EWAN MCGREGOR IS "OUR KIND OF TRAITOR"! JOHNNY DEPP IS "MORTIMER WINTERGREEN"! MICHAEL GAMBON & ALFRED MOLINA ARE GAY IN "LOVE IS STRANGE"! "THE END OF LOVE" TRAILER WITH AMANDA SEYFRIED, MARK WEBBER!

Will Johnny Depp leave his fantasy world and finally do something that doesn't involve him wearing tones of make up? Of course not, he is busy planning yet another movie from the fantasy genre: Jack Thorne, who is mostly known as the scribe of popular British show SKINS, has just been hired to pen Depp's new magician movie MORTIMER WINTERGREEN. Depp will produce and possibly also star in this film to be directed by NANNY MCPHEE helmer Susanna White. According to "The Hollywood Reporter" the project is loosely based on a 1987 novel written by Myron Levoy titled "The Magic Hat of Mortimer Wintergreen". Set in the 1890s, the book follows a brother and sister who run away from their mean aunt and cross paths with a travelling magician named Mortimer Wintergreen. The man possesses a magical hat with a mind of its own, and the three find themselves on a series of wild adventures.

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My, my, it was only recently that I informed you about Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi preparing a sitcom together in which they will play a grumpy gay couple who constantly fight with each other, and now we 

have another glorious gay match - according to  "Collider" Michael Gambon and Alfred Molina will play a married couple in LOVE IS STRANGE! The upcoming film follows Ben (Gambon) and George (Molina), a couple who marry at a City Hall wedding in Manhattan after 28 years of being together. Shortly after their honeymoon, the couple are faced with a financial issue when Ben is fired from his job as a choir director at a Catholic high school. The pair are forced to move in separately with other people - a nephew and his family in Brooklyn, and two gay cops next door. Meanwhile, our favourite Ewan McGregor has joined new spy movie OUR KIND OF TRAITOR based on a John Le Carre's novel which follows a British couple who find themselves caught up between the Russian Mafia and the British Secret Service after becoming mixed up with a mysterious Russian businessman.

THE END OF LOVE TRAILER

And here is a charming and heartwarming trailer for you today: the first clip for upcoming drama THE END OF LOVE which stars Amanda Seyfried, Shannyn Sossamon, Michael Cera, Aubrey Plaza, Mark Webber and Isaac Love. The story of this drama revolves around a young man who has lost his wife. The plot focuses on the relationship between the young father and his infant son after the death of the boy's mother. Mark Webber both directs and takes the lead role in the film.

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"EMPEROR" TRAILER WITH TOMMY LEE JONES & MATTHEW FOX! "THE BEST OFFER" TRAILER WITH GEOFFREY RUSH, JIM STURGESS! TORNATORRE'S "LENINGRAD" WW2 EPIC! CHARLIE HUNNAM & EMMA STONE IN DEL TORO'S "CRIMSON PEAK" THRILLER

 Today you can check out a new trailer for Peter Webber's historical drama EMPEROR which should open up in theatres this March telling the story, inspired by true events, of the bold and secret moves that won the peace in the shadows of post-war Japan. Starring Academy Award- winner

 Tommy Lee Jones, Matthew Fox, and newcomer Eriko Hatsune, EMPEROR brings to life the American occupation of Japan in the perilous and unpredictable days just after Emperor Hirohito's World War II surrender. As General Douglas MacArthur (Jones) suddenly finds himself the de facto ruler of a foreign nation, he assigns an expert in Japanese culture - General Bonner Fellers (Fox), to covertly investigate the looming question hanging over the country: should the Japanese Emperor, worshipped by his people but accused of war crimes, be punished or saved? The film also has a love story between Fellers and a Japanese girl.

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 It also seems that Charlie Hunnam from SONS OF ANARCHY will again work with director Guillermo Del Toro! The two of them worked together on science fiction spectacle PACIFIC RIM which hits

  cinemas  later this summer, but now "Variety" reports that he could star in Del Toro's new thriller CRIMSON PEAK. Not much is know about the paranormal thriller except that it might also star Emma Stone. And the famous Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore, for whose new film you can watch a trailer below, is planning a $100 million epic on WWII. Titled LENINGRAD (not to be confused with STALINGRAD I mentioned last week), and written by late Sergio Leone, it will depict the seige of Leningrad by the German army during World War II. The Russians suffered terrible losses but the Communists would not give up the birthplace of the Russian revolution. The film has been in preproduction for many years now and Tornatorre wants Nicole Kidman in one of the lead roles.

THE BEST OFFER TRAILER

And here's a trailer we've been waiting for a long time now:Italian movie THE BEST OFFER starring Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush and young Jim Sturgess. Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore the helmer of classics such as MALENA and CINEMA PARADISO, and also starring Donald Sutherland beside Geoffrey Rush and Jim Sturgess, the griping movie brings the tale of an eccentric art expert who is invited by a mysterious woman to assess a piece, and it's a journey that will change his life forever. The film, which is currently

 playing in Italian cinemas and should get its US release later this year, has a great honour of having legendary Ennio Morricone as the writer of the music.

BIG THANK YOU!

And also big thanks to the delightful cast of DA VINCI'S DEMONS - amazing Tom Riley, gorgeous Laura Haddock and utterly delightful

Elliot Cowan - who all sent us messages, tweets and retweets last night after reading our spotlight on their show! Such brilliant and kindhearted people they are!

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HOLLYWOOD SPY EXCLUSIVE SPOTLIGHT ON NEW EPIC SHOW "DA VINCI'S DEMONS" WITH TOM RILEY, ELLIOT COWAN, BLAKE RITSON, LAURA HADDOCK! AMAZING NEW PICTURES AND TRAILER!

On our utter delight next few years will be years of epic shows on TV, as you can see in HOLLYWOOD SPY sidebar section with FEATURED

SHOWS, dozens of historical series are coming to the small screens. One of the first ones to air will be BBC's and Starz' DA VINCI'S DEMONS which will start its life on April 12th (Starz has smartly chosen the date of your Dezzy's birthday to launch the show LOL, they do love me that much) taking the Sunday spot from SPARTACUS WAR OF THE DAMNED when the Roman show finishes. Today we spotlight the story and the characters from DA VINCI'S DEMONS with a bunch of new pictures and a super exciting and beautiful new trailer below.

DA VINCI'S STORY

The show brings the story of the world's greatest genius during his raucous youth in Renaissance Florence. Brash and brilliant, young da

Vinci is an artist, inventor, swordsman, lover, dreamer and idealist. As a free thinker, with intellect and talents that are almost superhuman, he struggles to live within the confines of his own reality and time. He

begins to not only see the future, but invent it. In a world where thought and faith are controlled, one man fights to set knowledge free. Leonardo Da Vinci is tortured by a gift of superhuman genius. He finds himself in a conflict between truth and lies, religion and reason, past and future. His aspirations are used against him by the opposing forces of the time

– luring him into a game of seduction where those who despise his intellect need him most. His quest for knowledge nearly becomes his undoing. Da Vinci throws himself into his genius and emerges as an 

unstoppable force that lifts an entire era out of darkness and propels it into light. His story becomes a mirror into our own world, calling us all to join his fight to free the future.

LEONARDO DA VINCI

Leonardo Da Vinci, played by seductive, warm and charismatic Tom Riley, is a genius, hungry for knowledge but frustrated that he has not found his true calling. Eventually he will become the most famous artist of all time, some say the most recognized figure after Jesus, but when we first meet him he is an outsider, a bastard who grew up as a peasant. While his genius is uplifting, it also has a destructive component – both to him and the world at large. As a bastard he yearns for legitimacy. He is haunted by the absence of his mother and the mystery surrounding her disappearance. Wounded by his father’s disdain, he looks for a surrogate father in both Verrocchio and the Turk.

Da Vinci is learned, but not yet wise. He will come to realize that personal sacrifice is often necessary for the greater good and will make sacrifices for both Florence and those he loves.

LUCREZIA DONATI

Played by mindblowingly gorgeous Laura Haddock (the fiance of young Sam Claflin who is also not a stranger to epic shows and films) Lucrezia is a wife, mistress and celebrated beauty of Florence. The fact that Lucrezia is Lorenzo’s mistress is an open secret in Florence and something easily accepted. Although her relationship to her upper‐class husband gives her some status, it’s really her role as “royal mistress” that cements her renown and influence. As a beautiful woman, Lucrezia is well aware of her seductive skills and doesn’t hesitate to employ them to her ends. Her motives remain obscure.

COUNT RIARIO

Publicly, Lord Girolamo Riario (played by talented Blake Ritson whom we've watched in a brilliant role of the king in WORLD WITHOUT END), Count and Captain-general of the Holy Roman Church, is known as Sixtus’ nephew. Only a select few are aware of his true lineage, and like Leonardo, he has a desire to cement his position and legitimacy in society. Although dedicated to the Holy See, he perceives Pope Sixtus to be guided by more worldly desires and selfish indulgences, while he himself is driven by a pure belief in the Divine. Nevertheless, Riario gladly leads the mission to destroy the Medicis, as he sees Florence as a prime example of the rapid deterioration of holy ideals in Europe. He is ruthless and unwavering — utilizing every resource at his disposal.

LORENZO MEDICI

Lorenzo (played by magnetic and deeply enchanting Elliot Cowan whom we've most recently seen in another epic show SINBAD and also in other epic projects such as THE GOLDEN COMPASS, HAMMER OF THE GODS, Oliver Stone's ALEXANDER ) is a reluctant leader. Despite his coarse appearance, he is a shrewd and sober man. His love of the arts makes him far more suited to be a poet than a prince, but he was forced at a young age to become head of the Medici Bank, and thus the de facto ruler of Florence. The Medici Bank is one of the most influential

institutions in Europe. But its  sovereignty is being challenged by competing banks. Lorenzo regards Rome and Pope Sixtus as necessary evils.

CLARICE ORSINI

Played by Lara Pulver, Clarice married Lorenzo by proxy when she was 16. The marriage was arranged by Lorenzo's mother, who wanted her eldest son to marry a woman from a noble family, in order to enhance the social status of the Medicis. Clarice was not initially popular in Florence because her strict religious personality was in deep contrast with the humanist ideals of the age. Of the nine children born to Clarice and Lorenzo, three died in infancy. At the time our series begins, none of the surviving children are male. Despite the initial circumstances of their

 marriage, Clarice quickly proves herself to be much more than a political pawn. Sharp, patient, and deeply committed to Lorenzo, she’s a valuable advisor to her husband.

You can also watch the second trailer, just released today, which is even more atmospheric, dynamic and exciting, with amazing music and the main motto - EVERYTHING YOU'VE NEVER IMAGINED! And don't forget our previous spotlight on the show too!

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"MERLIN"S COLIN MORGAN JOINS GABRIEL BYRNE IN "QUIRKE" SERIES! DOMINC COOPER AS 007 CREATOR IN "FLEMING" BIOPIC! RON HOWARD & J.J. ABRAMS IN "ALL I'VE GOT"! SHAKIRA & PIQUE POSE NAKED FOR CHARITY BABY SHOWER

Although BBC worldwide hit show MERLIN has officially finished only last month in UK, I already miss delightful British star Colin Morgan who played the clumsy, devoted, honest and adorable magician in the wordlwide hit epic series. But good news come from BBC: he will guest star in BBC One's new three part period series QUIRKE which will see Gabriel Byrne playing the title character - a sombre Dublin pathologist who solves crimes in the 1950s. Colin Morgan will have a gig in the third episode. Meanwhile, British actor Dominic Cooper (MAMMA MIA) has been cast for the role  of legendary James

 Bond author Ian Fleming in a brand new Sky Atlantic mini series. The four part biopic titled FLEMING will see him play the James Bond creator who was also a former naval intelligence officer. Dynamic and entertaining as any of the Bond films, the series will be filmed in the UK and Budapest, and will be set during the Second World War when Fleming was heavily involved in planning naval strategy against the Nazis.

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Interesting news comes from Ron Howard and J.J. Abrams who will work together on an English remake of Israeli film ALL I'VE GOT in which the story follows a young woman who gets in a freak car

accident that kills her husband. In time, the woman moves on, gets re-married and has three children, but when she dies, 50 years after the accident, the afterlife presents an intriguing option. She can either have the memories of her life after the accident wiped clean, to become young again with her first love, or she can remain how she is to wait for her second husband. Meanwhile, Dwayne Johnson's epic HERCULES has been given August 2014 premiere spot. To be directed by Brett Ratner as a possible franchise, the film will follow the famous Greek hero in Thracian wars. Having completed his twelve labours, the weary son of Zeus becomes a mercenary in order to find solace the only way he knows how - by fighting. He and his six companions begin to suspect the motives of their vicious employer Cotys, the King of Thrace.

SHAKIRA & PIQUE 4 UNICEF

And in today's celebrity news, you can check out delightful new pictures from pop sensation Shakira and the father of her upcoming baby soccer superstar Gerard Pique. The two of them took photographs together in order to help a UNICEF charity appeal. Together they have organized a virtual baby shower with the aim to raise money for children charities. By joining the online baby shower you can help millions of vulnerable babies around the world. Celebrating the arrival of their first child, Shakira and Gerard are asking for gifts and donations for other less privileged children who don't have their basic needs covered. The interactive baby shower allows fans to look inside their virtual living room, where users can learn about child

  survival issues and purchase an 'Inspired Gift' that can help raise money for the campaign.

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NEW "ALEXANDER THE GREAT" TV SHOW! MEDIEVAL "THE INQUISITION" SHOW! "ROME SWEET ROME" SF FILM! "MUD" TRAILER WITH REESE WITHERSPOON & MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY! REBECCA ROMIJN'S "KING & MAXWELL" PICKED FOR WHOLE SERIES

Amazing news from the epic front today! Our favourite scribe Michael Hirst, who created THE TUDORS and is now writing VIKINGS for History Channel, will pen ALEXANDER historical series! 8 to 12 part series will depict

 the life of Macedonian commander Alexander the Great, the military genius who conquered most of the known world before his death at 33! To be produced by German companies and with the idea to have three seasons, the show will start shooting next year. Another upcoming historical show will be THE INQUISITION, to be directed by Oscar winner Bruce Beresford (DRIVING MISS DAISY)! Internationally produced ten part lush and luscious series set in the 15th century Spain will follow the life of Diego Altas, the royal court doctor to Queen Isabella of Aragon. Born Benjamin Levi, Altas is a converted Jew, forced to denounce his heritage. At the same time, Altas uses his powerful position to resist the destructive forces of the Inquisition as he tries to save the last vestiges of religious co existence between the Moors, Christians and Jews. The clash of court and papacy in 15th century Spain is also ripe for the personal and powerful intrigue, sex and violence that’s typical of today’s global dramas and mini-series. The production should start later this year.

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Warner Bros. is preparing an unusual time travelling adventure: ROME SWEET ROME will follow a group of modern day soldiers

who are sent back through time where they get forced to fight against Roman legionaries. Speaking of unusual fantasy projects, "Variety" reports that Rob Liefeld's comic book GODYSSEY will be made into a movie telling a Greek mythological tale that sees Zeus, Buddha, Ra and Pangu battle against a legion of fallen gods to save humanity. In TV news, TNT has picked up Rebecca Romijn's new drama KING AND MAXWELL to ten part series. Based on David Baldacci's novels the series will have Rebecca Romijn as Michelle Maxwell and "The Closer"'s Jon Tenney as Sean King - a pair of former Secret Service agents who now operate as private investigators. TNT will soon also announce whether they will pick up Michael Bay's apocalyptic pilot THE LAST SHIP to series as well. That one stars Rona Mitra and Eric Dane.

"MUD" TRAILER

The first trailer for new drama MUD has been released. Starring Reese Witherspoon, Matthew McConaughey, Michael Shannon and Sam Shephard the film is the powerful, redemptive tale of a charismatic fugitive named Mud (Matthew McConaughey)

 and his unlikely friendship with fourteen year old Ellis (Tye Sheridan). Ellis is determined to help his new friend escape from both the law and some very serious bounty hunters, in order to reunite Mud with his soul mate, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon)! The film will start its cinematic life later in April.

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"BEN HUR" EPIC REMAKE! SF VERSION OF "THE ODYSSEY"! BRADLEY COOPER IN "DARK INVASIONS" WW2 FILM! ANNE HATHAWAY IN "THE TAMING OF THE SHREW" MOVIE

She only just won a Golden Globe, but she is not relaxing, according to "The Wrap" Anne Hathaway will take the lead role in the new movie adaptation of the famous William Shakespeare play THE TAMING OF THE SHREW. As you probably know the plot of the play revolves around the courtship of Petruchio and the headstrong Katherina. At first, Katherina resists the relationship, but is persuaded by the persistent suitor after various psychological courting games. The story of the film will be a bit modernized and will be set in the midst of the 20th century somewhere in Italy. Some time ago I told you that Anne was also set to star in Steven Spielberg's science fiction spectacle ROBOPO- CALYPSE but that project has been put on hold for a bit, at least for a few months.

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Another Golden Globe and Oscar nominee (bet you didn't see that one coming), Bradley Cooper also has a new project:  "Deadline" writes that he is in negotiations to star in DARK INVASIONS, which will be a movie adaptation of Howard Bloom's book to be released this Autumn. The book brings a true story that follows Germany's attempt to thwart the efforts of the Allies during World War I by sending their Secret Service to fight a covert war in America. They utilize Kaiser's bomb manufacturing facilities to sabotage Navy Ships. They also attack the U.S. Capitol building and setup an anthrax laboratory in close proximity to the White House. Bradley Cooper would play a policeman who is trying to stop the invading German spies. Bradley is obviously taking a more serious turn in his career, so after SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK and THE PLACE BEYOND PINES, next year we shall see him in another drama - SERENA. In a story set in Depression-era North Carolina, he will play George Pemberton whose timber empire faces a complicated future when it is learned that his wife, Serena (Jennifer Lawrence), cannot bear children.

SF ODYSSEY AND BEN HUR

And it seems we shall see a few epic stories up on the screen: first, Warner Bros. will do a sf remake of Homer's THE ODYSSEY. The

story of famous Greek hero Odysseus who survived numerous adventures before returning home to find his wife pursued by suitors who want his throne, will be set in space. Years ago I reported about Brad Pitt being linked to this project. Another epic story will be seen in the remake of BEN HUR! "Deadline" reveals that MGM is planning a remake of the famous 19th century novel from Lee Wallace. Unlike the legendary film with infamous Charlton Heston, the new movie will explore the formative years of Judah Ben Hur and Messalla, growing up as best friends before the Roman Empire conquered Jerusalem. The story will also have Jesus Christ encountering Ben-Hur who then begins to believe that Christ is the Messiah, before the savior is killed by Pontius Pilate.

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LAVISH TRAILER FOR EPIC HORROR "VIY" WITH JASON FLEMYNG, CHARLES DANCE! WW2 EPIC "STALINGRAD" WITH THOMAS KRETSCHMANN & WW1 EPIC "THE 34TH BATTALION"! HORROR SHOW "PENNY DREADFUL" FROM SAM MENDES! "THE ORIGINALS" SPINOFF FROM "VAMPIRE DIARIES"

 Last week I told you about Russian director Fedor Bondarchuk preparing THE WINTER QUEEN movie with Anjelica Huston, David Thewlis and Milla Jovovich in the cast, but it seems he also has another big

project in postproduction: he is helming STALINGRAD a WW2 $30 million epic focusing on the battle of Stalingrad! The cast includes some international names such as Thomas Kretschmann (THE YOUNG VICTORIA, VALKYRIE, KING KONG). One of the last movies which described the famous Stalingrad battle was ENEMY AT THE GATES which, back in 2001, starred Jude Law, Rachel Weisz and Joseph Fiennes. Another war movie we shall watch in the future is also THE 34TH BATTALION which recently added Vinnie Jones and AVATAR's and TERRA NOVA's Stephen Lang to the cast which already includes Luke Hemsworth (the older brother of Chris and Liam). The World War I drama will centre on an Australian Army unit that was involved in some of the toughest battles of the conflict, the focus being particularly on four men from New South Wales who join the army in 1916, following the deadly Gallipoli campaign, only to take part in some of the worst battles world had ever seen.

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In television news today, here's something exciting: according to "Digital Spy" Showtime has ordered new horror show PENNY DREADFUL which will be produced by SKYFALL duo Sam Mendes 

and John Logan. The visual spectacle combined with the psychological insight will bring together some of the most iconic literary characters - fictional horror icons - including Dr Frankenstein and his creature, Dorian Gray and characters from Dracula - as they cross paths in Victorian London. I've told you before that NBC is also working on a Victorian set show - DRACULA with Jonathan Rhys Meyers in the lead role. Speaking of vampires, CW is working on VAMPIRE DIARIES spin-off series THE ORIGINALS which will follow the character of Klaus (Joseph Morgan whom you've seen in IMMORTALS too as the villainous soldier Lysander) as he returns to his old haunt in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Klaus was one of the founding fathers of New Orleans and the new show will focus on his highly dysfunctional family. It is interesting that Joseph Morgan will star with the above mentioned Thomas Kretschmann in unusual thriller OPEN GRAVE as a man who wakes up in the wilderness, in a pit full of dead bodies, with no memory and must determine if the murderer is one of the strangers who rescued him, or if he himself is the killer.

SCARY "VIY" TRAILER

And speaking of Russian films with international cast, here's another one: THE RETURN or VIY VOZVRASHCHENIE will be an adventurous epic based on a Nikolai Gogol story and set in the early

18th century, with Jason Flemyng playing cartographer Jonathan Green who undertakes a scientific voyage from Europe to the East. Having passed through Transylvania and crossed the Carpathian Mountains, he finds himself in a small village lost in impassible woods.

Nothing but chance and heavy fog could bring him to this cursed place. People who live here do not resemble any other people which the traveler saw before that. The villagers, having dug a deep moat to fend themselves from the rest of the world, share a naive belief that they

could save themselves from evil, failing to understand that evil has made its nest in their souls and is waiting for an opportunity to gush out upon the world. The cast also includes GAME OF THRONES' Charles Dance!

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