Latest Movie and TV news...

OK, its been about a week since my last outing here. I was hoping for maybe a few questions or comments about things you want me to cover or that you want to know about, but all good things in good time, Right?
Anyway, Its been a busy week, with the news about Ben Affleck taking up the role of Batman. The message boards have only just started to settle down. With fans on both sides of the fence weighing in on the displeasure or approval of Affleck as Batman, realizing that no matter what is said, its a done deal. Though some just can't seem to get it in their heads that it is happening.  
I'd also like to hear from people about what shows everyone is waiting for to return to the small screen.

Personally, I can't wait for  The Walking dead to restart back up, as well as Grimm season 3 and Arrow season 2 and Haven season4. It seems those types of show are all starting up again in October.
I can remember when I was a kid, growing up in the 60's and waiting patiently for the Last week in August when TV guide would release their Fall Preview guide special. I remember going thru those issues  slowly and reading everything I could on the upcoming programs. NBC week used to be the biggest time and the fall shows used to start within the first two weeks of September. Now seasons are cut in half with shows starting as late as October and well into November. Of course the seasons were a lot longer and each show had a season consisting of at least 28 episodes. Now seasons are cut in half  starting in early December and lasting as long as April before returning with  hardly any episodes left.
The price we pay for much more realistic and imaginative shows.
OK, well enough reminiscing, here are some latest news stories. And once again, please feel free to make comments.
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‘Arrested Development’ Movie, To Be Followed by Season 5

Though Arrested Development season 4 certainly had its detractors, the media meme that it received “bad reviews” was largely incorrect. Yes, it did receive some bad reviews, but its overall critical reception was actually good, and that’s on top of the fact that fans by and large loved it. (However, most agree that those George Senior episodes were downright terrible.)

But let’s forget the past for now – what about the future? After all, season 4 ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. Previously, creator Mitch Hurwitz and Netflix Chief Creative Officer Ted Sarandos said that there would “definitely” be more Arrested Development on Netflix – either as a movie or as a TV series or both. Now Hurwitz has announced that he’s officially in the process of writing the movie.
here’s what Mitch Hurwitz had to say:

“I’m working on the movie right now. I can’t get into much more detail because I don’t want to scare anybody off. I don’t want to be presumptuous about it. I don’t own the property outright – it’s a 20th Century Fox property. But everybody seems really into it and really eager to make a movie.”

One of the more consistent complaints about season 4 was that there weren’t nearly enough scenes of the Bluths all together, a la the original series.  Because almost every single one of the actors in the main cast is incredibly busy with other work, Hurwitz and company had to find a way to make a season that didn’t require long-term commitments from any of the principals (that is, besides Jason Batemen, who appeared in every episode).  The news that the next installment of Arrested Development will probably bring the cast back together should come as excellent news to anyone who has ever been a fan of this show.

According to Rolling Stone, Hurwitz’ ultimate goal here is to make the movie first and then another season of the show – which, again, jibes with what we’ve heard previously. 

Lastly, Hurwitz talked about keeping new Arrested Material interesting and original, saying:

“The whole thing is sort of unprecedented. It’s always been its own little thing. I kind of feel like the more it stays original, the better chance it has. As soon as it goes back to trying to do exactly what it was before, you run the risk of doing a reunion show or something.”

Are you interested in seeing an Arrested Development movie before another season?  Drop us a line in the comments.

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‘The Walking Dead’ Season 4 Clip: Carl Rushes to Michonne’s Rescue

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=48bQgTp-1Ew

After a dramatic close to season 3, in which the show once again strayed from the comic book continuity, The Walking Dead is returning to AMC this fall with the promise of a rising body count and the dangling carrot of civilization – hopefully a civilization that isn’t run by a psychopath or megalomaniac.

The Walking Dead has always featured an ensemble cast with multiple branching character plotlines, which means that no character is ever quite safe from a nasty death. The Comic-Con trailer portended yet more strife and hardship for the characters, even behind the high fences of the prison, and the latest teaser clip is a chilling reminder that the walkers do not respect boundaries.

The younger Grimes has attracted a substantial amount of negative backlash for needing rescuing and being responsible for the deaths of other characters in the show, but The Walking Dead‘s writers have already begun to develop Carl into a stronger, more ruthless character, and this seems likely to continue.

Not only is Carl growing up in a literal sense, going through the growth spurts and personality changes of puberty, he has also grown more adept at committing violence – against both the living and the dead.

Based on this short teaser clip, the former seems a little more likely; the way in which Carl is not only manning the gate but also grabs a gun and hurries to Michonne’s aid without hesitation indicates how far the character has come since the beginning of the show. Since Carl has already seen first-hand evidence of the fact that adults can’t necessarily always protect kids from being chomped on by walkers or killed off in other ways, it makes sense that he would continue to learn how to defend himself, as well as others.

For those who have been feeling cold towards Carl in the show so far, do you think that your estimation of him is likely to change in season 4? If the zombie apocalypse continues to wage for another twenty years, is Carl more likely to turn into his father, or into a character like the Governor? Share your thoughts on Carl, and on this short clip, in the comments.

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Now for some Marvel "Avengers" news...

Age of Ultron: Joss Whedon Discusses Killing Off An Avenger

For Whedon’s next big film endeavor, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, the idea of “death” has been teased as far back as February, long before the title of The Avengers 2 was revealed. Is it therefore a forgone conclusion that one of Earth’s Mightiest will not live through the next team-up event?

Speaking with EW about Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series airing on ABC next month – a show where oddly enough one of Whedon’s victims is resurrected – the writer/director and overseer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe spoke about idea of legitimately killing off a key character from the Marvel library...

“I’m always joking about that. Um…maybe?… But I’d have to have a really good reason, a really great sequence for [Marvel executives] to go, ‘We’ll cut off a potential franchise, that’s fine!’ They know as any good studio does, that without some stakes, some real danger, how involved can we get? We don’t just rule it out across the board, but neither is the mission statement ‘Who can we kill?’ We try to build the story organically and go, ‘How hard can we make it on these people?’ You go to the movies to see people you love suffer-that’s why you go to the movies.”

With at least two new characters joining the team in the brother-sister act of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, possibly played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen respectively, and contracts not getting any longer on actors playing already-introduced characters, Marvel will have to find a creative way to remove and replace characters on the core Avengers roster in the long-term. Whether that happens in Age of Ultron or sometimes further down in Phase Three of the MCU remains to be seen, but from the get-go Whedon has been clear about making his sequel more personal, more gripping and more – wait for it- “dark.”

There’s also potential for one of the new characters to not make it past their introduction and we suspect Scarlet Witch could very much be in danger as well, given that her character’s death is the primary plot motivator of the third volume of The Ultimates in Marvel Comics (which also happens to feature Ultron), a series of books the film universe draws much inspiration from. There’s also the fact that she will potentially be the first Avenger we meet whose powers are based on magic and that’s a can of worms Whedon may not want to keep left open for Avengers follow-ups if she’s too powerful.

Lately it’s been repeatedly mentioned by Whedon and Marvel Studios President of Production Keven Feige (the man behind the curtains of the entire franchise) that Clint Barton aka Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) would get plenty of screen time in the sequel after practically being written out of The Avengers by becoming a brainless minion of Loki. With the actor’s schedule, Hollywood demand and minimal potential for spinoff, the ace archer is at the top of our list for potential to-be-KIA heroes.

After bringing back Agent Coulson, would the next “death” need to be for good or does such a concept not exist in Marvel comic book films, much like it doesn’t in Marvel Comics?

Who should die in 'The Avengers: Age of Ultron'?

• Captain America
• Hawkeye
• Black Widow
• Quicksilver
• Scarlet Witch
• Nobody!

The Following continued to add to its season 2 cast this week, landing Dexter star Keith Carradine.

The veteran actor – most recently known as FBI agent Frank Lundy on Showtime’s serial killer drama – will portray Barry, a trusted friend of Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon), in a recurring role on FOX’s own serial killer show.

Carradine joins an ever-growing season 2 cast that has made several notable additions in recent weeks, including Connie Nielsen as Ryan’s new love interest, James McDaniel as an FBI agent and another Dexter alum, Sam Underwood, as a possible follower of Joe Carroll (James Purefoy).

We’ll have to wait and see how Carradine’s character fits into the dark puzzle of The Following‘s second season when it returns to FOX in January 2014.

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He was only confirmed for the role last Thursday, but Ben Affleck is reportedly already bulking up to play Batman/Bruce Wayne in Batman vs. Superman.

Although this iteration of Batman is speculated to be an older, wiser tactician, Warner Bros. likely still wants the 41-year-old Affleck to “fill” out the batsuit. After all, it’s practically par for the course at this point for actors in superhero films to pump some iron.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Affleck has hit the gym for a role. Just a few years ago he beefed up for his role as a Boston bank robber in The Town, so he shouldn’t have a hard time gaining some muscle. Whether he will be able to equal the physique of Henry Cavill (a.k.a. Superman) is another thing.

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You’re Next star Sharni Vinson has joined the cast of the all-female Expendables project, which may be titled ExpendaBelles.

Vinson joins a cast that already includes Gina Carano (Fast & Furious 6) and Katee Sackhoff (Riddick). We haven’t heard anything about this project in a while, but it’s apparently still in development with Dutch Southern writing the script.

Most wouldn’t recognize Vinson based on name alone, but her work in You’re Next likely helped secure her the this job. Yes, it’s a horror film, but there’s a lot more to it than that.

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‘X-Files’ Creator Chris Carter Talks ‘X-Files 3′

 Development of The X-Files 3 has been rumored for years now, but since The X-Files: I Want to Believe performed poorly both with critics and at the box office, following it up with another movie does not seem to be high on Twentieth Century Fox’s agenda. It’s a shame, since Carter says that studio approval is only thing holding The X-Files 3 back from being made:

“It’s really up to Twentieth Century Fox, whether they have the will to do it. I think all of us are interested in putting the band back together. I have an idea for a third movie in my head. The [alien] colonization date has passed and that is something we wouldn’t ignore. For the second movie, we only had the budget for a standalone story, but we want to go back to the mythology.”

It’s possible that if Carter creates a successful series for Amazon with The After, it might improve his chances of returning to the X-Files franchise.

X-Files fans, do you wish that Chris Carter would revisit the weird world of Mulder and Scully again?

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Star Wars: Episode 7′ Filming in Early 2014 for Late 2015 Release

Star Wars: Episode VII rumors have begun to spread like wildfire, in the absence of concrete information being made available; all the more so, because Episode VII executive producer/Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and director J.J. Abrams are hunkered down in development on the project. As such, we’ve spent the past few weeks discussing casting rumors, possible returning characters and when, exactly, the next Star Wars live-action movie will open in theaters.

The latest word on Episode VII‘s theatrical premiere date is that the film could be arriving by mid-December 2015.  Pre-production on Episode VII is said to be already underway in the UK at Pinewood Shepperton’s Pinewood Studios just outside of London;

Truth be told, none of this feels out of the ordinary for a tentpole being directed by Abrams. Star Trek fans may recall that Star Trek Into Darkness (back before it had been officially-titled) was originally supposed to land during Summer 2012, but ended up being pushed back an entire year. Likewise, Benedict Cumberbatch wasn’t announced as being the Star Trek reboot sequel’s antagonist until (literally) less than a month before production got underway. Finally, Abrams – upon being hired as director on Episode VII – was reported to have made it absolutely clear to Lucasfilm that he isn’t committed to a Summer 2015 release date at the expense of the development process.

Moreover, as others have pointed out, a December release date has proven fruitful for popcorn genre blockbusters like Avatar, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol; not to mention, it would allow Episode VII to bypass the competition in Summer 2015 (which already includes new installments in The Avengers, Jurassic Park, Terminator and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises, in addition to Man of Steel 2, among others). So, all in all, a change in release date strategy doesn’t sound like a bad idea, as far as being something that Disney and Lucasfilm ought to consider (if they haven’t already).

Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams, based on a screenplay by Oscar-winner Michael Arndt (Oblivion). It remains tentatively slated to reach theaters sometime in 2015.

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‘Arrow’ Season 2 Will Feature Amanda Waller as a Recurring Character

The Comic-Con trailer for season 2 of The CW’s superhero show Arrow promised us a “City of Heroes,” and it seems like that’s what we’re going to get. Not only have there been hints that Roy Harper (Colton Haynes) might soon be taking up a hood of his own, Caity Lotz will also be donning a domino mask as Black Canary, and showrunner Marc Guggenheim has said that Starling City’s arrow-slinging vigilante will eventually run into The Flash as well.

With all these heroes floating around, they’ll need a decent brace of enemies to keep them occupied, and it looks like season 2 of Arrow won’t be short on those either. Firefly actress Summer Glau will be stepping on Oliver Queen’s business toes as his rival, Isabel Rochev, and Guggenheim has promised that another big bad will be joining her this season.

It now seems that even more trouble is on the way, especially for Oliver’s friend and reliable bodyguard, Diggle. An episode title and synopsis for the sixth episode of Arrow season 2 have been revealed, promising the introduction of another character from the comic books. Dr. Amanda Blake Waller will appear in a recurring role on the show as an agent of A.R.G.U.S., the organization that was trying to hunt down Deadshot in the first season, and her first mission in Arrow will be to send out a team charged with kidnapping Diggle.

The news of Waller’s inclusion doesn’t come as a total surprise. Though executive producer Andrew Kreisberg said in April that there were “no definitive plans” to include Waller, but they’d definitely discussed the possibility of featuring the Suicide Squad on the show. Guggenheim has also promised that season 2 of Arrow will feature some of the most important characters in the DC universe, so it makes sense to introduce Waller and possible some of her compatriots.

Arrow season 2 premieres Wednesday, October 9th, 2013 @9pm on The CW.

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Bradley Cooper Officially Signs With Marvel For ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’

Marvel Studios took the world by storm yesterday – by social media standards anyway – by announcing the casting of James Spader in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, the in-development sequel to the third highest grossing film of all-time. That official confirmation came via Marvel’s own website and today Marvel Studios has more news to share.

While Spader’s casting in The Avengers 2 came out of the blue, today’s official Guardians of the Galaxy casting confirmation that Bradley Cooper is also joining the superhero franchise comes as no surprise.

Oscar nominee (for Silver Linings Playbook) was in talks with Marvel Studios to play the voice of Rocket Raccoon in the James Gunn written and directed Guardians of the Galaxy and the trades were quick to confirm the news. Today Marvel makes it official, meaning Cooper has signed with the studio for what we expect is a multi-picture contract.

Cooper’s heavy weapons expert Rocket, joins the heroic team of outlaws (see above) which also stars Chris Pratt as (the only human) Peter Quill, Zoe Saldana as the deadly Gamora and Dave Bautista as the killing machine Drax the Destroyer. The only roster spot still to be filled is the voice of Groot, the alien tree that Vin Diesel is in talks to play. With the way Marvel is rolling out announcements and the excitement shared by Diesel to join Marvel, an official confirmation on that front should come soon.

Cooper joins the project without voice acting experience in high profile films, but is known for putting on accent. In the later seasons of Alias which helped the actor rise to fame, he put on a fake British accent in a returning guest appearance (Rocket is depicted with a Cockney accent in recent incarnations) and in real life is fluent in French. Gunn was very particular in casting the right voice for Rocket, the character he describes as the “heart” of the film. Whether or not Rocket Raccoon sounds just like normal Bradley Cooper remains to be seen… or heard.

Guardians of the Galaxy is directed by James Gunn off of his script co-written by Nicole Perlman. Cooper joins a cast led by Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Benicio del Toro, John C. Reilly and Glenn Close.

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Well everyone, that's a good amount of entertainment news just shot out at you. Hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to leave any comments or questions. And Ill see you back here soon enough.