News

Channel 4 has given the greenlight to a remake of what remains its most-watched drama of all time, A Woman Of Substance.

The network has confirmed reports a new version of the show was in the works several weeks after the death of Barbara Taylor Bradford, who wrote the original novel. The Buccaneers scribes Katherine Jakeways and Roanne Bardsley are penning A Woman of Substance, which follows the rags-to-riches tale of Emma Harte, an impoverished, ambitious maid in Yorkshire who takes a dizzying climb to become the world’s richest woman, gazing down on her sprawling empire from a luxury New York penthouse. Banijay-backed The Forge is producing the new version and ex-Channel 4 drama boss Beth Willis is EP.

Starring Jenny Seagrove, A Woman of Substance aired 40 years ago and remains Channel 4’s most-watched drama of all time with a whopping 14M viewers, figures that rarely get topped today. Taylor Bradford...

U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 has unveiled a slate of six dramas with such stars as Simon Pegg, David Harewood and Siân Brooke. Ollie Madden, director of Film4 and Channel 4 Drama, had in August said he would be doubling Channel 4’s drama budget and its number of commissions to deliver on the broadcaster’s plan to launch new dramas consistently throughout the year. That is a key strategy in Channel 4’s push to become a streaming-first public service broadcaster.

“Our commitment at Channel 4 drama is to make shows which offer a tangible point of difference, shine a light on British society in a thought-provoking and fresh way, and yet are uncompromising in their ambition to entertain. I’m proud to announce this eclectic range of new commissions which embody that ethos, and we’re confident our audiences will love,” Madden said.

Among the commissions unveiled on Wednesday, Channel 4 announced season 2 of The Undeclared War,...

A Champagne toast is in order for Helen Webb (Keira Knightley) and Sam Young (Ben Whishaw), who survived the action-filled Season 1 finale of Black Doves — although not without sacrifice.

After making it her personal mission to figure out who murdered Jason (Andrew Koji), Helen uncovers the shocking truth during a showdown with London crime boss Alex Clark (Tracey Ullman). It turns out that Alex’s son Trent (Angus Cooper) ordered the hit on Jason — as well as Maggie (Hannah Khalique-Brown) and Phillip (Thomas Coombes) — to cover his tracks after accidentally killing Ambassador Chen (Andy Cheung) in a heated argument.

With her gun aimed at Trent, Helen demands justice for her deceased lover, but it’s Sam who ultimately pulls the trigger. It’s a costly move considering that Sam has now forfeited his chance to leave the assassin game behind, and must deal with the fallout from surviving members...

Would you survive? Blue Fox Ent. has unveiled an official trailer for an indie survival thriller called Year 10, marking the feature directorial debut of British filmmaker Ben Goodger. It first premiered at FrightFest 2024 but it hasn't show up anywhere else. This will be on VOD in December if anyone thinks it looks good. 10 years after the fall of civilization, the few survivors have been driven to cannibalism. A young man must confront a violent tribe that has murdered his father and stolen the medicine that keeps his girlfriend alive. Taking place in a post-apocalyptic world, the film focuses on a man fighting wild dogs, nature, and other brutal humans in order to save his love. Starring Toby Goodger, Hannah Khalique-Brown, Duncan Lacroix, Alexander Anderson. I'm tired of these bland survival thrillers that are always "people will turn horrible and start eating each other!" Every time they all have the...

The 25th edition of Pigeon Shrine FrightFest is set to deliver an exhilarating blend of horror and fantasy films, with the festival moving to a new venue, the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square. Running from Thursday, 22 August to Monday, 26 August, the event will take over all seven screens at the venue, promising an unforgettable experience for horror enthusiasts.

As we can barely contain the excitement, we’re sharing the films on offer in each screen so you can quickly decide which films to add to your ‘must watch’ list.

Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024 – Discovery Screen 1 Thursday, 22 August 2024

8:15 Pm – Cinderella’s Curse (World Premiere) Directed by Louisa Warren and starring Kelly Ryan Sanson, Chrissie Wunna, Lauren Budd, and Natasha Tosini, this spine-chilling reimagining of the classic fairytale sees Cinderella summon her fairy godmother from an ancient book to exact bloody revenge on her tormentors.

10:35 Pm – Carnage for Christmas (International Premiere) Directed by Alice Maio Mackay,...

A few more returns and more than two dozen (!) new bits of casting have been announced for the second/final season of Wolf Hall.

Masterpiece PBS and the BBC previously announced that the six-episode Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, based on the final novel in Hilary Mantel’s award-winning trilogy, will bring back Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis, Jonathan Pryce, Kate Phillips and Lilit Lesser.

More from TVLineTVLine Items: Call the Midwife Holiday Special, Yellowstone Season 3 on CBS and MoreCruel Intentions Series Order Confirmed by Amazon; Additional Casting AnnouncedKim Kardashian Joins Ryan Murphy's Upcoming Hulu Legal Drama Harriet Walker

This Monday morning,...

Alongside the big reveal of the Creepshow teaser, there was plenty of other goodies for fans watching the 2023 edition of The Indie Horror Game Showcase. DreadXP and several indie publishers had plenty of reveal trailers, updates and even accolades for current games. Here’s a sampling of what went on during the event. You can catch even more games from the event from the recorded stream below.

Fresh from the release of El Paso, Elsewhere last week, Strange Scaffold released an accolades trailer showing off select quotes and plenty of amazing scores for the neo-noir horror shooter. And yes, in case you’re wondering, one of those scores is courtesy of Bd’s Aaron Boehm, who wrote up a glowing review of the game. El Paso, Elsewhere is out now on PC via Steam, Xbox One and the Xbox Series.

Party for Introverts dropped a short-but-sweet trailer for their upcoming vampire visual novel RPG Cabernet,...

Barbie (read our review Here) is currently dominating the box office, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if it goes on to rack up some Oscar nominations as well. It seems like a lock for categories like Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, etc. Variety recently spoke to production designer Sarah Greenwood and set decorator Katie Spencer about the work they did to bring Barbie Land to the screen… and during the conversation, it was revealed that one of the locations in Barbieland was inspired by an iconic location from one of the most popular horror movies ever made: Weird Barbie’s house was inspired by the Bates house in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (watch it Here)!

Weird Barbie’s house was one of the last sets Greenwood and Spencer worked on, and Greenwood had this to say about it: “One of my early references...

This Barbie article contains spoilers.

We’re looking at cinema through a pair of pink-tinted glasses because Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is everywhere right now. The Margot Robbie-led caper is defying all expectations and looks poised to kickstart a Mattel Cinematic Universe that includes an upcoming Barney movie with Daniel Kaluuya.

This is far from the first Barbie movie we’ve had, but as well as being the first live-action outing, its meta take on the IP is grabbing headlines. With some 64 years of Barbie history to pull from, the script has gotten away with weaving in some of the toy line’s many controversies.

Barbie has faced controversies of its own since its box office-smashing debut, such as an enraged minority of audience members calling out the movie “anti-men” propaganda. While Gerwig’s film continues to enjoy box office success, here are the real-life Barbie doll controversies that...

Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie has exceeded expectations with its storytelling, production design, and performances, impressing both critics and viewers. The film showcases a variety of Barbie dolls, including well-known versions, obscure ones, and even controversial dolls like Growing Up Skipper and Barbie Video Girl. Margot Robbie shines as Stereotypical Barbie, who goes through an existential crisis and decides to become a real-life Barbie after experiencing the real world and facing real issues.

Warning: spoilers for Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie.

The Barbie movie features a variety of Barbie dolls, some very well known and others who have slid into obscurity. Since the announcement that Greta Gerwig was taking on a Barbie film with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as the leads, Barbie and Ken, anticipation was high. Now that Barbie has been released, the movie has been exceeding the expectations of critics and viewers, who have praised its story, production design,...

The Barbie movie features various types of Barbies and surprises, including discontinued Mattel dolls like Hannah Khalique-Brown's character. Growing Up Skipper, played by Hannah Khalique-Brown, is a unique doll that grows breasts, and her inclusion in the movie leaves an impression on audiences. Mattel discontinued Growing Up Skipper in 1977 after the doll was met with backlash.

Warning: The following article contains spoilers from Barbie. The highly anticipated and well-reviewed Barbie movie is here, and it features various types of Barbies and plenty of surprises, including a handful of discontinued Mattel dolls that were canceled for a reason, like Hannah Khalique-Brown's character. Director and writer Greta Gerwig's latest masterpiece puts a new and surprisingly deep spin on the iconic dolls that is persuading many to venture to the movie theaters to see what all the fuss is about. All in all, Barbie is a heartfelt film full of clever...

Northern Irish writing-directing duo Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn have signed with WME for representation in the U.S.

The pair’s latest work, precinct drama “Blue Lights,” for the BBC and Two Cities Television, will premiere March 27. It follows the lives of rookie police officers working in contemporary Belfast.

The creative team, who started out in investigative journalism, entered the TV drama world with their original series “The Salisbury Poisonings,” about the Novichok poisonings in the U.K. in 2018. The show starred Rafe Spall and Anne Marie Duff and was the BBC’s highest rated drama of 2020. It scored nominations at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards, Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs and Royal Television Society Awards.

Lawn and Patterson’s TV work also includes two episodes of Peter Kosminksy’s Channel 4/Peacock series, “The Undeclared War,” starring Hannah Khalique-Brown, Mark Rylance and Simon Pegg.

Patterson and Lawn...

After its success on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, the British spy thriller series The Undeclared War is coming to American audiences. Starring Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg, and Hannah Khalique-Brown, The Undeclared War combines current global events with a touch of near-future sci-fi to tell a gripping story full of twists, intrigue, and a chilling look at what the future may have in store for us - or perhaps what the present already does.

Simon Pegg is a fan favorite actor here at JoBlo.com. From the unparalleled awesomeness of The Cornetto Trilogy of films made with Edgar Wright and Nick Frost to his turns in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek franchise as well as alongside Tom Cruise in the Mission: Impossible series, Pegg has dabbled in everything from genre fare to comedies, big screen and small. His latest project is the thriller series The Undeclared War.

Set in 2024, The Undeclared War is a cyberthriller about a confrontation between the UK and a foreign power that results in the infrastructure of the Internet being compromised. Told from the vantage of the agents who work for the Global Communications Headquarters (Gchq), the series is a six-part look at a very frightening possible future that is not too far from where we stand today. Starring Hannah Khalique-Brown and Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg plays a pivotal role as Gchq expert Danny Patrick.

At a time when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues and a politically fragile U.K. is dealing with daily crises, Peter Kosminsky’s “The Undeclared War” is timely and prescient.

Set in a post-pandemic 2024 in the run up to a British general election, the series follows a team of analysts at Gchq (the U.K.’s version of the Nsa) secretly working to ward off a series of cyber attacks by Russia. Thrust in the middle of it is 21-year-old intern Saara Parvin who finds herself in the middle of an online high stakes battle.

The lead role of Parvin, in a cast that also includes stalwarts Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg and Adrian Lester, is played by rising star Hannah Khalique-Brown. It is her first major role after appearing in a few episodes of the BBC’s “Doctors.”

“The prescience of almost everything in the show is just bit terrifying,...

Plot: Set in 2024, The Undeclared War tracks a leading team of analysts buried in the heart of Gchq, secretly working to ward off a series of cyber-attacks on the UK in the run up to a general election. When a routine stress test of internet infrastructure goes awry 21-year-old Gchq intern Saara Parvin suddenly finds herself operating on the invisible frontier of high-stakes cyber warfare.

Review: We live in an era of automation, technology, and progress which also means our scariest stories will center on someone taking advantage of the advancements that make our society function. While we often see evil villains threaten the world in big-budget action movies like Mission: Impossible, the threat is a very real one and is even more frightening when presented realistically. The new series The Undeclared War proposes one such scenario that brings modern society to its knees when political superpowers play god with global infrastructure.

The Undeclared War is coming to Peacock on August 18th and the streaming service has released a trailer and new poster. Set in the near future, the drama series follows a group trying to stop cyber attacks. The show stars Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg, Adrian Lester, Alex Jennings, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, and Hannah Khalique-Brown. All six episodes will drop at once.

revealed more about the new series in a press release.

Set in 2024, The Undeclared War tracks a leading team of analysts buried in the heart of Gchq, secretly working to ward off a series of cyber-attacks on the UK in the run up to a general election. When a routine stress test of internet infrastructure goes awry, 21-year-old Gchq intern Saara Parvan (played by Hannah Khalique-Brown) suddenly finds herself operating on the invisible frontier of high-stakes cyber warfare. The series is...

Set in 2024, The Undeclared War tracks a leading team of analysts buried in the heart of Gchq, secretly working to ward off a series of cyber-attacks on the UK in the run up to a general election. When a routine stress test of internet infrastructure goes awry, 21-year-old Gchq intern Saara Parvan (played by Hannah Khalique-Brown) suddenly finds herself operating on the invisible frontier of high-stakes cyber warfare. The series is a result of meticulous research by BAFTA award-winning creator Peter Kosminsky, lifting the veil on the most urgent battle of our time. In a thrilling cat and mouse game, Saara and the team at Gchq must try to stay one step ahead and anticipate their opponents’ every hidden move. The clock is ticking as a battle with high stakes and unpredictable enemies takes place entirely online, with very real consequences. But how do you win a war most of...

The classic young adult novel Eragon might be coming to Disney+: The streamer is in the early stages of developing a TV series based on the Inheritance Cycle books by Christopher Paolini, our sister Variety reports.

Eragon is the first installment in the four-part novel series, which tells the story of a farm boy named Eragon, who discovers a dragon egg. When King Galbatorix finds out about the egg, he sends his servants to acquire it, forcing Eragon and the dragon Saphira to flee their hometown with a storyteller named Brom, who is part of an extinct group called the Dragon Riders.

"What if the other side has already predicted every step you will take?" Peacock has revealed an official US trailer for a British streaming series titled The Undeclared War, originally made for Channel 4 in the UK. It already premiered there in June, but will start streaming on Peacock in the US this August. This British thriller series is about a fictional future (or perhaps it's a crystal ball?) in 2024 during the next UK elections. A leading team of analysts buried in the heart of Gchq secretly works to ward off a foreign cyber-attack on the country's electoral system. A young student is "quickly thrust into the center of an escalating data war with Russia that has dangerous implications extending far beyond cyberspace." Sounds scary, no? Starring Hannah Khalique-Brown as Saara, along with Simon Pegg, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Edward Holcroft, Adrian Lester, Alex Jennings, Kerry Godliman, plus Mark Rylance as John Yeabsley.

In a world where we rely heavily on technology, hackers get smarter and wiser and can crumble entire countries if they choose. But what happens when these cyber attacks happen? Who is there to stop them? What happens when you cross technology with a thriller? Well, you get the Peacock original series “The Undeclared War.”

From renowned BAFTA winner Peter Kosminsky, “The Undeclared War” shows the fear a cyber attack can bring on a country and its government, and it’s down to a leading team of analysts to ward off a series of attacks that only exist in the digital world.

Continue reading ‘The Undeclared War’ Trailer: Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg & Hannah Khalique-Brown Star In A Cyber-Thriller Peacock Series at The Playlist.

The next battle line is online — at least that’s the case in the upcoming drama from Peter Kosminsky, The Undeclared War, premiering on Peacock on Thursday, August 18 (all six episodes). The streaming service released the trailer and key art, both of which you can check out below, offering a look at the cyber thriller. The series is set in 2024, following a team of analysts buried in the heart of British spy agency Gchq, secretly working to ward off a series of cyber-attacks on the UK in the run up to a general election. Peacock But as the trailer shows, there’s a partial shutdown as the result of a cyber-attack, and Saara Parvan (Hannah Khalique-Brown), a work experience student, thinks she’s found something. They trace the attacks back to Russia, most likely Fsb, which leads to the question of whether or not they should retaliate. Doing so could lead to an “ever-escalating spiral,...

Peter Kosminsky imagined a world without Boris Johnson long before anyone else could.

The master dramaturge’s latest offering, Channel 4 and Peacock’s “The Undeclared War,” is set in 2024, in a dicey political landscape where Johnson has been usurped after losing a no-confidence vote, and the new prime minister (coolly played by Adrian Lester) has his share of national security issues with the Russians.

The U.K.-Russia cyberwarfare drama, which premiered in Britain last week, has received flak from some critics who bemoan the volatile nature of writing political dramas, especially when Johnson appeared to be clinging on to power, but on this side of the Pm’s July 7 resignation, “The Undeclared War” is a welcome take that glimpses life beyond Britain’s present political quagmire.

The concept originated from a 2017 dinner between Playground Entertainment boss Colin Callender and Kosminsky, who previously collaborated on the Emmy-winning “Wolf Hall...

Exclusive: Hannah Khalique-Brown, the lead actor in writer-director Peter Kosminsky’s (Wolf Hall) six-part cyber-thriller The Undeclared War, — which starts June 30 on Channel 4 and All 4 in UK, Peacock in U.S. on August 18 — tells Deadline that she wrote 1,000 emails over a period of two years “begging“ UK agents and casting directors to see her perform in fringe plays, and “none of them replied.”

“Though, I would occasionally get an automated reply” that still read no, said Khalique-Brown, who has been garnering attention from studios in London and Hollywood.

The 23-year-old said she spent hours studying talent and casting agency websites. “I emailed 180 of them, three times a year, for two years. I wouldn’t blanket email them either. They were all individual emails. I would go on their roster and look at who they represented and I would write that I think I would really fit in.“

However,...

Peacock has announced a Thursday, August 18 premiere date for its upcoming cyber-thriller, The Undeclared War, alongside first-look images. Written and directed by Peter Kosminsky (The State), the series follows a leading team of analysts at Gchq as they work to ward off a series of cyber-attacks on the U.K. in the lead-up to a general election. The project was a co-commission between Peacock and the U.K.’s Channel 4 — all episodes will drop on the streamer on August 18. The series is set in 2024 and revolves around 21-year-old Gchq intern Saara Parvan (Hannah Khalique-Brown), who suddenly finds herself in the middle of high-stakes cyber warfare after a routine stress test of internet infrastructure goes awry. A thrilling cat and mouse game follows, with Saara and the team trying to stay one step ahead of their adversaries’ every hidden move. But how do you win a war most of the public...

The Handmaid’s Tale is tackling One Burning Question in its new aftershow, premiering Wednesday, April 28, alongside the fourth season on Hulu.

Each seven to eight-minute installment, debuting immediately after that week’s episode in the Hulu “Extras” tab, will explore a central theme or burning question from the most recent hour. Stars Elisabeth Moss, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd and Max Minghella will appear on the aftershow, as will special guests like Rachel Lindsay (The Bachelor) and comedian Whitney Cummings.

More from TVLineThe Handmaid's Tale Recap: In Which We Finally Reach June's Breaking PointThe Handmaid's Tale Recap: Serena's Quite Unexpected...

Channel 4 and Peacock today announce the commission of ‘The Undeclared War’ by seven-time BAFTA-winner Peter Kosminsky and set to star Mark Rylance and Simon Pegg.

Described as a timely and provocative six-part cyber-thriller, the series is set in a post-pandemic 2024 in the run-up to a British general election. It tracks a leading team of analysts buried in the heart of Gchq (the UK’s version of the Nsa) secretly working to ward off a cyber-attack on the country’s electoral system. During a three-year research process, Kosminsky and his team gained access to the cybersecurity industry on both sides of the Atlantic, allowing a realistic picture of the threat faced by the Western world to be depicted in the drama.

Also in news – Martin Scorsese, Irwin Winkler and John Carney unite for Gershwin musical

Newcomer Hannah Khalique-Brown will play Saara Parvan, a young student doing work experience in the Gchq Malware Department,...

In today’s Global Bulletin, Sky commissions supernatural thriller “The Rising” and Channel 4 and Peacock wage “The Undeclared War”; The Garden, BBC Studios Productions and Constantin Film Development reveal senior appointments; Rakuten TV expands AVOD offering; and Disney India picks up kids series “Dr Tenali Rama Hmkd” from Cosmos-Maya.

Commissions

Sky original series, supernatural crime thriller “The Rising,” is the first series produced entirely in-house from Sky Studios, Sky’s production and development arm. It tells the story of Neve Kelly who discovers that she is dead, and is determined to find her killer and get justice, believing that it was someone she knew.

The cast includes Clara Rugaard (“I Am Mother”), Nenda Neururer (“A Brief History of Struggle”) and Solly McLeod (“Boxing Day”), alongside Daniel Ings (“I Hate Suzie”), Emily Taaffe (“Rare Beasts”), Alex Lanipekun (“Spooks”) and Robyn Cara (“Ackley Bridge”).

The eight-part drama was commissioned by Zai Bennett,...

Exclusive: Here’s a huge transatlantic project for you: The team behind Golden Globe-winning BBC/PBS drama Wolf Hall, including Oscar winner Mark Rylance, are reuniting to make cybersecurity series The Undeclared War for NBCUniversal streamer Peacock and UK broadcaster Channel 4.

The six-part series is written and directed by seven-time BAFTA winner Peter Kosminsky and is housed at Emmy-winning producer Colin Callender’s UK and New York-based production outfit Playground. NBCUniversal International Studios is co-producing.

Rylance, who picked his Oscar for Steven Spielberg’s Bridge Of Spies, will star alongside another of Britain’s finest exports: Mission Impossible and Shaun Of The Dead actor Simon Pegg. Other cast includes Adrian Lester (Riviera), Maisie Richardson-Sellers (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Alex Jennings (The Crown), and newcomer Hannah Khalique-Brown.

The Undeclared War takes place in the post-pandemic world of 2024 against the backdrop of an upcoming British general election involving the UK...