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.

ABC Unveils S.H.I.E.L.D’s Newest Character Deathlok

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  20 March  2014.

Way back when Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premiered we met a troubled, frustrated guy named Mike Petersen. Sixteen episodes later, Mike has made quite a transformation. Into Deathlok.

The new images released by ABC show Petersen’s (J. August Richards) Deathlok costume in full.

Petersen was first introduced as a part of the Centipede super solider program. He later switched sides and effectively joined up with Agent Coulson’s team before being blackmailed into handing Coulson over to the baddies. In a last act of heroism, Petersen tried to save the agent but was caught in an explosion, kidnapped by The Clairvoyant and converted into Deathlok via a robotic leg and an eye implant.

Personally, I’m thrilled that S.H.I.E.L.D. has kept Richards coming back as Petersen. I was disappointed to see him exit at the end of the pilot and this is a great role for the actor who is best known for his other Whedonverse character, Charles Gunn on Angel.

As for the state of the Deathlok costume, comic book fans may be dismayed to see a distinct lay of tech with IO9 saying, “He looks like an evil bounty hunter from a cheap sci-fi show from the ’70s.” Comics Alliance adds, “his costume looks a little bit like some leftover wardrobe from the Dune movie or a really fancied up seatbelt buckle,” but also points out, and I agree, that the costume is a step closer to the comics’ undead cyborg. Let’s remember that Petersen still has three of his four original limbs at this point. There’s plenty of time for the evolution to full cyborg, complete with a menacing red eye, later.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Deathlok episode will air April 1 on ABC. In addition to Richards’ return, the episode brings back Agents John Garrett (Bill Paxton), Antoine Triplett (B.J. Britt), Victoria Hand (Safron Burrows), Jasper Sitwell (Maximiliano Hernández) and Felix Blake (Titus Welliver).

Marvel Looks To The Past And Into The Future In Assembling a Universe

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  19 March  2014.

Greetings Agents and Marvel fans! In lieu of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. tonight we got to enjoyAssembling a Universe. This mini documentary tracked the progression of Marvel Studios from its inception in 2006 to its present day status as a geek and box office juggernaut. If you missed this featurette, shame on you. Check out the recap here but then go see this awesome timeline of Marvel’s rise to cinematic greatness for yourself.

Clark Gregg described Marvel’s films best saying, “These are all chapters in a giant pop culture mythology, and I love that.” Let’s take a look at some of those chapters (minor spoilers ahead!):

Big Independent Studio: Back in 2006, the still-new Marvel Studios decided to try to create its own cinematic universe. They chose heroes Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk as their starting points. Though Hulk was well known, Iron Man was almost immediately lampooned by the media and critics as a second-rate character. At the time, bigger Marvel names like Spider-Man and the X-Men were tied up with other studios. After struggling to find a writer for the Iron Manfilm, Jon Favreau finally stepped up with a passion for the project. He cast Robert Downey Jr. because he saw the film as though it were any other independent movie and he wanted the best actors possible. Downey Jr.’s casting came as a surprise to many but also solidified Marvel’s intent: to make great movies with exceptional stories, characters and actors. The studio even reached out to let fans know, via a Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury cameo, that Iron Man was the start of an Avengers universe.

Get Out Your Torches Oncers: It’s Time For A “Witch Hunt”

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  17 March  2014.

Where to start Oncers? Tonight we added a new branch to the far too crowded Once Upon a Time family tree. We also learned that last week’s preview for this episode completely spoiled us for the not-so-big “flying monkeys are people” reveal. But most importantly, in my incredibly biased opinion, we find out the fate of someone near and dear to my Rumbelle heart. Get out your torches; it’s time for a “Witch Hunt.”

What you need to know:

Regina and Robin, sitting in a tree…:In Regina’s castle, the Wicked Witch sends one of her monkey minions to get the Queen. He swoops upon the Storybrooke company and nearly snatches up Robin Hood’s adorable son. Regina saves the kid and makes the flying monkey into a cuddly stuffed animal for the boy. Belle rightly surmises that the person occupying Regina’s castle must be from Oz, hence the flying monkeys and green smoke. “The bookworm’s right,” Regina replies. She goes into the tunnels that run underneath her castle, which aren’t protected by the spell. Robin decides to join her as thanks for saving his son and also because he loves her! Alright, maybe not yet but very soon Oncers. They arrive to find Regina’s blood-magic-sealed door is open.

The usual suspect: The Queen, who is devastated by Henry’s amnesia, privately informs Emma that she didn’t cast this new curse. However, at a town hall meeting later, everyone gangs up on Regina and Emma joins with the mob mentality. The Queen (like me) is ticked about this because oh my gosh haven’t they suspected her enough?! So she creates an earthquake and vanishes. Soon after, Emma meets her in her office and we learn this was a “clever” plan to fool everyone into thinking Emma wasn’t looking at all of them as suspects. Hey maybe she should talk to the random new girl no one remembers from the Enchanted Forest! Zelena is just in Granny’s chatting up Mary Margaret about her baby.

George R.R. Martin Fills Game of Thrones Producers In on Series Ending

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  14 March  2014.

In what is clearly an attempt to make Games of Thrones fans hate and love them even more, the producers of the HBO show have revealed they know how the series ends. Showrunners DB Weiss and David Benioff told Vanity Fair that they sat down with A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin to talk about the series conclusion.

“Last year we went out to Santa Fe for a week to sit down with [George] and just talk through where things are going, because we don’t know if we are going to catch up and where exactly that would be,” Benioff said. “If you know the ending, then you can lay the groundwork for it. And so we want to know how everything ends. We want to be able to set things up. So we just sat down with him and literally went through every character.”

Just the thought of this knowledge is enough to make most fans drool with envy. The TV series, just like the books, continues to leave many questions tantalizingly unanswered, such as the ultimate fate of the Starks, Jon Snow’s heritage, and which king or queen will take the Iron Throne.

The sit down with the HBO producers was certainly necessary as Game of Thrones rapidly closes in on catching up with Martin’s books. When the show returns for its fourth season, it will complete the adaptation of Martin’s third book in the series. This leaves two other currently completed books to pull from until the author, notorious for his slow writing, finishes more.

“It’s a little complicated, because we have the five books, but then we don’t have anything beyond that, because he’s still working,” Benioff admitted. “It’s sort of an unusual position in terms of adaptation because, you know, we’re catching up. It’ll be interesting to see what happens. And we’ve talked to George. The lucky part is that George works with us and he’s a producer on the show.”

The author still has The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring to finish writing in the seven book series so he couldn’t tell Weiss and Benioff everything just yet. “I can give them the broad strokes of what I intend to write, but the details aren’t there yet,” Martin said. “I’m hopeful that I cannot let them catch up with me.”

Whenever Martin does finish those last two books, it will mean the end of the TV series will be drawing near as well. Weiss stated the show will not “just keep on going because it can.” Rather he and Benioff recognize that the series has a natural end and they have to respect that. Speaking with the wisdom so many other producers lack, he said, “I think the desire to milk more out of it is what would eventually kill it, if we gave in to that.”

Game of Thrones returns to HBO on Sunday, April 6.

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?

Adrian Pasdar To Bring Major Glenn Talbot To Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  14 March  2014.

Adrian Pasdar is bringing Major Glenn Talbot and his glorious moustache to Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The studio recently announced the addition of Pasdar as a new thorn in the side of Agent Coulson and his team.

The famously mustachioed Talbot is Hulk-hater General Ross’ right hand man. Talbot frequently appears in the Hulk comics hunting the green rage monster and his Bruce Banner alter ego. On Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., he won’t be engaging in his favorite pastime but he will remain, as Pasdar says, a “sanctimonious jerk.” The character is slated for one episode on the ABC show and Pasdar hinted there might be more.

“As willing as I am to jump when Jeph (Loeb, Marvel TV president) calls, there had to be a little bit more in it than just an episode for me,” he said to The Hollywood Reporter. “I can’t say much more but the mustache is in a locker and it’s being taken out and prepped as we speak for next week.”

Pasdar certainly knows a little something about supernatural powers. He played Nathan Petrelli on NBC’s Heroes and S.H.I.E.L.D. will hardly be Pasdar’s first outing with Marvel. He’s voiced Iron Man in several of the studio’s animated features.

His turn as Talbot on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will air in April on ABC.

Paul McGann To Return To The TARDIS? The Eighth Doctor Opens Up

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  14 March  2014.


Whovians, we may not have seen the last of the Eighth Doctor. In an interview with Yahoo, Paul McGann said he would love to return to Doctor Who.

“If the same thing were to happen again and Moffat were to say ‘Would you come back and do it and I’ll write it?’ Why wouldn’t I want to do it? If it’s going to be that quality, why wouldn’t you want to do it?”

McGann had often been overlooked for his turn as the Eighth Doctor. The actor only appeared in the role once, in 1996’s Doctor Who TV film, which failed at the time to launch a new series of the show. All of that changed, however, when McGann donned his Time Lord clothes in The Night of the Doctor, a short that led up to the 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor. That epic mini-episode reminded or clued Whovians in to McGann’s brilliant Doctor and left us wanting more.

As for whether we’ll get “more,” McGann says, “There’s always all kinds of rumors. Doctor Who is like a rumor mill, isn’t it? 'Yea, McGann is gonna do this, Matt is gonna do that, there’s going to be a spin-off, blah blah blah.'” He brushes these off, since it’s showrunner Steven Moffat who decides what direction the show takes. “And of course, now you’ve got a new Doctor in Peter Capaldi – I think it’s only fair that he gets a decent run on his own without any distractions so he gets his feet under the table.”

I must say though, McGann only fuels those rumors when he posts pictures of his Eighth Doctor self in the Eleventh Doctor’s TARDIS.

Doctor Who returns with Capaldi at the TARDIS controls later this year.

What “Dirty Little Secrets” Were Revealed In This Week’s Wonderland?

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  14 March  2014.


Ah Wonderers, I am so glad to be among you! Thank you to Emmy Rivera for filling in for me while I was sick last week. And what an episode last week! Will’s now the Red Queen’s genie, Lizard’s dead (apparently), Cyrus and Alice are finally engaged and Jafar has maybe gotten more than he bargained for with the Jabberwocky. Let’s learn what “Dirty Little Secrets” everyone is hiding.

What you need to know:

Long ago in Agrabah: Cyrus cheats at a card game and his opponents get their revenge by setting his house on fire while his mother is inside. To save their badly burned mama, Cyrus convinces his two brothers to go with him to the Well of Wonders. They fill their canteens with water but are grabbed by an Inferi before they leave. Ok, it’s actually the Guardian of the Well but whatever. She tells them that their mother is already destined to die so the water won’t help. Cyrus, perhaps motivated mostly by guilt, convinces his brothers to take the water despite the “price” they may have to pay. They’re able to revive their mother, who turns out to be Amara, Jafar’s future mentor/lover/snake staff! She hardly has time to admire her satiny skin before the Guardian arrives, transforms her boys into genies and shoots their bottles off we know not where.

Well well: Distraught that Jafar has his brothers (and that he didn’t realize it before now) Cyrus decides he must go the Well of Wonders to break their genie curse. Then Jafar’s nefarious plan will fail anyway. As luck would have it, Wonderland has a Well of its own so Cyrus and Alice go well wishing. To get there they have to choose between two red doors in the forest, both guarded by a single, riddle-loving knight. Though she initially tries to annoy him into helping, Alice eventually deduces that the knight is a liar. By asking him if one door leads to the Well she’s able to find the right path, which Cyrus decides to take alone. He meets the Guardian of the Well once more and begs for his brothers’ release but this is only possible if the water they stole is returned. Cyrus is all confused because surely his mother is dead by now but nope! She’s alive somewhere and now he’s got to find her.

Angelina Jolie Looks Every Part Maleficent In New Movie Posters

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  12 March  2014.

The new posters for Disney’s Maleficent confirm what we already knew: Angelina Jolie looks perfect as the Sleeping Beauty villainess. Filling nearly the entire US and UK posters, Jolie is malevolently striking as the iconic baddie.

UK Poster

US Poster

Lorelai Gathers Her “Yes Men” Army In This Week’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  12 March  2014.

Hello Agents! In the words of our favorite genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist, “It’s good to be back!” Thank you to the lovely Special Agent Emmy Rivera for filling in last week. With the mystery of Tahiti getting more complex and crazy by the episode, we get a very welcome visit from our favorite female Asgardian warrior. Let’s join her on the hunt for Lorelei and her “Yes Men.”

What you need to know:

Skye is back: After receiving the injection of the uber secret T.A.H.I.T.I. serum, Skye is on the mend even if Simmons won’t let her out of the hospital bed yet. Ward drops by for some forced flirting and commends Skye’s stupidity in entering Quinn’s place alone. Her actions have alerted S.H.I.E.L.D. to Mike Peterson’s status as alive and owning a magical leg. Ward agrees to help Skye train harder so next time she won’t have to reply on a miracle drug to save her. In the lab, FitzSimmons is still baffled by Skye’s rapid healing and the drug that caused it.

Not Loki: While Coulson is off trying to track down Nick Fury, May briefs the team on some Asgardian activity S.H.I.E.L.D. wants them to investigate. Fitz, for one, is cool with this because Asgardians are their allies. Ward quips that Loki isn’t and for a brief moment I’m giddy with the thought that maybe Tom Hiddleston’s glorious villain will make a cameo. Alas, no. When the team reaches the site of the readings, the Bifrost opens and Lady Sif appears. And damn if she doesn’t look amazing! I do love Jaimie Alexander as Sif. She would’ve made a great Wonder Woman too.

The Lady Sif: Coulson is elected to speak with Sif, which he assures May he can handle because he’s “fine.” The Cavalry isn’t buying it though, saying “fine doesn’t look like this” and that she’s there for him. My heart sings with the Coul/May feels. SHIP IT AGENTS! Anyway, Sif fills the team in on Lorelei. The siren’s powers only work on men because “men have an inherent weakness we (women) do not share.” This makes Fitz and Ward stammer and shrug in disagreement while May looks on with pleasure.

Patrick Wilson Confirmed As Playing An Important Role In Marvel’s Antman

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  12 March  2014.


Patrick Wilson will most definitely be involved in Ant-Man. Screen Rant received confirmation from the actor at SXSW that he is playing an “important” role in the Marvel film, though he declined to elaborate beyond that.

Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas have already been cast as leads Scott Lang and an older Hank Pym, respectively. The web is buzzing that perhaps Wilson will be Darren Cross, CEO of a technology company who seeks the advice of surgeon Erica Sondheim. This would make particular sense because in the comics Lang also consults Dr. Sondheim and Cross later becomes a nemesis to Lang’s Ant-Man.

However, Screen Rant speculates that Wilson could instead be stepping in as a young iteration of Pym since the film is purported to include flashbacks.

Either role would work well for the handsome and charismatic Wilson. Hopefully we won’t have to wait until Ant-Man release on July 17, 2015 to find out.

Once Upon A Time Gives Us A “New York City Serenade” This Week

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  10 March  2014.

Hello Oncers! Out of the cloud of sickness I have emerged to witness the glorious return of our beloved show and most importantly, to find out what happened to my Mr. Gold. It’s been a long few months but it’s finally time to add some magic back in our lives. Are you ready for some serious Captain Swan feels?

Previously on Once Upon a Time: Rumple sacrificed himself to kill Pan and save everyone else. Regina couldn’t stop the curse that was going to send all of Storybrooke back to the Enchanted Forest but she was able to give Emma and Henry new, happy memories. They drove off and, a year later, were living in New York. That’s when Hook showed up at their door, kissed Miss Swan in the hopes of restoring her memory and got kneed in the groin for his trouble.

Now that we’re up to speed, it’s all spoilers ahead! Time for a “New York Serenade.”

What you need to know:

Emma Swan, the girl every man wants: In her new reality, Emma’s Billy Bob Thorton lookalike boyfriend proposes after only 8 months. She (perhaps rightfully so) freaks. He says he’ll wait for her to be ready and Henry’s on board with him making their twosome a trio but Emma’s gut is saying otherwise. Well, her gut and a dashing pirate. Hook shows up at her date pre-proposal and gives her an address where she can find answers to the questions she has about her past. She tells him to get lost but takes the address.

There’s no place like home: The Storybrooke crew arrive back in the Enchanted Forest in a poof of purple clouds. Some are glad to be back but Snow and Regina are heartbroken at having to leave their children behind. Regina even tries to bury her heart in the forest but is convinced not to by Snow, who says she can find happiness again. When they’re attacked by a flying monkey, Regina fights back with fire (literally) before Robin Hood saves the day. And so the Regina/Robin ship has begun to sail…

Double potion, please: The address Hook provided is to Neal’s apartment, where Emma finds Henry’s camera and strap with his name on it. She confronts Hook about this and he offers her a potion that would restore her true memories. “Drink the thing the crazy guy just offered me? No thank you,” she replies. She turns him in to the cops but after seeing pictures of Storybrooke on the camera, posts his bail and takes the potion after all. Her memories return and Hook grins, saying, “Did you miss me?”

Fans Treated To Brand New Captain America Footage

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  27 February  2014.

It seems I was once again not in the right audience at the right time. Fans that turned up to see Marvel’s latest one-shot, All Hail the King, Monday night were treated to the first ten minutes of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

All Hail the King stars Ben Kingsley, reprising his Trevor Slattery role from Iron Man 3. A special screening of the 13-minute short as well as a Q&A with Kingsley, producer Kevin Feige and screenwriter Drew Pearce was held at Hollywood’s Arclight theater. The short will also appear on the Thor: The Dark World blu-ray and digital download.

About the short films, which, like after credits scenes, have become an expectation from Marvel fans, Pearce said simply, “The Marvel one-shots are honestly just a labor of love.”

As for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as Entertainment Weekly says, “it definitely packs a punch.”

Warning: minor spoilers to follow.

The film begins with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) training in Washington, D.C. where he repeatedly laps Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). The two strike up a conversation when their respective workouts are finished and Rogers jots down a record that Wilson suggests he listen to. Cap is keeping a lengthy list of pop culture bits to catch up on, everything from Steve Jobs to Star Wars, which he’s already watched (it’s crossed off the list). Their chat is cut short when Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) pulls up in a sleek black Corvette and then she and Rogers are off on a covert mission.

The footage now picks up where audiences at the D23 Expo saw it, with Romanoff and Rogers on a plane above the Indian Ocean. They joke about Cap’s nonexistent love/social life and he shuts the conversation down by jumping out of the plane. Without a parachute. He lands in the water and climbs aboard a ship where he begins their rescue op by taking out every guard in sight in increasingly badass ways. Eventually, Romanoff and their team join Rogers on the ship and head off to rescue some hostages.

Co-director Joe Russo described the action sequence this way on Slash Film, “This is a more brutal Captain America — a one-man black ops squad. There’s no dialogue in this sequence; just fighting. Cap’s fighting techniques are way more modern than the last time we saw him. He’s learned new moves; the action in general is much more hard-hitting and intense.”

By all accounts, this footage points toward the Captain America sequel being a strong addition to Marvel’s continuing line of Avengers films. The Winter Soldier hits theaters April 4.

Time To Say Goodbye: SyFy Cancels Being Human

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  26 February  2014.

Syfy’s Being Human will end with its fourth season. The network announced the show’s cancellation on Tuesday, noting that all of the final episodes will air.

“Showrunner Anna Fricke and the talented producers, writers, cast and crew have done an amazing job bringing this show to life over the past four seasons and we sincerely thank them and the series’ production company Muse Entertainment for their hard work,” Syfy said in a statement. “They’ve saved the best for last with the final six episodes that revisit the story’s beginning, leading to a not-to-be-missed send-off for Aidan, Sally, Josh and Nora.”

The cast responded to the news with a heartfelt thank you to fans.

An American remake of the UK show of the same name, Being Human will finish just one season shy of the five its UK predecessor ran before ending last year. Ratings for the US version, which premiered in 2011, started out at 1.8 million, making it one of SyFy’s most successful series. Recent ratings have hovered around 1 million, though Entertainment Weekly reports the number is closer to 1.8 million when DVR viewings are accounted for. The supernatural series will conclude on April 7.

The news about Being Human comes on the heels of announcements of the cancellation of two other Syfy original dramas, Warehouse 13 and Alphas. The Hollywood Reporter notes that Being Human’s cancellation comes at a time of reorganization at SyFy. Several top executives, including the Executive Vice President of Original Content, have departed and been replaced in the last three months.

The final episodes of Being Human begin airing on March 3 at 9 p.m.

Entourage Movie Set for June 2015 Release

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  26 February  2014.

Hey bros, the Entourage movie is coming to theaters on June 12, 2015. The HBO comedy will hit the big screen nearly four years after the series finale.

Original cast members Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara, Kevin Dillon and Jeremy Piven are all returning. They will be joined by Liam Neeson, Billy Bob Thorton and Haley Joel Osment in the film. No plot details have been made available, but series creator Doug Ellin will be directing based on his own screenplay.

The June release date for Entourage pits Vince, E, Ari, Turtle, Drama and the gang against Universal’s Jurassic World, starring Chris Pratt. Start picking sides now: Bros or dinosaurs?

A Surprise Visit From the Doctor: Capaldi Appears in Costume

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  25 February  2014.

Decked out in his Twelfth Doctor costume, Peter Capaldi appeared at the BBC Worldwide Showcase in Liverpool on Monday. Or should we say, The Doctor made a surprise appearance.

With his dark blue, red-lined Crombie coat, dark blue trousers and waistcoat, white shirt and Doc Martens boots, Capaldi looked much more like his Time Lord alter ego than himself. The delighted audience certainly thought so, as the newest Doctor took the stage. This is the first time Capaldi has been seen in the costume since the BBC released an official picture of the outfit in January. At the time the actor remarked on the clothes saying, “Simple, stark, and back to basics. No frills, no scarf, no messing, just 100 per cent Rebel Time Lord.”

Following the event on Monday, Capaldi spoke briefly about the upcoming series 8. “I’ve always been a fan of the show and I love that it’s now a global success,” he said. “I’m excited, and slightly daunted, about how far the new series is going to travel.”

Doctor Who returns later this year.

First Look At Rupert Friend As The Super Assassin Agent 47

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  21 February  2014.

The first look of Rupert Friend as Agent 47 has been revealed. IGN posted the picture from the video game adaptation’s set of the Homeland star, who looks every bit like his digital counterpart.

Agent 47 is a follow up to The Hitman, which starred Timothy Olyphant and was based on the video game of the same name.

Last month, Friend replaced the late Paul Walker in sequel’s the titular role as the genetically-engineered super assassin. Plot details for the film have yet to be released officially but ScreenRant notes previous reports that had 47 protecting a young waitress from a group called the Syndicate.

Full production on Agent 47, which also stars Zachary Quinto and Hannah Ware, begins next week in Berlin and will then move to Singapore.

The Doors Will Re-Open For A Third Season Of ITV Hit “Mr Selfridge”

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  20 February  2014.

ITV’s Mr. Selfridge has been picked up for a third season. The Radio Times is reporting that ITV has ordered more of the period drama starring Jeremy Piven and Amanda Abbingdon.

The show documents the real life story of department store owner Harry Gordon Selfridge and his employees. Having revolutionized the shopping industry with his decadent store, Mr. Selfridge must now contend with a Britain that is on the brink of WWI. With a large ensemble cast, the series also stars Aisling Loftus, Polly Walker and Samuel West.

In the promo on PBS, Selfridge tells his staff, “It may be my name on the door, but you are the ones that matter.” He may as well have been talking straight to viewers.

Mr. Selfridge has struggled to lure viewers away from BBC1’s The Musketeers, which airs in the same 9 p.m. slot on Sunday nights. However with the BBC’s recent decision to cancel the rival show The Paradise and with season two set to premiere on PBS on March 30th, viewers may be starting to shop at Selfridge’s after all.

Mr. Selfridge airs on ITV Sundays at 9pm and will begin airing on PBS’ Masterpiece on March 30th at 9 p.m.

First Photo From 24: Live Another Day And Jack Might Return For Another Day

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  20 February  2014.

Jack is back and he’s bringing his friends and frenemies along for maybe more than just one extra day. If the above first photo from the season is an indication of what’s in store for us this May, I already want more.

In an interview with IGN, 24’s Executive Producer, Howard Gordon, said the show could continue beyond the recently announced 24: Live Another Day in a second limited-run series or even a feature film. However, that depends on the success of the newest installment and having more story to tell.

Live Another Day picks up four years after the end of series 8. While some of the 12-episode season will feel familiar (political unrest, plenty of shooting, Jack Bauer being a complete badass, etc), new elements are also coming in to play. The limited-run series will not document every hour like each previous season did and the setting has switched to the U.K. rather than America.

Anticipation is high for the return of Jack (Sutherland), Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) and the brand of counterterrorism only 24 can offer, but Gordon feels they are up to the task.

“Look, [Jack] has a lot of scorched earth behind him as a character,” he said. “But we sort of embraced the mythic aspect of Jack’s character. The idea of him being a fugitive and also being somewhere else and wanting to come home felt like an emotional framework that we could work inside.” The four years haven’t been kind to Chloe either. Gordon describes her as now a cross between Lisbeth Salander and Edward Snowden, having spent the past years working for a WikiLeaks-type organization.

”I’m more hardened,” Rajskub told EW. ”I’ve seen more of the world. When you pick up with me, I’ve completely turned against the government.” Explaining her new Lisbeth-inspired look, she said, ”It’s a very dark, very damaged look. It’s a bit of an FU to the world.”

Joining Sutherland and Rajakub are 24 newcomers Yvonne Strahowski (who has espionage experience from her stint on Chuck), Stephen Fry, Benjamin Bratt, Tate Donovan, Michael Wincott and Michelle Fairley. We’ll also see the return of Kim Raver as Jack’s damaged former love, Audrey Raines, and her father, played by William Devane. There’s also the potential to see fan favorite, Glenn Morshower as the beloved Agent Aaron Pierce.

24: Live Another Day premieres May 5 at 8 p.m. on Fox.