John Simm To Star In New Drama Series The Intruders

Originally published on PopWrapped.  13 January 2014.

John Simm will headline upcoming paranormal series, The Intruders. A BBC America alum, Simm is best known for his turn as The Master on Doctor Who.

The Intruders will follow Simm’s LA cop-turned-writer, Jack Whelan, as he gets lost in the world of investigation once again after his wife goes missing. What he finds is an assortment of unrelated and unexplained events that start to weave together. Set in the gloom of the Pacific Northwest, The Intruders is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Marshall Smith.

About signing on for the series, Simm said on EW, “After reading Glen Morgan’s brilliant script, I knew I couldn’t pass up the chance to play this complex character. It is also a great opportunity to reunite with [executive producers] Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner, and with BBC America.”

No airdate has yet been announced.

David Morrisey Cast In New BBC One Series Called The Driver

Originally published on PopWrapped.  12 January 2014.

The Governor lives on in a taxicab. Actor David Morrisey has been cast in the BBC One serial, The Driver, where he plays an ordinary man trapped in terrible circumstances.

Most recently seen as the sadistic antagonist on AMC’s The Walking Dead, Morrisey’s newest role is as Vince McKee. A family man who works as a taxi driver, McKee feels responsible for a mysterious family incident. His search for redemption leads to agreeing to drive for a criminal gang.

Rounding out Vince’s family are Sacha Parkinson, who will play his daughter Katie, and Claudie Blakeley playing his wife, Ros. Also starring the three-part serial, are Ian Hart, Colm Meaney, Shaun Dingwall and Lee Ross. In addition the lead role, Morrisey will also serve as executive director on the project.

“The Driver is a passion project for me and I’m proud of the way it is both a character drama and a thriller,” writer David Brocklehurst said on Digital Spy. “As with all my work there is a strong emotional core and it explores ordinary lives pushed into extraordinary situations.”

The Driver begins filming in and around Manchester this week and will air on BBC One later in 2014.

Ben Kingsley Returns As Mandarin In Marvel One Shot

Originally published on PopWrapped.  12 January 2014.

Marvel Studios’ latest One Shot will star Ben Kingsley and not everyone’s favorite God of Mischief.

There was widespread fan speculation that Tom Hiddleston’s Loki would be the central figure in the short film, “All Hail the King,” which appears on the Thor: The Dark World Blu-ray. Considering the ending of that film, a Loki One Shot would be logical.

However, Digital Spy reports that Marvel has brought back Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery, who played an important role in the Mandarin twist in Iron Man 3. Considering “All Hail the King” is written and directed by Iron Man 3 writer, Drew Pearce, Kingsley’s casting makes sense. Rumors are buzzing that the short film may even reintroduce the character of the Mandarin.

Previous Marvel One Shots have focused on Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Captain America’s Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell).

The Blu-ray for Thor: The Dark World releases on February 24th in the UK and a day later in the U.S.

Kathy Bates Opens Up About Her Love For Playing Madame LaLaurie On AHS:Coven

Originally published on PopWrapped.  5 January 2014.

As you might expect from any character on American Horror Story, Kathy Bates’ Madame Delphine LaLaurie is evil. She loves torturing her slaves in increasingly gruesome ways and regularly spews hatred all around. But the complexity of the character and her arc within the series’ third season, Coven, is part of why Bates loves playing her.

For those not familiar with Coven’s storyline, Delphine is a 1830s high society Creole. Given immortality by Angela Bassett’s character as the real-life voodoo priestess Marie Laveau, Delphine is captured first by Fiona (Jessica Lange) and later by Marie. All the while she spews her racist hate and eventually gets a taste of her own wicked medicine.

In an interview with Collider, Bates said she enjoyed figuring out the motivation for someone like Delphine, who is loosely based on a real-life historic figure. “The main thing that daunted me, at the beginning, was, “What makes this woman so evil?” I tried all kinds of ways to understand….At some point, I think she probably got off on the power. For our show, we’re doing crazy shit anyway, so you don’t have to make sense of it.”

While the actress confessed that she knew the series had a reputation for “pushing the limits,” she was still surprised by some of the “horrific” scenes they shot. This may or may not include her character’s heinous torture or (SPOILER) Delphine having her head chopped off. Not to worry though; the head is still sentient meaning audiences will get more of Bates when American Horror Story: Coven returns to FX on Wednesday, January 8.

Downton Abbey’s Michelle Dockery Spoofs Herself In New Funny Or Die Video

Originally published on PopWrapped.  5 January 2014.

Lady Mary shows off her Funny or Die side in a new video. Actress Michelle Dockery spoofs her Downton Abbey daintiness in a fake promo for a new TNT cop show, Tough Justice. 

Featured alongside Michael Chiklis, Dockery shows off her detective skills and spot-on American accent as the aptly named Connie Tough. The actress looks perfectly at home in her blazer, badge and handgun as she puts away criminals and keeps her macho partner (Chiklis) in check. Snippets of Lady Mary still peak through though, such as some elbow length crime scene gloves and three hours breaks for tea. Plus (SPOILERS) catch the special dig to fans still heartbroken over the death of Mary’s beloved Matthew. Thanks for reminding us, Funny or Die.

Tough Justice with Michelle Dockery from Michelle Dockery

Downton Abbey season four airs for American audiences Sunday, January 5, on PBS’ Masterpiece Theater.

A Luther Film Is In The Works Confirms Idris Elba

Originally published on PopWrapped.  5 January 2014.

Rumors of a film based on the hit BBC show Luther have been flittering around the Internet since the show was in its first season. On the heels of completing the third (and perhaps final) season, series star Idris Elba has confirmed that the film is a go.

Speaking to Kate Garraway on ITV’s Lorraine, Elba said the movie is “definitely on the cards.” Noting that the show started out with only four episodes which led to an international following, the star said he and series creator Neil Cross are looking forward to continuing Luther on the big screen.

“I’m speaking to him as we speak,” Elba said, “and we’re trying to pull it together. It’s an ambitious project because it’s a television show but we suspect that it’s going to be as successful on TV and on film as well.”

Plot details for the movie are a bit murky as of now. Cross seems to indicate that it may pick up where the series left off: Luther departing with Ruth Wilson’s Alice. Cross hints at this direction for the film, saying, “I don’t think Alice and Luther’s story is over.”

However, Digital Spy earlier reported that the Luther film would be a prequel to the TV series, allowing Cross to bring back several popular supporting characters. Among these are Justin Ripley (Warren Brown), Luther’s wife Zoe (Indira Varma) and DCI Ian Reed (Steve Mackintosh). This report is mirrored by IndieWire, who quotes Cross as saying he’s finished the script, plans to start production in 2014 and that “the final scene in the film is the first of the initial TV series.”

Really what this boils down to for fans is: Will Alice be in the film or not? With nothing specific from Cross, Elba or anyone else to go on, we’ll all have to wait and see.

Gone With The Wind’s Alice Rhett Passes Away Aged 98

Originally published on PopWrapped.  5 January 2014.

Alice Rhett, the oldest surviving cast member of 1939’s Gone With the Wind, died on Friday. She succumbed to natural causes around 5 p.m., while surrounded by friends in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. She was 98.

Born in 1915, Rhett’s only movie role was in the Oscar-winning epic. Playing Ashley Wilkes’ (Leslie Howard) sister, India, she became one of Scarlett O’Hara’s (Vivien Leigh) biggest enemies when Scarlett stole her beau, Charles Hamilton. Interestingly, Rhett was originally considered for the role of Melanie Hamilton. But director George Cukor, who had spotted the actress in a local production in the South, eventually gave that role to Olivia De Havilland instead and cast Rhett as India.

Though she likely could have found success as an actress due to Gone With the Wind’s incredible notoriety, Rhett instead moved back to Charleston and focused on her budding talent for art. She is said to have sketched her fellow Gone With the Wind actors while on set and developed a good reputation as a painter in South Carolina.

Only three members of the film, including the 97-year-old De Havilland, are still alive.