HBO gets its lead Dragon
Paddy Considine has been announced as the star of the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel House of The Dragon. He’ll star as King Viserys Targaryen.
As per the blurb, he was:
chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen, at the Great Council at Harrenhal. A warm, kind and decent man, Viserys only wishes to carry forward his grandfather's legacy. But good men do not necessarily make for great kings.
HBO has been good to Considine of late, with the actor recently appearing in its Stephen King series The Outsider and is currently in HBO co-production (with Sky Atlantic) The Third Day.
Source: THR
GLOW - cancelled
Beloved Netflix dramedy GLOW has been cancelled after three seasons. The show had been renewed for a fourth and had even filmed the first episode of the new season when the production was shut down due to COVID.
It won’t be returning from the shutdown, with Netflix deciding to pull the plug on the show. It cited the logistical issues in filming a show about wrestling with the need to keep its cast safe. A number of lower-budget shows have been cancelled similarly in recent weeks - the issue is that COVID safety protocols make TV shows more expensive to make, taking a lower-cost show into a significantly higher price bracket. It’s negligible on huge budget shows and movies, but is felt a lot more when looking at the numbers on a show like GLOW.
The least Netflix could do is to at least announce a GLOW movie that can wrap up the series. It doesn’t need to film immediately. There’s a pandemic. We can be patient.
Also cancelled was Netflix series Teenage Bounty Hunters. This was just a straight cancellation with no COVID factors cited.
Source: THR
Mando announces who’s putting words into his ‘mouth’
Don’t expect a diverse list of writers for the second season of The Mandalorian. Here’s the list of credited writers over the second season:
Chapter 9 – Jon Favreau
Chapter 10 – Jon Favreau
Chapter 11 – Jon Favreau
Chapter 12 – Jon Favreau
Chapter 13 – Dave Filoni
Chapter 14 – Jon Favreau
Chapter 15 – Rick Famuyiwa
Chapter 16 – Jon Favreau
Directors will include: Bryce Dallas Howard, and new directors Peyton Reed, Robert Rodriguez, and Carl Weathers.
Source: /Film
SNL audience paid. It’s the law.
The in-studio audience for SNL over the weekend were paid to attend. Due to a New York City Health Department rule currently in place due to COVID, audience members were paid to be part of the show’s cast. They received $150 each (which I assume is the minimum). The ticketing for the taping was no different to usual, with the bookings made through 1iota, which is the website that handles most TV audience bookings nowadays.
A spokesman for the state health department, Jonah Bruno, said in a statement on Monday night that “S.N.L.” had confirmed to them that it had followed the state’s reopening guidance by selecting audience members through a third-party screening and casting process and by compensating them for their time.
“There is no evidence of noncompliance,” he said, “but if any is discovered, we will refer that to local authorities for follow-up.”
A spokeswoman for “Saturday Night Live” said in an email that the show was “working closely with the Department of Health and following all of their guidelines.” The spokeswoman did not say how many members of the “S.N.L.” audience were paid.
Source: NYT
The worst TV show idea in the history of dumb ideas
The 1967 movie The Producers was about a Broadway producer who realised that they could make money with an expensive flop. Keep that in mind as I tell you about the latest TV series commissioned by Quibi. Because it’s the only way this makes any sense.
Quirky screen actor Leslie Jordan will host the new Quibi game show Squeaky Clean, which will pit three contestants against each other in two competitive cleaning competitions - Quick Scrub and The Big Clean.
Source: Variety
“Chicks dig the car”
Who doesn’t love the Batmobile? Generations have grown up with a passion for this ridiculous car and now an entire new generation of kids are about to connect with the Batmobile. That’s because the Batmobile is now the hero of a brand new kids cartoon.
Batwheels.
That’s right. The vehicles of Batman and his many caped assistants are now sentient and having adventures of their own. Join Gotham’s newest heroes - Bam (The Batmobile), the Batwheels – Bibi (The Batgirl Cycle), Red (The Redbird), Jett (The Batwing) and Buff (The Bat Truck) as they navigate the growing pains of being a newly formed super team as well as the growing pains that come with just being a kid.
Having just been created by the Batcomputer, our heroes are essentially kids with little to no life experience. This relatable and aspirational series will follow the journey of this dynamic team as they thrill and entertain with their heroic adventures as well as demonstrate to kids the value of self-confidence, friendship and teamwork.
It’s “relatable”.
Source: Deadline
The Batman - delayed
Yesterday there was speculation on a move for The Batman. Warner Bros has announced the new movie will be delayed half a year, moving from Oct 2021 to March 2022.
Source: Variety
Bee and Puppycat returns - now at Netflix
Cult animated cartoon Bee and Puppycat has been given a new lease on life with the animated series set to debut its second season at Netflix.
Michael Hirsh, CEO of Frederator Studios, the studio behind Bee and Puppycat, says:
“This is really the most unusual cartoon series out there,” he says. “It’s like Miyazaki for TV. It’s a beautiful work of art.”
That’s a pretty big statement to make.
This isn’t technically the first time the second season of the show has been released. The entire season was accidentally uploaded to Vimeo earlier this year.
Source: Polygon
TeeVee Snacks
- Noel Murray has a good review of the four Welcome To The Blumhouse movies debuting on Amazon Prime Video this month. Read: Polygon
- Nick Hayden has been appointed Head of Entertainment at the ABC. Source: TBIVision
- A Thomas and Friends feature film is underway. Source: Variety
- A docuseries from Barbara Kopple has been greenlit by Apple TV+ called The Supermodels about the 90s world of supermodelling. Source: Variety
Trailer Park
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman returns on Netflix Oct 21.
Blackpink: Light Up The Sky debuts on Netflix Oct 14.
Selena: The Series debuts on Netflix on Dec 4.
The Pack debuts on Amazon Prime Video on Nov 20.
Grand Army debuts on Netflix Oct 16.
What’s next?
