Tammy Blanchard at the ‘Into the Woods’ premiere (Photo by Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for Disney)
The cast of the comedy movie Tallulah has just expanded by six. Joining Ellen Page and Allison Janney will be Tammy Blanchard (Into the Woods), Evan Jonigkeit, David Zayas, Zachary Quinto, Uzo Aduba, and John Benjamin Hickey. The movie’s financed through Route One Entertainment and marks the feature film directorial debut of Sian Heder (Orange is the New Black). Heder also wrote Tallulah, and Heather Rae, Russell Levine, Chris Columbus, Eleanor Columbus, and Todd Traina are producing.
Filming is currently underway in New York City.
“We believe Sian Heder is an emerging talent and we wanted to surround her with the best possible cast and crew for her debut effort – one we think will make headlines for both its emotional power and comedic touch,” said Route One’s CEO Russell Levine. “Tallulah is a great addition to Route One’s line-up of new films, and we are proud to be producing alongside Chris and Eleanor Columbus’ Maiden Voyage.”
The Plot: Page stars as Tallulah, a free-spirited, urban adventurer who rescues a baby girl from her self-absorbed and reckless mom Carolyn (Blanchard). Tallulah quickly learns that the rest of the world thinks she kidnapped the child. With nowhere to turn, Tallulah passes the baby off as her own with her ex-boyfriend’s mother, Margo (Janney). By the time the baby is returned, all three women will surprisingly forge an unbreakable bond of motherhood.
Callan McAuliffe at the Toronto International Film Festival (Photo by Eric Charbonneau / Invision for DreamWorks Pictures / AP Images)
Callan McAuliffe (I Am Number Four) will star in the ABC Family series Beyond which is about to start shooting in Vancouver, BC. The one hour supernatural drama from writer/executive producer Adam Nussdorf (Once Upon a Time in Wonderland) has Jordan Calloway, Dilan Gwyn, Romy Rosemont, Michael McGrady, and Burkely Duffield set for co-starring roles.
Tim Kring, Zak Kadison, Justin Levy and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones are on board as executive producers.
The Plot:
Holden (McAuliffe) wakes up in a hospital not realizing he’s been in a coma for 12 years – emotionally still a teenager, physically an adult, and possibly in possession of supernatural powers. Jordan Calloway portrays Holden’s childhood best friend, Kevin, now a therapist, who is haunted by guilt after the incident that put Holden in a coma. Dilan Gwyn stars as Willa, a beautiful woman who appears to be interested in Holden and who warns him he is in great danger. Romy Rosemont plays Holden’s mother, Diane, who has refused to give up on Holden throughout his coma and now is determined to protect him.
Michael McGrady costars as Holden’s father, Tom, who is emotionally withdrawn after his son’s ordeal and defers to his wife, Diane. Burkely Duffield rounds out the cast as Holden’s clever younger brother, Luke, who grew up in the shadow of his brother’s tragedy and is now faced with a brother who knows less about the world than he does.
Caroline Dhavernas as Alana Bloom, Laurence Fishburne as Jack Crawford, Mads Mikkelsen as Hannibal Lecter, Gillian Anderson as Bedelia Du Maurier, Hugh Dancy as Will Graham, and Tao Okamoto as Chiyoh in ‘Hannibal’ (Photo by: Elisabeth Caren / NBC)
NBC previously announced they’ll be bringing cast members from Heroes Reborn and the ever-popular Grimm to the San Diego Comic-Con, and now they’ve just confirmed their full Comic Con lineup. New series The Player and Blindspot will have a presence at the event, and Hannibal cast members will make one final trip to the Con in support of the show’s final season.
Among the actors heading to San Diego to talk about NBC shows are Jaimie Alexander, Wesley Snipes, Philip Winchester, Hugh Dancy, Richard Armitage, David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby, Silas Weir Mitchell, Reggie Lee, Sasha Roiz, Bree Turner, and Claire Coffee. Jack Coleman, Zachary Levi, Robbie Kay, Ryan Guzman, Gatlin Green, Henry Zebrowski, Judith Shekoni, Danika Yarosh and Rya Kihlstedt are also expected to take part in the Con.
NBC’s Comic Con Plans:
HEROES REBORN (Sunday, July 12, 1:45-2:45, Hall H; sponsored by Universal Television)
From Tim Kring, who imagined NBC’s original critically acclaimed Heroes series, comes Heroes Reborn, an epic 13-episode event series that chronicles the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities.
Heroes Reborn takes over Gaslamp Square with a first-of-its-kind 4-D interactive experience where fans will have the opportunity to access their own extraordinary pyro-kinetic ability. Through a multi-sensory experience of interactive visuals and kinetic effects, fans will enter the world of Heroes Reborn and use their power with fire to escape a dangerous scenario.
Fans will also be able to take an animated “heroic” photo and tour through a “Heroes” gallery featuring iconic props from the previous series.
The Heroes Reborn Q&A panel, which will include an exclusive look at the extended trailer, will be moderated by returning cast member Greg Grunberg. Panelists include Tim Kring, Jack Coleman, Zachary Levi, Robbie Kay, Ryan Guzman, Gatlin Green, Henry Zebrowski, Judith Shekoni, Danika Yarosh and Rya Kihlstedt.
Heroes Reborn premieres Thursday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. on NBC.
BLINDSPOT (Preview Night Screening, Wednesday, July 8, 6-10 p.m. Ballroom 20; Pilot Screening and Panel, Saturday, July 11, 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Room 6A; sponsored by Warner Bros. Television)
From executive producer Greg Berlanti and writer/executive producer Martin Gero comes Blindspot: A vast international plot explodes when a beautiful Jane Doe is discovered naked in Times Square, completely covered in mysterious intricate tattoos with no memory of who she is or how she got there. There’s one that’s very clear, however: the name of FBI agent Kurt Weller, emblazoned across her back. “Jane,” Agent Weller and rest of the FBI quickly realize that each mark on her body is a crime to solve, leading them closer to the truth about her identity and the mysteries to be revealed.
Fans can discover Blindspot at Tin Fish restaurant in Gaslamp Square. They will be able to receive both temporary tattoo sleeves and partake in a photo op where their head will be placed on a tattooed body, similar to the character of Jane Doe in the new NBC drama.
Also, throughout the Gaslamp District, fans can go on a scavenger hunt to search for and find the Jane Doe look-alikes. Once found fans can text “Blindspot” to a number tattooed on her body and receive the next step to enter for a chance to win $1,000.
Fans at Comic-Con can get their first look at Blindspot during the show’s world premiere as part of Warner Bros. Television’s annual Preview Night screenings on Wednesday, July 8.
Warner Bros. Television’s Blindspot Q&A panel, which will include a pilot screening and be moderated by Yahoo! TV editor-in-chief Kristen Baldwin, will feature star Jaimie Alexander and executive producers Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Martin Gero.
Blindspot premieres Monday, Sept. 21 at 10 p.m. on NBC.
THE PLAYER (Thursday, July 9, 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Room 6A; sponsored by Sony Pictures Television)
From the executive producers of The Blacklist comes the action-packed Las Vegas-set thriller The Player. The series co-stars Wesley Snipes as a pit boss and Charity Wakefield as the dealer for a high-stakes game where an organization of wealthy individuals gamble on the ability of former military operative turned security expert Philip Winchester (Strike Back, Fringe) to stop some of the biggest crimes imaginable from playing out. Can he take them down from the inside and get revenge for the death of his wife, or is it true what they say: The house always wins.
The Player Q&A panel, which will include the premiere pilot screening and be moderated by Rob Moynihan of TV Guide, will feature Wesley Snipes, Philip Winchester and executive producer John Rogers.
The Player premieres Thursday, Sept. 24 at 10 p.m. on NBC.
HANNIBAL (Saturday, July 11, 5-5:45 p.m., Ballroom 20; sponsored by Gaumont Intl. Television)
One of the most critically acclaimed series on broadcast or cable, Hannibal remains a favorite at Comic-Con. A sneak peek of the “Red Dragon” story will be followed by a Q&A with cast members Hugh Dancy, Richard Armitage, and executive producers Bryan Fuller and Martha De Laurentiis.
Hannibal airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on NBC.
GRIMM (Saturday, July 11, 3-3:45 p.m., Ballroom 20; sponsored by Universal Television)
A Friday fan favorite entering its fifth season, Grimm is inspired by the classic Grimm Brothers’ Fairy Tales. The Q&A panel, which will include a sneak peek at the new season and will be moderated by Lynette Rice of Entertainment Weekly, will include cast members David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby, Silas Weir Mitchell, Reggie Lee, Sasha Roiz, Bree Turner and Claire Coffee, as well as executive producers Jim Kouf, David Greenwalt and Norberto Barba.
Are Rick and Morgan headed for a showdown in season six of The Walking Dead? AMC’s released the first poster from the sixth season of the zombie apocalypse series and fans are speculating that based on the positioning of Andrew Lincoln and Lennie James, Morgan might not be friends with the version of Rick who’s currently residing in Alexandria.
AMC’s release of The Walking Dead season six poster is in support of the show’s upcoming panel at the 2015 San Diego Comic Con. The Walking Dead panel will take place on Friday, July 10th at 12pm PT in Hall H and cast members expected to attend include Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Chandler Riggs, Michael Cudlitz, Lennie James and Sonequa Martin-Green. Executive Producer and Showrunner Scott M. Gimple, Executive Producer Gale Anne Hurd, Executive Producer Robert Kirkman, Executive Producer, Director and Special Effects Make-up Supervisor Greg Nicotero and Executive Producer David Alpert will also be on hand to answer questions from fans.
Natalie Dormer in ‘Game of Thrones’ season 5 (Photo: Helen Sloan / HBO)
HBO’s Game of Thrones cast members are once again heading to San Diego for Comic-Con. HBO just revealed this year’s plans for the GoT panel and the list of actors scheduled to appear during the sold-out convention.
Alfie Allen (Theon/Reek), John Bradley (Samwell Tarly), Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth), Liam Cunningham (Ser Davos Seaworth), Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell), Conleth Hill (Varys), Hannah Murray (Gilly), Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark), Carice van Houten (Melissandre), and Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), along with executive producer Carolyn Strauss and director David Nutter, will be making the trek to So. California for the Game of Thrones panel on Friday, July 10th. The GoT panel will be held in Hall H at 2:30pm ET/PT, and Seth Meyers has been tapped to moderate.
Game of Thrones cast members will also participate in autograph signings at 4:15pm ET/PT.
Cast members from Cinemax’s new series Outcast are also going to be part of the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con. Patrick Fugit (Kyle Barnes), Philip Glenister (Reverend Anderson), Wrenn Schmidt (Megan Holter), creator/executive producer Robert Kirkman, and creator/executive producer Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) are confirmed for the Saturday, July 11th panel. The Outcast panel will take place in Room 6A at 3pm ET/PT and will be moderated by Silicon Valley‘s Kumail Nanjiani. The Outcast group will sign autographs at 5:45pm ET/PT.
Details on the Autograph Signings:
“The autograph signings will take place in the Warner Bros. booth #4545. Warner Bros. follows Comic-Con’s ticket drawing/wristband distribution procedure for all signings. All ticket drawings and wristband distributions will take place in the morning of the day of the specific signing at the Sails Pavilion floor, between Ballroom 20 and Rooms 6A, 6BCF and 6DE.”
Tom Holland as Spider-Man in Marvel’s ‘Captain America: Civil War’
Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures announced Tom Holland has landed the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the upcoming Spider-Man films. Cop Car‘s Jon Watts has been tapped to direct and Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal are producing. Holland will first appear in Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War before tackling a new Spider-Man movie.
Holland’s film credits include The Impossible, Wolf Hall, and the upcoming action film In the Heart of the Sea directed by Ron Howard.
“It’s a big day here at Sony. Kevin, Amy and their teams have done an incredible job. The Marvel process is very thorough, and that’s why their results are so outstanding,” said Tom Rothman, Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group Chairman. “I’m confident Spider-Man will be no exception. I’ve worked with a number of up-and-coming directors who have gone on to be superstars and believe that Jon is just such an outstanding talent. For Spidey himself, we saw many terrific young actors, but Tom’s screen tests were special. All in all, we are off to a roaring start.”
“As with James Gunn, Joss Whedon, and the Russo brothers, we love finding new and exciting voices to bring these characters to life,” added Feige. “We spent a lot of time with Jon and find his take and work inspiring.”
And Pascal stated, “Sony, Marvel, Kevin and I all knew that for Peter Parker, we had to find a vibrant, talented young actor capable of embodying one of the most well-known characters in the world. With Tom, we’ve found the perfect actor to bring Spider-Man’s story into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”
The next Spider-Man standalone movie will take the webslinger back to high school. Sony and Marvel are targeting a July 28, 2017 theatrical release.
After decades of seeing women portrayed as one-denominational or secondhand characters, from practically interchangeable “Bond” girls to stereotypical soccer moms blissfully juggling home and work priorities, Orphan Black is a breath of fresh air. The series, airing on Space in Canada and BBC America in the United States, takes on the ethics of cloning while presenting dynamic facets of the female personality through five clones (all played by the talented Canadian actress Tatiana Maslany) with distinct characteristics and very different lives. While the feminism in Orphan Black is worthy of praise, it’s countered by a lack of dimension in the male characters on the show that could be either the one flaw in an otherwise groundbreaking series – or a well-deserved intentional juxtaposition of roles.
Possibly alluding to the once-common stereotype that all female characters have basically the same set of qualities, the five clones in Orphan Black come from the same source and yet they’re all entirely different with compelling stories to tell. In addition to tackling cloning and the complexities of the female mindset, the series also offers a take on the nature vs nurture concept by showing that five individuals identically created can each be influenced in different ways by their surroundings. It’s this very fact that allows Orphan Black to fully explore how those influences affected each woman, which is certainly a departure from how women are often portrayed on television.
While it’s easy to use female characters from TV’s past as prime examples of how women have been typecast in certain roles, there are more recent examples that just as effectively illustrate this point. For instance, The Big Bang Theory’s portrayal of women in science are often seen as stereotypical, wearing frumpy unfashionable clothes and showcasing a cold demeanor. And when the women in this show do break this stereotype, the men still question their credibility. The popular zombie apocalyptic television show The Walking Dead also seems to show many signs of blatant misogyny. Andrea’s decisions were all based around men and Maggie devolved into a meek and one dimensional character. Even an actress as diverse as Melissa McCarthy tends to get cast as the same audacious, over-the-top character in most of her film and TV roles.
The ability of Maslany to play so many different characters while retaining her credibility in doing so has been praised by both critics and fans alike. It’s a diversity that’s seen as positive, especially by members of the LGBTQA community, with two of the clones (Cosima and Felix) being openly gay and one – Tony Sawicki (who was born Antoinette Sawicki) – being transgender. The personalities of each clone are just as diverse, with characters including a now ex-alcoholic soccer mom, a brilliant scientist and graduate student, and a trained assassin with a tortured past.
For all that Orphan Black is doing right, there are interesting inadequacies that seemingly contradict the show’s purpose to present multidimensional characters. Perhaps not-so-coincidentally, it’s the male characters on the show that come off as rather one-note. It can be stated with a fair degree of certainty and accuracy that all the straight men on the show come off as weak, easily manipulated individuals whose motives and intentions are clearly detectable to even the casual viewer. Furthermore, each male character displays one – and only one – unique personality trait. Show creators Graeme Manson and John Fawcett aren’t making any apologies for that particular “criticism,” suggesting that it’s a device employed for the sole purpose of making a long-overdue point about female stereotypes.
It is the preceding qualities of this show that makes Orphan Black so praise-worthy in the feminist community. The third season has come to a close and the fourth is set to air sometime next year. Though it seems like quite a long time to wait, you can still experience the show by streaming it on Amazon Video or on demand with Comcast Xfinity or Direct TV. If this doesn’t seem satisfying for those die-hard Orphan Black fans, similar qualities seen in the show in terms of how women are portrayed can be seen in Netflix original Orange Is the New Black and in a few examples from TV’s recent past, including the mother-daughter team on Gilmore Girls and the kick-butt protagonist in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
As for the obvious role-reversal in Orphan Black, it only emphasizes the diverse appeal of the five very different female characters who add to the realism of the series as the layers of their personalities are slowly revealed. While critics initially wrote off the show since, on the surface, it appeared to be the tale of a bunch of female clones discovering each other and fending off nefarious enemies looking to snuff them out, the show has proven to be more complex, entertaining, compelling and thought-provoking than originally anticipated – and a much-appreciated depiction of the many aspects of the female personality.
20th Century Fox released a new action-packed trailer for Hitman: Agent 47 based on the video game franchise. Directed by first-time feature film helmer Aleksander Bach, the cast is led by Rupert Friend and Hannah Ware. Zachary Quinto, Ciarán Hinds, and Thomas Kretschmann co-star.
Hitman: Agent 47 opens in theaters on August 21, 2015.
The Plot:
Hitman: Agent 47 centers on an elite assassin who was genetically engineered from conception to be the perfect killing machine, and is known only by the last two digits on the barcode tattooed on the back of his neck. He is the culmination of decades of research – and forty-six earlier Agent clones — endowing him with unprecedented strength, speed, stamina and intelligence. His latest target is a mega-corporation that plans to unlock the secret of Agent 47’s past to create an army of killers whose powers surpass even his own. Teaming up with a young woman who may hold the secret to overcoming their powerful and clandestine enemies, 47 confronts stunning revelations about his own origins and squares off in an epic battle with his deadliest foe.
Seth MacFarlane during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon (Photo by: Douglas Gorenstein / NBC)
Ted 2 writer/director – and the voice of the trash-talking bear – Seth MacFarlane visited The Tonight Show and showed off his ability to do celebrity impressions along with The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon. MacFarlane and Fallon had to impersonate whatever celebrity the wheel landed on talking about the randomly selected topic.
MacFarlane wound up with Liam Neeson discussing Time Warner Cable, Bobcat Goldthwait on Starbucks, and Ray Romano at the movies. Fallon had to do Jerry Seinfeld talking about Uber and Pee-wee Herman chatting about mirrors.
The Independence Day sequel will now officially be known as Independence Day Resurgence. 20th Century Fox has revealed the final title as well as the plot, and the studio released a couple of photos from the set. Independence Day director Roland Emmerich returns for the sequel to the 1996 sci-fi action film, however Will Smith isn’t back and instead the cast is led by The Hunger Games‘ Liam Hemsworth. The cast also includes Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Vivica A. Fox, Brent Spiner, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jessie Usher, Maika Monroe, and Sela Ward, with Fox aiming for a June 24, 2016 theatrical release.
The original film opened on July 3, 1996 and grossed $94 million domestically July 3rd through July 7th. Independence Day, made for $75 million-ish, brought in $817 million worldwide before exiting theaters.
The Plot: We always knew they were coming back. After Independence Day redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global spectacle on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.
