American Horror Story is officially back for a third season of Jessica Lange-led craziness — but before that Zachary Quinto and Sarah Paulson prepare you for next week's insanity. Plus The Wolverine's latest synopsis hints at Hugh Jackman's darkest journey yet!
Spoilers from here on out!
Top image from The Walking Dead.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Star Andrew Garfield discusses what he hopes to explore further in the sequel:
"I feel really excited. I feel like we got over a hump with our first one. We had to reinstate the character, and we had to reinvigorate an audience to the character. And I hope to bring more of this theme — the theme of the orphan. I wanna keep exploring that theme of being fatherless, being motherless, searching for purpose and finding a purpose within himself, being a self-made man, I guess. I think there's so much to explore with that mythology and within the tension between living a double life, struggling with being good, struggling with choosing good behavior over bad behavior, with the pressures of a city on your shoulders."
He also offers an all-important update on the Spider-Man suit:
"The suit is undergoing a redesign because I couldn't urinate in it last time. So I'm less nervous 'cause that's gonna be nice."
And here's the video from his recent appearance on Ellen, in which he confirms that pre-production is very much underway and that filming is due to begin in February.
Harry Osborn is also reportedly set to be introduced in the sequel, and the part has shifted from one suited for a "bigger, athletic actor" to a "dark and edgy" role. Chronicle's Dane DeHaan, Melancholia's Brady Corbet, and Beautiful Creatures's Alden Ehrenreich are all reportedly in the mix for the role. [Heat Vision]
The Wolverine
Here's a new official synopsis for Hugh Jackman and 3:10 To Yuma director James Mangold's Wolverine movie:
Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes Wolverine, the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel, but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Here's a fairly simple but nonetheless effective promo image for Cloverfield director Matt Reeves's sequel to Rupert Wyatt's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, from the film's Facebook page — although it should be noted that this is actually a 1992 image, created by artist Albert Watson. [Coming Soon]
Doctor Who
Here's a new promo image showing the Doctor and Jenna-Louise Coleman's character together in the upcoming Christmas special. And here's Matt Smith on what to expect from the episode:
"We've got the wonderful Richard E. Grant who's brilliant as a sort of villainous role. We meet the new companion. We've got Vastra, Jenny and Strax making a return appearance which is terribly exciting. And it does the sort of wonderful Doctor Who-ey Christmas things – you know, snow, aliens, good will, good cheer, someone trying to take over the world."
[Life, Doctor Who, and Combom and Den of Geek]
Fringe
Once Upon a Time
The show is reportedly looking to cast a guest character called Helena, described as "a 30-year-old brunette who is a sophisticated lady and also a fierce hunter of deadly creatures." The character reportedly might debut in the thirteenth episode of the season. [SpoilerTV]
666 Park Avenue
The twelfth episode will reportedly be called "The Elysian Fields", and here are some rumored plot details for the episode:
Episode will have 2 characters called "Smith" and "Jones". Both are members of the Conspiratii, a secret society that dates back to the 1500s and is committed to "waging war in the shadows against the demons that walk this Earth.
American Horror Story: Asylum
FX has officially renewed the show for a third season, one that will again completely reboot itself with a new format. As with this season, some of the cast will return in new roles, and it's already confirmed that Jessica Lange will indeed be back again in a featured role. [Washington Post]
Here's a promo for the sixth episode, "The Origins of Monstrosity."
Ryan Murphy talks about what's next for Bloody Face now that we know he's really Zachary Quinto's Dr. Thredson:
Yes, there's three episodes in a row that really get you deep into the mind of this killer and a lot of backstory explanation and a lot of flashbacks that talk about why he is doing what he's doing and how is society to blame in some regard. They're really tough to watch and strong. We did it last year with Evan's character but that was really an unexplainable crime. We really construct this serial killer that is based on two or three serial killers... We get into this in the next episode. This is a serial killer with really really bad mommy issues. It's explained and it's somewhat chilling.
So will we meet Thredson's mother in the flashbacks?
Somewhat. You don't meet his mother but you meet his mother's substitute. The one after this episode is called "The Origins of Monstrosity" so it's a real origins episode for several characters, which include Thredson, Arden, the Monsignor. It really examines ‘"Where does evil come from?"
There's tons more at the link. [EW]
Zachary Quinto also weighs in on how his foreknowledge about Dr. Thredson's true identity helped him create the character:
"[It] made it all the more fun for me to build the character in a way that made it seem like he was compassionate and supportive and concerned about the welfare of the patients at Briarcliff, but carrying these ulterior motives. He carries a lot of secrets with him. He's very intelligent. But he's also very experienced at covering those sects and hiding them and maintaining them. There's a plan. He's fiercely intelligent, and obviously ruthless in his willingness to create this world he's making for himself. He's delusional within himself. He's not trying to sell you a story. He's trying to believe it himself. You will learn more in the coming weeks about what motivated him to these horrific crimes."
[EW]
And here's Sarah Paulson on how Lana fits into all this:
Aversion and shock therapy at Briarcliff seem like nice forms of therapy compared to the "therapy" she's about to endure in Bloody Face's lair; it's pretty harrowing what happens to her. It makes what's happened to her not seem so terrible. I guarantee the thoughts in her mind are, "If I could just get back to Briarcliff it would be so much better." She'd trade staying in Briarcliff than being in the lair with Dr. Thredson.
She's not alone in the lair — with her girlfriend Wendy's body there, frozen and now toothless. How will being that close to her impact Lana? Will it motivate her?
There are things that are revealed in episode six in terms of why Lana was chosen by Dr. Thredson. You'll see in the setting of episode six how Wendy is involved in helping her and the underlying engine in Lana's survival. She has to survive and it's not for herself, it's to avenge what happened to Wendy and to expose Bloody Face for who he is to whomever will listen. I can't promise you that she ever gets out of the lair to do that but that's what she wants and Wendy is very much a part of that. You'll see in episode six what he does and how Wendy is involved in that in a peripheral way that is very present for Lana.
Again, there's plenty more at the link. [Live Feed]
Supernatural
Here's a promo for the next episode and eighth overall, "Hunteri Heroici", which airs November 28.
Here's the description for the ninth episode, "Citizen Fang":
SAM PUTS A TRACKER ON BENNY - Sam (Jared Padalecki) asks a hunter named Martin (guest star Jon Gries) to keep an eye on Benny (guest star Ty Olsson) without telling Dean (Jensen Ackles). However, when Martin tells Sam there was a vampire kill and he thinks Benny is responsible, Dean defends his friend. When Martin decides to take things into his own hands, things get messy and Dean is forced to make a very hard decision.
Also, here's a list of rumored titles for the next several episodes:
Episode 8: "Hunteri Heroici" (Nov. 28, 2012)
Episode 9: "Citizen Fang" (Dec. 5, 2012)
Episode 10: "Torn and Frayed" (Jan. 9, 2013)
Episode 11: "LARP and the Real Girl" (Jan. 16, 2013)
Episode 12: "As Time Goes By" (Jan. 23, 2013)
Episode 13: "Everyone Hates" (Feb. 6, 2013)
Episode 14: "Trial and Error" (Feb. 13, 2013)
Episode 15: "Man's Best Friend With Benefits" (Feb. 20, 2013)
Episode 16: "Remember the Titans" (Feb. 27, 2013)
Arrow
Here's a promo for the November 28 episode, "Muse of Fire", which introduces Jessica De Gouw as Huntress.
And here's the description for the following episode, "Vendetta":
ARROW AND THE HUNTRESS TEAM UP - As Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Helena (guest star Jessica De Gouw) grow closer, Oliver trains her to be his ally, complete with showing her how to use a crossbow. Diggle (David Ramsey) disapproves of Oliver sharing his secret with Helena as he's not sure she can be trusted, but Oliver refuses to listen to his concerns. Helena's quest for revenge proves to be too strong for Oliver to handle after she kills the head of the Triad and all hell breaks loose.
[KSiteTV]
The Vampire Diaries
Here's a promo for the next episode, "My Brother's Keeper."
And here's the official description for the subsequent episode, "We'll Always Have Bourbon Street":
A FLASHBACK TO NEW ORLEANS IN 1942 - When Stefan ({Paul Wesley) confronts Damon (Ian Somerhalder) with a suspicion about Elena (Nina Dobrev), Damon has no choice but to help Stefan investigate. Searching for answers, Damon and Stefan visit modern day New Orleans to see if they can find anyone who remembers the events of their last visit in 1942, including one of Damon's former flames, Charlotte (guest star Madeline Zima). Elena, Caroline (Candice Accola) and Bonnie (Kat Graham) share a girls' night while the Salvatore brothers are out of town, and emotions run high when Elena delivers some shocking news. At Hayley's (guest star Phoebe Tonkin) urging, Tyler (Michael Trevino) confronts one of Klaus' hybrids, Kimberly (guest star Alyssa Diaz), and the situation quickly escalates into violence. Finally, Damon is faced with a heartbreaking decision.
Beauty and the Beast
Here's a promo for episode seven, "Trapped."
And here's the official synopsis for the episode:
JT (Austin Basis) suspects that Catherine (Kristin Kreuk) is the trigger of Vincent's (Jay Ryan) blackouts, so to disprove this theory, Vincent allows JT to inject him with endorphins and sedatives that force him into a fugue state. In flashback, Vincent recalls his time in Afghanistan when he received his first super soldier shot, and remembers who injected him with the DNA altering substance. He also recollects how the other soldiers experienced unpredictable side effects, including fugue states, and is relieved to know that Cat isn't causing his blackouts. Vincent shares his memory about Murifield with Cat, who experiences some recollections of her own. Then, as Cat and Tess (Nina Lisandrello) investigate the attempted murder of a teen pop star (guest-star Max Schneider), Evan suspects that Cat is deliberately protecting the vigilante who saved him in the subway.
Additional reporting by Rob H. Dawson and Charlie Jane Anders.