Katheryn Winnick at the ‘Vikings’ Funeral at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con (Photo Credit: Showbiz Junkies)
History’s Vikings will be kicking off their fifth season with a special two-hour premiere on Wednesday, November 29, 2017 at 9pm ET/PT. The announcement was made at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con during the panel for the show featuring cast members Alexander Ludwig, Katheryn Winnick, Alex Hogh Andersen, and Gustaf Skasgard. The panel also debuted a new season five trailer and followed that up in the evening with a special Vikings funeral behind the San Diego Convention Center. Hundreds of Vikings fans gathered to share their admiration for the series and to watch a boat go up in flames.
Vikings was created by writer Michael Hirst who serves as executive producer along with Morgan O’Sullivan, Sheil Hockin, John Weber, Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer, and James Flynn. In addition to the above mentioned cast, season five will feature Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors) who’s joining the show as Bishop Heahmund.
“Vikings is about bold storytelling. When Michael Hirst told us his epic plans for the season premiere, we needed two hours to tell it properly,” said Arturo Interian, Senior Vice President, Scripted Programming, HISTORY. “Season five is taking our Vikings to uncharted lands we’ve never seen on the series before.”
The Plot: Season five begins with Ivar the Boneless asserting his leadership over the Great Heathen Army, while Lagertha reigns as Queen of Kattegat. Ivar’s murder of his brother Sigurd sets the stage for vicious battles to come as Ragnar’s sons plot their next moves after avenging their father’s death. Bjorn follows his destiny into the Mediterranean Sea and Floki who is suffering from the loss of his wife Helga, takes to the seas submitting himself to the will of the Gods. This season is full of startling alliances and unbelievable betrayals as the Vikings fight to rule the world.
AMC kept the tradition alive, giving Comic Con attendees the first look at the trailer for the upcoming season of The Walking Dead. The season eight trailer played following a touching tribute to The Walking Dead stuntman John Bernecker and highlighted the upcoming showdown between Rick’s people and Negan’s. The five-minute video isn’t short on action, but it also shows how the impending battle is impacting the survivors emotionally.
Season eight is set to premiere on October 22, 2017. Returning cast members include Andrew Lincoln, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Norman Reedus, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Lennie James, Seth Gilliam, Alanna Masterson, Khary Payton, and Chandler Riggs.
‘The Walking Dead’ Season 8 (Photo Courtesy of AMC)
FX Networks’ FXHibition during 2017 San Diego Comic Con (Photo by Matthew Simmons/Getty Images for FX Networks)
The next installment in FX’s popular horror series American Horror Story has both an official title and a season premiere date. Comic Con attendees were the first to find out the scoop on Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s critically acclaimed series which will premiere on Tuesday, September 5, 2017 at 10pm ET/PT. The seventh seasion of the anthology horror series is titled American Horror Story: Cult.
Fans of American Horror Story are encouraged to visit www.AHS7.com for more details and special content from the seventh season. Specific details on the upcoming season haven’t been released, however it’s been confirmed it will deal with the 2016 presidential election. Murphy has let it be known via his social media accounts that Twisty the Clown will put in an appearance in some form.
The cast of American Horror Story: Cult will include Evan Peters who, according to Murphy’s twitter, will play a character named Kai. Sarah Paulson returns as Ally, and Frances Conroy and Mare Winningham are also confirmed as part of the cast. Billie Lourd, Billy Eichner, Leslie Grossman, and Colton Haynes are all rumored to be involved in the new season. Plus, Lena Dunham was announced on July 19, 2017, with Murphy tweeting: “Thrilled that my talented friend Lena Dunham is joining the AMERICAN HORROR STORY family. Always wanted to work together, and now we r!”
American Horror Story: Cult will consist of 11 episodes and the season will be set in Michigan.
Morgan Spector, Okezie Morro, Danica Curcic, and Russell Posner star in Spike’s ‘The Mist’
The mist barely puts in an appearance in season one episode five of Spike TV’s The Mist, loosely based on the novella by Stephen King. Airing on July 20, 2017, and titled ‘The Waiting Room,’ episode five concentrates on four of the series’ main characters with barely an appearance by the creeping fog. The episode kicks off with Kevin (Morgan Spector), Mia (Danica Curcic), and Adrian (Russell Posner) driving Bryan (Okezie Morro) to the hospital. They’re relieved to discover the power’s still on and the hospital staff’s still busy at work.
A doctor takes care of Bryan’s gunshot wound and then informs the group the bleeding has been controlled and Bryan will probably recover. After Adrian and Mia head off to check in on Bryan, the doctor tells Kevin they’ve got about another day or two before the generator gives out, adding the mist has taken over the hospital’s east wing. Kevin confirms things outside aren’t any better.
And now we get a flashback to happier times for Eve (Alyssa Sutherland) and Kevin. They’ve just bought a house and are in the process of moving in. Eve’s actually smiling and showing emotion as Kevin gives her a tour of their new home, including Alex’s red balloon-filled room. Eve confesses she’s never been happier…or been less herself.
Back to current events, Kevin goes throughout the hospital asking if anyone’s seen his wife or daughter. He breaks down in tears after learning they aren’t at the hospital. (Hasn’t he been convinced they’re at the mall?) Of course, the hospital room he chooses to get emotional in is the same room where his brother lies in bed bleeding from his stomach. He’s been impaled with what looks like rebar, and he explains kids in the mist beat him up. They told him it was revenge for the times he beat up Ricky back in school. (This guy’s just admitted he’s a bully, so I take back any sympathy I initially felt.)
Mike goes on to reveal there’s no way these kids could have known what they knew. The mist messes with your head, says Mike. Kevin pulls up a chair and asks for Mike’s opinion on what’s going on. Mike, bluntly, states that he’s dying but he’s also pretty sure so is everyone else. So, there’s that. The doctors aren’t doing anything for him and it’s just a matter of time before an infection kills him.
Bryan wakes up in a nearby hospital room and seems okay. He’s sore but alive and Mia decides this is the perfect time to sit on his bed and hold his hand. Adrian decides this is the perfect time for him to vacate the room, clearly uncomfortable with this public display of affection. Mia is apparently also not ready for any PDAs and tells Bryan to get some rest.
Another flashback finds Kevin asking Eve what being less herself means. She reminds him she dated bad boys before she met him, and she’s still that girl. If she hadn’t met him, she wouldn’t be a teacher and she’d still be having sex with random guys.
Meanwhile, back in Mike’s hospital room he’s definitely dying. He’s also concerned about Kevin’s family and impressed with the fact Kevin’s carrying a gun. Mike wants Kevin to kill him because he’s in pain and, hey, they don’t like each other anyway.
And we’re flashing back again… Kevin’s inside the house laughing with his brother and Eve is extremely uncomfortable. Minutes after Mike leaves, Kevin and Eve make love and she keeps demanding he do it “harder.” (Why are we watching them have sex? I have no idea. Also, we’re 20 minutes in and there haven’t been any appearances by the mall dwellers or the church people, and just a second or two of the titular character.)
Catching up to Kevin in the hospital, the doctor tells him only the rebar is keeping Mike alive at this point. If they remove it without the proper tools and the ability to stop the bleeding, he’s a goner. The operating room is in the mist-filled east wing so that’s not an option. Kevin suggests he can run through the mist to the operating room so the doctor can remove the rebar. His next brilliant idea is to take his brother by himself and then have the doctor walk him through the operation via walkie-talkies. The doctor, a wise man, thinks that’s a horrible idea. Kevin, not a doctor, makes the decision to do it. After all, Mike’s going to die anyway.
Mia wanders into the hospital gift shop and after deciding on a stuffed bear for Bryan, she spots a dead hospital employee in the little office behind the shop. She plops down money for the bear and doesn’t check on the dead employee. Feelings aren’t Mia’s thing.
While Mia was shopping, Bryan was moved from the ER. After asking for his new room number, she’s shocked to find Bryan Hunt – not her Bryan Hunt, but the real Bryan Hunt – is recuperating in that room. This hospital is ground central for mist-induced coincidences.
Speaking of coincidences, one of the football players who picked on Adrian at the party in episode one walks by and heads into the bathroom. This teen ridiculed Adrian for being gay just days prior, but Adrian follows him into the restroom, uses the adjacent urinal, and then kisses the guy. He receives a beating as well as verbal abuse for the kiss. Undeterred, Adrian gets up and kisses him again. (I’d like to point out we are now 26 minutes in and the mist has still only appeared for a few seconds.)
Mia chats with the real Bryan who claims someone beat him up at Arrowhead. She lies and says she’s a nurse’s assistant, then asks who did this to him. He describes the fake Bryan (real name Jonah Dixon) and says the reason he was attacked is “above his pay grade.”
Kevin finds Adrian and hands over the car keys, warning Adrian that if he doesn’t return, he needs to get to the mall.
There’s yet another flashback but, honestly, I just don’t care enough about Kevin and Eve as a couple to recap it. (30 minutes in, no additional mist sightings.)
Mia and Adrian joke about violence during sex, safe words, and dolphins. They talk about their lives, hatred of hospitals, and bad parents. They talk, it’s depressing, and Mia decides to make a break for it. She jumps in the car and using the keys she just stole from Adrian, drives away. She abandons her new friends without so much as a goodbye wave. However, Mia’s hasty exit does provide us with another glimpse of the mist. Hooray!
Fake Bryan wakes up in his hospital bed and limps to the nurses station. He’s told Mia is visiting her friend in room 237 and when Fake Bryan arrives, Real Bryan’s asleep. Fake Bryan spots Real Bryan’s hospital chart which is clearly labeled “Bryan Hunt.” Fake Bryan limps to Real Bryan’s bed and Real Bryan opens his eyes.
Kevin wheels Mike on a gurney to the east wing, accompanied by the doctor clutching walkie-talkies. Kevin runs through the hallway, passing lots of dead bodies in the mist. Mike screams in pain and then starts bleeding from his fingernails. The operating room is mist-free as Kevin prepares to operate. Mike admits he and all his friends were in love with Eve, calling her a “strange creature.” He tells Kevin he hated him for reaching Eve when no one else could and then gives his brother the go-ahead to operate.
The doctor walks Kevin through the procedure, including injecting Lidocaine into Mike’s stomach to numb the wound. He uses a scalpel to cut a six-inch opening around the rebar, describing the rebar as sticking out of a reddish-brown substance. (I never thought I’d say this but I really miss Mothman and the church people.) Kevin makes Mike hold onto the pry bars separating the wound as he pulls the rebar out. Mike, unfortunately, doesn’t pass out during all this. Blood begins flowing from the wound as Kevin uses clotting sponges to try to get it to stop. (How does he know what clotting sponges are?) The doctor tells him to use staples to close the incision, and he does without flinching.
There’s another flashback only worth mentioning because Kevin asks Eve who Alex’s father is. Kevin makes Eve promise she won’t tell Alex it isn’t him.
Kevin races back from the operating room through the mist as Mike coughs up blood. Lots of blood. Kevin slips on a pool of someone else’s blood and the gurney goes sailing down the hall without him. Mike tumbles off onto his fresh sutures, but that’s the least of his problems. Dozens of leeches fall from the ceiling, landing on both men but not really sticking to Kevin. They crawl inside Mike’s wound and then completely cover his body. Instead of watching his brother turn into a leech creature, Kevin pulls out his gun and shoots him. Kevin flees back down the hall, unharmed.
Sony Pictures Classics just released a new official trailer and poster for the comedy/drama, Brigsby Bear. The indie film comes from writers Kyle Mooney (Saturday Night Live) and Kevin Costello, with SNL‘s Dave McCary directing. The quirky comedy’s already made the festival rounds, picking up a Golden Camera nomination at the Cannes Film Festival and a Grand Jury Prize nomination at Sundance. Audiences will get a chance to check it out in theaters beginning July 28, 2017.
Brigsby Bear‘s cast includes Kyle Mooney, Beck Bennett (Saturday Night Live), Claire Danes (Homeland), Mark Hamill (the Star Wars film franchise), Jorge Lendeborg Jr. (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Greg Kinnear (Rake), Kate Lyn Sheil (House of Cards), Ryan Simpkins (The House), Matt Walsh (Veep) and Michaela Watkins (Casual).
The Plot:Brigsby Bear Adventures is a children’s TV show produced for an audience of one: James (Kyle Mooney). When the show abruptly ends, James’s life changes forever, he sets out to finish the story himself and must learn to cope with the realities of a new world that he knows nothing about.
20th Century Fox has released green band and red band (restricted) versions of a new trailer for Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Directed by Matthew Vaughn, the Kingsman sequel stars Colin Firth (Bridget Jones’ Baby), Julianne Moore (Still Alice), Taron Egerton (Eddie the Eagle), Mark Strong (The Imitation Game), Halle Berry (Extant), Sir Elton John, Channing Tatum (The Hateful Eight), Pedro Pascal (Narcos), and Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water). Kingsman: The Golden Circle will open in theaters on September 22, 2017.
The Plot:Kingsman: The Secret Service introduced the world to Kingsman – an independent, international intelligence agency operating at the highest level of discretion, whose ultimate goal is to keep the world safe. In Kingsman: The Golden Circle, our heroes face a new challenge. When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, their journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US called Statesman, dating back to the day they were both founded. In a new adventure that tests their agents’ strength and wits to the limit, these two elite secret organizations band together to defeat a ruthless common enemy, in order to save the world, something that’s becoming a bit of a habit for Eggsy…
Mark Wahlberg, Rhea Durham, and Paul Wahlberg of A&E’s ‘Wahlburgers’ (Photo by A&E Copyright 2017)
A&E Network’s set an August 9, 2017 premiere date for season eight of Wahlburgers. The reality series starring the Wahlbergs will air its 75th episode during the upcoming season of the popular show. Mark, Donnie, and Paul Wahlberg will once again be featured, as will family matriarch Alma. Wahlburgers is executive produced by Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Donnie Wahlberg, Rasha Drachkovitch, Archie Gips, and David Hale.
Guest stars over the previous seven seasons include Rob Gronkowski, Jenny McCarthy, Joey McIntyre, Adrian Grenier, NHL Hall of Famer Bobby Orr, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The Season 8 Plot: This season, with Wahlburgers becoming one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the world, Mark, Donnie and Paul kick things off with a whopping new deal to open 300 locations across the globe. Additional highlights include a visit from former N*Sync member Joey Fatone who seeks out Donnie for restaurant advice; Mark teams up with Hasbro to create a one-of-a-kind “Paul Wahl” action figure; Donnie taps tour mates Boyz II Men to taste test Jenny McCarthy’s new vodka line while Mark and his kids face off against NFL pro-bowler Travis Kelce in touch football. Penn & Teller make Mark’s Las Vegas Wahlburgers VIP party magical and Mark, Paul and Donnie team up to throw Alma a can’t-miss surprise birthday party she will never forget.
Update: The teaser’s no longer available so here’s a look back at season seven.
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss with the ‘Game of Thrones’ cast at the 68th Emmy Awards (Photo Credit: ABC/Image Group LA)
David Benioff and D.W. Weiss are continuing their relationship with HBO, with the network announcing their next original series will be Confederate. The Game of Thrones creators/showrunners will not go into production on Confederate until after the final season of GoT. Benioff and Weiss will be writing, executive producing, and will serve as showrunners on Confederate. Nichelle Tramble Spellman (Justified) and Malcolm Spellman (Empire) are also on board as writers and executive producers.
“As the brilliant Game of Thrones winds down to its final season, we are thrilled to be able to continue our relationship with Dan and David, knowing that any subject they take on will result in a unique and ambitious series,” said Casey Bloys, president, HBO Programming. “Their intelligent, wry and visually stunning approach to storytelling has a way of engaging an audience and taking them on an unforgettable journey. Confederate promises to be no exception, and we are honored to be adding the talented team of Nichelle and Malcolm Spellman to the mix.”
“We have discussed Confederate for years, originally as a concept for a feature film,” stated Benioff and Weiss. “But our experience on Thrones has convinced us that no one provides a bigger, better storytelling canvas than HBO. There won’t be dragons or White Walkers in this series, but we are creating a world, and we couldn’t imagine better partners in world-building than Nichelle and Malcolm, who have impressed us for a long time with their wit, their imagination and their Scrabble-playing skills.”
The Plot:Confederate chronicles the events leading to the Third American Civil War. The series takes place in an alternate timeline, where the southern states have successfully seceded from the Union, giving rise to a nation in which slavery remains legal and has evolved into a modern institution. The story follows a broad swath of characters on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Demilitarized Zone – freedom fighters, slave hunters, politicians, abolitionists, journalists, the executives of a slave-holding conglomerate and the families of people in their thrall.
Forest Whitaker on stage during the ‘Rogue One’ Panel at the Star Wars Celebration 2016 (Photo by Ben A. Pruchnie / Getty Images for Walt Disney Studios)
Oscar winner Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) will join season four of Empire for a multi-episode arc. Fox announced Whitaker is confirmed to play Uncle Eddie, “a charismatic music icon and bonafide hitmaker, who gave an unknown Lucious (Terrence Howard) his first radio airplay. Decades later, Eddie steps up for Lucious at a critical moment during his rehabilitation, and a grateful Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) invites him to produce a song in celebration of Empire Entertainment’s 20th anniversary.”
Whitaker’s credits include Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Arrival, Lee Daniels’ The Butler, The Crying Game, and Ghost Dog. He’s also stepped behind the camera to direct First Daughter, Waiting to Exhale and Hope Floats.
Empire season four will premiere on September 27, 2017 at 8pm. Fox previously announced the new season will kick off with an Empire and Star cross-over episode. Per the network: “On an epic night of music and drama, Carlotta (Queen Latifah) comes face-to-face with Cookie (Henson), Lucious (Howard) and Jamal Lyon (Smollett). […]On the brink of Empire Entertainment’s 20th anniversary, Lucious is making his first public appearance after the explosion in Las Vegas, while all members of the Lyon family, as well as Lucious’ nurse, Claudia (guest star Demi Moore), have their own interests in Lucious regaining his physical and mental faculties. Then, on Star, the girls – with Carlotta as their manager – continue to face roadblocks, despite their victory at Atlanta NextFest.”
Empire was created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, with Daniels, Strong, Brian Grazer, Ilene Chaiken, Francie Calfo and Sanaa Hamri executive producing.
Ian Anthony Dale, Meaghan Rath, and Beulah Koale (Photos Courtesy of CBS)
CBS has confirmed two actors have joined Hawaii Five-0 and one guest star has been upped to series regular for the upcoming eighth season. Grace Park and Daniel Dae Kim exited the series between seasons seven and eight after being unable to agree on new deals with CBS. Meaghan Rath (Being Human, Secrets and Lies) and Beulah Koale (Common Ground) have joined the cast, and Ian Anthony Dale (Salvation) has moved up to a series regular.
Season eight of Hawaii Five-0 is set to premiere on Friday, September 29, 2017 at 9pm ET/PT.
Dale is continuing his role as Adam Noshimuri, a character introduced in season two. Adam is described as a “trusted confidant and resource for the team who will now be recruited by McGarrett to work for Five-0.” Rath is set to play Tani Rey, a woman recruited by McGarrett “after finding her working as a lifeguard at a hotel pool after she was kicked out of the Police Academy, despite being a first-rate candidate.”
Koale is taking on the role of Junior Reigns, “a former Navy SEAL who just returned from serving his country and asks McGarrett, a fellow SEAL, for a job, hoping to repurpose his skills as a member of Five-0.”
Returning season eight cast members include Alex O’Loughlin as Steve McGarrett, Scott Caan as Danny Williams, Chi McBride as Lou Grover, Jorge Garcia as Jerry Ortega, Taylor Wily as Kamekona, Kimee Balmilero as Noelani Cunha, and Dennis Chun as Duke Lukela. The dramatic action series is executive produced by Peter Lenkov, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Eric Guggenheim.
