And what's the truth about Episode VII's Kenobi connection? Plus, a closer look at Guardians of the Galaxy's character design, the social message Mark Ruffalo wants a Hulk movie to have, and a new rumor about who Donal Logue could play in Gotham. And check out a promo for Halle Berry's show Extant. Spoilers now!
Star Wars
And now we come to the part of the cycle where a rumored actor goes on the record denying that anything's going to happen: Jesse Plemons would like it known that there's no truth to the story that he's up for a role. Asked about the reports, Plemons said:
No. Yeah, I think it's just one of those crazy rumors.
And while I'd like to believe him, Paul Rudd's ruined denials for everyone now. [Hitfix]
In fact, you can't read too much into his denial, because J.J. Abrams did confirm that he's met with Plemons. On the other hand, Plemons could just be hedging on how close he is to a deal, which Abrams also avoided commenting on. Abrams said:
He [Plemons] is one of the actors that we've talked to, yeah. It's not often that I read about actors that I'm going to be meeting. I get to read articles about actors who were going to come in, so I get to see someone and say, "Oh, I read that I was going to see you. It's very nice to see you." It's usually agents talking to people about what's happening. It's just a lot of noise.
Abrams also says the script is finished, and they're "in deep prep." And he confirms that the movie won't be shot in IMAX, but on film cameras. [Collider via Hey You Guys]
Latino Review follows up on the story about Michael Arndt's vision of Episode VII differing from J.J. Abrams' and has a different take to the Hollywood Reporter version. According to Latino Review, Arndt's draft focused on the Solo children, whereas Abrams wanted to focus on the Skywalker family. (Which, um, aren't the Solo kids also part of the family? Since Leia and Luke are twins? Whatever.) They're saying that the new script has so much for Mark Hamill that he may be shooting for nearly six months.
On the other hand, they're also reporting that having Plemons star in the film is almost a done deal. And that, while there may be some Kenobi connection in the movie, we're not going to discover any long-lost children or grandchildren of Obi-Wan.
Finally, Latino Review also says that Lawrence Kasdan didn't like the origin of Boba Fett as presented in the prequels. So his Boba Fett script is instead focusing on a new, unnamed man who kills Fett and takes his armor and name. As always, take all of these things with a grain of salt. [The Force.net]
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy recently commented that the upcoming standalone origin films won't have any effect on the main series, saying:
George [Lucas] was so clear as to how that works. The canon that he created was the Star Wars saga. Right now, Episode Seven falls within that canon. The spin-off movies, or we may come up with some other way to call those films, they exist within that vast universe that he created….There is no attempt being made to carry characters (from the standalone films) in and out of the saga episodes. Consequently, from the creative standpoint, it's a roadmap that George made pretty clear.
Wow, that almost sounds like some sort of expanded universe they've come up with there. [Slashfilm]
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
As the sequel's talking some of its elements from his run on the comic, Ed Brubaker spent some time on set and seeing the production. And he really liked what he saw, telling IGN:
It's the best movie that Marvel has ever made. The stuff I've seen from it, it also has two of the best fight scenes that I've ever seen on film.
It's going to be amazing. It's gonna make a billion dollars. I got to go and be on set for a while and watch them film and stuff. It was just amazing. I couldn't be happier with how it came out.
Batman Vs. Superman
Looks like there's a ton more to do than anticipated on this movie, since its release date just got moved a year: from July 17, 2015 to May 6, 2016. That's the same date that Marvel's announced for one of its movies, so it's likely someone's going to move. [Slashfilm]
Transformers 4: Age of Extinction
Steve Jablonsky's confirmed that he'll be scoring the fourth Michael Bay Transformers movie, and also hinted that it'll feature a new sound:
Yeah, it's definitely-I haven't quite met with Michael on Transformers 4 yet, but I have heard probably he wants to do something new which I am totally up for. I think it's a....I don't know if you call it a reboot, but it's all different actors and I haven't seen it yet. We will see if, if you even hear that theme in the new ones or not. I am not sure yet.
[JoBlo via Transformers World]
The Hulk
Mark Ruffalo would like a standalone Hulk movie, and he would like it to be green in the eco-friendly sense:
As artists we have an ability to reach a lot of people in a deep way, and we have a responsibility. What we have to do as storytellers is to take science and make it relatable. I think we have to tell the story of the positive and what we're going to try to do. Give them alternatives but don't make it a polemic.
I'm in The Avengers, but if you took my screentime it would come to about ten minutes, along with the 12 other people I'm sharing the screen with, so my input's kind of limited on that. But if we get to a standalone Hulk movie, I'll have a much better chance to do that. I'm just learning now how to find my voice and bring it into the studio world.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Here are three new posters from the film. Most interesting is the tagline on the Electro one, "Enemies will unite," which seems to confirm that not only will this movie feature more than one classic villain, but that they'll be working together. [First Showing, Coming Soon]
Guardians of the Galaxy
Guard the Galaxy has managed to get photos of some cups and water bottles that're due to be released with images of the movie team on it. You can get a better look at Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Drax, Groot and Gamora on them. [Comic Book Resources]
Gotham
So while Donal Logue's denied that he'll be playing Jim Gordon, he never actually denied being involved in Gotham. So now a new rumor has it that he's actually up for the part of Detective Harvey Bullock. And, given that Logue's denial actually mentioned that he's too old to play Gordon, and Bullock's older, jaded, and supposedly being written as a sort-of mentor to Gordon, the rumor makes sense. [Blastr]
Sleepy Hollow
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Orlando Jones gave his impression of the season finale. He said it's not what anyone's expecting, and that it's "bigger than the pilot, in some ways." He also hinted that "there might be some deaths," and he joked:
The deaths will probably be devastating — I know I broke down in tears this morning three times just thinking about what's going on.
See the video of the interview at the link. [Entertainment Weekly]
Grimm
This Friday's episode has Rosalee bringing Monroe to meet her mother and sister, when Rosalee herself hasn't seen or spoken to them in seven years. Bree Turner said that a lot about her character will be revealed in that meeting:
[Rosalee's life] really gets blown out this Friday. You understand where I was for seven years, why did I leave, what was going on with me, why my family was estranged, why did I feel the need to turn to drugs and hiding out. All of those questions are answered.
She also said that her character's not looking for "flash or excitement," so the wedding, if it happens, will be a small, intimate event. [TV Line]
Resurrection
Even though the ABC series features the sudden reappearance of the long-dead, it's not in any way related to the plot-similar French show The Returned. The creators of the show deliberately avoided the French series when making this one. In fact, according to executive producer Aaron Zelman, the show is only sort of related to its source material, the Jason Motts novel (also called The Returned.) While saying that, Zelman also threw in the classic "it's not really science fiction" line, too:
That book was obviously the impetus for the series, but it was very much a starting-off point. Halfway through [reading the book] I realized this wasn't a sci-fi book. It's a study of grief and loss and bigger questions about life and why we're here and what it means to be here. [I thought] 'That's a kernel right there.' ... What does faith mean to different people? It means different things to different people. You don't have to be specific ... if you [approach it] from the standpoint of every human who's ever been born has questions about how we got here and who or what is possible.
At it's heart, says star Kurtwood Smith, Resurrection is a story about how a child brought back from the dead affects the lives of his parents:
[Jacob coming back] tampers with the memory of the child that he's lost. It forces him to reexamine what he's done with his life the last 30 years. Those things cause a emotional stew in his life and it affects his relationship he has with his wife because she is so much more immediately accepting of the boy.
More at the link. [TV Guide]
The 100
A profile on Marie Avgeropoulos by News 1130 revealed that the show is shot almost entirely outdoors, including a lot of scenes filmed at a river in Squamish, B.C. This isn't a huge shock, since the show follows a group of juvenile delinquents sent to see if the previously-abandoned Earth is now-inhabitable. Avgeropoulos added that filming in remote locations works for her and her The 100 co-stars:
I love to camp. I love to fish. So being outside in the wilderness and not inside of a studio, with no cellphone service, allows all of us to stay in character.
Intelligence
Go here for more photos from tonight's episode, "Mei Chen Returns." Looks like someone Amos Pembroke is also returning. [SpoilerTV]
Arrow
Go here for a more photos from episode 2.12, "Tremors." [SpoilerTV]
And here's a promo called "Billionaire" for season 2. [via SpoilerTV]
Extant
Here's the first incredibly brief trailer (with no real footage) for the CBS show starring Halle Berry as a woman who comes back from space pregnant with a mysterious baby. [via SpoilerTV]
American Horror Story
Go here for more photos from episode 3.12, "Go to Hell." [SpoilerTV]
The Vampire Diaries
Here's a sneak peek at episode 5.11, "500 Years of Solitude." [via SpoilerTV]
Tomorrow People
Episode 1.14, airing February 26, will be called "Brother's Keeper." Episode 1.15, airing March 5, will be called "Enemy of My Enemy." [SpoilerTV]
Go here for more photos from episode 1.12, "Sitting Ducks." [SpoilerTV]
Penny Dreadful
Here's a behind-the-scenes video discussing a bunch of pre-production work on costumes, makeup, stunts, sets, etc. [via Slashfilm]
Additional reporting by Charlie Jane Anders and Jason Krell