HENRY CAVILL & BENJAMIN WALKER IN "THE GREAT WALL" EPIC MYSTERY! ABBIE CORNISH & SAMUEL L. JACKSON JOIN JOEL KINNAMAN & GARY OLDMAN IN "ROBOCOP"! ACTION EPIC ON SIR ISAAC NEWTON?

You know that HOLLYWOOD SPY was one of the very first sites to support and promote amazing British star Henry Cavill even before he got his big gigs in IMMORTALS and MAN OF STEEL, so one of our most anticipated 

future projects is THE GREAT WALL. Henry has gotten the role in this film last year, but now "Collider" reports that Benjamin Walker (ABRAHAM LINCOLN VAMPIRE HUNTER) has taken the second lead role beating Alexander Skarsgard (TRUE BLOOD) to it (I personally think Alexander would've been a better choice). The period pic explores “the mysteries” behind the construction of The Great Wall in China, and apparently involves some inhuman element that the builders of the wall are trying to keep out. Cavill and Walker will play 15th century British soldiers who stumble upon the construction of the wall,

and presumably get caught up in the havoc that this supernatural presence brings. The film is being helmed by famous Edward Zwick (LEGENDS OF THE FALL, THE LAST SAMURAI).

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

You already know that TV star Joel Kinnaman (THE KILLING) will play the lead role in the remake of the famous ROBOCOP film from the 80's and Gary Oldman will play the scientist who creates the enhanced robot version of an ordinary cop. According to latest news,

Samuel L. Jackson is now in talks to take the role of a charismatic TV mogul and a powerful force in the Robocop world while Abbie Cornish could take the role of Kinnaman's wife who thinks she is a widow and doesn't know he was turned into a ROBOCOP. The shooting should start this September.

According to "Collider" producers Rob Cohen ("The Fast and the Furious") and Gene Kirkwood ("Rocky") are looking to turn the life of Sir ISAAC NEWTON into an action film for the new studio BiteSize

Entertainment, which was unveiled during the Cannes Film Festival this year. Although we mostly know the famous scientist for his work describing universal gravitation and the three laws of motion (and apocryphally as the man who had an apple fall on his head that lead to these discoveries), a less known fact about Sir Isaac Newton is that he worked both as chief detective and head of the British Mint, a position the famous scientist held for the last 30 years of his life. The film will turn the famous 17th century mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian into an action warrior.

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HOLLYWOOD SPY'S EXCLUSIVE SPOTLIGHT ON STARZ' FUTURE SHOWS: EXOTIC "HAREM", EPIC "MARCO POLO", ADVENTUROUS "DA VINCI'S DEMONS", PIRATE SET "BLACK SAILS"

Well, you know by now that Starz is one of HOLLYWOOD SPY's favourite channels. They know that we love epic adventure and they give it to us in their shows,

mostly in the amazing SPARTACUS saga which is getting it's third and final season next year. But what are some other Starz' series coming up in the future?

SULEY MAN'S HAREM

Definitely the most interesting of the upcoming Starz' projects, at least if you ask HOLLYWOOD SPY, is HAREM mini series which will be putting its lens on the Ottoman Empire. In cooperation with BBC Worldwide Productions they are developing a potential six-hour miniseries exploring the reign of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent and the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire. Based on an idea by actress Gina Gershon, the series will probably be penned by "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe" scribe Ann Peacock. HAREM will tell the story of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, the longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire who reconstructed its legal system and presided over the fleet's annexation of most of the Middle East. He was also a tyrant who enslaved half of Europe with fear and sword. The story would also revolve around Roxelana, a beautiful young slave girl from Ukraine whose ambitions knew no bounds and whose marriage to Suleyman

 kicked off what became known as the "Reign of Women" when she became a sultana. It is interesting that the topic of the six hour series has already been covered in extremely lavish Turkish MAGNIFICENT CENTURY soap opera, which has had four seasons so far and has become a huge TV hit around the Balkans.

DA VINCI'S DEMONS

An exciting and entertaining mix of a futuristic mind and medieval setting will be seen in DA VINCI'S DEMONS. Young Brit star Tom Riley (MONROE and LOST IN AUSTEN) will be playing the brash and brilliant 25 year old artist, inventor, swordsman, lover, dreamer and idealist Leonardo da Vinci during his turbulent youth in Renaissance Florence. He is described as being the Renaissance version of our 

modern day Tony Stark as he struggles to live within the confines of his own reality and time and begins to see and invent the future. So a man with lots of modern gadgets living in an old  century. Drop dead gorgeous Laura Haddock (UPSTAIRS DOWN STAIRS, THE PALACE) will take the lead female role of Lucrezia Donati, the mistress of Lorenzo Medici and lover of da Vinci.

MARCO POLO

Another epic show next year at Starz will be on famous 13th century explorer MARCO POLO in the form of a fantastical martial arts epic,

 chronicling the famous adventurer's early years in the court of Kublai Khan. Acting as the ruler's spy, ambassador and explorer, Marco treks across the Far East and returns with tales of his journeys. In a court filled with political betrayal and forbidden relationships, Marco must use his martial arts training to survive, but it is his ability to enchant Khan with imaginative tales of his kingdom that is often his best tool to stay alive. Wowza, sounds totally like my cup of tea! It will be produced by the Weinstein company and written and created by John Fusco (HIDALGO)! The show should have about ten episodes and we are patiently waiting to hear the first casting news!

 BLACK SAILS

In the sea of new pirate shows  (you remember that NBC is preparing REPUBLIC OF PIRATES, Sky is preparing SINBAD, and Fox is doing PORT ROYALE) Starz will offer us BLACK SAILS to be produced by famous Michael Bay for airing in 8 episodes in 2014. They're already preparing the 8 episode show set 20 years before the events in Robert Louis Stevenson’s "Treasure Island" and chronicling the adventures of Captain Flint, a smooth, fast talking pirate who’ll have a new member of his crew – John Silver. Together, they will fight for New Providence Island. The island is something of a paradise for society’s underbelly. It’s filled with thieves, prostitutes, fortune seekers, and of course, pirates. SPARTACUS  

creator, Steven DeKnight has recently revealed that he had the honour to read BLACK SAILS pilot and that he loved it so much that he is kicking himself for not coming up with it himself.

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NEW PICS FROM KARL URBAN'S "JUDGE DREDD", "PACIFIC RIM" SF EPIC, "MR. PEABODY AND SHERMAN", "THE WALKING DEAD" SEASON 3 & DEL TORO'S "PINOCCHIO"

OK, people, we haven't done this in a long time, although I know you like it: we're having a photo day today here at HOLLYWOOD SPY, since a bunch of new posters and promo pics have been released for the upcoming projects. First, you can check out the first poster for this September's JUDGE DREDD remake, which will see always amazing Karl Urban playing a futuristic cop who also deals justice and sentences at the spot of the crime. I think a trailer for the film is in due order since there are only a few months left till the premiere. The film also stars Lena Headey from GAME OF THRONES as the main

villain, but the sad news is that Karl will be wearing Dredd's helmet in each second of the sf movie.

PACIFIC RIM SF EPIC

Here's another great picture for today: the exclusive first picture of Idris Elba in Guillermo del Toro's sf epic PACIFIC RIM. He does look rather great in the sf costume, doesn't he? Hitting cinemas next year in summer: when legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of

 lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenceless in the face of the relentless Kaiju.

MR. PEABODY AND SHERMAN

First artwork has been released for MR. PEABODY AND SHERMAN animated film which hits cinemas in spring 2014. Based on Jay Ward's classic cartoon, Mr. Peabody is the world's smartest person

 who happens to be a dog. When his "pet" boy Sherman uses their time traveling WABAC machine without permission, events in history spiral out of control. It's up to this most unexpected of "father-son" teams to somehow put things back on track before the space-time continuum is irreparably destroyed.

THE WALKING DEAD

All of you, and that would be half of the world, who are obsessed with THE WALKING DEAD smash hit series, will be excited to see the first picture of David Morrissey as the Governor, a new character who will appear in the third season in order to give sheriff Rick (Andrew Lincoln) lots of trouble. As you remember the very end of the second season finished with the look upon a strange domed settlement. It is called Woodbury, it is another settlement of survivors and the Governor is its tyrannical leader. The creators of the show have announced that the character will be nuanced, but pure evil and will be a big series villain.

NEW PINOCCHIO

Then there are also the first concept art pictures from Guillermo del Toro's PINOCCHIO. This 3D stop-motion animation adaptation of the famous tale will see him joining forces with The Jim Henson Co.

 You should expect a gritty version, since Del Toro said: "The Blue Fairy is really a dead girl's spirit. Pinocchio has strange moments of lucid dreaming bordering on hallucinations, with black rabbits. The sperm

whale that swallows Pinocchio was actually a giant dogfish, which allows for more classical scale and design. The many mishaps Pinocchio goes through include several near-death close calls, a lot more harrowing moments."

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ANNE HATHAWAY IN "SONG ONE"! CLIVE BARKER PENS "ZOMBIES VS GLADIATORS"! "TWILIGHT ZONE" MOVIE! GREAT NEW TRAILER FOR "ARROW" TV SHOW

You've probably seen LES MISERABLES trailer last week with Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Eddie Redmayne, and were probably amazed by a haunting song that Anne Hathaway sings in it. We all knew she could sing since her singing was the only good thing in that tragic Oscar year when she had the misfortune to host the ceremony with that uncaught brat James Franco. And, now, according to "Variety" she will also star in SONG ONE in which the story centres on a young woman who returns home after her brother is injured, only to meet and romantically connect with his favourite musician, who draws inspiration from the siblings. Before that, Anne will meow her lungs out in that horrid dark film I refuse to mention at this site.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

The only horror stories I've ever enjoyed reading were the ones by Clive Barker, and now it seems he has been hired to pen ZOMBIES

 VS GLADIATORS which is based in ancient Rome as the story opens with a shaman who is about to die in the Coliseum so he casts a spell that unleashes the world's first zombies. It's up to a gladiator to stop the spread of the zombie horde and save Rome. Speaking of horrors, famous THE TWILIGHT ZONE is also closer to its movie adaptation since a writer has been hired to pen it. Unlike the original film which had four storylines, this one will follow a single storyline and use classic elements from Rod Serling's original TV series.

 NEW ARROW TRAILER

Are you excited about CW's new super hero show ARROW which is ready to air this October? They've just released a brand new trailer for it, and it is much better than the previous ones giving the first look of Deathstroke, the

 main villain, and giving lots of naked scenes with hunky Stephen Amell who portrays the main hero. It follows  billionaire Oliver Queen who is discovered alive on a remote island five years after his shipwreck. When he returns home to Starling City, his mother Moira, and his friends welcome him home, but they sense Oliver has been changed by the ordeal. While Oliver hides the truth about the man he's become, he desperately wants to make amends for the actions he took as the boy he was by seeking reconciliation with his former girlfriend, Laurel Lance. As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly creates the persona of ARROW to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory. By day, Oliver plays the role of a wealthy, carefree philanderer he used to be while carefully concealing the secret identity he turns to under cover of darkness. However, Laurel's father, Detective Quentin Lance, is determined to arrest the vigilante operating in his city. Meanwhile, Oliver's own mother, Moira, knows much more about the deadly shipwreck than she has let on – and is more ruthless than he could ever imagine.

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"SPARTACUS: WAR OF THE DAMNED" TO BE LAST SEASON! DOUGLAS BOOTH & LOGAN LERMAN JOIN RUSSELL CROWE IN "NOAH" EPIC! "BLACK PANTHER" & "JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA" FILMS IN WORKS!

Now that's kinda nice: Deadline reports that two young hunks Douglas Booth (playing Romeo next to Hailee Steinfeld's Juliet) and Logan Lerman (PERCY JACKSON, THE THREE MUSKETEERS) have joined Russell Crowe in dark epic NOAH directed by Darren Aronofsky.  Douglas Booth will play the younger Shem, and Logan Lerman will be his older brother, Ham. There were rumours before that the gritty version of famous biblical legend of Noah and the flood, will have Jennifer Connelly as Noah's wife and Saoirse Ronan as Ham's love interest. The film is set for March 2014.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

According to "MovieWeb" Marvel is eyeing their comic book hero BLACK PANTHER as the star of their next superhero movie 

franchise. They are currently preparing THOR 2, IRON MAN 3 and CAPTAIN AMERICA 2, and they already have the script for BLACK PANTHER which might get into production as soon as the above mentioned sequels appear in cinemas. The character is the chieftain of the Panther Clan in the fictional African country of Wakanda. His powers are derived from a special herb that grants him superhuman strength, speed, and stamina. At the same time, Warner Bros. has hired a writer to pen JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA movie adaptation. It is interesting that Justice League members THE FLASH and WONDER WOMAN both have screenplays in the work.

WAR OF THE DAMNED

Sad news, all you SPARTACUS lovers! Speaking to "The Hollywood Reporter", Steven DeKnight, the show runner, has revealed that next year's third season will also be the final one! Aired in more than 150 countries around the world with high ratings, the show will start it's last season next January titled SPARTACUS: WAR OF THE DAMNED.

As you know, after the death of almost all major characters in the end of the second season, the last run of the show will see Liam McIntyre's Spartacus wagging war against Rome lead by young general Caesar (Todd Lasance). The decision to end the show in its highest was influenced by the real historical story of the slave rebellion against

Rome which was quite scattered all over the place with Spartacus fighting off waves and waves of Roman generals, which would make the show repetitive. That is why the producer is cutting out the boring parts and leaving the final battle against Spartacus to Marcus Crassus (Simon Merrells). In history, the story ends in a sad way for

Spartacus, but the producer is promising that they will give the final scene an optimistic hope to show that it is still worth standing up against oppression. How to find victory in the face of defeat and what happens when you win but you lose will be the main topics of the final season. There is also a possibility of JULIUS CAESAR spinoff if the character becomes popular among the audience.

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FIRST TRAILER FOR "SINBAD" ADVENTURE SHOW! "THE LAST STAND" WITH ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, RODRIGO SANTORO, DANIEL HENNEY, ZACH GILFORD, JAIMIE ALEXANDER

One of the upcoming films which certainly has an interesting cast is THE LAST STAND which hits cinemas next January. Starring  Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rodrigo Santoro, Forest Whitaker, Zach Gilford, 

Daniel Henney, Johnny Knoxville, Jaimie Alexander... the film follows Sheriff Owens, a man who has resigned himself to a life of fighting what little crime takes place in sleepy border town Sommerton Junction after leaving his LAPD post following a bungled operation that left him wracked with failure and defeat after his partner was crippled. After a spectacular escape from an FBI prisoner convoy, the most notorious, wanted drug kingpin in the hemisphere is hurtling toward the border at 200 mph in a specially outfitted car with a hostage and a fierce army of gang members. He is headed, it turns out, straight for Summerton Junction, where the whole of U.S. law enforcement will have their last opportunity to make a stand and intercept him before he slips across the border forever. At first reluctant to become involved,

and then counted out because of the perceived ineptitude of his small town force, Owens ultimately accepts responsibility for the face off.

LAST STAND CAST TIDBITS

After finishing his governator business, Arnold is coming back to work with a whole slate of projects including THE EXPENDABLES sequel this year. Rodrigo Santoro, whom you're currently watching in WHAT TO EXPECT WHILE YOU'RE EXPECTING, is ready to take the role of Persian emperor Xerxes again in 300: BATTLE OF ARTEMISIA, to be shot this year in Serbia. Jaimie Alexander will repeat her role of Sif in THOR 2 next year. Super charming Zach Gilford will star in THE MOB DOCTOR show this Fall on TV.

SINBAD FULL TRAILER

Some time ago HOLLYWOOD SPY has presented you with first pictures

from new adventure show SINBAD which will hit small screens this July at Sky One in UK and here's the whole trailer for the programme. Starring newcomer Elliot Knight in the title role, alongside Naveen Andrews ("Lost"), Orla Brady ("Fringe"), Sophie Okonedo ("Hotel Rwanda") and Timothy Spall ("Harry Potter"), the new show, packed with fantasy, adventure and action, will follow the legendary sailor Sinbad who,  banished from his homeland of Basra and cast out to sea on the ship called "The Providence" following the death of his much-loved brother, embarks on an epic quest to rid himself of the curse placed on him by his own

 grandmother and embrace his destiny. On board "The Providence", an intriguing band of travellers are thrown together, including taciturn Norwegian sailor Gunnar (Elliot Cowan), lithe jewel-thief Rina

(Marama Corlett), and haughty Nala (Estella Daniels). Completing the ship's complement are the eccentric Cook (Junix Inocian), and the ship's cerebral doctor Anwar (Dimitri Leonidas).

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UPCOMING CHILDRENS' FILMS: "EPIC" WITH BEYONCE, COLIN FARRELL, JOSH HUTCHERSON! PIXAR'S "THE GOOD DINOSAUR"! "THE BROTHERS LIONHEART" FANTASY! NEW "THE TREASURE ISLAND"

 Now here's a nice piece of info: it seems that 20th Century Fox is preparing another charming animated movie. Titled EPIC, according to "Huffington Post" this 3D CGI adventure will tell the story of a teenage girl who finds herself magically transported into a secret world, where she must band together with a rag-tag team of characters to save their world - and the real world. Coming from Chris Wedge the amazing author of ICE AGE and RIO, the film will feature a rather stunning voice cast which will be filled with music stars including Beyoncé Knowles as Queen Tara, Colin Farrell as Ronin, Josh Hutcherson as Nod, Amanda Seyfried as Mary Katherine,

Johnny Knoxville as Mandrake, Aziz Ansari as Mub, rap star Pitbull as Bufo, Jason Sudeikis as Bomba and Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler as Nim Galuu.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

Speaking of animated films, one of the future Pixar's projects will be THE GOOD DINOSAUR, from the authors of Oscar winning UP. Set

on an alternate earth which wasn't hit by a meteor it will follow dinosaurs which have evolved alongside humans.  I'm a bit late with this one, but according to "Deadline", British director Guy Ritchie has signed on to direct the movie adaptation of THE TREASURE ISLAND for Warner Bros. The 2013 movie is being described as a contemporary adaptation of the 19th Century pirate novel in which the story centres on narrator Jim Hawkins and his adventures with the pirate Long John Silver. As you remember, HOLLYWOOD SPY has recently done a spotlight on a number of pirate TV shows which are coming to the small screens, so it's seems the high seas are the place to be right now when it comes to showbiz.

THE BROTHERS LIONHEART

And here's another possibly lovely project for kids: Tomas Afredson, the director of TINKER, TAILOR,SOLDIER, SPY, will adapt fantasy novel THE BROTHERS LIONHEART by Astrid Lindgren. Here's the plot of this $30

 million flick:  There's no one Karl Lion loves more than his older brother, Jonathan, who is brave, strong, and handsome - everything Karl believes he is not. Karl never wants to be parted from him. But Karl is sick, and knows he's going to die. To comfort him, Jonathan tells him stories of Nangiyala, the wonderful place he'll be going to when he dies, and where he will wait until Jonathan is ready to join him there. Then the unthinkable happens ...Jonathan is killed in an accident. Heartbroken, Karl longs for the day he'll be reunited with his brother. When the time comes, he finds Nangiyala just as wonderful as he'd imagined. However, Nangiyala is under threat. A cruel tyrant is determined to claim it as his own, and at his command is a terrible beast that is feared throughout the land. Karl must summon all of his courage to help his brother prepare for the battle that lies ahead.

 ATTENTION!

 My little freaks, I'm having another Borg surgery this afternoon, so I will be late in responding to your comments. I did schedule a post for tomorrow in case I don't come back as quickly as planned. The Borg is equipping me with X-ray vision which means I will be able to see you all naked when I come back :) Be naughty while I'm not here and think of me today! 

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