Anna Paquin, Ellen Page & Shawn Ashmore To Return In 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'

The all-star Mutant cast of X-Men: Days of Future Past keeps growing. Director Bryan Singer took to his Twitter account today and welcomed back X-Men vets Anna Paquin (Rogue), Shawn Ashmore (Iceman) and Ellen Page (Kitty Pryde).

Bringing back Page was key, as her Kitty Pryde (last seen in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand) played a crucial role in the landmark 1981 Marvel comics storyline the upcoming film is based upon. In the comics lore, an older Kitty Pryde from warns her younger self of an impending Mutant dystopian future, where her super powered comrades find themselves locked away in government run internment camps.

The plot involves time travel, which will allow the newer cast of 2011's X-Men: First Class to share the spotlight with the stars of the first three X-Men films in an alternate reality storyline.

To keep count now, Singer has previously posted on Twitter that also returning from the original trilogy will be Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Ian McKellen (Magneto) and Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier). Jackman has confirmed he will be back (well he has been in every film in the franchise), but no official word from 20th Century Fox as of yet regarding Sirs McKellen and Stewart.

Singer, returning to the franchise to direct this sequel to X-Men: First Class, also announced James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender and Nicholas Hoult from the First Class cast would reprise their roles as Charles Xavier, Mystique, Magneto, and Beast.

Kelsey Grammer played Beast in X-Men: The Last Stand, and it remains to be seen if he will return as the older counterpart to Hoult's First Class version. The casting waiting game similarly applies to Halle Berry (Storm), James Marsden (Cyclops) and Famke Jannsen (Jean Grey). Their fellow X-Men alumni Rebecca-Romijn actually did a clever cameo in First Class, playing an older Jennifer Lawrence in Mystique's human form. However, as with Anna Paquin's Rogue, her character was 'cured' of her mutant powers during the events of The Last Stand.

Apparently Hugh Jackman is well in the know about the film and let this slip earlier this month: "You wouldn’t have enough room on the page after you’ve listed them all" he told the Daily Mail. "Every other actor who’s ever put on a superhero uniform will be in it."

         Very excited to welcome #annapaquin, @ellenpage & @shawnrashmore to #XMen #DaysofFuturePast - thank you @brettratner for letting them live!

— Bryan Singer (@BryanSinger) January 26, 2013

X-Men: Days of Future Past is targeted for a July 2014 release.

SOURCE: Twitter

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It's OFFICIAL: Disney & Lucasfilm Confirm J.J. Abrams for 'Star Wars: Episode VII'

Millions of voices cried out over the internet on Thursday afternoon, and not in the bad way that forced Obi Wan Kenobi to take a breather. TheWrap broke the news first and faster than light the reports spread over every inch of cyber space that J.J. Abrams had sealed the deal to direct Star Wars: Episode VII. 

Via StarWars.com, Lucasfilm and Disney have made it official and confirmed that the mastermind behind Lost, Fringe, Alias, Mission: Impossible III and the captain of the rebooted big screen Star Trek series, will indeed take the helm of first film in the planned trilogy sequel to Episode VI: Return of the Jedi targeted for 2015. 

"To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor," J.J. Abrams said in a press release. "I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid."

George Lucas had this say about Abrams. "I've consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller. He's an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn't be in better hands."

Also confirmed as a consultant on the project is Lawrence Kasdan, the screenwriter of The Empire Strikes Back. Empire is not only easily the fans choice as the best film in the Star Wars series, but also widely considered one of the greatest sequels of all time. Also noted is Abrams' production company Bad Robot will produce the film along with Disney and Lucasfilm. So you can forget about seeing the signature 20th Century Fox logo before "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" appears on the screen.

While Abrams is at the helm of the film, keep in mind the screenplay is actually being written by Academy Award Winner Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3, Little Miss Sunshine) from George Lucas' outlines. Abrams' production company joining the mix solidifies the faith Disney has with him and his vision, and will allow the director that much more creative input into the film across all platforms.

I think we can safely assume this new creative team will have better ideas than to have Jar Jar Binks lead a squadron of covert Ewok mercenaries to the destroy the now in-shambles Galactic Empire's third Death Star.

Here is the press release posted on StarWars.com:

After a bevy of emails and phone calls, the formalities have been wrapped up, and at long last everyone can exhale and properly share the word with an excited Internet. Yes, J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII, the first of a new series of Star Wars films to come from Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy. Abrams will be directing and Academy Award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay.

"It's very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie," said Kennedy. "J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture."

George Lucas went on to say "I've consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller." He's an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn't be in better hands."

"To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor," J.J. Abrams said. "I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid."

J.J., his longtime producing partner Bryan Burk, and Bad Robot are on board to produce along with Kathleen Kennedy under the Disney | Lucasfilm banner."

Also consulting on the project are Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg. Kasdan has a long history with Lucasfilm, as screenwriter on The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Return of the Jedi. Kinberg was writer on Sherlock Holmes and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Abrams and his production company Bad Robot have a proven track record of blockbuster movies that feature complex action, heartfelt drama, iconic heroes and fantastic production values with such credits as Star Trek, Super 8, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, and this year's Star Trek Into Darkness. Abrams has worked with Lucasfilm's preeminent postproduction facilities, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, on all of the feature films he has directed, beginning with Mission: Impossible III. He also created or co-created such acclaimed television series as Felicity, Alias, Lost and Fringe.

SOURCE: StarWars.com

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J.J. Abrams To Direct 'Star Wars: Episode VII,' On Deck To Become The Most Powerful Force In Sci-Fi

If you look forward to your lightsabers served with heavy dose of lens flare, we've got some damn exciting news for you. That Death Star worthy explosion you heard on the internet this afternoon can be traced back to the news that the search for the director of Star Wars: Episode VII appears to be over.

According to multiple sources, J.J. Abrams is now poised to become the most powerful man in science fiction by adding Star Wars to his Geek God resume, apparently because Star Trek, Lost, Fringe, Mission: Impossible, and Alias, just weren't enough.

The Wrap broke the news earlier today that the prolific director, writer and producer had secured the highly sought-after job, citing a source "with knowledge of the production." While The Hollywood Reporter pinpoints Abrams in "late stage talks" for the gig, Deadline has him locked in. "It's a done deal with J.J.," their source says.

The Star Trek helmer, who took himself out of the running whenever asked, was pursued by new Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy, who obviously had a big influence in changing his mind. In November, Abrams had this to say about the chance to tackle the next chapter in the Star Wars saga, the first of Disney's three planned sequels to 1983's Episode VI: Return of the Jedi:

"Look, Star Wars is one of my favorite movies of all time. I frankly feel that – I almost feel that, in a weird way, the opportunity for whomever it is to direct that movie, it comes with the burden of being that kind of iconic movie and series. I was never a big Star Trek fan growing up, so for me, working on Star Trek didn’t have any of that, you know, almost fatal sacrilege, and so, I am looking forward more than anyone to the next iterations of Star Wars, but I believe I will be going as a paying moviegoer!”

To further add to the unexpected nature of today's news, Abrams told Empire Magazine that he actually turned down the job early on.

"There were the very early conversations and I quickly said that because of my loyalty to Star Trek, and also just being a fan, I wouldn't even want to be involved in the next version of those things. I declined any involvement very early on. I'd rather be in the audience not knowing what was coming, rather than being involved in the minutiae of making them."

Since Disney acquired Lucasfilm last October and simultaneously announced that Episode VII was targeted for 2015, numerous A-List directors all across Hollywood have been appropriately grilled if they would be up for the task, from Steven Spielberg, Joss Whedon, Jon Faverau, Brad Bird, David Fincher, Quentin Tarantino to yes, J.J Abrams. I even asked Peter Jackson at the junket for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey if he was either interested or available. Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class) had been gaining the most speed recently in the rumor race to the coveted director's chair, having abruptly dropped out of directing X-Men: Days of Future Past. TheWrap also reports that Ben Affleck, currently riding high on Argo and was high on WB's list for Man of Steel, had nearly made it to finish line.

However, just to put this in perspective:

THERE HAS BEEN NO OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT (YET) FROM LUCASFILM ON WHO WILL DIRECT EPISODE VII.

Despite the zillions of rumors that have surfaced in the last few months, the only thing that Lucasfilm has officially confirmed regarding Episode VII (besides that they are actually making the movie) is Academy Award Winning and Toy Story 3 screenwriter Michael Arndt is penning the script.

Yes in interviews Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford have all expressed interest in reprising their iconic roles. And by setting the film AFTER Return of the Jedi, we could (and should) assume there is a place for them to appear in the logical progression of the series' storyline, but there has been virtually nothing confirmed beyond the identity of the screenwriter.

Abrams is currently in the home stretch with his remaining production duties on Star Trek Into Darkness, the sequel to his blockbuster 2009 reboot of the Star Trek franchise, which is set for release on May 17th. He would most likely need to dive right into pre-production on Star Wars, which would hopefully include booking lavish lunches with Hamill, Fisher and Ford.

It also begs the question of whom Abrams may bring to Star Wars from the top notch casts of his previous series'. Alias? Fringe? Lost? Felicity?? Keri Russell appeared in Mission: Impossible 3, and Alias' Rachel Nichols and Victor Garber both found their way into Star Trek.

Though if this all pans out, there is much excitement to be had in anticipating the first picture from the set of Mark Hamill as an elder Jedi Master, lightsaber in hand, being directed by J.J. Abrams...

Story developing, as it will every single day until the film hits theaters...

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Snake Eyes Versus Storm Shadow & His Ninja Army in Kick Ass New Footage From 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation'

G.I. Joe fans were not pleased when Paramount abruptly pushed back the release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation from May 2012 to March 2013 for 3D conversion. To add extra muscle to the gritty sequel to 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, director John M. Chu recruited Dwayne Johnson (Roadblock) and Bruce Willis (Joe Colton) to fight alongside Snake Eyes and other new Joes including Flint, Lady Jaye and Jinx. Positive buzz from impressive first look trailers didn't seem to be enough with the studio brass to keep the film on its target release date.

Rumors persisted regarding the reasons for the delay, which included poor test screenings and re-shoots to allow Channing Tatum to have additional screen time as Duke. Collider has interviews with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura and director John M. Chu who both discuss at length as to what has been the game plan for the film, which is set for release on March 29th.

A special four minute 3D preview will be running with Paramount's Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters starting on Friday. Until then, Break.com has new footage which includes some pretty bad ass snippets of a ten minute ninja versus ninja scene between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow.

Break Exclusive: New G.I. Joe Has Amazing Ninjas - Watch More Funny Videos

Official Synopsis:

 "A follow-up to the 2009 release of G.I. JOE: RISE OF THE COBRA, which grossed over $300M worldwide, Paramount Pictures, MGM and Skydance Productions, in association with HASBRO and di Bonaventura Pictures, commences production on G.I. JOE: RETALIATION. In this sequel, the G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence."

The film stars Dwayne Johnson (Roadblock) D.J. Cotrona (Flint), Byung-hun Lee (Storm Shadow), Ray Park (Snake Eyes), Adrianne Palicki (Lady Jaye), Jonathan Pryce (Zartan), RZA (Blind Master), Ray Stevenson (Firefly), Channing Tatum (Duke) and Bruce Willis (Joe Colton).

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DOCTOR WHO INTERVIEW: Peter Davison Talks His Time Lord Family Tree & Who's 50th Anniversary (Part Two)

In Part One of my chat with Peter Davison at New York Comic Con, we focused on his time in the early '80s playing the Fifth Doctor. For Part Two we move to more recent events for Davison, switching gears to discuss the Fifth and Tenth Doctors shared time in the TARDIS for the BBC's 2007 Children In Need Special, the circumstances involved in becoming an in-law to David Tennant, and what Davison knows about Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary plans.

Before we get to the interview, let's see if we can sort out Davison's own amazing Time Lord Family Tree. Peter's daughter Georgia Moffett (no relation to Who's current show runner Steven Moffat), guest starred as the title character in the 2008 Doctor Who episode titled, you guessed it, The Doctor's Daughter. Georgia played Jenny opposite David Tennant's then current Tenth Doctor. As fate would have it, Moffett and Tennant hit it off, married in 2011 and are proud parents to Davison's granddaughter, Olive Tennant.

So the Fifth Doctor's real life daughter portrayed the Tenth Doctor's daughter on TV, and then married her TV Doctor father in real life. Additionally, said Doctor's daughter is also both the proud mother of the Tenth Doctor's daughter and Fifth Doctor's granddaughter. Throw in for good measure that the Fifth Doctor is the Tenth Doctor's father-in-law.

Got that? Now onto the interview.

Tell us about teaming up with David Tennant for the Doctor Who: Time Crash short in 2007.

DAVISON: I loved it because I was his Doctor. And that was really the point of that Children In Need special, a double thing about it. Him looking back at his own self, but also talking about him as David Tennant, watching me on the telly. It was fantastic and it was a great thrill doing it with him. He has since become my son-in-law of course. When I’m always talking about him as a different entity, then I think he's my son-in-law. But no, he was great. It was an honor to be doing it and we had a great deal of fun making it. We did it in one day.

Thank you for the little lead into my next question. Your daughter Georgia had a memorable role playing ironically enough, The Doctor's Daughter. What was your reaction when she told you she had a role in Doctor Who?

DAVISON: Originally when she went up, she was among the many other people who went up for Rose [eventually played by Billie Piper]. So I thought it was great. She came home and they offered her a part in a particular story, but they said "We'd rather you not do this part because we have a much better part in a later story if you'd like to hang on." So she asked me what I thought she should do, "Well you just have to trust its decently written of course." 

When it came along the story they wanted her to do was called The Doctor's Daughter, they obviously saw the irony of it. So they decided this would be a much better part for her to do because it worked on every level. I thought it was great, I think she's a brilliant actress, Georgia. I think she's terrific. I just saw her on the West End. I hope she sticks with it. But she's a bit like me, I never had a driving ambition. I loved working, but I don't think i ever had a driving ambition. I was mostly driven by the fact that people kept offering me jobs, which was great. I think she's much the same way and she has the baby now. She wants to be a mother as well.

With two Doctors in the family now, you must get your fair share of double takes when you and David  are out together in public.

DAVISON: It's very weird now. This just happened a couple of weeks ago: David and my daughter came over and we decided to go for a walk with the dog, so we got ready. Now as a matter of course when I'm in a crowded park I put on my baseball cap and dark glasses. So I do that, walk out and look around and David of course is wearing exactly the same thing. So we both have dark glasses and baseball caps pulled down over our heads because we both suffer from the same thing. I think I would be fine now actually, but I'm so programmed to be doing this thinking in case people go, "Hey mate, where's your TARDIS?" But David of course still gets terribly hassled if you go out anywhere. I've not been out with him anywhere I've had to drag him away from people in the end. He wants to stand there and sign autographs but you just can't do it. The more you do it the more people come up and just draws more attention. So in the end he has to be rescued.

What do you feel is your legacy in regards to the enduring near fifty year history of Doctor Who?

DAVISON: I think the legacy of not only me but the other Classic Doctors, which I think did suffer from sometimes dodgy scripts and dodgy sets, but you know out there watching these programs were I picture these three little boys: One of whom would grow up to be Doctor Who, another which would grow up to produce Doctor Who and another who got to write Doctor Who in David Tennant, Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat. So in another words, it's the lunatics now running the asylum, and they're doing a damn good job of it really! 

2013 will be a milestone year for Doctor Who. Can you share any news? Would you be open to participate in an Anniversary Reunion Special?

DAVISON: Honestly I have not heard anything at all, so I don't know. I'd be very happy to take part in whatever they want me to take part in. I'm just worried that it might be a little difficult to do it and make it work as a proper story. Unless it was a special, almost a bit like David and I did. He's very resourceful Steven [Moffat], so he might come up with the way of doing it, who knows.

Following our interview, Davison had this to add during his New York Comic Con Panel Discussion when asked about the Who Fiftieth Anniversary.

DAVISON: Every day I check the phone to see if Steven Moffat has called me. I have no idea. I'm sure people think I'm in some way sworn to secrecy, but I dont know what's happening next year. I've nothing to report on this. I'm sure it will be something fantastic, but I don't know what. I think Steven Moffat is playing it very close to his chest.

It should also be noted that these interviews took place prior to the recent announcement that the five living Classic Doctors (Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann)  would be lending their voices for an special anniversary audio drama called Doctor Who: The Light At The End. Whether they will appear together in the planned televised special on November 23rd or participate in other events still remains a mystery.

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New 'Game Of Thrones' Season Three Preview Unleashed

The first teaser to the upcoming third season of HBO's Game of Thrones didn't give us much to talk about except that it revealed virtually nothing. Thankfully we have this new behind-the-scenes Invitation to the Set video which offers us a whole lot more into the adaptation of George R.R. Martin's A Storm of Swords.

In the brand new production video comprised of on the set footage and cast interviews, we meet some of season three's new characters including the Queen of Thorns, Olenna Redwyne (Dame Diana Rigg), Mance Rayder (Ciarán Hinds), Thoros of Myr (Paul Kay), Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) and Jojen Reed (Thomas Brodie-Sangster).

Diana Rigg, who famously portayed Emma Peel in The Avengers (as in the '60s British TV show) joins the cast this season alongside surviving favorites like Peter Dinklage (Tyrion), Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell), Richard Madden (Robb Stark), Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Tully) and executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.

Game of Thrones returns to HBO on March 31st at 9PM.

SOURCE: Game of Thrones YouTube Page

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DOCTOR WHO INTERVIEW: Peter Davison Recalls His Time As The Fifth Doctor (Part One)

There have been few science fiction shows with a richer history than Doctor Who. The BBC series celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year and has big, albeit top secret, plans to mark the incredible milestone. There have been eleven incarnations of the Doctor during the show's run, played by different actors over years and allowed the immortal time travelling adventurer to hop across the universe for a half century.

Peter Davison first appeared as the Fifth Doctor in 1981, following Tom Baker, whose seven-year stint was trademarked by his mop of curly dark hair and colorful long scarf. Baker's run left a memorable stamp on the popular Time Lord that would seem like an intimidating act to follow. At 29, Davison was the youngest actor at the time to portray the role, which until then had been played only by a succession of middle-aged to near elderly Brits. His first full episode, Castrovalva, aired in 1982.

I had the opportunity to catch up with Davison at New York Comic Con shortly before he took the stage for a panel discussion and fan Q&A. For this two part interview, we covered many topics, which included Who fandom, his thoughts about following Tom Baker's legendary stint, how the series has evolved since the era of the Classic Doctors, what he knows about the 50th Anniversary plans, and the real life ironic time warp no fan could have come ever dreamt up: his own daughter's marriage to the Tenth Doctor, David Tennant.

We're here at New York Comic Con, where you will be meeting fans, signing autographs and participating in panel discussions over the next three days. How do you like attending these kind of events?

DAVISION: I like it. It's fun. I think that it's very important. I always thought that fandom, my experience for the most part is of just Doctor Who fandom as most of things I have done has been Doctor Who, that they are an extraordinary kind of set of people. Everyone appears to be super nice.

I covered Matt Smith's recent New York City season premiere screening in August, and looking at the attending audience really hit home how the show's resurgence is attracting a young fan base. Have you noticed that shift as well?

DAVISON: Yeah I have. Certainly that's true. A lot of people now that come up and go ‘I love your Doctor,’ and I go ‘How on Earth did you manage to see that? Because you're 18.’ What's interesting is when they get through either Matt Smith or David Tennant, then they look around and go to the Classic Doctors. And what's interesting that over the years when I was part of the main of what is now the classic Doctor Whos, I felt almost out of place because I was much younger than anyone else. But now with the return of the series and the Doctors themselves getting younger, I feel almost more a part of the Modern Doctors then the Classic Doctors. I'm not, I know. I appreciate my place. I am a Classic Doctor, but weirdly I don't seem out of place now.

You were the youngest actor to portray the Doctor at the time?

DAVISON: I was the youngest Doctor apparently. Until Matt Smith stole my crown. Little upstart. No I'm very happy.

Tom Baker had a memorable seven year run on the show. His particular take with the scarf, hat and long coat really provided the Doctor with a look that hit it off with the masses. Was it daunting to succeed Tom in the role?

DAVISION: It was a bit daunting I suppose. It wasn't so daunting as it was coming over here to do a convention after. Because over here for the most part no one knew any other Doctor other than Tom. In Britain Tom was the Fourth Doctor.  My Doctor was William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton probably more so than John Pertwee. So simply I was number Five in the line of Doctors. Daunting because he had done it for seven years I suppose, but I was very happy to take on that challenge. I was a bit more worried when I came over here as the kind of upstart who replaced the Doctor who was Tom.

How long were you the Doctor by the time you made your first appearance here?

DAVISON: I think actually my first appearance here was probably before I appeared [on TV]. So no one had actually seen me in Doctor Who. I remember I was in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They were very nice but I remember being asked weirdly a question about a Patrick Troughton story as if I was the Doctor. It all must be in my head somewhere.

Everything these days seems to finds itself on the receiving end of intense internet scrutiny. Are you happy you didn't have to deal with bloggers, online reviews and internet spoilers during your run on Doctor Who, especially at the transition stage?

DAVISON: Hopefully I wouldn't have read them. I think it's a huge mistake for actors to take anything seriously in terms of what those people say. Because they are representative of a certain of the people, but they're hugely destructive. Those people who write those things they can do so in this certain virtual anonymity of the Internet. But sadly the nature of us as human beings is that you can get 200 people saying you're fantastic, and one person saying you're terrible, and it's that person you'll take note of. You get one person that says you're terrible and you think ‘Oh my God I'm terrible. I'm terrible. Just awful.’ And such is our insecurity. So I try to just ignore it. Its not kinda relevant. You do what you do.

Did you have much input regarding the Fifth Doctor?

DAVISON: In terms of just the practical side, as in the costume, not that much. I suggested the cricketer theme. The celery stick was something that John [Nathan-Turner] came to me and said ‘I want something. I'm trying to think of something interesting for you to wear on your lapel.’ And he came to me and said ‘I've got this great idea: A stick of celery.’ And I said ‘Why?’ I said ‘Well that's fine as long as you explain it by the time I leave.’ We got to the very last story and I reminded him he hadn't actually explained it. So they wrote a thing in there that it was an antidote to a certain gas that the Doctor is allergic to. And that is how it was explained. So it was fine. That was all John, not me.

The Doctor's attire certainly became even that much more colorful with Colin Baker as the Sixth.

DAVISON: It was on drugs by the time it got to Colin Baker's time.

What were you able to bring to this younger version Doctor Who?

DAVISON: You’re cast really because of who you are. So you have to look at yourself, I'm younger and I can move a bit quicker. I think what I wanted to bring to it was to bring back a kind of innocence to the character. He wanted to do the right thing. If there was an unknown in mind about Tom's time as the Doctor, and I enjoyed it greatly, it was almost so kind of glib. You never really thought there was a threat, and I loved it for that. It was very funny. But I know that [producer] John [Nathan-Turner] wanted all of the funny bits when I took over and I didn't want that to happen. But I did think it had lost some of its innocence a bit and maybe I just felt that was something I could bring to it. 

Was there a conscious effort to avoid re-tracing the tracks of the Fourth Doctor?

DAVISON: I couldn't be Tom. Tom had his own brilliant way of doing it and as I say, I loved it. But I remember one episode I think he's about to be sliced in half by by some kind of terrible device and he's offering jelly babies around. I remember thinking that really in a way undermines the point of what's about to happen. You can have humor in, it but if it's at the moments when you're in danger, maybe it takes away from it. So I suppose that's really what I wanted to bring back to it, an innocence with all this, not power, but everything at his disposal. Just trying to do the right thing.

What are your memories of your last episode, working your way towards the regeneration scene?

DAVISON: It's a very strange feeling knowing that, as Tom must have felt, that at some point the next Doctor comes in and you shoot the regeneration scene. I have to say generally that the last story was the best story that I did. I think it was brilliantly directed and I couldn't have been happier with it as an enjoyable experience. Except maybe the fact that that I've said before in my great regeneration scene my limelight was stolen by [companion] Nicola Bryant’s chest bending over to me saying ‘Doctor, Doctor are you okay?’ And I'm thinking everyone is just going to be looking at her cleavage. No one is going to be looking at me at all.

Check back here next week for Part Two with Peter Davison where among other things, we talk about BBC's memorable teaming up of the Fifth and Tenth Doctor in 2007, what family life is like when it has two Doctors in the house, and what Davison knows about the Who's 50th Anniversary.

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New Images From "A Good Day To Die Hard' Revealed

A new batch of images have surfaced from the upcoming fifth installment in the Die Hard series, A Good Day To Die Hard. Bruce Willis returns as John McClane and this time finds himself in Russia teaming up with his CIA operative son John "Jack" McClane (Spartacus' Jai Courtney) to prevent a nuclear weapons heist. Good news came last week via a new TV spot that confirmed the latest entry would be rated R, and return to the harder edge enjoyed by fans for the first three films.

If you don't have your Valentine's Day plans yet, A Good Day to Die Hard opens on February 14th.

Directed by John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines), the film stars Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastian Koch, Yulia Snigir, Cole Hauser, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Amaury Nolasco, Megalyn Echikunwoke and Anne Vyalitsyna.

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Film Review - MAMA ★★☆☆☆

If you are looking for your creepy kid movie fix, look no further than Mama, a little horror thriller from first-time director Andy Muschietti and executive producer Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy).

Based on Muschietti's short film of the same name, Mama stars Jessica Chastain (currently riding high on her red hot Oscar nominated turn in Zero Dark Thirty) and Game of Thrones' Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and provides enough creeps and chills to secure you to your seat. It's not to say that Mama doesn't a borrow a healthy helping of creepy imagery from Japanese ghost stories like The Ring and The Grudge (and to a certain extent The Exorcist as well), but for this film the less-is-more approach is not really in the cards. You're kinda in the know surprisingly early on as to what's up with the ghostly title character.

When a distraught father murders his wife following a huge financial setback, he flees to a cabin in the woods with his two daughters only to be consumed by a ghostly presence right before he can complete the grisly task of taking out the rest of his family. The girls are left abandoned in the remote forest with only the mysterious apparition to watch over them. Five years later, they are found in none too good shape by a rescue team funded by their starving artist Uncle Lucas (Coster-Waldau). Miraculously alive, but nonetheless detached, filthy and feral, Victoria (Megan Carpenter) and Lilly (Isabelle Nelisse) are brought back to civilization and put in the care of Lucas and his reluctant girlfriend Annabel. And that's when the creepy begins.

The kids may have left the cabin behind, but Mama did not let them go without a fight, and a haunted house custody battle ensues. The convincing young girls provide a solid anchor to the film whose assimilation back into the normal world is impeded by a ghost in the form of a rotting floating corpse. Complete with a chilling spider walk, the younger sibling Lilly has a worse time breaking away from Mama's maternal grip, still attached to the other worldly creature with little fear and a creepy childlike wonder.

Some films choose to keep their monsters in the shadows, but the over possessive Mama is revealed prowling around surprisingly early on. Films like this can sometimes boil down to how complicated they make the villain's motivation before the inevitable climatic showdown. Do you make your antagonist ultimately a sympathetic creature, or are you dealing with pure evil that must be destroyed at all costs? Fans like me prefer their villains to be straight up evil who have no remorse or backstory to justify their actions. Others stick on the side of getting into the 'why?' of it all. Given the film's title and Chastain's Annabel being an inked-up goth rocker with little initial connection to children, an eventual power play on paternal instincts figures high on the agenda.

There is little mystery left to solve by the third act, and by that point you are far more invested in Victoria and Lilly than any of the adults who are reduced to simply reacting to all of the strange goings on. Mama plays it too safe all around, and its PG-13 rating keeps the potential gore quotient to a bare bones minimum.

The genre overall is getting tougher to crack when it comes to standout fare, and sometimes the overall premise here is scarier than the actual execution. There are plenty of boogeyman bumps-in-the-night moments, several cliche horror movie missteps and expendable supporting characters you know have zero chance of making it to the final credits. But with solid performances by the two young leads (Lilly provides more chills than many of Mama's "Hey! Look at me!" CGI sequences), the film just manages to scare up enough haunted house supernatural thrills to keep it afloat.

Mama opens in theaters on January 18th.

REVIEW RATING:  ★★☆☆☆
Directed By: Andy Muschietti

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nelisse

Studio: Universal

Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 108 minutes

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The Galactic Empire Responds To White House's Death Star Veto

Last week the White House took an official (and light hearted) stance on the online proposal backed by over 34,000 signatures to use taxpayer funds for the commencement of construction on a Death Star by 2016. You can read my previous post on that here.

Today, Galactic Empire Public Relations, via StarWars.com, retorted to the "fiscal responsibility" of the Obama Administration's veto of the plan.

IMPERIAL CENTER, CORUSCANT – The overwhelming military superiority of the Galactic Empire has been confirmed once again by the recent announcement by the President of the United States that his nation would not attempt to build a Death Star, despite the bellicose demands of the people of his tiny, aggressive planet. “It is doubtless that such a technological terror in the hands of so primitive a world would be used to upset the peace and sanctity of the citizens of the Galactic Empire,“ said Governor Wilhuff Tarkin of the Outer Rim Territories. “Such destructive power can only be wielded to protect and defend by so enlightened a leader as Emperor Palpatine.”

Representatives on behalf of the nation-state leader from the unimaginatively named planet refused to acknowledge the obvious cowardice of their choice, preferring instead to attribute the decision to fiscal responsibility. “The costs of construction they cited were ridiculously overestimated, though I suppose we must keep in mind that this miniscule planet does not have our massive means of production,” added Admiral Conan Motti of the Imperial Starfleet. 

Emissaries of the Emperor also caution any seditious elements within the Galactic Senate not to believe Earth’s exaggerated claims of there being a weakness in the Death Star design. “Any attacks made upon such a station — should one ever be built — would be a useless gesture,” added Motti.

SOURCE: StarWars.com

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WEEK IN GEEK: 'Die Hard' With An R • 'Jurassic Park' In 3D • Five Classic 'Doctors Who' Set To Team Up • 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' Update and More...

Looking back at the news of note from past week, we have updates on the Jurassic Park and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises, news on ABC's S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show, a confirmation for a harder edged Die Hard just in time for Valentine's Day, confirmation of five of the Classic Doctors teaming up for Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary, plus new rumors regarding the Muppets sequel and Michael Bay's dreaded big screen reboot of our beloved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Collider got the early word that the Die Hard franchise would return to it edgier roots in an R-rated installment with A Good Day To Die Hard. The last film in the series released in 2007 was PG-13 and had toned action and a forced a quick edit before John McClane could finish his catchphrase "Yippee Ki Yay Motherfucker." As confirmed by this TV spot that debuted last night, we can look forward to more violence and full foul mouthery as John McClane hits Moscow with his grown up son played by Jai Courtney.  (SOURCE: Collider)

The fifth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series has nabbed a screenwriter. Disney announced that Jeff Nathanson, who penned Catch Me if You Can, will write the next high seas adventure for Captain Jack Sparrow. Jerry Bruckheimer is returning as uber-producer and Johnny Depp is expected to to set sail again in the lead role. They would have to put in a conscious effort to turn out anything worse than 2011's On Strange Tides. (SOURCE: Variety)

Jurassic Park's 20th Anniversary will be commemorated with a one week re-release in April on IMAX 3D screens. In addition, following years of script delays Universal Pictures announced they are finally moving forward on Jurassic Park 4, which is set to be shot in 3D with a June 13, 2014 release. Steven Spielberg, who helmed the first two films, will once again produce, but a new director has yet to be announced. The updated screenplay comes from Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, who wrote 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  (SOURCE: Entertainment Weekly)

While the fanboy ire regarding Michael Bay's upcoming big screen reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles may have subsided over the last few months, it may be ready to explode once again. Since it seems the intention of the latest version of the iconic superheroes is to excise the Mutant and Teenage aspects of the characters and in fact make them aliens, fans have not been singing its praises. You can read up on that controversy here. The latest word points to principal photography on the film commencing in New York City in April. (SOURCE: Bleeding Cool)

According to ABC's President Paul Lee, the network's upcoming Joss Whedon penned & produced S.H.I.E.L.D TV show will indeed be set after the events of The Avengers. "There is no question that it is part of the Marvel Universe. In fact, the story takes place after the battle for New York," he told IGN. Exactly how Clark Gregg, returning as the popular Agent Coulson, fits into this timeline has yet to be revealed. The pilot starts shooting next week, and has not been confirmed for a series pick-up for next fall, though who are we kidding how that is going to turn out? (SOURCE: IGN)

Although just about everything regarding the big Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special set to air on November 23rd is being kept under the heaviest of lock and key, there has been confirmation this week that five of the Doctors will indeed team up for an adventure. Doctors Four through Eight, portrayed by the five remaining living actors who played iconic Time Lord during the series' Classic run (Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann), will team up for The Light at the End, a tow-hour 50th Anniversary radio play. Companions and other special guests are also expected to appear. (SOURCE: Blastr)

In casting news that few would argue about if it comes true, Tina Fey is in talks to join Ricky Gervais and Ty Burrell on the human side of the cast of the sequel to 2011's hit revival The Muppets. (SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter)

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