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Fred, a Soong-type android in "Star Trek: Discovery," introduced charming Tng nostalgia but was quickly forgotten after season 5 premiere. Fans missed out on exploring Fred's intriguing 32nd-century backstory and associations with Data due to his premature demise in the show. Discovery had a chance to revive Fred for more depth and connections to Tng, but the opportunity to delve into his character was sadly missed.

Star Trek: Discovery introduced an android named Fred (J. Adam Brown) who bore an obvious resemblance to Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), and I wish the show would have done more with him. Discovery's fifth and final season saw Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew of the USS Discovery embark on a fun intergalactic treasure hunt with connections to Star Trek: The Next Generation. One of my favorite elements of the Discovery season 5 premiere was the introduction of Fred, a Soong-type android resembling Tng's Data.

Warning: Contains Spoilers for Star Trek: Discovery, season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors"

"Star Trek: Discovery" reveals Breen's true form, undermining DS9 mystery of enigmatic warrior race. The Breen design in "Discovery" is a missed opportunity for alien creativity, as they just turn out to be green humanoids. L'ak's face reveal in "Discovery" challenges perception of secretive Breen aliens from DS9, adding complexity.

Star Trek: Discovery has finally revealed what a Breen looks like underneath all its armor, but Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Breen should have kept their helmets on. In Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors", written by Johanna Lee & Carlos Cisco, and directed by Jen McGowan, audiences learn more about Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis), and their motivations for seeking the Progenitors' treasure. "Mirrors" also contains a number of reveals about DS9's Breen aliens, including that L'ak himself originates within the Breen Imperium.

For the first four...

Discovery season 5 introduces a Soong-type synth similar to Data, connecting to Tng and Picard storylines. Fred, a synthetic with ties to Data's creator, Noonien Soong, showcases advanced technology in the 32nd century. With themes of humanity and artificial intelligence, Star Trek: Discovery continues to explore interesting connections and mysteries.

Warning: Spoilers for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 1 - "Red Directive"

Star Trek: Discovery season 5's premiere introduced a Soong-type synth who looked a lot like Data (Brent Spiner) from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Throughout Tng, Data became one of Star Trek's most popular characters, with his child-like curiosity and lifelong quest to explore his humanity. Created by cyberneticist Dr. Noonien Soong (Brent Spiner) in the 24th century, Data was the most advanced android of his time. With his enhanced strength and ability to process massive amounts of information in seconds, Data proved invaluable as a crewmember on the USS Enterprise-d.

This Star Trek: Discovery article contains spoilers.

Since 2017, Star Trek: Discovery has been the flagship of the reborn Trek franchise on TV. Call it “NuTrek,” call it the continuing mission, call it “Star Trek Phase 3.” It doesn’t really matter. The fact is, Disco has been the focal point of new Trek canon since it hit nearly seven years ago. Now, with season 5, Discovery will be ending its journey, leaving Strange New Worlds and the forthcoming Starfleet Academy as the two live-action Trek shows for the foreseeable future.

But about that canon. As executive producer Alex Kurtzman recently said in an interview with Den of Geek magazine, any new Trek film created outside of the streaming TV shows will have to “have to honor all the canon we’ve created since Discovery.” To be clear, this doesn’t just mean outright new events and characters, but all the ways that...

With writer/director Declan O’Brien’s Joy Ride 3: Road Kill releasing to DVD and Blu-ray this Tuesday, June 17th, here’s additional coverage stemming from our set visit last summer to the same in Winnipeg, Canada.

Written and directed by O'Brien, whose previous horror entries include the Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment features Wrong Turn 3, Wrong Turn 4 and Wrong Turn 5 (as well as Syfy's Sharktopus), Joy Ride 3: Road Kill (review) originated with the 2001 Paul Walker-starring, J.J. Abrams-co-scripted film Joy Ride.

Produced by Kim Todd, this installment (which melds the worlds of tuner car racing and road-trip horror) stars Ken Kirzinger (Freddy vs. Jason) as the project's villainous truck driver 'Rusty Nail.’

Joining him are Kirsten Prout (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) as tuner-car girl ‘Jewel McCaul,’ Jesse Hutch (Freddy vs. Jason) as racer ‘Jordan Wells,’ Benjamin Hollingsworth (of the television series “Cult”) as mechanic ‘Mickey Cole,...

Writer/director Declan O'Brien's 'Joy Ride 3: Road Kill' is now available on VOD and will shortly be arriving on both DVD and Blu-ray. And Shock Till Your Drop have managed to score a trio of new and exclusive stills from the movie which sees the murderous trucker Rusty Nail back on the road and doing what he does best...knocking off unsupecting young drivers. I can't imagine when it lands here in the UK it'll have the same title as the 'Joy Ride' franchise itself is already known here as 'Roadkill', so deal with that marketing pros. The threequel stars Kirsten Prout, Dean Armstrong, Ben Hollingsworth, Jesse Hutch, Gianpaolo Venuta, Leela Savasta, Sara Mitich, J. Adam Brown and Jake Manley. Head below for the new images....

Arriving on DVD/Blu-ray and VOD this coming June is the next chapter in the 'Joy Ride' franchise. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will be unveiling the 'Joy Ride 3: Road Kill', from writer/director Declan O'Brien, next month and have just unveiled the first official trailer from the follow-up. The direct-to-dvd sequel features 'Freddy vs. Jason's Ken Kirzinger playing the role of Rusty Nail who this time turns his murderous tendancies towards a group of innocent street racers. The third installment stars Kirsten Prout, Dean Armstrong, Ben Hollingsworth, Jesse Hutch, Gianpaolo Venuta, Leela Savasta, Sara Mitich, J. Adam Brown and Jake Manley. You can check out the new trailer below....

Elijah Wood is in advanced talks to reprise his role as Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's two-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit." According to The Hollywood Reporter, the films are being co-produced by New Line Cinema and MGM, with Warner Bros. Pictures distributing.Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Carolynne Cunningham are producing the films, with Phillipa Boyens serving as co-producer and Ken Kamins executive producing. Jackson, Walsh and Cunningham produced the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.Principal photography will begin in February 2011 with the first film opening December, 2012 and the second film opening December, 2013.The cast includes Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Aidan Turner, Rob Kazinsky, Graham McTavish, John Callen, Stephen Hunter, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, James Nesbitt, Adam Brown,...

Updated: An official press release from the actor’s reps has now doubly confirmed Elijah Wood’s casting in The Hobbit.

They also reveal Wood has signed on to play Ben Gunn in Stewart Harcourt’s adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island along side Eddie Izzard, the 2 part/ 4 hour miniseries airing on Sky in the Winter of 2012. Looks like the Christmas after next is going to be Wood’s most high-profile in an awfully long time.

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Respected Lotr fansite TheOneRing.net have confirmed that Elijah Wood will indeed return to Middle-Earth for The Hobbit and that they’ve sat on the news for weeks, at least until Deadline caught wind of the cameo and told everyone yesterday. In a potentially spoilerish statement, they also reveal how it is Frodo Baggins shows up in this pre-lotr timeline despite the character not appearing in the book.

Spoilers Ahead

This sounds legit to me,...

In not so shocking news, MGM and Warner Bros. have announced that Peter Jackson’s two films covering the J.R.R. Tolkien novel The Hobbit will get worldwide distribution by Warner Bros. and not MGM.

MGM has been cash-strapped, to say the least, so they’ve worked out a deal with WB to use their resources to handle all avenues of distribution except for international television licensing. Basically, this is good news. It mean that after several production delays, The Hobbit is pushing forward. Here’s what the press release highlights:

Production will begin in February 2011 Both Hobbit films will be in 3D Hobbit Part One has target release of December 2012 Hobbit Part Two has target release of December 2013 WB is handling theatrical distribution around the world

The two Hobbit films are set to begin production in February 2011, with release dates targeted for December 2012 and December 2013. Jackson will utilize groundbreaking visual...

Kate Middleton was commended for how she helped put young cancer sufferers at ease during her first official event as a royal fiancée on Saturday. Middleton, 28, cut a stylish figure in an Alice Temperley dress on her way past photographers, and earned high marks from seven young patients she and Prince William met during the interval of the charity Christmas fundraising concert in Norfolk, England. "They took a genuine interest in what I'd been through and the operation I had," Rosie Van Raalte, 16, from Little Melton, Norfolk, says in a statement. "The conversation flowed really well, and they made me feel relaxed,...

Heading into its 18th year in 2011, the Chicago Underground Film Festival is the longest-running underground film festival in the world. It used to be tied with the New York Underground Film Festival — both were started in 1994 — until Nyuff closed up shop in 2008.

In 1994, the Internet wasn’t the big promotional tool it is today so neither Nyuff nor Cuff that year had a website; or, if they did, those pages have since vanished off the web. So, details about what these fests screened in their first years have been sketchy. Well, until now for Cuff.

I’m not sure how I stumbled upon it, but I recently discovered that the alternative newsweekly the Chicago Reader had posted up the entire, full lineup of the first annual Chicago Underground Film Festival.

So, I copied that info and reformatted it into the style of Bad Lit’s traditional film festival lineups, which...

Warner Bros. New Line Cinema and MGM announced today that Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett has joined the cast of Peter Jackson‘s long awaited two-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.

Jackson expressed his excitement with having Blanchett back on board:

“Cate is one of my favorite actors to work with and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have her reprise the role she so beautifully brought to life in the earlier films.”

Warner Bros, New Line Cinema and MGM confirmed earlier reports that Sylvester McCoy will play Radagast the Brown and added that Ken Stott is the Dwarf Lord Balin; Swedish actor Mikael Persbrandt is the shapeshifter Beorn; British actor Ryan Gage is Drogo Baggins; and New Zealanders Jed Brophy and William Kircher will play dwarves Nori and Bifur respectively.

Previously announced were Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins), Richard Armitage, Aidan Turner, Rob Kazinsky, Graham McTavish, John Callen,...

Galadriel, the Lady of Lothlorien - as played by Cate Blanchett in the Lord of the Rings trilogy - may not feature in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit but she was certainly around at the time.

And thus Peter Jackson can easily justify bringing the actress back to Middle Earth to reprise the role in his two-part adaptation of the The Hobbit.

Cate's addition will serve to boost the star power, increase the female quotient and add another familiar face from the Rings trilogy to join Ian McKellen's Gandalf (though he is not yet officially confirmed). It also indicates that the story will be expanded in places and won't be a line-for-line translation of the book.

Jackson said: "Cate is one of my favourite actors to work with and I couldn't be more thrilled to have her reprise the role she so beautifully brought to life in the earlier films.

Cate Blanchett will reprise her role as elf ruler Galadriel from the Lord of the Rings movies in in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit. The Oscar winner's addition is a bright light in an otherwise boring list of actors who are fairly unknown to Americans. Also joining the cast is:

* Ken Stott as Dwarf Lord Balin (King Arthur),

* Sylvester McCoy (he played The Doctor in the previous "Dr. Who" TV series) as wizard Radagast the Brown,

* Swedish actor Mikael Persbrandt as Beorn the shapeshifter,

* British actor Ryan Gage as Drogo Baggins,

* New Zealand actor William Kircher as dwarf Bifur and

* Jed Brophy, who played two different characters in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, will take on another new role as dwarf Nori.

Martin Freeman has The Hobbit's lead role of Bilbo Baggins. Richard Armitage, Adam Brown, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Stephen Hunter, Rob Kazinsky, Graham McTavish, James Nesbitt...

Additional casting has been reported on Peter Jackson's two back-to-back prequels that will return us to Middle-earth, The Hobbit. By far the biggest actor named in this new round of casting news is Cate Blanchett who will reprise her role from The Lord of the Rings trilogy of movies as the elf queen Galadriel.

"Cate is one of my favorite actors to work with and I couldn't be more thrilled to have her reprise the role she so beautifully brought to life in the earlier films," said director Peter Jackson, in a company issued press release about the casting.

Sylvester McCoy (the seventh Doctor Who) was also confirmed as playing the part of Radagast the Brown, a wizard.

Also mentioned in the announcement were:

Ken Stott (Charlie Wilson's War) will play the dwarf Lord Balin. Mikael Persbrandt, a Swedish actor, is playing a shapeshifter named Beorn. "The role of...

“The Hobbit” is moving forward fairly quickly. Cate Blanchett, Ken Stott, Sylvester McCoy and Mikael Persbrandt all joined the cast of “The Hobbit.” Blanchett will reprise her role as Galadriel, the Lady of Lothlorien. “Cate is one of my favorite actors to work with and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have her reprise the role she so beautifully brought to life in the earlier films,” said Jackson through a press release on TheOneRing.net. Stott will play Dwarf Lord Balin and McCoy will play the wizard Radagast the Brown. Well-known Swedish actor Persbrandt will be the shape-shifter Beorn. “The role of Beorn is an iconic one and Mikael was our first choice for the part,” said Jackson about Persbrandt. “Since seeing him read for the role we can’t imagine anyone else playing this character.” In addition, British actor Ryan Gage will play Drogo Baggins. New Zealand actors...

In some ways, this is surprising -- those who have read J.R.R. Tolkein's The Hobbit probably recall that Galadriel... isn't in the book. But Peter Jackson's playing it a little fast and loose, as he did with the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, and she'll be making an appearance in his two-part adaptation of The Hobbit. Jackson has already stated that he'll be including some material from Tolkein's other works, and possibly even creating some new connections. Frankly, I'm Ok with that, because more Cate Blanchett is never, ever a bad thing. What role Galadriel will play in Bilbo's quest is unknown, but since I'm one of those who adored the Rings trilogy, I've got no complaints. Blanchett was marvelous in her limited role in the first three films, and I've no reason to believe that she'll be any less so now.

A few other characters have been cast as well.

It looks like Peter Jackson is planning to shoot the two Hobbit films entirely in stereoscopic 3D using the new Red Epic camera. I was really hoping that The Hobbit would escape this pointless 3D filmmaking craze, but it looks like that's not going to happen. The Hobbit is coming to us in the third dimension. 

Like I said earlier, Jackson will use the new Red Epic camera, which hasn't officially been released yet. Jackson has been a fan of the Red cameras for a long time already, and actually shot a short film for Red called Crossing The Line.  For those of you not familiar with the Red cameras, the Red One cameras shoot digitally at 4K resolution, while the new Red Epics will capture 5K resolution at 120 frames+ / second. The Epic will have the highest dynamic range ever for a digital camera as well. "The Epic's small size and relatively low weight,...

In unsurprising but welcome tidings, Howard Shore is on board to compose the music for the two Hobbit films, saying “It looks like finally it’s going to be happening. I’ll be working on it for the next three years—it’s going to consume a lot of my time and work now.”

His sweeping, ethereal themes for The Lord of the Rings form an integral part of what makes those epic films such rich, memorable, and immersive experiences.

He’s won three Oscars for his work on the trilogy; Original Score for Fellowship of the Ring and Return of the King (The Two Towers not being eligible because that year the Academy had a rule disallowing scores with work from previous films), and Original Song for “Into the West” from Return of the King (shared with Fran Walsh and Annie Lennox).

Shore left Peter Jackson’s underrated 2005 King Kong remake over creative differences,...

Dismayed by the way the professional game is heading, a group of Manchester United fans set up their own club five years ago. They don't have a ground and their striker is a tiler on £80 a week, but already Fc United is the focus of passionate local support. Here, an astonished fan charts their remarkable rise from small-fry idealists to Fa Cup giant-killers

It was a sight Manchester has seen many times before. Hordes of fans wearing red, white and black scarves, piling off a late-night train at Victoria, after a November night fixture away from home. Triumphant chants reverberating around the station forecourt. Dancing football players in red pictured on the front page of the newspaper the next day. Not unfamiliar stuff in a city that sees itself as the "new Milan" of world football. But there was one crucial difference.

This time the headlines made no reference to the reds of Manchester United.