Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Henry Simmons (Ravenswood and NYPD Blue) has landed a recurring role on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. this fall, playing Alphonso “Mack” Mackenzie, a mechanic in his 30s who will be ally of Coulson’s team. (Marvel.com)

ABC has officially pulled the plug on the limited series Black Box. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Matt Long (Private Practice and Jack and Bobby) has joined the cast of the Syfy drama Helix, playing Dr. Kyle Sommer, a world-class toxicologist and the newest member of the CDC team. (The Deadline Team)

Actor Robert Knepper (Prison Break) will reprise his role of the Clock King this time in the Arrow spin-off The Flash. There will also be crossover episodes between the two shows later in the upcoming TV season. (Samantha Highfill at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor David Hoflin (Crossbones) and Julian Works (the upcoming made-for-TV movie The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story) have joined the cast of the ABC mid-season drama American Crime that explores the pre-conceived notions about race, crime, and gender in the aftermath of a brutal home invasion and homicide. Hoflin will play Mark Skokie, son of Barb and Russ Skokie (Felicity Huffman and Timothy Hutton) while Works will appear in a multi-episode arc as Edgar, a young man who becomes a friend and protector of Tony (Johnny Ortiz), who gets caught up in the juvenile system. (The Deadline Team)

Actress Lolita Davidovich (The L Word) will appear on FOX’s midseason drama Backstrom as the mother of Thomas Dekker’s character. (Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

Actress Ana Ortiz (Devious Maids and Ugly Betty) will guest star in an upcoming episode of the new ABC drama How to Get Away With Murder; but no details about her character are currently available. (Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

CBS has given a pilot order to Austen’s Razor, a drama about a brilliant bioethicist who is called in at crisis moments to solve the most complicated, dynamic and confounding medical issues imaginable. (Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

ONLINE SERIES NEWS

Netflix will stream the BBC drama Happy Valley in the US and Canada, starting on August 20. The six-part drama revolves around the personal and professional life of a hard-working, dedicated police woman in a small town where drunkards, drug addicts and teenage pregnancies are a way of life. Her world is turned upside down when the man she thinks is responsible for her daughter’s death is released from prison. (Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE NEWS

Lifetime is working on a biopic about Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe that will tentatively be called Marilyn. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE TRAILERS

Q&A SECTION (with Samantha Highfill at Entertainment Weekly)

Question: The coming ‘love’ triangle between Hal/Maggie/Ben has a lot of us on edge. Can you give us any information about Hal and Maggie’s future that can boost our spirits? We need them together! – Nettie

Samantha: I would feel really bad if I had to tell you Hal and Maggie were done, so it’s a good thing I don’t! Sunday’s episode of Falling Skies, which is titled “A Thing With Feathers,” shows the 2nd Mass trying to pick up the pieces after an alien attack. Bad news: That attack leaves Maggie fighting for her life. Good news: It also leaves Hal fighting for Maggie!

Question: On Gotham is there any chance we will see Bane or Ra’s al Ghul and his daughters? —Álaric

Samantha: I can tell you that from seeing the pilot myself, there are quite a few hints at future villains, though sadly, neither Bane nor Ra’s made the cut. And considering how the show focuses on the upbringing of these villains, it seems unlikely we’ll see Bane anytime soon. After all, at least in the comics, he spent his childhood imprisoned outside of the U.S. As far as Ra’s is concerned, at least we know he’s coming to Arrow, right?

Question: I’ve been dying for information on Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak on Arrow as its third season approaches. It sounds like their date blows up (literally?) and I’m wondering how this affects them for the rest of the season—both romantically and as teammates. I think they’re a fabulous couple and I’m rooting for them to come out of this stronger, together, at the end. —Nancy

Samantha: I fully understand your desire for Olicity scoop. I don’t have any specifics on their explosive first date, but it sounds like there’s something—or should I say someone—else who will play a bigger role in potentially hurting Oliver and Felicity’s relationship this year. Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg talked about how they cast Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer, and how one of the key things they loved was his chemistry with Oliver’s Girl Wednesday. “[Brandon] actually did a chemistry test with Emily [Bett Rickards] and we didn’t have any doubt [before], but when everyone saw that, the two of them just jumped off the screen together. It’s funny because we had a picture of Stephen, Stephen’s headshot, and we had Emily’s headshot, and there was a blank on the board. Once you put Brandon’s up there, you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, these are two guys.’” So perhaps we’re worried about the wrong type of explosion?

Question: Have you got any spoilers about NCIS’ Tony going to NCIS: New Orleans? Or any Tony/McGee spoilers? —Marla

Samantha: One storyline that was being discussed involves Michael Weatherly, Pauley Perrette, and David McCallum all partaking in a crossover. As for the New Orleans show itself, don’t expect it to have the same feel as Washington. The writers are working to really infuse the stories with the local culture, not to mention that the New Orleans office doesn’t have nearly as many resources as Washington. Seriously, we’re talking like three or four people working hard.

Question: I’d love some scoop on Sam in season 10 of Supernatural. Will he be having more of a central role, after being sidelined for much of the last season? Will he be the one who gets to save Dean? Thanks! —Frances

Samantha: Fear not, Sam lovers! Despite Dean having such a big storyline with the whole being-a-demon-now thing, executive producer Jeremy Carver assured me that both brothers will get their share of screen time. “I know there’s always this concern of one brother having the story, one brother not having the story, but both brothers will very much be having stories,” Carver said. “It just so happens that at the beginning of this year, their stories very much revolve around the well-being of each other, which we like.”

That’s it. Enjoy!

PS: Have a terrific weekend!