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DANNY BOYLE DEVELOPING THE RUNNING DEAD FOR HBO

HOLLYWOOD – The Zombie Apocalypse is almost upon us but this time in a television war of Zombie dramas, with HBO going head to head with the AMC show The Walking Dead, an producing a Danny Boyle created rival entitled The Running Dead.

A HBO exec spoke to Studio Exec on strict conditions of anonymity:

This show is not just a great big f*ck you to AMC [said Michael Lumbardo], it’s also going to be an exciting piece of boundary pushing television. But it is going to be a big f*ck you to AMC as well.

Danny Boyle said he was delighted at the opportunity to go back into the zombie world he’d created with 28 Days Later.

Me and Alex [Garland] made a breakthrough by making the zombies… well, less zombie-ish. The Walking Dead is okay, but the zombies are slow and people have to trip up or find themselves in an enclosed space. I’ve been talking to two sponsors – Nike and Red Bull – and we’re going to use that product placement as inspiration.

Mr. Boyle was cagey about the details and nothing seems to have been decided in terms of casting though Ewan MacGregor has been rumored for the lead role. However Boyle reacted with a guffaw at the idea of re-teaming with the Shallow Grave and Trainspotting star.

‘We could cast Ewan’s post-me career as one of the undead,’ he chortled cruelly but truly.

The Running Dead is due to air in the Fall of 2018.

CINEMA CHAIN AMC SET TO ALLOW FRISBEE IN SCREENINGS

HOLLYWOOD – One of the largest cinema chains in the country AMC is considering letting customers play Frisbee during films.

AMC chief executive Adam Aron said he wanted to encourage so-called millennials to visit the cinema. Speaking to Variety, Aron said:

You can’t tell a 22-year-old to watch a film and not play Frisbee. That’s not how they live their life. We can’t just keep saying stop throwing Frisbees in the cinema if that’s what they want to do. They’ll just go elsewhere.

But he said he would have to find a solution that did not disturb other movie-goers.

We’re looking at a variety of options (if you’ll excuse the pun). We could have special non-Frisbee screenings. Or we could perhaps have nets that would section off one part of the audience from another. No one wants to get hit in face by a Frisbee while they’re watching a film. I understand that. But this is the future and we can’t hold it back.

AMC operates almost 400 cinemas in the United States, with more than 5,000 screens. In February the firm announced its intention to buy rival Carmike, which will make it the largest cinema chain in the US. But Mr Aron said young adults today were not visiting the cinema as much as their parents did when they were young.

The fact of the matter is we’re losing out and one of the reasons is that the cinemas are seen as boring stuffy places, a bit like libraries where everyone going ‘shush’ and people actually paying attention to something for longer than three minutes. I mean, fuck!? Am I right?

Frisbee friendly screenings are only the start however.

We have a whole series of ideas. Hip hop dance competitions, happy sacks, one of those pools with loads of balls in them. I don’t even know what they’re called, badminton… oh and my favorite… trampoline cinema. Can you imagine going to see Spider-Man Homecoming and going up and down on a trampoline.

What do you think of the idea of Frisbees in the cinema? Please use the comment box below to vent your indifference.

AMC RELEASE PIC SHOWING WHO NEGAN KILLED IN THE WALKING DEAD

HOLLYWOOD – AMC have bowed to fan pressure and released a picture that reveals who Negan killed at the conclusion of the Season 6 finale of popular zombie romp The Walking Dead.

The Season Finale of Season 6 of The Walking Dead was a classical example of asking more questions than it answered, but the TV studio AMC have finally relented and released a picture that reveals who was killed by Negan in the final moments of Season 6. The photograph officially comes from a flashback in the first episode of Season 7 but confirms the story first published in the Studio Exec (see here) and flatly denied by the ignorant, the ill-informed and those with yeast infections. Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays Negan, told the Studio Exec:

It’s crazy. I was thinking I was going to have to keep this secret for months over the summer but I’m relieved to say now that it is out and I can share the joy and wonder of this ground-breaking crossover. I’ve been reading the first scripts for Season 7 and all I can say is there be dragons!

The new revelation was greeted with both shock and relief as fans struggling with competing Nerdidom versus a sense of jarring weirdness that The Walking Dead had done something genuinely surprising.

The White Walkering Dead will be broadcast in the Fall.

Image courtesy of @ThePixelFactor.

AMC REVEAL WHO NEGAN KILLED IN WALKING DEAD FINALE

HOLLYWOOD – Following a controversial Season 6 finale of The Walking Dead, AMC has decided to placate the fan base and reveal who Negan killed.

Ever since the finale of Season 6 of The Walking Dead, fans have been lighting up the internet with a variety complicated theories and general complaint. Some comments have been longer than The Lord of the Rings and some theories are more complex than the General Theory of Relativity. However, following a fan petition and several negative reviews, AMC have revealed who Negan, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, killed in the final episode of Season 6.

A source from the Studio told the Studio Exec EXCLUSIVELY:

The fact of the matter is Negan didn’t killed Rick or Glenn or Daryl. As a matter of fact, he didn’t kill an major character from the Walking Dead. That was a huge misdirection on the part of the showrunner. Instead, it was a major character from a different show.

A different show? An AMC show?

Nope. A different highly successful show from HBO.

HBO? You don’t mean…

You know nothing Studio Exec.

Negan killed Jon Snow?

You know noth…

Shut up. Just shut up! It doesn’t make any sense.

You know nothing.

The Walking Dead Season 7 will be broadcast in the Fall.

THERE’S ACTUALLY ANOTHER EPISODE OF THE WALKING DEAD TO GO

HOLLYWOOD – Season 6 of The Walking Dead seemed to come to an end with an irritating finale to what has been an irritating season all round, but bosses at AMC have revealed that the final show was not actually the finale at all.

AMC’s The Walking Dead has tortured its fans throughout a weird season 6 and the finale that introduced Negan and killed off a major character without identifying who it was, went beyond cliffhanging and became simply infuriating. However, AMC bosses have revealed that the cliffhanging ending was not in fact an ending at all.

Speaking EXCLUSIVELY to the Studio Exec, an anonymous source at AMC called Scott Gimple revealed (some SPOILERS):

We had this one up our sleeves all along and I think fans are going to go ape shit when they find out. Although last night’s show was officially the season finale in a further twist we have actually filmed a further episode – an epilogue if you like – and we will put this out at the same time next week, but without any publicity, trailers or anything. It’ll just be a shock to one and all.

So why are you telling us?

Because you’re the Studio Exec. Who’ll believe you?

Good point. So what will the new episode resolve?

We want to set up the next season and a cliffhanger is always fun but we realized we’d gone too far this time. You can’t have people worried if Glenn is dead again, or who else it might have been that Negan killed. So in next week’s hour long episode we’ll resolve those issues, but at the same time, we might set up a few new ones for you to worry about. Plus we have a lot of footage of the RV reversing away from blocked roads which we didn’t use in the season finale and so we’d like to find a home for that.

The Walking Dead is on AMC.

FANS EAT WALKING DEAD ACTOR ANDREW LINCOLN

HOLLYWOOD – The sad news arrived today that Andrew Lincoln the actor who plays Rick Grimes in the popular zombie show The Walking Dead has been eaten by fans.

British born actor Andrew Lincoln was leaving an In and Out hamburger bar having just eaten a large meal when he was stopped by a group of fans to sign autographs. Lincoln laughingly obliged and even agreed to take some selfies with the, fans many of whom were children. However, what he had failed to notice was that a crowd was gathering behind him.

An eyewitness told the Studio Exec what happened next:

One of the fans who was standing beside Lincoln as he was signing these autographs just leaned in and had a nibble of one of Lincoln’s fingers. Andrew didn’t seem fazed. He just kind of said ‘ouch’ and something along the lines of ‘hey quit that’. But at that point it was like the others had scented blood and a large women with a Breaking Bad t-shirt on just chomped down on Lincoln’s neck and tore out a lump of flesh. The chords and tendons were coming out and then they were all over him. Before long just couldn’t see anything but red mist and his entrails being yanked in the air like so much fetid rope.

F*cking hell!

I know. The worst thing was the sound of him screaming. He was screaming and screaming for someone to help him but the people who came running just joined in the mayhem. ONe had hold of his head and as he pulled it off the vocal chords stretched and the screams became screeches until the chords snapped with a sickening twang.

Like a homage to Day of the Dead?

Exactly what I thought. It was Romero all over.

The makers of the show have insisted however that it will continue.

An insider at AMC told the Studio Exec:

We always knew that it was only a matter of time before Andrew got eaten by a horde of rabid fans. In fact, we take it as a testament to the show that our fans are so committed to the characters and the story. We’ll find away of incorporating Andrew’s fate into the story line and I’m happy to say that because of stringent intellectual property rights deals that we’ve made, we also own Andrew Lincoln’s eviscerated corpse.

The Walking Dead is showing on AMC.

NO NEW TV FOR 2017 ‘SO THAT WE CAN CATCH UP’

HOLLYWOOD – HBO, AMC, Netflix, Amazon, Showtime and Fox have all declared that absolutely no new TV shows will be broadcast in 2017.

The decision came following a meeting with the head of all the studios involved and a joint statement was issued EXCLUSIVELY to the Studio Exec.

The thing is we’ve noticed that this year is going to be a bumper year for television with show after show maintaining an astonishingly high quality of writing, acting and production. There are in fact so many shows and so many platforms on which to watch the shows that is has come to our attention that the average American has over one hundred hours of television backlogged and there is very little chance of that backlog going away if there isn’t some kind of moratorium. So that is what we have got together and done.

The move comes after similar moves in Europe have had salutary effects on their respective populace. The BBC made no shows in the UK last year and said that people were drinking more and generally happier. In Italy no new TV shows have been produced for fifteen years and on average people live twenty years longer, if they don’t kill themselves.

What do you think of 2017 being a TV free year?

Is it enough time for you to finally watch the last five episodes of Mr. Robot?

Will you go back and finally start watching The Good Wife or Bloodlines?

Answer these questions in our comment box or I will find you and I will kill you.

5 FACTS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT THE WALKING DEAD

HOLLYWOOD – AMC’s The Walking Dead returns for part two of its sixth season on Sunday with the show’s central group of survivors in danger from the zombie onslaught.

With The Walking Dead returning, everyone is very excited but what do we really know about The Walking Dead? We sent the Studio Exec undead FACT Squad into the post-apocalyptic wastelands to get the FACTS.

The Walking Dead takes its title from a Johnny Cash lyric: ‘I hear the zombies approaching, they’re walking and they’re dead, I fear that I can’t kill them lest I shoot them in the head, the Walking Dead are coming, and there’s nothing I can do, but I swear by the Lord Jesus, I’m gonna kill me a few.’ The song was turned into a series of graphic novels by Robert Kirkland and these in turn were then turned into a TV series which tragically Johnny himself never got an opportunity to watch.
The original event that causes the zombification of the world is confined entirely to diet.
The real name of the main actor playing Rick Grimes, which is given as Andrew Lincoln, is actually Egg.
Although the Walkers are similar to zombies they aren’t actually the same. In fact, the original show runner for the first season Frank Darabont called them Werewolves with alopecia. His continued insistence that the Walkers should be though of as Werewolves caused a rift in the creative team – who believed the Walkers to be uncool and clumsy vampires.
A HBO made rip off The Walking Dead to be directed by Danny Boyle is planned for production later this year. It is to be based on 28 Days Later and is called The Running Dead.

For more FACTS on everything from this to that click HERE!

MARK MAYHEW REALIZES HE HAS 3 SEASONS OF MAD MEN TO CATCH UP ON

CONNECTICUT – Software designer mark Mayhew today realized that he has 3 seasons of AMC’s Mad Men to catch up on and not 2 as he originally thought.

Speaking EXCLUSIVELY to the Studio Exec, via Skype, the 43 year old Mayhew expressed his shock when he realized his mistake:

I knew that Mad Men was coming to an end and I had the fourth season box set sitting there waiting for me, but I was sure that there were only six seasons. But then I checked on Wikipedia and it turns out that they’ve done seven. When did that happen?

Are you going to marathon them?

That was the idea. But three seasons? Woof, that’s a big ask. I mean I probably will, but I just can’t believe there have been that many. I mean I was watching them every week and then my wife had a baby and a few other things happened, and I just lost sight of it. I’m ashamed to say. It’s not quite as bad as ER, which just went on and on and no one was watching it anymore. I just gave up on that. And I totally lost Lost, but 3 Seasons of Mad Men I think are doable and the design of the show is really impressive.

Showrunner Matthew Weiner personally apologized for the inconvenience:

We’ve been meaning to wrap up for some time and the scheduling has been crazy, so all I can say to Mr. Mayhew is thanks for the patience, enjoy the last seasons and we hope it’ll be worthwhile. John Hamm and Elizabeth Moss are amazing and I think Mr. Mayhew will agree at least with that.

The Seventh Season of Mad Men is the final one.

BETTER CALL SAUL TO FEATURE ZOMBIES

HOLLYWOOD – Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul will feature zombies, AMC confirmed last night.

The show – which is due to broadcast early in 2015 – stars Bob Odenkirk as the eponymous lawyer Saul Goodman prior to his involvement with Jesse Pinkman and Walter White. Show creator Vince Gilligan told the Studio Exec EXCLUSIVELY:

We really wanted to differentiate it from the original show, Breaking Bad, but at the same time we know that it needs to be big. So I was watching The Walking Dead and I thought, ‘Hey! What if we had zombies in the new show?’ I came into the writer’s room the next day and when I told them my idea they were all so happy they literally fell around laughing. I went and rewrote the pilot straight away.

But how will the zombie apocalypse fit in with the rest of the plot?

At first it didn’t, but then I was talking to Damon Lindelof and it was really liberating because he just said, ‘How do you know they’re not ALL already dead, from the very beginning?’ I had never thought that you could do something like that but once I realized they could all be dead and the only thing would be a kind of dream like in Jacob’s Ladder then you don’t really have to worry about consistency or logic or anything.

But does that mean Breaking Bad…?

Yep, they’re all dead.

That’s sh…

Shockingly good. I know.

Better Call Undead Saul will be broadcast in 2015.

JJ ABRAMS TO PRODUCE LINDELOF

HOLLYWOOD – JJ Abrams is set to return to the world of long running mystery TV shows with Lindelof, due to screen on AMC this Fall.

The show, which has already been green lit for a 7 season run by AMC will focus on the titular character and his inexplicable macabre influence on pop culture. The press release gives us a tantalizing glimpse of what is super 100% sure to be a global hit!

Visionary writer and director JJ Abrams invites you to join him on a quest into adventure and intrigue with his new show Lindelof!

Starring a cast of some people who were in Under The Dome and Sliders, Lindelof will challenge you to ask the ultimate questions: ‘Why is Lindelof?’ and ‘Is this purgatory?’ and ‘Where are my shoes?’ But, hey, don’t expect an answer. (Your shoes are where you left them.)

The story takes place entirely in the mind of a struggling writer (Kaufmanesque?) bitching about plot holes on an Internet forum in 2006 (or does it?) and has cool ideas about something to do with the pyramids, Erich Von Daniken books and the Bermuda Triangle that will be thrown out by Season 2, probably. Viewers can expect to see really cool teasers with cryptic clues for the next few months and even the odd glimpse of what could be Lindelof himself, or it might be the shadow of Stanley Tucci superimposed on a replica of the Mayan calendar! One thing’s for sure: Abrams ain’t telling the guy writing the press release! I’m not complaining though, this is an okay job I suppose. But I’m a writer too you know, and I have some really high concept ideas that would kick serious box office butt. Still, at least I’ve got my foot in the door.

Wait a second…I’m a struggling writer, this show is about a struggling writer. Am I a part of the show? Is THIS the show? Is this some kind of meta advertising? Am I typing in hieroglyphs? What do these numbers mean? 23 42 889

Lindelof is coming soon.

BETTER CALL SAUL WILL FEATURE HAN SOLO

HOLLYWOOD – Han Solo will be a returning cast member to AMC’s Breaking Bad spin off Better Call Saul, Vince Gilligan today confirmed.

Speaking exclusively to the Studio Exec show runner, Gilligan commented live via Skype from his own private island that he has named Vince’s Island:

We were unsure about having cast members return. But Bryan Cranston I know is keen to come back and appear as a cameo, as is Aaron Paul.

Have you had an opportunity to talk to Harrison Ford?

What about?

About appearing in Better Call Saul as Han Solo, possibly one of everyone’s favorite characters from the original series.

But you mean the original series of Star Wars, not Breaking Bad? That’s a whole different…

I heard he broke his ankle.

What?

Harrison Ford broke his ankle on the set.

Oh yeah. Yes that’s true.

‘Yes. That’s true’. There we have it.

But I didn’t mean….

[End of Transmission]

So it’s confirmed Han Solo will feature as a recurring character in Better Call Saul.

Better Call Saul is due to be broadcast this Fall.

WALKING DEAD PREQUEL ANNOUNCED

HOLLYWOOD – AMC have confirmed that a prequel to their highly successful zombie series The Walking Dead will air on the channel in the Fall of 2016.

“We’re very excited to be opening a new chapter of The Walking Dead,” said AMC Spokesman Chip Woods.

We’ve got some of the best screenwriters in the business and Akiva Goldsman working on the scripts and judging by what they’ve already delivered. I can safely say this spin-off is going to blow peoples minds.

Tentatively titled The Walking Friends, Wood’s revealed the prequel will focus on a group of New Yorkers in their 40s who live in the same apartment building and congregate around a local coffee shop called the Perk Central.

It will be much more light-hearted and comical than the original series. Sure there is a vast audience that enjoys spending their evening watching old men getting decapitated and children being devoured but we aim to target the more squeamish market. We had a lot of options for a prequel because things were fairly normal before the virus struck but rather than take a risk, we decided on a tried and tested sitcom format.

Recent rumors have named Matt Le Blanc, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, Courtney Cox and David Schwimmer as potential cast members but Walking Dead fans have been expressing outrage on social media that the one obvious candidate doesn’t seem to be in the running.

I know a lot of the fans are disappointed that Norman Reedus won’t be part of the show but he’s committed to his role in the flagship series. However, I can exclusively reveal right now that Denise Richards will play one of our leading ladies, Raquel, which I’ll think you’ll agree more than compensates for Norman’s absence.

The Walking Friends is due for release later in 2016.

BREAKING BAD SUPPORT GROUPS PASSED BEFORE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

HOLLYWOOD – In a moment of rare political cooperation, congressional Republicans have rushed through a last minute bill providing federal funding for the establishment of Breaking Bad support groups aimed at combating the ill effects of withdrawal from Vince Gilligan’s Emmy winning AMC show.

The legislation was rushed through both houses before the government shut down came into effect and received overwhelming majorities in both bodies. John Boehner and Harry Reid met at the eleventh hour to thrash out the details of the bill which will see the immediate institution of federally funded Breaking Bad Reach Out Groups. A joint statement read:

There are times when even in the midst of bitter political dispute all branches of government must come together in a display of national unity.

The move is not unprecedented. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the death of Bobby Ewing and the finale of The Sopranos, similar bi-partisan moves have been taken. However, lawmakers made it clear that such unity could only be shown when the matter was of the highest priority and as for providing health care or balancing the budget, Boehner said ‘that shit was trivial by comparison’.

Please consult local government websites for your nearest Breaking Bad Support Group.