Jeff Kober Walking Dead Mystery

During last Sunday's episode of The Walking Dead I had a definite double-take. One of my superpowers is recognizing actors. So in the episode Claimed, when Rick finally escaped from beneath that bed and the tennis ball tossing leader of the men who'd seized the house was glimpsed out on that porch, I exclaimed, "That's Jeff Kober."

I've been a fan of Jeff Kober's since Kindred: The Embraced, back in 1996. This Montana native has been quite the journeyman actor, showing up in tons of roles from China Beach to Walker, Texas Ranger to Sons of Anarchy. Sometimes he just shows up, uncredited (as in Lost), and sometimes he makes a big impact (like on Sons), but I figure if he's showing up on The Walking Dead, it's a seed being planted - and while Rick got the heck out of Dodge shortly after glimpsing him, smart money is that Kober will resurface.

Is he connected to Terminus, the sanctuary that we've seen mentioned? There's even speculation that he could be an early incarnation of Negan, before he rises to full bat-wielding power. Kober is now listed as an uncredited "Joe" by IMDB for the episode. But where he's a recognizable cult fave - and isn't dead - I think it's a safe bet Kober is going to loom large again at some point. Five more episodes left this season.

Jeff Kober as Daedalus on Kindred: The Embraced

Kober as Jacob Hale on Sons of Anarchy

Captain Trips infects his latest

Yet another director is taking a crack at The Stand, in the seemingly endless saga to bring Stephen King's apocalyptic opus to the big screen. Directors have come and gone, from David Yates to Ben Affleck. This time, Warner's has lured in a relative newcomer in Josh Boone, director of the yet to be released The Fault in Our Stars. 

Word has it Warner Brothers wants Boone to deliver a single R-rated film, staying faithful to the book. If that's the case, look for three-plus hours, minimum. It's interesting to note that Boone's indie directing debut, Stuck in Love, featured a cameo by King, one of Boone's childhood heroes. Hey, that's a nice bit of serendipity, maybe. Yes, most of us have never heard of Boone - but how cool would it be if a relative unknown - who just loves Stephen King - was the one to step into the development blast crater and finally crack this thing? I, for one, wish Josh Boone well on this. He's definitely got his hands full.

The Oscars are this Sunday night, so check back over the next couple of days for some hare-brained predictions! The weekend's almost here, people!

Adam Driver's Dark Side of The Force

In what's sounding like pretty official news, Variety is reporting in an "exclusive," that Girls star Adam Driver has pen poised to ink a deal as the villain in Star Wars VII for director J.J. Abrams.

This is the first real casting announcement since it became official that Fisher, Ford and Hamill would be on board to continue the original saga. A tweet from Driver's Girls costar Lena Dunham only served to push this out of rumor territory: "We're VERY proud of Adam Driver re: Star Wars. He's about to rip a hole in da force." Driver supposedly beat out the likes of Hugo Weaving and Michael Fassbender for the role, "...in the vein of Darth Vader." The deal is expected to close soon as they work out Driver's scheduling issues on Girls. 

This is big news to be sure. With shooting scheduled to begin at Pinewood in April, expect a lot more casting news in the next month.

Godzilla vs. Heisenberg

Yeah, two days in a row, I'm excited about Godzilla. But just look at this trailer!!! Better yet, listen to it. I love how out of control Bryan Cranston sounds. That is some serious rage about to unhinge! These two bad boys can't get here soon enough!

Harold Ramis - Egon has left the building...

The passing of writer-director-actor Harold Ramis came suddenly and unexpectedly today, at the age of 69. Ramis emerged on the scene in SCTV in the seventies and quickly became a fixture in comedies like Stripes and Ghostbusters. He wrote Animal House and had tremendous directorial success with Caddyshack, National Lampoon's Vacation and Groundhog Day, among many others. His dry style helped define the comedy of a generation. From Groundhog Day: "I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster, drank piña coladas. At sunset, we made love like sea otters. That was a pretty good day. Why couldn't I get that day over, and over, and over.." Thanks for more laughs than I'll ever be able to remember, Harold. You made finding our way through youth into adulthood a lot easier. We'll never forget you.

Now that's a poster! GODZILLA!

Feast your eyes on the new one-sheet for Godzilla - that looks just spectacular!
Really rooting for Gareth Edwards to knock this one out of the park. If you're a resident of San Francisco, looks like it just might be time to consider relocating. Godzilla comes calling on May 16th!

Toy Fair coda - Bridge Direct's Unexpected Party!

Well Bless my soul, as Sam Gamgee might exclaim! Bridge Direct finally showed up for the party!

There was much concern that after the dismal showing they made with The Desolation of Smaug, many of us feared the figure line had been bungled beyond repair! But at the 11th hour, here they are with an assortment of many of the figures we've been clamoring for, presumably to coincide with the release of There and Back Again next December. Roll up your sleeves, Bagginses...

First off, Dwarves - all the missing members of Thorin's company...

Then we have Bard and Beorn...

A smaller-scale Azog and Thranduil (sorry to everyone who got conned into the 5-pack)...

...and of course, the Big Guy, Smaug himself:

There we have it! Stock up your pantry, because dwarves will be calling en masse!

This really is a relief, as this line had real promise, but it really fell asleep in the second act.

If this release is handled properly - and distributed widely, Bridge Direct stands a good chance of reclaiming some of the love they lost in a big way. Chaps, you might want to think about resculpting Bilbo while you're at it!