I'll probably stop doing it soon. I just get into habits sometimes.
I'll probably stop doing it soon.
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NASA plans to send humans to an asteroid by 2021
Although NASA hasn't made any official announcements, Senator Bill Nelson and an anonymous White House official have both made public America's plans for its next phase of human space exploration. The ambitious proposal calls for a probe to capture a small asteroid in 2019 and bring it near the Moon. Astronauts would then explore the asteroid in 2021. This would be the first time humanity has left low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972, and it could set the stage for a NASA mission to Mars.
Senator Nelson (D-FL), who is the chairman of the Senate Science and Space Subcommittee and who flew into space on Columbia in 1986, discussed the plan in a Friday press conference, and an unnamed White House official confirmed the plan in an email to NBC News. The plan calls for a robotic probe to capture a small, near-Earth asteroid, placing the rock in what NASA's Donald Yeomans compares to "a baggie with a drawstring." NASA would target an asteroid in the 500-ton and 25-feet range, which is too small to pose any threat to Earth; even if it somehow got on a collision course with our planet, it would just burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere.
Then again, the plan isn't to bring the asteroid to Earth — the probe would travel up to 10 million miles away to find the asteroid, and it would then bring the asteroid to near the Moon, which is only 200,000 miles away. That cuts the travel time for astronauts from months to just a few days, which is a huge advantage for this plan compared to past proposals and helps make it possible to complete this mission by 2021. NASA would likely send four astronauts to the asteroid in an Orion space capsule. Once there, astronauts would collect samples and spacewalk around the asteroid. Here's how the White House official describes the plan in the email:
"This mission would combine the best of NASA's asteroid identification, technology development, and human exploration efforts to capture and redirect a small asteroid to just beyond the moon to set up a human mission using existing resources and equipment, including the heavy-lift rocket and deep-space capsule that have been under development for several years."
The plan would reportedly call for $78 million to be allocated in 2014 budget to plan out the mission. According to the official, the White House decided to move ahead with this specific plan after a meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia in February. The hope is that close-up exploration of the asteroid will allow humanity to be better prepared for future strikes. Both Senator Nelson and the official mentioned that this asteroid mission could lead towards exploration of Mars in the 2030s, although neither elaborated on what specific steps here would allow for subsequent trips to the Red Planet.
For more, check out Cosmic Log and The Associated Press. Illustration via NASA/JPL-Caltech.
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Monkeys are the most stressed when they're stuck in the middle
Sociological studies have found that middle managers tend to be more stressed than either their bosses or their underlings. That phenomenon might well be true of all primates, as macaques display heightened stress levels when they are in the middle of their social hierarchy.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool and the University of Manchester spent 600 hours observing the behavior of female Barbary macaques at the UK's Trentham Monkey Forest. They analyzed the females' social interactions to figure out where they stood in the macaque hierarchy, and then they collected poop samples to determine which monkeys showed the highest levels of stress hormones. The monkeys in the middle consistently had the most stressed-out shit, as the University of Manchester's Dr. Susanne Schultz rather more elegantly explained:
"What we found was that monkeys in the middle of the hierarchy are involved with conflict from those below them as well as from above, whereas those in the bottom of the hierarchy distance themselves from conflict. The middle ranking macaques are more likely to challenge, and be challenged by, those higher on the social ladder."
Speaking to the BBC, Liverpool research Katie Edwards explains how these findings might also apply to human interactions:
"People working in middle management might have higher levels of stress hormones compared to their boss at the top or the workers they manage. They may want to access the higher-ranking lifestyle which could mean facing more challenges, whilst also having to maintain their authority over lower-ranking workers."
The original paper has been published in General and Comparative Endocrinology.
Image by suetupling on Flickr.
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How dark will the Governor (and Carl) get on The Walking Dead? Plus Intriguing Man of Steel hints!
The Avatar sequels will feature underwater performance capture, because why the hell wouldn't they? At least one Doctor definitely won't appear in Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special. Godzilla adds another acclaimed actress to its already overqualified cast. Wang Xueqi explains his role in Iron Man 3, while Hugh Jackman is excited to play Wolverine for the seventh time in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Spoilers from here on out!
Top image from The Walking Dead.
Man of Steel
Composer Hans Zimmer discusses whether writing the score for the new Superman movie is anything like his recent gig doing the music for History's The Bible miniseries:
"Yes. Yes is the answer. Once you see Superman, you'll see how close you are with your question. Both stories are passions about a struggle to do the right thing. For Superman, it was a really simple question for me. What does it take to become a good man? To be good? And what does that mean in our more and more complex society? Do any of these values still resonate with us?"
He also explains his take on the film, which he says helped him create a score that wouldn't be completely overshadowed by John Williams's iconic work on the original Superman:
"I kept thinking of the story as, What if you are extraordinary, and your entire ambition is to join humanity? To become human? What does it mean to become human? What does it mean to be an outsider who really wants to join the human race?... I know America mainly by the big cities, but if you go into the Midwest, there is a people there and there is a country there. And I thought it was important that the decent folk, simple folk be the heart of the story, and a character who is guileless, who isn't complicated in the sort of flawed way our Dark Knight is, and isn't political in any way. He's just striving to become a better part of humanity."
[CNN]
And here are some thoughts from visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri:
I can’t talk too much about Man of Steel yet, and I haven’t seen the whole thing yet, but overall it’s the story that’s most exciting. It’s a nice re-envisioning of the story of Superman leaving his homeworld and coming to this new one. If you look at what Zack [Snyder] has done you’ll see that they’ve abandoned a lot of the pretense that was in the comics and asked “Can we still make this work?” They’re sticking to realism as much as possible. Fantastic elements are still there but a lot of it that been trimmed back to make it feel as though this actually happened.
Iron Man 3
Acclaimed Chinese actor Wang Xueqi discusses his role as Dr. Wu:
And I said to this person contacting me, ‘It wouldn’t do if it’s a character who’s finished off after a few fights.’ I was then assured that, ‘No, you’re going to be the man who saves his [Tony Stark] life.’... It’s not a character which exists in the original comic series. And he’s a very complicated individual: he’s at once a specialist in Chinese medicine and Western medicine, but also a scientist and someone who has an in-depth knowledge of ancient Chinese culture. They’ve really set the bar very high. It’s a very challenging role. I don’t get a lot of scenes, but you have to convince viewers that [Stark and Wu] are friends from way back. It’s not like in other films when you can get to show that through a lot of interaction between the characters.”
He also revealed that he only speaks Mandarin in all his scenes with Robert Downey, Jr.'s Tony Stark, who in turn only speaks English. [The Hollywood Reporter]
X-Men: Days Of Future Past
Star Hugh Jackman says he's excited to reprise the role of Wolverine once more:
They told me the idea and, at the time, it was Matthew Vaughn [directing]. Instantly, I knew it was a winner. It just felt like everything was coming full circle. However, I must admit my stomach and my mind were like, ‘Oh no.’ I owe, in a way, everything to [director] Bryan [Singer]. The first film I did in America was X-Men. Wolverine is a character I’ve loved playing and I can’t believe it’s going to be my seventh time playing it. It just blows me away. It not only feels like the right kind of project, it actually is so exciting that we’ll all be back together again. I don’t want to give away too much but I’m really excited not only to reunite with all those great actors but also to work with some of the other ones.
[EW]
Interstellar
In an article about 2001: A Space Odyssey director Stanley Kubrick's legacy, Christopher Nolan discusses his major sci-fi influences, which are worth keeping in mind as he starts work on his Matthew McConaughey-starring movie about space and possibly time travel:
“I think anytime you look at science fiction in movies, there are key touchstones. Metropolis. Blade Runner. 2001. Whenever you’re talking about getting off the planet, 2001 is somewhat unavoidable. But there is only one 2001. So you don’t want to get too near to that.”
[EW]
Avatar 2 and 3
Producer Jon Landau reveals that James Cameron's Avatar sequels will take performance capture to a whole new place — specifically, underwater:
“We have kept a team of digital artists on from Avatar in order to test how we can create performance capture underwater. We could simulate water [in computer graphics], but we can't simulate the actor's experience, so we are going to capture performance in a tank. We are looking at [techniques including] what we did before with reflective markers,” he said, adding that another important task is “how we record reference photography so that as we are going through the editorial process and the postproduction workflow, we can see what the actors did and make sure that the final performance up on screen represents that... We want to take advantage of the technology that people are putting out there to make the next two movies more engaging and visually tantalizing, and wrap up the story arc of our two main characters."
Godzilla
Because apparently a cast that already included Juliette Binoche, Elizabeth Olsen, David Strathairn, and Bryan Cranston just wasn't quite highbrow enough, the new Godzilla movie has reportedly added Sally Hawkins, best known for her critically lauded role in British filmmaker Mike Leigh's character drama Happy-Go-Lucky. Hawkins will reportedly play a scientist in the film. [Deadline]
Doctor Who
Here are two promos for the next episode, "Cold War," featuring the return of the Ice Warriors. [Blogtor Who]
The BBC has officially announced that Christopher Eccleston won't be returning as the Ninth Doctor for the 50th anniversary special. Responding to British tabloid rumors that Eccleston had agreed to appear and then pulled out at the last minute, the BBC included this statement making it clear his decision hadn't somehow disrupted the ongoing production:
Chris met with Steven Moffat a couple of times to talk about Steven's plans for the Doctor Who 50th anniversary episode. After careful thought, Chris decided not to be in the episode. He wishes the team all the best.
The Walking Dead
Star Norman Reedus previews what's ahead for various characters in season four:
“I think [the governor's] evolution of a bad guy is not dead yet. To reach the comic book status, like in the comic book, the guy is so ferocious, he’s on the precipice of becoming that guy. So the last episode wasn’t about the war, it was about who is becoming what in that world. Carl, what he has become, Rick what he has become, what Daryl has become. That’s the intro into season 4... [Carl's] dark right now. I think he’s going to get much darker. I think all of us are real dark right now... I think having these people relying on [Daryl] is something he’s never had before and he has this new sense of self worth that he never thought he could ever have. So through these people, that’s the glue that’s keeping him around. I think he’ll go hard again after [killing] Merle. I think Merle is going to shut him down for a minute.”
Executive producer Gale Anne Hurd discusses why the main characters haven't seized control of Woodbury heading into the fourth season:
Who knows? The Governor is still out there with Shumpert and Martinez. They’ve still got significant firepower. If they go to Woodbury, at this point, Woodbury’s not as protected as it used to be. I think everyone was traumatized by what happened, and I think they feel safer in the prison.
Is the whole population now in the prison, or are there still people left in Woodbury?
I couldn’t tell you that, to be honest. I think that’s a decision we’ll come to find out in the new season.
She also discusses whether the zombies themselves will be more heavily featured next season:
Yeah, I don’t think that in a show that goes from season to season — we are living in a zombie apocalypse, we’re living in an apocalypse where we know that unless someone has brain trauma, they’re going to come back. Regardless of how they die, they’re going to turn into a zombie. So I think it would be a good bet to say that the zombies become more threatening in seasons to come.
There's more at the link. [IGN]
True Blood
Joe Manganiello discusses what's ahead for Alcide in season six:
"Alcide is now the pack master, which means he has lots of dating options. It's good to be the pack master! I remember I asked the producer, ‘What do pack masters do all day?' And they're like, ‘They get all the were-bitches!'... [The pack is an] unruly bunch; they're werewolves. So keeping them in line is a difficult job that Alcide never wanted."
Anna Camp will reportedly return this season as anti-vampire fanatic Sarah Newlin. [TV Line]
Revolution
Here's a sneak peek at tonight's episode and thirteenth overall, "The Song Remains the Same."
Here's the description for episode fifteen, "Home," which airs April 22:
MILES AND MONROE FACE OFF WITH DEADLY CONSEQUENCES WHILE RACHEL AND AARON ENCOUNTER OBSTACLES IN QUEST TO REACH THE TOWER- When the past catches up with Miles (Billy Burke) and Monroe (David Lyons) in the form of mutual heartthrob, Emma (Annie Wersching) all hell breaks loose for them physically and emotionally. Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos) and Nora (Daniella Alonso) are the ones who rescue Miles this time. Meanwhile Aaron’s (Zak Orth) life is turned inside out while accompanying Rachel (Elizabeth Mitchell) on her tenacious trek to the mysterious Tower where she plans to restore the power.
Grimm
Here's the description for episode nineteen, "Endangered," which airs April 26:
NICK FACES AN OTHER WORDLY MYSTERY THAT MAKES HIM QUESTION WHAT HE KNOWS ABOUT THE WESEN WORLD — Mysterious cow mutilations and reports of glowing creatures put Nick (David Giuntoli) on a case that forces him to question the existence of aliens within the Wesen world. He also meets a strange UFO expert who seems to know more than he’s letting on. Meanwhile, Nick digs further into the key, and Juliette’s (Bitsie Tulloch) romantic memories of Nick start coming back in a big way.
Defiance
Dexter and No Ordinary Family's Julie Benz discusses her latest starring role on Syfy's post-apocalyptic alien western:
The show is on an epic scope and the special effects are truly cinematic. Jamie Murray’s performance is amazing, and you’ll want to look particularly for her “bathing” scene.
Can you talk about Amanda and Nolan’s relationship?
They don’t know what it’s about! (laughs) He’s a newcomer and their relationship gets complicated. She comes to rely on him to help run the town when he becomes the lawkeeper. It’s a very complicated relationship and neither of them knows how to define it.
Do you think your character would shut down the Need/Want to better serve Defiance even though it’s her sister running it?
Kenya and Amanda have a very complicated relationship. A brothel is an integral part of every frontier story. It’s a core element and it’s necessary because of the need for human relationships. Maybe if the Need/Want got violent and turned into a fight club or something. It certainly does complicate their relationship.
Additional reporting by Katharine Trendacosta and Charlie Jane Anders.
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This always seems to come up whenever Christopher Eccleston is mentioned, so I think I need to draft
This always seems to come up whenever Christopher Eccleston is mentioned, so I think I need to draft some sort of standard reply to this question. To that end...
Eccleston left the show in 2005 after serious creative disagreements with Russell T. Davies and the rest of the production team; it's also been suggested that Eccleston's approach didn't mesh well with the rest of the cast, especially John Barrowman's, although I don't think this has ever been confirmed. When he did decide to leave, the BBC floated an inaccurate story that he left because of fears of being typecast; even back then, they apologized and said this was wrong, though Eccleston didn't publicly comment on why he left until 2011.
By all accounts, Eccleston was honored to play the role, not so much because of any particular love for the franchise but because it gave him a chance to connect with and act for children, which is something he hadn't really done before. But Doctor Who remains a really unpleasant experience for him professionally, and he doesn't want to revisit it. I really don't think turning down the role after a couple preliminary conversations with Steven Moffat is jerkish behavior — I'd have loved to see him come back, and perhaps one day he will, but for now it's just progress that he even considered it. Eccleston delivered the one series that he signed on to do, and he did a generally fantastic job of it. While hoping for more from him is all good and proper, he has every right to never appear again, and I don't think he owes fans anything else.
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Thank you for making that first point, because it's really, really important.
Thank you for making that first point, because it's really, really important. None of the Doctors owe us anything, and it's remarkable how many of them have been willing to reprise the role and represent the show in the intervening years. In particular, it's kind of insane (in the very best of ways) that Paul McGann has become so committed to playing a character that he only ever appeared as once for a failed TV pilot in 1996. But that doesn't mean Christopher Eccleston has to follow suit if he doesn't want to.
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George R.R. Martin confirms a fan favorite character won't appear on Game of Thrones!
Check out a new teaser and official description for Man of Steel. Another returning character is confirmed for Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special. Plus tons of spoilers for what's ahead on Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, The Vampire Diaries, and more! Spoilers from here on out!
Top image from Game of Thrones.
Man of Steel
Here's a TV spot.
And here's a new official synopsis from the official site, which is in all-caps for some unfathomable reason:
A YOUNG BOY LEARNS THAT HE HAS EXTRAORDINARY POWERS AND IS NOT OF THIS EARTH. AS A YOUNG MAN, HE JOURNEYS TO DISCOVER WHERE HE CAME FROM AND WHAT HE WAS SENT HERE TO DO. BUT THE HERO IN HIM MUST EMERGE IF HE IS TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM ANNIHILATION AND BECOME THE SYMBOL OF HOPE FOR ALL MANKIND.
THE FILM ALSO STARS FOUR-TIME OSCAR NOMINEE AMY ADAMS (“THE MASTER”) AS DAILY PLANET JOURNALIST LOIS LANE, AND OSCAR NOMINEE LAURENCE FISHBURNE (“WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT”) AS HER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, PERRY WHITE. STARRING AS CLARK KENT’S ADOPTIVE PARENTS, MARTHA AND JONATHAN KENT, ARE OSCAR NOMINEE DIANE LANE (“UNFAITHFUL”) AND ACADEMY AWARD WINNER KEVIN COSTNER (“DANCES WITH WOLVES”).
SQUARING OFF AGAINST THE SUPERHERO ARE TWO OTHER SURVIVING KRYPTONIANS, THE VILLAINOUS GENERAL ZOD, PLAYED BY OSCAR NOMINEE MICHAEL SHANNON (“REVOLUTIONARY ROAD”), AND FAORA, ZOD’S EVIL PARTNER, PLAYED BY ANTJE TRAUE (UPCOMING “THE SEVENTH SON”). ALSO FROM SUPERMAN’S NATIVE KRYPTON ARE LARA LOR-VAN, SUPERMAN’S MOTHER, PLAYED BY AYELET ZURER (“ANGELS AND DEMONS”), AND SUPERMAN’S FATHER, JOR-EL, PORTRAYED BY ACADEMY AWARD WINNER RUSSELL CROWE (“GLADIATOR”).
ROUNDING OUT THE CAST ARE CHRISTOPHER MELONI (UPCOMING “42”) AS U.S. MILITARY MAN COLONEL HARDY, HARRY LENNIX (“STATE OF PLAY”) AS GENERAL SWANWICK, MICHAEL KELLY (“THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU”) AS STEVE LOMBARD, AND RICHARD SCHIFF (TV’S “THE WEST WING”) AS DR. EMIL HAMILTON.
Oblivion
Here's another behind-the-scenes video.
Divergent
Summit Entertainment announced the start of filming for their new dystopian YA novel adaptation. Here are some excerpts from the announcement, which offer a full cast listing and some plot details:
Summit Entertainment... announced today that principal photography has commenced in Chicago on the highly anticipated feature filmadaptation of DIVERGENT, starring Golden Globe nominated Shailene Woodley, Theo James, and Academy Award winner Kate Winslet. The studio also announced that Ray Stevenson and Mekhi Phifer will join a stellar young cast including Maggie Q, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller, Zoë Kravitz, Ansel Elgort, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Ben Lamb, Christian Madsen, and Amy Newbold. The futuristic action adventure, based on author Veronica Roth's New York Times best seller, will be directed by Neil Burger from a script by Vanessa Taylor. The original draft of the script was written by Evan Daugherty... Summit will release the film theatrically in North America in THE HUNGER GAMES slot on Friday, March 21, 2014. DIVERGENT is a thrilling adventure set in a future world where people are divided into distinct factions based on their personalities, Tris Prior (Woodley) is warned she is Divergent and will never fit into any one group. When she discovers a conspiracy to destroy all Divergents, she must find out what makes being Divergent so dangerous before it's too late.
Byzantium
Director Neil Jordan explains the premise of his vampire movie, which stars Quantum of Solace's Gemma Arterton and Hanna's Saoirse Ronan:
It’s set mainly in the world of contemporary Britain. But the seedy seaside resort our horror heroines end up in (Hastings on the south coast of Britain was the location for these faded glamour scenes) is haunted by the past in very radical, graphic and dramatic ways. That was the reinvention challenge for me beyond Interview With the Vampire and The Company of Wolves dynamics. Plus there were many facets to Byzantium that connected to my previous work; the religious overtones, the strong female leads stretching back to Mona Lisa, even The Crying Game if you think about it. The relationship between Clara and Eleanor being mother/daughter, sisters, rivals is full of complexities, very exciting ones to play with. One is a lascivious whore, the other her refined student, and that was wonderfully rich and moving material to get my teeth into. They might be anti-heroines with separate destines ultimately, but for me this duo buck the current vampire trend in far more thrilling ways than the Twilight saga or the ‘True Blood’ TV series. Their hunger for blood, life and every experience is beyond good and evil and that’s such a brilliant starting premise.
Doctor Who
The BBC has announced the latest cast member for the special, as Jemma Redgrave is set to reprise her "Power of Three" role as Kate Stewart, the daughter of the late, great Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. Here's the BBC's official statement on the matter:
We’re delighted to reveal that Jemma Redgrave will be returning to Doctor Who for the show’s fiftieth anniversary special. She previously appeared in 2012’s The Power of Three playing Kate Stewart, daughter of the legendary Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Jemma is part of a brilliant cast that is already known to include Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman who are joined by the returning David Tennant and Billie Piper plus screen legend John Hurt and Joanna Page. Filming is underway on the special which will be a 3D spectacular shown later this year.
[Life, Doctor Who, and Combom]
Game of Thrones
Here's a video introducing some of the season's new characters.
George R.R. Martin has confirmed on his website that, because of the simplification of Ser Barristan Selmy's return to the show and the removal of his Arstan alter ego, the character Strong Belwas will not appear on the show. [Not A Blog]
Costar Alfie Allen discusses the state of his character, Theon Greyjoy:
“I think my character is severely misguided. I don’t think he’s super evil. He’s just a boy, really, trying to prove himself to his father. I think that’s a universal theme. Even if you’re not looking for your parents’ approval, you really kind of are. I think there’s a nice guy down there... There’s 15 to 20 percent of Game of Thrones fans who will be feeling sorry for him this season and the rest will just be laughing and enjoying it immensely,”
[EW]
Here's a promo for the next episode, "Walk of Punishment."
And here are some spoiler-y hints for episode three, "Walk of Punishment," and episode four, "And Now His Watch Is Ended":
Episode 3 - Walk of Punishment
- The episode ends with a very familiar character, since season 1, getting changed forever.
- Brienne could have been raped, but ended up not.
- We get to see Riverrun for the first time, and with that Edmure and Blackfish.
- Edmure should practice his archer-skills.
Episode 4 - And Now His Watch is Ended
- Jeor Mormont falls in battle, but not against wildlings or the others.
- Revenge you want, it will be yours in time. Varys proves that.
- We finally meet the The Lightning Lord.
- Dany shows Astapor who`s the better one.
- Roose Boltons bastard plays mind tricks with young Greyjoy.
- Varys and Lady Olenna meet.
The Walking Dead
Comics creator Robert Kirkman discusses whether Daryl could get a love interest in season four:
Never say never! I think that it could happen eventually. I wouldn't want to spoil anything, but Daryl is a complex character and he's really got a lot of emotional hurdles to get over in his life. It is kind of odd that we haven't seen him in that kind of romantic light, but I think that adds a layer to the character that makes him a little more mysterious and a little cooler. But I wouldn't rule out some kind of love interest for him in the future.
Person of Interest
Here's the description for episode twenty, "In Extemis," which airs April 25:
When a luminary in the world of medicine is poisoned, Reese and Finch have just 24 hours to determine the deadly toxin he was given and find the person behind the attack. Meanwhile, Detective Fusco’s past corruption catches up with him when an informant gives the Internal Affairs Bureau the crucial information they need to send him to prison.
Grimm
Here's the description for episode eighteen, "Ring of Fire," which airs April 19:
THINGS HEAT UP IN PORTLAND WHEN NICK FACES A VILLAIN UNLIKE ANY OTHER – Nick (David Giuntoli) finds himself fighting a wildly different sort of nature freak in a desperate attempt to keep a volcano from burying Portland in lava. Meanwhile a pregnant Adalind (Claire Coffee) meets a powerful new ally (guest star Shohreh Aghdashloo) in Europe. Meanwhile, Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) seeks out help after becoming overwhelmed by the latest side effect of her recovery - multiple memories of Nick showing up everywhere.
Arrow
Here's an interview with Detective Lance actor Paul Blackthorne.
The season finale will reportedly be called "Sacrifice." [SpoilerTV]
The Vampire Diaries
Showrunner Julie Plec discusses what's ahead for Matt, one of the show's few remaining humans:
"We are going to let ourselves really enjoy Matt in the last couple episodes. He looks around at all the people in his life that are about to graduate, maybe move on to college, or go off and live some supernatural destiny elsewhere, and then here he is figuring out his next step. He's thinking, 'Do I have any options? What are they? And what do I want to do now that I'm free to get away from all of this if I want to?'"
[Zap2It]
Orphan Black
Here's the description for the next episode, "Variation Under Nature":
Rocked by the revelation that she and her fellow “Orphans” are clones, Sarah just wants to get her hands on the money and skip town. But Sarah’s fake detective ruse stretches thin when the cops find the body she buried and assign “Beth” to the case. As Sarah closes in on the killer, the hunter becomes the hunted.
Continuum
Here's the description for the upcoming season premiere:
In the season 2 premiere, Kiera resurfaces after the mayor is killed in a brazen assassination. She reunites with Carlos to solve the murder and also tries to reconnect with Alec, who has changed since reading the message from his future self.
Beauty and the Beast
Star Kristin Kreuk suggests the show will drop its procedural element in season two, assuming it gets a season two:
You know, I’ve been pretty honest: I think it’s a season one thing where you try something out, and it’s like, ‘Wait. This works, this works, this isn’t working as well.’ I think the best procedurals are procedurals. They’re just pure procedurals. The stories have to be so complex and you’ve got to make sure that every little piece…. and when you’re dealing with the mythology and the romance, it’s hard to keep all that in, so if we can just do mythology and romance… there’s still what you would call a procedural element [with a] certain episodic thing that happens. I think we can do a better story this way.
[KSiteTV]
Additional reporting by Amanda Yesilbas and Charlie Jane Anders.
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A Dark Knight Rises star joins Christopher Nolan's new epic Interstellar. Plus lots of Doctor Who set videos!
Filming for Doctor Who's 50th anniversary is in full swing, and we've got the videos to prove it. Director Neil Blomkamp and his District 9 star Sharlto Copley reveal more details about their new movie Elysium. Max Landis reveals what's really going on with Chronicle 2, and he promises this will be one seriously dark sequel. Plus new videos for Iron Man 3, World War Z, and Kick-Ass 2! Spoilers from here on out!
Top image from Elysium.
Iron Man 3
Here's a TV spot.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
UFC fighter Georges St-Pierre discusses his role as Batroc the Leaper, which from his description appears to be a relatively small part:
“They asked me to let my hair grow to play a villain. I also let my [facial] hair grow; it took me a month to grow this. I don't know [how long the movie is filming], but I'll be in LA for a week. It's my first experience, so it'll be fun and I'm excited. For this kind of thing, I'm not nervous.”
You can check out the complete interview below; the relevant portion beings around the 1:15 mark. [Comic Book Movie]
Man of Steel
Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull says he's seen a rough cut of Zack Snyder's Superman movie, and he has some high — if not exactly unbiased — praise:
It’s the Superman movie I’ve always wanted to see. I think the job that Zack Snyder did along with Chris Nolan- I think that people are going to be very, very excited about the results. The acting, on top of all the incredible action- Kevin Costner playing Jonathan Kent, Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, just the cast, and I think the job Henry Cavill did, people are going to really be excited about it. It was a privilege to be a part of and Warner Brothers does a phenomenal job of bringing these things to life, Batman and Superman, and it really is a privilege for us to be a part of.
[Collider]
Elysium
Director Neil Blomkamp, his District 9 star Sharlto Copley, and screenwriter Simon Kinberg discuss their new film's two main villains, Jodie Foster's and Copley's Kruger:
Blomkamp: Sharlto can talk about Kruger, but I think that, in terms of Jodie, the idea on Elysium is that it's a slight — commentary is the wrong word — It's a mirror of how the West is now, with immigration. A lot of people want to help out the rest of the world. They want to take that wealth and pour the glass half out to balance it in the rest of the planet. Other people want to close the borders. The people fit into those two camps. Sharl is just completely indifferent. He's like a soldier on the ground that just executes commands.
Copley: It's more about professional soldier elements. With Kruger, it's an issue for politicians and he's a soldier, and he moves amongst what is squalor, from his point of view. He would be on Elysium, but he has to live here. That's not the politics or about if what happens is fair or whatever. It's just soldiering, like its always been. That's a certain type of that being his thing. He's got the camo on because it's cool and that's our colors. What are you going to do? It's that kind of more gung-ho soldiering attitude for my guy, certainly.
Kinberg: They're also not black and white villains. You could say that Wikus, in many ways, is the villain in "District 9" because he's destroying alien fetuses. Then, obviously, he becomes a hero. Jodie is introduced at home. She's got grandkids and kids around. She wants them to live their life in a very nice suburb and genuinely believes she needs to protect them.
Blomkamp explains the thinking behind Matt Damon's cybernetic suit:
In terms of the story, it’s meant to be — It’s funny, with product placement this film. I personally wrote emails to companies that I wanted to try and get into the film to try and add realism to it. One of my favorite ones is Kawasaki, which is on his suit. The idea was that it was some kind of very low-end, almost dirt bike, like a motocross version of a strength suit that was born out of research that the military is doing now. Like Lockheed and a bunch of companies have HULC suits that are used for enhanced strength. I just wanted it to look really grungy and extremely sort of low-end and kind of real. That was the thinking, and he’s sick in the film, so it makes him stronger, but it doesn’t make him Iron Man strong. It’s trying to do it semi-realistically. And then in the practical application, it’s actually a surprising amount of engineering that Weta has to do. For the range of motions, to actually work correctly, it’s a surprising amount of engineering. Sharl has one in the film later on that’s a bit more advanced than the one Matt has in the film. It's a little bit more complex, a little bit newer. But they’re born out of the same idea.
There's more at the link. [Coming Soon]
Interstellar
Christopher Nolan's latest top-secret epic will reportedly feature a reunion between the director and his Dark Knight Rises star Anne Hathaway, who would appear alongside confirmed leading man Matthew McConaughey. Hathaway will likely be only the first of many Nolan regulars to sign on to the film, which "will depict a heroic interstellar voyage to the farthest borders of our scientific understanding" — I'm going to go ahead and guess that Michael Caine will play scientific understanding. He'll just portray the entire abstract concept. [Deadline]
Oblivion
Here's an interview with director Joseph Kosinski.
Chronicle 2
Screenwriter Max Landis gives a lengthy, reasonably optimistic update on the status of the Chronicle sequel:
Chronicle 2 is in an interesting place right now. It's moving along. There was this whole announcement that they wanted to just do the same thing again because my father said that. My father is not involved in Chronicle 2. He doesn't know the process, it was not his place to say that. The truth is when you have a movie that was as successful as Chronicle was, it's not as quick of a process. There are a lot more voices coming in and saying 'This is what the sequel should be' because there's a bigger expectation and a bigger fear of failure. And that's really what's going on with Chronicle 2. Josh (Trank) is directing Fantastic Four. I'm doing a hundred other movies. Chronicle 2 has become this question of 'How do we all make a movie that we all respect?'. And that's true to what Chronicle is. There's no one at the studio who wants to make a bad movie. They all want to make a good movie just as much as I do. We're not fighting... The report came out that they didn't like my script. They liked my script. It's just a really dark script. The question is more of 'How do we all compromise to get something we want?'. And that's an incredibly slow process... Chronicle 2 will happen eventually. And I'm 60-75% percent sure that it will be a pretty damn good movie.
Check out the full interview at the link. [IGN]
Kick-Ass 2
Here's a family-friendly — well, relatively speaking, at least — version of the trailer.
World War Z
Here's a TV spot.
I, Frankenstein
Aaron Eckhart's post-apocalyptic, demon-fighting take on the Frankenstein story — which I think we can all agree is the version Mary Shelley would have written if she were really all that — has had its release date moved from September 13, 2013 to January 24, 2014, reportedly to allow for a 3D conversion. (By the way, I realize it's kind of unfair to call this Aaron Eckhart's take just because he stars in it, but I left it in because journalistic integrity demands it it amuses me.) [Comic Book Movie]
Doctor Who
The BBC has released this official set video from the filming of the 50th anniversary special at the Tower of London. The video features Clara actress Jenna-Louise Coleman, Kate Stewart actress Jemma Redgrave, and newly revealed cast member Ingrid Oliver, who sports an extremely familiar scarf for reasons as yet unexplained.
And here's another video, in which everyone's favorite Sontaran butler Strax provides both a set report and a lengthy rant about Admiral Nelson, because why the hell not? Matt Smith also shows up toward the end.
Here's an awesome photo courtesy of WENN.com that shows Matt Smith hanging off the bottom of the TARDIS. You can check out some more right here
And here are some non-official set videos from the recent filming.
Person of Interest
Exeuctive producer Greg Plageman hints at some key unanswered questions, which might be answered sooner or later:
"What's really interesting about the Machine is whether or not you believe it is an evolving organism. What happens when an organism like that comes under attack? The question to ask is: Have we seen all the facets of the Machine and its true power?"
[TV Guide]
Revolution
Costar David Lyons hints at what's ahead for Nora now that she has been captured by General Monroe:
"Like any person that is so inextricably intertwined in the rebels, she has information and information is power to Monroe, so the concept of having her in his grasp means that he's going to squeeze her until he gets what he needs."
[TV Guide]
Grimm
Executive producer David Greenwalt says the show won't go overboard with Nick's newly acquired abilities:
“You’ll see some cool fighting for sure, but he won’t be able to leap off tall buildings in a single bound or anything like that.”
[TV Line]
Once Upon a Time
Creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis say they would like to feature Tamara more often on the show, but actress Sonequa Martin Green is just too busy, especially now that she's been promoted to series regular status for the next season of The Walking Dead:
Horowitz: The challenge that we’ve faced, both seasons so far, is scheduling. We don’t want to give away what our plans are for any character, but we’ve been able to work out scheduling in the past.
Kitsis: Hopefully, things will work out [when it comes to Season 3]. We think she’s done a great job.
[TV Line]
The Vampire Diaries
Showrunner Julie Plec reveals that graduation will become a crucial topic as season four draws to a close:
“There’s going to be a lot of questions about, ‘Who am I? What am I going to do with my life? What am I meant to be? Where am I meant to go?’ All of our characters will be faced with that question as they make decisions about whether to stay or go, go to college, travel the world, break up, stay together. A lot of big, important life decisions as we say goodbye to the high school chapter of the show.”
[TV Line]
Additional reporting by Amanda Yesilbas and Charlie Jane Anders.
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Go behind the scenes of Iron Man 3, The Wolverine and Doctor Who!
Check out a new interview with the cast of Iron Man 3 and a bunch of photos that take you behind the scenes of James Mangold and Hugh Jackman's The Wolverine. A studio executive explains why Moon director Duncan Jones's World of Warcraft movie could change video game adaptations forever. Plus a Defiance director reveals key details about Syfy's latest, and ABC's S.H.I.E.L.D. show adds a Joss Whedon alum in a mysterious role! Spoilers from here on out!
Top image from The Wolverine.
Iron Man 3
Here's a new behind-the-scenes video. You can check out another at the link.
The Wolverine
Here's a newly released set photo. You can check out more right here
Oblivion
Here's a new promo image. You can check out more over here
Riddick
Battlestar Galactica star Katee Sackhoff confirms she has seen some footage from the third Riddick movie, in which she plays the female lead:
Bits and pieces, yeah. I don't want to give too much away, but it's going to be a frickin' awesome movie. It's really great!
Is it more exciting or nerve-wracking to be a part of something that has become so highly anticipated?
I think the nerve-wracking part of it comes from being really one of the only women in the movie. There's some other women in the movie, but they're in the very, very, very beginning. There's nobody to take focus off of me, if I'm not good. That was my biggest fear. There's so many guys in the movie. They were all amazing. Every single one of those guys are phenomenal actors, and they really brought such life to their characters. But, when you're the only woman in most of the movie, there's a lot of pressure. If you're not good, everyone is like, "Well, the girl sucked!" It's not like people can go, "Which one?" The flipside of that is, if it succeeds, it's the other side of that. This is, by far, the biggest movie I've ever done. I'm incredibly excited, but I'm also really scared. So, we'll see.
[Collider]
Vampire Academy
The producers of this adaptation of Richelle Mead's YA novels have offered this update on the movie's official Facebook page:
1. Casting. This is the most asked about issue by the fans. So here’s the deal! Casting for the remaining characters for the first film is officially underway once again.
2 Locations. The final locations for shooting are now being decided by our director Mark Waters. The big news is we will be shooting the movie in Europe, mostly in and around the UK, with additional photography planned in Montana.
3. Green light. The project was officially declared to proceed as of April 1. Our targeted (estimated) date to begin production is the last week in May.
You can read the rest at the link. [Official VAMPIRE ACADEMY Movie]
World of Warcraft
Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull offers an explanation as to why video game movies have had such trouble, and why he believes their World of Warcraft movie from Moon and Source Code director Duncan Jones could change all that:
I think first of all is to lose the fact that it's a video game movie and just concentrate on do you have a story that's worth telling? Because if you look back to the 80's, comic book movies were not anywhere near what they are today. They weren't given the resources and you didn't have the level of directors that you have today working on these things. I think with video games it's just become much more sophisticated storytelling, hard to do a movie off of Pong, but today when you have stuff like Mass Effect, you have things like Warcraft, you have things like Skyrim where very cool worlds have been created, that's what we're attracted to.
We took our time with Warcraft because just saying "How many people play the game? Well then that means X number of people will buy a ticket." That's a death trap, that's the surest way to make a crap movie, and that's not an option. So we took our time wanted to make sure that we used all the canon that's been built up over years and years by Blizzard. .. We're huge believers in Duncan Jones, and I think what we're going to bring to screen and to bear with Duncan, he is going to break that mold because it's going to have the resources, the talent around it, and a Field General in Duncan Jones. It's, again, the reason we took our time, made sure we had the right guy, the right person to make the movie, and then it will speak for itself when it comes out.
[Collider]
Doctor Who
Here are some more set videos from the 50th anniversary filming at Trafalgar Square. [SpoilerTV]
Showrunner Steven Moffat offers this solemn promise for the rest of series seven:
"We're not kidding, we are actually going to do it, we're going to reveal his biggest secret."
He's probably kidding. Anyway, stars Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman also offer some general praise for Moffat's 50th anniversary special script:
Smith: "It sort of does what it says on the tin, you won't be disappointed. I think it's hilarious, I think it's epic and I think it's fast and I'm telling you nothing more, but you will not be disappointed. I think it's going to be the biggest, best, most inventive and most exciting year for the show and I think this script delivers on all those points that you want it to for where the show is at this time, it's brilliant.
Coleman: It pays homage to the last 50 years of the show and kind of really celebrates that, but at the same time as looking forward.
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
ABC's upcoming, newly renamed show has reportedly added an alumnus of one of Joss Whedon's previous shows, as Angel's J. August Richards has joined the show in an undisclosed role. Since the pilot has already been shot, Richards would presumably make his debut later on in the season, assuming ABC does do the expected and order more episodes beyond the pilot. [EW]
Supernatural
Here's the official description for episode twenty-one, "The Great Escapist," which airs May 1:
FEELING LUCKY TONIGHT? - When Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) receive a distressing video message from Kevin Tran (guest star Osric Chau), they set about trying to uncover the Third Trial. The boys make a discovery that sends them to a casino in Colorado, to find a mysterious recluse (guest star Curtis Armstrong) who may be able to fill in the holes in Kevin's research. Meanwhile, Crowley (guest star Mark Sheppard) is on a winning streak. Castiel (Misha Collins) tries to elude Naomi (guest star Amanda Tapping) and the angels hunting him.
Arrow
Here's the synopsis for the twenty-first episode of the season, "The Undertaking," which airs May 1:
WITH A LEAD ON WALTER'S WHEREABOUTS, OLIVER GAMBLES ON FELICITY IN THE FIELD - Finding it difficult to mend fences with Tommy (Colin Donnell) and Diggle (David Ramsey), Oliver (Stephen Amell) instead focuses on crossing another name off the list. While digging through a crooked accountant's laptop, Felicity (guest star Emily Bett Rickards) discovers a transaction that could help Oliver find Walter. To reconfirm the lead, Oliver gambles that Felicity can be counted on in the field for the first time. In a flashback, Malcolm (guest star John Barrowman) reveals to Robert Queen (guest star Jamey Sheridan) and Frank Chen (guest star Chin Han) painful details surrounding his wife's murder, and how that shaped his plans for the Glades. Meanwhile, Tommy (Colin Donnell) stuns Laurel (Katie Cassidy) with the truth.
The Vampire Diaries
Homeland recurring player Scott Parks has reportedly been cast as the show's new big bad Silas. [EW]
Here's the description for episode twenty-one, "She's Come Undone," which airs May 2:
LET'S MAKE A DEAL - Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) try a brutal new approach to provoke Elena (Nina Dobrev) into turning her humanity back on, and Caroline (Candice Accola) is frustrated when her attempt to intervene backfires. When Elena figures out a way to call the Salvatore brothers' bluff, they call for backup from a surprising source. Matt (Zach Roerig) gives Rebekah (Claire Holt) some unsolicited advice on her life choices, and she tries to help him in return. Caroline has a confusing and dangerous encounter with Klaus (Joseph Morgan), and Katherine (Nina Dobrev) is suspicious when Bonnie (Kat Graham) makes her an offer that she promises will benefit them both.
Defiance
Director Michael Nankin discusses Syfy's upcoming post-apocalyptic alien western, and why it isn't quite a western:
And then we've got De-Tak-Tar trying to take over the town; he's the show's Tony Soprano. He's without boundaries. Then the whole idea that there are people trying to destroy the town - that kind of takes us through the whole series.
In the UK, we had a series called Outcasts, which was kind of about people trying to survive as a community, and it didn't quite work. Do you think there's something about your country's history, which makes you better able to tell stories like this?
Well, yes. One of our creative touchstones - what we kept telling ourselves - is that we're telling an immigrant story. The DNA of this country is different, in that we are all immigrants here, so the assimilation of the De Tak Tar family - their son is a rebel. He was born here, so he doesn't care about the customs of his ancestors. So you could essentially take the story and set it in New York in 1900. And also, the DNA of the show is very much a Western. Even though we made a creative choice not to have horses and cowboy hats, and not to make any nod to the Western, it really is. There's the sheriff and the doc and the prostitute in the saloon, so we have all the elements of a Western, but then we tried to move as far away from that as possible.
He also explains how the show's various alien races fit together:
The mythology, which you don't get the full extent of in the pilot, is that the six Votan races came to Earth don't get along. They're all from different planets, and ganged together because their sun was blowing up and they had to survive. But as soon as they got off the ship [on Earth], they went to war with each other. One race looks down on the other, one race was enslaved by another race, and so on. There's all kinds of unfinished business between them. Did you purposefully leave some of that backstory out of the pilot, to add an air of mystery? We actually shot something that explained everything for the pilot, where you basically got a history lesson. But it was dull, and we found that the desire from the audience to want to know more is very valuable. So yeah, we'll parcel it out as the show goes on. Also, it's not a very complex story, you really hear pretty much all of it by the time the pilot's over.
There's more at the link. [Den of Geek]
Being Human (US)
Syfy has renewed the show for a fourth season. [SpoilerTV]
Beauty and the Beast
Here's the description for episode twenty, "Anniversary," which airs May 2:
CAT DISCOVERS HER MOM MIGHT STILL BE ALIVE - On the anniversary of her mother's death, Cat (Kristin Kreuk) asks Gabe (Sendhil Ramamurthy) to attend her family's annual remembrance of Vanessa, which makes Vincent (Jay Ryan) incredibly jealous. Cat learns some information that makes her think her mom might still be alive and when a sniper shoots the mayor at a public event, Vincent finds evidence that links Gabe to the sniper.
Additional reporting by Katharine Trendacosta and Charlie Jane Anders.
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Man of Steel producer reveals how Superman's new movie could pave the way for Justice League!
Halle Berry explains why her pregnancy won't really affect her return as Storm in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Morgan Freeman joins Johnny Depp's mysterious artificial intelligence movie Transcendence. Check out new videos from tomorrow's Doctor Who episode. Plus more on The Vampire Diaries, Orphan Black, Revolution, and more! Spoilers from here on out!
Top image from Doctor Who.
Man of Steel
Producer Charles Roven has more or less confirmed that Man of Steel could lay the groundwork for a larger universe of DC superheroes, which might culminate in that Justice League movie that nobody can figure out how to make. Anyway, here's Roven and screenwriter David Goyer on how the new Superman movie could connect to a larger universe:
Roven: [Man of Steel's] setting the tone for what the movies are going to be like going forward. In that, Man of Steel is definitely a first step. What [director] Zack [Snyder] and [producer] Chris [Nolan] have done with [Man of Steel] is allow you to really introduce other characters into the same world.
Goyer: I would love to tell you yes or no [on Man of Steel leading to a shared universe], but I think it's going to be more exciting for people to keep a beady eye out and find what they can find.
Warner Bros president Jeff Robinov also confirmed that neither Christopher Nolan nor his Batman actor Christian Bale will be involved with this nascent DC cinematic universe, which we all pretty much knew already but is still worth getting confirmed. [EW via Comic Book Movie]
Meanwhile, star Henry Cavill explains Superman's arc in the film:
"Imagine what it would be like to be someone like Clark Kent/Kal-El and feel like a stranger amongst even those that you love, never developing full relationships with people for fear of them discovering how much of a freak you are. Even you don't understand exactly what you are. It's just a lonely existence. With someone who has that much power and responsibility."
Michael Shannon reveals why his character General Zod doesn't necessarily hate his adversary Superman:
"He actually has some affection for anybody who's a Kryptonian. Including Superman. He doesn't really have any malignant feelings toward him; he just wants him to be patriotic."
There are more quotes from various members of the cast and crew at the link. [EW via Coming Soon]
Iron Man 3
The movie's running time in the UK — and, by extension, the US — will be two hours, ten minutes, and 22 seconds. [BBFC]
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Halle Berry says her recently announced pregnancy will slightly alter how Storm is used in the new X-Men movie:
"Storm probably won't be as badass as she was going to be because we won't be able to do any fighting or flying or things like that. She'll be different than we originally planned her to be but I still think she'll be an integral part of this new X-Men movie."
She did also reportedly say the script won't be changed, which presumably means that Storm's role was always small enough that this doesn't affect the larger story. [BBC]
Catching Fire
Here's a new image from the Hunger Games sequel. [Coming Soon]
Transcendence
Morgan Freeman is reportedly in final negotiations to star alongside Johnny Depp in the directorial debut of Christopher Nolan's longtime cinematographer Wally Pfister. It's still not totally clear what the film is about, but it's thought to involve a self-aware computer program and possibly people uploading their consciousnesses into said computer. [Heat Vision]
Godzilla
Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull contrasts the upcoming Godzilla movie with the studio's other big monster-fighting movie, Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim:
The movies are very different tonally. Pacific Rim is a big, giant world that was created, and when somebody sits down with me and says, "Look, we're going to get to work with Guillermo and it's giant robots versus giant monsters." We're in, we're doing that. So that's a movie where you obviously sit back and take all that in and enjoy the ride. Godzilla, it was very important for us to take it back to its original DNA in the first Japanese film, so just tonally it's a much different movie. And with Godzilla, those of us who grew up with Godzilla, you kind of bring whatever pre-disposition you have to the movie and the experience. For us, all I can tell you is that were making the Godzilla movie that we want to see. So I'm not worried at all because they're just completely different.
[Collider]
Doctor Who
Here's an introduction to tomorrow's episode "Cold War" from stars Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman.
And here are two sneak peek clips. [Blogtor Who]
Here's a description for episode eleven, "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS":
A spaceship salvage team drags the TARDIS on board, sending its systems into meltdown. As the Doctor marshals the motley salvage crew outside, he realises Clara is still trapped within his malfunctioning ship, pursued by a dangerous group of ossified monsters. He has just 30 minutes to find Clara and save his TARDIS before it self-destructs.
Revolution
Co-executive producer David Rambo discusses what to expect from the first season's endgame:
"It's a very unsafe world. It's a very dangerous place. No one is safe, and I would expect that there will be some losses and some gains. [We'll] definitely meet some people beyond the borders of the Monroe Republic that we'll get to know in the second half of the season and maybe into season 2."
[EW]
The Vampire Diaries
Costar Paul Wesley discusses what could be ahead for Stefan as well as where the show in general could head in season five:
I think that Stefan should go off and explore another town. I think Stefan is really interesting when he separates from the pack and explores his own demons. I think it's time for him to maybe go off, and then come back later to Mystic Falls and see how that impacts the relationships that he has with Elena and Damon. I could just be saying that selfishly because I'd love a different storyline, but I also think just objectively it would be good for the show... I like to think [next season] will maybe get a little less hectic and go back to some of the less complex days of just building character. Maybe one of us ends up being a human, and we see how we all have to deal with that on a much more grounded level... I can't imagine Elena ever definitively saying, ‘Oh, I'm not in love with you; it's just Stefan,' because then I think, where does the show go from there? But her intense feelings for Damon during the sire bond - I can't imagine that they were true 110 percent. I'm curious myself what's going to happen.
[EW]
The final two episodes of the season will reportedly be called "The Walking Dead" and "Graduation." [SpoilerTV]
Defiance
Here's a new promo video spotlighting the show's female characters.
Lost Girl
Here's a sneak peek at the third season finale, "Those Who Wander."
Orphan Black
Star Tatiana Maslany discusses why Jordan Gavaris's Felix is so important to her character Sarah:
Felix is Sarah's heart. They're each other's everything. Other than Kira (Skyler Wexler) in Sarah's life, Felix is her family and who she wants to be with. They're very much siblings, in the sense that they need each other deeply, and yet they use each other and they manipulate each other. Felix is an incredible sounding board for all of Sarah's fears and all of Sarah's confusion and the calm in the craziness of her life.
Sarah is trying so hard to hold on to her own life, while pretending to be Beth. How hard is it going to be for her to keep it all together?
The more questions we answer, the more questions we pose. It's great because the audience will really relate to her being lost. Their questions are her questions, so you always have an in with her. You're on the journey with Sarah, for sure.
[Collider]
Additional reporting by Amanda Yesilbas and Charlie Jane Anders.
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Gelada monkey's yodel-like gurgling could reveal origins of human speech
As a group, primates aren't really known for their ability to create vocalizations, or sophisticated or complex sounds with their mouths. Yes, we humans have shown some talent in that area — what with the whole development of language and all that — but most apes and monkeys are unable to generate anything but the most basic of sounds.
That's strange, because our remarkable capacity for language really shouldn't have evolved in complete isolation from our cousin species. Even if most other primates don't show much talent for vocalization, we should still be able to find some vestiges of that ability elsewhere in our evolutionary family tree. But while other primates do move their lips and tongues in ways similar to the ways humans use these to create speech, most don't appear to have the necessary anatomy needed to actually generate language sounds.
Now, according to Dr. Thore Bergman of the University of Michigan, one monkey may have shed some much-needed light on this issue. The gelada, a monkey closely related to the baboon, makes an unusual call described in a BBC report as "a cross between a yodel and a baby's gurgle." The researchers refer to this call as a "wobble," and crucially the geladas make this call while also smacking their lips.
That may not sound like much, but it's what's known as a derived vocalization, meaning even their closest relatives, the baboons, are unable to make it. The researchers suggest that the geladas evolved this combination of vocalizations and facial movements in order to cope with their unusually large and vocal social groups. A similar evolutionary process — in which lip-smacking is combined with more complex vocalizations — could well have occurred in our earliest hominid ancestors, which means the geladas point to a kind of possible first step we took in our own ancient evolution from lip-smacking to language. Dr. Thoreson explained more in an interview with the BBC:
"Geladas make vocalisations that have some speech-like properties - it's the first time that that has been shown in a non-human primates... The problem is that no primates have ever been shown to produce vocalisations while making these facial movement. These primates can do the complex mouth movement and vocalise at the same time. In [human] speech, the onset of a syllable is loud and then there are quiet parts in between. If you were to look at a waveform where you see how speech gets louder and quieter across time, the time between those peaks happens at a fairly predictable frequency of 3Hz to 8Hz across different languages. The same thing happens with the gelada 'wobbles' - the periodicity has the same [frequency]."
For more, check out Current Biology. Image by Tambako the Jaguar on Flickr.
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A star steals its partner's spotlight in the Southern Ring Nebula
Also known as the Eight-Burst Nebula — or, if we want to be all boring and technical, NGC 3132 — this cosmic beauty is located some 2,000 light-years from Earth. It's not actually a regular nebula at all, but instead it's what's known as a planetary nebula, the result of a star dying and venting its remaining gas into the surrounding space.
Unlike actual nebulae, which endure for eons and lead to the formation of several new stars, planetary nebulae are smaller, shorter-lived, and mark the end of a star's life. In this case, that star is the much dimmer of the two lights found at the center of this image. The Southern Ring Nebula surrounds a binary star system in which one of the two stars has already died, ejected its gas, and formed this incredible cosmic vista that will last for the next few thousand years. While that star now leads a quiet, near-eternal retirement as a faint, ultra-dense white dwarf star, its partner star gets to bask in the glory, shining brightly in the middle of a beautiful planetary nebula it played no part in creating. I'd find this all deeply unfair, if we weren't, you know, talking about a couple stars here. NASA's Astronomy Photo of the Day site has some more details:
Nicknamed the Eight-Burst Nebula and the Southern Ring Nebula, the glowing gas originated in the outer layers of a star like our Sun. In this reprocessed color picture, the hot purplish pool of light seen surrounding this binary system is energized by the hot surface of the faint star. Although photographed to explore unusual symmetries, it's the asymmetries that help make this planetary nebula so intriguing. Neither the unusual shape of the surrounding cooler shell nor the structure and placements of the cool filamentary dust lanes running across NGC 3132 are well understood.
Via NASA. Image Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, ESA, NASA; Processing - Donald Waid.
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The Latest on Captain America 2, Guardians of Galaxy, and Avengers 2!
Screenwriter David S. Goyer explains what exactly Man of Steel and Batman Begins have in common. Doctor Who star Jenna-Louise Coleman shares why the Doctor's best friend doesn't like Clara. Michael Bay offers a three-word summary of Transformers 4. Plus Eli Roth exposes his Netflix horror show Hemlock Grove! Spoilers ahead!
Top image from Guardians of the Galaxy.
Man of Steel
Screenwriter David S. Goyer explains why Man of Steel is like Batman Begins, both in terms of how it fleshes out Superman's childhood and in terms of how it attempts to reinvent an iconic superhero:
'Even in the comic books, Frank Miller’s year one, [Batman] leaves Gotham and when you pick him up again he’s flying back to Gotham; there’s been seven years in which nothing is known. A big chunk of Batman Begins takes place during those seven years. Superman’s early childhood has fewer gaps, but I think we managed to find some...
"We’re in the same place we were at with Batman Begins. If you think about Batman Begins, there had been these previous iterations of Batman, the TV show, the Burton films. We were trying to do something that’s different. We were going against the tide. The public perception of Superman comes largely from the Donner films. Superman’s been preserved in amber since something like 37 years ago, and for the general public, he hasn’t really shifted since. Anytime you do something different, shake up the orthodoxy, you risk offending people. Superman has been reinterpreted many times over the decades, and if he is going to remain a vibrant myth, he needs to continue to be reinterpreted. Hopefully, that’s what we’ve done and people will embrace it."
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Stephen McFeely, who has co-written both Captain America movies with Christopher Markus, explains what sets the two films apart:
It’ll feel like a different genre, we’ll can say that. We’re very proud of the first one because it was our love letter, and [director] Joe Johnston’s love letter, to Indiana Jones, so it had that Forties vibe to it. This is much more of a modern conspiracy political thriller. So it’s a fast ride. The action will fell commensurate. You’ll see Cap fight in a way that you have never seen before, or at least not for him. The DNA is the same, but the animal is different.
He and Markus also discuss in what ways this movie sets up The Avengers 2:
McFeely: Kevin [Feige] is the dungeon master, so if there’s something we really need to know, he’ll tell us, but he doesn’t steer us. With rare exceptions does he say “We can’t do that because of this next movie.” More often than not he’ll say “Let’s get this movie right and whatever falls out after that,we’ll address in the next movie. We’ll make sure that we don’t steer that movie in the wrong direction.”
Markus: And more often than not, when you’re thinking of the movies as a whole, it’s “What do you want the state of the world to be when Avengers 2 kicks off?” It’s never like, Cap has to put down a briefcase so the Hulk can pick it up. It’s never that specific. It’s sort of like, “Where do you want loyalties to lie when that movie opens?”
There's more at the link, including some general discussion about their work on the script for Thor: The Dark World. [/Film]
Guardians of the Galaxy
Comics writer Brian Michael Bendis argues that Guardians of the Galaxy isn't an oddball choice for Marvel Studios; indeed, it's the beginning of a potential whole new direction for the larger film franchise:
"Here's the cool thing about the Guardians. There are a lot of fantastical elements, like Rocket Raccoon and Groot. I mean, initially you go, 'hey, that's pretty funny.' But what surprises you is how much you end up caring about them. If the Guardians fail, it affects the Earth... The movie may not seem like an obvious choice on the surface, but once you see what the plan is, you'l say 'oh yeah, I totally see that.' I mean, people said the same thing with Iron Man. If you remember, you guys were worried, ('I don't know, Iron Man's not a household name like Spider-Man,') and then that all went away when the movie came out."
He also offers this encapsulation of Star Lord's character:
"He's like Peter Parker and Luke Skywalker. He's an everyman with a very specific destiny in front of him. A lot of people don't know his origin story or what his deal is - literally his origin is stuffed in the back of a '70s comic. Once you find it, you go 'well that's about as good an origin story as anybody,' that's up there with Superman and Spider-Man. He gets himself into outer space and tries to figure out who he really is, tales off to do what he thinks is right for the Galaxy and meets up with all these other interesting characters."
[Total Film Magazine via Comic Book Movie]
The Avengers 2
Writer-director Joss Whedon explains his thought process as he works on the sequel:
“The only pressure is the pressure that is there every time I do a new project. Is it going to be good? It is going to be different? Is there even a reason to make another one? Is there a reason for this to be my next thing? Can I pull it off? I am not going to try and match the box office of the first one because that would be bonkers. Yes, there is a certain level of safety [knowing there's a huge audience] - because now people know about The Avengers and they like the characters so it probably won't completely crash and burn. But you don't want to just get by and do something that is merely OK. If I am going to dedicate three years of my short life to this then I want to do something that I have never done before. So I think of The Avengers 2 as a glorious challenge - it is a sequel, yes, but how can it be different? Of course, the pressure that I don't feel, my body internalizes. It happens all the time. I was comfortable making the first Avengers, but I didn't sleep during it.”
[Total Film Magazine via Comic Book Movie]
Transformers 4
When asked to sum up his next Transformers 4 movie in a single phrase — and apparently feeling that just saying "Shit blows up" would be diving too far into self-parody — director Michael Bay described the film as "Chase from hell." So then, make of that what you will. [Coming Soon]
Doctor Who
Here are some dialogue teasers from this coming Saturday's episode, "Hide":
"Doctor, come home. We're here."
"We're all ghosts to you."
"You're a talented water colourist."
"She's an objective phenomenon."
"The music room is the heart of the house."
You can check out more at the link. [Cultbox]
And here are some general teasers. Again, check out more at the link:
Something we see in 'The Five Doctors' is seen here.
The Doctor's been rummaging through David Tennant's wardrobe.
That's an interesting pronunciation of a Pertwee era planet.
A noise not heard in some time is heard again.
Clara and the TARDIS are not getting on.
[Cultbox]
On that last point, Jenna-Louise Coleman suggests Clara was indeed right when she said the TARDIS doesn't like her:
There's a certain part of the TARDIS you go to, that liftoff thing. But you know, the TARDIS and Clara have a relationship. Actually I don't think we've talked about this in interviews before. It's something that's running through the series. Instead of it being like, "Does so-and-so like Clara?" The TARDIS and Clara have a bit of a face-off. So, the Doctor is obviously bringing back somebody new. I think we've done a whole additional content scene of me talking to the TARDIS, and the TARDIS is making fun of Clara. They kind of have an argument. They've got a relationship individual to the Doctor where they have a dialogue.
[TV Guide]
Eighth Doctor Paul McGann says he's not ruling out an appearance in the 50th anniversary special. From his remarks, it's not totally clear whether he realizes it's already filming, but he does basically say that even that doesn't mean he won't eventually shoot some scenes for it:
It's not quite the anniversary yet. The anniversary doesn't start until November. Whatever it is that they're planning and they are making, they've got time to do it. It's my feeling [and] this is just a personal thing, once they resolve Chris Eccleston's participation or non-participation either way, then they're free to [figure it out]...Being actors anyway, they'll call us on the Friday and say, 'You're starting on a Monday. We're not going to know until the 11th hour. Half past 11...I can't count the times as an actor, when [you're] offered something and you start next week!"
Since any Doctors who aren't Matt Smith or David Tennant are likely to appear only in cameo roles, McGann is probably more or less correct about all this. Whether that means he or any other classic Doctors will in fact appear is another matter entirely. [Comic Book Movie]
Meanwhile, let's not completely forget that acting legend John Hurt — seriously people, the John Hurt — is actually in the 50th anniversary special and currently filming. Here's an update straight from the man himself:
“I’m in the middle of filming, I start again at 9am tomorrow. It’s brilliant and I am getting to work with David Tennant, who I have a lot of time for. I’m sworn to secrecy about my character and my scenes.”
Of course, for all that attempted secrecy, Hurt did just reveal he shares scenes with the 10th Doctor, although whether that means he doesn't also share scenes with Matt Smith is an open question. [Telegraph]
True Blood
Here's some information about episode seven, courtesy of SpoilerTV:
Episode 6.07 of True Blood will be called "The Funeral,” with a flashback to 1665 and the plague. The role of King Charles II is being cast. In the present day, there will be a scene set in a Tru Blood factory and Nicole's mother, Mary, will appear and recur in 2 episodes.
Person of Interest
Here's a description for the second season finale, which airs May 9:
When The Machine goes offline, Finch’s elusive original motivations for helping its irrelevant numbers begin to come to light as he and Reese join forces with surprising allies in the race to save it.
[TV Line]
Once Upon a Time
Here's an animated promo.
The Vampire Diaries
Here's a sneak peek at the next episode, "Pictures of You."
Hemlock Grove
Hostel filmmaker Eli Roth discusses his upcoming Netflix horror series:
We have the story ideas for season two, but everybody right now is focusing on making season one a success before Netflix gives us the go head for season two. But we definitely have the ideas.
So you know where the story is going?
Yes, and that was part of the pitch when we gave them season one. As much as I think Twin Peaks is my favorite show of all time, you can tell they never intended to solve Laura Palmer’s murder. I’ve talked about this to David Lynch and the network made him do it. And after that happened, they had to figure out a new mythology. We wanted to make sure that we had a long-term mythology that the murder at the beginning kicks off, and the murder is an excuse to dive into the world of this town of Hemlock Grove. Once that murder is solved, which it is, it opens up a much larger mythology that gets played out over several seasons. We wanted to write something that would be deep and that would give the fans something that’s worthwhile to dig into.
Additional reporting by Katharine Trendacosta and Charlie Jane Anders.
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First Picture of Patrick Stewart on set for X-Men: Days of Future Past
Ben Kingsley reveals what to expect from the Mandarin in Iron Man 3. Anthony Mackie explains the Falcon's role in Captain America 2. Learn how the music in Star Trek Into Darkness reflects the movie's tone. The only Lord of the Rings actor who didn't return for The Hobbit says he'd be willing to appear. Spoilers below...
Top image from Pacific Rim.
Star Trek Into Darkness
Composer Michael Giacchino explains his approach to the film's score:
It is a much darker film. I think [Star Trek 2009] has more of a sense of adventure going on, whereas [Into Darkness] is more of a sort of psychological danger that is happening behind the scenes. So the music is quite different. It is quite darker. It is more internal. It is not as celebratory as [Star Trek 2009] is in many moments. And the film itself speaks to themes of the world today–sort of the geopolitical situation in the world. And it also kind of leans heavily on what is happening in the world today to tell the story... It was really interesting to get inside the head of the new characters. Benedict Cumberbatch is in the film and he is amazing. In watching the film I was able to get so much out of his performance. The first piece of music I wrote for was his theme–the villain’s theme. And I’m not going to tell you who the villain is–because I’m not allowed…But watching his performance gave me an idea and I couldn’t wait to sit down and write his music for the movie.
There's more at the link. [Trek Movie]
Here's a new clip. [IGN]
And here's a new poster. [IGN]
Man of Steel
Here's a pair of spoiler-y teasers for Zack Snyder's Superman movie, courtesy of Forbes. Check out the original article for five more:
— Clark wanders the world doing super-deeds, and reporter Lois Lane gets very interested. Part of his journey of self discovery involves traveling the world and looking for answers about his destiny, to decide what he’s meant to do with his powers. Along the way, of course, he’s going to help people using his powers, and that’s bound to attract some press attention. So Lois will start looking for this mysterious super-samaritan, and eventually she’ll find him (he’s the one in the big red cape).
— General Zod comes to Earth looking for Kal-El. While it’s not clear exactly what fate (if any, yet) has befallen the planet Krypton, Zod and Faora are tracking down Superman, and the fact our hero was illegally birthed on his home world might factor into Zod’s reasons for trying to track him down.
[Forbes]
Iron Man 3
Writer-director Shane Black makes it clear that his movie won't deal with the franchise's more fantastical elements, particularly as they pertain to Ben Kingsley's villain, the Mandarin:
"We decided very early on we liked the idea of taking Michael Crichton type elements and mingling them with a real world Tom Clancy environment. It's funny, I look at these blogs and some people are saying, 'What about The Mandarin's magic space rings? They should shoot lasers.' I almost want to apologize in advance to the people who want to see lasers shoot out of his rings because it's not going to happen."
And here's Kingsley on what to expect from his performance:
"There are demonic layers. He's in a state of solitude a lot of the time, and there's nothing to give him a boundary. I go crazy. You can put him in quite a different category from Whiplash, who's reliant on brute force. The Mandarin is reliant on manipulation of the media. He's an all-pervading presence through modern technology. He'll hack into your cell phone. He'll broadcast across the nation on TV."
Incidentally, if you want to check out an interview with Guy Pearce, who plays fellow villain Aldrich Killian, go here. [Total Film via Comic Book Movie]
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The Hurt Locker's Anthony Mackie talks some more about his role as Falcon:
I’m happy to say that I’m in a good deal of the movie and I play an integral part with Captain America taking down the Winter Soldier. It’s great. They started the shoot 2 1/2 weeks ago and once I finished doing press for ‘Pain & Gain,’ I go in and join them. I’ve been doing combat training and fitness training just to get prepared. It’s going to be something and I’m excited for it.
How is the costume going to look like?
They just released pictures of the costume last week. It’s more of a military style tactical costume. He’s more along the lines of Captain America as far as being a superhero as opposed to a true superhero.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Bryan Singer sent out this tweet, confirming that filming begins today and that Patrick Stewart is back on set as the original Professor Charles Xavier. The photo is below. [@BryanSinger]
Pacific Rim
Here's a TV spot.
Snowpiercer
Here's a character poster from the post-apocalyptic train movie. Go here
The Hobbit
Nobody tell Peter Jackson about this, because he most definitely doesn't need any additional motivation to make these movies any longer than they already are, but Viggo Mortensen says he would be happy to reprise his role of Aragorn if the movies needed him to:
Would I play Aragorn again? Sure, if it seemed sensible to do so. He's not in the book of The Hobbit but if they're working with the appendices they may be intending to bridge the 60-year Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings gap. I think I would have heard by now so I have to assume... But Peter Jackson is famous for his reshoots, so you never know!
[Total Film via Comic Book Movie]
Divergent
Lionsgate has officially announced that Scandal star Tony Goldwyn will play Andrew, the father of Shailene Woodley's main character Tris, in the adaptation of Veronica Roth's dystopian YA novel.
Ninja Turtles
Catching Fire actor Alan Ritchson, who is providing the performance capture for Raphael, offers this spirited if defensive update:
We are shooting. It's been an interesting process, this live-action-motion-capture thing. There's just a lot of technology involved so there's some kinks to work out. So we've had some trial runs, we've started shooting some. We're also in this phase right now that is sort of developmental....We're learning a lot of the fight choreography. We've got these unbelievable stunt trainers that work us every day to the bone. It's been a great process. We'll pick back up with principal photography soon. "The frustrating thing for me since I've signed on is that you hear that it's already got a reputation, this movie that hasn't come out yet. I think people assume they know what it's going to be about, and those people are wrong. The assumptions, everything you read online is wrong and it's frustrating because you want to tell everybody how great it is, and you can't really say why, but it is. It's so much better than people think and it's going to look way better than anybody can imagine. I can't wait for people to see this. I think it's going to live up to and exceed everybody's boyhood dreams of being a Ninja Turtle. I grew up with it too and I want to see it come to life in the best way possible."
Mirror, Mirror actor Danny Woodburn has reportedly been cast as Master Splinter — or, at least, as the performance capture basis for the eventual CGI Master Splinter. [Deadline]
Once Upon a Time
Here's a promo for episode nineteen, "Lacey." [KSiteTV]
Touch
Here are the official descriptions for what are almost certainly the final three episodes of the series:
April 26 – "Accused"
Martin (Kiefer Sutherland) attempts to clear his name with a skeptical Detective Lange (guest star Mykelti Williamson). Meanwhile, Jake (David Mazouz) leads Avram (guest star Bodhi Elfman) to a possible member of the "Righteous 36," and Aster Corps executive Nicole Farington (guest star Frances Fisher) accelerates the company's nefarious mission.
May 3 – "Fight or Flight"
Following an intense encounter with Aster Corps enforcer Tanner (guest star D.B. Sweeney), Martin and Trevor Wilcox (guest star Greg Ellis) go undercover to prevent Farington from harming the "Righteous 36" in the name of corporate greed.
May 10 – "Leviathan" – Season Finale
As Aster Corps closes in on the completion of the number sequence that could catapult them to the top of the global economy, Farington endangers her two newest test subjects – Jake and Amelia (Saxon Sharbino). Martin and Trevor race against time to save them before they are killed and Aster Corps changes the world forever.
The Vampire Diaries
Here's a sneak peek at this week's new episode, "Pictures of You."
Orphan Black
Here's the synopsis for this Saturday's episode, "Effects of External Conditions":
Sarah realizes that the Orphans' survival is going to take more than police work. But tracking the killer threatens Sarah's long awaited reunion with her daughter, Kira. As Sarah gets closer to the killer, the killer gets closer to the truth - the ensuing showdown threatens to expose her ruse as a cop.
Defiance
Star Julie Benz discusses her character, Mayor Amanda Rosewater:
Amanda is an idealist, so she's in a bit over her head. Her job is to keep the peace amongst the seven alien races and the humans - it's a tough job and not one she was trained to do.
Yeah, it seems she's not quite ready when Fionnuala Flanagan (as Mayor Nicky Riordon) passes the baton in the pilot.
It's later revealed that there's a reason why this happened, but Amanda does her best because she really does believe in Defiance, in what it stands for. She believes that Defiance can maintain independence and be this town where humans and aliens can coexist peacefully and start rebuilding the planet. But there are so many factions against her.
Speaking of the other girls: Your good friend Jaime Murray is playing this alien mob moll type, and Mia Kirshner is the resident bordello owner. How do you find the fun in playing the "proper" female here?
It was definitely a new role for me in many ways, where I wasn't, like, "the sexy one," but it was definitely fun. The thing I loved about the script is that all the female characters are so strong and the relationships are extremely complex with each other that it allows for a lot of room to be creative.
There's more at the link. [TV Line]
And here's a behind-the-scenes look at the show, which premiered last night.
Teen Wolf
Here's a promo for the third season. [TV Equals]
Additional reporting by Amanda Yesilbas and Charlie Jane Anders.
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Joss Whedon reveals he had sequel ideas even before he made Avengers!
Robert Downey, Jr. discusses his future — or possibly, lack thereof — as Iron Man. Winter Soldier creator Ed Brubaker has some high praise indeed for the new Captain America film. Could the writer of Iron Man 2 play Dr. Strange? Plus Doctor Who, Continuum, Once Upon a Time, and more! Spoilers from here on out!
Top image from Star Trek Into Darkness.
Star Trek Into Darkness
Stars Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto offer brief encapsulations of their respective characters' journeys:
Pine: In this installment, we see Kirk earn the [captain's] chair. I think you can expect a lot more vulnerability from this young man.
Quinto: It is an erroneous notion that [Spock] doesn't have an emotional life. Spock's journey in this film is learning how to honor that emotional life.
Iron Man 3
Just a heads up — if you don't enjoy actors candidly discussing their uncertainty about how long they will keep playing certain roles, you probably want to stop listening to Robert Downey, Jr. for the foreseeable future. He's still mulling over how much longer he will play Tony Stark, and it sounds like he legitimately has no idea when he will leave. It apparently all goes back to the ankle injury he suffered on the Iron Man 3 set:
It got me thinking about how big the message from your cosmic sponsor needs to be before you pick it up. How many genre movies can I do? How many follow-ups to a successful follow-up are actually fun? Because, as quiet as it's kept, I come from a family of very innovative writers and directors and actors and artists, and the circle of friends they were in were the people I heard having pun-offs playing poker at two in the morning, and it was just the most comforting aspect of my childhood. So there's this kind of legacy of souls from what I consider to be a very particular time in entertainment, and I'm sensing a return to that-it's what me and the missus are doing next. It's not unlike: I heard Brady signed on for three more years with New England, and then he's done being a QB, because he'll be 40. I'm 47, and I'll be 50.
So that's the line in your head at the moment?
Yeah, roughly.
So what stops at 50? Superheroes?
I don't know. I don't know. Right now I don't have a contract to do anything, and I did for the last five years.
[GQ]
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Comics writer Ed Brubaker, who created the Winter Soldier storyline and is just generally one of the best at what he does, offers some high praise for the upcoming sequel, particularly for its directors, Joe and Anthony Russo:
But no, I got to go out to Marvel Studios a couple months ago and read one of the later drafts of the script. I went out to dinner with [directors Joe and Anthony Russo] and talked about the project and gave them feedback on what I liked or didn't like or what parts didn't work. I mean, the script I read was fucking fantastic. It was the best Marvel movie. It was really strange because [the script] feels like my comic while not really telling the same story as my comic. It's got moments here and there where I was like, ‘hey, I wrote that.' But mostly, it's not what people think it's going to be. But the tone of it was so close to what [artist] Steve [Epting] and I were doing on that comic in the first few years, where it feels like an espionage story almost more than a superhero story [and] there's tons of action in it. I can't wait to see what they do with it.
Really, it's just that the Russos are fans of my comics and wanted me to come see what they were doing. I got to see the production art and stuff, which looks amazing. And I knew the screenwriters, I met them at the last Captain America movie and we kept in touch. I live in L.A. now and work here so I've seen those guys a little bit. I'm going to get to go out to the set a couple of times during the filming. I requested if I could come out for one of [Robert] Redford's days because he's an honorary Brubaker and I wanted to meet him. But yeah, I think I'm going to get to go out sometime during the last week of April for a day and then I'll be there for part of the filming in May. I'll get to watch some stuff. But really it's just the Russos and Kevin [Feige] being cool and letting me come to see stuff that I created get filmed. It's pretty awesome. But I wouldn't say I'm involved or anything. I'm not a consultant or anything like [Brian Michael] Bendis was.
Check out the link for more on Brubaker's upcoming comics work, plus his possibly tongue-in-cheek hopes for a Winter Soldier cameo. [Paste Magazine]
The Avengers 2
Writer-director Joss Whedon confirms the sequel should begin filming in February 2014, and he talks generally about the new film's story:
We should start shooting I think in February… I didn't think I was going to do the second but I had an idea for it before I'd figured out the first one. You go into a movie not assuming there's going to be… I've seen plenty of movies that were the first part of the trilogy that never happened and it's terrible. You don't save anything for the trip back. Having said that, though, I did sort of know, "Well, if they were to come back, I know what's going to happen… It's going to be awful."
[ET Online via Bleeding Cool]
Doctor Strange
Take this with a grain of salt, but Marvel Studios is reportedly looking at another potential actor to play its Sorcerer Supreme. The new candidate is rumored to be Justin Theroux, who beyond his various acting roles (which range from American Psycho to Parks & Recreation) actually wrote the script for Iron Man 2, so he's potentially fairly well-versed with all things Marvel. There's probably nothing to this story — and even if there were, there's no guarantee that Theroux would actually end up being cast. Still, on the off-chance this turns out to be legit, let's just hope Marvel Studios has more luck here than the last time they hired a leading man who is also a writer. [CHUD]
Oblivion
Morgan Freeman discusses his new movie, in which he stars alongside Tom Cruise:
One of the themes that is stand out in this film is the love story. It's not like one we've seen before. And then, there's the awesome technology. That Bubbleship can be remotely controlled. Remember the point where there's the emergency return to base? It's like, "Oh, really?" I agree with you that this is one, unlike many we've seen, maybe any we've seen prior, that's very intelligent and extremely creative. Joseph designed these doggone toys. Awesome. I mean, those drones are things you can't believe, but there they are, believable.
When you first read the script, what aspect of your character appealed to you the most and why?
When I first read it, they talk about the mysteriousness of this group that at the outset you don't see. They're there, but you don't see them. And then, when they are finally revealed, they're the good guys, and I'm their leader.
There's more at the link. [Collider]
Transformers 4
Director Michael Bay has revealed that Stanley Tucci, who has displayed a recent flair for blockbusters with appearances in Captain America and The Hunger Games, will join the cast for the fourth Transformers movie. There's no word yet on who Tucci will play. [/Film]
G.I. Joe 3
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson — who seems like the sort of guy you doubt at your own peril — promises another G.I. Joe movie will happen, and it will be the best of the bunch (which may or may not be a particularly high bar to clear):
What we would love to do with the sequel to G.I. Joe, which will definitely happen-we set ourselves up nicely with this past G.I. Joe because we really paid attention with respected homage to the mythology. And now that we've redesigned that foundation of the mythology, there are many places to go. There are phenomenal G.I. Joe characters who we can bring to life, we're all talking about it now, and certainly [thinking about] using the 3D platform in even better ways for the next one, so, I'm very excited about that.
[Collider]
Doctor Who
Here are two promos for this Saturday's episode, "Hide." You can also check out a bunch of promo photos from the episode right here. [Den of Geek]
Chris Chibnall — who is probably never going to live down his work on the early seasons of Torchwood but has written a bunch of decent to very good Doctor Who episodes — says he has been asked to work on season eight:
You know, I hope to, and Steven's been good enough to ask, so we'll just see if all the schedules figure out and stuff like that. But it's always lovely to be on the list for that.''
Chibnall is the first writer other than Steven Moffat to mention potentially working on season eight. [Cultbox]
Revolution
NBC has confirmed that, because Monday night's episode was preempted for coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing, all subsequent episodes will air a week later than planned, with the season finale now airing on June 3. [SpoilerTV]
Once Upon a Time
Co-creator Edward Kitsis discusses what's ahead for Mr. Gold:
"We understand that Rumple and/or Mr. Gold is a man who has darkness inside him, and all season he's been searching for the light, for a way to be better now that his son is in town. And we also know there is a prophecy that said Henry would be his ‘undoing', and he said to the seer, ‘Well, I'll just kill him.' But now that it's his grandson, he's facing a conundrum, and Belle has always been the person who's brought out the best in him. What ‘Lacey' does is watch Rumple struggle with his inner demon."
[TV Line]
Continuum
Here's a new promo for the second season. The official description for the upcoming season is below.
In search for answers, Kiera continues her uneasy alliance with Detective Carlos Fonnegra (Webster), and season two sees her grapple with the big question that closed the first season – why was she sent back in time? While Alec (Knudsen) struggles to understand the implications of the mysterious message he received from his future self, the Liber8 terrorists become more strategic and even more lethal as they seek to ward off what they see as the seeds of a disastrous future.
In the season two premiere entitled "Second Chances," an in-hiding Kiera must resurface and reunite with Carlos to solve a murder when the Mayor is killed in a brazen assassination. Trying to reconnect with Alec in an attempt to salvage their strained relationship, Kiera finds he’s changed since reading the message from his future self.
Continuum also stars Lexa Doig (V, Stargate SG-I), Omari Newton (Blue Mountain State, Sophie) and Luvia Petersen (The L Word).
And here's a synopsis for the second episode, "Split Second":
Kiera and Carlos's reunion is a bumpy one as they attempt to thwart Liber8's brazen hijacking of a prison transfer. Meanwhile, Kellog approaches Alec with an enticing partnership proposition. The young genius is tempted, but will it lead him down a dark path?
Teen Wolf
The eleventh episode of season three will reportedly be called "Alpha Pact." [SpoilerTV]
Hemlock Grove
Bill Skarsgard discusses his role in the upcoming Netflix horror series:
I play Roman Godfrey, who's a son of the Godfrey family. Basically the Godfrey family runs Hemlock Grove town; they used to do it throughout the steel industry, but then my dad on the show decided to change that. When the steel industry was going out, he started investing in biotechnology, so it's an old steel town that's now very weird high tech. It has a grungy Pennsylvania look to it, but in the middle of this town there's a huge white tower where all of this biotechnology is happening. So my character is from that background. He's a prince in the town. He gets whatever he wants. He's very wealthy, obviously, and good looking. So on paper, everything's given to him, he's had an easy life, but he's battling a lot of demons inside him and he's not happy at all. The only one that he cares for and loves is his sister Shelley, who's a special character as well.
Is he a bad person?
I wouldn't say that he is. He's doing bad things on the show, but personally I don't believe in bad people. I think there's always a reason for people acting badly. For me, I care for Roman a lot. I love that guy. I love that character. I think that's important for me to be able to portray that character, to find that deep bond and care for them as well. So I wouldn't say that he's bad. He's a victim in a lot of ways.
There's a bunch more at the link. [Collider]
Additional reporting by Amanda Yesilbas and Charlie Jane Anders.
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I realize this isn't a universally held opinion, but I think all of his episodes are fine or better.
I realize this isn't a universally held opinion, but I think all of his episodes are fine or better. "42" is a nice, tight little thriller, "Hungry Earth"/"Cold Blood" is an effective if not terribly inspired reintroduction of the Silurians that honors a lot of the ideas in their original story, "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" is an enjoyable if silly romp, and "Power of Three" tries a lot of different things and succeeds in a decent number of them.
I wouldn't consider him in the top tier of Who writers, but while he's never written a classic, he's never written a failure either. He's a solid writer for Who, if not much more than that. And I say that as someone who watched all of his Torchwood stuff and didn't like most of it.
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First Doctor Who Set Photo of Matt Smith and David Tennant Together!
The Tenth and Eleventh Doctors officially share a scene in the 50th Anniversary special, in their first ever set photo together — plus a classic Who writer hints at more iconic monsters in the special! Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Transformers 4 will take over the Midwest this summer. Spoilers from here on out!
Top image from Doctor Who.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The Office of Cleveland's Mayor has confirmed that the Captain America sequel will film on location in the city — Cleveland previously stood in for New York City in The Avengers. Filming will result in road closures in downtown Cleveland from May 18 to June 28, according to the press release. [City of Cleveland]
Transformers 4
Tony Wenson, the chief operating officer for Michigan Motion Pictures Studios, says set-building has already begun in their Pontiac facility for the fourth Transformers movie, with Michael Bay, Mark Wahlberg, and the rest of the team due to start filming likely early this summer:
They are in the process of pre-production right now. They are filming in several other states, too. The majority of their shooting, I believe, will be done in the state of Michigan. In addition to working on our stages, they’ll also be working throughout the state at different locations. We’re really excited that they’re here. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to service another film.
[MLive]
Byzantium
Here's another international trailer for Neil Jordan's vampire movie, starring Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan.
Doctor Who
We've seen photos of Matt Smith filming the 50th anniversary special, we've seen photos of David Tennant filming the 50th anniversary special, but we haven't yet seen a photo of Matt Smith and David Tennant together filming the 50th anniversary special. Let's rectify that right now.
The set photo comes from yesterday's filming in Chepstow, Wales, and Smith and Tennant appear to be standing in front of the Tenth Doctor's TARDIS — it's a bit smaller than the Eleventh Doctor's, plus the windows are gray as opposed to black. Also, check out the Zygon in the background. [@HWBCymru]
Speaking of which, classic Doctor Who writer Robert Banks Stewart, who wrote a pair of acclaimed Tom Baker stories with "Terror of the Zygons" and "The Seeds of Doom," discusses the return of one of his creations for the 50th anniversary special, pretty much confirming that other, even more iconic monsters will indeed appear:
"The Zygons are in there with all the others - particularly the Daleks and the Cybermen. [But] nobody yet knows what the plot of the 50th will be - Steven Moffat and his team in Cardiff, they are quite rightly keeping it all secret."
Finally, Tenth Doctor David Tennant discusses what it's like reprising the role for the 50th anniversary special:
"It is strange being back in the same suit, but it also feels very familiar and comfortable. There's nothing quite like Doctor Who. It has a wonderful excitement about it. I always had happy times there. It's lovely to be around Billie [Piper] again, even though I see her all the time anyway."
Game of Thrones
Here's a promo for the next episode, "And Now His Watch Is Ended."
True Blood
Star Joe Manganiello talks in general terms about what's ahead this season for Alcide:
I think [the producers] looked at some things that went on with Alcide last season, and thought, ‘How can we top that or how can we get even racier?' And I think they've succeeded… Right out of the gate, it's really juicy.
Also, on the topic of character death, Manganiello hinted that that could be a fairly big part of season six:
We're getting to the point in the season now where people are starting to die. The table reads are starting to get smaller, and I'm sure they will continue to do that.
[TV Line]
To that end, the seventh episode is reportedly called "The Funeral," and returning guest star Anna Camp adds:
"There's a lot of death. I've had sad read-throughs recently. It's too sad. Like, some people cried."
Once Upon a Time
Emilie de Ravin, who already plays the dual role of Belle and Claire, discusses her new, cursed-memory alter ego, Lacey:
"On this show you already get to play two different characters and now I get to play three. [Lacey is] debaucherous. While Belle would have a cup of tea, Lacey would have a double whiskey on the rocks. She talks with more slang, feels comfortable with her sexuality and doesn't care what people think. She's described in the script as a 'scantily-clad bar whore.'... Claire didn't come back [from imprisonment] too well emotionally, and Mr. Gold is [experiencing] a Belle who no longer loves him... There is definitely a resolution in the finale and a part of the story between Mr. Gold and my character that's really beautiful. But as true love is, it's never an easy path. Let's put it that way."
[TV Guide]
Supernatural
Here's the official synopsis for episode twenty-two, "Clip Show," which airs May 8:
FAMILIAR FACES RETURN AS THE THIRD TRIAL NEARS - Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) reunite with Castiel (Misha Collins). Digging through the Men of Letters' files, they stumble upon an undiscovered film which could be the key to the third trial. Metatron (guest star Curtis Armstrong) enlists Cass to mull over problems at home. Meanwhile, Crowley (guest star Mark Sheppard) digs into Sam and Dean's past.
Showrunner Jeremy Carver discusses what's ahead in the May 1 episode, "The Great Escapist," which guest stars Curtis Armstrong as the archangel Metatron:
"Metatron is a recluse and not by accident. So it's going to be something of a chore to yank him from the life he has become accustomed. He's not exactly a willing participant... The weaker Sam gets, the more Dean has to stand up, and I think both boys are going to have to grapple with some very, very big things that happen in these last four episodes."
[EW]
Arrow
Here's the description for the penultimate episode of the season, "Darkness on the Edge of Town," which airs May 8:
CAN OLIVER OUTWIT OR OUTFIGHT THE DARK ARCHER TO SAVE THE CITY? - With the Undertaking days away, Malcolm (guest star John Barrowman) dons his black hood to conclude business with seismologist Dr. Brion Markov (guest star Eric Floyd) and his team. Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Moira (Susanna Thompson) entertain a number of surprise - and mostly unwelcome - visitors. Hooded confrontations at home and the Meryln Global Group reveal dark secrets. Meanwhile, Roy (guest star Colton Haynes) and Thea (Willa Holland) are still looking out for a hero. Laurel (Katie Cassidy) makes a decision after Tommy's (Colin Donnell) revelation. In a flashback to the island, Oliver, Slade (guest star Manu Bennett) and Shado (guest star Celina Jade) struggle to prevent Fyers (guest star Sebastian Dunn) from shooting a Ferris Air jet out of the sky.
The Vampire Diaries
Here's the description for episode twenty-two, "The Walking Dead," which airs May 9:
SOMETHING WICKED - As Graduation Day approaches, Caroline (Candice Accola) tries to distract Elena (Elena Dobrev) by focusing on simple tasks like sending out announcements, but Elena won't be swayed from her new obsession. Sheriff Forbes (Marguerite MacIntyre) calls Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) to the hospital, where someone has been attacking patients. Still trying to force Katherine (Elena Dobrev) to help her, Bonnie (Kat Graham) refuses to give up on her plan to defeat Silas. As a violent wind storm causes a power outage in Mystic Falls, ghosts suddenly appear - some with good intentions and some bent on revenge.
Costar Zach Roerig discusses what's ahead for Matt:
I think that at some point Matt will understand why Rebekah caused the [Wickery Bridge] accident and acts the way she does. He has a couple of honest moments with her at prom. There's still something there and we'll see how that plays out. I don't think he'll ever forget what she did but do I think he'll forgive her? Yea, I do actually. At this point, everyone's done a bunch of messed up things so everyone's conscience is clouded. [Moreover,] everyone has a crazy rationale behind what that they did so a beautiful blonde girl could probably easily persuade Matt.
Humanity-free Elena is wreaking havoc in Mystic Falls. Will Matt have a hand in helping reel her back in from the darkness?
Yes, Matt will always have a hand in bringing Elena back to her humanity because, in a way, that is what Matt is. He is Elena's humanity.
There's some more at the link. [Alloy Entertainment]
Here are some spoiler-y tidbits about the prom episode, courtesy of TV Line:
Elena and Stefan do share an incredibly heated dance, but it's his intentions you should be asking about. As for Delena, let's just say Damon's doubts about Elena's feelings for him prove to be a sore spot... Although Caroline's dance card is pretty full in the episode, she doesn't hit the floor with Klaus. That's the bad news. The good news is that, prior to the big event, those crazy kids do share a nice moment - during which Klaus actually proves to be a friend! Stop the presses!
[TV Line]
Teen Wolf
Tyler Posey discusses what's ahead for Scott this season, plus what's not ahead for Scott (sex, apparently):
[Scott hasn't] had sex this season yet. I got some last season. This season I got a motorcycle instead, which is pretty much like sex. It rumbles. It is between your legs... This season has death, near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, bullet wounds, twins, [and] sex between a new character and an old character that isn't me.”
[EW]
Elsewhere, Posey discusses what to expect from the new Alpha Pack members in season three:
"What's cool about them is that they are all unique and they're all individuals, so they do each have their own agenda. All in all, they're all here together doing one thing, but they each have their own storylines, which is really cool. It's really cool."
Hemlock Grove
Aaron Douglas, Battlestar Galactica's own Chief Tyrol, discusses his role as Sheriff Tom Sworn on the Netflix horror series:
I am the sheriff of the small town and I am holding onto 10,000 kite strings in a hurricane. As things spiral out of control, I try to figure out what's going on, how it's going on, and who's making it go on. I'm sort of the Columbo figure, but with both good eyes. I don't do a lot of this, "Just one more thing." Sheriff Sworn is really the heart of the show. He's the center that everything spins around, and he's very much that anchor, and all this is going on out here, and the audience can always come back and have a little settling point and find the humanity in the moral, straight line with him for a few episodes at least.
What's his relationship like with the Godfreys?
Sworn has a good relationship with everybody. He's the sheriff, so he has to be that politician and there's no mayor or anything, so he's the leader of the town, at least the political type figure. The Godfreys tend to run things otherwise. I would say that if he had a best friend, it would probably be Norman, who's played by Dougray Scott. A great guy, both on and off camera. That was a treat, working with him.
[Collider]
Beauty and the Beast
The final two episodes are reportedly called "Date Night" and "Never Turn Back." Regarding the former, executive producer Jennifer Levin hints, "Cat and Vincent get to go on a date that is not in his ‘lair' or whatever you want to call it but out on an actual date, and it's super-fun." [TV Line]
Additional reporting by Katharine Trendacosta and Charlie Jane Anders.
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Yeah, I saw that photo a few days back and almost posted it, but my bullshit detector went off prett
Yeah, I saw that photo a few days back and almost posted it, but my bullshit detector went off pretty hard. As you say, the fact that the 11th Doctor is in the wrong suit — plus the fact that they don't actually appear to be filming anything in particular — sealed it as a fake.
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Yeah, I didn't actually think they were filming a specific scene.
Yeah, I didn't actually think they were filming a specific scene. I'm using "filming" more in the sense of "working on the episode." Still, it's just nice to see them in costume and on set at the same time.
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Why is the talking raccoon the heart of Guardians of the Galaxy?
That's just one big hint James Gunn drops about his Marvel space opera. The latest castmember in Brad Bird's Tomorrowland hints at the movie's top-secret plot. Guillermo del Toro explains why Pacific Rim is nothing like Transformers, in case anyone actually needed that explained. All that, plus spoilers galore!
Top image from Ender's Game.
Iron Man 3
Here's six minutes of behind-the-scenes B-roll footage.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Writer-director James Gunn talks at length about his upcoming Marvel film. He starts by slightly walking back the recent rumors that The Walking Dead's Michael Rooker has joined the film as Yondu, although he still says Rooker is likely to have some role:
Michael Rooker is my very good friend, he was here visiting me in England and we were hanging out. He was here playing with my dog and having a good time. He's got a new, little Mohawk that looks ridiculous on him, but yeah, he's here and hopefully we'll get something going. Michael's been in two of my movies, we've done two movies together, two reality shows, a short film, so I don't think it would be crazy to think he would be involved in Guardians in some way.
He also discusses both the voice and the look of Rocket Raccoon, hinting that a casting announcement could be made soon:
I think there's – here's the thing: there are a lot of people who have a lot of ideas of who is right for Rocket Raccoon. Rocket Raccoon has been slightly different over the years, in the comic books, and within my scripts he is a very, very specific guy, and I think people are going to have to wait for a few weeks before they see.
Who would be your dream guy?
We'll have to wait for a few weeks to see. We'll get our dream guy, because a lot of people want to do it, so we'll get the person who's perfect for the role.
Because you were talking about filming real raccoons, weren't you?
We did. I've done a lot of studying with real raccoons, and we had real raccoons come in. We've done photography with them, I've played with raccoons, and fed raccoons, and dealt a lot with real raccoons to get some of the behavior down, because it's really, really important to me that Rocket Raccoon, who is the heart of the movie, is not a cartoon character, it's not Bugs Bunny in the middle of The Avengers, it's a real, little, somewhat mangled beast that's alone. There's no one else in the universe quite like him, he's been created by these guys to be a mean-ass fighting machine.
There's more at the link, including general discussion of why he cast Parks and Recreation's Chris Pratt as Star Lord and wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer. [Hey U Guys]
Man of Steel
Director Zack Snyder discusses his general intentions with the new Superman movie:
"I wanted the movie to be a big movie-going experience, full of action, full of emotion and full of the biggest super hero in the world. I wanted to give to the cinemas of the world a big, giant 'movie' movie. I've been a big fan of the character my whole life. He is the greatest super hero. There's no competition between super heroes, but if there was, he'd win."
Pacific Rim
Apparently Michael Bay said something about how all movies with giant robots fighting are rip-offs of Transformers, and this has since been construed as a veiled slam on Pacific Rim. Leaving aside the accuracy of... well, of any of that, it did generate this response from Guillermo del Toro:
"We are far, far, far away from that in a very willing fashion. For good or bad, this is my movie. This is my universe and my creation, and I do not create through comparison. The fights don't occur in well-lit, supercool, car commercial-looking environments. They occur in the middle of a raging sea storm or in a savage snowstorm. They happen in a universe that is incredibly saturated."
Ender's Game
Star Asa Butterfield discusses Ender's relationship with Ben Kingsley's Mazer:
Ender has always had his theories about Mazer before he meets him in the film and at first, as anyone would be, everyone thought he was dead or missing and they hadn't heard of him since that battle. So it was a massive shock to Ender seeing him, but he was…he's like a role model to him. It was a really big deal for Ender. I think Graff (Ford), who's used to being in control of things and the powerhouse, is almost overrun by Mazer's influence on Ender, so it's a really interesting dynamic between my character, Harrison [Ford] and Sir Ben in those scenes.
He also describes how challenging the shoot was and one of his favorite scenes:
It was really a really physical shoot. We had a lot of training and rehearsal to prepare us for it and what it was going to be like. There was wirework, as you said, but not only that. There was a lot of marching and running and fighting, just a lot of physicality in the film. I'll start with working on the wires. It was … not only are you hanging from a harness which is not the most comfortable thing to be wearing, but to be able to pretend to be in zero gravity – which requires very fluid movements – whilst not letting your body hang limp – which requires you to be completely tensed up – it's really difficult, especially when you're reading lines as well. So it's saying things while not acting like your whole body's tensed up hard and then you're just floating there for hours on end.
Did you have any scenes that were your favorite to shoot or that you're looking forward to seeing on screen?
One scene that I really remember is a scene with me and Hailee [Steinfeld as Petra Arkanian]. We're in the Battle Room. She's hit her head on one of the floating objects. I've jumped out … I've disobeyed my orders and jumped out to catch her. When I hit her, we start spinning. Of course, in zero gravity, there's nothing to slow you down. We're just rotating in mid-air for like an endless amount of time just hanging on. To imitate this, they had this thing they called the "hamster wheel" which me and Hailee were both strapped to. We're holding hands, facing each other and they rotated us doing front flips over each other pretty much. Meanwhile, we're acting out lines; it was hilarious. Not only did we get really dizzy but it was really funny to do.
There's plenty more at the link. [Collider]
Tomorrowland
Raffey Cassidy, who played the young Snow White in Snow White and the Huntsman, has reportedly been cast alongside George Clooney and House star Hugh Laurie in the top-secret sci-fi project from The Incredibles and Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol director Brad Bird. Here's the complete description of what to expect from Cassidy's character, per Heat Vision:
Cassidy will play a young girl robot who has been around for decades. Also a key factor: She knows several fighting styles. She has a previous relationship with Clooney's character, a bitter inventor.
Doctor Who
Here's a sneak peek clip from tomorrow's episode, "Hide." [Blogtor Who]
And here are movie-style posters for the three subsequent episodes, "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS," "The Crimson Horror," and Neil Gaiman's second Doctor Who episode, "Nightmare in Silver." [Doctor Who News]
Here's the description for "The Crimson Horror":
There's something very odd about Mrs Gillyflower's Sweetville mill, with its perfectly clean streets and beautiful people. There's something even stranger about the bodies washing up in the river, all bright red and waxy. When the Doctor and Clara go missing, it's up to Vastra, Jenny and Strax to rescue them before they too fall victim to the Crimson Horror!
Once Upon a Time
Co-creator Edward Kitsis discusses the season two endgame:
"We said at the beginning of this season, ‘Magic is coming and it always has a price’ — and we’re going to see that at the end of this season... We’re going to see a new chapter in the Rumple/Belle story that we’ve never seen… we’re going to see an Evil Queen and Snow White story that we’re excited about… and we’re going to get some backstory on Baelfire and Captain Hook. You’re going to see all the core characters front and center... [Tamara] is a person from this world. She is from America. She is not going to be revealed to be someone else. For us what was interesting was, with the curse gone, what happens when the outside world comes? Who has been looking for this place?"
[TV Line]
Emilie de Ravin talks some more about her role in this week's episode as Lacey, Belle's latest alter ego:
[Regina] gives me a different memory. That memory is that I'm this girl, Lacey, who dresses quite scantily, she hangs out most of the time at the Rabbit Hole playing pool and doing shots with her friends. She's a very free-spirited girl. She's a nice person. There's nothing mean or cruel about her. Neither is there any sort of — she's not an unpure person. Even though she dresses the way she does, she does that just because that's how she feels comfortable. She's not the kind of person who cares what other people think in a good way.
Why is Regina doing this?
The whole reason that Regina did that is because how is Lacey going to fall in love with Mr. Gold. Regina's like "Ha Ha, she's never going to fall in love with you." So, obviously, that's a new adventure so to speak to get Lacey to fall in love with him and then he can bring her back hopefully to Belle.
There's more at the link, including lengthy discussion of the ever-evolving relationship between Belle and Rumplestiltskin. [BuddyTV]
Arrow
Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg hints at just what sort of truth Tommy will reveal to Laurel in the May 1 episode, "The Undertaking":
"People should be wondering what that truth is... Not every truth is about the plot; sometimes these truths are emotional, and they can be just as powerful as the mechanics of what’s happening in the episode.”
[TV Line]
Hemlock Grove
Emilia McCarthy discusses her role on the upcoming Netflix horror series:
I’d say that Alyssa is probably one of the most typical teenagers in it, compared to the other ones, I think. She’s definitely a heightened typical teenager, but in a way she is kind of relatable even though she’s definitely out there. Both twins are definitely out there. Definitely, they’re comic relief for sure.
What can you tease about what’s coming up this season, and specifically for your character?
There is a lot more of the comic relief kind of. I feel like our characters, right when there is that suspenseful moment and it’s all mystery, there’s a lot more mystery that’s going to happen. I feel like our characters just give a lot of that sort of different, kind of switch to the show. It’s a tricky thing to do because the show is dark and mysterious, and then us twins are kind of like a lighter kind of aspect to it. But I think that it gives a different kind of vibe to it, which I think is good.
Beauty and the Beast
Here's the description for "Date Night," which airs May 9:
CAT AND VINCENT VENTURE OUT TOGETHER IN PUBLIC — Cat (Kristin Kreuk) and Vincent (Jay Ryan) go on a date out in public in an attempt to be a normal couple, which backfires on them. Meanwhile, Gabe (Sendhil Ramamurthy) reveals some information that gives Cat hope they can find a cure for Vincent.
[KSiteTV]
Additional reporting by Amanda Yesilbas and Charlie Jane Anders.
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