It's apparently a work-in-progress.


Greg Grunberg (Alias), Ali Larter (Final Destination 2) and Hayden Panettiere (The Book of Daniel) have joined the cast of Heroes, a pilot for NBC about ordinary people who discover they have super powers, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Superman had Jor-El. Batman has Wayne Manor. And now Hiro Nakamura has Captain Sulu.

Figuring all great Heroes need to have come from somewhere, the hit NBC series has tapped Star Trek icon George Takei to play the father of Hiro Nakamura, the plucky Japanese office worker who happens to be able to bend the space-time continuum.

E! Online's Kristin Veitch reported Monday that a new character "who has been around a lot longer" was joining the serialized drama, which has become one of the few solid new hits of the 2006 television season, attracting more than 14.4 million viewers a week. (For more Heroes scoop, including more about the show's mysterious killer Sylar, check out E! Online TV columnist Kristin Veitch's blog.)

"This is absolutely brilliant," Masi Oka, who plays Hiro, told TV Guide. "Hiro's father is this big honcho who shows up in America with his bodyguard. He has this whole elaborate scheme to kidnap his son and take him back to Japan."

Which probably won't go over too well with Hiro, who, after traveling five weeks into the future just in time to see New York go boom, has journeyed to the States to save the world.

"I just hope I get to say, 'Dad! Sulu is my hero, not you!' The sci-fi fans would love it!" Oka said.

Takei, 69, a cult figure among Trekkies and currently the unlikely official voice of The Howard Stern Show, will show up on Heroes in a Jan. 29 cliffhanger episode.
"It was just one of those lightning-bolt ideas," series creator Tim Kring told TV Guide.

After his steady gig piloting the starship Enterprise came to an end after 1991's Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Takei busied himself with a host of voiceover work in TV, films and videogames and guest spots on shows ranging from The Simpsons and Malcolm in the Middle to Scrubs and Will & Grace.

In fact, it was Takei's trademark deep voice and flair for enunciation that made him a favorite on The Howard Stern Show back when the morning shock-jock was still on terrestrial radio. After a few engaging interviews that proved just how open-minded Takei's sense of humor is, he was tapped to be the show's announcer when it made the jump to Sirius Satellite Radio

Awesome.

Takei Is Dad Of Heroes' Hiro
TV Guide reported that Star Trek veteran George Takei has been cast as the father of the Trek-obsessed Hiro in NBC's hit superhero series Heroes. "It was one of those lightning-bolt ideas," series creator Tim Kring told TV Guide.
Takei, who played Mr. Sulu in the original Trek TV show and subsequent films, will play dad to the breakout time-bending character played by Masi Oka. "This is absolutely brilliant!" Oka told the magazine. "I just hope I get to say, 'Dad! Sulu is my hero, not you!'"
The Nov. 27 issue of TV Guide will have details of Takei's appearance. Heroes airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
http://community.tvguide.com/thread.jspa?threadID=700012436

Heroes Heads For Cliff
Tim Kring, creator and executive producer of NBC's hit SF superhero drama Heroes, told SCI FI Wire that the Dec. 4 fall season cliffhanger, "Fallout," will follow a unique strategy that's been in place since the show's pilot. The strategy, Kring said in an interview, is designed for a dual purpose: to ensure that everyone in the large ensemble cast gets his or her moment to shine and also to entice viewers to come back each week for the latest chapter in the serialized drama.
"The pilot had cliffhangers for every single character, so it forced you to come back in the next episode to the same idea," Kring said. "By the fifth episode, we were able to winnow that down so that we could tell fewer stories. In episode six we basically told two characters' story. It was Claire [Hayden Panettiere] and Niki [Ali Larter]. And we've sort of fallen into a pattern of three or four stories per episode now."
"Fallout," which is episode 11, returns to telling everyone's story, and it will end with a cliffhanger. Or several of them. "We're off the air for six weeks after episode 11, and so we cliffhang once again most of the characters' stories, which forces us in episode 12 to come back to everybody's story," Kring said. "So it has been a real balancing act, a real juggling act, and the only thing I can say is that if you miss certain characters for a while, just stay tuned, because they come back. They all sort of ebb and flow." Heroes airs on NBC Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. It will return on Jan. 22, 2007. NBC is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.

Dekker Joins Connor Chronicles
Thomas Dekker (NBC's Heroes) is set to play John Connor in Fox's SF drama pilot The Sarah Connor Chronicles, based on the Terminator film franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Dekker, who plays Claire's friend Zach on Heroes, will join Lena Headey in the title role. Sarah was played by Linda Hamilton in the films; John was played by Edward Furlong in 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day and by Nick Stahl in 2003's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
The action of The Sarah Connor Chronicles takes place after the events depicted in Terminator 2 and follows Sarah, a modern warrior and loving single mom to 15-year-old son John.
Dekker also had a recurring role on The CW's 7th Heaven. NBC is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.

Heroes' Fuller Pushes Daisies
Bryan Fuller, co-executive producer of NBC's Heroes, has won a pilot commitment from ABC for Pushing Daisies, a romance-tinged procedural about a man who can touch dead people and bring them back to life, Variety reported. Fuller will write the pilot , which will be produced by American Beauty producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen. Jinks and Cohen will executive-produce via the Jinks/Cohen Co. and Warner Brothers Television.
Fuller and Jinks/Cohen are also developing Alice, an interpretation of Alice in Wonderland that Fuller wrote on spec.
Fuller created the Showtime series Dead Like Me and Fox's Wonderfalls. NBC is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.

NBC's new hit superhero series Heroes and SCI FI Channel's Battlestar Galactica made the 2006 AFI Awards list of the 10 best TV programs of the year.

'Heroes' Star Sheds 'Dirty' Past To Become Rocky Balboa's Son
'Being picked by Sylvester to be in this film, to play his son — that's a really nice feeling,' says Milo Ventimiglia.
by Larry Carroll
Sylvester Stallone and Milo Ventimiglia in "Rocky Balboa" (Columbia/ MGM)
BEVERLY HILLS — Barely a year ago, life wasn't looking too good for affable actor Milo Ventimiglia. After a decade in Hollywood, the only leading-man role he could land was playing nearly half his age in "Dirty Deeds" — a rarely seen "American Pie"-rip-off that could quite possibly be the most mind-numbingly bad movie ever made.
Now, he is the face of "Heroes," an intricately written blockbuster TV show that has rendered Ventimiglia unable to walk down the street without being mobbed by people demanding answers about when the Japanese guy is going to fight the dinosaur. It seems only appropriate, then, that the 29-year-old actor is returning to the silver screen to play Rocky Jr. in "Rocky Balboa," perhaps Hollywood's ultimate overnight-success fable.
We recently caught up with the fast-rising star to get his thoughts on a "Heroes" movie, taking a job away from Sly Stallone's kid and why he wants to tell the movie community to kiss his ass.
MTV: I've got to say, I was one of the few who actually saw "Dirty Deeds" in a movie theater. Wow.
Milo Ventimiglia: [He laughs.] There's jobs all of us do to make sure we make money and keep our abilities intact. On that one, I read the script and I actually said no — I passed — I said, "I don't think I can do this." They said, "No, no, you'll be good," and I said, "Guys, I'm 27 years old — I don't know if I can pull this off any more, being a kid." Well, I just went and committed, and made it as funny as I could.
MTV: And now, here you are in "Rocky Balboa," and the press is as eager to talk to you as they are Stallone. How did he manage to catch lightning in a bottle and cast you while you were still unknown?
Ventimiglia: I think I was just possibly the right guy for the role, and maybe Sly — having the intellect that he has — saw it ahead of anybody else. For 11 years, I've been in this business, and I've worked and worked and worked, gone from job to job, and always remained under the radar. Being picked by Sylvester to be in this film, to play his son — that's a really nice feeling.
MTV: You look back at "Airplane II: The Sequel" from 1982, and they were already making jokes about Stallone going to the "Rocky" well too many times. Fess up — you must have giggled a little bit when you heard they were making a "Rocky 6"?
Ventimiglia: You have to. You think, "They're making another one?" And not just "Rocky," but the sixth installment of any film? It's like, "Come on!" But then, I looked at it, and I read it, and you strip away that 30 years of history and it's a beautiful script that he wrote. Every level, every layer was just filled with the feeling I got when I watched the first one. So at the end, when I turned that last page, I thought, "I've got to be a part of this. I could care less what anybody thinks about [me] potentially getting laughed at." I saw Sly this morning, and he said that what's surprising him is that a lot of people want to dislike the film — but then they watch it.
MTV: I can remember where I was when I saw each "Rocky" movie, and who I saw it with. Does seeing this classic character again bring back similar emotions for you?
Ventimiglia: I think I was too little to remember where I was and when I was watching them, if I was in a movie theater or my parent's house or whatever. But I remember all the films. And I went back before I met Sly, I actually watched a marathon of all five movies in a row, just to make sure I had a history and was studied in them.
MTV: Stallone's son, Sage, played Rocky Jr. in the fifth movie, 16 years ago. Why are you taking over for him here?
Ventimiglia: To go out and look for an actor to play the role was something that naturally came up. I didn't know, or wasn't privy to, conversations about whether Sage would play the role. But from what I understand, he's very successful in other endeavors [directing and producing], and he may have put the acting away.
MTV: Did you watch "Rocky 5" extra close, to capture Sage's performance in your own?
Ventimiglia: No, I watched number five the same way I watched numbers four, three, two and one. I tried to be respectful of the work that was put in before me, but at the same time, I had to create something with this character — because he is in a different place. In number five, he was a 12-year-old boy trying to have a connection with his father while he was giving that attention to someone else. In number four, he's a kid who's in the United States while his father is fighting communism in Russia. With this one, it's a different character because he's grown up. He can't be that 12-year-old or that 7-year-old any more. He has to be his own person with his own identity.
MTV: There was a time when movies and TV were considered very separate, but "Heroes" is as high-concept as any big-budget summer superhero film. Have the lines been blurred for good?
Ventimiglia: When you see all the big producers and all the big stars of film running over to television, you can't call TV the little brother to film anymore. The medium, the way the work is done and the care and intellect with which television is produced nowadays, some television is better than movies. So, anybody who holds an air of arrogance where film is better, I could basically say, "Kiss my ass!"
MTV: There are rumors already of a "Heroes" movie. Would you like to take Peter Petrelli to the big screen?
Ventimiglia: It's a great group of people that we're working with on the show, the most ego-less group of talent I've been around. If feature films were to come up, or comic books were to come up, I'd love to be a part of it.
MTV: Is playing Peter the best gig on the show, because you get to siphon off everybody else's powers for a little while?
Ventimiglia: I think so. Not only do I get to [have] everybody's powers, but I get to build on what they've created. For this last episode, I sat down with Greg Grunberg, who plays [mind-reading cop] Matt Parkman and ask, "What do you physically do? What do you hear when you're listening to people's thoughts?" Or when I talk to [unbreakable cheerleader] Hayden [Panettiere], I'm like, "What do you feel?" So, really, I'm respecting what they've created for their character. Even Santiago [Cabrera], the heroin artist, [his character] is right-handed in real life but he paints with his left hand [when he's envisioning the future], so I tried to mimic that along with his facial expressions, so that Peter is seeing it through the lives of the characters.
MTV: Are you getting sick of the "give me spoilers" questions yet? And also, can you give me some spoilers on what's coming up next?
Ventimiglia: [He laughs.] It's not that the actors are kept in the dark, but there's so much that we just don't know. We're only briefly ahead of where the show was when it last aired. So, when people ask me questions, I just smile and think, "God, there are people who really love this, really embrace this, really want to know." Actually, they usually say, "Tell me! ... No, no, I don't want to know, I don't want to know!" I love that — it means we're doing our job.
http://www.vh1.com/movies/news/articles/15...006/story.jhtml

Heroes To Preview On Leno
Masi Oka, who recently earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role as Hiro Nakamura on the NBC series Heroes, will reveal an exclusive clip from upcoming episode on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the network announced. The actor will show a preview of the episode titled "Godsend," guest-starring former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston as a mysterious man whose special power is hinted at in his name—Claude. "Godsend," the first new episode of the year, airs Monday, Jan. 22 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Grunberg Walks For Epilepsy
Greg Grunberg, one of the stars of NBC's hit SF series Heroes, is the chair of the upcoming National Walk for Epilepsy, which takes place in the National Mall in Washington on March 31 to raise funds to battle the neurological disorder.
Grunberg, who plays telepathic cop Matt Parkman, also runs a charitable organization called "Hollywood Helping Hands," which auctions off pieces of artwork that are finger-painted by celebrities to benefit the Pediatric Epilepsy Project at the University of California, Los Angeles. Grunberg's son has pediatric epilepsy.
http://www.walkforepilepsy.org/site/PageSe...pagename=index2

The cast of NBC's Heroes—including Ali Larter, Masi Oka, Greg Grunberg, Adrian Pasdar, Hayden Panettiere, Sendhil Ramamurthy and Milo Ventimiglia—have been set as presenters at the 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards, which will be telecast live on NBC on Jan. 15 at 8 p.m. PT/ET.

TV Guide's Michael Ausiello reveals spoilers about upcoming episodes of NBC's Heroes, which returns on Jan. 22.
http://community.tvguide.com/thread.jspa?threadID=700016231

Who Joins Heroes?
Former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston will appear in several episodes of NBC's hit Heroes as an invisible-man character aptly named Claude, after Claude Rains, star of the 1933 classic SF film The Invisible Man, Tim Kring, creator and executive producer, told SCI FI Wire. "So far, he's been in four [episodes], and then we're trying to work out his dates with his movie that he's doing," Kring said in an interview at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 17. "We'd like to have him come and play with us for a while."
Eccleston's character will first appear in "Godsend," the next new installment, which airs on Jan. 22. "His character acts as a sort of mentor for Milo's [Ventimiglia] character, Peter, who's having trouble controlling all of these crazy powers that he seems to have," Kring said.
Kring added: "So he runs into this character, literally, and forces him, basically, to teach him what's going on and to tell him what's going on. And it's the first indication for the audience that these powers have been around longer than we seem to have sensed it as an audience based on what we've seen so far." Heroes returns with all-new episodes starting Jan. 22 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Heroes Heats Up
Hayden Panettiere, who plays indestructible cheerleader Claire in NBC's Heroes, told SCI FI Wire that the end of the show's first season will be even more exciting than the beginning. "The next few episodes, oh, my God, you guys," Panettiere said in an interview at the Television Critics press tour in Pasadena, Calif. "I've said to everyone, 'It feels like we're starting a new season.' It's been the most incredible. Like, these episodes, the writing, the acting, the characters have made this huge leap. And it's amazing."
In the episodes leading up to the first-season finale, Claire will begin the search for her birth parents. The quest will lead her to some surprising answers, Panettiere promised. "My character is definitely running down that road of trying to discover who she is, where she comes from, who her parents are, if she's alone," she said. "And you realize that it's a very, very small world. And people have these very odd connections. And there is a big, big turn. A couple turns coming up."
As for the rumored death of one of the main characters, Panettiere said her power might make her a less likely candidate, but nothing is certain on this show. "It helps probably to be indestructible," she said. "But we've also realized the key to people's powers lies in their brain. And there's that scene a few episodes ago where Thomas Dekker's character said to me, ... 'You could have died' when Sylar comes. And I say, 'I know.' Because, the truth is, the question really is, can she die? If, let's say, she got that stick stuck in her head, and they never pulled it out, how long her body can survive enough to regenerate before she really dies?"
Then again, dying may not be enough to stop Claire Bennet. "I die all the time," Panettiere said. "I feel like Kenny in South Park. Like, 'Oh, my God. They killed Kenny!'" Heroes returns with all-new episodes on Jan. 22 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Renewal Opens Up Heroes
Tim Kring, creator and executive producer of NBC's hit series Heroes, told SCI FI Wire that the network's announcement of a renewal for a full second season allows the writers to explore more story possibilities. "In network TV you never take these things for granted," Kring said in an interview at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 17. "And while we're clearly a success, these things are always fabulous. And I think how early it was done is just a huge show of support for the show."
On Jan. 17, NBC announced that it was ordering up a full second season of the hit series, about ordinary people who discover they have extraordinary abilities.
The writers are still breaking stories for the end of season one, which will run a full 23 episodes, but have already started talking about where the series will go in season two. "It is forcing these discussions about season two, and that's been actually one of the really fun things about this kind of storytelling," Kring said. "It seems to want to generate ahead far enough so that you're never really in that much trouble. It's amazing. I was sort of panicked by the idea of having to take a break at the end of this season and go off and think about season two, and it's just naturally starting to come up in the writers' room, and we're putting stuff up on the board. While I had big tentpole ideas of where I wanted it to go, the meat is actually getting filled out, and every day I look at that board, and I smile, because it's one less thing I have to think about on my hiatus."
Kring assured viewers that the storyline concerning the looming apocalypse will be wrapped up before the end of this season. Although some questions will be answered, he promised that others will be raised in the finale. "It's not necessarily a cliffhanger in terms of what has been set up so far, storywise," he said. "It's more of a cliffhanger as to the welfare and well-being of several of our characters. But there will be a payoff. ... It plays into where we kick off at the top of the season." Heroes returns with an all-new episode on Monday Jan. 22 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Takei Takes On Heroes
Star Trek veteran George Takei, who will play the father of Masi Oka's Hiro Nakamura on NBC's Heroes later this season, told SCI FI Wire that even he doesn't know what his character's true motives are. "The thing is—and this is the part of the challenge of doing Heroes—I really don't know who my character is and why my character does what he does and what his motivations are and where he's going," Takei said in an interview at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 17. "Because with each new script, I make new discoveries. Is he good or is he bad? Is he domineering or is he being told to behave that way? I mean, there's so many ambiguous things about it."
Takei's character is a stern, traditional figure, who disapproves of his son's quest to become a hero, he said. "I'm a powerful industrialist. We come from a very distinguished family. An old-line family. I was brought up that way, and I thought I would bring up my son that way. But I'm discovering that there are strange things happening."
One of the biggest challenges, Takei said, is that he has had to perform all of his scenes in Japanese. Though he speaks the language fluently, it's the first time he's ever worked that way. "It's a commentary on the television viewing audience," he said. "Here it is, prime-time network popular television, and [we have] whole scenes being played in a foreign language with English subtitles. I think it's a great commentary on how sophisticated and how global our television-viewing audience has become. ... I haven't worked in Japan in Japanese. And here I am in the United States working in Japanese with English subtitles. So that's a delight, but it's also a challenge because it's not my first language."
So far, Takei has filmed three episodes, with the possibility of more if the story allows it.
Takei also acknowledged that Hiro loves Takei's most famous role, Mr. Sulu in the original Star Trek series. When informed that Oka had suggested the writers make a reference to Sulu being Hiro's true father figure, Takei was delighted at the prospect. "Well, I am!" he said. "They should work it in there. At least, 'Papa, you look like Sulu.'" Heroes returns with an all-new episode on Jan. 22 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

The hit NBC show Heroes has been renewed for a full second season, NBC President Kevin Reilly announced at a press conference at the Television Critics Association press tour on Jan. 17.

Heroes creator Tim Kring looks into the past, present and future of this season's hottest new show
By Cindy White
When Heroes first premiered last fall, it was well received by critics and audience members alike, but no one anticipated the level of popularity it's achieved in just 12 episodes. Thanks in part to a brilliant marketing campaign incorporating the slogan "Save the cheerleader, save the world," each new episode has become instant water-cooler material.
On Jan. 21, the show returned from hiatus with an episode featuring former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston as an invisible man. This week Eccleson's Claude returns, along with another big-name guest star, George Takei, who will be playing the father of Masi Oka's Hiro Nakamura in a number of episodes.
With a full second-season pickup already announced, Heroes creator and executive producer Tim Kring is going into the end of the season with the promise that the coming episodes will resolve one storyline while leading to another via a major cliffhanger in the season finale. Kring talked with SCI FI Weekly about making the show and what fans have to look forward to in the future.
Is it easier to write the next few episodes knowing that you've got a full 22-episode pickup for season two?
Kring: Because we're right at the end of the season right now in terms of where we're breaking, it is forcing these discussions about season two, and [what's] been actually one of the really fun things about this kind of storytelling is it seems to want to generate ahead far enough so that you're never really in that much trouble. It's amazing. I was sort of panicked by the idea of having to take a break at the end of this season and go off and think about season two. And it's just naturally starting to come up in the writers' room. We're putting stuff up on the board that, while I had big tentpole ideas of where I wanted it to go, the meat is actually getting filled out, and every day I look at that board and I smile, because it's one less thing I have to think about on my hiatus.
Are you planning a big cliffhanger for the end of the season?
Kring: Yes. Yeah. I mean, it's not necessarily a cliffhanger in terms of what has been set up so far storywise. It's more of a cliffhanger as to the welfare and well-being of several of our characters.
Will it launch the arc of the second season?
Kring: Yes. Obviously it plays into where we kick off at the end of season two.
So there will be a resolution of the apocalyptic story?
Kring: Yes. Absolutely. That will be resolved in the first season.
There's a rumor that someone will be killed this season. Not to give anything away, but is that something you can talk about?
Kring: No, I can confirm that.
Is it difficult for you to write someone out?
Kring: Oh, yeah. And obviously, we've skated a little bit around it, but the truth is, it's out there as an issue. On a show like this, characters have to come and go, and that's how you keep it fresh. Partially, or mainly, because for me, the main theory was that this is happening all over the world, and it's happening to people even as we speak. And if we don't get to meet those people, it's no fun. And you want to meet those people. Also, for me, the origin story still continues to be the most fascinating part of the show.
The truth is, we've tried to make characters click enough with the audience so that you really feel emotional. And clearly we did this with the waitress, Charlie. ... She hit really big, and people were very upset by the idea. But the truth is, that was done for a very conscious reason. We needed to drive home for the audience in a very sort of profound way that time travel was not the answer to everything. So we needed to make something that hit really emotionally, with a real emotional punch to drive that point home.
How long do you expect Sylar to continue as the main villain?
Kring: I love Zach Quinto, and I love what he's doing for the show. And the truth is, I would like to continue and have him in the second season.
Is there a reason why he hasn't been killed already?
Kring: They really want something from him. The organization that Jack Coleman's character works for is on some sort of obvious research-oriented—as we call it—tag-and-release program. So there are things that they are gleaning by getting each one of these people. And remember, he is a character who seems to be exhibiting more than one power, which is intriguing to them as to how and why.
How much do the special effects complicate the production?
Kring: A lot. That's why you don't see a lot of it. We're trying to make a show every week, and special effects, while they're cheaper than they were even two years ago or six months ago and people are more efficient and faster, they still are difficult to do on a television schedule.
Is there a lot of CGI in the finale?
Kring: I think there'll be a little bit more in the season finale than in a normal episode. Although we've got a couple of doozies coming up that feel like anybody else's season finale. [Episodes] 17 and 20 are both huge.
Do you make use of the fact that you have Masi Oka in the cast, who also has experience in special effects?
Kring: We haven't yet, but he has offered and we really want to take him up on letting him do a couple of special effects for us. And the truth is, it's gotten to the point where guys could do things on laptops that used to take a mainframe to do. So Masi, I'm sure, could do some unbelievable stuff for us.
We've seen that Isaac's paintings always come true. Are you saying that the future is predetermined? Or is there a possibility that they can change it?
Kring: As storytellers, we are locked into the idea that the future can be changed, given the right circumstances. It's how those circumstances line up. And clearly, the "save the cheerleader, save the world" is going to have something to do [with that], when you look back at the end of the season. "'Oh, I get it. That's why they had to do that. I get it. It all makes sense." So it's been really fun to tell the story in that way, so that these payoffs several episodes later hit people with a real "Ah, I get it. That's why we had to save the cheerleader."
How do you feel about Heroes going international?
Kring: They are just absolutely over the moon for this show. And I think people really are feeling like the show has the ability to speak to people in very varied markets. I just feel like it was something that was very intentional. I set out to do something that I wanted to have a hopeful, healing kind of message for the world. And I wanted it to be something that felt global, that was happening everywhere. And because of the logistics of working in L.A., it is a bit centric to America and American actors and all of that. Next season, we are going to open it up even more to the idea of going international.
How did you come to cast Christopher Eccleston on the show?
Kring: I had seen his work. I'd seen him in Elizabeth, and I'd seen him in 28 Days Later, and I knew who he was. I wanted a British guy. I saw the character as a kind of Fagin character. I wanted a big sort of sloppy Brit with a working-class accent who is this curmudgeonly invisible guy. A real misanthrope. And so the casting people said, "Well, Christopher Eccleston is actually living here now, in America. He's just moved here and is trying to get work here." So it was one of those fortuitous things, where I was like, "I love that guy. Let's go after him." So by the time we finally had a part for him he was really a fan of the show and wanted to do it.
Seems like every show comes to a point where they start alienating fans. Are you worried about that?
Kring: These kinds of fans are very fickle. I mean, the real hardcore fans. So yes, you do worry about that. And again, the multiple storylines help that, because you can always counterbalance things. If you didn't quite hit it out of the park on one story, another one will. And there are certainly cautionary tales. I mean, those of use who remember Twin Peaks going from the number one or two or three show on the network to four episodes later being canceled because of revealing who killed Laura Palmer ... So that's a cautionary tale for all of us.
You've said you were never a comic-book reader. So what inspired you to do a show about superheroes?
Kring: I didn't know that it wasn't available to outsiders at the time. And it was sort of shocking when there was that reaction from people who are real comic-book fans. I have small kids who, when you go to the movies in the summertime, it's all you see. You're surrounded by it. We live in a pop culture where it's just dominating everything. DC and Marvel are making huge deals in Hollywood, and that's all that anybody wants to see. So I live in that world, and I'm surrounded by it. I love the movie The Incredibles. But, really, it came out of the idea that I wanted to do a show about heroes and people that could possibly change the world. When I was thinking about my kids growing up in a world that was as complicated as it was without a lot of people to look up to, and just the normal doctor in a hospital or a cop—while those are wonderful heroes, they didn't seem to be big enough to embody these larger issues, which led me towards the idea of superpowers.
Which hero do you identify with most?
Kring: I'd have to say Peter, the sort of dreamer. I was certainly a late bloomer and trying to figure out who I was and what the meaning of my life was. And so I definitely relate to that character. The empathy.
The creators of Lost just announced that they have the end of the show in mind. Are you also thinking about an end?
Kring: We don't have an end date set. I just don't feel like doing it.
So you'll ride this as long as you can.
Kring: Obviously, you want to ride something as long as it's creatively and artistically challenging and working for you. As soon as it becomes an albatross, then it's terrible. There's nothing worse than trying to breathe life into something that doesn't want to have life in it. But you're getting me obviously at a time when this is all still very new. And I right now can't muster up enough negativity about where it's going to end.
http://www.scifi.com/sfw/interviews/sfw14850.html

More Of Heroes' Cop To Come
Greg Grunberg, who plays mind-reading cop Matt Parkman on NBC's hit Heroes, told SCI FI Wire that his character will feature heavily in upcoming episodes—and (spoiler ahead!) that a big secret will be revealed about Matt's wife, Janice (Elizabeth Lackey). "She has a huge secret from me. Huge," Grunberg said in an interview at last week's Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif.
"I mean, when I read that, I was like, 'Are you kidding me?'" Grunberg said. "[It's] bigger than [her] having an affair. Yeah, much bigger. ... You'll have to watch. ... It's pretty great. It's pretty great. And it affects everything. ... And she's really happy."
Grunberg, whose character was seen only intermittently in recent episodes, will also show up more with his FBI partner, played by Clea Du Vall. "Usually, I shoot three out of the eight days [of production in a typical episode]," he said. But in the segment currently in production, "I mean, [I'm in] every single scene. ... I'm working every day," he added. "Clea and I are working more and more together, which is great."
What about rumors of romantic sparks between Du Vall's Audrey Hanson and Parkman? "We'll see," Grunberg said coyly. "So far, we haven't [gotten together], but people are constantly asking me that, you know? Which I said earlier was, like, just [attributable] to our chemistry, I think." Heroes returned with new episodes on Jan. 22 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

More Romance For Heroes' Niki?
Ali Larter, who plays the dual role of Jessica/Niki on NBC's hit Heroes, offered SCI FI Wire a spoiler for the series' upcoming episodes: that her character and Adrian Pasdar's Nathan Petrelli will share some screen time together again. "Me and Adrian had some really great stuff in episode four ['Collision'], and I think that they will be bringing our characters back together," Larter said in an interview at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif., last week. "I loved working with him. I think he's an amazing actor."
Larter wouldn't say if Niki and Nathan, a married congressional candidate who has the power to fly, will rekindle their one-night romance. "I don't know," she said, adding: "Actually, I do know, but I can't tell you. He's great. He's a wonderful actor. You know, he's been in the business for such a long time, and he just makes a good environment that's so relaxed for me to work, and I'm really looking forward to working with him in the future."
What about rumors that Larter's Niki or Jessica may not be long for this world? "Everything's possible," Larter said. "Anything's possible." Heroes airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Roberts Joins Heroes Cast
Eric Roberts has joined the cast of NBC's breakout hit Heroes, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
On Heroes, Tim Kring's superhero drama for NBC Universal TV Studio, Roberts will play Thompson, a new associate of Claire's father H.R.G. (Jack Coleman), or Horn-Rimmed Glasses.
Roberts is joining another new addition to the Heroes cast: former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston, who made his debut as invisible man Claude in the Jan. 22 episode.
Roberts co-starred on ABC's Less Than Perfect and will next be seen in the miniseries Pandemic.

NBC is relaunching the Heroes Web site with new interactive features coinciding with a batch of new original episodes, with new content that will deepen the show's mythos, including a real-time, two-screen application that plays out on the PC along with each episode, commentary from cast members set to streamed episodes and mobile content.
http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/

Heroes Will End In Cliffhanger
Tim Kring, creator of NBC's hit SF series Heroes, told SCI FI Wire that the show's first season will end in a cliffhanger that tees up season two, which was recently given a green light. Kring, speaking in an interview at the recent Television Critics Association winter press tour, added that the first season will resolve the current apocalyptic story arc, in which Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) foresees a nuclear detonation in New York.
"Yes, absolutely," Kring said. "That will be resolved in the first season." As for the cliffhanger? "It's not necessarily a cliffhanger in terms of what has been set up so far storywise," he added. "It's more of a cliffhanger as to the welfare and well-being of several of our characters. ... Obviously it plays into where we kick off at the [beginning] of season two."
Kring also had a few spoilers to offer about the balance of season one, which is currently airing. For one thing, don't expect the villainous Sylar (Zachary Quinto) to go away. "I love Zach Quinto, and I love what he's doing for the show," Kring said. "And the truth is I would like to continue and have him in the second season." There's a reason he's being kept alive by his mysterious captors, he added: "They really want something from him. The organization that Jack Coleman's character [H.R.G.] works for is on some sort of obvious research-oriented, as we call it, tag-and-release program. So there are things that they are gleaning by getting each one of these people. And remember, he is a character who seems to be exhibiting more than one power, which is intriguing to them as to how and why."
As for the rumors that one or more of the main characters will not make it to the end of the season, is that a guarantee? "No, I can't say that," Kring said coyly. Heroes airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Heroes' Sylar Will Surprise
Zachary Quinto, who plays the superpowered serial killer Sylar on NBC's Heroes, told SCI FI Wire that his character isn't pure evil, he's just misunderstood. "I think he's somebody that sort of got overtaken by a desire that he didn't expect to overtake him as powerfully as it does," Quinto said in an interview. "And it starts from a place of really just wanting to be valued and desired, and it evolved into something that is really insatiable. And that's sort of what carries him: It's this insatiable hunger. I think he enjoys it to a certain degree. I think he certainly is aware of what he's capable of. But I don't think that it's something that he is sort of going after for the sake of going after it."
Quinto joined Heroes in the season's eighth episode, though Sylar has been mentioned in the show as early as episode two. Quinto said that viewers who think they know where his storyline is going will be as surprised as he was at the direction it takes in the second half of the season. "I had all these sort of expectations or preconceptions about where they would take it and how it would move forward," he said. "And every script I get, it's like a whole other 360 [or] 180 turn on a dime. So it's really going to go to places that I don't think people have any idea or any sort of expectation."
Although Quinto has not yet had an opportunity to work with all of the cast members on the show, he pointed out that the other actors are understandably wary of interacting with him on screen. "There's a lot of people I've been waiting to work with," he said. "I haven't worked with Greg Grunberg. I haven't worked with Ali [Larter] or Leonard [Roberts]. I haven't worked with Adrian [Pasdar] yet. And we all talk about the desire to work together, but I'm sure they're all probably a little trepidatious to be in a scene with me, because it can't be the harbinger of all good things, right? But I've really enjoyed my time with Milo [Ventimiglia] and Hayden [Panettiere] and Sendhil Ramamurthy now. I'm working a lot with Sendhil in these episodes that we're shooting now, so that's really cool. And it's great, because it's such a diverse group of people, and everybody's so happy to be around and so happy to be a part of something that's so igniting excitement in people." Heroes airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Heroes' H.R.G. Gets Backstory
Jack Coleman, who stars as the mysterious Horn-Rimmed Glasses—aka Mr. Bennet—on the hit NBC series Heroes, told SCI FI Wire that the internal implosion of his family will continue in the next episode, "Company Man," airing Feb. 26. "I think the toll is starting to wear on H.R.G., and he can no longer just roll with it and gloss it over," Coleman said in a conference call with journalists last week.
Coleman said that "Company Man" focuses on his character's backstory and will answer some of the questions fans have been pondering about Mr. Bennet and how he came to adopt Claire, the invulnerable cheerleader played by Hayden Panettiere. "It reveals that he took the job and then came into custody of Claire," he said. "It will show you how that happened, and then the journey from how that changed everything and eventually brought everything to a crisis where he has to choose between them. The end of the episode is very emotional, and it stuck with me for a while. Of all the scenes that I have done—and there are many that have been fun and memorable—but the end of this one has really stuck with me."
In the last episode, "Unexpected," Claire finally erupted against her father after her mother fell ill as a result of being memory-wiped. That friction is pushing H.R.G., who has been secretly pursuing super-powered humans, to the brink, Coleman said. "I think that it's one of the things that brings the story to a crisis: the toll that it is taking on his family," he said.
Asked if he knows the upcoming fate of H.R.G.'s wife and son, Coleman said: "I really do not know the fate of Sandra, my wife, played by the wonderful Ashley Crow, and Lyle, played by Randall Bentley. I don't think they will completely disappear, though."
As to the future of Mr. Bennet as the season barrels towards a finale, Coleman only revealed that the anticipated showdown between his character and his archnemesis, Sylar (Zachary Quinto), will have to wait. "His antipathy toward Sylar is put on the back burner for a little while, because other things come up and supersede it," Coleman said. "Sylar is out on his own wreaking havoc away from the prying eyes of H.R.G. for a little while. H.R.G. has other things on his plate, which are demanding his full attention. And I can say I'm not exactly sure what H.R.G.'s approach to Sylar will be towards the end of the season and how it will all play out. But there's no question that that is a guy he would very much like to get his hands on, and it will keep him moving forward."
Coleman also said he's not certain of the producers' intentions with season two of Heroes. "I have absolutely no idea what is going to happen next season," he said. "I do think there are some relatively profound changes heading toward H.R.G., but I don't know that they are going to happen or what is going to happen into the next season. I think the mission will definitely change; the question is for how long and at what cost. It's certainly not going to be the same kind of bagging or tagging that we've seen H.R.G. do with Matt Parkman [Greg Grunberg] and some of the others. I think it will be a very different kind of mission." Heroes airs Mondays on NBC at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Fireworks Due For Heroes' H.R.G.
Jack Coleman, who stars as the mysterious Mr. Bennet (aka Horn-Rimmed Glasses) on the hit NBC series Heroes, told SCI FI Wire that fans can look forward to more emotional fireworks between his character and Bennet's perceptive and distrustful daughter, the invincible cheerleader Claire (Hayden Panettiere). "Any allegiance on this show is subject to change," Coleman teased in a conference call with journalists on Feb. 16. "Certainly, the relationship between H.R.G. and Claire has been very strained lately. In episode 17 ('Company Man,' airing Feb. 26), there is a crisis situation that brings it to a head and possibly a temporary resolution. But I suspect the relationship between Claire and H.R.G. is one of the core values, so to speak, of this show. As twisted as the relationship is, they've said so many lies to each other, but ultimately I think they do really love each other, and there is a tremendous bond there. It's one of the bedrocks they build story on, so I can't imagine they will be at each other's throats and trying to kill each other. I think it's much more of a domestic issue rather than a superhero issue."
In general, Coleman said he's pleasantly surprised at how long his character has survived and evolved over the course of the series. "It's interesting, because it's one of those things that gradually builds," Coleman said. "I don't think there was ever knowledge or intention that this was what was going to happen [to my character]. Episode 11 ('Fallout') was my first episode as a series regular, but I started to get the idea that it might happen a few episodes beforehand."
In the pilot, Mr. Bennet was introduced as a shadowy figure on the hunt for seemingly ordinary people who possess extraordinary powers. Since then, the character, dubbed H.R.G. for his trademark glasses, was revealed to be the adoptive father of Claire and an employee for a front company, Primatech Paper Company. "This character serves so many different stories and can be a catalyst," Coleman actor said of the importance of Mr. Bennet. "He can drive stories for people that are struggling to get hold of their abilities. You need an antagonist and someone to drive them to a crisis. It was that, and I think they liked [my] chemistry with Hayden, and it had a nice emotional resonance, which added to the creepiness of what H.R.G. was doing during his day job. So I think it made sense to keep him around a little while." Heroes airs Mondays on NBC at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Heroes Changes In Season 2
Tim Kring, creator of NBC's hit series Heroes, told SCI FI Wire that the upcoming second season will constitute a new volume in the multi-volume series, with new characters and an entirely new storyline. "If you remember, the opening of the pilot pronounced the episode as the beginning of Volume One," Kring said in an interview. "Volume One comes to a conclusion at the end of episode 23, and Volume Two starts with the opening of season two. And Volume Two is a different story."
Kring added: "We could have new people and new storylines and new ideas and new threats and new bad guys and new heroes. So I would prepare the audience for that idea, that it's not just a continuing serialized storyline about only these people. It's a little more the 24 model than the Lost model."
The first season of Heroes is exploring what happens when a disparate group of ordinary people discover they have extraordinary abilities and attempt to save New York from disaster.
"Heroes needs to evolve, and if we are positing an idea that this is happening all over the world to many, many people, then we get to see some of those people and see how their story fits in."
Kring also confirmed that some of the current heroes just might not survive this season, but added: "Many of your favorites will live to fight again." Heroes airs on Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Heroes Art Auctioned For Charity
NBC.com will auction artwork from NBC's hit SF drama Heroes to benefit charity, in two separate auctions to begin on March 26 and April 2. The artwork, by comic illustrator Tim Sale, has appeared in the show, and proceeds will benefit the Epilepsy Foundation, a favorite of Heroes cast member Greg Grunberg; Grunberg's son, Jake, has epilepsy.
Each auction will feature two full-size autographed limited-edition prints and drawings of artwork used in the show, including Exploding Man, Eclipse, Claire on the Stairs and Hiro and T-Rex. The first auction will go live on March 26 at 6 p.m. PT and will close at 12 a.m. on March 28. The second auction will go live at 6 p.m. PT on April 2 and close at 12 a.m. PT on April 4. NBC.com has partnered with San Francisco-based Delivery Agent Inc. to power the auctions. (NBC is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.)
http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/heroesauction/
http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/

More Heroes Secrets Unveiled
Tim Kring, the creator of NBC's hit SF series Heroes, told fans that the show will eventually bring all of the main hero characters together before the season is out and offered a preview of the April 23 episode, in which many secrets are revealed about Mr. Linderman (Malcolm McDowell). At a panel for the Museum of Television and Radio's William S. Paley Festival in Hollywood on March 10, Kring unveiled a long scene from the next new episode, ".07," featuring McDowell's Linderman speaking with Adrian Pasdar's Nathan Petrelli (spoilers ahead!).
Among other things, viewers learn that Linderman has superpowers of his own, that he was once a member of a group of heroes, that the members of the group eventually used their powers for personal gain—and that he is behind the plot to blow up New York as a way to engender widespread fear, which he believes will bring the nation together in hope. Linderman also reveals a prophecy that Nathan will eventually wind up in the White House.
As for the season finale, Kring told fans that he was "still putting the final script together" but has it all mapped out. "I know everyone's fate," he said cryptically.
Greg Grunberg, who plays psychic cop Matt Parkman, said that he had already read the script for the 22nd of 23 episodes and that it "just blew me away." Who lives and who dies? "It's the nature of the show to know that we're all vulnerable," Grunberg added.
Kring and Grunberg were joined on the panel by cast members Santiago Cabrera (Isaac Mendez), Sendhil Ramamurthy (Mohinder Suresh), Jack Coleman (H.R.G.), Hayden Panettiere (Claire Bennet), Masi Oka (Hiro Nakamura), Milo Ventimiglia (Peter Petrelli), Pasdar, Ali Larter (Niki Sanders), Noah Gray-Cabey (Micah Sanders) and Leonard Roberts (D.L. Hawkins). Heroes airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT and returns with the final five episodes of the first season starting on April 23. (NBC is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.)

Larter Reveals Heroes Secrets
Ali Larter—who plays Heroes' troubled Niki Sanders and her kickass doppelganger, Jessica—revealed that one of her personalities takes over—or perhaps the two merge into a new one—in the March 5 episode, "Parasite." "One of the things that [series creator] Tim [Kring] was saying that we're kind of letting out was [that] one of the characters definitely takes control of me," Larter said in an interview over the weekend at San Francisco's WonderCon. "You'll see Monday."
Larter remained coy about which personality prevails, but squealed when asked if Niki dies, as rumored: "I don't know! You have to watch on Monday!" Larter added: "[One of them is] definitely the one that's taking control. And we're really moving into a merging of the two characters."
Larter also revealed that the first season's final episodes will bring everything to a head, with a convergence of the main characters. "We're going in to shoot the finale, which I can't believe it; I mean, we're going to start shooting it in a couple weeks," Larter said. "The two-hour finale, and all the characters are going to be coming together and meeting each other, and, you know, there's definitely, like, a desperate tone in the air, and ... the stakes are really high. So people are taking on different powers. Milo's [Ventimiglia] character [Peter Petrelli] is taking them [on]. Sylar's [Zachary Quinto] [is] taking them [on], and, you know, it's definitely going to be good versus evil."
Meanwhile, Jeph Loeb, co-executive producer of the hit NBC series, told an audience at WonderCon that the season's final episodes will wrap up the arc of the first season and answer all the questions raised in the pilot. The finale will also seal the fates of some characters, while raising new questions and leaving open a number of cliffhangers leading into the second season, for which the producers are already preparing, he added. Heroes airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. NBC is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM