THE FANDOM ZONE 089: "Stewardess Interruptus" is Up!

"I'll need a list of everyone you've slept with in the past eight weeks."
"Right.  You'll need a much bigger notepad."
– Chloe Decker and Lucifer Morningstar, Lucifer.: "Stewardess Interruptus"

With our technical issues finally resolved, Karen and I are back with a new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Gotham 3x12: "Ghosts"  (Midseason Premiere)

Lucifer 2x11: "Stewardess Interruptus"  (Midseason Premiere)

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 4x10: "The Patriot"

This time, we talk about things like my Heat Wave action figure, what director Eagle Egilsson looks like, why it's hard to listen to someone else's viewpoint when you're being called a communist, Victor Zsasz being really polite about killing Jim Gordon, Carmine Falcone as Catwoman's real father, why Stabby Babs is in deep trouble with the Riddler, Alfred hitting on Catmom, wondering why Gordon and Bullock didn't call for backup to break up a rally of Jerome cultists, Lucifer finding out all of his sexual partners don't care about him emotionally, Detective Douche's exposed secret, Lucifer being skeeved out by his stalker, Lucifer and Chloe's first kiss, Mazikeen pouring a bottle of vodka on her cereal, the fallacy of being sucked out of an airplane, The Patriot's exposed secret, using a decapitated android head to intimidate someone, Fitz's alternative use for Aida's decapitated head, the return of Justina's feedback, more pimping of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast, and more!

You can now check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Google Play Music -- HERE 

iTunes -- HERE

Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- HERE

The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- HERE

The Fandom Zone on Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast

And if that isn't enough for you, you can also check us out on YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!  Oh, and if you're interested in an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing, you can get those on TeePublic HERE as well!  Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week, as we review the midseason premieres of Supergirl, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Arrow, along with new episodes of Gotham, Lucifer, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

GHOSTWOOD 002: "The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer" is Up!

"Are you real, BOB?"
"TO YOU, I AM THE ONLY REALITY THERE IS."
"Who are you really?"
"I AM WHAT YOU FEAR I COULD BE."

-- Laura Palmer and BOB, The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer

That's right, my co-host with the most Xan Sprouse and I are back once again with a new episode of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast!  This time, we review The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, the 1990 Pocket Books fictional diary novel by Jennifer Lynch, daughter of Twin Peaks co-creator David Lynch!

LET'S ROCK!

In our second HUGE episode, Xan and I discuss things like giving a shoutout to my Star Trek: Strange New Worlds II short story publisher, the novel as a companion piece to the TV series, our first feedback from listener Geoff Gentry, Twin Peaks as the internet buzzworthy show before the internet, remember the late Miguel Ferrer, Laura's childhood innocence, Xan's fake name when meeting boys, Laura's reefer madness and increasing drug use, Doc Hayward as the finest man Laura has ever known, Laura projecting her own self-loathing onto Bobby Briggs, Ronette Pulaski not being as strong as Laura, Johnny Horne's love for Laura, running down the list of people Laura had sex with, Harold Smith's love for Laura, Josie Packard putting the moves on Laura, Dr. Jacoby's love for Laura, Laura dominating Blackie, pretending that Laura Palmer's homecoming queen picture is a photo of someone in your family, Laura hooking up with James Hurley, Laura's final downward spiral and her realization of who BOB is, wanting to take a shower after reading the book, today's helicopter parents vs. back in the day, wondering how much Sarah Palmer knew about what was going on, the premiere date of the new Twin Peaks episode, running down our upcoming episode schedule, speculating on the first official image of Kyle MacLachlan's return as Dale Cooper, and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

iTunes -- RIGHT HERE

Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn --  RIGHT HERE

YouTube -- RIGHT HERE

Google Play Music -- COMING SOON!

Ghostwood's Facebook page

Ghostwood's Twitter account

Be sure to come back next month as Xan and I review Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, the 1992 cult film directed by David Lynch that served as a prequel to the television series! Look for more of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast on iTunes, YouTube, Libsyn, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

President Trump Plagiarizes Bane During Inauguration Address

Oh, boy.  First, Melania Trump plagiarized Michelle Obama in a speech and now this.

President Donald Trump was officially sworn in as the 45th President of the United States earlier today, delivering an inauguration address that Batman movie fans may find disturbingly familiar.

During his address to the nation, Trump declared, "Today’s ceremony, however, has very special meaning.  Because today, we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another or from one party to another.  We are transferring power from Washington D.C. and giving it back to you...the people.  For too long, a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost.  Washington flourished but the people did not share in its wealth.  Politicians prospered but the jobs left and the factories closed.  The establishment protected itself but not the citizens of our country.  Their victories have not been your victories.  Their triumphs have not been your triumphs and while they celebrated in our nation’s capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.  That all changes starting right here and right now because this moment is your moment.  It belongs to you."

If that rings some bells, Bane, the Batman villain featured in the 2012 Christopher Nolan film The Dark Knight Rises,  "We take Gotham from the corrupt!  The rich!  The oppressors of generations who have kept you down with myths of opportunity, and we give it back to you...the people.  Gotham is yours.  None shall interfere.  Do as you please.  Start by storming Blackgate, and freeing the oppressed!  Step forward those who would serve.  For an army will be raised.  The powerful will be ripped from their decadent nests, and cast out into the cold world that we know and endure.  Courts will be convened.  Spoils will be enjoyed. Blood will be shed.  The police will survive, as they learn to serve true justice.  This great city...it will endure.  Gotham will survive!"

If you'd like to see the comparison for yourself, you can check out below thanks to YouTube account Tilo Jung...



Gary Oldman had better hurry up and turn on the Bat Signal before it's too late...

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 072: "The Ribos Operation" is Up!

"What's your name?"
"Romanadvoratrelundar."
"By the time I've called that out, you could be dead!  I'll call you Romana."
"I don't like Romana."
"It's either Romana...or Fred."
"All right, call me Fred!"
"Good.  Come on, Romana!"

– The Fourth Doctor and the First Romana, Doctor Who: "The Ribos Operation"

You guessed it, my partner in time Jesse Jackson and I are back once again with a new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast!  In our first episode of 2017 (for those of you who follow linear time), we review "The Ribos Operation", the first serial from Season 16, a.k.a. "The Key to Time" season, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Mary Tamm as the First Romana, and John Leeson as the voice of K-9!

This time, Jesse and I discuss things like health updates on my cat Keiko and Jesse, the first appearance of the White Guardian, the Doctor having Romana forced upon him as a companion, the older, experienced Doctor paired with the younger, know-it-all Romana, wondering if J.K. Rowling swiped the idea of Horcruxes in the Harry Potter saga from the Key to Time, wanting Romana to return in the modern era, the story of Binro the Heretic, my Reverse the Reverse the Polarity segment, teasing the rest of the Key to Time season, some Series 10 news, and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

Google Play Music -- RIGHT HERE

iTunes -- RIGHT HERE

Stitcher -- RIGHT HERE

Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn --  RIGHT HERE

Next Stop Everywhere's Facebook page

Next Stop Everywhere's Twitter account

And hey, if you'd like to pick up the officially official Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, you can find it on TeePublic right HERE!  Help support the show and feel free to post pictures on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back soon as Jesse and I review "The Pirate Planet", the second serial from Season 16, a.k.a. "The Key to Time" season, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Mary Tamm as the First Romana, and John Leeson as the voice of K-9!  Look for more of Next Stop Everywhere on iTunes, Google Play Music, YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Sticher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Casts James Frain as Sarek

I hope this doesn't mean Sarek is going to be a villain...because James Frain.

Deadline has word that the upcoming CBS All Access series Star Trek: Discovery has cast James Frain as Spock's father, Sarek.  

Frain, 48, has appeared in numerous comics, science fiction and horror projects, including the television series Gotham (as Azrael/Theo Galavan), Orphan Black (as Ferdinand), Agent Carter (as Leet Brannis), Intruders, Sleepy Hollow, Grimm, The Cape, True Blood (as Franklin Mott), FlashForward, Fringe, Invasion, and Threshold.  He was also featured on the Showtime series The Tudors as Thomas Cromwell, and appeared in the films Tron: Legacy, The Lone Ranger (2013), and Water for Elephants.

Set roughly a decade before the events of the original Star Trek series, the series follows the crew of the USS Discovery as they discover new worlds and civilizations, while exploring the franchise's signature contemporary themes.  The season-long storyline will revolve around "an incident and an event in Star Trek history that's been talked about but never been explored."

In addition, the article notes that there may be a delay with the series premiere, with a statement from CBS saying "Production on Star Trek: Discovery begins next week.  We love the cast, the scripts and are excited about the world the producers have created.  This is an ambitious project; we will be flexible on a launch date if it’s best for the show.  We’ve said from the beginning it’s more important to do this right than to do it fast.  There is also added flexibility presenting on CBS All Access, which isn’t beholden to seasonal premieres or launch windows."

Created in 1967 by D.C. Fontana, Sarek first appeared in the original Star Trek series episode "Journey to Babel" as the Vulcan ambassador to the United Federation of Planets, father of Spock, and husband of Amanda Grayson.  Born in 2165, Sarek is the son of Skon of Vulcan.  Sarek was married twice, and had two sons. Prior to his first marriage, he had a relationship with the Vulcan priestess, T'Rei, which produced Sarek's first son Sybok, a character not developed until the film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.  Sarek later married Amanda Grayson, a native of the planet Earth.  After Amanda's death, Sarek married Perrin, another human, who survived his death.  Sarek and Perrin had no children.

Sarek's second son, Spock, entered Starfleet Academy. Sarek opposed the decision, and the two were estranged for 18 years.  Following an Enterprise mission where Spock helped save Sarek's life, the two reconciled.

In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Sarek", Sarek suffered from Bendii Syndrome, an incurable and terminal neurological degenerative illness that made him lose control of his emotions.  Having established a mind-meld with Jean-Luc Picard, Sarek was able to continue with an important diplomatic mission, but his emotions were expressed privately through Picard, among them his deep love for Amanda, Spock, and Perrin.  Sarek finally succumbed to Bendii Syndrome, dying in the Next Generation episode "Unification, Part I", which was set in the year 2368.

An alternate timeline version of Sarek appeared in the 2009 Star Trek film. Despite being respectful of Spock's ability to make his own choices as a boy, Sarek encouraged him to maintain his logical Vulcan nature.  Sarek maintained that he married Amanda because it was logical to do so, since as the Vulcan ambassador, it would fall upon Sarek to observe human behavior.  Sarek served on the board of the Vulcan Science Academy, and was surprised to learn that his son turned down admission in favor of joining Starfleet.

An insane Romulan captain, Nero, later made his intention to destroy Vulcan, and Spock arrived to transport Sarek, Amanda, and the rest of the Vulcan elders to safety, but Amanda was lost in the attempt.  After Kirk provoked Spock to force him to relinquish command, only Sarek's stern voice calmed the enraged half-Vulcan.  Sarek advised Spock that if he felt anger (at Vulcan's destruction and Amanda's death), then he should not try to hide it.

Frain will be the third actor to portray Sarek in live-action, after Mark Lenard in the television series Star Trek, Star Trek: The Animated Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the films Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country; and Ben Cross in the 2009 film Star Trek.

Star Trek: Discovery is currently scheduled to debut on CBS in May 2017, with the remainder of the episodes airing on CBS All Access.

THE FANDOM ZONE 088: "Broken Promises" is Up!

"First of all, that thing is not a she -- It's a damn robot.  And second of all, what is the matter with you two chuckleheads?  Have either one of you seen a movie in the last thirty years? The robots always attack."
– Alphonso "Mack" Mackenize, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: "Broken Promises"

We know, it's been a while, but Karen and I are finally back with our first episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast for 2017!

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 4x09: "Broken Promises" (Midseason Premiere)

Luke Cage 1x12 -- "Soliloquy of Chaos"

Luke Cage 1x13 -- "You Know My Steez" (Season 1 Finale)

This time, we talk about things like our latest batch of technical difficulties, Mack and Yo-Yo's love of robot movies, wondering why Senator Nadeer considers her brother an alien, wondering who's bankrolling the Watchdogs, Radcliffe's abrupt heel turn, a quick explanation of the Inhumans royal family, being surprised if Patton Oswalt's character Koenig doesn't turn out to be an LMD, my new Daredevil and Katana Funko POP figures, wondering what Jeffrey Mace's agenda is, Vijay being stuck in another Terrigenesis cocoon after spending months in a Terrigenesis cocoon, our fondness for 5 1/4" floppy disks, Karen throwing off people in roundtable discussions, Luke Cage meeting Method Man, Diamondback's costume fail, Luke trapping Turk in a dumpster with nasty diapers, Pop's Barbershop taking another beating, Mariah dropping Luke Cage's real name on TV, why Luke should get Foggy Nelson to get him out of prison instead of Matt Murdock, the meaning of the word "decimated", why a traceable burner phone makes no sense whatsoever, running down the upcoming Netflix Marvel shows, getting trapped in another Star Trek vs. Star Wars debate, pimping the first episode of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast, and more!

You can now check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Google Play Music -- HERE 

iTunes -- HERE

Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- HERE

The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- HERE

The Fandom Zone on Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast

And if that isn't enough for you, you can also check us out on YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!  Oh, and if you're interested in an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing, you can get those on TeePublic HERE as well!  Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week, as we review the midseason premieres of Gotham and Lucifer, and a new episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

GHOSTWOOD 001: "The Secret History of Twin Peaks" is Up!

"I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange."

-- Special Agent Dale Cooper, Twin Peaks: "On the Wings of Love"

My socks are on fire!  After months of teasing this project, I'm very proud to announce that my friend and co-host Xan Sprouse and I have just launched our brand-new podcast, Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast, as part of the Southgate Media Group.  Our first introductory episode, "The Secret History of Twin Peaks" was posted this afternoon and we hope you'll give us a listen!

In addition, we've set up a Ghostwood show page on Facebook, which you can check out HERE, and we're also on Twitter using the account @GhostwoodCast.  Be sure to share these with all of your friends, archenemies, FBI secret agents, sidekicks, love interests, zombie attackers, alien owls, otherdimensional beings, whomever, and help build our new podcast into something special.

In our first HUGE episode, Xan and I discuss the new Twin Peaks novel The Secret History of Twin Peaks by co-creator Mark Frost, and things like how we became Twin Peaks fans back in the day, what it felt like to be the only person at school that knew who Bauhaus is, being a Twin Peaks fan in the Stone Age before the Interwebz, getting Xan's husband Chris to become a Twin Peaks fan, wondering why Gordon Cole hasn't upgraded his hearing aids to an implant, wondering if FBI Special Agent Tamara Preston will be in the new 2017 Showtime series, being freaked out by the late Frank Silva as BOB crawling over furniture toward the camera, speculating if Ray Wise will replace Frank Silva as BOB, wondering why Major Briggs compiled a dossier on everyone, wondering why Ben Horne went ahead with the Ghostwood development, the various continuity discrepancies in Frost's novel, wondering why Donna and James didn't just go to the police and get a warrant to search Harold Smith's house for Laura's diary, Xan's defense of Bobby Briggs, wondering if Twin Peaks would receive better recognition if it debuted now rather than in 1990, and more!

If you'd like to check out our first episode, you can find us on...

iTunes -- RIGHT HERE

Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn --  RIGHT HERE

YouTube -- RIGHT HERE

Google Play Music -- COMING SOON!

Ghostwood's Facebook page

Ghostwood's Twitter account

Be sure to come back soon as Xan and I review The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, the 1990 fictional diary novel by Jennifer Lynch!  Look for more of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast on iTunes, Google Play Music, YouTube, Libsyn, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

Showtime Announces TWIN PEAKS Premiere Date & Episode Count

Diane, 9:00 p.m., May twenty-first.  Entering the town of Twin Peaks.  Five miles south of the Canadian border, twelve miles west of the state line.

Deadline has word from yesterday's Showtime presentation at the Television Critics Association, where Showtime president David Nevins revealed when fans of the series Twin Peaks will finally get to see the show's long-anticipated return.

According to the article, Twin Peaks will debut Sunday, May 21st on Showtime at 9:00 p.m. EST, with a two-hour premiere followed immediately by Episodes 3 and 4 on Showtime's digital platform.

In addition, Nevins confirmed that the new season will consist of 18 episodes, all directed by co-creator David Lynch.  The article claims Lynch filmed the entire season as a long movie, with a decision made later about how to cut all that material into episodes, so the exact episode count wasn't certain.  "It will be 18 unforgettable hours," said Nevins.

Also, apart from Episode 3 and 4’s early release On Demand, Nevins stated the show will air weekly, because Lynch believes in weekly television, adding the series will have a global launch around the world.

Nevins saw the entire season at private screenings for him and Showtime president of programming Gary Levine, who were treated to doughnuts before each session.  Nevins called the new installment "the pure-heroin version of David Lynch" and added that it "rewards close watching" as the original 1990-91 ABC series did.

He also provided a small hint about what to expected from the new series, saying it's "about Agent Dale Cooper’s odyssey to Twin Peaks."   Original series star Kyle MacLachlan will return as FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, and he'll be joined by dozens of cast members from the original series, as well as various new cast members.

As for the question of whether there will be a second season of Twin Peaks on Showtime, Nevins didn't rule out a continuation completely, but stated the upcoming 18-episode season "is designed to be close-ended, one-time event."

SUPERGIRL Casts Peter Gadiot as Mr. Mxyzptlk

Looks like the Girl of Steel is getting a visit from the 5th Dimension.

TVLine confirmed yesterday that The CW series Supergirl has cast Peter Gadiot as the troublesome trickster Mister Mxyzptlk.  According to the article, Mr. Mxyzptlk will appear in Episode 13 of the show's second season.

The character is described in the article as "an impish, reality-bending trickster from the 5th Dimension who is best known for tormenting Superman and who can be sent home only by tricking him into saying/spelling his own name backwards."

Gadiot, 31, is an English actor probably best known as Cyrus on the ABC series Once Upon a Time.  His other television work includes episodes of Queen of the South, Tut, Matador, Fresh Meat, and My Spy Family.

Created in 1944 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Mr. Mxyzptlk first appeared in Superman (vol.1) #30 as an imp from the "fifth dimension" not bound by our physical laws, allowing him to do things that seem to be magical. In his first appearance, Mxyzptlk wreaked havoc across Metropolis by using his powers to pull all manner of pranks, first pretending he got hit by a truck and killed, then increasing his weight when the ambulance gets there and waking up to shock them.  

Originally, Mxyzptlk had designs on conquering the planet for himself, but soon settled for tormenting Superman whenever he got the opportunity.  His only weaknesses are that he cannot stand being ridiculed and if he says or spells his name backwards, Kltpzyxm (kel-tip-zix-um), he is involuntarily sent back to his home dimension for a minimum of ninety days.  

In the current DC Comics continuity known as The New 52, Mxyzptlk was reworked by writer Grant Morrison as a traveling wizard in the 5th Dimension who entertained the King-Thing Brpxz of Zrfff.  He did so by making 333 different 3-dimensional worlds, and by challenging heroes in each world, with everyone being entertained by the one hero who could win the challenges, Superman.  This led to Mxyzptlk becoming the king's favorite entertainer, and winning the love of the king's daughter, Gsptlnz.  However, it also led to jealousy to the now deposed original court magician, Vyndktvx.  Vyndktvx eventually went mad, and tried to kill Mxyzptlk, only to kill the king instead.  

The instant of the murder of the king, committed with the Multispear, a hyper-weapon, reflected in the three-dimensional universe Superman inhabited as a lifelong struggle with the five-dimensional being.  Mxyzptlk and his wife descended to the three-dimensional universe to aid Superman in his struggle, and their mortal forms perished in due time, still in the same instant of time on their homeworld.  There, even as he was defeated in the three-dimensional universe, Vndyktvx was arrested and imprisoned for the murder.  Mxyzptlk became king and lived happily with his wife, the beautiful princess-now-queen, only to grieve as she died giving birth to their children.  And so, he became the sad king that one day, the jester Mxyzptlk would come to entertain, and who would be slain by Vndyktvx in an eternal and apparently natural (for five-dimensional beings) cycle.

Gadiot will be the fourth actor to portray the character in live-action, after Michael J. Pollard on Superboy, Howie Mandel on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and Trent Ford on Smallville.  The character has also appeared in a number of animated projects, including The New Adventures of Superman (voiced by Gilbert Mack), Super Friends (voiced by Frank Welker), Superman: The Animated Series (voiced by Gilbert Gottfried), and Batman: The Brave and the Bold (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson).

Supergirl returns to The CW on Monday, January 23rd at 8:00 p.m. EST.

CONSTANTINE to Return as CW Seed Animated Series with Matt Ryan

Okay, so it's not Season 2, but it's something.

Deadline has word from The CW’s presentation at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour that the former NBC series Constantine is returning as a CW Seed animated series with five or six 10-minute episodes planned.

Even better, Matt Ryan, who played the character on the single season of the NBC series in 2015 and the Arrow episode "Haunted", and voiced the character for the upcoming Justice League Dark animated movie direct to home video, is reprising his role for the CW Seed series.

According to the article, Greg Berlanti, who oversees Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl for The CW, will be involved with his team as producers to oversee the new Constantine.  David S. Goyer, co-creator and executive producer of the original NBC series, as well as the original series’ producer Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment, will join them on the project.

The article also claims there are no current plans for Ryan to make more live-action appearances on The CW,  but Mark Pedowitz, president of The CW, said the network would like to see him back, since his first appearance "added dimension" to Arrow. 

Here's the full show artwork provided in the article...

A premiere date for the new Constantine series on CW Seed has not been announced.

Leia Organa's STAR WARS EPISODE IX Fate Could Be Determined Next Week

Whatever ends up happening, Leia is one with the Force, the Force is with her.

As Star Wars fans across the globe continue to mourn the loss of actress Carrie Fisher, the issue of what will happen to her character, Princess/General Leia Organa remains.  

According to The Hollywood Reporter, that issue may be decided next week as Star Wars Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow, the filmmaker behind Jurassic World, is set to arrive in Los Angeles the week of January 10th for meetings with Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy to discuss their options. 

The article claims insider sources report that "Leia was to have been a bigger part of Episode IX than VIII."  Fisher had completed her filming for Episode VIII prior to her death on December 27, 2016, and THR's sources also claim that "at least two key scenes are planned for Episode VIII (Dec. 15) and Episode IX (2019): a Leia reunion with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and a confrontation with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), her son who killed Harrison Ford's Han Solo in 2015's The Force Awakens."

In addition, the article points out a couple of obvious ways to address the issue, such as writing Leia out and reshooting some Episode VIII scenes.  Rogue One received considerable reshoots and still earned a huge worldwide box office, while Episode VIII also had a major rewrite, as writer/director Rian Johnson reworked his script after seeing changes J.J. Abrams made during his extensive postproduction work for The Force Awakens.

Another solution they point out is the use of CGI effects, with Leia only appearing in glimpses.  To recreate the young Princess Leia for a cameo appearance at the end of Rogue One, a computer-generated image of a young Fisher was superimposed over Norwegian actress Ingvild Deila's face, with archival audio of Fisher saying "Hope" used to voice the character.

The least likely option, one not mentioned in the article, is to simply recast the role for Episode IX, which seems doubtful given Fisher's importance as a Star Wars icon.  However, if Alden Ehrenreich can be cast as a young Han Solo for the upcoming film by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, anything is certainly possible.  

Star Wars Episode VIII is expected to be released on December 15, 2017, with Episode IX slated for sometime in 2019.

Your 2017 Geek Movie and TV Calendar

Once again, the new year brings us closer to The Films and TV Shows You've Been Dying to See for Like Forever.  If you enjoy sci-fi, fantasy and comic book based entertainment as I do, you already have several must-see flicks and television programs in the pipeline for 2017.  With that in mind, I thought I'd go ahead and give a helpful chronological rundown of which geek movie and TV goodness arrives when.  Some of these films will be worth the long wait, others you wouldn't watch even if they were on Netflix, but each have their audiences and key target demographics.  Start planning your work vacation/sick/personal days accordingly.

JANUARY

6 - Underworld: Blood Wars (Movie)
8 - Elementary, Sherlock: The Lying Detective, The Simpsons (TV)
10 - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
15 - Sherlock: The Final Problem (TV)
16 - Gotham, Lucifer, Supergirl (TV)
24 - The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
25 - Arrow (TV)
26 - Riverdale (TV)

FEBRUARY

2 - Powerless (TV)
8 - Legion (TV)
10 - John Wick: Chapter 2, The LEGO Batman Movie (Movie)
12 - Last Week Tonight, The Walking Dead (TV)

MARCH

March 2017? -- Better Call Saul, The Americans (TV)
3 - Logan (Movie)
10 - Kong: Skull Island (Movie)
17 - Iron Fist (TV)
24 - Power Rangers (Movie)
31 - Ghost in the Shell (Movie)

APRIL

April 2017? - American Gods, Class, Doctor Who, Fear the Walking Dead, Into the Badlands, Orphan Black, Twin Peaks (TV)
4 - iZombie (TV)

MAY

May 2017? - Preacher, Star Trek: Discovery (TV)
5 - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Movie)
19 - Alien: Covenant (Movie)
26 - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (Movie)

JUNE

June 2017? - The Defenders, Game of Thrones, Outcast (TV)
2 - Wonder Woman (Movie)
9 - The Mummy (Movie)
23 - Transformers: The Last Knight (Movie)
30 - Despicable Me 3 (Movie)

JULY

July 2017? - Stranger Things (TV)
7 - Spider-Man: Homecoming (Movie)
14 - War for the Planet of the Apes (Movie)
28 - The Dark Tower (Movie)

AUGUST

August 2017? -- Halt and Catch Fire, The Strain (TV)

SEPTEMBER

September 2017? - Gotham, The Inhumans, Lucifer, The Punisher, The Simpsons (TV)
4 - The Inhumans (Movie)
8 - Stephen King's IT Part One (Movie)

OCTOBER

October 2017? - American Horror Story, Arrow, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Elementary, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, The Walking Dead (TV)
6 - Blade Runner 2049, Kingsman: The Golden Circle (Movie)

NOVEMBER

3 - Thor: Ragnarok (Movie)
17 - Justice League (Movie)

DECEMBER

15 - Star Wars Episode VIII (Movie)
25 - Doctor Who 2017 Christmas Special