UNSETTLING 1ST BBC 'TABOO' EPIC TV SERIES TRAILER WITH TOM HARDY! TYLER SHERIDAN IS STEVEN SPIELBERG'S 'READY PLAYER ONE'! CW'S MARS SF SERIES CASTS CARL BEUKES

'READY PLAYER ONE' 

SPIELBERG CASTS TYLER SHERIDAN FOR THE LEAD ROLE

And it seems Steven Spielberg has found his lead youngster for the movie adaptation of Ernest Cline's cult sf novel READY PLAYER ONE: young Cyclops from X MEN movies Tyler Sheridan will apparently play Wade Owen Watts, a poor orphan who spends most of his time in a massive online game and virtual society whose currency is the most stable in the very troubled world. Like other players, Wade wants to solve a puzzle hidden in the game by its creator, as doing so supposedly unlocks access to a mind-blowing fortune. Olivia Cooke and Ben Mendelsohn have been cast already.

CW'S MARS SET SERIES

CASTS CARL BEUKES AND OTHERS
In TV news, I've recently announced that CW is preparing a Mars set sf series and now they are gathering cast:  Mouzam Makkar, DOMINION's Archangel Gabriel Carl Beukes and Tongayi Chirisa will play the team of explorers sent to Mars to join the first human colony on the planet, only to discover that their predecessors have vanished. Led by a woman whose husband is among the missing, the colonists are forced to change their mission from exploration and settlement to investigation and survival, while navigating the hostile planet and their own personal demons.

'TABOO' EPIC TV SERIES

TRAILER WITH TOM HARDY IS HERE

The first trailer has been released for Tom Hardy and Ridley Scott's historical series TABOO, BBC and FX eight part drama to air next year. Set in 1814, it sees Hardy playing James Keziah Delaney, a man who has been to the ends of the earth and comes back irrevocably changed. Believed to be long dead, he returns home to London from Africa to inherit what is left of his father’s shipping empire and rebuild a life for himself. But his father’s legacy is a poisoned chalice, and with enemies lurking in every dark corner, James must navigate increasingly complex territories to avoid his own death sentence. Encircled by conspiracy, murder, and betrayal, a dark family mystery unfolds in a combustible tale of love and treachery.

'THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS' TRAILER WITH MICHAEL FASSBENDER, RACHEL WEISZ, ALICIA VIKANDER! COLT PRATTES TAKES LEAD MALE ROLE IN 'DIRTY DANCING' REMAKE

'DIRTY DANCING' TV REMAKE

COLT PRATTES TAKES THE LEAD

Earlier this winter I've informed you that ABC is preparing a TV movie remake of DIRTY DANCING and that Abigail Breslin will play Baby, played originally by Jennifer Grey, and now we have new casting updates! Hot actor and dancer (he was the one dancing with Pink in her TRY video) Colt Prattes will take on the Patrick Swayze's role of Johnny Castle. There are also some rumours around the net that WILL AND GRACE's Debra Messing has joined the cast too and will play Baby's mother. The three hour special, set in the 60's, will again follow the two of them falling for each other during dance classes at a summer camp!

'LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS' TRAILER IS HERE!

WITH MICHAEL FASSBENDER, RACHEL WEISZ, ALICIA VIKANDER

And your trailer for today is the long awaited first one for new Michael Fassbender movie THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS the adaptation of M.L. Stedman's bestselling novel. The movie is out in cinemas this September. Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender), a lighthouse keeper, and his wife Isabel (Alicia Vikander) are living off the coast of Western Australia. When they discover a baby girl who has washed up on a lifeboat, they decide to adopt her as their own child. But as the child grows older, they discover the consequences of passing off the child as their own, especially after they meet a woman (Rachel Weisz), who lost her baby daughter and husband at sea around the same time Tom and Isabel adopted their child. It is the movie thanks to which Fassy and Vikander have started that real life relationship.

TV NEWS: LAURA BRENT TO LEAD 'TRANSYLVANIA' EPIC SERIES! JENNA ELFMAN, STEPHEN SCHNEIDER IN NEW CGI ABC SITCOM! 'MIDNIGHT, TEXAS' TV SERIES ADAPTATION ROUNDS UP CAST

'MIDNIGHT, TEXAS' SERIES

FROM 'TRUE BLOOD' AUTHOR

Another pilot is rounding up its cast over at NBC. Sarah Ramos, Arielle Kebbel and Dylan Bruce will star in a very unusual new series MIDNIGHT, TEXAS a small screen adaptation of Charlaine Harris' trilogy which she wrote after TRUE BLOOD. Described as Twin Peaks meets True Blood in MIDNIGHT, TEXAS, a remote town where your neighbour could be a vampire, a witch, a werewolf, or even an angel. Mystery, horror and romance combine to both enthral and frighten any outsiders who decide to venture into this unusual place! Ramos will be a waitress in the local restaurant, Kebbel will be a freelance hitwoman and a very important woman in the community, while Bruce is the owner of the town's Pawn Shop and estate owner.

JENNA ELFMAN TO LEAD

NEW CGI HYBRID SITCOM AT ABC
In other TV news, 'Deadline' reports that Jenna Elfman and Stephen Schneider will lead an untitled new ABC sitcom pilot which will have CGI elements in it. Elfman will be Alice, a bachelorette whose life is turned upside down when she finally meets the love of her life — a divorced father (Stephen Schneider) with three kids. This triggers even more upheaval when the slightly unhinged imaginary friend Alice (to be done by CGI) created as an only child suddenly reappears in her life to help her navigate the transition from single girl to a woman ready for a family.

LAURA BRENT TO LEAD

'TRANSYLVANIA' EPIC TV SERIES

Meanwhile, over at CW they've cast young Australian actress Laura Brent (LEGEND OF THE SEEKER) to lead their upcoming new epic series TRANSYLVANIA! The story of the historical adventure is set in 1880 revolving around Victoria (Laura Brent), a headstrong young woman in search of her missing father who ventures from NYC to Transylvania where she teams up with a wrongfully disgraced Scotland Yard Detective, and together they witness the births of the most famous monsters and villains in history.

DISNEY'S 'PETE'S DRAGON' REMAKE TRAILER WITH BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD, KARL URBAN, ROBERT REDFORD! EMILIA CLARKE TO LEAD 'SET IT UP' ROMANTIC COMEDY

EMILIA CLARKE TO LEAD

'SET IT UP' ROMANTIC FILM

Only a week or so ago I showed you the beautiful first trailer for Emilia Clarke's and Sam Claflin's heartwarming romance ME BEFORE YOU and now we already have news of The Dragon Queen's new gig: as 'Deadline' writes she will star in SET IT UP! A romantic comedy in the vein of  the wonderfully popular 'The Devil Wears Prada' SET IT UP is also set in the corporate world following two overworked assistants with nasty bosses who try to get their supervisors out of their hair, by setting them up romantically. She has also finished shooting 1950's VOICE FROM THE STONE, about a solemn nurse drawn to aid a young boy who has fallen silent since the passing of his mother.

'PETE'S DRAGON' TRAILER

WITH BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD, KARL URBAN, ROBERT REDFORD

Disney has finally released the first trailer for their long awaited remake of famous PETE'S DRAGON which flies into cinemas near you  this August!

For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford) has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales. Until she takes in Pete (Oakes Fegley), a mysterious boy with no family who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliott. And from Pete's descriptions, Elliott seems remarkably similar to the dragon from the stories. With the help of Natalie (Oona Laurence), an 11-year-old girl whose father Jack (Wes Bentley) owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon. Karl Urban also stars!

SYFY ROUNDS UP CAST FOR 'VAN HELSING' EPIC TV SERIES! ESSENCE ATKINS, BRESHA WEBB JOINS 'MARLON' WAYAN'S NBC SITCOM! STOCKARD CHANNING TO LEAD 'ME AND MEAN MARGARET' SITCOM

'VAN HELSING' SF SERIES

 KELLY OVERTON LEADS THE CAST

TV news for you this Sunday, starting with the cast round up for SyFy's new epic series VAN HELSING! Kelly Overton will lead the 13 episode drama which follows Vanessa Helsing, a descendent of the Van Helsing lineage of warriors who now must lead mankind against a world controlled by vampires in the post-Rising landscape.

Jonathan Scarfe will play Axel, a career Marine with unwavering devotion and loyalty to both duty and his wards, despite years of isolation and endless vampire attacks. Christopher Heyerdahl will play Sam, a survivor of the vampire Rising, who relies on his strength and observational skills to stay alive. David Cubitt is John, another survivor of the vampire Rising, whose actions are fuelled by anger, prejudice, suspicion and fear. Paul Johansson is Dimitri, a vampire turned before the Rising, he is now the patient and calculating leader of the vampires. Tim Guinee will play Ted, a vampire foot soldier who does battle with Vanessa and conceals a tragic past. Production starts tomorrow for Fall airing.

NBC SITCOM PILOTS UPDATES 

STOCKARD CHANNING TO LEAD 'ME AND MEAN MARGARET'

Meanwhile, when it comes to multi camera sitcoms, always delightful Stockard Channing is to lead NBC's new sitcom pilot ME AND MEAN MARGARET which will follow a fiercely candid and often offensive legendary actress, and the ambitious 27-year-old lawyer forced to babysit her.

'MARLON' FINDS HIS LADIES

NBC is also rounding up the cast for their sitcom MARLON! Loosely inspired by Marlon Wayan’s life, it centres on an inappropriate but loving father (Wayans) committed to successfully co parenting with his polar opposite ex-wife. TRUTH BE TOLD's Bresha Webb will play his biggest enemy, his ex wife's best friend. Essence Atkins will play the ex wife, a type-A interior designer by trade and something of a control freak who did one reckless and spontaneous thing in her life: fell in love with Marlon.

MASSIVE NEW 'GUARDIANS' SOVIET UNION SUPERHEROES MOVIE TEASER! BBC TO MAKE 'MY MOTHER AND OTHER STRANGERS' WW2 TV SERIES WITH HATTIE MORAHAN, AARON STATON

NEW BBC WW2 SERIES 

MY MOTHER & OTHER STRANGERS

You know how much I love me a good British period set drama, since nobody makes them better than the Brits. And here's a new one: BBC One is preparing new World War II series titled MY MOTHER AND OTHER STRANGERS.

To be produced in five hourlong episodes, the historical drama will be set during World War II following the lives of the Coyne family in Northern Ireland who have to adapt when 4,000 men and women from the United States Army Air Force land in 1943. Hattie Morahan and Owen McDonell will play the Coyne married couple, while Aaron Staton will play a charming USAAF liaison officer with whom they form a dangerous love triangle. Des McAleer, Seamus O'Hara, Ryan McParland, Kerr Logan, Fiona O'Shaughnessy, Gavin Drea and Charles Lawson also star.

'GUARDIANS' ZASCHITNIKI 

 NEW TEASER FOR SOVIET UNION SUPERHEROES MOVIE

And coming from Russia to us today is the massive new teaser trailer from Soviet Union Superheroes movie GUARDIANS! You can read more about the movie in our premium spotlight. Set during the Cold War it follows a Secret organization named "Patriot" that gathered a group of Russian superheroes in order to defend the homeland from supernatural threats. It stars Anton Pampushniy as Wildman, a werebear, Sanzhar Madiev as the Windman from this teaser, Sebastian Sisak Grigoryan as Landman and Alina Lanina as Waterwoman. The movie is out this December!

EMILY BLUNT ENTERS TALKS FOR 'MARY POPPINS 2'! 'DESPITE THE FALLING SNOW' TRAILER WITH SAM REID, REBECCA FERGUSON, CHARLES DANCE, OLIVER JACKSON COHEN!

EMILY BLUNT IS

 DISNEY'S NEW 'MARY POPPINS'!

I've informed you about this last Autumn, but now it has been confirmed that Emily Blunt, the actress in highest demand in Hollywood currently, has officially entered talks to star in MARY POPPINS 2 for Disney! Taking place some twenty years after the original movie the sequel will be set in the 1930s London, following the adult Michael Banks, who now has children of his own. When his big sister Jane returns to town, after falling on hard times, their beloved Mary Poppins comes back to help.The movie will follow some of other MARY POPPINS books that P.L. Travers wrote. Rob Marshall (CHICAGO, INTO THE WOODS) is directing with new songs being written for the movie. It will be quite a road for Emily Blunt to go from the ice queen in HUNTSMAN and a drunkard in GIRL ON THE TRAIN (both opening this year) to a beloved nanny!

'DESPITE THE FALLING SNOW'

TRAILER WITH SAM REID, REBECCA FERGUSON, CHARLES DANCE

Your trailer for today is a rather artistic one for period set action thriller drama DESPITE THE FALLING SNOW the adaptation of Shamim Sarif's novel and she is also directing it. Out this April in cinemas and boasting a stellar cast with Sam Reid, Rebecca Ferguson, Charles Dance, Oliver Jackson Cohen and Anthony Head, it is set in two time periods. In 1959, Cold War-era Moscow, Katya (Ferguson) romances a young and idealistic politician, Alexander (Reid) in order to steal secrets. But when she falls in love with him, she finds herself torn between her commitment to spying for the US and this young Russian - as all the while, the authorities close in. Then, 30 years later as the Cold War ends, an older Alexander (Dance) and his artist niece try to finally uncover what happened to Katya all those years before.

'FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS' TRAILER WITH MERYL STREEP! HOLLIDAY GRAINGER JOINS RACHEL WEISZ, SAM CLAFLIN IN 'MY COUSIN RACHEL'! JOSH BOWMAN JOINS 'TIME AFTER TIME' SHOW, TONE BELL, BEAU MIRCHOFF 'GOOD FORTUNE' SITCOM

HOLLIDAY GRAINGER JOINS

RACHEL WEISZ, SAM CLAFLIN IN 'MY COUSIN RACHEL' PERIOD DRAMA 

Here's a lovely lady for you: earlier last year I informed you that Rachel Weisz and Sam Claflin will lead period set drama MY COUSIN RACHEL and now they're joined by latest Lady Chaterley Holliday Grainger! As 'Deadline' reports the film is an adaptation of the classic Daphne Du Maurier novel. The dark romance revolves around Philip, a young orphan, who believes his mysterious, beautiful cousin Rachel may have been responsible for the murder of his beloved guardian Ambrose, also a cousin of theirs. As Philip plots his revenge, he finds his feelings complicated as he falls under Rachel’s beguiling spell.

TELEVISION UPDATES

JOSH BOWMAN JOINS 'TIME AFTER TIME' SF SHOW
As EW writes today, one of TV's most popular hunks, Josh Bowman has just joined the new ABC sf show TIME AFTER TIME that I announced only yesterday! While young Freddie Stroma will play the lead role of  H.J. Wells whose time travelling adventures are the focus of the show, Bowman will play Jack the Ripper whom Wells chases through time. He is also John Stevenson, a brilliant and charismatic surgeon who lives a double life as the infamous serial killer.
TONE BELL, BEAU MIRCHOFF IN 'GOOD FORTUNE' SITCOM
Meanwhile, Tone Bell, whom we loved in TRUTH BE TOLD, AWKWARD's  Beau Mirchoff and Diane Guerrero will star in new NBC multi camera sitcom GOOD FORTUNE about June, a hyper structured young woman who, after a fortune teller predicts she’ll die in 3 days, decides she’s finally going to live her life with no regrets. When she doesn’t die but realize how great it felt to take risks, she adopts a new life policy along with a new full time fortune teller. June and her best friends Adam (Bell), Dave (Mirchoff), Bailey (Guerrero) and Metzger plan to always stick together, impending doom or not.

'FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS' 

TRAILER WITH MERYL STREEP

And an absolutely delightful first trailer has been released for the new comedy movie FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS based on a true story in which Meryl Streep plays world's worst opera singer who isn't really aware of her horrid voice. Hugh Grant plays her manager! Rebecca Ferguson also stars!

TV NEWS: 1ST 'FRONTIER' EPIC SERIES PHOTO WITH JASON MOMOA! CANDICE BERGEN RETURNS IN 'PEARL' SITCOM, JOEL MCHALE TO LEAD 'GREAT INDOORS' SITCOM. MARK PAUL GOSSELAAR IN BASEBALL 'PITCH' SHOW, FREDDIE STROMA LEADS 'TIME AFTER TIME' SF SERIES

MARK PAUL GOSSELAAR

TO LEAD 'PITCH' BASEBALL DRAMA

Bunch of short TV news today, people and not much else! Starting with Mark Paul Gosselaar who after finishing job in charmingly adorable but undeservedly short lived TRUTH BE TOLD sitcom at NBC will star in FOX new drama PITCH about an outstanding female baseball player (Kylie Bunbury) who makes it all the way to the major leagues. She'll have to share the field with legendary catcher Mike Lawson (Gosselaar), whose initial scepticism gives way to a romantic spark.

TELEVISION UPDATES

FREDDIE STROMA TO LEAD 'TIME AFTER TIME' SF SERIES
ABC has cast young GAME OF THRONES star Freddie Stroma to lead their new adventure series pilot TIME AFTER TIME which will chronicle the epic adventures of young H.G. Wells and his Time Machine. The time travelling series is based on Karl Alexander book.
CANDICE BERGEN IS 'PEARL'
In sitcom news, yet another 80's TV star to return to the small screens, Candice Bergen, is to topline ABC comedy pilot PEARL! She will play a larger than life family matriarch who, after she finds out she has cancer, becomes intent on controlling and orchestrating every aspect of her family’s life before she dies
JOEL MCHALE TO LEAD 'GREAT INDOORS'
Over at CBS, they've cast Joel McHale to lead THE GREAT INDOORS sitcom as a magazine editor for 'The Great Outdoors' who, after an injury, has to leave mountain climbing for a desk job where he is in charge of a group of millenniums at the magazine's social media department, leading a much younger staff without driving himself nuts.

FIRST JASON MOMOA PHOTO

FROM 'FRONTIER' EPIC TV SERIES

You can also check out the first photo from Netflix and Discovery historical mini series FRONTIER lead by Jason Momoa. The story of the six episode epic drama follows the chaotic quest to command North America’s 18th century fur trade, where business fast turns violent. The series is shooting in Canada.

RYAN REYNOLDS TO JOIN REBECCA FERGUSON IN 'LIFE' MARS SET SF MOVIE? PINK TO SING FOR 'ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS'! 1ST BBC'S 'A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM' PHOTO WITH MAXINE PEAKE

RYAN REYNOLDS TO JOIN

REBECCA FERGUSON'S 'LIFE' SF FILM

While his DEADPOOL movie  is earning surprisingly big bucks in US cinemas and also around the world (it is well over $250 million now), 'Deadline' reports that Ryan Reynolds is considering joining Rebecca Ferguson in LIFE sf movie that I mentioned last week when she got the lead role. Coming from the scribes who wrote DEADPOOL, the new movie follows the crew of the International Space Station, who, after retrieving a sample from Mars, discover that it displays signs of life, and proves to be more intelligent than expected.

'A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM'

FIRST BBC MOVIE PHOTO IS HERE
In TV news, check out the first photo from BBC's upcoming new TV movie A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, the adaptation of famous Shakespeare's play showing Maxine Peake as Queen Titania!  Matt Lucas will appear as Bottom, John Hannah as Theseus, Eleanor Matsuura as Hippolyta and newcomer Hiran Abeysekera as Puck. The CGI rich project is set in the tyrannical court of Athens and the magical forest around the city!

PINK TO SING A SONG FOR 

'ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS' MOVIE

When it comes to clips, check out a video in which Pink talks  about White Rabbit  song that she recorded for ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS which also offers new glimpses into the sequel movie which comes out this May starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Rhys Ifans. There is also a new poster for the movie!