Gary Oldman stars as Winston Churchill in ‘Darkest Hour’ (Photo by Jack English / Focus Features)
Focus Features just released the second trailer for Darkest Hour, the World War II drama directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Hanna, Pride & Prejudice, Anna Karenina). The cast is led by Gary Oldman as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and includes Kristin Scott Thomas (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen), Lily James (Downton Abbey), Stephen Dillane (Game of Thrones), Ronald Pickup (The Crown), and Ben Mendelsohn (Bloodline).
Focus Features has set a November 22, 2017 theatrical release date.
The Plot: During the early days of World War II, with the fall of France imminent, Britain faces its darkest hour as the threat of invasion looms. As the seemingly unstoppable Nazi forces advance, and with the Allied army cornered on the beaches of Dunkirk, the fate of Western Europe hangs on the leadership of the newly-appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Oscar nominee Gary Oldman). While maneuvering his political rivals, he must confront the ultimate choice: negotiate with Hitler and save the British people at a terrible cost or rally the nation and fight on against incredible odds.
Directed by Joe Wright, Darkest Hour is the dramatic and inspiring story of four weeks in 1940 during which Churchill’s courage to lead changed the course of world history.
Kiefer Sutherland returns as President Tom Kirkman in ‘Designated Survivor’ season 2 episode 1 (Photo by Ben Mark Holzberg / ABC)
“Play time is over,” says President Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) to Aaron Shore (Adan Canto), his special advisor, after meeting with the Russian and Ukrainian ambassadors about a terrorist hijacking in the second season opener of ABC’s popular political thriller, Designated Survivor.
As episode one begins, Kirkman is in the newly rebuilt Capitol one year after it was attacked. He talks to Special Agent Ritter (LaMonica Garrett) about the history of the building and what it means to the country. They head back to the White House where Emily (Italia Ricci) is waiting for Kirkman to interview Lyor Boone (Paulo Costanzo) to see if he’ll work out as the new political advisor. After going back and forth briefly on how bad Kirkman is at getting his message across to the public, the President agrees to try Boone out on a trial basis but only because he speaks his mind, something Kirkman respects. The meeting ends when the President is made aware of a new crisis.
Ukrainian terrorists have hijacked a Russian plane in Chicago, and 68 of the 165 hostages on board are American. Kirkman doesn’t hesitate and sends Emily and Aaron to speak with the Russian and Ukrainian ambassadors in an attempt to handle the problem diplomatically and avoid a possible altercation that could spark a war between Russia and Ukraine.
Unfortunately, neither ambassador is willing to do anything to help. The Russian ambassador tells Emily they do not negotiate with terrorists, and the Ukrainian ambassador tells Aaron he resents being implicated and tied to terrorists just because they are citizens of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Agent Hannah Wells (Maggie Q) is in Amsterdam tracking America’s most wanted man, Patrick Lloyd, the man behind the Capitol bombing. Acting drunk, Wells gets picked up and taken home by a patron at a bar. Once he gets her to his place, Wells knocks him out and begins going through his apartment, and finds a USB drive. She calls Chuck Russink (Jake Epstein) and by plugging the drive into her phone, Chuck is able to check it out. He informs Hannah it’s full of addresses and that each location matches a node of the dark web.
Hannah checks the location out and isn’t there long before the guy from the bar shows up behind her holding a gun. To Wells’ surprise, the man isn’t just some jerk from the bar but an MI6 agent named Damian Rennett (Ben Lawson). He’s after Lloyd for a few crimes he committed when he was in England. The unlikely pair decide to throw in together and hunt Lloyd as partners.
Back in D.C., Seth (Kal Penn) goes to a job interview, mostly because he feels he’s unimportant at the White House and doesn’t really accomplish anything that matters. Seth returns to the White House to handle the press briefing about the plane hijacking and it goes rather badly. He gets short-tempered with the press asking questions about the manhunt for Patrick Lloyd.
Later, Emily talks to Seth about the press briefing, and Seth confesses he went to a job interview earlier in the day. Surprised and a little hurt, at first Emily believes Seth is looking to jump ship. But when Seth tells her that he doesn’t really matter, she informs him he matters to her. “Either you’re all in or you’re all out,” says Emily. She gives Seth until the end of the day to decide or she’ll decide for him.
Alex (Natascha McElhone) checks on Tom to see how he’s doing and he reveals he recognized one of the passengers on the plane as his ex-best friend from years ago. Tom’s worried that if the terrorists make the connection, they will have a bargaining chip to use. Things get yet worse when the Russians start sending troops to the Ukraine border.
Hannah checks in with Aaron to let him know she’s only about 12 hours behind Lloyd and that she’s close to catching him. Aaron warns her to be careful and that if she gets herself killed, it will be bad for him. She replies, “Thanks for your concern, Aaron.”
President Kirkman reaches out to the UN but the Secretary-General informs the President he doesn’t think the UN can offer any assistance and that neither side is willing to help. It seems almost as if they wanted it to escalate. Kirkman realizes this is on purpose and has Aaron do some digging. Sure enough, Aaron comes up with proof the terrorists have been paid by the Russians so their country can start a war with Ukraine.
President Kirkman has a brief meeting with the ambassadors, revealing to the Russian ambassador he knows the Russians hired the hijackers. The ambassador tries to make a vague threat about friendship and alliances, but the President counters by telling both ambassadors that if one hostage is killed, he will cut off all diplomatic ties with both Russia and Ukraine. “When your country leaders ask me why the two names I will give them are yours,” says the President in Russian, dismissing both ambassadors.
Back in Amsterdam, Wells and Rennett follow their only lead: the location of Lloyd’s computers. They head to that location but the area is empty. Wells checks in again with Chuck who pieces together that the computers were meant to help a supercomputer. He’s able through his tech magic to find the location of the supercomputer. Wells and Rennett make it to that location and find a slew of phony passports and realize that they missed Lloyd…he’s gone.
Back in D.C., the President gets word the terrorists have let the hostages go and have surrendered. Seth delivers the news to the press and as he ends, he gives them a spirited, heartfelt speech about President Kirkman and how hard he works every day to try to live up to what the American people expect of him and how much he believes in his country and the people. As Seth walks away, he says “Buya!” to Emily, indicating he’s decided to stay.
Aaron, Seth, and Emily head to the Oval Office to tell President Kirkman they don’t think that Boone is going to work out as part of their team. (Throughout the episode Boone kept popping off to them with weird/blunt remarks on how they do their jobs badly.) As the united three walk in, they discover Boone is with the President, and Kirkman tells them their timing couldn’t be better. Kirkman tells Boone to go ahead and Boone points out to each of them how they could have handled the hijacking crisis better and in one particular case actually made it worse. Boone says he wants to stay and work with them, believing he can really help. Realizing everything Boone said was correct, they agree. President Kirkman also agrees and has already hired Boone on.
Another tragedy strikes and President Kirkman gets word that a spark from the runway caused a sick passenger’s oxygen to explode, killing the elderly person and the doctor who was helping him, Kirkman’s ex-best friend. Tom’s feeling terrible until he finds out from Alex that she reached out to the man’s wife and found out he never held a grudge against Tom over their disagreement years ago. A little later, Kirkman thanks his staff for all the hard work they did and gives a brief speech on helping the American people.
The last scene in the episode takes place outside on the street where a man is standing looking at the lit-up rebuilt Capitol. He turns and we see it’s Patrick Lloyd.
Designated Survivor Season Two Episode One Review:
Engaging and fast-paced, the Designated Survivor season two premiere, “One Year In,” brings back the well-written political thriller complete with strong performances, a new international crisis, the continued manhunt for Lloyd, and some uneven and light humor. Once again Kiefer Sutherland shines as President Tom Kirkman who’s still working hard at getting the American public to believe in him and, more importantly, their government. Sutherland shows how Kirkman is truly up to the challenge of politically fighting against powerful men who have their own agendas in play; in this episode that’s the case with the ambassadors from Russia and Ukraine. The scene in which he calls them out and warns them if anyone loses their lives he will make sure it’s their careers that are destroyed is pitch perfect and extremely satisfying.
The only drawback to the episode is the introduction of the character Boone, who’s to be the new political advisor. The character brings awkward and unnecessary humor and levity to a dramatic and intriguing show, and the series doesn’t benefit from the character’s insertion. To be honest, it feels forced and out of place.
With Lloyd back in D.C., Wells still in Amsterdam, and President Kirkman looking to move the country forward, it should be very interesting to see where the series goes from here and what new threats the White House will have to face.
The cast of ‘The Librarians’ (Photo by Scott Patrick Green (c) 2016 Turner Broadcasting System, Inc)
TNT confirmed The Librarians will be returning for a fourth season beginning on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at 8pm ET/PT. Season four will kick off with a two-episode premiere starring Rebecca Romijn, Christian Kane, Lindy Booth, John Harlan Kim, and John Larroquette. Executive producer Noah Wyle will also return for the show’s fourth season, appearing as Flynn Carsen in seven of the season’s 12 new episodes.
The series is based on TNT’s movie franchise and is executive produced by Dean Devlin and Marc Roskin.
The Plot: In this season of The Librarians, our heroes embark on new, action-packed adventures, risking their lives once again to save the world. They face off against Santa’s brother the Patron Saint of Thieves, try to save a town plagued by ghosts from the Civil War, battle a casino that steals luck, endure a body switching fiasco and join forces with a time-traveling Librarian from the past. But their greatest challenge will come from within the Library itself.
With Charlene no longer tethered to the Library, which keeps it grounded to humanity, one Librarian and one Guardian must step up and take the mantle. As Jenkins organizes the Tethering Ceremony, the high ritual that will bond the pair to the Library forever, thus granting them immortality, Flynn and Baird seem poised to make this sacrifice. Until a woman from Flynn’s past reveals herself to be one of the Library’s dirty little secrets.
Confronted with a dark mystery about the Library, every Librarian must ask themselves some tough questions: Is the Library itself good or evil? After millennia of one Librarian at a time, is it dangerous to have multiple Librarians working together? Can a Librarian ever live a “normal” life filled with love, friends and family? The Librarians have a lot of research to do, but this time, they’ll need to find the answers inside themselves without any books or prophecies.
Lana Del Rey announced she’ll be embarking on a 24 city tour beginning on January 5, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The “LA to the Moon” tour will include stops in cities including Chicago, Charlotte, Orlando, and San Diego before finishing up on February 28, 2018 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Lana Del Rey will be touring in support of her new album, Lust for Life, which hit the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart. The “LA to the Moon” tour, produced by Live Nation, will feature special guest artists Jhene Aiko and Kali Uchis on select dates. Tickets will go on sale to the general public via LiveNation.com on October 2, 2017.
Lana Del Rey’s North American Tour Dates:
1/5 – Minneapolis, MN at Target Center
1/7 – Denver, CO at Pepsi Center
1/9 – Kansas City, MO at Sprint Center
1/11 – Chicago, IL at United Center
1/13 – Boston, MA at TD Garden
1/15 – Toronto, ON at Air Canada Centre
1/17 – Detroit, MI at Little Caesars Arena
1/19 – Newark, NJ at Prudential Center
1/21 – Philadelphia, PA at Wells Fargo Center
1/23 – Columbus, OH at Schottenstein Center
1/25 – Washington, DC at Capital One Arena
1/26 – State College, PA at Bryce Jordan Center
1/30 – Charlotte, NC at Spectrum Center
2/1 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL at BB&T Center
2/2 – Orlando, FL at Amway Center
2/5 – Atlanta, GA at Philips Arena
2/6 – Nashville, TN at Bridgestone Arena
2/8 – Dallas, TX at American Airlines Center
2/10 – Houston, TX at Toyota Center
2/11 – Austin, TX at Frank Erwin Center
2/13 – Phoenix, AZ at Talking Stick Resort Arena
2/15 – San Diego, CA at Valley View Casino Center
2/16 – Las Vegas, NV at Mandalay Bay Event Center
2/28 – Honolulu, HI at Waikiki Shell
Syfy’s giving the green light to a pilot of Deadly Class, based on the graphic novel by Rick Remender and Wes Craig. Remender and Feldsott adapted their graphic novel and will executive produce the pilot which is set up with Sony Pictures Television Studios and Universal Cable Productions. Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, directors of the Captain America films and Avengers: Infinity War, are on board as executive producers along with Mike Larocca (Spy), Adam Targum (Banshee), and Lee Toland Krieger (director of The Age of Adaline).
Adam Targum will be the series’ showrunner and Lee Toland Kreiger will direct the pilot.
The Series Plot:Deadly Class follows a disillusioned teen recruited into a storied high school for assassins. Maintaining his moral code while surviving a ruthless curriculum, vicious social cliques, and his own adolescent uncertainties may prove fatal. Set against the backdrop of late 80s counter culture, Deadly Class is a coming of age journey unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
From Image Comics, Publisher of the Graphic Novels: “It’s 1987. Marcus Lopez hates school. His grades suck. The jocks are hassling his friends. He can’t focus in class. But the jocks are the children of Joseph Stalin’s top assassin, the teachers are members of an ancient league of assassins, the class he’s failing is ‘Dismemberment 101, and his crush has a double digit body count. Welcome to the most brutal high school on earth, where the world’s top crime families send the next generation of assassins to be trained. Murder is an art. Killing is a craft. At Kings Dominion School for the Deadly Arts, the dagger in your back isn’t always metaphorical.”
The CW’s comic book-inspired series The Flash returns for a fourth season on Tuesday, October 10, 2017 at 8pm ET/PT. During the 2017 San Diego Comic Con, the cast said fans of the show can look forward to a lighter tone this season after an incredibly dark season three. And fans can also expect to see a few changes in the relationships between characters as the season kicks off with Iris now in charge of #TeamFlash.
Directed by Glen Winter from a script by Todd Helbing and Eric Wallace, season four episode one is titled “The Flash Reborn.”
The season four cast includes Grant Gustin as Barry Allen/The Flash, Tom Cavanagh as Harrison Wells, Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow, Candice Patton as Iris West, Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally West/Kid Flash, Carlos Valdes as Cisco, and Jesse L Martin as Joe West.
“The Flash Reborn” Plot: COMING HOME — With Barry (Grant Gustin) in the speed force, Iris (Candice Patton), Kid Flash (Keiynan Lonsdale), Joe (Jesse L. Martin) and Vibe (Carlos Valdes) have taken over protecting Central City. However, when a powerful armored villain threatens to level the city if The Flash doesn’t appear, Cisco makes a risky decision to break Barry out of the speed force. However, the Barry that comes out isn’t the same Barry that went in.
CBS’s new comedy Young Sheldon premiered on Monday, September 25, 2017 and just two days later the network announced the series will be sticking around for a full season. According to CBS, Young Sheldon averaged 17.21 million viewers and was the most watched comedy premiere on network television since 2011. It’s the highest rated new comedy since 2013, justifying CBS’s announcement of a full season one order.
Young Sheldon was created by Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro, and is executive produced by Lorre, Molaro, Jim Parsons and Todd Spiewak. The cast is led by Iain Armitage in the titular role and includes Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Annie Potts, Montana Jordan, Raegan Revord, and the voice of Jim Parsons.
Beginning on November 2, 2017, Young Sheldon will move to its regular time slot of Thursdays at 8:30pm ET/PT following The Big Bang Theory.
The Plot: For 9-year-old Sheldon Cooper it isn’t easy growing up in East Texas. Being a once-in-a-generation mind capable of advanced mathematics and science isn’t always helpful in a land where church and football are king. And while the vulnerable, gifted and somewhat naïve Sheldon deals with the world, his very normal family must find a way to deal with him. His father, George, is struggling to find his way as a high school football coach and as father to a boy he doesn’t understand. Sheldon’s mother, Mary, fiercely protects and nurtures her son in a town where he just doesn’t fit in.
Sheldon’s older brother, Georgie, does the best he can in high school, but it’s tough to be cool when you’re in the same classes with your odd 9-year-old brother. Sheldon’s twin sister, Missy, sometimes resents all the attention Sheldon gets, but also remains the one person who can reliably tell Sheldon the truth. Finally, there’s Sheldon’s beloved Meemaw, his foul-mouthed, hard-drinking Texas grandmother who is very supportive of her grandson and his unique gifts.
For 10 years on The Big Bang Theory, audiences have come to know the iconic, eccentric and extraordinary Sheldon Cooper. This single-camera, half-hour comedy gives us the chance to meet him in childhood, as he embarks on his innocent, awkward and hopeful journey toward the man he will become.
Focus Features released the final theatrical poster for the dramatic film, Darkest Hour, one day prior to the launch of the movie’s second trailer. Directed by Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice, Atonement), Darkest Hour is based on real events and stars Gary Oldman as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The cast also includes Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Stephen Dillane, Ronald Pickup, and Ben Mendelsohn.
Focus Features is targeting an awards season run kicking off on November 22, 2017.
The Plot: During the early days of World War II, with the fall of France imminent, Britain faces its darkest hour as the threat of invasion looms. As the seemingly unstoppable Nazi forces advance, and with the Allied army cornered on the beaches of Dunkirk, the fate of Western Europe hangs on the leadership of the newly-appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Oldman). While maneuvering his political rivals, he must confront the ultimate choice: negotiate with Hitler and save the British people at a terrible cost or rally the nation and fight on against incredible odds.
Directed by Joe Wright, Darkest Hour is the dramatic and inspiring story of four weeks in 1940 during which Churchill’s courage to lead changed the course of world history.
Britain Dalton (Lo’ak of the Sully Family), Filip Geljo (Aonung of the Metkayina Clan), Jamie Flatters (Neteyam of the Sully Family), Bailey Bass (Tsireya of the Metkayina Clan), Trinity Bliss (Tuktirey of the Sully Family), Jack Champion (Javier “Spider” Socorro), and Duane Evans Jr (Rotxo of the Metkayina Clan) in the ‘Avatar’ Sequels (Photo by Sheryl Nields)
Filming just began on September 25, 2017 on the Avatar sequels directed by James Cameron. All four sequels are concurrently shooting in Manhattan Beach, CA, with the first sequel targeting a December 18, 2020 theatrical release.
In support of the start of production, 20th Century Fox released details on the new cast members and new characters who will play major roles in the Avatar sequels:
The Sully Family
JAMIE FLATTERS: Neteyam (neh-tay’-ahm) Jake and Neytiri’s first born son.
BRITAIN DALTON: Lo’ak (loh’ ahk) Lo’ak is Jake and Neytiri’s second born.
TRINITY BLISS: Tuktirey: (took-tee’-ray) She goes mostly by “Tuk” (rhymes with “nuke”). She is youngest of the Sully family.
Of the Metkayina Clan
BAILEY BASS: Tsireya (see-ray’-ah) “Reya” She is a graceful and strong free-diver – the young Neytiri of the ocean.
FILIP GELJO: Aonung (aw-nung’) Young male hunter/free-diver son the Olo’eyktan of Metkayina Clan.
DUANE EVANS JR.: Rotxo (row’-txoh) Young male hunter/free-diver of the Metkayina.
Former Hell’s Gate Adolescent
JACK CHAMPION: Javier “Spider” Socorro – A human teenager, born at Hell’s Gate but prefers his time in the Pandoran rainforest more than the asphalt of Hell’s Gate.
Speaking at the 2016 CinemaCon in Las Vegas, James Cameron said the expanded world of Avatar is an epic saga that will explore and evolve from the complex world set up in the first film. He also described the four sequels as a “truly massive cinematic project” and said each sequel will be a stand-alone film but “together will form a complete saga.”
Returning cast members include Sam Worthington as Jake Skully, Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine, Joel David Moore as Norm Spellman, and Stephen Lang as Miles Quaritch.
Paramount Pictures just unveiled a new teaser trailer for Annihilation, the sci-fi thriller from director Alex Garland (Ex Machina, 28 Days Later). Garland also adapted Jeff VanderMeer’s bestselling, award-winning first book of his Southern Reach Trilogy series for the screen. The cast includes Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny and Oscar Isaac.
Scott Rudin, Andrew MacDonald, Allon Reich, and Eli Bush produced the much-anticipated science fiction film. Annihilation will open in theaters on February 23, 2018.
The Plot: A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition where the laws of nature don’t apply.
