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Tag: TV News

  • ‘Iron Fist’ Star Open to Return in a ‘Heroes for Hire’ Series

    ‘Iron Fist’ Star Open to Return in a ‘Heroes for Hire’ Series

    There have been many theories on what the future has in store for the Netflix Marvel characters. Not only did Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio returned to play their iconic characters from Daredevil, but they also got their very own series heading to Disney+ in 2024. With theories abound about others returning, it seems former Danny Rand, Finn Jones, is also down to return.

    In an interview with ComicBook.com, the actor revealed that he’s definitely down to play the character from Iron Fist again. He even has an idea how he’d like to see him return and that would be in a TV series based around the Heroes for Hire, especially to get another chance to work alongside Mike Colter.

    I would love to continue playing that character. I think there’s a lot of room for growth. Personally, where I would like to see the reintroduction of the character would be something like a Heroes for Hire TV series. I think that would be the most dynamic and fun way to reintroduce those characters. I loved working with Mike and I loved the on-screen chemistry between Danny and Luke. I think it’s a really interesting creative place that show can be taken in. I’d love to pick up that mantle again and keep moving this character forward and make the best possible Iron Fist there could be.

    Finn Jones

    Of all the Netflix series, it’s easy to say that Iron Fist was definitely the most controversial. Outside of the initial reactions to the casting, there were also a lot of discussions surrounding its quality, at least in its first season. Scott Buck infamously has a bad track record and concerns grew when he was set to showrun the first season; which he’d continue to prove with Inhumans.

    It wasn’t until Raven Metzner took over in its second season that the project was given any momentum. It wasn’t able to give us a shot at more due to Netflix ending its deal with Marvel but it did leave the character in an interesting direction.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • Lisa Kudrow to Lead Taika Waititi’s Upcoming ‘Time Bandit’ Series

    Lisa Kudrow to Lead Taika Waititi’s Upcoming ‘Time Bandit’ Series

    It looks like Taika Waititi has found his time bandit in Lisa Kudrow, as the Friends star is set to lead his upcoming adaptation of the 1981 Terry Gilliam film. The series is currently in production for Apple TV+ and has also cast seven actors that include Charlyne Yi, Tadhg Murphy, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva, Rune Temte, Rachel House, Kiera Thompson, and Kal-El Tuck.

    The series has been in development since 2019 and was given the description of “a comedic journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves and their newest recruit: an 11-year-old history nerd.” Tuck will take on the role of the young nerd by the name of Kevin.

    Waititi is a co-writer and signed on to direct the first two episodes of the Apple TV+ series. He’s been quite busy with his TV ventures, as he’s seen quite the success with the FX series What We Do in the Shadows as well as Reservation Dogs. There’s also his HBO Max series Our Flag Means Death where he also plays the character of Blackbeard.

    Kudrow has been quite busy, as she appeared in Disney+’s Better Nate Than Ever, Netflix’s Grace and Frankie, and more. While she’s still famously remembered for her role on Friends, she’s gone to have quite the extensive TV and film career. So, it’ll be interesting to see what she brings to this new series.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • AMC Orders Second Season of ‘Interview with the Vampire’ Ahead of Series Debut

    AMC Orders Second Season of ‘Interview with the Vampire’ Ahead of Series Debut

    For over forty years, author Anne Rice created a rich world of characters, settings and mythology around Lestat de Lioncourt. Beginning with Interview with the Vampire in 1976 and concluding with Blood Communion: A Tale of Prince Lestat in 2018, jut three years before her death, Rice’s Vampire Chronicles were hugely popular, selling over 80 million copies. Interview with the Vampire was adapted into a feature film in 1994, but despite a couple of failed attempts to adapt The Vampire Chronicles into live-action projects, Rice’s books never materialized into finished products despite the growing desire by fans to immerse themselves in shared universes.

    All that changed when AMC acquired the rights to Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, and The Lives of the Mayfair Witches, in May of 2020. AMC immediately began developing Interview with the Vampire as a series and the project’s first season is set to debut on October 2nd, 2022. Apparently, the wait must have been worth it, as AMC has now ordered a second season of Interview with the Vampire ahead of the series’ debut. Dan McDermott, President of Original Programming for AMC shared the news in an official release.

    The scope and breadth of this show, and what Mark and Rolin have delivered, is just stupendous. They have rendered the rich and vibrant world of Anne Rice’s Interview in a wonderful way, and we’re incredibly proud.  From the set build, to production design, costumes and more — no detail was overlooked. This stellar cast deliver powerful performances that emotionally connect us to these characters and their humanity,. We look forward to sharing the final product of this extraordinary effort with audiences in just a few short days and are thrilled that this story will continue. This is only the beginning of an entire Universe featuring enthralling stories and characters that capture the spirit of Anne Rice’s amazing work.

    Dan McDermott

    Rice’s Vampire Chronicles provide AMC with an opportunity to find their next long-term hit series just as their current one, The Walking Dead, completes its 11th and final season. The wealth of source material accumulated in the 13 Vampire Chronicle novels could generate a decade or more worth of TV. AMC’s other series based on Rice’s novels, The Lives of the Mayfair Witches, is set to debut in January of 2023.

    Source: Deadline

  • EXCLUSIVE: Genevieve O’Reilly On Mon Mothma’s Home Life in ‘ANDOR’

    EXCLUSIVE: Genevieve O’Reilly On Mon Mothma’s Home Life in ‘ANDOR’

    Mon Mothma is one of the iconic Star Wars characters making their return in Andor. Played by Genevieve O’Reilly, the show explores Mon Mothma’s early days in the Rebellion, giving insight into how she navigated the Empire’s political landscape.

    This week’s episode, in particular, reveals the life she had at home away from all the politics. It is revealed that her husband is in cahoots with some of the Empire’s most questionable personnel, much to her frustration. We spoke with O’Reilly, and asked what she thought of this brand new examination of such an important Star Wars character:

    Isn’t it interesting that we usually see Mon Mothma surrounding by rebels in a bunker? Where we meet her now is so polar opposite to any position we’ve seen her in before. She’s living and working within the imperial senate but not only that, her husband is clearly a card-carrying paid-up member of that Empire. We know that she’s been a senator since she was 16 years old. That comes with some serious constructs. We know her has a woman with a voice and an advocate for democracy. But really, how much of a voice did you have at 16? What is the structure of the life you stepped into as a senator at 16? What choices did she have? What’s interesting in Tony’s version when we meet her in her home life is you go, “What choices has this woman ever had?”

    It’ll be interesting to see just how Mon Mothma’s home life plays out given how she eventually rises to lead the Rebellion a couple of years from Andor. Her husband’s fate will be one to watch out for when he realizes his wife is working for the Empire’s enemy. Will he rat Mon out? How will he find out? One of Andor’s biggest strengths is its willingness to ask these questions and that makes for incredible Star Wars storytelling.

  • ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Netflix Series Rounds Out Ensemble Cast

    ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Netflix Series Rounds Out Ensemble Cast

    As Netflix continues its search for its next breakout hit to follow up the successes of Stranger Things and Squid Game, one project anticipated to do the trick is the live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. With principal photography having wrapped for the series in early June, the waiting game for new information is well underway. Now, fans of the hit Nickelodeon series have been treated to a large swath of new castings for the Netflix adaptation. Below are the 20 casting additions officially announced.

    • Amber Midthunder as Princess Yue
    • A Martinez as Pakku
    • Irene Bedard as Yagoda
    • Joel Oulette as Hahn
    • Nathaniel Arcand as Chief Arnook
    • Meegwun Fairbrother as Avatar Kuruk
    • Arden Cho as June
    • Utkarsh Ambudkar as King Bumi
    • Daniel Pudi as The Mechanist
    • Lucian-River Chauhan as Teo
    • James Sie as The Cabbage Merchant
    • Momona Tamada as Ty Lee
    • Thalia Tran as Mai
    • Ruy Iskandar as Lieutenant Jee
    • Hiro Kanagawa as Fire Lord Sozin
    • C.S. Lee as Avatar Roku
    • François Chau as the Great Sage
    • Ryan Mah as Lieutenant Dang
    • George Takei as Koh
    • Randall Duk Kim as Wan Shi Tong

    For fans of The Last Airbender, these are certainly some exciting revelations as many of these are quite memorable characters to the lore of the franchise. Some specific castings of note include James Sie reprising his role as the unfortunate Cabbage Merchant, a character deeply ensconced in the online zeitgeist of the cartoon. Also of note, the casting of Ghosts’ Utkarsh Ambudkar as King Bumi may surprise some due to him being significantly younger than the character’s previous depiction, though it makes sense with the high physicality of the role. What might be most interesting, though, is the apparent inclusion of Mai and Ty Lee in the first season despite originating in season two of the animated series. With that in mind, it seems likely that Princess Azula and her team will have more of a built-up presence early on in this incarnation of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

    It’s not currently announced as to when the series will release on Netflix. Though with production having wrapped earlier this year, a 2023 release feels quite logical.

    Source: Variety

  • Netflix Not Moving Forward with ‘Grendel,’ Show Being Shopped

    Netflix Not Moving Forward with ‘Grendel,’ Show Being Shopped

    A little over a year ago, it was announced that Netflix had given a series order to Grendel with Katy Keene‘s Abubakr Ali set to take on the titular role. The show’s first season would have consisted of 8-episodes and hailed from Resident Evil and Supernatural‘s Andrew Dabb, who was to serve as the showrunner. Unfortunately, Deadline has confirmed that Grendel is no longer happening.

    Per Deadline, despite being given a series order, Netflix is not moving forward with the project, although a specific reason for the cancellation has not been revealed. The outlet only notes that the decision was made in the midst of production, so there’s only a “partial eight-episode season filmed.” With Netflix passing on the project, the series is set to be shopped to other networks and streaming services.

    Along with Ali, Grendel was set to star Jaime Ray Newman, Julian Black Antelope, Madeline Zima, Kevin Corrigan, Emma Ho, Erik Palladino, Brittany Allen and Andy Mientus. The series would have centered on Hunter Rose (Ali) as he seeks vengeance in New York’s criminal underworld. Ali would have been the first Arab Muslim male actor to portray a series lead in a comic book adaptation with Grendel.

    Source: Deadline.

  • How ‘Werewolf By Night’ Slighted VFX in Favor of Practical Effects

    How ‘Werewolf By Night’ Slighted VFX in Favor of Practical Effects

    Marvel Studios’ first Special Presentation, Werewolf By Night, has been widely discussed as a love letter to monsters that was inspired and pays homage to the Classic Universal Monster movies of the early 20th Century. Among the first rumors about the project were that star Gael García Bernal’s lycanthrope appearance would be entirely practical in order to cement that “classic” aesthetic. In a recent interview with Phase Zero, director Michael Giacchino confirmed the rumors and detailed the work-intensive process.

    The trailer for Werewolf By Night gave fans ample opportunity to check out the look, including a portion of it where Bernal’s Jack Russell changes into the werewolf, a shot that Giacchino said took months to plan and execute.

    Now the other thing about that shot is it was all done in-camera. That’s not a visual effect, that shot. That was all done in-camera and that took months to design and figure out how we were going to do it, but Joe Farrell, our visual effects supervisor, was incredible in helping put that together. But that is almost exactly as I storyboarded that moment, exactly that… so wherever we could do practical, in-camera effects, we did it, and I would say there [are] a ton of them in there, you just would never even know.

    Michael Giacchino

    The use of practical effects absolutely paid off in setting Werewolf By Night apart from other Marvel Studios projects which rely heavily, if not entirely, on VFX. Those effects, in addition to the project being screened in black and white and the campy nature of the writing, have been among aspects of the project listed in what amounts to effusive praise for the project ahead of its October 7th release on Disney Plus. With Giacchino teasing more monsters in the future, perhaps what is old is new again and fans should prepare for a second age of practical effects!

    Source: Phase Zero

  • Kevin Feige Teases the Scarlet Witch’s MCU Future

    Kevin Feige Teases the Scarlet Witch’s MCU Future

    Elizabeth Olsen has become a driving force behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her character’s journey from orphan to one of the most powerful characters in the Multiverse has been one of the MCU’s most impressive, long-term character arcs and Olsen’s work in WandaVision stands among the best performances given in the 14-year history of the franchise. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness saw Wanda turn heel, fully embrace the Scarlet Witch and eviscerate some of the Multiverse’s mightiest heroes before realizing the enormity of what she’d done and bringing Mt. Wundagore down around her.

    Since Multiverse of Madness premiered early in 2022, rumors have begin to swirl that despite her apparent demise, Marvel Studios had future plans for Wanda in not one, but two projects. A solo Scarlet Witch project and an adaptation of Avengers: The Children’s Crusade have both been the source of fairly legitimate rumblings, though Marvel Studios has had nothing to say on the subject…until now. In a recent interview with Variety, both Kevin Fiege and Olsen gave some insight into what the future might hold for the character.

    As fans of the MCU might come to expect, Olsen is hesitant to reveal even the slightest bit of information about whether or not there even is a future for the character, saying “I really don’t know my future. There’s nothing that has been agreed on.” Fortunately, and perhaps a bit uncharacteristically, Feige was a touch more loquacious.

    There really is so much more to explore. We still haven’t touched on many of her core storylines from the comics. I don’t know that we saw her under rubble? I saw a tower coming down, and a little red flash. I don’t know what that means.

    Kevin Feige

    Essentially, Feige is subscribing to the narrative that many fans have been quick to point out: though the circumstances seemed dire for Wanda as Wundagore came crumbling down, there’s no reason to surmise that one as powerful as the Scarlet Witch couldn’t have survived. More than that, Feige’s praise of Olsen is effusive, calling her “incredibly humble and incredibly down-to-earth” behind the scenes while also stating that she is “a force of nature” when “those cameras roll.” To cap it off, Feige enthused that he’d “work with Lizzie for another 100 years” before teasing “anything’s possible in the multiverse!” Certainly not the type of “I-said-a-lot-without-saying-anything” answers Feige tends to give nor a nail in the coffin of the character.

    Even after being told of Feige’s comments, Olsen remained mum on the topic of her return. But with her sons rumored to appear in Agatha: Coven of Chaos, two rumored projects that would feature her and Avengers: Secret Wars ahead, it’s hard to imagine that Marvel Studios would leave the Scarlet Witch buried in the rubble.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Werewolf by Night’ Director Teases “Fun Horror” But Promises Plenty of Scares

    ‘Werewolf by Night’ Director Teases “Fun Horror” But Promises Plenty of Scares

    While a lot of eyes are on the upcoming release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and the current Disney+ series She-Hulk, Attorney at Law, we also have a Halloween Disney+ special on the horizon. Werewolf by Night will offer something very new, as Marvel Studios ventures out into its new Special Presentation territory and promises a Hammer-inspired black-and-white horror spectacular.

    Early reviews have been very positive and that is quite exciting for Michael Giacchino, as this project marks his first true directorial debut. He’s seemingly been quite interested in tackling the character and was even approached by Kevin Feige on if there was a character he’d love to bring to life, which led to him tackling a character he dearly loves. In an interview with Empire, he highlights how he grew up with the character’s comics and teases how the idea evolved to become a “love letter to monsters and the humanity behind them.”

    I still have the comics that I bought when I was a kid. Kevin and I kept talking about it, and it’s evolved into this love letter to monsters and the humanity behind them.

    Michael Giacchino

    He’s also teased that this will be a “fun horror” adaptation of the popular character. He does highlight that this is still a horror story and jokingly reveals that his nephew couldn’t sleep the night he was able to watch it. So, it seems we’ll get that MCU story that can take a bigger bite out of the R-rated territory; something we’ve seen growing ever since Moon Knight offered us a small tease of what they might do.

    Source: Empire

  • ‘Werewolf By Night’ Director Michael Giacchino Addresses Rumors of an Appearance by Blade

    ‘Werewolf By Night’ Director Michael Giacchino Addresses Rumors of an Appearance by Blade

    There’s only one thing that fans of the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe love more than the half-dozen or more projects that Marvel Studios puts out each year: rumors. The online dialogue about which characters might cameo in Marvel’s next project has grown to the point where fans often find themselves more excited about a character cameo than they are about the project’s lead character. Unfortunately, due to bogus rumors, changes during production and just plain poor theorizing, fans often find themselves frustrated when the thing they’ve imagined in their head doesn’t materialize in said project.

    One such project that seems to have been the focus of just that type of speculation for quite some time now is the upcoming Marvel Studios Halloween Special, Werewolf By Night. It seems like every character from the horror corner of Marvel Comics from Blade, to Ghost Rider to Vampire By Night, has been discussed as possibly appearing in the project all while overlooking the titular character and the rest of the crew.

    Following his voice-only cameo in Eternals, fans have been particularly eager to pin down Mahershala Ali’s next appearance as the aforementioned Daywalker and Werewolf By Night certainly became a sensible focal point of speculation for that appearance. Over the past several months, rumors first swirled that Ali’s character would indeed show up in the project; then, more recently, that due to scheduling conflicts, he would not. In an interview with One Take News, director Michael Giacchino was asked about those rumors and it turns out he’s been paying attention to the online discourse.

    You know what, rumors are insanely inaccurate I would say…99.9% of the time. The thing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is everyone thinks that every single thing is going to be connected. EVERY single thing. And it doesn’t mean that we’re not connected. But, I didn’t feel the need to blatantly say we were.

    Michael Giacchino

    We’ve run the numbers and it turns out Giacchino’s percentage is actually a little on the low side of things. And while the director didn’t ACTUALLY address whether or not Blade was on track to appear, he did go on to explain that part of what drew him to developing Werewolf By Night was the the character could exist in isolation in the comics and didn’t need to be a part of every event.

    You know, every other show has done that and they’ve done it brilliantly and I thought “you know what?”, when I was a kid, I would pull a comic off the shelf and this particular Werewolf By Night issue had nothing to do with anything else in the Marvel Universe. What’s wrong with that? That’s okay! You know, they can all live together but we don’t need to always show them together. You know, let’s have a moment where we’re dealing with this. One of the shows that was a huge influence for me growing up was The Twilight Zone and what I loved about it was each one was its own thing and each story was something that you had to think about for days afterwards and I said “Let’s do that! Let’s just worry about this”. You know, in the future, who knows? We’ll see where the characters go, we’ll see where we take them but for now, let’s just worry about this one thing right here.

    Michael Giacchino

    Was Blade supposed to be in it? We don’t know. But we do know that he is not and that according to all the first reactions to the project, Giacchino seems to have made exactly the type of project he set out to: one that stands among the crowd of “Marvel formula” projects and that exists within its own little pocket of a much larger universe.

    Werewolf By Night debuts on Disney Plus on Octobrer 7th.

    Source: One Take News