If there’s a power couple in Defiance, it is the Tarrs, Datak and Stahma. Will we be seeing them continue to gain advantages or will we be seeing a shakeup? Tony Curran and Jaime Murray took some time to speak with the media recently, including SciFiMafia.com, giving us some insight into their characters, and a few hints of what’s to come.

They were clearly enjoying chatting with each other as much as with all of us. Now make sure to imagine them saying these things in their native accents – Tony Curran is Scottish, Jaime Murray is English – to get the true sense of it:

SciFiMafia.com: Hi, thanks so much for being on the call today. I was already a big fan of the work of each of you so I’m so glad you’ve been given such great parts in Defiance. And I’ve got to say the subtlety that each of you bring to your parts are what I really, really enjoy about watching your performances overall.

Tony Curran: Thank you. Jaime’s very subtle as Stahma. I’m trying to be a little more subtle.

SciFiMafia.com: Well, you know, it’s those couple of times that you kind of make us like him that I really appreciate because, you know, it’s one thing to be kind of big and loud and mean but then every once in a while you’ll pop in something I like, then I really kind of like him but I don’t want to…

Jaime Murray: Yes and I think that I – whether the audience sees it – but when I’m in scenes with Tony… there’s a lot of hot air that comes out of Datak but there’s so much vulnerability. You know, I would be in a scene with Tony – with Datak, you know, and just see this little boy or this little alien.

Tony Curran: Yes, no it’s true. It’s true.

Jaime Murray: And I often, you know, there were real moments as Stahma that I just wanted to take care of him. I just wanted to save him from himself. And I loved him. I love him.

Tony Curran: Now going down that straight through… I think that those big characters like Datak are a lot of men who have got a volatile temper and it’s probably from their unfortunate past that they’ve had. So then Stahma’s obviously had more of a, you know, silver spoon in her mouth – if you will – upbringing. I don’t think she’s as vulnerable as Datak can be. He is like a – yes, he can be like a spoiled child. Yes, that’s a good point. Which makes people interesting to play I guess. It makes them interesting to play, yes.

SciFiMafia.com: And that’s kind of what I wanted to ask – do you have a greatest joy about your part and maybe your biggest challenge?

Tony Curran: Yes I think what you mentioned there, that I think is fun because, you know, there’s a lot of roles out there that anger plays and… I always look to movies like Angels with Dirty Faces or White Heat. I was always a big fan of Jimmy Cagney.

And when people say “you are playing an alien and you’re watching Cagney movies?” I’m like yes because he was a kid from the street as well. And at the end of the day he was as hard as a shell that he perceived to have. He was damaged. He was damaged goods. He had issues and the reason that he behaved the way he behaved was because of his upbringing because obviously like we all – our past shapes our future. And definitely Datak’s past is shaping his present and his future.

But just to be all about sort of blowing hot air and behaving in an aggressive manner would be very dull. I think it’s interesting to see that, and you’ll see in episodes to come, how Stahma takes care of Datak. Because he is like a big kid in many ways and he is a vulnerable individual … Yes, I think that there are huge vulnerabilities in him.

Anyway, a lot of the characters in Defiance – they have many skeletons in the closet and they’re almost trying to separate themselves from their past instead of facing the past and dealing with it. And I think as you see the next few episodes come up, there are some back-stories coming up which will reveal things about many characters in Defiance that you don’t know about now.

SciFiMafia.com: And Jaime? What’s your biggest joy about your part, that you really get the most out of?

Tony Curran: Apart from working with me obviously.

Jaime Murray: No, no way. I really lucked out there.

Tony Curran: I thought you fell asleep there while I was talking. I thought Murray – she’s fallen asleep again. She’s buying a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes. Sorry.

Jaime Murray: The unexpected delight in playing this alien is it forced me to look at what it means to be human. And when we’re talking and trying to look like these characters, you’re constantly talking about what human beings do. So that was really fun.

But also I just feel as though there’s so much scope for this character. I feel as though, and it will start happening in this season, but I feel as though Stahma doesn’t really know who she is. I don’t really think she has any real idea of who she is. I think she only knows who she is in terms of other people, and I think that’s going to be really exciting for it to suddenly dawn on her that she’s not on planet Casti anymore, that she’s surrounded by free and emancipated women.

And although she has power and although she is intelligent, she is so defined by the men in her life, and I think it will be interesting to see it dawn on her that there might be other ways of existing in this new world.

SciFiMafia.com: Wow. I think she’s just going to be a force in nature. I can’t wait.

Tony Curran: She’s going to become more of a force than me.

Jaime Murray: I’m an existing mix of – she’s incredibly powerful and almost …

Tony Curran: Machiavellian.

Jaime Murray: Machiavellian in the way that she behaves. But … I often felt very vulnerable playing her. I felt very isolated. I felt very lonely because she doesn’t really let that mask slip with anyone. So if you’re constantly hiding behind your mask, you’re not really truly connected. And I think that she might actually kind of realize how disconnected she is and she might kind of try and be brave and connect with somebody and that might be quite of a profound feeling for her. And let’s see how that turns out.

Tony Curran: Yes, that’s interesting. If you’re held up in that sort of, you know, in that castle all the time. I mean there’s not many…

Jaime Murray: She’s a bird in a gilded cage.

Tony Curran: Yes, exactly…

Jaime Murray: The way you behave in that moment – I mean there’s a raw immediacy about who he is which, you know, I bet he sleeps quite good at night whereas I bet Stahma doesn’t sleep so good.

Tony Curran: Yes.

SciFiMafia.com: Well I can’t wait to see any of it. Your performances have been absolutely outstanding and I really appreciate the work. Thank you both so much for your lovely responses.

Thanks again to Tony Curran and Jaime Murray for taking the time to talk with us.

Defiance, starring Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray, Graham Greene, and Jesse Rath, airs Mondays at 9/8c on Syfy.

TV REVIEW The heat is on

Related Stories

• Revolution 1.17 “The Longest Day” REVIEW
• Epic REVIEW
• Arrow 1.23 “Sacrifice” REVIEW
• Defiance 1.06 “Brothers In Arms” REVIEW
• The Vampire Diaries 4.23 “Graduation” REVIEW

    

Today, Lucasfilm formally announced their next animated project, entitled Star Wars Rebels. After reading the press release and watching the featurette, I am SO excited about this new series. The look and style is reportedly going to be based on the original Star Wars concept art by Ralph McQuarrie. SO EXCITED. Check it out:

REBELS NEW STAR WARS ANIMATED TELEVISION SERIES
BEGINS PRODUCTION FOR 2014 PREMIERE ON DISNEY XD CHANNELS AROUND THE WORLD –Special Event Telecast to First Air on Disney Channel –

Production has begun on Star Wars Rebels, an exciting, all-new animated television series based on one of the greatest entertainment franchises of all time. Scheduled to premiere in fall 2014 as a one-hour special telecast on Disney Channel, it will be followed by a series on Disney XD channels around the world.

Leading the development of the series is a creative team of exceptional talent. Screenwriter/producer Simon Kinberg (X-Men: First Class, Sherlock Holmes, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) is an executive producer on Star Wars Rebels and will write the premiere episode. He is joined by Dave Filoni as executive producer, who served as supervising director of the ®Emmy nominated Star Wars: The Clone Wars since 2008. Executive producer Greg Weisman brings with him a wealth of animation experience with credits such as Young Justice, The Spectacular Spider-Man and Gargoyles.

Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer, Disney Channels Worldwide, said, “The entire team at Lucasfilm has provided extraordinary creativity and innovation for over three decades, and we’re thrilled to be bringing the expansive and imaginative world of Star Wars to Disney XD’s viewers.”

“I couldn’t be more excited to explore new corners of the Star Wars universe,” said Kathleen Kennedy, president, Lucasfilm. “I think Star Wars Rebels will capture the look, feel and fun that both kids and their parents love about Star Wars.”

The action-filled series is set between the events of Episode III and IV – an era spanning almost two decades never-before explored on-screen. Star Wars Rebels takes place in a time where the Empire is securing its grip on the galaxy and hunting down the last of the Jedi Knights as a fledgling rebellion against the Empire is taking shape. Details about the show are a closely guarded secret at this point.

Star Wars Rebels will be produced by Lucasfilm Animation, featuring many of the key talents that made Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Fans attending Star Wars Celebration Europe (http://www.starwarscelebration.eu/) will be the first to get an exclusive look at the new series. Casting will be announced at a later date. More information about this developing project will be found on www.StarWars.com and on Facebook at facebook.com/starwarsrebels.

And of course here on SciFiMafia.com. Here’s the featurette:

Featurette: Star Wars Rebels – The Rebellion Begins

We’ll keep you posted!

Teen-Wolf-Season-2.jpg If you’re looking for something that hits the sweet spot between True Blood and Vampire Diaries, MTV’s dark, sexy Teen Wolf hits the sweet spot.

cumberbatchkhan.jpg Old J.J. takes secret keeping very seriously. And just in case it's still a secret for you -- spoilers below!

Hopefully by now you’ve already seen the amazing Season Finale for Doctor Who (if you haven’t, don’t worry, no spoilers here). Such a great episode to end the season, which you may or may not have known was released to a few lucky preorder recipients in the US by mistake a few weeks ago.

It was a precarious time on the Internet trying to avoid tumblrs that posted screenshots and pictures with spoilery captions. At least that’s what I was getting in a general sense, because I AVOIDED THEM AT ALL COST.

Stephen Moffat promised that if we could keep the spoilery bits quiet then we would be rewarded with a special video of Matt Smith and David Tennant from the set of the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Episode, and here is!

Featurette: Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Episode

The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Episode starring Matt Smith, David Tennant, Jenna-Louise Coleman, Billie Piper, Joanna Page, Jemma Redgrave and John Hurt will air in November on BBC America.

man_of_steel___man_of_ages_by_bongzberry-d5s7d0p.jpg Presented without comment.

star_wars.jpg We’ve been wondering what Disney would do after pulling the plug on the beloved animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, and now we know. Prepare to meet the Rebels!

sentinels.jpg We know Peter Dinklage will be a villain in X-Men: Days of Future Past, but now, thanks to this latest pic, we think we know who he'll be playing specifically.

All the teasers MTV has been posting have been creepy, and the few photos they’ve released have been tantalizing, but we have been waiting and waiting for more, and finally we have it: behold the official trailer for Teen Wolf Season 3. If you are STILL thinking that this series has anything to do with the movie beyond the duplication of a couple of names, WATCH THIS:

Trailer: Teen Wolf – Season 3

How great it is to see Scott and Stiles and Allison and Lydia and Derek, even in dire circumstance, or – nah, Scott’s not actually dead, right? I expect that we’re not supposed to like new enemy Deucalion but he does have that lovely accent.  Just saying.

So, it appears we’ll be witnessing more serious threats and battles and coolness this summer, and I can barely wait. Come on, June!

Teen Wolf, starring Tyler Posey, Dylan O’Brien, Crystal Reed, Holland Roden,Tyler Hoechlin, Gideon Emery, Charlie Carver, and Max Carver, premieres June 3, 2013 at 10/9c on MTV.

One of the great parts about the Superman character is in the development into his human side, the part that makes him most like us. In this behind the scenes featurette for Man of Steel, we see the cast and production team talk about making Superman more human.

This featurette includes interview from director Zack Snyder, Henry Cavill (Clark Kent/ Kal-El), Amy Adams (Lois Lane), producer Deborah Snyder, producer Charles Roven, Laurence Fishburn (Perry White), Russell Crowe (Jor-El), Kevin Costner (Jonathan Kent), and Michael Shannon (General Zod).

Featurette: Man of Steel

Man of Steel starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Michael Shannon, Antje Traue, Julia Ormond, and Russell Crowe is slated to hit theaters June 14th.

There’s a new pack in town… and it’s rabid

Related Stories

• The Wolverine: New Trailer With Silver Samurai In Action
• The World’s End: New Poster
• Man Of Steel: New “Fate Of Your Planet” Trailer
• Wednesday Link-A-Mania
• BBC Three Commissions Second Series Of In The Flesh

    

MarsOne-colony.jpg If the idea of a one-way trip to the Red Planet sounds like fun to you, you're not alone.

aliensanimation.png If you want to enjoy James Cameron's Aliens, but just never seem to have the time, boy have we ever got a solution for you!

“Star Wars Rebels will capture the look, feel and fun that both kids and their parents love about Star Wars."

Related Stories

• Da Vinci’s Demons Episode 6 “The Devil” Preview
• The Wolverine: New Trailer With Silver Samurai In Action
• The World’s End: New Poster
• Man Of Steel: New “Fate Of Your Planet” Trailer
• Wednesday Link-A-Mania

    

Cylons1.jpg You might build it with the best of intentions, but that doesn't mean it won't destroy the world.

CyclonCaprica052013.jpg You might build it with the best of intentions, but that doesn't mean it won't destroy the world.

And the Revolution developments keep coming, setting us up with a few interesting questions. Will Monroe’s unfortunate decision haunt him, or will his paranoia continue? Will Rachel’s newly revealed drive (and her newly revealed technology) be what gets her and Aaron to The Tower, or will her ruthlessness become too much for Aaron? One thing’s for sure: there’s no way that Charlie’s and Jason’s path together will be problem free. Where would the fun be in that?

We have a clip of that cool capsule scene, a great featurette with the actors and more discussing what happened last week and a hint of what’s to come, and the TV spot for tonight’s new episode:

Clip: Revolution – 117: What Rachel’s Capsule Can Do

Featurette: Revolution – Revealed: Episode 117

TV Spot: Revolution – 118 A Traitor in Their Midst

Toldja. Trouble in young love paradise. Ah well.

Revolution, starring Billy Burke, Tracy Spiridakos, Elizabeth Mitchell, Zak Orth, Giancarlo Esposito, David Lyons, Daniella Alonso, JD Pardo, Maria Howell, and Colm Feore, airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.

The tenth and eleventh (maybe) Doctors talk from behind the scenes of the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special

Related Stories

• Da Vinci’s Demons Episode 6 “The Devil” Preview
• The Wolverine: New Trailer With Silver Samurai In Action
• The World’s End: New Poster
• Man Of Steel: New “Fate Of Your Planet” Trailer
• Wednesday Link-A-Mania

    

moffat.jpg Steven Moffat was so proud of Doctor Who fans for not spoiling the season finale, he gave us some pretty great door prizes.