Hey All,
Here are the news items for today:
TELEVISION
Actor Martin Freeman (Sherlock and the latest The Hobbit franchise) will co-star alongside Billy Bob Thornton in Fargo, the first limited series from FX based on the box office film. This 10-episode series will follow a new case and new characters, all entrenched in the trademark humor, murder and “Minnesota nice” of the film. It will center on Lester Nygaard (Freeman), a small town insurance salesman henpecked by his wife, whose life is changed when a mysterious stranger, Lorne Malvo (Thornton), comes to town. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
Actress Charisma Carpenter (Buffy, Angel and Veronica Mars) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Blue Blood, playing Marianne Romano, a former popular girl in high school, who is now flashy, overly needy and just too obvious for a guy with a touch of class. Having had a fling with Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) a couple decades back, she calls on him for help when her bruiser-fiancée decks her in a fit of ‘roid rage. But her attempt to tweak Danny’s heartstrings backfires when it results in a police investigation of her boyfriend. Her episode is slated to air in November while Blue Bloods airs its season premiere tonight (September 27) on CBS. (Natalie Abrams at TV Guide)
Actor Dylan Neal (Blood Ties and Cedar Cove) will play DC comics villain Dr. Anthony Ivo in Arrow. Dr. Ivo will be part of a four episode arc in the shows second season that will start on October 9. Dr. Ivo will encounter Oliver Queen on the island and is a brutal and ruthless scientist determined to unearth a breakthrough that dates back to the Second World War. (Screen Crush and Dark Horizons)
Actor Scott Wolf (Party of Five and Perception) will appear in a multi-episode arc on the upcoming midseason medical drama The Night Shift on NBC, playing Scott Collins, a day-shift trauma surgeon who’s engaged to interim chief Dr. Jordan Alexander (Jill Flint). This new series follows a group of ex-Army physicians who work the 7 PM to 7 AM shift at a San Antonio hospital. (Dan Snierson at Entertainment Weekly)
Actress Laura Benanti (Royal Pains and Go On) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Elementary, playing Abigail Spencer, a nanny whose CEO boss is found dead while wearing S&M gear. She will appear in the October 17 episode. (Bruce Fretts at TV Guide)
DEVELOPMENT NEWS
Veteran character actor Titus Welliver (Lost and The Good Wife) has landed his first series lead role in the first ever Amazon drama pilot called Bosch that is a police procedural based on the Michael Connelly novels about Harry Bosch, a veteran police homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
Warner Bros. TV and DC Comics have another show in development. This time around the project is called Constantine, which centers on the John Constantine character, an enigmatic and irreverent con man-turned-reluctant supernatural detective who is thrust into the role of defending us against dark forces from beyond. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
FOX is developing a drama project called Guilt, a fictional project that will draw parallels to the story of Amanda Knox. Here is a description of the project: A sexy, soapy, twisted thriller about an American girl who is studying abroad in London. When her Irish roommate is brutally murdered, she finds herself the prime suspect and the focus of an international media frenzy. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
CBS is developing a drama project called Insecurity with NCIS: Los Angeles creator/showrunner Shane Brennan that will center on an obsessive compulsive former Federal Agent turned Head of Security at a Boston art museum who uses his unique professional and personal background — he was raised by criminals — to help solve complex local and federal cases across the country. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
ABC is developing two drama projects with The Mark Gordon Company: a character-driven procedural written by Tom Donaghy (creator of The Whole Truth) and a project written by feature film writer Dean Georgaris (Paycheck). The first one will center on a big city criminologist who is brought in to help local police crack a case involving a shocking string of disappearances. But the chief detective she’s been hired to help is her father — and they haven’t talked in 10 years. The second project is called Clementine and it will focus on a profoundly troubled 28-year-old psychic who sees her life begin to change in unexpected ways when she decides to stop running from her past. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
The CW is teaming with actress turned producer Eva Longoria for a legal drama project that will be written by Albert Kim (Nikita). The untitled drama will center on a woman imprisoned for a double murder she didn’t commit, who earns her law degree while behind bars, then wins her freedom and joins the high-powered law firm that she believes is at the center of the conspiracy that framed her. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
BOX OFFICE NEWS
Actress Katie Holmes (Dawson’s Creek) and singer (and would-be/wanna be actress) Taylor Swift have landed roles in the upcoming box office film adaptation of The Giver that will star Jeff Bridges as title old man, Meryl Streep as Chief Elder, who maintains order in the seemingly utopian society and Brenton Thwaites as the lead role. The story will focus on a 12-year-old boy who lives in a futuristic utopian society where all memory of human history has been erased. His life is thrown into turmoil when he is designated to inherit the role of the Giver and bear his community’s vast range of human emotions, which causes him to realize that living a pain-free life comes at a high cost. Holmes will play the boy’s mother, who obeys the laws without question, but Swift’s character has not been identified as yet. (The Hollywood Reporter and First Showing)
BOX OFFICE TRAILERS
Hot Trailer: ‘Free Birds’
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Hot Teaser Trailer: ‘The Nut Job’
Q&A SECTION (with Tierney Bricker from E! Online, Michael Ausiello at TV Line and Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)
Question: So excited for Revenge’s return after your story about the premiere! Can you give me any spoilers for the rest of the season? – Jenny
Tierney: Around episode eight, Victoria is going to dig up someone from Emily’s past and bring him to the Hamptons. And it’s most definitely not just for the sake of a reunion.
Question: Anything you can say on Regina and her arc this season on Once Upon a Time? Will she be her sassy self this season? Will she have scenes with Snow in Neverland? – Carollattufe
Tierney: We love how curious you are, so we shall reward you with as much magical scoop as we can! Regina is pretty damn fierce in the first two episodes of season three, and she’s not holding back when it comes to using her powers. Fireballs? Yup! Casting someone in stone? You got it! The queen is ready to rescue her son, but she’s not fully ready to be working with the goody two-shoes Charming Family in order to do so. Oh and she does share a scene with Snow, but be warned, there’s some pretty intense hair-pulling.
Question: I’ll take any scoop you have on Castle, particularly how much longer Beckett will be a Fed. She belongs in the NYPD close to Castle! –Kristen
Ausiello: As you may have gleaned if you came across the photos from Episode 3, “Need to Know,” Beckett soon enough has cause to revisit the 12th, when a high-profile case that Ryan and Espoito are working catches the Feds’ attention. In fact, the instant that Castle talks his way into helping out the boys, “Beckett and McCord come in and take over the case,” show boss Andrew W. Marlowe previews. “So now it’s the boys against the girls. And Castle’s caught in the middle.” Bonus scoop: Having been on set for this episode, I can tell you that at one point they needed to do a close-up of Caskett’s hands as one slipped something small and shiny to the other.
Question: Any scoop on Castle‘s Lanie/Esposito? Esplanie shippers are hoping to see more of them soon! –Marine
Ausiello: When I spoke to Marlowe, nothing was firmly on the books yet, though he did tease “some Esposito/Lanie stuff coming up towards the end of the fall that we’re going to be exploring.” Between that, Ryan’s imminent fatherhood and, well, Alexis/Pi, “We’re taking a look at our secondary characters and having fun with them.”
Question: Andrew Marlowe said there were a few milestones between Castle and Beckett that he didn’t get a chance to show in Season 5. Any hints toward those? –Christina
Ausiello: I ran your question by Stana Katic, and this is what she was thinking: “I wonder where they’re going to live this season…” After all, she noted, with Pi now slinging papaya all over the place, more than ever “Castle’s loft is Union Station!”
Question: I’ve heard a rumor that we will meet Rumple’s father in Once Upon a Time Season 3. Is this real? –OUAT Spain
Ausiello: This much is real: Episode 4, titled “Nasty Habits,” will serve up Rumple’s first backstory of the season. “We’ve hinted in the past that his father was a coward and that his father’s name was something that haunted him and that his father left him,” co-creator Eddy Kitis reminds. “He definitely seems to have [Daddy issues].”
Question: I heard somewhere that Kevin Chapman is leaving Person of Interest this season. Please say is isn’t true. Fusco is so central to the show and such a beloved and broken character. –Casey
Ausiello: Now that you mention it, EP Greg Plageman did only discuss Carter when I asked for any scoop on “Carter and Fusco.” Hmm. Here’s what’s for certain: As Fusco helps out with Carter’s investigation into HR, it will involve him in a potentially dangerous situation. [Gulp]
Question: Will Scandal ever bring up the fact that Cyrus hired Charlie to kill Amanda Tanner way back in Season 1? –Dee
Ausiello: With that show, who knows. But if that reprehensible deed ever does come to light, don’t count on James to bail on his hubby. “There’s a lot about what my husband is capable of that I don’t know,” Dan Bucatinsky notes, “but I feel like on some level James knew exactly what he was getting in to — maybe not to that extent, but I think there’s a lot more to James than meets the eye in terms of raw ambition, not just to be a parent, but to succeed in Washington.”
Question: I know we won’t know for a bit about how Coulson survived Loki, but can the writers of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. at least promise us that they do have an answer in mind, and they won’t make it up at the 11th hour? –Joel T
Ausiello: It is on the record that Joss Whedon, in asking Clark Gregg to do S.H.I.E.L.D., sketched out for the actor some of the Level 7 details about Coulson’s après-Avengers existence. So at least some of the story is living in Whedon’s noggin. But, he has said, “It will be something of a drawn-out explanation… drawn out over several episodes.”
Question: Have you got any scoops on NCIS’ McGee or if we’ll get to see Delilah again? I really loved seeing her with McGee and how she held her own against Abby. –Marla
Ausiello: Thus far, Margo Harshman has shot one additional episode, with the potential for more drop-ins here and there.
Question: Who was the female artist singing at the end of the NCIS season premiere? Sounded like Enya. –Pat
Ausiello: Good ear — that was Enya’s “If I Could Be Where You Are.”
Question: Can you tell me anything exciting about the Once Upon a Time premiere? — Jennifer
Sandra: Tensions on the big ship will reach an intense climax — one that will find Snow and Regina coming to blows! And they’re not the only ones. That’s right: HOTTIE FIGHT! Charming vs. Hook. I’d buy that one on pay-per-view!
Question: Any Once Upon a Time scoop? — Cam
Sandra: I think Hook/Emma fans are going to like the premiere. Not that there’s a Moment or anything. But I certainly got the impression they’re having a little fun with these two this year more than ever. How far will it go, though? That was one of the questions posted to EPs Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz during a press conference after a select few got to view the first two episodes. I will share scoop from that chat this Sunday after the west coast airing of the premiere!
Question: Loved the season premiere of Castle. But I was sad we didn’t get to see Alexis’s reaction to the proposal. Will we ever flash back to that? — Violet
Sandra: As mentioned in my post-mortem with EP Andrew Marlowe, we will see her reaction in certain behavioral ways. One thing I didn’t tell you in that article? The cast and crew are currently working on a very interesting hour that centers on Alexis and her fight to free a man on death row. “We have an interesting episode where Alexis has been involved in an Innocence Project-type case with her professor that has not gone well and last-ditch efforts have not exculpated the guy. So with 72 hours left, she ends up recruiting her father to help,” he says. “It’s a really moving episode that allows Castle and his daughter — along with Beckett helping — to have them spend a lot of time together and also talk about what it means to be a family. That’s something we’re really excited about.” Me too!
Question: Scandal scoop for Gladiators!! — Mara
Sandra: If you saw the sneak peek I offered up earlier, then you already know: Mellie is going to come in and help Olivia and Fitz help figure out a way out of this sticky situation the administration find itself in. And at EW’s pre-Emmy party this weekend, the gorgeous Bellamy Young elaborated, saying “Mellie is ready to handle things….she has very specific ideas about who to throw under the bus. She will see her plan implemented come hell or high water.” But, she warned, “of course it will inevitably blow up in her face as Mellie’s plans tend to.” I will take any form of Scandal info you can give me. #Prettypleasewithfitzontop —
Sandra: Here’s something from Jeff Perry: “Somewhere in the first couple of episodes, Cyrus is transported to an ominous location in the trunk of a car.”
Question: I’m still fanning myself after that Beauty And the Beast photo you (recently) tweeted. How is it possibly Jay Ryan even looks sexy in full beast mode? Anyway, have you seen the episode? Any teases? — Joan
Sandra: Saw it. Loved it. And fans’ll love it too. You may have heard a lot about the “changes” that Vincent goes through that put a strain on their relationship (specifically, he’s all Grrr-y now) and while you get the sense it will definitely be a battle to recover what they once had, there’s one very important gesture he makes that will fill your heart with hope.
Question: Any scoop on Downton Abbey? I’ve promised myself I wouldn’t bootleg but would love some teases. — Erika
Sandra: Could having Matthew dead be even BETTER than watching him and Mary alive? Maybe not in fans’ opinions. But creator Julian Fellowes certainly thinks it packs a punch. “To be honest dramatizing Mary rebuilding herself is more interesting than just two people being happy,” he told us at EW’s pre-Emmy bash. “It will be interesting to see how the Americans take to the way we dealt with that, but I think it’s strong [season].” Now, if only we could see it AT THE SAME TIME AS THE UK. This is the last time I’ll rant about this. Probably.
Question: Can you tell me about this supposed Stelena moment in the Vampire Diaries season premiere? — Brandy
Sandra: Before you get all excited, I will tell you that it may not happen exactly how you’re imagining. There’s definitely a twist there (because, remember, they aren’t exactly next door to each other). That said, if your heart doesn’t swell while watching it, you’re as heartless as Katherine (used?) to be!
Question: I NEED some Vampire Diaries. PLEASE! — Brianna
Sandra: If you cry during the season premiere (hint: you will), then make sure you have EXTRA boxes of tissues for episode 4. I’m told it’s a whopper of an hour.
Question: White Collar scoop please! — Monica
Sandra: In the premiere, Peter does get a get-out-of-jail-free card (you didn’t REALLY expect them to keep him in the pokey, right?) but it happens in a way that will definitely cause problems down the line. I won’t say for who. Meanwhile, baby bump alert! Yup, someone’s pregnant. Guess who?
Question: I’m so excited about your Revenge chat with Gabe! Please ask whether Nolan will have a love interest this season. — Nicky
Sandra: Awkward turtle….our chat has unfortunately been rescheduled. I’ll let you know when that is as soon as I know. So hold on to that query!
That’s it. Enjoy!
PS: Have a great weekend!!
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Rueben's Ramblings 