TV Tidbits: HBO Renews Room 104; Orlando Bloom Joins Amazon’s Carnival Row

Debi Moore   |  

Aug 26, 2017

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A couple of horror-ish TV shows made the news recently, and to make sure you’re in the know with all the latest, we wanted to update you on both HBO’s “Room 104” and Amazon’s “Carnival Row.”

Set in a single room of an average American motel, “Room 104” tells a different story of the assorted characters who pass through it in each episode; and with both critical acclaim and steady viewership, HBO has granted the anthology a second season. The network tweeted out the good news this past week, and you can learn more a little farther down the page.

As for Amazon’s “Carnival Row,” which has had a very circuitous path that once included Guillermo del Toro working on a film version titled A Killing on Carnival Row, it’s now moving forward with Orlando Bloom in the lead; and that news also broke on Twitter via exec producer/writer Travis Beacham. You’ll find a few more “Carnival Row” details below the “Room 104” release courtesy of EW.

“Room 104” Renewed for Second Season:
HBO has renewed the anthology series “ROOM 104” for a second season, it was announced by Amy Gravitt, executive vice president, HBO Programming. From brothers Jay and Mark Duplass, the show tells tales of the characters who pass through a single room of a typical American chain motel, ranging from comedy to drama to horror.

“Jay and Mark Duplass are gifted storytellers who have brilliantly reinvented the anthology series for the modern era,” said Gravitt. “The format of ‘ROOM 104’ offers endless possibilities and opportunities for new talent to experiment, and I look forward to seeing where the series takes us.”

“We can’t remember the last time we had so much fun making something,” say Jay and Mark Duplass. “We’re excited to go even further down the rabbit hole with this show.”

Currently in its 12-episode debut season, which began Friday, July 28 (11:30 p.m.-midnight ET/PT), “ROOM 104” tells a story of everyday people striving for connection and meaning each week, with the tone, the characters, and the era changing every time.

“Carnival Row” Moves Forward:
Orlando Bloom (Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings) will star in and produce Amazon Studios’ new hourlong drama “Carnival Row,” which received a straight-to-series order earlier this year.

“Carnival Row” is a fantasy-noir set in a neo-Victorian city. Mythical creatures fleeing their war-torn homeland have gathered in the city, and tensions are simmering between citizens and the growing immigrant population. We follow the investigation of a string of unsolved murders which are eating away at whatever uneasy peace still exists.

Bloom will star as Rycroft Philostrate, a police inspector who must solve the murder of a faerie showgirl on the eponymous Carnival Row.

Travis Beacham initially wrote the script for the film mentioned above.  Co-exec producer/showrunner Rene Echevarria penned the latest version, and Paul McGuigan will direct and co-exec produce.  Per another Beacham tweet, filming on Season 1 will begin in early October ahead of a premiere in 2019.

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