Hey All,
Here are the news items for today:
TELEVISION
Actor Mark Pellegrino (Lost and Supernatural) will make a guest appearance in an upcoming 1940s-set film noir-themed episode of Castle. He will play Tom Dempsey, a ruthless club owner from 1947 who has it out for a private eye and his best girl (who Castle imagines as himself and Beckett) and whose shadowy dealings may be tied to a murder Castle and Beckett are investigating in the present day. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)
Actor Chris Zylka has been promoted to a series regular on The Secret Circle. (Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)
DEVELOPMENT NEWS
TNT has given the greenlight to a new pilot called Chelsea General from award-winning producer David E. Kelly and Dr. Sanjay Gupta (from CNN). The project will be based on Gupta’s upcoming novel called “Monday Mornings”. The book is to follow the lives of five surgeons as they push the limits of their abilities and confront their personal and professional failings, using their hospital’s weekly morbidity and mortality conference as a backdrop. This new project is one of three projects picked up by the cabler. The other two projects are Gateway, a Western saga and Scent of the Missing, which is about a canine search-and-rescue team. (The Futon Critic)
Lifetime has given the greenlight to a two-hour original movie called Sworn to Silence that will act as a potential backdoor pilot, starring Neve Campbell (the Scream franchise and Party of Five). The project is based on the book by Linda Castillo that is set in the Amish farming community of Painter’s Mill, Ohio, which was shaken up by a series of brutal murders 15 years ago. Kate Burkholder (Campbell), who as a young girl survived the terror and left the Amish life behind, now returns to Painter’s Mill as its Chief of Police. But Kate’s renewed life in her hometown is shattered when a murder investigation triggers deep-seated emotions from her childhood and exposes dark secret that could destroy her. The telefilm will also star Poppy Montgomery (Unforgettable) and Barbara Lieberman (Lifetime’s upcoming The Pregnancy Project). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
J.J. Abrams and Mark Schwann (creator and executive producer of One Tree Hill) will be working together on a new project for The CW tentatively called Maine. The story will be set at an inn in Maine and revolve around the staff and the inn’s guests. (Think Gilmore Girls for the male set, maybe?!) (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
A&E Network will be working with Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson on the new half-hour cop drama for The Box that will take place largely within the walls of an interrogation room. The project has gotten a two script order and will feature a small ensemble of detectives as they interrogate the key suspect or witness of a case. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
MINI SERIES NEWS
The BBC and BBC America are bringing back the mini-series The Hour for a second “season” with six installments. This version will also introduce new cast members. The new batch of episodes will take place a year after the events of the first season, in 1957, with the world on the brink of the Cold War. (The Hollywood Reporter)
CONDOLENCES
Harry Morgan, the prolific character actor best known for playing Colonel Potter in the long-running television series “M*A*S*H” passed away yesterday. He was 96. (Twitter)
ME: Rest in peace, Mr. Morgan. Condolences are extended to family, friends and fans.
MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…
BOX OFFICE NEWS
Actor William Hurt has joined the cast of the film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s sci-fi novel The Host. Hurt will appear as Uncle Jeb, one of the grizzled leaders of the human survivalists fighting off the alien invasion. The film focuses on an alien invasion of parasites who take over human bodies by fusing to each person’s consciousness and systematically erases their personalities. The cast already includes Saoirse Ronan (Hanna), Max Irons (Red Riding Hood) and Jake Abel (I Am Number Four). The film is slated to be released in March of 2013. (Entertainment Weekly and First Showing)
Despite being derailed awhile back by Disney and then being put back on schedule, the box office film The Lone Ranger is close to a deal to cast actor Tom Wilkinson as the lead villain Latham Cole. The film already stars Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp (in the lead roles of the Lone Ranger and Tonto, respectively) and Ruth Wilson (from Luther). Deals are also being worked out to include Barry Pepper, Helena Bonham Carter, James Badge Dale and Dwight Yoakum as part of the cast. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)
Actor Benjamin Bratt has joined the cast of the box office film Snitch that stars Dwayne Johnson as a father forced to become an informant for the DEA to reduce his falsely accused son’s 10-year jail sentence. Bratt will play a major player in the Mexican drug trade exposed by Johnson. Susan Sarandon, Barry Pepper, Jon Bernthal, Melina Kanakaredes, Michael K. Williams, Rafi Gavron and Nadine Velazquez also star. (Variety and Dark Horizons)
Actor Johnathon Schaech (That Thing You Do) is joining the cast of airline thriller called 7500. He will play a commercial airline pilot on a transpacific flight who starts seeing things beyond reality due to a supernatural force on the plane. (Variety and Dark Horizons)
Q&A SECTION (with Natalie Abrams and Adam Bryant from TV Guide and Michael Ausiello at TV Line)
Question: Got any scoop on the holiday episode of Chuck? — Henry
NATALIE: ‘Tis the season for mistletoe, and boy, will there be a lot of smooching going on! Not only will Chuck kiss another woman, but Sarah will kiss another man — But that won’t be the biggest secret that she’s hiding from her hubby. There’s another that will change the dynamic of their relationship forever.
Question: I am really digging Person of Interest. Got any scoop? — Shawn
ADAM: Thursday’s hour is all about Taraji P. Henson’s Detective Carter, who just so happens to be the next name Finch’s magic machine spits out. You’ll see her time in Iraq and meet for the first time a couple of people she holds in high esteem, one of whom is a criminal informant. Things get extra sticky, though, when Reese — whom Carter has been chasing all season — must choose between saving Carter’s life and exposing himself.
Question: All I want for Christmas is Hawaii Five-0 scoop! — Linda
ADAM: Get ready to meet Danny’s old partner from New Jersey! But this won’t be a happy reunion. You see, Danny once testified against his former pal, who Danny suspected of stealing money and drugs from crime scenes. That landed him in the slammer for 10 years, where he’s been plotting a nasty bit of revenge. Yeah, but how does he look with his shirt off?
Question: Question: Please tell this Revenge addict the dead guy on the beach is someone other than Daniel. I love the way Josh Bowman has played this unwitting pawn in Emily’s plot. I’d hate to see him go. —Cindy
Ausiello: You better believe that was the first question I asked leading lady Emily VanCamp when she dropped by TVLine’s new Times Square headquarters on Tuesday. All she would say is that the “original plan” called for Daniel to be the dead man beached. And the current plan…? “I don’t think [the producers] are completely certain,” she hedged. “I guess the best thing I can say is that nothing is as ever as it seems on this show.” Well, one thing is as it seems: VanCamp confirms that “someone is dead on the beach. That I can say.”
Question: Do you have any scoop on Grimm? I wasn’t sure about this show at first, but my family and I watched the first episode online last night and added it to our DVR list before it even ended! —Cindy
Ausiello: This Friday’s episode is a big one for everyone’s favorite blutbad, Monroe. Not only will we watch as he struggles to contain his wild side, but we’ll also observe his romantic side when his former flame (played by Eureka‘s Jaime Ray Newman) comes to Portland and really, ahem, tests his discipline.
Question: I’ll take any Pretty Little Liars scoop you’ve got! —Lila
Ausiello: Lucy Hale says that just because Aria’s parents will be clued into her romance with Ezra during Season 2.5, it doesn’t mean they — specifically her dad — will like it. Instead, the reveal “only causes more problems,” the actress tells TVLine’s Matt Mitovich. “There’s a lot of friction between Aria and her parents because of this big bombshell that she drops.” As a result, she promises “more sneaking around” and “a lot more lying, obviously. It’s Pretty Little Liars!”
That’s it. Enjoy!
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