A longtime George Lucas collaborator discusses the search for the new Star Wars director. Fringe's Lincoln Lee is headed to Arrow. True Blood casts a helpful faerie. Commander Riker might appear on Falling Skies. Plus Michael Bay will explode with ACTING on Neighbors!
Spoilers from here on out!
Top image from Oz the Great and Powerful.
Star Wars: Episode VII
Producer Frank Marshall, who among many other connections to the Star Wars franchise is the husband of new Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, offers these general teasers on the directorial search:
"I do. But I can't reveal it, or I won't be alive tomorrow. [We have] a couple of candidates, but I don't know how soon that will be revealed. I'm really excited about this. I didn't grow up with it, but I was a big fan and have been since the series started. I'll always remember seeing that big mother-ship go over the screen. I've never forgotten it. I can't wait to see what's next."
He also says George Lucas' other property, Indiana Jones, is still theoretically chugging along towards a fifth film, but it's very much on the back burner now. [MTV]
Oz the Great and Powerful
Here's the latest poster for Sam Raimi and James Franco's Wizard of Oz prequel. [Coming Soon]
Poltergeist
Rise of the Guardians director David Lindsay-Abaire gives this update on the Poltergeist remake, for which he has written the script:
Well, you know there's not too much I can say. I will say that I handed in a second draft and people are incredibly excited about it. They're not the director, but they're in search of a director. I will also say that there are very few people who are as obsessed with the original movie as I am, so I would try to write a script that I would want to see as a fan. I will say that.
There's more at the link, including his hints that this won't be a gory, Saw-style remake. [Collider]
Doctor Who
Courtesy of BBC America, here's a high-res photo, plus just about the vaguest possible synopsis for this year's Christmas special, which reintroduces new companion actress Jenna-Louise Coleman to the show and features the return of a few of the Doctor's old friends from "A Good Man Goes To War":
Following the epic mid-season finale, the Doctor gets in the holiday spirit in the all-new Christmas special written by lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat (Sherlock). Accompanied by his newest companion, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman, the Doctor's latest adventure through space and time sees him once again crossing paths with the homo-reptilian Silurian Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh) and her cohort Jenny (Catrin Stewart).
Judging by the set photos, the episode should also see the return of Dan Starkey's Sontaran medic Commander Strax — or perhaps another Sontaran from his particular clone batch, considering Strax sure seemed to die back in "A Good Man Goes To War." But then, I really would have said the same of old Dorium, and look at how that turned out in "The Wedding of River Song."
Fringe
Here's another promo for this Friday's episode, "Five-Twenty-Ten."
S.H.I.E.L.D.
We can add two more names to a cast list that already includes Stargate Universe's Ming-Na and Agent Coulson himself, Clark Gregg — although I've got to say, even though that's been super officially confirmed, I'm not going to completely believe that one until I see some set photos or something. Anyway, joining the team is a pair of British actors, Hollyoaks actress Elizabeth Henstridge and The Fades star Iain De Caestecker. Henstridge will play "science whiz Agent Gemma Simmons", while De Caestecker is "Agent Leo Fitz, a technology guru", and the pair apparently "spend all their time together — mostly bickering — and are masters of their respective fields at a remarkably young age." Of course, one gigantic unanswered question still remains: whether that one dude playing Galaga will also return for the show. I will keep you updated as we learn more on that crucial topic. [Live Feed]
True Blood
Rob Kazinsky, best known for his work on the ultra-long-running British soap opera EastEnders, will reportedly have a regular role in the sixth season as Ben, described as "a highly charismatic faerie who takes a liking to Sookie (and vice-versa) and helps Sookie and Jason delve deeper into the mystery of their parents' murders." [TV Line]
Person of Interest
Here's a short description for the eighth episode, "Til Death", which airs November 29:
THE TEAM IS SPREAD THIN WHEN A HUSBAND AND WIFE'S NUMBERS BOTH COME UP, ON "PERSON OF INTEREST," THURSDAY, NOV. 29 — Mark Pellegrino Guest Stars as Daniel Drake, Whose Number Comes Up With His Wife's – The team is spread thin when a husband and wife's numbers both come up, on PERSON OF INTEREST, Thursday, Nov. 29 (9:01 – 10:01 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Mark Pellegrino guest stars as Daniel Drake, whose number comes up along with his wife's.
Revolution
Neighbors
The increasingly unkillable ABC aliens comedy will reportedly feature a guest cameo from America's greatest living director: yes, people, Michael Bay himself is going to appear. The medium's foremost practitioner of making shit blow up real good (and also terrible, terrible comedy) will play himself and encounter the main cast at a club during an adults' night out. Say what you will about Bay, but this return to acting does provide him the long-awaited chance to build on his greatest creative triumph — you know, as that dude in Mystery Men who asks Geoffrey Rush whether they ought to bring their brewskis. [TV Line]
American Horror Story: Asylum
The true identity of Bloody Face, as revealed in tonight's episode, will reportedly be "disturbing and terrifying", in keeping with the whole American Horror Story oeuvre. [TV Line]
Here's another tease for tonight's episode:
Kit starts out the episode with a piece of good news, a first for him in Briarcliff. But as usual, his main concern is Grace and Sister Jude's plans to sterilize her. But Grace has other things to worry about, mainly her introduction to Kit's wife. Yes, the same wife that died in the first episode. Obviously there is a twist involved with their meeting, but let's just say Grace and Kit will be closer than ever by the end of the episode.
Here's a short description for the eighth episode, "Unholy Night", which airs December 5:
A murderous Santa wreaks havoc on Briarcliff. Sister Jude faces off with the Devil.. Meanwhile Arden has a shocking encounter in the Death Chute.
Arrow
Having already brought Torchwood star John Barrowman into the mix, Arrow is now moving to incorporate another member of a beloved sci-fi franchise. This time around it's Seth Gabel, otherwise known as Fringe's Lincoln Lee, who will reportedly appear as a modified version of the DC Comics version Count Vertigo. This grittier, theoretically more realistic take on the character will cast Gabel's character as the purveyor of a deadly new drug in Starling City, and it's that drug which has picked up the name Vertigo. The episode should air in early 2013. [TV Line]
The thirteenth episode will reportedly introduce Halloway, described as "an imposing CIA black-ops agent who was sent to Lian Yu on a mission that didn't turn out so well and, as a result, now has major trust issues [which] tends to make an already dangerous man even more dangerous." [E! Online]
Here's a short promo.
The Vampire Diaries
Heroes and Californication actress Madeline Zima will reportedly guest star in the eighth episode of the season as Charlotte, a character thought to share a romantic past with Damon. Meanwhile, here's costar Candice Accola's take on what's ahead between Caroline and Hayley:
"She is definitely throwing a wrench in Caroline's perfect world and her perfect relationship with Tyler at the moment. If anything, we've learned at this point within the series that Caroline is a very resilient, strong character, so I don't think she's going to put up with it too easily."
[TV Line]
Falling Skies
The always welcome Jonathan Frakes has indicated he might be bringing a little bit of that Commander Riker charm to the show, as he tweeted that he will be doing something Falling Skies-related with show star Noah Wyle. Admittedly, it's probably at least as, if not more likely, that Frakes will be directing rather than appearing in an episode of the show's third season, but I say let's live dangerously and hope for the full Frakes acting experience. [Three If By Space]
Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome
In case anyone is still interested in this attempted sequel to Caprica and/or prequel to BSG, which went from webseries to TV series to abandoned and now apparently all the way back to webseries, here's executive producer David Eick on the show's format:
"It was always developed, at least from my point of view, as a project for an online environment and it was something we would develop and structurally, narratively build as a 10 part serial. Kind of like the ‘Raiders of the Ark' style adapted the 1930's style movie serials where you have 10 minutes of story and a cliffhanger followed by 10 minutes of story and a cliffhanger and after 10 of these episodes it would resolve itself and react structure as a whole movie. So when I set out to develop this, my thinking was to design a mission, sort of speak, of course once the characters and the overall ideas were approved by the network, a mission that could be, as missions are often are in the military sense, divided into 10 smaller missions."
There's some more from Eick at the link on just how this thing wasn't kicked around by Syfy nearly as much as you might think, and that this is more or less what was always meant to happen, most likely because of fate or angels or something, if my understanding of BSG is still correct. [Science Fiction]
Additional reporting by Rob H. Dawson and Charlie Jane Anders.