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Interview: Edward Bluemel of ‘A Discovery of Witches’ [SPOILERS]

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Edward Bluemel

A Discovery of Witches, the hit series from SkyTV that has been exclusively streaming on Shudder and Sundance Now, will make its debut on BBC America and AMC on April 7, 2019.

Based on the All Souls Trilogy novels by author Deborah Harkness, the series imagines a world where vampires, witches, and daemons secretly live alongside humans. It’s a beautifully textured, timely story, and one that has drawn in viewers globally.

With its network premiere looming, one of the series’ many stars, British actor Edward Bluemel, sat down with iHorror to talk about the world of A Discovery of Witches and his experience in helping bring it to life.

The actor was completely over the moon about creating a role for the screen so different from anything he’d ever done before.

“In drama school, I did a lot of classical theater and my first TV role out of school was a period drama. It was all about accuracy, realism, and things like that,” he explained. “To do a fantasy is so lovely, really. It’s freeing and you’re in a world that doesn’t have those parameters. Also, playing a supernatural creature is a lot of fun.”

The supernatural creature Bluemel is referring to is Marcus Whitmore, vampiric son of Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode), who finds himself working for his “father” in a lab deciphering the mysteries of creature DNA.

This melding of the fantastic and scientific is just one way in which the series roots the supernatural in reality noting that each “species” differentiates by only a couple of chromosome pairs.

For his part, Bluemel loved this convergence.

“It was amazing creating this world that you can actually believe exists,” he said. “This different twist on vampires and witches makes it feel fun and fresh. I love being a vampire and a scientist.”

Edward Bluemel Marcus and Miriam

Marcus (Edward Bluemel) and Miriam (Alysha Hart) work together with Matthew digging into the DNA of supernatural creatures in A Discovery of Witches. (Photo by Robert Viglasky)

He was also grateful to Harkness during the audition process. He went in with no prior knowledge of the trilogy, and had no idea that he had very little in common, physically, with the Marcus on the page.

Harkness was completely taken with the young actor and his audition.

“She said, ‘I don’t care what I’ve written, that’s the spirit of the character,'” he laughed. “I gave what I thought the character should be, and they agreed with me.”

Soon, the young actor found himself surrounded by a cast of talented actors, many of whom he’d admired for years. It was Alex Kingston, however, that gave him the most pause.

Among Kingston’s many credits is the iconic series Doctor Who, and Bluemel says that while he had no nerves while filming, he did have to remind himself to put his inner fanboy to the side during the scenes he shared with her.

Moreover, working with phenomenally talented actors made him more assured in his own craft.

“As soon as I get on set, they’re so assured and confident in what they do that it actually made it easier for me,” he explained.

That confidence came in handy, especially with Marcus’s introduction in the series which different and more violent than in the novel. It was also Bluemel’s first experience seeing real stunt work performed on a set.

In the scene, Marcus is walking home with a friend, and as they part ways, the friend is hit by a car which speeds away. As he lays dying in the street, Marcus looks around and then without warning attempts to turn the friend into a vampire to save his life.

The turning goes horribly wrong and he stares in horror as his friend dies, confused and bleeding out into the street. It was a bitterly sad moment, and one that, Bluemel adds, drives home the vampire’s reality.

“You see this and it’s suddenly real. The vampires are real. They’re dangerous and they’re volatile,” he said. “It’s messy. No part of it is comfortable and it’s important for the viewer to see that.”

Bluemel’s performance in the scene and in Marcus’s subsequent altercation with Matthew is both poignant and raw. It drives home just who Marcus is and how important and complicated his relationship with his vampiric father really is.

These kind of relationships and moments elevate the series, and makes for really great television.

If you still haven’t had the chance to see A Discovery of Witches, it will premiere on both AMC and BBC America on April 7, 2019 at 9 pm ET/PT. Check your local listings for details and prepare yourself to be blown away by this magnificent world.

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The Original ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel Had an Interesting Location

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beetlejuice in Hawaii Movie

Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s sequels to hit movies weren’t as linear as they are today. It was more like “let’s re-do the situation but in a different location.” Remember Speed 2, or National Lampoon’s European Vacation? Even Aliens, as good as it is, follows a lot of the plot points of the original; people stuck on a ship, an android, a little girl in peril instead of a cat. So it makes sense that one of the most popular supernatural comedies of all time, Beetlejuice would follow the same pattern.

In 1991 Tim Burton was interested in doing a sequel to his 1988 original, it was called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian:

“The Deetz family moves to Hawaii to develop a resort. Construction begins, and it’s quickly discovered that the hotel will be sitting on top of an ancient burial ground. Beetlejuice comes in to save the day.”

Burton liked the script but wanted some re-writes so he asked then-hot screenwriter Daniel Waters who had just got done contributing to Heathers. He passed on the opportunity so producer David Geffen offered it to Troop Beverly Hills scribe Pamela Norris to no avail.

Eventually, Warner Bros. asked Kevin Smith to punch up Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian, he scoffed at the idea, saying, “Didn’t we say all we needed to say in the first Beetlejuice? Must we go tropical?”

Nine years later the sequel was killed. The studio said Winona Ryder was now too old for the part and an entire re-cast needed to happen. But Burton never gave up, there were a lot of directions he wanted to take his characters, including a Disney crossover.

“We talked about lots of different things,” the director said in Entertainment Weekly. “That was early on when we were going, Beetlejuice and the Haunted MansionBeetlejuice Goes West, whatever. Lots of things came up.”

Fast-forward to 2011 when another script was pitched for a sequel. This time the writer of Burton’s Dark Shadows,  Seth Grahame-Smith was hired and he wanted to make sure the story wasn’t a cash-grabbing remake or reboot. Four years later, in 2015, a script was approved with both Ryder and Keaton saying they would return to their respective roles. In 2017 that script was revamped and then eventually shelved in 2019.

During the time the sequel script was being tossed around in Hollywood, in 2016 an artist named Alex Murillo posted what looked like one-sheets for a Beetlejuice sequel. Although they were fabricated and had no affiliation with Warner Bros. people thought they were real.

Perhaps the virality of the artwork sparked interest in a Beetlejuice sequel once again, and finally, it was confirmed in 2022 Beetlejuice 2 had a green light from a script written by Wednesday writers  Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The star of that series Jenna Ortega signed on to the new movie with filming starting in 2023. It was also confirmed that Danny Elfman would return to do the score.

Burton and Keaton agreed that the new film titled Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice wouldn’t rely on CGI or other other forms of technology. They wanted the film to feel “handmade.” The film wrapped in November 2023.

It’s been over three decades to come up with a sequel to Beetlejuice. Hopefully, since they said aloha to Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian there has been enough time and creativity to ensure Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will not only honor the characters, but fans of the original.

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will open theatrically on September 6.

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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