Sarah Wayne Callies returns in season 5

Sarah Wayne Callies will reprise her role in the all-new event series Prison Break as Dr. Sara Tancredi which is set to premiere in 2016-2017 season.

Additional details on the new event series will be announced at a later date.

(Source: FOX)

Prison Break is back, the 5th season starts in 2016.

Fox bosses Dana Walden and Gary Newman finally (and officially) confirmed they’re developing a Prison Break event series that will feature both Dominic Purcell and Wentworth Miller — despite the latter’s ultimate fate on the original show.

“I would describe it as a bit of a sequel, it picks up the characters several years after we left them in the last season of the show,” Fox Chairman and CEO Walden told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s semi-annual press tour. “The brothers will be back. Some of the iconic characters from that show will be back. It definitely will address some questions that were set up at the end of the series and for a new audience… It’ll start after where we left the Scofields in the final season.”

(Source: EW)

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe Breaks Out with Prison Break: The Final Break

So you came on during Season 3, so can you just talk about how you came on board to the show?

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: I was brought on board by the company kind of to step in and clean up a situation that had gotten out of their control. I was the gal that they turned to who would sort of do anything to get the job done. That's how I was introduced. Basically, the girl was tormenting our two leads.

So how did the role come to you? Did they offer it to you or did you audition or how did that go?

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: I had been doing comedies for Fox for a couple of years and so I don't think I was really one of their first thoughts for this role. I did the audition like a lot of other people did and I was really excited about it because I was a fan of the show already. My audition actually came in the day of, and I didn't want to go in because I didn't want to blow it. I called my manager and I said, 'I can't do it. I can't go in today and do this on the same day. I need to take time and prepare with the script. I don't want to go in there and do a crappy job, because I love this show.' So he said to me, 'OK, well if there's another day, there's another day and if there's not, there's not. If it was meant to be, maybe it'll come around again.' And they had one more day of auditions and I went in and got the role, I guess.

So you haven't really played a character like this before, so what kinds of things did you do to get into the character of Gretchen Morgan?

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: I ignored every single instinct I have as a human being (Laughs). I'm not confrontational, I don't like to fight, I don't even like to argue so, for me, it was like everything felt completely wrong, and that's what I did. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to pull it off, and I just decided that I was going to really really try and be this completely opposite person.

I was at the panel at Comic-Con last year and they were talking a little bit about the format, how one year they'd be in prison and the next year they'd be out, stuff like that. So can you talk a bit about that format and how that really served the show?

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: Well, each season we took it to a new level. I was a fan before, so I didn't understand how they were going to keep it on the air. Once they broke out... I mean, it's called Prison Break. What are they going to do when they get out of prison? But they really came up with a really clever way every single year. They kept surprising me. One year they're in prison, the next year they're on the run, the next year after that, one gets thrown into a Panamanian jail and then in this last season, Season 4, it was actually in a women's prison.

There was quite an amazing cast to this show too, with Dominic Purcell, Wentworth Miller, Amaury Nolasco, Robert Knepper and all those guys. What was just a day on the set like working with this amazing cast?

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: Well, I was a little nervous when I first got there, because it's, you know, all men. I thought this was going to be interesting. It was going to be me, with a gun and a bunch of dudes and I was like, 'Am I going to be comfortable?' It turned out that I got there and they were such gentlemen and they were so lovely to me that they made me feel at home right away. There are all these guys asking every minute if you're thirsty? Do you need a glass of water? Are you OK? Have you eaten today (Laughs). It was the exact opposite of everything that I expected to happen. I was expecting a bunch of stinky, sweaty boys. It was easy. I kind of integrated into the cast really easily. They are amazing to work with. The first couple of weeks on set, I just couldn't stop smiling. My favorite story to tell is that I got there and it was like, that's Michael Scofield. That's not Wentworth Miller. That's Michael, and I had just this big sh*t-eating grin on my face the entire time. I had to constantly remind myself that, 'Maybe you shouldn't smile so much when you're killing someone" (Laughs). It was an adjustment.

From what I understand, the Prison Break: The Final Break DVD that's coming out next month, they were essentially two episodes that were previously produced that they made into this film, so were these episodes supposed to come out before the season finale or how did that all work?

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: It was actually, in the season finale, where they showed you where the show ended up and then they flash-forwarded to four years later, it's the time in between. It explains everything that happens and I think it was always supposed to be after the season finale. The season finale left you with all these questions, and this two-part show answers them all for you. It's kind of like a bonus at the end of all of it.

Without giving too much away, is there stuff that is still left lingering, or does this tie up pretty much everything in the new DVD?

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: Well, you know, the question that everyone keeps asking me, that people say to me all the time is, 'Michael's really actually dead, is he? That's crazy. That's impossible.' So with Prison Break, you kind of never know when someone is dead and when someone is not (Laughs). I never know how to answer these questions, because I don't think anyone would believe me anyway. No, I just don't think anyone in the public is actually going to be convinced that Michael is actually not around.

So when did you guys actually film this DVD then?

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: Right at the end of our season. As soon as we finished all the episodes for the season and the finale, then we went and shot the next two.

I see you also shot a pilot called The Call so has that been picked up or is there anything you can tell us about that?

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: Oh, that was before Prison Break and it hasn't been picked up.

Oh ok. They had it on IMDB and it said for 2010, so I wasn't sure if it actually was picked up.

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: Oh. Well, you know what though, it also said on IMDB that I had my own show called The Gretchen Morgan Files, so I don't know about that (Laughs).

Yeah. You can't really trust them that much.

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: (Laughs) I mean, I called my manager and said, 'Do I have a show? Maybe someone should've told me?'

You think you'd be the first to know, if you have your own show.

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: (Laughs) Yeah, me too, right? And I'm really the last to know.

So is there anything that you're currently working on or looking to start up in the near future?

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: No, actually. Right now, I'm just scrambling for work, trying to find a project that I love and that I'm into and get back in the saddle again. I finished Prison Break and I did a guest star on The Big Bang Theory and it's been about a month or so, since I've stopped working. I'm just reading scripts and looking for TV or some kind of film work right now. The industry is very very slow.

Yeah, I suppose. I've been hearing that a lot. Everything is hopefully going to be cleared up with SAG in the next couple of weeks, I assume.

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: You know what, I hope so to. Like my mom always says, 'From your lips to God's ears,' we'll go with that one.

So, finally, what would you like to say to all the fans that supported the show throughout the years and can you talk a little bit about why they should pick this Prison Break: The Final Break up on DVD next month?

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: Oh, well, first of all, these are fans like I've never seen before. I jumped into a show that had a cult following and they were so great to me. I went and did a convention in London and people just loved this character, or loved to hate me. I was overwhelmed and was just so grateful all the time. I think that really the reason to pick up this DVD and to watch the two-parter is you get more on the characters and what happens and it's just fun. The show is done. They took it off the air. Let's have one last little hurrah and check out the two-part episode on DVD. I haven't seen it yet, and I'm really excited for it.

Excellent. Well, that's about all I have for you, Jodi. Thanks so much for your time, and the best of luck.

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: Thanks. Have a great day.

(source: MovieWeb)

Latest from The Man about Michaels Body

Q:The_Man can you tell me what happened to Michaels body? In the final break they left HIM in this prison but in the flashforward in the finale they were standing at his grave.

The Man: just because there is a grave, it does not mean there is a body beneath it. most likely since L & S were supposedly on the run again, the government would have diposed of michaels body. however, since mahone was technically helping the FBI to get his job back, he may have found a way to secure the body and get it back to Sara and Linc.

Matt Olmstead defends tragic twist: It IS a happy ending!

I know. Since Prison Break concluded its four-year run tonight by sending its chiseled protagonist to the big slammer in the sky, you're grieving. You want answers. You want justice. You want someone to pay.

Would you settle for answers?

'Cause that's all I've got. But at least there are a lot of 'em, straight from executive producer Matt Olmstead. Read 'em and... oh, I see. You're already weeping. Well, read 'em, anyway. Maybe it'll help.

Why'd you have to kill him?!
MATT OLMSTEAD: It started as a discussion with Wentwoth [Miller] around Season 2. He brought up a good point: His character's hands are as dirty as anyone's. If you look at the initial act that he committed -- robbing a bank to get into prison to break his brother out -- there were ramifications to that; a lot of people got hurt. Not by them, but when they rattled the cage of the company that was after them, the body count started to pile out. And Michael was aware of this. And we've addressed his guilt throughout the show. But at a certain point, it felt nobler to have the character die so that others could live. It just felt a little weird for us to have Michael and Sara holding hands on the beach walking away -- though that would be gratifying in the moment. Knowing that there was pretty much a scorched path behind them in terms of what happened, [having him die] balanced the books for us. He also paid the ultimate sacrifice and, in doing so, everyone else close to him was able to live, including his child.

Michael-Sara fans will argue that they deserved a happy ending after watching these two go to hell and back for four seasons. What would you say to them?
OLMSTEAD: For me, it is a happy ending. Look at the very first episode of the season when Michael realizes Sara's alive. They have a chance to run away, and they both elect not to because, as two people of conscience, they can't live with what they both now have experienced. And at the end of the finale, when they're on the beach and talking about the baby that's coming, that's a huge victory in that they both stood their ground and, with the help of other people, brought down the ultimate antagonist. So they have their moment.

Can we assume that we'll learn more about the ultimate sacrifice Michael made in the two-hour direct-to-DVD prequel movie [due July 28]?
OLMSTEAD: Yes, it dramatizes what happened to Michael. The nose bleed that reared its ugly head at the end of [tonight's finale] was a factor in his ultimate demise in that he knew that he probably didn't have that long to live, but it wasn't the sole factor. It informed certain decisions that lead to his demise.

The two-hour movie picks up right after the finale, right?
OLMSTEAD: Yeah, it takes place fairly soon after they're exonerated.

What's the premise?
OLMSTEAD: Sara is on the hook for [killing] Michael's mother and she gets locked up while pregnant. The tables are turned… once a doctor in prison now imprisoned, and Michael's on the outside. The majority of the cast is back. It's Michael, Lincoln, Sara, Sucre, T-Bag, Mahone... all the heavy-hitters.

Seeing Paul Adelstein back as Kellerman was a nice surprise. How'd that come about?
OLMSTEAD: We reached out to Paul and pitched him the idea of what his character would be doing, and he liked it very much. And then I told him that we would be jumping ahead four years to show where all the characters are, and I asked him where he would want [Kellerman] to be; he was included in the [creative process]. We traded a lot of e-mails and the ideas ran the gamut. We ultimately arrived at what it was, which is he rose to a position of power, but that the widow of his [former] partner that he killed revisits him. In the scene I wrote, she spits on his shoes. [On the day of shooting], I got a call from the director, Kevin Hooks, and he said, "Paul's here, and he [thinks] she would spit in his face." And I said, "Have at it." So she spit in his face. And then he's in the limo afterward and you can see that private moment where [he realizes] he can never outrun his past. That's one of my favorite sequences in the flash-forward. He played the self-loathing and regret beautifully.

Did you encounter any problems getting ABC to loan him to you since he's now on Private Practice?
OLMSTEAD: Everybody was very accommodating, and I think it all stems from a universal goodwill towards Paul as a person. He's a really good guy and people wanted to do him a favor. And we were able to get all his scenes done in one day.

Was there anyone you wanted to get back for the finale and couldn't?
OLMSTEAD: The only person we couldn't get was Marshall Allman, who played Lincoln's son. We would have loved to have gotten him.

Looking back on the four seasons, anything you would have done differently?
OLMSTEAD: I don't have a whole lot of regrets. [Another journalist] wrote that we left it all out on the field by the end of the series, and I feel the same way. Every story was exhausted. Every creative juice wrung out. It was a completely worthwhile experience, and I know the other writers [agree]. It was a difficult show to pull off, and we did it.

(source: EW)

Sky1 to premiere 'Prison Break' movie

Sky1 has secured the world premiere of two special Prison Break episodes billed as a movie.

The channel will air the two-hour series finale on Tuesday, May 19, during which a major character is said to be killed off. The final scenes will flash forward four years into the future, revealing which character meets their maker.

The following week, Sky1 will air the exclusive world premiere of another two-hour special, Prison Break: The Final Break, which will fill in the gap between the present day and the four-year flash forward.

The series finale of Prison Break airs on Sky1 on Tuesday, May 19 at 10pm. Prison Break: The Final Break can be seen on Sky1 on Wednesday, May 27 at 10pm.

(source: DigitalSpy)

Wentworth Miller and Robert Knepper on Prison Break and the Finale

Wentworth Miller - Michael Scofield

Re: the finale reunites Michael and Lincoln with some old friends
“In the finale we see a couple of very familiar faces, people we thought were gone for good but clearly were not, but we’re glad to see them. I mean as actors you miss cast members who fall by the wayside for one reason or another and I think that the people we do get to say hello to and catch up with were, were fixtures the first season and second season, people whose presence was felt and was definitely missed after they were gone.”

Re: knowing this season was going to be "Prison Break's" last
It’s very rare the show goes out on its own terms, you know, when you hear the word cancelled most of the time that means, you know, someone’s gonna pull the plug and the lights go out and everyone goes home. But we were able to finish out the season and that gave the writers time to address all the loose ends and really pull things together in a way that I hope is thrilling and satisfying for an audience that’s been paying their dues if you will for four years. I think they deserve a really good send off and that’s what we’re working hard to give ‘em.

Re: what we can expect from the series finale
When I think of the last episode I think there were definitely some surprises and some, some, some really electric unexpected moments. Again the show continues to surprise me in that we are a network show but we do things that you’d expect to see on cable, say, and not everyone gets a happy ending and I think some people might be taken aback by that but I think it’s also very true to the story that we’ve been telling all along. In a sense the story can only end one way and I’m really pleased that the writers and the cast and crew and everyone involved in the show have the cajones to really see it through.

Re: why he's loved the "Prison Break" storyline
“It’s not a procedural drama. It’s not the same beats season after season. We intentionally throw out everything that we know works and reinvent ourselves every fall and we take risks like nobody else and I think by and large they’ve all paid off and the, the important side effect is that it keeps things interesting and new and fresh for the actors involved.”


Robert Knepper - Theodore 'T-Bag' Bagwell

Re: How did it feel to film the final episodes?
“Like I’ll never forget the day, the last day I knew was going to shoot with Dom & Wentworth; I mean that was a really emotional day for the three of us. They still had another day with the two of them but that was the day that I would never work with them again, with these characters. And we hugged each other and it was very emotional, close experience as well as the words that poured back and forth between us of telling each other how much we respected each other and what an amazing ride it’s been for four years, stuff like that, it was just sweet. And then, to say goodbye to this crew, it’s been an amazing ride. You could just go through these jobs, I suppose, and say well you know here’s the end of this job and off we go to the next one, but this one you can’t really do that. You wouldn’t be somebody I’d want to work with for instance because you can’t be bitter about these things. This was four years of our lives, I mean, I looked at my kid the other day and I went, I’ve been doing this show more than half of his lifetime, four years, he’s almost seven. Every day that I went to work was a joy because you just realized I am so thankful for this great gig, this incredible character, the fact that it’s internationally so popular, it was a new adventure everyday. So, the bitter part of it, the sad part of it for me was yeah that it’s over, the sweet part about it is that we always appreciated everyday and it was a great lesson I think for all of us to just say this is a great way to live your life…never take it for granted, always appreciate it and keep giving back what’s been given to you and that’s how we lived ours lives on this show.”

Re: Reflects on his character & what he loves about T-Bag
“Even on a simpler level, he just doesn’t give up, this guy never was a quitter and that’s one of the things I loved about this character. If he hadn’t had all these other terrible things happen to him as a kid, if he hadn’t committed all these terrible crimes, he’d be a great role model, but unfortunately he’s got the baggage and you have to pay for these things in life. He never gives up; he will do and say anything to survive, up until the last moment that you see him in the story. I’m not going to give it away but he doesn’t lie down and take it, he figures out a way to survive.”

Re: The reunion of old characters in the finale
“I think it was a great homecoming and I think the audience will feel the same way. The other cool thing about it is when you have a family reunion like that you know that there’s going to be a big change involved. In this case, the change was this is the end. This is the end of this show, this is wrapping it up in that book end kind of feeling of characters that we all grew to love over the years and here we are bringing them back. It was amazing; it brought back all these memories of being together in Chicago when we all started and we, yeah again, four years…a lot’s happened to all of us, it’s made our careers, it’s made our lives totally different. None of us can walk down the streets anymore without causing a little bit of a fuss and just to see these guys again after that first year when we basically were kids, kids with our characters. And just to see, you know, Amaury I hadn’t seen for awhile and Rockmund I hadn’t seen and especially Rock, it’s like hey man how are you? And we love each other you know with our characters always hate each other and there’s all these racial things going back and forth between the two characters but he’s the salt of the earth and I love working with him and he’s funny that always passes the times really well. And Papi, Amaury, it’s like seeing your brother, it doesn’t take too long to get back on your feet with somebody like that cause he’s just always right there, it’s terrific. And I think the audience is going to love the fact that these enemies come back together. These guys who were friends and then with T-Bag with enemies so it should be a fun reunion for everybody.”

Re: What he thought of the ending, finale?
“I remember calling up Matt on the phone and saying, I’m just curious, I never call you up, I never discuss what’s the next script or anything but I’m kind of curious where you’re thinking we’re going to go with T-Bag. Is he going to be like Hannibal Lecter and just walk off into the sunset in this nice, late Panamanian suit, hat and stuff. Or, is he going to be killed, is he going to walk off a cliff, is he going to drown, is he…I mean there were so many choices, again I’m not going to give it away because it’d be like, you know, I used to say this years ago it’d be like giving a Christmas present too early. As much as people want to know, they don’t want to know they want to experience it by watching it, there’s nothing like that. I was very happy, I was very happy with how they ended it, I think it’s beautifully done all the characters are wrapped up. I was very happy how they ended it for T-Bag, it was really kind of a book end kind of feel that you, certain things in that scene that re reminiscent of when you first saw T-Bag four years ago. These sort of gestures and body language that are so much part of the character that the fans will always associate with this guy.

(source: SpoilerTV)

Latest from TV Guide

From TVGuide about PB finale: "Are we going to see Prison Break's Michael alive in the flash forward at the end of Episode 22? At least give us a clue. — Dea
MATT: Oh, I'd be breaking my personal spoiling code if I told you who's alive and not at the end of Friday's season finale. What I am good with is saying that the "four years later" coda is done well, and is quite thorough. Among the things we get to see: Someone is sent to the electric chair, there's an interesting romantic hook-up, and Robert Knepper was right – T-Bag's fate is an absolutely perfect one."

(source: TvGuide)

Latest from The Man

-Laufas-: I have another question for The_Man
Will Kellerman play a bigger part of the finale, or will he just kinda show up near the end? That would be kinda disappointing.. I'd rather he show up within the first 3 minutes and is on-screen for the rest of the episode.

The Man: He appears about 1/5 of the way into the episode. You will see him several times.

(source: SpoilerTV)

Latest from Kristin

Brenda in Los Angeles: How about a little hint on who the mystery guest is that you teased for the series finale of Prison Break?
Your hint: Many of you guessed correctly in the comments of our last Prison Break item. How about we hint something else from the item? There's actually more than one male who dies, and more than two females are taken hostage. But the real tease is here: We do meet Michael Jr. before the two hours are up.

Dea in Pristina, Kosovo: As a Michael and Sara fan, did you like the finale of Prison Break?
As Michael and Sara fans, we literally cried tears of joy at the present-day ending of Prison Break. The future ending of Prison Break, on the other hand, brought a different kind of tears. There's quite some time between the present and future endings, so technically, Michael and Sara do have a happy ending.

(source: E!Online)

Latest from Kristin

The two-hour series finale of Prison Break airs Friday, May 15 on Fox, but we just got a copy of the episode and couldn't hold our excitement. A certain mystery guest is making a very important appearance in the finale, so important, everyone's lives depend on it.

Said guest may not have been a fan favorite at the time, but fans sure love this person now. By promise of death, we cannot tell you who returns. But suffice it to say that you'll be shocked because this person has been pretty dead for a while now.

This mystery person is not the only familiar face who returns though. Rockmond Dunbar, Amaury Nolasco and Danay Garcia also come back, along with a new FBI agent named Chris Franco, played by über-creepy Ethan Rom of Lost (aka William Mapother).

Now, we know what you're thinking: Tell us who the mystery person is! Sorry, we can't. But there are more important things happening in the finale you should be wondering about. Like, say, will Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) survive?

That is the one question we can't possibly answer because that would take all the heartbreak fun out of the finale! Here are 10 things we can tease though:

- Someone takes a bullet to the chest.
- Someone has a very new girlfriend.
- A man dies.
- A woman dies.
- Two women are held hostage.
- Someone ends up a vegetable, and we're not talking about the yummy, delicious kind.
- Someone goes back to Fox River State Penitentiary.
- Someone ends up in the electric chair.
- Two nemeses have very similar fates.
- Sarah is very dangerous with a gun (see above).

There will be more teases coming in Monday's Spoiler Chat, but for now, it's time for you to put your thinking caps on and hit the comments with your guesses on who the mystery person is and which characters are a part of the 10 teases.

(source: E!Online)

Latest from Kristin

Lisa in Miami: I am a huge Prison Break fan, and Michael-Sara shipper, and I'm starting to get a little worried about how the series will end. Do you know anything about how things will turn out for Michael and Sara?

We'll be answering all your burning Prison Break Q's later this week after we get a peek at the finale. But for now, don't freak out. We've got your back, and we know that the writers do too. Everything is gonna be OK!

(source: E!Online)

Spoilers About Prison Break Ending

Question: Hi, Will Michael be alive in the end? Hope you will answer thank you

Answer: since you keep asking i will tell you.
At the end of ep 22 the scene that is 4 years later has sara, linc, sucre, mahone and michael jr. at michaels grave. and then the show ends. in eps 23 and 24 you will find out what happened. michael ends up sacraficeing himself to save sara and get her out of prison, but the reason he did it is because he still has a tumor and was going to die anyway."

(source: The Man)

Interview with Jodi Lyn O'Keefe

TVGuide.com: Had you seen The Big Bang Theory before?

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: Oh yes. I'm [series creator] Chuck Lorre's biggest fan, and have been working with him my whole life. He usually brings me on to the shows that he's doing to either guest-star or recur. I couldn't be happier.

TVGuide.com: Right, you've been on Two and a Half Men...

O'Keefe: Twice, and I recurred on Dharma & Greg.... I adore Chuck — he is one of the funniest men in Hollywood. He really knows how to write.

TVGuide.com: Let's talk about Big Bang Theory's Mikayla.
O'Keefe: I'm a hooker.

TVGuide.com: Um, she's a "working girl"?
O'Keefe: A working girl, yes. Am I not allowed to say hooker? [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: Who does she angle to "do business" with there in Vegas?
O'Keefe: Raj.

TVGuide.com: But it's a depressed Wolowitz who prompts the boys to make the road trip. What's she doing getting up in Koothrapali's grill?
O'Keefe: Well, he's the one I meet first!

TVGuide.com: Is he sufficiently drunk to be able to talk to her?
O'Keefe: Yeah, he gets a couple words out.

TVGuide.com: Do they ... arrive at an agreement?
O'Keefe: They may. It's pretty funny how it all plays out.

TVGuide.com: Big Bang is a very funny show.
O'Keefe: Oh my god.... Jim Parsons (Sheldon) is the funniest man on the face of the planet.

TVGuide.com: He's not in the Las Vegas storyline, though.
O'Keefe: No, but [the episode is set] half in Vegas and half back at his place. So he's there, trust me!

TVGuide.com: You're back on Prison Break, at least in the standalone movie being released to DVD. When did you shoot that?
O'Keefe: We just finished it actually, at the end of the season.

TVGuide.com: Gretchen was in fact taken into custody and imprisoned? She couldn't wiggle her way out of that last predicament?
O'Keefe: No. I was hoping she would, but it's nice to come back for these last two episodes.

TVGuide.com: The set-up isn't about her orchestrating a prison break, however. It's about somebody else...
O'Keefe: Yes, the central set-up is about somebody else being in prison, and what that's going to be like. It's kind of cool because this is like a rewind.

TVGuide.com: Meaning, whereas the series' actual finale ends with a four-year flash-forward this movie place during that time gap.
O'Keefe: Exactly.

TVGuide.com: Is Gretchen even harder in prison, or has it humbled her?
O'Keefe: She's pretty hard in prison, though she's keeping to herself. She has one goal in mind — to get out and see her daughter. But she has been very quiet, and has established herself as someone not to mess with. The inmates all leave her alone, so she must have done some fighting when she first got in!

(source: TvGuide)

Matt Olmstead Talks About the End of Prison Break

I'm sure this is going to be a question out of everybody so I'll get it out of the way. How did you get the news about the cancellation and how did you feel about it?

Matt Olmstead: We kind of knew all along that this season was most likely going to be our last and then when the show premiered along with, I would say, most shows took a bit of a hit in the ratings and that kind of coincided with us storytelling-wise in terms of what we had left in the tank. So, we knew at the very beginning of the season that we weren't going to hold back anything and use up all the ideas that we had and not to worry about setting up for a fifth season.

So, as the season progressed it became increasingly clear that it was going to be our last season and also it turned out to be kind of a benefit to us in that we were able to really set up things that were going to pay off at the end of the season and what would be the end of the series. So, we have some last images, last storylines that take place at the season finale, series finale, were set up at the beginning of the season.

So, it was a bit of a luxury in the sense that we had the time to platform the ending as opposed to going on hiatus like some shows have to do and wait to hear if you're going to come back or not and you don't and you don't have a chance to wrap up a serial-like show, which deserves to be wrapped up properly.

And at the end of the series is there a small door left open for any follow-up movies or anything like that down the line?

Matt Olmstead: I think there always is. Some people don't make it, but not to say that there couldn't be, if there was an appetite for it, some form of the show or a standalone episode or a movie type of thing. There's always that possibility.

I was wondering what you could tease about any returning faces we might see during these last few episodes.

Matt Olmstead: The mom character, the revelation that we put in the last episode and she plays a big part of the last few episodes, a lot of secrets are revealed and Michael and Lincoln are certainly shook in terms of who they are, where they came from and at a certain point they're wondering is this the truth or are they trying to be divided and conquered, so to speak.

Then we have a big surprise reveal, which I won't tell you who it is, but a returning character who comes in and late in the game when the wheels are coming off everybody he's either there to save the day or to hijack the whole thing for his or her own benefit. So the big reveal of a returning character that having viewed it, obviously, pays off very nicely.

And that one is an actual reveal and not like what we did with Westmoreland earlier? It's an actual return.

Matt Olmstead: It's an actual return, correct.

And then what can you say about Prison Break, the Final Break? What is that and when would it take place and when might people see it?

Matt Olmstead: What happened was when we were breaking the episodes we had a storyline that we didn't know where, it didn't really fit. It kept getting moved along down the episodes as the season went along. Then we had a conversation with the studio in terms of, this is really a cool story that we want to tell and it plays standalone, which would be a two-hour. So they, the studio, and we creatively went ahead and did it for episodes 23 and 24, not knowing for sure where it would air, network or whatever, but knowing that it would certainly in some or fashion because the story for us was really compelling and also having viewed that in its entirety, that paid off and was a good idea.

So, I'm not really concerned where or when it airs. It will be at some point be viewed by the fans and hopefully it will be worthwhile for them. What it is basically is episode 22, which is the series finale, network finale for now. Everything gets wrapped up and then in the last act there's a jump forward like four years from now. We show the characters where they are and some have won, lost; it's bittersweet and this two-hour that we had in mind, or the next couple of episodes that we had in mind, kind of plays in that middle period, that wrinkle in time.

So, it plays really well having viewed the whole finale, episode 22, because now it's kind of a jump back in time and answers some questions. But not wanting to rip off the audience we didn't do it where episode 22 plays like a cliffhanger like, now you have to watch the episodes because we didn't want to infuriate the audience in terms of it plays as a completely satisfying ending and just so happens that these extra two hours also play well.

I was wondering if it hadn't been coming to an end do you think it could have gone on? Would you have had more stories or had you sort of come to it, the creative exhaustion of the possibilities for escaping and re-entering?

Matt Olmstead: I think we did have conversations early on in terms of what if and they were fairly brief conversations. That's why we went pretty much very quickly to this being the last season and how to really play off. The ideas that were tossed around in terms of what could be a season five were pretty thin. And my fear is that even if it went that way it would have limped out; it wouldn't have gone out strong and just having been to the wrap party that everybody went to, there was a real feeling of accomplishment and there was no sense of we got caught short or it was we could have had more years or we wished we had more years. It felt like the story played out and there was, having looked at the series finale, the four years, the four seasons play as a piece, as opposed to this season strung along and ultimately kind of fading out. I really don't know yet, we tossed ideas around, but it was a very short conversation because nothing really took hold in terms of inspiring anybody.

And going in when you first started did you think there would be, did you see and ending earlier?

Matt Olmstead: What's funny is that when I first met with Paul Scheuring and Don Perusay when they had filmed the pilot and were looking for someone to come in and help out they had in mind kind of a first and second season and the running joke was that no one knew what season three was yet here we were able to do season four. Everybody knew there was an expiration date on the show; it wasn't obviously a cop procedural, which could have a long lifeline.

I give credit to both the studio network for signing off now because they knowingly signed off on a show that had certainly a finite lifeline to it and it was not going to be, by any means, a ten-year show. So I give credit to them in terms of supporting a show that they knew was going to burn brightly, but burn quickly.

Is this the ending you were always working towards despite the amount of time you were given when you found out you were being canceled?

Matt Olmstead: There were certain things that in terms of Michael's fate, Lincoln's fate, Sara's fate, all the characters' fates, that we had tossed around as the show went along. Down the road I always wonder what's going to happen, where will we be? So it was kind of a little bit of a game that we had in terms of what are the last images you want for the show? Obviously that kind of got more traction this season when we knew this was going to be it. Having viewed the ending, which is an ending that was suggested in the writer's room and built upon pretty early in this season and we have these ten big white boards that we write a lot of stuff down on and put down a quick list of where we wanted to see everybody in this jump ahead four years down the road. It pretty much stayed the same throughout the whole season. No one got erased or no one got, we added a couple, but it really executed what we really wanted to do I think, like I said, pretty early in the season so it wasn't a scramble at the end. It was satisfying in that as I mentioned earlier, the stuff that we set up early in the season paid off handsomely at the end of the season.

What can you tell us about how Michael's and Sara's story line is going to be wrapped up?

Matt Olmstead: I'll tell you this. It's wrapped up unexpectedly because for a while there they were, just for like an episode or so, it felt like they were kind of Bonnie and Clyde. It worked for one episode, which is kind of coming up. It was that same fear of what do you do with two characters that there's a real charged, fresh aspect to their relationship if they're stuck together do they become the Lockhorns? What are they going to do after a while? That's kind of the reason why in season three we had her character "killed" because there's almost a disservice to the actor and the character like what are we going to do with her once they're together because there's always been walls between them?

So, we found a way in this season for this kind of torture that she suffered at the hands of Gretchen and company in season three off-screen that helped kind of put this new wall between her and Michael and it's a wall that inhibits their intimacy and finally at the end of the season I can say that wall comes down, but there are unexpected ramifications to that. So, what seems like two people are joined at the hip want the same thing there's a bunch of curve balls that are thrown at them in the finale. Ultimately it's bittersweet, but very satisfying.

What's the one thing that you wished could have happened in the story throughout the season?

Matt Olmstead: There's one thing I wish we could have done is film more at night. And that was really the only thing I wish for because having seen the finale and then what turned into two extra episodes everything paid out. Having viewed it with the rest of the writers, many of whom have been there since day one, we knew each other and it was like we did the best we could do. There are absolutely no regrets.

So, as I look back on this there are no real missed opportunities for me and the only thing is kind of budgetary-wise we were always proud of the fact that we stayed on budget for a couple different reasons. So we were unable to film at night, much as we did season one and for a visual aspect for me that was basically the one thing I wish we could do more. But in terms of storytelling or getting an actor or any of that kind of stuff, I sincerely have no regrets.

You mentioned that there might be a TV movie or a standalone episode in the future. I was wondering what's the plan for the Prison Break spin-off?

Matt Olmstead: There's no plan for a Prison Break spin-off. We did a script for what would be establishing a character in season three, a female character and then getting her off into essentially a female prison show. There were a couple hurdles involved and we couldn't get the actress, the strike happened and when we came back the show was in its last season. The Sarah Connor Chronicles wasn't doing that great and there's a host of reasons why that idea, that project, cooled. Who's to say if it could get a spark again. I'm not counting on it. My days aren't based around it. But for me the show's done and I would comment on the question of is there a chance that there could be a standalone. There's always a chance, but nothing, certainly, in the planning stage.

So a spin-off's not officially dead, though.

Matt Olmstead: It's on the ground, legs twitching, but you know there's still a heartbeat perhaps.

I was wondering how early on you thought of how these guys would eventually have their mother pop into the show.

Matt Olmstead: The mother idea was one that was, there were probably three or four ideas this season that were kind of back-pocket ideas that someone would have mentioned early on, even in season two or season three a what if, and it just went away because there was no need for it. Then when things started to gain momentum in this season I was looking for that big card to turn that could have major ramifications. That idea was revisited.

And once we did it fell together pretty quickly and actually dovetailed nicely into kind of the mythology that we had already set up and complications that we already set up and the differences between Michael and Lincoln and so it was something that was brought up that we revisited and it worked out nicely.

I wanted to ask about the differences between Michael and Lincoln because they have always seemed so different. I was really surprised that Michael seemed a lot like the mother that we've seen just a speck of here. Michael doesn't at all. He's a very hard-nosed guy. How do you explain how little he seems to have in common with this super bright woman who's his mother?

Matt Olmstead: That will be explored the next couple episodes leading up until the last episode. We wanted to get someone, cast an actress, which I think we did quite successfully, who would be similar to Michael in the same way that the actor we hired to play their dad was kind of, Lincoln clearly was a chip off that block. So, this is the kind of female equivalent of Michael, which we really haven't seen. That in itself is interesting to us, but also there are some things about who they are that is called into question. That whole family dynamic's explored in the next couple episodes.

One thing I'm getting a lot of questions people want to know from you is what happened to L.J.?

Matt Olmstead: Funny you should ask. The question was posed earlier about any regrets. There weren't any regrets, but the only actor we couldn't get was Marshall (Allman). We wanted to bring him back for a couple episodes, but it was later in the season and there was a schedule conflict and we couldn't get him and his character gets addressed going forward. In terms of the show the character lives on, but we weren't able to get him in terms of showing where is he now type of deal.

But, yes, he's been really an important part of the show and a good guy about it because his character ping-pongs back and forth in terms of a couple of episodes here, a couple of episodes there. He's been a very good sport about it. Unfortunately we couldn't get our schedules to coincide. We couldn't get him for now, but his character is addressed.

Would you like to work with some of the cast again on a new project?

Matt Olmstead: Very much so. Having been on a couple shows now you can really appreciate there's a special quality to someone who has a couple different things going for them, which is talent, but also professionalism and in a television show it's, I hate to say required, because shows do go along with actors who have one of the other, neither or both, but having been working with people like Bill Fichtner and Robert Knepper, it's been a real joy. I think the same holds true for them. I think that their experiences have been good on the show as well.

I thought I heard talk somewhere that there was somebody that you wanted to kill in the finale, but Fox wasn't crazy about it so you had to change plans. Is there any truth to that?

Matt Olmstead: Actually they came around. There was kind of a polarized viewpoint over at Fox in terms of killing for preserving a character and we made our pitch and turned in the script. They saw the merit in it and so they were completely on board.

I'm just wondering if you'd discuss what you think the show's biggest leap of logic over the years has been. Is there one that even you've got to admit was just --?

Matt Olmstead: Yes. It's Michael getting a tattoo removed overnight at the beginning of this season. Wentworth was developing a skin irritation to having this thing applied to his body constantly, which I can get, even like the ones that were just on his arm. So we had to figure out a way; instead of him wearing long-sleeved shirts all the time can we zap the tattoo?

Since they were working for the government we kind of fudged it a little bit where he was in a super-secret tattoo removal place ten miles from South Dakota, but who knows. So we established that and it went away. It was a little bit of a wank. When I look at the other ones that we did I obviously don't, we took a lot of those, but the momentum of the show I think accommodated that. This one for me was a little bit tough to swallow.

With all the double-crossing and kidnapping that's been going on why hasn't anyone in the company gone after C-Note and his family to use as leverage against Michael?

Matt Olmstead: When we last saw C-Note had gone into witness protection and also there's not a lot of love between C-Note and Michael in terms of that's when the guys with the shotgun marriage essentially in Fox River, they needed each other. So it's not like getting hold of Sucre and threatening Sucre's family, whatever. I don't think C-Note still carried that kind of currency when it comes to Michael. Not to say that he couldn't play a big part in the last two episodes.

So overall he's basically the only escapee that's free and clear, right?

Matt Olmstead: Yes. We wanted that to happen in a way because of all the things that are going on in season two where people were getting clipped and a lot of hardship was being endured, that moment of C-Note walking in with his wife and looking over his shoulder and gone. You wanted that one person to fly over the cuckoo's nest.

I've got to ask about T-Bag. He's got to be one of the most memorable villains ever in TV history. I know you can't give it away, but how could you wind his story up? He's managed to survive this long.

Matt Olmstead: He has been like a real cockroach, but in what I've been referring to as this four-year jump cut ahead, when you see T-Bag and when we screened it for the cast and crew at the wrap party the crowd erupted. Obviously he's a big fan favorite, but it's a bit heartbreaking to see where he ends up. But it makes perfect sense. All I can say is when you see it, if you do get a chance to see it, let me know. I think we did a really good job with where he, what his ultimate fate is.

It's a memorable character.

Matt Olmstead: I agree.

I hope he can find work again.

Matt Olmstead: It's a little bit like the wicked witch. There are certain character actors who are defined by that one role, but thankfully he's been smart about it. He's been doing movies on the side, and already has a movie that he's doing right now so I would certainly bet on Rob Knepper. He'll do well.

Do you have any closing remarks?

Matt Olmstead: Yes. I would just like to thank everybody for their support. I know, having been a journalism major myself, you have to be very objective, but then sometimes you do encounter people who have a real enthusiasm for the show and that can be expressed and certainly appreciated.

The show certainly had a graphic novel feel to it and not everything was perfect, but having looked at it as a whole I'm very proud of the work that we all did on it and I think that it'll be looked on as a pretty good piece, these four years we'll look back on favorably for whatever that's worth, to whatever extent that the nice words that were written about the show it got back to us and in times when we were beating our heads against the wall trying to figure out what to do next it was certainly appreciated.

So, just on a personal level I certainly appreciate it. I know the others did as well.

(source: MovieWeb)

'Prison Break' faces beginning of the end

Two brothers at odds, and Mama makes three.

On Friday, April 17, Fox's "Prison Break" returns for the first of its final run of episodes, having been warned early enough that its fourth season would be it to plan for a bang-up finale.

"We knew at the beginning of the season that it was most likely the last," executive producer Matt Olmstead says. "We had a real chance -which we took advantage of -in terms of properly wrapping up the show."

"The fact that it's four seasons," says Robert Knepper, who plays the nefarious crook and con man Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell, "it's a complete number, four.

"It just feels like there's a closure to it, as opposed to a lot of shows; they leave you hanging because they didn't know how to end it, or they got snagged off the air."

After three-plus seasons of half brothers Michael and Lincoln (Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell) breaking themselves and each other into and out of prisons from Illinois to Panama, Olmstead starts this run with a twist.

This season, the brothers and their motley crew of friends, cellmates and former enemies (like T-Bag) have been battling the enigmatic Company that has played puppeteer with their lives.

And, as it turns out, the mother (Kathleen Quinlan) they share is not only not dead but up to her neck in the conspiracy.

(source: The Sudbury Star)

Prison Break: About Final Episodes

So, Prison Break is due to return to US screens in a mere 18 days (not that we're counting...) but that also means the end of the series is nigh (sigh).

In anticipation of the new episodes, we thought you might appreciate a few teasers about what's to come in the final tranche...

- The plan to expose The Company hits a snag when the brothers are framed for a crime they didn't commit. Could they be headed for prison again?

- A few past cast members are rumoured to be returning - and one is an original Fox River inmate!

- Michael is faced with an impossible choice when both Sara and Lincoln's lives are on the line. Will he save his brother or his girlfriend?

- Gretchen, Mahone and T-Bag are among those lucky enough to be alive by the end of the season. Hurrah!

- We're treated to a Prison Break 'movie' after the series finale! The two hour-long shows will see Michael face his most challenging break ever...

(source: Digital Spy)

Latest From Ausiello

Question: Do you have anything on Prison Break's last episode? --Abby
Ausiello: Justice will be served to both Pad Man and Christina, although one will involve far more blood than the other. Also, I have some more information on the finale's Alias-esque epilogue: The closing minutes of the swan song will flash forward four years to show where all the main characters ended up. For more on PB's big climax, pick up the new issue of EW (on sale Friday) and turn to page 56.

(source: EW)

Latest From Ausiello

Prison Break
Number of deaths: 2 (at least)
Time frame: End of season
The scoop: As the series reaches its climax, Michael must choose whether to save the love of his life (Sara) or his bro (Linc). Maybe he chooses neither?

(source: EW)

Latest From TvGuide

I heard that Fox is not going to air the extra two episodes of Prison Break. Please tell me if this is true or not! — Liz
MATT: First, a little background for those just passing by: Prison Break returns Friday, April 17, with six episodes that will wrap up the series in a tidy (if bloodstained) bow. Beyond that, 20th Century Fox TV is independently producing an additional two hours that could serve as a standalone "event" à la 24: Redemption. The Fox network has yet to commit to airing those hours, but if PB ends with a bang, you can bet they'll find room on the schedule. Who will appear in the standalone story, you (didn't exactly) ask? Pretty much anyone left breathing at the end of May — plus Jodi Lyn O'Keefe's Gretchen.

(source: TvGuide)