GAME OF THRONES to Return in April 2019

Arya Stark Game of Thrones

While many genre fans are wondering just how they’ll survive 2018 without a dose of Game of Thrones, Maisie Williams has given an indicator of just when we can expect to see this TV juggernaut return to screens in 2019.

Previously, we’d been told that Thrones won’t be returning for its final season until 2019, and Williams has now revealed that we should expect to see the show returning in April of next year.

Speaking to Metro, the actress explained, “We wrap in December and we air out first episode in April. That’s a four-month turnaround for these huge episodes. There’s a lot that goes into the final edit. You would not want to rush this season at all. We owe it to our audience and our fans to really do this final season to the best of our abilities.”

To be made up of just six episodes, Game of Thrones’ eighth season will bring a close to this most beloved of genre shows. And from what we’ve heard, each episode will be at least 70-minutes in length, meaning that the final season should have a truly epic feel to it.

MAGNUM P.I. and CAGNEY & LACEY Reboots in Development

Magnum P.I., Cagney & Lacey

It seems that barely a week goes by without word of some sort of remake, reboot, relaunch, reimagining, recalibration, rejig or redo happening, and now comes word that two old favourites are getting a new lick of paint for a new generation.

As per Deadline, CBS has put in pilot orders for new incarnations of both Magnum P.I. and Cagney & Lacey. Both of these ‘80s classics are to be refreshed in much the same way as how recent years have seen new TV outings for the MacGyver and Lethal Weapon properties.

For Magnum P.I., that will be co-written be Peter Penkov and Eric Guggenheim, the pair who also serve as executive producers and showrunners for the Hawaii Five-O reboot. Much like the famed Tom Selleck-starrer of yesteryear, the show will focus on four central characters and explored “brotherhood forged by the trauma of combat, what it means to return home an ex-soldier, and a commitment to continuing to serve while in the private sector.” One notable difference that has been revealed at this early stage is that the Higgins character – played by John Hillerman in the original series – will be now be a female former MI6 agent called Juliet Higgins.

As for Cagney & Lacey, this reboot will similarly centre on two female police detectives in Los Angeles. No details are known on writers or talent involved in the redo just yet.

Expect more on both of this reboots as they continue to develop.

Mike Flanagan to Direct DOCTOR SLEEP

Doctor Sleep

With a whole host of Stephen King’s work having been adapted for screens both big and small over the past few years, now comes word on another hotly-anticipated adaptation: Doctor Sleep.

As per Deadline, Mike Flanagan has been brought in to direct Doctor Sleep for Warner Brothers. Flanagan – best known to genre fans for the likes of Oculus, Hush, Before I Wake and Ouija: Origin of Evil – had been long rumoured to helm the sequel to King’s iconic The Shining, following his impressive adaptation of King’s Gerald’s Game last year.

The synopsis for Doctor Sleep reads:

Doctor Sleep takes place years after the events at the Overlook Hotel and focuses on the now middle-aged Danny who is still traumatized. He’s followed in his father’s footsteps and has problems with anger management and alcoholism. He soon gives up drinking and settles in a small town in New Hampshire. While there, his psychic abilities start to resurface and he develops a psychic link with a 12-year-old girl named Abra Stone who he must save after he discovers her life is being threatened by a tribe of paranormals led by a man named Rose the Hat.

It’s not known just yet whether the big screen take on Doctor Sleep will actually acknowledge any of the previous adaptations of The Shining, but be sure that we’ll bring you more on all of this as we get it.

Leigh Whannell’s UPGRADE Set for June Release

Leigh Whannell

Here at Moonbase Alpha, one of our modern horror faves is the brilliant Leigh Whannell. Following Insidious: The Last Key, we’ve now got an update on Whannell’s next project.

Having been retitled from Stem to Upgrade, the sci-fi horror has now been given a June 1st, 2018 release date. Blumhouse and NEON have teamed to produce the effort.

In terms of plot, the early word on Upgrade reads:

Upgrade centres on Grey Trace, a technophobe in a utopian near-future when computers control nearly everything – from cars to crime-surveillance – who is paralyzed in a freak mugging. But when a billionaire technologist offers him an experimental paralysis cure – an implanted chip called STEM – Grey finds that the chip has a voice and a mind of its own.

Cast-wise, Upgrade has Logan Marshall Green as Grey Trace, with Betty Gabriel, Harrison Gilbertson, Simon Maiden and Benedict Hardie also on board.

Having popped his directorial cherry with 2015’s Insidious 3, Whannell will again be on directing duties here in addition to having penned the film’s screenplay.

Grace Victoria Cox Joins Zac Efron’s Ted Bundy Movie

Grace Victoria Cox

Following the news of Angela Sarafyan joining the Zac Efron-starring, Ted Bundy-centric Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile earlier in the week, now comes word that Grace Victoria Cox has been added to the picture.

As per Deadline, Cox – best known to genre fans for the likes of Under the Dome, Manson’s Lost Girls, Twin Peaks and the upcoming Heathers TV series – is playing Carol Daronch in the film. That role is described as “a soft featured girl who survived Ted’s kidnapping attempt and later ID’s him in court.”

The movie is to be told from the viewpoint of Bundy’s longtime girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer, with Lily Collins tackling that role. As mentioned, Zac Efron is playing Bundy as the film tells the tale of his multi-year murder spree. The aforementioned Sarafyan is playing Joanna, the close friend of Elizabeth’s who gets her to eventually see what brutal acts her partner has partaken in. Elsewhere, John Malkovich is playing Edward Cowart, the Judge tasked with overseeing Bundy’s trial in 1979.

To be directed by Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2’s Joe Berlinger, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile has yet to be given a set release date.

ABC Picks up New THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO

The Greatest American Hero

Remember how a new take on The Greatest American Hero was in development? Well, now the pilot for said reboot has been picked up by ABC.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news, with the half-hour comedy to put a new spin on this old favourite by having a female take the titular role. This time out, the action will centre on a 30-year-old Indian-American called Meera. That lead character is pegged as a Cleveland native “whose talents include tequila drinking and karaoke and not much else. Then some aliens entrust her with a super suit to protect the planet, and the world has never been in more unreliable hands.”

Fresh Off the Boat’s Rachna Fruchbom is developing the series with Nahnatchka Khan’s Fierce Baby, and she’s also penning the script for the reboot.

In the original The Greatest American Hero, Carrie‘s William Katt played a teacher who winds up somehow becoming a superhero after he’s given a special suit by some extraterrestrial sorts. And as it happens, this isn’t the first time a reboot of the property has been mooted, with The LEGO Movie’s Phil Lord and Chris Miller looking to turn the series in to a big-screen movie back in 2014.

As ever, expect more on this as it.

GOTHAM to Finally Bring in the Joker

Ever since Gotham began, the show has done its best to tease fans with the possibility of the Joker turning up at some point down the line. Well, now comes a bit of an update on that situation.

Given how the series has given its own takes on a whole slew of Batman villains – Penguin, Riddler, Ra’s al Ghul, Firefly, Scarecrow, Solomon Grundy, Victor Zsasz, Mr Freeze, Catwoman, and even the Court of Owls just to name a few – it’s the potential for an appearance from the Clown Prince of Crime that has had many viewers most excited. After all, this is a show, let’s not forget, who spent the majority of its first season showcasing a whole slew of individuals who could ultimately end up becoming the Joker. And then there’s Jerome…

Played by Cameron Monaghan, Jerome is a character who has become more and more like the Jester of Genocide as the show has progressed over the past few years. Monaghan himself is absolutely phenomenal in the role, but it seems once again that we’re now being told that he definitely, definitely, definitely isn’t the Joker. Why’s that? Well, because the real Mr J is on his way to the party!

Speaking to the Discussing Film podcast, David Mazouz – Gotham’s Dark Knight-in-waiting – revealed, “He’s not the Joker, that’s all I’m saying. He’s definitely the inspiration for the Joker and the way that the Joker comes into the show is one of the most brilliant things Gotham has ever done.”

For his part, Monaghan took to Twitter to add, “I can confirm. What we’ve cooked up and discussed is something not to be missed. It’s a twist on familiar themes, both new and old echoes of the mythos. Something entirely new, but we believe true to the spirt of the show as well as the comics. Proud I got to be a part of it.”

So there we have it: it looks like the Joker is finally going to make his way to Gotham when the show returns for the second half of its fourth season.

In the US, Gotham returns on March 1st. For UK fans, though, your guess is as good as ours as to when the new season will air. Channel 5 still has the rights to broadcast the series, even though they’ve yet to even air Season 3. Still, while that is disappointing and outright ridiculous, Gotham’s third season was made available on Netflix for UK fans once the season had already been released on Blu-ray and DVD. That means, it’s likely not until Season 4 arrives on home release that UK viewers will get the chance to see the current season, be that on Blu-ray, DVD, or presumably a little later on when Netflix nabs the season.

Joanne Whalley to Play Sister Maggie in MARVEL’S DAREDEVIL

Joanne Whalley Sister Maggie Daredevil

In another indication that the third season of Marvel’s Daredevil looks like heading in a Born Again direction, the hugely popular Charlie Cox-starrer has brought in Joanne Whalley to play Matt Murdock’s mother.

Whalley is likely best known to genre fans for the likes of Willow, Wolf Hall and The Borgias, and she’ll be playing Sister Maggie when the Guardian Devil returns for his third season. If you remember back, the final moments of last year’s Marvel’s The Defenders saw a broken Matt Murdock being looked after by some nuns as one of them makes mention to “Get Maggie.” Instantly, longtime fans of ol’ Hornhead knew what that meant – Sister Maggie being the mother of Matt.

That moment in itself suggested to many that Season 3 of Daredevil would pull inspiration from the iconic Born Again comic book arc, and now fully adding Sister Maggie to the show’s ranks only goes one step further to reaffirming that belief. From the legendary pairing of Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, Born Again is a 1986 story in which the nefarious Kingpin finally learns that Matt Murdock and Daredevil are one and the same. Making the most of this knowledge, Fisk soon puts a plan in place to finally kill the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.

Without veering too much in to plot details and potential spoilers, Born Again is a major, major story in the history of Daredevil, and it’s a tale that is full of shocking moments. To call it pivotal would be an understatement!

To get back to the casting of Whalley, this news saw executive producer Jeph Loeb enthuse, “We are big fans of Joanne’s work and are fortunate that someone of her calibre will be joining our already talented family.”

Season 3 showrunner Erik Olseon added, “Joanne is a rare talent and a terrific creative collaborator. Watching her bring her role to life has the writers all pinching ourselves.”

Marvel’s Daredevil will return to Netflix at a to-be-confirmed date later this year.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 6 Gets a Title and Release Date

Mission Impossible - Fallout Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise has never been one to do things on the quiet, and so the ever-grinning actor has revealed the title for the new Mission: Impossible movie by similarly revealing the first image from said film – an image that sees him hanging out of a helicopter!

Taking to his social media channels, Cruise has confirmed that the next M:I effort – the sixth installment in the current cinematic franchise – is titled Mission: Impossible – Fallout and will hit the big screen on July 27th of this year.

As The Cruise put it, “We’ve upped the ante for the sixth Mission: Impossible. I can’t wait for you guys to see more.”

The early blurb on the film reads:

The best intentions often come back to haunt you. Mission: Impossible – Fallout finds Ethan Hunt and his IMF team along with some familiar faces in a races against time after a mission gone wrong.

As well as Cruise, said IMF team will see Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames returning to action, not to mention returns for Rebecca Ferguson and Michelle Monaghan. In terms of new additions, Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett and Vanessa Kirby are also along for the ride this time.

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’s Christopher McQuarrie is again back to write and direct.

First Look at Brie Larson as Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel

With Avengers: Infinity War getting set to blow us all away this May, one of the most hotly-anticipated elements of this huge ensemble effort is getting to see Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel make her MCU debut. And now, we’ve finally been given our first look at Larson’s Carol Danvers all suited-up.

Page Six got the scoop, with the below image just one of several showing the actress on set in her Captain Marvel gear. You can find the full gallery of seven images here.

Brie Larson Captain Marvel

While Larson’s Danvers will make her Marvel Cinematic Universe bow to help Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the Guardians of the Galaxy and any other heroes worth their salt try and take down the threat of Thanos as the nefarious Mad Titan finally steps out of the shadows, the character also has her own solo movie pegged for 2019.

Set in the 1990s, Captain Marvel will see Larson joined by Samuel L. Jackson as a two-eyed Nick Fury, Jude Law as Mar-Vell, and Rogue One’s Ben Mendelsohn as the villain of the piece, believed to be the leader of the no-good Skrulls.

To be directed by Mississippi Grind’s Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Captain Marvel is set for a March 2019 release. Before that, of course, Avengers: Infinity War will be heading to the big screen from May 3rd.