True Blood

The truth is still out there, and IDW is ready to search for it once more. San Diego-based IDW Publishing is adding “The X-Files” to its already extensive lineup of comics based on beloved movie and television properties — a list that includes such major titles as “Star Trek,” “Transformers,” “Doctor Who” and “True Blood.” The comic will pick up after the landmark sci-fi TV series and the two feature films chronicling the adventures of intrepid agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). IDW will also reprint the “X-Files” comics published between 1995 and 2009. The title is one of many that IDW editor in chief Chris Ryall was excited to discuss looking at what’s ahead for his operation in 2013. Ryall, of course, is the author whose own Eisner Award-nominated series “Zombies vs. Robots” was optioned […]

“True Blood” creator Alan Ball received a warm send-off in his final Comic-Con International appearance as the showrunner of the HBO vampire series, with fans and many members of the show’s cast rising to applaud the man who brought Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels to graphic life for five seasons and is now stepping down from his top post. Aside from that emotional moment, though, the tenor of the panel was high-spirited and even silly with many, many references to romance, nudity, sex and stripping, the latter courtesy of Joe Manganiello’s recent cinematic turn as a male dancer named Big Dick Richie in Steven Soderbergh’s film “Magic Mike.” The panel kicked off with a preview of the latter half of Season 5 that revealed Manganiello’s Alcide will step up to become pack master and Russell Edgington will create all kinds […]

Daniel Gillies plays formidable Elijah foe-turned-ally in Season 3 of  “The Vampire Diaries.” After being resurrected for the fourth time in the series, Gillies shares his insights on the show’s star, Nina Dobrev, who plays small-town doppelganger Elena Gilbert, the future of the Original vampire clan and the classical nature of his character. But Elijah isn’t Gillies’ main focus — upcoming projects include the NBC medical drama “Saving Hope,” with “Smallville’s” Erica Durance and Michael Shanks, and a new film, “Broken Kingdom,” with Rachel Leigh Cook that he wrote and directed. This is Part 2 of an interview with Nardine Saad; you can read Part 1 here. NS: You say Elijah has been around for 1,000 years, yet he’s still getting duped by “ludicrous nothings.” Do you consider Elena  a “nothing?” DG: I’m certainly not calling Elena nothing. Yes, that instance […]

“The Vampire Diaries” has killed off quite a few of both its beloved and despicable characters in its three seasons on The CW, but one character whom executive producers Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson keep bringing back is the Original vampire Elijah, played by Daniel Gillies. Elijah has returned once again to Mystic Falls at the hands of vampires Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) and his brother Stefan (Paul Wesley) to defeat the indestructible supernatural Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Elijah’s Original vampire brother who also happens to be a werewolf hybrid. Now their fearsome Original vampire siblings, who were created centuries ago by their mother — the Original witch — to preserve their lives from a plague, are wreaking even more havoc in the spooky town. Elijah might seem to be on the side of mortal Elena Gilbert, played by the show’s […]

HBO’s hit vampire series “True Blood” closed out the programming in Comic-Con International’s Ballroom 20 with a bang Friday night, bringing a healthy portion of the show’s ensemble cast — Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgard, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Nelsan Ellis, Deborah Ann Woll, Kristin Bauer von Straten and Kevin Alejandro — and creator Alan Ball to the stage to talk (and joke about) fairies, witches and lots and lots of sex to a wildly enthusiastic audience of die-hard fans. The panel session, which was heavy on Q&A and clearly designed to appeal to viewers who intensely follow the show, yielded quite a few tantalizing bits of news (as did a trailer that showed some highlights from the upcoming second half of Season 4). Here’s a brief recap of some of the more interesting facts to emerge: * Alan […]

They’re cheering in the Seven Kingdoms. The 63rd Primetime Emmy Award nominations are out and HBO’s “Game of Thrones” collected 13 nods, including for drama series,  supporting actor  for Peter Dinklage and writing for executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Even the prosthetic makeup artists — for the death-by-molten-gold scene in the episode “A Golden Crown” — scored a nomination. “These nominations are great honors for the various individuals singled out, but the truth is that hundreds of people worked on ‘Game of Thrones,’ setting up lights at 5 in the morning, sewing wolf sigils on Sunday evenings, forging Valyrian steel daggers,” Benioff and Weiss said in a statement. “The crew and production staff work insane hours and their credits flash by in the blink of an eye at the end of each episode. We thank them for their […]

Alan Ball looked pleased as punch Tuesday night at HBO‘s elaborate Hollywood premiere for the fourth season of the hit series “True Blood.” As well he should. Attracting an average of 13 million viewers per episode last season, the glossy show has become the most popular program on the cable network’s current lineup. Weeks before the event, Ball spoke to Hero Complex contributor Gina McIntyre about his creative approach to the series — though he was careful not to reveal too many details about what to expect from the upcoming episodes. As any fan knows, Ball guards his secrets with great care. GM: What’s your take on the current vampire craze? AB: I think vampires are just a huge metaphor for sex. I think obviously a lot of people fantasize about being taken by a vampire. Maybe that’s a way […]

Viking vampire sheriff Eric Northman plays a major role in the fourth season of HBO’s hit series “True Blood,” which kicks off Sunday — after losing his memory at the hands of a coven of witches, he has to turn to telepathic barmaid/fairy Sookie Stackhouse for help.  Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard has gained a fervent following for his portrayal of the icy, sexy vamp, and he recently sat down for an interview with Hero Complex contributor Gina McIntyre to talk about what’s ahead for Eric and the character’s relationships with Anna Paquin‘s Sookie and Kristin Bauer van Straten‘s sardonic Pam. GM: Were you excited about Eric’s story line heading into this season? AS: I was excited. It was quite different from what we’ve seen before. It’s been difficult because he doesn’t …  it was difficult finding the right tone. He […]

If you’re talking about “True Blood,” it’s the inevitable question that arises — Team Bill or Team Eric? The vampires duel for the affections of telepathic cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) on the HBO series adapted from Charlaine Harris‘ bestselling novels, and each has his loyal core of supporters. But Stephen Moyer, who plays Southern gentleman vampire Bill Compton and is married to Paquin, insists that, off screen, there’s no animosity between Alexander Skarsgard, the towering Swedish actor who portrays Viking Eric Northman, and himself. In fact, he believes that the romance that might be brewing between the two blonds could inject new life into the already vibrant show, which returns for its fourth season June 26. Moyer recently spoke to Hero Complex contributor Gina McIntyre about the appeal of the Alan Ball-created series and the enduring appeal of […]

Baby vampire Jessica Hamby might not appear in any of Charlaine Harris‘ Sookie Stackhouse mystery novels, but there’s no question the character, as played by actress Deborah Ann Woll on HBO‘s vampire series “True Blood,” fits seamlessly into the multidimensional world show-runner Alan Ball has crafted from the work of the bestselling author. Playing the good Christian girl turned angsty adolescent vamp gives the USC grad (and self-professed horror fan) plenty to explore week to week. Woll recently spoke by phone to Hero Complex contributor Gina McIntyre about the upside of portraying an impulsive young woman struggling to find herself — who just happens to have a taste for human blood — and what fans can expect from the striking redhead in the series’ upcoming fourth season, which begins June 26. GM: What can you reveal about Jessica’s story arc […]