Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for Monday through Wednesday:

TELEVISION

The USA Network has renewed Royal Pains for two more seasons (seasons 7 and 8). The show also hit its 100th episode during season 8. (Cynthia Littleton at Variety)

Actor Jeff Fahey (Lost) has landed a multi-episode arc on the 6th and final season of Justified where he will play Zachariah Randolph, a weathered and shaky sixtysomething man who is well-worn from a life of hardship and alcohol. (The Wrap and Dan Snierson at Entertainment Weekly)

Actress Jeri Ryan (Body of Proof) will appear on NCIS as Rebecca, the until-now-unseen 4th wife of Agent Gibbs (series lead Mark Harmon). (Liz Raftery at TV Guide)

CBS has made the decision to bring their long-running drama The Mentalist to an end after this current, seventh season, which will consist of 13 episodes. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

Lifetime has pulled the plug on Witches of East End after two seasons. (Andy Swift and Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

A fifth season of Call the Midwife has been ordered. (Nancy Tartaglione at Deadline)

TNT has given a greenlight to the action-adventure series Agent X that will consist of 10 episodes. The series will focus on John Case (Jeff Hephner from Madam Secretary), a top secret agent hidden from the view of the public – and even from the President – who is trained and ready to serve, deployed only at the careful discretion of the Vice President (Sharon Stone). Veteran actor Gerald McRaney will appear as the Chief Steward of the Vice President’s mansion and the keeper of its many secrets. The series will debut sometime in 2015. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Another villain from the DC Comics canon will be featured on Gotham: Scarecrow but he will be seen as a child in this version. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Jim Parrack (True Blood) will have a recurring role on the ABC drama Resurrection, playing a charismatic member of the “Returned,” a larger-than-life preacher from the 1930s with ties to both Bellamy’s (series lead Omar Epps) birth family and the Langstons. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)

Actress Marcia Gay Harden will have a recurring role on the ABC drama How to Get Away with Murder, playing a mysterious role. (Michael Slezak at TV Line)

Actress Victoria Smurfit (Dracula) will be appearing in upcoming episodes of Once Upon a Time, but details on what role she will be playing are being kept under wraps, but rumor has it that she will play Cruella De Vil. (James Hibberd and Natalie Abrams at Entertainment Weekly)

TV TRAILER

MINI-SERIES NEWS

Syfy is working on a mini-series based on the Arthur C. Clarke novel 3001: The Final Odyssey that is an epic story of a man lost in time, resolving the tale that was begun in 2001: A Space Odyssey. (The Futon Critic)

Actress Uma Thurman will be taking over for Mary-Louise Parker in the upcoming NBC mini-series The Slap, which is based on the Australian series of the same name that focuses on how one man’s punishment of another couple’s child explodes into a complex family drama. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

TV EVENT SERIES NEWS

The upcoming 12-episode NBC event series A.D. from executive producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey – the follow-up to the couple’s high-rated The Bible mini-series – has announced its cast. First, A.D. will chronicle the aftermath of Jesus’ crucifixion as the tiny band of followers fight for survival while they try to spread the Word to the world. But they have hope and soon they have power: the amazing miracle of the resurrection, and the arrival of the Holy Spirit upon them. The cast will include Richard Coyle (Crossbones) as Caiaphas, High Priest of the Temple and all Jews everywhere; Vincent Regan (The Musketeers) will play Pilate, Roman Governor of Judea who orders the death of Jesus at the behest of Caiaphas; Adam Levy (Borgia) will play Peter, who recovers from deep guilt over abandoning Jesus, to take charge of a growing church; Juan Pablo di Pace (Dallas) will play Jesus; Emmet Scanlan (Constantine) will play Saul, a fervent Jewish follower, who is aggressive and zealous in his admiration of the Temple and his people’s traditions; Chipo Chung (Sherlock) will play Mary Magdalene; Jodhi May (The Crimson Field) will play Leah, the wife of the High Priest Caiaphas; Joanne Whalley (The Borgias) will play Claudia, sensitive wife of Pilate; Greta Scacchi (Agatha Christie) will play Mary, the mother of Jesus and Babou Ceesay (Luther) will play Joh, Peter’s right hand. A.D. will premiere on NBC at Easter Sunday, April 5. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Here are the top 10 box offices movies for this past weekend courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1. Nightcrawler and Ouija (TIED) – 10.9 million
3. Fury – 9.1 million
4. Gone Girl – 8.8 million
5. The Book of Life – 8.3 million
6. John Wick – 8 million
7. St. Vincent – 7.7 million
8. Alexander and the Terrible Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day – 6.4 million
9. The Judge – 3.4 million
10. Dracula Untold – 2.9 million

Actress Lili Taylor (The Conjuring and Almost Human) has joined the cast of the sequel to The Maze Runner, the dystopian adventure based on the books by author James Dashner. (Jen Yamato at Deadline)

Actor Matthew Rhys (The Americans and Brothers & Sisters) and actresses Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey) and Kate Walsh (Private Practice) will star in the upcoming romantic drama flick Everything Carries Me To You that follows an ambitious young dancer whose world is turned upside down when she discovers a note suggesting her love may be cheating. (Screen Daily and Dark Horizons)

Actor Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) and actress Cherry Jones (24) have joined Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen in the upcoming Hank Williams biopic I Saw The Light that will focus on the legendary country music star. Whitford will play Fred Rose, the Nashville music producer who helped guide Williams’ career while Jones will play Williams’ mother. (Screen Daily and Dark Horizons)

Actor Luke Perry and Bruce Davison will star in a new contemporary adaptation of the classic novel Black Beauty. (Deadline and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Q&A SECTION (with E! Online)

Question: Any idea if/when we’ll see more of Tim DeKay on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – thisismydesignn

E! Online: When DeKay was cast, he was only set to appear in last week’s episode. But we just learned that he’s back for at least one more episode airing November 18, and it’s going to be a huge one for the warring Ward brothers! When Grant kidnaps his older brother, Senator Christian Ward, he takes him on a “violent trip down memory lane.” Sounds like Christian is about to seriously regret his decision to have his younger brother transferred from S.H.I.E.L.D.’s high-tech bunker into FBI custody—allowing Ward to break free and escape government custody in that intense and epic fight scene.

Question: I would like to know when will this Olicity (Felicity and Oliver) drought will end on Arrow coz we are literally dying here! – Skylicity

E! Online: Olicity fans might not be too happy to hear about the scoop we just received. In an upcoming episode of Arrow, Ray Palmer tries to take his working relationship with Felicity to the next level, and asks her out on a date!

Question: Anything on Gotham?! – Tom

E! Online: Casting is currently underway for the role of Detective Delaware, a twentysomething guy with a very specific physical appearance. Get this: the Fox drama is looking for a “gangly man with a face like a meatball sub.” Um, okay? Dt. Delaware is also described as a cocky, corrupt officer with a fragile machismo at the GCPD, and expect him to stir up a lot of trouble.

Question: Anything for Supernatural? – Mark

E! Online: We were just at the 200th episode screening and party celebrating the past 10 seasons of Supernatural, and we can honestly say we’ve never seen anything like the 200th episode. If you loved “The French Mistake,” then you’ll absolutely love “Fan Fiction,” since it really takes “meta” to a whole other level! “I’m excited to see the fan reaction to it,” executive producer Jeremy Carver told us. “We had a lot of fun with the episode. We took some risks and every time we do, we wonder if we’ve gone too far or if we’ve gone far enough. It’s fun for us to be on the edge of our seat and wonder how if the fans are going to like it as much as you do. But we think it’s a real fitting, slightly subversive salute to 200 episodes. I’m excited.”

Question: I love Zed so much more than Liv on Constantine. Please tell me she’s sticking around? – Tess

E! Online: You’re in luck! We’re going to be seeing quite a lot more of John Constantine’s new sidekick, and we’re as excited about it as you are, since she can kick some serious butt. “I hope the fans really like what I’m portraying as Zed, because I don’t know of many Latina women playing a superhero,” Angelica Celaya, the fierce woman behind Zed, told us. “I just really want them to feel represented and I want women out there to feel that they can be more than just a sensitive flower. They can kick ass and hold their own! And even though we’re dealing with a very science fiction, comic, supernatural show, within all that there is a powerful woman who stays true to her beliefs and starts carving out her own destiny and I hope women are inspired by her.”

That’s it. Enjoy!