Latest Movie News From Moviefone

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• Why 'The Walking Dead' Season 7 Is Now More 'Lord of the Rings' Than 'Lord of the Flies'
• Here's What's in the 'Doctor Strange' Post-Credits Scenes
• See 'Game of Thrones' King & Queen of the North Hold a Sexy 'Pout-Off'
• 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 13 Midseason Finale 'Reaches a Fever Pitch'
• First Look at 'Big Lebowski' Spinoff Starring John Turturro
• 'Rambo' Getting a Reboot, Like Every Other Franchise
• Watch Eddie Redmayne Perform Magic For Benedict Cumberbatch, Bryan Cranston
• 'Edge of Tomorrow' Sequel Will Actually Be a Prequel
• 'Deadpool 2' Eyes 'John Wick' Director David Leitch
• Go Behind the Scenes of the 'Thor: Ragnarok' Set as Production Wraps
• This 'Harry Potter' Baby Photo Shoot Is Magically Adorable
• Jennnifer Lopez to Star in 'Bye Bye Birdie Live!' for NBC
• After 'The Walking Dead,' Steven Yeun Has a Sweet New Gig on 'Conan'
• Ryan Eggold Declassifies the Secrets of 'The Blacklist: Redemption'

Why 'The Walking Dead' Season 7 Is Now More 'Lord of the Rings' Than 'Lord of the Flies' Posted: Now that "The Walking Dead" Season 7 has put THAT brutal premiere behind it, the focus on the rest of the season is slightly more positive. Slightly. Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) has been using the same analogy -- possibly fed to him from The Powers That Be -- to tease what's ahead in his character's quickly expanding world: "The way forward from here," Lincoln told the New York Post, "the glib advertising version that I'm allowed to tell you ... is that this is more 'Lord of the Rings' than 'Lord of the Flies' this season." What does he mean by that? Probably the hope of a Council of Elrond-like gathering of disparate communities, a "Fellowship of the Walker Apocalypse" aligning to defeat the common enemy of Sauron Negan.We already know Hilltop is a semi-ally, although the "very slippery" leader -- Gregory -- is going to be "incredibly worried" about the fallout of Team Alexandria's massive defeat. He basically aligned with Rick's group to take out the Saviors and that did not happen, so he's going to worry about his own safety. But Jesus is less of a coward, and he's there, too. And Maggie is on her way, and she's not likely to let a single thing stand in her way of taking down Negan.This Sunday, October 30 we'll also visit the survivor community of The Kingdom, led by King Ezekiel, who -- yes -- has his own tiger. The guy is unique, but in the "Walking Dead" comic book, he and Jesus are friends, and the Kingdom is an ally of Hilltop, and becomes an ally of Alexandria. In the comic, the three communities combine forces to fight the Saviors in what's called "All Out War."Andrew Lincoln previously teased the All Out War storyline, whether for Season 7 or (probably) not, saying, "And if we follow the comic book, then there's a super badass conflict between Negan and us, and I think that's certainly something that I think will trump anything we've attempted before in the show." But before getting to that, we need to gather everyone together, "Lord of the Rings" style. Not sure who is meant to be Frodo, Gandalf, Legolas, Boromir, Gimli, Aragorn, Elrond, etc., but right now we're willing to give Maggie the Frodo power, with her (benign) ring of power being her unborn baby and desire for revenge for Glenn. Lincoln talked to The Hollywood Reporter about Maggie's chances of surviving this ordeal, and he tied it to the larger story ahead: "I think her tenacity and first reaction after losing the love of her life is incredibly powerful and it reverberates: We fight. We're very fortunate in our show that we have writers that really write well for all of our characters — particularly the women, which thrills me. All of these characters have been shattered by this event and every one of them will react in their own individual and personal way. This show is about hope. It may not feel like it sometimes — it may feel like it's about grief, tragedy and trauma but it is ultimately about hope. The thing about Rick and that family is they've been through so much pain and tragedy, but they still have that connection between them. The only glimmer of light in a dark episode is when Rick says to Maggie, 'He's our family too.' That's a key insight into where the rest of the season is headed." The "family" is coming for you, Negan. Maybe not today or tomorrow. But war is coming. Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Here's What's in the 'Doctor Strange' Post-Credits Scenes Posted: Positive reviews are pouring in for Marvel's "Doctor Strange," and with those reviews are spoilers about what fans can expect in the end credits. TheWrap shared details on what's in the two scenes, and they include spoilers not only for "Doctor Strange," but a bit for "Thor: Ragnarok," and potentially for a "Doctor Strange" sequel. The first scene arrives mid-credits, and features Thor (Chris Hemsworth) being Thor -- chugging a beer stein that keeps refilling itself. (#goals) Thor isn't alone in the scene, though; he's sharing a drink with Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who tells Thor he is keeping a watch list of beings from other realms who might be a threat to this world. Strange asks Thor why his brother Loki is in New York, and Thor says the bros are trying to find their father Odin to bring him back to Asgard. Strange gets Thor to confirm that, if they find Odin, they will all head back to Asgard "promptly." We'll see. "Thor: Ragnarok" arrives in theaters November 3, 2017. The second scene doesn't appear to directly connect to other upcoming MCU films -- like "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" or "Spider-Man: Homecoming." Instead, it's another scene with Chiwetel Ejiofor's "Doctor Strange" character, Baron Mordo, who has a bit of a falling out with Doctor Strange in the film, and goes to find Jonathan Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt), a paraplegic who learned how to heal himself, in his workshop. Here's how TheWrap describes the scene: "Pangborn evidently feels that something is off and grabs a weapon. Mordo incapacitates him, sending him back to his former, paraplegic state. Near the end of the scene, Mordo tells Pangborn that he has figured out what's wrong with the world: 'There are too many sorcerers.' That suggests Mordo could emerge as a primary villain in a sequel." "Doctor Strange" had previously been described as something of an origin story for Baron Mordo, as well as the titular doctor. As director Scott Derrickson told Screen Rant: "Mordo, in the comic books... was just really arch. And he's in the origin issue and even in reading through – and I've read the entire body of Doctor Strange now – it was a difficult character, very difficult character to adapt. Because of the very basic archness that he plays all the way through there. So we wanted to keep what were the interesting aspects of him... but with the way that [Mordo] needs to be a presence in the universe of Doctor Strange and, god willing, in sequels, I felt that we had to start by establishing who he was before he got into that arch villainy in the comics. And that's a lot of what we're doing in this movie... we're sort of building a foundational understanding of who he was before the guy that you met in that comic so that that turn isn't an arch turn." "Doctor Strange" opens Friday, November 4. Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

See 'Game of Thrones' King & Queen of the North Hold a Sexy 'Pout-Off' Posted: Team Stark is ready for a "Zoolander" walk-off in a new photo "Game of Thrones" star Sophie Turner shared on Instagram. So if sexy model poses are the key to defeating the White Walkers ... well done. GoT fans are devouring every bit of intel as Season 7 continues filming for its (delayed) summer 2017 premiere. The on-set spoilers are amazing, but sometimes we just want to check in with the actors themselves. Turner's (Sansa Stark) latest post is a classic throwback photo with her on-screen brother (sort of) Kit Harington (Jon Snow), held over from after the 2016 Emmy Awards. Post-Emmys Pout-off 👍#tbt A photo posted by Sophie Turner (@sophiet) on Oct 27, 2016 at 1:14am PDT Your move, Lannisters! Jon was named the King in the North at the end of Season 6, and even though Sansa was not officially declared Queen of the North, we're not even going to wait for Lyanna Mormont to call a vote on that. She's the Lady of Winterfell, and the North's true queen. Period. Some fans think Sansa and Jon will get married in Season 7, but Sophie Turner said (and we agree) that it would be pretty "strange," since they were raised as siblings. Jon and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), on the other hand, would make a slightly less creepy couple, even if the blood relation is still close -- they are aunt and nephew, vs. Sansa and Jon as cousins. Jon and Dany are still strangers at this point, but that will likely change in Season 7, and a Stark/Targaryen alliance is exactly what Westeros could use right now. Anyway, there's a lot of time to kill before we see any of that on screen. Here are a couple of other Team Sansa bonding photos to check out as we wait for more intel on the 2017 season: So in love A photo posted by Maisie Williams (@maisie_williams) on Oct 26, 2016 at 5:45am PDT Stupid shots 🎱 A photo posted by Sophie Turner (@sophiet) on Oct 14, 2016 at 2:19pm PDT Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

'Grey's Anatomy' Season 13 Midseason Finale 'Reaches a Fever Pitch' Posted: After six episodes, the drama is just getting started on "Grey's Anatomy" Season 13. And when the midseason finale arrives, we should expect it to be a doozy. Jerrika Hinton (Dr. Stephanie Edwards) and Giacomo Gianniotti (Dr. Andrew DeLuca) recently teased the action ahead, while on the red carpet for the My Friend's Place "Ending Youth Homelessness" fundraiser, where Hinton presented Gianniotti the Champion of the Year award. (Congrats, man!) Dr. Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) will apparently face more courtroom drama after his rage-fueled attack on DeLuca in the Season 12 finale. "Oh, the trial ... wow!" Hinton teased to Screener. "We just had the table read for the midseason finale the other day, and that reaches a fever pitch." Gianniotti added, "This attack could stay with him for a while. It's tough." Speaking of "tough" and "fever pitch," fans were furious at the death of Dr. Derek Shepherd, so Screener asked if Patrick Dempsey's absence has left a gaping hole on set. Turns out, not so much. "He's talked about in the episodes by the characters," Gianniotti said. "But more than that, not really." Amazing how quickly the heart moves on! Before the midseason finale drama reaches a "fever pitch," we can look forward to the arrival of Marika Dominczyk's new consultant, Eliza Minnick, this Thursday, November 3 in Episode 7. Actress Bridget Regan also teased that she is playing a mystery character in the November 10 Episode 8. And beyond the brewing Alex/DeLuca/Jo triangle, we can look forward to/dread more of Amelia's past coming back to haunt her. There are 24 episodes to Season 13, and fans should probably expect the usual mix of hope and heartbreak every week. But here's hoping the midseason finale ends the Alex vs. DeLuca storyline, instead of dragging it out even further. Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

First Look at 'Big Lebowski' Spinoff Starring John Turturro Posted: Praise Jesus (Quintana) -- the first photo from the "Big Lebowski" spinoff movie "Going Places" is here! The image was released today, along with an official synopsis, and John Turturro's iconic characters is doing what he loves: bowling. Whether he still licks the bowling balls is unknown, but Jesus clearly still enjoys rocking purple outfits. Joel and Ethan Coen have been adamant about not making a "Big Lebowski 2," but they gave their blessing to Turturro to create a spinoff film, especially since the character of Jesus was Turturro's idea. He wrote, directed, and stars in "Going Places," which is actually a quasi-remake of Bertrand Blier's 1974 French film "Les valseuses." Here's the official synopsis: John Turturro plays Jesus Quintana in GOING PLACES, a film about a trio of misfits whose irreverent, sexually charged dynamic evolves into a surprising love story as their spontaneous and flippant attitude towards the past or future backfires time and again, even as they inadvertently perform good deeds. When they make enemies with a gun-toting hairdresser, their journey becomes one of constant escape from the law, from society and from the hairdresser, all while the bonds of their outsider family strengthen. Bobby Cannavale, Audrey Tautou, and Susan Sarandon star alongside Turturro. It currently does not have a release date. Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

'Rambo' Getting a Reboot, Like Every Other Franchise Posted: Hey, movie franchises — you get a reboot, and you get a reboot, and you get a reboot! Everybody gets a reboot! The next in line, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is the '80s action movie franchise "Rambo." Nu Image/Millennium Films is developing "Rambo: New Blood," which would cast a young actor in the role that Sylvester Stallone made famous. They are attempting to treat Rambo as a character like James Bond. Brooks McLaren is set to write the script and Ariel Vromen to direct. The character of Rambo originated in the 1972 novel "First Blood" by David Morrell. The book was adapted into the 1982 movie starring Stallone as a disaffected Vietnam vet who fights back against the abuse of small-town law enforcement. While sequel "Rambo: First Blood Part II" was also a huge hit, "Rambo III" disappointed at the box office and the franchise went dormant. Stallone revived it with 2008's "Rambo." A "Rambo 5" was teased as a final chapter, but earlier this year, Stallone announced he was retiring from playing the character. Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Watch Eddie Redmayne Perform Magic For Benedict Cumberbatch, Bryan Cranston Posted: Eddie Redmayne doesn't just play a wizard in the upcoming "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" — he can perform magic in real life, too! In an appearance on "The Graham Norton Show," the Oscar winner showed off his magical abilities to fellow guests Benedict Cumberbatch and Bryan Cranston. He takes an ordinary coloring book — which starts off with completely empty pages. Then, he asks Cranston (his fellow Oscar nominee last year) to blow on the book. Suddenly, it's filled with drawings! Oh, but Redmayne wasn't done. Then, he asked Cumberbatch (his fellow Oscar nominee two years ago) to blow on the book. Guess the "Sherlock" and "Doctor Strange" star didn't blow hard enough, because Redmayne was forced to take out his wand — and you'll never believe what happened next! The segment is totally adorable. We could watch these Oscar and Emmy winners behave like amazed kids all day. Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

'Edge of Tomorrow' Sequel Will Actually Be a Prequel Posted: "Edge of Tomorrow" is going back to some yesterday. A sequel for the hit sci-fi action movie starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt has been in the cards for some time, but now director Doug Liman reveals that the follow-up will actually be a prequel. Liman has never made a sequel (after "The Bourne Identity," he bequeathed that franchise to Paul Greengrass). So, why do one for "Edge of Tomorrow"? As he told Collider, "That is the only sequel that I'm considering doing, and it's because first of all the story is so amazing — much better than the original film, and I loved and loved the original film — and second of all, it's a sequel that's a prequel." Christopher McQuarrie, who wrote the first movie, has said the idea for the sequel came from Cruise himself. The sequel-actually-prequel movie will be penned by "Race" writers Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse. "I had these intellectual ideas on how you should make a sequel that are unlike how anybody else makes a sequel, and this script and this idea fit perfectly into that idea," Liman explained. "So it's gonna revolutionize how people make sequels." It's hard to speculate what that revolution looks like. The story in the first movie involved time travel, with Cruise's character re-living one day over and over again to acquire the skills necessary to defeat alien invaders. He trained with Blunt's Sergeant Rita Rose Vrataski, known as the "Angel of Verdun" for her heroics in that battle. She also experienced the time loop there, so could the prequel follow her through Verdun? Or even go back to the Mimics' initial invasion? Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

'Deadpool 2' Eyes 'John Wick' Director David Leitch Posted: After losing original "Deadpool" director Tim Miller last weekend over creative differences with star Ryan Reynolds, "Deadpool 2" may have already found his replacement. Mashable is reporting that David Leitch, who co-directed Keanu Reeves action flick "John Wick," is the "strong frontrunner" to take the coveted gig. According to the site, Leith and Reynolds share the same talent agency, and that connection propelled the director to the top of the actor's list, though Mashable also notes that "several other directors remain in the mix." Leitch may not be Quentin Tarantino (who some fans petitioned to land the job), but he's worked with Reynolds-as-Deadpool before (he was the action coordinator for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," in which Reynolds made his debut as Wade Wilson). The director also previously collaborated with studios Fox and Marvel as a stunt performer, in flicks such as "Blade," "Daredevil," and "Fight Club," eventually working his way up to the second unit director on fellow "X-Men" spinoff property "The Wolverine," as well as "Jurassic World" and "Captain America: Civil War." He made his feature directorial debut on "John Wick" as part of a co-directing team with Chad Stahelski. Though Mashable's report cautions that no formal deal is place for Leitch yet, Variety is reporting that the gig is all but a done deal for the director. There's been no response from Fox or Marvel yet on either report. "Deadpool 2" does not have a release date yet. Stay tuned. [via: Mashable] This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Go Behind the Scenes of the 'Thor: Ragnarok' Set as Production Wraps Posted: The third entry in the "Thor" franchise, "Thor: Ragnarok," wrapped production this week, and to celebrate, director Taika Waititi took fans on a behind the scenes tour of the film's set, complete with cameos from two of the film's stars. In a Facebook Live video, Waititi gave viewers an inside look at what appeared to be the filming of a battle scene -- or its aftermath -- on the edge of a small lake near Australia's Gold Coast. The set was covered in huge piles of debris, and the director described the landscape as a "sci-fi space wasteland." Extras dressed in heavy cloaks were everywhere, and Waititi described their characters as "scrappers." He also briefly took viewers inside a spaceship, and showed off some curious-looking weapons. The director then bumped into Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, and costar Tessa Thompson, who's playing Norse goddess Valkyrie. Thompson still had some of her makeup on, sporting what looked like war paint, though the actress played coy about what those marks meant for her character. There was plenty of reference to things that Waititi and co. could or could not show viewers, with the director at one point panning down to his feet to avoid revealing a particular part of the set. A crew member also showed off a Ragnarok emblem, but Waititi said its meaning has to be kept under wraps for now. Despite the secrecy, Hemsworth noted that he and the rest of the crew were excited to have fans finally see "the awesomeness that is this film." We're sure Marvel lovers feel the same way. "Thor: Ragnarok" is due in theaters on November 3, 2017. [via: Marvel Studios/Facebook] Photo credit: Marvel Studios/Facebook This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

This 'Harry Potter' Baby Photo Shoot Is Magically Adorable Posted: One of the perks of having kids is putting them in adorable costumes, and one Illinois mom and photographer came up with the cutest concept yet for a baby photo shoot, dressing her infant daughter as Harry Potter for a magical set of photos. Kayla Glover, who runs Kayla Layla Photography, went viral this week thanks to some awesome snaps she took of her now-5-month-old daugher, Lorelai, decked out in round glasses and a Gryffindor scarf and wielding a wand, surrounded by copies of books from J.K. Rowling's series. Glover first shared the photos back in August, writing on her photography blog that she had been a fan of the "Potter" books since she was a young girl, and knew she wanted to incorporate the series into a photoshoot once her daughter was born. "Lorelai has a very 'Harry Potter' look to her with the big eyes and the constantly messy hair, so this was a cinch," Glover explained on the blog. "Plus, all she had to do was lay there and hold her wand while looking adorable - she is a pro!" In an interview with People this week, the photographer said that she looks forward to sharing the series with Lorelai as she grows, and plans on taking her daughter to Universal Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter when she turns one next year. "I think the pictures resonate with people because Harry Potter is so personal to so many people," Glover told People. "They are magical photos." We agree. Check out more on Glover's blog. [via: Kayla Layla Photography, People] Photo credit: Kayla Layla Photography This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Jennnifer Lopez to Star in 'Bye Bye Birdie Live!' for NBC Posted: NBC has already set its next live musical event, and it's lined up a big name to headline the show: Jennifer Lopez will star in "Bye Bye Birdie Live!" for the network in 2017. NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt announced the news during an event on Thursday night at the Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles, revealing that Lopez -- with whom the network has been working on police drama "Shades of Blue" -- pitched the idea to NBC herself. "She came to us and said 'I love this show, I discovered the music,'" Greenblatt told the Paley crowd, adding that the singer-actress was inspired in part to take on the project after performing the "Bye Bye Birdie" tune "Lot of Livin'" at her ongoing Vegas residency. The show first hit Broadway in 1961, starring Dick Van Dyke as a struggling songwriter named Albert and Chita Rivera as his long-suffering girlfriend, Rosie. The pair scheme to get an Elvis-style singer named Conrad Birdie to croon one of Albert's tunes to a teenage contest winner on "The Ed Sullivan Show," and give her one last kiss before heading off to the Army. "Birdie" went on to win the Tony for best musical, and was later adapted into a hit 1963 film version, starring Van Dyke, Janet Leigh, and Ann-Margaret. Lopez is set to play Rosie in NBC's version. Lopez and "Bye Bye Birdie" is just the latest high-profile pair to headline NBC's new annual holiday tradition of live musicals, which began back in 2013 with Carrie Underwood starring in "The Sound of Music Live!" That show was followed by Allison Williams and Christopher Walken in "Peter Pan Live!," and "The Wiz Live!," starring Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, and Uzo Aduba. This year, "Hairspray Live!" will hit the network, featuring Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande. No premiere date is set yet for "Bye Bye Birdie Live!," though it's expected to air sometime late in 2017. [via: Variety] Photo credit: Getty Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

After 'The Walking Dead,' Steven Yeun Has a Sweet New Gig on 'Conan' Posted: If you're still crying over the loss of Glenn and Abraham on last Sunday's season premiere of "The Walking Dead," a new clip from "Conan" may cheer you up. In the segment, a very much alive Steven Yeun (the actor who had played Glenn since season one of the AMC zombie drama) assured host Conan O'Brien that he's doing okay after his character's traumatic death at the hands of new villain Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). And while Yeun admitted that his seven years portraying Glenn were a significant period in his life, he told the host he'd already lined up a new gig: Standing in for O'Brien during "Conan" rehearsals. Cut to shots of Yeun mimicking -- and definitely mocking -- the host's routine and banter with guests ("Joke, interview, talking to you, listening, joke, interview, band") before going off-script and just doing whatever the hell he wants. That includes playing guitar, giving himself a tear-filled pep talk, and trying (and failing) to style his hair in Conan's signature swooping style. Yeun eventually abandons that latter task in favor of donning a red wig, though as a special -- and pretty perfect -- guest points out, it's not quite red enough. It's a silly gag that made us chuckle, and makes us think Yeun will definitely be fine with whatever actual job he lands post-"TWD." We'll miss Glenn, but we're excited to see what the talented, hilarious actor does next. Photo credit: YouTube/Team Coco This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Ryan Eggold Declassifies the Secrets of 'The Blacklist: Redemption' Posted: The blacklist is about to get a little longer. Fans of "The Blacklist" got a glimpse at new corners of the covert thriller's expanded world last season, when Ryan Eggold's Tom Keen (or whatever his name actually might be) encountered private mercenary contractor Scottie Hargrave (Famke Janssen), a formidable, shadowy force in her own right and the woman who may or may not be Tom's birth mother. The episode "Alexander Kirk" served as a successful backdoor pilot for the hotly anticipated spinoff series "The Blacklist: Redemption," which launches on NBC on a still-top-secret date early next year and will unite Tom and Scottie once again as he joins forces with her Grey Matters organization and also delves into the mysteries surrounding his own murky past. And while much of the direction new series remains as enigmatic as Tom's origins, Eggold hosted a debriefing session with Moviefone to unveil many of the behind the scenes secrets of the spinoff. Moviefone: It must be a fun experience for you to see the world of "The Blacklist" get bigger, and to be right at the heart of that expansion. What got you excited about the prospect of doing this? Ryan Eggold: I will tell you truthfully what excites me about the new show is that we could do a show about espionage, and classically so. I've got high hopes for it, and I know ["Blacklist" creator] Jon [Bokenkamp] does as well. And, you know, we want to do a spy show. We want to do a show about Robert Redford in "Three Days of the Condor," the '70s flick. We want to do a show that's Jim Phelps in the '60s "Mission Impossible" TV show. We want to do a show that's like that. We want to do Jason Bourne and those things, but more so than the action, and the fun and all that stuff, which I really want to have because that stuff makes a great show, that classic spy stuff. If we could get into that, then it's not like we'd be getting into brand-new territory, but we'd getting into a genre that I think hasn't been really explored so much recently. Or, like the Jack Ryan novels, or just like world. That'd be really fun. For you, to do that show, and kind of have that distinct identity, what's the link that still keeps it "The Blacklist"? What's that element that keeps it firmly in the franchise? Well, a couple of things. First, the question of Scottie and Tom, whether or not she's his mother -- it comes out at the beginning that she is, and we think that's the truth, and I think that may end up sticking to be the truth. Of course, it's "The Blacklist" so it may not be! But the thing that makes that -- "The Blacklist" work, and the thing that this will carry over that I really love is the thematic juxtaposition of discovering one's humanity and empathy, and connecting with other human beings and wanting relationships, and wanting love and these fundamental human principles, juxtaposed with violence and deception, and corruption and conspiracy, and power and all of that. Those two things meeting together will be, I think, what is the element that crosses over, which is what I like about the show. For you, did you have to adjust the way you play this guy? Were there any tweaks that you had to make to move Tom into this new context? Or, are you pretty much picking him right up out of the mothership and dropping him into the new one? I would love to let him evolve. My only goal when we shot this sort of back door pilot was to maybe be a little more specific in my choices and maybe try to flesh out this character a little more than I have, and maybe ask myself what's left to know about this guy. And what have we not done, and maybe get more specific on who he is. And then, with the new show, discovering his origins, and why he was orphaned, and if this woman cared or didn't care, or was protecting him, or wanted him dead, or truly doesn't know that he's her son, and she was taken away from him. All those answers to those questions will be so informative -- and for me, what I love about the character is just a guy who was abandoned as a kid, who was trained to be really good at one thing, which is manipulation and violence and being a spy, and is now trying to figure out what it is to be a person, as opposed to a tool or a device, or a mechanism, you know? And that's what I want to get into on the new show. Do you get to keep any kind of toe in the mothership show? Do they pop you in and out? I think so, yes. I think there will be a good deal of crossover, certainly to start. And then, ideally, the show will develop its own legs and have its own identity. I mean, this sounds probably somewhat cliché, but we want to do that thing where we can introduce the show in a way that if you're not a fan of "The Blacklist," you can watch it, and if you are a fan of "The Blacklist," it will have more sort of tidbits for you that you'll recognize and things like that. How is it building that rapport with your TV maybe-mom, Famke Janssen? Yeah, I've got to tell you, man, it's awesome. Famke is terrific. She's very talented. She's very sexy. She's very good at this character. She's got smart ideas and, most importantly, she is very fun to work with, and she is a great collaborator, and she is easy-going in a way, and she very simply wants to make a good show. And so it's just a lot of fun, truly, to work with her, because she wants to play with good ideas, and she's excited about the prospect and about the possibility of making an interesting show. So she's there for the right reasons, and she's great. Is the show sort of built for her to bring her own version of electricity in a way that "The Blacklist" was for James Spader? Does she get to have or be that kind of electric center of every thing that's happening? I think, very much so, they want her to carve out that space of being the sort of master manipulator and being enigmatic, and being contradictory and all those things that make Red interesting, and that they don't want to do a carbon-copy of Red, but they want it to be Famke's version of a sort of power player like that, or whatever you want to call it, and in this case someone behind the scenes sort of pulling the strings, making empires rise and fall, manipulating governments, things like that, and how sort of that Blackwater-type espionage comes into play. And I think on "The Blacklist," the dynamic between the two of them will be focused like it is between Red and Liz. But, yeah, man. They want to write a great character for her, and she wants to help create it, and she's going to kill it! I imagine going to work on "The Blacklist," surrounded by great actors, must have been a little bit of a free Master Class, being paid to watch Spader play Red. What are the lessons that you learned that you'd like to apply and translate into your own performances? You know, one thing I like that James does, that a lot of good actors do, is they don't feel compelled to speak all the time. I think a lot of more novice actors have to be on the line always, and as soon as your line is done it's my line, and James -- like so many good actors -- will sit in silence, or with a look, or with a mood, or with a feeling or a thought and not feel compelled to speak or to say something, or even do anything. And I think that comfortability and that sitting in a moment, that's something I admire and hopefully would like to steal. With the espionage aspect, how have you gotten to broaden your skill set, physically? What are the fun things that you're going to be able to do with your character that you haven't maybe had room in "the Blacklist"? Well, one thing is that I'd like to make the -- if we're going to do a show about a spy who is a highly-trained assassin, I'd like to make him as much of that, honestly, as we can. So, I'd like to train a little bit, if I could, and maybe get better at martial arts, the Israeli martial art Krav Maga, which is very interesting, or different fighting styles, and just sort of train a little bit. And, obviously, I'm not going to be joining the UFC tomorrow, but I would love to -- and I've learned a great deal doing "The Blacklist" and just rehearsing fight scenes and doing them, but I still consider myself a novice in the world of fight choreography and things. I'm very riveted by it. I mean, it's fun. When you're in acting class, or whatever, when you're a kid, you do a dialogue and this stuff is so something else. It's so physical and more athletic and it's really fun. So I'd like to get better. I'd like to train and get better at that. What was the conversation like when they first broached the idea of taking you to another show? How did they approach you, and what was your immediate reaction to it? John Bokenkamp took me out to grab a bite. I was in L.A., and he just said, "Hey, man, I want you to know that like there's an idea that we're all talking about, and that's this show kind of based on your character, and it might happen." And my first thought was, "Man, that could be so fun. There's so much to explore with this character. We could really do some fun things, but it'll never happen," you know? It's like, it's Hollywood, everybody wants to do a million things, and there's a lot of talk, and I was like "It'll never happen." And then a few months later they were like, "Let's do it," and I was like, "Wow! OK -- great. Let's do it. I'm in!" Have you ever had the opportunity to talk to somebody who works in the shadowy world of espionage, anybody that does it as a real vocation? And, if so, how do you find them? Exactly, how do you find them? I've spoken to police officers. I have spoken to FBI, but I've never spoken to, like, a real NSA guy, or a CIA guy, or a real-type spy. The closest I came was one of my parents' neighbors, actually: her husband was a spy, was a real, actual spy. She's an older woman, and this man -- I believe he's not with us anymore -- he was an actual spy during the Cold War. He was in Russia, spying for the United States, and in real life! And, so, obviously she couldn't tell people. She didn't know, but she only knew that he would tell her this was when he'd be back, or he'd have to leave, or yada yada -- and that was just to get the peripheral experience from her of being married to this man who would go to Russia during the height of this tension and pretend to be someone else, and gain information. I mean, it was really cool to be near the reality of it, and to speak with actually him or someone like that would be amazing. What will you miss most about being part of the main "Blacklist" series on a regular basis? One of the things I will miss most, hands down, is working with Megan [Boone], because the relationship with Tom and Liz is so complicated, and so romantic on some levels, and kind of funny, and sort of tragic in other ways, and I just really enjoy it, and I enjoy working with her, and I enjoy finding new things to bring to that relationship. I enjoy trying to find the truth in it. Even though it's in this heightened dramatic world, I like looking for the things that we can all relate to in our personal romantic relationships because they're all fundamentally the same, those problems and things. It's just on a heightened more dramatic more elevated scale. So I will certainly miss that, but you know that relationship I don't think is going to go away. I think there will be some crossover with Megan on the new thing, and vice versa. So, certainly that, and then just everybody. But I'm not going to be totally jumping ship. I'll be back before too long. "The Blacklist: Redemption" premieres in 2017. "The Blacklist" airs Thursdays on NBC. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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