Thursday, April 7, 2011

Guild Director Gives Big Hint About Season 5

Fans of Felicia Day's hit webcom The Guild also listen to the podcast, Knights of the Guild, made by two guys named Kenny and Jenni. They talk about the show (sometimes), themselves (a lot), the casts, the fans and updates on the show. During last season, they added a bonus podcast about the previous episode for added insight.

It also has a semi-regular feature called "Guild Something" with director Sean Becker and Marketing Boss Brian Kameoka. They get some fan questions and try to answer them. Then the discussion turned to the upcoming season, which is expected to start by July (hopefully just before Comic-Con). Becker says preparations are about to start on the new season, and it looks like The Knights of Good are going on the road. As you recall, last season ended with the gang getting invited to a convention that's connected to their favorite RPG, which is World of Warcraft-ish. It looks like the new season (and this is just my guess, folks) is seeing the gang preparing to go, and all the things that happen on the way. Sort of like one of those teen road pictures, including the one that has Seth Green as an alleged Amish guy.

As Sean says, "We're moving out of that familiar area of the offices and we're going on like a road trip to a convention." He says this could be "The Guild: The Movie", although I would argue season 3 was the Guild movie with the gag breaking up over the threat of a rival guild, then reuniting.
In any case, Becker said a Guild movie could have been recreating the three-part Codex comic book story, but in this case it looks like the story will be a road trip. In my mind, this may appeal to more people because there's been a ton of road trip movies, and people are bound to relate to all the trouble the KoG have trying to get to the convention.

Again, as Becker said in the podcast, "But I feel like being familiar with the Guild, and seeing them kind of go out and into the world even further, and we've seen what happens when they even come out of their rooms, and now they're going to get out of their town, which is great." He predicts things may get underway by April 23rd or so.

You can download the podcast through iTunes or by visiting the Knights of the Guild website, which also has lots of stuff about the podcast and the show.

ETA: The Guild's Facebook page revealed they will film a specific scene at the Long Beach Comic-Con early on April 23rd. For the sake of the KoG, it better not be the scene where they finally get to the con....eight seconds after it ends. Knowing this show, and how it filmed the last scene of season 3 first (yes, the "What have I done with Fawkes...nude?" scene), it might wind up that way. After all, it's supposed to be a road movie this year.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Wondercon: Why did they have a V panel?

Hoping for the future

I brought this up in my other Blogger site: why did Wondercon decide to not feature Chuck, Smallville's final episodes or Supernatural on Sunday, but have panels on two shows that may not come back?

This is especially puzzling for V. ABC hasn't said if it will return in the fall or early 2012, just in time for the Mayan prophecy to kill us (and if they incorporate that with the Visitors, I'm out).

Despite this, executive producer Scot Rosenbaum was optimistic. Elizabeth Mitchell and Marc Singer were even more so. Singer, who was in the original 80s version, was added in the season finale a few weeks ago as the head of Project Aries, a group organized to fight Anna and her people after she blissed everyone on Earth. He was especially hopeful the show would return. He talked about joining the show as if he was returning to a place he had never been before. His role as the head of Aries isn't like Mike Donovan in the original, but close to it. He especially liked seeing Jane Badler again, even though this was just before Diana, her character, got killed by Anna.

Mitchell was also very excited about the new season because Erica would finally have more battles with the Visitors. Her character still doesn't know her son, Tyler, was killed by an evil clone of Lisa (Anna's daughter). Mitchell admitted she liked being a female protagonist..and that she once wished she could be Han Solo.

Rosenbaum also gave the clearest example of why the Visitors arrived: they want to kill the humans, of course, and take our DNA to spur their evolution. In fact, they've done this in other worlds. However, they've never had our type of DNA, including how to be human. It would have been better if that was revealed at the start of season 2. Maybe the story would have been easier to follow, and there would be stakes people could identify with. Sure, we have the hybrid who is Ryan's kid, but she seems to have embraced her alien side by killing him. That may show her human side won't affect her, but maybe it will when her body matures.

There also wasn't much mention of Morena Baccarin, whose chilling portrayal of Anna was one of the most popular parts of the show. They did mention that Baccarin developed a killer smile, literally, that is an important part of Anna.

The panel did fill the Esplanade, and the crowd was very enthusiastic. Still, it's not certain if that will convince ABC to give the show once more season. Rosenbaum sure had a lot of ideas he'd like to show, like bringing back Badler to show how Anna deposed her. If they did that, would we see the Visitors as they really are, rather than human form? Add the arrival of Project Aries, a Blissed Human Race willing to worship Anna above all, Lisa now stuck in the dungeon, and those major deaths, and you have enough for another year. Thing is, it would even be better if the 5th Column actually accomplished something.

If there is one more season, ABC will probably approve ten more episodes, with the assurance the humans finally make some headway, and win if they have enough time. It would also be competing against another alien invasion show, Falling Skies. That show also got big exposure at Wondercon, and those who went to that panel probably went to the V panel, too. The edge Falling Skies has is Steven Spielberg as executive producer.

Rosenbaum, Singer and Mitchell will soon see if their enthusiasm will be enough to get a third season, and make sure Anna's killer smile/smirk is wiped right off. Personally, I think it's more likely the network will turn its attention to a Christian version of Desperate Housewives rather than a war of the worlds.
If so, I'd like to see Singer and Mitchell in something. They have a lot to contribute as actors, and they should get something if ABC won't let the humans beat the aliens.