This news post comes late. The official trailer for Solomon Kane has been released. The film, based on the Ron E. Howard comic, has yet to have a proper release date, but reviews currently being released about the film have beeb mostly positive. The movie takes place in the 1600s (although some reviewers have commented on its “Dark Ages” feel). You can watch it in HD right here, or below.
I have been following up on news about the upcoming movie Barbarian Princess for some time now. The movie stars Q’Orianka Kilcher (Pocahontas in The New World) in a movie about Hawaiian Princess Kaiulani. What was apparently intended as a reference to what the American press dubbed the princess in the late 1800s (“Barbarian Princess”) is now being called offensive to present-day Hawaiians in recent press. The movie is set to screen at the Hawaii International Film Festival in mid-October. On another note, I find the similarities of Princess Kaiulani’s life and Pochontas’, another princess, quite uncanny considering Q’Orianka Kilcher has played both.
Variety posted an article about plans to make a Showtime series based on the infamous Borgia family of Renaissance Italy. A movie was planned a few years ago with Scarlett Johansson (I was not pleased) and Colin Farrell (excellent casting) set to play Lucrezia and Cesare Borgia. The series is the second planned project based on the family. There was another announced in February for French television. With The Tudors ending, do you think people would tune in to “The Borgias”? I know I would!
Murder, adultery, thievery, family intrigue and great costumes: Sounds like grist for a pay cable drama, and that’s what scribe-helmer Neil Jordan intends to make of the infamous Borgia clan for Showtime, DreamWorks Television and Robert Zemeckis’ ImageMovers banner.
As some of you BBC period drama fans may know, a new version of Jane Austen’s Emma is scheduled to air this October. Romola Garai Online has gorgeous stills of Romola, who plays the title character, and some of the other cast. The miniseries also stars Michael Gambon and Jodhi May. I know there have been many Jane Austen adaptations lately and that this one is the latest of many Emma versions (I’ve only seen the Gwyneth Paltrow movie). However, Romola Garai is a very talented actress and I am looking forward to her interpretation! I think she will do an excellent job.
Just a reminder to Merlin fans in the UK, the show is expected to premiere its second season Saturday, September 19, on the BBC. Although the show is fantasy (with no specific historical setting), the show is obviously history-influenced. Merlin is filmed at the beautiful Château de Pierrefonds in France. It has its own interpretation of the King Arthur legend (focussing on familiar legendary characters before they were famous) and is suitable for family viewing! You can watch a short trailer right here. Whether or not season 2 will air on NBC in North America following season 1 is still uncertain.
5 September, 2009 » We Are Spartacus, Also Raimi and Lawless
Fans of Xena will be happy to know that Lucy Lawless is back in a historical TV series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Hollywood Today posted an article Friday, providing hints about what to expect from the show, which airs January 2010, and emphasizing Lucy’s involvement. I’ve included a picture of Lucy with her new hairdo and costume!
Teasing the show recently at Comic-Con to a tremendous reaction, “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” depicts a graphic novel come to life with nothing held back in terms of violence, sexuality, or language. Produced by Sam Raimi, director of the Spider-Man franchise and producer Rob Tapert (“The Grudge,” “Xena: Warrior Princess.” The two, who are working together on several projects, plan to blend elements of the highly popular films “300″ and “Gladiator,” as well as the latest in digital technology to create unique environments never before seen in a television series. “300 had a particular look. And plus, having a digital environment and not having to have ultra-realistic backdrops and an arena like in “300,” or in “Gladiator,” it allowed us to actually bring this to the screen. There was no way to do it without having the artifice, so to speak,” explained Tapert.
5 September, 2009 » Clash of the Titans MTV First Look
MTV had the first look at the set of Clash of the Titans. The visit included interviews with Sam Worthington, Mads Mikkelsen, and Gemma Arterton, who mentions that she and her sister watched the original film so many times they had parts of it memorized. I wasn’t very impressed with the original, but I am really looking forward to the remake (the cast they have is amazing). Thank you to Gemma Arterton Online for the link. If the video at the MTV website will not work for you because you live outside the US, the video is available on Youtube.
Don’t let anyone say making movies is a glamorous process. On the Wales set of the big-budget action remake “Clash of the Titans,” star Sam Worthington stood in a bulky rain slicker, his face smeared with mud, waiting to dive back into yet another scene on location in a soggy, windswept environment that won’t soon be enticing the Hollywood glitterati for getaway weekends.
1 September, 2009 » Johansson or Knightley For My Fair Lady
For a long time, Keira Knightley has been rumored to play Eliza Doolittle in a remake of the 1964 movie, My Fair Lady, which starred Audrey Hepburn. Recently, however, a new rumor surfaced, claiming Scarlett Johansson was also up for the role. I personally think Keira is better-suited for the role as far as looks and accents go. We know both ladies can sing. What do you think?
If you were re-making My Fair Lady, who’d be a better lead, Keira Knightley or Scarlett Johansson?
That’s the question co-producer Cameron Mackintosh is wrestling with, says The Telegraph, in England.
First of all, I have to ask why bother, the 1964 Audrey Hepburn version being widely regarded as just about perfect. Then I have to ask if Keira can sing. Then I have to ask if anybody would believe Johansson as a waif. Then I have to ask if she can do a British working-class voice. Then I have to ask again why bother.
