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It’s new comic book day, the best day of the week! Before I rush off to my LCS, let’s round-up the few relevant entertainment headlines that are out and about:

– Last night’s episode of The Flash was pretty excellent, with easily the best final 10 minutes that I’ve seen in a superhero television adaptation. Some of the key players of the latest installment spoke with the press yesterday about the ramifications of Barry’s actions and what’s to come:

SPOILERS!!!!!! Look away now if you’re behind on your viewing….

What happens when you interrupt the space/time continuum on The Flash?

ANDREW KREISBERG: Like Wells has said in a previous episode, there are different versions of time travel. There’s the fixed loop, and then there’s the version where time is more plastic and mutable. One of the fun things is discovering what’s a fixed point in time, what can’t be changed and what things always have to happen, and then what things are changeable and are mutable. It’s a mixture of both. Obviously, none of us knows how time travel really works, but we’ve come up with our rules and we try to stick by them. Not to pat ourselves on the back, but a lot of what we’re doing now is stuff we set up in the pilot. You can go back and watch the pilot and go, “Oh, I get it! That’s why that stream of things is happening!

Will Barry still have to stop Mark Mardon (Liam McIntyre) again?

KREISBERG: The ramifications of this episode are the fun of Episode 16, and seeing how much of what happened in Episode 15 still happens and how much of it might possibly change.

Cisco is a very smart guy. Will he still be suspicious of Dr. Wells, even though they’ve gone back in time?

KREISBERG: Part of the fun of Episode 16 is watching that when time changes, certain events will occur that prevent Cisco from following along the same trajectory. You’ll see how things play out, but in a completely different way.

Now we know that Harrison really is Eobard Thawne. How will that tie into Eddie Thawne, and what will their connection be?

KREISBERG: You can take him at his word that there obviously is a family connection between the two of them. There are some great scenes coming up, between Tom and Rick [Cosnett], that starts to become a storyline. It’s cool stuff. We’re not trying to purposely trick the comic book fans. Being one myself, you can get upset when it’s not quite the way it was in the book. But, the show has to live on its own and it has to be for everybody. It can’t just be an adaptation of comic books that people have already read and know so well. Obviously, we’ve thought of this, from the very beginning, and it’s been leading up to this.

And then there’s the kicker:

Is there a parallel universe now, where there is no Flash?

KREISBERG: Is there?

TOM CAVANAGH: Is there? Answer a question with a question.

I’m still predicting that the season ends with Barry saving his mom and the time ramifications of that taking shape in some way to set up Season 2 (someone else is The Flash perhaps? Wally? Jay?). Make sure you check out the link above for more quotes including further details from Tom Cavanagh about Dr. Wells’ latest revelation and Candice Patton on the future of Barry and Iris.

– Latino Review has a new report this morning with the rumored front-runner to direct Star Wars Episode IX, J.J. Abrams. The Star Wars: The Force Awakens director would make some level of sense given that Episode VIII director Rian Johnson is reportedly scripting Episode IX, and were Abrams to helm it, it would be a sort of “synthesis” of their two visions for the franchise.

– Here’s the first SPECTRE poster, looking as non-descript as possible, but if any of you are like my significant other, any picture of Daniel Craig is a good picture:

It’s still untitled, but the presumed “Brave and the Bold” style team-up series that is spinning out of Arrow and The Flash continues to add to its core cast.

Announced today via Deadline, Dominic Purcell, who played Heatwave on The Flash, will once again be donning Mick Rory’s goggles in the new series.

According to Entertainment Weekly, he’ll be re-teaming with his former Prison Break co-star Wentworth Miller, who plays Leonard Snart/Captain Cold.

In addition to Purcell and Miller, the spin-off will also feature Brandon Routh (Ray Palmer/The Atom), Victor Garber (Firestorm/Martin Stein), and Caity Lotz (Sara Lance/the first Black Canary). There’s still no word as to whether Robbie Amell, who plays Ronnie Raymond, will be joining Garber as the other half of Firestorm.

The CW’s third series in their DC-based superhero universe is expected to debut mid-season next year, as it has not been included in the upcoming pilot season.

As a part of this past weekend’s PaleyFest presentation, The CW unveiled a new sizzle reel for the remaining episodes of The Flash‘s debut season.

It looks like we have quite a bit to look forward to including The Atom and Black Canary stopping by, the reemergence of General Eiling, GORILLA GRODD!!!, and a dark turn for Eddie Thawne.

The Flash returns tomorrow night to the CW and is followed by the premiere of iZombie.

Happiest of Fridays everyone! I just got back from a big lobbying trip in D.C. for a cause I’m pretty passionate about, so I’ve been a little off the radar this week. Let’s get back into the swing of things:

– iZombie‘s premiere is next week, and while its delays have left me feeling a little nervous about the potential end product, involving Mike Allred in any capacity is a nice way to salve that wound. He’s been tasked with designing the opening credits, and they’re lovely as anything he touches usually is:

– Latino Review is reporting that former True Blood star and one-time Flash Thompson actor Joe Manganiello is the front-runner to play Deathstroke in David Ayer‘s Suicide Squad. According to their sources, he’ll be the hired gun of the film’s primary antagonist, ONSLAUGHT. Manganiello has long been on WB’s radar, having come in second to Henry Cavill for the role of Superman.

He also kind of reminds me of Manu Bennett, who plays Deathstroke on Arrow, but maybe I need to get my eyes checked.

– Dominic Cooper, who famously plays the younger version of Howard Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, may be wading into the comic book waters again; this time he’s being considered for the role of Jesse Custer in AMC’s upcoming Preacher pilot, via a rumor published by The Tracking Board. Much to a few of my friends’ dismay, I’ve never read Preacher, so I’ll let you decide if Cooper would be a good fit or not.

– After yesterday’s Star Wars announcement, we’re already starting to see some schedule shuffling. The first of which being the already announced sequel to Fantastic Four is moving back a week. Fantastic Four 2 will now open on June 9, 2017 (from its original June 2nd, 2017 date). Whether the movie actually happens or not still depends on the success of this year’s first installment. On that note, here are some new images from Total Film (via GamesRadar) that showcase the team’s new costumes, with nary a 4 in sight.

– Lastly, per Disney-Pixar’s Twitter, Josh Cooley, the story head for the upcoming Inside Out, has been announced as the co-director for Toy Story 4. He’ll be working with John Lasseter in the role. For this one, my interest is mostly piqued by Rashida Jones co-writing the script with Will McCormack.

It’s been a slow news day today, post Age of Ultron trailer, but I did go see Chappie last night (it’s terrible, I suddenly fear for the Alien franchise). Here’s your quick round-up of today’s entertainment-related news:

– Per Latino Review, Jared Leto‘s hairstylist Chase Kusero just posted a picture on Instagram of a “work in progress” look at Jared Leto’s Joker hair as it will appear in Suicide Squad. From that back-shot, it looks very Greg Capullo-esque:

The end of an era

A photo posted by @chasehair on Mar 5, 2015 at 1:04pm PST

– As we’re on the verge of Avengers: Age of Ultron debuting, in just under two months, it should be no surprise that theaters are planning big Marvel movie marathons. But it’s not just Phase 2 they’re showing, no sir/ma’am, it’s the entire Marvel oeuvre to this point. Starting April 29th at 6 pm and ending just before 10 pm or so the next day, select AMC and Regal theaters across the country will be showing all 11 Marvel Studios films in their order of release.

Here’s the full schedule:

6:00 p.m. – Iron Man
8:25 p.m. – The Incredible Hulk
10:35 p.m. – Iron Man 2
1:00 a.m. – Thor
3:10 a.m.  – Captain America: The First Avenger
5:30 a.m. – The Avengers
8:48 a.m. – Iron Man 3
11:15 a.m. – Thor: The Dark World
1:45 p.m. – Captain America: The Winter Soldier
4:20 p.m. – Guardians of the Galaxy
7:00 p.m.– Avengers: Age of Ultron

As you can see, you can take a nap during Iron Man 2, and maybe run out for IHOP around the showings of Iron Man 3 or Thor: The Dark World. Otherwise though, there’s no breaks built in and you better make good use of that unlimited refill on the popcorn and sodas!

Those who are feeling a little more time crunched can instead opt for Cinemark‘s Avengers double bill. I remember I tried to do something like this once with The Lord of the Rings movies right before The Return of the King came out. By the time I got to the third film, I was ready to see Frodo tossed into Mount Doom. But more power to anybody that gives this one a go!

– Variety spoke with WB’s CEO Kevin Tsujihara for a piece about the possibility of audiences facing superhero fatigue, an assertion that he dismissed. Yet, the quote that fans are zeroing in on specifically is one that posits WB’s upcoming DC-based superhero slate against the meteorically successful Marvel one:

“The worlds of DC are very different,” he said. “They’re steeped in realism, and they’re a little bit edgier than Marvel’s movies.”

“Edgier” is a word I wish he hadn’t used, as that brings to mind many of the major criticisms that detractors struck Man of Steel with: that it was film too grim for its own good, among many other complaints. Whether that will prove true for the upcoming offerings in 2016 remains to be seen. Where I feel like WB should set the DC films apart from Marvel is by making them more auteur-driven, rather than forcing an overall edict of realism onto Aquaman and Shazam!. The one big Achilles’ heel that Marvel has is that they’re a bit “samey” in their approach, in that every film has to fit the same tone, plot beats, and has to uphold the on-going universe above all else. There’s no real room for a director to really lay his stamp onto the characters the way Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan did for Batman and Sam Raimi did for Spider-Man (the good ones anyway, whichever those are, I’ll leave to your discretion). But, I can’t think of anything less appealing than a cinematic universe that operates just like Marvel but in the same gray sludgey tones as Man of Steel. For all its faults, the MCU at least has some great color throughout and is a good deal of fun to watch on the biggest screen possible. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that I’ll be pleasantly surprised come next year.

– After Marvel’s early Age of Ultron trailer release, today they let loose with a few short behind the scenes videos with Cineplex featuring Joss Whedon and Jeremy Renner while in the midst of filming:

-Last but not least and just in case it slipped your mind; on March 17th, the same day The Flash returns to CW, iZombie will be debuting just after, here’s a trailer for the upcoming adaptation by Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) of Chris Roberson and Mike Allred‘s Vertigo comic:

It looks as though The CW is going to have its own Avengers after all, or at least a live-action Brave and the Bold style team-up show…

Deadline has reported tonight that the network is developing a multi-superhero series featuring some of the characters that have debuted in Arrow and The Flash, including The Atom (Brandon Routh), Firestorm (Victor Garber and Robbie Amell), Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) and Black Canary (Caity Lotz). The latter is particularly odd, as Lotz’s version of the character died this season on Arrow.

There must be a Lazarus Pit somewhere, or her stories are set in the past perhaps?

Also, the report states three new DC characters that haven’t appeared yet in either existing series will debut in the new team-up show. Given that Vixen is appearing in a new animated series on CW Seed, it’d be a safe bet to assume that she might be one those referenced.

Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Marc Guggenheim and Sarah Schechter will reportedly executive produce this new project, which may skip the pilot stage altogether and head straight to a series order.

Arrow isn’t really my bag in general, but I know a good deal of you out there are big fans of the series, particularly since its second season.

One of the elements of the show and its cast that I’ve really admired is just how open its stars are with fans, Stephen Amell especially.

But David Ramsey, who plays the original character Diggle, is no slouch in that department either; never being shy to sit down with the comics press and chat out all the DC mythology that’s unfolding each week.

In a recent interview with our friends at Comicbook.com, Ramsey discussed one of the year-long theories that’s been floating around about John Diggle: that he’s really Green Lantern John Stewart. Here’s the pertinent excerpt from their interview:

Now, John Stewart… Is John Diggle John Stewart? I cannot say “yes,” and cannot say, “no.”

Oh, come on!

I’m serious! I do know that there is serious discussion about whether or not this guy becomes John Stewart. But, I mean, I’ll say this: it is top secret. David Ramsey has asked them, and they’re like, “we’re working on some stuff.” If that’s the case, it’s gonna be huge. This is the stuff they want to avoid. I think they don’t want anybody to know yet and they haven’t even told me. They have told me that they are thinking about it and they are considering it. Greg Berlanti told me that. Andrew and Marc have told me that. I haven’t spoken to Geoff Johns about it, yet. But that’s the word from people directly involved in Arrow- that they’re working on something.

Here’s the truth of it: if I knew, I would tell you I knew and I’m not at liberty to tell you that. I probably wouldn’t tell you anyway! I would at least tell you that I know. But I honestly do not know.

It’s definitely more of a no comment than anything else. Not that my opinion means a hill of beans, but from the Arrow I’ve watched, Diggle has been my favorite character by far. I’d rather he remain his own thing, and inspire comic writers to come up with great storylines involving him in Green Arrow (akin to how Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino introduced him during their run).

But what do you think? It’s only a matter of time before John Stewart is our next on-screen Green Lantern, should it be David Ramsey?

It looks like we’re inching ever closer to having that Brandon Routh-led Atom spin-off that The CW keeps hinting at.

After a few weeks of teasing, the network has released the first image of Routh in full Atom regalia.

He looks a lot like X-O Manowar to me, which I find quite awesome, but I love how X-O looks. What do you think?

The CW, hot on the heels of their announcement that both Arrow and The Flash have been renewed for fourth and second seasons respectively, revealed that DC super-heroine Vixen will be joining the shared universe of both hit series in an animated offering on the online network CW Seed.

Arrow showrunner Marc Guggenheim will executive produce the new series that will debut this Fall. Based on the promo art, it looks like we’ll see some type of appearance from Oliver Queen and Barry Allen. Does that portend Stephen Amell or Grant Gustin lending their voices? Signs look good, but we’ll know more soon.

Hopefully this is just a prelude to a live-action Vixen appearance in either series, or her own series proper. A minority actress starring in a superhero show would be a tremendous move for the network in the near future.

With a “pre-Vibe” Francisco on The Flash, this Vixen announcement, and a name-dropped Ralph Dibny (maybe dead, maybe not), we keep creeping closer and closer to Justice League Detroit territory. I can’t say I ever imagined that possibility arising.

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