Hey, it’s July. Isn’t this the month the BBC is supposed to announce who they have cast to replace Matt Smith as the Doctor on Doctor Who? And don’t we all already know that Rory Kinnear has been cast in the role because completely unverified rumors with rather flimsy connections to reality are always true?
Well, to paraphrase Vince Lombardi when it comes to the guessing game about the next Doctor, ”No one knows what the hell is going on out there.” I had been under the belief since day 1 that they’d probably already cast Matt Smith’s replacement, arguing as much here. I’m not so sure about that anymore. However, what I am sure of is that no one really knows anything concrete about this. It’s been long enough that we have progressed from rumors to the inevitable stage of actors denying the rumors (Ben Whishaw being among the many to play part in that time honored tradition).
Here is the latest, not only 12th Doctor rumors but also Doctor Who news in general:
August/September is the new July
The 2013 Christmas Special was supposed to begin shooting this month (July) thus meaning it was expected they would announce the new Doctor around then so as to avoid the news being spoiled by any type of photo of the new actor in costume on set. However, the Radio Times reports that filming has been pushed back a month, and as such an announcement about who will play the new Doctor shouldn’t be expected until late August or even September (via ScreenCrush.com).
Doctor Who at Comic-Con
In addition to the many fans cos-playing as their favorite Doctor (really, kudos to that guy for his Peter Davison homage, celery and all), the real Doctor-Matt Smith-will be at Comic-Con.
So, if you had originally bought tickets to next weekend’s Comic-Con in San Diego expecting the Doctor Who session at the con to be used to announce the new Doctor, well, I hope that’s not the only reason you bought those tickets. However, Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman (didn’t you hear – she’s dropped the ‘Louise’ part of her stage name) will be there alongside Steven Moffat and frequent Moffat collaborator Mark Gatiss. So, that’s not that bad, now is it? The Doctor Who session at Comic-Con will headline the final day at 12:30 PM on July 21 (via HeroComplex.LaTimes.com).
Rory Kinnear Not Only Denies Rumors But Claims to Not Even Watch Doctor Who – On a Related Note, Rory Kinnear Asked to Take PR Sensitivity Course to Learn How Not to Piss Off Fans
Still look at this and think Rory looks all wrong for the part? Well, give up your worries because Rory claims he is not up for the role. Yeah, but do we trust him?
Okay, that second part isn’t true, but on the topic of the incessant rumors that Rory Kinnear has been cast as the new Doctor he told The Independent:
“I don’t where it [speculation] came from and how these things evolve. I haven’t been and I am totally certain that I will not be asked to be the next Doctor Who. If I was an actor who was really longing to play Doctor Who, then this would be torturous, but it’s a program I’ve never watched, so I don’t even really know what it is.”
Ah, don’t get upset that he claims to not be a Doctor Who fan. Matt Smith was in a similar way when he was cast, and Eccleston flat out didn’t even like the show as opposed to the more innocent general ignorance about its existence. They can’t all be super-fans like David Tennant (via The Independent via The Hollywood Reporter).
Andrew Scott Flattered But Hasn’t Been Asked to Be the New Doctor
He says that, but, yeah, do we trust him?
He was Moriarty to Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes in Steven Moffat’s Sherlock, and he is atop some fans’ wishlist to play the Master should that character even return on Doctor Who. However, there is an even bigger opening at the moment. Would Scott be interested in playing the Doctor? He is among the many rumored to be in contention for the role. He was asked about it at a premiere, and responded with this:
“Well it’s a very flattering thing to be involved in all those discussions, but one has to wait to be asked those things. They’re very secretive. I know Mr Moffat very well so he’ll keep his cards close to his chest for as long as possible.”
Oh, you public menace with your tantalizingly vague words (I guess I am talking about Moffat now and not Scott) (via KasterBorous.com).
There Were No Female Directors for Any of Doctor Who’s 7th Season Episodes – This News Both Confounds and Infuriates Us
“Hi. I’m Catherine Morshead. I am the last female to have directed an episode of Doctor Who. I’d prefer to just be remembered as a person who directed that episode, but because there have been so few of us women to do it my gender will always be part of the story.”
50 years ago Sydney Newman and Verity Lambert met and had a baby. They called it Doctor Who. Since that time, while the Doctor has always been a male he’s at least always had one female by his side, and behind the scenes there have been multiple female producers as well as executive producers (which I have previously explained is basically the king or queen of the producers). After all, it was Russel T. Davies AND Julie Gardner who executive produced the Eccleston/Tennant era of the show.
However, here in the show’s anniversary year the “always male/never female” nature of the Doctor is under its most intense scrutiny to date (if it means anything, John Barrowman is all for a female Doctor). This also extends to behind the scenes where the Directors UK (which represents 5000 radio and TV broadcasters) recently revealed that not a single female directed a season 7 episode of Doctor Who. It’s actually worse than that, though, because to find the last time a female directed an episode of Doctor Who you have to go back to season 5′s “The Lodger,” which was directed by Catherine Morsehead in 2010.
Why is this so bad? Doesn’t this just mean that there are more male directors than females? Well, according to Directors UK exponentially more females are entering into British television production at lower level positions than males, but it is their male counterparts who are getting the big breaks and promotions to the director’s chair. To some, this reeks of institutionalized sexism. This is just the latest in a string of sexism charges made against Doctor Who, as it was earlier taken to task by some a couple of months ago for its recent history of only hiring male screenwriters (via The Telegraph via Jezebel).
Michael Jackson & Bill Cosby Were Each Once Considered for the Role of the Doctor
Would his Doctor have been a “Smooth Criminal”? Would his companion have been named “Billie Jean”? Would his pet chimp Bubbles have been added to the cast? We’ll never know.
I think the title says it all, really. The story is that during the 80s Paramount Pictures was talking about doing a feature-length Doctor Who movie, and Michael Jackson was discussed for the lead role. Their back-up plan? Bill Cosby. The source of this news? A new book, specifically Charles Norton’s Now On The Big Screen: The Unofficial And Unauthorized Guide To Doctor Who At The Cinema (KasterBorous.com).
Obviously, someone just moments before this picture was taken told them the news about Michael Jackson & Billl Cosby once being considered as potential Doctors.
So, what happens next? The 90-minute drama An Adventure in Time and Space telling the behind the scenes origin story of Doctor Who, off of a script from Mark Gatiss, will premiere on BBC2 and BBC America later this year. The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special, featuring David Tennant and Matt Smith’s Doctors, will premiere November 23 on BBC One and BBC America while also enjoying a limited run in 3D cinemas in the UK at the same time For a little spoiler as to how John Hurt’s Doctor features in the story, check this out (but, seriously, just wait until the thing airs to find out). The 2013 Christmas special begins filming at some point next month, and will premiere on, well, Christmas Day.
And that’s all the news that’s fit to print. You want to pile on with news I missed or comment on the news I reported? Take to the comments section.
