We're back with another horror/sci-fi round-up. Guest stars have been revealed for the season 9 premiere of Doctor Who, Titan Comics has a massive Doctor Who comic book crossover lined up, HBO's upcoming New World drama pilot that's likely based on the Salem Witch Trials has enlisted a notable director for its pilot, a new horror film from the duo behind 100 Bloody Acres has is entering production, and Fox has put in a pilot order for a series based on Neil Gaiman's Lucifer from The Sandman comic book series.
Doctor Who Season 9: Via BBC America, TVLine reports that Michelle Gomez will be back on-screen as The Master, aka "Missy", in the two-part season 9 premiere of Doctor Who, which does not yet have a release date. Jemma Redgrave, Kelly Hunter, and Clare Higgins will also reprise their roles as Kate, the Shadow Architect, and Ohila, respectively, in the season 9 premiere, with Jaye Griffiths (Silent Witness) also set to appear. The much-anticipated episode was penned by executive producer Steven Moffat.
Doctor Who Comic Book Crossover: According to The Hollywood Reporter, Titan Comics will publish a five-part storyline in which the Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Doctors will intersect. Set for a weekly publishing stretch from August 12th through September, the Doctor Who crossover is written by Paul Cornell and drawn by Gabriella Gonzalez, Alice Obiefune, and Clara Oswald.
HBO's New World: Deadline reports that the pilot for HBO's upcoming drama, New World, from Jenji Kohan (Orange Is the New Black creator), is moving forward with Gus Van Sant (Promised Land, Milk, Good Will Hunting) in the director's chair. The project is co-scribed by Kohan, Bruce Miller, and Tracy Miller, and is described as "a provocative period drama that explores the circumstances around one of the most compelling chapters in American history where intolerance and repression set neighbor against neighbor and led a town to mass hysteria."
The show is expected to follow a storyline that's at least based on the Salem Witch Trials of the late 1600s. Filming begins in Boston, Massachusetts, this spring. The pilot is a joint effort between HBO and Lionsgate TV.
Gus Van Sant:
Scare Campaign: If you enjoyed the macabre mayhem of 100 Bloody Acres, then you definitely have something to look forward to, as co-writer/directors Colin & Cameron Cairnes have assembled their cast for their new film, Scare Campaign, which begins production this week:
Press Release - "February 19th, 2015 – SCARE CAMPAIGN, the upcoming horror feature film from writers and directors Colin & Cameron Cairnes (100 Bloody Acres) and producer Julie Ryan (Red Dog), has unveiled its key cast as production begins this week in Victoria, Australia.
It can be announced that Meegan Warner (Turn, The Veil), Olivia DeJonge (Hiding, The Visit), and Ian Meadows (The Moodys, The Pacific) have all been cast in major roles for SCARE CAMPAIGN. Warner is currently starring alongside Jamie Bell in Season 2 of the AMC TV series Turn, and features in the upcoming Blumhouse horror The Veil. DeJonge stars in M. Night Shyamalan's latest film The Visit. Other roles have gone to Sigrid Thornton (Sea Change), Cassandra McGrath (Wolf Creek), and John Brumpton (The Loved Ones).“We have assembled a formidable cast” comments director Colin Cairnes, “including the cream of Australia's next wave of acting talent, along with some Aussie acting royalty.”
For Producer Julie Ryan, SCARE CAMPAIGN marks her second feature with the Cairnes brothers after 100 Bloody Acres, “I’m very excited to be making another film with the Cairnes brothers and fans of 100 Bloody Acres are not going to be disappointed. The brothers are original storytellers and this one has scares a plenty with a number of twists to keep people guessing” says Ryan. SCARE CAMPAIGN also reunites key crew from 100 Bloody Acres including Director of Photography John Brawley, and SFX and Production Designer Justin Dix.
SCARE CAMPAIGN charts the increasingly extreme attempts of a horror-themed TV "prank" show to stay one step ahead of its nihilistic online rivals, “the film will be packed with jolting scares and suspenseful set pieces.” says Cairnes. Aptly, shooting commences this week at the Mayday Hills Village previously known as the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum in Victoria. “Our script screamed out for a location steeped in history and dripping with atmosphere” continues Cairnes. “Beechworth Ghost Tours, who operate nightly explorations of the asylum, have been especially helpful in showing us the spookiest corners of Mayday Hills”.
SCARE CAMPAIGN has received funding from Screen Australia and Film Victoria, with Soundfirm also on board as an investor. “We are privileged to be the beneficiaries of Screen Australia and Film Victoria's support” says Cairnes, “and hope that they continue to display the courage shown in supporting the distinctive genre films we and other filmmakers seek to make.”
Australian distribution for SCARE CAMPAIGN will be handled by Bonsai Films and Madman Entertainment, with international sales by Films Distribution. “We learnt a lot from the 100 Bloody Acres release” comments Ryan, “and we’re aiming to connect with our fanbase earlier via social media throughout the shoot, post and release phases”. Cairnes also points out that the international audience will be key to the success of SCARE CAMPAIGN, “this doesn't mean going out of our way to water down the "Australianness" of the film, but it does necessitate our meeting the expectations of a sophisticated, genre-savvy international audience, and respecting their desire for big, bold ideas and polished execution.”
Lucifer Pilot: Deadline reports that Fox and Warner Bros. TV are moving forward on a pilot based on the comic book character Lucifer from Neil Gaiman's The Sandman and its spin-off series, Lucifer (both of which were published under DC's Vertigo imprint), penned by Mike Carey. Tom Kapinos, whose other current pilot, Dead People, is in production at The CW, has teamed up with Jerry Bruckheimer and Len Wiseman (the Underworld films, Sleepy Hallow) on the pilot, with the latter directing the debut episode.
The series "centers on Lucifer who, bored and unhappy as the Lord of Hell, resigns his throne and abandons his kingdom for the gorgeous, shimmering insanity of Los Angeles, where he gets his kicks helping the LAPD punish criminals."
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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