Fringe is over, but that doesn’t mean you have to leave scene-stealer John Noble behind.  A teaser trailer has been released for the short film Friend, which stars Noble with a script he co-produced with his daughter Jess Noble, who wrote the script.  It has no relation to Fringe, but the show’s director of photographer David Geddes worked as the director and cinematographer on Friend.  As you can see from the teaser, it looks like a fairly intense short with a strong performance by Noble.

Hit the jump to check out the teaser.  Friend is currently going out on the festival circuit.

While everyone’s got a case of the Space Crazies thanks to the latest Star Wars spin-off news, we figured we might as well pass along the latest casting rumor for Star Wars Episode VII.  Word has it that John Noble (Fringe) is circling a role as a villain in the J.J. Abrams-directed picture that will kick-start a new trilogy.  This rumor was started by an Australian morning radio DJ in Melbourne with “a reliable source.”  Good enough for me!  Noble has the skills (and the jowls) to pull off a convincing hooded Sith lord or scheming member of the Senate and has an Abrams connection through Fringe, but I think we’ll wait to hear from a more reliable source.

In other news, hit the jump to see some scrapped concept art for a young Han Solo who was intended to appear in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. 

With time ticking towards the end of the beloved sci-fi series Fringe, actor John Noble took some time out to talk with the press, on a conference call from Australia, about his favorite moments and best memories of working on the show.  Viewers have gotten to see his character in the past, present and future, and in alternate universes, over the course of five seasons, which is a dream for any actor to get to play.  And, Noble promises that the finale will make fans happy and, he hopes, also go down as one of the best show finales in history.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

All good things must come to an end and so it is with FOX’s spectacular sci-fi series, Fringe, which will conclude its fifth and final season in a two-hour finale on Friday, January 18th starting at 8PM ET/PT.  Created by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, Fringe was an X-Files for a new generation, as it followed a team of specialized investigators into all things paranormal and supernatural.  Though it’s struggled with ratings throughout the years, the show’s smart writing, impressive cast and dark humor have earned Fringe a rabid fan base, one that sadly will not get to see the cast and crew return to Comic-Con any longer.

Starring Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Lance Reddick, Jasika Nicole and Blair Brown, the two-hour series finale of Fringe will also celebrate its 100th episode.  Your guess is as good as mine as to what the final episode code word will be.  Hit the jump for the full press release. 

The critically acclaimed and fan-favorite sci-fi drama series Fringe is back for a fifth and final 13-episode season. Promising to deliver a climactic and satisfying conclusion, things will pick up in 2036, when the Observers have become ruthless rulers who will reign supreme. Now, the Fringe team will make a final stand, bringing together all that they have witnessed, in order to battle and protect the world.

During this recent interview to promote the show’s return, showrunner/writer/executive producer J.H. Wyman talked about when they decided to set the final season in the future, where Peter (Joshua Jackson) and Olivia’s (Anna Torv) journey will go and how Walter (John Noble) has changed now, how he’s learned to constrain his ideas with a TV show budget, his reticence in changing the show so dramatically for the final season, what has changed most from the original plan, the major challenges they faced in bringing everything to a satisfying conclusion, whether there was always an intention to make the Observers the bad guys, and what he will take away from his experience on Fringe.  Check out what he had to say after the jump, but be are that there are some spoilers.

Much to the relief of plenty of fans, Fox has renewed Fringe for a fifth and final season.  It’s no secret that the show isn’t exactly a ratings smash, but the series has picked up considerable critical acclaim throughout its four-season run thus far.  Per TV Line, Fringe will return next season for a final run of 13 episodes, allowing it to reach the magic 100-episode number that makes it eligible for the lucrative business of syndication.  Fox president Kevin Reilly had this to say about the order:

“Bringing it back for a final 13 allows us to provide the climactic conclusion that its passionate and loyal fans deserve.”

Since the show was on the brink of cancellation, they show two endings to the current fourth season—one season finale, and one series finale.  Sadly, I stopped watching the show after only a couple of episodes so I can’t join in on the excitement that’s sure to come with this news, but I plan on catching up with the show sooner rather than later (thank you, Netflix).

One of the best sci-fi shows on any network is Fringe.  Week in and week out, the ratings-challenged FOX show tells great stories, introduces interesting characters, and pushes the boundaries of what television can do.  If you’re not watching the show, I strongly suggest tuning in.  And if you were an X-Files fan, do you remember when The X-Files was great?  When you couldn’t wait to see what was coming next?  That’s Fringe every week.

At last weekend’s WonderCon, I got to participate in group interviews with John Noble, Joshua Jackson and Seth Gabel.  They talked about being at WonderCon, what’s coming up on the show, the challenges of playing different versions of the same character, the chances of getting another season, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch.

The cast and crew of one of the best sci-fi procedurals since The X-Files were on hand for a Q&A at WonderCon this past weekend. Fans of Fox’s Fringe turned out in droves to show their support and gain some insight into the happenings of the show’s fourth season and possibilities of a fifth. The panel warmed up the audience with a montage of Walterisms from the eccentric Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble). These non sequiturs have been a mainstay in the show since the beginning and continue to be a highlight. Apart from that, the excellent casting, superb writing and edge-of-your-seat intrigue were then put on display in a clip from the upcoming episode, “A Short Story About Love.” Fringe, starring Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv and Lance Reddick returns this Friday, March 23rd at 9pm EST on Fox. Hit the jump to check out our recap and take a look at the Walterisms.

I’m way behind on my Fringe, but the promo material for season four makes a strong case for why I should catch up.  We posted the first four teasers in the “Where is Peter Bishop?” series last month.  Yesterday, Fox released the final entry—this time a full trailer.  The network still isn’t quite ready to answer that question, since Joshua Jackson appears only in brief flashes.  But the season premieres next Friday, September 23, so hopefully the devout among you won’t have to wait too long to find out.  Watch the trailer after the jump.

The Fringe Panel opened with what appeared to be an ordinary ol’ boring sizzle reel. Events from the previous season played out across the screen: the battle between two universes, Olivia trapped on the “other side”, Broyles barking out orders, Walter attempting to save the day, Astrid assisting… all the characters given a moment or two (Lincoln Lee, Nina Sharp, Charlie Francis) everyone except the male lead of the show. Peter Bishop was nowhere to be found. His de-existence branching out to  the very marketing of the show. What happened to Peter? How will he be brought back into existence (i.e. on the show)? Can he be? For the answers to these questions, hit the jump.

Last night, Warner Home Video held a big Lord of the Rings event at the West L.A. Best Buy to promote the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy Extended Edition on Blu-ray (here’s our review of the awesome set).  Shortly before the store opened to sell copies to the fans, I landed an interview with John Noble on the red carpet in front of the store.  While many of you might recognize Noble because of his awesome work as Dr. Walter Bishop on Fringe, he also played Denethor in both The Two Towers and The Return of the King.  As a huge fan of his work, it was really cool to get to talk to him.

During the interview we talked about making the Lord of the Rings, did he ever take anything home from set, which is his favorite film in the trilogy, and we also talked about Fringe season 3 and 4!  He revealed that they were rewriting the finale as they filmed it and he also dropped a few clues about next season.  Hit the jump to watch.

The 37^th Annual Saturn Awards were held last night. The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films honored the best in film, television, special effects and more. Inception was the big winner of the night, taking home five awards including Best Science Fiction Film. Other winners in the top categories include Fringe for Best Network Series, Breaking Bad for best Cable Series, Let Me In for Best Horror Film, Alice in Wonderland for Best Fantasy Film and Salt for Best Action/Adventure Film.

Hit the jump to see the full list of winners, and don’t forget to check out Collider’s interviews from the red carpet at the event. We spoke with Brandon Routh, Fringe’s Lance Reddick, and producer Dean Devlin.

The regular TV season is winding down, and it looks like Fox’s death-defiant sci-fi series Fringe is really going to deliver in their season finale. Fox has just released an epic new movie-style trailer for the finale, and it’s pretty crazy. I can’t imagine where this series is going, but I’m glad that a fourth season has already been greenlit so we can see what’s in store down the road. Rather than take up anymore of your time, I’ll just let this fantastic trailer speak for itself.  Check it out after the jump.

Even with a move to Friday night that upset many fans of the drama series, Fringe has been holding strong with its devoted followers, thanks to strong stories from its creative team and great acting from its cast, including co-stars Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson and John Noble. During a recent interview, executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman talked about the feedback from the network on the show’s Friday ratings, what’s exciting them about the storytelling path they’re currently on, how things will be escalating in both worlds, how the relationship between Peter (Jackson) and Olivia (Torv) will be getting worse and better, that they already know where they would take the series through Season 5, and how they get many of their ideas from their own nightmares. They also teased what viewers can expect from the next episode, “6B,” airing on February 18^th. Check out what they had to say after the jump:

In its mind-bending third season, the Fox television drama Fringe continues to explore otherworldly cases and unexplainable science. As the events of the first two seasons unfolded, it prompted Special Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) to search for details about her forgotten and perplexing past. Those findings led her to uncover the existence of a parallel universe and recover her childhood ability to detect objects from that universe, which shockingly led her to learn that Peter (Joshua Jackson) is from the other side. When a distraught Peter returned to his origins to reconnect with his roots and his birth mother, Walter (John Noble) and Olivia were pitted against their doppelgangers, which left an imprisoned Olivia stuck in the parallel universe, fighting to find her way home, while Peter and Walter try to move on with their lives, unknowingly alongside alternate Olivia.

During a recent interview to discuss where things are headed in Season 3, actress Anna Torv talked about the challenge in playing two versions of the same character, the way that neither side is good or bad, and how she’s interested in the ethical and moral divide between humanity and science. Check out what she had to say after the jump: