New episodes of The Tick drop on Amazon this week, so who better to help us get ready for them than our favorite sidekick and co-host of one of our favorite podcasts, Arthur himself Griffin Newman. On today’s Nerdist News Talks Back he talked to us about Arthur’s growing relationship with the Tick, finding the right balance for his character, and more, along with what we make of J.J. Abrams finishing the script for Episode IX, and the positive reactions to Aquaman‘s first test screenings.
Guest host Amy Vorpahl, Nerdist managing editor Alicia Lutes, and Nerdist News writer Joey Clift welcomed to the studio today special guest Griffin Newman, who plays Arthur on Amazon’s The Tick when he’s not hosting the Blank Check podcast. They started with J.J. Abrams’ announcement he’s in the unusual position of having a finished script early since he’s done writing Episode IX. Does this mean anything after all the reshoots and rewrites for The Force Awakens? Do we expect the movie to be totally original after all the criticism he just remade A New Hope last time? What lessons could he take from the prequels? (Seriously) Are we worried about his co-writer Chris Terrio’s mixed history (Argo, Batman v Superman)? And are we concerned about Alden Ehrenreich’s Han Solo?
Reports also say responses to Aquaman test screenings are positive, with the movie having plenty of action and emotion. Are we looking forward to it more now, or are we still feeling burned by the DCEU? Do we think they trusted director James Wan to make the movie he wanted?
Finally it was time to get to The Tick, and Griffin explained why the show’s independence from other superhero franchises is so appealing. How come he “always loved Arthur as a kid?” How will Arthur and The Tick learn to “work together more” in these new episodes? And why did Jackie Earle Haley do a five minute drum solo with his fingers at a table read?
As big fans of his Blank Check podcast, we also wanted to know how the self-proclaimed “connoisseur of context” used his meticulous show prep to get ready to play Arthur. How does he “service” the show this show while also not “breaking the rules of Arthur?” How did something Tom Holland did as Spider-Man help him find that balance? And why does he think the upcoming episodes mean season two “could go anywhere?”
Don’t forget we have a new schedule: Nerdist News Talks Back airs live at 1 p.m. PT Monday to Thursday on our YouTube and Alpha channels, and our new show Nerdist News What the Fridays, an hour-long recap of the biggest pop culture stories from the week, airs live at 1 p.m. PT only at Alpha.
But we want to hear from you right now about your thoughts on what Griffin Newman had to say about Arthur and The Tick, so talk back to us in the comments below.
