NEWS FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST 2016

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2016

Actor Gabriel Luna, who landed the role of Robbie Reyes a.k.a. Ghost Rider for the upcoming fourth season of the Marvel/ABC series, spoke with the Hollywood Reporter about the character -- which he didn't even know existed until after he won the role. With Reyes, the third iteration of Ghost Rider after Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch, only introduced in the comics in early 2014, Luna had to do some catching up:

"I knew about Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch, those were really my generation of the Ghost Rider. I in fact did not know that the Ghost Rider spirit of vengeance was now inhabiting Robbie Reyes now. When [Marvel TV head] Jeph [Loeb] and [Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. executive producers] Jed [Whedon] and Mo [Tancharoen] finally cracked the lid on what I'd be playing, I was shocked because when they called me they were very secretive as to what it was. When I finally found out what it was, I did my research and I looked into it, and that's when I discovered that there was this new incarnation of Ghost Rider."

Luna went out and bought the entire Reyes run, but said that the TV show will be "expanding the Ghost Rider canon" of Reyes since there is relatively little material about him in the comics. But there is enough back story for the character that Reyes hopes to explore it over the course of the season:

"It's so early right now, and there's very little I know right now. We have the first episode in the can. What I'm really excited about is that the Robbie I had in my mind, he's there. It's not just his name or his body. His personality is all there. And it's still the Ghost Rider. The Ghost Rider is a completely separate thing from Robbie. It's something that always inhabits his body and something that he always has to fight. It's an evil thing. That's what they have maintained in the writing. It's going to be a really solid interpretation of Ghost Rider. But as for his family, we're going to have to wait and see if they show up."

Part of that family history in the comics involves Robbie's late uncle Eli, a serial killer whose evil spirit is bound to the black Dodge Charger that Robbie drives and who facilitates Robbie's transformation into the Ghost Rider, but at a cost. Luna didn't say whether Eli would be a factor in the TV series, but did allude to the comics in discussing his take on the character:

"A lot of what happens in the books is that Robbie has this internal conflict with the spirit of vengeance. It's a really strong story. I'm excited to get to show how he's able to exist with this spirit of vengeance and not only harness it but own it. That's always been central to the Ghost Rider story. Sometimes the Rider totally takes over and that's a terrifying process. It's always this push and pull between the two characters."

Luna wasn't able to divulge much more, including how Ghost Rider comes into contact with the gang from S.H.I.E.L.D., but did acknowledge that when you see the signature flaming skull onscreen, that will be him under the VFX: "The flaming head? Yeah, that's me."

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns to ABC on Tuesday, September 20, at 10 p.m.

ARRIVAL
Paramount Pictures has dropped the first official trailer and 12 posters (for each of the 12 UFOs called "Shells" that have landed across the Earth) for Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming alien movie, Arrival.

Starring Amy Adams (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) in the role of an expert linguist who has to find a way to communicate with some new arrivals from another world, and Jeremy Renner (Captain America: Civil War) as a physicist, the movie is based on the novella Story of Your Life, penned by Ted Chiang.

Directed by Villeneuve (Prisoners, Sicario) from a script by Eric Heisserer (2011’s The Thing), Arrival also stars Forest Whitaker (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and Michael Stuhlbarg (Men in Black 3).

While the first teaser released last week shied away from showing us what the aliens looked like (if that's indeed their form), the first full-length trailer gives us a peek at the space visitors’ intriguing appearance. Let’s just say, we’re not looking at E.T. or those aliens from Close Encouters of the Third Kind.

When mysterious spacecrafts touch down across the globe, an elite team - lead by expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) - is brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers – and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity.

Arrival is set to open on Nov. 11, but the sci-fi film will have its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 2.

THE WALKING DEAD
AMC has finally released the first official clip from the upcoming new season of The Walking Dead. The one-minute sneak peek premiered during the Season 7 preview special and has now found its merry way online.

The clip features Dwight (Austin Amelio, introduced last season) sporting some very familiar duds — namely Daryl Dixon’s (Norman Reedus) trademark angel-winged leather vest — and riding his bike. So, what does that mean for our favorite crossbow-wielding-squirrel-hunting-motorcycle-riding red neck?

Nothing super exciting actually happens in the clip, but if I were a betting woman, I’d bet a fair amount of squirrel pelts and gigantic cans of chocolate pudding that sneak peek is there to troll us make us anxious about Daryl’s ultimate fate at the hands of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Could this be a case of misdirection on AMC’s part? That’s a fair assumption to make, and I hope it means Daryl won’t be the one who meets Lucille (Negan’s beloved barbed-wired baseball bat. See pic above) when the show returns in the fall.

MR. ROBOT
USA Network announced today that their hit original drama series Mr. Robot, recently nominated for six Primetime Emmys, has been renewed for a third season slated to air in 2017.

“We couldn’t be more proud of Mr. Robot, a series that has pushed boundaries, captured the cultural zeitgeist, and been honored as one of the best dramas on television,” said Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. “Midway through its second season, Mr. Robot continues to break new ground and open up new opportunities for the network. We can’t wait to see where Sam Esmail and the entire brilliant Robot team take us next.”

“Being the home studio for this wonderful, completely original show is an exhilarating experience. Sam and company just keep taking it to another level,” said Jeff Wachtel, Chief Content Officer, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment and President, Universal Cable Productions. “We can’t wait to get going on Season 3… as soon as we finish Season 2!”

Mr. Robot follows Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek), a cyber-security engineer who becomes involved in the underground hacker group fsociety, after being recruited by their leader (Christian Slater). Following the events of fsociety’s five/nine hack on multi-national company Evil Corp, the second season explores the consequences of that attack as well as the illusion of control.

The series also stars Portia Doubleday, Carly Chaikin, Martin Wallstrom, Grace Gummer, Michael Cristofer and Stephanie Corneliussen.

Since its premiere, Mr. Robot has received six Emmy nominations including Drama Series and Lead Actor; three Golden Globe Award nominations and two wins including Best Drama; a Peabody Award; a SAG Award nomination; four Critics’ Choice Award nominations and three wins; two Writers Guild Award nominations and one win for Best New Series; three IPA Satellite Award nominations and one win for Best Supporting Actor; and the TCA Award for Outstanding New Program. The series was also selected for an AFI Award for Television Program of the Year, won a Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Long Form Series, won the coveted Audience Award in the Episodics category at the 2015 SXSW Festival and was an official selection at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival.

JACK RYAN SERIES
Amazon today announced it has greenlit the Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan TV series from Paramount and Skydance Television, to debut on Amazon Prime Video. The one-hour, 10-episode dramatic series is slated to star John Krasinski (13 Hours, “The Office”) as Jack Ryan and is projected to shoot in the US, Europe and Africa. Jack Ryan is a reinvention with a modern sensibility of the famed and lauded Tom Clancy hero, a character with a star-filled Hollywood history, having been previously portrayed by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine.

Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan follows an up-and-coming CIA analyst thrust into a dangerous field assignment for the first time. Ryan (Krasinski) uncovers a pattern in terrorist communication that launches him into the center of a dangerous gambit with a new breed of terrorism that threatens destruction on a global scale.

Set to executive produce are Carlton Cuse (“Lost,” “Bates Motel”) and Graham Roland (“Almost Human”), who wrote the pilot based on a story he and Cuse developed. Jack Ryan is co-produced with Paramount and Skydance Television, executive produced by Platinum Dunes’ Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, and Andrew Form (Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), as well as Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Marcy Ross, along with Mace Neufeld (Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, The Sum of All Fears and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit) and Lindsey Springer.

“We’re excited to add the Jack Ryan global franchise to our robust originals pipeline,” said Roy Price, Head of Amazon Studios. “Our customers will enjoy a compelling adaptation of the action-packed spy thriller book series, further raising the bar for the quality level of storytelling that has made Prime Video a leading destination for content.”

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

Kenny Baker, best known as the actor who brought R2-D2 to life, has died at the age of 81. Baker, who stood 3 feet and 8 inches tall, played the iconic droid in Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and the entire Star Wars prequel trilogy. Though it could obviously be done with CGI or animatronics now, Baker literally controlled the droid from inside the suit in the classic days of practical effects.

According to Baker’s family, he had been facing a decline in health the past several years.

“It was expected, but it’s sad nonetheless,” his niece, Abigail Shield, told The Guardian. “He had a very long and fulfilled life. He brought lots of happiness to people and we’ll be celebrating the fact that he was well loved throughout the world. We’re all very proud of what he achieved in his lifetime.”

Along with his iconic role in the Star Wars saga, Baker also had memorable turns in several other genre classics throughout the 1980s, including Flash Gordon, Time Bandits and The Elephant Man. His career is awesome on its own, but made even more remarkable by the fact that when he was born, doctors told him he would probably not survive into adulthood. But he proved them all wrong, and made some amazing films in the process.

Baker leaves behind an epic sci-fi legacy that will never be forgotten. R.I.P., and may the Force be with you.

AFTERMATH
Check out this intense teaser art for the upcoming Syfy series Aftermath, starring real-life couple Anne Heche and James Tupper as post-apocalyptic parents Karen and Joshua Copeland. Set against the harrowing backdrop of the world's end, this grim new promo poster paints a bleak future for our heroic survivors.

Created by William Laurin (1-800-Missing, The Listener) and Glenn Davis (1-800-Missing, Once a Thief), Aftermath is set after a catastrophic planetary calamity occurs, forcing the Copeland family to band together to survive the horrors that lurk in the looming wastelands.

In addition to leads Heche and Tupper, Aftermath also stars Julia Sarah Stone (The Killing), Levi Meaden (The Killing) and Taylor Hickson (Deadpool) as their set of resourceful children “coming of age in the apocalypse,” encountering a mutated menagerie of meteors, mega storms and madness.

Jason Stone (This Is the End) will direct the first two installments of a planned 13-episode season, which launches on Syfy on Tuesday, Sept. 27, at 10/9c. The cable network has made a concerted effort in delivering more original scripted dramas to the small screen lately, and this new fall entry could be another admirable addition to its expanding lineup, joining its ongoing menu of provocative shows like The Expanse, The Magicians and 12 Monkeys, and other new series such as Van Helsing and Incorporated.

DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW
The CW is pulling out all the stops for the second season of Legends of Tomorrow, and the roster for the Justice Society of America just added one heck of a genre legend.

Lance Henriksen, known for his iconic roles in everything from Alien to MIllennium, has signed on to play JSA member Obsidian. The casting coup was announced at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour. His character (traditionally) has the power to merge with his own shadow and possess the shadows of others. No word on exactly how they’ll adapt the power set for television.

In the comic canon, the character is also the son of Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott (might we finally see a Green Lantern in the Arrow-verse?). On the page, Obsidian was first introduced in a 1983 All-Star Squadron run and joined the modern Justice Society in 2007.

With Henriksen locked in, we now know pretty much all the JSA roster we’ll see this fall. He joins Patrick J. Adams as Hourman, Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Vixen, Matthew MacCaull as Commander Steel and Sarah Grey as Star Girl. Doctor Mid-Nite will also reportedly show up, though the studio has yet to announce casting on that front.

Legends of Tomorrow premieres Oct. 13 on The CW.

ARROW
The past finally catches up with the present in Season 5 of Arrow, and the crew behind The CW’s original super-series looks to wrap up the flashback saga with an A-list baddie.

Entertainment Weekly reports the series has signed legendary action star Dolph Lundgren to play the major villain in this season’s run of flashbacks, which will find Oliver heading to Russia. The arc should fill in some lingering gaps that have been alluded to throughout the series, and pitting Stephen Amell against someone as imposing as Lundgren should be dynamite on-screen.

Producer Wendy Mericle said we’ve actually already heard of the character Lundgren will be playing, the Russian villain Kovar, who was first referenced at the end of Season 4 by Taiana. She said Cover will be a “super big badass guy who works for the Russian government.”

The entire series run has featured flashbacks, which were designed to fill in the five years Oliver was shipwrecked/etc. Since it’s finally reached Season 5, the creators confirmed this will be the last season of flashbacks — with the final arc almost certainly tying into the start of the series, leaving Oliver where we first meet him in the pilot.

Fellow producer Marc Guggenheim elaborated on the decision to end the flashbacks this season, noting it’s been part of the long-term plan from the start. He also said ending it with Russia made perfect sense, considering how many story tidbits they’ve teased about Oliver’s time there.

“We always said that Oliver had a five-year journey when he was marooned on the [island]. This year, Oliver spends his time in the flashbacks in Russia. We know from various seeds we planted back in the pilot that he knows how to speak Russian, he became a Bratva captain. Sort of the flashback story in the first half of the year is going to involve Oliver’s introduction into the Bratva.”

To better connect the flashback story to the present-day events (something they’ve struggled with the past season or two), Guggenheim said they’ll contrast Oliver’s time being trained by the Bratva crime organization to his modern-day task of training a younger team of heroes:

“He’s basically recruited into this crime organization while at the same time in the present day Oliver has recruits of his own. He’s a trainee in the past, trainer in the present, and I think that will give the audience the connect-up thematically between present in the past.”

Arrow’s fifth season premieres Wednesday, Oct. 5, on The CW.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2016

Rogue One takes place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. It centers on a band of rebels who embark on a perilous mission to steal the plans to the Empire’s new weapon of mass destruction: the Death Star. Along with new (and returning) characters, the newest entry into the Star Wars saga will feature new planets, such as the Jedi’s spiritual stronghold of Jedha, and cool new starships like the U-Wing.

The movie set in a galaxy far, far away stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker and James Earl Jones as the voice of Darth Vader. Jimmy Smits also recently let it slip that he’ll have a small cameo as Bail Organa in the movie.

Hot dang. I just had chills! Here’s the new official synopsis:

From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves.

Directed by Gareth Edwards (and unofficially by Tony Gilroy, who recently spearheaded five weeks of reshoots and is currently taking the lead in the editing room with Edwards’s input) the movie is produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur and Simon Emanuel, with John Knoll and Jason McGatlin serving as executive producers.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opens in theaters Dec. 16.

BRAVE NEW WORLD
Syfy and Universal Cable Productions announced today that comic book writer Grant Morrison will work with director Brian Taylor (Gamer) to bring the Aldous Huxley novel Brave New World to the network's airwaves. The project is being developed in conjunction with Amblin Television and was first proposed in May 2015.

Brave New World is not just a landmark of science fiction but one of the most widely read and acclaimed books of its time, having been ranked fifth on Modern Library's 1999 list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. It's set 632 years in the future, in a world marked by advances in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, psychological manipulation and classical conditioning that combine to profoundly change society. The book has been filmed twice previously, in 1980 and 1998.

The adaptation will continue Syfy's recent slate of adapting both classic and more recent science fiction novels for television, a trend which was spearheaded last year by the premieres of Childhood's End, based on the Arthur C. Clarke novel, The Magicians from the books by Lev Grossman, and The Expanse, adapted from the series of books by James S.A. Corey.

Morrison and Taylor have actually scored a two-fer with Syfy: The network is also developing Happy!, an adaptation of Morrison's graphic novel with artist Darick Robertson. Morrison and Taylor have already co-written a pilot, which Taylor may also direct. This one is described as a "grimy crime black comedy" and centers on a corrupt ex-cop named Nick Sax who now works as a hit man. But after a job goes wrong, Sax finds himself with a bullet in his side and the cops, the mob and a killer in a Santa suit all in pursuit. His only hope may be Happy, a tiny blue-winged horse that emerges from Sax's imagination with a "relentlessly positive attitude."

Both projects are wildly different from each other but equally fascinating, especially with Morrison's involvement.

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
Marvel announced today that Parminder Nagra (The Blacklist, E.R., Bend it Like Beckham) has joined Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in a recurring role, facing off with the organization as they continue to advocate for Inhumans!

Nagra will play a powerful political figure who is outspoken in her distrust of Inhumans and the threat they pose to society.

She joins fellow new cast members Gabriel Luna and Jason O’Mara, who will play Robbie Reyes and the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the upcoming season.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns September 20 in its new timeslot, 10:00 PM ET on ABC, for its biggest season yet.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2016

Entertainment Weekly has revealed that iZombie villain Matthew MacCaull (Tomorrowland, Star Trek Beyond) has been cast as Henry Heywood Sr., aka Commander Steel. Just yesterday, executive producer Marc Guggenheim revealed the official logo for the DC Comics superhero team.

Commander Steel was created back in 1939 in Steel: The Indestructible Man, which was written by Captain America writer Gerry Conway. The series was canceled after only five issues and the hero later made appearances in Justice League of America. In the comics, the first Commander Steel (there were three of them) was not a member of the Justice Society, but a member of the All-Star Squadron and Amanda Waller’s Shadow Fighters. It was rather his grandson, Nathan Haywood, who was a member of the Justice Society.

But that will change in Legends of Tomorrow, where MacCaull's Commander Steel is a member of the Justice Society of America who will appear alongside the still-uncast Obsidian, Stargirl and Dr. Mid-Nite, as well as Vixen (Maisie Richardson-Sellers) and the already introduced Hourman (Patrick J. Adams).

There are no details about the character’s appearance on the show yet (in the pages of the comics, he was a cyborg with super-strength) besides the fact that he is the grandfather of Dr. Nate Heywood (Nick Zano), aka Citizen Steel, who will also be in Season 2. Since Legends of Tomorrow features loads of time travel, it’s not hard to believe both characters will appear on screen at the same time while being roughly the same age. Should be fun!

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow returns on Oct. 13 on The CW.

<THE EXORCIST
Fox's new horror series, loosely based on William Friedkin's The Exorcist, is set to possess viewers on Sept. 23, and we've got a twisted promo poster to set the mood. It depicts the demonically terrorized girl with her head turn completely backward, recalling Linda Blair's cranium-cranking scene from the original 1973 horror classic.

Here's the official synopsis for the devilish new series:

Father Tomas Ortega (Alfonso Herrera, “Sense8,” “The Chosen”) is the new face of the Catholic Church: progressive, ambitious and compassionate. He runs a small but loyal parish in the suburbs of Chicago. He has no idea that his quiet life is about to change forever. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, another priest finds himself locked in a life-and-death struggle with evil. Father Marcus Brennan (Ben Daniels, “Flesh and Bone,” “House of Cards”) is a modern-day Templar Knight, an orphan raised since childhood by the Vatican to wage war against its enemies. Father Marcus is everything Father Tomas is not: relentless, abrasive and utterly consumed by his sacred mission. Caught in the middle is the Rance family, members of Tomas’ parish. On the surface, they’re a normal, suburban family, but all is not as it seems in this household.

The patriarch, Henry Rance (guest star Alan Ruck, “Spin City,” Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), is slowly but surely losing his mind. Eldest daughter Katherine (Brianne Howey, “Scream Queens”) has become a recluse who refuses to leave her room. Her younger sister, Casey (Hannah Kasulka, “The Fosters”), thinks she’s hearing strange noises coming from inside the walls. And mother Angela (Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Geena Davis, “Commander in Chief,” Thelma & Louise) has been plagued by recurring nightmares, each more frightening than the last. Angela believes there is something in the house, a demonic presence, growing stronger by the day. Desperate, she begs Father Tomas for help, unwittingly setting the naïve young priest on a collision course with Father Marcus. Separately, each faces an insurmountable task, but together they become the only hope against an evil force that has been mobilizing for centuries.

SLEEPY HOLLOW NEWS
Fox's Sleepy Hollow has tapped a Lost alum to play the supernatural drama series’ Big Bad for Season 4.

TV Line reports that Emmy-winning actor Jeremy Davies is coming on board as Ichabod Crane’s (Tom Mison) new archnemesis this coming season. Davies won that Emmy for his role of Dickie Bennett on Justified.

Davies will play a recurring character named Malcolm Dreyfuss, who is described as: “an eccentric and outspoken tech mogul who became a billionaire before the age of 30, and has since been seeking other worlds to conquer. In many ways, he is a dark mirror to Tom Mison’s Crane, since he represents capitalism and democracy gone awry — a perversion of the American dream that Crane and the Founding Fathers fought so hard to establish.”

Sooo ... not a supernatural villain, then.

Just last week, Janina Gavankar (True Blood, The League) was cast as the new female lead, replacing Nicole Beharie’s Abbie Mills, who was killed off in the Season 3 finale. Much to everyone’s utter shock. Gavankar plays Ichabod's new partner Diana, a single mom and former military officer who is now a special agent for Homeland Security who doesn’t believe in the supernatural. This will create some tension between her and Crane, because they have “different ways of approaching missions: While he’s methodical and research-focused, she’s active and task-oriented, which is reflective of her military training.”

There’s even more change afoot for the series since Season 4 will also see the show’s setting change from the quaint town of Sleepy Hollow in upstate New York to Washington D.C.

INCORPORATED
The first trailer for Syfy’s (Blastr's corporate parent - Ed.) upcoming dystopian futuristic thriller, Incorporated, was released during the Television Critics Association summer press tour yesterday.

Incorporated stars Sean Teale (Reign), Julia Ormond (Mad Men), Dennis Haysbert (24), Allisson Miller (Terra Nova), Eddie Ramos (Teen Wolf) and Stargate Atlantis’ David Hewlett.

The 13-episode series hails from Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Todd’s Pearl Street Films production and Humphrey’s Algorithm Entertainment and was produced by CBS Television Studios and Universal Cable Productions. Damon, Affleck and Todd will also serve as executive producers on the series, co-created by Alex Pastor and David Pastor (Self/less). Ted Humphrey (The Good Wife) has come on board as executive producer and showrunner.

In case you’re wondering, this is the first trailer for the sci-fi TV show, meaning it's different from the footage shown by Syfy during San Diego Comic-Con almost two weeks ago (it was actually a clip). So yeah, there’s plenty more exciting stuff to see!

Here’s a show synopsis:

Incorporated is set in a near future where corporations have unlimited power. Teale (Reign) stars as Ben Larson, a young exec who conceals his true identity to infiltrate a dangerous corporate world to save the woman he loves. Larson, though, isn’t the only one whose secrets might have deadly consequences.

Syfy has slated the premiere date for Nov. 30, which is sadly still a good way away. However, they’ve also set premiere dates for Van Helsing (Sept. 23), horror anthology series Channel Zero: Candle Cove (Sept. 27) and new post-apocalyptic thriller Aftermath (Sept. 27).

Zombie series Z Nation will return for a two-hour Season 3 premiere on Sept. 16, so there's going to be loads of interesting TV shows to sink our teeth into before Incorporated makes its debut.

DOCTOR STRANGE
Followers of the ‘Doctor Strange‘ comic know that the two magical artifacts that he always has with him are the Cloak of Levitation and the Eye of Agamotto and today’s image shows off the second of these in action. These are so ingrained in the character that it would be hard to image the Master of the Mystic Arts to not be wearing them at almost all times.

Of the two items, Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige previously stated their importance by saying:

“The Cloak of Levitation [and] the Eye of Agamotto are his two signature pieces. In this film, the Eye is a very important relic that can be quite dangerous if used in the wrong hands, because it has the ability to do any number of things, the most dangerous of which is, it can sort of manipulate probabilities. Which is also another way of saying, ‘screw around with time’ — which is part of our story.”

So what will the Eye of Agamotto, which almost sounds like may have something to do with the Time Gem from the Infinity Gauntlet, be doing here? Well, we don’t rightly know quite yet.

While it seems that another Infinity Stone might be making an appearance here, it isn’t quite clear how it will be used in the film at this time.

Synopsis:

Marvel’s Doctor Strange follows the story of the talented neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange who, after a tragic car accident, must put ego aside and learn the secrets of a hidden world of mysticism and alternate dimensions. Based in New York City’s Greenwich Village, Doctor Strange must act as an intermediary between the real world and what lies beyond, utilizing a vast array of metaphysical abilities and artifacts to protect the Marvel cinematic universe.

‘Doctor Strange’ starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benedict Wong, and Mads Mikkelsen emerges on this plane on November 4, 2016.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016

The 15-episode third season is executive produced by Karl Schaefer (Eerie Indiana, Eureka, The Dead Zone) who also serves as showrunner. The show was co-created by Schaefer and Craig Engler.

Z Nation stars Kellita Smith (The Bernie Mac Show), DJ Qualls (The Man in the High Castle), Keith Allan (Rise of the Zombies), Anastasia Baranova (The Darkness II), Russell Hodgkinson (Big Fish) and Nat Zang.

Z Nation starts three years after the zombie virus has gutted the country, a team of everyday heroes must transport the only known survivor of the plague from New York to California, where the last functioning viral lab waits for his blood. Although the antibodies he carries are the world’s last, best hope for a vaccine, he hides a dark secret that threatens them all. With humankind’s survival at stake, the ragtag band embarks on a journey of survival across three thousand miles of rusted-out post-apocalyptic America.

BLINDSPOT
SPOILER ALERT
Fans of the hit crime thriller Blindspot were treated in Season 1 to a tapestry of mysteries and lost memories stitched together by following the leads based on clues tattooed on an enigmatic woman’s body. The central mystery, of course, is the true identity of Jane Doe, played by Jaimie Alexander, and the shocker at the end of Season 1 was that she was not Taylor Shaw, the missing childhood friend of Special Agent Kurt Weller (Sullivan Stapleton). Taylor’s actual fate was revealed by Weller’s father on his deathbed, sending Jane’s partner into a fit of rage. But instead of stringing along viewers about Jane Doe’s true identity, viewers will discover her real name in the upcoming Season 2 premiere, as well as the truth behind Orion.

It’s just a few of the big reveals in store for the upcoming season, as the series begins to establish the firm truth about Jane’s identity, but it won’t be a smooth start, as relationships have been wounded and the scabs need to heal before moving forward. The FBI will be feeling the affects of Mayfair’s (Marianne Jean-Baptise) death and severing ties with Jane and her tattoos. The newly promoted Weller arrested Jane after she kills her only link to her past, Oscar (Francois Arnaud) before he is able to wipe her mind clean again. Jane is then tortured for three months at a CIA black site, as Weller takes out his anger about Taylor Shaw on Jane. That’s where the series picks up as a new NSA agent, played by Blindspot newcomer Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife, The Fall), arrives, so, needless to say, things are very touchy at the FBI.

The Blindspot cast including Jaimie Alexander, Sullivan Stapleton, Rob Brown (Edgar Reade), Audrey Esparza (Tasha Zapata), Ashley Johnson (Patterson) and creator/showrunner Martin Gero came into the Blastr booth at San Diego Comic-Con and I talked to them about all of the cards in play and what viewers can expect in Season 2. Blindspot airs on NBC and returns on Wednesday, Sept. 14.

PETE'S DRAGON
Disney UK has released a brand-new trailer for Pete’s Dragon, the upcoming reimagining of the beloved 1977 live-action/animated film.

Directed and co-written by David Lowery (Ain't Them Bodies Saints), the movie -- which has replaced an animated Elliott for a CGI one -- stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Wes Bentley, Oakes Fegley, Karl Urban, Oona Laurence and Robert Redford.

Slated to open on Aug. 12 in North America and the UK, the movie filmed in New Zealand is currently sitting at a pretty solid 81% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Sure, there are only sixteen reviews posted so far so the rating could either drop or rise in the next couple of days before the film opens in less than two weeks, but it looks to me like the House of Mouse could have another hit on their hands.

For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford) has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales…until she meets Pete (Oakes Fegley). Pete is a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliott. And from Pete’s descriptions, Elliott seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham’s stories. With the help of Natalie (Oona Laurence), an 11-year-old girl whose father Jack (Wes Bentley) owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon.

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. has a new Director, and now we know who took over the gig from Director Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) at the end of the dramatic Season 3 finale.

Terra Nova and Life on Mars (the U.S. version) actor Jason O’Mara is joining the cast of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for the show’s fourth season as the new Director.

What’s even more exciting (at least for me) is that O’Mara (who was the voice of Batman in Batman: Bad Blood and Justice League vs. Teen Titans) is said to be playing a Marvel character whose roots go back to the 1940s! How intriguing is that?

Here’s what Executive Producer and Marvel’s Head of Television Jeph Loeb had to say about O’Mara’s casting:

“Bringing Jason into the mix as the New Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. forces everyone, particularly Coulson, to reevaluate their role in the Agency. Jason has both the physical presence and acting dynamics that will connect with and challenge even the most loyal agent.”

As you guys already know, Season 4 will also introduce the Marvel NOW! version of Ghost Rider, Robbie Reyes (Gabriel Luna), and with Jason O’Mara on board as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new Director, and Daisy (Chloe Bennet) on the run, this should make for a very interesting season.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is set to return on Sept. 20 at 10 p.m. (it's no longer going to air at 9 p.m.) on ABC.

MARS
The Red Planet is certainly enjoying its time in the limelight, with books, comics, video games and feature films all being developed about Earth's infamous neighbor. To add to that list of creative projects comes Ron Howard's Mars, a six-part sci-fi docu-drama hybrid that chronicles the first mission to Mars in the year 2033 and implants the initial components of colonization. It debuts on the National Geographic Channel in November and, from this first extended trailer, appears to have some impressive special effects and an air of authenticity via top scientific minds like SpaceX's Elon Musk, author Andy Weir and astrophysics superstar Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

Brian Grazer and Ron Howard will executive-produce this experimental space series using dramatic scenes of the valiant Daedalus crew interspersed with modern-day documentary segments to enhance the experience and educate views on what it would truly mean to humankind.

“Brian [Grazer] and I, along with the [team] at Radical [Media], had this ambitious idea, which was to create a documentary about the quest to go to Mars but also bring it to life in a really dramatic and cinematic way,” said Howard. “The offer to the audience will be information meets vivid and experiential filmmaking. Nat Geo’s ambition was high, and we are really honored and thrilled to try and meet that challenge.”

Here's the official synopsis:

The team behind Apollo 13 is proud to present MARS, a six-part series that's debuting on the National Geographic Channel in November. Blending elements of documentary and fictional storytelling, the show aims to explore what the Red Planet could mean to Earth right now.

Explore this new trailer for Nat Geo's Mars mini-series and tell us if you'll be aboard its global premiere this fall.

Sandra Bruckner (sgbruckner@aol.com)
Editor/Publisher
ISN News: The Zocalo Today
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