Merlin star Colin Morgan has revealed that new episodes of Merlin will be darker than past instalments.

He told SFX that the third series of the BBC drama will see relationships between characters stretched to breaking point.

“Bad things are happening,” he confirmed. “The third series is set a year in the future. We get straight into the action and we don’t really hold back on a lot of the confrontations, and the changes in the characters are evident right from the very beginning.”

He added: “Friendships are being forged and broken and reborn and burned again.”

However, producer Julian Murphy insisted that comedy will still play a big part in the programme.

“It’s still a family show,” he claimed. “We’re careful about what we do. We also keep a lot of humour. There’s a fantastic story where a goblin (played by Mark Williams) appears, which is probably the funniest episode we’ve ever made.”

The new series of Merlin will air on BBC One in September.

Source: Digitalspy.

Series 3 in September, so please stop asking.

Making its first appearance at Comic-Con in San Diego, BBC’s “Merlin” brought stars Colin Morgan and Anthony Head, along with creators/writers Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy, across the pond to share what is up-coming for the show’s third season.

Morgan, who plays the title role of Merlin on the show, was clearly pleased with the warm reception by the fans. Although jet-lagged from the whirlwind trip to San Diego from the UK, Morgan did not mind that he was essentially flying out for one day and then quickly returning so that he could film a major stunt sequence for the show. His enthusiasm and excitement for both the show and the privilege of promoting the show at Comic-Con was infectious. He, along with co-star Anthony Head, were just happy that they were getting this chance to meet the fans.

Due to the show’s rigorous filming schedule, there is rarely a moment to breathe, let alone stop and fly half-way around the world. It was a miracle that they were able to carve out a window of time at all for such a jaunt. But by some lucky alignment of the stars, or perhaps a bit of Merlin’s fabled magic, they arrived to share a bit about the family adventure show that has captured the hearts of children and adults around the globe. Currently airing in over 180 countries, “Merlin” has sky-rocketed in popularity.

READ MORE @ insideblip.

Comic-Con is a place where all sorts of friends can meet, as evidenced by this photo. Cindy Morgan, who played Yori/Dr. Lora Baines in the original Tron film, claims that not only is Merlin currently her favorite television series, but that it is also the only one she watched regularly. King Uther himself, Anthony Head, has previously said that he is a huge fan of the original Tron. Since they were both in sunny San Diego for the big event at the same time, why not get everyone together? Tron: Legacy premieres in theaters on December 17th, though with the notable absence of Cindy. Merlin begins its third series this autumn on the BBC.

Source and picture credits: popculturezoo.

Thanks Lace.

I just got my BFI events guide for September through the door and they will, once again, be screening the first episode of the new series a couple of weeks in advance, with the kids funday beforehand.

In fact, they’ll be screening the first TWO episodes. WOO!

So far, all the program says is that it will be on Sunday 5th of September, screening eps 1 and 2 of the new series, with the funday starting at eleven and the screening starting at one. They also ‘hope to welcome cast members and crew for a panel discussion and Q&A’ afterwards, but that clearly means they can’t yet confirm who will be there. (Let’s hope for a full house like last year!)

I have searched the BFI site but it doesn’t appear to be up there yet, which means we can’t yet book tickets, however, according to my programme, members priority booking opens from 3rd of August for events in September, which means non-members will probably be able to book from a week or so after that.

Last year’s screening was AWESOME. I will totally be going to this one.

Source & written by gnimaerd.

SAN DIEGO – (Business Wire) The global phenomenon MERLIN will make its first-ever appearance at Comic-Con International with a special panel set for Sunday, July 25.

Lead actors Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Colin Morgan, who play King Uther and Merlin, respectively, will be joined on the one-hour panel by MERLIN executive producers and co-creators Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy.The panel promises a sneak preview of season three of the action-adventure drama, which is set in a Camelot where young Merlin must keep his magical powers secret or face death at the hands of King Uther, who has banned all such practices.

Coming to Comic-Con is a dream for us,” said Capps. “We air in more than 180 countries around the world and have become a fan favorite, so this is our chance to meet the fans, share secrets about Season 3 with them, and show them how excited we are that they have responded so enthusiastically to our fun and different take on Arthurian legend.”

READ MORE @ Earth Times

The producer of BBC One’s Merlin has revealed what fans can expect from the show’s third series.

Speaking to SFX, Johnny Capps admitted that Arthur is unlikely to discover Merlin’s true magical nature in the forthcoming episodes.

He explained: “I think that part of the format of the show is that Merlin keeps his magic a secret, just as Superman keeps his identity secret – and I think Arthur not knowing about it is the heart of the show.

“Presumably at some point Arthur would find out, but I think that would be very late on.”

Capps also revealed that the fate of Morgana, played by Katie McGrath, will be explored.

“Within the first five minutes you catch up as to where our characters have been. Camelot has been very focused on the search for Morgana, and Uther has been very concerned about where his ward is.” he said. “But when she comes back it’s very intriguing as to where her allegiances lie and what’s happened to her. She’s been on quite a journey.”

Emilia Fox, who previously appeared as Morgana’s villainous half-sister Morgause, will also return for the new run.

The third series of Merlin will air on BBC One later this year.

SOURCE

Several guest-stars for who’ll be cropping up in the forthcoming third season of Merlin have been revealed by actor Colin Morgan. The actor, who plays the title character in the series, was speaking to USA Weekend where he revealed some of the names fans can look forward to seeing in the next series. Amongst the names is actor Warwick Davis who has a long and varied career behind him. Actress Miriam Margolyes will also be appearing in the third season. The actress will be familiar to younger audiences for her role in the Harry Potter films and also appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures last year. Morgan also revealed that Santiago Cabrera will reprise his role of Lancelot in the next series.  

The third series of Merlin is expected to air on BBC One this autumn. In America the second series has been airing on Syfy to decent ratings following its first season on NBC.

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Do you enjoy the dragon stuff? I’m sure there are lots of computer graphics involved.
Yeah. Unfortunately, all the dragon actors are unavailable at the moment, so they have to green-screen one in. [Laughs] All the dragon scenes I’ve got are physically looking at a dot or often some kind of cross. Sometimes I make up my own eye line on a big green screen, and that’s really all I’m talking to, with the voice of John Hurt being played. So I actually get his dialogue, which is recorded in a studio in London. So at least I’ve got that – you can’t ask for a better voice to be playing against, really.

How much does something like that, where you have to act against a green screen or a wall, really test you as an actor?
It really does test you because it involves your imagination and creating things in your mind that aren’t there. What could it possibly be like to speak to a 30-foot dragon? The answer I’ve kind of come up with is, if you’re acting against something as big and fantastical as that, you can’t really be too big yourself. You can really just go for it, and not be embarrassed or think you’re looking silly doing it. You have to absolutely 100% believe in it. That’s how I approach those scenes where I’m either being chased by something or attacked by something or talking to something that isn’t there.

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Thanks TAZ for the heads up.

It’s been a dream start to Morgan’s career. Having finished training just three years ago, he landed one-off parts in The Catherine Tate comedy series (“She’s considered a bit of a genius here”) and a Doctor Who episode penned by TV guru Russell T. Davies. Together with critically acclaimed performances on stage, this earned him an Outstanding Newcomer Variety Showbiz award as well as a nomination for the Monte Carlo TV Festival awards 2009.

And he’s yet to turn 25.

“It is nice to get the recognition from fans as long as you don’t get too caught up in it,” he says. “I still feel awkward calling it fame ‘cos I think sometimes there’s a confusion between pursuing a passion for acting and something that happens, the recognition you can get from being a familiar face. I still feel embarrassed about (attention from female fans) because I’m not good at dealing with situations like that.

“Then, even just saying ‘Merlin series three’ out loud is a bit daunting. I’m not sure something like that ever becomes normal and I certainly don’t feel blase. I’m just as excited and nervous as ever.”

If Morgan has minor stage fright, he has every right. Merlin is a challenge.

First there’s the accent. Morgan has a pronounced Irish brogue, Merlin is straitlaced English. Initially producers were going to go with Morgan’s mother tongue but feared the public wouldn’t buy an Irish version of the wizard.

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During Ireland’s coldest January for 25 years the last sight local walkers expected to see was a film crew shooting in an exposed Dublin Bay car park. The four-week shoot for Parked kicked off with six days in the coastal car park in the centre of Dublin’s expansive, semicircular bay. The area is essentially industrial, dominated by the two tall chimneys of the electrical power station that are a distinctive landmark of the nation’s capital. Exposed to all of the elements – gale force onshore winds, rain and snow, sand and sleet – it makes for an inhospitable shooting environment, but one that suits the story perfectly.

Fred’s world is opened up by the arrival of Cathal, a chaotic, dope-smoking 21-year-old who also pulls up in the car park and makes it his home.

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Thanks Lace.