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Get ready to smell the glove all over again. With a long-in-the-works sequel on the horizon, the original This Is Spinal Tap is rocking back into theaters for its 41st anniversary. A new trailer from Bleecker Street showcases the highlights (and lowlights) of the landmark mockumentary. The remastered film hits theaters on July 5 for a limited run until July 7, thanks to Fathom Entertainment.

The trailer hits the comedic highlights of the film, as represented by the litany of misfortunes that befall the hapless rockers on an American tour. That includes getting lost on their way to the stage, the band getting second billing to a puppet show, and, of course, the stage props for their progressive rock epic "Stonehenge" being built eighteen inches tall instead of eighteen feet, putting them at risk of being "crushed by a dwarf." It also spotlights some of the band's pitch-perfect parody discography, including "Heavy Duty" and "Big Bottom.

When Gary Brandner finally cast the monster from his mind, and then onto paper, he gave it a familiar form. By that time, werewolves weren’t uncommon to see in Brandner’s industry, however, the late fiction author wanted to break the monotony. So rather than having a single werewolf pop up in a small town, 1977’s The Howling featured a whole community of werewolves. This small twist on the growing genre helped make Brandner’s first horror novel a success as well as attract the attention of Hollywood. Now, sure enough, creative license is part of the deal in these page-to-screen adaptations, yet Joe Dante’s ‘81 rendering is so distinct from its basis that it’s practically a different beast.

The Howling is a far cry from 1933’s The Werewolf of Paris, the Guy Endore-penned novel that many consider to be the Dracula of werewolf literature. Brandner’s...

Neca is ready to transform your toy collection with The Howling werewolf ultimate action figure.

The 7″ scale toy stands over 9″ tall and is fully articulated, including its jaw.

Three interchangeable heads and six interchangeable hands are included along with a posing base feature different-sized rods for various height positions. It’s packaged in a window box with opening front flap.

Due out in August, the lycan costs $49.99.

Rob Bottin designed the creature for Joe Dante‘s 1981 cult classic in which a TV news anchor’s mountain retreat turns out to be a terrifying ordeal full of transforming werewolves.

Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan, Christopher Stone, Belinda Balaski, Kevin McCarthy, John Carradine, Slim Pickens, and Elisabeth Brooks star.

The post Transform Your Toy Collection with Neca’s ‘The Howling’ Werewolf Ultimate Action Figure appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Sean Connery holds the honor of being the first big screen 007. Connery made his James Bond debut in 1962 with the Terrence Young-directed film Dr. No. Connery went on to star in five more James Bond films — From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever — even returning to the franchise after a brief interruption by George Lazenby's one-off Bond film and the non-Eon Bond movie Never Say Never Again. Little did he know at the time that the Bond movies would become one of the biggest action franchises to date.

Bond took up the better part of a decade of Connery's career, beginning in 1962 and ending with Diamonds Are Forever in 1971 in the traditional series. Prior to his death in 2020, Connery went on to have a long acting career after ending his Bond tenure. His first 007 follow-up was The Offence...

One of Sean Connery's worst blockbusters gave the screen icon the chance to play his very own James Bond villain. In spite of all the great James Bond actors who have followed in his footsteps, Connery's 007 is still considered the one to beat. His appearance as the British secret agent in Dr. No made him an instant movie star, and Connery's mix of good looks, charisma and brutality would set the template for Bond. Of course, Connery's thoughts on the series itself were mixed.

Disputes with the producers of the James Bond movie franchise over pay and being tied to a strict contract led to him quitting after 1967's You Only Live Twice. He would be lured back to the character twice in the years that followed; once for 1971's Diamonds Are Forever and the unofficial Bond outing Never Say Never Again over a decade later. Connery...

Necessity led to the leather outfits worn by Cathy Gale in The Avengers. Honor Blackman trained in Judo for fight scenes, prompting the need for leather outfits to avoid wardrobe malfunctions. Leather outfits from The Avengers inspired a trend, leading to a major celebrity following and even a novelty song release.

TV Legend: Cathy Gale began wearing leather outfits on The Avengers because it was the only thing that she could wear while doing Judo.

As the famous saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. This is very true when it comes to making commercial art, as since there are always budgets involved, there are always limitations to what you can actually do in any project, but especially in TV versus film. Even in film, though, there are a number of iconic moments from films that came down to simply a case of "What can we afford to do?...

The Avengers name is now synonymous with Marvel Comics, but there was a British espionage series with the same name before the superhero team. The 1998 film adaptation of the British series was a box office and critical failure, damaging the reputation of the name "The Avengers." Marvel's 2012 film "The Avengers" was titled "Marvel's Avengers Assemble" in the UK and Ireland to avoid confusion with the 1998 flop, and officially titled "Marvel's The Avengers" to distinguish it from both the 1998 film and the British series.

The name The Avengers is now synonymous with Marvel Comics. Ask an average person on the street to think of The Avengers, and they will likely imagine the iconic 360-degree shot from the 2012 film featuring the six main Marvel heroes or Captain America saying "Avengers Assemble" in Avengers: Endgame. Three of the ten highest-grossing films of all time at the worldwide box office, unadjusted for inflation, feature Avengers in the name.

Marvel Cinematic Universe has some unforgettable films to its name, including the one big collaboration that went down in Avengers: Infinity War. However, despite the film bringing in superheroes from every corner of the universe, it is the 2012 The Avengers that still holds a very special place in the hearts of the MCU fanatics. The six superheroes falling into formation as the iconic music plays in the background is a scene you simply cannot forget!

The Avengers (2012) | Marvel Studios

And while ‘The Avengers’ is a brand in itself, the film was totally rebranded in the United Kingdom. Due to the existence of a British TV series with the same name and its film adaptation, The Avengers eventually went on to become ‘Avengers Assemble.’

Why Marvel Changed ‘The Avengers’ Title in the United Kingdom

British television series, The Avengers (1961-1969) | ABC Television

Well, the answer is simple. Marvel Studios did not...

Courtesy of Studiocanal

by James Cameron-wilson

Hard to believe today, but Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s 1949 drama was a flop. A glum, perhaps cynical, claustrophobic piece of film noir shot in black-and-white, The Small Back Room was released just four years after the end of the Second World War – and it was not what postwar audiences wanted to see. Indeed, it is hardly one of the most celebrated titles in the Powell/Pressburger catalogue and I, for one, had never seen it before. Even so, having just watched this consummately photographed and magically restored work, I would say without hesitation it is one of my very favourite Powell and Pressburger films.

With the psychological complexity of a good play and replete with telling touches, it blends both the disciplines of Hollywood film noir with the Expressionism of the Weimar cinema of Germany, but with its own ineffable, stiff upper lip Englishness.

StudioCanal is reportedly rebooting the '60s series The Avengers, with the pilot already written. The original Avengers series ran from 1961 until 1969 and was a popular British television show. The Avengers has multiple connections to James Bond, with cast members appearing in both franchises.

When it comes to those who commit crimes against the people and the state, it’s up to extraordinary agents to avenge those wrongs. Nearly 50 years before the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was even introduced, The Avengers' name was synonymous with the television series which ran from 1961 until 1969. And StudioCanal is reportedly bringing TV’s British crimefighters back to the small screen.

According to Deadline, although the Trade did not reveal their source(s), StudioCanal is planning to bring The Avengers back in a rebooted series, and, apparently, the pilot has already been penned. Mickey Down and Konrad Kay serve as co-creators on the project along with Ben Taylor.

The Avengers is getting a reboot! And no, we’re not talking about the Marvel property. We’re talking about the British TV series that originally aired for six seasons back in the ’60s, running for a total of 161 episodes. Deadline reports that the new take on The Avengers TV series is coming our way from StudioCanal, which owns the rights to The Avengers catalog. Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, the writing team behind the HBO/BBC series Industry, have written the script for the pilot episode and Sex Education director Ben Taylor is on board to direct and executive produce. The Warner Bros. Discovery production company Wall to Wall is co-producing the project with StudioCanal.

Despite rumors that the Avengers reboot could end up on HBO, it’s not clear which network or streamer the new show will end up calling home. The HBO rumors have been denied.

Deadline...

The UK’s second most famous 1960s British spy fantasy after James Bond is finally getting its long-rumoured reboot, reports Deadline. But what are they going to call it?

Two years before Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and co. made their comic book debut as ‘The Avengers’ in 1963, a UK TV series of the same name arrived that would continue all the way through the decade, and beyond in the form of 1970s sequel The New Avengers.

The Avengers was a one-hour weekly spy adventure series created by Doctor Who co-creator Sydney Newman, and starring Patrick Macnee as secret agent John Steed, with Bond actor Honor Blackman, Dame Diana Rigg, and Linda Thorson. As one of the UK’s most fondly remembered spy series featuring two of our most recognisable-in-silhouette TV characters, there’s been talk of a revival for years.

And now, says Deadline, it’s happening. StudioCanal is reportedly...

A new remake of the classic British TV series The Avengers is in the works, with Sex Education’s Ben Taylor said to be directing.

One of the most fondly-remembered TV shows of the 1960s is getting a 21st century remake, as Deadline reports that a reboot of The Avengers is bubbling away at rights holder StudioCanal.

A pilot has reportedly already been written for the spy series revival – Mickey Down and Konrad Kay are the wordsmiths responsible – and there’s also a director attached: Ben Taylor, best known for his work on Sex Education.

The Avengers originally aired from 1961 onwards, and starred Patrick Macnee as the dapper British secret agent and wearer of bowler hats, John Steed. Actor Ian Hendry originally starred alongside Macnee when the series began, but he soon left. A succession of glamorous female side-kicks followed, played by the likes of Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg and Linda Thorson.

Exclusive: Iconic 1960s television series The Avengers is getting a remake.

Deadline hears that StudioCanal, which owns the rights to The Avengers catalog, has been quietly plotting a reboot for some time and a pilot has been written. Warner Bros. Discovery production outfit Wall to Wall is co-producing.

Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, the writing team behind hit HBO/BBC series Industry, have breathed new life into Patrick Macnee’s debonair secret agent John Steed and his glamorous sidekicks. Sex Education director Ben Taylor is also a co-creator. Taylor will direct the series and executive produce.

There were rumors that the project was in with HBO, but this was denied last year. It is not clear where The Avengers reboot will land. StudioCanal declined to comment as talks continue.

Launching in 1961, the cult TV series ran for six seasons on ITV and later ABC in the U.S., where it...

Matthew Vaughn is no stranger to spy movies. The iconoclastic genre filmmaker has already directed three Kingsman movies, and that came after having a brief flirtation with James Bond. Yet the filmmaker who’s also dabbled in fantasy (Stardust) and superheroes (Kick-Ass) is up to something extra mischievous with Argylle, his new 2024 action spectacle: he’s playing it for real. Kind of.

Set in a heightened world where Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard playing the allegedly real-life author of the Argylle novel) stops writing spy fiction, which includes Henry Cavill as her idealized agent Argylle and begins living it upon meeting a spook played by Sam Rockwell, Argylle sees Vaughn changing the game.

You’re a connoisseur of espionage and spy films. So what about Argylle appealed to you after doing three Kingsman movies?

First of all, lockdown made me catch my kids. Now I could make them watch lots of films from my childhood,...

The tenth episode of "The Twilight Zone" was an episode called "Judgment Night," written by show creator Rod Serling and directed by John Brahm. "Judgment Night" takes place on board a British cargo liner crossing the Atlantic in the year 1942. The main character is an amnesiac named Carl (Nehemiah Persoff) who has no recollection as to how he got on the boat or what his name is. Everyone on board the cargo ship is deathly afraid of Nazi U-boats that may potentially be lurking in the water, and Carl is infected with the premonition that something utterly horrifying is going to happen at 1:15. Curiouser: a cap found in Carl's quarters indicates that he is a member of the Nazi navy. What is going on? 

Then a Nazi U-boat does appear in the water next to the cargo ship and blows it up at 1:15, killing everyone on board, including Carl.

Severin Films is celebrating the late Peter Cushing with an unprecedented box set highlighting the most unexpected gems from the filmography of the legendary horror actor.

Cushing Curiosities, releasing August 29, presents 6-discs of rarely seen feature films and television broadcasts restored and scanned from original vault sources, plus a curated plethora of Special Features that celebrate Cushing’s unique career like never before.

From Hammer Films to Star Wars, he remains one of genre films’ best-loved actors. Now celebrate six of the most unexpected, rarely seen and decidedly curious performances from the legendary career of Peter Cushing: Cushing delivers a rare villain turn in the 1960 aviation thriller Cone Of Silence. That same year, Cushing brought gentle dignity to The Boulting Brothers’ cold-war drama Suspect. In 1962’s The Man Who Finally Died, Cushing co-stars opposite Stanley Baker as a former Nazi hiding a grave post-war secret.

Cushing returns to his...

Joanna Lumley is worried about the younger generation’s work ethic and feels they need to understand “it’s a tough old world”.

In a new interview, the 76-year-old British actor said that before she landed her breakout role as Purdey in the 1976 two-season drama The New Avengers, she “was humble as can be, just desperately trying to get work”.

“I think this is a new thing. People thinking: ‘I couldn’t possibly! Why should I make the tea and coffee? Why should I wait after hours and do the unpaid work?’” Lumley told the i newspaper.

“I’m afraid the answer is: that’s the way to do it. I’m afraid that’s how it works. We’ve got to try to get the young to understand that it’s a tough old world. It’s lovely, but it’s tough. You’ve got to be ready, resilient,...

A smart change to the origin story of Battlestar Galactica's Cylons prevented the departure of actor Edward James Olmos from the 21st Century reboot, and substantially improved the show. Famously, the Blade Runner actor was drawn back to science fiction by the strength of showrunner Ronald D. Moore's storytelling. Olmos saw a connection between Ridley Scott's adaptation of the Philip K Dick novel and Moore's story about Humans versus Cylons as being rich human stories, rather than the corny sci-fi he had previously turned down.

Olmos once told The Av Club that he specifically requested that his character, William Adama, be killed off should "any four-eyed people, or weird jellyfish people, or weird outer-space people" appear in the series. The stripped-down human drama of Battlestar Galactica was what won the revival its considerable acclaim and crossover appeal for those, like Olmos, who weren't keen on the more...

On March 13, 1981, one of the best werewolf movies ever made – director Joe Dante’s The Howling (watch it Here) made its debut on theatre screens in the United States. 42 years later, we’re celebrating The Howling with the latest episode of our video series Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? To find out all about it, check out the video embedded above!

Scripted by John Sayles and Terence H. Winkless, The Howling was loosely based on a novel by Gary Brandner. Here’s the synopsis for the adaptation: In Los Angeles, television journalist Karen White is traumatized in the course of aiding the police in their arrest of a serial murderer. Her doctor recommends that she attend an isolated psychiatric retreat led by Dr. George Waggner. But while Karen is undergoing therapy, her colleague Chris, investigates the bizarre circumstances surrounding her shock. When his work leads him to suspect the supernatural,...

The Avengers: The Emma Peel Collection (1965-1967)

Blu-ray

[Imprint] Television

1965-67 / 1.33: 1 / Black and White and Color

Starring Diana Rigg, Patrick Macnee

Written by Brian Clemens, Philip Levene

Directed by Roy Ward Baker, Sidney Hayers, Charles Crichton

Though remembered for its idiosyncratic humor, The Avengers made its debut in 1961 as a no-nonsense crime drama. Ian Hendry starred as David Keel, a doctor turned detective, while Patrick MacNee haunted the sidelines as an inscrutable investigator named John Steed. Shot in black and white under grey English skies, the show was unmistakably a product of the Cold War, fueled by John Dankworth’s stentorian theme and an origin story that predicted television’s noirish The Fugitive; Keel’s fiancée has been murdered, prompting our heroes to join in the search for her killer.

It was a brief sojourn for Hendry who left at the end of the season, relinquishing star billing to Macnee and his new partner,...

"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is a movie that used to be a punchline, and the name of its star, George Lazenby, a joke. Back in the '80s, there were only two "real" choices for best Bond, and they were Roger Moore or Sean Connery. Bringing in Lazenby was like suggesting that Captain Decker could be up to Kirk or Picard standards on "Star Trek." Yet, over the years, and as more Bond films have been released, suddenly it's gaining respect again. By Rotten Tomatoes rankings, it's even a top 10 film!

Part of that reassessment is that Bond no longer feels like a choice between macho Sean Connery and knowingly corny Roger Moore. We've Seen Pierce Brosnan, Timothy Dalton, and Daniel Craig take a crack, and Lazenby's mix of Connery machismo with a bit of Moore-like humor (and a hint of tragedy) now falls better on a spectrum than into a binary.

Easily my favorite movie reference in "Scream" is the line, "What's that werewolf movie with E.T.'s mom in it?" That would be Joe Dante's gloriously seedy "The Howling," one of three lycanthrope flicks that hit theaters in 1981. Unabashedly sticking to its B-movie roots, the film outperformed Albert Finney vs. Real Wolves in "Wolfen," but got left a little in the dust by "An American Werewolf in London." Perhaps that was no surprise because John Landis was on a hot streak after "Animal House" and "The Blues Brothers," and his first foray into horror was slicker, more expensive, and, despite its fair share of shocks, generally more respectable than Dante's low-budget shocker.

More's the pity. Despite the cult appeal of his earlier movies, Landis was more of a commercial crowdpleaser in the '80s and I always got the sense that he was a little ashamed of the...

I know what you’re thinking: Wtf Happened to The Avengers? Nothing, it was one of the biggest hits ever. Not so fast – we’re not talking about the Marvel superhero team-up that shot the MCU into the stratosphere. Instead, we’re talking about 1998’s misbegotten remake of the classic British spy series, The Avengers.

On paper, this should have been a great movie. The Avengers was a classic British TV series starring Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg as super spy agents John Steed and Emma Peel. Their “will they or won’t they” chemistry influenced everything from Cheers to Moonlighting, and the show still runs daily in the UK. Given that the show was always considered the best Eurospy franchise outside of James Bond, it should have turned into a massive franchise for Warner Bros. The cast was next-level, with Uma Thurman playing Emma Peel, Ralph Fiennes as John Steed,...

Dame Diana Rigg, the veteran actress famous for playing Olenna Tyrell in the HBO series Game of Thrones among dozens of other movie and television roles, has sadly passed away. A specific cause of death hasn't been revealed, though a statement from Rigg's agent reveals the actress passed on Thursday morning while surrounded by family. "She died peacefully early this morning. She was at home with her family who have asked for privacy at this difficult time," the statement reads. She was 82 years old.

A Doncaster native, Diana Rigg was born Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg on the 20th of July in 1938. As a teenager, she attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art to train for her career in acting. She debuted on stage in 1957 with a Rada production of The Caucasion Chalk Circle, later portraying roles in other shows for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Though she'd move into working in movies and television,...

Diana Rigg, best known for her iconic turn on The Avengers, and memorable roles on Game of Thrones and Theatre of Blood, died Sept. 10, at home with her family at the age of 82, according to Variety. “It is with tremendous sadness that we announce that Dame Diana Rigg died peacefully early this morning. She was at home with her family who have asked for privacy at this difficult time,” her agent Simon Beresford said in a statement. “Dame Diana was an icon of theatre, film, and television. She was the recipient of BAFTA, Emmy, Tony and Evening Standard Awards for her work on stage and screen. Dame Diana was a much loved and admired member of her profession, a force of nature who loved her work and her fellow actors. She will be greatly missed.”

Rigg was diagnosed with cancer in March, according to her daughter Rachael Stirling, who said...

By Lee Pfeiffer

Dame Diana Rigg, one of Britain's most esteemed actresses, has died from cancer at age 82. In the course of her career, Rigg conquered the mediums of stage, screen and television. She studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and received praise for her work in classic theater. Perhaps improbably, she became a pop culture icon when she replaced Honor Blackman on the iconic British TV series "The Avengers" in the 1960s. When Blackman left the show to star as Pussy Galore in the 1964 James Bond film "Goldfinger", Rigg introduced the character of Emma Peel, playing opposite Patrick Macnee's John Steed. She became the most notable early female action star on television, practicing martial arts and often attired in provocative leather outfits. In 1969, Rigg followed in Honor Blackman's footsteps by appearing as the female lead in a James Bond film, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service...

Years before Marvel Comics debuted their superhero team, the United Kingdom was already host to their own version of The Avengers, an espionage series in the vein of classic James Bond. Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg played John Steed and Emma Peel, two secret agents dressed to the nines who dealt with a variety of British […]

The post Diana Rigg, ‘Game of Thrones’ Actress and 1960s ‘The Avengers’ Star, Has Passed Away at 82 appeared first on /Film.

Diana Rigg, British icon of the 1960s, has died at the age of 82. Rigg is best remembered for her turn as no-nonsense secret agent Emma Peel in the 1965 series “The Avengers,” as well as a memorable role as Olenna Tyrell on “Game of Thrones.” The actress was diagnosed with cancer in March and her agent released a statement to the BBC saying she was surrounded by friends and family when she passed.

Rigg came to define the era known as the “Swingin’ Sixties” in London, both in terms of fashion and for the characters she played. Her role as Emma Peel came to be one of the first depictions of feminism for many, though Rigg often courted controversy later in life for her comments decrying the feminist movement and refusing to participate in it. Regardless, her turn as Emma Peel, as well as her later performance as James Bond’s only wife,...

Diana Rigg, who was best known for her roles as Lady Olenna Tyrell on “Game of Thrones” and Emma Peel in the 1960s TV series “The Avengers,” died Thursday at her home in the U.K. following a battle with cancer. She was 82.

“It is with tremendous sadness that we announce that Dame Diana Rigg died peacefully early this morning,” Rigg’s agent Simon Beresford said in a statement to TheWrap Thursday. “She was at home with her family who have asked for privacy at this difficult time. Dame Diana was an icon of theatre, film, and television. She was the recipient of BAFTA, Emmy, Tony and Evening Standard Awards for her work on stage and screen. Dame Diana was a much loved and admired member of her profession, a force of nature who loved her work and her fellow actors. She will be greatly missed.”

“My Beloved Ma died...

Diana Rigg, the Tony and Emmy winner who splashed into the world of television with her commanding turn as intelligence agent Emma Peel on “The Avengers” in the 1960s and played Lady Olenna Tyrell on “Game of Thrones” decades later, died Thursday at her home in England. She was 82.

Rigg was a venerable figure in Britain’s entertainment industry who worked incessantly on stage, TV and film. She famously thumbed her nose at convention in her private life and in later years seemed to enjoy her status as a grande dame.

“She was a beautiful kind and generous human being that enhanced the lives of all that knew her as well as a great actress. She leaves a great void in my heart,” said Lionel Larner, Rigg’s longtime friend and talent agent.

Having a key role in the biggest TV series of the past decade was a fitting career capper for Rigg.

Last month saw a clutch of cult British sci-fi TV added to the UK’s Britbox streaming service under the ‘Out of this World’ banner. From Thursday the 10th of September, a choice crop of new additions will be joining the likes of The Prisoner, Space 1999, Sapphire and Steel, UFO and the selection of Gerry Anderson treats already available.

Coming to Britbox in the UK will be all four seasons of Terry Nation’s Blake’s 7 plus all three seasons of Nation’s post-apocalyptic Survivors joining at the later date of Thursday the 17th of September. There’ll also be 1967’s Quatermass and the Pit, plus a good portion of 1961’s The Avengers, Hammer’s 1966 One Million Years BC, with the terrific, weird Nic Roeg/David Bowie film The Man Who Fell to Earth thrown in for good measure.

Doctor Who-wise, UK subscribers will be able to stream 1965 Peter Cushing...

Honor Blackman, the British actress who rose to prominence as the original star of the TV series The Avengers and became a pop culture icon with her role in Goldfinger, has passed away at 94.

According to Deadline, Blackman’s family issued a statement saying that Blackman died of natural causes unrelated to the current Covid-19 pandemic at her home in Sussex, England. She is survived by a children Barnaby and Lottie, as well as four grandchildren. Her second husband, Maurice Kaufman, died in 1975.

Blackman, born on August 22, 1925, began acting lessons at 15 and made her film debut in 1947. She kept up a steady run of acting appearances in notable films such as the Titanic docudrama A Night To Remember (1958) and the Ray Harryhausen stop-motion animation classic Jason and the Argonauts (1963) in which she played the goddess Hera.

In 1962, she landed the role of Cathy Gale, a leather-wearing anthropologist and judo expert...

(Blackman as Pussy Galore in "Goldfinger")

By Lee Pfeiffer

Honor Blackman, who rose to fame as one of the first female action stars in both film and television, has passed away at age 94. Ms. Blackman started in British films in the late 1940s. Her rise to fame came when she first appeared as Cathy Gale opposite Patrick MacNee in the iconic British TV series "The Avengers". The show was a major hit and Blackman's character was a novelty for the era, in that she could hold her own against larger-than-life villains, often employing judo. Her success in the series led to her being offered the female lead of Pussy Galore in the third James Bond film, "Goldfinger" starring Sean Connery. In order to play the role, Blackman had to leave "The Avengers" after her second and final season. Diana Rigg took over the female lead  and also soared to stardom on the show.

Honor Blackman, best known for playing Bond girl Pussy Galore in 1964’s Goldfinger, has died of natural causes unrelated to coronavirus at her home in Sussex, England. She was 94.

Her death was announced by her family to UK’s The Guardian.

More from DeadlineShirley Douglas Dies: Actress, Activist And Mother Of Kiefer Sutherland Was 86Forrest Compton Dies Of Covid-19: 'The Edge Of Night', 'Gomer Pyle' Actor Was 94Lee Fierro Dies Of Covid-19: 'Jaws' Actress Was 91

“It’s with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Honor Blackman aged 94,” her family said in the statement. “She died peacefully of natural causes at her home in Lewes, Sussex, surrounded by her family. She was much loved and will be greatly missed by her two children Barnaby and Lottie, and grandchildren Daisy, Oscar, Olive and Toby.”

After her 1962 breakthrough in Britain as Cathy Gale on The Avengers,...

Actor died surrounded by family at home in Lewes, Sussex.

Honor Blackman, the classy British actor who rose to fame on TV show The Avengers before playing the alluring Pussy Galore in James Bond film Goldfinger, has died. She was 94.

It is understood Blackman’s death was unrelated to Covid-19. According to reports she died surrounded by family at her home in Lewes, Sussex.

The London-born actor attended Guildhall School of Music and Drama and via roles in the West End she eventually got her big break as leather-clad crime-fighter Dr. Cathy Gale alongside Patrick Macnee as John Steed in...

Deadline has confirmed from multiple sources that It filmmaker Andy Muschietti has been in early talks to direct a remake of The Howling for Netflix. I hear that this project is very much in the nascent stage, with the streamer yet to clear the chain of title on the IP rights. No deals have been signed, but Muschietti’s sister Barbara would produce.

It’s not a shocker to hear that Muschietti was in talks to make the movie: He expressed his desire to remake The Howling during the San Diego Comic-Con panel for It: Chapter Two in July. “If you remade The Howling, that would be rad,” It Chapter Two star Bill Hader told Muschietti at the time.

The Howling made close to $18M at the domestic box office in 1981 and starred Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan and John Carradine. The Joe Dante movie follows a television newswoman...

From the ‘70s on calendar horror was all the rage with the slasher crowd; Black Christmas begat Halloween which gave us Friday the 13th and on and on, a red ‘X’ flooding the dates throughout the year. Of course we can’t forget birthdays either, so after Happy Birthday to Me we were offered Sweet Sixteen (1983), an interesting, sometimes icky film that leans closer to murder mystery than it does slasher.

Released in mid September by Century International, Sweet Sixteen got lost amid the masked mutilators and supernatural shenanigans of the day, but that shouldn’t deter any ardent fan of the era and those seeking a horror film grounded in story more than exploitation – depending on how it’s viewed.

The story of Sweet Sixteen has an air of Choose Your Own Adventure about it depending on which version you watch – the theatrical cut or the director’s cut.

Amberley Books

2019

96 pages

Full Colour

£14.99

Review by Adrian Smith

One of the greatest and most commercially successful fantasy series of the 1960s, The Avengers actually started out in 1961 as a gritty crime drama focused on Doctor Keel, played by Ian Hendry, one of British television’s biggest stars at that time. In the first episode his wife is killed by drug dealers, and a mysterious undercover agent named John Steed, played of course by Patrick Macnee, helps him to avenge her death. The two end up working together on a number of other crime cases, thus forming the basis for a series that would ultimately outgrow its noir origins and become an outrageous Technicolor riot of science fiction, martial arts, sexy fashion and comedy. Once Doctor Keel was out of the picture, the playful ‘will they? – won’t they?’ (or even ‘have they? – haven’t they?’) nature of John Steed...

Lyon, France – Continuing its devotion to heritage film in Germany, Studiocanal is bringing classic movies back into cinemas while also releasing newly restored DVD/Blu-ray collections of beloved titles.

The leading producer-distributor enjoyed a major hit this summer with the one-day re-release of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now: Final Cut,” which scored 12,000 admissions in 166 theaters across the country, boasting the highest per-screen average on Monday, July 15.

The special big-screen presentation drummed up plenty of publicity for Studiocanal’s Aug. 29 release of the film on Blu-ray, DVD and digital (including a limited 4K Uhd and Blu-ray Steelbook Edition), yet the film continues to play in selected theaters around the country.

Opportunities for classics in theatrical exhibition in Germany are growing, Torsten Radeck, Studiocanal’s head of home entertainment marketing in Germany, tells Variety.

Indeed, last years’ re-release of Wim Wenders’ “Wings of Desire” and this year’s one-day event releases...

Missed The First Purge in theaters last July? Well, then, check out a few clips of Gerard McMurray's film, which kicks off today's Highlights. Also: Retro Nightmares returns with Sweet Sixteen and The Convent screenings and soundtrack release details for the RPG Vampyr.

Watch The First Purge Clips: From the Press Release: "Universal City, California – The origin story to the worldwide phenomenon that redefined horror, The First Purge, the fourth chapter in the thrilling franchise, arrives on Digital and the digital movie app Movies Anywhere on September 18, 2018 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand on October 2, 2018 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. When the New Founding Fathers of America look to push the crime rate below one percent for the rest of the year, a radical sociological theory that vents aggression is tested among an isolated community. But once the violence of oppressors clashes with the rage of the marginalized,...

Five cult classics, including The House on Sorority Row, are being revived on the big screen by Bloody Disgusting for their "Retro Nightmares" cinema series kicking off on September 27th. Also in today's Horror Highlights: Travel Channel's "Ghostober" programming details, the latest addition to Mezco's Living Dead Dolls line, and the Indiegogo campaign for Masters of the Grind.

Bloody Disgusting's Retro Nightmares Film Series Details: Press Release: "Just in time to kick off the Halloween season, five HD digitally remastered cult horror classics--as voted online by fans--will be coming to the big screen as part of the “Bloody Disgusting Presents Retro Nightmares” Cinema Series this fall: The House on Sorority Row, Amityville: The Evil Escapes, Amityville: It’s About Time, Sweet Sixteen, and The Convent. Tickets are on sale now at www.Retronightmares.com for theaters nationwide.

Preeminent American horror genre website Bloody Disgusting, independent distribution company Multicom Entertainment Group,...

Released on June 17th, 1988 by Vestron Pictures, Anthony Hickox’s Waxwork had a respectable box office showing during its limited theatrical run, but it was on VHS where the horror comedy did gangbusters business as a generation of fans fell in love with its infectious charms. A hilarious love letter to Hammer horror movies and quite possibly the very first self-referential genre movie, Waxwork is a film that was unequivocally a product of its time and yet, somehow managed to also be ahead of its time, firmly cementing Hickox’s directorial debut as one of the best genre offerings to be released during 1988.

While classic Hammer films influenced Hickox’s story and approach to Waxwork, the genesis of the movie’s story came from a notable tourist attraction in the UK that the writer/director had spent some time in during his childhood.

“There was the big Madame Tussaud wax museum in England,...

The curtain is falling on the MGM musical, and Gene Kelly’s final song and dance at the studio is for a Paris-set show biz tale about a dancing star and his trio of showgirls. Actually, the comedy and the actresses get more attention than does Kelly. The gimmick is a Rashomon– like clash of conflicting testimony, but we prefer to concentrate on the sexy dancing and Kay Kendall’s hilarious drunk act. Who thought a boozy beauty wailing opera songs would be funny?

Les Girls

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1957 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 114 min. / Cole Porter’s Les Girls / Street Date April 17, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.9

Starring: Gene Kelly, Mitzi Gaynor, Kay Kendall, Taina Elg, Jacques Bergerac, Leslie Phillips, Henry Daniell, Patrick Macnee.

Cinematography: Robert Surtees

Film Editor: Ferris Webster

Costumes: Orry-Kelly

Choreography: Jack Cole

Original Music: Cole Porter, arranged and orchestrated by Alexander Courage, Adolph Deutsch, Skip Martin

Written...

To mark the release of The Avengers: Tunnel of Fear on 9th April, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on DVD.

Tunnel Of Fear is the twentieth episode of the first series of the 1960s cult British spy-fi television series The Avengers, starring Ian Hendry, Patrick Macnee and Ingrid Hafner and was broadcast by ABC Television on 5 August 1961. It’s one of only three known complete season 1 episodes to have survived since the original broadcast. Lost for 55 years, the episode came to light in a private film collection in 2016 and was recovered by the British television preservation group Kaleidoscope.

Harry Black, an escaped convict, bursts into Dr David Keel’s surgery wounded. He claims to have been framed for a crime that he did not commit – and begs the doctor not to hand him over to the police. Steed arrives and ascertains that Black has links to Southend-on-Sea...

In 2013, writer Noel Murray presented a fine article in the Av/TV Club web site that examined the origins and enduring appeal of the classic 1960s spy series "The Avengers", which was actually inspired by a previous TV series, "Police Surgeon". Murray tracked the sensational reaction to the show in the UK and its subsequent appearance on American television. He also outlined the interesting casting with star Patrick Macnee benefiting from two strong female leads- Honor Blackman and her successor Diana Rigg. Most intriguingly, Murray pointed out that the overall quirky appeal of the show is best illustrated by the 1965 episode "Death at Bargain Prices" (telecast in 1966 in the USA). Click here to read.

(Thanks to Nick Sheffo or Fulvuedrivein.com for the heads up on this article.)...

Tony Sokol Jan 15, 2018

Break out the bowlers, canes, and kinky boots, Shane Black and Fred Dekker are writing a pilot for a reboot of The Avengers...

Espionage aficionados and leather fetishists alike can rejoice. The swinging '60s spies of ITV’s The Avengers are coming back to television.

See related The Tick review: a laugh-out-loud superhero satire The Tick: new trailer, return date set The Tick (2016) pilot review

Shane Black and Fred Dekker (The Predator) will reunite to write a TV pilot of the cult series for Warner Bros., according to Av Club. Fans of the dapper bowler-and-cane elegance of the iconic classic can rest assured.

“It’s The Avengers, with John Steed and Emma Peel,” Dekker told The Dark Side Magazine during recent career retrospective. “We’re setting it in Britain in the '60s, and our approach is The Ipcress File meets Doctor Who. At this moment,...

The darkly comic horror classic The Howling – the film which changed the look and feel of werewolf movies for years to come when it first released back in 1981 – gnaws its way onto newly restored edition DVD, Digital Download and, for the first time in the UK, Blu Ray on 9th October 2017. Along with the film, the release also features an hour of brand new extra features and special content. Pre-order now: http://scnl.co/TheHowling

Directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins) with a screenplay by John Sayles (Lone Star) and groundbreaking special effects by Rob Bottin (The Thing, The Fog, Total Recall), The Howling has been stunningly restored for a new generation of horror fans. Graphically violent, sexually explicit and nightmarishly intense, it remains one of the most original werewolf movies of the eighties, spawning seven follow-up films and three novels, and sits firmly alongside An American Werewolf In London and...

Nick Aldwinckle Sep 14, 2017

Our round up of horror and genre DVDs and Blu-rays returns, with some solid titles, and The Jerk sequel...

So, whilst Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump are comparing the size of their nuclear weapons and super-storms are battering the world’s coastlines, the head of Nato is describing the present moment as the “most dangerous in a generation”. With any luck, the inevitable apocalypse may bring with it some fun real-life zombie larks to bring some light to the fast-approaching nuclear winter: what more prescient documentary-drama could there be, therefore, than Re-Animator cult hero Brian Yuzna’s Return Of The Living Dead 3?

Resurrected this month on Blu-ray as part of the gloriously tacky Vestron Video Collection, the second sequel to Dan O'Bannon’s classic eighties comedy horror adopts more of an angsty nineties tone as the monster-making Trioxin chemical returns to cause havoc all over again,...

Powell & Pressburger’s big-scale historical epic is perhaps the best show ever about an old-school naval encounter between battleships. The first half depicts the showdown between England and Germany in the South Atlantic, and the second half a tense diplomatic game in the neutral country of Uruguay. Peter Finch, Bernard Lee and Anthony Quayle shine as sea captains.

Panzerschiff Graf Spee (The Battle of the River Plate)

Region B Blu-ray

ITV Studios Home Entertainment (Germany)

1956 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 119, 106 117 min./ Pursuit of the Graf Spee / Street Date 2010 / Available from Amazon UK £16.90

Starring: Peter Finch, Bernard Lee, Anthony Quayle, John Gregson, Ian Hunter, Jack Gwillim, Lionel Murton, Anthony Bushell, Peter Illing, Michael Goodliffe, Patrick Macnee, Christopher Lee.

Cinematography: Christopher Challis

Production Design: Arthur Lawson

Film Editor: Reginald Mills

Original Music: Brian Easdale

Written, Produced & Directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressberger

The best way so far to see the impressive The Battle of the River Plate...