Fans of AMC’s The Walking Dead have been ready for Season 2 since the Season 1 finale aired. How about a few words from Robert Kirkman to get you even more excited? Did somebody say “Hershel’s farm?”

With the Season 1 DVD hitting stores next week, Kirkman spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the instant hit. He says so far, Season 2 is going great. “We’re mapping out everything. We got a lot of cool ideas. Everyone here is mindful of how well received the first season was,” he said. “We’re breaking our backs, story wise, to make sure the next season is twice is good, or three times as good, with a lot of twists and turns and pushing the envelop of what you can do on TV.”

Kirkman told EW he couldn’t go into too much detail about location settings for Season 2 but said, “I know [showrunner Frank Darabont] has said we’re going to see Hershel’s farm. We’re looking to take some picturesque rural landscapes and playing with that and coming up with some cool zombie visuals. We’ll see some of the locations of the first season, but we’re going to mainly focus on breaking new ground.”

The show will continue to feature the Rick/Shane drama this season as well as focus a lot more on Andrea and Laurie according to Kirkman. He mentioned Darabont is concentrating on writing for the series as of right now. “I’m writing some episodes and he’s writing some episodes,” he said. “We’re trying to figure out what we’re doing with the directing right now. The logistics and also being big part of the writers room will limit his time.”

Kirkman also mentioned Bear McCreary of Battlestar Galactica fame is staying on as composer for the new season and that the cast and crew will once again make an appearance at San Diego Comic-Con. “We’re going to have a 12-foot-tall zombie costume,” he said.

The writer also spoke briefly about the upcoming The Walking Dead video game from Telltale.”Left 4 Dead is much more focused on action. On of the key aspects of Walking Dead is it focuses on characters and the emotion, and that theme is very much alive in the game, and luckily with modern games you can actually do that.”

The Walking Dead, which will premiere once again this October, is sure to keep fans happy with continued blood and guts. “We’ve been talking to [zombie effects master] Greg Nicotero a lot about some cool zombie stuff he has planned,” said Kirkman. “As much as this show pushed the envelope of gore on TV, the joy of seeing the best zombies ever done on a TV show every week, all I can say you haven’t seen anything yet.”

I need a Doctor…Who t-shirt. Or five.

Today the internet has blessed us with some fantastic new Doctor Who inspired t-shirt designs. Hurry though, some of these are only up for one day.

From artist ZeroBriant comes “The Whos.” Or more appropriately, The (Doctor) Whos. Classic British show, classic British rock group. Makes sense to me. Via Teefury.

From New York City’s Anna-Marie Jung comes this spacial bending image called “Who Needs Gravity?” I believe if the Doctor ever goes back in time to visit M.C. Escher, this is what it would look like. Bonus points for adorable Doctors. Via Woot.

From the birthplace of Doctor Who, the U.K.’s Billy Allison gives us “Crack,” the opposite view of what we saw all through Season 5. And there’s a discount on this one thanks to Doctor Who News! Via Qwertee.

TheOneTrueBix has late night talk show host Craig Ferguson to thank for inspiring this one. As shown in this lost cold-open from the show, this is what makes the Doctor, the Doctor. Via MySoti.

Perhaps this one wasn’t meant to include a Doctor Who reference but I’m taking the liberty of crossing the fandom streams here and calling it an overt Star Wars joke with a subtle nod to “bowties are cool.” From D4N13L comes “Imperial Bowtie Fighter.” Via Ript Apparel.

Looks like your TV could get a lot more powerful.

Confirmed on both his Twitter and Facebook page, Brian Michael Bendis announced that his and Michael Oeming creator-owned series, Powers, was greenlit for a pilot on FX. No word yet on a time frame or any specifics, other than the project will be written by Charles H. Eglee and directed by Michael Dinner.

Powers tells the story of detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, that were devoted to special investigations dealing with crimes based about “powers” or super-powered individuals. The series was originally published by Image from 2000-2004, and later moved to its current home at Marvel’s Icon imprint.

The series is being co-produced by Sony and FX Productions.

So, Rama readers, what do you think of this development?

Last week the world finally found out who’d be taking over the live-action Wonder Woman mantle from the amazing Lynda Carter. Tough boots to fill for sure but NBC’s new Wonder Woman is Adrianne Palicki. This week, Carter speaks out about the important casting.

Carter spoke with the Baltimore Sun, not only about Palicki but about her own tenure as the famous Amazon. “I think it is an amazing role to play. I know she is going to be really nervous about it, just because you would be.” When asked if she’d give the young actress any advice she replied, “Gosh, I would never offer her any advice. Nor would she probably want any. If she wants to talk to me, that would be a whole different thing. But I would never offer, ‘Now let me tell you how to do this.’”

A lot of Wonder Woman fans are wary of what Kelley’s take on the character might turn out to be. Carter isn’t. “I have a lot of confidence in [writer] David Kelley and what he’s going to come up with. David Kelley’s so talented, and that’s really where it needs to be, is in the writing,” she said. “I spoke with David yesterday, and he’s really, really excited about it.”

“I think the story needs to be retold. It needs to have a fresh look at it. It affected a lot of people. I think it’s time, I think it’s important to have it out there again, she said. “Carter took up the role of Princess Diana in 1975 and swung her lasso for three seasons but is still surprised when she’s recognized, especially by young people. “I’m always floored, absolutely floored. But it’s been going on a long time. I think it’s just a reflection of how people felt about the character, much more than how they felt about me in particular. The character’s so beloved, for a lot of reasons.

A lot of fans, including myself, are hoping Carter will be cast as Diana’s mother Hippolyta in the NBC series. What about the possibility of a cameo or any other role in the new show? “That is something that I … even if I were, I couldn’t tell you.” But as far as her hopes for Palicki go, ”She’s an actress and she’s a good actress and she’s beautiful, and I hope she kicks butt.”

Fans of the short-lived space western Firefly have been eager to see more of their favorite characters since the show was canceled back in 2002. They got their wish with Joss Whedon’s feature film Serenity and again with a series of comic books from Dark Horse. But with the recent news that the lone season of Firefly will once again be airing on cable television, the fever has re-ignited. Fans are now petitioning for Firefly’s star Nathan Fillion to purchase the rights to the series so that it may go back into production. And they’re willing to foot the bill.

According to Entertainment Weekly, fans have created a website and a Facebook page dedicated to the cause. “Help Nathan Buy Firefly” may sound like a ridiculous venture but crazier things have happened. I mean, we did see a feature film made out of this extremely short-live television series after all.

When the news of Firefly coming back to cable was announced, Fillion told EW, “If I got $300 million from the California Lottery, the first thing I would do is buy the rights to Firefly, make it on my own, and distribute it on the Internet.”

Well, that’s all he needed to say. The movement went into immediate action with Fillion’s colleagues even getting in on the fun. From EW:

Jose Molina, a producer on Syfy’s Haven, former Castle producer and author of two Firefly episodes tweeted Friday regarding Fillion’s comment: “For what it’s worth, I’ve told him I’d drop what I was doing and follow.”

Then Jane Espenson, writer of a Firefly episode, a producer on Battlestar Galactica and co-creator of Warehouse 13, replied to Molina: “I’m there, if needed.”

EW also points out, Fillion wouldn’t need nearly the amount of money he mentioned to purchase the rights seeing as how the Terminator franchise recently went for only $30 million and that had a far more successful past.

Now of course, none of this means the people who own the rights currently, 20th Century Fox, have any intention of selling them. And the fans aren’t asking anyone to put up money just yet (so be wary if someone does ask you). But you can’t take the sky from a Firefly fan.

It’s official. We have our live-action Wonder Woman. Friday Night Lights star Adrianne Palicki has been chosen to embody Princess Diana in David E. Kelley’s Wonder Woman pilot on NBC.

Twenty-seven year old Palicki, who also starred in Supernatural and the film Legion, stands a lofty 5’11″ tall. The news came just late this evening courtesy of the Hollywood Reporter.

Oddly enough, Palicki had a brush with DC Comics before. She was in an episode of Smallville but was also cast as Siren in the Aquaman television pilot that was never picked up.

In high school, the actress played basketball and ran track so it’s likely she’ll be able to keep up with the physicality of the role. Palicki can be seen next in the remake of Red Dawn with Thor star Chris Hemsworth.

Updated: And here’s an image of Palicki with dark hair from the swiftly cancelled “Lone Star”.

Well, what do you think Newsarama readers?

Oh hey, never mind all those reports from this morning about Michael Rosenbaum not reprising his Smallville role of Lex Luthor at all during the homestretch of the show’s final season. Word came late Friday via TV Line that Rosenbaum is not as heartless as his fictional alter ego, and will indeed be showing up in the May 13 two-hour season finale. Says Rosenbaum: ““I’m simply doing it for all of the fans out there who made Smallville the great success.” Smart move, since those fans would surely never forgive him if he did not return for the finale. (I’ve been to the Smallville panels at Comic-Con, those fans are intense.)

TV Line also quoted show executive producers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson, saying, “It feels like the stars are aligning, literally” (though hopefully not in the way some have posited will happen in 2012 at the end of the Mayan calendar). Rosenbaum, who will soon surely be breaking out the clippers, left the series after season seven.

Nearly a month ago, Conan O’Brien’s superhero alter ego “The Flaming C” was inserted into an episode of Young Justice in the place of Superman — so why not do it again? This time he helps Superboy save a school bus, and then brushes him off. Heat vision, cold shoulder.

The Flaming C, of course, originated from a bit in December when O’Brien visited Bruce Timm at Warner Bros. Animation, since their studio neighbors where Conan is taped. Is a Flaming C action figure from DC Direct far behind?

Looks like we’ve got a new “Most Likely to Direct NBC’s Wonder Woman Pilot” candidate, according to a report from Deadline: Jeffrey Reiner, who brings with him a good deal of TV experience, working on everything from Friday Night Lights to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (really). He’s got three pilots under his belt — Trauma, The Event and Caprica — all of which made it to series, even if they didn’t stick around too much longer after that. Sounds like it’s very nearly a done deal, but these things can and often change.

Case in point: The previous “odds-on favorite” was Charlie’s Angels director McG, who’s now unavailable due to a feature commitment (jargon translation: he’s gotta go shoot a movie). Is Reiner the right choice? Tell us why/why not.

Jill broke down the Locke & Key script news earlier today, and now we have word on who’s going to star as Tyler Locke in the TV adaptation, courtesy of Deadline: 23-year-old pop star/actor Jesse McCartney.

McCartney is no stranger to comic book adaptations — among his numerous voice acting credits is his current gig as Robin in Young Justice; the geek community also knows him as the voice of Roxas in the Kingdom Hearts series.

The Deadline post notes that the role will allow McCartney to use his music talents. Despite the work McCartney’s done in the genre entertainment field, it seems inevitable that his status as a former teen boy bander and appearance in photos like the above (and this one) will inspire some strong reactions in people, fair or not. So, yeah, what do you think?

The pilot script to the highly anticipated adaptation of Joe Hill’s Locke & Key for Fox has been seen by journalistic eyes and the verdict is…great!

This according to iFanboy who received a copy of the horror pilot. “It’s truly an echo of Joe Hill’s comic scripts for the original IDW mini (Welcome to Lovecraft), but it also features some cool additions. The pilot seems to benefit from the fact that Hill has a three-act structure in place for the comic (right now, readers are plowing through Act Two) and knows how the major conflicts will be resolved,” writes Paul Montgomery. Viewed above, an estate on Hartwood Acres in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania will serve as “Keyhouse” for the series.

So far, five roles have been cast. Lord of the Rings star Miranda Otto will be playing the matriarch of the Locke family, Sin City’s Nick Stahl will play her brother-in-law Duncan Locke, The Tudor’s Sarah Bolger is playing Kinsey and the two newest additions have an actor named Harrison Thomas playing “a recurring role as a troubled teen possessed by an evil spirit” according to Deadline so I’m assuming Sam Lesser, and finally Skylar Gaertner will be playing the youngest of the Locke clan, Bode.

Apparently the pilot will feature the tragic act that precipitates Hill’s entire story, adapted for television by Josh Friedman, as flashbacks throughout the episode. Montgomery says the Locke children read exactly like they do in the book with young Bode charming the audience immediately.

“Bode discovers the [Ghost] key in the first act and figures it all out for himself. All show, very little tell. And it works because we see it all through the eyes of a little kid who takes everything at face value,” reports Montgomery. “The other Lockes will confront all this weirdness later, but as an introduction for viewers, it’s perfect.”

Surprisingly, Montgomery’s review states the big confrontation that occurs at the end of the “Welcome to Lovecraft” arc takes place in the pilot. We’ll also see the infamous well and introduction of the evil Dodge.

Unlike David E. Kelley’s Wonder Woman, this is one comic book adaptation that appears primed to make a big splash with a wide audience. Are you excited to see Locke & Key come to life on the small screen?

I don’t care if it’s a commercial trying to sell me a car. This is the greatest thing I’ve seen all week.

Usually the quirky commercials are the only thing I look forward to during the Superbowl. Guess it’s lucky for me some of them are premiering online a few days early. The video is a Superbowl ad for Volkswagon’s 2012 Passat. Not sure what the crossover is between Star Wars fanatics and German engineering but I’m sure there’s a joke in there somewhere.

In other news, Star Wars creator George Lucas and producer Rick McCallum took a visit recently to test out Disneyland’s new Star Tours attraction.

Star Tours has undergone a “reimagining” recently to become Star Tours: The Adventures Continue and is set to reopen May 20 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida and at a time yet-to-be-announced for the Disneyland park in California in 2011.

Lucas stopped to pose with an animatronic C-3PO (who will be voiced and acted by original cast member Anthony Daniels) after he and McCallum gave their test-drive two thumbs up. Disney boasts when the new site opens you’ll be able to experience Star Wars worlds in 3-D for the first time. At Celebration V it was announced guests will be able to visit Endor, Bespin, Alderaan and Coruscant in the new ride.

The original ride opened way back in 1987, you know, before that kid in the commercial was born.

In today’s not entirely surprising news, word came late from Deadline that NBC has cut the episode order of their David Lyons/Summer Glau-starred superhero drama The Cape from 13 episodes to 10. That means an imminent halt to production, as episode 10 is currently being wrapped.

The Cape received mostly negative reviews — including being regular comedy fodder on Twitter for comic book professionals like former Marvel Comics editor Nate Cosby — but managed respectable ratings for its two-hour debut on Sunday, Jan. 9. Numbers have since fallen as the show moved to its regular Mondays at 9 p.m. time slot. As of last night, five episodes have aired, leaving five more to go — which, at an episode a week, would make March 7 the tentative season (series?) finale, though Deadline reported (in a sentence that has since been removed from their post) that now fellow high-concept one-hour freshman series The Event may return on that night.

Click here for Newsarama’s interview with The Cape creator Tom Wheeler, and here for our review of the two-part pilot.

Can’t wait for the slightest newness when it comes to DC and Cartoon Network’s “Young Justice”? Well we have some bigtime preview images for you here for tonight’s episode, featuring soon-to-be-movie-star BANE!

Official episode description and many more images after the jump.

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Entertainment Weekly reports that teen-themed network The CW is pursuing a new zombie show to ride the success of AMC’s “The Walking Dead.” The show will feature “two sisters who face off…right as the zombie apocalypse” begins.

The interesting thing to us comic book fans, though, is the title of this zombie story, “The Awakening.”

That’s interesting, as “The Awakening” is already the title of a zombie story, the two-volume comic book from Archaia [read the first issue here]. There is no mention of the comic in EW’s news blurb, and the two don’t appear to share any story similarities aside from the presence of zombies, but this still seems odd; you’d think the first thing a studio would do before announcing the name of a new show would be a simple google search of “The Awakening zombies”.

So, will Archaia be pursuing a name-change from The CW? We’ve asked, and we’ll fill you in as soon as we get any response.

We’ve seen old William Adama and young William Adama, now it’s time to unveil twenty-something Adama! Syfy has announced the casting of 22-year-old Luke Pasqualino for their next Battlestar Galatica prequel series, Blood & Chrome.

Here’s his character bio as revealed on Entertainment Weekly’s website:

Pasqualino will star as the young, talented fighter pilot William Adama, a recent Academy graduate who finds himself assigned to the newest Battlestar in the Colonial fleet: the Galactica. Full of ambition and in pursuit of the intense action that the Cylon war promises, Adama quickly finds himself at odds with Coker (Cotton), the battle-weary officer to whom he reports. With 45 days left in his tour of duty, Coker desires an end to battle just as much as Adama craves the start of it. Though they clash at first, the two men forge an unlikely bond when a routine mission turns dangerous and becomes a pivotal one for the desperate fleet.

As you can see, EW also announced the casting of Ben Cotton (Stargate: Atlantis) as Adama’s commanding officer. Cotton previously held the role of Atreus in Syfy’s short-lived BSG prequel series Capria and an even smaller role in the TV movie, Battlestar Galactica: Razor. Pasqualino has had a short career thus far but is best known for his role as Freddie on BBC’s Skins.

Executive produced and written by longtime BSG companions David Eick and Glen A. Larson respectively, Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome will premiere as a tw0-hour pilot on Syfy.

In a move surely to inspire decidedly mixed reaction, McG, the director of Charlie’s Angels and Terminator Salvation, is the “odds-on favorite” to direct the pilot of David E. Kelley’s Wonder Woman series, says Michael Ausiello.

Let’s look at this reasonably. Yeah, a lot of people didn’t like his Terminator movie (though surely someone liked it… right?), but as far as his work in TV goes, he directed the pilot of Chuck as well, and that turned out pretty well. He’s a producer on another series adaptation of a DC comic — Human Target — and clearly has experience with female characters and independent women. McG — born Joseph McGinty Nichol — also co-wrote the song “Fly” by Sugar Ray, and though I’m not sure if that translates positively or negatively to potential ability to direct a Wonder Woman pilot, it’s at least worth noting, right?

Get ready for gold…Booster Gold.

Earlier this week, both KryptonSite and popular soap site Soaps.com reported and confirmed that soap star Eric Martsolf (Days Of Our Lives) will take up the role of everybody’s futuristic hero/showboat, Booster Gold. The episode, appropriately called “Booster”, is written by DC’s CCO, Geoff Johns, and directed by Tom Welling.

It’s also been confirmed that Jaime Reyes, the current Blue Beetle, will appear in the episode as well, played by actor Jaren Brandt Bartlett. As for what else there is to expect from the episode, Johns says we’ll see Blue Beetle’s origin, Booster’s first meeting with Clark and Lois, and “maybe a cameo by someone from Kord Industries.” After that tease, it was revealed that Ted Kord (Blue Beetle II) will be in the episode in some way, played by Sebastian Spence

Please and thank you.

Freaky Friday? After widespread reports earlier this month that NBC passed on David E. Kelley’s Wonder Woman adaptation, Deadline reported late Friday that the network has indeed ordered a pilot. It’s among several pick ups made today by Bob Greenblatt, the network’s new head of entertainment. (more…)

In the vein of comic creators Art Spiegleman, Alan Moore, and Daniel Clowes, comic writer and contemporary literary legend, Neil Gaiman, will voice himself on The Simpsons in an upcoming episode.

Last week, Gaiman posted a few pictures on this twitter feed giving hints on what he was doing that day.

First hint:

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