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David Lynch is one of the most prolific — and certainly singular — American directors of the last 50 years, and his death was met Thursday with innumerable tributes and memories from collaborators like Kyle MacLachlan (“Twin Peaks”), Naomi Watts (“Mulholland Drive”) and Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”).

And while his body of work speaks for itself, the outpouring of support and grief and celebration of Lynch’s life showed just how many people he touched in his decades as one of Hollywood’s most unique voices.

Below, TheWrap has rounded up a number of memorable moments of Lynch throughout the years, including taking “Wild at Heart” to the Cannes International Film Festival in 1990 with stars Laura Dern, Nicolas Cage, Willem Dafoe, Diane Ladd and Isabella Rossellini; celebrating Dern’s Hollywood Walk of Film induction with Mark Ruffalo in 2010; and working to film “The Straight Story” in 1998.

Read on for a full gallery of...

One of Hollywood’s worst weeks in years just got worse. David Lynch, the four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, Eraserhead, Wild at Heart, The Elephant Man and others who also created the ABC drama series Twin Peaks, died Wednesday. He was 78.

His family posted the news on social media but did not provide a date of death.

Related: Breaking Baz: How David Lynch’s Vivid Imagination Was Sparked By What He Saw Beyond His Bedroom Window As A Kid

Lynch had been diagnosed with emphysema. Sources told Deadline that he was forced to relocate from his house due to the Sunset Fire and then took a turn for the worse. In an interview with Sight & Sound magazine last year, Lynch revealed that due to Covid fears and his emphysema diagnosis, he no longer could leave the house, which meant if he directed again, it would be remotely.

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By now, everybody knows there are a lot of things wrong with "Dune" 1984. The film has lived in a special kind of infamy since David Lynch and Universal Pictures unleashed it upon the world, when the $40 million sci-fi epic bombed at the box office and courted nothing but critical scorn. Still, there are those who argue that "Dune" is much better than its reputation suggests, and Denis Villeneuve's recent big-screen treatment of Frank Herbert's novel has given rise to plenty of "Dune" 1984 revisionism.

One of the most interesting things about Lynch's ill-fated film, however, isn't necessarily how critics and audiences overlooked its many charms back in 1984, but how many what-ifs surrounded the project. The amount of directors in line to shoot this movie was, for example, frankly dizzying, with everyone from Ridley Scott to David Lean circling the project.

Director Denis Villeneuve has had a lot of success with his recent Dune movies, which stars Timothée Chalamet as lead charater Paul Atreides. But Villeneuve wasn't the first person to tackle this story. David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation of Dune is a cinematic anomaly that has long intrigued fans and critics alike, myself included. Known for its sprawling deserts, massive sandworms, and bizarre imagery such as Guild Navigators floating in spice-induced fog, the film stands as a polarizing entry in Lynch's filmography when compared to entries such as Blue Velvet or even Twin Peaks.

Despite its status as a commercial and critical failure, the 1984 Dune movie has garnered a cult following over the years. Now, film writer Max Evry’s book, A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune – An Oral History, offers a detailed exploration of this eccentric project, repositioning the film within the broader landscape of science fiction cinema.

Fantasy is a hard nut to crack. Where science fiction can build on the rust and chrome of worlds we know, fantasy asks us to envision something new, often helped along by tidbits of real world history (as many fans of George R.R. Martin know quite well). To bring these worlds to life on screen requires more magic than words on a page, making the special effects budget blow the king's purse wide open.

When it works, it's something special. We get to see impossible worlds, meet cultures and countries where the riddle of steel and the law of chivalry thrive. We take to skies full of dragons, and sandy deserts full of bandits. Of this grand niche, the sword and sorcery movie is the most approachable, with a down to earth ruffian flair. The distinction between this and high fantasy is slim, but for our purposes, if the world...

The Forsyte Saga is returning to PBS and Masterpiece. The network has ordered a new series based on John Galsworthy's novels. A previous adaptation of the book series, starring Damian Lewis, Rupert Graves, Gina McKee, Corin Redgrave, and Ioan Gruffudd, aired on PBS in 2002 and ran for two seasons and 10 episodes. This new reimagining is being set up to have multiple seasons.

Francesca Annis, Jack Davenport, Tom Durant Pritchard, Jamie Flatters, Millie Gibson, Danny Griffin, Susan Hampshire, Owen Igiehon, Tuppence Middleton, Stephen Moyer, Joshua Orpin, Josette Simon, and Eleanor Tomlinson will star in this new telling of the Galworth’s work. The first season of six episodes will follow the Forsyte family as they live in 1880s London.

Read More…...

The Forsyte Saga is making a return, courtesy of a new series reimagining at Masterpiece on PBS.

Based on John Galsworthy’s novel of the same name, the update follows the lives of the wealthy Forsyte family in 1880s London and explores the themes of love, loyalty, ambition and betrayal. Francesca Annis (Flesh and Blood) will star as the formidable Forsyte matriarch Ann, while Stephen Moyer (True Blood) will play her eldest son, Jolyon Senior, head of the family stockbroking firm Forsyte & Co.

More from TVLinePresumed Innocent Trailer: Jake Gyllenhaal Is Suspected of Murder Following a Steamy Affair - WatchAlex...

Exclusive: The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy’s sweeping portrait of a wealthy British family in 1880s London, is getting its third TV adaptation in less than 60 years.

PBS Masterpiece has set a six-part season based on the 1920s novels, with BAFTA-nominated Poldark writer Debbie Horsfield penning the adaptation, designed to become a returning series.

It follows the BBC’s 1967 adaptation, which was watched by audiences of up to 18M. The 2002 version aired on ITV and featured a cast including Damian Lewis and Gina McKee.

The latest reimagining is housed at Mammoth Screen, the ITV Studios-backed British production company behind Parade’s End, The Serpent, and Victoria. Filming begins next month in England, Wales, and Italy.

Mammoth has gathered an ensemble cast for the series, led by BAFTA-winner Francesca Annis (Lillie), who plays formidable Forsyte matriarch Ann.

True Blood star Stephen Moyer (Sexy Beast) features as Ann’s eldest son, Jolyon Senior,...

Kyle MacLachlan on Dune 3. (Photo Credit – IMDb/Instagram)

A few days ago, Legendary Entertainment revealed that Denis Villeneuve has started with the development work for Dune 3, aka Dune Messiah. The sequel, Dune 2, received a great response from the audience worldwide. The sci-fi fantasy film is based on Frank Herbert’s Dune movies. It stars Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Florence Pugh, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Austin Butler and others.

In Denis Villeneuve’s Dune movies, Timothee Chalamet plays Paul Atreides. When the movie was announced a few years ago, everyone was worried that it would be a good watch. In 1984, David Lynch also made a movie based on Frank’s novel. However, the film performed poorly at the box office, and even the audience wasn’t happy with Lynch’s adaptation.

Dune 2 Trailer

Trending Joker: Folie à Deux Teaser Trailer Review: Joaquin Phoenix & Lady Gaga’s Passion & Madness Take...

The Og Dune star, Kyle MacLachlan, is set to bring forth a new project that has thrilled fans of the gaming world. It’s the live-action adaptation based on the video game franchise, Fallout, with the same name. Despite Jonathan Nolan claiming that the TV show will bring a breath of fresh air, Kyle MacLachlan assures fans that it will duly honor the original franchise. Although there is some skepticism about the TV series, fans are excited to see what’s in store.

Francesca Annis and Kyle MacLachlan in Dune Kyle MacLachlan Assures Fallout Fans The New TV Show Will Honor the Video Game

Being a sci-fi fan himself, Kyle MacLachlan didn’t hesitate when joining forces with Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet to jump headfirst into this Prime Video project, which is also executive-produced by Jonathan Nolan. Given the track record of such adaptations, he is moving ahead with caution regarding the fan reception.

It’s been forty years since the release of David Lynch’s Dune, and although the film is certainly a flawed adaptation of Frank Herbert’s iconic sci-fi novel, there’s something inherently fascinating about it. That fascination has led to the film growing a substantial cult following over the years, which obsesses over every little detail. After all these years, fans of Lynch’s Dune actually have something new to enjoy, thanks to a never-before-seen deleted scene which has been restored by the folks at Nerdist.

The Dune deleted scene centers around Harah (Molly Wryn), a Freman character who originally had a bigger role in the movie. The scene finds Harah explaining to Lady Jessica (Francesca Annis) why the young Alia (Alicia Witt) scares the other Freman. You can check it out in the video below, which includes an introduction from Wryn herself.

Wryn sent the deleted scene to...

David Lynch's "Dune" was mostly seen as a misstep for the celebrated director back in 1984. As we gear up for the bleak blockbuster that is Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Two," Lynch's "Dune" now occupies an unusual space in the public consciousness — somewhere between cult classic and historic blunder. There are undoubtedly plenty of things wrong with "Dune" 1984, and the film suffered a brutal critical and commercial reception. But forty years after Lynch's $40 million spectacle bombed at the box office, some have come to see the films' positives, arguing that "Dune" 1984 is better than its reputation suggests.

Which, as it happens, is a perfectly reasonable point of view. Aside from the impressive set and costume design, "Dune" actually featured some pretty good visual effects for the time. What's more, the casting was excellent. Lynch may have ruthlessly denied Glenn Close for a part in "Dune," but luckily for him,...

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two is almost everyone’s current obsession thanks to the brilliant execution of the source material by the cast and crew. It goes without saying that the sequel has surpassed its predecessor in more ways than one. Whether it’s the acting, the soundtrack, the cinematography, or the direction, Dune: Part Two was able to blow the audience’s minds through its two-hour seventeen-minute runtime.

A still from Dune: Part Two (2024)

However, Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novels wasn’t the first go Hollywood had at the story. Back in 1984, director David Lynch released another adaptation titled Dune starring Kyle MacLachlan and Francesca Annis. Unfortunately, the film was met with an overwhelming amount of negative feedback which led people to wonder what Ridley Scott would’ve turned the film into, should things have gone according to plan.

Suggested“We have different...

Ever since David Lynch tried bringing Frank Herbert's epic tome to the big screen, "Dune" 1984 has enjoyed a somewhat uneven legacy. Many view it as a rare misstep for Lynch, in part because the film bombed spectacularly at the box office, but mainly because, well, there are a lot of things wrong with "Dune" 1984. That said, the film has some pretty ardent defenders and gained a significant cult following after its release. In fact, as we all await the arrival of the bleak blockbuster that is "Dune: Part Two," Lynch's take on the material seems to be enjoying more of a reassessment than it ever has before, with modern audiences asking whether the director's imaginative sci-fi really was as bad as its initial box office performance suggests.

In many ways, the answer to that question is an emphatic "no." Even contemporary critics agreed that "Dune" 1984 wasn't without its charms.

Ian McKellen plays the title role in Hamlet, and his stage performance is going to be beamed to cinemas.

Ian McKellen is no stranger to a Shakespeare soliloquy. Having played in every one of his plays many times over, from the towering titan King Lear to the Scottish Play and Richard III.

Now, he is bringing Hamlet, often cited as one of the all time great parts for an actor, to the big screen for one night only.

The synopsis reads as follows:

A tale of revenge that has stood the test of time, William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy is reimagined for the modern day as a gripping psychological thriller! Transcending the confines of the stage in a uniquely modern spin, the film utilises nearly every room of the Theatre Royal Windsor to transform it into the immortal Elsinore Castle, from basement dungeon to roof-top battlement. Ian McKellen, reprising his role as Hamlet,...

"Revenge should have no bounds." Kaleidoscope Ent. in the UK has revealed an official trailer for a filmed version of Hamlet, which will be playing in UK cinemas next February for one night. This brand new take on Hamlet was recorded at the Theatre Royal Windsor in 2021, during the original run of this performance. The great Ian McKellen reprises his lead role as Hamlet, a man who descends into madness as he seeks vengeance against his uncle for the alleged murder of his father. A tale of revenge that has stood the test of time, Shakespeare's classic tragedy is reimagined for the modern day as a gripping psychological thriller. "Transcending the confines of the stage in a uniquely modern take, the film utilises nearly every room of the Theatre Royal Windsor to transform it into the immortal Elsinore Castle." Along with McKellen, the cast also includes Jonathan Hyde, Jenny Seagrove,...

Exclusive: Joe Dempsie (Game of Thrones) and BAFTA winner Francesca Annis (Flesh & Blood) are among a host of stars boarding season 2 of Ben Richards’ BBC legal drama Showtrial.

The pair are joining the previously announced Adeel Akhtar, Nathalie Armin and Michael Socha in the five-part season from Line of Duty maker World Productions. Dempsie will play Di Miles Southgate, while Annis will play a character called Dame Harriet Kenny.

Other high profile cast revealed today include Nina Toussaint-White (Bodyguard) and Fisayo Akinade (Heartstopper). Tom Padley (The Lost Pirate Kingdom), Kerrie Hayes (Blue Jean), Ali Khan (A Haunting in Venice), Daniel Kendrick (Inside Man), Frankie Wilson (Against the Ice), Anna Próchniak (The Tattooist of Auschwitz), Anna Wilson Jones (Victoria), John Light (Around the World in 80 Day), Aidan McArdle (Spy Master), Daisy Badger (The Sandman), Flora Montgomery (The Crown), Pearce Quigley (Detectorists), John Marquez (Doc Martin), Anna Healy (Mother’s Day...

Written and created by Ben Richards, Showtrial was a thrilling, mysterious legal drama that kept us compelled in October 2021. The series will be back next year, and we already know it stars Adeel Akhtar, Nathalie Armin and Michael Socha. The team is now adding Joe Dempsie, Francesca Annis, Nina Toussaint-White and Fisayo Akinade.

When the high-profile climate activist Marcus Calderwood is left for dead in a violent hit and run, he uses his dying moments to identify his killer — a serving policeman. But who is this unnamed "Officer X"? What does his own history reveal about the nature of trauma and revenge, and was Marcus’s death a careless accident or cold-blooded murder?

From the victim's last breath to the jury’s final verdict, Showtrial takes us into the worlds of the charismatic and cocky officer Justin Mitchell (Socha); Sam Gill (Akhtar), an anxious defense solicitor with a reputation for...

The film was produced by the late Bill Kenwright, who died last week.

Kaleidoscope Film Distribution has picked up international sales for Sean Mathias’ contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, starring Ian McKellen, and produced by the late Bill Kenwright.

Kenwright, who died last week aged 78, produced through his UK outfit Bk Studios.

Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment will release theatrically in the UK in early 2024.

Mathias, whose credits include Bent, has reimagined Shakespeare’s tragedy as a psychological thriller. McKellen plays Hamlet, a man who descends into madness as he seeks vengeance against his uncle for the alleged murder of his father.

Ralph Fiennes is spending time with filmmaker Svetlana Zill.

The 60-year-old two-time Oscar-nominated actor was seen going on a stroll around the West Village neighborhood with Svetlana on Saturday (September 30) in New York City.

Ralph is best known for his work in movies like Schindler’s List, The English Patient, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Menu, and for playing Voldemort in the Harry Potter series.

Svetlana directed the rock ‘n’ roll documentary Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg, which was released this year.

Ralph was previously married to actress Alex Kingston, but they divorced in 1997. He later was with actress Francesca Annis for 11 years. He was most recently linked to British society figure Amelia Richards.

Browse through the gallery for 10+ photos of Ralph Fiennes and Svetlana Zill on their stroll…...

In Frank Herbert’s original Dune novel, the character Duke Leto Atreides is set up to fail. Awarded the mining rights to the arid planet Arrakis by a powerful emperor, and given a limited number of days to exploit them, Leto is sent to the desert essentially to die. And in the end, he should’ve known forces beyond his control were conspiring against him from the start.

One wonders whether back in 1984 if David Lynch felt he could relate. An already impressive directorial talent behind intriguing films like Eraserhead (1977) and The Elephant Man (1980), Lynch was a 34-year-old wunderkind when he was tapped by producer Dino De Laurentiis to direct, and eventually rewrite, Dune as a sci-fi epic intended to rival Star Wars. Yet through the vicissitudes of fate—as well as budget, location photography, and post-production studio mandates—the film that reached cinema screens was a fraction of his sprawling vision.

For the second time, someone made a movie based on perhaps the most inscrutably esoteric and labyrinthine sci-fi novel of its time, Frank Herbert’s “Dune.” Director Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic hit theaters and HBO Max on Oct. 22, 2021, was a box office and critical success and is now a multiple Oscar winner.

But for those wondering exactly how to watch “Dune” in the wake of the film’s awards recognition, we’ve got your answers below.

Also Read:

‘Dune’ Film Review: Huge Sci-Fi Epic Is Relentlessly Dark But Thrilling Is “Dune” Streaming?

“Dune” is currently streaming on HBO Max. You can rent it for 5.99 from Apple, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, DirecTV, Vudu and more. “Dune” also available to purchase on Digital, 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD from all retailers.

What Is “Dune” About? Warner Bros

Starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, “Dune” follows the story of Paul Atreides (Chalamet), a...

Something wicked this way comes to theaters on Christmas Day: Joel Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”. The latest interpretation of Shakespeare’s 1606 Scottish play stars Oscar-winners Denzel Washington as Macbeth, a brave general who hears a prophecy from a trio of witches that he will become king, and Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth, the general’s ambitious wife, who goads him into killing the King.

It’s the first film the Oscar-winning Coen has done without his brother Ethan. Coen directed his wife McDormand (they married in 1984) to the first of her three Oscars with 1996’s “Fargo.’ Could this film bag her a 4th?

Even though the play is considered “cursed” that hasn’t stopped directors and actors from tackling the powerful tragedy. The last screen version starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard and directed by Justin Kurzel was released in 2015. Reviews were generally good; the box office wasn’t.

“Kate, how the fuck are you?,” the “Dune” star asked by way of introduction during a recent Zoom conversation conducted from the guest bedroom of her house in London.

No one would ever mistake Rebecca Ferguson for a shrinking violet. Bawdy and instantly easy to talk to, the Swedish actress was juiced up from rehearsals for her starring role in the upcoming Apple sci-fi series “Wool.” Ferguson said she was still wearing her training clothes and “sitting on a pillow made out of an old cashmere jumper.” She’s not the crafty one, she’s quick to note. Thank her husband for that. “I go, ‘Oh, I don’t want this,’ and I’m ready to give it away,” she said. “And he goes, ‘No, let’s remake it into something!'”

Consider that an appropriate ethos for the star of Denis Villeneuve’s massively ambitious take on Frank Herbert’s sprawling sci-fi novel “Dune.

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“A Can Of Sandworms”

By Raymond Benson

In anticipation of the upcoming release of Denis Villeneuve’s remake, the excellent boutique label Arrow Video has issued a superb 2-disk Limited Edition package of David Lynch’s 1984 film, Dune. It comes in two versions—one in 4K Ultra HD, and the other in standard Blu-ray.

Filmmaker David Lynch today refuses to discuss Dune, which he made for producer Dino De Laurentiis for a whopping $40-42 million. It was a colossal flop at the time, was critically reviled, and audiences didn’t care much for it either. However, over the years, Dune has gained a cult following and it assuredly has its share of defenders, including Frank Herbert, the author of the original 1965 novel.

The history of the production has long been a topic of discussion among film historians and cinephiles. Attempts to film the complex,...

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune had its official world premiere here at the Venice Film Festival on Friday evening and had the Sala Grande reverberating like a thropter as it gave the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi classic a seven-minute standing ovation. Deadline was present and timed the applause, which ended only after the director humbly indicated that it was time to go.

In his review, Deadline’s Pete Hammond called the film a “spectacular and defining version of the sci-fi cult classic.”

The Warner Bros/Legendary epic, which is billed as Part I, played earlier in the day for the press — with delegates asked to seal their phones inside plastic pouches for the duration of the screenings. Villeneuve and cast sped onto the Lido today as well, with throngs of onlookers occupying every possible vantage point in the hope of catching a glimpse.

Those in town include Timothée Chalamet,...

Happy Friday International Insiders. Tom Grater here with the week’s top international news. To get this sent to your inbox every Friday, sign up here.

Life On The Lido

Andreas reports from Venice: Despite the Covid backdrop, the Venice Film Festival got underway this week with most of its usual glamour and excitement. The festival’s first 24 hours included debuts for new movies from international heavyweights including Pedro Almodovar, Paolo Sorrentino and Jane Campion. A-Listers such as Penelope Cruz, Oscar Isaac, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jessica Chastain are just a few of the names already on the Lido. The gifts keep on coming for those at the festival, with Friday morning’s anticipated double bill comprising Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and Pablo Larrain’s Spencer. It hasn’t all been plain sailing for the festival, however. Increased Covid checks on the way into screenings have led to longer-than-usual queues and...

The upcoming Venice Film Festival world premiere of Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” is inspiring moviegoers to look back on the last big screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal science-fiction novel, David Lynch’s 1984 “Dune.” That release was such a notorious critical misfire that Lynch wanted his name off it, as his creative vision was meddled with by producers and the studio. Lynch said as recently as April 2020 that his “Dune” remains “a huge, gigantic sadness in my life.” For cast member Francesca Annis, who played Lady Jessica, “Dune” was a misfire as soon as she heard the first lines of dialogue spoken in the movie.

“I’ll tell you, when I first went to see the film at the premiere — and I’ve only seen it once — as soon as Princess Irulan started to talk in voice-over at the beginning, explaining the story, I thought ‘Uh oh, this film is in trouble,...

As the world gears up to take in Dune’s anticipated reboot at the Venice Film Festival, I sat down with British actress Francesca Annis, star of the original Dune, to talk candidly about the ins and outs of working on one of the most fabled sci-fi films of the 1980s.

Were David Lynch and Dino De Laurentiis really at loggerheads? What was the atmosphere like on set? How challenging was it relocating her family to Mexico for the shoot? And which hit movie was she promised during production?

I should note at this juncture that Francesca Annis is my mother. I’ve never interviewed her before and doing so never crossed my mind in more than 13 years as a journalist. That is, until last month when I began thinking about our coverage of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, the year’s most anticipated movie.

You could say I owe Lynch’s Dune quite a bit.

Ignored, maligned and hammered out into an ‘Alan Smithee’ extended cut for TV, David Lynch’s outstanding Sci-fi epic arrives on 4K Ultra HD, finally achieving the visual opulence on home video that it had in 70mm prints at the end of 1984. The fractured, de-Lynched storyline can be argued over, but the amazing design and arresting characterizations never fail to impress — Lynch attracted a world-class cast of movie stars and used them well. Even if it’s described as a hundred fragmented scenes from a larger narrative, they’re superlative fragments. Lynch should have been authorized to make an alternate cut, his own completely personal ‘impressionist’ version of the Frank Herbert story.

Dune

4K Ultra HD

Arrow Video

1984 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 137 min. / Street Date August 31, 2021 / 59.95

Starring (alphabetically): Francesca Annis, Leonardo Cimino, Brad Dourif, José Ferrer, Linda Hunt, Freddie Jones, Richard Jordan, Kyle MacLachlan, Virginia Madsen, Silvana Mangano, Everett McGill,...

Sheridan Smith To Headline Channel 5’s ‘Teacher’

BAFTA-winner Sheridan Smith is to headline Teacher, the latest drama series from ViacomCBS’s UK network Channel 5. Smith will play Jenna in the Clapperboard-produced psychological thriller, which follows a state schoolteacher whose life unravels after being accused of a drunken sexual encounter with one of her pupils. Other cast includes Samuel Bottomley (Get Duked!), Kelvin Fletcher (Moving On), Cecilia Noble (Small Axe), Sharon Rooney (My Mad Fat Diary), David Fleeshman (It’s A Sin), and Ian Puleston-Davies (Tin Star). Entertainment One will sell the four-part series outside of the UK, with filming set to begin this month.

Ian McKellen To Star In Post-Lockdown ‘Hamlet’ Staging

Ian McKellen is to star in a Theatre Royal Windsor adaptation of Hamlet, which is being billed as the first major new production to be staged following lockdown lifting in the UK. The age-blind show will open on...

Here’s a first look at the trailer for director Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated Dune, the big-screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal bestseller.

A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

And gosh, is this a great cast or what?!

Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac (the “Star Wars” franchise) Oscar nominee Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, Chang Chen, David Dastmalchian, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, with Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling,...

Dune’s desert planet of Arrakis will soon resume its sandy cinematic spice wars. That’s because director Denis Villeneuve’s packed-cast remake movie of author Frank Herbert’s novel will once again roll cameras in Budapest, Hungary for reshoots; a notion that was reported back in June, but has just been confirmed.

Rebecca Ferguson, who plays Lady Jessica in the film (the role played by Francesca Annis in director David Lynch’s 1984 version), has put the stamp of veracity on the reshoots, revealing that they are officially returning to Budapest, set to pick up additional shots. It’s a practice that is hardly out of the ordinary, likely designed to fill continuity gaps and add footage that better emphasizes ideas. However, Ferguson stops short of confirming the reported August timeframe, instead just vaguely states that the production will head back to Budapest “soon.”

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Looking to scratch your itch for the Brits? IndieWire has called BritBox the Hulu alternative for all things that come from the UK, and now their already impressive slate has announced something even grander.

The BBC and ITV streaming service has acquired the rights to several new Agatha Christie films, TV shows, and audio plays. The collection will include Seasons 9 through 12 of David Suchet’s “Poirot,” including the special “Poirot: A Mysterious Affair at Styles” which celebrates its 100th anniversary.

As the summer progresses, BritBox will also put out the 1980 John Gielgud-starring adaptation of “Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?” and 1981’s “The Seven Dials Mystery.” They’re also committed to bringing Margaret Rutherford, Joan Hickson, Geraldine McEwan, and Julia McKenzie’s takes on Miss Marple to the streaming service.

BritBox is also working with the Christie estate to create a full HD restoration of the 1983 Christie miniseries “Partners in Crime...

BritBox, ITV and the BBC’s joint streaming service, has acquired the rights to the largest overall collection of Agatha Christie adaptations, spanning films, TV series, and audio plays of the iconic mystery novelist.

Under the deal, BritBox will become the ultimate Svod home for Christie. The service will also be adding more seasons of “Poirot,” and newly restored HD versions of ITV’s “Marple” and “Partners in Crime.” The film adaptations of the novels will also be available in the coming months.

“I am delighted to see all these shows available in the North America on BritBox. They give a real flavor of the depth and quality of my great grandmother’s work, and I am sure audiences will enjoy them,” said James Prichard, CEO and Chairman of Agatha Christie Limited.

Seasons 9-12 of “Poirot,” starring David Suchet, and the special “Poirot: Mysterious Affair at Styles,” adapted from Christie’s first novel,...

Sweden-born actress Rebecca Ferguson, already coming off a busy 2019 with “Men In Black: International” and “The Kid Who Would Be King,” will soon be seen in director Mike Flanagan’s sequel to Stephen King’s “The Shining,” “Doctor Sleep.” But the upcoming role that’s even more anticipated by certain audiences is her turn in Denis Villeneuve’s Frank Herbert adaptation, “Dune.” Slated for a theatrical release on November 20, 2020, the film also stars Academy Award nominee Timothée Chalamet. (IndieWire recently broke down everything you need to know about the upcoming sci-fi epic here.)

In a recent video interview with Fandom while touting “Doctor Sleep,” Ferguson revealed the first details about her “Dune” character, Lady Jessica.

“Something that Denis Villeneuve and the writers have really taken into consideration is [that] this book was written back in the day when women were portrayed differently to what we are expecting nowadays — which we call gender equality,...

The Girl and Vera Drake star Imelda Staunton, Cranford star Francesca Annis, Quantico and Years and Years star Russell Tovey and The Crying Game and The Honourable Woman star Stephen Rea are to front ITV family drama Flesh and Blood.

The series is written by The Long Song writer Sarah Williams, who also wrote 2007 Anne Hathaway feature Becoming Jane. It is the story of three adult siblings — Helen, Jake and Natalie — who are thrown into disarray when their recently widowed mother Vivien declares she’s in love with a new man. Flesh and Blood is directed by Cheat and Cold Feet‘s Louise Hooper.

The cast also includes Claudie Blakley (Manhunt), Lydia Leonard (Gentleman Jack), Sharon Small (Trust Me), Lara Rossi (Crossing Lines), Keir Charles (Love Actually), Vincent Regan (Victoria), David Bamber (The Bourne Identity), Stephanie Langton (Ransom) and Clara Indrani (Vera).

Blakley plays Helen, Tovey plays Jake and Leonard plays Natalie.

It’s a huge bummer when a movie wastes incredible talent. Any film that boasts a cast like this, with Michael Caine at the top in a starring role, teaming up with Jim Broadbent, Tom Courtenay, Charlie Cox, Michael Gambon, and Ray Winstone, the final product should be way better. Throw in a quality director like James Marsh at the helm and this sounds like the talents behind an Oscar contender. Well, opening this week, King of Thieves is not that. This heist tale is slowly paced, dull, and a shall of what it could have been. Alas, this was a big time letdown. The film is a “based on a true story” crime drama. Centered on infamous true events in England, we follow a famous thief named Brian Reader (Caine) as he gets back in the game. Mourning the loss of his wife, he begins to pull together a...

Stars: Jim Broadbent, Michael Gambon, Michael Caine, Ray Winstone, Charlie Cox, Francesca Annis, Tom Courtenay, Kellie Shirley, Paul Whitehouse | Written by Joe Penhall | Directed by James Marsh

Based on infamous true events, a famous thief, Brian Reader (Sir Michael Caine), pulls together a band of misfit criminals to plot the biggest bank heist in British history. The thieves manage to escape with allegedly over £200 million worth of stolen jewels and money. When police are called to the scene and the investigation starts, the cracks between the eccentric gang members begin to show as they row over how to share the goods and become increasingly distrustful of each other.

James Marsh’s King of Thieves, at its fingertips, has jocular and theatrical cockney crime caper in the same vein as Guy Ritchie’s Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Utilising what’s an all-star British cast, primarily made of...

Nobody has as much energy as they used to in “King of Thieves,” which is partly the point. James Marsh’s true-crime heist movie is built around two remarkably high figures: first, the £14 million value of the loot, making the burglary in question the largest in British legal history, and more crucially, the average age of the culprits, almost all of whom were veteran criminals well into retirement.

The Hatton Garden jewelry heist made international headlines in 2015, but could have been a story dreamed up in Ealing Studios’ midcentury prime: A Vanity Fair article on which this film is based was even titled “The Over-the-Hill Mob.” Small wonder, then, that British film producers have been swift to jump on it. Yet this proficiently polished thriller (the second big-screen treatment of the story in two years) seems to feel a creak in its own joints: Torn between jaunty genre hijinks and a bleaker streak of realism,...

James Marsh’s film on the real life true events of the Hatton Garden Robbery, King of Thieves, is here. It stars Sir Michael Caine, Charlie Cox, Michael Gambon, Tom Courtenay, Jim Broadbent, Ray Winstone, Francesca Annis and Paul Whitehouse.

We were on the red carpet yesterday to talk to this magnificent cast about working together, what inspired them to be a part of the film, and you get to see Paul Whitehouse do a Michael Caine impression directly to the man himself. It was chaos. And Francesca Annis wants to play the grandmother to the universe in Denis Villenueve’s adaptation of Dune.

Colin Hart and Scott Davis were our diamond geezers on the red carpet, here’s how they got on.

King of Thieves is released on the 14th of September, 2018 in the UK.

Plot:

A true crime film about a crew of retired crooks who pull off...

Sir Michael Caine and an all-star cast of British wrinklies bicker and creak their way through the audacious Hatton Garden heist that shuffles into an lacklustre crime caper.

The Hatton Garden heist is the biggest robbery in British history since Bruce Reynolds slipped into a train conductor’s uniform and ransacked £2.6 million pounds (that’s £50 million quid in today’s money) from a Royal Mail train back in 1963. Surely, in 2015 a new breed of lithe, cunning and internet ready thieves, tunnelled their way into Hatton Garden’s safety deposit box vault and pinched jewellery, cash and gold to the tune of an estimated £300 million pounds…?

No. Maybe, ten or so years younger than The Great British Train Robbers, Brian Reader at 76 with his four man crew of old lags and a so-called security alarm expert, pulled off an audacious Easter Bank Holiday robbery that gripped the nation, and the wider world.

Studiocanal has released a set of quoted character posters for the upcoming real-life tale of the Hatton Garden Heist, King of Thieves.

From the producers behind Baby Driver and Legend comes an all-new heist crime caper. This time in the form of the real-life Hatton Garden heist in 2015 with Sir Michael Caine taking centre stage.

Directed by James Marsh from a script by Joe Penhall, the cast includes Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay, Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent, Charlie Cox, Paul Whitehouse, Michael Gambon, and Francesca Annis.

Also in the news – From Timelord, to Royalty, to a galaxy far far away – Matt Smith joins Star Wars Episode IX

The film is released September 14

See the full set of character posters of the infamous Hatton Garden Gang below:

King of Thieves Synopsis

A caper film about the unlikely gang of retirees that pulled off the daring Hatton Garden jewellery heist of 2015.

The film...

Studiocanal has launched the official trailer and poster, plus the red band “full f***ing trailer”, for King Of Thieves, the incredible true story of the spectacular Hatton Garden diamond heist, the biggest and most daring in British history.

From the producers behind Baby Driver and Legend comes an all-new heist crime caper. This time in the form of the real-life Hatton Garden heist in 2015 with Sir Michael Caine taking centre stage. Studiocanal has now released a new trailer for the film, which you watch below.

Directed by James Marsh from a script by Joe Penhall, the cast includes Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay, Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent, Charlie Cox, Paul Whitehouse, Michael Gambon, and Francesca Annis.

Also in trailers – Final trailer for Mark Wahlberg’s Mile 22 blasts in

The film is released September 14

King of Thieves Synopsis

A caper film about the unlikely gang of retirees that pulled off...

From the producers behind Baby Driver and Legend comes an all-new heist crime caper. This time in the form of the real-life Hatton Garden heist in 2015 with Sir Michael Caine taking centre stage. Studiocanal has now released a new trailer for the film, which you watch below.

Directed by James Marsh from a script by Joe Penhall, the cast includes Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay, Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent, Charlie Cox, Paul Whitehouse, Michael Gambon, and Francesca Annis.

Also in trailers – Steve Carell fights the Nazis with his Toy Soliders in trailer for Robert Zemeckis’ Welcome to Marwen

The film hits cinemas September 4th

King of Thieves Synopsis

A caper film about the unlikely gang of retirees that pulled off the daring Hatton Garden jewellery heist of 2015.

The film tells the story of the epic multi-million-pound robbery initially believed to be undertaken by a gang of super-thieves. The actual perpetrators were...

Every year, the featured acting races at the Tony Awards prove to be the most daunting to predict. Whereas the lead races rarely have more than a dozen possibilities, there is a true embarrassment of riches to sift through when it comes to the supporting players. Before you make your 2018 Tony predictions in advance of the May 1 announcement read our breakdown of these four tough categories based on our official Tony Awards odds.

Featured Actor in a Play

Nathan Lane should send the Tony Administration Committee gift bags for placing him in the Featured category. His towering portrayal of Roy Cohn is likely to win. Lane’s co-star James McArdle should also find a spot for his neurotic Louis. The other sure bet is Anthony Boyle’s heart-wrenching and Olivier winning performance in “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”

We could simply fill out the category with the other “Angels...

Apocalyptic wastelands aren’t often presented on Broadway stages, but Lucky Kirkwood’s “The Children” presents audiences with life in the countryside after a nuclear fallout. Unlike most end-of-the-world dramas, this play stays indoors and focuses on the inhabitants of a seaside cottage. It’s the intense focus on character that provide Deborah Findlay the opportunity to score a Tony Award nomination for Featured Actress in a Play.

Findlay portrays Hazel, a retired nuclear physicist. She lives with her husband Robin (Ron Cook) in a run down cottage just outside the “exclusion zone,” the area ravaged by earthquakes, tidal waves, and radiation after the power plant which employed the couple experienced a Fukushima like disaster. She has settled nicely into a hippie-fied retired life, full of yoga and living off the land, when an old friend and co-worker Rose (Francesca Annis) appears after a 38-year absence.

Rose’s sudden resurgence shakes Hazel.

Last week director Peter Jackson confirmed that Harvey Weinstein blacklisted Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino and kept them from being cast in The Lord of The Rings by telling Jackson that they were difficult to work with. Since then, Harvey Weinstein denied the claims. Peter Jackson wasn't having it, and he wrote a letter rebuking Weinstein and going in-depth telling the whole story of what happened. He also explains his side of the story and also apologizes for being "unwitting accomplices in harming their careers." After you read this letter, you see that Jackson is a class act. He also reveals a full list of alternate actors that he was looking to cast in the film! Here's his full statement:

Aspects of Harvey’s denial are insincere. He is basically saying that “this blacklisting couldn’t be true because New Line cast the movie”. That’s a deflection from the truth.

A friendly reminder that performances begin tomorrow Tuesday, November 28 for the Manhattan Theatre Club's American premiere of The Royal Court Theatre's production of The Children, the new play by Olivier Award winner Lucy Kirkwood Chimerica, directed by James Macdonald Top Girls at Mtc starring acclaimed London cast members BAFTA Award winner Francesca Annis BBC's Cranford , Olivier Award nominee Ron Cook Juno and the Paycock at The Donmar, and Olivier Award winner Deborah Findlay The National Theatre's Stanley.

PBS just aired the final episode of Home Fires in the U.S., but is that really it for the TV show? Recently, executive producers Simon Block and Francis Hopkinson spoke with RadioTimes about the cancellation of the UK series.The period drama, which aired on ITV in the UK, follows the members of the Women’s Institute during World War II. The cast includes Francesca Annis, Daisy Badger, Mark Bazeley, Leanne Best, and Samantha Bond. The show was cancelled last year after only two seasons.Read More…...