Joss Whedon may have found a kick-ass Quicksilver for The Avengers 2. A new rumor suggests Spider-Man will be fighting a whole crew of villains in Amazing Spider-Man 3. TV spots show off Pacific Rim and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Plus more videos and interviews for Man of Steel! Spoilers are on the way!
Top image from The Walking Dead.
Star Wars: Episode VII
Director J.J. Abrams offers a one-sentence encapsulation of his approach to the film, plus a relatively concrete update on the filming schedule:
“I think that the thing is so big and so massive to so many people that the key to moving forward is honoring but not revering what went before... Most likely we are going to be moving to London at the end of the year for the Star Wars movie."
That more or less confirms that production will begin in the UK in early 2014, as was previously rumored. For his part, Abrams indicated his preference would actually have been to shoot the film in Los Angeles, but Disney and LucasFilm apparently decided on Britain before he was brought on board. [Deadline]
Man of Steel
Here's a clip featuring a confrontation between Russell Crowe's Jor-El and Michael Shannon's General Zod. [Comic Book Movie]
Here's an interview with stars Henry Cavill and Amy Adams in which they answer questions from fans.
Producer Deborah Snyder discusses why this movie tries to emphasize character over action:
I think people expect the action, the spectacle, but the depth of the characters and I think the struggles that they go through, that they’re very modern struggles and they’re very relatable struggles. That was kind of our goal to make him as human and as relatable as possible. Because I think before, at least for me, because I can only speak for me, but I found that he was always so good and super-boyscout-ish that I couldn’t really get a feel – at least in the movies, because that’s how I come to him, not really reading the comics but from the movies, and I feel like there is a reason that this character has lasted 75 years. I think it is all these stories inside the cannon that different people can relate to. Whether it’s the two fathers – I think we touch on family and the struggle what it is to be good. I think for us when we read this script seeing Clark being bullied, and seeing him lost in the world, and seeing him try to find his place that was the most interesting aspect of the story for me, because it was a superman that I had never seen before.
She also discusses how she, director Zack Snyder, and writer David S. Goyer tried to translate the vast Superman canon to the screen:
Yeah, I think that was a collaboration. I mean, listen, David Goyer is the expert, whenever we were unsure – Zack has always been a fan of Superman and has read the comics, but by no means is he an expert on everything Superman, but Goyer knows a lot about it. So whenever we had a question we would go an ask Goyer, “Hey is that right?” Or, “We need the name of a character, find something,” because we really wanted to use a lot from the canon. I think then that’s how Zack came into play. Zack would try to add more things because respecting the canon, although we’re modernizing, it is something that was important to him. And getting those little tidbits, whether it’s the name of someone or a place – we created this Kryptonian language that in Krypton, on the walls, there’s this awesome calligraphy on the walls and its actually translated words and there’s phrases that are there scrolled on the walls. That’s not too spoilers because I didn’t tell you what they are.
There's more at the link. [Collider]
The Avengers 2
While Kick-Ass actor Evan Peters is reportedly the top choice to play the 20th Century Fox version of Quicksilver in Bryan Singer's X-Men: Days of Future Past, Joss Whedon is reportedly zeroing in on a different person from the Kick-Ass cast to play the Marvel Studios version of the character. Specifically, it's Nicolas Cage star Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who is reportedly the frontrunner for the role. Whedon has indicated that Quicksilver and his sister Scarlet Witch would be vital new characters in the sequel, whereas the current rumors indicate the X-Men version of Quicksilver is only slated to appear in one action sequence. [The Wrap]
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Take this with a grain of salt, but there's a new report that cast member Colm Feore is playing Adrian Toomes in the sequel — Toomes, of course, being better known as the villainous Vulture. The report also indicates that Chris Cooper's Norman Osborn will don the Green Goblin gear for the climax, which would presumably feature the death of Gwen Stacy. And, since all good revelations come in threes, I guess, the final tidbit is that Feore's Vulture, Cooper's Goblin, Jamie Foxx's Electro, and Paul Giamatti's Rhino will come together to form 66.7% of the Sinister Six, who would then be the villains of the third film. [Comic Book Movie]
The Wolverine
Here's the latest promo photo. [Coming Soon]
Pacific Rim
Here's the latest TV spot.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Here's a TV spot.
The Walking Dead
Here's the first official behind-the-scenes look at the making of season four. [Coming Soon]
Daryl Dixon actor Norman Reedus praises the scripts for the fourth season:
“The scripts this season are just amazing. It feels like we’ve shot about three movies already. It’s super intense. They’ve introduced a way to make the zombies scary again,” he says. “They’re terrifying. The new threat is just unreal. The structure of the writing is a bit different. It’s so intense. These are our best scripts so far.”
Check out the link for more. [EW]
Revolution
The second season will reportedly introduce the possibly recurring character Jesse, described as "a 30-year-old fit, cool, handsome guy." [SpoilerTV]
Supernatural
Co-executive producer Jim Michaels reveals that the upcoming ninth season will be 23 episodes long. [@TheJimMichaels]
Falling Skies
Showrunner Remi Aubuchon discusses the overall thematic arc of the third season:
A lot of Season 3 is about taking action, and the theme that we’re actually playing with is “What price victory?” In other words, how much are you willing to sacrifice? And since we follow Tom Mason, it’s really his dilemma. Here he is now, “the President of the New United States,” whatever that means. He has decided to align himself with aliens [the Volm] who seem to have the technology and know-how to beat back [the Espheni]. But at the same time, his family is in a number of crises that he’s not really paying attention to. And his own moral compass is sorely tested also, because just out of revenge or whatever, he wants that final victory and seems to be using any way to get it.
He also discusses how the show might fill in some blanks created by the time jump, starting with Hal's paralysis:
We actually don’t do flashbacks on Falling Skies; it’s kind of one of [executive producer] Steven [Spielberg]’s rules. But we do allow the audience to catch up to what has happened. We know from the second season that Karen did something to Hal, and one of our last moments in the last episode is watching this thing crawl out into his ear. But what we don’t know is the consequences. What I’ve always loved about Hal as a character is that he’s quick to anger, quick to action and quick to love. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s decisive. He’ll step in front of a bullet for someone. He’s just a pretty good guy, and I loved the idea that he is suddenly faced with this horrible secret that he has inside.
What about Maggie’s respective journey?
Maggie is someone who has said she’s never been able to stay in a relationship more than a few months. But she’s done that with Hal, she cares about Hal. What her journey is, as Sarah [Sanguine Carter] put really well in one of our panels, is that she finally understands the value of love and what it means. And she’s going to be sorely tested throughout the season on that because not only is Hal going to be going through a lot but she’s going to be going through a lot with Hal.
He also discusses what Hellboy's Doug Jones brings to the role of the Volm emissary Cochise:
You have Skitters, who are weird and ugly, and Overlords who are imposing. But we wanted a character that was going to be interactive with our cast, someone who was going to be a real force throughout the season. I don’t think there’s anybody like Doug who can make a rubber suit come alive the way he can. What he does with that part of it, in my opinion, is magic. But he’s also a terrific actor, and he found in Cochise not just an alien but a thinking, feeling being who finds himself with a species that he’s never encountered before, and that starts to change him as a character. We were incredibly lucky to get Doug; I didn’t think we had a shot in hell.
There's still a bunch more at the link. [TV Line]
Star Noah Wyle explains how he justified to himself the idea of Tom becoming president:
“I was a little nervous about asking audiences to get their mind around so much so quickly. But the way that I justified it was this alliance with the Volm has been very successful, and you can’t argue with results, and if the people need to feel there’s a President in order to feel a sense of normalcy and calm, then Tom’s willing to play that part, but that’s all it really is at this stage. He’s just playing a role, knowing full well that any formation of a government structure is premature until the war is finished. In actuality, he’s the president of 20 square blocks, and more like the mayor of a small town than actually the President. But, on his arc to becoming a good leader, it’s an important step to start him off in a suit that doesn’t quite fit, and that he gradually grows into as the season unfolds.”
There's more at the link, including some thoughts from costar Drew Roy. [KSiteTV]
Teen Wolf
MTV tweeted out a photo of departed cast member Gage Golightly with the simple caption "Surprise," suggesting that her character Erica Reyes might show up in the third season after all. [@MTVteenwolf]
Additional reporting by Katharine Trendacosta and Charlie Jane Anders.