News

Historical Mockumentary Has Viewers Hooked On Netflix ( Photo Credit – Netflix )

Netflix might have slipped something into its lineup that is catching viewers off guard and in the best way. A short, sharp comedy series is gathering serious attention, not with explosions or capes, but with powdered wigs, petty rivalries and a heavy dose of dry humor.

What Is 1670 About on Netflix

The show is called 1670, and it has been quietly winning people over since it dropped in late 2023. It has got eight episodes and a style that feels like it walked straight out of The Office, then took a hard left turn into 17th-century Poland. Instead of modern-day office politics, it dives into the ridiculous world of nobility, small-village leadership and exaggerated historical ambition.

Bogdan jakiś taki bogaty i umyty? Drugi sezon „1670” już 17 września. pic.twitter.com/eWRtXearGF

— Netflix Polska (@NetflixPL) July 19, 2025

At the center of it all is Jan Paweł Adamczewski,...

Netflix’s Norsemen Is The Viking Comedy Everyone’s Suddenly Talking About (Photo Credit – Netflix)

Netflix viewers have stumbled across a Viking comedy that has managed to hit all the right notes. It is called Norsemen, and it is one of those rare shows that quietly sits in the corner while others shout for attention – until someone presses play and wonders why they hadn’t heard about it sooner.

What is Netflix’s Norsemen About?

The series originally aired on Norway’s NRK1 before Netflix gave it a global stage. What makes it unusual is how it was shot, in both English and Norwegian at the same time, per Unilad. There are no awkward dubbing or subtitles necessary unless you want them and you can jump right in and understand every absurd moment right from the start.

The series, set in 790 Ad, centers around the village of Norheim. Life there...

Norwegian producer Anders Tangen, in Berlin with Vibeke Løkkeberg’s Forum: Special title The Long Road To The Director’s Chair, has joined North Film Distribution as general manager.

The company has been launched to showcase films from Northern Norway, including those by Sámi filmmakers and emerging talent.

“We are helping the filmmakers with the distribution of their films not only for cinema but VOD platforms and SVOD, especially in the international market,” said Tangen.

North Film Distribution been set up as a collective between Mattima Films Rein Film Finnmark, Lofoten Film Collective, and Hermetikken Kulturnæringshage.

Its upcoming Norwegian releases...

Picture Tree Intl. has secured the international sales rights for “The Badgers,” a family adventure film helmed by director Paul M. Lundø (“The Veil of Twilight”). The Norwegian film, which is in post-production, is anticipated for a theatrical release in Scandinavia during summer/autumn 2025. The trailer debuts here.

The heartwarming and comedic coming-of-age story follows 11-year-old Bernt, an orphan who dreams of becoming a celebrated Scout like his late father. When he is sent to live with his eccentric new foster mother, Gerdie, Bernt joins a quirky local Scout troop and sets his sights on winning the coveted Golden Scout Trophy, which bears his father’s name.

However, chaos ensues when Gerdie becomes the troop’s co-leader and clashes with their traditionalist leader, Gunnar. Through escapades that include wild animal encounters and uncovering buried secrets, Bernt must learn the true meaning of integrity and what it takes to become a hero.

If we know anything, it’s that Viking movies and shows can certainly fit into many genres but if we are talking about it seriously, Vikings on its own is a separate genre because there is a different feel to any Viking-related movie or show that can only come from this specific genre. So, if you like Vikings-related movies or shows here are the absolute best movies and shows you can find on Netflix right now.

Norsemen (Series) Credit – Netflix

Norsemen is a Norwegian historical comedy series created by Jon Iver Helgaker and Jonas Torgersen. The Netflix series is set in the 8th century and it follows the Vikings village people as they experience political rivalries, social change, and the deaths of their fellow warriors in a pretty comedic manner. Norsemen stars Jon Iver Helgaker, Silje Torp, Kåre Conradi, Nils Jørgen Kaalstad, Kristine Riis, Trond Fausa Aurvåg, Jon Øigarden, Marian Saastad Ottesen,...

Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl Champ Marshawn Lynch (Bottoms), Mustafa Shakir, Cam Gigandet, André Eriksen, and Lio Tipton are boarding 87North and Universal’s original action movie With Love.

They join previously cast Oscar winner winners Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose, as well as Daniel Wu in the pic set for release on Feb. 7, 2025. For Quan, it’s his first major leading man role post Everything, Everywhere All at Once.

The movie hails from vet stunt and fight coordinator Jonathan Eusebio who is making his feature directorial debut. Eusebio’s credits include Black Panther, The Avengers, the John Wick films, The Matrix Resurrections, Violent Night, Deadpool 2, The Fate of the Furious, Doctor Strange, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Wolverine, The Bourne Legacy and 87North’s upcoming summer kickoff title,...

Ignorance is bliss, especially for the credulous ones like Captain Jonathan Fall, who tend to miss out on social cues big time. Captain Fall is the latest addition to Netflix’s gallery of original adult-oriented animated series, which, for a surprising change, is really well done, humorous, and will surely take the viewers on a voyage filled with crime scenes, sex, violence, and ignorant stupidity. The creators of the series, Jon Iver Helgaker and Jonas Torgersen, the same creative duo behind the brilliant period comedy series Norsemen, have used their firm grip on deadpan and situational humor in their debut cartoon gig to full effect. The result is a very topical, unapologetically wild series that uses the advantages of the animated medium in the best ways to showcase the fortunes and misfortunes that befall the eponymous character.

Spoilers Ahead

Who Is Jonathan Fall? How Did He End Up On Caribbean Queen?...

From Jon Iver Helgaker and Jonas Torgersen, creators of the cult Norwegian comedy series Norsemen, comes Captain Fall, a new animated show for adults about a “gullible” young man who finds himself at the center of a shady smuggling operation. Captain Fall was first announced in 2020 and was given a 20-episode order by the streamer. The 10-episode first season will debut on Netflix next month.

Making its debut on History back in 2013, "Vikings" delivered a visceral, bone-crunching journey to the eighth-century Scandinavia and the age of the Vikings. The gritty, violent saga told the story of Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), a farmer who became a warrior and, ultimately, a king. Another part of the series' ongoing storylines involved his first wife, the shieldmaiden Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick), their son Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig), and various other characters who were introduced over the course of the show's six seasons.

As "Vikings" creator Michael Hirst explained to Looper, the writer enlisted a Viking historian to explore some of the most notable figures from that era. He wound up honing in on Ragnar because he was "the first great Viking leader to emerge from the myth and legend, and that was perfect in many ways because it was the beginning of the Viking age." While the series concluded in 2021, fans...

ITV has unveiled a slate of new comedy commissions, most of which will premiere on Itvx, its upcoming free streaming service.

New comedy titles include “Plebs: Soldiers of Rome,” “Deep Fake Neighbour Wars,” “Ruby Speaking Count,” “Abdulla” and “Significant Other.”

“The arrival of Itvx gives us more opportunities to commission a broad range of comedies and a dedicated place for the genre to call home,” said Nana Hughes, ITV’s Head of Comedy. The executive added that ITV aspired to showcase a “huge cross section of contemporary, diverse and inclusive comedy.”

“We want to take risks but most importantly we want our audiences to find shows that reflect them and make them laugh,” Hughes continued.

“Plebs: Soldiers of Rome” is a a feature-length special based on the award-winning comedy series “Plebs” which has had five successful seasons. “Plebs” is directed and written by Sam Leifer and co-written by Tom Basden.

Vikings don’t lack for precedent in the movies, yet the Old Norse boatmen have never quite taken hold in the collective filmgoer unconscious the same way as cowboys, pirates or mafiosi. The explanation may well be their inherent associations with paganism, cannibalism, rape and pillaging, traits understandably sanitized (if acknowledged at all) in late studio-era Viking narratives like Richard Fleischer’s The Vikings or Jack Cardiff’s The Long Ships. In 1984, Hrafn Gunnlaugsson—the supposed “bad boy” of Icelandic cinema—brought a pop-traditionalist sensibility to When The Raven Flies, which revisits Nordic mythology under the influence of spaghetti westerns, Kurosawa films and Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest. Gunnlaugsson’s stated aim was to make “the ultimate Viking movie”, and his trilogy deserves to be far better known; they are miniature epics, and the few outside of Scandinavia who know them probably have also heard them termed as “cod westerns.

Exclusive: Meghan Leathers (Don’t Look Up) has signed on for a role in Paramount+’s crime thriller Finestkind, from Academy Award-winning writer-director Brian Helgeland. She joins an ensemble that also includes Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Jenna Ortega, Aaron Stanford, Scotty Tovar, Tim Daly, Lolita Davidovich and Clayne Crawford, as previously announced.

Set in America’s biggest commercial fishing port of New Bedford, Massachusetts, Finestkind tells the story of two brothers (Foster and Wallace) from opposite sides of the tracks, who are reunited as adults over one fateful summer. When desperate circumstances force them to strike a deal with a dangerous Boston crime syndicate, a young woman (Ortega) finds herself caught in the middle. Along the way, sacrifices must be made, and bonds between brothers, friends, and a father (Jones) and his son are put to the test. Details with regard to the character Leathers is playing have not been disclosed.

Here is a highly entertaining compilation of publicity photos and behind-the-scenes shots taken on the set of the 1959 Oscar winning classic "Ben-Hur". The photos show the cast and crew hard at work, joking around, attending the premiere and enjoying visits to the set from the likes of Audrey Hepburn and Kirk Douglas. Speaking of Douglas, the soundtrack music added to the montage inexplicably includes the famous main theme for Douglas's "The Vikings"!

Revenge is a dish best served cold, and it doesn’t get any colder, literally or figuratively, than the bitter portion ladled up in Robert Eggers’ merciless yarn of medieval vengeance, The Northman. This seriously nasty and violent tale comes across as an intense labor of love on the part of the American director and his Icelandic co-writer, the poet Sjón; there’s scarcely a moment of softness, sentiment or relaxation here, just fierce and ferocious determination to fight and prevail in an unstintingly harsh environment. For the most part it’s an enthralling immersion in a forbidding time and place, enhanced by an immoderately attractive cast and saddled only by a dramatic sameness that settles in after a while and gradually diminishes the film’s impact.

There haven’t been too many Viking movies, most likely because the time and place involved pretty seriously restrict the format to two things—sailing and marauding,...

Exclusive: Billy Slaughter (The Card Counter) has boarded Amazon Studios’ film The Burial, which is currently in production in New Orleans.

He joins an ensemble that also includes Jamie Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones, Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, Bill Camp, Dorian Missick, Pamela Reed, Amanda Warren, Jim Klock and Alan Ruck, as previously announced.

Director Maggie Betts’ film is based on the New Yorker article by Jonathan Harr. It follows a charismatic personal injury lawyer famous for his impressive track record and loudly unconventional approach who decides to help a funeral home owner save his family business from a predatory corporate behemoth. In a move to bring emotional resonance to a dry contract law case, the lawyer digs up an unexpected and complex web of race, power and oppression that forces everyone to examine long-buried prejudices they didn’t know they had.

Details with regard to the character Slaughter is playing have not been disclosed.

Tobias Menzies, who won last year’s primetime Emmy Award for his turn as Prince Philip in ‘The Crown,’ has joined the cast of “Made in Oslo,” a character-driven thriller series set at a fertility clinic in Norway.

Menzies stars in the cinematic show opposite Pia Tjelta, one of Norway’s most successful actors whose credits include successful shows such as “Norsemen” and “Lykkeland.”

Created and penned by Kathrine Valen Zeiner, the eight-part show is a Nent/Viaplay Original and is produced by Tordenfilm. It will premiere on Viaplay on April 24.

“Made in Oslo” is directed by Marit Moum Aune, whose credits includes “Angels in America – National Theatre” and “Oslo.”

In “Made in Oslo,” Tjelta plays Elin, a passionate doctor who runs a fertility clinic and becomes obsessed with her mission to help couples have children, leading her to break rules, cross boundaries and put her relationship with loved ones in jeopardy.

A few key details were revealed about what life will be like at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer now that its $8.5 billion sale to Amazon has closed.

In a town hall at Amazon’s Culver City lot, Mike Hopkins, Amazon Studios and Prime Video SVP, unveiled an interim leadership structure. He told staffers that for the time being, MGM’s Chief Operating Officer Christopher Brearton, Motion Picture Group Chairman Michael De Luca and Worldwide Television Group Chairman Mark Burnett have “joined my leadership team.” That signals that all three men will report directly to Hopkins. Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke will continue to report to Hopkins.

De Luca, Brearton, and Burnett joined Hopkins and Amazon Studios Chief Operating Officer Albert Cheng in Los Angeles while Salke beamed in from London. Many staffers watched the town hall via live stream.

Hopkins said that he was hoping to “start the process” of looking under the hood...

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group has hired former MGM TV executive Charles Farmer to the newly created role of CEO.

The move and the simultaneously announced naming of Really Useful’s David Chance to the role of Non-Executive Chairman are designed, the company said, to increase the reach and impact of Lloyd Webber’s work in TV, film, and other platforms.

“The Covid-19 pandemic forced us all to look for new ways to develop, produce and share our work,” Lloyd Webber said in a statement. “While I am thrilled to see live theatre firmly back on its feet, we also have major ambitions in the worlds of TV, film, the metaverse and beyond. I am delighted to have Charlie and David on board to help us achieve new and exciting things.”

Chance, who joined the Really Useful board in April 2021, will take over the Non-Executive Chairman position from Mark Wordsworth,...

Screenwriter Jeb Stuart joins hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss a few of his favorite movies.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Die Hard (1988)

The Fugitive (1993)

Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review

The Face of Fu Manchu (1965) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review

The Detective (1968) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Dirty Harry (1971) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary, Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

Rear Window (1954) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Vertigo (1958) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary, Brian Trenchard-Smith’s review, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

North By Northwest (1959)

The Trouble With Harry (1955)

Casablanca (1942) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

Wait Until Dark (1967) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Switchback (1997)

Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

The Getaway (1972) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary

The Thin Man (1934)

Another 48 Hrs (1990)

Commando (1985) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

The Long Riders (1980)

The Warriors...

Norway’s famous landscapes will be gracing screens around the world in a fresh crop of blockbusters and domestic productions set to be released internationally.

Premiering in Venice out of competition, Denis Villeneuve’s long-awaited “Dune” features scenes shot on the West Cape plateau, one of the most spectacular view points on the coast of Norway. The $165 million film will hit U.S. theaters Oct. 22 afters its premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

Also scheduled for a fall release, the long-delayed James Bond pic “No Time to Die” takes 007 on a car chase reportedly filmed on Norway’s spectacular wind-swept Atlantic Ocean Road. MGM has confirmed it will have its world premiere at London’s Royal Albert Hall Sept. 28.

It’s international productions like these and Netflix hit series “Ragnarok,” filmed in the small town of Odda in the fjords of southwest Norway, that have fueled a boom in film tourism to Norway,...

When it comes to the Emmys, the TV Academy has long struggled with questions of quantity and quality — and that’s even before accounting for the fact that a whole set of series beloved by audiences, critics, and awards voters all over the world are not even eligible for TV’s top prize.

While the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been building a more diverse membership partly by adding more international members — yielding the first Korean Best Picture Oscar-winner “Parasite” as well as back-to-back Asian Best Director Oscar-winners, Bong Joon Ho and Chloé Zhao — the TV Academy shuts out of Primetime Emmy consideration most foreign language content.

Foreign television production is ineligible for Emmys unless it’s the result of a co-production (both financially and creatively) between U.S. and foreign partners, which precedes the start of production, and with the intent to show on U.S.

When it comes to the Emmys, the TV Academy has long struggled with questions of quantity and quality — and that’s even before accounting for the fact that a whole set of series beloved by audiences, critics, and awards voters all over the world are not even eligible for TV’s top prize.

While the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been building a more diverse membership partly by adding more international members — yielding the first Korean Best Picture Oscar-winner “Parasite” as well as back-to-back Asian Best Director Oscar-winners, Bong Joon Ho and Chloé Zhao — the TV Academy shuts out of Primetime Emmy consideration most foreign language content.

Foreign television production is ineligible for Emmys unless it’s the result of a co-production (both financially and creatively) between U.S. and foreign partners, which precedes the start of production, and with the intent to show on U.S.

Vikings have inspired people ever since the first longships sailed out of the mists to raid the shores of England. There is no shortage of movies, TV shows, and video games that celebrate the epic glory and raw ferocity of the Vikings, but only Norsemen captures the comic aspect of life in the Viking Age. That said, no show about the daily lives of Norse reavers would be complete without its share of battles.

Related: Norsemen: 10 Best Quotes Of The Show

Norsemen has pitched epic battles, one-on-one duels, and raiders striking with a swift and unrelenting fury. Despite it being a comedy series, most of these fights are nothing to laugh at.

Norsemen is one of the most popular TV shows in Norway, and thanks to Netflix. Tapping into the country's historical past, the series manages to find humor in the grim realities of life during the Viking Age. Some of the jokes may be uncomfortable for modern audiences, but there is no denying that the series is brilliantly written and has an amazing cast who brings every scene to life.

Related: Norsemen: 5 Best Characters Of The Series (& 5 We Love To Hate)

Of course, it does not hurt that the dialogue is sharper than northern steel. The hilarious jokes and ridiculous interactions of the main characters make Norsemen one of the most quotable comedies on TV.

One of the most popular historical series on TV is the Norwegian comedy series Norsemen. In fact, one-fifth of all Norwegians tuned in to watch the pilot episode. After the release of its third season on Netflix, Norsemen has more than established its staying power--and a huge part of that is because of its unforgettable characters.

Related: 10 Movies To Watch If You Love Vikings

From brave warriors to opinionated slaves, Norsemen brings the Viking Age to life with its amazing cast. The deadpan humor relies on the way characters interact and react (and overreact) to the circumstances of the times. These are the show's five best characters, as well as five who fans love to hate.

Vikings are awesome. This is just an objective fact of life. It also explains why the first episode of Norsemen had one million viewers in Norway upon its debut (keeping in mind that Norway only has five million people altogether).

Related: Vikings: 10 Best Storylines Of The Show, Ranked

This comedy series about the lives Norsemen in the Viking Age has carved its way into the hearts of millions with the same unstoppable force as a berserker's blade. The show is also fairly true to history--something that cannot be said of far too many many shows about vikings. Of course, for everything that is historically accurate, there are also a handful of areas where it falls short.

It’s not often that an international Netflix Original gets to three seasons. So, logic would dictate that if two first-time creators, whose low-budget underdog comedy had become one of the platforms best-loved cult hits made it to a third season, they might stick with what was working for them in the first place.

Standing on reason however is not how upstart showrunners Jon Iver Helgaker and Jonas Torgersen got their show “Norsemen” commissioned by Nrk in Norway, and eventually picked up for global distribution by Netflix. So, instead of moving on from Season 2’s major question marks, the two instead went back to the beginning and shot the entirety of Season 3 as a prequel.

Shortly after Season 3 launched, Netflix announced that the platform had backed the writer-director-producer duo once again, only this time they will be making the shift to animation with their new series “Captain Fall.”

Helgaker and...

Who knows what the world might have been up to during Covid-19 without Netflix? Many of us are still encouraged to remain indoors, but at least we get a steady stream of content in this strange period of history. Moreso than the other streaming networks, Netflix releases a healthy amount of fresh titles almost every day and they’ve recently added some neat TV shows that are well worth your time.

First up is season 10 of Showtime’s Shameless. The incredibly popular adaptation of the British sitcom stars William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher and is the longest-running original scripted series in Showtime’s history. Shameless has already been renewed for one final season, which was due to air around now but has been delayed due to Covid-19, but if you want to catch up with the Gallaghers, now’s the perfect time to do it.

Also landing on the...

Netflix has ordered a new animated comedy series from “Norsemen” creators Jon Iver Helgaker and Jonas Torgersen, the creatives’ first foray into the cartoon arts at a time when adult-focused animation is booming and live-action production has slowed or stopped in many territories.

“Captain Fall” will track titular Jonathan Fall, a wet-behind-the-ears yet good-hearted sea captain who unwittingly finds himself at the helm of a smuggling ship. Details about animation style, casting, direction and production have yet to be announced.

Netflix has ordered 20 episodes of the show to be released in two parts. Helgaker and Torgersen will serve as creators, showrunners and executive producers for the series, with animation vet and Netflix producer Joel Trussell (“Electric City”) joining them as executive producer.

“Jon Iver and Jonas created a hilarious story in ‘Norsemen’ that connected with audiences all around the world. We can’t wait for fans to see their absurd...

If you can’t find something to watch on Netflix right now, you must have already binged it all or simply be very picky, as the service has been killing it with releases lately. Huge additions to the platform this month have included the quite popular first season of Cursed, as well as such classics as Million Dollar Baby, Schindler’s List, Sleepless in Seattle and Paranormal Activity. And considering that the long-awaited second season of The Umbrella Academy is dropping on the 30th, July has turned out to be one of Netflix’s best months in ages.

Today marks yet another content drop and it’s bringing a pretty large collection of new titles to check out. For starters, there are multiple documentaries, such as Fear City: New York vs. The Mafia, a new true crime docu-series, the hip-hop fashion-focused The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion and the first season...

After a brief drought in new programming, Netflix are back into adding fresh content and have several new movies and shows lined up for the week of July 20th to July 26th. With the likes of The Old Guard representing another original content success for the streamer, ahead of returning favorites like The Umbrella Academy, the platform continues to go from strength to strength. What new material can we expect, then, this week?

Well, on the series front, we’re getting the tenth and penultimate season of Showtime’s Shameless, which has weathered the departure of Emmy Rossum to continue to bring in audiences. As the only Showtime original now licensed by Netflix for new episodes, fans will be able to catch up on the long-running series before its eleventh and final season.

Other notable shows coming to Netflix this week include season 2 of How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast...

Come July, Netflix viewers can rely on the musical musings of Fiddler on the Roof, the adorable animals of Charlotte's Web, the wisdom of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax and more to make time at home a little more bearable. 

The streaming platform will also release original series Unsolved Mysteries, The Baby-Sitters Club, Down to Earth With Zac Efron, Cursed and Stateless throughout the month.

Netflix series with new seasons dropping in July include The Umbrella Academy, Deadwind, The Protector, How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast), Norsemen and part two of Cable Girls' final season.

Other Netflix titles set to start streaming ...

Come July, Netflix viewers can rely on the musical musings of Fiddler on the Roof, the adorable animals of Charlotte's Web, the wisdom of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax and more to make time at home a little more bearable. 

The streaming platform will also release original series Unsolved Mysteries, The Baby-Sitters Club, Down to Earth With Zac Efron, Cursed and Stateless throughout the month.

Netflix series with new seasons dropping in July include The Umbrella Academy, Deadwind, The Protector, How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast), Norsemen and part two of Cable Girls' final season.

Other Netflix titles set to start streaming ...

Having portrayed Henry VIII in The Tudors, Jonathan Rhys Meyers has now ventured to the other side of the world to play a lesser known British ruler.

In this exclusive first look for Margate House Films' period epic Rajah, the Irish actor — recently seen in The Vikings — stars as Sir James Brooke, a swashbuckling 19th century explorer whose fight for the indigenous people of Borneo saw him become the real-life role model for Joseph Conrad's novel Lord Jim and Rudyard Kipling's The Man Who Would Be King.

Written and produced by Rob Allyn and helmed by award-winning music video ...

Having portrayed Henry VIII in The Tudors, Jonathan Rhys Meyers has now ventured to the other side of the world to play a lesser known British ruler.

In this exclusive first look for Margate House Films' period epic Rajah, the Irish actor — recently seen in The Vikings — stars as Sir James Brooke, a swashbuckling 19th century explorer whose fight for the indigenous people of Borneo saw him become the real-life role model for Joseph Conrad's novel Lord Jim and Rudyard Kipling's The Man Who Would Be King.

Written and produced by Rob Allyn and helmed by award-winning music video ...

Jamie Lee Curtis is remembering Kirk Douglas.

On Friday, the actress shared a social media tribute to Douglas, who died on Wednesday at the age of 103. In her Instagram post, Curtis said that the late movie star was close with both of her parents, actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, and revealed he had once saved her life when she was a child.

Along with a touching caption, Curtis shared three black-and-white photos, including one of her parents in the 1958 movie The Vikings with Douglas, and two from her childhood.

“Kirk and [his wife Anne Buydens] were important to Both my parents. Here in...

Kirk Douglas always comes out fighting. I use the present tense, because it’s damn near impossible to think of this paragon of golden-age Hollywood stardom any other way.

Yes, his son Michael Douglas formally announced yesterday that his father had died at the Methuselah-level age of 103, but it’s still hard to think this pugnacious defender of the underdog is really gone. Say these three words aloud — “I am Spartacus” — and you’ll conjure up the image of Douglas, a strapping 44 years old at the time, bearing down on...

The great stars of Hollywood were, and maybe still are, our demigods. They have always existed on a magical plane, standing in for some cathartic fusion of who we are and who we want to be. They’re our idealized selves. But even all demigods aren’t created equal. In vintage Hollywood, there was a certain kind of movie star — Gary Cooper, Charlton Heston, and, of course, Kirk Douglas, who died Wednesday — that represented, in his look and his aura, a too-handsome-for-words stalwart “perfection,” one that spoke to the glory of America in the 20th century. These were actors who looked like they were put on earth to play Superman — and even without a cape, they played supermen. They were our larger-than-life heroes, our dream-god selves.

Kirk Douglas was the quintessence of that kind of star. When you hear his name, so crisp and ramrod strong (Kirk!), you think, at first,...

Tony Sokol Feb 5, 2020

Kirk Douglas, an icon of Hollywood's Golden Age, was as heroic as some of the characters he played.

Stage and screen actor, producer, director and writer Kirk Douglas, whose career spanned more than 60 years, died Wednesday at the age of 103, according to Variety.

“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” his son, actor Michael Douglas, said in a statement.

“To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to. But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne,...

Kirk Douglas as Spartacus

Few actors have ever achieved the legendary status of Kirk Douglas, star of Spartacus and three-time Oscar nominee, who has passed away at the age of 103.

A former wrestler and an army veteran, Douglas got his first break in acting through his friendship with Lauren Bacall, and starred opposite Barbara Stanwyck in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, but it was his role as a boxer in Champion in 1949 that won him serious attention. He was quick to cement his new status, going on to star in films that included The Glass Menagerie, Ace in The Hole, The Bad And The Beautiful, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Lust For Life, Town Without Pity and The Vikings. He retired from acting 12 years ago but remained active in other areas of life.

Alongside acting, he was a passionate campaigner who came to be much admired for his stance.

One of the more satisfying costume adventures of the ‘sixties is also one of its star’s best vehicles. Charlton Heston was born to play bigger-than-life historical types, and his Norman knight in this film has the benefit of an intelligent screenplay and a terrific supporting ensemble. This hero’s armor doesn’t shine — he’s more than willing to risk everything to possess a pagan woman with whom he’s become infatuated. Many would-be epics want us to think that the charms of unlikely damsels like Virginia Mayo and Claudette Colbert changed the course of history, but this show makes it seem more than possible. Plus, it features great action scenes and a terrific music score by Jerome Moross.

The War Lord

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 123 min. / Special Edition / Street Date January 21, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Charlton Heston, Richard Boone, Rosemary Forsyth, Maurice Evans, Guy Stockwell,...

More than 360 international delegates are expected at Göteborg’s 13th Nordic TV Drama Vision (Jan. 30-31) described by head of industry Cia Edström as a ‘boutique event’, where top Nordic and international drama professionals gather each year to gauge the state of the Nordic market and hot content.

For the first time, to comply with the growing demand from international drama execs, a new venue – the historical theater building ‘Stora teatern’ – will host this year’s expanded Nordic TV confab.

Keynote speakers set to inspire attendees comprise seasoned U.K. TV writer Sally Wainwright, BAFTA award-winning comedy producer Jon Plowman and Netflix’s director of co-production & acquisition, Northern and Central Europe, Lina Brounéus.

Nordic professionals will be eager to discover Brounéus’ commissioning plans in the region beyond the three Originals already announced: “The Rain Season 2” from Denmark, “Quicksand” from Sweden, selected for the Berlinale Series, and “Ragnarok” from Norway, penned...