GOTHAM Season 4 Dark Band Trailer Teases The Scarecrow

Gotham City is a getting a bit more scary this fall.

The Fox series Gotham has released a new "Dark Band" trailer approved for "Gotham citizens ready for a Dark Knight", recapping some of the show craziest moments and giving us a good look at what's coming up in Season 4.

The four minute trailer opens with fleeting images of Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) as a prototype Batman, standing on a rooftop at night wearing a black mask and some body armor.  We hear a voiceover from Alfred Pennyworth (Sean Pertwee), who tells Bruce "You gotta find something that you really care about, and you protect it at all costs."  From, there we get an edited recap of the show's first three seasons.

At around the 2 minute, 14 second mark, we hear those same words from Alfred once again, as we begin to see new footage from Season 4.

"I can make a difference in a Gotham, Alfred," says Bruce.  "I know I can."

"It's dangerous," replies Alfred.  "You are engaging villains, Master Bruce."

Next, we see The Scarecrow, who was previously introduced as Jonathan Crane in the first season episode "The Fearsome Dr. Crane", played by Charlie Tahan.  "Jonathan Crane isn't here anymore," says the villain as he sprays various people with fear gas.  "It's just The Scarecrow."

One of Scarecrow's victims is left for the GCPD, trussed up in a field like an actual scarecrow, and he warns Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) that the Scarecrow is coming.

The Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) confronts Gordon at GCPD headquarters as the press takes pictures and scribbles notes furiously.  "The GCPD can no longer keep us safe," says the Penguin.

"I am not giving this city over to the Penguin," Gordon tells Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue).

"This is a war," replies Bullock.  "Not one battle."

Meanwhile, we find Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova) cornered by a street gang in an alley and she asks them to let her go.  "Not a chance," says the gang leader.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," replies Selina as she pulls out her bullwhip and proceeds to take out the entire gang.

Next, the Scarecrow corners Gordon menacingly.  "All right, Mr. Cop, let's have some fun," he remarks, spraying Gordon with his fear gas.  "I wonder, what scares you the most?"

From there, we go to the Penguin's new Iceberg Lounge, featuring the still-frozen Riddler (Cory Michael Smith) as the club's centerpiece display.  Presumably, this is the Iceberg Lounge's opening night, because Bruce, Alfred and Selina are in attendance.  Alfred tells Bruce, "There is a time for masks and there is a time for Bruce Wayne."

Bruce and Selina share a moment on a rooftop, as Selina balances herself on the edge. "You don't know anything about me," she tells Bruce.

Next, Bruce talks to Alfred about his new nighttime crimefighting activities.  "Alfred, I feel more alive than I've ever felt before."

Later, at GPCD headquarters, Lucius Fox (Chris Chalk) confronts Bruce about his battered face.  "Rough night, Bruce?  Get into a fight?"

"Rock climbing," lies Alfred as we glimpse images of Bruce in action.

After we hear some various lines delivered by several characters and glimpse Selina wearing a mask, Lucius opens a briefcase, showing Bruce and Alfred some body armor he's designed.  "It is a thin kevlar weave with reinforced forearm protection.  Extremely lightweight, and actually, bulletproof.  You know, for rock climbing."

Bruce is shown on another rooftop, fully garbed in the black mask and body armor.  "I'm going down for a closer look," he says to Alfred over a radio.

Alfred sits in a car nearby, listening to Bruce over a headset.  "How did I know you were going to say that?"

If you'd like to watch the "Dark Band" trailer, you can view it below thanks to the official Gotham YouTube account...




Gotham returns for Season 4 on Thursday, September 21st at 8 p.m. EST.

KRYPTON Casts Shaun Sipos as Adam Strange

Things are about to get a little strange on Krypton.

Deadline has revealed that the upcoming Syfy series Krypton, based on lore from the DC Comics character Superman, has cast Shaun Sipos in the role of Adam Strange as a series regular.

According to the article, Adam Strange is described as "a world-weary human, who finds himself stranded on Krypton as the unlikely mentor to Seg-El, Superman’s grandfather."

Krypton is set two generations before the destruction of the legendary Man of Steel's home planet and will follow Superman's grandfather — whose House of El was ostracized and shamed — as he fights to redeem his family's honor and save his beloved world from chaos.

The character was first teased at this year's San Diego Comic Con, where DC Comics President and Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns recited Adam Strange's introduction speech from memory.  "I'm from a planet called Earth, my name is Adam Strange.  I come from a time long after this and I need you to help me save the legacy of your grandson."

Sipos, 35, is a Canadian actor probably best known as Devon Taltherd on the Syfy series Dark Matter and as Aaron Whitmore on the CW series The Vampire Diaries.  His other television work includes episodes of Smallville, Life Unexpected, Melrose Place, Southland, ER, and Complete Savages.  He's also appeared in the movies Texas Chainsaw 3D, Lost Boys: The Tribe, The Grudge 2, Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2, The Skulls III, and Final Destination 2.

Created in 1958 by Julius Schwartz and Murphy Anderson, Adam Strange first appeared in Showcase #17 an archaeologist suddenly teleported from Peru, Earth to the planet Rann through a "Zeta-Beam".  Upon his arrival, Strange was attacked by one of the planet's predators and rescued by a dark-haired woman called Alanna.  She took him to her father Sardath, who explained that the Zeta-Beam was transmitted at Earth in the hopes that whatever form of intelligent life lived there would trace it back to Rann, and theorized that in the 4.3 years it took the Zeta-Beam to reach earth, it was altered by space radiation into a transportation beam.

Called on to protect the planet from extraterrestrial threats using Rann's technology, Strange grew to care for the planet and its inhabitants, especially Alanna.  Eventually, the effects of the beam wore off, automatically returning Strange to Earth at the exact point of departure, but not before Sardath had given him a schedule of beam firings allowing him to periodically return to the planet.  Using mathematical calculations, he was able to determine the exact times and precise locations where the Zeta-Beams would arrive.  Strange travels the world and intercepts them, to defend Rann and be with Alanna.

In the current DC Comics Universe continuity known as The New 52, Adam Strange is now a Canadian archaeologist who has a relationship with Alanna Lewis, a former student of his. He was briefly a member of the group Justice League United.

This will be the first time the character has appeared in live action, although he previously appeared in the animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold (voiced by Michael T. Weiss) and Young Justice: Invasion (voiced by Michael Trucco).

Krypton is expected to debut on Syfy sometime in 2018.

David Lynch Says TWIN PEAKS Season 4 Could Happen...Eventually

It could happen again.  It could happen again.

Welcome to Twin Peaks has word that Twin Peaks co-creator David Lynch said Twin Peaks Season 4 could happen...in a few years.

According to the article, Lynch participated in a public Skype session projected onto a cinema screen in support of his "Small Stories" photo exhibition currently on display at the Belgrade Culture Centre (Kulturni Centar Beograda) in Serbia.  This was the first public event where Lynch discussed Twin Peaks since the divisive Season 3 finale aired on Showtime on September 3, 2017.

Lynch took several questions from the audience face-to-face, but declined to reveal the fate of Sherilyn Fenn's character Audrey Horne, whose final moments in "The Return, Part 15" seemed to hint that she had been in a coma all along.  "What matters is what you believe happened," said Lynch.  "Many things in life just happen and we have to come to our own conclusions.  You can, for example, read a book that raises a series of questions, and you want to talk to the author, but he died a hundred years ago.  That’s why everything is up to you."

Lynch also stated that it's too early to say if Twin Peaks Season 4 will happen, adding that if the series continued, fans would need to be extremely patient.  "It took me four and a half years to write and film this season," he remarked.  

Considering Lynch is now 71, here's hoping Season 4 doesn't take another 25 years...

GHOSTWOOD 018: "The Return, Part 15" is Up!

"Good night, Margaret...Goodbye, Margaret."

-- Tommy "Hawk" Hill to Margaret "The Log Lady" Lanterman, Twin Peaks: "The Return, Part 15"

It is happening again...My co-host with the most Xan Sprouse and I are finally back with a new episode of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast!  This time, we review "The Return, Part 15" from the Showtime revival of Twin Peaks!

LET'S ROCK!

In our latest episode, Xan and I discuss things like my Showtime Anytime app being region blocked overseas so I had to wait to watch the final three episodes of Twin Peaks, something beautiful on Twin Peaks always being followed by something horrible, Nadine and Big Ed finally having a little chat about their marriage, Nadine being self-aware about how she treated Big Ed all those years, Big Ed finally asking Norma to marry him, Mr. C meeting with the long-lost Phillip Jeffries, Richard falling for Mr. C's ol' "Hock a loogie on the pavement so I can take your gun" trick, Steven freaking out in Ghostwood Forest, James' really dumb move of hitting on Renee in front of her husband, Freddie's punches making ZZ Top skip, Freddie McRubberfist being in a cell next to Drooly McBloodyface, James finally being the first person to be weirded out by Naido having no eyes, Chantal casually putting Hutch on hold as she finishes off Roger, Tim Roth resetting some of his Pulp Fiction restaurant scene, Dougie watching Sunset Blvd. and playing with an electrical outlet, the downfall of silent movie stars, Hawk having a final phone call with the Log Lady, Catherine Coulson's amazing final moments on screen, Xan's Porg problem, Showtime pushing Twin Peaks as their lead product in commercials, Xan taking sides in the Backstreet Boys/*NSYNC debate, our favorite spies in Mad Magazine's Spy vs. Spy, Ruby's Laura Palmer worthy scream, the Las Vegas FBI director yelling at Wilson again, M&Ms' epic E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial fail, and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

iTunes -- RIGHT HERE

Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn --  RIGHT HERE

YouTube -- RIGHT HERE

Ghostwood's Facebook page

Ghostwood's Twitter account

Be sure to come back next week as Xan and I review "The Return, Part 16", the next episode of the Showtime revival of Twin Peaks!  Look for more of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast on iTunes, YouTube, Libsyn, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

J.J. Abrams to Write & Direct STAR WARS: EPISODE IX

J.J. Abrams is strong in The Force once again.

StarWars.com has officially confirmed that J.J. Abrams is returning to write and direct Star Wars: Episode IX, replacing outgoing director Colin Trevorrow.

According to the announcement, Abrams will co-write the film with Chris Terrio.  Star Wars: Episode IX will be produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Abrams, Bad Robot, and Lucasfilm.

"With The Force Awakens, J.J. delivered everything we could have possibly hoped for, and I am so excited that he is coming back to close out this trilogy," said Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy.

Previous reports claimed that Trevorrow was becoming difficult to work with, presumably why Lucasfilm and Trevorrow parted ways earlier this month.  Lucasfilm released a statement saying "Colin has been a wonderful collaborator throughout the development process but we have all come to the conclusion that our visions for the project differ."

Abrams, 51, previously directed the seventh installment of the Star Wars film saga, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which made over $2 billion worldwide in box office and remains the #1 domestic earner of all time with over $936 million.  His other films include Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness, Mission: Impossible III, and Super 8.  In addition, he created the ABC series Alias, and co-created the television series Felicity, Lost, and Fringe.

Star Wars: Episode IX is currently scheduled to be released on December 20, 2019.

THE BOYS TV Series Receives Script Order from Amazon

One step closer to achieving Herogasm.

Variety reported that the live-action adaptation of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's The Boys has landed at Amazon, after being reported in development at Cinemax last year.  

According to the article, The Boys has "received a script order from Amazon and is being eyed for a possible straight-to-series pickup."  The project is the first from Amazon's event-series unit, which is responsible for creating limited series, not ongoings set over several seasons.

The 2016 article revealed that the TV adaptation is being developed by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Supernatural creator Eric Kripke, and written by Kripke.  Rogen and Goldberg, who helmed the Preacher pilot, are set to direct.  Serving as executive producers are Original Film’s Neal Moritz, Pavun Shetty and Ori Marmur; Point Grey’s Rogen, Goldberg and James Weaver; Kripke; as well as Ken Levin and Kickstart’s Jason Netter (Preacher).  Ennis and co-creator Darick Robertson will serve as co-executive producers.

The series is set "in a time where most of the superheroes are corrupted by their celebrity status and often engage in reckless behavior, compromising the safety of the world.  It centers on a CIA squad, known informally as 'The Boys,' whose job is to keep watch on the proliferation of superheroes and, if necessary, eliminate some of them."

The Boys, which ran for 72 issues and three 6-issue limited series from 2006-2012, was published initially by Wildstorm (#1-6) and then by Dynamite Entertainment.  Filled with extreme violence, sexual situations and dark humor, the series began with an Englishman named Billy Butcher who learns of a presidential directive charging the CIA with monitoring all superheroes.  He uses the directive to get the backing required to reform "The Boys," a black ops team designed to police the superhero community.  Butcher brings together Mother's Milk, the Frenchman, and the Female (of the Species), but the Boys' fifth member, Mallory, refuses to return as his grandkids were murdered due to his involvement with the group.  Requiring five in the team, Butcher recruits a Scottish conspiracy theorist named "Wee Hughie" Campbell, whose girlfriend was accidentally killed by A-Train, a reckless member of major superhero team The Seven.

TITANS Casts Alan Ritchson as Hawk, Minka Kelly as Dove

The Titans are almost together.

Deadline reported that the upcoming DC Comics direct-to-consumer digital service series Titans has cast Alan Ritchson and Minka Kelly as the superheroes Hawk and Dove.  They join Brenton Thwaits as Nightwing, Teagan Croft as Raven, and Anna Diop as Starfire.

The roles are recurring, with options to become regulars in Season 2.  The article claims "the producers also are exploring a potential Hawk and Dove spinoff series down the road."

Hawk is described as "Hank Hall, an aggressive, offensive bruiser", while Dove is described as "Dawn Granger, who is strategic, defensive and lithe."  Together, Hawk and Dove are a "crime-fighting, vigilante duo and romantic couple."

Written by Akiva Goldsman, DC Entertainment’s Geoff Johns and Greg Berlanti, Titans follows a group of young soon-to-be superheroes recruited from every corner of the DC Universe.  In the action-adventure series, Dick Grayson emerges from the shadows to become the leader of a fearless band of new heroes that includes Starfire, Raven, and others.

Ritchson, 32, is probably best known as Aquaman on the WB series Smallville and as Gloss in the movie The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  He also voiced Aquaman for the direct-to-video animated movie Justice League: The New Frontier, and voiced Raphael in the movies Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.  His other television appearances include episodes of Black Mirror, Workaholics, Hawaii Five-0, 90210, and Blue Mountain State.

Kelly, 37, is probably best known as Lyla Garrity on the NBC series Friday Night Lights and as Valerie Stahl on the Fox series Almost Human.  Her other television appearances include episodes of Parenthood, Jane the Virgin, Charlie's Angels (2011), Entourage, and What I Like About You.  Her film appearances include the movies The Butler, The Roommate, 500 Days of Summer, and The Kingdom.

Created in 1968 by Steve Skeates and Steve Ditko, Hawk first appeared in Showcase #75 as Hank Hall, the son of Judge Irwin Hall.  Hank and his brother Don found out that their father had many enemies when their father was nearly assassinated.  Hank and Don eventually followed the assassin back to his hideout, where they accidentally locked themselves in the closet of some criminals plotting to dispose of him.  Hank and Don, who found for the first time they could agree on something to save their father, heard mysterious voices offering the boys a chance to do just that.  All they had to do was call upon the powers of the Hawk and the Dove.  The voices belonged to a Lord of Chaos named T'Charr and a Lord of Order named Terataya.  The Hall brothers invoked their new powers and became Hawk and Dove. The conservative Hawk (Hank) was hot-headed and reactionary, while the liberal Dove (Don) was more thoughtful and reasoned, but was prone to indecisiveness.  Judge Irwin Hall displayed a more balanced political beliefs, and firmly disapproved of vigilantism, not knowing his sons were costumed adventurers and the fact that Hawk and Dove had saved him from his would-be assailants.

Dove died in 1986's Crisis on Infinite Earths while saving a young boy who was being attacked by the Anti-Monitor's shadow demons.  The creature that killed Dove came from behind while he was saving a kid from a falling building and Hawk was too far away to intervene.  Hawk continued on his own, but without Dove to restrain him, he became violent to the point where many superheroes considered him nearly as much trouble as the supervillains.

In 1988, Barbara & Karl Kesel and Rob Liefeld created Dawn Granger as the new Dove, who first appeared in Hawk & Dove (vol.1) #1, who mysteriously received her powers while attempting to save her mother from terrorists.  At the end of the mini-series, it was revealed that Dawn received her powers the moment Don had been stripped of them.  This Dove, while considerably more aggressive and self-confident than Don, also has greater-than-average strength and dexterity, faster-than-human speed, and expanded mental capabilities.  Dove fights mostly defensively, preferring to out-think and remain in control of her opponent.  She also heals quickly and cannot revert to Dawn if her wounds or some other condition would be fatal to Dawn.  Hawk was initially resistant to the new Dove, but they soon became partners, holding their own against the Lords of Chaos' creation called Kestrel.

This will be the first time the characters have been depicted for live-action, although Hawk has appeared in the animated projects Justice League Unlimited (voiced by Jason Hervey), and Batman: The Brave and the Bold (voiced by Greg Ellis).

Titans is expected to debut on DC Comics' digital service sometime in 2018.