HARLEY QUINN Casts Kaley Cuoco as Harley, Releases First Look Trailer

Harley Quinn just returned fire at Deadpool.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the world premiere screening of DC Universe's series Titans at New York Comic Con featured actress Kaley Cuoco, who announced that she's starring in the streaming service's upcoming animated series Harley Quinn, based on the DC Comics character.

Cuoco, 32, is best known as Penny on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory and has appeared in the movies The Wedding Ringer and Virtuosity. Her other TV appearances include episodes of Prison Break, Charmed, Northern Exposure, 8 Simple Rules, The Ellen Show, Ellen, and My So-Called Life.

Announced back in November 2017, Harley Quinn is a new adult animated comedy that follows Harley’s adventures after she breaks up with the Joker and strikes out on her own. With the help of Poison Ivy and a ragtag crew of DC castoffs, Harley tries to earn a seat at the biggest table in villainy: the Legion of Doom.

The voice cast also includes Lake Bell (Wet Hot American Summer) as Poison Ivy, Diedrich Bader (Veep) as Batman, Alan Tudyk (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Ron Funches (Powerless), JB Smoove (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), Wanda Sykes (Black-ish), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Natalie Morales (Bojack Horseman), Jim Rash (Community), Tony Hale (Veep) and Chris Meloni (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit).

In addition, the announcement featured a 50-second "first look" teaser trailer for Harley Quinn, featuring Cuoco's Harley and her gal pal Poison Ivy inside Arkham Asylum, breaking the fourth wall and directly addressing the New York Comic Con audience. In the trailer, Harley claims her new show "has got comedy, action, incredibly gratuitous violence, and unlike that Deadpool cartoon, it's actually comin' out." She also states "everyone in my show is gonna have fun or I will bash their f#@%ing heads in!"

At that moment, Batman drops down from outside to say "There's no fun in Arkham, Quinn," causing Harley to dismiss him as "a real buzzkill."

If you'd like to check out the first look trailer for Harley Quinn, you can view it below thanks to the official Warner Bros. TV account on YouTube...




Harley Quinn is expected to debut on DC Universe sometime in 2019.

Jon Favreau Reveals His STAR WARS TV Series Is THE MANDALORIAN

Jon Favreau is looking to tell a story about a simple man trying to make his way in the universe.

Via his official Instagram account, writer, director and producer Jon Favreau has revealed that the title of his upcoming live-action Star Wars television series will be called The Mandalorian and will be set between the events of Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  The series for Disney's upcoming streaming service was announced last March, but has been kept secret until now.

Favreau's post, which gives a nod to the famous Star Wars opening crawls, states "After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe.  The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.…”

Favreau, 51, is a longtime Star Wars fan, and voiced the alien Rio Durant in this summer's Solo: A Star Wars Story.  Previously, he voiced the Mandalorian warrior Pre Vizskla in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

When The Mandalorian was first announced, he remarked, "If you told me at 11 years old that I would be getting to tell stories in the Star Wars universe, I wouldn’t have believed you.  I can’t wait to embark upon this exciting adventure."

KRYPTON Casts Emmett J. Scanlan as Lobo

The Main Man is finally coming to live action.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that the Syfy series Krypton has cast Emmett J. Scanlan as DC Comics antihero Lobo.  The role will be recurring throughout the show's upcoming second season.

Lobo is described in the article as "the ruthless bounty hunter who murdered his entire species."

Scanlan, 39, is an Irish actor perhaps best known to DC Comics fans as Jim Corrigan, the Spectre, on the NBC series Constantine, as Simon on the BBC America zombie series In the Flesh, and as Brendan Brady on the British soap opera Hollyoaks.  He also appeared in the Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy as the Head Riot Guard, and on episodes of Atlantis, No Offence, Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands, and Safe.

Created in 1983 by Roger Slifer and Keith Giffen, Lobo first appeared in Omega Men (vol.1) #3 as a Velorpian whose entire race had been exterminated by the Psions.  Lobo played an important role in the Citadel War, in his capacity as a bounty hunter.  He was hired by the Citadel's human agent Harry Hokum to capture the Euphorian known as Kalista in a bid to learn the secret behind her home world's planetary shield.  Along with fellow bounty hunters Bedlam and Berserk, he raided the mothership belonging to the Omega Men, where upon he engaged in combat with Kalista.  Soon after, Harry Hokum hired Lobo once again, this time to assassinate the Omega Men's interim leader Tigorr.  Lobo never had the opportunity to complete the contract however.

In 1988's Justice League International (vol.1) #18, the character was revamped as a Czarnian whose name comes from a Khund dialect that means "one who devours your entrails and thoroughly enjoys it."  He hailed from the planet Czarnia, which was a virtual paradise that knew nothing of war and the Czarnians were almost immortal.  When Lobo was born, his evil was so frighteningly apparent, the nurse who delivered him went insane and became the planet's first mental patient in ten millennia after the infant Lobo chewed off four of her fingers.  Lobo knew he was one of a kind, but he wanted even more.  Inspired by the idea of genocide, Lobo created a swarm of lethal scorpion-like creatures and set them on his people, wiping out his entire species but himself.

After traveling across the galaxies as an intergalactic bounty hunter, Lobo made his first appearance on the planet Earth when he was hired by Manga Khan to take out the newly formed Justice League International.  However, after Big Barda teleported Lobo across the galaxy, Lobo landed on Earth in the Justice League Embassy.  After a brief altercation with Guy Gardner, Lobo hung around, pretending to be a friend, while waiting for the right moment.   Before he could act, however, Manga Khan canceled his contract.  Since then, he encountered various DC Comics superheroes, operating solo or as a member of L.E.G.I.O.N.

In the current DC continuity known as DC Rebirth, Lobo was reintroduced in the limited series Justice League vs. Suicide Squad as one of the villains freed by Maxwell Lord who was a member of Amanda Waller's first Suicide Squad.  Batman eventually implanted a bomb into Lobo's brain and detonated it, blowing up Lobo's head.  After Lobo regenerated it, he discovered Batman did so to free him from Lord's control, and later accepted Batman's offer to join a new incarnation of the Justice League of America to repay the favor.

Scanlan will be the first actor to portray Lobo in live action, although the character has appeared in various animated projects, including Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League (voiced by Brad Garrett), Young Justice (voiced by David Sobolov), and Justice League Action (voiced by John DiMaggio).

Krypton is expected to return to Syfy for Season 2 sometime in 2019.

TITANS International Trailer Brings the Titans Together

Needless to say...Titans together!

Netflix, which is handling the international distribution for the upcoming DC Universe series Titans, has released a new 2 minute, 25 second trailer for the series that looks far more appealing than DC Universe's disappointing first trailer.

We open inside police headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, where a male police detective is studying security camera footage of the alley where Robin fought some bad guys.  "Are you sure it's him?" he asks another detective.  "We called Gotham P. D.  He hasn't been seen for over a year."

Next, we see Robin leaping high above that alley, as said bad guys wonder, "What was what?"

"Disappeared they said," continues the male detective.

"They thought he might be dead," replies Detective Jessica Perez (Liza Colón-Zayas), who is standing in front of Detective Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites).

"Why come here?" asks the male detective.  "Why Detroit?"

"The weather?" suggests Grayson.

Back to the scene in the alley, one bad guy asks, "Where's Batman?" while another observes, "Hey, the little birdie's alone."

After we see Robin take out said bad guys, and this time not killing any of them or stepping on their necks, the male detective remarks, "Let's just hope the hell he's passing through."

In a separate scene, we see Grayson speaking with Raven/Rachel Roth (Teagan Croft) in a police interrogation room.  He introduces himself and asks her, "You wanna talk about what happened?"

"Can you help me?" asks Raven.

We cut to Raven's home, where she calls out for her mother, only to find The Acolyte (Jarreth J. Merz) shoving her mother Angela into view.  "Rachel," says the Acolyte.  "That's what she calls you."

Cutting back to the interrogation room, Raven begins to cry and tells Grayson, "There is something inside of me..."  We cut to a separate scene, where Raven is using some sort of sonic cry that shatters a glass table, just before a shadowy form (that may be her soul-self) lashes out and attacks someone.  "...Something evil," continues Raven.

In a different scene, we see Grayson trying to reassure Raven with a hug.  "Nothing bad's going to happen to you, don't worry."

In another scene, we see Grayson talking with Dove/Dawn Granger (Minka Kelly), who advises him, "Taking care of a kid is complicated.  You know that better than anyone.  I know how healing it must be doing what Bruce did for you when you lost your parents."

As we see Grayson and Raven sitting in a diner booth, followed by a flashback of young Dick Grayson arriving at Wayne Manor, Dawn continues asking, "What happened between you and Bruce?"

"I guess we had different ideas of how to do the job," replies Grayson.

Cutting back to the diner booth scene, Grayson tells Raven, "We're gonna go see some old friends of mine."

We shift to another scene, where Beast Boy/Garfield Logan (Ryan Potter) transforms from a green tiger into his green (and naked) human form as Starfire/Koriand'r (Anna Diop) laughs in amusement and Grayson and Raven look on.

In a different scene, we see Raven and Beast Boy awkwardly bonding while playing pinball and Raven tells Beast Boy that she likes his hair.

Another scene features Starfire driving a car, with Raven in the passenger seat.  "Call me Kory," she says to Raven.

"What do you want from me?" asks Raven.

"I've been looking for you.  There are people out there trying to hurt you."  This is followed by a couple of glimpses of Starfire using her fire-based powers.

"Total badass," remarks Raven.

"I feel danger," remarks Starfire as we glimpse DC Comics supervillains The Nuclear Family.  We see Nuclear Mom (Melody Johnson) finding Raven.  "There you are, dear," she says menacingly.

This is followed by Raven being wheeled in on a hospital gurney by a pair of nuns.  "What are you doing?" asks Raven.

"We all must make sacrifices, child," says one of the nuns.

We then see several fleeting images, including dark energy swirling above Raven as the other Titans look on, Starfire being shot with a bullet that triggers her powers, Hawk and Dove fighting bad guys, Beast Boy baring his fangs, Beast Boy (as a tiger) flinging someone across the room, Robin fighting some more bad guys, and Starfire punching someone across a room and being shocked by her strength.

In a final scene, we see Grayson driving a car with Raven again in the passenger seat.  "Do it ever go away?" she asks.

"What?" replies Grayson.

"The feeling you got left behind?"

More fleeting images follow, including a shattered mirror being telekinetically moved through the air by Raven, Grayson and Starfire looking upwards at a swarm of bats, Starfire kissing someone (Grayson, perhaps?), and lastly, Raven screaming and blowing out a bunch of car windshields.

If you'd like to check out the new international trailer, you can view it below thanks to ComicBook.com on YouTube...



Titans will debut on DC Universe Friday, October 12th.

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 117: "Time and the Rani" is Up!

"You're going to take some getting used to."
"I'll grow on you, Mel.  I'll grow on you."

-- Melanie "Mel" Bush and The Seventh Doctor, Doctor Who: "Time and the Rani"

After finally returning from the Time Vortex, my partner in time Jesse Jackson and I are back with a new episode of Next Stop Everywhere!  This time, we review "Time and the Rani", the first serial of Doctor Who Season 24 in 1987, featuring Sylvester McCoy's first story as the Seventh Doctor, Bonnie Langford as Melanie "Mel" Bush, and Kate O'Mara as The Rani!

In this episode, Jesse and I discuss things like the return of Jesse as Captain Grumpy, my 2 a.m. email from Jesse, watching Doctor Who Series 11 on Sundays, Jodie Whittaker's first episode "The Woman Who Fell to Earth", trying to figure out when we'll record our Series 11 episodes, our upcoming new co-host Karen Lindsay getting kidney stones, Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor sounding like the Ninth Doctor but acting like the Eleventh Doctor, BBC America not having any classic Doctors in their "13 Days of Doctor Who" marathon, Pip and Jane Baker writing "Time and the Rani" without knowing who the Seventh Doctor was or what his personality was supposed to be, Sylvester McCoy's Colin Baker wig, Jesse wanting to put classic Doctor Who out of its misery, Sylvester McCoy's charm, Bonnie Langford's Mel not meeting her potential, Kate O'Mara's big '80s hair, the McCoy era's Doctor Who logo and new CGI effects, the Rani's overly involved plan, the Rani impersonating Mel, Dan Aykroyd's Saturday Night Live catchphrase "Jane, you ignorant slut," the Rani's spinning globes of death, Sylvester McCoy wanting to ditch his question-mark pullover, my Reverse the Reverse the Polarity segment, new listener feedback from Paul from Australia, David K. Proctor, Holly from Wisconsin, Fred Firestine & Ken Schaefer, and more!

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

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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 in two weeks as Jesse and I go back into the TARDIS and review "The Christmas Invasion", the 2005 Christmas Special featuring David Tennant's first story as the Tenth Doctor, Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, Noel Clarke as Mickey Smith, and Camille Coduri as Jackie Tyler!  Look for more of Next Stop Everywhere on iTunes, Google Play Music, YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

BIRDS OF PREY Casts Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary & Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress

The Birds of Prey are ready to take flight.

Deadline is reporting that Warner Bros. has decided on who will play DC Comics superheroes Black Canary and Huntress in the upcoming film adaptation of Birds of Prey, joining Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn.  The film will be directed by Cathy Yan

Jurnee Smollett-Bell, 31, will play Dinah Laurel Lance, better known as Black Canary.  Smollett-Bell is probably best known as Nicole Wright on the HBO series True Blood and as Jess Merriweather on the series Friday Night Lights.  Her other films include Hands of Stone, Gridiron Gang, Eve's Bayou, and Jack, while her other TV appearances include episodes of Underground, Parenthood, Grey's Anatomy, House, ER, NYPD Blue, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, and Full House.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, 33, is playing Helena Bertinelli, a.k.a. The Huntress.  Winstead is best known as Ramona Flowers in the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and as Lucy Gennero-McClane in Live Free or Die Hard and A Good Day to Die Hard.  Her other films include 10 Cloverfield Lane, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, The Thing (2011), Death Proof, Sky High, Final Destination 3, and The Ring Two.  In addition, her TV appearances include episodes of Fargo, The Returned, Tru Calling, Wolf Lake, and Passions.

According to the article, Winstead was up against Sofia Boutella, Cristin Milioti, and Margaret Qualley for Huntress, while the role of Black Canary was between Smollett-Bell and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

Created in 1947 by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, Black Canary first appeared in Flash Comics #86 as Dinah Drake, a florist who operated as a crimefighting vigilante on Earth-2 and eventually joined the Justice Society of America before moving to Earth-1 and joining the Justice League of America.  There, she began a relationship with JLA colleague Green Arrow and discovered that she has developed an ultrasonic scream, the "Canary Cry."  In 1983's Justice League of America (vol.1) #219, it was revealed that the JLA's Black Canary was actually Dinah Laurel Lance, the daughter of Dinah Drake and her husband Larry Lance.  In 1995, Black Canary was recruited by Oracle, the former Batgirl, as an operative for a covert-mission team that became unofficially known as the Birds of Prey.

As for the Huntress, she was created in 1977 by Paul Levitz and Joe Staton, first appearing in DC Super-Stars #17 as Helena Wayne, the daughter of the Earth-2 Batman and Catwoman.  A criminal named Silky Cernak blackmailed his old boss Selina Kyle into resuming action once again as Catwoman, an act which eventually led to her death.  Helena, vowing to bring Cernak to justice, created a costume for herself, fashioned some weapons from her parents' equipment (including her eventual trademark, a crossbow), and set out to bring him in.  After accomplishing this, Helena decided to continue to fight crime as The Huntress.  She soon joined the Justice Society of America and later Infinity, Inc., but was killed in 1986 during the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths.  In 1989, Joey Cavalieri and Joe Staton revamped the character in The Huntress (vol.1) #1 as Helena Bertinelli, who was born into one of Gotham City's most prominent Mafia families.  Her parents, Guido and Carmela, sent her to a boarding school and assign a bodyguard for her protection where she learned all forms of combat.  After witnessing the mob-ordered murder of her parents at the age of 19, she vowed to put an end to the Mafia as the Huntress.  In 2003, writer Gail Simone added Huntress to the Birds of Prey, after being recruited by Oracle to rescue the critically injured Black Canary.

This will be the second time the Birds of Prey will appear in live action, after the short-lived Birds of Prey television series, which aired on the WB network from 2002-2003 and starred Ashley Scott as Huntress and Rachel Skarsten as Dinah Lance.

Birds of Prey is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on February 7, 2020.

Marvel Studios Taps Chloé Zhao to Direct THE ETERNALS

Waiting for this movie will feel eternal.

The Hollywood Reporter has word that Marvel Studios has chosen Chloé Zhao as director for The Eternals, based on the classic Marvel comic series created by Jack Kirby.

According to the article, the search narrowed in the last few weeks, with a shortlist consisting of Watchmen TV pilot director Nicole Kassell, Travis Knight (Bumblebee, Kubo and the Two Strings), along with Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra (Birds of Passage).  Zhao "was already well known to Marvel as she went down the road with the company on Black Widow, the standalone featuring Scarlett Johansson's spy heroine.  That gig ultimately went to Cate Shortland."

In addition, the article states the film will include "the love story between Ikaris, a man fueled by cosmic energy, and Sersi, who relishes moving amongst humans."

Zhao, 36, is a Chinese film director, screenwriter, and producer who directed the acclaimed independent films The Rider and Songs My Brothers Taught Me.

Created in 1976 by Jack Kirby, the Eternals first appeared in The Eternals (vol.1) #1 as an offshoot of the evolutionary process that created sentient life on Earth.  When the Celestials visited Earth five million years ago and performed genetic experiments on early proto-humanity, they created two divergent races: the long-lived Eternals, and the genetically unstable and monstrously grotesque Deviants.  These experiments also led to the capacity for super-powered mutations in humans.  They also performed this experiment on other planets (such as the Kree and Skrull homeworlds) with similar results.

Eternals can be killed if their molecules are dispersed over a large enough area and there are few Eternals due to their low birth rate.  Even though Eternals and humans are capable of having children together when they mate, when a child is born of such a union the baby will always be human.  Eternals have sworn to protect humans from their cousins, the Deviants, and also have higher technology than the human race.  

The Eternals faced a civil war over if they should conquer other races.  One side was led by Kronos, who said they shouldn't, while the other was lead by Uranos.  Kronos' side won, causing Uranos to leave Earth and travel to Uranus, where he and the rest built a civilization.  Uranos and his group built a spaceship and attempted to return to Earth to start another war, but they were attacked by a Kree ship.  The survivors among Uranos' group were forced to land on Titan, Saturn's moon, giving rise to an Eternal civilization there.  The Kree captured one of the Eternals and did experiments on him, which led the Kree to go to Earth and experiment on humans.  This led to another offshoot of humanity, the Inhumans, that were powerful but not on the Eternals' level.

When the Celestials returned to judge the worthiness of their creations, the Eternals found themselves clashing with the Deviants again, and decided to publicly reveal their existence to humanity.  Kronos' son Zuras feared what would happen if the Celestials judged unfavorably.  They encountered the Asgardian god Thor, and were attacked by Thor's father Odin and the Olympian gods, who tried to prevent their interfering with the gods' plans to attack the Celestials.  Eventually, the Eternals decided to help the gods and formed a Uni-Mind to assist the assault on the Celestials.  They were forced to dissolve back into Eternals by the Celestials, and the shock of the attack killed Zuras.  Before his spirit fully left the material plane, he instructed his daughter Thena to take his people to explore space.  Most of the Eternals did so in the form of a Uni-Mind, but a handful – those most heavily involved in Earthly affairs – remained behind on Earth.  Since then, the Eternals have helped Earth's heroes, particularly the Avengers, against several menaces.

CBS All Access Reveals STAR TREK: SHORT TREKS Mini-Episodes

Get ready to discover more of Star Trek: Discovery.

CBS All Access has revealed the episodes for Star Trek: Short Treks, a new series of four stand-alone mini-episodes leading up for the Season 2 premiere of Star Trek: Discovery in early 2019.  Each mini-episode will run approximately 10 to 15 minutes and "will be an opportunity for fans to dive deeper into key themes and characters that fit into the Star Trek: Discovery and expanding Star Trek universe."

Each of the Star Trek: Short Treks episode will center on a key character, including familiar faces from Star Trek: Discovery:  Mary Wiseman (Tilly), Doug Jones (Saru), and Rainn Wilson (Harry Mudd), as well as a new character unfamiliar to fans, Craft, played by Aldis Hodge.

The four installments of Star Trek: Short Treks will roll out as follows:

"Runaway" – Thursday, October 4, 2018

Onboard the U.S.S. Discovery, Ensign Tilly (Mary Wiseman) encounters an unexpected visitor in need of help.  However, this unlikely pair may have more in common than meets the eye.  Written by Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman.  Directed by Maja Vrvilo.

"Calypso" – Thursday, November 8, 2018

After waking up in an unfamiliar sickbay, Craft (Aldis Hodge) finds himself to be on board a deserted ship, his only companion and hope for survival, an A.I. computer interface. Teleplay by Michael Chabon.  Story by Sean Cochran and Michael Chabon.  Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi.

"The Brightest Star" – Thursday, December 6, 2018

Before he was the first Kelpien to join Starfleet, Saru (Doug Jones) lived a simple life on his home planet Kaminar with his father and sister.  Young Saru, full of ingenuity and a level of curiosity uncommon among his people, yearns to find out what lies beyond his village, leading him on an unexpected path.  Written by Bo Yeon Kim & Erika Lippoldt.  Directed by Douglas Aarniokoski.

"The Escape Artist" – Thursday, January 3, 2019

Harry Mudd (Rainn Wilson), back to his old tricks of stealing and double-dealing, finds himself in a precarious position aboard a hostile ship—just in time to try out his latest con. Written by Michael McMahan.  Directed by Rainn Wilson.

In addition, CBS All Access released the following video teaser for Star Trek: Short Treks on their official YouTube account, which you can check out below...

STARGIRL Casts Brec Bassinger as...Stargirl

There's a Stargirl waiting in the sky. 

Deadline has word that the upcoming DC Universe series Stargirl, based on the DC Comics superhero, has cast Brec Bassinger in the lead role of Stargirl/Courtney Whitmore. The series will be thirteen episodes and will be written and executive produced by Geoff Johns, who co-created the character and based her on his deceased sister Courtney.

The official description for Stargirl states Courtney is "smart, athletic and above all else kind. This high school teenager’s seemingly perfect life hits a major speedbump when her mother gets married and her new family moves from Los Angeles, California to Blue Valley, Nebraska.  Struggling to adapt to a new school, make new friends and deal with a new step-family, Courtney discovers her step-father has a secret -- he used to be the sidekick to a superhero.  'Borrowing' the long-lost hero’s cosmic staff, Courtney becomes the unlikely inspiration for an entirely new generation of superheroes."

Stargirl follows High School sophomore Courtney Whitmore, who inspires an unlikely group of young heroes to stop the villains of the past. This new DC Universe series reimagines Stargirl and the very first superhero team, the Justice Society of America, in a fun, exciting and unpredictable series premiering in 2019, produced by Warner Bros. Television, Mad Ghost Productions and Berlanti Productions.

"There is no other character in comic books more special to me than Stargirl," said Johns, "and after searching far and wide, I can say there is no other actor on the planet that embodies her more than Brec Bassinger. Brec’s warmth, strength, humor and positive energy are core to who Courtney Whitmore is. I’m so grateful she’s signed on for the role."

Bassinger, 19, is best known as Bella Dawson on the Nickelodeon series Bella and the Bulldogs, and has appeared episodes of the TV series The Goldbergs, School of Rock, and The Haunted Hathaways.

Created in 1999 by Geoff Johns and Lee Moder, Stargirl first appeared in DCU Heroes Secret Files #1 as Courtney Whitmore, the stepdaughter of Pat Dugan, who once worked with the original Star-Spangled Kid, Sylvester Pemberton, as his crimefighting partner Stripesy.  Courtney found the original Star-Spangled Kid's gear in her stepfather's belongings and donned the costume to annoy Dugan, resenting his marrying her mother and moving the family from Los Angeles to Blue Valley, Nebraska.  Dugan, a skilled mechanic, designed and built S.T.R.I.P.E., a robotic suit that he used to accompany and protect her.

Courtney later joined the Justice Society of America, and after being given Starman Jack Knight's cosmic staff, she changed her identity to Stargirl.  She soon discovered her biological father (Sam Kurtis) working as a common thug for an incarnation of the Royal Flush Gang.  They later confronted one another during one of the Royal Flush Gang's robberies.  Courtney was later approached by the Shade, who informed her that her biological father was dead.  This tragedy, and her experience of the relationship between Liberty Belle and Jesse Quick, prompted her to re-evaluate her family life.  She realized that she couldn't hate her biological father for his failings as a father and as a man, and also learned to accept Pat Dugan as her only real father figure.

In the current New 52 continuity, Stargirl joined the new Justice League of America, chosen by Amanda Waller as the public face of the JLA's PR campaign.  After the disbandment of the JLA following the Forever Evil crossover event, Stargirl joined Justice League United.

Bassinger will be the third actress to portray Stargirl in live-action, after Britt Irvin in several episodes of the WB/CW series Smallville, and Sarah Grey in the CW series Legends of Tomorrow.  The character has also appeared on the animated series Justice League Unlimited (voiced by Giselle Loren), Batman: The Brave and the Bold (voiced by Hope Levy), and Justice League Action (voiced by Natalie Lander).

Stargirl is expected to debut on DC Universe sometime in 2019.

New DOCTOR WHO Series 11 Trailer Shows Who's in Charge

When people need help, the Doctor never refuses.

The second trailer for Doctor Who Series 11 has been released, giving fans another glimpse of what to expect when the BBC series returns early next month.

The new 60-second full trailer opens with a shot of an asteroid field, followed by a sped-up sunrise of twin suns on a planet with two moons.  This is followed by an overhead shot of a parked alien spacecraft, and the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) emerging from a small sandstorm.

"I'm the Doctor," she says to someone off-camera.  "When people need help, I never refuse."

In a separate scene, the Doctor and her companions, Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole), Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill) and Graham O'Brien (Bradley Walsh), are arguing about what to do next with an unidentified man.

"What do we do?" asks Yasmin.

"Why are you asking her?" asks the off-camera man.

"'Cause she's in charge, bro," replies Ryan.

"Says who?" asks the skeptical man.

"Says us," Yasmin, Ryan and Graham reply in unison.

In another scene, the Doctor tells her companions "Let's get a shift on!" just before they all start running and dodging laser weapon fire.

At that moment, the song "Glorious" by Macklemore featuring Skylar Grey begins to play as we're barraged by quick flashes of Graham pressing a detonator with his thumb and causing an explosion, the Doctor staggering through corridors that are sparking for some reason, Ryan opening a cabinet and being shocked by something, the Doctor and her companions silhouetted against an alien coastline, the Doctor wearing welding goggles, and the Doctor and her companions walking through a London park while the Doctor studies her Sonic Screwdriver.

Next, we see the Doctor, still wearing the Twelfth Doctor's shredded clothes, telling someone off-camera, "I'm just a traveler."  This is followed by glimpses of the Doctor entering a room where her companions and two other men are waiting, and the Doctor using her Sonic Screwdriver as Ryan and another young woman look on.  "Sometimes I see things need fixing, do what I can."

Then, we see the Doctor and some armed people being confronted at night by a giant black spider-like creature, followed by Ryan and Graham running from said creature.

This is followed by Yasmin kicking a tied-up bag of clothes or a small blanket down a corridor, the spaceship from earlier dropping out of warp in space, the Doctor watching as a strange mass of cables scuttles along above her, and finally, the Doctor in a bright white room, kissing her hand and waving goodbye to someone off-screen.

If you'd like to view the new trailer, you can check it out below, thanks to the official Doctor Who account on YouTube...




Doctor Who returns to BBC America for Series 11 on Sunday, October 7th.

GHOSTWOOD 041: "The Last Evening" is Up!

"One more question, Jacques.  You know, Leo told me all about that night up at the cabin with the girls.  I’m curious about the chip, how’d that happen?"

"(Laughs) It was that crazy bird."

"Bird?"

"It had a thing for Laura.  Sayin' her name all the time like he’s in love or somethin'.  So we’re all partying, girls are all getting pretty high, everybody’s pretty crazy."

"You, Laura and Ronette."

"Leo lets Waldo out of the cage and the bird, he lands on her shoulder.  (Laughs) Laura, she’s all tied up.  Oh, she like that.  The bird, he starts peckin' on her shoulder, peckin' like, love pecks or somethin', (Laughs) you know what I mean.  So Leo, he’s doin' a number on her and Laura, she’s screamin' about the damn bird.  So Leo takes out a chip, puts it in her mouth, and says 'Bite the bullet, baby, bite the bullet'.  (Laughs)"

"Thanks for clearing that up."

-- Dale Cooper and Jacques Renault, Twin Peaks: "The Last Evening"

It is happening again...My co-host with the most Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast!  This time, we continue our commentary tracks as we watch "The Last Evening," the Twin Peaks Season One finale, featuring the arrest and murder of Jacques Renault, the Packard Sawmill going up in flames, and the cliffhanger shooting of Special Agent Dale Cooper!

LET'S ROCK!

In our latest episode, Xan and I discuss things like the MC Chris "Twin Peaks" song, my Star Trek: The Next Generation Monopoly set, the passing of Burt Reynolds, Grandpa Beers, Paul Williams as The Penguin, the results of my first ten Twin Peaks 2018 trading card packs, "The Last Evening" deleted scene, Xan's hatred of Claude Rains, tuning out the floor-sweeping scene in "The Return", Dr. Jacoby's drink umbrella collection, Dr. Jacoby's parallel to Miriam Sullivan, Cooper playing blackjack, Blackie's card tricks, the creepy close-up on Jacques' mouth, Leo liking his women blinded by shampoo, Jack Palance in Batman, Andy's most badass moment ever, me being a Latchkey Kid to the extreme, Leo blaming Shelly for breaking his non-existent heart, Nadine's suicide attempt, Hank Jennings having antlers, Josie Packard's new AB+ lipstick shade, more of Catherine being a sociopath, Andy finding out Lucy is pregnant, Hank manipulating Norma's emotions, James making Cooper a mix tape, Leo not being able to set a VCR clock, One Eyed Jack's hunchback seamstress, Cooper literally leaving Andy hanging, the John Justice Wheeler Saga vs. the James Hurley Saga, Xan preparing for her trip to South Africa, 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

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Be sure to come back in three weeks as Xan and I continue our commentary tracks as we watch "May the Giant Be with You," the Twin Peaks Season Two premiere, featuring the first appearance of Carel Struycken as The Giant, Audrey Horne's awkward encounter with her father at One Eyed Jack's, and Ronette Pulaski waking up from her coma!  Look for more of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast on iTunes, YouTube, Libsyn, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

First CAPTAIN MARVEL Trailer Teases Young Nick Fury & The Skrulls

She's not what you think she is.

Marvel Studios has released the first trailer for Captain Marvel, the upcoming film based on the Marvel Comics character, starring Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn.

The one-minute, 55-second teaser trailer opens with Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers (Larson), a former U.S. Air Force pilot, plummeting to Earth from high above and crashing into...a Blockbuster Video store.  Yep, this is the '90s, all right.

As Captain Marvel recovers while surrounded by VHS tapes, we hear a voiceover from Nick Fury (Jackson), who says, "War is a universal language.  I know a renegade soldier when I see one.  It never occurred to me that one might come from above."

We see Carol wearing a S.H.I.E.L.D. ball cap exploring a secret facility, as Nick Fury continues with his voiceover.  "Space invasion...big car chase...Truth be told, I was ready to hang it up, 'till I met you today."

The much younger, '90s Nick Fury comes into full view as we cut to a scene of he and Carol driving along a remote desert road.  "So," Fury begins, "you're not from around here."

"It's hard to explain," replies Carol.

She continues in a voiceover.  "I keep having these...memories," she says as we see a fleeting image of Carol in a flight uniform with her fellow pilot, Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), the mother of another Captain Marvel from the comics, Monica Rambeau.  "I see flashes.  I think I had a life here...but I can't tell if it's real."

We see another quick image of Captain Marvel hanging upside down, forcibly restrained, as an alien device is doing something to her mind.  We also see Captain Marvel with other members of the Kree military group known as Starforce, followed by a brief shot of Mar-Vell (Jude Law), Carol's mentor and commander in Starforce.

As we glimpse the film's big bad Talos (Mendelsohn) and some other alien shapeshifter Skrulls on a beach, we hear Fury's voiceover say, "We have no idea what threats are out there."  Captain Marvel sizes up an old woman on a bus, and (presumably knowing she's actually a Skrull in disguise), suddenly punches her hard.

We see a fleeting image of a much younger, '90s Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), Fury continues with "You can't do this alone.  We need you."  More images follow, including Captain Marvel and other Starforce members traveling underwater, with Carol wearing the helmet from the comics that gives her hair a "fauxhawk" look.

In a separate scene, Carol tells someone, "I'm not what you think I am."

The trailer ends with very dramatic music, as Captain Marvel powers up with glowing energy, her eyes blazing with power, and gets ready to pound some Skrulls.

If you'd like to check out the trailer, you can view it below thanks to the official Marvel Entertainment account on YouTube...



Captain Marvel is scheduled to arrive in theaters on March 8, 2019.