Guillermo del Toro offers an astonishing description of Pacific Rim's fight scenes. A Man of Steel scene describes young Clark Kent's difficult journey. James Mangold reveals The Wolverine's debt to Battlestar Galactica. John Noble discusses those debunked Star Wars casting rumors, and why he'd like to un-debunk them. Spoilers!
Top image from Pacific Rim.
Star Wars: Episode VII
Fringe's John Noble addresses the totally bogus rumor that he would play the villain in J.J. Abrams's Star Wars movie, and why he wouldn't mind if it ultimately turned out to be true:
Yeah, I was going an interview with a fella from Empire Magazine and he told me that he started the rumor. He said that when he found out that J.J. [Abrams] was doing the movie that he'd done up a list about why J.J. was the right person to do Star Wars, and one of the reasons he gave was that he'd use John Noble. [Laughs]... I'd love to do Star Wars. That would just be epic, doing something like that. And it's not beyond the realm of possibility. I have a terrific relationship with J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot, I really do. So it’s not beyond the realm of possibility. It's awhile away yet.
[IGN]
Guardians of the Galaxy
Following on from the news that John C. Reilly could play the space opera equivalent of Agent Coulson in Guardians of the Galaxy, there's now a report of a similarly offbeat but intriguing choice to play the movie's equivalent of Nick Fury. Specifically, six-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close is reportedly playing "a leadership role in Nova Corp, the intergalactic space patrol" — I'm going to assume the "Corp" instead of "Corps" is just a typo rather than a change on Marvel's part. It's not clear whether this is the role recently mentioned as an associate of John C. Reilly's Rhomann Dey, a part that was linked to older actors like Hugh Laurie, Ken Watanabe, and Alan Rickman. It's possible that Marvel decided to gender-swap this character, or it's possible that Reilly, Close, and one of those three actors will all serve as the Guardians' law enforcement allies. [Deadline]
Man of Steel
On a Canadian radio show, director Zack Snyder explains why the movie doesn't immediately introduce the name Superman:
"It’s not really reluctance. It’s us…for me anyway, I wanted to give the right reverence to the word. Superman has a concept, and it can’t just be the thing that happens immediately. It’s got to be earned... And I thought it would be cool to have Lois be in a weird way the one that invents the idea. Because like where does Superman come from? Who coined that phrase? How does that happen? So Lois sort of starts the idea and then..."
A profile on star Henry Cavill in Details includes this description of a scene early in adult Clark Kent's journey toward becoming Superman:
Finally, here's the director Zack Snyder's long-awaited, top-secret Clark Kent: swarthy and muscular, working at a bar on a lonely stretch of highway. No Brooks Brothers. No glasses. No Daily Planet. Instead, Kent, in jeans and a henley, is a drifter, bouncing from job to job, not yet ready to assume his true calling, not yet given the chance. Kent finds work far from any Metropolis. Among deckhands. And roughnecks. And wasted truckers who grope innocent women while he buses tables. He tells them to stop. They get aggressive, tossing beer, throwing punches. One connects and he takes it. Kent walks away, seething. He later lashes out, unleashing his long-pent-up wrath on inanimate aluminum and steel. This is Clark Kent struggling, grappling with the possibility of keeping his powers secret forever.
In the piece, Cavill is also quoted as saying, "My version of Superman is essentially of a guy who has spent his whole life alone." [Details]
The Wolverine
Director James Mangold rather awesomely reveals that Famke Janssen's Jean Grey — who has already died in X-Men: The Last Stand by the time The Wolverine's story begins — "pops up to mock, comfort and advise Logan much as Number 6 tortured Gaius Baltar on 'Battlestar Galactica.'" [The Wrap]
Star Hugh Jackman explains what are the deeper questions about Wolverine this new film attempts to answer:
There’s a number of things in play here. One of them is the human-animal tussle that’s going on in him. Which, on a far smaller scale, we all have, even on a day-to-day basis. It’s the chaos-control theory. The claws are an embodiment of the animalistic side. They come out generally with rage, that internal rage. Wolverine’s a character who’s at war with himself, as much as anything. In a way you could say his greatest enemy is himself. In this movie, you definitely see him at his lowest point. He’s without purpose. He’s without a reason in the beginning. Through the samurai story and through being in this foreign land, he’s fired to embrace who he is — or not. I don’t want to give that away. But you’re right, Wolverine hasn’t got the most spectacular of all the X-Men. He can’t fly, he can’t jump, he can’t shoot laser beams. He’s got a healing ability, which is fantastic, and he has these claws. I think his greatest weapon is who he is inside regardless of… If you took away all their powers, I’m pretty sure of all the X-Men, Wolverine is the one you don’t want to piss off. He’s the one you want on your side and definitely not against you because he won’t stop until he’s dead — or you’re dead.
He also discusses whether the film's Japanese setting means Wolverine takes up martial arts:
That’s a great question because no one is simplistically just saying he becomes a martial artist or he becomes a samurai. What happens is Wolverine is a warrior by nature. His weapons, his strength is not pretty. It’s not formed so much, it’s more instinctive, a little more brutal. I think I’ve told you guys before I used to watch a lot of Mike Tyson videos, that’s what I’ve tried to model Wolverine on. What happens in this story, which follows on from the comic book arc, is actually he realizes that doesn’t always work for him and sometimes a more efficient, more disciplined approach of a samurai is more effective. He learns his lesson in a painful way and he adapts. That’s one good thing about Wolverine, he adapts. I’m not going to say he’s going to finish a triple black belt, but you do see him adjust, so I’ve been learning a lot for this, which is great.
[Collider]
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy actress Svetlana Khodchenkova discusses the look and personality of her character, the villainous Viper:
ll I can say about the costume now is that every costume is really different, and also being a woman I absolutely love it, all the different changes. It helps my character, because it progresses with the character throughout the film, her costumes and looks. It’s always changing. The most important costume for the Viper-look, the superhero look, is still in progress. We’ve made different versions of it and we’re still working on it. It’s surprising too, because we’re still working on it.
What’s your approach to the character? Obviously she is sort of a villain in this sort of storyline. Maybe you don’t see her as a villain, but I’m just curious, what’s your take on the character?
With my character, certainly she’s a villain, but for me to play the character I have to love the character. I have to realize why she’s doing what she’s doing, and obviously she has reasons for everything she does. I’m working a lot on that. I love the character.
[Collider]
Pacific Rim
Director Guillermo del Toro offers this absolutely amazing description of the movie's fight scenes between giant monsters and equally giant robots:
In creating Pacific Rim, I wanted the fights to have structure, like the wrestling matches of my childhood, so each fight brings a very different kind of aesthetic and a different dynamic. The first fight is very operatic, theatrical: Wagnerian. It happens in the middle of an iceberg-strewn sea, in the middle of a storm, with huge waves crashing on the Jaeger and Kaiju. We worked really hard at making water a character in this movie, frequently referring to Hokusai or the Fuji wave, and trying to make the water enhanced and add to the drama. This fight tries to quote the majesty of a painting by Goya called the Colossus.
The X-Files 3
Star Gillian Anderson says she still hopes to play Agent Scully one more time:
It feels like it needs one more chapter, in terms of the films. I think we all feel like having one more film out there will wrap it up nicely. It’s really just a matter of when. Now, in terms of my schedule, I don’t know when that when is. I’m not in any immediate rush to be calling Chris [Carter] and tapping my foot, but if it’s meant to happen, it will happen. The fact that it’s having a second life with the children who were obsessed with it is really awesome. There’s a whole new generation out there that’s discovering it on Netflix, and that’s great.
[Collider]
Arrow
Star Stephen Amell says the destruction of the Glades will change everything heading into season two:
We’re just going to find everybody in a different place. I think we’re actually going to find Oliver literally in a different place at the beginning of next year. It’s our second season, but it’s kind of like a new series. So I’m excited.
How do you think he’s going to process the loss of Tommy?
Not well. The reason that he was the vigilante, the Hood, all that stuff is gone now. Merlyn’s been stopped, the list is essentially somewhat obsolete, the Glades are destroyed. If he’s going to become the vigilante again or something different, he’s gonna need a new reason.
Check out the link for more, which includes Amell's cryptic refrain throughout the interview, "Arrow's world is growing." [IGN]
Teen Wolf
Costar Tyler Hoechlin discusses what lies ahead for Derek heading into season three:
It’s four months later and Derek is working with Peter (Ian Bohen), his crazy uncle, and Isaac (Daniel Sharman), one of his pack members, to find the missing members of his pack. That’s what we’ve been up to, for the last few months. It’s taking us awhile, apparently. So far, we’re still working on it. We’ll see. Hopefully, it turns out well.
What’s the dynamic like, between Derek, Peter and Isaac?
Between the three of our characters, it’s much different than the three of us, as individuals. We have a great time together. We always love working with our little group. You have three very strong personalities, in these characters. I think Derek, being the Alpha, is the leader of that group, but you also have two people who could easily, at any moment, want to step up and take that role, as well. It’s a very interesting dynamic. There’s a bit of a mutual respect, but there’s also always a good bit of tension between the three of them.
He also explains Derek's continued evolution as an Alpha:
When we come back, I don’t think there’s too much different from when we left Season 2. In Season 2, Derek was an overly confident Alpha, in the beginning, but was quickly humbled. He learned where he really stood and what his capabilities and limits were. Season 3 is a lot about redemption. It’s a much more humbled and focused Derek. He’s learning from his mistakes. I think he is growing, but not in a very quick way. He’s definitely learning his limits and what he can do to get the things done that he needs to get done.
What sort of relationship do Derek and Scott (Tyler Posey) have this season?
The relationship with Scott, this year, is much more one of mutual respect for him being his own wolf, and almost being his own Alpha, really. There’s not as much frustration with Scott. He’s not annoyed with Scott, as often as he used to be. It’s very much a realization that he needs Scott, as much as Scott needs him.
There's more at the link. [Collider]
Additional reporting by Katharine Trendacosta and Charlie Jane Anders.