‘The Sandman’ Season 2 Volume 2 receives 6.5 out of 10 stars.
Released on Netflix on July 24th, ‘The Sandman’s second season –– and the show itself –– wraps up with five final episodes (plus a stand-alone, adapting ‘Death: The High Cost of Living, which premieres on July 31st) focused on the moody, doomy character of Dream (Tom Sturridge, ‘On the Road’) as here he reckons with the fallout from his actions in the first part of the season.
And so we reach the end (for now, it remains valuable IP) of the road for the TV incarnation of ‘The Sandman’. With the second volume of the second season now on our screens, it’s time to find out if the series sticks the landing.
Perhaps the biggest issue with the new run of episodes (something that could be levelled at the show as a whole) is one of pacing. There are endless (no pun intended) scenes of characters having weighty, doom-landed conversations in different fantastical locales.
There are certainly big, dramatic moments that occur in this second part of the season, but we can’t reveal what they are (if you’ve read the source material, you’ll know), but the build up to it and the fallout are less dramatically satisfying as they might be.
The series continues to look impressive, with some beautifully realized settings –– and director Jamie Childs has a real eye for an well-crafted shot.
Tom Sturridge once more anchors the show as the stoic Dream, and he manages to make the character watchable and compelling.
There is memorable work from the rest of the Endless family, and the Fates (played by Nina Wadia, Souad Faress and Dinita Gohil) make for entertaining adversaries as they seek to see Dream answer for killing his own son.
While it is frustrating for the ‘Sandman’ adaptation to end with many stories left to consider –– the creative team’s claim that this was always the planned end point doesn’t totally fly, feeling more like PR spin following the fallout of creator Neil Gaiman’s misconduct and abuse allegations –– at least we got as much as we did.
Premium streaming TV was certainly a better choice of landing spot for this sprawling, complex tale than trying to squeeze chunks of it into a movie. And there remains much to recommended this show, however limited.
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What’s the plot of ‘The Sandman’ Season 2 Volume 2?
After a fateful reunion with his family, Dream of the Endless (Tom Sturridge) must face one impossible decision after another as he attempts to save himself, his kingdom, and the waking world from the epic fallout of his past misdeeds.
To make amends, Dream must confront longtime friends and foes, gods, monsters, and mortals. But the path to forgiveness is full of unexpected twists and turns, and true absolution may cost Dream everything.
‘The Sandman’ Season 2 Volume 1 receives 7 out of 10 stars.
Released on Netflix on July 3rd, ‘The Sandman’ returns with the first batch of episodes from its second season, focusing once again on the machinations of stoic, powerful mythological figure Dream (Tom Sturridge, ‘On the Road’).
It is almost impossible to discuss this new season of ‘The Sandman’ without addressing the Neil Gaiman elephant in the room. The original creator and writer of the classic graphic novel series from where the Netflix show draws its source material is facing some serious misconduct allegations, and that goes some way to explain why his presence has been all but vanished in the promotion for the second season.
All of which is to say that we’re in a case of separating the art from the artist, and not dismissing the hard work that the creative team, crew and cast have put into the new show. ‘Sandman’ is a show that fans have been eagerly awaiting, and while it’s somewhat frustrating that Netflix has opted to dole it out in chunks (much as with ‘Stranger Things’ or ‘Cobra Kai’), this first “Volume” represents a satisfying story.
The writers’ room, overseen by showrunner Allan Heinberg, is here adapting more of the beloved ‘Sandman’ stories, albeit with their own twist.
We get to meet more members of the Endless family, including Destiny and Destruction (AKA “The Prodigal”) who all have their own ways of dealing with being anthropomorphic representations of abstract ideas.
There is also pleasure to be found in the choices of stories this time around –– the likes of Thor, Loki and other Norse gods appear, as do Oberon and Titania, summoned to watch a production of the Shakespeare play in which they feature.
This season features even more of a narrative drive than the first, tying together the various narratives in interesting, thoughtful fashion.
Director Jamie Childs handled three episodes of Season 1 and returns to take over all of the second, bringing the same stylish visions to life.
While there are moments that the effects don’t always quite live up to the imagination of the team, the show in general is still impressive.
Tom Sturridge remains the focal point of the show even the story sometimes wanders off without him. His Dream is a stoic, haunted character, and while he’s not always the most charismatic (by design), he’s still compelling.
Around him, the other members of the Endless “family” have their own appeal, especially Mason Alexander Park as the preening, selfish Desire and Esmé Creed-Miles as the whimsical, sometimes psychotic Delirium.
When the Endless are assembled, it’s always more entertaining watching their familiar dynamic –– my only problem? Needed more Death, since Kirby is the best of the bunch (and we’re promised an adaptation of one of the character’s best storylines, ‘Death: The High Cost of Living’ as a standalone episode later in the season).
Elsewhere, new characters that make an impact include Dream’s son, Orpheus (Ruairi O’Connor), who plays an important part later in the season, and Ann Skelly, who impresses as Nuala, a member of Oberon and Titania’s royal court, who ends up making a big change in her life.
There is also a welcome return for some of the supporting characters from Season 1, including Merv Pumpkinhead (voiced by Mark Hamill), Matthew the Raven (with the vocal tones of Patton Oswalt), and Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne, the librarian who serves as Dream’s main assistant. Plus Hob Gadling, granted immortality, and who meets Dream every hundred years or so, has a solid scene early in the new season, with Ferdinand Kingsley bringing him to cocky, funny life.
Since this and Volume 2 (due on July 24th) represent the last ‘Sandman’ output we’ll be seeing for the foreseeable future, it’s at least reassuring that these are effective, well-crafted takes on the stories.
Is it a perfect version? No, but it has enough verve and magic about to cast a spell.
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What’s the plot of ‘The Sandman’ Season 2 Volume 1?
After a fateful reunion with his family, Dream of the Endless (Tom Sturridge) must face one impossible decision after another as he attempts to save himself, his kingdom, and the waking world from the epic fallout of his past misdeeds.
To make amends, Dream must confront longtime friends and foes, gods, monsters, and mortals. But the path to forgiveness is full of unexpected twists and turns, and true absolution may cost Dream everything.
(L to R) Juliette Lewis and Peter Dinklage star in ‘The Thicket’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Peter Dinklage and Juliette Lewis about their work on ‘The Thicket’, their first reaction to the screenplay, their approach to their characters, the challenges of making a Western and working with director Elliot Lester.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Dinklage and Lewis, Leslie Grace, Levon Hawke, Gbenga Akinnagbe and director Elliot Lester.
(L to R) Peter Dinklage in ‘The Thicket’. Photo: Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Moviefone: To begin with, Peter, can you talk about what attracted you to the source material, your first reaction to the screenplay and your approach to playing this character?
Peter Dinklage: Well, yes, selfishly, I am an actor and that Reginald Jones, when I read the book, I had to put his boots on. He really spoke to me in an environment in which I am not a part of, but who would I be a couple hundred years ago in that universe? Would I be Reginald Jones, or would I be a survivor? You got to put yourself in the shoes of that character and any commonality you have with that character. I know how to navigate a room like Reginald Jones does. I don’t really knock anybody sideways and stab them in the leg to get out of the room, but I’ve had the urge to, occasionally. But it’s that. It was just, Joe (Lansdale) has such a gift for, and I say this in the best possible sense of the word, I love pulp novels, so it has a pulp feel to it. I’m a huge fan of all those types of books, and it was such a fast read and so suspenseful that I really thought this could work as a film. So, David Ginsberg, my producing partner and I sought out the rights and everything started to fall into place. Ten years later, Juliette Lewis and I are sitting here talking to you.
Juliette Lewis in ‘The Thicket’. Photo: Samuel Goldwyn Films.
MF: Juliette, when you first read the script, did you recognize right away that this would be a fantastic role for you to play in particular?
Juliette Lewis: For me, it was a dream part. It was a part of a lifetime and what I was striving for was something spectacular. What I mean by that is by not trying. I wanted to make it so believable. The writing, the ingredients that I was given was so helpful and it just pops off your imagination in a very special way, and so I was very excited by it. But there’s a description about her voice being mangled, because she’s called Cut Throat Bill and that people mistake her for a man, and that she’s so savage. So, when someone tells a story like that, I really want to bring it and you believe the folklore of this character. So, I was very pleased when I placed my voice lower, and I could do it for long periods. I was like, “Oh, this might work. There might be a character here.” I showed it to Elliot, and he approved of that direction. Because you usually need your director to give you a little encouragement and say you’re going in the right direction. It’s really a special project for me.
(L to R) Peter Dinklage and Gbenga Akinnagbe in ‘The Thicket’. Photo: Samuel Goldwyn Films.
MF: Peter, is it fun making a Western or is it physically demanding? What were the conditions like making this movie?
PD: I love to be demanded of physically. We’re actors. Sometimes we spend too much time in the trailers, where it’s warm. There’s something about putting rocks in your shoes and being out in the cold. I say that proverbially. We didn’t put rocks in my shoes, but that feeling of the discomfort a character would have in this environment. It really does most of the acting for you when you’re freezing your bum off. You don’t have to act cold. So, there you go, it makes our job easier in a weird, ironic way.
(L to R) James Hetfield and director Elliott Lester on the set of ‘The Thicket’. Photo: Samuel Goldwyn Films.
MF: Juliette, what was it like collaborating with director Elliot Lester on set?
JL: (He was) just passionate. He came to the table with this vision, and like Peter said, he came on board. They’ve been wanting to create it for quite a while. So, he had a strong vision of the thing. They assembled such a great team, from the cast to the wardrobe, to the horse wranglers, to the prop department. I mean, everybody was just the top for this film. So, that was exciting. But Elliot’s super passionate. So, it was exciting. But I got to say, the scene with Peter, the centerpiece in the movie there, is a highlight of my career, what we got to do in this movie, next to (Robert) De Niro in ‘Cape Fear’, this scene with him was special. It’s amazing.
(Left) Juliette Lewis in ‘The Thicket’. Photo: Samuel Goldwyn Films.
MF: Finally, Peter, what was your experience like working with Juliette on this project?
PD: It’s incredible. I feel the exact same way working with (Juliette). It was a joy. I was so excited when Juliette said yes to the film, because I knew we were going to get something very, very specific and so lived in, and I didn’t know what it was going to be. I just had that gut feeling, and it was so exciting to hear her for the first time.
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What is the plot of ‘The Thicket’?
An innocent young man, Jack (Levon Hawke), goes on an epic quest to rescue his sister Lula (Esme Creed-Miles) after she has been kidnapped by the violent killer Cut Throat Bill (Juliette Lewis) and her gang. To save her, Jack enlists the help of a crafty bounty hunter named Reginald Jones (Peter Dinklage), a grave-digging alcoholic son of an ex-slave (Gbenga Akinnagbe), and a street-smart prostitute (Leslie Grace). The gang tracks Cut Throat Bill into the deadly no-man’s land known as The Big Thicket — a place where blood and chaos reign.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Thicket’?
Peter Dinklage as Reginald Jones
Juliette Lewis as Cut Throat Bill
Levon Hawke as Jack Parker
Esmé Creed-Miles as Lula Parker
Leslie Grace as Jimmy Sue
Gbenga Akinnagbe as Eustace Howard
Andrew Schulz as Hector
James Hetfield as Simon Deasy
(L to R) Leslie Grace, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Levon Hawke and Peter Dinklage in ‘The Thicket’. Photo: Samuel Goldwyn Films.
(Left) Steve Coogan to play Barnabas in season 2 of ‘The Sandman’. Photo: Thomas Laisne. (Right) Douglas Booth to play Cluracan in ‘The Sandman’ season 2. Photo: Simon Annand.
Preview:
Steve Coogan, Jack Gleeson and more are joining ‘The Sandman’.
Adrian Lester and others are already aboard.
The Neil Gaiman adaptation is returning for a second season at Netflix.
Given the expansive (and clearly expensive) scope of ‘The Sandman’s first season of Netflix, there was naturally wondering –– and worrying –– over whether a second would even be ordered.
Fortunately, fans and more general audiences turned out in droves for that initial run of stories adaptation from the sprawling, iconic graphic novel series originated by Neil Gaiman from a heady stew of myths, legends, folklore and original ideas.
With shooting long under way on Season 2, now we know who will be joining the cast, including Steve Coogan, Jack Gleeson, Indya Moore and others.
In Season 1, the Sandman, aka Dream (Tom Sturridge) — the powerful cosmic being who controls all our dreams — was unexpectedly captured and held prisoner for over a century. Once he escapes, he must journey across different worlds and timelines to fix the chaos his absence has caused.
In Season 2, the King of Dreams will come face-to-face — and go toe-to-toe — with the formidable rulers of Hell, Asgard, Faerie, and the realms beyond.
Who are the newest additions to ‘The Sandman’ Season 2?
(Left) Ruairi O’Connor to play Orpheus in ‘The Sandman’ Season 2. (Center Left) Freddie Fox to play Loki ‘The Sandman’ Season 2. (Center Right) Clive Russell to play Odin in ‘The Sandman’ Season 2. Photo: Sally Mais. (Right) Laurence O’Fuarain to play Thor in ‘The Sandman’ Season 2. Photo: Joseph Sinclair.
Here’s the most recent cast:
Ruairi O’Connor is Orpheus, the poet, musician, and oracle, is the only child of Dream and the muse, Calliope (last seen in ‘The Sandman,’ Episode 111). Orpheus is an idealistic, romantic, young man – and very much his father’s son – until tragedy strikes and reveals to him the true nature of love.
Freddie Fox (he/him) is Loki, the god of chaos. Loki is a charming, seductive shapeshifter. The smartest and most dangerous person in any room, Loki is utterly irresistible and never to be trusted.
Clive Russell is Odin, the father of Thor, and blood-brother to Loki. He is a longtime ally of Dream’s, but finds himself driven to desperate extremes in his efforts to stave off Ragnarök.
Laurence O’Fuarain is Thor, the storm god. With his hammer Mjollnir, Thor is brusque, rude, and driven entirely by his appetites –– for food and drink, for battle, and for sex.
Ann Skelly is Nuala and Douglas Booth is Cluracan, royal emissaries from the court of Faerie. Nuala and Cluracan are siblings who are opposites in every way. Nuala is responsible, empathetic, and principled. Cluracan is an impulsive rogue who lives for pleasure. They disagree about everything, except their devotion to one another.
(Left) Ann Skelly to play Nuala in ‘The Sandman’ Season 2. Photo: Misan Harriman. (Center) Jack Gleeson to play Puck in ‘The Sandman’ Season 2. Photo: Yellow Belly. (Right) Indya Moore to play Wanda in ‘The Sandman’ Season 2.
Jack Gleeson is Puck, a malevolent hobgoblin who serves as the royal jester to King Auberon of Faerie. Puck is fascinated by mortals and enjoys nothing more than making sport of them for his own amusement. He’s also the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Puck in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.
Indya Moore is Wanda, a professional driver and security agent for an exclusive travel firm. Wanda proves herself to be an indispensable guide on an Endless road trip to the waking world.
Steve Coogan is the voice of Barnabas, the canine companion of the Endless’ prodigal brother. Barnabas is loyal and loving, but an outspoken cynic. He’s man’s best friend and man’s sharpest critic.
Season three of ‘Hanna’ finds Hanna (Esmé Creed-Miles) teaming up with her former enemy Marissa Wiegler (Mireille Enos) to take down Utrax from the inside. That means manipulating John Carmichael (Dermot Mulroney) into helping them, but they discover a deeper conspiracy involving a new foe; the ruthless Gordon Evans (Ray Liotta). The cast recently sat down with Moviefone to talk about the upcoming season.
‘Hanna’ stars Esmé Creed-Miles and Mireille Enos
Esmé Creed-Miles and Mireille Enos talk about their characters learning to work together.
Movefone: So Esmé, tell me where season three picks up from season two.
Esmé Creed-Miles: Season three picks up with Hanna returning to the Meadows, which is confusing. And we wonder is she perhaps one of the baddies now, which of course we don’t really wonder that, but then it’s revealed that she’s working alongside Marissa to infiltrate from the inside, the Utrax world place.
MF: I think that’s key to this series. We are always wondering like, Who’s who? Are they bad now? Are they good now? I think that’s part of the charm of the series. And Mireille, where do we find Marissa in season three?
Mireille Enos: So, part of the plan that Hanna and Marissa have is that Marissa is going to pretend to be dead. So she has to go deep, deep, undercover, and she’s moving the chess pieces from her hidden bunker. Together, they have Carmichael under their thumb, and they are going to try to deconstruct Utrax from the inside.
MF: Tell me as much as you can about the interaction that you have, Esme, with Carmichael this season.
Creed-Miles: Well, working with Dermot was a dream. He’s the best. And it was interesting. I mean, again, he’s a character who, I guess, in season two is more of an ominous figure, and then in season three, just feels like a Q-Tip who’s just being like pushed around by these different powerful people, like Stapleton. He’s like this guy who’s just being, meh, by Stapleton and, meh, by Marissa. It’s funny.
Enos: Yeah. He’s fighting for his life. He’s just like, whatever opportunities are in front of him, he’s trying to take so that he can get out. We feel bad for him.
Creed-Miles: Yeah. He’s not the baddie or the goodie, he’s just-
Enos: No, he’s really a pawn this year.
Creed-Miles: Yeah.
MF: He’s out for himself this season, right?
Creed-Miles: He’s trying to just look after himself. It’s true. Yeah. Yeah.
MF: And Mireille, tell me out Gordon Evans. I mean, Marissa and Gordon are familiar with each other.
Enos: Yes. They know each other. They have known each other for a very long time. He’s a very powerful figure in the United States in government in the espionage world. And he had a powerful effect on Marissa early on when they knew each other. And he’s one of the few people that she’s scared of. And it’s been a long time. She hasn’t seen him. And then he reemerges in her life in a way that really just rocks hers.
MF: And Mireille, how would you describe the relationship between Hanna and Marissa this season?
Enos: It’s very hard for Marissa to work in a team. She always likes to be the one in charge, and there’s still that dynamic at the beginning that she’s the final say on everything. And as the season continues, that shifts, and they grow to trust each other. They each give each other room to take the lead, and that’s very new for her.
MF: And Esmé, I’m always, when I watch the show, just so astounded at these girls and how finely tuned they are. They’re not scared. They show no emotion. They never get worked up when something horrible is happening. So this has been really coming of age for Hanna through the seasons. So I’m wondering what it’s like for you personally coming from season one now to season three, because your character has really grown. We’ve really seen three different parts of Hanna’s life in these three seasons.
Creed-Miles: Well, I was just turning 18 when I was cast, so it was a lot of pressure, and sometimes I didn’t handle that great. Sometimes I did. It was just being a young person, essentially a teenager in this big with all this responsibility, so it encouraged me to, I guess, grow up and take care of things that I probably wouldn’t have done if I didn’t have the responsibility of a TV show. And so for that, I’m very grateful. And also just to have a footing in an industry that’s really difficult to get into again, I’m very grateful for.
MF: And Esmé, back to your character now, Hanna and the rest of the girls, at the end of the day, you do see things through it that shows that even though they’re so finely trained, they are still young girls. And so Hanna has a relationship this season with Abba. So what is that relationship like?
Creed-Miles: I think it’s the first time she really falls in love and I think that it complicates her obligations, and it complicates her life because now there’s not just the goal of whatever espionage-esque endeavor that they’re on. It’s like, oh, there’s someone else to protect and that person’s child as well. So it adds another element of tension into the narrative arc, I guess. That’s super pretentious. I’m sorry.
Enos: No, it’s not at all. Something I love about it is there’s these two scenes, there’s one scene in episode one in which Hanna says to Marissa, I” only know how to fight. If you gave me the life I’ve always wanted, I wouldn’t know what to do with it.” And then a few episodes later, she’s having a conversation with a boss in which he’s describing the home. If in some fairytale life, they got to build a home together, what it would be like, and it would have white walls, and it would have orange trees. And those two things in juxtaposition, it’s like the first time she’s able to imagine what a life she would want might look like.
Dermot Mulroney gives an update on his character John Carmichael.
Movefone: Tell us where season three picks up from season two.
Dermot Mulroney: Season three starts just a couple of days after season two. Carmichael just got shot in the arm by Hanna. Not cool. And Marissa Viegler has just said to him, “Now you work for me.” And we go back to the Meadows. This is how it opens, at least on my character, which is that country of state in England, where I’ve been training up the girl assassins. You’re seeing the third season a year or more after we had that second season out, but it’s almost the next day. Carmichael, however, is in a completely different circumstance. Last season, he was running the show, right? Or at least it seemed that way. And now he’s being forced to take down his own program. So it’s a pretty cool turn right from the beginning. And then season three is just full of other plot twists and turns.
MF: As always. There’s always so many twists and turns and so many uncertainties for the audience watching it. What is the relationship in this season between Marissa and Carmichael?
Mulroney: Well, that’s somewhat even a mystery to me still. I love that it’s never fully defined and that there’s some definite sensation of them having, I don’t even mean a romantic relationship or anything, but it’s pretty dense the way that they are around each other. This season, however, now she’s engaged in pulling, using… Hanna goes back into the Meadows to take it down, to take down Utrax, but they still don’t know everything about it, even Marissa doesn’t. So they need to get that information from Carmichael, so they’re using me. We also learn in this season, as Ray Liotta comes into play the chairman, that Carmichael hasn’t been in charge of the Meadows and the DNA dosing program. He’s just been a middle management guy. So that was news to me too, but it reframed Carmichael’s place in Utrax for me, and then that’s happening as he’s getting in deeper and deeper trouble. So there are good bits after that, that I won’t share with you, but know that the action increases right to the end and the way they twist this story around is quite incredible.
MF: Where do you think Carmichael’s loyalties lie in this season?
Mulroney: Well, as always, Carmichael’s main concern is Carmichael. So you see him especially deeper into this season. You see him in real trouble. And so you’ll see a side of Carmichael you haven’t seen where he’s out of control and where he is seriously desperate and fighting for his own survival. So it’s a really fun turn for me, the actor, but also for Carmichael to… The table’s turn on him. It’s that simple. He’s now more like Hanna in that Hanna’s never really had a say in who she is, what her true identity is and where she fits into the world. And now Carmichael’s world has turned completely upside down. He’d been in total control last season, and now he can’t really put two and two together until he has to. Then he goes feral, pretty much. He gets down and dirty.
MF: He does, which I’m not completely used to seeing you in those types of roles. I did watch ‘Hard Luck Love Song.’ I did some interviews for that, so I saw you in that.
Mulroney: Right on. Thank you for supporting that film. Thank you. We love that movie.
MF: And kind of a rough and down and dirty role as well.
Mulroney: Yeah. I think I was some sort of poolroom punk.
MF: In my mind, I still see you in rom coms. I don’t know.
Mulroney: Understood. I get that. I know. But sometimes that helps for me then to play the bad guy, because then it’s a little more unexpected maybe, or so I think at times, but really I’ve played so many different types of parts. I’m more and more proud of the things that everybody likes. Amazing. Yeah.
MF: Going back to the season of ‘Hanna,’ there’s a kill list, an assassination list. Who are they targeting?
Mulroney: Well, that’s the amazing thing. This is the distinctive part of the story. David Farr cooked up an Utrax program. He knew what it was doing all along, but he didn’t tell anybody in season one. Season two, we learned a little bit, but really now we finally realize that this program has taken decades to get to the point of launching these young female assassins out into the world to kill any young person, I think they say under the age of 29, that the CIA has determined might be a future threat to the United States of America. So Carmichael’s a company man, G man, he’s CIA through and through. He’s doing what he knows to be best for his country. Now, we all watching the show know that’s not cool going around killing people because they’re activists or protesters or all that. We also get to know one of those young people, Adam Bessa plays Abbas Naziri in our show.
He and Hanna have a really strong connection. I won’t give too much on that. Wonderful actor. And that’s part of the story that helps Hanna get in touch with who she really is, which is ultimately the heart of this entire story, is who she really is instead of what she’s been manipulated, down to her DNA, being manipulated. And we see a young woman coming into who she is, where she fits in the world, what her true identity is. So I know so many people can relate to that now. And Esmé Creed-Miles is exquisite in this role.
MF: She absolutely is. And we’ve seen her really grow from the first season to the third. When you start a season, do you know the arc of the whole season, or are you just getting script by script?
Mulroney: No, I think this was more a script by script, which in its own way is wonderful. I’ll do it either way, but it’s its own exercise in acting, because you don’t really know the end of the character, but that teaches you to just be in the moment. Right? I mean, it sounds really corny coming from an actor, but since you don’t know where the story’s going, you have to really commit to the truth in the scene you’re in. But I have these incredible actors to work with, so it is that anyway. Mireille Enos plays the lead grown up spy who just really goes even further this season, and they added Ray Liotta to the thing to be the chairman of the Utrax program. So that was a super highlight for me. The two old bulls do have a scene in the middle of the show that turns the plot again. So it was a real honor to be working with Ray, and he’s an integral part with lots of plot twists involved in his character too.
MF: You must be very comfortable in your character now that it’s season three. So is it easier just to play now in season three because you know Carmichael so well, you know how he’d react to something?
Mulroney: Well, yes, except that the circumstances are so new that some of those scenes, I didn’t know Carmichael had it in him. He really is depicted more like a man behind the scenes, sitting at the desk on the computers in our previous season. And we kind of start out that way, except we know he’s being asked to work against himself. But then, yeah, it gets pretty gnarly. I have to say, script upon script, I didn’t see that coming to that extent. So he has been trained as a spy, let’s say genius spy craft. But when it gets down to it, he’s got to fight tooth and nail, so it takes on a whole other quality.
Series newcomer Ray Liotta describes his character and what attracted him to the show.
Movefone: Ray, you’re new to the cast this season. What intrigued you enough to say yes to this role?
Ray Liotta: I liked the script. I watched the first two seasons and thought the acting was really compelling, so between the script and that … I wasn’t sure at first, but then I said, “You know what? Let me just give it a shot.” I’m glad I did because … I haven’t seen it yet, but people seem to like it.
MF: You are the villain in season three, Gordon Evans. What does he want with Hanna? Why does he want her so badly?
Liotta: Well, Hanna’s a connection to my daughter, and I know my daughter would do whatever I want her to do if I could manipulate Hanna and get her into me, I knew I’d be able to get my daughter and try to connect with her again. I mean, it’s a twisted way of thinking, but that’s what this was.
MF: When you were building your character, what kind of is the backstory of Gordon Evans?
Liotta: I think that all the information that you need is within the script. Like I said, there was the backstory with my daughter. There’s a scene and there are a couple of times … Although I’m not sure if it made it into the cut. But it’s a twisted, bizarre relationship. I mean, it’s very, very extreme.
MF: Tell me about Pioneer, who is Pioneer, or what is Pioneer?
Liotta: It’s the way of doing what it is that my character thinks is the right thing to do. He cloaks himself in patriotism and extremism because he doesn’t want bad things to happen. There’s a mention about 9/11, and if we could get those guys before it even happened, it might not have happened. But now, like I said, it’s very extreme, and as Roy points out well, what happens if you get the wrong people? What if … You’re going after these bad guys when they’re young. Again, but Pioneer is what these girls … I mean, I’m grooming them to do bad things to other people.
MF: There’s this kill list, the assassination list. Who are they specifically targeting?
Liotta: People that I think we think that could end up doing something bad to the country, their belief system and how… It’s almost as extreme as McCarthyism, when back in the fifties they’re going after people that they think might have leaning towards communism. So they go after them made some mistakes like we do in this. But basically the character thinks that this is the way to go to protect our country. It’s just a very twisted way of doing it.
Amazon has renewed the thriller series, which stars Esmé Creed-Miles as the genetically enhanced teen assassin, for a second season.
“I am very much looking forward to taking Hanna on the next stage of her journey,” creator David Farr said in a statement. “The next season will take us into a whole new imaginative world. I can’t wait to explore fresh terrain for this lonely young woman who wants only to belong, but who has to fight every day just to survive.”
Joel Kinnaman plays her father, Erik, who raised her in isolation to be a skilled fighter. Mireille Enos plays their nemesis, CIA operative Marissa Wiegler, who’s spent years trying to track down Hanna and her father.
The show debuted last month on Amazon with eight episodes.
In the first teaser for the TV series “Hanna,” an ordinary looking baby is mysteriously snatched from the hospital.
Of course, we know that’s no ordinary baby. As we learned in the movie that preceded it, Hanna was genetically engineered to be a killing machine. Will that killer instinct manifest as early as infancy?
Saoirse Ronan played the teenage assassin in the 2011 film, who was raised (and trained) in the Finnish wilderness by her father (Eric Bana).
In the TV series, Joel Kinnaman will take over the Bana role. His rival will be his former “The Killing” costar, Mireille Enos, who’ll play spy Marissa Wiegler (originally played by Cate Blanchett.)
It seems likely we’ll see Hanna at various ages, but the actress playing the title character is 18-year-old Esme Creed-Miles of “Dark River.” Her mom, by the way, “Minority Report” star Samantha Morton and Charlie Creed-Miles of “Peaky Blinders.”
Like the film, the TV series will also be set in Eastern Europe. It premieres in March on Amazon Prime.
