SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2014

More than just about anyone else on the roster, Daredevil is a character that could go dark and still stay extremely loyal to the comic canon. This isn’t Iron Man, or Thor. In a lot of ways, Daredevil is like a blind, poor Batman (albeit with radar sense), and it sounds like DeKnight wants to embrace that gritty side of Matt Murdock.

During an interview with Paste, DeKnight touched on the character’s history and what story has inspired him the most from the annals of Daredevil history. After hearing his passion for the character, we’re even more excited to get a look at this series:

“With this version of Daredevil, we wanted it to be grounded, gritty, as realistic as we could portray. That naturally fits in with the Daredevil character. Matt Murdock, on a regular basis, would get the s*** beat out of him. That’s one thing that makes him a great character. He’s not super strong. He’s not invulnerable. In every aspect, he’s a man that’s just pushed himself to the limits, he just has senses that are better than a normal humans. He is human. The other thing that really drew me to this character is that he’s one of the most morally grey of the heroes…

He’s a lawyer by day, and he’s taken this oath. But every night he breaks that oath, and goes out and does very violent things. The image that always stuck in my mind was the Frank Miller Elektra run where he’s holding Bullseye over the street, and he lets Bullseye go because he doesn’t want Bullseye to ever kill anyone again. When I read that originally, when I was young, I’d never seen anything like that in comics. Superman scoops up the villain and puts them in jail. This time the hero didn’t do that. It was a morally grey ground that I found absolutely fascinating. There are two sides to this character. He’s literally one bad day away from becoming the The Punisher! Frank Castle went just a little bit further than he did. Daredevil has no qualms about beating the hell out of somebody. He’s not going to tie them up with his webs! He’ll come close to killing somebody. And it’s that fine edge—Why doesn’t he go all the way? I really liked the flawed heroes, the human heroes.”

Along with expanding outside the S.H.I.E.L.D. sphere of influence, this series will also kick off Netflix’s run of Marvel originals, with Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage and The Defenders miniseries to eventually follow. DeKnight said the early stage of working with Netflix has been a great experience, and projects like House of Cards have shown they’re capable of producing shows that can rival even the best networks when it comes to quality.

He also touched on how long the series might actually run, considering they have four other shows in the offing to tie into. DeKnight said he knows about as much as we do at this point, and it seems they’re still ironing out exactly how everything will fit together to feed into Defenders:

“Netflix has been fantastic. They are phenomenally supportive of the creatives. How much freedom will I have? This is a bit of a different scenario because it’s a Marvel property. Once you have an IP like that, there are restrictions that you have to accept. I’m fine with that, I totally understand. I’ll push it as far as I can, of course, but I also respect the fact that this character has been around for decades. Overall I’ve been surprised at how willing everyone is to take a really fresh look and really push what we’re doing…

On this show, I honestly have no idea [how long it will run]. That’s so far above my pay grade. Making it even more complicated is the fact that [Daredevil] is one part of the bigger plan— Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and then The Defenders. How that all fits together, and whether or not there will be a second season of this show—or if it will fold into the others—are question nobody really has answers to yet.”

The series is tentatively slated to debut in May 2015, starring Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio and Rosario Dawson.

DRACULA UNTOLD
We've seen the trailer for Legendary and Universal's Dracula Untold and now the first clip has made its way online (via Metro).

Starring Luke Evans, Sarah Gadon, Diarmaid Murtagh, Dominic Cooper and Samantha Barks, Dracula Untold opens in 2D theaters and IMAX on October 10. Evans stars in the origin story of the man who became Dracula.

ANNABELLE
New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures have revealed the new TV spot for Annabelle, the horror thriller opening in theaters on October 3. Ttake a look at some of the film's new outdoor advertising spotted in the wild over at ShockTillYouDrop.com!

She terrified you in The Conjuring, but this is where it all began for Annabelle. Capable of unspeakable evil, the actual doll exists locked up in an occult museum in Connecticut - visited only by a priest who blesses her twice a month.

The supernatural thriller Annabelle begins before the evil was unleashed.

John Form has found the perfect gift for his expectant wife, Mia - a beautiful, rare vintage doll in a pure white wedding dress. But Mia’s delight with Annabelle doesn't last long.

On one horrific night, their home is invaded by members of a satanic cult, who violently attack the couple. Spilled blood and terror are not all they leave behind. The cultists have conjured an entity so malevolent that nothing they did will compare to the sinister conduit to the damned that is now... Annabelle.

GRIMM
Grimm calls them Wesen — German for “creature” — the mythology-inspired monsters hiding in plain sight on the NBC thriller, going into its fourth year of giving fans a reason to stay home Friday nights. This season picks up right where the May finale left off, with Nick (David Giuntoli) having lost his Wesen-spotting powers — which means he’ll have to lean on Trubel (Jacqueline Toboni) to function as his seeing-eye Grimm. Below, EW can exclusively reveal this quartet of new baddies that will haunt slayers Nick and Hank when Grimm returns for Friday, Oct. 24:

Gedächtnis Esser: Or what Syfy channel would call: “Manopus!” The part-man part-octopus Wesen has four tentacles that burrow into its victim’s head. If that weren’t lousy enough, the creature steals your memories and leaves you with dementia. “A lot of what we do is try to explain real-world problems, like in this case, identity theft,” says executive producer Jim Kouf. “Our best Wesen ideas come when we have an emotional core that explains something in life.”

Schinderdiv: “How do you explain people who are only out for themselves and do anything to achieve a goal?” asks executive producer David Greenwalt. If you answered, “A Schinderdiv!” then you are correct! This is your basic demon beast with long-bottom fangs (which must make shaving pretty difficult). This wesen is meant to embody ruthlessness and selfishness.

Heftigauroch: We’re starting to suspect all these names are actually German micro-brews, but Kouf says the Heftigauroch is actually a bull-like Wesen that morphs into rage when provoked. In the show, he’s a boxer who is very peaceful and doesn’t want to fight. Yet when pushed too far he becomes … yup, a raging bull. “When a bull is brought into a ring it doesn’t necessarily want a fight requires being hit with picadors to get mad — this Wesen requires the same treatment,” Kouf says.

Golem: The producers are cheating a little as the Golem is not a Wesen, but a creature from the Jewish religion. Made of clay and 10-feet high, he’s made to protect the meek but is dangerous to try to control. “The twist with our Golem is how it gets destroyed,” Kouf teases. Our bet: Industrial-sized pottery wheel.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

HUMANS
AMC is stepping in for Xbox.

AMC Backlash: Budget Squeezing, Producer "Bake-Offs" and Post-'Breaking Bad' Challenges The cable network is near a deal to acquire domestic rights to the co-production drama series Humans, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. AMC declined comment.

Humans landed at Xbox with an eight-episode series commitment in April in a co-production deal with U.K. broadcaster Channel 4. The series, from British writing team Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley (Spooks) is an English-language adaptation of Sveriges Television and Matador Film's acclaimed series Real Humans. U.K. indie production banner Kudos (Broadchurch) will produce the series, which was originally planned to share a premiere broadcast window on both the Xbox platform in North America and Channel 4 in the U.K. in 2015. Casting is said to already be underway.

Humans is set in a parallel present where the latest must-have gadget for any busy family is a "synth" — a highly developed robotic servant eerily similar to its live counterpart. In the hope of transforming the way they live, one strained suburban family purchases a refurbished synth only to discover that sharing life with a machine has far-reaching and chilling consequences.

AMC's deal to step in for Xbox comes two months after Microsoft opted to shutter Xbox Entertainment Studios, its original programming studio. That left originals like Humans and the Steven Spielberg-produced live-action Halo series in the lurch. (Sources told THR in August that Xbox was shopping its entertainment studio, with Warner Bros. coming up as a potential home.)

For AMC, meanwhile, the deal to acquire Humans comes as the cable network has seen its latest original scripted programming struggle to break through the way that critical and ratings hits like The Walking Dead, Mad Men and Breaking Bad have. The network will not unspool any new original scripted series for the remainder of 2014. AMC's roster of originals currently includes martial arts drama Badlands (late 2015 or early 2016), the final seven episodes of Mad Men, Saturday staple Hell on Wheels and the sophomore runs of Halt & Catch Fire and Turn, as well as Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul and monster hit The Walking Dead.

On the pilot side, AMC is developing a Walking Dead companion series; Knifeman; Galyntine; White City; and comedy We Hate Paul Revere.

B.O.O. - BUREAU OF OTHERWORLDLY OPERATIONS
A first look at the stars of DreamWorks Animation's B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations has been revealed thanks to the cover of a movie tie-in book that has popped up on Amazon (spotted by Film Divider).

The supernatural action comedy follows two bumbling apparitions who find themselves in an extraordinary after-life adventure when they join the Bureau of Otherworldly Operations (B.O.O.) – the ghost world’s elite counter-haunting unit – and ultimately must face off against the planet’s greatest haunter.

Seth Rogen, Melissa McCarthy, Rashida Jones, Matt Bomer, Bill Murray, Jennifer Coolidge and Octavia Spencer lend their voices to the June 5, 2015 release.

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. ABC and Marvel have a new, 30-second TV spot for the second season of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

The "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." cast includes Clark Gregg as fan favorite Phil Coulson, along with Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May, Brett Dalton as Agent Grant Ward, Chloe Bennet as Skye, Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz and Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons.

The series is executive produced by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, Jeffrey Bell and Jeph Loeb. Season Two will premiere on September 23.

ANDRON
Alec Baldwin, who will soon be starring in Mission: Impossible 5, is set to join forces with Lethal Weapon's Danny Glover to headline Andron, a sci-fi action adventure movie from AMBI Pictures Group, the movie development, finance, production and distribution group owned and run by Andrea Iervolino and Lady Monika Bacardi.

The movie begins when a group of young men and women awake in a dark, claustrophobic maze. They don't remember who they are or how they got stuck in the black labyrinth of Andron. The group must learn to decipher codes, understand the signals, and beat the tests in this mysterious and bizarre place. Out of necessity they struggle to form a bond to survive, while the outside of the world watches and wages on their fate.

Baldwin and Glover will be supported by a cast that includes Michelle Ryan ("EastEnders," Cashback), Skin (lead singer from UK band Skunk Anansie), Jon Kortajarena (A Single Man), Gale Harold ("Queer as Folk") and Leo Howard (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Conan the Barbarian).

"The story of 'Andron' is enough to excite sci-fi fans worldwide but when you add actors like Alec Baldwin and Danny Glover, the meter rises even higher and audiences expect something very special, which is what we plan to deliver," says Iervolino. "We're very excited to add this film to our production slate and eager to get to work on a film we believe has great breakout potential."

Iervolino and Lady Bacardi are financing and producing the film and AMBI's international sales arm, AMBI Distribution, is handling worldwide sales.

Franceso Cinquemani wrote the screenplay and is directing the film, marking his feature directorial debut. Principal photography will commence this month in Malta, in collaboration with the Malta Film Commission, and in Italy.

THE ZOCALO TODAY

Facebook as well as at ISN News: The Zocalo Today on Yahoo Groups.

Did you miss the news from yesterday -- or earlier in the week. Catch up by going to the September News Archive. I have broken up the huge file into months to make it easier to scan through. It will bring you up to date for all that has been going on in the world of science fiction. Go to:
August News.
July News.
June News.
May News.

ON THE TUBE TONIGHT

7:00pm on BBC America
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Nobleman crusader Robin of Locksley (Kevin Costner) breaks out of a Jerusalem prison with the help of Moorish fellow prisoner Azeem (Morgan Freeman) and travels back home to England. But upon arrival he discovers his dead father in the ruins of his family estate, killed by the vicious sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman). Robin and Azeem join forces with outlaws Little John (Nick Brimble) and Will Scarlett (Christian Slater) to save the kingdom from the sheriff's villainy.

7:00pm on FX
The Amazing Spider-Man
Abandoned by his parents and raised by an aunt and uncle, teenager Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), AKA Spider-Man, is trying to sort out who he is and exactly what his feelings are for his first crush, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). When Peter finds a mysterious briefcase that was his father's, he pursues a quest to solve his parents' disappearance. His search takes him to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), setting him on a collision course with Connors' alter ego, the Lizard.

7:30pm on WGN
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
After a gentle alien becomes stranded on Earth, the being is discovered and befriended by a young boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas). Bringing the extraterrestrial into his suburban California house, Elliott introduces E.T., as the alien is dubbed, to his brother and his little sister, Gertie (Drew Barrymore), and the children decide to keep its existence a secret. Soon, however, E.T. falls ill, resulting in government intervention and a dire situation for both Elliott and the alien.

8:00pm on TNT
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
When a long-missing page from the diary of assassin John Wilkes Booth suddenly resurfaces, it implicates the great-great grandfather of treasure hunter Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) as a conspirator in Lincoln's death. Ben's globetrotting quest to prove his ancestor's innocence leads him to a closely guarded book containing the nation's deepest secrets.

9:00pm on CBS
Unforgettable
Season 3, Episode 12: Moving On
A TV star is found dead, leading Carrie and Al into the dangerous world of celebrity obsession.

9:00pm on Syfy
The Chronicles of Riddick
Galactic criminal Riddick (Vin Diesel) is on the run, with bounty hunters on his tail. He receives guidance from Aereon (Judi Dench), ambassador from the Elemental race, who informs him that a warrior army known as the Necromongers is annihilating all human life in the galaxy in a bid for universal dominance. The wise Aereon urges Riddick into battle, believing he is the one man who can defeat the Necromongers and their leader, the evil Lord Marshal (Colm Feore).

10:00pm on WGN
Manhattan
Season 1, Episode 8:

10:00pm on CBS
Unforgettable
Season 3, Episode 13: DOA
An assassin poisons Carrie, leaving her unable to use her perfect memory.

KEEPING UP WITH CAST AND CREW

SPECIAL EFFECTS FROM BABYLON 5
Leo Laporte's "Triangulation" video podcast this week has a very interesting interview with Jeoffrey Mark, who got his CGI start on Babylon 5, and has gone on to major motion pictures including Spiderman and Serenity, among many others. They talk about his experience on B5, including numerous clips from his B5 demo reel, throughout the interview, and of course also talk about his other projects. This would be of great interest to the B5 community. He even lets slip that he still has digital models of many of the B5 ships backed up at home, and then jokingly tries to backtrack, as if he's not supposed to have them. Pretty funny. The link to the video is http://twit.tv/show/triangulation/165.

TERMINATOR SALVATION: THE FINAL BATTLE #9
The killer Thomas Parnell's control over the Terminator army has brought both Skynet and the human resistance to their knees. With all of John Connor's other allies fallen or displaced in time, only he and the resurrected Marcus Wright remain to stand against this psychotic oppressor!

SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE
Just released: the cover for Superman: Earth One volume 3, which comes out February/March. This volume ties both of the previous books together, answering such questions as who pulled the trigger on Krypton, how the aliens who attacked him in book one were recruited, and deals with the consequences of his decision to knock over (for the greater good) a tyrant running a small island nation. In my admittedly subjective view, this volume is the best of the three.

Here is a quote from J. Michael Straczynski about emotions.
I had this theory that the more important and intimate the emotion, the fewer words are required to express it.

First it's in dating: "Will you go out with me?" Six words.
"Honey, I care for you." Five words.
"You matter to me." Four words.
"I love you." Three words.
"Marry me." Two words.
But what's left? What's the one most important and intimate word you can ever say to somebody? It's "goodbye."

While Michael O'Hare (Sinclair), Andreas Katsulas (G'Kar), Rick Biggs (Dr. Franklin), Tim Choate (Zathras) and Jeff Conoway (Zach Allen) are no longer with us, we will not forget their wonderful personalities and talent -- as well as their significant contributions to the BABYLON 5 universe. Be sure to visit In Memory Of for more information about memorial efforts.
Until we met again, in a place where no shadows fall.

BABYLON 5 BIRTHDAYS

SEPTEMBER
Judy Levitt (Mrs. Walter Koenig) - September 1 (Unnamed Psi Cop in "A Race Through Dark Places" and "Dust to Dust")
Pat Tallman - September 4
Cinzia Zanetti - September 5
Robin Atkin Downes - September 6
Mira Furlan - September 7
Jeffrey Combs - September 9 (Harrison Gray in 'Eyes')
Julia Nickson - September 11 (Sinclair's girl friend/fiance Catherine Sakai)
Christopher Neame - September 12 (Knight One in "And the Sky Full of Stars")
Clyde Kusatsu - September 13 (Dr. Bill Morishi in Thirdspace)
Walter Koenig - September 14
Paul Williams - September 19
Robert Rusler - September 20
Gary Cole - September 20
Bear Burge - September 23
Jason Carter - September 23
Manny Case - September 23

Have I missed anyone? If you know the birthday of someone connected with Babylon 5, pass the information along. We want to include everyone in our Happy Birthday Wishes.

THE HOLLYWOOD SCI-FI MUSEUM
Here's a project you may want to get involved with!
About the Project:
New Starship Foundation, the nonprofit behind the Enterprise-D Bridge Restoration, with board members including the greatest talents in science fiction, presents THE HOLLYWOOD SCIENCE FICTION MUSEUM. This will be the first museum in the world to exclusively show the history of sci-fi films, TV, art and literature through props, sets and costumes, as well as show advancements in space travel and teach Real Science through Science Fiction. It will be an interactive museum with fully immersive environments and touch screens that will incorporate old and new footage from actors, filmmakers and NASA astronauts and scientists, and will present both the fact and fiction of sci-fi. This will eventually teach Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) based education in a fun new way to all ages. The museum will include exhibits from: Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, 2001, Alien, Metropolis, Thunderbirds, Firefly, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate, Blake's 7, Ghostbusters, Farscape, The Time Machine, Godzilla, X-Men, Avengers, Superman, Planet of the Apes, Back to the Future, Day the Earth Stood Still, V, Batman, Six Million Dollar Man, Bionic Woman, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, as well as Fantasy like Lord of the Rings, Labyrinth, Legend, Munsters, Herbie the Love Bug, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Dark Crystal, Game of Thrones, Anime like Akira and Speed Racer, and anything else we can fit within our walls.

This Kickstarter is to acquire the funds to develop our 2015 Hollywood Sci Fi Museum, which will be smaller than the future museum, but still significant and unique. This "concept art" of the giant Millennium Falcon and Enterprise-D is for our 2018 Hollywood Sci Fi Museum.

Go to http://www.hollywoodscifi.org/ for more information.

BABYLON 5 MUSIC VIDEOS AND TRIBUTES

John Hudgens has created many Babylon 5 videos, but I believe this is the most moving. It was first shown at the Phoenix Comic Con 20th Anniversary and honors many of the Babylon 5 family who have passed on.

Here is a link to John's Babylon 5 videos:
https://www.youtube.com/user/Babylon5MusicVideos?feature=watch

Richard Biggs memorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyD4L8yNtsA

Andreas Katsulas memorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2UQ2l9NPIg

- This is the extended version that I did for Andreas' widow ater the original cut was released on the net. It's never been seen online until now.

For those of you who've never seen these, I hope you enjoy them - and for those that have (and emailed me many times over the years about releasing them), I hope they're as good as you remember. Working with Joe on these videos was one of the highlights of my career, and I'll be forever grateful to him for the doors these have opened for me. I'm proud to have them on my resume.

John Hudgens
www.zteamproductions.com

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HAWAII CON
Dates: September 12-14, 2014
Place: Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel, Hawaii
Babylon 5 Guests: Pat Tallman, Claudia Christian, Walter Koenig
Other Guests from Stargate Atlantis, Battlestar Galactica, Games of Thrones and more
For more information, go to www.hawaiicon.com.

CRYSTAL COAST CON
Date: October 18, 2014
Place: Mac Daddys Family Entertainment Facility, Cape Carteret, NC
B5 Guests: Pat Tallman and Bill Blair
Pat will be a media signing guest. The facility located at 130 Golfin Dolphin Dr., Cape Carteret, NC 28584
For more information, go to http://www.crystalcoastcon.com/.

LONDON FILM AND COMIC CON WINTER
Dates: October 18-19, 2014
Place: Earls Court 2, Old Brompton Road, SW5 9TA
Guests: Katee Sackhoff, Nicola Bryant, Ralph Macchio, Christopher Cousins, Colin Baker, David Prowse and many more
For more information, go to http://www.londonfilmandcomiccon.com/

Spooky's Ultimate Horror Weekend
Dates: Oct. 24-26, 2014
Place: Doubletree Universal Studios, Orlando, FL 32819
Guests:
Michael Rooker - Walking Dead & Jeremiah; Stephen Pearcy - Ratt; Dee Wallace Stone - ET & Cuju; Tyler Mane - Halloween & X Men, and Tobin Bell - Dexter
For more information, go to http://www.spookyempire.com/.

MALTA COMIC EXPO
Dates: October 31-November 2, 2014
Place: Mediterranean Conference Center, Valletta, Malta
Guests: Richard Piccardo, Dirk Benedict,Silvester McCoy and many more
For more information, go to http://maltacomicsexpo.com/.

MAGIC CITY COMIC CON
Dates: January 16-18, 2015 Place: Miami Airport Convention Center
Comic Guests: John Romita, Jr., Allen Bellman, Adelso Corona, Greg Kirkpatrick, Dan Scott
For more information, go to http://www.magiccitycomiccon.com/.

STEEL CITY CON
Dates: December 5-7, 2014
Place: Monroeville Convention Center, Monroeville, PA
Guests: Linda Blair, Henry Winkler, Michael Dorn, Peter Mayhew, Terry Farrell, John Wesley Shippe, and more.
For more information, go to http://www.steelcitycon.com/.

FED-CON 24
Dates: May 21-24, 2015
Place: Maritim Hotel, Dusseldorf, Germany
Guests: Sam Jones, Aaron Douglas, Grant Bowler and more to come
For more information, go to http://www.fedcon.de/en/.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS!
Wizard World Conventions has a large number of events planned for the year. Be sure to visit the page to see if there is a convention of interest near you.

Creation Entertainment has a large number of conventions planned for the next several months. They include stars from TWILIGHT, SUPERNATURAL, STARGATE, FARSCAPE, XENA, SERENITY, STAR TREK, etc. Check out their calendar to see if one will be in your neighborhood soon. Don't miss their Videos page as well. It is full of some priceless video from a number of conventions.

Be sure to visit the referenced sites to see if there have been changes in dates/guests attending. Visit our Convention Calendar for a full listing of upcoming conventions.

BACK ISSUES OF THE ZOCALO TODAY

The front page of the The Zocalo Today changes daily, so be sure to check the back issues to make sure that you haven't missed anything IMPORTANT! I hope you will become a regular visitor to The Zocalo Today!

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Take care and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sandra Bruckner (sgbruckner@aol.com)
Editor/Publisher
ISN News: The Zocalo Today
http://www.isnnews.net
Copyright - SBruckner, 1999-2014