General Zod reveals the new Superman movie is going to some surprising places

New General Zod actor Michael Shannon reveals that Man of Steel is his first trip to an actual alien planet. Does this mean a return to Superman's homeworld? Plus Shannon explains just what sort of Kryptonian General Zod really is.

Sam Worthington promises James Cameron's vision for Avatar 2 is monumental!

Check out new set videos for Dark Knight Rises and set photos for Snow White and the Huntsman!

Hugh Jackman checks in on The Wolverine script, while Roberto Orci gives a status update for the Star Trek sequel.

All that plus new promos for Fringe, The Walking Dead, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Terra Nova, Being Human, Sanctuary, and more!

Spoilers from here on out!

Top image from Man of Steel.

Man of Steel

Michael Shannon reveals that the new Superman movie won't be entirely Earth-bound:

It's unlike anything I've ever done. It's massive sets. It's literally another world. It's the first time I've acted on another planet.

What is it like acting on a set like that?
As much green screen as there is and I'm sure will be, they're actually building a lot of the sets as well. I had thought it was just going to be green screens everywhere and we would just be pretending everything. There's quite a bit of detail they're building and putting into it. It's very helpful. The less green screen, the better - I don't think you'd be able to find an actor on Earth who wouldn't have that sentiment.

The obvious assumption here is that Shannon is referring to Krypton here - and, considering Superman's parents Jor-El and Lara are also both appearing in the film, there's maybe a bit of circumstantial evidence to support that - but it's hardly the only possibility. Indeed, depending on Michael Shannon's definition of the word "planet", they could even be reenacting Superman II's introduction of Zod, where he kills a bunch of astronauts on the Moon just because. But yeah, the smart money is on Krypton here. Also, Shannon talks a little bit about Zod as a character:

He's not one of these archetypal villains with horns coming out of his head and breathing fire or something. He's a man, a Kryptonian man. He's a general, that's his main attribute. That's the way I approach it: playing a general. I've done military parts before, but I've only been up to sergeant, so this is a big promotion.

[Hero Complex]

The Dark Knight Rises

Here's a trio of set videos from the Los Angeles filming, featuring the Batpod. [Comic Book Movie and Bleeding Cool]

Jonathan Nolan explains the insane scale of what his brother is trying to make:

"Yeah, I think the goal with those movies is just to make something so… You know, Chris loves to shoot on these IMAX cameras, these massive cameras...I think the goal with those movies and the thing that Chris is doing and just kicking ass with is making a movie so big that you couldn't possibly fit all of it. Even in tiny little pieces, you still wouldn't get a sense of the scale of it. I saw a little bit the other day, and the scale is just vast."


The Avengers

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Here are a few more images from the Avengers preview from Entertainment Weekly. [Superhero Hype]

The Wolverine

Hugh Jackman explains that Mark Bombeck's rewrite of Christopher McQuarrie's script is really more a tweak than anything else:

"We had a script that was under Darren Aronofsky's directorial — it's 85 percent the same. Darren took it in a Darren Aronofsky way and it's a version I know fans would have liked to have seen – I would have loved to have seen it. James Mangold's version of the script brought Mark Bomback on. We always had a strong base there. This is the best script we have had, which is precisely why Darren signed on. I tried to get Darren to do X3 and Wolverine and he was always like, ‘It's not really for me.' I knew he was looking for a comic book movie and he read this one and he goes, ‘Hey, this is the best one I've ever read.' So there is a lot of meat on the bone there. Now, Mark and Jim have taken it and I think that it as strong, if not stronger, than what we would have had with Darren."


Avatar 2

Sam Worthington discusses James Cameron's sequel plans:

"I spoke to Jim [Cameron] recently and he told me the story and it's monumental where he's thinking of taking it. It's just a matter of him writing the script, piecing it together and figuring out how to push himself. He wants a challenge. And he wants to improve the audience's experience. He's been mucking around with 3D and frame rates a lot more.

He also weighed in on the rumors that the sequel would be set beneath the oceans of Pandora:

I think so, man. [James Cameron] went on a submarine for his birthday and he's been doing a lot of free-diving. I happened to be working when he went underwater, but I'd have loved to go.


Star Trek 2

Co-writer Roberto Orci gives an update on where production stands now that J.J. Abrams has officially signed on. It appears they are already finding locations for the sequel:

The cast is excited. We have a director. We've started scouting locations. The second time around the crew is already together from the start, so we can jump right into the adventure.


The Twilight Zone

Warner Bros. is reportedly considering Christopher Nolan, Michael Bay, Alfonso Cuarón, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes' Rupert Wyatt as potential directors for a new movie version of Rod Serling's legendary series. Leonardo DiCaprio is developing the project with his Appian Way production company, which may make this project more appealing to his Inception director Christopher Nolan than it otherwise would be. Anyway, take all this with a grain of salt until we hear more. [Variety]

Snow White and the Huntsman

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Here are some more set photos of Kristen Stewart in Wales filming the edgier, more violent take on that whole Snow White thing. [Look]

G.I. Joe Retaliaton

Thor actor Ray Stevenson discusses how he's just begun filming scenes as Firefly in the new G.I. Joe movie:

We did the last scene in the movie, which we finished at 2am one Saturday morning, and at 12.30 that afternoon I took a flight down to New Orleans to start on GI Joe 2. Literally out of the frying pan into the fire. I get to beat up The Rock twice, or I try to, and I get to play this cool, gnarly pyrotechnic guy."

[The Geek Files]

The Sarah Jane Adventures

Here's the synopsis for the final story, "The Man Who Never Was":

Part 1
Joseph Serf has launched his new SerfBoard, the must-have computer that no one can resist owning. Intrigued, Sarah Jane takes Luke and Sky to investigate what's so compelling about Serf and his business. Clyde and Rani take a SerfBoard to pieces, suspecting alien technology may be the answer.

Part 2
This time, the truth behind Joseph Serf's company is out – alien Light Sculptors, slaves kept beneath his office building. As Luke and Sky try to find a way to free them and get them home safely, Sarah Jane needs Clyde and Rani to come and help her – and get married along the way.


Here's a behind-the-scenes video and a preview clip. [Life, Doctor Who, and Combom]


Here's a promo and a sneak peek for the next episode, "Alone in the World." [Fringe Television]

And here's a synopsis:


[TV Guide]

Here's an interview with John Noble.

Executive producer J.H. Wyman explains one of this season's big underlying ideas:

"One of the themes we were really interested in examining was the notion of impact. What would happen if you just disappeared? If you didn't exist? What about the people in your life? What about the great things that you've taught others and the great things they've taught you? And how you've changed their lives and they've changed yours?"

And Joshua Jackson describes his role on the show in less than glamorous terms:

"To a certain extent, Peter is the MacGuffin of the show," Jackson told The News. "So we have this ensemble cast, and he's the guy who lots of things are about, but who doesn't get to do a lot of things. That's who he is, that's what the character is, so I can get frustrated all I like, but it's not going to change. I'm curious to see how I hopefully get integrated into the show."

[New York Daily News]

Game of Thrones

Tony Way, actor in the BBC sketch show Tittybangbang, has reportedly been cast as Ser Dontos Hollard, "a bumbling knight that befriends Sansa Stark, who remains at court in King's Landing." [Winter-Is-Coming]

The Walking Dead

Here's another season two promo.

Here's a behind-the-scenes video with props masters John Sanders.

Episodes five, six, and seven will reportedly be called "Chupacabra", "Secrets", and "Pretty Much Dead Already." [SpoilerTV]

Terra Nova

Here are three sneak peeks for tonight's episode, "Instinct." [Terra Nova TV]

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And here are some behind-the-scenes photos. [Terra Nova TV]

Here's a description for episode five, "The Runaway":



[Terra Nova TV]

Person of Interest

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Here are promo photos and a synopsis for episode three, "Mission Creep." [Daemon's TV]

o infiltrate a crime ring, Reese (Jim Caviezel) must join a gang of thieves – a move that goes against Finch's better judgment. Meanwhile, Detective Carter is closer than ever to finding out who Reese is.

And here's a promo.

Executive producer Jonathan Nolan discusses Finch's backstory and the show's larger mythology:

"The idea of the show was to have several characters, all of whom have secrets, lots of secrets. And lots of layers. The fun of that is diving right in and peeling back some of those layers. I think that one of the great things about what we're able to do, sort of building on the great J.J. Abrams [a fellow Person of Interest executive producer] and Bad Robot shows, is delve back into the lives of our characters. And rather than just saying this is a mysterious person, let's see why this is a mysterious person. The key thing to know about Finch is he's a good guy. He's one of the good guys, but that's a complicated story all by itself...

"I think the goal for us, honestly, is to have our cake and eat it too. A lot of the shows that I grew up loving were procedurals but had an overarching mythology that you came to know. X-Files is a great example of a show that just kicked ass at pulling off both. I don't see why there's any reason why you can't do both. Another one of my favorite shows was Twilight Zone which told a complete story every week. Totally satisfying. But I think one of the things that Greg and I are most interested in here is the ongoing story of who these characters were, who they are, and who they're going to become. And one of the great things about working with J.J. and Bad Robot is this incredible track record of shows in which the characters are free to change and grow and die, and the audience comes along for the ride."

There's more at the link. [IGN]


Here's the official synopsis for the season premiere, "Chuck vs. the Zoom":



There's some additional analysis at the link. [BuddyTV]

Here's an interview with Yvonne Strahovski. []

NBC has moved the premieres of Chuck and its Friday night partner Grimm back one week to October 28 as part of a two-night block of Halloween-themed programming. [SpoilerTV]


Here's a synopsis for the first episode:

INSPIRED BY THE CLASSIC GRIMM FAIRY TALES—-NICK BURKHARDT'S LIFE IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN WHEN HIS FAMILY'S LEGACY IS REVEALED—-KATE BURTON GUEST STARS—-After the mysterious brutal attack of a local college co-ed, Portland homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) discovered he is descendant of an elite line of criminal profilers known as "Grimms," charged with keeping balance between humanity and the mythological creatures of the world. As he tries to hide the dangers of his new found calling from his fiancé, Juliette Silverton (Bitsie Tulloch), and his partner, Hank Griffin (Russell Hornsby), he becomes ever more entrenched in the ancient rivalries and alliances of the Grimm world. With help from his reluctant confidant, Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell), a reformed Grimm creature himself, Nick must navigate through the forces of a larger-than-life mythology.



Here's a promo for next week's episode, "The Girl Next Door", which guest stars Firefly's Jewel Staite. [KSiteTV]

And here's a brief description:

Sam hunts a demon from his childhood who is killing thugs and eating their brains.

[TV Guide]

American Horror Story

Here are four behind-the-scenes videos.

Being Human (US)

Here are two teasers for season two.


Here are two new season four promos.

The Vampire Diaries

Here's a synopsis for episode four, "Disturbing Behavior."



And here's a promo.

The Secret Circle

Here's a promo for episode four, "Heather."

Here's a general promo.

Additional reporting by Charlie Jane Anders.