Hey All,
Here are the news items for today:
TELEVISION
Actor Enrico Colantoni (Veronica Mars and Flashpoint) has joined the Canadian medical drama called Remedy. He will play Dr. Allan Conner, a passionate father and doctor who is acting chief of staff at the fictional Broadview Hospital. (Etan Vlessing at The Hollywood Reporter)
Actor Josh Hartnett (Black Hawk Down) and actress Eva Green (Casino Royale) have joined the cast of the hotly-anticipated Showtime drama Penny Dreadful that is expected to air in 2014. Hartnett will play Ethan Chandler, a charming American who finds himself trapped in the darkest corners of Victorian London, while Green will play Vanessa Ives, a seductive and formidable beauty full of secrets and danger. This new series is being described as a frightening psychological thriller. (The Futon Critic)
Actress Kelly Reilly (Sherlock Holmes) has landed the lead role in the upcoming 13-episode limited series on ABC called The Black Box that centers on Elizabeth Black (Reilly), a world-renowned neuroscientist who appears to have it all, but is constantly haunted by her own struggle with mental illness. And that is not the only secret she’s kept locked away from her family and her new fiancé. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
Actor Marc Blucas (Buffy and Necessary Roughness) will guest star in an episode of Blue Bloods as Russell, a movie star who joins Danny (series regular Donnie Wahlberg) for a ride along to research a new role. (Chris Harnick at Huffington Post)
Actor Jim Murray (UK’s original Primeval) has joined the cast of Defiance for its second season where he will play Niles Pottinger, the new mayor of Defiance. Appointed by the Earth Republic, Pottinger is shrewd, polished and charming, but his civilized veneer hides a ruthless pragmatist who traffics in information and secrets, and mercilessly punishes those who defy him. His latest object of desire is ex-mayor Amanda Rosewater (series regular Julie Benz). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
Actor David Conrad (Ghost Whisperer) has landed a super secret role on this fall’s most anticipated new drama: ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)
Actor Oliver Hudson (Rules of Engagement) will have a recurring role on Nashville when it returns for its second season this fall on ABC. He will play a love interest of Rayna’s (series lead Connie Britton). (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)
DEVELOPMENT NEWS
Actress Ruth Wilson (Luther) has landed the lead role in the Showtime pilot called The Affair. She will play the role of Alison, a young married woman, working in a pancake house, trying to piece her life back together in the wake of a tragedy. This pilot is being described as an intense and intimate exploration of two marriages and an affair that disrupts them – with all of the complex consequences that result. (TV By the Numbers)
Lifetime has given a greenlight to a new pilot called Unreal based on the Sarah Gertrude Shapiro award-winning independent short film called Sequin Raze. Marti Noxon (Buffy) and Shapiro wrote the pilot that goes behind-the-scenes of a hit competition dating show to follow the experiences of a young staffer whose sole job is to manipulate her relationships with (and among) the contestants to get the vital dramatic and outrageous footage the program’s producers demand. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
NBC has bought a sci-fi drama pilot from Todd Holland (Go On). The untitled project is described as an action drama about immortal humans who have existed among us for the past 3,000 years. The drama revolves around Jack, an enforcer/bounty hunter — and I-M himself. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)
Q&A SECTION (with Adam Bryant and Natalie Abrams at TV Guide and Michael Ausiello at TV Line)
Question: So, how will NCIS actually write Ziva’s exit from the show? — Samantha
ADAM: Given that Ziva was one of three agents who resigned to protect Gibbs, it actually won’t be that far-fetched. The season will open with a two-parter that features Colin Hanks returning to threaten Gibbs, prompting a team reunion. “Ziva is out in the ether and Tony has to go off and find her,” executive producer Gary Glasbgerg says. “The second episode is really all about Tony and Ziva, and, I hope, delivers all the things the Tiva fans are going to want.” Adds Michael Weatherly: “The will they/won’t they is answered. Tony’s going to be forced to face this Sword of Damocles that’s been hanging over him since Season 3.” That’s Greek for “they’re totally gonna do it,” right?
Question: Who are the two villains coming to Arrow this season? —Casey
NATALIE: With Isabel Rochev, Sebastian Blood and Bronze Tiger being introduced — and Deadshot and Slade Wilson returning — the possibilities are endless! “Our two Big Bads of the year, we know what their endgame and master plan is,” executive producer Marc Guggenheim says. “[They’ll both] feel like they’re acting from a righteous place. They will cross paths, and there’s a Venn diagram in terms of their goals and in the diagram, there is overlap.” Who do you put your money on?
Question: What can you tell me about the new season of Homeland? — Justin
ADAM: Don’t expect the crazy roller coaster you got at the beginning of Season 2. Instead, Season 3 is a measured exploration of the aftereffects of the Langley attack on Carrie, Saul and the Brody family. It’s fair to say that they’ll all be unnerved — in different ways. Saul will have to choose between Carrie and the CIA, which is heartbreaking, and Dana will take drastic action that will reveal a new side of her character — literally and figuratively.
Question: How will they rescue Henry on Once Upon a Time? —Jennie
NATALIE: Snow White and Prince Charming will find themselves trying to set a good and noble example for their daughter Emma when they head to Neverland, lest she turn to other means to get Henry back. “If the Queen’s got a better way to get Henry that may break the law, so be it. It’s prison rules,” says executive producer Adam Horowitz. That will be difficult for Snow, who is still struggling with her blackened heart. “This year, it’s about finding the hope,” he adds. “It’s the hope that Snow White always brought to us. She’s the light. I think she’s going to see a lot of darkness and realize that the best thing she can do is return the light to not just her, but to get daughter and her husband.”
Question: Any scoop on Matt and Rebekah on The Vampire Diaries or The Originals? I heart them together! —Maggie
NATALIE: While we won’t rule out the opportunity for crossover episodes, Claire Holt seems pretty sure that the two are done for now. “In the last episode, Matt told her, ‘I have to keep my life vampire-free,’ so she knew going into it that they would have a little fun, travel the world together and now she’s ready to move on and take down more men in New Orleans,” Holt says.
Question: How will Casey continue to deal with Hallie’s death when Chicago Fire returns? — Tony
ADAM: “He goes away on a sabbatical; he takes a little time out,” Jesse Spencer tells us. “But he’s going to come back with a new lease on life.” Although there won’t be a new love interest in Casey’s life, he will open himself up to new people in a slightly surprising way. “He becomes a family man,” Spencer says. “He’s able to give something back to some kids. It’s going to be an emotionally healing experience. The kids are going to help him, and it’ll be a complicated, but nice, recovery.”
Question: Any news on a replacement for Ziva on NCIS? —Cathy
Ausiello: Yep, and pretty big news at that. As exec producer Gary Glasberg revealed to Matt Mitovich Monday night, it’s going to be “a little while” before a full-time agent is brought in to fill the void left by Cote de Pablo. But in the meantime, the show — taking a page from Bones‘ squintern playbook — will “rotate some fun people” through the agency’s doors. “The first two episodes are all about Ziva’s departure,” Glasberg notes. “And then in the third episode we introduce, for instance, a woman in her 50s who is a few days away from retirement and just needs to fill the desk time. She, in theory, knew Gibbs all the way back to the days of Mike Franks. So we’re going to bring in people like that and have some fun with different characters. And then, hopefully, when people are comfortable enough, one will walk in and be The One.”
Question: I need some fall Nashville scoop. – Titan
Ausiello: Well, when you ask in such a polite fashion, how can I say no? A new thirtysomething character, Trey, is going to be hot, rich, charming, confident, self-deprecating and European — which narrows his romantic pool to Juliette, Scarlett, Zoey, Will or anyone with a pulse.
Question: Consider this a request for some general, non-specific Vampire Diaries information. —Missy
Ausiello: The show is doing the time warp again. Exec producer Caroline Dries tells us that Episode 3 will be a flashback episode. “It is a decade we haven’t seen before,” she shares. “It’s going to be very good.”
Question: Any scoop on Grimm? – Larry
Ausiello: Gypsies are known for their nomadic nature, but Queen Estefania is staying put… at least for now. Executive producers James Kouf and David Greenwalt tell TVLine that Emmy winner Shohreh Aghdashloo will appear in at least a few episodes of the NBC drama’s upcoming third season.
Question: Can you give as any news on when or how Deeks’ mother will appear on NCIS: LA? –EcoSarahFans
Ausiello: At some point during the upcoming Season 5, Eric Christian Olsen assures, “You’re going to meet his mom and get into his past” — which as any fan knows wasn’t idyllic. “We already know a little about the dysfunctional and catastrophic relationship with his father, but we’re going to find out a lot more about what makes this guy tick and how it affects, obviously, the relationship with Kensi and his inability to make that work.”
Question: I would love some scoop on Beauty and the Beast. The show ended with a ton of cliffhangers and the fans are holding their breath, waiting for some clues. –Donna
Ausiello: Not only will Sendhil Ramamurthy be back for Season 2, but “Gabe has a great arc. It’s awesome,” raves exec producer Sherri Scooper. As fellow EP Jennifer Levin elaborates, “We saw that he was shot to pieces [in the finale], so if he’s back, that would affect his point of view on life. He could be ‘born again.’”
Question: Any Castle tidbits you can give us? —Stephanie
Ausiello: The show is about to stage a kinda-sorta Saved By the Bell reunion. In an upcoming episode titled “Need to Know,” the cast of an early-’90s sitcom called 2 Cool For School is reassembling for a new movie when — egad! — its version of Screech is offed!
That’s it. Enjoy!
Rueben's Ramblings 