Matt Smith explains why he doesn't want River Song to become the Doctor's full-time companion. Gary Ross explains the new Hunger Games teaser. Anne Hathaway's costume explains why her Batman character really is Catwoman. Plus trailers for Fringe's fourth season!
Spoilers from here on out!
Top image from The Hunger Games.
The Avengers
An extra supposedly on hand for the confrontation between Loki and Captain America offers a ton of juicy tidbits on the big fight between Captain America and Loki. The fight follows a scene in which Loki commands a bunch of ordinary citizens to kneel before him, and one brave old man refuses to do so. This gentleman is, according to the extra, played by awesome character actor Phillip Baker Hall, who is reliably awesome in Paul Thomas Anderson movies, among many other things. Anyway, Captain America shows up to save the people just before Loki "fries" Hall's character, leading to this exchange:
Cap: The last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everyone else, we ended up disagreeing.
Loki: Ah, the soldier. The man out of time.
Cap: YOU'RE the one who's out of time.
Hey, you ever notice the phrase "out of time" has two possible meanings? Anyway, here's another set video of the big fight.
The extra also suggests there may be a showdown between Loki and some of the Avengers - specifically Cap, Iron Man, and Black Widow - in Germany, which involves a flight on the Quinjet. Assuming that report is accurate and the movie follows the comic book backstory of the Qunjet, we might be getting a sly reference to Black Panther in the movie, which would be pretty damn cool. Anyway, a bit of cautious skepticism is always warranted when it comes to set reports, but this seems reasonably credible, as these things go. [Comic Book Movie]
Filming has almost completed in Cleveland, and one of the last scenes to shoot reportedly involved Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow at a warehouse that was doubling as a Russian facility of some sort... probably the top secret sort, knowing Russian facilities, but that's not for certain. [The Cleveland Plain Dealer]
According to a report from a man who won a meeting with Joss Whedon at a charity benefit, the writer-director had originally hoped to include the Wasp in his movie, but he couldn't make it work for unspecified reasons. Whedon also reportedly revealed that the movie will include a 1940s newsreel in which real-life actress Joan Leslie is depicted as Captain America's girlfriend - which obviously would seem to contradict what we saw in Captain America, but one would assume that this is just part of the fictional persona created for Cap while he was a USO poster boy before he got to actually join the fighting. Anyway, Whedon reportedly said Leslie's cameo will use footage from This is the Army to digitally recreate her appearance, sort of like Marlon Brando's cameo in Superman Returns or Laurence Olivier's in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - although her appearance probably won't take the form of a giant floating head like those two did. [Comic Book Movie]
This is just an IMDB rumor - and there aren't enough grains of salt in the cosmos for those, but it's a fairly major spoiler, so you may want to skip ahead right now, just to be on the safe side. Right, with that disclaimer out of the way, here's the big reveal: the IMDB cast list says that Cobie Smulders is playing "Maria Hill/Anelle." In the comics, Anelle is the name of a Skrull. That might suggest that Maria Hill gets impersonated by a Skrull at some point during the movie - or that there isn't a human Maria Hill at all, and the character is a Skrull the whole time. There was a rather dubious-sounding rumor a while back claiming that Hill would indeed turn out to be a Skrull (and kill Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson, which admittedly does sound like a very Joss Whedon thing to do). So is this random IMDB casting update unlikely confirmation of that original report...or is it a completely bogus rehashing of that old bogus rumor? I'm leaning towards the latter, if only because of the track record of the source. That said, Skrull impostors do seem like a reasonably safe bet for the movie, so it's not exactly impossible... [Bleeding Cool]
The Dark Knight Rises
According to one inside source, the goggles worn by Selina Kyle can be pulled up like a headband, and in that position they look a lot like cat ears, which offers at least one reason why the character would call herself Catwoman (other than the whole cat burglar angle, of course). As ever, one should be cautious with inside sources, but this is such a weirdly minor thing to make up that I'm inclined to believe it. [Comic Book Movie]
Man of Steel
Here's a set video from Plano, Illinois, which appears to show a couple of US Army helicopters descending on Smallville.
The Hunger Games
Director Gary Ross discusses the recently released teaser trailer, specifically why it features crossover from Gale instead of the arguably more logical Peeta:
"I think as everyone knows, Gale is an enormous part of Katniss's life, but he's not as big a part of the first book as he is of the subsequent books. And so I think that he's very, very present and tremendously important, but of course we ship into the Capitol and then obviously the arena where Peeta ends up playing a more prominent role. But he's in her head, he's in her life, he's something that echoes with her throughout the Games as any reader of the books knows. He plays an obviously prominent role."
There's more at the link. [MTV Movies Blog]
Tron 3
Here's a video of Tron himself, Bruce Boxleitner, confirming that a Tron Legacy sequel is happening and that it will likely come out in 2013. He seems awfully certain about all that, but this still probably shouldn't be taken as official until we hear something from Disney. That said, I know better than to contradict John Sheridan...
R.I.P.D.
Blade Runner's James Wong and supermodel Marisa Miller have reportedly begun filming in Fenway Park. They reportedly play the human avatars for Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds's undead cops - in other words, they're what the living see when the dead cops are out and about. The bulk of filming is thought to begin in September in Boston. [Collider]
Doctor Who
Matt Smith confirms River Song will be back for the finale and, somewhat surprisingly, this weekend's "Night Terrors", which I'm guessing is either a mistake of some sort — that'd be my guess, honestly — or a very brief cameo. Either way, he strongly implies River will be back in season seven, although he makes it fairly clear that he doesn't want her to take over as permanent companion:
"I think River's too independent to ever be a full-time companion, I think that's what makes River great as a character. The companions and The Doctor are doing their thing then whoosh in comes the hair! It just messes the Doctor up and makes him go, 'Oh Christ, River's here,' and it frightens him. And weirdly he's going, 'Why the hell am I attracted to her? What's that?' That's the woman who makes him go whoa."
Smith also ruminated on a 50th anniversary special, suggesting the episode should explore an extra dimension:
"I'm interested in all the 3D stuff. If it could be filmed for 3D TV that would be fun, especially with Doctor Who. I love making Doctor Who and I get to be part of that 50th year which they'll do something mental for. You know it will be brilliant....but it's very expensive. I don't know how they'd do it."
Arthur Darvill says he's seen all of the second half of season six, and each episode is "like a movie", and he singles out David Walliams's guest appearance as a mole-like alien in Toby Whithouse's "The God Complex" as "very entertaining." He also suggests that Rory might have a few more deaths left in him:
I'm not going to divulge any spoilers but Rory dying has become a bit of a thing. I've lost count of how many times I've died. It's become a bit of a running joke but it seems to work. In the world of Doctor Who, people can die and then come back. It's good for a bit of drama and I don't think it's ever been gratuitous.
[Life, Doctor Who, and Combom]
Ashes to Ashes and Outcasts actor Daniel Mays discusses "Night Terrors", in which he guest stars:
"‘Night Terrors', what it's about? It's a stand-alone story: it's not really connected to the bigger arc of what's going on in Doctor Who at the moment. It's about a young boy primarily, called George. His parents are Alex and Claire, played by Emma Cunniffe. It's a contemporary story set in a tower block, and George is an incredibly sort of nervous young chap of about eight years old. He seems to be absolutely petrified of everything. He can't sleep; he imagines that there are voices coming from his wardrobe and that his toys are coming to life. He's a got a really over-active imagination and his parents really are at the end of their tether with it really, particularly Alex. And so a Doctor is brought in to help the situation. I think Alex imagines or thinks that it's going to be somebody from social services and all of a sudden the Doctor turns up and begins to help him and find out what's causing these night terrors as the episode unfolds. But there's other characters within the tower block and you get introduced to them as the episode unfolds as well."
[SFX]
And here are some promo pics for the Mark Gatiss penned episode. [Blogtor Who]
Let's finish off all the "Night Terrors" talk with this spoiler-free review, which says the episode is a good break from the serie's more serialized elements, as this one is focused on plot and character. The episode is also supposed to not just be scary but funny as well, which certainly fits with Mark Gatiss's League of Gentlemen background. [Cultbox]
Steven Hughes, who directed Gareth Roberts's twelfth episode "Closing Time", featuring the return of James Corden as his "The Lodger" character Craig Owens, calls the episode "very funny." He continues:
"Matt [Smith] and James [Corden] are a great double act. It's like Abbott and Costello meet the Cybermen, sort of. Matt and James work really well together because the Doctor really enjoys having 'a mate'". There's a lot of humour in Closing Time but there's some real emotion in there too. I grew up watching the show, I'm a genuine fan and working on the show really was a dream come true."
Depending on how you interpret a recent exchange at an Edinburgh TV festival, British comedienne Miranda Hart might be suggesting she's been offered a role on the show, something that has been rumored in the past. But yeah, we're definitely in grain of salt territory with this one. Check out the link for additional context. [Cultbox]
Torchwood: Miracle Day
Here are some photos for episode nine, "The Gathering." [Blogtor Who]
Here's a lengthy audio-only interview with Russell T. Davies.
Fringe
Here's a promo and brief synopsis for the fourth season premiere, "Neither Here Nor There".
The disappearance of Peter changes the relations between the two universes, affecting all the characters, especially Olivia and Peter's father, Walter, and their doubles on the 'other side'.
And here's a general teaser for season four.
Game of Thrones
Snatch and Pirates of the Caribbean actor Andy Beckwith has reportedly been cast as the noseless criminal Rorge, who was briefly glimpsed (played by a different actor) in the first season finale. [Winter Is Coming]
True Blood
Here's a promo for episode eleven, "Soul of Fire."
American Horror Story
Here's a brief promo.
Lost Girl
Star Anne Silk discusses the show's 22-episode order for season two, as well as what to expect in the coming season:
"I think it's great, because we just have more time to tell this story and see more into the lives of these people. We play with it a little bit more, and the writers are coming up with amazing storylines. This year we're shooting in order, which we didn't do [on the] first season. What that means is, for us as the actors, we get to unfold this story in the same way that the audience will see it. That's really exciting for us, because we just take it as it comes."
Fans responded well to the relationships between Bo and Lauren (Zoie Palmer), and Bo and Dyson (Kristen Holden-Ried). Will those be explored more in season two?
"Absolutely, yeah. Season two picks up not too long after season one ends - I think there's a few weeks [gap]. There was a real cliffhanger with the Bo / Dyson relationship, and that is certainly something that's addressed at the beginning of the season. And there's some twists and turns - Bo has a lot to deal with this season, with both Dyson and Lauren!"Do you feel like Lost Girl continues to evolve, as you move into season two?
"Definitely. At the start of this series, Bo knew nothing about this world. In the first season, she had a lot of questions, and now she's the one with more of the answers. She's figuring stuff out. Something does still shock her every week, but she's smarter and stronger in season two, and learns to navigate the politics on the show. So it's definitely evolving and changing. I don't even know what's in store for the end of the season yet, I only know what comes to me every week in the scripts, so it's exciting for me to see how it's changing as well."
There's more at the link. [Digital Spy]
Here are some posters for season two. [Finding Lost Girl Forum]
Additional reporting by Gordon Jackson and Charlie Jane Anders.