Zombieland Show Finds Its Tallahassee

The creators of Amazon’s previously announced Zombieland series have filled the last of the four major roles from the film — that of Tallahassee, played in the movie by Woody Harrelson. Kirk Ward will take on the part of the tough-talking veteran zombie killer, meaning all of the roles in the series will be played by little-known actors and actresses — the opposite strategy of rival streaming service Netflix, whose original programming features notable names like Kevin Spacey (House of Cards), Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), Famke Janssen (Hemlock Grove) and Steven Van Zandt (Lilyhammer). Let’s hope the money Amazon saves in stars’ salaries will go to good use in bolstering the zombie apocalypse setting of the series.

Get Hypnotized by Cult

Because one network television series about a demented cult (namely, The Following) isn’t enough, The CW presents Cult! The show features the uniquely “meta” concept of a TV series called Cult being a front for an actual cult (or at least that what I’ve gathered thus far), with the action of the show-within-the-show mirroring the action in the show. Confusing? It might help to just check it out. Cult premiered last night, but if you missed it, you can catch the premiere episode online, and new episodes continue on Tuesdays at 9:00 PM ET/PT. Check out my rundown of the main characters and episode summaries to get the scoop on who’s who and what’s what.

New This Week: Dark Skies, Sinister, The Factory, Lake Placid 4, Hollow

In a busy week, Dark Skies receives a wide theatrical release, while home video releases are led by Sinister, Lake Placid: The Final Chapter, The Factory, Hollow, Riddle …

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Assembly Line Thriller: The Factory DVD Review

When you hear that John Cusack and Jennifer Carpenter are headlining a film produced by Joel Silver, you’d probably expect it to be playing at the local multiplex, but the serial killer flick The Factory is actually heading straight to the local Blockbuster (Those still exist, right?). Is that because it’s a bad movie? Well, I don’t know the specifics behind the distribution, but…yes, yes it is. Read about it in my review of The Factory.

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Hannibal TV Show to Premiere in April

Mads Mikkelson as Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal.
Photo by: Brooke Palmer/NBC)

NBC has finally scheduled its eagerly anticipated Hannibal, the story of the early relationship between heretofore cinematic cannibal Hannibal Lecter (played Mads Mikkelsen) and FBI agent Will Graham (Hugh Dancy). It will premiere on Thursday, April 4, at 10:00 PM ET/PT, a time slot that had been golden for the network for decades — from Hill Street Blues to LA Law to ER — but which lately has tanked, reaching a low point with the recently canceled Jekyll and Hyde-inspired Do No Harm, which had the dubious distinction of being the lowest-rated in-season scripted debut EVER in the history of the four major networks. 

Hannibal TV Show to Premiere in April

Mads Mikkelson as Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal.
Photo by: Brooke Palmer/NBC)

NBC has finally scheduled its eagerly anticipated Hannibal, the story of the early relationship between heretofore cinematic cannibal Hannibal Lecter (played Mads Mikkelsen) and FBI agent Will Graham (Hugh Dancy). It will premiere on Thursday, April 4, at 10:00 PM ET/PT, a time slot that had been golden for the network for decades — from Hill Street Blues to LA Law to ER — but which lately has tanked, reaching a low point with the recently canceled Jekyll and Hyde-inspired Do No Harm, which had the dubious distinction of being the lowest-rated in-season scripted debut EVER in the history of the four major networks. 

Hannibal TV Show to Premiere in April

Mads Mikkelson as Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal.
Photo by: Brooke Palmer/NBC)

NBC has finally scheduled its eagerly anticipated Hannibal, the story of the early relationship between heretofore cinematic cannibal Hannibal Lecter (played Mads Mikkelsen) and FBI agent Will Graham (Hugh Dancy). It will premiere on Thursday, April 4, at 10:00 PM ET/PT, a time slot that had been golden for the network for decades — from Hill Street Blues to LA Law to ER — but which lately has tanked, reaching a low point with the recently canceled Jekyll and Hyde-inspired Do No Harm, which had the dubious distinction of being the lowest-rated in-season scripted debut EVER in the history of the four major networks. 

Foreign Sequels on the Horizon: Wolf Creek 2, Dead Snow 2, The Host 2

Amazon’s Zombieland Series Casts Its Leads

It looks like we may never see a Zombieland 2 on the big screen, but original Zombieland producer Gavin Polone and writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are lining up the next best thing: an episodic series^*. The planned 30-minute show won’t appear on TV, however, but rather will be the first original scripted series for Amazon,com’s video streaming service — the latest battlefield on which the website is taking on Netflix (which is currently streaming the show House of Cards, with Eli Roth’s Hemlock Grove debuting on April 19, followed by the eagerly anticipated return of Arrested Development in May).