Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Morris Chestnut (the remake of V and the upcoming box office film The Best Man Holiday) has joined the cast of the upcoming TNT spy drama called Legends that follows deep-cover operative Martin Odum (Sean Bean), who has an uncanny ability to transform himself into a different person for each job. But his own identity comes into question when a mysterious stranger suggests that Martin isn’t who he thinks he is. Chestnut will play Antonio “Tony” Cimarro, a quick-witted FBI deep cover operative. The 10-episode drama will debut sometime in 2014. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actress Scarlett Byrne (who played Pansy Parkinson in the final three Harry Potter movies) has joined the cast of the TNT alien drama Falling Skies as a series regular. She will play a mysterious young woman with special powers and an unusual connection to the alien invaders, who is said to be key to the story next season. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Jordana Spiro (My Boys and The Mob Doctor) will appear in The Good Wife in the potentially recurring role of Jenna, a tough, funny and smart police detective who’s not opposed to mixing business with pleasure. (Michael Slezak at TV Line)

Actors William Sadler (Homeland and Roswell) and Justin Kirk (Weeds) will both guest star in an upcoming episode of The Blacklist with Sadler playing Sam, a man from Liz’s past who is gravely ill and reaches out to her while Kirk will play Nathaniel Wolff, the founder of a movement of anti-capitalists and the next criminal on the Blacklist. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The CW is developing a drama series around the young adult book series The Perfectionists by author Sara Shepard (the woman who wrote the book series Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game, both of which are/were on ABC Family). The Perfectionists is a murder mystery drama. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

ABC Family is in the early stages of potential developing the box office film The Hand That Rocks the Cradle for the small screen in the form of an hour-long drama that would tell the story of a young, attractive nanny who terrorizes a suburban family from the inside. (Lacey Rose and Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter franchise) and executive producer Mark Gordon are teaming up for a private eye drama at ABC that will be an hour-long character driven-drama about a former LAPD homicide detective whose disabling injury gives him a powerful new ability to solve difficult cases. (Lacey Rose at The Hollywood Reporter)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter himself) will appear in the upcoming box office film called Gold that is based on the Pat Butcher book “The Perfect Distance” that covers the rivalry of Olympic athletes Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett in the years leading up to the 1980 Moscow Games. Radcliffe will appear as Coe. (Nancy Tartaglione at Deadline)

Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects and Jack Reacher) will write and direct a live-action adaptation of the space-set 1970’s anime TV series Star Blazers that focus on what happens when Earth’s atmosphere has been obliterated by a distant alien race and the survivors have one year before radiation will reach their underground refuge and wipe out the human race. The survivors get a shot of hope in the form of alien technology that can deliver a small crew across the universe and back with the means to stave off extinction. (Mike Fleming, Jr. at Deadline)

Q&A SECTION (with TV Scoop Team at E! Online and Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Question: Revenge is SO good this season! What’s coming up for my favorite Hamptonites?! – Cory

TV Scoop Team: Want to learn more about Aiden? You’re in luck! A gorgeous, sexy and strong woman from his past named Niko will be introduced later this season as a nurse at a hospital. Why are they reunited at a hospital? A major shooting will be going down!

Question: In desperate need of Supernatural spoilers! – Emily

TV Scoop Team: In an episode fittingly titled “First Born,” fans will meet a retired demon named Cain, who was known as the Father of Murder who used to train the Knights of Hell. So what made him quit the game? Love! But Cain may be sticking around for a bit, so we’re thinking he could return to his old ways…

Question: The Blacklist is my favorite new show of the season! I need to know who has been spying on Tom and Liz ASAP! – Denise

TV Scoop Team: Prepare for answers, just not right away! “That will unquestionably come into play, who they are and why they’re watching and the sort of Big Brother element to it,” Ryan Eggold teases of Tom and Liz’s Peeping Toms. But when will we learn exactly what’s going on?! “At some point over the next six episodes we will get into that. They will definitely answer who these guys are and why they’re watching.”

Question: Any news on what comes next for Once Upon a Time‘s Neal, now that he is in Neverland? –Stephanie

Ausiello: Though it appears that Hook will soon share with the others the news of Neal’s presence on the island, SwanThief fans might be wise to worry about the pirate losing his latest (figurative!) grab of booty. As Colin O’Donoghue notes, “Hook spent 300 years looking for revenge because he lost one woman. Who knows what would happen to him if it happened again?” For the short-term, though, the sea captain won’t be making waves. “He is desperately trying his best to be a team player, to try and help save Henry. Because he now sees there’s more to life than that side of things,” the actor previews. That said, O’Donoghue warns, “It’s very easy to go back to old habits.”

Question: Got any good scoop on Witches of East End? —Ray

Ausiello: An upcoming episode will flash back 100 years to “reveal who Ingrid was then and why she is who is she is today,” previews Rachel Boston of her character’s previous lives, adding. “Because of the choices you make in another life, you’re still retaining that wisdom and information as you go into this life.”

That’s it. Enjoy!