Michael Cudlitz talks about establishing Abraham's relationship with Rick in The Walking Dead. Bryan Singer explains what the Sentinels of X-Men owe Transformers and Pacific Rim. And Jada Pinkett-Smith joins Gotham. Plus, Once Upon a Time has given the Wicked Witch a name! Spoilers now!
Top image: The Walking Dead.
Star Wars
Maria Alyoshina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova from Pussy Riot say that they have "several offers" from film projects, with Tolokonnikova saying:
We have some offers but we cannot say from whom, nothing is agreed. [The film is] like Star Wars.
The mention of Star Wars seemed like a joke, until Tolokonnikova responded to further questions about it by refusing to comment:
Sorry, we have some offers but we cannot say anything at the moment.
The mention of Star Wars has caused some to speculate that Pussy Riot could be featured in the new movie somehow — maybe as a new Cantina band? But this seems like it's super-unlikely. Then again, no casting rumor about this movie is surprising any more. [The Independent via Epoch Times]
Months ago, Alex Pettyfer was rumored to be in the running for a role, which Pettyfer's now sort-of confirming. He told The Toronto Sun that the film's been "reaching out," which Pettyfer describes as a situation where "friends of friends and acquaintances kind of gauge your interest through your manager." But it's nowhere near set:
Again, I haven't been asked to play anyone. It's under wraps, so nobody knows what they're being considered for. I don't know if I was going to play R2D2 or who.
[Toronto Sun via Epoch Times]
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Bryan Singer talked about the design of the Sentinels and how they're used in the film:
Well the Sentinels of the past… I have to say, there are movies like Transformers, and Iron Man, and Pacific Rim, that have already explored robots of all different sizes and shapes and scope and caliber. I knew that to make another "robot attacks people" movie is not [what we were after]. Yet they are an element in the picture. So they serve the story in an interesting way, and not necessarily in an obvious rock-em-sock-em battle robots at the end of the movie kind of way. Although, there is some of that, now that I'm really thinking about it. Come to think of it, more than I probably realize. It's just not that, particularly what you saw in that picture [an early image of Singer standing next to a prop Sentinel] is not the totality of it. That's not exactly the whole of the technological threat.
We tried to make the ones from 1973, the Sentinels of the past, a little fun and stylish but also a little retro. The key is they're not made of metal. That's very important to our story because we've got a very powerful mutant [who can manipulate metal]. So that was a challenge, to make them look like they could be made of polymer or some other material, plastic or something, but still have them be formidable when flying around and all that.
He also talked about the time travel in the movie:
When you see the X-Men in this future, it's almost like you start off in sort of a dreary "maybe" future. It's one you hope didn't happen, maybe it won't happen. So I went full out. That's why its very dark and they're all militant. I wanted to make sure they all looked like they'd been fighting a war for ten years.
. . . I wanted it to make sense, and this is a rare film where past and future are co-existing, so I had to create a set of rules where that made sense to me. I created a very specific set of rules. When do things change? Who observes the change? Who has no memory of the change? Who has no memory of what was and who does, and how that works? I think I cracked it, I think I figured it out. When Matthew [Vaughn] left the picture and I took it on, that [set of rules] didn't exist, there was a structure but there was no concept of time travel or how it works. So until I figured that out I had some misgivings about doing the movie. Once I figured that out, I was very hooked. I felt like they had me, 'cause I was like, "Now I know how to do this and shoot this."
More, including why Pacific Rim forced a design change, at the link. [Slashfilm]
Go here for a bunch of promo photos from the film. [Coming Soon]
Amazing Spider-Man 2
Here's a new banner. [Coming Soon]
Gotham
Jada Pinkett Smith has been added to the show's cast as Fish Mooney. Here's Fox's description of the character:
A sadistic gangster boss and nightclub owner, Fish Mooney's got the street smarts and almost extra-sensory abilities to read people like an open book. Imposing and hotheaded, she's not one to be crossed.
Look out for Smith's Mooney to be the boss of Gotham's version of Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor).
True Blood
Looks like Arlene's getting a new love interest, in the form of Keith, a vampire drummer in James' band. He'll take an near-instant interest in the grieving waitress. [TV Line]
Doctor Who
Director Ben Wheatley is apparently bringing his frequent collaborator Michael Smiley along for the ride as he directs some of Peter Capaldi's first episodes. Smiley's appeared in DownTerrace, Kill List, and A Field In England for Wheatley, and is rumored to be playing a character named Colonel Blue in one of Wheatley's Doctor Who episodes. [Den of Geek]
Once Upon a Time
The love triangle won't be dead when the show returns. The cliffhanger showed that Hook clearly hadn't let go of his feelings for Emma, and now Josh Dallas (Charming) says that Neal's equally determined to go after her:
When we get back to fairytale land, Neal is determined to go find Emma, but Charming and Snow just want their daughter to be happy. So they try to say, 'Look, this is where we live now. This is what we have and that [other realm] is where she and Henry are. We have to let them go.'
In less plot-driven news, executive producer Eddy Kitsis says that we won't be seeing ruby slippers in Once's take on Oz. Instead, he says they'll be sticking to the silver slippers in the book, for "legal reasons."
[TV Line]
Additionally, Once's name for the Wicked Witch is Zelena. And the midseason premiere will have a proposal that isn't all "happily-ever-after." The proposal doesn't involve Emma, since it takes place during the flashback to the Storybrookers' return to the Enchanted Forest. [TV Guide]
Arrow
According to Caity Lotz, Sara won't be getting over Laurel's anger-and-wine-throwing reaction to her any time soon:
Sara is heartbroken. For Sara to be like, 'I'm not dead, yet [the fling with Oliver] is still that big to you?' It's heartbreaking that Laurel isn't over that [comparatively] small stuff. Sara feels like her sister would rather have her dead!
[TV Line]
The Walking Dead
Michael Cudlitz said that the show's going to have to do new things in order to establish a relationship between Abraham and Rick like the one shared by their comics' counterparts:
Some of those stories that join us together have been told already. At that point in the comics, they have an understanding. We're going to handle it differently.
[TV Guide]
Supernatural/Supernatural: Tribes
The backdoor pilot for the spinoff will be the 20th episode of this season of Supernatural. The protagonist of Supernatural: Tribes will share the Winchesters' penchant for daddy issues. Here's a short description of episode 20:
After the death of a loved one, the show's protagonist, Ennis, is dragged into the world of hunting and monsters. It comes as no surprise that Sam is far more sympathetic to the wannabe cop than his brother when they run into Ennis working a case in Chicago.
[TV Guide]
The Originals
The Originals aren't just going to be dealing with witches, since werewolves will join the battle by the end of the season. But first, Elijah's going to be facing major consequences for choosing Hayley over saving his siblings. Says EP Julie Plec:
There is a guilt [and] shame attached to that. It definitely drives him hard to rescue his siblings in the next episode and to try to pull the family back together even as it's under assault.
[TV Guide]
The Vampire Diaries
Katherine in Elena's body has made it her goal to hook up with Stefan. Her mission will get a jump start in the show's first episode back, which has the two on a road trip, stopping at a motel, and a "steamy" shower. [TV Guide]
Grimm
The show's adding another royal: King Frederick, Sean and Eric Renard's father. Chances are he's showing up to sort out the mess resulting from Eric's death and Adalind's baby. [TV Line]
Helix
Here are a couple of preview videos for episode 8:
Intelligence
Here's a poor quality version of the promo for episode 1.08, "Delta Force." [via SpoilerTV]
Additional reporting by Charlie Jane Anders and Jason Krell