is Badass Digest's Devin Faraci, and today he hit us with several new tidbits from his Star Wars sources. Some are intriguing little details of the world, while others could be major plot points, but they all seem plausible.
First, Faraci's got word of who legendary actor Max von Sydow will be playing in the film. Remember those reports of the film opening with the discovery of a lightsaber on a desert planet? Well, the weapon will apparently be picked up by a "blue alien guy" who'll take it to a salvage yard, where Daisy Ridley's character (who might be called "Kira") works. That's where von Sydow comes in as an "old cyborg dude" who "talks a lot of nonsense" until he sees the lightsaber, recognizes it, and starts talking about "the old days." Then he'll reportedly make a call to someone and let them know the lightsaber has been found, but if Faraci knows who's on the other end of that call, he's not telling. Oh, and another thing about Ridley's character: She's living in an old AT-AT walker that's lying on its side. Pretty neat pad.
Then there's the planet news. Remember a few weeks ago when we saw those aerial shots of X-Wings and the MIllennium Falcon at Greenham Common Air Base in the U.K.? According to Faraci's report, that location is meant to stand in for the Massassi Temple the Rebel Alliance was using as a secret base in Star Wars. So if this rumor proves true, it looks like we're going back to the site of the Rebellion's first major victory at Yavin IV.
FIRESTORM
Faraci also notes an interesting potential change for Chewbacca. Apparently there's concept art floating around that shows the Wookiee with "a cybernetic hand," carrying on the long Star Wars tradition of people losing their hands in battle. Faraci emphasizes that it's just concept art and that he doesn't know if it'll actually be in the film, but this is a franchise that likes slicing off appendages, so it's certainly plausible.
The immense contributions to science fiction and fantasy entertainment by British puppetmasters Gerry and Sylvia Anderson are unquestionable, with old-school marionette programs like Captain Scarlet, Supercar and Stingray and live-action spectacles such as Space:1999 and U.F.O.
Anderson's crack anti-terrorism squad, Firestorm, first lit up the small screen back in 2003 as a Japanese anime series by Enoki Films. The response was less than enthusiastic, but now Anderson's son, Jamie, has gone back to his dad's original concept bible for inspiration to gather the strings once again for another stab at Firestorm. He's now campaigning for cash through Kickstarter to complete an 8-minute "minisode" for a new puppet series filmed in Ultramarionation as a salute to those sensationally strange Gerry Anderson shows of the past, such as Thunderbirds and Fireball XL5. Have a look at his fundraising trailer, which includes a retrospective of his late father's monumental work in puppetry and special effects. The Kickstarter goals are to raise $77,000 with hopes to triple that figure, allowing them to shoot a proper 22-minute episode and return to tangible, practical filmmaking using many of the methods pioneered by his father.
INTERSTELLAR
One last Interstellar trailer is here to floor us with new footage before the film's finally in theaters.
If you've been itching to experience Christopher Nolan's ambitious sci-fi journey as much as we have, then you know we're now just five weeks away from seeing it. That doesn't seem like a very long time in the cosmic (see what I did there?) scheme of things, but every time we see new footage from the film the wait seems to get harder. It's safe to say everyone is expecting great things from Interstellar, and some of us might be expecting so much that the film will be a letdown no matter how great it is, but trailers like the one released today make it really hard to be skeptical about this movie.
The trailer runs for two and a half minutes, and though it doesn't tell us much more than we already knew about the film's plot -- dying Earth, crack team, wormhole travel, mission to find humanity's next home and so forth -- it does give us more powerful visuals, a greater emphasis on what's at stake in this story and a new exploration of the themes at work. I was particularly taken by a line Matthew McConaughey's character, Cooper, speaks very early on: "This thing needs to learn how to adapt, like the rest of us."
Sometimes we get way too excited about movies we haven't seen yet and we get let down in a big, crushing way. Trailers are designed to sell us movies, after all, and we've been burned by more than a few (Hercules, anyone?), but even with that in mind, it's very tough to be cynical about a movie that seems to be reaching so far and promising so much. Sure, Interstellar might let us down, but when you see things like "Mankind's next step will be its greatest," and waves the size of mountain ranges, and a great cast of people playing the ultimate explorers out to save us all, it's hard not to believe in this movie.
Interstellar will arrive with limited early screenings on Nov. 5 and hit theaters nationwide on Nov. 7.
JUSTICE LEAGUE: THRONE OF ATLANTIS
The first trailer for Aquaman's newest animated adventure comes to us thanks to the good folks over at Newsarama. It stars our fave Atlantean/human hybrid King of Atlantis (voiced by Matt Lanter), as well as a plethora of Justice League members.
In the new, rebooted DC animated movie universe, Aquaman was replaced by Shazam as a founding member of the mighty Justice League, but it was all done in order to give him his very own feature film. And while it says "Justice League" in the title, well, it’s all about the King of the Seven Seas.
Here’s a bit of a blurb:
As Orm and Black Manta make their move against the surface world after the battle with Apokolips forces in Justice League War had deadly consequences for Atlantis, the queen of the lost underwater civilization searches for her other son, Orm's half brother Arthur. Living on the surface world with powers he doesn't understand, Arthur Curry steps into his destiny as Aquaman, teaming with the Justice League to save and unite all people of the world.
The awesome voice cast includes Matt Lanter (Aquaman), Sam Witwer (Orm/Ocean Master), Chris Gorham (The Flash), Jason O'Mara (Batman), Shemar Moore (Cyborg), Rosario Dawson (Wonder Woman), Jerry O'Connell (Superman), Nathan Fillion (Green Lantern) and Sean Astin (Shazam). The superhero flick is directed by Ethan Spaulding, who helmed Son of Batman and co-directed Batman: Assault on Arkham, the last two DC animated movies.
Aquaman: Throne of Atlantis is due out in the spring of 2015.
KING KONG COMING TO NETFLIX
Good news, Kong lovers: We’ll get a double dose of King Kong in 2016. Not only will we have Skull Island, a King Kong movie prequel starring the Prince of Mischief himself (Tom Hiddleston), but Netflix will also air a new animated series titled Kong — King of the Apes.
However, we’re being told that it won’t be the same ol’ same ol’ Skull Island story we’re used to.
Set in 2050 (yep!), the series has Kong become a wanted fugitive after wreaking havoc at Alcatraz Island’s Natural History and Marine Preserve. Humans who hunt for Kong don’t know that the legendary king of Skull Island was framed by an evil genius, whose plans are to terrorize the world with an army of enormous robotic dinosaurs, because, of course, they are. Kong is the only beast strong enough to save humanity from them, and he’s helped along by three kids who know the truth about the colossal ape.
The original CGI animation series from Netflix and 41 Entertainment will be primarily targeted at kids, and will be introduced by a feature-length flick, followed by 12 half-hour episodes, all set to air in 2016.
Industry vet Avi Arad, who has produced Iron Man, the Spider-Man movies and many of the X-Men films, will executive-produce the animated series.
Neflix’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said:
“We’re thrilled to be working with Avi who has made some of the most successful action and adventure franchises today and whose Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventureseries has been very popular on Netflix around the world. With 41 Entertainment as our partner on this, we continue to work with some of the finest animation studios around the world to create shows that will appeal to kids of all ages globally.”
He also added:
“I always loved King Kong. This is a unique opportunity to introduce him in brilliant CGI animation to kids worldwide with the power of Netflix.”
CONSTANTINE
NBC has debuted a new featurette on "Constantine," its adaptation of DC Comics series "Hellblazer" premiering on Friday, October 24.
Seasoned demon hunter and master of the occult John Constantine (Matt Ryan) specializes in giving hell… hell. Armed with a ferocious knowledge of the dark arts and his wickedly naughty wit, he fights the good fight - or at least he did. With his soul already damned to hell, he’s decided to leave his do-gooder life behind, but when demons target Liv (Lucy Griffiths), the daughter of one of Constantine's oldest friends, he's reluctantly thrust back into the fray - and he'll do whatever it takes to save her.
Before long, it's revealed that Liv's "second sight"--an ability to see the worlds behind our world and predict supernatural occurrences--is a threat to a mysterious new evil that's rising in the shadows. Now it's not just Liv who needs protection; the angels are starting to get worried too. So, together, Constantine and Liv must use her power and his skills to travel the country, find the demons that threaten our world and send them back where they belong. After that, who knows… maybe there’s hope for him and his soul after all.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014
AGENT CARTER
Because Hayley Atwell saying so wasn't enough of a confirmation, Marvel.com has revealed that Dominic Cooper will officially officially be joining the cast of "Agent Carter." He, as well as Atwell, will be reprising his role from "Captain America: The First Avenger."
Cooper plays a young Howard Stark, the father of Tony Stark and a founding member of SHIELD. In the "Marvel's Agents of SHIELD" Season 2 premiere, Atwell's Peggy Carter referenced Stark, though he didn't make an appearance in the flashback.
When Zap2it spoke with Cooper while he was promoting his BBC miniseries "Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond" back in January 2014, he said that he would absolutely take a role in "Agent Carter" if there was a place for him.
"I would like to do any way possible that Howard Stark can make a return. He's such a fun character to play, and I really believe that he could make quite an exciting character to watch more of," he said. "The flawed entrepreneur, the kind of crazy playboy, from that era is an exciting concept. I saw Hayley recently, and I think that the 'Carter' thing is possibly going to happen, so yeah. I'd love to. I wouldn't hesitate."
"Agent Carter" also stars Chad Michael Murray as SSR Agent Jack Thompson, Enver Gjokaj as SSR Agent Daniel Sousa, James D'Arcy as Edwin Jarvis and Shea Whigham as SSR Chief Roger Dooley. It will premiere during "Agents of SHIELD's" midseason hiatus.
THE FLASH
The CW’s new Flash series premieres in one week, and the network has dropped the first clip showing how Barry Allen gets his superpowers.
Yes, we already saw a variation of that famous lightning strike last season on Arrow, but this new clip from Flash’s pilot shows the full effect — including the big wave of science stuff from the S.T.A.R. Labs meltdown that affects the entire area — plus the potential creation of one of Central City’s first super-powered Big Bads.
The production values are rock solid for a CW series, and it definitely shares the aesthetic (albeit a bit brighter) that Arrow fans have come to expect. The time jump between last season of Arrow when this happened and the modern day — due to that pesky lightning strike coma — is a bit wobbly on the timeline. But we’ve seen the pilot, and they pull it off relatively well.
The series premiere of The Flash is set to air Oct. 7 on The CW.
SUPERNATURAL
We already knew Dean (Jensen Ackles) would be turning evil after becoming a demon at the end of last season on Supernatural, but it looks like the other Winchester is also embracing his inner dark side.
There’d been rumblings that Sam (Jared Padalecki) might do whatever is necessary to save Dean from his Mark of Cain, and judging by the first clip from season 10 below, it’s kind of hard to tell which brother is the demon. Seriously.
We’d been wondering how long it’d take Sam to figure out Dean had become a demon (since he actually turned and departed offscreen from Sam), but it apparently doesn’t take much time to put the pieces together when you’re viciously torturing a demon prisoner for intel. Is soulless Sam back? Sheesh.
This show has never really shied away from the darkness of humanity, and the end outweighing the means, and it seems that isn’t likely to change when the new season debuts Oct. 7 on The CW.
TWILIGHT SAGA
Lionsgate announced today it is teaming with Facebook, the prestigious Women In Film organization, the crowdsourcing platform Tongal and best-selling "Twilight Saga" author Stephenie Meyer to create and manage a social media campaign to develop and produce a series of short films directed by aspiring female filmmakers.
The campaign, called "The Storytellers - New Creative Voices of The Twilight Saga," will include films based on a broad spectrum of characters from the "Twilight" universe, with guidance provided by Meyer's encyclopedic "The Twilight Saga: Official Illustrated Guide."
The campaign will center on a multiphase contest culminating in the selection of at least five aspiring female filmmakers to direct short films based on characters from the "Twilight" universe. The films will be produced and directed with the mentorship of a blue chip panel of advisors, which will ultimately select the winning shorts that will premiere exclusively on the Facebook platform next year. The star-studded group of female panelists will include Stephenie Meyer, actress Kristen Stewart, Academy Award winners Kate Winslet and Octavia Spencer, Jennifer Lee, the award-winning writer and one of the directors of Disney's global blockbuster Frozen, Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke, Emmy Award-winning actress Julie Bowen, and Women In Film President Cathy Schulman .
Five winning shorts will be financed through production advances, and fans will help select a grand prize winning filmmaker who will receive a cash prize and career opportunities. The short film development and production process will involve extensive fan engagement on the Facebook and Tongal platforms.
"More people than ever before are creating, discovering and engaging with videos on Facebook," said Facebook Vice President of Partnerships Dan Rose . "This collaboration with Stephenie Meyer, Lionsgate and Women In Film is a great opportunity to engage Twilight's massive global audience on Facebook through an innovative premium video program."
"We're delighted to expand our longstanding relationship with Stephenie and confident that her participation in the Twilight short films campaign will add an exciting new dimension to the incredible world she has created as an author and producer," said Lionsgate Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer and Vice Chairman Michael Burns. "Our partnership with Facebook and Women In Film underscores the opportunities for growing our franchises in exciting new directions, and we're pleased to introduce fresh creative talent to the Twilight universe as part of our commitment to female empowerment in front of and behind the camera."
"Accessing Hollywood is a momentous challenge, especially for aspiring female filmmakers, so I'm thrilled that Women In Film has been invited to join Stephenie Meyer, Lionsgate and Facebook to empower new storytellers with diverse voices," said WIF President Cathy Schulman. "Women In Film is proud to help recruit and mentor female filmmakers as part of a project that illustrates the power of a beloved book and movie franchise to lessen the gender gap in our film community and provide a platform for women's perspectives to be seen and heard."
"The female voice is something that has become more and more important to me as I've worked in the film industry," said Meyer. "I'm honored to be working with Women In Film, Lionsgate, and Facebook on a project dedicated to giving more women a chance to be heard creatively."
ASCENSION
Syfy has released the new trailer for their six-hour miniseries "Ascension," premiering on November 24 and starring Tricia Helfer ("Battlestar Galactica"), Brian Van Holt, Andrea Roth, Jacqueline Byers, Brandon P. Bell, Tiffany Lonsdale and PJ Boudousque.
In 1963, the U.S. government launched a covert space mission sending hundreds of men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship Ascension to populate a new world. Nearly 50 years into the journey, as they approach the point of no return, a mysterious murder of a young woman causes the ship’s population to question the true nature of their mission.
'Ascension' is created and written by Philip Levens ('Smallville'), who will also serve as Executive Producer and Showrunner.
ZOMBIELAND 2
Plans for Zombieland 2 appear to be back on track today with Deadline reporting that Sony Pictures has brought aboard The Expendables scribe Dave Callaham to provide the screenplay. He'll work closely with Ruben Fleischer, who will be returning as director.
Set in a zombie post-apocalypse and filtered through a darkly comic lens, the original Zombieland hit theaters in 2009 and stars Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin as survivors attempting to outlast the living dead.
An attempt was made to bring the franchise to the small screen as "Zombieland: The Series" in 2013. Planned to become an Amazon Original Series, "Zombieland" failed to develop beyond a pilot episode.
There's no word on who -- if anyone -- from the original cast will return for the sequel, but check back for details as soon as they become available.
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GOTHAM NEWS: HARVEY DENT IS COMING
SUPERGIRL
ZOOBIQUITY
SKULL ISLAND
AMERICAN HORROR STORY
WES CRAVEN'S COMING OF RAGE
TERMINATOR GENISYS
FRIGHTPIX
BLACK PANTHER
MARVEL SLATE
Inhumans will hit theaters Nov. 2, 2018 following in Guardians of the Galaxy's cosmic footsteps. In a day less packed with news, this would have been a centerpiece story, but as it is, it's still pretty cool. Feige says we can expect to see Inhumans-related easter eggs popping up, soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
Finally, it looks like the rumors of Avengers 3 being split into two films were true. The sequel will be split into two installments: Infinity War: Part I and Infinity War: Part II. They're slated for May 4, 2018 and May 3, 2019 respectively.
It's a pretty massive and exciting slate that serves as a direct response to Warner Bros./DC's recent announcements and sets up a pretty titanic clash between the two comics giants at the movies over the next five to six years...and an overall release schedule that should have any funny book fan's mind ready to overload.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND
Orson Welles' final film, which has remained unfinished for decades, could hit theaters in time for the 100th anniversary of the filmmaker's birth next May.
Royal Road Entertainment has secured the rights to The Other Side of the Wind, The New York Times is reporting. The Los Angeles-based production company plans on bringing it to the American Film Market next month to promote distribution for the film.
Welles never completed his film, which (quite fittingly) tells the story of a director attempting to finish a masterpiece while clashing with the Hollywood system. The film stars John Huston, Susan Strasberg, Lilli Palmer, Dennis Hopper and Peter Bogdanovich.
The rights to the film have been tied up in legal battles among Welles's daughter Beatrice Welles, his collaborator Oja Kodar and Iranian-French production company L'Astrophore. Welles spent the final fifteen years of his life on the project, up until his death in 1985. He left behind roughly 45 minutes of edited film.
Royal Road hopes to release the film timed to the May 6, 2015, anniversary of Welles' birth.
SCREAM REBOOT AT MTV
DOCTOR STRANGE NEWS
AGENT CARTER
STALKER, MADAM SECRETARY, NCIS: NEW ORLEANS, SCORPION GET FULL SEASON ORDERS
KRYPTON
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
THE NOLANS AND DC CINEMATIC UNIVERSE
THE CROW REMAKE
STAR WARS SPINOFF MOVIE?
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
To help visualize the battle, Jackson drew some maps of his own that show where the forces are coming from and where they fall in the whole scheme. 
LEGO MOVIE SEQUEL
WALKING DEAD COMPANION SERIES
WORLD BREAKERS
AGENT CARTER ADDITION
CHILDHOOD'S END
ARROW 2.5
ASCENSION
EXPOSURE
FRANKENSTEIN
THE LAST WITCH
RIVERDALE
THE MARTIAN
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
DOCTOR STRANGE
JUSTICE LEAGUE/MORTAL COMBAT
JOHN CARTER
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
BATES MOTEL
THE GOOD WITCH
SUICIDE SQUAD
RED LANTERN
THE MARTIAN
STAR WARS EPISODE VII
ORPHAN BLACK
DOCTOR WHO AND THE DALEK
HALLOWEEN 3
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
Now, we want talk about the last pic in the gallery.
PACIFIC RIM II
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
HANNIBAL
DOCTOR WHO
SHADOWLAND
SUICIDE SQUAD
HAVEN
ORPHAN BLACK - SPOILER ALERT
PLANET HULK
STEPHEN KING SCARY SHORT STORIES
"Varney the Vampire" by James Malcolm Rymer and/or Thomas Preskett Prest
Though its authorship is somewhat disputed, there's no disputing the influence of this serialized vampire tale. It predates Dracula by 50 years, and even came before J. Sheridan Le Fanu's highly influential Carmilla. Many of the tropes we attribute to vampires now start right here.
Go to 
PETE'S DRAGON REMAKE
CAPTAIN AMERICA
DARK MATTER
DC FILM SLATE
NEW HBO SERVICE COMING
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB
JURASSIC WORLD
THE ILLUSIONIST
RANSOM
CAPTAIN AMERICA 3
HARLAN ELLISON SUFFERS STROKE
WONDER WOMAN
OPERATION S.I.N.
STAR WARS REBELS
LOST IN SPACE
INCORPORATED
FIVE GHOSTS: THE HAUNTING OF FABIAN GRAY
THE INFILTRATOR
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
IRON MAN 4
DEADPOOL
TWIN PEAKS TO RETURN
METAL HURLANT
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
OMBRA AMORE
FLASH NEWS
THUNDERBIRDS NEWS
STAR TREK NEWS
DAREDEVIL
AMAZON GIVES FULL SEASON ORDERS
MOCKINGBIRD COMES TO AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
GOTHAM NEWS
STAR WARS REBELS
DOCTOR STRANGE UPDATE
STAR WARS #1 COMIC BOOK
JEFF DANIELS JOINS THE MARTIAN
FRANKENSTEIN UNDERGROUND
STAR WARS: EPISODE VII
KING KONG COMING TO NETFLIX
AGENT CARTER
TWILIGHT SAGA
ZOMBIELAND 2
