Welcome back to The Rundown, our daily breakdown on comic news stories we missed from the previous day. Have a link to share? Email our team at rundown@multiversitycomics.com.
In case you missed it, Harlan Ellison, a prolific and controversial science fiction writer, has died at the age of 84; DC Entertainment announced more details on their streaming service platform; and Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino’s “Gideon Falls” will be adapted for television. We also have an exclusive first look at “Gideon Falls” #6, and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” #4.
– “Dead Ahead” writer Mel Smith is suing several companies behind Fear the Walking Dead for copyright infringement. The lawsuit which is being filed in California has alleged portions of the second season of the show were copied from Smith’s comic “Dead Ahead.” The filing reads: “This is a civil action for copyright infringement of protected elements of plaintiff’s three-volume comic book series entitled ‘Dead Ahead,’ and for breach of fiduciary duty with respect to same, which defendants copied and subsequently used, performed and exploited without permission in the television series Fear The Walking Dead.” It continued, “Within the The last three years, defendants, and each of them, infringed plaintiff’s copyright in ‘Dead Ahead’ by, among other things, broadcasting or otherwise exploiting the second season of Fear The Walking Dead. Portions of that season’s 13 episodes were copied from plaintiff’s copyrighted literary work ‘Dead Ahead.’” “Dead Ahead,” originally published by Image Comics in 2008, follows a group of weary survivors who venture out on a fishing trip only for the outside world to be hit by a zombie plagues. Their only hope comes from a luxury liner sailing into view, on the horizon. Robert Kirkman’s Fear The Walking Dead began August 2015. The lawsuit is ongoing.
– Entertainment Weekly released exclusive images of the first full length comic to feature the 13th Doctor played by Jodie Whittaker in Doctor Who. Jodie Whittaker will be the first female actor to play the title role of the Doctor. “Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor Vol 0: The Many Lives of Doctor Who” will be released in September by Titan Comics. It will show the 13th Doctor remembering previous unseen adventures from the lives of her past selves. Whittaker’s Doctor has also been featured in Titan’s summer event, “Doctor Who: Journey to the Thirteenth Doctor.” Doctor Who season 11 will air this Fall.
– Deadline exclusively revealed Sony Pictures are moving forward with the live action adaptation of Valiant Comics’ “Faith.” Toby Jaffe and Neal Moritz will produce via their Original Film banner. In 2015 Sony Pictures made a deal with Valiant Entertainment to bring “Bloodshot” and “Harbringer” (where Faith was originally introduced) to the big screen. The studio has hired American Gods writer Maria Melnik to write the movie.
– “Justice League: Odyssey,” written by Joshua Williamson and drawn by Stjepan Sejic, has been pushed back several weeks. Originally solicited for July 11th, #1 will now be released August 29th. #2 has also been pushed to September 26th. #3 however is still slated for a September 26th release. Stjepan Sejic announced on Twitter that two issues of the new series had been scrapped, stating “there was a bit of a miscommunication between production lines,” and “these things happen when you’re dealing with such large company machinery.”
– Season two of Fox’s The Gifted will premiere on September 25th. Renewed before the first season started, The Gifted follows a family on the run, when parents Reed Strucker (Stephen Moyer) and Caitlin Strucker (Amy Acker) find out their two children, have mutant powers.
– Tom Mison (Sleepy Hollow) has joined the cast of HBO’s Watchmen, according to Deadline. Frances Fisher (AMC’s The Edge of Night) and Jacob Ming-Trent (the Superfly remake) have also been cast. Information has been scarce as their roles haven’t been specified and HBO hasn’t set a debut either, however filming is underway.
– Matt Groening’s new Netflix series Disenchantment, will air on August 17th. Netflix released a teaser trailer yesterday, which can be watched here. The series will be a 10-episode animated Medieval-themed adult comedy.
– In movie news, Variety exclusively announced that Indiana Jones 5 will miss its 2020 release date. Filming was scheduled to begin April this year in the United Kingdom, but sources say the production has been delayed by months, if not a year. Part of the issue is down to key members of the creative team not being able to sign off of the script (which Solo co-writer Jonathan Kasdan is in talks to rewrite). Disney, the studio that’s releasing the movie, has yet to comment.
