HOLLYWOOD SPY EXCLUSIVE SPOTLIGHT ON BBC'S EPIC SERIES "MERLIN" SEASON FIVE WITH COLIN MORGAN, BRADLEY JAMES, EOIN MCKEN, TOM HOPPER

So, people, are you ready for the fifth, and gossips suggest possibly the final, season of BBC's epic fantasy show MERLIN? It has just started airing this Saturday over in United Kingdom (in a primetime slot, unlike the previous seasons), will air in a few days in Australia too and will air early in January next year on SyFy Channel in USA. It will also be aired in most parts of the world since it is the series shown in the biggest number of countries on the planet. After a very long period of waiting for the characters, the young warlock Merlin (Colin Morgan) and his friend and master Arthur (Bradley James),
to finally grow up and take the rule in their own hands, the story is finally about to unravel in the fifth season after Arthur's coronation as the new king in the previous season. They will now continue to fight all the evils that threaten the kingdom and Camelot and to fight Morgana (Katie McGrath) who is apparently more evil than ever before. They can still count on the help of Arthur's trusted knights Sir Gwaine (Eoin Macken), Sir Percival (Tom Hopper) and Sir Leon (Rupert Young), while Morgana will have the help of dangerous Mordred (Alexander Vlahos) who is now all grown up and very ambiguous and mysterious.

WHAT'S NEW IN SEASON 5?

With the development of the characters and their stakes becoming bigger, the fifth season will have a darker and more sophisticated tone from the previous seasons going deeper into the mythology around Arthur, MERLIN and the Round Table. This means that there will be

 more ensemble multi-stranded stories and the episodes will not focus only on Merlin. Morgana will get even more extreme in seeking revenge and in her quest to take over the throne of Camelot, Arthur will continue learning how to be a king and adjusting to his new role of

the ruler. Merlin will still remain kind hearted and nice, but will not be as naive as he was before since living in the world in which he has to keep his true identity secret has had an effect on him. Unlike other epic shows such as SPARTACUS and GAME OF THRONES, MERLIN will

retain a certain sort of innocence at the heart of the show which is why there will be balance and the fifth season won't be too dark, too violent or too sexual. The visuals of the new season will also become more serious and we shall see lots of remote castles, dark throne chambers,

magnificent winter settings covered in snow and ice. If the fifth run of the show proves to be the final one, it would mean that we shall have a tragic ending since we all know that the true legend had Arthur dying and his kingdom falling apart. This will make the end of the season/series similar to the final season of SPARTACUS which will in its final season WAR OF THE DAMNED next January also see the death of its lead hero.

MER LIN TID BITS

The opening episode of the new season ARTHUR'S BANE will have two parts and will jump up  in time seeing the main characters three years after we've left them in season four. There will be more dragons this time. As you remember a baby dragon was born in the last season and it is possible it will be under Morgana's rule. There will also be some magical wolves.

  Although the outfits in the show will be more luxurious now, and Morgana will flaunt some medieval diva costumes :), Merlin will, sadly, remain in the same old costume he's been wearing ever since the first episode five years ago. Sir Gwain will be the third male role in season five and other knights will also be in the focus which means there will be less guest roles than before. There will be catfights between Morgana and horrid Gwen (atrociously talentless Angel Colby).

  It is possible that the show will have two more seasons, and there were also talks about three feature cinematic films, which producers would like to do in the vein of THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. Ladies will enjoy a lot of shirtless Percival with his pumped up muscles. We shall again see The Valley of the Fallen Kings and the Lake of Avalon. There will be more battles, druids and sorcery. 

It appears that Gwain might be the first one to discover that Merlin has magical powers. We shall again see Lindsay Duncan as Queen Annis, Janet Montgomery as princess Mithian and Anthony Head as the dead king Uther Pendragon, while Kelly Wenham will play Queen Mab. GAME OF THRONE's Liam Cunningham will play a dangerous druid. For more info visit a very resourceful Merlin Wikia.

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HOLLYWOOD SPY SPOTLIGHT ON EPIC MINI SERIES "WORLD WITHOUT END" WITH TOM WESTON JONES, BLAKE RITSON, BEN CHAPLIN, RUPERT EVANS, OLIVER JACKSON COHEN, CYNTHIA NIXON!

You are already informed about the epic mini series WORLD WITHOUT END, but I'm spotlighting it again since it is about to start airing over at Reelz in USA this month. It's already airing in Canada, and I myself have

seen three episodes so far. So far it is worth watching. It is maybe overly similar to its prequel THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH being filled with evil monks, corrupted priers, bridges, bloodthirsty lords and witches being publicly killed, but it does have lovely sets, especially the landscapes, rather nice costumes and the story is dynamic so far. The best part is that, similarly to the previous series (WORLD WITHOUT END is set 200 years after the events in PILLARS, and both series are based on Ken Follett's famous historical novels) the series will probably yield a number of talented young actors.

PILLARS gave us Eddie Redmayne, David Oakes and Sam Claflin, while the new series has notable performances from a bunch of rather charismatic young actors from brilliant Blake Ritson (who truly

shines playing young king Edward III) to handsome trio - Tom Weston Jones (you're currently also watching him in BBC AMERICA's COPPER), Oliver Jackson Cohen (a very believable villain) and Tom Cullen (who similarly to PILLARS, which also depicted both the

 lives of noblemen and the villagers, plays an honest farmer). Cynthia Nixon and Miranda Richardson, alongside Ben Chaplin and Rupert Evans are also on top of their tasks. My only problem is shockingly talentless Charlotte Riley in the lead role of Caris.

I'm really not sure how she was chosen for the role, but her performance was, so far, deeply unappealing, bland and cold. She was expressionless and empty even in some of the most emotional scenes in the plot. She is definitely one of the worst cast roles ever seen on TV.

WORLD WITHOUT END STORY

A paid assassin is sent to murder a king. A mysterious knight flees to the countryside, hotly pursued by the Queen's men. Two teenagers witness an incident in the woods that will change the course of a nation. In the thriving town of Kingsbridge, the latest marketplace gossip is the strange circumstances of the King's death. The civil war is over, Kingsbridge's economy is robust and merchant coffers are full.
All is well in Kingsbridge until the two noble young men bring their wounded knight to the Priory to be doctored. Sir Thomas Langley surprises all by buying his sanctuary in the Church as a humble monk using a dowry from the Queen. What could he possibly have on Queen Isabella to warrant such support? Without warning, Kingsbridge seems suddenly under siege. The Queen's ardent supporter, Sir Roland, marches in and usurps the Earldom of neighbouring Shiring, condemning the reigning lord to

death as a traitor. Roland's list of men, who supported the old King against Her Majesty is long – and they will all hang. The rest must pay dearly in taxes to support her claim to the French Crown - marking the beginning of the 100 Year War.

Caris, a visionary young woman, struggles to rise above the suffering and oppression in order to lead her people out of the dark times. In order to save Kingsbridge, Caris, along with her lover Merthin and Sir Thomas Langley, build a community that stands up to The Crown and

The Church. Their courage inspires a nation and throughout Europe commoners and peasants stand up for their rights and revolt against their oppressors - a new age emerges.

WORLD WITHOUT END CAST

 The mini series is being directed by famous Michael Caton Jones from ROB ROY and BEYOND THE GATES and produced by the producers of THE TUDORS and THE BORGIAS and Ridley Scott and his brother Tony Scott. The book itself has been a huge bestseller in

more than 30 countries around the world! The rich and complex cast is being lead by a number of famous names as the story again mixes the stories of the common people and the noble ones: Cynthia Nixon from SEX AND THE CITY plays Petranilla, British star Ben Chaplin plays

Sir Thomas Langley, mesmerizing British actor Rupert Evans whom we remember from brilliant THE PALACE series plays evil prior Godwyn, while famous Miranda Richardson plays Mother Cecilia. The cast also includes a bunch of extremely beautiful young actors: Tom Cullen is farmer Wulfric, Sarah Gadon is gorgeous Phillippa, Oliver Jackson Cohen is villainous Ralph, Blake Ritson is

King Edward, Nora von Waldstaetten is brave Gwenda, Tom Weston Jones is Merthin, Charlotte Riley is Caris, Aure Atika is Queen Isabella and HOLLYWOOD SPY's dear friend, ever so lovely, Caroline Boulton plays sister Elisabeth.

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DYNAMIC "A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD" TRAILER WITH BRUCE WILLIS, JAI COURTNEY! FUNNY "MOVIE 43" TRAILER WITH KATE WINSLET, HUGH JACKMAN, GERARD BUTLER, JOSH DUHAMEL, ELIZABETH BANKS! HEAR ADELE'S "LET THE SKY FALL"

Just like yesterday, you get two brand new trailers today as well: the first one is for A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD, which is the fifth sequel in the famous action franchise made famous by Bruce Willis playing 

legendary cop John McClane in previous decades. This time he has a grown up son with whom he goes to Russia to save the world from who knows what terrorists and naughty guys. McClane faces his greatest challenge ever, this time on an international stage, when his estranged son Jack is caught up in the daring prison escape of a rogue Russian leader, and father and son McClane must work together to keep each other alive. Ready to be released into cinemas February next year, the film also stars Jai Courtney in the role of McClane junior. You've seen Courtney in super popular epic series SPARTACUS in which he played a gladiator and the best friend of the famous slave leader. Part of the film was shot in Serbia where Belgrade prison played the role of a prison in

Russia. As you remember from all previous reports at HOLLYWOOD SPY, a huge number of talented young actors have been in the game for the role of the son including Aaron Paul, Liam Hemsworth, James Badge Dale, Paul Walker, Ben Foster, Shiloh Fernandez, Milo Ventimiglia...

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

Sony Pictures is, according to "Deadline", preparing GIANTS sf film in which the story centres on an alien race known as Giants, who decide to wage war on

Earth after an attack on their home planet. When they get to Earth, though, these creatures realize they are actually only 1/4 of an inch tall compared to the humans. The foreign object that "attacked" them is actually a screw that came loose from the Hubble telescope. These minuscule aliens form an alliance with a nerdy young boy to save the world. You can also check out Adele's song LET THE SKY FALL for the upcoming SKYFALL James Bond movie. I can't say I like it, it is extremely cliché, quite a monotonous yawnfest, nothing to explain the buzz we've been hearing around the song in the previous weeks.

MOVIE 43 TRAILER WITH KATE WINSLET, HUGH JACKMAN, GERARD BUTLER

The second clip for today is much more fun. It is the trailer for an unusual omnibus of a number of short hilarious scenes featuring some of the most famous actors. Titled MOVIE 43 it is hitting cinemas next January. Take a hilarious director, add a brilliant cast, mix in some

twisted jokes, remove all boundaries, and then stand back... way back. In MOVIE 43 comedy is served steaming hot (literally) by director Peter Farrelly of The Farrelly Brothers in one of the most shocking, original, and dangerous comedies ever made. Starring Hugh Jackman beautifuly paired up with Kate Winslet, Gerard Butler (it is deeply sad what they did to him in the movie), Josh Duhamel, Elizabeth

  Banks, Justin Long, Anna Faris, Seann William Scott, Richard Gere, Uma Thurman,  Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Kate Bosworth, Terrence Howard, Liev Schreiber,  Kristen Bell, Jason Sudeikis, Johnny Knoxville, Chloe Moretz, Stephen Merchant, Kieran Culkin, Halle Berry and Chris Pratt, MOVIE 43 is jaw-dropping, uproarious, outrageous fun.

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TRAILERS FOR "THE CROODS" ANIMATED ADVENTURE & "PARKER" WITH JASON STATHAM & JENNIFER LOPEZ! JAKE GYLLENHAAL JOINS HUGH JACKMAN IN "PRISONERS"! ANTHONY MACKIE & CHRIS EVANS IN "A MANY SPLINTERED THING"

Two trailers for you today, people! First here's the first, rather lovely, trailer for next year's animated film which I've recently spotlighted: Dreamwork's THE

 CROODS which hits theatres next March. Surviving in a volcanic world is tough enough, but caveman Grug (Nicolas Cage) gets a rude awakening when an earthquake forces him to leave behind the only world he knows. With his family in tow, he ventures out into the volatile world in search of a new home. The situation becomes even more complicated when Grug's family - but in particular his eldest daughter (Emma Stone) - become smitten with a nomad (Ryan Reynolds) they encounter on their dangerous journey. This quirky, imaginative stranger's search for 'tomorrow' is at odds with Grug's reliance on the traditions of yesterday!

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

In today's short news: Jake Gyllenhaal has joined PRISONERS in which Hugh Jackman plays a small-town carpenter named Keller whose young daughter and her best friend are kidnapped. After

the cops fail to find them, Keller takes the law into his own hands, but in the process runs up against Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal), a hot shot cop with confidence to burn, assigned to the case. Meanwhile, "Variety" reports that Anthony Mackie has joined antiromantic film A MANY SPLINTERED THING in which our favourite hunk Chris Evans plays a man who meets an engaged woman (Michelle Monaghan), just as he is becoming disenfranchised with the prospect of love. He starts a platonic relationship with the woman, in hopes of trying to win her over, despite her relationship status. The script was on the famous Black List last year and also stars Giovanni Ribisi.

PARKER TRAILER

The second trailer for today is a more serious one: with a strange combination of Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez, action flick PARKER hits

cinemas next next January. Parker (Jason Statham) is a professional thief who lives by a personal code of ethics: Don't steal from people who can't afford it and don't hurt people who don't deserve it. But on his latest heist, his crew double crosses him, steals his stash, and leaves him for dead. Determined to make sure they regret it, Parker tracks them to Palm Beach, playground of the rich and famous, where the crew is planning their biggest heist ever. Donning the disguise of a rich Texan, Parker takes on an unlikely partner, Leslie (Jennifer Lopez), a savvy insider, who's short on cash, but big on looks, smarts and ambition. Together, they devise a plan to hijack the score, take everyone down and get away clean.

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"THE LONE RANGER" TRAILER WITH JOHNNY DEPP & ARMIE HAMMER! EMILIA CLARKE, IMOGEN POOTS & JESSICA B. FINDLAY FOR "CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER"! MERYL STREEP IN FANTASY MUSICAL "INTO THE WOODS"

Just like it happened when they were choosing the lead actress for CAPTAIN AMERICA, the same buzz has started now for CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE
WINTER SOLDIER. The race for the lead actress in the sequel is on and it is interesting that the whole story is circling around GAME OF THRONES since the sequel will be directed by Joe and Anthony Russo who worked on HBO's epic show. This is why the main candidate for the female role is gorgeous Emilia Clarke who plays dragon queen in GAME OF THRONES. Other candidate is lovely Jessica Brown Findlay from DOWNTON

ABBEY. Another actress who might take the role, according to "Deadline" is Imogen Poots. One of them will join Chris Evans in the story which will now be set in the modern world. Scarlett Johansson will have a cameo as Black Widow. But there is a long time to wait, since the film opens up April 2014.

HOLLY WOOD SPY HEAD LINES

According to fresh rumours acting legend Meryl Streep is in negotiations to venture INTO THE WOODS, a film which will weave multiple fairy tales including Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel. The story centers on an evil witch that curses the main character Baker and his wife. The two have to try and reverse the curse,

which prevents them from bearing children. Based on  MOBIUS, the thriller is set in space and centers on a captain that is obsessed with revenge. He takes his crew on a suicide mission seeking vengeance from a space creature!

THE LONE RANGER TRAILER

Your big trailer treat for today is the first clip for western adventure THE LONE RANGER:   From producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski, the film making team behind the blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, comes this thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American spirit warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer), a man of the law, into a legend of justice, taking the audience on a runaway train of epic

surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption. The film which has an ambition of being one of next summer's biggest hits also stars Helena Bonham Carter, Barry Pepper, James Badge Dale, Tom Wilkinson, James Frain.

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"A KNIGHT'S TALE" TV SHOW! LAUREN GRAHAM JOINS MATTHEW PERRY IN "GO ON"! ABC"S "GASLIGHT" STEAMPUNK SHOW! "THE FIRST TIME" TRAILER! KIM RAVER JOINS "REVOLUTION" SF SHOW

Lots of television news, my people, today: super adorable Lauren Graham from GILMORE GIRLS will be one of the guest stars in Matthew Perry's new hit sitcom GO ON. Lauren, who is privately a long time friend with the ex FRIENDS star, will play a former co-worker of Perry's character. NBC's GO ON, in which Perry plays a sports talk radio host and a member of a "life change" support group, has had very high ratings since it premiered earlier this season.Meanwhile, ABC is preparing their first steampunk show! Titled GASLIGHT, it will be a lavish soap opera of passion, greed and hope set in a present-day Steampunk World in which three rival families battle for power and redemption in a re-imagined San Francisco.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

In other television updates today, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA producers are planning to make a TV show out of A KNIGHT'S TALE. Similarly to the popular film, it will also be a fun adventure and a medieval fantasy incorporating modern music and themes that follows the journey of a

young man who starts out impersonating a knight of the realm and ends up becoming one. As I reported before, ABC will also have A KINGDOM FAR AWAY fantasy series following a quirky family surviving together on a lawless frontier, a magical land where monsters are real, and one young woman’s unlikely destiny is about to change their lives forever. Another successful show, NBC's REVOLUTION, which had the highest ratings in three years at the network, has added lovely Kim Raver(I adored her in LIPSTICK JUNGLE) to the cast. In the story which follows a group of people who are trying to survive in a world which has suddenly been left without all energy sources, Kim will play a mysterious, but pivotal character. 

THE FIRST TIME TRAILER

 The only trailer I have for you is for teenage drama THE FIRST TIME, which hits cinemas later this month and follows Dave, a high

 school senior who spends most of his time pining away over a girl he can't have. Aubrey, a junior with artistic aspirations, has a hot boyfriend who doesn't quite understand her or seem to care. Dave and Aubrey meet one night at a party. A casual conversation sparks an instant connection, and, over the course of a weekend, things turn magical, romantic, complicated and funny as Aubrey and Dave discover what it's like to fall in love for the first time. The cast includes Dylan O'Brien, Britt Robertson, Craig Roberts, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, Lamarcus Tinker, Christine Taylor, Joshua Malina, Victoria Justice.

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JUDI DENCH IS "PHILOMENA"! BEN KINGSLEY, PETER O'TOOLE, HUGH BONNEVILLE IN "MARY MOTHER OF CHRIST"! HARRY LLOYD IN "THE FEAR"! ADELE'S BOND SONG 2B TITLED "LET THE SKY FALL"! DANIEL RADCLIFFE IN "FRANKENSTEIN" "THE KING'S SPECH" SEQUEL?

According to "Variety", Her Cinematic Highness Judi Dench (bow immediately), whom you will see later this Autumn in SKYFALL as James Bond's boss, has found herself another interesting project: she and Steve

  Coogan will lead the cast in tragic drama PHILOMENA which is to be directed by famous Stephen Frears (who worked with almost all lady legends - with Dench in MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS, with Helen Mirren in THE QUEEN and with Glenn Close in DANGEROUS LIAISONS). It will be the true story of an Irish woman whose son was sold for adoption in America, and their attempts to reunite with each other. Dench will play the title role in this movie adaptation of Martin Sixsmith's book "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee: A Mother, Her Son and a 50 Year Search", which describes how PHILOMENA was forced by nuns to give up her son Anthony when he was 3. Anthony was sold for adoption in America, where he grew up to be a successful lawyer and politician. In the 1980s, after he contracted AIDS, he visited Ireland in an attempt to find his mother.

CASTING HEADLINES

Some time ago I've informed you about MARY MOTHER OF CHRIST project which will have Odeya Rush as Mary, legendary Peter O'Toole as Symeon and Julia Ormond as Mary's cousin 

Elizabeth. Now "The Wrap" reports that Ben Kingsley might take the role of king Herod. Other rumours suggest that the above mentioned Judi Dench (bow immediately) might take the role of Anna the Prophetess, while "Downton Abbey" star Hugh Bonneville is wanted for Satan. The same website reports that HARRY PLOPPER star Daniel Radcliffe might play Hunchback in the new version of FRANKEN- STEIN. It will be a sf version of the horror story directed by Paul McGuigan (BBC's SHERLOCK)in which the Hunchback is Dr. Frankenstein's assistant and is also a creepy psychopath dressed in old clown's clothes.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

One of the best music producers and singers One Republic's Ryan Tedder (beside One Republic's hit APOLOGIZE, he also wrote Leona Lewis' BLEEDING

 LOVE, Beyonce's HALO, Jordin Sparks' BATTLEFIELD, and he wrote for Adele as well) has accidentally revealed that he has heard Adele's James Bond song and that it is a mindblowing piece, the best OO7 song ever. Titled LET THE SKY FALL, the song is said to hit the public on October 5th, on global James Bond Day. Meanwhile, one of our favourite GAME OF THRONES and ROBIN HOOD stars, ever so delightful Harry Lloyd will star in British TV series THE FEAR with Peter Mullan as crime boss Richie Beckett who struggles with a mafia feud, early onset dementia and issues within his own family. There are also rumours 

that Oscar winning THE KING'S SPEECH might get a sequel which would deal with the difference in the lives of the king's family and the family of his speech therapist during the war and the ongoing poverty. Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter will all return to their original roles.

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