Hollywood Spy wrote about this project before, but it is such a magnificent treat that I just had to make a spotlight for it: BBC's THE HOLLOW CROWN
series which just started airing over in UK with the premiere of the first film in the saga - RICHARD II followed by other three filmed adaptations of Shakespeare's History Plays - HENRY IV parts 1 and 2, and HENRY V. Starting in the year 1399, this continuous story of monarchy follows events during sixteen years of dynastic and political power play. Kings, with their families and followers, are threatened by rebellion and conflict. The story takes us from the Royal Court at Westminster to battlefields in England and France. These rich films are woven with the finest of Shakespeare's poetry and are filmed in the architecture and landscape of the period.
RICHARD II
The first part of THE HOLLOW CROWN saga has been aired recently in UK and should hit USA TV later on this year. In the story King Richard (Ben Whishaw) is called upon to settle a dispute between his cousin Henry Bolingbroke (Rory Kinnear) and Thomas Mowbray (James Purefoy). Richard calls for a duel but then halts it just before swords clash. Both men are banished from the realm. Richard visits John of Gaunt (Patrick Stewart), Bolingbroke's father, who, in the throes of death, reprimands the king.
After seizing Gaunt's money and land, Richard leaves for wars against the rebels in Ireland. Bolingbroke returns to claim back his inheritance. Supported by his allies, Northumberland (David Morrissey) and the
Duke of York (David Suchet), Bolingbroke takes Richard prisoner and lays claim to the throne. The cast also includes Clemency Poesy as Queen Isabella and GAME OF THRONES' Harry Lloyd.
HENRY IV
The second part of the saga was aired last weekend in UK following the heir to the throne, Prince Hal (Tom Hiddleston), who defies his father, King Henry (Jeremy Irons), by spending his time at Mistress
Quickly's (Julie Walters) tavern in the company of the dissolute Falstaff and his companions. The King is threatened by a rebellion led by Hal's rival, Hotspur, his father Northumberland and his uncle
Worcester. In the face of this danger to the state, Prince Hal joins his father to defeat the rebels at the Battle of Shrewsbury and kill Hotspur in single combat.
HENRY IV PART TWO
Aired last night at BBC, the story of the third part of the saga was set in the aftermath of the Battle of Shrewsbury, where Northumberland learns of the death of his son. The Lord Chief Justice attempts on behalf
of the increasingly frail King to separate Falstaff from Prince Hal. The rebels continue to plot insurrection. Falstaff is sent to recruit soldiers and takes his leave of his mistress, Doll Tearsheet. The rebel forces are
overcome. This brings comfort to the dying king, who is finally reconciled to his son. Falstaff rushes to Hal's coronation with expectations of high office!
HENRY V
The final part of the saga will be aired on BBC next weekend and will see the conclusion to the story seen in the previous two films on Henry
IV. After being crowned the new king Henry V (Tom Hiddleston) takes England to war and the English confront French in the famous epic battle at Agincourt against the French King (Lamber Wilson).
HOLLOW CROWN TIDBITS
This is BBC's most ambitious and most lavish production on Shakespeare in more than twenty years and is overseen by James Bond director Oscar winning Sam Mendes. You can read more about all of
these film over at BBC official site! HENRY IV was directed by famous Richard Eyre! It is interesting that the production teams of all of these films include people who worked on classics such as THE PIANO,
THE KING'S SPEECH,CRANFORD, DOWTON ABBEY, THE QUEEN... The whole project is done to mark London 2012 Festival and The Cultural Olympiad on the BBC which coincides with the summer Olympics.
We've already concluded recently that Reese Witherspoon has decided to take on some more serious, and even grim, projects in the future, and one of those will be a film adaptation of Gillian Flynn's
bestsellerGONE GIRL. Reese will produce, and possibly star in, this story about a woman who goes missing on her fifth wedding anniversary, and all signs point to her husband being the killer.
OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRAILER
Your main treat for today is the long awaited trailer for fantasy adventure OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL which comes to us straight from today's Comic Con! Disney's fantastical adventure, directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum's beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpot - fame and fortune are his for the taking - that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda
(Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use
through illusion, ingenuity, and even a bit of wizardry, Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.I must admit I was stunned by the visuals in the
trailer, but mostly by how mindblowing Michelle Williams looks as Glinda! Are you excited about this one? It's out next March!
OZ TIDBITS
The budget of the film is estimated at around stunning $200 million! Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr. were the first choices for the main role. Amy Adams, Olivia Wilde, Blake Lively (who made a
less intelligent choice of starring in SAVAGES instead of being Glinda) and Kate Beckinsale were all in the run for the roles of the witches. Sam Raimi wanted Hilary Swank for the role of Evanora, but
the studio wouldn't hear about such horrid choice and demanded for the role to be given to brilliant Rachel Weisz.
According to "Deadline", crazy comedy DRINKING BUDDIES has got itself a stellar cast: Olivia Wilde, Ron Livingston and Anna Kendrick will star in the story which centres on Chris (Ron Livingston), a man who becomes flirtatious friends with a woman (Anna Kendrick). Their relationship quickly spirals into something Chris never expected. Meanwhile, our ladies can breathe easily (or pant easily) since it has been officially announced today that MAGIC MIKE will fling his magic at us again in a sequel! The film which earned almost $80 million so far, has a story for the second part in the works currently. Channing says they want to make it bigger (and ladies will love to see it bigger, yes?).
HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES
According to "Entertainment Weekly", THE HOBBIT and ROBIN HOOD star Richard Armitage has been cast in tornado thriller CATEGORY SIX which centres on the worst tornado in American history, as captured by a group of local high school students through their cell phones and other devices. Richard Armitage is playing a widowed father, who enlists the help of storm chasers to find his missing son. The most irritating actress from THE WALKING DEADSarah Wayne Callies has also been cast in the film, which might be a good news, since the shooting of the film is parallel to the shooting of the AMC show meaning that her character horrid Lori might not survive the end of the third season :)
THE DROWNING CITY
And straight from Comic Con comes the news that graphic novel JOE GOLEM AND
THE DROWNING CITY will be adapted into a film by Constantin film. The Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden novel to be adapted by Alex Proyas is set in 1970's Manhattan, where earthquakes and rising sea levels left the city under water fifty years earlier. It follows a fourteen year old girl, who is forced to go on the run after her magician friend, Felix Orlov, gets kidnapped by a group of strange men wearing gas masks and rubber suits. She escapes only to find herself in the company of Joe Golem, a mysterious man who does not remember his past.
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