WHAT ARE JAMESTOWN STARS UP TO NEXT: STUART MARTIN TO LEAD MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE 19TH CENTURY SERIES, MATT STOKOE IS SIR GAWAIN IN CURSED EPIC TV SERIES!

    STUART MARTIN TO LEAD

MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE

Sky's beloved epic drama Jamestown has ended, as you know, this summer with a rather shocking finale, but despair not, spylings, some of our

Stuart Martin will take the role of The Duke

favourite stars have already booked themselves new gigs! Our dear Scotsman Stuart Martin (whose rise from Medici series to Jamestown, we've been proudly following for years) will take the lead role in new A&E Network period set series about the first female detective in the 19th century London MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE as the duke himself next to Kate Phillips as Eliza Scarlet whose father dies and leaves her penniless in a time where marriage is her only option for financial security. But the headstrong Eliza is determined to find another way and takes over his private detective agency. But she needs a partner, so she hires detective Inspector William Wellington of Scotland Yard, who is also known as The

Kate Philips as Miss Scarlet, London's first 19th century lady detective

Duke, a drinker, gambler and womaniser. Eliza and Duke strike up a mismatched, fiery relationship and team up to solve crime in 1880’s London. Andrew Gower, Cathy Belton and Matthew Malone will also star!

    MATT STOKOE IS GAWAIN

IN CURSED ARTHURIAN SERIES

Meanwhile, his fellow Jamestownian, the local blacksmith Matt Stokoe will remain in the close proximity to steel, only he won't be working it, but

Matt Stokoe will be Arthur's knight Gawain

wearing it as he is to don the armour of Sir Gawain in Netflix epic series CURSED which will follow Nimue, Lady of the Lake (Katherine Langford), who After her mother’s death, finds an unexpected partner in Arthur (Devon Terrell), a young mercenary, in a quest to find Merlin (Gustav Skarsgard) and deliver an ancient sword. Over the course of her journey, Nimue will become a symbol of courage and rebellion against the terrifying Red Paladins, and their complicit King Uther. Based on Tom Wheeler's yet to be released book, CURSED also stars Peter Mullan, Lily Newmark, Shalom Brune Franklin, Daniel Sharman, Sebastian Armesto, Emily Coates, Catherine Walker and Billy Jenkins.

  OTHER JAMESTOWN STARS
While our favourite Jamestown doctor Ben Starr does not have any new gigs announced yet (although you've also watched him in Dickensian at BBC

Niamh Walsh and Ben Starr

and Knightfall at History and also in Medici as Donatello), gorgeous inkeeper Niamh Walsh will join another period set drama THE ENGLISH GAME on the invention of soccer next to Edward Holcroft, Henry Lloyd Hughes and another Jamestown star Ben Batt!

ROSAMUND PIKE IS FAMOUS SCIENTIST MARIE CURIE IN FIRST PHOTO FROM THE PERIOD SET DRAMA RADIOACTIVE WITH SAM RILEY, ANEURIN BARNARD

    1ST 'RADIOACTIVE' PHOTO

 UNVEILS MARIE CURIE!

Not much to show you this boring Monday, beside the first photo of Rosamund Pike as Marie Kurie in RADIOACTIVE a story of the scientific and romantic passions of Marie and Pierre Curie, and the reverberation of

The film is based on a graphic novel by Lauren Redniss

their discoveries throughout the 20th century. Coming sometime next year, the film also stars Sam Riley as Piere, with Aneurin Barnard (as famous physicist Paul Langevin), Anya Taylor Joy also starring in the Marjane Satrapi directed drama.

FIRST PHOTOS FROM SKY ITALIA'S 8TH CENTURY EPIC SERIES ROMULUS ON THE FOUNDER AND THE FIRST KING OF ROME

    1ST 'ROMULUS' PHOTOS

FROM NEW ITALIAN EPIC SERIES

I don't know what exactly to tell you about recent Italian series, spylings, some were outstandingly brilliant (Medici: Masters of Florence), some

Andrea Arcangeli and Francesco Di Napoli play the lead roles

mediocre and poorly acted (Medici: The Magnificent), and some were a downright unwatchable excruciatingly painful crap (Name of the Rose), but

The series depicts the events that led to the foundation of Rome

maybe the latest historical series to come from Italy will be like the first one mentioned? Sky Italia has released the first photos for their new ten part series ROMULUS about the founder and first king of Rome.

THE LEGEND OF ROMULUS  
Created by Matteo Rovere (who recently directed The First King movie of the same topic, but it looked so terribly cheap I opted not to write about it) the

Marianna Fontana takes the lead female role

drama will be shot in Latin starring Andrea Arcangeli, Marianna Fontana and Francesco Di Napoli.The series is set in eighth century B.C.,

The actors in the series don't really emit the B.C. era vibes!

in a primitive and brutal world in which man’s fate is decided by the merciless power of nature and the gods. It is the story of Romulus and his twin brother

ITV will handle international sales of the series

Remus, as seen through the eyes of three people marked by death, loneliness and violence: Iemos, Wiros and the young vestal Ilia.

STARZ TO PRODUCE DANGEROUS LIAISONS EXPENSIVE, SEXY AND SWEEPING 18TH CENTURY PARIS TV SERIES!

    'DANGEROUS LIAISONS'

TO BECOME SERIES AT STARZ

Although their recent Spanish Princess was a deeply embarrassing and equally painful affair, Starz is sticking to costume drama with a TV

The new adaptation will have eight episodes

series adaptation of DANGEROUS LIAISONS based on Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 18th Century novel! Harriet Warner (The Alienist, Call the Midwife) will write and executive produce!

As 'Deadline' reports, it will follow the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, two narcissistic rivals and ex-lovers who use seduction to control and exploit others. It explores the world of the French aristocracy shortly before the French revolution. The series will tell the origin story of the early years of both characters when they meet as passionate young lovers in the slums of 18th century Paris. It will be told from the perspective of Merteuil! The sweeping, sexy and expensive eight part series will shoot in Czech Republic.

1ST PHOTO OF TIMOTHEE CHALAMET AS THE KING IN NETFLIX HENRY V MOVIE! ANDREW LINCOLN JOINS NAOMI WATTS IN HEART WARMING PENGUIN BLOOM DRAMA

Andrew Lincoln will be the father of the Bloom family

ANDREW LINCOLN

JOINS PENGUIN BLOOM!

I remember that I announced this one some four or five years ago, but it seems PENGUIN BLOOM is finally moving on with production with Andrew Lincoln being cast next to already announced Naomi Watts who is producing the heart warming story based on the bestseller by Bradley Trevor Greive and Cameron Bloom.

  PENGUIN BLOOM
is a true story of a unique little bird that saves a family. Cameron and Sam Bloom and their three boys were an everyday family until a shocking, near fatal accident left Sam paralysed. She fell from a balcony while on holiday in Thailand, and was left paralysed from the chest down. As the family struggled to adjust to her new situation, an unlikely ally entered their lives in the form of an injured Magpie chick which the Bloom clan called Penguin. The wild bird became a mascot for the family.

   1ST 'THE KING' PHOTO

ARRIVES FROM NETFLIX!

Netflix has released the first photo from their historical movie THE KING which will premiere at Venice Film Festival this year starring Timothee

Timothee Chalamet leads the David Michod directed movie

Chalamet as Hal, a wayward prince, who ascends the English throne upon his father's death, and must navigate the palace snake pit, chaos and inherited

Joel Edgerton will play Sir Falstaff, Ben Mendelsohn is King Henry IV, Robert Pattinson is dauphin of France in the new historical movie.

war against France. The adaptation of a number of Shakespeare's plays also stars Ben Mendelsohn, Robert Pattinson, Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris!

MAGICAL TRAILER FOR MRS LOWRY & SON LETS TIMOTHY SPALL AND VANESSA REDGRAVE SHINE LIKE NEVER BEFORE!

   'MRS LOWRY & SON' TRAILER

 WITH  TIMOTHY SPALL'S EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMANCE

The film opens August 30th in UK

I must confess it is utterly magical, a play of two titans as they say in it - the first trailer for MRS LOWRY & SON drama movie, a true story of beloved British artist L.S. Lowry (Timothy Spall) who lived all his life with his over bearing mother Elizabeth (Vanessa Redgrave). Bed ridden and bitter, Elizabeth actively tried to dissuade her bachelor son from pursuing his artistic ambitions, whilst never failing to voice her opinion at what a disappointment he was to her. Spending his days as a rent collector, Lowry took art classes in the evening and painted well into the early hours of the morning. The film follows Lowry in the beginnings of his career as he yearns to transition into having his work appreciated in London and beyond. It becomes

This is Adrian Noble's only third direction in almost two decades after Importance of Being Earnest and A Midsummer Night's Dream

clear his disdainful mother is the ultimate obstacle to his success, not his lack of talent. However, Elizabeth is the very reason Lowry paints anything at all, as he desperately seeks to create something, anything, which will make her happy.

KING ARTHUR IS BLACK AND MERLIN A VIKING IN 'CURSED' LADY OF THE LAKE EPIC SERIES PHOTOS WITH KATHERINE LANGFORD, DEVIN TERRELL, GUSTAF SKARSGARD!

  NEW 'CURSED' PHOTOS

UNVEIL MERLIN & ARTHUR

Netflix has published new character photos from their new epic series CURSED with Katherine Langford as Lady Nimue from Arthurian legends, Devon Terrell as King Arthur (who is suddenly a black man, go

Katherine Langford is Nimue, Lady of the Lake

figure) and Gustaf Skarsgard as Merlin. The ten episode saga will be a re imagining of the famous legend, told through the eyes of Nimue, a teenage heroine with a mysterious gift who is destined to become the powerful and tragic Lady of the Lake.

 LADY OF THE LAKE LEGEND 
After her mother’s death, she finds an unexpected partner in Arthur, a young mercenary, in a quest to find Merlin and deliver an ancient sword. Over the

Devin Terrell is your latest King Arthur if you can believe it, folks

course of her journey, Nimue will become a symbol of courage and rebellion against the terrifying Red Paladins, and their complicit King Uther. Based on

Gustaf Skarsgard is definitely not your kind old man Merlin the Wizard

Tom Wheeler's yet to be released book, CURSED also stars Peter Mullan, Lily Newmark, Shalom Brune Franklin, Daniel Sharman, Sebastian Armesto, Emily Coates, Catherine Walker and Billy Jenkins.

1ST EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS FROM NEW TV SAGA 'CASANOVA IN RUSSIA' SET IN CATHERINE THE GREAT'S IMPERIAL RUSSIA WITH IVAN BOSILJCIC AND ILYA MALAKOV

   'CASANOVA IN RUSSIA'

LAVISH NEW RUSSIAN TV SAGA

Serbian actor Ivan Bosiljcic takes the lead role

You know your trusted spy is always the first one to inform you about the new period set projects arriving from all corners of the world, and today I have the first photos of Serbian star Ivan Bosilychich in new historical series CASANOVA IN RUSSIA (Казанова в России) that will air on Russian national TV.

 LOVE IN RUSSIA
Set in imperial Russia, during the rule of Tzarina Catherine the Great, in 1764-1765, the lavishly expensive 12 part series will follow the great Venetian lover Giacomo Casanova during his stay in Russia, filled with conspiracies, intrigues, insidious murders and fatal passions. It will be an adventure in the spirit of the Three Musketeers, only on the banks of the Neva, not the Seine. In the centre of the plot is the story of how Casanova, sent to Russia with the plan to infiltrate Catherine the Great's court as a Vatican spy, got carried away by a female serf

Anton and Iliya Chizhikov are directing the project

peasant on the banks of the Neva, so much that he went to extreme lengths to buy her. That accidental meeting will make history's most famous womaniser and seducer to believe that a live could be spent next to just one woman.

The new historical series will be shot in twelve hourlong episodes

Beside being the famous lover, Casanova was also one of the most educated people of that time, he translated legendary Iliad and co wrote the libretto for

The series was shot in Russia in utmost secrecy

Mozart's opera Don Giovanni. A friendship with famous Voltaire also left a great impact on that, less known, side of his life. Produced by Favorit Film and Brothers Chizhikov, the saga, which will air next year on Russian National

The series sees Casanova fall in love with a poor woman

Broadcaster, will also star Maria Skuratova as Casanova's love interest, Mariyana Spivak as Catherine the Great and our dear Ilya Malakov (from Furious or Kolovrat) as her general and lover Potemkin!

HELEN MIRREN WILL SHARE HER THRONE WITH NOONE IN HBO'S CATHERINE THE GREAT TRAILER! JAI COURTNEY JOINS KATE BECKINSALE IN JOLT ACTION COMEDY

   JAI COURTNEY JOINS

Kate Beckinsale will give herself some jolts

KATE BECKIN SALE IN JOLT ACTION COMEDY MOVIE

Well, they will certainly make a hot couple on the big screens! Australian superhunk Jai Courtney has just joined British beauty Kate Beckinsale in action comedy JOLT together with Stanley Tucci, Bobby Cannavale and Laverne Cox!

JOLT
directed by Hysteria's Tanya Wexler, will see Beckinsale play Lindy, an acid-tongued woman with rage issues. Lindy controls her temper by shocking herself with an electrode vest. One day she makes a connection with Justin (Jai Courtney), which gives her a glimmer of hope for a shock-free future but

Australian superstar Jai Courtney takes the lead male role

when he’s murdered, she launches herself on a revenge fuelled rampage in pursuit of his killer. Meanwhile, detective Vicars (Bobby Cannavale) and detective Nevin (Laverne Cox) mark Lindy as their chief suspect.

   'CATHERINE THE GREAT'

HBO VERSION OF THE TRAILER

I've already showed you Sky's trailer for it, but now HBO has released their own one for CATHERINE THE GREAT four part mini historical series with Helen Mirren! The series will follow the late years of the 18th century

Helen Mirren already played English queens Elizabeth I and II

Russian tzarina as she enters the relationship with Grigory Potemkin (Jason Clarke). Amid scandal, intrigue and immense conflict, Russian empress

The series will air on Sky in Europe, and HBO in USA this Autumn

Catherine the Great develops a unique and devoted relationship with him as they overcome their adversaries and serve as the architects of modern-day

The series follows the relationship between Catherine and Potemkin

Russia. The cast will also include Joseph Quinn, Gina McKee, Rory Kinnear, and Richard Roxburgh. Check out HBO's trailer below which is much more dynamic and atmospheric than the Sky's one. 

COMIC CON: SPECTACULAR TRAILERS FOR PATRICK STEWART'S STAR TREK: PICARD SERIES, TBS' SNOWPIERCER SF SERIES AND MINDBLOWING WESTWORLD SEASON 3

   'STAR TREK: PICARD'

 NEW TRAILER ENGAGED!

Comic Con in San Diego was really spectacular last night when it comes to the science fiction genre bringing us three amazing new trailers for sf series. Amazon has finally released the first real trailer for STAR TREK: PICARD

Star Trek Picard will air on Amazon Prime

series which will air sometime later this year on Amazon Prime (and on CBS All Access for those who care to give the streaming service their money). Not much is known about the plot of the new spin off from the Star Trek franchise, other that it will see Patrick Stewart playing famous Enterprise captain in his older years, breaking his retirement (which he enjoyed producing vine and playing with his new dog) and going on a new interstellar adventure. What we do know now is that, much to the joy of Star Trek fans, his old Enterprise crew members

Captain Picard's new dog is called Number One :)

Deanna Troi (Martina Sirtis),  Data (Brent Spiner) and Commander Ryker (Jonathan Frakes who is also directing some of the episodes) will all appear in the series together with Jerry Ryan's Seven of Nine! Santiago

The new series will see Picard meets some interesting new alien species

Cabrera and Harry Treadaway will lead the new cast. The more contemplative series will have one storyline, not episodic plots.

   'SNOWPIERCER' TRAILER

FOR THE NEW TV SERIES VERSION

Meanwhile, TBS released a trailer and first photos for what they are hoping will become their own tentpole sf series, post apocalyptic drama SNOWPIERCER based on the cult sf film with Chris Evans, but this time, at least judging by the trailer, on a much grander scale. Jennifer Connelly (as the head of hospitality who is also the voice of the train), Daveed Diggs (as an ex detective who gets the task to track a killer in the train), Alison Wright, Lena Hall, Mickey Sumner, and Steven Ogg will lead the show in which the only living inhabitants of Earth live in a constantly moving massive train as the temperature outside is well bellow minus 100 degrees Celsius! It will air on TBS next spring set more than seven years after the world has become a frozen wasteland, and following the remnants of humanity, who inhabit a gigantic, perpetually moving train that circles the globe. Class warfare, social injustice and the politics of survival play out in this riveting television adaptation.

   'WESTWORLD' TRAILER

FOR SPECTACULAR SEASON 3

HBO has released a stunning trailer for the third season of their utopian drama WESTWORLD which will obviously be much more dynamic, spectacular and action packed than the slow moving, overly complex second

Evan Rachel Wood's Dolores is ready to take on the real world as well

season which disappointed the fans.  Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton (who will obviously wreck some chaos in a WW2 setting as well), Rodrigo Santoro, Ed Harris, Jeffrey Wright (whose Bernard will have a new image), Luke Hemsworth, and Tessa Thompson all return alongside

Aaron Paul joins the cast of the new season as a member of the outside world

new cast members Aaron Paul (he will play a construction worker from Los Angeles with a robot co-worker named George who meets the vengeful fugitive host Dolores) and Vincent Cassel in the season that will see androids conquering the outside world as well.

THE WITCHER EPIC FANTASY TV SERIES TRAILER IS THE BIGGEST TV TREAT OF THE YEAR WITH HENRY CAVILL AS DEMON HUNTER GERALT OF RIVIA

   'THE WITCHER' TRAILER

ARRIVES FROM THE CONTINENT

Here it is, the main treat of this year's television season: the first teaser for Henry Cavill's THE WITCHER epic fantasy TV saga which will hit Netflix

Henry Cavill's look in the series is reminiscent of Lord of the Rings elves

later this year. Also starring Anya Chalotra and Freya Allan it will be based on the best selling fantasy book series by Andrzej Sapkowski.

THE WITCHER TV SERIES
is an epic tale of fate and family revolving around famed monster hunter, Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) who lives in the world of The Continent where

Anya Cholatra is Sorceress Yennefer

humans, elves, witchers, gnomes, and monsters battle to survive and thrive, and good and evil is not easily identified! But when destiny hurtles him toward

Freya Allan is Princess Ciri

a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together.

CATS TRAILER WITH JUDI DENCH, IAN MCKELLEN, IDRIS ELBA, JASON DERULO AIN'T SOMETHING YOU'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE! PLUS NEW TRAILER AND PHOTOS FOR HIS DARK MATERIALS EPIC TV SERIES WITH JAMES MCAVOY

  'CATS' TRAILER WILL PROBABLY

SCARE THE HELL OUT OF YOU!

Cats will meow this December, literally!

Attention, spylings, we have a special broadcast today with fresh news and updates from Comic Con which is raging currently over in San Diego. The day brought us the very first trailer for the live action movie musical version of famous CATS and I don't know what to say, as someone said somewhere in comments it looks like stuff of nightmares with people in purrrfectly terrible masks of cats. And plus an annoyingly bad rendition of legendary song Memories by infamously overrated Jennifer Hudson. If it is any consolation, at least part of the cast is amazing (if you can get over the fact that Taylor Swift is in it as well): Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Laurie Davidson, Jason Derulo, Rebel

Judi Dench leads the cast as Old Deuteronomy!

Wilson, Idris Elba, James Corden, Ray Winstone, are just some of the better known names in the Tom Hooper directed musical which is out a few days before Christmas.

CATS THE MOVIE MUSICAL 
Based on the book “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” by T.S. Eliot, the musical follows the Jellicle cats, a family of felines who go before the group’s leader Old Deuteronomy to see who will be selected to travel to the Heaviside

Sir Ian McKellen is, naturally, Gus the Theatre Cat!

layer for a new life. Over the course of a single night, their tribe makes what is known as "the Jellicle choice" and decide which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life.

  'HIS DARK MATERIALS' TRAILER

PLUS DEMON ANIMALS PHOTOS

BBC has, meanwhile, released new trailer and photos (showing all the animals in the story) for their epic fantasy small screen TV series adaptation of

James McAvoy leads the cast as Lord Asriel!

Philip Pullman's HIS DARK MATERIALS which will also air on HBO later this Autumn!  The first season follows Lyra (Dafne Keen), a seemingly

Lyra and her demon animal Pan!

ordinary but brave young girl from another world. Her search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children, and becomes a quest

Armoured battle polar bear Byrnison

to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust. As she journeys through the worlds, including our own, Lyra meets Will, a determined and courageous

Stelmaria the snow leopard!

boy. Together, they encounter extraordinary beings and dangerous secrets, with the fate of both the living   and the dead  in their hands. James McAvoy

Mrs Coulter's golden monkey demon!

is her father Lord Asriel. The new photos show polar bear Byrnison, snow leopard Stelmaria, Lord Asriel's dæmon, the golden monkey, dæmon of Ruth Wilson’s Mrs Coulter and Pan, Lyra's demon.