Birdsong (2012)

Eddie Redmayne (Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Pillars of the Earth) and Clémence Poésy (Harry Potter, War and Peace) will star in BBC's 2- part adaptation of Birdsong.

They will play Stephen Wraysford and Isabelle Azaire - two lovers who are torn apart by the events of the First World War - in the adaptation of Sebastian Faulks' novel.

Redmayne said, "Birdsong had an overwhelming impact on me when I first read it in my teens. It is a privilege to now be a part of bringing Faulks's masterpiece to the screen."

Source: Digital Spy

And thanks to Peri for mentioning!

My Week with Marilyn (2011)

My Week With Marilyn is being told from the perspective of Colin Clark, who worked as a ­gofer on The Prince And The Showgirl, a film that Laurence Olivier made with Marilyn Monroe in 1956.

Cast:
Michelle Williams - Marilyn Monroe
Eddie Redmayne - Colin Clark
Kenneth Branagh - Laurence Olivier
Judi Dench - Sybil Thorndike
Emma Watson - Lucy (wardrobe assistant)
Julia Ormond - Vivien Leigh
Dougray Scott - Arthur Miller
Dominic Cooper - Milton Greene
Zoë Wanamaker as Monroe's acting consultant Paula Strasberg
Toby Jones
Simon Russell Beale
Derek Jacobi
Geraldine Somerville

Directed by Simon Curtis (The Virgin Queen, Return to Cranford, Mrs. Dalloway, David Copperfield)
Produced by Weinstein Brothers

From Amazon's description of book:
Clark, son of historian Sir Kenneth Clark, spent his days just after college as third assistant director (read gofer) on the set of the 1957 British film The Prince and The Showgirl. What made this film unique, and the reason Clark decided to keep a daily journal, was the unlikely pairing of Marilyn Monroe and Sir Lawrence Olivier in the title roles.

Monroe hoped this would give her a more serious image; Olivier hoped to boost his film career. But Monroe was insecure; treated badly by her new husband, Arthur Miller; and often late and on drugs. Olivier, the consummate professional, had no patience.

Look at first movie still

Shown: Michelle Williams, Dougray Scott, Dominic Cooper
Eddie Redmayne and Toby Jones

View TRAILER
Youtube: images from set
IMDb

Release dates

Preview and Interviews for Pillars of the Earth

We get to see more scenes than those were already shown in the trailer
as well as hear from some of the cast for the upcoming series Pillars of the Earth.
-> More information on Pillars of the Earth


Featured in video:
Author Ken Follett, producer Ridley Scott
Actors: Rufus Sewell, Matthew Macfadyen, Ian McShane, Hayley Atwell, Eddie Redmayne


Thanks to Darcylicious.com for providing the video!

Eddie Redmayne - interviews

Things are swell lately for Eddie Redmayne!

~ He just won a 2010 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play. (for Red which is also won Tony for Best Play)
~ He's starring as Jack in the anticipated miniseries Pillars of the Earth
~ He's rumored to be cast in Spielberg's upcoming War Horse (along with Tom Hiddleston)

Here's a video interview with Redmayne following his Tony win, as well as an older interview for the New York Times which also features Rupert Friend and Ben Whishaw :)

Rupert Friend, Ben Whishaw, Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Johnson interviewed for NY Times

Pillars of the Earth

Pillars of the Earth will premiere

Friday, July 23, 2010
The Movie Network in Canada and on Starz in the U.S.
(It will also be shown on CBC in Canada in January 2011)

New pics have been added to the official website and I've added new pics of the cast below.
>>Video: trailer
>>Video: preview and interviews
>>Video: The Making of The Pillars of the Earth
>>interview with Ken Follett
>>see photos of characters with description
>>more photos

>>View video of behind the scenes
>>Official website for miniseries
>>Read more details at Ken Follett's website
>>IMDB link

A new series is about to start filming that will feature Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bennett, Mary Crawford, Angel Clare, Will Ladislaw AND Gordon Pinsent. Am I excited? You betcha.
[Now, Fitzwilliam Darcy will not be showing up but we will see Matthew Macfadyen, Donald Sutherland, Hayley Atwell, Eddie Redmayne, Rufus Sewell AND Gordon Pinsent!] I have been thinking about reading this book for a while so now my mind has been made up for me...
I'm curious about Macfadyen's character and looked up in Wikipedia:
Prior Philip is described as a "resourceful and dedicated monk, whose dream is to see Kingsbridge rise to greatness. He becomes the benevolent ruler of Kingsbridge — allocating resources, organising commerce, resolving disputes and meting out justice, essentially without armed force. His moral strictness frustrates several sympathetic characters, but is completely devoid of malice." Can't wait to see MM in this.

Rufus Sewell / Tom Builder

Matthew Macfadyen / Prior Phillip

Ian McShane / Waleran

Hayley Atwell / Aliena

Sarah Parish / Regan Hamleigh


Robert Bathhurst /Percy Hamleigh
(Mr. Weston in the upcoming BBC's Emma.)


Eddie Redmayne / Jack

Donald Sutherland / Bartholomew


Gordon Pinsent / Archbishop

Natalia Woerner / Ellen

David Oakes / William



Skye Bennett / Martha

Liam Garrigan / Alfred


Götz Otto / Walter


John Pielmeier / Cuthbert


David Bark Jones / Francis


Anatole Taubman / Remigius

Jody Halse / Johnny Eightpence

Sam Claflin / Richard

Sidney Johnston / Jonathan

Kate Dickie / Agnes

Tony Curran / King Stephen

Alison Pill / Maud aka. Matilda

Matt Devere / Robert of Gloucester

Freddie Boath / Henry II

Clive Wood / Henry I

The following is an excerpt from The Hollywood Reporter,

" Most of the big Euro stations have lined up to air "The Pillars of the Earth," but so far there are no broadcast takers in the U.S. or the U.K.

A Germany-Canada co-production, the eight-hour saga, based on Ken Follett's best-seller, will be directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, who has helmed episodes of "Heroes" and "Saving Grace" and was Steven Spielberg's first assistant director on "Saving Private Ryan" and "Schindler's List."

"Pillars" starts lensing June 22 in Hungary and Austria. The premiere is set for the second half of 2010.

Ian McShane, who starred on HBO's "Deadwood," will play Waleran; Donald Sutherland takes the role as Bartholomew; and Rufus Sewell, who recently headlined "Eleventh Hour," plays Tom Builder. Others who have signed on for the shoot include Matthew Macfadyen ("Frost/Nixon") as Prior Philip, Sarah Parish ("The Holiday") as Regan Hamleigh, Hayley Atwell ("Brideshead Revisited") as Aliena, Eddie Redmayne ("The Other Boleyn Girl") as Jack and Gordon Pinsent ("Away from Her") as the Archbishop.

The novel has been adapted by John Pielmeier, who will also play the role of Cuthbert in the saga. His credits include "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" and "Hitler: The Rise of Evil."

The historical novel set in 12th century England involves war, religious strife and power struggles as well as two interwoven love stories.

The mini already has been licensed to Germany's ProSiebenSat1, Canada's CBC and the Movie Network, Spain's Sogecable, Austria's ORF, Hungary's TV2 and stateside to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment for DVD. No broadcast deal is set for the U.S.

"Ken Follett's storytelling artistry presents a richness and brilliance we dream about when searching for outstanding properties for event television," Scott Free principal Ridley Scott said.

Published 20 years ago, the novel has been translated into 30 languages. In 2007, it was named Oprah Winfrey's 60th Book Club selection, prompting the U.S. publisher to ship an additional 1.4 million copies.

Get wallpapers from the original handmade artwork by Petra Röhr-Rouendaal
illustrating the 1999 edition of The Pillars of the Earth.

Just found out that Ken Follett will have a small cameo in the production...

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

I finally watched this film 2 years after its release.
It was visually stunning!
I loved learning more about the queen and that time of history, however, I was disappointed how they exaggerated the polarity between the Catholics and Protestants. See below for more quotes, etc.

A follow-up to the 1999 Oscar nominated ELIZABETH, the biographical saga of our favorite queen continues in ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE. Growing keenly aware of the changing religious and political tides of late 16th century Europe, Queen Elizabeth’s (Blanchett) throne is openly challenged by the Spanish King Philip II—with his powerful army and sea-dominating armada—determined to restore England to Catholicism. Preparing for war to defend her empire, Elizabeth struggles to balance ancient royal duties with an unexpected vulnerability in her love for Sir Walter Raleigh (Owen). But he remains forbidden for a queen who has sworn body and soul to her country. Unable and unwilling to pursue her love, Elizabeth encourages her favorite lady-in-waiting, Bess (Cornish), to befriend Raleigh to keep him near. But this strategy forces Elizabeth to observe their growing intimacy. As she charts her course abroad, her trusted advisor, Sir Francis Walsingham (Rush), continues his masterful puppetry of Elizabeth’s court at home—and her campaign to solidify absolute power. Through an intricate spy network, Walsingham uncovers an assassination plot that could topple the throne. But as he unmasks traitors that may include Elizabeth’s own cousin Mary Stuart (Morton), he unknowingly sets England up for destruction.
(written by Suzanne Lacharde @ hillzoo.com)

Elizabeth: the prequel

Cate Blanchett

Clive Owen

Geoffrey Rush

Samantha Morton

Abbie Cornish

Eddie Redmayne

Rhys Ifans
(I didn't recognize him until credits - from Notting Hill)

Tom Hollander


William Houston

Laurence Fox (on left)

See more movies on British Royalty

Favourite quotes:

Elizabeth: I like your immensities. Your ocean is an image of eternity, I think. Such great spaces make us small. Do we discover the New World, Mr Raleigh, or does the New World discover us?
Raleigh: You speak like a true explorer.

Elizabeth: May we have wisdom not to fear shadows in the night, and courage when the day of danger truly dawns.

Queen Elizabeth I: I, too, can command the wind, sir! I have a hurricane in me that will strip Spain bare when you dare to try me!

Elizabeth [to her army at Tilbury]: My loving people. We see the sails of the enemy approaching. We hear the Spanish guns over the water. Soon now, we will meet them face-to-face. I am resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live or die amongst you all. While we stand together, no invader shall pass. Let them come with the armies of Hell; they will not pass! And when this day of battle is ended, we meet again in heaven or on the field of victory.

[Her speech was also said to have included the line, "I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too." recounted by Dr. Leonel Sharp]

This film was informative for me as to the extent of the religious divide between England and Spain at that time. While both Queen Elizabeth and King Philip were complex leaders and neither completely innocent of wrongdoing, the film chose to focus on the virtues of Elizabeth.

Tim Devan, the producer explains in the DVD's bonus features:

"The whole idea was to make a film that spoke to a contemporary audience and there were two things. One is the overall plot that's come up for a religious fanatic who'll stop at nothing basically in order to have their message shoved through and that, actually, that the only way forward is one of tolerance, and that we would portray the Queen as a tolerant woman, basically. And so, the clash of those two idealogies, if you like, was one that we knew an audience, and more and more so, as it turns out are gonna recognize straight away."

Having always been fascinated by Queen Elizabeth, I watched with awe as Cate Blanchett embodied the role of one of the longest reigning, most powerful monarchs that ever lived. I did take pause however, at some of the insinuations in the film that seemed to suggest anti-Catholic sentiments.

Elizabeth, right before the battle, speaks:
"My lords, I can offer you no words of comfort. This Armada that sails against us, carries in its bowels the Inquisition. God forbid it succeeds, for then there will be no more liberty in England of conscience or of thought. We cannot be defeated."

[Am I simplifying things or overly sensitive but it seems to suggest that if England became Catholic, there would no longer be liberty of conscience or thought? The Inquisition has a terrible history behind it, but that statement seems to jump to the conclusion that any Catholic monarch would be less than "tolerant" as the film is trying to portray Elizabeth. Wikipedia refers to some who took note of anti-Catholic sentiment. I don't mean to get on a soapbox but that was one element that disturbed me.]

Overall, I thought the cinematography of this film was spectacular. Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush and Clive Owens were outstanding in their roles and the costumes were exquisite!

>screencaps