Cinemax announced production is underway on the dramatic series Nemesis starring Melissa George and Adam Rayner. Filming is taking place in Scotland, London and Morocco on the series written and created by Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files). Commenting on the series, Spotnitz stated, “I’m incredibly excited about the ambition of this series. It’s got action on a cinematic scale, huge story twists and turns, and intriguing characters who are both emotionally and morally complex. I can’t imagine a better cast, director or production team to bring it all to life.”
The cast also includes Stephen Dillane, Morven Christie, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Lex Shrapnel, Uriel Emil, Patrick Malahide, Stephen Campbell Moore, and Oscar Kennedy.
Nemesis is produced by Kudos Film & Television for BBC One and HBO/CINEMAX in association with Big Light Productions. Spotnitz, Alison Jackson, Jane Featherstone and Stephen Garrett, and Christopher Aird are executive producing. The first two episodes were directed by SJ Clarkson (Heroes, Life On Mars).
The Plot:
George plays Sam, a highly skilled operative for an elite private intelligence firm, who survives an attempt on her life that may have been orchestrated by members of her own team. Once she returns to the firm, she performs her secretive duties without knowing who to trust or who wants her dead. Rayner plays Sam’s love interest and colleague at work. The dedicated members of the firm, who operate in the shadows, often confront life and death situations on secret missions and are sometimes unaware of who or what they’re fighting for.
Director James Cameron talks about bringing his Oscar-winning drama, Titanic, back to theaters in 3D. Cameron discusses the decision to do a 3D version, how they cleaned it up and enhanced the quality, what audiences can expect from the 3D version, and how he needed this conversion to live up to the standard set by films actually shot in 3D.
Disney’s bringing the animated Oscar-winning film Beauty and the Beast back to theaters on January 13, 2012 in 3D and they’ve released a new trailer in support of the new 3D version.
The Plot (for those who aren’t up on their Beauty and the Beast):
The film captures the fantastic journey of Belle (voice of Paige O’Hara), a bright and beautiful young woman who’s taken prisoner by a hideous beast (voice of Robby Benson) in his castle. Despite her precarious situation, Belle befriends the castle’s enchanted staff—a teapot, a candelabra and a mantel clock, among others—and ultimately learns to see beneath the Beast’s exterior to discover the heart and soul of a prince.
Paramount’s just debuted two new clips from the action thriller Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol hitting theaters on December 21, 2011. First up, the ‘I’ll Catch You’ clip features Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg having a discussion about a potentially deadly jump Renner’s about to undertake
And in the second clip we get to actually see Renner making the jump with much encouragement – and yelling – from Tom Cruise.
Official Synopsis: This is not just another mission. The IMF is shut down when it’s implicated in a global terrorist, bombing plot. Ghost Protocol is initiated and Ethan Hunt and his rogue new team must go undercover to clear their organization’s name. No help, no contact, off the grid. You have never seen a mission grittier and more intense than this.
The November 27, 2011 season premiere of Kourtney & Kim Take New York proved that for some inexplicable reason the lure of watching the Kardashians hasn’t declined following Kim’s short-lived marriage to Kris Humphries. E! says the series opening is the most-watched yet and drew in 3.2 total viewers (up 6% from last season).
Breaking the numbers down into the key demographics, Kourtney & Kim Take New York was up 8% over last year’s 2.3 million viewers in the 18-49 age group. The show was also up 10% over last year’s Women 18-49 numbers. It now ranks as one of E!’s Top 10 “highest-rated and most-watched telecasts ever among Women 18-49 and one of E!’s Top 20 highest-rated and most-watched telecasts ever among Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34.”
Walt Disney’s Hungry Hobos, originally released in May 1928, has been found and will be put up for auction on December 14, 2011 at Bonhams in Los Angeles. The 5 minute 21 second film is one of a series Disney created for Universal Studios featuring Oswald The Lucky Rabbit, and had been lost until it was recently discovered in a social history film archive in Herefordshire, UK.
“When we checked this film we couldn’t quite believe our eyes,” stated Amanda Huntley of Huntley Film Archives. “For an archive, finding a lost masterpiece is incredible – you just don’t think it will happen to you. We are excited and delighted to offer this gem to animation aficionados and collectors.”
Hungry Hobos is expected to bring in $30,000-40,000 at auction. Money raised will go toward helping to restore films in the Huntley Film Archives’ extensive collection.
The Background of Hungry Hobos [Per Bonhams]:
“The character of Oswald was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for a series of cartoons introduced in 1927. After the Alice Comedies were finished, Disney signed a contract with Universal Studios to produce a new series for George Winkler and Charles Mintz. The first production featuring Oswald, Poor Papa, was rejected by Universal as the production and look of Oswald was deemed unsatisfactory. The second, Trolley Troubles, with a younger-looking Oswald, effectively began the series and it became a great success, with Walt Disney overseeing some twenty six titles.
In 1928 Disney approached Mintz for a budget increase but Mintz countered with a demand for a cut, stating that he had already negotiated with most of Disney’s then employees to sign a revised contract. Disney refused Mintz’s demand and disassociated himself from the Oswald series. Iwerks and several others stuck with Disney and it was during this period that Disney and Iwerks produced the character of Mickey Mouse – a slightly altered Oswald – and the most iconic of Disney’s creations.”
The eight candidates were selected by Pippa Harris, Sienna Miller, Allon Reich, Kate Lee, Alex O’Connell, Jonny Pile, Charles Gant, Simon Pegg, David Yates, Nina Gold, Colin Kennedy, Hannah Marriot, and Jamie Graham. The list of eight candidates for the Rising Star Award will be whittled down to five nominees and announced on Wednesday, January 11, 2012.
More on Chris Hemsworth (Courtesy of BAFTA):
Born: 11th August 1983
Nationality: Australian
Making his silver screen debut with a small part in JJ Abrams’ Star Trek, it was being cast as the title character in Thor that marked Chris as a star in the making – reflected in his ranking in the ‘the new A-list’ by the Hollywood Reporter in 2010.
With The Avengers, the sequel to Thor, on the cards for 2012, as well as Snow White and the Huntsman, playing opposite Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron, it’s clear that Chris has established himself as a new force to be reckoned with.
More on Tom Hiddleston (Courtesy of BAFTA):
Born: 9th February 1981
Nationality: British
A graduate of Cambridge and RADA, Tom was a well-established theatre actor, winning plaudits for his performances in Shakespeare’s Othello and Cymbeline. But it was Tom’s casting as Loki by director Kenneth Branagh, with whom he’d worked on television’s Wallander, in 2011’s epic Thor that truly brought him into the international spotlight. This year Tom also played F Scott Fitzgerald in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, and starred opposite Rachel Weisz in The Deep Blue Sea.
Tom’s upcoming projects include the film adaptation of the award-winning play War Horse (directed by Steven Spielberg) as well as a reprise of his role of Loki in the sequel to Thor, The Avengers.
More on Jessica Chastain (Courtesy of BAFTA):
Born: 29th March 1981
Nationality: American
Born in northern California to working-class parents, Jessica trained in acting at the prestigious Julliard School in New York City, on a scholarship funded by the actor Robin Williams.
Jessica worked in television until making her big screen debut in 2008’s Jolene. But there’s no doubt that 2011 is her breakout year. Expectations are that she’ll get nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category across the board for her role in Tree of Life, in which she played opposite Brad Pitt. Her performances in The Help and Take Shelter are also considered strong awards contenders.
Jessica’s next film, The Wettest County in the World, is slated for early 2012 release, and rumour has it that among her other projects, she’ll also be filming the lead role in a controversial biopic of Princess Diana.
More on Eddie Redmayne (Courtesy of BAFTA):
Born: 1st June 1982
Nationality: British
With a host of awards for his stage performances in New York and London, including a Tony, Eton and Cambridge-educated Eddie has until now been best known for his theatre acting (and his work as a Burberry model).
But this looks set to change in 2012: first, thanks to his affecting performance opposite Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn. And second, with his casting as Marius, the romantic male lead in an epic new production of Les Misérables, alongside heavyweights Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush and Russell Crowe.
More on Jennifer Lawrence (Courtesy of BAFTA):
Born: 15th August 1990
Nationality: American
Jennifer Lawrence has established herself as one of Hollywood’s most promising young actresses with performances that have garnered critical acclaim including an Academy Award® nomination at the age of 20 for her role in Winter’s Bone, the second-youngest actress ever to be nominated.
Her performance in Winter’s Bone as a young teenager struggling to help her troubled family survive dysfunction and the reality of rural poverty also garnered her Golden Globe®, SAG, Independent Spirit Award and Critic’s Choice Award nominations.
Currently Lawrence can be seen on screen in Drake Doremus’ Like Crazy which recently won the Grand Jury prize at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. In early 2012, Lawrence will star in the sci-fi novel trilogy turned blockbuster, The Hunger Games and in 2013 The Silver Linings Playbook opposite Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper.
Lawrence made her feature film debut in 2008’s The Burning Plain, which also starred Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger. Her other recent film credits include, The Beaver directed by Jodie Foster and X-Men: First Class where she played the shape-shifting villainess, Mystique.
More on Chris O’Dowd (Courtesy of BAFTA):
Born: 9th October 1979
Nationality: Irish
Hailing from Boyle in the West of Ireland Chris has been loved by television fans since his 2006 debut in the IT Crowd. He showed off his dramatic chops playing the lead in The Crimson Petal and the White but it was his role as the affable police officer Rhodes in Bridesmaids that sent his career into the stratosphere.
Chris’s other roles to date include playing the loveable Simon in The Boat That Rocked. He also appeared in Gulliver’s Travels, Dinner for Schmucks and Vera Drake.
Chris will feature alongside Paul Rudd in 2012’s sequel to Judd Apatow’s hit comedy Knocked Up, This is Forty. He will also star in Australian film The Sapphires and is writing and producing a comedy pilot for the American television network NBC and a comedy series for Sky.
More on Felicity Jones (Courtesy of BAFTA):
Born: 17th October 1983
Nationality: British
Felicity got her first break as an actress when she was only 11, making her debut in The Worst Witch. Roles in The Archers and Weirdsister College followed, and she continued acting while completing a degree at Wadham College, Oxford.
The last few years have seen Felicity’s career rapidly pick up speed, following her award at the Sundance Film Festival of a Special Jury Prize (Dramatic) for her performance in critically-acclaimed Like Crazy.
Felicity then did a comic turn in Chalet Girl — a role that required her to study snowboarding — and will next be seen in the period drama Cheerful Weather for the Wedding, slated for release in 2012.
More on Adam Deacon (Courtesy of BAFTA):
Born: 4th March 1983
Nationality: British
Growing up in a difficult East London estate, Adam was encouraged by a teacher to pursue after-school drama classes at the Anna Scher Theatre school – and the rest is history.
At 12 Adam had his first film role in Face and worked steadily in TV and film until he landed his breakthrough part in Kidulthood (2006), alongside Jaime Winstone and Nicholas Hoult.
The sequel, Adulthood, followed in 2008, and in 2011 Adam took his career into his own hands by starring in Anuvahood, which he also collaboratively wrote and directed. Adam can be seen in three upcoming films, Outside Bet alongside Bob Hoskins, the thriller Payback Season, and Menhaj Huda’s Comedown.
Hornet’s Nest will also feature Robbie Amell, Michael Boatman and Michael Silver. Dee Johnson adapted Cornwell’s book with Millicent Shelton directing.
TNT Mystery Movie Night kicks off on November 29, 2011 with Innocent based on the Scott Turow novel.
The Plot:
Hornet’s Nest, which was a #1 New York Times bestseller, is the first in Cornwell’s series of mysteries featuring reporter Andy Brazil (Amell), Police Chief Judy Hammer (Madsen) and her top deputy, Virginia West (Stringfield). Boatman has been cast as Richard Panesa, and Silver will play Deputy Chief Adam Goode. Set in Charlotte, N.C., the story opens with everyone desperate to solve the latest crisis: a serial killer is specializing in out-of-town businessmen. Hammer and West make the murder investigation their top priority. But West is less than pleased when Hammer pairs her up with Brazil, a cub reporter assigned to cover the police department.
Other films in the TNT Mystery Movie Night series will include Hide (Tuesday, Dec. 6), based on the novel by Lisa Gardner and starring Carla Gugino, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Kevin Alejandro and Bridget Regan; Silent Witness (Wednesday, Dec. 7), based on the book by Richard North Patterson and starring Dermot Mulroney, Michael Cudlitz, Anne Heche and Judd Hirsch; and Good Morning, Killer (Tuesday, Dec. 13), based on the book by April Smith and starring Catherine Bell, Cole Hauser, William Devane, Titus Welliver and Suleka Mathew. Kathy Najimy, Scottie Thompson, Jane Alexander and Larry Miller will star in Deck the Halls (Tuesday, Dec. 20), based on the book by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark.
Christmas and alien invasion films go together like…well…sorry, I can’t come up with anything clever. Summit Entertainment’s banking on the fact moviegoers will want some sci-fi thrills come Christmas Day when they unleash The Darkest Hour in theaters against potential Oscar contenders, family films, and comedies.
Starring Emile Hirsh, Joel Kinnaman, Olivia Thirlby, Max Minghella, and Rachael Taylor, The Darkest Hour finds five young people stranded in Moscow and “fighting to survive in the wake of a devastating alien attack.”
The PG-13-rated sci-fi thriller coming to theaters on December 25, 2011.
Oscar-winner Charlize Theron (Monster) is best known for her dramatic roles, but with Paramount Pictures’ Young Adult it’s all about the comedy. Take a look at the new clips from the comedy directed by Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air) and see what you think. Young Adult hits theaters on December 9, 2011.
