Lost's Mr. Eko has some more Thor: The Dark World thoughts. At least one other Avenger is definitely going to be in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Brandon Cronenberg discusses his contagious satire Antiviral. Plus tons of Walking Dead hints!
Spoilers from here on out!
Top image from The Walking Dead.
Star Wars
Disney CEO Bob Iger has now confirmed that Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi writer Lawrence Kasdan and Sherlock Holmes and X-Men: Days of Future Past writer Simon Kinberg are indeed working on new Star Wars movies that will stand apart from the trilogy J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt are kicking off with Episode VII. Here's how Iger explains Kasdan and Kinberg's brief:
[They're] working on films derived from great Star Wars characters that are not part of the overall saga, so we still plan to make Star Wars VII, VIII and IX roughtly over a six year period of time starting in 2015. But there are going to be a few other films released in that period of time, too.
So then, that more or less confirms that each standalone film will indeed focus on an established character, and that the two films will likely be released between 2015 and 2021, along with possibly at least one additional standalone film. That at least appears to be the plan, though these things are certainly known to change. Also, Iger gave absolutely zero indication that either standalone film would have anything to do with Yoda, so keep on considering that an unsubstantiated rumor. [The Hollywood Reporter]
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Although I don't think it's been 100% confirmed yet, we've known for awhile that Scarlett Johansson is reprising her role as Black Widow for the Captain America sequel, and that fact is apparently so well established that we've now reached the "offhand mention in the first paragraph of New York Times theater articles" stage of unofficial confirmation. So yeah, it's looking like a sure thing, and from the sound of it, her appearance will be at least somewhat more substantial than just a drop-in cameo. [New York Times]
Thor: The Dark World
Lost alum Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje discusses his dual role in the Thor sequel, in which he plays both the virtuous Algrim the Strong and, post-transformation, the villainous Kurse:
It was a huge opportunity to pull double duty. In order to prepare you obviously go through and read the comics and research the characters history. You also look at the imagery and have discussions with Marvel and the directors to see their vision for the characters. Then the rest is left for the designers who create the costumes, which really then assists in your performance. Specifically for Kurse, it was very much looking at the costume and what I thought it would embody. For instance it had a certain look, so I used that look for his interpretive actions. I found that very useful. So with the horns and everything, I just went with that flow and tried to define a way of moving and fighting that was in the rhythm and the way that he looked. With Algrim, again the aesthetic look and the outfit really factored in as does the location and the set. From the moment you step into that world, you immediately become that character. You make them real. So in a way you have to ground the character in reality that makes it normal for them to be in that world. I believe and hope that we have done that well in this and that the audiences are going to enjoy it.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Director Marc Webb has sent out a couple tweets to mark the beginning of filming for the sequel. So far, we still don't know too much about what to expect, though a photo in one of his tweets suggests he's shooting the sequel on film as opposed to digital, while an #Oscorp hashtag suggests that company will again play a significant role in the film. [Hitfix]
Jack the Giant Slayer
Here's a TV spot for X-Men director Bryan Singer's fairy tale reimagining.
Dark Skies
Here's a TV spot for the alien abduction thriller, starring The Americans and Felicity's Keri Russell.
Antiviral
David Cronenberg's son Brandon Cronenberg discusses the origins of his new movie, in which X-Men: First Class actor Caleb Landry Jones plays a salesman who makes his living by harvesting and selling celebrities' diseases:
It started with an interesting disease, I guess. I started writing it in film school, which means I took eight years to write it, on and off. I was sick with the flu, and I had this fever dream. I was obsessing over the physical nature of my illness, and how I had something in my body that had come from someone else's body, and how that was a weirdly intimate thing, if you think about it that way. So afterwards, I was trying to think about a character who might see disease as an intimate thing. I thought a celebrity-obsessed fan might reasonably want Angelina Jolie's cold as a way of feeling physically connected to her in some way. And then it developed into a metaphor, which I thought was an interesting way of discussing that culture.
I wonder if that idea's reflected in the set design, because aside from one scene - I think it may have been an office - nobody has any art. There are no books. Nobody seems to own anything. Was that your intention?
Yes, absolutely. And the celebrities note that there's never any discussion of why they're famous. They're just famous. It's just this entirely insular world that is unrelated to anything besides fame.There was a quite Lynchian moment, too, where curtain is pulled back and a character appears to address us directly. I was wondering if you could tell me what your thinking was behind that, because I thought it was quite striking.
I was trying to think of the various ways that people could make money out of celebrities. The character Levine says, "We're all rats here. We're all scavenging the bin." I think there's a fantasy over having control over celebrities - people who want some sort of dominance, some position of power over people who in reality they have no power over. Because to have power over them will elevate them somehow. So there's this character who makes money by exploiting that fantasy of power, which I think is very connected to certain forms of celebrity news - that idea of power, to see Kate's vagina, or whatever. It's voyeurism, a power that comes from being on the invasive side of the equation.
He also praises Caleb Landry Jones's performance:
He was always that character. He was complex, funny, maybe a little more wise-crack-y. He was always an antihero, though. It almost becomes a monster movie, where he's the creature, in a way.
It must have been a tough role for him to play, because he's required to be ill from the first shot, and increasingly so as the film goes on.
I never had to push him. He would always push himself - sometimes further than we were comfortable with. We'd have to reel him in, because we were worried hurt himself; we'd say, "No, you have to wear pads - you're not going to throw yourself on a concrete floor." He really is the kind of actor who likes to feel it and run with it, which made my job very easy, because I could just pick and choose what I wanted. There was no issue of having to get something out of him - by the time we'd finished, we could almost have cut three different characters [from what we had], just because he gave us so much material, and so much to work with.
There's still a bunch more at the link. [Den of Geek
The Walking Dead
Ousted showrunner Glen Mazzara is still good enough to do press for his former show, so here's more of his season three preview, starting with the show's eternal question, namely does Rick have the slightest idea what he's doing:
It's more a question of can Rick keep it together at a point when this formidable foe in the Governor is coming for him? If he can't keep it together, it puts pressure on the rest of the group as far as who is going to step up. Glenn (Steven Yeun) has an agenda of personal vengeance. Hershel (Scott Wilson) wants to protect these people. Carl (Chandler Riggs) has already been through a horrible tragedy and is really fearless. There's a lot of dissent within the group as to how to handle this, and people respect and defer to Rick, but everyone will come to realize he's not the same leader who got them through the winter.
He also discusses what's next for Andrea now that she knows the truth about the Governor:
Andrea's line becomes very complicated. She realizes that the Governor is who he is. There's also a town of innocent people now at risk, and as the Governor focuses on his plan to seek revenge on Rick and Michonne, Andrea is forced into a leadership position in Woodbury to protect those people. And there's also a compelling emotional story for Andrea with Rick's group: In one way, they left her behind; in another way, she has her differences with Michonne. If and when Andrea finally meets with this group, all of that emotional baggage comes spilling out. That's what I'm talking about when I say that we now push into very complicated character dynamics.
After spending the winter together and caring for a near-death Andrea, does Michonne have any romantic feelings for Andrea? Will that be addressed?
I don't know if there are romantic feelings. That's something we discussed. It's a complicated dynamic with how much these women do care for each other. That storyline plays out throughout the entire back half of the season. We have some pretty surprising scenes.
Finally, let's check in with our old pals Merle and Daryl:
Merle (Michael Rooker) and Daryl (Norman Reedus), if you remember, are survivalists. They can handle it out on their own. The question is: Does Daryl want to leave his new family behind? Does he want to fall back into that same pattern he had his whole life of being Merle's little brother and taking orders from him and letting him bully him? Also, if Daryl chooses not to put up with that, how does that force Merle to change? If their dynamics aren't the same as they've always been, what kind of personal growth is Merle going to see? We're playing with everyone and pushing all the characters. This isn't just a show about horror and pacing. This is about these people trying to survive under extreme pressure. We are really having fun examining everyone. Every single character changes and develops in these episodes.
There's still plenty more at the link. [Live Feed]
Here's another promo for the episode.
Arrow
Producer Marc Guggenheim previews tonight's episode, "Betrayal."
Grammy-nominated electro house musician Steve Aoki will appear as himself DJing the opening of Oliver's club in the upcoming episode "The Huntress Returns." [EW]
The eighteenth episode will reportedly introduce a character called the Savior, described as "a vigilante who dishes out death sentences on the Internet." There's no way that can be as stupid as it sounds, right? [SpoilerTV]
The Originals
Relative newcomer Daniella Pineda, whose previous roles include supporting turns in The Fitzgerald Family Christmas and a Homeland episode, has reportedly been cast in the upcoming Vampire Diaries spinoff. She will reportedly play Sophie, described as "a witch whose magic has been silenced but not snuffed... a leader and a sexy, sharp-tongued social force, she is quietly sowing the seeds of a revolution amongst her peers." [Deadline]
Being Human (US)
Here's a promo and a sneak peek for next week's episode, "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Mouth."
Additional reporting by Amanda Yesilbas and Charlie Jane Anders.