Tag: bbc

July 23, 2019

‘His Dark Materials’ “Perfect for TV Adaptation”, Says Star Ruth Wilson

His Dark Materials is coming to HBO this fall. The show is a joint effort between HBO and the BBC, and stars Ruth Wilson, Dafne Keen, James McAvoy, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. In an interview with The Guardian, Ruth Wilson spoke highly of the show, noting:

His Dark Materials is perfect for television.

She went on to say that with Game of Thrones, HBO has proven that television is no longer film’s poorer sister. In fact, she noted books are inherently better for the small screen, saying you can really take your time with a book’s content as opposed to rushing through its contents in an hour and a half on the big screen.

There’s no difference anymore and in a way, if you’re going to tell a drama – which this is, as well as being fantasy – you’ve got more time. You have eight hours to explore that, rather than an hour and a half.

Image via the Guardian

She says the show ‘feels special’ and she is very hopeful about how it will be received by general audiences. The scale of it would have been impossible years ago but nowadays, fantasy can look just as epic, if not more so, on the small than in film. Having more time to explore the world and get to know the characters are huge pluses as well.

His Dark Materials is a trilogy of epic fantasy books by Philip Pullman. It is a coming-of-age tale centering around two children in a strange alternative Oxford. While magic, witches, and giant armored polar bears exist in this universe, themes of spirituality and physics are also explored. The books have attracted controversy for their criticism of religion, but this hasn’t stopped them from being enormously popular, garnering numerous awards and reaching bestsellers lists. The iconic series will see its debut this fall on HBO and we cannot wait.

Image via BBC

Are you excited for this classic fantasy series to finally get its well-deserved TV adaptation? Below, you can watch the official trailer for the show. Let us know what you think in the comments!

Featured Image Via Collider

July 10, 2019

First Look At Netflix’s Upcoming ‘Dracula’ Adaptation!

Sink your teeth into this, vampire fans. A new Dracula tv series, based on the original novel by Bram Stoker, is coming to Netflix and the BBC. While not airing for quite a while (the supernatural drama is expected to air in late 2019 or early 2020), what details have been revealed are quite salivating. According to The Radio Times the series will be a collaboration between the BBC and Netflix, with the two corporations working together to air the series. Dracula will be helmed by the creators of Sherlock, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. Dracula himself will be played by Claes Bang, a Danish actor who said he would be ‘thrilled’ by the opportunity. He was further quoted as saying:

“I am thrilled to be taking on the role of Dracula, especially when the script is in the hands of the incredible talents of Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss and the team responsible for Sherlock.”

Bang will be joined by a wide ensemble of actors to help bring the bloody world of Dracula to life. Actors Joanna Scanlan, Chanel Cresswell, Matthew Beard, Lydia West, Dolly Wells, John Heffernan, Lujza Richter and Morfydd Clark, Paul Brennen, Sofia Oxenham, John McCrea, Phil Dunster and Millicent Wong will be joining the drama in as-yet unknown roles. Mark Gatiss himself will also be in the cast, having expressed an interest in playing Dracula’s mad henchman Renfield. But nothing is set in stone yet.

Image via The Radio Times

The show will last approximately three episodes, each of undisclosed length but since this is from the creators of Sherlock, we’re guessing each episode will be movie length in runtime, an hour or more to get their money’s worth of the material. The show’s plot will be, naturally, an adaptation of the Dracula novel but offering a new spin to make it relevant to modern audiences. Moffat said the show will re-centre Dracula as the hero of his own story, as opposed to the antagonist he was in the book and most other adaptations. He will be at the center of the action, as opposed to a more shadowy figure who makes fleeting appearances to menace the heroes. Moffat and Gatiss described the process as difficult, keen to give Dracula center stage but also not take away from his evil at all. They hope their hard work pays off and say they ‘handled’ making Dracula both the main character and truly evil. But we’ll have to wait to see how that plays out onscreen.

Image via The Radio Times

The series is currently in production, having recently completed its second episode. The show is currently filming at Bray Studios, Maidenhead, which was also the location of many classic vampire films starring Christopher Lee as the titular Count, made by Hammer Film Productions. Not much else is known about the show at this time, how closely it will adapt the book or even what the plot will be but the BBC released a short synopsis as a little teaser:

‘Three feature length episodes will re-introduce the world to Dracula, the vampire who made evil sexy. In Transylvania in 1897, the blood-drinking Count is drawing his plans against Victorian London. And be warned: the dead travel fast.’

We can’t wait to see this adaptation of a classic horror novel coming to television. We’ll keep our eyes and ears peeled for further developments. Until then, watch the shadows and keep your garlic close!

Featured Image Via SyFy

June 13, 2019

Queen of Crime Agatha Christie’s Witch Mystery ‘Pale Horse’ to Be Adapated!

The 1961 novel The Pale Horse, written by The Queen of Crime herself Agatha Christie, is getting adapted for the small screen to teamwork by the BBC and Amazon Prime!

Image Via Amazon

Published 1961, Pale Horse is about how a police investigation looking into the deaths of Father Gorman, a Catholic priest, who was struck dead in a fog. Interestingly, Father Gorman died directly after hearing the last words of a dying woman where she gave him a list of names of people who had died under mysterious circumstances. Why was Father Gorman killed? What did the dying woman tell him besides the list of names? And who was this dying woman?

Well, the investigation leads the police to the The Pale Horse, the home of a trio of witches living in a small village who, rumor has it, can do away with people using dark arts.

Image Via Star Tribute

Anthony Berkeley Cox, writing under the pen-name ‘Francis Iles’ praised the novel in The Guardian, saying:

The Pale Horse is in fact the best sample from this particular factory for some time, and that is saying plenty. The black magic theme is handled in a masterly and sinister fashion, and to give away what lay behind it would be unforgivable. This is a book which nobody (repeat, nobody) should miss.

I too won’t spoil the story, I will only say this: Agatha Christie isn’t Stephen King, she’s the writer of murder mystery novels.

Now according to Variety this new adaptation of Christie’s work has been given the green light by the BBC and Amazon. The plan, thus far, is that BBC will produce a two-part adaptation while Amazon Prime Video will co-produce and to show it in the U.S.

Image Via Vimeo

ITV-backed British producer Mammoth Screen is making the two-part series.

Leonora Lonsdale.com

Leonora Lonsdale, of Beast fame, will direct.

Image Via Casting Networks.com

Ado Yoshizaki Cassuto, of City of Tiny Lights fame will produce.

Image Via Agatha Christie.com

BAFTA-nominated Sarah Phelps, who won wide acclaim for her TV version of the Christie classic And Then There Were None will be writing this series as well. In a statement she said:

“Written in 1961, against the backdrop of the Eichmann trial, the escalation of the Cold War and Vietnam, ‘The Pale Horse’ is a shivery, paranoid story about superstition, love gone wrong, guilt and grief…It’s about what we’re capable of when we’re desperate and what we believe when all the lights go out and we’re alone in the dark.”

Will you be watching this new series in the dark? I will, although it won’t be doing any favors for my insomnia.

Featured Image Via Audio Editions.com

May 14, 2019

‘Spider-Man’ Screenwriter Alvin Sargent Dies

Sad news for Spider-Man fans. Alvin Sargent, the man who wrote scripts for the Spider-Man films to life has, according to the BBC, passed away. Sargent died in his home in Seattle due to natural causes, passing away peacefully at the age of ninety-two. He wrote the screenplay for Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3, as a rewrite of The Amazing Spider-Man. Sargent began his career as a writer for television, breaking into films with his film Gambit starring Michael Caine. He went on to write Julia and Ordinary People, two dramas that netted him two Oscar wins.

Image via Dorkly

However, it is safe to say that fans today will remember him for his work on the Spider-Man films, with Spider-Man 2 being the fan favorite of the franchise for its thematic focus on Peter Parker grappling with his double life as Spider-Man, the memorably evil Doctor Octopus, the funny and witty dialogue, as well as a feel good nature of the film that helps it feel fresh for the entire family. While the latter two films aren’t as beloved, it is doubtless that any superhero fan feels gratitude toward Mr. Sargent for bringing these films to life.

Rest in peace, Alvin Sargent! You had a wonderful career as one of Hollywood’s best talents.

Featured Image Via BBC

May 8, 2019

Scotland’s First Space Pilot Took Children’s Book With Him Into Space!

On February 22nd, 2019, the first Scottish person went into space. His name was David Mackay and he was inspired at an early age when he was given a book in his small village back in the 60s. According to the BBC he was given the book Exploring Space as a reward for his good attendance in Sunday school in 1964. David Mackay revealed he was inspired by the book to become a pilot and eventually travel into space. His first dream was fulfilled by becoming a test pilot and eventually, the second was also completed when he became the Chief Pilot of Virgin Galactic.

Image Via BBC

Mackay joined the RAF in the 1990s and worked with them as a military/test pilot for sixteen years. After that, he flew an Airbus and Boeing 747 passenger craft before becoming Virgin Galactic’s Chief Pilot, helping to push the company forward to offer flights into space itself. When he took a ‘space plane’ out of Earth’s atmosphere, he guided it almost 56 miles above our planet. When he went up there, he took Exploring Space with him, showcasing the effect and great impact the book had on his life. Mackay’s journey is inspiring, showing the impact a book can have on you, no matter how big or small, and showcasing how one can follow their dreams from reading.

We hope to see Mackay continue to fly, journeying into the final frontier beyond the confines of Earth, with his trusted childhood favorite by his side! Maybe someday, we’ll be flying on one of his space planes and journey upward on a galactic vacation!

Are there any books that inspired you at a young age? Tell us in the comments! Maybe you have a similar story to David Mackay.

Featured Image Via BBC