Airingfinally every evening this week and next on national broadcaster Russia 1 is new historical series CASANOVA IN RUSSIA (Казанова в России) with Serbian star Ivan Bosilychich in the title role of the legendary seducer at the time when he visited the imperial court of Russia. He previously played sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in Russian epic series The Russian Prisoner or Janissary. The series started shooting back in 2019 but had numerous delays thanks to covid outbreak and many other problems, but is now finally being presented to the audiences. Sweet Matushka Rossiya is, by the way, preparing some other lavish costume
It is a twelve episode historical series
dramas, so stay tuned for more updates during the festive days when Hollywood goes to sleep and we move, as usual, onto the international stage.
LOVE IN RUSSIA Set in imperial Russia, during the rule of Tzarina Catherine the
Great, in 1764-1765, the lavishly expensive 12 part series follows
the great Venetian lover Giacomo Casanova during his stay in Russia,
filled with conspiracies, intrigues, insidious murders and fatal
passions. It is 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 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 believe that a life could
be spent next to just one woman. 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 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 also stars 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!
Now I cannot tell you if the plan is still on given the current situation over in dear old Matushka Rossiya, but according to official schedule new historical series JANISSARY ((Русский пленник or Янычар) should start on the First Channel of Russia's national broadcaster tomorrow, February 28th with the action set in the dark
and blood thirsty Ottoman empire within lavish new 12 episodes! Beside our dearest Ilya Malakov (whom you remember from their historical movie Kolovrat or Furious) in the lead role, the cast also includes actors from Serbia, Georgia, Ethiopia, Latvia, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Belarus, thus making
it a panslavic and international project with more than 150 actors involved in total. The shooting started back in the summer of 2019
so it was a very long production process. The story is set at the end
of the15th and the beginning of the 16th century so beside the infamous Turkish sultan Mehmed the Conqueror (Serbian actor Ivan Bosiljcic), the series will also include Russian tzars Fedor Ivanovich (Vladimir Koshevoi) and Boris Godunov (Artur Ivanov). Samvel Tadevosian, controversial Serbian actress Milena Radulovic, Arina Zharkova, Richard Lepers also star. Ivan Shurhovetzkiy, who helmed Kolovrat, is also directing this one. A whole city was built in Turkey for the needs of the production and some of the mass scenes include more than 2000 people on screen. It it interesting that the sets were done by Tims Production which also did famous Magnificent Century, Turkey's most popular historical series ever. The series has already been sold to ex Yugoslav countries, Turkey, and some of the Middle East and North African countries.
THE STORY OF THE PRISONER
Alekha (Ilya Malakov)
is an honest, strong, freedom loving Cossack from the end of the 16th century, who decided to fulfill his
father's last will. As a result, he goes to a foreign land in order to bow to the Virgin Mary. By the will of fate, he finds himself in the palace of the Sultan Mehmed (Serbian star Ivan Bosiljcic) of the Ottoman Empire. Here the Russian is taken prisoner and sent to become one of
the evil Jannisaries (sultan's elite squads made from the children and
prisoners who are taken from the enslaved regions of the empire and then trained and forced to turn against their own families and people). In an instant, not only
plans, but also the life of the protagonist goes downhill. The man tries
to fight fate, but the circumstances are stronger. As a result, he becomes an Ottoman
prisoner who must serve the hated sultan. Here Alekha will face many
trials and hardships.
But during the whole journey, he does not give up on the faith that
one day he will return home - to his native land. In parallel, he finds
the love of his life. But even here difficult tests await him. But for a
real Cossack there are no barriers when he loves. He is ready to give
his life for his beloved, because
in a true Cossack, love for a woman is equated with love for the
Motherland. Check out the trailer for the series below and tell us what you
think:
This
weekend the spy is presenting you a number of upcoming historical
series and films coming from Russia, starting with the 16 episode FRIED CHICKEN
(Цыплёнок жареный) which should arrive next year starring Nikita Volkov.
Spring 1921. The introduction of the New Economic Policy begins to
rapidly change Petrograd, exhausted by wars and revolution. MarchesF and
hymns are diluted with foxtrot and chanson, well dressed people appear
on the embankments and, as a result, gopniks (members of lower class sub
culture) appear, hurrying to take their money away.
Fried Chicken will air in sixteen hourlong episodes
Lawlessness begins,
which the Central Committee is not able to cope with - shops are raded
five times a day. And then the criminal world of St. Petersburg, headed
by the thief in law Uncle Kolya, stands up to protect the
Gorgeous Nikita Volkov takes the lead role in the series
business
owners. But not all businessmen agree to pay Uncle Kolya. And he sends
one of his fighting squads to them. The most famous and productive of
them is the gang of the protagonist of the story Rodi - a former
anarchist, a broken hearted dude and heartthrob from the north!
DECEMBER TV SERIES
STARRING ALEXANDER PETROV
December arrives Autumn next year
Also
arriving sometime next year is a sixteen episode period set series
DECEMBER about the love between famous poet Yesenin and ballet dancer
Isadora Duncan, starring one of Russia's most popular actors Alexander
Petrov and directed and written by Klim Shipenko, who recently became
the first director to ever shoot a film up in space.
In the series,
the famous dancer Isadora Duncan, who was preparing Yesenin's escape
from the country of the Soviets, arrives at the border of the USSR from
Germany. All he has to do is get on the train and get to Riga. The poet
flees from Moscow to snow covered Leningrad,
December series features some amazing costumes
where he falls into a mad
whirlwind of events. He rushes towards his beloved in spite of any
obstacles that constantly arise in his path. The series is
The series will air in sixteen hourlong episodes
currently set
for October 20th 2022 television premiere. The series itself was shot
in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Especially for the series, a large-scale
sets
Klim Shipenko wrote and directed the series
were built covering an area of more than 7 thousand square meters.
The film version will air in cinemas before the series arrives and you
check out the highly stylized trailer below:
PRINCE OLEG MOVIE
MAN WHO UNITED RUSSIANS
Probably the most anticipated of all the upcoming epic projects is PRINCE OLEG (Or Oleg the Prophet, Вещий Олег) a movie which is also coming from director Klim Shipenko with Vladimir Yaglich in the lead
Vladimir Yaglich takes the lead role of Prince Oleg
role. Based on the book by Boris Vasiliev "Prophetic Oleg" it is set in the 9th century after the birth of Christ. Numerous Slavic tribes are mired in civil strife that ravages the land. River trade route from the Varangians to the
The film started shooting years ago in Russia
Greeks passes through the East European plain all the way to the Black Sea. Merchants who risked equipping their ships are in great danger of being robbed and killed or sold into slavery. In addition to Slavic robbers, the
Klim Shipenko both wrote and directed the historical movie
Vikings and Pechenegs are engaged in robbery as well. The Khazar kaganate has long sought to seize the entire trade route and enslave the Slavic tribes, more than half of which are already paying tribute to it! From the West, the
The film follows prince Oleg who united Russian tribes
troops of the Great Roman Empire are advancing further and further east. The last stronghold of the descendants of Slavs and Russians was Novgorod, a powerful trading city inhabited by Slavs. Great Rurik - the prince of Novgorod
There are axe wielding female warriors in the film as well
protects the city and its trade routes, but time is relentless and Rurik has grown old and is no longer able to subordinate the entire trade route to his
And also powerful and handsome archers ready for battle
control. Only one prince of the Russians Oleg can unite scattered tribes and create a powerful state capable of repelling invaders of all stripes ...
CASANOVA IN RUSSIA
AT CATHERINE'S COURT
This one has been in works for a long time and should finally air its twelve episodes next year. CASANOVA IN RUSSIA stars Serbian actor Ivan Bosilychich
Ivan Bosilychich plays the title role
in the title role and Maryana Spivak as Catherine the Great alongside our lyubimiy Ilya Malakov as Potemkin
The year is 1762. In Russia, there is a palace coup, Catherine is forced
to sign a pledge to return the throne to her son Paul when he comes of
age. Many are trying to obtain such an invaluable instrument of
influence on Russia. The Vatican entrusts this matter to Casanova - so
he can atone for all his previous sins. To do this, Casanova needs to
charm three ladies: the one on the throne, the one that sells the
document, and the one that will save
The twelve episode series is partly set at Catherine's court
Casanova himself. Mortal dangers
await the great heartthrob at every turn. Finally, the invaluable
document is in the hands of Casanova, but he disposes of it in a
completely different way from what he was entrusted with!
THE CATHEDRAL SERIES
THE TIME OF PETER THE GREAT
And here is one that is already available in Russia, as of November 4th it can be found on their streamer Okko. The twelve episode series is set in the
Cathedral is already streaming over at Okko
Russian Empire in 1700, during the great reforms of Peter the Great (Maksim Averin). Young serf Ivan Starshov (Sergei Marin) falls in love with his master's daughter Maria (Svetlana Ivanova) and refuses to put up with the fact that the social gap between them can prevent them from being together. He turns to the priest for help, appealing to the fact that God created people equal, but he calls on Ivan to accept his lot as a slave and forget about a girl from a noble family. In anger, Starshov renounces his faith and escapes from the village in order to change his fate and prove that he is worthy of the girl he loves.
After the insane success of Turkish historical series The Magnificent Century on sultan Suleyman and his wife Hurem, which was feverishly adored in Arabic countries, the Balkans and Eastern Europe, Russia has been trying to create their own historical drama which would repeat similar success, but they weren't overly successful even though their own shows on Catherine the Great, Golden Horde and Boris Godunov had nice ratings. Now they've decided to set one of the new series directly in the dark Ottoman empire and we can expect a lavish new 12 episode
Ilya Malakov, right, plays the title role of the Russian prisoner
television series THE PRISONER (Русский пленник) to arrive to the small screens via Russia's national broadcaster sometime later this year. Beside our
Serbian actor Ivan Bosiljcic is sultan Mehmed
dearest Ilya Malakov (whom you remember from their historical movie Kolovrat or Furious) in the lead role, the cast also includes actors from Serbia
Maya Tzetzhladze is sultana Safiya in the new series
making it a panslavic project. The shooting started back in the summer of 2019 so it was a very long production process. The story is set at the end of the
Serbian actress Milena Radulovic is Zuleika in the series
15th and the beginning of the 16th century so beside the infamous Turkish sultan Mehmed the Conqueror (Serbian actor Ivan Bosiljcic), the series will
The series will have scenes set in the harem of the Turkish sultan
also include Russian tzars Fedor Ivanovich (Vladimir Koshevoi) and Boris Godunov (Artur Ivanov). Samvel Tadevosian, controversial Serbian
Vladimir Koshevoy is Russian tzar Fedor, son of Ivan the Terrible
actress Milena Radulovic, Arina Zharkova, Richard Lepers also star. Ivan Shurhovetzkiy, who helmed Kolovrat, is also directing this one. A whole city was built in Turkey for the needs of the production.
THE STORY OF THE PRISONER
Alekha (Ilya Malakov) is an honest, strong, freedom loving Cossack who decided to fulfill his father's last will. As a result, he goes to a foreign land in
The series was shot in Turkey and Russia in 2019
order to bow to the Virgin Mary. By the will of fate, he finds himself in the palace of the Sultan Mehmed (Serbian star Ivan Bosiljcic) of the Ottoman
Prisoners underwent a very harsh treatment to become Janissaries
Empire. Here the Russian is taken prisoner and sent to become one of the evil Jannisaries (sultan's elite squads made from the children and prisoners taken
Alekha will be trying to return to his love in Russia
from the enslaved regions of the empire). In an instant, not only plans, but also the life of the protagonist goes downhill. The man tries to fight fate, but
A whole historical city was built for the production of the series
the circumstances are stronger. As a result, he becomes an Ottoman prisoner who must serve the hated sultan. Here Alekha will face many trials and
It is expected that the series will be offered to the foreign markets as well
hardships. But during the whole journey, he does not give up on the feeling that one day he will return home - to his native land. In parallel, he finds the
Thousands of authentic costumes were made for the series
love of his life. But even here difficult tests await him. But for a real Cossack there are no barriers when he loves. He is ready to give his life for his beloved,
Jannisaries in the line in front of the grand vizier of the empire
because in a true Cossack, love for a woman is equated with love for the Motherland. Check out the annoucement clip below and tell us what you think:
insidious murders and fatal
passions. It is 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 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 believe that a life could
be spent next to just one woman. 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 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 also stars 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! 
insidious murders and fatal
passions. It is 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 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 believe that a life could
be spent next to just one woman. 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 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 also stars 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! 
