Behold Baron Mordo in All His Costumed Glory!

Filming Marvel’s Doctor Strange continues in Nepal and, thanks to The Kathmandu Post and the ubiquitous spies of Twitter, the first sightings of Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo have surfaced.

Chiwetel joined the previously-spotted Benedict Cumberbatch (Stephen Strange) in Patan Durbar Square, to film scenes together. One photographer said it appeared that Mordo was Strange’s “guide” in the scenes.

Directed by Scott Derrickson, the film stars Cumberbatch, Ejiofor and Rachael McAdams, Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen and Michael Stuhlbarg.

Doctor Strange opens Nov. 4, 2016.

Who Will Follow Moffat as Showrunner, When the Time Comes?

When the time comes for Steven Moffat to step down as lead writer, executive producer and show runner, will the moment be prepared for?

Well, that depends on how you interpret what Steven Moffat has had to say on the topic.

At this year’s Edinburgh International Television Festival, Moffat was asked if he was “grooming somebody else to take over” in the future.

Moffat replied: “Am I grooming people? I didn’t expect it to go so dark.”

Then he was asked: “Are you just making sure everyone else is a little bit shit so you look good?”

The Rock Wants John Carpenter’s Help Remaking ‘Big Trouble in Little China’

Kurt Russell (left) and John Carpenter

There is rarely a good reason to remake a movie that was done well before, and there is absolutely no good reason to remake a perfect movie — there is only greed. And so money is the only possible rationale for remaking Big Trouble in Little China, a film that cannot possibly be improved in any way.

Word is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, currently ruling the box office with San Andreas, will star as Jack Burton, the role originally brought to life by Kurt Russell. The announcement was met with almost universal scorn by fandom — which has been spun to be “mixed reactions” — and Johnson told Entertainment Weekly he wants John Carpenter, low-budget maestro and director of the 1986 original, to contribute to the new version:

“I loved reading the reactions from the fans, that they were so polarized – I’m the same way. My response is: know that I come to the project with nothing but love and respect for the original, which is why we want to bring on John Carpenter.”

No DOCTOR WHO Remakes Allowed

The executive producer and lead writer of DOCTOR WHO, Steven Moffat, has promised fans that the series will not be remade in any other country, because that would be… well, crazy.

Asked last week at BBC Worldwide Showcase in Liverpool, England, if any foreign TV channels have asked about making their own version of DOCTOR WHO, Moffat said:

If anyone were to ask me, I’d say it’s an absolutely insane idea. You couldn’t have more than one DOCTOR WHO in the world. It would just be dreadful. SHERLOCK [which he also produces] and DOCTOR WHO are both doing rather well, but they couldn’t be more definitively British. They’re obtusely British. They’re about as British as it gets.

I totally agree with this. There is something that’s just… off about DOCTOR WHO that cannot possibly be replicated in America or anywhere else. Something about the worldview of the show is so inimitably British that it cannot be replicated or replaced by flashy effects and more money.

DOCTOR WHO Goes Back to School (Again)

Filming for season nine of DOCTOR WHO has been under way for about a month now, and this week the cast and crew moved to a very familiar location: Tonyrefail School in Rhondda Cynon Taff, Wales, which has stood in for Coal Hill School since “The Day of the Doctor,” and appeared in several stories last season.

Jenna Coleman was seen filming at the school along with Clara’s motorbike, but neither Peter Capaldi nor the TARDIS were glimpsed. This block of filming is directed by Hettie Macdonald (of “Blink” fame) and the episode is believed to be the season opener, “The Magician’s Apprentice,” which is also believed to be a two-parter.

The return of Coal Hill portends not only more workplace drama for Clara, but also another chance to bring back one of the original members of the TARDIS crew, former Coal Hill science teacher Ian Chesterton, played by William Russell.

Moffat Confirms New Writers Joining DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO executive editor Steven Moffat revealed that some new writers are lined up for Series 9, which is currently filming two episodes by returning scribe Toby Whithouse.

The Grand Moff told Radio Times:

We’re filming our first two-parter at the moment, which in fact are going to be episodes three and four of the new series, a brilliant script by Toby. Then there’s a couple more lined up from other writers, some new, some old, some middle-aged, frankly. It’s a little bit early to start teasing it but I’m a little bit excited. I think we’ve got some very, very good stuff going on.

What — were you expecting Moffat to name names?

James Corden Gets LATE LATE SHOW Hosting Gig

James Corden — whom many DOCTOR WHO fans will recognize as Craig Owens from “The Lodger” and “Closing Time” — has been named Craig Ferguson‘s replacement as host of THE LATE LATE SHOW on CBS. Ferguson is leaving the program in late December, and Corden will take over in 2015.

Corden, who won a Tony for One Man, Two Guvnors and a BAFTA for the U.K. comedy series GAVIN AND STACEY, said:

I can’t describe how thrilled and honored I am to be taking over from the brilliant Craig Ferguson. To be asked to host such a prestigious show on America’s No. 1 network is hugely exciting. I can’t wait to get started, and will do my very best to make a show America will enjoy.

Behind-the-Scenes Pics From DOCTOR WHO

Here is a mighty selection of photographs taken during the filming of this week’s episode of DOCTOR WHO, “Robot of Sherwood” at Caerphilly Castle in South Wales, featuring Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor and Jenna Coleman as Clara.

“Robot of Sherwood” airs tomorrow at 9 p.m. on BBC America.

BBC Snips Swordfight in Tomorrow’s DOCTOR WHO

Barbaric recent events in the Middle East have compelled the BBC to edit tomorrow night’s episode of DOCTOR WHO, “Robot of Sherwood,” to remove a beheading from the story’s climactic swordfight between Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham.

The powers-that-be are concerned that the fantasy sequence – which was filmed back in February, long before anyone in the West had heard of ISIS – might seem insensitive in light of the beheading of American journalists James Foley on Aug. 19 and Steven Sotloff on Sept. 2 by Islamic extremists representing the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

Karen Gillan’s REAL Hairstory

With Guardians of the Galaxy dominating the world box office, it’s nice to see that Karen Gillan didn’t sacrifice her hair to play Nebula in vain. And, best of all, her hair isn’t really gone.

Turns out, the folks at Marvel had a plan: They made Karen a wig out of her own hair, and she wears it on her new sitcom, SELFIE. Said Karen: “They took it strand-by-strand and put it into a wig, so I’m going to be wearing that [on SELFIE].”

Karen said the story that circulated on the internet about her hair being woven into a wig for use in Star Wars: Episode VII was a “miscommunication.”

On SELFIE, which premieres Sept. 30, Gillan plays a self-obsessed woman who tries to transform herself in a modern twist on My Fair Lady. And her ginger locks are not the only “fake” thing about Karen on the show: She also uses an American accent, one she says she honed by watching American TV and by signing up for SoulCycle class and listening to her fellow exercisers.