Burn Notice Comes to Comics!

USA Today (via Comic Book Resources) reports that USA has partnered with DC comics to produce a Burn Notice graphic novel.  However, it can't be bought in comic book stores.  (Damn.)  Rather, it's an online, interactive graphic novel.  The 12-chapter serial, "A New Day," can be read on USA's website and Facebook.  According to the paper, "Issues of the graphic novel will include games, ciphers, 'peelaways' revealing steps of the art process, exclusive video and more."  The network views the comic as "a unique extension of the ongoing Burn Notice mythology," and as such the project is being overseen by show creator Matt Nix. According to CBR, series scribe Ryan Johnson and script coordinator Peter Laylaynis penned the comic, which is drawn by Tony Shasteen. I'm not sure if it will be possible depending on the levels of interactivity, but I hope this ends up in a printed format as well one day.  Burn Notice lends itself so well to comics that I'd love to see DC do a full series. 

Season 5 kicked off last night on USA.

Reminder: Burn Notice Returns Tonight

The new season of Burn Notice kicks off tonight, June 23, at 9:00 on USA. As previously reported, Lauren Stamile joins the cast in the sixth episode as Michael's new CIA contact, Kim Pearce, described as a female Michael Westen.

New Spy DVDs Out Today: Burn Notice, Leverage and Bond

It's quite a day for fun retro cable spy (or spy-ish) shows!  Today sees new season releases for both USA's Saint-like Burn Notice and TNT's Mission: Impossible-like Leverage. 

First up, from Fox Home Entertainment comes Burn Notice: Season Four... in which the great Bruce Campbell (Sam Axe) finally makes the front cover for the first time!  (Along with the also-deserving Sharon Gless.)  Like Season Three, this release is DVD-only; there's no Blu-ray.  (Likely this decision is due to the abysmal reviews received by the high-def BD transfer of the second season, the only one issued on that format.)  Bonus features on this set include "never-before-seen bonus footage such as 'Sam Axe's Guide to Ladies and Libations,' 'Burn Notice Roasts White Collar', 'White Collar Roasts Burn Notice,' audio commentaries, a behind-the-scenes stunt featurette, a gag reel and tons of deleted scenes!" Retail for the 4-disc set is $49.98, but of course it's much less than that right now on Amazon: just $29.99. The spin-off telefilm starring Campbell that followed the fourth season, Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe, is not included on this set, but will be available on its own on DVD and Blu-ray on July 26.

Read my review of Burn Notice: Season One here.

Also out today, from Paramount, is TNT's very entertaining Leverage: The 3rd Season. The four-disc set of this lighthearted, latter-day Mission: Impossible includes audio commentaries on all 16 episodes, a gag reel, deleted scenes, and the behind-the-scenes featurettes "On Set with Colton & Aboud: The New Writers of Leverage," "Inside the Leverage Writers' Room" and "Leverage: What Does a Producer Do?" I'm surprised last year's Comic-Con panel isn't included, but that's a pretty generous batch of extras nonetheless. SRP is $39.99, but Amazon's got it for $26.99 at the moment.

Read my review of Leverage: The 1st Season here.

In addition to those shows, Fox and MGM are also slipping in another James Bond release today.  The Sean Connery Collection: Volume 2 assembles Connery's fourth, fifth and sixth Bond films together in one slim, convenient and attractive DVD-size case. It's not a 3-disc set, though; this is a 6-disc set, as it includes both discs of each of the Special Edition DVDs of Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever.  So you get those three movies (in breathtaking Lowery restorations), plus all the bonus material from the original Special Edition releases in one low-priced set.  Retail is $24.98, but Amazon has The Sean Connery Collection: Volume 2 for just $19.99.  It seems highly unlikely that anyone reading this blog wouldn't have these movies yet, but if you don't (and you haven't made the Blu-ray plunge), then this is a good way to buy them.  I wonder why it took them this long to release Region 1 Bond collections by actor?  It just makes sense!  (Except that such a release strategy would presumably end up excluding some of the very best films in the series, those starring George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton.)  I have no idea if there are any plans for Roger Moore collections, but as the "Volume 2" would seem to signify, this Connery set is a follow-up to The Sean Connery Collection: Volume 1, which snuck out under the radar (unnoticed by me, anyway) back in January and includes (naturally) Dr. No, From Russia With Love and Goldfinger. Now if only MGM would get around to putting out the rest of the Bond titles on Blu-ray...  I want On Her Majesty's Secret Service and The Spy Who Loved Me in high-def!  (And all the others, too, of course.)

Gavin Rossdale to Appear on Burn Notice

In other USA casting news, EW reports that former Bush frontman and current Mr. Gwen Stefani Gavin Rossdale will appear on Burn Notice this season as a wealthy villain.  I hope he has a gadget suitcase that sprouts razorblades.  It's not Rossdale's first foray into television; he previousy guest-starred on a 2009 episode of Criminal Minds. Additionally, 24 and NCIS veteran Davad Dayan Fisher (he plays a CIA operative on NCIS) will appear in the same episode as a ruthless mercenary. 

Upcoming Spy DVDs: More Info On The Fall of Sam Axe

Fox has officially announced the Burn Notice spin-off TV movie, The Fall of Sam Axe, for release on DVD and Blu-ray on July 26.  If you're experiencing déjà vu, that's because the studio let the cat out of the bag early in a press release last month about series creator Matt Nix signing a new overall deal.  Now they've issued another press release specifically about the Bruce Campbell prequel, which depicts Sam's final mission as a Navy SEAL prior to the events of the TV show.  According to TV Shows On DVD, Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe will be available both on DVD and Blu-ray.  (So far only the second season of the show has been issued in the high-def format.)  Both releases contain an extended cut of the telefilm running 108 minutes and including scenes not seen on the USA television broadcast.  Extras include an audio commentary (participants TBA, but you'd have to assume Bruce Campbell, as he is the King of the Audio Commentary, and hope for director Jeffrey Donovan as well), a featurette called "The Fall of Jeffrey Donovan" (presumably about series star Donovan's move behind the camera), deleted scenes and a gag reel.  July 26?  Hm, that's right after the San Diego Comic Con, where The Fall of Sam Axe was first announced last year.  And if there's anything besides DVD audio commentaries that Bruce Campbell is the king of, it's Comic Con.  (Hail to the King, baby.)  I'd say there's a good bet that this DVD will be heavily promoted at this year's con, and possibly even offered for sale early.  Fox Home Entertainment has a history of offering limited edition DVDs early at Comic Con, including Futurama and Dollhouse.  If I hear anything official along those lines, I'll keep you posted...

Lauren Stamile Handed a Burn Notice

Lauren Stamile, who made a memorable impression last summer with her guest appearance on Matt Nix's other show, The Good Guys, will join Nix's Burn Notice this season in a major role.  Stamile is probably best known for her recurring roles on Community (as Joel McHale's love interest, Professor Slater) and Gray's Anatomy (as Rose, the "other woman" who dared to come between the show's heroine and "Doctor McDreamy").  On Burn Notice, TVLine's Michael Ausiello reports that Stamile will play Kim Pearce, "a brilliant, unpredictable and formidable" CIA operative sent by the Agency to investigate the murder of another agent. "She leans on Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) to help her find the killer, only to learn that Michael himself may be involved." Interestingly, Stamile co-starred (playing Kate Jackson) with another former Burn Notice actress, Tricia Helfer (as Farrah Fawcett), in the 2004 TV movie Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Charlie's Angels. (Now they need only find a role for Christina Chambers to collect all the fake Angels!)

Personally, I have to say, I'm thrilled to report this particular news item, because Lauren is a friend of mine and I think she'll make a wonderful addition to the Burn Notice gang. Stay tuned, because I have a feeling I just might be able to finagle an exclusive interview with her around the time her episodes start to air...

As previously reported, after debuting in the last season's finale, The Tailor of Panama's Dylan Baker will also recur this season on Burn Notice. The new season begins June 23 on USA.

Upcoming Spy DVDs: The Fall of Sam Axe

Judging from a Deadline story about Burn Notice creator Matt Nix signing a new (and very lucrative) overall deal with Fox TV Studios, Fox has announced the DVD of last night's Burn Notice spinoff telefilm amidst a press release about the deal.  According to the trade blog, Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe will hit DVD on July 26. As previously reported, Burn Notice: Season 4 comes out June 7.  Since this is just a mention in another press release, there is no word yet on extras or Blu-ray prospects. But I'm hopeful that, since they're releasing this one on its own as opposed to lumping it in with the eventual Season 5 DVDs, that we'll get a healthy assortment of bonus material.  It would make sense given Bruce Cambell's DVD-hungry fanbase.  (I don't think any title has ever had as many different DVD releases as Campbell's Sam Raimi collaborations The Evil Dead or Army of Darkness!)  Personally, I've got my fingers crossed for a commentary with Campbell and director Jeffrey Donovan at the very least.  I loved the telefilm, by the way, and would love to see more of these prequels about either Sam or Michael prior to their Burn Notice adventures.  If you can't wait until late July, The Fall of Sam Axe is currently available to view on Amazon Instant Video and Instant Video HD.

Tradecraft: USA Announces its Summer Spy Schedule

Two of my favorite spy shows are on USA, and both return this summer.  According to Deadline, USA announced their summer programming today, and revealed the premiere dates for new summer seasons of Burn Notice and Covert Affairs.  The surprisingly good Piper Pearabo CIA dramady (review here) returns on Tuesday, June 7 at 10PM, while the ever reliable Jeffrey Donovan hit (which will be coming in fresh off of a Bruce Campbell-powered spinoff telefilm, The Fall of Sam Axe) comes back on Thursday, June 23 at 9.  I'm eagerly looking forward to both dates!

Sam Axe Trailer

USA has posted a trailer for next week's TV movie Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe starring Bruce Campbell. It's got lots of fantastic Bruce Campbell moments and looks great! Here's the official synopsis:

Before Sam Axe teamed up with Michael and Fiona, he was Commander Axe, U.S. Navy SEAL. The Fall of Sam Axe tells the story of how Sam went from respected Naval Commander to the man of mystery we’ve come to know on Burn Notice. On what will turn out to be Sam’s last military mission, he is sent to the jungles of Colombia to investigate claims of a vicious terrorist organization known only as the “Espada Ariente” (Flaming Sword). His mission: to determine whether U.S. military aid is necessary to deal with the threat. But when he arrives, things are more complicated than he’d imagined. He receives word that the rebels have targeted a small civilian clinic deep in the jungle. Sam must now save the clinic’s doctors and patients from certain death. However, nothing is as it seems and the Espada Ardiente may not be the biggest threat Sam Axe faces.

Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe, directed by series star Jeffrey Donovan, airs next Sunday, April 17 at 9 Eastern. The regular series returns this summer.

Upcoming Spy DVDs: Burn Notice and Leverage

TVShowsOnDVD reports that the latest seasons of two of basic cable's most fun hour-long shows are on their way to DVD.  According to the website, Burn Notice: Season Four will hit DVD on June 7 from Fox Home Entertainment.  And the great Bruce Campbell (Sam Axe) finally made the front cover for the first time!  (Along with the also-deserving Sharon Gless.)  Like Season Three, this release is DVD-only; there's no Blu-ray.  (Likely this decision is due to the abysmal reviews received by the high-def BD transfer of the second season, the only one issued on that format.)  Bonus features on this set include "never-before-seen bonus footage such as 'Sam Axe's Guide to Ladies and Libations,' 'Burn Notice Roasts White Collar', 'White Collar Roasts Burn Notice,' audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes stunt featurette, gag reel, and tons of deleted scenes!" Retail is $49.98, but of course you can currently pre-order it on Amazon for substantially less at $31.99.

TVShowsOnDVD also reports that TNT's Leverage: The 3rd Season will hit shelves that same day, June 7, courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment. The four-disc set of this lighthearted, latter-day Mission: Impossible includes audio commentaries on all 16 episodes, a gag reel, deleted scenes, and the behind-the-scenes featurettes "On Set with Colton & Aboud: The New Writers of Leverage," "Inside the Leverage Writers' Room" and "Leverage: What Does a Producer Do?" I'm surprised last year's Comic-Con panel isn't included, but that's a pretty generous batch of extras nonetheless. SRP is $39.99.

Read my review of Burn Notice: Season One here.
Read my review of Leverage: The 1st Season here.

Burn Notice Prequel Movie Gets Title, Premiere Date

Whoops, I'm a few weeks behind on this. USA has announced that the Bruce Campbell Burn Notice spin-off telefilm we're all so excited about will be called Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe and will air on April 17 at 9PM on USA. Here's the bulk of the press release, per The Futon Critic:

BURN NOTICE: THE FALL OF SAM AXE, starring Bruce Campbell, will premiere Sunday, April 17 at 9/8c on USA Network. The prequel film to USA's smash hit series takes place in Colombia 2005 when Lieutenant Commander Sam Axe (Campbell) is sent to advise a local military platoon. It's there he discovers deep layers of deception and ultimately realizes he may be allied with the wrong side. Shot on location in Bogota, Columbia, the two hour movie is directed by BURN NOTICE star Jeffrey Donovan.

BURN NOTICE: THE FALL OF SAM AXE also stars RonReaco Lee ("The Good Guys," "Madea Goes to Jail"), Kiele Sanchez ("Lost," "The Glades"), John Diehl ("Miami Vice," "Stargate") and Chandra West ("John From Cincinnati," "The Gates").

The prequel is written and executive produced by BURN NOTICE creator Matt Nix. Donovan and Campbell also serve as executive producers on the Fox Television Studios project alongside BURN NOTICE's Mikkel Bondesen.

That's also the first mention I've seen of the supporting cast (though I haven't been following the Twitter feeds). Like all of America, I was kind of cool on Nikki and Paolo on Lost, but the episode that focused on them was kind of awesome, and I did like Kiele Sanchez on what I saw of The Glades, another Florida-set cable show. Miami Vice vet John Diehl (who also played G. Gordon Liddy in Oliver Stone's Nixon) should make a good untrustworthy superior/foil for Campbell as Rear Admiral Lawrence. I can't wait for April 17!

Tradecraft: Jeffrey Donovan To Direct Bruce Campbell In Burn Notice Prequel Movie

Deadline has lots of new details on the Burn Notice spinoff movie focusing on Bruce Campbell's character, Sam Axe, that was first announced last summer at Comic-Con.  Most importantly, the two-hour film (which was announced rather informally during the Burn Notice panel), has an official greenlight.  It begins filming in January, on location in Bogota, Columbia, Burn Notice creator Matt Nix will write the script, and Michael Westen himself, Jeffrey Donovan, will direct.  (Donovan made his directorial debut on this season's "Made Man" episode, which focused on Campbell's character.)  The movie will premiere on USA sometime in the spring, presumably bridging what's likely to be a longer-than-normal gap between seasons, since the second part of Season 4 started earlier than usual, in November instead of January.

The trade blog also reveals that this prequel spinoff is set in late 2005 and focuses on Sam's final mission as a Navy SEAL. "It begins after a faction of Colombian rebels makes trouble for the locally stationed military platoon, with Lieutenant Commander Axe (Campbell) being sent down to investigate. As the mission unfolds, Sam begins to uncover the dark secrets of the area, learning the truth about sacrifice, deception, and ultimately what’s worth fighting for."  I'm kind of surprised that it's just 2005, because I got the idea that Sam was supposed to have been lounging around Miami for more than just a couple of years when Burn Notice began in 2007.  If it's only supposed to be a few years earlier, though, I guess Campbell doesn't have to slim down as much!  He's already been shedding weight for this prequel, though, as proven by Sam's sudden preference for tight T-shirts over baggy Hawaiians in recent episodes of the show. 

Now, I'm a huge Bruce Campbell fan.  When I first heard about Burn Notice, the angle I took in my initial post on the subject was "New Bruce Campbell Spy Series."  Like millions of movie geeks and horror fans, I love him.  But apparently USA executives didn't really realize that until Comic-Con in 2009.  USA's president of original programming Jeff Wachtel told Deadline, "We saw Bruce Campbell as the Bruce Springsteen of Comic Con [at that initial '09 panel]. We saw the spectacular explosive fan reaction and realized that, in Bruce, we had not only a great actor but also a pop culture icon." And that's where the idea came from to do this Bruce-centric spinoff film.  I'm glad they finally caught on!  It's also cool to see the power of fan response at Comic-Con directly affecting programming like that.  Is there a possibility of more Sam movies in the future, or even a whole spinoff series?  "It is a one-off," says Wachtel... for now. "We’ll see how it goes." 

I certainly wouldn't want to see Bruce leave Burn Notice, but a spinoff series after the show ends would be good, as would more movies.  I suppose it would also be cool to see future prequel films about Fiona and Michael, but I'm most into the Sam idea.  It's too bad they're starting off with his last mission, since that would mean that any further prequels would have to take place even further in the past... and Bruce Campbell doesn't age like Benjamin Button. 

For more Bruce Campbell spyishness, check out Jack of All Trades (on which he played a Revolutionary War-era American spy in the Caribbean) and the "Stagecoach" episode of The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (which is one of my favorite TV shows of all time, and what made me a Bruce Campbell fan to begin with).

Reminder: Burn Notice Starts Early This Winter

USA has started an ad campaign to remind viewers that the winter portion of Season 4 of Burn Notice kicks off in November this year instead of January, as previously announced.  November 11, to be precise–next week!  Deadline points out that the poster boasts virtually the same tagline as A&E's The Glades, which is also set in Florida. Consequently, USA has stopped using it.

Tradecraft: Michael Westen Gets A Worthy Antagonist

The Burn Notice formula where every season Michael meets another player, slightly higher up on the ladder toward the people who burned him, and that character pulls his strings for the season before being killed or otherwise ousted, is wearing thin.  But at least the next rung on the ladder is an intriguing one.  Deadline reports that Dylan Baker has been cast in a "key role" on the series.  According to the trade blog, "He will appear in the fourth season finale and is rumored to possibly recur next season. Baker will play Max: no stranger to the corridors of power, Max is a brilliant, plugged-in operator from Michael's (Jeffrey Donovan) past who may soon hold the keys to his future." 

Personally, I like the idea of Jeffrey Donovan facing off against Dylan Baker.  Baker may not be a physical match for Donovan, but he can easily portray a shrewd one.  I'm a big fan of the character actor, who had a great small but crucial role in the final third of The Tailor of Panama, a superb John Le Carré adaptation starring Pierce Brosnan.  Baker is probably best known to wide audiences as Peter Parker's professor Curt Connors in Sam Raimi's Spider-man films.  The character was being set up to eventually become the villain The Lizard (if the movies followed the comic book continuity, anyway), but has now apparently been thrown out along with the rest of the recurring cast members just as that villain finally takes center stage for the new "reboot" movie, which is too bad.  Hopefully the Burn Notice role proves to be a decent consolation prize.

Tradecraft: Burn Notice To Return Sooner Than Expected

In more USA spy series news, The Hollywood Reporter reports that Burn Notice, which goes on its yearly fall hiatus next week, will resume on USA in November instead of January this year.  USA, like many cable networks, presents its seasons in two batches: one in the summer, and another in the winter.  The winter edition of USA's signature spy series starts up on November 11 this year (James Bond's birthday!), meaning viewers won't have to wait that long for more Michael Westen after the summer edition wraps up on August 26.  Does that timing mean we'll get a very special Burn Notice Christmas episode this year?  (If so, please make Bruce dress up as Santa!)

COMIC-CON: Bruce Campbell To Star In Burn Notice Spin-Off

It was announced during today's Burn Notice panel that fan favorite Bruce Campbell will star in a Burn Notice spin-off movie which will tell the story of his character's final mission and retirement to Miami, events taking place prior to the series. Creator Matt Nix joked that he might even put a chainsaw in the Evil Dead star's hands. Presumably this prequel will be a TV movie, though that wasn't specifically stated.