WIRE Buzz: Doctor Who S13 filming; Mortal Kombat movie delayed; Freakazoid! meets Teen Titans Go!

Brilliant! Production has officially begun on Season 13 of Doctor Who, BBC America announced today. Due to the current state of the world and the implementation of strict filming guidelines in the U.K., the series has been forced to reduce the episode count for the next installment.

"In this strangest of years, the Doctor Who production team have worked wonders to get the show back into production. We’re thrilled to be back making the show," showrunner Chris Chibnall said in a statement. "Given the complexity of making Doctor Who, and with new and rigorous COVID working protocols, it’s going to take us a little longer to film each episode, meaning we expect to end up with eight episodes, rather than the usual 11. But rest assured, the ambition, humor, fun and scares you expect from Doctor Who will all still be firmly in place. For everyone around the world, this is a challenging period — but the Doctor never shirks from a challenge!”

Credit: BBC America

"We are so thrilled to have unlocked the TARDIS, dusted down the sonic and be able to start filming again for the next season of Doctor Who," added BBC Studios executive producer Matt Strevens. "The amazing production team, crew and cast have worked wonders to get us shooting again in these challenging times. It’s going to be as fun-filled and action-packed as ever — with plenty of surprises."

Luckily, the show was able to film its holiday episode ("Revolution of the Daleks") before the pandemic hit. After the events of Season 12, the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) found herself locked away in an eternal prison. In "Revolution," the Doctor's best friends Yaz (Mandip Gill), Ryan (Tosin Cole), and Graham (Bradley Walsh) have to go on without her. "However, they soon discover a disturbing plan forming involving one of the Doctor’s biggest and most feared enemies – the Daleks. How do you fight the Daleks without the Doctor? With the Doctor’s fate unknown, just what will season 13 bring?" reads the official synopsis.

We're gonna have to wait a little longer for the Mortal Kombat movie to "FINISH HIM!"

Replying to a fan inquiry on Twitter earlier today, producer Todd Garner (Next, Isn't It Romantic) revealed that the project still has some shooting days left on the schedule. They were supposed to take place in March, but then the entire world went to Hell in a handbasket. "The pandemic had other plans," wrote Garner. "We won’t have a release date for the movie until theaters re-open. Same for trailer."

The upcoming film adaptation of the iconic fighting game is being directed by Simon McQuoid. Greg Russo (who is rumored to be writing a sequel to Netflix's live-action Death Note) and Dave Callaham (Wonder Woman) penned the screenplay. Russo conceived the central story with Oren Uziel (The Cloverfield Paradox).

The cast includes: Joe Taslim ("Sub-Zero"), Jessica McNamee ("Sonya Blade"), Hiroyuki Sanada ("Scorpion"), Tadanobu Asano ("Raiden"), Mehcad Brooks ("Major Jackson Briggs"), Josh Lawson ("Kano"), and Ludi Lin ("Liu Kang").

Mortal Kombat was previously adapted for the big screen in 1995 and 1997 respectively.

Super-teen extraordinaire Freakazoid will makie an appearance in this weekend's episode of Teen Titans Go! on Cartoon Network. Paul Rugg, who originally voiced the character of Freakazoid, revealed the news on Twitter, calling it a "mini-comeback." He'll be joined by three other familiar voices.

"Last year the folks at Teen Titans Go! sent me a script and it was pretty funny!" the actor wrote. They asked me to add a few things and I did and we recorded it last December. They also got David Warner! Ed Asner! And Joe Leahy! Ep this weekend!"

Getting Warner ("The Lobe") and Asner ("Sgt. Mike Cosgrove") to be a part of this special reunion is an achievement in and of itself. For context, Warner is 79-years-old, while Asner is a whopping 90. The fact that they agreed to reprise their characters all these years later (and at their current ages) is a testament to the enduring legacy of Freakazoid!, which ran for a total of 24 episodes across two seasons between 1995 and 1997 on Kids' WB. It was created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini — the creative duo that developed Batman: The Animated Series.

Steven Spielberg was an executive producer on Freakazoid, which adopted the same zany, scatterbrained, and fourth wall-breaking humor of the director's other animated endeavors: Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs. With both of those shows coming back via reboots (one on Cartoon Network/HBO Max, the other on Hulu), we wouldn't be surprised to see Freakazoid run around in his underwear on our screens once again.