News

Heart of Stone starring Gal Gadot is not the hit Netflix expected, with a low 32% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a disappointing release. Despite the film's reception, Netflix is pushing for a sequel and hopes to create a franchise around Gadot's character, Rachel Stone. Gal Gadot has a busy future with projects, including playing Disney's Evil Queen in the live-action remake of Snow White and returning for the Fast & Furious franchise's epic conclusion.

Heart of Stone is already available to watch on Netflix, but it seems like the latest thriller starring Gal Gadot is not the hit the streaming service was hoping it would be.

Directed by Tom Harper, who has worked on some other thrillers like 2014's War Book or acclaimed projects like Peaky Blinders, Heart of Stone follows International Intelligence agent Rachel Stone (Gadot) while she embarks on a dangerous mission, probably the most important of her career.

MaryAnn’s quick take… Charming based-on-fact British costume dramedy gently snarks about power and propriety but cuts a lot deeper when it comes to bigotry and bootlicking. I’m “biast” (pro): love Judi Dench, mostly love Stephen Frears’s films

I’m “biast” (con): we’re still telling stories about this dead queen?

I have not read the source material

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

The ribbing writes itself: Hey, they finally made the sequel to 1997’s Mrs. Brown! You know, the movie in which Judi Dench as Queen Victoria develops a close platonic friendship — or maybe even a romance — with royal groundskeeper John Brown in the early years of her widowhood, in the 1860s. It was a scandal! And now here’s Victoria & Abdul, which opens 20 years later and stars Judi Dench (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel...

Romantic thriller from Michael Pearce debuts in official selection.

Protagonist Pictures has boarded worldwide sales to romantic thriller Beast, written and directed by former Screen Star Of Tomorrow Michael Pearce.

The feature debut will make its world premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival in the Platform section.

Beast follows a small island community, where a troubled young woman falls for a mysterious outsider who empowers her to escape her oppressive family. When he comes under suspicion for a series of brutal murders she defends him at all costs and learns what she is capable of.

The film is headlined by Jessie Buckley (Taboo) who plays the young woman and Johnny Flynn (Clouds of Sils Maria).

Protagonist’s CEO Dave Bishop commented: “Michael Pearce is without doubt one the UK’s most talented new filmmakers and the team at Protagonist couldn’t be more thrilled to present his incredible debut feature in the Platform Section at the...

It’s just been announced that Star Wars: Episode IX is getting a new writer in Jack Thorne, the man behind scripts for Skins, This Is England and War Book. Thorne is taking over writing of the script for the next Star Wars franchise film from Colin Trevorrow.

Not much is known about the story for Episode IX but I’m sure we’ll know more once Star Wars: The Last Jedi is released on December 15th. In the meantime check out this interview with Thorne, conducted back in 2014 as promotion for the release of Tom Harper’s cinematic adaptation of War Book, in which the scribe talks about how he got started in TV and Film, writing War Book and his own writing style/approach…

Star Wars: Episode IX is due on 21st June 2019.

Looks like “Star Wars: Episode IX” is getting a fresh pair of eyes. The Hollywood Reporter reports that rising British screenwriter Jack Thorne will be contributing rewrites to the script of the upcoming ninth installment of the beloved franchise. While Thorne is a relatively new name in Hollywood, he’s already having a big year: his “Wonder” will arrive on November 17.

Read MoreColin Trevorrow Explains Why He Should Still Direct ‘Star Wars’ Despite That Whole ‘Book of Henry’ Thing

As THR notes, “Trevorrow and his writing partner, Derek Connolly, have been working on the script, but sources say a fresh set of eyes was needed. It is unclear how extensive the rewrites will be.” THR is also quick to note that, despite previous reports, the script for “Episode IX” is not based on a treatment from filmmaker Rian Johnson, who wrote and directed the upcoming “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Premium cable network to adapt Vietnam War book into limited series.

FX has landed the rights to turn Black Hawk Down author Mark Bowden’s book Huế, 1968 into a limited event series that will range from eight-10 hours.

Michael Mann and Michael De Luca acquired the rights to the book in late April.

The Vietnam War adaption will focus on lives on all sides during pivotal the Tet Offensive by Vietnamese forces. Characters include a seemingly innocent Vietnamese schoolgirl turned hardened revolutionary; a Marine captain from Pennsylvania who becomes a war hero; a Hanoi teacher who fights as an infantryman for the North Vietnamese army; and Us president Lyndon B. Johnson.

Mann, the Oscar-winning director of Collateral, The Insider, and Heat, plans to direct several episodes and will produce alongside De Luca and FX Productions.

The network is reportedly planning to begin filming on the series at the end of this year in Asia.

When Screen...

The only dragon you'll see in The White Princess will be on the Welsh flag, but that should be the only disappointment for Game of Thrones Fanatics watching the new Starz offering. There are plenty of scheming mothers, a missing prince to challenge the king, lustful romances, and oh yeah, some magic.

The follow-up to 2013's The White Queen has a new cast, but veteran show runner Emma Frost continues to deliver a world rich with historical detail and beautiful people willing to do just about anything to stay alive...and more importantly, stay in power.

If you haven't had time to rewatch The White Queen, or if you're new to the world based on Phillipa Gregory's Cousin's War book series, we've prepared a handy primer to the main characters for you.

Study up, and decide which side of the battlefield you'll stand on! The White Princess premieres Sunday at 8/7c on Starz!

Starz has slotted Sunday, April 16 for premiere of The White Princess, its follow-up to Golden Globe- and Emmy-nominated original miniseries The White Queen. Starz also has unveiled key art and a trailer for a first look at the 15th century-set drama, based on the novel by Philippa Gregory and part of The Cousins' War book series. The key art features Princess Elizabeth of York/Lizzie (Jodie Comer), bloodily gripping a white rose – the rose of the House of York, to which…...

If Jack Thorne was considered hot property before Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, penning the adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s wildly successful story has only ensured Thorne is one of the most in-demand writers on the other side of the pond. Soon after breaking onto the scene with British teen drama Skins, the screenwriter enjoyed a streak that comprised award-winning contributions to This Is England ’88, The Fades, Don’t Take My Baby and This Is England ’90.

Imagine our excitement, then, now that Deadline has relayed news that Jack Thorne was inked a deal to collaborate with War & Peace helmer Tom Harper for The Aeronauts, a true-life period drama said to revolve around two enthused hot air balloonists who scaled higher than anyone else in the 19th century. Both Thorne and Harper are currently in possession of a spec script, meaning this project won’t be ready to fire up production anytime soon.

Production has begun on The White Princess TV show coming to Starz. This follow-up to The White Queen TV series is adapted from Philippa Gregory's best-selling novel -- part of The Cousins' War book series. Jodie Comer stars as Princess Elizabeth of York. Michelle Fairly is Margaret Beaufort, Henry Tudor’s mother.

Jacob Collins-Levy has been cast as Henry VII. Joanne Whalley joins as the widowed Duchess of Burgundy, Elizabeth of York's aunt, and sister to dead kings Richard III and Edward IV of England. Essie Davis plays Princess Elizabeth's mother Dowager Queen Elizabeth "The White Queen." Suki Waterhouse has been cast as Cecily of York, younger sister to Princess Elizabeth. Vincent Regan joins as Jasper Tudor.

Read More…...

Starz has announced today that production has officially commenced on "The White Princess" miniseries, the follow-up to their acclaimed mini-series "The White Queen" from Company Pictures and Playground.

Adapted from Philippa Gregory's best-selling novel of the same name and part of The Cousins' War book series, "The White Princess" sees England ostensibly united by the marriage of Elizabeth of York and King Henry VII.

However, their personal and political rift runs deep and the war that rages between them threatens to tear the kingdom apart once again. Jacob Collins-Levy, Jodie Comer, Essie Davis, Joanne Whalley, Michelle Fairley, Suki Waterhouse, Rebecca Benson, Rhys Connah, Caroline Goodall, Kenneth Cranham and Vincent Regan also star in the production.

The eight episode drama is by writer Emma Frost ("The White Queen," "The Man in the High Castle"), who also serves as showrunner and executive producer. Jamie Payne ("Legends," "Quantico") and will direct most of this. Shooting takes place in Bristol and around the UK.

Source: Starz...

Game Of Thrones alumna Michelle Fairley has been cast as Margaret Beaufort in The White Princess, Starz’s follow-up to its critically-acclaimed miniseries The White Queen, from Company Pictures. British actress Jodie Comer (Doctor Foster, My Mad Fat Diary) also has signed on as Princess Elizabeth of York. Adapted from Philippa Gregory's best-selling novel and part of The Cousins' War book series, The White Princess tells the story of England's War of the Roses from the…...

• only 22% of 2015’s movies had female protagonists

• best and worst representations of women on film in 2015 (and the average Watw score for the year)

• critics are slightly more likely to rate a film highly if it represents women well

• mainstream moviegoers are not turned off by films with female protagonists

• movies that represent women well are just as likely to be profitable as movies that don’t, and are less risky as business propositions

The Where Are the Women? project was designed to drill deep down into the films of 2015 in order to determine how well — or how poorly — they represented women. The project has now come to its end, and you can examine the final ranking here. The ranking includes 270 films released in the Us, Canada, and the UK, in both limited and wide release (including every wide-release North American film and most of the UK wide-release films). The...

A shamefully miscalculated tale of whimsy and come-to-Jesus inspiration with a bizarrely inappropriate haze of Norman Rockwell-esque nostalgia. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): not a fan of “faith-based” movies

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

In a seaside town “like you see in postcards” in 1940s California, eight-year-old Pepper Flynt Busbee (Jakob Salvati: Escape from Tomorrow) is sad, because his best friend — his father (Michael Rapaport: The Heat, Hitch) — has gone off to fight against the Japs in the Pacific. Mom (Emily Watson: Everest, A Royal Night Out) was always the one to bring the two buddies back down to Earth from their pretend adventures, but she cannot stop Pepper now: he has been convinced by comic-book and movie-serial hero Ben Eagle the Magician (Ben Chaplin: Cinderella, War Book) and local priest Father Oliver (Tom Wilkinson: Unfinished Business,...

Starz has greenlit "The White Princess," a sequel to the award-winning 2013 event series "The White Queen" based on Philippa Gregory's best-selling novel.

The eight-episode limited series is currently in pre-production and will center on the War of the Roses as told from a female perspective. Set in 1485, it follows the rise of the House of Tudor and the rocky marriage between Princess Elizabeth of York and King Henry Tudor.

When rumors arise that Elizabeth's long-lost brother Prince Richard is alive and hoping to take back the throne, she must choose a side. The novel is the fifth in The Cousins' War book series. The second and third novels - "The Red Queen" and "The Lady of the Rivers" - were incorporated into the previous series while the fourth - "The Kingmaker's Daughter" - is a prequel to those events.

Emma Frost will return as showrunner and executive producer alongside Gregory,...

Starz is returning to the throne. The pay cabler has greenlit The White Princess, the sequel to the award-winning The White Queen, Starz announced Tuesday. Based on Philippa Gregory’s best-selling novel of the same name and part of The Cousins’ War book series, The White Princess will center on England’s War of the Roses as told from the female perspective. The story, which is set in 1845, follows the rise of the House of Tudor, and the rocky marriage between Princess Elizabeth of York and King Henry Tudor. When rumors arise that Elizabeth's long-lost brother Prince Richard is

read more...

The long-gestating The White Queen sequel is finally a go. Starz has greenlighted The White Princess, the follow-up to its critically-acclaimed miniseries The White Queen, from Company Pictures. Adapted from Philippa Gregory's best-selling novel of the same name and part of The Cousins' War book series, The White Princess tells the story of England's War of the Roses from the perspective of the women. The 8-episode limited series drama is currently in pre-production. The W…...

"War And Peace" is one of those books everyone probably should read, but the sheer size of the thing is intimidating. So The Weinstein Company and BBC Cymru Wales Drama are hoping to make the story more manageable size with an upcoming six-part miniseries, and the first trailer has arrived. Read More: BFI London Film Festival Review: Tom Harper & Jack Thorne's Gripping 'War Book,' Starring Sophie Okonedo & Ben Chaplin    Paul Dano, Lily James, James Norton, Gillian Anderson, Jim Broadbent, Stephen Rea and Rebecca Front star in the saga about the tumultuous rise of Pierre Bezukhov and his romance with Natasha Rostova. Basically, there will be some great costume and set design, and equally ornate emotions to go with it. Don't think I'm being glib, because it's right up my alley. Tom Harper ("Peaky Blinders," "Women In Black: Angel Of Death") directed "War And Peace," which will air...

Festival favourite Mustang took the festival’s art cinema prize, while documentary Nice People won the audience award.

Festival favourite Mustang and the documentary feature Nice People were among the prize-winners at this year’s Filmfest Hamburg (October 1-10) which came to a close at the weekend with an awards ceremony before the German premiere of the Iranian film Paradise.

Turkish director Denize Gamze Ergüven’s debut Mustang – which premiered in Cannes this year - won the Cicae Art Cinema Award, including prize-money of $5,700 (€5,000) towards the promotion of the film’s German theatrical release next spring by Michael Kölmel’s Leipzig-based Weltkino Filmverleih.

Neue Mediopolis Filmproduktion’s Alexander Ris and Jörg Rothe, the producer of Romanian director Radu Muntean’s One Floor Below, received the $28,400 (€25,000) Hamburg Producer Prize for European Cinema Co-Productions, while Romanian partner - Multimedia East - was awarded $17,000 (€15,000) worth of cinema grading by the Hamburg-based postproduction house.

After accepting...

Tim Lebbon’s new novel, Predator – Incursion: The Rage War Book 1, is being released by Titan Books on October 20th, and they’ve given us three (3) copies to give away. The series is an epic trilogy crossing among Predator,… Continue Reading →

The post Win a Copy of Tim Lebbon’s Predator – Incursion: The Rage War Book 1 appeared first on Dread Central.

★★★☆☆ Just in case you thought fears of nuclear apocalypse were confined to the 1980s like leg warmers and aerobics, Tom Harper's War Book (2014) presents a tense reminder of the risks we run with the nuclear stockpiles in the hands of governing classes of dubious morality, not least of all our own. It's 2014 and in a Whitehall office building, a young nervous civil servant (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) sets up the room in preparation for his political masters. He along with eight others will role-play a nightmare scenario - a nuclear confrontation between Pakistan and India - over the course of three days. Senior civil servant Philippa (Sophie Okonedo) takes the lead in running the meeting and keeping egos in check.

Riveting, terrifying, and unafraid to confront its own quiet horror. One of the most important movies ever about nuclear weapons and modern governance. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

Over the weekend of the 70th anniversary of the first — and so far only — use of atomic bombs in anger, cinemagoers in and around London will have an opportunity to see one of the most extraordinary movies about nuclear warfare ever made. (And then it will air on the BBC next week.) There are no mushroom clouds in War Book. There are no screams of fear or pain. There are no ticking countdowns that may or may not be defused in the nick of time. There is no disaster porn. No stock footage of test blasts from the 1950s is deployed. There are just civil servants...

(Thankfully a nuclear war isn't our biggest fear any more these days... or is it?) This year, the opening film of the International Film Festival Rotterdam was Tom Harper's War Book, a British drama about a governmental brainstorm session. It seems an odd and rather dry choice for a festival starter, but the film has three strikes in its favor. Strike One: it's an International premiere, meaning it's the first public showing outside of its home country. Strike Two: it is a flagship title for one of the festival's most fun segments this year, about people's constant exposure to propaganda. Strike Three: it is rather good. At the height of the cold war, the British government held simulation exercises, detailing several what-if scenarios about nuclear...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

natural history

Dissent was brewing in De Doelen this year. For reasons unbeknownst to the vast majority of attendees at this 44th edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the powers that be decided to make all the bars in the fest’s headquarters cashless. Instead of creating some pseudo Marxist utopia, however, this "innovation" resulted in frustration, as night after night, critics, filmmakers and producers waved their fest passes preloaded with Euros at bartenders in hopes of getting a poorly poured beer.

What does this have to do with Iffr as a whole? Well, it all felt suggestive of things to come. According to the ever-reliable internet, there are now more tickets sold during Rotterdam than at Cannes or Venice. (Indeed, there were several screenings during the festival that sold out faster than I expected, leaving me scrambling to re-jig my schedule and sprinting from the Pathé theatre to the Cinerama.

Exclusive: British director Tom Harper has sharply criticised the British Board Of Film Classification (BBFC) over its decision to give his Hammer horror sequel The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death a 15 certificate.

Speaking in Rotterdam, where his political drama War Book opened Iffr last night, Harper questioned the grounds on which the classification for the horror sequel was made.

“Personally, I was disappointed it (Angel Of Death) was a 15,” Harper told Screen. “There was no blood, no swearing. Obviously, there are some uncomfortable scenes within it. It was always intended to be a 12A.”

The director said the filmmakers were presented by the BBFC with a “whole long list of - to my opinion - questionable reasons” as to why Angel Of Death was made a 15 rather than a 12A.

According to Harper, one of the moments highlighted by the BBFC was “a lady appears behind a door and a door slams”.

“I have no...

Outgoing festival director Rutger Wolfson opens his final Iffr; War Book screened to packed theatre.

The 44th International Film Festival Rotterdam (Jan 21-Feb 1) launched last night with a screening of Tom Harper’s political drama, War Book.

At a packed opening ceremony, festival director Rutger Wolfson - in his final year at the helm - welcomed some well known names to the Festival, among them South Korean director Jang Jin (subject of a special focus), Canadian artist and filmmaker Michael McClure and Romanian artist Irina Botea. Both McClure and Botea will also be the subjects of special programmes.

Wolfson used his speech to highlight the key themes in his final festival programme. In particular, he drew attention to the subject of propaganda, which is being explored in Iffr’s Everyday Propaganda sidebar of screenings and talks.

He said: “In these times of social unrest and digital revolution, it seems almost everyone is eager to produce, receive and spread...

Stray Bear Productions, producer of Iffr opening film War Book, has features lined-up including the story of a gay miner in 1980s Yorkshire.

Stray Bear Productions, the London-based company run by producers Ivana MacKinnon and Lauren Dark, is ramping up its development slate.

The production outfit is behind Tom Harper’s political drama War Book, which opened the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) last night.

Stray Bear, launched by MacKinnon in 2012, now several new projects edging closer toward production and aims to focus primarily on “female talent and female driven stories”.

One film close to being packaged is comedy drama Olivia And Jim from writers (and twin sisters) Henrietta and Jessica Ashworth. Stray Bear is partnering on the project with Diarmuid McKeown of Equation Pictures. The project has BFI support.

Olivia and Jim is described by MacKinnon as a “bittersweet” story about a woman in her late-30s who, following the death of her husband, goes on the...

International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) unveils Signals line-up including a tribute to Korean director Jang Jin and a focus on artist Bruce McClure.

International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) has confirmed the Signals programme for its upcoming 44th edition (Jan 21 - Feb 1).

The final programme includes a tribute to Korean director Jang Jin, a focus on artist and filmmaker Bruce McClure and Made in Taiwan, a special addition to the annual Regained section.

Jang Jin is one of South Korea’s most famous modern playwrights and theatre directors and his films have included gangster movies and rom-coms. Iffr will host a 13-strong retrospective of his films including the European premiere of We Are Brothers.

Iffr’s focus on Bruce McClure will see the avant-garde artist present nine different performances on consecutive evenings under the generic title Opposition Brings Reunion. His presentation at Witte de With, Courting Daylight in Saving Darkness, is described as “his most elaborate and expansive...

International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) will open on Wednesday January 21, with the international premiere of Tom Harper's political thriller "War Book," which tells the story of a war game between a group of government officials, which reaches boiling point. Further, the film "takes place over 3 days as 9 civil servants gather in a government building to take part in a policy shaping scenario. They are there to take decisions on Britain's reaction to an international nuclear attack. At first the participants are casual, playing out the scenario against a backdrop of their own petty squabbles and personal ambitions. Only 2 participants know the truth – that the...

International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) to screen new features from Tom Harper and Jc Chandor.

Iffr is to open on Jan 21 with the international premiere of Tom Harper’s political thriller War Book, the story of a war game between a group of government officials which reaches boiling point and, as their hypothetical global crisis escalates, the fragility of everyday life and those who govern it is brutally exposed.

The film stars Ben Chaplin, Sophie Okonedo, Phoebe Fox and Shaun Evans. Harper, whose latest feature The Woman In Black: Angel of Death is currently on release, will present the film in Rotterdam with writer Jack Thorne.

Iffr will also screen the Dutch premiere of Jc Chandor’s A Most Violent Year as its closing night film on Jan 31. Set in New York City 1981, the film revolves around an ambitious immigrant who fights to protect his business and family during the most dangerous year in the city...

Relativity Media released their new horror/thriller film, "The Woman In Black 2: Angel of Death," into theaters today, and the reviews are in from the top,major movie critics in the biz. It came back with mixed reviews, getting an overall 45 score out of a possible 100 across 12 reviews at the Metacritic.com site. The film stars: Helen McCrory, Jeremy Irvine and Phoebe Fox. We've added blurbs from a couple of the critics, below. Ben Kenigsberg over at The New York Times, gave it a 50 score, saying: "The director, Tom Harper, seems less interested in allegory than in monotonous, conventional goosing, the kind that involves flickering lights and a creaky rocking chair." Justin Lowe from The Hollywood Reporter, gave it a 50 score, stating: "Reliant on suspense rather than gore, this is functional middle-brow psychological horror and screenwriter Joe Croker finds plenty of tired haunted house tropes he’s happy to...

Blitzkrieg Bop: Harper’s Demurely Serviceable Horror Sequel Revels in Cheap Thrills

Director James Watkins scored a sleeper hit with his 2012 sophomore film, The Woman in Black, a UK period piece horror film concerning a nasty spirit stealing village children for her own very personal reasons. Moody ambience, a distinct creepy curio motif, and headlined by the dependable likes of Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds and Janet McTeer (the film receiving release around the time her Oscar nod for Albert Nobbs was announced), it was surprisingly adept in comparison to the usual effort administered in such derivative genre fare (though it isn’t nearly as taut as Watkins’s 2008 debut film, Eden Lake). And so, without further ado, a sequel was born (to be fair, this is the first sequel from Hammer Productions since 1974), this time directed by Tom Harper and sans any original cast members for The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death.

Rotterdam unveils initial Signals programme focusing on ‘contemporary reality.’

The International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) has unveiled the first two parts of its Signals programme, which will address the theme of “contemporary reality” through four sections.

They are:

24/7: the attention economy and how we consume informationEveryday Propaganda: the constant exposure to propaganda in our daily livesWhat The F?!: a range of feminist ideologiesReally? Really: surrealism’s comeback

As part of Everyday Propaganda, documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis [pictured] will present his new film Bitter Lake, which is described as about “why the narratives and explanations we are fed by the media and politicians have stopped making sense.” The programme also includes No Country For Young Men by Oleg Mavromatti and PO98, Broken Land from Stéphanie Barbey and Luc Peter, Made In China by Kim Dong-hoo and War Book from Tom Harper plus a selection of short films from Pacho Velez.

Kevin Jerome Everson’s Park...

A new trailer is now online for Tom Harper’s The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, the next installment of the most successful British horror film of all time. The film stars Jeremy Irvine, Phoebe Fox, Sophie Okonedo, Helen McCrory, and Oaklee Pendergast.

The Woman in Black: Angel Of Death continues the original film’s story: four decades have passed since Arthur Kipps, as played by Daniel Radcliffe, travelled to Eel Marsh House.

The film is set up in 1941 as bombs rain down on London during the Blitz of World War II, a group of school children are evacuated with Eve, their young and beautiful schoolteacher, to the safety of the English countryside. Taken to an old and empty estate, cut-off by a causeway from the mainland, they are left at Eel Marsh House.

One by one the children begin acting strangely and Eve, with the help of local military commander Harry,...

Recorded live at the British Film Insitute’s headquarters, Dom, Liam, Dr Lindsay Hallam, David James and newcomer Emily Estep pour themselves a hot cup to warm them through an exhaustive discussion of this year’s sprawling and wonderful London Film Festival.

Amid the clattering of tea-trolleys and the background chatter of filmmakers from all walks of life, the assembled gang discuss their highlights, lowlights (and in Dom’s case, vomit inducing horrors) that have punctuated their various festival experiences.

Among many, many others, the team take on The Imitation Game, Wild, Foxcatcher, The Duke of Burgundy, Electricity, Song of the Sea, Goodbye to Language and The Falling.

This super extra bumper episode also features an exclusive interview with Tom Harper (director of War Book, a new podcast favourite).

Check it out below, and enjoy!

Download as MP3 (Right Click-Save As)

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Relativity Studios has just released the official posters for the upcoming horror movie The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, the next installment of the most successful British horror film of all time. The film stars Jeremy Irvine, Phoebe Fox, Sophie Okonedo, Helen McCrory, and Oaklee Pendergast.

The Woman in Black: Angel Of Death continues the original film’s story: four decades have passed since Arthur Kipps, as played by Daniel Radcliffe, travelled to Eel Marsh House.

The film is set up in 1941 as bombs rain down on London during the Blitz of World War II, a group of school children are evacuated with Eve, their young and beautiful schoolteacher, to the safety of the English countryside. Taken to an old and empty estate, cut-off by a causeway from the mainland, they are left at Eel Marsh House.

One by one the children begin acting strangely and Eve, with the...

A new full trailer is now online for Tom Harper’s The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, the next installment of the most successful British horror film of all time. The film stars Jeremy Irvine, Phoebe Fox, Sophie Okonedo, Helen McCrory, and Oaklee Pendergast.

The Woman in Black: Angel Of Death continues the original film’s story: four decades have passed since Arthur Kipps, as played by Daniel Radcliffe, travelled to Eel Marsh House.

The film is set up in 1941 as bombs rain down on London during the Blitz of World War II, a group of school children are evacuated with Eve, their young and beautiful schoolteacher, to the safety of the English countryside. Taken to an old and empty estate, cut-off by a causeway from the mainland, they are left at Eel Marsh House.

One by one the children begin acting strangely and Eve, with the help of local military commander Harry,...

The setting of “War Book” couldn’t be further from the sun-dappled Norfolk countryside of Tom Harper’s debut, “The Scouting Book for Boys” (beloved here at The Playlist, but little seen at home in the U.K., and even littler seen in the U.S.). The action (if we can call it that) of his sophomore effort is almost entirely confined to a single room, where a group of mid-level British civil servants, standing in for more important government ministers, run through the protocol required in the event of a nuclear attack. Over the course of three days, they debate the appropriate humanitarian and military responses to a hypothetical crisis, and as the imaginary stakes are raised, what initially starts out as glib political horse-trading turns into something with far greater moral and ethical weight—who should get priority in the event that medical supplies are rationed, whether the U.

The imminent threat of nuclear war is at the forefront in War Book, Tom Harper’s exhilarating political thriller that posits the world shattering implications of global nuclear warfare in the 21st century. Taking place primarily in one board room with only eight characters, the film is an exceptional display of suspenseful filmmaking and perfectly pitched acting that brings the legacy of the Cold War into stark focus and brings home the still chillingly real danger that the world, and specifically the UK, faces from nuclear annihilation.

In a room somewhere in one of the UK government’s London offices, a group of staffers convene for a meeting that is unlike any other. They have gathered to run the War Book scenario; a hypothetical role play that has been in place since the end of World War II. It allows for the group to take on the roles of high...

Hammer has released the new trailer for The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, the next installment of the most successful British horror film of all time. The film stars Jeremy Irvine, Phoebe Fox, Sophie Okonedo, Helen McCrory, and Oaklee Pendergast.

The Woman in Black: Angel Of Death continues the original film’s story: four decades have passed since Arthur Kipps, as played by Daniel Radcliffe, travelled to Eel Marsh House.

The film is set up in 1941 as bombs rain down on London during the Blitz of World War II, a group of school children are evacuated with Eve, their young and beautiful schoolteacher, to the safety of the English countryside. Taken to an old and empty estate, cut-off by a causeway from the mainland, they are left at Eel Marsh House.

One by one the children begin acting strangely and Eve, with the help of local military commander Harry,...

Christopher Eccleston has been cast with Marsha Thomason (White Collar) and Paterson Joseph (The Leftovers) in ITV’s new four-part drama series Safe House. Produced by Eleventh Hour Films, Safe House is a thriller set in the wilderness of England’s Lake District. Eccleston plays Robert, a former detective who is asked by a close friend and police officer to turn his family’s remote guest house into a safe house. Their first ‘guests’ are a family in fear of their lives after they are violently attacked. For Robert, protecting them resurrects fears and anxieties bound up in a terrifying night gone wrong with a star witness. As a consequence of running the safe house, Robert begins to questions the incident and uncovers a web of lies. Inspired by a real couple, Safe House is written by Michael Crompton (Kidnap & Ransom, Carrie’s War), and directed by Marc Evans (Hinterland,...

Exclusive: Tom Harper’s thriller to debut at London Film Festival; acquisitions exec re-locating to UK.

K5 International has snapped up international rights to Tom Harper’s thriller War Book, set to receive its world premiere at the London Film Festival on Oct 13.

The film, written by Jack Thorne (How I Live Now, A Long Way Down), centres on a war game amongst a group of government officials that reaches boiling point when their hypothetical global crisis escalates and the fragility of everyday life and those who govern it is brutally exposed.

The ensemble cast includes Sophie Okonedo, Phoebe Fox, Ben Chaplin, Anthony Sher, Kerry Fox and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett.

Producers are Lauren Dark at Sixteen Films, and Mike Brett and Steve Jamison’s Archer’s Mark, in association with Ivana MacKinnon’s Stray Bear Films.

The acquisition comes as K5 looks to boost its presence in the UK. Kathrin Schöftenhuber is to relocate from the company’s Munich...

“She never forgives… She never forgets… She never left.” Get ready for more creaks, eeks and boos! in this first teaser for Hammer Films’ The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death.

(Yahoo Movies UK)

The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death stars Jeremy Irvine (War Horse), Phoebe Fox (Switch), Oaklee Pendergast (The Impossible) and Helen McCrory (Skyfall, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows).

As bombs rain down on London during the Blitz of World War II, a group of school children are evacuated with Eve, their young and beautiful schoolteacher, to the safety of the English countryside. Taken to an old and empty estate, cut-off by a causeway from the mainland, they are left at Eel Marsh House.

One by one the children begin acting strangely and Eve, with the help of local military commander Harry, discovers that the group has awoken a dark force even more terrifying and evil...

Hammer, and Entertainment One released the teaser trailer for The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, the next installment of the most successful British horror film of all time. The film stars Jeremy Irvine, Phoebe Fox, Sophie Okonedo, Helen McCrory, and Oaklee Pendergast.

The Woman in Black: Angel Of Death continues the original film’s story: four decades have passed since Arthur Kipps, as played by Daniel Radcliffe, travelled to Eel Marsh House – and now, a group of children are evacuated with their teachers from the perils of Blitz-era London. The group soon awakens Eel Marsh House’s darkest inhabitant.

The film is directed by Tom Harper (The Scouting Book For Boys, War Book. ‘Peaky Blinders’) from a screenplay written by Jon Croker (Desert Dancer), which is based on an original story outline by Susan Hill, author of The Woman in Black.

Check out the teaser trailer below.

Shaun Evans (Endeavour) is set as a male lead in Amazon comedy pilot Cosmopolitan, from The Last Days Of Disco filmmaker Whit Stillman. Cosmopolitan, which Stillman wrote and will direct and executive produce, chronicles the loves and adventures of a group of young expatriates in Paris. Evans will play Hal, a divorced, good-looking but somber young man who’s struggling with his most recent heartache in the company of his two best friends, fellow American Jimmy and European Woddy, who’s less than sympathetic. The friend roles have yet to be cast. Evans, repped by Don Buchwald & Associates and Hamilton Hodell in the UK, next will be seen in upcoming feature War Book. Related: 2014 Amazon Studios Pilots Victor Rasuk (Raising Victor Vargas) has been cast as a series regular in CBS‘ untitled Kevin Williamson drama pilot, from Warner Bros TV. Written by Williamson and directed by Liz Friedlander, the psychological thriller revolves around two detectives,...

Principal photography has wrapped on Archer’s Mark’s The Darkest Universe, Will Sharpe and Tom Kingsley’s follow-up to their BAFTA-nominated Black Pond.

Joe Thomas of The Inbetweeners fame stars alongside co-writer Tiani Ghosh.

The supporting cast includes Simon Bird, Chris Langham, Nick Mohammed and Johnny Sweet.

Sharpe and Kingsley say the film is “a romantic comedy set in space, or – to be more specific – on planet Earth.”

Jo-Jo Ellison produces for Archer’s Mark, alongside the company’s executive producers, Mike Brett and Steve Jamison.

Archer’s Mark also produced the forthcoming documentary feature Next Goal Wins and upcoming political thriller War Book, co-produced with Sixteen Films.

Sharpe said: “We’ve been really inspired by Archer’s Mark and their can-do attitude to film-making. They are intelligent, resourceful and creatively ambitious. We haven’t met a more forward thinking company and I’d be very surprised if they don’t play a crucial role in...

Exclusive: Notes on Blindness, a short docudrama screening at Sundance in January, is being developed into a feature film.

Into Darkness will examine the true-life journey into blindness by academic John Hull, recorded in his autobiographical account Touching the Rock: An Experience of Blindness. The directors were given exclusive access to the audio tapes Hull recorded in the early 1980s as he struggled to deal with his condition, and these will form the narration and structure for the film along with archive footage, verbatim reconstructions and dramatic interpretation.

The film will be produced by Alex Usborne for 104 Films, which has credits including We Are The Freaks, and Jojo Ellison for Archer’s Mark, which recently completed production on its debut feature War Book starring Sophie Okonedo and Anthony Sher.

Pete Middleton and James Spinney will direct the feature from their own script, and Gerry Floyd will serve as director of photography.

With the full...

Shooting started last week on The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, the next instalment of the most successful British horror film of all time.

The Woman in Black: Angel of Death stars Phoebe Fox as Eve, in her first leading role in a feature film. Rada-trained Phoebe (represented by Curtis Brown) who was picked as one of Screen International's Stars of Tomorrow 2011 for her theatre performances, recently starred as Grace in ITV2 witch drama Switch. She previously worked with director Tom Harper on War Book alongside Sophie Okonedo, and will also be seen in Aisling Walsh’s Dylan Thomas project A Poet in New York with Tom Hollander and BBC’s The Musketeers.

Phoebe is joined by Jeremy Irvine (represented by Hatton McEwan) playing Harry. Jeremy shot to fame when he was cast as Albert in Steven Spielberg's War Horse. He has since starred alongside Dakota Fanning in...

The Woman in Black: Angel of Death stars Phoebe Fox in her first leading role in a feature film, having previously worked with Tom Harper on War Book. Fox is joined by Jeremy Irvine (War Horse, Great Expectations, The Railway Man), the award-winning Helen McCrory (Skyfall, Hugo, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows) and rising star Oaklee Pendergast (The Impossible).

The Woman in Black: Angel Of Death continues the original film’s story: four decades have passed since Arthur Kipps, as played by Daniel Radcliffe, travelled to Eel Marsh House – and now, a group of children are evacuated with their teachers from the perils of Blitz-era London. The group soon awakens Eel Marsh House’s darkest inhabitant.

Directed by Tom Harper (The Scouting Book For Boys, War Book, ‘Peaky Blinders’), the screenplay by Jon Croker (Desert Dancer) is based on an original story outline by Susan Hill, author of The Woman in Black.

Hammer, an Exclusive Media company, and Entertainment One (eOne) today announced that filming has begun on The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death, the next installment of the most successful British horror film of all time. To be released by eOne in the UK on Friday, February 13, 2015, the film will be directed by Tom Harper and will shoot at multiple locations throughout England and Pinewood Studios.

The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death stars Phoebe Fox in her first leading role in a feature film. Having previously worked with Tom Harper on War Book alongside Sophie Okonedo, she will also be seen in Aisling Walsh’s Dylan Thomas project, A Poet in New York, with Tom Hollander and BBC’s ‘The Musketeers’. Fox is joined by Jeremy Irvine (War Horse, Great Expectations, The Railway Man), the award-winning Helen McCrory (Skyfall, Hugo, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows) and rising star...