Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

The cable network AMC has ordered the scripted dramas Halt &Catch Fire and Turn to series with plans to put them both to air in 2014. Halt & Catch Fire is set in the early 1980’s, focusing on the personal computing boom as seen through the eyes of a visionary, an engineer and a prodigy whose innovations directly confront the corporate behemoths of the time. Their personal and professional partnerships are challenged by greed and ego while charting the changing culture in Texas’ Silicon Prairie. The series will star Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies) and Scoot McNairy (Argo) [among others]. Turn is based on the book “Washington’s Spies” by Alexander Rose that is set in the summer of 1778, telling the story of New York farmer, Abe Woodhull, who bands together with a group of childhood friends to form The Culper Ring, an unlikely group of spies who turn the tide in America’s fight for independence. The cast includes Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot, Kevin McNally (Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) and JJ Feild (Captain America: The First Avenger) [among others]. (The Futon Critic)

Actress Jurnee Smollett (Friday Night Lights and True Blood) will have a recurring role on Parenthood this fall, playing a smart and feisty woman named Heather whom Kristina (series regular Monica Potter) hires as her campaign manager when she decides to run for office. Parenthood is back on NBC starting on September 26. (TV Line and TV Guide)

CBS has given a second season order to the summer series Under the Dome. The second season will consist of 13 episodes. (AJ Marechal at Variety)

Actor James LeGros (Ally McBeal) will have the recurring role of Father Paul in the third season of Revenge this fall. Emily (series lead Emily VanCamp) will seek him out (and it should also be noted that Father Paul has some kind of tie to the Grayson family). (Kristin Dos Santos at E!)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

In addition to working on a limited series (aka a mini-series) sequel (of sorts) to The Bible called A.D.: After the Bible, NBC is in the early development stages on several other long-form projects including a behind-the-scenes look at Hillary Rodham Clinton (that will star Diane Lane in the lead role), an updated retelling of “Rosemary’s Baby”, which will a four-hour re-telling of the best-selling novel, a remake of “Stephen King’s Tommyknockers” and “Plymouth”, which is, of course, based on the epic story of the Mayflower’s landing in America. (The Futon Critic)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here are the top 10 box office movies for this past weekend courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1. The Wolverine – $55 million
2. The Conjuring – $22.1 million
3. Despicable Me 2 – $16 million
4. Turbo – $13.3 million
5. Grown Ups 2 – $11.5 million
6. Red 2 – $9.4 million
7. Pacific Rim – $7.5 million
8. The Heat – $6.9 million
9. R.I.P.D. – $5.9 million
10. Fruitvale Station – $4.7 million

Actor Vin Diesel will star in the upcoming box office film called World’s Most Wanted, an action adventure for which there are no other details on storyline. (Mike Fleming, Jr. at Deadline)

Actress Samantha Barks (Les Miserables) and Charlie Cox (Boardwalk Empire) [among others] have joined the cast of the new take on Dracula that will be part historical, part mythological spin on the Bram Stoker creation. Luke Evans will play the lead role, a Transylvanian prince who risks eternal damnation in order to save his wife and son from a Turkish horde. Barks will play the Eastern European folk figure Baba Yaga, a beautiful young woman turned into a savage witch. There are no details on Cox’s role. Dominic Cooper and Sarah Gadon will also star. (Heat Vision and Dark Horizons)

That’s it. Enjoy!