PREMIUM SPOTLIGHT ON NEW NETFLIX EPIC TV SAGA THE QUEEN AND THE CONQUEROR ON FAMOUS 16TH CENTURY EXPLORER PEDRO DE HEREDIA

QUEEN AND CONQUEROR

NEW EPIC TV SAGA AT NETFLIX

A few days ago we got the memo from Netflix that they are ready to start streaming Colombian saga THE QUEEN AND THE CONQUEROR

The series streams from May 16th at Netflix

(originally known as La Reina de Indias y el Conquistador) from May 16th! But I have to immediately warn you that it is not a historical mini series but a very long historical telenovella consisting of massive 60 episodes! It is just the first season, and I'm guessing they air them daily over in Southern America. Created by Johhny Ortiz the series revolves around the history that led to the birth of the city of Cartagena de Indias, the main port of Las Américas! The cast is headlined by Essined Rivera Aponte as La India Catalina, an indigenous woman who played a role

The story of the series is set in the first half of the 16th century

in the Spanish conquest of Colombia by acting as an interpreter and intermediary to explorer and conquistador Pedro de Heredia played by Emmanuel Esparza! Check out the trailer below and stay tuned as I will be bringing you another lavish Spanish saga soon!

The Queen And The Conqueror
is the story of Catalina, the indigenous woman who gave away her soul, her heart and her life to a conqueror. This epic saga rebuilds one of the first love stories that took place in America, between an indigenous woman and a

Emmanuel Esparza and Essined Rivera play the lead roles

Spaniard. After establishing the city of Cartagena, Pedro de Heredia, motivated by the need to save his brother, betrays Catalina. Heartbroken, she

The series was produced by Caracol Internacional in 60 episodes

escapes, only to come back 18 years later, as a grown woman. In her soul, her only mission is: revenge. To end Pedro de Heredia's life, the same way that he, after making her fall for him, ended hers.

CHUCK LORRE'S B POSITIVE AT CBS WITH THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH AND ANNALEIGH ASHFORD IS 1ST SITCOM TO GET SERIES ORDER THIS PILOT SEASON!

'B POSITIVE 'SITCOM

PICKED UP FOR FULL SEASON

While the 1st epic show to be officially cancelled this spring is History's Knightfall, the 1st comedy pilot to be ordered to series is B POSITIVE over at CBS. It was, admittedly, the only sitcom pilot to get fully shot before corona lockdown. Coming from Chuck Lorre (who also has Young Sheldon and Mom, two of TV's best watched sitcoms), it sees Thomas Middleditch

Since productions on Autumn shows usually start in July which is now unlikely, it is expected that the September new TV season launch might get pushed to January.

playing a therapist and newly divorced dad who is faced with finding a kidney donor when he runs into a rough-around-the-edges woman (Annaleigh Ashford) from his past who volunteers her own. Together they form an unlikely bond and begin a journey that will change both of their lives. Kether Donohue, Justin Baker, Sara Rue and Kamryn Kunody will also star. Stay tuned for other upfronts next week.

TRAILER AND POSTER FOR WW2 THRILLER THE LAST VERMEER WITH GUY PEARCE, VICKY KRIEPS AND CLAES BANG ARE HERE!

'THE LAST VERMEER'

DECEPTION IS A FINE ART

Sony Pictures has released the first trailer for period set drama THE LAST VERMEER starring Guy Pearce, Vicky Krieps and Claes Bang (whose acting, admittedly, seems even worse here than it was in BBC's flop

The Last Vermeer aired at Telluride Festival

Dracula, he obviously hasn't found any charisma nor screen presence yet)! Although it premiered last year in USA at Telluride Film Festival in August and then in September at Canadian Toronto Film Festival, the film still does not have an opening date.

In The Last Vermeer Claes Bang stars as Joseph Piller. In this dramatic thriller set just after WWII - an all but forgotten true story - he is a soldier investigating renowned Dutch artist Han van Meegeren, played by Guy Pearce, who is accused of conspiring with the Nazis. Despite

The film was originally supposed to arrive to US cinemas this month

mounting evidence, Piller becomes increasingly convinced of Han's innocence and finds himself in the unlikely position of fighting to save the life of the colourful man with a mysterious past.

EMILY BLUNT & DWAYNE JOHNSON TO PLAY A SUPERHERO COUPLE IN BALL AND CHAIN ADAPTATION? ABC MOVES UNITED WE FALL SITCOM TO AUTUMN?

'BALL AND CHAIN' ADAPTATION

TO REUNITE EMILY BLUNT WITH DWAYNE THE ROCK JOHNSON

After we see them together in Disney's Jungle Cruise, it seems Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson will team up again in the movie adaptation of comic books BALL AND CHAIN, most likely for Netflix! The superhero romantic comedy would see them playing a bickering couple as they approach three years of a tumultuous marriage. The couple, Edgar and Mallory Bulson,

Their Jungle Cruise has been moved to July 2021 opening date

have made the difficult decision to throw in the towel and get divorced. But then a mysterious meteor bathes the battling couple in extraterrestrial energies, energies that give them super abilities. Abilities that only work when the couple is together. Will their newfound powers be enough to make their marriage work?

'UNITED WE FALL' SITCOM

TO FALL NOW IN FALL?

While CBS has renewed  Young Sheldon, Mom, Bob ♥ Abishola, The Neighborhood and The Unicorn for new seasons and cancelled Broke, Carol’s

United We Fall might move to Fall 2020

Second Act and Man with a Plan, ABC is looking to save their new sitcom UNITED WE FALL for Autumn even though it was originally planned for midseason as they will need already finished series in the middle of corona production lockdowns.  

UNITED WE FALL follows the trials and tribulations of Jo (Christina Vidal) and Bill (Will Sasso), parents of two young kids, as they try to make it day-to-day as a functioning family. Bill’s very judgemental live-in mother (Jane Curtin) and Jo’s large Latinx Catholic family will never hesitate to let our couple know

The eight episode first season has already been shot for midseason

they’re seemingly screwing up, but Bill and Jo will always have each other’s backs, united against everyone – other parents, teachers, doctors, specialists, coaches, co-workers, and especially their kids.

TRAILER FOR NEW EPIC TV SERIES LUMINARIES WITH EVA GREEN, MARTON CSOKAS, EVE HEWSON IS HERE! CATE BLANCHETT TO PLAY SUPERWOMAN LILITH IN BORDERLANDS SF ADAPTATION?

'BORDERLANDS' ADAPTATION

WANTS CATE BLANCHETT

Cate Blanchett is negotiating around the lead role

After she played charmingly ruthless Hela in Thor, one of world's best ever actresses Cate Blanchett is currently in option over at Lionsgate for the role of Lilith in the possible new movie adaptation of video game BORDER LANDS. As Variety reports, in this sf western adventure, Lilith is a superhuman 'Siren' and one of only six women in the galaxy who have psychic abilities she also has a power to be invisible. The game is set on the frontier of a sci-fi universe — the planet of Pandora where we follow a group of Vault Hunters who are there in search of a mythical alien vault containing coveted alien technology, battling wildlife and raiders of all types along the way. Eli Roth is directing. You can currently watch Blanchett in Hulu's Mrs. America series and in Australian mini series Stateless.

'THE LUMINARIES' TRAILER

19TH CENTURY NEW ZEALAND

Luminaries will start May 17th in New Zealand

Although we still don't know when it will be launched at BBC, the six episode epic mini series adaptation of Eleanor Catton's 2013 Man Booker Prize-winning novel THE LUMINARI- ES will air first over at New Zealand where the story is set. May 17th is when the series will start airing at their TVNZ 1 starring Eve Hewson, Marton Csokas, Eva Green, Ewen Leslie, Callan Mulvey, Matt Whelan and Himesh Patel. The production of the series wasn't affected by the corona outbreak as the filming wrapped in March 2019.

The Luminaries Epic Series
 tells an epic story of love, murder and revenge, as men and women travelled across the world to make their fortunes. It is a 19th century tale of adventure and mystery, set on the Wild West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island in the

Himesh Patel and Marton Csokas lead the male cast

boom years of the 1860’s gold rush. The story follows defiant young adventurer Anna Wetherell (Eve Hewson), who has sailed from Britain to New Zealand to begin a new life. There she meets the radiant Emery Staines

Eva Green plays the manipulative brothel owner in the new series

(Himesh Patel), an encounter that triggers a strange kind of magic that neither can explain. As they fall in love, driven together and apart by fateful coincidence, these star-crossed lovers begin to wonder: do we make our

The series is based on the Eleanor Catton bestselling novel

fortunes, or do our fortunes make us? Eva Green plays the role of Lydia Wells, the calculating brothel madam. Marton Csokas plays her love interest Francis Carver!

FAMILY FUN IN THE TRAILER FOR THINK LIKE A DOG MOVIE WITH JOSH DUHAMEL AND MEGAN FOX OUT DIGITALLY THIS JUNE

'THINK LIKE A DOG'

FAMILY MOVIE TRAILER IS HERE

Here's something to cheer up you and your family in these dark days. New family movie THINK LIKE A DOG, which was first announced four

The movie will be on VOD from June

years ago, will finally be available digitally from June 9th starring Josh Duhamel, Megan Fox and little Gabriel Bateman in this whimsical family comedy about a boy and his dog, and a science project that will change all of their lives forever.

Think Like A Dog
follows 12 year old Oliver, a tech prodigy whose middle school science fair experiment goes awry, creating a telepathic connection between him and his furry friend, Henry. The bond brings Oliver and Henry even closer as they join

The movie was directed by Gil Junger who also wrote the script

forces to comically overcome complications at school, and help Oliver’s parents rekindle their marriage along the way. Check out the trailer below:

TRAILER FOR DAKOTA FANNING'S ETHIOPIAN MOVIE DRAMA SWEETNESS IN THE BELLY BASED ON THE FAMOUS BESTSELLER IS HERE!

'SWEETNESS IN THE BELLY'

 IS OUT THIS WEEK DIGITALLY

Now that the cinemas are closed indefinitely (I hear some countries are looking at July or August as possible dates for the reopening of their theatres

The film was shot in Amharic, Arabic and English

under, of course, very strict measures), many studios will be thinking of premiering their movies on  the internet. One of the new movie dramas that will have its web release this week is SWEETNESS IN THE BELLY which Gravitas Ventures is releasing in the United States of America digitally on May 8. Dakota Fanning leads the cast in the story of an English child abandoned in Africa.

Sweetness In The Belly
is actually a big screen adaptation of a popular novel by Camilla Gibb, with the story revolving around the protagonist Lilly Abdal (Dakota Fanning), who, orphaned as a

The movie will open at Gravitas Ventures May 8th

child when she was forced to leave her birth country of Ethiopia and leave for United Kingdom, experiences her parents homeland of England, escaping civil war. She becomes the heart of a disenfranchised community in London, where she attempts to reunite people with their families. But her friend Amina (Wunmi Mosaku), who is also a refugee from Ethiopia, discovers Lilly's mission isn't purely altruistic and a passionate lost love affair is revealed between Lilly and Aziz (Yahya Abdul Mateen II), an idealistic doctor. The movie was directed by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari! You can watch the trailer below:

HOLLYWOOD SPY'S MASSIVELY EXTENSIVE LIST OF ALL THE EPIC, HISTORICAL AND PERIOD SET SHOWS WE MIGHT STILL GET TO WATCH IN 2020 AMIDST CORONA PRODUCTION LOCKDOWNS!

ALL THE EPIC TV SHOWS

WE CAN STILL EXPECT IN 2020
I've already told you that after Last Kingdom season 4 which is currently streaming on Netflix we shouldn't expect many epic TV shows on the telly this year due to corona virus. Production on all series has stopped, some

Rege Jean Page leads Bridgerton cast

networks (Sky namely) have halted their productions entirely till 2021, and some are seeking ways to continue with work, BBC is for example looking to shoot by quarantining crews and actors together at overseas filmings. Here are the shows that are already shot and will probably be aired this year.

Bridgerton
Netflix has not only finished shooting their new historical series BRIDGERTON in March, but I hear rumours of a 2nd season already ordered. The adaptation of Julia Quinn's historical romance novels will use the method of black washing to put actors of colour into the roles of dukes, lord and ladies. It will star Polly Walker, Regé Jean Page, Phoebe Dynevor, Julie Andrews, Ben Miller, Luke Newton, Jonathan Bailey, with the story set during England’s early 1800s Regency period following love lives of eight very rich Bridgerton family heirs! Given that it comes from Shonda Rhymes who gave us the criminally bad Still Star Crossed, you can expect cheap cheesiness in this one too.

Cursed

Netflix has already finished shooting Arthurian legends epic mini series CURSED last year, so it is ready to air sometime this year with Katherine Langford as Nimue, a young rebellious heroine whose destiny lies in helping

Cursed will premiere sometime this summer on Netflix

Arthur, a young mercenary to ascend to the throne of Camelot. In another case of blackwashing Devon Turell is playing Arthur, Gustaf Skarsgard is

Matt Stokoe as Sir Gawain in the new epic TV series

Merlin, Matt Stokoe is Sir Gawain, Bella Dayne is Viking captain Red Spear, with Petter Mulan and Daniel Sharman also in the cast.

Black Narcissus

As far as I've heard the shooting of BBC's period set series BLACK NARCISSUS begun in October and was over before the lockdown,  so we will probably be able to see Gemma Arterton (playing a nun struggling to contain her repressed emotions in the remote Himalayan mountains up in the palace of Mopu) sometime this year! The three part adaptation of Rumer Godden’s classic novel will also star Alessandro Nivola, Diana Rigg, Gina Mckee and Jim Broadbent!

The Luminaries

BBC also finished their adaption of Eleanor Catton's Man Booker Prize-winning novel LUMINARIES in early 2019 and it was supposed to air this April but they might be keeping it for summer of autumn. The six part 19th century adventure series, starring Eva Green and Marton Csokas, tells an epic story of love, murder and revenge, as men and women travelled across the world to New Zealand to make their fortunes.

The North Water

British broadcaster also has another historical adventure already finished: four part mini series THE NORTH WATER, based on Ian McGuire's novel in which Colin Farrell as Henry Drax, a harpooner and brutish killer whose amorality has been shaped to fit the harshness of his world, sets sail on a whaling expedition to the Arctic with Patrick Sumner (Jack O'Connell), a disgraced ex-army surgeon who signs up as the ship’s doctor.

Romulus

Although they halted their international production till next year, Sky Atlantic has a few series already done, for example ROMULUS epic series shot in archaic Latin in ten episodes,  following the story of Romulus (Andrea Arcangeli) and his twin brother Remus (Francesco Di Napoli), in eighth century B.C. as seen through the eyes of three people marked by death, loneliness and violence.

Little Birds

The production of another of Sky's period set mini series has also finished in Andalusia and UK. LITTLE BIRDS inspired by Anais Nin's erotic stories, will be set in Tangier in 1955, in the famous ‘international zone’ - one of the last outposts of colonial decadence, and a culture shock in more ways than one for troubled American debutante Lucy Savage (Juno Temple). Hugh Skinner and Jean Marc Barr also star.

A Discovery Of Witches

Although the first season wasn't period set, the second season of Sky's A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES will be as flimsy witch Diana Bishop (played atrociously by scandalously bad Teresa Palmer) and vampire Matthew Claremont (always charismatic Matthew Goode) have been transported by means of magic to Elizabethan England. We might expect the airing later this year, although nothing has been confirmed.

Warrior Season 2

Although at some point there was a possibility of it having to find a new home as Cinemax was to abandon all scripted programmes, I have info that the 2nd season of their magnificently dynamic series WARRIOR might air in October! Andrew Koji, Kiearan Bew and Tom Weston Jones are to return to 19th century San Francisco China Town. This one was shot at the end of 2019. Chen Tang, Celine Buckens and Miranda Raison have joined the series regular cast together with Maria Elena Laas.

The Singapore Grip

ITV has finished an ambitious and exotic family saga set in colonial Singapore during World War Two. THE SINGAPORE GRIP follows the schemes, both commercial and amorous, of a wealthy British family as they struggle to preserve their prosperous business amid cataclysmic world events. A compelling portrait of a society in decline and a family clinging to a world that is crumbling around them! David Morrissey, Luke Treadaway, Colm Meaney and Charles Dance star in the six part adaptation of J.G. Farrell’s classic novel. It will air either this summer or autumn.

The Spanish Princess Season 2

Although the 1st season was one of the most poorly acted and most amateurishly written and directed shows we've ever had the misfortune to watch, Starz has already finished shooting the 2nd season of THE SPANISH PRINCESS which stars almost offensively talentless Charlotte Hope as Catherine of Aragon. The cast will now also include Ray Stevenson as King James IV of Scotland and Andrew Buchan as social climber Sir Thomas More!

BarkSkins

As I've recently announced, NatGeo will air their new epic TV series BARKSKINS from May 25th with a Hulu release the very next day. Starring David Thewlis, Christian Cooke, Aneurin Barnard and Marcia Gay Harden, the series, based on the novel by Pulitzer-winner Annie Proulx, follows a disparate group of outcasts who must navigate brutal hardships, competing interests, and tangled loyalties at the crossroads of civilization in late 1600s New France.

The Great

Hulu has already set May 15th airing date for their new four part historical comedy series THE GREAT! Elle Fanning leads this fictionalized, irreverent and anachronistic story of an idealistic, romantic young girl who arrives in Russia for an arranged marriage to the mercurial Emperor Peter played by Nicholas Hoult.

All Creatures Big And Small

British Channel 5 hasn't set an airing date yet for their remake of popular series ALL CREATURES BIG AND SMALL but I heard they shot a Christmas episode as well so it might be sometime next winter. Nicholas Ralph leads the cast of the series which  chronicles the heartwarming and humorous adventures of a young country vet.

Atlantic Crossing

Our favourite German production house Beta Film has finished filming period set series ATLANTIC CROSSING starring Sofia Helin, Tobias Santelmann, Kyle MacLachlan and Daniel  Betts. The eight episode series brings the story of Crown Princess Märtha who fought for her country and her marriage during the tragic events of World War II.

Empire Oktoberfest

Beta Film has another epic saga in their sleeve for this year, Munich set EMPIRE OKTOBERFEST in which the story revolves around a young girl who falls in love with a poor brewer's son. Their relationship is opposed by the girl's father, a rich mobster who has come to town to try to bully his way into the inner circle of Munich's brewery dynasties.

We can probably expect at least one Spanish and Russian epic TV  series too this year, but it is difficult for me to explore their markets in advance, so stay tuned or email us if you have any info on new epic projects!

PREMIUM SPOTLIGHT ON DAS BOOT WW2 EPIC TV SERIES SEASON 2 WITH TOM WLASCHIHA, VICKY KRIEPS, THOMAS KRETSCHMANN, VINCENT KARTHEISER

'DAS BOOT' SEASON 2

The second season is already airing in Germany

READY TO AIR THIS SPRING!

Back in 2018 your trusted spy was among the first ones to inform you about Sky's award winning DAS BOOT World War II series which proved to be a big success for the production company airing on Sky's channels around Europe and Hulu in USA. Now the series is back with the second season which is airing right now on Sky Germany and will air this month on cable channels around Europe too and Sky's channels in Austria, Italy, UK and Ireland. Beside Tom Wlaschiha, Vicky Krieps, Rick Okon, Vincent Kartheiser, the eight episode second season will also have Thomas

Tom Wlaschiha returns as the head of the Gestapo

 Kretschmann as the new addition to the cast! Speaking of epic, stay tuned this weekend for Hollywood Spy's Wildly Extensive List of Period Set Shows we can expect in 2020 albeit corona lockdown.

 The 2nd Season Of Das Boot
is set in December 1942. We meet the very experienced U-boat ace Johannes von Reinhartz (Clemens Schick) who is sent with U-822 on a secret mission

German superstar Thomas Kretschmann joins the cast

to the US East Coast in order to disembark three saboteurs. His loyalty is questioned and U-612, with its Commanding Officer Wrangel (Stefan

German actor Rick Okon returns as the submarine officer

Konarske), is sent in pursuit. Former U-612 Commanding Officer Hoffmann (Rick Okon) narrowly escaped death in the Atlantic Ocean. In New York he finds shelter with Sam Greenwood (Vincent Kartheiser), who owes his life

German superstar Clemens Schick leads the cast of the second season

to Hoffmann, and meets the sleazy German-born lawyer Berger (Thomas Kretschmann). Will he enable him to return to Germany? Back in La Rochelle, Simone (Vicky Krieps) is still secretly helping those affected by the

The first season was sold to more than 100 countries and was so successful that Sky ordered the second season after airing the first episode of the first one.

Nazi occupation, and Forster (Tom Wlaschiha), Head of the Gestapo, suspects as much, as Simone and her roommate Margot (Fleur Geffrier) work to secure an escape route for a Jewish family.

NEW MOVIE ADAPTATIONS FOR SF NOVEL THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST, AND REDEEMING LOVE HISTORICAL ROMANCE WITH LOGAN MARSHALL GREEN, ERIC DANE, NINA DOBREV, FAMKE JANSSEN

'1ST 15 LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST'

TO BE TURNED INTO A SF FILM

Wes Ball will direct the sf adaptation

As we've had a week of very interesting movie scripts, here's yet another one for you: as Deadline reports Wes Ball (Maze Runner) will direct the movie adaptation of THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST an award winning science fiction novel by Claire North! Produced by Amblin Partners, the story of the upcoming movie follows a man who is repeatedly born into the same life, remembers all his past experiences, and seeks to save the world by outmanoeuvring a similarly gifted rival who’s willing to make any sacrifice to attain a godlike knowledge.

STELLAR 'REDEEMING LOVE'

HISTORICAL NOVEL ADAPTATION

The book has been translated into more than 30 languages

Speaking of adaptations, we are getting a  a contemporary retelling of the biblical book of Hosea in the big screen version of historical romance REDEEMING LOVE by Francine Rivers. Lots of well known names in the cast: Logan Marshall Green, Abigail Cowen, Nina Dobrev, Famke Janssen, Tom Lewis, Eric Dane! D.J. Caruso directs the 2021 movie which takes place against the romantic backdrop of the California Gold Rush of 1850. The story centres on Angel (Abigail Cowen), who was sold into prostitution as a child. She has survived through hatred and self-loathing until she meets Michael Hosea (Tom

The movie is currently seeking  a distributor for spring 2021 release

Lewis) and discovers there is no brokenness that love can’t heal. The movie has been already shot in South Africa and is seeking distributor for a spring 2021 cinema release.