WATCHMEN Pilot to Film in March

Watchmen

Earlier this year saw it announced that Damon Lindelof was developing a Watchmen TV series, and now comes word on when the pilot episode will start filming.

As revealed by ThatHashtagShow, the pilot is due to start shooting in March 2018. At this stage, HBO has ordered a pilot episode for the small-screen adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ famed graphic novel – obviously with the hope of moving forward with a full series order should the pilot be up to scratch.

Watchmen began life back in 1986 as a 12-issue miniseries, soon going on to become a hugely acclaimed classic and a tale regularly cited as one of the greatest comic book/graphic novel stories of all time. A big screen adaptation finally happened in 2009, with Zack Snyder directing a huge blockbuster starring the likes of Billy Crudup, Malin Akerman, Jackie Earle Haley, Matthew Goode, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Expect more on this Watchmen series as it continues to develop.

Concept Art Teases What Could’ve Been for JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK

A Justice League Dark movie has been spinning its wheels for years now, and here comes some concept art that’s sure to put a smile on the face of many a genre fan.

At this juncture, Warner Brothers still have plans for Justice League Dark to happen at some point, and one person who had previously tried to get the picture moving forward is Joseph Kahn. The Torque and Detention director had at one point pitched his own idea for just such a film, even going as far as releasing an animation test for his take on Swamp Thing. Now, Kahn has continued to tease fans with what could have been by posting several pieces of concept art on Twitter.

As part of this art, Kahn incorporated his own personal cast choices for certain characters, with Dan Stevens as John Constantine, Natalie Dormer as Zatanna, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Jason Blood, not to mention looks at Deadman and Swamp Thing. Be sure to click on the below thumbnails for a closer look:

John Constantine Zatanna Jason Blood Deadman Swamp Thing

The last we’d heard on any Justice League Dark movie was that Housebound’s Gerard Johnstone was sprucing up the screenplay this past August. Before that, Edge of Tomorrow’s Doug Liman and IT’s Andy Muschietti had both passed on directing the effort. Going even further back, this is a project that Guillermo del Toro had been developing for years before ultimately walking away from the project due to commitments elsewhere.

Right now, Warner Brothers still have plans to bring Justice League Dark to the big screen as part of their slew of upcoming DC-driven movies, although it remains to be seen when that will be and who will be tasked with bringing this magical, mystical team to life.

As ever, expect more on Justice League Dark as and when it continues to develop.

Paramount Sets Release Dates for Several Hasbro-Driven Movies

Micronauts

Remember how Paramount previously announced a host of new movies based around famed properties of yesteryear? Well, now some of the films have finally been handed release dates.

First and foremost, the third G.I. Joe picture has been booked in for a March 27th, 2020 release. Following that, what’s being dubbed the Hasbro Cinematic Universe will expand with Micronauts on October 16th, 2020. Then there’s a mystery Paramount/Hasbro effort set for October 1st, 2021, plus a new Dungeons & Dragons feature confirmed for July 23rd, 2021. While Dungeons & Dragons is indeed a Hasbro property, it’s believed that this film won’t be a part of this shared cinematic universe.

In addition to these movies, you can expect plenty more to be announced as this realm continues to expand. After all, the announcement of this shared universe last year saw Paramount revealing plans for M.A.S.K., Visionaries and ROM: SpaceKnight efforts to be developed.

As ever, expect more on all of this as we get it.

Z NATION Confirmed for Fifth Season

Z Nation Season 5

In some news that’s sure to put a smile on the face of many a genre fan, SyFy has moved to renew Z Nation for a fifth season.

Asylum CEO David Michael Latt broke the news:

 

Z Nation aired its Season 4 finale – a two-hour affair – last night in the US. The show can be found on Pick TV here in the UK.

Oscar Isaac in Talks to Voice Gomez Addams

Oscar Isaac

Well this is potentially brilliant casting if it comes off. Yes, as the headline suggests, Oscar Isaac is in talks to play Gomez Addams.

Of course, while Isaac – currently seen as Poe Dameron in Star Wars: The Last Jedi – would be the perfect fit to play the charming Gomez, sadly this is only for the upcoming Addams Family animated movie rather than any live-action outing. Tracking Board broke the news of these talks, and Isaac and MGM are currently in negotiations over the actor joining the Conran Vernon-helmed picture; Vernon himself best known for Sausage Party.

No other details are known on this new Addams Family animated effort just yet, but expect more on all of this as we get it.

First Look at TITANS’ Hawk and Dove

Hawk and Dove Titans

Following the brilliant first look at Brenton Thwaites as Robin, DC Entertainment has now released the first glimpse at Titans’ Hawk and Dove duo.

Played by Alan Ritchson and Minka Kelly, this is a pairing who are already being considered for their own spin-off show down the line. In terms of powers, Hawk has the pretty standard ‘super’ levels of strength, speed and endurance, whereas Dove is a more magic-driven hero.

You can click on the below thumbnail for a full look at this heroic duo:

Hawk and Dove Titans

Also on board for Titans are Anna Diop as Starfire, Ryan Potter as Beast Boy, Teagan Croft as Raven and Lindsey Gort as Police Detective Amy Rohrbach.

The early word on this hotly-anticipated series reads:

In the action-packed series, Dick Grayson emerges from the shadows to become the leader of a fearless band of new heroes, including Starfire, Raven and many others. Fans can expect Titans to be a dramatic, live-action adventure series that will explore and celebrate one of the most popular comic book teams ever.

Titans will debut on Warner Brothers’ swanky new on-demand streaming service at some point next year.

Wes Craven Celebrated in Horror Channel January Season

shocker

Bring in the New Year with Horror Channel’s special season of films celebrating the late great Wes Craven. Over January, you can catch four of the master’s lesser-seen movies that prove there were more strings to his horrific bow than Freddy Krueger and Ghostface.

horror channel wes craven

Kicking off on January 6th is The Serpent and the Rainbow, a voodoo-based supernatural thriller from 1988 starring the brilliant Bill Pullman that mustn’t be missed. January 13th sees the Network Premiere of Shocker (1989), in which Horace Pinker, a murderous TV repairman, is put to the electric chair but returns as pure energy to continue his killing spree. On January 20th, you can meet The People Under the Stairs (1991), a group of deformed children that have been kept in captivity who are discovered by a teenage would-be thief. The season concludes with My Soul to Take (2010) on January 27th. Proving that Craven still had the horror chops, it’s one of his final films.

There are plenty more chilling delights for the horror fan throughout the month as films such as The Unborn (2009), Hammer’s The Kiss of the Vampire (1963), and the 2012 remake of Maniac all receive Network Premieres. The latter is particularly one to watch. Starring Elijah Wood, it’s a brutal modern masterpiece, filmed completely from the killer’s point of view and boasting an amazing soundtrack.

You can read more about these films in the current issue of STARBURST, on sale now.

Find out more by heading to the Horror Channel website. Follow the channel on Facebook and Twitter for further updates. Tune in on Sky 319, Virgin 149, Freesat 138, and Freeview 70.

Captain Cold Returning for One Final FLASH Outing

Wentworth Miller Captain Cold

Following the news earlier this week that Colton Haynes’ Roy Harper will be returning to Arrow next year, now comes word on the return of a familiar face over in the Central City corner of The CW’s Arrowverse.

Speaking at German Comic-Con, Wentworth Miller – as reported by Diamondust Creation – confirmed that he’ll be returning as Captain Cold for one last outing in The Flash. This coming, of course, following the actor having recently brought his time on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow to an (at least temporary) end.

On his brief return and the chances of any further returns as the charismatic Cold, Miller explained, “I have one more episode to shoot, which I’ll do in January. I think it’s going to be an episode of The Flash, and that is it for me, contractually. But I will never say never, because I do enjoy this character so much. I have a lot of affection for the cast, and it’s a really hardworking crew, and I enjoy working in Vancouver. So there are many reasons to come back. It just has to be the right story. So far, I think we’ve done a really good job of exploring all that Leonard Start is in his various incarnations. If the powers that be can prove to me that there’s more story there that’s worth telling, I certainly consider it.”

Since entering the Arrowverse as one of the earliest foes fought by Grant Gustin’s Scarlet Speedster in The Flash, Captain Cold has gone on to become one of the biggest fan favourite characters of this shared DC world. While his permanent stint on Legends came to a close after the first season, Snart has regularly popped up in the Arrowverse over the past year or so, most recently appearing in the charmingly fun Crisis on Earth-X crossover and then the mid-season finale of Legends’ third season.

How, when and if Miller returns to the Arrowverse down the line after that one aforementioned Flash appearance, we’ll keep you updated on the details. Of course, it goes without saying, any chance of Miller’s Snart returning to action at some point is certainly welcomed by us.

Disney Not Ruling Out R-Rated Marvel Movies Following Fox Acquisition

With Disney’s purchase of 21st Century Fox now official, there are a couple of major concerns amongst moviegoers. One being the fact that Disney own yet another of their rivals – this following the purchases of Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Marvel Studios – the other concern being whether, after Fox finally giving their superhero world an adult-driven shake-up, the family-friendly environment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe would put the kids gloves back on when it comes to violence, bad language and overall R-rated shenanigans. Now, Disney’s Bog Iger has moved to try and allay some of those concerns.

For years, fans had been clamouring for Wolverine to finally get a movie where he slices through bodies while turning the air blue, and that was what we got with the stunning Logan. That, of course, followed in the path of Deadpool; a movie that embraced the gore, language and “unique” humour of the Merc with a Mouth.

CEO Iger was asked about this predicament during a conference call (as reported by Collider), and he actually responded positively to the prospect of Disney dealing in R-rated superhero efforts. As he put it, “It (Deadpool) clearly has been and will be Marvel branded. But we think there might be an opportunity for a Marvel R-brand for something like Deadpool. As long as we let the audiences know what’s coming, we think we can manage that fine.”

While the House of Mouse usually isn’t exactly the first company that come to mind when thinking of adult themes and strong R-rated action, they have previously distributed several such films through their Touchstone Pictures arm. The last R-rated picture that they actually produced, however, was way back in 2006 with Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto.

Considering Deadpool took home an impressive $780 from a budget of just $58 million, and Logan was the highest grossing X-Men film ever in addition to actually out-grossing ten MCU efforts with its $616 million box office haul, it only makes sense that Disney would want to embrace the definite demand for superhero efforts with that adult-heavy slant.

As ever, expect more on this – and Disney’s latest purchase as a whole – as we get it.

Robert Rankin and Richard Williams Join SCI-FI BALL 2018

Sci-Fi Ball 2018

With next year’s Sci-Fi Ball beginning to assemble its guests, two more brilliant names have been confirmed for the 2018 edition of this genre favourite event.

Joining the action for the February shindig are fantasy author Robert Rankin and concept artist Richard Williams. Rankin has been the author of a whopping forty-one books throughout his prolific career, most notably his biggest seller, The Antipope. As for Williams, he’s been involved in storyboard and concept art work on big hitters such as Doctor Who, Torchwood and Sherlock.

Already confirmed for Sci-Fi Ball 2018 are names such as Terry Farrell, Vic Mignogna, Gary Graham and Chris Doohan, with more guests and exhibits to be announced over the next few weeks.

The 24th edition of the hugely popular Sci-Fi Ball will take place at the Grand Harbour Hotel, Southampton on February 2nd, 3rd and 4th. For further details and to book tickets, head on over to www.sfball.com.