Movies
TV: A ‘Walking Dead’ Talk Show?
A Walking Dead talk show. Wut. Maybe I have this all wrong but it seems like a horrible idea for AMC to cheapen its programming with a “Watch What Happens:Live” style recap after each episode. Apparently they’re considering such a thing. To be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of ‘The Walking Dead” these days, but it still sounds awkward. It sounds like the plan might extend to other shows like “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad”, but the pilot they’ve shot is “Dead” centric.
It all kind of falls in line with AMC’s current plan of burning its best shows to the ground. I know they’re concerned about money and a talk show format recap is a cheap way of retaining the viewers of these series for a few minutes after the actual show has ended.
According to Vulture, “Our spies say Nerdist blogger and former MTV personality Chris Hardwick, most recently seen hosting BBC America’s Doctor Who specials, served as the host of the pilot and that the discussion focused on Walking Dead. This would indicate that AMC is considering a launch of the as-yet untitled project in conjunction with this October’s return of Dead, though we haven’t been able to confirm that (and it’s likely that it would be designed to air after other AMC shows, not just Dead). What’s more, because this was just a pilot, it’s possible there could be format tweaks or that Hardwick might not be a part of the project should it go to series. If AMC decides to move forward with the show in time for Dead, it would likely do so within the next few weeks.”
Recent comments from producer Jason Blum suggested that a retool was in order when last year’s The Exorcist: Believer wasn’t as successful as Blumhouse and Universal hoped. That certainly seems to be the case, as Deadline reports tonight that Mike Flanagan is in talks to direct the next Exorcist movie.
Director David Gordon Green was initially on board to direct an entire trilogy of new movies in the franchise, with The Exorcist: Believer intended to be only the first film in that three-film sequel series. Originally set to hit theaters on April 18, 2025, sequel The Exorcist: Deceiver was delayed when Green left the project.
If talks come to fruition, Flanagan will take over, likely steering the franchise in a new direction.
The first film in the trilogy was released theatrically on October 13, 2023, with Leslie Odom Jr. starring alongside a returning Ellen Burstyn from the original classic.
In Believer, “Since the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 12 years ago, Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom, Jr.) has raised their daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett) on his own.
“But when Angela and her friend Katherine (Olivia Marcum) disappear in the woods, only to return three days later with no memory of what happened to them, it unleashes a chain of events that will force Victor to confront the nadir of evil and, in his terror and desperation, seek out the only person alive who has witnessed anything like it before.”
The final moments of The Exorcist: Believer brought Linda Blair’s Regan MacNeil back into the fold, seeming to suggest that the legacy character could return in future installments.
As for Flanagan, the horror filmmaker has Life of Chuck on the way. Flanagan previously helmed Stephen King adaptations Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game, and he’s also known for titles including Ouija: Origin of Evil and Oculus, along with the Netflix horror shows The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and The Fall of the House of Usher.
Stay tuned for more as we learn it.
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