Director Bryan Singer shares some new, crucial details about his latest X-Men movie. The BBC tries to soothe your Doctor Who worries. TV's Bertie Wooster (and, fine, Gregory House) might take on George Clooney in Tomorrowland.
All that plus Chloe Moretz discusses Hit-Girl's romance in Kick-Ass 2, Stanley Tucci goes ahead and confirms a returning Captain America character, there are casting updates for Jupiter Ascending and the post-apocalyptic Young Ones, the S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot finishes filming, and The Originals adds two more cast members!
Spoilers from here on out!
Top image from The Hunger Games.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Director Bryan Singer tweeted a surprising piece of casting news for this time-traveling mutant film: Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage:
Which leaves the question open: Who is Dinklage playing, exactly? The most popular guess is Puck, who's a member of Alpha Flight, the Canadian superteam. But it's by no means clear that Fox has the rights to Alpha Flight as part of its film option on the X-Men characters. In any case, Dinklage might not even be playing a mutant at all, but whoever he is playing, we can rest assured that this is going to be awesome. [Thanks Dirk!]
In other news, Wolverine apparently won't just be popping in for a cameo in the next X-Men movie — according to a Hugh Jackman profile in the Hollywood Reporter, his role in the film will be "large", although Jackman himself isn't quoted as saying that. He does explain how he first heard about his latest opportunity to play Wolverine:
"I first heard about it around October or November [2012]. I was literally finishing The Wolverine and dreaming about lasagna, and about three weeks before the end, they told me. There was no way I was not going to be part of that."
Director Bryan Singer reveals his latest X-Men film will feature America's favorite real-life supervillain:
Yeah we have and part of it takes place in the 1970s. And Richard Nixon's in it, that'll be an interesting casting choice. I can tell you that, that's a little confirmation I guess.
How far into the "future" are you planning on going? Is that something that you're really looking forward to exploring?
Yeah, and there'll also be some more science-fiction-type aspects to the story and, without giving it away, some technology that we haven't seen yet in the X-Men universe.
He also discusses how he and writer Simon Kinberg have approached adapting one of the most beloved X-Men stories to the screen:
Well you have to capture the essence of those stories, and if you try to do every single detail that's in this story, that can be too much for a movie. But if you can grab the essence of that story and those characters, and then realize it's a movie it's not a comic book so there are certain parameters that are different, it'll still be satisfying to fans and non-fans.
He confirms the X-Men: First Class actors are all contracted to return, and that all the cast members he has spoken to have been "very enthusiastic" about the project, in particular Mystique actress Jennifer Lawrence and Beast actor Nicholas Hoult. The film will be shot in 3D, though not in 48 frames per second. He also gives the basic but vital details about the film's shooting dates:
Yeah, I start shooting April 15th in Montreal... Probably until October... It's a big movie. It'll be the biggest movie I've ever made.
In terms of next steps, Singer says he plans to do one more pass on Simon Kinberg's script before giving it to the actors, though he says the script can always evolve from there. There's still some more at the link, including his excitement about getting to use improved visual effects for things like Mystique's transformations. [Collider]
Elsewhere, Singer explained how the film seeks to unify the two previous strands (Wolverine excluded) of X-Men films:
"I wrote the story for ‘First Class' and produced it so this is a chance to not do a sequel to ‘First Class' or a sequel to ‘X-Men 3' but to do both I guess in a way. In ‘Days of Future Past' the story structure is a fantastic way to do that."
In the same article Nicholas Hoult hints at what to expect from Beast:
"I'm still waiting to see the script but I've spoken to Bryan briefly about the outline and what he wants from the character. I think Hank's a really fascinating guy and the Jekyll and Hyde aspect of his personality so I think it's really exciting and also going back with Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman being involved with this one, it's going to feel pretty much like an ‘X-Men' movie I guess because those were the guys that I grew up watching in those films."
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
When it comes to the all-important question of whether Hayley Atwell will be back as Peggy Carter in the sequel, either we can ask Atwell herself — who previously seemed to say she wouldn't be back — or we can stop wasting time and just go ask Stanley Tucci:
I know that Hayley is going back to do a flashback scene.
Thanks, Stanley Tucci, for clearing that one up. To clarify slightly, Atwell herself has recently seemed to equivocate on whether she would in fact be back, suggesting her previous denials only referred to the main 21st century action, not any flashbacks to World War II. And in case you've forgotten why Stanley Tucci is worth asking about this in the first place, remember that he played Dr. Erskine in the first film, and would actually love to make a return appearance himself if there was any way to squeeze him in:
I loved making that movie. I had a great time. I really like Joe Johnston. I think he's a wonderful director. I also love the look of the film, and the tone of the film, and the character was great. I was thrilled to be able to play that. I was so sad that I died because I wanted to come back and do another one... No, they haven't [asked], unfortunately. I'm really sad.
[/Film]
Iron Man 3
Here's the latest poster. [MTV Movies Blog]
Catching Fire, Ender's Game, and I, Frankenstein
Let's lump together these three Lionsgate movies for one quick, joint update. Studio co-chairman Rob Friedman revealed the Hunger Games sequel and the long-awaited adaptation of the Orson Scott Card novel will be released in IMAX, while the Aaron Eckhart-starring, post-apocalyptic Frankenstein movie will be released in 3D. [Hollywood Reporter]
Mad Max: Fury Road
Costar Nicholas Hoult discusses the timeline for George Miller's latest, Tom Hardy-starring Mad Max movie:
"We only finished filming in December so they're going to spend a fair bit of time on post, but George Miller is such a visionary and it's such a massive story with a lot of stuff going on so I'm as excited to see that as anyone, really."
Tomorrowland
After almost playing the villain in Robocop, erstwhile House star Hugh Laurie is reportedly once again thinking about putting to good use the flair for evil he first displayed as Prince Ludwig the Indestructible by signing on for Brad Bird's big science fiction epic. Details about the 1950s-set movie remain scarce — although one intriguing theory involves the government asking Walt Disney to reveal the truth about aliens to the public — and all that's known about Laurie's character is that he would be the antagonist to George Clooney's main character. [Heat Vision]
Jupiter Ascending
Tuppence Middleton, a late but very impressive challenger to Benedict Cumberbatch and Imogen Poots for the coveted title of "Most British Name Imaginable", has reportedly been cast in an unknown role in the Wachowskis' latest movie. The film, in case you've somehow forgotten, is "set at a time when humans are at the bottom of the evolutionary ladder [and] follows a woman targeted for assassination by the queen of the universe." Middleton joins a cast that already includes Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, and Douglas Booth. [Variety]
Young Ones
The Good Night director and noted Gwyneth Paltrow brother Jake Paltrow is set to start filming his post-apocalyptic thriller in which the entire world is a desert, and it will reportedly star Warm Bodies star Nicholas Hoult, Man of Steel villain and Boardwalk Empire costar Michael Shannon, Super 8's Elle Fanning, and Let Me In's Kodi Smit-McPhee. The movie reportedly involves "a 14-year-old boy forced use his wits to survive... in a violent near-future where water has become the most precious — and fastest-dwindling — resource on the planet." It's not stated what roles any of the actors will play, although it's probably a safe bet that Smit-McPhee will play the 14-year-old boy. Of course, now I really want to see Michael Shannon play that role, just because. [Variety]
Kick-Ass 2
Chloe Moretz discusses what's in store for her character Hit-Girl in the sequel:
"There's going to get a bit more romance, a much more grown up Mindy Macready. Someone who's questioning themself and whether they are a villain, assassin or a vigilante and a hero. So there's a lot of tormented inner self, it's interesting. It's been amazing revising the character and showing her more grown up and more adult and more put together. It's been a lot of fun."
[Yahoo]
Oz the Great and Powerful
Here's a behind-the-scenes video examining the costuming and makeup.
Doctor Who
Due to widespread fan discontent about the show's 50th anniversary celebrations — mainly centered on the special itself being only 60 minutes long and only eight other episodes plus a Christmas special airing in 2013 — the BBC has taken the unusual set of releasing this response to one fan's query:
I understand that you are feel there are insufficient programmes planned to mark the 50th anniversary of the series. I also note that you are unhappy with the way in which series 7 has been split into two parts. Whilst I appreciate your concerns, we haven't announced what we have planned to mark the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who yet, but we would like to assure you that fans won't be disappointed. Additionally, please note that the decision to schedule series 7 in two parts was a creative one and we're sorry you are unhappy about this.
While the decision to split season 7 between 2012 and 2013 probably was indeed a creative decision, considering it allowed Steven Moffat to construct a proper swan song for the Ponds in the first half and to introduce Jenna-Louise Coleman's new character in the second half — not to mention move the show into the winter months, as has been Moffat's stated goal — that doesn't really address the more commonly stated issue that another full season won't kick off until 2014 at the earliest. While the handling of season 7 probably was a creative decision, the non-commissioning of a season 8 for later this year was probably more of a financial one, given the BBC's budget woes.
Anyway, the bigger story here might well be that the BBC isn't officially committing to the single hour-long special as the full extent of the anniversary celebrations, even allowing for Mark Gatiss's docudrama on the genesis of the show. So, if you want to hold out hope for extra Doctor Who anniversary programming, you have the BBC's permission to do so. [Blastr]
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Writer and executive producer Maurissa Tancharoen revealed that filming has wrapped on ABC's pilot, which was directed and co-written by Avengers director Joss Whedon. [Coming Soon]
Grimm
Shohreh Aghdashloo, whose past roles include the villainous Dina Araz on 24 and an Oscar-nominated turn in House of Sand and Fog, will reportedly take on the recurring role of Stefania Vaduva Popescu. She's described as "a powerful ally sought out by Claire Coffee's Adalind" and "is referred to as the 'Zigeunersprache,' or Queen of the Schwarzwald Gypsies, and her family's roots run deep in the woods of Austria." She will make her debut in an April episode. [TV Line]
Supernatural
The 19th episode is reportedly called "Taxi Driver", and here's a small teaser about the title character:
The Taxi Driver in this episode is called Ajay, who is an East Indian will a supernatural skill.
The Originals
The Vampire Diaries spin-off has reportedly found its lead human in the form of Sorority Row actress Leah Pipes. She will play Camille, described as "a college psychology student fascinated by the study of human behavior unaware of the supernatural universe that exists around her." [Live Feed]
Meanwhile, Claire Holt will reportedly reprise her role as original vampire Rebekah Mikaelson on the show, presumably as a series regular. [Live Feed]
Lost Girl
Just when I thought Lost Girl couldn't come up with any more awesomely silly puns for its episode titles, it hits me with "The Kenzi Scale." Well played, Lost Girl, well played. Anyway, here are some promo photos for the episode, and the description is below:
The gang is forced to stage an intervention against an increasingly erratic Bo. Bo believes the only way to save someone close to her is to accept help from the person she trusts least – only to learn the truth about secrets kept by the people she trusted most.
Here are some special Valentine's Day images. [SpoilerTV]
Additional reporting by Amanda Yesilbas and Charlie Jane Anders.