PREMIUM SPOTLIGHT ON NEW RUSSIAN EPIC TV SERIES THE PRISONER WITH ILYA MALAKOV AND IVAN BOSILJCIC SET AT THE COURT OF OTTOMAN SULTAN MEHMED THE CONQUEROR

  RUSSIAN PRISONER 

NEW RUSSIAN EPIC SAGA

The new series arrives sometime later this year

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:

DAVID OAKES, JULIAN MORRIS TO LEAD 19TH CENTURY GAY ROMANCE BASED ON LORD BYRON'S ORIENTAL POEM THE GIAOUR SET IN OTTOMAN GREECE

   'THE GIAOUR' SENDS

DAVID OAKES AND JULIAN MORRIS TO OTTOMAN EMPIRE GREECE

David Oakes will play Hassan Ottoman commander

Gender identity is definitely a very hot topic these days, and Rika Ohara plans to discus it from a 19th century angle! She is currently preparing a movie project based on Lord Byron's famous 1813 poem THE GIAOUR in which harem slave Leila is drowned as an adulteress and her lover the Giaour ("infidel") kills her master Hassan in revenge, and is cursed to become a vampire! 

THE GIAOUR
which has two boys whom we couldn't really adore more even if we tried - David Oakes and Julian Morris in the cast, with the story set during the Ottoman Empire in Greece, will follow  ten year-old Laertes who is saved by Ottoman commander Hassan (David Oakes). Baba the Nubian eunuch puts Laertes in girls' clothes and calls him Leila. Protected by Hassan and Baba,

Julian Morris is to play a character named David

Leila grows to love Hassan but the world judges them master and "harem slave" — which is the story Byron chose to tell in his poem.

In the 200 years since its publication, THE GIAOUR spawned the vampire gothic genre and came to symbolize the lethal conflict between the East and the West as represented by its two male protagonists: one Muslim, the other, Christian – the giaour. Yet Leila, at the centre of all this passion, is entirely silent and strangely bloodless – until we consider a new, queer reading of the poem that unlocks her true identity. Love, blood, karmic retribution –  in THE GIAOUR Leila ceases to be a silent victim of "Oriental" violence against women, and Hassan emerges as a gay Muslim romantic hero. Alex Hassell from The Miniaturist, will play the leader of the Janissaries with Charles Lane as Baba.

LAVISH 1ST PHOTOS AND TEASER FOR NEW EPIC TV SAGA 'MEHMED THE CONQUEROR OF THE WORLD' WITH KENAN IMIRZALIOGLU AS SULTAN MEHMED II!

  MEHMED THE CONQUEROR

1ST PHOTOS AND TRAILER  FROM NEW EPIC TV SERIES

Kenan Imirzalioglu plays the title role!

Two years after the spectacular Magnificent Century epic series ended with its Kosem Sultana spin-off, we are finally getting another lavish historical saga from Turkey! First teaser and first photos were released last week for MEHMED: CONQUEROR OF THE WORLD (Mehmed bir cihan fatihi) which will see Turkish superstar Kenan İmirzalıoğlu playing the famous Ottoman sultan who invaded Constantinople and brought Turks onto European ground back in the 15th century!

Mehmed was a ruthless warrior

DEZZY'S HISTORY LESSON
Known for his bloody conquest of Constantinople (today's Istanbul) when he was only 21 back in 1453, Sultan Mehmed is both the most famous and the most infamous of all Turkish rulers who ended Eastern Roman Empire with his invasion. He was known for extreme cruelty and even his stepmother Serbian princess Mara, known also as Despina Mara, who not only raised him after his mother died at the court of his father Sultan Murad, but also secured his way to the throne and then became his official Valida Sultana (Mother Sultana), could not handle his impulsive nature and outbursts of cruelty. He did not stop at Istanbul, and during 30 years of rule he spread the territory of Ottoman Empire all over Anadolia and also in Europe as far as Bosnia and Serbia. He also strengthened Ottoman navy which he used to end up the two month long siege of Constantinople by transporting 80 of his war ships overland in order to surround the city both by sea and land. After he took over Constantinople he also conquered Despotate of Morea, the Empire of Trebizond and Serbia which he thought he had a claim on through his stepmother Despina Mara. He also conquered most of the Black Sea coast and Wallachia (although Vlad Dracula gave him tons of trouble there LOL). He also led war against Venice. According to most historical evidence he was bisexual and very aggressive and cruel to his lovers, both male and female ones. He even allegedly raped the little 14 year old son of the Constantinople general in front of him before beheading the whole family. One of the Wallachian princes was his lover too.

THE REST OF THE CAST

The series, which is expected to start airing sometime this year (I've heard possibly this March) on Turkish Kanal D will also have a cast consisting of Selin Demiratar as his consort Sultana Hatice although I hear she's been replaced in the meantime by Büşra Develi Mehmed so I guess we shall have to wait and see, Seda Bakan as another of his wives Sultana Chichek, Ertan Saban as Byzantine emperor Constantine and others.

TENSE DRAMA MONDAY: TRAILER AND POSTER FOR 'THE PROMISE' PERIOD SET MOVIE WITH CHRISTIAN BALE, OSCAR ISAAC AND 'THE LAST FACE' WITH CHARLIZE THERON, JAVIER BARDEM

'THE PROMISE' NEW TRAILER

CHRISTIAN BALE WAR DRAMA

Two tense dramas for you today! A new trailer and a new poster have been released for war drama THE PROMISE out this May in Europe and USA starring Christian Bale, Tom Hollander, Oscar Isaac, Jean Reno, Rade Serbedzija and Shohreh Aghdashloo!

Set during the last days of the Ottoman Empire like the new TV series I presented you with yesterday, THE PROMISE follows a love triangle between Michael, a brilliant medical student, the beautiful and sophisticated Ana, and Chris - a renowned American journalist based in Paris.

'THE LAST FACE' TRAILER

STARRING CHARLIZE THERON AND JAVIER BARDEM

A new trailer and a new poster have also been released for tense action drama from director Sean Penn THE LAST FACE in which his ex Charlize Theron plays  a director of an international aid agency in Africa who meets a relief aid doctor (Javier Bardem) amidst a political and social revolution, and together face tough choices surrounding humanitarianism and life through civil unrest. Jean Reno stars in this one as well, together with Jared Harris and Hopper Penn, Sean's son (yep, it ain't nepotism at all).

NEW INTERNATIONAL EPIC SERIES: 'THE NEMANYICHS: BIRTH OF A KINGDOM' ON SERBIAN MEDIAEVAL ROYAL DYNASTY, 'THE CAPITAL: ABDULHAMID' ON THE LAST OTTOMAN SULTAN

'THE NEMANYICHS' EPIC SERIES

 BIRTH OF A KINGDOM

International epic projects today! After Britain (The Tudors, White Queen), France (Versailles), Russia (Catherine the Great, Sofia), Austria (Maximilian), Spain (Isabel), Turkey (Magnificent Century), Italy (Medici) Serbia has decided to put their glorious history on the small screens as well! Their national broadcaster RTS has started shooting (with more than 200 actors and 300 locations) 12 part epic TV series THE NEMANYICHS: BIRTH OF A KINGDOM which will follow the rise of The Nemanyichs, one of the most powerful mediaeval royal dynasties in Europe which ruled the vast Serbian Kingdom from the 12th to the 14th century. The first season will follow King Stefan the First Crowned (in the photo, played by Voyin Chetkovich)! The series will air at the end of the year marking the 800 years from Stefan's coronation.

DEZZY'S HISTORY LESSON
The royal house which produced 11 Serbian kings, despots and emperors, from 1166 till 1371, reached its zenith during the legendary reign of Dushan, Tsar of all Serbs and Greeks, who ruled a massive empire occupying today's Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro. It was the most developed country and culture in Europe of that time.

'THE CAPITAL: ABDULHAMID'

ON THE LAST OTTOMAN SULTAN

The Turks, who actually stopped the further development of mediaeval Serbia putting Balkans into darkness, also have a new historical saga of their own. Their Television has recently started airing CAPITAL: ABDUL HAMID on the last Sultan who ruled the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 19th century.

THE RULE OF THE RED SULTAN

The 33 years of Abdul hamid's rule were some of the most turbulent ones in Turkish history. The last decade depicted in the series at the very end of the 19th century was the time when European powers tried to use the ongoing events to create a new age for Europe. Known for brutal treatment of many minorities in the country (due to which he is known as the Red Sultan outside the country), his rule oversaw a period of decline in the power and extent of the Ottoman Empire! He was thrown down by his own people in 1909 and his fall was greeted with great joy among the citizens. Despite his reactionary and despotic rule, some modernization of the Ottoman Empire occurred during Abdul Hamid's long reign, including reform of the bureaucracy, railways and education. He had more than ten imperial consorts with sultana Nazikeda being his main wife.