SEE GORGEOUS TRAILERS FOR RUSSIAN FAIRY TALE MOROZKO WITH KIRILL ZAYTSEV AND EPIC FANTASY SERIES IT'S HARD TO BE A GOD WITH ALEKSANDAR RADOJICIC, NIKITA KOLOGRIVY

  REPORT FROM RUSSIA 

TRAILER FOR EPIC FAIRY TALE MOROZKO

After a week of upcoming new French and Spanish series I have landed over in Moscow to bring you news from Russia in two parts, drop by tomorrow for historical genre. Today, two fantasy

Morozko is out this October in Russia

 movies starting with the trailer for latest fairy tale movie adaptation MOROZKO with our dearest Russian actor Kirill Zaytsev which is out October 22nd! 

  THE FILM

follows Marfa and Nastya who are half-sisters and best friends, and they cope not only with their grumpy mother, but also with ancient magic, because of which winter has not come in their village for many decades. In the famous fairy tale step mother hates her step daughter and banishes her to the woods in the middle of the winter where she selflessly saves Morozko and is then covered in gold and fortune by him to much chagrin of her step mother. By the end of the movie the girls manage to overcome all obstacles, drive away the evil witch, melt Morozko’s heart, and also find love. See the trailer below:

 

 

IT'S HARD TO BE A GOD IS STREAMING

Already streaming as of September 3rd on Russian streamer Wink is epic sf series IT'S HARD TO BE A GOD with stunningly beautiful Serbian actor Aleksandar Radojičić in the lead role 

The series started streaming this week

next to Victoria Isakova, Fyodor Bondarchuk, Nikita Kologrivy, Fyodor Lavrov, Vladimir Yumatov, Nikolai Kozak, and Vojvodinian actress Nina Senicar!

 WHAT IS THE STORY?

 In the distant future, Earthlings help less advanced civilizations overcome the difficult stages of evolution. Anton, an employee of the Institute of History, travels to medieval Arkanar to rescue scientists capable of advancing evolution. He is destined to become Don Rumata Estorsky, a wealthy aristocrat who enjoys fighting, drinking, and women. The Progressors' main rule is not to directly interfere with the natural course of history, selectively helping a few Enlighteners avoid destruction. But Anton also has a personal interest, which he concealed from the institute. Somewhere here, in Arkanar, his father has disappeared without a trace. 

 

FIRST IMAGES FROM EPIC SF TV SERIES IT'S HARD TO BE A GOD WITH ALEKSANDAR RADOJICIC, SERGEI BEZRUKOV, NIKITA KOLOGRIVY, NINA SENICAR

  IT'S HARD TO BE A GOD  

FIRST IMAGES FROM THE SF EPIC SERIES

Russian streamer Wink and their broadcaster NTV have finished production on their eight part action-adventure drama IT'S HARD TO BE A GOD (Трудно быть богом) based on the novella of the same name by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. With the sets that are a combination of medieval European and Eastern architecture, the series was shot in Iran and Moscow with over 600 builders, engineers, artists, sculptors, and decorators working on it for five months. A whole city was built including the lavish Condor palace. Hope we get a trailer soon!

 WHAT IS THE STORY?

 In the distant future, Earthlings help less advanced civilizations overcome the difficult stages of evolution. Anton, an employee of the Institute of History, travels to medieval Arkanar to rescue scientists capable of advancing evolution. He is destined to become Don Rumata Estorsky, a wealthy aristocrat who enjoys fighting, drinking, and women. The Progressors' main rule is not to directly interfere with the natural course of history, selectively helping a few Enlighteners avoid destruction. But Anton also has a personal interest, which he concealed from the institute. Somewhere here, in Arkanar, his father has disappeared without a trace. 

 

WHO IS IN THE CAST? 

To make the cast international, the producers have given the role of Rumata in the series to Serbia's hottest movie star, the wildly handsome and stunningly beautiful Aleksandar Radojičić who thus joins another Serbian star Milosh Bikovich in the Russian movie and TV world. Sergei Bezrukov plays Condor. The cast also includes Victoria Isakova, Fyodor Bondarchuk, Nikita Kologrivy, Fyodor Lavrov, Vladimir Yumatov, Nikolai Kozak, stunning Nina Senicar actress from your spy's country of Vojvodina joins the international part of the cast. The series will also include Irina Pautova, Lev Zulkarnaev, Ravshana Kurkova, Victor Dobronravov, Artemy Milgram, Ivan Agapov, Maria Denisova, Boris Zverev, Daniil Kiselev, Yana Sexte and others.

RUSSIAN INTERNATIONAL MEGAHIT COMEDY SON OF A RICH IS BACK WITH A SEQUEL! WATCH THE HILARIOUS TEASER WITH MILOS BIKOVIC

  SON OF A RICH 2 TRAILER  

FOR COMEDY MOVIE SEQUEL

Four years ago the first part became a massive international hit, and now Russian hit comedy is getting a sequel: SON OF A RICH 2 (Холоп 2) will arrive

The film arrives first day of 2024!

into cinemas January 1st, 2024, but we already have a teaser. If you remember, in the first movie panslavic Serbian star Milos Bikovic plays a rich brat whose daddy builds a medieval reality show set and puts him there to discipline him by forcing him to live as a serf. Now, Grisha, a former rich brat who was a serf and became a man, after a trip to the "past" is sensitive to any injustice. And, of course, he cannot get past the lawlessness that the impudent and spoiled brat girl named Katya creates. It is not surprising that soon the new brat finds herself in a different time. Katya is played by Aglaya Tarasova, who was, interestingly enough, a real life girlfriend od Bikovic for sometime. The film was directed by Russia's most popular director Klim Shipenko who recently shot world's first ever film in space. 

SERBIA PREPARING A HIGH END MIXTURE OF DOCUMENTARY AND LIVE ACTION SERIES THE HOLY KINGDOM ABOUT THE RISE OF THEIR MEDIEVAL STATE!

   THE HOLY KINGDOM  

NEW HIGH END HISTORICAL DOCU

Your treat for today are first images from new historical series coming from Serbia THE HOLY KINGDOM which will be a high end documentary series with

The series might air on Viasat History as well

live action scenes depicting the birth and the rise of Serbian medieval state with the special focus on Serbia's most important royal dynasty Nemanyich. To premiere this Autumn on Serbian national broadcaster RTS, this twelve part series will also cover how all the kings of the Nemanyich dynasty were proclaimed saints except the most famous one among them - legendary Serbian tzar Dushan who, at the peak of his power, ruled the biggest kingdom in Europe at that time, which covered the whole Balkans including Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece. While the live action part has

Petar Strugar is playing Stefan Nemanya

already been shot, the documentary part will feature Serbia's most prominent historians and archaeologists, alongside professors from the world's most famous universities, such as Harvard, Oxford, Sorbonne, Lomonosov, Heidelberg! Serbian Museum of History has, meanwhile, provided ideal reconstructions of Serbian medieval crowns, which significantly contributed to the authentic appearance of the characters. For the first time ever on film, the audience will be able to see the legendary coronation of tzar Dushan which was later on a theme of many magnificent paintings. Petar Strugar leads the cast in the live action part as Stefan Nemanya, the founder of the dynasty and its first great zhupan. Viasat History has expressed interest for this series so there is a huge possibility they will air it for the global audiences.

BLAKE LIVELY, JUSTIN BALDONI TO LEAD IT ENDS WITH US ADAPTATION, NICOLE KIDMAN HBO'S PERFECT NANNY TV SERIES! DARA OF JASENOVAC DIRECTOR GAGA ANTONIJEVIC TO HELM 14TH CENTURY EPIC MOVIE BATTLE OF KOSOVO!

  NEW BOOK ADAPTATIONS 

BLAKE LIVELY IN IT ENDS WITH US MOVIE ADAPTATION

A couple of adaptations today, beginning with Justin Baldoni who will direct the movie adaptation of Coleen Hoover's IT ENDS WITH US with Blake Lively as s girl named Lily who has just moved and is ready to start her life after college. Lily then meets a guy named Ryle and she falls for him. As she is developing feelings for Ryle, Atlas, her first love, reappears and challenges the relationship between Lily and Ryle. Baldoni will also star in his film.

 

THE PERFECT NANNY AT HBO WITH NICOLE KIDMAN

Meanwhile, Nicole Kidman is returning to HBO where she will star, together with Maya Erskine, in the six episode TV series adaptation of THE PERFECT NANNY from Leila Slimani. In this high profile limited series, a seemingly perfect nanny goes to work for a couple with two young children, but her helpful personality eventually deteriorates into something sinister. 

   BATTLE OF KOSOVO   

NEW HISTORICAL EPIC MOVIE

Director of War World II epic drama Dara of Jasenovac which was one of the biggest contenders for best foreign film during the nominations race for Oscars last year, Gaga Antonijević, is preparing another massive historical drama: this time he will helm a sweeping historical epic BATTLE OF KOSOVO which will follow the famous battle between Serbian defenders and Turkish invaders that happened in 1389 at Kosovo field. The battle which

Beloved Serbian actor Nenad Jezdić will play knez Lazar

saw around 10,000 Serbs fighting against close to 40,000 Ottomans, was celebrated as Serbian victory around Europe of that time, but both Serbs and Turks consider it their personal defeat as Serbs lost all their knights and nobles together with their leader knez Lazar, while the Ottomans lost their sultan Murad who was killed by Serbian hero Milos Obilic and his courageous

Nataša Ninković is set to play Serbian kneginya Militza

knights. It is interesting that some of the lead roles are already known: Nenad Jezdić will play knez Lazar himself, while Nataša Ninković is set to play his wife kneginya Militza who had to take over the throne with her son prince Stefan after the demise of her whole family, including her husband, nine brothers and father, in the tragic battle. The shooting will start this summer.

A HUNT ON ROMAN EMPEROR'S TREASURE IN CONSTANTINE'S CROSSING EPIC TV SERIES COMING FROM SERBIA

 CONSTANTINE'S CROSSING 

NEW EPIC TV SERIES

After their series Besa and Black Wedding have scored streaming on Amazon and Australian SBS and upcoming sf series Block 27 has scored

The book is also out in English on Amazon

international distribution through Beta, we can expect another Serbian series coming from Firefly Productions. Their next project is super ambitions and expensive ten episode adaptation of CONSTANTINE'S CROSSING novel from Serbia's bestselling author and king of historical adventures Dejan Stojiljkovic. We first mentioned the possible adaptation some ten years ago of this supernatural World War II story about the Nazis’ hunt for powerful relics that once belonged to the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. As Variety reports, the lavish period drama will boast Indiana Jones - style action elements! This huge project will have production design done by legendary Miljen Kreka Kljakovic, a César and European Film Award winner! Next March Firefly is opening their own massive new studios near Belgrade.

SEE HENRY CAVILL AS WORLD'S GREATEST SPY ARGYLLE IN APPLE'S MOVIE TEASER! SEE TRAILER & POSTER FOR SERBIAN 14TH CENTURY MEDIEVAL MOVIE HEROES!

 HEROES MOVIE TRAILER  

FROM MEDIEVAL SERBIA

We're visiting Serbia today as I have for you the first trailer for HEROES movie drama, a debut for Serbian director Goran Nikolic which premiered

Heroes aired at Belgrade's FEST

last month at Belgrade International Film Festival FEST. Set right after the 1389 historical battle of Kosovo, in which a much smaller Serbian army defeated the powerful troops of invading Turkish sultan Murat but was also left without its king and all of the Serbian knights and nobles who died defending the country,  the film follows a Serbian knight, played by Mladen Sovilj, on his way home from the battle while suffering from terrible post traumatic syndrome. A young orphan (Todor Jovanović) joins him on the road. The warrior does not wish to have company at first, but as the journey progresses and becomes increasingly insufferable, he feels more

Heroes is a directorial debut of Goran Nikolic

ready to protect the playful, sometimes annoying, kid. However, the visions of the past (or maybe the future) keep haunting him. As Cineuropa reports, the film does not have dialogues, just the narration from the boy himself. 

 

 

 ARGYLLE MOVIE TEASER 

STARRING HENRY CAVILL 

You can also check out short teaser for Henry Cavill's Apple TV + movie  ARGYLLE which, based on Ellie Conway’s upcoming spy novel, follows the world’s greatest spy Argylle as he is caught up in a globe-trotting adventure.

Henry Cavill leads Argylle with a strange new hairdo

Beside the godawful Dua Lipa, whom you can see in the teaser, the film also stars Samuel L. Jackson, Bryce Dallas Howard, Catherine O’Hara, Bryan Cranston and Sam Rockwell! It will air later this year directed by Matthew Vaughn.

PREMIUM SPOTLIGHT ON RUSSIAN EPIC TV SERIES JANISSARY WITH ILYA MALAKOV: A STORY OF HONOUR, FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE SET IN THE LATE 17TH CENTURY

  JANISSARY EPIC SERIES  

TO LAUNCH TOMMOROW!

Janissary will start in Russia tomorrow

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:

MARK RUFFALO, HUGH LAURIE JOIN NETFLIX TV SERIES ADAPTATION OF ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE! 19TH CENTURY PERIOD SET DRAMA BAD BLOOD FIRST SERBIAN MOVIE TO STREAM ON NETFLIX

 ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE 

MARK RUFFALO AND HUGH LAURIE JOIN THE CAST

As Variety reports, Netflix' TV four part adaptation of WW2 novel ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE has added Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie. It follows Marie-Laure, a blind teenager whose path collides with Werner, a German soldier, as they both try to survive the devastation of World

It will be a four part adaptation of Anthony Boerr's novel

War II in occupied France. Ruffalo will be her father, the principal locksmith at the Museum of Natural History in Paris. Caring and clever, he’s determined to give his blind daughter as much independence as he can while also protecting her from Nazi occupation. Laurie is Etienne LeBlanc, an eccentric and reclusive World War I hero suffering from PTSD, a nervous shut-in who records clandestine radio broadcasts as part of the French Resistance.

   BAD BLOOD MOVIE  

ARRIVES JANUARY TO NETFLIX

The first ever film from Serbia to stream on Netflix will arrive to the streamer January 17th. Based on one of Serbia's biggest literary classics BAD BLOOD by Serbian Dostoevsky Bora Stankovic, the movie (which was also

Bad Blood will supposedly stream on Netflix next Monday

made into a mini TV series) follows the story of Hadzi Trifun, a prominent 19th century Serbian merchant, who tries to keep the peace with the Turkish

Andjela Jovanovic plays the lead female role of Tashana

authorities, but also maintains his reputation and influence in Vranje, an important Turkish town near the border with liberated Serbia. While trying to

The film is set in the period when South of Serbia was still Turkish

preserve the independence of his people, Trifun makes difficult decisions that will later affect his descendants! Although it got mixed reviews, the film was the second best viewed in Serbian cinemas last year!

BETA FILM PREPARING RISE OF THE RAVEN EPIC TV SERIES ABOUT JANOS HUNYADI'S VICTORY IN THE 15TH CENTURY BATTLE FOR BELGRADE

 RISE OF RAVEN EPIC SERIES

ON THE 15TH CENTURY WARRIOR JANOS HUNYADI 

As Variety reports, Robert Lantos and our dear Beta Film have joined forces on RISE OF THE RAVEN, a big budget epic TV series about famous Janos Hunyadi, a fearless warrior who defeated the vast Ottoman army anddefended Europe in 1456 at the Battle of Serbian capital Belgrade. The ten

The series will follow Janos or John Hunyadi

episode series will be an adaptation of Bán Mór’s ten bestselling novels about Hunyadi, with award winning director George Mihalka as the show runner. The casting and negotiations with European broadcasters are currently underway. 

SIEGE OF BEL GRADE

was a military blockade of Belgrade that occurred in July 1456. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror rallied his resources to conquer Smederevo, the mediaeval capital of Serbia and Belgrade, the main Hungarian fortress in the South, and thus subjugate the Kingdom of Hungary. John or Janos Hunyadi, the Count of Temes and captain general of Hungary, who had fought many battles

An epic moment from the Siege of Belgrade

against the Turks in the previous two decades, prepared the defenses of the fortress together with the soldiers sent by Serbian despot Dyurady Brankovic. The siege escalated into a major battle, during which Hunyadi led a sudden counter attack that overran the Ottoman camp, ultimately compelling the wounded Mehmed II to lift the siege and retreat. The battle

Hunyadi had just around 30,000 men vs Sultan's 100,000!

had significant consequences, as it stabilized the southern frontiers of the Kingdom of Hungary for more than half a century and thus, together with the heroic resistance from Serbian people in the south, considerably delayed the Ottoman advance in Europe. The series will be a saga of bravery, love, perseverance, the fight for freedom, and the eventual victory over forces that threatened not only Balkans but the rest of Europe.

DARA OF JASENOVAC DIRECTOR PREDRAG ANTONIJEVIC PREPARING SERBIA'S FIRST EPIC FANTASY HIGH END TV SERIES BASED ON BASH TCHELIK FAIRY TALE

 BASH TCHELIK EPIC TV SERIES

BASED ON SERBIAN FAIRY TALE

Last week I informed you that Predrag Gaga Antonijevic, the director of Serbia's Oscar representative Dara of Jasenovac, is planning a

The series will shoot in 2023

historical adventure movie Janissary with Christian Bale and Sharon Stone, but he is also preparing first ever high end Serbian epic TV series based on their popular fairy tale BASH TCHELIK (in Serbian True Steel). The start of the shooting is planned for 2023. 

IN BASH TCHELIK

A king has three sons and three daughters. On his deathbed he makes his sons swear that they will marry off their sisters to the first person who asks. One night a booming voice demands that one sister be given to him. The two older brothers are reluctant, while the youngest (the Least of Three) heeds his father's dying request and hands her over. The same thing

These gorgeous pics come from Petar Meselgia

happens for the next two nights, until all the sisters are given away to mysterious strangers. The three brothers then decide to go and search for their sisters. Throughout their travels, each brother fights many headed serpents, the youngest tossing the serpent into a lake putting out their camp fire; so he has to go out alone to find fire, and using his wits he defeats nine giants that were terrorizing the region. Finally, he rescues a princess from the giant's village and is allowed to marry the princess. He lives in her castle and is allowed to visit any of the rooms, except one which is bound with chains (the One Forbidden Thing). When his wife is away from the castle, he goes inside the room and finds a man bound in chains. The man calls himself BASH TCHELIK and he begs for three glasses of water. Every time BASH TCHELIK drains a glass, the prince receives an extra life. When the third glass is handed to him, BASH TCHELIK regains

Series will be done with the help of Serbian Telekom

his massive strength, breaks the chains, spreads his wings, and flies away with the youngest son's wife. Now the prince sets out on a new quest to rescue his wife. On the way, he discovers that his sisters were married to the Lords of Dragons, Hawks and Eagles. He visits their castles and is welcomed. But when he tells each Lord of his plans to defeat BASH TCHELIK, they try to stop him, telling him its impossible. The young prince refuses to listen, so each Lord gives him a magical feather that when burned will summon their armies. He tries to rescue his wife but each time, fails and loses his life. On the fourth time he fails again and dies, but not before he burns the feathers and his body is saved by his brothers-in-law. They resurrect him using the magical water from River Jordan. At this point the prince's wife learns that BASH TCHELIK cannot be killed, because his life is in a bird that is in a heart of fox in a forest of a high mountain. Helped by the Lords, the prince finally slays BASH TCHELIK and rescues his wife.