SAM CLAFLIN, EDDIE REDMAYNE, DOUGLAS BOOTH IN THE RUN FOR "SPIDERMAN 2"! ENCHANTING "EPIC" ANIMATED TRAILER! PATRICK WILSON & ROSE BYRNE RETURN TO "INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2"

A few days ago I told you that the casting games for THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 have started and that Dane DeHaan from CHRONICLE or Alden Ehrenreich from BEAUTIFUL CREATURES are in the run to play the role of Harry Osborn, Peter Parker's edgy and dark best friend. Now it seems that, for some reason, it has become the most coveted role among the young stars so a new group of them is doing tests and auditions for it: the latest on the list are two amazing British stars Sam Claflin (PIRATE OF THE CARIBBEANS, SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, PILLARS OF THE EARTH) and Eddie Redmayne (PILLARS OF THE EARTH, LES MISERABLES, BIRDSONG). Young heartthrob Douglas Booth (ROMEO AND JULIET, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, NOAH) and Boyd Holbrook (HATFIELDS AND MCCOYS) are also in the run. The film should hit

theatres in May 2014 and will again see Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in the lead roles. Meanwhile, Jamie Fox has confirmed that he wouldn't mind playing villain Electro.

INSIDIOUS CHAPTER II

One of 2010 unexpected movie hits - horror story INSIDIOUS is getting a sequel to be titled INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2. This small film with the budget of only $1,5 million has earned almost $100 million at the worldwide box offices thus also earning itself the right to get a second part. You probably remember that amazing Patrick Wilson and Australian star Rose Byrne played a mother and father who were trying to save their son from being possessed and trapped in a dark dimension. Both of them will return to their roles and the film is scheduled for August 2013.

"EPIC" TRAILER

Earlier this week I brought you amazing new pictures from next year's delightful animated adventure EPIC and you've also seen a teaser earlier this year, but now you can see the first long official trailer and it is extremely beautiful. Coming from ICE AGE's Chris Wedge, EPIC

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 whimsical characters to save their world - and to also save the real world. The cast includes Beyonce, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried....

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ANCIENT ROME SITCOM "PLEBS"! CHAD MICHAEL COLLINS IN "ONCE UPON A TIME"! CW'S "BOOKCLUB" SHOW! NEW CAST IN "BLACK SAILS"! MATTHEW MACFADYEN'S "RIPPER STREET" SERIES GOES TO USA

Ah, people, we're having a TV day today at HOLLYWOOD SPY with a bunch of television updates: it seems that after they've prematurely killed two of ONCE UPON A TIME's major hunks, Jamie Dornan as sheriff in the first season and Julian Morris as Prince Phillip in the second one, the show is getting a new hunk material beside Josh Dallas as prince Charming: young Chad Michael Collins will play Gerhardt, the brother of Dr Whale (David Anders). Gerhardt will be a good natures military veteran and will appear for the first time in the 12th episode. You've seen Chad Michael Collins before in BH 90210 and in freshly cancelled LAST RESORT over at ABC.

ANCIENT ROME SITCOM

Oh, my, this certainly sounds hilarious: according to "Digital Spy" British ITV is preparing a super fun comedy PLEBS which will be the

 first sitcom set in Ancient Rome, believe it or not :) The six-part series will see Tom Rosenthal and Joel Fry playing the owners of "a lazy slave with a major attitude problem" named Grumio, played by Ryan Sampson (Doctor Who). The gallery of characters will also have 'sexy newcomer' Cynthia (played by Sophie Colquhoun) and her sarcastic slave Metella (Lydia Rose Bewley), who move into the 'flat' next door. The sitcom will follow the "three desperate young men from the suburbs as they try to get laid, hold down jobs and climb the social ladder in the big ancient city".

TELEVISION HEADLINES

In other TV news today, here's something delightful for all my book lovers: CW is developing BOOK CLUB drama. According to "The Hollywood Reporter" it will be based on the documentary from Hope Hartman, and

will centre on Emma, a 23-year-old New Yorker who forms a book club with her three unique friends, her career oriented mother and her eccentric grandmother. The project would follow their adventures, loves, losses and careers as seen through the "book of the week," which serves as a thematic mirror reflective of their lives. "Sherlock Holmes" producer is producing the show. Meanwhile, our favourite of the upcoming shows, pirate epic show BLACK SAILS, which hits small screens next year at Starz and has Tobey Stephens as Captain Flint and Tom Hopper as his right hand, with Hannah New as brothel owner and Jessica Parker Kennedy as a prostitute, has new cast members: Australian actor Luke Arnold (MCLEOD'S DAUGHTERS) will play young John Silver,

 while Zach McGowan (SHAMELESS) will play Captain Charles Vane, arival pirate captain to Captain Flint. Gorgeous Clara Paget (FAST AND THE FURIOUS 6) will play Anne Bonny, a female member of Captain Vane's crew. As you know, Michael Bay's show will follow the adventures of pirate captain Flint as a prequel to famous novel TREASURE ISLAND.

RIPPER STREET

And to end our TV day in the same manner, here's a trailer for BBC's show RIPPER STREET which will start airing in USA at BBC America January 19th next year. The show has already scored success over in United Kingdom with Matthew MacFadyen in the lead role. Set in the

19th century, this period series has eight episodes and the story follows London's H Division as it navigates grisly crimes in the wake of Jack the Ripper's tear through the city.The show will try to follow the huge success of BBC America's first original series COPPER which became one of the most viewed series of the new season.

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EXCITING "NOW YOU SEE ME" TRAILER WITH MICHAEL CAINE, ISLA FISHER, MORGAN FREEMAN, JESSE EISENBERG! SAM RAIMI TO ADAPT "ANGELFALL" FANTASY SAGA! AMAZING NEW PICS FROM "EPIC" ANIMATED FANTASY

It seems that yet another bestselling fantasy saga is getting its film version. Sam Raimi is to produce the movie adaptation of novel ANGELFALL 

by Susan Ee. Six weeks after angels of the apocalypse descend to demolish the modern world, street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back... even if that means making a deal with an enemy angel Raffe, a warrior who has been left bleeding and wingless. Having only each other to rely on for survival, the two journey towards the angel's stronghold where she must risk everything to rescue her sister and he must decide whether to put himself at the mercy of his enemies for the chance to be made whole again. 

NEW "EPIC" PICTURES

Check this out, my little freaks, I have fresh new pictures from next year's most anticipated animated feature EPIC which hits cinemas

 May 2013. As you remember from HOLLYWOOD SPY's extensive spotlight on the film, directed by ICE AGE's Chris Wedge this animated adventure  will describe a battle set deep in the forest between

the forces of good and evil. EPIC will actually 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 whimsical characters to save their world - and to also save the real world. The film will feature 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.

NOW YOU SEE ME TRAILER

The trailer I have for you today is the first clip giving us the fresh view of NOW YOU SEE ME heist thriller which will start showing in

 theatres next January starring Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman, Isla Fisher and Woody Harrelson. Coming from the CLASH OF THE TITANS director Louis Leterrier and with the tagline - "Four amazing magicians, three impossible heists, one billion dollars, this is no illusion" - the dynamic thriller revolves around FBI agents who are trying to track down a team of illusionists who pull of daring bank heists during their performances using their magical tricks after which they reward their audiences with the money in a Robin Hood way.

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HILARIOUS "THE HEAT" TRAILER WITH SANDRA BULLOCK & MELISSA MCCARTHY! RYAN KWANTEN, TOM JANE, CARY ELWES IN "REACH ME"! "DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION" FILM ADAPTATION!

 You know how much HOLLYWOOD SPY loves ensemble films, and this one really has tones of famous names in the cast: "MovieWeb"

reports that Ryan Kwanten, Thomas Jane, Kelsey Grammer and Kyra Sedgwick have joined REACH ME cast which already has Sylvester Stallone, Tom Berenger, Cary Elwes, Ving Rhames, rapper Nelly, Danny Aiello and many others. Currently filming in Los Angeles,  it will be an uplifting ensemble comedy drama, a story of redemption and hope, about a dozen fractured characters whose lives intertwine and eventually collide as a result of a self-published motivational book and its anonymous author.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

Just a few days ago HOLLYWOOD SPY has written about ASSASSINS' CREED and SPLINTER CELL movie projects, and now we have another video game getting its

film adaptation: Scott Derrickson will direct DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION film version. Set in the near future, when dramatic advances in science, specifically human augmentation, have triggered a technological renaissance, the super popular and high selling video games follows Adam Jensen, an ex-SWAT security specialist who must embrace mechanical augments in order to unravel a global conspiracy. The film will also mix cyberpunk with philosophical ideas and concepts. It is interesting that arcade game ASTEROIDS is also to be made into a film helmed by TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE producers.

THE HEAT TRAILER

If you are in the mood for a fun comedy, check out the first trailer for action comedy THE HEAT which teams up Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy and is ready to open in cinemas next April. 

Uptight and straight-laced, FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) is a methodical investigator with a reputation for excellence, and hyper-arrogance. Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy), one of Boston P.D.'s "finest," is foul-mouthed and has a very short fuse, and

uses her gut instinct and street smarts to catch the most elusive criminals. Neither has ever had a partner, or a friend for that matter. When these two wildly incompatible law officers join forces to bring down a ruthless drug lord, they become the last thing anyone expected: buddies.

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HOLLYWOOD SPY SPOTLIGHT ON FANTASY ADVENTURE "OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL" WITH RACHEL WEISZ, MICHELLE WILLIAMS, MILA KUNIS, JAMES FRANCO

 I don't know if you have noticed by now, but March is usually the month when we have epic films and fantasy adventures opening up the new cinematic season in theatres. It happened this year with Tarsem's delightful MIRROR MIRROR and the film which has the honour to bring up the fantasy spice into cinemas in March 2013 is Sam Raimi's OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL. Set before the famous classic film from 1939, this one is also inspired by L. Frank Baum's classic bestseller "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz"! Don't forget to check out the second trailer for the film below.

THE STORY OF OZ

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.

THE CAST OF OZ

The lead role of Oscar Diggs is given to James Franco who is working with Raimi for the second time after SPIDERMAN movies,  while Mila Kunis appears as Theodora the Wicked Witch of the West and

Michelle Williams portrays Glenda the Good Witch. Rachel Weisz will be seen as Evanora the Wicked Witch of the East and horror movie icon Bruce Campbell appears in the role of the Dark Wizard. 

Television comedian Zach Braff from SCRUBS also plays in the film alongside Sam Raimi's favourite actor and brother Ted Raimi whom you remember as the clumsy hero from HERCULES and XENA.

OZ TIDBITS

The budget of the film is estimated at around stunning $200 million and some people believe it is a risky business given the fact how much the film looks like Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND

with almost identical visual aspect! 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. This is not the only fairy tale film coming up

in the future since we also have HANSEL AND GRETEL in January 2013 and Angelina Jolie's MALEFICENT awaiting premiere. It is interesting that the music for OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL is

being composed by Danny Elfman even though he and Sam Raimi had a huge fight during SPIDERMAN 2 shooting after which they said they would never work together again.

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ACTION SATURDAY: TOM HARDY IN "SPLINTER CELL"! ALEXANDER SKARSGARD IS NEW "TARZAN"! HUNTER PARRISH IN "TRANSFORMERS 4"! DANE DEHAAN IN "THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2"?

Some time last year I told you that Ubisoft is preparing movie adaptations of a number of their megapopular video games. First one to be adapted will be ASSASSINS CREED with Michael Fassbender starring and producing, and now SPLINTER CELL also has its lead star. According to "Variety" Tom Hardy has been confirmed for the role of Sam Fisher, a highly-trained operative in a secretive unit known as Echelon. The game, which has been sold in amazing 23 million copies since 2002, has a story which follows an elite secret agent fighting world terrorism and struggling to protect his daughter. Beside that one and ASSASSINS CREED, which follows knights Templars, Ubisoft is also planning a film on GHOST RECON which is set in the near future following a secret, elite team of soldiers which are trying to keep and protect world peace using cutting-edge military technology.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

Only a week or so ago HOLLYWOOD SPY reported that HARRY PLOPPER director David Yates is preparing a new movie version of 

TARZAN for Warner Bros. and that Henry Cavill and Charlie Hunnam are being considered for the lead role,  but the latest reports say that Yates and the studio have apparently opted for TRUE BLOOD's star Alexander Skarsgard. "Variety" reports that the story will focus on John Clayton III, also known as the "ape man" Tarzan. He is asked by Queen Victoria to investigate a conflict in the Congo. Samuel L. Jackson is in discussions to play George Washington Williams, a Civil War veteran and former mercenary who teams up with Clayton to stop an evil warlord.

TRANSFORMERS & SPIDERMAN

Other casting news coming from Tinseltown say that  a bunch of young hunks have auditioned for a role in TRANSFORMERS 4 which will have Mark

 Wahlberg in the lead role. In the run to play a race car driver boyfriend of Wahlberg's daughter are always delightful Hunter Parrish (from WEEDS) alongside Luke Grimes (from TAKEN 2) and Landon Liboiron (the punk son from TERRA NOVA). Young Nicola Peltz from THE LAST AIRBENDER could play the daughter in the film which might be set in China this time. Speaking of teens, another teen role is about to be filled these days: the role of Harry Osborn, Peter Parker's edgy and dark best friend in THE AMAZING SPIDER MAN 2 could be taken by another young blonde Dane DeHaan from CHRONICLE or Alden Ehrenreich from BEAUTIFUL CREATURES. They've apparently already tried out their roles and could join Andrew Garfield in the sequel which could also have Jamie Fox as the villain Electro.

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CAMERON DIAZ IS "THE OTHER WOMAN"! "JEREMIAH HARM" GRAPHIC NOVEL FILM! "MORTAL INSTRUMENTS" TRAILER WITH LILY COLLINS, JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS, AIDAN TURNER!

 We've seen Cameron Diaz being very naughty on the big screen, and it seems she will be mischievous again: according to "The Wrap" she is negotiating to join THE OTHER WOMAN, in which the story centres on a woman who finds out she is the other woman in a love triangle. She meets up with the wife in order to conspire and get revenge against the husband. Kristen Wigg is apparently in the run for the role of the second woman. Later this year Diaz awaits the premiere of GAMBIT in which she stars with Colin Firth, and she also has AGENT: CENTURY 21 film scheduled for 2014, in which she plays a real estate agent who gets caught up in Mexican drug lords kidnapping plot. Next year we shall watch her next to Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz in Ridley Scott's THE COUNSELOR thriller.

HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES

Earlier this year we had fun watching the crazy Finnish blockbuster IRON SKY with the Nazis and their secret station over at Moon, and

 now the producers of the film are preparing a new sci fi feature. It will be a movie adaptation of JEREMIAH HARM graphic novel. According to "The Hollywood Reporter", the story of the graphic novel revolves around an intergalactic bounty hunter sent to Earth to hunt down a group of space-traveling criminals and the girl they kidnapped. Just like with IRON SKY the producers are again planning to raise funds for the film online. For their previous film they raised one million dollars from online sponsors, fans and investors.

MORTAL INSTRUMENTS CLIP

To finish today's movie updates, you can watch the first trailer for fantasy action THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS which will open in cinemas August 2013 starring Lily Collins, Lena Headey, Kevin Durand, Kevin Zeggers

and Jemima West. The movie adaptation of CITY AND BONES novel by Cassandra Clare, revolves around a young girl who discovers that she is the descendant of half-angel warriors called Shadowhunters and that she has inherited an ability to see and interact with a clan of supernatural spirits, after which she joins the battle against demons. The cast also includes HOBBIT's Aidan Turner as the surrogate father to the protagonist Clary Fray and Jonathan Rhys Meyers who will play Valentine Morgenstern, a powerful Shadowhunter looking to purify the world at any cost!

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