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!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor James Van Der Beek (Dawson’s Creek and Friends With Better Lives) has joined the cast of the upcoming CBS spin-off series CSI: Cyber. He will play FBI agent Elijah Mundo, an expert in battlefield forensics recruited by Special Agent Avery Ryan (Patricia Arquette). Mundo is a savant in weaponry, vehicles and bombs while Ryan brings her expertise in psychology. (Alex Stedman at Variety)

Actress Aly Michalka (Easy A and Hellcats) will have a recurring role on the mid-season CW series iZombie, based on the DC comic of the same name that centers on med student-turned-zombie Olivia “Liv” Moore (Rose McIver from Once Upon a Time), who takes a job in the coroner’s office to gain access to the brains she must reluctantly eat to maintain her humanity. Michalka will play Peyton, Liv’s best friend, which was a series regular role, played by Alexandra Krosney in the pilot, but changed to recurring. (The Deadline Team)

Actor Michael Beach (Third Watch and Sons of Anarchy) will have a recurring role on the upcoming ABC drama Secrets & Lies that stars Ryan Phillippe as a family man who finds the body of a young boy and quickly becomes the prime murder suspect. Beach will play Jim Fenton, a charming, genuine, trustworthy guy who can make anyone feel at ease. (The Deadline Team)

Actor Kyle MacLachlan (Believe and Twin Peaks) will appear in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. this fall, playing a character best described as Skye’s (series regular Chloe Bennett) father. The question of Skye’s parentage, including who her mom and dad are, how she ended up at an orphanage and why she is classified as an 0-8-4, loomed large during show’s debut season. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Actress Alysia Reiner (Orange is the New Black) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Hawaii Five-0, playing an FBI agent who works with McGarrett on an upcoming case with a dangerous man. (Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

Actress Morena Baccarin (Homeland and Firefly) will reprise her role as Erika Flynn, a sexy sociopath, on The Mentalist when the series returns during mid-season on CBS. (Vlada Gelman at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The HBO drama Pilot Westworld that already includes Anthony Hopkins and Evan Rachel Wood has added more to its cast, including Jeffrey Wright (Boardwalk Empire), Rodrigo Santoro (300 and Lost), Shannon Woodward (Raising Hope), Ingrid Bolsø Berdal (Hercules), Angela Sarafyan (The Good Guys), and Simon Quarterman (The Devil Inside). (The Deadline Team)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies and Halt and Catch Fire) will star in the sci-fi thriller called Prisoner Of War, a story about an American soldier and a French foreign aid worker who team up in Africa amid humankind’s last stand against a cataclysmic alien invasion. (Jen Yamato at Deadline)

Actors Ian McShane (Deadwood) and Nelsan Ellis (True Blood) have joined the upcoming biopic called Bolden that will focus on legendary musician Buddy Bolden (Gary Carr from Downton Abbey), who is considered by many as the father of jazz. (The Deadline Team)

Actress Alice Eve (Star Trek Into Darkness) will join actors Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones and Ryan Reynolds in the CIA thriller flick Criminal that is about a dangerous and unpredictable criminal who finds himself in unfamiliar territory when a dead CIA operative’s skills, secrets and memories are implanted into his brain, with the government agency hoping that he will finish the mission for them. (Linda Ge at The Wrap)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Q&A SECTION (with Matt Mitovich at TV Line)

Question: Do you have any scoop about Once Upon a Time’s Belle that doesn’t involve Rumplestiltskin’s dagger? –Natalie

Mitovich: What if I told you that we just may get to see some of Belle’s life before she met Rumplestiltskin.

Question: In Season 10 on NCIS, we finally met McGee’s dad. Will we see him this season or at least get an update on his cancer? –Linda

Mitovich: “I don’t know if we’ll see McGee’s dad or not,” show boss Gary Glasberg said when I brought your question to him, “but we’ll certainly revisit that storyline.”

Question: I’ve heard a rumor that Emily Wickersham (Bishop) will only be back for a couple of NCIS episodes in Season 12. Can you confirm or deny? –Antonia

Mitovich: Let’s dismiss this tall tale, seeing as the show has plans to explore the probie’s past and personal life. Says Gary Glasberg, “We’ll be getting into Bishop’s background a little and meet her husband Jake, understand what their relationship is all about.”

Question: Any scoop at all about the second season of Sleepy Hollow? –Advanteege

Mitovich: When Abbie goes to vote in a November election, Ichabod must take note of the remarkable occasion. “What I like about this moment is it is special for both of them,” says EP Mark Goffman. “Crane, seeing how our society has gotten to the point where [blacks] can actually vote, and having a point of view about that fact that no one is at the polling station. And also the fact that Abbie can vote. It took two constitutional amendments before Abbie got the right to vote.”

Question: Do you have any scoop on Syfy’s Defiance, especially regarding Nolan and Irisa? –Mena

Mitovich: Yes, but no – because this piece of news is about the show’s other dysfunctional family. Ingenue Amy Forsyth, who just landed a gig on MTV’s Scream pilot, will appear in an end-of-season arc as Andina, a Castithan who unwittingly becomes entwined in Tarr family politics.

Question: On Major Crimes, are we going to discover Dr. Morales’ first name? –Ilona

Mitovich: Series creator James Duff likes how you think, Ilona! “If you guys really want to know Dr. Morales’ first name, I will give him a first name,” he told me. “Jonny [Del Arco] has come to me a couple of times and said, ‘Can I have a name?’ — it’s like that episode in Voyager when The Doctor tells Janeway, ‘I’d just like to have a name’ — so I’m thinking about how to introduce it and what the name will be. You know, it took me six seasons to give Provenza a first name! I just wouldn’t do it.”

Question: Please, please, give me anything you´ve got on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2! –Ana

Mitovich: I can confirm the rumblings started over at io9 that Adrian Pasdar and a big, fake mustache will reprise the role of Colonel Glenn Talbot in the season opener.

Question: When can we expect to get some details on why and how the kidnapping went down on Finding Carter? –Bruce

Mitovich: Before the MTV drama directly addresses the kidnapping, we’re going to see a little more of Carter’s life with Lori, beginning this Tuesday. “You keep seeing flashbacks of things Lori did, and they start to seem a bit weird,” star Kathryn Prescott teases. “There’s a scene where they’re looking at babies, and Lori asks Carter which one she wants, but Carter doesn’t get that there’s more to the joke. Over the course of the episode, Carter starts to think, ‘Maybe Lori’s not who I thought she was.’”

That’s it. Enjoy!

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