Capaldi Voices Preferences for New DOCTOR WHO Companion

With Jenna Coleman‘s Clara now gone from the TARDIS, the Doctor needs a new companion… So with whom would the 12th Doctor himself, Peter Capaldi, like to share the console room?

He spoke to RadioTimes.com about it:

“I think it’s nice to have someone who’s light-hearted and fun. And I think it’s good that the Doctor can be quite dark, sometimes, but you need someone to draw him out of that, and also to throw that into contrast. So someone who can run, scream and be quite glamorous — glamorous in any demanding situation.’

“I’ve always loved what [previous executive producer Russell T Davies] did with Billie Piper, because you hadn’t really had in DOCTOR WHO a very clear working-class voice. And I liked how Billie was very clearly someone who lived on an estate, and was a normal person. Which, in a way, the show hadn’t really done that before. It was of its time, in the sense that everyone spoke standard English, and it didn’t always reflect the real world. So I always like it when they have companions who reflect the real world – which Jenna does, because she’s from Blackpool. You can’t get more real-world than Blackpool!”

New Cast Confirmed for Marvel/Netflix’s LUKE CAGE

Luke Cage, the third series from the partnership of Netflix and Marvel Television is quickly filling its cast — led by Mike Colter as Luke “Power Man” Cage — with the addition of Mahershala Ali as Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes, one of Power Man’s first villains in the Marvel Comics series.

The live-action version of Cottonmouth is described as “a Harlem nightclub owner, [who] will become an unexpected foe in Luke’s life when Stokes’ criminal activities threaten Luke’s world.”

Natalie Dormer as a Time Lady? Yes, Please…

GAME OF THRONES star Natalie Dormer has said she would consider playing a female version of the Doctor if DOCTOR WHO ever decided to change the gender of its star Time Lord — but only provided the script is there.

While doing press for her current film, The Huger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, Dormer said:

“For me it’s always about the script. It has to be real human beings, contradictory, flawed, complex, multidimensional characters. It can’t just be concept, you know? ‘Female James Bond’ — CONCEPT. It has to have quality in the writing of real human psychology.”

I applaud Dormer for being all about the script. So far, 90 percent of those advocating changing the Doctor to female all line up behind the idea “Why not?” Since it’s possible, those fans believe the show should change the Doctor’s gender. But to me, doing it just because the show can smacks as the very definition of a “gimmick.” Just doing it for the novelty would be short-term ratings bait.

I believe there needs to be a reason to do it that goes beyond “It’s a great gimmick.” What’s the story? Why does the Doctor need to be female?

I am all for Dormer portraying a Time Lady — but does she have to become the Doctor? How about a new character? She could be a rival or friend of the Doctor from university. (That certainly was an interesting class they had — the Doctor, the Master and the Rani all in the same year? Wow.

One thing is certain: Dormer would look terrific in the period clothing the Doctor usually wears…

 

 

 

 

 

Moffat: The Doctor Could Become a Woman — In Theory

Romana and Romana II

With the end of the ninth season of DOCTOR WHO approaching — as well the imminent departure of Clara (Jenna Coleman) — a lot of folks think it’s time to shake the trees and talk about turning the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) into a woman for his next incarnation.

During the DOCTOR WHO panel at London’s Comic-Con, executive producer and lead writer Steven Moffat was asked if the Doctor could regenerate into a woman. He replied:

“Yes  [Long applause]. But there is no vacancy. I’m being really explicit in my answer here because I gave this answer once in San Diego. I was asked if the Doctor could ever be a woman and I said ‘I think there’s a subtext in the show, maybe you should read it.’ And I turned and gestured to Michelle Gomez sitting next to me as Missy, and everyone laughed. This was reported, widely, as me saying the Doctor would never be a woman. So let me just make this very, very clear: There is no vacancy, and it may never happen. However artistically it could work. Commercially, the audience would go with it, we’ve proven that with Missy. And that’s why we did it, frankly. Yes, it can happen. It doesn’t need to happen, but it can, absolutely.”

Face the New Photos From ‘Face the Raven’

This week’s episode of DOCTOR WHO, “Face the Raven,” is shaping up to be a landmark, with the certain potential end of Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) for good!

Let’s take a look at some (non-spoilery) new art from the story:

Oh, and, as you no doubt know by now — from her photos above and her voice in the trailer, Maisie Williams is back as Ashildr. Something inside me wants her to be really, really evil. In fact, I want her to be responsible for Clara’s demise. That would be something unique: a companion snuffing a companion!

“Face the Raven” will air Saturday at 9 p.m. on BBC America.

Series 10 of DOCTOR WHO — the ‘Relaunch’

Osgood and the Doctor

As this season of DOCTOR WHO heads into the home stretch, executive producer Steven Moffat has already been prepping series 10 for quite some time now, and although he cannot say anything about scheduling — “No, I’m not even allowed to [comment]! Scheduling; that’s up to BBC One” he laughs — Moffat revealed he has chosen some writers, but the new companion has not yet been cast.

This confirms previous conjecture that while Osgood (Ingrid Oliver) would be a fun character to bring on full-time, she would not be right for a soft “relaunch” of the show. In fact, the production is not looking to bring back  any previously seen characters as the new regular companion — including Faye Marsay’s popular Shona, from 2014’s “Last Christmas.”

“[Osgood is] a great character and we love her. But whether you really get a ‘relaunch’ out of bringing someone on board the TARDIS who’s already been there, I don’t know. It did work very well with Catherine Tate [as Donna], but that’s not the direction we’re currently going in. I quite like where we’ve got Osgood at the moment.”

“I’m not making any promises, but my genuine belief is that it will be someone new,” Moffat said. “To throw away the chance to say [to new viewers], ‘You can start here!’ is foolish. If [the new companion] is somebody you have to know all about then you’ve lost that. I think, particularly when you get a new companion, more so than a new Doctor, you are sort of saying, ‘This is the beginning, this is where it starts — you could join in here.'”

Mark Gatiss recently mused about the next companion being male: “It would be very interesting if the Doctor had a male companion,” he admitted. “But then it would be a very male show.”

Jeffrey Dean Morgan cast as WALKING DEAD’s Negan!

If you’re familiar with the Walking Dead comic book, there’s one name that fills your heart with dread more than any other — and makes the Governor look like a grumpy local functionary: Negan.

Genre veteran Jeffrey Dean Morgan, known for playing the Comedian in the Watchmen movie and John Winchester on SUPERNATURAL, has won the villainous role that has long been anticipated by fans of the show. Negan is expected to debut in the sixth-season finale and become the Big Bad for season seven.

In the comics, Negan is the leader of a gang called The Saviors who purport to offer protection from walkers, but they’re really more about extort food and supplies from other, less-violent groups. Negan rules with an iron fist — and baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire that he nicknamed “Lucille.”

There’s a ginormous !SPOILER WARNING! attached to this character, which I will hold until after the cut… If you make the jump, you have been warned!

Jenna’s Heartbreaking Plea for Clara’s Exit From DOCTOR WHO

 

Things were looking grim for DOCTOR WHO’s Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) at the cliff-hanger ending of “The Zygon Invasion” this weekend, and no matter if the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) can rescue her this time, we fans know the Impossible Girl is not long for the Whoniverse.

It’s just a question of when, not if.

And, of course, how Clara will go.

Executive producer Steven Moffat told the audience at the recent MCM Comic-Con in London: “Jenna actually asked me, ‘could you just not have the new one come in while I’m still there?’”

Remember that Coleman’s initial appearance came as a total shock — playing Soufflé Girl in “Aslyum of the Daleks” — many months before she was expected to debut in the Christmas special.

Villainous Red Tornado on SUPERGIRL Will Be… Red

CBS’ upcoming SUPERGIRL series will be dipping into comic book lore and adapting four-color characters for the small screen. Among them will be the complicated evil-turned-good android Red Tornado — whose powers are about what you’d expect from his name.

Now we have our first look at the live-action Red Tornado, and I can tell you… well, he’s red. I’m really concerned about the… texture of this synthetic life form. Are the designers trying to make it look like he’s covered in some kind of rough fabric? Is it supposed to be cardboard? Specialized body armor? Is it supposed to look like his parts are cheaply spray-painted?

Zygons Returning to DOCTOR WHO in 50th Anniversary Sequel

When the Zygons return — and they will, later this season, in a two-parter penned by Peter Harness — the story will be a sequel to their last appearance, in the 50th anniversary special, “The Day of the Doctor.”

Called “Invasion of the Zygons” and “Inversion of the Zygons,” the story will take place in Mexico and London.

Peter Capadi shared some teasers about his Doctor’s first run-in with the shape-changers:

“This one’s quite dark. One of the things the show hasn’t done in its current invention is to reflect current events very much but I think this one does. It’s a good thing. You’ll see some fundamentalist arguments – it’s very interesting to play with that.

“We had a great scene: We chased a Zygon around a supermarket. He hid among the pizzas. This is what we do, this how we roll — we get Zygons into a supermarket and chase them.”