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This article contains Manifest spoilers.

Based on the events in the final season of Manifest, it’s clear that there was a lot more time travel going on besides the five-year leap forward at the beginning of the series. Even the comparatively smaller jumps that armed robber James Griffin and cave dweller Zeke Landon experienced were mere kinks in the twisting timeline that, when all was said and done, was at the mercy of the divine consciousness. While we saw a certain logic to it all through Michaela’s eyes, the life of her late husband (now living taxi driver) Zeke was perhaps the most convoluted of all.

Never have we rooted for a MacGuffin more, and make no mistake, that’s what Zeke was, although Manifest would have us believe he served at the whim of the divine consciousness rather than the narrative the writers contrived. Either way, he...

Manifest, which is preparing to land for one final season on Netflix after its untimely cancellation by NBC, has been nothing short of a bumpy ride. However, the TV series has captivated viewers with its story of the Montego Airways Flight 828 passengers, who landed in New York City to the shock of a lifetime. They had been missing for five and a half years and presumed dead in which time their loved ones all aged, but they returned completely unchanged.

Throughout three seasons, we’ve watched the passengers struggle to adapt to their new reality, which has changed their relationships with their families, made them garner often-unwanted attention, and put them in difficult and dangerous situations as their return gave them prophetic visions and thoughts known as “Callings.”

But that’s not all, so before things get rolling again, let’s look back at where the show left us…

What...

South Pacific Pictures CEO Kelly Martin.

800 Words, a Seven and South Pacific Pictures co-pro, stars Erik Thomson as a widower who relocates to Nz along with his kids, played by Melina Vidler (Mako: Island of Secrets) and Benson Jack Anthony (Underbelly Razor).

The role saw Thomson win the Silver Logie for Most Popular Male in 2016, and Vidler win the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Newcomer.

Created by James Griffin and Maxine Fleming and produced by Chris Bailey, the show.s executive producers are Seven.s Julie McGauran and John Holmes and South Pacific Pictures CEO Kelly Martin, whose credits include Shortland Street and The Brokenwood Mysteries.

For South Pacific Pictures, the success of the show, originally made possible by the New Zealand Film Commission.s Screen Production Grant, has been gratifying.

.We knew we had a great show,. says Martin. .Unfortunately these days that doesn.t always mean you get a big audience.

Following the success of American Sniper, Clint Eastwood has found his next project, which will once again be a biopic. Eastwood has signed on to direct a movie focusing on airline pilot Captain Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger. Captain Sullenberger rose to prominence in 2009, when he managed to land a plane on the Hudson River following an engine accident, with no casualties as a result of his actions. The screenplay for the film will come from Perfect Stranger scribe Todd Komarnicki, who will adapt the book Highest Duty: My Search For What Really Matters, which was co-authored by Sullenberger himself.

In their announcement of the film, Warner Bros. had this to add.

it will go beyond Sullenberger’s almost impossible and much-heralded achievement of safely landing a jumbo jet on the water, which was captured on video and viewed around the world. But behind the scenes, a drama was unfolding that could...

Michael Bay's currently hard-at-work on his passion project, the Benghazi drama 13 Hours, and while it would seem he'd jump onto Transformers 5 or possibly even Bad Boys III afterwards, it looks as though he'll spend his time otherwise. He signed on to direct the sci-fi film Time Salvager, an adaptation of Wesley Chu novel of the same name, for Paramount. amz asin="0765377187" size="small"The book, to come on the shelf on July 7, focuses on a future where humans abandons Earth to colonize stars, and centers on James Griffin-Mars, a convicted criminal sent on some time-traveling missions to delay humanity's demise. In his efforts, he meets Elise Kim, a scientist from a previous century and whose fate is to die during an ocean rig's destruction. James tries to save this woman from her demise, but in doing so leads both down a dangerous path. Bay's trusted producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura...

Somewhere, Optimus Prime is sighing in disappointment. Even as Paramount Pictures assembles a writer’s room teeming with Hollywood talent in order to come up with future Transformers installments for Michael Bay to direct, the helmer is lining up a separate sci-fi project for the studio. Bay, who’s currently shooting Benghazi drama 13 Hours, is attached to direct an adaptation of the upcoming Wesley Chu novel Time Salvager, with Transformers‘ Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian producing.

The plot takes place in a dystopian future where humans have left Earth to settle among the stars. It focuses on a convicted criminal fingered as a suitable candidate for non-disruptive time-travel missions designed to slow down humanity’s inevitable annihilation. Though he’s tasked with simply gathering resources and certainly not with stepping on any butterflies, the criminal discovers a scientist slated to die and saves her life. When they return to the future together,...

Lest you think Michael Bay is taking a turn toward the serious with his upcoming Benghazi movie "13 Hours," the master of explosions is still keeping plenty on his slate that will let him light up screens like New Year's Eve in Times Square.  Read More: Michael Bay To Direct Benghazi Drama '13 Hours'  Bay will direct an adaptation of the forthcoming book "Time Salvager" by Wesley Chu, with the project set up at the director's longtime home Paramount. The story follows a convict who is set to Earth's past in order to save humanity's future. Here's the book synopsis:  Convicted criminal James Griffin-Mars is no one's hero. In his time, Earth is a toxic, abandoned world and humans have fled into the outer solar system to survive, eking out a fragile, doomed existence among the other planets and their moons. Those responsible for delaying humanity's demise believe time travel holds the key,...

Michael Bay is attached to direct a film adaptation of Wesley Chu's upcoming sci-fi novel "Time Salavager" for Paramount Pictures.

Set in a future where the human race has abandoned Earth and colonized the stars, we follow a convicted criminal named James Griffin-Mars, who is identified as one of a select group ideally suited for time-travel missions that could delay humanity’s demise.

He’s sent to Earth’s past to recover resources and treasure without altering the timeline. On a final mission he meets Elise Kim, an intriguing scientist from a previous century who is fated to die during the destruction of an ocean rig. James brings Elise back to the future with him, saving her life, but turning them both into fugitives.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian will produce

Source: The Wrap...

It was recently reported that after directing his "13 Hours" Benghazi film, Michael Bay will then take on the fifth "Transformers" installment. But now there seems to be another project competing for his attention. According to The Wrap, Bay has signed on to direct a big screen adaptation of Wesley Chu's "Time Salvager" sci-fi novel. "The speed that Mark [Vahradian], the president of Di Bonaventura, pushed for Paramount to close the option, and the enthusiasm Michael Bay showed in attaching to 'Time Salvager,' has been nothing short of astounding," said Chu. "Often, getting this far in the process can take months, if not years. This went down in a matter of weeks." The story follows a convicted criminal named James Griffin-Mars, who is identified as one of a select group ideally suited for time-travel missions that could delay humanity's demise. He.s sent to Earth's past to recover resources...

Michael Bay has signed up to direct the movie adaptation of Time Salvager.

The project, based on Wesley Chu's upcoming sci-fi novel, follows James Griffin-Mars as he time travels to the past to help delay humanity's demise.

Forbidden from changing the past, he becomes a fugitive when he saves a scientist doomed to die.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian are producing the film, reports TheWrap.

The novel is being released next month on July 7.

Bay has in recent years helmed Transformers: Age of Extinction and Pain & Gain - both of which starred Mark Wahlberg.

Will Michael Bay do Transformers 5 next, or will he move on to Wesley Chu's Time Salvager?

As always, it's busy times for Michael Bay. He's currently in the midst of directing 13 Hours, based on the 2012 attack by terrorists on the Us State Department's special mission compound and CIA station in Libya. After that, he's widely expected to return for the next Transformers movie, which we're assuming is Transformers 5, although we should note that Bay hasn't been confirmed to direct that yet.

For there's another project he's picked up to direct as well, and that's got to be slotted in somewhere. It goes by the name of Time Salvager, and it's based on an upcoming science fiction novel from Wesley Chu. Paramount has the film rights, and Michael Bay is on place to call the shots.

Time Salvager tells the story of a convict by the name of James Griffin-Mars,...

Having laid waste to large swathes of the Earth, Michael Bay now has his eyes set on the stars. According to The Wrap, the filmmaker and producer is planning to adapt interstellar yarn Time Salvager, an as-yet unpublished novel by Wesley Chu.Time Salvager has the Interstellar-y premise of an Earth partially abandoned by humanity in favour of a future out in the cosmos. The protagonist is a convict called James Griffin-Mars, a man whose suitability for time travel sees him sent on a mission to recover the resources Earth needs to survive. Along the way he meets Elise Kim, a scientist from the past who’s destined to die on an ocean rig. Griffin-Mars brings Elise back to the future, turning them both into fugitives.If it goes ahead – and there’s the unending Transformers franchise vying for Bay's time and energies – Time Salvager will be produced by...

Michael Bay is attached to direct an adaptation of Wesley Chu’s sci-fi novel “Time Salavager” for Paramount, TheWrap has learned. Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian will produce the movie, which is set in a future where the human race has abandoned Earth and colonized the stars. The story follows a convicted criminal named James Griffin-Mars, who is identified as one of a select group ideally suited for time-travel missions that could delay humanity’s demise. He’s sent to Earth’s past to recover resources and treasure without altering the timeline. On a final mission that will secure his retirement,...

Melina Vidler, Benson Jack Anthony, Rick Donald and Bridie Carter have joined Erik Thomson in 800 Words, a drama commissioned by the Seven Network and Tvnz.

The 8-part series stars Thomson as George Turner, who quits his job as an 800 word columnist for a Sydney newspaper after his wife dies and, on impulse, buys a house in a remote New Zealand seaside town.

Vidler (The Arrangement, Mako: Island of Secrets) and Anthony (Underbelly Razor, Blood Brothers, Legend of the Seeker) play his teenage children Shay and Arlo Turner.

The family.s hopes of making a fresh start don.t go to plan in their new environment as the locals are both secretive and inquisitive.

Donald (Friends with Better Lives, The Doctor Blake Mysteries) is cast as George.s new best mate Woody, a fellow Aussie and keen surfer, with Carter (McLeod.s Daughters) as Jan, editor of the newspaper George wrote for.

Erik Thomson will play a guy who moves to New Zealand with his teenage kids after his wife dies and Rebecca Gibney will return as a homicide cop in new dramas for the Seven Network.

Among the other highlights of Seven.s upfront presentation today are Restaurant Revolution, a spin-off of My Restaurant Rules; Mesmerised, an entertainment series from Endemol Australia fronted by hypnotist Peter Powers; and My Ireland with Colin, which follows My Kitchen Rules judge Collin Fassnidge as he rediscovers the country he left 15 years ago on a motorycycle.

The line-up also includes the previously announced Shine Australia miniseries Catching Milat, which dramatises the investigation that led to the arrest of serial killer Ivan Milat.

The factual slate includes Essential Media & Entertainment.s Australia: The Story of Us, which uses CGI and dramatic re-enactments to chronicle the history of the Australian people, places and events from the first...

James Napier Robertson.s screenplay of The Dark Horse was named best feature script at the 5th annual New Zealand Writers Guild Awards (Swanz).

Directed by Napier Robertson and produced by Tom Hern, The Dark Horse is based on the true story of New Zealand speed-chess champion Genesis Potini, played by Cliff Curtis (Once Were Warriors, Whale Rider). James Rolleston (Boy) co-stars as Genesis. nephew Mana.

Despite a bipolar disorder, Potini turned a group of at-risk youth into budding chess champs. In its Toronto review The Hollywood Reporter praised the film as "an emotionally potent story of redemption anchored by a heart-piercing lead performance from Cliff Curtis.".

Transmission Films will open the film in Australia on November 20.

The full list of Swanz winners: Best Feature Film Script James Napier Robertson . The Dark Horse Best Short Film Script Gregory King . UFO Best Play Aroha Awarau . Luncheon Best Television Comedy Episode Millen Baird...

There’s a buzz in the air, sending a very clear message: Syfy is looking to greenlight some scripts, probably within the next week. Strangely, Syfy might be ordering these scripts straight to series instead of the traditional order of a pilot. The two series that look like they’ll be getting the greenlight love both come from Battlestar Galactica creator and executive producer Ron Moore. They are Helix and The Almighty Johnsons. I don’t know if they’ll get that series order, but I think they have a great shot thanks to their intriguing – and very different – premises. But why listen to me gush about these potential shows? Allow me to introduce you to them.

According to Deadline, Helix revolves around a team of scientists investigating a disease outbreak in an Antarctic research facility. Right off the bat, you’ve got my interest by making this an isolated story,...

I hear Syfy is zeroing in on scripts for its next round of green lights, which may come next week. I hear among the top contenders for a pickup are Helix, from Battlestar Galactica developer/executive producer Ron Moore, and The Almighty Johnsons. I hear Syfy are contemplating straight-to-series orders in lieu of traditional pilot pickups, and that the network may make greenlight decisions in conjunction with existing series renewals. Moore’s Helix, from Sony Picture TV where Moore is under an overall deal, is about a team of scientists investigating a possible disease outbreak at an Antarctic research facility. Cameron Porsandeh wrote the spec the pilot is based off of and serves as co-executive producer. Lynda Obst exec produces alongside Moore. The Almighty Johnsons is an adaptation of the New Zealand fantasy comedy/drama series created by James Griffin and Rachel Lang and produced by All3Media’s South Pacific Pictures.

The Almighty Johnsons: Series 2

Stars: Emmett Skilton, Tim Balme, Dean O’Gorman, Jared Turner, Ben Barrington | Created by James Griffin, Rachel Lang

“The Johnson brothers are back, and their quest to find Frigg and gain their full God powers continues. Along the way, several new and exciting variations will be explored and Axl will find himself on a more personal quest – to become Odin, he must first ‘become’ Odin… “

The Almighty Johnsons is a comedy-drama series about four brothers, raised in heartland New Zealand, who also happen to be the living incarnations of Norse Gods. They even have their own super-God-powers. Sort of – it’s just that their powers aren’t actually all that powerful. Putting Norse Gods right where they don’t want to be: in the bodies of a bunch of New Zealand lads saddled with a distinct lack of heroism and all the faults, flaws and desires of ordinary mortals,...

The Almighty Johnsons – Episode 1: “It’s Kind of a Birthday Present”

Stars: Emmett Skilton, Tim Balme, Dean O’Gorman, Jared Turner, Ben Barrington | Written by James Griffin | Directed by Mark Beesley

The Almighty Johnsons is a new comedy-drama series about four brothers, raised in heartland New Zealand, who also happen to be the living incarnations of Norse Gods. They even have their own super-God-powers. Sort of – it’s just that their powers aren’t actually all that powerful. Putting Norse Gods right where they don’t want to be: in the bodies of a bunch of New Zealand lads saddled with a distinct lack of heroism and all the faults, flaws and desires of ordinary mortals, the series is set to debut on Syfy UK on Thursday.

Remember Charmed? The Us television show about three sisters who were also witches? Well this is the male equivalent from Down Under.

Sneak Peek "The Almighty Johnsons", a New Zealand-lensed fantasy comedy/drama TV series created by James Griffin and Rachel Lang, produced by South Pacific Pictures.

"...on his 21st birthday, student 'Axl Johnson' discovers that he and his family members are reincarnated Norse gods.

"The only problem is, they don't have full control of their powers and it is up to Axl (the reincarnation of 'Odin') to restore those powers, while ensuring the family's survival by finding the reincarnation of Odin's wife, 'Frigg'.

"Matters are complicated by the presence of four antagonistic Norse goddesses who are trying to find Frigg before the Johnsons do to prevent the restoration of the gods' powers.

"But the Johnsons and the band of goddess rivals aren't the only Norse deities living in exile in New Zealand..."

Season 2 started shooting October 2011.

Syfy in the UK will start airing the series February 2012.

Click the images to enlarge...

Worksheets, computers-America's hypercompetitive education system is trickling down to preschool. But growing research shows that pushing academics at an early age can backfire, writes Joyce C. Tang.

When Zachary Hammond graduated from preschool, like many other toddlers he hadn't really developed an interest in academics quite yet. He was more into sports, playing street hockey and soccer. He could count to 50 and write his name, but he wasn't eager to learn to read. His class time was spent with worksheets, circling words that rhymed and identifying letters of the alphabet with memory games.

Related story on The Daily Beast: Back to School for the Billionaires

Zachary's younger brother, Maverick, on the other hand, finished preschool a few steps ahead. His drawing abilities flourished throughout his two years of pre-k, and he was even on the cusp of writing complete sentences. By that time, Zachary was beginning to read, and Maverick couldn't wait to learn,...

Alistair Little was 16 years old in Northern Ireland in 1975. Tensions between Unionist and Nationalists were at boiling point, not only in Belfast but also in many violently segregated small towns. Riots erupted every week in the street and petrol bombs caused the deaths of fathers, sons and brothers.

When Little, a Protestant, learned that Jim Griffin, a Catholic, had been stoking trouble, something, he believed, had to be done. He could no longer sit around and passively wait for matters to improve. With a group of friends, Alistair hotwired a stolen car, donned a ski mask and drove to 37 Hill Street, Griffin’s home. Through the living room window, he shot 19-year-old James Griffin. As he turned to leave, he locked eyes with a boy playing with a soccer ball on the pavement outside. He spared the boy's life.

The boy was Jim Griffin’s brother, Joe. The strain of...