Another Nail In Dollhouse's Coffin

When Fox first announced Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse would air on Friday nights next to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, it immediately sent warning signals to those hoping it would be the next Buffy. By that single decision, Whedonites were hard-pressed to deny that it wouldn’t suffer a fate similar to his previous Fox effort Firefly. And exactly as everyone thought, the ratings shit the bed.

So it certainly sent shocks when Fox revealed that it had been renewed for a second season. Albeit the production was forced to take budget cuts, their order was simply 13 episodes up front (although a back-nine pickup wasn’t an impossibly) and it was sticking with the “Friday Night Deathslot.” And once again, it tanked in the ratings.

Oh sure, there were reports of how great it did on DVR. But everyone knows that technology (as cool and convenient as it is) serves nothing more than spin for networks to “prove” people are watching their shows. That’s the equivalent of me recording 30 Rock and The Office tonight and watching it sometime this weekend. Should that be lumped into the Nielsen numbers? No? Exactly.

However following said DVR numbers, Fox reassured fans that they would not pull the plug on Dollhouse like NBC recently did with Southland (i.e. cancelling the show after 6 completed episodes even though they were contracted for 13 – all before a single one aired!) All of the originally ordered 13 episodes would be produced and aired. Seeing the blatant writing on the wall, Whedon confirmed he was planning to essentially wrap the series up with the remaining episodes. But there were still those fans pressing their luck wondering if Dollhouse might continue after the 13th show.

Well, Michael Ausiello reports the final nail in its coffin - at least until before Fox officially announces the show is DOA. The network plans to sit out Dollhouse next month for the purpose of the alluring "November sweeps." In this case, expect to see reruns of House M.D., Glee, Bones and/or Fringe filling in said slots. Making matters even more definite is the revelation when the series returns in December, Fox will fill both hours of their Friday night schedule to the remaining episodes.

For their sake, I hope they find the remaining episodes enjoyable giving the series suitable closure. But there's no denying it. Dollhouse is done.

Dylan Baker Will Be Back For Spider-Man 4

I ignored the news-item earlier this week about Bruce Campbell having a “meaty” role in Spider-Man 4. Not a strike against Campbell, Sam Raimi or MTV for said story. But that’s non-news we’ve already heard.  No thank you.

However, UGO Movie Blog has the exclusive confirmation on casting news we all assumed would happen but were never told so. While attending a screening of Trick ‘r Treat with writer/director Mike Dougherty, Dylan Baker officially confirmed he will in fact appear in Spider-Man 4 as Dr. Curt Connors once again.

Will the actor finally transform into the Lizard? It’s certainly a question asked every time a new Spider-Man film is in development. Baker himself says he’ll be “just appearing in the background” as Dougherty jokingly put it. Indeed, Mike. This is “cocktease for another year.”

Of course, Baker could be simply lying his ass off. I mean he is a good enough actor to convince us so.

"Season of the Witch" Teaser Trailer

This one is a bit of a surprise, it's only 30 seconds long and boasts a dreadful tagline, however it looks far more interesting than I expected it to, more of a horror film then originally thought.

"Season of the Witch" stars Nic Cage and Ron Perlman, and is the tale of a 14th Century crusader and his comrade in arms, who return home to find their homeland ravaged by the Black Plague, the church blame a witch (Claire Foy) and Cage/Perlman are tasked with taking her to a remote abbey, where monks will perform a ritual in the hope of ending the Plague. Needless to say all is not as it seems and the guilt of the witch will most likely come into question from Cage, although I don't expect this to be a drama about the state of the 14th Century justice system.

"Season of the Witch" opens on March 19th and you can check the trailer out below.

Set Footage From A-Team

Entertainment Tonight recently did a set visit to the currently-in-production A-Team movie. While glossing over Rampage Jackson and Sharlto Copley, they opt to spend their time bullshitting with Bradley Cooper and Jessica Biel. Sucks, but understandable. I mean they are in the celebrity ass-munching business after all.

But further cementing their douchebag reputation comes this statement posed by Kevin Frazier (who seems like a nice enough guy and most likely following company orders): "...and the big question is there an A-Team love story?" It's safe to say that's not on anyone's mind - especially pertaining to The A-Team.

Pretty sure the bigger "questions" pertain to the film's quality and how the afore-mentioned Jackson and Copley will turn out. We'll see.

New Poster For "The Road"

Comingsoon.Net has a new psoter for the much delyaed "The Road," the film stars Viggo Mortensen and is directed by John Hillcot (The Proposition).

"The Road" has been delayed almost a year at this point and was considered as an Oscar contender last year before the massive and ever increasing delay. An adaption of the Cormac Mcarthy novel, the film has recived mixed responses from the screenings it had at various festivals, from what I've read it certainly seems to be a love it or hate it film.

The new poster below is tonally awkward, it looks like a poster for a direct to DVD action film rather than one for a bleak apocalyptic survival film, and it certainly does not mesh with the footage shown in the trailers.

'Captain America' Will Knock Your Socks Off

Is it really much of a news flash that the Editor-In-Chief of Marvel Comics thinks that the "Captain America" script is fantastic? Apparently it is or else I wouldn't be reporting on it. Joe Quesada was the guest of honor at the Big Apple Comic-Con and hosted a question and answer panel along with Wizard Magazine's Casey Seijas. Among other Marvel related topics such as "Spider-Man 4" Quesada almost had a geek attack when he mentioned the upcoming "Captain America".

"I've seen a couple of outlines and an initial screenplay, and it's going to rock everyone's socks off," he said. "It's very unexpected, the kind of movie it is." Quesada added that "Captain America" sets up "The Avengers" in "a fantastic way" and also mentioned that there is an undisclosed wish list of actors to play the star-spangled superhero.

Am I the only one who is seeing through the star studded shield here? "Captain America" comes out two months after "Thor" yet it seems like there is no movement whatsoever. "Thor" has a continually expanding cast and a start date. "Captain America" was buried in the ice if you look closely at a deleted scene from "Hulk" and Tony Stark might have had the Captain's shield proudly displayed on his work bench.

Captain America may or may not be in theaters July 22, 2011.

Ninja Turtles TV Series & Film For 2012

I was huddled on my couch this Sunday as the snow started to fall in New England and was flipping through the stations as I waited for opening kickoff of the "Pats" game. Luckily as I hovered around TBS or TNT I was pleasantly surprised to find the first "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" live action film. Before I knew it was fully engrossed, praying that the pizza eating foursome locate Master Splinter and defeat the evil Shredder. I guess Nickelodeon must have been watching this past weekend as well because they paid a hefty $60 Million to acquire the global rights to the reptiles.

Along with news of the acquisition, Nickelodeon also announced plans to to create a CG animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle television series to debute in 2012. In addition to the possible series, Nickelodeon has joined with Paramount Pictures to plan a new feature film which is also scheduled to be released in 2012. Nickelodeon also now enjoy the merchandising rights to the characters in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe and will work with Playmate Toys, the company responsible for the TMNT toys over the last 20 years. This sounds like one hell of a deal for Nickelodeon and if they can live up to their business plan it will be a hell of a deal for fans of "The Turtles".

New "Wolfman" Trailer

Apple: Watch The Trailer

Coming Soon: See The Photos

Inspired by the classic Universal film that launched a legacy of horror, "The Wolfman" brings the myth of a cursed man back to its iconic origins. Oscar® winner Benicio Del Toro stars as Lawrence Talbot, a haunted nobleman lured back to his family estate after his brother vanishes. Reunited with his estranged father (Oscar® winner Anthony Hopkins), Talbot sets out to find his brother... and discovers a horrifying destiny for himself.

Lawrence Talbot's childhood ended the night his mother died. After he left the sleepy Victorian hamlet of Blackmoor, he spent decades recovering and trying to forget. But when his brother's fiancée, Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt), tracks him down to help find her missing love, Talbot returns home to join the search. He learns that something with brute strength and insatiable bloodlust has been killing the villagers, and that a suspicious Scotland Yard inspector named Aberline (Hugo Weaving) has come to investigate.

As he pieces together the gory puzzle, he hears of an ancient curse that turns the afflicted into werewolves when the moon is full. Now, if he has any chance at ending the slaughter and protecting the woman he has grown to love, Talbot must destroy the vicious creature in the woods surrounding Blackmoor. But as he hunts for the nightmarish beast, a simple man with a tortured past will uncover a primal side to himself... one he never imagined existed.

Marc Guggenheim Exits "Flash Forward"

The veteran scribes over at Aint It Cool News were handed a hot off the presses scoop that Marc Guggenheim will no longer be involved with ABC's sci-fi drama "Flash Forward". The details behind Guggenheim's departure are not available at this time, and anything pointing to the possible reason would be purely speculative on my part. It is being reported that Guggenheim was involved with the first 12 episodes of "Flash Forward" acting as a mentor to David Goyer who will take over the just recently ordered "back nine".

"Flash Forward" burst on to the scene with much fanfare, being dubbed the next "Lost" and didn't disappoint. The pilot knocked veteran ratings juggernaut "Survivor" out of the top spot its opening week and has continued with solid ratings throughout its early run. I'm surprised that Marc even had time to work on "Flash Forward" considering his incredibly busy schedule. Not only is he still involved with WB's comic book blockbuster "Green Lantern", but he is also hard at work writing the post-apocalyptic invasion flick "Resurrection" which is set to be distributed by Universal Pictures. Marc is also working on Marvel's "Iron Man vs Whiplash" 4-part comic run which acts as a refresher on the character of "Whiplash" who will be featured in "Iron Man 2" courtesy of Mickey Rourke. 

Last time I chatted with Marc he mentioned some more fun projects on the horizon, so stay tuned. 

Sherlock Holmes Trailer

A new trailer for "Sherlock Holmes" brought to you courtesy of Coming Soon via Movie Box

Sherlock Holmes Official Site