DEADPOOL 2 Casts Josh Brolin as Cable

The Merc with a Mouth just signed up for Cable.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Deadpool 2, the upcoming sequel to Deadpool, has cast Josh Brolin as Nathan Summers, better known to X-Men fans as the time-traveling, gun-toting, mutant superhero Cable.

This ends a long casting search, with actors Michael Shannon, David Harbour, Russell Crowe and Brad Pitt reportedly up for the part.  THR's sources say that Brolin's deal is for four movies.

Brolin joins returning Deadpool actors Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool/Wade Wilson, Morena Baccarin as Copycat/Vanessa Carlyle, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and Stefan Kapičić as the voice of Colossus.  Zazie Beetz will debut as Domino.

Brolin, 49, is best known as the supervillain Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Guardians of the Galaxy.  He also starred in the DC Comics film Jonah Hex, and has appeared in the films Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Men in Black 3, Grindhouse: Planet Terror, The Goonies, Sicario, Oldboy, Gangster Squad, Milk, W., American Gangster, No Country for Old Men, Hollow Man, The Mod Squad, Nightwatch, and Mimic.

Created in 1990 by Louise Simonson and Rob Liefeld, Cable first appeared in The New Mutants (vol.1) #87 as an adult, after debuting in 1986's Uncanny X-Men (vol.1) #201 as the infant son of Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor, created by Chris Claremont.  In his first appearance, Cable came into conflict with Stryfe's Mutant Liberation Front, the United States government, and Freedom Force.  The New Mutants intervened and he asked for their help against the Mutant Liberation Front, seeing them as potential soldiers in his war against Stryfe.  He became their new teacher and leader, coming into conflict with Wolverine, noting that the two had an old feud between them.  Cable and the New Mutants teamed up with Wolverine and Sunfire against the MLF, before the group went up against the Genoshans.

With the aid of Domino, Cable reorganized the New Mutants into the group known as X-Force.  Cable eventually revealed that he was from the future and that he had traveled to the past with the aim of stopping Stryfe's plans as well as preventing Apocalypse's rise to power.  Cable traveled between the 1990s and his future with his ship Graymalkin, which contained a sentient computer program called Professor, the future version of the program built into X-Factor's Ship.  

The 1994 miniseries The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix provided further information on the character's back story.  In the future, Mother Askani, a time-displaced Rachel Summers, pulled the minds of Scott Summers and Jean Grey into the future where, as "Slym" and "Redd", they raised Cable for twelve years.  During their time together, the "family" prevented Apocalypse from transferring his essence into a new body, ending his reign of terror.  It was established that Mister Sinister created Cyclops' son Nathan (who became Cable) in order to destroy Apocalypse.

Deadpool 2 is scheduled to arrive in theaters sometime in 2018.

First THOR: RAGNAROK Trailer Teases Hela and the Hulk

Guardians of the Yggdrasil, anyone?

Marvel has released the first teaser trailer to Thor: Ragnarok, the third film in the Thor series directed by Taika Waititi and starring Chris Hemsworth as everyone's favorite God of Thunder.

The one minute, fifty second trailer opens with Thor lowered into a deep, dark cavern while imprisoned in chains.  "Now, I know what you're thinking," he says in a voiceover.  "How did this happen?  Well, it's a long story..."

As the sounds of the Led Zeppelin classic "Immigrant Song" begin to play, we see Hela, the ruler of Hel and Niflheim (played by Cate Blanchett), catch Thor's hammer Mjolnir in the palm of her hand and shatter it.

"Asgard is dead," she declares to a legion of Asgardian warriors just before we see fleeting images of Thor being caputred in a net by aliens, and Thor's fellow Asgardian warrior Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) charging into battle with Hela while riding her winged horse Aragorn.

Valkyrie brings Thor to see the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), ruler of the planet Sakaar. "What have you brought today?  Tell me," he asks.

"A contender," replies Valkyrie.

More fleeting images follow, including Heimdall (Idris Elba) smashing a warrior's face with a new sword, Skurge the Executioner (Karl Urban) using some form of assault rifle, and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) twirling a pair of blades.

"It's main event time," announces the Grandmaster as Thor enters a large gladiatorial arena, now sporting a distinctly shorter hairstyle.  "And now," continues the Grandmaster, "I give you...your incredible --"

All at once, the Hulk smashes through the opposing door, wearing the armor from the "Planet Hulk" comics storyline.

Initially stunned, Thor quickly smiles and cheers at his opponent, shocking the entire arena into silence.  "We know each other!" Thor tells the Grandmaster.  He's a friend from work!"

The Hulk, possibly remembering his rivalry with Thor from the first Avengers movie, charges after Thor and the two leap high into the air at one another.

If you'd like to view the trailer, you can see it below thanks to the official Marvel Entertainment account on YouTube...




Thor: Ragnarok is scheduled to be released in theaters on November 3, 2017.

THE FANDOM ZONE 098: "Chapter 8" is Up!

"I was just wondering...What am I without you?" 
– David Haller to The Shadow King, Legion: "Chapter 8"

Beginning our third year in The Fandom Zone, Karen Lindsay and I are back with another HUGE episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  So huge, in fact, we're splitting it into two parts!

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

The Walking Dead 7x15: "Something They Need"

Supergirl 2x17: "Distant Sun"

The Flash 3x18: "Abra Kadabra"

Legends of Tomorrow 2x16: "Doomworld"

Arrow 5x18: "Disbanded"

Legion 1x08: "Chapter 8"  (Season 1 Finale)

Iron Fist 1x03: "Rolling Thunder Cannon Punch"

This time, we talk about things like Phil Perich's birthday, the new Iron Fist #1, long-distance dedications from Casey Kasem, being really disappointed by Eugene, Gregory's epic zombie-killing fail, Rick leaving the Oceanside community with no way to defend themselves, Alex trying to be cool with Maggie's ex even though Maggie wants nothing to do with her, Mom-El being an evil frog clone, the Martian Manhunter's constipating telepathic fight, Chameleon Boy and the Durlans, wondering why Caitlin becomes evil as Killer Frost, more of my "Abra Kadabra is H.R. Wells" theory, Clifford DeVoe the Thinker, the Fantastic Voyage episode of Archer, why you shouldn't wear douchey backwards baseball caps, the joy of watching Felicity Smoak die on screen, the Hall of Doom, the Batusi, Oliver staging his rescue from Lian Yu, Diggle screwing up Oliver's plan to have the Bratva murder Prometheus for him, Helix telling Felicity they know everything about Team Arrow's secret identities and Felicity doing nothing about it, the return of Mystery Science Theater 3000, the origin of Clark the Interrogator, David facing off against the Shadow King, Legion relocating to Los Angeles for Season 2, Legion's big post-credits cliffhanger teasing Season 2, Joy and Ward trying to screw Danny out of his family's company, the return of Jeryn Hogarth and Madame Gao, some feedback from Justina, a quick Jesse Jackson update, and more!

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And if that isn't enough for you, you can also check us out on YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!  Oh, and if you're interested in an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing, you can get those on TeePublic HERE as well!  Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week, as Karen and I review the season finales of The Walking Dead and Legends of Tomorrow, the Season 3 premiere of iZombie, Episode 4 of Iron Fist, and a new episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

John Simm to Return as the Sixth Master in DOCTOR WHO Series 10

In 1985, there was "The Two Doctors".  In 2017..."The Two Masters"?

The official Doctor Who site has confirmed that John Simm is reprising his role as the Sixth Master in Doctor Who Series Ten.  The specific episode(s) was not revealed, although the two-part Series Ten finale written by Steven Moffat seems most likely.

"I can confirm that it’s true," said Simm, "thanks to the power of time travel, I’m back.  It’s always a pleasure to work with this great team of people and I can’t wait for you all to see what the Master gets up to in the next series."

Added Moffat, writer and executive producer, "Nothing stays secret for long on Doctor Who, but you'll have to wait a little bit longer to see exactly what the Master is up to and how he makes his return to face the Doctor.  It’s been a huge pleasure to have fan favorites John Simm and Michelle Gomez face to face in the same role!  It’s not often you get to see a solo personality clash."

Simm debuted as the Sixth Master in 2007 at the end of the Series Three episode "Utopia", having regenerated from the Fifth Master, played by Sir Derek Jacobi.  The story continued in "The Sound of Drums" and "Last of the Time Lords", where the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) made his way back to Earth to find the Master became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom under the alias of Harold Saxon.  As Saxon, the Master remained haunted by a constant drumbeat in his head and he enslaved the world, forcing the Doctor's companion Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) to spend a year working on an elaborate plan to defeat him.  After being fatally shot by his human wife, Lucy Saxon (Alexandra Moen), the Master refused to regenerate, knowing it would haunt the Doctor.

The Sixth Master returned again in 2010, as part of the final Tenth Doctor story "The End of Time", when his disciples attempted a resurrection ritual using a surviving piece of the Master's body.  However, Lucy interrupted the ritual, bringing the Master back as a manic undead creature, hungry for human flesh and leaking electrical energy.  The Master proceeded with a plot to transform the entire human race into his own clones, and using their combined presence, triangulated the "drumbeat" inside his head to its source -- The Time Lord President Rassilon (Timothy Dalton).  The Time Lords, having set up the signal as a means to escape the last days of the Time War, returned to the universe.  Confronted with Rassilon, whose drumbeat was the cause of the Master's insanity, the Master teamed up with the Doctor to destroy them.  As a result, he was also sent back to Gallifrey with the Time Lords, who were locked away in the Time War and trapped once more.

Doctor Who Series Ten will also feature Michelle Gomez returning as Missy, the Seventh Master known as the Mistress.  Other returning foes include the Daleks, the Ice Warriors and – returning for the first time in over 50 years – the Mondasian Cybermen.

Doctor Who returns to BBC One and BBC America for Series Ten on Saturday, April 15th.

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 076: "The Power of Kroll" is Up!

"Stretching’s good for the spine.  Well, up to a point."

– The Fourth Doctor to Romana and Rohm-Dutt, Doctor Who: "The Power of Kroll"

At long last, my partner in time Jesse Jackson has returned to join me for a new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast!  In this episode, Jesse and I review "The Power of Kroll", the infamous fifth serial from Season 16, a.k.a. "The Key to Time" season, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Mary Tamm as the First Romana!

This time, Jesse and I discuss things like Jesse's recovery and upcoming cancer treatment, well wishes from Jesse's friends and fans, Jesse's new War Doctor look, Calibos from Clash of the Titans, John Leeson appearing as Dugeen instead of voicing K-9, "The Power of Kroll" cosplay, the Fifth Doctor's cool question mark suspenders, the creeper vine trap, when story ambition exceeds the production reality, the horrible Swampie makeup and costume design, my Reverse the Reverse the Polarity segment, the news about new companion Bill Potts being openly gay, more on the Twelfth Doctor's upcoming regeneration, and more!

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And hey, if you'd like to pick up the officially official Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, you can find it on TeePublic right HERE!  Help support the show and feel free to post pictures on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come in just one week as Jesse and I review "The Armageddon Factor", the sixth and final serial from Season 16, a.k.a. "The Key to Time" season, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Mary Tamm as the First Romana, and John Leeson as the voice of K-9! Look for more of Next Stop Everywhere on iTunes, Google Play Music, YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Sticher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

BATMAN AND HARLEY QUINN Animated Film Cast Announced

Fans of the classic Harley Quinn rejoice!

Empire has revealed the principal voice cast for Batman and Harley Quinn, a new DC Comics animated movie direct to home video, executive produced by Bruce Timm and in his classic animation style that began with 1992's Batman: The Animated Series.

According to the article, Batman and Harley Quinn will feature "the reluctant team-up of Batman, Nightwing and Harley Quinn to try and stop a global catastrophe caused by Poison Ivy and Jason Woodrue, AKA the Plant-Master."

Kevin Conroy will once again voice Batman, after his previous work in Batman: The Killing Joke.  Loren Lester will reprise his character Nightwing, whom he originated as Robin with Conroy on Batman: The Animated Series.

"So many fans have asked when there will be another Batman: The Animated Series," said Lester, "and this film really captures that sensibility and essence that people loved about the original series.  That makes perfect sense when you know Bruce Timm was at the helm of both.  The difference is we're not restricted by the networks for this film, so we can take the story and characters in more mature areas, and explore more about them as three-dimensional human beings with human feelings and human desires that we often couldn’t explore in the series."

As for Harley Quinn herself, she will be voiced by Melissa Rauch.  Rauch is best known as Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory and appeared as Summer on the HBO series True Blood.

"I love that Harley is a badass and, beyond that, that she uses her humor as another weapon in her arsenal," said Rauch.  "She knows just how to diffuse a situation with her humor, and how to incite a situation with her sarcasm.  It's a dream role."

Regarding Harley's voice, she added, "I knew Harley had a higher pitched tone, and a bit of a New York accent — and I come from a New Jersey family where everyone could be former gun molls.  So I wanted to give a nod to my background without being as shrill.  In all honesty, I used to speak exactly like that — my acting school professors really worked the accent out of me.  So it was fun to find those tones and accent again."

Paget Brewster will voice Poison Ivy, after previously voicing Lana Lang in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Lois Lane in Justice League: Gods and Monsters.  

Additional cast members include John DiMaggio, Eric Bauza, Rob Paulsen, Robin Atkin Downes, Mindy Sterling, and Trevor Devall.

Batman and Harley Quinn will be released on digital download, Blu-ray and DVD sometime this summer.

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Casts Rainn Wilson as Harry Mudd

Is this Star Trek: The Wrath of Con (Man)?

The official Star Trek site has announced that the upcoming CBS All Access series Star Trek: Discovery has cast Rainn Wilson as original series character Harry Mudd.  It's not yet known how many episodes of the new series will feature the character.

Wilson joins Jason Isaacs as Lorca, the captain of the U.S.S. Discovery, Sonequa Martin-Green as Rainsford, a lieutenant commander and the show's lead character, Doug Jones as science officer Saru, Anthony Rapp as fellow science officer Stamet, James Frain as Sarek, a Vulcan astrophysicist and Spock's father, Terry Serpico as Starfleet Admiral Anderson, Maulik Pancholy as chief medical officer Nambue, and Sam Vartholomeos as junior Starfleet officer Connor.

Wilson, 51, is best known as Dwight Schrute on the American version of TV comedy series The Office.  He also appeared in the films Super, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Galaxy Quest, Monsters vs. Aliens, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Baadasssss!, House of 1000 Corpses, Juno, Smurfs: The Lost Village, The Last Mimzy, Sahara, and Almost Famous. His other television work includes episodes of Backstrom, Adventure Time, Reno 911!, Saturday Night Live, Entourage, Numb3rs, Six Feet Under, Monk, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Dark Angel, Charmed, and One Life to Live.

Created in 1966 by Gene Roddenberry and Stephen Kandel, Harry Mudd first encountered the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise in the Star Trek episode "Mudd's Women".  As a con artist using the illegal Venus drug, Mudd attempted to sell Eve McHuron, Ruth Bonaventure and Magda Kovacs to a group of lithium miners led by Ben Childress on Rigel XII.  The drug gave the impression that the three women were beautiful, when in fact they were not. Childress and the other miners married the women anyway, as they were more interested in companionship and the benefits that having three practical, intelligent women around could provide, and the women were happy to escape their previously lonely existence.  Before leaving Rigel XII, Mudd asked to remain on the planet, saying it would be adequate punishment, though this request wasn't granted by Captain Kirk. Criminal charges were later pressed against Mudd for his actions and he spent at least some time in jail.

In his second encounter with the Enterprise crew in the episode "I, Mudd", Mudd "borrowed" a spaceship and escaped the planet Deneb V before a death sentence for fraud could be carried out.  He ended up fleeing to a previously uncharted planet, one that was populated entirely by androids, programmed to adapt the planet for productive use, who became interested in studying Mudd as a specimen of humanity.  This meant that while the androids attended to his every need, and even made him the titular ruler of the planet (later named Mudd in his honor), Mudd was not allowed to leave.  Mudd then attempted to broker a deal where he would be allowed to escape, if he provided the androids with other prime human specimens to study. 

Therefore, Mudd identified the starship Enterprise to the androids as a likely source of exceptional examples of humanity.  Subsequently, the android known as Norman, posing as a member of the Enterprise crew, successfully took control of the ship and took it to the planet Mudd. The crew of the Enterprise, however, was able to escape captivity by identifying Norman as the control for all of the planet's androids.  The crew proceeded to confuse Norman with illogical behavior, causing him to break down.  After the androids were reprogrammed, Mudd was left behind on the planet as an example of a human failure, along with 500 uncontrollable android replicas of his shrill wife Stella for company.

Wilson will be the second actor to portray the character in live action, after Roger C Carmel on the original Star Trek series and in the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "Mudd's Passion".

Star Trek: Discovery is currently scheduled to debut on CBS sometime in Fall 2017, with the remainder of the episodes airing on CBS All Access.