JUDI DENCH & IAN MCKELLAN AGAINST 18TH CENTURY ZOMBIES! 1ST PIC OF JENNIFER LAWRENCE AS KATNISS IN "HUNGER GAMES"! AMORA AS VILLAIN IN "THOR 2"? CILLIAN MURPHY IN "WAYFARING STRANGERS" WW2 THRILLER

Now, I know we are all fed up with vampires and zombies, but what if the best of the best thespians play in such a film? Believe it or not, her Majesty Judi Dench (bow immediately) will join Ian McKellan in THE CURSE OF THE BUXOM STRUMPET. This zombie comedy will be set in 1713, in the town of Upper Trollop :) where a strange plague begins to turn the town's residents into flesh eating cannibals. Lord Fortitude must then lead the survivors in an escape to survive. Judi's character will be called Mrs. Halfpint, and the cast will also include Gillian Anderson.

SHORT HEADLINES *It's official, Michelle Williams WILL play Glinda the Good Witch in OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL as I reported recently. She will join Rachel Weisz as Evanorah and Mila Kunis as Theodorah. *Armie Hammer has officially been announced as THE LONE RANGER beside Johnny Depp as Tonto. *You can check out the first pic of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in THE HUNGER GAMES from the cover of "Entertainment Weekly"! * Having already earned $225 million worldwide THOR is definitely getting a sequel and according to first rumors the villain could be Amora,

a powerful sorceress also known as The Enchantress who has hots for Thor :) * Brilliant Cillian Murphy will star in a psychological WW2 movie WAYFARING STRANGERS, which will follow a group of elite British paratroopers captured by German soldiers and held on a remote farm.

Well, if you like musical, glitz and Broadway you will surely like NBC's upcoming show SMASH. Featuring gorgeous Katharine McPhee and her stunning voice, the new show, coming up this Fall, will celebrate the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater as it follows a cross-section of dreamers and schemers who all have one common desire - to be a SMASH. The series centers on a desire

to create a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, written by the successful songwriter played by WILL & GRACE's Debra Messing. The cast also includes Angelica Huston as a tenacious producer, Jack Davenport as a brilliant director and Megan Hilty who plays the experienced rival to Katharine McPhee's inexperienced but talented character. The whole show was an idea of Steven Spielberg and will feature lots of famous songs in each episode.  Check out a short video.
PS I think Blogger's been ill again, since polls around the Blogosphere haven't been working properly for more than two days now. Our current poll had more than 100 votes three days ago.

1ST TRAILER FOR STEVEN SPIELBERG'S "THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: SECRET OF THE UNICORN"! WB'S NEW EPIC SAGA "THE LOST YEARS OF MERLIN"! TIM BURTON LEAVES "MALEFICENT"! "ARABIAN NIGHTS" & "PIED PIPER" FILMS!

Since their HARRY PLOPPER saga is reaching its end, Warner Bros. is searching for a new fantasy franchise to replace it, and a

possible solution could be a project they've just picked up: they bought the rights and they will do an expensive movie adaptation of THE LOST YEARS OF MERLIN by T.A. Barron. According to "Hollywood Reporter" it is an origin story of the mythical wizard, Merlin, which will trace his journey from being a boy washed on the shores of Wales with no memory and no home, to him becoming a young man learning to use his powers and ultimately defender of the natural world and eventual mentor to King Arthur.

SHORT HEADLINES *Although there's already an ARABIAN NIGHTS film in the making with Chris' brother Liam Hemsworth in the lead role, Universal has decided to make

its own film on the famous legend too.  *Tim Burton has dropped MALEFICENT, the fantasy film on the famous witch from SLEEPING BEAUTY which could possibly have Angelina Jolie in the title role. Disney is now searching for a new director. *20th Century Fox is preparing a modern retelling of the famous tale about the PIED PIPER. They will somehow set the story into a futuristic fantasy thriller. As you remember, in the classic story Pied Piper helps the people from some small town to get rid of mice, but when they don't pay him he uses his magical pipe to lead their children away from the town as well.

As I announced the first trailer for this Christmas epic adventure THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: SECRET OF THE UNICORN is here. Directed by Steven Spielberg (with the

second part to be helmed by Peter Jackson) the film will chronicle the escapades of an intrepid young reporter who has a nose for a good story and a talent for attracting trouble, which more often than not imperils his life! His relentless pursuit of a good story thrusts him into a world of high adventure. The movie adaptation of the famous European comic book features Jamie Bell in the title role, alongside Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Cary Elwes, Andy Serkis... Although the comic book on Tintin isn't known all around the world, Spielberg behind the helm should help film score huge success.But I must admit I don't like the trailer.

BREATHTAKING AND SUPER EXCITING TRAILER FOR ABC'S UPCOMING FANTASY SHOW "ONCE UPON A TIME" WITH JENNIFER MORRISON, GINNIFER GOODWIN, JOSH DALLAS & ROBERT CARLYLE!

Wow, people this really looks super exciting. As you remember HOLLYWOOD SPY has announced last year that ABC is preparing a magical new show called ONCE UPON A TIME for

the Fall season, and we now have the first totally mesmerizing, absolutely exciting and utterly charming trailer. Check it out yourself. It seems it will have stunning sets, exciting story and brilliant actors.
From the creators of LOST and TRON LEGACY, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, the show will bring a bold new vision of the world where fairytales and the modern day are about to collide.  The main hero is Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) who knows how to take care of herself. She's a 28-year old bail bonds collector who's been on her own ever since she was abandoned as a baby. But when the son she gave up years ago finds her, everything will change.

Henry (Jared Gilmore) is 10 years old now and in desperate need of Emma's help. Henry believes that Emma actually comes from an alternate world... and is Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) and Snow White's (Ginnifer Goodwin) missing daughter. According to his book of fairytales, they sent her away to protect her from the

Evil Queen's (Lana Parilla) curse, which trapped the fairytale world forever, frozen in time. Of course Emma doesn't believe a word, but when she brings Henry back to Storybrooke, she finds herself drawn to this unusual boy and his strange New England town. Concerned for Henry, she decides to stay for a while, but she soon suspects that Storybrooke is more than it seems. It's a place where magic has been forgotten, but is still powerfully close... where fairytale characters are alive, even though they don't remember who they once were -including the Evil Queen who is now Henry's foster mother. The epic battle for the future of all worlds is beginning, but for good to win, Emma will have to accept her destiny and fight like hell.

Beside adorable Jennifer Morrison this modern fable with thrilling twists and hints of darkness, brimming with wonder, and filled with the magic of our most beloved fairytales, also features mesmerizing Josh Dallas as Prince Charming,  lovely Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White, scary Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin, dashing Jamie Dornan as Sheriff Graham and Lana Parrilla as Evil Queen.The show will air on ABC on Sundays this Fall!

MICHAEL MANN HELMS "AGINCOURT" EPIC! TOM HIDDLESTON IS "HENRY V"! HIT GAMES "ASSASSIN'S CREED", "SPLINTER CELL" & "GHOST RECON" 2B FILMED! MATTHEW GOODE & ALEX PETTYFER IN "OVERDRIVE"

Now, this is exciting, Ubisoft is planning to make three of its hit video games into movies: visually breathtakingASSASSIN'S CREED an epic action-adventure, which centers on the

conflict between Templars and Assassins, action game SPLINTER CELL which follows an elite secret agent fighting world terrorism and struggling to protect his daughter, and GHOST RECON which is set  in the near future following a secret, elite team of soldiers which are trying to keep and protect world peace using cutting-edge military technology. The films will be 3D and should get scripts before the end of the year.

SHORT HEADLINES *Cult director Jim Jarmusch has gathered a rather strong cast for his untitled vampire love story  which will be set in Detroit and in Morocco. The list includes

Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, John Hurt and Mia Wasikowska. *Famous director Michael Mann (LAST OF THE MOHICANS) has been officially confirmed as the helmer of the new historical epic AGINCOURT, which will be a film adaptation of famous Bernard Cornwell's novel about the glorious battle between English king Henry V and the French army. He will work with brilliant Michael Hirst the author of ELIZABETH and THE TUDORS. *Meanwhile, we shall also see HENRY V over at British BBC, who are working with Sam Mendes and talented Richard Eyre (NOTES ON A SCANDAL) on a TV mini series based on the British king who will be played by new THOR superstar Tom Hiddleston.

Oooh, two of my favourite British boys Matthew Goode (WATCHMEN, LEAP YEAR) and Alex Pettyfer will take the lead roles in OVERDRIVE. To be directed by Colombian filmmaker

Antonio Negret, this $30 million dynamic action movie will revolve around two young, handsome and adventurous brothers, known for being high-profile car thieves, who travel to the South of France looking for new challenges and come across a tough local crime boss. Matthew Goode will also join Julie Andrews, Gemma Arterton and Gabriel Byrne in CROOKED HOUSE, a Neil LaBute's  adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel about the murder of a multi-millionaire and all of his family members who have reasons to want him dead.

1ST TRAILER FOR "HORRIBLE BOSSES" WITH KEVIN SPACEY, COLIN FARRELL, JENNIFER ANISTON! GEMMA ARTERTON & SAOIRSE RONAN ARE VAMPIRES IN "BYZANTIUM"! MODERN TWIST ON "CYRANO DE BERGERAC"!

Although I can't say I'm overly amazed by his new show THE BORGIAS over at Showtime, which has been renewed for the

second season, I do like director Neil Jordan (CRYING GAME, ONDINE, INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE) and it seems he has a new project. His new film will again revolve around vampires.  The £8 million BYZANTIUM will be a vampire story about a mother and a daughter who are practically the same age. The mother is 24 and the daughter is 16 and they became vampires very close in time. They become a deadly pair posing as vampire sisters. The roles are already given to Gemma Arterton (PRINCE OF PERSIA, CLASH OF TITANS) and Saoirse Ronan.

SHORT HEADLINES *Latest rumors say that Luke Evans and Joel Edgerton are competing for the role of Tom Buchanan in Bazz Luhrmann's THE GREAT GATSBY which already

has Leo De Caprio, Tobey Maguire and Isla Fisher. *Our favourite blond vampire Alexander Skarsgard will star in WHAT MAISIE KNEW a film about a six-year-old girl enmeshed in the bitter divorce of her mother, a rock and roll icon (Julianne Moore), and her father, a charming but distracted art dealer (Steve Coogan). Skarsgard will play mother's new boyfriend. *Gary Ross who is currently preparing to shoot the highly anticipated movie adaptation of THE HUNGER GAMES already has a project to do after it. It will be a modern retelling of the CYRANO DE BERGERAC, the story of a man who has to give his love up to a more handsome and less eloquent rival, but this time it will be set in the world of modern social media!

Today HOLLYWOOD SPY brings you the first trailer for this July's comedy HORRIBLE BOSSES. Starring Justin Bateman,

Kevin
Spacey, Colin Farrell and Jeniffer Aniston, the film follows three hardworking friends. The only thing that would make the daily grind more tolerable for them would be to grind their intolerable bosses into dust. Quitting is not an option, so, with the benefit of a few-too-many drinks and some dubious advice from a hustling ex-con, the three friends devise a convoluted and seemingly foolproof plan to rid themselves of their respective employers ... permanently. There's only one problem: even the best laid plans are only as foolproof as the brains behind them.

CHARMING TRAILER FOR "THE CHANGE-UP" WITH JASON BATEMAN & RYAN REYNOLDS. COLIN FIRTH & EMILY BLUNT IN A NEW FILM. AARON ECKHART & SEAN BEAN IN A TWISTED VERSION OF "PAN"!

According to "Deadline" two popular and beloved British stars Colin Firth and Emily Blunt could soon star together. They will

star in an untitled comedy written by Becky Johnston (THE PRINCE OF TIDES, SEVEN YEARS ON TIBET), in which Colin Firth will be a man who hates his job and is hated by his ex-wife and son. Feeling he missed his one shot at living the dream, he fakes his death and buys a new identity. Along the way he meets a woman (Emily Blunt) who is also trying to leave her past behind. The pair break into empty homes and pose as the absent owners. The two find a kinship despite all the lying.

Now, this is quite a strange twist to the classic story I must say: based off characters from the J.M. Barrie famous story, a new

thriller PAN will see Aaron Eckhart and Anna Sophia Robb portraying Hook and Wendy, although they will not be the same characters from the storybook. Hook is actually a modern-day detective, tormented by a kidnapper. Wendy is the lone survivor of this kidnapper, who leaves an asylum to help Hook track him down. Sean Bean is also a part of this cast in which he will take the role of Smee, the head detective who is Hook's only friend on the police force.

Check out a charming new trailer for this summer's comedy THE CHANGE-UP,   in which popular comedian Jason Bateman

plays a married guy and a responsible family man who switches bodies with his best friend a lazy man-child played by Ryan Reynolds  who wants to woo his co-worker by presenting a different image of himself. Premiering August 5th, this charming comedy also stars gorgeous Olivia Wilde and Leslie Mann besides legendary Alan Arkin. The film is directed by David Dobkin (whom we remember from WEDDING CRASHERS and SHANGHAI KNIGHTS) and written by the screenwriters of THE HANGOVER.

1ST TRAILER FOR "FRIGHT NIGHT" WITH COLIN FARRELL & TONI COLLETTE! ASHTON KUTCHER IN "TWO AND A HALF MAN"! ALEX PETTYFER IS CHANNING TATUM IN "MAGIC MIKE"! NBC DROPS "WONDER WOMAN"!

Now, this is quite a strong cast: Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Amanda Seyfried and Katherine Heigl will all star in GENTLY DOWN THE STREAM. This charming comedy

, to be directed by Justin Zackham who wrote BUCKET LIST, will see Robert De Niro and Diane Keaton playing a couple who have long since divorced but agree to pretend to be married again, for their adopted son's wedding. There still isn't any information on the roles which Amanda Seyfried and Katherine Heigl might take in the film nor who will play the adopted son.


SHORT HEADLINES *Marie Lu's novel LEGEND will be adapted into a film. The story is set in an alternate future where North America has been split up and divided into two warring

nations. It's interesting that the novel is yet to be published by Penguin in amazing 350,00 copies! *Believe it or not, Alex Pettyfer will take the lead role in MAGIC MIKE which is basically Channing Tatum's biopic following the days when he was a young male stripper. But Channing will also appear in his biopic playing his own mentor. The film will be directed by Steven Soderbergh. *As we expected after seeing horrid costumes, pictures and videos from the shooting of WONDER WOMAN, NBC has now decided to drop the unfortunate show and we shall not watch it! *It's official: Ashton Kutcher is replacing fallen Charlie Sheen in TWO AND A HALF MAN!

And here it is, the first trailer for the remake of FRIGHT NIGHT which premieres this August.  Anton Yelchin plays Charlie Brewster a young student who is running with the popular crowd

and dating the most coveted girl in his high school. In fact, he’s so cool he’s even dissing his best friend. But trouble arrives when Jerry (Colin Farrell) moves in next door. He seems like a great guy at first, but there’s something not quite right—but everyone, including Charlie’s mom (Toni Collette), doesn’t notice. After observing some very strange activity, Charlie comes to an unmistakable conclusion: Jerry is a vampire preying on the neighborhood. Unable to convince anyone, Charlie has to find a way to get rid of the monster himself. The film also stars gorgeous Imogen Poots and David Tennant as a magician-turned-vampire hunter.

PS since Blogger was down for almost a day and this Friday post was published a bit late, I shall post Saturday post tomorrow morning and not tonight. In the meantime enjoy this one :)

TOM WELLING IS THE NEW "QUATERMAIN"? JASON STATHAM, CLIVE OWEN & ROBERT DE NIRO ARE "THE KILLER ELITE"! KIEFER SUTHERLAND, THOMAS JANE & TIL SCHWEIGER IN "SLEIGHT OF HAND"!

After a decade of playing Superman in SMALLVILLE which is closing to its end, what is popular Tom Welling going to do next?

According to "MovieWeb" it seems he might stay in the world of super heroes since Marvel wants him in one of their future projects which will follow adventures of one of their comic book heroes. It could be DOCTOR STRANGE or RUNAWAYS. And since the producers of SMALLVILLE are producing the futuristic film adaptation of famous QUATERMAIN saga, he might end up in that film too instead of the announced Sam Worthington. Set in a time in which humans have left Earth it will see Quatermain return to the planet from a sojourn in space, embarking on another King Solomon's Mines-style adventure but on a planet wide scale.

SHORT HEADLINES *Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis will play two young mothers who bring revolution to the old and oppressive local school system in STILL I RISE. *This is

quite an interesting cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Thomas Jane, Til Schweiger and Gerard Depardieu will star in SLEIGHT OF HAND, an action comedy set in Paris about a crew of small time crooks, who inadvertently end up possessing a rare gold coin belonging to a notorious French gangster. The series of mix-ups and double crosses culminate as the gangs are pit face to face, chasing through Paris. *What an awkward casting: Katie Holmes and Chase Crawford will star in RESPONSIBLE ADULTS, a film about a woman who starts dating a man and then she realizes she babysat him fifteen years before.

Now, this is quite a masculine cast: Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert De Niro will star in THE KILLER ELITE. This spy

action will follow  Danny (Statham), one of the world's most skilled special-ops agents. Lured out of self-imposed exile to execute a near-impossible feat of retribution and personal salvation, Danny reassembles his old team of operatives to help rescue his former mentor (De Niro), and to penetrate the highly feared and respected military unit, the British Special Air Service (SAS). Facing off against a covert group of ex-SAS soldiers lead by Spike (Owen) Danny and his team must take down a rogue cell of solider assassins before their actions result in a global political meltdown.

SHINY NEW TRAILER FOR HUGH JACKMAN'S "REAL STEEL"! GEORGE CLOONEY AS HUMAN PET IN "HUMAN NATURE"! ULTIMATE CLASH IN "DOMINION: DINOSAURS VS ALIENS"

Well, this was bound to happen sooner or later. A director who hasn't shown much class so far in his career, Barry Sonnenfeld

, has decided to bring an ultimate cosmic clash onto the big screens in DOMINION: DINOSAURS VERSUS ALIENS. Yep, I'm not joking.  He wants to develop both a comic book and a movie in which the story will center on a secret world battle where aliens attack Earth while it is still inhabited by dinosaurs, although the pre-historic creatures have much more intelligence than our history remembers. Are you shocked people?

SHORT HEADLINES *George Clooney will star in HUMAN NATURE which might be directed by Darren Aronofsky. The extremely weird plot circles around a man

who is cryogenically frozen and wakes up several years later to discover that humans are now the pets of a mysterious species.  *Two gorgeous creatures with sinful bodies Amber Heard and Shiloh Fernandez will star in SYRUP, a story about the world of soda marketing in which one man invents a revolutionary brand of soda but his boss steals it from him. *Charlie Hunnam has signed on to star in Guillermo Del Toro's PACIFIC RIM, a futuristic epic in which some terrible and huge creatures appear from the ocean in order to destroy Earth. *Hugo Weaving has been officially confirmed as Elrond in THE HOBBIT.

Ah, here it is, the new trailer for what might be the biggest film in October, REAL STEEL with Hugh Jackman, Evangeline

Lilly and Kevin Durand. This sf action is set in the near-future, where the sport of boxing has gone hi-tech, and Hugh Jackman plays Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom he decides to build and train a championship contender - the best boxing fighter among robots.

AMAZING KARL URBAN IS HOLLYWOOD SPY'S BEST AUSTRALIAN STAR FOLLOWED BY HUGH JACKMAN AND GEOFFREY RUSH!

The second part of YOUR FAVOURITE AUSTRALIAN STAR is over and the winner is Karl Urban with 37% of your votes who left Hugh Jackman in the second place (33%) and Geoffrey Rush in the third (10%).

Famous Kiwi actor Karl Urban probably has the most magnetic charisma in Hollywood. When he enters a scene you see no one else but him even though most of his roles are supporting. This is why he is best known for his irresistible magnetism which radiates from the big screens helping him steal the show from his fellow cast members.. He became famous thanks to HERCULES and XENA in which he played the roles of naughty Cupid and powerful Julius Caesar.  Although he obviously has great acting skills, for reasons stated above most producers see him as an action star so the list of his projects is dominated by action, sf and epics. We've seen him and absolutely loved him in GHOST SHIP, as brave Eomer in LORD OF THE RINGS,  as lord Draco

in THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK,  as the Viking warrior in PATHFINDER, and also in THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, DOOM, COMANCHE MOON, and he also put a smile on everyone's face with his witty portrayal of Dr Bones in STAR TREK. This summer we'll watch him in sf epic PRIEST and after that as JUDGE DREDD. There are rumors that Warner Bros. wants him as the lead actor in BATMAN TV show in a few years when the film saga ends.

Famous Australian star Hugh Jackman is probably the most charming and the most lovable celebrity out there. His kind nature, friendly manner, acting talent and dashing looks have made him

one of the members of Hollywood's A league. He became famous playing Wolverine in X-MEN, than he took our breaths away as the most amazing VAN HELSING, in between he managed to do a few romcoms SOMEONE LIKE YOU with Ashley Judd and CATE AND LEOPOLD. Then he did one of the best films ever THE FOUNTAIN with Rachel Weisz, after which he also shinned in Baz Luhrmann's epic AUSTRALIA. This summer we shall watch him in Robot flick REAL STEELand in SNOW FLOWER AND THE

SECRET FAN. Did you know that he was the first choice for DAREDEVIL, IRON MAN, HULK, FANTASTIC FOUR and SUPERMAN RETURNS? He gets between $10-20 million per role.

Now, let us move to the final part of YOUR FAVOURITE AUSTRALIAN STAR poll. You can vote as much as you like next two weeks for one of these Down Under stars: irresistibly adorable Jesse Spencer (HOUSE),  mind blowingly talented Toni Collette (UNITED STATES OF TARA), magnet-eyed Sam Worthington (AVATAR), warrior princess Lucy Lawless (XENA, SPARTACUS), dashingly cool Richard Roxbourgh (MOULIN ROUGE,VAN HELSING), pop Tinkerbell Kylie Minogue (MOULIN ROUGE), legendary Sam Neill (THE TUDORS) and hunkilicous Alex O'Loughlin (HAWAII 5).