Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today and yesterday:

TELEVISION

Actress Sally Pressman will be taking over for the role of the younger version of Ellis Grey, Meredith Grey’s mother, on Grey’s Anatomy. Viewers will recall that actress Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story franchise) played the role in earlier flashback episodes. Grey’s Anatomy will be back starting tonight on ABC at 8 PM. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Actress Nina Dobrev from The Vampire Diaries will be showing in the spin-off series The Originals, playing a doppelgänger – the original doppelganger (as it turns out) named Tatia. She will appear in a November episode. (Linda Ge at The Wrap)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actor Josh Holloway (Lost and Intelligence) has signed on to star in the USA Network pilot Colony that will be executive produced by Carlton Cuse (who was the EP on Lost). The pilot is a family drama/thriller about life in Los Angeles after a mysterious “foreign” occupation. Holloway will play the main character, Will Bowman, a former FBI agent who, to protect his family, is forced to collaborate with the occupational government to bring down the growing resistance movement inside the Los Angeles colony. (Cynthia Littleton at Variety and Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actor Zachary Levi (Chuck) just might be returning to NBC to star in a new project that he will produce with Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives). The project is a half-hour comedy called Tuned that will showcase Levi’s musical skills; fans will recall that he sang in the animated box office film Tangled. Tuned is being described as a musical half-hour about an ambitious New Yorker whose life is upended by sudden musical hallucinations. While these vivid hallucinations threaten to completely derail his enviable life, he’ll eventually realize that they might lead him on a more fulfilling journey. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

TNT has ordered a pilot called Lumen from Steven Spielberg and Amblin Entertainment. The project would be centered on a family of four who stumble into an alternate world that was actually chronicled in the pages of books written by an author of best-selling fantasy books who recently disappeared. As they try to make their way back home, the family finds themselves stuck in the middle of a war between magical forces. (Michael Schneider at TV Guide)

For whatever reason NBC is developing a small screen adaptation of the 1985 Val Kilmer movie Real Genius as a comedy for the network. This version would be set in present-day, centering on the relationship between a rock star-like genius and a sheltered, naive co-worker. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actors Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring) and Matthew Fox (Lost) will join actors Kurt Russell and Richard Jenkins in the box office film Bone Tomahawk, the brutal tale of four men attempting to rescue a group of captives from a band of cannibals who live on the edge of civilization. Wilson will play Arthur O’Dwyer, a thoughtful cowboy whose rise to the foreman position of a cattle outfit is interrupted by an unfortunate accident that reshapes his life in unforeseen ways. Fox will play John Brooder, an eloquent gentleman whose dark inclinations have put him and his polished weapons at the very edge of the western frontier. (Jen Yamato at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Q&A SECTION (with Matt Mitovich at TV Line and Natalie Abrams at Entertainment Weekly)

Question: Now that Scandal‘s Sally Langston has lost the presidential election, any intel on what will become of the former VP? –Dan

Mitovich: Good question – and one that might not be answered in full for a while. “I don’t know when I’ll be back,” Kate Burton told us at the #TGIF event. “It’ll probably be the second half of the season — that’s what they’ve told me — but [Shonda Rhimes] might change her mind and say, ‘No, we’re going to do something next season.’ Who knows.” But whenever the time comes, expect juicy stuff. Says Burton with a smile, “I mean, how can Sally Langston not be juicy?”

Question: What’s the status of Mellie and Andrew’s relationship when Scandal returns? –bevoette

Mitovich: It appears their red-hot affair has cooled off considerably, in the wake of the First Family losing a child. “Andrew is not at peace with where things stand with him and Mellie,” Jon Tenney says. “That being said, at the end of last season, Mellie and Fitz just lost their first child, and so I think romance may not be the first thing on her mind.” As Bellamy Young herself tells is, mourning Mellie “is in a whole new place, an uncharted, unprecedented wilderness for her.”

Question: Do you know if The Flash is looking to introduce any more of the Rogues from the comics? – Andy B.

Mitovich: In addition to the likes of Captains Cold and Boomerang, at midseason we will also meet Hartley, a onetime mentee of Dr. Wells’ who lost his hearing in an accident and now is out to wreak havoc with an invention of his own. (Of course, you may know Hartley — who happens to be gay — as the Pied Piper.)

Question: Is Once Upon a Time planning any flashbacks to Emma’s life in the foster system? –Marissa

Mitovich: I can’t confirm they cover her time as a foster kid specifically, but we will get a good, long look at a younger Emma (likely played by a different actress). And as Jennifer Morrison teased for me, “There is a bit of a curveball in the flashbacks that I did not see coming, one that definitely adds a layer of suspense to how all of the puzzle pieces fit together.”

Question: I see everyone asking about a lot of relationships on Once Upon a Time, but they never ask about Regina/Snow. Will their relationship continued to be explored? –Ana

Mitovich: You’re in luck. Ginnifer Goodwin told us at the premiere party that fans such as yourself “will be very satisfied, because we do have many more scenes between the two of us. Lana [Parrilla] and I actually call the [producers] on a regular basis thanking them and asking them for more, because I personally find those scenes to be very powerful. The dynamic between them is so rich and we love exploring it.”

Question: Have you got anything on how things are with Mary and Francis when Reign comes back (on Oct. 2)? –Bree

Mitovich: In the season premiere? Distant. Francis is off with Lola, trying to protect them, while Mary is trying to avoid the plague in the castle. But once he returns home, things could be looking up as Mary “spends a lot of the first three episodes naked,” star Adelaide Kane reveals. “We’re sexy this season.” However, the whole Lola/baby situation will make things “awkward” around the castle for everyone involved.

Question: I was so surprised that Lucy Lawless’ character died in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season premiere! Is there a chance to see her in any of the following episodes? Or is there any chance to watch Lucy on other shows, like Parks and Recreation? –Natalie

Mitovich: Sorry, but plan to be Hartley-broken – that was Lawless’ one and only appearance. As for returning to Pawnee, she discussed that in our Q&A.

Question: Got a scoop about the “guy that kills bad guys” aka Peter Quinn on Homeland? What’s going on with him? –Ricky

Mitovich: As made clear in the Season 4 premiere (airing Oct. 5), Quinn would rather you not remind him of that reputation. He’s kinda fried by the events of Season 3 (including but not limited to what he did to that poor kid), and as such will endeavor to pull Carrie out of the all-too-often needlessly deadly spy game. And that concern her may pave the way for a new… closeness. As show boss Alex Gansa said to me, in recounting the important people in Carrie’s life nowadays, “She’s got a burgeoning relationship – although not romantic, yet – with Peter Quinn.”

Question: Excited for Adrianne Palicki to come on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Mockingbird. Do you have any scoop on her character? — Mark

Natalie: I can tell you that the show will explore the power of sexuality when Mockingbird is introduced.” That is a quality and something that is very inherent in a lot of spy dealings,” executive producer Maurissa Tancharoen tells me. “It’s not really dealt with firsthand, and that might be something that we dive into with Mockingbird.” Check out this week’s issue of EW for more scoop on her introduction.

Question: What’s coming up on Sleepy Hollow? — Thom

Natalie: Abraham will do his best to fill Katrina’s head with doubts about Ichabod and Abbie’s relationship in a bid to win her over, but she’s got a plan up her sleeve that could benefit several parties. Meanwhile, we’ll finally get to see what has happened to Irving after he took the fall for his daughter. Let’s just say that the new sheriff has big plans for Irving, none of which are good.

Question: I want some scoop on Maleficent returning to Once Upon a Time. — Ryan

Natalie: It should come as no surprise that Maleficent’s storyline will have a connection to Aurora, a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty—which in turn brings the hope that Mulan might also return. But Aurora isn’t the only character who should be worried about Maleficent’s return. The sorceress will not be too pleased about Regina having locked her up beneath Storybrooke. “They were frenemies,” executive producer Edward Kitsis reminds everyone, noting that what’s in store for the second half of the season will be revealed in the winter finale.

Question: Any more news on Arrow’s version of Ra’s al Ghul? — Scott

Natalie: Fans of the comic books will be pretty excited for this incarnation of the Batman villain. “Now that the Arrow/Flash universe contains people with powers and contains the Mirakuru serum, it gives us a bit more license to be a little more ‘comic book-y’ than certainly even Christopher Nolan set out to do,” executive producer Andrew Kreisberg says. So, what’s the big bad really after? “A lot of the themes for Oliver’s journey that we were discussing this season are wrapped up in identity,” he continues. “Can he be both Oliver Queen and the Arrow? A lot of that turned out to get tied up with what we thought of Ra’s al Ghul and who he was and where he came from and what his ultimate goals are. All of those things lined up perfectly.”

Question: I never would’ve guessed that Naomi was Red’s wife on The Blacklist! Does Berlin plan to kill her? — Jenna

Natalie: Having previously been married to Red, Naomi is pretty formidable. Therefore, while she is being held captive, she may just get the upper hand on Berlin’s men. Meanwhile, Red will go to great lengths to hit Berlin where it hurts most in a bid to get Naomi back.

That’s it. Enjoy!