THE FLASH NYCC Sizzle Reel Teases Zoom, Dr. Light & Vandal Savage

And here you were, thinking how great it was just to see Jay Garrick...

Warner Bros. TV has officially released the two-minute sizzle reel from Season 2 of The Flash that debuted in the Empire Room at the 2015 New York Comic-Con.  Among the upcoming Season 2 highlights are footage of new big bad Zoom, the Sand Demon, the Kimiyo Hoshi Doctor Light, Vandal Savage, the return of Oliver Queen to Central City, and more!

The sizzle reel opens with a voiceover from Candice Patton's Iris West, who says "People have heard the stories.  They've read the articles.  They've maybe even seen the Red Streak racing past them.  But they've never seen The Flash.  Central City believes in The Flash.  So do I."

We then see footage from the series premiere, "The Man Who Saved Central City," featuring Adam "Edge" Copeland as Atom Smasher, followed by the quick cameo of Teddy Sears as Jay Garrick showing up at S.T.A.R. Labs to tell everyone "Your world is in danger."

"When you created the singularity above Central City," Jay explains to Barry, "you also created a portal connecting our two Earths.  Where I came from, I was a speedster like you. They called me The Flash."

"Before I arrived on your Earth," continues Jay as we see images of him facing Zoom, "I was in a fight with a man named Zoom, and he will do whatever it takes to ensure he's the only speedster in any world."

As we see the Kimiyo Hoshi version of Doctor Light, Barry remarks to Jay, "Zoom has been sending metahumans from your world to fight me."

We see Zoom threatening Kett Turton as Sand Demon, telling him with the voice of Tony Todd, "You wanna go home? You only have to do one thing -- Kill the Flash."

Next, we see Wentworth Miller as Captain Cold showing off his cold gun to his father, Lewis Snart, played by Michael Ironside.  "It's good to go out on a high note," Lewis says as he proceeds to shoot Barry Allen!  (Yeah, right.)  

Victor Garber's Professor Martin Stein is shown having trouble with his Firestorm transformation with Ronnie supposedly dead, while The Flash races up the side of a skyscraper to save a rapidly-falling Iris.

We're introduced to Shantel VanSanten as Patty Spivot and Ciara Renée as Kendra Saunders as Iris remarks in a voiceover, "This team that you have here, they will follow your lead, they will do what you say."

Casper Crump as Vandal Savage follows, saying "I can feel you out there.  You don't yet know your destiny."

Zoom returns, telling The Flash "Never forget I am the fastest man alive!"

The Flash responds, "You wanna be me?  Is that it?  You wanna be a hero?"

"Heroes die," Zoom responds, with the Flash countering "Only if you can catch them."

The last scene we see is Barry and Oliver Queen standing in line at CC Jitters.  Oliver notices a video display asking people to try 'The Flash,' a one brew coffee with one shot of espresso shaped like The Flash's lightning bolt chest emblem.  "Since when is that a thing?" Oliver asks, a bit jealous.

"Uh...About eight months," Barry answers.  "Maybe if you save Star City, you might get one, too."

If you'd like to check out the sizzle reel, you can view it below thanks to Warner Bros.TV's official YouTube account...



The Flash airs Tuesday nights on The CW at 8 p.m. EST.

THE FANDOM ZONE 027: "Laws of Nature" is Up!

"You just told the guy I'm a teddy bear."
"And then you told him best-case scenario was his head blown off."
-- Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie & Daisy Johnson, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: "Laws of Nature"

After a slight hiatus due to Karen's evil cold, Karen Lindsay and I are back with another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Fear The Walking Dead 1x05 -- "Cobalt"
Gotham 2x02 -- "Knock, Knock"
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 3x01 -- "Laws of Nature"

We talk about things like the Mirror Universe/Darkest Timeline Karen, tinkering with our opening theme music, why Daniel Salazar and Tobias need to team up, Tobias as Lord Humungus from The Road Warrior, Alicia on her bike, Travis' ridealong with Moyers, Madison leaving her comfort zone, running down the Maniax, Theo and Tabitha being into the kinky, Gotham resetting the Monty Python "Falling People" sketch, mythbusting setting cheerleaders on fire, the possibility of a female Joker, Coulson drinking from a Grumpy Cat mug, the first appearance of Lash, another Justina review, 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 The 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 as we review the Season 2 premieres of The Flash and iZombie, the Season 4 premiere of Arrow, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Gotham, and the Season 1 finale of Fear The Walking Dead, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

Marvel Announces ANT-MAN AND THE WASP for Phase 3

At last, here comes the winsome Wasp!

Marvel has officially announced that this summer's film Ant-Man will be getting a sequel in 2018, titled Ant-Man and the Wasp.  Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly are expected to return in their respective roles of Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne, and Marvel mentioned not-so-subtly that this will be the first Marvel Studios film named after a female superhero.

In a mid-credits scene following the original Ant-Man film, Michael Douglas' character Hank Pym shows his daughter Hope a new Wasp prototype suit and offers it to her, nicely setting up the Wasp's debut in the sequel.

In addition, Marvel revealed there will be three new Marvel Cinematic Universe films in 2020, building on the sizable Phase 3, although they didn't describe which characters would be featured.

The addition of Ant-Man and the Wasp has caused some shuffling in the MCU release schedule, which now looks like this...

May 6, 2016 -- Captain America: Civil War
November 4, 2016 -- Doctor Strange
May 5, 2017 -- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
July 28, 2017 -- Untitled Spider-Man Film
November 3, 2017 -- Thor: Ragnarok
February 16, 2018 -- Black Panther
May 4, 2018 -- Avengers: Infinity War Part 1
June 6, 2018 -- Ant-Man and the Wasp
March 8, 2019 -- Captain Marvel
May 3, 2019 -- Avengers: Infinity War Part 2
July 12, 2019 -- Inhumans
May 1, 2020 -- Mystery Film #1
July 10, 2020 -- Mystery Film #2
November 6, 2020 -- Mystery Film #3

To date, the first Ant-Man film has made over $178 million domestically and over $409 million worldwide, with a reported production budget of $130 million.  

The SHERLOCK Christmas Special Trailer is Afoot in Victorian London

"The stage is set, the curtain rises, we are ready to begin..."

The BBC has officially released the first trailer for the upcoming Sherlock Christmas Special, which features Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson reprising their roles...but in Victorian London.

We see the familiar setting of 19th Century England, horse-drawn carriages, cobblestone streets, and men in top hats and derbys, as Holmes and Watson investigate the murder of someone that Holmes promised to keep safe.

"Well, Holmes," says Watson, sporting a thick, traditional era mustache, "Surely, you must have some theory."

"We all have a past, Watson," replies Holmes.  "Ghosts -- They're the shadows that define our every sunny day."

"Every great cause has martyrs," Holmes remarks later on as we get a quick glimpse of a group of figures (bodies?) in black robes with pointed hoods and Watson sitting with his wife Mary (Amanda Abbington).  "Every war has suicide missions, and make no mistake, this is war."

"What made you like this?" Watson asks Holmes in another fleeting scene.

"Oh, Watson...Nothing made me.  I made me."

After seeing flashes of Rupert Graves as Inspector Lestrade and Una Stubbs as Mrs. Hudson, we have a small exchange between Holmes and Watson, who hands Holmes his traditional deerstalker cap.  "This one," Watson tells Holmes, who asks why.  "You're Sherlock Holmes -- Wear the damn hat."  Holmes dons the deerstalker, then steps outside to presumably face the public.

Interestingly, the Christmas Special is listed as "Coming Soon" instead of Christmas, so perhaps we won't see it until early 2016?  In the meantime, you can check out the trailer below thanks to the official Sherlock YouTube account...

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 039: "Under the Lake" is Up!

"So, who's in charge now?  I need to know who to ignore."
-- The Twelfth Doctor, Doctor Who: "Under the Lake"

Back on track once again, my good friend and co-host Jesse Jackson have returned with another episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast!

This time, Jesse and I discuss things like Toby Whithouse as the new Steven Moffat, Clara being reeled in for being an adrenaline junkie, Jesse's unexpected phone call, finally getting a deaf character on Doctor Who, the Doctor as an anti-authority figure, the Doctor's index cards to put pudding brains at ease, the Doctor being brusque and tetchy, ghosts never being ghosts on Doctor Who, reading the fine print when becoming a companion, the controversial Sonic Shades, the new Doctor Who spinoff Class, The Big Announcements we didn't get, Coal Hill School, my Reverse the Polarity segment, 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 back next week for our review of the fourth Series Nine episode "Before the Flood," and look for more of Next Stop Everywhere on iTunes, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Sticher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

Seth Grahame-Smith to Write & Direct THE FLASH Movie

Well, at least we have a really great Flash TV show.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Seth Grahame-Smith is in negotiations to write and direct The Flash, the film version based on the classic DC Comics superhero.  This will be his first feature directorial debut, although he directed episodes of The Hard Times of RJ Berger, an MTV comedy he co-created with producing partner David Katzenberg.

Grahame-Smith, 39, is best known as the writer of the novels Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and The Last American Vampire.  He wrote the script for Tim Burton's film version of Dark Shadows, polished the script for the 2015 version of The Fantastic Four, and is currently writing a sequel for the 1988 supernatural comedy Beetlejuice.

Ezra Miller is still slated to star as Barry Allen, following appearances in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League Part 1, to be released in Summer 2017, as part of the DC Extended Universe.

According to the article, The Flash movie has a treatment from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, best known for The LEGO Movie, who were originally up for the directing gig. Charles Roven will produce the movie version, with Deborah and Zack Snyder executive producing.

The Flash is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on March 3, 2018.

DOCTOR WHO: John Hurt Returns as The War Doctor for Big Finish

"Great men are forged in fire.  It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame.  Whatever the cost."
-- The War Doctor, Doctor Who: "The Day of the Doctor"

War Doctor no more?  Think again.

Big Finish Productions has announced that Sir John Hurt will be reprising his role of The War Doctor for 12 full-cast Doctor Who audio adventures.  These will be broken out over four sets, each containing three hour-long audio adventures, with the first titled Only the Monstrous that arrives in December 2015.  The second, Infernal Devices, follows in February.

And even better, there will be a prequel box set in November 2017, titled Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor -- The Time War, which will focus on the early stages of the Time War with the Eighth Doctor, Paul McGann.  

Oh, look...There's a handy press release from Big Finish with more information...

In December 2015, the Time War will rage and only one man can save us. John Hurt is The War Doctor!

John Hurt, the world-renowned star of film and television, is returning to the role of The War Doctor, in twelve full-cast Doctor Who audio plays.

The War Doctor was introduced for Doctor Who’s Fiftieth Anniversary, and played a key part in the record-breaking television special The Day of the Doctor, alongside David Tennant and Matt Smith’s Doctors. He is the secret incarnation of the Time Lord — but he has shunned the title ‘Doctor’ in order to fight in the Time War against the Daleks.

“I have been a huge fan of John since first seeing him in the repeats of I, Claudius in the 1980s and in his Oscar-nominated role as the eponymous The Elephant Man,’ says Big Finish executive producer Jason Haigh-Ellery. ‘Watching his performance in The Day of the Doctor I did find myself fantasising that some far off day we might have the chance to work with him on the audio adventures of Doctor Who and now two short years later it’s happened! John wove a fantastic character together from a great script by Steven Moffat. Now we have the chance to get to know that character more and hear John stretch in the role. We’re all in for a hell of a ride as the War Doctor engages in battle. But who are the greater threat - the Daleks or the Time Lords?”

The audio adventures of The War Doctor will be told over four box sets, each containing three linked hour-long episodes. The first box set is entitled Only The Monstrous, and is written and directed by Nicholas Briggs, whose many successes for Big Finish include the BBC Audio Award-winning masterpiece Doctor Who: Dark Eyes.

“The story of the Doctor who refuses to call himself the Doctor in order to do the unthinkable upon the ultimate battlefield — all of space and time — was irresistible to me,” says Nicholas. “Such a deeply disturbing and engaging character created by the formidable talents of writer Steven Moffat and actor John Hurt. It’s such a privilege to be working on this.”

The cast of The War Doctor also includes Jacqueline Pearce, who plays Time Lord Cardinal Ollistra — an arch manipulator who is waging the Time War against the Daleks. Jacqueline’s work includes The Avengers, Callan, Doctor Who: Death Comes to Time, Moondial and Russell T Davies’ Dark Season, and she is known to many science fiction fans for her role as Servalan in the cult classic Blake’s 7.

Only The Monstrous will be released in December 2015, and will be followed in February 2016 by the second volume, Infernal Devices, which is written by John Dorney, Phil Mulryne and Matt Fitton. Volumes Three and Four are currently in pre-production.

“What an utter privilege it is to work with such an iconic actor, playing such a brilliantly devised role,” says producer David Richardson. “This is Doctor Who at its darkest — the era in which our hero casts aside his core values in order to try and save the galaxy in its most terrible hour. We promise bold and brilliant story-telling with gripping character drama, and epic and cinematic audio productions.”

In addition to The War Doctor, November 2017 also sees a prequel box set to the saga, Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor — The Time War, which will follow the early stages of the Time War from the Eighth Doctor’s perspective. Paul McGann stars, alongside characters first introduced in the War Doctor box sets.

You can pre-order all four box sets of Doctor Who: The War Doctor, plus Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor – The Time War today from the Big Finish website, priced just £20 each on both CD and Download, or all five available in a single bundle for easy ordering. Pre-orders on CD have free UK postage, and anyone buying on CD through the Big Finish website gets access to the Download version on release.