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!
Hulu has officially ordered the third season of Harlots on September 24th!
'HARLOTS' SEASON 2
CHARACTER PHOTOS ARE IN!
The whores return with revenge July 11th!
Sorry, people, for not posting this spotlight in our usual Sunday primetime slot, but the spy's headquarters were experiencing some technical trouble yesterday! We are back with the full swing today with premium spotlight on the second season of Hulu's popular 18th century series HARLOTS which arrives Wednesday, July 11th with eight brand new episodes following the hard lives of Covent Garden prostitutes who entertain, threaten and sometimes even kill their rich customers in Georgian London. Today you can enjoy the character photos for the second season with our beloved harlots in silk and brocade!
2ND SEASON OF HARLOTS
will again follow the
Wells family, led by matriarch Margaret (Samantha Morton). When her daughter Charlotte (Jessica Brown Findlay) places
Samantha Morton's Margaret Wells will have her hands full!
herself in the brothel of arch-rival bawd Lydia Quigley (Lesley Manville)
in order to secretly help her mother by digging up her enemy's secrets,
their toxic
Jessica Brown Findlay's Charlotte will be stuck at Lydia's whore house!
and deep-set rivalry is taken to a dangerous
new level.
Meanwhile, alluring and wealthy
socialite Lady Fitz (Liv Tyler) is drawn by Charlotte into the
plot
Liv Tyler joins the second season as Lady Fitz who doesn't really like Lydia
against Lydia, as well. As you can see from the trailer some
characters will be lost forever, some new will arrive as well!
OTHER SEASON 2 TITBITS!
Season two fill also see the downfall of Margaret's long time friend, fellow bawd Nancy, the tomboy who wears pirate clothes, while Charlotte will see her
Eloise Smyth is back as Margaret's younger daughter Lucy
loyalties gravely tested. Margaret's younger daughter Lucy will fall under Lord Fallon's spells. In the end Margaret will have to save both of her daughters
Lesley Manville is back as Lydia who is experiencing a little trouble in business
from disaster! The series hails from the creative team of Moira Buffini, Alison Newman, Alison Owen, Debra Hayward and Alison Carpenter, with Coky Giedroyc returning as lead director and Grainne Marmion producing.
Are you ready, people? The time has almost arrived for Jason Statham's giant shark THEMEG to attack the box office around the world beside nibbling on unsuspecting swimmers, a shark or two, a whale or two, and she is very polite and 'pleased to eat you' as one of the posters says! This action underwater drama 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, or as another poster says - it's opening wide - this August 20th !
Meg is opening wide worldwide throughout 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
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
save the crew, and the ocean itself, from
The movie was shot over at New Zealand!
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
creature. Now, teamed with Suyin, he must
It took more than 20 years for the book to find its way to the big screens
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.
Sticking to exotic locations, after yesterday's India, we're moving today to tropical Hawaii with the first trailer and poster for RUNNING FOR GRACE period set drama out in cinemas August 1st with Matt Dillon, Jim Caviezel, Ryan Potter and Olivia Ritchie in the cast.
RUNNING FOR GRACE is a timeless tale that takes place against the backdrop of the
segregated coffee fields in 1920's Hawaii and a coming of age journey
about a young man who transcends the boundaries of race and class in
pursuit of a forbidden love.
An orphan boy of mixed race finds family with the newly arrived white
village doctor in Hawaii. The boy can run like the wind, and begins
bringing Doc's
You will be watching Ryan Potter in superhero series Titans next!
medicine to coffee pickers throughout the mountainous
region. On an errand, the medicine runner meets the daughter of the
plantation owner and a forbidden, young love blossoms like the white
"Kona Snow" of the surrounding coffee trees.
Swords and Sceptres is coming out sometime this year
Now, this one still does not have a release date nor a trailer, but we do have the first poster for India set epic movie SWORDS AND SCEPTRES which boasts a rather strong British cast lead by Derek Jacobi as Lord Palmerston, Rupert Everett as Sir Hugh Rose, Nathaniel Parker as Sir Robert Hamilton and Jodhi May as Queen Victoria herself!
SWORDS AND SCEPTRES also starring Ben Lamb and directed by female director Swati Bhise (the producer of Dev Patel's The Man Who Knew Infinity), is a sweeping historical tale of women's empowerment, which brings
Devika Bhise also wrote the movie with director Swati Bhise, her mother
the true story of Lakshmibai (played by Indian star Devika Bhise
whom you have watched before in The Accidental Husband and The Man Who
Knew
Lakshmibai was the queen of Jhansi in mid 19th century
Infinity with Dev Pathel and Jeremy Irons), the historic Queen of
Jhansi who fiercely led her army against the British East India Company
in the infamous
Rani of Jhansi died in battle when she was just 30 with 5,000 of her soldiers
mutiny of 1857. The movie has finished production
earlier last winter and should probably be released sometime later this
year.
Still a deep slumber over in Tinseltown, so we are going international as usual, and I know you like it when your trusted spy brings you worldwide pleasures! First treat, a poster for historical drama CLIFFS OF FREEDOM set at the beginning of the 19th century, in the years which were very tumultuous for the Balkan Peninsula. With an international cast lead by acting legend Christopher Plummer the movie will also star Lance Henriksen, Billy Zane, Raza Jaffrey, Patti
Christopher Plummer leads the cast of the sweeping epic!
LuPone, Costas Mandylor.
It will be a sweeping love story set during the dawn of the Greek War for Independence against the tyrannical Ottoman Empire in the 1820s.
'BIG BAD FOX' LENDS
VOICES FROM CELIA IMRIE AND MATTHEW GOODE!
Great cast has also been gathered for the English version of French animated feature BIG BAD FOX! Our dearest Celia Imrie and Matthew Goode will
Celia Imrie and Matthew Goode will join the crazy farm!
lend their voices to the story of an unusual farm which is home to a fox who mothers a family of chicks, a rabbit who plays a stork, and a duck who wants to replace Father Christmas.
FIRST RAFE SPALL
PHOTO FROM 'DENMARK' COMEDY
There is also the first photo from Rafe Spall's bittersweet comedy DENMARK about one man's pursuit of a dream no more ridiculous than the times we live in! He plays a down-on-his-luck Welshman without a job or
Rafe Spall is heading to Denmark!
access to hot water, who makes a decision to change his life for the better. With nothing to lose, and everything to gain, he travels across Europe with one crazy goal: to get himself arrested and sent to a Danish prison where the beds are warm and the water is hot.
WITH EDDIE IZZARD, JUDI DENCH, JAMES D'ARCY, JIM BROADBENT
James D'Arcy will play a Captain in the movie
We're still sticking to our good old period set drama genre with the news that the shooting has begun on SIX MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT which boasts an exquisite selection of British thespians in the cast lead by Judi Dench, Eddie Izzard, James D'Arcy, Celyn Jones (who also wrote the script) and Jim Broadbent!
In the movie, based on true events from 1939, Izzard, who recently
already played with Judi Dench in Victoria and Abdul, plays a teacher
named Thomas Miller who has taken a last minute and controversial role
teaching English to the daughters of high ranking Nazis at the Augusta
Judi Dench will be the strict headmistress!
Victoria College, Bexhill-on-Sea – a finishing school on the south coast
of England. Under the watchful eye of their headmistress Miss Rocholl
(Judi Dench), and her devout assistant Ilse Keller (Carla Juri), the
girls practice their English and learn how to represent the ideal of
German womanhood. When the body of a former teacher is discovered, it
triggers a sequence of deadly events and leaves Thomas running from the
police with the threat of being hanged for murder.
Since Hollywood is still sleeping after the weekend, spylings, your trusted spy will entertain you this Monday with some updates from the period set movie genre! While we are waiting for Autumn when his super charming Prince Ernest Duke of Coburg will return with the third season of ITV's ultra popular costume drama Victoria, dearest David Oakes will do a project over in Malaysia together with another great British actor John Hannah! Together with Asian actors Hiroshi Abe, Sylvia Chang and Angelica Lee, the two of them will star in epic drama THE GARDEN OF EVENING MIST which follows
a woman seeking a quiet life in post World War II British Malaya who finds love and a common interest in gardening with a mysterious Japanese man.
1ST 'CARMILLA' PHOTOS
18TH CENTURY VAMPIRE DRAMA
Speaking of period set drama, here is another one, but with elements of horror! We have first photos from historical horror drama CARMILLA based on Sheridan Le Fanu's 1871 novel set in the late 18th century! The cast
Emily Harris is directing the movie as her debut feature
includes Tobias Menzies, Greg Wise and Jessica Raine, who are no strangers to the genre of costume drama.
THE STORY OF CARMILLA Broadchurch's Hannah Rae and young German actress Devrim Lingnau are
also in the cast next to illusionist Scott Silven. Inspired by one of
the earliest novels on vampires, set in the late 1780s, CARMILLA follows
Miss Fontaine (Jessica Raine), governess to 15-year-old Lara (Hannah
Rae) who lives in total isolation in her family home. Struggling to find
an outlet for her burgeoning sexuality, Lara is enchanted by the
mysterious Carmilla (Devrim Lingnau) and the pair strike up a passionate
relationship.
The production has started back in September
However, with rumours and superstition rife and with the
exhortation of the family doctor (Tobias Menzies), Carmilla’s presence
in their home begins to strike fear into those around her.
STELLAR GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY
Guernsey hits Netflix next Month!
Now, this one already played in cinemas this April in May around Europe and Asia, but it is hitting Netflix August 10th so I don't want you to miss it! THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY is a big screen adaptation of the popular novel by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer starring our dearest hunks Glen Powell, Michiel Huisman and Matthew Goode next to acting legends Penelope Wilton, Tom Courtenay and actresses Jessica Brown Findlay and Lily James.
THE GUERNSEY STORY Directed by famous Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Prince
of Persia, Love in the Time of Cholera), historical romance THE GUERNSEY
LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY
follows young writer
Kenneth Branagh was the original director of the movie
Juliet Ashton who begins a correspondence with the
members of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, with them
sharing their experiences of Nazi Occupied Guernsey. When an idea for a
book catches
Kate Winslet and Emily Blunt were originally in the run for the lead role
Juliet she goes to visit the island, making lifelong
friends and taking life changing steps along the way by becoming an adulteress who cheats on her
The movie was produced by our beloved StudioCanal
loving fiancee with one of the locals. It is a beautiful
story of love, friendship and the sadness of friends lost in the
aftermath of World War II.
Believe it or not, people, Hulu has finally decided to give us a full trailer and poster for the second season of their popular 18th century series HARLOTS
The whores return with revenge July 11th!
which arrives July 11th with eight brand new episodes following the hard lives of Covent Garden prostitutes who entertain, threaten and sometimes even kill their rich customers in Georgian London.
2ND SEASON OF HARLOTS
will again follow the
Wells family, led by matriarch Margaret (Samantha Morton). When her daughter Charlotte (Jessica Brown Findlay) places herself in the brothel of arch-rival bawd Lydia Quigley (Lesley Manville)
in order to secretly help her mother by digging up her enemy's secrets,
their toxic and deep-set rivalry is taken to a dangerous
Liv Tyler joins the cast as Lady Fitz who also wants to destroy Lydia Quigley
new level.
Meanwhile, alluring and wealthy
socialite Lady Fitz (Liv Tyler) is drawn by Charlotte into the
plot against Lydia, as well. As you can see from the trailer some
characters will be lost forever, some new will arrive as well!
