The closing night HBO/HBO Max-hosted Westworld panel at the ATX TV Festival provided a glimpse into what’s coming in Season 4, set seven years after the chaotic conclusion of Season 3. The new season includes the return of Evan Rachel Wood as a new character, and James Marsden — who played Dolores’ love interest Teddy Flood in Seasons 1 and 2 — will also be back in a new incarnation. The panel featured Lisa Joy (Co-Creator, Writer, Director, Executive Producer), Alison Schapker (Writer & Executive Producer), actors Wood, Jeffrey Wright (Bernard/Arnold), Luke Hemsworth (Stubbs), Angela Sarafya (unforgettable and perhaps unkillable Clementine), and Aurora Perrineau (a Season 4 addition as an as-yet-unnamed pivotal character). When asked about the future of the series, Joy replied, “We ha...
If you’re not having fun yet with the highly-anticipated revival of Party Down, the latest casting announcements might do the trick: Jennifer Garner has joined the show as a regular, while James Marsden has booked a recurring guest role. Both characters arrive with the glow of real Hollywood success that eludes so much of the Party Down catering crew. Garner plays “Evie,” described as “a successful producer of studio franchise movies, who, in the wake of a breakup, is reconsidering her life choices.” That includes dating Henry Pollard (Adam Scott), and you can imagine how a relationship with a high-powered producer might affect his ongoing existential crisis. As for Marsden, he’s been cast as “Jack Botty,” the handsome star of a popular superhero franchise. He is noted to be someone w...
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Radio Public | Stitcher | RSS At long last, Stephen King’s epic novel The Stand hits CBS All Access. Languishing for years in development hell, the journey from page to screen has been almost as long and arduous as the cross-country treks taken by its characters. Yet, it’s hard to think of a more perfect timing for this story of destruction and renewal than amidst a global pandemic. Beyond the pandemic parable, larger themes of taking a stand against persuasive evil are central to this story as well. The series opens with a dire warning and call to action from an unseen Mother Abigail (Whoopi Goldberg) that not only fits King’s story, but could easily be interpreted as a message to vi...
The Pitch: Based on Stephen King’s 1978 novel, The Stand is an apocalyptic epic that sees 99.4% of the world’s population decimated by a lethal strain of government-stamped influenza. What humanity remains is spiritually drawn into a climactic battle of good and evil. On one end is Mother Abagail (Whoopi Goldberg) and her ragtag team of survivors out in the Rockies. On the other is Randall Flagg (Alexander Skarsgard), a Canadian tuxedoed force who has amassed a devoted following nearby in Sin City. Place your bets. Danse Macabre: To say the road to this reboot has been long is an understatement. Prior to landing at CBS All Access, the project had been in development hell since the latter half of Obama’s first term. This is back when Warner Bros. initially envisioned it as a theatrical even...
Stephen King’s The Stand was on full display at New York Comic-Con. On Friday afternoon, CBS All Access’ highly anticipated miniseries adaptation took over the virtual convention with a star-studded panel that culminated in the reveal of a brand new full-length trailer. Unlike the teaser that dropped back in August, this trailer offers a true in-depth look at the apocalyptic epic. A few of the images should send a shiver down your spine, particularly as we deal with our own ensuing pandemic. We get shots of the principal characters, we get glimpses of the world-building at hand, and we see a ton of allusions to the original novel. If you weren’t hyped already, this should leave Constant Readers champing at the bit for December. Watch the trailer below. [embedded content] Hosted by Van...