Tom Hiddleston reveals that Loki will be less Asgardian prince and more damaged pirate. Battleship director Peter Berg gives the lowdown on his movie's alien adversaries. Check out new clips from found footage superhero movie Chronicle. Plus new Supernatural revelations!
Spoilers from here on out!
Top image from The Avengers.
The Avengers
Tom Hiddleston explains how the various directors made sure all the Marvel movies interlocked together:
"Ken [Branagh] and Jon [Favreau] and Joe [Johnston] all swapped information, and Joss [Whedon] was brought on at a very early point on 'Avengers,' and Ken showed him 'Thor,' I think. They just sat down and watched it together, because Joss had asked, 'Can I watch the film before I start writing, I just want to see what you've done with Thor and Loki.' And Joss really loved what Ken had done, and what we'd all done together."
He also explains some of the sartorial changes to Loki:
Working with Alexandra Byrne, who was the costume designer again, saying let's take the regality of the lost prince of Asgard, and make him a damaged pirate, so there's evidence of some kind of experience beyond what happens at the end of Thor. And then talking with Joss about his evolved psychology and how, in the space between the end of Thor and the beginning of The Avengers, Loki has gone through a whole bunch of stuff which will register on his mind and on his body and will change who he has to become. It's really exciting!
I'm certainly digging any supervillain that can be described as "a damaged pirate." [Den of Geek]
I'd take this with a grain of salt, but somebody is claiming to have seen some scenes from the movie that were screened as part of a toy fair in Asia. The scenes supposedly involve Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow being held captive by some Russian thugs while on an undercover mission. While the thugs are trying and failing to intimidate the captured super-agent, her cell phone rings and she orders the thugs to let her take the call. It's from Agent Coulson, who tells her that Nick Fury needs her to return immediately, at which point she nonchalantly beats the crap out of the thugs while still tied to her chair, which she then breaks and escapes. Assuming that's a legit description — and yeah, that's a pretty big assumption — then that sounds like the character's initial introduction, and we might except similar vignettes for at least some of the other Avengers.
Other scenes shown reportedly involved the introduction of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, in which it first appears to be an ordinary aircraft carrier before rising out of the ocean into the air. Finally, there's a scene of the Hulk being ordered by Captain America to, "Hulk smash!", at which point, well, Hulk smashes. The source also claims it was revealed that the Hulk is more conscious and intelligent than he has been in the previous films. So, while these all sound vaguely plausible - it's not like they're claiming a joint Spider-Man/Wolverine cameo or something - I'd still take these with a grain of salt until we have something a bit more official to go on. [Comic Book Movie]
Chronicle
Here's a preview clip for the found footage teens with superpowers movie.
You can also check out another clip here.
In Your Eyes
We heard a little bit a couple months back about Joss Whedon's next movie, a low-budget supernatural romance about "two people who are preternaturally or supernaturally connected, despite being polar opposites." Now we know the identity of at least one cast member as Mad Men actress Abigail Spencer has revealed she will start work on the film next month. Whether she's part of that strangely connected couple isn't currently known. [Vulture]
Battleship
Director Peter Berg promises that there's at least some semblance of a story in his Navy vs. aliens board game adaptation:
It's important for me to try at least convey the sense that there really is a character in this film. The movie gets quite big but at its core it's a story of this young man moving from an absolute fool, as you saw in the early parts of the movie, to a real leader – a guy who assumes responsibility, and literally saves the planet. That was as important to me as bringing the big spectacle; it's about making sure that you've got this young man and this woman - this love affair - that you're rooting for at the core of the story.
He also explains how he approached the movie's aliens:
They come as a result of a signal we send, which we really do send into space. They come as part of a reconnaissance group – they're here to investigate. They're not inherently violent. They don't want to kill you. They want to see our earth, our minerals, what we look like, and see if we are of interest to them. And if we are of interest to them, they're going to call back to their planet and many more will come, leading to a real conflict.
So the first step was to design a technology that didn't feel so far out that we couldn't relate to it. Their ships have engineering; they have engines; the structure of them is similar enough to ours that we can relate to it. It's not completely unfamiliar technology. So we wanted the aliens – the way they look and the equipment they have – to feel relatable, too. But we also wanted them to look tough, like they were beings used to travelling from one planet to the next. So the aliens have scars, and their equipment is used – you get the feeling these guys are a bit tired. They look at you, and they don't want to fight with you, but if you interfere with their mission – they will fight you, and they'll probably win.
There's a ton more at the link. [IGN]
Fringe
Here are some promo photos for episode nine, "Enemy Of My Enemy", which airs this Friday. [BuddyTV and SpoilerTV]
Here's the official description for episode eleven, "Making Angels", which airs February 3:
UNIVERSES COLLIDE ON AN ALL-NEW "FRINGE" FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, ON FOX - Our Astrid gets an unexpected visit from her Alternate, while Peter and Olivia track a killer using a toxin that has yet to be invented. Both universes collide in a case that pushes the boundaries of what is possible.
For a roundup of the latest set pictures taken yesterday, go here.
Game of Thrones
The great Peter Dinklage discusses what's ahead for Tyrion in season two and the show in general:
"He falls in love, which is lovely and a bit more complicated from the philanderer that wandered around season one creating chaos. He's grown up a bit, so it's nice. Season two sticks pretty closely to book two but rumor has it book three is so big, we might break it up a bit. But that's just hearsay."
Elsewhere, Dinklage talks some more about the shocking character deaths that await viewers in the second season, though based on his previous quote I'm guessing they won't be that shocking to those who have read A Clash of Kings:
"You never know what's going to happen. I mean, we killed the protagonist [in season one], and I think that's a really smart narrative. Writing has gotten so formulaic in television. You got to push the envelope and challenge people's expectations, and I think we do that. You never know what's around the corner. In Season 2, we're not done killing off people, and it's amazing the characters we choose."
Here's a production video from Croatia.
The Walking Dead
Here's a teaser for the second half of season two, which kicks off on February 12.
Here's an interview with stars Sarah Wayne Callies and Norman Reedus.
Executive producer Gale Ann Hurd discusses some of the arcs of the show's female characters:
Andrea is already undergoing a change in her character from a civil rights attorney lacking survival skills already found in some of the men (like the deputies Rick and Shane, or the survivalist Daryl) into someone who can take care of herself. Maggie Greene is a farmer's daughter who can ride horses better than any of the men, and takes out a walker the first time we see her in the series. And one of the most kick ass characters from the comic book is Michonne, a samurai sword wielding woman, who will be introduced in future seasons.
Chuck
Here's a pair of quotes from Sarah actress Yvonne Strahovski and executive producer Chris Fedak, in which they say the series finale isn't a guaranteed happy ending:
Strahovski: "It involves the very breakdown of the Chuck and Sarah relationship. It's just awful because they've become such a fun, loving, ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith'-type couple. The last episode very much asks: Will they or won't they make it?"
Fedak: "It's not our intent to have the audience coming after us with pitchforks and torches. But we wanted a finale that was perilous and scary, and not just in a spy-mission sort of way. Everything Chuck has achieved in the last five seasons will be in jeopardy. There is much more to worry about in the last two episodes than whether or not everyone makes it out alive."
[ChuckTV]
Person of Interest
Here's a promo for tomorrow night's twelfth episode, "Legacy."
And here's the description for episode thirteen, "Root Cause", which airs February 2:
BAD LUCK MAY HAVE PUSHED REESE AND FINCH'S LATEST POI TOO FAR - Paige Turco ("Damages") Returns as Zoe, the Fixer - Reese and Finch's latest POI is a down-on-his-luck man who may have reached his breaking point. As the case evolves, the duo calls upon a former POI for help, the resourceful and well-connected Zoe.
Supernatural
Star Jared Padalecki says that Sam's experiences in Hell are soon going to boil over, and he will go "bat-ass crazy" and need to be put into an asylum. He also previews another part of Sam's big breakdown:
There's an episode that we're talking about right now where Sam isn't sleeping. The longest anybody's ever gone without sleep is like nine days, and they died, because your organs shut down. I wanted to make sure that we don't have an episode where Sam hasn't slept in a week, and he's losing his mind, and then he suddenly gets it together and helps save the day. I want him to be human, and I want him to be effed up. What's made these characters likable is that they are human.
He also reveals that Sam will be institutionalized in the episode that Misha Collins first returns as Castiel, which will shift the focus to Dean:
Sam never took offense to the fact that Cas had a beef with him. Sam's always been pragmatic and practical. He's like, 'Okay, I guess if I was talking to somebody who messed the whole world up, I'd be hesitant too.' I think with Dean, it's really hard for him to deal with Castiel's betrayal. We've seen Sam wrestle with visions of Lucifer, and now it's Dean's turn to have that kind of a story. We'll see Dean struggle to wrap his head around the Castiel issue. He's like, 'How do we forgive this guy? How do we trust him? That's how we got hurt; that's how we got burned.' Dean's once bitten, twice shy. We'll see him wrestle with some of his own demons.
There's plenty more at the link. [Zap2It]
Being Human (UK)
Here are prequel videos introducing the two new regular characters, werewolf Tom and vampire Hal.
Being Human (US)
Here's a sneak peek at episode two, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" [multipleverses.com]
And here's a bunch of promo images for the episode. [KSiteTV]
The Vampire Diaries
Here's another, non-watermarked look at the promo photos for episode fourteen, "Dangerous Liaisons", which will air in mid-February. [KSiteTV]
The Secret Circle
The 4400 actress Alexia Fast will reportedly appear in episode fifteen as Eva, the ex-girlfriend of Grey Damon's Lee LaBeque who has just awoken from her drug-induced coma. [Zap2It]
Additional reporting by Natalie Baaklini.