The New Season: HBO’s new regime faces the media

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The HBO three-hour panel session started off with a literal bang, a sound from the fictional “Medellin,” starring Vincent Chase, the lead character of “Entourage.” “Medellin” is about a cocaine kingpin and even though it will never really hit the theaters, you can watch the trailer after Sunday’s episode and it will soon be available at www.medellinthefilm.com.

From there, newly installed Co-President Richard Plepler took the stage with newly installed Michael Lombardo, president of the programming group and HBO’s West Coast operations, for their first Q&A with the television media.

Among the revelations:

-- No one at HBO has ever spoken to David Chase about a “Sopranos” movie, though the man who created the series is always welcome at the network.

-- It is not clear if the two two-hour movies that will function as the “Deadwood” finale will ever be produced because creator David Milch has been busy toiling on his new series, “John From Cincinnati,” and executives said they have not been able to talk to him about it. The reporters and critics kept pressing the ‘Deadwood’ questions; one explained to Plepler and Lombardo that he keeps hearing from readers about it.

-- Lombardo has read the “Sex and the City” movie script and he says he can’t wait to buy a ticket to see it. He said it shows the women in their 40s, pushing 50, and he’s all for it. HBO is a producing partner with New Line Cinema on the project.

-- ‘The Wire’ will return for 10 episodes in early 2008.

-- Asked to offer their interpretation of the ambiguous “The Sopranos” finale, Plepler said that it demonstrated that Tony Soprano will reap what he has sewn and will have to live his life always looking over his shoulder. Lombardo said, “I don’t know because my TV went out.”

-- Maria Elena Fernandez

(Photo courtesy HBO)