Tuesday Link-A-Mania

More from the Star Wars set, a Pacific Rim 2 update and a tease for Under The Dome Season 2...

• Indicating that he understands just how much responsibility he has as the director of Star Wars Episode VII , JJ Abrams has apparently written an encouraging note to the cast and crew reminding them that they're responsible for making this work out too. First posted on ScreenCrush , the above note reads, "Dearest Cast and Crew, What an honor it is to work beside all of you, on Star Wars Ep VII. I can’t thank you enough, for all work past and future. Let’s take good care of not just ourselves, but of each other. Amazing, but true: the world awaits this film. Let’s give ‘em something GREAT . xo JJ."

• While Pacific Rim fans would love a sequel, it didn't turn out to be the monster hit that Godzilla is shaping up to be (although let's not pretend it didn't still make a ton of money ). Legendary Pictures is behind both projects, and yesterday we brought you the news that a sequel to Godzilla is moving along . For Pacific Rim it won't be so simple, though. In an interview with I Am Rogue , Legendary CEO Thomas Tull said, "Here’s the deal. We’re very close with Guillermo. He’s doing Crimson Peak for us right now. With the amount of money that we did on Pacific Rim , over $400 million, it didn’t quite hit our expectations, but it did better than a lot of other films."

He added, "If there’s another great story to tell with Guillermo then we’re all over it because we think it’s really hard to create one of these things from scratch. We’re not just going to do Pacific Rim 2 just to do it. Right now we’re talking to Guillermo del Toro. If we can crack the story, we all think it’s great, and if it’s him at the helm, then fantastic." All in all, this is probably good news for fans – there's no point making the sequel if it doesn't have an awesome story.

• With the first instalment of Harry Potter spin-off trilogy Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them , based on JK Rowling's book of the same name, now scheduled for release on 18 November 2016, it's time to get speculating about who'll direct the film. According to Nikki Finke (formerly the Editor-in-Chief of Deadline, now the Editor-in-Chief of her Twitter account), Oscar-winning Gravity and Prisoner of Azkaban director Alfonso Cuaron is "deep in talks" for the job. Rowling will write the screenplay.

• Former Walking Dead showrunner Glen Mazzara is eager to bring more horror to the small screen. The Hollywood Reporter has the news that he's writing a script titled Damien , a follow-up to disturbing 1976 horror The Omen . The show is being developed, oddly enough, for Lifetime (a network hardly known for genre ventures) and the story will focus on Damien as a young adult haunted by his past.

• Another teaser has been released for the next television series from Lost 's Damon Lindelof, HBO's The Leftovers. Based on Tom Perrotta’s bestselling novel, the show follows those left behind after 2% of the world's population suddenly disappears. Justin Theroux, Liv Tyler and Christopher Eccleston star.

• A first edition of the first ever X-Men comic is up for auction as part of a sale of collectables through online auction service, Auction My Stuff . The rare X-Men comic is sure to be the highlight of the 38 comics on sale, but there are other exciting prospects, including an Amazing Spider-Man Comic from 1965, a Daredevil comic from 1965 (the last time he was seen in his pre-red costume) and a Sub Mariner comic from 1941. Auction My Stuff founder Patrick Van der Vorst said, “We are extremely excited to be able to present this rare collection of comic books for public sale, all of which I’m sure will make a wonderful addition to any collection.” Online bidding is available until 29 May.

• Under The Dome has cast Brett Cullen ( Lost, Person of Interest, The Dark Knight Rises ) as Barbie’s father Don Barbara. He'll be appearing in Season two, which debuts on 30 June in the US and is expected to return to Channel 5 in August. The show has also released a teaser photo for its upcoming return, suggesting that the titular dome is now magnetic. Just to tease things further, Variety's Debra Birnbaum says showrunner Neal Baer told her that another character "will meet an untimely death."

Simon Cocks