Bad news for fans of Starz’ riveting pirate drama, Black Sails. The network just announced the show’s fourth season will be its final season. 10 new one-hour episodes are all that’s left of the Emmy winning series created by Jonathan E. Steinberg (Jericho, Human Target) and Robert Levine (Touch). Season four will air in 2017 and stars Toby Stephens as Captain Flint, Hannah New as Eleanor Guthrie, Luke Arnold as John Silver, Jessica Parker Kennedy as Max, Tom Hopper as Billy Bones, and Ray Stevenson as Blackbeard.
Black Sails is executive produced by Steinberg, Levine, Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, Andrew Form, Chris Symes, Brad Caleb Kane, and Dan Shotz.
“It’s a rare privilege in television to be given the kind of creative freedom we’ve enjoyed on this show over the last four years. While it was a difficult decision for us to make this season our last, we simply couldn’t imagine anything beyond it that would make for a better ending to the story nor a more natural handoff to Treasure Island,” said series co-creator and executive producer Jonathan E. Steinberg. “We’d like to thank Chris, Carmi and everyone at Starz for all their faith and support, and to our astounding cast and crew for joining us on this ride.”
“Jon Steinberg and Robert Levine, along with their crew and the phenomenal cast, have delivered a spectacular take on the most legendary pirate story in literature, and this final season will bring us to the shores of Treasure Island as was always intended,” said Starz Managing Director Carmi Zlotnik. “Black Sails has been a tremendous success; from the loyal fan following and strong viewership numbers to awards recognition and the skill of our world-class production in Cape Town, we could not be more proud of this very special series.”
The Plot:Black Sails season four will bring fans to the heroic conclusion of the Treasure Island prequel. The fourth season of the stand-out high seas drama finds our pirates at war in the West Indies. The shores of New Providence Island have never been bloodier, but the closer civilization comes to defeat, the more desperately, and destructively, it will fight back.
Elizabeth Hurley as Queen Helena in ‘The Royals’ (Photo by Frank W. Ockenfels 3 / E! Entertainment)
E!’s keeping it in the family, adding Elizabeth Hurley’s son Damian to the cast of the dramatic series, The Royals. According to the network, Damian Hurley will be playing Hansel, the Crown Prince of Lichtenstein, and will be making his television debut with his appearance on The Royals. The cast of season three includes returning stars Elizabeth Hurley (“Queen Helena”), William Moseley (“Prince Liam”), Alexandra Park (“Princess Eleanor”), Jake Maskall (“King Cyrus”), Tom Austen (“Jasper”), Genevieve Gaunt (“Willow”) and Rocky Marshall (“James Hill”). Max Brown joins the series as Prince Robert and Jules Knight is on board to play Spencer, the new Lord Chamberlain.
Season three will premiere in December 2016. The series is written, directed and executive produced by Mark Schwahn (One Tree Hill). Brian Robbins (Coach Carter), Joe Davola (Smallville), and Shauna Phelan (Smosh: The Movie) also executive produce.
The Plot: The new season will feature 10 one-hour episodes and will pick up two weeks after the execution of King Simon’s murderer who had plagued the royal family for months. With Prince Liam and Princess Eleanor’s celebrity status hitting new heights, continued debate in the UK on who is the rightful heir to the throne, and the potential return of the presumed deceased Prince Robert, season three promises even more scandal, heightened stakes, and steamier love triangles.
WGN America’s set to debut the third season of Salem during Halloween week and today they’ve released a new trailer for the popular horror series. Cast members from the show including Shane West, Janet Montgomery, Seth Gabel, Iddo Goldberg and Elise Eberle will be joining Salem creators Brannon Braga and Adam Simon this weekend at the San Diego Comic Con to talk about the upcoming season of the series and to show off footage from season three. The Salem panel will take place on Friday, July 22nd at 4:45pm PT and will include a Q&A with the cast.
The Plot of Season Three: The third season of Salem dawns with the triumph of the witches’ plan to remake the New World by bringing the devil to earth and making Salem his capital. But the devil is a liar, and instead of a New World free from murderous Puritan hypocrisy, his own plan will bring nothing but death and slavery with the ultimate aim of leading humanity to destroy itself. And there’s only one person on earth who can beat the devil — the very witch that birthed him, his mother, Mary Sibley. The only problem is – she’s dead. Or is she?
Tyler Posey hit the stage ‘Magic Mike’ style at the 2015 MTV Fandom Awards (Photo Credit: MTV)Teen Wolf star Tyler Posey will host the MTV Fandom Awards for the second year in a row as just announced by the network. The MTV Fandom Awards will take place on July 21st at Petco Park in downtown San Diego during Comic Con, and Comic Con badge holders will be treated to free food, drinks, games, and give-aways during the MTV Fandom Fest leading up to the actual taping of the awards show. For those who can’t watch the awards show live, MTV will air the MTV Fandom Awards on July 24th at 8pm ET/PT.
In addition to confirming the return of Posey as host, MTV announced the celebrities who’ll be making their way to the stage to present awards. Nerve stars Emma Roberts and Dave Franco, Power Rangers stars Becky G, Naomi Scott, Ludi Lin, Darce Montgomery, and RJ Cyler, and Lights Out stars Teresa Palmer and Alexander Dipersia are scheduled to present. Also tapped to present are Travis Mills, Teen Wolf‘s Holland Roden and Cody Christian, The Shannara Chronicles‘ Austin Butler, and iZombie‘s Rose McIver, Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kohl, Robert Buckley, David Anders and Aly Michalka. Kent Jones, Pierce the Veil, and Krewella will perform.
The annual MTV Fandom Awards “honor the fans whose tenacious excitement pushes movies, TV, books and comics from subculture to mainstream worldwide success.” The awards show hands out trophies for the Best New Fandom of the Year, Fan Freak Out of the Year, Bandom of the Year, Animation Fandom of the Year, and Best Revival Fandom of the Year.
Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson (soon to be seen in NBC’s Hairspray Live!) is set to star in the romantic comedy, Sandy Wexler. Hudson will play the female lead opposite Adam Sandler who’s taking on the title role. Steve Brill (The Do-Over) is directing from a script by Sandler, Dan Bulla, and Paul Sado. Sandler and Allen Covert are producing, and Tim Herlihy and Barry Bernardi are executive producing. Filming’s expected to get underway in August 2016 in Los Angeles.
The Happy Madison production will air on Netflix in 2017. Sandy Wexler marks the third collaboration between Sandler and Netflix.
Hudson’s career was launched following her appearance as a contestant on season three of American Idol in 2004. Hudson didn’t win the American Idol title, but she went on to win awards including a Grammy for her self-titled first album and an Academy Award for her supporting role in the musical Dreamgirls. Her additional acting credits include Sex and the City, Confirmation, Empire, Black Nativity, Smash, and The Secret Life of Bees.
The Plot: The film follows Sandy Wexler (Adam Sandler), a talent manager working in Los Angeles in the 1990s, who diligently represents a group of eccentric clients on the fringes of show business. His single-minded devotion is put to the test when he falls in love with his newest client, Courtney Clarke (Jennifer Hudson), a tremendously talented singer who he discovers at an amusement park.
We’re just days away from the San Diego Comic-Con and Warner Bros. has revealed details on what attendees can expect to find at their booth on the Convention Center floor. Booth #4545 will feature a special Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Wand Master Training Station, actual costumes from Arrow, Supergirl, and The Flash, and collectible “Wish You Were Here” postcards.
WB also confirmed the autograph schedule with the talent stopping by the booth set to include the casts of Game of Thrones, King Arthur, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, and many more.
Details on Warner Bros. Booth Activities:
THE FLASH, ARROW & SUPERGIRL
• While the presence of Super-Heroes at the Warner Bros. Booth is not an unprecedented event, for the first time ever, all three costumes for Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl from their respective series on The CW will be on display for fans to measure up against.
• All three costumes were initially conceived and created by three-time Oscar®-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood. In Season Four of Arrow and Season Two of The Flash, series costume designer Maya Mani made some modifications to the two Super Hero costumes. In addition to the authentic production costumes, each of the super suits is modeled on a life-sized 3-D rendering, created from laser body scans of series stars Stephen Amell (Arrow), Grant Gustin (The Flash) and Melissa Benoist (Supergirl).
LEGO® BATMAN
• The creative MasterBuilders at The LEGO® Group are back again with another Comic-Con exclusive: a super-sized LEGO® Batman
• Kapow! Looking “really cool,” LEGO® Batman is constructed from 53,998 LEGO® bricks, stands just under seven feet tall and weighs in at 266 pounds. It took 45 hours for the LEGO® masterminds to design him and an astounding 340 hours for him to be built. He makes his special appearance at the Warner Bros. booth in advance of his upcoming stand-alone feature film. Don’t miss your opportunity to be humbled by the sheer “awesomeness” that is LEGO® Batman!
• In addition, LEGO® Batman fans will have an opportunity to take a selfie with LEGO® Batman to share via social media onsite, using a custom brick-built “Batman Selfie Booth.”
COMIC-CON COLLECTIBLE POSTCARDS
• Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Marketing has created an exclusive set of “Wish You Were Here” collectible postcards based on Warner Bros. Television series for fans to share with their friends — or keep for themselves!
• Created as a limited printing, these exclusive cards come in two versions: the first set contains 13 postcards featuring WBTV’s hottest returning series — including The 100, Arrow, Blindspot, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Gotham, iZOMBIE, Lucifer, The Originals, Supergirl, Supernatural, Teen Titans Go! and The Vampire Diaries. In addition, postcards will be available for titles making their debut at Comic-Con 2016, including Animaniacs Live, Frequency, Justice League Action, People of Earth, Powerless, Riverdale and Time After Time.
• Featuring series artwork on the front, the postcard backs all include custom Comic-Con messaging from each of the shows.
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM WAND STATION
• In addition to talent signings for King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Warner Bros. Pictures will be bringing to the booth the cast from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them — including Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller and Colin Farrell, along with director David Yates.
• In addition to the signing, there will be a Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Wand Master Training Station where you can try your hand at mastering all new spells.
LEGO® DIMENSIONS WITH HARRY POTTER AND FANTASTIC BEASTS
• Enter even more LEGO® Dimensions with some new expansion packs from the worlds of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts. Revealed at Comic-Con and on display in the Warner Bros. booth, the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts Expansion packs will offer more characters, deeper stories, bigger battles and infinite possibilities.
• This fall, get ready for the wildest mash-ups this side of the Multiverse with more of your favorite brands like Harry Potter, Adventure Time and Sonic the Hedgehog joining the fun. Immerse yourself into full movie experiences of the year’s biggest blockbusters with Story Packs. And prepare to battle in all-new Adventure World Battle Arenas as you take adventure gaming further with the only platform that brings unlimited compatibility across every character, vehicle, gadget, and world.
• Bring the wizarding world to life in LEGO® Dimensions with the Harry Potter Team Pack. If Hogwarts is not your style, play the complete Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Story Pack and help Newt Scamander find his escaped magical creature in New York City across six action-packed levels of gameplay. In addition, you can explore more of the LEGO® multiverse with the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Fun Pack.
• About LEGO® Dimensions: For the first time in a LEGO® videogame, characters from a mix of some of the best brands in the universe join forces and battle in worlds outside of their own. A Dark Knight, a Wizard, and a LEGO® Master Builder traveling together down the Yellow Brick Road is just the beginning. The LEGO® Dimensions Starter Pack is all players need to begin — build the base and minifigure heroes, and embark on a fantastic quest to save the LEGO® Multiverse. By purchasing additional expansion packs, players can grow their toy collection and add more gaming fun to the experience through a variety of their favorite brands to create even more crazy combinations.
AUTOGRAPH SIGNINGS
• THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016
o 11:45am-12:15pm Teen Titans Go!
o 1:30pm-2:00pm Justice League Action
o 5:30pm-6:15pm Silicon Valley
• FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016
o 10:00am-10:30am iZOMBIE
o 11:15am-12:00pm The 100
o 12:00pm-12:45pm The Giant’s Dream
o 1:00pm-1:30pm People of Earth
o 1:30pm-2:00pm Powerless
o 4:15pm-5:15pm Game of Thrones
o 6:00pm-6:30pm Blindspot
• SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2016
o 10:00am-10:30am Lucifer
o 10:30am-11:00am The Originals
o 10:30am-11:15am Supergirl
o 11:15am-12:00pm Gotham
o 12:15pm-1:00pm The Vampire Diaries
o 1:15pm-1:45pm King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
o 1:45pm-2:15pm Time After Time
o 1:45pm-2:30pm Scooby-Doo! WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon
o 3:00pm-3:30pm Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
o 3:45pm-4:30pm The Flash
o 4:00pm-4:45pm Outcast
o 4:30pm-5:15pm Arrow
o 5:30pm-6:00pm Riverdale
o 5:30pm-6:00pm DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
o 6:00pm-6:30pm Frequency
o 6:00pm-6:30pm Vice Principals
• SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2016
o 10:00am-10:45am Supernatural
o 11:00am-11:45am Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants
o 12:30pm-1:15pm DC Super Hero Girls
o 2:00pm-2:30pm Animaniacs Live!
Check out the new poster for the thriller The 9th Life of Louis Drax which just arrived courtesy of Summit Premiere. The film’s based on the book by Liz Jensen and was adapted for the screen by Max Minghella, with Fifty Shades‘s Jamie Dornan starring. The cast also includes Sarah Gadon (11.22.63.), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Aiden Longworth (Cut Bank), Oliver Platt (Chicago Med), Molly Parker (House of Cards), and Barbara Hershey (Damien). Alexandre Aja (Horns) directed the R-rated drama and Summit Premiere’s aiming for a September 2, 2016 theatrical release.
The Plot: After surviving eight near-death accidents throughout his unlucky life, Louis Drax [Aiden Longworth] plunges off a steep cliff on his ninth birthday. While police investigate the cause of Louis’ near-fatal fall and the whereabouts of his violent father Peter [Aaron Paul], acclaimed neurologist Dr. Allan Pascal [Jamie Dornan] uses unorthodox techniques to try to tap into the boy’s unconscious mind and reveal the truth about the events that led to his condition. But as he’s drawn deeper and deeper into the mystery of Louis’ seeming ability to cheat death, the doctor finds himself falling for Louis’ mother, Natalie [Sarah Gadon]. As new clues emerge in the case, a shocking revelation changes the fates of Louis Drax and everyone around him.
Vin Diesel reprises his role as Xander Cage in the third film of the xXx franchise, xXx: Return of Xander Cage, and Paramount’s just released the first official trailer for the action film. Directed by D.J. Caruso (Eagle Eye, Disturbia), the cast also include Deepika Padukone, Donnie Yen, Tony Jaa, Nina Dobrev, Rory McCann, and Samuel L. Jackson. xXx: Return of Xander Cage is set to be released in theaters on January 20, 2017.
The first xXx film was released in 2002 and grossed $277 million during its theatrical run. The 2005 sequel, xXx: State of the Union, had Ice Cube in place of Vin Diesel and earned just $71 million while in theaters.
The Plot: The third explosive chapter of the blockbuster franchise that redefined the spy thriller finds extreme athlete turned government operative Xander Cage (Diesel) coming out of self-imposed exile and on a collision course with deadly alpha warrior Xiang and his team in a race to recover a sinister and seemingly unstoppable weapon known as Pandora’s Box. Recruiting an all-new group of thrill-seeking cohorts, Xander finds himself enmeshed in a deadly conspiracy that points to collusion at the highest levels of world governments.
Omari Hardwick (as James ‘Ghost’ St. Patrick) and Naturi Naughton (as Tasha St. Patrick) in ‘Power’ season 3 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Power‘s season three premiere set a new viewership record for Starz and the network’s rewarding the show’s ratings growth with a two season renewal. Starz President Chris Albrecht announced the network has greenlit the series for seasons four and five following Power‘s July 17, 2016 third season premiere which drew in 2.6 million live+SD viewers, setting an original series network record. The audience grew to 3.37 million when adding in the first episode’s three Sunday night airings.
Power is the first of the original Starz series to make the move to Sunday nights, and the network’s other original series will subsequently make the transition to Sunday night airings as they premiere. The drama was created by Courtney A Kemp who also serves as showrunner and executive producer. Curtis 50 Cent Jackson, Mark Canton, Randall Emmett and Gary Lennon also executive produce the popular series.
According to Starz, the season three premiere ratings were an 58% increase over season two. “In today’s content landscape, it is challenging for a series to stand out, but Courtney is a singular voice working in television today,” stated Albrecht. “In Curtis, we not only have an immense talent, but an executive producer who brings a unique perspective, an authentic voice and passionate fan base that has helped in a large part propel the success of the series. Along with our executive producers and the talented Power cast and crew, they have created one of the most distinct dramas I’ve ever had the good fortune of putting on the air. The fans have let it be known loud and clear that they cannot get enough of Ghost, Tommy, Tasha, Angela and Kanan.”
Kemp added, “Chris Albrecht and the Starz team have believed in this show from the very beginning. Everyone here at Power is deeply grateful for the tremendous support we have received from the fans of the show, which made today’s announcement possible. I am humbled by this vote of confidence from the network and the opportunity to continue to employ our excellent cast and crew, who work tirelessly to bring this show to life.”
Power Season Three Plot: Season three finds James St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick) as the owner of new nightclubs, out of the drug game and in a rekindled relationship with his first love, Angela (Lela Loren) — the Assistant United States Attorney sworn to bring him to justice. But just as they begin to believe James’ past criminal persona of ‘Ghost’ may finally be behind them, both are forced to face the consequences of running from a life from which no one gets away clean. James’ estranged best friend Tommy (Joseph Sikora) has just reunited with his newly returned love, Holly (Lucy Walters), but must attempt to not only rebuild Lobos’ devastated drug organization, but to kill ‘Ghost’ — turning brother against brother. James St. Patrick is on the verge of having everything he’s ever wanted, but will this new phase of his life end before it begins with old sins and the specter of ‘Ghost’ coming back to haunt him? Be careful what you wish for.
Starz’ horror comedy series Ash vs Evil Dead kicks off its second season on September 23, 2016 and the network’s just provided a new look at the upcoming season with a two-minute restricted trailer that was apparently too “gory” for Comic Con. They’ve also released a new poster for season two featuring Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams surrounded by his co-stars. Ash vs Evil Dead is executive produced by Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, Campbell, Ivan Raimi, and showrunner Craig DiGregorio. In addition to Campbell, the series stars Lucy Lawless as Ruby, Ray Santiago as Pablo Simon Bolivar, Dana DeLorenzo as Kelly, Lee Majors as Ash’s father, Ted Raimi as Chet, and Michelle Hurd as Ash’s high school love.
For those heading to the San Diego Comic Con, the cast of the series will be presenting a panel on July 23rd at 6:45pm. They’ll also participate in an autograph session and the season two premiere will screen at 10pm on July 23rd at the San Diego Convention Center.
The Plot: The second season roars back into action with Ash leaving his beloved Jacksonville and returning to his hometown of Elk Grove, Michigan. There, he confronts Ruby. The former enemies have to form an uneasy alliance as Elk Grove soon becomes the nucleus of evil.
