Here are the news items for today, few though they may be:
TELEVISION
Actress Sally Pressman (Army Wives) will appear on Once Upon a Time, presumably playing the late mother of Elsa and Anna [from Frozen], who will be featured in the new season. Once Upon a Time will be back this Sunday, September 28. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)
Actress Marisol Nichols (24) will guest star on an upcoming episode of NCIS, playing an ATF Special Agent who worked with Tony DiNozzo (series regular Michael Weatherley) years ago on the Philadelphia Police Department. NCIS is back with its 10th season on September 23. (Matt Mitovich at TV Line)
Colin Farrell has officially joined True Detective for its second season on HBO. (The Huffington Post)
BOX OFFICE NEWS
Here are the top 10 box office movies for this past weekend courtesy of Box Office Mojo:
1. The Maze Runner – 32.5 million
2. A Walk Among the Tombstones – 13.1. million
3. This is Where I Leave You – 11.9 million
4. No Good Deed – 10.2 million
5. Dolphin Tale 2 – 9 million
6. Guardians of the Galaxy – 5.2 million
7. Let’s Be Cops – 2.67 million
8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 2.65
9. The Drop – 2.1 million
10. If I Stay – 1.8 million
Actor Sam Elliott and Garret Dillahunt (Raising Hope) will have recurring roles in the sixth and final season of Justified, which will be back on FX in January 2015. Elliott will play Markham, a legendary Kentucky gangster who returns from exile with a private army and bags of cash, hell-bent on winning back his empire and the lost love of his life, Katherine Hale (Mary Steenburgen). Meanwhile, Dillahunt will play Walker, a spec ops veteran who’s spent much of the last decade deployed in combat zones, first as a soldier and most recently as a private contractor. He now handles security for a quasi-legal businessman, a job to which he brings all of the skills (as well as the demons) he acquired during his military career. (The Futon Critic)
Actor Daren Kagasoff (The Secret Life of an American Teenager) will have a recurring role on FOX’s new drama Red Band Society, playing Hunter, the sarcastic, intellectual bad boy who is in the hospital with a life threatening illness. (The Deadline Team)
DEVELOPMENT NEWS
CBS has given a series commitment to Supergirl from executive producers Greg Berlanti (the man behind Arrow and The Flash) and Ali Adler (an executive producer on Chuck). The story, of course, is based on the DC Comics character Kara Zor-El who escaped Krypton amid its destruction. In this version, she has been keeping her powers a secret since arriving on Earth, but now at age 24 she decides to embrace her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be. (Whitney Friedlander at Variety)
Q&A SECTION (with Natalie Abrams at Entertainment Weekly)
Question: Do you have any information on who Elizabeth Mitchell is playing on Once Upon a Time? — Toni
Natalie: She is definitely playing the villain of the first half of the season. “For the first time, we’re showing a villainous side to Elizabeth Mitchell,” says executive producer Adam Horowitz says. “There’s a dark side that Elizabeth is accessing and she’s doing so in chilling fashion.”
Question: Any Castle scoop? — Sandra
Natalie: The hunt for Castle will drudge up all the suspects we’ve been guessing over the summer, including Braken and 3XK, but you’ll be surprised by where the evidence leads in regards to who actually took the author—which will be hotly debated in the precinct. The apparent truth, however, is something so shocking, it may make you question your Caskett devotion.
Question: I can’t wait for Sleepy Hollow to return. Anything you can tease? — Pablo
Natalie: Fear not, it won’t be long before Abbie and Crane are reunited, but there’s a shocking twist in the premiere that will definitely leave you scratching your head. Here are my two best cryptic teases: A familiar face will assist Abbie in her plight, and Crane’s memories of the past could be the key to unlocking a way to save one of their own.
FX has renewed Tyrant for a 10-episode second season. (Variety)
Actor Alan Van Sprang (Reign) and actress Natasha Henstridge (The Secret Circle) will have recurring roles on Beauty And the Beast when the show returns during mid-season on The CW. They will play Bob and Carol, mirror images of Vincent (series lead Jay Ryan) Catherine (Kristin Kreuk); the married couple will share marriage and relationship advice with their engaged (GASP!) counterparts. (Tierney Bricker at E! Online)
Actress AnnaLynne McCord (90210 and Dallas) will guest star in an episode of the new CBS fall drama Stalker that follows LAPD detectives in the Threat Assessment Unit who take on stalking cases. McCord will appear as Nina Preston, a television star who needs the TAU’s help after an obsessed fan threatens her life. Stalker will debut on CBS on October 10. (Rebecca Iannucci at TV Line)
Actor Nick Tarabay (Spartacus) will have a recurring role in Arrow, playing Digger Harkness, better known as DC villain Captain Boomerang. He will be an ex-ARGUS operative skilled in martial arts and espionage, with a thirst for vengeance against his former employers. (Dark Horizons and Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)
Actor James D’Arcy (Cloud Atlas) has joined the cast of the upcoming mid-season drama Agent Carter that will find Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) now working for the covert Strategic Scientific Reserve, doing administrative work and going on secret missions. D’Arcy will play Jarvis, the butler to Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) and ally to Agent Carter. (Dark Horizons and Variety)
Actress Toni Trucks (Franklin & Bash and Hostages) and Erick Avari (the box office film The Mummy) will both appear in upcoming episodes of Grimm. Trucks will play Deputy Janelle Farris, who will go to Nick (series lead David Giuntoli) and Hank (series regular Russell Hornsby) for help with a highway-crime scene that seems a little off. Avari will play a salvage-yard owner whose business attracts Nick’s attention in regard to a string of highway disappearances. (Kimberly Roots at TV Line)
STREAMING SERIES NEWS
Actor Nathan Parsons (True Blood, Bunheads and The Originals) will star in the online series Point Of Honor, a Civil War family drama pilot that centers on best friends and brothers-in-law, John Rodes (Parsons) and Robert Sumner, who find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
BOX OFFICE NEWS
Actors Toby Kebbell (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and the upcoming Fantastic Four) and actor Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire) will both star in the latest adaptation of Ben-Hur. Kebbell is expected to take on the role of Messala while Huston will play the title character. (Justin Kroll at Variety and Mike Fleming, Jr. at Deadline)
Q&A SECTION (with Adam Bryant at TV Guide)
Question: What will Emma and Hook’s dating life be like on Once Upon a Time? — Val
Adam: The good news: The producers are going to let them go out somewhere other than Granny’s Diner. The bad news: “It’s going to be tricky for the two of them,” executive producer Adam Horowitz says. “Just because we saw their feelings reach a new level at the end of last season doesn’t mean that that’s the end of the story.” And Emma may be the problem. “Emma is obviously a person who has a tough time trusting people and letting her guard down,” executive producer Edward Kitsis says. “Sometimes you may feel something for somebody but your feelings hold you back.”
Question: What sort of monsters will Abbie and Ichabod face when Sleepy Hollow returns? — Andre
Adam: Remember how Judas was paid in silver to betray Jesus? What happens when someone in Sleepy Hollow literally gets their hands on the same silver? “It brings out people’s darker sides and inclinations,” Nicole Beharie said of the coin, which was also once owned by Benedict Arnold. “That’s a lot scarier … than a monster that might cut off your head because… if it’s someone you love [who has the coin] what do you do? You don’t want to kill them.”
Here are the news items, few though they may be, for today:
TELEVISION
MTV picked up a new thriller drama series called Eye Candy back in February of this year, giving it a 10-episode order and announcing that Nickelodeon star Victoria Justice would be the lead. Eye Candy is about a tech genius Lindy (Justice) who begins to suspect that one of her online suitors might be a deadly cyber stalker. When her friends at the cyber-police uncover a potential serial killer in Manhattan, she works with the hackers to solve the murders while unleashing her own style of justice. Then yesterday I learned that actor Daniel Lissing (When Calls the Heart and Last Resort) will be making a guest appearance in an episode of this series; and now comes news that two new cast members have been added to the show. Days of Our Lives hunk Casey Deidrick (Days Of Our Lives) will play male lead Tommy, a dry-witted NY native who descends from a long line of cops and works as a detective in the NYPD Cyber Unit. He is skeptical of Lindy’s tactics and motivations, but he ultimately decides to work with her. Actress Kiersey Clemon (Austin & Ally) will play a new character, Sophia, Lindy’s hip, gorgeous, sophisticated, and vibrant best friend and roommate. MTV has yet to give Eye Candy an official airdate, though. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
Veteran actor Scott Glenn (The Leftovers) will appear in Netflix’s highly-anticipated adaptation of the Marvel Comics character Daredevil that will star Charlie Cox (Boardwalk Empire) as Matt Murdock, the man behind the mask. Glenn will play Murdock’s mentor Stick. The cast of this series includes Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood) as Karen Page and Vincent D’Onofrio (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) as Wilson Fisk. (Jonathon Dornbush at Entertainment Weekly)
BOX OFFICE NEWS
Actor Tom Hiddleston (Loki in the Thor franchise) will star in the upcoming King Kong origins film Skull Island. (Whitney Friedlander at Variety)
Actress Andrea Parker (Pretty Little Liars and The Pretender) will have a recurring role on the new FOX drama Red Band Society that revolves around teenagers who are long-term hospital patients. She will play Sarah, the mother of Kara Sounders (Zoe Levin), a wealthy, driven, dedicated and fashionable woman who has connections and usually gets what she wants. She is the “alpha dog” in her lesbian relationship and is hell-bent on finding a way to move her daughter up the organ-donation list to receive a new heart. (The Deadline Team)
Actor Mykelti Williamson (Justified and 24) will have a recurring role on Nashville, playing Terry, a brilliant musician who, after suffering a terrible personal tragedy, lives as a nomad on the streets of Nashville. When his talent finally is uncovered, he works hard to reclaim the self-sufficiency he lost years ago. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
Actor Luke Perry (Beverly Hills 90210) will appear on the CBS series CSI: Cyber in the potentially recurring role of Nick Dalton, a former FBI agent who has ties to Special Agent Avery Ryan’s (series lead Patricia Arquette). (Liz Raftery at TV Guide)
Actress Susan Walters (Teen Wolf and The Vampire Diaries) will guest star in this December’s new Bravo series The Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce, playing Karen Klein, a mom who disapproves of how Abby (series lead Lisa Edelstein) is handling her divorce. (Andy Swift at TV Line)
Actress Amanda Pays (the original 1990 series The Flash) will appear in The CW’s The Flash, reprising her role of Dr. Tina McGee, an employee of a rival company to STAR Labs. (Philiana Ng at The Hollywood Reporter)
BOX OFFICE NEWS
Here are the top 10 box offices movies from this past weekend courtesy of Box Office Mojo:
1. No Good Deed – 24.5 million
2. Dolphin Tale 2 – 16.5 million
3. Guardians of the Galaxy – 8 million
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 4.8 million
5. Let’s Be Cops – 4.3 million
6. The Drop – 4.2 million
7. If I Stay – 4 million
8. November Man – 2.7 million
9. The Giver – 2.6 million
10. The Hundred-Foot Journey – 2.5 million
BOX OFFICE TRAILER
Q&A SECTION (with Matt Mitovich at TV Line)
Question: Have any scoop on what will be happening with Ryan and Esposito in the beginning of Castle Season 7? –Dani
Mitovich: Well, if you want to talk about the very beginning, know that RySpo arrive at the car crash scene just moments after Beckett, and thus are still wearing their finest. “We’re not about to let her go by herself,” says Jon Huertas, ” so there we are, in our tuxes — like a Latino James Bond with his Caucasian James Bond sidekick.” And it just may take double the 007s to temper their explosive colleague. “It’s hard to control a person when they’re going through that sort of emotive state, so we let Beckett have her time,” says Huertas. “First and foremost, though, you want to make sure Castle either is or is not in the car — and we find out pretty quickly, as you can tell in the promo.”
Question: You would make my week if you gave us some good Castle scoop! Pretty please with a Badass Beckett on top? –Ginger
Mitovich: Episode 7 will apparently saddle up Kate, Rick et al for a trip to the wild, wild west – or at least a modern-day dude ranch facsimile thereof. Thus, guest casting is underway for a sheriff and his wife, a rugged ranch hand, a “muscular, sexy gay cowboy” and other rootin’-tootin’ folk.
Question: Please (give) me any and all info on Arrow, please. –Caroline
Mitovich: A new season comes “new toys” for Oliver to play with. “In the season premiere, you’ll see a new kind of arrow,” showrunner Marc Guggenheim shares. “And in Episode 5, there’s another new kind of arrow we’ve never seen before. Season 3 is like a movie sequel, where he’s got new gadgets to play with!”
Question: When will the third season of Beauty and the Beast start? –Chiara
Mitovich: Not until “midseason,” which could mean anywhere from January to spring to (to hear some tell it) maybe even summer 2015. But at least you have this to look forward to: In Season 3’s fourth episode, Cat and Vincent will meet with a marriage counselor, as they endeavor to balance their different careers with their relationship.
Question: Any Season 6 scoop on NCIS: LA’s Nell?—Paul
Mitovich: Anyone who enjoyed the Nell/Hetty moment in the season finale “is in for some surprises in the first and second episode, and the third, too,” showrunner Shane Brennan told me. “Nell comes to Hetty’s rescue in a very interesting way.”
Question: Any Hart of Dixie scoop? —Julianna
Mitovich: Is BlueBell big enough for two Zoe Harts? The CW charmer is looking for a twentysomething actress to play “Zoe 2.0,” a very attractive, fashionable, quick-witted, New York attorney struggling to make sense of life in the quaint Alabama burg. The character’s actual name isn’t actually Zoe 2.0. That would be weird and confusing. It’s Olivia Green.
Singer-turned-actress Mandy Moore will have a recurring role in the new FOX dramedy Red Band Society that is set to debut on September 17. She will play Dr. Erin Grace, Chief of Staff at Ocean Park Hospital, where the series takes place. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)
Actor Owain Yeoman (The Mentalist) has joined the cast of the AMC period piece drama Turn. He will be a series regular playing Benedict Arnold. The 10-episode second season of the series will air some time in 2015. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)
TNT has given a 10-episode second season order to Murder In The First. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
The Hallmark Hall of Fame movies used to be a 16-year tradition over at CBS then it spent three years at ABC. Now, it has shifted over to a new network – the Hallmark Channel. Seems apropos enough, right? The first Hallmark Hall of Fame movie on the Hallmark Channel will be “One Christmas Eve” starring Anne Heche. It will air on November 30. (Variety)
Actress Linda Hunt will take her NCIS: Los Angeles character Hetty Lang over to the new CBS drama Scorpion to help the Scorpion team to – of all things – infiltrate a Halloween party. Also, actress Shohreh Aghdashloo (Grimm and 24) will also guest star in the series, playing Dr. Cassandra Davis, a psychologist assigned to evaluate Walter O’Brien (series lead Elyes Gabel) and the team following a chaotic and costly conclusion to one of their cases. (Natalie Abrams at Entertainment Weekly)
DEVELOPMENT NEWS
It looks like TNT is getting in the superhero game, as they are developing a one-hour live-action drama called Titans, which is based on younger characters in the WB-owned DC Comics universe. The show would center on Dick Grayson, the former Robin who emerges from Batman’s shadow to become Nightwing and the leader of a fearless band of heroes who include Starfire and Raven. (Whitney Friedlander at Variety)
ABC is developing a pilot based on one of author Dan Brown’s novels. Thriller Digital Fortress will be an international thriller set in the world of the NSA during a global threat. It’s being described as a sexy cat-and-mouse game between a Snowden-esque character who is threatening to release all of the government’s secrets to the highest bidder and a female cryptographer and her elite team who are tasked to stop him. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
As if Shonda Rhimes is busy enough with Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and the new How to Get Away with Murder all on the air she is developing a cop drama called Protect & Survive with ABC. The ensemble drama would center on the last LAPD precinct fighting to hang on in Los Angeles after a massive disaster changed life as we know it. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)
BOX OFFICE NEWS
Actor Theo James (Divergent and Golden Boy) will return to Underworld to reprise his role of David in the fifth film in the franchise. He will star opposite two new female characters who are yet to be cast. (Clique Clack)
Actor Michael Ealy (Common Law and Think Like A Man) will star as civil rights activist Dr. Gilbert Mason in the upcoming biopic called A Civil Right that tells the story of the Biloxi physician who led non-violent “wade-ins” against segregation on Gulf Coast beaches between 1959 and 1963, protests that sparked violence from whites and resulted in the first successful anti-discrimination suit against the state of Mississippi. Mason’s activism landed him at #3 on the FBI’s civil rights agitators most-watched list, and he went on to successfully fight for school desegregation in the state and help form the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO). (Jen Yamato at Deadline)
Q&A SECTION (with Natalie Abrams at Entertainment Weekly)
Question: There’s been a severe lack of Melinda May scoop for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. — Monique
Natalie: Let me fix that for you: Melinda May will find herself with new duties as S.H.I.E.L.D. is being rebuilt, but her past may come back to haunt her this year. “She’s gone through something crazy in Bahrain that we’ve hinted at and we will explore in this season,” executive producer Jed Whedon teases.
Question: I need some Blacklist scoop that doesn’t have to do with Mary-Louise Parker. — Charlie
Natalie: While it sounds like Liz may show a little sibling rivalry-like jealousy towards the new agent (Mozhan Marnò) joining Red’s team, she’ll find out just how much Red cares about her when he enlists someone to shadow her and offer protection. Of course, this makes it much more difficult for her to go behind Red’s back. Yeah, it’ll be a two-way street when it comes to keeping secrets this season.
Question: Any scoop on Emma from Once Upon a Time? I’d like to know if we’ll get any flashbacks on her past? — Alex
Natalie: We will! In fact, we’re going to get a lot more information about her childhood. “In the first half of the season, we’re going to see more of Emma’s past than I think we’ve seen in all the other previous seasons combined,” executive producer Adam Horowitz tells me. Here’s hoping that means we may get to see Neal again.
Question: Any Graceland scoop on Jakes? — Etienne
Natalie: Jakes will actually go head-to-head with Briggs next season. “We’ve been discussing the idea that towards the end of this season, he was so broken, he was with a prostitute and he let Paige down, so it would push him to a point where he’d decide to shave off his dreads and really resurrect himself,” executive producer Jeff Eastin says. “That’s something we’re really looking to do next season, give him a storyline where Jakes has to step up and ultimately become the hero. That will ultimately pit him against Briggs.”
Actor Arjay Smith (Perception) has joined the cast of Sons of Anarchy for its seventh and final season. He will play Grant McQueen, a good, street smart kid who is trying to protect his mother. (The Deadline Team)
Actress Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) has been promoted to series regular status on the NBC thriller Hannibal, which will be back for its second season sometime during mid-season. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)
DEVELOPMENT NEWS
Paramount TV and TNT is developing a TV adaptation of its 2007 box office film Shooter, which starred Mark Wahlberg. The film was based on the novel “Point of Impact” by Stephen Hunter. It centered on a marksman, former U.S. Marine Scout Sniper Bob Lee Swagger (Wahlberg), who is coaxed back into action only to be framed for murder and goes on the run. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
Actresses Carly Chaikin (Suburgatory) and Portia Douleday (the box office films Her and Carrie) have joined the cast of the USA Network drama pilot Mr. Robot that will star actor Rami Malek (24) as Elliot, a brilliant young programmer who suffers from a debilitating anti-social disorder and decides that he can only connect to people by hacking them. Chaikin will play Marlene, a chain-smoking, striking hipster who also happens to be an expert at writing malicious malware specifically, dangerous computer worms that take down entire networks while Doubleday will play the pragmatic old childhood friend of Elliot and an account executive at the AllSafe Cyber Security firm who happens to be the only person to whom our protagonist will share his vulnerabilities. (Michael Slezak at TV Line)
BOX OFFICE NEWS
Actress Elizabeth Olsen has joined the cast of the upcoming film I Saw The Light that will star Tom Hiddleston as the late, great country western singer Hank Williams. The film will chronicle Williams’ meteoric rise to fame and the price that fame took on his personal life, as he died at age 29 of heart failure. Olsen will play Williams’ wife Audrey Mae. (Jen Yamato at Deadline)
Q&A SECTION (with Michael Ausiello at TV Line)
Question: In what episode of NCIS Season 12 will Jim Beaver be guest-starring? —JP
Ausiello: Though we don’t have the episode number, we do have a title: “The San Dominick.” And Matt Mitovich has learned that it’s the same episode that brings back fan favorite Diane Neal as CGIS Agent Borin. The plot: During a joint NCIS/Coast Guard training exercise, Gibbs and Borin find a body floating in the water. Once it’s determined that the deceased was a crew member aboard a ship run by a Captain Tom O’Rourke (Supernatural alum Beaver’s role), the two decide to pay a visit to the vessel some 60 nautical miles away, to further investigate the “man overboard” situation.
Question: Do you have any insight as to who the Big Bad of season 3 of Arrow will be? —Michael
Ausiello: As revealed at Comic-Con, the Big Bad is this guy — the iconic DC Comics villain Ra’s al Ghul, just recently cast with Aussie Matt Nable. And though the League of Assassins leader is first seen in Episode 4, it will take a bit before he and Arrow butt heads, swords or what have you. “Before the winter break, which would be Episode 9, you’ll see some big stuff with him and Oliver,” promises EP Greg Berlanti.
Question: Will Dr. Whale continue to be seen at all on Once Upon a Time, now that David Anders is on iZombie? Don’t both shows shoot in the same town? —Gwen
Ausiello: Were it as simple as sending Vancouver Taxi to fetch Anders (or his leading lady Rose McIver aka Tinker Bell, for that matter), but it’s not. “We would love to drag [David] across town, as [iZombie EP] Rob [Thomas] is an old friend of ours,” says Once co-creator Eddy Kitsis. “But he’s not in the first batch [of Season 4 episodes].” (Dr. Whale does get a shout-out in an early episode, however. So there’s that.)
Question: I love Sleepy Hollow‘s Katrina – please tell me she’s in the real world longer than just one episode. —Erin
Ausiello: Well, she’s around long enough to engage in some retail therapy, says executive producer Mark Goffman. “I would say she doesn’t cling to her wardrobe the way that Crane does,” he teases, adding that when Mrs. Crane hits the mall, her style is “pretty edgy.” So… no Revolutionary War re-enactor costumes? “She’s a much cooler dresser in a way of mixing and matching the modern era with her own.”
Question: If and when we meet Crane’s mother on Sleepy Hollow, will Victor Garber return as his dad? —Dave
Ausiello: “There’s no doubt that we will learn a lot more about Crane’s mother, potentially in the second half” of the upcoming second season, Goffman tells TVLine, going on to say that Garber – who’s already filmed at least one Season 2 episode – would be very welcome to make another visit. “He’s unbelievable. We loved having him on the show last year and are excited to have him back.”
Question: Can you find out if Castiel and Crowley will be in the 200th episode of Supernatural? —Franca
Ausiello: I can, I will and I did. “We can’t give too much away about the 200th episode or the storylines leading up to it,” a spokesperson for the show tells TVLine, “but we can say that while Misha Collins and Mark Sheppard are not in the episode” — not a huge shock considering series-regular status doesn’t guarantee a presence in all episodes produced — “they, and many other favorite characters from the past nine seasons, will be represented in a way that we think fans will love.” Considering how unique the show’s past meta episodes have been, in what crazy way do you think Castiel and Crowley will make their presence known?
Showtime series Nurse Jackie will be back for a seventh and final season. (Natalie Abrams at Entertainment Weekly)
DEVELOPMENT NEWS
CBS is developing a drama project called Last Hour with writer Nikki Toscano (Revenge and Las Vegas) that will follow a female FBI agent in the last hour of an FBI operation as she infiltrates the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
FOX has given an off-cycle pilot order to a drama called Runner that will involve Peter Horton as an executive producer. The series will be based on the Turkish series called Son that centers on Lauren Marks who, after a simple twist of fate, learns that her husband is not the person she believed him to be. Faced with the harsh reality that her life is forever changed, she goes on a truth-seeking journey that entrenches her in a U.S./Mexican war over weapons and terrorism. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE NEWS
Five-time Tony Award nominee Kelli O’Hara has been cast in the upcoming NBC December 4 telecast of Peter Pan Live. She will play Mrs. Darling, the wife of George Darling and mother of the Darling children – Wendy, John and Michael. (The Futon Critic)
BOX OFFICE NEWS
Actress Rachel Brosnahan (Manhattan and The Blacklist) has joined the cast of the family drama Louder Than Bombs that follows Gene (Gabriel Byrne) and his two sons (Jesse Eisenberg and Devin Makenzie Druid) three years after the death of their wife and mother. Brosnahan will play an ex-girlfriend of Eisenberg’s character. (The Deadline Team)
Actor Jesse Carere (who plays Ofe on the MTV drama Finding Carter) has joined the cast of The Stanford Prison Experiment, a film about the infamous 1971 psychological tests in which college students played the roles of prisoners and guards with disturbing results. Carere will play Paul, Prisoner 5704, a gangly young man who counts smoking as his only vice. (The Deadline Team)
Q&A SECTION (with Adam Bryant at TV Guide)
Question: Will the Castle cliff-hanger be resolved early in the new season or strung out for ages? —
Adam: New showrunner David Amann would like a little from Column A and a little from Column B. “After the second episode, the audience will have some but not all of the answers about what exactly is going on,” he says of explaining just how and why Castle’s car came to be engulfed in flames. “It’s a sufficient amount [of resolution] that the characters can move and get back to life as they knew it, but the effects of what happened to Castle will re-emerge and re-assert themselves later in the season.” However, don’t expect that to necessarily slow down the re-booking of a wedding. So, will we see Castle-Beckett nuptials this season? “I think that is very possible,” Amann says.
Question: Do you have any intel on the new season of Homeland? — Nathan
Adam: Although we expect the ghost of Brody to haunt the new season at some point, his name isn’t even mentioned in the first episode. Instead, Carrie is thrust right back into the center of the action by overseeing a drone-strike program in Afghanistan. Things get a bit dicey, however, when Carrie’s latest target is taken out during a family wedding (three words: international. PR. nightmare.). But perhaps the most telling thing about Carrie is how little any of what she’s doing these days seems to faze her.
Question: Scandal scoop, please! — Eliza
Adam: Hold off on Olivia-Fitz ‘shipping for now. While Liv is relaxing on the beach, Fitz and Mellie will still be grieving Jerry’s death, which won’t be resolved any time soon. “It’s a huge struggle,” Tony Goldwyn tells us. “And with the absence of Olivia, emotionally, Fitz is trying to adjust to this new reality. … It’s not about moving forward on their marriage; it’s about getting through today. It kind of goes into territory that’s deeper and different and unexpected for Scandal.”
Question: I can’t wait for Person of Interest. Do you have any new spoilers? — Tommy
Adam: As you might have guessed, living under false identities doesn’t sit very well with many of the team members. (Ass-kickers Reese and Shaw, in particular, won’t be enjoying their fairly routine day jobs.) However, when the opportunity to get the band back together presents itself, not everyone jumps at the chance. “Finch has come to a place of doubting the intentions of his creation,” executive producer Jonathan Nolan teases. “Finch has been much more measured in his belief in what his creation is doing. He’s a lot more conflicted about it and that conflict will only continue.”
Question: I’m obsessed with Outlander. Any scoop?!
Adam: Book readers who have been dying for years to see the (very pivotal) wedding of Claire and Jamie won’t have to wait much longer. (The steamy union will take place in Episode 7 that will air September 20, to be exact.) As if you needed another reason to be excited, author Diana Gabaldon offered up this tease when we visited the set in Scotland. “It is well worth seeing,” she said. “I told [Sam Heughan], ‘I’ve seen it. It’s fantastic, the lighting is wonderful, and honesty compels me to add you have one fine ass, man!’ And that he does.”
Actress Phyllis Logan (Mrs. Hughes on Downton Abbey) will appear in an upcoming episode of Bones, playing Sandra Zins, a millionaire whose housekeeper has been murdered. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)
CBS is developing a supernatural procedural drama based on the Stephen King short story The Things They Left Behind with uber-producer Greg Berlanti and writer Seth Grahame-Smith. The story centers on an unlikely pair of investigators carrying out the unfinished business of the dead. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
NBC is developing a drama project called Game Of Silence from CSI producer Carol Mendelsohn and Parenthood producer David Hudgins that will be based on the Turkish series of the same name that centers on a rising attorney on the brink of spectacular success who could lose his perfect life when his long-lost childhood friends threaten to expose a dark secret from their violent past. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
NBC is developing an hour-long project with Ugly Betty creator Silvio Horta called The Curse of the Fuentes Women that will explore the power of memory and mythology in shaping our destinies. When a young man washes up on Miami Beach claiming to be a long-lost family member from Cuba, he breathes new energy into the lives of grandmother Esperanza Fuentes, daughter Lola and granddaughter Soledad. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
CBS is developing a medical drama with producer Katie Jacobs for Halle Berry’s production company 606 Films that will center on an enigmatic surgeon who imprisons himself in a state-of-the-art private hospital on the grounds of a prison. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
Actor Rami Malek (24 and the Twilight franchise) has landed the title role in the USA Network drama pilot Mr. Robot, which centers on Elliot, a brilliant cyber security engineer by day and a vigilante hacker by night, who finds himself drawn to an underground anarchist group that launches cyber-attacks in an attempt to start a global revolution. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)
MINI-SERIES NEWS
Actors Zachary Quinto (Heroes and Star Trek) and Brian Cox (the Bourne franchise) have joined the cast of the NBC mini-series The Slap, which is based on the Australian series of the same name. Quinto will play the lead character, a man who slap another couple’s misbehaving child while Cox will play “the peacemaker in the family”. They join the previously announced Peter Sarsgaard (An Education) and Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds). The eight-episode miniseries does not have an official airdate yet. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)
ONLINE SERIES NEWS
Actress Alexa Davalos (Mob City and Clash of the Titans) has landed the lead role in the Amazon pilot The Man In The High Castle that comes from The X-Files producer Frank Spotnitz (among others). The series will be set in 1962, exploring an alternative reality in which Nazi Germany and Japan won World War II and now occupies the United States, with the East Coast controlled by the Nazis and the West Coast owned by Japan, and a chunk of the Midwest still up for grabs. Davalos will play Juliana, who lives in Japanese-occupied San Francisco; she is fascinated by Japanese culture and has mastered the art of aikido, but her personal state of truce with the Empire of Japan stops forever when her half-sister Trudy is shot dead in front of her eyes by a Japanese soldier. Entrusted by Trudy with a black satchel containing a vital pro- Resistance propaganda film, Juliana says goodbye to her comfortable life and heads east for Colorado, the secret headquarters of the Resistance, and the road ahead of her is very blurry and very dangerous. Actor Luke Kleintank (Pretty Little Liars) will co-star. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
Q&A SECTION (with Kristin Dos Santos at E! Online)
Question: Any new Scandal scoop?? – florencewelches
Kristin: Here’s a character you’re sure to love: Bitsy Cooper, an elderly wife to a beloved politician. Later this season we’ll also meet Lawrence Carnahan, a sweet introvert who’s been in jail for 30 years.
Question: I’ll take anything you’ve got on Revenge! – Beth
Kristin: Another death will rock the Hamptons! While fans of all the series regulars can breathe a sigh of relief, a pretty important figure in the Hamptons (who had ties to Conrad) will bite the dust…leading to a whole lot of speculation surrounding the mysterious circumstances surrounding his (yes, it’s a male character that dies) death.
Question: It kills me when Outlander ends each week because I cannot wait for more. Give me something on what’s coming up, please! – Georginagirl
Kristin: In the next episode, Claire finally gets her chance to break free from Dougal and his men but guess what? Turns out there are forces WAY MORE HORRIBLE. And by WAY MORE HORRIBLE (and yes, I am obnoxiously using all caps here because he’s just that awful) I do mean that red coat bastard Black Jack. This is the week where you who have not read the books start to comprehend what a diabolical madman he is, and it’s a show-defining moment where you really start to see who is good and who is evil, and who you are most definitely rooting for. Jack himself, Tobias Menzies, tells us this of Jack’s horribleness: “In the portrayal of Jack, I had to understand the context out of which his behavior comes. It’s absolutely having to do with what his men have suffered, what he has suffered and what he’s seen. He’s seen too much. Frank and Jack are both men formed by war but one has arguably the love of a good woman and he’s salvaged from it or survives it and arguably, Jack doesn’t.”
Question: I am literally counting down the days until the Gotham premiere! Can we expect to see any other Batman characters we know and love during the season? – Thomas
Kristin: Cue fan freakout in 3…2…1…the show is currently casting the role of Harvey Dent (played by Aaron Eckhart in The Dark Knight and Tommy Lee Jones before him). When we meet him in the prequel, he’s an assistant District Attorney who is warm, engaging and full of light. They are looking for someone in their late 20s to take on the recurring role.
Actress Rebecca Mader (Lost and Once Upon a Time) will guest-star in an upcoming episode of Blue Bloods, playing Tori, a sexy and brilliant attorney who is Erin’s (series regular Bridget Moynahan) old law school classmate and her most bitter rival. (Natalie Abrams at Entertainment Weekly)
NBC has given a 10-episode order to the anthology drama series Manhunt that will deal with the mounting tension of an entire city on the hunt for a fugitive roaming the streets. Each season (should it be renewed) would examine the moment an American or international city becomes a police state or a war zone, and the violent consequences that ensue. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)
BOX OFFICE NEWS
Here are the top 10 box office movies for this past weekend courtesy of Box Office Mojo:
1. Guardians of the Galaxy – 10.2 million
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 6.5 million
3. If I Stay – 5.7 million
4. Let’s Be Cops – 5.4 million
5. The November Man – 4.2 million
6. As Above/So Below – 3.72 million
7. When the Game Stands Tall – 3.7 million
8. The Giver – 3.5 million
9. The Hundred-Foot Journey – 3.2 million
10. Lucy – 1.9 million
Q&A SECTION (with Natalie Abrams at Entertainment Weekly)
Question: I need some Scandal scoop please! — Carrie
Natalie: With Olivia out of Washington, Fitz has one very important mission in mind. Sorry, it’s not trying to find his lost love. As he begins his second term in office, Fitz has decided to take his administration in a new direction, using his power as POTUS for good in order to make a positive impact on the nation.
Question: Will Henry be there for Regina after what happened in the season finale on Once Upon a Time? Any story coming up for them in season 4? — Tales11
Natalie: Henry may be the one thing that actually keeps Regina from slipping to the dark side again after Robin Hood’s long-dead wife, Marian, resurfaced in the present. “We’re going to see Henry on a mission with Regina this year,” executive producer Edward Kitsis says. “And maybe some of his light side will rub off on her.”
Question: I need scoop on NCIS: LA. — Moni
Natalie: Lest we think Hetty is off the hook, she’ll be called to Washington D.C. to face an investigation into her use of funds and tactics in saving Kensi. I can exclusively reveal that John Heard (Home Alone and Prison Break) will portray Special Congressional Investigator Michael Thomas, who will be heading up the inquisition.
Question: Any little tidbit on The Blacklist? — Arpi
Natalie: I hear that David Fonteno (The Good Wife’s honorable Judge Robert Parks) and David Costabile (Low Winter Sun, Suits) will both guest-star in an early season 2 episode. Fonteno will play Senator Sheridan, a southern gentleman and longtime friend of Agent Cooper who runs the black-budget for the U.S. government. Costabile, meanwhile, is a blacklister named Dr. Linus Creel, a psychiatrist with a clinical curiosity who works at various psych wards and clinics around D.C.
Question: Will season 3 bring on some more moments for the original trio (Diggle, Oliver & Felicity) of Arrow? — Tony
Natalie: Actually, that will become somewhat of a sore spot for Diggle this season as Oliver wants to keep him out of the field now that he’s going to be a daddy. “What’s Diggle’s identity?” executive producer Marc Guggenheim says. “Is he his own man, is he just Oliver’s sidekick, is he a father, is he a husband? He used to be a solider, now he’s a part of Oliver’s crusade. Is he going to end up at A.R.G.U.S.? He’s got some very hard choices to make.” Speaking of A.R.G.U.S., I hear there will be some new faces joining the Suicide Squad this season.
Question: Got any casting news or episode info for all the Castle fans out there? Thanks. — Sandra
Natalie: 24 alum Jeffrey Nordling will guest-star in an upcoming episode as a real estate developer building a luxury mall along the Hudson River. Surely he’ll end up on Beckett’s radar.
