TV Bits: 'Doctor Who,' 'The Son,' 'Ballers,' 'Voltron: Legendary Defender'
In this edition of TV Bits:
Doctor Who has seen twelve different actors play the title character over the course of fifty years, with the Doctor "regenerating" into a new form whenever the current actor decides to step away from the part. In recent years, fans have wondered when the show would eventually stop casting white men in the role and introduce a Doctor who was a woman or a person of color.
Interestingly, showrunner Stephen Moffat eventually revealed that the role was once offered to a black actor, but he turned it down. Now, the Radio Times claims that the mystery actor in question is Chiwetel Ejiofor, the Oscar-nominated star of 12 Years a Slave, Serenity, and the upcoming Doctor Strange (where he plays Baron Mordo). Their report says that Ejiofor was offered the role of the eleventh Doctor, a role that eventually went to Matt Smith. It was also rumored that another black actor was considered for the role of the twelfth Doctor, which eventually went to Peter Capaldi.
Pierce Brosnan has joined the cast of the upcoming AMC series The Son, marking the actor's return to television after a few decades of playing spy on the big screen. Brosnan is replacing Sam Neill, who has departed the show for unknown personal reasons. Here's how Deadline describes the show, which will follow a Texas family over the course of several generations:
Brosnan will play Eli, the charismatic patriarch of the McCullough family. As a child, he was kidnapped and raised among the Comanche Native American tribe and applies the brutal Comanche worldview to his business dealings. He was born on the day Texas became an independent Republic, earning the nickname "First Son of Texas" and is a relic of the Wild West, uneasy with the inexorable taming of Texas and the uncertain future of his legacy.
I'm only hesitant because I can't quite picture Brosnan doing the Texan accent thing, but that is a strong hook for a show. Bring on the pilot.
Dwayne Johnson shared the new trailer for Ballers season 2 on his Twitter feed and...it looks like more Ballers. It still looks slick and stylish and raunchy and sporadically amusing, although there's not much here to convince me that this show deserves a second chance from me. It's not my cup of tea, but those who enjoyed the first season will undoubtedly find much to love here.
Netflix has revealed a new clip from their new animated series Voltron: Legendary Defender and it's pretty much two minutes of five giant robotic lions coming together and transforming into a much larger robot. In other words, it certainly looks like Voltron. Here's how Netflix describes the clip:
When the Galra Empire sends a mighty Robeast to challenge the Paladins, they must form Voltron if they want any chance of defeating it. But will the legendary defender of the universe be enough?
Netflix also unveiled this dramatic new sizzle reel, just in case you want a little more. I have no strong opinions on Voltron, but this show certainly looks slick and the animation looks surprisingly good, managing to look simultaneously retro and modern. The question now is whether it will appeal to modern kids, old fans, or find a way to entertain both. We'll know for sure when the first season drops this Friday, June 10, 2016.