Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Garrett Clayton (Holiday Spin and the recent Teen Beach Movie) will be joining his Teen Beach Movie co-star Maia Mitchell in the new ABC Family drama The Fosters when it returns for the rest of its debut season in January. Clayton will play the recurring role of Chase, a handsome and charming high school senior who recruits Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) to join the crew of the school play. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

CBS is developing the new drama project called Blackwood that will center on a ruthlessly successful lawyer who, after he is critically wounded in a shooting that kills his wife, returns to his job to find redemption in a humbling rehabilitation and relentless search for their assailant. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Kate Beckinsale has joined the cast of the upcoming movie The Face Of An Angel that is based on the book “Angel Face” by Barbie Latza Nadeau. The plot has a certain resemblance to the story of Amanda Knox, the American woman who, with a boyfriend, was convicted of killing her housemate in Italy, serving four years before her conviction was overturned. In this story, Beckinsale plays a journalist pursuing the case of a suspect in a murder case. (Mike Fleming, Jr. at Deadline)

Actor Dwayne Johnson will star in the disaster flick San Andreas, playing a rescue-chopper pilot who treks across an earthquake-devastated California in search of his estranged daughter. (The Deadline Team)

Actress Morgan Saylor (the much-lamented Dana on Homeland) will appear in the box office film McFarland alongside Kevin Costner and Maria Bello, who will play her character Julie’s parents. The film focuses on the true story of an ex-football coach (Costner), who moves his family to rural McFarland, CA, building a cross-country running team out of the local school’s dirt-poor and predominantly Mexican-American student body. (Jen Yamato at Deadline)

Young actor Ty Simpkins (who just appeared in Iron Man 3) has landed a lead role in the long-in-the-works sequel Jurassic World. (Mike Fleming, Jr. at Deadline)

SPOILER ROOM (with Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly)

Here are five scoop items about Arrow:

Vertigo returns. Arrow is far from done protecting Starling City from one of the most dangerous drugs around, says Haynes. But the reappearance of Vertigo will also mean the return of some of Roy Harper’s skeletons. “Vertigo comes back into the storyline this season and that could set up a possible appearance from somebody from Roy’s past, which, in a way it does with the character Sin (Bex Taylor-Klaus),” he reveals. “[Sin] starts to make Thea a little curious about what happened in their past, and she’s definitely a big part of helping Roy and Thea grow closer…you’ve got to break them apart a bit to make them grow stronger.”

John Barrowman’s return as the Dark Archer: Not what you might think. News of John Barrowman’s return sent fans clamoring to Speculation City, and exec producer Marc Guggenheim wouldn’t have it any other way. “We said at Comic-Con that John was coming back — but we didn’t say when and we didn’t say how. So, I’m going to continue to not spoil that. But I will remind everybody that you know we tell stories in two different time periods — we’re actually doing an episode where Oliver sort of has hallucinations, we’re doing flashbacks from different people’s perspectives,” he says. “OK, I’ll make a joke — we’ve got a lot of different arrows in our quiver. So just because you think you may know something doesn’t mean that you know how it’s going to happen.”

Barry Allen/Flash (Grant Gustin) — will he anger Olicity shippers? Haynes was happy to report that he quickly got along with new cast member Grant Gustin (they bonded over IKEA, in case you were wondering), but there’s one segment of folks who may not be so happy about the arrival of Barry Allen. Namely, Olicity fans. “I know his chemistry with Emily [Rickards] is electric,” says Haynes. “Olicity shippers are going to be in for a little rude awakening this season. I don’t know if they’re going to get what they want.”

Another death? Are you — like Oliver and Co. — still reeling from the death of Tommy? Then you better brace yourself. “I would say there is one more fatality that is coming up,” Guggenheim says.

Summer Glau reveal coming. We met her in the season premiere, but there’s still much for the audience to learn about Summer Glau’s Isabel Rochev. “She has a surprising connection to the Queen family, which will be revealed in episode 8,” teases EP Andrew Kreisberg. “She’s not an adversary for the Arrow, she’s really an adversary for Oliver.”

And, here is some intel on NCIS: Los Angeles:

Just because Daniela Ruah has a baby on board doesn’t mean her NCIS: Los Angeles counterpart will as well. In fact, says exec producer Shane Brennan, if all goes according to plan, viewers won’t even be able to tell that Ruah is carrying around more than just her gun these days.

“We won’t be referencing the fact that Dani is pregnant on the show at all,” he says. “And through the magic of television and with great editing and acting and great story lines, the audience won’t even know she’s pregnant”.

Additionally, he said, his current plans to pack this season with plenty of Kensi and Deeks remains largely unaffected. “Anyone who has followed their relationship is in for a pretty interesting ride,” he says. “There’s going to be a lot revealed about their relationship. It’s going to go beyond the kiss and it’s going to have some pretty amazing ramifications for both of them. And just when you think it might have sorted itself out, late in the season, there is a revelation, about the two of them, I guess — but in particular about Kensi — that will totally rock their relationship.”

The surprise, he says, has been in the works since season 1, “and it’s been sitting there quietly ticking,” he says. “It’s a great arc. Yes, we’ve had to adapt a little because Dani is pregnant, but as a result, it’s become an even more powerful journey for both of them this season.”

Q&A SECTION (with Sandra Gonzalez at Entertainment Weekly and TV Scoop Team from E! Online)

Question: Any plans for Abby to get a new love interest or for her to have a large storyline this season on NCIS? — Laura

Sandra: “I’m certainly open to it,” says exec producer Gary Glasberg. “I can’t say that we’ve been talking about it right now, but I’m not going to say no. Pauley Perrette is fantastic and can handle anything that’s thrown at her and if the time is right and the opportunity is right and the character is right then we’ll consider it, sure!”

Question: Can you give me any scoop on Palmer’s baby adoption on NCIS? He seemed to be having a hard time in the last episode. Is it going to fall apart? — Gracie

Sandra: That’s an arc that will continue to play out throughout the season, says Glasberg. “We’ll step away from it from time to time and it’ll resurface, but people should be prepared for a bit of an emotional roller coaster when it comes to that,” he says.

Question: When is Tahmoh Penikett back on Supernatural? Loved him in 9.01 — @Missa110

Sandra: You weren’t the only one! He was totally great. Sadly, when I spoke with EP Jeremy Carver, he wasn’t quite forthcoming about when (or IF) we’ll see Penikett again. “We’re living in a world where [Zeke] is inside Sam right now, so it’s hard to really address anything beyond that, but I will say that as an actor and as a character he was fantastic,” he said. Personally, I’d count on seeing him again.

Question: Is Quinn going to get a love interest this season on Scandal? She deserves something good. Also, might stop her from going all crazy. — Jillian

Sandra: I agree on the crazy front. But Katie Lowes seems unconvinced that there’s romance in Quinn’s future. “Quinn’s had really bad luck with her lovers — between Jesse Tyler being blown up at Cytron and ripping the scissors out of Gideon’s neck and him dying in her arms. She’s not had the best of luck. She’s kind of like a black widow spider at this point,” she says. “I don’t know whether it’s dangerous for her to be involved with someone or dangerously sexy.”

Question: Once Upon a Time scoop, please! — Carrie

Sandra: Speaking of romance…sorry if I’m being a big tease (that’s kinda the point, right?) but Captain Swan fans should pick up the issue of EW on stands Friday. There’s a photo in there that you’ll want to see. That’s all I’m allowed to say for now.

Question: I will take ANYTHING on Pretty Little Liars. — Steph

Sandra: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Answers are coming. I know, I know, but I really believe it this time. Why? Because when I spoke with creator Marlene King, she had just finished writing the finale. ”We promised this was the season for answers and season 4, when we come back in January, really delivers on that and the questions that fans have been waiting for answers on, I think, since the pilot,” she says. “They will get those answers in this finale — it’s just nonstop answers!” In addition to a number of “shocking, shocking twists,” she says the episode is for “the patient fans [who] deserve this episode.” “That’s sort of how we pitched it from the get go when we started this season,” she says. Meanwhile, make sure you pick up the issue on stands Friday, PLL/Ravenswood fans. We asked King some of the questions you submitted via Twitter. Don’t miss it!

Question: Any chance we’re going to get to SEE Dan Stevens on The Tomorrow People? (I miss Matthew!) — Alicia

Sandra: No plans now, according to Tomorrow People EP Phil Klemmer, but Klemmer says he does recognize how lucky they were to snag Stevens to voice biological computer TIM. “It’s super super cool because usually when a guy leaves one of the most like cherished shows on television, it doesn’t mean that he’s going to land in your lap, but he was just such a nice guy and I had such a good time talking with him” he says. “I was a little intimidated to pitch cousin Matthew on one knee to come play a talking computer, but he was totally charmed by the idea…now the big trick will be how to find out how we can come get him to do a cameo.” Klemmer even has some ideas! While the original series never showed the human being behind TIM (then voiced by Philip Gilbert), Klemmer says with a laugh, “I think Dan Stevens deserves his own flashback story we can find out how he got turned into a computer.”

Question: Any idea who the big bad of Arrow’s second season is? It’s going to be hard to top the Dark Archer! – Lee

TV Scoop Team: “There are actually two,” Stephen Amell says when asked if there is a big bad of season two, but the actor played coy when pressed for detail. He would say, “A lot happens in the first nine episodes, but episode nine for us is when you can always start to sniff out what the endgame is going to be.” Before the grand reveal, fans can expect to see a slew of DC Comics baddies villains, with Amell telling us, “There’s no shortages of villains out there. It’s pretty gnarly out there right now.”

Question: Counting down the days until Ravenswood premieres! Got any fun teases? – Jenna

TV Scoop Team: Like mothership, like spinoff: Prepare for flashbacks! The new series will be featuring creeptastic flashbacks to 1917, where some super-weird meetings are going down in Ravenswood. The word revival may or may not be tossed around.

That’s it. Enjoy!