FRANCIS LAWRENCE TO HELM MOVIE ADAPTATION OF LEGENDARY 'RED RISING' SF NOVEL BY PIERCE BROWN FOR PARAMOUNT

    RED RISING   

MOVIE ADAPTATION FINDS A DIRECTOR

The whole saga has six books

More than ten years ago our favourite sf saga was supposed to be directed by  Mark Forster but that did not happen and now it has been announced that Francis Lawrence will helm the movie adaptation of Pierce Brown's novel RED RISING for Paramount! The sf tale takes place on desolate Mars, where the protagonist Darrow is caught in a class system that thrives on oppression and secrecy. He is a Red, the lowest member of society, born to toil in the bowels of the planet in service to the sovereign Golds. When he suffers a devastating loss and betrayal he becomes a revolutionary, out to bring about social justice. Questions of fate, duality, and loyalty, evolve in a cruel test of war between the sons and daughters of the ruling elite. Justin Rhodes is penning the script according to the Hollywood Reporter.

SEE ALL THE MAGICAL FESTIVE FILMS AIRING OCTOBER 2026 IN HALLMARK'S COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS

    OCTOBER 2026   

FESTIVE FILMS AT HALLMARK

Believe it or not, Countdown to Christmas starts this weekend at Hallmark and the first to air wil be HOLIDAY TOUCHDOWN: A BEARS LOVE STORY which arrives October 17th! When ambitious freelance reporter Avery Clark (Lindsy Fonseca) returns to Chicago to spend Christmas with her mom and new stepdad, she’s hoping for a little

Robert Buckley leads the new movie

 holiday downtime before her next assignment. Instead, she lands a feel-good story profiling Darlene Donnelly, a beloved Chicago Bears superfan about to celebrate an incredible milestone: attending her 500th game. There’s just one catch: Avery knows next to nothing about football or Chicago. Enter Darlene’s handsome grandson Matt (Robert Buckley), a Chicago firefighter and die-hard Bears fan who, with a little gentle nudging from Darlene, agrees to show Avery what being part of Bears Nation is all about. As Avery follows Darlene’s remarkable story through cherished game-day traditions, festive Chicago adventures and memories of a love story that began at a stadium, she starts to understand that football is about much more than what happens on the field. And as sparks fly between Avery and Matt, this Christmas may just convince a woman who’s always on the move that sometimes the greatest adventure is finding a place — and a person — that feels like home.

 

  MR AND MRS CHRISTMAS 

Taylor Lewis (Brendan Penny) is a single dad in MR AND MRS CHRISTMAS airing October 18th, and holiday display expert who relocates to the charming town of Pineway with his two children

The film arrives October 18th

 just weeks before Christmas. Despite the challenges of a new home, new school and a daughter who seems to be outgrowing their cherished holiday traditions he’s determined to make the season magical. As Taylor takes charge of the town’s beloved Christmas Market revival, he finds himself unexpectedly partnered with Sophie Shaw (Pascale Hutton), a practical accountant hoping to prove she’s ready for a new leadership role. Together, the unlikely duo brings fresh ideas, festive spirit and plenty of Christmas cheer to the community. But when Taylor’s well-intentioned efforts to help his teenage daughter backfire, he begins to realize that yuletide can’t be forced, it has to be discovered. As Taylor and Sophie grow closer, they learn that embracing change may be the key to creating new traditions and new memories. 

 

 

WINTER WONDERLANES

Audrey Bell (Ashley Newbrough) is a globe-trotting pop-up restaurateur in WINTER WONDERLANES 

Winter Wonderlanes arrive October 23rd

airing October 23rd who returns home for Thanksgiving to the news that her late grandfather’s beloved bowling alley, Wonderlanes, will be sold. Audrey agrees to stay for one last festive season at Wonderlanes and decides to revive its iconic Winter Wonderlanes youth bowling tournament. To drum up publicity for the event, she reluctantly partners with Jason Miller (Franco Lo Presti), a local news reporter and her high school boyfriend. While the two work side by side, the embers of their past start flickering, rekindling feelings they thought they left behind. As the tournament draws near, Audrey questions her next move that will take her away from the people and places she loves… and decides if she’s ready to walk away from Wonderlanes – or finally put down roots where her heart truly belongs. 

  FORGOTTEN HOLIDAY 

Kathryn Liu (Janel Parrish) is an antiques buyer for her father’s store in FORGOTTEN HOLIDAY which airs October 24th and has been happily dating Rob Ashford 

Forgotten Holiday is on October 24th

(Daniel Lissing) for nearly a year. When he surprises her with a pre-Christmas proposal, her fear of a failed relationship sends her dashing away without giving him an answer. Heartbroken, Rob drives to his sister’s house and has a car accident that leaves him without memories of the past year, including his relationship with Kathryn and his once-infectious love of Christmas. Following the unconventional orders from his doctor, Kathryn agrees to help trigger Rob’s memory by retracing their romance and reintroducing him to the holidays. But as his memories inch closer to returning, Kathryn must face the painful truth that bringing Rob back to himself may mean losing him forever, unless she can finally find the courage to fight for the love she was too afraid to claim. 

 

 

WHO'S COMING FOR CHRISTMAS?

Having recently relocated, Julie (Rhiannon Fish) in WHO'S COMING FOR CHRISTMAS airing October 30th is setting up her new home using pieces she inherited from her late grandmother,

The new film airs last weekend of October

 including a beautiful dining room table she plans to use on Christmas Eve when she hosts dinner for the first time. Though she doesn’t have her guest list set just yet Julie takes inspiration from her grandmother and has faith that her holiday table for eight will be filled. Julie’s warm, friendly nature leads her to quickly become part of the community and make friends, including her neighbor Mark (Jake Foy) and his young daughter Vanessa (Morgan). Mark suggests that he and his family could join her, making Julie’s dream of dinner for eight come true. But when bad weather keeps them from making the trip it looks like it will be a silent night with just the three of them unless a small Christmas miracle – or series of miracles – fills her holiday table.

Here is the official Hallmark 2026 Countdown To Christmas trailer for the 16th anniversary!! So many amazing festive clips from a lot of the 34 new Christmas movies! 🎄🎅✨️❤️❄️ #CountdownToChristmas 🎥 Hallmark Media https://t.co/YcasukMbCu

— Hallmark Enthusiast🍁🎃 (@PinkSunsetxo) September 17, 2026

DANIEL HEENEY JOINS JAMES MARSDEN AND NORMAN REEDUS IN APPLE TV NEW ACTION THRILLER SERIES DISAVOWED

    DANIEL HENNEY   

JOINS JAMES MARSDEN IN DISAVOWED

Apple TV has cast our dear Daniel Henney in their new action thriller series DISAVOWED which stars James Marsden and Norman Reedus. The series will follow legendary CIA case officer Brad Griffin, who is abruptly fired in the middle of a global hunt for an elusive assassin responsible for killing his colleague. Disgraced and outcast from the world of intelligence, all bets are off when Brad decides to go after the 15 million dollar federal bounty on the assassin’s head. Henney will play Jae Chun, a successful attorney to high-profile figures.

CAST ANNOUNCED FOR NEW NETFLIX POLISH ORIGINAL PERIOD SET TV SERIES NIGHTS AND DAYS BASED ON THE MARIA DABROWSKA CLASSIC

    NIGHTS AND DAYS   

NEW PERIOD SET NETFLIX POLISH SERIES

After recent Lalka, Netflix has started shooting their new eight part Polish original series NIGHTS AND DAYS based on Maria Dabrowska's famous classic with Tomasz Schuchardt and Jaśmina Polak in the lead roles. At a time when Poland has long been absent from the map of Europe, Barbara Ostrzenska a proud, but impoverished noblewoman learns that her great love is marrying another woman. Determined to escape spinsterhood,

Tomasz Schuchardt played the lead in The Doll series as well

 she marries Bogumil Niechcic, a modest former insurgent and property manager. His peace of mind and sense of fulfillment that his work gives him contrast with her restless nature. Over the thirty years shown on screen, they build a life together in the countryside, but Barbara’s yearning for passion and lost status constantly clashes with her daily reality. Disappointed with life, yet in a sense fulfilled in it, Barbara remains a constant challenge for her loved ones and for herself. It spans from the aftermath of the 1863 January Uprising through World War I.

KENNETH BRANAGH, PETER SARSGAARD JOINED BY JENNIFER EHLE, PETER MULLAN, HOLLIDAY GRAINGER IN LAIRD SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS SET TV SERIES

    LAIRD CAST SET   

FOR SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS SET DRAMA

Paramount + has rounded up lead cast for their Scottish highlands set series LAIRD which follows a proud Scot and Laird of Castle Drummoch (Kenneth Branagh) who defies a shadowy American billionaire (Peter Sarsgaard) hellbent on buying up the glens. Amidst family feuds, 

Ruaridh Mollica, Kenneth Branagh, Holliday Grainger, Corey Mylchreest

 buried secrets and star-crossed romances, he remains determined to protect his ancestral lands from oligarchical land grabbing. Jennifer Ehle, Peter Mullan, Phia Saban, Ruaridh Mollica, Holliday Grainger, Douglas Hodge and Corey Mylchreest have joined the cast. 

NEW EPIC TV SHOW BASED ON ARABIAN NIGHTS IN WORKS FROM THE SPARTACUS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

   ARABIAN NIGHTS SERIES 

IN WORKS FROM SPARTACUS CREATOR

It will be a ten episode epic series

According to Variety, a brand new ten episode epic adventure small screen television series with the story based on famous ARABIAN NIGHTS is in works from the creator of popular epic show Spartacus Steven S. DeKnight and Vikings producer Alan Gasmer. To start shooting in Bahrain, it will follow Scheherazade who must join forces with Sinbad, Aladdin and Ali Baba to save the world from an evil sorcerer leading the Jinn, dark spirits from another dimension. In the process, she becomes the greatest storyteller of all time, incorporating her adventures into the legendary tales which still inspire humanity today. How excited are you about the new show?

THE RUSSELLS MARRIAGE IS ON SHAKY GROUND IN THE TRAILER FOR THE GILDED AGE COSTUME TV SERIES SEASON 4 AT HBO

    GILDED AGE SERIES  

SEASON 4 TRAILER HAS BEEN RELEASED

New season arrives this November

HBO has launched a trailer for the fourth season of their popular costume drama GILDED AGE which will return Sunday November 1st following again the rich people of the late 19th century New York and their servants. Carrie Coon leads the cast as Bertha Russell who has changed Society at a cost. Now, her family must reckon with the consequences. Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) sees an opportunity to regain her position. Meanwhile, Marian (Louisa Jacobson) forges a new path for herself, and Peggy (Denée Benton) works to be accepted by her future in-laws. Taylor Trensch, James Scully, Dennis Haysbert, Maggie Kuntz, Neal Huff, Bonnie Milligan, Jim Gaffigan, Dallas Roberts, Andrew Burnap, Elizabeth Marvel and Adrienne Warren are the new additions to the cast which will also see the return of Cynthia Nixon, Blake Ritson, Harry Richardson and others. Check out the trailer below and tell us what you think:

 

SEE LEIGHTON MEESTER AS JARED PADALECKI'S BODYGUARD IN NEW NETFLIX HOLIDAY ROMCOM GUARDING STARS TRAILER

  GUARDING STARS  

JARED PADALECKI FESTIVE ROMCOM TRAILER

Netflix has released a trailer for new festive romantic comedy with Jared Padalecki and Leighton Meester  THE BODYGUARD based on a book by Katherine Center and also starring Andie MacDowell, Walker Hayes, Noah LaLonde and Toby Sandeman. It will stream November 18th! When straight-laced executive protection agent Hannah Brooks is reeling from a breakup and her mother’s death, her Houston-based security firm assigns her an unusual job: guarding Hollywood’s most famous heartthrob, Jack Stapleton. Once the world’s favorite action star, Jack has retreated to his family’s Montana ranch after a scandal and a tragedy left him wary of the public eye. Jack doesn’t want his ailing mother, Sally Stapleton, to know about a stalker threatening him, so he insists Hannah pose as his girlfriend rather than his bodyguard. Thrust into close quarters, Hannah must juggle her professional instincts with the warmth of Jack’s family—and the disarming kindness of the man she’s meant to protect. As the danger escalates and secrets surface, Hannah must decide whether to keep her heart locked down or risk it all for a man who might be far more than a client. You can check out the holiday romance movie trailer below and tell us what you think, will you be adding it to your Christmas movie watching list?

 

TV NEWS: DISNEY'S SPACESHIP EARTH SF SERIES CAST ANNOUNCED, PRIME VIDEO ORDERS BELLA FROM BARNEY'S SERIES, HALLMARK SETS SAM JAEGER, ARIEL WINTER SERIES CHANGE OF HEART

   LATEST TV HEADLINES  

SPACESHIP EARTH TV SERIES CAST

A bunch of small screen news for you today starting with Disney + who have announced lead cast for their TV series SPACESHIP EARTH based on Disney World attraction. Catherine Laga’aia and Deacon Phillippe will head the cast with Jason Fuchs as the showrunner. When a mission to avert an imminent global cataclysm goes awry, a small band of teenagers from Earth’s past and future must join forces to confront a threat as vast and mysterious as time itself.

 

BELLA FROM BARNEYS SERIES

Prime Video has announced new television series BELLA FROM BARNEYS which follows Bella Baldwin, an outer-borough outsider with an eye for style, who lands a job in the stock room of the fictionalized newly revived Barneys New York. When she talks her way into becoming a personal shopper to the store’s most notorious socialite client, she’s pulled into a cutthroat world of fashion and family secrets, and into the orbit of the heir fighting to save the family business.Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage are producing.

 

CHANGE OF HEART HALLMARK SERIES

Hallmark has ordered new series CHANGE OF HEART which follows Charlie Wyatt (Sam Jaeger), the most unlikely of romantic heroes: a renowned divorce attorney known for winning no matter the cost.

Sam Jaeger will lead the new series

 When a life-altering heart transplant cracks something wide open inside him, Charlie finds himself pulled, almost against his will, toward a more hopeful way of moving through the world. One where he’s compelled to help others find their way back to each other in ways he can’t explain. And alongside it all is his younger sister, Brit (Ariel Winter). An unexpected anchor, and partner-in-matchmaking that represents the emotional truth Charlie can’t out-argue: that love isn’t something you win or lose, but something you deserve and choose. Julie Gonzalo and Kevin Vidal will also star.

SEE JAMIE DORNAN AND ANTHONY MACKIE IN NEW HEIST TV SERIES 12 12 12 TRAILER FROM APPLE TV

   12 12 12 HEIST SERIES  

JAMIE DORNAN, ANTHONY MACKIE TRAILER

The series starts this November

Apple TV Plus has released a trailer for their new heist series 12 12 12 which unfolds across three timelines of a heist: the 12 months of planning, the 12 hours of the heist, and the 12 days following the heist. The series follows a disgraced FBI agent (Anthony Mackie) and an American career criminal (Jamie Dornan) who play a zero-sum game of cat and mouse across Europe. At the center of it all is the daring, epic raid on a bank vault deep beneath the streets of Zurich. Jack Kesy will play Dornan's brother also involved in the heist. The series will have a two episode premiere November 13 with the last of the eight episodes streaming at Christmas. Check out the brand new television series trailer below and tell us what you think, will you be watching it when it starts?