More Flash Characters to Appear on Sister Show Arrow

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  20 March  2014.

An upcoming episode of Arrow will preview more of The Flash’s new cast. Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow and Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon will appear in Arrow’s episode 19, “The Man Under the Hood.”

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Arrow executive producer Mark Guggenheim commented on the decision to introduce the characters prior to the premiere of the spinoff. “It allows us to further flush out The Flash universe in Arrow. We get to see their dynamic.”

While the circumstances of Caitlin and Cisco’s visit to Starling City remain unknown, we do have a few details about the characters themselves. Both work for S.T.A.R. labs, she as a bioengineering expert and he as a mechanical engineering genius. In the comics, Caitlin eventually becomes the villain Killer Frost but Cisco becomes Vibe, a hero who joins the Justice League of America.

Geoff Johns, Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg, who head up The Flash’s writing team, will pen the Arrow episode in which Panabaker and Valdes appear. The full pilot for the series about the Scarlett Speedster will air in October. “The Man Under the Hood” will air in April.

Captain America To Take On Batman And Superman In The Ultimate Box Office Clash

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  14 March  2014.

Proving that they really just don’t care about whatever DC is doing, Marvel has decided to keep their Captain America 3 release date despite DC planning to release their Batman/Superman film on the same day. Fanboys and girls, get ready for a throw down on May 6, 2016.

In January, DC issued a clear challenge to the Disney-owned Marvel when they moved up their Man of Steel sequel from July to May. Marvel had already staked out May 6 for an untitled film, and this week we learned that film is Captain America 3, which means it’s time for DC to rethink their strategy.

The truth is Marvel has been hammering DC in the cinematic world. With Avengers 2 underway and Captain America: The Winter Soldier due out on April 4, Marvel is on a definite high. DC, on the other hand, is putting together some mash-up movie with Ben Affleck taking over Batman’s cape and cowl and Henry Cavill returning as Superman.

As Scott Mendelson at Forbes notes, “Warner Bros. has little choice but to pick a new release date. It has officially lost this game of chicken and will lose any showdown with Captain America 3 by default…Batman/Superman must unequivocally succeed in order for Warner Bros. to do whatever Justice League plans they have up their sleeve.”

Interestingly, The Hollywood Reporter, which first broke the Captain America 3 news, cites industry experts who believe it is highly unlikely the two superhero films will actually open the same weekend. Really what this means is, we’re all waiting to see who blinks first: Marvel or DC?

Grant Gustin, Get Ready: Tom Cavanagh To Play Harrison Wells In The Flash

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  11 February  2014.

Photo: Paul Drinkwater/NBC

The man who has a hand in creating the Scarlet Speedster has been cast. Producers of The Flash have added Tom Cavanagh to the pilot episode as physicist Harrison Wells. Harrison Wells is the man who causes the particle accelerator explosion that transforms Barry Allen into The Flash.

Described as both the brains and the money behind S.T.A.R. Labs Particle Accelerator, Wells soon finds himself an outcast in his own community. The explosion will rip apart his reputation but he finds a glimmer of hope when Barry (Grant Gustin) is discovered to have super speed.

A spinoff of the CW’s Arrow, The Flash was introduced in two episodes during the DC show’s second season. Producer Greg Berlanti says the new series will be more science heavy, in contrast to Arrow’s crime focus.

“We’ve talked a lot on Arrow about the particle collider and Harrison Wells and S.T.A.R. Labs and so you’ll see S.T.A.R. Labs as an active part of the show,” he said on Digital Spy.

Cavanagh is best known from his lead role on Ed and his recurring guest role on Scrubs. He joins cast members Jesse L. Martin, Danielle Panabaker, Candice Patton, Carlos Valdes and Rick Cosnett. The Flash pilot is still in development by Arrow’s Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg along with Geoff John, Chief Creative Office of DC Entertainment. If picked up by the CW, the show would likely air in Fall 2014.

Jason Momoa Joins Superman Vs Batman Movie In Secret Role

Originally published on PopWrapped.  11 December 2013.

Superman vs. Batman may be adding a Khal to their ensemble. Game of Thrones’s Jason Momoa is in talks for a role in DC’s superhero mash up film.

The actor, best known for playing the late Khal Drogo on the HBO series, could be cast as the villain Doomsday or as fellow Justice League member, Martian Manhunter, The Hollywood Reporter has said. If he were cast as Martian Manhunter, that would bring the total count of Justice League members in this film to four, with Henry Cavill’s Superman, Ben Affleck’s Batman and the recently announced Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Including J’onn J’onnz would also pretty much confirm what we all suspect: this Zack Snyder project is actually a Justice League film.

However, Nerdist News is speculating that Momoa could actually be playing Metallo, a supervillain cyborg who uses kryptonite as a power source. This seems like a likely scenario, or at least as likely as Momoa being Martian Manhunter. Callan Mulvey was previously reported to be up for the Doomsday role, which would take that casting option off the table. But if Momoa is going to be Metallo, just how many villains will this film include?

In addition to Game of Thrones, Momoa played the titular role in last year’s Conan the Barbarian remake.

Bex Taylor-Klaus Joins the Cast of Arrow as DC’s Sin

Originally published on PopWrapped.tumblr.com.  17 August 2013.

Arrow has added another DC character to season two. Bex Taylor-Klaus (The Killing) has been cast Sin, a young woman mentored by Black Canary. She will appear in episodes three and four when Arrow returns on October 9th.

One of the lesser-known DC characters, Sin was discovered by Black Canary while the latter was training in martial arts in an Asian village. The two developed a mother/daughter bond and when Black Canary left the village, she took Sin with her back to Metropolis. There the hero chose to leave her Birds of Prey team to raise Sin, real name Cynthia Lance. In one story arc, Green Arrow was forced to fake Sin’s death to save her from the League of Assassins.

As for Arrow’s take on the young martial arts expert, reports have confirmed that she’ll retain her bond with Black Canary. She will also have connection with Roy Harper (Colton Haynes).

Sin is the latest in the long list of DC characters joining the show, including Barry Allen aka The Flash.

Taylor-Klaus received strong critical reviews for her performance as Bullet on AMC’s The Killing. Her role on Arrow will be the 19-year-old actress’ second major screen credit.

Superheroes Are Taking Over Sky Movies: Channel To Pay Homage

Originally published on PopWrapped.tumblr.com.  17 August 2013.

Sky Movies wants to fill the rest of your August with superheroes. Beginning August 17th, the Sky Movies Superheroes HD pop-up channel will bring the audience animations, films and documentaries all about their favorite heroes.

Replacing Sky Movies Greats HD from August 17 – September 1, the channel includes themed days of content such as Marvel and DC days. August 18th is “Super Teams” with recent favorites X-Men: First Class and The Avengers as well as Pixar’s The Incredibles scheduled to air.

The following day, August 19th, is “Dynamic Duos,” with films such as Batman & Robin (of course), the Men in Black trilogy, and Dredd. 

To end the channel’s run are Marvel Day on August 31st and DC Day on September 1st. The Marvel movies scheduled for their namesake day include The Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and Spider-Man 2. A documentary on Marvel’s legendary Stan Lee, With Great Power: the Stan Lee Story, will also air on August 31st.

When DC gets their turn, viewers can look forward to The Dark Knight Rises, Batman Begins, and Green Lantern.

“From iconic comic book heroes including Batman, Spider-Man and He-Man to cult heroes including Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Men In Black, we’ve assembled an unbeatable line-up to keep Sky Movies customers entertained this summer on Sky Movies Superheroes HD, all ready to spring in to action,” said Director of Sky Movies, Ian Lewis.

Sky Movies Superheroes HD, available on Sky TV, Sky Go and On-Demand, could be the perfect way to end your summer. Check out the trailer for the channel here.

Is This The Face Of The New Wonder Woman?

Originally published on PopWrapped.tumblr.com.  8 August 2013.

Fighting mythological creatures and demi-gods may have set actress Alexandra Daddario up perfectly for the role she wants next: Wonder Woman. 

The Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters star wants to see the Amazonian Princess on the big screen and hopes to don the heroine’s famous red and gold costume.  "Whether I’m in a Wonder Woman movie or not, I would love to be,” she said. “I would love to see Wonder Woman get made. I would love to see this strong, female action hero.”

The 27-year-old actress has the dark hair and steely gaze to play the superhero but there’s no concrete word from DC about a Wonder Woman movie or show in the mix.

 

Wonder Woman projects have been notoriously plagued with setbacks, including a failed NBC pilot in 2011. A CW version,Amazon, was slated to hit the small screen but that too was recently placed on hold.  "We have to get her right, we have to," DC Entertainment chief Diane Nelson told The Hollywood Reporter, adding that the heroine is one of DC’s priorities. “She is such an icon for both genders and all ages and for people who love the original TV show and people who read the comics now.” 

However, fans are looking forward to Wonder Woman’s debut on the big screen in the highly anticipated Justice League film. There has been no casting news for the ensemble superhero flick, so Daddario may still get her wish.  

For now she can be seen in the Percy Jackson sequel, Sea of Monsters which opened in theaters Thursday.