Iron Man's oldest foe gets a strange cameo in his new movie, and Tony Stark may appear in Thor. Directors talk Dracula Year Zero and Let Me In. Martha Kent returns! A female H.G. Wells? Plus Lost, Chuck, Fringe spoilers.
Iron Man 2:
Remember Fin Fang Foom, the weird alien dragon who fights Iron Man in the comics (but actually predates Iron Man by a couple years)? Turns out he's in the new movie, but only as a bit of a cameo. Lead concept artist Adi Granov reveals that he created this design of Fin Fang Foom for the Iron Man Viva Las Vegas book he did with Jon Favreau. But this particular image was created for the movie, and it appears on a billboard that Iron Man flies past. It's a "cool easter egg." (Although now I'm wondering if Fin Fang Foom is hiding in plain site by working as a model in advertising?) Click the link for the full image. [Super Robot Mayhem via Cinemablend]
Why did Robert Downey Jr. show up at the Golden Globes with his famous Tony Stark beard? Speculation is running rampant that he's either doing reshoots for Iron Man 2, or filming a Tony Stark cameo in Thor. Or both. [Slashfilm]
Dracula Year Zero:
Alex Proyas explains why he's come to love the secret origin of Vlad: "Why I'm so intrigued by this story - when someone originally suggested it to me, I was like, I'm so not into this; Dracula has to be the most filmed character in the history of movies - is that this script has such an interesting and original take on this character. It's all about how Vlad of Transylvania became this creature; the choices that he made to make him into this tragic character. It's so intriguing to me, to approach this as a character study on a huge, epic canvas. The script is from these two young guys who have never really done a script before, but they basically did their thing and have reinvented the whole context of this most familiar personality." [Techland]
Let Me In:
The remake of Let The Right One In is very much an Americanization, says director Matt Reeves. "It's so much about that period of preadolescence, that feeling of being a child and of being bullied, the difficulties of growing up. It's such a beautiful coming-of-age story, in addition to being such a terrific genre story. One of the things I really wanted to do was find my own way into the story while still being very, very reverent to the beautiful film and to the wonderful story that they created. And so the story in many ways follows the same trajectory. I really wanted to put you, even more so, into the point of view of the boy and understand his childhood as vividly as it comes across in the book." [MTV]
Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief:
Here are a couple more fancy poster images for your Desktop-theme or Photoshop defacing pleasure. [IGN]
Lost:
Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse say, once again, that the final season will answer your questions - but it won't be didactic or just an exercise in delving into mythology at the expense of the characters. And there are some things that should - and will - remain mysteries. And the Sawyer/Juliet relationship is going to govern every decision Sawyer makes from here on out (except, I'm guessing, for alt-universe Sawyer.) The whole interview is well worth checking out. [Chicago Tribune]
Naveen Andrews talks about his intimate scene with Ilana and gives a few hints. And his real accent is kind of freaky to hear, after years of his Sayid accent. [Doc Arzt]
Celebrate Sayid's London accent by checking out some promo pics of him and Richard Alpert. [DocArzt]
Sonya Walger promises we'll see more of Penny in the final season, although even Desmond doesn't get to be a series regular. [Fancast]
Hurley was on a beach-party date with a blonde girl. And looks like Mr. Cluck's coming back in episode 6x11 as well, judging from a new set pic. [SpoilerTV]
Warehouse 13:
A new casting call gives us a female H.G. Wells. Great idea, or over-shark acrobatics? What do you think? "[HELENA (AKA H.G. WELLS)] 30s, British. A beautiful woman ahead of her time in Victorian England, Helena is a gifted author and inventor. She is strong-willed, independent, and brilliant. Frustrated at being born in a time in which none of these qualities were valued or even desired in women, Helena manages to get herself to the present day (this is "Warehouse 13," you know), hoping to be reawakened in a time when society values women as they do men. But she finds 2010 to be a disappointment, and realizes that mankind has not accomplished what she hoped they would have by this time. RECURRING GUEST ROLE - SEE ABOVE FOR AVAILABILITY REQUIREMENTS. SEEKING A RECOGNIZABLE "NAME" ACTRESS WHO IS COMFORTABLE WITH A PERIOD FEEL AND DIALOGUE. A BRITISH ACCENT IS A MUST." [SpoilerTV]
Fringe:
Sounds like the Feb. 4 episode, "Jacksonville," will actually move things forward quite a bit. "TWO WORLDS COLLIDE WITH DISASTROUS RESULTS ON THE WINTER FINALE OF "FRINGE" THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, ON FOXAfter a violent tremor shakes a Manhattan office building to its core, leaving only one survivor who leads the Fringe Team to believe he is not from this reality. Walter surmises that what shook the building was not geologic, but rather something discovered by him and William Bell many years ago. With another catastrophe imminent, the team races to Jacksonville, the site of Walter and William's experiments, forcing Olivia to face her mysterious past in an effort to save hundreds of people from certain death." [PopOpinions]
True Blood:
There will be fallout as a result of Bill "donating" blood to save Sam's life in the most recent finale - the two men will form "not just any connection, an erotic connection," says Alan Ball. And Lafayette's new boyfriend Jesus will work to knock down some of Lafayette's guards, but it won't be easy. They bond over the fact that they're both shamans or healers, after a fashion. [EW]
Caprica:
So how will this show deal with the looming threat of Cylon apocalypse? Eric Stoltz gives his thoughts: "I'm a big Alfred Hitchcock fan, and he always let the audience know that a bomb was under the desk — the fun was in watching the characters go on with their lives blithely unaware of the danger they were in. Maybe that's why I enjoy knowing the outcome... it's more fun in a way." [Cleveland.com]
Chuck:
Check out an interview with Kristin Kreuk, plus two sneak peeks of her appearance in Monday's episode:
Smallville:
Martha Kent will reappear for at least one episode, probably around May sweeps, and her reunion with Clark will be rocked by at least one huge surprise. [EW]
Additional reporting by Josh C. Snyder.