Breaking Bad Fans Rejoice As ‘Better Call Saul’ Greenlit

September 12, 2013 ryancroftj Leave a comment

As the final three episodes of Breaking Bad air in the coming weeks, fans have been anxiously waiting for the conclusion, yet sad at the ending of this incredible world the show has created. Luckily, it seems it won’t be the last time we get to visit Albuquerque. Better Call Saul, a working title, is a Breaking Bad spin-off series that has just been given the “go ahead” as an agreement between AMC and Breaking Bad producer Sony Pictures TV. The show hasn’t been given a formal season order with them waiting to make final agreements with Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould (the man who co-created Saul), and of course, Bob Odenkirk, who plays the titular, sleazy and charismatic lawyer, but that seems like it’ll be finalized in the coming days.

Taking place prior to Breaking Bad, the show is said to be in the one hour format, and focus on the evolution of Saul Goodman before he became the iconic lawyer for Mr. White. It’s also said to be a bit lighter than its parent show with an eye towards more comedy. Given how the character is commonly, and brilliantly, used for comedic relief in BB, this comes as hardly a surprise.

Since this is a prequel, Saul’s fate in this final season is still up in the air, and the question that arises is who might pop up in this series. There are still a few characters who could make an appearance, and seeing how Breaking Bad likes to keep everything tightly wound together, it wouldn’t be shocking to see characters tie into this. I think it’d be neat to flip the procedural type story in it being about a lawyer who helps bad people get out of trouble. With a good dose of comedy, this could make for one hell of a series.

Here’s a great interview with Gilligan talking about his thoughts for the series back in July, check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7prW4Jl2Uc

Movie News & Opinions

Jurassic World Snatches Release Date in 2015

September 11, 2013 James Henshaw Leave a comment

Universal Pictures officially announced on Tuesday that Colin Trevorrow‘s (Safety Not Guaranteed) upcoming Jurassic Park sequel, will be titled Jurassic World. The movie has also been given the release date of June 12^th, 2015. The Wrap got the scoop on this story late yesterday adding that the film will be shot in 3D. Trevorrow will be directing from a script written by himself and Derek Connolly.

Much like Disney World compared to Disneyland, the title itself is a big fat hint that this film will expand the world and attractions (in this case meat-eating, prehistoric beasts) established in the previous three films, with the rumor being that the “Jurassic World” in the title will be a fully functioning theme park. Numerous sites reported a few weeks ago that The Office’s John Krasinski was up for the role of a Dino wrangler, suggesting that there will be more than the odd paleontologist on the menu. This will really up the ante in terms of drama when things inevitably go belly up.

There has still been no word as the whether Jurassic World will be a sequel, reboot or re-imagining to Spielberg‘s classic series. I would prefer the film to be a continuation of the story. In a world where large corporate companies will jump on any franchise they can see as marketable, it seems logical that someone would want to rebuild Hammond’s failed dreams from the original films. While this idea was explored in the mediocre Jurassic Park: The Lost World, I don’t think it was explored to its full potential.

That idea itself is ironic as the first three Jurassic Park films took in $1.9 billion at the box office and this year’s 3D re-release of the original film has brought in $114 million globally. So it seems obvious that Universal would want to go bigger and bolder for the next instalment as it seems there is still plenty of money to be made from the franchise.

Let’s just hope when Jurassic World opens on June 12^th 2015, like the theme parks guests, we are not left wanting our admission fee’s back too.

True Detective Trailer: HBO Breaks Ground On New Series

September 11, 2013 mikey0085 Leave a comment

HBO is no doubt an innovator when it comes to home entertainment. Over the years we’ve been treated to original and edgy entertainment that breaks the monotony of your typical TV drama. The premium network has consistently utilized visionary geniuses to write programs. They have taken books and brought the pages to life in shows such as True Blood and Game of Thrones. They have even given us looks back in time, to flawless recreations of worlds like Boardwalk Empire

With the 2014 TV season coming on deck, it would appear the innovators of TV entertainment are about to do it again. The new original series True Detective will follow two of Hollywood’s favorite front men, Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. Getting into a new TV show isn’t always easy, but when two of some of the well-respected actors in the movie business agree to star on your TV show, you got a pretty good shot.

As exciting as it will be to have McConaughey and Harrelson play the role of detectives Cohle & Hart, prepare to take the good with the bad.HBO is terming this series an anthology series. Essentially this means that it will follow two new detectives in a case each season, much like the model American Horror Story has adopted. What’s also interesting is, according to HBO Watch, that the show is already cleared for an 8 episode season, committing to a full season order without an initial pilot order. It does make sense considering the hoops HBO probably had to jump through to convince two major movie stars to come aboard for the project. So with that said, I would not get too attached to detectives Cohle and Hart, as this will likely be a one season deal.

The idea of this show does seem exciting. The show will focus on the detectives working on an investigation of a serial killer, one that is still an open case 17 years later. It also appears that HBO will attempt to stick with the feel of the down home southern country vibe that we’ve had with True Blood for the past 6 years, as the landscape will be bayou bound in Louisiana. No doubt you can expect twisty, suspenseful writing with exceptional acting. The show will air in January of 2014. You’re probably not gonna want to miss this one.

POP CULTURE

J.J. Abrams’ Mysterious New Project Is Revealed

September 11, 2013 James Henshaw Leave a comment

As you may know, last month, J.J. Abrams teased a trailer for a mysterious new project he was working on that wasn’t Star Wars Episode VII. In true Abrams form, he didn’t let on as to what the project was and the internet dissolved into a rumor frenzy. One popular theory was that this was a promo for Believe, an upcoming TV project from Abrams and Children of Men director Alfonso Cuaron.

Earlier this week, J.J. Abrams not only revealed to EW the second half of the trailer, but the usually tight lipped Abrams revealed the mystery behind the project itself.

The project is a book called S. based on an idea by Abrams and written by Doug Dorst, an American novelist and short story writer who is the author of the award winning novel, Alive in Necropolis.

S. is described as being “about the relationship between a grad student named Eric and a college senior named Jennifer. They trade notes in the margins of a (fictional) 1949 novel by a mysterious author named V.M. Straka.”

In typical Abrams tradition, S. will go beyond the ordinary and contains the novel within the novel as well as plenty of handwritten notes between Jennifer and Eric “a conversation that plunges them into the unknown,”. S. will also expand the reading experience, with extra details such as newspaper clippings and a napkin with a map drawn on it.

Abrams told EW “I could not be more excited for people to get their hands on this book. It is difficult to describe because while it is a compelling mystery and love story, it is also much more than that. The work that everyone has done on S. is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Frankly, I’m amazed it was even possible to do this project at all.”

S. is to be published by Little, Brown on Oct. 29.

Movie News & Opinions

Stargate Reboot Trilogy On the Way? Yes Please.

September 10, 2013 Michelle L. Mattock Leave a comment

Approach your Stargate and start dialing the address to FUN! Yes. I said that.

According to Digital Spy, director Ronald Emmerich, creator of Stargate, says that he wants to reboot the movie with a film trilogy! Emmerich has already approached MGM with the sequel and will soon be looking for a writer and start fulfilling some loyal fans’ dreams in extending the Stargate universe!

The previous cast members of the original Stargate movie, Kurt Russell (Big Trouble in Little China, Tango & Cash) and James Spader (Sex, Lies & Videotape, Lincoln) will not be joining the cast in the reboot trilogy because, as Emmerich explained, the actors look completely different and “it would not look right”. Agreed! Especially considering it has been almost 20 years since the initial film offering.

But that is not the only reason I would not choose Russell and Spader to play two of the coolest sci-fi characters ever, Dr. Daniel Jackson and Col. Jack O’Neil. In the TV series that followed the original movie, Stargate SG-1, these roles are played by Richard Dean Anderson (O’Neil) and Michael Shanks (Jackson).

I would say that I am a big fan of this particular series. Although there were other spinoffs such as Stargate Atlantis & Stargate Universe, as well as film releases Stargate: the Ark of Truth, Stargate: Continuum, and the animated series Stargate Infinity, SG-1 lasted the longest with 10 seasons.

If the reboot is going to include a movie trilogy, one major question I have is who would play these two? Or are the characters going to be from another one of the spinoff series? I would assume that the characters will be the same as the original movie. So who is going to fill the shoes of freakin’ MacGyver?!

Richard Dean Anderson is now 63 years old, leaving his reprising of the role very unlikely. Michael Shanks, however, is only 43 years old and is still… I’m sorry but I have to… incredibly sexy. I vote him!

Here is Shanks as Hockey legend Gordie Howe in a Bio-Pic on the Hall of Famer from CBC earlier this year. — Shanks as Hockey legend Gordie Howe in a Bio-Pic on the Hall of Famer from CBC earlier this year.

If you have any great ideas about who should play O’Neil and Jackson, feel free to comment below! We will keep you updated as more information is revealed.

No More Blood: True Blood’s Final Season Announced

September 10, 2013 mikey0085 Leave a comment

It’s Sunday night and after a long weekend of drinking, rejection, and excessive drinking you have to unwind. You have probably been here before and you know only one thing is gonna fix this weekend: Anna Paquin’s boobs. And thanks to the miracle of premium cable, this has been a great cure-all option for six years. However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, HBO has confirmed this substance is officially on its last legs. The hit HBO television program, True Blood, has run its course, and season 7 will be the final chapter.

This comes as a blow to the many loyal viewers that have kept up with the Bon Temps crew for several years but to some people, not so much. Ratings for the show have not grown over the last few seasons and some have said since Alan Ball left the show, the age is starting to show. Yet still, I thought season 6 was nothing short of fantastic. It had a way of pulling you in closer week after week and prompting a sudden gasp of air just as the credits would roll. When it comes to character development, everyone on the show has pretty much peaked out. In the last couple seasons we got to see Eric Northman return to the Viking roots. Bill Compton has come full circle from vampire to mainstreamer to vampire back to good old vampire Bill. And Sookie Stackhouse has basically uncovered all the skeletons in the family closet. So in reality, there’s not a lot left to tell. The season 6 finale set up, what appears to be, an epic ending in a staple of modern entertainment. A lot of questions still have to be answered and surely will.

[quote]Together with its legions of fans, it will be hard to say goodbye to the residents of Bon Temps, but I look forward to what promises to be a fantastic final chapter of this incredible show. -HBO President Michael Lombardo.[/quote]

Historically, HBO has produced shows that made an impact on our generation, such as The Sopranos, Entourage, Eastbound and Down and The Wire. Although those shows were great and entertaining for years, there always seems to be an ambiguous feeling at the end, almost a feeling of uncertainty that it is truly done. Shows like Entourage have been rumored to make comebacks or even movies. As far as True Blood goes, one can only hope that the show will give the fans a decisive ending that will leave everyone with a feeling of closure. Stay tuned folks, the true death is coming.

Grizzly Bomb

Yearly Archives: 2013