Thanks to a report by TheWrap.com on Monday, the internet is all abuzz again about who might star in HBO’s second season of True Detective. According to TheWrap’s Jeff Sneider, Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers) is in talks for Frank Semyon, the “central antagonist” — a role which series creator Nic Pizzolatto apparently wrote with Vaughn in mind. Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men, Top of the Lake) is also reported to be in the running for a lead role as “a tough, no-nonsense Monterey sheriff whose troubled upbringing has driven her to gambling and alcohol.” (Moss has remained tight-lipped about the casting prospect according to this piece in Vulture). Colin Farrell (Phone Booth) and Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights) are also rumored to be circling roles for season two, which will take place in California, centering on the murder of a city official in the midst of a groundbreaking transportation deal. HBO has yet to comment on any of these season two rumors.
On Tuesday, BBC Films announced an upcoming movie based on Ricky Gervais’ character from the British version of The Office TV show. Life on the Road will catch up with David Brent 15 years after his time at the Slough branch of the Wernham Hogg Paper Company. The mockumentary-style film will feature Brent, now a traveling salesman and aspiring rock star, who cashes in pension checks to fund his dream. “He thinks it’ll be like Scorsese filming the Rolling Stones, but it turns out to be a ‘Where are they now?’ documentary,” BBC Films said in a statement. Ricky Gervais added via Twitter, “Just to be clear, I am not making an ‘Office’ movie. I’m doing a documentary film about David Brent trying to be rock star. Just Sayin :)” Life on the Road will be distributed worldwide, though the BBC has yet to confirm whether the movie will have a theatrical release or a television debut.
Whether you missed it the first time around, or you think Breaking Bad is one of the greatest TV shows of all time, you’re in luck. Starting this weekend, AMC will air every episode of Breaking Bad in order on Sundays from 5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. through October 5. Yes, that’s six Breaking Bads a weekend from now until October. Episodes will kick-off with never-before-aired interviews with the cast and crew, and even more Breaking Bad bonuses will be available on AMC.com, which promises to post between 40-50 new nuggets of companion content each week online. Breaking Bad concluded last year and is currently up for 16 prime-time Emmys. Learn everything you need to know before you start your Sunday night marathons with the Rotten Tomatoes Weekly Binge guide here.
CBS announced Wednesday that James Van Der Beek (Dawson’s Creek, Varsity Blues) will star in the upcoming CSI: Cyber, the newest spin-off of the CSI franchise. Van Der Beek will play FBI Agent Elijah Mundo, an “action junkie” and battlefield forensics expert, opposite Emmy winner Patricia Arquette (Medium, Boyhood). Arquette will play Special Agent Avery Ryan, who heads the Cyber Crime Division of the FBI, “a unit at the forefront of solving illegal activities that start in the mind, live online, and play out in the real world.” CSI: Cyber is a procedural inspired by the real-life work of cyber psychologist Mary Aiken and will premiere during the 2014-2015 season on CBS.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Game of Thrones viewership has swelled to nearly 20 million people, becoming the most-watched show on premium cable (not just HBO). Adding up the numbers is a mighty task that includes episode premieres, repeats, DVR playbacks, and online streaming. The number is still lower than the viewership for top network shows like Big Bang Theory and NCIS (both of which averaged 22 million viewers last season), but doesn’t factor in the number of illegal streams of Game of Thrones, which is the most pirated show on the internet. That said, all of these shows are eclipsed by The Walking Dead, which, according to AMC, averaged 28 million viewers per episode last season when you factor in DVR and streaming plays. Meanwhile, AMC’s new series, Halt and Catch Fire, only drew 574,000 viewers for its finale on Sunday, so AMC can definitely use those viewers.
