Netflix has released the first photos from the upcoming dramatic film The Trial of the Chicago 7, based on true events. Oscar winner Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) wrote and directed the star-studded drama which will premiere on October 16, 2020.
The cast includes Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, and Frank Langella. John Carroll Lynch, Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong, and Noah Robbins also star in the 2020 drama.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 also features Danny Flahery, Ben Skenkman, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Caitlin Fitzgerald, Alice Kremelberg, John Doman, J.C. MacKenzie, Damien Young, Wayne Duvall, and C.J. Wilson.
Marc Platt, Stuart Besser, Matt Jackson, and Tyler Thompson produced, with Laurie MacDonald, Walter Parkes, Marc Butan, Anthony Katagas, James Rodenhouse, and Nia Vazirani executive produced.
The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
What was intended to be a peaceful protest at the 1968 Democratic National Convention turned into a violent clash with police and the National Guard. The organizers of the protest—including Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden and Bobby Seale—were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot and the trial that followed was one of the most notorious in history.
Syfy’s picked up YouTube Originals and ShadowMachine’s Dallas and Robo, adding the adult animated comedy to its TZGZ late-night animation block. The eight-episode season will debut on Syfy on Saturday, August 8, 2020 at midnight-ish.
Dallas and Robo‘s voice cast is led by John Cena and Kat Dennings. Matt Mariska and Andy Sipes are the showrunners and serve as executive producers along with series creator Mike Roberts, John Cena, Alex Bulkley, and Corey Campodonico.
In other TZGZ news, SYFY will be promoting the four original shows that are part of the network’s animation block during the first-ever virtual San Diego Comic-Con – Comic-Con@Home. The network’s hosting a panel on Friday, July 24th at 6pm PT/9pm ET that will feature members of the voice casts of Wild Life, Devil May Care, Magical Girl Friendship Squad, and Hell Den.
The Dallas and Robo Plot, Courtesy of Syfy:
Dallas and Robo is a space-trucking comedy following the misadventures of foul-mouthed ex-stock car racer Dallas (Dennings) and her ass-kickin’ artificially intelligent good buddy, Robo (Cena). Together, they navigate their way around cannibal bikers, rival space truckers and vending machine burritos as they try to make a buck in the seedy world of interplanetary big rigging.
TZGZ is SYFY’s growing late-night adult animation block (TZGZ comes after SYFY, duh). It’s on Saturdays at midnight-ish because, just come hang whenever… we’re around. It’s perfect for when you’re feeling chill, funny and maybe even have the munchies. We’ve got animated comedy with a genre twist and of course, a High Wizard to keep you company.
Matthew Rhys as Perry Mason (Photograph by Courtesy of HBO)
HBO has officially announced the dramatic series Perry Mason has been renewed for a second season. Perry Mason, starring Matthew Rhys (The Americans) as the titular character, debuted on June 21, 2020 and will wrap up its eight-episode first season on August 9th.
“It has been an exciting journey to work with the immensely talented team behind Perry Mason,” said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming. “Viewers have relished being transported back in time to 1930’s Los Angeles each week, and we are thrilled to welcome the show back for a second season.”
According to HBO, the first episode has been watched by 8+ million viewers.
In addition to Matthew Rhys, the season one cast includes John Lithgow as Elias Birchard “E.B.” Jonathan, Juliet Rylance as Della Street, Tatiana Maslany as Sister Alice McKeegan, Chris Chalk as Paul Drake, and Shea Whigham as Pete Strickland. Stephen Root, Gayle Rankin, Nate Corddry, Veronica Falcón, Jefferson Mays, Lili Taylor, Andrew Howard, Eric Lange, and Robert Patrick also star in the first season.
The critically acclaimed drama was created by Rolin Jones and Ron Fitzgerald and is based on characters created by Erle Stanley Gardner. Amanda Burrell, Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, Ron Fitzgerald, Joe Horacek, Rolin Jones and director Timothy Van Patten served as season one executive producers. Series star Rhys was also involved as a producer.
The Plot:
1931, Los Angeles. While the rest of the country struggles through the Great Depression, this city is booming! Oil! Olympic Games! Talking Pictures! Evangelical Fervor! And a child kidnapping gone very, very wrong. Based on characters created by author Erle Stanley Gardner, the series follows the origins of American fiction’s most legendary criminal defense lawyer, Perry Mason. When the case of the decade breaks down his door, Mason’s relentless pursuit of the truth reveals a fractured city and just maybe, a pathway to redemption for himself.
Disney+ has just released two lengthy video clips from the upcoming original anthology docuseries, Marvel’s 616. The series explores Marvel’s legacy and will debut this fall on Disney+.
In addition to the clips, Marvel’s 616 will be hosting a panel during Comic-Con@Home to preview the series. The panel will premiere on Comic-Con’s official YouTube channel on July 23, 2020 at 1pm PT. Actor/director Gillian Jacobs, actor/director Paul Scheer, executive producer Sarah Amos, and executive producer Jason Sterman will participate in the panel and provide a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of this upcoming docuseries.
The “Higher, Further, Faster” clip (featured above) was directed by Gillian Jacobs and focuses on the “trailblazing women of Marvel Comics and how they found ways to tell stories of representation and inclusion.”
The “Lost and Found” clip was directed by actor/comedian Paul Scheer and follows “the actor and comedian’s eye-opening and hilarious journey to discover the ‘forgotten’ characters of Marvel Comics. Individually, each documentary in this series tells a compelling story that brings its filmmaker’s vision to life.”
The anthology series was executive produced by Joe Quesada, Shane Rahmani, Stephen Wacker, John Cerilli, Harry Go, Sarah Amos, Jason Sterman, Brian McGinn, and David Gelb. The series is a Marvel New Media and Supper Club production.
The Plot, Courtesy of Disney+:
Marvel’s 616 explores how Marvel’s rich legacy of stories, characters and creators exist within the world outside your window. Each documentary, helmed by a unique filmmaker, explores the intersections of storytelling, pop culture, and fandom within the Marvel Universe. Films in this anthology series will cover topics including Marvel’s world-spanning artists, the trailblazing women of Marvel Comics, discovering the “forgotten” characters of Marvel, and much more.
The CW’s Stargirl season one episode 10 found Henry proving he’s really one of the good guys by sacrificing his life while squaring off against his father. The first season continues with episode 11, “Shining Knight.” Directed by Jennifer Phang from a script by Geoff Johns, episode 11 airs on July 28, 2020 at 8pm ET/PT.
Brec Bassinger (Bella and the Bulldogs, School of Rock) leads the cast as Courtney Whitmore / Stargirl. The season one cast also includes Luke Wilson as Pat Dugan, Amy Smart as Barbara Whitmore, Trae Romano as Mike Dugan, Yvette Monreal as Yolanda Montez, Neil Jackson as Jordan Mahkent, and Anjelika Washington as Beth Chapel. Christopher James Baker plays Henry King Sr, Jake Austin Walker is Henry King Jr, Meg DeLacy is Cindy Burman, Cameron Gellman is Rick Tyler, and Hunter Sansone plays Cameron.
“Shining Knight” Plot: A BLAST FROM THE PAST — Courtney’s (Bassinger) life gets turned upside down when someone from her past arrives in Blue Valley. Meanwhile, Pat (Wilson) uncovers new information about the ISA’s plan and Jordan (Jackson) makes a surprising discovery at work.
Season 1 Description, Courtesy of The CW
When Courtney’s (Bassinger) seemingly perfect life in Los Angeles gets upended with a move to Blue Valley, Nebraska with her mother Barbara (Smart), stepfather Pat (Wilson) and stepbrother Mike (Romano), she finds herself struggling to adapt to her new town and high school. But when Courtney discovers that Pat is harboring a major secret about his past, she ultimately becomes the unlikely inspiration for a new generation of superheroes.
Playing Gekko the Bounty Hunter, a minor character whose popularity is rising to cult status on The Mandalorian – the Disney+ TV series that is part of the Star Wars franchise – is a dream come true for actor Dominic Pace.
“I’ve been a lifelong Star Wars fan; this is every Star Wars fan’s dream come true. So it’s not necessarily an acting accolade but more of a childhood Generation Xer’s dream come true to not only be a one-of-a-kind bounty hunter but to also have a name within the Star Wars universe be immortalized like that. It’s bigger than any role I could’ve asked for. I’m so proud to have been a part of this show,” said Pace, 44, of Hollywood.
Currently, the White Plains, NY native is on a cross-country tour across 25 cities where he’ll appear at comic book stores and sign memorabilia. Of the merchandise Pace signs, 15% of the proceeds will be given to the store he’s visiting.
“Overall, this has been close to a 10,000-mile road trip with my youngest son,” said Pace. “With all the conventions being canceled, I wanted to promote the character before Season 2. Since my son’s out of school and the film industry’s completely shut down, we wanted a way to reach out to fans. We wanted to make a really fun father-son road trip out of it and not only incorporate the appearances but also have a lot of fun along the way; we’re going to several different attractions, (including Elvis Presley’s birthplace in Tennessee)… It’s a perfect recipe for the Star Wars community promoting small businesses, promoting my bounty hunter, and an amazing father-son experience to make the most of 2020, which, obviously, is difficult for most Americans right now.”
Blue-Collar Actor
Pace – who’s appeared on Veep, Barry, 911, Scandal, Superstore, among other guest-starring roles – considers himself a blue-collar actor who has to audition for his parts, most times competing against 30-50 other actors for the same part since he’s not a household name like Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt. According to Pace, blue-collar actors have plenty in common with mom-and-pop businesses.
“I can relate to their struggles, their journeys, and – most importantly – the American way, which is picking up your bootstraps and getting it done yourself. That’s what we’re doing with my bounty hunter character, and I stand side-by-side with small businesses in order to succeed and get ahead in this country,” he said. “I was raised with a strong foundation to treat every job as a privilege as opposed to a right. By having that attitude, I’ve been able to endure 20 years of all the undulations of this crazy business.”
According to Pace, several charitable organizations within the Star Wars community have been supportive of his road-trip, including the 501st Legion, the Mandalorian Mercs, and the Rebel Legion. All three have inducted him as an honorary member.
“All along this tour, fans have been showing up in costume and they’ve been purchasing an autograph or two, which has ultimately helped support my family during this time when the entire film industry has been shut down,” explained Pace. “I’m extremely grateful and honored to be an honorary member of these groups but also extremely grateful they’re supporting my side character in such an amazing way. It’s been a beautiful experience, ironically enough, with everything going on in the country.”
The Mandalorian
Created by Iron Man director Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian chronicles the adventures of bounty hunter named Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal, Game of Thrones) – better known as Mando – the titular Mandalorian. The Mandalorians are a clan of enigmatic, armored warriors whose best-known warrior is Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch), the deadliest bounty hunter in the galaxy who debuted in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back. Described as a “spaghetti Western” set in outer space, The Mandalorian occurs five years after 1983’s Return of the Jedi and 25 years before 2015’s The Force Awakens. It is the first live-action TV series in the Star Wars franchise.
In the first season, Mando’s hired to capture a target that turns out to be an infant member of the same heretofore unnamed species as Yoda called the Child (or colloquially referred to as Baby Yoda). He delivers it to his client (Werner Herzog, Nosferatu the Vampire), who states his plans for the Child are none of Mando’s concern.
However, uncharacteristically, Mando isn’t comfortable with handing over Baby Yoda to the Empire (or what remains of it after the events of Jedi) and takes him back, killing numerous Stormtroopers in his wake. Mando goes on the lam with Baby Yoda. En route to his ship, he’s ambushed by Greef Karga (Carl Weathers, Rocky), leader of the Bounty Hunters’ Guild, and a slew of bounty hunters, which includes Gekko.
“I’m an Italian American from New York. One of the most inspirational movie series of all time for Italian-Americans, for African-Americans, and those coming from a diverse background is the Rocky series,” said Pace. “(Weathers) was a tremendous professional from start to finish. It was an absolute honor, he’s a Hollywood legend. To be able to flank him during the standoff in the third episode was an absolute dream come true.”
The Fate of Gekko
Deborah Chow, who directed the third episode, handpicked Pace to be in it.
“They had to do a chorus line cut of all these different bounty hunters and creatures in the first episode in the cantina,” said Pace, who appeared in the first and third episodes. “After those scenes were done, Deborah invited me to be part of the standoff in the third episode. I was extremely grateful because it gave me a little more screen-time and established the character for me in the years to come with the Star Wars fanbase.”
However, during the standoff in the third episode, Gekko is killed.
Or is he?
His fate remains ambiguous.
That raises the question: Will Gekko be in the second season of The Mandalorian, which debuts in October?
“It’s never been confirmed, but – unfortunately – I can’t say anything about Season 2 yet,” said Pace.
He did say that Gekko will appear in Marvel Comics’ Star Wars: Bounty Hunters No. 10 (its release date is unknown, due to the pandemic).
“Ethan Sacks, who’s writing Bounty Hunters, has taken a very passionate interest in the character. After No. 10, he’s trying his mightiest to get Gekko in there with Lucasfilm’s approval,” said Pace. “The Mandalorian will have its own comic book series as well, so I’m positive you’ll be seeing more of Gekko in the future throughout the Star Wars canon. I’m hopeful Lucasfilm and Disney will do it, which will make it a lot more prestigious, of course.”
Making Gekko Menacing
Pace credits Brian Sipe – the head makeup artist for Legacy Effects who did Drax the Destroyer’s makeup in the two Guardians of the Galaxy films and last two Avengers films – for bringing Gekko to life.
“As a blue-collar actor, I take all different levels of work. This was a second-tier job opportunity for a simple makeup test. I’ve had previous experience with prosthetics in Van Helsing, where I doubled as Frankenstein’s Monster, opposite Hugh Jackman,” said Pace. “(Sipe and I) just had this rapport for six hours. We had a very detailed makeup test with different styles of makeup.”
Pace told Sipe since he’s 6 foot 4 and weighs 260 lbs., the more menacing he made Gekko look for his screen-test with Favreau, the better.
“I also got to select my own blaster, which is a Star Wars fan’s dream. There were about 20 blasters on this prop table, and I picked the biggest one for Gekko,” said Pace. “When I came to set on the first day, Brian wanted to give me the most expensive makeup, which I’m hopeful will become a really amazing action figure in the years to come.”
He’s looking forward to getting his own Gekko action figure someday.
“The one thing with Star Wars is the side characters have almost as much clout as the stars. If you were a kid and you had a Han Solo toy, you also had a Hammerhead toy. If you had a Luke Skywalker (in his Jedi Knight uniform) toy, you had a Weequay toy or a Ree-Yees toy or a Yak Face toy (NOTE: Yak Face was the final action figure in Kenner’s original Star Wars action figure line, but he was never released in the United States, per Wookiepedia). The side characters had very limited screen-time, but – ironically enough – sometimes these rare characters end up being more expensive for the collector,” explained Pace. “Were it any other franchise, I wouldn’t have gone on a promotional tour. Since the Star Wars fanbase is so passionate because of the detail companies like Legacy Effects put into the side characters handed down by the legendary George Lucas… I think it’s just very special. And you can see the detail of the entire production on every level.”
iHeartRadio Music Festival headliners (Photo Credit: iHeartRadio)
The iHeartRadio Music Festival is a go, virtually of course, with the two-night event set to take place September 18th and 19th. This year marks the iHeartRadio Music Festival’s 10 year anniversary, although it will be significantly different from past years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But, as they say, the show must go on…in a safe way.
This year’s headliners include BTS, Coldplay, Kane Brown with special guest Khalid, Keith Urban, Migos, Miley Cyrus, Thomas Rhett, and Usher. American Idol‘s Ryan Seacrest will host the first-ever virtual iHeartRadio Music Festival.
According to the festival’s official announcement, fans will be treated to intimate backstage moments with artists as they reveal how they’re handling the COVID-19 pandemic and the ways it’s impacted their lives and families. Many of these artists were supposed to be on tour right now, including global superstars BTS who, along with their label Big Hit Entertainment, donated $1 million to Live Nation’s Crew Nation Campaign. Live Nation launched the campaign in late March to support the concert crews across the globe who’ve been impacted by COVID-19. Over 70 concert crew members who were originally scheduled to work at BTS’ concerts prior to the postponement have received funding thus far.
The remote performances included in the virtual festival will be filmed on stages in Los Angeles and Nashville. (The announcement didn’t indicate where BTS, not based in the U.S., would perform.) The festival will be available to watch live via The CW App and at CWTV.com beginning September 18th at 6pm PT/9pm ET. A festival highlights special will premiere on September 27 and 28th from 8-10pm ET/PT. The festival will also be broadcast on iHeartMedia stations.
John Sykes, president of entertainment enterprise for iHeartMedia, is putting in place a rigorous protocol to ensure the safety of the artists. Attendance at tapings will be monitored, with only approved crew allowed on-site. Stages will be thoroughly cleaned between acts.
Commenting on how fans can feel involved in this year’s extraordinary festival, Sykes told Variety, “There will be fans who will be connected talking one-on-one in the dressing room with artists.” iHeartRadio also confirmed a virtual audience and “fan wall” will be watching the performances, and some viewers will even have the opportunity to be serenaded by their favorite artists.
The annual musical festival normally draws 18,000 fans. The 2020 virtual festival will have a different feel, but fans should still be looking forward to some great performances while staying safe during this difficult time.
Jonathan Langdon as Lou Carmody, Ashleigh Cummings as Vic McQueen, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Chris McQueen in ‘NOS4A2’ season 2 episode 5 (Photo Credit: Jojo Whilden/AMC)
Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto) is out for revenge, Vic McQueen (Ashleigh Cummings) wants to protect her young son, and Bing (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson) remains obsessed with making it to Christmasland in AMC’s NOS4A2 season two. Airing on Sundays at 10pm ET/PT, thus far the current season’s delved into Charlie’s backstory and unveiled more about his relationship with the Wraith and Christmasland. It’s also allowed a tiny peek at the eight years that passed between seasons one and two, the period in which Vic gave birth to Wayne and fell in love with Lou Carmody.
Season two episode five, “Bruce Wayne McQueen,” was a turning point in the series. Charlie now has Wayne in his possession – the one thing that Vic McQueen loves the most. In a phone interview with showrunner/executive producer Jami O’Brien, she delved into how that sets up the remainder of the season and what Vic’s state of mind will be following the kidnapping of her son.
Episode five could have been a season unto itself. How did you squeeze so much into that episode?
Jami O’Brien: “It’s funny. I had no idea how we were going to shoot it, and I was kind of in awe of it as well. We always knew that we were going to do an episode that was about Wayne’s abduction and that we were going to dedicate an entire episode to it. We always knew that we were going to play with point of view in the season as Joe Hill does actually in the novel.
And then Tom Brady wrote it; he’s a phenomenal writer. He came in with the idea, he said, ‘This episode really is about Vic and Wayne.’ We’ve seen her kind of screwing up for a couple of episodes and so he was like, ‘I really want to explore that.’ I mean, she is his mother and they do have a deep connection though she has been making mistakes. So, it was his idea to do the back and forth Wayne point of view, Vic point of view, which I thought was really, really smart.
Yeah, it’s funny. Story-wise a lot doesn’t actually happen in the episode. Basically, if you were to summarize the episode you would say, ‘Charlie Manx and Bing come and try and take Wayne. Vic tries to stop them and fails.’ But I think it’s a testament to all the work on the episode how emotionally fraught it is.
I just think the entire team did an amazing job, starting with Tom’s script but also Hanelle Culpepper directed that episode. She also directed last season the penultimate episode which was Vic in the laundry chute, which was another one where I was like, ‘How are we going to do that?’
I think she’s really talented and the whole production team pulled together to knock it out. I wasn’t there when they shot it. I was in Los Angeles in the writers room and so when I first saw the director’s cut I was shocked in a pleasant way. But I was just like, ‘How the heck did they do this?!’
They did some things with stunts that we haven’t done in the series before. We had never seen Vic on the motorcycle before. We’d always done that with stuntwomen. And that last car chase…when you think about it, we’ve got an antique car, an antique motorcycle, both doing down the road with our leads on and in them – which is crazy! – and a gunfight happening. And then an SUV T-bones the antique motorcycle. That alone when I watched it when it was finished I was like, ‘I can’t believe we did that!’”
How does Vic move forward? What can we expect for the second half of the season?
Jami O’Brien: “Well, I mean you know when we left her, she’s in the hospital. Her family’s in the hospital and her bike has been hit. So, I think Vic McQueen’s first order of business is to get well enough physically to be able to get back on her bike. But I think that the only way that she’s going to be able to find Wayne is probably with the Triumph. So, the next order of business is fix herself and fix the bike is what is going to happen with her.”
Are we going to see any additional flashbacks to the eight-year gap between season one and two?
Jami O’Brien: “There is another flashback episode coming up that is another Charlie Manx episode.”
Zachary Quinto as Charlie Manx and Jason David as Wayne McQueen in ‘NOS4A2’ season 2 (Photo Credit: Seacia Pavao/AMC)
After finishing up season two, has your opinion changed as to what Charlie would have been like without the Wraith?
Jami O’Brien: “I think, and we explore this more in the next Charlie Manx backstory episode, I think there is a darkness in Charlie that would have been there with or without the Wraith. I don’t think that the Wraith is what makes Charlie Manx who he is. He definitely has a relationship with the Wraith and there is a symbiotic relationship that’s formed between them, but first and foremost it’s his knife, like Vic’s motorcycle is her knife.
I think Charlie is Charlie is even without the Wraith. I think he would have found another outlet for his darkness.”
You’ve done a fantastic job of exploring Vic’s mental health and not glossing that over. Can we expect to see her really tormented following Wayne’s kidnapping? Are we delving more into her mental state?
Jami O’Brien: “Absolutely. I think one of the themes in the book and one of the themes in the show is addiction and mental health. Oftentimes on television I think that those things are simple. ‘I drink too much, I decide to quit, and now I’m better.’ I don’t think that that’s really how it works and that’s not really how it works for Vic either.
I do think that her primary goal right now, obviously, is to get her son back. And my hope for the character is that as she takes that journey, she’s kind of putting herself back together although I don’t think that she’ll ever be 100% healed.”
We saw that moving hug between Vic and her mom at the end of episode five. Will we see more connections between Vic and her mom coming up?
Jami O’Brien: “Yes. One of the themes this year – a big theme – is parenthood and intergenerational trauma and can we do better than our parents? Are we able to overcome the wounds of our childhood? Can we forgive our parents? Can we forgive ourselves? I think a lot of times we’re really hard on our parents until we become parents ourselves, right? And then we’re like, ‘Okay, I understand how you made these mistakes.’ You kind of see them in a different light.
To answer your question, yes, you will see more connecting between Vic and Linda. I think Vic has a different point of view on her mom now.”
Speaking of Vic, Ashleigh Cummings has really grown into the character. Has Vic evolved as Ashleigh evolves in the role?
Jami O’Brien: “I think Ashleigh’s always been phenomenal. Not maybe in a conscious way but I do think that writers, as we work with actors, get to know them and they can’t help but influence what you write.
The way that Ashleigh comes at that character I think is really interesting. Vic McQueen is a very complex character but one of the ways that you could describe her is a badass, kind of in the vein of a Sarah Connor or Ripley. And Ashleigh, though she appreciates those kinds of characters, she is constantly playing against that. She has always been more interested in Vic’s interior life, in Vic’s heart, in Vic’s wounds, and in Vic’s emotions. And I think that the result is not something that I expected and really interesting.
We kind of continue to write the character almost as though we’re writing some version of a Sarah Connor character, and Ashleigh continues to play against it. I think that that marriage – for me, anyway – is pretty spectacular. I think she’s amazing. She’s one of my favorite things about the show.”
* * * * * * * * *
AMC and NOS4A2 will host a panel during Comic-Con@Home featuring Jami O’Brien, executive producer/novelist Joe Hill, and series star Zachary Quinto. The panel will go live on San Diego Comic-Con’s official YouTube channel on Saturday, July 25th at 6pm PT.
Netflix just confirmed the cast of their upcoming music-driven series, Julie and the Phantoms. Emmy Award-winner Kenny Ortega (High School Musical) directs and executive produces the half-hour series set to premiere on September 10, 2020.
Season one’s cast is led by newcomer Madison Reyes in the title role. Charlie Gillespie plays Luke, Jeremy Shada is Reggie, Owen Patrick Joyner is Alex, Booboo Stewart is Willie, Cheyenne Jackson is Caleb, and Carlos Ponce is Ray. The cast also includes Sonny Bustamante as Carlos, Jadah Marie as Flynn, Sacha Carlson as Nick, and Savannah Lee May as Carrie.
Dan Cross, Dave Hoge, and George Salinas executive produce, with Cross and Hoge also serving as showrunners of the nine-episode season. Kenny Ortega and Paul Becker are the choreographers. In addition to Ortega, Paul Becker, Kristin Hanggi, and Kabir Akhtar also direct season one episodes.
Julie and the Phantoms Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
High schooler Julie (Reyes) lost her passion for music after her mom died last year. But when the ghosts of three dreamy musicians (Gillespie, Shada, Joyner) from 1995 suddenly appear in her mom’s old music studio, Julie feels her own inner spirit beginning to reawaken, and she’s inspired to start singing and writing songs again. As their friendship with Julie grows, the boys convince her to create a new band together: Julie and the Phantoms.
From Emmy Award-winning director Kenny Ortega comes a fresh and exciting new musical series about embracing life’s ups and downs, following your dreams, and discovering the power of your own voice.
Kelly Overton as Vanessa Van Helsing in season 4 episode 7 (Photo by: Dan Power / Nomadic Pictures Inc. / SYFY)
Filming is now back underway on the fifth and final season of Van Helsing. In addition to announcing production is now taking place in Canada, Nomadic Pictures and Dynamic Television revealed Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy), Ali Liebert (Bomb Girls), and Steve Bacic (Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda) have been added to the season five cast.
The first three episodes of season five were wrapped before the Covid-19 pandemic forced television and film productions around the globe to shut down. The vampire apocalypse action series is the first drama to get back into production in Canada.
Barring any further shutdowns, season five is expected to consist of 13 hour-long episodes.
“The safe and efficient return to production is a result of 12 weeks of tireless efforts on behalf of our entire executive team, producers, writers, directors and crew. This would not be possible without the round the clock consultation, drafting and execution of our safe return to work protocols with all the Unions and guilds. We thank them for their unwavering support and will continue to craft our execution plan as we enter a new era of film making,” said Chad Oakes, Executive Producer and Co-Chairman of Nomadic Pictures. “We understand the herculean responsibility to be the first out of the gate and will proceed with every cast and crew members safety as our first priority.”
The cast is led by Kelly Overton as Vanessa Van Helsing and includes Jonathan Scarfe as Axel Miller, Tricia Helfer as Dracula, Aleks Paunovic as Julius, Keeya King as Violet, and Nicole Munoz as Jack. According to the casting announcement, Kim Coates will play Count Dalibor, “the husband of Olivia who despite his best intentions, makes some disastrous choices.” Ali Liebert is on board as Nina, “a vampire with a colorful past that involves Julius, and a hidden agenda that entails a lot of death.”
Steve Bacic has been cast as “the father, a wild vampire who dresses in animal skins and has been hiding in an abandoned mine with a child.”
“Kim, Ali and Steve are incredible talents and we are thrilled to welcome them to our Van Helsing family. And we are especially ecstatic to finally be back to work with them,” stated Michael Frislev, Executive Producer and Co-Chairman of Nomadic Pictures. “We started on our Covid protocols and PPE collection shortly after shutting down. The entire cast and crew have been through our Covid safety training and were tested prior to going to camera. Our extensive and detailed protocols have been blessed by all BC unions, guilds, ActSafe BC and WorkSafe BC. We are ready and look forward to a safe and successful shoot.”
The Plot:
Van Helsing is a total re-imagination of a timeless brand, set in a world dominated and controlled by vampires. In its final season, Vanessa, Violet and Jack will risk it all to finally bring an end to the Dark One once and for all. The Van Helsings must figure out ways to escape and evade the various obstacles in their path to prevent them from their mission, leading to an epic final showdown between the Van Helsings and the Dark One.
Syfy’s picked up YouTube Originals and ShadowMachine’s Dallas and Robo, adding the adult animated comedy to its TZGZ late-night animation block. The eight-episode season will debut on Syfy on Saturday, August 8, 2020 at midnight-ish.
