TRAILER FOR PERIOD SET DRAMA THE GARDEN OF EVENING MISTS IS HERE WITH HIROSHI ABE, DAVID OAKES, JULIAN SANDS, JOHN HANNAH!

     GARDEN OF EVENING MISTS

 DRAMA MOVIE BASED ON MAN'S PRIZE WINNING NOVEL

The movie is currently airing in South Asian cinemas

I've been announcing this moving period set drama for quite some time now and today we finally have posters and a trailer for THE GARDEN OF EVENING MISTS which opened in Malaysian cinemas earlier this month starring one of Asia's biggest hunks Hiroshi Abe next to John Hannah, Julian Sands, David Oakes, Angelica Lee and Sylvia Chang. The movie, directed by Tom Lin, is based on a book by Twan Eng Tan. Check out the beautiful trailer below and tell us what you think.

What Is The Story About?    
A survivor of a brutal Japanese internment camp, Teoh Yun Ling has been working with the Malaysian authorities punish the Japanese war criminals for several years. She despises the Japanese for killing her younger

Japanese heartthrob Hiroshi Abe takes the lead role

sister, but to pay tribute to her soul she travels to the highlands to visit the renowned gardener Nakamura Aritomo. Aritomo refuses to work for Yun Ling but instead takes her in as an apprentice so that she can build her own garden.

Our favourite British boy David Oakes takes one of the roles in the movie

Residing in the tea room, Yun Ling begins working at The Garden of Evening Mists and learns to design a garden. Yet outside of the Malaysian jungle, another war is waging in Malaysia in a continued state of emergency. Malay

John Hannah plays Magnus Gemmell in  the period set drama

nationalists are fighting the British for independence, while communist guerillas are brutally killing farmers, miners, and their families in every way they can to gain control over the regions.

FIRST PHOTOS AND TEASER FROM NETFLIX EPIC FANTASY TV SERIES THE LETTER FOR THE KING ARE HERE!

     'THE LETTER FOR THE KING'

New series starts streaming March 20th

NEW EPIC FANTASY TV SERIES

Beside Arthurian Cursed, which we are eagerly awaiting, world's most popular streaming service Netflix is preparing another mediaeval series for us which I, if you remember, announced three years ago and now we finally have the first photos from it: THE LETTER FOR THE KING comes from Netflix Holland as it is the adaptation of a 1962 classic book from their writer Tonke Dragt which was a worldwide hit. How to Train Your

The cast includes an international cast of young actors

Dragon and Puss in Boots' Will Davies adapted the six episode series which stars Amir Wilson in the lead role of a young boy who holds the fate of the

Gijs Blom plays Prince Viridian in the series

kingdom in his hands when he embarks on a quest to deliver a secret message, David Wenham as Sir Tiuri the Valiant, Jakob Oftebro as Crown Prince

Little Amir Wilson takes the lead role in the new series

Iridian, Jack Barton as Foldo, Omid Djalili as Sir Fantumar, Jonah Less as Jussipo and Ruby Serkis as Lavinia. The series will start streaming from March 20th over at  Netflix!

     The Story Of The Series
is set in a fantasy world of three kingdoms, following 16 year old squire Tiuri. When he answers a desperate call for help, he finds himself on a perilous

The new fantasy series will air in six hourlong episodes

mission that could cost him his life. He must deliver a secret letter to the King who lives across the Great Mountains. Tiuri must abandon his home, break all

Jakob Oftebro is Crown Prince Iridian

the rules and leave everything behind – even the knighthood he has dreamed of for so long. The future of the entire realm depends on the letter and Tiuri

The new series is arriving soon to Netflix

must trust no one and keep his true identity secret. Above all, he must never reveal what is in the letter. You can expect a trailer soon, I'm sure.

LAVISH TRAILER FOR EPIC ADVENTURE MOVIE TOMIRIS ON THE FAMOUS QUEEN OF SCYTHIAN TRIBES

     'TOMIRIS' EPIC MOVIE

ON THE LEGENDARY QUEEN BORN TO MAGNIFY THE STEPPE

It is still January, people, and Hollywood is still sleeping (must be all those nasty awards show that keep them intoxicated) so your trusted

Tomiris was often depicted by famous painters

spy is doing what he promised you - bringing you news on international projects, and today we are venturing somewhere we've never been before and God knows we've visited all possible countries with news on their period set projects over the years: today we are, believe it or not, in Kazakhstan because I've spied with my little eye that they have an interesting epic movie I really should inform you about. TOMIRIS, historical epic adventure, premiered in their cinemas last October to brilliant local marks and cinema success. They say that the movie that follows one of their famous queens from their rich history, has brilliant sets, rich costumes, photography, fight

Almira Tursyn takes the lead role of Tomiris

choreography, lavish battle scenes and acting. It is interesting that it wasn't shot in neither of the languages spoken there, Kazakh nor Russian, but in ancient Turkic language which nobody speaks today, and you can hear it in the trailer below.

This Is The Story Of 
the life of the great queen of of the steppe - legendary Tomiris (played by Almira Tursyn). She is destined to become a skilful warrior, survive the loss 

After killing King Curys, she apparently shoved his head into a wineskin filled with human blood and said:  "I warned you that I would quench your thirst for blood, and so I shall!"

of close people and unite the Scythian/Saka tribes under her authority. Historically, Tomiris is known for leading her armies to defend against an

The movie was shot in Ancient Turkic language which isn't spoken today

attack by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid Empire, whom, according to Herodotus, she defeated and killed him in 530 BC. Check out the trailer with English subtitles below:

PREMIUM SPOTLIGHT ON ULTRA LAVISH UKRAINIAN COSTUME DRAMA LOVE IN CHAINS WHICH YOU CAN WATCH ON AMAZON PRIME

     'LOVE IN CHAINS' SERIES

WATCH IT ON AMAZON PRIME!

You can watch the series on Amazon Prime

Here is another interesting period set project coming from Ukraine, and I think the ladies will like it: costume series LOVE IN CHAINS (Krepostnaya) which already has 24 episodes of the first season streaming over at Amazon Prime (I hear there is already a widespread bingecraze around it). Kateryna Kovalchuk plays Kateryna a beautiful and clever girl who was, by the will of her godmother, raised as a lady of noble blood. But for the whole world, she is only someone else's property, a bondmaid of the richest landowner in Nizhyn - Chervinskyi.

Kateryna Kovalchuk takes the lead role

The series, originally released in Ukraine a year ago, where it became their record breaking telenovella, was also a hit in Poland and Russia. I hear the show itself was filled with outstandingly rich and opulent costumes. There is also a second season bringing the total number of episodes up to 48 with the third and fourth season already ordered to be released sometime in 2021 when it is expected that the number of episodes will be close to 100. After the success of the series, a line of books inspired by the story, were released in Russian language. You can check out the trailer for the series below with English subtitles. What do you think, will you binge it?

What's The  Story About?    
It is year 1856, Kateryna is beautiful, clever and by the will of her godmother was raised as a lady of noble blood. But for the whole world, she is

The series is apparently a whirlwind of opulently lavish costumes and gowns

only someone else’s property, a bondmaid of the richest landowner in Nizhyn – Chervinskyi (Mikhail Gavrilov). Struggling for her freedom and the right

Aleksey Yarovenko plays a man who falls in love with Kateryna and wants to save her

to be happy, she will have to endure the deaths of her closest people, become the property of a woman who hates and dreams to kill her, survive the popular

The series had 50% more viewers than the second best viewed series in Ukraine

uprising, escape while being chased by a maniac and flee from the one who wants to get her above all. What awaits Kateryna at the end of such a terrible and exhausting path to freedom?

PREMIUM SPOTLIGHT ON THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD WITH DEV PATEL, TILDA SWINTON, HUGH LAURIE, ANEURIN BARNARD, BEN WHISHAW

     'THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD' COMEDY

The movie opened in UK this weekend

FROM RAGS TO RICHES AND BACK AGAIN

This one has been criticised for forcefully imposing diversity in the casting for a period set movie and for putting quirky humour which did not exist in the original book by Charles Dickens, but some also praised it for the funny approach to a costume drama. We shall have to judge for ourselves as THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD is currently playing in British cinemas and will head over to USA and Russia in May. The big screen adaptation re-imagines

This is the first movie adaptation of the novel in last 50 years

Charles Dickens' classic ode to grit and perseverance through the comedic lens of its award winning filmmakers giving the Dickensian tale new life for a cosmopolitan age with a diverse ensemble cast of stage and screen actors from

Tilda Swinton is Betsey Trotwood in the period set movie

across the world. Director Armando Iannucci lends his wry, yet heart-filled storytelling style to revisiting Dickens' iconic hero on his quirky journey from impoverished orphan to burgeoning writer in Victorian England!

    What's The Story About? 
From birth to infancy, from adolescence to adulthood, the good-hearted David Copperfield is surrounded by kindness, wickedness, poverty and wealth,

Ben Whishaw is Uriah Heep in the period set adaptation

as he meets an array of remarkable characters in Victorian England. As David sets out to be a writer, in his quest for family, friendship, romance and status, the story of his life is the most seductive tale of all.

Who Is In The Colourful Cast?

Beside Dev Patel who takes the lead role of David Copperfield, the cast also includes Hugh Laurie as Mr. Dick, Tilda Swinton as Betsey Trotwood, Ben Whishaw as Uriah Heep, Morfydd Clark as Dora Spenlow, Aneurin

Hugh Laurie takes the role of Mr. Dick in the period set drama

Barnard as James Steerforth, Daisy May Cooper as Peggotty, Gwendoline Christie as Jane Murdstone, Rosalind Eleazar as Agnes Wickfield, and Paul

The budget of the costume movie was close to 16 million dollars

Whitehouse as Mr. Peggotty.The movie already won awards for best supporting actor (Hugh Laurie), best screenplay, best costume and

The film premiered at Toronto Film Festival back in September

production design at British Independent Film Awards last year. Although many consider the casting quite controversial, the movie did score a nomination for best casting at British Film Academy Awards for 2020. 

WITCHES AND MURDERS IN THE TRAILER FOR AGATHA CHRISTIE'S PALE HORSE BBC'S TV SERIES ADAPTATION WITH RUFUS SEWELL

     'THE PALE HORSE' TRAILER

FOR BBC'S LATEST AGATHA CHRISTIE TV SERIES ADAPTATION

Just as I promised, I have for you the trailer for BBC's latest small screen adaptation of Agatha Christie THE PALE HORSE which will start

The series starts February 9th

airing February 9th. The two hourlong episode star Rufus Sewell, Kaya Scodelario, Bertie Carvel, Sean Pertwee, Henry Lloyd Hughes and James Fleet. Rita Tushingham, Sheila Atim and Kathy Kiera Clarke play the trio of witches.

     What's The Story?

When a murder investigation is launched into the death of a young woman, a mysterious list of names is discovered in her shoe -prompting an inquiry not only to find the killer, but also to understand the list of names. Who wrote the list, and who do these names refer to? One of those named is widowed antique dealer Mark Easterbrook (Rufus Sewell), who, despite

The series was produced by Poldark's Mammoth Screen

having found love again with new wife Hermia (Kaya Scodelario), is still haunted by the tragic death of his first wife Delphine. THE PALE HORSE tells the story of Mark’s investigation into how and why his name came to appear on the list, an investigation that leads him to the peculiar home of a

Rufus Sewell and Kaya Scodelario take the lead roles

trio of rumoured witches, The Pale Horse, in the beautiful village of Much Deeping. Word has it that the witches can do away with a rich relative, by supernatural means alone… Despite Mark’s scepticism towards the paranormal, he cannot help but be consumed by the

The series will stream on Amazon for the rest of the world from March 13th

increasingly strange and extraordinary things that begin to happen around him. Is this too the work of the witches of The Pale Horse, and does this mean he is next on their list? Or can he find a rational explanation and identify the killer before they catch up with him?

NEW PERIOD SET SERIES TO EXPECT IN THE FIRST PART OF 2020: FROM NEW ZEALAND GOLD RUSH, POST NAPOLEONIC LONDON TO ARCTIC, RUSSIAN IMPERIAL COURT AND AGATHA CHRISTIE

     WINT/SPRING 2020 EPIC SHOWS

 THE LUMINARIES

 Arriving sometime very soon (probably sooner to New Zealand than to BBC) is the six episode adaptation of Eleanor Catton's book THE LUMINARIES starring Marton Csokas, Eva Green, Eve Hewson and Callan Mulvey. It is an adventure mystery set in the midst of New Zealand's 1860's gold rush. Expect a trailer very soon.

THE PALE HORSE
 BBC is entering the race first as it will start airing their latest  Agatha Christie series THE PALE HORSE from February 9th. Rufus Sewell leads the two episode mini series as the man who investigates a murder in a beautiful little village. Is a trio of witches responsible for a series of sudden deaths there or is there a rational explanation? You can expect a trailer very soon!

MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE

 A&E will greet spring with new six part period set drama MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE starring Kate Phillips as London's first Victorian female detective with Stuart Martin playing her partner. It will air on UKTV's Alibi channel and on PBS Masterpiece in USA. In Germany it will air on RTL, in Australia on Seven Network.

    THE NORTH WATER 
BBC will also grace us with Arctic set four episode thriller series THE NORTH WATER based on the novel by Ian McGuire. Colin Farrell and Jack O'Connell star in a story set in a 19th century whaling expedition to the Arctic where an army surgeon finds himself on an ill-fated journey with a murderous psychopath. In search of redemption, his story becomes a harsh struggle for survival in the Arctic wasteland.

BELGRAVIA

Easter will, meanwhile, bring us Julian Fellowes' new 19th century set costume drama BELGRAVIA set to air on Epix from April 12th and possibly a bit earlier on ITV in UK.  It follows events decades after a crucial ball ahead of the battle of Waterloo when the emerging nouveau riche, including the Trenchard family, rub shoulders with London's established upper classes, and when secrets from the past threaten to emerge.

     THE GREAT 
Hulu will meanwhile, end the spring season with three part historical comedy THE GREAT in which Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult play Catherine the Great and Peter of Russia. The series offers an anti-historical ride through 18th century Russia following the wildly comic rise of Catherine the Nothing to Catherine the Great. It is out May 15th.

STUNNING TRAILER AND POSTERS FOR EPIC HISTORICAL ADVENTURE THE RISING HAWK ON 12TH CENTURY UKRAINIAN HERO ZAKHAR BERKUT

     'THE RISING HAWK'

12TH CENTURY EPIC ADVENTURE

I'm a  bit late with this one, as it already played in cinemas in Ukraine last Autumn, but better late than never, right? THE RISING HAWK is a historical adventure that follows their national hero Zakhar Berkut in a movie

The film will hit Europe this spring

which boasts an international cast including Tommy Flannagan, Robert Patrick, Oliver Trevena, Poppy Drayton, with Alex MacNicoll and Rocky Myers in the lead roles! The movie was directed with Akhtem Seitablaev and John Wynn both at the helm.

Freedom Is My Nature   
During the 13th Century, Zakhar Berkut (Robert Patrick) and his wife Rada (Alison Doody) lead a group of high landers in Carpathian Mountains. Unfortunately, their tranquil existence is soon threatened by Burunda Khan, a powerful Mongolian general

The movie is based on Ukrainian legends

who leads his massive armies west in search of new lands to conquer. Forced to protect their village, Zakhar and Rada send their sons, Ivan (Rocky Myers) and Maksim (Alex MacNicoll), to ask for help from Tugar Volk (Tommy Flannagan), a wealthy boyar who has recently arrived from the King. After his strong willed daughter Myroslava (Poppy Drayton) and Maksim survive a dangerous encounter together, Tugar Volk pledges to defend the villagers against the Mongols. But when a mutual attraction sparks between Myroslava and Maksim, Tugar Volk forbids them from continuing their relationship.

Robert Patrick plays the famous hero Zakhar Berkut

Meanwhile, Burunda Khan faces questions from his warriors about his motivation and military strategy for the impending invasion. As war breaks

Poppy Drayton and Alex MacNicoll as Maksim and Myroslava

out, both sides suffer devastating casualties. Redoubling his efforts, Burunda Khan unleashes the full fury of his forces. Faced with certain doom, Maksim and Myroslava must choose to flee or make the ultimate sacrifice to save their people.

1ST TRAILER FOR WW2 DRAMA WAITING FOR ANYA BASED ON WAR HORSE AUTHOR'S BOOK IS HERE WITH ANJELICA HUSTON, JEAN RENO, THOMAS KRETSCHMANN!

     'WAITING FOR ANYA'

FIRST TRAILER IS HERE
I guess I did not really expect such bad acting and so many terrible accents in this one, but here is the first trailer for the big screen adaptation of Michael

Stay tuned for the first trailer soon!

Morpurgo's (War Horse) WAITING FOR ANYA which will arrive into British cinemas next Valentines and has been sold for Northern America too. The World War II tale has a rather strong cast (at least on paper) led by Anjelica Huston (who obviously has time to put fresh tacky make up on her face in the middle of war and poverty), Jean Reno, Thomas Kretschmann, Sadie Frost. The story revolves around Jo Lalande (judging by the trailer a rather unconvincing Noah Schnapp), a 13 year old shepherd, and a widow, Horcada (Anjelica Huston), who help smuggle Jewish children across the border from southern France into Spain during the war. Ben Cookson both wrote and directed the movie.

PREMIUM SPOTLIGHT ON MEDIAEVAL EPIC ADVENTURE NARCISSUS AND GOLDMUND BASED ON HERMAN HESSE'S LEGENDARY HISTORICAL NOVEL

   'NARCISSUS AND GOLDMUND'

LAVISH HISTORICAL ADVENTURE

I promised you at the very beginning of the year that this month will be filled with reports on international period set projects and I'm keeping to

The movie hits cinemas this March

that promise today as well by taking you over to Germany where a new historical adventure is ready to hit the big screens March 12th! NARCISSUS AND GOLDMUND is the movie adaptation of Narziss und Goldmund a famous novel by Nobel Prize winner Herman Hesse! Magnetic German superstar Jannis Niewohner, whom we fell deeply in love with a few years ago in their stunning historical mini series Maximilian, takes the lead role of a young man  Goldmund who wanders aimlessly throughout Medieval Germany after leaving a Catholic monastery school in search of what could be described as

Jannis Niewohner takes the lead role

"the meaning of life". Oscar winning Austrian director Stefan Ruzowitzky is helming the expensive production. The novel itself was first published back in 1930 and was translated into more than 40 languages!

  What Is The Story About?
The young Goldmund (Jannis Niewohner) is sent by his father to study in the monastery Mariabronn and meets there the religious monastic student Narcissus (Sabin Tambrea, whom you might remember from their historical series on their crazy emperor Ludwig II).

Sabin Tambrea takes the role of Narziss in the movie

Narcissus has dedicated himself to the ascetic and austere life in the monastery with heart and soul and Goldmund first tries to imitate him. An

Emilia Schule is Julia in the movie adaptation of Hesse's novel

intimate friendship soon develops between the two, but the boisterous and fun-loving Goldmund soon realizes that the life perspective the convent offers does not match his ideas of freedom and, emboldened by Narcissus, embarks

Henriette Confurius plays Goldmund's love interest Lene

on a journey full of adventure in which he finally meets his great love Lene (Henriette Confurius). But years later, Narcissus and Goldmund meet again under dramatic circumstances.

EPIX TO MAKE EPIC TV SERIES OUT OF BERNARD CORNWELL'S ARTHURIAN SAGA THE WINTER KING AND A COLUMN OF FIRE SEQUEL TO KEN FOLLETT'S PILLARS OF THE EARTH AND WORLD WITHOUT END

   EPIX TO MAKE EPIC SERIES

OUT OF THE WINTER KING AND A COLUMN OF FIRE NOVELS

Epix has announced a number of new projects that they will be developing in the future and among them is TV series adaptation of A COLUMN OF FIRE Elizabethan Era set novel from Ken Follett which follows his previous

Bad Wolf is producing The Winter King

two epic adaptations The Pillars of the World and World Without End, and also a TV series adaptation of THE WINTER KING Arthurian novels from another great epic writer Bernard Cornwell on whose works The Last Kingdom saga is based on.

Bad Wolf will produce the adaptation of Cornwell's trilogy of novels The Warlord Chronicles which consist of three books set in Arthurian Britain mixing history and legends THE WINTER KING, Enemy Of God and Excalibur. The protagonist of the series is Derfel Cadarn, a Saxon brought up as a Briton by Merlin, the greatest of all Druids. In the course of the story, he becomes a

A Column of Fire will be produced by Snowed In

great warrior and one of Arthur's warlords in his war against the Saxons. Derfel is one of Arthur's closest advisers and friends.

Meanwhile, A COLUMN OF FIRE from Ken Follett follows the romance between Ned Willard and Margery Fitzgerald beginning in 1558 and spanning half a century of political intrigue and turmoil as well as the political intrigue of the royal courts of England, France, and Scotland, and the oft-times violent conflict between supporters of the Catholic Church and the rising Protestant movement in the late 16th century. Unlike the two previous novels in this series, a large portion of the plot takes place outside the town of Kingsbridge, utilizing such far-flung settings as Paris, Seville, Geneva, Antwerp, and the Caribbean, and involving many major characters who have no direct connection with the town.