GORGEOUS FIRST TRAILERS FOR ITALIAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE EPIC TV SERIES THE NAME OF THE ROSE ARE OUT WITH RUPERT EVERETT, JOHN TURTURRO, DAMIAN HARDUNG, ALESSIO BONI

WHAT'S THE SPY'S VERDICT

Visually stunning, the series has one deadly weakness: John Turturro's almost scandalously bad acting, his approach to the role has no depth and is as expressive as a dead stone of a monastery wall. His poor efforts in acting are borderline offensive. Emerson, though, absolutely shines in his marvellous master class in acting, and young Hardung is an absolute breath of fresh air and loveliness.

'THE NAME OF THE ROSE'

The series starts airing March 4th in Italy!

EPIC TV SERIES TRAILERS ARE IN!

Rejoice, people! Italian national broadcaster RAI (which gave us magnificent epic series Medici Masters of Florence) has released two gorgeous trailers for their small screen version of Umberto Eco's famous THE NAME OF THE ROSE which will start airing from March 4th in Italy. With almost $30 million spent on the production, the eight episode series really should not disappoint the audience. BBC will air the series in UK, Sky in Germany, OCS in France. Sundance TV will air it in USA and Canada, with local broadcasters airing it around Europe too.

Damien Hardung plays young novice Adso

THE STORY OF THE NAME OF THE ROSE RAI'S EPIC TV SAGA IS
set in good old Mediaeval Italy, more precisely in the year 1327, and revolves around the old Franciscan monk William of Baskerville (played by American actor John Turturro) and his kind and innocent young novice Adso von Melk (played by German model & actor Damian Hardung) just as

John Turturro and Damian Hardung are William and Adso

they arrive at a secluded monastery in the Alps. There they become witnesses to a series of mysterious murders. While Baskerville and Melk investigate and

The series will later on air on BBC and Sundance as well

search for the killer, they are hunted themselves by the merciless inquisitor Bernard Gui (Rupert Everett), who prosecutes those who criticize the Pope.

WHO'S IN THE BROTHERHOOD?

The series stars John Turturro (as William of Baskervillea 14th century Franciscan monk, as he investigates a series of unusual deaths at a remote

Rupert Everett plays merciless inquisitor Gui!

monastery) and Rupert Everett (as Inquisitor Gui) while Michael Emerson will play The Abbot, an ambiguous, greedy, over sensitive and

Michael Emmerson is the evil Abbot!

irritable prince of the Abbey! Gorgeous German actor Damian Hardung will be William's apprentice, Benedictine novice Adso. The cast will also include Sebastian Kock, Piotr Adamczyk, James Cosmo, Richard Sammel and our favourite Italian star Alessio Boni next to Greta Scarano. The series will hit US on Sundance May 1st!

SNOW QUEEN IS TRYING TO FREEZE THE SEA IN THE 'FROZEN 2' FIRST TRAILER FROM DISNEY! MICHAEL MOORCOCK'S RUNESTAFF EPIC FANTASY SAGA TO BECOME TV SERIES

DISNEY'S 'FROZEN 2'

FIRST TEASER TRAILER IS OUT

The main cinematic surprise of the day, if not even the whole week, is Disney's sudden release of the first teaser for FROZEN 2, the sequel to the highest grossing animated film ever, which will snowstorm its way into

The sequel should arrive into cinemas November 22nd

cinemas this Autumn! The trailer does not show much other than Snow Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel) fighting against the sea with her ice and then being

The original movie is the 13th biggest movie of all times

joined by her sister Princess Anna (Kristen Bell) and her boyfriend Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) at the start of a brand new adventure which will be more

The first movie has earned two oscars and more than $1 billion around the world.

epic in scope and will again feature crazy snowman Olaf and reindeer Sven. The adventure that will take them far away from Arendelle will again feature a brand new hit song from Robert and Kristen Lopez.

'RUNESTAFF' EPIC SAGA

TO BECOME TV SERIES

The Runestaff has four novels so far

Speaking of epic, 'Deadline' reports that BBC Studios have bought TV rights on Michael Moorcock's fantasy saga RUNESTAFF which consists of four novels The Jewel in the Skull, The Mad God’s Amulet, Sword of the Dawn and The Runestaff. To be written by Sherlock and Dr Who scribe, it tells the story of a resistance force trying to bring down tyrannical rule and follow Hawkmoon, whose journey takes him from ghost-cities in the Syrian desert to pirate colonies in the American bayou; from caravans of mutant creatures in Carpathian mountains to the heart of the Dark Empire itself – the glittering city of Londra where the river runs blood red.

FIRST TRAILER FOR TOLKIEN LORD OF THE RINGS AUTHOR BIOPIC WITH NICHOLAS HOULT & LILY COLLINS! ANNE HATHAWAY, REBEL WILSON ARE DIRTY ROTEN SCOUNDRELS IN THE HUSTLE COMEDY TRAILER

  FIRST 'TOLKIEN' TRAILER WITH

NICHOLAS HOULT & LILY COLLINS

First official trailer has just been revealed from the upcoming movie TOLKIEN a biopic which will follow the young days of the author of world's favourite epic fantasy saga Lord of the Rings, starring Nicholas Hoult and

The movie should also reveal how he came up with the imaginative LOTR world

Lily Collins. The opening data has also been set for May 10th! The trailer is rather short, disappointing and does not tell or show much, hope we get a longer one soon.

THE FATHER OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS AND HOBBIT 
The movie explores the early life of J. R. R. TOLKIEN as he finds love, friendship and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts. When the

Brand new father Nicholas Hoult plays legendary Tolkien in the movie

horrors of World War I envelope Tolkien's life, they threaten to tear this "fellowship" apart, and he questions the very meaning and purpose of his art.

Tolkien was an orphan as a child who tried to form a fellowship of friends before WW1

Instead, he finds a way to use these experiences as inspiration for his famous works, among them The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Lily

Tolkien was a poet, novelist, philologist and university professor

Collins is his love and wife Edith Bratt who inspired the elven princesses from his sagas. Derek Jacobi, Colm Meaney and Anthony Boyle also star!

  FIRST 'THE HUSTLE' TRAILER

ANNE HATHAWAY & REBEL WILSON

There is also the first trailer for comedy movie THE HUSTLE, which is supposed to be a feminist remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Anne

The Hustle starts this May in cinemas!

Hathaway and Rebel Wilson playing female scam artists, one low rent and the other high class, who team up to take down the dirty rotten men who have wronged them!

FIRST TRAILERS FOR KNIGHTFALL EPIC SERIES SEASON 2 WITH TOM CULLEN, MARK HAMILL, ED STOPPARD, JOHN CARTER, WW2 SERIES CATCH 22 WITH GEORGE CLOONEY, HUGH LAURIE, KYLE CHANDLER

    'KNIGHTFALL' EPIC SERIES

Knightfall continues March 25th!

FIRST TRAILER IS HERE!

Earliet this year we got the first teaser and now History has revealed the first trailer for the second season of their KNIGHTFALL epic series showing us Tom Cullen as Landry, the leader of the Templars, and Mark Hamill as a battle hardened Knight Templar veteran of the Crusades who survived a decade of captivity in the Holy Land and is tasked with training the new initiates to the Order. He probably won't agree morally with Landry who impregnated the French queen, even though she was the wife of his best friend

New season will have Spartacus: War of the Damned Aaron Helbing as the brand new show runner and executive producer

the king (Ed Stoppard), and then watched her getting killed by her husband for her treachery and adultery. The sword in the teaser obviously announces a divide within the order. The series will start airing March 25th!

THE SECOND SEASON WILL
explore this dark time in history from the Templar perspective, embracing an authentically grittier, darker, and more brutal Medieval period than has ever been seen before. Tom Forbes joins the cast as violent Prince Louis of France, Clementine Nicholson as his wife Princess of Burgundy, Genevieve Gaunt is his sister princess Isabella of France. Pádraic Delaney returns as  as Gawain, Simon Merrells as Tancrede, Julian Ovenden as William DeNogaret and Jim Carter as Pope Boniface VIII.

   1ST 'CATCH 22' TRAILER

GEORGE CLOONEY WW2 SERIES

Meanwhile, Hulu has set May 17th for the grand premiere of their new historical series CATCH 22 coming from George Clooney. Also starring Christopher Abbott, Kyle Chandler, Hugh Laurie as Major de Coverley), Giancarlo Giannini, Daniel David Stewart, Rafi Gavron, Austin Stowell, Graham Patrick Martin, Gerran Howell, Jon Rudnitsky, Kevin J. O’Connor, Pico Alexander, Tessa Ferrer, Lewis Pullman, Josh Bold, Jay Paulson and Julie Ann Emery, the series will have six episodes!

THE STORY OF CATCH 22
based on the novel by Joseph Heller, follows the incomparable, artful dodger, Yossarian (Christopher Abbott), a US Air Force bombardier in World War II who is furious because thousands of peoplehe has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy, but rather his own army which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to avoid his military assignments, he’ll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule which specifies that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers which are real and immediate is the process of a rational mind; a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but a request to be removed from duty is evidence of sanity and therefore makes him ineligible to be relieved from duty. Check out the trailer below!

PREMIUM SPOTLIGHT ON ENCHANTINGLY LOVING A DOG'S JOURNEY DENNIS QUAID DRAMA SEQUEL TO A DOG'S PURPOSE

'A DOG'S JOURNEY'

DELIGHTFUL NEW POSTERS!

A Dog's Journey begins this May

Oh, how the first one made us cry like little kids! Adorable innocent little animals on film can really do that to you, you know? Exactly two years after Lasse Hallstrom's super marvellous family movie A Dog's Purpose, its delightful sequel, a brand new big screen adaptation of another of W. Bruce Cameron's best selling books A DOG'S JOURNEY is ready to make us cry again when it paws and barks its way into cinemas around the world this May. Directed this time by Gail Manusco (Gilmore Girl, Roseanne and Modern Family helmer) it will again follow a dog who finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he meets through all of his reincarnations.

Gail Manusco directs the sequel

SOME FRIEND SHIPS TRANSCEND LIFETIMES
Bailey the dog lives a happy life on the Michigan farm of his “boy,” Ethan (Dennis Quaid repeats his role from the original movie which followed his life from childhood to mature years), Ethan's wife Hannah (Marg Helgenberger), and their baby granddaughter, CJ (Kathryn Prescott). The problem is that CJ's mom decides to take CJ away. As Bailey's soul prepares to leave this life for a new one, he makes a promise to Ethan to find CJ and protect her at any cost. Thus begins

The original movie A Dog's Purpose earned $205 million around the world

Bailey's adventure through multiple lives filled with love, friendship and devotion as he, CJ, and CJ's best friend Trent (Henry Lau) experience joy

The film is based on the 2012 novel by W. Bruce Cameron!

and heartbreak, music and laughter, and few really good belly rubs. Kevin Claydon, Jake Manley, Betty Gilpin also star. Check out the trailer below! Oh, hell, we're already crying!

AARON TAYLOR JOHNSON, MATTHEW GOODE, TOM HOLLANDER, GEMMA ARTERTON, CHARLES DANCE, RALPH FIENNES TO LEAD KINGSMAN: GREAT GAME PERIOD SET PREQUEL AS MEMBERS OF 19TH CENTURY SECRET SPY ORGANIZATION

KINGSMAN: THE GREAT GAME

PERIOD SET PREQUEL SETS AN EXQUISITELY STELLAR CAST

Young Harris Dickinson will take the lead role

While Kingsman was a contemporary action spectacle, in which Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong, Jack Davenport, Michael Kaine, Mark Hamill, played members of a spy organization, one of its sequels will actually be a prequel! KINGSMAN: THE GREAT GAME, set to be out this November, will be a period set spin-off of the Kingsman movie series which will look at the spy organization at the turn of the 20th century. Matthew Vaughn will again produce and direct the movie and he is also planning other two sequels which will not be period set.

Matthew Goode has also joined the stellar cast of the prequel

Focusing on the organization as a tailor shop it will star Aaron Taylor Johnson and Matthew Goode in unspecified roles, Gemma Arterton as a nanny, with Tom Hollander playing three roles (he will be King George V,

British star Gemma Arteron will take one of the female leads!

the Kaiser, and a Russian tsar, who are all part of Queen Victoria's family tree). They will be joined by Rhys Ifans, Harris Dickinson (his character is to be similar to Taron Egerton's in the original movie), Daniel Bruhl,

Aaron Taylor Johnson is the latest addition to the stellar cast

Charles Dance, Stanley Tucci, Ralph Fiennes, and Djimon Hounsou! The story and the characters of the franchise are based on Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar’s comic book series, The Secret Service!

EPIX TO AIR JULIAN FELLOWES' AND ITV'S 19TH CENTURY SAGA BELGRAVIA IN USA! PLUS A TRAILER FOR HIS 1920'S MOVIE THE CHAPERON WITH ELIZABETH MCGOVERN, MIRANDA OTTO, BLYTHE DANNER, CAMPBELL SCOTT

JULIAN FELLOWES' BELGRAVIA

 TO BE AIRED BY EPIX IN USA

About a month ago I informed you that Julian Fellowes and ITV are preparing new costume drama BELGRAVIA based on his very own book, but

The casting should be announced soon

now Epix has also joined the Carnival Film series and will air it in USA.

The story set in the London high class of 1840s, actually begins on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, when the Duchess of Richmond throws a party in Brussels for the Duke of Wellington. Among the guests are James and Anne Trenchard, who are living on the profits of newfound trading success. Their young daughter Sophia has caught the eye of Edmund Bellasis, the son and heir of one of the richest and most prominent families in England. Twenty five years later, when the two families are settled into the newly developed area of Belgravia, the events of the ball, and the secrets, still resonate. Jamestown's John Alexander is directing the six episode saga. Stay tuned for the casting announcements!

'THE CHAPERONE' TRAILER

 A TRIP CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING

Speaking of Fellowes, check out the first trailer for the new period set movie he wrote THE CHAPERONE which is out this March. Set in the early 1920s,

The movie is out in cinemas this March

it follows the relationship between the young, free spirited and soon to be international screen starlet Louise Brooks (Haley Lu Richardson) and her tee totalling chaperone (Elizabeth McGovern). On their journey from the conservative confines of Wichita Kansas to the flash and sizzle of New York City, both women are driven by a kindred desire for self discovery and liberation from the past. Based on the book by Laura Moriarty and anchored by the supporting cast that includes Miranda Otto, Géza Röhrig, and Blythe Danner, THE CHAPERONE is a sensitive, resonant, and illuminating tale of women's lives in the early 20th century.

TOM WISDOM, ED WESTWICK, JOHN HANNAH TO LEAD WW2 EPIC DRAMA ENEMY LINES! BEN BATT JOINS SKY'S JAMESTOWN EPIC 17TH CENTURY SAGA SEASON 3

BEN BATT JOINS

JAMESTOWN EPIC SEASON 3

3rd season is being directed by Last Kingdom helmer

While we are waiting for Sky Atlantic to announce the airing date for the third season of their historical saga JAMESTOWN (the second one aired in February last year) I can tell you that the new cast member will be our dear Ben Batt who is no stranger to epic drama! In Sky's series, which follows the first British settlers in the 17th century America, Ben Batt will portray a new enigmatic trader Willmus Crabtree, joining the cast which includes Stuart Martin, Ben Star, Matt Stokoe, Max Beesley, Sophie Rundle, Naomi Battrick, Jason Flemyng and Niamh Walsh.

THE THIRD SEASON
 With trade booming and the tobacco farms established, the settlers’ pioneering aspiration soon clashes with reality as they begin to strive for more than new lives – now they crave control and power. The flourishing community creates new tensions between the English and the Pamunkey, and

First look at Ben Batt as Willmus Crabtree, the new trader in Jamestown

with politics rife in the air, the idealism of the New World is tested. As governor Yeardley’s thirst for power grows, can he handle the consequences? And how far will Opechancanough go to protect his native land?

'ENEMY LINES' WW2 MOVIE

SETS ED WESTWICK, TOM WISDOM, JOHN HANNAH AS LEADS

Speaking of historical things, the cast has been set for Anders Banke's first English film ENEMY LINES! With Ed Westwick toplining it, the cast will also include our dear Dominion and 300 star Tom Wisdom, alongside John

Ed Westwick till lead the cast in the new WW2 adventure

Hannah, Corey Johnson, Pawel Delag, Vladimir Epifantsev and Kirill Pletnev! The story of this World War II action drama is actually based

Tom Wisdom will star in WW2 feature Enemy Lines

on a 1943 true event that took place behind enemy lines into occupied Poland where an elite team of allied soldiers were sent to extract a rocket scientist from the hands of the Nazis.

IS UNIVERSAL PREPARING FIRST BIG STUDIO GAY ROMANTIC COMEDY WITH BILLY EICHNER AND JUDD APATOW? OLGA KURYLENKO, LAMBERT WILSON TO STAR IN FRENCH THRILLER THE TRANSLATORS!

BILLY EICHNER TO LEAD

Billy Eichner will both write and star in the film

FIRST BIG STUDIO GAY ROMCOM

After Crazy Rich Asians became the first big Asian romcom done by major US studios, will a big gay romance movie be the next step? Variety reports today that Universal has set Nick Stoller to direct an untitled romantic comedy which would see Billy Eichner both writing and starring in the story of two gay men who have commitment problems and are attempting a relationship. Judd Apatow is producing. Billy Eichner, who is openly gay privately as well, is currently starring in Netflix comedy series Friends from College and will also lend his voice to crazy meerkat Timon in Disney's live action version of The Lion King directed by Jon Favreau. He was nominated for an Emmy award three times for his own sketch series.

'THE TRANSLATORS' THRILLER

TO PUT OLGA KURYLENKO & LAMBER WILSON IN A BUNKER

Olga Kurylenko will lead the translators

As you know, your trusted spy works as a book translator and I can tell you that the job can be unusual sometimes. A few years ago when one of Dan Brown's new books was sold to foreign publishers, their translators from all the bigger markets were flown to Italy and locked there in a villa for two months without any contact with the outside world so that no information would leak about the new book.

Something like that happens in new thriller THE TRANSLATORS coming from France later this year and starring Olga Kurylenko, Alex Lawther, Lambert Wilson and Eduardo Noriega in the story of nine translators, hired to translate the eagerly awaited final book of a best selling trilogy, who are confined in a luxurious bunker. When the first ten pages of the top secret manuscript appear online, the dream job becomes a nightmare -

The first photo of the cast from the new French thriller

the thief is one of them and the publisher is ready to do whatever it takes to unmask him - or her. Stay tuned for more info about the project in the future!

NEW ADAPTATIONS: CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN'S ARARAT FANTASY NOVEL TO BECOME TV SERIES, CLAIRE MCFALL'S FERRYMAN FANTASY TRILOGY MOVING TO THE BIG SCREENS

CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN'S ARARAT

TO BECOME TELEVISION SERIES

Ararat will be turned into a TV series

As Deadline reports, AGC Television will turn Christopher Golden's book ARARAT into TV series. The 2007 best seller is getting a sequel The Pandora Room this spring. The story is set in the aftermath of an earthquake which reveals a secret cave inside Mount Ararat, and a daring newly engaged couple are determined to be the first ones inside. What they discover will change everything – the cave is actually a buried ancient ship that many come to believe is Noah’s Ark. Their adventure quickly turns into a horrific nightmare when a massive blizzard traps them inside. As they pray to be rescued, something wicked is listening to their prayers – and it wants to answer. The third part of the book Red Hands will be out in 2020.

CLAIRE MCFALL'S FERRYMAN

TO GET A MOVIE TREATMENT!

Ferryman saga is ending this spring

Legendary has, meanwhile, hired Kelly Marcel to adapt and direct Claire McFall's best selling fantasy saga FERRYMAN into a movie. The trilogy, which is ending with the third part this spring, has been a massive success around the world (even in China where it sold in more than million copies).

FERRYMAN follows a young girl named Dylan as she emerges from the debris of a train crash on an empty Scottish landscape. Believing herself to be the only survivor, she learns instead that she is the only fatality – and is trapped in a dangerous limbo. She meets a mysterious boy named Tristan, her ferryman, sent to guide her through the wasteland and into the afterlife, but they fall in love with perilous consequences.