HOLLYWOOD SPY EXCLUSIVE SPOTLIGHT ON THE HOBBIT BOYS PART ONE: LUKE EVANS, RICHARD ARMITAGE AND SIR IAN MCKELLEN!

So, tell me, my little Hobbits and Elves, have you seen THE HOBBIT: THE UNEXPECTED JOURNEY? It has been breaking records with hundreds of millions of dollars already earned worldwide, so I am

guessing you have. In honour of the epic fantasy, we're spotlighting the boys from the cast. First part today, and the second one tomorrow!

LUKE EVANS

BARD THE BOWMAN

Glorious Welshman really did fulfil his dreams when Peter Jackson called him and offered him the role of Bard the Bowman who leads the armies of men in the Battle of Five Armies and after that becomes the new king. This is by no means unusual, since deeply charismatic and utterly magnetic Luke Evans is used to royal and godly roles - he was the ruler of Olympus, supreme God Zeus in Tarsem's magnificent epic IMMORTALS next to Henry Cavill, and he was also a God in CLASH OF THE TITANS in which he played Apollo, while in THE THREE MUSKETEERS he was also in royal company as dashing Aramis. You've watched him this year in Gothic thriller THE RAVEN and will see him in the future in the other 

two HOBBITS and in THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 6 next to Dwayne Johnson, Paul Walker and Vin Diesel.  He is a frequent guest at Hollywood auditions for the upcoming blockbusters and is also a bit of a style icon with his photo shoots covering the pages of biggest fashion magazines. He is also known as one of the sweetest celebrities who always has time for his fans, known as the Luketeers, and you all remember how kind he was earlier this year when he personally wished your dear HOLLYWOOD SPY a happy birthday :)A true modern gentleman and a man of honour.

RICHARD ARMITAGE

THORIN THE DWARF

Similarly to Luke, seductive Richard Armitage is also known for having extremely faithful fans. Some even believe that he gets most of

 his roles thanks to the energy and support of his dear fans. In THE HOBBIT, Richard plays Thorin a strong and fearless fighter and revered leader of Dwarves, who wants to reclaim his kingdom from the evil dragon Smaug who took their homes and fortune and forced once proud and noble race into exile. In his wish to return the vast treasure of his homeland Erebor, he will bring twelve dwarves with him to Bilbo Baggins’ front door and that's how The Quest of Erebor will begin. Dashing Brit got famous playing villainous Guy of Gisbourne in BBC's show ROBIN HOOD, and then

he became a bit of an action star playing policemen in MI5 and STRIKE BACK shows.
In the meantime he scored another big blockbuster in his CV - CAPTAIN AMERICA in which he played Heinz Kruger. Beside the other two HOBBIT films, in the future we shall also watch him in BLACK SKY a film about a group of high school students document the events and aftermath of a devastating tornado. Again, similarly to Luke Evans, who has the most angelic voice and loves to sing and star in musicals, Richard is also talented for music and plays the cello, guitar, and flute.

SIR IAN MCKELLEN

GANDALF THE WIZARD

The youngest and the most charming of our Hobbit boys :))) - Sir Ian McKellen is truly an acting legend. He probably would've missed the role of his lifetime

 if Sean Connery didn't refuse Peter Jackson's offer to portray the powerful wizard who has built deep relationships over time with great lords and leaders of Dwarves, Men and Elves. Sean didn't like the idea of spending more than a year over at New Zealand so Ian McKellen got his chance to truly shine in one of the most beloved fantasy roles ever. Although the younger audience mostly knows him as Gandalf and as Magneto from X-MEN saga, Ian is actually a tremendous dramatic actor who has earned tremendous critical praise for his outstanding roles in

  RICHARD III and GODS AND MONSTERS. Can you believe that he's never actually won an Oscar but was only nominated two times??? He's never won a BAFTA either. It is interesting that in the future we shall watch him on TV next to Derek Jacobi in ITV sitcom VICIOUS in which they will play a gay couple :) The show will revolve around friends that bicker, argue and are delightfully vicious to each other. They will play long-time couple Freddie and Stuart who have lived together in a small London apartment for nearly 50 years. A former actor and an ex-barman, their lives now consist mainly of reading, walking their dog and bickering.

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"TURBO" TRAILER WITH RYAN REYNOLDS! 1ST LOOK AT TOM HARDY AS "MAD MAX"!MARVEL'S "S.H.I.E.L.D." ROUNDS UP CAST! "MERLIN" FINAL EPISODE EVER TO AIR CHRISTMAS EVE!

 Are you ready to watch the final ever episode of BBC's fantasy show MERLIN? The episode "The Diamond of the Day" which ends the whole show will air on BBC December 24th and you can check out

 the trailer for the ending. In five seasons, the show has become a huge success with record breaking 190 countries in which it is aired. The fans are anxiously waiting to see if Arthur (Bradley James) will finally

reveal Merlin's (Colin Morgan) magic or if the show will end with a disappointing finale in which the magic will stay hidden forever. The final episode will see vengeful Morgana (Katie McGrath) and

 Mordred (Alexander Vlahos) preparing for war on Camelot and with the legends which say that Arthur will die surrounding the royal town. The final season airs in USA from January on SyFy. 

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Your photo treat for today is the first picture of Tom Hardy in the lead role in MAD MAX: FURY ROAD! The post apocalyptic film will also star Charlize Theron and Nicholas Hoult and will see Mad Max fighting against evil Furiosa played by Theron. The producers are planning to shoot two films back to back and the second one will be titled MAD MAX FURIOUSA. And it is official: the cast for Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series has been rounded. All six names of the regular ensemble have been signed and hired: the show which could possibly air at ABC next Fall, will be a superhero series set within the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization, and is being written by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen. The cast includes Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), Ming-Na (Agent Melinda May 

pilot and a weapon expert), Elizabeth Henstridge (science expert Agent Gemma Simmons), Iain De Caestecker (Agent Leo Fitz technology expert}, Chloe Bennett (fun, smart, caring agent Skye) and Brett Dalton (Agent Grant Ward a highly-trained operative who lacks 

people skills)! The series will be set solely within the shadowy government organization, and will not feature any of the heroes from this summer's blockbuster "Marvel's The Avengers".

TURBO TRAILER

And to cheer up your Saturday, here's the first trailer for delightful animated comedy TURBO which hits cinemas next July. From the makers of "Madagascar" and "Kung Fu Panda", TURBO is a high-velocity 3D comedy about an underdog snail who kicks into overdrive when he miraculously attains the power of super-speed. But

after making fast friends with a crew of streetwise, tricked-out est-car-goes, Turbo learns that no one succeeds on their own. So he puts his heart and shell on the line to help his pals achieve their dreams, before Turbo-charging his own impossible dream: winning the Indy 500. Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti and Michelle Rodriguez are in the voice cast.

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EPIC FRIDAY: NEW "JOAN OF ARC" HISTORICAL TV SHOW! "HITLERLAND" TV SERIES! "SAVING GENERAL YANG" SPECTACULAR EPIC TRAILER!

I really do love the avalanche of new epic shows which is about to hit us in next two years: from DA VINCI'S DEMONS and BLACK SAILS to

WOLF HALL, WHITE QUEEN, OUTLANDER, CROSSBONES, MARCO POLO to VLAD DRACULA and THE CLAN. And the new one of the list is JOAN OF ARC! According to "The Hollywood Reporter" Craig Pearce (the amazing scribe who wrote MOULIN ROUGE and ROMEO AND JULIET for Baz Luhrmann) is going to pen the new historical TV series with Freemantle Media. The adaptation of Kimberly Cutter's bestseller THE MAID, will follow a young peasant girl who believes she is sent by God to save France and will tell the final years of the Hundred Years' War by chronicling them from Joan's perspective as well as the international noble houses which battled for control of the French throne and ultimately the birth of a nation. The show will be an international one similarly to all other epic

shows above. It is interesting that Richard Taylor, the head of famous Weta Workshop and also the costume designer for THE HOBBIT saga, will produce the show. He will use all his skills learned while working with Peter Jackson to produce JOAN OF ARC series over at New Zealand.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

On the other hand, Freemantle media is also preparing to make a TV series out of another bestseller: Andrew Nagorski's novel HITLERLAND will also hit small screens taking viewers back to the 1920’s and 1930’s during Hitler and his Nazi’s fateful rise to power. The story is told from

 the perspective of Americans — diplomats, military, expats, visiting authors, Olympic athletes — who watched horrified and up close. While the book is non-fiction, and told through a series of personal testimonies that were drawn from unpublished manuscripts, uncovered in relevant archives, and conducted useful interviews, the television series will bring the stories into the fictional world to depict the events surrounding this torrid time. The series will show how Berlin of that age went from being the hip place and the centre of everything avant-garde and modern to becoming the centre of the biggest evil in history. HITLERLAND will be a tale of power, political intrigue, and regret. This look back on tragedy will aim to be a lesson in history and why it is important not to repeat past mistakes. It will also be a worldwide project.

SAVING GENERAL YANG

And to finish the glorious day when it comes to historical projects in epic style, here is the long awaited trailer for one of next year's most

 anticipated Asian films - Hong Kong's $20 million historical action SAVING GENERAL YANG.  I've already announced the film back in 2011. The story of the Yang's has been eulogized for hundreds of years in the Chinese society. The story of the film details the exploits of the Yang military family, recounting the unflinching loyalty of the Yang family heirs. The plot places focus on how the seven sons of the Yang family held hands in the rescue of their father. General Yangis played by Adam Cheng while his sons are played by Ekin Cheng, Raymond Lam, Chun Wu, Vic Chow, Chen Li, Bo Yu and Xin Bo Fu, and Fan Xu plays Yang's wife. 

DEZZY'S CHRISTMAS MAGIC

And if you haven't already, don't forget to pop over to NO, REALLY, YOU CAN EAT IT blog where DEZZY'S CHRISTMAS MAGIC is

going on. I'm sharing my best recipes there! Would love to see your comments!

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MODERN DAY "ZORRO" TV SERIES! "SMURFS 2" TRAILER WITH NEIL PATRICK HARRIS, CHRISTINA RICCIE, KATY PERRY! TRIP TO HELL IN "HELLFIELD" ACTION FILM! "DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE" MOVIE ADAPTATION

It seems we are getting yet another ZORRO project. "Variety" writes about USA Network preparing modern update of the legend titled simply Z. The show would be set in contemporary Los Angeles and would follow

 Diego Moreno as he rises from humble origins as an orphaned teen to become an infamous masked hero. HOLLYWOOD SPY has reported before that a sf movie ZORRO REBORN is also in works with Gael Garcia Bernal. In the updated movie version, the Mexican hero will be set into a post apocalyptic era where the masked vigilante will seek revenge in a futuristic wasteland. The funny thing is that Sony is also planning to adapt Isabella Allende's novel which reveals the history behind the legendary masked man, from being born as a son of an aristocratic Spanish military man turned landowner and a Shoshone female warrior, and growing up as a witness of the brutal injustices dealt to Native Americans by European settlers, to being a student in Napoleonic Spain, and fighting pirates at the sea.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

You know that you can always count on Hollywood to come up with an original idea, yes? Or maybe not? What do you think about this one: "The Hollywood Reporter" says that Paramount is preparing super

natural action flick HELLFIELD. The crazy plot of the action film will follow a group of criminals, who take a trip to Hell to stop an apocalyptic event from destroying the universe. I wonder which politician gave them the directions? Meanwhile, Universal has hired ALICE IN WONDERLAND's producer Joe Roth to produce film adaptation of DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE bestseller from Laini Taylor which tells the tale of a 17-year-old art student whose father occasionally sends her on errands around the world, collecting human teeth for a mysterious purpose. The young woman gradually becomes aware that she is part of ancient struggle between devils and angels and finds herself in a forbidden romance with a warrior angel.Oh, puhlease!

SMURFS 2 TRAILER

And I know that you will be smurfiliciously happy when you hear that your clip for today is the first trailer for charming adventure SMURFS 2 which should

continue where the smash hit from 2011 stopped next July. The evil wizard Gargamel (Hank Azaria) creates a couple of mischievous Smurf-like creatures called the Naughties (Christina Riccie) that he hopes will let him harness the all-powerful, magical Smurf-essence. But when he discovers that only a real Smurf can give him what he wants - and only a secret spell that Smurfette (Katy Perry) knows can turn the Naughties into real Smurfs - Gargamel kidnaps Smurfette and brings her to Paris, where he has been winning the adoration of millions as the world's greatest sorcerer. It's up to Papa, Clumsy, Grouchy, and Vanity to return to our world, reunite

with their human friends Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris) and Grace Winslow, and rescue her! Will Smurfette, who has always felt different from the other Smurfs, find a new connection with the Naughties Vexy and Hackus - or will the Smurfs convince her that their love for her is True Blue?

DEZZY'S CHRISTMAS MAGIC

And please don't forget that later tonight USA time, DEZZY'S CHRISTMAS MAGIC will be posted over at NO, REALLY YOU CAN EAT IT blog :) I'm guest posting there with my cake recipes. I expect your comments there, my little freaks!

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TRAILER FOR SAM WORTHINGTON'S "DRIFT"! EDDIE REDMAYNE JOINS CHANNING TATUM & MILA KUNIS IN SF EPIC "JUPITER ASCENDING"! VIN DIESEL IS THE NEW "KOJAK"!

 Good news, people, good news. HOLLYWOOD SPY's favourite Eddie Redmayne has joined sf movie JUPITER ASCENDING. To be directed by MATRIX and CLOUD ATLAS helmers Andy and Lana Wachovski,

 the movie will have a story set in a future where humans are considered the lowest form of life in the galaxy. Channing Tatum is going to play an intergalactic bounty hunter who is sent by the Queen of the Universe to kill an Earth woman (Mila Kunis) whose genetic traits are identical to the Queen's. The plot thickens when the would-be assassin falls for his target. It is not known whom will Redmayne play. Rising star Eddie Redmayne has first shined in PILLARS OF THE EARTH, then he gave a stellar performance in BBC's BIRDSONG and in MY WEEK WITH MARYLIN, and later this month you will watch him in LES MISERABLES. He's also become a name which often appears at auditions and test shootings for the upcoming blockbusters.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

Over the time we've got used to hearing weird things coming from Tinseltown, so this one shouldn't really surprise you: following the unexplainable trend of making remakes Universal has decided to do a

new version of KOJAK! And guess what? They've hired Vin Diesel to play the lead role. SKYFALL, CASINO ROYALE and QUANTUM OF SOLACE scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade are writing the screenplay! As "Deadline" reports the KOJAK TV series was popular back in the 70's with Telly Savalas as bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. He was known for his signature lollipop, and was a proud Greek American who often celebrated his heritage. This version will be re-imagined in a modern-day setting and will obviously not have a Greek in the lead role :). You already know that Vin Diesel will next be seen in THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS with Luke Evans and then in RIDDICK sf epic.

DRIFT TRAILER

The only trailer I have for you today looks rather boring, but at least you can enjoy shirtless Sam Worthington in it :) His role here is rather different from the

 epic ones we've seen him in before in AVATAR and CLASH OF THE TITANS. DRIFT is a surfer movie which comes to theatres sometime next year and is set in breathtaking locations and inspired by the true story of Australia's legendary surf wear moguls. The film chronicles the rise of the world's premiere action sport and the expansion of the laid back surf attitude as a global lifestyle. A story of passion and corruption, friendship and loyalty, deadly addictions and fractured relationship.

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GLORIOUS FULL LENGTH "STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS" TRAILER WITH CHRIS PINE, KARL URBAN, ZACHARY QUINTO, BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH! STACEY JAY'S "JULIET IMMORTAL" TO BE MADE INTO ABC TV SHOW

You've probably noticed that the story about ROMEO AND JULIET is trendy again in Hollywood so it's no surprise that ABC Family is preparing

 paranormal version of it. It will be a television adaptation of Stacey Jay's novel JULIET IMMORTAL. In the novel, according to "The Hollywood Reporter" Juliet was murdered by her new husband, Romeo, as a sacrifice to ensure his immortality. What he didn't anticipate, however, is that Juliet would be granted eternity and spend her days fighting her former beloved to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. It is interesting that the same network is preparing another love story - TV show out of Nicholas Sparks THE FALLS which is a modern re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet!

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS FULL LENGTH TRAILER

Last week I showed you the teaser for science fiction sequel STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, and now a longer trailer of J. J. Abram's film has been released to please the crowds. It is interesting that the

 first nine minutes of the film have been showing in front of screenings of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (which is breaking records currently with more than $200 million earned worldwide in only few

 days) since December 13. When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for,

leaving  our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships

will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew. The old cast returns - Karl Urban, Chris Pine, John Cho, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto with Benedict Cumberbatch as the villain.

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"THE PHYSICIAN" EPIC TRAILER WITH BEN KINGSLEY, OLIVIER MARTINEZ, TOM PAYNE! RYAN REYNOLDS & SCOTT SPEEDMAN IN "QUEEN OF THE NIGHT"! DYLAN MCDERMOTT IN STEPHEN KING'S "MERCY"! ROBERT DE NIRO, SYLVESTER STALLONE IN "GRUDGE MATCH"

 Everybody's favourite Hollywood hunk Ryan Reynolds keeps adding different roles to his CV. The new one is in QUEEN OF THE NIGHT.

To be directed by Atom Egoyan over in Canada and with Scott Speedman also in the cast, the psychological thriller will tell the story of a father who goes in search of his missing daughter. The young girl was eight at the time of her abduction, but the father is given new information about the case nearly nine years later, which leads him to think the now 17-year old is still alive. "Deadline" reports that Mireille Enos is due to play the wife of Ryan Reynolds character, who checks in with the police once a year in regards to her missing daughter, on her birthday. She comes to discover that disturbing memorabilia left at her workplace is actually clues leading to her daughter's whereabouts.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

Last week I informed you that there will be a movie adaptation of Stephen King's MERCY and now, according to "Variety", the film has found new cast member:

after AMERICAN HORROR STORY Dylan McDermott will return to the horror genre in this story which revolves around two young brothers (Joel Courtney and THE WALKING DEAD's Chandler Riggs) who discover that their grandmother is actually an evil witch. It's not known whom will Dylan McDermott play but we do know that Frances O'Connor will appear as the boys' mother. Speaking of THE WALKING DEAD, Jon Berhthal has joined GRUDGE MATCH, a comedy about two retired boxers (Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone) who step back into the ring to settle an old score. Jon Bernthal plays the estranged son of Robert De Niro's character, who feels conflicted about training his father.

THE PHYSICIAN TRAILER

And since you know that your trusted HOLLYWOOD SPY is one of web's biggest centrals for all things epic and historical, here's an exciting trailer for 2013 visually deeply exotic and atmospheric historical

movie DER MEDICUS or THE PHYSICIAN. This German epic stars Ben Kingsley, Stellan Skarsgard, Olivier Martinez, Tom Payne. Here's the story:  When nine-year-old Rob Cole felt the life force slipping from his mother's hand he could not foresee that this

terrifying awareness of impending death was a gift that would lead him from the familiar life of 11th-century London to small villages throughout England and finally to the medical school at Ispahan. Though apprenticed to an itinerant barber surgeon, it is the dazzling

surgery of a Jewish physician trained by the legendary Persian physician Avicenna that inspires him to accept his gift and to commit his life to healing by studying at Avicenna's school. Despite the ban on Christian

students, Rob goes there, disguising himself as a Jew to gain admission. The film is based on Noah Gordon's adventurous and inspiring bestselling novel of a quest for medical knowledge pursued in a violent world full of superstition and prejudice.

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