Cult TV, News

Luther to return for 5th Season

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Idris Elba is set to reprise his role as everyone’s favourite homicide detective John Luther with a new four-part 5th season of Luther.

Series creator Neil Cross will also be returning and production is set to begin early next. Cross said he and Elba decided there was a great deal of “unfinished business” for the character to tackle in a new batch of episodes:

“Because we love John and wonder what he’s up to, in the end, we picked up the phone to some old friends and asked if they’d like to find out what happens next. It turns out, they would. So that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to find out what happens next.”

Elba added “I am thrilled that we have been able to bring it all together. I look forward to putting the coat back on.”

Cult Movies, Cult TV, News

Glenne Headly passes away at the age of 62

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It is Cult Faction’s sad duty to report that Glenne Headly has passed away at the age of 62 years old. The sad news was broken by her Rep:

“It is with deep sorrow that we confirm the passing of Glenne Headly. We ask that her family’s privacy be respected during this difficult time.”

Headly had many roles in film and TV including Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Paperhouse, Stars and Bars, Mr. Holland’s Opus, Fraiser, E.R., The X-Files, Encore! Encore!, Rugruts, The Burbs, Monk, Psych, Parks and Recreation, The Purple Rose of Cairo, and Fandango but it was her role as Tess Trueheart alongside Warren Beatty in Dick Tracy shot her onto the Cult Faction radar.

Headly was nominated for an Emmy for her role in the 1989 miniseries Lonesome Dove, as well as 1996’s Bastard Out of Carolina. She was in production on the Seth Rogen-Evan Goldberg produced Hulu comedy series Future Man at the time of her death. The series stars Ed Begley Jr., Eliza Coupe and Josh Hutcherson. It revolves around a janitor and gamer by night who is recruited by mysterious visitors to travel through time in order to prevent the extinction of humanity. The show’s producer Sony Pictures Television have announced that Headly’s role would not be recast but that she would remain in the episodes completed so far.

Cult TV Essentials

The Magician

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The Magician was another of my favorite shows back in the day. It ran on NBC from 1973-1974.  Bill Bixby (the future Incredible Hulk), starred as Tony Blake a millionaire magician who solves crimes. Originally in the series pilot, his character was named Tony Dorian but was later changed because it conflicted with a real-life magician.

During the series, Bixby studied magic and became an amateur conjuror. He also insisted on doing all of his illusions without the assistance of trick photography. The premise behind the show was that Blake was unjustly imprisoned in South America years ago on espionage charges. He escaped the prison with his cellmate and was immediately exonerated of the crime. This episode in his life fueled his desire to help people through magic.

His cellmate ended up dying and Tony inherited millions of dollars. As a result, he got to live in a jet with his pilot, Jerry Anderson (Jim Watkins). Blake also drove around in a sweet Corvette Stingray that quickly became my dream vehicle. Halfway through the show’s run, the jet was dropped in favor of a swanky apartment in the Magic Castle. For those of you unfamiliar with that location, it is a well-known club that is huge in the magician community.

Occasionally, Tony was assisted by reporter Max Pomeroy (Keene Curtis) and his son Dennis (Todd Crespi). Along with the jet being replaced as a residence the supporting cast was also let go in favor of adding a new character brought in for comic relief, named Dominick (Joseph Sirola). Another recurring player would be cast as Tony’s assistant (Larry Anderson).

Although this program didn’t last very long, it exerted an influence on Chris Carter, the executive producer of The X Files. Carter was a fan of the show and had it written into the famous episode of Samantha Mulder’s abduction. The series was also mentioned in an episode of Quantum Leap when Sam Beckett jumped into an amateur prestidigitator that wanted to appear on Bixby’s show.

The Magician was cancelled because it was deemed too expensive to produce. Currently, Visual Entertainment plans to release the complete series on DVD in the future.

 

Cult Movies, News

Hannah John-Kamen cast in Ant-Man and Wasp!

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Whilst the plot to Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man and Wasp is being kept under wraps, as are details about who she will be playing, it has been confirmed that Hannah John-Kamen (Black Mirror, Tomb Raider, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Game of Thrones, Misfits,Killjoys) will be joining the cast.

Audio, Cult TV, Preview

The Lives of Captain Jack

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John Barrowman comes back to life in his own adventures from the Worlds of Doctor Who

Starring John Barrowman, with guest stars Camille Coduri, Russell Tovey, Katy Manning, Sarah Douglas and Alexander Vlahos, The Lives of Captain Jack is out now from Big Finish!

“Life is about choices, who gets to live, who gets to die, who we love, who we hate… our choices shape the future of the universe.”

Exploring chapters of Jack’s life not seen on-screen, The Lives of Captain Jack follows John Barrowman’s character from straight after Season 1 of Doctor Who‘s 2005 revival, in a Dalek-ravaged Earth, to a passionate night out with Alonso Frame (played by Russell Tovey), his origins at the Time Agency, and meeting his match with Jackie Tyler (Camille Coduri).

Writer Guy Adams gives us a little teaser, “Most of us haven’t lived as interesting a life as Captain Jack Harkness. Thankfully. If James and I had been forced to dramatise the most exciting periods of our own lives, at least two of the discs would have been about cats. Writing dialogue for a national institution is always a joy too, like scripting a lither, sexier Royal Albert Hall as it leaps around the Universe bedazzling the natives.”

Writer/producer James Goss fills us in on John Barrowman’s japes in the studio: “John Barrowman is like working with a very professional force of nature who at any moment will do something naughty. We were sharing the studios with an incredibly posh, high brow Radio 4 drama who watched as he and Camille chased each other round the green room before he dashed off to buy our whole team ice cream. After John danced back into the studio, Sir Simon Callow muttered, “No-one ever buys me an ice cream”.

“John is a proper celebrity – he went on Loose Women, fell off a stool, and still came to studio on time, giggling at having broken the internet. When we were recording down in Cardiff Bay, he was spotted by a devastatingly attractive young Doctor Who fan who couldn’t believe what was happening. John lit up and not only made the guy’s day, but also made sure his friends had a brilliant time. That’s John – everyone loves him.”

This four disc boxset (directed by Scott Handcock), is now available at £25 for CD and £20 Download. And because you can never have enough Captain Jack, Torchwood – the Conspiracy, as The Listener’s Title of the Month, is available at £2.99 as a download!

 

All the best in Cult television, films, cartoons, video games and comics! #gotfaction?