TAGGED AS: Marvel, Superheroes
This week in TV news, Netflix reboots Full House and renews Marvel’s Daredevil (with new showrunners, nonetheless). Plus, Vince Gilligan has plans for Jack and the Beanstalk, Paramount shops Galaxy Quest, and Steven Moffat warns about a Doctor Who movie!
Netflix renewed Marvel’s Daredevil for a second season, with current writers Doug Petrie and Marco Ramirez stepping in as showrunners. Steven DeKnight, who served as the showrunner for season one, tweeted that he’s exiting the series to work on a film, which he had previously committed to and now presents a conflict with the production of season two. Marvel’s Daredevil, starring Charlie Cox as the blind lawyer-by-day-superhero-by-night, is the first of a batch of Marvel titles receiving the Netflix treatment, including A.K.A. Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. Season one has been a critical success with a Certified Fresh rating of 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and an unfortunate favorite of internet pirates who are responsible for two million illegal downloads since the series debut two weeks ago. Season one is currently streaming on Netflix and also stars Rosario Dawson, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Deborah Ann Woll.
Walt Disney Pictures has secured the rights to Beanstalk, a revisionist take on Jack and the Beanstalk, as outlined by Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan. Thomas Schnauz, who penned a number of Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad episodes, including the Emmy-nominated “Say My Name,” is said to be working on the Beanstalk script now. Nothing is confirmed yet, but Deadline reported that there’s a strong possibility that Gilligan himself might actually direct the film. The silver screen has presented many incarnations of Jack and the Beanstalk over the years, including the recent Bryan Singer feature Jack the Giant Slayer in 2013, but you can be sure you’ve never seen one like this!
The Hollywood Reporter said this week that Paramount Television is shopping around a TV series based on the 1999 cult-hit comedy Galaxy Quest. In the film version, Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver starred as has-been actors in a Star Trek-type TV show who were reunited and inadvertently sent into space. The film’s original director, Dean Parisot, is in talks to work on the TV Galaxy Quest, along with co-writer Robert Gordon and executive producers Mark Johnson and Melissa Berstein. There’s no word yet on who might star in the TV show, should it go to series. The project is one of a number of TV ideas to pop up from Paramount since the studio decided to mine its film properties for TV ideas. Shows based on School of Rock, Shooter, and Shutter Island are also in development.
The internet has been all abuzz about the Netflix reboot of Full House since the beginning of the month. But for Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who played the youngest Tanner daughter Michelle, the show was news to them. According to Women’s Wear Daily, the Olsen twins had only just heard about the project this week after Full House star John Stamos confirmed the news on Monday night during an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live. “I ran into Bob [Saget] the other day and we didn’t even talk about it,” said Ashley. Mary-Kate added, “I’m shocked I haven’t heard from John [Stamos].” The Olsen twins didn’t rule out appearing on the new show, though Ashley said that she would was going to call Saget first and get his perspective. Meanwhile, Olsen twins fans can see a catalog Mary-Kate and Ashley movies on Nickelodeon, which just acquired the rights and will begin airing Olsen twins classics this month.
At Wednesday night’s Bafta TV Awards nominatopms party, showrunner Steven Moffat addressed the rumor of a possible Doctor Who movie, following a WikiLeaks publication about emails between Sony execs and BBC TV director Danny Cohen. Moffat’s stance was that the movie must not undermine the show. “You can’t make a movie that damages the TV series,” Moffat said. “That’s the only thing I’d say about it. I’m very happy for there to be a movie, very happy to be a theatre show — anything you like — but the TV show is incredibly important and must not be hurt. Everybody knows that.” When asked whether or not he thinks the movie will actually happen, Moffat replied that he has nothing against a movie, so long as they do it right. Beyond that, he’s not very interested in the idea. “I’m sure there’s money to be made out of it but that’s not the point, is it? We are British, the BBC. We are there for the art.” The TV show Doctor Who is expected to return to BBC America this fall, with Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams already confirmed to guest-star.
