We now have the official premiere date for Doctor Who, plus tons of photos and videos from the Christmas special set. A viral PSA warns you of the dangers of Dredd's futuristic drug. Plus Kick-Ass 2, Walking Dead, and Arrow updates!
Spoilers from here on out!
Top image from Looper.
Thor: The Dark World
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, best known as Mr. Eko on Lost, has reportedly joined the cast of the Thor sequel. He will reportedly play a villain alongside former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston's Malekith the Accursed. Akinnuoye-Agbaje will actually play the dual role of Algrim the Strong and Kurse, as the Variety report explains:
In the comicbooks, Algrim the Strong was the most powerful of a race of Dark Elves, who is coerced by Malekith to fight Thor. After he's betrayed by Malekith and injured during a battle, Algrim is healed and transformed into a much more powerful being called Kurse, who is twice as a strong as Thor.
You know, it's moments like this that make me realize just how awesomely crazy it is that a big-budget Thor franchise exists, because that is all pretty wonderfully weird. The fact that this prominently involves Mr. Eko and the Ninth Doctor is just icing on the cake. [Variety]
Catching Fire
This has been heavily rumored for a while now, but it's now official: Sam Claflin has been cast in the last major role still outstanding, District 4 returning champion Finnick Odair. This is Claflin's third major piece of blockbuster casting, following roles in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Snow White and the Huntsman. The fact that he's still being referred to as a "relative unknown" probably means that he needs to bring it this time around, especially since he's playing a fan favorite character. [TV Guide]
Looper
Here's the latest poster. [Coming Soon]
Dredd
Here are two new TV spots for the upcoming Judge Dredd movie, featuring Star Trek's Karl Urban in the title role. [First Showing]
And here's an in-universe PSA warning against the dangers of Slo Mo, the drug being pushed in the movie by the villainous Ma Ma (played by Game of Thrones star Lena Headey). It's part of the larger viral marketing campaign — you can read more about that at the link. [First Showing]
All You Need Is Kill
British actress Charlotte Riley, whose previous credits include the TV shows World Without End and DCI Banks, has reportedly joined Tom Cruise and The Bourne Identity director Doug Liman's movie about a futuristic soldier who keeps reliving the last day of his life on the battlefield. She and the previously cast Emily Blunt will both play soldiers fighting alongside Cruise. [Variety]
Kick-Ass 2
Here's an update from comics creator Mark Millar:
The most fun is the pre-viz or pre-visualisations for the fight scenes. These are actually cut like movies and with a temp track, uncostumed stunt-people in the place of the characters and wearing wires and helmets doing the scenes we're going to love in June next year. My favourite costume I saw this morning is The Colonel's dog. A big dog in a mask. But am torn between the Hit-Girl and Mother Russia fight and the scene with Hit-Girl fighting the super-villains on the roof of the moving van. Both are just mind-blowing. But the Mother Russia fight is going to be one of the most brutal and epic battles in cinema. Think how good Mindy is and then multiply it to 300 pounds of female muscle just pounding her and using every weapon you can imagine in the midst of that big final battle. This looks amazing with the stunt team and a temp. Imagine what it's going to look like with the actors, Jeff's direction, Eddie's edits and a final soundtrack. I'm really, really excited.
Snow White and the Huntsman
Screenwriter David Koepp confirms that he's no longer involved with the sequel, and that the reason he left was because Universal decided to go in a new — possibly Kristen Stewart-free, although he doesn't comment on that — direction:
"I'm not involved with that anymore. There was a storyline I was pursuing that it turns out they don't want to pursue, so we're parting as friends. You have to have an idea and don't take a job if you don't have an idea and if you do have an idea, pursue it because ideas are currency. That's what you've got. I had an idea I was excited about it and we pursued it for a while but then they wanted to go in a different direction."
Jurassic Park 4
David Koepp, who wrote the first two Jurassic Park movies, says a fourth movie is indeed being discussed, but he doesn't think he will be involved, much as he might like to be:
"We did talk about it and if I thought I had a great idea, I'd sign up in a minute — but I did the first two and two movies on one subject is a lot, ‘cause it's hard enough to do one movie on a subject. I did two and I just felt like I used up all my good ideas and if I had something really valuable to contribute, I'd love to, 'cause I love those guys and I had a great time doing those movies. I just felt like I never had very much to give to it."
Resident Evil: Retribution
Here are two TV spots and a clip from the latest entry in the Resident Evil franchise. [IGN]
Doctor Who
The BBC has now officially announced the premiere date for season seven, and it's going to be September 1 for both the United Kingdom and the United States. The earlier BBC America promo with a September 8 airdate was in error, it would appear. [Doctor Who News]
Here's the latest trailer for the first half of season seven. This one comes courtesy of BBC America. [Blogtor Who]
Here's a bunch of set videos from the filming of the Christmas special, which introduces Jenna-Louise Coleman as the new companion and is rumored to be called "The Snowman." [Life, Doctor Who, and Combom]
The Walking Dead
Here are some Entertainment Weekly covers showing the various characters — including the now spear-handed Merle — in their season three guise. There's also this accompanying quote from comics creator and executive producer Robert Kirkman:
"This season really is about setting up these two worlds and watching them come to a head and collide. And you know that there are going to be some pretty explosive encounters between Rick and the Governor. This season is going to be about getting to know these two characters, and then waiting for their eventual confrontation that could destroy everything."
Grimm
Falling Skies
I'm really not sure how reliable this is, but a photo has surfaced, supposedly showing a script for the third season premiere. Assuming it's real, the title of the third episode is apparently "On Thin Ice." [SpoilerTV]
Warehouse 13
Here are some promo photos for next Monday's sixth episode, "Fractures", which sees the return of The Bionic Woman star Lindsay Wagner as Artie's would-be love interest Dr. Vanessa Calder. [SpoilerTV]
Arrow
Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg explains why The CW's Green Arrow show is kinda the TV equivalent of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. In fairness, he didn't say anything that hyperbolic, but it's clear he and the rest of the creative team are taking a similar approach to the material:
We don't think about the show as a superhero show. We think about it as a crime thriller and a crime drama and a family drama. The character of Oliver Queen that Justin Hartley played on Smallville was a reaction to Clark Kent and Superman, living in a fantastical world with fantastical characters. In our world, none of that exists. It's only Oliver Queen and his quest and his crusade. Just from that element of it, it's a very different take on the character. I mean it's the same sort of headlines, but the fine print is very, very different.
While he also discusses the fact that this Green Arrow isn't necessarily averse to killing people:
I think that in the same way that Batman has a moral code to not kill because he lost his parents, Oliver's origin story, he was put through a very different crucible. His take on what is right and what is wrong were shaped by the island. We had an exchange between Oliver and someone else where somebody says if you have all of this information on these villains, why don't you just go to the police? And Oliver says, "Because their laws aren't mine." He has a very strong moral code about good and evil and what's right and wrong. But how that [punishment] gets meted out is very different from any superhero that you've seen before.
There's still plenty more at the link. [TV Guide]
Additional reporting by Amanda Yesilbas and Charlie Jane Anders.