(Left) Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch in ‘Bosch: Legacy.’ Photo: Tyler Golden. Copyright: Amazon Freevee. (Center) Katee Sackhoff attends the studio showcase panel at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California on May 26, 2022. Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney. (Right) Matthew Rhys in ‘The Americans’. Photo: FX Productions.
Preview:
Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen has been adapted into an animated movie.
Titus Welliver, Katee Sackhoff and Matthew Rhys are leading the cast.
J. Michael Straczynski wrote the two-part adaptation.
‘Watchmen’ still stands as one of the most influential graphic novels of all time and has been a big challenge to adapt.
It doesn’t help that original co-creator Alan Moore (who crafted the book with artist Dave Gibbons) is no fan of anyone trying to convert his work into a new medium.
We can only imagine, then, that he’s busy conjuring a damning spell to thwart the latest effort, but he’s too late –– after being announced at last year’s Comic-Con, an animated, two-part movie called ‘Watchman: Chapter I’, based on the graphic novel is on the way (and has been in the works since at least 2021), with Matthew Rhys, Katee Sackhoff and Titus Welliver in the lead roles.
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What’s the story of the ‘Watchmen’ animated movie?
Doctor Manhattan in ‘Watchmen: Chapter 1’. Photo: DC Studios.
The movie will once again bring to screens Moore and Gibbons’ story, published in 1986 and set in an alternative world in which costumed vigilantes are real. Inspired by Moore being unable to use some of DC’s big name characters, he created his own alternates and challenged the nature and morality of superhero storytelling.
Rhys will voice Dan Dreiberg (aka Nite Owl), Sackhoff will voice Laurie Juspeczyk (aka Silk Spectre), while Welliver will voice Walter Kovacs (aka Rorschach).
Troy Baker will voice Adrian Veidt (aka Ozymandias), while Michael Ceveris will voice Jonathan Osterman (aka Dr. Manhattan).
Who else is in the new ‘Watchmen’ movie?
The Comedian in ‘Watchmen: Chapter 1’. Photo: DC Studios.
Rorschach in ‘Watchmen: Chapter 1’. Photo: DC Studios.
Both parts of the movie have been adapted by ‘Babylon 5’ creator J. Michael Straczynski, though he has confirmed on social media that he’s not made huge changes to the scripts:
I can now talk about it as the news is breaking. I adapted WATCHMEN for Warners animation. By “adapted” I mean strictly configuring the structure to work in a movie. I saw no need to write more material or change what works in the book. It’s pure Moore. https://t.co/iy4Q0yqW61
— J. Michael Straczynski (@straczynski) July 10, 2024
Warner Animation veteran Brandon Vietti is in the director’s chair for both chapters.
Zack Snyder finally succeeded, with his (mostly) faithful live-action adaptation debuting in 2009 to mixed reviews and $185.3 million worldwide. It was supported by its own animation, a take on the graphic novel’s story-within-the-story ‘Tales of the Black Freighter’.
Damon Lindelof won praise for his 2019 HBO series, which continues the story 30 years after the events of the graphic novel, drawing from the canon history but also going off in interesting new directions.
When will ‘Watchmen: Chapter I’ be on screens?
Rorschach in ‘Watchmen: Chapter 1’. Photo: DC Studios.
The first Chapter will debut on August 13th for digital purchase and on August 27th on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray. ‘Watchmen Chapter II’ will be released in late 2024.
Find the trailer for Chapter I below:
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Doctor Manhattan in ‘Watchmen: Chapter 1’. Photo: DC Studios.
Zack Snyder attends the Netflix’s Tudum: A Global Fan Event 2023 at Fundação Bienal de São Paulo on June 17, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images for NETFLIX.
Zack Snyder is one of the most polarizing filmmakers working today! You either love or hate Zack Snyder movies, there is really no in-between.
Fuelled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s (Henry Cavill) selfless act, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) and Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) assemble a team of metahumans consisting of Barry Allen (Ezra Miller), Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) and Victor Stone (Ray Fisher) to face the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) and the Parademons who are on the hunt for three Mother Boxes on Earth.
Emily Browning as Babydoll in ‘Sucker Punch.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
A young girl (Emily Browning), institutionalised by her abusive stepfather, retreats to an alternative reality as a coping strategy and envisions a plan to help her escape.
2010’s ‘Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Soren (Jim Sturgess), a young barn owl, is kidnapped by owls of St. Aggie’s, ostensibly an orphanage, where owlets are brainwashed into becoming soldiers. He and his new friends escape to the island of Ga’Hoole, to assist its noble, wise owls who fight the army being created by the wicked rulers of St. Aggie’s. The film is based on the first three books in the series.
When a peaceful colony on the edge of a galaxy finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious stranger living among the villagers, becomes their best hope for survival.
Following a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries take the ultimate gamble: venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.
A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this earth. As a young man (Henry Cavill), he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.
(L to R) Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill in ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.’ Photo: Warner Bros.
Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill) at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.
Gerard Butler as Leonidas in ‘300.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Based on Frank Miller‘s graphic novel, “300” is very loosely based the 480 B.C. Battle of Thermopylae, where the King of Sparta (Gerard Butler) led his army against the advancing Persians; the battle is said to have inspired all of Greece to band together against the Persians, and helped usher in the world’s first democracy.
Determined to ensure Superman’s (Henry Cavill) ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) aligns forces with Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions. The task proves more difficult than Bruce imagined, as each of the recruits must face the demons of their own pasts to transcend that which has held them back, allowing them to come together, finally forming an unprecedented league of heroes. Now united, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and The Flash (Ezra Miller) may be too late to save the planet from Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds), DeSaad (Peter Guinness), and Darkseid (Ray Porter) and their dreadful intentions.
In a gritty and alternate 1985 the glory days of costumed vigilantes have been brought to a close by a government crackdown, but after one of the masked veterans is brutally murdered, an investigation into the killer is initiated. The reunited heroes set out to prevent their own destruction, but in doing so uncover a sinister plot that puts all of humanity in grave danger.
Director Zack Snyder Talks ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver.’
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director and cinematographer Zack Snyder about his work on ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver,’ creating the overall story, knowing where to split ‘A Child of Fire’ and ‘Scargiver’ into two different films, Kora’s journey, working with Sofia Boutella, shooting the battle sequences, and the future of the franchise.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Snyder, Sofia Boutella, Michiel Huisman, Djimon Hounsou, Staz Nair, Elise Duffy, Ed Skrein and Fra Fee.
Zack Snyder attends the Netflix’s Tudum: A Global Fan Event 2023 at Fundação Bienal de São Paulo on June 17, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images for NETFLIX.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about developing the overall story for these two films, when you realized it was too much story for one movie, and how you decided where to split the two films?
Zack Snyder: When Kurt (Johnstad) and Shay (Hatten) and I were working on the script, even as I was pitching it with Netflix in our early days, we knew we were over 220 pages for the script. We cut it down to the version that you see, and it was still a good solid two hours and the director’s cuts are a solid three hours each, so it’s a lot of material, obviously. So, I knew early on that we were going to have to cut it and we knew we had Gondival in the middle of the movie and that run-in with Noble, and so that was where we kind of thought, “Okay, that’s a good spot.” Kora has a small victory, but it’s a false victory and we felt like that would be a good place to break it. The truth is that I think once you see ‘Part Two,’ you’ll really understand that it’s one story.
MF: Can you talk about how Kora has changed from the first film, the importance of seeing this story through her eyes, and what it’s been like for you working with Sofia Boutella on these two movies?
ZS: First, I’ll just say Sofia’s an incredible partner and an incredible actress, and I trust her incredibly with the work and really rely on her physicality and her emotional strength. She’s just amazing. Also, I really feel like her story is an incredible story of redemption. You’ll find out in ‘Part Two” why she’s on the run, what she’s done and the importance that this kind of sacrifice has for her. How far she would be willing to go to be redeemed, I think is really an incredible and fun thing that she really personifies incredibly well.
MF: In addition to directing, you are also the cinematographer on ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver.’ Can you talk about shooting the battle sequences and was it physically and emotionally challenging for you to do both?
ZS: Yeah, thankfully, I’m supported by this guy named John Clothier, who’s an incredible camera operator who I’ve been working with since ‘Watchmen,’ and he is an amazing resource. He’s the A camera operator, I’m the B camera operator, and so we work really in partnership. But during the battle sequences, all those explosions and stuff, we were just right in them, in the heart of them, getting plastered with dirt and debris every day. So yeah, it was really taxing and difficult for us to photograph, but super fun, rewarding and I wouldn’t do it any other way. It’s just like when you are in the trenches, literally with the guy’s filming, you really understand just what physically is happening and what emotionally needs to happen because you’re just right there and so it’s a kind of cool way to make a movie.
MF: Finally, are there more stories that you want to tell in the ‘Rebel Moon’ universe, and what is the future of the franchise?
ZS: Sure, absolutely. I would love to make some more ‘Rebel Moon’ movies. I mean, right now we’re trying to set up to make this little movie that I’ve been working on, so I might go do that, just as a palate cleanser. But in the end, I think the ‘Rebel Moon’ universe has some stories left in it, obviously based on the end of this movie.
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What is the plot of ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver’?
Kora (Sofia Boutella) and the surviving warriors prepare to fight and defend their new homeworld Veldt against the Motherworld.
Who is in the cast of ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver’?
It’s fair to say that the news has gone quieter than news reports on Alderaan for the big screen ‘Star Wars’ side of things.
While the TV arm keeps flourishing with ‘The Mandalorian’, its various spin-offs and other shows such as ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’, ‘Andor’ and upcoming animated series ‘Tales of the Jedi’, the movie side of Lucasfilm’s sprawling franchise hasn’t seen a release since 2019’s ‘The Rise of Skywalker’.
And despite financial success, it was a divisive title that didn’t garner a lot of love from critics.
Now, at least, according to Deadline, one of the projects in development at Disney’s ‘Star Wars’ assembly line is taking a tentative step forward, as the movie has hired ‘Ms. Marvel’s Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy as director.
Obaid-Chinoy, who handled two episodes of the peppy, enjoyable Marvel outing, is being brought in now to work with writer/producer Damon Lindelof, so that she’s part of the creative team from an early stage.
It’s no doubt to help avoid some of the director problems that Lucasfilm has faced in the past, including on ‘Solo’ and Colin Trevorrow stepping away from what became ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ under J.J. Abrams.
And Lindelof, of course, has plenty of writing experience, having worked on ‘Lost’, created shows such as ‘The Leftovers’ and ‘Watchmen’ and provided scripts for movies including ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ and ‘Alien’ prequel ‘Prometheus’.
Michael Fassbender as David in ‘Prometheus.’
Lindelof has been figuring this one out for a few months, but he hasn’t been working alone: what Deadline’s story doesn’t mention, but that The Hollywood Reporter’s Bothan spies whispered to it is that Lindelof is in fact co-writing the movie with rising star scribe Justin Britt-Gibson.
His resume includes time as an executive story editor on Guillermo del Toro’s vampire drama, ‘The Strain’ and wrote episodes of Starz’s ‘Counterpart’, the series about parallel dimensions that starred J.K. Simmons and was cruelly cancelled after two excellent seasons. Gibson has also worked on ‘Banshee’ and ‘Into the Badlands’.
Further, there is news that the movie’s basic story was hammered out, TV-style by a writers room convened over a two-week session in July.
Present to figure out the ideas behind the script were Patrick Somerville, (a veteran of Lindelof’s much-admired drama ‘Leftovers’ who went on to create ‘Station Eleven’, Rayna McClendon, a consulting producer from ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ who has also contributed to Lucasfilm’s upcoming ‘Willow’ sequel series; and ‘Briarpatch’ TV series creator Andy Greenwald. There’s also mention that Dave Filoni – the creative mastermind behind much of Lucasfilm’s animated ‘Star Wars’ series and who now works alongside Jon Favreau to shepherd the ‘Mandalorian’ set of shows – was also involved.
No concrete details have emerged about the script that Lindelof and Britt-Gibson are writing, though there is talk that it’ll be set after the events of ‘Rise of Skywalker’ and could potentially feature characters from the sequel trilogy that also includes ‘The Force Awakens’ and ‘The Last Jedi’. It’s very much a wait and see on that front, however – chances are Lindelof might be more interested in a story entirely unconnected to the recent movies (“somehow, Palpatine returned again… again.” Yeah… not loving the idea ourselves.)
The Reporter’s sources also mention that unlike recent developments aimed at figuring out trilogies in one go, this will be a stand-alone with potential for more if it succeeds.
And Lucasfilm could use a win, what with endless stories of big names including ‘The Last Jedi’s Rian Johnson, Marvel boss Kevin Feige and writer/director Taika Waititi talking up their plans, with little actual momentum to be found.
The most recent disappoint was Patty Jenkins’ ‘Rogue Squadron’, which had looked like it was headed for take-off, but has since been grounded, its release date off the books and no word on when it might be headed for production, let alone release.
Given that the Lindelof film is still in the scripting stage, we wouldn’t expect to see it much before 2025, but there will no doubt be 265 ‘Star Wars’ TV shows to fill the gap in the meantime.
(L to R) John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, and Oscar Isaac star in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.’
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Opening in theaters, on digital and on demand beginning October 21st is the new vampire comedy ‘Slayers,’ which was directed by K. Asher Levin (‘Dig’).
The movie stars Malin Akerman as Beverly Rektor, a reclusive billionaire who invites a group of influencers including Flynn (Kara Hayward) and Jules (Abigail Breslin) to her mansion.
But when they discover that Rektor is really a vampire looking to feast on her unassuming guests, the influencers will have to team with reality TV star and vampire hunter Eliot Jones (Thomas Jane) in order to survive.
But she is probably best known for playing Laurie Jupiter/Silk Spectre II in director Zack Snyder’s groundbreaking superhero movie ‘Watchmen,’ and as Bobby Axelrod’s wife, Lara, on Showtime’s ‘Billions.’
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with actress and producer Malin Akerman about her work on ‘Slayers,’ how she got involved in the project, balancing comedy and horror, her character, the cast, her friendship with director K. Asher Levin, and her memories of working on ‘Watchmen’ with Zack Snyder.
(L to R) Ashley Reyes as Natalie and Malin Akerman as Beverly Rektor in the comedy/horror, ‘Slayers,’ The Avenue release. Photo courtesy of The Avenue.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Akerman and Thomas Jane about ‘Slayers.’
Moviefone: To begin with, how did you get involved with this project both as an actress and producer, and what was your first reaction to the screenplay?
Malin Akerman: So, Asher, our lovely director, is a very close family friend. I’ve known him for over a decade. He came to me during COVID and just said, “I’ve got this movie, I think we’re going to do it and would love for you to help put it together and maybe produce with me. Do you think your husband (Jack Donnelly) would want to play one of the roles?”
I was like, “Yeah, sure. Let’s do it. Let’s do something together.” I read the script, and I thought it was super fun. I’ve never done a vampire film. I’ve never done anything in this genre before. So, I thought, what a fun, new, exciting, creative venture to go on with friends of mine.
Then he approached me a few weeks later and said, “Would you want to maybe play the queen Vampire in this? I mean, I think you’d be great for it.” Again, I love doing projects with friends. You just want to work with people that you really like. So, it was such a fun opportunity to get to work together. I just loved it. And I thought that it would be fun to play a vampire.
I thought it was really fun, and I am not an aficionado on vampire films or horror films, so I’m not the best judge of character. But I personally just thought it was a really fun take on it, modernizing vampires and bringing in the modern world and influencers, and mixing it with old legends. So yeah, the answer was a big resounding yes.
MF: Can you talk about the challenges as an actress of balancing the movie’s comedy and horror tones?
MA: Well, when you’re in it and you’re acting it, you always have to act it for real. Unless you’re in a sketch, of course. So, for me, it was all about being Beverly Rector. It was all about this empowered queen vampire who has lived many years, has a lot of wisdom and street smarts, and is very manipulative.
So, I was just playing that as straightforward as possible. But having said that, it was so much fun to watch all of our actors playing the influencers. They had free reign and a lot of more space to do improv because that really is what these influencers do.
MF: While you haven’t appeared in a vampire movie before, you have played rich and powerful women like Beverly Rector before in projects like ‘Rampage’ or ‘Billions.” So, could you identify with that aspect of the character and did that ground the role in a certain reality for you?
MA: Well, I like to think of myself as a powerful woman in today’s society. I’m not as cutthroat as Lara Axelrod, and I’m not in that world at all. But I think that it’s just stepping into your power as a human being.
As for myself getting older and knowing myself a bit better compared to in my twenties, where I thought I knew myself and I thought I knew what I wanted, to actually knowing what I want and who I am, it feels a bit easier to step into those types of characters.
Even though Beverly Rector has evil behind her, she still is sitting in her power and has poise. I am learning through the years to do that myself, to just sit in my own skin and be comfortable in it.
(L to R) Kara Hayward as Flynn Chambers and Thomas Jane as Elliot Jones in the comedy/horror, ‘Slayers,’ The Avenue release. Photo courtesy of The Avenue.
MF: What was it like working with the cast including Thomas Jane, Abigail Breslin, Kara Hayward, and Jack Donnelly?
MA: It was a great cast. I only wish that it wasn’t in the height of COVID. I mean, it was really the first film out of the gate. It was in November of 2020. So, we didn’t get a chance to hang out off of set.
Everyone was asked to kind of quarantine and be on their own so that we just made sure we could make this movie. But the time that we did have on set was lovely. I mean, there wasn’t one bad apple. Everyone was just so great and so great at improv. Not that there was a lot of improv, but I loved how everyone just knew their characters well enough to be able to do it.
Thomas Jane, he’s been at it for a minute and he’s incredible to watch. He really brought his character to another level that wasn’t on the page. He heightened it. I can say that for everyone. Everyone heightened their characters. He just brought a character that was really cool. He’s the slayer. He is the main slayer of them all. So, he really lived up to it.
MF: As an actress, do you prefer it when another actor comes to set with their character fully realized, or is it okay for an actor to arrive and find the character while shooting?
MA: I think it’s such a shifting scale. I think it doesn’t really matter. If it works, it works. Some people come prepared. I think that’s more of an actor/director relationship. Some directors want actors that they can mold and that they can work with, and some directors want actors to come to set already with choices made.
Some actors work that way as well, where they go, “I want the director to direct me.” Some actors go, “Minimal, please. I’ve made these choices because I really know this character and I want to be able to do that.” So, for me, I feel like a chameleon and I feel like this is what we do. We work with people and it all becomes a collaboration and you just got to kind of find how this dance works between us.
I enjoy the production of it. I can say that I’m more of a creative producer, putting things together and making sure everything is synergetic on set. But as an actor, I just want to collaborate and kind of be present to all the different people on set and take it in and see how we work together.
MF: Can you talk about collaborating with director K. Asher Levin, both as an actress and as a producer?
MA: Well, Asher is a close family friend. I’ve known him for over a decade. So, that was really fun. I kind of know how he works. But it was lovely. Again, because we know each other it was just an easy collaboration. There were no bumps in the road. We were on the same page all the time. We could talk to each other with no problem. It was smooth sailing.
(L to R) Patrick Wilson as Daniel Dreiberg / Nite Owl II, Malin Åkerman as Laurie Jupiter / Silk Spectre II, and Jackie Earle Haley as Walter Kovacs / Rorschach in director Zack Snyder’s ‘Watchmen.’
MF: Finally, I think ‘Watchmen’ is a masterpiece and one of the best superhero movies ever made. What are your memories of making that film and working with Zach Snyder?
MA: I Loved it. It was the biggest experience for me. I mean, that was like going from Mickey Mouse to Superman all of a sudden. I was playing with the big kids and in the big sets. Everyone was wonderful.
I have friends. Everyone in the cast. Carla Gugino is one of my best friends. Many of the cast I’ve kept in touch with and had the pleasure of working with some of them again. But I can’t express enough how super that was, how big that was, and how awesome that was.
The set pieces, the costumes, the material itself that we got to work with. It was six months of shooting, which I’ve never done anything like that before. The fight training was incredible. It was hard work, and it was long hours, but I wanted to be there. Zack was incredible. I love that man so much. His energy and his vision are just beautiful.
Malin Akerman stars as Beverly Rektor in the comedy/horror, ‘Slayers.’
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(L to R) Lorenza Izzo and Malin Akerman in ‘The Aviary.’
Opening in theaters on April 29th is the new thriller ‘The Aviary,’ which was written and directed by Chris Cullari and Jennifer Raite.
The movie follows Jillian (Malin Akerman) and Blair (Lorenza Izzo), two women who flee into the New Mexican desert to escape from an insidious cult and its leader (Chris Messina).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Malin Akerman and Lorenza Izzo about their work on ‘The Aviary.’
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You can read the full interview with Malin Akerman and Lorenza Izzo below or watch the interviews by clicking on the video player above.
Moviefone: To begin with, Malin how do you prepare for a role like this?
Malin Akerman: You dig really deep and find all the craziness inside you. It really was a group effort and a lot of discussions with Lorenza and our directors to figure out how we were going to play this and what they wanted to portray.
Because it’s a battle within yourself, having been brainwashed. How you trust yourself after having gone through something like that. So, it was definitely a lot of discussions while we were shooting before we were trying to figure out exactly what the journey was.
MF: Lorenza, did you do any research into real-life cults and the people who have been affected by them, and if so, how did that research prepare you to play this role?
Lorenza Izzo: Yeah, definitely. I think for every project I’ve ever done, there’s a particular road of research to get to where you want to be. This wouldn’t require a lot of collaboration with our directors, Jen and Chris, and with Malin, I think this one was so much about letting go and really being in there. There was a lot of just physical geographical demands of being out in the desert on night shoots, being really crazy hot and alone in the middle of COVID just with Malin.
We were really trusting each other and diving into the words that were there, which are all about our own journeys with our minds and how much we can trust them, and trust each other while escaping this brutal situation. So much of it was already there that the research was a constant struggle for me, trying to figure out what was actually happening.
(L to R) Malin Akerman, Lorenza Izzo and Chris Messina in ‘The Aviary.’
MF: Malin, can you talk about the control that Seth has over Jillian and Blair, and how something like that happens?
MA: I think it takes a particular type of person. They’re always very charming and manipulative, and I think it’s caught in a moment, no matter what, as humankind we want to fit in and be accepted somewhere.
If you feel alone and if you’re in a moment in time where you’re feeling vulnerable and you’re a bit lost, some of the smartest people that I have met have been part of something that is very cult like. They’ve come out and just said, it was a moment in time and a lot of these, so to say, cults present themselves as some sort of a self-help and a way out of your current situation.
MF: Lorenza, Blair insists that she did not willingly join the cult. Can you talk about that?
LI: This is all so much about humanity. We were saying earlier it is about fitting in, right? It’s about understanding our whole journey through our lives. It’s like, who am I, what am I doing? What’s my crowd? Who are my people? How do I find myself?
I think for her, admitting that she had joined something like that, like the Aviary is just too hard at the beginning. When we meet Blair, there’s just something about admitting what she actually went through. This just requires too much shock and trauma to process that right now. I think at that moment, she’s just like, I need to get out. I need to get through this.
There’s also a lot between Blair and Jillian. Blair looked up to Jillian. So, there’s so much of her asserting herself as an individual. At the same time going, you brought me to this. You’re kind of the reason why I stuck around. So, don’t tell me I joined a cult because I didn’t. I came to find myself and here I am. So, there’s just a lot of different layers going on over there.
(L to R) Lorenza Izzo and Malin Akerman in ‘The Aviary.’
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This year’s big-budget retelling of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ beloved graphic novel “Watchmen” has been one of the most tantalizing question-marks on the TV landscape this year. We knew it was coming but what would it be? Thankfully, a new trailer, released to coincide with San Diego Comic Con, has shed some light on the project, if not given us any straight-up answers. Maybe it’s best if you just watch the trailer for the Damon Lindelof-created series yourself:
As you can see, there are some hallmarks from the original work: Dr. Manhattan (who is playing the character has yet to be revealed), on and off of Mars; the Owl Ship; a sneering Ozymandias (Jeremy Irons); Nixon; squids! There are also allusions to Silk Spectre and the pirate comic strip that acted as a through-line in the original series. Everything else though … wow. It seems to involve a vast conspiracy, the philosophical conundrum of vigilantism, and Don Johnson chewing the scenery with reckless abandon. And, true to earlier reports, it seems to be something of a companion piece/sequel to the original story (fitting for a series as obsessed with alternate history as Moore and Gibbons’ book) and not a direct adaptation. We are in.
The series, which features a score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, will premiere before Halloween this year. But something tells me that after watching the show, maybe you won’t want to wear a mask.
HBO has unveiled the first teaser for “Watchmen,” Damon Lindelof’s high-profile “remix” of the classic graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
The series draws from the comic’s universe and set in an alternate history, where superheroes are treated as outlaws, but goes its own way with new characters and new stories. It appears to take place several years after the colossal disaster that occurred near the end of the comic.
The teaser indicates superheroes have gone into “hibernation” but are reemerging. And there’s about to be a major reckoning — from an army of Rorschach disciples acting as vigilantes.
The teaser provides glimpses at an aging Ozymandias (Jeremy Irons), the engineer of that disaster; Regina King suiting up as Angela Abraham; Don Johnson’s police chief; Jean Smart as Agent Blake; and Tim Blake Nelson as Looking Glass.
A girl has a name, Arya Stark, and she sees dragons.
During the finale of “True Detective” Sunday night, HBO released a new teaser for its upcoming 2019 slate, which included a brief (very brief) snippet of footage from the final season of “Game of Thrones.”
A previous teaser showed Sansa Stark and Daenerys Targaryen meeting at Winterfell. This one focuses on Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) looked awed, with a slight smile on her face — seems like a reaction to seeing a dragon for the first time.
The HBO teaser also included a sneak peek at Damon Lindelof’s upcoming “Watchmen” series. We see shots of Jeremy Irons and Oscar winner Regina King but not much else.
There was slightly more substantial footage from the “Deadwood” reunion movie, with lawman Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) serving warning to his oft-antagonist, brothel owner Al Swearengen (Ian McShane).
Watch the teaser for glimpses of “Big Little Lies” Season 2, Danny McBride’s televangelist comedy “The Righteous Gemstones,” and the final season of “Veep.”
