Doctor Who: Lights Out Announced

Article Images Source: BBC - Doctor Who

Holly Black sends the Twelfth Doctor on a new adventure via a thrilling short story!
The Guardian have just announced a new short story based on the BBC's beloved science-fiction drama Doctor Who. Titled "Lights Out", this mini-adventure will feature the Twelfth Doctor (as played by Peter Capaldi in the 2013 Christmas Special, "The Time of the Doctor", ahead of his début in Season Eight next month) and his regular incumbent travelling companion Clara Oswald (as played by Jenna Coleman in "Asylum of the Daleks", "The Snowman" and ultimately from "The Bells of Saint John" onwards).

The scribe of the latest addition to BBC Books' range of Doctor Who novels and assorted fiction? Holly Black. Best known as the writer of the acclaimed teen fiction series The Spiderwick Chronicles, Black follows eleven other esteemed authors including Derek Landy and Malorie Blackman who were drafted in by the publishing house last year to write monthly short stories focusing on each of the then-Eleven Doctors (before Matt Smith's departure was announced, at least) as part of the BBC's extensive 50th Anniversary celebrations. Here's what she had to say on the prospect of penning one of the first pieces of printed Twelfth Doctor fiction: "It's a huge honour to get to write a story in such an amazing science-fiction universe, one which makes for an ultimate writer's playground with its flexibility across time and space. I am a big fan of the series and the Doctor himself, our alien hero who reminds us over and over of our humanity and carries a screwdriver instead of a gun."

"Lights Out" will be published as part of Doctor Who: 12 Doctors, 12 Stories, a paperback compilation of each of the aforementioned 50th Anniversary short stories, for release in all good book retailers this October 23rd. Before that, however, Doctor Who will return with a new series of Gothic escapades on BBC One this August 23rd - check out three new promotional images from the season première, "Deep Breath", below.

The Village Season Two Première Date Announced

Source: The Telegraph

John Simm's conflicted protagonist continues his quest to Master a drinking addiction!
The BBC have today announced the UK première date of the second season of their period drama The Village. Written by Peter Moffat, the show's storylines are refreshingly unique in this day and age, only taking inspiration from real-world events rather than serving as a direct adaptation of a true story and/or a piece of acclaimed literature.

Even so, the first season wasn't without its teething problems, not least since Moffat (how strange it seems to refer to the executive producer when he shares his surname with a certain other Moffat who regularly does the rounds on BBC One) appeared uncertain as to whether he should place a primary focus on the ongoing dilemma of the Middleton family (with John Simm's Bert Middleton representing its most compelling member by far), a young adult girl who gradually became a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of a supposed psychiatrist or the programme's Great War setting. The latter issue will, with any luck, be resolved in Season Two as The Village's ongoing narrative moves to the post-war era and depicts the moral and economical consequences of the global conflict on the titular sub-region in Derbyshire, yet the matter of addressing many of the qualms which critics had with its inconsistent tone and the downright depressing nature of some of its recent storylines will need to have been a central concern in Moffat's scripting process if the Beeb are hoping to sustain their latest historical project as a long-running production.

The Village will return to BBC One with its emotionally-charged second season on Sunday August 10th at 9pm.

SDCC 2014: In Other News...

Source: Confused Matthew

Our ICYMI-style guide to all of the Comic-Con you may have overlooked!
The inevitable reality of weekend-spanning entertainment events such as Comic-Con is that keeping up-to-date with every featured panel and the plethora of announcements which each studio brings to their showing is a terrific challenge, if not damn near impossible these days. Here at On-Screen, we've done our best to showcase the reveals which took convention-goers by storm in San Diego last week, but doing so ultimately meant allowing some engaging news-bytes to temporarily fall by the wayside.

As the industry moves past Comic-Con and its vast fandom begins to anticipate those releases which are still to come this year, then, we thought it high time that we recap some of the major news which may well have slipped your notice first-time round yet which wholeheartedly warrant a look all the same. Have we peaked your curiosity yet? If so, then in the (paraphrased) words of Django Unchained's deliciously terrifying antagonist, Calvin Candy, we'll now strive to grab your attention:

• FIREFLY ONLINE CASTING DETAILS & NEW TRAILER RELEASED - Spark Plug Games and Quantum Mechanix have announced via a dedicated ComicCon event that their online RPG video game Firefly Online will feature the voices of the hit Fox series' original lead stars including Michael Fairman, Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion. Taking place in the same continuity as the classic cult TV show, Online's multi-path narrative tasks players with rounding up crew members and commandeering their starships into the depths of outer space. A new gameplay trailer for Firefly Online (which will retail on PC, Mac OS X, iOS and Android handsets in Spring 2015) can be seen at the bottom of this feature article.
• MORE MASS EFFECT 3 SEQUEL DEVELOPMENT DETAILS ANNOUNCED - One would be forgiven for assuming that after their development update at E3, BioWare would refrain from announcing further news on the in-the-works follow-up to 2012's Mass Effect 3. Quite to the contrary, though, they've gone ahead and revealed a host of new details on the project at Comic-Con such as that the Mako will return as the player's central mode of multi-terrain transport (although there'll be no weapons attached to the six-wheeled 4x4-turned-tank this time around), that the narrative's setting may be an entirely different galaxy and/or point in time to Shepherd's three adventures (with "cooperation" now apparently a central focus for BioWare) and that the product is still "years away" from release. In which case, those who've pre-ordered the title in the hope of acquiring it sometime in 2015 might want to re-consider their advance investment...
• HALO: THE MASTER CHIEF COLLECTION CINEMATIC TRAILER & HALO NIGHTFALL FIRST LOOK TEASER RELEASED - Evidently intent on promoting their one and only remaining first-party exclusive of 2014, Microsoft and 343 Industries have released a new trailer for their upcoming first-person-shooter video game compilation Halo: The Master Chief Collection based around Blur Studios' truly marvellous CGI-powered cinematic sequences. Housing graphically-enhanced HD remakes of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, the Collection will additionally feature upscaled versions of both Halo 3 and Halo 4, though fans who've picked up the latter pair of high-octane instalments would benefit from keeping in mind that neither of them will receive major technical overhauls in order to run on the Xbox One. We've even thrown in the teaser trailer for Halo: Nightfall, a compelling TV prequel to Halo 5: Guardians which will feature as part of the aforementioned package, below to send fans of all things Sierra-117 into an absolute frenzy - in the words of Guardians of the Galaxy's marketing team, you're welcome! Halo: The Master Chief Collection blasts onto One consoles everywhere this November 14th.
• SKULL ISLAND & GODZILLA 2 ANNOUNCED - Legendary Pictures mightn't have exactly had the upper hand upon their entrance into ComicCon, but that didn't stop them from announcing not one but two major franchise continuations for a pair of beloved fantastical icons. Godzilla 2 and Skull Island are both officially in-development, with the former motion picture set to be directed by upcoming Star Wars helmer Gareth Edwards and to feature classic antagonists such as Mothra, King Ghidorah and Rodan in an ambitious storyline that should pick up right where this Summer's shockingly-beloved blockbuster Godzilla left off. Meanwhile, Skull Island will probably act as a reboot for the King Kong series (which last reared its disproportionate CGI-rendered head in cinemas with a one-off instalment starring Jack Black and directed by Peter Jackson back in 2005), and more intriguingly still, may even connect with Godzilla's ongoing narrative continuity in a manner not entirely dissimilar to Marvel Studios' ludicrously successful Marvel Cinematic Universe as part of an overarching plan by Legendary to reap the same levels of acclaim as their superheroic competitor(s). Whilst Godzilla 2's official release window is still to-be-confirmed, all being well, Skull Island will commence its furious rampage in cinemas worldwide in 2016.
• DAREDEVIL BROADCAST WINDOW CONFIRMED - Just a quick tidbit of news to finish this monolithic round-up off: Daredevil, a street-level TV superhero drama which stars Charlie Cox and forms the latest small-screen addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will première its adrenaline-fuelled first season on Netflix in May 2015.

Keep it On-Screen in the weeks ahead for the latest and greatest coverage of the entertainment industry's hottest developments (not to mention those which too often go cruelly unnoticed by the majority of news sites)!

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Teaser Trailer Released

Source: IGN

Can even four armies of fantastical heroes avert the imminent destruction of Middle-Earth?
Warner Bros. Pictures have today released the full teaser trailer for their upcoming fantasy motion picture The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Resolving plot strands first established in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Peter Jackson's beloved trilogy of The Lord of the Rings film adaptations, Battle's narrative will ultimately centre on the titular conflict which sparks between four armadas (the Dwarves, the Elves, the Eagles and the race of Men) and the oncoming hordes of Orcs who were glimpsed flying Sauron's banners in the conclusion of last year's (largely mediocre) second instalment The Desolation of Smaug.

Both Unexpected and Desolation's teaser trails arguably conveyed an optimistic tone in keeping with their respective films' enduring themes of hope and the capacity of even the most (seemingly) fearful individuals amongst us to demonstrate true courage and to thus triumph over the greatest levels of adversity. In stark contrast, Battle's initial video preview is decidedly more foreboding, perhaps due to the long-emphasised fact that Middle-Earth won't necessarily be left in a sturdy position come its climax, with just six decades separating the Hobbit trilogy and The Fellowship of the Ring. The series' ongoing protagonist Bilbo Baggins notes here that one day, he'll remember those who survived the Battle and those who perished, and judging by the lack of characters whose storylines carry through from this trio of movies to The Lord of the Rings, we can all but guarantee that not everyone will make it out of this one with their heads still attached to their bodies...

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies marches to battle in UK cinemas nationwide this December 12th, then lays siege to theatres in the United States on December 17th.

Doctor Who: "Listen!" Trailer Released & Symphonic Spectacular 2015 UK Tour Announced

Source: See Tickets

There's something the Twelfth Doctor wants you to listen to - could it be composer Murray Gold's nationwide tour?
The BBC have this week released a new teaser trailer for the eighth season of their science-fiction drama Doctor Who and details on a series of events based around its music which will take place across the UK next year. Titled Doctor Who: Symphonic Spectacular, the latter tour will showcase the diverse instrumental compositions that composer Murray Gold has produced for use within the TV series since its revival in 2005. We'd expect the shows structured in a similar way to the concerts of the same name which Peter Davison and Carole Ann Ford hosted in Sydney, Australia last year as part of the programme's 50th Anniversary celebrations.

Just for you, dear readers, we've compiled a list of the six venues where the Symphonic Spectacular will rustle up an aural spectacle quite unlike any other next year:

• LONDON (THE SSE ARENA, WEMBLEY) - MAY 23RD
• CARDIFF (MOTORPOINT ARENA) - MAY 25TH
• BIRMINGHAM (THE NIA) - MAY 26TH
• LEEDS (FIRST DIRECT ARENA) - MAY 27TH
• NEWCASTLE (METRO RADIO ARENA) - MAY 28TH
• GLASGOW (THE SSE HYDRO) - MAY 29TH

On top of that announcement, the Beeb were also kind enough to provide us with a new teaser trailer for Season Eight earlier this week. The clip in question - dubbed "Listen!" by the corporation's marketing team - features the Twelfth Doctor adopting an all-encompassing view of the universe in a rather unique manner...for further explanation on the matter, our advice would be that you consult the video preview in its entirety below. Keep it On-Screen for all the latest developments on Doctor Who's upcoming episodes and the programme's future overall.

Doctor Who returns with a new series of time-travelling escapades on BBC One and in UK cinemas nationwide this August 23rd.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 Teaser Trailer Released

Source: Films Player

Prepare for the beginning of the end of Katniss' journey...or is it just the end of the beginning?
Lionsgate have today released the teaser trailer for their upcoming fantasy blockbuster The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1. Acting as a sequel to both 2011's The Hunger Games and 2013's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, this dystopian pseudo-epic once again stars Oscar-victor Jennifer Lawrence as the young and increasingly courageous Katniss Everdeen, yet also introduces newcomers such as Game of Thrones veteran Natalie Dormer and The Kids Are All Right's Julianne Moore into the delectable mixture.

After the calamitous events of Catching Fire, it's little wonder that the fictitious nation of Panem has descended into chaos by the time Part 1's climactic (well, sort of - there's still Part 2 to come, of course!) narrative kicks off, forcing Katniss to step up her role as the leader of an increasingly enraged Rebellion army which is hell-bent on punishing each and every resident of the Capitol in the most gratuitous manner possible. Quite how they'll begin to make their move remains to be seen in upcoming theatrical trailers and the final product itself, but if nothing else, this brief-yet-compelling teaser demonstrates just how many fearful civilians have already joined the cause and will fight by the Mockingjay's side when the inevitable final confrontation arrives. One question remains, however: will Katniss maintain the conviction and acceptance of necessary sacrifice that will be required of her in days to come? Finding out the answer on the big-screen this Winter is sure to be nothing short of a pleasure.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 sews the seeds of an unparalleled uprising this November 21st.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Trailer Sneak Peek Released

Source: Fandom Net News

Bilbo Baggins faces the defining moment of his life just in time for Christmas!
Warner Bros. Pictures have just released an "Official Sneak Peek" video containing clips from the impending teaser trailer for their fantasy motion picture The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Set for release later this year, the much-vaunted sequel to The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug resolves its predecessor's cliffhanger of Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch) preparing to lay siege to Laketown as an imprisoned Baird the Bowman (Luke Evans) finds himself seemingly powerless to slay his winged foe.

Although trailers-for-teaser-trailers such as this are becoming more and more common these days, we'll reserve most of our thoughts on Battle's potential for the full trailer reveal tomorrow afternoon. What we will say, however, is that the situation for Bilbo, Baird, Gandalf and other characters we've come to know and...like over the course of the first two Hobbit films could not appear much more ominous (unless the character in question's name is Azog, who looks more than ready to command an army of Orcs in the hope of overthrowing Middle-Earth's general population), and given that Battle is still just under five months away from release, anyone hoping for the overall teaser trailer to differ when it comes to the largely foreboding tone exhibited here should probably get ready to be severely disappointed...

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies lets loose the hounds of war on December 12th, 2014, whereas the teaser trailer for the film will go online far sooner - tomorrow (July 28th), in fact.

DC Entertainment SDCC 2014 News Round-Up: July 27th, 2014

Source: Twitter (@ZackSnyder)

Wonder Woman! Batman! Green Arrow! They're all present and accounted for...
Speculation was rife only a few short days ago that Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Entertainment would reveal their jam-packed slate of superhero films reportedly set to follow Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, yet unless the entire entertainment industry was looking in the other direction at the time, no such news seems to have surfaced. What we've gained instead is an expanded look at Dawn (in both static and moving form, though the latter comes thanks to a leak) as well as the multi-studio TV productions Arrow, Constantine, The Flash and Gotham.

Once you've recovered from our Marvel SDCC News Round-Up, then, prepare for the ceiling of your house to come off for a second time just as quickly as Hall H's did (metaphorically speaking) yesterday evening:

• BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE TEASER TRAILER LEAKED & NEW PROMOTIONAL IMAGE RELEASED - For Warner Bros., the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice situation can be summed up at present with the following idiom: "I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?" The positive news is that the studio revealed their character design for Wonder Woman via a smashing promotional image (above) to great acclaim at their panel last night, only for the teaser trailer which they showed in strict confidence to attendees to then leak online this morning (we've provided a video of it below, but can't say for certain that it won't be taken down by Warner - suffice to say that this is their bad news!). In case you missed the countless memes, tweets and social media posts last night, the teaser showed an armour-clad Batman switching on the iconic Batsignal in Gotham City, an action which soon prompted the arrival of an enraged Superman, the latter of whom's laser eyes were trained on Bruce Wayne's knightly alter-ego already...is it 2016 yet? Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice shows viewers the light in cinemas worldwide on April 29th, 2016.
• ARROW SEASON THREE TEASER TRAILER RELEASED - The video should speak for itself in this instance, but we'll at least hint that the teaser trailer for Arrow Season Three (below, released by Warner Bros. TV earlier this week and forged by US broadcaster The CW) is nothing short of phenomenal, packing glimpses of Arsenal, Black Canary, Amanda Waller, Felicity, Diggle, the Arrow and - most intriguing of all - Ra's Al Ghul, the central villain of the new series. Arrow will return to The CW with a bang this October 8th and to Sky1 this Autumn.
• TWO NEW LEGO BATMAN 3: BEYOND GOTHAM GAMEPLAY TRAILERS RELEASED - TT Games have concocted the perfect means by which we can celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Batman - that's right, by including a 1960s-themed level based on the classic Adam West Batman TV series (narrated by West, no less) in LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham! Check out the two new game-play trailers for the upcoming sequel to LEGO Batman 2: DC Superheroes below if you're up for discovering which new and old characters are entering the fray, how the 1960s homage sequence functions and why this latest LEGO title appears to be one of the franchise's most potent offerings yet. LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham breaks through the Earth's atmosphere and onto PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo WiiU, Nintendo 3DS, Apple devices and PC this Autumn.

Our Comic-Con and DC coverage is far from done, so be sure to keep it On-Screen in the days ahead for more info, videos and expert opinions...

The YouTube video included above is the property of SOLDIERBOY.

Marvel SDCC 2014 News Round-Up: July 27th, 2014

Source: Digital Spy

New movies, new promo images and new details are here in abundance...
As expected, both Marvel Studios and DC Entertainment have been absolutely relentless at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, revealing announcement after announcement after announcement on a daily basis. We're planning to cover both companies' plentiful offerings today, beginning with what Stan Lee's esteemed successors had to say in the illustrious Hall H yesterday evening in front of hundreds of fans.

From Guardians of the Galaxy to Ant-Man, from Avengers: Age of Ultron to Agent Carter, virtually none of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's (immediate) future offerings were left unmentioned, and we've got all of the latest news on each and every one of the aforementioned projects right here, right now!

• NEW AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON PROMOTIONAL POSTER RELEASED & SECOND TEASER TRAILER DETAILS REVEALED - The keen-eyed amongst you will doubtless have noticed the spectacular concept-art from Avengers: Age of Ultron which can be found above. Marvel Studios débuted this crowded image over the course of Thursday, Friday and Saturday, gradually unveiling separate posters featuring the vast majority of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes who'll battle the titular robotic antagonist in the much-anticipated follow-up to 2012's Avengers Assemble. Better yet, Avengers devotees received a first proper look at Age in the form of a second bombastic teaser trailer which aired in Hall H last night, although we can only tease you with elements such as Iron Man battling the Hulk in his aptly-named Hulkbuster gear and Tony Stark standing over the seemingly deceased bodies of his superheroic allies in the midst of a devastating final confrontation with Ultron, as the trailer itself has yet to be released online and word has it that Guardians won't echo Captain America: The First Avenger in containing a video preview for the MCU's next (and by far its most-anticipated) instalment. Avengers: Age of Ultron assembles in cinemas worldwide on April 29th, 2015.
• FIRST ANT-MAN PROMOTIONAL POSTER RELEASED & NEW GUEST STARS ANNOUNCED - Despite having lost its acclaimed previous director Edgar Wright due to creative difficulties between him and Marvel Studios, Ant-Man appears to still be going strong, with comedy helmer Peyton Reed now set to bring the iconic comic-book character to life for the first time (on the big-screen, at least) and both Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas still in tow as its lead stars. As well as launching a concept-art poster (which can be seen below and features absolutely uncanny renditions of Rudd's Scott Lang and Douglas' Hank Pym), the studio announced at their Comic-Con panel yesterday that Evangeline Lily (best known for superbly portraying Tauriel in Peter Jackson's three-part cinematic adaptation of The Hobbit) will play Hope Pym (the daughter of Hank - the original Ant-Man before Lang - and the Wasp) and Corey Stoll will take on the role of Yellowjacket (who assumes dictator-esque control of Pym's company through his human alter-ego Darren Cross, forcing Pym to enlist Lang in order to stop Cross acquiring vital experimental particles) in the new version of the controversial motion picture. Ant-Man crawls into cinemas across the world on July 17th, 2015.
• GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 & DISNEY INFINITY (2.0 EDITION) GUARDIANS PLAY SET ANNOUNCED - For all its bombast (trust us, no-one could claim it lacked ambition), Marvel Studios' Comic-Con panel did come up rather light when it came to announcements regarding what lies beyond the known frontiers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, refusing to reveal which movie will accompany Captain America 3 in cinemas in 2016 or any other superhero flicks coming our way in 2017-2019...save for one. Just days ahead of its predecessor's UK première (July 31st, for those wondering), Guardians of the Galaxy 2 was confirmed to be in development for a July 28th, 2017 release, with James Gunn attached as its director and Chris Pratt its continual lead star. The Guardians fun didn't even end there, either: Disney Interactive Studios revealed earlier this week that a Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes (2.0 Edition) Play Set will be themed exclusively around Tomorrow's Avengers fighting Ronan the Accuser on the mysterious planet of Knowhere! Disney Infinity (2.0 Edition) will explode onto Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Nintendo WiiU, Nintendo 3DS, iOS and PC with its Marvel Super Heroes range this September 19th, and to sate your appetites, a trailer for the Guardians Play Set (which comes bundled with Star-Lord and Gamora action figures for use with the signature Infinity character portal) can be seen below...
• AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. SEASON TWO TEASER TRAILER & PLOT / CASTING DETAILS RELEASED - Not ones to let a prime marketing opportunity go to waste, Marvel Studios and ABC both hosted a panel discussing the future of the former's TV output. First up on the agenda was Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., an increasingly audacious detective drama which received its teaser trailer (starring Patton Oswalt in the guise of multiple Koenigs!) and some more plot and casting details as well. Joining Agents' cast as recurring guest stars in Season Two are Reed Diamond (who previously starred in Joss Whedon's Dollhouse yet will now play the season's central antagonist, Daniel Whitehall, a character better known to fans of the Secret Warriors arc as the ruthless Kraken), Lucy Lawless (who's a highly-regarded S.H.I.E.L.D. veteran in the show) and Nick Blood (who'll portray a no-nonsense STRIKE agent named Lance Hunter), and as if all of that info wasn't enough, the previously-mentioned trail even hints that the beloved Marvel Comics superhero Mockingbird will feature somewhere down the line in the next run. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns to ABC this September 23rd, with a UK broadcast window still to be announced by Channel 4.
• AGENT CARTER PLOT & PRODUCTION DETAILS ANNOUNCED - There's a decent while to go yet before Marvel's Agent Carter hits our screens, but that apparently didn't stop ABC from going ahead and announcing new details on narrative elements and the initial directors of the show's opening season. Taking place in 1946, two of Season One's first four episodes will be directed by Captain America: The Winter Soldier helmers Anthony and Joe Russo, whilst another is intended to be led by Joe Johnston (who directed Captain America: The First Avenger), with all of these instalments said to feature none other than Howard Stark (a character who may or may not appear...no, just kidding, we're sure he will)'s butler Edward Jarvis, whose voice presumably formed the inspiration for Howard's son Tony's AI system J.A.R.V.I.S. Hayley Atwell will also return (as if there was ever any real doubt in our minds regarding the possibility) as the series' titular ass-kicking non-super hero Peggy Carter, and to top all of this news surrounding her latest small-screen project off, the thespian recently confirmed that Peggy Carter will appear in a flashback sequence in Avengers: Age of Ultron - bring it on, we say! Marvel's Agent Carter will première on ABC in January 2015.
• X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST DVD & BLU-RAY UK RELEASE DATE ANNOUNCED - Neither The Fantastic Four nor X-Men: Apocalypse showed up in 20th Century Fox's SDCC panel, but the studio were kind enough to inform us this week that their recent X-blockbuster X-Men: Days of Future Past will time travel into all good UK DVD and Blu-Ray retailers this November 14th.

Marvel Studios, 20th Century Fox and Sony Pictures will surely have a lot more to tell us about their future superhero film and TV projects as the year goes on, and we can personally guarantee that no better place exists for readers to stay up-to-date on all of the latest reveals than right here at On-Screen!

Source: Sky News

SDCC 2014: New Game of Thrones Season Five Central Cast Members Announced

Source: Entertainment Weekly

More players are moving into the limelight to fill the gaps left by lost heroes...
HBO have today announced several new actors who have signed on to play pivotal roles in the fifth season of their hit fantasy drama Game of Thrones. Based on the events of George R.R. Martin's dense novels A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons (albeit pretty loosely), the next series of the long-running programme will introduce much-vaunted locations in Westeros such as the kingdoms of Dorne and Bravos.

Those kingdoms will naturally need populating, though, and that's where these especially lucky thespians come in. Each of them will portray characters who fans of Martin's literary texts have been waiting a long time to see depicted on-screen, which means there's pressure aplenty on them to present viewers with accomplished performance and maximise their fidelity towards the source material (whether the latter aspect should matter is of course still an intensely debated topic). Here's the full list of Season Five's new central cast members and their respective roles:

• Alexander Siddig (Kingdom of Heaven; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) plays Doran Martell
• Toby Sebastian (After the Dark) plays Trystane Martell
• Nell Tiger Free (Endeavour) plays Myrcella Baratheon
• DeObia Oparei (Moulin Rouge; Doom) plays Areo Hotah
• Enzo Clienti (Kick-Ass 2; Guardians of the Galaxy) plays Yezzan
• Jessica Henwick (The Thick of It; Silk) plays Nymeria Sand
• Rosabell Laurenti Sellers (Memories of Anne Frank; The Whistleblower) plays Tyrene Sand
• Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider; Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith) plays Obara Sand
• Jonathan Price (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl-At World's End (Governor Weatherby Swann)) plays the High Sparrow 

A trailer featuring video interviews with each of the nine newly-cast stars can be seen below. Game of Thrones returns to HBO and Sky Atlantic for its devastating fifth season in Spring 2015.

Doctor Who: "Deep Breath" Cinema Screening & Season Eight Episode Details Announced

"Clara, be my pal, tell me - am I a good man?" The answer will be revealed on the big-screen!
BBC Worldwide have today announced a worldwide series of cinema screenings of the first episode of Doctor Who's explosive eighth season, while executive producer Steven Moffat has revealed new details on each of the episodes which comprise the show's impending run. Starring Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman, the new series picks up precisely where the 2013 Christmas Special, "The Time of the Doctor", left off, as the just-regenerated Twelfth Doctor and his companion Clara find themselves hurtling off-course in the TARDIS to an unknown destination in space and time (although that's admittedly the premise for just about every episode in Doctor Who's history!).

As dedicated Whovians can probably imagine, there's a lot of information to cover in this particular article, so without further ado, we'll kick off proceedings with details of the aforementioned big-screen conversion of "Deep Breath". In a similar vein to "The Day of the Doctor", the 75-minute season opener will be shown in cinemas the world over at the same time as the BBC One broadcast (and international broadcasts in the days following August 23rd), although the precise list of theatres set to play host to the event has yet to be officially revealed. We'd hope that it would go without saying, though, that as soon as more news on Doctor Who's cinematic situation emerges, you'll find it in its accessible entirety right here at On-Screen.

Moving on, the Moff has evidently been an extremely busy man of late, providing a host of insightful teasers regarding what's to come in Season Eight for both SFX and Doctor Who Magazine. Read on below to discover exactly what the Sherlock and Who show-runner had to say on Capaldi's much-anticipated début tales:

• "DEEP BREATH"
• "It's a huge introductory show. What if your best friend was somebody else? It's really about Clara trying to cope with that - and whether or not she even likes who he is, mixed in with a truly terrifying monster." (SFX)
• "INTO THE DALEK"
•  "We've done a really good Dalek one by saying they're nasty. It's actually quite a gritty Dalek adventure. We go without question into the most dangerous place in the universe - the last place the Doctor should be, and you will know that by the end of the pre-titles..." (SFX)
• "Oh, it's a proper blockbuster, this episode. So many explosions that Peter Capaldi came in on his day off to watch the Daleks blowing up." (DWM)
• "ROBOTS OF SHERWOOD"
• "It's the Doctor meets Robin Hood. And it's about being a hero. The Doctor's going through a period of his life where he's worrying about whether he counts as a good man...It's very, very funny. Every single thing you want in a good Robin Hood is going to be there." (SFX)
• "A glorious, heart-filling, action-packed romp, with a truly stellar guest performance from Tom Riley - it's like all of Summer in 45 minutes, with sword fights." (DWM)
• "LISTEN"
• "A complete departure for me in terms of writing Doctor Who. A tiny guest cast, no CGI. It's the story of a date and the Doctor having appears to be a mild nervous breakdown. [...] Essentially, it's downtime for the Doctor. But don't worry, it involves a monster." (SFX)
• "TIME HEIST"
• "It's like a heist movie done with Doctor Who. It's got a cracking monster in it, one of Neill Gorton's finest creations. And Keeley Hawes." (SFX)
• "I think this episode has the best pre-titles of the lot." (DWM)
• EPISODE 6
• "An absolute hoot of an episode with some surprisingly serious bits in it. If you did know somebody like the Doctor, and you did think it was okay to slip away with him, what effect would that have on your life? What would that do to the people around you? I sit and watch this one to cheer myself up." (SFX)
  "We thought it would be fun to try something similar [to "The Lodger", also written by this episode's scribe, Gareth Roberts]. Not that similar, mind - but character-driven, funny, with our hero bumping against the real world. Plus a cool robot, obviously. This episode also has the best pre-titles ever." (DWM)
• EPISODE 7
• "Proper drama. [...] It's probably quite a big statement of where we are now with the show. [...] It's very strong. And there's a callback to a past episode. Sort of. You'll see." (SFX)
• "This is Doctor Who at its most intense and dramatic, with scares and huge ideas, and probably my single favourite scene in the whole run this year. It's the final scene, between Clara and the Doctor, in the TARDIS, if you're wondering - you won't miss it, trust me. Thrilling stuff. Peter [Harness, the writer of Episode 7] is about to remind you that the Doctor isn't a hero every day - brace yourselves." (DWM)
• "MUMMY ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS"
• "Brilliant script. Brilliant idea for a monster. It looks stunning, in a very glamorous way. And it has Foxes singing. There's a callback to something from Matt's first series. Sometimes, I play a long game. And sometimes I just think "We never actually tied that off...shall we just go and sort that now?" [...] I like the idea that the Doctor takes that long. "Yes, I'll be there in a moment!" Several years later..." (SFX)
• "Jamie [Mathieson] has written two barn-storming, brilliant episodes this year."
• "FLATLINE"
• "It's a horror story. It starts off with a very cute idea and becomes really quite frightening by the end. [...] A proper scary one, with one of our best ever sight gags in it." (SFX)
• "CHILD'S PLAY"
• "It's a beautiful script: it's really lyrical and poetic, and boldly so. A fairytale, but not in the sense that I've tended to write a fairytale. Heartfelt, eloquent, quite, quite different. The main visual idea of it is so clever. I think it's going to be a stunner." (SFX)
• "Frank [Cottrell Boyce, the man behind the sensational script for the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony]'s writing is so lyrical, visual and imaginative. [...] A new voice for the show, a new approach. Just when you think there are no new Doctor Who stories, along comes this." (DWM)
• EPISODES 11 & 12
• "The finale. Quite a strong emotional story to this. It's about Clara and the Doctor and the fact that the way they interact might not be healthy for everyone around them. That sounds very bleak, but don't worry, there's lots of nonsense in it too. It's high-octane action adventure, with Cybermen. And some proper UNIT stuff." (SFX)

Doctor Who will return in cinemas worldwide and on BBC One with its ambitious season opener, "Deep Breath", on August 23rd.

First Arrow Season Three Promotional Image Released

Source: Green Arrow TV

Green Arrow, the Flash, Firestorm and the Atom have even more company in the budding superhero department - meet Arsenal!
The CW have this week released the first promotional image for the impending third season of their critically lauded superhero drama Arrow. Based loosely on DC's classic graphic novels, the series chronicles the rise of the Green Arrow from a scorned vigilante to the solitary defender of Starling City.

Well, we say solitary, but that's not entirely true. Colton Haynes plays Thea Queen's ex-boyfriend Roy Harper on the show, and as fans will certainly have ascertained from the new promotional pic (left), the character will be taking on his beloved superhero mantle of Arsenal in Season Three. Although some may be disappointed by the lack of originality present in the character's costume design with relation to the Arrow's attire, the latter's clothing has developed considerably over the course of two seasons, and it stands to reason that Arsenal will gradually stand apart from his inspiration (aesthetically and quite possibly morally) as the latest run progresses!

Arrow returns to The CW with its game-changing third season this October 8th, and will be back on Sky1 here in the UK during the Autumn.

Fifty Shades of Grey Teaser Trailer Released

Source: Wikipedia

Do we even need to include a 'Not Suitable for Work' warning on this occasion?
Universal Pictures have today released the full teaser trailer for their upcoming romantic drama film Fifty Shades of Grey. A direct adaptation of the somehow absurdly popular 2011 E.L. James novel of the same infamous name, Fifty Shades depicts the frisky escapades of a young literature student who falls hopelessly in love with a control-obsessed businessman, forcing them both to confront their own pasts and desires in the most obscenely erotic manner possible.

No, seriously, this is not a film that warrants family viewing from a moral perspective - think Game of Thrones, but with less violence and more of...the other stuff. To its credit, the piece has attracted its fair share of up-and-coming stars including Kick-Ass' Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Once Upon a Time's Jamie Dornan and even the best-loved British pop artist Rita Ora (why on Earth are you asking us if we're joking?) to its ensemble of otherwise-unknown yet undoubtedly potent central cast members. Check out the trailer for yourself below...if you haven't already chosen a side of the fence to stand on, that is. You'll hear nothing from us either way regarding whether or not this is a shallow cash-in on an extremely underwhelming literary text which doesn't remotely deserve the kind of attention it has received. Nothing at all...

Fifty Shades of Grey opens the door to its bedroom in cinemas worldwide on February 14th, 2015. Our severe condolences go out to any boyfriends unlucky enough to be dragged along to a screening.

New Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Promotional Image Released

Source: Twitter (@ZackSnyder)

What better way could there be to celebrate your 75th birthday than with a new incarnation?
Director Zack Snyder has today released a new promotional image for Warner Bros. Pictures' upcoming superhero crossover film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Starring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill as its respective titular justice-upholding protagonists, Dawn is a spiritual successor to the 2013 reboot Man of Steel which continues to broaden the DC Cinematic Universe with new characters and storyline developments.

In case you missed it (and we wouldn't blame you, since we chose not to post it due to the sheer lack of new info that could be gleaned), Snyder's new design for the iconic cape and cowl traditionally worn by the Dark Knight was revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con's Preview Night yesterday and can be seen below this text. The picture above is what has got us truly ecstatic to see more of Dawn, though, as it's our first colourised glimpse of Affleck's incarnation (who, judging by his current brooding expression, won't mark too much of a deviation from the version established in Christopher Nolan's acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy) in all of his menacing glory. Could it be that this sly marketing reveal is in fact a subtle prelude to a major announcement or six from Warner Bros. this weekend regarding the character's immediate future? Only time (and DC Entertainment) will tell...

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice collides with UK cinemas nationwide on April 29th, 2016.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Doctor Who: 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition DVD & Blu-Ray Boxset Announced

Source: BBC Shop

Witness the Doctor's defining adventures in one definitive package!
BBC Worldwide have today announced via Doctor Who Magazine the development of a new limited edition Doctor Who DVD and Blu-Ray box-set set to release this Autumn. Titled Doctor Who: 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition, the compilation will bring together many of the acclaimed programmes which were broadcast in the midst of the hit science-fiction drama's 50th Anniversary celebrations last November.

It's about time too, as so far this year, there's been no sign of a retail release for the exemplary other 50th Special "The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot", the nostalgic documentary 'Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide' or 'Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty' (just kidding, of course - the Beeb know well enough to keep that one away from fans' still-recovering eyes for a long time and so haven't included it here). Here's a full list of each and every episode, mini-episode, script readthrough, BBC Proms broadcast and documentary which will comprise the package's extensive offerings:

• "The Name of the Doctor" (45 minutes)
• "The Night of the Doctor" (8 minutes)
• "The Day of the Doctor" (76 minutes)
• "The Time of the Doctor" (60 minutes)
• 'An Adventure in Space & Time' (90 minutes)
• "The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot" (30 minutes)
• 'Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide' (120 minutes)
• 'The Science of Doctor Who' (60 minutes)
• 'Doctor Who Proms 2013' (60 minutes)
• "The Last Day" (4 minutes)
• "The Day of the Doctor Exclusive Readthrough" (Running time TBC)
• "The Day of the Doctor Cinema Intros" (4 minutes approx)
• Behind-The-Scenes Docs For "The Name of the Doctor", "The Day of the Doctor" and "The Time of the Doctor" (10 minutes approx each)
• 'Tales from the TARDIS' (BBC America documentary, 60 minutes)
• 'Farewell to Matt Smith' (BBC America documentary, 60 minutes)

Only 6,000 Blu-Rays and 4,000 DVDs of Doctor Who: 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition will be released on September 8th, so fans hoping to pick up a copy would be best advised to pre-order it at BBC Shop.

Third Marvel Studios 2018 Superhero Film Release Date Announced

Source: Gamingholic

Can I get an "Exelcisor!"? Ah, well, it was worth a shot.
Marvel Studios have just announced the official release date of a third Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film coming to cinemas in four years' time. The majority of the motion pictures which will comprise Phase Three of the best-selling Avengers franchise of blockbusters (the release dates for many of which were announced last week) have yet to be named, but it seems all but guaranteed that the aforementioned 2018 flick will be amongst them.

Where and when will announcements of their titles and protagonists arrive? The studio's impending San Diego Comic-Con panel (coming this Saturday) is as safe a bet as any, particularly as DC Entertainment are suspected to announce that half a dozen new films set in the same narrative continuity as Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will land in cinemas shortly after the latter film's worldwide release in May 2016. That Sony have played their hand by revealing official release windows for both Sinister Six and The Amazing Spider-Man 3 today is only going to place more pressure on Marvel Studios to deliver, but somehow, we sincerely doubt that they're especially worried, what with the unparalleled support of their increasingly extensive fandom.

A new untitled Marvel Studios motion picture will be released in cinemas worldwide on May 4th, 2018 (and accompanied by two other MCU films that year on July 6th, 2018 and November 2nd, 2018).

Sherlock: Chronicles Announced

Source: Amazon.co.uk

Sherlock is coming back to BBC One this year! Just kidding, but this is the next best thing...
BBC Books have today announced the publication of Sherlock: Chronicles for release later this year. A hardback behind-the-scenes reference book comprising 320 pages, Chronicles will detail the production of each of the 90-minute episodes of the BBC's critically acclaimed detective drama which have aired on BBC One so far, including "A Study in Pink", "The Reichenbach Fall" and "The Sign of Three" as well as the 2013 festive mini-episode "Many Happy Returns".

By now, it should be pretty darn obvious that we here at On-Screen welcome any sign of new Sherlock releases, whatever form they may take, and suffice to say that we're once again on the edge of our seats at this very moment in anticipation of what's to come in this particular tome. Here's the official synopsis for Chronicles: "A visually stunning and comprehensive guide to the hit BBC series, Sherlock: Chronicles tells the full story of the show as you've never seen it before.

"Packed with exclusive unseen material, including all-new interviews with the cast and crew, this is Sherlock from the ground up: from story and script development to casting, sets, costumes, props, music and more. Each episode of the spectacular three series is remembered by those who made it, from the show's dazzling début in "A Study in Pink" to this year's breathtaking finale, "His Last Vow". Featuring over 500 images of concept artwork, photographs, costume and set designs, and more, Chroncles is the ultimate celebration for Sherlock fans everywhere."

Sherlock: Chronicles will be released in all good UK book retailers this October 23rd.

First The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Promotional Poster Released

Source: Twitter (@TheHobbitMovie)

If it wasn't already obvious, Baird the Bowman has a fight like no other on his hands!
Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema have today revealed the first promotional poster for their upcoming fantasy movie The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Directed by Peter Jackson and starring the likes of Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen, the long-awaited conclusion to the studio's three-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic The Lord of the Rings prequel novel will depict Smaug's attack on Laketown and the subsequent outbreak of a war which will ultimately decide the imminent fate of Middle-Earth as its residents know it.

As any reader with eyes will probably have noticed, the spectacular San Diego Comic-Con concept art (left) pays homage to the former set-piece in its bombastic rendition of an enraged Smaug (voiced here by Benedict Cumberbatch) descending towards Baird (Luke Evans) whilst leaving a storm of fire in his wake. If this is even slightly indicative of the scale of Battle's action and drama, then we should be in for a massive treat this Winter. If not, well, the trolls of the internet are always lying in wait to add further fuel to their increasingly faint fires.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies comes flying out of the frying pan and into the fire this December 12th in UK cinemas nationwide.

Sinister Six & The Amazing Spider-Man 3 Release Windows Announced

Source: Very Aware

His Greatest Battle Continues...albeit not as rapidly as we were led to anticipate.
Sony Pictures have today announced the release schedule for their upcoming superhero blockbusters Sinister Six and The Amazing Spider-Man 3. Whereas the latter piece will presumably act as a direct continuation of the multi-faceted narrative which was first established in the 2011 reboot The Amazing Spider-Man and incorporated three new antagonists earlier this year in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the former is an entirely different proposition altogether, taking the form of a spin-off that purportedly centres on six iconic villains from Spider-Man comic-book lore (each of whom were hinted at in the credits of this April's divisive instalment).

By no means did the confirmed production of these two motion pictures appear particularly probable until today, however. Why, just last week, Roberto Orci confirmed that he was no longer on screenwriting duties for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and that Sony's plans for the franchise's immediate future were anything but concrete. Rumours have naturally circulated for months to the extent that if nothing else, it's relieving to gain a sense of closure by knowing that Sinister Six will 'grace' our screens in two years' time (battling Avatar 2 in the process, so good luck to it!) and The Amazing Spider-Man 3 will do the same two further years down the line (so much for the annualized franchise, eh?), although those who are sticking with the series have their fair share of work to do between now and then if they're hoping for higher-than-lukewarm future reviews.

Sinister Six will stage its first heist in cinemas worldwide on November 11th, 2016 and The Amazing Spider-Man 3 will swing onto the big-screen in 2018.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Sequel Release Date Announced

Source: Fanpop

And this image sums up our overall reaction to the news perfectly...
Walt Disney Pictures have today announced the global release date of the upcoming fifth instalment in their Pirates of the Caribbean franchise of historical fantasy films. Originally scheduled to sail into cinemas next year, the follow-up to On Stranger Tides is now set to make its big-screen début half a dozen years after its predecessor's original cinematic release, pitting itself against blockbusters such as The Wolverine 3, The LEGO Movie 2 and Despicable Me 3 this time around.

Though there's no official confirmation of central cast members for the next chapter in the studio's much-discussed announcement on Twitter, it doesn't take the presence of Tia Dalma in the room for us to predict that Johnny Depp will reprise his role as the beloved (though less so these days!) wise-cracking swashbuckler Captain Jack Sparrow alongside Kevin McNally (Gibbs) and quite possibly Geoffrey Rush (Barbossa). Quite whether the new Pirates will match the strength of the original trilogy of (mostly) light-hearted and fast-paced motion pictures and simultaneously dissolve the wretch-inducing taste On Stranger Tides left in our mouths back in 2011 is another matter entirely, though - stay tuned as we chart a course with director Jerry Bruckheimer into (ideally) uncharted waters, for better or for worse...

The fifth instalment in the Pirates of the Caribbean series will tumble into cinemas worldwide via a spinning water-wheel on July 7th, 2017.

Battlefield Hardline & Dragon Age: Inquisition Delayed

Source: Battlefield Official Blog

Battlefield's reign as an annual franchise was extremely short...
Visceral Games and BioWare have today announced delays in the release schedules of Electronic Arts' upcoming modern first-person-shooter Battlefield Hardline and third-person fantasy RPG Dragon Age: Inquisition respectively. Both products were presented with official release dates at EA's E3 2014 press showcase, yet the reality apparently is that neither of them were necessarily as near to completion as their developers might originally have hoped us to believe.

That Hardline has moved out of the 2014 video game release slate altogether will surely come as a tough blow for EA, not least since the publishers appeared to intend for Battlefield to become an annualized franchise with the release of Battlefield 4 in 2013 and the aforementioned spin-off a year later. Whilst we can't confess ourselves to be major fans of Dragon Age, with no launch expected for Mass Effect 4 until at least late 2015, Inquisition's setback will still mark a crying shame for fans of all things BioWare.

The reasons for said delays, we hear you ask? Well, who better to explain than Visceral and BioWare themselves? Read on to discover the truth behind Hardline and Inquisition's immediate future:

• VISCERAL ON BATTLEFIELD HARDLINE'S DELAY - "Visceral Games [..] learned a lot from players [of the E3 beta] about what they wanted in the game. [...] This feedback [...] spurred us to start thinking about other [...] ways we could push Hardline innovation further and make the game even better. [...] However, there was only one problem. We would need more time. Time that we didn't have if we decided to move forward with launching in just a couple of months. We decided that the right thing to do was to take more time to ensure Hardline is the best, most innovative Battlefield experience we can give to you, our fans."
• BIOWARE ON DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION'S DELAY - "I'm [executive producer Mark Darrah] priviliged to be a part of a team that has been working very hard to surpass every measure they've set for themselves. That has meant completing huge amounts of game content, fixing bugs both big and small, and improving the overall experience. This last bit of time is about polishing the experience we want you to see. Ensuring that our open spaces are as engaging as possible. Strengthening the emotional impact of the Hero's choices. And ensuring the experience you get is the best it can be on the platform you choose to play on. Thank you again for your patience and support!"

Dragon Age: Inquisition will do what nobody expects on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC this November 21st and Battlefield Hardline will blast onto Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in early 2015.

Doctor Who: The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot Sequel Production Update Revealed

Source: The Gallifrey Times

"What's the use of a good plot if you can't change it?" - Thankfully, this seems to be Peter Davison's guiding mantra.
Lead star Colin Baker has today confirmed the production status of the proposed follow-up to Peter Davison's beloved other 50th Anniversary Special, Doctor Who: The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot. Directed by and starring Davison, the 30-minute video (which also featured Baker and The Hobbit's Sylvester McCoy) was an instant smash-hit with fans and will apparently be released as part of a 50th Anniversary Special Edition DVD and Blu-Ray box-set in the not too distant future.

That said, it transpires that rumours that a sequel to Five(ish) was already in production have been more than a little exaggerated. Speaking to Flicks and the City, Baker had the following sentiments to pass on: "All I know is when I last spoke to Peter the reaction to Five(ish) Doctors has been so positive that we discussed whether it was a good idea to do another one and we agreed that we didn't want to do one that was a pale imitation of the first. That would be anti-climactic. We have to come up with a really good idea first. There's a couple of possibilities floating around, but nothing is set in stone. Clearly doing one about the 51st Anniversary isn't going to be interesting. It's got to be about something else." Davison's decision not to immediately commission a sequel (although we're sure that the BBC wouldn't decline under any circumstances given Five(ish)'s success) earns him a good deal of credit in our books, despite the fact that the notion of seeing him reunite with Baker and McCoy for a secondary send-off does initially sound like televisual gold waiting to be uncovered.

Keep it On-Screen for all of the latest details on Doctor Who's visceral eighth season, which is set to première on BBC One and BBC America this August 23rd.

Road To San Diego Comic-Con News Round-Up: July 22nd, 2014

Source: TV Guide

The biggest event of 2014 (for comic-book fans, anyway) is here!
With the San Diego Comic-Con literally just around the corner (or over the page, in graphic novel terms), there's naturally been a plethora of tantalising announcements from a variety of studios to tease what's to come in two days' time. So many details have emerged, in fact, that we're resurrecting our traditional semi-regular compilation article format to celebrate, Coulson-style.

In other words, if readers have yet to fully grasp how eager they should be to reach the end of the week, then now's the best time to rectify that calamitous mistake:

• MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. & MARVEL'S AGENT CARTER PROMOTIONAL POSTER REVEALED - ABC have this week unveiled a crossover promotional poster (above) for their upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe TV dramas Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Marvel's Agent Carter. Starring Clark Gregg and Hayley Atwell as their beloved non-superheroic protagonists, the two shows aren't particularly likely to receive direct crossover episodes due to their narratives taking place over half a century apart (S.H.I.E.L.D. is set in modern-day America, whereas Carter explores the US of A in its World War Two guise), but that's hardly relevant in light of the sheer thrill that comes with seeing their characters share the metaphorical screen in the aforementioned preview pic. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns for its action-packed season season on September 23rd, while Marvel's Agent Carter will solve its first case on ABC in January 2015.
• NEW THE SIMPSONS / FAMILY GUY GUEST STARS & PRODUCTION DETAILS ANNOUNCED - 20th Century Fox recently announced several new guest stars set to feature in the next seasons of their hit animated comedy series The Simpsons and Family Guy. The former programme (which will crossover with Family Guy in the latter's season première) programme will play host to Jane Fonda (The Newsroom), Sarah Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Show), David Hyde Pierce (Frasier), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), Matthew Sweet and William Dafoe (Spider-Man; The Fault in our Stars), along with the central cast of Futurama, all of whom have returned for a (currently untitled) crossover episode of The Simpsons and Futurama, and as if all of that news weren't enough, showrunner Al Jean revealed at TCA 2014 that the opening episode of Season 26 (better known as the instalment which features the death of a still-to-be-revealed-but-fairly-obvious character) will be called "Clown in the Dumps". Hilarious, right...? Moving on, joining the Family Guy cast at varying intervals in Season 12 are Liam Neeson (Taken; The LEGO Movie), Allison Janney (Mom) and Julie Bowen (Modern Family). The Simpsons and Family Guy will commence their reigns of contrived comedy once more on Fox this September 28th.
• MORE GOTHAM SEASON ONE PLOT DETAILS ANNOUNCED - Speaking at the TCA 2014 panel for Fox's impending detective drama Gotham, executive producer Bruno Heller had these brief but thought-provoking comments to offer on Season One: "The first year is very much about the rise of The Penguin and his titanic struggle with [gang-owner] Fish Mooney. She's a new part of the mythology." There you have it - although he'll apparently be teased, it turns out that the Joker won't be the primary antagonist of the series' initial run! Gotham débuts with "Pilot" on Fox this September 22nd.
• STAR WARS: REBELS EXTENDED TV TRAILER RELEASED - Walt Disney Pictures have just released the second extended TV trailer for their impending animated science-fiction series Star Wars: Rebels. Set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, Rebels will depict the troubled origins of the Rebel Alliance and, it seems, re-introduce one of the Star Wars franchise's central characters back into the mix as early as its pilot episode. Check out the trailer below ahead of the show's (presumably) announcement-packed Comic-Con panel this weekend. Star Wars: Rebels will jump out of hyperspace and onto Disney XD with a feature-length special this Autumn.

Keep it On-Screen as the week progresses and more and more major announcements land on the internet fresh from the San Diego Comic-Con showfloor!

UPDATE (22-07-14, 11.30pm) - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. exec producers Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen have just added another exciting detail regarding Season Two into the fray. Cobie Smulders will reprise her role as Maria Hill (who's also set to feature amongst the hefty character ensemble for Avengers: Age of Ultron) in a recurring guest star capacity, with the frequency and total number of scheduled appearances still to be confirmed. Agents returns this September 23rd on ABC.

First Jurassic World Promotional Poster Revealed

Source: Twitter (@colintrevorrow)

We're going to need a bigger Jeep!
Director Colin Trevorrow has today released a digital image of the first promotional poster for Universal Pictures' upcoming fantasy blockbuster Jurassic World. A continuation of the cult Jurassic Park franchise of big-screen adventures, its narrative picks up over two decades after we left Isla Nublar and its neighbouring isles (Islas?) with Guardians of the Galaxy's Chris Pratt and Spider-Man 3's Bryce Dallas Howard leading the charge as everyone's favourite prehistoric beasts reawaken and threaten the sanctity of everyone in their vicinity...again!

Don't take that as a pessimistic comment on World's potential from us, though: there's undoubtedly a pleasurable air of nostalgia demonstrated by the concept art-themed teaser poster (which will be made available to San Diego Comic-Con attendees later this week), even if it's about as laden with plot details as the recent Doctor Who Season Eight promotional trails. Evidently the titular antagonists once again mean business, so all that remains is to see whether Trevorrow (for better or for worse, this is essentially his first major cinematic project) does too. If not, it's Game Over, man, Game Over! Apologies, wrong franchise...again!

Not even an incoming meteor will prevent Jurassic World from stampeding into cinemas worldwide on June 12th, 2015.

The Imitation Game Teaser Trailer Released

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley share the screen for the first time...
Studio Canal have today released the teaser trailer for their upcoming historical drama film The Imitation Game. Based on Andrew Hodges' acclaimed biography Alan Turing: The Enigma, Imitation is directed by Morten Tyldum, whose début on the cinematic scene came in 2011 with the accomplished Norwegian thriller Headhunters (starring Game of Thrones' Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, so you just know it had to be a good'un!).

Try as he might, though, there's not a chance in hell that Tyldum could eclipse his mighty cast ensemble as the film's central head-liner. From Benedict Cumberbatch (whose admirable acting credits stretch so darned far these days that he really warrants no introduction) to Keira Knightley (ditto), from Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes; Kingsman: The Secret Service) to Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), for us, there's not a single weak contributor in sight. Thankfully, we're probably looking at more of a The Lord of the Rings than a Movie 43, since in the midst of the year that marks the centenary of the 'Great' War, Tyldum and his talented team of stars are hardly going to pass up the opportunity to pay tribute to those figures who valiantly resolved the global conflict which succeeded it, even if it necessitates a sobering depiction of their flawed protagonist (Alan Turing)'s ultimate failure to earn himself a happy ending.

The Imitation Game begins cracking codes in UK cinemas nationwide this November 14th.

Marvel Studios 2017-2019 Superhero Film Release Dates Announced

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Now if only we could know for sure which iconic heroes are headlining the new movies!
Marvel Studios have today announced release dates for five new untitled Marvel Cinematic Universe motion pictures set to launch in cinemas worldwide between 2017 and 2019. Ever since 2008, the aforementioned superhero film franchise has only grown and grown, to the extent that it's now widely regarded as one of the most profitable and critically consistent ongoing series of the 21st Century, with the recent acclaim surrounding Captain America: The Winter Soldier back in March only strengthening this long-running hypothesis.

Less clear at the moment is precisely which films will slot into the aforementioned release windows. Captain America 3, Thor 3, Doctor Strange and The Avengers 3 are all confirmed to be in development for a future worldwide release (as is Ant-Man, of course, now set to be directed by Peyton Reed), but odds are that the first three of those motion pictures will land on our screens at some point in 2016 or the previously-confirmed release date of May 5th, 2017. Some reporters would have you believe that Black Widow and Black Panther will slot into the overarching structure of 'Phase Three', and whilst they mightn't be wrong, our suggestion would be to wait for Marvel Studios' game-changing San Diego Comic-Con panel next week so as to learn the truth of the matter in its satisfying entirety.

Five further Marvel Cinematic Universe cinematic instalments will première in cinemas worldwide on July 28th, 2017; November 3rd, 2017; July 6th, 2018; November 2nd, 2018 and May 3rd, 2019.

Arrow & The Flash News Round-Up: July 19th, 2014

Source: Zap2It

Oliver Queen and Barry Allen have some fun times ahead of them!
Believe it or not, it's rare these days that a compilation article is required to summarize a plethora of incoming news on individual TV shows. In the case of The CW's narratively-interlinked superhero dramas Arrow and The Flash, however, the truth is that so much in the way of new information on their third and first seasons respectively launched in the last day or so that a comprehensive guide of this ilk quickly became inevitable.

Why complain, though, when the details in question hold such exhilarating implications for fans of the small-screen DC universe such as us? Here's a definitive look at what's to come for both series in the Fall US TV season (and bear in mind that there's plenty more to come next week at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con):

PRE- & POST-TCA NEWS
The bulk of the latest announcements surrounding Arrow and The Flash arrived via their respective promotional panels at the Television Critics' Association's 2014 event, but before we summarize said details, let's quickly investigate the plentiful offerings which landed before and after the panels!

• ARROW & THE FLASH CROSSOVER EPISODES ANNOUNCED - Speaking to TVGuide in the aftermath of a TCA panel promoting The Flash, executive producer Andrew Kreisberg today announced that the dense narrative universes of Arrow and its recently-commissioned spin-off will collide in two crossover episodes set to air as part of their latest runs. "Episodes 8 of both shows, Arrow and Flash," he revealed, "[Will] be a two-hour crossover event". Presumably the two productions' consecutive Tuesday and Wednesday weekly airdates will allow this bumper-length tale to play out over the course of a single week rather than a fortnight, but either way, we can't wait to see what turbulent event sparks Olly and Barry's first reunion since The Flash's pilot episode! As if that weren't enough, Kreisberg went on to confirm the following: "In Episode 4, Felicity [Smoake, a central player in Team Arrow] is going to come to The Flash." Smoake and Allen demonstrated a rather charming romantic chemistry in Arrow Season Two, so we're expecting nothing less than sparks to fly in the aforementioned minor crossover instalment!
• ARROW SEASON THREE EPISODE 3 & THE FLASH SEASON THREE EPISODE 4 TITLE ANNOUNCED - Ahead of the aforementioned TCA panels (more on those in a moment) which were held to further the marketing campaigns for both shows, The CW confirmed that the third episode of Arrow Season Three is titled "Corto Maltese" and the fourth episode of The Flash's début season (otherwise known as the instalment in which Felicity makes an appearance) goes by the name "Going Rogue".

TCA 2014 PANELS

Without further ado, we'll move onto divulge all of the major news which found its way into the two TCA panels for both programmes, with more news sure to surface on both fronts when Comic-Con rears its head:

ARROW:

• ANDREW KREISBERG ON SEASON THREE'S CHRONOLOGICAL SHIFT (VIA TV GUIDE) - "We're going to jump the same amount of time that we did last year. [...] It'll be seven or eight months later. For Oliver, things are good. [...] Crime is down. At the end of last year, there was victory. A lot of this season is about what happens when you win and how winning isn't always as easy as it looks."
• ON RA'S AL GHUL'S POTENTIAL PRESENCE - "It's big. I can say that he's big and he's bad. We're still figuring that stuff out. As far as the Big Bad, there will be a Big Bad. [...] We'll have recurring villains and new villains we're starting with this year and people who are coming back from the previous two seasons."
• ON OLIVER AND FELICITY'S (DOOMED?) FIRST DATE - "In the same way that the [opening episode of Season Two] was really about Oliver struggling with whether or not he should be the Arrow, in this season première it's, "Can I have everything I want?" That quest is going to take up his entire year, and hers."
• ON THE INTRODUCTION OF BRANDON ROUTH'S RAY PALMER (AKA THE ATOM) - "He and Felicity can have that verbal repartee that we haven't typically had on the show. As much as the show is getting darker, it's gotten a lot funnier. It's just such a different energy. He and Felicity are really cute together."
• ON ROY'S CHARACTER ARC IN SEASON THREE - "You're happy for Roy in the beginning that he's really found his place [in Team Arrow]. Of course, then we're going to shake his world up [by revealing the previously-hidden truth of the character's Mirakuru-prompted actions to him]."
• ON LAUREL'S FUTURE - "As always with all of these things, you can't just put on a mask and go running around. [...] I think Kate Cassidy fans are going to be very, very excited about her trajectory this year. Laurel is going to have a new love interest this season."
• ON EPISODE 2, "SARA" - "Colin Donnell [who played the now-deceased Tommy Merlyn in Season One and gained a cameo in hallucinatory form during Season Two] is coming back in Episode 302. Tommy will be in the flashback story. We'll be telling the story about how Tommy and Oliver just missed each other in Hong Kong." [Exec Mark Guggenheim also teased at Green Arrow TV that the title "Sara" "may have a double meaning"....]
• ON SARA'S SEASON THREE ROLE - "We have [actress Caity Lotz] booked for three episodes and hopefully for more."
• ON DIGGLE'S DIVIDED PATERNAL & PROFESSIONAL LOYALTIES - "A lot of the opening episodes are about Diggle's changing circumstances and how that's affecting his decisions and how he approaches being part of Team Arrow. There's a lot of conflict between Oliver and Dig about Dig now being a father. There's also interesting conflict between Dig and Lyla because Lyla is still working at A.R.G.U.S., which we've painted as a less than savoury organization. [...] As big a part that Amanda [Waller] is playing in the past, she's playing just as big a part in the present."
• ON THEA'S DEVELOPED CHARACTER ARC - "We always say that if you're ever going to become who you are in the comics, you have to go to the island. Oliver literally went to the island. We always said last year was Roy's trip to the island. This season is about Thea's trip to her version of the island."
• OTHER DETAILS - The CW's Commander-In-Chief Mark Pedowitz additionally revealed that though "[they] occasionally speak to [Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment]" about connecting the cinematic narrative continuity first established in Man of Steel with Arrow and The Flash, ultimately, "that's up to the studio". On the plus side, what will be happening is that antagonists from both shows will crossover throughout Season Three / Season One!

THE FLASH:

• Ronnie Raymond (played by Stephen Amell's brother Robbie) will make his Flash début in Episode 3, "Things You Can't Outrun".
• "As we evolve Firestorm [a dual entity comprised of Raymond and another individual]," says exec Greg Berlanti, "You'll definitely meet [Martin] Stein [the JLA superhero's other half]."
• Just as the Arrow's costume has developed over the course of Arrow's opening two seasons, so too will Barry's allies at Star Labs upgrade his superheroic suit on a regular basis.
• Last but by no means least, Wentworth Miller will play the iconic arch-enemy of the Flash, Captain Cold, in a recurring capacity throughout Season One. The character's origins tale will be explored in Episode 4, as well as the beginnings of the Rogues, a supervillain team who'll no doubt crop up in Arrow too.

GEOFF JOHNS DISCUSSES THE WIDER CINEMATIC & TELEVISED DC UNIVERSE:

In spite of all of these enticing reveals, however, DC Entertainment's Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns did still have some less-than-welcome news for fans of the shows regarding their potential connections to projects such as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League of America. Personally, we reckon it's a huge missed opportunity on DC's part to omit Amell and Gustin's respective incarnations of the Green Arrow and the Flash from future JLA motion pictures, yet that appears to be exactly the direction in which Warner Bros. are heading, according to Johns: 

"You'll see a lot of DC universe characters in [Arrow and The Flash]. You won't see Batman or Superman. We're on production on Batman v Superman now. So you'll see characters like the Atom and Firestorm, but no, not Batman or Superman right now. It's a separate universe than film so that the film-makers can tell the story that's best for film, while we explore something different in a different corner of the DC universe. We will not be integrating the film and television universes."

So, there you have it! Arrow will return with its victorious third season on The CW this October 8th, with The Flash set to première the pilot episode of its first season the day before (October 7th) on precisely the same US TV network. Both programmes are all but guaranteed to come to Sky1 for their UK broadcasts this Autumn.