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Tag: Gotham

  • DC villains take over Warner TV this fall

    DC villains take over Warner TV this fall

    MUMBAI: Villains are making an epic comeback on Warner TV this season, as DC Comics’ most nefarious foes will battle it out against their legendary superhero counterparts in three high-profile return series.

     

    On Tuesdays, Gotham fanatics will have to buckle up for Season 2 in the next instalment of this Batman origins-story. Having won theCritic’s Choice Television Award in the Most Exciting New Series category in its first season, Gotham Season 2 will see the rise of new and ambitious villains, as well as the emergence of the infamous Riddler, Penguin and The Joker. Right after that, the channel also premieres the highly anticipated first season of  Blindspot. It will be revving up suspense and thrills in a larger conspiracy setting, pointing towards a series of unsolved crimes and a beautiful body full of tattoos.

     

    iZombi  makes a comeback with its second season on Wednesdays. The series follows Rose McIver stars as Olivia “Liv” Moore, a 25-year-old medical resident on the fast track to a perfect life until she’s turned into a zombie.

     

    On Thursdays, season 4 of Arrow makes its mark on the channel. Uneasy alliances and rivalries shift as Oliver Queen faces his most difficult challenge yet – facing villainous Ra’s al Ghul and the League of Assassins.

     

    On 26 September, Warner TV will also play tribute to arguably the biggest superhero with Batman Day. Watch out for a Batman movie marathon starting from 10:30 am, that will feature Batman Begins and The Dark Knight franchise. This is the start of a crescendo, which will see a new season of The Flash, and premieres of Supergirl and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow hit the screen in 2016.

     

    As if that wasn’t enough, Warner TV will also exclusively air the latest series of The Big Bang Theory starting 25 September.

     

    The summary of the line up is as follows:

    . Tuesdays: Gotham S2 premieres 22 September / 9 pm (SG/HK/MY/PH)

    . Tuesdays: Blindspot premieres 22 September / 9:50 pm

    . Wednesdays: iZombie S2 premieres 7 October / 9 pm

    . Thursdays: Arrow S4 premieres 8 October / 9 pm

    . Friday: The Big Bang Theory premieres 25 September / 9 pm

  • Paul Edwards tapped to helm National Geographic’s four-hour movie event

    Paul Edwards tapped to helm National Geographic’s four-hour movie event

    MUMBAI: Acclaimed television director Paul Edwards has been tapped to direct National Geographic Channel’s four-hour scripted movie event Saints & Strangers.

    The program, produced by Sony Pictures Television with Little Engine Productions, is scheduled to start shooting this summer in South Africa, with a premiere set for fall 2015. The film puts a new lens on the familiar historical account of the trials and tribulations faced by the first American settlers and the native Americans they encountered upon their arrival.

     
    “Paul’s resume reads like a ‘must-watch’ list of TV programs from the last two decades, and we’re excited to watch him bring this story to life in a creative and cohesive way,” said NGC president of original programming and production Tim Pastore.

    “We are thrilled that Paul will be at the helm of this extraordinary project to contribute his vast expertise and experience as a director and cinematographer,” said Sony Pictures Television executive vice president of movies and limited series Helen Verno.

     
    Edwards has been directing for television series for more than 15 years. He has directed episodes of the popular current hits Gotham, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Blacklist, Once Upon a Time, Sleepy Hollow and Bates Motel, along with such cult favorites as Fringe and Lost. He received a BAFTA TV award for his work onHeroes.

     
    Saints & Strangers is a story that goes beyond the familiar historical version of the founding of America, revealing the trials and tribulations of the first American settlers: 101 men, women and children who sailed on the Mayflower for a place no one had ever seen. Half of these “pilgrims” were religious separatists who had abandoned their prior lives for religious freedom and an opportunity to create a new social order built on their values. The other half, “adventurers,” were mostly single men seeking financial opportunity and a rapid acquisition of wealth in a new land or trying to escape their old identities or criminal pasts. Intertwined with these complex inner struggles is the relationship with the Native Americans and the conflicting allegiances among these groups, culminating in trials of assimilation, faith and compromise that to this day define our country.

    Saints & Strangers will be produced for National Geographic Channels US by Sony Pictures Television. For Little Engine Productions, executive producers are Grant Scharbo and Gina Matthews; Teri Weinberg is executive producer; Eric Overmyer is executive producer/writer; Seth Fisher is writer. Original script was written by Chip Johannessen, with revisions by Walon Green. For Sony Pictures Television, executive vice president of movies and limited series is Helen Verno. For National Geographic Channels, president of original programming and production is Tim Pastore; vice president of production is Matt Renner.

  • Time Warner reports y-o-y increase in Q3-2014

    Time Warner reports y-o-y increase in Q3-2014

    BENGALURU: Time Warner Inc (Time Warner) posted 34 per cent higher adjusted EPS for Q3-2014 (quarter ended 30 September 2014) at US$ 1.22 (on a lower adjust outstanding share base) and better than last quarter’s US$ 0.98.

     

    Diluted income per share in Q3-2014 was US$1.11 (average 870.2 million diluted shares outstanding) versus the US$ 1.25 (average 938.8 million diluted shares outstanding) in Q3-2013 and US$ 0.98 (average 894.2 million diluted shares outstanding) in Q2-2014.

     

    For Q3-2014, Time Warner reported total revenue (TIO) of US$  6243 million, which was 3.3 per cent more y-o-y at US$ 6042 million, but 8 per cent less that the US$ 6788 million in Q2-2014. Total adjusted operating income at US$ 993 million in Q3-2014 was 37.5 per cent less than the US$ 1589 million in Q3-2013 and 38.6 per cent lower than the US$ 1618 million in Q2-2014.

     

    Time Warner chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes said, “We had another good quarter, featuring solid revenue growth as well as strong growth in Adjusted EPS. As we discussed at our Investor Event last month, we’ve refocused the company over the past few years to aggressively pursue the huge global opportunities we see in video content. And once again, we are seeing the benefits of our increased investments in great content and storytelling. In the quarter, both Turner and HBO had double-digit increases in subscription revenues, reflecting the growing strength and appeal of their programming. HBO received 19 Primetime Emmy Awards, the most of any network for the 13th straight year, including five Emmys for newcomer True Detective. At Turner, TNT ranked as ad-supported cable’s #1 primetime network for the second consecutive quarter, TBS was the #2 ad-supported cable network in primetime among adults 18-49 and 25-54, and Adult Swim again shined as ad-supported cable’s #1 total day network among its key adult demos. Turner’s extension last month of its longstanding relationship with the NBA through the 2024-25 season is another great example of investing in distinctive programming that will serve us well for years to come. This fall, Warner Bros. is once again the number one producer for broadcast television, including a strong slate of new shows. Season-to-date, Gotham ranked as broadcast’s #2 new show among adults 18-49, while The Flash had the most-watched telecast ever on The CW. These shows are among five series featuring DC characters that will air this season. DC is also a key component of the ambitious film slate that Warner Bros. recently unveiled. Further demonstrating our continuing commitment to shareholder returns, so far this year we’ve returned over $5.7 billion to our shareholders in the form of share repurchases and dividends.”

     

    Time Warner has three segments that contribute to its numbers – Turner, Home Box Office (HBO) and Warner Bros (WB). Turner, which contributes about 40 per cent of TIO, disappointed with a drop in its share of adjusted operating income to 35.2 per cent versus the approximately 60 per cent during Q2-2013, Q3-2013 and Q2-2014. All of Time Warner’s segments reported y-o-y reduction of adjusted operating income in Q3-2014.

     

    Let us look at the numbers reported by the segments of Time Warner for Q3-2014

     

    Turner

     

    Turner reported revenue of US$ 2556 million (39.2 per cent of TIO), which was 4.6 per cent more than the US$  2338 million (38.7 per cent of TIO), but 11.1 per cent lower than the US$  2750 million (40.5 per cent of TIO) in the immediate trailing quarter ended June 30, 2014.

     

    Adjusted operating income from this segment fell a massive 64 per cent to US$ 350 million (35.2 per cent of total adjusted operating income) from US$ 971 million (61.1 per cent of total  operating income) and was 62.8 per cent lower than the US$ 940 million (35.2 per cent of total adjusted operating income)in Q2-2014.

     

    Here is what the company has to say about its Turner segment results:

     

    Revenues rose 5 per cent (US$ 108 million) to US$ 2.4 billion, mainly due to growth of 10 per cent (US$ 117 million) in subscription revenues and 17 per cent (US$ 12 million) in content revenues, offset in part by a decline of 2 per cent (US$ 18 million) in advertising revenues. The increase in subscription revenues was primarily due to higher domestic rates and international growth. Advertising revenues decreased due to declines at Turner’s international networks. Advertising revenues at Turner’s domestic networks were essentially flat.

     

    Adjusted Operating Income declined 64 per cent (US$ 621 million) to US$ 350 million, as higher revenues were more than offset by higher programming costs and increased restructuring and severance costs. Programming costs grew 84 per cent due to the current year quarter’s US$ 482 million of charges related to Turner’s decision to no longer air certain programming. Excluding these charges, programming costs increased in the low double digits due to higher costs associated with increased volume of original programming and the first year of Turner’s new agreement with Major League Baseball. The current year quarter included US$ 199 million of restructuring and severance costs compared to US$ 30 million in the prior year quarter. Excluding the programming and restructuring and severance charges, Adjusted Operating Income would have been US$ 1.0 billion.

     

    HBO segment

    HBO reported 9.9 per cent increase in revenue in Q3-2014 at US$   1304 million (20.9 per cent of TIO) from US$   1186 million in Q3-2013, but was 8 per cent less than the US$   1417 million (20.9 per cent if TIO) in Q2-2014.

     

    HBO’s adjusted operating income at US$   380 million (38.3 per cent of total adjusted operating income) was 4.3 per cent lower than the US$   397 million (25 per cent of total adjusted operating income) in Q3-2013 and 31.2 per cent lower than the US$   552 million (34.1 per cent of total adjusted operating income) in Q2-2014.

     

    Here is what the company has to say about its HBO segment results:

     

    Revenues grew 10 per cent (US$ 118 million) to US$ 1.3 billion, reflecting increases of 10 per cent (US$ 106 million) in subscription revenues and 7 per cent (US$ 10 million) in content revenues. The increase in subscription revenues resulted from higher domestic rates and subscribers as well as the consolidation of HBO Asia and HBO South Asia (collectively, HBO Asi”). The growth in content revenues was primarily due to increased home video revenues.

     

    Adjusted Operating Income decreased 4 per cent (US$ 17 million) to US$ 380 million, as higher revenues were more than offset by increased expenses due to higher programming and distribution costs as well as increased restructuring and severance costs. Programming costs grew 16 per cent due to increased expenses for original and acquired programming as well as the consolidation of HBO Asia. Distribution costs increased primarily due to higher participation expenses. The current year quarter included US$ 48 million of restructuring and severance costs compared to US$ 24 million in the prior year quarter. Excluding the restructuring and severance charges, Adjusted Operating Income would have been US$ 428 million.

     

    Operating Income declined 24 per cent (US$ 122 million) to US$ 380 million. The prior year quarter included a US$ 105 million gain related to Home Box Office’s acquisition of its former partner’s interests in HBO Asia in September 2013.

     

    Warner Bros (WB)

    WB reported 3 per cent growth in revenue in Q3-2014 to from US$   2775 million (44.4 per cent of TIO) from US$   2694 million (44.6 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2014, but was 3.3 per cent lower than the US$   2870 million (42.3 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2014.

     

    WB’s adjusted operating income at US$   241 million (24.3 per cent of total adjusted operating income) was 20.2 per cent lower than the US$   302 million (19 per cent of total adjusted operating income) in Q3-2014, but 2.1 per cent higher than the US$   236 million (14.6 per cent of total adjusted operating income) in Q2-2014.

     

    Here is what the company has to say about its WB segment results:

    Revenues increased 3 per cent (US$ 81 million) to US$ 2.8 billion, mainly due to growth in subscription video-on-demand revenues for television product, higher licensing of theatrical product, growth in television production, including from the acquisition of Eyeworks Group’s operations outside the U.S., and revenues from a patent license and settlement agreement. These increases were partly offset by softer performance of current year quarter theatrical releases compared to the prior year’s slate, which included Pacific Rim, The Conjuring and We’re the Millers, and lower domestic off-network television license fees.

     

    Adjusted Operating Income decreased 20 per cent (US$ 61 million) to US$ 241 million, as higher revenues were more than offset by increased restructuring and severance costs, higher film costs for television product and a value added tax accrual. The current year quarter included US$ 45 million of restructuring and severance costs compared to US$ 2 million in the prior year quarter. Excluding the restructuring and severance charges, Adjusted Operating Income would have been US$ 286 million.

     

    Operating Income declined 23 per cent (US$ 70 million) to US$ 237 million.

     

    Through 2 November, Annabelle grossed over US$ 230 million at the worldwide box office. Season-to-date, Gotham ranked as broadcast’s #2 new drama series among adults18-49. The premiere of The Flash had a total of 6.8 million total viewers in final live +7 ratings, making it The CW network’s most-watched telecast ever.

     

  • DC Entertainment: The superhero of television

    DC Entertainment: The superhero of television

    MUMBAI: Long before she became famous as Susan Meyer of Desperate Housewives, Teri Hatcher played Louis Lane in the cult 90’s series Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. This was one of the first few series produced in association with DC Comics after Superboy (1988 – 1992).  

     

    It ran from 1993 to 1997 and soon afterwards was on Star World India during the late 90s.

     

    In 2001, Tom Welling, with the blessing of the original Superman, Christopher Reeve, donned the superhero’s cape in Warner Bros’ (WB) original production, Smallville that won both critical acclaim and commercial success.

     

    It enjoyed an average viewership of 8.7 million and WB’s second-best 18-49 adult rating ever, according to Media Life Magazine. 

     

    The series follows the adventures of Clark Kent right from his pre-Superman days in the fictional town of Smallville in Kansas to his career at the Daily Planet while introducing other DC comics superheroes and villains.

     

    As earlier reported by indiantelevision.com, Smallville was aired in India on Star World with the first few seasons on Wednesday nights at 8 pm, later moving to Saturdays at 7 pm before being pulled off air.

     

    In an earlier interview with the website, Star English Entertainment business head, Kevin Vaz had reasoned, “Since moving Smallville to Saturdays, we weren’t receiving as much traction from the audience as we did during its initial run on Wednesday nights, and there was also new content then which received good response from the audience. Ergo, we had to discontinue airing the new seasons of the series.” 

     

    Smallville was a milestone in the journey of DC Comics’ Entertainment, which created a niche for itself in the global television market with the series. 

     

    Buoyed by its success, DC followed suit with Human Target, which however, failed to get the viewership it deserved and was hence taken off schedule and eventually cancelled. All the same, the series did air in its entirety on Warner Bros’ Indian channel, WB India.

     

    DC’s TV endeavours post Human Target have met with much greater success.

     

    In 2012, The CW, formed as a result of the merger between WB and Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), ordered its first drama series based on a DC Comics character Green Arrow. 

     

    Arrow revolves round billionaire playboy Oliver Queen, portrayed by Stephen Amell (Dante’s Cove, New Girl), who, after five years of being stranded on a hostile island, returns home to fight crime and corruption as a secret vigilante with a bow and arrow as his ammo of choice. As the series develops, more characters from DC Comics were introduced like Black Canary and The Flash.

     

    Coming to 2014, DC Entertainment has five new properties currently in production with various broadcast and cable networks. 

     

    Arrow, the CW Original series has made way for The Flash, an upcoming American television series developed by the writers and executive producers of Arrow. It will be based on the DC Comics character Flash reprised by Barry Allen, a Central City assistant police forensic investigator who by virtue of being caught in a chemical explosion, gets the power of superhuman speed. 

     

    The second new property is Gotham, an upcoming television series by Bruno Heller, creator of the Golden Globe and Emmy Award-nominated series Rome and The Mentalist. As the title suggests, Gotham is based on the DC Comics characters Detective James Gordon and Bruce Wayne created by Bob Kane and sundry other characters in the Batman franchise. Interestingly, the series will go into the origins of iconic villains like the Penguin, the Riddler, Cat woman, Two-Face, the Joker, Poison Ivy and Scarecrow. According to inside sources, both The Flash and Gotham might premiere on Star World Premiere HD.

     

    The third newbie is Vertigo, based on an imprint of DC Comics originally created to do stories that could not meet the stringent guidelines of the Comics Code Authority. 

     

    NBC’s upcoming supernatural series Constantine is based on DC Comics’ wildly popular series Hellblazer which revolves round seasoned demon hunter and master of the occult, John Constantine, who specializes in “giving hell… hell”. 

     

    Given the number of Warner Bros Television and DC Comics properties acquired by Indian broadcasters in the past, one can expect Constantine to end up airing on Star World, Zee Cafe or AXN.

     

    The CW’s upcoming drama series iZombie is loosely based on the series created by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred and published by DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint. 

     

    iZombie, developed by Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas, revolves round a medical student who becomes a zombie, and joins a Coroner’s Office to gain access to the brains she must reluctantly eat so that she can maintain her humanity. For every brain she eats though, she also inherits its memories and must now solve the deaths of these persons with help from the Medical examiner and a police detective.

     

    Also, American Movie Classics (AMC) Network – home to Emmy and Golden Globe Award winning drama series like Mad Men and Breaking Bad – in association with Sony Television, will soon bring to the small screen the satirical and supernatural comic series, Preacher, with comedy writers/actors Seth Rogen (Knocked Up, Superbad) and Evan Goldberg (Neighbours, This is the End) spearheading the project for the cable network. 

     

    Preacher follows hardened Reverend Jesse Custer. Accompanied by his ex-girlfriend and a vampire named Cassidy, he searches for God after finding out he has left heaven. The series’ antagonist is Saint of Killers, a Western lone gunman type, hell-bent on killing Jesse.

     

    Since iZombie will air midseason next year and Preacher is still in development, it is too early to speculate on which Indian broadcaster will air these adaptations.

     

    While the past decade has seen a slew of movies (The Dark Knight trilogy, Green Lantern, Superman: Man of Steel and the upcoming Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice) based on a wealth of characters from DC Comics, perhaps it’s time television followed suit as well!

  • Batman-prequel Gotham ordered to series by Fox, trailer released

    Batman-prequel Gotham ordered to series by Fox, trailer released

    MUMBAI: Everyone knows the name Commissioner Gordon. He is one of the crime world’s greatest foes, a man whose reputation is synonymous with law and order. But what is known of Gordon’s story and his rise from rookie detective to Police Commissioner? What did it take to navigate the multiple layers of corruption that secretly ruled Gotham City, the spawning ground of the world’s most iconic villains? And what circumstances created them – the larger-than-life personas who would become Catwoman, The Penguin, The Riddler, Two-Face and The Joker?

    It was announced on 6 May that the American Television Network, FOX Broadcasting is ordering a series that delves into the early career of future “Batman” police commissioner James Gordon.

    Gotham is an origin story of the great DC Comics super villains and vigilantes, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. From executive producer/writer Bruno Heller (The Mentalist, Rome), Gotham follows one cop’s rise through a dangerously corrupt city teetering on the edge of evil and chronicles the birth of one of the most popular super heroes of our time.

    Growing up in Gotham City’s surrounding suburbs, James Gordon (Ben McKenzie, Southland, The O.C.) romanticized the city as a glamorous and exciting metropolis where his late father once served as a successful district attorney. Now, two weeks into his new job as a Gotham City detective and engaged to his beloved fiancée, Barbara Kean (Erin Richards, Open Grave, Breaking In), Gordon is living his dream – even as he hopes to restore the city back to the pure version as he remembers it when he was a kid.

    Brave, honest and ready to prove himself, the newly-minted detective is partnered with the brash, but shrewd police legend Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue, Sons of Anarchy, Terriers, Vikings, Copper), as the two stumble upon the city’s highest-profile case ever: the murder of local billionaires Thomas and Martha Wayne. At the scene of the crime, Gordon meets the sole survivor: the Waynes’ hauntingly intense 12-year-old son, Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz, Touch), toward whom the young detective feels an inexplicable kinship. Moved by the boy’s profound loss, Gordon vows to catch the killer.

    As he navigates the often-underhanded politics of Gotham’s criminal justice system, Gordon will confront imposing gang boss Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith, The Matrix films, HawthoRNe, Collateral), and many of the characters who will become some of fiction’s most renowned, enduring villains, including a teenaged Seline Kyle/the future Catwoman (acting newcomer Camren Bicondova) and Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor, The Walking Dead, Another Earth).

    Although the crime drama will follow Gordon’s turbulent and singular rise through the Gotham City police department, led by police captain Sarah Essen (Zabryna Guevara, Burn Notice), it also will focus on the unlikely friendship Gordon forms with the young heir to the Wayne fortune, who is being raised by his unflappable butler, Alfred (Sean Pertwee, Camelot, Elementary). It is a friendship that will last them all of their lives, playing a crucial role in helping the young boy eventually become the crusader he’s destined to be.

    Gotham is based upon characters published by DC Comics and is produced by Warner Bros. Television. Executive producer Bruno Heller (The Mentalist) wrote the pilot, which will be directed and executive-produced by Emmy Award nominee Danny Cannon (the CSI series, Nikita).

    An air date hasn’t been announced, but a Warner Bros. spokesman told Entertainment Weekly Gotham is planned for the 2014-2015 season “for at least 13 episodes.”

  • FOX renews four shows, cancels one

    FOX renews four shows, cancels one

    MUMBAI: Early this year, at the Television Critics Association Press Tour, officials at FOX Broadcasting announced that the network had decided to pass the traditional pilot season henceforth. At the tour, FOX had announced that it would order series all year long, which is clearly evident from the series order of 24: Live Another Day, M. Night Shyamalan’s Wayward Pines and the Batman-prequel Gotham, all ordered to series before the traditional pilot season schedule.

     

    Usually during the pilot seasons, the fate of the older programmes is announced. Last April, the ground-breaking teen phenomenon Glee was renewed for two seasons. However, later creator Ryan Murphy said that the sixth season would be its last. In October, Sleepy Hollow became the first new series to be renewed for a second season during its 13 episode first season run. In January this year, FOX renewed its veteran forensic procedural Bones for a tenth season.

     

    Last week, FOX announced renewals for four of its series – the Critics Choice Television Award winning New Girl and The Mindy Project, along with the Golden Globe Award winning comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the Kevin Bacon-starrer The Following. Along with renewals come cancellations too, in order to balance the weekly schedule. As announced on Monday, 10 March, the first series to be passed on is the quirky comedy Raising Hope. The acclaimed comedy will bow out with an hour-long farewell with the season four finale now airing as the series finale next month.

     

    In India, The Mindy Project and Brooklyn Nine-Nine airs on Comedy Central, while Glee, Bones and New Girl air on STAR World. Sleepy Hollow will be finishing its first season run on STAR World Premiere and The Following completed its first season run on Zee Cafe.