ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL ADS CAST FOR SEASON 4! SEE BONNARD, PIERRE AND MARTHE 1ST CLIP AND IMAGES FROM BIOPIC ON FRENCH 19TH CENTURY PAINTER

ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL

ADS NEW CAST FOR SEASON FOUR

Channel 5 has added new faces to the cat of the fourth season of ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL series which returns this Autumn (plus a new Christmas special) and picks up in 1940 as Churchill takes office and Europe is under serious threat! Nicholas Ralph returns as young

Neve McIntosh, Sam Retford and Will Thorp will be in the cast

country vet James Herriot, now happily married to Helen Herriot (Rachel Shenton). Samuel West is back as James’ capricious and erratic mentor Siegfried Farnon while Anna Madeley continues as Mrs Hall, matriarch of Skeldale House. Patricia Hodge also reprises her role as Mrs Pumphrey, alongside her Pekingese Tricki. Neve McIntosh joins the cast as highly efficient bookkeeper Miss Harbottle, with James Anthony-Rose as studious undergraduate vet student Richard Carmody. Joining them are Tony Pitts, Imogen Clawson, Paul Copley, Cleo Sylvestre MBE, James Bolam MBE, Will Thorp and Sam Retford.

 BONNARD, PIERRE AND MARTHE 

FIRST CLIP FROM FRENCH DRAMA

Straight from Cannes come the first clip and photos from new period set movie BONNARD, PIERRE AND MARTHE which explores the art and love story of renowned French painters Pierre Bonnard (Vincent Macaigne) and his wife Marthe (Cecile de France). The film, which has been sold around the world including USA, most of Europe, South America and Australia, spans five decades and paints a portrait of Bonnard and his wife Marthe de Méligny who became the cornerstone of her husband’s life and work, appearing in more than a third of his paintings. Stacy Martin, Anouk Grinberg also star alongside André Marcon who plays Bonnard mentor Claude Monet.

BREAKING NEWS! EMILIA SCHULE, JAMES PUREFOY TO LEAD CANAL + NEW EPIC TV SERIES ON MARIE ANTOINETTE! SEE BENJAMIN VOISIN, GERARD DEPARDIEU, CECILE DE FRANCE, XAVIER DOLAN IN BALZAC'S LOST ILLUSIONS PERIOD SET ADAPTATION

 MARIE ANTOINETTE SERIES

IN PRODUCTION AT CANAL +

I did say many times that in these times of woke hardships, European studios will be the ones to save the period set genre and next to a slate of German, Russian and Italian costume series we now have another one coming

The first photo of Emilia as Marie Antoniette from the sets!

from France: beside the two part saga on Diane de Poiters, they are now preparing an eight part saga MARIE ANTOINETTE over at Canal + which brought us Versailles as well. German actress Emilia Schule has been set as the lead in Deborah Davis written and produced series which will also have James Purefoy, Marthe Keller, Louis Cunningham, Jack Archer,

German actress Emilia Schule takes the lead

Jasmine Blackborow, Gaia Weiss, Crystal Sheperd, Caroline Piette, Oscar Lesage, Roxane Duran, Liah O’Prey, Jonas Bloquet, Nathan Willcocks, Laura Benson, Nicola Perot, Paul Bandey, Maximilien Seweryn in the international cast.

 

  MARIE ANTOI NETTE WAS

barely 14 years old when she left Austria and her mother empress Maria Theresa to marry the Dauphin in France. She is still a stubborn and dissipated young child who must comply with French rules, which are numerous and complicated. The young princess quickly suffers from not being able to live her life as she sees fit. She is constantly under pressure to carry on the Bourbon line. A mission more

Gaia Weiss, James Purefoy, Marthe Keller (could be M. Theresa)

complicated than expected: even if the relationship between Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI improves over time, it will take them seven years to consummate their marriage. From the young runner-up to the queen of style, a true fashion icon, Marie Antoinette quickly impresses with her charisma and naturalness. She will gradually understand the codes and secrets of the French

Jonas Bloquet, Maximilien Seweryn, Oscar Lesage, Jack Archer

court and completely recreate Versailles in her image! But her success stirs up jealousy and rivalry. Defamatory pamphlets and persistent rumors about her private life undermine her reputation. It will take a lot of courage and dignity to defeat her numerous enemies at the Versailles court.

  LOST ILLUSIONS CLIP 

STRAIGHT FROM VENICE!

Speaking of French costume drama, check out the first clip from new French period set movie LOST ILLUSIONS which has premiered over at

Illusions Perdues is out October 21st

Venice Film Festival with rather rave reviews. Xavier Giannoli directed the 19th century set big screen adaptation of Honoré de Balzac's novel with the cast that includes Gerard Depardieu, Xavier Dollan, Cecile de France, and Vincent Lacoste. Benjamin Voisin plays Lucien de Rubempré, a young, lower class poet, who is madly in love with the baroness Louise de Bargeton. The risk of scandal forces them to flee to Paris where they hope to live and love freely. Lucien soon finds rejection and loses the baroness’s support. He finds himself alone, penniless, hungry, and humiliated until the

The movie is getting rather nice reviews over at Venice

day he seeks revenge by writing controversial – yet banal – articles. Inside the Paris he so coveted, he finds a cynical world where everything – and everyone – can be bought and sold. Can he find his way and remain faithful to his hopes and dreams? The movie is out October 21st in France, 28th in Russia. 

NEW POST APOCALYPTIC TV SERIES: STATION ELEVEN WITH MACKENZIE DAVIS, LORI PETTY, HIMESH PATEL, THE SWARM WITH CECILE DE FRANCE, JACK GREENLEES LEADING INTERNATIONAL CAST

  STATION ELEVEN HBO MAX 

POSTAPOCALYPTIC TV SERIES

As I usually say - I like to watch apocalyptic shows as you can never be too prepared, and two new cataclysmic series were announced this week. HBO Max has set Mackenzie Davis and Himesh Patel as leads of their ten episode show STATION ELEVEN a post-apocalyptic saga spanning multiple timelines. It tells the stories of survivors of a devastating flu as they attempt to

Himesh Patel and Mackenzie Davis are leading Station 11

rebuild and reimagine the world anew while holding on to the best of what’s been lost. David Wilmot, Matilda Lawler, Nabhaan Rizwan, Philippine Velge, Daniel Zovatto, Luca Villacis, Dylan Taylor and Lori Petty will also star in the show based on the international bestseller by Emily St. John Mandel.

 

  THE SWARM GLOBAL SERIES  

SETS INTERNATIONAL CAST 

Meanwhile, Europe is preparing big-budget series based on the Frank Schätzing best-seller THE SWARM, and has gathered a global cast of stars for the eight part environmental thriller. Cécile de France, Sharon Duncan Brewster, our dearest boo Jack Greenlees (whom we fell in love

Swarm is already shooting in Italy and will move to Belgium

with in Harlots), Lydia Wilson, Krista Kosonen, Alexander Karim, Leonie Benesch and Barbara Sukowa will star next to Takuya Kimura, Takehiro Hiera, Rosabell Laurenti Sellers, Dutch Johnson and Joshua Odjick! The series, being done for German ZDF, chronicles the struggle of

Cecile De France, Jack Greenlees, Alexander Karim will star

humankind against an unknown swarm intelligence that lives in the depths of the sea. When humanity’s pollution and wanton exploitation of the seas disturb this mysterious collective, it strikes back, threatening all human life on earth. The fate of the world rests in the hands of a small group of scientists.