HOLLYWOOD SPY

NEW TRAILERS FOR "GAME OF THRONES" 2ND SEASON & "THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY" WITH HENRY CAVILL & BRUCE WILLIS! TOM HIDDLESTON & TILDA SWINTON IN "ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE"! BRADLEY COOPER & JENNIFER LAWRENCE IN "SERENA"

2012-02-01T00:00:00.000+01:00

I'm sure you've already seen the first trailer for THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY action flick released yesterday, but here it is at HOLLYWOOD

SPY too. Opening in cinemas this April, this thriller shot in Spain stars the irresistible Henry Cavill, Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver, follows a young Wall Street trader (Henry Cavill) whose family is kidnapped on a vacation to Spain. He's left with only hours to find them, uncover a government conspiracy and the connection between their disappearance and his father's secrets. After last year epic blockbuster IMMORTALS this is Henry Cavill's second big leading role before he appears as Superman in MAN OF STEEL next year.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

Oh, damn vampires, it seems they will never stop sucking the money from the box offices: as "The Hollywood Reporter" writes, director Jim Jarmusch is preparing a vampire romance ONLY LOVERS LEFT
ALIVE which will bring an unusual love story between two vampires who have been in love for centuries. The cast is already filled with people who could fit vampire roles being very skinny and pale: amazing Tom Hiddleston, talented Tilda Swinton, John Hurt and that girl we don't like Mia Wasikowska. An unusual couple will be paired up in the movie adaptation of SERENA novel from 2008: Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence will star in this film set in 1929, which follows a newly wed couple attempting to start a timber empire. Things turn ugly when the wife learns she can't have children, thus setting out to destroy her husband's illegitimate son. Instead of Darren Aronofsky the helm will go over to Oscar winner Susanne Bier.

Have you seen the latest trailer for GAME OF THRONES second season in which Daenerys Khalesee says she is the dragon queen and

wants what is hers? The thrilling new trailer offers quite a lot of scenes from the second run of the HBO's hit show which is ready to hit the small screens this April. Beside having a lot of new faces in the cast,

last years favourites Emilia Clarke, Kit Harrington, Nikolaj Coster Waldau, Lena Headey are coming back to spice up the story.

KENNETH BRANAGH IS HOLLYWOOD SPY'S BEST ACTOR WHO'S NEVER WON AN OSCAR FOLLOWED BY EMILY BLUNT, CILLIAN MURPHY & MICHAEL FASSBENDER

2012-01-31T14:00:00.002+01:00

The first part of HOLLYWOOD SPY'S THE BEST ACTORS WHO'VE NEVER WON AN OSCAR poll is over and Kenneth Branagh is the winner with 25% of your votes, leaving Emily Blunt (21%), Cillian Murphy (14%) and Michael Fassbender (14%) behind him.

KENNETH BRANAGH

Abnormally talented Kenneth Branagh, without whose films we couldn't even imagine British film scene, who is a symbol of Shakespearean movie adaptations, has never received an Oscar, not for his acting, not for his amazing directing... nothing. Probably the craziest thing you've ever heard, yes? He was nominated for his legendary role and direction in

HENRY V, he was also nominated for HAMLET, but not for the direction of one of the greatest cinematic master pieces nor for his utterly perfect performance of the tragic prince but only for the adapted screenplay. He is now again nominated for his role in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN. He's never got nominated for any of his other famous adaptations of Shakespeare's plays even though huge masses of people know about them only through his amazing films: OTHELLO, AS YOU LIKE IT, LOVE'S LABOUR LOST, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING - no nominations for him, and he also wasn't awarded for his rather unique films FRANKENSTEIN and THE MAGIC FLUTE. Will the Academy forget him in 2014 when he finishes what promises to be an outstanding drama THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY with Kate Winslet? The fact that he is also a producer and writer beside directing and acting, didn't make Academy be fair to him either.

EMILY BLUNT

In the world in which mediocre or in the best case average actresses such as Halle Berry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Helen Hunt, Hilary Swank, Julia Roberts or Natalie Portman get Oscars, you will always find some deeply

refined silent true talent who gets pushed aside but them. Emily Blunt is an example for that: believe it or not, I personally always get shocked by the fact, but she has never even been nominated for an Oscar - not for her extremely profound, balanced and highly loveable portrayal of the British queen in YOUNG VICTORIA, not for her, now legendary, role of cold and reserved, but perfectly fair and just secretary in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA which was so successful that she stole the show with it from Anne Hathaway. Not even for her brilliant roles in SUNSHINE CLEANING or MY SUMMER OF LOVE. Not even Meryl Streep's judgement of Emily Blunt being "the best young actress she's worked with in some time, perhaps ever", has made the Academy pay more attention to her.

CILLIAN MURPHY

And again, believe it or not, one of the most talented of the young actors, Irish star Cillian Murphy has never been nominated for a

single Oscar either! For the Academy, his mindblowing roles in Ken Loach's THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY and in Neil Jordan's BREAKFAST ON PLUTO, obviously weren't good enough to get at least a nomination, even though those two films and Cillian's work in them got awards at Cannes, Golden Globes and tones of European Film Festivals. He also didn't get a nod for his equally remarkable performances in COLD MOUNTAIN, GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING nor in PEACOCK (even though in the later one he proved for the second time after BREAKFAST ON PLUTO that he is the only male actor who can flawlessly play females on film and not in a comedic way).

MICHAEL FASSBENDER

Without any doubt, the biggest thespian among the generation of younger actors, Michael Fassbender has also never received any love from the cruel Academy, never! For reasons only known to them, they've

never gave him a single nomination for his performances that brought him the utter admiration and total respect of critics and film experts around the world: he wasn't nominated this year for his haunting work in SHAME (he had great roles this year in JANE EYRE and A DANGEROUS METHOD too) just as he wasn't previous years even though his roles in FISH TANK and HUNGER brought him tones of other respected awards and the title of the owner of the most unique and most independent talent among the young actors. Shame on you Academy, shame on you!

THE SECOND ROUND

Now let us move to the second round (there will be one more) of our THE BEST STAR WHO'S NEVER WON AN OSCAR poll. Another seven extremely talented thespians are waiting

for your votes, thespians who have never won an Academy award for reasons unknown: Hugh Jackman ( THE FOUNTAIN, AUSTRALIA), James McAvoy (ATONEMENT, THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND), Patrick Wilson (LITTLE CHILDREN, HARD CANDY, ANGELS IN AMERICA), Eric Bana (TROY, CHOPPER, THE TIME TRAVELLER'S WIFE), Helena Bonham Carter (THE KING'S SPEECH, THE WINGS OF THE DOVE, HOWARD'S END), Julianne Moore (THE HOURS, FAR FROM HEAVEN, THE END OF THE AFFAIR) and Ed Norton (THE PAINTED VEIL, AMERICAN HISTORY X, PRIMAL FEAR).

ABC'S EXCITING AMAZON SHOW "THE RIVER" WITH BRUCE GREENWOOD & THOMAS KRETSCHMANN! TOM RILEY IS STARZ' LEAD IN "DA VINCI'S DEMONS" EPIC SHOW! EXCLUSIVE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD 2012 AWARDS FASHION REPORT!

2012-01-31T00:00:00.000+01:00

You already know that beside the best epic show SPARTACUS and their work on MARCO POLO epic show, Starz is also preparing another great epic adventure - DA VINCI'S DEMONS. To be done in cooperation with BBC and penned by David Goyer (MAN OF STEEL), this historical fantasy,

in eight episodes, will follow the untold story of the world's greatest genius during his raucous youth in Renaissance Florence. Brash and brilliant, the twenty five-year old Leonardo da Vinci is an artist, inventor, swordsman, lover, dreamer and idealist. As a free thinker, with intellect and talents that are almost superhuman, he struggles to live within the confines of his own reality and time. He begins to not only see the future, but invent it. Now the new thing is that they've found the lead actor: it will be young British actor Tom Riley whom the Brits know from MONROE and LOST IN AUSTEN. To be shot this summer and aired next year, the show will be produced by DOCTOR WHO producers.

AMAZON MYSTERY!

Today, I have for you another trailer for one of the new shows which will hit small screens this midseason. It's ABC's new, super exciting

show THE RIVER which premieres February 7th revolving around Dr. Emmet Cole who's gone missing. The beloved host of The Undiscovered Country, which brought the wonder and magic of the natural world into our homes for so many years, has disappeared in the wilds of the Amazon. Gone for six months now, and thought by many to be dead, his emergency beacon went off two weeks ago. Now Dr. Cole’s wife and frequent co-host of The Undiscovered Country, Tess, has begun the search for her husband. With the help of her son, Lincoln, and crew members Tess is looking to be reunited with her husband and save the rest of his missing

crew. But the search for Dr. Cole may provide more questions than answers. Where have he and the missing crew been? What mysteries of the uncharted Amazon did they capture on film? Can this family that was torn asunder six months ago be miraculously reunited? The world holds its breath as we wait to find out just what became of Dr. Emmet Cole and his crew.

AMAZON TIDBITS

The cast of the show includes Bruce Greenwood, Paul Blackthorne, Thomas Kretschmann and Leslie Hope. It is interesting that the whole show is being advertised as if it is a real life story, it is being shoot too look like some kind of real life TV report, and even the official site is organized in that way. Very interesting marketing. The show is produced by Steven Spielberg.

SAG 2012 FASHION REPORT

So, did you watch last night's Screen Actors Guild Awards? Whom did you like at the red carpet? There weren't any stunning outfits this year, everybody went for quite bold colours. I won't mention the worst dressed, there were too many of those, but interesting ones were Sofia Vergara and Dianna Agron, the two best dressed ladies at the

Golden Globes earlier this month, who've opted for very simple and subtle pink dresses, while British beauty Emily Blunt went for long emerald gown with a very sexy deep slit. Diane Lane was refined again in midnight blue. One of the interesting and gorgeous ones was Kaley Cuoco in her mint green gown, while Lea Michele was definitely the sexiest thing that evening in her hot Versace dress and judging from the

comments around the net everyone seems to agree on that. The strange thing for me was seeing GAME OF THRONES Emilia Clarke for the first time outside the show. I was shocked to discover that the powerful dragon queen was such a plain Jane at the red carpet, couldn't even recognise her. Click on the pics to see them in bigger size!

THRILLING TRAILER FOR ASHLEY JUDD'S & SEAN BEAN'S SHOW "MISSING"! JOAQUIN PHOENIX, MARION COTILLARD & JEREMY RENNER IN A PERIOD ROMANCE!

2012-01-30T00:00:00.000+01:00

Continuing HOLLYWOOD SPY's love series, because February comes this week and it's the month of sweet sweet love ;), I have another romantic flick to announce with quite an interesting plot and cast. The cast of the new,

still untitled, period romantic movie is lead by Joaquin Phoenix and Marion Cotillard alongside Jeremy Renner and its plot revolves around an innocent immigrant woman (Cotillard) who is tricked into a life of burlesque and vaudeville until a dazzling magician (Renner) tries to save her and reunite her with her sister who is being held in the confines of Ellis Island. The film was previously titled LOW LIFE, but is now without a name and should hit theatres sometime next year. This is Joaquin's first movie since 2008 and he also has THE MASTER coming out next year about a leader of a religious sect. Renner has HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS coming out next year, but since it was pushed from this summer to the movie dumpster month of January, it is not a good sign.

ASHLEY JUDD'S MISSING

When it comes to trailers, the one I have for you today is the first one for one of the new shows that will premiere in the middle season. It's for

MISSING, a show which premieres March 15th on ABC and has two movie stars in the lead roles - always divine Ashley Judd and Sean Bean, who plays her husband and off course, as it is always the case with Bean, dies in the first scenes of the show ('tis the reason why they beheaded him in GAME OF THRONES - so that he can appear and disappear in this one as well) :) but will return later on through flashbacks. Story: When Becca Winstone's (Ashley Judd) son, Michael, disappears while studying abroad, there is nothing that will stop her from getting him back. Using her training as a CIA agent, she starts in Rome where Michael was last known to be and tracks clues

across Europe, seeking help from old friends and opening old wounds along the way. The kidnappers soon discover that between her special skills and a mother's love they have picked a fight with the wrong woman.

FEBRUARY 2012 ROMANTIC FILMS: CHANNING TATUM'S "THE VOW", JENNIFER ANISTON & PAUL RUDD'S "WANDERLUST" & "PERFECT SENSE" WITH EWAN MCGREGOR

2012-01-29T00:00:00.000+01:00

Well, you know February is the month when love is in the air, when cats start their mating games and the sales of chocolates rise to heavens (I guess it's the same with condoms too), but it seems this February won't have that much romantic flicks to take your loved ones to on St. Valentines. Here are the only three:

VOW OF LOVE

Probably the biggest romantic film of the month, the one a lot of ladies have been waiting for a long time since it has a very heartbreaking

story is THE VOW with Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams. To open in cinemas February 10th, this movie will be based on the touching true story of a newlywed couple recovering from an accident that puts the wife in a coma. The problem is that she wakes up with severe memory loss and can't remember any of her life with her new husband including his love and her love for him, he is now a total stranger to her... so he has to fight to win her heart all over again. Beside Channing and Rachel as the couple, the cast also includes Jessica Lange, Sam Neil and Scott Speedman who plays Rachel's ex fiancée who is using the situation to get back in her life.

DID YOU KNOW that the director and the writer of this film, Michael Sucsy, is currently working on another romantic story - ROSALINE about Romeo's first girlfriend Rosaline, whom he dumped in order to start the tragic affair with his Juliet. That one will star Hailee Steinfeld and Dave Franco.

WHEN LOVE WANDERS

But if instead of carrying handkerchiefs to the cinema you prefer romantic films that make you laugh, you probably shouldn't miss

WANDERLUST which opens in theaters on February 24th. It stars Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd as George and Linda, an overextended, stressed out Manhattan couple. After George is downsized out of his job, they find themselves with only one option: to move in with George's awful brother in Atlanta. On the way there, George and Linda stumble upon Elysium, an idyllic community populated by colorful characters who embrace a different way of looking at things. Money? It can't buy happiness. Careers? Who needs them? Clothes? Only if you want them. Is Elysium the fresh start George and Linda need? Or will the change of perspective cause more problems than it solves?

DID YOU KNOW that the cast also includes Justin Theroux, Jennifer's current boyfriend, whom she met while shooting this film and with whom she is apparently pregnant if we could trust tabloids :) This is the third time for Aniston to start next to Rudd after FRIENDS and THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION.

THE STRONGEST SENSE

The last romantic movie suggestion for you this February is a film I've mentioned a couple of times before - PERFECT SENSE in which

Ewan McGregor has a misfortune of being paired up with the ice queen Eva Green. This unusual apocalyptic romantic thriller and drama, brings the story of two strangers, Ewan as a chef and Eva as a scientist, who form a desperate romantic connection and fall in love with each other while their city is facing an apocalyptic epidemic of sensory loss in which people lose sight, smell, hearing... one by one. Will they lose love too, without their senses?

DID YOU KNOW that the film is directed by David Mackenzie who worked previously with Ewan on YOUNG ADAM, a film mostly remembered for Ewan sporting his naked willy in at least half of the scenes :) The film hits cinemas February 10th.

DELIGHTFUL 2ND TRAILER FOR "MIRROR MIRROR" WITH LILY COLLINS & JULIA ROBERTS! SCARY TRAILER FOR THE MIDSEASON "THE WALKING DEAD" FINALE! KATE WINSLET JOINS "FRANK OR FRANCIS"

2012-01-28T00:00:00.000+01:00

One of our three favourite Kates (beside Blanchett and Zeta Jones), Kate Winslet has just signed on for a new role: as "MovieWeb" reports she will join

Catherine Keener in FRANK OR FRANCIS, in which the story revolves around an online war that develops between a successful filmmaker (Steve Carell) and a movie blogger (Jack Black). Nicolas Cage will play an actor known for commercial successes such as Fat Dad, while Kevin Kline will play the director's brother. It is still not known whom will Kate Winslet and Catherine Keener play. The film is being written and directed by Charlie Kaufman who already worked with Kate on dreadfully boring ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND for which she received an Oscar nod.

MIRROR MIRROR HUMOUR

A super delightful second trailer for Tarsem's charming fairy tale MIRROR MIRROR has been released today, and it focuses on the lovely humour in the film. It seems that in the sea of morbidly dark projects this film will be the one for all family to enjoy and you can take

your kids to see it too. Ready to premiere March 30th, the movie follows an evil enchantress (Julia Roberts) who schemes and scrambles for control of a spirited orphan’s (Lily Collins) throne and the attention of a charming prince (Armie Hammer). When Snow White’s beauty wins the heart of the prince that she desperately pursues, the Queen banishes

her to the forest, where a ravening man-eating beast hungrily awaits. Rescued by a band of diminutive highway robbers, Snow White grows into an indomitable young woman determined to take back her realm

from the treacherous Queen. With the support of her subjects, she roars into action in an epic battle that blends spectacle, magic and contemporary humour in Singh’s signature, jaw-dropping visual style.

WALKING DEAD HORROR

Are you ready for the second part of the second season of AMC's THE WALKING DEAD zombie series? The exciting trailer has just been released, check it out bellow. The final six episodes will start airing February 12th and we shall finally find out if the heroes will leave Hershell's farm or stay there a bit longer, now that the mystery around

the missing girl has been solved. We shall also find out if John Bernthal (sheriff's deputy) will really leave the show as the latest gossips suggest, which would mean that his character will probably be thrown to the zombies or something (not that anyone will shed tears for that evil brute with serious identity issues). As I reported before the third season has already been ordered and it will have 16 episodes.

MINDBLOWING CLIP FOR "JOHN CARTER" EPIC! CHARACTER POSTERS FOR "WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU ARE EXPECTING"! SPIELBERG READY FOR "GODS AND KINGS" EPIC! JAMES MCAVOY & JAMIE BELL IN "FILTH"! DESIGNER EIKO ISHIOKA HAS DIED!

2012-01-27T00:02:00.004+01:00

Are you ready for the biggest space opera in last ten years? Disney's sf epic JOHN CARTER is ready to take us straight to Mars this March and I have a mindblowing and super dynamic new TV spot for you

today. With one of the strongest casts we've ever seen in a sf film ever since DUNE, including Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, James Purefoy, Polly Walker, Ciaran Hinds, Mark Strong, Bryan Cranstone, Willem Dafoe, Dominic West, Thomas Haden Church and Samantha Morton, the story follows a Civil War veteran who, transplanted to Mars, discovers a lush planet inhabited by 12-foot tall barbarians, warrior tribes and exotic desert beings. Finding himself a prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter a princess who is in desperate need of a saviour. Based on the first of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “Barsoom Series” books, this $250 million epic is directed by brilliant Andrew Stanton (WALL-E, FINDING NEMO, A BUG'S LIFE). Click for the extensive spotlight on the film with stunning pics.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

I've already announced that Steven Spielberg is preparing a Biblical epic, and according to "Deadline" it seems he is now in final talks with

Warner Brothers to helm GODS AND KINGS, which is being described as a Braveheartish version of the Moses story in which the Jewish leader will be shown as the warrior to beat all warriors. Before this, Spielberg has to finish LINCOLN and ROBOPO- CALYPSE. Another flick I've mentioned before, comedic thriller FILTH is preparing for production as well. Based on the novel by Irvine Welsh (TRAINSPOTTING), and with a rather strong cast which includes James McAvoy, Jamie Bell, Jim Broadbent, Eddie Marsan and Imogen Poots, the story is centred on an Edinburgh police detective who manipulates everyone in his path to secure a promotion and win back his wife and daughter.

Prepare to see lots of pregnant ladies, 'cause funny character posters for WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU ARE EXPECTING have just been released. Ready to premier in May, and based on the famous self-help mega bestseller on pregnancy, this is an ensemble romantic comedy made in the vein of LOVE ACTUALLY and VALENTINE'S DAY.

The film is a modern look at love through the eyes of four interconnected couples experiencing the thrills and surprises of having a baby, and ultimately coming to understand the universal truth that no matter what you plan for, life doesn't always deliver what's expected.

The stellar cast includes a bunch of amazingly gorgeous ladies and gents from Cameron Diaz and Elizabeth Banks to Brooklyn Decker, Matthew Morrison, Rodrigo Santoro, Chace Crawford, Joe Manga Hunky Niello (who's naked in the trailer, mladies) and that fur wearing evilness Jennifer Lopez. There are also Dennis Quaid and Megan Mullally.

EIKO ISHIOKA DIED!

One of the saddest news to arrive today is that amazingly talented, shockingly creative and almost otherworldly gifted costume designer

Eiko Ishioka (73), has died this weekend in Tokyo from pancreatic cancer :( As you know, she was HOLLYWOOD SPY's favourite costume designer of all times who made some of the most brilliant,

mindblowing and absolutely legendary costumes in cinematic history from the dreamy ones in THE CELL and THE FALL, to epic ones in IMMORTALS, lovely ones in MIRROR MIRROR and the Oscar

winning ones in BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA. She mostly worked with equally amazing Tarsem Singh. I'm utterly shocked, she will be missed greatly!

1ST TRAILER FOR "THE LOFT" WITH KARL URBAN, WENTWORTH MILLER & JAMES MARSDEN! CATHERINE ZETA JONES JOINS JUDE LAW & CHANNING TATUM IN "THE SIDE EFFECTS"! EVANGELINE LILY ON HER ELVEN GUARD ROLE IN "THE HOBBIT"!

2012-01-26T00:00:00.003+01:00

As you all know THE HOBBIT is the most anticipated film this year, if not this decade, and one of the actresses who will appear in the famous saga next to Cate Blanchett, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Ian McKellen and Martin Freeman is Evangeline Lily who will play Elven girl Tauriel in both

AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY and THERE AND BACK AGAIN. Speaking this week to "Entertainment Weekly" she revealed that the shooting of the both films will last two years in total, with the stars coming in and out of New Zealand numerous times during that period. She also said that her character, a Mirkwood elf Tauriel, will be a dangerous warrior and the head of the Elven guard who uses a bow and arrow and two daggers as her primary weapons. She is apparently very lethal. She will appear in the first film near the end, but will have a longer part in the second film, a part which apparently became bigger after Peter Jackson was impressed with Lily's work.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

I've been mentioning Catherine Zeta Jones a lot these days, and I will do it again since she has just joined THE SIDE EFFECTS,the

film I've also mentioned last week, in which Blake Lively plays a woman who gets addicted to prescription drugs out of fear that her husband (Channing Tatum) will be released from prison soon. Jude Law will play the woman's new therapist, while Catherine Zeta Jones will play another doctor in the Steven Soderbergh's film. At the same time, another project I've mentioned this week has a new cast member: according to "MovieWeb" Ron Livingston has joined THE CONJURING, the supernatural thriller in which Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga will play two demonologists who investigate the case of a couple (Livingston plays the husband) who lives in a farmhouse with evil spirits and other similar creatures.

And your trailer treat for today is an exclusive clip from the upcoming thriller THE LOFT which has a cast picked straight out of my wildest dreams - three of my favourite boys - Karl Urban (who in a strange and ironic twist of fate had replaced my fourth most favourite actor Patrick Wilson, LOL), Wentworth Miller and James Marsden.

The trailer is in English, but has foreign subtitles, it's the only one released so far, but you will still enjoy it. The story of the film, shot in Belgium (since it is an English language remake of the Belgian hit film), follows five friends who share a loft for their extramarital affairs but begin to question one another after the body of an unknown woman is found in the property. The lovely ladies of the female part of the cast include Rhona Mitra (from UNDERWORLD 3), Isabel Lucas (played Goddess Athena in this winter's epic blockbuster IMMORTALS) and Rachael Taylor (from the unsuccessful CHARLIE'S ANGEL remake show).

PS Have you noticed that HOLLYWOOD SPY has crossed the 1,100,000th visitor? You know me loves you and there's nothing you can do about it :)

SPOTLIGHT ON GAMBLING PROJECTS: HBO'S "LUCK" WITH DUSTIN HOFFMAN, "LAY THE FAVORITE" WITH BRUCE WILLIS AND CATHERINE ZETA JONES

2012-01-25T13:44:00.000+01:00

All of you who love casino movies and films on gambling will probably enjoy the fact that a bunch of films and new TV series with that setting are coming to us in the near future. Check out some of them:

DUSTIN HAS "LUCK"

Ready to premiere January 29th at HBO is the horse racing series LUCK which will offer a behind-the-track look at the world of horse racing and gambling denizens - owners, trainers, jockeys and gamblers. The story will be spread in nine episodes, and coming from acclaimed director Michael Mann and DEADWOOD creator David Milch, LUCK will take a provocative look at the world of horse racing - the owners, gamblers, jockeys and diverse gaming industry players. It is interesting that the cast uses another trend in TV - having film stars as the leads in TV programmes - so the ensemble includes film stars Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte beside Dennis Farina, John Ortiz, Richard Kind, Ian Hart...

"LAY THE FAVORITE"

When it comes to cinemas, one of the films which will be set in the world of casinos, betting, gambling and roulette is LAY THE FAVOURITE a dramedy centered on a thirty something woman who

becomes involved with a group of geeky fiftyish men who have found a way to work the sportsbook system in Las Vegas to their advantage. The interesting part of this film is its stellar cast which includes Bruce Willis, Catherina Zeta Jones as his wife Tulip, Vince Vaughn

(who was cast after pop star Justin Timberlake opted to leave the project), and young stars Joshua Jackson, Laura Prepon and Rebecca Hall. Another good thing is that the film is being directed by always amazing Stephen Frears (whom we love heaps - THE QUEEN, CHERI, DANGEROUS LIAISONS, MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS).

GREAT NEW PICS FROM "WRATH OF THE TITANS" EPIC! REESE WITHERSPOON & RYAN REYNOLDS IN "BIG EYES"! GOLDIE HAWN & BEN STILLER GET THEIR HBO SITCOMS!

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000+01:00

An interesting pair has just been added to Tim Burton produced drama BIG EYES: according to "Variety", Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Reynolds will take the lead roles in this movie based on the true

story of artists Margaret Keane and Walter Keane, whose bizarre paintings featuring large eyes were popular around the world in the 1960s. The film will try to explain how Margaret Keane was the true artist behind the paintings, and how Walter Keane stole all the credit for her work. As you know, Reese has THIS MEANS WAR this spring in which Tom Hardy and Chris Pine will fight for her, and then someone will steal her and Jason Segel's SEX TAPE. Ryan is, on the other hand, playing a cop babysitting a dangerous criminal in SAFE HOUSE next to Denzel Washington and he should also appear next to Sandra Bullock in MOST WANTED as an FBI agent who, trying to escort a criminal suspect, gets ambushed and the pair are forced to go on the run together.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

The trend of movie actors moving to TV (Patrick Wilson, Jessica Lange, Ashley Judd, James Caviezel, Sean Bean,

Holy Hunter, Joseph Fiennes...) continues with two new examples: Goldie Hawn who will lead HBO'S new sitcom VIAGRA DIARIES, based on Darren Star's script about a woman who struggles with the prospect of being single for the first time in 35 years, when her 65-year-old husband suddenly leaves her. Meanwhile, Ben Stiller will star in another HBO comedy pilot: ALL TALK, politically, religiously, culturally, intellectually and sexually irreverent show revolving around the daily and life-altering dramas of a Jewish family in Washington, DC.

Some great new images have been released in the latest issue of Empire Magazine of the main stars from WRATH OF THE TITANS, the sequel to the successful epic which premiers this March. The story is set a decade after the heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, with Perseus (Sam Worthington), the demigod son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), is

attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius. Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity's lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades (Ralph Fiennes) and Poseidon. The

triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous underworld. Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus' godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramirez), switch loyalties and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans'

strength grows stronger as Zeus' remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth. Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon's demigod son, Argenor (Toby Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.

HUGH JACKMAN & RACHEL WEISZ IN MADELEINE STOWE'S "UNBOUND CAPTIVES"! JAMES MARSDEN & THOMAS JANE IN "RED MACHINE"! MARK RUFFALO, JULIA ROBERTS, MATT BOMER & ALEC BALDWIN IN "THE NORMAL HEART"!

2012-01-24T00:00:00.000+01:00

One of the projects HOLLYWOOD SPY has announced three or four years ago might finally get into production: Madeleine Stowe, who returned to the spotlights with her Golden Globe nominated role in REVENGE show, has

been planning to direct her own film with quite a stunning cast. UNBOUND CAPTIVES will be an action epic set in the Wild West in which the story revolves around a woman (Rachel Weisz) whose husband and son are captured by Commanche warriors in 1859, and who is rescued by a frontiersman (Hugh Jackman). Robert Pattinson was set to play the son three years ago. It is interesting that Fox had first offered Madeleine $ 3 million planning to shot the film with Russell Crowe as the star and Ridley Scott as director, but she turned it down and turned down another $5 million offer for the praised script as well, because the deal didn't call for her to be anything more than just the film's writer. Rachel and Hugh already had amazing chemistry in one of the best films ever THE FOUNTAIN.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

After Liam Neeson and Dermot Mulroney finish fighting wolves in THE GREY later this month, some other hunks will fight some other naughty beasts according to "Variety": James Marsden, Thomas Jane and Billy Bob Thornton have signed on to star in thriller RED MACHINE sharing the spotlight with a live grizzly bear. The film

revolves around two estranged brothers (Marsden and Jane) who reconcile on a camping trip with their girlfriends. Once in the remote wilderness, however, things go horribly awry when they are attacked and relentlessly stalked by a horrifying grizzly bear called the Red Machine. Thornton will, off course, play a legendary bear expert and hunter.

One of the dramas, that has long been in the process of pre-production THE NORMAL HEART in which Mark Ruffalo will play writer and activist Ned Weeks through whose eyes we shall follow the rise of the

HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City between 1981 and 1984, has just gotten some really big names in its cast: Julia Roberts, Alec Baldwin and Matthew Bomer. Julia will play a doctor in the wheelchair who was one of the very few of her colleagues to pay attention to the disease, Bomer, who is gay in his real life too, will play Ruffalo's boyfriend, a fashion designer who has AIDS, while Baldwin will play Ruffalo's brother, a rich lawyer who has difficulties accepting his brother as a gay person. The story has been done before in a theatre play with Ellen Barkin, and the film will be produced by Brad Pitt's company.

PATRICK WILSON & VERA FARMIGA IN "THE CONJURING"! DIANE KRUGER IN "THE HOST"! FIRST PIC OF VIN DIESEL IN "RIDDICK"! NEW COMEDIES COMING TO NBC & CBS!

2012-01-23T00:00:00.000+01:00

You know that Patrick Wilson is one of HOLLYWOOD SPY five favourite actors, so it hurts me that instead of getting amazing lead

roles, especially given his stunning talent (ANGELS IN AMERICA, HARD CANDY, LITTLE CHILDREN), he is pushed over to TV where he is currently starring in A GIFTED MAN show. This year he has a role in sf epic PROMETHEUS but a small one, and the new announced project isn't promising either: according to "Variety" he and Vera Farmiga will star in THE CONJURING, a horror tale which is based on the true story of a Rhode Island family who claimed that they lived among the dead with friendly and evil spirits residing in their farmhouse. I think Patrick's talents need a better agent, what do you think, people?

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

You know I'm not excited about the movie adaptation of Stephanie

Meyer's THE HOST, since I believe the TWILIGHT author offends human brain with her rubbish writing, but we do love Andrew Niccol (IN TIME, GATTACA) who is directing it. According to "Deadline" the film which is set in the world in which aliens occupy your souls like parasites, has just signed in Diane Kruger who will join Saoirse Ronan who plays a young soldier who is taken over by a Soul dubbed The Wanderer, although the soldier puts up a fight, refusing to let go of her identity. The Wanderer becomes obsessed with the soldiers memories, and sets out to find her boyfriend and lost brother. Diane Kruger will portray The Seeker, who tracks down The Wanderer. William Hurt and Max Irons are also in the cast.

And have you seen the first picture of Vin Diesel, released this weekend, from RIDDICK? How do you like his costume? The third part of the famous sf saga has started shooting and also includes Karl Urban.

When it comes to TV news, there are two new sitcoms coming our way:

NBC is planning a pilot for an untitled comedy from the producers of GLEE in which the story would revolve around a gay couple and the woman who becomes their surrogate as they start a family. There was quite a big network bidding war for this project which will have Andrew Rannell (known for giving his voice to a tones of animated and video game characters) in the lead role. Another project is over at CBS - an untitled sitcom from THE MUPPETS writer Nick Stoller which will follow a guy who gets his heart broken by his girlfriend and now has to work one cubicle away from her at an advertising agency. It is loosely based on one of the writers real life experiences.

And it seems that pointlessly morbid AMERICAN HORROR STORY has started a trend of haunted houses shows since ABC is making 666 PARK AVE, about a young couple that purchase a historic New York City based apartment only to find it is haunted by the supernatural. These strange occurrences begin to affect all of the renters in the building.

HOLLYWOOD SPY'S SPOTLIGHT ON STARS WHO WILL DOMINATE 2011 IN CINEMAS: HELENA BONHAM CARTER, BRUCE WILLIS, CATHERINE ZETA JONES, RALPH FIENNES

2012-01-22T00:00:00.000+01:00

Beside Charlize Theron, Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Channing Tatum and other stars mentioned in the first part of HOLLYWOOD SPY'S SPOTLIGHT ON STARS WHO WILL DOMINATE 2012, there are other actors and actresses who will be more than busy this year, so let's hit the second part:

CATHERINE ZETA JONES

One of our favourite actresses ever Catherine Zeta Jones will finally come back to the movie world after a very long break (she didn't have any film since 2007) due to her husbands illness and other private

problems, and she will have three big roles: in LAY THE FAVOURITE next to Bruce Willis as Tulip, a thirty something woman who becomes involved with a group of geeky fiftyish men who have found a way to work the sportsbook system in Las Vegas to their advantage. She will also star in the ROCK OF AGES musical next to Tom Cruise and Alec Baldwin in which she plays a super conservative villain and we shall hear her magnificent singing again, and in PLAYING THE FIELD next to Gerard Butler, a romcom about a former professional athlete with a weak past who tries to redeem himself by coaching his son's soccer team, only to find himself unable to resist when in scoring position with his players' restless and gorgeous moms.

BRUCE WILLIS

Believe it or not, it will not be some young stars who will rule Hollywood this year, but good old and bald (just as we like him), Bruce Willis who will work more than he worked in his best years

with stunning seven films in cinemas in 2012: in the above mentioned LAY THE FAVOURITE, next to Catherine Zeta Jones, in THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY, with Henry Cavill and Sigourney Weaver about a young American who uncovers a conspiracy during his attempt to save his family, who were kidnapped while on vacation in Spain, in FIRE WITH FIRE, as a fireman who takes an unexpected course of action when he's threatened by a man who he's been ordered to testify against, in MOONRISE KINGDOM, about a pair of lovers who flee their New England town, which causes a local search party to fan out and find them, in GI JOE2: RETALIATION as the original GI Joe Colton, in LOOPER, next to Emily Blunt as cops who go back in time to catch criminals, and in THE EXPENDABLES 2 with his old action star buddies Sly, Schwarzy, Chuck Norris, Dolph, Jet Li, Van Damme and Jason Statham.

AMANDA SEYFRIED

Although she's mostly given us roles in some truly horrid (RED RIDING HOOD) or just weak films (MAMMA MIA), she also starred in some heartwarming films (DEAR JOHN, LETTERS TO JULIET) and thus her blue eyed Gorgeousness Amanda Seyfried is still one of the

most wanted young stars in Hollywood and she will have lots of work this year: she will star in THE END OF LOVE, a drama centered on the relationship between a young father and his infant son after the death of the boy's mother, in bad thriller GONE, about a girl who is convinced the serial killer who kidnapped her sister two years ago has returned, and she sets out to once again face her abductor, in THE WEDDING, about a long-divorced couple which fakes being married as their family unites for a wedding, next to Robert de Niro, Katherine Heigl, Robin Williams, Ben Barnes, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon and Topher Grace, in LOVELACE as porn star Linda Lovelace, and then in big musical LES MISERABLES as Cossete next to Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and Eddie Redmayne.

HELENA BONHAM CARTER

Speaking of our dear queen of craziness and weirdness, Helena Bonham Carter, she will also keep busy this year: beside

the potential role in LES MISERABLES in which she might play Madame Thenardier, she will also appear in another huge classic novel movie adaptation - as peculiar Miss Havisham who helps a little orphan in his life in GREAT EXPECTATIONS next to Ralph Fiennes, Jeremy Irvine and Jason Flemyng. You've already seen her brilliant pic from that one. And since it would be unimaginable for her not to appear in any of her husband's films she will also star in Tim Burton's DARK SHADOWS film adaptation of the classic TV show on the family of monsters in which she plays Dr. Julia Hoffman next to Johhny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer.

RALPH FIENNES

The above mentioned British thespian Ralph Fiennes will also have

lots of work this year after quite successful 2011 in which he directed and starred in critically acclaimed CORIOLANUS. This year he will be James Bond's new nemesis in SKYFALL, he will play a villain in GREAT EXPECTATIONS too as Magwitch, and will then take the role of the biggest villains of them all for the second time in the epic sequel WRATH OF THE TITANS next to Sam Worthington and Liam Neeson in which, as the God of Underworld Hades, he will kidnap his brother Zeus so the poor Perseus will have to go down under to save the King of Gods.

OCTAVIA SPENCER

One of the cutest faces to hit fame last year, delightful Octavia Spencer, who had a breakthrough year with her outstanding performance in THE HELP, will not disappear in 2012 since she has

three nice projects: drama SMASHED with Aaron Paul and Megan Mullally about a married couple whose bond built on a mutual love of alcohol gets their relationship put to the test when the wife decides to get sober. She will also star in THE TRIALS AND TRIBU- LATIONS OF A TRAILER TRASH HOUSEWIFE which centers on an abused housewife, her relationships with her friends, and her attempts at liberation. And she will close the year with LOST ON PURPOSE, a film about a woman who fueled by gin and sheer determination runs her dairy farm outside the region's domineering co-ops with the help of five renegade ranch hands.

UPCOMING UNDERWATER FILMS: "ATLANTIS RISING", "AVATAR 2", FINCHER'S "20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA" & $100 MILLION EPIC "EMPIRES OF THE DEEP"

2012-01-21T00:00:00.001+01:00

Something HOLLYWOOD SPY announced more than three years ago is finally moving on according to "Movie Web". Producer Mark Canton (standing behind stunning epic classics such as 300 and IMMORTALS) and Platinum Studios have started a preproduction work on adapting comic book

ATLANTIS RISING into a movie franchise. It is a provocative sf epic which brings up the question: whose planet is this?, since the story of the comic book is set against an undersea civilization that began over 10,000 years ago, and whose presence is unknown to the surface population. The action starts when after some seismic activities deep under water the U.S. military is dispatched to investigate the cause of the disturbances in the deepest part of the ocean only to reveal that there is an underground civilization down there which is ready to engage us in war. The film was previously set at Dreamworks with Len Wiseman directing and Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman producing, but the

rights then went back to Platinum Studios who is now ready to launch the production process on this big underwater adventure. Click to read HOLLYWOOD SPY's old post on the film from years ago.The film is scheduled for 2014.

AVATAR AND NEMO

This will not be the only underwater movie in the future, since you remember that back in 2010 James Cameron said AVATAR II will explore the Pandora oceans ("I'm going to be focusing on the ocean on Pandora, which will be equally rich and diverse and crazy and imaginative, but it just won't be a rain forest" ), but whether or not that

is still true, the sequel has been pushed to 2016 since Cameron wants to use a totally new special effects technology for the sequel and needs time to develop it. Another underwater project waiting to be shot is a new movie adaptation of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, which will be brutalized in his usual manner by David Fincher for Disney

(the first choice for the helmer was McG). Based on Jules Verne's classic epic the new version will follow a group of men led by Captain Nemo, who battle a scientific genius and his giant submarine with David Fincher's take on the material being surprisingly less dark and more in lines with STAR WARS.

EMPIRES OF THE DEEP

And we must not forget the $100 million worth Chinese production which has been in the work for years now but hasn't been released yet

EMPIRES OF THE DEEP in which the plot is set in a mythical world, telling the tale of an unlikely love story between a mermaid and a young human who journeys through a mythical underwater mermaid kingdom, where he is trying to rescue his father, while encountering some of the most ferocious creatures the sea kingdom has to offer. This fantasy adventure is co-directed by Michael French and Jonathan Lawrence, and has stunning Olga Kurylenko as the

Queen of the Mermaid Empire alongside male lead Steve Polites and Liang Yanfei. Anthony Arendt, virtual camera operator in "Avatar" is also aboard the film.

LITTLE MERMAID

I also forgot to mention above that Sony is planning to make a darker version of the famous underwater tale by Hans Christian Andersen. According to "MovieWeb" it will basically be a film adaptation of Carolyn Turgeon's book MERMAID: A TWIST ON THE CLASSIC TALE, which focuses on a princess who seeks out to marry the prince of her rival kingdom, to try and save her own ravaged kingdom. However, the princess discovers that a beautiful mermaid has also fallen for the prince, risking her life to be with him. The film will be produced by Tobey Maguire.

THRILLING TRAILER FOR "RE5IDENT EVIL RETRIBUTION"! LIV TYLER HAS "THE SIDE EFFECT"! CW MAKING "THE CARRIE DIARIES" & "BEAUTY AND THE BEAST" SHOWS!

2012-01-20T00:00:00.000+01:00

Well, it seems that beside Sandra Bullock who will be alone in space in GRAVITY, another famous brunette will wander the galaxy all alone: according to "Deadline" Liv Tyler (what has happened to her after

LOTR?), has accepted the lead role in THE SIDE EFFECT, a sf thriller in which the story centers on Liv Tyler's character, Catherine Rigby, who spends several months alone in space, to test a pharmaceutical company's new drugs. When she somehow becomes pregnant, paranoia sets in as Catherine begins to think she may be stranded in space. The film is planned for 2014. Talented director Richard Curtis who gave us one of the most beloved films ever LOVE ACTUALLY and who helped Steven Spielberg to write his WAR HORSE, will also go sf in a secretive project called ABOUT TIME which will deal with time travel according to "The Hollywood Reporter".

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

Beside the new show on DC's superhero GREEN ARROW, which I announced earlier this week, CW has greenlit another two pilots:

both will be for the ladies. THE CARRIE DIARIES, which is a SEX AND THE CITY spin-off since it will be based on the bestselling book by Candace Bushnell written as a prequel to famous SEX AND THE CITY, in which we follow Carrie Bradshaw in her early days while she was still in her high school and not in New York. It will be produced by GOSSIP GIRL producers. The second project is one I've already announced last year - BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, a kind of a remake of the 80's show with Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman, which followed the story of a beast-man who lived beneath New York City and, through a psychic bond, developed a relationship with a lovely attorney in the city.

I swear I thought this was the 13th or the 17th part, but judging from the 5 in the title it's the fifth part of the famous horror franchise which earned around $700 million so far: here's the first thrilling trailer for RE5IDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION which hits cinemas this September with the following plot: The Umbrella Corporation's deadly

T-virus continues to ravage the Earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating Undead. The human race's last and only hope, Alice (Milla Jovovich), awakens in the heart of Umbrella's most clandestine operations facility and unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex. Without a safe haven, Alice continues to hunt those responsible for the outbreak; a

chase that takes her from Tokyo to New York, Washington, D.C. and Moscow, culminating in a mind-blowing revelation that will force her to rethink everything that she once thought to be true. Aided by newfound allies and familiar friends, Alice must fight to survive long enough to escape a hostile world on the brink of oblivion. The countdown has begun.

TOMMY LEE JONES JOINS "EMPEROR" WW2 EPIC! TRAILER FOR "WOMAN IN THE 5TH" WITH ETHAN HAWKE & KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS! TILDA SWINTON & JAMIE BELL JOIN CHRIS EVANS IN "SNOW PIERCER"

2012-01-19T00:00:00.000+01:00

Crazy new pictures have just been released for MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE'S MOST WANTED showing the beloved well known characters of the lion, the hippo, the zebra and the giraffe beside a tiger,

a leopardess and a seal. Opening this June, the hilarious sequel will see Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo, and Melman the Giraffe still fighting to get home to their beloved Big Apple while King

Julien, Maurice and, off course, the Penguins are along for the adventure. This time the road takes them through Europe where they find the perfect cover: a travelling circus, which they reinvent Madagascar style!

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

One of the films I've mentioned recently EMPEROR, has just got Tommy Lee Jones in the cast lead by Matthew Fox according to "Deadline". Following Japanese surrender after

World Word II, this epic will have Tommy Lee Jones as General Douglas MacArthur, who was deemed the de facto leader of Japan after their surrender. The story unfolds when he invites a Japanese expert, General Bonner Fellers (Matthew Fox) to decide whether Emperor Hirohito should be tried and executed as a war criminal. Fellers is also compromised by his love affair with a Japanese exchange student he previously met in the United States. Interesting sf film I've mentioned this week, SNOW PIERCER, set in the world covered with ice and snow in which a group of people stuck on a train have to find the way to survive, with Chris Evans in the lead role, has just got Tilda Swinton and Jamie Bell in the cast.

The only new trailer I have for you in this rather weak week :) in the film news department, is the first one for THE WOMAN IN THE
FIFTH, an interesting thriller which hits cinemas this February in UK and this October in USA, starring Ethan Hawke and Kristin Scott Thomas. The story follows an American writer Tom Ricks who comes to Paris desperate to put his life together again and win back the love of his estranged wife and daughter. When things don't go according to plan, he ends up in a shady hotel in the suburbs, having to work as a night guard to make ends meet. Then Margit, a beautiful, mysterious

stranger walks into his life and things start looking up. Their passionate and intense relationship triggers a string of inexplicable events... as if an obscure power is taking control of his life.

THE PLOT FOR 2ND SEASON OF "THE BORGIAS"! GREAT TRAILER FOR GEOFFREY RUSH' "THE EYE OF THE STORM"! ADAM BRODY IN "SOME GIRLS" & "WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE". "THE WALKING DEAD" 3RD SEASON TO HAVE 16 EPISODES!

2012-01-18T00:00:00.000+01:00

One of the films a lot of you were mesmerized with when I posted the

trailer last year at HOLLYWOOD SPY's Facebook page,

THE EYE OF
THE STORM with Geoffrey Rush has found a distributor for USA where it will be released in April. With quite a powerful cast which also includes other two thespians Charlotte Rampling and Judy Davis alongside SPARTACUS: GODS OF ARENA hunky star Dustin Clare, this interesting and powerful drama is actually a movie adaptation of the 1973 literary classic by Australia's only Nobel Prize-winner for Literature, Patrick White. It centres around Elizabeth Hunter who controls all in her life - society, her staff, her children; but the once great

beauty will now determine her most defiant act as she chooses her time to die.

THE EYE OF THE STORM is a savage exploration of the family relationships — and the sharp undercurrents of love and hate, comedy and tragedy — which deﬁne them. It is interesting that the movie has already won awards at Melbourne and Rome film festivals and has amazing 12 nominations for the upcoming Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts awards for 2012! Check out the brilliant trailer!

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

One of our fave movie geeks, always charming Adam Brody has just got himself two lead roles as "Variety" reports: he will star in Neil LaBute's SOME GIRLS, as a successful writer who, before getting

married, decides to travel across the country to meet his five ex-girlfriends in a series of hotel rooms. He will then also star in WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE which will follow a group of staffers at a design firm who go on an office retreat to a tropical island, where total chaos erupts after they become stranded. Jean Claude Van Damme will play their power-hungry leader. Adam has also joined LOVELACE in which he will play an X-rated actor next to Amanda Seyfreid as Linda Lovelace. The adorkable actor is also everybody's favourite choice for the role of THE FLASH if that film ever happens. According to latest news, AMC's hit show THE WALKING DEAD, which continues airing February 12th, will have 16 episodes in its third season next year! I'm still not sure whether I will continue watching it or not after they've crossed some lines with an explicit killing of a little girl in the December semi-finale!

Showtime has revealed what will happen in the second season of their best viewing THE BORGIAS show when it premieres with its second season April 8th. It will see Pope Rodrigo (Jeremy Irons) seeking to consolidate his power and enlisting his family to take an oath of revenge on the great noble houses that dared to stand against him,

causing his Papacy to face political turmoil once again. But Rodrigo's real problems lie with his children, all of whom are growing up and defying his authority. Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger) forges an unlikely alliance between Vanozza and Giulia, and together they plot to battle Vatican corruption. The sibling rivalry between Cesare (Francois Arnaud) and Juan (David Oakes) will soon turn to hatred as their father's unwavering favoritism toward Juan triggers Cesare to engage his dark side. Elsewhere in Rome, Rodrigo's old enemy Della Rovere (Colm Feore) has entered the city incognito and conspires to assassinate him. With more than 3 million viewers every week, THE BORGIAS had higher ratings even than THE TUDORS in its first season.

STARZ MAKING "MARCO POLO" EPIC SHOW! CHRIS EVANS IN FANTASY ACTION "SNOW PIERCER"! HOLLYWOOD SPY'S GOLDEN GLOBES 2012 FASHION REPORT

2012-01-17T00:00:00.002+01:00

Chris Evans definitely had successful previous year. Not only that he scored success with his amazing and believable performance in CAPTAIN AMERICA

(the role he will repeat twice - first this summer in THE AVENGERS and then later on in the sequel to CAPTAIN AMERICA), but he also gave us a bit of romance, since we love him all cuddly and romantic, in WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER, and then he showed us some true acting skills in critically acclaimed drama PUNCTURED. The new project of his, just announced over at "Variety" is SNOW PIERCER, an extremely interesting fantasy action in which the story is set in a world that is completely covered in snow and ice, and follows a group of travellers trying to co-exist on a train. As I mentioned before, Chris Evans will also join Michael Shannon, David Schwimmer and Ray Liotta in THE ICEMAN, a 2013 film, the true story of Richard Kuklinski, the notorious contract killer and family man.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

One of our favourite channels STARZ which brought us legendary epic series SPARTACUS, is planning another historical show for us. It will be on famous 13th century explorer MARCO POLO in the form of a

fantastical martial arts epic, chronicling the famous adventurer's early years in the court of Kublai Khan. Acting as the ruler's spy, ambassador and explorer, Marco treks across the Far East and returns with tales of his journeys. In a court filled with political betrayal and forbidden relationships, Marco must use his martial arts training to survive, but it is his ability to enchant Khan with imaginative tales of his kingdom that is often his best tool to stay alive. Wowza, sounds totally like my cup of tea! It will be produced by the Weinstein company and written and created by John Fusco (HIDALGO)! Back in 2010 HOLLYWOOD SPY also wrote about a possible MARCO POLO movie at Warner Bros, but nothing happened with that one. And back in 2009 even John Woo had a plan of a similar project.

GOLDEN GLOBES 2012

I'm sure you will agree with me that Golden Globes 2012 were more or less the usual crapfest when it comes to awards and the winners so let us move straight to the fashion report, I know you like that one best :) Well, I don't know about you but the first thing I thought when I saw the stars at the red carpet was - What were they thinking? Too many bad

outfits, horrid hairdos, way too much trashy colours and shapeless dresses were seen at the ceremony this year. But every crapfest has its pearls and this year, the best dressed were Kate Beckinsale (she was there only for her beauty, right?), always stunning Sofia Vergara in her divine blue dress and two surprises, at least for me, were Viola Davis, who looked lovely in her simple but elegant burgundy gown, and

Tilda Swinton in an extremely refined ice blue outfit (she is usually the biggest freak, but not this year). Also looking lovely were Elven beauties Berenice Bejo in blue, Dianna Agron in the breathtaking filigree lace gown probably made by the elves from Earendil :), truly stunning, and I also loved Evan Rachel Wood's arborial green gown with feathers, scales and leaves, although her hairdo was really bad along with her make up. PS CLICK ON THE PICS TO SEE THEM BIGGER

ON THE DARK SIDE

Some ladies, going safe, decided for dark colours last night, some of them with success, like Helen Mirren, who looked amazing in her

midnight blue dress with diamonds, and Debra Messing who looked nice as well, while sexy ladies Mila Kunis and Morena Baccarin made huge mistakes looking baggy in the first example and slutty in the second one.

INTERESTING ONES

Diane Lane was looking truly refined in her beige sparkly gown, Octavia Spencer was charming and cute in lavander, Nicole

Kidman went unsuccessfully for Egypt, while Angelina Jolie was obviously preparing for her role in MALEFICENT. Reese Witherspoon had a weird red thing on her.

BLUE FREAKS

It seems blue was the trade mark colour for freaks this year: Freida Pinto in a blue grandma's drapery, Kelly Osbourne - I'm not even sure why she was there, Jodie Foster looked like an upholstered chair, while Sarah Michele Gellar came out of a paper bin covered in ink.

FREAKS OF THE YEAR

She might be the actress of the year but Michelle Williams' 70' style we just ain't buying, you're not Mia Farrow, Charlize Theron - beauty

gone to waste, Emily Watson - crime against red carpet, Katherine McPhee - crime against beauty, Julianna Margueles - walking hot

dog. So tell me, who were your chics and freaks last night?

ATTENTION

PS Ever since Blogger has started installing this amazing REPLY button in the comments for us, lots of Bloggers have had troubles opening pages and commenting. If that happens to you, you must switch from Internet Explorer to Firefox.

CHARMING TRAILER FOR JOSH HUTCHERSON'S "CARMEL"! KATE WINSLET IN KENNETH BRANAGH'S "THE GUERNSEY LITERARY & POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY"! CW'S SHOW ON DC'S "GREEN ARROW"!

2012-01-16T00:03:00.000+01:00

Now these are amazingly amazing news :) "Variety" reports that Kate Winslet has joined Kenneth Branagh's wonderful movie adaptation of THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE

SOCIETY novel by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Schaffer, in which the story centers on a group of London residents who are displaced to the island town of Guernsey after World War II. Kate Winslet will portray a magazine columnist who begins corresponding with a man from Guernsey, and learns how they used the book club to outsmart the Germans occupying the island. The writer takes a journey to Guernsey, where her life is forever changed. I've heard only warm impressions on this lovely book, so I'm really excited about the film which starst shooting this April. I'm excited about Winslet's and Branagh's collaboration as well, since they were absolutely stunning in HAMLET!

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

According to "Deadline" CW is negotiating with DC to make a TV show out of their GREEN ARROW comic about a superhero who first appeared back

in the 1940's dressed like Robin Hood who is an archer using trick arrows, including glue, net, tear gas and even kryptonite arrows. His secret identity is billionaire Oliver Queen. Luc Besson produced sf action LOCK OUT, which just changed its name into a rather stupid MS ONE: MAXIMUM SECURITY has got its official release date on April 20th. Shot last year in Serbia and starring Guy Pearce, the story of this thrilling film revolves around a wrongly accused prisoner who is promised his freedom if he infiltrates a space jail hovering above Earth in order to free the warden's daughter from the crazed prisoners who have organized a rebellion .Check out the trailer I've posted last year!

Definitely one of the stars which will be all present in cinemas this years, Josh Hutcherson, has a number of big blockbusters scheduled for 2012, including his roles in THE HUNGER GAMES and JOURNEY

2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND next to Dwayne Johnson, but this March he also has the leading role in this charming little feature called CARMEL BY THE SEA in which he plays a fifteen year old art prodigy abandoned by his drug addicted mother who then finds refuge in the picturesque art village of Carmel-by-the-sea. While trying to survive on his own, he is introduced to the underground world of art forgery. The cast of this lovely looking movie includes some nice names from young and gorgeous Hayden Panettiere, to Lauren Bacall, Alfred Molina, LORD OF THE RINGS' Billy Boyd and a bunch of people from Clint Eastwood's family, since if I remember correctly, Clint is or was the mayor of this little town in reality?

HOLLYWOOD SPY'S SPOTLIGHT ON STARS WHO WILL DOMINATE 2012 IN CINEMAS! CHARLIZE THERON, EMILY BLUNT, EWAN MCGREGOR, CHANNING TATUM, JUDI DENCH

2012-01-15T00:00:00.000+01:00

While you were reading HOLLYWOOD SPY's big spotlight on all 2012 films, I'm sure you've noticed some names repeat, some stars will be busier than others, so here's a spotlight on actors who might dominate this cinematic year.

CHARLIZE THERON

After many years spent with the adoration of the audience, but without

any big hits and big films in her sleeve, Charlize Theron could finally hit it big this year. Beside a possible second Oscar nomination for her role in THE YOUNG ADULT, she will also have two huge blockbusters which might finally make her a profitable actress, which she deserves both with her talent, beauty and charisma: she will be a member of a spaceship crew in Ridley Scott's sf epic PROMETHEUS and then she will be the amazing Evil Queen in SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN and we have already seen in the trailer that she clearly dominates the film. Let us keep our fingers crossed for her.

EMILY BLUNT

Besides, Charlize, another amazingly talented and unbelievably gorgeous and charismatic actress who will star in tones of films this

year is English rose Emily Blunt. We shall watch her in romantic drama FIVE YEARS ENGAGE- MENT next to Jason Segel, and then in sf action LOOPER next to Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon Levitt about cops who go back in time to catch criminals. She will go back to romance in SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN next to Ewan McGregor, and in ARTHUR NEWMAN, GOLF PRO in which Collin Firth and her play two people who, trying to escape their past, move into an abandoned house together.

CHANNING TATUM

When it comes to boys, the face you will be seeing most is Channing Tatum's. He has six films released this year: TEN YEAR, about a

group of friends who reunite ten years after their high-school graduation, HAYWIRE, Steven Soderbergh's action packed film, 21 JUMP STREET, the remake of famous TV show this time in the big screen version, MAGIC MIKE, which is the story of his own early days as a stripper with Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Joe Manganielo stripping with him in it, G.I. JOE 2: RETALIATION, the sequel to the sf blockbuster and THE VOW, in which he will play a husband whose wife, Rachel McAdams, loses all memory of him and their marriage after a car accident.

EWAN MCGREGOR

Our favourite English star Ewan McGregor might also get back into track with five of his films ready to hit cinemas in 2012: the biggest will

be JACK THE GIANT KILLER, fantasy epic in which he plays a royal guard. He will also star in above mentioned SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN and HAYWIRE. Two of his projects with interesting scripts are THE IMPO- SSIBLE, a suspenseful and disturbing story of a family with gets in the middle of Tsunami attack in Asia, and PERFECT SENSE, a sf film about a love story in the middle of an outbreak of a disease which leaves people without all their senses.

YOUNG STARS OF 2012

When it comes to young stars who might use a number of their projects to hit the stardom, there's Nicholas Hoult, whom you've seen last year in X-MEN 1ST CLASS, and who will take the lead role in fantasy epic JACK THE GIANT KILLER and in WARM BODIES, a film about

zombies in love. Young Josh Hutcherson will have lead roles in JOURNEY 2: MYSTERIOUS ISLAND and in THE HUNGER GAMES, along with roles in RED DAWN alongside Chris Hemsworth and in CARMEL as a teenager wanders into a small town where he is introduced to the art-forgery community. Also very busy this year is Jim Sturgess, who will have interesting roles in sf films UPSIDE DOWN and CLOUD ATLAS and also in ASHES next to Luke Evans.

JUDI DENCH

When it comes to our favourite ladies, her Royal Majesty Judi Dench (bow immediately) will amaze us in wonderful BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, about a group of senior people (her best friend Maggie Smith is among them) who move to India only to find their new promised luxurious home isn't luxurious at all. She will boss James Bond around in SKYFALL and will play Anna Marie Hoover in Clint Eastwood's J.EDGAR.

HUNKS OF THE YEAR

Two of the actors who will probably be the main hunks of 2012 are Chris Hemsworth and Taylor Kitsch. Chris has lead roles in SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN and in AVENGERS, and also in RED

DAWN, in RUSH as a formula 1 driver. Taylor Kitsch on the other hand has the lead role of his life in sf epic JOHN CARTER, and then also a lead role in another sf epic BATTLESHIP. He will also be an unfortunate drug dealer in SAVAGES next to Salma Hayek and Blake Lively.

COOL NEW PICS FROM CHANNING TATUM'S "MAGIC MIKE", JOHNNY DEPP'S "DARK SHADOWS", "MIRROR MIRROR", "ABRAHAM LINCOLN VAMPIRE HUNTER" & DANIEL CRAIG'S NAKED BUMS FROM "SKYFALL"

2012-01-14T00:00:00.000+01:00

Well, my little freaks, it seems we shall have another picture Saturday, like we did last week (with a mindblowing success - it was the best visited Saturday post ever :). A bunch of new pics for the upcoming flicks has been released around the net, so here we go:

MAGIC INDEED

The first one is a naughty one for my ladies and other fans of super tight male bodies: the first picture from Steven Soderbergh's film

MAGIC MIKE has finally arrived from "Entertainment Weekly" showing Channing Tatum strutting his jaw dropping muscles with Alex Pettyfer in the first, and Matthew Bomer in the second pic. As you remember, the film actually follows Channing Tatum's real life

beginnings as a male stripper and also stars Matthew McConaughey, Joe Manga Hunky Niello :) and for the boys Olivia Over The Munn! The film is out this June.

IS THAT JOHNNY?

Another great photo for today is the first one from Tim Burton's movie adaptation of the famous classic TV show DARK SHADOWS showing, an almost unrecognisable, Johnny Depp as the vampire

Barnabas Collins next to Michelle Pfeiffer who is finally showing her real age in the pic. Hitting theatres this May and following the adventures of the crazy family of monsters, the film also stars Helena Bonham Carter and Jonny Lee Miller.

SPEEDOFALL (WE WISH)

Yet another lovely pic for my ladies, and those who love muscly male bodies, is this one from the new James Bond movie SKYFALL. It doesn't reveal much, but I guess that is the point since it shows Daniel

Craig sitting beside a pool wearing nothing but speedos and if you look more closely you will see 007's bums :) Opening in cinemas this November, SKYFALL will see Judi Dench as his boss, Ralph Finnes and Javier Bardem as the villains and Ben Whishaw as the new gadget expert Q.

LINCOLN'S AXE

You can also check out another picture from Timur Bekmambetov's fantasy period horror ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER showing young Benjamin Walker as the infamous American president holding an axe and probably planning to attack some naughty vampires since the film shows the stateman as a nocturnal hunter on evil undead bloodsuckers. Some people around the net

said they thought the pic was from THE HOBBIT :)) Ready to premiere this June, this strange combination of history and fantasy also stars Rufus Sewell as the leader of the vampires alongside Anthony Mackie and Dominic Cooper.

HOLLY WOOD SPY HEAD LINES

The latest news from Hollywood say that Joss Whedon's THE AVENGERS will be told from Captain America's perspective, which means that Chris Evans will be the main star in the cast. Steven Spielberg has announced that he will not direct JURASSIC PARK IV and that, although TIN TIN had a lukewarm success in the cinemas this December, the work on the sequel will start later this year, helmed by Peter Jackson. Tim Burton is apparently considering making a sequel to BEETLEJUICE with Michael Keaton reprising his role.

SNOW WHITE IN THE SNOW

There's also a new behind the sets picture from this year's biggest fairy tale epic MIRROR MIRROR showing Lily Collins as Snow White walking around the snowy forest dressed in a winter snowflake ball gown. You already know that Tarsem's new visual master piece will have larger than life costumes when it premieres this March also starring Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen, Nathan Lane as her timid butler and Armie Hammer as the prince, beside Sean Bean as the King (who of course dies in the film).

DRAMATIC TRAILER FOR S.KOREAN OSCAR ENTRY "THE FRONT LINE"! 1ST POSTER FOR "THE WORDS" WITH BRADLEY COOPER & JEREMY IRONS! "ONE HUNDRED PERCENT LUNAR BOY" SF FILM! DISNEY TO MAKE "HOVERCAR" SF ACTION

2012-01-13T00:01:00.000+01:00

You know how much HOLLYWOOD SPY loves sf movies, and today I have a piece of news on one such film: "Variety" has revealed today that famous Russian Kazakh gone Hollywood director Timur

Bekmambetov (you know him for NIGHT and DAY WATCH, WANTED and ABRAHAM LINCOLN VAMPIRE HUNTER and he is also doing THE CASEBOOK OF VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN and MOBY DICK) has found himself a new project. It will be a movie adaptation of Stephen Tunney's sf novel ONE HUNDRED PERCENT LUNAR BOY, in which the story is set 2000 years in the future, with 16-year-old Hieronymus Rexaphin, who lives on the now colonized moon, where he meets a girl from Earth who is inexplicably drawn to him because of his special condition, which gives him the ability to see the future path of time and matter.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

Another new sf project for Disney (after they release their sf epic JOHN CARTER this March) is the adaptation of HOVERCAR book from

Matthew Riley. As "MovieWeb" reports the story is set in a future where people travel via hovering cars, and hovercar racing is an elite sport. The story centers on a young man who enters an internationally-renowned racing school. You can also check out the interesting first poster for THE WORDS which comes out next year and, starring Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde and Zoe Saldana, follows a struggling writer who publishes a lost manuscript under his own name and then discovers the price he must pay for stealing another author's work.

The only trailer I have for you today, on the very slow week when it comes to film news, is for South Korea's official Oscar entry for Best Foreign Film THE FRONT LINE which hits US cinemas next week. Towards the end of the Korean War, an uneasy ceasefire is

ordered, but out on the Eastern front line of the Aerok Hills fierce fighting continues. A race to capture this strategic point to determine a new border between the two Koreas is the ultimate prize. At the Eastern border stands the "Alligator Company," known to be the best soldiers on the front line. They are the only unit to have survived the worst battle of the war at Pohang. When a South Korean bullet is found in the dead body of a company commander, Lieutenant of Defense Security Command Kang Eun-Pyo is ordered to investigate Alligator Company for the murder. Upon arrival, Kang Eun-Pyo is immediately shocked at the state of the soldiers, the conditions on the front, and the presence of Kim Soo-Hyuk, a former friend he believed to be dead. With a truce promised for years but no end in sight, one man struggles to make sense of a crime in the face of countless lives sacrificed for war. Don't forget to also check out Serbian Oscar entry MONTE VIDEO, GOD BLESS YOU and the Chinese one FLOWERS OF WAR.

1ST PIC OF NICHOLAS HOULT IN "WARM BODIES"! "BRUCE ALMIGHTY" SEQUEL, "POLICE ACADEMY" REMAKE! J.J. ABRAM'S "ALCATRAZ" PREMIERES MONDAY! "AVATAR 2" PUSHED ALL THE WAY TO 2016

2012-01-12T00:00:00.000+01:00

Close your eyes if zombies scare you, because here comes the first picture of young Nicholas Hoult as the undead hero in WARM BODIES, which premieres this August also starring Teresa Palmer. The story of the witty drama follows an existentially tormented zombie (Hoult) who falls for the girlfriend (Palmer) of one of his victims and decides to protect her from his brain-eating brethren as he begins to reconnect with his dormant humanity. The blossoming relationship starts a chain reaction that will transform him, his fellow zombies and maybe the whole

lifeless world. The cast also includes James Franco's brother Dave Franco who will play Teresa Palmer's boyfriend the leader of humans who are fighting against zombies, while John Malkovitch will play a general who wants to eradicate all zombies. Similar to Nicholas Hoult, popular comedian Rob Corddry will be one of the good zombies. The film is directed by 50/50 director Jonathan Levine.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

And I have two crazy pieces of news for you today: Jim Carrey's BRUCE ALMIGHTY is getting a sequel, and if that isn't funny enough for you POLICE ACADEMY is getting a remake, leaving BACK TO THE FUTURE probably the only 80's hit to be left to rest in peace. In the meantime, HANSEL AND GRETEL with Jeremy Renner and

Gemma Arterton are moved from this summer to January 2013, which is a really bad sign since only the worst of movies get their slots in January, while AVATAR 2 has been pushed all the way to 2016 when we will be all grey and retired. According to "THR" Rob Marshall,

who gave us three visually beautiful, but totally cold and soulless films MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN and CHICAGO is doing a new musical film: he will helm Disney's INTO THE WOODS, which incorporates several fairy tale characters such as Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding Hood with the story of a baker who attempts to start a family with his wife.

Are you ready for Monday's premiere of J.J. Abram's long awaited and super suspenseful new TV show ALCATRAZ which is happening at Fox next week? This chilling new thriller centers on America's most infamous prison and one-time home to the nation's most notorious murderers, rapists, kidnappers and thieves. But the frightening twist is that a group of Alcatraz inmates and staff that mysteriously vanished from the prison in the 1960s never to be found, suddenly start reappearing in modern times looking young and not aged at all ... and those are all nations most dangerous criminals. The show will follow a group of agents and detectives lead by Sam Neill who are trying to piece together the inexplicable sequence of events!

GREAT TRAILER FOR "BIRDSONG" WW1 SERIES WITH EDDIE REDMAYNE & MATTHEW GOODE! JUDE LAW, BLAKE LIVELY & CHANNING TATUM IN "THE SIDE EFFECTS"! "STAR WARS UNDERWORLD" TV SHOW! "A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES" MOVIE!

2012-01-11T00:00:00.000+01:00

Well, I'm not sure about the story, but I do love the cast: "MovieWeb" reports that Steven Soderbergh's THE SIDE EFFECTS, has signed on Blake Lively, Jude Law and Channing Tatum. The story centers

on Emily Hawkins(Blake Lively), a young woman who becomes dependent on prescription drugs out of fear that her husband (Channing Tatum) will be released from prison soon. Jude Law will play Emily's new therapist. The bad news is that the script is being written by the scribe of CONTAGION. According to "Variety", BRIDESMAIDS director Paul Feig and the screenwriters of GILMORE GIRLS are working on THE BETTER WOMAN, centering on a successful young executive who gets dumped by her boyfriend for an older woman. She becomes friends with the older woman to find out why her boyfriend left her, and reinvents herself along the way.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

As I mentioned numerous times before, STAR WARS live action TV series has been planned for years now, and one of the reasons it still hasn't got into production is the price of the special effects.

It has been put on hold for three years, but it doesn't mean it doesn't have a working title: according to IGN, the title of the show is STAR WARS UNDERWORLD. It will be set between REVENGE OF THE SITH and A NEW HOPE and will follow some of the less known characters among criminals and galactic gangs. Warner Bros. is planning a film adapation of Deborah Harkness novel A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES which centers on a witch who accidentally unlocks a magical manuscript, and finds herself trying to prevent an imminent war with the vampires.The biopic on Grace Kelly GRACE OF MONACO, which I mentioned last year, has just got Olivier Dahan as the helmer. He is known for famous LA VIE EN ROSE.

You know how much we love young Eddie Redmayne (MY WEEK WITH MARILYN, PILLARS OF THE EARTH) and BBC has just released

an amazing first trailer for their epic mini series BIRDSONG which should be aired this spring. Eddie and Clemence Poesy (HARRY PLOPPER, GUNPOWDER, TREASON AND PLOT) star as the passionate young lovers Stephen and Isabelle, brought together by love and torn apart by the First World War, in this TV adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’s novel. Adapted by Bafta award-winning Abi Morgan (THE HOUR, IRON LADY), the two part series will span the decade of the First World War, telling the story of Stephen Wraysford, a young Englishman who, in 1910, arrives in Amiens, Northern France,

to stay with the Azaire family and falls desperately in love with Isabelle Azaire.They begin an illicit and all-consuming affair, with huge consequences for them both. Years later in 1916, Stephen finds himself serving on the Western Front in the very area where he experienced his great love. As he battles amidst the horror of the trenches he meets Jack Firebrace, a tunneller who unexpectedly helps him endure the ravages of war and enables him to make peace with his feelings for Isabelle, who he is destined to meet again. The cast also includes amazing Matthew Goode as Captain Gray.

LUKE EVANS IS HOLLYWOOD SPY'S BREAKTHROUGH STAR OF 2012! NEW POLL: BEST ACTORS WHO NEVER GOT AN OSCAR!

2012-01-10T14:00:00.003+01:00

Our latest poll is finished and the readers of HOLLYWOOD SPY have proclaimed their BREAKTHROUGH STAR OF 2011! It's Luke Evans with amazing 36% of votes, followed by Michael Fassbender (23%) and Henry Cavill (21%).

Welsh star Luke Evans really did have a great year in 2011 putting his name in golden letters on the movie map. He shined in two big roles - as super charming Aramis in THE THREE MUSKETEERS stealing the show from Orlando Bloom and Ray Stevenson, and then as proud and powerful Zeus, king of all Gods, in Tarsem's mindblowing epic IMMORTALS where he starred next to another breakthrough star and his good friend Henry Cavill. The introduction to this marvelous year of his career was year 2010 when he actually drew attention with delightful and expressive role in charming comedy TAMARA DREWE and with another of his Godly roles - Apollo in blockbuster epic CLASH OF THE TITANS. When it comes to 2012, he will appear in following projects: NO ONE LIVES, about a gang of ruthless highway killers who kidnap a wealthy couple traveling cross country only to shockingly discover that things are not what they seem, ASHES, in which he will appear alongside Jim Sturgess and Ray Winstone, THE RAVEN, next to John Cusack in this fictionalized

account of the last days of Edgar Allan Poe's life, in which the poet pursues a serial killer whose murders mirror those in the writer's stories, THE AMATEUR AMERICAN, about an American in Paris who is framed for murder, THE HOBBIT AND UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, in which he plays Bard, the leader of Men, and he will also appear in

the second one as well THE HOBBIT THERE AND BACK AGAIN which premieres only in 2013. This year he was also in the run for the royal role in ARTHUR AND LANCELOT but he didn't get it, and the film is currently on hold. His profoundly charismatic and almost magnetic presence in films has made him the breakthrough star of 2011 bringing him thousands of fans around the world. Surrounded with fame and glory, Luke has remained a very polite and warm person, which you can see if you read the comments of his biggest fans bellow. HOLLYWOOD SPY has himself seen this warmth and kindness of Luke's since Luke has offered us his support a number of times throughout last year. Here's why his biggest fans love him:

FANS ON LUKE EVANS

Pat Fuentes from The League of British Artists

"I love Luke first because of his talent, he can play so many different and varied characters brilliantly, from muscials to mythology. Not many can say that. Most importantly, I love the person he is, I think what I like

is this 'what you see is what you get' aspect about him, in my interactions with him on Twitter, he is always polite and gracious, and thankful for our support as fans. And his sense of humor is priceless! He's a special man and I wish him all the best!"

Astrid from LukeEvansNews

"Luke Evans is the entire package, immensly talented, breathtakingly handsome and an ever better person on the inside. A breakthrough star that stole every scene he was in."

Hanna Ala-Kotila Luke's Twitter fan

"These are the reason why a part of my heart will belong to the awesome Luke Evans from here to eternity. His exeptional presence that makes him the king of any scene he's in, not to mention takes my breath away. Also because he seems like such a sweetheart and really a down-to-earth guy who just happens to be GINORMOUSLY talented... and yes, Luke Evans is also the cat's meaow."

Sarah Sharp, Luke's fan from Sweden

"With Luke, you see instantly that he was born to act; every inch of him seems to glow, on screen and on stage, with the passion belonging to a man who loves what he does and doesn’t take it for granted. He astounds as much as he inspires, and he undoubtedly deserves any and all success coming his way."

BEST ACTORS WHO'VE NEVER GOT AN OSCAR

Now, let us move to our new poll. Since Oscars are quite close, the atmosphere around the award show always makes you think of all

those great stars who have never won an Oscar even though they are amazingly talented and very often million times better than their fellow stars who were blessed with an academy award. This poll will have three parts, here are the candidates you can vote for in the first part: Emily Blunt (THE YOUNG VICTORIA, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA), Jude Law (COLD MOUNTAIN, ENEMY AT THE GATES, CLOSER, THE AVIATOR ), Michelle Williams (BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, MY WEEK MARILYN, BLUE VALENTINE), Michael Fassbander (FISH TANK, HUNGER, SHAME, A DANGEROUS METHOD, CENTURION), Cillian Murphy (WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY, BREAKFAST ON PLUTO), Amy Adams (JULIE & JULIA, DOUBT, THE FIGHTER), Kenneth Branagh (HAMLET, FRANKENSTEIN, HENRY V, OTHELLO). Vote on people! New stars who never won an Oscar in parts two and three next month.

PERIOD FILMS TUESDAY: "FAREWELL, MY QUEEN" WITH DIANE KRUGER & "EFFIE" WITH DAKOTA FANNING, EMMA THOMPSON & TOM STURRIDGE

2012-01-10T00:00:00.000+01:00

Well, it seems we are having a period Tuesday today at HOLLYWOOD SPY, since two of the upcoming historical movies have had their first

pictures released around the Net recently.

FAREWELL, MY QUEEN

The first one is for FAREWELL, MY QUEEN, a French film which will premiere this February at famous Berlin Film Festival. Directed by Benoit Jacquot the story of the film is set in Versailles in July 1789. Unrest is growing in the court of King Louis the XVI. The people are rebelling - a revolution is imminent. Behind the facades of the royal palaces, everyone is thinking of fleeing, including Queen Marie Antoinette (Diane Kruger) and her entourage. Among her ladies-in-waiting is Sidonie Laborde (Lea Seydoux) who as the Queen's reader has become

quite intimate with her. With great amazement, Sidonie experiences the first hours of the French Revolution. Her status as courtier makes her the best kind of narrator in the film - both an insider and an observer of the royals. She describes the final days before revolution engulfs the palace with insight and surprising slices of humor.

I'm not sure if we need another Marie Antoinette film after Sofia Copolla's horrid flop with Kirsten Dunst, especially with Diane Kruger (who isn't really a good actress, remember her shockingly bad acting in TROY?) in the lead role, but we shall give this one a benefit of the doubt.

DAKOTA FANNING'S EFFIE

Another period film for today is the one with young Dakota Fanning in the lead role in a period drama EFFIE which revolves around Effie Gray, a teenager who married famous London art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise) in the 1850s but he refused to consummate the marriage since he was repulsed by her body even though Effie was considered a gorgeous girl. In the end she turned her affections to Ruskin's protege, famous Victorian painter John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge). It' s interesting that the story was written by Emma Thompson who will also appear in the film beside two legends

Derek Jacobi and Julie Walters. The cast also includes Claudia Cardinale, Robbie Coltrane and super charming Russell Tovey from BEING HUMAN.
It is also interesting that the first candidates for the lead roles were Saoirse Ronan and Orlando Bloom and that Greg Wise is

Emma Thompson's real life husband and that this is Dakota Fanning's first role as an adult actress.The movie should appear in cinemas this June and as you can see from these pictures it will feature some really amazing and colourful costumes!

TIM BURTON DIRECTING A NEW "PINOCCHIO"? "MALEFICENT" FINDS A NEW HELMER. EXCITING TRAILER FOR SF "CHRONICLE"! GEORGE CLOONEY IN "MONUMENTS MEN" WORLD WAR 2 HEIST MOVIE

2012-01-09T00:00:00.000+01:00

One of the biggest news this weekend was that Tim Burton is going to direct a new movie version of PINOCCHIO. According to "THR", the

film will actually follow Geppetto's quest to find his missing puppet, offering the flipside to this often told tale. The bad news is that Robert Downey Jr is in talks to play the woodcarver. Speaking of Tim Burton, after he backed out from helming the movie adaptation of MALEFICENT, which would follow the famous evil witch from SLEEPING BEAUTY, Disney has now hired Robert Stromberg to direct this fantasy film. It will be his debut behind the helm since he worked as production designer before. Telling the story from the villainess perspective, the film will have Angelina Jolie in the lead role. I'm a bit shocked that Burton didn't offer both the roles of Geppetto and Maleficent to Johhny Depp :)))

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

I don't know what is your personal opinion of Jessica Biel, but she's mostly known for her relationship with Justin Timberlake and not for her acting skills. She might try to change that with a new

leading role in EMANUEL AND THE TRUTH ABOUT FISH, a drama about a troubled 17-year-old girl Emanuel who babysits her new neighbor Linda's "baby," which is actually a very life-like doll. She goes along with the delusion while befriending Linda (Jessica Biel), who happens to be the spitting image of Emanuel's late mother. Alfred Molina and Frances O'Connor are also in the cast. Remember how a few days ago I complained about tones of heist films being planned in Hollywood? Well, there's a new one, as "Digital Spy" reports, George Clooney will direct and write and also star in MONUMENTS MEN, a big-budget movie about the men who chased down the stolen art of Europe during World War II. They were a hand-picked group of art experts chosen by the U.S. government to retrieve artwork stolen by the Nazis.

One of the films which will premiere this year (in February to be more precise) is also a strange mixture of sf and an immature teen movie titled CHRONICLE. Although the technique of shooting the film with

a video camera used by the characters from the film themselves can be a bit irritating, the story is quite interesting: the story centers on Matt (Alex Russell), his awkward cousin Andrew (Dane DeHaan), and Steve (Michael B. Jordan). When Matt and Steve discover a bizarre hole in the Earth at a party, they get Andrew, who documents everything with his new camera, to help because his camera has a light. After exploring this hole/tunnel, the group realizes they have been bestowed with telekinetic abilities, i.e. they can move stuff with their minds. But, soon, though, they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides. Check out the exciting trailer.

HOLLYWOOD SPY'S EXCLUSIVE MEGA SPOTLIGHT ON 2012 FILMS IN CINEMAS! FROM FAIRY TALES TO HOBBITS AND SF EPICS

2012-01-08T00:00:00.000+01:00

I'm sure you will agree with me that 2011 wasn't the greatest year in the film world, and it seems that in general the lack of originality will colour 2012 as well. However, HOLLYWOOD SPY brings you a general overview of the 2012 in cinemas with the hope that you will find at least a few pearls to get excited around this cinematic year. My own favourite will be March with lots of lovely films. The year will have lots of epics, fairy tales and action flicks. Red letters hide links.

SPECTACULAR SPRING

Cinematic spring will kick off in February with some warm stories like long awaited THE VOW in which Channing Tatum plays a man

whose wife Rachael McAdams forgets she is married to him after a traffic accident, and BIG MIRACLE, an inspiring story about whales with Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski. There's also WANDERLUST with Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd. We shall also watch JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND in which Josh Hutcherson is joined by Dwayne Johnson on a trip to a mysterious island to save his granpa Michael Caine.
But March is when the fun begins since it brings us the most spectacular visual treats with Tarsem's mega fairy tale MIRROR MIRROR with Lily Collins and Julia Roberts, with Disney's $200

million sf epic JOHN CARTER with a stunning cast which includes Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, James Purefoy, Mark Strong, Willem Dafoe, Dominic West and others, and then with mythical epic WRATH OF THE TITANS with Sam Worthington and Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes as Greek Gods. Fun in March is

guaranteed by two hilarious and super charming animated flick Dr. Seuss' LORAX and British THE PIRATES: BAND OF MISFITS. Those who like darker stories will enjoy THE HUNGER GAMES with Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth and THE RAVEN with Luke Evans and John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe.Another fairy tale comes with a gritty version of HANSEL AND GRETEL with Gemma Arterton and Jeremy Renner. But for us who

love warm and inspiring stories there are SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN with a wonderful duo Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt and THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL with Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Dev Patel.

April will for some reason be quite poor, with only a few romantic films to cheer us up - THE FIVE YEAR ENGAGEMENT with Emily Blunt and Jason Segel and THE LUCKY ONE in which Zac Effron plays a soldier in love. And then May, as the end of spring will bring MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS in which we shall again see Chris

Hemsworth as Thor and Chris Evans as Captain America joined by the rest of the superheroes in their fight against evil. In the meantime Alexander Skarsgard and Taylor Kitsch will fight aliens in spectacular action epic BATTLESHIP. We shall also see THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY with amazing cast lead by Henry Cavill, Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver.

WEAK SUMMER

ay will start with Tim Burton's crazy movie adaptation of famous horror comedy DARK SHADOWS about a family of monsters played by Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Jonny Lee Miller... After which another film with amazing cast hits cinemas: WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU ARE EXPECTING with Rodrigo Santoro, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Matthew Morrison, Chace Crawford, Elizabeth Banks, Dennis Quaid... The honour to open the summer season will go to SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN with Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen and Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman,to be

followed by Ridley Scott's prequel to ALIEN sf epic PROMETHEUS again with Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson and Michael Fassbender. Dark stories will also be seen in ABRAHAM LINCOLN VAMPIRE HUNTER with

Benjamin Walker and Rufus Sewell. But for us who love warm stories and fairy tales, there's beautiful animated epic BRAVE about a medieval Scottish princess, epic adventure JACK THE GIANT KILLER with Ewan McGregor and Nicholas Hoult and MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE'S MOST WANTED. June will also bring us Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer and Joe Manganielo as strippers in MAGIC MIKE. July will be very poor bringing mostly sequels and remakes: G.I. JOE2: RETALIATION with Channing Tatum and Bruce Willis, THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN and super hilarious ICE AGE 4: CONTINENTAL DRIFT (caused by Scrat

off course :). August will end the season with EXPENDABLES 2 bringing all of the old action stars together from Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Lundgren, Van Damme and Chuck Norris to young stars Jason Statham and Liam Hemsworth. We shall also

watchCollin Farrell and Kate Beckinsale in the remake of TOTAL RECALL, and Nicholas Hoult and Theresa Palmer as zombies in love in WARM BODIES.

GREY FALL & HOBBIT WINTER

September will bring us the remake of famous JUDGDE DREDD with

amazing Karl Urban in the lead role, brilliant animated film HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA with Adam Sandler and a stellar voice cast. October will bring nothing special except the long awaited CLOUD ATLAS the new project of THE MATRIX directors. We shall also watch sf thriller LOOPER about a cop who goes back in time to catch criminals with Joseph Gordon Levitt, Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt. But the action starts again in November with big projects such as new James Bond SKYFALL with Ralph Fiennes and Javier Bardem as villains, sf drama GRAVITY with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney (in which apparently they won't have make up at all to get the natural look), and charming animated film THE RISE OF THE GUARDIANS. Keanu Reeves' 47 RONIN epic in which he plays an 18th century samurai will also premiere in November.

December will finally bring an end to our waiting with the premiere of the year - Peter Jackson's THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY with stellar cast including Cate Blanchett, Luke Evans,

Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Lee Pace... who will portray Tolkien's famous characters. After Hobbits, zombies takes over in Brad Pitt's huge contagion epic WORLD WAR Z which follows the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse around the world. The year will end with Ang Lee's movie adaptation of famous book LIFE OF PI with Tobey Maguire and Gerard Depardieu.

So, people, tell me, which of the tones of films I've just named attract you most? Which will bring you to cinemas this year?

NEW PICS FROM "BRAVE", "THE HOBBIT", "SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN", "ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER" & "MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS"! "HORRIBLE BOSSES" & "BRIDESMAIDS" GETTING SEQUELS

2012-01-07T00:00:00.001+01:00

A bunch of new photos from this year's biggest films have hit the net, so we are having a picture Saturday today here at HOLLYWOOD SPY, beginning with a brand new photo from this year's most anticipated animated movie BRAVE which will tell the story of brave Scottish

princess Merida when it hits cinemas this June. Beside Merida, her father and mother, the new pic also shows her crazy triplet brothers with their hilarious red hairdos and a rather energetic mood. I have a feeling those three will be our favourite :)

BILBO IN THE WOODS

The second picture is from Peter Jackson's THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY. The new photo shows Martin Freeman

walking around woods on his big hairy Hobbity feet as Bilbo Baggins. :) As you know the film hits cinemas December 14th.

EVIL QUEEN IS ANGRY

Then there's also a new photo from SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN which comes to cinemas this June bringing a dark look on the famous fairy tale with Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman and

Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen, who is seen in this new pic sporting one of the many black, golden and copper gowns to suit her naughty style in front of the unforgiving mirror.

ABE LINCOLN IS ANGRY

The first picture has also been released for ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER showing Benjamin Walker in the title role as he fights off a vampire with a sword. Dominic Cooper and Rufus

Sewell also star in this film about the American president who fights the undead by night which premieres also this June.

CHRIS & CHRIS ARE ANGRY

And the last new photo for today is for yet another of 2012 blockbusters - MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS showing Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Chris Evans as Captain America in the middle of a fight.

They are joined by Tom Hiddleston, Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner this May in cinemas.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

I have a bunch of short headlines for you today, my freaks, so brace yourself: HORRIBLE BOSSES with Jason Bateman, Kevin Spacey, Collin Farrell and Jennifer Aniston are getting a sequel. Another hit comedy from last year BRIDESMAIDS is also getting a sequel. The MIRROR MIRROR Snow White star Lily Collins has signed on to star in THE EVIL DEAD, the remake of the famous horror classic. She will play a drug addict. After ARTHUR AND LANCELOT, another big epic to be put on hold and maybe even totally cancelled due to financial crises is AKIRA sf epic.

I will use the opportunity to wish Merry Christmas today to all Serbs, Russians, Bulgarians and other people of Orthodox religion and to remind you to drop by tomorrow for HOLLYWOOD SPY'S MEGA GUIDE THROUGH 2012 FILMS. Lots of pics, posters and dozens and dozens of movies. Be there!

CHARMING CLIP FROM "TANGLED EVER AFTER"! BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH IS VILLAIN IN "STAR TREK 2"! DWAYNE JOHNSON & LIAM HEMSWORTH IN "EMPIRE STATE"

2012-01-06T00:00:00.003+01:00

One of the main movie news today is that Benedict Cumberbatch has officially joined the sequel to mega successful STAR TREK blockbuster which managed to revive the famous sf saga thanks to

great direction from J.J. Abrams and amazing chemistry between all of the cast members. According to "Deadline" Cumberbatch will play an unknown villain in the film. He now joins the old cast which includes Karl Urban, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Anton Yelchin and Simon Pegg and the shooting should start this January. Beside starring in BBC's popular SHERLOCK show, Cumberbatch will also take two voice roles in Peter Jackson's THE HOBBIT - lending voice to evil dragon Smaug and to The Necromancer. As I wrote earlier he will also appear in mini series PARADE'S END which will be set against the backdrop of WWI.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

Two extremely busy hunks, Dwayne Johnson and Liam Hemsworth might star together in EMPIRE STATE as "Deadline" reports. The story of this action heist flick is based on the true story

of a 1982 armored car company robbery in New York City which was, at that time, believed to be the largest in U.S. history. I don't know why, but this must be tenth heist or robbery film we will be watching in the upcoming future.

Another thing you can check out today is a beautiful cast picture which STARZ has released for their most successful show SPARTACUS VENGEANCE which returns in its third season January 27th. To read

more about the season and to check out amazing character photos visit our big spotlight on the show.

And I have a super charming mega adorable clip for you today :) It is for a short animated film TANGLED EVER AFTER, which is kind of a very short sequel to one of Disney's most successful animated films in recent history.

The film will be played together with the 3D BEAUTY AND THE BEAST which hits cinemas next week. The story picks up where TANGLED left off. The Kingdom is in a festive mood as everyone gathers for the royal wedding of Rapunzel and Flynn. However, when Pascal and Maximus, as flower chameleon and ring bearer, respectively, lose the gold bands, a frenzied search and recovery mission gets underway. As the desperate duo tries to find the rings before anyone discovers that they’re missing, they leave behind a trail of

comical chaos that includes flying lanterns, a flock of doves, a wine barrel barricade and a very sticky finale. Will Maximus and Pascal save the day and make it to the church in time? And will they ever get Flynn’s nose right?

And don't forget that this Sunday I will be posting HOLLYWOOD SPY'S EXCLUSIVE MEGA SPOTLIGHT ON ALL THE 2012 FILMS. See what's in store for this cinematic year.

IS BRADLEY COOPER LEX LUTHOR IN "MAN OF STEEL"? AMANDA SEYFRIED & TAYLOR SWIFT TO JOIN "LES MISERABLES"! MATTHEW FOX IN WW2 EPIC "EMPEROR"! RYAN REYNOLDS IN "SAFE HOUSE"

2012-01-05T00:00:00.000+01:00

As HOLLYWOOD SPY had reported that it might happen, Amanda Seyfried and music star Taylor Swift have been offered the roles of

Cossette and Eponine in Tom Hopper's (THE KING'S SPEECH) musical movie adaptation of famous LES MISERABLES novel by Victor Hugo. If they get the roles, the girls will join Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway as Fatine, Eddie Redmayne as Marius and Russell Crowe in the story which revolves around Jean Valjean (Jackman), a 19th Century ex-convict who wants a fresh start at life, but he is constantly pursued by inspector Valvert (Crowe), who doesn't believe he has corrected his criminal ways. You probably remember that other actresses who were mentioned for these two roles include Scarlett Johansson, Lea Michelle and Evan Rachel Wood, and that there are rumors that Helena Bonham Carter could also join the stellar cast.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

According to "MovieWeb", Matthew Fox from LOST, will take the

lead role in new epic EMPEROR, which, inspired by true events, brings the story of love and understanding set amidst the uncertainties of the days following the Japanese surrender at the end of WWII, when General Douglas MacArthur served as the de facto ruler of Japan as supreme commander of the occupying forces. Matthew Fox will play General Fellers, one of MacArthur's leading Japanese experts, who is charged with reaching a decision of historical importance: should Emperor Hirohito be tried and hanged as a war criminal? The film will also explore the story of

Fellers' love affair with a Japanese exchange student he had met years before in the U.S., and his quest to find her in the ravaged post-war landscape. One of the hottest gossips which have hit the web during holidays is that Bradley Cooper might get a cameo role in Zack Snyder's Superman project MAN OF STEEL with Henry Cavill and Amy Adams. Since his mega epic PARADISE LOST is currently on hold, Bradley might play Lex Luthor in a short, but crucial part for the story.

A new poster has been released for action thriller coming out this February SAFE HOUSE in which Denzel Washington plays the most dangerous renegade from the CIA, who comes back onto the grid

after a decade on the run. When the South African safe house he's remanded to is attacked by mercenaries, a rookie operative (Ryan Reynolds) escapes with him. Now, the unlikely allies must stay alive long enough to uncover who wants them dead. For the past year, Matt Weston has been frustrated by his inactive, backwater post in Cape Town. A housekeeper who aspires to be a full-fledged agent, the loyal company man has been waiting for an opportunity to prove himself. When the first and only occupant he's had proves to be the most dangerous man he's ever met, Weston readies for duty. Tobin Frost has eluded capture for almost a decade. One of the best ops men that the CIA's known, the

ex-intelligence officer has given up assets and sold military intel to anyone with cash since he turned. From trading secrets to North Korea to aiding splinter cells, the damage he's done to the U.S. is immeasurable. And he's now back on the reservation with a secret. As soon as Frost is brought in for debriefing, mercenaries come and tear apart Weston's safe house. Barely escaping, the unlikely partners must discover if their attackers have been sent by terrorists or someone on the inside who will kill anyone standing in the way. Now it's up to Weston to figure out who he can trust before they're both eliminated from the game. The cast also includes Tim McGraw, Joel Kinnaman, Vera Farmiga and Brendan Gleeson.

MESMERIZING TRAILER FOR SF FILM "UPSIDE DOWN" WITH JIM STURGESS & KIRSTEN DUNST! JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE TO PLAY ELTON JOHN IN HIS MUSICAL BIOPIC! "BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE" & ANDROIDS IN NEW NBC SF SHOW PILOT!

2012-01-04T00:00:00.002+01:00

You remember that I mentioned a couple of times before that Elton John is planning a musical biopic about himself which will have a

surreal touch since he wants it to be made in the vein of famous MOULIN ROUGE which is why he wanted to hire Baz Luhrmann in the first place to fill the director's chair, but Luhrmann couldn't find the time. The film, which will feature most of his biggest hits, is being written by the people who penned BILLY ELLIOT. A new piece of information is that Elton wants Justin Timberlake to portray him in this film. As you remember, HOLLYWOOD SPY also thought Justin would be a better choice back when there were gossips that James McAvoy could take the lead. Justin has already brilliantly portrayed Elton in his video for "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" a few years ago. According to "The Hollywood Reporter" a new director has been found, but no names have been revealed.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

Now this sounds kinda interesting. According to "Deadline" NBC is preparing a pilot for a new show called BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE

which already has James Murray (CHAOS) and Patrick Heusinger (ROYAL PAINS, GOSSIP GIRL) in the cast. The story is set in a futuristic society where humans co-exist with androids known as Mechanicals, who are treated like lower-class citizens. James Murray will play the son of Lynda, whose late husband created the company which builds the Mechanicals. Although he lives an affluent life as a successful attorney, he makes a name for himself by suggesting the Mechanicals have civil rights. Patrick Heusinger will play a Mechanical employed by Lynda, who is deemed "defective" when he starts to feel forbidden emotions after his daughter's death.

OMG OMG OMG it's here, it's here, it's here, just a week ago I was telling you about the magnificent new sf film UPSIDE DOWN and showing you amazing

pics from the film, and now the trailer is here: and it is beautiful, from the amazing music, to wonderful sets and colours to mindblowing visuals. Check it out yourself. As you remember, Kristen Dunst and Jim Sturgess play the lead roles in the story of this romantic sci fi movie which takes place in two worlds that are literally on top each other, each city with their own gravity system. Sadly, the citizens of each town can not visit the other, for unknown reasons. Jim Sturgess plays the main character Adam, a seemingly ordinary guy in a very extraordinary universe. He lives humbly trying to make ends meet, but his romantic spirit holds on to the memory of a girl he met once upon a time from another world, an inverted affluent world with its own gravity, directly above but beyond reach... a girl named Eve (Kirsten Dunst). Their

childhood flirtation becomes an impossible love. But when he catches a glimpse of grown up Eve on television, nothing will get in the way of getting her back. Not even the law or science! Like any good lovelorn hero, he's not going to let a little thing like gravity get in the way of his heart's desire.

1ST TRAILER FOR JULIAN FELLOWES' "TITANIC" MINI SERIES! "ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS" GETS A FILM VERSION! "MERLIN" SEASON 4 STARTS ON SYFY THIS WEEK!

2012-01-03T00:00:00.003+01:00

Since Hollywood still hasn't waken up from New Year's Eve parties, we shall have a British day here at HOLLYWOOD SPY today, so you better

put on your bowler hats and put on your posh British dialects, and bow to her Royal Majesty Judi Dench, although we are not mentioning her here today in any of the projects :) For all of you who love BBC's planetary hit show MERLIN, the good news is that it is starting its fourth season this month in USA too on SyFy (January 6th) starring Colin Morgan and Bradley James. The season has just ended here in Europe with the last 13th episode and it was darker than the previous ones with Morgana becoming the main villain constantly plotting against Arthur who became the king of Camelot after King Uther died at the beginning of the season. Although I'm a huge fan, I must admit I thought this was

the weakest season so far, since it had bad stories, weak plots and it lost its charming atmosphere. The good thing is that Arthur now has his knights of the round table so at least the cast was refreshed a bit. The fifth season was already ordered before the premiere of this one.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

I'm not sure how much the people over in USA are familiar with ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS, but it was one of the most famous

sitcoms ever here in Europe, following two utterly crazy, but absolutely fabulous, ladies celebrity PR agent Edina Monsoon and her chain-smoking best friend, Patsy Stone, in their boozed up escapades :) Well, it seems that the crazy duo, who just had a 20th anniversary Christmas special over at British BBC, will hit the big screens too in 2012. Starring two amazing British comedians Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley, the film will be set at the French Riviera and will see the two of them waking up in the middle of the ocean on a Russian oligarch’s yacht following a party that everyone else has long since departed. Fabulous, absolutely fabulous, dahling :)

With the success of DOWNTON ABBEY it seems that period series are trendy again, which means that you might like the new TITANIC mini series by famous Julian Fellowes (THE YOUNG VICTORIA, GOSFORD PARK) which will be aired this spring in four parts marking the 100th Anniversary of the ship’s sinking in the Atlantic Ocean.

You can check out the first trailer released for the project which should not be mixed with another similar mini series in the making TITANIC BLOOD AND STEEL, which was shot in Serbia for $30 million and stars Derek Jacobi, Chris Noth, Neve Campbell and Kevin Zegers and is an international co production. The last half minute of the trailer is especially beautiful but it seems that the series won't have

any dominant nor leading stars, at least judging from the clip which doesn't offer any appealing face to cling to. TITANIC will follow different characters ranging from steerage passengers to upper class guests. Each point of view will culminate in a cliff hanger as the ship begins to founder, building to an explosive conclusion which draws

together each of the stories. Viewers will be taken on a heart wrenching journey through Titanic’s last hours, as the drama reveals which of the characters they have come to know so well will survive…and who does not. The cast includes Toby Jones, Linus Roache, Maria Doyle Kennedy... The series airs in April in 50 countries around the world, including ITV in UK and ABC in USA.

HOLLYWOOD SPY'S SPOTLIGHT ON JANUARY MOVIES PART TWO: "UNDERWORLD AWAKENING" WITH KATE BECKINSALE & "RED TAILS" SECOND WORLD WAR EPIC!

2012-01-02T00:00:00.016+01:00

As you know, January is, similarly to August and other months at the end of a big season, a dumpster for bad movies. Not many good ones this January either. Beside some of the January 2012 films I've already covered ALBERT NOBBS, THE DIVIDE, THE GREY, EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE, check out these two bellow as well.

SELENE IS BACK

The latest installment in the super popular vampire saga UNDERWORLD AWAKENING is ready to hit cinemas January 20th and this time the human forces have finally discovered the existence

of the Vampire and Lycan clans commencing a war to eradicate both species. The fourth part in the saga brings a stunning new dimension to the epic battle between Vampires and Lycans as the first film in the franchise to be shot in 3D. Kate Beckinsale, the star of the first two films in the saga, returns in her role of the vampire warrioress Selene who escapes imprisonment to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species. Although the script was written by Kate's husband director Len Wiseman who helmed the previous parts, this time the film is directed by Bjorn Stein and Mans Marlind.

The cast includes Stephen Rea, Charles Dance, Michael Ealy, amazing Kris Holden Ried, whom we remember from THE TUDORS, and young Theo James who takes the lead male role in the film.

Beside her trademark roles in UNDERWORLD saga, VAN HELSING and PEAR HARBOR, gorgeous British rose Kate Beckinsale can't seem to find a successful project. Will she manage that in the future? She will appear next to Collin Farrell in the sf remake of TOTAL RECALL, and in two rather insignificant little projects HAPPY HOLIDAYS, KATHERINE SLOANE next to Sigourney Weaver and in THE TRIALS OF CATE MCCULLOUGH.

RED TAILS

Also coming out January 20th is a film HOLLYWOOD SPY has already mentioned a couple of times. If you like war epics you probably won't miss RED TAILS set in 1944. while World War II rages and the fate

of the free world hangs in the balance. Meanwhile the black pilots of the experimental Tuskegee training program are courageously waging two wars at once – one against enemies overseas, and the other against discrimination within the military and back home. Racial prejudices have long held ace airman Martin Easy Julian and his black pilots back at base - leaving them with little to do but further hone their flying skills - while their white counterparts are shipped out to combat after a mere three months of training. Mistakenly deemed inferior and assigned only second-rate planes and missions, the pilots of Tuskegee

have mastered the skies with ease but have not been granted the opportunity to truly spread their wings. The cast of the film includes Cuba Gooding Jr. Terrence Howard, rnb star Ne-Yo, Bryan Cranston and others.

HOLLYWOOD SPOTLIGHT ON JANUARY FILMS: "MAN ON A LEDGE" WITH SAM WORTHINGTON & ED BURNS, "ONE FOR THE MONEY" WITH KATHERINE HEIGL & JASON O'MARA

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000+01:00

MAN ON A LEDGE

Probably the January film with the best ensemble in its cast is action thriller MAN ON A LEDGE which is scheduled to hit theatres January 27th. The suspense

story follows an ex-cop turned con (Sam Worthington) who threatens to jump to his death from a Manhattan hotel rooftop. The nearest New York Police officer immediately responds to a screaming woman and calls dispatch. More Officers arrive with SWAT and tactical command along with fire-fighters. The police then dispatches a female police psychologist (Elizabeth Banks) personally requested to talk him down from the ledge. However, things aren't as straightforward and clearcut as they appear to be, and the longer she is beside him on the ledge, the more she realizes that he might have an ulterior objective. The stellar cast also includes Jamie Bell, Ed Harris, Anthony Mackie, Edward Burns, Kyra Sedgwick...

It is interesting that much more famous Amy Adams was considered for the role of the female negotiator in the beginning, but the role went to Elizabeth Banks who is building a similar image of cute and adorable actress who is good both in comedies and in dramas. The film shouldn't be confused with THE LEDGE with Patrick Wilson, Liv Tyler and Charlie Hunnam which also has a man threatening to throw himself of a ledge.

ONE FOR THE MONEY

Hitting cinemas the same day as MAN ON A LEDGE is a comedy action for my dear ladies. It's ONE FOR THE MONEY in which Katherine Heigl brings Stephanie Plum, the popular heroine of Janet Evanovich's worldwide best-selling sixteen-book mystery series, to

vibrant life. A proud Jersey girl Stephanie Plum's has plenty of attitude, even if she's been out of work for the last six months and just lost her car to a debt collector. Desperate for some fast cash, Stephanie turns to her last resort: convincing her sleazy cousin to give her a job at his bail bonding company as a recovery agent. True, she doesn't even own a pair of handcuffs and her weapon of choice is pepper spray, but that doesn't stop Stephanie from taking on Vinny's biggest bail-jumper: former vice cop and murder suspect Joe Morelli - yup, the same sexy, irresistible Joe Morelli who seduced and dumped her back in high school. Nabbing Morelli would be satisfying payback, and a hefty payday,

but as Stephanie learns the ins and outs of becoming a recovery agent from Ranger, a hunky colleague who's the best in the business, she also realizes the case against Morelli isn't airtight. Add to the mix her meddling family, a potentially homicidal boxer, witnesses who keep dying and the problems of all those flying sparks when she finds Morelli himself... well, suddenly Stephanie's new job isn't nearly as easy as she thought.

The cast also includes brilliant and super charismatic Jason O'Mara who is currently under the spotlights due to his charming role in TERRA NOVA TV show. Katherine Heigl's next project is THE WEDDING in which Robert De Niro and Diane Keaton play a long divorced couple which fakes being married as their family unites for a wedding, next to Robin Williams, Amanda Seyfried, Topher Grace, Ben Barnes and Susan Sarandon.

I will also use this opportunity to wish you all the best in New 2012 Year, hope it will bring us all lots of great films (so far it's quite promising), good shows (not so promising) and lots of love, laughter, money and sex in our private lives :)
HOLLYWOOD SPY LOVES YOU AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!
Thanks for making us a site read by millions in 2011 :)and for popping over each day for fresh film news!

HOLLYWOOD SPY'S SPOTLIGHT ON "SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN" WITH CHARLIZE THERON, CHRIS HEMSWORTH & SAM CLAFLIN PLUS A BRAND NEW TRAILER!

2011-12-31T00:00:00.002+01:00

The last trailer I have for you, my little freaks, in this year, is the latest international trailer for SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN

which hits cinemas in June next year, about two months after Tarsem's rival project MIRROR MIRROR robs US box offices. The new Russian trailer bellow offers some scenes we haven't seen in the first official trailer earlier this year. It also promises some really mind blowing scenes, spectacular visuals and awe-striking sets. The film might be really good, off course if you can stand Kristen Stewart, as most people can't, and if you can swallow the ridiculous part which defies all laws of logic and nature in which mirror says to Charlize Theron that Stewart is prettier than her :) Yep, and me is prettier than Chris Hemsworth :)

SNOW WHITE STORY

The story of the SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN will bring a gritty new take on the legendary fairy tale in which the Huntsman (played by Thor himself Chris Hemsworth) has an expanded role from the one in the classic fairy tale. In the original story, he is ordered to take Snow White into the woods, kill her and bring her heart to the Evil Queen Ravenna (here played by Charlize Theron who looks rather magnificent in the costume), but instead lets her go. But in SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN the two will be chained together for part of the movie as they make their escape. But this doesn't mean that the Huntsman is Snow White's love interest,

because the prince is still in the story (prince Charmant is played by super charismatic Sam Claflin from PILLARS OF THE EARTH and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN). The huntsman here has a task of being Snow White's mentor, teaching the teen girl to fight and survive and teaching her how to fight back the Evil Queen. The cast also includes Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Lily Cole and Toby Jones.

SNOW WHITE TIDBITS

All seven dwarves in SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN carry the names of famous Roman emperors which means that Ian McShane appears as Caesar, Eddie Izzard as Tiberius, Bob Hoskins as Constantine, Toby Jones as Claudius, Eddie Marsan as Hadrian, Stephen Graham as Nero, Ray Winstone as Trajan and Nick Frost as Gus (short from Augustus).

The idea of the studio is to make this one into a trilogy of films. It is interesting that both MIRROR MIRROR and SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN are more focusing on the Evil Queens and the strong charisma's of Charlize Theron and Julia Roberts than on Snow Whites.

Before Chris Hemsworth got the role of the Huntsman, the strong contenders were Michael Fassbender, Tom Hardy and at one point even Johnny Depp, but for a long time Viggo Mortensen was almost

locked for the role, but he decided to leave the project which wasn't promising at all at the time after which Hugh Jackman was the second huge star to refuse the role.

The first choice for the Evil Queen was Angelina Jolie, while Saoirse Ronan and Emily Browning competed for the Snow White role, and even Lily Collins, who got the role in MIRROR MIRROR, auditioned for this one.

Director of the film, Rupert Sanders, has never helmed a film before this one. The brilliant costumes were designed by famous Colleen Atwood who won Oscars for ALICE IN WONDERLAND, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA and CHICAGO.

GRIPPING TEASER FOR "THE IMPOSSIBLE" WITH EWAN MCGREGOR & NAOMI WATTS! 1ST PICS FROM "CLOUD ATLAS" FROM "THE MATRIX" HELMERS! NEW POSTER FOR "THE PAPERBOY" WITH NICOLE KIDMAN, ZAC EFRON AND MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY

2011-12-30T00:00:00.002+01:00

It's seems I will have great pics from an upcoming sf film today again, after yesterday's UPSIDE DOWN photos. Twitch has released first concept art from CLOUD ATLAS, a new film by a trio of directors - Tom Tykwer (RUN LOLA RUN, PERFUME) and Lana and Andy Wachowski (we haven't seen almost anything from the last two ever

since their THE MATRIX saga). These first pics show a futuristic image of Seoul in 2144 in which the film is set. Based on a bestselling book by David Mitchell, the intricate and complex movie features six intertwining story lines set in a different times and places that become intricately related to each other, with actors playing roles in each time. The stories span from the 19th Century to a post apocalyptic 22nd

Century.The cast of the film is rather big and filled with well known names from Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving, Hugh Grant, Jim Sturgess and Ben Whishaw, to Susan Sarandon, James D'Arcy, Jim Broadbent, Halle Berry....It is also quite unusual that having in mind its $ 100 million budget and 2012 release, the film has had zero marketing so far.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

One of the new posters released today around the net is the first one for THE PAPERBOY, a movie adaptation of Peter Dexter's novel. You

probably remember HOLLYWOOD SPY mentioning this film during the casting process, since they have quite a lot of big names in the cast. The story of the film follows Ward James (Matthew McConaughey), a Miami Times reporter who returns to his hometown to investigate the murder of a local sheriff and is eventually helped by his younger brother Jack (Zac Efron) as they investigate the possible wrongful conviction of a man on death row. Throughout the process Jack falls for the woman (Nicole Kidman) whom the convict (John Cusack) has been romancing through prison correspondence. The film should hit cinemas sometime next year.

One of the very few clips that have appeared around the net this week is a highly atmospheric and intriguing Spanish teaser for THE IMPOSSIBLE, an English language film debut by Juan Antonio Bayona,

who directed THE ORPHANAGE. The film, which still doesn't have a US release date stars Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts as a family caught in the tsunami that hit Thailand seven years ago: Maria, Henry and their three sons begin their winter vacation in Thailand, looking forward to a few days in tropical paradise. But on the morning of December 26th, as the family relaxes around the pool after their Christmas festivities, a terrifying roar rises up from the center of the earth. As Maria freezes in fear, a huge wall of black water races across the hotel grounds toward her.
Henry grabs the two youngest boys, but it’s too late: the wave smashes into him with incredible force and dislodges his grip. Maria is pushed

underwater, where she is crushed and battered by debris to the brink of death. She finally surfaces in a raging black sea, which has completely submerged her three-story hotel and the surrounding landscape. Maria gasps for breath while she tries to understand what has just happened,

convinced that her family has been obliterated in the blink of an eye. But then, her eldest son, surfaces a few meters ahead in the wild flood. Face-to-face with something unexpected and incomprehensible, she must fight against all odds for her child’s survival. And her own.

AMAZING PICS FOR SF FILM "UPSIDE DOWN" WITH KIRSTEN DUNST & JIM STURGESS. NEW TRAILER FOR PERIOD DRAMA "BEL AMI" WITH ROBERT PATTINSON, CHRISTINA RICCI, UMA THURMAN

2011-12-29T00:00:00.001+01:00

The end of December and beginning of January are known as the worst weeks in movie news business, so it's not easy finding fresh info in this part of the year. Bare with me people, bare with me, better times are coming ;)

AMAZING UPSIDE DOWN

The first thing I have for you today are the first pictures from one of our most anticipated sf films in 2012, an unusual sf story UPSIDE DOWN which will obviously have a very unique and probably spectacular visual appeal. With the budget of around $ 60 million and with Kirsten Dunst and Jim Sturgess in the lead roles, the story of this romantic sci fi movie takes place in two worlds that are literally on top each other, each city with their own gravity system.

Sadly, the citizens of each town can not visit the other, for unknown reasons. Jim Sturgess plays the main character Adam, a seemingly ordinary guy in a very extraordinary universe. He lives humbly trying to make ends meet, but his romantic spirit holds on to the memory of a girl he met once upon a time from another world, an inverted affluent world

with its own gravity, directly above but beyond reach... a girl named Eve (Kirsten Dunst). Their childhood flirtation becomes an impossible love. But when he catches a glimpse of grown up Eve on television, nothing will get in the way of getting her back. Not even the law or science! Like any good lovelorn hero, he's not going to let a little thing like gravity get in the way of his heart's desire.

Look up towards the sky and rub your eyes because you won't believe what you see: cities, forests, and oceans with their own inverted gravity, only an arm's length away, yet completely unreachable. Take a leap over to this alternate reality, two worlds - one above, one below facing each other, and you'll land in the extraordinary world of UPSIDE DOWN.

HOLLYWOOD SPY has been following this film since 2009 and I can't wait to finally see the first trailer. In the meantime enjoy the first pictures.

RPATS WANTS TO BE UR BEL AMI

The only trailer I have for you today is a new one for my ladies: a UK clip for period drama BEL AMI which should hit British cinemas next

March, but it still doesn't have a US release date. This adaptation of a Guy de Maupassant’s novel stars that guy some ladies love for unfathomable reasons, Robert Pattinson alongside some forgotten actresses such as Christina Ricci, Kristen Scott Thomas and Uma Thurman. The story follows a man's rise to power in Paris by manipulating the city's most influential and wealthy women. He travels through 1890s Paris, from cockroach ridden garrets to opulent salons, using his wits and powers of seduction to rise from poverty to wealth, from a prostitute’s embrace to passionate trysts with wealthy beauties. And all of this happens in a world where politics and media jostle for influence,

where sex is power and celebrity an obsession. But beware, the trailer features lots of really bad acting and frigid facial expressions from RPats, Thurman and even Scott Thomas. And in case you're interested the beautiful song in the very end of the trailer is "Nara" from E. S. Posthumus.

And have you noticed that HOLLYWOOD SPY has had it's 1,000,000th visitor last night? My dearest L.G. Smith took a print screen of the moment when the stat counter was at 999,999

NEW PICS FROM "THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN"! GERARD DEPARDIEU & ISABELLE ADJANI IN STRAUSS KAHN FILM? TRAILER FOR "THE BABYMAKERS" WITH OLIVIA MUNN

2011-12-28T00:00:00.004+01:00

New photos have been released today for one of the films which will try to rob box offices next summer: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN,

the reboot of the famous franchise, which I'm personally not interested in at all, but I know some of you like the saga, so enjoy the pics. Not much is known about the plot of the film except that it will focus on a teenage Peter Parker who is grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super human crises. In their effort to reboot the franchise, the producers have chosen a rather unappealing and non-charismatic Andrew Garfield to take over the role from Tobey Maguire, and he is joined by always cute and charming Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, Martin Sheen and Sally Field as Peter's aunt and uncle, while Rhys Ifans, who is under

the spotlights this year with his role in ANONYMOUS, is appearing in the role of Spider-Man's nemesis The Lizard. A huge number of actors and actresses have competed for the role of Peter and Gwen, before

Andrew and Emma got them, and these name include Lily Collins, Emily Browning, Hilary Duff, Taylor Lautner, Josh Hutcherson, Aaron Johnson, Zac Efron and Logan Lerman, while Michael Fassbender & Christoph Waltz were 1st considered for The Lizard role.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

One of the scandals which definitely marked this year was the one

around Dominique Strauss-Kahn, so it's no wonder that a film version of this sex story is already being planned. According to "Deadline" Gerard Depardieu might take the lead role alongside French beauty Isabelle Adjani. Although the original story involved a young hotel maid who, back in May, accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), of sexually assaulting her in a New York City hotel room, the film might be just inspired by that and focus more on addiction and politicians.

It is quite unusual to have a trailer released two years before the premiere of a film, but that's what just happened to THE BABYMAKERS comedy which is slated for release sometime in 2013.

Starring gorgeous Olivia Munn, the favourite of all the boys around the planet, and Paul Schneider (although I must admit I don't see him as an lead actor, and especially not as a partner to Olivia), this hilarious comedy will have a story revolving around a guy, who after failing to get his wife pregnant, recruits his pals to steal the deposit he left at a sperm bank years ago. Schneider will be seen beside Christian Bale in Chinese epic FLOWERS OF WAR this year, while Olivia is ready to star in MAGIC MIKE a magical film in which you will see a bunch of Hollywood's biggest hunks from Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Mathew McConaughey and Matt Bomer to Joe Manganiello and Adam Rodgriguez, playing male strippers.

PS HOLLYWOOD SPY will get its 1,000,000th visitor tonight, so if you're that person, do a print screen and send it to us as a souvenir :)

HOLLYWOOD SPY'S SPOTLIGHT ON TARSEM'S MAGICAL TALE "MIRROR MIRROR" WITH LILY COLLINS, ARMIE HAMMER, JULIA ROBERTS, SEAN BEAN & NATHAN LANE

2011-12-27T00:00:00.000+01:00

Check out lovely new posters for family adventure MIRROR MIRROR which premieres next March. The film brings a spectacular reimagining of the classic fairy tale from the Grimm Brothers sticking to the original version in which the dwarves weren't miners but thieves. Starring Julia Roberts as the Queen, Lily Collins (The Blind Side) as Snow White, Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as Prince Alcott, Sean Bean (The Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings) as the King and Nathan Lane ( The Birdcage) as the Queen's hapless and bungling servant, Brighton, this spirited adventure comedy will be filled with jealousy, romance and betrayal that will capture the imagination of audiences the world over.

MIRROR MIRROR STORY

In the story of MIRROR MIRROR, super talented, visionary director and visual genious Tarsem Singh (the author of some of the most striking films in cinematic history - IMMORTALS, THE CELL, THE FALL) rewrites fairy tale history as a wicked enchantress (Roberts) schemes and scrambles for control of a spirited orphan’s (Collins) throne and the attention of a charming prince (Hammer). When Snow White’s beauty wins the heart of the prince that she desperately pursues, the Queen banishes her to the dark and dangerous forest, where a frigtening ravening man-eating beast hungrily awaits.

Rescued by a band of diminutive highway robbers, Snow White grows into an indomitable young woman determined to take back her realm from the treacherous Queen. With the support of her subjects, she roars into action in an epic battle that blends spectacle, magic and contemporary humor in Singh’s signature, jaw dropping visual style.

MIRROR MIRROR TIDBITS

The full name of the film is actually MIRROR MIRROR: THE UNTOLD ADVENTURES OF SNOW WHITE, but Relativity Media opted for the shorter title. It is interesting that Lily Collins (who is the daughter of music legend Phil Collins) has first auditioned

for the lead role in the rival project SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, but when she lost that one, Tarsem hired her, as he admitted, mesmerized by her snowy tan and her eyebrows. After this one she will lead another fantasy franchise MORTAL INSTRUMENTS.

Saoirse Ronan was actually the first choice for the role, but she didn't get the role when Armie Hammer was hired, because the age difference between them is too big. Before Armie got the role of the prince, other candidates were Alex Pettyfer and James McAvoy.

This is gazillionth film in which Sean Bean doesn't live but dies. This is Tarsem's first family friendly movie, since he is generally known for a darker or very complex approach to his film, even though THE FALL also had a young girl as the lead actress.

The dwarves in the film will have some quite crazy names: Chuckles, Wolf, Napoleon, Grub, Half-Pint, Grimm and Butcher. The music in the film will be composed by one of the most famous movie composers, Alan Menken who won 8 oscars for ALADDIN, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, POCAHONTAS, TANGLED, THE LITTLE MERMAID....

Imaginative, sparkly and divine costumes in the film, were made by Eiko Ishioka, Oscar winner, known for marvelous costumes in THE CELL, THE FALL, DRACULA, IMMORTALS...

TRAILERS FOR THE 2ND SEASONS OF EPIC SHOWS "THE BORGIAS" AND "SPARTACUS VENGEANCE"

2011-12-26T00:00:00.002+01:00

With the beginning of the new year closing on us, we are also getting close to the premiere of the new seasons of the epic shows that we loved watching this year: THE BORGIAS and GAME OF THRONES return in April, while SPARTACUS VENGEANCE returns this January.

THE BORGIAS

Although the first season of THE BORGIAS historical show was at moments boring to the extent of being unwatchable, it did pick up the pace after the sixth episode and it actually became dynamic, intriguing and exciting, and the second season awaits us next April at Showtime and today you can check out the first trailer for the return of the original crime family. Judging from the trailer beside the members of the infamous Papal family, which includes Jeremy Irons as Pope Rodrigo Borgia, David Oakes and Francois Arnaud as his sons, Holliday Granger as his

daughter Lucrezia, Colm Feore as his main enemy, and Luke Pasqualino as Lucrezia's love and the father of her child, the second season will also bring back most of the kings, politicians and clerics from the first one bringing with them new plots and scheming plans. Check out the dynamic trailer bellow.

SPARTACUS VENGEANCE

A brand new, third trailer for Starz' super popular show SPARTACUS VENGEANCE is here. As you remember from HOLLYWOOD SPY's spotlight on the second season, on the heels of the bloody escape from the House of Batiatus that concluded SPARTACUS

BLOOD AND SAND, the gladiator rebellion continues and begins to strike fear into the heart of the Roman Republic. Gaius Claudius Glaber (Craig Parker) and his Roman troops are sent to Capua to crush the growing band of freed slaves that Spartacus (Lyam McIntyre) leads before it can inflict further damage. Spartacus is presented the choice of satisfying his personal need for vengeance against the man that condemned his wife to slavery and eventual death or making the larger sacrifices necessary to keep his budding army from breaking apart. Containing all of the blood-soaked action, exotic sexuality, and villainy and heroism that has come to distinguish the series, the tale of Spartacus resumes in epic fashion. Judging from the trailer, it seems

Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) will have to swallow her pride and become friends with horrid Illythia (Viva Bianca) again, who left her locked in the ludus to be killed in the horrific bloodshed that ended the first season, in order to survive in Capua as a woman without a husband and in order to take her revenge on her and on Spartacus. The second season premieres January 27th!

HOLLYWOOD SPY WISHING YOU LOVELY CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS! LOVE, SMILE AND SHARE POSITIVITY WITH PEOPLE AROUND YOU!

2011-12-25T00:00:00.000+01:00

Since I know most of you are celebrating Christmas today, I wanted to wish you Merry Christmas in an appropriate naughty way, as expected from HOLLYWOOD SPY :) .

So I hope all my gorgeous ladies will experience a magical Christmas with a hot Santa Hunk like one of these from the pictures, I'm sure those hunks have something nice for you, and I hope all my boys will

have a steamy Christmas with a Santa Babe like one of these from the pictures :) And don't forget that all of you have your own babes and hunks in your homes too, so give them some luv on this special festive occasion and make Dezzy proud.

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

I hope that you will spend Christmas holidays surrounded with loving creatures, that you will receive and give love, that you will think of all those who don't have love and happiness and could use a smile or a help from you and that we will all be blessed with peace and health till the next Christmas.

When it comes to HOLLYWOOD SPY, I hope we will cross a millionth visitor in a few weeks and that all those visitors will keep sending us positive energy with their constant support, comments, love

and positive energy that all of you bring every day when you visit your HOLLYWOOD SPY,who loves you and there's nothing you can do about it! Regular programming resumes tomorrow with some epic trailers :)

NEW PICS FROM ANIMATED FILMS SCOTTISH EPIC "BRAVE", CRAZY "RISE OF THE GUARDIANS" AND TIM BURTON'S "FRANKENWEENIE"!

2011-12-23T22:23:00.001+01:00

Well, in the spirit of Christmas, I think we shall have an animated film day today here at HOLYWOOD SPY :) "MovieWeb" has released first concept art from DreamWorks' new animated film RISE OF THE GUARDIANS for which we saw the first poster last week. The new pic reveals Santa, the Easter Bunny, The Sandman, and the Tooth Fairy

in their secret layer, on the eve of saving the world from an evil demon named Pitch. The story follows the Earth's greatest protectors, including Santa (Alec Baldwin), The Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), The Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), and the Sandman (a silent, monk-like character), who must protect the children of the world from an evil demon named Pitch (Jude Law).

BURTON'S FRANKENWEENIE

New photos have also been released for Tim Burton's crazy animated tale FRANKENWEENIE, which might not be in the spirit of Christmas, but it's Tim Burton after all :) This stop motion animation,

ready to premiere October 2012 brings a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life

... with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new “leash on life” can

be monstrous. The film will be 3D but it is interesting that it will be totally in black and white.

A beautiful new photo has been released for Disney Pixars biggest animated project for next year, epic story BRAVE which should hit cinemas next June. As you already know, this stunningly gorgeous, beautifully coloured film follows a Scottish princess Merida, who is a skilled archer and impetuous girl, who, determined to carve her own

path in life, defies an age-old custom and inadvertently unleashes chaos and fury in the kingdom. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late. Directed by super talented Mark Andrews (RATATOUILLE, JOHN CARTER), the film features a lovely voice cast: Kevin McKidd, Julie Walters, Emma Thompson, Robbie Coltrane...

"PROMETHEUS" TRAILER IS HERE WITH CHARLIZE THERON, PATRICK WILSON & MICHAEL FASSBENDER! HARRISON FORD, ABIGAIL BRESLIN & HAILEE STEINFELD IN "ENDER'S GAME"! DAVID YATES HELMS "YOUR VOICE IN MY HEAD"

2011-12-22T22:45:00.001+01:00

Well, it seems all of the kid stars in Hollywood will appear in the movie adaptation of bestselling book ENDER'S GAME, one of the possible future sf franchises for young audience beside THE HUNGER GAMES and MORTAL INSTRUMENTS. After little Asa Butterfield (HUGO, BBC's MERLIN) got the lead role of a young computer game wizard who is recruited by the futuristic army to fight back some insect like invaders on Earth, two new young stars who have joined the cast of the sf movie are Abigal Breslin (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE), as Ender's sister, and

Hailee Steinfeld, as Ender's ally. According to "Variety" Harrison Ford has also been officially confirmed as the general who runs the facility in which these kids are trained for fighting back the alien attack. As "MovieWeb" reports, David Yates (HARRY PLOPPER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS) will helm an unusual psychological drama YOUR VOICE IN MY HEAD, a film adaptation of Emma Forrest's memoirs, which chronicles her suicidal tendencies and quest to become a better person by visiting a psychiatrist. She faces psychological breakdown after her therapist suddenly passes away.

PROMETHEUS EPIC TRAILER

And here it is, as promised the last big trailer for this week (although it's possible Hollywood might surprise us tomorrow with something

new too), the long awaited clip for Ridley Scott's sf thriller PROMETHEUS. The trailer itself is rather strange, it has some really bad music and features glimpses into a lot of dynamic scenes from the epic movie. It also has quite an irritating title slowly building in the middle of the screen while the trailer is going on. However, it does seem epic and huge. Hitting cinemas next June, this highly anticipated movie features quite a strong cast including Patrick Wilson, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce and Idris Elba. When it comes to the story, this is a prequel to famous ALIEN, which follows a team of explorers who discover a clue to the origins of mankind on

Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race. As you probably remember from HOLLYWOOD SPY's reports throughout last two years, a lot of big stars and also the younger ones

were competing for the roles in the film, and some of the stars who were, at some point, in the run, include Angelina Jolie, James Franco, Gemma Arterton, Olivia Wilde, Anne Hathaway, Ben Foster and even Michelle Yeoh.

PS It seems Christmas holidays have brought you all in front of your computers since HOLLYWOOD SPY had amazing 4,500 visitors yesterday, I'm guessing you were excited to see THE HOBBIT trailer :) Today's number is also very high, with 3,000 visitors already registered. HOLLYWOOD SPY loves you, people :)

MAGICAL TRAILER FOR "THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY" IS HERE STARRING MARTIN FREEMAN, CATE BLANCHETT, LUKE EVANS, LEE PACE, RICHARD ARMITAGE, IAN MCKELLEN, STEPHEN FRY...

2011-12-21T22:37:00.000+01:00

Well, as you know, this spy has a career so I wasn't able to give you the long awaited THE HOBBIT trailer immediately as it appeared

around the Net today, so I guess you've already seen it, but tell me how did you like it? You have it bellow if you haven't seen it. As we've expected from the first, and very early trailer, it doesn't show much of the story or action, but introduces us with the characters and some truly lovely sets and landscapes. It also gives us a glimpse at some of the beloved characters from LORD OF THE RINGS saga such as Queen Galadriel and Gollum. It is also quite atmospheric with very interesting music. As you know the first part of the saga THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY will premiere in December 2012. Based

on JRR Tolkien's famous book "The Hobbit", the film will bring the story of Bilbo Baggins, whom we have already seen in "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy.

THE HOBBIT STORY

The story now follows Bilbo as he first encounters Gandalf. Bilbo Baggins is swept into a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue

by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and

the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever ... Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities ...

THE HOBBIT CAST

As you remember from HOLLYWOOD SPY's extensive spotlight on THE HOBBIT characters,the magnificent cast includes Cate Blanchett as the Elven queen Galadriel, Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Luke Evans as Bard the leader of

Men, Benedict Cumberbatch who will lend his voice to the dragon Smaug, Hugo Weaving as Elven king Elrond, Lee Pace as Elven king Thranduil, Stephen Fry as Master of Laketown, Evangeline Lilly as Elven girl Tauriel, Richard Armitage and Aidan Turner as dwarves....

THE HOBBIT TIDBITS

First part AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY premieres in December 2012, while second part THERE AND BACK AGAIN will premiere in December 2013! Overly dark and morbid Guillermo del Toro was supposed to helm the film, but fortunately, Peter Jackson took it

over during the pre-production limbo. Actors James McAvoy, Matthew Goode and David Tennant were in the option to play Bilbo. MGM's bankruptcy, Peter Jackson's ulcer surgery and New Zealand union strikes are just some of the troubles THE HOBBIT

went through. Barry Humphries, also known as famous Dame Edna (US audience remembers her/him from ALLY MCBEAL) will play a CGI Goblin King, the ruler of the underground caverns in the Misty Mountains.

CHARACTER POSTERS FOR "THE AVENGERS" WITH CHRIS EVANS, CHRIS HEMSWORTH, TOM HIDDLESTON, SCARLETT JOHANSSON! DELIGHTFUL TRAILER FOR "MISS MINEOS"!

2011-12-21T00:00:00.001+01:00

For some reason a lot of the 2012 big films are releasing trailers or pictures this festive week, we are having THE HOBBIT trailer

tomorrow and PROMETHEUS trailer later this week,while today you can enjoy the first character posters for one of next year biggest super hero flicks THE AVENGERS featuring Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo). The plot of this Marvel's film is still kept a secret, but it is known that the S.H.I.E.L.D. agency will bring together a team of superhumans to help save the Earth from annihilation by extraterrestrial invaders. To hit cinemas next May, opening the summer season, this action adventure is directed

by Joss Whedon who is mostly known for his television projects such as FIREFLY, BUFFY, ANGEL, DOLLHOUSE... The cast itself also includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany, Samuel L. Jackson, Stellan Skarsgard and Clark Gregg.

AVENGERS TIDBITS

The budget of the film is estimated at around $150 million! Edward Norton was the first choice for The Hulk and after that Joaquin Phoenix was mentioned for the role, but it went to Ruffalo. Nathan Fillion was the first choice for Hawkeye, while

his friend from Whedon's FIREFLY sf show Morena Baccarin also auditioned for one of the roles. Lou Ferigno, who is known as the original Hulk, will give his voice in the film which will have Tom Hiddleston's Loki as one of the main villains who will bring the Kree-Skrull war to Earth, thus requiring the Avengers' formation.

HEARTWARMING TRAILERS WEEK

Continuing HOLLYWOOD SPY's week of Heartwarming Trailers this Christmas season, since I want you to smile, laugh and get inspired in this part of the year instead of being scared by some

of the current morbid films, I'm presenting you today a lovely family fantasy comedy MISS MINEOS which hits US market December 23rd. The charming story follows a cat who turns into a young woman Mineos but retains some of her feline characteristics and helps a journalist to gather news for the front page of his local newspaper. With the help of Minoes, who can talk to the cats in the small town, he soon discovers that the popular chairman of the Club For Friends of Animals and boss of a nearby factory has evil plans. The film has Carice van Houten in the lead role, and we shall watch her next year in GAME OF THRONES 2 as Melisandre.

HOLLYWOOD SPY'S BEST AGE DEFYING ACTRESS IS HELEN MIRREN! NEW POLL: BEST BREAKTHROUGH STAR IN 2011!

2011-12-20T14:02:00.001+01:00

The second part of BEST AGE DEFYING ACTRESSES is finished after three weeks of voting, and the absolute winner this time is Helen Mirren who took amazing 48% of your votes, leaving behind her Michelle Yeoh (15%) and Julianne Moore (14%).

Now, I know you love British legend Helen Mirren both for her charming acting talent and for her trade mark naughtiness. As you remember, back in her youth, she was one of the actresses who didn't have a problem with taking their clothes off in front of the camera, and everybody still remembers the famous or infamous CALIGULA from 1979 which is the first and the last of the mainstream films to try to mix epic and erotic or even pornographic in one film. Among hundreds of nude people in that film we've seen Helen Mirren too. But the mature age didn't make her become shy, so she still thrills her fans from time to time with nude pics of her 66 years old body. After CALIGULA, one of her best roles was in equally unusual epic EXCALIBUR from 1981 in which she played Morgana. Continuing her royal roles, after that we saw her in THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE, and she was even using her voice to play queens in animated flicks SNOW QUEEN and THE PRINCE OF EGYPT,

and then she was queen again in marvelous TV mini series ELISABETH I next to Hugh Dancy and Jeremy Irons. After that came her most famous role, for which she won an Oscar, again playing Elisabeth but the Second one in THE QUEEN. If you ask me personally, I loved her best in amazing film THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS. STONE a deeply passionate drama in which she seduced or was seduced by extremely younger hunks Olivier Martinez and Rodrigo Santoro. In more recent years we've seen her in a lot of really bad films, rather unfitting for her talent from INKHEART, NATIONAL TREASURE, THE DEBT and STATE OF PLAY, to THE TEMPEST and ARTHUR. But she did give great performances in THE LAST STATION as the

wife of Leo Tolstoy and as madame in LOVE RANCH which was directed by her real life husband Taylor Hackford. As you know, in the future we shall see her next to Anthony Hopkins in ALFRED HITCHCOCK AND THE MAKING OF PSYCHO.
Most people don't know that she is of Russian origin and her real name is Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironoff. She received the title of Dame from the Queen in 2003. She is one of the very few people to receive two acting Golden Globes in the same year and she got them for playing Elisabeth I and Elisabeth II. Believe it or not, she has just one Oscar, but was nominated four times.

2011 BREAKTHROUGH STAR

Now let us move to our next poll: next three weeks we shall be choosing 2011 BREAKTHROUGH STAR. There were a number

of actors and actresses who had great roles this year and who won media attention and love of the fans securing themselves a lot of great future projects. So, who is the best among them: Henry Cavill (IMMORTALS, THE MAN OF STEEL, THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY), Luke Evans (IMMORTALS, THE THREE MUSKETEERS, THE RAVEN, THE HOBBIT), (X-MEN FIRST CLASS, SHAME, A DANGEROUS METHOD), Michael FassbenderChris Hemsworth (THOR, SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN), Jennifer Lawrence (X MEN FIRST CLASS, THE HUNGER GAMES), Tom Hiddleston (THOR, DEEP BLUE SEA), Melissa McCarthy (BRIDESMAIDS).

DYNAMIC TRAILER FOR "WRATH OF THE TITANS"! AMAZING POSTER FOR "RISE OF THE GUARDIANS"! SANDRA BULLOCK & GEORGE CLOONEY IN "GRAVITY"! PATRICK DEMPSEY IN "THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN"

2011-12-20T00:00:00.001+01:00

One of the lovely posters released this weekend is the first one for upcoming animated movie RISE OF THE GUARDIANS. We haven't seen much info on this DreamWorks project ever since the casting process was finished. The adaptation of children's

book by William Joyce, starts with an evil spirit called Pitch who becomes bent upon taking over the world by inspiring fear in the hearts of kids everywhere, so a group of our greatest heroes - Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman and Jack Frost - band together for the first time, determined to stand in Pitch's way. More than a collection of storybook subjects, The Guardians are also a band of superheroes, who possess their own special powers. Now joined in opposition of a common foe, the Guardians heed the call and combine their powers to defeat Pitch and protect the world from his campaign of fear. The almost incredible voice cast includes Hugh Jackman, Alex Baldwin, Jude Law, Chris Pine, Isla Fisher, Leonardo DiCaprio...

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

According to "The Hollywood Reporter" Universal is preparing a movie adaptation of THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN a Garth Stein's bestselling novel, which is told from the perspective of Enzo, a dog who evaluates his life based on lessons learned from his owner a race car driver. The film doesn't have a director yet,

but the lead role will apparently go to Patrick Dempsey, one of our favourite TV hunks. Another project that I wrote about before is Sandra Bullock's sf film GRAVITY in which she will take the lead role next to George Clooney. The plot of the film has been officially revealed around the net now: the story follows Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock), a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney) in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone, tethered to nothing

but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.

Beside THE HOBBIT trailer which should arrive tomorrow, another great epic trailer is here this week. It is the first clip for the

epic adventure WRATH OF THE TITANS, the sequel to the famous blockbuster which earned hundreds of millions around the world. A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus (Sam Worthington), the demigod son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius. Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity's lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the

imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the brothers Zeus, Hades (Ralph Fiennes) and Poseidon (Danny Huston). The triumvirate had overthrown their father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that

lies deep within the cavernous underworld. Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus' godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramírez), switch loyalties and make a deal with Kronos to

capture Zeus. The Titans' strength grows stronger as Zeus' remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth. Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon's demigod son, Argenor (Toby
Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind. The film hits cinemas next March!

MAGICAL TRAILER FOR "THE FLYING MACHINE"! "THE HOBBIT" TRAILER TO PREMIRE TOMORROW! EVA GREEN IN "300: THE BATTLE OF ARTEMISIA" EPIC PREQUEL

2011-12-19T00:00:00.001+01:00

Why oh, why, do you hate me Hollywood? It seems that Tinseltown has decided to put one of my least favourite actresses in one of my most anticipated future projects: "Heat Vision" reported

this weekend that one dimensional, blank, frigid and highly unappealing Eva Green has been offered a role in 300: BATTLE OF ARTEMISIA, the prequel to the legendary Spartan epic with Gerard Butler. She will apparently play Artemisia, a wicked goddess who persuades Xerxes to assemble his army and lead them into battle against the Greeks. I really hope it doesn't happen, since the casting efforts have been horrid so far, especially with the idea to give the lead role to Joel Edgerton, but thankfully that didn't happen. Thus, the role of Greek general Themistokles who will give resistance to Xerxes is still open (do you hear me, Karl Urban and Luke Evans?) .

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

As I've mentioned a few times before probably the most anticipated trailer this year, the one for Peter Jackson's THE HOBBIT should arrive this Tuesday with the premiere of

Steven Spielberg's THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN, although there are some rumors that it might be released online later tonight. It will be an exciting wait :) Some of the lucky ones who managed to see the trailer in top secret, say it presents the characters rather than give action and that it has some huge legendary scenes from the book. However, although the trailer will bring us some joy this Christmas, we shall have to wait for the film itself more than a year, since THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY premieres December 2012 starring Cate Blachett, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly... Don't forget to check out HOLLYWOOD SPY's extensive spotlight on characters we shall watch in the film.

HEARTWARMING TRAILER WEEK

To fight back all of those who had horror blogfests, and who get thrills for dark knights, dragon tattooed loonies and other morbid nonsense, I'm continuing my series of heartwarming trailers in the Christmas week which I've started with SALMON FISHING
IN THE YEMEN this weekend, and will continue with THE HOBBIT and some other trailers this week, but today here's something really dazzling and magical: it's a quite a breathtaking clip for THE FLYING MACHINE, the first film ever to combine 3D, stop -motion animation and live action, united by the stunning music of Frédéric Chopin. The film's live action segment is set in present day London, where career focused single parent (Heather Graham) juggles her professional life with parenting. Overworked and inattentive to the needs of her two children, she has a chance meeting with Lang Lang and his

flying-piano contraption, which prompts her to reevaluate her life and priorities as she's hurled skyward. In a wordless stop-motion segment, we are introduced to young Anna, who is separated from her beloved father because of his work. Heartbroken, she and her cousin attempt to reunite with him by traversing the globe on the flying machine. What began as a short film project celebrating the two-hundredth anniversary of Chopin's birth has blossomed into one of the most dazzling marriages of animation and classical music.

HOLLYWOOD SPY'S SPOTLIGHT ON OSCAR SEASON FILMS: "FLOWERS OF WAR" WITH CHRISTIAN BALE AND "ALBERT NOBBS" WITH GLENN CLOSE

2011-12-18T00:00:00.002+01:00

The season of Golden Globes, Oscars and other movie awards is just ahead of us, bringing us many great dramas with terrific performances, and today you can check out a spotlight on two

of the films which might score big at these ceremonies.

THE FLOWERS OF WAR

A movie adaptation of Geling Yan's book 13 FLOWERS OF NANJING, China's candidate for 2012 Oscars THE FLOWERS OF WAR is set in 1937, when Nanking stands at the forefront of a war between China and Japan. As the invading Japanese Imperial Army overruns China’s capital city, desperate civilians seek refuge behind the nominally protective walls of a western cathedral. Here, John Miller (CHRISTIAN BALE), an American trapped amidst the chaos of battle and the ensuing occupation takes shelter, joined

by a group of innocent schoolgirls and thirteen courtesans, equally determined to escape the horrors taking place outside the church walls. Struggling to survive the violence and persecution wrought

by the Japanese army, it is an act of heroism which eventually leads the seemingly disparate group to fight back, risking their lives for the sake of everyone. Through treacherous surroundings and facing unimaginable evil, THE FLOWERS OF WAR, inspired by true life events, manages to tell a genuine story of hope, love and sacrifice. With nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, fate always has a way of bringing the most unlikely heroes together.

FLOWERS TIDBITS

The film is currently in US cinemas! With the budget of $90 million it is one of China's most expensive films ever. It is directed by famous genius Zhang Yimou best known for his amazing epics HERO, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS and my personal favourite CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER. It took 164 days, 18 hours a day, to shoot this epic.

ALBERT NOBBS

One of the films which amazed us all with Glenn Close's stunning transformation, is certainly ALBERT NOBBS which might bring the great actress an Oscar she has never, believe it or not,

gotten so far (she was nominated five times, though)! Hitting cinemas next January, this period drama will have legendary Glenn Close in the role of a woman passing as a man in order to work and survive in 19th century Ireland. Some thirty years after donning men's clothing, she finds herself trapped in a prison of her own making. Quite a stunning cast also includes young Aaron Johnson, the new count Vronski in ANNA KARENINA, amazing Maria Doyle Kennedy, whose magnificent portrayal of queen Catherine of Aragon in THE TUDORS we still remember, and two ultra talented Irish thespians Brendan Gleeson and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

ALBERT NOBBS TIDBITS

The film hits cinemas January 27th. It is interesting that the first two actors to be offered the role in the film were Amanda Seyfried and Orlando Bloom, but after they've backed out, the roles were given to much weaker Aaron Johnson and extremely cold Mia Wasikowska.

TRAILERS FOR "JACK THE GIANT KILLER" WITH NICHOLAS HOULT AND EWAN MCGREGOR & "SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN" WITH EWAN MCGREGOR & EMILY BLUNT! 1ST POSTER FOR "ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER"! REESE WITHERSPOON IN "DEVIL'S KNOT"

2011-12-17T00:00:00.001+01:00

I'm sure that you will rejoice when I tell you that we are having an Ewan McGregor day today at HOLLYWOOD SPY :) By some strange coincidence he is having two trailers for his new films

released this weekend. The first one is for one of next summer's most exciting fantasy epics JACK THE GIANT KILLER. Premiering next June it is directed by Bryan Singer (USUAL SUSPECTS, X MEN) and stars young Nicholas Hoult in the story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack, into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend and gets the chance to become a legend himself. Ewan McGregor plays the head of the Royal Guard, and the cast also includes three smashing gents Ian McShane, Stanley Tucci and Bill Nighy.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

One of the brand new posters released today is for Timur Bekmambetov's horror flick ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER. Produced by Tim Burton, and hitting

theaters next June, the film follows the infamous American president who leads the state by day and hunt vampires by night. This silly business stars young Benjamin Walker in the lead role (he is mostly known as Meryl Streep's future son in law), Anthony Mackie, Dominic Cooper and Rufus Sewell, or as we call him RufRuf, as his vampire nemesis. Deadline reports that Reese Witherspoon has joined DEVIL'S KNOT a drama in which she will play Pam Hobbs, the mother of a West Memphis 3 murder victim, who initially believes the trio committed the crime, but eventually is persuaded that they are innocent. Unusual choice for the romcom star.

The second Ewan McGregor's trailer for today is equally charming and promotes SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN which will open in cinemas next March also starring mesmerizing Emily Blunt. Directed by one of the most heartwarming directors ever Lasse Hallstrom (CHOCOLAT, AN UNFINISHED LIFE, DEAR

JOHN) the film follows Dr. Alfred Jones, a henpecked, slightly pompous middle-aged scientist at the National Centre for Fisheries Excellence in London, who is approached by a mysterious sheik about an outlandish plan to introduce the sport of salmon fishing into the Yemen. Dr. Jones refuses, but the project, however

scientifically absurd, catches the eye of British politicians, who pressure him to work on it. His diaries of the Yemen Salmon Project, from beginning to glorious, tragic end, form the narrative backbone of this novel; interspersed throughout are government memos, e-mails, letters, and interview transcripts that deftly capture the absurdity of bureaucratic dysfunction.

And, please, don't forget to vote for HOLLYWOOD SPY in Movie411BlogAwards, especially in Gold Blog category (it's at the bottom of the voting page), don't let me lose, dear people :) The voting closes this Sunday.

TRASHY TRAILERS FOR NICOLAS CAGE'S "GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE" & "THE EXPENDABLES 2" WITH STALLONE, VAN DAMME, SCHWARZENEGGER, STATHAM, LUNDGREN, NORRIS! GOLDEN GLOBE 2012 NOMINATIONS

2011-12-16T00:00:00.010+01:00

Now, don't kill me, but today were are having a trashy trailers day :) No news this Friday, so I have to give you a dose of kitschy

action and horrid action stars :) Take it with some humour :) The first clip is for Nicolas Cage's sf action GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE. I know that we didn't even like the first one, but the sequel is here ready to premiere next February. As you know this is a comic book adaptation in which Nicolas Cage plays as a stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze who gives up his soul to become a hellblazing vigilante, to fight against power hungry Blackheart, the son of the devil himself. Beside Cage the cast also includes black hunk Idris Elba and British thespian Ciaran Hinds.

SPYING ON GOLDEN GLOBES

So, how do you like the GOLDEN GLOBE 2012 nominations? I'm sure you've seen the whole list. A rather boring one, if I may say. But I'm happy that Glenn
Close has been nominated for ALBERT NOBBS, Meryl Streep for THE IRON LADY and Viola Davis for THE HELP in the best actress category. Michael Fassbender is finally nominated for SHAME, hope he wins among some truly bad rivals. Our beloved ladies Charlize Theron in YOUNG ADULT, Kate Winslet (who is also in the run as mini series actress) in CARNAGE and Michelle Williams in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN are in the run for best comedy actress. Lovely PUSS IN BOOTS and ARTHUR CHRISTMAS are competing for best animated flick. Kenneth Branagh in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN and Viggo Mortensen in A DANGEROUS METHOD are in the run for best supporting actor. I'm shocked that painfully morbid AMERICAN HORROR STORY is nominated

for best TV show (if they went for horror why didn't they chose THE WALKING DEAD?) and that Jeremy Irons is nominated for best TV actor for THE BORGIAS, even though that is obviously one of his most uninspired roles and he is the weakest link in that cast.

The second trashy trailer for today is for the film which really is trashy since it brings back all of the trashiest action stars ever. It's Sylvester Stallone's THE EXPENDABLES 2 in which the action team is reunited when Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) enlists

the Expendables to take on a seemingly simple job. The task looks like an easy paycheck for the band of old-school mercenaries. But when things go wrong and one of their own is viciously killed, the Expendables are compelled to seek revenge in hostile territory where the odds are stacked against them. Hell-bent on payback, the crew cuts a swath of destruction through opposing forces, wreaking havoc and shutting down an unexpected threat in the nick of time - six pounds of weapons-grade plutonium; enough to change the balance of power in the world. But that's nothing compared to the justice they serve against the villainous adversary who savagely murdered their brother. That is done the Expendables way. The cast includes all possible action star names from the previous decades: Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren alongside younger stars Liam Hemsworth, Jason Statham and even Novak Djokovic.

And, please, don't forget to vote for HOLLYWOOD SPY in Movie411BlogAwards, especially in Gold Blog category (it's at the bottom of the voting page) in which I'm currently losing, don't let it happen, people :)

NEW TRAILER FOR EWAN MCGREGOR'S "PERFECT SENSE"! SAOIRSE RONAN GOES WW2 IN "HOW I LIVE NOW"! SCARY JACKAL FROM VIN DIESEL'S "RIDDICK"! REMAKE OF "BONNIE AND CLYDE" HAS ITS CAST

2011-12-15T00:00:00.002+01:00

Young Irish star Saoirse Ronan didn't get a role in THE HOBBIT, but she keeps getting some other ones. Beside playing the lead

in Andrew Niccol's sf film THE HOST as a girl whose soul is invaded by an alien, giving her voice in animated flick JUSTIN AND THE KNIGHT OF VALOUR, and playing a vampire in Neil Jordan's BYZANTIUM, she will now also star in HOW I LIVE NOW. As "Variety" reports she will portray Daisy, a teenage girl from New York City who travels to England to spend the summer with family in the English countryside. When World War II breaks out and insurgents invade, Daisy and a younger girl named Piper must survive alone in the woods as they try to make it to safety. The film will be based on a novel by Meg Rosoff.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

According to "Variety" yet another film to get its remake is THE STORY OF BONNIE AND CLYDE, with young and hot

Sean Faris (LIFE AS WE KNOW IT, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES) and Lindsay Pulsipher (TRUE BLOOD) taking the roles originally played by Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. The new film aims to explore many aspects of the lives of the Depression era bank robbers that have never been seen on the big screen before. As you've probably noticed financial crises is all around us, and Hollywood isn't immune to it either. Many projects are suffering cutbacks in their budgets or are being put on hold (ARTHUR & LANCELOT epic and sf AKIRA are the latest to be postponed) and Vin Diesel's RIDDICK is also having similar problems. He is really straining his muscles to find enough financing for the third part in his famous sf saga which

will again star Karl Urban and himself, and he keeps releasing concept art pics in order to raise the interest. The latest one is a really scary concept art of the jackal, one of the beasts Riddick will have to fight against.

After yesterday's trailermania, the only new clip I have for you today is the second trailer for unusual apocalyptic romantic

drama and thriller, everything in the mix, PERFECT SENSE in which brilliant Ewan McGregor is, unfortunately, matched with always one-dimensional Eva Green in the story about two strangers who form a desperate romantic connection and fall in love with each other while their city is facing an apocalyptic epidemic of sensory loss in which people lose sight, smell, hearing... one by one. Will they lose love too, without their senses? The film is directed by David Mackenzie who worked previously with Ewan on YOUNG ADAM, a film mostly remembered for Ewan sporting his naked willy in at least half of the scenes :)