Two More Cast in Christopher Nolan's Interstellar

John Lithgow won't be the only actor from Rise of the Planet of the Apes in director Christopher Nolan's next film, Interstellar.

TheWrap reports that David Oyelowo has been cast in the sci-fi epic along with Cloud Atlas actor David Gyasi. The duo previously worked together on Red Tails, while Gyasi had a small role in Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. No word yet on what their roles are exactly in Interstellar.

David Oyelowo in Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

In other Nolan news, the Inception helmer is exec producing the science fiction thriller Transcendence, which marks the directing debut of his longtime cinematographer Wally Pfister. This plot synopsis (via Screen Crush) provides a slightly more sinister edge to the story for the Johnny Depp-starrer:

"Will Caster, forefather of A.I., has his consciousness uploaded onto the internet. Once there, is it really Will who is interacting with humanity in order to make things better, or a darker sinister clone bent on the termination of the world as we know it?"

Finally, check out this international featurette for Transcendence made for Chinese audiences (via CinemaBlend):

Transcendence opens April 25, 2014. Interstellar opens November 7, 2014.

Source : ign[dot]com

The Flash Will Introduce Powers to the Arrow Universe

Earlier today, The CW revealed plans to create a The Flash spinoff series after unveiling the character on Arrow this coming season. “We plan to introduce a recurring character [on Arrow] and an origin story for Dr. Barry Allen, who you know as The Flash." said CW president Mark Pedowitz in his initial address during the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour.

Arrow co-creators/executive producers Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg will work with DC Entertainment's Geoff Johns to bring the Scarlet Speedster to life, with the trio set to co-write each of the scripts that the character will appear in this season. Allen will be a presence in the 8th, 9th and 20th episodes of Arrow, with the 20th acting as a backdoor pilot. The pilot will be directed by Game of Thrones Red Wedding/"The Rains of Castamere" helmer, and vetran TV director, David Nutter. Casting is now underway. In fact, the announcement was made in part to allow The CW to widen the net to a far larger range of potential Barry Allens.

As expected, the revelation sparked a bevy of questions about what The Flash's introduction to Arrow meant for the character's possible inclusion in the DC cinematic universe, as well as The CW's plans for the Wonder Woman series that had been in development. (You can take a look at Pedowitz's responses here.)

Powers In Starling City:

“Part of the hope to introduce Barry is to start to introduce powers into our universe,” executive producer Berlanti told us earlier today, when asked if indeed, The Flash would mark the first wave of actual superpowers on Arrow. Johns and Kreisberg were on hand for a conference call this afternoon where they confirmed that there would be no workaround; and the character would retain his superhuman abilities. "He does need powers and he will be The Flash," assured Johns.

The Origin of The Flash - Arrow-Style:

Dr. Barry Allen's will be an origin story, in a similar vein to Oliver Queen/Arrow, though seemingly with a more linear narrative. "When we first meet Barry Allen, he's just a forensic scientist, an ordinary man," Kreisberg said. "As we always do on Arrow, we keep things as grounded and realistic as possible, that's the way the audience can be introduced to him and get to know him. And then life gets a little faster."

The producers were reticent to indicate exactly how he attains his super-speedy abilities, but we do know that Allen will be in Starling City in his first two episodes, where we imagine the inciting incident takes place, and in "his own world" for the 20th.

"Part of the fun for the audience is to see how we do our Arrow take on the Flash legacy," Kreisberg  continued. "Some of it will feel very familiar to DC Comics, some of it hopefully will feel different, fresh and exciting. The same way we approached Arrow is the same way we're approaching Barry."

Will Other Characters Gain Superpowers?:

Does the introduction of The Flash indicate that other characters will also begin to gain superpowers on Arrow? "We look at it like when he [The Flash] first appeared, he ushered in a silver age for DC superheros," said Johns. "In the same way he's going to usher in some new and pretty insane concepts to the Arrow world, but like Andrew said, it's in a very Arrow way."

"Our characters that you have come to know and like will respond to the extraordinary changes in their world in a very realistic way. These 'powers' will not be commonplace, they will be extraordinary events, and the world, and our characters in them, will react accordingly." Kreisberg said, emphasizing that Arrow would maintain its established tone.

The Flash Is A Good Counter To Arrow:

Aside from the fact that The Flash is a favorite among all three producers, the character was selected as the next addition to the (possibly growing) DC characters in the CW programming line-up because, as Kreisberg says, "Despite the fact that he has superpowers, there's something more relatable about Barry among of the Big Seven of the Justice League. He got his powers by accident; he's not a god, he's not an alien, they came to him by accident, his reactions to that feel very human and grounded."

Additionally, the producers feel that Barry and Oliver stand in stark contrast to one another and will, as such, create an interesting counterbalance to one another.

"Oliver Queen is very dark and tortured soul and Barry is not," Kreisberg said, stressing the profound impact that Allen would have both Oliver and the other characters inhabiting the Arrow universe. "He's a great character who is going to affect all of our characters lives. It will be fun to see these two characters together because they have two different worlds...As much as Oliver now thinks he's a hero, Barry isn't always going to believe that."

"We're also exploring a very personal story for Barry," Johns said. "Life as forensic scientist and the people around him, the tragedies and how he deals with them in a very different way than Oliver Queen." They did say that the intention was to "add" to Arrow, not "subtract." Meaning, it's unlikely that central Arrow characters will be making the transition to the new series.

The Look And The Casting:

They aren't thinking about things like costumes or the specifics of how his abilities will be rendered on the show just yet, but the producers do stress that it will "very different; and not just blurring around" They are excited to "bring something fresh, and new, and exiting and bring something people have never seen." Johns said that he was inspired by every incarnation of Flash, but did call out the Justice League: Flash Point Paradox animated film as having some stunning depictions of superspeed.

As far as what they are seeking out in terms of the casting, Johns joked, "Someone who looks good in red." Kreisberg laughingly said, "blond is preferred," closing out by stressing that there would be "no sweat suits or strange code names. He will be The Flash."

Roth Cornet is an Entertainment Editor for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @RothCornet and IGN at Roth-IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

The Flash Will Introduce Powers to the Arrow Universe

Earlier today, The CW revealed plans to create a The Flash spinoff series after unveiling the character on Arrow this coming season. “We plan to introduce a recurring character [on Arrow] and an origin story for Dr. Barry Allen, who you know as The Flash." said CW president Mark Pedowitz in his initial address during the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour.

Arrow co-creators/executive producers Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg will work with DC Entertainment's Geoff Johns to bring the Scarlet Speedster to life. They will pen each of the scripts that that character will appear in this season. Allen will show up in the 8th, 9th and 20th episodes of Arrow, with the 20th acting as a backdoor pilot. The pilot will be directed by Game of Thrones Red Wedding/"The Rains of Castamere" helmer, and vetran TV director, David Nutter. Casting is now underway. The announcement was made in part to allow The CW to widen the net to a far larger range of potential Barry Allen's.

The announcement, as expected, sparked a bevy of questions about what the character's introduction to Arrow meant for the character's possible inclusion in the DC cinematic universe, as well as The CW's plans for the Wonder Woman series that had been in development. (You can take a look at Pedowitz's responses to those questions here.)

Powers In Starling City:

“Part of the hope to introduce Barry is to start to introduce powers into our universe,” executive producer Berlanti told us earlier today, when asked if indeed, The Flash would mark the first wave of actual superpowers on Arrow. Johns and Kreisberg were on hand for a conference call this afternoon where they confirmed that there would be no workaround; and the character would retain his superhuman abilities. "He does need powers and he will be The Flash," assured Johns.

The Origin of The Flash - Arrow-Style:

Dr. Barry Allen's will be an origin story, in a similar vein to Oliver Queen/Arrow, though seemingly with a more linear narrative. "When we first meet Barry Allen, he's just a forensic scientist, an ordinary man," Kreisberg said. "As we always do on Arrow, we keep things as grounded and realistic as possible, that's the way the audience can be introduced to him and get to know him. And then life gets a little faster."

The producers were reticent to indicate exactly how he attains his super-speedy abilities, but we do know that Allen will be in Starling City in his first two episodes, where we imagine the inciting incident takes place, and in "his own world" for the 20th.

"Part of the fun for the audience is to see how we do our Arrow take on the Flash legacy," Kreisberg  continued. "Some of it will feel very familiar to DC Comics, some of it hopefully will feel different, fresh and exciting. The same way we approached Arrow is the same way we're approaching Barry."

Will Other Characters Gain Superpowers?:

Does the introduction of The Flash indicate that other characters will also begin to gain superpowers on Arrow? "We look at it like when he [The Flash] first appeared, he ushered in a silver age for DC superheros," said Johns. "In the same way he's going to usher in some new and pretty insane concepts to the Arrow world, but like Andrew said, it's in a very Arrow way."

"Our characters that you have come to know and like will respond to the extraordinary changes in their world in a very realistic way. These 'powers' will not be commonplace, they will be extraordinary events, and the world, and our characters in them will react accordingly." Kreisberg said, emphasizing that Arrow would maintain its established tone.

The Flash Is A Good Counter To Arrow:

Aside from the fact that The Flash is a favorite among all three producers, the character was selected as the next addition to the (possibly growing) DC characters in the CW programming line-up because, as Kreisberg says, "Despite the fact that he has superpowers, there's something more relatable about Barry among of the Big Seven of the Justice League. He got his powers by accident; he's not a god, he's not an alien, they came to him by accident, his reactions to that feel very human and grounded."

Additionally, the producers feel that Barry and Oliver stand in stark contrast to one another and will, as such, create an interesting counterbalance to one another.

"Oliver Queen is very dark and tortured soul and Barry is not," Kreisberg said, stressing the profound impact that Allen would have both Oliver and the other characters inhabiting the Arrow universe. "He's a great character who is going to affect all of our characters lives. It will be fun to see these two characters together because they have two different worlds...As much as Oliver now thinks he's a hero, Barry isn't always going to believe that."

"We're also exploring a very personal story for Barry," Johns said. "Life as forensic scientist and the people around him, the tragedies and how he deals with them in a very different way than Oliver Queen." They did say that the intention was to "add" to Arrow, not "subtract." Meaning, it's unlikely that central Arrow characters will be making the transition to the new series.

The Look And The Casting:

They aren't thinking about things like costumes or the specifics of how his abilities will be rendered on the show just yet, but the producers do stress that it will "very different; and not just blurring around" They are excited to "bring something fresh, and new, and exiting and bring something people have never seen." Johns said that he was inspired by every incarnation of Flash, but did call out the Justice League: Flash Point Paradox animated film as having some stunning depictions of superspeed.

As far as what they are seeking out in terms of the casting, Johns joked, "Someone who looks good in red." Kreisberg laughingly said, "blond is preferred," closing out by stressing that there would be "no sweat suits or strange code names. He will be The Flash."

Roth Cornet is an Entertainment Editor for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @RothCornet and IGN at Roth-IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Beverly Hills Cop IV Resurrected ... Again

Beverly Hills Cop IV is dead! Long live Beverly Hills Cop IV!

The long-gestating on-again, off-again sequel is back on at Paramount Pictures, which is reportedly "moving fast" on making the fourth installment in the decades-old fish-out of-water cop comedy franchise.

Paramount has hired Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol screenwriters Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec to pen the script. Eddie Murphy is also said to be onboard to reprise his role as wise-cracking, transplanted Detroit cop Axel Foley.

"We hear the newest installment in the film franchise was fueled by the interest sparked by the Beverly Hills Cop pilot this past season," reports Deadline.

CBS shocked industry observers when it opted not to pick up the Shawn Ryan-scripted pilot as a series. Brandon T. Jackson starred as Axel’s son, with Murphy in a supporting role as Axel, who was now the chief of police in Detroit. No word on whether Jackson will pop up in the fourth movie, though it would seem unlikely.

Deadline claims the pilot "drew enough attention to the franchise to spawn a new movie."

Source : ign[dot]com

Beverly Hills Cop IV Resurrected ... Again

Beverly Hills Cop IV is dead! Long live Beverly Hills Cop IV!

The long-gestating on-again, off-again sequel is back on at Paramount Pictures, which is reportedly "moving fast" on making the fourth installment in the decades-old fish-out of-water cop comedy franchise.

Paramount has hired Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol screenwriters Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec to pen the script. Eddie Murphy is also said to be onboard to reprise his role as wise-cracking, transplanted Detroit cop Axel Foley.

"We hear the newest installment in the film franchise was fueled by the interest sparked by the Beverly Hills Cop pilot this past season," reports Deadline.

CBS shocked industry observers when it opted not to pick up the Shawn Ryan-scripted pilot as a series. Brandon T. Jackson starred as Axel’s son, with Murphy in a supporting role as Axel, who was now the chief of police in Detroit. No word on whether Jackson will pop up in the fourth movie, though it would seem unlikely.

Deadline claims the pilot "drew enough attention to the franchise to spawn a new movie."

Source : ign[dot]com

NBC on Hannibal: Their Envelope Pushing Show

Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment and Jennifer Salke, President of NBC Entertainment, were on hand at this summer's TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour this afternoon to talk about their upcoming programming slate.

While there, they touched upon Hannibal, a show that looked to be on the cancellation bubble as the network headed into Upfronts earlier this year. Hannibal struck many as an odd series for NBC from the outset, the graphic content combined with the serialized nature of the show felt like a better fit for cable. In fact, the "premium network tone," according to Salke, may be Hannibal's appeal for the network, as they want to "send a message" to attract the creators of other high concept, "event" television programming.

"On Hannibal we recognize that that show really pushes the envelope a lot," Salke said when asked if she felt that the show was pushing the limits of what is acceptable on network TV. "I think, for us, it’s important, in a world where these cable shows are beloved and infringing on real estate that was network real estate, obviously, we need to send a message to the community and to creators like Bryan Fuller and David Slade, who work on that show, that we support a big, risky event kind of vision like that. And in fact, it is paying off for us because as development season starts and writers come in and you all know – there was a cynical attitude toward Hannibal from the very beginning, with people, fans, saying, 'Oh, it’s on NBC. They’re going to pull it off at some point. It will never really live there. I don’t know why it’s there. I’m confused why it’s there to begin with.' I think it was just critical to send a message that we would support a show like that at 10 o’clock and that we would support a creator with a vision that felt like it was a little bit out there on the gangplank as far as content."

As to the soft ratings on the series in its first season, Greenblatt seemed somewhat optimistic.

"Time shifting is here," he said. "We all know that. We live with it. We always appreciate when you report beyond just the premiere night ratings, but it’s interesting to see the sort of growth of some of our shows when you look at the L+7 ratings. We have eight series that grow by 50 percent or more in 18 49, Hannibal, Grimm, Revolution, Parenthood, Chicago Fire and a few others that are no longer on the schedule, but 82 percent boost for Hannibal out of the time period is really significant."

Of course events like the press tour are designed for networks to put on their most positive face, but for now, it looks as though NBC’s view is that the serial killer drama is an asset, and one that is relatively low cost for them as a co-production. We shall see where Season 2 takes the series, and can only hope that it finds a bit more of an audience.

Source : ign[dot]com

NBC on Hannibal: Their Envelope Pushing Show

Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment and Jennifer Salke, President of NBC Entertainment, were on hand at this summer's TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour this afternoon to talk about their upcoming programming slate.

While there, they touched upon Hannibal, a show that looked to be on the cancellation bubble as the network headed into Upfronts earlier this year. Hannibal struck many as an odd series for NBC from the outset, the graphic content combined with the serialized nature of the show felt like a better fit for cable. In fact, the "premium network tone," according to Salke, may be Hannibal's appeal for the network, as they want to "send a message" to attract the creators of other high concept, "event" television programming.

"On Hannibal we recognize that that show really pushes the envelope a lot," Salke said when asked if she felt that the show was pushing the limits of what is acceptable on network TV. "I think, for us, it’s important, in a world where these cable shows are beloved and infringing on real estate that was network real estate, obviously, we need to send a message to the community and to creators like Bryan Fuller and David Slade, who work on that show, that we support a big, risky event kind of vision like that. And in fact, it is paying off for us because as development season starts and writers come in and you all know – there was a cynical attitude toward Hannibal from the very beginning, with people, fans, saying, 'Oh, it’s on NBC. They’re going to pull it off at some point. It will never really live there. I don’t know why it’s there. I’m confused why it’s there to begin with.' I think it was just critical to send a message that we would support a show like that at 10 o’clock and that we would support a creator with a vision that felt like it was a little bit out there on the gangplank as far as content."

As to the soft ratings on the series in its first season, Greenblatt seemed somewhat optimistic.

"Time shifting is here," he said. "We all know that. We live with it. We always appreciate when you report beyond just the premiere night ratings, but it’s interesting to see the sort of growth of some of our shows when you look at the L+7 ratings. We have eight series that grow by 50 percent or more in 18 49, Hannibal, Grimm, Revolution, Parenthood, Chicago Fire and a few others that are no longer on the schedule, but 82 percent boost for Hannibal out of the time period is really significant."

Of course events like the press tour are designed for networks to put on their most positive face, but for now, it looks as though NBC’s view is that the serial killer drama is an asset, and one that is relatively low cost for them as a co-production. We shall see where Season 2 takes the series, and can only hope that it finds a bit more of an audience.

Source : ign[dot]com