Tron Legacy's villain is more than a digitally de-aged Jeff Bridges... he's a representation of our misuse of technology. The Hobbit adds two new dwarves, Justin Timberlake's immortality epic gets new castmembers, and Ghostbusters 3 might start filming soon. Spoilers!
Tron Legacy:
Olivia Wilde explains why the villainous CLU is really all our fault:
CLU is like the abused step-child. It's like he's been created out of this beautiful program that Flynn designed in order to be a partner to Flynn. But he's not his real son. He's an avatar and he'll only ever be that. Because there's a limit to what programs can be. And that's what frustrates and enrages CLU. The philosophy of Tron for me is really just summed up by the old argument "Monkey vs. Robot." That's what a lot of these movies are about. What most sci-fi films are about. Tron even more so. If the question of the first Tron movie is, "What would happen if technology took over our lives?" "What if this new thing became more powerful than us?" And now, 30 years later, the film isn't asking the question anymore because technology has taken over. We are slaves to technology.
This film is asking "Now what?" "Can we escape this or learn what it is to be human again?" And "can we harness the technology that we have created for good?" I think that's what Kevin Flynn dreamt of doing, but he became swallowed up by his own creation. And CLU is just a symptom of that. But I don't think it's irreversible. I like to be optimistic about what technology can do [laughs].
[IGN]
Cowboys & Aliens:
Writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman explain why the movie's tone was so hard to nail. Orci says:
ROBERTO ORCI: We're heard the title and we were like, "Let's do it!" And we sat down to write it and said, "Oh man, this is going to be harder than we thought." I mean, you want it to seem seamless to the audience and to feel organic, not just seem like one movie is interrupting the other movie and they don't go together. They have to weave together naturally, and of course I think that's why it's been in development for so long. Its been around for 12 years – I think everyone who took a stab at it could come up with various degrees of both genres, but finding just the right blend of both that went together, such that it's a unified whole and not just two noises going together, that was the trick
There's more at the link, including how this movie is sort of a mash-up of Unforgiven and Alien. [ComicBookMovie]
The Hobbit:
Jekyll star James Nesbitt has officially joined the movie as Bofur, one of the dwarves in Thorin's company. Newcomer Adam Brown has also been cast in the role of Ori. [ComingSoon.net]
Now:
To go along with its new name, the Justin Timberlake film formerly known as I'm.mortal has added a pair of new cast members: I Am Number Four lead Alex Pettyfer and White Collar actor Matt Bomer have joined in unspecified roles. [Deadline]
Ghostbusters 3:
The film may be closing in on a proper start date. The movie will reportedly begin filming in May 2011, which would seem to put it in line for a summer 2012 release. [BloodyDisgusting]
Captain America:
Here are higher res versions of the pics you've already seen. [Slashfilm]
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:
This new video spotlights the role of Horcruxes in the final movies: [SpoilerTV]
The Walking Dead:
Here's a sneak peek for next week's episode, "Guts": [SpoilerTV]
Wonder Woman:
The TV adaptation of DC's Amazonian princess is reportedly considering largely unknown South African actress Tanit Phoenix for the main role. She has reportedly been promised at least a screen test, although not much more is known. [What's Playing]
No Ordinary Family:
Here's a clip from tonight's episode, "No Ordinary Visitors":
Here's a synopsis for November 16's episode 7, "No Ordinary Mobster." It guest stars Amy Acker as a character with the rather comics-friendly name of Amanda Grayson, so, if nothing else...there's that:
JIM'S SECRET IDENTITY IS AT RISK OF BEING EXPOSED, STEPHANIE CONTINUES TO DELVE INTO DR. VOLSON'S RESEARCH AGAINST DR. KING'S WISHES, AND DAPHNE ASKS JJ TO USE HIS POWERS TO HELP HER IMPRESS A BOY, ON ABC'S "NO ORDINARY FAMILY"
"No Ordinary Mobster" – Jim's secret identity is at risk when he tries to take down a dangerous mobster who has eluded George for years; Stephanie continues to look into Dr. Volson's previous research of a mysterious plant – against Dr. King's wishes; Daphne convinces a reluctant JJ to use his powers to help her become more knowledgeable in order to impress a boy; and JJ goes to extreme measures to help Katie get a date.
Rick Schroeder, who's carved out a TV career on everything from Silver Spoons to NYPD Blue, has reportedly been cast as a man who gets saved by Jim, and they quickly become friends. He's only currently booked for an episode in January, but it's possible the role will become recurring. [TV Guide]
The Sarah Jane Adventures:
Here's the trailer for the second part of "The Empty Planet": [Planet Gallifrey]
And a bunch of photos are out for "Lost in Time": [Blogtor Who]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars:
Here's a new pic and a new clip for this Friday's "Evil Plans," in which C-3PO and R2D2 have an adventure on their own:
In the middle of a routine shopping trip on Coruscant, C-3PO is abducted by bounty hunter Cad Bane. Soon, both Threepio and his astromech counterpart R2-D2 find themselves pawns in Bane's plan to free Ziro the Hutt from a heavily guarded prison in the heart of the Republic. The hapless droids are once again integral in events that threaten to unravel the future of the galaxy.
[LucasFilm]
Batman: The Brave and the Bold:
Here's a few pics and clips from Friday's new episode, "Plague of the Prototypes":
When Batman is on call, Gotham is kept safe by his squad of trusty Bat-Robots, but when Black Mask reprograms the unstoppable soldiers to do his bidding, Batman must blow the dust off "Proto," his bumbling (but good-hearted) beta-test robot to help him stop the villain.
Misfits:
Here's a trailer for the first episode of the British superhero drama's second series:
Smallville:
A trailer and preview clip are out for this week's episode, "Ambush":
And new photos are out for next week's episode "Abandoned":
Additional reporting by Michael Ann Dobbs and Charlie Jane Anders.