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Friday, October 14, 2016

Latest Movie News From Moviefone

Latest Movie News From Moviefone

'Game of Thrones' Season 7 Spoilers Suggest Stark & Targaryen Alliance

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Mother of Dragons, it's all coming together! "Game of Thrones" Season 7 is now filming and the exciting teases are flying faster than Drogon across the Narrow Sea. The other day, set photos hinted to a possible Stark family reunion. Today, we have news of Daenerys Targaryen meeting with two loyal Team Stark advisers.

You may recall Watchers on the Wall's spoiler back in August that Dany would not only make it to King's Landing in Season 7, she would find her way to the Dragonpit -- where the Targaryens of old kept their dragons -- now a giant ruin on Rhaenys's Hill in the city.

That news was taken to a new level this week, with scoop from Watchers on the Wall that Dany will meet and speak with two fan favorite characters:

Today, we received a spoiler update from a reliable source confirming that Daenerys will be at the Dragonpit, and that she'll be meeting with several familiar characters there. In addition to Dany's trusted allies such as Missandei, she'll be meeting with characters from other storylines. And that's where it gets really good. Our source tells us that Daenerys will have at least one scene where she's speaking with Davos Seaworth and Brienne of Tarth.

What could that mean for the future of Westeros? Are they hammering out an alliance? We don't have a context for the meeting yet. But loyal Stark advisers and possible messengers meeting with the Dragon Queen is incredibly promising.

Dany + Davos + Brienne = WIN. It's not clear if this particular scene will mark the first time Dany meets them or not. But we can picture Dany setting up shop at the Dragonpit and taking meetings with envoys, like Davos -- now clearly loyal to Jon Snow, aka The King in the North -- and Brienne -- still loyal to Sansa and the Starks. Perhaps the long-awaited Stark/Targaryen alliance will form right then and there, with or without a marriage. (We know Jon is both Stark and Targaryen but it's not clear if that information will find its way to Jon and others.)
Maybe if Brienne gets tight with Dany she can also somehow be a bridge between Dany and Jaime Lannister. Last we saw, Jaime was giving his sister an "oh sh*t" look at the end of Season 6, not exactly thrilled to see his twin on the Iron Throne. Maybe he'd rather see Dany in charge?

"Game of Thrones" Season 7 will keep filming into early 2017, with the premiere pushed back from its usual spring start to the summer.

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'Once Upon a Time' Has Big Plans for Robin Hood's Return (Not Just Flashbacks)

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When Robin Hood returns to "Once Upon a Time" it won't just be in flashbacks, it won't just be for one episode, and it will be tied to the main story. However, maybe it won't all be good news? Magic always comes with a price...

Regina's (Lana Parrilla) love got killed off last season, but that rarely means goodbye on this show. It was revealed in September that Sean Maguire will return as Robin Hood in a new story arc in Season 6.

The showrunners just shared more details (if not many more) with Entertainment Weekly:

"It's definitely not just him in flashbacks, we can guarantee that," EP Edward Kitsis said. EP Adam Horowitz added: "It's multiple episodes, it's not just in flashback, but it's not necessarily what you'd expect. How he integrates into the story, we want to keep a surprise and unexpected. It's an important part of the main story once it happens."

The "surprise" and "unexpected" and "important part of the main story" teases have us slightly worried that Robin Hood may be the person under the hood who stabs Emma in her vision. No? Yes? Crazy talk? We're meant to learn who's under the hood "before the Christmas break."

Nothing is ever easy on this show, and they love to tease poor Regina with a happy ending, only to give it a serious catch. TV Guide recently asked Lana Parrilla about Robin's return, and she either doesn't know the details yet or she's playing coy:

Robin Hood is slated to return this season. What can you tell us about how that will happen and what will it mean for Regina?

Parrilla: I am very excited that Sean Maguire is going to be joining us again. We can't wait to have him back. It's like a big family reunion for us. I have no idea how they are bringing Sean back but I know it's going to be really cool. I know he's really excited, as are we.

I don't know how Regina is going to respond to Robin Hood. I have no idea how the Evil Queen is going to respond to Robin Hood. That's going to be interesting because wasn't he both of their lovers? That's going to be really interesting to find out. Then you have Zelena with the baby. It's like Robin Hood has three women after him! It's going to be fun.

For now, we'll just wait and hope for the best for Robin, Regina, and the rest of Storybrooke's lost souls.

"Once" continues this Sunday, October 16 at 8 p.m. on ABC, with "Strange Case" following Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Then "Street Rats" shows us Aladdin and Jasmine. The next episodes are called "Dark Waters," "Heartless," "I'll Be Your Mirror," and "Changelings."

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Felicity Jones Stalled 'Inferno' With One Unusual Contract Demand

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"Inferno" photocall in London, England, UK - 10/12/16Let no one say Felicity Jones does not put family first. Before we see her take the lead in "Rogue One," Jones will stand side-by-side with Tom Hanks in the Dan Brown novel adaptation "Inferno."

Ron Howard directed "Inferno, and revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he wanted to cast Jones as Sienna after seeing her in "The Theory of Everything." But it was not easy to get her to sign on. "She's shamelessly balky," Howard told THR. "She'll say 'yes' and then 'no' and then 'yes' and then 'no.'"

Jones had no concerns about the script, telling THR, "That Sienna must be an equal to Langdon in her intellectual capabilities was very clear to Ron and me from the very beginning." Her concern was scheduling -- specifically, scheduling the international shoot around the birth of her niece or nephew.

"The whole contract turned on whether she could have a certain set number of days off when her brother's wife was having a baby," Howard said. "She was going to blow the movie if we couldn't rearrange the schedule and let that happen."

You don't hear that every day! But it's quite sweet and moving. Jones, 32, does not seem to have any children herself at this point. Her brother is her only sibling and they sound pretty close. And if you can get your job to schedule around events like that, why not? Good for her. And good for Ron Howard and company for apparently agreeing to it. That baby should feel pretty darn special.

"Inferno" opens October 28.

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'Good Will Hunting' Producer Said Minnie Driver Wasn't 'Hot' Enough for Movie

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Minnie Driver not only booked the role of Skylar in the 1997 film "Good Will Hunting," she earned herself an Oscar nomination, and even ended up dating star Matt Damon. But you know who didn't like dem apples? Some unnamed "Good Will Hunting" producer with zero vision.

Driver was recently on "Watch What Happens Live," and host Andy Cohen asked her to name the rudest thing anyone has said to her in Hollywood. She answered, "The producer of 'Good Will Hunting' did not think I was hot enough to be in that film, and did not want me in the film." When Cohen pointed out that she got an Academy Award nomination for the role, Driver noted, "But not for being hot."

She credited writers/co-stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and director Gus Van Sant, for having her back. "They fought very hard for me to play that role, and I'm grateful to them until this day."

Who tried to shoot her down? Maybe one of the Weinsteins, since Miramax ended up producing. Or perhaps someone at Castle Rock, which had it first. Apparently the studio suits initially didn't want Affleck or Damon in the lead roles either, since they weren't big names at the time. (And maybe someone noticed Damon's pasty, hairy legs and felt they weren't "hot" enough.) Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio were reportedly suggested instead.

But everything turned out the way it should've -- and now Matt & Ben are Oscar winners for writing and famous as actors; Driver is now earning raves on her new show "Speechless"; and she may not even be ticked at Damon anymore for telling Oprah he didn't have a girlfriend ... while they were still dating.

[via: Us Magazine]

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What Killer Shark? Jason Statham Looks Pretty Calm in First 'Meg' Photo

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ENTERTAINMENT-US-CINEMA-PREMIERE-THE MECHANIC: RESURRECTIONA killer shark doesn't seem that threatening when you call it "Meg." Maybe that's why Jason Statham and co-star Li Bingbing look so chill in the first photo from the movie.

Filming just started down in New Zealand for a 2018 release, with the story adapted from the 1997 sci-fi book, "Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror."

Here's the synopsis from Warner Bros., via Collider:

"A deep-sea submersible—part of an international undersea observation program—has been attacked by a massive creature, previously thought to be extinct, and now lies disabled at the bottom of the deepest trench in the Pacific...with its crew trapped inside. With time running out, expert deep sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is recruited by a visionary Chinese oceanographer (Winston Chao), against the wishes of his daughter Suyin (Li Bingbing), to save the crew—and the ocean itself—from this unstoppable threat: a pre-historic 75-foot-long shark known as the Megalodon. What no one could have imagined is that, years before, Taylor had encountered this same terrifying creature. Now, teamed with Suyin, he must confront his fears and risk his own life to save everyone trapped below...bringing him face to face once more with the greatest and largest predator of all time."

And here's the first photo, which shows how little Jonas Taylor really fears this "terrifying creature" -- his hands are still in his pockets, Meg. Take that!


"Meg," directed by Jon Turteltaub, also stars Cliff Curtis, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Winston Chao, Page Kennedy, Jessica McNamee, Ólafur Darris Ólafsson, Sophia Shuya Cai, and Masi Oka. It's scheduled for release on March 2, 2018.

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Norman Reedus: 'Heavy' 'Walking Dead' Premiere Will Make You Kick TV Set

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Your own poor television set may get Lucille'd after "The Walking Dead" Season 7 premiere.

This thing has been hyped to the hills and beyond, but at least they can say they warned us. Norman Reedus was on "The Tonight Show" last night to tease the October 23 premiere, ride around on a motorcycle with Jimmy Fallon, and give the TWD cast some superlative titles.

Reedus said he's asked every day about who dies in the premiere -- cops, TSA agents, flight attendants, everyone wants to know. He can't say, obviously, but did tease, "I imagine a lot of people will be kicking their television sets. ... I mean it's heavy; it's really, really heavy."

Fallon acted like that was a big hint, but it wasn't. Reedus actually says a version of that before every major death, every season. He previously promised the wait for the Season 7 premiere would be "worth it," adding, "the planet is going to explode" because "it's so good."

In a web-only broadcast backstage, Reedus answered questions on his TWD co-stars in a superlatives game:

• Most likely to only need one take: "Uh, probably Danai [Gurira, aka Michonne]. I'd say Andy [Lincoln, aka Rick] but he'll just want to keep going. He'd still be doing one take to this day."

• Most likely to still be memorizing lines: "That would be me."

• Most likely to be spotted at craft services: "I'm going to have to say Danai again."

• Most likely to play pranks on set: "That would probably be me, or Danai. or Andy. Or Jeffey [Dean Morgan, aka Negan], maybe."

• Most likely to rule the dance floor at cast party: "I'm going to have to say Alanna [Masterson, aka Tara]."

• Most likely to be the best at keeping a "Walking Dead" secret: "That's tough because we tell each other everything. [long pause] Maybe Lauren [Cohan, aka Maggie]."

• Most likely to successfully survive a zombie attack in real life: "That would be, probably Michael Cudlitz [aka Abraham]."

Check it out:
There's probably a hint to be gleaned from his choice of Lauren Cohan, we just can't nail it down.

Also from "Tonight," here's Jimmy going for a ride with Norman: "The Walking Dead: Journey So Far" retrospective airs this Sunday, October 16 at 9 p.m. The premiere, titled "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be," airs Sunday, October 23 at 9 p.m., followed by a 90-minute live special edition of "Talking Dead," featuring 11 cast members, set at L.A.'s Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

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'Stranger Things' Season 2 Adds Two New Cast Members

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WIRED Cafe At Comic-Con 2016Welcome two new people to the Upside Down!

"Stranger Things" is adding two cast members for its second season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Dacre Montgomery (pictured above) and Sadie Sink will play a brother and sister duo in the Netflix supernatural drama.

Older brother Billy is described as "hyper-confident and edgy," enjoys stealing other guys' girlfriends, drives a black Camaro, and is good at drinking games. Younger sister Max is "tough and confident" and acts and looks more like a boy than a girl. She has a "complicated history" and is suspicious of everyone.

"There's definitely a handful of really compelling new characters this season, but absolutely servicing the core group first and foremost," executive producer Shawn Levy told THR. "Like the show itself, it's multigenerational new characters and really, really intriguing ones."

In other "Stranger Things" season 2 news, cast members Joe Keery (Steve) and Noah Schnapp (Will) have been promoted from recurring status to regulars.

Season 2 is currently filming and expected to debut mid-2017.

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'Planet Earth II' Extended Trailer Is Seriously Breathtaking

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Planet Earth IIExperience life in all its wonders closer than ever before.

That's what the new extended trailer for the BBC's "Planet Earth II" promises, and it looks like it will deliver. Ten years after the original series stunned us with incredible images of all of the beautiful bounties this planet has to offer — animals, insects, plants, forests, deserts, frozen tundra — we're getting a second helping. This time, it's filmed in 4k and uses the latest in camera technology, including drone work.
Sir David Attenborough returns to narrate, with a musical score from Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer. The trailer provides a breathtaking glimpse at leaping monkeys, congregating penguins, bioluminescent plants, soaring eagles, and a badass giraffe running down a lion.

The six-part series is set to air this November. To get ready, binge the original on Netflix.

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Kevin Hart and Jimmy Fallon Freaking Out in Haunted House Is Hilarious

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Jimmy FallonYou know a haunted house is really scary when it makes you fart!

Jimmy Fallon and Kevin Hart visited New York City's Blood Manor for a "Tonight Show" segment, and watching the two stars scream their heads off is pretty hilarious. At one point, after an encounter with a werewolf, a terrified Hart even admits, "Jimmy, I farted. I passed gas."

The two men sport GoPro cameras, and when they begin their adventure, Hart confidently warns the haunted house denizens, "You can jump out at me if you want to, but you'll get a boo to the neck." Then, they weave their way through chainsaw-wielding monsters, zombies feasting on corpses, creepy arms grabbing at them, and weirdo lunatics rushing at them.

By the end, Hart and Fallon are screaming bloody murder, with the actor yelling, "Let me out!"

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New 'Nashville' Showrunner Promises More Music, Less Unnecessary Drama in Season 5

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"Nashville" is getting back to its musical roots for its upcoming fifth season, and with a new network and new showrunners, it's also shaping up to have a new approach to its dramatics, too.

That's the word from Marshall Herskovitz, who along with Ed Zwick will take the helm of the country music drama for season five. In a new behind the scenes video debuted by TVLine, Herskovitz explained that the change in leadership and the change in broadcaster (the show is moving to cable outlet CMT after ABC cancelled the series earlier this year) provided an opportunity to revamp "Nashville" a bit, keeping the focus on the music and moving away from some of the more soapy elements that had come to define the show in recent seasons.

"First thing we mandated was shorter scripts, so there's time for the music to play out," the showrunner explained, adding that much of the plot of the show will now draw on "the depth and the complexity of the relationships instead of just feeling you needed to have incident piling on incident." Perhaps that last part was a not-so-subtle dig at the crazy plane crash cliffhanger that ended season four, or Deacon's inability to just be happy and not punch people, or Maddy's odd quest for emancipation (and her creepy, controlling female mentor).

Whatever Herksovitz and Zwick have in store, we can't wait to see it. "Nashville" returns for season five with a two-hour premiere on CMT on January 5.

[via: TVLine]

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Cate Blanchett Teases 'Ocean's 8' Character, 'Smart and Fun' Plot

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Giorgio Armani Prive : Front Row - Paris Fashion Week - Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2016-2017We're starting to learn more and more about the upcoming "Ocean's Eleven" spinoff, "Ocean's Eight," and the latest cast member to open up about the exciting new flick is Cate Blanchett, who recently teased some details about her character, the film's plot, and her awesome castmates.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Blanchett said she was "excited" about the flick, which she called "its own thing," separate from the previous "Ocean's" trilogy.

"[Producer] Steven Soderbergh will be all over it but [director] Gary Ross has been behind the scenes for all the previous ones and understands that universe," the actress explained to EW. "So this an interesting side step."

The Oscar winner also confirmed what fellow cast member Mindy Kaling previously alluded to: The plot hinges around the world of fashion, and will involve a heist at the Met Gala, the splashy, star-studded annual event held in New York City. As Blanchett told EW, she's attended -- and even co-hosted -- the swanky soiree before, but to see it from an outsider's perspective was a new and entertaining experience.

"The whole thing, the way it's put together, it's really smart and fun," she told the magazine.

Though she wouldn't reveal any major details about her character, Blanchett did say that her onscreen alter ego is "a long-time cohort" of the gang led by Sandra Bullock's character. And speaking of Bullock and the rest of the ensemble -- which also includes Kaling, Rihanna, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham Carter, and rapper-actress Awkwafina -- Blanchett had nothing but praise for her costars.

"I must admit, I get excited about who is making it and who is in it, and then I want to be surprised by it," she told EW.

We couldn't agree more.

"Ocean's Eight" is set to start filming in NYC this month. It's slated to hit theaters on June 8, 2018.

[via: Entertainment Weekly]

Photo credit: Getty Images

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Which New Fall TV Show Should You Watch? [QUIZ]

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It's that time of year again! That time when all the new fall shows premiere and you're so overwhelmed by all of the choices that you just end up re-watching old episodes of "Friends" on Netflix.

Not to worry. With this handy-dandy quiz, we do all of the thinking for you. Find out which new show you should be watching right now:

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Robert Downey Jr. Could Be Mark Zuckerberg's Real Life Jarvis

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robert downey jr., iron man, jarvis, mark zuckerbergWhile some of the technology used by Tony Stark in the "Iron Man" films may seem a bit far-fetched (we doubt we'll be getting the type of suit the superhero sports anytime soon), other innovations are actually closer to attainment than previously thought. That includes Jarvis, the artificial intelligence system that acts as Stark's personal assistant and confidant. Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg is on a mission to create a Jarvis-style system for his house, and it turns out that none other than Iron Man himself is interested in helping out with the project.

Zuckerberg first announced the challenge earlier this year, when he wrote on Facebook that he was exploring how to code an A.I. system -- just like Jarvis, he said -- that would help him run his home. The ideal technology would "control everything," Zuckerberg wrote, including music, lights, heating, and even scanning the faces of guests who ring the doorbell to decipher who to let inside.

On Thursday, the tech giant updated his Facebook followers on the project, writing, "It's time to give my AI Jarvis a voice." Commenters suggested a host of famous faces for the gig, including Jarvis voice actor Paul Bettany, "Terminator" star Arnold Schwarzenegger, and upcoming Marvel star Benedict Cumberbatch. Several people threw in their support for the actor behind Tony Stark/Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. -- and then Downey himself replied.

"I'll do in a heartbeat if Bettany gets paid and donates it to a cause of Cumberbatch's choosing...that's the right kind of STRANGE!" the actor wrote.

"This just got real," Zuckerberg responded.

We'll have to wait and see if the pair do indeed collaborate on the project, though it certainly seems like a fitting pairing. Make this happen, Zuckerberg. (And please share the final product with the rest of us when it's done.)

[via: Mark Zuckerberg, h/t The Hollywood Reporter]

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'Ride Along 3' Is in the Works, Ice Cube and Kevin Hart to Return

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After the success of the first two installments, Universal is staying in the "Ride Along" business, ordering up a second sequel to hit 2014 film.

Variety reports that the studio is currently developing "Ride Along 3," which will once again reunite stars Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. The duo star as mismatched brothers-in-law who take the titular ride in Cube's police car in the first film, then team up again to take down a crime lord in the sequel.

There's no word yet on the plot for the third entry in the franchise, though screenwriting duo Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi -- who also wrote the first two films -- are once again penning the script. Director Tim Story is also returning.

Though the "Ride Along" series has seen diminishing returns at the box office, it's still a proven hit for Universal, with the first flick grossing $153 million worldwide back in 2014 on a $25 million budget. "Ride Along 2" -- which was actually greenlit before the first film even premiered, based off the positive buzz it generated ahead of its release -- hit theaters back in January of this year, and made $124 million worldwide.

No word yet on when "Ride Along 3" may be slated for release, though Variety notes that the project is still in early development. Stay tuned.

[via: Variety]

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Ewan McGregor Wants an Obi-Wan Kenobi 'Star Wars' Spinoff

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'Amerikanisches Idyll' Premiere - Hamburg Film Festival 2016Ever since Disney took the reins of the "Star Wars" franchise back in 2012, the Mouse House has been rapidly expanding the universe surrounding the iconic series, with the first installment of the new trilogy, "The Force Awakens," already one of the biggest movies of all time, and its first spinoff film, the much-anticipated "Rogue One," due to hit theaters in December. With the continuing trilogy and an untold number of additional spinoffs on the way, there's seemingly no end in sight for "Star Wars" content at the multiplex. So why not focus one of the upcoming productions on Obi-Wan Kenobi?

That's what Ewan McGregor, who played the Jedi knight as a young man in the "Star Wars" prequel films, wants, and he's making the case for why Obi-Wan would be the perfect subject for a "Star Wars Story" flick. In an interview with Premiere (as translated from the French by Den of Geek), the actor admitted that no one from Disney has discussed with him the possibility of returning for a spinoff centered around the mentor of both Anakin and Luke Skywalker, played by the late Alec Guinness in the original trilogy. But that doesn't mean that McGregor isn't offering up his services anyway.

"I've always thought there was a story to tell between my last one and Alec Guinness's first one," the actor said of the gap between "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" and "Episode IV: A New Hope."

"It would be fun to film that story now I'm older," McGregor added. "I'd be the right age. I'm forty-five, Alec Guinness was what, sixty? I could do two of them! (laughs)"

While we have a feeling that Disney isn't exactly taking unsolicited pitches from former series stars about the content of its spinoffs, that doesn't mean that an Obi-Wan feature is completely out of the question. After all, the Jedi knight had a small cameo in "The Force Awakens," linking him to Rey (Daisy Ridley). It's unclear if that connection will be explored further in "Episode VIII," but perhaps it would make a good standalone story, too. We'll keep our lightsabers crossed that McGregor gets his wish.

[via: Premiere, h/t Den of Geek]

Photo credit: Getty Images

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David E. Kelley Has a Romantic Reason for Setting 'Goliath' in Santa Monica

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2016 Summer TCA - "Goliath" Portrait SessionFew people have had the kind of revolutionary impact on television -- and the legal drama genre in particular -- than David E. Kelley, and after decades of innovation, he's found a fertile new format for his latest series, "Goliath."

Since launching his Hollywood career, the one-time attorney has been at the center of some of the most genre-bending courtroom dramas of the past 30 years, including "L.A. Law," "Picket Fences," "The Practice," "Ally McBeal," and "Boston Legal." Now, he's bringing his trademark touches -- unique and often byzantine legal conundrums and quirky characters with complicated personal lives -- to Amazon Studios for his first streaming series, which focuses on Billy McBride (Billy Bob Thornton), a former hotshot attorney brought low by his own demons who finds himself the unlikely David figure facing down a mammoth corporate Goliath known for its deep pockets and penchant for down-and-dirty legal pummeling.

Ahead of the eight-episode series' debut today (Oct. 14th), Kelley joined Moviefone for a revealing conversation about reinventing and refreshing his own long-established approach to creating content, as well as the enduring appeal of TV series set in a court of law.

Moviefone: One of the things I really liked about "Goliath" was, along with the legal drama side of it, it was a little noir-ish, but set under the SoCal sun in Santa Monica. What was the fun of using that locale so specifically for this story? Places like the real-life bar and restaurant Chez Jay, your lead character Billy McBride's main hang, which I love.

David E. Kelley: Well, Chez Jay, it's kind of a small microcosm of the theme of the show. As Chez Jay exists now -- the whole area has been bought and developed around it, and it's hung in there, but it's this little, little fledgling, sort of decrepit, down-and-out establishment, with all this big stuff going on around them.

And I love Chez Jay, too. I met my wife [Michelle Pfeiffer] at Chez Jay. Our first date -- so you can see I'm a big spender. The idea: a little ocean lodge right next to it, I thought, man, if someone worked in that lodge, and Chez Jay was kind of his "office" and where he hung out, what kind of beast would that be? Started crafting the character, it just seemed particularly organic to Billy McBride.

And it's commensurate with the theme of the series: of this little, tiny spec of a gnat against this big behemoth, big data, big law firm. What chance does he have in today's world? So that's kind of where we started with it. It's a great vista. To look at Chez Jay, you kind of get old Santa Monica -- beautiful sun, but this squalor mixed in. It just captures a lot of the elements of the series.

I also thought that, while very contemporary, the show also felt a little like one of those great classic shows, like "The Rockford Files." It had kind of a flavor of that down-and-out guy that you're constantly rooting for, and he's finding his way. Was that in your head at all?

Not "The Rockford Files." I was probably inspired a little bit -- and so was Jonathan [Shapiro], the co-creator -- by "The Verdict," because we both loved that movie. Loved that sort of a little guy tilting at the windmills. But certainly separate -- distinctive of both "The Verdict" and maybe "The Rockford Files," our hero is not always a hero. There are going to be some episodes, I think, where you don't even like him. By the end of the eight hours, I think one of the verdicts, which will not be delivered by the jury in the case, but by our audience, is whether Billy McBride is more good than bad.

We wrote the character with love because we believe that flawed people are very human, and there are qualities about them to admire and love. But the math on him is 50/50. I think it's really going to be on the eye of the beholder. I think there'll be people in their living rooms taking issue [as to] whether they think he's more good than bad. That's certainly different from any protagonist that I've had in my shows. Historically, I've always kind of declared who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. This one, the audience I think will be the final arbiter.

William Hurt's character certainly introduces a monster, and I think that he stays true to a lot of his demonic qualities. But he's revealed to be a lot more human and fragile as we go on. So there may be some debate. I wouldn't be surprised, after some episodes, some people are feeling more compassion for Cooper than they are with McBride.

Given that you wanted to tackle this story of an underdog against a corporate giant, what did the process shake out of you as far as your feelings about that kind of conflict, and what you wanted to say about it?

Well, I have to say, the more we dug into it, the more demoralizing the truth, trying to be authentic -- and I won't give away the ending of the series, but it's kind of a "Rocky"-esque theme, where this guy who's barely a contender anymore is going up against this behemoth big law firm. And the idea that such a solo practitioner could win, the more we dug into the reality of it, the more and more remote and far-fetched it seemed. That was kind of demoralizing.

I'm a great lover of the law and the judicial system, and I want to believe that the justice has at least an even shot, as does truth. The more research we did, the more it became clear that this is a system that turns on resources, not truth. And we certainly mine that, but it's tough medicine.

Legal dramas have been the bedrock of television since practically the medium started. Why do you think they remain so popular, and why do you think creators like yourself are always able to find a new way into it to keep it fresh?

I would just be guessing as to why they remain popular with the public at large. I know what speaks to me, and I've always been fascinated with this machine, which is our legal or judicial system, as this imperfect and very flawed mechanism for legislating human behavior and morality.

It's the best thing we got. It doesn't work all the time, but it's the best thing that we got for righting wrongs, and sort of resetting or setting boundaries of morality. It's also winning and losing, so there's a competitive aspect to it. For me, it's still fascination with the law. It's also using the law as a device to explore characters has always worked for me and what I've enjoyed about the genre.

Where it's gotten more challenging, I think, is the filmmaking business of television has so grown, and the technological advances that have been made allow television shows now to do what only features could do in the past. As a result, traditional courtroom scenes can be very static, and not terribly filmic. So camera movement, some of that's challenging. As we go about crafting legal shows in the future, you've got to pay attention to how you tell your stories filmically to keep pace with the technological advances that have been made in the medium.

With all of your history with the traditional broadcast way of viewing things, what was the big surprise -- perhaps a refreshing element or something you didn't expect -- in doing a project with Amazon that was designed to be streamed?

We don't know the backend of it, the streaming, and what I supposed was the most daunting for me still is how we deliver our product to the audience. I'm kind of an old dinosaur: picks up the remote, tunes into a particular channel.

Amazon, as you know, you get a device or a subscription, and you align it with your hardware on the screen, and a television show will pop up. It's not as easy as Netflix, for example, where the Netflix icon is right up there and you scroll to it and hit select. It's getting easier and getting more user friendly. So the aspect of selling a show with Amazon is still unchartered territory, and I'm a little nervous about that.

But the creative process of being able to make the show was pretty great. Because, first of all, they said, "Just go. Make all eight episodes." So that allowed us to really tweak, and retool, and go back and fix things in [episodes] 1 and 2. We weren't putting all our eggs into that pilot basket without ability to adjust and fix. That was great.

I think, because we're not battling commercials, we can be more patient with our storytelling. When you have actors like William Hurt and Billy Bob Thornton, who are very, very subtle, and very, very nuanced, and sometimes slow in their delivery, but riveting, it's so great to be able to hold on them, and to watch them exercise their craft. When you've got six minute acts in broadcast television, I'm sure some of those scenes would have had to have been truncated and cut down. So there's a patience that came with this form that was fun.

You're one of the vanguard of adding serialization to traditional TV shows, and storylines that made the shows themselves feel bigger and a little more epic. So, in this case, how did telling a full story, essentially, in eight episodes -- knowing where you were going -- how did that affect the way you approached the material?

There was no real scientific difference in approach. It was probably more like writing chapters than it was episodes, because we knew where we were going. Certainly, we had to adjust and reconfigure along the way. We actually could have gone longer. We thought eight episodes would be plenty of time to tell the story we wanted to tell, and it was. We did. But we had a lot of scenes and ideas for avenues and directions that we were not able to mine, that we could have if we had more time.

One of the burdens of broadcast television is some of the storytelling is not the most efficient because you can't rely on your viewer to have seen prior episodes. So you've got to kind of bring them up to speed, contain a little exposition that is necessary to keep them afloat of plot development. Here now, you kind of operate under the assumption that the viewer is in for the whole thing, and they're watching every minute, and you don't have to take time out to bring them up to speed. As a result, I think you can probe a little deeper.

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