Michelle Williams arrives at the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences’ 9th Annual Governors Awards (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)
FX’s as yet untitled Fosse/Verdon project has signed up four-time Oscar nominee Michelle Williams and Oscar winner Sam Rockwell to star. The limited series has Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, and Steven Levenson on board as executive producers, with FX confirming it’s given the series an eight episode order.
Michelle Williams and Sam Rockwell will also be serving as executive producers. Levenson is the showrunner and wrote the first episode which Kail will direct. The show’s impressive pedigree includes actress/dancer/producer Nicole Fosse, daughter of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon, as a co-executive producer. Andy Blankenbuehler is the choreographer and a co-producer.
“We are over the moon about this dream team we’ve assembled for this incredible series,” said Nick Grad, President of Original Programming for FX Networks and FX Productions. “Tommy, Steven, and Lin are the perfect team to tell the story of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon, and we’re so thrilled to have Sam and Michelle playing these iconic roles.”
Filming is expected to get underway this fall on the Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions project. FX is targeting a 2019 premiere.
Commenting on the limited series, Kail, Levenson, and Miranda stated, “Bob Fosse ignited a revolution in American dance, theater, and film. But, in contrast to the well-worn myth of the visionary artist working in solitude, Fosse’s work would not have been possible without Gwen Verdon, the woman who helped to mold his style – and make him a star. We are honored to work with the incredible team at FX and Fox 21, and these two extraordinary actors, to tell the story of this remarkable couple, and the complicated, fascinating relationship between them.”
“My mother and father have one of the greatest love stories ever known. They were extremely complex people with an indestructible bond, loyalty, and trust that endured both fantasy and reality. Finally, we have a creative team with the talent and wisdom to tell the story,” add Nicole Fosse.
President of Fox 21 Television Studios Bert Salke said, “Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon’s story is one of a fascinating, passionate love affair that gave birth to some truly remarkable cultural achievements, and to this day it has been largely untold. In the capable hands of Steven, Tommy and Lin, with the vital creative input and imprimatur of their only daughter Nicole, this series is going to be a compelling look at these two icons as portrayed by the enormously talented Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams. We’re very excited.”
The Plot: Based on Fosse, the biography written by Sam Wasson, this eight-part limited series tells the story of the singular romantic and creative partnership between Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon. He was a visionary filmmaker and one of theater’s most influential choreographers and directors, she was the greatest Broadway dancer of all time. Together they changed the face of American entertainment – at a perilous cost. Featuring Fosse’s choreography, the series explores the hidden corners of show business, the price of pursuing greatness, and the suffering inflicted in the name of art.
Issa Rae and Yvonne Orji in ‘Insecure’ season 3 (Photo: Merie W. Wallace/HBO)
HBO’s critically acclaimed comedy series, Insecure, returns to kick off its third season on August 12, 2018. The series, created by Issa Rae, will have an eight episode third season that will air on Sundays at 10:30pm ET/PT.
In support of the show’s upcoming season three premiere, HBO’s released details on the first three episodes airing in August.
Series creator Issa Rae stars as Issa, Yvonne Orji plays Molly, Lisa Joyce is Frieda, Natasha Rothwell plays Kelli, Amanda Seales is Tiffany, and Y’lan Noel plays Daniel.
The Plot: The series follows the friendship of two black women as they deal with their own real-life flaws while attempting to navigate different worlds and cope with an endless series of uncomfortable everyday experiences.
In the third season, Issa attempts to navigate her complicated relationship with Daniel, a childhood friend and on-and-off-again fling who’s looking to take his music career to the next level. On the work front, she begins to question her role at the nonprofit “We Got Y’all” and Molly sets boundaries in order to concentrate on her dream job at a black-owned law firm, which she risks sabotaging via her insecurities and hang-ups.
Insecure August 2018 Episodes:
Episode #17 (season 3, episode 1): “Better-Like”
Debut: SUNDAY, AUG. 12 (10:30-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Issa (Issa Rae) crashes on Daniel’s (Y’lan Noel) couch and tries to save up extra cash. Molly (Yvonne Orji) returns from a beach vacation with renewed determination to maintain boundaries in her life.
Written by Issa Rae; directed by Prentice Penny.
Episode #18 (season 3, episode 2): “Familiar-Like”
Debut: SUNDAY, AUG. 19 (10:30-11:00 p.m.)
Issa (Issa Rae) gets advice from Kelli (Natasha Rothwell) about her financial situation and plays wingwoman as Daniel (Y’lan Noel) tries to make a music-industry connection.
Written by Amy Aniobi; directed by Pete Chatmon.
Episode #19 (season 3, episode 3): “Backwards-Like”
Debut: SUNDAY, AUG. 26 (10:30-11:00 p.m.)
Issa (Issa Rae) is inspired while recruiting at a job fair with Frieda (Lisa Joyce). Later, she treats Daniel (Y’lan Noel) to a thank-you dinner as she remains hopeful about their future. Molly (Yvonne Orji) starts her dream job at a black-owned law firm.
Written by Ben Dougan; directed by Mo Marable.
The final chapter of The CW’s The Originals is about to play out, however a new story will be told within the same world with the launch of Legacies on October 25, 2018. Legacies will focus on Hope Mikaelson, daughter of Klaus and Hayley, as she enrolls in The Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted in Mystic Falls.
Legacies creator Julie Plec is excited about exploring Hope’s story which builds on the mythologies established in The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. Plec, no stranger to the San Diego Comic Con, joined Legacies stars Danielle Rose Russell and Matt Davis for a Q&A with fans as well as interviews with the press. During our chat, Plec explained what sets this new series apart from its predecessors. She also talked about ending The Originals after five seasons and whether Klaus (played by Joseph Morgan) will be a part of his daughter’s life as she deals with her powers and the turmoil of high school.
Julie Plec Legacies Interview:
How did you come up with idea for Legacies?
Julie Plec: “In terms of when I really felt like I could make it a series in this franchise was when we decided to do an age jump to make Hope seven and eight years old, and 10 years old, and not a baby in the middle of The Originals. And then all of a sudden I saw a path to create a really strong, unique ingenue and that I could put her in the world that I’ve always wanted to build.
We were still doing The Vampire Diaries at the time, and I’d always wanted Alaric to be the headmaster of that school. And so I thought, ‘You know what? He has daughters and they’re witches and they’re trouble, and so what if Alaric and Caroline could find a place and build a place for these kids? And then eventually we could have a show of its own.’”
In some ways you have three different shows, but at the same time they’re from the same universe.
Julie Plec: “Yeah. It’s funny because usually you start with the young ones and then you age them up. And I aged up and then went backwards to go back to the teenagers. I think that is the fun of it. I mean, The Originals is a show about a family dynasty over millennia and to be able to say this is the next generation of that family is so cool. And then Mystic Falls has had centuries of vampire history and now to say we’ve got the new generation coming back into this town that has basically had its history rewritten so that they don’t even know what that town’s been through, it’s so fun. I’m really enjoying it.”
Will some of the vampire history come back into Legacies? If you watched The Vampire Diaries will you notice Easter eggs?
Julie Plec: “There’s definitely going to be a lot of Easter eggs in Mystic Falls, specifically. Little hints and references to the past, past characters, past mythology and that kind of thing. We’re having a lot of fun with it. So, it’s like if you haven’t watched the show, you wouldn’t even notice what you’re doing. But if you have, you can kind of get a little bit of a wink and a nod out of it.”
Will Klaus have any role in this Legacies world?
Julie Plec: “You know, Klaus will have the role that he’s meant to have with his daughter. He obviously isn’t with her because she’s at a boarding school, so we’ll have to see what kind of parenting that means when we get there.”
We’ve only seen Hope within the scope of being supported by her family. How will her support system change when she’s at the school?
Julie Plec: “Hope, in spite of having had a super chaotic, crazy, damaged, dysfunctional family, was also deeply loved. I think that one of the transitions of being a student at this school was that she’s made this decision to self-isolate, probably because she has a lot going for her in her home environment but has also been through a lot of pain. So, she kind of goes out of her way to piss people off which is awesome. She’s a little snarky and a little aloof, and people think she’s kind of stuck up but it’s a protective measure. It’s actually a really fun version of the character that we’re enjoying writing.”
Is it going to delve much into her being a young woman and not just her powers?
Julie Plec: “The show lives in both worlds so well. It is about kids with supernatural powers who are different than other people and who are just trying to get through the day without imploding. But with that comes all the great roots of romance and best friends and school, and the fights you have with your frenemies and trying to navigate the relationship with your parents and the local kids who, of course, go out of their way to torment and provoke our kids into some kind of conflict. So, there is a day-to-day coming of age spine to the show that I’m really enjoying.”
Will the school have the normal high school groups, like the smart kids and the jocks?
Julie Plec: “You know, we were actually talking about how to differentiate the groups and we’ve got different factions. We’ve got werewolves, vampires and witches all trying to live harmoniously under one roof with has never been done before. So, we’re sort of having fun with like the vampires are the cool kids and the werewolves are sort of like the sport-os, and the witches are the mean girls. It’s been hilarious bringing them to life like that.”
How sad is it to be ending The Originals or is it exactly where you wanted it to come to in this journey?
Julie Plec: “I really wanted to be able to give The Originals a true ending. I didn’t want it to be ambiguous. The show started with Elijah determined to find redemption for Klaus. After living 1,000 years of co-dependence, really getting his brother to understand that he is loved. And I really feel like the series delivers on that whole-heartedly. And being able to see how this family goes on to whatever conclusion each character is going to get – happiness, peace, resolution, or redemption – was our goal and I think we did that well. People might not like it, but I think we did it well.”
With The Originals and The Vampire Diaries there have always been emotionally devastating moments. Is it going to be the same with Legacies?
Julie Plec: “The feelings are going to be real. The feelings are real. I just write like that. I like to cry and laugh and love all in the body of a single episode. I do think that one shift, and this might turn out to be completely wrong because we’re just starting to write – we’ve got about five episodes written – is in the beginning of Vampire Diaries Kevin felt very strongly that no one could be safe. That anybody could die at any point. Characters were often created in order to be killed. And I feel like that was a really bold and exciting and thrilling and novel way to do television storytelling back then that everybody has sort of adopted over the years. And so it’s like no character is safe anymore. I’m going to have fun with trying to figure out how to keep my characters alive for a little while. There’s no conflict in happiness though; you’ve got to find ways to shake it up.”
If you could define the tone of Legacies, what would you say it is?
Julie Plec: “You know I think it’s heightened honesty. It’s real world with a splash of color, you know? It’s a little bit funnier, a little bit snarkier, a little bit more youthful, little bit more energized but still that kind of voice that we’ve lived in for so long, just with more attitude.”
Sounds like fun.
Julie Plec: “Yeah, it is, honestly. And it’s funny talking about it because I’m rewriting four right now so we’re finding it as we go as well. We’re finding what works and we’re starting to understand what the actors are good at, what they’re not good at. We’ll start to adopt characteristics of them into their voice. So, it’s an ever-evolving, fluid process but it’s been a lot of fun to write because we’re not holding back on the jokes. In The Vampire Diaries we really held back on the jokes. Damon got the jokes, you know, but everyone else had to play it pretty straight. So, this is more where everyone’s got a little bit of extra sass in their step which I really like.”
It’s a coming of age story with a young woman in this 2018 #MeToo movement time. Has that affected how you write Hope’s journey?
Julie Plec: “That has affected everything, in a good way, in a hard way. I talked about it in the panel and I made a joke about it but it’s really true. One of the very first decisions that we made for the show is that the vampires at the boarding school would actually be teenagers and not 100-year-old vampires. I think that with Bill and Sookie and Edward and Bella, and then Stefan, Damon, and Elena, a decade ago there was something sort of gothic and romantic and awesome about this old, eternally youthful guy chasing after this young, pure if not the virgin at least the tonal virgin. That’s just like a completely antiquated dynamic now in this day and age. I think that women don’t need to be pursued in that way. I don’t think they need to be the victims in that way. I don’t think they need to be the pedestal, dainty ingenue while the big bad boy comes in and sweeps them off their feet. I think that they can carry the weight of their own strength and their own fierce power and not need to be the object of anyone’s desire.
Our vampire right now, this kid MG, is hilarious. He’s kind of a nerd but he’s so cool and so energized and awesome, but he loves Lizzie Saltzman with all his heart and she’s just like not having it. And that’s the vampire of our show right now. Of course, we’ll open that world up and get more broody, sexy, Paul Wesley types. But that’s the difference, the singular difference.”
Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire) joins the cast of Audience Network’s Mr. Mercedes for the show’s second season which debuts on August 22, 2018. Huston plays Brady Hartsfield’s ambitious doctor and during the 2018 San Diego Comic Con he talked about the appeal of the series and of taking on the role of Dr. Babineau.
The series is based on the books by Stephen King and features Brendan Gleeson as Detective Bill Hodges, Harry Treadaway as Brady Hartsfield, Jharrel Jerome as Jerome Robinson, Scott Lawrence as Detective Peter Dixon, Breeda Wool as Lou Linklatter, Justine Lupe as Holly Gibney, Nancy Travis as Donna Hodges, and Holland Taylor as Ida Silver. In addition to Huston, new season two cast members include Tessa Ferrer as Felix Babineau’s wife, Cora Babineau, and Max Hernandez as Assistant DA Antonio Montez.
Jack Huston Mr. Mercedes Interview:
How do you describe Felix Babineau?
Jack Huston: “Felix Babineau is a brain surgeon – a neurosurgeon – who has the rather impossible task of operating on Brady after his head has been caved in. He not only saves his life but sort of takes on the task of keeping him alive. Without giving anything away, maybe he takes it a little further.”
Is he evil?
Jack Huston: “I don’t think he’s evil in any way. I think he’s ambitious. I think it’s really interesting. Whatever profession you are in, you want to take it as far as you can, do the best work you possibly can. It’s interesting when you’re in the medical profession when you have certain things like FDA approved or certain drugs that you can or can’t use but you know it can save millions of lives, something you would maybe see as unethical but if it did do well on a thing like that, suddenly it would be ethical. It’s like the same question one can ask themselves in anything. It’s like, ‘How far are you willing to go?’ In his eyes, to save millions at the detriment of the few…I don’t know.”
It seems like Felix’s wife is really the one who’s pushing him.
Jack Huston: ‘Yes. We say ‘Lady Macbeth.’”
Can you talk about that relationship?
Jack Huston: “It’s lovely with Tessa Ferrer as well. At least we were coming onto the show as newbies – me and Tessa together – so we got to build those roles together. But you can very quickly fall into a rather arch relationship when you’ve got a wife saying, ‘You must do this.’ But because we have the amazing Jack Bender who was always trying to find the reality of the situation, keep it grounded, and not go too far into the psychological, the supernatural, he was like, ‘Listen, this is just a young, ambitious couple who are driven, trying to do right by them, trying to further themselves.’ (Laughing) Weird shit happens.”
Did you do any research before taking on the role?
Jack Huston: “I mean, I’ve done research on doctors. I had a wonderful (doctor) – I feel awful I can’t remember his name now because I should be giving him credit because I actually do a couple of surgeries in it. I was like a little wiz kid with it. But, yeah, I had to do quite a bit of research on what the hell I was saying. The medical jargon was like (gibberish) and if I didn’t research it, I would literally just look stone-faced. Like, ‘I have no idea what I just said.’ An audience might not know either, so I might look like I know what I’m saying. I did as much as I could without actually becoming a doctor.”
What did you know about Mr. Mercedes when you joined the series?
Jack Huston: “I’d seen the first season. I read the first book. I spoke to Jack Bender who called me to ask me to play Felix. We had a great conversation. He told me he was doing a documentary on Leonard Cohen so I was like, ‘I’m in!’ He’s just cool as hell. Jack’s brilliant. As far as pedigree goes for a show when you’ve got David E. Kelley, Dennis Lehane, Jack Bender, Brendan Gleeson, Harry Treadaway…all those people, you sort of hedge your bets and I felt like this was a pretty good bet.
It was fun. It was a good one to sign on to. And it was quite nice coming into something a bit further down the line when you’ve seen how good it is. It’s always lovely when the originator is Stephen King and you find out that he’s a big fan of the show, too. So, you must be doing something right. It was a cool one to be a part of. It was a bitch to get to Charleston from LA and I’ve got two kids so I was having to fly a lot. But, what do you do? (Laughing) The things you do for your work.”
What is Dr. Babineau’s relationship with the District Attorney who also wants to keep Brady alive?
Jack Huston: “Yeah, Max (Hernandez) plays Montez and we have quite good stuff. I think initially we’re on the same page and then we veer off from that. We butt heads.”
Can you tell us why?
Jack Huston: “No, no, no. Not really. I can’t I’m afraid. He wants him alive to prosecute him. I want him alive because that’s my job to preserve life. That’s my oath is to do what you can completely blind to what the person is or what they’ve done in their past. That’s what you are as a doctor. That’s the interesting part of it. Initially we have the same ambitions for Brady and when things go a bit AWOL, we maybe butt heads.”
How many Stephen King books have you read?
Jack Huston: “I’ve read quite a few Stephen King books. When I was at school every other person was reading a Stephen King novel at a certain point of my youth. And it’s so funny because it wasn’t just the books but like all of those really freaky movies were coming out at that time. And now I’m like, ‘Man, I grew up,’ because now they’re remaking those movies.
Normally, I’m at the age when it’s like, ‘Oh, this is a remake,’ and now I’m like, ‘I remember that movie. I remember the original.’ So, it’s kind of funny. I’m growing up. When my kids say, ‘Have you seen It?’ I’m like, ‘Which one?’”
Who would you say he shares most of his scenes with? Is it his wife or at work?
Jack Huston: “Me and my wife, me and Brady – not that there’s much interaction as he’s in a coma. I still like to think me and Brady were in a lot of scenes together. And Harry’s so good. I tell you what, it’s a hard task to lie there completely still with your eyes sort of half-mast staring up. It sounds like a great role. ‘Oh, you’re in bed not doing anything?’ But it’s amazing because there’s something behind those eyes that you have to portray and get in there. Harry’s wonderful. He had a very difficult task this season with what he did and he goes for it fully. I wouldn’t be that easy.
And then me and my wife, Tessa Ferrer, who is brilliant. We have most of our stuff together and that was always good. She’s great. She’s a brilliant actress. She really pushes. We were always out for the truth. We were always taking the scene and that’s what so great about Jack is if the scene’s not working, you don’t have to go up and say, ‘The scene is not working.’ He’s right there with you. He’s like, ‘Well, let’s make it. Let’s get it right.’ It didn’t feel precious. It felt very collaborative and that’s the best set to be on when you feel like it’s a real build together.”
Jack Huston in a scene from ‘Mr. Mercedes’ season 2 (Photo Credit: Audience Network)
The stars of Syfy’s Wynonna Earp once again made the trek to the San Diego Comic Con to talk to Earpers about the new season. A screening of season three episode one was a hot ticket at the Con, and fans were rewarded for their support of the series with the announcement of a fourth season.
In addition to all the fan events and a packed panel, the cast participated in interviews in support of season three. In our interview with Wynonna Earp star Melanie Scrofano, we discussed what fans can expect from the new season, the Earp sisters, baby Alice, and the first episode’s Jason Momoa references.
The first episode of the season was a gamechanger right out of the box. How much more can we expect the tone or the action to change over the course of this season?
Melanie Scrofano: “Well, you definitely get… Listen, episode one – ask Emily – but I’m pretty sure the intention was just to say don’t forget who Wynonna is. She’s fun, she’s wild, she’s crazy. She’s kickass. So, Wynonna looks quite different. She really wanted to show that I wasn’t pregnant anymore. And then after that we really get back into the world of Purgatory and of the demons we know and the demons we don’t. But, we continue with the characters and all that. I think episode one the vampires seem like just this fun, crazy thing, but I hope I can say it will have repercussions later that flow from episode one.”
Are the Jason Momoa jokes going to be a running gag or was that a one-off?
Melanie Scrofano: “I have worked with him. I worked with him. You know what? I’m going to tell you this. When I was pregnant with my first child we were shooting a movie and he was encouraging me to have a water birth. And now he’s motherf**king Aquaman! (Laughing) But, I’m telling you he spent an hour telling me how to have a water birth. And I’m like, ‘But who cleans up after?’ And he’s like, ‘Don’t worry – the midwives.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t think that sounds fun.’ And then now he’s Aquaman; it’s so good.”
Does the baby factor into the story this season?
Melanie Scrofano: “Alice is a huge part of everybody’s relationships now. So, just because she’s gone certainly does not mean she’s forgotten.”
Is there a moment in the upcoming season that you’re really excited for the fans to see?
Melanie Scrofano: “Yes. Man, there’s so much. Episode two is great. I love episode two and I hate episode two. Shamier (Anderson) said before, he said, ‘One word to describe season three – unexpected.’ That is what it is. Emily’s great gift is doing what you don’t expect and then going, ‘Oh my god, it’s too early for that!’ Like, ‘Wynonna gets pregnant in season two?’ Like, ‘No, that’s a season five move.’ But, no, and then how do you top that? She just challenges herself to do something and then top it.”
Can you talk about Megan Follows as Mama Earp?
Melanie Scrofano: “Yeah. Megan is great. She is a consummate professional and really just strives to… You know, it’s hard to come into a genre show where you haven’t been a part of it. We built a mythology and now she’s just hopping in in season three and has barely any clue. She worked diligently to try to understand and really connect to what we had created. She didn’t just go, ‘I’m going to bring my own.’ She would watch how I move because she was like, ‘I want to show where she comes from.’ So, she would watch how I moved and she would move the same way. She was tireless at trying to honor the Earp sisters and show where they came from.”
The most important relationship in the show is with the sisters. How will that change when secrets are revealed?
Melanie Scrofano: “I think at the end of the day, it’s always going to be the Earp curse is the focus, that is our overriding objective. Having said that, in her down moments, it will cause some (problems). And it’s interesting because Nicole who has Waverly’s back also might not be impressed that her girlfriend was hurt by our actions. So, it may cause some interesting dynamics but at the end of the day, the Earp sisters have to work together. We have our common goal and we’ve got each other’s backs.”
Last year was really emotional for you. Is this year a little bit lighter?
Melanie Scrofano: “It’s just different. There’s sort of an acceptance, like I think with the Alice thing there’s an acceptance of what has to be done but then some new challenges come up. There’s some new tests and they’re just as hard but different.”
Melanie Scrofano attends the ‘Wynonna Earp’ Press Room at the San Diego Comic Con (Photo by: Randy Shropshire/SYFY)
Peter Gould, Giancarlo Esposito, Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Michael Mando, Patrick Fabian and Vince Gilligan attend the ‘Better Call Saul’ press conference during Comic-Con 2018 (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for AMC)
During the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con press conference for AMC’s Better Call Saul, Giancarlo Esposito explained one of the aspects of the series he believes makes the show so very special. “All of the characters are so entwined with each other,” said Esposito while revealing he can’t wait for Gus to have more screen time with Bob Odenkirk’s Jimmy as Jimmy moves into a space that becomes darker.
Cast members Odenkirk, Esposito, Michael Mando, Rhea Seehorn, and Patrick Fabian took part in the show’s packed Comic-Con panel with fans and in the press conference to support season four. Here are a few of the highlights from the press conference, which found the cast members praising each other’s work on the show and looking forward to the reaction of viewers once season four debuts on August 6, 2018.
Better Call Saul Season 4 Press Conference:
Do you think Jimmy feels responsible for his brother’s death, and how do you think it will affect him?
Bob Odenkirk: “I disagree with Peter Gould on this. He and I don’t see eye-to-eye. I really feel like…and we really talked about this so much this season because the whole season is kind of the reverberations of that incident of Chuck killing himself…I feel like because of that scene that happened the night before when Chuck told Jimmy that I never really cared about you one way or the other, you just never meant much to me at all, that that colors the whole impact of Chuck’s death. To Jimmy, I think he walked out of the room and he kind of compartmentalized that Chuck had wrote him out of his life the night before he died.
I think it’s natural, too, for a person if someone you know and you’re close to dies to think, ‘What was the last thing that we talked about? What was the last thing I said or they said to me?’ In this case, Chuck said some really cold stuff and he really seemed to mean it. He wasn’t emotional or anything; he just seemed to be matter-of-fact about it. So, for me, Jimmy’s written Chuck out of his life. He’s not going to let Chuck’s death weigh him down.
That would be how I perceived it. These guys don’t agree, but we’ve gone through a whole goddamn season with that dichotomy and didn’t have a problem. I feel like everything that Jimmy does in season four fits with my philosophy of how he perceived Chuck and leaving Chuck behind him. And somehow it works as well for Peter, all that plot works just as well for him. He feels that Chuck’s death is massive. It’s okay; we can disagree. Just like fans can disagree about what things do.”
Bob Odenkirk: “I do. I do miss Bryan Cranston. Bryan was the guy who really dialed me into the tone of these shows. The first thing I did for Breaking Bad was the commercial that Jesse watches and it was very much like stuff I did in comedy for my whole career on Mr. Show and many other comedy shows. It was kind of broad and fun and silly, and then I had a scene with Bryan Cranston. Bryan was amazing. He was so heavy and serious and cold and dry. There was just a lot of texture, so he really got me to focus. So working with people like Bryan and Rhea (Seehorn), this marvelous person here, working with people that are better than you really helps a lot.”
Do you think we’ll see Aaron Paul on the show in the future?
Bob Odenkirk: “I do. Speaking as a fan, I think we will. I don’t see how we don’t. Look, here’s what I know. I know that Hank Schrader knows Saul, right? Because when they meet in the hallway, they give each other shit and they know each other – if you remember the first time. Okay, so Hank knows Saul. And I think because of what Jesse says to Walt, ‘You don’t need a criminal lawyer, you need a criminal lawyer,’ you know that line, obviously Jesse saw Saul’s commercial on TV, we saw that in Breaking Bad. But I don’t think that’s enough that Jesse would recommend they go to Saul. That’s just a commercial.
I think he knew Saul and he knew Saul’s reputation. I think those characters, I think, should meet.”
Will a relationship develop between Nacho and Gus this season?
Giancarlo Esposito: “Certainly worlds will collide in season four because these two characters have different agendas that each of them have not known about of each other. The audience may see it coming, but more than likely will not. But when those agendas are revealed, then obviously action has to be taken. It is something I think will more than likely be inevitable, but I will neither confirm nor deny.”
Michael Mando: “It really feels to me…I think Nacho’s storyline really kind of breaks through and comes into focus this season. The arc of the character this season is very much a redemption story. It’s the story of a good son who’s fallen from the good graces of his father and has to learn about self-sacrifice in order to redeem himself and hopefully save his father and maybe himself.
What’s really interesting is I find whenever we have scenes with Giancarlo – the very first time I had a scene with Giancarlo I was a huge fan of his and I remember it being at Los Pollos and looking into his eyes and the first thought that crossed my mind was, ‘This guy’s got people in his basement.’ I don’t know where that came from, but it gave me chills. And to me I really compare it to this situation of man versus corporate. I feel Nacho’s got this romantic idea of being able to walk out of hell and then he faces this corporation that’s operating on a level of almost with no beating heart, just mental. It’s all pure mental genius here.”
Giancarlo Esposito: “The other element to it that I believe could be expanded on and explored as well is the father relationship – the relationship between Nacho and his father. The disappointment he has and his father has in him, and the relationship to Gus Fring who might be able to teach Nacho something he doesn’t know if he can be reined in, which is the big question. Can Nacho be reined in to learn something new and become a different cog in the wheel for the cartel?
I’m not sure that’s possible because Nacho has such a strong personality and has ideas of his own.”
Bob and Giancarlo, with the time jumps on the show how do you sort the evolution of your characters?
Bob Odenkirk: “For me, Saul is a thinner character than Jimmy. He’s just a front. He’s not a whole person, really.”
Michael Mando: (Laughing) “You looked fatter in Breaking Bad.”
Bob Odenkirk: “That because I had a bulletproof vest on. So, it’s actually…spoilers, right, because in this season there’s some cool shit and they don’t want me to say it. Anyway, the point is I did have to ask that question of myself this season so maybe that tells you something. ‘Who is Saul and how do I play him now that I’ve played Jimmy?’ He’s not as dimensional as Jimmy. It’s kind of easy, really.”
Giancarlo Esposito: “For me, I always have to remind myself this is Gus prior to Gus. My younger self would have a different way of exacting his mission plan, trying to figure out how to really have people understand he can run this business better. He has ideas to expand the cartel. But as he’s younger, there’s more vulnerability and more mistakes that he can make. In my mind it’s tracking these two.
Gus primarily is mysterious. The less you know about him, the more you want to know and the more you want to see him. So, with the work that I do I try physically and facially and in my gut to make him seem a little less seasoned in certain areas. And maybe that is to make him a guy who’s not so in control as to when you met him in Breaking Bad. For me, it’s always trying to keep that in the forefront of my brain that he’s still trying to figure it out as we go so that there is nuance to the performance that I bring this time around in Saul, as opposed to what you saw Breaking Bad.”
(Bob Odenkirk brings Rhea Seehorn into a discussion about Chuck’s death.)
Rhea Seehorn: “We did have a lot of conversations about grieving and the process of grieving and if you’ve ever been a supporter of someone who’s grieving or their support system. It was like that constant question of when do you tell someone that their behavior needs to stop or something, whatever their coping mechanisms are? We had a lot of very interesting conversations and I think it will be fun to see viewers and fans figure out what is accessible, what is strange, what is odd. It’s all particular. It’s all individual to the characters.
There’s things that Jimmy’s doing that you normally might say, ‘That’s unacceptable.’ But because somebody is grieving, it just really opens up your mind to how to be someone’s support system through that. What exactly is strange behavior while he’s also in this gradual devolution to becoming Saul? It was a very interesting jigsaw puzzle for me to figure out what is odd behavior and what is not odd behavior.”
Patrick Fabian: “I’ve been sitting here kind of taking a scorecard. Here we are sitting here, these guys and girls up here on stage, it seems to me that without a doubt Howard Hamlin now occupies the moral high ground on the show.”
Tom Wilson joins the cast of ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ season 4 (Photo Courtesy of The CW)
The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow has added two new characters to the series’ upcoming fourth season. Ramona Young (Blockers, Santa Clarita Diet) has joined the cast in the series regular role of Alaska Yu. Tom Wilson, best known for playing Biff Tannen in the Back to the Future films, will play the recurring role of Nate’s father.
Details on the new cast members were announced during the show’s panel at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con:
Ramona Young joins the cast in the series regular role of Alaska Yu. A typical twentysomething easily swept up by romantic notions and fantasy novels, she’s something of an expert in the world of the magical creatures that the Legends encounter in season four. In the company of the Legends, she soon learns to get her head out of the clouds to become a kickass superhero.
Tom Wilson will recur as Nate’s (Nick Zano) father, Hank Heywood. With a lifetime in the military and Dept. of Defense, Hank is part of a long line of Heywoods to serve the country. Charming and charismatic, he’s left big shoes for Nate to fill — and it doesn’t help that Nate can’t tell him he’s secretly a Legend!
The cast of season four includes Caity Lotz as Sara Lance, Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer, Dominic Purcell as Mick Rory, Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Amaya, Tala Ashe as Zari, and Nick Zano as Nate Heywood. Amy Louise Pemberton provides the voice of Gideon. Matt Ryan is back as John Constantine, Jes Macallan plays Ava Sharpe, and Courtney Ford returns as Nora Darhk.
Season four is set to premiere on Monday, October 22, 2018 at 9pm ET/PT. The series is executive produced by Greg Berlani, Phil Klemmer, Keto Shimizu, and Sarah Schechter.
The official trailer for Netflix’s animated comedy Disenchantment declares the new series from The Simpsons‘ creator is an epic tale of growing up in the Dark Ages. The trailer introduces Princess Bean and her friends and confirms Bean definitely won’t be mistaken for a standard, stereotypical princess of the Disney variety.
Disenchantment, created by Matt Groening, will have a 10-episode first season. Netflix is planning to launch the adult animated comedy/fantasy on August 17, 2018.
Lending their voices to the first season are Eric Andre, Nat Faxon, John DiMaggio, Billy West, Maurice LaMarche, Tress MacNeille, and David Herman. Josh Weinstein is the showrunner.
The Plot: In Disenchantment, viewers will be whisked away to the crumbling medieval kingdom of Dreamland, where they will follow the misadventures of hard-drinking young princess Bean, her feisty elf companion Elfo, and her personal demon Luci. Along the way, the oddball trio will encounter ogres, sprites, harpies, imps, trolls, walruses, and lots of human fools.
Poster for the animated comedy ‘Disenchantment.’ (Photo Credit: Netflix)
Josh Kelly joins ‘Midnight, Texas’ (Photo Courtesy of NBC)<
The oddball collection of residents of Midnight, Texas will have a few new neighbors to deal with in season two of the supernatural drama. NBC’s announced Nestor Carbonell (Bates Motel, Lost), Jaime Ray Newman (The Punisher, Bates Motel), and Josh Kelly (UnREAL) will be a part of the ensemble when the series returns for its second season.
NBC’s casting announcement came with brief descriptions of the three new characters:
Nestor Carbonell and Jaime Ray Newman will recur as Kai and Patience Lucero, respectively, the owners of Midnight’s new hotel. Their sudden arrival in town causes a stir and has the Midnighters suspicious about what is really going on. Josh Kelly will recur as Walker Chisum, an openly gay demon hunter who has an intense connection with resident angel Joe Strong (Jason Lewis).
Kai (Carbonell) is a magnetic, holistic energy healer and Patience (Newman) is his savvy and beautiful wife. Drawn to Midnight’s unique energy, they have opened Crystal Desert, a hotel and New Age healing center. Though Kai impresses the Midnighters with his power, some are skeptical of his motives and wonders if he is actually a con man. Patience uses her charm to ingratiate herself to Midnight and takes an immediate liking to Manfred (François Arnaud).
Walker (Josh Kelly) is a handsome, openly gay demon hunter, much like Joe Strong, the famed angel he admires. When Walker discovers Joe in Midnight, the two develop a bond fighting demons. Driven by revenge and an undeniably intense attraction to one another, Walker will get Joe into more trouble than either expect.
Returning season one cast members include Dylan Bruce, Parisa Fitz-Henley, Arielle Kebbel, and Peter Mensah. Eric Charmelo (Supernatural), Nicole Snyder (Supernatural) and David Janollari (Six Feet Under) serve as executive producers.
The series is based on the bestselling series of books by Charlaine Harris. Midnight, Texas season two will premiere on Friday, October 26, 2018 at 9pm ET/PT.
Fans of The CW’s Arrow know that season six ended with Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) coming clean to Star City that he is the Green Arrow. He did so to make sure his friends would remain safe, and as season seven begins he’ll be behind bars serving time at Slabside Maximum Security Prison.
During the show’s 2018 San Diego Comic-Con panel it was revealed Team Arrow will be squaring off against new enemies in his absence. The Longbow Hunters will be threatening Star City after being recruited by Ricardo Diaz (Kirk Acevedo). Diaz is going to use the assassins to get his revenge on Team Arrow for disrupting his criminal activities last season.
The official announcement of the Longbow Hunters as part of the storyline for season seven included brief descriptions of the three new characters:
Red Dart (Holly Elissa – Whistler), a ruthless and precise killer
Kodiak (Michael Jonsson – Van Helsing), a beast of a man with brute force
Silencer (Miranda Edwards – The Magicians, Orphan Black), a master of stealth
While the gang is handling criminals on the streets, Oliver will be forced to deal with some of the people he was responsible for putting in prison. Michael Jai White (Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger), Cody Runnels (Derek Sampson), and Vinnie Jones (Danny “Brick” Brickwell) will be showing up to give Oliver a rough time during his stint in prison.
Arrow season seven will premiere on October 15, 2018 at 8pm ET/PT. The cast includes David Ramsey as John Diggle, Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance, Colton Haynes as Roy Harper, Echo Kellum as Curtis Holt, and Rick Gonzalez as Rene Ramirez.
The comic book-inspired series is executive produced by Greg Berlanti, Beth Schwartz and Sarah Schechter. It’s produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television.
