TRON: UPRISING Uploads New Trailer and Premiere Date

Greetings, programs!

If you're a fan of the Tron films as I am, you've been wondering when Disney XD is going to premiere Tron: Uprising, their new animated series set between the original Tron and the recent Tron: Legacy.  Actor Bruce Boxleitner returns for Tron: Uprising, along with Elijah Wood, Mandy Moore, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Lance Henriksen and Paul Reubens.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Tron: Uprising is scheduled to premiere on June 7, 2012 but a special half-hour "prelude" titled Tron: Uprising -- Beck's Beginning will air on the main Disney Channel on May 18.  The official description for the series is as follows:

"TRON: Uprising, Beck's Beginning," introduces a Beck, a young mechanic living in Argon City, a growing metropolis in a far off corner of the grid that has just been occupied by General Tesler, a henchman of the notorious Clu.  After his best friend Bodhi is ruthlessly derezzed by Clu's army, Beck seeks justice for his lost friend and launches a crusade against the regime. His rebellion captures the attention of Tron, the greatest warrior The Grid has ever known, who sees the potential in Beck and trains him to be his successor.  Labeled with the moniker of The Renegade, Beck sparks a revolution to fight for the freedom of The Grid."

Even better, a new trailer for the series has been released, which blends the distinctive visual designs from Tron: Legacy with an animated style reminiscent of the classic Aeon Flux series.  See for yourselves...

Daredevil Film Reboot is Born Again

Man, 20th Century Fox will just not let those Daredevil movie rights revert back to Marvel, will they?

Nine months after we last heard anything substantial about the studio's film reboot of Marvel Comics' Daredevil, Deadline has reported that David James Kelly has been selected to rewrite the script that Brad Caleb Kane had previously worked on with villains Typhoid Mary and the Purple Man in mind.

David Slade is still slated to direct the reboot, but the film's story will now be drawn from "Born Again," the well-regarded 1986 Daredevil storyline from writer Frank Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli.

In the story, Matt Murdock's former secretary Karen Page has fallen on hard times, becoming a pornographic movie star and heroin addict.  Desperate to feed her addiction, she sells her knowledge of Daredevil's secret identity, which ultimately gets back to Daredevil's arch-enemy The Kingpin.  The Kingpin, of course, uses the information to ruin Matt Murdock's life piece by piece, to the point where he becomes mentally unbalanced, homeless and destitute.

Fox's decision to run with "Born Again" brings things full circle from 2006, when director Mark Steven Johnson showed interest in using the storyline for a sequel to his 2003 film Daredevil that starred Ben Affleck as Matt Murdock and Michael Clarke Duncan as the Kingpin.  At the time, Duncan also expressed interest in returning to his role, but it seems unlikely he will return for a reboot.

ROBOT CHICKEN Announces DC COMICS SPECIAL Cast

Apparently, there are only so many times you can keep ripping on Star Wars in half-hour specials before you need to move on to something else.

Deadline reports that the Cartoon Network Adult Swim stop-motion animation series Robot Chicken will spotlight characters from the DC Comics universe in a special slated for this fall.  The special resulted from a deal between Robot Chicken producer Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation.

Reprising the format from the popular Star Wars specials, which earned three Emmy award nominations, the DC Comics Special will feature a solid cast of actors voicing characters from the DC Universe:

Robot Chicken co-creator Seth Green as Batman, Robin and Aquaman

Paul Reubens as The Riddler

Neil Patrick Harris as Two-Face

Alfred Molina as Lex Luthor

Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern (Hal Jordan, presumably)

Megan Fox as Lois Lane

Breckin Meyer as Superman

"Having been raised on DC Comics and the Super Friends vs. Legion of Doom," said Green, "it’s exciting to tell a whole Robot Chicken story within this awesome universe."

Robot Chicken co-creator Matthew Senreich remarked, "We’ve been working with (DC Entertainment chief creative officer) Geoff Johns for over fifteen years, so playing together on this special only made it more fun to work in the worlds we all love so dearly."

If you'd like to check out some of the previous Robot Chicken sketches with DC Comics characters, here are a few of my personal favorites...

George R.R. Martin's Unseen GAME OF THRONES Cameo

Fans of TV shows tend to geek out a little when the creative forces responsible for the series appear in small cameo roles, usually with fun "blink and you miss them" roles.  Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski appeared in the series' final episode as the man who shuts the power down to the Babylon 5 space station, while writer Charlaine Harris appeared alongside the bar at Merlotte's in the Season 2 finale of True Blood.

Well, it seems Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin would also like to taste those precious few seconds of screen time.  Empire has a chat transcript that Martin did with his fans discussing a full range of topics, ranging from his writing process to his favorite sandwich, and he also addressed the subject of a cameo role in the popular HBO adaptation of his novels. It seems such a cameo was already filmed, way back in the days of the Game of Thrones pilot, but because of a casting change, the cameo was never broadcast.

"Actually, I made a cameo in the original pilot, which was filmed in Morocco," Martin explained. "I was a Pentoshi nobleman, and one of the guests at Dany's wedding to Khal Drogo. However, subsequently we recast the part of Dany, so the entire Morocco wedding sequence was cut and my brilliant cameo was left on the cutting room floor."

Originally, the role of Daenerys Targaryen was to be played by actress Tamzin Merchant (Catherine Howard on Showtime's The Tudors), but before the series aired the showrunners made a number of changes to the pilot, including recasting the role with Emilia Clarke. Martin was no longer in Morocco, unfortunately, so the cameo couldn't be reshot. However, Martin has an idea about how he could appear on the show again.

"I also had investigated the idea of being a head on a spike," he said, "and (series creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss) were going to put my severed head on a spike at one point, but then they got the quote for what that would cost. Those severed heads are expensive and our budget is tight! So unless I provide my own, I don't get to be a severed head! But one of my fans who does that sort of thing has offered me the chance to make one next time I go out to LA. How could I resist? I could have my own severed head and carry it around in a bowling bag."

So with this in mind, whenever one of the Lannister clan gets in one of their moods, be sure to look for Martin's head resting upon a spike...

COMMUNITY's Inspector Spacetime Gets a New Constable

It was bound to happen.  Inspector Spacetime, the Doctor Who parody character that appears every so often on the NBC sitcom Community, finally moved faithful Constable Reginald "Reggie" Wigglesworth aside and made way for a feisty female Constable.

In last night's episode "Virtual Systems Analysis," the study group takes a three-hour lunch, giving Abed Nadir a chance to return to his Holodeck-like Dreamatorium for another Inspector Spacetime adventure.  However, instead of bringing his best friend Troy Barnes along, Abed ends up with Annie Edison as his replacement Constable.

The Dreamatorium adventure begins with actual opening credits to the Inspector Spacetime series, complete with Abed's face as the Inspector filling the screen similar to Doctor Who opening credit sequences from 1967 through 1989.  "I am Inspector Spacetime," Abed begins in a voiceover, "and I know that which is unknown.  Duty-bound to protect a universe of unremarkables, I patrol it in the X-7 Dimensionizer with my loyal Constable Reggie.  This week, however, Reggie has been forced to go to lunch, so I'm aboard the much crappier HMS Spacetime XII, from the worst season ever, with the temporary Constable Geneva."

Annie, wearing an elaborate gown, hands Abed's Inspector a Quantum Spanner.  She attempts to roleplay Constable Geneva, giving her a heavy Cockney accent with phrases like "Oi, Guv'nor!" and "Tut tut, my Lord, wouldn't give a tuppence for that sticky wicket!"  Abed, however, isn't pleased and even corrects her (and many Community fans in the process) on the proper spelling of the Inspector's arch-enemies.  "It's Blorgons with an 'R," he explains.  "Blogon means 'Thank you' in Blorgon." 

Later on, Abed makes another attempt with Annie, suggesting a different Inspector Spacetime character.  "I've been thinking about our Inspector Spacetime scenario," he informs her.  "It might work better instead of playing Geneva, you played Rosamund.  She was a constable in Season Five and she only had three lines."

Abed and Annie eventually come to an understanding with the help of the Dreamatorium, then return to the Observadeck of the HMS Spacetime XII where a new crisis awaits.  "Inspector, set the tachyon drive to hyperjump!" cries Annie/Geneva.  "We just get to the other side of this starfield before the Blorgons intercept!"

"Blorgons?  In this sector?" questions the Inspector.  "Well, this mission has gone pear-shaped indeed.  Prepare the hyperjump on my mark!"

As you might expect, the Inspector and Geneva are then suddenly interrupted.  "Bugger the starfields, Inspector...We're too late!  Blorgons!"

A pair of Blorgons appear on the spaceship, chanting "Eradicate! Eradicate" while firing a wide spray of laser fire at our heroes.  The Inspector and Geneva return fire, but to no effect whatsoever.  "Our quantum blasters are useless against their armor!" remarks the Inspector.  "We're as cooked as Lord Nelson's mutton, we are."

"Not if I can help it," Geneva replies defiantly.  "I'll see you on the other side, Inspector...wherever that is."

"Don't you mean...whenever that is?"

All at once, Geneva bellows a battle cry, rushes directly at the Blorgons and proceeds to start punching one of them.  "Take that, Blorgon scum!  You'll blogon me for this later."

If you'd like to see some clips from the episode, you can check them out below thanks to YouTube user GreendaleSeven...

TWIN PEAKS Art Exhibition is a Place Both Wonderful and Strange

I've got good news.  In the mood for some damn good art to put on your walls at home?  Well, there's a gallery that might be able to help but it's filled with seeeeecrets. 

The Copro Gallery in Santa Monica, California is presenting an art exhibition called "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me," curated by Rob Wilson in association with Twin Peaks co-creator and director David Lynch.  The exhibition will run from April 21 through May 12, 2012 to honor the 20th anniversary of Lynch's 1992 film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me that served as a prequel to the ABC TV series Twin Peaks that ran from 1990 to 1991.

After a previous Twin Peaks exhibition called "In the Trees" was held in February 2011 in downtown Los Angeles, Copro contacted David Lynch about doing a sequel exhibition featuring the darker side of Twin Peaks that was explored in Fire Walk With Me.  Lynch liked the idea and discussed it with the producer of the first show was was brought on board as curator for the event.

The "Fire Walk With Me" exhibition will also feature artwork from Lynch along with stars Grace Zabriskie (Sarah Palmer), Richard Beymer (Benjamin Horne) and James Marshall (James Hurley), unreleased music from Twin Peaks and surprise guests.  The gallery is located in part of what used to be a train station, which fits the theme of Fire Walk With Me since the character of Laura Palmer was murdered in an abandoned train car by the tracks.

You can check out a preview of the featured artwork here.  Write it in your diary.

DAMN Good Comics -- SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 #1

Yes, Smallville fans, you've waited long enough but it's finally time for Season 11.  Might as well start things off with the Remy Zero theme song...

There...That's better, isn't it?  Almost a year after the TV series' final episode, DC Comics has returned to this alternate Superman world with in a digital comic format that will also be released in traditional print every month.  Season 11 picks up six months after the events of "Finale," revealing what's become of various cast members and how the world is dealing with a Superman as its protector.

In this first chapter "Guardian" (Yes, the traditional one-word story titles have returned as well), Smallville TV series writer Bryan Q. Miller reintroduces us to married couple Oliver and Chloe, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor and of course, Clark Kent, now fully embracing his destiny as the world's greatest superhero.  We don't learn much in the process, although there's a new connection to the Richard Donner Superman films with Lex taking on Otis as his latest henchman/assistant.  Oh, and it seems Clark has swapped his Superman Returns uniform for a version that resembles a cross between the Shane Davis version from Superman: Earth One and the new Henry Cavill costume worn in the upcoming film The Man of Steel.

As for the art, a very bold cover by Cat Staggs (shown above) starts things off nicely with Clark as Superman bursting upwards through the series logo.  It's a very striking image that makes effective use of the widescreen layout and Staggs' rendition of Tom Welling seems more faithful to the series than Gary Frank's first cover for the print edition.  The main story belongs to Pere Perez, who produces some solid work that conveys the story even if it isn't particularly innovative or stylish.  However, some nice coloring by Randy Mayor makes the scenes set in Earth's orbit considerably more effective and interesting, especially a storm of energy that flashes behind a Russian space station.

And while I'm thinking about the horizontal/widescreen layout, while it seems to make certain things pop more than a traditional vertical comic book format, it also loses something in terms of story content.  Because it essentially splits vertical pages into two upper and lower halves, the story flow feels somewhat light with most horizontal pages containing only two-to-four word balloons per page.  Basically, ten pages of a traditional vertical format are stretched out to twenty pages, so you end up flipping through them faster and things are over before you know it.  There's also a minor issue with splash pages being repeated, with a horizontal version of half the page followed immediately with the full vertical splash that encourages flipping your iPad around in order to view it properly.

All in all though, a promising start and one that should prove interesting once things finally get going.  Lex is obviously ready to make some moves into classic Superman Vs. Luthor territory, and this energy storm that pops up out of nowhere should result in some other menace for Clark to address.  If nothing else, Smallville fans should take comfort that the saga of Clark Kent still continues and in many ways, is only just beginning.