Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

TELEVISION

Before Ash vs. Evil Dead even aired its debut episode, Starz renewed it for a second season. (Variety)

Netflix has given the former A&E drama Longmire, which the streaming network picked up for a fourth season, an order for a fifth season. (Variety)

The Walking Dead has been given a seventh season order by AMC. (Variety)

Actor Nathan Darrow (House of Cards) has landed the recurring role of Victor Fries (aka Mr. Freeze) on Gotham. Actress Kristen Hager (Being Human) will play Victor’s wife Nora while actor B. D. Wong (Law & Order: SVU) will recur as Hugo Strange, the psychiatrist hired to run Arkham. (Michael Ausiello and Matt Mitovich at TV Line and Nick Romano at Entertainment Weekly)

Actress Elisabeth Rohm (Stalker) has landed a recurring role on The Last Ship, playing Allison Shaw, the highly intelligent and capable Chief of Staff to President Michener (recurring guest star Mark Moses). (Denise Petski at Deadline)

Actress Jessy Schram (Falling Skies) has landed a recurring role on Nashville, playing Cash Gray, a singer songwriter who is just starting to come into her own, having co-written a few songs with Kacey Musgraves. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Cassidy Freeman (Smallville and Longmire) will guest star in an episode of Stitchers will returns for its second season on ABC Family, which will be taking on the new name of Freeform in 2016. She will play Ellie, a hacker who uses her “impressive skills” to taunt the Stitchers team. Meanwhile, actor John Billingsley (True Blood) will recur on the show, playing Mitchell Blair, an NSA executive who arrives on the scene as part of an “abrupt change” to the Stitchers’ organization. (Andy Swift at TV Line)

Actress Jessica Camacho (Last Resort) has been promoted to series regular on Sleepy Hollow where she plays Sophie Foster, who has experience obtaining artifacts and a connection (however murky) to the dearly departed Sheriff Corbin. (Kimberly Roots at TV Line and The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Henry Czerny (Revenge) will appear as Winslow Schott (aka the Toyman) on Supergirl. (Andy Swift at TV Line, ComicBook.com and Supergirl.TV)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) will star opposite Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis in the upcoming sci-fi film Colossal that follows a woman who moves back to her hometown after losing her job and boyfriend in New York, only to discover that she is somehow strangely connected to a giant creature that has materialized over Seoul and is wreaking havoc on the city. Stevens will play the ex-boyfriend who originally scorns her only to later fight to win her back. (Justin Kroll at Variety)

TV TO BOOK NEWS

The TV series The Librarians is getting a spin-off book that will be published in October 2016. The book “The Librarians and the Lost Lamp” will toggle between the past, as Flynn Carsen tries to find Aladdin’s Lamp before an ancient criminal organization known as the Forty Seals gets hold of it, and the future, when Eve Baird and a new group of Librarians — protectors of ancient artifacts like King Arthur’s sword Excalibur — stumble on a mystery in Las Vegas that seems to relate to the Lamp and the powerful djinn it can summon. (Andy Lewis at The Hollywood Reporter)

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

Question: With Charlotte Ross returning to Arrow soon, can you tell us anything about her relationship with Oliver, Felicity, and if she’ll finally meet Quentin Lance? –Tina

Mitovich: Stephen Amell shared at the set last week that Oliver has formed a bond with Mama Smoak, especially since he was living the suburban life with her daughter Felicity. “I had always imagined that Oliver in his nice, easy-going state would have a dialogue with Donna Smoak, which was proven correct and leads to some funny moments,” he said. “The dynamic between the two of them is excellent.” As for any possible meeting of Donna and Quentin, Paul Blackthorne joked as he came away from filming the fall finale, “Do I have lipstick on my cheek? [Then again] it’s a Christmas episode, so of course, everybody’s kissing everybody.” Hmmm.

Question: When will Arrow fans learn about Felicity’s father? –Kyle

Mitovich: Not anytime especially soon, it sounds like. “I don’t know anything about my dad,” Emily Bett Rickards said on set last week, “except that he’s probably going to be a villain and he’s rich and that he comes in this season.”

Question: Do you have any new Castle scoop? –Alie

Mitovich: During our November Sweep preview chat, I was sure to ask the co-showrunners what exactly Kristopher Polaha will be up to on the series, besides being tall. “He’s playing a public defender who comes in [during the fall finale ‘Mr. & Mrs. Castle’] and presents with some unexpected complexity,” said Alexi Hawley. “He’s a little bit more than what he seems. “The design of his character,” Terence Paul Winter added, “is that he’s immediately at odds with the folks at the 12th, while representing a murderer. He’s trying to do his job while the 12th is trying to do theirs.”

Question: Do you have any scoop on where Castle‘s Beckett will be when Stana Katic was in Milan? –Laura

Mitovich: For the next new episode, “Cool Boys” (airing Nov. 9), Beckett is “out of town at a meeting for a couple of days, at a work-related function,” Alexi Hawley told me. The EP then made clear that she is off doing “real work, not secret work” related to the LokSat mystery.

Question: Any clues as to whether Once Upon a Time viewers are literally going to “hell” aka the Underworld, and if so, as a whole cast? Or is it possible it comes to Storybrooke? –Karen

Mitovich: Details — on any confirmed trip to Hell or otherwise – are scarce thus far, but this much I can share: For an early Season 5B episode, the ABC series is guest-casting the roles of a “dashing, strapping young man” who is “single-minded in his pursuit of his destiny: to be the greatest hero who ever lived” and a “plucky, 18-year-old female adventurer with a sly sense of humor and a tough, no-nonsense spirit.”

Question: Is it too early for scoop on Beauty and the Beast Season 4? –Anna

Mitovich: Back in August when this email first came in? Yes. But now? Not so early! At the very least, I can report that the Season 4 aka series finale will be titled, fittingly, “Au Revoir.”

Question: It’s very exciting that we’re going to get some members of the Lane family in Supergirl‘s first season, but is there any hope for Lois herself? And if not a guest-starring role or even a cameo, will we at least hear about her life onscreen? –Tatiana

Mitovich: As a matter of fact, not only does Clark Kent get name-checked in Episode 2, but his lady love Lois also is mentioned. (Jenna Dewan-Tatum then of course debuts as little sister Lucy aka James’ ex the following week.)

Question: Do you have any scoop on CBS’ Supergirl? –SuperSurfSurf

Mitovich: Episode 11 will introduce the potentially recurring character of Senator Miranda Crane, a dynamic, persuasive and dangerous ideologue who is preparing for a White House run based on an anti-alien platform.

Question: What does it mean for Supernatural‘s Dean that he and The Darkness are bound? What plans does Amara/Darkness have for him? Can one be killed without hurting the other? –DeMara

Mitovich: One can definitely be injured without affecting the other. “It’s not like a voodoo doll” (or “twinsies,” as Jared Padalecki jokes) “or anything like that,” star Jensen Ackles clarifies. “We will see… what exactly that relationship is” between Dean and The Darkness, Ackles adds. “I don’t think that he knows what to make of it. What it all means and how it’s all going to tie into his destiny and his future and what that means for the brothers, he’s very nervous about. Obviously, those nerves are something that he’s going to be hiding, but we will see it get fleshed out a bit.”

Question: Supernatural‘s Sam and the Reaper — is there more to this story? –JJ

Mitovich: Interestingly, Dean will also be meeting Billie the reaper (played by Lisa Berry), in the fall finale. “To be honest… we have not shot those scenes yet, so I don’t know how intense it’s going to be,” Jensen Ackles said on set last week. “But I’m excited to work with her.”

Question: Do you happen to have any scoop on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that isn’t Secret Warriors related? –Dee

Mitovich: Exec producer Jeffrey Bell affirms that May is “really angry” after her and Hunter’s attack on Ward wound up getting Andrew (seemingly) incinerated. And she’s not only mad at the menfolk. “Look, she was part of that plan, so she’s culpable,” Bell notes. “Knowing May, she’s more angry at herself than anybody else.” Asked if Andrew’s unclear fate will be confirmed sooner, or later, Bell hedged, “We will absolutely address his fate sooner or later!” (BTW, the Secret Warriors detected and do not appreciate your shade!)

Question: I would love to have any spoilers you can give on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Fitz and Simmons! — Jenna

Mitovich: It sounds like they will keep their mission to somehow rescue Will from the planet on the down low, which of course on this show tends to backfire in spectacular fashion. “Like any kind of secret, it starts with one person knowing something,” says EP Jeffrey Bell, “and then over time there are twist and turns and complications.”

Question: Where is Gotham‘s Harvey Dent? Isn’t he supposed to be around more this year? –Drew

Mitovich: Dent (played by series regular Nicholas D’Agosto) resurfaces this Monday in “Mommy’s Little Monster,” and from there on will appear “on and off,” says EP John Stephens. “We’re not playing any full Harvey Dent stories right now, but he’s a part of our world, that’s for sure.”

That’s it. Enjoy!