Marvel Studios is considering another intriguing offbeat choice to direct the studio's weirdest movie yet. The Captain America sequel is close to finding its female lead. Plus awesome casting updates for Iron Man 3, Game of Thrones, Revolution, and Warehouse 13!
Spoilers from here on out!
Top image from Doctor Who.
Guardians of the Galaxy
James Gunn is reportedly in talks to direct Marvel's most fearlessly out-there and cosmic movie yet, Guardians of the Galaxy. Gunn previously proved his superhero bona fides with the ultraviolent indie film Super, which might actually have been our favorite superhero film of 2011 — and considering how strong some of the competition was, that's actually saying something. (He also directed the zero-budget team superhero movie The Specials, which is also pretty solid.)
If true, this is a directing choice that fits in nicely with Marvel's previous picks of Joss Whedon for The Avengers and Edgar Wright for Ant-Man. The studio reportedly likes Gunn's "sensibility and his ability to mix comedy elements with action and horror", which seems like a decent tip-off that the movie about a talking space raccoon might at least be somewhat tongue-in-cheek. In case things don't work out with Gunn, Marvel is reportedly leaving things open with two other sets of contenders: the similarly intriguing Half Nelson directing team of Ryan Fleck and Anne Boden, and Bring It On director Peyton Reed, who was once in line to direct Fantastic Four. [Heat Vision]
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
We know that The Hurt Locker's Anthony Mackie is playing the Falcon in the Captain America sequel, but so far that's been the only new casting. Now, Marvel Studios is reportedly down to three choices for the female lead in the film, the identity of which hasn't been revealed but everyone is just sort of assuming is Peggy Carter's niece Sharon Carter. The three choices are Felicity Jones, who got a ton of positive attention for the drama Like Crazy and also had a supporting part in the Doctor Who story "The Unicorn and the Wasp"; Imogen Poots, who is probably best known for 28 Weeks Later and for having the only name more ludicrously British than Benedict Cumberbatch; and, most promisingly, Anna Kendrick, who got an Oscar nomination for Up in the Air, was awesome in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and is about the only unquestionably good thing about the Twilight movies.
It's worth noting that Kendrick is American while Jones and Poots are British, and if the part is for Sharon Carter, the movie could theoretically make the character either nationality — in the comics, Sharon and Peggy are both American, but making Peggy into a Brit in the first film leaves it a bit of an open question. Anyway, take all this with some skepticism until we hear something more official. [Bleeding Cool]
Iron Man 3
Dale Dickey, best known as the terrifying matriarch from the truly awesome Winter's Bone, has revealed that she is currently filming a role in the movie, although the whole thing is rather predictably cloaked in secrecy. [Comic Book Movie]
Nemesis
Kick-Ass creator Mark Millar gave this update on the film adaptation on another one of his movie pitches thinly disguised as comic books:
Shot straight from a wedding in Manchester last week to the City of Angels and plunged straight into some studio biz on the Nemesis movie. Mighty Joe Carnahan is directing (from a script by he and his brother Matthew), but this much you already know. Fox wanted us to get in the same room for the first time and really hash this out, which was exciting. Joe has a really brilliant take on this and Matt and he are going to take things from here so I'm really happy. Absolutely no casting has been done formally although you can google the MTV interview from last January where he and Sir Liam Neeson are chatting about it. More news as it happens."
To save you the trouble of googling, here's the link Millar is talking about. [IGN]
Frankenweenie
Here's a tie-in PSA for IMAX screenings of Tim Burton's stop-motion horror comedy, that warns about the evils of texting. [First Showing]
Doctor Who
Here's a teaser trailer that's just for the imminent series seven premiere, "Asylum of the Daleks." It could have featured way more soliloquy from the Special Weapons Dalek, if you ask me, but it's still pretty great. [Den of Geek]
Fringe
Showrunner Joel Wyman has revealed that the title of the second episode of season five is "In Absentia." [@JWFRINGE]
Game of Thrones
Deadwood and Sons of Anarchy actor Dan Hildebrand has reportedly been cast as Kraznys mo Nakloz, described as "a wealthy slaver of the Ghiscari city of Astapor who specializes in producing the 'Unsullied', the famously disciplined eunuch-soldiers who are impervious to pain thanks to a potion they drink that deadens their nerves." Ramon Tikaram, whose credits include appearances on Primeval and Eastenders, will reportedly play Prendahl na Ghezn, the "captain of a notorious company of sellswords in Essos" known as the Stormcrows. As you might have guessed, both characters appear in Danaerys Targaryen's storyline. [Westeros]
Once Upon a Time
Guest star Jessie Schram says she's not sure if she'll be back as Cinderella for season two:
You know what, I'm not sure because of the other shows. I know that it's an open ended story as well because all of our characters are still living in Storybrooke. Season two they are introducing so many new characters like they did throughout season one. There are so many of us in there, including Cinderella, and when the story lines match up to when she is needed, I'll definitely be there.
Grimm
Here's the official description for the fourth episode, "Quill", which is set to air Monday, September 3:
A MYSTERIOUS OUTBREAK HITS TOO CLOSE TO HOME FOR MONROE AND ROSALEE – While investigating an accident site, Nick (David Giuntoli) comes upon a bizarre and gruesome Wesen disease that is spreading quickly. A romantic day out for Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee (Bree Turner) takes a dangerous turn when they encounter an infected creature that is out for blood. Meanwhile, Captain Renard (Sasha Roiz) gets a tip about a dangerous foreign fugitive who's made his way to Portland. Russell Hornsby, Bitsie Tulloch and Reggie Lee also star.
Revolution
Here's an on-set interview video with stars Billy Burke and Anna Lise Phillips.
Lost alum Jeff Fahey will reportedly appear in an early-season episode as a character named Hutch. [TV Line]
And now, for what some are terming "probably the best casting call [they have] ever come across", and I'm inclined to agree:
A large, scary-looking dog, preferably with longish hair. He or she will just need to sit in a large crate while our actors walk through the scene.
The Last Resort
Jessie Schram gives a helpful overview of how her character fits into ABC's upcoming series about a nuclear submarine that declares itself an independent nation. If that sounds confusing, don't worry, she's going to explain everything:
Yes, she's the wife of the XO [Executive Officer] on the ship, Sam Kendal, which is played by Scott Speedman. She is definitely a strong, independent, patient woman who married into this, but at the same time didn't really sign up for it. So, I'm playing the wife, but there's really no such thing as just a wife. In the pilot you see that the submarine defies orders and and a nuclear weapon is fired in the seas across America. So from that, because my husband is the XO, Christine, my character, is taken under the microscope as well. So even though she was not physically with him, she is very much involved in the decision that was made just as much as he is. They haven't been married that long and they've been apart more than they've been together and it's kind of this, um, Odyssey feel where they are going to get back together no matter what. They have this connection and this loving relationship, but during that the Greek Gods are going to throw in whatever they can to keep them apart… You'll really see the relationship when it comes to the husband as well as figuring out how important it is to know those people you surround yourself with. At the end of the day, do you trust yourself and what do you trust when you do surround yourself with these people?
There's more at the link. [Small Screen Scoop]
American Horror Story: Asylum
Here's the second teaser video for the show's second season, which follows a totally new cast of characters in a 1960s mental institution. [Shock Till You Drop]
Alphas
Here's a sneak peek at tonight's episode, "Gaslight."
Warehouse 13
Series star Eddie McClintock has tweeted a photo of him on set alongside Buffy and Angel star James Marsters. Personally, I'm hoping Marsters is playing Captain John from the second series of Torchwood. I realize it isn't even close to his most famous role, but I just think early Torchwood and Warehouse 13 are a pair of fictional universes that are just too delightfully goofy not to tie together. [@EddieMcClintock]
Teen Wolf
Showrunner and series creator Jeff Davis gives a preview of season three, which will feature a time jump from the end of last season:
It gives you a little narrative breathing room and it allows us to come back to a character after they've had a chance to get over things. It is a way at starting back at square one. So, in order to tell a new story and I think it's fun to start them junior year. I have the opening to episode ‘301' already planned out and it's going to be for Scott and Stiles, it is going to be life back to normal again," he continues. "It is going to be about junior year and prepping for the SATs and getting ready for college. They will have to come back to being normal teenagers before the new mystery, before new bad guys start to brew again. I think fans can definitely expect the same level of thrills and action and romance. You're going to see a new kind of relationship with Scott and Allison, especially now that they've broken up. It'll be interesting to play that dynamic of being scorned lovers who have to figure out if they can stay apart or if something brings them back together."
There's bunch more at the link. [E! Online]
Elsewhere, Davis discussed what's ahead for Derek:
"He definitely needs to redeem himself. He'll definitely be a different guy when we find him again in season three," executive producer Jeff Davis teases. "There are bigger twists in store for him and possibly some romance too."
Finally, Davis also tweeted that Daniel Sharman will be a regular next season as Isaac. [@JeffDavis75]
Additional reporting by Amanda Yesilbas and Charlie Jane Anders.