Chris Pine in Talks for Steve Trevor in WONDER WOMAN

Wonder Woman may have a love interest.

Variety reports that Chris Pine is in talks to play classic DC Comics character Steve Trevor in the upcoming film Wonder Woman, starring Gal Gadot as the Amazing Amazon and directed by Patty Jenkins.

Pine, 34, is best known as the modern Captain James T. Kirk from the films Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness.  He's also starred in the films Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Into the Woods, Horrible Bosses 2, This Means War, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, and Carriers.

Previous rumors claimed that Scott Eastwood had landed the part, but Variety claims that Eastwood was "given a choice to test for the Trevor role or sign on for a guaranteed supporting part in Suicide Squad, which he opted to take."

The article also claims that Warner Brothers tested other actors, but decided to look at more high-profile names and go with a straight offer.  Pine won over production executives and Gadot at his meeting, which made the studio pursue him for the role.

Created in 1941 by Wonder Woman creators William Moulton Marston and H.G. Peter, Steve Trevor first appeared All-Star Comics (vol.1) #8 as an intelligence officer in the United States Army during World War II whose plane crashed on Paradise Island, the isolated homeland of the Amazons.  Trevor was nursed back to health by the Amazon princess Diana, who fell in love with him and followed him when he returned to the outside world. Diana became the superhero Wonder Woman and disguised herself as Trevor's coworker, Diana Prince.

In the current DC Comics continuity, Trevor became the U.S. government's liaison to Wonder Woman during her stay in Washington, D.C. and later became the head of A.R.G.U.S. (Advanced Research Group for Uniting Superhumans), as well as the United Nations' liaison to the Justice League.  Promoted to the rank of Colonel, Trevor was assigned an assistant named Etta Candy and had expressed his attraction to Wonder Woman, although his feelings weren't reciprocated.

Pine would be the fourth actor to portray Steve Trevor in live action, after Kaz Garas in the 1974 Wonder Woman TV Movie starring Cathy Lee Crosby, Lyle Waggoner in the 1975-79 Wonder Woman television series starring Lynda Carter, and Justin Bruening in the failed 2011 Wonder Woman television pilot starring Adrianne Palicki.

The character has also appeared in various animated projects, including Justice League (voiced by Patrick Duffy), Batman: The Brave and the Bold (voiced by Sean Donnelan), the 2009 Wonder Woman direct-to-DVD film (voiced by Nathan Fillion), Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (voiced by James Patrick Stuart), and Justice League: War and Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (voiced by George Newbern).

Wonder Woman is currently slated to arrive in theaters sometime in 2017.

THE FANDOM ZONE Episode 010: "Fast Enough" is Up!

"I am in awe of the remarkable man that you're becoming.  All the things you've achieved and not just as the Flash, but you, Barry -- your honesty, your heart.  You're always a hero, and your mom would be just as proud.  And if she had a say in this, if she thought for one second that you going back to save her would mean losing what makes you so special, she would never want that."

-- Henry Allen to Barry Allen, The Flash: "Fast Enough"

You guessed it, Karen Lindsay and I are back with a new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  And even better, Karen's recording while on pain meds...

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

The Flash 1x23 -- "Fast Enough" (Season Finale)

iZombie 1x10 -- "Mr. Berserk"

Daredevil 1x07 -- "Stick"

We talk about things like my new Funko Flash TV figures, Karen's The Endless from Sandman figures, the 22nd Century vs. the 25th Century, problems with timey-wimey paradoxes, fun with the Butterfly Effect, the greatness of Barry and Henry Allen scenes, where Ray Palmer lives, The Princess Bride, Iris West finally being written properly, 1,400 MPH being the new 88 MPH, being smug comic book geeks, breakdancing Vibe's parachute pants, Barry's selfish desires vs. creating a black hole that could destroy all life on Earth, existing cast members suddenly being able to officiate a wedding ceremony, Speed Force easter eggs, toy figure slashfiction, giving Grant Gustin props, wanting to write Rip Hunter for DC Comics, geeking out over Jay Garrick's winged helmet, becoming an alcoholic to cope with your grief, turning your would-be assassin into a zombie, Stick from the Frank Miller era of Daredevil, keeping astronauts straight, hinting at Daredevil's mom, Stick being cool with being a dick, ports in comic book cities, setting up The Hand, ice cream friendship bracelets, listener feedback on Facebook, and more!

You can check out the episode HERE and for those of you who use iTunes, we're already available HERE, so please subscribe and rate us! If direct download MP3s are more your thing, you can find those HERE as well. In addition, we have our Fandom Zone show page on Facebook, which you can check out HERE. And we're also on Twitter using the account @FandomZoneCast.

Be sure to come back next week for more on iZombie, and the eighth episode of Daredevil, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

TWIN PEAKS' Double R Diner, Angelo Badalamenti Returning

The place where pies go when they die is returning.

Twin Peaks news site Welcome to Twin Peaks has some reassuring updates on the upcoming Showtime revival of the original 1990-91 ABC television series.  The information came from none other than Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne) and Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer and Maddy Ferguson) during a Twin Peaks panel at Crypticon in Seattle over the weekend.

Here's the rundown of what was learned:

First, David Lynch will be directing 18 episodes of the new Twin Peaks series for Showtime, twice what was originally announced before negotiations with Lynch broke down.

Original Twin Peaks composer Angelo Badalamenti, creator of the show's memorable theme and numerous haunting jazz pieces for the series, is composing new music for the upcoming revival.

The Double R Diner, where characters Norma Jennings, Hank Jennings and Shelly Johnson worked on the series, will be restored from original location Twede's Cafe in North Bend, Washington.

In addition to North Bend, the new series will also be filmed in Snoqualmie, Washington, which was used for many of the exterior shots in the original series and the feature film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

Twin Peaks is expected to debut on Showtime sometime in 2016.

THE FANDOM ZONE Episode 009: "S.O.S." is Up!

"She just killed them...All of them.  Didn't even think about it."
"Yeah, I thought my mom was bad when she started watching Fox News."

-- Skye/Daisy Johnson and Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: "S.O.S. (Part Two)"

After a slight Charles' Life delay, Karen Lindsay and I are back with a new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Daredevil 1x06 -- "Condemned"

The Flash 1x22 -- "Rogue Air"

iZombie 1x09 -- "Patriot Brains"

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 2x21/22 -- "S.O.S. (Parts One and Two)" (Season Finale)

Arrow 3x23 -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" (Season Finale)

We talk about things like Fred the dinosaur, planning for the lack of new episodes, why hostage episodes suck, telling a superhero to suck your dick, Superhero 101 fails, pimping your wheelchair, the evils of AXE body spray, due process fails, why you should never trust a lying supervillain, possible competition for Firestorm, Karen's hair fail, the zombie "L" word, lectures on Kurt Cobain, going to high school with Dave Grohl, zombie assassination fails, killing someone in front of your daughter, Karen finally jumping off the Grant Ward train, teleporting fails, being mellow about having your arm chopped off, teasing the Secret Warriors, the Kree artifact being a symbiote, resetting Star Trek: The Next Generation, Felicity going emo, the Swede from AMC's Hell on Wheels, Laurel's tingling Alcoholic Sense, fighting to live, costume alterations before a battle, dumping your vigilante crusade to drive in front of bad green screen with the woman you love, kneeling before Merlyn, Iron Atom suit tinkering fails, listener feedback in a spiffy audio format, and more!

You can check out the episode HERE and for those of you who use iTunes, we're already available HERE, so please subscribe and rate us! If direct download MP3s are more your thing, you can find those HERE as well. In addition, we have our Fandom Zone show page on Facebook, which you can check out HERE. And we're also on Twitter using the account @FandomZoneCast.

Be sure to come back next week for more on The Flash, iZombie, and the seventh episode of Daredevil, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

THE FLASH Season 2 to Explore Multiple Earths & Speedsters

Jay Garrick fans, it's going to be a long summer for you.

After the epic events of last night's "Fast Enough," the Season One finale of The CW series The Flash, anyone who enjoys the concept of DC Comics' alternate Earths should be bursting with anticipation for Season Two.  SPOILER WARNINGS for anyone who hasn't seen the episode yet...

By way of some wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey storytelling, the episode teased some upcoming events in Barry Allen's life, including the winged helmet worn by Jay Garrick (the original Flash from Earth-Two), Caitlin Snow becoming the supervillain Killer Frost, and perhaps even the Flash Museum as shown below...

In an article posted by TV Guide, Flash star Grant Gustin revealed that multiple Earths and timelines will be in play, specifically Jay Garrick's Earth.  "What's fun about this show is that there's going to be multiple timelines as we move forward," remarked Gustin.  "I think we're going to start showing Earth-One and Earth-Two in the near future.  There will be kind of different dimensions going on."

Added Carlos Valdes, who plays Cisco Ramon (the future superhero Vibe), "It gets a little Rubik's Cube-y in terms of keeping consistency between all these timelines and whatnot, but the writers have their stuff together.  If I were to trust anyone, it would be them."

As for other plans for Season Two, The Hollywood Reporter spoke with executive producer Andrew Kreisberg about what we might see, including additional speedsters.  "We are going to introduce a few more speedsters next year and a bunch more villains," said Kreisberg. "How they and those villains come about is part of the surprise of Season Two.  We're really excited. [Executive producer] Greg [Berlanti] and myself and [executive producer] Geoff Johns and the writers, the cast, the crew, the directors — we are so proud of this season of television. It really is a high mark for all of us and we feel a great deal of pressure and anxiety to live up to it, because it's been so well received.  As proud as excited as we are about everything we've done this year, we really are just as proud and excited for all the things we are planning coming up and hopefully people will continue to take this ride with us."

Concerning the future of the Reverse-Flash (Tom Cavanagh) after the Season One finale, Kreisberg remarked, "Tom Cavanagh will be back.  That is not in question.  Tom Cavanagh will continue to be a regular."

THR also asked if the story structure for Season Two will be the same as Season One. "Not to pat ourselves on the back too much," said Kreisberg, "but if you watch the pilot, there are clues that got laid out throughout the season.  We've done the same thing for season two and hopefully we've created a structure and a scenario for season two that people will find equally compelling and equally interesting.  Some of it has already been set up in the events of season one. Just like we do on Arrow, where without even realizing it toward the end of the season we're setting up the next season.  Once people come back in season two, they'll look back at some of these episodes in season one and go, 'Oh wait a minute, I see where this came from.'"

And lastly, will Eddie Thawne be back?  "The great thing with our show — you saw it with Colin Donnell and with Caity Lotz — is just because you're dead doesn't mean you're not coming back.  Especially in the world of The Flash, which involves time travel and real hardcore science fiction, there's always a way for Eddie to return and we hope Rick (Cosnett) will."

David Lynch Returning to Direct TWIN PEAKS Revival with More Episodes

I've got good news.  It is happening again...It is happening again...

The Hollywood Reporter revealed yesterday that Twin Peaks co-creator and director David Lynch has resolved his salary and budgetary standoff with Showtime and will return to direct the upcoming Twin Peaks revival.  

A month and a half ago, Lynch announced that he was leaving Showtime's nine-episode revival over a salary dispute.  He originally signed on to direct the project but noted that there was "not enough money offered to do the script the way I felt needed to be done."

Following Lynch's announcement, the cast united for a special video in support of Lynch that went viral as part of a #SaveTwinPeaks campaign that said doing the show without Lynch is "like pies without cherries."

Lynch posted the news on his official Twitter account with the following post...

Dear Twitter Friends, the rumors are not what they seem ..... It is !!! Happening again. #TwinPeaks returns on @SHO_Network

— David Lynch (@DAVID_LYNCH) May 16, 2015

And even better, Showtime has committed to producing more than the nine episodes originally planned, all of which will be directed by Lynch.

"This damn fine cup of coffee from Mark and David tastes more delicious than ever," remarked Showtime president David Nevins in a statement Friday confirming the news. "Totally worth the extra brewing time and the cup is even bigger than we expected.  David will direct the whole thing which will total more than the originally announced nine hours. Preproduction starts now!!"

Twin Peaks is expected to return on Showtime sometime in 2016.

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 024: "The Sirens of Time" is Up!

"You know, talking to yourself is often the first sign of madness."
"Hmmm...Yes, but a little madness helps, don't you think?"
-- The Seventh and Sixth Doctors, Doctor Who: "The Sirens of Time"

My good friend and co-host Jesse Jackson and I back with another episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast!  And this time, we try something a little different as we review the very first Big Finish Productions Doctor Who audio adventure, "The Sirens of Time"!

Exploring this meeting of the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors from 1999, Jesse and I discuss things like Big Finish carrying the torch after the 1996 TV Movie, liking John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness as opposed to Malcolm Merlyn, the 40th anniversary story "Dimensions in Time," the greatness of modern Dalek voice artist Nicholas Briggs, comparing the Doctors on their first audio story, Claudia Christian on Babylon 5, Jesse's man crush on Colin Baker, my early experiences with Big Finish audios, Gallifrey as a story playground, satisfying fans who create their own fan fiction, a 14-year prequel to "The Five(ish) Doctors," audio adventures as the modern form of 1930s radio plays, absent companions, our Reverse the Polarity segment, some Series Nine news, and more!

And for those who still aren't aware of this yet, we're available on iTunes RIGHT HERE as well as Stitcher RIGHT HERE, so please subscribe and tell your friends about us. If you're looking for direct MP3 downloads, you can find them RIGHT HERE as well. Oh, and don't forget we have an officially official Next Stop Everywhere Facebook page and Twitter account, so be sure to Like and/or Follow us, okay?

Be sure to come on back next week for our review of the Doctor Who audio adventure "Spare Parts," featuring the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa and the origin of the Cybermen, and look for more of Next Stop Everywhere on iTunes, Libsyn, Stitcher and the Southgate Media Group website!

The CW Releases First LEGENDS OF TOMORROW Trailer

It's going to be a long wait until The CW's upcoming series Legends of Tomorrow premieres in early 2016, but at least now we know who Caity Lotz will be playing...

In a new four-minute first look trailer released by The CW during upfronts, we get our first look at Lotz's character Sara Lance as the White Canary, Arthur Darvill as Rip Hunter, Ciara Renée as Hawkgirl, and more.

The trailer opens with Stephen Amell as The Arrow, speaking to others on a rooftop as footage from past Arrow episodes are shown.  "I started this alone," begins The Arrow, "and I had everything intention of keeping it that way. I had a plan...Life had a different one.  And then things just got stranger..."

We then cut to the familiar lightning strike/particle accelerator accident that gives Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) his powers of super-speed as The Flash.  "But the hard inescapable truth is that sometimes, we're not enough," begins The Flash.  "Sometimes the world needs a team."

We switch to the opposite view, revealing Victor Garber as Professor Martin Stein (one-half of Firestorm), Hawkgirl, Wentworth Miller as Captain Cold, Brandon Routh as The Atom, and the White Canary.  "You call this...a team?" replies Professor Stein.

Stein, through a voiceover, describes the various members of the team -- "A girl with wings and a past lives complex...a deceased assassin..."

Images of Sara Lance naked and rising from a pool of water seems to strongly hint that her character will indeed be resurrected by a Lazarus Pit, as recently introduced on Arrow.

"A pair of criminals..." continues Stein, "and a billionaire with more tech than he clearly knows what to do with.  And I'm half a hero...and my other half is combustible."

"What you're up against is bigger than all of us," remarks The Arrow.  "Which is why it's going to take all of you," adds The Flash.

"His name is Vandal Savage," explains The Arrow.  "He's been alive thousands of years. "He is immortal and commands the most powerful army the world has ever seen."

White Canary asks what makes The Arrow think they can stop him.  "Because one day, you do," says Rip Hunter, stepping into view and announcing himself as we get our first look at Rip's Time Sphere.  "I'm from east London. Oh, and the future.  I'm a member of the Time Masters, an organization charged with protecting history itself.  And in the future, as unlikely as it may seem, you people become a team....Well, those of you who survive, at least."

"Savage's evil spans the course of history," continues Rip, "so we will have to travel through time to stop him."

After battling Savage's army and a giant robot, Captain Cold remarks, "I can't imagine any kind of future where I'm a hero."

"Well, you're not," replies Rip.  "See, in the future none of you are...heroes.  You're legends."

After showcasing the team members in various action scenes, we end with White Canary and Professor Stein in a laboratory with The Atom.  "So...You weren't dead," White Canary says to The Atom.  "You were just...small," adds Stein.

The Atom is incredulous that neither of them believe him, so he asks them to watch as he activates a button on his armored chestplate and shrinks down to the size of about three inches and flies off.

You can view the trailer below, thanks to The CW's official YouTube account...




Legends of Tomorrow is expected to debut on The CW as a midseason replacement in early 2016.

THE FANDOM ZONE Episode 008: "World on Fire" is Up!

"Lawyer by day, vigilante by night.  How the hell does that work?"
"Yeah, I'll let you know when I figure it out."

-- Claire Temple and Matt Murdock, Daredevil: "World on Fire"

After a slight health delay, Karen Lindsay and I are back with a new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Daredevil 1x05 -- "World on Fire"

Gotham 1x22 -- "All Happy Families Are Alike" (Season Finale)
The Flash 1x21 -- "Grodd Lives"

iZombie 1x08 -- "Dead Air"

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 2x20 -- "Scars"

Arrow 3x22 -- "This Is Your Sword"

We talk about things like the Funko POP Flash and Orphan Black figures, Matt Murdock's radar sense, Karen's eye issues, Turk from Frank Miller Daredevil comics, bringing a gun to a second date, the awkwardness of leaving your hidden signature in a fake letter, the emergence of Edward Nygma's Riddler persona, Boss Maroni going full Gamergate on Fish Mooney, why you should never have tea with your boyfriend's psycho ex-girlfriend, the fate of Barbara Kean, where Bruce Wayne's father kept his porn stash, fun with Six Million Dollar Man sound effects, why you should never experiment on animals and turn them into dangerous supervillains, S.T.A.R. Labs' horrible security, Major going off the deep end, Liv trying to keep Ravi from hooking up with her maneater roommate, the awkwardness of finding out that your zombie boyfriend is eating the brains of your ex-boyfriend's friend, fond childhood memories of Star Wars bedsheets, saying goodbye to Admiral Adama, finally seeing Rila Fukushima as Katana, the awkwardness of swordfighting your husband and killing him, Arrow sidekick sex, and more!

You can check out the episode HERE and for those of you who use iTunes, we're already available HERE, so please subscribe and rate us! If direct download MP3s are more your thing, you can find those HERE as well. In addition, we have our Fandom Zone show page on Facebook, which you can check out HERE. And we're also on Twitter using the account @FandomZoneCast.

Be sure to come back next week for more on The Flash, iZombie, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Arrow, and the sixth episode of Daredevil, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

Josh Boone Writing & Directing X-Men Spinoff THE NEW MUTANTS

Warlock will become the new Groot, just watch.

Deadline revealed yesterday that Fox has tapped The Fault in Our Stars director Josh Boone to co-write and direct The New Mutants, an X-Men spinoff film based on the Marvel Comics characters.

According to the article, Boone will co-write the film with Knate Gwaltney.  Simon Kinberg will serve as producer produce along with Lauren Shuler Donner.

"We’re so excited to explore this new part of the X-Men universe," remarked Kinberg, "and so excited to do it with Josh, who is uniquely suited to tell this story about young characters."

The film is the latest in an increasing line of X-Men franchise films from Fox.  Ryan Reynolds is starring in Deadpool with Tim Miller directing, Bryan Singer is directing X-Men: Apocalypse for 2016, director James Mangold and star Hugh Jackman are returning for another Wolverine sequel, and Channing Tatum is attached to star in a solo Gambit film.

Created in 1982 by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod, the New Mutants first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4 as another team of young mutants brought together until the supervision of Professor X while the X-Men were off in space fighting the Brood.  The initial team consisted of:

• Cannonball (Samuel Guthrie), a mild-mannered Kentuckian and eventual co-leader, who became nigh-invulnerable when rocketing through the air.
• Karma (Xi'an Coy Manh), a 19-year-old Vietnamese girl and the team's original leader, who could mentally possess other people's bodies.
• Mirage (Danielle Moonstar, originally codenamed Psyche), a Cheyenne and eventual co-leader after Karma's "death," who could create visual empathic three-dimensional illusions.
• Sunspot (Roberto da Costa), a Brazilian who gained superhuman strength fueled by sunlight and could store solar energy in his body to use his super strength during the night.
• Wolfsbane (Rahne Sinclair), a Scot who could transform into a wolf-like creature.

Karma was later presumed killed, with additional members joining the team:

• Cypher (Douglas Ramsey), an otherwise ordinary young man who could learn any language, spoken or written, at an exponential rate, whether it was human, alien, or machine, making him an unmatched computer expert.
• Magma (Amara Juliana Olivians Aquilla), a fiercely tempered native of a secret Roman society in the Amazon who can control lava.
• Magik (Illyana Rasputin), sister of the Russian X-Man Colossus and long-time resident of the X-Mansion, an accomplished mystic who could open "teleportation discs" allowing travel to Limbo and from there, any point on Earth.
• Warlock, an extraterrestrial of the techno-organic race known as the Technarchy.

New Mutants members Sunspot and Warpath have previously appeared in live action, played by Adan Canto and Booboo Stewart in the 2014 film X-Men: Days of Future Past.  The team also appeared on the animated series X-Men: Evolution, which featured team members Boom-Boom, Cannonball, Magma, Mirage, Sunspot and Wolfsbane.

The New Mutants will most likely arrive in theaters sometime in 2017.

CBS Releases First SUPERGIRL Trailer and Synopsis

The Girl of Steel won't be debuting on CBS until November, but CBS has released the first six-minute trailer for the new series Supergirl, based on the classic DC Comics character. And yes, CBS has also provided an official synopsis for the series...

Supergirl is an action-adventure drama based on the DC Comics character Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist), Superman’s (Kal-El) cousin who, after 12 years of keeping her powers a secret on Earth, decides to finally embrace her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be. Twelve-year-old Kara escaped the doomed planet Krypton with her parents’ help at the same time as the infant Kal-El. Protected and raised on Earth by her foster family, the Danvers, Kara grew up in the shadow of her foster sister, Alex (Chyler Leigh), and learned to conceal the phenomenal powers she shares with her famous cousin in order to keep her identity a secret. 

Years later at 24, Kara lives in National City assisting media mogul and fierce taskmaster Cat Grant (Golden Globe Award winner Calista Flockhart), who just hired the Daily Planet’s former photographer, James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks), as her new art director. However, Kara’s days of keeping her talents a secret are over when Hank Henshaw (David Harewood), head of a super-secret agency where her sister also works, enlists her to help them protect the citizens of National City from sinister threats. Though Kara will need to find a way to manage her newfound empowerment with her very human relationships, her heart soars as she takes to the skies as Supergirl to fight crime.

Greg Berlanti (The Flash, Arrow), Ali Adler, Sarah Schecter and Andrew Kreisberg are executive producers for Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. The pilot was directed by Glen Winter (Arrow).

And here's the first look trailer, which more than awkwardly resembles the recent Saturday Night Live sketch "Black Widow: Age of Me"...



Supergirl will premiere on CBS in November on Mondays at 8 p.m. EST.

Fox Releases First LUCIFER Trailer and Synopsis

The devil won't be arriving on Fox until 2016, but Fox has released the first three-minute trailer for the new series Lucifer, based on the DC Comics/VERTIGO series by Mike Carey. In addition, Fox has provided an official synopsis for the series...

The Devil has come to Los Angeles… 

Based upon the characters created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg for DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint, LUCIFER is the story of the original fallen angel. Bored and unhappy as the Lord of Hell, LUCIFER MORNINGSTAR (Tom Ellis, “Merlin”) has abandoned his throne and retired to L.A., where he owns Lux, an upscale nightclub. 

Charming, charismatic and devilishly handsome, Lucifer is enjoying his retirement, indulging in a few of his favorite things – wine, women and song – when a beautiful pop star is brutally murdered outside of Lux. For the first time in roughly 10 billion years, he feels something awaken deep within him as a result of this murder. Compassion? Sympathy? The very thought disturbs him – as well as his best friend and confidante, MAZIKEEN aka MAZE (Lesley-Ann Brandt, “The Librarians”), a fierce demon in the form of a beautiful young woman. 

The murder attracts the attention of LAPD homicide detective CHLOE DANCER (Lauren German, “Chicago Fire”), who initially is dismissive of Lucifer. But she becomes intrigued by his talent for drawing out people’s secrets and his desire to dispense justice, doling out punishment to those who deserve it. As they work together to solve the pop star’s murder, Lucifer is struck by Chloe’s inherent goodness. Accustomed to dealing with the absolute worst of humanity, Lucifer is intrigued by Chloe’s apparent purity and begins to wonder if there’s hope for his own soul yet. 


At the same time, God’s emissary, the angel AMENADIEL (DB Woodside, “Suits,” “24”), has been sent to Los Angeles to convince Lucifer to return to the underworld…can the Devil incarnate be tempted toward the side of Good, or will his original calling pull him back toward Evil? 

And here's the trailer, thanks to Fox's official YouTube account...

LUCIFER Picked Up by Fox for 2016, Gets Showrunner

Apart from having his own show on Fox News, what better place for a former Lord of Hell?

The Hollywood Reporter delivered the news yesterday that Fox has given a series order to Lucifer, based on the DC Comics/VERTIGO comic book written by Mike Carey.  Here's the official description of the series...

“Lucifer” stars Tom Ellis (Rush) in the title role as Lucifer, who, bored and unhappy as the Lord of Hell, resigns his throne and abandons his kingdom for the gorgeous, shimmering insanity of Los Angeles, where he gets his kicks helping the LAPD punish criminals. Co-starring alongside Ellis are Lauren German (“Chicago Fire”) as Chloe Dancer, an LAPD homicide detective who finds herself both repulsed and fascinated by Lucifer; Lesley-Ann Brandt (“Spartacus”) as Lucifer’s best friend Maze, a fierce demon who takes the form of a human woman; Nicholas Gonzalez (“Sleepy Hollow”) as Dan, an LAPD homicide detective wary of Lucifer; D.B. Woodside as Amenadiel, an angel sent to L.A. to persuade Lucifer to return to hell; and Rachael Harris as Linda, Lucifer’s therapist.

The character was first introduced to Vertigo Comics in Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman,” where he abandoned his role as the lord of hell in the beloved “Season of Mists” storyline. His self-titled series, written by Mike Carey, ran for 75 issues.

“Lucifer” comes from Warner Bros. TV, DC Comics and Jerry Bruckheimer Television, and was written by “Californication” creator Tom Kapinos and directed by Len Wiseman. Kapinos and Wiseman will executive produce with Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman and Ildy Modrovich.

Lucifer will be the seventh DC Comics network television series for the upcoming 2015-16 season, after returning shows Arrow, The Flash, iZombie, and Gotham, and new series Supergirl and DC's Legends of Tomorrow.

And in another article posted today, THR revealed that White Collar's Joe Henderson has been tapped as showrunner.  Henderson, who had several showrunning offers this season, includes Almost Human and USA's Graceland among his credits.

Lucifer will debut on Fox sometime in early 2016 as a midseason replacement.

CONSTANTINE Officially Cancelled by NBC, Shopped Elsewhere

Surprise, The Rising Darkness turned out to be NBC, after all.

The Hollywood Reporter has word that NBC has officially cancelled Constantine, based on the DC Comics/VERTIGO comic series Hellblazer, even though comic book shows continue to thrive on every other network.

The news isn't overly surprising, considering the show's low ratings that averaged 4.5 million viewers and a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49 at 10 p.m., coming out of Grimm’s 6.3 million and 1.8 rating. This, of course, being the natural result thanks to horrible Friday night time slots and poor reception to the pilot episode that resulted in the series being taken off the air after only 13 episodes of its expected 22.  

Regardless, Constantine fans uniting as "Hellblazers" held out some small hope that showrunner Daniel Cerone's late April meeting with NBC executives would convince them to renew the series for Season 2.

Cerone commented on the news on his official Twitter account with the following post...

NBC a "no" for Season 2. Warner Bros working hard to find #Constantine new home. Stay active. Stream. Tweet. #SaveConstantine #Hellblazers

— Daniel Cerone (@DanielVCerone) May 8, 2015

Warner Bros.' attempt to shop Constantine around in hopes on landing on another network was confirmed by Entertainment Weekly.  The series would probably be an excellent fit for The CW, which already has four DC Comics series, or perhaps on Syfy, which hosted a Constantine marathon some time ago.

For now, however, Hellblazers will have to continue fan campaigns to bring the series to another network, or simply accept that they may never find see the resolution to the series' cliffhanger ending.  One thing about John Constantine, though...He's a survivor.

AGENT CARTER Gets Season 2, AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Spinoff Dead

ABC has some good news and some bad news for Marvel Comics fans.

The good news is, according to The Hollywood Reporter, ABC has renewed Agent Carter for a second season and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a third season, even though neither show is a ratings powerhouse.

Agent Carter, starrting Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, debuted earlier this year with an 8-episode series that averaged 5 million total viewers and a 1.8 in the demo and almost doubled its returns when factoring in seven days of DVR viewing.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. meanwhile, averaged a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49 for its second season.  The drama starring Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson and Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May is a reliable performer when adding DVR and grew to 7.3 million total viewers and a 2.8 in the demo.

And now the bad news...Deadline reports that the proposed Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spinoff starring Adrianne Palicki as Mockingbird/Bobbi Morse and Nick Blood as Lance Hunter is not moving forward.  The project had been developed by S.H.I.E.L.D. executive producer Jeffrey Bell and co-executive producer Paul Zbyszewski.

As mentioned in the article, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fans were divided by the spinoff, with some backlash to the idea of taking some of the strongest new characters on S.H.I.E.L.D. away from the main series.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. should return to ABC in the fall, with Agent Carter presumably filling the show's winter hiatus in January 2016.

ARROW/FLASH Spinoff LEGENDS OF TOMORROW Gets Series Order

If you're a fan of the CW series Arrow and/or The Flash, you'd better get ready to add another DC Comics television series to your viewing schedule.

The Hollywood Reporter has word that the upcoming spinoff from both shows, now titled DC's Legends of Tomorrow, has received a series order from The CW.  The official synopsis/logline for Legends of Tomorrow was provided as well...

When heroes alone are not enough ... the world needs legends.  Having seen the future, one he will desperately try to prevent from happening, time-traveling rogue Rip Hunter is tasked with assembling a disparate group of both heroes and  villains to confront an unstoppable threat — one in which not only is the planet at stake, but all of time itself.  Can this ragtag team defeat an immortal threat unlike anything they have ever known?

At the moment, the cast for DC's Legends of Tomorrow includes...

• Brandon Routh as The Atom/Ray Palmer
• Caity Lotz as Sara Lance
• Arthur Darvill as Rip Hunter
• Ciara Renée as Hawkgirl/Kendra Saunders
• Victor Garber as Dr. Martin Stein (one half of Firestorm)
• Wentworth Miller as Captain Cold/Leonard Snart
• Dominic Purcell as Heat Wave/Mick Rory
• Franz Drameh as Jay Jackson, a former high school athlete whose pro career was derailed by an injury and now works as an auto mechanic

According to the article, the series was ordered "sight unseen" and has yet to film a pilot, but The CW is expected to debut a special trailer shot specifically for the upfronts.

DC's Legends of Tomorrow will be the fourth DC Comics series on The CW, including iZombie, which was recently picked up for a second season.  The drama is executive produced by Arrow creators Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg and Marc Guggenheim and comes from Bonanza Productions, Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television.  In addition, Berlanti and Kreisberg have received a series order for CBS' DC Comics drama Supergirl.

DC's Legends of Tomorrow is currently expected to premiere on The CW sometime in January 2016.

THE FANDOM ZONE Episode 007: "The Trap" is Up!

"I have to say, I'm really digging the brighter red suit.  And the white on the symbol?  That's dope.  Wait a second...Suppose we now change the color on your suit.  Will it be because we got the idea from this picture?  That would mean we're living in a causal nexus. This...wow.  This is so trippy.  Like, Marty and the Polaroid trippy."

-- Cisco Ramon to Barry Allen and Caitlin Snow, The Flash: "The Trap"

You guessed it, Karen and I are back with a new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Gotham 1x21 -- "The Anvil or the Hammer"
The Flash 1x20 -- "The Trap"

iZombie 1x07 -- "Maternity Liv"

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 2x19 -- "The Dirty Half Dozen"

Arrow 3x21 -- "Al Sah-Him"

Daredevil 1x04 -- "In the Blood"

We talk about things like The Avengers (vol.1) #57, Barbara Kean fainting, Edward Nygma's trunk full of body parts, Chris Hanson on To Catch a Gotham Predator, why anyone who doesn't know Bruce Wayne is Batman is an idiot, Harvey Bullock at a BDSM club, Harrison Wells' braille vault, Leslie Thompkins as a holographic AI, Eddie Thawne's marriage blessing fail, the awkwardness of eating a gay man's brain when you're straight, creating a zombie rat plague, Skye's badass takedown of Hydra guards, Skye the human defibrillator, Jemma Simmons' assassination fail, setting up Avengers: Age of Ultron, the lameness of obscure DC villain Damien Darhk, the weirdness of dipping french fries in a milkshake, Nyssa al Ghul's interest in Black Canary, the awkwardness of forcing your lesbian daughter to marry a straight man, making prison shivs from a ribcage, why interrupting the Kingpin's date night is a really bad idea, fun with car doors, some listener feedback on iTunes, and more!

You can check out the episode HERE and for those of you who use iTunes, we're already available HERE, so please subscribe and rate us! If direct download MP3s are more your thing, you can find those HERE as well. In addition, we have our Fandom Zone show page on Facebook, which you can check out HERE. And we're also on Twitter using the account @FandomZoneCast.

Be sure to come back next week for more on Gotham, The Flash, iZombie, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Arrow, and the fifth episode of Daredevil, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

SUPERGIRL Picked Up by CBS for Fall 2015

According to Deadline, the superhero drama Supergirl has been given an early series order by CBS for the 2015-16 television season.  As part of the deal for the project between CBS and Warner Bros. TV, the network had an early deadline to make a decision on the pilot.  CBS, which presents next Wednesday, typically doesn’t start making orders until Friday or Saturday of pre-upfront week.

Back in September, CBS landed the Supergirl pitch with a series commitment.  The article claims that the size of the commitment was trimmed during the pilot pickup stage, something the producers sacrificed so the project could go to production on time with their choices for director Glen Winter, and star Melissa Benoist.  The finished pilot had received good reviews, including solid feedback for Winter and Benoist’s work.

Written by Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler and Andrew Kreisberg, Supergirl centers on DC Comics character Kara Zor-El (Benoist).  Born on the planet Krypton, Kara Zor-El escaped amid its destruction years ago.  Since arriving on Earth, she’s been hiding the powers she shares with her famous cousin, Superman.  But now at age 24, she decides to embrace her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be.  Co-starring as regulars are Calista Flockhart as Cat Grant, Chyler Leigh as Alexandra “Alex” Danvers, Mehcad Brooks as Jimmy Olsen and David Harewood as Hank Henshaw.  Laura Benanti will play Kara’s birth mother, Alura Zor-El, in a major recurring arc.

The television adaptation will also bring back Helen Slater, who starred in the 1984 Supergirl film, and Dean Cain from Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Both were cast in undisclosed roles, rumored to be Superman's parents, Jor-El and Lara.

Berlanti, Adler and Sarah Schechter will executive produce the series.  This will be the fourth DC Comics superhero series from Berlanti, after Arrow, The Flash, and the spinoff of both programs, rumored to be called Legends.

Second STAR WARS ANTHOLOGY Film to Explore Boba Fett's Origin

But what if the film doesn't survive?  It's worth a lot to Disney.

TheWrap is confirming rumors that the second Star Wars Anthology film will focus on the origin of bounty hunter and sarlacc happy meal Boba Fett.  The spinoff film is currently in need of a new director, after Josh Trank recently exited.

Trank, who directed Chronicle and the new Fantastic Four reboot, left the untitled Star Wars project on Friday afternoon, claiming that it was his decision.  However, TheWrap claims in their article that Disney initiated the departure over concerns regarding what many have perceived as "erratic behavior" during the production of Fantastic Four, which was produced by Star Wars writer/producer Simon Kinberg.

"After a year of having the incredible honor of developing with the wonderful and talented people at Lucasfilm," said Trank, "I'm making a personal decision to move forward on a different path.  I’ve put a tremendous amount of thought into this, and I know deep down in my heart that I want to pursue some original creative opportunities."  Trank previously said a nasty flu was the reason he missed the Star Wars Celebration in April, although TheWrap claims that Disney asked him not to attend.

Boba Fett first appeared in the infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special in an animated segment as a mysterious figure who betrays Luke Skywalker (after saving him, Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2 from a giant monster), only to be revealed as a bounty hunter working for Darth Vader.  The character first appeared in live action in the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back, where Fett (Jermey Bulloch) tracked the Millennium Falcon to Cloud City, where Vader captured its passengers and tortures Han Solo.  Wanting to collect a bounty on Solo, Fett confronts Vader about whether Solo will survive the carbon freeze process Vader intends to use on Skywalker.  Vader promises that the Empire will compensate Fett if Solo dies, and after Solo is determined to be alive following the process, Vader turns him over to Fett.

Fett met his apparent end in 1983's Return of the Jedi, at Jabba the Hutt's palace where Solo's rescuers are captured, and traveled on Jabba's sail barge to a sarlacc pit, where the prisoners were to be executed.  After the prisoners mounted an escape, Fett attempted to intervene, and ended up in a brief battle with Luke Skywalker, but Solo accidentally ignited Fett's rocket pack, sending the bounty hunter falling into the Sarlacc's mouth.

In 2002, Boba Fett received hints of an origin in the prequel film Attack of the Clones, where a young Boba Fett (Daniel Logan) is revealed to be a child clone of Jango Fett, who raised Boba as his son.  Boba helped Jango escape from Obi-Wan Kenobi, but later witnessed Jango's decapitation at the hands of Jedi Master Mace Windu.

The first Star Wars Anthology film, Rogue One, is expected to be released on December 16, 2016.