Gillian Anderson On Starz ‘American Gods’ Is Stunning As The God Media

by AllieHanleyMay 8, 2017

The second episode of “American Gods” from Starz network is starting to show great promise. Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle ) is journeying alongside Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane) to Chicago to meet up with some “old friends” in hopes of persuading them to join his cause.

Creators Michael Green and Bryan Fuller have a tough job building the universe that Neal Gaiman created in his novel “American Gods” as one that can translate visually to television. Rather than come out and say exactly what’s going on, the story does a wonderful job of letting the audience discover as Shadow learns bit-by-bit that he’s stepped into perhaps another world.

On a shopping trip Shadow encounters Media (Gillian Anderson) as she appears on the screen of a TV display in a box store. She speaks to him through the TV as Lucille Ball on the classic show “I Love Lucy.” Does that come across as strange? She lets him know she’s got her eye on him and is willing to pay him whatever he wants to join her. Shadow isn’t sure if what he is seeing is real or if he’s loosing his mind post jail. She explains how the TV is the altar and she is the God. And how “time” and “attention” equate to lambs blood. In a world where people are watching something all the time, you can guess she’s probably got to be one of the most powerful of all. Poor Shadow is even more confused.

Mr. Wednesday explains that Lucy is actually Media (appearing as Lucy Ricardo).

Gillian Anderson not only looks amazing as the late Lucille Ball but she personifies the Lucy character while also playing “Media.” It’s crazy but wonderful. Her short performance is nothing less than immensely intriguing, and I can’t wait to see how Media moves forward as it’s been shared she will also be appearing as Judy Garland and three other characters from television pop culture. Check it out for yourself below.

“American Gods” is on Sunday nights on Starz or anytime when you have the app.

Incidentally, someone asked me if I recommend getting the Starz app subscription. They were unfamiliar with the network and had recently gotten Amazon Prime and were considering the add-on for Starz. So if you are new to Starz and considering adding the the app, I whole heartedly recommend it, not only for “American Gods” but also “Black Sails,” “Outlander,” ‘The White Queen,” and the new show “The White Princess.” Starz will also allow you to watch the first episodes of many of their shows on their website for free. I have to warn you, once you do get the Starz app and have access to all those episodes, you will be in for many late nights of binging, especially “Outlander.”

The Truce Is Over: Take A Look At ‘Ash Vs. Evil Dead’s Second Season!

by Derek KraneveldtAugust 29, 2016

Briefly: We got our real first look at Ash vs. Evil Dead‘s upcoming second season in the too-gory-for-SDCC trailer released last month, and Starz today has debuted another look at what is sure to be one of the best series’ of the Fall.

This time around, that look comes in the form of a two-minute feature that tells us a little of what we can expect this time around, while also featuring some sweet, sweet interviews with cast and executives.

The second season roars back into action with Ash leaving his beloved Jacksonville and returning to his hometown of Elk Grove, Michigan. There, he confronts Ruby. The former enemies have to form an uneasy alliance as Elk Grove soon becomes the nucleus of evil.

Take a look at the video below, and let us know if you’re excited for the season!

SDCC 2016: Starz Debuts The First Poster From ‘American Gods’

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 21, 2016

Briefly: Preceding the official American Gods panel tomorrow (from 3:15-4:15PM in room 6BCF), Starz has debuted the first official poster for its upcoming, incredibly anticipated American Gods.

The series posits a war brewing between old and new gods: the traditional gods of mythological roots from around the world steadily losing believers to an upstart pantheon of gods reflecting society’s modern love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs. Its protagonist, Shadow Moon, is an ex-con who becomes bodyguard and traveling partner to Mr. Wednesday, a conman but in reality one of the older gods, on a cross-country mission to gather his forces in preparation to battle the new deities.

I’m actually not overly familiar with the book myself, but based on that description, it’s definitely jumped to the top of my must-read list.

You can take a look at the poster below, and be sure to check back for more SDCC and American Gods coverage as it’s announced!

SDCC 2016: Watch The ‘Too Gory For Comic-Con’ Trailer For ‘Ash Vs. Evil Dead’s Second Season!

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 19, 2016

Briefly: Starz Ash Vs. Evil Dead is by far one of the goriest properties that I’ve seen on television.

It’s so gory, that apparently the just released red-band trailer for the series upcoming second season has been banned from San Diego Comic-Con.

Of course, the series itself has a rather large presence at the convention, including an offsite event, a signing, screening, and panel. Here’s the schedule:

“Ash vs Evil Dead” Autograph Session

Saturday, July 23^rdat 2:00 PM – “Ash vs Evil Dead” Cabin at Petco Park Interactive Zone

“Ash vs Evil Dead” San Diego Comic-Con Panel

Saturday, July 23^rd at 6:45 PM – Room 6A in the San Diego Convention Center

“Ash vs Evil Dead” World Premiere Screening of Season Two Premiere

Saturday, July 23^rd at 10:00 PM – Room 6DE in the San Diego Convention Center

Take a look at the trailer below, and be sure to let us know if you’re excited for the return of Ash.

Starz ‘American Gods’ Adaptation Has Cast Its Shadow Moon!

by Derek KraneveldtJanuary 28, 2016

Briefly: Aside from Starz original announcement that the network was adapting Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, which was revealed all the way back in the Summer of 2014, we haven’t really heard much from the camp of the incredibly anticipated series.

Until today, that is, when Starz finally announced the actor who will portray Shadow Moon.

It’s Ricky Whittle, who you’ll probably recognize as Lincoln from The CW’s hit series The 100. Shadow Moon ‘is an ex-con who becomes bodyguard and traveling partner to Mr. Wednesday, a conman but in reality one of the older gods, on a cross-country mission to gather his forces in preparation to battle the new deities.’

American Gods author Neil Gaiman noted that “I’m thrilled that Ricky has been cast as Shadow. His auditions were remarkable. The process of taking a world out of the pages of a book, and putting it onto the screen has begun. American Gods is, at its heart, a book about immigrants, and it seems perfectly appropriate that Shadow will, like so much else, be Coming to America. I’m delighted Ricky will get to embody Shadow. Now the fun starts.”

Showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green added that “We searched every continent and country and all the islands in between for our Shadow Moon, and we are lucky to have found Ricky. Fans of the novel will find he has every bit of the heart of the character they fell in love with.”

The series ‘posits a war brewing between old and new gods: the traditional gods of mythological roots from around the world steadily losing believers to an upstart pantheon of gods reflecting society’s modern love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs.’

So, American Gods fans. Are you happy with Whittle in the role? Would you have preferred to see another actor? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

Geekscape Reviews: ‘Ash vs Evil Dead’!

by Gabriel von GrünbaumOctober 31, 2015

Fear not, you primitive screwheads, Ash vs Evil Dead brings back everything you love about Evil Dead in convenient fun-size packages each week on Starz. Be sure to set your DVRs for the premiere, fittingly airing tonight on Halloween. If you’re unfamiliar with the magic that is the Evil Dead, it has been appropriately summarized as “splatstick”—meaning, imagine the Marx Brothers or the Three Stooges with shotguns, chainsaws and broken beer bottles fighting demons from hell, then roll all of that into one man, Ashley ‘Ash’ J. Williams (Bruce Campbell) with his boomstick shotgun and a chainsaw for a hand—which he lost after evil got into his hand and it went bad. . . so he lopped it off at the wrist.

Can the show really hold up to its cinematic heritage? Actually, I would argue that not only does it hold up but it enhances the legendary storyline. It’s all the same creators returning to play in the gory sandbox, Sam Raimi and his crew including Bruce Campbell. The main cast for the show, assembled around Campbell, is great—Ray Santiago, Dana DeLorenzo, Jill Marie Jones and Lucy Lawless—with character perspectives enhancing the lunacy or contrasting it to make it feel all the more real. Guest stars are pleasantly surprising, including Mimi Rogers in the second episode who, believe it or not, does her own stunts—and after witnessing her scenes, you’ll be impressed with what she pulled off. At first I thought, the shots had to be a stunt double but I was wrong.

I must admit—as a testament to the strength of the storytelling and gleefully insane entertainment—that there was a mixup with my screeners and I ended up watching the second episode before the first but I didn’t lose a shred of enjoyment. The characters are so strong that you’re immediately sucked into the story and clinging to the roller coaster of thrills, chills and laughter.

As is Raimi’s style, the camera itself is a character–whipping through scenes and sets with a breakneck speed of pans, crash zooms and ultra extreme dutching that shoves you directly into the middle of the action. The giddily exuberant use of the fake blood budget sprays out of those climactic scenes and will leave your screen soaking in delightful crimson.

Firsthand word from inside the writers’ room was that there were three challenges to overcome to get the show where it is today. The first and probably biggest and most unfortunate, is that Raimi doesn’t have control over all of the rights to the third Evil Dead film, Army of Darkness. Writers had to be careful and clever to make sure the show fit with the storyline without violating the rights that they couldn’t get—which they’ve pulled off very well, making everything feel properly cohesive. The second was that, since the show is filmed in New Zealand, sometimes common American visual references weren’t always available. One example was that the signature car with the steering wheel on the common American left side couldn’t be found locally and had to be shipped over. Their final challenge, that Starz was beginning to have doubts about what they’d gotten into, was quickly abated early in production when they saw the rough cut for the first episode. The executives quickly changed their tune and were on board with any crazy idea the writers could come up with from that point on. Now, the whole room challenges each other to come up with the wackiest setup they can and make sure that it gets on camera. Those scribes must be doing well because Starz has already picked up the show for a second season! After the first two episodes, I can hardly wait to see what’s coming next!

So pull on an old sheet with eyeholes cut out, yank on that mask or slap on that makeup to get out there and have some Halloween fun with your friends trick-or-treating tonight then beat a path home for some excellently cringey chuckles and pillow talk with the very groovy Ash vs Evil Dead! Catch you on the flip flop.

https://youtu.be/0h5NNl48w1M

‘Ash Vs. Evil Dead’ Has Been Renewed For A Second Season!

by Derek KraneveldtOctober 28, 2015

Briefly: It was just a few days ago that Starz released the first four minutes of its upcoming Ash vs. Evil Dead online, and while the actual series won’t premiere until this Saturday, October 31st, the network has just renewed the series for a second season.

Of course, “executive producers and The Evil Dead original filmmakers Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell will return for the second season with executive producer and showrunner Craig DiGregorio. Campbell will continue in his role as Ash Williams, the aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter. Lucy Lawless (“Salem,” “Spartacus”) is also returning as Ruby, a mysterious figure who believes Ash is the cause of the Evil outbreaks.”

“One season isn’t enough to satisfy the fans’ two decade-long appetite for more Ash,” said Carmi Zlotnik, Managing Director of Starz. “The early fan and press support, along with the international broadcaster demand for more story have made it clear that the adventures of Ash Williams can’t end with season one.”

As Starz notes: “the 10-episode first season of the half-hour series features Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, “Burn Notice”) as Ash Williams; Lucy Lawless (“Salem,” “Spartacus”) as Ruby a mysterious figure who believes Ash is the cause of the Evil outbreaks; Ray Santiago (“Touch,” Meet the Fockers) as Pablo Simon Bolivar, an idealistic immigrant who becomes Ash’s loyal sidekick; Dana DeLorenzo (A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas) as Kelly Maxwell, a moody wild child trying to outrun her past; and Jill Marie Jones (“Sleepy Hollow”) as Amanda Fisher, a disgraced Michigan State Trooper set to find our anti-hero Ash and prove his responsibility in the grisly murder of her partner.”

Anyone else beyond excited for the series? Yeah, me too. And I’m happy as hell that we’ll be seeing more than 10 episodes total.

No details on a release window for season two have been revealed, but I’d say that next Halloween is a pretty good guess. Re-watch the trailer for the series below, and let us know if you’re looking forward to this Saturday’s premiere!

https://youtu.be/unnLg1TPCYM

Watch The First Four Minutes Of ‘Ash vs. Evil Dead’!

by Derek KraneveldtOctober 26, 2015

Briefly: Just a few more days to go, baby!

Ahead of its anticipated (understatement?) Saturday premiere, Starz has just unleased the first four minutes of its long-awaited series Ash vs. Evil Dead.

It looks, as we’ve known for a long time now, absolutely incredible.

I don’t want to give anything away, but these opening moments sure give us a sense of tone for the series, and it’s exactly the tone a fan would hope for. It’s pretty clear that this aging, unfit mess is not the Ash that we once knew, and that should make things interesting as hell once the shit hits the fan.

Take a look at the clip below, and let us know what you think! Ash vs. Evil Dead premieres on Saturday, October 31st!

https://youtu.be/QOQa0btC_Do

Go Behind The Scenes Of ‘Ash Vs. Evil Dead’!

by Derek KraneveldtAugust 25, 2015

Briefly: Following the bloody new trailer from just a few days back, Starz has just debuted a new behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming Ash vs. Evil Dead.

I think I’m looking forward to this even more than the return of that other undead series. It’s absolutely incredible to me that in this world of typically terrible reboots (Total Recall, etc), campy 70’s horror like Evil Dead can transform into what looks like an incredible, completely hilarious television show.

Take a look at the featurette below, and let us know how excited you are for the series. Ash vs. Evil Dead premieres on October 31st!

https://youtu.be/K2yLK6LYe78

‘Ash Vs. Evil Dead’ Gets A Bloody New Trailer!

by Derek KraneveldtAugust 23, 2015

Briefly: Following the fantastic first trailer from SDCC, Starz has just debuted another minute-long look at the upcoming Ash vs. Evil Dead.

Yeah baby.

Take a look at the new trailer below, and let us know what you think! Ash vs. Evil Dead premieres on October 31st!

https://youtu.be/JxV4jKsxOs0

STARZ Releases a ‘Kick-Ash’ Poster for “Ash vs Evil Dead”

by BigyanksAugust 19, 2015

We are about two months away from the premier of ‘Ash vs Evil Dead’ and Starz has a released a new poster to get your chainsaws reving. We have Ash looking bad ass on his oldmobiles mowing downs the undead with his sidekicks.

Bruce Campbell reprising his role as Ash, the stock boy, aging lothario, and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead. When a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons –personal and literal. Destiny, it turns out, has no plans to release the unlikely hero from its “Evil” grip.

The cast is led by Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, “Burn Notice”) in the role of Ash Williams, Lucy Lawless (“Salem,” “Spartacus,” “Xena”) as Ruby, a mysterious figure who believes Ash is the cause of the Evil outbreaks, Ray Santiago (“Touch,” Meet the Fockers) as Pablo Simon Bolivar, an idealistic immigrant who becomes Ash’s loyal sidekick, Dana DeLorenzo (A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas) as Kelly Maxwell, a moody wild child trying to outrun her past, and Jill Marie Jones (“Sleepy Hollow”)as Amanda Fisher, a disgraced Michigan State Trooper set to find our anti-hero Ash and prove his responsibility in the grisly murder of her partner.

‘Ash vs Evil Dead’ premieres Saturday, October 31^st at 9:00pm ET/PT exclusively on STARZ with a 10-episode season.

SDCC 2015: ‘Ash vs Evil Dead’ Trailer Premiere vs Comic-Con Smartypants

by Gabriel von GrünbaumJuly 12, 2015

The boomstick of awesome was unleashed on a room full of primitive screwheads with the announcement of Ash vs Evil Dead the series debuting on Starz October 31—yes, Halloween! The fancypants Mr. Bruce Campbell (a.k.a. Ash Williams) joined Evil Dead creator Sam Raimi and Ivan Raimi as well as Executive Producer of the new series, Craig DiGregorio (Reaper, Chuck), and Lucy Lawless who will play Ruby Knowby.

Ash—I mean, Bruce—gave us some sugar and elaborated on what was referred to as the equivalent of an hours-long mega movie in episodes, “. . .They need to be let loose, like the savage beasts that they are. And the only way that we can bring you the carnage and mayhem that you truly deserve is to be on a network like Starz where they don’t have a problem with. . . anything.” To paraphrase the jabber-mouths, when asked if there will be more seasons—yes, as long as all the loyal jolly roger fans demonstrate to Starz how much they love the show. . . and Starz loves money, if you see what I’m driving at here, Einstein.

Now, let’s pause real quick so I can take my pants off and get comfortable here in these fruity-looms. Come on, you know you’re shocked that I was wearing any in the first place! Much better. Okay, you, shove a sock in your pie-hole and pay attention—your pants are optional—it’s time for a trailer break, baby.

https://youtu.be/unnLg1TPCYM

Groovy.

Listen, babe, if that there wasn’t enough to get your motor running you might be a few marbles shy of a full knife drawer. But I sure can sympathize if you little monkeys are thirsty for more, so I’ll leave you with Starz’s coverage of the full SDCC panel. Enjoy it or—if you’re a soulless deadite—don’t. I’ve got a whiskey bottle to go marinate in so I don’t really give a hoot about your touchy-feelies, sweet-cheeks. But—and this ain’t just the pillow talk, baby—you’ll dig it.

You Guys, Patrick Stewart Snorts Coke in ‘Blunt Talk’ Featurette

by Eric FranciscoJune 4, 2015

I can’t embed Facebook videos so this YouTube video from what I think is ScreenRant’s channel will have to do. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the characters of the upcoming Blunt Talk, a new comedy series on Starz starring the one and only Patrick Stewart.

As a pop culture journalist it’s my job to stay ahead of trends and shows as much as possible. So it’s embarrassing I let something like this slide right under me. The teaser featuring Stewart in his coke-snorting glory has been up for two months, but this featurette has been up for a little over an hour on Stewart’s Facebook page. So I’m seizing the opportunity.

It should be noted that yes, Sir Patrick Stewart is a renowned actor with a range as wide as… something wide. (Your mom.) So his comedic talents as a vice-indulging cable journalist shouldn’t be surprising, but come on. Admit it. It’s totally surprising. And it’s wonderful that he can do it so well.

New ‘Ash vs Evil Dead’ Teaser

by BigyanksMay 29, 2015

Starz has just release a new teaser trailer for ‘Ash vs Evil Dead’. I’m a big fan of the most recent remake of the movie and was kinda bummed about not hearing any news regarding a sequel. But with the news of the show continuing where the original series left off and bringing back Bruce Campbell as Ash and introducing a slew of new characters is actually better news!! Cant wait to add this to my Fall viewing line up.

‘Ash vs Evil Dead’ is set to premiere on STARZ in Fall 2015.

The cast is led by Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, “Burn Notice”) in the role of Ash Williams, Lucy Lawless (“Salem,” “Spartacus”) as Ruby a mysterious figure who believes Ash is the cause of the Evil outbreaks, Ray Santiago (“Touch,” Meet the Fockers) as Pablo Simon Bolivar, an idealistic immigrant who becomes Ash’s loyal sidekick, Dana DeLorenzo (A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas) as Kelly Maxwell, a moody wild child trying to outrun her past and Jill Marie Jones (“Sleepy Hollow”) as Amanda Fisher, a disgraced Michigan State Trooper set to find our anti-hero Ash and prove his responsibility in the grisly murder of her partner.

New ‘Evil Dead’ TV Series Greenlit By Starz, Bruce Campbell To Star

by Eric FranciscoNovember 10, 2014

Bless the modern television landscape. Starz has ordered a new television series of The Evil Dead starring Bruce Campbell. Groovy.

Sam Raimi, the original franchise director, will be writing and directing the pilot along with Rob Tapert in the role of executive producer. And yes, you’re reading this correctly: Bruce Campbell, the only man alive that can utter the line “This is my boomstick!” in a dark medieval fantasy movie and make that work, will be returning to star.

The show’s logline, provided by Entertainment Weekly:

“Bruce Campbell will be reprising his role as Ash, the stock boy, aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead. When a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons –personal and literal. Destiny, it turns out, has no plans to release the unlikely hero from its ‘Evil’ grip.”

Rumors went around about a new entry in the Evil Dead franchise. There was talk amongst insiders at this year’s SXSW, and Sam Raimi made it pretty clear at San Diego Comic-Con that he was trying to make this happen. Well, it’s happening!

Not much is known beyond this initial information. Any ties into the new Evil Dead movie — if at all — is also unknown, but seems unlikely. As a devoted Evil Dead fan rest assured I will be on this show like hotcakes, so keep checking back here for updates.

The series is set to air on Starz in 2015. How excited are you? Keep in mind the only acceptable answer should be anything north of “Very.”

Breaking News: “American Gods” Coming to Starz

by S.J. BorgerJuly 1, 2014

Starz announced that it will be bringing Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed urban fantasy “American Gods” to television.

“American Gods” follows Shadow Moon, an ex-con who is recruited by conman and old god, Mr. Wednesday, to be his bodyguard and traveling companion. The two are quickly embroiled in a desperate mission to create an alliance of old gods to fight the newer, upstart deities that reflect modern society’s love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs. The 2001 novel has been translated into over 30 languages and won Hugo, Nebula and Bram Stoker awards for Best Novel.

Bryan Fuller (Hannibal, Pushing Daisies, Heroes) and Michael Green (The River, Kings, Heroes) are currently working on the pilot and will be both executive producers and showrunners for the show, which will be produced by Freemantle Media.

Fuller commented: “Neil Gaiman has created the holiest of holy toy boxes with ‘American Gods’ and filled it with all manner of magical things, born of new gods and old. Michael Green and I are thrilled to crack this toy box wide open and unleash the fantastical titans of heaven and earth and Neil’s vividly prolific imagination.”

HBO was working on an adaptation of “American Gods,” picking up the rights in 2011, but announced just in November 2013 that they had let the property go.

“When you create something like ‘American Gods,’ which attracts fans and obsessives and people who tattoo quotes from it on themselves or each other, and who all, tattooed or not, just care about it deeply, it’s really important to pick your team carefully,” said author Neil Gaiman, “You don’t want to let the fans down, or the people who care and have been casting it online since the dawn of recorded history. What I love most about the team who I trust to take it out to the world, is that they are the same kind of fanatics that ’American Gods’ has attracted since the start. I haven’t actually checked Bryan Fuller or Michael Green for quote tattoos, but I would not be surprised if they have them. The people at Fremantle are the kinds of people who have copies of ‘American Gods in the bottom of their backpacks after going around the world, and who press them on their friends. And the team at Starz have been quite certain that they wanted to give Shadow, Wednesday and Laura a home since they first heard that the book was out there.I can’t wait to see what they do to bring the story to the widest possible audience able to cope with it”

No news on when to expect American Gods, nor is there any information on what we’re all dying to know (who will play Shadow???) but keep checking back here for more updates.

Geekscape Interviews: Mark Ryan of Black Sails

by S.J. BorgerJanuary 19, 2014

Mark Ryan as Gates in the Starz new series Black Sails. Courtesy of Starz — Mark Ryan as Gates in the Starz new series Black Sails.
Courtesy of Starz

Anticipation has been high for Starz’ new series Black Sails–the fan reaction to the trailer that premiered at the San Diego Comic Con last July was so strong that Starz renewed it for a second season essentially right then and there–and with the premiere just a week away (and for those you who just cannot wait, episode “I” is available at Machinima as of today), we were very excited to get a chance to chat with Mark Ryan, who plays Gates–Captain Flint’s Quartermaster, crew advocate and calm voice of reason amidst the violence and bloodshed, both on land and on board Flint’s ship, the Walrus.

Mark Ryan is a veteran stage and screen actor, playing an eclectic mix of roles, from Che in Evita in London’s West End, to Nasir in Robin of Sherwood, to the voice of Bumblebee in Transformers and Jetfire in Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon.

Q: Black Sails is one of many pirate-themed shows out recently. What do you think makes it different?

A: This is a much more realistic, gritty take on pirates, and their life. It was dangerous. Really, it was a miracle anyone survived. And we’re dealing with historical characters like Captain Vane and Rackham–who were sociopaths. Successful pirates, but really not at all nice. And Zach [McGowen] really brings him alive on screen.

Also, the technology allowed us to do things that just couldn’t be done ten years ago. Filming on a real ship on an ocean is very hard to do, if you can imagine. But we had these full sized pirate ships, fully rigged, with 50 man on them, in front of a green screen, with another green screen for the ocean. It hadn’t ever been done before, not in this scope. and I think you can tell, when you watch it, just the incredible scope of the production.

Q: What drew you to the character of Gates?

Gate’s is the go-between, he’s part of the crew but he’s also Flint’s advisor…and, well, it’s a great role across the board in terms of emotion…it just runs the gamut. And he’s kind of the everyman, isn’t he? He’s the audience’s introduction to a great many of the characters, their link to this world. He interacts with everyone and sort of gives the audience the tour.

And the rest of the cast is just phenomenal. Everyone brought their best game, and it’s just been such great atmosphere on set.

mark ryan 2 — Mark Ryan as Gates in Starz’ Black Sails.
Courtesy of Starz.

Q: Machinima is working with Starz to air Black Sails a week earlier than it’s Starz Premiere. What do you think about these sort of new media/social media outlets and how they interact with traditional entertainment?

A: (laughs) I’m so glad you asked that. I really believe this is the future of entertainment, you know, worldwide collaboration on content that is available to all. This new technology we have, the 3D cameras–which are tiny now, when I first worked on [Transformers] Revenge of the Fallen the cameras were huge, and I remember when I got to the set on [Transformers]Dark Side of the Moon, I asked Michael [Bay], ‘where are the cameras?’ and he pointed to these tiny things…technology just whizzes along and people have to think out of the box.

I think the Black Sails production paradigm is one we’ll keep seeing, with absolutely quality production values and creative, entertaining content that will draw worldwide audiences, because you don’t have to be in one place, getting one channel, you can watch it anywhere, on your phone, at home, on a laptop. It’s the future and it’s amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvxpv_fycl8

Black Sails stars Zach McGowan as the historical figure Captain Vane, Toby Schmitz as Rackham, Hannah New as Eleanor Guthrie, Jessica Parker Kennedy as Max and Mark Ryan as Gates. The series was executive produced by Michael Bay and his Platinum Dunes partners (Brad Fuller and Andrew Form) and created by Jonathan Steinberg (Jericho, Human Target) and Robert Levine (Touch).

Black Sails premieres on Starz next Saturday, January 25^th, at 9 p.m. or you can watch it right now on Machinima:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v68pX9k4PJY

Starz’ New Pirate Drama Sails Early

by S.J. BorgerJanuary 18, 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvxpv_fycl8

Black Sails is the new pirates-themed Starz series, and it premieres next week on January 25^th. For those of you who can’t wait to explore the world of cutlasses, sails and rum, the pilot episode is available right now on Machinima (you can also catch it embedded below).

Black Sails is a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, set during the third and final period of the Golden Age of Piracy (1714-1726, if you were interested), which puts it anywhere from 20 to 30 years before the events in Treasure Island. The series centers around a young John Silver (Luke Arnold)—with both his legs and no parrot–and his adventures with Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) of The Walrus.

This isn’t the fantastical world of pirates we might have seen in the past—this world is darker, grittier, more realistic–and certainly a lot more naked.

The cast of Black Sails, Starz new drama series premiering Jan. 25th. Courtesy of Starz. — The cast of Black Sails, Starz new drama series premiering Jan. 25th.
Courtesy of Starz.

Black Sails stars Zach McGowan as the historical figure Captain Vane, Toby Schmitz as Rackham, Hannah New as Eleanor Guthrie, Jessica Parker Kennedy as Max and Mark Ryan as Gates (Flint’s Quartermaster…if your familiar with the book, that should clue you in to all kinds of exciting possibilities…).

The series was executive produced by Michael Bay and his Platinum Dunes partners (Brad Fuller and Andrew Form) and created by Jonathan Steinberg (Jericho, Human Target) and Robert Levine (Touch).

For even more on Black Sails, see our interview with Mark Ryan, who plays Gates, Flint’s closet friend, Quartermaster and advisor.

Black Sails premieres on Starz next Saturday, January 25^th, at 9 p.m. or you can watch it right now on Machinima:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v68pX9k4PJY

‘Black Sails’ To Debut On Machinima A Full Week Before Starz!

by Derek KraneveldtJanuary 13, 2014

Briefly: Machinima has just announced that the entire first episode of Starz highly anticipated high-seas drama, Black Sails, will debut on Machinima Prime a full week before its television premiere.

The pilot will hit YouTube on January 18th, and from everything we’ve seen from Black Sails so far, it should be awesome.

Allen DeBevoise, Co-Founder and CEO at Machinima sure sounds excited, stating that “Black Sails is a truly outstanding production that features a storyline that our audience will gravitate towards. Michael Bay and the entire cast and crew have created a surefire hit for Starz and we are thrilled to be a part of it. This content partnership with our vast network will introduce the series to millions of loyal Machinima viewers and will help pave the way for future opportunities to partner with Starz.”

Nancy McGee, EVP of Marketing for Starz continues, “Starz is very pleased to work with Machinima as a one of its key digital sampling distributors and custom content partners. Robust sampling maximizes potential exposure for a series, such as ‘Black Sails,’ that is a rich, yet widely accessible viewing experience. Machinima offers Starz and ‘Black Sails’ a great online platform to engage new audiences in a challenging digital space and introduce content that is truly premium to a valuable audience and ultimately assist us driving subscription growth.”

Plenty of new Black Sails content is set to hit the channel before the January 18th episode, so take a look at the series’ trailer below, and head to Machinima Prime for even more!

http://youtu.be/Qh19hCkvVLw

Geekscape’s Guide To The 2013-2014 TV Season

by S.J. BorgerSeptember 4, 2013

Below is the definitive list of new and returning shows on network and cable (excluding the smaller niche channels such as Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon) that could possibly have a fandom, be near a fandom, or be fandom adjacent…

Peruse through the list, watch some trailers (though not every show has a trailer yet), and have fun!

So. Alphabetical order. Nice and neutral.

Starting with:

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

ABC, Tues, 8 to 9 p.m. Air Date: 9/24

Whedon’s back on the small screen, folks, and he’s brought Coulson. And Lola. While not necessarily a super-hero show (Coulson runs a small team of normal, if talented, people who track and contain—if needed—new superhuman talent), it lives and breathes at the intersection of Marvel and Whedon so really, anything could happen. Whedon has said that the new series is Avengers adjacent, taking place after the events of The Avengers, but focusing on the normal people on the peripheral of the super-hero action. It is expected that the show will interact with both Captain America: The Winter Soldier as well as the upcoming Avengers sequel.

Clark Gregg reprises his role as Phil Coulson (you could hear the screams of joy as far as Montana when he was revealed as being alive at the 2013 South by Southwest Festival this year). He is joined by Ming-Na Wen (Mulan, Stargate Universe, Eureka), fan favorite J. August Richards (Angel), Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother, Avengers), and Ron Glass (Firefly, Serenity) along with a host of new, interesting characters that round out the team of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Quite possibly the most anticipated show airing this season—the pilot has gotten high scores at IGN as well as positive reaction from the San Diego Comic Con crowd—its pedigree and fan base should guarantee significant support—the question is will it appeal to a larger audience? Hopefully its adventure-of-the-week, underdog format will make it accessible enough for both the fans and the soon-to-be fans.

Once Upon A Time in Wonderland

http://youtu.be/vqOwV-2B5_w

ABC, Thurs, 8 to 9 p.m., 10/10

A spin-off of ABC’s hit Once Upon a Time, now in its third season, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland follows a now grown-up Alice, almost convinced her adventures were the ravings of an insane mind, as she escapes from a Victorian London insane asylum and goes back down the rabbit hole.

Wonderland, however, is also a victim of the same curse as the residents of Storybook, Maine, prompting Alice into new and—hopefully— thrilling adventures.

The show is expected to cross over with Once Upon A Time and share characters and settings, as well as having the blending of ABC/Disney mythology that Once Upon a Time is known for (Once Upon A Time deals entirely with the Disney version of fairytales, stretching the premise as far as possible to include other characters, such as Mulan, Peter Pan, etc.).

Once Upon A Time had a similarly exciting premise that was never fulfilled, stuck instead in a mire of bad dialogue, over-exposition, predictable ‘twists’ and flashbacks with painfully obvious ‘lessons’ (only Rumpelstiltskin, played by Robert Carlyle, was ever able to convincingly play both sides of his characters). Hopefully Alice will not be plagued by the same issues.

Created by the same team as Once Upon a Time, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (who were also responsible for Tron: Legacy), Alice stars newcomer Sophie Lowe as Alice, with Emma Rigby (Hollyoaks, Prisoners Wives) as The Red Queen, John Lithgow (Third Rock from the Sun to name one….) as the voice of the White Rabbit, and Naveen Andrews (The English Patient, Lost, The Adventures of Sinbad) as Jafar.

Midseason

ABC also has two shows slated for a midseason premiere which skate along the borderline of geekdom:

Mind Games

http://youtu.be/s2P9Qc5tgzo

ABC, Sundays, 10 to 11 p.m., 3/9/14

From Kyle Killen (Lone Star, Awake), Mind Games stars Christian Slater and Steve Zahn as brothers who use psychological manipulation to help their clients solve problems; from the preview it looks a little like Franklin and Bash meets Leverage with some Lie to Me thrown in for good measure.

Resurrection

http://youtu.be/8MFrquHzlWA

ABC, Sunday, 10 to 11 p.m., Limited Series, 2/24/13

Based on Jason Mott’s novel The Returned, and co-produced by a long list of people including Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Resurrection stars Omar Epps (House), Francis Fisher (Eureka, Sons of Anarchy, Torchwood: Miracle Day) and Kurtwood Smith (That ‘70’s Show, Star Trek IV, 24). The show follows the lives of the citizens of Arcadia, Missouri as their loved ones begin returning from the dead—not as zombies, but as living, breathing, alive people the same age as they were when they died.

Castle returns to ABC on Monday, Sept. 23rd.

Returning Shows:

With renewals for both Once Upon a Time (Sun 8 to 9 p.m., 9/29) for its third season, and Castle (Mon, 10 to 11 p.m., 9/23) for its sixth season, ABC is a strong second among the networks for geek friendly fare.

BBC America—known for quality geekfare such as Merlin, Torchwood, Orphan Black, Being Human, Misfits, Vex, Spaced, Black Books and, of course, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy—only has one new offering for the Fall 2013 season.

Atlantis

BBC America, Saturday, 11/23, Time TBA

Atlantis is a fantasy adventure program created and written by Howard Overman (Misfits and Vexed) and Johnny Capps (Merlin). The show’s main cast reads like a Guide to Greek Myths (Jason, Hercules, Medusa, The Oracle) and the series is set to be one of the most expensive projects on the BBC Wales studio. There is no official preview/trailer yet, but numerous six-second teasers can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/bbcatlantis

Atlantis looks to be very much in the BBC Sword-and-Sandals adventure genre, and we can safely expect well written, well-acted episodes with the occasional extremely cheesy special effect.

Midseason

The Musketeers is slated for midseason debut, but there is little information on it other than the newest incarnation of the Doctor, Peter Capaldi, was filming the show (he’s Cardinal Richelieu) when he was offered the role of the Doctor. Also starring Santiago Cabrera (Heroes, Merlin) and Luke Pasqualino (Skins).

The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary is slated for 11/23/13

Returning Shows

While disappointingly low on the new shows slate this season, the returning shows more than make up for it. With the Doctor Who 50^th Anniversary special on 11/23/13, as well as season 8 coming up (and a new Doctor), Orphan Black returning midseason (March 2014), and of course, the ubiquitous Top Gear (I won’t say which season, its re-run so much it’s nearly impossible to tell).

Sherlock Holmes will return for its third season as well, but will air in America on PBS.

CBS is next in our little alphabetical list…and they have nothing. Not the geek-friendliest network, CBS. Mid-season has a new show coming out called Intelligence (Mon, 10 to 11 p.m., air date 2/24/14), which basically looks like a not-as-funny Chuck. Which makes sense for the network that also has The Mentalist, which is basically a not-as-funny Psych.

Ah, the CW. Where else could we find such unabashedly sexy fare? As well as very, very, very geek friendly. And quantity, one might say, over quality. We have to at least give them credit for trying: of all the networks, the CW continuously has the most fantasy/sci-fi/speculative/comic-book based shows every season. And they don’t even require proficient storytelling or decent ratings when it comes to renewing them. This throw-it-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks approach has brought us Arrow and Beauty and the Beast; but it also brought us Supernatural and Nikita.

However, it has to be said that most CW shows can be boiled down to “pretty (mostly white) people with (Insert bad guy/thing here) problems hook up with each other while maintaining bouncy, shiny hair and flawless skin.”

This year the CW gives us five—that’s right, five—sci-fi/fantasy shows. Three premiere this fall, the other two have mid-season dates. True to mold, they all have a large cast of young, nubile and extremely good looking people who seem to spend a lot of time with their shirts either off or unbuttoned. Not to complain: sometimes it’s nice to sit back and watch the pretty.

The Originals

http://youtu.be/WTKj52BUEeU

CW, Sneak Peek: Thurs, 9 to 10 p.m., 10/3; Regular Timeslot: Tues, 8 to 9 p.m., 10/8

A spin off of the popular Vampire Diaries, The Originals follows the lives of various supernatural characters (vampires, witches, werewolves, half vamp/half wolves…) in hot, steamy New Orleans. For some reason that sounds really familiar…but we just can’t place where we’ve seen something like that before.

The series focuses on the Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Elijah (Daniel Gillies) and Rebekah (Claire Rhiannon Holt) Mikaelson, vampire siblings–and the world’s original vampires–as they return to New Orleans—a town Klaus founded, centuries before—and enter a power struggle with the local supernaturals to reclaim to city.

The Originals has a sneak peek immediately after the season premiere of The Vampire Diaries before it moves to its normal timeslot on Tuesdays, leading into Supernatural.

Reign

CW, Thursdays, 9 to 10 p.m., 10/17

CW’s attempt at The Tudors; Reign follows the young Mary, Queen of Scots, as she is courted by rival princes: the French (Catholic) and English (not-so-Catholic). The history of Queen Mary is fascinating. She had a legitimate claim to the English throne and was backed by English Catholics; she was married three times and was viewed as a powerful player in the socio-religious politics of the time; she survived multiple assassination attempts and was put under house arrest by Elizabeth I of England for eighteen years before eventually being executed for treason.

Unsurprisingly, the CW’s version is about high school age girls being flirted with by high school age boys who all just happen to be princes and princesses. Lots of pretty costumes and slow motion while a song that sounds a whole lot like Bones from MS MR plays underneath (clearly a lot of people saw the Game of Thrones season three preview and said, wow, we should make ours look just like that).

Oh, and Nostradamus as an articulate, court-going prophet. Who knew?

That’s not to say it couldn’t be the surprise hit of the season. Stranger things have happened.

The Bible, airing on the History Channel, was the surprise hit of the 2012-2013 season.

The Tomorrow People

http://youtu.be/3wi0PnEIdjc

CW., Weds., 9 to 10 p.m., 10/9

A remake of the popular 1970’s BBC show of the same name, The Tomorrow People follows a group of young, pretty people who are the next stage in human evolution. The Tomorrow People have psi powers that ran the usual gamut of telepathy, teleportation, telekinesis, etc., and the use them to fight the good fight against evil, bigoted humans.

It’s unclear how closely it will follow the BBC show, where the group was not only involved in saving humanity from threats on a weekly basis but also part of a galactic organization that monitored and assisted telepaths—the trailer features a lot of Mark Pellegrino (Lucifer from Supernatural)–random trivia, he’s the uncle of Stephen Amell, aka Arrow–as Jedikiah Price chasing down our super-evolved heroes because, as Price says,: “I’m systematically rounding up your kind and wiping you out, because I am evil.”

While the shows seems to be gleefully stealing from all manner of sci-fi before it (the teleporting looks a lot like Jumper, at one point there is a force lift, followed by a frost-shock, followed by a force choke, and the hidden subway station HQ has been seen, well, everywhere) and there are clear parallels to Alphas as well as X-Men (Marvel even used the term Tomorrow People, starting in 1963, as a taxonomic designation for the X-Men and other Mutants in the Marvel Universe).

The Tomorrow People was created by Phil Klemmer (Chuck, Veronica Mars) and stars Robbie Amell (cousin to Stephen Amell of previously mentioned Arrow fame) as Stephen Jameson, Luke Mitchell as John Young and Peyton List as Cara Coburn.

Midseason

Not content with just three new casts of incredibly good-looking people with powers, The CW has The 100 and Star Crossed set to premiere midseason.

The 100 is based on the book of the same name by Kass Morgan, and it centers on 100 petty thieves and criminals (all young and pretty, with excellent muscle tone for people born and raised on a space station) who are sent from their space station homes to post-apocalyptic Earth to see if mankind can survive on the harsh surface.

Star Crossed looks rather like District 9, if the aliens were all super-hot models who were trying to integrate into all-human US High Schools. The trailer seems to have a lot of imagery that’s set to invoke the civil rights battle of the 1960s, which doesn’t quite ring true as the only seemingly physical difference between humans and aliens are an abundance of six-packs and some tattoos. There’s also a Romeo and Juliet plot between a human girl and an alien boy. Because why else would you travel light years across galaxies if not for true love?

Supernatural returns for season 9 on The CW in October.

Returning Shows

The CW has renewed The Vampire Diaries (Thurs, 8 to 9 p.m., 10/3), Beauty and The Beast (Mon, 9 to 10 p.m., 10/7), Supernatural (Tues, 9 to 10 p.m., 10/8), The Arrow (Weds, 8 to 0 p.m., 10/9) and Nikita (Fall 2014, no air date as of yet).

FOX, which seems to be aware that it will never, ever, ever make up for cancelling Firefly, is trying to retain some geek cache with two new shows this Fall.

Sleepy Hollow

FOX, Monday, 9 to 10 p.m., 9/16

The second most anticipated show of the Fall, directly behind Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Sleepy Hollow is created by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Fringe, Transformers, Star Trek) and is based on the short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving.

Sleepy Hollow follows Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison from Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, One Day, Parade’s End) as he is mysteriously transported to modern day Sleepy Hollow, and attempts to hunt down and stop the Headless Horseman (in the original story the Horseman is an 18^th century German mercenary brought in by the English to fight during the revolutionary war) who was brought to the future as well.

Ichabod must join forces with local Sheriff Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie, Shame, 42) and adjust to cultural, societal and technological difference of the 21^st century (including radically changing his racial and gender stereotypes) in order to stop the Horseman’s nightly killing spree.

With a strong cast and an all-star writing team, expectations are high the Sleepy Hollow will be the show to watch this Fall.

Sleepy Hollow rounds out its cast with Orlando Jones (Godzilla, Evolution, MadTV) as Captain Frank Irving and John Cho (Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, Go On) as Andy Dunn.

Almost Human

http://youtu.be/ykwxg534yAw

Fox, Mon, 8 to 9 p.m., 11/4

JJ Abrams—who doesn’t seem to be content unless he has four or five projects going—is producing this sci-fi procedural starring Karl Urban (Star Trek, RED, Chronicles of Riddick, Riddick, Doom) and Michael Ealy (Sleeper Cell, Flash Forward, Underworld: Awakening) as unwilling partners in the LAPD thirty-five years in the future.

It’s typical buddy cop formula: an off couple forced to work together and eventually growing to trust and even like each other.

The twist? Karl Urban’s tough-as-nails cop, John Kennex, doesn’t trust Michael Ealy’s Dorian for one good reason: Dorian is a robot. And not just a normal, super-efficient robot, but a slightly malfunctioning one.

While the trailer gives a Deus Ex meets I, Robot vibe, and doesn’t really introduce any new themes or arguments that sci-fi fans won’t already be thoroughly versed in, both Urban and Ealy are worth watching and the trailer certainly captivated interest.

Almost Human was created by J.H. Wyman (Keen Eddie, Fringe) and J.J. Abrams is one of the executive producers, so hopes are high.

With Neil deGrasse Tyson hosting, Cosmos is set for Jan 2014 debut.

Midseason

Midseason has two more shows set to debut; Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey and Wayward Pines, though the air dates are still not announced.

Cosmos will star Neil deGrasse Tyson and was produced by Seth McFarlane and Carl Sagan’s widow (the original show was hosted by Sagan and aired on PBS). When it does air, it will air simultaneously on Fox and the NatGeo channel, expecting to launch in 48 countries in over 140 languages. Also, the bridge of Tyson’s ship looks almost exactly like the Illusive Man’s from Mass Effect. Just saying.

Wayward Pines brings Blake Crouch’s mystery/thriller novel of the same name to the small screen. M. Night Shyamalan has developed it as a multi-part series for Fox. It has been compared to Twin Peaks by just about everybody, and Fox hasn’t released very much information other than a 2014 release.

24--and Jack Bauer--are back on Fox in May 2014. — 24–and Jack Bauer–are back on Fox in May 2014.

Returning Shows

Fox does not have much in the way of the Geek returning; The Following is set for a midseason premiere on Mondays, 9 to 10 p.m.; and under the heading of old-shows-don’t-die-they-go-to-mini-series, 24 is slated to return as a limited run in the Spring.

NBC is not offering much this year for us geeks, with only one offering in the Fall. We’re hoping this is an improvement; previous years, which have had a glut of nerd-tastic shows, perhaps in some desperate attempt by NBC to gain some geek-cred (The Cape, The Event, Flash Forward, V, Bionic Women, Journeyman). This make anything with a slightly Lost-like feel strategy hasn’t fared well for the Peacock, so maybe just one new show means NBC knows it has a hit. And it case it doesn’t, it has two midseason shows ready to wash the taste from your mouth.

Dracula

http://youtu.be/Z1jVcmDH43Y

NBC, Friday, 10 to 11 p.m., 10/25

A limited series with only a ten episode run, Dracula is a retelling of the classic tale by Bram Stoker. Created by Cole Hadden, with Daniel Knauf (Carnivale) as showrunner, Dracula stars Jonathon Rhys Meyers (The Tudors, Mission Impossible III) as Dracula, who returns to Victorian London to seek revenge for a betrayal years before. This is another show whose trailer draws heavy inspiration from Game of Thrones.

The plot stays somewhat in line with the book; Dracula falls for the lovely Mina, there’s a Van Helsing on hand to fight him…there’s a lot of pretty people in period clothing walking around dark London streets. If they weren’t all in their thirties it’d be a CW show.

Dracula stars Katie McGrath (Merlin), Nonso Anozie (Ender’s Game, Game of Thrones) and Thomas Kretschmann (King Kong, The Pianist, Blade II, 24).

Midseason

Two shows are slated for a midseason release: Believe, another J.J. Abrams produced show, directed by Alfonso Cuaran (Harry Potter) about a little girl with special powers and the ex-con who has been tasked to protect her (Sundays, 9 to 10 p.m.); and Crossbones, created by Neil Cross (Luther) and starring John Malkovich as the pirate Blackbird. Slated to air in 2014 on Sundays, from 10 to 11 p.m., there is little other information out there as of yet.

NBC also recently announced a mini-series adaptation of Stephen King’s Tommyknockers in 2014, but no dates or casting information has been forthcoming.

Returning

Returning to the Peacock this Fall are Revolution (Weds, 8 to 9 p.m., 9/25) and Grimm, Fridays, 9 to 10 p.m., which if you are not watching, start—there’s still time to catch up before the new season airs on 10/25. Community is slated for a midseason release.

Black Sails is set to debut on Starz in 2014.

Networks Waiting for Midseason to Debut All Their Geekery

Not every network has new content slated for the Fall, but midseason will serve up some highly anticipate premieres:

SyFy announced Helix with a premiere date of Jan, 2014. Ronald D. Moore (BattleStar Galactica) created the series about a group of CDC scientists sent to the Artic only to discover the fate of mankind may rest in their hands. Starring Billy Campbell (Eureka, The Killing, The 4400) and Hiroyuki Sanada (Speed Racer, Lost, The Wolverine).

TNT is bringing two shows that may not deal with a fandom in their content but certainly do with their talent: Mob City (formerly Lost Angels) stars Simon Pegg and is written and directed by Frank Darabont. The series follows the LAPD/Mob wars in Los Angeles in the 1940’s.; and Legends with Sean Bean as the best-of-the-best undercover agent who is struggling to find where his cover ends and he begins. Both shows are slated for 2014 premiere.

Simon Pegg in Frank Darabont's new cable drama, Mob City, on TNT. — Simon Pegg in Frank Darabont’s new cable drama, Mob City, on TNT.

The Last Ship isn’t set to premiere on TBS until Summer 2014, but this Michael Bay produced end-of-the-world-via-virus show looks to be next summer’s big cable hit. The show stars Adam Baldwin (Firefly, Serenity, Chuck) and Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy).

Penny Dreadful is set to premiere on Showtime in 2014. Called a pschyo-sexual horror series, produced by John Logan (writer: Rango, Gladiator, Skyfall) and Sam Mendes (director: Skyfall, American Beauty) it stars Josh Hartnett, Eva Green and Billie Piper. The series will be set in turn-of-the century London and will deal with the origins of literary horror monsters such as Dorian Gray, Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster.

Starz has Black Sails set to debut in January 2014. It is a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, Treasure Island, set twenty years before the events in the book. Fan reaction at the San Diego Comic Con was so strong Starz has already ordered a second season. It’s got pirates, islands, beaches and rum, so all things point to a hit.

The Outlander is also set to premiere in 2014 on Starz. Based upon the bestselling novels by Diana Gabaldon, the series follows the adventures of time-traveler Claire and her Scottish husband, Jamie Fraser, as they live through historical events from the Scottish revolt under Bonnie Prince Charlie to the revolutionary war. Lots of adventure, lots of romance (and sex, to be clear) and a great deal of historically accurate details made the books a must-read; if Starz follows HBO’s example and lets the novels guide the show than expectations should remain high.

This image--and a short clip--have been teasing the internet about J.J. Abrams new show for weeks now. — This image–and a short clip–have been teasing the internet about J.J. Abrams’ new show for weeks now.

Rounding off our report are two shows which are nothing more than whisper and rumor at the moment:

The Stranger, J.J. Abrams’ bit of marketing masterpiece: just a grainy black and white video with no information at all.

The Sector is a Ridley Scott produced, sci-fi procedural a la Blade Runner. Originally picked up by Cinemax, it was dropped in 2011 but the Science Channel recently announced it is picking up the series.

American Horror Story: Coven premieres on Oct 23rd.

Returning Shows to Keep An Eye Out For

The Walking Dead returns to AMC on Sunday, Oct. 13th at 10 p.m. Season four has yet another new showrunner in Scott Gimple, who will guide the show through a season set to introduce a host of new characters joining our ragged crew in the prison as they attempt to shore up and defend against walkers and humans alike.

The American Horror Story: Coven will be returning to F/X on Weds., October 9th, at 9 pm. Continuing the tradition set in season 2, season 3 will have returning actors but a completely different st of characters and plot. Returning this season are Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Francis Conroy and Dermot Mulroney; Kathy Bates, Patti Lupone and Angela Bassatt round out an all star cast. Coven focuses on the secret society of witches and an outside evil which is attacking them. The season will flash between modern day and 1830’s.

http://youtu.be/TkPwDPt4JOA

HBO will be bringing back Game of Thrones in the Spring of 2014. Be prepared, the show’s finished seasons are now more numerous then the remaining books…R.R. Marting better write fast.

SyFy is bringing back three shows this season: Being Human, slated for a Jan. 2014 premiere; Warehouse 13 will come back (if only for six episodes) for its fifth and final season in 2014; and Haven premieres its fourth season on September 13 at 10 p.m. (with a guest star stint from everybody’s favorite Sheriff, Colin Ferguson).

Starz has renewed Da Vinci’s Demons for a 2014 premiere. If you didn’t see season one, now’s the time to go back and watch (the complete season can be pre-ordered on iTunes). Created by David S. Goyer, co-writer of the The Dark Knight Trilogy, Da Vinci’s Demons is a solid show steeped in mythology and renaissance Italian/Catholic politics.

TNT is bringing Falling Skies Back for a fourth season in late Spring/Summer 2014, so check back for more information on what will happen to Mason and his regiment later.

That’s it! We hope you enjoyed our guide, and be sure to let us know if there are any titles that we missed!

Watch A New Trailer For ‘Spartacus: War Of The Damned’

by Derek KraneveldtDecember 24, 2012

Starz has just released a new trailer for Spartacus: War of the Damned; the third and final season of the popular Roman epic.

In my opinion, the first season of Spartacus was wonderful, and the story of Andy Whitfield’s passing is one that everyone in Hollywood (and everywhere else) will remember for a long time. There is a wonderful looking documentary in production about the actor titled Be Here Now, and I absolutely can’t wait to see it.

That being said, I haven’t found the time to watch beyond the first season of the show. From everything I’ve heard however, the quality hasn’t let up, so this third season should be no different.

Watch the trailer below, and let us know what you think! Spartacus: War of the Damned premieres on January 25th.

“Spartacus: War of the Damned,” currently in production in New Zealand, takes place following the defeat of Roman commander Gaius Claudius Glaber. Spartacus and his men have amassed major victories against the Romans after the Battle of Vesuvius. These victories have not only forged the legend of Spartacus, but have greatly increased the ranks of the rebellion slaves to more than 30,000. Rome is indeed beginning to tremble at the threat Spartacus now represents.

‘Spartacus: War of the Damned’ Shows Off A New Poster!

by Derek KraneveldtNovember 28, 2012

The beginning of the end for Spartacus is now less than two months away, and Starz has just released a new poster to advertise it.

I haven’t yet had a chance to watch the most recent season, but the synopsis for War of the Damned states that the new season takes place following the defeat of Roman commander Gaius Claudius Glaber. Spartacus and his men have amassed major victories against the Romans after the Battle of Vesuvius. These victories have not only forged the legend of Spartacus, but have greatly increased the ranks of the rebellion slaves to more than 30,000. Sounds pretty cool to me!

In my opinion, the first season of Spartacus was absolutely phenomenal, and the story of Andy Whitfield’s passing is one that everyone in Hollywood (and everywhere else) will remember for a long time. There is a wonderful looking documentary in production about the actor titled Be Here Now, and I absolutely can’t wait to see it.

Check out the poster below, and let us know what you think! Spartacus: War of the Damned will premiere on January 25th.

Encore Channel To Host Super Heroes Movie Marathon

by AllieHanleyAugust 8, 2012

Bust out the popcorn, and all your junk food! Encore Channel is having a Superhero Movie Marathon this Labor Day Weekend. The line-up includes films from the 1980’s and 90’s where low budgets, sexy costumes, and flimsy stories were all we had to feed our comic to film addictions.

SUPERHEROES LABOR DAY MARATHON – Monday, Sept. 3 from 12am to 12am (EST)

See all four original (Christopher Reeve) Superman films, along with a legion of fellow superheroes!

12:00 AM – Flash Gordon (1980) – Iconic film you can watch over and over! Check out Max von Sydow as Emperor Ming, and Sam T. Jones who just played himself in the Mark Wahlberg film, “Ted.” The soundtrack was written and performed by Queen. I’ve personally watched this film 20 times as a kid and still love it. Timothy Dalton (who plays James Bond some years later) was my heart throb back in the day.

2:00 AM – The Shadow (1994) – Funny man Alex Baldwin (30 Rock) takes his turn in the cape as The Shadow. Look for Ian McKellen (Lord of The Rings) in the film as Dr. Reinhardt Lane. It’s not the greatest but still not terrible.

3:50 AM – Spawn (1997) – Not a lot of love from fans and critics on this film but it does star Martin Sheen and John Leguizamo. If you plan to sleep this may be the one to skip.

5:35 AM – Darkman (1990) – Wake Up for Liam Neeson as he stars as the hideously scarred and nutso scientist seeking revenge in this Sam Raimi film. Frances McDormand plays Julie Hastings, the lady in distress. Critics didn’t love it but I thought it was cool for 1990.

7:20 AM – Hulk (2003) – Stan Lee alongside Jack Kirby as writers finally get a big budget to blow on a super hero film! Eric Bana SMASHES as the Hulk. Nick Nolte does a wonderful job as his father, and Jennifer Connelly’s baby blues entice in this version that still left die-hard fans wanting more; -even when the film didn’t deliver. I’d watch it again but the later version with Edward Norton is still better.

9:45 AM – The Green Hornet (2011) – This modern version has some snappy camera effects and a great bad guy played by Christoph Waltz. It’s not the worst superhero film but falls somewhere in the middle. Seth Rogen is the rich kid who gets the idea to use his power and money to do good (very original) . Jay Chau, plays his multi-talented sidekick who does most of the ass kicking. The sound track rocks.

11:45 AM – Superman (1978)- Christopher Reeve as the Man Of Steel gets it right in this Richard Donner film. Many consider this to be the best super hero film ever created. Marlon Brando as Jor-El is still the quintessential actor even in this brief role. My favorite will always be The Dark Knight but this one still holds up well.

2:10 PM – Superman II (1980) – Chistopher Reeve returns for this unimaginably titled film as Clark Kent/Superman; Even with 7 writers (Joe Shuster and Joe Pusso) the film just doesn’t hold a candle to it’s predecessor. Terrence Stamp as General Zod is still pretty good.

4:20 PM – Superman III (1983 ) – Another one? Please stop, but this time lets add super popular Richard Pryor to the cast and see if he can make it work. This is the movie where Superman gives up his super powers to be with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). I think this is about the time Margot Kidder started going nuts in real life too. Anyone up for a beer run?

6:30 PM – Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) – The story is so bad I can’t take the energy to type about it but what the hell? This is the one where Superman gets split into two versions… sort of like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

8:00 PM – The Green Hornet (2011) See 9:45 AM above.

10:00 PM – Batman Returns (1992) – Ends the marathon with Tim Burton’s dark vision of Batman starring Michael Keaton who dons the cape believably alongside Michelle Pfeiffer, as Catwoman. Some of the scenes with Danny DeVito as Penguin gross me out. Not sure if George Clooney’s version is any better.

UPDATE: New Panels Added To San Diego Comic-Con 2012 TV Lineup

by Scott AlminianaJune 19, 2012

Last week I posted the TV panel lineup for San Diego Comic-Con 2012 and there were a few people wondering where staples of Comic-Con past like True Blood were. Well, good news…more panels have been added. When/if more panels are announced you can we sure Geekscape will keep you posted.

THURSDAY, JULY 12

• Holliston (FearNet): Cast members from the network’s first original scripted series will join executive producers. 8:30-9:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, JULY 13

• Game of Thrones (HBO): Cast and creators TBD. Hall H.

• Spartacus (Starz): Stars Liam McIntyre and Manu Bennett will join showrunner Steven S. DeKnight for its final trip to Comic-Con heading into its last season. Room 6BCF, 5:45 p.m.-6:45 p.m.

SATURDAY, JULY 14

• Grimm (NBC): Stars David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby, Bitsie Tulloch, Silas Weir Mitchell, Reggie Lee, Sasha Roiz and Bree Turner join EPs Jim Kouf, David Greenwalt, Norberto Barba, Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner. Room 6 A

• True Blood (HBO): Cast and creators TBD. Ballroom 20.