The teaser trailer for upcoming TV adaptation of Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s The Strain was unveiled by FX during the Super Bowl. Here it is:
I think they lose points for using the same BWAAAH! as Transformers and… well, most movies nowadays. For my thoughts on the novel, check out my review. The Strain is published by Harper, as are its sequels: The Fall and The Night Eternal.
… is riddled with awesome SFF references. This has been doing the rounds on the SFF blogosphere, but I thought I’d share it as well, because it’s quite brilliant. Check it out:
Rowena Cory-Daniells discusses her addiction to certain TV series, and how they’ve inspired elements of her own fiction…
I’ve discovered I prefer TV series to movies, series like Boardwalk Empire, Deadwood, House of Cards and now from the UK the Peaky Blinders. (So named because according to some sources they sewed razor blades into the peak of their caps to slash across their enemies’ faces).
(Cillian Murphy plays gang leader Thomas Shelby)
If a movie is the equivalent of a short story (Minority Report was a story by the same title by Phillip K. Dick), then a TV series is the equivalent of a book in that a series has time to develop complex story arcs and in-depth characterisation.
(Breaking Bad: Walt and Jessie taking a break in between cooking crystal meth)
As someone who writes big fat fantasy books, I know the craft involved in creating interesting characters and interweaving narratives. When Walter White first found out he had lung cancer and needed money for his pregnant wife and disabled son, I could appreciate the way the audience were positioned to identify with Walt and sympathise even when he broke the law. We go on his journey with him as we see the roll-on effects of his decision to cook crystal meth. Breaking Bad raised the question: Would you break the law to protect your family?
Finally watched it…
Set in England in the years leading up to the First World War, Downton Abbey tells the story of a complicated community. The house has been home to the Crawley family for many generations, but it is also where their servants live, and plan, and dream, and they are as fiercely jealous of their rank as anyone. Some of them are loyal to the family and committed to Downton as a way of life, others are moving through, on the look out for betterment or love or just adventure. The difference is that they know so many of the secrets of the family, while the family know so few of theirs. But for all the passions that rage beneath the surface, this is a secure world, serene and ordered, and, at first glance, it seems it will last forever. Little do they know, family or staff, that the clouds of the conflict that will change everything are already gathering over their heads.
So, I haven’t owned a TV for many years. Instead, I’ve relied on DVDs, iTunes, and friends. Coupled with my peripatetic existence, I managed to miss Downton Abbey entirely. When I was in Los Angeles in September 2011, though, the show cleaned up at seemingly every awards show. Despite being somewhat intrigued, it took me until now to actually get around to watching it. And, I must say, I really enjoyed it. I had no idea really what to expect – I have never been particularly smitten with British period dramas (while still watching plenty), and expected More Of The Same. Instead, I got one of the best acted, best-written TV shows I’ve seen in a good long while.
I’m not really sure the series needs a full review, but I just wanted to give it a little shout-out on the blog. This is really good. And Maggie Smith really is That. Awesome throughout. So many hilarious, inappropriate lines from the grand dame of the family. All of the actors in the show were superb, from the Crawley family members on down to the new scullery maid. Even the peripheral and bit-parts are written and acted superbly.
Despite all of this, I still can’t tell quite why it’s taken the United States by storm – or, at least, as much as it has. It is very British. Which is probably why I love it, and I’m sure a fair few Americans love it for the same reason, but the universal acclaim seems unusual. If it keeps the show going, however, I am all for it. I will have to order the next two seasons, to be ready for season four…
This has been doing the rounds already, but I thought I’d share it here as well. I’ve really enjoyed the first two seasons, and am (despite never reading the novels) really looking forward to the third season.
Writer: Cullen Bunn | Art: Brian Hurtt
During the darkest days of the Civil War, wicked cutthroats came into possession of six pistols of otherworldly power. In time the Sixth Gun, the most dangerous of the weapons, vanished. When the gun surfaces in the hands of an innocent girl, dark forces reawaken. Vile men thought long dead set their sights on retrieving the gun and killing the girl. Only Drake Sinclair, a gunfighter with a shadowy past, stands in their way.
Collects: The Sixth Gun #1-6
I really enjoyed this book. I have a real fondness for the Wild West and related fiction, fantasy or whatever, and The Sixth Gun offers an addictive mix of a post-Civil War American West and some sinister, supernatural shenanigans. The writing is great, and the art superb, making this a comic that works on basically every level.
I’m quite intrigued by this adaptation of Green Arrow. It appears to be a bit darker than Smallville, so it could end up being pretty good and different. And, who knows, it may survive for a few more episodes than series like this usually do.
Here’s the CW’s first trailer, released earlier today:
This teaser doesn’t really tell us anything more than the dude has a bow and has mad skills using it. And he can do some pretty intense exercises.
Zenescope Entertainment announced today that actress Lena Headey, star of HBO’s superb Game Of Thrones series, will be joining the Grimm Fairy Tales Animated Series, lending her voice talents for the series’ lead character, Sela Mathers.
I am so very excited about this…
Politics and the media? This is right up my street, and I am very, very much looking forward to this.
Maybe with the show on HBO, this won’t be cancelled as quickly as Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and also allow Sorkin to write, direct and produce the show he’s always wanted to produce – unfettered by restrictions that exist on non-Cable channels.
Zenescope Entertainment has announced the launch of the Grimm Fairy Tales Animated Series Kickstarter campaign. The proposed animated series of their flagship comics title will be directed by Jon Schnepp and produced by/with the Titmouse Inc. animation studio. The Kickstarter campaign has now been fully launched after its official announcement during the WonderCon Hollywood and Comics panel.
The campaign, which hope to raise the $175,000 needed to produce the pilot episode and the foundation materials necessary to continue the series, will run until May 1st, 2012.
Zenescope Entertainment President Joe Brusha had this to say:
“We believe that our Grimm Fairy Tales comic book series would make an excellent animated series, and we’ve been pitching the idea to the Hollywood big-wigs for years. They’ve said ‘There is too much Fairy Tales stuff out there’, or ‘No one wants to see a gritty, dark, modern take on the fairy tales.’ That’s where they’re wrong. We have tons of devoted fans that would love to see more of our series, and that is our chance and yours to make it happen.”
I do believe there is a market for this animated series, although one of the issues the ‘Hollywood big-wigs’ stated – “too much Fairy Tales stuff” at the moment – it actually true. I think Zenescope run the risk of being drowned out by TV series like Grim and Once Upon A Time, and the couple of Hollywood movies on the horizon that draw on Fairy Tales. If you’ve been reading any of my comics round-ups over the last few months, you’ll know that I’m a fan of the Grimm Fairy Tales series, so I will definitely be checking this out if it materialises. I do, however, think Zenescope will have to pull off something very special to be heard and noticed. At the same time, the “tons of devoted fans” Brusha mentions are definitely there, so it’s conceivable that this could end up being quite popular. As long as it doesn’t go the way of the Witchblade TV adaptation (based on a comic series with its own devoted fan-base), which sort-of sank with a bit of a sad squeak…
[At the time of writing, the project had $6,316 pledged from 49 backers.]
