Monthly Archives: January 2015

The X-Files May Return to Television

FOX is in early talks to bring back The X-Files. Dana Walden and Gary Newman, co-chairmen and CEOs of FOX Television Group revealed at today's TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour.

IGN was able to follow-up with Walden with a small group of reporters, to see how close they were to actually striking a deal.

"You know who we're dealing with, do you think I can elaborate???" Walden laughed, when asked if she could say a little more about where they are in the process.

Adding, "Gary and I both worked through the entire run of the X-Files. It was a great experience, we've maintained great relationships with creator Chris Carter, Gillian

, and David

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Gotham Renewed for Season 2

FOX announced early renewals for Gotham, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and after only two episodes, Empire at today's TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour.

Given the tremendous success of Empire, the second season renewal makes sense, but the very early show of confidence is notable.

As for Gotham, Dana Walden. Co-Chairman/CEO, Fox Television Group told reporters that they "love the show" and the only note they've given the creators in moving forward is: "keep doing what you're doing."

"We've just seen episode 14," Walden said. "And it just keeps getting better."

The network is waiting on a Sleepy Hollow renewal, for now. Some creative changes are ahead, which include crafting the show to feel more episodic and less serialized.

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Melanie Lynskey on the Joys and Awkwardness of HBO’s Togetherness

HBO’s Togetherness debuted last week -- if you missed it, HBO has posted the full pilot episode on YouTube -- marking a new TV collaboration for the Duplass brothers, Jay and Mark, the acclaimed filmmakers behind buzzed about indies like The Puffy Chair, Cyrus, and Jeff, Who Lives at Home. Mark Duplass (The League) stars alongside Melanie Lynskey in the series, as married couple Brett and Michelle, who are having quite a few difficulties when we meet them. Amanda Peet also stars as Michelle’s sister, Tina and Steve Zissis as family friend Alex, who pines after Tina.

I recently sat down with Lynskey to talk about Togetherness, which mixes dramatic and comedic elements and also features some improvisation, as encouraged by the Duplass brothers. Lynskey discussed her character’s marital issues and her approach to the material, which takes a pretty direct and realistic approach, as the characters argue, laugh and engage in some amusingly awkward sex scenes.

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Chris Pratt on Loving Parks and Rec and Hating Comments

Parks and Recreation wrapped production in December on its seventh and final season, but much of the cast, along with co-creator/showrunner Mike Schur, assembled today at the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour to discuss the end of the series, which just began airing this week. That group included Chris Pratt, who has become quite the movie star over the course of a few months, on the heels of Guardians of the Galaxy and with Jurassic World coming up (and of course, he also has his voice role in The LEGO Movie).

Pratt was asked why, even as more opportunities arose, he stayed with Parks and Recreation and replied, “Oh, man, it’s funny that you would ask that because it never once occurred to me… I’ve never even asked myself the question. That was never… That would never happen. I would never f**king ever leave this show!”

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Beagle 2 Found on Mars After Disappearing for 12 Years

The Beagle 2 Mars Lander, the United Kingdom’s landing spacecraft that went AWOL on Mars in 2003, has been located in images captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

The spacecraft was deployed from the European Space Agency's Mars Express on December 19, 2003 and landed on the surface of Mars on Christmas Day. The ESA couldn’t raise contact with the spacecraft at the expected landing time or subsequent attempts at securing communication and announced the mission lost in February 2004.

“I am delighted that Beagle 2 has finally been found on Mars," said Mark Sims of the University of Leicester, former Beagle 2 mission manager and leader of the initial study phase, said in a prepared statement. "Every Christmas Day since 2003 I have wondered what happened to Beagle 2. My Christmas Day in 2003 alongside many others who worked on Beagle 2 was ruined by the disappointment of not receiving data from the surface of Mars. To be frank I had all but given up hope of ever knowing what happened to Beagle 2. The images show that we came so close to achieving the goal of science on Mars."

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Zachary Quinto Hasn’t Spoken to New Trek Director Yet

Zachary Quinto was at the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour today to promote his new NBC limited series, The Event. In the series, Quinto plays a man who slaps someone else’s misbehaving child, causing a chain reaction of events to occur in the neighborhood, among an impressive cast that also includes Uma Thurman, Thandie Newton, Peter Sarsgaard, Brian Cox and Melissa George.

During a chat with press, Quinto was asked about the status of the next Star Trek film, which has a new director in Justin Lin. As it turns out, Quinto revealed he hasn’t even spoken to Lin yet. Quinto also talked briefly about Hitman: Agent 47, his varied career and his aspirations behind the camera, as his production company increases its output.

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The Expanse: Syfy’s Most Ambitious Space Series to Date?

It may be challenging to gauge what Syfy's The Expanse is all about us based on the new (and cool) trailer, but we've got some more details for you about the series, which is based on a the best-selling sci-fi book series be "James S. A. Corey" (a pseudonym for authors Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham), thanks to the cast and creators appearing recently at the Television Critics Association press tour.

First, check out the trailer for the show, which Syfy's president Dave Howe called the network's "most ambitious series to date." Which is saying a lot when you consider Ron Moore's Battlestar Galactica remake, the current series Defiance (which is integrated with an MMORPG), and the new 12 Monkeys adaptation.

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NBC’s All-Star Cast Discuss The Slap

The kid in the pilot episode of NBC’s incoming Thursday night drama is so misbehaved in one single hour of television that he could serve as the poster child for birth control. And in the scene on which the entire series hinges, Zachary Quinto’s character has enough of the parents not doing anything to discipline their kid - and takes matters into his own slap-happy hands, leading to a lot of shocked and upset reactions that quickly begin to escalate.

In the subsequent seven episodes of the limited-run series, viewers will see how that one event unravels the lives of all the characters who were present during the party on the day that slap took place, as played by the likes of Thomas Sadoski (The Newsroom), Thandie Newton (Rogue), Brian Cox (X2), Peter Sarsgaard (The Killing), Uma Thurman (Kill Bill) and Melissa George (Hunted).

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