TRAILER FOR CHARMING 2010 MOVIE "LETTERS TO JULIET"

With a very charming star studded cast including lovely Amanda Seyfried, Vanessa Redgrave, Gael Garcia Bernal and Franko Nero, romantic film "Letters to Juliet" could be one of the most adorable movies coming to cinemas next year. This lovely story begins when a young American travels to the city of Verona, home of the star-crossed lover Juliet Capulet of Romeo and Juliet fame, where she joins a group of volunteers who respond to letters to Juliet seeking advice about love. After answering one letter dated 1951, she inspires its author to travel to Italy in search of her long-lost love and sets off a chain of events that will bring a love into both their lives unlike anything they ever imagined. You can also check out the trailer for the film which comes out May 2010.

GHOSTBUSTERS 3 TO START SHOOTING NEXT SUMMER

It seems that popular comedy from the 80's "Ghostbusters" will get its third part next year. Summer 2010 is the time when the work on the new installment will start. Here's what Harold Ramis, one of the actors from the original movie has said about it recently: "Something's going to happen. Dan Aykroyd did write a spec Ghostbusters 3 screenplay a few years ago, but no one was motivated to pursue it. Now, 25 years after the original, there seems to be some willingness to proceed and apparently a substantial public appetite for a sequel. We'll introduce some new young Ghostbusters, and all the old guys will be in it, too. Think Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future ... Ghostbusters 3 is progressing with plans to shoot next summer and release in 2011 ... Oh, and I have two one-of-a-kind Ghostbuster yarmulkes sent by fans."
So it seems that some of the original cast members might be involved in the remake, but the focus will be on a new cast of Ghostbusters. I must say I never was a fan of this franchise, but I did like its popular and catchy music theme.

CHARMING FIRST PICTURE FROM DISNEY'S "RAPUNZEL"

"Movieweb" has just released the first picture from Walt Disney's adaptation of the famous fairytale "Rapunzel". The 3D film is set for release next Thanksgiving, November 24th, 2010.

"Rapunzel" is an action-packed, swashbuckling, animated musical comedy about the girl behind 70 feet of magical, golden hair. A princess stolen from her parents' castle as a baby, Rapunzel (voice of Mandy Moore) is locked in a hidden tower longing for adventure. Now an imaginative and determined teenager, she takes off on a hilarious, hair-raising escapade with the help of a dashing bandit (voice of Zachary Levi). With the secret of her royal heritage hanging in the balance and her captor in pursuit, Rapunzel and her cohort find adventure, heart, humor, and hair... lots of hair.

SCI FI HORROR "NIGHT AND FOG" TO BE ADAPTED FOR BIG SCREEN

It seems that the producers Gil Adler ("Superman Returns", "Valkyrie") and Shane McCarthy are ready to start the adaptation work on sci-fi horror comic book "Night and Fog". Set during WWII the comic tells the story of a Frankenstein-like infectious mist unleashed on a military base that transforms its victims into preternatural creatures of the night. But when the survivors try to kill them, they adapt and change into something even more horrific and unstoppable.
Here is what Gil Adler had to say about the whole project: "When I read this I knew I had to take it off the market. It's a great high-concept that blends the Gothic horror of the Hammer films with the sci-fi horror of Aliens and The Thing. What really appealed to me wasn’t so much the genre trappings, but rather the characters that really drive this story."

BREATHTAKING NEW PICS FROM THE ROMAN EPIC "THE EAGLE OF THE NINTH"

HOLLYWOOD SPY's friend Ted has just sent us some exclusive and totally amazing new pics from next year's historical action "The Eagle of the Ninth" starring Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell and Donald Sutherland. You can see all of them in these new photos: Channing looking very dashing as the brave Roman soldier, Jamie Bell looking positively stunning with his newly found muscles and Donald looking authoritative as ever.

"The Eagle of the Ninth" follows Marcus, a wounded Roman soldier living in Britain during the 2nd Century A. D. Together with his Celtic slave, Esca, Marcus undertakes a perilous journey into the wilds of the far north in an attempt to retrieve the Eagle emblem of the vanished Ninth Legion, which was lost under Marcus father's command ten years before. The movie will premiere in 2010.

"CAPTAIN AMERICA" STARTS SHOOTING NEXT JUNE

An exclusive piece of news comes from "Fangoria" today where director Joe Johnston ("The Wolfman") has announced the production start on "The First Avenger: Captain America" for June 2010. The movie is slated to be released on July 22, 2011.

One of the most popular comics from Marvel "Captain America" follows the story of Steve Rogers who was born during the Great Depression and grew up as a frail youth in a poor family. Horrified by the newsreel footage of the Nazis in Europe, Rogers was inspired to enlist in the army. However, because of his frailty and sickness, he was rejected. Overhearing the boy's earnest plea, General Chester Phillips offered Rogers the opportunity to take part in a special experiment. After weeks of tests, Rogers was at last administered the 'Super-Soldier Serum' and bombarded by vita-rays. Steve Rogers emerged from the treatment with a body as perfect as a body can be and still be human. Rogers was then put through an intensive physical and tactical training program. Three months later, he was given his first assignment as Captain America. Armed with his indestructible shield and and battle savvy, Captain America has continued his war against evil both as a sentinel of liberty and leader of the Avengers. I think many battles will be fought during the casting process in this movie: what do you think who deserves to put on the star studded costume of Captain America?

"STAR TREK 2" MIGHT START SHOOTING NEXT YEAR SAYS ZOE SALDANA

According to MTV who recently spoke with actress Zoe Saldana ("Star Trek", "Avatar") the highly-anticipated sequel "Star Trek 2" will begin its development next year. There is no official news about the precise start of shooting, but according to Zoe, it seems the script is under work:
"I spoke to J.J. and Bryan Burk, his producing partner at Bad Robot, and they are still in the middle of building the script with Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci, and we'll probably be going into pre-production around this time next year."
What do you say, are you anxious to see the new adventures of the U.S.S. ENTERPRISE? This year's STAR TREK was not only one of the most successful blockbusters but also one of the most lovable movies among the moviegoing audience.

"MERLIN'S" SUCCESS BRINGS THE THIRD SEASON ORDER FOR THE POPULAR SHOW

Popular BBC's show "Merlin" has just ended its second season with the young wizard finally setting free the Great Dragon and thus throwing Camelot into darkness, fire and battle. Starring Colin Morgan as Merlin and Bradley James as Prince Arthur, the second season brought much more magical heroes and villains than the first one, and was a huge success: the first series was a worldwide smash hit and has been sold to 52 broadcasters in over 180 countries, while series two has been sold to more than 40 broadcasters in 165 countries so far, and counting. That's why the renewal of the show doesn't come as a surprise: according to the official announcement, BBC One is going to give a run to "Merlin" for the third consecutive season. The show has been enjoying a huge popularity of about 6 million viewers with 31% share in UK this autumn.

With its mix of magic, adventure, great sets, costumes and special effects plus the charming humour "Merlin" has thrilled everyone including one of the executive producers who explained the reason for ordering the third season: "Merlin is ready to burst back onto BBC One with more action, romance and, of course, magic to delight fans of all ages. After the thrilling finale of the current series audiences will be left wondering what happens next – and with so many of Merlin and Arthur's adventures yet to unfold, we can't wait to continue the story."

Being a fan of "Merlin" I just hope that the new season, next year, will finally reveal more of Merlin's magic powers, and that the whole show will center more on him than on that boring king Uther and his Nazi obsession with eradicating everything and everyone connected with magic and sorcery.

THE AMAZING CREATURE FEATURE FROM "SOLOMON KANE"

Here's a very intriguing featurette on "Solomon Kane" in which the director Michael J. Bassett and others talk about the movie's many interesting evil creatures. Judging from the trailers and these featurettes, I now understand why the studio has been postponing the premiere of the film, which still doesn't have the launch date although we know it will be sometime in 2010. They probably just want to create the hype which this movie might actually deserve. Although it had appeared as an almost B class movie, it seems that it's visual creativity, great actors, amazing sets and stunning action scenes, have all made it a much bigger movie than anyone has expected it. I know many fans are now anxiously waiting to finally see it.
As the first part in a trilogy this is an epic adventure following Solomon Kane (James Purefoy), a 16th Century soldier, who learns that his brutal and cruel actions have damned him. Determined to redeem himself, Kane swears to live a life of peace and goodness but is forced to fight once more when a dark power threatens the land.

FIRST TRAILER FOR JUDE LAW'S SF ACTION "REPO MEN"

In this futuristic action-thriller starring our favourite British actor Jude Law, humans have extended and improved lives through highly sophisticated and expensive mechanical organs created by a company called The Union. The dark side of these medical breakthroughs is that if you don’t pay your bill, The Union sends its highly skilled repo men to take back its property ... with no concern for your comfort or survival: so defaulting on payment results in a fatal repossession. But what happens when one of the repo men gets an artificial organ and then struggles to make his payment, and his repo partner comes after him? The movie is out next April.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL FROM HOLLYWOOD SPY

Right from the Hollywood Spy's headquarters (in secret location off course, appropriately decorated with Christmas lights) Dezz is wishing you warm, tranquil and beautiful Christmas Eve tonight and amazing Christmas Day tomorrow. Hope you will get many lovely presents and give a lot to your beloved ones. Special love to all the faithful followers and readers of Hollywood Spy who have made this year more beautiful every time they have come around to visit us and leave a comment. A big kiss to you all, don't forget to leave some cookies and milk for Santa tonight ;)

FIRST "SEX AND THE CITY 2" TRAILER

Here's the first exclusive trailer for the next year's biggest female movie "Sex and the City2". The trailer for the anticipated sequel to the popular urban saga, doesn't reveal a thing about the plot. All you can see are the girls looking fresh and stylish as ever, their strange picnic into a desert and someone's wedding. Take a look yourself.

FIRST "ROBIN HOOD" POSTER

Universal Pictures has just released the first poster for the upcoming historical adventure "Robin Hood", scheduled for premiere May 14, 2010. I must admit I'm positively shocked by this cheap looking, totally non-creative poster with Russell Crowe posing with his bow and arrow. I've already said that I didn't like the costumes in the movie either, so I'm afraid the whole film might have poor visual quality. "Robin Hood" brings the new look on the old legend, starring Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt, Matthew Macfadyen, Mark Strong, Kevin Durand, and Max von Sydow.

"SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND" GETS SECOND SEASON EVEN BEFORE THE FIRST ONE HAS PREMIERED!

Although the premiere of the show is set for January 22nd, "Starz" executives have just announced plans to order a second season of the ground-breaking new series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand". The unusual timing of the renewal, more than a month before the debut of the anticipated show, promises a highly entertaining programme. Shot using virtual environments in the graphic novel style seen before only in cinema blockbusters like "300", the new show, produced by Sam Raimi, has a hyper-realistic look and an entirely new vision of the ancient legend.
Here's what one of the producers said: "We couldn't be happier with the first season. Spartacus delivers on all levels - action, characters, intrigue, romance and excitement. Spartacus is the most ambitious original project we've ever undertaken, and speaks to the commitment to our subscribers to provide truly original programming along with our unmatched lineup of theatrical features. The slave rebellion led by Spartacus and the oh-so-current political intrigue and personal dynamics laid out in the first season provide rich source material for the second season and beyond."
Judging from the scenes circling around the Net, it seems that "Spartacus" will also have some extremely sexy and naughty action and you can expect Lucy Lawless, the main female star of the show, revealing more than you dreamed of. The production on 13 new 2nd season episodes will start in New Zealand in the first quarter of 2010.

PATRICK WILSON AND KARL URBAN ARE "HOLLYWOOD SPY'S" MOST UNDERRATED ACTORS

I must say I'm very proud of you since you have shown how injustice is an important issue for you so you came in record numbers (almost 300 votes!!!)and voted for the most underrated actor in Hollywood, or someone who should by all means be the megastar in Tinseltown. The winner is Patrick Wilson taking 44% of votes in a tough battle against Karl Urban who came second with 38% of your votes.
I've always thought of Patrick Wilson as the male counterpart to Cate Blanchett, because he seems to posses all of her quality - elegance, deeply profound acting skills, expressiveness, breathtaking, magnetic and charismatic physical beauty, and above all - they both seem as really good and positive people privately as well. What makes him even more unique and amazing is the fact that all these characteristics are extremely unusual for an American actor (since they are, almost without exceptions, quite cold and mechanic in their approach to building a role). Although the audience around the world knows him best as the kind super hero Nite Owl from "Watchmen", he is usually known as an actor who can give refined, emotional and deeply expressive performances in legendary social dramas: we all remember the way he portrayed inner conflicts and turmoils in "Angels in America", how he positively shined in "Little Children", how romantic and focused he was in the star studded "Evening". Although "Angels in America" brought him nominations for a Golden Globe and an Emmy, believe it or not he has never been nominated for an Oscar, which is still one of the biggest injustices ever. Beside being a renowned drama actor, he's also a great action star who was in considerations for roles in "The Fantastic Four" and "Daredevil", so we'll soon see him in the action flick "A-Team". We want to see him in Hollywood's A list projects.
The most charismatic Karl Urban who always brings great roles even in not so great movies became famous thanks to "Hercules" and "Xena" in which he played the roles of naughty Cupid and powerful Julius Caesar. He is best known for his irresistible magnetism which radiates from the big screens helping him steal the show from his fellow cast members. His casual charm is probably a genetic thing, since he comes from New Zealand. Although he obviously has great acting skills, for some reasons stated above most producers see him as an action star so the list of his projects is dominated by action, sf and epics. We've seen him and absolutely loved him in "Ghost Ship", "Lord Of the Rings", "The Chronicles of Riddick", "The Bourne Supremacy", "Pathfinder", "Doom", "Comanche Moon", and this year he put a smile on everyone's face with his witty portrayal of Dr Bones in "Star Trek". Next year we'll watch him in vampire horror "Priest". We want to see him in big, leading roles which he deserves.

PETER JACKSON DEVELOPING "MORTAL ENGINES" SAGA?

The latest gossip coming from New Zealand says that director Peter Jackson is secretly developing the movie based on the fantasy novel series "Mortal Engines" written by Phillip Reeve. The adaptation of the first book in the series is apparently underway, with Jackson's "Weta" already making the designs for the film which basically follows the story about a series of moving cities. It seems that Jackson has had the movie rights to the novel for some time.
All the books in "Mortal Engines" saga cover nearly twenty years in the history of the Traction Era, a far-future age when cities move about hunting smaller mobile towns and dismantling those they catch for their raw materials. Airships ply the skies, amphibious limpet-submarines lurk in the oceans, and dangerous bits of technology left over from a long-ago war lie waiting to be discovered and put to use in the looming conflict between the cities and their anti-tractionist enemies.
Phillip Reeve has also written another fantasy book "LarkLight" which we wrote about some time ago as the $200 million movie project given to amazing Shekhar Kapur to direct.

HAWKMAN SHALL SPREAD HIS WINGS ON THE BIG SCREEN?

New day, new superhero movie. According to "Pajiba" Warner Brothers and DC Comics are teaming up to bring Hawkman up on the big screen. It seems that the whole comic book adaptation is planned as a mix of "Indiana Jones", "Da Vinci Code" and "Ghost".
Although not extremely popular, Hawkman is an interesting character which uses archaic weaponry and large artificial wings that allow him to fly. Hawkman also has a partner and romantic interest, Hawkgirl who helps him fight against supervillains. He's an archaeologist, adventurer and the reincarnation of an Ancient Egyptian prince. He also has a mystical cloak capable of teleporting anyone or anything enveloped within it folds. His uniform is made of Nth metal which brings him increased strength, speed, agility, resistance to cold and heat, accelerated healing, heightened senses.... What do you think about it? Who could play him? Who could be his Hawkgirl?

TAYLOR SWIFT TO PLAY THE NEW SUPERGIRL???

Believe it or not, but that's what one of the hottest gossips says - country cutie Taylor Swift might play Supergirl, aka Kryptonian Kara Zor-El, in the possible remake which currently has a very scary tittle: "Supergirl: The Love Story". Despite having only one movie role in her CV so far (she plays the love interest of another Taylor, but this time Lautner, in the upcoming star studded romance "Valentine's Day")she is currently occupying number one spot on the list of young actresses currently being considered for the role. One of the insiders has revealed recently: "A number of young stars are being mentioned for the title role in a 'Supergirl' movie and possible TV spin-off and Taylor is on top of that list. She has all the right elements to be a positive role model to young girls."
The original film from the '80s, starred Helen Slater in the supergirl costume. The critics hated it and the public ignored it massively, but Hollywood is short of female heroes and this particular one could be appealing to female viewers. What do you think about this? Do we need it? Can Taylor do it? Will Kanye play the villain? :))

RESHOOTINGS ANNOUNCED FOR "CLASH OF THE TITANS"

In an interview for "L.A. Times" Sam Worthington has revealed that Warner Bros. is going to reshoot some scenes from Louis Leterrier's remake of "Clash of the Titans". "We're going to be going back and shooting more scenes for it, they cut loose with some money so we can add to it. We're going to be shooting more scenes in January, so we're going to be right up against it, the movie comes out in March. There were some creaky parts but they are the parts that we knew were creaky and that we knew were going to be creaky going into it. The studio is also letting us add some gods and scenes. And they're talking about making the movie a 3D film." Most people think this probably means that the studio didn't expect much from this epic, which is why they've scheduled its launch in March, but after the sensational reactions from the audience and fans who saw the teaser trailer a month ago, they've changed their minds and decided to make this movie their number one blockbuster for 2010. The 3D idea sounds very good having in mind "Avatar's" success.

BRITANNY MURPHY HAS DIED THIS MORNING!!!

Movie star Brittany Murphy (32) has died of a heart attack this morning. She went into full cardiac arrest and could not be revived. The Los Angeles City Fire Department got a call from the home of Murphy's husband Simon Monjack about 8 a.m., fire officials told TMZ website. She was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
These news are more than shocking, Brittany was a popular comedian and a very lovable Hollywood celebrity. She starred in movies such are "Girl, Interrupted", "Sidewalks of New York", "8 Mile", "Little Black Book", "Sin City", gave her voice in "Happy Feet" and a few years ago, she released the single "Faster Kill Pussycat," which became a dance club hit.
She will be missed.

JIM CARREY SMOOCHING WITH EWAN MCGREGOR IN "I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS"

This could be one of the craziest movies you've ever seen with Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor having a romantic kiss in one of its scenes. "I Love You Phillip Morris" is based on a book by 'Houston Chronicle' crime reporter Steve McVicker. Jim Carrey appears as Steven Russell, a married father who comes out of the closet and whose exploits land him in the Texas criminal justice system. He falls madly in love with his cellmGate (played here by Ewan McGregor), who is eventually set free, which leads Russell to escape from Texas prisons four times. Check out the trailer. The movie is out next year.

FUTURISTIC STORY "DAMN NATION" TO BE ADAPTED INTO A MOVIE

According to "MovieWeb" "Damn Nation", a 'Dark Horse' comic by Andrew Cosby and Jason Alexander will be developed into a movie. Writers of "Thor", Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz, have apparently signed on to write the script for this futuristic vampire project for Paramount.
The whole adaptation is set in U.S. A. evacuated after an attack from inhuman nocturnal predators, and the story follows the tale of the survivors after the government has been forced to relocate to London while scientists search for a solution.

"AVATAR" TAKES $ 3.5 MILLION IN THE MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS

With an estimated $3.5 million during the midnight screenings "Avatar" didn't break any records but it did nicely for a midnight debut. According to "MovieWeb" the sf epic has opened in about 2,000 screens during the midnight debut, with most of those screens in 3D. The film was open today in over 3,400 theaters, with close to 3,000 screens shown in 3D and close to another 3,000 screens in 2D. Fox domestic distribution president Bruce Snyder also said that Friday matinee grosses were "exploding" which shows that it will be a real moviegoers picture, and not just a movie for the fans. I hope "Avatar" will have a huge success, because I totally agree with all those people who say we need to send a message to the big studios, that we want creative movies like this and not all those superficial vampire soaps and cheap comedies.

UPDATE ON SUNDAY DEC, 20TH
"Avatar" has earned $27 million on its opening day and so far it might become the third highest grossing film in history for December. It is estimated it will earn around $75 million during the first three days in release. Analysts are blaming snow storms on the East Coast as the reason why "Avatar" hasn't broken records in the opening weekend, but judging from the high scores and appraisals it is getting from almost everyone who has seen it so far it seems that it might be a word of mouth movie which will earn more and more each coming day.

FIRST TRAILER FOR "SHREK FOREVER AFTER"

Here's the first teaser trailer for "Shrek Forever After". I must say I never was a fan of this franchise (yep, strange considering he's green :)) but Puss in Boots looks extremely adorable in this trailer all cute and plump. Shrek and Donkey's hysterical new adventures will start next May. Longing for the days when he felt like a real ogre, Shrek is now duped into signing a pact with the smooth-talking deal maker, Rumpelstiltskin. Shrek suddenly finds himself in a twisted, alternate version of Far Far Away, where ogres are hunted, Rumpelstiltskin is king and Shrek and Fiona have never met. Now, it's up to Shrek to undo all he's done in the hopes of saving his friends, restoring his world and reclaiming his one True Love. Directed by Mike Mitchell the film brings back the amazing voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, and Antonio Banderas.

"SHOWTIME" GETS READY FOR "THE VANDERBILTS" HISTORICAL SAGA

The channel which has brought us some of the best shows recently - "Showtime", impressed with the enormous success of their royal drama "The Tudors", which ends next year, has now decided to focus on 19th century royalty with a new series "The Vanderbilts". As "The Hollywood Reporter" reports, Julian Fellows (who won an Oscar for "Gosford Park") has been hired to write the project, a period story that follows the family behind the Vanderbilt railroad and shipping empire, starting with Cornelius Vanderbilt, once one of the wealthiest men in the world.
I hope that "Showtime" is also sticking to their idea to make "Camelot" show as well. We need more historical shows and glamorous dramas.

MARK STRONG GIVES EXCLUSIVE UPDATE ON SF EPIC "JOHN CARTER OF MARS"

"Cinema Blend" has recently talked with actor Mark Strong about Andrew Stanton's long awaited big screen adaptation of "John Carter of Mars", in which Strong is going to play Matai Shang, ruler of the Thems, and here's what he said:
"Andrew Stanton is a genius. He's such a good storyteller. When I met him and he showed me the storyboards, the ideas for the sets and the designs for the characters, it's just absolutely mind-blowing. There is some filming in Utah, but most of it is in a studio outside of London. My character doesn't actually get involved in any of the motion-capture stuff. All the stuff is live action. Although I can shift my shape, so I have to be photographed by a 360-degree camera. I can adapt into anything. That's going to be my particular talent. But I'll transform into other human beings mainly."
The film is set to premiere in 2012 with an amazing cast including: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton, Dominic West, Polly Walker, Thomas Haden Church, James Purefoy, Mark Strong...
Beside appearing in "The Young Victoria" and "Sherlock Holmes" this year, Mark Strong will also star in other epic projects such are "Robin Hood", "The Eagle of the Ninth" and the last season of "The Tudors".

UBER-CHARMING NEW TRAILER FOR "ALICE IN WONDERLAND"

Here's a spectacular new trailer for Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland". I must say I was stunned by the scene with the Queen of Hearts card-soldiers, but I wish Johnny Depp would stop playing himself in all of his movies. I like him, but it seems he's always goofing around like a more profound version of Jim Carrey. The movie will be brought to cinemas by Easter bunnies :) somewhere in March 2010.

JAMES CAMERON GIVES UPDATE ON "BATTLE ANGEL ALITA"

After developing his CG design skills in "Avatar" will James Cameron find a good use for them in "Battle Angel Alita"? The good news is that the project has started its development, although it's all in very early stages. Cameron talked recently about it to MTV News.
"The mixture of live-action and CG is a little trickier in 3-D than it is 2-D. Now we see it's good to have done Avatar first before Battle Angel, because the tricky scenes are where you're blending live-action photography, stereoscopic photography and CG.Shooting live stuff in 3-D and then adding CG characters and landscapes beyond that, that's a little tricky," said Cameron. "We're not that far down the line. We have a very good script and we've done a lot of production design. We've done about a year of production design and we've put together an art reel that shows the arc of the film. It's pretty much just add water and we're ready to go."

In "Battle Angel Alita" people and cyborgs of the Scrap Yard live beneath the flying city of Tiphares, whose inhabitants dump their junk in the Scrap Yard and rule above it's inhabitants. One day doc Ido, a former Tipharean citizen, finds the intact head of young cyborg-girl in a vast pile of scrap. He takes her in and gives her a body and the name Alita. Alita then discovers since long forgotten fighting techniques hidden in her body and decides to become a hunter-warrior like Ido.

THE GOLDEN GLOBES NOMINATIONS FOR 2009 ANNOUNCED

The nominations for the Golden Globe Awards have been announced today, and I won't bother you with the whole list, but I could privatize HOLLYWOOD SPY a bit and tell you whom I'm cheering for next January. Here are my favourites: BEST MOTION PICTURE "Avatar", BEST ACTRESS Emily Blunt, BEST ACTOR Colin Firth, BEST COMEDY/ MUSICAL "Julie & Julia", BEST ACTRESS COMEDY/ MUSICAL Meryl Streep as Julia Child, BEST ACTOR COMEDY/ MUSICAL Joseph Gordon Levitt, BEST DIRECTOR James Cameron, BEST ORIGINAL SCORE "Avatar", BEST ACTRESS TV COMEDY Toni Collette .... Although I don't get Golden Globes seriously, I still hope some of the named talents will take home a Globe or two :)Who are your favourites?

FRANK MILLER STARTS WORK ON "XERXES" THE PREQUEL TO "300"

Talking to"LA Times" Frank Miller has revealed exclusive new details about his follow-up project to famous epic "300". Directed by visual genius Zack Snyder the adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel about King Leonidas and his doomed army of Spartans broke many box-office records when it was released into cinemas and took the tittle of one of the visually most striking movies ever.
Now, Miller says that the follow-up will be titled "Xerxes", and it will be set about 10 years before the events of the first movie. It will tell the story of the battle of Marathon and Miller says that he has finished the plot and is now getting started with the artwork.

FIRST "ROBIN HOOD" TRAILER IS FINALLY OUT!

The first trailer for Ridley Scott's medieval epic has hit the Net today. Starring Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt, Matthew Macfadyen and Max von Sydow, the movie opens May 14th 2010. "Robin Hood" follows a love triangle which forms between the legendary Robin Hood, his Maid Marian and the archer's arch nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham. Crowe stars as the Sheriff of Nottingham in a scenario that sees him more noble lawman than an evil king's right-hand man and facing off with a more shadier Robin Hood in the Sherwood Forest.

SNOW QUEEN AS DISNEY'S NEW HAND-DRAWN ANIMATED PROJECT

After the audience has warmly accepted "The Princess and the Frog" and with "Rapunzel" and "Winnie the Pooh" in preparations, it seems that Disney is really sticking to its plan to release a new hand-drawn animated movie every two years. What after that? It seems that Disney wants to dust off an old project that was previously started and then stopped: "The Snow Queen". It is a well known fairy tale from famous Hans Christian Andersen that basically tells the story of the power of love with little girl Gerda who will fight to bring her friend Kai back home after he goes to the Snow Queen enchanted by her powers. "SlashFilm" has published the first concept art image of the Snow Queen (in the picture left, looks like a cook to me :))) and has also learned that Alan Manken, the composer who made musical miracles in "The Little Mermaid" and "Beauty and the Beast", is working on the music for "The Snow Queen".

EXCLUSIVE CHARACTER PHOTOS FOR "SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND"

New historical action/adventure show "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" is coming to "Starz" January 22nd 2010 so I though I could put you in the mood for watching it with this mega poster including all of the main characters (just click on the image to see it in bigger size).
It follows a Thracian soldier Spartacus (Andy Withfield) who volunteers to fight in the Roman Auxiliary against a common enemy of Thrace and Rome. As punishment for defying the Roman commander Legatus Claudius Glaber (Craig Parker, the amazing actor who played elven king Haldir in "The Lord of the Rings" and the charismatic villain Darken Rahl in "Legend of the Seeker" ), he is sentenced to die in the gladiatorial arena. Against all odds he kills four gladiators and survives. His sentence is commuted to slavery and he is bought by Batiatus (John Hannah) and his wife Lucretia (Lucy Lawless), who besides being cunning as her husband also has gladiator Crixus as her secret lover, to be trained as a gladiator in their ludus. His rebellious tendencies are tamed by the promise of one day being reunited with his wife Sura (Erin Cummings). He will be trained by Batiatus' trusted slave Doctore and his bodyguard Barca to fight in arena, where he will meet gladiator Varro who will become his only friend. There's also Illiythia, Glaber's gorgeous, often alone and bored wife and also a daughter of a senator, whom Lucretia will introduce to all the sensual pleasures of the ludus. And there's also wicked Ashur, the resident bookie and jack-of-all-trades of the ludus and its least liked or trusted inhabitant.

EXCLUSIVE: AMAZING SECOND TRAILER FOR "CLASH OF THE TITANS"

Here's the breathtaking and totally spectacular second trailer for next year's epic extravaganza "Clash of the Titans", it's a much better, extended version of the first teaser, giving you the first look of Zeus, Pegasus, Kraken and many other creatures whom Sam Worthington will have to fight off :)

SATURDAY POSTERS: "WOLFMAN", "HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON", "AVATAR" AND "PERCY JACKSON"

We were swamped with new movie posters this week, and now the uneventful Saturday has left us with another four posters for the movies we've already talked about: the new one for "Wolfman" with Emily Blunt and Anthony Hopkins, a movie which had more problems than any werewolf has ever had - with editors, directors, composers, and now with the studio who gave up trying to make it less brutal, so it will be R-rated when it comes out next year. And there's a second poster for next year's most adorable animated adventure "How to Train Your Dragon". At the end we have the last "Avatar" poster and a new one for "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief".

CBS WORKING ON A NEW TIME-TRAVEL SHOW

According to "Hollywood Reporter" CBS is working with writer Jason Smilovic and producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas in developing new time-travel show "Murmurs". The story is set in a world where time travel is a reality and centers on the Commission, an agency that detects and corrects alterations in time called murmurs, ensuring that history remains unchanged. The work on the script is on, so we can probably expect a pilot episode some time in the future. But judging from the first reactions over the Net, people think the idea of time-travel or travel through parallel dimensions has been overused in the past in projects like "Quantum Leap", "Time Cop", "Sliders", "Doctor Who", "Star Trek Voyager", "Journeyman"...

"TEMERAIRE" SAGA AS PETER JACKSON'S NEXT PROJECT

Although it seems his only good movies were the ones from "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, since both "King Kong" and now "The Lovely Bones" have proved to be disastrous and confusing, Peter Jackson is apparently planning a new project. There are rumors that it might be "Temeraire" - an adaptation of a fantasy novel series by Naomi Novik that has long been thought as a project Jackson would helm. The series, which deals with alternative past, is set during the Napoleonic Wars, with the addition of an air force of dragons and aviators. The story begins when a British naval captain captures a French ship and discovers an unhatched dragon egg in the hold. This egg is a gift from the Emperor of China intended for Napoleon and when the egg hatches, the captain is forced to give up his naval career to become captain of the dragon he names Temeraire. Jackson is now thinking of doing it in the form of a big-budget television miniseries.
"Temeraire" novels have been published in Serbia by "Alnari".

AMAZING NEW POSTERS FOR "SEX AND THE CITY 2" AND "IRON MAN 2"

If you click on the image above you will see the stylish first poster for "Sex and the City 2" with Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshow, and the second poster for "Iron Man 2" with Mickey Rourke as dangerous Whiplash. Both movies are coming out summer 2010.

OFFICIAL POSTERS FOR "CLASH OF THE TITANS"

Few months ago we have published a number of bootlegged cinema posters for next year's biggest epic adventure "Clash of the Titans", but now we have three official ones, featuring leading star Sam Worthington battling the infamous snake-headed Medusa, a giant scorpion called a Scorpiok, wooden men called the Djinn and the Stygian witches, and also ridding Pegasus. Click on the images to see them in bigger size.

SEAN PATRICK FLANERY IN SF ADVENTURE "SCAVENGERS"

One of my favourite Hollywood faces, Sean Patrick Flanery has just got himself a new role. According to "The Hollywood Reporter", together with Louise Linton he will star in the indie sci-fi film "Scavengers". It will follow the story of space scavengers crews competing for supplies, energy and treasure in the dark wastelands of universe. When the crew of the Revelator, led by Emerson (Lousie Linton), comes across the alien-created Chaos Generator, they must fight to keep it out of the hands of her former shipmate, the sinister Captain Jekel (Sean Patrick Flanery). This low-budget film will mark the directorial debut of production designer Travis Nicholas Zariwny and its production has already begun this week.
Best known for his TV roles in "Young Indiana Jones" and "The Dead Zone", and recently, for his film role in "Boondock Saints" Sean Patrick Flanery will also appear in sf adventure "Mongolian Death worms", action packed "Sinners and Saints" and super natural horror "Bump". I wish he'd choose better movies, he shouldn't waste his charisma and talent on such strange projects. But I am anxious to see "Scavengers" since we don't have a lot of sf movies set in space.

PETER JACKSON SAYS CATE BLANCHETT MIGHT APPEAR IN "THE HOBBIT"

Taking to MTV Peter Jackson has revealed some updates regarding "The Hobbit" casting, scheduled for this week. It was already announced that Ian McKellen is going to reprise the role of Gandalf, since being a 2,000-year-old wizard, his character is still around and plays a major role in "The Hobbit", and that the producers are looking to cast anonymous actors for most roles in the film. But Peter Jackson also added some other news: "There's a couple of other characters: Elrond, who was played by Hugo Weaving in "The Lord of the Rings" and there's a possibility of Galadriel, who was played by Cate Blanchett. In some respects, it's a prequel. In book terms, the world of 'The Hobbit' takes place 60 years before 'The Lord of the Rings,' as it was written by Tolkien. So, not a lot of the characters actually feature, because they weren't around yet."
Being the narrator and the elven queen of Lothlorien, Blanchett has given the profound magic note to the LOTR movies, so it would be more than amazing to see her in "The Hobbit" as well. The shooting of the Guillermo del Toro-directed films is scheduled for April or May. The first movie is targeted for a Dec. 2011 release followed a year later by the second in Dec. 2012.

EXCLUSIVE POSTER FOR "TRON"

Here's the first poster for "Tron Legacy" which is coming out December next year. It is a high-tech 3D adventure set in a digital world that's unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), looks into his father's disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin's loyal confidant (gorgeous Olivia Wilde), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.