FIRST TRAILER FOR STARZ & BBC NEW EPIC SHOW "THE WHITE QUEEN" WITH REBECCA FERGUSON, DAVID OAKES, MAX IRONS! SOPHIE LOWE, MICHAEL SOCHA, PETER GADIOT CAST IN "ONCE UPON A TIME" SPINOFF "WONDERLAND"

  FANTASY SHOW WONDER- LAND GETS FIRST STARS 

Well, it seems they are already casting actors for ONCE UPON A TIME spin-off show WONDERLAND! Based loosely on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, the spin-off to ABC's popular fantasy show, will be set in a pre-curse Wonderland and will fill the gaps between ONCE UPON A TIME seasons with 13 episodes. Young Sophie Lowe has been cast for the role of Alice joining one of BEING HUMAN's werewolves Michael Socha (he will star as The Knave of Hearts, a sardonic adventurer, a man of action, a loner and a heart-breaker) and Peter Gadiot who will play Cyrus, Alice's love interest. The show will also have another character - Amahi, described as exotic, soulful and optimistic! The producers are also hoping to get Sebastian Stan back as Mad Hatter and Barbara Hershey as the Queen of Hearts! You have most recently seen young Sophie Lowe in the exciting trailer for thriller movie THE PHILOSOPHERS  with James D'arcy!

  THE WHITE QUEEN TRAILER 

It's here, it's here, my little royal freaks! The first trailer for this summer's television event - historical series THE WHITE QUEEN which will air at Starz this July and on BBC (probably a bit earlier). Now

 let us keep our fingers crossed that they don't turn this series into a royal teen soap with spoilt teen brats (having always weak Max Irons in the lead role brings up these fears in me). The television adaptation of Phillippa Gregory's bestselling novel, the show brings a riveting story of love, lust, seduction and deception, betrayal and murder, given through the perspective of three different, yet equally relentless women, who tried to secure the English throne for themselves by using their powers of seduction and manipulation.

  WHITE QUEEN STORY

 The year is 1464, before the Tudor dynasty ruled the country, and war has been ravaging throughout England over who is the rightful King. It is a bitter dispute between two sides of the same family; The House of York and The House

   of Lancaster. The House of York’s young and handsome Edward IV (Max Irons) is crowned King of England with the help of the master manipulator, Lord Warwick “The Kingmaker” (James Frain). But when Edward falls in love with a beautiful Lancastrian commoner, Elizabeth Woodville (Rebecca Ferguson), Warwick’s plan to control the throne comes crashing down. A violent, high-stakes struggle ensues between Elizabeth, her most fierce adversary, Lancastrian Margaret Beaufort (Amanda Hale), and Anne Neville (Faye Marsay), the pawn in her father’s power game – each woman vying for the crown. The cast also includes Aneurin Barnard as King's brother Duke Richard, David Oakes as Duke of Clarence and Eleanor Tomlinson as Isabel Neville.  

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HOLLYWOOD SPY EXCLUSIVE SPOTLIGHT ON NEW HISTORICAL SERIES "THE VILLAGE" FROM BBC AND "BARABBAS" FROM REELZ

Today, my people, we spotlight two of the epic new series which will air this week: THE VILLAGE over at BBC and BARABBAS at Reelz!

  THE VILLAGE AT BBC 

Starting tonight, Sunday March 31st, over at BBC is new series THE VILLAGE an epic drama series starring Maxine Peake and John Simm, charting the life and turbulent times of one English village  across the whole of the 20th century, written by Bafta-winning writer Peter Moffat. The camera never leaves the village. Births, deaths, love and betrayal, great political events, upheavals in national identity, ways of working, rules kept and rebellions made, sex, religion, class, the shaping of modern memory – all refracted through the lives of the villagers and the village... The series will start in 1914 and will jump to 1920 within six episodes! Beginning in 1914, it tells the story of one man, Bert Middleton, who lives across the entire 100 years. His parents, John (John Simm) and Grace (Maxine Peake) struggle to provide for Bert and his older brother, Joe (Nico Mirallegro). The 6-part drama also stars Rupert Evans, Juliet Stevenson, Jim Cartright, Emily Beecham and Charlie Murphy. Unlike DOWNTON ABBEY the series won't focus on the frivolous snobbishness and the superficial lives of the high class but on the poor villagers and ordinary people throughout the century!

Describing the story, Moffat said himself: "I’m interested in the very big and the very small. I wanted to know what it felt like to watch your son leave for war in 1914 and see the look in his eyes when he came home and then watch him leave again, as well as how to wash his uniform and what the postcards he sent home from France actually looked like; to know what it was to die from overwork and undernourishment in the Twenties, as well as how to retrieve a smoked ham from up a chimney."

 BARABBAS AT REELZ 

Over at Reelz, a new historical series has been aired earlier this week, but if I got it right it will run this weekend too as an Easter event. BARABBAS is a historical mini series taking us back to the Roman Empire  and picking up where the Bible left off: it tells the story of Barabbas, the common criminal whose life was spared when Jesus was sentenced to death. The series star Billy Zane in the title role, magnetic Filippo Nigro is Pontius Pilate, Marcho Foschi is Jesus of Nazareth... Unlike History Channel's THE BIBLE series, which is currently airing in front of huge viewership but isn't getting any critical praise and is appealing mostly to religious people, BARABBAS has been complimented for the fact that it does a better and more engaging job of exploring faith managing to be both thought-provoking and at times emotional, doing well at illustrating common scepticisms of Christianity while also showing Barabbas’ own transformation.

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JASON STATHAM & TOM HARDY FOR "ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK" REMAKE! CAST ANNOUNCED FOR BBC "ATLANTIS" EPIC SERIES! "GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL" WITH JUDE LAW, RALPH FIENNES, ED NORTON, ADRIEN BRODY, SAOIRSE RONAN! FX "MAYFLOWER" HISTORICAL SERIES!

 The plot for Wes Anderson's GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL has been revealed. The movie will follow a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars and his friendship with a young

 employee who becomes his trusted protégé. The plot focuses on the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting, the battle for an enormous family fortune and the slow and then sudden upheavals that transformed Europe during the first half of the 20th century. The film which has already been shot in Hungary and Germany has an extremely star studded cast including: Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law, Edward Norton, Owen Wilson, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Harvey Keitel, Saoirse Ronan, Tom Wilkinson, Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe, Adrien Brody and Bill Murray! Wes has previously helmed MOONRISE KINGDOM and FANTASTIC MR FOX!
 

  CAST REVEALED FOR ATLANTIS EPIC SHOW 

One of our most anticipated of the upcoming new epic shows ATLANTIS is getting new cast members! As you already know the new BBC show will replace MERLIN this Fall and will be set in the city of Atlantis, a mysterious, ancient place, a world of bull leaping, of snake haired goddesses and of palaces so vast it was said they were built by giants. It's into this strange, compelling realm that the young Jason arrives and an amazing adventure begins, bringing to life the vast store of Greek myths and legends re-imagined for a new generation. Earlier this winter I informed you that Robert Emms (MIRROR MIRROR) will play Pythagoras, and now he will be joined by Mark Addy (Game of Thrones), Juliet Stevenson (The Village), Sarah Parish (World Without End, Merlin), Jack Donnelly (Dancing On The Edge) and Djinn's Aiysha Hart, and Jemima Rooper (Lost in Austen)! The show will start shooting next month on the sets designed in Morocco and Wales! The lead role is yet to be revealed!
 

  MAYFLOWER EPIC SERIES 

Speaking of epic series, FX is also venturing into these waters and in the slate of new mini series to come to the channel in the future is also

MAYFLOWER, a historical drama which will bring an unflinching portrait of the Puritan settlers at Plymouth Colony and their uneasy alliance with the local Native Americans.The show is produced by LIFE OF PI producer!

  JASON STATHAM & TOM HARDY FOR ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK 

And Digital Spy writes that Jason Statham and Tom Hardy are the frontrunners for the lead role in the remake of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK! One of them will star in the sf film playing Snake Plissken, a war hero turned criminal who has the chance to redeem himself by rescuing the president, who has been taken hostage by prison inmates. The role was originally played by Kurt Russell!

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TRAILERS FOR "ARTHUR NEWMAN" WITH COLIN FIRTH & EMILY BLUNT & "WHITE HOUSE DOWN" WITH CHANNING TATUM! PATRICK WILSON, KATHERINE HEIGL ARE "NORTH OF HELL"! DANNY BOYLE HELMS 18TH CENTURY SET "INGENIOUS PAIN"

Now there's an interesting new tandem: HOLLYWOOD SPY's fave actor Patrick Wilson and lovely Katherine Heigl will star together in NORTH OF HELL! According to "Deadline" the story of the movie centres on Don Champagne (Patrick Wilson), a successful businessman who seems to be living the good life. What most don't know, however, is his domineering and obsessive wife (Katherine Heigl) viciously controls every aspect of his well-being.

  DANNY BOYLE TO HELM INGENIOUS PAIN 

Meanwhile, TRAINSPOTTING and TRANCE director Danny Boyle has revealed to Digital Spy that his next project will be a period one. He didn't say anything more, but he previously mentioned that he wants to helm adaptation of Andrew Miller's novel INGENIOUS PAIN which takes place in 18th century England and Russia and centres on James Dyer, a surgeon who is impervious to physical pain.

  ARTHUR NEWMAN TRAILER 

They're having the time of everybody else's life! That's the motto of ARTHUR NEWMAN, a delightful new romantic comedy drama with two dear Brits Colin Firth and Emily Blunt.  Wallace Avery

(Colin Firth) is tired of being a loser. Once a hot shot in the world of competitive amateur golf, Wallace failed miserably when he turned pro. Ten years after retiring from the pro tour, he's lost his job. His ex-wife openly pities him. And his son hates him. Unable to face his life of quiet desperation any longer, Wallace stages his own death and buys himself a new identity as ARTHUR NEWMAN. His road trip towards a new life is derailed by the entrance of a beautiful loose cannon, Mike Fitzgerald (Emily Blunt), who's running from her own past. Driving cross country, this mismatched pair of damaged souls begins to connect as they break into empty homes and take on the identities of the absent owners: elderly Southern newlyweds, preening hipsters, a golf champ and his Russian wife, among others.

 An offbeat love story set in a perfect storm of identity crisis, ARTHUR NEWMAN looks at how two people try to remake themselves and come around to owning up to some basic truths about the identities they left at home

  WHITE HOUSE DOWN TRAILER 

Well, the trailer says it openly - if Americans ever lose their freedom it will be when they destroy themselves. So very true. They've always been

 their own worse enemy. This is the first trailer for second movie this year in which White House is under attack. WHITE HOUSE DOWN will see Channing Tatum turning from stripper to saviour!  He portrays John Cale, a cop who is touring the White House with his daughter, when 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. is taken over by a paramilitary group who kidnaps the President of the United States (Jamie Foxx), making John the only one who can save the commander-in-chief's life. Directed by Roland Emmerich (who already had fun destroying White House in INDEPENDENCE DAY) the film, about to hit cinemas in June, also stars Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Woods!

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FIRST "WOLVERINE" TRAILER WITH HUGH JACKMAN! TOM ELLIS IS ROBIN HOOD IN "ONCE UPON A TIME"! NEW "SIBERIA" MYSTERY SHOW! DEBRA MESSINGS IN "MOTHER'S DAY" SITCOM! FOX TO MAKE "SHOGUN" EPIC TV SERIES

Tones of TV news today, people: While ONCE UPON A TIME is getting its WONDERLAND spin-off which will be told from the perspective of Alice, the original show is still in the second season and is ready to present new faces in the cast: Digital Spy writes that dashing Tom Ellis

(who recently took the lead in NBC's GOTHICA new show) will play Robin Hood in an episode set to air later this April.

  SIBERIA TV SHOW 

   Another interesting new series coming to small screens next year is SIBERIA which is currently being produced by Sierra Engine Television (they're also working on NBC's pirate epic CROSSBONES with John Malkovich). 13 episode drama is set in the remote Siberian territory of Tunguska, location of the largest impact event on Earth, the massive 1908 explosion, believed to have been caused by a meteoroid or comet, which knocked down some 80 million trees over an area of 830 square miles. More than 100 years later, 16 reality show contestants descend on Tunguska unknowing of the land’s mysterious past. When a contestant is badly injured and no help arrives the contestants realize that the strange occurrences are not part of the show. With their safety threatened, competing contestants must band together in an effort to survive.  

  DEBRA MESSING IN NEW SITCOM 

If you are missing WILL AND GRACE and SMASH star Debra Messing, don't despair, she is coming back: Deadline reports that she will take the lead role in new sitcom MOTHER'S DAY (the title might get changed) at CBS. The comedy centres on 40-year-old Ella (Messing) who, in order to successfully navigate through the demanding life of being a mother of three, a lover, a friend and a career woman, constantly lies her way out of and into situations — little lies, big lies, white and at times not-so-white lies.

  NEW SHOGUN EPIC SHOW 

  According to Deadline Fox is also getting into the waters of epic TV shows! Their take on the genre will be television adaptation of SHOGUN  the best-selling novel by James Clavell! Set in the 17th century, the story is told from the perspective of British hero John Blackthorne, a sailor who rises from outsider to samurai while being used as a pawn in Japanese leader Toranaga’s struggle to reach the top of the ruling chain, or Shōgun. This will be the second adaptation of the novel, and you probably remember the classic series which starred Richard Chamberlain back in the 80s!

 

  WOLVERINE TRAILER 

And here's your first trailer for Hugh Jackman's WOLVERINE! Beside the title character the trailer also offers the first look at Svetlana Khodchenkova playing a very villainous vixen Viper! The movie hits cinemas this July! Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action adventure takes Wolverine, the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.

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CHARLIZE THERON ENJOYS "LADIES NIGHT"! SCARY SECOND "WAR WORLD Z" TRAILER WITH BRAD PITT AND ZOMBIE HORDES! WENTWORTH MILLER TO PEN "SCARE ME" MOVIE ADAPTATION! JOSEPH FIENNES, REBECCA FERGUSON, JOHN HURT IN "HERCULES"

Since I know how much you all love gorgeous Charlize Theron, here's an update on the blond beauty: according to "The Hollywood Reporter" she will produce and star in LADIES NIGHT in which the story centers on a woman (Charlize Theron) who decides to start a new life in New York City, largely due to her boyfriend's inability to commit to the relationship. She has one final night out on the town with her girlfriends before making the big move. I've already told you that beside playing villainous apocalyptic imperator Furiosa in MAD MAX: FURY ROAD next year, she will also star in Seth MacFarlaine's A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST next to Amanda Seyfried and Liam Neeson in a story about a farmer, who backs out of a gunfight with an outlaw and watches his girlfriend leave him. He goes on to meet the wife of the villionaus outlaw that provides him a chance to redeem himself by giving him shooting lessons. He ends up falling for the woman and gets himself deeper in trouble when the criminal comes back to claim his wife.

  JOSEPH FIENNES, JOHN HURT IN HERCULES 

  And even more nice people are joining Dwayne Johnson's new epic HERCULES in which he will play the title role of Hercules who will be portrayed more as a warrior and less as a demigod. After Ian McShane and Rufus Sewell have joined the cast, new additions are equally exciting: Joseph Fiennes, John Hurt and Rebecca Ferguson! Joseph Fiennes will play the pampered king who assigns Hercules his labors. Ian McShane is  playing Amphiarus, who is equal parts priest, prophet and warrior who counsels Hercules. John Hurt will play the weary ruler of Thrace, while Rebecca Ferguson (whom you shall watch this summer in new epic show THE WHITE QUEEN) will play his daughter, a healer. Rufus Sewell will play Autolycus the son of the messenger god Hermes!

WENTWORTH MILLER PENS SCARE ME! 

Another face that everybody likes, super talented and charismatic Wentworth Miller, who went from being a TV star without a gig to a critically praised screenwriter (no wonder since he has an MA in English), has another script to pen: he will adapt Richard Parker's upcoming novel SCARE ME! Here's the plot: Wealthy businessman, Will Frost, gets woken in the middle of the night by an anonymous caller, asking him when did he last Google himself. When Will goes online, he finds a website has been set up in his name, showing photographs of the inside of his home, along with photographs of six houses he's never seen before. In the first of these strange houses, a gruesome murder has already taken place. Will is then told that his own family is in mortal danger. The only way he can keep them safe is to visit each of the houses on the website in person - before the police discover what has happened there. Seven houses. Seven gruesome homicides. Seven chances to save his daughter's life...

  WORLD WAR Z NEW TRAILER 

Yep, that's the extremely scary and super frightening new poster for WORLD WAR Z showing hordes of zombies so bloodthirsty that not even heights and

 air can stop them to eat up a helicopter! You can also check out the second trailer for the exciting and tense horror adventure which is ready to hit big screens this June starring Brad Pitt, Matthew Fox and James Badge Dale  in the story which revolves around United Nations employee Gerry Lane (Pitt), who traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to decimate humanity itself. As you can see from the poster and from the trailer, building up mountains with their bodies and swarming in hordes is the favourite pastime of zombies! There's also an extremely intense airplane scene in the trailer!

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JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE TO HOST 2014 OSCARS? A "GAME OF THRONES" PREQUEL - PLUS NEW SEASON 3 CHARACTER PICTURES! DAVID TENNANT'S "SPIES OF WARSAW" MINI SERIES ON BBC AMERICA

Here's an interesting gossip: rumour has it that the top candidate for hosting next year's Oscars is everybody's beloved pop and r'n'b star, comedian and actor Justin Timberlake! After becoming famous as N'Sync member and then becoming one of world's most popular solo artists, Justin also proved himself as a great actor in a number of films. He is currently enjoying both critical and popular praise not just for his new album (you can check out his brilliant new video MIRRORS below) but also for his comedy work at Saturday Night Live! Due to his outstanding music and dancing talent, his comedy prowess, his ability to host and to improvise, he is now apparently very high on Academy's list for next year's host! According to some sources around the net he was one of the leading candidates for the gig in previous years too but was, at that time, considered too young and unseasoned. What do you think? Would you like to see delightful Justin Timberlake as Academy Awards Host next year?

AMAZING NEW GAME OF THRONES PICTURES

  A few days ago I posted amazing new character pictures for the third season of GAME OF THRONES but now I have some more photos featuring the main characters from the epic show. You can see brilliant Richard Madden as Robb Stark King of the North, Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen Dragon queen, Kit Harington as Jon Snow, Robb's half-brother, and Nikolaj Coster Waldau as Jaime Lannister with Lena Headey as his sister Cercei and Michelle Fairley as Catelyn Stark. With the full scale war that continues between the houses Stark, Lannister and Baratheon, and between the remaining great houses Greyjoy, Tully, Arryn, and Tyrell, the third run of the HBO epic show will see a very ancient evil awakening in the farthest north. Amidst the war and political confusion, a neglected military order of  misfits, the Night's Watch, is all that stands between the realms of men and icy horrors beyond! The new season is scheduled to start March 31 in USA and within the next week worldwide! 

 

GAME OF THRONES PREQUEL?

  It is also interesting that talking to IGN George R.R. Martin confirmed that there are talks for a prequel to GAME OF THRONES which would be set hundred years before the events in the current show and would be based on his novellas "The Hedge Knight", "The Sworn Sword" and "The Mystery Knight", set in the same world, in the world of Westeros, but a few centuries earlier, following two characters called Dunk and Egg. Those stories are more adventurous and lighter in tone than GAME OF THRONES. Spin-offs are kinda trendy these days, ONCE UPON A TIME is about to get its WONDERLAND spin-off with the Mad Hatter in the lead role, and  SPARTACUS could also get its CAESAR spin-off in the future. VAMPIRE DIARIES are getting their own ORIGINALS spin-off next season. 

SPIES OF WARSAW

Another video for you today is for BBC's mini series SPIES OF WARSAW which are coming to BBC America April 3rd!  Based on

 Alan Furst’s acclaimed novel, this is a thrilling spy story set in Poland, Paris and London in the years leading up to the Second World War. The drama finds French and German intelligence operatives locked in a life-and-death struggle. At the French embassy, the new military attaché, Colonel Jean Francois Mercier (David Tennant), a decorated hero of the 1914 war, is drawn into a world of abduction, betrayal and intrigue in the diplomatic salons and back alleys of Warsaw. At the same time, the handsome aristocrat finds himself in a passionate love affair with Anna (Janet Montgomery), a Parisian lawyer for the League of Nations. Their complicated love affair intensifies as German tanks drive through the Black Forest.

 Over at HOLLYWOOD SPY FACEBOOK PAGE today you can see the first poster for Starz new epic series THE WHITE QUEEN, new WOLVERINE poster and an all cast banner for STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS!

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EXCITING "RIDDICK" TEASER WITH VIN DIESEL, KARL URBAN! ALAN RITCHSON JOINS MEGAN FOX IN "NINJA TURTLES" MOVIE! REESE WITHERSPOON IN "ENGAGEMENTS" MOVIE ADAPTATION!

 According to "Deadline" Reese Witherspoon has a new project to produce and possibly star in: the movie adaptation of J. Courtney Sullivan's yet to be published novel THE ENGAGEMENTS following an engagement ring from the 1930s to present day, which connects five separate couples in unexpected ways! Evelyn has been married to her husband for 40 years since he slipped off her first wedding ring and put his own in its place. Delphine has seen both sides of love- the ecstatic, glorious highs of seduction, and the bitter, spiteful fury that descends when it's over. James, a paramedic who works the night shift, knows his wife's family thinks she could have done better; while Kate, partnered with Dan for a decade, has seen every kind of wedding - beach weddings, backyard weddings, castle weddings - and has vowed never, ever, to have one of her own. As these lives and marriages unfold in surprising ways, we meet Frances Gerety, a young advertising copywriter in 1947. Frances is working on the De Beers campaign and she needs a signature line, so, one night before bed, she scribbles a phrase on a scrap of paper: "A Diamond Is Forever." And that line changes everything.

  MEGAN FOX & ALAN RITCHSON IN NINJA TURTLES  

And casting continues for NINJA TURTLES $125 million live action movie! After Megan Fox has been mentioned for the role of intrepid and brave television reporter April O'Neal who befriends the famous Ninja Turtles, it seems we shall get the first turtle in the cast: stunning Alan Ritchson (played Aquaman in SMALLVILLE and he appears in HUNGER GAMES too and is also known as an underwear supermodel) will play the sai-wielding red bandanna wearing Raphael turtle. "Deadline" writes that the actors portraying the title characters will use state-of-the-art performance capture technology similar to Avatar, instead of wearing bulky turtle suits.

EXCITING  RIDDICK TEASER

After a very long wait, here it is - the first, short but spellbinding, teaser for this September's biggest science fiction adventure RIDDICK, the third film in the famous Vin Diesel's epic saga! This time, RIDDICK is left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he's encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty. The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of mercenaries, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained

by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won't leave the planet without Riddick's head as their trophy. Karl Urban again joins Diesel in the cast!

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HOLLYWOOD SPY SPOTLIGHT ON 2013 BIGGEST ANIMATED FILMS - "EPIC" WITH BEYONCE, AMANDA SEYFRIED, COLIN FARRELL, JOSH HUTCHERSON AND DISNEY'S "FROZEN" SNOW QUEEN!

You have probably noticed that with the loss of quality and depth in live action films in recent years, the only source of warmth, creativity, positivity and love have become enchanting animated movies which are also the only ones possessing a moral compass and good messages. From GUARDIANS OF GA'HOOLE, ICE AGE, TANGLED to HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, JUSTIN AND THE KNIGHTS OF VALOUR and BRAVE, animated films are hiding a hope for humanity. Today, with EPIC and FROZEN, we're spotlighting two of your HOLLYWOOD SPY's most anticipated 2013 animated flicks!

  "EPIC" IS REALLY EPIC 

If you ask me, possibly the best animated movie of the year will be deeply enchanting and magically colourful adventure titled EPIC which is ready to hit the big screens around the world from May 24th! Based on William Joyce's children book "The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs" the fantasy adventure is being directed by legendary Chris Wedge, the director of brilliant animated films such as ICE AGE and ROBOTS! The story of EPIC revolves around a young girl named Mary Katherine who lives in a cabin in the woods with her father and dog. Her father, Professor Bomba, has long studied a group of warriors who live in the

forest and protect it as guardians of good. He often will go into the forest and survey them. One day, the professor does not return from a hike in the forest, so Mary Katharine sets out to look for him. Hours later, she comes upon a group of glowing, falling leaves. Catching one of them, she is suddenly shrunken down. In her minuscule state, she discovers the group of warriors Prof. Bomba has studied, who are known as the Leafmen. Soon she is forced to assist them in a war against forces of evil known as the Boggans and their villainous leader Mandrake, while trying to find out how to return home. In the battle deep in the forest between the forces of good and evil the teenage girl must help a team of fun and whimsical characters to save their world, which also saves the real world!

DID YOU KNOW?

The film has a rather stellar cast including voices from Amanda Seyfried (as Mary Katherine Professor Bomba's daughter), Josh Hutcherson as Nod, a rookie Leafmen warrior, Colin Farrell as Ronin, a seasoned Leafmen warrior, r'n'b  diva Beyoncé Knowles as Queen Tara, the Mother Nature-like queen of the forest, Christoph Waltz as Mandrake, the leader of the Boggans, Aziz Ansari as Mub, a slug, pop star Pitbull as Bufo, comedian Jason Sudeikis as Professor Bomba, Mary Katherine's father, rock legend Steven Tyler as Nim Galuu, and Chris O'Dowd as Grub, a snail! At one point of the production, Chris Wedge wanted to escape delays and take EPIC from Fox to Pixar,

but in the end Fox decided to give the film its full support. The film has a scale of STAR WARS and AVATAR in characters, visuals and world building! Danny Elfman from OZ GREAT AND POWERFUL, ALICE IN WONDERLAND and MEN IN BLACK is composing the music!

  DISNEY'S "FROZEN" 

Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Snow Queen" FROZEN will be Walt Disney's 53rd animated feature film in their classics series. Scheduled for November this year, the film will feature the voices of Kristen Bell as Anna and Idina Menzel as Elsa, the Snow Queen, in speaking as well as singing roles! When Anna (Kristen Bell) is cursed by her estranged sister, the cold-hearted Snow Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel), Anna’s only hope of reversing the curse is to survive a perilous but thrilling journey across an icy and unforgiving landscape. Joined by a rugged, thrill-seeking outdoorsman Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), his one-antlered reindeer and a hapless snowman, Anna must race against

time, conquer the elements and battle an army of frozen sinister warriors if she ever hopes to melt her frozen heart.

DID YOU KNOW?
The work on FROZEN has lasted on and off for more than ten years since Disney has shelved it a couple of times since 2002. Chris Buck, who helmed SURFS UP and TARZAN is co-directing with WRECK IT RALPH's Jennifer Lee. The music will be scored by Christophe Beck who made music for THE MUPPETS and PERCY JACKSON THE LIGHTNING THIEF. 

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RUFUS SEWELL IN "HERCULES" EPIC, KIEFER SUTHERLAND IN "POMPEII" EPIC! SUSAN SARANDON, KATHY BATES LESBIAN COUPLE IN MELISSA MCCARTHY'S "TAMMY"! JASON BATEMAN'S "FAMILY THERAPY"!

Directorial project of our beloved Melissa McCarthy TAMMY is eyeing Susan Sarandon for the lead role! She could take the role

that Shirley MacLaine refused - that of an alcoholic grandmother in a story which follows the misadventures of a woman who is laid off from her fast food job, only to discover that same day her husband is cheating on her. She decides to take a road-trip with her foul-mouthed, diabetic grandmother who has a taste for whiskey. Kathy Bates will co-star as the grandmother's lesbian friend LOL who saves the two leads from a couple of rough spots in their journey across America. Methinks Shirley was crazy to refuse such a candy of a role :)

  JASON BATEMAN IN FAMILY THERAPY! EX MACHINA SF

  In sf news today, THR writes that Alex Garland, who penned DREDD last year, will direct sf movie EX MACHINA centring on a billionaire inventor who invites a young employee to his home to test his latest creation, an artificially intelligent female robot. Deadline reports that Disney is planning a remake of their classic PETE'S DRAGON which tells the tale of a young orphan who moves to a quiet fishing community with his sometimes invisible dragon Elliot. Melissa McCarthy's good friend Jason Bateman (you've seen them in IDENTITY THIEF) also has a new gig: he is producing FAMILY THERAPY, which follows a dysfunctional family who hires a therapist to fix their issues on the eve of a big family wedding.

  RUFUS SEWELL IN HERCULES! KIEFER SUTHERLAND IN POMPEII 

 In epic news today - Rufus Sewell has joined HERCULES epic and will play Autolycus the son of the messenger god Hermes. Dwayne

Johnson plays HERCULES the son of Zeus who leaves the gods behind to live in exile as a mercenary for hire, along with his six trusted companions and is put to the test that makes him question everything he once believed. Aksel Hennie is playing Hercules' axe-wielding sidekick Tydeus while Ian McShane will play Amphiarus, a priest, prophet, and warrior who serves as Hercules' adviser. . At the same time, Kiefer Sutherland will play the villain in POMPEII epic set just days before the historic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Kit Harington plays Milo, a former slave turned gladiator, who must race back to save his true love Flavia (Emily Browning), and his best friend before it's too late. Kiefer Sutherland is portraying a Roman senator who enslaved Milo's village and forces Flavia's father (Jared Harris), Milo's master, to have his daughter marry the senator.

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