Damon Lindelof discusses the early, early status of Star Trek 3. Check out a video update from Godzilla director Gareth Edwards. Breaking Bad's Mark Margolis discusses his role as a fallen angel in Darren Aronofsky's Noah. Brad Bird won't rule out The Incredibles 2. Plus a final preview for this week's big Doctor Who finale!
Top image from Doctor Who.
Star Trek 3
Star Trek Into Darkness has only barely been released, but since it has been released, that means it's time to turn our attentions to the next Star Trek film. Nothing is yet known about the film — although it's kind of generally accepted by everyone that J.J. Abrams won't be back to direct because of his Star Wars commitments — but co-writer Damon Lindelof does offer this useful status update:
Let me answer that question by saying, the first conversations that I've had about what it would be like to mount Trek 3 What are the logistics of it? What is J.J.’s availability? When does Paramount want the movie for? What would the story be? What are Bob and Alex up to? What is Bad Robot’s producorial function gonna be as it relates to Star Wars? All of those conversations have literally started over the last two days, as we’re junketing. It’s not a dodge, it’s just the God honest truth to say to you, “I do not know.” I think that nobody wants four years to pass before the next Star Trek comes out especially if this movie is successful. But there is a lot to figure out, in terms of who is going to be making that movie. And as you might imagine, it’s a very tricky conversation.
[Collider]
Man of Steel
Here's a new promo image. You can check out the rest right here
The Martian
Cabin In The Woods director and co-writer Drew Goddard is reportedly in talks to direct this adaptation of Andy Weir's e-book for Fox. The film "follows an astronaut who becomes stranded on Mars and must figure out how to survive long enough to return to Earth" and is described as a cross between Apollo 13 and Cast Away; the report also plays down the apparent similarities between this project and Alfonso Cuaron's upcoming stranded astronaut film Gravity, which does make some sense — The Martian almost certainly unfolds over a much longer period of time than Gravity, which is supposed to tell its story in close to real time. [The Wrap]
Godzilla
Here's a set video from director Gareth Edwards. [Shock Till You Drop]
Noah
Erstwhile Breaking Bad costar Mark Margolis explains his character in Darren Aronofosky's epic reimagining of the Noah's Ark story:
"I play a 12-foot god, [and] most of my character will be created through CGI. All of my scenes are with [Noah actor] Russell [Crowe], who I found to be a very funny guy. They used me and my voice, but they had a pole standing up from a backpack I was wearing, so that Russell had a sightline of a person 12 feet high. I hope that some of my facial movements are used in the final thing."
The article also includes this description of Margolis' character, the fallen angel Samyaza:
Shooting in Iceland, Margolis took the mantle of leader of a posse of six-armed angels known as the 'Watchers'. They're a giant breed of angels who have been at odds with God since the Fall - 'Samyaza' is another name for Satan - and likely to be a source of trouble for the Almighty, and Russell Crowe's Noah too.
The Raven
300 star Gerard Butler is reportedly in negotiations to star in Ricardo de Montreuil's adaptation of his own short, which "focused on a young man with powers being chased around downtown Los Angeles by robotic police drones, while a giant police ship coordinates the effort from the skies above." I imagine Butler will play the giant police ship. [Heat Vision]
The Incredibles 2
Director Brad Bird says a sequel to Pixar's beloved superhero movie is at least a possibility:
I have been thinking about it. People think that I have not been, but I have. Because I love those characters and love that world. I am stroking my chin and scratching my head. I have many, many elements that I think would work really well in another [Incredibles] film, and if I can get ‘em to click all together, I would probably wanna do that. I like the idea of moving a little more quickly in films. I’m looking for ways to accelerate the pace a little bit and figure out a way to keep creative control over these movies to a level where I’m comfortable with the end result but also speed them up a bit and make more of them. I have many different films I wanna make. It’s like a big airplane hangar and I have different projects on the floor; half-assembled in my brain. I’m interested in all of them. You kind of have to move on the ones people are willing to pay for and the ones you’re most excited about.
Doctor Who
Here's an introduction to tomorrow's episode, "The Name of the Doctor." [Blogtor Who]
And here's a field report from Strax.
Here are some episode-specific teasers, which are even more cryptic than normal:
— Someone talks about a parallel world.
— Bit of a Silence of the Lambs vibe going on there. And a Borrowers vibe.
— There is a cliffhanger very early on.
— Moffat has a dig at his own "people".
— If it ain't baroque, don't fix it.
There's more at the link. [Cultbox]
And finally, here's a promo photo. You can check out the rest right here
Arrow
Executive producer Marc Guggenheim explains how the aftermath of the Undertaking will affect the second season:
Our whole approach to the show has always been, we like to pass the time in-between episodes in real-time. So we will feel that three-to-four month gap, but basically The Glades being destroyed, I keep referring to it as season 2’s version of ‘the notebook.’ The notebook was the main thing that created a lot of story engine for us and the consequences and the figurative after-shocks of the earthquake are going to provide the new story engine for season 2.
He also offers some intriguing hints for what's in store long-term for Paul Blackthorne's Detective Lance:
We have really exciting plans for Lance in season 2. I don’t want to spoil them, but he definitely turns a corner in the finale as far as The Hood is concerned. Our goal has always been to make him our version of Commissioner Gordon. What I will say is that the scene that he has with Lieutenant Pike, where he basically outs himself as having worked with The Hood instead of capturing him, that will have huge repercussions for him in season two.
Finally, he more or less confirms that, yeah, John Barrowman and Colin Donnell aren't coming back as Malcolm and Tommy Merlyn:
Well, it certainly looks that way. John Barrowman is amazing and we love him and the one thing I will say with respect to both Tommy’s death and Malcolm Merlyn’s death is this is a show that does flashbacks.
[EW]
Season two reportedly starts filming on July 10. [SpoilerTV]
The Originals
Elijah actor Daniel Gillies discusses how the backdoor pilot — which aired as the twentieth episode this season — helps set up the spin-off:
I thought it was one of the best episodes of the show that I’ve seen. And I’m not just saying that because it was ours. I was just so pleased with it. It does shock me a little that the ratings weren’t through the roof because it was just so pitch perfect. I thought Chris Grismer, our director, was just so good, and Julie wrote it in such a way that was just beautiful. I even loved the Katherine and Elijah stuff, which seemed like a departure. It seemed like he was saying, “Adios.” There was something so wonderful and romantic and heartbreaking about that. I just felt the execution of it was pitch perfect. Charles Michael Davis (who plays Marcel) is going to be a marvelous pillar in the temple of the thing. He’s really very commanding and extraordinarily charismatic. Apart from anything else, we need a black vampire. That, alone, was something that needed to happen, a long time ago. That sounds almost condescending, but it’s exciting. It brings a whole other texture to the concept of immortality. It brings a whole other culture texture, which to my mind is beautiful and exciting. And he’s just such a dangerous, charming and malevolent spirit. The disappointing thing to me, in the episode, was that Elijah never had a scene with Marcel. You’re like, “How are the two of them going to respond to one another?” That’s going to be really interesting.
He also says the show will mostly shoot in Atlanta, with occasional location work in its fictional setting, New Orleans. He also discusses the opportunity to delve more deeply into the Originals as characters:
Certainly, it becomes more personal. There is now a degree of history that you can explore. One of the reasons why Julie is so wise to do it with these protagonists is that it’s a large open canvas. Rather than these 200-year-old vampires that you have in Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder), you have Elijah and Klaus (Joseph Morgan), who are over 1,000 years old. It opens itself up to a whole lot more epoch and history that we haven’t explored yet, and it opens the door to a slew of other potential characters that they could have met through the centuries. It allows it to be richer and more central.
There's still more at the link. [Collider]
Falling Skies
Showrunner Remi Aubuchon is stepping down from his position after this season, and his replacement is reportedly his fellow Caprica co-creator David Eick, who will start working on the stories for season four in anticipation of an official pickup, which is more or less definitely going to happen. [Deadline]
Continuum
Here's a short description for episode six, "Second Truths":
Kiera must use her knowledge of the future to stop a serial killer while keeping Carlos in the dark about her insights.
Teen Wolf
Here's a trio of teasers for season three. [TV Equals]
Additional reporting by Amanda Yesilbas and Charlie Jane Anders.