Sylvester Stallone stars as a retired superhero living a simple, uncomplicated life hauling garbage when a neighborhood kid figures out his secret identity in MGM and Prime Video’s Samaritan. The just-released trailer shows Stallone being pulled back into action to save his new friend – and the neighborhood – even though he’s been out of the game for 25 years.
In addition to three-time Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone, the PG-13 action thriller stars Javon “Wanna” Walton (Euphoria), Pilou Asbæk (Game of Thrones), Dascha Polanco (Orange is the New Black), and Moises Arias (The King of Staten Island).
Son of a Gun‘s Julius Avery directs from a screenplay by Bragi F. Schut. Stallone and Braden Aftergood produce, with Schut, David Kern, Adam Rosenberg, and Guy Riedel executive producing.
Samaritan premieres on Prime Video on August 26, 2022.
The Plot: Thirteen-year-old Sam Cleary (Walton) suspects that his mysterious and reclusive neighbor Mr. Smith (Stallone) is actually a legend hiding in plain sight. Twenty-five years ago, Granite City’s super-powered vigilante, Samaritan, was reported dead after a fiery warehouse battle with his rival, Nemesis. Most believe Samaritan perished in the fire, but some in the city, like Sam, have hope that he is still alive.
With crime on the rise and the city on the brink of chaos, Sam makes it his mission to coax his neighbor out of hiding to save the city from ruin.
Norman Reedus, Ross Marquand, Lauren Cohan, and Seth Gilliam in ‘The Walking Dead’ (Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC)
San Diego Comic-Con roared back to life after two years off due to the COVID-19 pandemic just in time to host the final panel for AMC’s The Walking Dead. The post-apocalyptic zombie series has spent 11 seasons entertaining fans, and the upcoming final episodes promise to send off the series with a bang.
Although The Walking Dead is ending, zombie lovers have multiple spinoffs to look forward to. Andrew Lincoln (“Rick Grimes”) and Danai Gurira (“Michonne”) surprised fans by hitting the stage in the San Diego Convention Center and announcing a new spinoff series coming to AMC in 2023.
Following the panel in Hall H, cast members Norman Reedus, Seth Gilliam, Josh McDermitt, Cailey Fleming, Lauren Ridloff, and Michael James Shaw joined showrunner Angela Kang, executive producer/director Greg Nicotero, and The Walking Dead Universe’s Chief Content Officer Scott Gimple for the show’s final Comic-Con press conference.
It looks like we are seeing the smart walkers coming into the main show. How are we going to see the cast deal with that threat?
Angela Kang: “I think with the walkers in some ways it’s a throwback to some walkers we saw back in the very, very first season of The Walking Dead. But not everybody ever encountered those walkers; it’s almost like it was a variant that just was regional.
Any time there’s been a change to the rules, that means that our people just need to be that much more on their game because they’re realizing that the methods that they used to survive don’t quite work the same way. And so, our survivors being very, very smart, they are going to try to adjust to that. And it will just be one of many conflicts they are dealing with in the final block of the season.”
What is your biggest takeaway from working on this series?
Lauren Ridloff: “I think the biggest takeaway from this production would be at the end of the day the most important thing that we have really is our community. I think the things that we do is for our community. And what keeps us human is also our community and the things that we do for each other. And that is The Walking Dead – the things that you can see throughout the seasons. Whatever the storyline is, it’s always about the community.”
With the show ending, how important was it to stick the landing?
Angela Kang: “I think anytime you are tasked with ending a story – and this is true for any show – everybody wants to stick the landing. But particularly for us, this is something that’s been so important to our fans, the community that stuck with us, and for us, too. We are all passionate about this show. We love this show. We love working with each other, and so we want to do it well and do it right. I hope we’ve done that.
We have just been working on some of the post-production processes for the finale which Greg directed and I co-wrote, and many of this wonderful cast have important parts to play. I hope that the audience will go along on the ride with us.”
Greg Nicotero: “It’s definitely a challenge. Other shows if you’re talking about…you know, Game of Thrones had five seasons. Breaking Bad had six seasons. 11 seasons! Our story continued to evolve. The story really did change.
The exciting thing for me after season one is, okay, finally everybody else catches up to me and realizes how cool zombies are. I grew up in the George Romero world where Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, that was sort of like my gossip. Frank Darabont used to say to me that the show was always about survival. He had always wanted to do a zombie apocalypse story. We talked about something years before The Walking Dead comic book even came out, so it was sort of like a match made in heaven when Frank put the ensemble cast together with Sarah, Jon, Steven, Melissa, and Norman. You know, the show certainly has evolved since then.
We differently felt like we had an obligation to make sure that we stuck the landing. That was very prevalent in our thinking. Everybody…all the actors and crew when we were on set, we’re like we can’t screw this up because all eyes genuinely end up on the last episode. You can talk about Seinfeld…you can talk about MASH…you can talk about all these great shows that we’ve loved, and most of the time the historical relevance of the show is judged on the last episode. So, we really struggled and agonized and buckled in to make sure that it served the fans of the show.
There were moments that I shot with each of these people to serve their characters that really went to the heart of the show.”
Seth Gilliam as Father Gabriel Stokes and Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon in ‘The Walking Dead’ season 11 (Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC)
If you could choose to have one character who’s deceased come back, who would you pick?
Norman Reedus: “Hershel.”
Josh McDermitt: “I’m going to say Shane. I loved and hated him more than anybody. I just loved that he could be so right in his way of thinking, and you agree with him but you still hated the way he went about it. And I just loved how it didn’t matter what scene he was in, it was just so charged.
I would have loved to work with Jon Bernthal. I mean, he didn’t go that many episodes before I showed up so that would have been cool. I think the Governor and Hershel, too. They went the episode or two before I came on the show and I was like, ‘Oh, I can’t wait to meet David Morrissey and Scott Wilson!’ and they were gone. But definitely Bernthal, Shane.”
Greg Nicotero: “Glenn.”
Cailey Fleming: “I’ll say Carl.” (awws from the audience)
Michael James Shaw: “I hate being on the spot. The character that probably didn’t surface but Mercer and Max’s father.”
Seth Gilliam: “I would say Tyreese. Tyreese and his mighty hammer and his huge muscles and even bigger heart.”
Greg Nicotero: “Which I think was one of the best episodes we ever [shot]. We get text messages from Chad [L. Coleman] at like 2:00 in the morning. ‘Hey guys! How’s it going?’”
Seth Gilliam: “His going off episode was fantastic.”
I’d love to know everyone’s reaction to the news of the Rick and Michonne series.
Norman Reedus: [Laughing] “We knew already.”
Greg Nicotero: “It feels like a long time ago that they left the show, I guess, story-wise. But having been together for so long and then the story continues, so you know we all keep in touch and we all talk all the time. So, it was conversations about the movie and conversations about this, and I remember Norman said one of the most interesting quotes to me one day. He said, ‘Man, if Rick and Daryl ever got together…I like being Robin to his Batman.’ And I loved that quote.”
Norman Reedus: “It lets you be more of an a**hole if you’re Robin, I found out. Didn’t Bernthal get offered Rick at one point and he chose Shane instead, I think for the same reason maybe?”
Scott Gimple: “I don’t know if it was a choice, but he was in the running.”
When it comes to the evolution of your characters, what is the one characteristic that impresses you the most?
Norman Reedus: “I think his honesty. He’s very honest. He doesn’t really lie to anybody. He says what he means, means what he says. I like that.”
Josh McDermitt: “For Eugene, I would say his heart and selflessness. I think that obviously when we meet him, he’s a very selfish man. And I think where he is now, he would lay down his life for his friends if it meant that his friends could continue fighting the good fight. That, to me, is a great evolution for the guy.”
Seth Gilliam: “Is honesty taken? [Pointing at Norman] You already said that. I would go with Father Gabriel’s furor and resiliency. I think the kind of a combination…I think he’s got a burning desire to do the right thing by those that he cares about and those that he loves. He’s got a burning cauldron in him that will set ablaze anything around him that threatens that. I think his furor…his desire to be closer to God and then reject God and accept himself – I think all those kinds of things.”
Lauren Ridloff: “I would probably say Connie’s stalwartness. I think she’s just brave. She’s not the kind of woman that would just tuck her tail back and run. She would go back. She does what she believes in; she believes what is right. She supports Daryl in regard to Lydia, and she goes back into the cave to help Magna.
I think she believes in what she does in her actions that she takes. She’s willing to sacrifice for the sake of her community.”
Cailey Fleming: “I love how Judith always wants to make sure her family’s protected, and she always wants to do what’s right – even if that means she has to fight for it.”
Michael James Shaw: “I guess for me it was his unyielding loyalty, to the point where it almost gets him in trouble. He wants to keep people safe and sometimes that task is a little bigger than what he’s expecting, or it may take a different choice to create that safety for his loved ones. He’s got to be willing to look outside the box for that.”
Michael James Shaw in ‘The Walking Dead’ season 11 (Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC)
Which character alive, deceased, or even your own character, do you feel you connected with the most?
Norman Reedus: “I’d say Carol and Rick, probably the most for Daryl. For obvious reasons, if you watch the show. [Joking] I don’t even like the rest of them. I know Connie and Daryl connected quite a bit. Judith. I connected with all these guys, actually.”
Josh McDermitt: “Dale. I mean the older I get, the more balanced in my views I become of just like, ‘Hey, what’s the right thing? How do we make sure I’m doing the right thing?’”
Norman Reedus: “Oh wait, did I answer that wrong? Is this who Norman connects with or who Daryl connected with?”
Norman.
Norman Reedus: “Oh, sh*t, sorry! Let me think…Dog, maybe.”
Seth Gilliam: “I’m drawn to Judith. I’m drawn to what’s it like to grow up as a child in a zombie apocalypse and have all this history of heroism that rains down on your head. People coming to depend on you for some kind of leadership position, and you are still dealing with maturing and growing. Your brain is still developing, you know?
I think is a fascinating character that Cailey just did an amazing job with. I think that I could rock that character, too.”
Lauren Ridloff: “Please don’t get me wrong but I have to say Connie because I feel like it is my job as an actor to really connect with the character I’m portraying. So, of course, I love the characters on the show, but which character do I actually connect with mostly? The one I actually have to play. What she does becomes mine, and that becomes Connie.”
Michael James Shaw: “From my experience this past season I think Mercer and Mike connect well with Angel (Kelly). It’s a good vibe. It’s like you share that look on set and it’s like, ‘Oh, we cool.’ That energy, I love it.”
It seems the Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves trailer has struck the right tone with D&D fans – at least among those who post comments on YouTube. The two-minute trailer, which debuted at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, is loaded with action, weird creatures, and witty wisecracks.
“What is it exactly that you bring to this?” asks The Druid (Sophia Lillis, IT).
“I’m a planner. I make plans,” replies The Bard (Chris Pine, the Star Trek film franchise).
“You’ve already made the plan, so…” says The Druid.
“If the existing plan fails, I make a new plan,” explained The Bard.
“So you make plans that fail?” asks The Druid.
“He also plays the lute,” quips The Barbarian (Michelle Rodriguez, the Fast & Furious franchise).
“Not relevant,” replies The Bard.
The cast also includes Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Chloe Coleman, Daisy Head, and Hugh Grant. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Gilio and direct. Jeremy Latcham, Brian Goldner, and Nick Meyer produce, with Goldstein, Daley, Denis L. Stewart, Chris Pine, Zev Foreman, and Greg Mooradian executive producing.
Paramount Pictures is targeting a March 3, 2023 theatrical release.
The Plot: A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves brings the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary roleplaying game to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure.
Poster for Paramount Pictures’ ‘Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Thieves’
Ryan Gosling returns for ‘The Gray Man’ sequel (Photo Credit: Netflix)
Netflix’s hefty investment in the star-studded action thriller The Gray Man appears to have paid off, and now the streaming service is ready to bring further stories based on Mark Greaney’s bestselling book series to life. Netflix has confirmed they’re moving forward on a The Gray Man sequel as well as a spin-off film.
Ryan Gosling will return to star in the sequel, and directors Joe Russo and Anthony Russo are also on board to helm the sequel. Stephen McFeely, co-writer of the first film, is adapting Greaney’s book. The Russos, AGBO’s Mike Larocca, and Roth Kirschenbaum Films’ Joe Roth and Jeffrey Kirschenbaum are producing.
Viewers made The Gray Man the most-watched movie on Netflix in 92 countries over its first weekend. Audiences rated it 91% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics weren’t quite so generous, with the film earning a rotten rating. Only 48% of the submitted reviews rated it fresh.
Netflix’s announcement didn’t reveal who will star in the spinoff film or provide a plot description. The streaming service did say Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese (Deadpool, Zombieland) are writing it and that it will “explore a different element of The Gray Man universe.”
“The audience reaction to The Gray Man has been nothing short of phenomenal. We are so appreciative of the enthusiasm that fans across the world have had for this film. With so many amazing characters in the movie, we had always intended for the Gray Man to be part of an expanded universe, and we are thrilled that Netflix is announcing a sequel with Ryan, as well as a second script that we’re excited to talk about soon,” stated Joe and Anthony Russo.
The Plot: The Gray Man is CIA operative Court Gentry (Gosling), aka, Sierra Six. Plucked from a federal penitentiary and recruited by his handler, Donald Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton), Gentry was once a highly-skilled, Agency-sanctioned merchant of death. But now the tables have turned and Six is the target, hunted across the globe by Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans), a former cohort at the CIA, who will stop at nothing to take him out. Agent Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas) has his back. He’ll need it.
Kevin Hart (The Man from Toronto) stars as a stay-at-home dad who winds up with a full week of alone time he can spend however he wants in Me Time, an R-rated comedy from writer/director John Hamburg (I Love You, Man, The Unicorn). Mark Walhberg (Uncharted) stars as his out-of-control, hard-partying BFF who fills his buddy’s downtime with a series of wild adventures.
The cast of the Netflix comedy includes Regina Hall, Luis Gerardo Mendez, Jimmy O. Yang, John Amos, Anna Maria Horsford, and Andrew Santino. Deborah S. Craig, Naomi Ekperigin, Drew Droege, Ilia Isorels Paulino, Tahj Mowry, Carlo Rota, Che Tafari, and Amentii Sledge also star.
Writer/director John Hamburg, Kevin Hart, and Bryan Smiley produced. Lauren Hennessey, Mark Moran, Patricia Braga, and Joe Gatta served as executive producers.
Me Too premieres on Netflix on August 26, 2022.
The Plot: “When a stay-at-home dad finds himself with some me time for the first time in years while his wife and kids are away, he reconnects with his former best friend for a wild weekend that nearly upends his life.”
Happy marriages don’t make for great noir tales, and writer/director Neil LaBute’s Out of the Blue focuses on a wife who’s definitely not happy. The trailer introduces Diane Kruger (Swimming with Sharks) as Marilyn Chambers, a seductive woman who lures in an ex-con to knock off her husband.
Ray Nicholson (son of Jack) stars as Connor Bates, the ex-con who falls under Marilyn’s spell. Hank Azaria (Brockmire) plays Connor’s parole officer and Chase Sui Wonders (Bodies Bodies Bodies) is Marilyn’s teenage daughter.
Quiver Distribution’s Out of the Blue opens in theaters and On Demand on August 26, 2022. The MPAA has given the thriller an R rating for sexual content, language, and some violence.
The Plot: After spending time in prison following an assault charge, Connor Bates now works in a library and spends his free time running, swimming, and trying to piece his world back together. When he meets Marilyn Chambers, the wife of a wealthy businessman, they collide into an intense physical and emotional relationship that quickly escalates into idle talk about her husband’s murder.
Peacock describes their new series The Resort as a “multi-generational, coming-of-age love story disguised as a fast-paced mystery.” Series creator Andy Siara’s description is more succinct. “It’s a very weird show,” joked Siara during roundtables interviews at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con.
The Resort follows Emma (Cristin Milioti) and Noah (William Jackson Harper), a married couple celebrating their 10th anniversary with a vacation in the Mayan Riviera. However, rather than relaxing at the pool, sipping exotic drinks, and enjoying the sites, they get caught up in trying to solve a 15-year-old missing persons case.
Seeds of the storyline were planted in a film script nearly a decade ago.
“About eight years ago or so I wrote a movie about a kid who goes on a vacation to a resort and over the course of a week he strikes up this unlikely friendship with this older couple that’s there on their 20th anniversary. It’s kind of this like really light, indie comedy-drama thing that’s not very good. It didn’t work and I put it away, didn’t show anybody. But there was something about the core idea of it that I was attracted to, this couple that’s trying to almost like recapture a feeling of their youth through another person,” explained writer, showrunner, and executive producer Siara.
“I kept on going back to it every year, taking it apart and rebuilding it. It kept not working and I couldn’t figure out why until I was older. Seven or eight years passed, and I then realized I was not only looking at the script through this nostalgic lens but also myself at the time through this nostalgic lens and seeing things so much differently in my 30s than I could have even seen them in my 20s.
So, I decided maybe that’s obviously the core of the show. I took those factions and split them off over time. You have that couple as Emma and Noah and they’re in the present day trying to figure out what happened to these missing kids in the past, but also in that there’s a mystery baked into that – trying to figure out what happened to themselves to get to this point in their marriage and in their lives.
And then from that point on it was just like my life changed drastically over that time, too. I got married, had two kids…the world changed drastically over that time, too. All of that was filtered into the show in a way,” said Siara.
The series reunites Andy Siara with his Palm Springs star Cristin Milioti.
“I first told Cristin about this when we were filming Palm Springs and I was hopeful that someday someone would let me make this ridiculous show and I would call her up. And, so, I did. And I think it’s because she has – and what Will has as well – they’re both able to so successfully ride this line between silly and sincere. Like, that tonal line. In the same scene you can go from laughing about the goofiest thing to wanting to cry. And both of them have that incredible talent to do that,” explained Siara.
“The entire show lives and dies from being able to go from silly to sincere and if they don’t have that then the show falls apart. Luckily, they have it,” he added.
High school teacher Emma seems to need something to re-ignite the fire in her marriage, and the possibility of delving into an unsolved mystery is just the spark she’s searching for to light the flame. “I think she’s at a real crossroads in her life and is trying to – whether she’d admit it or not or be conscious of it or not – trying to figure what went wrong,” explains Milioti.
William Jackson Harper’s Noah has a different view of their marriage. “I think that Noah is relatively content and probably just not interrogating certain things because I think he’s probably hit a place where he feels he’s reached his allotted amount of happiness. Anything beyond that is just probably asking a bit too much,” offered Harper.
Keeping this as spoiler-free as possible, Skyler Gisondo (The Righteous Gemstones) and Nina Bloomgarden (Hot Pink) are key players in the storyline that takes place 15 years ago.
Bloomgarden made the trek to San Diego for Comic-Con and explained why she felt drawn to The Resort.
“Right off the bat just like the brains behind it – Andy Siara with Palm Springs, Ben Sinclair with High Maintenance, and then even like Sam Esmail producing it with Mr. Robot. Like, those separately would excite me but altogether it was [mind-blowing]. So, definitely that and then the scripts were unlike anything I’ve ever read. The pilot…you’re expecting another resort TV show and then it suddenly twists and takes you into a completely different direction that I think people will be very surprised about,” said Bloomgarden.
Bloomgarden describes her character, Violet, as very spontaneous, full of life, but also grieving the loss of her mother.
“She’s very complex and I think that was really exciting to step into. I also recently lost my own father, so Violet coming into my life now was perfect. Andy wrote her really fully. We had long discussions on set about my grieving process and Violet’s grieving process, and where we kind of differ and where we come together,” said Bloomgarden. “I just gained a lot of empathy for her.”
Siara calls the show weird (in a good way) and Bloomgarden shared her own one-word description. “It’s so bizarre! I think there’s so many little quirks within it that are so funny and that our incredible cast has taken and improvised with. They just ran with [it]. I think people are going to laugh so much. They’re going to cry. It’s just so full and it feels like life. It feels like real life.”
The Resort’s talented ensemble also includes Luis Gerardo Méndez as Baltasar Frias.
“Baltasar is the head of security of this resort, and he has all the secrets and all the information of what happened in this resort in the golden days when everything was perfect. And then this horrible thing happens, and a hurricane destroys everything, and he is the bridge between those moments and the present where the characters played by Cristin and Will are trying to solve these mysteries. So, he becomes like an ally for them.”
Méndez jumped at the opportunity to work with Andy Siara, saying yes before he ever read a script.
“I saw Palm Springs on my couch in the middle of the pandemic with four friends after a really strong party. I never laughed so hard in my life. I was like, ‘That’s a really interesting, smart comedy.’ I haven’t seen something like that in years. And a year after that Andy sent me a letter offering me the role for this TV show and I was like, ‘Of course. I mean, yes!’ And I didn’t even read the scripts at that moment. I was like, ‘Yes, I’m in,” revealed Méndez.
He added: “And then I got the scripts and I was screaming to the pages all the time because I think the unique thing about The Resort is that it’s always changing. The show is always turning into something new and different.”
Gabriela Cartol plays Luna, an employee at the resort where Emma and Noah are vacationing.
“Luna is one of a kind. She’s reckless. She is the most fun person I’ve met. She holds information. I always think about her like she holds the key to every door, so she knows more than you think she does. And she does more than you think she does. I love that about her. But also, I think I had the opportunity to play her twice, both 15 years ago and in the time present after 15 years have passed. My thought was, ‘Who was I, Gabriela, as a person, as an actress 15 years back?’ And I was like, ‘Whoa, I think I’m a different person completely. I don’t recognize that person.’
I thought about that with Luna. I was thinking about emotionally where she was standing, what reflection she had in life. Did she change? That’s really interesting to play as well,” explained Cartol.
* * * * * * * * *
The Resort premieres on Peacock on July 28, 2022, with the release of the first three episodes.
Tales of the Walking Dead is just one of many The Walking Dead spinoffs coming to AMC. The first episode of the post-apocalyptic anthology series is set to drop on August 14, 2022, with each standalone episode following a new character…with the exception of one familiar character we know well from The Walking Dead.
Showrunner and executive producer Channing Powell and The Walking Dead Universe’s Chief Content Officer Scott Gimple, along with cast members Terry Crews (“Joe”), Danny Ramirez (“Eric”), and Samantha Morton (“Alpha”), came to this year’s San Diego Comic-Con and participated in a press conference, providing the scoop on what audiences can expect from the six-episode season.
How will the series be structured and what kind of stories will we see?
Channing Powell: “Everyone else is new and will be a new introduction to the world and to the audience, so you can not have ever watched The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead and start this series knowing everything you need to know, really. And it was really fun. We got to create these characters in the writer’s room and Scott had already had some ideas going into it, so everybody except for Alpha is brand new.”
Scott Gimple: “Structure-wise, it’s an anthology so every episode is its own little story from beginning to end.”
Was the aim to do a Tales from the Crypt-style anthology in the sense that you could explore different genres and tones with the episodes? Will we get an animated episode or a musical episode down the line?
Scott Gimple: “Oh man, the reason Channing is looking at me is that we both had aspirations for those musical and animation [episodes]. Channing had more musical and I had more animation, but we both lost.
The big thing with this show is the variety. You know, Tales from the Crypt is fairly consistent in tone. This all around has different tones and it really offers the audience an incredible amount of variety.”
Channing Powell: “I agree. I was dying to do a musical and might have written a script; there may be something out there. But I think some of them were so different that we kind of wanted to see how much we could push the boundaries within the world and the tone and how much it would still feel like The Walking Dead and please the fans of the original show and also new fans.
We’ve got plans for some crazy things, but I think at the heart of it they are still – even though they are tonally very different and that was the goal…we wanted it to feel like six different pilots or six different movies…the heart of it is still The Walking Dead and the desire to survive and the need to survive.”
Terry Crews as Joe and Olivia Munn as Evie in ‘Tales of the Walking Dead’ (Photo Credit: Curtis Bonds Baker/AMC)
Terry and Danny, these characters are brand new, and because the format is an anthology and you only have one hour to have a full character arc, do you guys feel like you accomplished that? Do you really feel like your character has changed from frame one to the end of the episode?
Terry Crews: “I think you can do a lot in an hour; I had a character arc in an Old Spice commercial. You got to hit it, you know what I mean? This is what is so brilliant about what this world is, and the big thing is that we know what this world is. We’ve spent at least 10 years with this world. But what I also like to compare this to is a song. It’s like ‘I Will Always Love You’ by Dolly Parton is way different than ‘I Will Always Love You’ by Whitney Houston.
When you bring the elements that are here into this world, it becomes a brand-new thing. We already did it with the original cast and even with Fear (the Walking Dead) but with this, it’s like what are the possibilities? And this is a brilliant thing that Scott and Channing put together along with all this wonderful crew was like, ‘Wow, what if these worlds and these places [exist]?’ because it is a world.
I could not be more honored to be able to sing this song like this. I’ll tell you, it’s something that I needed for my career, for my lifeblood as an actor, as an artist, because I talk about a lot of very serious subjects a lot. I can break into being funny to writing books about abuse and life, and this is the part I always wanted to show people. Always. And I’m thankful for this opportunity.”
Danny Ramirez: “I don’t have a metaphorical song, but I agree that it’s the ‘what if?’ We know what this world was and has been for so long, and the idea of having an hour to portray someone that’s surviving was just always a fascinating challenge to take on just because in the first place surviving is the biggest challenge of your life. And so I think this idea of an arc in an hour really is enough time.
There’s something about Eric that I love playing, which was sometimes when you meet people, they’re not in a place to change. They don’t have to drastically change too much and it being such a human story – without spoiling too much of the episode – I think there are the places where we were just able to dial a little bit and not necessarily have this massive arc or a change specifically, but rather just hold a mirror to how a couple could be experiencing this moment of survival. To me, it was just like a fascinating challenge to take on.”
Danny Ramirez as Eric and Daniella Pineda as Idalia in ‘Tales of the Walking Dead’ (Photo Credit: Curtis Bonds Baker/AMC)
How did you prepare yourself both emotionally and mentally for this role?
Terry Crews: “First of all, I went into my past. I grew up in Flint, Michigan. I grew up in the ‘80s and I watched the city go from a vibrant, beautiful, wonderful, and amazing town when General Motors was the number one corporation in the world, and I watched it die – and I mean overnight. And it was the walking dead. Not only did the auto industry die, the rise of crime rate and the gangs took over. It became a hollowed-out shell of a city right before my eyes. I mean, within a six-year period. From 1980 to 1986 everything changed, and I was like, ‘What am I in?’
It took me this quick [snapping his fingers] to get right into this world because one day it was wonderful for all and the next day it was all over. That was where I tapped into.
This is another thing, too, is that people started to attack each other. It’s a lot of what I’ve seen in America right now. A lot of people are going through hard times when the pandemic hit. Instead of battling and joining together and battling this problem, it became about attacking each other. When I look at the common themes of this show, it’s really about who we trust, who may betray you. […] I felt when I got on the set, I was ready.”
Samantha Morton: “Lovely question from an actor’s perspective – that’s a great question. I’ve never played Dee before, so I play who Alpha is before she’s Alpha and I’ve never done that character before. It was really hard trying to get the tone right in regards to there’s something underneath her anyway and how is that going to manifest and when will that manifest. It’s dialing in the right sounds at the right time.
I think also it’s about the writing and we got so lucky with this anthology. We have the best writers ever. […] I think that with Channing it was about making sure that I fully, fully understood the intentions. And when I was on The Walking Dead, I may have had to do [method acting]. I had to. I really had to play her. I didn’t know whether those things were right or wrong, but I had to do it because I had to talk to a voice coach and I had to find the voice and the walk and the breath and the music she liked. That’s your job as an actor to do that anyway, but I was fortunate enough to work with Channing and the other writers. You get a lot of support.”
Channing Powell: “I’ve been saying the five other episodes are new characters that you’ve never met before, but that’s a disservice to your performance [to Samantha] because Dee is somebody they’ve never met before. And I keep saying you’ll recognize Alpha but really it is a new character, actually.”
Danny Ramirez: “For me, preparation for it…I was reading this book called Endure which [wants you to take] the limitations of what your body could go through and really crank up the heat of what you have to have to tap into yourself in order to survive. That’s really what I was fascinated about.
And also, I had to push myself physically and eat super clean. It allowed me to live off just clean chicken and lettuce and doing that leading up to it and through it. And waking up even earlier and shooting long hours and just doing that for 11 days, by the end of it and through it, I was exhausted. And I think that tapped into these moments where I told myself to just breathe. That breath says so much about what somebody is.”
Samantha Morton as Dee in ‘Tales of the Walking Dead’ (Photo Credit: Curtis Bonds Baker/AMC)
Now that you’ve seen Alpha’s backstory, do you believe the audience will still view her as a villain?
Samantha Morton: “She did not start the war; my people were killed first. It was retaliation. But I think the story needs a balance and someone has to play that narrative, that strong, that hard, for the show to work.
It’s also kind of the perspective of the cinematography, how they shoot a scene, and how the music is used. It’s really fascinating to go back and go, ‘Let’s look at it from that perspective.’
Personally, to get to do that is a gift. It’s like, ‘Wow, who gets to do that?’ It’s like all your Christmases at once.
I also think for the Alpha stuff, she was pushed to a certain extent. She was the leader of an army and sometimes you have to make really bad decisions, thinking about the future as opposed to the present. She was making decisions for the future, not the present if that makes sense, and it kind of didn’t work out for her.”
How did you whittle down the ideas for the standalone episodes? Can you mention some of the other ideas that didn’t make the cut?
Channing Powell: “Well, nothing’s dead in my heart or soul or in my mind. But it was hard to whittle it down. It was a lot of factors. There’s Scott’s favorite episodes; there’s my favorite episodes versus how different are the stories that we are telling. Are we catering enough to the original fans but also providing enough of something different to bring new people in? You know, how much is the episode? [Laughing] And possibly my musical episode might have been a little expensive.”
Scott Gimple: “Production on this show was incredibly challenging because, again, all those different worlds. Like, for The Walking Dead we were at a prison for 16 or so episodes. You know where you are going to work in the morning. This was just a massive challenge.”
Channing Powell: “Yeah, we had to build new sets for every episode. It was difficult. There was really a large number of factors that brought it to these six.”
These are obviously six distinct, different standalone episodes. But do you have plans or is there some common story element that ties them together in the future?
Channing Powell: “I am just particularly interested in figuring out who someone really is at their core. You can present yourself in a certain way, you can live your life in a certain way, you can make as many plans as you want, but when it’s the end of the world, who are you really? Who’s showing up to survive that day? And I think almost every episode puts every character in that situation of making them examine how they’ve been living their lives and how they want to go forward – the person they want to be going forward.
That was really compelling to me, especially when the pandemic hit because I think we were expected to know how to handle things. But day one, I was like, ‘I don’t know what’s going on! Who am I?’ That was just really fascinating to me, and I wanted to see these characters deal with that.”
The CW’s Roswell, New Mexico season four episode seven begins with Max confirming Liz’s suspicions; Bonnie kissed him to take away his powers. Liz (Jeanine Mason) is upset he made this decision on his own and that now she’s down two aliens as the battle heats up with the new triad.
Max (Nathan Dean) promises he can protect her, but Liz isn’t having it. She grabs her bag and takes off, needing time on her own away from her newly powerless boyfriend.
Max meets up with Bonnie and Michael (Michael Vlamis) and delivers the news that 40 gallons of paint thinner’s been stolen. Bonnie reveals Tezca uses that to heal after shapeshifting, and Max realizes it’s the perfect time to take her down. Max thinks they need to drive a wedge between Clyde and Tezca, and Bonnie volunteers to play a part in their plan since Clyde’s always been protective of her.
Michael knows what Clyde wants the most is to go home and that he needs three things to do so. He has two – the fuel and the map – and they assume the third item is a ship. Michael thinks he should offer to help locate the ship and simultaneously work on getting Clyde to turn on Tezca.
Elsewhere, Isobel (Lily Cowles) works on opening up Dallas’ mindscape so they can locate Dallas’ dad’s glasses. (Last episode they determined the glasses were the key to decoding his dad’s Bible.) Isobel thinks since Dallas’ power has to do with water, a dip in a hot tub might help.
They slip into Dallas’ mindscape and learn he was close to Maria’s great-grandfather, Roy. The vision shows Dallas (Quentin Plair) as a kid eavesdropping on a meeting between Roy and Dallas’ dad, Theo. Roy reveals he and Louise are looking for land and that her “project” is coming along nicely. More importantly, Louise sent along a warning that Dallas should return to his pod because it’s too dangerous for him to be out running around.
Theo believes Dallas needs to play like any normal kid. Plus, if he’s out of his pod, then Theo can teach him about their planet. Their chat also includes hints about something bad that happened to Isobel’s teacher on Oasis. And when they reference a chess board and chess pieces, Isobel and Dallas are left stumped as to what they’re talking about.
The mindscape continues and Jones puts in an appearance in the vision. Jones demands Theo’s research and warns him that if he doesn’t come through, he’ll kill Dallas.
They jump forward in time and hear Theo tell Dallas to get their special book and glasses. Suddenly, Roy appears with a shotgun and kills Theo! Oh wait, it wasn’t the real Theo – it was Tezca in disguise.
They pop out of the mindscape as Isobel has a vision of Tezca. She doesn’t understand what she’s seeing.
Slipping back into Dallas’ mindscape, they watch as Roy and Theo talk about hiding the three stones and the map in separate locations. Roy will see if the Valentis can help, and Theo admits Roy was right when he warned Dallas was in danger. Roy thinks the lakes in the national forest might be the best spot to hide Dallas’ pod.
Dallas is worried he’ll forget everything if he goes in the pod, but Theo explains he’ll hide his memories to protect him. The Bible has the instructions, and the glasses will be in a secret spot. Theo glances at the nearby pond and Dallas now knows where to locate the missing puzzle piece.
Meanwhile, Liz hitched a ride aboard Shivani’s private jet for a quick visit with her sister. (Welcome back, Amber Midthunder!) The siblings hug and are starting to catch up on all the gossip when Rosa’s enthusiastic roommates show up and drag her off to an art installation. Liz tells her sis to go, promising they’ll have more time together over dinner.
Later as they’re finally getting time alone, Shivani shows up at the restaurant, excited she’s closed her deal early and promising Liz that she’ll love the new gadgets they’ve just purchased. The topic switches to Rose’s art and Liz has an epiphany when Rose mentions fractals. Liz thinks they can use fractals in their work on regenerating alien cells.
Rose looks disappointed in this shift in the conversation and excuses herself.
Maria (Heather Hemmens) attempts to reconnect with her mom, focusing on her urn and promising she’s listening if she has a message to share. She begs her mom to give her a sign and a feather floats down and lands at her feet. Maria initially believes it’s a sign until she spots a nearby nest.
Tezca soaks in paint thinner as Clyde assures her they’ll overcome any hiccups in their mission. While Clyde remains a loyal soldier, the same can’t be said of Bonnie. Tezca knows Bonnie’s betrayed them and wants to boot her from the triad. Clyde promises he can fix things, but it’d be helpful if Tezca would share the location of the alighting. She refuses to, wanting to keep that tidbit a secret.
Bonnie and Michael confront Clyde, and Clyde arms himself thinking Bonnie’s a traitor. Tezca told him Bonnie tried to kill her and Bonnie insists she only acted in self-defense. When Bonnie explains Tezca told her to kill Michael, Clyde appears to finally question his loyalty to their leader.
Michael attempts to convince Clyde they share the same goal: find the ship his mother built. Clyde takes the map back from Michael and reveals Tezca believes the ship is located on land Roy Bronson bought in 1947.
Michael and Max attempt to look for the deed to the land but can’t find anything. Max wonders why Michael kept the star map hidden and Michael claims he was going to tell him soon. The map indicates it will take decades to reach Oasis and Max asks if Alex is cool with that lengthy trip.
“Obviously there are discussions to be had,” replies Michael, confirming Max’s suspicions that Michael still wants to go home. Michael just wants answers about where he came from.
Bonnie joins them to help find the land and she’s confused as to why Roy was denied permission to purchase the property. Max has to explain Black people weren’t permitted to buy land in certain areas. Bonnie doesn’t think that’s fair (even aliens know racism is wrong) and Max says, “It’s an ugly, ongoing chapter of human history that sometimes leads to violence and is often covered up.”
It’s Bonnie who figures out Roy would have bought the property under someone else’s name. Michael thinks he might have put it under Walt Sanders’ name, since he trusted him.
Liz and Rose have a heart-to-heart and clear the air. After that’s done, Liz confesses she feels lost because Max made a huge decision without her. Rose tells her sister to focus on what makes her her.
“The more that you focus on being the most you, everything will fall into place,” says Rose.
Michael, Max, and Bonnie head over to Walt’s place and he confirms he bought 13 acres of land he doesn’t live on. Walt explains it’s not where Roy wanted to settle – he preferred the land by his fishing hole – but he couldn’t purchase that. Instead, he bought land that was all dried up and had underground caves.
The land turns out to be near where the paint thinner was stolen so Tezca might already be aware of the ship’s location. Bonnie volunteers to distract Clyde while they search the area.
Isobel and Dallas arrive at the pond, and Dallas hesitates. He’s worried he’ll fail his dad and Isobel knows just how that feels. She was terrified of letting her mom down after she got her sword. Isobel admits it does change everything but stepping into your legacy makes us stronger.
Dallas uses his powers to separate the water and retrieve the glasses. Isobel compliments him on going all Ten Commandments on the pond.
Isobel leaves Dallas to work on the glasses and joins Max to hunt for the ship. Max confesses he’s worried Michael’s dream of returning home is clouding his judgment. Isobel thinks Max needs to accept Michael’s decisions.
Dallas puts on the glasses and reads: “A map where no roads go is where all roads lay hidden.” He follows where the Bible leads him and ends up out in the desert. He tosses a rock and it’s swallowed up in the sand.
Maria’s working on bills when the numbers she punches into the calculator form the word hello, upside down. The jukebox turns on by itself.
Michael’s now met up with Isobel and Max as they explore the caves. They spot blood and smell acetone as Isobel leads the way with her glowing sword. They encounter Tezca and since Max and Michael no longer have any powers, they’re pretty much worthless as Isobel battles Tezca.
Isobel has another vision of encountering Tezca as a child and then Max shoots darts into Tezca.
Michael and Max regroup after the short fight and Max apologizes to Michael that they didn’t find the ship. Michael, in turn, apologizes for keeping the map a secret. He didn’t want his brother the dream-killer to squash his dreams.
Max promises he has Michael’s back, no matter what he decides to do.
Isobel locks up Tezca in Jones’ cage and confirms she believes Tezca was her teacher. Max recalls something Tezca said, and they realize Clyde played them. Michael hustles off to find Bonnie and warn her.
As they take a walk, Bonnie figures out Clyde deliberately sent Max and Michael to be killed by Tezca. Clyde also reveals there never was a spaceship; this was all a setup. Instead, Clyde has been eavesdropping on Dallas’ mindscape because the glasses and the Bible are actually the final puzzle pieces.
Clyde threatens to kill Bonnie if Dallas doesn’t turn over the Bible and glasses. Dallas tosses both items to Clyde but instead of letting Bonnie go, he apologizes to her and then pushes her into the quicksand. Clyde claims he saved her soul and isn’t worried about what happens to her body.
Dallas tries to get Clyde to save Bonnie, but he refuses. They fight and Dallas does his best but Clyde’s too strong. Clyde sends Dallas into the quicksand next to Bonnie. They both sink into the quicksand as Clyde proclaims he has everything he needs to finish his task.
Maria’s eating french fries with a fork at the Crashdown Café as it’s closing. She hears a blender go off but refuses to be fooled into believing it’s her mom. Instead, she blames the noise on a rat or faulty wiring.
The noise jarred her nerves and Maria’s happy to see Liz who just made it back into town from her quick trip to New York. Liz reveals she has an idea of how to cure Michael and after grabbing some carbs, she’s heading to the lab. Maria reminds her not to forget her milkshake…but Liz didn’t make one.
Liz thinks it’s weird Javier left it there and didn’t clean the blender. She says it’s weirder still that it’s Alex’s favorite flavor. Maria realizes her mom hasn’t been attempting to contact her; it’s been Alex all along. The service bell dings. Bingo! We have a winner!
They quickly realize that if it’s Alex doing the haunting, then that probably means he’s dead.
The episode ends with Dallas coming to after falling through the quicksand and being greeted by his father. Theo says, “It’s good to see you, son. Your journey is just beginning.”
HBO’s just put out a behind-the-scenes featurette hot on the heels of the release of a new House of the Dragon trailer. The nearly five-minute video features cast members, executive producers, and author George R.R. Martin discussing the much-anticipated Game of Thrones prequel, the sets, the costumes, and the characters.
The featurette also reveals new footage of the show’s dragons in action.
“We had said to ourselves, we’re gonna pull our horns in on season one. We’re gonna start in a more grounded, more intimate way. But even with our horns pulled in, it was just big,” says executive producer and director Miguel Sapochnik.
Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen, younger brother to King Viserys and heir to the throne) describes the prequel, saying, “Game of Thrones was its own thing, and it was a cultural phenomenon. But this is something else. It’s a different story. The scale of the story is told in a different way.”
And the man who should be working on The Winds of Winter, which he began writing in 2010 and has missed numerous targeted release dates, says that for him, the best fiction – and the best drama – is all about the characters. “House of the Dragon is a story about very flawed human beings, capable of love and hate. Capable of doing good things. Capable of doing monstrous things,” says George R.R. Martin.
HBO’s House of the Dragon, set 200 years before Game of Thrones, premieres on August 21, 2022. New episodes of the 10-episode season arrive on Sundays.
Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon was created by Martin and Ryan Condal. Executive producers include Martin, Condal, Miguel Sapochnik, Sara Hess, Jocelyn Diaz, Vince Gerardis, and Ron Schmidt. Condal also writes and serves as co-showrunner along with director Sapochnik.
Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen (Photograph by Ollie Upton/HBO)
House of the Dragon Plot, Cast, and Characters – Courtesy of HBO
Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen, chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen, at the Great Council at Harrenhal. A warm, kind, and decent man, Viserys only wishes to carry forward his grandfather’s legacy. But good men do not necessarily make for great kings.
Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, younger brother to King Viserys and heir to the throne. A peerless warrior and a dragonrider, Daemon possesses the true blood of the dragon. But it is said that whenever a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the air…
Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, the daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, and the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms. She was raised in the Red Keep, close to the king and his innermost circle; she possesses both a courtly grace and a keen political acumen.
Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the king’s first-born child, she is of pure Valyrian blood, and she is a dragonrider. Many would say that Rhaenyra was born with everything… but she was not born a man.
Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, “The Sea Snake.” Lord of House Velaryon, a Valyrian bloodline as old as House Targaryen. As “The Sea Snake,” the most famed nautical adventurer in the history of Westeros, Lord Corlys built his house into a powerful seat that is even richer than the Lannisters and that claims the largest navy in the world.
Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, a dragonrider and wife to Lord Corlys Velaryon, “The Queen Who Never Was” was passed over as heir to the throne at the Great Council because the realm favored her cousin, Viserys, simply for being male.
Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, of Dornish descent, the common-born son of the steward to the Lord of Blackhaven. Cole has no claim to land or titles; all he has to his name is his honor and his preternatural skill with a sword.
Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, who came to Westeros with nothing, sold more times than she can recall. She could have wilted… but instead she rose to become the most trusted — and most unlikely — ally of Prince Daemon Targaryen, the heir to the throne.
Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower. The Hand of the King, Ser Otto loyally and faithfully serves both his king and his realm. As the Hand sees it, the greatest threat to the realm is the king’s brother, Daemon, and his position as heir to the throne.
ADDITIONAL CAST (in alphabetical order):
Milly Alcock as Young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. She’s the king’s first-born child, of pure Valyrian blood, and she is a dragonrider. Many would say that Rhaenyra was born with everything… but she was not born a man.
Bethany Antonia as Baela Targaryen, eldest daughter of Laena Velaryon and rider of the young dragon Moondancer.
Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena Targaryen, second daughter of Lady Laena and sister to Baela.
Emily Carey as Young Alicent Hightower, the daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, and the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms. Alicent was raised in the Red Keep, close to the king and his innermost circle; she possesses both a courtly grace and a keen political acumen.
Harry Collett as Jacaerys Velaryon, eldest son of Rhaenyra Targaryen.
Ryan Corr as Ser Harwin ‘Breakbones’ Strong. ‘Breakbones’, Harwin is said to be the strongest man in the Seven Kingdoms. Ser Harwin is the eldest son to Master of Laws Lyonel Strong and heir to Harrenhal.
Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon Targaryen, first-born son of King Viserys.
Jefferson Hall as Tyland Lannister, a crafty and calculating politician, twin to Lord Jason Lannister.
Jefferson Hall as Lord Jason Lannister, the Lord of Casterly Rock and twin to Ser Tyland Lannister.
David Horovitch as Grand Maester Mellos, a voice of reason and trusted advisor to King Viserys.
Wil Johnson as Ser Vaemond Velaryon, younger brother to Coryls Velaryon and commander in the Velaryon navy.
John Macmillan as Ser Laenor Velaryon, son of Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen.
Graham McTavish as Ser Harrold Westerling, who has served in the Kingsguard since the days of King Jaehaerys; he is a paragon of chivalry and honor.
Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen, second-born son of Viserys, nephew to Daemon, and half-brother to Rhaenyra.
Theo Nate as Ser Laenor Velaryon, son of Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen.
Matthew Needham as Larys Strong, younger son of Master of Laws Lyonel Strong, brought to court by his father.
Bill Paterson as Lord Lyman Beesbury, Lord of Honeyholt and Master of Coin on King Viserys’s small council.
Phia Saban as Helaena Targaryen, second-born daughter of Viserys, sister to Aegon and Aemond, half-sister to Rhaenyra.
Gavin Spokes as Lord Lyonel Strong, Master of Laws to King Viserys and Lord of Harrenhal.
Savannah Steyn as Lady Laena Velayron, daughter of Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen.
