Alpha Dean

What: Mark Cross Kelly Bag - Sold Out

Where: Comic-Con 2018

Nicole Kidman dazzled in Neil Lane at Comic-Con

NICOLE KIDMAN: A Neil Lane aficionado, Nicole gave off some major Victoriana vibes with her Dior Resort embroderied dress and jewels. On hand at Comic-Con to promote ‘Aquaman‘ the Big Little Liesstar wore two rings, one with black enamel, diamond and gold and another featuring a vibrant pink tourmaline center stone surrounded by diamonds were combined with a fabulous pair of diamond and natural…

There was some big Supergirl news at San Diego Comic-Con this year! In a groundbreaking development, the show is introducing TV’s first transgender superhero. Transgender activist Nicole Maines will join Supergirl in the series regular role of Nia Nal, aka Dreamer. Nia is described as the newest addition to the CatCo reporting team and a soulful young transgender woman with a fierce drive to protect others. Nia’s journey this season means fulfilling her destiny as the superhero Dreamer (much like Kara came into her own as Supergirl).

The DC Super Hero series will welcome two additional new cast members for the upcoming 2018–19 season: series regular April Parker Jones as Colonel Haley and David Ajala, who will recur as Manchester Black.

Hardline career military woman Colonel Haley (April Parker Jones) lives and dies by the orders of her commanding officers. Dedicated to her country, she always acts in its best interest — even if it’s not her own. Based on the iconic DC character, Manchester Black (David Ajala) is the type of guy who brings a knife to a gunfight and still walks away the winner. With a dark past, he easily deflects the brutality of his mission with his charm and sense of humor.

These three cast members join the previously announced new series regulars Jesse Rath (who plays the Legion of Super Heroes’ Brainiac-5) and Sam Witwer (who will play Agent Liberty).

  We had a chance to talk to Supergirl‘s cast and creators, as they reflected on the third season and previewed what fans can expect from Season 4 (premiering Sunday, October 14 at 8p/7c on The CW).

In our interview with EPs Jessica Queller and Robert Rovner, and they are thrilled about the addition of Nicole Maines as Nia Nal. Supergirl is all about inclusion and representation, so having a chance to push TV to tell Trans stories, portrayed by Trans people, is essential. Nia is sent to CatCo by Cat Grant, who first meets Nia as an intern at the White House. Queller and Rovner give us additional details about Nia’s superpowers (seeing the future) and her connection to the Legion of Super Heroes. This also ties in with Season 4’s overall theme about the strength of hope vs. fear, as the “Red Sun”/”Red Daughter” storyline plays out.

Queller and Rovner tell us a little about Brainy’s arc this season, as he tries to fit into a new time period with Team Supergirl. And while they hope Tyler Hoechlin will return to the show as Clark Kent, the EPs aren’t able to confirm or deny rumors.

  Similarly, Melissa Benoist teased Kara’s emotional trajectory for Season 4. Interestingly, the “Red Sun” storyline is much more about “Nature vs. Nurture”… there’s no reason to assume that Red Kara will dark or evil. But she’s definitely raised/trained in circumstances different from our Kara.

  Mechad Brooks took some time to reflect on the importance of Guardian being unmasked to National City as James Olsen, particularly as it fit in with experiences of racism, bullying, and excessive use of force at the hands of law enforcement. In a context where “most Black superheroes wear masks,” Guardian’s unmasking represents something new and inclusive. Mehcad tells us that in Season 4, James will deal with the fallout from Guardian’s unmasking, including some unexpected pushback, as well as support.

  In our conversation with Katie McGrath, she spoke about the potential for Lena to go dark as she wrestles with being a Luthor. She gives some interesting insight into her character, discussing how Lena is a human surrounded by heroes. This could in fact be the source of further tension between Lena and Supergirl. Though, Katie tells us how, regardless, it’s a really big deal for a Luthor and Super to be friends. Instead of playing on old tropes, Lena and Supergirl don’t have to follow the same dynamic as Lex and Superman.

I also had a chance to ask about Lena’s and James’ relationship–what is it that attracts them to each other? According to Katie, “Ummm, have you seen James? You’ve met Mehcad, right?! I feel like that answers your question. Also, have you met me? So…” But more seriously, Katie thinks that the fact that James is a good man; and the fact that someone who is so close to Superman would see only good in her, is very powerful.

  Chyler Leigh previewed for us what it will be like for Alex potentially balancing being a mom and a new leadership role in the DEO. Chyler also talks to us about the saying goodbye to old cast-mates, like Jeremy Jordan (Winn Schott) and welcoming new folks to Team Supergirl. Apparently, in Season 4, Alex and Brainy will develop an awkward and hilarious relationship, so that’s something Chyler is looking forward to fans seeing.

    For more, make sure to check out the trailer that was debuted at Comic-Con! It gives fans a look back at some exciting highlights from Season 3, plus a taste of what is come in the show’s fourth season, including a sneak peek of new series regular Sam Witwer as iconic DC character Agent Liberty.

  Courtesy of Warner Bros. TV

Courtesy of Warner Bros. TV

Courtesy of Warner Bros. TV

Courtesy of Warner Bros. TV

Courtesy of Warner Bros. TV

Courtesy of Warner Bros. TV

Courtesy of Warner Bros. TV

Courtesy of Warner Bros. TV

Courtesy of Warner Bros. TV

Courtesy of Warner Bros. TV

Image Source: @NBCManifest

  One of the new debuts I’m most looking forward to this Fall 2018 TV Season is NBC’s Manifest.

According to the official synopsis:

When Montego Air Flight 828 landed safely after a turbulent but routine flight, the crew and passengers were relieved. But in the span of those few hours, the world had aged five years – and their friends, families and colleagues, after mourning their loss, had given up hope and moved on. Now, faced with the impossible, they’re all given a second chance. But as their new realities become clear, a deeper mystery unfolds and some of the returned passengers soon realize they may be meant for something greater than they ever thought possible. From Robert Zemeckis and Jack Rapke comes an emotionally rich, unexpected journey into a world grounded in hope, heart and destiny.

  Melissa Roxburgh and Josh Dallas star as Michaela and Ben Stone, a brother and sister who are two of 191 passengers on this Montego Air flight and through their lenses and that of the family, we start to learn about the mystery in the aftermath of their experience.

We had a chance to screen the pilot episode are hella intrigued by the mystery of the plane’s disappearance, the time jump, and the passengers’ supernatural abilities. The dynamics between these characters are also fascinating, particularly in terms of the romantic entanglements that become very complicated.

  At this year’s Comic-Con, we sat down with Manifest‘s series creator Jeff Rake, Melissa Roxburgh, and Josh Dallas. They gave us a few more details about what we can expect from the series. Truth be told, it has me even more excited!

  In our interview with Rake, he lays out the core of Manifest‘s story and how Ben and Michaela will represent the two major debates about what explains the plane’s disappearance. Where as Ben believes there’s a scientific, earth-bound explanation, Michaela is more willing to explore this as a faith-based, supernatural phenomenon.

Fans should expect relationship drama, mystery, and mission-oriented, procedural dimension as we move from week to week. When Rake first proposed this series, he pitched it as a six-season arc. This would provide quite a bit of time to explore Ben and Michaela’s stories, as well as how they intersect with the other 180+ passengers. Within Season 1, there will be two pivots that will blow open the show’s mythology, which will drive the remainder of the series.

While Rake is looking forward to exploring the two major love triangles (“infidelity without culpability”), he shares that the relationship between Ben and his now 15/16 year-old daughter is one that he’s excited about, too.

Rake also tackles LOST comparisons… (I mean, I can’t lie, my initial attraction to the show emerged from these similarities). He views such comparisons as compliment, especially if Manifest could experience that sort of longevity and enthusiasm among audiences.

  Melissa Roxburgh tells us a little bit more about Michaela Stone. From early in the pilot, we have an inkling that her character has already experienced some trauma. Roxburgh shares with us that, in fact, Michaela was in a car accident in which her best friend died and is dealing with a lot of guilt in the aftermath. This distress heightens as Michaela returns from her flight and is trying to deal with losing her mother and her fiancé, as well as these new supernatural powers, which may not be so benign.

In terms of what attracted Roxburgh to the project, she was intrigued by the mythology and mystery embedded in the writing, as well as the character relationships, particularly the potential tension between Michaela and Ben.

  Right off the bat, Josh Dallas describes Manifest as LOST meets This is Us, which is really accurate! Dallas shares that his character, Ben, is a scientist, family man, and fixer. As the series progresses, we’ll see that Ben’s adherence to logic can lead to some impulsivity and blindness to the circumstances around him, particularly as it relates to solving the mystery of Montego Air Flight 828. Dallas sees this as a major difference between himself and his character: whereas Ben is science-based in his worldview, Dallas would describe himself as spiritual.

He also tells us about the ways Ben’s life overlaps with the other passengers on the plane, the most major being that a woman onboard is the scientist who develops the treatment needed to save his son who was dying. Interestingly, Dallas teases that there are some folks (“entities”) who want to keep Ben, Michaela, and the passengers quiet. So Ben’s priority will be to protect his family.

For Dallas, the show is all about second-chances and watching the choices Ben and others make as they try to reclaim their life. “He is a stranger in a strange place,” and this is very apparent in Ben’s now complex relationship with his wife.

  For more, make sure to watch Manifest‘s Comic-Con panel and pictures from their autograph signing:

Courtesy of Warner Bros. TV

Courtesy of Warner Bros. TV

Courtesy of Warner Bros. TV

Courtesy of Warner Bros. TV

Courtesy of Warner Bros. TV

Courtesy of Warner Bros. TV

Courtesy of Warner Bros. TV

  Manifest premieres on Monday, September 24 at 10p/9c on NBC! We’ll definitely be live tweeting, so plan to join us!

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

  Anyone who has talked to me over the last month knows that A Discovery of Witches was at the tip-top of my San Diego Comic-Con mustsee/mustdo list! As soon as I found out that the series would have a panel at SDCC, I knew I had to find my way to that panel and pressroom. Mostly, I was anticipating news about a U.S. home for the series… information that we did get! A Discovery of Witches will stream on Sundance Now, AMC Networks’ direct-to-consumer SVOD service curated with high quality dramas, comedies and crime thrillers, and Shudder, the leading premium streaming service for thriller, suspense and horror.

A Discovery of Witches will have eight episodes in the first season, and when it makes its debut in the U.S. and Canada (on a date to be confirmed later), all episodes available simultaneously on both Sundance Now and Shudder.

While our UK friends will get to enjoy the series starting Friday, September 14 on Sky One, for now, us U.S. fans will be rewatching the fabulous teaser trailer.

To help tide us over, I also suggest checking out the interviews we did with Deborah Harkness and the A Discovery of Witches cast at SDCC! Teresa Palmer (Diana Bishop), Alex Kingston (Sarah Bishop), Valarie Pettiford (Emily Mather), Owen Teale (Peter Knox), and Lachlan MacKinnon (EP) were on-hand to tell us more about adapting this series to TV and what fans can expect.

  According to Deb Harkness, she was only interested in having A Discovery of Witches adapted as long as it was possible to maintain the integrity of the story. It was a difficult process to find the right collaborators for the project. Similarly, the actual work of adaptation was fun, but ambitious, especially in terms of blowing up the world and expanding beyond Diana Bishop’s POV and experiences.

Deb also shares her thoughts on casting the series–how the casting of Teresa Palmer as Diana was perfect, in terms of her physical appearance and spirit. In fact, Deb thinks that in the series casting as a whole, all of the actors have been on point, and this has translated to their authentic portrayal of the characters. Owen Teale agrees, and discusses the ways in which he’s taken on the role of Peter Knox and advocated for his character.

As a viewer, I especially appreciate Deb’s and Owen’s discussion of wanting to have a story that appeals to women in their 30s and addressing women at various stages of life. This also couples with the LGBTQ representation embedded in the series and the broader ways A Discovery of Witches encourages inclusion and empathy in entertainment and the real world.

  In our interview with Teresa Palmer she tells us that she wasn’t familiar with the book series when it came out. Rather it was the script that really caught her attention and Teresa instantly felt connected to Diana Bishop. (And we know that Deb feels the exact same about Teresa!) Tez shares how she loves Diana’s passion and vulnerability and the journey Diana takes to come to terms with who she is as a witch. I ask Teresa a little more about the tension within Diana, between the academic and the supernatural being, and she discusses how the magic literally bubbles out of Diana, as she wrestles with suppress that side of herself.

Lachlan jumps in before we can get too spoiler-y, but tells us about the technical elements of filming magic scenes, especially as Diana’s magic grows over the series. Teresa also discusses the chemistry test with Matthew Goode and how organic their interactions felt from day one. At about 8:00, Teresa tells a story about how she and Matthew would goof around on set, to the point that a serious scene had to be transitioned to a comedic one. But ultimately, the series is a love story with a strong element of thriller, based as much as possible in the real world.

Both Teresa and Lachlan talk about adapting a series with such a dedicated fanbase. Teresa says this helps her want to do her best with the series and how they all appreciate the love of the fans: “I also have found it just thrilling to have this kind of energy behind the series.”

  Finally, we chatted with Alex Kingston and Valarie Pettiford, who play Sarah Bishop and Emily Mather, Diana’s aunts who raise her after her parents’ deaths. Valarie and Alex speak about the ways in which their romantic relationship onscreen normalize LGBTQ relationships, especially in this world where being Queer isn’t what sets them apart. Rather, it’s one’s distinction as a witch, vampire, or daemon that they have to hide, not their love. Alex shares an interesting story about a photo at the Bishop house of Sarah and Emily wearing pussy-hats at their local Women’s March. Whereas one producer was concerned about being too political, Alex, Valarie, and Deb perceived it as being realistic. Sarah and Emily would have been at that march! Piggy-backing off of that, Alex and Valarie discuss how the key creative decision-makers on the series are women.

I follow with a question about the theme of family in the series and both Alex and Valarie talk about the tension between Sarah and Diana, motivated by deep care and concern for her niece. This also expands to a discussion of recognizing one’s ancestry and they ways in which the Bishop and Mather families have been connected for centuries.

Alex and Valarie also talk about seeing the first four episodes of the series and how impressed they are with they way the episodes have been shot, which helps to ground the story in a realism reminiscent of our world.

  What do you think? Which scenes are you hoping will make it from the book to screen? Check out 20+ images from the panel below, and make sure to stay tuned to WSN for your A Discovery of Witches updates!

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

Photo Credit: We So Nerdy

  Filmed in the UK at Wolf Studios Wales and on location in Oxford, “A Discovery of Witches” is a contemporary love story that begins against the backdrop of Oxford academic life, in a world where small numbers of witches, vampires and daemons live and work, unseen amongst humans, hiding in plain sight. Teresa Palmer is the brilliant historian Diana Bishop, a reluctant witch denying her heritage. The discovery of a bewitched manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library throws her into the heart of a dangerous mystery – and into the path of the enigmatic vampire and geneticist, Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode), who hides a dark family secret. As Diana and Matthew embark on a journey to understand the secrets of the ancient manuscript, their relationship develops, and events threaten to unravel the fragile peace that has long existed between witches, vampires, daemons and humans. Alex Kingston plays Sarah Bishop – Diana’s aunt, Valarie Pettiford plays her partner Emily Mather, and Owen Teale plays Peter Knox, a member of the Congregation. “A Discovery of Witches” was adapted for screen by writer Kate Brooke (“Mr. Selfridge”). Co-founder of Bad Wolf, Jane Tranter is the executive producer and Juan Carlos Medina (“Painless”) directs.