Television is quickly becoming a haven for gritty, character-driven entertainment, from HBO's True Detective to AMC's The Walking Dead, and now we have two more potentially phenomenal small-screen projects which fit that description to look forward to. In a conversation with Movies.com, William Friedkin recently revealed that TV adaptations of two of his films, To Live and Die in L.A. and Killer Joe, are in development.
After stealing scenes in comedies Neighbors and 22 Jump Street, Dave Franco is stepping into more dramatic (though potentially just as hilarious) territory by joining his brother James in The Disaster Artist, a movie about the making of Tommy Wiseau's legendarily awful cult classic The Room.
HBO just unveiled a new trailer for its upcoming post-apocalyptic drama series The Leftovers, from the mind of Lost showrunner Damon Lindelof. There's still a lot about this show that we don't know (and given Lindelof's past projects, that shouldn't surprise anyone), but the new preview, set to a chilling female rendition of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence," certainly marks The Leftovers as one to keep an eye on.
This week, Penny Dreadful takes a step back from the main storyline to finally give us what we've been waiting for - a proper explanation of the tangled relationships between Sir Malcolm, Vanessa and Mina (guest star Olivia Llewellyn). Sadly for viewers, that means no further development of the bizarre web of romance that is being spun between Dorian, Ethan, Vanessa and Brona - for now. Still, Penny Dreadful doesn't sag despite turning its focus back in time, which is a credit to John Logan's writing and the strength of the performances.
Power, Starz's latest foray into original programming, seems to partially take its title from the Kanye West song off My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - the slick style and decadence of that hypnotic track almost echoes throughout the series premiere. But another famed rapper is actually responsible for the show - Curtis Jackson, aka 50 Cent, serves as an executive-producer, his song "Big Rich Town" plays over the opening credits, and aspects of the show were inspired by his rise to prominence.
Good news for Marvel fans, who were surely getting antsy over the past few days (sorry). Today, it was announced that Peyton Reed has officially signed on to direct Ant-Man. The comedy director, who previously helmed Yes Man, The Break-Up and Bring It On, was named the front-runner to take the reins on the superhero blockbuster yesterday. He'll receive scripting help from Adam McKay, the Step Brothers director who was previously offered Ant-Man but turned the gig down.
The second episode of NBC's Crossbones, "The Covenant," begins with a rather out-of-the-blue revelation: James Balfour (Peter Stebbings), Blackbeard's (John Malkovich) wheelchair-bound inventor friend, has actually succeeded in repairing the shiny, golden longitude chronometer that Tom Lowe (Richard Coyle) took such care to destroy at the beginning of the series. How he got it fixed so quickly is beyond me. Anyhow, he has done so, and Blackbeard at last has the weapon that Lowe was so desperate to keep from him.
As if we weren't already excited enough to see Prisoners director Denis Villeneuve's drug war thriller Sicario, today brings news that another highly talented actor has joined the film's already strong cast. Daniel Kaluuya, known for his stint as Posh Kenneth on the British teen drama Skins, just signed on for a supporting role.
Just four days ago, we brought you news that 12 Years a Slave actress Lupita Nyong'o had boarded Star Wars Episode VII, and yesterday we reported that she had agreed to produce and star in African love story Americanah. Now, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nyong'o's co-star in 12 Years, has also added another promising project to his schedule. The actor will star in Marching Powder, based on the non fiction book by Rusty Young and Thomas McFadden, which New Regency is developing specifically for the Oscar nominee.
