Although it still does not have a broadcaster or a streamer, Cathay Film Company has unveiled cast for Arvin Chen directed eight part series COOLIE set on 19th century Cuba. In the mid-1800s, when the African slave trade was outlawed throughout the Americas, plantation owners in Cuba instead began trafficking indentured servants from China and other parts of
Mauricio Henao, Louise Wong and Joseph Chang will lead the cast
Asia. These, so-called coolies were often treated as slaves, but some integrated into Cuban society and joined the country’s fight for independence from Spain. The provided a low-cost workforce for farms, restaurants, factories and were instrumental in setting up Chinatowns across the world. With Louise Wong in the lead role as a young woman who departs from southern China to marry a political exile working on a sugarcane plantation in Cuba, the
Sian Chiong and Camila Arteche will also star in the series
narrative sees her join forces with servants and African slaves seeking freedom. But the plantation owner’s spurned wife and her ex-lover conspire against them, triggering a series of scheming and retaliatory moves that leave Cuba’s fate in the balance. As Variety reports, the cast will also have Joseph Chang, Colombian actor Mauricio Henao and Cuban actors Camila Arteche and Sian Chiong.
The news is that Jaume Collet-Serra will direct the Amazon MGM Studios movie which will see Emily Blunt play pioneering female detective Kate Warne, a real-life Sherlock Holmes-esque character. Kate Warne was the first female detective at the Pinkerton agency and she allegedly paved the way for future women in law enforcement and forever changed how detective work was done. The talks about the production should continue after the strike.
Although his Australia movie did prove a massive flop back in the days, Baz Luhrmann has now turned it into a six part series FARAWAY DOWNS with additional materials and it is set to launch November 26th on Hulu staring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. She plays an English aristocrat, Lady Sarah Ashley who travels halfway across the world to confront her wayward husband and sell an unusual asset: a million-acre cattle ranch in the Australian Outback called Faraway Downs. Following the death of her husband, a ruthless Australian cattle baron, King Carney (Bryan Brown), plots to take her land and she reluctantly joins forces with a rough-hewn cattle drover (Jackman) to protect her ranch. The sweeping adventure romance is explored through the eyes of young Nullah (Brandon Walters), a bi-racial Indigenous Australian child caught up in the government’s draconian racial policy now referred to as the “Stolen Generations.”
She already played a tribal warrior more than ten years ago next to Michael Fassbender in Centurion, but one of Europe's biggest stars Olga Kurylenko will go tribal again playing the Celtic queen in BOUDICA epic
The movie should be out this December
movie from director Jesse V. Johnson.
Today you can see the first trailer for this historical adventure that
will arrive to cinemas December 8th! The cast also includes Clive Standen (as her husband), Nick Moran, Peter Franzen, Leo Gregory and Kris Johnson.
INSPIRED
by events in A.D. 60, the film follows the legendary Celtic
warrior who rules the Iceni people alongside her husband Prasutagus.
When he dies at the hands of Roman soldiers, Boudica’s kingdom is left
without a male heir and the Romans seize her land and property.
Driven to the edge of madness and determined to avenge her husband’s
death, Boudica rallies the various tribes from the region and wages an
epic war against the mighty Roman empire.
Beside the news that BBC has ordered the second season of Marie Antoinette series, another info coming from the isle is that Channel 5 is shooting new thriller series COMA in which Jason Watkins plays Simon, a devoted family man, finds himself at a breaking point as his neighbourhood falls victim to the terrorising antics of a group of teenagers, led by the menacing 17-year-old Jordan Franklin (Joe Barber), and his questionable
Mumeni, Armstrong, Watkins and Barber will star in the series
companions. Simon and his wife, Beth (Claire Skinner), are desperate to move their young daughter to a safer area away from the threatening atmosphere. When Simon’s frustration reaches its peak and he confronts Jordan outside his own home, a split-second decision changes everything. David Bradley will be Simon’s quiet grumpy neighbour Harry, Jonas Armstrong is Jordan’s dangerous father Paul, and David Mumeni is Simon’s untrustworthy boss Jimmy.
As Variety reports, Terra Mater Studios is set to produce a three season, each with six episodes, historical drama SALON OF SUGAR which will chart the life of Berta Zuckerkandl, born in 1864: a writer, journalist and a
Berta Zuckerkandl's surname means sugar
hostess of an important literary salon in Vienna, frequented by the likes of Auguste Rodin, Gustav Klimt, director Max Reinhardt, writer Stefan Zweig, composer Gustav Mahler who met his wife Alma there! The faces that frequented her salon range from Freud to Georges Clemenceau. By creating an environment where revolutionary ideas and discussions flourished, Berta found herself at the very center of cultural and intellectual evolution during a “transformative” era in European history. Spanning decades and both World wars, the show will also feature colorful supporting characters like Aleš Polák, a sugar factory worker who becomes her confidant, or his sister Josefa, going from a café cashier to a fake nurse and finally to a healer on the battlefield.
With the official start of production earlier this month, Netflix has unveiled first look at WINTER PALACE their co production with Swiss television, an eight part French
and English language period drama charting the birth of winter tourism
in the Alps as conceived by a Swiss hotelier and British aristocrat in
the early twentieth century.
Based on true events, itrevolves around ambitious proprietor Andre
Morel (Cyril Metzger), who,
The series starts shooting next month
in 1899, envisions a five-star luxury hotel that will remain
open
throughout winter. He convinces wealthy aristocrat Lord Fairfax (Simon Ludders) to come
on board, and the two find themselves battling demanding clientele,
rebellious staff and a hostile climate to make their dream a reality.
Manon Clavel will play the wife of Andre. Astrid Roos stars as Lady Isobel, Henry Pettigrew as Sir Conan Doyle, Clive Standen as Lance Raney, Vincent Heneine as Chef Voclain and Axel Granberger as Marcus.
Swiss stars Alix Henzelin, Antoine Basler, Gaspard Boesch, Roland Vouilloz, Serge Musy and Karim Barras also star. The series will stream late next year.
1ST RICHARD ROXBURGH, EWEN LESLIE, JACOB COLLINS LEVY PICS
Well that will be a fantastic cast. Australians really never do wrong! Ozzie streamer Stan has revealed first images from their new megachurch series PROSPER an epic family drama that takes a provocative peek behind the curtain of power and privilege. Richard Roxburgh leads as Cal Quinn, the founder and globalpastor of fictional Sydney megachurch U Star, and Rebbeca Gibney is
Abi Quinn, his wife and worship leader. Their powerful megachurch is
one of Australia’s fastest growing and on the precipice of a lucrative
American expansion. While the family preaches messages of faith, love
and acceptance to thousands of followers, behind closed doors, the they
protect shamefulsecrets. Ewen Leslie is their dutiful eldest son Dion Quinn. Ming-Zhu Hii is his wife, Taryn, and Jacob Collins-Levy is youngest son and rebel with a cause Jed, with Hayley McCarthy as Isabel Kalani, the family’s only daughter and gifted singer-songwriter. Jordi Webber is her hot American husband Benji and Alexander D’Souza plays Moses, Cal and Abi’s adopted son. Currently in production, the series will arrive next year.
HANNAH WADDINGHAM HOLIDAY SPECIAL ON APPLE TV PLUS
Well if you loved her outstanding singing in Ted Lasso and as host of the Eurosong, you will be happy to hear that Apple TV Plus has announced
Hannah will sing with Luke Evans
Hannah Waddingham Christmas special and today you can view the first look of her in golden festive dress she will be wearing in it. Arriving November 22nd, musical extravaganza HOME FOR CHRISTMAS is a holiday event that will deliver a captivating night to remember, featuring dazzling performances and musical numbers from the Olivier-nominated actress, as well as special surprise guests. The special was recorded earlier this year in front of a live audience at the London Coliseum and audiences around the world will be able to join Waddingham in celebrating her favorite time of year as she performs festive classics accompanied by her spectacular big band. You remember her renditions of Never Gonna Give You Up, Let It Go and Baby Please Come Home for Christmas in Ted Lasso series.
Today I have for you first look at our dear Daniel Donskoy, whom last you watched as a Roman soldier in Barbarians, in new Russian series SERFS
Daniel Donskoy stars in Serfs series
(Крепостные) which will hit Russian TNT next year as a historical comedy following serfs who are forced to go on the run after the absurd death of their master. 1822, a typical situation for those years: the tyrant master, like many nobles who own estates and peasants, abuses his position. It doesn’t cost him anything to pester a forced beauty or order a groom to be flogged for the slightest offense. At the same time, the landowner is considered neither good nor bad, but an ordinary representative of his class in the first half of the 19th century, but the serfs dream of leaving his power. The poor fellow's dream comes true: the master dies. But freedom from the landowner does not give them happiness, because the circumstances of the owner’s death indicate that any of the peasants belonging to him could be guilty. This means that the servants will not see a quiet life and will not be able to enjoy life without strict rules. Therefore, the only solution that comes to the minds of the serfs is to flee. Here it is - the long-awaited romance and the absence of a tyrant owner: how easy it is to break loose and get into trouble.
CERBERUS TV SERIES
NEW 19TH CENTURY TEASER
Sergey Marin leads Cerberus seriers
Speaking of upcoming new historical series from Russian, check out new images from CERBERUS (Цербер) which will air on Premier streamer
in Russia and NTV channel. We also have the first teaser trailer for the series and you can check it out below the post along with the first poster.
THE STORY
is set in 1826, St. Petersburg. After the
suppression of speeches on Senate Square, the investigating commission
begins to search for participants in the Decembrist uprising. Some
of them are revealed to the authorities by the informers. Suddenly, a
series of brutal murders takes place in St. Petersburg: those who
snitched on the Decembrists become victims. Near the bodies of the dead,
there is invariably a piece of paper with lines from a poem by the young poet Alexander Pushkin. A detective (Timofey Tribuntsev) who arrived from Moscow to St. Petersburg, as well as a nobleman (Sergey Marin), who was released
from arrest, take up the investigation of the case. It turns out that
the secret investigation is not dealing with criminality, but with a
strictly planned political revenge. Revenge, the highest point of which
should be the murder of the new Russian Tsar Nicholas I.
