The cast and crew of ‘Sleepy Hollow’ at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con (Photo by Richard Chavez/Showbiz Junkies)
Executive producer Roberto Orci promises new monsters and John Noble believes there’s a potential for a redemption story for Jeremy in season two of Fox’s hit series Sleepy Hollow, premiering on September 22, 2014 at 9pm ET/PT. Teaming up to discuss the popular series at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con, Noble, Katia Winter, and Orci described a character-driven second season packed with new temptations, new enemies, and a creepy version of the Pied Piper. Yes, the Pied Piper will put in an appearance this upcoming season.
Viewers can also expect a creature called The Kindred, who is described as the opposite of the Headless Horseman. It’ll be an action-packed, creature-filled season, but Winter’s hopes for her character Katrina are grounded in making an emotional connection with her son. “She’s not going to give him up,” said Winter, which prompted Noble to add, “She has this incredible strength, which is going to be revealed as well.”
Check out the entire interview with John Noble, Katia Winter, and executive producer Roberto Orci at Comic-Con:
OneRepublic performed their original single “Ordinary Human” at the premiere of The Weinstein Company’s The Giver starring Brenton Thwaites and Jeff Bridges, and opening in theaters on August 15, 2014. OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder said the band has a connection to The Giver and were proud to be involved as part of the film’s soundtrack. “The Giver is a favorite book of ours and we’re all incredibly thrilled to see it brought to the big screen. It’s a huge honor to contribute our music to a movie that’s not only an amazing story, but also has a cast of actors that we admire so much, like Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep. We hope our fans are just as excited about it as we are,” said Tedder.
Other artists featured on the soundtrack include Capital Cities, Jake Bugg, Bruno Major, and Rixton.
The Plot:
The haunting story of The Giver centers on Jonas (Brenton Thwaites), a young man who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Yet as he begins to spend time with The Giver (Jeff Bridges), who is the sole keeper of all the community’s memories, Jonas quickly begins to discover the dark and deadly truths of his community’s secret past. With this newfound power of knowledge, he realizes that the stakes are higher than imagined – a matter of life and death for himself and those he loves most. At extreme odds, Jonas knows that he must escape their world to protect them all – a challenge that no one has ever succeeded at before.
The final season poster for ‘Sons of Anarchy’ (Photo Courtesy of FX)
At the 2014 San Diego Comic Con Sons of Anarchy executive producer/director Paris Barclay said that with this final season of the critically acclaimed FX series the chickens will come home to roost. “All the things that we’ve done – most of which have been bad – over seven seasons, eventually people have to pay for them. And that happens on an individual level with many of our characters, and it happens on a sort of meta level for the show. We’ve gotten away with a lot of sh*t…I’m not just talking about shooting 12 Chinese people in a warehouse. I mean, we’ve gotten away with stuff that would probably in the real world I just don’t think could go on nearly as long as this.”
Barclay warned that in the final season people will have to pay, and as any Sons of Anarchy fan knows, they often pay with their lives.
During our interview at Comic Con Barclay also talked about missing actors who, unfortunately, didn’t make it to the seventh and final season of the series. “I miss Maggie Siff,” confessed Barclay. “Maggie Siff is such a strong presence on the show and she was so great with her kids and with us as a crew. Part of my job is I have a crew of 200 people that I have to sort of marshall to do Sons of Anarchy every episode in seven days. And so the actors’ relationship to the crew, which you guys probably don’t talk about too much because you’re all interested in the writing, is really a big dynamic that influences us. When actors are a**holes, it becomes problematic. When actors are great and sensitive and prepared, it makes a huge difference. And there’s not a day that we shot Maggie Siff when she didn’t make the crew happy, where she didn’t the directors happy, where she didn’t make everybody involved want to be on the show.
She came and visited the set with her baby and it stopped the shoot because everybody loves her so much. It’s very much like Jimmy Smits and NYPD Blue when I did that show. When Jimmy Smits left at NYPD Blue there was a hole in our heart and in the show too, I might add. But definitely a hole in our heart because the crew loved him as much as the fans did. Maggie Siff is very similar, and that loss…that scene in which she was killed which took two days to shoot was heartbreaking for all of us, heartbreaking for Katey Sagal. It was very difficult to get her to the level where she could kill Maggie Siff’s character because they became really close friends.”
Barclay also talked about bringing back Walton Goggins to reprise his role as Venus and he discussed more of what SoA fans can expect this final season:
Executive producers David S. Goyer (the Dark Knight trilogy, Batman vs Superman, Justice League screenwriter) and Daniel Cerone promised that you do not have to be into comics or know anything at all about Constantine in order to get into the new NBC series. Constantine, starring Matt Ryan in the title role, will debut on October 24, 2014 and at the San Diego Comic-Con, Cerone and Goyer were paired up to discuss the first season of the show.
Addressing my question regarding the accessibility of the series, Goyer said, “I’ve had a hand in some comic book adaptations before and the trick with all of those – even using a fairly obscure character like Blade – is to sort of stay true to the character’s DNA so that comic book fans appreciate it and don’t turn on you, but at the same time open it up to people like my wife or my mom who don’t give a crap about comic books.”
“Well, I’ll also say before Constantine was introduced in Swamp Thing nobody knew anything about Constantine,” added Cerone. “We’re picking the entry point of our TV show – he’s the same guy, he’s at the same point immediately after Newcastle that comic book fans met him. That’s the Constantine that our viewers are going to meet, and we’re going to roll that story out. There’s a lot of talk when we were pitching the show of, ‘Is he going to have demon’s blood in him? Is he going to trick the devil?’ There’s so many great things we haven’t answered yet, there’s so many great things that happen in his evolution, but we’re starting at ground zero. So we fully intend to introduce a character that everybody can get to know together at the same time and then just take that journey forward.”
“I will also say that there’s a perception certainly of comic books being costumed superheroes and comic books, there a lot of different genres that are covering comic books. Ghost World was a comic book and Road to Perdition was based on a comic book, and American Splendor. And the thing about Constantine is it’s a supernatural horror story so it owes as much to things like The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby and The Omen, things that appeal to a broad audience. It’s not a costumed character show; it’s a supernatural show,” explained Goyer.
Goyer and Cerone also talked about what sets Constantine apart from other supernatural properties, and they addressed the whole ‘will Constantine smoke in the series or won’t he’ controversy:
Batman will not be appearing in the new Fox series Gotham but a young Bruce Wayne will play an integral role in the series, and David Mazouz is charged with tackling the iconic comic book character. Mazouz may only be 13 years old, but he’s wise beyond his years and, as I discovered during our interview at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con, he’s one of the most well-spoken actors of his age and he’s passionate about the character and the series.
Mazouz has a good grasp on the character as well as Bruce Wayne’s importance to fans of the Batman comics, and he’s apparently analyzed pretty much every aspect of the character in order to portray Bruce Wayne in the much-anticipated series which debuts on September 22, 2014 on Fox.
Check out our interview with Mazouz during Comic-Con for more on what audiences can expect from Gotham:
“What if the love you never forgot found you again?”
Relativity Media’s released the official trailer for the romantic drama The Best of Me starring Michelle Monaghan and James Marsden, with Liana Liberato and Luke Bracey co-starring as younger versions of Monaghan and Marsden. There’s no way to watch even 30 seconds of the new trailer without catching on to the fact it’s based on a Nicholas Sparks book, a fact that would be obvious even if it wasn’t stated in the trailer. However, we won’t know until October 17, 2014 if it’s more The Notebook or Safe Haven-ish quality-wise, but Marsden was in The Notebook so let’s hope it’s more in that vein.
The Plot:
The Best of Me tells the story of Dawson and Amanda, two former high school sweethearts who find themselves reunited after 20 years apart, when they return to their small town for the funeral of a beloved friend. Their bittersweet reunion reignites the love they’ve never forgotten, but soon they discover the forces that drove them apart twenty years ago live on, posing even more serious threats today. Spanning decades, this epic love story captures the enduring power of our first true love, and the wrenching choices we face when confronted with elusive second chances.
Robin Williams (Photo by Richard Chavez/Showbiz Junkies)
Oscar-winning actor Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting) has passed away at 63 of an apparent suicide. Williams had been battling severe depression, according to a statement issued by his publicist, and his loss was “tragic and sudden.” Williams had been open over the years about his struggles with addiction and had recently checked himself back into rehab to help him maintain his sobriety.
Williams was most recently seen starring in the half-hour comedy series The Crazy Ones with Sarah Michelle Gellar. He was supposed to star in the sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire and had been filming the third film of the Night at the Museum series, reprising his role as Theodore Roosevelt in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.
Williams burst onto the scene in Mork & Mindy playing an alien from Ork. Other memorable roles included The World According to Garp, Insomnia, Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, The Fisher King, and Jumanji.
On a personal note, I had the privilege of interviewing Robin Williams multiple times over the years, including once at the premiere of Insomnia where he held my hand and went from being extremely serious about his role in the drama to talking about a flying hamster. I also remember once interviewing him on the red carpet for the film Man of the Year when a fan ran onto the red carpet and accosted Williams during our interview. He was obviously taken aback but handled it well and continued with the interview (as I recall, the fan was attempting to give him a script). He was always approachable, and the world has lost a true entertainer with his death today.
Our thoughts are with Williams’ friends and family at this incredibly difficult time.
From the Marin County Sheriff’s Office:
“On August 11, 2014, at approximately 11:55 am, Marin County Communications received a 9-1-1 telephone call reporting a male adult had been located unconscious and not breathing inside his residence in unincorporated Tiburon, CA. The Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Tiburon Fire Department and Southern Marin Fire Protection District were dispatched to the incident with emergency personnel arriving on scene at 12:00 pm. The male subject, pronounced deceased at 12:02 pm has been identified as Robin McLaurin Williams, a 63-year-old resident of unincorporated Tiburon, CA.
An investigation into the cause, manner, and circumstances of the death is currently underway by the Investigations and Coroner Divisions of the Sheriff’s Office. Preliminary information developed during the investigation indicates Mr. Williams was last seen alive at his residence, where he resides with his wife, at approximately 10:00pm on August 10, 2014. Mr. Williams was located this morning shortly before the 9-1-1 call was placed to Marin County Communications. At this time, the Sheriff’s Office Coroner Division suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia, but a comprehensive investigation must be completed before a final determination is made. A forensic examination is currently scheduled for August 12, 2014 with subsequent toxicology testing to be conducted.”
The Flash will be debuting on The CW on October 7, 2014 and Tom Cavanagh was among the stars of the series to make it to the San Diego Comic-Con to promote the show’s first season. Cavanagh’s no stranger to television, having starred in numerous shows including Ed, Eli Stone, and Trust Me, and he’s back on primetime as ‘Harrison Wells’ in the comic book-inspired The Flash.
Sitting down at Comic-Con for a roundtable interview, I asked Cavanagh what the appeal was in taking on the role of Harrison in The Flash.
“Very handsome. It’s nice to be able to play a handsome guy. I couldn’t even do it with a straight face,” replied Cavanagh, laughing. “This is a strange roundtable as we do opening press for this because there’s a lot I can’t say about this guy, and that’s not to be mean or cruel. It’s just like normally, as many of you know, I’m fairly forthcoming.
In this instance, I will say being a part of something that has almost a century of mythology behind it is pretty enjoyable. That’s one aspect. The other aspect is reuniting with guys like Greg Berlanti who I’ve worked with a few times and Andrew Kreisberg, a number of times. Greg just said, ‘I think I’ll have something you’ll enjoy.'”
And while Cavanagh couldn’t give away any secrets, he did talk about what viewers can expect from The Flash when they tune in on October 7th.
Ricky Whittle says not everything is as it seems on The 100 and he promises there will be plenty of shocks and twists in store for fans of the series when it returns for its second season on The CW on October 22, 2014. Whittle (‘Lincoln’) also told us during our 2014 San Diego Comic Con interview that the scripts for season two are keeping him busy as he’s doing a lot of extra research and getting comfortable on a horse.
Ricky Whittle The 100 Interview
What’s coming up for season two?
Ricky Whittle: “Season two, I have said on Twitter, just got darker. This is going to take it beyond. Season one really was like Disneyland. After reading the first three episodes and the storyline that Jason Rothenberg has pitched to me, on a personal level, I’m going to go home to study, research, read up, look up stuff on the internet because the material I’ve been given I feel very honored to be trusted with. It’s going to be very dark and I’m going to have to go there. I’m going to have to go to a really dark place but I feel blessed. Like I say, as an actor, you want to be challenged and this show is very challenging. Then learning about other cast members’ storylines today, because this is still the beginning of the season so we’re still not really all met up…as we’ve been separated at the season finale, we’re not all filming together so I’ve only worked with Marie [Avgeropoulos] so far – Octavia and Lincoln are off on their own in the forest…so we’ve all been getting together and learning about the stories, everyone’s been taken to a dark place.
It’s a credit to our writers, our producers for trusting us with this material. I was actually shocked by some of the storylines that are going to come out. It’s a real blessing. Season one was fantastic. We shocked a lot of people. They weren’t ready for that on The CW. They think love triangles, they think fluffy romances, and we were killing kids. We were hanging people, we were slashing people up, we were torturing innocent people. And it’s a credit to The CW and Warner Bros. for allowing us to push the envelope. And season two is just going to go even further, so it’s really exciting now.
It’s going to go really dark but we’re going to keep it real. We’re going to keep it real. It’s not going to be all crazy. I think the thing is, our writers develop people’s character. Good people weren’t necessarily just good, bad people weren’t necessarily just bad. When you love the character, you found out various things. It was all about perspective. We thought the grounders were evil and then we learned a little bit more about them. We learned that Lincoln’s a good person, but then we also learned that he might not necessarily be the only one. So season two, we’re going to delve into these different factions, the reapers, the mountain men. We’re going to learn more about these different groups of people and we’re going to see things from different perspectives. Not everything is as it seems on Earth.”
What sort of research did you do?
Ricky Whittle: “I’ve not done it yet because I’ve literally just been told the stuff, so I’ve been given certain things to watch, certain things to study. I’m trying to remember some of the terminology they told me. I can see your faces all like, ‘What is he talking about?’ [Laughing] I’m doing my best to tease you. I think it’s working. I think I have the table here. I think I’ve won you over here. But it really is going to be a challenge. It’s something that I’ve not done before and it’s something I’m really looking forward to taking as far as I can. I want to do the storyline justice because if they’re going to trust me to follow through this storyline, then I want to give it 110%. I’m not just going to turn up after a couple days of reading my lines and go, ‘Okay, I’ve got this.’ I’m going to go home and I’m going to do it properly, like the rest of the cast. They’re going to study. They’ve all been given various things to look out for.
Lincoln’s a physical character so I’m in the gym. I had to bulk up. I had to be a certain physique because he’s a warrior. I needed to be agile. I needed to be strong, so I had to do that. He had to be American so I went to my vocal coach. I learned my language. I went to my acting coach. We talked about keep a mystique by keeping it silent, by keeping everything in his eyes. I spoke with the producers and the writers about cutting down his dialogue. As an actor you want to speak more but I was like, ‘No, I don’t want dialogue. Keep that mystique. Keep him silent. He doesn’t need to answer you. Lincoln’s going to go this way, they’re going to argue. I’m not going to explain to you why I’m going this way. I’m going to go this way. If you follow, you follow. If you don’t, you’re probably going to die but I don’t care. I’m going this way.’ It was that sort of mystique I wanted to keep and it’s no different when it comes to when you’re given a challenging storyline, you need to go and do your research.
One thing they told me, they said, ‘How’s your horse riding?’ So what have I been doing all week? Went to the stables, jumped on a horse, and just been messing around with horses just trying to get comfortable.”
How’s that going?
Ricky Whittle: “It’s great. I love horses. I’ve ridden before but you get the better shots, you get the better visuals if it’s you, not a stuntman on a horse. If they can see me riding a horse, doing all these different things, then that’s more visually effective than a wide shot of someone doing something with the back of a head. This is what we do as a cast, we’re trying to give 110%, we’re trying to give it as much as we can. By putting in our homework and doing all our research and all our work before we get to set, hopefully when we do get to set, we bring it. I think it translates on screen when we are getting the acclaim that I think it deserves. We’ve been nominated for an Emmy.”
How much more horse training do you still have to do?
Ricky Whittle: “I’m going to be doing that for a lot longer. That’s something I wanted to anyway. I’ve ridden horses before but we’re going to take it to a different level so on my time off, our stunt coordinator, Marshall Virtue, his father owns a ranch up there and he actually trains Joe Gatt who played Tristan in season one and Anya, Dichen Lachman, trained them, took them up to the ranch and got them on the horses so they can do all that stuff. So I go up there any time I’ve got off weekends and really push it, see what I can do. I’ll definitely be doing my homework on that.”
How do you bridge the gap between grounders and The 100?
Ricky Whittle: “Yeah, the epic love story, it’s Tristan/Isolde, Romeo and Juliet. It’s their love that’s going to try and bring everyone together, but we’re going to see the grounders through Lincoln’s eyes and through Octavia’s eyes. That’s going to help us get into the world and help the audience learn more about this culture, that we aren’t necessarily evil, we aren’t necessarily bad as grounders. As in any society, you have good people and you have bad. You have people who want peace, you have people who won’t want peace. So we’re going to learn all about these different people, not just the grounders but the other groups.
We’re going to keep flipping it on its head so just as you think you know what’s going on, maybe something else is going to happen and then just when you think it’s going their way, maybe we’ll flip it back, maybe we won’t. Maybe we’ll do something completely different but when it comes to Lincoln and Octavia, you’re going to use us to get into the world that The 100 don’t know about.
In the first season, we taught you about all these different factions. Lincoln was kind of like the information man. Lincoln was the first to comment on the mountain men which you saw in the finale. So through Lincoln and Octavia, you’re going to learn more about the world that The 100 have landed in and the war that is currently going on.”
Star Wars: Force for Change has raised $4,261,410 for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) which is enough money to fund seven or eight new UNICEF Innovation Labs. Additionally, Disney will also donate $1 million to help out children and their families. Star Wars fans from 125 different countries contributed to the fundraiser which offered one lucky fan the opportunity for a walk-on role in Star Wars: Episode VII.
Denver, Colorado resident D.C. Barns was the winner of the grand prize and will be flown to London along with one guest for a special once-in-a-lifetime visit to the Star Wars set. He’ll get fitted for a costume and be seen in a scene from the new Star Wars movie.
More on UNICEF:
UNICEF’s current network of 14 Innovation Labs help create sustainable solutions to critical issues facing children around the world in the areas of nutrition, water, health, and education. The funds raised through Star Wars: Force for Change will impact the lives of children around the world, through projects like MobiStation, a portable, solar-powered educational kit to ensure children have access to quality learning anywhere, and Rapid FTR (Family Tracing and Reunification), a mobile phone application that helps reunite separated and unaccompanied children with their families in natural disasters.
