Gillian Anderson is on a streak of disappointing television fans. With the return of X-Files, Anderson has been making it clear she’s done after this season. As it turns out, that isn’t the only show she’s clearing from her schedule. In an interview with the L.A. Times, Anderson she won’t return for the second season of the Starz original series American Gods.
Anderson says the departure of the original showrunners led to her decision. It was announced in November that Bryan Fuller and Michael Green were leaving the show due to “creative differences.” Seeing as Anderson worked with Fuller before on Hannibal, it’s possible she didn’t want to continue without him.
American Gods, based on the Neil Gaiman novel of the same name, premiered on Starz last April. The series follows Shadow Moon, played by Ricky Whittle, whose thrown into the world of modern mythology. Anderson played Media, the god of… well, you know. She starred alongside other great talens like Ian McShane, Pablo Schreiber, and Kristin Chenoweth, to name a few.
Gillian Anderson as David Bowie/Media
With such a huge creative shake-up, it’s hard to say when the series will return. The first season was phenomenal, but it’s hard to predict how season two will go. Starz renewed American Gods for a second season long before these departures. There’s no word yet on who will replace Media or the showrunners.
It’s possible Anderson won’t be the only star leaving the show. Kristin Chenoweth, who plays Easter, doesn’t know if she’ll stick around either. She spoke with Variety in December about how she was “devastated” when the showrunners left. “When Bryan was the showrunner, I was coming back for several episodes, but I don’t know now,” said Chenoweth. “It depends on who it is and if they think I add value or not.” Whether other stars will follow suit remains to be seen.
While it’s a shame that Anderson is leaving American Gods and X-Files, it’s not as if she’s leaving show business. Obviously, you can see her in X-Files season eleven, which premiered Wednesday, January 3rd. She’ll also star alongside Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon in The Spy Who Dumped Me, due for release in 2018.
The Transformers: The Last Knightstar is making his way to CBS All Access. Variety reports that Jack Reynor will star in Strange Angel, the streaming service’s new series. Strange Angel is coming from Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions.
Strange Angel is based on the book of the same name, written by George Pendle. The series is created by Mark Heyman, known for writing Black Swan and The Skeleton Twins. The pilot will be directed by David Lowery (A Ghost Story, Pete’s Dragon). Heyman and Lowery are also executive producers, alongside David DiGilio, Ridley Scott and David W. Zucker. Clayton Krueger will be a co-executive producer.
Jack Reynor will play Jack Parsons, a brilliant and ambitious blue-collar worker of 1930s Los Angeles who started as a janitor at a chemical factory but had fantastical dreams that led him to birth the unknown discipline of American rocketry. Along the way, he fell into a mysterious world that included sex magic rituals at night, and he became a disciple of occultist Aleister Crowley. Parsons used Crowley’s teachings of self-actualization to support his unimaginable and unprecedented endeavor to the stars.
Reynor has a lot more credits to his name than the latest Transformers entry. He was a notable stand-out in 2016’s Sing Street. More recently, Reynor has starred in films including Free Fire, Detroit, and Glassland. Reynor will also star in the sci-fi thriller Kin, and Andy Serkis’ The Jungle Book, the latter of which will premiere October 19th.
When Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray met at church bingo in 1963, it was love at first sight. Forced apart by their families and society, Hazel and Mari both married young men and had families. Decades later, now in their mid-’60s, Hazel and Mari reunite again at a church bingo hall. Realizing their love for each other is still alive, what these grandmothers do next takes absolute strength and courage. From TEE FRANKLIN (NAILBITER’s “THE OUTFIT,” Love is Love) and JENN ST-ONGE (Jem & The Misfits), BINGO LOVE is a touching story of love, family, and resiliency that spans over 60 years.
Writing
To put it simply: This book is powerful. Writer Tee Franklin introduces the characters of Elle and Mari, and the reader immediately roots for them to get together and fear something will tear them apart. Everything feels real and offers a sense of familiarity which everyone can relate to. Topics such as confronting your parents, making hard choices, and becoming comfortable are all presented in this story about two women who find each other after being separated for so long.
Bingo Love also takes the time to look at neurological disorders and how they can affect the family. It shows how sometimes it’s not the grand gestures which showcase how much you care for someone, but the indomitable spirit and courage to be able to stay next to them as they are hurt, sick, and suffering. This is the true strength of the book which helps to show love is love is love and delivers a powerful message which stays with you.
Artwork
The artwork for this book helps to cement its emotional power. Jenn St-Onge brings a lot of the tricks she learned from working on Jem and The Misfits. To the point one of the interior layouts resembles the house where the Holograms live. Also, her distinct style of expression and body language helps to telegraph what the characters are experiencing without spelling it out.
The lettering by Cardinal Rae pays close attention to how the dialogue should be delivered. Words are accentuated in a way which helps to show when people are screaming, crying, or are overcome with joy. And speaking of joy…
Joy San’s color work pushes the art quality over the edge. The more dower moments are dark and mute while the scenes of love and sincerity are full are light and vibrant. It’s kind of the color work which helps to play with your emotions.
Conclusion
The word needs to spread about Bingo Love. It needs to be added to essential graphic novel lists which help to showcase the raw emotion which can come from comics. This is a beautiful piece of work and already one of the best books of the New Year. Not only for Queer fiction but as one of the early contenders for the best comic of 2018.
I, Tonya starring Margot Robbie hits theaters nationwide on January 5. Monkeys Fighting Robots got a chance to sit down with the producers of the film, Bryan Unkeless, and Tom Ackerley to discuss how complicated it was to put together this dark emotional comedy.
Listen to the interview below:
MFR: What was your role as producer of I, Tonya?
Bryan Unkeless:As a producer, you’re dealing with the day to day issues and making sure that everything continues as smooth a course as possible. What was important for us as producers on this one was that the humor, and the energy, and the kind of outrageous spirit of the screenplay made its way up to the screen. Also, that some of the underlying ideas didn’t get diluted; the discussion about feminism, about class, about the media cycle. We want to make sure that made its way into the final product.
MFR: I, Tonya is being called a dark comedy, I think this is an injustice because this is an emotionally heavy film. What do you think?
Tom Ackerley:I think the tone of this movie is such a tightrope. And with Craig, we found the one in a million person that can walk that tightrope. It could very easily have gone off in either direction. And I think what we had that was so special with this movie and so honestly unique to movie making is between Bryan, myself, Margot, Steven the writer, and Craig, the director we all saw the movie in the same way. We never wanted to point the finger at these characters and the actors all understood that these characters were real people and the situations they find themselves in might be funny but ultimately it’s a real story we’re telling, and I think everyone understood that from the start.
MFR: I was blown away by how much abuse Margot Robbie took in the film as Tonya Harding, how hard is that on an actor?
Tom Ackerley: I think obviously Margot is the consummate professional and she comes at each scene being so well prepared and obviously we’re helped with the stunts and everything but we weren’t the kind of movie that could afford to spend hours perfecting those shots, and they really are as visceral and real as you see them. I think the challenge from Margot on this one, we had such a short shooting schedule she would have to jump from different emotions and different scenes instantly and I’ve never seen anyone do it the way she did it. I mean, in one day she would be ice skating, she would be playing 15-year-old Tony, she would be playing the forty-four-year-old Tony, and she would have to have these scenes of domestic violence all wrapped into one and take themselves through that journey. When you balance those different dialects and that different body and those different behavioral instincts, I think it must be such an emotional journey for her. And I think the way she did it as being the most prepared I think I’ve ever seen anyone be on the set and really come at every scene from an emotional grounding if that makes sense and it was a really remarkable thing to watch.
Bryan Unkeless has 14 producing credits to his name including the Hunger Games franchise and most recently Netflix’s Bright, and if currently working on Bright 2.
Tom Ackerley has been a Second Unit Director and or Assistant Director on 13 films, and now has transitioned to the producer role.
I, Tonya stars Margot Robbie, Allison Janney, Sebastian Stan, Julianne Nicholson, Paul Walter Hauser, and Bobby Cannavale. The film is direct by Craig Gillespie from Steven Rogers script.
About the film: Based on the unbelievable, but true events, I, TONYA is a darkly comedic tale of American figure skater, Tonya Harding, and one of the most sensational scandals in sports history. Though Harding was the first American woman to complete a triple axel in competition, her legacy was forever defined by her association with an infamous, ill-conceived, and even more poorly executed attack on fellow Olympic competitor Nancy Kerrigan. Featuring an iconic turn by Margot Robbie as the fiery Harding, a mustachioed Sebastian Stan as her impetuous ex-husband Jeff Gillooly, and a tour-de-force performance from Allison Janney as her acid-tongued mother, LaVona Golden, Craig Gillespie’s I, TONYA is an absurd, irreverent, and piercing portrayal of Harding’s life and career in all of its unchecked––and checkered––glory.
Ragman #4 hits stores on January 10th, and we have your first-look at the issue courtesy of DC Comics.
The issue is written by Ray Fawkes, with art by Inaki Miranda and Eva de la Cruz, letters by Josh Reed, and cover by Guillem March and Rain Beredo. It’s entitled “Cavalry” and is chapter four of this six-issue miniseries.
Rory Regan is a cult character dealing in the darker, magical side of the DC Universe. His suit of rags – aptly named the Suit of Souls – contains souls that Rory can hear and communicate with. This kind of twisted backstory makes him perfect for a team-up with fan-favorite Etrigan the Demon, who’s back again this month after appearing in December’s issue 3!
About issue 4: Having seen the horrors waiting to break into our world, Ragman decides to join forces with Etrigan in order to stop them. But as Etrigan takes Ragman under his wing, the souls of Rory’s friends grow wary, fearing there may be more to Etrigan’s actions. And when his attempts to stop the demons lead them to pursue a more personal target, Ragman must figure out whom to trust before all is lost!
Take a sneak peek at the first five pages of the issue right here:
Who’s your favorite horror character from DC Comics? Let us know in the comments!
The Warner Brothers (and the Warner sister!) have found a new home with subscription on-demand service Hulu. In a statement today as reported by Entertainment Weekly, Hulu has announced that they have partnered with Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation to revitalize the Animaniacs with a new series to be aired in 2020.
The Animaniacs follows Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner, who were locked in the iconic Warner Bros. water tower on the movie lot in Burbank, California, after wreaking havoc around the studio. They escape and mayhem ensues in their comical cartoon shorts. Other characters with their own little skits include Pinky and the Brain, Slappy Squirrel, Buttons and Mindy, and the Goodfeathers to name a few.
The show aired on Fox afternoons from 1993 to 1995 then was moved to The WB network through its end in 1998. The series aired 99 episodes and had one feature-length straight-to-video movie, Wakko’s Wish, which served as the series finale.
This new venture is a first for Hulu, making this its first original series for families, and it will join Hulu’s vast library of family-friendly programs. “We cannot wait to work with Steven Spielberg and the entire Amblin and Warner Bros. teams to bring more sketches, catchphrases, songs, and laughs from the Animaniacs to kids and adults everywhere,” said Craig Erwich, Senior Vice President of Content at Hulu.
He continues, “Now one of the most beloved, inventive, and funny animated franchises in history, Animaniacs and its cast of witty characters can live on, on Hulu. This marks yet another big move for us as we continue our efforts to be the number one streaming destination for premium animated content.” Hulu will also have the entire Animaniacs library, including spin-off Pinky and the Brain and the entire Tiny Toons Adventures collection, as well. These will be exclusively available for streaming beginning today.
I loved the Animaniacs, especially the sketches focusing on the Warners. My favorite was from Season 1, Episode 15, “Space Probed,” where the kids are abducted and they annoy the aliens aboard the spaceship. What was your favorite episode?
Insidious: The Last Key is the fourth film in the Blumhouse franchise, and it’s definitely a step up from the last installment.
This chapter is again written by Leigh Whannell – he’s 4 for 4 on the saga – with Adam Robitel stepping into the director’s chair.
Right away, there’s a noticeable improvement as The Last Key‘s opening sequence is more tense, more interesting, and more memorable than anything that happened in Chapter 3. Whannell seems to have found a sweet spot with these scripts, focusing on the characters we’re familiar with instead of introducing a slew of new ones, and building on the mythology of The Further.
Lin Shaye returns as psychic demonologist Elise Reiner, and she’s by far the film’s strongest attribute. This is her movie; after three films as a supporting character, Elise finally takes the spotlight as we learn more about her past and her abilities. And it’s interesting for sure, especially for fan’s of the franchise that want to see a little worldbuilding.
Unfortunately, Robitel’s direction is bland; there isn’t anything new to see for the horror genre. For a horror movie, The Last Key isn’t that scary. There are some tense moments, and quite a few cheap jump scares, but you’ll know what to expect by the third act and the suspense disappears.
This lack of suspense is also due to the fact that The Last Key is a prequel. The audience knows which characters aren’t in any danger, because they’ve seen them in the older Insidious flicks. But Whannell seems to have known this would happen, which is why he substituted some terror for stronger character moments and a more interesting story.
There’s also a surprising amount of humor in the script. And not like campy humor, but honest-to-god jokes. This might create a tonal issue for some people, but it balanced out the horror and made the tense moments all the more tense. (I also knew about the humor going into the movie thanks to James Wan, so it maybe that made it easier to swallow.)
Insidious: The Last Key is a fine horror flick. It has an interesting plot and some fun character moments, which are usually lacking from the genre, but it could have beefed up the terror a bit more. It’s still worth the watch if you’re a horror fan, and especially if you’re a fan of the franchise looking to go deeper into The Further.
Season 7 of HBO’s hit series Game of Throneswas firing on all cylinders. It brought twists, turns and of course, memorable character deaths. When Season 7 concluded in August of last year it was still unknown when Season 8 would premiere. Some believed it would drop towards the tail-end of 2018 but we now have confirmation that fans of the series will have to wait until 2019 for the shows return.
The news comes via HBO’s PR team, who announced it via Twitter:
It's official: @GameOfThrones will return for its six-episode, eighth and final season in 2019.
It was announced prior to the release of Season 7 that the Game of Thrones would conclude with Season 8. The final season will have 6 episodes, one less than the previous season and 4 less than the first 6. That was due to the fast nature of the story, which was apparent throughout Season 7.
Production on the final season began in October and is expected to run into the middle of 2018.
DC Films brings Walter Hamada on board to “Kevin Feige” the DC film-verse into something more cohesive that’ll bring in those Avengers dollars once and for all. According to a report from Variety, Hamada will replace John Berg as the head of all films involving the DC comic book characters. Additionally, Hamada will oversee “other types of comic book movies.” What that means is unclear.
“Walter is creative, resourceful, and committed to excellence, and will bring those qualities to his oversight of our superhero films.”
– Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Content Officer at Warner Bros.
One thing is certain and that is that DC is determined to improve the product. So, no matter where you are on the geekdom spectrum, whether you’re a Marvel fan who trashes DC movies or a DC fan desperately holding onto the idea that Warner Bros. is doing a good job, a move to improve the films is a welcome one.
The move splits up Berg and Geoff Johns who will stay on as Chief Creative Officer for all things DC comics. Johns continues to manage the CW universe of DC characters and comic book universe as well. But according to the report, Emmerich says “I’m confident Walter and Geoff, working with our filmmaking partners, will deliver films that will resonate with both broad global audiences as well as DC fanboys and fangirls.”
For those who aren’t familiar with Hamada, here’s a quick list of some of the movies he’s helped bring to the big screen:
• IT (2017)
• The Conjuring, plus all sequels and spinoffs
• Lights Out
• 47 Ronin (OH NOES!)
• Final Destination 5
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
What does this move by Warner Brothers mean for you? Are you a Marvel fan hoping DC rights the ship or a DC fan hoping things just get even better? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
The toy captures a great moment in the film as Chewie is learning to navigate the Walker from right behind the steering wheel, shooting everything in sight, as two Ewoks play the part of annoying back-seat drivers, all while the three of them, in turn, save the day for Leia and Han.
You might remember Family Guy having done the scene as part of its Star Wars spoof-series as well, where Peter plays the role of Han, Louise is Leia and Brian is Chewie.
The ‘Chewbacca with AT-ST POP! Deluxe!’ figure will hit shelves sometime in March. It will retail for $27.99 and you can pre-order it right now at Entertainment Earth and Amazon.
