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Deborah Watling, played Victoria in early Doctor Who, 1948-2017
by Doc on Jul.22, 2017, under Obituaries, Television
Another passing in the Doctor Who family…actress Deborah Watling, who played Victoria Waterfield at the end of the fourth season and most of the fifth season of Doctor Who as a companion to the Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton, passed away yesterday at the age of 69.
Watling, remembered for her frequent screaming when confronted with aliens, first appeared in the second episode of “The Evil Of The Daleks”, and through “Fury from the Deep”, the second-to-last serial of the fifth season. Most of her appearances, however, have been lost due to the wiping of tapes at the BBC. Her first appearance is the only part of that serial that currently survives, and only “The Tomb of the Cybermen” and “The Enemy of the World” exist in their entirely today, the latter of which only had one part until 2013 when several episodes were recovered at a Nigerian TV relay station.
Watling reprised the role in the 1993 Children In Need special Doctor Who: Dimensions In Time among many former Doctors and companions, and also appeared in the 50th Anniversary spoof The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot.
She was also known for roles in the 1958-1959 series The Invisible Man and Take Me High.
Stargate: Origins event series announced for new digital platform
by Doc on Jul.20, 2017, under Television
Get your gear ready – we’re going back through the gate!
MGM announced today that the franchise will return in a 10-episode event series titled Stargate: Origins, and it will focus on a younger Catherine Langford – the woman who as a young girl was present where her archaeologist father discovered the Stargate in Egypt and eventually hired Dr. Daniel Jackson to translate the inscriptions on it, and “explore a new chapter in her early history surrounding the portal. Young Catherine embarks on a new unexpected adventure to unlock the mystery of what lies beyond the Stargate in order to save the Earth from darkness.” It seems to imply that Catherine will go through the Stargate earlier than has been established in the franchise, yet they described the series as not a reboot but an expansion of the existing canon…
The series is being produced by MGM and New Form for the new subscription-based “Stargate Command” digital platform, which from descriptions will also provide episodes of previous series as well. “We saw a need for a definitive hub for the Stargate fan base to continue to enjoy news and content, both old and new,” according to MGM President of Worldwide Television Distribution and Acquisitions Chris Ottinger. “Stargate Command will open a new door for the community to celebrate and interact with all content in a way that has never been done before.”
Production will begin next month, with Mercedes Bryce Morgan (Virtual Morality) directing and Mark Ilvedson (The Booth at the End) and Justin Michael Terry (#FromJennifer) writing the scripts. The show should premiere later this year.
Check out the teaser below.
Syfy’s Comic-Con coverage begins tonight!
by Doc on Jul.20, 2017, under Conventions, Television
SYFY LIVE FROM COMIC-CON hosted by Zachary Levi kicks off tonight with special guests including the cast of Battlestar Galactica, Mercedes Mason from “Fear the Walking Dead” and PSYCH star James Roday. The party kicks off at 11/10c on SYFY!
Check out the full line up below along with a sneak peek of tonight’s cold open:
THURSDAY, JULY 20TH
James Roday (Psych)
Adam Scott and Craig Robinson (Ghosted)
John Dimaggio (Futurama)
Mercedes Mason (Fear of The Walking Dead)
Adam Savage (Mythbusters)
Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Michael Trucco, Tahmoh Penikett and Aaron Douglas (Battlestar Galactica)
SYFY LIVE FROM COMIC-CON COLD OPEN, THURSDAY, JULY 20:
For the full SYFY SDCC schedule please click here.
RIP Martin Landau and George A. Romero
by Doc on Jul.17, 2017, under Movies, Obituaries, Television
We lost two amazing individuals this weekend.
Oscar winner Martin Landau, who came to prominence among television audiences as the master of disguise Rollin Hand in Mission: Impossible for which he received 3 Emmy nominations and won a Golden Globe, and then followed up with Moonbase Alpha Commander John Koenig on Space: 1999, passed away Saturday at the age of 89 after unexpected complications while hospitalized for a short length of time.
Landau always put all in when playing a role. This helped earn him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Ed Wood for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi. I was also impressed by his portrayal of the President after a limited nuclear exchange in By Dawn’s Early Light. But after Space: 1999, roles for himself and then-wife and costar Barbara Bain disappeared, and they both turned to the corny roles of evil rich guy J.J. Pierson and evil scientist Dr. Olga Schmetner in The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island, the last attempt to revive that franchise. Landau persevered though, until he peaked yet again with his Oscar-winning performance in Ed Wood.
Landau became a member of the Actors Studio in 1955 when he and Steve McQueen were the only two accepted out of 2000 applicants. He learned under Lee Strasberg himself, and later taught acting there. Landau and Bain were married in 1957, and divorced in 1993. They had two daughters, Susan (who works in film and theater production), and actress Juliet.
Legend George A. Romero, the “Father of Zombie films” and “Godfather of the Dead”, passed away on Sunday at the age of 77 after a brief battle with lung cancer. Romero would change the horror film forever with his writing and directorial debut of Night Of The Living Dead. He would follow that with many other shocker monster films, including several more “… Dead” films and Creepshow, and executive produced the 1990 remake of Night Of The Living Dead. His use of black and white film and maximizing low budget productions showed it didn’t take money and gore to make scary. We can thank Romero for helping ignite the flame that has resulted in the current explosion in zombie-related productions.
Romero’s wife Suzanne and daughter Tina were by his side when he died peacefully listening to the soundtrack of The Quiet Man.
And the new Doctor is… Jodie Whittaker !
by Doc on Jul.16, 2017, under Television
BBC announced moments ago the BBC announced live after the Wimbledon men’s final the new Doctor will be Jodie Whittaker, who played Beth Latimer on Broadchurch…and we finally have our first female Doctor!
“I’m beyond excited to begin this epic journey – with Chris [Chibnall] and with every Whovian on this planet,” she said. “It’s more than an honour to play the Doctor. It means remembering everyone I used to be, while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope. I can’t wait.”
This reunites her with Chris Chibnall, who was the writer and executive producer on Broadchurch and is taking over the showrunner duties on Doctor Who from Steven Moffat.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi behind the scenes featurette
by Doc on Jul.15, 2017, under Movies
Just released for your drooling pleasure…
The 13th Doctor will be revealed after the Wimbledon final Sunday
by Doc on Jul.14, 2017, under Television
The successor to Peter Capaldi as the Doctor in Doctor Who (officially the 13th, not counting the War Doctor or the semi-10th duplicate) will be announced by the BBC and BBC America after the conclusion of the men’s final at Wimbledon on Sunday. As the time it takes for the final is indeterminate, for U.S. viewers it starts at 9am Eastern, and is expected to run 2-3 hours.
How BBC America will handle the announcement is uncertain – they will certainly post on their Facebook page, but they might cut in to the live BBC feed when it happens as well. When we know, we’ll post as well.
The Walking Dead halts production today after stuntman injury
by Doc on Jul.13, 2017, under Television
Update 7/15: Regretfully we have to report that John Bernecker passed away yesterday.
Previous: We are hearing from multiple sources that the production of The Walking Dead has halted production after John Bernecker, a stuntman on the set, suffered a serious life-threatening injury. We understand he suffered a 30-foot fall and injured his head. He was immediately transported to an Atlanta hospital.
SAG-AFTRA, who represents the stunt performers, released a statement, “As always, the safety and security of our members and others on set is of crucial concern to us and we are focused on this in our investigation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the performer and his family.”
Syfy Films releases Realive in theaters September 29 and on VOD and Digital HD on October 3
by Doc on Jul.12, 2017, under Movies
Syfy Films today announces the release of the upcoming sci-fi film Realive, in theaters on September 29 and on VOD and Digital HD on October 3. The film is written and directed by Mateo Gil (Vanilla Sky, The Sea Inside). The cast includes Tom Hughes (About Time, London Town), Charlotte Le Bon (The Walk, The Hundred-Foot Journey), Oona Chaplin (Taboo, Game of Thrones) and Barry Ward (The Fall, The Journey). Realive premiered at the 2016 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal followed by official selections of the FrightFest Film Festival in the U.K. and Sitges International Film Festival in Spain.
In Realive, Marc Jarvis (Tom Hughes) is diagnosed with a disease and given a short time to live. Unable to accept his own end, he decides to freeze his body. 60 years later, in the year 2084, he becomes the first cryogenically frozen man to be revived in history. Marc discovers a startling future, but the biggest surprise is that his past has accompanied him in unexpected ways.
Realive is produced by Ibon Cormenzana and Ignasi Estapé of Arcadia Motion Pictures, in coproduction with Jérôme Vidal of Noodles. Marina Fuentes of Dreamcatchers acted as associate producer.
For more information on the film, please visit https://www.facebook.com/RealiveMovie/
Marvel’s New Warriors gets cast for Freeform live-action comedy series
by Doc on Jul.10, 2017, under Television
Freeform picked up a 10-episode straight to series order for Marvel’s New Warriors several months ago, but The Hollywood Reporter today announced that the cast has been set, including the coveted role of Squirrel Girl.
Milana Vayntrub (This Is Us) and Derek Theler (Baby Daddy) will take up the lead roles of Squirrel Girl and Mister Immortal, respectively. Also joining the cast are Jeremy Tardy (War Dogs) as Night Thrasher, Calum Worthy (Austin & Ally) as Speedball, Matthew Moy (2 Broke Girls) as Microbe and Kate Comer (Hello, My Name Is Doris) as Debrii.
The scripted comedy series, a first from Marvel Television, follows six young people with powers living and working together. Not quite super, not yet heroes and with powers and abilities on the opposite end of the spectrum of The Avengers, the New Warriors want to make a difference in the world, even if the world isn’t ready. The series is about the entry into adulthood when you feel like you can do everything and nothing at once – except in this world, bad guys can be as terrifying as bad dates.
Kevin Biegel (Couger Town, Scrubs) is executive producer and showrunner, with Jeph Loeb (head of Marvel Television) and Jim Chory (Heroes, Daredevi) also executive producing.