TEEN WOLF
"Teen Wolf" is under siege in the upcoming episode, "Silverfinger," and the results could be deadly. The frightening and mysterious Smoke Ninjas are back and targeting at least one Beacon Hills teen. Is it Scott? Stiles? Kira?
Despite the threat, a promo video for the episode also gives a fleeting hint of romance blossoming between Allison and Isaac.
According to the official description for "Silverfinger," this is what we can expect:
"Scott's friends pledge to protect him against an increasingly hostile enemy while Argent, Isaac and Allison search for answers through an old adversary from the Japanese Yakuza. At the same time, Stiles enlists Melissa's help in figuring out exactly what's going on with him."
There are Yakuza in Beacon Hills? What is Argent's connection to the Asian gangsters? How do they connect to the Smoke Ninjas?
As for that romance between Allison (Crystal Reed) and Isaac (Daniel Sharman), you have to look especially close to find that. A brief still showing the two teens kissing -- upside-down for some reason -- appears right before the end of the video.
It's all very creepy. "Teen Wolf" airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on MTV.
UNDER THE SKIN
A new, NSFW teaser trailer has been released for Scarlett Johansson’s upcoming alien horror flick Under the Skin — and it definitely ups the creep factor.
Directed by Jonathan Glazer (Birth, Sexy Beast), the film stars Johansson (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) as an alien seductress who preys upon hitchhikers in Scotland. The project has garnered a good bit of buzz on the indie circuit, and it obviously shows a very different side of the Avengers star.
As for the new teaser? Not surprisingly, it’s pretty unsettling. The film is supposed to be jarring, and what we see here fits the bill, as we get to follow Johansson’s creature as she looks at our world through the eyes of a murderous alien. It's been called everything from “mesmerizing” to a “tour de force,” and we can’t wait to see it. Under the Skin is set to open in April.
MOON RESORT IN VEGAS
Moon Resort and Casino was a lunar-themed mega-hotel and gambling destination originally proposed back in 2002 for Las Vegas, the Caribbean or the Middle East. The bold brainchild of Canadian entrepreneur and developer Michael Henderson, this audacious project to build a $5 billion venture celebrating Earth's favorite (and only) pockmarked satellite stalled during the recent recession.
In 10 years, the Moon dream never got much further than some slick marketing material and conceptual artwork detailing this amazing architectural wonder.
But hope remains alive as Moon World Resort's Chairman and CEO gave us a current update of the project's future:
"We are currently reviewing several global sites," said Henderson. "It's been a long and challenging road. However, we're very close to success and will most likely be in a position to announce the location for the first project by April 2014. The planned opening date for the first MOON destination will be mid-2018. Our project has been refined over the years to become much more educational and environmentally conscious. With space tourism ready to blast off, our timing to bring the Moon to planet Earth for all to enjoy is perfect."
Here are more details from the project's promo material:
There's no skimping on exactly how the ultra-luxurious $5-billion, 10,000-room, five-star, five-diamond, 250-acre Moon resort would have looked. The complex includes the Moon Casino, replete with multiple levels of gaming floors that culminate in the all-night party that is the Metropolis Discotheque. At the center of the Resort complex there's the Crater Wave Pool, with its surrounding private pools and spas. The 500-foot pool laps gently to the rhythm of a true ocean tide.
Guests can frolic in the Sea of Serenity Aquatic Center, then pour themselves directly into the Crater Pool via waterslides. A Lunar Lander Lounge at the center of the Pool is accessible via glass underwater walkways beneath the Pool's surface. Moon visitors can unwind at the Tranquility Spa and Wellness Center, where body treatments from skin treatments to aromatherapy are available. At the Moon Buggy Activity Landscape, you can slip into the driver's seat of one of the Apollo landing's famous lunar cruisers. Stopping by Rock Climbing Mountain, first time climbers or seasoned veterans can scale to new heights of physical achievement and gripping thrills.
The Moon River Jazz Bar sports a two-story waterfall that cascades dramatically over a lengthy bar and turns into a river. Then, toss in loads of shopping spots, a giant convention center, a winter-sports area, indoor golf course and tennis courts, as well as a biosphere that encases a vineyard and organic gardens.
MOON - Because You Have Been Everywhere Else!
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2
It's not the whole thing, but it still packs plenty of punch. Thirty seconds of the The Amazing Spider-Man 2's Super Bowl spot has hit online, and it highlights Electro's (Jamie Foxx) not-so-friendly relationship with the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield).
"You wanted to be the hero. Now you've got to pay the price," Electro says. Plenty of action ensues, much of it new.
It's not the first look fans have from the Marc Webb-directed sequel. Sony released a lengthy trailer in early December, and teased an epic Time Square battle with a teaser released Dec. 31.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 reunites Garfield (Peter Parker/Spider-Man) with costar Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy), and welcomes series newcomers Dane DeHaan (Harry Osborn), Paul Giamatti (Rhino) and Chris Cooper (Norman Osborn).
The film hits theaters May 2.
SHELTERED
Jesse Peyronel, the filmmaker behind the indie movie Siren, is teaming up with The Walking Dead producers Circle of Confusion to adapt the Image Comics book Sheltered.
The comic is a preapocalyptic thriller set in a survivalist compound somewhere in the Pacific Northwest and populated by families who believe an imminent volcanic eruption is about to make the U.S. uninhabitable for years. Yet the adults are unprepared for a strike from within in the form of a coup d'etat by the kids, led by a charming sociopathic teen.
What follows is a struggle between two sets of young protagonists that is described as having shades of Lord of the Flies and The Hunger Games.
The comic book miniseries was created by Ed Brisson (Comeback, Secret Avengers) and Johnnie Christmas (Continuum: The War Files). The sixth issue was published earlier in January.
Peyronel is writing the script now with an eye on directing a feature in late 2014.
Circle of Confusion will produce.
Circle is currently developing an adaptation of Outcast, an adaptation of the latest Image comic from Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman.
Peyronel was a writer on NBC's Dracula and is now a staff scribe on Dig, USA's upcoming event series created by Gideon Raff and Tim Kring. He made his feature writing and directing debut with Siren, which stars Vinessa Shaw. The movie premiered in October at the Austin Film Festival and is now traveling the international awards circuit.
He is repped by Verve, Industry Entertainment, attorney Judith Karfiol as well as the U.K.'s Independent Talent Group. Brisson and Christmas are repped by Circle of Confusion.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2014
UPDATE FROM JMS
Holy crap...I just realized that I'd written down a date wrong...turns out that next Wednesday not only are The Adventures of Apocalypse Al #1 and Sidekick #5 hitting comic stores from Joe's Comics and Image, but so are issue 2 of the Twilight Zone book I'm doing for Dynamite AND issue 3 of the Terminator title I'm writing for Dark Horse. Four books on the same day...I may pass out.... Here are the covers for all four issues in one spot...
BONES RENEWED
"Bones" has been renewed for Season 10 on FOX for the 2014-2015 television season. But are there really more stories to tell on this romantic procedural after so many years?
The Season 10 news came along with an announcement that "Bones" would be moving back to its Monday, 8 p.m. timeslot as of March 10. The series, which has previously aired on every weeknight over its nine seasons, occupied this position on the schedule during the fall of 2013.
This is great news for "Bones" fans ... or is it? A Season 10 renewal means that "Bones" will reach the 200th episode milestone -- a huge deal for any program nowadays -- and it means at least one more year following the investigations of Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz). Those are good things. The bad part may come in when we consider if there are any stories left to tell on "Bones."
Think about what the show has dealt with already. Booth and Brennan spent almost seven years in a tense game of will-they-or-won't-they before tragedy led them to bed and to an unexpected pregnancy. Brennan had baby Christine in the following season (an event that coincided with Deschanel's real-life pregnancy). Then the couple finally got married in Season 9.
Secondary characters have had a lot in their lives too. Hodgins (TJ Thyne) and Angela (Michaela Conlin) have also married and procreated. Cam (Tamara Taylor) has adopted a teenager and dated around before settling on one of the squinterns. Even Sweets (John Francis Daley) has had a long-term relationship and has gone through some professional changes.
What could be left after this? Season 9 has mostly -- other than the long-anticipated Booth-Brennan wedding -- been filled with incidentals. Cam has had to deal with identity theft. Hodgins is improbably zen about losing his vast fortune. A serial killer has been killed and another may be out there.
The only really big event recently is the nasty form of cancer the show gave to beloved squintern Wendell (Michael Grant Terry). A bit of a downer and a side story at best, is this all we can hope for as "Bones" continues into its 10th season?
Hopefully, "Bones" really does have more to give to its audiences. Other shows have stayed healthy through Season 10 and "Bones" could do it too. After all, the show has lasted this long -- something could easily keep audiences coming back for at least one more year.
JURASSIC WORLD
You can officially be more jealous of Chris Pratt than you were before. Not only is the "Parks and Recreation" star headlining Marvel's new "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie, but he's also living one of your childhood dreams by officially starring in the new "Jurassic Park" sequel, "Jurassic World."
Pratt says that when he was younger, "Jurassic Park" was essentially the same as "Star Wars" was to the generation above him. "I lined up at the theater to see it, I saw it opening night, I saw every sequel. I've seen it a whole bunch of times ... for me that was my big movie, I think I was 13 or 14 when it came out," he says in an interview with QMI Agency, which was reported in the Peace River Record Gazette.
He continues, "It's a big deal for me to be any part of that, let alone this part I'm going to be playing. I'm thrilled about it. Everybody around the world knows that franchise. When you say 'Jurassic Park,' no one is like, 'What's "Jurassic Park"?' More people know 'Jurassic Park' than just about anything. I'm thrilled."
Pratt will play a "rugged ex-military man" in a role that was originally supposed to go to Josh Brolin. He stars alongside Bryce Dallas Howard.
Pratt can next be seen -- well, heard -- in "The Lego Movie," out Feb. 7. "Parks and RecreationChris" airs Thursdays on NBC at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT.
ARROW NEWS
Next week, Arrow will pay off one of the season's earliest reveals. Sara has gone from Laurel's naive younger sister to the crime-fighting Canary (Caity Lotz). Where did she acquire all of her skills? It turns out that, like Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), she spent some time with the League of Assassins. They've hinted at Ra's al Ghul and his daughter so many times that we knew one of them would show up sooner or later.
The CW has released three preview photos featuring the arrival of Nyssa al Ghul (Katrina Law). Were you expecting her half-sister Talia? According to Arrow's executive producer Andrew Kreisberg, Nyssa "certainly has shades of Talia." He explains, "Katrina auditioned for Shado and it actually came down to Katrina and Celina [Jade] and honestly, part of it was just that because we knew she'd have scenes with Slade [played by Manu Bennett], and it just felt like a Spartacus overkill. But she's somebody that we've been a fan of. When this part came up, we saw a lot of people for it, but she certainly is exotic and beautiful and smart and our stunt guys are over the moon, because she can do a lot of her own stunts.” Arrow really loves the cast of Spartacus, don't they? We wonder how long it will take for Nyssa and Sara to go from frenemies to full-on opponents. As a matter of fact, Nyssa wants Sara back in the League, but she's not interested. This causes Nyssa to kidnap one of Sara's loved ones. We hope it's not Laurel. She's reached her kidapping quota for the season. Maybe it's Sin or Detective/Officer Lance?
Nyssa ah Ghul makes her debut Feb. 8 in the episode titled "Heir to the Demon."
NOAH
The latest highly anticipated Super Bowl spot to hit the web features Russell Crowe's upcoming blockbuster Noah, which is expected to be as epic as the big game itself.
With fears of flooding, blizzards and even a polar vortex hitting MetLife Stadium in New Jersey during the NFL's first cold weather Super Bowl, the millions of viewers watching from home also will get hit by a violent storm.
While the trailer was initially released in November, this longer segment set to air during the game Feb. 2 features new scenes from director Darren Aronofsky's biblical drama, co-starring Anthony Hopkins, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman and Jennifer Connelly.
"A great flood is coming," announces Crowe as Noah. "The storm can't be stopped, but it can be survived."
Featuring apocalyptic flood scenes and images of widespread destruction, the 35-second clip will no doubt capture the attention of even the most die-hard Denver Broncos or Seattle Seahawks fans during Super Bowl XVIII.
"Is this the end of everything?" asks Watson; Crowe replies stoically, "This is the beginning of everything."
Fans are invited to tweet #TheFloodIsComing for a chance to win tickets to upcoming sporting events and follow @NoahMovie. Noah opens in theaters and IMAX on March 28.
HOME
Topher Grace will star in Home, a supernatural thriller that Jason Blum and his Blumhouse have come aboard to produce. Universal will distribute the picture per its first look deal with Blumhouse.
Additionally, Patricia Clarkson is in negotiations to co-star in the project, which will be directed by Dennis Iliadis, best known as the helmer behind the 2009 remake of The Last House on the Left.
Adam Alleca wrote the script, which centers on a man (Grace), recently released from a mental institute, who inherits a mansion after his parents die. After a series of disturbing events, he comes to believe it is haunted.
The project was initially set up with Wes Craven’s Craven/Maddalena Films and even had Brittany Snow attached to star at one point.
Leonardo DiCaprio and his Appian Way partner Jennifer Killoran then teamed up with Graham King to produce the project, but it gained traction in the last couple of months when Blum became involved.
Blum is now producing with DiCaprio, Killoran and King.
Grace recently wrapped shooting a turn in Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated sci-fi movie Interstellar and has the crime thriller The Calling, with Susan Sarandon and Donald Sutherland, in the can. He is repped by ICM Partners, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Gendler & Kelly.
Clarkson appeared in last year’s The East and recently wrapped The Maze Runner, Fox’s adaptation of the James Dashner YA novel. She is repped by CAA and Anonymous Content.
IZOMBIE/SUPERNATURAL: TRIBES/THE FLASH
The CW is doubling down on Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas and Supernatural.
The network has picked up to pilot Thomas' DC Comics adaptation iZombie, the rumored Supernatural spinoff, and made official its pilot order for fellow DC entry Flash, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Supernatural: Tribes will explore the clashing hunter and monster cultures of Chicago and hails from Supernatural's writer Andrew Dabb, who will exec produce alongside Eric Kripke, Robert Singer, showrunner Jeremy Carver and McG. Singer will direct the Warner Bros. Television entry. iZombie is described as a supernatural crime procedural that centers on a medical-student-turned-zombie who takes a job in the coroner's office in order to gain access to the brains she must reluctantly eat to maintain her humanity. However, with every brain she eats, she inherits the corpse's memories. With the help of her medical examiner boss and a police detective, she solves homicide cases in order to quiet the disturbing voices in her head.
Thomas and Veronica Mars' Diane Ruggiero will pen the script and executive produce the Warner Bros. Television and Rob Thomas Productions entry alongside frequent collaborators Danielle Stokdyk and Dan Etheridge. The drama is based on the characters created by Chris Robertson and Michael Allred and published in the comic from DC's Vertigo imprint.
Finally, the network confirmed its pilot order for Arrow spinoff The Flash, which was formerly intended to be a planted episode but will now be filmed as a stand-alone. Grant Gustin stars as scientist Barry Allen who is given the power of super speed, which transforms him into the Fastest Man Alive. Arrow's Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg and DC's Geoff Johns will pen the script and executive produce alongside David Nutter, who will direct the pilot. Berlanti Productions' Melissa Kellner Berman will co-EP. The previously announced Jesse L. Martin, Danielle Panabaker and Rick Cosnett will co-star.
The pickups come after Supernatural notched a three-year high Wednesday and continue the network's recent track record with spinoffs. This season, The CW successfully launched The Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals and, should both Supernatural: Tribes and Flash move forward, the network will have three spinoffs on the air, as The Originals is considered very likely to return for a second season.
For Thomas, the project extends his relationship with The CW after the network picked up a Veronica Mars web series spinoff that the prolific producer also will oversee for the network's digital platform CW Seed. iZombie and Flash bring to four the number of DC Comics titles to earn a pilot order this season; Fox has Batman prequel Gotham and NBC has Hellblazer adaptation Constantine. The zombie story arrives as AMC's The Walking Dead continues to break records for the network, ranking as TV's No. 1 scripted drama among adults 18-49. The series is based on the Image Comics title created by Robert Kirkman. NBC also is prepping Babylon Fields, which explores what happens when the dead rise in New York, and ABC has Forever, a procedural about an immortal medical examiner.
The trio of pilot orders brings The CW's haul to five so far this pilot season and continues its love affair with sci-fi under president Mark Pedowitz.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2014
SLEEPY HOLLOW
You'll be seeing a lot more of Henry and Jenny in Season 2 of "Sleepy Hollow." John Noble and Lyndie Greewood have been promoted to series regular for the next batch of episodes of your favorite new supernatural show, Deadline reports.
That's great news for everyone who caught the final 15 minutes of the "Sleepy Hollow" season finale, where it was revealed that -- MAJOR SPOILER ALERT -- Henry is actually Jeremy, the son of Ichabod and Katrina, and Jenny got into a car accident. Her fate was unknown, but since she'll be back for an expanded role in Season 2, it makes sense to assume that Jenny will survive the car wreck.
Noble appeared in just three episodes of Season 1, although his character was so influential it might have felt like more. Greenwood appeared in multiple episodes throughout the season.
BLOOD MOUNTAIN
"Sherlock" star Benedict Cumberbatch is heading into a war zone with the upcoming film, "Blood Mountain."
A thriller written by Jonathan W. Stokes and John Romano, directed by Sergei Bodrov, "Blood Mountain" follows two enemies trekking to safety against nearly impossible odds. In the film a private military contractor survives an enemy attack only to find himself alone in hostile territory. The man must then escort a prisoner -- the world's most-wanted terrorist -- out of the war zone.
Although Cumberbatch will play one of the lead roles, it is currently unclear whether that means the actor will play the contractor or the terrorist. Either role seems like it could be incredible in the "Star Trek into Darkness" actor's hands.
"Blood Mountain" plans to begin production in April in Morocco.
CAPTAIN AMERICA NEWS
We're still more than two months away from the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but it looks like Marvel's already confident in a third installment.
Sources tell Variety that, while the film hasn't been officially greenlit, Marvel Studios has already begun preparations for a third Captain America picture. The story arc is reportedly already being developed, and word is Winter Soldier directors Anthony and Joe Russo are already set to return for the next flick.
So, why's Marvel so enthusiastic? Well, if Variety's sources are right, the studio's been very impressed with both how production on the film went and how the flick has played in early test screenings. The trailer alone has us super-pumped for Cap's new adventure and the further expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it looks like the Marvel bigwigs were similarly excited. So here we are, talking about Cap 3 before Cap 2's even out.
As for what this flick could be about or when we could see it ... well, we have no clue at this point. It could be 2016, or 2017, or some later date that plays into Marvel's grander scheme. We also don't know how the Winter Soldier plot will work into it just yet, but whatever the future holds for Captain America, it seems that future is bright.
A word of caution, though: Variety's reporting that this all hinges on the box-office performance of Winter Soldier, which is certainly understandable. So, if you want more Cap, go see that movie. Not that you weren't going to already, but ... you know, tell your friends, just in case.
HAVEN
Good news, Haven fans -- we will definitely be getting a resolution to last season’s cliffhanger, plus a whole lot more.
Syfy has announced that Haven will be returning for a super-sized, 26-episode fifth season, which is essentially double the size of the previous 13-episode seasons. Though all the episodes will be in production, that doesn’t mean we’ll get to see the whole run any sooner.
The first 13 episodes are set to run this year, while the final 13 episodes will be scheduled to air in 2015. But, instead of it being seasons 5 and 6, it’s essentially seasons 5A and 5B. The report doesn’t say anything about this being the end, so it’s certainly possible the series could live on past 2015.
All the series’ main stars are also contracted to stick around, with Emily Rose (Audrey Parker), Lucas Bryant (Nathan Wournos) and Eric Balfour (Duke Crocker) are all expected to feature heavily in the extra-large season. Production on the Stephen King-based show is set to ramp up in the spring.
Despite being in its fourth season, the series’ risky move to dive head first into mythology the past two seasons worked, and the show actually showed gains in the crucial Adults 18-34 and 18-49 ratings demo. The last season ended with a 3 percent year-to-year increase in ratings. In Live +7 numbers, the show averaged 2.3 million viewers per week.
JUSTICE LEAGUE: WAR
A new clip from the upcoming DC animated film Justice League: War has been released, and it has what might be one of the best Batman scenes ever. Take that, Green Lantern.
The film, an adaptation of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee’s Justice League: Origin comic storyline, will be the first installment in a new, unified animated universe DC is hoping to roll out across its properties. It's an ambitious move, and shows that DC's animated work remains a few years ahead of its live-action game.
As the name of the comic arc implies, the film will chronicle the revised origin story of the Justice League, and the clip we have here shows Batman’s first meeting with Green Lantern. It's pretty great. As Green Lantern tries to figure out if Bats is just a whack job in a suit, Bruce Wayne shows off his own unique superpower.
If the entire film can capture the wit displayed in this scene, it should be a good one.
The film is set to hit Blu-ray and digital distribution on Feb. 4.
THE LEGO MOVIE
We still have a long time to wait until we get a proper look at Batfleck in Batman vs. Superman, but in the meantime, there’s another Batman coming to the big screen in a few weeks.
A new clip from The Lego Movie has been released, showing off Will Arnett’s hilarious version of Batman in action. He’s snarky and as badass as a Lego toy can possibly be (hey, even a plastic Batman is still Batman). This film is obviously one of the biggest, most elaborately blatant attempts to sell toys on a mass scale — but, man, it looks fun.
Along with Arnett providing voice work as Batman, the film also features a who’s who of DC superhero lore, with Channing Tatum as Superman, Jonah Hill as Green Lantern and Cobie Smulders as Wonder Woman. Seriously, that’s one heck of a cast — and is the closest we'll get to Justice League for a long, long time. The Lego Movie opens Feb. 7.
THE LINE
Chris Pine is attached to star in The Line, a gritty thriller that will be directed by David Gordon Green.
Sang Kyu Kim, a writer-producer on The Walking Dead, penned the script, which centers on a patrol agent (Pine) who finds himself in a downward spiral on the job and at home after he loses his wife and young son. He unexpectedly becomes the caretaker of a 10-year-old child who is orphaned after a shootout with a criminal cartel. As he protects the young boy by going on the run, the agent discovers he has enemies on both sides of the law and the border.
The project will be introduced to buyers in Berlin by IM Global, which is fully financing the film and handling international rights. CAA is handling domestic rights.
Rory Aitken and Ben Pugh, whose credits include Welcome to the Punch, which stars James McAvoy and Mark Strong, are producing the project via their shingle, 42.
IM Global's Stuart Ford and Matt Jackson are exec producing.
Pine is currently onscreen with Paramount’s Jack Ryan, and recently shot Disney’s musical Into the Woods. He also wrapped production on Horrible Bosses 2, in which he plays one of the bosses.
Green is better known for action comedies such as Pineapple Express and Your Highness, but went back to his dramatic roots with Joe, a coming-of-age drama starring Nicolas Cage. Roadside Attractions will release Joe on April 11. He also just wrapped Manglehorn with Al Pacino.
NOAH
Paramount Pictures has released, via Yahoo@ Movies a new poster for Daren Aronoksy's Noah, featuring leading man Russell Crowe as the title character.
In Noah, Crowe stars as a man chosen by God for a great task before an apocalyptic flood destroys the world.
Opening in theaters on March 28, 2014, the film was written and directed by Aronofsky and also stars Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Anthony Hopkins and Logan Lerman.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014
BATES MOTEL
"Bates Motel's" return to A&E is barely over a month away, and we're filled with an excited sense of foreboding wondering where Norma and Norman's twisted tale will take us next. To help make the wait to Season 2's premiere on March 3 a little easier, A&E has launched a new interactive website to take fans inside the Bates' property.
The site allows users to walk through the Bates' motel and house and find hidden Easter eggs -- like clips and music -- along the way. Connecting your phone to the site and uploading findings to Twitter and Facebook help unearth even more Season 2 clues.
Maybe if you dig deep enough, the website will unveil the infamous fruit cellar, which will be introduced in Season 2 as Norman's taxidermy studio. As fans of "Psycho" know, Norman later uses the basement set to hide something much more disturbing.
DOCTOR WHO
The Doctor has a new look as Peter Capaldi’s era officially begins. In a picture released today by the BBC, Capaldi can be seen in the costume that will define his time as the Twelfth Time Lord in one of TV’s biggest roles. Sporting a dark blue Crombie coat with red lining, dark blue trousers, a white shirt as well as black Dr. Marten shoes, the look was created by Doctor Who costume designer Howard Burden.
Commenting on his costume, Peter Capaldi said: “He’s woven the future from the cloth of the past. Simple, stark, and back to basics. No frills, no scarf, no messing, just 100 per cent Rebel Time Lord.” While lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat added: “New Doctor, new era, and of course new clothes. Monsters of the universe, the vacation is over – Capaldi is suited and booted and coming to get you!”
Filming for episode one of series 8 began earlier this month, after 10.2 million tuned-in on Christmas Day to get their first much-anticipated glimpse of Capaldi’s Doctor. Charlotte Moore, Controller of BBC One, commented: “Peter Capaldi’s Doctor is officially recorded in history today with the unveiling of his new costume. It’s sharp, smart and stylish – The Twelfth Time Lord means business."
KING ARTHUR
If you’ve been jonesing for some medieval fantasy action, the guy who brought the steampunk fun to Robert Downey Jr.’s version of Sherlock Holmes is here to oblige. In a big way.
Warner Bros. is working to lock in Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes, Snatch) to develop a massive, six-film take on King Arthur. Deadline reports that the project would be a “tentpole fantasy retelling” that will span two trilogies. Judging by the description, it sounds like it could be akin to The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit in sheer scope.
The wacky part? Ritchie was originally attached to a King Arthur film a few years ago at Warner Bros., which would have starred Colin Farrell, Game of Thrones’ Kit Harington and The Dark Knight’s Gary Oldman. That project eventually fell apart before it entered production due to budget overages.
With his hit Sherlock Holmes series, Ritchie has shown he can put a nice twist on a classic story and make it sing at the box office. So King Arthur really isn’t too much of a stretch. As far as legendary hero tales are concerned, King Arthur is one of the biggest, and with the right hand at the wheel this could be one heck of a cool potential franchise.
SUPER BOWL TRAILERS
Football fan or not, there’s still a lot to look forward to this weekend when the Seahawks take on the Broncos. Namely, some huge new sci-fi trailers.
With the Super Bowl less than a week away, the commercial spots are all locked up and word is starting to trickle out about which movies will, and won’t, be a part of the game. The future blockbusters that made the cut include Captain America: Winter Soldier, Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Transformers: Age of Extinction. For those wondering: Yes, this will mark the debut for the latest Transformers sequel.
Noticeably absent: That rumored debut trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Godzilla and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. It looks like Disney only wanted to pony up for one Marvel flick, and Cap is the safer bet, while 20th Century Fox has decided to sit out the super-expensive Super Bowl season with X-Men and Apes. Per Variety, we can probably look for that marketing push to pop up during the upcoming Winter Olympics.
Over the past several years, the Super Bowl has become the de facto place to introduce a buzzy commercial — and it’s nice to know we’ll have no less than three huge sci-fi flicks sprinkled in along with all the beer and Doritos promos. Of course, this list doesn’t include the several commercials we can surely expect that’ll have some nice sci-fi cameos and franchise tie-ins, just the ones with straight-up trailers on the way.
The game is set for Sunday at 5:30 p.m. (Central) on Fox.
STAR WARS: REBELS
We already knew we’d have a new villain in Star Wars: Rebels, but now we have our first look at a new character -- plus, we know on which planet most of the action will take place.
Executive producer Dave Filoni opened up in an interview with MoviePilot.de about the upcoming Clone Wars replacement, and revealed that the series will feature a new droid named Chopper, who basically looks like a somewhat dumpier version of R2-D2.
Filoni also confirmed that most of the action will be based on the new planet Lothal, which is in the Outer Rim and was inspired by some of Ralph McQuarrie’s artwork for the original Star Wars trilogy. Though we’ll be exploring a new edge of the universe, Filoni was quick to note we will still see some of the classic ships we know and love from the original films. So, hopefully, the best of both worlds.
Here’s an excerpt:
"We will see many things that are famous to Star Wars, but have not appeared on screen in a while. Star Destroyers, TIE Fighters, and Stormtroopers - basically the Empire is back and that is a big change, since, for many years, we have only seen the Republic in action. The tone of the series is also different. The Clone Wars got very dark as we headed towards the end of the war and the downfall of the Jedi. Star Wars Rebels brings back the banter and faster pace that the original films were famous for. Rebels takes place in the Outer Rim. The audience typically thinks of Tatooine as the place where Luke Skywalker grew up, when the Outer Rim is mentioned. We are on a more civilized planet, and one that profited from the Empire’s existence in the beginning. Most of the stories take place on the planet Lothal, which is a grass planet with large monolithic stones on the surface. The look comes from some Ralph McQuarrie concept paintings that were done for the original Star Wars films. We tried to make Lothal look and feel like a planet that would have been in the original film trilogy. It’s alien, but you feel like it’s someplace that you could visit on Earth geographically. Hoth, Tatooine, and Endor are all like this, so we think it fits in well."
The details are finally starting to come together, and it sounds like they’re aiming for more of that swashbuckling feel from the original trilogy, which could be a good thing. But, as odd as it sounds, we just hope it doesn't get too cartoony. Clone Wars managed to strike that perfect balance of kid-friendly while still appealing to adults, and we're hoping Rebels can also hit that sweet spot.
MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014
MALEFICENT
As if Angelina Jolie as the Disney villain Maleficent wasn't haunting enough, "Maleficent" just dropped a new trailer featuring Lana Del Rey's re-imagined version of the classic song "Once Upon a Dream." And the "haunting" factor jumped exponentially.
But it totally works with the dark and foreboding new footage, which debuted during the 56th Grammy Awards on Sunday (Jan. 26). Plus, it was a cool callback to the original tale, "Sleeping Beauty," of which "Maleficent" will turn on its head by shifting the focus to the villain of the story.
According to the official synopsis, "Maleficent" "explores the untold story of Disney's most iconic villain from the classic 'Sleeping Beauty' and the elements of her betrayal that ultimately turn her pure heart to stone. Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides, Maleficent cruelly places an irrevocable curse upon the human king's newborn infant Aurora.
"As the child grows, Aurora is caught in the middle of the seething conflict between the forest kingdom she has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy. Maleficent realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and is forced to take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever."
The movie stars Jolie, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville.
"Maleficent" hits theaters on May 30, 2014.
HANNIBAL
Did you like the "Hannibal" Season 2 trailer that debuted last weekend? Well, check out this new 30-second spot that packs quite the punch in its limited running time.
Premiering on February 28 at 10 p.m. ET/PT with the episode called "Kaiseki," Will is still in custody for the murder of Abigail. Dr. Lecter steps in to help when bodies wash up on a riverbank. The big question is whether or not Dr. Bloom will be able to help Will regain his memories.
"Hannibal" is based on the characters from the novel "Red Dragon" by Thomas Harris and was developed for television by Bryan Fuller, who also serves as writer and executive producer.
The series stars Hugh Dancy as expert criminal profiler Will Graham, who has a unique ability to peer into the mind of serial killers. Mads Mikkelsen stars as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a psychiatrist who is helping with the cases and, unbeknownst to Will, is also a serial killer himself. Laurence Fishburne stars as Jack Crawford, the head of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit. Caroline Dhavernas and Hettienne Park also co-star.
FANTASTIC FOUR
Variety reports that screenwriter Simon Kinberg has completed his re-write of Fox's The Fantastic Four reboot and that they're looking to finalize the film's cast shortly. The site notes that actors will continue testing for roles in the film later this month, including Miles Teller, Kit Harington and Richard Madden for Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic, and Kate Mara and Saoirse Ronan for Sue Storm aka The Invisible Woman.
As previously mentioned, the only name reported for the Johnny Storm/Human Torch role is Chronicle‘s Michael B. Jordan. No names have been mentioned for the Ben Grimm/The Thing role, though Terry Crews says he wants it.
Filming on the reboot is expected to begin in Baton Rouge this March. Josh Trank will direct the big screen adaptation, which is currently set for release on June 19, 2015?.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 26, 2014
AGE OF ULTRON
When you've got to make a successful sequel to one o the highest-grossing films of all time, it's important to keep in mind those who have succeeded in the past.
Joss Whedon has a huge task before him in topping Marvel's Avengers with Age of Ultron. If you thought all those films that will have come out between Avengers movies would make that job easier, Joss Whedon doesn't agree with you.
The events of Captain America will definitely affect the world of Avengers 2. But at the end of the day, I have to make my movie assuming that people will only have seen the first one, or possibly not even seen the first one. I can't assume that everybody went to see Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man in-between. I have to go from one movie to the next and be true to what's happened, but not be slavish to it.
Short version: If Age of Ultron is the first movie you see, it still has to make sense. Which, yes, is incredibly difficult when there's so much backstory not only in film but on TV and in decades and decades of comics. So what's a Joss Whedon to do? Well, you look to your greatest influences to guide you. Remember when we were talking about sequels that are arguably better than their predecessors?
The model I'm always trying to build from, or my guiding star, is The Godfather: Part II where a ton has happened in-between and it's a very different movie [from Part I], but you don't need any information. It's there in the film about what's happened since, what's different, and why is this a different film; why is it a different kind of structure, and why is it darker. It's all there, you're in the vernacular of the first movie and you're just ready to pick up in this new place, and hopefully that's what will happen with my movie.
While we don't necessarily think anyone should watch Godfather II without seeing the original, you certainly could and still enjoy what's happening. And if we're being honest about the movie industry, there is that overwhelming drive to cast the widest net possible and make something that appeals to absolutely everyone. For better or worse, that's the state of things.
The good news is, Godfather II succeeded at that. The bad news is, very few other films have since.
STAR WARS: REBELS
A lot of Star Wars fans are still bummed about the cancellation of Clone Wars, but we’ll have the new animated series Rebels to keep us company soon — and the more we hear, the more we want to see this mystery project.
In a lengthy interview with Entertainment Weekly about the series, executive producer Simon Kinberg (Jumper, Sherlock Holmes) said they’re well aware of how much reverence fans hold for Clone Wars, so they’re planning on a different visual style and storytelling approach for Rebels.
A few things to look for? Kinberg said the new Disney XD series will go to some “dark places” as it recounts the early days of the Rebel Alliance, while the aesthetics will be heavily inspired by the original trilogy.
Here’s an excerpt from his comments:
“But the world we’re creating is an Imperial world. You’re seeing the impact of the Empire, of stormtroopers around the galaxy, abusing and oppressing people. Thematically and politically, it goes to some dark places. But for the tone of the show we took our cues from the original movies, which had fun and adventure and swashbuckling with emotion and grounded human characters. We took all our cues from the original films. Obviously there are slight tonal differences between New Hope, Empire and Jedi. But I think the closest intended voice of the show is A New Hope.
So there are places where we get into darker backstories, there are places we see how cruel and malevolent the Empire can be, but for the most part it’s a fun and character-driven story. Again taking our cues from the original films, it’s less maybe political than the prequels and more personal. It starts with a few character introductions that will precede the show. I wrote the first two episodes, they’re like a one-hour story across two episodes where we introduce the main characters in the show.”
Oh, and what about some potential familiar faces? When asked if Rebels might feature classic baddie Darth Vader (along with his original voice actor James Earl Jones), Kinberg got very cagey. He responded: “I don’t think I’m allowed to answer that. I can say that wherever possible we would want to use the original talent.”
Hmm, now, that is interesting. By setting the series in between the original trilogy and the prequels, Kinberg and company have a wealth of characters who could factor in from both sets of films, to go along with the new characters they’re creating.
ARMISTICE The Originals star Joseph Morgan plays a World War II soldier trapped in an old house in our exclusive clip from Armistice, currently available on VOD formats before arriving in theaters January 31. The actor plays Royal Marine A.J. Budd, who must kill at least one of his grotesque, inhuman enemies every day or he will die himself. When he takes refuge in an old house belonging to a World War I lieutenant (Matt Ryan), A.J. discovers how this home's former owner had to survive in a similar fashion, after reading his diary.
In the role of Royal Marine, A.J. Budd, Joseph Morgan stars in this brutal psychological and supernatural thriller, in which he finds himself trapped in the Warhouse. Imprisoned, he is forced to fight for his life against grotesque, inhuman opponents. He must kill every day or die himself. His one glimmer of hope comes in the form of a diary, left by a former occupant of the house, WWI Lieutenant Edward Sterling, played by Matt Ryan. Armistice comes to theaters January 31st, 2014 and stars Joseph Morgan, Matt Ryan, William Troughton, Al Weaver. The film is directed by Luke Massey.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2014
THE WALKING DEAD
A new preview for the second half of "The Walking Dead" foreshadows that the group is going to be separated for a while before ever -- hopefully -- coming back together. The four-minute video highlights where the central characters will be going forward but one is noticeably missing from the lineup: Glenn.
Steven Yeun teases in the video clip that Glenn's fate is still unknown, and reminds viewers that the last time we saw his character, he was in a bus that was being fired at with heavy artillery. At least another promo for Season 4b shows that Glenn is still alive, but it sounds like his dependence on Maggie will be called into question in the last eight episodes of this season.
The spotlight is also shined on Maggie, Rick, Carl, Daryl and Michonne, while Robert Kirkman teases that relationships will be cemented and that some characters might come close to intersecting but not meet up in Season 4b. Whatever does happen, it's clear that the stakes are higher than they've ever been in this new, more adult incarnation of "The Walking Dead."
"It's a terrifying world that we inhabit again," Andrew Lincoln says. "We're weakened before we're split from each other. ... We're jumping off the cliff."
"The Walking Dead" returns to AMC with the second half of Season 4 on Feb. 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
PETER PAN
You know that Peter Pan movie Warner Bros. moved into Batman vs. Superman’s original 2015 release slot? Well, it just picked up some major comic-book geek cred.
The studio has locked up Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman, to play the film’s villain, Blackbeard. He might not have his adamantium this time around, but with those muttonchops and a sword, Jackman should make one heck of a believable pirate. As Warner Bros. marketing president Sue Kroll put it: “There is a reason that Hugh is known and loved the world over.”
Jackman will join recently cast Captain Hook actor Garrett Hedlund, who will reportedly team up with Peter Pan to battle Jackman's Blackbeard in Joe Wright’s adaptation of the classic children’s story. The only major part still left open is Peter Pan himself, and considering the unorthodox approach, we’re curious to see who they cast.
What makes this even more interesting is that Marvel stalwart Jackman will now go toe to toe with the company’s new kid on the block in Ant-Man on July 17, 2015, which was moved up after Batman vs. Superman vacated the spot. That should make for a pretty great weekend faceoff.
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
Just last week we told you that Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) was going to cross over from Thor and pop up in an upcoming episode of S.H.I.E.L.D., and that Sif would be “integral” to the storyline she was set to appear in.
What we didn't know were the reasons why she was going to show up in the Marvel TV series in the first place.
Until now.
S.H.I.E.L.D. executive producer Jeph Loeb revealed that Sif is "here to hunt down another Marvel character." That other character, you ask? Loeb says that it’s another Marvel Asgardian villain named Lorelei (played by actress Elena Satine, who played Mera on Smallville).
Loeb said, "Lorelei is from Asgard. She's a beautiful redhead who has the ability to sway men's minds. She has this in her own unique way of speaking."
A tiny bit of Marvel trivia here: Lorelei was often involved in Loki's evil schemes and also happens to be the sister of another powerful female Asgardian villain: the Enchantress.
GAME OF THRONES
Sharpen your Valyrian Steel, because HBO is continuing to gear up for Game of Thrones season four.
On Feb. 9 at 8:45 p.m. ET/PT, HBO will air Game of Thrones Ice and Fire: A Foreshadowing, which the premium network says will offer a look back at what's happened and a look forward at what's to come.
The 15-minute presentation will feature clips from upcoming episodes, a behind-the-scenes look and interviews with castmembers to answer fan questions. Foreshadowing debuts ahead of a new episode of True Detective.
HBO previously debuted the season four trailer for Game of Thrones ahead of True Detective's premiere episode. Game of Thrones returns to the small screen Sunday, April 6 at 9 p.m.
THE FLASH
Two more have joined the cast of The CW's proposed "Arrow" spinoff, "The Flash." Deadline reports that Rick Gosnett ("The Vampire Diaries") and Danielle Panabaker (Friday the 13th) are set to star as Central City Police Detective Eddie Thawne and S.T.A.R. Labs bioengineer Caitlin Snow, respectively.
The Thawne character is set to be a slightly renamed take on DC Comics' Eobard Thawne, the man who later becomes Professor Zoom/Reverse Flash. Snow, meanwhile, is better known in the current continuity as the alternate identity of the ice-powered villainess Killer Frost.
Already set to star Grant Gustin as Barry Allen and Jesse L. Martin as Detective West, "The Flash" arrives from co-creators Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg who, along with Geoff Johns, will write the pilot episode with "Arrow" pilot director David Nutter at the helm.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014
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OCULUS
Two of the more popular actresses in the sci-fi genre are delving into the realm of horror with a new British chiller called Oculus. Doctor Who alumnus Karen Gillan and Battlestar Galactica star Katee Sackhoff star in this independent film, which was written and directed by Mike Flanagan and premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival last September to strong reviews.
Gillan plays Kaylie, a young woman who reunites with her troubled brother Tim after he is released from prison for the murder of their parents (their mother is played by Sackhoff in flashbacks). Kaylie is convinced that her brother is innocent and that their parents were killed by an evil force hidden in an antique mirror that was in their home at the time.
Bringing a reluctant Tim along with her, Kaylie hunts down the mirror and discovers that it has left a trail of death behind it, and that whatever lurks within the glass may not be finished with her and her brother.
Gillan will also be seen later this year in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy as the bald and blue villain Nebula, while Sackhoff was most recently in Riddick and has been in the Marvel rumor mix herself regarding the role of Captain/Ms. Marvel. Oculus, which also stars Brendon Thwaites and Rory Cochrane, opens in the U.S. on April 11, and judging from the trailer, this will put a little chill in your spring weather.
ANT-MAN Ant-Man will trundle into movie theaters a little earlier than expected -- and we can thank two much larger superheroes for it.
Marvel has announced that its "mite"-iest hero will now arrive on the big screen on July 17, 2015, a full two weeks earlier than its original July 31 release date. July 17 just so happens to be the original release date for the untitled Batman/Superman movie, which recently got kicked to May 2016 so that the filmmakers have more time to fix all its problems make it the best movie it can be.
So now Marvel, not having any direct competition for the comic book crowd on that date, decided to give its tiniest superhero a boost into a slightly more high-profile slot (ironically, that third weekend in July worked out pretty well for Chris Nolan's Dark Knight movies).
Production on the picture starts later this year, with director Edgar Wright (The World's End) behind the camera and in front of it, Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym.
So that means that Marvel will have two big new movies out next summer -- The Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man -- while DC (via Warner Bros.) will have, er, none.
THE GIVER
It’s taken almost two decades, but Lois Lowry’s acclaimed 1993 novel The Giver is finally coming to the big screen — and here’s a first look at utopia.
The book, which you probably read in grade school, focuses on a boy named Jonas who is chosen to be his community’s new Receiver of Memories. But, after meeting with the elder known as the Giver, Jonas realizes there are a lot more layers to his “perfect” world than he ever realized.
It’s a great story, and considering the novel is a bestseller and won the 1994 Newberry Award, it’s amazing it took this long to make it happen. The film version stars Jeff Bridges, who spent almost 20 years championing the project, Brenton Thwaites, Meryl Streep, Alexander Skarsgard, Katie Holmes and Taylor Swift. Yes, that Taylor Swift.
The pics show off Bridges’ spot-on take of the Giver, while Thwaites plays an admittedly older-than-expected version of Jonas. In regards to recasting Jonas as an older teen, Bridges admitted they have made some changes, but promises the “the spirit of the story is there.” Considering its taken this long to get it made, here's hoping.
The film is expected to open in August 2014.
SALEM
The first full trailer from the new supernatural horror series Salem has arrived, setting the scene for one freaky witch hunt in the 1600s.
The series marks WGN America’s first foray into scripted programming, and follows the witch trials in Salem around 1692 — and it turns out it wasn’t all just based on paranoia. As the narrator puts it, the only thing worse than a witch hunt is an actual witch. Uh-oh.
Sci-fi veteran Brannon Braga (Star Trek, Flashforward) co-created the series, which stars Fringe alum Seth Gabel, Janet Montgomery (Human Target), Shane West (Nikita), Xander Berkeley (Being Human) and Ashley Madekwe as townsfolk trying to navigate the hysteria and legit evil lurking in the town.
Braga says the series won’t fall into the trappings of other supernatural series by adding in a ton of different baddies, noting that “there are no vampires or werewolves.” Instead, Braga says they’re focusing on more freaky, “grounded” types of magic. Judging by the blood and weirdness in this trailer, its easy to see that this is more akin to American Horror Story than Harry Potter. Salem premieres Sunday, April 20 on WGN America.
THE AMAZING SPIDER MAN 2 GAME
There have been a lot of Spider-Man movies, and plenty still to come. But when's this bad guy getting his day in the sun? Sooner than we thought, apparently.
Movie tie-in games have more than a bit of a bad reputation, and, in fairness, it's mostly deserved. But there have actually been a handful of solid Spider-Man games in the past, and we're hoping that the latest one that will coincide with Amazing Spider-Man 2 will beat the odds, too.
The reason we're rooting for this game in particular is the character who seems like he'll feature heavily -- Kraven the Hunter! Sure, he's second-tier by most folks' standards, but before Doc Ock killed Spider-Man and took over his life, Kraven did it first. In fact, that story, Kraven's Last Hunt, is one of the darkest and most interesting that Spider-Man ever had. So we're excited that, in spite of the fact that Kraven is in zero movies so far (and hasn't been mentioned in any upcoming features), he's still managed to show up in this game.
TRANSPORTER
TNT continues to diversify its drama portfolio, picking up the first two seasons of international drama Transporter: The Series.
An extension of Luc Besson's popular film franchise of the same name, which starred Jason Statham, Transporter follows Frank Martin -- a professional who specializes in delivering people and cargo to and from anywhere in the world. It stars Chris Vance (Rizzoli & Isles) and is produced by Atlantique Productions and QVF Inc. Transporter comes to TNT after a successful first-season run in France and several other international territories. It was originally ordered to series in the U.S. by Cinemax back in 2011, but a production hiatus and showrunner change ultimately prompted the cable network to pull out.
"Transporter: The Series is a roller-coaster ride with big-screen action, fantastic locations and an extremely charismatic lead in Chris Vance," said TNT, TBS and TCM president and head of programming Michael Wright. "The Transporter franchise is a proven winner embraced by movie and television viewers around the globe, and we're proud that TNT will become the television home for fans in the United States. Transporter: The Series is a perfect addition to TNT's lineup, as we continue to expand our reach with such action-packed dramas as our upcoming Legends and The Last Ship."
The series will debut on TNT in fall 2014. The network has also committed to air the second season, which goes into production on Feb. 26. An international effort, shooting the second season will take place in Morocco, the Czech Republic and Canada. The first season of the series was shot in Toronto and on location in Europe. Transporter seems to fit into TNT's new catalog of dramas skewing away from the more standard procedurals. Transporter, Legends and The Last Ship all come on the heels of genre effort Falling Skies, the network's No. 2 show.
"Falling Skies was a test for us," Wright told The Hollywood Reporter in November, "to see if, on Sunday nights, we could take other audiences that were already coming to the network -- specifically for sports and movies but not necessarily transferring to our procedurals -- and bring them to an original series."
TNT's most recent drama debut, miniseries Mob City, debuted to soft ratings. Transporter: The Series is commissioned in France by M6 and in Canada by The Movie Network and Movie Central. Frank Spotnitz is the new showrunner and EP for the second 12-episode season. "Transporter: The Series is a chance to make a truly international series with incredible action, huge cinematic values and compelling characters,” said Spotnitz.
THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS
Ghost House Pictures has found a director for its upcoming adaptation of The Day of the Triffids. Deadline reports that Four Weddings and a Funeral and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire helmer Mike Newell will take on the adaptation of John Wyndam's 1951 sci-fi horror novel, previously turned into the 1962 film Invasion of the Triffids.
Featuring a screenplay by Neil Cross (who worked with a different kind of alien invasion with last year's Pacific Rim), The Day of the Triffids has the Earth being invaded by extraterrestrial plants (Triffids) who begin their attack by blinding Earth's inhabitants.
Mark Gordon, Michael Preger and Don Murphy are partnering with Ghost House principals Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert to produce. Ghost House principals Nathan Kahane and Joe Drake will executive produce alongside Susan Montford. J.R. Young and Audrey Chon will oversee the project for Ghost House. Drew Simon will supervise the project for The Mark Gordon Company.
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
Marvel has just revealed that one of their classic comic book characters is not only set to make an appearance on "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", but that he's actually been a part of the show since the very first episode. J. August Richards' Mike Peterson will, in the February 4th episode, become the cybernetic soldier Deathlok!
Deathlok, Marvel's cyborg assassin, celebrates his 40th anniversary this year. Formerly considered for a big screen film, Deathlok's role on "S.H.I.E.L.D." is officially described as follows:
Transformed into the cybernetic solider against his will, Mike Peterson must struggle to find the man in the machine. With a high-tech eye that allows him to see through walls, super strength and increased speed courtesy of a cybernetic leg, will Deathlok fight alongside the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or against them?
"We have been waiting all season for this moment where we can reveal that Mike Peterson's story arc is an origin story," said Executive Producer Jeffrey Bell. "We're thrilled to have J. August Richards playing Deathlok and to have our audience enjoy this favorite Marvel character on the show."
"If you would have asked when I was nine years old what I wanted to be, I would have said a super hero and I'm so excited to be one now as an adult on TV!" added J. August Richards. "It's a dream come true."
Titled "T.R.A.C.K.S.", the February 4th episode is the series' 13th overall. The 15th episode, meanwhile, was previously announced to feature Jaimie Alexander reprising her Thor and Thor: The Dark World role as Lady Sif.
"Sif will come to Earth to track down Lorelei, a villain from Walter Simonson's Thor run," reads an official Tweet update from Marvel's TCA presentation. Elena Satine ("Magic City") will play the Asgardian foe.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2014
GODZILLA
With the new big-screen reboot of Godzilla just four months away from release, you might be surprised to know that a prequel is about to come roaring at us, as well.
Legendary Pictures has announced that it will publish, through its Legendary Comics arm, a prequel graphic novel called Godzilla: Awakening on May 7, nine days before the big green lizard smashes his way back into theaters on the 16th of that month.
The graphic novel is set decades before the movie takes place and is co-written by Max Borenstein, who penned the screenplay for the film, and Greg Borenstein. Legendary has even persuaded director Gareth Edwards to record a brief video announcement of the book, as if he isn't busy enough putting the finishing touches in his kaiju epic.
Since the plot of the movie is a secret, we can only surmise that the book will give us some sort of look into the events that set Godzilla on his path to eventually resurfacing and once again wreaking havoc on humankind in the movie. Godzilla stars Aaron Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe, one 400-foot-tall reptile and at least one other yet-to-be-revealed monster. Watch Edwards' message below and get ready to head to your local comics shop on the 7th of May for your first confrontation with the new Godzilla!
DOCTOR WHO NEWS
Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor and David Tennant’s Tenth are being reunited for their first adventure together since Doctor Who's 50th-anniversary special, “The Day of the Doctor.” Allons-y!
So, how will that timey-wimey stuff come about, you may ask?
While the reunion will (much to our chagrin) NOT take place in flesh and blood, the two Doctors will at least reunite in the pages of a brand-new Who comic book.
Stand-alone stories will not only feature the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors, but they’ll also feature Peter Capaldi’s newest incarnation of the beloved Mad Man in the Big Blue Box -- new kidneys and all.
This collaboration between the BBC and Titan Comics will see the very first issue released sometime in 2014, with no specific date yet announced (bummer). However, details of who’ll be included in the creative and production teams are expected to be announced sooner rather than later.
This awesome news comes as Capaldi is currently filming the upcoming Eighth series of Doctor Who, which will premiere come fall.
FANTASTIC FOUR REBOOT
The script is done, casting is close, and we should be getting a whole lot of Fantastic Four news very, very soon.
Variety is reporting that Simon Kinberg’s rewrite of Josh Trank’s upcoming Fantastic Four reboot is complete, and the studio is expected to start the casting process in earnest within the next few weeks. Chronicle alum Michael B. Jordan reportedly has the inside track as Johnny Storm/ The Human Torch, but the rest of the roles are up for grabs.
Oddly enough, we still haven’t heard much about Trank’s take on the Thing. So, that should be interesting. CGI? Actor in a suit? Who knows.
PAN
Casting is starting to come together for Joe (Atonement) Wright's reinvention of the J.M. Barrie classic Pan, already scheduled for release by Warner Bros. on June 16, 2015.
The lead role of Hook in the movie has been one of the parts many actors have been chasing with a number of familiar names in the mix, but according to Deadline, that role is going to Garrett Hedlund, star of Disney's Tron: Legacy.
The 29-year-old actor has been diversifying since playing Sam Flynn in the 2010 Disney sequel, appearing in the adaptation of Jack Kerouac's On the Road and in the Coen Brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis, but his role in Pan will bring Hedlund back to the tentpole leading man status he garnered from Tron: Legacy.
(Other names that were in the mix for the role included "Boardwalk Empire's" Jack Huston and Ezra Miller from The Perks of Being a Wallflower.)
Based on a script by Jason Fuchs and produced by Greg Berlanti, this different take on Peter Pan shows Pan as an orphan taken to the magical world of Neverland, where he leads a rebellion of the natives against a band of pirates.
Both Hugh Jackman and Javier Bardem have been mentioned as potentially playing Blackbeard, captain of said pirates and the main villain of the movie.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2014
One of our Facebook members sent information about a podcast site for Babylon 5. For those not familiar with it, check it out. They not only review episodes, there are interviews as well, including Peter Jurasik. The Babble On Project: The Last, Best Hope For Geeks
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DREAM POLICE
JMS reports that on April 30th, issue one of Dream Police hits the stands, with art by Sid Kotian and colors by Bill Farmer! A whole new way of looking at the world of dreams and nightmares. Solicits out now for pre-orders.
For more information, go to ComicBook.Com.
SIDEKICK
Pre-orders are in, but there's still time to get in regular orders for the trade paperback edition of Sidekick, cover below, containing issues 1-6.
For more information on the comic, go to Image Comics.
DOCTOR WHO COMICS
With a new Doctor, comes a new home for "Doctor Who" comics. BBC Worldwide has announced that Titan Comics is acquiring the comic book license for "Doctor Who."
In a press release from the two companies, they reveal that Titan will publish stories starring the 10th (David Tennant) and 11th (Matt Smith) Doctors, as well as an upcoming series starring the 12th Doctor (Peter Capaldi).
No creative teams or release dates have been announced for the comics, but new issues will be released later in 2014. Stories about the 12th Doctor will debut after Season 8 of "Doctor Who" premieres. Prior to Titan, the comic book license was held by IDW Publishing, who have been releasing comics from the franchise since 2008.
24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY
"24: Live Another Day" just added a new face to its ranks, and the role contains a major spoiler.
Tate Donovan has joined the FOX reboot miniseries as the White House Chief of Staff Mark Boudreau. But his position isn't the spoiler ... it's his spouse.
Boudreau -- an astute and strong-willed political advisor -- is married to President James Heller's (William Devane) daughter, Audrey Raines (Kim Raver), a.k.a. Jack Bauer's (Kiefer Sutherland) former flame. We sense some awkward moments ahead.
Of course, Jack Bauer has a few other things higher on his priority list to worry about, like the fact that in "24: Live Another Day," he is an exile being tracked by CIA operations head Steve Harris (Benjamin Bratt), agent Kate Morgan (Yvonne Strahovski), computer tech Jordan Reed (Giles Matthey) and field operative Erik Ritter (Gbenga Akinnagbe). Plus, he's at odds with his trusty sidekick Chloe O'Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub).
"24: Live Another Day" kicks off with a two-hour premiere on Monday, May 5 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
HANNIBAL
We've finally got our first full trailer for the second season of Hannibal, and it's going to leave you aching for the season premiere.
Bryan Fuller's darkly beautiful horror/crime drama returns in little more than a month, and dedicated fans of the show are eager to see just how Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) will convince his colleagues that the real monster in the picture isn't him but Dr. Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) himself. Like last week's teaser, the full trailer doesn't give us much in the way of clues as to how anyone gets out of this mess, but it does call back several memorable images from season one -- particularly the Minnesota Shrike case -- and teases a gruesome new body count for season two. Plus the trailer reveals a faceoff between Will and Hannibal, and a terrifying confrontation between Dr. Lecter and one of the FBI's own that doesn't look like it ends well at all for either party. We're not telling you who's battling the Doctor here, though, because it's a bit spoilery.
THE STRAIN
A new teaser clip for Guillermo del Toro’s FX horror series The Strain has leaked online, heralding the arrival of something truly, epically evil.
The teaser clip aired during the NFC Championship game over the weekend, and though the network hasn’t actually released it online, an intrepid fan managed to capture the clip on television and has uploaded it for all of us to enjoy. So, yay.
The clip offers a foreboding look at New York City, which ends with the lights going out. Then some text takes over to announce “He is here.” Who is he? Those who have read del Toro’s books already know the answer, and we’d gather it has something to do with that ancient, evil strain of vampirism.
The series will follow Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll) with the Centers for Disease Control in New York City. Goodweather is called in to investigate a mysterious airplane that lands full of dead passengers, and things eventually escalate into a full-on battle for humanity’s fate.
Think one part Helix, one part vampires and one part del Toro. Yeah, we’re interested. The 13-episode series is slated to debut in July.
AVENGERS CONFIDENTIAL: BLACK WIDOW AND PUNISHER
Following in the steps of 2013's Iron Man: Rise of the Technovore, Marvel, Sony Pictures and the Japanese animation studio Madhouse, have debuted the first trailer for their next anime film titled Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher. The direct-to-video film will feature the voices of Dexter‘s Jennifer Carpenter as Black Widow and Brian Bloom (Black Mask in Batman: Arkham Origins) as The Punisher, and will include some additional cameos from across the Marvel Universe. Marvel officially describes the film as follows:
“After interfering with a top secret mission, The Punisher is taken into custody by S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and Avenger Black Widow. At the orders of Director Nick Fury, Punisher and Black Widow are sent on a mission to stop Leviathan, a global terrorist organization that plans to sell stolen S.H.I.E.L.D. technology to the highest bidder. Now, the vigilante and spy must work together to prevent this technology from falling into the wrong hands. The fate of the world, and of the Avengers, hangs in the balance.” Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher will be available on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital on March 25th.
VICE
Certainly no stranger to the genre, Bruce Willis is set to headline Emmett/Furla Films' sci-fi thriller Vice, says a story today at The Hollywood Reporter. He'll star opposite Ambyr Childers (2 Guns).
Originally a spec script from Andre Fabrizio and Jeremy Passmore (who also scripted the upcoming The Prince with Willis headlining), Vice takes place in a future world where the wealthy have the option of visiting a futuristic resort where even the darkest of fantasies can be lived out thanks to a robot staff that is reset every night. Childers plays one of the robots who, thanks to an error, winds up with every memory of her entire experience at the facility, leading her to seek revenge against the resort's owner (Willis).
Willis starred last year in A Good Day to Die Hard, G.I. Joe: Retaliation and RED 2. He will next reprise his role as John Hartigan for Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.
GAME OF THRONES
HBO has finally debuted a brand-new and somewhat revealing behind-the-scenes look at the fourth season of Game of Thrones!
This cool look-see video into the upcoming season of Game of Thrones offers an awesome glimpse at what’s coming up in season 4, teasing some very major (and absolutely thrilling) book scenes that some of you who’ve read George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire saga will recognize.
It also features some interviews with actors Maisie Williams, Iain Glenn, Peter Dinklage, Gwendoline Christie, and Chales Dance along with executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
We’re also -- lucky us! -- getting a first good look at Styr, the Magnar of Thenn, played by Russian actor Yuri Kolokolnikov, and an almost blink-and-you’ll-miss-it look at Sherlock co-creator and actor Mark Gatiss in the role Tycho Nestoris, the representative of the Iron Bank of Braavos. Our 'Where's Waldo' (or rather 'Where's Tycho') is there with Stephen Dillane’s Stannis Baratheon and Liam Cunningham’s Davos Seaworth.
SON OF BATMAN
Batman turns 75 this year and he's celebrating by becoming a father. The upcoming animated movie Son of Batman introduces Damian, the child Bruce Wayne never knew he had. The story is based on a 2006 comic-book arc written by Grant Morrison in which Batman learns that he has a violent, unruly pre-teen son, secretly raised by the terrorist group the League of Assassins.
The voice cast features Jason O'Mara as Batman/Bruce Wayne; Stuart Allan as Damian; Morena Baccarin as Talia, Damian's mother; Giancarlo Esposito as Ra's Al Ghul, leader of the League of Assassins and one of Batman's most notorious enemies; David McCallum as butler Alfred Pennyworth; Xander Berkeley as Kirk Langstrom (aka Man-Bat); and Thomas Gibson plays the master assassin Deathstroke.
This will be O'Mara's second time voicing the Dark Knight. He also stars in Justice League: War, which is out Feb. 4. Both movies are part of Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment's popular series of animated superhero features. Son of Batman comes out late this spring on DVD, Blu-ray and for digital download. The movie will have its world premiere at WonderCon over Easter weekend in Anaheim, Calif.
300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE
Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures has released a new trailer for 300: Rise of an Empire opening in 3D, 2D and IMAX theaters on March 7, 2014.
Directed by Noam Murro, the film stars Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Hans Matheson, David Wenham, Rodrigo Santoro, Igal Naor, Callan Mulvey, Jack O'Connell and Andrew Tiernan.
Based on Frank Miller's graphic novel "Xerxes" and told in the breathtaking visual style of the blockbuster 300, this new chapter of the epic saga takes the action to a fresh battlefield--on the seas--as Greek general Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war. 300: Rise of an Empire pits Themistokles against the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and Artemesia (Eva Green) vengeful commander of the Persian navy.
MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2014
HOLIDAY TO CELEBRATE
Today we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is a day of reflection -- on our lives and our many freedoms.
American civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is best known for his role in the African-American civil rights movement and nonviolent protests. His life's work has been honored with a national holiday, schools and public buildings named after him, as well as a memorial on Independence Mall in Washington.
SHERLOCK
The "Sherlock" Season 3 premiere, "The Empty Hearse," answered lots of questions about Sherlock's fake death, Watson's new relationship and the detective's return to crime-solving. But the episode also raised a whole bunch of questions without easy answers.
Some of those answers -- about things like Guy Fawkes Day, Derren Brown, Sherlock's explanations and more -- are here.
Guy Fawkes Day
"Sherlock" is a very British show, no matter how beloved it is around the world, so it's kind of fitting that the season premiere's major crime and a pivotal event in the episode both reference a distinctly British event: Guy Fawkes Day.
What is that? If you're like most Americans, the name "Guy Fawkes" conjures up masks and comic-book movies. You don't think of poor Watson nearly getting broiled in a bonfire. Neither are you likely to think of anti-government terrorism. Both of these things, however, have a great deal to do with the day.
Occurring every Nov. 5, Guy Fawkes Day celebrates a failed attempt to blow up the English House of Lords -- and to assassinate King James I -- back in 1605. Fawkes was one of the conspirators involved in the plot and managed to get arrested while guarding the explosives. In honor of this spectacular failure and the king's survival, the country began celebrating by lighting bonfires to celebrate.
A few centuries of political and religious overtones done away with, the holiday (also known as Bonfire Night) now tends to be celebrated with large gatherings at public bonfires and with fireworks displays. The effigy of Guy Fawkes is sometimes burned as well, explaining why the human figure of Watson wouldn't be so noticeable before he started to protest.
Derren
In the first explanation for Sherlock's faked death, one of the detective's fans posits that Dr. Watson never missed the major clues because he was waylaid by Derren Brown.
But who is this guy? While not unknown on this side of the pond, Brown is a much bigger performer in Britain. He is a television personality known for hosting shows about mentalism, magic, illusion and hypnotism. On his shows, Brown often demonstrates hypnosis and mind-reading tricks.
He probably isn't necessary to explain what happened with Sherlock, but it does make for a fun conspiracy theory.
All those fake deaths ...
Were any of them real? That's the big question -- and it's one with no definite answer. We can, however, hypothesize that the following things hold up:
1. Sherlock, probably working with his brother, figured out ahead of time that Moriarty was going to want him to commit suicide. Multiple plans would have been necessary to deal with the evil genius.
2. Sherlock almost definitely went over the side of the roof. Every version of events (except the "Sherlock and Moriarty as lovers" one, of course) had this as part of it.
3. The bicycle that knocked down John wasn't random.
4. Molly knew Sherlock was alive and was somehow knowledgeable about his methods for survival.
5. Unless he and Sherlock were secret lovers, Moriarty really did stick a gun in his mouth and pull the trigger.
Details beyond that are sketchier.
A few fun casting tidbits
Three actors appearing in "The Empty Hearse" have close family connections to the show's two stars. Amanda Abbington, who plays John's fiancee Mary, is the real-life romantic partner of Martin Freeman. Together for roughly a decade, Freeman and Abbington have two children together.
The other actors showed up as a pair -- Sherlock Holmes' parents were played by Benedict Cumberbatch's real parents, Wanda Ventham and Timothy Carlton.
"Sherlock" Season 3 continues on PBS Sunday, Jan. 26 at 9 p.m.
STAR WARS: CLONE WARS
The strange saga surrounding the unceremonious end of beloved animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars is taking another turn, so hardcore fans might want to relocate to Germany. Quickly.
When Disney pulled the plug on Clone Wars to make room for the new series Rebels, the studio already had quite a few episodes in the can. But the Mouse House didn’t show much interest in airing them, so they’ve languished. At best, fans were hoping they’d be rolled into an upcoming DVD release. Now it sounds like they could show up on German airwaves first.
It’s being reported by German media that the country’s SuperRTL channel has acquired broadcast rights to 13 seemingly unaired episodes, which they are calling the sixth season of the show. The episodes are set to debut with a two-hour block on Feb. 15, with three-episode blocks airing each subsequent week.
The international report indicates that a U.S. air date on Disney XD could be announced in the coming weeks. Considering Disney’s take on rights, that makes enough sense, since they’re shifting the properties over from Cartoon Network to Disney stations. Regardless of where it lands, let's just hope it’s true.
The German site Star Wars Union claims to have the synopses for some of the upcoming episodes. Check them out (albeit via mildly awkward German-to-English translation) below:
Condition unknown (Unknown): Klonkadett Tup suffering from a serious nervous disorder, which ultimately causes the death of a Jedi Master result. To find out the motives for the attack, Tup is sent for examination back to Kamino. Anakin is a member of the monitoring teams, but then they are attacked by separatists.
Conspiracy (Conspiracy): Klonkadett Tup is examined in the sterile laboratories of Kamino to find out the reasons for his shocking attack on the Jedi Master. For this, the cadet must Fives penetrate deep into his mind: He stumbles upon a hidden code-manipulation cloning program in the Republic.
Flight reflex (Fugitive): The body of the Klonkadetten Tup is brought to Coruscant, where he is to be investigated by the personal physicians of the Registrar. Cadet Fives adjusts itself to investigate and finds out that a modified code was hidden in the brains of all clones.
Commands (orders): Fives continues to look for answers to the mysterious act of Klonkadetten Tup. He seeks the personal conversation with Palpatine, but suddenly he is accused of trying to assassinate the Chancellor. Then take Fives escape.
An old friend (An Old Friend): While she dwells on the planet Scipio, to establish a relief mission, Padme Amidala is called by its old Rush Clovis to help. Clovis is afraid of the bounty hunter Embo, because he wants to take action against corruption on his planet. Together with Padme he tries to leave the planet and to get help.
Clovis' advancement (The Rise Of Clovis): Back on Coruscant, Clovis, is appointed chief of his clan pervaded by corruption due to a dubious trade. Anakin's distrust of Clovis creates tension in his relationship with Padme.
Resuscitation (Crisis At The Heart): Once it has entered into a pact with Count Dooku to Clovis suddenly finds himself at war again. As he brought the war to his home planet Scipio, the Republic must intervene.
Lost (Part 1) (The Disappeared (Part 1): The peaceful world Bardotta is threatened by an ancient prophecy, but now of the spiritual leaders of the people are gone by the earth. Therefore, the inhabitants of the planet call their ambassadors to the Senate for help. And Jar Jar Binks actually manages Jedi Master Mace Windu of the importance of the task to convince.
Obviously, none of this is truly confirmed until we get word from Disney, but it’s great to hear there’s at least a chance these episodes are on the verge of making it out into the wild. As for how this will fit in with that upcoming series finale comic run? That’s anyone’s guess.
STAN LEE - FORBES ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL
He might be in his early 90s, but comic legend Stan Lee has never been more influential. Just ask Forbes, which ranked the Marvel alum alongside heavyweights like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
The financial publication ranked Stan Lee at No. 9 on its list of most influential celebrities, largely due to his critical role in creating eventual box-office heavyweights like the X-Men, Iron Man, The Avengers, Spider-Man and a laundry list of other famed comic characters. Without his work all those decades ago, the movie landscape would look very different today.
Of course, in addition to creating all those masked heroes, he’s also popped up on the big screen more than a few times to help ‘em along. As Forbes puts it: “Maybe it's all those cameos in Marvel movies. Lee doesn't usually show up on this list but the comic creator is responsible for the characters in some of the biggest movies in recent years.”
Outside of Stan Lee, the rest of the list isn’t much of a surprise. Steven Spielberg leads the charge at No. 1, with his upcoming Halle Berry sci-fi series Extant expected to generate big buzz this year. After being relatively quiet in recent years, George Lucas skyrocketed to No. 3 on the heels of all those new Star Wars projects.
The rest of the spots are rounded out by mainstream celebs Oprah Winfrey, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Barbara Walters and Bono. Not bad company, Stan. Not bad at all.
STAR WARS: EPISODE VII
The next chapter in the Star Wars saga is just about ready to shoot as director J.J. Abrams (also co-writing alongside Lawrence Kasdan) reveals that the screenplay for Star Wars: Episode VII is complete.
"We’re working really hard and we've got our script and we're in deep prep," Abrams tells TheWrap. "Full steam ahead, y'know?"
Abrams also responded to a question about the recent rumor that "Breaking Bad" star Jesse Plemons has read for a role. Although Abrams confirms that Plemons has auditioned, he also cautions fans that a lot more is going on behind the scenes than makes it to the headlines, refusing to disclose whether or not Plemons is actually anywhere close to a role. Star Wars: Episode VII is rumored to focus on a new generation of heroes and could include appearances by Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford in older incarnations of their beloved characters from the original Star Wars trilogy. The movie is expected to start filming shortly and will hit theaters on December 18, 2015.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 19, 2014
GOTHAM NEWS
You may have heard some stories about Sons of Anarchy actor Donal Logue. Well ...
Tiny tidbits and rumors are hard to keep under control, especially when a show has only been recently announced and casting hasn't been officially finalized. In that spirit, we originally balked when we heard rumors that Donal Logue would be playing the part of Jim Gordon on the upcoming Gotham series. The source was good, but Logue denied it and, frankly, it just didn't feel like smart casting. Logue as Gordon? Nah. Not the right fit.
But today we got an update. Seems there'd been a mistake and the rumor now makes a lot more sense. The character Logue's actually supposedly playing is ...
Detective Harvey Bullock.
Now, THAT makes sense. In the comics (and the '90s animated series) Bullock was an older cop, on the beat for years, and so he's jaded and, on occasion, even flat-out corrupt. In the instance of Gotham, the story will allegedly be changed so that Bullock is a mentor to Gordon.
And, well ... that works for us. Good casting, interesting dynamic. So we're running with this rumor because it just makes sense.
AGENT CARTER
Aside from the fact that it’s in development, we haven’t heard much about Marvel’s Agent Carter series — but now we finally have some new details. For example, here’s who’ll be calling the shots behind the scenes.
The Wrap is reporting Tara Butters (Reaper, Dollhouse) and Michele Fazekas (Resurrection) have signed on to executive produce the new series, which has reportedly locked up Captain America star Hayley Atwell to reprise her role as Peggy Carter. The stellar 2013 one-shot short Agent Carter gave fans a glimpse of how the series could work, and it was a hell of a lot of fun.
The script for the pilot has also been turned in, and it was written by none other than Captain America scribes Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, so it should definitely have the right vibe. Sadly, the new producing duo didn’t offer up any details about their approach, with Fazekas joking: “You know Marvel. I think they send Captain America after you. But we’re involved in it.”
No word yet on who might be co-starring, though fellow Captain America: First Avenger alum Dominic Cooper (Howard Stark) recently told Collider he’d been chatting with Atwell about the project. The company didn’t lock him into a long-term contract at the time, but Cooper said he’d love to return if the elder Stark is a part of the sci-fi spy period piece. Which, judging by the Agent Carter short, is pretty likely.
Here’’s an excerpt from that interview:
“Yeah, I saw Hayley Atwell recently and she mentioned the whole idea of the Carter thing since the short. So yeah, any way that Stark could make a comeback I’d be well up for it, because he’s a really fun character to play and he’s so influential in the backbone of what they become. So I love being part of it and they’re an incredible group of people to be working with. They’re making some extraordinary stuff … So I’d be well up for doing anything like that.”
The first Captain America was easily one of the most fun Marvel movies to date, and the period setting had a lot to do with that. As the recent Agent Carter short showed, there are still a lot of cool stories left to mine from the early days of S.H.I.E.L.D., when the agency is still getting off the ground. Plus, it might actually have what big brother Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been sorely missing — that rag-tag feel that makes the battle against evil so much darn fun and entertaining.
With the series seemingly coming together on the back end, it also begs the question of where it might land. An ABC exec told the crowds at the ongoing TCA press tour the series "certainly has a good chance to be on the network," and corporate synergy led flagship series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to ABC. But, that massive Netflix deal shows Marvel is not afraid to mix things up. So, that’ll be an interesting storyline to follow.
BATMAN/SUPERMAN DELAYED
Superman and Batman fans will have to wait another two years before the two superheroes meet on the big screen.
Warner Bros. Pictures decided to delay the release of the so-far untitled movie until May 6, 2016, to give "filmmakers time to realize fully their vision, given the complex visual nature of the story," the studio said Friday.
The Zack Snyder-directed production had been scheduled for release on July 17, 2015.
"We know that there is already great anticipation building for the next super hero film from Zack Snyder, and we are equally eager to see what he has in store for Superman and Batman as they share the big screen for the first time ever," said Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, president of Warner Bros. Pictures' international distribution.
Henry Cavill will reprise his Superman/Clark Kent role, while Ben Affleck will step into the Batman/Bruce Wayne character. Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane will also be in the film, with Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince.
It may not be much consolation to those fans, but Warner Bros. also announced that a new Peter Pan adventure film will take the July 17, 2015, release slot vacated by Superman and Batman.
"Peter Pan has delighted people of every generation for more than a century, so we are thrilled to bring him back to the screen next summer for today's moviegoers," said Dan Fellman, president of Warner Bros. Pictures' domestic distribution.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 2014
SLEEPY HOLLOW
Attention, all evil fighting audience members: FOX has put together an epic, cinematic trailer for the two-hour "Sleepy Hollow" Season 1 finale that you probably should watch immediately.
The new spot rehashes the crazy-bananas story of Season 1 so far: Ichabod Crane wakes up in modern day, there's a headless horseman, two witnesses will team together to solve stuff, Katrina, purgatory, Moloch seeks to unleash hell on Earth -- yadda yadda yadda. You know the deal.
It's all set to some epic operatic choral music, but it's still got a few of "Sleepy Hollow's" trademark jokes. "Horsemen and locusts and zombie George Washington, oh my!"
The two-hour Season 1 of "Sleepy Hollow" airs Monday, Jan. 20 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
First Nick Fury, then Stan Lee, and now another Marvel star is making their way to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., this time by way of Asgard.
Agent Coulson and his team have already encountered Asgardian characters and relics in the eighth episode of the series, "The Well," which also saw the team cleaning up after that London-based chaos at the end of Thor: The Dark World. This time, though, they'll be getting even closer to the Asgardians, as one of that realm's heroes makes an appearance on the show. It's not Thor, or Loki, but you'll probably still be pleased.
During a presentation at the Television Critics Association press tour on Friday, ABC President Paul Lee announced that Jaimie Alexander will appear in the show's 15th episode as her fan-favorite character from the Thor franchise, Lady Sif.
What exactly Sif will be doing in her encounter with the S.H.I.E.L.D. team still isn't clear, but unlike Samuel L. Jackson's very brief, very nonessential cameo earlier this season, Lee said Sif will be "integral" to the plot of her episode.
Lee also teased that the mysterious, still-unseen villain known only as "The Clairvoyant" will be revealed this year, and that the show has some "very cool" plans for its final run of episodes in season one. He also noted that he's feeling "very good" about the creative direction of the series, which has to give fans a bit more hope that the show will return for season two. At this point, though, the future for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is still uncertain.
Still, the appearance of Sif on an episode could certainly be a major boost to the series. Other than Fury and, perhaps, Maria Hill (who appeared in the pilot), she's the biggest Marvel Cinematic Universe crossover yet for the show, and the first in some time. Whether or not her appearance can really grow the show at this point, and whether it will lead to even bigger Marvel Cinematic Universe cameos in the future, remain to be seen.
We'll keep you updated with more details of Sif's episode as we have them. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns with new episodes on Feb. 4.
THE WALKING DEAD
If you’ve been jonesing for more zombies in this season of The Walking Dead, the latest trailer for season four’s return should definitely sate your undead appetite.
We’re just a few weeks away from The Walking Dead’s return on Feb. 9, and with the prison destroyed, it looks like the problems are only beginning for the members of the gang who made it out alive. This all-too-brief trailer catches up with most of the core cast, and it looks like everyone is pretty much screwed.
For those who have read the comics, it seems they’ll be following at least some of those post-prison threads, as we get a peek at Rick and Carl hiding out in a neighborhood and Michonne chopping off a whole lot of walker heads. Everyone else looks just as desperate (if not more so). To put it simply: All hell is about to break loose.
AMC has also released the first official pic from the back half of season four, which you can see above. If that doesn’t help set the stakes, nothing will. Also, we want to keep yelling “Turn around, Carl!” every time we look at it. February can’t get here soon enough.
MALIFICENT
Disney Channel aired a preview of Maleficent! Opening in theaters on May 30, 2014, the action adventure stars Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville.
From Disney comes Maleficent—the untold story of Disney's most iconic villain from the 1959 classic Sleeping Beauty. A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal—an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading king's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom—and perhaps to Maleficent's true happiness as well.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014
MARCO POLO ON NETFLIX
Make way for even more original programming on Netflix. The video-streaming service has ordered nine episodes of "Marco Polo," a series about the 13th century explorer. It joins Netflix's other original offerings, including "House of Cards," "Orange is the New Black" and "Lilyhammer."
The show is produced by The Weinstein Company and will begin shooting soon to debut later in 2014 on the service. Production will take place in Malaysia, with the series set in China.
"[Creator and executive producer] John Fusco and his team have created a timeless tale of power, adventure, betrayal and lust that combines deft storytelling and cinematic ambition," Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos says in a statement.
"Marco Polo" was originally developed to air on Starz in 2012, before the network passed on the project. There is no announced cast yet, but Dan Minahan ("Game of Thrones") will also executive produce, along with Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg, both of whom will direct the series as well.
The Weinstein Company has a massive slate of planned TV shows that was revealed back in December 2013. Among them are a "Sin City" series, "Book of the Dead" and "10 Commandments."
PENNY DREADFUL
The first trailer for Showtime’s intriguing new literary horror series Penny Dreadful has arrived, and it’s just as creepy as you’d expect.
Described as a “psychosexual thriller,” the series will be set in Victorian London and focus on classic Gothic literary figures like Dr. Victor Frankenstein and Dorian Gray, as well as new characters created for the show. Think of it as American Horror Story with less Rubber Man and more Edgar Allan Poe. Sort of.
Series writer John Logan told Zap2it he got the idea for the series by combining his love for Gothic literature with some of the themes more prevalent in modern times. Hence the classic figures and some original characters:
"I read 'Frankenstein' again and I was very provoked by it, it's a very disturbing book. I started thinking about the themes and why are we still reading 'Frankenstein' 200 years after it was written? I think it's because the monsters break my heart. Personally speaking, growing up as a gay man, before it was as socially accepted as it is now, I knew what it was to feel different, to feel alienated. The same thing that made me monstrous to some people made me who I am…
There is a reason people feel so passionately about this world, about these mysteries, about the suspense, about the horror. If I feel an obligation to anything -- beyond Showtime for giving me this opportunity -- it's to all those fans like me who love this so much and deserve to be treated seriously.”
It definitely sounds like Logan is nothing if not ambitious, and the first trailer is a nice setup for the freaky, creepy tone we can likely expect when Penny Dreadful premieres May 11 on Showtime.
THE QUIET ONES
The iconic Hammer Films has been going through a revival in recent years, and its latest movie looks like it may continue the company's legendary legacy of horror.
Hammer was, from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s, synonymous with the horror genre, giving us actors like Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in blood-drenched new versions of the Dracula and Frankenstein stories, as well as original fare like The Gorgon and Plague of the Zombies, and even excellent sci-fi like the Quatermass films.
Since being reactivated in 2007 after a nearly 30-year hiatus, Hammer has been slowly amassing a collection of impressive new horror movies, including Let Me In, Wake Wood and its first bona fide hit in decades, The Woman in Black.
The studio's latest offering is called The Quiet Ones, and a new synopsis and trailer have been released today. First, the plotline:
Inspired by true events, this film follows a group of students who participate in a dangerous experiment to create a poltergeist. The students begin performing a series of tests on a young woman, pushing her to the edge. Quickly they realize they've triggered an unspeakable force more terrifying and evil than they ever could have imagined.
The movie, directed by John Pogue, stars Sam Clafin (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire), along with Jared Harris (Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows), Olivia Cooke (Bates Motel) and Erin Richards. It arrives on April 25 via Lionsgate. As for the trailer -- a couple of sketchy moments toward the end aside, this looks like the kind of creepy horror that the new version of Hammer is attempting to corner the market on.
CLEMENTINE
The home to Scandal, Revenge and Once Upon a Time has picked up drama pilot Clementine, from Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life writer Dean Georgaris, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
From ABC Studios-based the Mark Gordon Co. (Grey's Anatomy, Ray Donovan), the drama centers on a habitual criminal who digs into the mystery of her origins after she becomes the target of a group of zealots who fear she possesses latent supernatural abilities that she will one day harness for either profound good or monstrous evil.
Feature writer Georgaris (Paycheck) will pen the script and executive produce alongside Mark Gordon, Nicholas Pepper and Ilene Staple. Clementine was one of multiple broadcast sales Gordon had this development season and, should the drama go to series, would likely join the 11th season of ABC's Grey's Anatomy (which has yet to be renewed), the second season of Showtime's Ray Donovan and CBS' Criminal Minds.
For ABC, this marks the Disney-owned network's fifth drama in the works for next season that includes series Secrets & Lies, Sea of Fire, How to Get Away With Murder and American Crime, from 12 Years a Slave screenwriter John Ridley.
STORY OF OUR LIFE
Denis Villeneuve, the director of the acclaimed thriller Prisoners, has signed on to direct The Story of Your Life, an adaptation of a short story by Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author Ted Chiang.
Eric Heisserer has written the script for the project, which is being financed and produced by FilmNation and David Linde's Lava Bear Films. Also producing are 21 Laps' Shawn Levy and Dan Levine.
Chiang's story was published in 1998 and won the Nebula for best novella amid a slew of nominations, garnering praise for tacking the theme of language and free will.
The story is set in motion when alien crafts land around the world and an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat. As she learns to communicate with the aliens, she begins experiencing vivid flashbacks that become the key to unlocking the greater mystery about the true purpose of their visit.
Heisserer is also executive producing.
Aaron Ryder and Karen Lunder will oversee production of the film on behalf of FilmNation, while Tory Metzger shepherds on behalf of Lava Bear. Levine and Dan Cohen are 21 Laps' spearheaders.
The goal is to shoot later this year.
Villeneuve is the French-Canadian director who was behind the Canadian films Polytechnique and Incendies, which was nominated for an Oscar in the best foreign film category. He is known for his thoughtful tackling of tough subject matters.
He became Hollywood's new hot director and go-to guy for complex thrillers after Prisoners, the thriller starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, garnered much critical praise when it was released last September.
THUNDERCLAP PROJECT
Results of the ThunderClap project! Awesome!!!!!
547 supporters, 191,470 total reach and in the first two hours after the Thunderclap went out there were 1,147 hits on the http://freebabylon5.com/ website.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2014
THE TOMORROW PEOPLE
The return of "The Tomorrow People" in 2014 signaled a lot of changes. With "The Citadel" bringing a whole new aspect of ULTRA, Cara's leadership instead of John's and some unpleasant revelations about Roger, change was inevitable.
A change in leadership
Obviously, John wasn't going to keep his position of authority once everyone found out that he a) could kill and b) did kill the guy they've been waiting for as a savior for years now. He's lucky that a vote of no-confidence was all that happened.
Thus, Cara is now in charge of the Tomorrow People. What kind of a leader is she? "She is totally like a hawk," executive producer Phil Klemmer told Zap2it in a recent interview. "She goes from being reluctantly taking the reins, to basically a warrior queen ready to take the fight to the doors of ULTRA in the course of an episode."
Is John OK with this? Surprisingly, he's very cool with the changes to the leadership structure. Although John did interfere a bit in "The Citadel" -- when it was a life-or-death situation -- John rather easily took a step back from his former power. Klemmer explained why:
"He gets to actually live like a human being for the first time in his life ... This kid who was plucked out of a foster home and put into essentially quasi-military service and forced to do horrible things, and forced to live like a rat as a rebel leader ... John first gets to feel the sunshine on his face and emerge as his own man apart from the burden of being the leader."
A change in strategy
Thanks to the sudden appearance of the Citadel as yet another problem, the Tomorrow People don't seem interested in keeping it all defensive anymore. Why would they, when it turns out that there's a guinea pig-style lab waiting for any of them if they're caught?
The question now becomes: Can the Tomorrow People really fight ULTRA? It seems like that organization is constantly growing, sprouting new heads each time one gets cut off. Will a bunch of young adults with inexplicable martial-arts skills stand much of a chance against a seemingly limitless paramilitary organization?
That should be interesting to see.
A change in plans?
Here's the thing: The main plan for the Tomorrow People under John was always to find Roger and then run off to some semi-mythical Sanctuary. At this point, however, that's not looking like a great plan. John, the brains behind the operation, knew all along that Roger was dead. And even if Roger isn't dead, he seems to need a body to come back from Limbo or whatever crazy dimension he's in.
Jedikiah claims to have cremated his brother's body, so that plan seems off.
The underground Tomorrow People movement therefore doesn't have much to go on now. They could, of course, keep living in the subway tunnels and hiding, but that hardly seems exciting. Is the show going to shift focus to the fight with ULTRA? Will there be a new foe to face?
No matter what, "The Tomorrow People" has to make some changes.
UNDER THE DOME
The Stephen King-inspired sci-fi drama Under the Dome was a surprise hit last summer, though it sounds like all of the cast won’t be sticking around for year two.
With the second season now set to premiere Monday, June 30 on CBS, executive producer Neal Baer has revealed that two major cast members will not survive the opening episode of season two. As he ominously put it: “No one is safe in this town.” So, who is your money on to take a dirt nap?
The crew behind the series was making the rounds at the Television Critics Association press tour, and revealed some intriguing new plot points that’ll be boiling to the surface of everyone’s favorite snow globe this season.
For one thing, Stephen King, himself, is writing the season two premiere, which definitely gets things started on a high note. Considering that the series is expanding on the mythology of King’s book, while also expanding the timeline, producer Brian K. Vaughan said King’s input has been tremendous for their season two plan, which will ask the question of exactly what the dome is trying to protect the town from.
Here’s what he told Zap2it:
“The second season is going to take us places the book never go to go, he's bringing his own twists and turns. Stephen King gave us ideas we've never imagined. What's outside [the dome] comes inside.”
There will also be at least two new characters wandering around Chester’s Mill, which is admittedly a little strange, considering the town is (literally) an inaccessible fishbowl. Junior Rennie’s uncle will be introduced to “cause problems for Barbie,” while a “forceful” young schoolteacher will be stirring things up for Big Jim Rennie. We can’t wait to see how all that plays out.
Though the first season had its missteps, it was still a fascinating ride through a unique concept, and things really did start to come together by the end of the first season. Here’s hoping that momentum (and quality control) continues.
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
For a 91-year-old guy, the marvelous Stan Lee gets around. And by that, we mean he appears in more Marvel-based movies than people who are half his age. Lee typically appears briefly in movies based on the characters he co-created, such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and the Hulk. However, his next appearance will be a little different.
On Feb. 4, 2014, the Jack Kirby Hall-of-Fame awards-winning editor will be making a cameo appearance in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. And although he created the superhero group the Avengers, the agents are unique to the show (aside from a brief cameo by Nick Fury). This marks the first time that Lee will be making a cameo in a superhero movie not of his own creation.
Does Lee's cameo pave the way for future appearances on TV and in the movies -- that are not based on characters he created? With any luck, Lee will get that Batman vs. Superman appearance that he craves.
Check out a(n extremely) brief appearance by Lee.
Note: We guess this means the person who created this supercut of Lee's appearances will have to update it.
THIS WEEK'S RATINGS
Two new shows debuted this week, and one of them just happened to be the biggest series premiere of the season. Intelligence skyrocketed to the top of the 2013-2014 premieres list when it posted the best numbers of any new show this season. Meanwhile, Syfy's Helix premiere put up solid but not impressive numbers in its debut, The Big Bang Theory continued to dominate, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. got a small boost and Dracula continued to slip. Intelligence got off to a fantastic start last week, posting the best premiere numbers of any new series in the 2013-2014 season so far, winning its timeslot and finishing second on the night overall, behind network-mate and lead-in NCIS. Next week it moves to Monday and a whole new set of competition. We'll see if it stays strong. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s first 2014 episode fared a bit better than its last 2013 one, but not much. It's still struggling compared to its debut, but don't be fooled. The odds that we'll see more of this show are still solid.
Syfy's new thriller series debuted to OK numbers Friday, but these ratings can't touch the last major Syfy debut, Defiance. Still, it's got room and time to grow, so we'll see how the coming weeks go.
24 REVIVAL
Fox's 24 revival is adding a Private Practice alum to its ranks.
Benjamin Bratt has joined the cast of the limited-event series starring Kiefer Sutherland, Fox announced Wednesday.
Bratt will play Harris, who commands the CIA operation in London that is pursuing Jack (Sutherland), now an exile and a fugitive from justice. Supporting Harris are CIA agent Kate Morgan (Yvonne Strahovski, Dexter), who is both resourceful and driven; Jordan Reed (Giles Matthey, Jobs), a smart and sophisticated CIA computer tech; and Erik Ritter (Gbenga Akinnagbe, The Wire), a sharp, strong and arrogant field operative. 24: Live Another Day will film in London and pick up with Bauer several years after the events in the final season of 24.
Bratt joins a cast that also includes Kim Raver, William Devane and Mary Lynn Rajskub reprising their roles from the original series, as well as new castmembers Michael Wincott (The Crow) and Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Judy Davis.
Bratt's long roster of credits include Law & Order, The Cleaner and a guest gig on Modern Family. He is repped by WME, Circle of Confusion and Myman Greenspan.
VERONICA MARS Veronica Mars continues to enjoy a significant cultural revival ahead of March's release of the Kickstarter-funded film. The CW announced Wednesday that it's even reviving the property with a web series on its CW Seed website.
There are few immediate details on the project, which sees the CW reuniting with the property after canceling it in 2007, though creator Rob Thomas is on board. The project will likely consist of six to eight 10-minute segments and will feature Ryan Hansen as a version of Ryan trying to put together a Dick Casablancas spin-off of Veronica Mars, Thomas said.
"Rob and I spoke last night," said CW president Mark Pedowitz. "He's very excited about doing this for CW Seed. It may not appear before the film comes out."
The film, the result of $5.7 million in fan donations, comes out in limited release March 14 -- with an early world premiere set for the South by Southwest festival.
"He told me about his schedule, and I said, 'We'll take it whenever you're ready,' " added Pedowitz. Much of the cast, most notably stars Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring and Enrico Colantoni, returned for the film. And Bell, of course, already has a TV commitment in Showtime's House of Lies.
Pedowitz noted that the idea came to the CW from Warner Bros. Digital, with talks first starting a week ago, leaving several details of the project still to be determined. Pedowitz added that he's letting Thomas' busy schedule -- he's also adapting DC Comics' iZombie for the network -- dictate the web spinoff's development.
The exec had few details on if the project could ultimately have an on-air run similar to what the network did when it broadcast Joss Whedon's three-part web series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog as a special last year.
"I have great faith in Rob that he will deliver something fantastic and should it ever turn into a TV series again, hopefully he'll think about us," Pedowitz told reporters following his TCA session.
In addition to the Veronica Mars film and web series, Thomas is also penning a Veronica Mars book series. The tie-in to the film will be coming out in 2014 from Vintage Books.
DOMINION
Syfy has debuted a brief teaser for their upcoming series, "Dominon," based on the film Legion by writer-director Scott Stewart.
An epic supernatural drama set in the year 25 A.E., "Dominion" explores a transformed post-apocalyptic future where an army of lower angels, assembled by the archangel Gabriel, has waged a war of possession against mankind. The archangel Michael, turning against his own kind, has chosen to side with humanity against Gabriel. Rising out of the ashes of the 25 year-long battle are newly fortified cities which protect the human survivors. In Vega (formerly Las Vegas), the largest of these cities, two houses vie for control and the stage is set for political upheaval and a dangerous power shift. Meanwhile, a rebellious young soldier begins a perilous journey as the war between the human race and the fallen angels hell-bent on their domination escalates.
"Dominion" stars Christopher Egan ("Kings"), Tom Wisdom (300), Roxanne McKee ("Game of Thrones"), Alan Dale ("LOST"), Anthony Stewart Head ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and Luke Allen-Gale ("The Borgias").
Stewart directed the pilot and is one of the project's Executive Producers. Michel Litvak and David Lancaster of Bold Films, who produced the film, are also Executive Producers. Vaun Wilmott wrote the pilot and will also serve as Executive Producer on the series.
The series is produced by Universal Cable Productions and BOLD Films, and filmed in Cape Town, South Africa.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2014
ANT MAN
All the chatter this week has been about the male stars of Ant-Man, but there is apparently a woman in the movie as well.
So we've got Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, Paul Rudd as Scott Lang and actor Michael Pena (American Hustle) also up for an unidentified role in the film. But now Variety (via Cinemablend) claims to know which actresses have been discussed for the main female character in the movie.
Those two women are said to be Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation) and Bryce Dallas Howard (Spider-Man 3), with another alleged contender, Jessica Chastain, reported to have removed herself from contention. Jones would be new to the superhero genre (although not new to Rudd -- they appeared together in Our Idiot Brother), while Howard had the misfortune to be jammed into the already overcrowded Spider-Man 3 as Gwen Stacy.
The big question is: What role are Jones and Howard vying for? Of course, the first character that comes to mind is Janet Van Dyne, aka the Wasp, Hank Pym's long-suffering wife and a charter member, like her husband, of the Avengers.
But with Michael Douglas already in the picture as an older Pym, reportedly with most of his superhero days behind him, the relatively youthful Jones and Howard would seem more likely to play a different character more directly connected to Rudd's Scott Lang. Could the role be Lang's ex-wife, Peggy Rae? Or perhaps Dr. Erica Sondheim, the scientist he rescues who is capable of saving Lang's daughter's life (which is why he steals Pym's Ant-Man suit in the first place)?
This is all speculation now, with denials starting to fly around already (much as Marvel has denied the Johnny-Depp-as-Dr.-Strange rumors that broke out earlier today), and Variety notes that neither actress has received a formal offer from Marvel yet. But with Ant-Man finally trundling toward production under director Edgar Wright, it won't be long before all these casting rumors are either dashed for good or made official.
DOCTOR STRANGE RUMOR
Could this be the star Marvel wants to be its big-screen Sorcerer Supreme?
Sometimes it seems like a Doctor Strange movie keeps getting further and further away, even though Marvel Studios mastermind Kevin Feige has confirmed that it's something they'd like to do eventually. Every once in a while we hear a rumor, a flutter of casting information or script information or a possible production schedule, and then the flick goes dormant again, leaving us to focus on our Iron Mans and Thors and Captains America, wondering when the stable of Marvel solo heroes will finally expand beyond Ant-Man.
OK, so it's not that dramatic, but we have been waiting quite some time to hear about major progress on this film, and while this rumor isn't official progress yet, it is perhaps the biggest Doctor Strange rumor we've ever heard. Are you ready?
According to Latino Review, a "well-connected source" reports that Marvel has "taken a meeting" with Johnny Depp to star in the Doctor Strange movie as the good Doctor himself.
According to this source, Depp's a comic-book fan who's had some interest in working with Marvel for a while, and Marvel parent company Disney is so interested in having him on board for the flick that they'd even move the production schedule of Pirates of the Caribbean 5 around so he could work with Marvel, and Marvel would even rewrite the script -- which is believed to, at present, feature a 30-year-old Strange -- to accommodate Depp's age. That might seem like a lot of catering to the star, but consider how much money Depp's made for Disney over the years (The Lone Ranger nothwithstanding) through the Pirates franchise and Alice in Wonderland. He's been huge for them, and he's also a household name who would help draw in audiences who are less familiar with Doctor Strange than they are with, say, Iron Man at this point.
Now, for the moment it's important to keep in mind that this was just a meeting, not necessarily a contract negotiation or something more permanent. Meetings happen all the time, so tomorrow Depp could simply walk away from Doctor Strange, step back into Jack Sparrow's boots and never look back. Latino Review's report also went on to say that the very earliest we could possibly see Strange appear is in the credits sequence of Avengers: Age of Ultron to set up a possible 2016 release for his solo film, but he's still very solidly a Marvel Phase 3 character at this point, so there's still a good chunk of time left for the studio to work out a deal, with Depp or someone else.
THE STRAIN
Carlton Cuse made a brief appearance to cap off FX's day at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour to preview the cabler's adaptation of Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan's best-selling book trilogy. The Strain centers on a vampire virus that infects New York and the CDC doctor, Ephraim "Eph" Goodweather (House of Cards' Corey Stoll), who investigates the case. Del Toro and Hogan, who co-penned the three-book series, co-wrote the pilot, with Cuse on board as showrunner. Del Toro directed the pilot.
Cuse noted that he first bought the book when it was published in 2009 to read after he completed ABC's Lost. He was a fan immediately and when he was approached to work with del Toro on the TV adaptation, he immediately said yes.
The Bates Motel co-showrunner noted that the duo prepared The Strain "like a movie," working on the pilot for 18 months to create what he called an epic and cinematic experience for the series. He said The Strain represents a different kind of vampire than has thus far been featured on TV or film. (Recent TV entries in the genre include The CW's The Vampire Diaries and spinoff The Originals as well as HBO's True Blood.)
"You'll never look at vampires the same way. These are not sparkly, brooding dudes with fangs and romantic problems," Cuse said in a nod to the Twilight franchise. "These vampires, or to use the Romanian word, tragoi, are really scary creatures." The vampires featured on the series, he said, are not romantic creatures and do not have sex (they shed their genitalia). The Strain showrunner described the series as an original reimagining of vampire lore that has a message about the precariousness of the modern world. "There's an interesting intersection in the story between empiricism and religion," he said. "It's a really great yarn and it's exciting, but it's about something more."
Cuse said producers are looking at the series for either a three- or five-season run, with season one covering the first book in the trilogy. Once producers break a second season -- if the series is successful -- Cuse said they will examine if the final two books should be one season each or split up into multiple seasons.
Cuse, who is also developing a remake of French zombie drama The Returned for A&E, where Bates Motel will bow its second season later this year, said producers added a lot of new material to the FX adaptation and have gone deeper into the characters featured in the book. "The books are well-represented in the show, but the series is a deeper and richer experience," he noted.
As for the physical appearance of the vampires, Cuse said the series has made some changes and modifications to the general description of what they look like in the books. "It's a really interesting vision of the vampires," he noted. "There's a wonderful mythology about these vampires and their backstories. They're sentient, and it's a layered force of antagonism that our characters are up to in this story, which differentiates itself from other shows in the genre."
"These creatures, as imagined by Guillermo, I believe are really compelling, interesting and different than what you've seen before," he said. "Not unlike Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo has brought a real vision to the way these creatures have been realized that I think audiences will find compelling." The Strain will debut in July on FX.
AVATAR NEWS
Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana have finalized deals to reprise their characters for the next three Avatar movies.
The trio of movies are being made back-to-back-to-back by James Cameron, who last August enlisted Josh Friedman, duo Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, and Shane Salerno to help him work on the screenplays.
The first actor who signed on for all three new movies was Stephen Lang, who played mad Marine Colonel Quaritch in the 2009 film. His character dies in the first film, so it will be interesting to see how Cameron resurrects him.
Other plot details are being kept locked on Pandora, although THR has learned that Jake Sully and Neytiri, the characters played by Worthington and Saldana, respectively, have kids.
Said Cameron: "Jake Sully is a rare combination of passion, strength, street smarts and soul, which requires a lot from an actor. Sam brought to the role a combination of sensitivity, vulnerability and strength. Zoe captured every aspect of the character I envisioned, bringing to Neytiri a mix of delicacy, fierceness and incredible physicality. I am beyond pleased they'll be returning with us to Pandora."
Cameron and Jon Landau will produce through their Lightstorm Entertainment banner.
The first sequel will hit theaters in December 2016, with the second to follow in December 2017 and the third a year later.? MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN
DreamWorks Animation has released, via Fandango, a new clip from director Rob Minkoff's Mr. Peabody & Sherman, coming to 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theaters on March 7, 2014.
Based on Jay Ward's classic cartoon, Mr. Peabody is the world's smartest person who happens to be a dog. When his "pet" boy Sherman uses their time traveling WABAC machine without permission, events in history spiral out of control to disastrous and comical results.
The film is voiced by Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Stephen Colbert, Allison Janney, Ariel Winter, Stephen Tobolowsky, Leslie Mann, Stanley Tucci and Mel Brooks.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014
THE FOLLOWING
Don't expect "The Following" to follow the same path as Season 1 just because James Purefoy's Joe Carroll is back. That was the main takeaway from showrunner Kevin Williamson during the show's TCA 2014 winter press tour panel on Monday (Jan. 13).
"It's a different show. This year it's a different story," Williamson says.
That said, though, Joe remains integral to Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) as a person. "The truth is he's incredibly important to me. Sadly, the most important thing in my life," Bacon says.
The first episode of Season 2 will spend its first two minutes resolving the unanswered questions at the end of Season 1, and then will flash forward a year as "Ryan's new chapter begins."
"This is the type of show where I think it can change every season," Williamson says. "We've taken Ryan Hardy to a brand new world. ... We're in New York City. We have a brand new template to paint on."
Even though, as Williamson notes, "we need to bring in some new characters because we killed them all," there will be several familiar faces in Season 2. Purefoy's return, for instance, came as something of a surprise for viewers.
"I'm sorry, I was lying to everybody," he says. "I always knew I was going to live."
But it's how Joe affects Ryan that will make Season 2 engaging in a new way. "This second season, seemingly, I have lost my obsession for Joe. I have stepped in a different place in my life and he is no longer burning inside my heart in the way that he was in season one," Bacon says. "But like everything on 'The Following,' things are not always the way they seem."
Masks will be a theme in Season 2. Beyond just the masks being worn by the new following, there are also the metaphoric masks the characters are wearing. Bacon says you "find out in Season 2 that a lot of us have these masks that we're living."
In Season 2, Ryan is no longer a member of the FBI. Williamson admits that was a response to criticism of the FBI seeming incompetent at their job in Season 1.
"Looking back on Season 1 ... any time you have sort of a serialized show where your main character's in the FBI task force and they're not catching the bad guy ... then when you look back, you're like that guy's really stupid," Williamson acknowledges. "That's a justified criticism."
But there still will be a connection to law enforcement. Ryan's niece Max, played by "90210" alum Jessica Stroup, is a New York City detective, and is part of the family Ryan creates for himself the way Joe did in Season 1. But Williamson notes there's a "tone shift" in Season 2, and reminds that it's "not an FBI quest of a show."
"This show's about Ryan Hardy. ... It's about his struggle to find some hope in his life; to find some reason to live," Williamson says. "It's about my midlife crisis. ... They're all sort of trying to have this second chapter."
Bacon adds to a question about the show ending in the distant future -- like Season 9 -- with Joe's death at long last, "Wouldn't it make more sense to end the show with Ryan Hardy dying? ... We should be so lucky; ninth season."
"The Following" premieres Sunday (Jan. 19) following FOX's coverage of the NFC championship game, and moves to its regular time period on Monday, Jan. 27.
GODZILLA
This is a great new demo shot from a toy fair of the city-stomping, atomic-breathed behemoth from Gareth Edwards' new Godzilla reboot. It's a detailed model of a proposed action figure posed before an official Godzilla movie poster. No smoke, no raining concrete, just a killer glimpse of the King of All Monsters ... in toy form.
Opening May 16, 2014, Godzilla stars Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Johnson, Juliette Binoche, David Strathairn, Ken Watanabe, Richard T. Jones, Sally Hawkins, Akira Takarada, Victor Rasuk, Yuki Morita and C.J. Adams.
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
Former Aliens, Titanic and Big Love actor Bill Paxton will begin an at least four-episode arc on the ABC series starting in late February or early March.
Executive producer Jed Whedon said: “We wanted to bring in a rough-and-tumble former cohort of Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) with a little bit of attitude and cigar-smoking swagger.”
Paxton will play Agent John Garrett, who'll work alongside Brett Dalton’s Agent Ward and Ming-Na Wen’s Agent May.
Have a look at Paxton's badass-looking Agent Garrett:
Executive producer Maurissa Tancharoen says that Agent John Garrett “comes into the fold in a very surprising way. He is the type who wants to stay out in the field no matter how high-level he gets.”
Garrett was turned into a cyborg in order to save his life after he was injured in the line of duty in the comic Elektra: Assassin. Will that be the case on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Whedon refused to confirm this but said, “When Garrett got his promotion to Level 7, he refused to sit behind a desk and doesn't like the formalities of S.H.I.E.L.D. He's going to help Coulson solve some mysteries and is not afraid to rig an explosive or two.”
OUTLANDER
Starz has debuted the first dramatic trailer for Ron D. Moore's (Battlestar Galactica) upcoming time-traveling series Outlander.
Have a look at the fantastic trailer:
We've literally got chills, people. Chills!
From the look of things, executive producer and showrunner Moore seems to be on the right track with the series adapted from author Diana Gabaldon's (affectionately known to all her fans as Herself) best-selling novels -- there are seven so far, with the eight book, Written in My Own Heart's Blood, set to be published on June 10.
Below is the series' blurb: Outlander follows the story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie Fraser, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate relationship is ignited that tears Claire's heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
ANT MAN
Michael Douglas is doing his first comic book movie.
The 69-year-old actor, who yesterday won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Liberace in HBO's Behind the Candelabra, will play opposite Paul Rudd in Marvel Studios' Ant-Man.
Douglas will play scientist Hank Pym in the Edgar Wright-helmed film, set to be released on July 31, 2015.
"With Hank Pym's rich history in the Marvel Universe, we knew we needed an actor capable of bringing the weight and stature to the role that the character deserves," said Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige on the company's website, Marvel.com. "We felt incredibly relieved when Michael Douglas agreed to step in to the part with the charm and fortitude he brings to every character he inhabits, and couldn't be more excited to see what he will do to bring Hank Pym to life."
The casting clears up who Rudd will play in the movie since Ant-Man has been the alter ego of both Pym, a scientist who discovers particles that allow a person to change size, and Scott Lang, a reformed thief who steals the technology in order to save his ill daughter. Marvel has been tight-lipped in regards to which story its movie was focusing on until this latest casting revelation, in which the studio also confirmed that leading man Rudd will portray Lang.
CONSTANTINE
The series announced as being in the scripting stage back in September, Deadline is now reporting that NBC has ordered a pilot for "Constantine," based on the DC Comics/Vertigo character. Written by David S. Goyer (Batman Begins, Man of Steel) and Daniel Cerone ("The Mentalist"), it's thought that the new series will use the character's "New 52" series as its basis.
Created by Alan Moore, John Constantine, a roguish magician/detective/conman, first appeared during the author's run on "Swamp Thing" in 1985, receiving his own series, "Hellblazer," under DC's Vertigo imprint in 1988. That book ran for 300 issues before it was relaunched in DC's "New 52" continuity as "Constantine" with a younger take on the antihero.
The Constantine character was also brought to the big screen with a 2005 film directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Keanu Reeves. Guillermo del Toro confirmed last year that he was working on a script based on DC's "Justice League Dark," (tentatively titled Dark Universe) that would include John Constantine as a character. As to how that film winds up being affected by these new television plans remains to be seen.
The series joins "Arrow," "The Flash," and "Gotham" as another DC comics-based television series.
MAGIC: THE GATHERING
20th Century Fox has today tapped an undisclosed number of lands to gather the collective Mana necessary to summon a Magic: The Gathering feature film. The Hollywood Reporter has the news, bringing word that the studio will adapt the popular Collectible Card Game (CCG) for the big screen. Simon Kinberg (X-Men: First Class) will provide the screenplay.
Launched in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast (now owned by Hasbro), "Magic: The Gathering" is set in a realm inhabited by Wizards known as Planeswalkers. Using five different colors of magic, players do battle with one another using customized card decks that contain creatures, spells, artifacts and other fantasy elements. The game was so popular in the 1990's that it helped launch an immense wave of CCG popularity.
Stephen Davis, Brian Goldner and Greg Leeds will produce Magic: The Gathering with Josh Feldman and Aditya Sood serving as executive producers.
GOTHAM
Originally billed as a series focusing on pre-Commissioner era James Gordon, Fox chairman Kevin Reilly (via Deadline) confirmed today that the network's upcoming series "Gotham" will chronicle the journey of a young Bruce Wayne as well saying: "The show will track Bruce from a child until he puts on a cape (in the finale)."
Reilly also announced that the series will tell origin stories for several key Batman villains including The Riddler, The Penguin, Catwoman and more. "We will see how they get to become what they are as Gotham is teetering on the edge. It is an operatic soap with a larger than life quality.”
Under development from "The Mentalist" creator Bruno Heller, "Gotham" has already been greenlit as a pilot with veteran director Danny Cannon behind the camera. Reilly confirmed that the network has the full intention of taking the show to series and will begin assembling their writer's room this February.
JANUARY 13, 2014
HELIX
Syfy's new horror/sci-fi series, Helix, shows us its dark underbelly when the show premiered Friday, said executive producer and showrunner Steven Maeda in an exclusive interview with Blastr. In fact, things are going to get downright freaky, maybe even X-Files freaky. Helix's double-episode premiere airs tonight on Syfy at 10 p.m. ET.
Maeda chatted with us about the show's mythology, its screwed up families, and what will happen next year if it gets a second season. Warning! SPOILERS AHEAD:
Things are going to get weird
“What's really been fun in doing this is to open [the storytelling] up in a way that is unexpected. I think you will see in the pilot, we tried to do it in music, we tried to do it in the way we cut the show and in the storytelling, in the casting a little bit. Just to take it to a place that you may think you know going in, but once you watch the first episode you'll go, 'Whoa, wait a second, this is a little weirder than I thought it would be,'” said Maeda. Helix stars Billy Campbell as Dr. Alan Farragut, the leader of a group of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control who are called to a high-tech research facility in the Arctic when a possible disease outbreak occurs. However, something terrifying is going on at Arctic BioSystems that just might hold the secret to mankind's salvation or total annihilation. The series, which comes from Battlestar Galactica's Ronald D. Moore and Fringe's Maeda, and also stars Hiroyuki Sanada, Neil Napier, Kyra Zagorsky, Mark Ghanimé, Jordan Hayes, Meegwun Fairbrother, Catherine Lemieux.
Oh, yes, it's sick AND twisted Helix has “these quirky edges and it's scary and creepy, but it's kind of sick and twisted, too. 'What the heck's going on here?' So that was a really appealing thing for me to be able to open up what could be a very straight-ahead story about a virus, an outbreak situation, and to take it to these fantastic places,” said Maeda.
As it turns out, there is nothing “straight-ahead” at all about the virus or the people who have been working with it. That includes Alan's brother, Dr. Peter Farragut (Napier), a scientist on the team who has been exposed.
“What we tried to do is open up a lot of what lies beneath, both character-wise and plot-wise, and then also just about the space itself. Uncover a much deeper mystery going on. It brought me back in a lot of ways to working on Lost, working on X-Files, which we did a couple years back, in the unraveling of a conspiracy that seems on the surface to be supernatural, in a way, or cool and scientific anyway, but then becomes something much deeper once you get into it. That was very appealing, just that whole element of coming and saying, what is this person's hidden agenda? What can we get up and discover once we find that it's an outbreak? But wait, there's something weird going on. What's that about?” he asked. Helix - Episode 1 Helix is also freakin' scary
A virus is a terrifying story element, said Maeda. “Does it move through the air? Is it going through the water? It's very elemental things. You're breathing, you're eating, you're drinking, you're having contact with people, and suddenly you're afraid of those things. It's just like existence itself is scary. You can't see the enemy. That's something we wanted to play with as well, just the idea of, how do you fight something you can't see?
“We have these CDC scientists who come in who are experts at this, but at the same time, they are in a really difficult situation because they don't have all the resources they would normally have. They're in this very isolated location. In a lot of ways, it's like being on the moon, because the exterior is so forbidding. It's not a place you want to go spend a lot of time,” he said.
It's about really, really screwed up, twisted families
At it's heart, “it's about family. That's one of the big themes we explore. About how families go wrong. You see that from the very beginning. As subsequent episodes unfold, we'll see that get even more twisted and tangled and messed up, just the bad ways things can go, but also the good things that can happen. We are trying to tell emotional stories at the same time. I don't know. It's been an interesting ride to see what the show revealed to us as we were doing this,” he said. “There were some fun discoveries along the way that enabled us to make the stories richer.”
While Alan's relationship with his brother, Peter, is at the core of Helix, that relationship is colored by the fact that Alan's ex is on the CDC team, and she cheated on Alan once upon a time with Peter.
There are “several dysfunctional families at play here. As you get deeper and deeper into the series, that becomes more and more evident,” said Maeda. They are “pretty screwed up. Our goal is just how screwed up do we make it while still having some kind of grounding in science and in believability? But then what kind of messed up places can we go to?”
Great conceits in time and space
While Helix certainly draws some of its inspiration from The Thing by way of The Andromeda Strain and The X-Files, there's another TV show that the series also takes its cues from.
“One of the things that was a great conceit of the script just from the very beginning, before I even got there, was the idea of having it confined to this location. If not the base itself, then the Arctic circle in general for the first season,” said Maeda.
“Then also playing each episode as a day. Not unlike 24, but a little bit longer duration. Each episode takes place over roughly a 24-hour period. That idea of keeping contained time-wise and location-wise, but then seeing what we could come up with was really challenging and fun,” he said.
Helix - Episode 1 - Blood
“If we're fortunate enough to get a second season...”
While Maeda loves the Arctic location and the isolation that provides, a second season would go in a very different direction.
“I think the key, if we're fortunate enough to get a second season, what we would love to do, and we have ideas about this already is to reinvent the series in some way. A lot of people are wondering, 'How do you stay at this Arctic base? How do you keep it going past the original 13?' I would just say that we are planning to open the world up in all sorts of cool ways,” he said.
Every season will NOT be like American Horror Story... mostly
“Our hope is to ask as many cool questions as possible in the first 13, answer them as much as possible, but then also open up new mysteries that can propel us into other related mysteries. We don't want to go quite as standalone seasons as American Horror Story, for example, but we definitely are not planning do to multiple seasons at the Arctic base. We want to take the world and the characters and allow the series to slingshot around and open itself up in ways, however they reveal themselves to us,” said Maeda.
“That's what's so exciting about it as well. There are other horror shows out there, but this feels like it has an interesting perception, an interesting take on the genre. We're still doing good old-fashioned horror storytelling, but with a twist, I think. A sick twist in some ways, an offbeat twist,” he said. “This is not a show that you could see anywhere else.” Helix airs on Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Syfy.
GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, Breaking Bad, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Behind the Candelabra were among the big winners at the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday night. 12 Years a Slave took home the win for best motion picture, drama, while American Hustle won as best musical/comedy. Breaking Bad was named best TV drama, while Brooklyn Nine-Nine surprised with a win for best TV comedy. Behind the Candelabra won in the miniseries/TV movie category.
The ceremony was broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton on NBC, with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler returning as hosts.
A complete list of winners follows:
Best Motion Picture, Drama - *12 Years a Slave
Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama - *Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama - *Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Best Director – Motion Picture - *Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture - *Spike Jonze, Her
Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy - *American Hustle
Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy - *Amy Adams, American Hustle
Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy - *Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Animated Feature Film - *Frozen
Best Foreign Language Film - *The Great Beauty (Italy)
Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture - *Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture - *Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Best Original Score – Motion Picture - *Alex Ebert, All Is Lost
Best Original Song – Motion Picture - *"Ordinary Love," Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Best TV Series, Drama -*Breaking Bad
Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama - *Robin Wright, House of Cards
Best Actor in a TV series, Drama - *Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Best TV Series, Comedy - *Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy - *Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Best Actor in a TV Series, Comedy- *Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Best Miniseries or TV Movie -*Behind the Candelabra
Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie - *Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake
Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie - *Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie - *Jacqueline Bisset, Dancing on the Edge
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or TV Movie - *Jon Voight, Ray Donovan
Cecil B. DeMille Award - *Woody Allen
FROM DUSK TO DAWN
On the heels of a still featuring D.J. Catrona and Zane Holtz's small screen version of the Gecko brothers, EW has debuted a trailer for the upcoming "From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series," now set to premiere March 11 on the new El Rey Network.
The 10-episode serialized drama will serve as the first original scripted series to air on the new El Rey Network. It also stars Adrienne Palicki, Jesse Garcia, Don Johnson, Robert Patrick, Madison Davenport, Brandon Soo Hoo and Eiza González.
Based on the film of the same name, "From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series” is a supernatural crime saga centered around bank robber, Seth Gecko (Cotrona) and his violent, unpredictable brother, Richard "Richie" Gecko (Holtz), who are wanted by the FBI and Texas Rangers Earl McGraw (Johnson) and Freddie Gonzalez (Garcia) after a bank heist left several people dead. While on the run to Mexico, Seth and Richie encounter former minister Jacob Fuller (Patrick) and his family, whom they take hostage. Using the family RV to cross the border, chaos ensues when the group detours to a strip club that is populated by vampires. They are forced to fight until dawn in order to get out alive. The series deepens the tone of the film, adds new characters and backstories and expands the Mesoamerican mythology behind the creatures inside the club.
START DATES FOR JURASSIC WORLD, TERMINATOR AND FANTASTIC FOUR
Get ready Louisiana residents, Hollywood is bringing some big productions to the state in the upcoming months. While not 100% confirmed, Production Weekly has tweeted start dates and locations for The Fantastic Four, Terminator and Jurassic World.
According to them, The Fantastic Four will kick things off in Baton Rouge on March 31. To be directed by Josh Trank (Chronicle), the 20th Century Fox release has been scheduled to hit theaters on June 19, 2015, but no cast members have been announced.
Next up, Terminator (AKA "Terminator Genesis") is expected to start filming on April 21 in New Orleans. Thor: The Dark World helmer Alan Taylor is directing for a July 1, 2015 release. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke and Jason Clarke are starring.
And last, but certainly not least, Jurassic World plans to start shooting in Louisiana on June 2. No specific city was mentioned for the film, but Colin Trevorrow will be directing Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Jake Johnson, Nick Robinson and Irrfan Khan. The movie hits theaters on June 12, 2015.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2014
DOCTOR WHO
Hello, sweetie! Or rather -- goodbye, sweetie! Looks like River Song’s return to Doctor Who may not be a sure thing after all, and here’s the bizarre reason why.
Despite Alex Kingston’s repeated hints that she’d be making a return to Auntie Beeb's beloved sci-fi series, Who showrunner Steven Moffat himself is playing a different tune and is unsure whether the Doctor’s wife will even make an appearance during Peter Capaldi’s tenure as the new Time Lord.
Here's what Moffat told Doctor Who Magazine:
“It’s always down to whether there’s a good story. My immediate instinct was that story’s probably done. Not that we saw all of it, but I never thought we should see all of it. I’m slightly tempted, because I imagine Peter Capaldi and Alex Kingston would be absolutely hilarious together…”
“She could certainly have met other Doctors. So there’s nothing stopping us… But is there anything new we can do? Or is the new thing that Peter Capaldi and Alex Kingston would be very sexy together? Is that enough? We’ve always had fun with the fact that they don’t look like a couple.”
“Peter Capaldi and Alex Kingston would look like a couple – that’s the thing. Whereas I thought Matt and Alex were gorgeous together, but it looked slightly strange, because he was so much younger. Alex is just great fun to have on the show. It’s when you want to throw the Doctor a bit, because what River does so well is to make him a bit on the back foot and a bit flustered.”
CAPTAIN AMERICA = WINTER SOLDIER
No disrespect to the classic comic art above, but these new pics of Cap and Falcon in Winter Soldier look way more badass.
One of the big mysteries in the Captain America sequel is the introduction of new hero the Falcon (Anthony Mackie). Now we know how he meets Cap — and get a nice pic of the duo in action. The two have been teaming up for decades in the pages of Marvel comics, and the guys look as awesome as ever on the big screen.
In a chat with The Los Angeles Times, star Chris Evans reveals how the two characters will meet and why they become pals during the events of Winter Soldier. Basically? Both of these guys need a friend, and even though they’re from different generations, they’re still soldiers — and still face all the problems inherent in that role:
“For Steve, it’s about what is right. He’s relatively acclimated to the modern day — it’s not tech shock anymore, he’s not just like, ‘What’s a cellphone?’ It’s more about, given his situation, given the company he works for, what are we doing that’s the right thing? How much privacy, civil liberties are we willing to compromise for security? It’s pretty crazy how relevant it is right now.
Meeting Mackie’s character, he used to serve, now he works at the VA counseling guys who come home with PTSD — they connect on that level. I think they’re both wounded warriors who don’t bleed on other people. Cap has no one to bleed on. I think Mackie knows how to handle people like that. … Sometimes when things are bad, trusting a stranger is the way to go.”
We’re psyched to see how this one turns out, considering the fact that it’s taking on one of the biggest Cap arcs in comic history and represents yet another new direction for Marvel’s movie empire. The film opens April 4, 2014.
OUTLANDER
Starz has released this new photo from one of the most iconic scenes of the "Outlander" novels. Captain Black Jack Randall (played by Tobias Menzies) delivers Red Coat justice to Jamie Fraser (played by Sam Heughan).
Adapted from Diana Gabaldon's international bestselling novels, the series will air on Starz in 2014. The "Outlander" series spans the genres of romance, science fiction, history and adventure in one epic tale. It follows the story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie Fraser, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate affair is ignited that tears Claire's heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
Ronald D. Moore and Jim Kohlberg are executive producers of "Outlander," which is produced by Tall Ship Productions, Story Mining & Supply Company and Left Bank Pictures in association with Sony Pictures Television.
GAMES OF THRONES
Cheeky HBO have released a bunch of teasers for the teaser trailer for the fourth season of "Game of Thrones". A 16-second announcement clip confirms the trailer is set to air at 8:58 p.m. this Sunday ahead of the premiere of "True Detective". They've also released five Vine videos, each focusing on a different scene.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2014
DOCTOR WHO NEWS
Now that Peter Capaldi's the new Mad Man in the Big Blue Box on Doctor Who, showrunner Steven Moffat thinks it’s finally time for a “kick-up-the-arse Doctor.”
Moffat explained, in the new Doctor Who Magazine, that he felt it was time to shake the show a bit (hooray!) and bring a more "dangerous and difficult" Doctor to the TARDIS -- in the shape, of course, of Peter Capaldi's Twelve.
“There would be little point in making as radical a change as we’ve made unless you’re going to go quite different with the Doctor. The last two Doctors have been brilliant, and have been your ‘good boyfriend’ Doctors. But the Doctor isn’t always like that. There is the sort of Tom Baker, Christopher Eccleston end of the spectrum, where he is mad and dangerous and difficult.”
He also adds:
“If we’d cast Ben Whishaw [who was often touted as a possible next Doctor each time the role was up for grabs], you’d know what we were doing. You’d think, ‘Well, that’s another quirky young man with entertaining hair!’ And he’d be a brilliant Doctor, but Clara would just think, ‘Okay, you’ve rearranged yourself a bit…’”
“I think it was time for the show to flip around a bit. The new version of the show is quite old now. It’s very old… We need the kick-up-the-arse Doctor, in a way, to frighten you and make you think, oh, it’s a different show again.”
ARROW
Some new story details have finally filtered out about the back half of Arrow season two, and it sounds like one of our favorite baddies is heading back to Starling City.
The network has let loose the synopsis for “Tremors,” the 12th episode of the season, set to air Jan. 29. So what’s going on? For one thing, clawed villain Bronze Tiger (Michael Jai White) will be pulling a prison escape in an effort to steal Malcolm Merlyn's earthquake machine, which leveled half the city last season. Uh-oh.
We didn’t get to see much of Bronze Tiger when he was introduced earlier this season, so hopefully we’ll get a chance to dig into the badass assassin a little more this time around. He definitely put up a good fight with Arrow, and hey, who doesn’t love those claws? It’s also interesting that the earthquake machine will be back in play. Hmm, could this have anything to do with a certain psychopath’s recent reappearance?
Check out the synopsis below and let us know what you think:
“Tremors”: Arrow (Stephen Amell) offers to train Roy (Colton Haynes) so he can learn to control his newfound super-strength. However, Roy is a rebellious student and refuses to listen unless Arrow reveals his true identity, which Oliver refuses to do. Meanwhile, the Bronze Tiger (guest star Michael Jai White) escapes from prison and steals Malcolm’s earthquake machine to sell to the highest bidder. Oliver, Diggle (David Ramsey) and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) attempt to stop the transfer, but Roy gets in the way, putting everyone in danger. Laurel (Katie Cassidy) is disbarred and spirals out of control. Moira (Susanna Thompson) is thrilled when Walter (guest star Colin Salmon) asks her to dinner, but his reason surprises her. Thea (Willa Holland) encourages her mother to ask Walter to reconcile. Guy Bee directed the episode written by Marc Guggenheim & Drew Z. Greenberg.
In case anyone needs a refresher on what kind of badness that earthquake machine can crank out.
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
Following the initial promo for the episode, ABC and Marvel Entertainment have debuted the first clip from the upcoming 12th episode of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.". Titled "Seeds," the episode is described as follows:
"Coulson and May uncover startling information about Skye’s past, while the team is swept into a storm at S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy."
"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." airs Tuesdays at 8 P.M. on ABC.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2014
DOCTOR WHO NEWS
Fans of "Doctor Who" won't have to worry about episodes of the show being spaced out over long periods of time because not only is Season 8 going to air uninterrupted beginning in August, Season 9 will do the exact same thing in 2015.
The news comes from Doctor Who magazine (care of Digital Spy), which spoke to Steven Moffat. "We're not going to do splits, and the same format will repeat exactly the following year like that -- so it will be the traditional form," he says.
Season 8 of the show began production Tuesday (Jan. 7), which also brought the first official image of new Doctor Peter Capaldi on set, along with his companion Clara (Jenna Coleman). It looks like the season premiere will pick up right where the Christmas special left off as the two are wearing their same costumes from the Doctor's regeneration scene.
OUTLANDER
Ronald D. Moore is crediting Game of Thrones for helping him bring Starz's upcoming time-traveling/fantasy/drama series Outlander to TV -- and here's how. Outlander tells the story of a World War II combat nurse named Claire Randall (Caitriona Balfe) who finds herself flung into the past by stepping through a circle of standing stones, leading to love with a fierce young Scottish Highland warrior by the name of Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan).
If you're worried that the upcoming show will just be plain historical drama -- don't be. Outlander does have plenty of fantasy elements, the first being the time-travel aspect. Other stuff will pop up, but we'll keep mum about them because, you know, SPOILERS.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming -- and on to the casting game.
Ronald Moore - who executive-produces Outlander - told EW:
We went into this saying there’s a lot of Claires out there. We’ll find Clarie and [her Scottish lover] Jamie was going to really kill us — he’s the tough one. Of course, it was the exact opposite. It was really hard to find somebody to be Clarie. The show sits on her shoulders in a very real way — she’s in every scene, every day, and it had to be an actress who can bring that character to life with a lot of depth.
Moore also got into how the hit HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones opened the door to all kinds of genre to the TV landscape, and how it’s influenced him:
It’s definitely opened that door and showed that fantasy and genre material has a strong audience on premium cable. They also showed you can take an existing readership and turn it into an audience and then broaden that audience. We don’t think of ourselves as their competition because they won that corner of the world and they do what they do amazingly well. We want to find our own different space.
I’ve been a fan of Thrones, I’ve been impressed with how they’ve navigated the adaption process. Less with The Walking Dead, because they’ve varied a lot from the source material and been very successful, but I’ve been trying to stick [with the source material]. I’ve been impressed with Homeland and its ability to shock its audience, and Mad Men fort its utter dedication to character.
The Battlestar Galactica creator also explained that the plan is to do one book per season (there are seven of Diana Gabaldon’s books that make up the main bulk of the Outlander series out now, with an eighth one titled Written In My Own Heart’s Blood to be published on June 10), and that a season will have 16 episodes.
When asked how he would stage (portray) the historical past on Outlander (remember, the story is set in the 1940s and the 1740s), Moore’s answer was this:
I think what we’re going for overall is we’re trying to deliver an authentic period piece. We’re not trying to reinvent the 18th century and make it cool for modern audiences. There’s a temptation to make period pieces look like a costume drama, where everything is very clean and beautiful. We’re going for a rougher, grittier feeling to what life was like back then.
Then Moore proceeded to reveal just how much sex there'll be on the series - it is on Starz after all, you guys.
It’s an intimate show in an epic setting. There is a fair amount. We don’t really have to add very much; there’s a lot of sex in the book. There’s a fair amount of violence, too, but it’s not a battle show — we’re not getting into the big slo-mo spurts of blood.
We definitely love what we’re hearing here. Ronald Moore is a talented producer, and, lest we forget, he's the dude that gave us that amazing Battlestar Galactica reboot, ass-kicking females in Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) and Number Six (Tricia Helfer) and toasters.
SUPERNATURAL
All hell (or, well, heaven?) broke loose in the midseason finale of The CW’s Supernatural, and the first clip from the series’ return shows that things are going to get a whole lot worse.
After seeing Kevin murdered right in front of him, and with Sam possessed and on the run, Dean is obviously pretty desperate. How desperate? Plan A is that he goes to Crowley for help. Yikes. The Winchesters have kept the King of Hell locked up for much of the season, and Crowley has just been biding his time waiting for a chance to cause trouble. Well, it looks like his time has come.
Here’s the synopsis for the Jan. 14 midseason premiere, “Road Trip”:
Dean (Jensen Ackles) is devastated after Kevin's death and vows to find the angel that killed him, not only to free Sam (Jared Padalecki) but to seek revenge. Castiel (Misha Collins) arrives at the bunker and suggests they try to separate Sam's brain from the angel's so they can talk to Sam and have him expel Gadreel. However, there's one small problem: The only person who knows how to do that is Crowley (Mark Sheppard).
THE LEFTOVERS
It’s obvious that Lost would be a pretty tough act to follow, but producer Damon Lindelof is finally coming back to TV for his first series since the island. So why’d he pick HBO’s new supernatural drama The Leftovers?
Lindelof became a geek icon during his time on Lost — and a pretty divisive figure after that series’ controversial finale — and has spent the years since then working on blockbuster (and *also* controversial among fans) films like Prometheus, Star Trek Into Darkness and World War Z.
He was fairly content to keep working in movies until he stumbled upon a review of Tom Perotta’s 2011 novel The Leftovers written by horror icon Stephen King and fell in love with the supernatural tale at the heart of the story. After that, and tracking down and reading a copy of the book itself, it was only a matter of getting the rights and finding a network.
Now the story, about survivors left behind on Earth after a Rapture-like event leads to 140 million people vanishing in the blink of an eye, is heading to HBO with an initial 10-episode order. The project also boasts a solid cast, with Justin Theroux, Christopher Eccleston, Liv Tyler and Amy Brenneman all playing key roles. Considering the supernatural subject matter, it looks like this one has the potential to be just as intriguing (and controversial) as Lost’s run.
Here’s Lindelof’s explanation to Entertainment Weekly for why he’s coming back to TV:
“When Lost was ending, the two questions were: ‘What are your feelings about the ending of Lost?’ And ‘What’s next?’ The way I was answering the ‘What’s next?’ question was, ‘I don’t really want to think about it right now — I just want to enjoy this process,’ but the truth was ‘I don’t know if I can ever do another television show again because I’m so terrified that it’ll be just so much less than Lost,’ and I didn’t quite know any classy way of articulating that idea…. I went off into movie-ville with no real strong feelings about whether or not I was going to do TV again…
And then I was reading The New York Times Book Review – which is the way that I pretend to read books; I read the reviews of the books and then I can articulately pretend like I’ve read them — and Stephen King wrote a review of The Leftovers, which he described as the best episode of The Twilight Zone that had never been shot. I was a Perotta fan. I read Little Children and The Abstinence Teacher and just on the premise alone [of The Leftovers]. I was completely and totally engaged by this idea. I ran and got the book immediately and I got maybe 50 pages in before I decided: This should be a television show and I need to collaborate with Tom [Perotta, who is an exec producer and co-wrote the pilot with Lindelof] on that show. It took a year for things to sort themselves out but there was never any doubt as to like, ‘Should this be my next project?’ It was love at first sight.”
It’s great to see Lindelof has so much passion for the project, and it’ll be cool to have him back working on the small screen. Say what you will about Lost’s ending, Lindelof had a hand in crafting one of the most watched and beloved series ever made. Regardless of whether this show is spectacular, or spectacularly bad, it should be an exciting trip, nonetheless.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014
SHERLOCK
"Sherlock" is not a show in which the main characters spend a lot of time watching television or reading mystery novels. Why would they? After all Watson is living a mystery story, and Holmes can deduce anything quickly.
For this reason, no one should want to watch spoiler-heavy TV shows with Sherlock. It won't end well. "Sherlock Spoils Everything" is a short animation from Leigh Lahav and Oren Mendez that explores what would happen if the old friends sat down together to watch some television.
Warning: Spoilers for "Breaking Bad," "Mad Men," "Gossip Girl" (from past seasons, mostly) and more are found in this video. Don't worry though -- no "Sherlock"spoilers.
What are the specific things Holmes knows?
"Breaking Bad" - Walt poisoned the little boy with his lily of the valley.
"Mad Men" - Don Draper is cheating on Megan.
"Gossip Girl" - Dan is Gossip Girl.
"Dexter" - Masuka knows.
"New Girl" - "Nick and Jess won't make it."
And so on and so forth. Of course, this is a "Sherlock" video we're talking about, so there are some shipping bits toward the end as well. Enjoy!
PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS
Sarah Michelle Gellar slays again
"The Crazy Ones" star Sarah Michelle Gellar won her first People's Choice trophy, for favorite actress in a new TV series -- and used her acceptance speech to thank "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" fans who helped make her a star in the first place. It was a deeply classy move, and a welcome correction to the still-disappointing fact that "Buffy" never really got its awards-show due when it was on the air.
Sandra Bullock took home the first award of the telecast, for favorite movie actress, while Justin Timberlake won favorite album. Bullock also won with George Clooney in "Gravity"
Ellen DeGeneres won her 14th People's Choice Award, taking home favorite daytime TV host. During her speech, she said she recently met a single, African-American woman who worked 80 hours a week to get by. The woman told DeGeneres she looked forward to going home to watch her show every day. The woman's name? Oprah Winfrey. Adam Sandler, who won for favorite comedic movie actor, read a child-like fan letter, and at the end claimed it came from Drew Barrymore -- who presented him with the award. Glee's Chris Colfer won favorite comedic TV actor for the second year in a row, saying he didn't deserve the honor more than others in the category, adding he'd been "paid to make out with" most of them at one point or other. Stephen Colbert, winner for favorite late night talk show host.
Robert Downey Jr. -- accepting favorite action movie actor -- went full Tony Stark on the crowd, asking the house to put a spotlight on him and play some heroic music. He declared triumphantly "I am Iron Man." Iron Man 3 scored favorite movie.
ARROW RETURNS - JANUARY 15
From superpowers to vendettas, the latest trailer for Arrow’s midseason return looks like it should pack more than a few punches to make up for its holiday hiatus.
The network has dropped a new trailer that shows off some tantalizing new footage, with much of it focused on mid-level baddie Sebastian “Brother” Blood's (Kevin Alejandro) newfound political success and Oliver’s quest to figure out who he is and what he’s doing.
We also get to see more of newly super-powered Roy Harper (Colton Haynes), and it seems the would-be do-gooder will have some growing pains with that super soldier serum. We also get a glimpse of Arrow kicking ass in his new mask, as he does his very best impression of Nolan’s version of Batman (in a good way).
The only thing missing is more Barry Allen and some followup to that shocking modern-day Slade reveal. But hey, they can't pack it all into a 1+ minute trailer, right?
The series returns Wednesday, Jan. 15.
THE STRAIN
Guillermo del Toro is making vampires scary again. The upcoming series The Strain is based on del Toro and Chuck Hogan's horror novel of the same name. They've partnered with FX to bring their terrifying story to the small screen. They're also getting some help from Carlton Cuse (Lost, Bates Motel), who serves as an executive producer.
FX has released photos from The Strain featuring Corey Stoll (House of Cards) as Dr. Ephraim Goodweather. In The Strain, Stoll's Dr. Goodweather is the leader of New York's Canary Team at the Centers for Disease Control. His group is sent to investigate a viral outbreak that causes vampire-like symptoms. He also has hair. Go figure.
The series approaches vampirism in a scientific way instead of leaning on traditional mythology. It seems like viral plague is the new "it" thing in television; Ron Moore's Helix also follows a group of CDC doctors dealing with a mysterious disease. The Strain premieres in July on FX.
REVOLUTION
NBC's Revolution returned last night with its midseason premiere, promising mythology, nanotech and Patriot invasion evilness, said executive producer Rockne S. O'Bannon in an exclusive interview with Syfy's Blastr. [SPOILERS AHEAD!]
“The thing that we're really working toward in the second half of the season is to crank up all the show's mythology. That level of the show is going to take big quantum leaps in terms of the epic saga of it all. There will be very big plot moves involving, obviously, the nanotech, and Aaron, and that part of the story, but then also the Patriot invasion, which we've been purposely building a very strong foundation for. By letting it be slow, we really get to meet a lot of the players in the Patriot world,” said O'Bannon.
In the first half of Revolution's second season, we learned that the Patriots have nefarious plans and that Aaron has been controlling the nanotech without knowing about it, and at great personal cost. Monroe joined the rebels, and Neville worked to take down the Patriots from the inside and discovered that his wife was indeed alive.
The Patriots “disguise themselves really well behind some very, very good masks. As we get into the second half of the season, you're really going to see our heroes starting to shatter those masks. They're going to have great fun doing it and great satisfaction,” said O'Bannon.
“The other story that's particularly fascinating from a series mythology point of view is Aaron's story, because he's really been through the wringer so far this season. And that's only the beginning. … What's fun and unique about his story is, because the nanotech is running roughshod over his life at the moment, you never know quite what's going to happen. Aaron will find himself on this mind-boggling pilgrimage that really starts to dig into an awesome discovery. He starts to learn things. His journey is the deeper, bigger mythic aspect of the show,” he said.
As for the former Big Bad, we'll meet “a new player in Monroe's life that we're going to introduce in our first episodes right back from the break. This is someone who's going to really explode, if not all of our existing relationships, then many of them. Real excited about that. Just that it's someone who not only will enter our world through Monroe, but also will carry off all of our characters in all sorts of different ways, good and bad,” said O'Bannon. The hint for this one could well lie in the sneak peek.
“Obviously, family is at the very core of the show. But trust is going to be an important theme this season. Certainly making impossible choices. That's going to be rampant throughout this. I've always looked at Revolution as this mythic saga, the story of humankind's future. We're watching the heroes of that future. We're watching in present time when a hundred years from now they'll be erecting statues to. We're watching them go through the maelstrom of helping humanity grow from this electrical power-dependent society into what will be the next step. It's also the theme of growth and discovery and making the right decisions -- often the harder or hardest decisions -- and still holding on to your sense of humanity,” he said. Revolution airs on NBC on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.
ROSEMARY'S BABY REMAKE
Zoe Saldana has been cast in NBC's four-hour miniseries "Rosemary's Baby," an adaptation of the 1967 best-selling suspense novel by Ira Levin.
Saldana will play Rosemary, the iconic young wife and would-be mother who, with her husband, moves into a Paris apartment that has a darkly storied past. After finally getting pregnant, she becomes increasingly suspicious that both her husband and their mysterious neighbors have ulterior motives about the future of her child.
Saldana has a lengthy film career, including a co-starring turn in the biggest box-office hit of all time, Avatar. She has been nominated by the Broadcast Film Critics Assn. and Washington, D.C., Film Critics Assn. for her role in 2009's Star Trek reboot. She is an ALMA Award winner for Colombiana and earned BET and Image Award nominations for The Losers and Avatar.
She recently appeared in the Christian Bale drama Out of the Furnace and upcoming projects include Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Blood Ties and the animated film Book of Life.
"Zoe has proven that she is one of our most gifted actresses and we think she has the perfect combination of spirit and gravitas to take on the title role from Ira Levin's infamous novel," said Quinn Taylor, Executive Vice President, Movies, Miniseries and International Co-Productions, NBC Entertainment. "With Zoe leading the cast under the direction of Agnieszka Holland, this reimagined event mini-series is off to a great start."
Scott Abbott and James Wong are writing the screenplay. Production is set to begin shortly in Paris, where the story is now set.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2014
GIGER BAR
American fans of legendary Swiss artist H.R. Giger rejoice: His famous Giger Bar might finally be coming to the U.S. -- along with a sci-fi-themed hotel built to house it.
Giger, the hugely influential artist who created the groundbreaking biomechanical designs for the original Alien, has opened two Giger Bars in his native Switzerland: at the Chateau St. Germain in Gruyeres (where the Giger Museum is also located) and right in his hometown of Chur, Switzerland. The bars are utterly distinctive environments, with everything inside fashioned in the biomechanical style that is Giger's trademark.
No one, however, has tried opening a Giger Bar in the U.S. There was a Giger Room at the old Limelight nightclub in New York City, but it's long gone (I was there -- it wasn't all that). That's about as close as anyone has ever gotten -- until now.
According to Cnet, graphic designer Andy Davies is working with Giger to bring the Bar to the U.S. for the first time. But that's not all: Davies needs a hotel to house the Bar in -- so he's developing his own idea, the Sci-Fi Hotel, as well.
Davies says his hotel will be "an architectural and stylistic celebration of science fiction, a creative and technological showcase that features classic, retro, and futuristic science-fiction interior design, art, books, and movies in guestrooms and public spaces for a completely 'immersive' experience."
He added that the venue will include unique art and media installations, unusual rooms, a comprehensive library and all kinds of sci-fi entertainment and games available on demand.
As for the Giger Bar itself, Davies said:
"What I envision for the US bar is taking the key elements of Giger Bar Gruyeres, the biomechanical ceiling arches, and reforming them to fit a space here. Matching those design elements with the same style of furniture, the bar -- well, pretty much replicating the whole thing. The important thing for me is total authenticity. I want Giger and his team to be totally involved. This will be a Giger work of art, not just a copy, but the real thing. That's really important to H.R. Giger and to me."
There's no final decision yet on where Davies will build the Sci-Fi Hotel and Giger Bar -- and he's still looking for investors as well -- but he said that Seattle and New York are leading the pack, with San Francisco, New Orleans and Chicago rounding out his top five locations.
STAR WARS AT DISNEY
Along with the six main films and long-running Clone Wars series, there is an absolute ton of Star Wars canon spread out everywhere from comic books to tie-in novels. So now Disney is working to determine what will actually remain legit.
Lucasfilm employee Leland Chee, a part of the company’s story group, is among a team of execs working to define the “legitimate” Star Wars canon in the wake of the Disney sale as the company looks to ramp up new sequels and series across a constellation of media.
By the looks of it, Disney/Lucasfilm has established a committee to keep track of and define the “canon,” and they’ll be making an effort to unify all the new stuff (from movies, comics, spinoffs, etc.) once it gets off the ground. It's an ambitious move, and definitely a good idea for a franchise with so many threads.
As for old stuff like those Dark Horse comics, decades of tie-in novels and occasional videogames? That’s where it gets tricky. Chee didn’t offer any hints as to what they’ll be doing, but it’ll be interesting to see how Disney walks the fine line of pleasing longtime fans while not getting bogged down in a mountain of different levels of “canon.”
If nothing else, it’s great to see that Lucasfilm is working so hard to keep it all straight. Disney has done an insanely good job of keeping the Marvel Cinematic Universe unified, and it looks like they’ll be spreading that approach into a galaxy far, far away.
Most likely scenario? They scrap most everything outside the main films, including the Expanded Universe stuff, since most general fans are aware only of the trilogies. It’d be far too messy to try and incorporate the other material at this point, and the general moviegoing public isn’t terribly aware of it to begin with. But here’s hoping they’ll at least draw some inspiration from what’s come before.
DOCTOR WHO - SEASON 8
Filming on Doctor Who’s eighth series is now underway, and we have our very first set pic of the Twelfth Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi!
Released by the BBC, the image shows Capaldi -- along with co-star Jenna Coleman -- still dressed in his predecessor Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor’s garb.
As Whovians in the know are aware, Capaldi’s Time Lord will shed these clothes sooner rather than later (should happen sometime in the first episode) in order to get his very own and very unique Doctor-ish style. Even the Radio Times was quoted as saying that “a spokesperson for the show has made it clear that it is not how he will look in the series.”
New kidneys, new face, new eyebrows, new accent, new set of clothes, new look, new Doctor!
Below is the BBC’s official press release:
The new Doctor, Peter Capaldi, stepped on set today for his first full day of filming as production begins on series eight of the hit BBC show.
10.2 million tuned in on Christmas Day to get their first glimpse of Capaldi in one of TV’s most iconic roles in the festive special The Time Of The Doctor, which saw Matt Smith hang up his bow tie after four years in the role.
Capaldi was revealed as the Doctor in a live BBC One show in August, after months of speculation about the next Doctor’s identity.
Arriving on set in Cardiff to begin filming, Peter Capaldi, said: “New job, first day, slightly nervous. Just like the Doctor, I'm emerging from the TARDIS into a whole other world.”
Steven Moffat, Lead Writer and Executive Producer, added: “First the eyebrows! Then, at Christmas, the face! Coming soon, the whole Doctor. In the Cardiff studios, the Capaldi era begins.”
Accompanying The Doctor on his adventures will be companion Clara Oswald, played by Jenna Coleman.
The first episode of series eight has been written by Steven Moffat, with the second episode penned by Phil Ford. These are the first episodes that Peter will shoot and they are directed by Ben Wheatley.
Ben Stephenson, Controller of Drama Commissioning, said: "Excitement and anticipation fills the air as Peter Capaldi’s Doctor takes control of the TARDIS for the very first time today. It’s going to be one hell of a ride and I can't wait for the journey to start."
Charlotte Moore, Controller BBC One, commented: "A new year, a new face, a new Doctor! 2014 has arrived and it's Peter Capaldi's time so let the adventures begin!"
EXTINCTION
Joe Johnston, who directed 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger as well as cult comic book movie The Rocketeer, is in negotiations to direct Extinction, a sci-fi feature project set up at Good Universe.
David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman of Mandeville are producing Extinction, which was written by Spenser Cohen.
Plot details are being kept under wraps but it does involve a man trying to save his family with an alien invasion figuring into the proceedings.
Good Universe picked up the project in late summer 2013.
Mandeville exec Alex Young will exec produce.
Johnston last directed Not Safe For Work, a Blumhouse low-budget thriller that stars Max Minghella and is awaiting a release. The director is best known for his work on large-scale movies such as The Wolfman, Jurassic Park III, and Jumanji.
PLANET OF THE APES 3
20th Century Fox and Chernin Entertainment have signed Dawn of the Planet of the Apes helmer Matt Reeves to direct the third installment of the franchise, reports Deadline.
Reeves will co-write the script with Mark Bomback, who wrote the script for the sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which earned $482 million worldwide in 2011. The trade says that Reeves will likely go right into the third film after finishing "Dawn."
In Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, a growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species.
Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Enrique Murciano, Kirk Acevedo and Judy Greer star in the July 11 release.
Reeves' other directing credits include Cloverfield and Let Me In.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2014
SPACE CITY CON
The convention is over and there have been some great pictures shared so far. Here are some of my favorites. You can see others over at The Zocalo Today on Facebook.
SHERLOCK
Ratings for the second episode of "Sherlock" Season 3, "The Sign of Three," were down slightly from the season premiere. Even with the decrease, however, "Sherlock" was by far the most-watched program in the UK on Sunday (Jan. 5).
8.48 million viewers tuned in for the 90-minute episode on BBC One. That represents a 31.9 percent share. Compared to the 9.2 million who watched "The Empty Hearse" on New Years Day -- the most-watched "Sherlock" episode ever -- this does represent a small decrease.
When compared with other British programming on Sunday, "Sherlock" still wins. The season premiere of "Dancing on Ice" on ITV, for example, pulled in only 6.8 million viewers.
The Season 3 finale of "Sherlock," "His Final Vow," airs on Sunday, Jan. 12 in the UK, while the third season premieres in the US on Sunday, Jan. 19 on PBS.
MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
Most fans would agree that Joss Whedon’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been a mixed bag to this point, but star Clark Gregg promises things’ll pick up soon — and it all starts with Coulson’s mysterious resurrection.
The strange circumstances surrounding Coulson’s continued existence following his apparent death in The Avengers have been a lingering mystery since the series launched in the fall. But the question is about to jump to the forefront, and Gregg says the storyline will drive the plot for the remainder of the season.
Even cooler? Gregg promises that the writers have managed to weave Coulson’s resurrection into the fabric of the mythology of new baddies Centipede, and it sounds like all the setup from the first half of the season will finally pay off.
Here’s an excerpt from his interview with Zap2It:
"People have been patient in really wanting to know the true nature of the secrets. ... We're going to get a big fat window at the real truth, and it's going to be very, very surprising. When I read the sequence, I just stopped and put the script down and went 'Wow. That was worth waiting for.’
The way our team has kind of turned the back half of this season into a reveal that uses the mystery of Coulson's death not just as a standalone reveal but as an integral part of the bigger reveal, which is that this organization Centipede, run by this person the Clairvoyant, has been part of almost everything we've done and connects on a deep level to everything going forward. [Centipede] is determined to destroy SHIELD and, to Coulson's chagrin, has some of the same questions about SHIELD that Coulson himself is starting to evolve.
The fact that they've already managed to kind of make the reveal of what Coulson's doing alive [be] the one thing that the Clairvoyant wants is just part of the way the back half of this season is going to be -- more exciting and more satisfying than the first half of this season, where so much work had to be done to kind of set up this world of these people and this team, and all these separate pieces get kind of woven together.”
With the first season resuming Tuesday, Jan. 7, with episode 11, “The Magical Place,” we’ll find out soon enough if Whedon and company can pay off on the promise.
INTELLIGENCE
Series premiere! This new globetrotting sci-fi series stars Lost's Josh Holloway as Gabriel, a spy with the ultimate computer chip implanted his head. Connected to the Internet, he also has access to WiFi and satellite data and can hack into any data center. And those are only a few of his party tricks. Gabriel is at the center of an elite government cyber-security agency, run by Lillian Strand (Marg Helgenberger), which has a mission to protect U.S. interests against the bad guys. The series also stars Meghan Ory, John Billingsley, Michael Rady, James Martinez and P.J. Byrne.
JUSTICE LEAGUE: WAR
The first clip from Justice League: War has been released, and it reveals the very first meeting between Batman and Green Lantern. So, how do you think that went?
Released by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, the clip reveals that things don’t go very smoothly between those two DC superheroes ...
So, what's the gist?
When the powerful Darkseid and his massive, relentless forces invade Earth, a group of previously unaligned super heroes – misunderstood and, in some cases, hunted by the authorities – discover the only way to fend off the attack will be to work together as a cohesive unit. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Shazam and, in his origin story, Cyborg combine their respective talents in an all-out battle to save the planet. Based on the 2012 graphic novel, "Justice League: Origin," by Geoff Johns & Jim Lee, Justice League: War provides a glance into the world before the Justice League was created, and offers the initial animated incarnation of DC Entertainment’s "The New 52." Justice League: War features the voices of Jason O’Mara, Christopher Gorham, Justin Kirk, Alan Tudyk, Michelle Monaghan, Shemar Moore, Sean Astin, Bruce Thomas and Steve Blum. It’ll be available as a Blu-ray Combo Pack, on DVD, as well as for Digital Download on Feb. 4, 2014.
THE LEGO MOVIE
The first TV spot for Phil Lord and Chris Miller's The LEGO Movie is now online! Although we've seen DC superheroes like Wonder Woman (Cobie Smulders), Superman (Channing Tatum) and Batman (Will Arnett) in previously released footage, this video offers a first look at the Flash, whose voice talent is still a mystery.
The original 3D computer animated story follows Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.
Also featuring the voices of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Will Ferrell, and Liam Neeson, The LEGO Movie hits theaters February 7, 2014.
ROBOCOP
Although we've previously seen an international one, director Jose Padilha's Robocop has today debuted its first domestic TV spot and it features lots of new footage!
Opening in theaters and IMAX on February 12, the remake of the modern Paul Verhoeven classic stars Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Jay Baruchel, Jennifer Ehle and Marianne Jean-Baptiste.
In Robocop, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Their drones are winning American wars around the globe and now they want to bring this technology to the home front. Alex Murphy (Kinnaman) is a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit. After he is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp utilizes their remarkable science of robotics to save Alex's life. He returns to the streets of his beloved city with amazing new abilities, but with issues a regular man has never had to face before.
MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2014
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
Disney's Frozen continued its remarkable ride at the box office on the first weekend of 2014, topping the chart in North America with $20.7 million and skating past the $600 million mark worldwide. The family tentpole, released at Thanksgiving, took in $52.5 million overseas from 49 markets for a world total of $639.9 million through Sunday.
It's virtually unheard of for a movie to rocket back to No. 1 more than six weeks into its run (the only other time Frozen placed No. 1 was over the Dec. 6-8 weekend). Frozen is now the most successful title of all time from Disney Animation Studios after The Lion King and the No. 4 original animated film of all time.
Placing No. 2 domestically was the weekend's only new release, Paramount's Latino-themed Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones. The spin-off took in a solid $18.2 million but, like other films, took a bit of a hit because of bitterly cold weather in the Midwest and snow in the Northeast. Marked Ones opened below any of the Paranormal Activity movies.
But rotten weather or not, revenue was still on par with the same weekend last year, while 2014 revenue is up 5 percent over the first five days of 2013.
Overseas, Marked Ones did good business, debuting to $16.2 million from 24 markets and pacing ahead of fellow Paramount horror title The Devil Inside and New Line's The Conjuring in some markets. The U.K. led with $3.2 million, while France turned in a stellar $3.1 million. The film opened to $2 million in Mexico.
"It is a great expansion of the brand," said Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore.
Costing $5 million to make, The Marked Ones intends to launch its own franchise. Produced by Jason Blum and Oren Peli, the film stars Andrew Jacobs, Jorge Diaz and Gabrielle Walsh. The pic received a C- CinemaScore, not entirely unusual for a horror film.
Written and directed by Christopher Landon, The Marked Ones explores the effects of demon possession and the cultural history of black magic rituals used to fight it.
For the crowded pack of holdovers, this weekend signaled an end to the lucrative year-end holidays (many people remained off of work and out of school last week).
Warner Bros.' The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug dominated for much of that time before falling to No. 3 this weekend with $16.3 million. The movie's domestic total is $229.6 million. Overseas, Peter Jackson's sequel once again ruled the chart, grossing $58 million from 62 markets and crossing the $500 million mark internationally for a global total of $756.6 million.
Paramount and Red Granite Pictures' The Wolf of Wall Street and fellow awards darling Sony's American Hustle -- rounding out the top five -- both have prospered over the holidays, building up sizable grosses.
From Martin Scorsese, Wolf narrowly beat David O. Russell's American Hustle this weekend, grossing $13.4 million for a 12-day domestic total of $63.2 million (Wolf opened Dec. 25).
Sony's American Hustle, expanding nationwide on Dec. 20, took in $13.2 million for a domestic total of $88.7 million.
It was a good weekend for Paramount all the way around as Will Ferrell comedy Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues crossed $100 million domestically (the first film made $85 million all in). Coming in No. 6, the sequel grossed $11.1 million for a North American total of $109.2 million.
Disney's Saving Mr. Banks placed No. 7 with $9.1 million for a pleasing domestic total of of $59.3 million.
Ben Stiller's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, from 20th Century Fox, followed with $8.2 million for a North American cume of $45.7 million. Mitty crossed the $100 million mark worldwide after taking in $31.5 million from 56 markets for an international total of $69 million and global total of $114.7 million. The action-adventure opened to $4.8 million in Russia, while it has earned the most to date in the U.K. ($8.7 million).
November release The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has remained a contender throughout the holiday season. Over the weekend, the Lionsgate sequel came in No. 9 with $7.4 million, pushing its domestic total to $407.5 million. Within days, it will eclipse the $409 million grossed in North America by Iron Man 3 to become the top 2013 release (however, it doesn't stand a chance of overtaking the $1.2 billion earned by Iron Man 3 worldwide).
Warners' holiday comedy Grudge Match and Universal's 47 Ronin continued to falter over the weekend (both opened Dec. 25). Grudge Match came in No. 10 with $5.4 million for a domestic total of $24.9 million.
Placing No. 11, 47 Ronin took in $5 million for a domestic total of $32.6 million. Ronin did see a strong opening in Russia over the weekend, pushing its foreign total to $51.3 million and world total to $83.9 million, although that's still far short of what Universal needs to make up for the film's $175 million budget.
Justin Bieber's concert documentary is even more anemic, grossing $573,000 in its second weekend from 1,037 theaters for a total $6 million.
LEGO MOVIE
With just over a month left to go before the Phil Lord and Chris Miller film hits theaters, The LEGO Movie has released a new character poster featuring Superman, voiced by Channing Tatum.
The original 3D computer animated story follows Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.
Also featuring the voices of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Will Ferrell, Will Arnett and Liam Neeson, The LEGO Movie hits theaters February 7, 2014.
RIDDICK
With Riddick hitting Blu-ray and DVD on January 14 (it's already available on Digital HD), Universal Studios Home Entertainment has released the first 10 minutes from the film, which earned almost $100 million worldwide.
The latest chapter of the groundbreaking saga that began with 2000's hit sci-fi film Pitch Black and 2004's The Chronicles of Riddick reunites writer/director David Twohy and star Vin Diesel. Diesel reprises his role as the antihero Riddick, a dangerous, escaped convict wanted by every bounty hunter in the known galaxy.
The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he's encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.
The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won't leave the planet without Riddick's head as their trophy.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2014
In the upcoming "Castle" episode, "Under Fire," the focus is on an arson/murder investigation and on the birth of Ryan's baby. But a preview clip from the episode indicates that there could be other concerns as well. For example: When will Castle and Beckett set a date?
If you believe Beckett in the video, Castle needs to land on one day soon. She will otherwise be too busy to attend. Is this going to turn into a big problem for the romantically entwined crime-fighters? Or will the birth of baby Not-Cosmo Ryan inspire some commitment from the engaged couple?
"Under Fire" airs Monday, Jan. 6 at 10 p.m. on ABC.
RESIDENT EVIL: OUTBREAK
If you're a big fan of Resident Evil: Outbreak, here’s some rather awesome news for you.
Thanks to very loyal Resident Evil fans (and they are very, very loyal), Outbreak will finally return!
When Capcom’s Resident Evil: Outbreak 1 and 2 both came out on the PS2 way back in 2004, they garnered a fierce and loyal online following. A couple of years back, Capcom closed the servers, and since then, fans have been clamoring for a revival of the series ... but Capcom has, as yet, remained quite deaf to their pleas.
Now, here’s the good-news bit: Outbreak IS back, but with one small caveat, and it's that it's back as a fan project.
Outbreak Server Recreation Project is a fan-made revival of Resident Evil: Outbreak made to be played both with Japanese versions of the games as well as with emulators. Wanna know how to join? Then go and click HERE.
One good thing that could come out of this impressive fan endeavor is that it just may finally convince Capcom to start development for a third Resident Evil: Outbreak game.
THE FOLLOWING - SEASON 2
A 2 1/2-minute promo for "The Following" Season 2 has hit the web, offering scenes and interviews with the cast.
The special season two preview of "The Following" airs Sunday, January 19th (10:00-11:00 PM ET/7:00-8:00 PM PT), immediately after the NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (live, 6:00-10:00 PM ET). The show will then settle into its regular Monday schedule beginning January 27th.
Season 2 will catch up with Ryan Hardy (Bacon) one year later in the wake of an horrific new murder spree. The FBI calls on Ryan and Mike Weston (Shawn Ashmore) to speak with the lone survivor, LILY (Connie Nielsen), in order to help them solve the case. Ryan is reluctant to re-engage with the FBI but finds a valuable ally in his niece, Max (Jessica Stroup), an NYPD cop working in the Intel Division.
As the investigation proceeds, Ryan crosses paths with several complicated individuals, including Luke (Sam Underwood) and Mandy Lang (Tiffany Boone), which furthers his suspicion that Joe Carroll's (Purefoy) reign of terror is far from over.Valorie Curry returns as Emma. Other new faces joining the show this year include Valerie Cruz as an NYPD cop who works closely with Mike Weston, James McDaniel as an FBI agent, Keith Carradine as a friend of Ryan, Jacinda Barrett as Julia, a disarming and alluring woman with mysterious intentions, and Lee Tergesen as Kurt Bolen, a seemingly normal family man who may harbor a dark secret.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2014
SPACE CITY CON
In Galveston, Texas this weekend, a number of Babylon 5 cast members are gathering to revisit their experiences on the show and hopefully catch everyone up on projects they are currently involved in. Bruce Boxleitner and Dylan Neal are on Cedar Cove. It will be great to hear about others. This picture is courtesy of Arne Starr's Facebook posting. Thanks Arne! I am reposting more photos on the Zocalo Today's Facebook page for sharing.
HELIX
Next Friday, Syfy will debut its latest collaboration with writer-producer Ron Moore. The man behind the revamped Battlestar Galactica has turned his attention to Helix. It's a new thriller that centers on a viral outbreak that could save or destroy humanity. Sound confusing? Perhaps this sneak peek at the pilot episode will help. Helix follows a group of CDC doctors, led by Dr. Alan Farragut (Billy Campbell), who head to the arctic to investigate a disease. The trip has a personal connection for Farragut, because his brother's one of the people infected with the virus. In the first 15 minutes of the episode, watch as the visitors get a rude awakening.
The series co-stars Jordan Hayes, Hiroyuki Sanada, Kyra Zagorsky, Mark Ghanime, Meegwun Fairbrother and Neil Napier. Helix premieres Jan. 10 at 10 p.m. on Syfy.
STAR WARS AT MARVEL AGAIN
It was probably inevitable, but now it's official: Star Wars comic books are returning to Marvel.
The comics publisher announced today that it will partner with parent company Disney and recent Disney acquisition Lucasfilm to produce new Star Wars adventures for the first time in more than two decades. Marvel was the original comic-book home of Star Wars and published an ongoing Star Wars series beginning in 1977 that lasted for nine years. Since 1991, though, the Star Wars comic-book saga has been unfolding at Dark Horse Comics, where classic stories like Dark Empire and the still-unfolding The Star Wars (an adaptation of George Lucas' original, very different, first draft of the first film) were published. Many have been predicting the move back to Marvel ever since Disney came to own both companies, and now it's finally happened.
“Dark Horse Comics published exceptional Star Wars comics for over 20 years, and we will always be grateful for their enormous contributions to the mythos, and the terrific partnership that we had,” said Carol Roeder, director of Lucasfilm franchise publishing, Disney Publishing Worldwide. “In 2015, the cosmic adventures of Luke, Han, Leia and Chewbacca will make the lightspeed jump back to Marvel, to begin a new age of adventures within the Star Wars universe.”
So the world's biggest comics publisher has reunited with one of the world's biggest science fiction franchises, and you can bet there are some writers and artists at Marvel right now who are already cooking up their dream Star Wars stories.
“We here at Marvel could not be more excited to continue the publication of Star Wars comic books and graphic novels,” said Marvel Worldwide Publisher and President, Dan Buckley. “The perennial brand of Star Wars is one of the most iconic in entertainment history and we are honored to have the opportunity to bring our creative talent pool to continue, and expand Star Wars into galaxies far, far away.”
Unfortunately, this development does mean that Dark Horse, which has made Star Wars a huge part of its publishing slate for more than two decades, will have to leave a galaxy far, far away next year.
"Our goal was to create sequels and prequels to the films we loved, paying careful attention to quality and detail, essentially treating those films as though they were our own. Star Wars has been the crown jewel of this approach," Dark Horse Publisher and Founder Mike Richardson said in a statement. "We began chasing the title as far back as 1989, and with the launch of Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy’s Dark Empire, a new era in comics was born. I’m not ashamed to admit that we were Star Wars geeks, and we have been determined to spare neither effort nor expense in the pursuit of excellence."
Richardson also noted that, although his company only has a few months left with the Star Wars license, it plans to go out on a high note.
"For obvious reasons, we have prepared for this eventuality by finding new and exciting projects to place on our schedule for 2015 and beyond. Will they take the place of Star Wars? That’s a tall order, but we will do our best to make that happen," he said. "In the meantime, 2014 may be our last year at the helm of the Star Wars comics franchise, but we plan to make it a memorable one. We know that fans of the franchise will expect no less. The Force is with us still."
So if you're a Star Wars fan, a comics fan, or both, know that we're now living in an (even more) exciting time for the franchise. We get to see not only the big things Dark Horse will cook up for its Star Wars finale, but also the announcements of new Star Wars stories from the talent over at Marvel. You can bet we'll see some movie tie-in comics in 2015, but what else will the House of Ideas cook up? Who's your dream Marvel Star Wars writer? Who's your dream artist? And what about crossovers? Will we finally get an armored, jetpack-fueled face-off between Boba Fett and Iron Man? Will the Jedi Order meet the Nova Corps? We'll find out in 2015!
JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT
Paramount has released an extended, action-packed scene of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit in which Chris Pine goes for the kill.
Pine plays Jack Ryan, the Wall Street analyst-turned-CIA-agent in the new Kenneth Branagh action movie based on Tom Clancy's novel. While on the trail of a terrorist plot in Moscow, he finds himself being chased down by a gunman in a hotel room. He narrowly escapes his grasp by going for the kill, with the help of the bathroom's tub.
Pine told The Hollywood Reporter about filming the newly released scene. "It's terrifying for the character because of the well-trained, well-armed foe. And there's Jack, who wasn't expecting it at all," he said during the cover shoot. "He's not well-trained enough to really know how to get out of it, so he has to really use his mind and really think on his feet."
Ryan is also shown meeting Harper, played by Kevin Costner. "You've got to pick somebody to trust, Jack. Now, sit down," he says to Ryan, whose hands are shaking uncontrollably after what he's just done upstairs. Harper reassures him: "It's better they're shaking afterward than during," and tells Ryan of his own first kill. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit opens in theaters Jan. 17. Watch the extended scene above, which also shows Keira Knightley as Cathy, Ryan's in-the-dark fiancee.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014
AGENT CARTER
If this rumor is to be believed, not only is that Agent Carter show definitely happening, but Marvel's already signed the lady herself.
We first heard about the possibility of an Agent Carter show from Marvel back in September, when the buzz around the company's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series was still very hot. Reports back then claimed that Marvel was inspired by the "Agent Carter" one-shot short film on the Iron Man 3 Blu-ray to tell more stories about Agent Carter, though at the time we didn't know for sure if it would be Peggy or Sharon Carter. Captain America co-star and Peggy Carter herself, Hayley Atwell, then got publicly enthusiastic about the idea, saying she'd love to keep working on the character with Marvel. Well, it looks like she could get her wish.
Now, it's worth mentioning that this report is coming from the U.K. tabloid the Mirror, so we'll have to take it with several heavy pinches of salt, but that publication is claiming that Atwell has just signed on to star in an Agent Carter TV series for Marvel, which would air sometime late this year.
“It’s Marvel’s major project of 2014, and it will be a big budget production," the Mirror's source said.
At this point, it's hard to tell just how much of a chance this has of being true. For one thing, Marvel's already got a pretty massive TV deal going over at Netflix, where they'll be launching four new solo hero miniseries beginning in 2015, followed by a team-up miniseries in The Defenders. That's a lot of money spent right there on TV that won't be hitting our screens for a while. It's also worth remembering that, though it's far from doomed, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't been able to retain the huge audience it brought in with its series premiere a few months ago, so Marvel could be forgiven for being wary of jumping into another broadcast series this soon.
But let's set all that aside for a minute and just ponder how awesome this would be if it were real: an ass-kicking, sexy spy series set (possibly) during the Cold War, starring Atwell and (possibly) a host of old Marvel espoinage favorites. How about those Howling Commandos? Could they make a return appearance? Dum Dum Dugan was in the "Agent Carter" one-shot, after all.
Of course, this could all end up being nothing more than Internet whispers, but given how ambitious Marvel's gotten with both its big- and small-screen endeavors in the past couple of years, it seems anything is possible.
BLACK SAILS
Wanna see Starz’s upcoming pirate drama series Black Sails’ catchy and visually stunning opening sequence? Yeah, you know you do!
Composed by Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead, Da Vinci’s Demons), the cool opening title credits remind us of another fantastic opening sequence: that of HBO’s Game of Thrones, which went on to win an extremely well-deserved 2011 Emmy for best credits.
The hauntingly beautiful title sequence (achieved with the help of an instrument called a hurdy-gurdy) follows the camera as it tours a rather haunting sculpture -- complete with lovely maidens and hideous skeletons. The tune itself is really catchy.
We also have a dark and gritty inside look into the upcoming pirate series. Let’s just say that Black Sails will not be your regular Pirates of the Caribbean flick-type thing. Rather, it reminds us of another great Starz TV show called Spartacus, sprinkled with a bit of a Game of Thrones vibe for good measure. Black Sails will set sail (pun very much intended) on Jan. 25 on Starz.
JOSEPH RUSKIN PASSES AWAY
A face that should be very familiar to Star Trek fans after appearing in an astounding five different Trek series over the years passed away earlier this week.
Joseph Ruskin, 89, died of natural causes on Dec. 28 in California. The prolific character actor leaves behind a legacy that includes The Twilight Zone, Alias, The Outer Limits and Mission: Impossible — but he’s arguably best known for his contributions to Trek.
Ruskin broke into the Trek circle with his memorable turn as Galt in the Original Series episode “The Gamesters of Triskelion,” then kept popping up all the way through to Enterprise. He would eventually play the Klingon Tumek in the Deep Space 9 episodes "The House of Quark" and "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places,” a Cardassian informant in Deep Space 9's "Improbable Cause,” a Vulcan master in the Voyager episode “Gravity" and a Suliban doctor in the Enterprise pilot episode.
In addition to his series work, Ruskin also played a Son'a officer in the Next Generation-era flick Insurrection, and has lent his voice to Star Trek videogames Hidden Evil and Away Team.
It’s not something you see a whole lot of nowadays, but the reuse of guest actors is a hallmark of the classic age of sci-fi television. It gets harder in the modern era because of our utter obsession with continuity, but if you have a good guest actor, why not keep using him?
Rest in peace, Joseph, and we thank you for the good times. Best of luck as you head off into the real final frontier.
VERONICA MARS
Veronica Mars – the Kickstarter success story of 2013 – has released its first full trailer.
The trailer finds Veronica (Kristen Bell) living in New York and pursuing a career as an attorney – having put her private investigator days behind her. But she's drawn back into the business when her former boyfriend Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) is charged with murdering his girlfriend.
She returns to Neptune, California to take the case. Coincidentally, she also arrives in time for her ten year high school reunion, and plenty of pithy comments and insults ensue.
The film is being directed by Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas, and also stars other alums of the show, including Percy Daggs III, Ryan Hansen, Krysten Ritter, Tina Majorino, Francis Capra, Ken Marino and Enrico Colantoni. Veronica Mars hits theaters March 14.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2013
MOST PIRATED MOVIES
Like it or not, piracy is a major part of the movie industry these days — and sci-fi remained a big part of the “Most Pirated” list once again this year.
Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey led the chart at No.1 with 8.4 million illegal downloads, with Iron Man 3 coming in at No. 4 with 7.6 million. Star Trek Into Darkness landed at No. 6 with 7.4 million, and World War Z snuck in at No. 10 with 6.7 million.
So, yeah, sci-fi accounted for almost half of the most-pirated movies of the year, according to the experts over at Torrent Freak. Outside of sci-fi, the rest of the list consisted largely of general blockbuster fare (i.e. Fast and Furious 6) and broad comedy hits (see: The Hangover Part 3).
How does this compare to last year’s numbers? Surprisingly, the Top 10 pirated list is down in total downloads from 77.1 million in 2012 to 74.7 million in 2013. But why? The answer likely rests in the fact that monster hits like The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises were released in 2012, and were extremely popular with the pirates.
Sure, movies like World War Z and Star Trek Into Darkness put up solid box-office numbers this year, but they paled in comparison to the cultural zeitgeist of the top sci-fi flicks of 2012. Despite the slight total decline (which is probably a good thing, since pirating is illegal), though, sci-fi remained as popular as ever — with the genre maintaing its hold on four of the Top 10 spots for the second year in a row.
JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT
Paramount Pictures has released a Keira Knightley character poster for Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.
Opening in theaters and IMAX on January 17, the film also stars Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Peter Andersson, Branagh, David Paymer and Colm Feore.
Based on the Jack Ryan character created by bestselling author Tom Clancy, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a contemporary action thriller set in the present day. The original story, written by David Koepp, follows a young Jack as he uncovers a financial terrorist plot.
BIG HERO 6
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bolt co-director Chris Williams has joined Walt Disney Animation Studios' adaptation of Big Hero 6 as a co-director alongside Don Hall. Williams' other credits for Disney include Mulan, The Emperor’s New Groove and Brother Bear. In addition, the site reports that Tangled producer Roy Conli has boarded the film as a producer as well.
The movie features 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. Inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name, and featuring comic-book style action and all the heart and humor audiences expect from Walt Disney Animation Studios, the CG-animated Big Hero 6 hits theaters in 3D on November 7, 2014.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2014
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND AN IDEA
As we roll into 2014, we can all reflect on 2013 and the things we have done -- and should have done. 2013 brought us the amazing Babylon 5 Reunion in Phoenix. I hope that the upcoming Space City Con in Galveston is equally as successful.
How about this for a New Year's Resolution:
One Babylon 5 Convention Each Year! With enough planning ahead of time, people would be able to set aside time (and money) to attend. For those unable to attend, arrangements could be made for coverage of whatever kind possible -- photos, video, personal accounts, etc. With the number of conventions starting to rise again, wouldn't it be wonderful to have one, just one, to target for Babylon 5 fans? #FreeBabylon5 could be the convention mantra!
Just a thought!
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
In 2014, Marvel Studios has Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy on its schedule. This week, they released photos from the Captain America sequel highlighting several new characters. Now they're giving Guardians of the Galaxy some much-needed attention. After months of waiting, they've unveiled the first official still from the summer blockbuster.
At first glance, the image may look old, but it's not. Shortly after the Marvel panel at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, the studio released some concept art. It featured the main characters (Gamora, Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Drax and Groot) in a police lineup. The same image appeared at the end of the footage shown during the presentation. If you compare the two, the changes are obvious.
Here's the official synopsis:
An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits — Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Peter discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand — with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.
In the artwork, the characters are positioned differently. We can tell Gamora's hair has been altered and Star-Lord's gone from having a long trench to a waist-length jacket. Some things that worked in theory didn't make the transition to the film. Here's the original concept art.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
If you thought the Amazing Spider-Man universe couldn’t get much bigger, think again. It seems director Marc Webb is adding a few more classic baddies to the mix.
We’ve been hearing for a while that the studio is looking to craft a full-fledged Spidey world for next year’s sequel and all those subsequent follow-ups, and the effort started with the viral promo website for the fictional Daily Bugle newspaper.
We’ve already heard we might get to see The Enforcers at some point, and now the latest article about a midtown heist is dropping major hints about two more members of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery: Shocker and Sin-Eater.
For the uninitiated, Shocker (aka Herman Schultz) is a Stan Lee creation who has been around since the 1960s, with a super-suit that gives him the ability to deflect attacks and fire vibrational air blasts. Sin-Eater (aka Stan Carter) has been around since the mid-1980s, and is a cop who goes rogue and becomes a killer.
Check out an excerpt from the Bugle story below:
A shocking Midtown bank robbery was foiled yesterday by Spider-Man. New York’s superhuman vigilante caught the mechanically augmented robber, suspected in two previous bank heists, as he fled the scene with the stolen loot.
Police arrived on the scene as Spider-Man finished webbing up the suspect, who was arrested and later identified as disgruntled engineer, Herman Schultz. Schultz created wrist-gauntlets that are capable of emitting a vibratory wave of pressure that proved capable of tearing apart a four-foot thick steel vault.
NYPD Special Crimes Unit Detective Stan Carter stated that Schultz had officially been remanded into custody and is being held at the Ravencroft Institute pending his preliminary hearing. When asked how a “disgruntled engineer” could create such dangerous weapons, Carter said, “Shocking, right? All that genius but no escape plan.”
Of course, this doesn't mean all these guys will show up in part two, but it does start laying down some nice threads that could be picked up in future sequels.
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES
If there's one thing that characters in horror movies never seem to learn, it's that going down into a basement is usually a bad idea.
That doesn't seem to have occurred to the person whose POV we share in this clip from Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, the new spinoff movie from the popular horror franchise that's arriving later this week.
We're not sure what our unseen character is looking for down there, but it's definitely not what he expected to find. And it's the kind of thing that, once you see it, should keep you out of dark, dank cellars for a good, long time, if not permanently. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones is not part of the main series, which skipped its usual Halloween opening this past October, but is an offshoot that is tied indirectly to the other films and is said to have a Latino theme. What that all means is yet to be fully revealed, since as usual, the filmmakers have kept the plot and other details closely guarded secrets.
We do know that the movie incorporates the "found footage" style of the others in the series, and that it takes place in Oxnard, Calif., a long way from the settings of the previous entries. It's written and directed by Christopher Landon, who's been involved in writing many of the original film's sequels.
As for the original series, Paranormal Activity 5 will come out on Oct. 24, 2014, but The Marked Ones is haunting theaters this Friday (Jan. 3).
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
Sony Pictures has brought the New Year's Eve clip for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 online.
We've always known that Spider-Man's most important battle has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, hitting theaters on May 2, 2014, Peter Parker finds that a greater conflict lies ahead.
It's great to be Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield). For Peter Parker, there's no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen (Emma Stone). But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro (Jamie Foxx), Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: Oscorp.
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MOON RESORT IN VEGAS
SHELTERED
UPDATE FROM JMS
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THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
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FANTASTIC FOUR REBOOT
PAN
One of our Facebook members sent information about a podcast site for Babylon 5. For those not familiar with it, check it out. They not only review episodes, there are interviews as well, including Peter Jurasik. 
DREAM POLICE
SIDEKICK
DOCTOR WHO COMICS
24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY
VICE
HOLIDAY TO CELEBRATE
SHERLOCK
STAR WARS: EPISODE VII
GOTHAM NEWS
AGENT CARTER
BATMAN/SUPERMAN DELAYED
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
MARCO POLO ON NETFLIX
CLEMENTINE
STORY OF OUR LIFE
THUNDERCLAP PROJECT
THE TOMORROW PEOPLE
UNDER THE DOME
THIS WEEK'S RATINGS
24 REVIVAL
VERONICA MARS
ANT MAN
DOCTOR STRANGE RUMOR
THE STRAIN
AVATAR NEWS
THE FOLLOWING
GODZILLA
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
ANT MAN
CONSTANTINE
MAGIC: THE GATHERING
GOTHAM
GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS
FROM DUSK TO DAWN
START DATES FOR JURASSIC WORLD, TERMINATOR AND FANTASTIC FOUR
DOCTOR WHO
CAPTAIN AMERICA = WINTER SOLDIER
OUTLANDER
DOCTOR WHO NEWS
DOCTOR WHO NEWS
OUTLANDER
THE LEFTOVERS
PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS
THE STRAIN
ROSEMARY'S BABY REMAKE
GIGER BAR
STAR WARS AT DISNEY
EXTINCTION
PLANET OF THE APES 3
SHERLOCK
LEGO MOVIE
RESIDENT EVIL: OUTBREAK
SPACE CITY CON
STAR WARS AT MARVEL AGAIN
AGENT CARTER
JOSEPH RUSKIN PASSES AWAY
MOST PIRATED MOVIES
JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT
BIG HERO 6
In 2014, Marvel Studios has Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy on its schedule. This week, they released photos from the Captain America sequel highlighting several new characters. Now they're giving Guardians of the Galaxy some much-needed attention. After months of waiting, they've unveiled the first official still from the summer blockbuster. 
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN