That Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot that nobody wanted? It might not happen after all. Ryan Murphy reveals the audacious, reliably insane plans for American Horror Story's second season. Plus new images for The Dark Knight Rises and Ghost Rider 2!
Happy Spoiler Days!
Top image modified from Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.
The Avengers
We're extremely dubious (to put it mildly) of Marvel's plan to convert the movie to 3D in post-production, so let's turn to director Joss Whedon for some assurances. For his part, Whedon says he knew from the beginning that the film would ultimately be converted, and he shot the thing with that in mind and will be closely involved in the conversion process. He adds:
"The Avengers isn't obnoxiously 3D. There's no, 'Oh look, we're going to spend 20 minutes going through this tunnel because it's in 3D!' And no one is pointing at the screen the entire time. But it's an action movie. Things tend to hurtle toward the screen anyway... I'm not a big fan of extreme long lens, talky movies - I like to see the space I'm in and relate to it, so 3D kinda fits my aesthetic anyway. And the technology has advanced so far in the past couple years."
So, there you have it. Honestly, as long as they release the thing in 2D as well, I'm not much worried. [JoBlo]
The Dark Knight Rises
Here are some more promo photos. [multipleverses.com and IGN]
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Here are some new promo images. [IGN]
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
That non-Joss-Whedon Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot that nobody was asking for — and indeed most of the internet seemed to be vociferously rooting against — has reportedly hit a major setback, as Whit Anderson's script was reportedly deemed unsuitable by the studio and rejected. The producers are reportedly looking for a new writer to take over and start afresh, though they are supposedly aware of the intense fan backlash and considering just cutting their losses. Here's what a supposed inside source had to say about the whole thing:
"If you're going to bring it back, you have to do it right. [Anderson] came in with some great ideas and she had reinvented some of the lore and it was pretty cool but in the end there just wasn't enough on the page."
Underworld: Awakening
Here's a video in which star Kate Beckinsale provides a recap of the last three Underworld movies, all to get you ready for the latest one. If nothing else, it's a reminder of how ridiculously convoluted this whole franchise really is.
The Divide
Here are four promo photos for this upcoming movie about nine people trapped in an underground bunker after a nuclear war. It's currently set for a limited release beginning January 13.
The Woman in Black
Here's a poster for the upcoming horror movie that stars Daniel Radcliffe in his first post-Potter role. [ShockTillYouDrop]
Fringe
We know that episode eight, the midseason premiere, will be called "Back To Where You've Never Been", and we now have the episode titles for three of the next four episodes. Episode nine will reportedly be called "Enemy of My Enemy", while episodes eleven and twelve are reportedly "Making Angels" and "Welcome to Westfield", respectively. [Fringe Spoilers]
Chuck
Here are three sneak peeks for tonight's episode, "Chuck vs. the Santa Suit", guest starring Brandon Routh and featuring a cameo by Stan Lee.
And here's a promo photo of Brandon Routh as the returned, most likely totally insane Daniel Shaw. The official synopsis is below. [multipleverses.com]
GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST RETURN TO HAUNT CHUCK AND SARAH WHEN OLD SECRETS AND THREATS RESURFACE - COMIC BOOK LEGEND STAN LEE GUEST-STARS - Chuck (Zachary Levi) and Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) discover who's behind the plot to destroy Carmichael Industries. Meanwhile, Ellie's (Sarah Lancaster) plans for a perfect Christmas begin to come apart. At the Buy More, Morgan (Joshua Gomez) and the gang must fend off angry customers as a computer virus threatens to ruin Christmas.
Here are some promo photos for next week's eighth episode, "Chuck vs. the Baby", which introduces Cheryl Ladd as Sarah's mother. There's also an official description below. [multipleverses.com]
SARAH'S PAST COMES BACK TO HAUNT HER AND THREATENS THOSE CLOSEST TO HER - CHERYL LADD AND TIM DEKAY GUEST STAR - Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) is forced to confront a secret from her past and feels she must do so alone, while Chuck (Zachary Levi) urges her to let him help. When Sarah encounters her original handler, Kieran Ryker (guest star Tim Dekay, "White Collar"), she fears that he will harm those closest to her, including her mom (guest star Cheryl Ladd, "Las Vegas").
And here's the synopsis for episode nine, "Chuck vs. the Kept Man", which sees the return of Carrie-Anne Moss and airs January 6:
GERTRUDE VERBANSKI RETURNS WITH A MISSION FOR CHUCK AND A PROPOSITION FOR CASEY — CARRIE-ANNE MOSS GUEST STARS — While Chuck (Zachary Levi) and Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) contemplate the next step for Carmichael Industries, Casey's (Adam Baldwin) forbidden love, Gertrude Verbanski (guest star Carrie-Anne Moss, "The Matrix"), walks back into his life with a questionable mission in South Beach. Meanwhile, Jeff's (Scott Krinsky) enhanced intelligence leads he and Lester (Vik Sahay) to suspect that something unusual may be happening at the Buy More.
[KSiteTV]
Supernatural
Here's the description for episode twelve, "Time After Time After Time", which airs January 13:
JASON DOHRING ("RINGER," "VERONICA MARS") AND NICHOLAS LEA ("THE X-FILES") GUEST STAR; DEAN GETS STUCK IN THE ‘40S - Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) tangle with the God of Time (guest star Jason Dohring), who sends Dean back to 1944, where he is immediately arrested by none other than the one and only Eliot Ness (guest star Nicholas Lea). While trying to figure out how to retrieve his brother, Sam is surprised by the reappearance of an old friend.
American Horror Story
Say what you will about series creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, but those two (and FX) have some serious guts, as they're going to do away with pretty much everything that made season one successful in the ratings and start fresh with season two, essentially turning this into a weird, basically unprecedented hybrid of mini-series and anthology show. That might well include losing Jessica Lange as Constance, who is a strong contender to win a ton of awards (deserved or not) for her work on the show. Murphy explains:
"Those characters and those stories are done. Every season of the show will be a different haunting. Every season will have a beginning, a middle and an end. What you saw in the finale was the end of the Harmon house. The second season of the show will be a brand new home or building to haunt. Some of [the actors] will be coming back... so there will be familiar faces and also new faces on the show, but they will be playing completely different characters, creatures and monsters, etc. Connie [Britton] and Dylan [McDermott] will not be playing the leads of the show. But I'd love for them to come back and do something, albeit a different part or a smaller part or a cameo."
When asked about what the second season will involve, Murphy wouldn't divulge much, though he did say there was a hint in the last three episodes that will reveal exactly what's ahead:
"Be it serial-killing stories, true crime stories or prison stories. Every year of the show is almost like a miniseries in itself.... The only thing I don't think I would do would be a season about vampires. The season we're planning now is very different from the California house approach."
[TV Guide]
Sanctuary
Here are some promo photos for episode thirteen, the conclusion of the two-part season finale, "For None (Part Two)." [SpoilerTV]
The Vampire Diaries
Here's the official description for episode eleven, "Our Town":
BIRTHDAYS AND GOOD-BYES —- Although Caroline (Candice Accola) is in no mood to celebrate her 18th birthday, Elena (Nina Dobrev), Bonnie (Kat Graham) and Matt (Zach Roerig) surprise her with a small party in an unusual location. Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) disagree on the best way to handle Klaus (Joseph Morgan), and a reckless Stefan decides to test his theory by taking things to dangerous extremes. Bonnie is concerned when Elena tells her about Jeremy's (Steven R. McQueen) new plans. At a Founder's meeting, Alaric once again runs into Dr. Fell (guest star Torrey Devitto), who is in the middle of an argument with her ex-boyfriend, the medical examiner (guest star David Colin Smith). Tyler (Michael Trevino) refuses to go along with Klaus' latest demand, and is surprised when Klaus seems to accept his decision.
[KSiteTV]
Here are some behind-the-scenes photos for the filming of the second half of season three. [SpoilerTV]
The Secret Circle
Here a bunch of promo photos for the tenth episode, "Darkness", which kicks off the second half of the season on January 5. [KSiteTV]
And here's the synopsis for episode eleven, "Fire/Ice":
FAYE'S QUEST FOR POWER THREATENS THE CIRCLE —- Cassie (Britt Robertson) asks Adam (Thomas Dekker) for help when she wants to look into her father's past, and their search leads them to an eerily familiar place. It also rekindles an old flame when Adam, thrilled to be spending time with Cassie again, asks her to the Fire and Ice dance. But because of her friendship with Diana (Shelley Hennig) Cassie is forced to give a surprising response. In an effort to be a better father, Ethan (Adam Harrington) offers to chaperone the dance, much to Adam's dismay. Faye (Phoebe Tonkin) asks Lee (guest star Grey Damon) to help her with a spell that would grant her individual magic. Unfortunately, the spell has some terrifying side effects that nearly destroy the Circle.
[KSiteTV]
Additional reporting by Natalie Baaklini and Charlie Jane Anders.