LATEST NEWS FOR SEPTEMBER:

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

In case you didn't know, artist and comic legend Jack Kirby is responsible for the creation of many of Marvel's heaviest-hitting characters. The problem is that what Kirby did at the time seems to fall under the auspices of contract work -- meaning, essentially, it doesn't matter what his brain came up with while under contract, because Marvel owns it.

But, with Kirby sadly deceased, his estate and heirs have continued to fight so that Marvel will finally pay up what they feel is due for all those characters ol' King Kirby was responsible for creating.

And while the court process was mostly one hundred miles of bad road, the Kirby estate plugged along. With a potential SCOTUS hearing on the horizon over the possibility that the Kirby estate could legally issue termination notices on 262 of Jack's works, it seems that Marvel has finally given in, at least a little.

In a joint statement, Marvel and the Kirby heirs had this to say:

Marvel and the family of Jack Kirby have amicably resolved their legal disputes, and are looking forward to advancing their shared goal of honoring Mr. Kirby’s significant role in Marvel’s history.

While the specifics of the settlement will likely remain undisclosed, best guess says Marvel and Disney paid the Kirbys a significant sum. Considering there was even a tiny possibility that Marvel could have had to retroactively cough up the dough for most of their hugely successful movies, it makes sense that they finally made a deal. Plus, we imagine the Kirbys are probably exhausted of fighting this lengthy legal battle.

The result? Jack Kirby actually kind of got his due, albeit posthumously. Which isn't an insignificant victory, considering all the other comics creators out there who are hoping they'll finally get paid for adaptations of their work.

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
Last summer's X-Men: Days of Future Past was a critical and commercial hit, successfully tackling one of the comics' biggest stories while combining the franchise's biggest stars. But if you look closely, there's a glaring omission: Rogue. The character and her portrayer, Anna Paquin, were M.I.A. from the movie with the exception of a small cameo.

Despite Paquin's lack of screen time, her name appeared seventh in the film's closing credits. She was listed before Peter Dinklage, Ellen Page and Shawn Ashmore. This left us scratching our heads. We're sure it had to do with a contractual obligation and the amount of footage she actually shot. Earlier this year, we learned that most of Paquin's scenes had been left on the cutting-room floor.

Apparently Rogue's storyline had to be omitted for time and clarity. According to screenwriter Simon Kinberg, Fox will re-release an extended version of Days of Future Past on home video next summer. It's being called the "Rogue Cut" and will feature an additonal 10-plus minutes of footage. Not only will her storyline be reinstated, but we'll get more from other characters, too.

After making the announcement Thursday, Kinberg explained, “We want to give [fans] the fullest picture of the film — behind the camera, and in front of it” He also described Rogue's story as “a big chunk, a substantial part of the movie.” He continued, “Every movie has scenes that are cut out, but not every movie has scenes cut out with such a beloved character.”

Days of Future Past did a great job of correcting a lot of the original trilogy's mistakes. Jean Grey and Cyclops were given a second chance, and we hope the same happens for Rogue. Fingers crossed.

GENIUS
Two comic book villains will get to show their literary side when Guy Pearce (a.k.a. Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3) and Dominic West (a.k.a. Jigsaw in Punisher: War Zone) join the cast of renowned theater director Michael Grandage’s Genius.

Pearce will take on the role of troubled "The Great Gatsby" writer F. Scott Fitzgerald while Dominic West will play macho "The Sun Also Rises" scribe Ernest Hemingway, both ex-patriots and pals who were edited at publishing giant Charles Scribner's Sons by Max Perkins, to be played by Oscar-winner Colin Firth. Grandage's cinematic debut also stars Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Laura Linney.

Based on the National Book Award winning biography "Max Perkins: Editor of Genius," by A. Scott Berg (adapted by John Logan), Genius centers on the real-life relationship between literary giant Thomas Wolfe (Law) and renowned editor Max Perkins (Firth). Finding fame and critical success at a young age, Wolfe is a blazing talent with a larger-than-life personality to match. Perkins is one of the most respected and well-known literary editors of all time, discovering such iconic novelists as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. Wolfe and Perkins develop a tender, complex friendship. Transformative and irrepressible, this friendship will change the lives of these brilliant, but very different men forever.

Pearce recently starred in The Rover, while West--best known for his starring role on HBO's "The Wire"--will be seen on Showtime's new fall series "The Affair," and will provide a voice in Pixar's sequel Finding Dory. Tim Bevan (Les Miserables, Atonement) will executive produce Genius alongside producers James Bierman, Grandage and Logan.

The friendship between Fitzgerald and Hemingway was most recently portrayed onscreen in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, where they were played by Tom Hiddleston and Corey Stoll, respectively.

THE MAZE RUNNER: SCORCH TRIALS
"Game of Thrones" star Aidan Gillen has joined the cast of 20th Century Fox's The Scorch Trials, the upcoming sequel to the now-in-theaters hit The Maze Runner (If you haven't seen it yet, stop reading now as the following does contain some spoilers). The Hollywood Reporter has the news, reporting that Gillen will play the story's villain, Janson, also known as Rat-Man. They have also confirmed that Wes Ball, the director of the first film, will be returning for the sequel.

Also starring Dylan O'Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter and Patricia Clarkson, The Scorch Trials adapts James Dashner's second book in the series, following Thomas and the other Gladers as they have escaped the maze and are put into a dormitory where they face new threats.

The Scorch Trials is slated to begin filming next month and will hit theaters on September 18, 2015.

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
On the heels of the first clip that was released yesterday, ABC and Marvel Entertainment have debuted another clip for episode 2.02 of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” which you can check out in the player below. Titled “Heavy is the Head,” the episode is officially described as follows:

“Hunted and running out of solutions, Coulson puts his team right in the line of fire in the hopes of saving them all. But with General Talbot, Hydra and Creel all on the attack, can they possibly survive? Meanwhile, a mysterious Doctor (Kyle MacLachlan) harbors some dangerous secrets that could destroy one of our core team members.”

Written by Paul Zbyszewski and directed by Jesse Bochco, the episode is set to air Tuesday September 30. “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

Josh Holloway is set to team up with former "Lost" producer Carlton Cuse for USA's upcoming naturalistic drama pilot "Colony."

Set in Los Angeles in the near future -- 2015, to be exact -- "Colony" follows characters who are struggling to figure out how to survive in a city that is in a state of occupation.

Holloway has been tapped to play the main character, Will Bowman, a former FBI agent who -- in an effort to protect his family -- is forced to work with the occupational government to take down the growing resistance movement.

"Colony," which is written and executive produced by Cuse and Ryan Condal ("Hercules"), marks the first time Holloway and Cuse have worked together since "Lost" ended in 2010. It also marks Holloway's return to TV since his run on "Intelligence."

STAR WARS: CLONE WARS
They might’ve pulled the plug on Star Wars: Clone Wars to make way for the new animated series Star Wars: Rebels, but the folks at Lucasfilm are trying to do what they can to make the pill a bit easier to swallow.

Along with cutting a deal at Netflix to post the unreleased episodes The Lost Missions a while back, StarWars.com has now dropped animated storyboards for four more Clone Wars episodes that had been in development but were ultimately not completed. Sure, it ain’t bringing the series back, but it at least gives fans a chance to see what the writers were putting together.

The four storyboard episodes follow a long-haired Anakin and Obi-Wan as they investigate the mysterious death of a Jedi Master on Utapau. When making the Clone Wars announcement, Lucasfilm Story Group's Pablo Hidalgo noted the online release allows the built-in audience to find and enjoy the content, because the fans will obviously “overlook the unfinished-ness of it if it means this is an opportunity to understand what that story was.”

We tend to agree, and we really wish more studios would make this kind of effort when canceling a show. Fans are always wanting to know what would come next, especially if something ends with more than a few threads still in the air. We’re still bummed about the cancellation, but kudos to StarWars.com for putting this package together. The embeds tend to be breaking, but you can watch all the storyboard episodes right here.

Along with the storyboard clips, they’ve also created the stellar retrospective Star Wars: Clone Wars Legacy, looking back at the history of the series and recapping all the key moments and awesome scenes.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #34
Supes and Lex are still on villain clean-up duty over in the pages of the Justice League, but their methods could push them to extremes that endanger their closest allies. Meanwhile, new recruit Jessica Cruz/Power Ring has become a dark prophet and is going to force the League to face their own fears -- which might prepare them for a nasty new threat. Available from DC Comics on October 1, the "Injustice League" story arc wraps up with issue #34. And we have an exclusive peek at the issue, titled "Unlikely Allies." The story is written by Geoff Johns with art by Scott Kolins and Andrew Dalhousewhich. Take a look before you get the book.

THE EDEN PROJECT
Just as the week is coming to a close, Sony Pictures has given the sleepy spec market a jolt with an acquisition.

The studio has picked up The Eden Project, a sci-fi spec from Black List writer Christina Hodson. Tobey Maguire will produce via his Material production banner as well as Maguire's Material mate Matthew Plouffe.

Sony is keeping the plot details for Eden guarded by a serpent, but it is a sci-fi action film centered around two female characters. The script also is intended to be the first of a conceived trilogy.

Sources say the deal for the spec was in the $750,000 range.

Columbia Pictures president Hannah Minghella orchestrated the deal for the studio in a competitive situation and will oversee the project.

Read more Rep Sheet Roundup: Gersh Signs D.L. Hughley, Paradigm Gets Mark Valley Eden reteams the studio with the production company with which it is in preproduction on YA adaptation The 5th Wave. The movie is due to start shooting in October and will star Chloe Moretz and Liev Schreiber.

It is also the second major deal for Material in recent weeks, as it follows the sale of chess drama Pawn Sacrifice to new-fangled distributor Bleecker Street. The movie, which stars Maguire and is directed by Ed Zwick, was coming off a high-profile premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.

Hodson is known for two scripts that landed on The Black List two years in a row. Shut In, a psychological thriller, was on the list in 2012 and picked up by David Linde's Lava Bear. The following year, her creepy script Seed landed on the list and is now being produced by Temple Hill and Peter Safran.

The former development exec also has the erotic thriller Unforgettable set up at Warner Bros., with Denise DiNovi producing and Amma Asante (Belle) attached to direct. Hodson is repped by CAA; Tobin Babst at Kaplan/Perrone; and Ziffren, Brittenham. Material is repped by WME's Warren Zavala and Sarah Self as well as Gretchen Rush of Hansen, Jacobson.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2014

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2014

Though it won't feature Batman, Gotham's garnered a lot of interest from fans by billing itself as, in many ways, the origin story of Gotham City's problem with supercrime. While much of the show will follow the crime-solving exploits of Jim Gordon, Harvey Bullock, Renee Montoya and others, it will also focus on the criminal ventures of mob boss Fish Mooney and the sadistic Oswald Cobblepot, while also introducing the young women who will eventually become Catwoman and Poison Ivy.

From a villain perspective, season one of the series seems mostly focused on Cobblepot's transformation into the Penguin, but let's not forget about Cory Michael Smith as Edward "Ed" Nygma, a brilliant young man working for the Gotham City Police Department who will, someday, be one of Bruce Wayne's greatest nemeses. in a new interview, Smith said he doesn't entirely know the character's future, but he does know that, from the start, Nygma's fascinated by Gotham's new crimes, even though he's working for the good guys.

"These crazy crimes are happening in Gotham—slightly theatrical and awesome and very much honoring the adventurousness of the comic books. Everyone else is taking it so seriously because they’re the police and they want to solve the crime, but Ed’s kind of getting caught up in how cool this s–t is," he said. "I mean, some of these crimes are just fascinating. Just fascinating. And that’s what Ed loves."

Those of us who've followed Batman's villains for a long time will be watching Gotham with interest, not just to see how they ultimately become the Arkham Asylum-dwelling baddies we know and love from the comics, but to see how Gotham's story will affect our view of these characters going forward. Will creator Bruno Heller and company give us origin stories that complement what we already know, or will they turn these villains upside down? Smith's not telling, but he does tease the character's less socially adept side, combined with a kind of double-agent quality, and points to both of them as aspects of his eventual transformation.

"[He's] an underappreciated, mistreated, misunderstood guy. And adding in to all that mix, here’s a guy with some social disorder. He’s not necessarily equipped with the interpersonal skills that would lead to calm workplace environment interaction.

"I’m going to be in the police department for a while, and I’m stoked about that because in terms of story, that leaves so many possibilities," he said. "It’s very Dexter of me to be potentially playing both sides. Learning the police department to such a degree that I know how to manipulate the system. So there’s a lot of potential."

Gotham premieres Monday at 8/7C on Fox.

SUPERGIRL COMING TO CBS
If Marvel is in a mostly monogamous TV relationship with ABC, then DC is getting around with every other major network in town. There's Arrow, Flash and iZombie on the CW, Gotham at Fox, Constantine at NBC, and now Supergirl is headed to the land where stories about how one meets a mother take nine years to tell -- CBS.

Producers Greg Berlanti and Ali Adler closed their deal with CBS last night, only a day after the project was introduced to the networks. That's fast. And the rumor is that the commitment to the show is even greater than the one Fox gave to Gotham. But let's move beyond the networks for a second and talk about what we'll be seeing. First of all, yes, this is the Kara Zor-El version of Supergirl who will be taking the stage. Secondly, unlike the Smallville incarnation, this Supergirl will be in her 20s and already have been on Earth for a little while.

It's a tale of a woman deciding it's finally time to step out from behind the safety of being part of the pack and acknowledge that she is unique and that she can help the world in a way that almost no one else can. And that story has plenty of real-life scenarios it can use along with all the typical cape-and-tights trappings.

Berlanti already has a big comic-book adaptation hit with Arrow. But with Flash about to premiere and Supergirl officially a go, it's interesting to see him move away from the power-free Oliver Queen and toward some of the most super-powered heroes in the DC universe. Meanwhile, Adler is bringing more of a comedic sensibility to the proceedings, since her most successful super-powered project was Chuck.

All in all, it's a pretty solid get for CBS, and an exciting thing in general, since a leading female hero isn't something we've seen much of so far from comic-book adaptations.

The next big thing they need to do is cast the lead.

POWER RANGERS
Deadline reports that due to his schedule for the upcoming Star Trek 3, executive producer Roberto Orci has had to drop out of Lionsgate and Saban's upcoming big screen reboot of the Power Rangers. Orci recently completed the first draft of Star Trek 3 with co-writers Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne which he will also direct. No release date is currently set for that film, but the expectation is that the new film will land in theaters in 2016, just in time for the franchise’s 50th anniversary.

Screenwriters Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller (X-Men: First Class, Thor) will script the upcoming reboot of Power Rangers, which is described as a modern reinvention of the long-running franchise. In it, a group of ordinary high school kids find themselves infused with extraterrestrial powers and must harness those powers as a team to save the world. It is currently set for release on July 22, 2016.

Saban's "Power Rangers" franchise is the brainchild of Haim Saban, creator and producer of the original "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" hit series that launched in 1993. Following its introduction, "Power Rangers" quickly became the most-watched children's television program in the United States and remains one of the top-rated and longest running boys live-action series in television history. The series follows the adventures of a group of ordinary teens who "morph" into superheroes and save the world from evil. It is seen in more than 150 markets around the world, translated into numerous languages and is a mainstay in the most prominent international children’s programming blocks.

20th Century Fox previously released two feature films, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie in 1995 and Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie in 1997.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

According to The Hollywood Reporter, writer and director David Ayer -- whose much-buzzed-about World War II drama Fury hits theaters next month -- is "circling" a Suicide Squad film at Warners. A script for the film by The Jungle Book writer Justin Marks has been around since 2011, but we haven't heard much about it since the studio's plans to get the Justice League on the big screen kicked into high gear in the wake of Man of Steel.

Though the Suicide Squad team name was first introduced in 1959, the team really took off with writer John Ostrander's lineup under the leadership of Amanda Waller in 1987. Ostrander's run established much of the tone and structure of Suicide Squad as we know it today and elevated characters like Deadshot to fan-favorite prominence. A version of the team popped up on Arrow this past season, and DC's recently unveiled New Suicide Squad series has found critical acclaim. The characters still aren't as hot as the likes of Batman and Superman (who is in the DC Universe?), but their star does seem to be rising.

Warner Bros. reportedly began a search for a Suicide Squad director earlier this year, which suggests that the film is on that list of mystery dates the studio unveiled last month. Warners hasn't commented on Ayer directing the film, but if he signs on, and if Fury delivers on its buzz, the studio will have an acclaimed director with gritty action experience ready to deliver supervillain covert ops on the big screen.

So, after all of these months talking about almost nothing but Justice League, it looks like Suicide Squad is headed to the big screen too.

DOCTOR WHO CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
The BBC has finally confirmed the list of guest stars for this year’s upcoming Doctor Who Christmas special; let's just say things are about to get FROSTY.

As we reported on Monday (it was still a rumor back then), Shaun of the Dead’s Nick Frost (The Cornetto Trilogy) will indeed drop in on Doctor Who for a guest-starring stint in what may be the coolest piece of Who casting news we’ve heard in a while.

Frost will be joined by Nathan McMullen (Misfits) and Michael Troughton (Breathless) -- who happens to be the son of Second Doctor Patrick Troughton. Michael's brother David also guest-starred on Doctor Who a few years back, more specifically in the magnificent Russell T Davies-penned episode "Midnight."

Below is the BBC’s official press release :

Production on 2014's Doctor Who Christmas episode has begun, with a host of British acting talent set to appear. The Christmas special, a cracker of a highlight in the festive season’s schedule, will air this Christmas on BBC One and promises to be an action-packed, unmissable adventure.

Nick Frost, actor and screenwriter, has starred in numerous hit film and television roles, including Spaced, The World’s End, Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, Cuban Fury and Paul, which he also wrote.

Nick comments: “I'm so thrilled to have been asked to guest in the Doctor Who Christmas Special, I'm such a fan of the show. The read-through was very difficult for me; I wanted to keep stuffing my fingers into my ears and scream 'No spoilers!' Every day on set I’ve had to silence my internal fan-boy squeals!"

Michael Troughton (Breathless, The New Statesman), who has recently returned to acting, will follow in his father’s footsteps by appearing in Doctor Who. His father, Patrick Troughton, played the second incarnation of the Doctor.

They will be joined by Natalie Gumede (Coronation Street, Ideal, Strictly Come Dancing), Faye Marsay (Pride, The White Queen, Fresh Meat) and Nathan McMullen (Misfits, Casualty).

Steven Moffat, lead writer and executive producer, says: “Frost at Christmas - it just makes sense! I worked with Nick on the Tintin movie many years ago and it's a real pleasure to lure him back to television for a ride on the TARDIS.”

The Doctor Who Christmas Special will air on BBC One. Written by Steven Moffat and directed by Paul Wilmshurst (Strike Back, Combat Kids), it will be shot in Cardiff at BBC Wales Roath Lock Studios.

ROAD TO OZ
The man who brought to life the magical world of Oz is getting his own big-screen treatment.

New Line Cinema has preemptively scooped up spec script Road to Oz, written by hot rising talent Josh Golden. Beau Flynn will produce via his New Line-based FlynnPictureCo.

This is how hot Golden and Road to Oz are: The screenwriter and his script, which chronicles the early days of whimsical author L. Frank Baum, are finalists for the 2014 Academy Nicholl Fellowships, which were announced earlier this week.

Baum was a prolific writer, known for the best-selling children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He wrote 13 sequels to the hit book, which was famously adapted into the 1939 film starring Judy Garland (New Line's parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, owns the rights to that film). Other than the Oz series, Baum also wrote more than two dozen other books including Dot and Tot of Merryland, The Sea Fairies and Sky Island.

Baum's Oz tales have stood the test of time, with the 1939 film now a classic, perennially playing on screens and remaining a solid merchandising performer. Wicked, based on the story, is one of the Broadway's biggest hits. And Disney proved that the Oz world still works on the big screen with the 2013 film Oz the Great and Powerful. Starring James Franco and Mila Kunis, the prequel was a box office smash, earning $493.3 million worldwide and having the 10th highest domestic box office gross of the year.

Movies about authors and the stories behind their most famous works tend to attract high-class talent. Finding Neverland saw Johnny Depp as J.M. Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan, and scored six Oscar nominations. Last year's Saving Mr. Banks was also awards bait with a cast that included Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell and Paul Giamatti.

Golden worked with Nellie Bellflower, who produced Finding Neverland, and Michael Mislove on developing the script. Bellflower and Mislove will now also produce Road to Oz with Flynn.

Scott Sheldon will oversee the project for FlynnPicture Co. Michael Disco and Sam Brown are shepherding it for New Line. The plan is to attach a director as soon as possible.

FLASH
The CW has released quick TV spots for the upcoming "Arrow" spin-off "The Flash" which feature a few bits of new footage from the series.

"The Flash" arrives from co-creators Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg, who, along with Geoff Johns, wrote the pilot episode which was helmed by "Arrow" pilot director David Nutter. Gustin will star as the titular hero along with Candice Patton as Iris West, Jesse L. Martin as Iris's father, Detective West, Michelle Harrison? as Barry’s mother Nora Allen and many others, including John Wesley Shipp, from the original "The Flash" TV series, as Barry’s father.

Set to premiere on October 7, "The Flash" will air on Tuesdays this fall.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2014

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2014

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2014

More than just about anyone else on the roster, Daredevil is a character that could go dark and still stay extremely loyal to the comic canon. This isn’t Iron Man, or Thor. In a lot of ways, Daredevil is like a blind, poor Batman (albeit with radar sense), and it sounds like DeKnight wants to embrace that gritty side of Matt Murdock.

During an interview with Paste, DeKnight touched on the character’s history and what story has inspired him the most from the annals of Daredevil history. After hearing his passion for the character, we’re even more excited to get a look at this series:

“With this version of Daredevil, we wanted it to be grounded, gritty, as realistic as we could portray. That naturally fits in with the Daredevil character. Matt Murdock, on a regular basis, would get the s*** beat out of him. That’s one thing that makes him a great character. He’s not super strong. He’s not invulnerable. In every aspect, he’s a man that’s just pushed himself to the limits, he just has senses that are better than a normal humans. He is human. The other thing that really drew me to this character is that he’s one of the most morally grey of the heroes…

He’s a lawyer by day, and he’s taken this oath. But every night he breaks that oath, and goes out and does very violent things. The image that always stuck in my mind was the Frank Miller Elektra run where he’s holding Bullseye over the street, and he lets Bullseye go because he doesn’t want Bullseye to ever kill anyone again. When I read that originally, when I was young, I’d never seen anything like that in comics. Superman scoops up the villain and puts them in jail. This time the hero didn’t do that. It was a morally grey ground that I found absolutely fascinating. There are two sides to this character. He’s literally one bad day away from becoming the The Punisher! Frank Castle went just a little bit further than he did. Daredevil has no qualms about beating the hell out of somebody. He’s not going to tie them up with his webs! He’ll come close to killing somebody. And it’s that fine edge—Why doesn’t he go all the way? I really liked the flawed heroes, the human heroes.”

Along with expanding outside the S.H.I.E.L.D. sphere of influence, this series will also kick off Netflix’s run of Marvel originals, with Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage and The Defenders miniseries to eventually follow. DeKnight said the early stage of working with Netflix has been a great experience, and projects like House of Cards have shown they’re capable of producing shows that can rival even the best networks when it comes to quality.

He also touched on how long the series might actually run, considering they have four other shows in the offing to tie into. DeKnight said he knows about as much as we do at this point, and it seems they’re still ironing out exactly how everything will fit together to feed into Defenders:

“Netflix has been fantastic. They are phenomenally supportive of the creatives. How much freedom will I have? This is a bit of a different scenario because it’s a Marvel property. Once you have an IP like that, there are restrictions that you have to accept. I’m fine with that, I totally understand. I’ll push it as far as I can, of course, but I also respect the fact that this character has been around for decades. Overall I’ve been surprised at how willing everyone is to take a really fresh look and really push what we’re doing…

On this show, I honestly have no idea [how long it will run]. That’s so far above my pay grade. Making it even more complicated is the fact that [Daredevil] is one part of the bigger plan— Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and then The Defenders. How that all fits together, and whether or not there will be a second season of this show—or if it will fold into the others—are question nobody really has answers to yet.”

The series is tentatively slated to debut in May 2015, starring Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio and Rosario Dawson.

DRACULA UNTOLD
We've seen the trailer for Legendary and Universal's Dracula Untold and now the first clip has made its way online (via Metro).

Starring Luke Evans, Sarah Gadon, Diarmaid Murtagh, Dominic Cooper and Samantha Barks, Dracula Untold opens in 2D theaters and IMAX on October 10. Evans stars in the origin story of the man who became Dracula.

ANNABELLE
New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures have revealed the new TV spot for Annabelle, the horror thriller opening in theaters on October 3. Ttake a look at some of the film's new outdoor advertising spotted in the wild over at ShockTillYouDrop.com!

She terrified you in The Conjuring, but this is where it all began for Annabelle. Capable of unspeakable evil, the actual doll exists locked up in an occult museum in Connecticut - visited only by a priest who blesses her twice a month.

The supernatural thriller Annabelle begins before the evil was unleashed.

John Form has found the perfect gift for his expectant wife, Mia - a beautiful, rare vintage doll in a pure white wedding dress. But Mia’s delight with Annabelle doesn't last long.

On one horrific night, their home is invaded by members of a satanic cult, who violently attack the couple. Spilled blood and terror are not all they leave behind. The cultists have conjured an entity so malevolent that nothing they did will compare to the sinister conduit to the damned that is now... Annabelle.

GRIMM
Grimm calls them Wesen — German for “creature” — the mythology-inspired monsters hiding in plain sight on the NBC thriller, going into its fourth year of giving fans a reason to stay home Friday nights. This season picks up right where the May finale left off, with Nick (David Giuntoli) having lost his Wesen-spotting powers — which means he’ll have to lean on Trubel (Jacqueline Toboni) to function as his seeing-eye Grimm. Below, EW can exclusively reveal this quartet of new baddies that will haunt slayers Nick and Hank when Grimm returns for Friday, Oct. 24:

Gedächtnis Esser: Or what Syfy channel would call: “Manopus!” The part-man part-octopus Wesen has four tentacles that burrow into its victim’s head. If that weren’t lousy enough, the creature steals your memories and leaves you with dementia. “A lot of what we do is try to explain real-world problems, like in this case, identity theft,” says executive producer Jim Kouf. “Our best Wesen ideas come when we have an emotional core that explains something in life.”

Schinderdiv: “How do you explain people who are only out for themselves and do anything to achieve a goal?” asks executive producer David Greenwalt. If you answered, “A Schinderdiv!” then you are correct! This is your basic demon beast with long-bottom fangs (which must make shaving pretty difficult). This wesen is meant to embody ruthlessness and selfishness.

Heftigauroch: We’re starting to suspect all these names are actually German micro-brews, but Kouf says the Heftigauroch is actually a bull-like Wesen that morphs into rage when provoked. In the show, he’s a boxer who is very peaceful and doesn’t want to fight. Yet when pushed too far he becomes … yup, a raging bull. “When a bull is brought into a ring it doesn’t necessarily want a fight requires being hit with picadors to get mad — this Wesen requires the same treatment,” Kouf says.

Golem: The producers are cheating a little as the Golem is not a Wesen, but a creature from the Jewish religion. Made of clay and 10-feet high, he’s made to protect the meek but is dangerous to try to control. “The twist with our Golem is how it gets destroyed,” Kouf teases. Our bet: Industrial-sized pottery wheel.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

HUMANS
AMC is stepping in for Xbox.

AMC Backlash: Budget Squeezing, Producer "Bake-Offs" and Post-'Breaking Bad' Challenges The cable network is near a deal to acquire domestic rights to the co-production drama series Humans, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. AMC declined comment.

Humans landed at Xbox with an eight-episode series commitment in April in a co-production deal with U.K. broadcaster Channel 4. The series, from British writing team Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley (Spooks) is an English-language adaptation of Sveriges Television and Matador Film's acclaimed series Real Humans. U.K. indie production banner Kudos (Broadchurch) will produce the series, which was originally planned to share a premiere broadcast window on both the Xbox platform in North America and Channel 4 in the U.K. in 2015. Casting is said to already be underway.

Humans is set in a parallel present where the latest must-have gadget for any busy family is a "synth" — a highly developed robotic servant eerily similar to its live counterpart. In the hope of transforming the way they live, one strained suburban family purchases a refurbished synth only to discover that sharing life with a machine has far-reaching and chilling consequences.

AMC's deal to step in for Xbox comes two months after Microsoft opted to shutter Xbox Entertainment Studios, its original programming studio. That left originals like Humans and the Steven Spielberg-produced live-action Halo series in the lurch. (Sources told THR in August that Xbox was shopping its entertainment studio, with Warner Bros. coming up as a potential home.)

For AMC, meanwhile, the deal to acquire Humans comes as the cable network has seen its latest original scripted programming struggle to break through the way that critical and ratings hits like The Walking Dead, Mad Men and Breaking Bad have. The network will not unspool any new original scripted series for the remainder of 2014. AMC's roster of originals currently includes martial arts drama Badlands (late 2015 or early 2016), the final seven episodes of Mad Men, Saturday staple Hell on Wheels and the sophomore runs of Halt & Catch Fire and Turn, as well as Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul and monster hit The Walking Dead.

On the pilot side, AMC is developing a Walking Dead companion series; Knifeman; Galyntine; White City; and comedy We Hate Paul Revere.

B.O.O. - BUREAU OF OTHERWORLDLY OPERATIONS
A first look at the stars of DreamWorks Animation's B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations has been revealed thanks to the cover of a movie tie-in book that has popped up on Amazon (spotted by Film Divider).

The supernatural action comedy follows two bumbling apparitions who find themselves in an extraordinary after-life adventure when they join the Bureau of Otherworldly Operations (B.O.O.) – the ghost world’s elite counter-haunting unit – and ultimately must face off against the planet’s greatest haunter.

Seth Rogen, Melissa McCarthy, Rashida Jones, Matt Bomer, Bill Murray, Jennifer Coolidge and Octavia Spencer lend their voices to the June 5, 2015 release.

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. ABC and Marvel have a new, 30-second TV spot for the second season of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

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 Two will premiere on September 23.

ANDRON
Alec Baldwin, who will soon be starring in Mission: Impossible 5, is set to join forces with Lethal Weapon's Danny Glover to headline Andron, a sci-fi action adventure movie from AMBI Pictures Group, the movie development, finance, production and distribution group owned and run by Andrea Iervolino and Lady Monika Bacardi.

The movie begins when a group of young men and women awake in a dark, claustrophobic maze. They don't remember who they are or how they got stuck in the black labyrinth of Andron. The group must learn to decipher codes, understand the signals, and beat the tests in this mysterious and bizarre place. Out of necessity they struggle to form a bond to survive, while the outside of the world watches and wages on their fate.

Baldwin and Glover will be supported by a cast that includes Michelle Ryan ("EastEnders," Cashback), Skin (lead singer from UK band Skunk Anansie), Jon Kortajarena (A Single Man), Gale Harold ("Queer as Folk") and Leo Howard (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Conan the Barbarian).

"The story of 'Andron' is enough to excite sci-fi fans worldwide but when you add actors like Alec Baldwin and Danny Glover, the meter rises even higher and audiences expect something very special, which is what we plan to deliver," says Iervolino. "We're very excited to add this film to our production slate and eager to get to work on a film we believe has great breakout potential."

Iervolino and Lady Bacardi are financing and producing the film and AMBI's international sales arm, AMBI Distribution, is handling worldwide sales.

Franceso Cinquemani wrote the screenplay and is directing the film, marking his feature directorial debut. Principal photography will commence this month in Malta, in collaboration with the Malta Film Commission, and in Italy.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

- "Once Upon a Time" has cast Belle's mom and it's none other than "Mansfield Park and "Mr. Selfridge" actress Frances O'Connor. Why so young, you may ask? Because Belle's mom will be seen in flashbacks. [ Entertainment Weekly]

- "Covert Affairs" star Peter Gallagher is heading to "Law & Order: SVU" for the upcoming sixteenth season of the NBC drama. He will play Deputy Chief William Dodd, a hardline boss who oversees all the special victims units in New York. [ TVLine]

- Netflix has acquired the streaming rights to Season 1 of "Gotham" before it premieres. The streaming service is reported to be paying roughly $1.75 million per episode for the series. It's expected that the first season of the show will become available in September 2015. [ Deadline]

- Want to watch "Gotham" online? You'll want to get a Netflix subscription sometime before next fall, because the streaming site has purchased the exclusive subscription rights to host the show after its broadcast run -- before it's even premiered. [ Deadline]

- PepsiCo's Doritos and Universal Pictures have teamed up for Super Bowl XLIX. Doritos is asking fans to create their versions of a Super Bowl ad for the brand, with the grand prize winner receiving $1 million. The winner also will get a job for a year as a contractor at Universal Pictures in Hollywood, Calif. Two ads will be chosen to air on television during the Super Bowl, and the one that gets the most consumer votes will be deemed the winner.

- The Season 4 poster for "Comic Book Men" has been revealed, starring Executive Producer Kevin Smith and his "Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash" team. The unscripted series returns to AMC on Sunday Oct. 12 at midnight. [ AMC]

WALKING DEAD NEWS
Get your survival kits ready and start scrounging for food — The Walking Dead’s TV universe is officially getting bigger.

In a move that surprises absolutely no one, AMC has officially placed a pilot order for that Walking Dead spinoff series that has been in development since last year. Nothing is known about the plot other than the fact that it won’t be set in Georgia like the main series, and that hasn’t really changed.

But AMC President Charlie Collier did offer a few tantalizing hints about the project, noting that one goal of the pilot is to offer fans a look at what’s happening in other parts of the world:

“Almost from the beginning of The Walking Dead on AMC, fans have been curious about what is going on in the zombie apocalypse in other parts of the world. In fact, beyond requests for zombie cameos, it’s the question I get asked the most. Obviously, we all take our stewardship of the original franchise incredibly seriously and we, along with Robert, Gale, David and now Dave, are all proceeding with extreme care in order to ensure that we are offering fans something truly compelling, engaging and distinct. We’re thrilled to be taking this next step with these remarkable partners.”

The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, along with producers Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert, are all contributing behind the scenes to bring the spinoff series to life. The network has also hired Dave Erickson (Sons of Anarchy) to serve as showrunner. Ericsson and Kirkman teamed up to write the pilot script, which Entertainment Weekly notes “really impressed” the AMC higher-ups.

As for Kirkman, he’s made the act of being cryptic an absolute art over the past few years, and dropped this shadowy comment about the status of development for the pilot:

“There are many corners of The Walking Dead universe that remain unseen in the shadows. Being given the opportunity to shine a light into those corners and see what lurks out there is an absolute thrill. I know the fans are anxious to hear what Dave and I have been cooking up for this new universe of The Walking Dead, and I’m happy to be one step closer to sharing it with them.”

The new season of The Walking Dead is set to premiere Oct. 12, and the spinoff will likely arrive at some point next year, assuming AMC picks it up. Considering the network practically prints money with the zombie franchise, we think it’s a safe bet we’ll see a lot more from this mystery project next year.

BATMAN BEYOND
It's Bat to the future with Chapter 32 of Batman Beyond 2.0. In the new story arc of the digital first comic, Rewire is out of Arkham and Ghoul is back on the streets and selling modified Joker toxin. Can things get any worse? You can bet on it, because Inque is back and more powerful than ever.

Written by Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel, with art by Thony Silas, color by Guy Major and cover by Matteo Scalea and Moreno Dinisio, Batman Beyond 2.0 Chapter 32 is available for download tomorrow, Sept. 6. But Blastr has an exclusive look at it today. Check it out and download the comic tomorrow via the DC Comics App, Readdcentertainment.com, iBooks, comiXology.com, Google Play, Kindle Store and Nook Store. If you're more a print fan, Chapter 32 will be collected in Batman Beyond Universe 14, which contains digital comic chapters 29-32 and will hit stands Sept. 24.

GOOD OMENS
Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s fantasy novel Good Omens will finally get a well-deserved adaptation. But there’s a tiny catch.

The geektastic collaboration between two fantasy greats left a strong impression on fans everywhere, establishing Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch as something of a cult favorite and sparking questions as to when, if ever, we might get to see it in another form. So what’s the catch about this adaptation?

It seems Good Omens is NOT going to be adapted for TV or film ... but for radio.

The six-part audio series, which will air on Radio 4, will feature talents from cult TV shows including Sherlock, Merlin, Game of Thrones, Being Human, Shaun of the Dead, Spaced and Peep Show. It's in the very capable hands of Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (the BBC4 radio adaptation, not the 2005 movie) director Dirk Maggs, who also dramatized Gaiman’s novel Neverwhere, featuring a stellar cast including Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy and Natalie Dormer, to critical acclaim.

Mark Heap and Peter Serafinowicz will take centre stage as the angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley respectively. Other actors on board the Radio 4 adaptation include Colin Morgan, Louise Brealey, Clive Russell, Julia Deakin, Simon Jones, Arsher Ali, Phil Davis and Mark Benton. Gaiman and Pratchett will also make cameo appearances.

Good Omens basically tells the story of a fast-approaching apocalypse and the unlikely duo of Aziraphale and Crowley, who are keen to prevent it by killing the Antichrist. But unfortunately, they seem to have mislaid him.

Released in 1990, Good Omens was listed among the BBC’s Big Read Nation’s 100 favorite books, and this is the first time the story has been dramatized, with Maggs adapting the novel with the help of Gaiman.

Good Omens is scheduled to air in December. It will broadcast across a week in five half-hour episodes, culminating in an hourlong final apocalyptic showdown in time for Christmas.

Radio 4 boss Gwyneth Williams said of the project: “I’m delighted to have Neil Gaiman back on Radio 4 -- and this time with Terry Pratchett. I can’t wait to hear what they will do with the apocalypse. The Radio 4 audience loved Neverwhere and Good Omens will be a splendid Christmas treat.”

IRON MAN
Alex Ross has been cranking out some truly stunning artwork to celebrate Marvel's 75th anniversary, with vivid variant covers for Captain America, Daredevil, Savage Hulk, Guardians of the Galaxy and more. This painterly prodigy has been able to distill the extreme essence of the character into each of these engaging artworks. Here's the master's take on Tony Stark and all the iterations of Iron Man, capturing the humanity, anguish and elation of the crimson-and-gold crusader and his alliance with the Avengers for November's Superior Iron Man #1.

Written by Tom Taylor with art by Yildiray Cinar, Superior Iron Man #1 hits the shelves this fall.

THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
A new piece of promotional art for the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron has popped up online (thanks to forum member 'marvel_freshman') and not only gives us a new look at the team in action but a better look at Paul Bettany's The Vision!

Opening in theaters on May 1, 2015, the highly-anticipated sequel also stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, James Spader, Cobie Smulders, and Thomas Kretschmann.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2014

Instead, the Doctor pilots the TARDIS to come kind of theme park on another planet. He's angry, Alice is confused, and someone with a green mohawk is about to get in trouble for vandalizing the park. To see more, go to http://www.zap2it.com/blogs/doctor_who_the_eleventh_doctor_no_2_comic_covers_pages-2014-09.

The issue is written by Al Ewing, with art by Simon Fraser. "Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor" number two is in stores Wednesday, Sept. 10.

CONSTANTINE
"Constantine" is adding a character DC comic book fans know very well. "In The Flesh" star Emmett Scanlan has been cast as New Orleans detective Jim Corrigan in a recurring guest role.

IGN is reporting the news, adding that Corrigan would become immersed in John Constantine's supernatural world and be willing to do anything to bring evil to justice. In the comics, Corrigan is eventually murdered and with his avenging spirit returns to Earth as The Spectre.

There's no word on when Corrigan will first appear on the series. "Constantine" premieres Friday, Oct. 24, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

THE FLASH
The marketing blitz for Arrow and its spinoff series The Flash is ramping up, and now The CW has released two excellent new trailers to promo the DC superhero projects. The Flash trailer works more to set the tone of the new Arrow spinoff, focusing on the setup of young Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and his character. We get to see more of his mother’s mysterious, super speed-related death, plus some nice shots of Gustin getting used to his powers and embracing his inner hero. We’ve seen the pilot, and it’s well worth a watch.

Flash premieres Oct. 7, while Arrow returns Oct. 8, to The CW.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

THE ZOCALO TODAY

Facebook as well as at ISN News: The Zocalo Today on Yahoo Groups.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2014

THE FLASH
Dominic Purcell (Prison Break) is the latest addition to the cast of The Flash.

Purcell will play Mick Rory, a pyromaniac who finds an outlet for his obsession with fire when he teams up with Leonard Snart/Captain Cold (Miller) and becomes the villain known as Heatwave.

Purcell will first appear in episode 4 of the comic-book based series.

DRACULA UNTOLD
A new international trailer for Dracula Untold have been unleashed, featuring a bat-flurry of brand-new, exciting footage.

The upcoming movie from Universal Pictures sees Luke Evans (Bard the Bowman in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: The Battle of FIve Armies) in the role of Vlad Tepes (or Vlad the Impaler, to his friends), the ruthless Wallachian leader who would later be known the world over -- thanks to Bram Stoker -- as Count Dracula.

Directed by Gary Shore, Dracula Untold takes on the origin story of the most famous vampire of all time, by putting a mythical (and magical) spin on the very real man.

Here's a short blurb:

Luke Evans (Fast & Furious 6, Immortals) stars in Dracula Untold, the origin story of the man who became Dracula. Gary Shore directs and Michael De Luca produces the epic action-adventure that co-stars Sarah Gadon, Dominic Cooper, Diarmaid Murtagh and Samantha Barks.

Dracula Untold will be unleashed in theatres on Oct. 17, 2014, in the U.S. and Oct. 3 in the U.K., just in time for Halloween.

CHILDHOOD'S END
It’s been more than a year since we heard anything about Syfy’s potential Arthur C. Clarke adaptation Childhood’s End, but the network has finally given it a green light.

The six-hour miniseries adaptation was first put into development along with a crush of new projects early last year, and the studio has now pulled the trigger. The project will be produced by Michael De Luca (The Social Network) and Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind).

An interesting bit? It’ll be directed by Doctor Who alum Nick Hurran, and penned by Who writer Matthew Graham. They obviously already have some experience dealing with aliens, so this tale of a peaceful alien invasion that essentially turns the world into a near-utopia should be right up their alley.

Clarke published Childhood’s End in 1953, and the ambitious novel tells the story of alien Overlords who come to rule the Earth and end all war, but everything is not exactly as it seems. Their arrival sets off a whole new series of events that could eventually cost us the planet we call home.

Syfy president Dave Howe had this to say about the series to The Hollywood Reporter, which offers some hints about which direction they'll be taking the story:

“As we aggressively develop scripted programming over a diverse creative landscape, we want our content to reflect the greatest sci-fi stories from the past and the present. The powerful themes of Childhood’s End, from the fearsome price of peace and prosperity, to the very question of what constitutes a human being, remain fascinating and timeless. This will be the most ambitious project for Syfy in many years.”

Assuming Syfy manages to bring the book to the small screen, they’ll have succeeded where many have failed. Legendary director Stanley Kubrick tried to make it in the 1960s but couldn’t get the rights, and a version by Abraham Polonsky never made it out of the scripting phase. As late as 2002 Universal was kicking it around, with Kimberly Peirce attached to direct at the time.

There’s no specific timeline for when the series might arrive, but we’d think mid-to-late 2015 at the earliest.

HANSEL
Producer Juliet Blake ("The Hundred-Foot Journey") is set to develop a live-action "Hansel and Gretel" movie after her Four Chickens for a Fiver banner acquired feature film rights to Neil Gaiman's upcoming graphic novel about the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale.

The story is "Stardust" and "Coraline" author Gaiman's take on the fairytale about a brother and sister threatened by a witch living in a candy house.

He says: "For me, retelling Hansel and Gretel was a way of telling an old tale in a way that made it immediate and true, and about us, now. It reminds us of how paper thin civilization really is. It’s about hunger, and about families. I’m thrilledand delighted to be working with Juliet Blake to bring Hansel and Gretel to the world again, and to show people how much this story has to say to us."

Gaiman’s book, illustrated by Lorenzo Mattotti, will be released in October.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2014

Z NATION
Aside from that all-too-brief teaser clip we saw a while back, Syfy hasn’t released a whole lot of footage from the upcoming zombie series Z Nation. Until now.

Ahead of the series’ Sept. 12 debut, the network has released an extended trailer via a free “Sneak Peek” over at Amazon. It shows off quite a bit of new footage, and honestly looks much more solid than the brief teaser trailer indicated.

The effects and cinematography look decent, and it definitely has a Walking Dead vibe around the edges — but the series feels a bit brighter and more hopeful, as opposed to just the all-out darkness we know and love in AMC’s horror series. There also seems to be a driving story arc quickly established in the pilot.

As Walking Dead has proven, viewers love to watch zombies. But that show has succeeded because it’s good, not just because it features insane gore and undead craziness. Here’s hoping Z Nation producer Karl Schaefer (Eureka) has this one on the right track. If nothing else, the new footage definitely has our curiosity piqued.

They’ve also assembled a cast that features some familiar faces for genre fans, including Harold Perrineau (Lost), DJ Qualls (Supernatural) and Tom Everett Scott (Southland, Beauty and the Beast). Qualls positively steals the show every time he pops up in Supernatural, so we’re glad to see him get a meaty genre role here.

THE MAGICIANS
The folks at Syfy are bringing in an acclaimed film director to help kick off the ambitious new series The Magicians, and we’re psyched to see what he does with the franchise.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has tapped Mike Cahill (Another Earth, I, Origins) to helm the pilot of The Magicians, which is based on Lev Grossman's best-selling supernatural book series of the same name.

The series will focus on two 20-somethings who, “while studying magic in New York, discover that the magical fantasy world they read about as kids is real and poses grave danger to humanity.” The script is being written by Sera Gamble (Supernatural) and John McNamara (Prime Suspect).

If you’re unfamiliar with Cahill, it’s understandable, since most of his accolades have come a bit deeper on the indie side of things. He wrote and directed the buzzy 2011 Sundance film Another Earth, plus the feature I, Origins. Both of those efforts were awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, given to films focusing on science or technology, at Sundance.

Syfy’s EVP of original content, Bill McGoldrick, noted they were “impressed” with Cahill’s work in the feature film world, adding that the network is “very excited” to have him on board to bring The Magicians to life. Cahill has created some of the most visually interesting sci-fi flicks in recent memory, so we can’t wait to see Grossman's books translated through that lens.

Production on the pilot is set to ramp up later this year. With Cahill at the helm, we’re excited to see how it turns out.

MONSTERS DARK CONTINENT - GOLIATH
Vertigo Films has released a brand-new U.K. trailer for the eagerly anticipated sequel to Gareth Edward’s Monsters flick, Monsters: Dark Continent.

If you were itching to finally see some new footage from this upcoming horror/sci-fi film, then you’re in luck, because there’s plenty more to look at in this new, longer trailer (the last trailer we showed you back in May was just a tad over a minute long).

We don't know about you, but it's giving us a mighty case of Black Hawk Down meets Aliens vibe, which is very different from the tone of its predecessor.

Here's a blurb for the film:

Seven years on from the events of Monsters, and the ‘Infected Zones’ have spread worldwide. Humans have been knocked off the top of the food chain, with disparate communities struggling for survival. American soldiers are being sent abroad to protect US interests from the Monsters, but the war is far from being won. Noah, a haunted soldier with several tours under his belt, is sent on a mission: an American soldier has gone rogue deep in the Infected Zone, and Noah must reach him and take him out. But when Noah's unit and transport are destroyed, he finds himself with only a young and inexperienced cadet for company - the brother of the man Noah has been sent to kill. The two soldiers must go on a life-altering journey through the dark heart of monster territory, accompanied by a young local woman to guide them. By the time the three of them reach their goal, they will have been forced to confront the fear that the true monsters on the planet may not be alien after all.

Director Tom Green (Misfits) takes over for Gareth Edwards this time around, since the latter has moved on to name-brand monsters and a little franchise you might have heard of.

Monsters: Dark Continent will be released in the U.K. on Nov. 28.

SPACE COMMAND
A new trailer for the indie sci-fi flick Space Command has arrived, and it’s loaded with familiar sci-fi faces and some 1950s pulp attitude. Honestly, it looks like a lot of fun.

The series, developed by veteran writer and director Marc Scott Zicree (Sliders, Space Precinct), is meant to evoke the nostalgia and positivity of classic science fiction. The effects are a little silly, and the whole thing has a low-budget feel, but it’s still a delightful genre throwback. It almost has a bit of a Star Trek: The Original Series vibe.

The best part? You’ll recognize a boatload of the cast. It includes Star Trek players Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo and Armin Shimmerman; Babylon 5 alums Mira Furlan and Bill Mumy; former The X-Files fan fave Dean Haglund and acclaimed creature actor Doug Jones (Hellboy, Falling Skies). It’s a fun cast, and if nothing else, it’s a blast to see them all together in one project.

Watch the new trailer above and check out the synopsis below:

The SC stories follow the bold future adventures of the United Planet’s Space Command, a dedicated group of scientists, soldiers and adventurers exploring and taming the vast expanse of our solar system for human colonization … Reminiscent of sci-fi’s optimistic past, SPACE COMMAND promises high-flying adventure, stunning visual effects, memorable characters and thoughtful discussions of eternally human conflicts.

Shooting for the first film resumed Aug. 25, and the process is reportedly in the “home stretch” to wrap up the first installment of the potential franchise.

DEATH OF WOLVERINE
Charles Soule has been a familiar name for comic book readers over the last couple of years, with the part-time writer (he famously maintains his day job as an attorney) at one point being responsible for no less than seven ongoing series for three different companies simultaneously. That is no longer going to be the case, however, with the news that Soule has signed an exclusive contract with Marvel Entertainment.

Originally reported by USA Today, the new deal coincides with Soule's most high-profile project yet, Marvel's The Death of Wolverine, which launches Sept. 3 in comic stores and digitally (Skottie Young's variant cover for the first issue, left). Marvel confirmed the new contract with The Hollywood Reporter and said that more information will be released Wednesday. In addition to creating the main Death of Wolverine series with Steve McNiven, which runs weekly through Sept., Soule is also overseeing the already-announced follow-up projects, The Logan Legacy and The Weapon X Program.

The exclusive deal will see Soule continue to write the ongoing Inhuman series for Marvel. While it's not yet known who will replace the writer on his DC titles Red Lanterns and Swamp Thing, DC announced last month that Peter Tomasi would take over writing Soule's third DC title, Superman/Wonder Woman with its thirteenth issue. The status of his creator-owned series Letter 44 at Oni Press — currently in development as a TV series — is unclear, but likely to be unaffected by the new deal (creator-owned projects for other publishers have traditionally been exempted from Marvel's exclusive contracts).

BIG HERO 6
ABC has provided a sneak preview of Walt Disney Animation Studios' next feature, the Marvel adaptation Big Hero 6.

Big Hero 6 is an action comedy adventure about brilliant robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada, who finds himself in the grips of a criminal plot that threatens to destroy the fast-paced, high-tech city of San Fransokyo. With the help of his closest companion—a robot named Baymax—Hiro joins forces with a reluctant team of first-time crime fighters on a mission to save their city.

Featuring the voices of Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, TJ Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr., Genesis Rodriguez, Daniel Henney. Maya Rudolph, James Cromwell, and Alan Tudyk, the movie is set to hit theaters on November 7.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2014

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
Closing out the troubled summer at the North American box office, James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy easily ruled the Labor Day holiday, earning a victorious $22.2 million in its fifth weekend for domestic total of $280 million. It will even break the curse that has plagued other summer tentpoles and hit $300 million domestically.

Globally, the Marvel Studios and Disney event pic has earned $553.6 million.

New Labor Day weekend entries As Above, So Below and The November Man did only modest business, coming in No. 5 and No. 6 behind Guardians, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, If I Stay and R-rated comedy Let's Be Cops with $10.3 million and $10.2 million, respectively. November Man, opening Wednesday, did a total $11.9 million in its six-day debut.

Hollywood is more than ready to say goodbye to one of the most disappointing summers in memory, although some prospered, such as Disney and market-leader Fox.

North American revenue for the season came in at an estimated $4.05 billion, marking an eight-year low and, when accounting for inflation, a 17-year low. And revenue is down 15 percent from last year's record haul of $4.75 billion, the biggest year-over-year decline that anyone can remember. Even Labor Day, never a big moviegoing holiday, was down more than 14 percent from last year. Summer attendance was also down by more than 5 percent.

Guardians has been one of the summer's few bright spots and is now the top-grossing film of 2014 to date domestically, eclipsing the $259.8 million earned by fellow Marvel and Disney tentpole Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And international returns remain strong, helping to make up for the gap for many films.

From Legendary Entertainment, As Above, So Below skewed notably younger, with 65 percent of the audience under the age of 25. The audience was split evenly in terms of gender.

The psychological thriller cost a mere $5 million to make, and follows a group of explorers who discover dark forces when they dive into the catacombs that lie beneath the streets of Paris. Universal is releasing the film, which targeted younger consumers with an aggressive digital campaign.

From director Roger Donaldson, The November Man follows an ex-CIA agent (Brosnan) who is brought back for one more mission and finds himself pitted against his former pupil. The movie, returning Brosnan in a James Bond-like role, skewed notably older, with 85 percent of ticket buyers over the age of 25.

The $20 million-plus movie was made and financed by The Solution Entertainment Group, Palmstar Media Capital and Merced Media Partners. Olga Kurylenko and Luke Bracey also star in November Man, which Relativity acquired for $3 million. Poor reviews likely November Man, although audiences liked it better, giving it a B+ CinemaScore. As Above, So Below earned a withering C- CinemaScore.

For the nostalgic set, Sony celebrated the 30th anniversary of Ivan Reitman's Ghostbusters by releasing the classic supernatural comedy in 784 theaters before the anniversary edition comes out on Blu-ray.

Among more limited releases, Spanish-language venture Pantelion and Lionsgate launched biopic Cantinflas in 382 locations to a pleasing $3.3 million. The movie stars Oscar Jaenda as Cantinflas, Mexico's greatest and most beloved comedy star of all time. Cantinflas opens in Mexico in September.

Cantinflas earned an A CinemaScore, and Pantelion is hoping it becomes nearly as successful as Instructions Not Included, the top grossing Spanish-language film of all time in North America. Among indie films, Jon Favreau's Chef crossed the $30 million mark at the domestic box office as it re-expanded nationwide, cooking up a sweet victory for the filmmaker and Open Road Films.

John Carney's Begin Again also took advantage of the Labor Day holiday to once again expand. The Weinstein Co. grossed $1.1 million for the four-day holiday for a domestic total of $15.6 million.

Here are the estimated top 10 films for the four-day Labor Day weekend at the domestic box office:

Title, Weeks in Release/Theater Count, Studio, Weekend Total, Percentage Change, Cume
1. Guardians of the Galaxy, 5/3,462, Disney/Marvel, $22.2 million, +29%, $280.5 million
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 4/3,543, Paramount, $15.7 million, -6%, $166.4 million
3. If I Stay, 2/3,003, Warner Bros./New Line/MGM, $111.6 million, -26%, $32.2 million
4. Let's Be Cops, 3/3,010, 20th Century Fox, $10.6 million, -2%, $59.7 million
5. As Above, So Below, 1/2,640, Universal/Legendary, $10.3 million
6. The November Man, 1/2,772, Relativity, $10.2 million, $11.9 million
7. When the Game Stands Tall, 2/2,673, Sony, $8 million, -5%, $18.7 million
8. The Giver, 3/2,805, The Weinstein Co./Walden, $6.3 million, +7%, $33.2 million
9. The Hundred-Foot Journey, 4/1,918, Disney/DreamWorks, $6.3 million, +19%, $41.1 million
10. The Expendables 3, 3/2,564, Lionsgate/Millennium, $4.6 million, -30%, $34.2 million

THE MAZE RUNNER
A new featurette for The Maze Runner has debuted, outlining the daily drill for those trapped in the Glade.

"Every day, the Maze Runners follow the same procedure," Ki Hong Lee explains to Dylan O'Brien, as he notes the importance of the map room, section assignments and gear. "Come back before the doors close," he concludes of the rules. "If you survive, we do it all again the next day." As for those who don't, well, we already know what happens to them.

The Fox film centers on Thomas (O'Brien), a teenager who wakes up in a region by roughly 50 other boys and surrounded by a deadly maze. He has no memory of his past and does not know why he has been brought there.

The big-screen adaptation of James Dashner's dystopian novel, directed by Wes Ball, also stars Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Patricia Clarkson, among others.

The Maze Runner hits theaters Sept. 19.

STAR WARS REBELS
Lucasfilm and Disney XD have released a new short from "Star Wars Rebels" which shows Ezra finding a downed TIE fighter on the plains of Lothal. The young rebel opens the ship's hatch -- pretending to help the ungrateful Imperial pilot -- and leaves with a few souvenirs.

"Star Wars Rebels" continues the epic tradition of the legendary "Star Wars" saga with all-new exciting, action-packed adventures. It is a dark time in the galaxy, as the evil Galactic Empire tightens its grip of power from world to world. As the series begins, Imperial forces have occupied a remote planet, ruling with an iron fist and ruining the lives of its people. The clever and motley crew of the starship Ghost is amongst a select few who are brave enough to stand against the Empire. Together, this ragtag group will face threatening new villains, encounter colorful adversaries, embark on thrilling adventures and become heroes with the power to ignite a rebellion.

The television debut of "Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion" is set for Friday, October 3 (9:00 p.m., ET/PT in the U.S.) on Disney Channels around the world, ushering in the series "Star Wars Rebels" beginning Monday, October 13 (9:00 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney XD.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2014

LABOR DAY
Labor Day is a day of rest or the last chance for many people to go on trips before the summer ends. For students, it is the last chance to organize parties before school starts again. In some neighborhoods, people organize fireworks displays, barbecues and public arts or sports events. The football season starts on or around Labor Day and many teams play their first game of the year during Labor Day weekend.

Traditionally, people did not wear white clothes, particularly shoes, after Labor day. However, this custom is slowly dying out. More and more people now wear white all year round, rather than just in the summer. Similarly, it is the custom to wear a straw cowboy hat from Memorial Day until Labor Day, then a felt one until Memorial Day comes around again.

I hope everyone who has the day off enjoys whatever they choose to do -- kick back and enjoy.

Unedited Star Wars Cantina Scene by chanoy UNEDITED STAR WARS FOOTAGE OF BAR SCENE
While we patiently wait to see what J.J. Abrams is putting together for Episode VII, how about a walk down memory lane through one of Star Wars’ most iconic scenes?

A boatload of behind-the-scenes pics, original design sketches and even the original uncut footage from Star Wars’ alien cantina scene have surfaced online — offering up a fascinating peek into a piece of footage that would go on to inspire tons of other sci-fi projects and set the tone for one of the genre’s biggest franchises.

Considering the mid-size budget that George Lucas was working with to make the original Star Wars, the Mos Eisley cantina scene was ambitious as hell. Combining an insane amount of practical effects to create our first peek at the truly alien universe abroad, it’s amazing to get a closer look at all the masks and costume designs that went into making it happen. Even dated, it's still impressive.

It’s easy to forget just how trendsetting the original Star Wars trilogy was for its time, and though we give Lucas a lot of grief for the prequel trilogy, he’s still one of the greatest genre minds living today. You just have to, ya know, go back a few decades to hit the highlights.

DOCTOR STRANGE
A little more than a month ago, as Marvel Studios geared up for its annual Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con, we were all pretty convinced we were about to get some major Doctor Strange news. Marvel had already announced the film's director, Scott Derrickson, in June, and as rumors that Oscar nominee Joaquin Phoenix would take the title role heated up the day before the panel, we expected something big.

Well, the panel came and went, and nothing happened. Since then we've heard nothing but more rumors about who exactly Marvel wants for the film, including recent whispers that Boardwalk Empire star Jack Huston was up for the lead. Though we don't know exactly when the film will hit theaters, we know a director is already attached, which almost certainly means the release can't be all that far off. So why hasn't Stephen Strange himself been cast?

Earlier today, Collider reported that Phoenix is now in "final talks" to join Doctor Strange as the Sorcerer Supreme, noting that his Marvel contract is "at the 1 yard line, about to pass into the endzone." As for what's taking so long, Collider's report attributed the delay to Phoenix's desire to make his Marvel contract as flexible as possible, so he can continue work on other films. Badass Digest's Devin Faraci then reported via Twitter that Phoenix did indeed meet with Marvel sometime this week, but that there was still a chance he'd back away from a Doctor Strange commitment. Latino Review's Umberto Gonzalez backed up that report shortly thereafter, tweeting that he'd heard directly from Phoenix's representatives, and that there was "lots still to work out." Though there's some dispute as to how close a final deal is, all three outlets seem to be in agreement that Phoenix is the guy Marvel wants. Now the question is: Why hasn't the superhero juggernaut been able to lock Phoenix down yet?

In a Badass Digest post expanding on his tweets from earlier today, Faraci reported that Marvel was indeed pursuing Phoenix in July, not just to be Doctor Strange, but to make his debut as a Marvel Studios star during the Hall H panel. They were hoping to seal the deal with him that very day and get him to walk out on the stage that night (think of the eruption in that hall if it had happened), but they just couldn't make it work in time. Ever since the Phoenix reports first surfaced, we've been talking about the multipicture demands Marvel makes on its actors as a major obstacle between him and joining this film, but according to Faraci, the uncertainty might run deeper. This might not just be a case of Phoenix shying from a long-term commitment to one character. It might be that he's simply not sure if he can adapt to the FX-heavy demands of this kind of blockbuster.

"He's a great actor, and he can play the role. But the Marvel Studios blockbuster machine is full of pre-viz and fight-viz and green screen and massive reshoots. It's not a world that's as comfortable for him, and he's just not certain he can do it," Faraci said. "And I kind of think this is a terrific piece of self-awareness, and a piece of self-awareness that might keep the deal from closing. If Marvel can get past any issues Phoenix has with the larger contract they still have to get over the doubt this terrific actor has about working in this larger environment."

So, it seems the difficulty could lie beyond Phoenix's reluctance to sign on for multiple movies. It could be that his biggest concern is not being able to work on whatever else he wants, but being able to work on these films -- with all of the unique acting challenges they present -- while remaining at the top of his game. That's an admirable thing to be concerned about, but as Faraci notes, it may also be the thing that ultimately keeps Phoenix from this project.

ARROW
A new Arrow teaser is here and fans of Oliver and Felicity will have a lot to talk about.

The 20-second season-three promo opens with Oliver hinting that he still has secrets before it cuts to an anticipated moment by fans, the much talked-about Oliver-Felicity kiss in the premiere.

At Comic-Con, the Arrow gang offered some teases about Oliver and Felicity's date — first revealed in the season-three trailer. Executive producer Greg Berlanti reassured that producers "weren't trying to fake anybody out with Oliver's confession to her at the end of last year, so we'll deal with that directly this year," while Stephen Amell hinted that their date goes "horribly."

There are also glimpses of a new Thea under the guise of her father, Malcolm, and some major knock-down, drag-out fights.

As executive producer Marc Guggenheim told The Hollywood Reporter, season three follows the theme of identity. "It's the first season where this theme of identity is not only about Oliver but is also about all the other characters," he said.

Arrow returns Oct. 8 on The CW.

ONCE UPON A TIME
Storybrooke is about to get Frozen.

In a new Once Upon a Time season-four teaser exclusive to The Hollywood Reporter, Frozen's Elsa (Georgina Haig) passes through the town's landmark hangouts (Mr. Gold's shop, Granny's diner), leaving her chilly mark wherever she goes.

Naturally, her unwelcome presence puts everyone — from Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle) and Mary Margaret/Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) to David/Charming (Josh Dallas) and Captain Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) — on edge.

Though Elsa's face is never shown, her looming threat is powerful enough to get even Regina/Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla) to ready for the coming wrath. Just as the voiceover ominously hints at trouble for Storybrooke, Regina voices her dread, "Here we go again ....."

But Emma (Jennifer Morrison), in her signature red leather jacket, has her own thoughts on the new villainess: "Really?"

Frozen is getting a major presence on Once in the new season with a flurry of familiar characters as it picks up after the events of Disney's Oscar-winning movie: Anna (Elizabeth Lail), Kristoff (Scott Michael Foster), Prince Hans (Tyler Jacob Moore) and Pabbie the Troll King (John Rhys-Davies). Lost alumna Elizabeth Mitchell appears in a mysterious Frozen-related role.

Comic-Con attendees in July were treated to a special first look from the premiere that featured Elsa and Anna at their parents' grave site as they prepare for Anna's wedding to Kristoff.

Executive producer Adam Horowitz told The Hollywood Reporter in May that they were "honored" to incorporate the Frozen universe into Once. "We fell in love with [the movie] when it came out last year like everyone did, and we want to do our best to do it justice," he said.

Once Upon a Time returns Sunday, Sept. 28 on ABC.

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
ABC and Marvel have released new promos for "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." Season Two.

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 Two will premiere on September 23.

BACK ISSUES OF THE ZOCALO TODAY

The front page of the The Zocalo Today changes daily, so be sure to check the back issues to make sure that you haven't missed anything IMPORTANT! I don't want the front page getting too long so I shift information periodically into the archives. So if you aren't a regular visitor to The Zocalo Today, be sure to check out the back issues. Just use the button above!

---

Take care and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sandra Bruckner (sgbruckner@aol.com)
Editor/Publisher
ISN News: The Zocalo Today
http://www.isnnews.net
Copyright - SBruckner, 1999-2011