Out this month in stores, Max Porter's new novel about a boy gone missing has already scored Rachel Weisz as the lead in the movie adaptation. LANNY is set in a village sixty miles outside London. It’s no different from many other villages in England: one pub, one church, red brick cottages, council cottages and a few bigger houses dotted about. Voices rise up, as they might do anywhere, speaking of loving and needing and working and dying and walking the dogs. This village belongs to the people who live in it and to the people who lived in it hundreds of years ago. It belongs to England’s mysterious past and its confounding present. But it also belongs to Dead Papa Toothwort, a figure schoolchildren used to draw green and leafy, choked by tendrils growing out of his mouth. Dead Papa Toothwort is awake. He is listening to this twenty first century village, to his English symphony. He is listening for an enchanting boy whose parents have recently made the village their home. Lanny.
'GENTLEMAN JACK'
FIRST TEASER RELEASED BY BBC
BBC One has released the first, very fun, teaser for their new epic series GENTLEMAN JACK in which Surrane Jones plays a 19th century woman who dresses up, acts and loves like a man governing her late father's estate.
Gentleman Jack will air this spring on BBC in eight episodes
She portrays real life person Anne Lister who returns to Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1832, determined to transform the fate of her faded ancestral home Shibden Hall. The cast also includes Joe Armstrong, Gemma Jones and Sophie Rundle.
HENRY CAVILL TO LEAD EPIC FANTASY TV SERIES AT NETFLIX
Rejoice! Our boy is finally returning to the telly! After he so memorably appeared for the first time in The Tudors more than a decade ago, Henry
Henry Cavill will play Geralt of Rivia
Cavill will star in another epic series THE WITCHER at Netflix!
Based on the fantasy saga by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowskian it is
an epic tale of fate and family. Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), a
solitary monster hunter (witchers are hunters who develop supernatural
abilities at a young age to battle deadly monsters), struggles to find
his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts.
But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young
princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the
increasingly volatile Continent together. Daredevil's Lauren Schmidt
Hissrich will be the showrunner, she said Cavill was the first one she
auditioned and that no other actor has managed to beat his passion for
the role! Game of Thrones, Outlander and Fear the Walking Dead directors
will helm the episodes of the new epic fantasy television series.
NEW 'THE FAVOURITE' TRAILER
WITH RACHEL WEISZ AND EMMA STONE AT QUEEN ANNE'S COURT
Fox has released official trailer and first poster for historical comedy THE FAVOURITE which is out this November. Early 18th century. England is at
The movie arrives to theatres this November
war with the French. A frail Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah (RachelWeisz) governs the country in her stead while tending to Anne's ill health and mercurial temper. When a new servant Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah.
Sarah takes Abigail under her wing and Abigail sees a chance at a return to her aristocratic roots. As the politics of war become quite time consuming for Sarah, Abigail steps into the breach to fill in as the Queen's companion. Their burgeoning friendship gives her a chance to fulfil her ambitions and she will not let woman, man, politics stand in her way. Nicholas Hoult and Joe Alwyn also star. The poster is almost as unattractive as the trailer and direction are.
ITV TO TURN JANE AUSTEN'S LAST NOVEL INTO TV SERIES
Beside Victoria and upcoming Vanity Fair, British ITV and US Masterpiece are giving us a new 19th century series! Jane Austen's last novel SANDITON written just a few months before her death will be turned
Austen wrote Sanditon months before dying
into an eight part drama.
It tells the story of the joyously impulsive, spirited and
unconventional Charlotte Heywood and her spiky relationship with the
humorous, charming (and slightly wild!) Sidney Parker. When a chance
accident transports her from her rural hometown to the would-be coastal
resort SANDITON, it exposes Charlotte to the dalliances of a seaside
town on the make, and the characters whose fortunes depend on its
commercial success. The twists and turns of the plot, which takes
viewers from the West Indies to the rotting alleys of London, exposes
the hidden agendas of each character and sees Charlotte discover
herself… and ultimately find love. Andrew Davies, the man who superficialised War
and Peace at BBC, is adapting!
'THE FAVOURITE' TRAILER
RACHEL WEISZ AND EMMA STONE FIGHT FOR QUEEN'S LOVE
Meanwhile, the first trailer was finally released yesterday for period set movie THE FAVOURITE but I cannot say I like Yorgos Lanthimos' aesthetics at all! Out November in USA and in January around Europe, it is set
The Favourite hits cinemas in USA this November
in early 18th century. England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah (Rachel
Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn, James Smith and Mark Gatiss lead male cast
Weisz) governs the country in her stead while tending to Anne's ill health and mercurial temper. When a new servant Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah. Sarah takes Abigail under her wing and Abigail
Olivia Colman is the crazy Queen Anne of England
sees a chance at a return to her aristocratic roots. As the politics of war become quite time consuming for Sarah, Abigail steps into the breach to fill in as the Queen's companion. Their burgeoning friendship gives her a chance to
Rachel Weisz plays the queen's favourite Lady Sarah
fulfil her ambitions and she will not let woman, man, politics or rabbit stand in her way. Nicholas Hoult and Joe Alwyn also star!
DICKENS' 'THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD'
The principal photography starts this summer
Two movie adaptations today, starting with Armando Iannucci who will direct the big screen version of THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD based on Charles Dickens’ semi autobiographical chronicle of the life of the iconic title character. As 'Deadline' reports, the story follows Copperfield as he navigates a chaotic world to find his elusive place within it. From his unhappy childhood to the discovery of his gift as a storyteller and writer, all the while on a journey full of life, colour and humanity. The shooting should begin later this year with casting already under way!
'DISOBEDIENCE' TRAILER
SEES RACHEL WEISZ AND RACHEL MCADAMS HAVING AN AFFAIR
It is out April in USA, August in most of Europe
The first trailer has been released for a very lesbifriendly movie DISOBEDIENCE starring Rachel Weisz, Alessandro Nivola and Rachel McAdams. Based on the book by Naomi Alderman, it follows a woman who returns to the community that shunned her decades earlier for an attraction to a childhood friend. Once back, their passions reignite as they explore the boundaries of faith and sexuality. The movie had its premiere at Toronto Film Festival and will hit cinemas in April in America and in August around Europe.
Colin suffered hip dislocation during the shooting
COLIN FIRTH & RACHEL WEISZ
New character posters have been released featuring Oscar winners Rachel Weisz and Colin Firth from THE MERCY a true life drama movie scheduled to premiere this February from The Theory of Everything director James Marsh!
ALONE AT SEA Colin plays yachtsman
Donald Crowhurst whose disastrous attempt to
win the 1968 Golden Globe Race ends up with him creating an outrageous
account
The movie was directed by James Marsh
of travelling the world alone by sea. The adventure ended in
disgrace and tragedy, after he duped family and race organisers (since
neither him nor his boat were ready for the ocean crossing, he started
sending false reports on his locations over the radio struggling to keep
up the pretence), finally taking his life.
Rachel Weisz who plays his
wife is also joined in the cast by talented British thespians you love David Thewlis and Sam Hoare! Kate Winslet was originally supposed to play the role Weisz was given later on. Colin Firth is actually twenty years older than Crowhurst was when he started his race around the globe! Our
The Mercy is sailing into cinemas at the beginning of February
favourite Studiocanal is producing! Johann Johannsson who composed the music in Theory of Everything is doing the score for this movie as well!
'THE MEG' PHOTOS WITH
JASON STATHAM & LI BINGBING
Shark arrives this August!
Also out are the first photos from the set of Jason Statham's action underwater drama THE MEG which is a sort of an aquatic Jurrasic Park since the main villain is a prehistoric shark megalodon! Based on a Steve Alten book it is out this August !
A PRE HISTO- RIC MEGA- LODON! A deep-sea submersible, part of an international undersea observation
program, has been attacked by a massive creature, previously thought to
be extinct, and now lies disabled at the bottom of the deepest trench
in the Pacific with its crew
The movie was shot over at New Zealand!
trapped inside. With time running out,
expert deep sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is recruited by a visionary Chinese oceanographer (Winston Chao), against the wishes of his daughter Suyin (Li Bingbing),
to
Jason Statham and Li Bingbing lead the cast!
save the crew, and the ocean itself, from this unstoppable threat: a
pre-historic 75 foot long shark known as the Megalodon. What no one
could have imagined is that, years before, Taylor had encountered this
same terrifying
It took more than 20 years for the book to find its way to the big screens
creature. Now, teamed with Suyin, he must confront his
fears and risk his own life to save everyone trapped below… bringing him
face to face once more with the greatest and largest predator of all
time.
FANTASTIC BEASTS SEQUEL FIRST CAST PHOTO WITH JUDE LAW
I'm sure most of you will agree with me that the first one was a ghastly boring affair (I remember slumbering off at least five times during it), a poorly written snoozefest, but FANTASTIC BEASTS is still, as you know, getting a
The Beasts arrive in December 2018, a year from now
sequel and today you can see the first cast photo! Titled THE CRIMES OF GRINDENWALD, it will again star Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, an expert on magical beasts, always lovely Ezra Miller as Credence, Johnny
Eddie Redmayne returns as Newt Scamander, maziologist
Depp as evil Grindenwald, alongside new additions Jude Law as young professor Dumbledore and Callum Turner as Newt's brother Theseus.
THE BEASTS ARE BACK! At the end of the first film, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert
Grindelwald was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the
United States of America),
Jude Law joins the cast as younger professor Dumbledore
with the help of Newt Scamander.
But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set
about gathering followers, most
Johnny Depp is again the evil magician Grindenwald!
unsuspecting of his true agenda: to
raise pure blood wizards up to rule over all non magical beings. In an
effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans, Albus
Callum Turner joins the cast as Newt's brother Theseus
Dumbledore enlists his
former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the
dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are
Ezra Miller returns as enigmatic Credence
tested,
even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided
wizarding world! Stay tuned for the first trailer!
'THE MERCY' TRAILER WITH
COLIN FIRTH & RACHEL WEISZ
Mercy arrives next February!
Meanwhile, a stellar drama sailing into cinemas next February has just got its first trailer and poster, Rachel Weisz and Colin Firth starring THE MERCY! Colin plays yachtsman
Donald Crowhurst whose disastrous attempt to
win the 1968 Golden Globe Race ends up with him creating an outrageous
account of travelling the world alone by sea. The adventure ended in
disgrace and tragedy, after he duped family and race organisers (since
neither him nor his boat were ready for the ocean crossing, he started
sending false reports on his locations over the radio struggling to keep
up the pretence), finally taking his life.
If you follow your spy regularly, as you should because it is a cardinal sin not to, you already know that our most anticipated film of the year 2017 (which we, by the way, consider a very poor one movie wise), is the latest big screen adaptation of famous Victorian thriller MY COUSIN RACHEL which has just got an exciting new trailer and also a rather gorgeous and atmospheric new poster depicting, unlike the first one, both Rachel Weisz and Sam Claflin, the lead stars of the spooky mystery romance. The long awaited movie will hit cinemas in Europe and United States this summer, from June 9th!
POISONED BY CHARMS In the movie, our favourite British hunkster Sam Claflin plays a
young orphan Phillip whose tranquil existence gets interrupted
when he receives a note from his older cousin and guardian Ambrose, who
writes that he is being poisoned. Ambrose soon turns up dead of an
apparent brain tumor, but Phillip is suspicious of Ambrose's strange
wife Rachel, played by Rachel Weisz. When Rachel appears in Philip's
home, he determines to solve the mystery, but finds himself
captivated by the presence of the enigmatic widow falling under the
beguiling spell of her charms.
FROM DAPHNE DU MAURIER
The movie is the latest adaptation of the 1951. novel by legendary writer Daphne Du Maurier who also wrote some of Hitchcock's most famous movies Rebecca and Birds. A few years ago BBC had a mini series based on her book Jamaica Inn. Directed and written by Roger Michell, a man who helmed Notting Hill, MY COUSIN RACHEL also stars Iain Glen and Holliday Grainger who starred with Sam Claflin also in Their Finest, Any Human Heart and The Riot Club. The beautiful locations that you can see in the trailer have been found in Italy.
CLAFLIN'S AND WEISZ' OTHER PERIOD SET PROJECTS Both Sam Claflin and Rachel Weisz have other upcoming period set
movies. Sam will star in THE NIGHTINGALE a 1829 Tasmania set thriller
and in World War 1 movie JOURNEY'S END with Paul Bettany. Rachel is
shooting a queen Anne, the last monarch of the House of Stuarts, movie THE FAVOURITEwith Nicholas Hoult and also a JAMES MIRANDA BARRY movie
on the women who lived her entire life as a man so she could study and
practice medicine.
Our most anticipated movie this year by far, the big screen adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier dark Victorian novel MY COUSIN RACHEL, has a brand new trailer and it is all kinds of gorgeous!
Starring Sam Claflin, Rachel Weisz, Holliday Grainger, Iain Glen,
this dark romance, tells the story of a young Englishman who plots
revenge against his mysterious, beautiful cousin, believing that she
murdered his guardian in order to inherit his estate. But his feelings
become complicated as he finds himself falling under the beguiling spell
of her charms.
'THE WARRIORS GATE'
EPIC ADVEN- TURE MOVIE
Meanwhile, in our most beloved genre of epic fantasy and action adventure a rather lovely and fun trailer has been released, alongside some really pretty posters, for THE WARRIORS GATE a movie which already played in Chinese cinemas last winter in November, but will hit certain parts of Europe this month. Written by French moviemaker Luc Besson it was directed by Matthias Hoene and has the cast led by young Uriah Shelton in the main role alongside Dave Bautista, Sienna Guillory and gorgeous Asian superstar Ni Ni!
SAVE THE WORLD FROM EVIL This $30 million epic fantasy extravaganza movie sees Uriah Shelton
portraying a teenager, a game wizard and a computer genius, who gets
transported into the very game he loves to play and ends up all the way
over in ancient China in a magical way where he gets a mission to
accomplish by saving the princess from danger. He transforms himself
into a Kung Fu warrior to battle the evil villains by converting his
video game skills.
It seems that after they've collaborated on the second season of epic TV series The Last Kingdom (check it down below), BBC and Netflix will work again on another period set lavish saga! As it has been confirmed today, they will produce TROY: FALL OF A CITY epic mini series which will tell the story of the siege of Troy from the point of view of a Trojan family! Written by the scribes of Tom Hiddleston's Night Manager, 'the bold and visceral rendition of the 3000 year old classic, told across multiple parts, will be Intimate and epic, gripping and exhilarating, rich with psychological intrigue and human drama, bringing the characters' passions, pain and loss'. Shooting starts this month so expect casting updates soon!
'THE FAVOURITE' MOVIE CASTS
NICHOLAS HOULT NEXT TO RACHEL WEISZ AND EMMA STONE Speaking of epic projects, Yorgos Lanthimos' new period set movie
drama THE FAVOURITE has just cast Nicholas Hoult who will now join
Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone in the story that follows the political
machinations behind the scenes during the reign of Queen Anne, the last
monarch of the House of Stuarts. The story takes place between the end
of the 17th century and first years of the 18th century, when Anne
reigned from 1702-1707. Olivia Colman is set to play Queen Anne, with
Rachel Weisz as her lady Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough and Emma Stone as
Abigail Masham, an impoverished, distant relative of Sarah, who gains a
position at court tending to the Queen. Nicholas Hoult will be
Harley,the Tory party leader during the reign of Queen Anne!
'LAST KINGDOM' EPIC TV SERIES
2ND SEASON AIRS IN TWO WEEKS
Meanwhile, the above mentioned collaboration between the British broadcaster and the streaming service THE LAST KINGDOM will start airing its second season from March 16th in UK on BBC Two and next day around the world on Netflix. Starring Alexander Dreymon and David Dawson it will bring new adventures of young prince Uhtred in the quest to regain his father's kingdom in mediaeval Anglia.
Here's something we've been waiting for, for a very long time, the first trailer for period set adaptation MY COUSIN RACHEL based on the famous novel by Daphne Du Maurier which opens up in European cinemas this June starring Sam Claflin and Rachel Weisz.
Also starring Iain Glen and Holliday Grainger, the movie will see Sam
Claflin in the role of a young Englishman who, after inheriting a
rich Cornish estate, secretly plots revenge against his mysterious,
beautiful cousin, played by Rachel Weisz, believing that she murdered
his guardian. But his feelings become complicated as he finds himself
falling under the beguiling spell of her seductive charms. Notting
Hill's Roger Michell is directing! Check out the gorgeously atmospheric
trailer with amazing Wicked Games cover from Ursine Vulpine and Annaca! I admit it is my most anticipated movie this year!
'MURDER ON ORIENT EXPRESS'
MANUEL GARCIA RULFO CAST!
Meanwhile, the latest actor to join the stellar cast of Kenneth Branagh's Agatha Christie movie adaptation MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS is hunky Manuel Garcia Rulfo who will play Marquez in the cast that already includes Branagh as famous detective Hercule Poirot who is investigating a murder of a wealthy American on the luxurious train the Orient Express stuck in the middle of Yugoslavia during blizzard, alongside Judi Dench as Princess Dragomiroff, Derek Jacobi, Johnny Depp, Willem Dafoe, Olivia Colman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tom Bateman, Daisy Ridley, Penelope Cruz, Josh Gad and Leslie Odom Jr!
First photos from some of the movies we're anxiously awaiting, first, photos of Oscar winners Rachel Weisz and Colin Firth from THE MERCY a true life drama movie scheduled to premiere sometime later this year from The Theory of Everything director James Marsh!
ALONE AT THE SEA Colin plays yachtsman Donald Crowhurst whose disastrous attempt to
win the 1968 Golden Globe Race ends up with him creating an outrageous
account of travelling the world alone by sea. The adventure ended in disgrace and tragedy, after he duped family and race organisers (since neither him nor his boat were ready for the ocean crossing, he started sending false reports on his locations over the radio struggling to keep up the pretence), finally taking his life.
Rachel Weisz who plays his
wife is also joined in the cast by David Thewlis and Sam Hoare!
FIRST 'BLACK 47' PHOTO
A HUGO WEAVING, JIM BROADBENT, STEPHEN REA MOVIE
There's also the first photo from historical drama BLACK 47 with a thespian cast including Hugo Weaving, Jim Broadbent, Stephen Rea, Moe Dunford with James Frecheville playing an Irish Ranger during the Great Famine of 1847, who has been fighting for the British Army abroad, but abandons his post to reunite with his family. Despite experiencing the horrors of war, he is shocked by the famine's destruction of his homeland and the brutalization of his people and his family.
