Doctor Who Teases An August Premiere (And Matt Smith Totally Would Return)
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Back in December, with the annual Doctor Who Christmas special, we got our first glimpse at Peter Capaldi’s new Time Lord. We knew that season eight, which will reportedly be Capaldi’s only go as the venerable time travelling alien, would begin latter this year, but there was no word on when. While there still isn’t a specific date, this new teaser greatly narrows down the possibilities. The most recent Time Lord, Matt Smith, has also indicated that he’s down to return to the franchise pretty much whenever the phone rings.
According to this quick video released by the BBC, Capaldi’s reign will kick off this August. It doesn’t get any more exact than that, but considering that the show usually airs on Saturdays, and that there are only five of that particular day of the week in that month, there aren’t all that many options for a premiere.
Content wise, there’s not much in this video, just quick flashes of Capaldi’s silhouette in the interior of the TARDIS. This imagery does hint at darker, less cartoony version of the Doctor, which seems to confirm what we’ve been told about this new iteration. If you’re after for more evidence of this, just look at Ben Wheatley, who directed the first two episodes of the season. With films like the genre bending Kill List, pitch black comedy Sightseers, and the mind-fuck A Field in England under his belt, Whovians are likely in for as dark and twisted a time as they’ve had in many, many years.
2013 also marked the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, and the long-running series celebrated the milestone with a special populated by former incarnations of the Time Lord. While that was a lot of fun, it might not be the last time in the near future that we get multiple Doctors together for an adventure. The Eleventh Doctor himself, Matt Smith is apparently eager to return to the franchise that made him a star, and has even spoken to the show’s producers about the prospect. At a recent convention he said:
I love the idea of other Doctors coming back. Also that gives me the opportunity to come back, which I totally will by the way! I’m just waiting for the next anniversary. I spoke to Steven the other day and said, ‘What’s the quickest one we can do?’
Smith will be seen next playing someone named Bully in Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut, the surreal drama Lost River. We recently saw the first clip from that film, and it seems totally weird and strange, though reviews coming out of the Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered this week, have been mixed to say the least. He’ll also appear in Terminator: Genesis next year.
