HOLLYWOOD SPY SPOTLIGHT ON 2013 APOCALYPTIC FILMS PART II - "OBLIVION" WITH TOM CRUISE & BRAD PITT'S "WORLD WAR Z"

You have probably noticed, by now, my little freaks, that we have survived the Mayan apocalypse and that we are (most of us) still in our non-zombie shapes. But Hollywood is obviously still obsessed with the

impending doom and is preparing tones of apocalyptic movies for 2013, so let us do a spotlight on them. You saw the first part yesterday, and here's the second one:

OBLIVION

Another one of the apocalyptic movies dealing with a destroyed Earth is science fiction epic OBLIVION which will open up in theatres next April starring that

crazy man Tom Cruise, stunning Olga Kurylenko, GAME OF THRONES' Nikolai Coster Waldau and Morgan Freeman. Directed by TRON:LEGACY helmer Joseph Kosinski, the story is set in post-apocalyptic Earth, where civilization lives above the clouds and scavengers illegally collect artefacts from the polluted and destroyed surface below. When one young scavenger discovers a crashed spacecraft planetside - and a beautiful women within - he rejoices at the find. Little does he realize that his discovery will lead him to a journey filled with romance, adventure and unimaginable danger.

DID YOU KNOW?

Having in mind that Tom Cruise's latest film JACK REACHER has been a shocking flop at the box office the question is whether OBLIVION will manage to return it's costly budget of $140 million.

Before the lead female role went to gorgeous Olga, it was the focus of a competition between Olivia Wilde, Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara and many others. While Kate Beckinsale, Diane Kruger and Hayley Atwell all auditioned for the second female role which later on went to an uknown actress.

WORLD WAR Z

Now this one will bring another of Hollywood's favourite looks upon the doomsday -  a zombie invasion, but if you thought you've seen all about zombie invasion in popular TV show THE WALKING DEAD, you ain't seen nothing, because WORLD WAR Z promises swarms and hordes of zombies attacking worldwide like mad ants! With the aim to

be one of summer 2013 blockbusters this zombie adventure has a dynamic story which revolves around United Nations employee Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), who traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to decimate humanity itself. The cast of the epic film also

includes Matthew Fox, David Morse and James Badge Dale as Captain Speke, an American soldier who tries to warn the government that the threat of zombies is real, and the director is dashing Michael Forster from QUANTUM OF SOLACE.

DID YOU KNOW?
The whole film is based on the popular book by Max Brooks which became a worldwide bestseller. As you probably remember, the shooting

of the film underwent lots of problems - from all the weapons used in the scenes being seized by the Hungarian police, to Brad Pitt shooting some of the scenes in a Viagra factory and to tones of American cars and trucks being shipped over to UK sets to give the authentic look.

HOLLYWOOD SPY SPOTLIGHT ON 2013 APOCALYPTIC FILMS PART I - "AFTER EARTH" WITH WILL SMITH & "PACIFIC RIM" WITH IDRIS ELBA AND CHARLIE HUNNAM

You have probably noticed, by now, my little freaks, that we have survived the Mayan apocalypse and that we are (most of us) still in our non-zombie shapes. But Hollywood is obviously still obsessed with the impending doom

 and is preparing tones of apocalyptic movies for 2013, so let us do a spotlight on them. Today the first part, tomorrow the second one.

AFTER EARTH

Now, I most probably won't watch this one, since I cannot stand Will Smith's nepotism, but I'm guessing not everybody is sensitive to this issue as I am, so some of you might enjoy science fiction action AFTER EARTH which features both Will Smith and his son Jaden and I am guessing we should be happy that he didn't put that screeching daughter of his in it too. Ready to open up in cinemas June 2013, the story of the movie will be set one thousand

  years after cataclysmic events forced humanity's escape from Earth with Nova Prime which has become mankind's new home. Legendary General Cypher Raige returns from an extended tour of duty to his estranged family, ready to be a father to his 13-year-old son, Kitai.

When an asteroid storm damages Cypher and Kitai's craft, they crash-land on a now unfamiliar and dangerous Earth. As his father lies dying in the cockpit, Kitai must trek across the hostile terrain to recover their rescue beacon. His whole life, Kitai has wanted nothing more than to be a soldier like his father. Today, he gets his chance!

DID YOU KNOW? 

Now I must confess that I do like the visuals of the film, both the sets and the costumes seem rather enchanting in a futuristic kind of way as you can see in the trailer below.  The film is directed by M. Night Shyamalan and this is his first movie after the 2010 flop with THE LAST AIRBENDER. After this one, Will Smith has three sequels to do - for HANCOCK, BAD BOYS and I, ROBOT, and he will also star in fantasy movie WINTER'S TALE with Russell Crowe, Matt Bomer, Colin Farrell and William Hurt. The funny thing is that he was also supposed to shoot the sequel to INDEPENDENCE DAY, since he obviously loves doomsday flicks, but, thankfully, that one was cancelled due to budget issues.

PACIFIC RIM

One of the many movies next year which will face us with apocalypse in which mankind will use humongous machinery in order to defend itself is science fiction

 action epic PACIFIC RIM coming from Guillermo del Toro. The film, which will premiere next July, follows legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, who started rising from the sea, and a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenceless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the

forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes -a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)- who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.The cast also includes Idris Elba, Ron Perlman, Robert Kazinsky.

DID YOU KNOW? 

As HOLLYWOOD SPY reported before, Charlie Hunnam is leading the cast of History Channel's first scripted television series VIKINGS which is to air sometime next year. Meanwhile, Idris Elba will again play Heimdall in THOR: THE DARK WORLD sequel! Del Toro is working on future THE INCREDIBLE HULK TV series as the producer.

DAMIAN LEWIS IS "LORD OF MAGIC"! "TO APPOMATTOX" HISTORICAL SERIES WITH BILL PAXTON, JASON O'MARA, NOAH WYLE! "INTO THE AMERICAS" EPIC ADVENTURE WITH KEVIN ZEGERS, RAY LIOTTA, WES STUDI! 1ST PIC FROM "IRONCLAD BATTLE FOR BLOOD" WITH TOM AUSTEN & PREDRAG BJELAC

Now, here's an interesting project. If you like HOMELAND's star and Golden Globe winner Damian Lewis you might want to check this one out: he will star in British

film LORD OF MAGIC the story of which will give us a look at Britsh Lords and their attempts to conjure incarnate spirits and summon the dead. In this remarkable esoteric horror thriller, we will journey into the arcane world of 'real magic' when famous writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells and William Butler Yeats practiced magic in the occult as an art. As HOLLYWOOD SPY informed you the British redhead will also be seen next year as Lord Capulet in the new take on ROMEO AND JULIET, and will also star in US television mini series TO APPOMATTOX which will depict the emotional lives of America's Civil War generals, their wives and families - from West Point to Appomattox - against a backdrop of a war. Rob Lowe will play Ulysses S. Grant, Stephen Lang will be Abraham Lincoln, and the cast will also have D.B. Sweeney, Dwight Yoakam, Jason O'Mara, Johnathon Schaech, Noah Wyle, Neal McDonough, Bill Paxton in the $46 million series.

INTO THE AMERICAS

Speaking of historical projects, one of the upcoming epic adventures set for next year is INTO THE AMERICAS. The story of this action epic

will  revolve around a young English seaman John Jewitt who is one of only two European survivors left after his crewmates clash with Mowachaht Indians on the west coast of North America. Torn between his desire for freedom and his love for an Indian maiden, Jewitt must choose one or the other.The lead role has been given to young hunk Kevin Zegers, while the cast also includes Ray Liotta and Native American actress Q'orianka Kilcher whom you remember from THE NEW WORLD and PRINCESS KAIULANI. Famous Native American star Wes Studi will also play in the film, and he was also seen in THE NEW WORLD, as well as in AVATAR, HELLL ON WHEELS and THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS

IRONCLAD BATTLE FOR BLOOD

You can also check out the first picture from the upcoming historical action IRONCLAD: BATTLE FOR BLOOD. The sequel to 2011 medieval adventure IRONCLAD which starred James Purefoy and Paul Giamatti, is

currently being shot in Serbia using Serbia's medieval fortresses as the sets. The story of the sequel, which should hit cinemas sometime next year, will revolve around a survivor of the Great Siege of Rochester Castle who fights to save his clan from from Celtic raiders. The first picture shows Serbian actor Predrag Bjelac (you remember him as Lord Donnon from CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN, and as Igor Karkaroff from HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE) as Celtic leader Maddog who is seeking revenge against the English invaders who killed his son Ewan. Directed by Jonathan English, who also helmed the first film, the cast will also star delightful Tom Austen from MISFITS and THE BORGIAS.

CW TO MAKE "SHERWOOD" EPIC SHOW! FANTASY SAGA "THE FALSE PRINCE" FILM ADAPTATION! NEW TRAILER FOR "SPARTACUS: WAR OF THE DAMNED" FINAL SEASON

Woohoo, people, good news - we shall have yet another historical show coming up to the small screens in the future. According to "The Hollywood Reporter" CW is developing Robin Hood show SHERWOOD but instead of Robin, the focus of the show will be on a female vigilante who teams up with the fictitious outlaw and his Merry Men. One hour long series, to be written by CASHMERE MAFIA's Tze Chun, will be set in 1072 in England and will depict the adventures of a noblewoman who attempts to free her wrongly-jailed boyfriend from Norman occupiers with the help of Robin of Locksley and his gang. Seeing help from the vanished Robin of Locksley, she inadvertently reunites and joins the fabled Robin Hood and his Merry Men, inspiring new hope for the oppressed people of Nottingham. This is not the only epic show CW is developing since they are also working on AMAZON series which will centre on Wonder Woman and her origins.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

The same site also reports on Paramount preparing the movie adaptation of THE FALSE PRINCE novel by Jennifer A. Nielsen, which was published this April and is a part of the ASCENDANCE fantasy trilogy.

Bryan Cogman, who is the story editor for GAME OF THRONES, will adapt this one which has story similarities with the HBO show: In a distant land, and with king, queen and crown prince murdered, a nobleman devises a plan to find someone to impersonate the king’s long-lost son and act as a puppet. An orphan finds himself chosen with three other boys in the running. But this is no mere competition - with court intrigue and political conspiracies make it a contest to the death. I wonder why are so many YA female writers writing books about kids who have to fight to the death??? Deeply bizarre, disgusting and dangerous.

SPARTACUS WAR OF THE DAMNED TRAILER

And to finish in an epic way, since Hollywood Spy is web's leading source on everything epic, fantastic and historical, here's the new trailer for SPARTACUS: WAR OF THE DAMNED! The final ending season will air on Starz from January 25th starring Liam McIntyre, Manu Benett, Dan Feuerriegel, Dustin Clare,  Pana Hema 

Taylor and Tod Lassance as Caesar! Gaius Claudius Glaber is dead. Many months have passed since his defeat, and the rebel army, led by Spartacus and his generals Crixus, Gannicus and Agron, continue to amass victories over Rome. With the rebel numbers swelling to

thousands of freed slaves, it has become a force that has started to challenge even the mighty armies of Rome. Spartacus is more determined than ever to bring down the entire Roman Republic. Following the death of Ashur, Naevia and Crixus fight as one with newfound strength and determination. And Gannicus, always seeking to

embrace life to the fullest, shares his bed with the beautiful and dangerous Saxa. Together, the rebels engage in one bloody skirmish after another and prepare for the inevitable: a full out war with Rome. The Roman Senate turns to its wealthiest citizen, Marcus Crassus, for aid. A powerful, strategic politician, he respects his opponent and

refuses to make the same mistakes Glaber and his predecessors have. With a young and fiercely competitive Julius Caesar as an ally, Crassus is determined to crush Spartacus and his rebellion. The epic conclusion of a legendary journey, SPARTACUS WAR OF THE DAMNED will unleash a battle unlike anything ever seen before.

DAN STEVENS JOINS BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH IN "THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD"! FIRST PICTURES FROM CILLIAN MURPHY'S "PEAKY BLINDERS" SERIES! DREAMWORKS TO ADAPT "LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS"

It's a very slow holiday week in the movie news business, people, so bare with me. The casting info I have for you is for WikiLeaks movie which will probably be titled THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD. I've informed you before that SHERLOCK's Benedict Cumber- batch will portray Julian Assange, the hero of the freedom loving world and the founder of Wiki Leaks who is currently the target of US world wide tyranny, and the new name in the cast is DOWNTON ABBEY's delightful star Dan Stevens. Dan, who is not returning to the fourth season of the British show, will play a hacker close to Daniel Domscheit-Berg, one of the company's most prominent spokesmen. Domscheit-Berg will be played by Daniel Bruhl, and Alicia Vikander is also in the cast.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

Yet another period set project will come from Dream Works. According to "The Hollywood Reporter" the studio has bought movie rights on LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS, debut novel from M.L. Stedman. To be produced by HARRY PLOPPER producers, the story  is set on an island off the coast of Western Australia after World War I. A lighthouse keeper and his wife find a 2-month-old girl and a dead body in a rowboat and decide to raise the baby as their own. But what seems like a blessing soon turns tragic, as morality and love are tested. It is a story of human choices and their consequences, the story of marital and parental love.

PEAKY BLINDERS

Today, you can check out the first pictures from Cillian Murphy's upcoming television series PEAKY BLINDERS. The period set series will see Irish actor Cillian Murphy (THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY, BREAKFAST ON PLUTO, IN TIME) in the lead role in BBC's  six-part gangster drama which follows ruthless mobster Tommy, whose family control the "lawless post-war slum neighbourhoods" of Birmingham in 1919. Tommy's family are known as the 'Peaky Blinders' due to their practice of sewing razor blades into the peaks of their caps. The plot unwinds when Murphy’s Tommy finds his leadership challenged when a Belfast police chief

comes to clean up the city, and a beautiful, mysterious woman arrives with a dangerous secret. PEAKY BLINDERS series is created by Steven Knight, who wrote David Cronenberg’s "Eastern Promises" and was Oscar nominated for Stephen Frears’ "Dirty Pretty Things"!

IS VIN DIESEL'S EPIC SAGA "HANNIBAL THE CONQUEROR" FINALLY GETTING PRODUCED? ZACHARY LEVI & JIM STURGESS FOR STARLORD ROLE IN "GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY"! "EMPIRE" STAR TREK COVERS!

Variety reported earlier this week that we have new candidates for the lead role in Marvel's upcoming fantasy adventure GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. As you might remember, the previous candidates for the role of Peter Quill the Starlord, were Eddie Redmayne, Lee Pace (who even auditioned for it), James Marsden and Sullivan

 Stapleton. Now the new candidates are Jim Sturgess and Zachary Levi. And it seems the choice is down only to the two of them. This is the role of a former NASA astronaut who comes to learn that his father is an alien, which leads him into outer space. Armed with a sentient ship and a suit that enhances his strength, Quill eventually transforms 

himself into the Star-Lord, an intergalactic policeman and the leader of the Guardians. The film is scheduled for August 2014! As you know, Zachary Levi is already working with Marvel on THOR: THE DARK WORLD in which he replaced Josh Dallas in the role of Fandral, and apparently the studio likes his work on the project.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

Today, you can also check out two new "Empire" magazine 2013 movie preview covers featuring Chris Pine as Captain Kirk and Benedict Cumberbatch  as the main villain in long awaited sequel STAR 

TREK INTO DARKNESS which is ready to hit cinemas next summer starring also Karl Urban, Zachary Quinto, John Cho and Zoe Saldana!

HANNIBAL THE CONQUEROR

Good news from the epic front, my people! Last week Vin Diesel has intrigued his fans by posting something interesting on his Facebook profile: he said that a studio head told him that he wants to produce all three parts of Vin's dream project - historical saga on HANNIBAL THE CONQUEROR! He didn't give any other details, but does this mean the project to which Vin has dedicated almost ten years of his life is finally going to happen? As HOLLY- WOOD SPY reported years ago, the epic project would tell the story of the famous Cartha- ginian general who led a humongous army (including his beloved war elephants) across the Alps in order to destroy Rome in the Second Punic war.Late Tony Scott was previously

mentioned as possible helmer with Denzel Washington being Vin's dream choice for the role of Hannibal's father Hamilcar Barca who lead the armies in the First Punic War.

HOLLYWOOD SPY EXCLUSIVE SPOTLIGHT ON THE HOBBIT BOYS PART TWO: LEE PACE, AIDAN TURNER, BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH

So, tell me, my little Hobbits and Elves, have you seen THE HOBBIT: THE UNEXPECTED JOURNEY? It has been breaking records with hundreds of millions of dollars already earned worldwide, so I am

guessing you have. In honour of the epic fantasy, we're spotlighting the boys from the cast. First part was yesterday (and it already has thousands and thousands of readings and we also got a personal thank you tweet from dear Luke Evans), and the second one is in front of you today!

LEE PACE

ELVEN KING THRANDUIL

He definitely brings the charm of old Hollywood actors to modern times with his relaxed elegance, his magnetic charisma and his warm boy-next-door smile.  You first fell in love with Lee Pace when he

 became television star in crazy show PUSHING DAISIES where he had the power to bring dead people back to life. But the role which brought him cinematic fame was the legendary one in Tarsem's THE FALL, one of visually most striking movies ever in which Lee got the chance to shine with his radiant warmth and expressive eyes next to adorable Catinca Untaru glorifying the power of imagination and creativity. I'm thinking this is exactly where Peter Jackson noticed Lee's amazing eyes and his outstanding talent (he admitted that much himself in an interview recently) and that is how Pace got the most coveted role of Elven king Thranduil in THE HOBBIT saga.

 Here he plays the ruler of Mirkwood elves, the father of Legolas, who will in his might and power lead his elven armies against Goblins in the Battle of Five Armies. People who watched THE HOBBIT were deeply enchanted by his appearance in it even though he only has a very short scene in it. You have watched Lee earlier this year in LINCOLN and that TWILIGHT crapfest too. 

Did you know that Lee Pace was nominated for Golden Globes two times for his television work. He is the same age as his HOBBIT co-star Luke Evans. It is interesting that during his studies at Juilliard he played a lot of Shakespeare and later on he became an award winning theatre actor. He spent a big part of his childhood in Saudi Arabia since his dad was an oilman.

AIDAN TURNER

KILI THE DWARF

Now, this charming Irishman stole the spotlight when he appeared in legendary BBC television series BEING HUMAN in which he played a romantic vampire who shares a flat with a werewolf and a ghost. The role brought him an army of lady fans and it also brought him first deals in Hollywood. Before BEING HUMAN he acted in British TV series such as THE TUDORS and THE CLINIC, but after the vampire role he hit it big by scoring the role of dwarf Kili in Peter Jackson's THE HOBBIT saga. Here he plays a young dwarf noble raised under the stern guardianship of his uncle, Thorin Oakensheild. He, and his brother Fili, as skilled fighters, set off on their

adventure armed with the invincible courage of youth, neither being able to imagine the fate which lies before them. He will die later on defending Thorin at the Battle of the Five Armies! Aidan Turner has already scored another big role - he will play Luke Garroway in the movie adaptation of bestselling fantasy saga THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS. Luke Garroway is the surrogate father to the protagonist Clary Fray (Lily Collins) a young woman who learns she comes from a long line of demon hunter! It is interesting that Aidan got this role after the director saw him in THE HOBBIT footage shown at Comic-Con!

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH

SMAUG THE DRAGON

Benedict Cumberbatch is lending his voice to Smaug, one of the last great dragons of Middle-earth who attacked the Dwarf kingdom of Erebor driving out the Dwarves and taking all of the treasure within. Living there for two hundred years and guarding the treasure he also makes the people of the nearby Lake-town live in constant fear that one day the sleeping dragon might awake.He will also voice the Necromancer Ruler of the stronghold of Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood. As you know, Benedict is mostly famous for his role in BBC's worldwide hit series SHERLOCK, but he is also appreciated for his roles in acclaimed mini series such as TO THE

ENDS OF THE EARTH, THE LAST ENEMY and PARADE'S END. It is very interesting that he often plays in historical movies and films so we have seen him in TO KILL A KING, AMAZING GRACE, THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, ATONEMENT, CREATION. You saw him in Steven Spielberg's WAR HORSE and in TINKER TAYLOR SOLDIER SPY. He has quite a lot of upcoming projects: beside THE HOBBIT saga he will also work in AUGUST OSAGE COUNTY next to Meryl Streep and Ewan McGregor, as villainous Khan in STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, in another historical film TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE with Michael Fassbender and Brad Pitt, and in a JULIAN ASSANGE biopic.

HOLLYWOOD SPY EXCLUSIVE SPOTLIGHT ON THE HOBBIT BOYS PART ONE: LUKE EVANS, RICHARD ARMITAGE AND SIR IAN MCKELLEN!

So, tell me, my little Hobbits and Elves, have you seen THE HOBBIT: THE UNEXPECTED JOURNEY? It has been breaking records with hundreds of millions of dollars already earned worldwide, so I am

guessing you have. In honour of the epic fantasy, we're spotlighting the boys from the cast. First part today, and the second one tomorrow!

LUKE EVANS

BARD THE BOWMAN

Glorious Welshman really did fulfil his dreams when Peter Jackson called him and offered him the role of Bard the Bowman who leads the armies of men in the Battle of Five Armies and after that becomes the new king. This is by no means unusual, since deeply charismatic and utterly magnetic Luke Evans is used to royal and godly roles - he was the ruler of Olympus, supreme God Zeus in Tarsem's magnificent epic IMMORTALS next to Henry Cavill, and he was also a God in CLASH OF THE TITANS in which he played Apollo, while in THE THREE MUSKETEERS he was also in royal company as dashing Aramis. You've watched him this year in Gothic thriller THE RAVEN and will see him in the future in the other 

two HOBBITS and in THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 6 next to Dwayne Johnson, Paul Walker and Vin Diesel.  He is a frequent guest at Hollywood auditions for the upcoming blockbusters and is also a bit of a style icon with his photo shoots covering the pages of biggest fashion magazines. He is also known as one of the sweetest celebrities who always has time for his fans, known as the Luketeers, and you all remember how kind he was earlier this year when he personally wished your dear HOLLYWOOD SPY a happy birthday :)A true modern gentleman and a man of honour.

RICHARD ARMITAGE

THORIN THE DWARF

Similarly to Luke, seductive Richard Armitage is also known for having extremely faithful fans. Some even believe that he gets most of

 his roles thanks to the energy and support of his dear fans. In THE HOBBIT, Richard plays Thorin a strong and fearless fighter and revered leader of Dwarves, who wants to reclaim his kingdom from the evil dragon Smaug who took their homes and fortune and forced once proud and noble race into exile. In his wish to return the vast treasure of his homeland Erebor, he will bring twelve dwarves with him to Bilbo Baggins’ front door and that's how The Quest of Erebor will begin. Dashing Brit got famous playing villainous Guy of Gisbourne in BBC's show ROBIN HOOD, and then

he became a bit of an action star playing policemen in MI5 and STRIKE BACK shows.
In the meantime he scored another big blockbuster in his CV - CAPTAIN AMERICA in which he played Heinz Kruger. Beside the other two HOBBIT films, in the future we shall also watch him in BLACK SKY a film about a group of high school students document the events and aftermath of a devastating tornado. Again, similarly to Luke Evans, who has the most angelic voice and loves to sing and star in musicals, Richard is also talented for music and plays the cello, guitar, and flute.

SIR IAN MCKELLEN

GANDALF THE WIZARD

The youngest and the most charming of our Hobbit boys :))) - Sir Ian McKellen is truly an acting legend. He probably would've missed the role of his lifetime

 if Sean Connery didn't refuse Peter Jackson's offer to portray the powerful wizard who has built deep relationships over time with great lords and leaders of Dwarves, Men and Elves. Sean didn't like the idea of spending more than a year over at New Zealand so Ian McKellen got his chance to truly shine in one of the most beloved fantasy roles ever. Although the younger audience mostly knows him as Gandalf and as Magneto from X-MEN saga, Ian is actually a tremendous dramatic actor who has earned tremendous critical praise for his outstanding roles in

  RICHARD III and GODS AND MONSTERS. Can you believe that he's never actually won an Oscar but was only nominated two times??? He's never won a BAFTA either. It is interesting that in the future we shall watch him on TV next to Derek Jacobi in ITV sitcom VICIOUS in which they will play a gay couple :) The show will revolve around friends that bicker, argue and are delightfully vicious to each other. They will play long-time couple Freddie and Stuart who have lived together in a small London apartment for nearly 50 years. A former actor and an ex-barman, their lives now consist mainly of reading, walking their dog and bickering.

"TURBO" TRAILER WITH RYAN REYNOLDS! 1ST LOOK AT TOM HARDY AS "MAD MAX"!MARVEL'S "S.H.I.E.L.D." ROUNDS UP CAST! "MERLIN" FINAL EPISODE EVER TO AIR CHRISTMAS EVE!

 Are you ready to watch the final ever episode of BBC's fantasy show MERLIN? The episode "The Diamond of the Day" which ends the whole show will air on BBC December 24th and you can check out

 the trailer for the ending. In five seasons, the show has become a huge success with record breaking 190 countries in which it is aired. The fans are anxiously waiting to see if Arthur (Bradley James) will finally

reveal Merlin's (Colin Morgan) magic or if the show will end with a disappointing finale in which the magic will stay hidden forever. The final episode will see vengeful Morgana (Katie McGrath) and

 Mordred (Alexander Vlahos) preparing for war on Camelot and with the legends which say that Arthur will die surrounding the royal town. The final season airs in USA from January on SyFy. 

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

Your photo treat for today is the first picture of Tom Hardy in the lead role in MAD MAX: FURY ROAD! The post apocalyptic film will also star Charlize Theron and Nicholas Hoult and will see Mad Max fighting against evil Furiosa played by Theron. The producers are planning to shoot two films back to back and the second one will be titled MAD MAX FURIOUSA. And it is official: the cast for Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series has been rounded. All six names of the regular ensemble have been signed and hired: the show which could possibly air at ABC next Fall, will be a superhero series set within the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization, and is being written by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen. The cast includes Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), Ming-Na (Agent Melinda May 

pilot and a weapon expert), Elizabeth Henstridge (science expert Agent Gemma Simmons), Iain De Caestecker (Agent Leo Fitz technology expert}, Chloe Bennett (fun, smart, caring agent Skye) and Brett Dalton (Agent Grant Ward a highly-trained operative who lacks 

people skills)! The series will be set solely within the shadowy government organization, and will not feature any of the heroes from this summer's blockbuster "Marvel's The Avengers".

TURBO TRAILER

And to cheer up your Saturday, here's the first trailer for delightful animated comedy TURBO which hits cinemas next July. From the makers of "Madagascar" and "Kung Fu Panda", TURBO is a high-velocity 3D comedy about an underdog snail who kicks into overdrive when he miraculously attains the power of super-speed. But

after making fast friends with a crew of streetwise, tricked-out est-car-goes, Turbo learns that no one succeeds on their own. So he puts his heart and shell on the line to help his pals achieve their dreams, before Turbo-charging his own impossible dream: winning the Indy 500. Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti and Michelle Rodriguez are in the voice cast.