FX's animated espionage comedy Archer returns to the Danger Zone for Season 3 on January 19th and The Huffington Post has some details on what type of hostile work environment we can expect in 2012.
The big news is that actor Bryan Cranston of AMC's Breaking Bad will voice a character for the two-part season finale. Archer's creator and executive producer Brian Reed revealed that Cranston will be voicing Commander Drake, an "earnest, conscientious astronaut" trying to stop a mutiny on the International Space Station. Without naming specific characters, Reed mentioned that a number of ISIS employees will experience astronaut training in the first part of the finale and then end up in orbit with Drake in part two. "I love it when everybody gets to go [on a mission]," said Reed, "so a lot more people than you would think get to go to outer space."
In other news, Jack McBrayer of NBC's 30 Rock and Michael Rooker of AMC's The Walking Dead will appear in another upcoming episode as the brother of ISIS employee Ray Gillette and a corrupt sheriff, respectively. In this episode, the ISIS team travels to West Virginia to help Gillette's brother, who is a farmer of marijuana.
Other episodes in the new season include Sterling Archer getting lost in a South American jungle, Cyril Figgis receiving dangerous new assignments, a typically bad train ride to Canada and a trip to Venice. Also, there will be a Pam Poovey-centered episode revealing her history as an underground drift racer with ties to the Japanese yakuza. Reed also mentioned that Dr. Krieger, ISIS' technology expert, will be the "catalyst" for the return of another prominent guest star, whose identity Reed did not disclose. Hmmm...Bionic Barry Dylan perhaps?
Meanwhile, a tie-in book from HarperCollins called How to Archer: The Ultimate Guide to Espionage and Style and Women and Also Cocktails Ever Written arrives in stores on January 17th. "From what I understand, HarperCollins got Archer to write a book, and he blew the advance," said Reed. "I've read the book, and it's very begrudgingly written, like Archer does not want to be writing this book." Still, Archer fans should find plenty inside, from spy tips and romantic advice to "a ton of delicious cocktail recipes." Reed also said, "Malory wrote the foreword, but it's not really a glowing recommendation of the book."