News

Prime Video have unveiled the first look at series two of the highly-anticipated thriller, ‘The Rig. ‘The six-part series is set to premiere in January 2025.

Helicopters have taken the surviving crew of the Kinloch Bravo to a new secret offshore facility called the Stac, nestled deep in the extraordinary and deadly landscapes of the Arctic Circle.

Here, the trapped crew must deal with the emotional and physical fallout of the devastating tsunami that destroyed the Bravo and contends with swirling conspiracies, corporate conflicts, and new threats from the dark depths of the world’s ocean. The second series will continue exploring global themes – weaving together the past, present, and future of the planet while taking the viewer to spectacular environments and drawing on the frontiers of cutting-edge ocean technology – including the controversial world of deep-sea mining.

David Macpherson has created a new story that delivers epic thrills and gripping action...

Prime Video has unveiled a first look at the second season of the thriller The Rig. The six-part season will premiere in January 2025.

The Rig Season 2 was filmed at First Stage Studios in Edinburgh, Scotland. The first season premiered in 2023 and became a UK and international hit.

In the new season, helicopters have taken the surviving crew of the Kinloch Bravo to a new secret offshore facility called the Stac, nestled deep in the extraordinary and deadly landscapes of the Arctic Circle.

Here, the trapped crew must deal with the emotional and physical fallout of the devastating tsunami that destroyed the Bravo and contends with swirling conspiracies, corporate conflicts, and new threats from the dark depths of the world’s ocean.

The second season will continue exploring global themes – weaving together the past, present, and future of the planet while taking the viewer to spectacular environments and drawing on the...

Exclusive: The inhabitants of Prime Video’s UK thriller The Rig are heading to an Arctic glacier.

Amazon has unveiled new cast for Season 2 of the hit series, along with first looks, with Star Trek star Alice Krige and The Queen’s Gambit’s Jacob Fortune-Lloyd joining Emily Hampshire, Martin Compston and Iain Glen. Boarding The Rig alongside the new pair are Ross Anderson (The Last Kingdom), Phil McKee (Deadwater Fell) and Johannes Roaldsen Fürst (Hvite gutter). Returning for Season 2 are Rochenda Sandall, Owen Teale, Mark Addy, Molly Vevers, Abraham Popoola, Nikhil Parmar and Stuart McQuarrie. Fortune-Lloyd recently boarded another Prime Video series, Haven, while Krige’s past credits include the same streamer’s Carnival Row.

Deadline can reveal that Season 2 will be set on an Arctic glacier. The series begins with helicopters taking the surviving crew of the Kinloch Bravo to a new secret offshore facility called the Stac,...

White Bird, the Marc Forster-directed film adaptation of author R. J. Palacio’s sequel/prequel to her worldwide hit book and 2017 movie Wonder, has taken a long and circuitous route to finally getting a North American release. Frustrating as it has been, this is a film that is well worth the wait and perhaps more timely now than ever.

Shot in the Czech Republic in February 2021, White Bird was initially set as a wide release in September 2022, delayed a month to October then taken off Lionsgate’s release schedule entirely before either of those dates came around. It was then scheduled for an August 2023 opening, but last year’s SAG strike meant another delay until it was finally set several months ago for its October 4 release this Friday.

In that time, one of its production companies, Participant, has gone out of business, and another, Mandeville Films, has seen the...

The Rig is returning for a second season on Prime Video. The streaming service has confirmed that the UK supernatural thriller has been renewed. Production of new episodes will begin later this year in Edinburgh.

Starring Iain Glen, Martin Compston, Emily Hampshire, Rochenda Sandall, Owen Teale, Mark Addy, Molly Vevers, Abraham Popoola, and Stuart McQuarrie, The Rig series revolves around the crew of a Scottish oil rig in the North Sea. A mysterious fog cuts them off from the rest of the world, and spores in the fog bring on unexpected changes to members of the crew. An onboard scientist believes that an ancient parasite has been stirred up from the ocean floor.

Read More…...

Back in November, Amazon ordered two more seasons of their “spectacularly dark” thriller series The Devil’s Hour, and now they have renewed another one of their UK thriller Originals. This time, they have ordered a second season of the supernatural thriller series The Rig! The Rig season 2 will begin filming at FirstStage Studios in Edinburgh later this year with several season 1 cast members returning, including Iain Glen (Game of Thrones), Martin Compston (Line of Duty), Emily Hampshire (Schitt’s Creek), Rochenda Sandall (Criminal: UK), Owen Teale (Game of Thrones), Mark Addy (Game of Thrones), Molly Vevers (The Spanish Princess), Abraham Popoola (Cruella), and Stuart McQuarrie (Des).

Created by David Macpherson, the six episode first season was set on the Kishorn Bravo oil rig, stationed off the Scottish coast in the dangerous waters of the North Sea. When the crew is due to return to the mainland, a mysterious and all-enveloping fog rolls through.

Exclusive: Amazon is returning to The Rig for a second season.

Prime Video’s supernatural thriller will begin shooting again later this year in Edinburgh, Scotland, with Martin Compston (Line of Duty), Iain Glen (Game of Thrones) and Emily Hampshire (Schitt’s Creek) among the cast reprising their roles.

Related Story We’ll Be Back: Photo Gallery Of TV Series Renewed In 2023 Related Story Amazon, Disney Employees Petition Against Returning To Office Related Story Starz To Launch Bundle With MGM+ On Prime Video in the U.S.

The first season premiered in January and told the story of the Kishorn Bravo oil rig, stationed off the Scottish coast, which is enveloped in a mysterious fog that cuts off all lines of communication.

Season 2 will follow the surviving Kinloch Bravo crew as they are helicoptered off the rig and taken to a new location, where fresh danger awaits. They must contend with swirling conspiracies,...

The Rig is a series created by David Macpherson tarring Iain Glen, Emily Hampshire and Martin Compston.

Premise

When the crew of the Kishorn Bravo oil rig, stationed off the Scottish coast, is due to return to the mainland, a mysterious and all-enveloping fog rolls through and they find themselves cut off from all communication with the outside world. As the rig is hit by massive tremors, the crew endeavor to discover what’s driving the unknown force. But a major accident forces them to ask questions about who they can really trust.

The Rig (2023) Release Date

January 6, 2023

Where to Watch The Rig

Amazon Prime Video

The Rig (2023) Cast

Emily Hampshire / Rose Mason

Iain Glen / Magnus MacMillan

Martin Compston / Fulmer Hamilton

Mark Bonnar / Alwyn Evans

Molly Vevers

Stuart McQuarrie

Abraham Popoola

Emun Elliott

Calvin Demba

Richard Pepple

See full credits >>...

Amazon’s Prime Video has announced a January 6th premiere date for the supernatural thriller series The Rig, and along with that announcement comes the release of a trailer for the show! You can check it out in the embed above. John Strickland and Alex Holmes directed the six-part show from scripts by Meg Salter, Matthew Jacobs Morgan, and series creator David Macpherson.

The Rig is set on the Kishorn Bravo oil rig, stationed off the Scottish coast in the dangerous waters of the North Sea. When the crew is due to return to the mainland, a mysterious and all-enveloping fog rolls through. The rig is hit by massive tremors, and they find themselves cut off from all communication with the shore and the outside world. As the crew endeavor to discover what’s driving this unknown force, a major accident forces them to ask questions about who they can really trust.

Shetland’s Series 7 return is a bittersweet one for fans of the Scottish BBC crime drama. The six-episode run will be actor Douglas Henshall’s last in the lead role of Di Jimmy Perez. Henshall’s departure though, doesn’t mean the end for Shetland, which has been renewed for an eighth series due to arrive in 2023. A new, as-yet-unannounced, lead actor will be joining the returning cast for that run.

Series 7, which starts on BBC One on Wednesday the 10th of August at 9pm, promises to tie up Perez’s loose ends and follow up on last series’ will-they-won’t-they frisson with Irish carer Meg. Before Perez says his final goodbye to the evidence board though, there’s a missing person case to solve, and a host of new characters to interrogate. Here’s who he’ll be meeting…

Shauna Macdonald as Rachel Cairns

Rachel Cairns is the mother of Connor and Abbey,...

Amazon Prime Video has unveiled casting on the highly-anticipated UK Amazon Original series The Rig, a six-part epic thriller produced by Wild Mercury Productions (part of Banijay UK), created by David Macpherson and directed by John Strickland. The series is set to film exclusively in Scotland later this month on an oil rig and at FirstStage Studios in Edinburgh.

Meet the crew of the Kinloch Bravo oil rig:

Iain Glen plays Magnus MacMillan, Offshore Installation Manager of the rig and leader of the crew, Emily Hampshire (Schitt's Creek) plays Rose Mason the scientist and oil company rep, a fresh face on-board the rig.

Martin Compston plays Communications Officer Fulmer Hamilton. Rochenda Sandall plays Medic Cat Braithwaite. Owen Teale is Head Driller Lars Hutton. Richard Pepple is crew boss Grant Dunlin and Mark Bonnar is Deck Foreman Alwyn Evans.

Calvin Demba plays Drill Hand Baz Roberts, Emun Elliott (Guilt) is rig mechanic Leck Longman.

Exclusive: Cast has been finalized for Amazon UK Original series The Rig, with Game Of Thrones star Iain Glen joining Schitt’s Creek actress Emily Hampshire as co-lead.

Joining Hampshire, Glen and the previously revealed Martin Compston (Line Of Duty) and Mark Bonnar (Quiz) will be Rochenda Sandall (Small Axe) as medic Cat Braithwaite; Owen Teale (Game Of Thrones) as head driller Lars Hutton; Richard Pepple (Bridgerton) as crew boss Grant Dunlin; Calvin Demba (Life) as drill hand Baz Roberts; Emun Elliott (Guilt) as rig mechanic Leck Longman; Abraham Popoola (Cruella) as rig crane driver Easter Ayodeji; Stuart McQuarrie (Des) as head chef Colin Murchison; and Molly Vevers (The Spanish Princess) as roustabout Heather Shaw.

Compston, Sandall, Pepple and Teale also star in BBC hit Line Of Duty.

As we revealed yesterday, Hampshire will play Rose Mason, the scientist and oil company rep. Glen will be Magnus MacMillan, the offshore installation...

Good Omens star David Tennant is to play infamous Scottish serial killer Dennis Nilsen in an ITV drama from the makers of Sky and HBO’s Catherine The Great.

New Pictures’ three-part miniseries, Des, is based on the Brian Masters book Killing For Company, in which the author cooperated with Nilsen to get inside the mind of a man who murdered at least 15 men and boys between 1978 and 1983. Nilsen died in jail last year.

Joining Tennant is The Crown star Jason Watkins, who will play Masters, and Line Of Duty actor Daniel Mays, who features as Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jay. The story charts Nilsen’s arrest and trial, through the prism of the three men.

Des was developed by Luke Neal and Lewis Arnold, with Neal writing the first two episodes and Kelly Jones penning the third. Willow Grylls, Kim Varvell, Charlie Pattinson, Elaine Pyke, Neal, Lewis Arnold and Tennant are the executive producers.

Benedict Cumberbatch is mounting up as Richard III. The "Sherlock" star sports long locks as the English monarch in the first image from "The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses" (embedded below), a followup to 2012's BAFTA-winning BBC telefilms "The Hollow Crown." This new installment of Shakespeare adaptations will feature filmed versions of the playwright's first tetralogy of historical plays: "Henry VI, Part I," "Henry VI, Part II," "Henry VI, Part III" (the three of which will be released in two parts) and "Richard III." Principal photography on the films began Wednesday in the U.K. In addition to the image, a round of new cast members have been announced for the adaptations including Michael Gambon, Philip Glenister, Andrew Scott, Jason Watkins, Samuel West, Stanley Townsend, Adrian Dunbar, Geoffrey Streatfeild, Ben Daniels, Ben Miles, Sam Troughton, Stuart McQuarrie, Anton Lesser, Kyle Soller, Phoebe Fox, James Fleet and Lucy Robinson.

Principal photography is now underway on "The Hollow Crown: The War of the Roses," the upcoming second set of telemovies based on Shakespeare's historical plays. Neal Street, Carnival/NBCUniversal and Thirteen are producing the project for BBC Two with shooting to take place in locations around the UK.

The three film adaptations cover Henry VI (in 2 parts) and Richard III. Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench, Sophie Okonedo, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Keeley Hawes and Tom Sturridge are already set for the project which will be transmitted on PBS.

Also announced today are Michael Gambon, Philip Glenister, Andrew Scott, Jason Watkins, Samuel West, Stanley Townsend, Adrian Dunbar, Geoffrey Streatfield, Ben Daniels, Ben Miles, Sam Troughton, Stuart McQuarrie, Anton Lesser, Kyle Soller, Phoebe Fox, James Fleet and Lucy Robinson.

The first official image is also out of actor Benedict Cumberbatch as Richard III in the production. You can see that below:

Source:...

Now is the winter of our Benedict content, made glorious summer by this new look at Sir Cumber of Batch playing Richard III as part of the new cycle of the Beeb’s The Hollow Crown. For this second set of Shakespeare adaptations – subtitled The Wars Of The Roses – we’ll see Richard’s tale plus Henry VI, in two parts rather than three.In addition to Cumberbatch, the cast for this new set of films features a rich assortment of talent including Judi Dench, Sophie Okonedo, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Keeley Hawes and Tom Sturridge, Michael Gambon, Philip Glenister, Andrew Scott, Jason Watkins, Samuel West, Stanley Townsend, Adrian Dunbar, Geoffrey Streatfield, Ben Daniels, Ben Miles, Sam Troughton, Stuart McQuarrie, Anton Lesser, Kyle Soller, Phoebe Fox, James Fleet and Lucy Robinson. That’s quite a gathering of Equity, right there. And yes, it means that with Scott’s inclusion, Moriarty...

Savoy, London; Holt Hall, Norfolk; Cottesloe, London

On the screen in 1975 it was Walter Matthau and George Burns. In a 1996 television adaptation it was Woody Allen and Peter ("Columbo") Falk. Now it's Danny DeVito and Richard Griffiths. It will always be the casting that draws audiences to The Sunshine Boys. That's just as well: Neil Simon's play is a wheezy old thing.

Griffiths and DeVito look right – which is to say mismatched – as a resurrected (just) vaudeville comedy duo who were once dependent though bickering, and are, in old age, estranged. It's not just the sheer difference in size – the Mountain and the Molehill – but the gait, the gestures, the speed across the stage, that makes the two men appear to have crash-landed from different planets.

Griffiths presides over his huge bulk like a kindly ruler quelling a potential revolution: even when flustered he moves with a light-footed grace.

Trainspotting Blu-ray Contest Giveaway Sweepstakes. This Trainspotting Blu-ray contest, giveaway, sweepstakes illustrates Trainspotting‘s release on DVD and Blu-ray on September 13, 2011.

Danny Boyle‘s Trainspotting stars Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle, Kelly Macdonald, Peter Mullan, James Cosmo, Eileen Nicholas, Shirley Henderson, Stuart McQuarrie, and Irvine Welsh.

Trainspotting‘s plot synopsis: “based on the novel of the same name by Irvine Welsh, the movie follows a group of heroin addicts in a late 1980s economically depressed area of Edinburgh and their passage through life…Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out, despite the allure of the drugs and influence of friends.”

For more Trainspotting reviews, photos, videos, and information, visit our Trainspotting Page.

One winner will receive:

- (1) Trainspotting Blu-ray

To Enter:

1. Sign up for Film-Book dot Com’s Newsletter below:

Enter your email address:

2. Confirm your Email Subscription.

This is the review of Another Year, directed by Mike Leigh and stars Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Peter Wight, Oliver Maltman, David Bradley, Karina Fernandez, Martin Savage, Michele Austin, Phil Davis, Stuart McQuarrie and Imelda Staunton. The film opens with an uncomfortably tight close-up of Imelda Staunton’s scowling face. The ruddy, thin lipped grimace, panicky aversion to eye contact, deep-set frown lines all paint a picture of hounded unhappiness. It’s an unnerving start. Just a few minutes in the doctor’s room with Janet - a sleep starved, middle-aged, depressive - and already a hefty dose of our sympathy has unwittingly been tapped. And Leigh begins as he means to go on. The experience of watching this film feels a bit like giving blood, so exhausting and draining are the lines of pathos that he channels from us. This is not to misrepresent the film, as it is,...

If you’ve ever seen Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin In The Sun, or watched the 1961 film adaptation starring Sidney Poitier, and wondered what made the unseen white family sell their home, in a nice all-white neighbourhood, to a black family in late 1950s America, then you may want to consider seeing Clybourne Park, a 2010 play written by playwright Bruce Norris and directed by Dominic Cooke.

Clybourne Park, you may or may not recall/know, is the name of the neighbourhood in Hansberry’s play to which the black family, the Youngers, move from their cramped tenement rooms in search of a brighter future and better standard of living. You do not have to have seen A Raisin In The Sun to watch and/or appreciate Norris’ play but, if you have, midway through the first act, you’ll sense a vaguely familiar feeling when one character, Karl Lindner...

There are 5 new clips in from Sony Pictures Classics' "Another Year" which finds venues on December 29th. The talented cast includes Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen and Imelda Staunton. Also in the cast are Peter Wight, Oliver Maltman, David Bradlet, Karina Fernandez, Martin Savage, Michele Austin, Phil Davis and Stuart McQuarrie. Mike Leigh directs and writes the dramedy. In the Spring, happily married Gerri, a medical counselor, and Tom, a geologist, tend their allotment. They entertain Gerri?s lonely work colleague Mary, who gets very drunk, and bemoans her disastrous love life. Gerri and Tom enjoy a warm relationship with their community lawyer son Joe, aged 30, who reports that although his friends are getting married, he is still without a partner...

This is the daily news vodcast from the London Film Festival on Pure Movies covering the gala premiere of Another Year, screening at London Film Festival. Another Year is a film by Mike Leigh and stars Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Peter Wight, Oliver Maltman, David Bradley, Karina Fernandez, Martin Savage, Michele Austin, Phil Davis, Stuart McQuarrie and Imelda Staunton. In the Spring, happily married Gerri, a medical counsellor, and Tom, a geologist, tend their allotment. They entertain Gerri’s lonely work colleague Mary, who gets very drunk, and bemoans her disastrous love life. Gerri and Tom enjoy a warm relationship with their community lawyer son Joe, aged 30, who reports that although his friends are getting married, he is still without a partner.

This is the Pure Movies trailer for Another Year, screening at London Film Festival. Another year is a film by Mike Leigh and stars Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Peter Wight, Oliver Maltman, David Bradley, Karina Fernandez, Martin Savage, Michele Austin, Phil Davis, Stuart McQuarrie and Imelda Staunton. In the Spring, happily married Gerri, a medical counsellor, and Tom, a geologist, tend their allotment. They entertain Gerri’s lonely work colleague Mary, who gets very drunk, and bemoans her disastrous love life. Gerri and Tom enjoy a warm relationship with their community lawyer son Joe, aged 30, who reports that although his friends are getting married, he is still without a partner.

The UK's most amazing horror film festival Film4 FrightFest has released what could very well be another one of the best horror line-ups we've seen ever for its latest show taking place from Thursday the 26th of August to Monday the 30th of August, brimming with films we've been salivating over Stateside!

From the Press Release

This year there are eight British films in the main programme (another record) including Monsters, Gareth Edwards’ sensational post-Apocalyptic debut, The Ford Brothers’ Cannes-hyped African Zombie flick The Dead and Johannes Roberts F – in which a school gets a lesson in horror! Other home-grown titles are Dead Cert (East-End gangsters meet Eastern European vampires), Isle Of Dogs (nasty gangland horror), Paul Andrew Williams’ harrowing Cherry Tree Lane and werewolf thriller 13Hrs. Plus, Jake West will be presenting his in-depth documentary Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship And Videotape, which will be followed by a Q & A panel discussion.

The complete lineup for the 2010 edition of the Film4 Frightfest has just been announced and, as usual, it is a quality selection of the best in horror film from the UK and around the world. The program splits into two programs - the main lineup and sidebar Discovery program - and you'll find both below!

Programme = Screen 1

Thursday Aug 26

6.30pm Hatchet II  (World Premiere)

FrightFest continues its strong relationship with Adam Green by hosting the world premiere of the sequel to his 2006 slasher sensation. Picking up right where the splatter-tastic original ended, Marybeth escapes the clutches of the deformed, swamp-dwelling iconic killer Victor Crowley. After learning the truth about her family's connection to the hatchet-wielding madman, Marybeth returns to the Louisiana swamps along with an army of hunters to recover the bodies of her family and exact the bloodiest revenge against the bayou butcher. Delivering unapologetically unrestrained gushers of gore,...

Sony Pictures Classics has picked up distribution rights to Mike Leigh's "Another Year." Set in North London, the drama looks at the lives of an interconnected group of family and friends in North London. Imelda Staunton and Jim Broadbent star in the film which is competing for the Palme d'Or at Cannes. "Another Year" is the first film to be distributed via Sony Pictures Classics. Miramax distributed "Happy-Go-Lucky" and Fine Line (New Line's indie arm) sent out "Vera Drake" Also in the cast are Peter Wright, Stuart McQuarrie, David Bradley, Ruth Sheen, Oliver Maltman, Martin Savage and Michele Austin.

Another Year, the latest project from British director Mike Leigh, returns him to this year’s Cannes Film Festival to compete for the event’s top prize.

Leigh brings together a familiar cast – including Imelda Staunton, Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville and Phil Davis – for this film which he shot in London in summer and autumn 2009.

If you like this director, best known for his work on Naked and Secret & Lies movie, than you should definitely check out the rest of this report…

As usual, Leigh’s stories are really difficult to pin point, so no wonder we already had a chance to hear this kind of description instead of synopsis: …using his trademark production method of improvisation, Leigh will once again deliver a moving and detailed portrait of his characters’ inner lives.

This process has yielded some of the finest performances ever put on film, and it has generated an...

St. Trinian's II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold

Opens: 2010

Cast: Colin Firth, Rupert Everett, David Tennant, Gemma Arterton, Talulah Riley

Director: Oliver Parker, Barnaby Thompson

Summary: A rollercoaster-style treasure hunt for the legendary Fritton’s Gold ensues as the feisty and ever-resourceful schoolgirls of St Trinian’s face their most fearsome establishment rivals yet - the villainous Pomfrey and his sidekicks from the women-hating secret society known as AD1.

Analysis: While it didn't travel much beyond the UK, 2007's reboot of the "St Trinian's" franchise nearly doubled its £7 million production budget in sales in the UK alone - making it one of the top grossing independent British films of the past decade. Reviews were decidedly mixed but generally pretty weak at the time, so the greenlighting of a sequel surprised quite a few.

Despite a critical drubbing, the core audience of young British teenage girls seemed to be satisfied by...

• Working on back to back Mike Leigh films must be like the back to school experience. You are surrounded by friends you made the year film before. I don't think he has gone from one film to the next without rehiring some of the same cast - and as Screen Daily points out, Leigh who begins filming with a cast of twelve this week, has ten returning actors/actresses (only David Bradley and Stuart McQuarrie are first timers). Much like how Woody Allen commences a new project, we have no title to work with, and no plot details. What we do know is that Sally Hawkins has spread her wings and won't be returning, and that the Vera Drake pairing of Imelda Staunton and Jim Broadbent are top-lining. I'd be curious to know if Leigh will return to the comedy format. Filming on the untitled project will takes place in London for nine weeks,

...

Shooting has begun, in London, on the masterful Mike Leigh’s new movie – his first since last year’s acclaimed Happy-Go-Lucky.As ever, no title has been revealed for the movie, nor a storyline, but the cast has been announced, and it’s chock-full of Leigh regulars. Imelda Staunton, Jim Broadbent, Phil Davis and Lesley Manville are all returning for the unique Leigh experience (where, traditionally, he workshops characters with the actors, forming a screenplay and story from the results).Only David Bradley – Filch in the Harry Potter movies – and Stuart McQuarrie are making their Leigh debuts.It’s the first film for Leigh since the death of his long-time producing partner, Simon Channing-Williams, in April of this year. The new movie will be produced Georgina Lowe, while Focus Features are co-financing with Film 4 and The UK Film Council’s Premiere Fund.Shooting began yesterday and will continue for the...

Mike Leigh is an interesting writer/director. For example, with his Oscar-nominated film Happy-Go-Lucky he worked one-on-one with star Sally Hawkins to create her character as he has been quoted saying he begins his films with nothing more than an idea and through work with the actors, research and improvisation a story and the characters begin to emerge. When I spoke with him last October I mentioned how hard it must be to get funding for a film with no script, he told me, "It always is. I'm the guy with no script, I won't talk about casting and I won't talk about the content. You give us the money and we go away and make the film and don't interfere with us. Not all backers are interested in that proposition." Well, he's got the money and he's back to work. Gregg Kilday at The Hollywood Reporter brings word that...

English filmmaker Mike Leigh has started production on his next new film following the Oscar nominated film Happy-Go-Lucky, which received heaps of critical acclaim. The project is untitled and Leigh is keeping a lid on plot details (much like Woody Allen), but we do know who's in the cast: Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Taking Woodstock), Jim Broadbent (Hot Fuzz, The Damned United, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), Philip Davis (Vera Drake, Cassandra's Dream), David Bradley (Filch in Harry Potter) and Stuart McQuarrie (28 Days Later, "The Bill"). Quite an impressive English cast. Many of Leigh's regular crew also are on board as well, including Oscar nominated cinematographer Dick Pope (The Illusionist, Happy-Go-Lucky), editor Jon Gregory, casting director Nina Gold, costume designer Jacqueline Durran and hair and make-up supervisor Chrissie Blundell. I wish we had more to tell you about this, but that's all their...

Wednesday 26th August 2009 marked the first day of photography on Mike Leigh's latest picture. Taking roles include Michele Austin, David Bradley, Jim Broadbent, Phil Davis, Karina Fernandez, Oliver Maltman, Lesley Manville, Stuart McQuarrie, Martin Savage, Ruth Sheen, Imelda Staunton and Peter Wight and cinematographer Dick Pope is back again too. Of course, this being a Mike Leigh picture we don't know which of those actors might be in a lead role or which of them could just pop up for a second in a single scene, we don't know anything at all about the plot, and we definitely don't have a title. Better than that even, none of the people making the film know any of this for sure either, including Leigh himself. The way Leigh constructs his films is through a long process of improvisation, with characters built up in layers of subtle accretion through a string of...

Mike Leigh on Wednesday began production in London on his latest feature, currently untitled.

His first film since 2008's "Happy-Go-Lucky," Leigh's new project stars, in alphabetical order, Michele Austin, David Bradley, Jim Broadbent, Phil Davis, Karina Fernandez, Oliver Maltman, Lesley Manville, Stuart McQuarrie, Martin Savage, Ruth Sheen, Imelda Staunton and Peter Wight.

Only Bradley and McQuarrie have not worked previously with the director.

Many of Leigh's regular crew also are on board, including cinematographer Dick Pope, editor Jon Gregory, casting director Nina Gold, costume designer Jacqueline Durran and hair and make-up supervisor Chrissie Blundell.

Production designer Simon Beresford is working with Leigh for the first time.

Georgina Lowe produces, with Gail Egan as exec producer.

The film is financed by Focus Features International, the U.K. Film Council's Premiere Fund and Film4. International sales are being handled by Ffi.

Variety says that Mike Leigh (the Oscar-nominated Happy-Go-Lucky ) has started production on his next film, starring Leigh regulars Imelda Staunton, Jim Broadbent and Philip Davis. The movie will shoot in London for nine weeks. Actors David Bradley and Stuart McQuarrie have signed on for their first Leigh film. Georgina Lowe produces, with Gail Egan as executive producer. Leigh's longtime producer, Simon Channing-Williams, died in April.

A film from first time director Mark Tonderai "Hush," focuses on moral responsibility, human trafficking, and the love between central characters Beth and Zakes. Receiving financing from the UK Film Council and currently being distributed through North America by IFC Films "Hush," is a tightly wound thriller that primarily utilizes action sequences in place of dialogue to tell a tale of human depravity. Intense throughout the film offers well executed action sequences and a flair for the imaginative in ninety-one minutes flat.

The plot and story mostly revolves around characters Beth (Christine Bottomley) and Zakes (William Ash) who, unbelievably, encounter human trafficking on the English M-1. After witnessing a woman caged in the back of a generic white lorry Zakes reports the incident to police, but carries on as if business as usual. This scene hints at the films underlining message that each of us, the viewers, have a moral...

The boys over at Quietearth scored a the trailer for upcoming Brit horror Hush last week, now to complete the set, we’ve been given first look at the poster and news on the release date. The début film from writer and director Mark Tonderai (the ex Radio 1 and Kiss FM DJ), Hush stars Will Ash, Christine Bottomley, Claire Keelan, Stuart McQuarrie, Robbie Gee, Sheila Reid And Andreas Wisniewski. We’ve already seen it and have to say - considering it only cost £1 million to make, it’s a damn sight better than a lot of horror movies out there at the moment. Optimum Releasing are set to open the flick theatrically on March 13th. Keep em peeled for our Hush review, next week. Synopsis : Tired and irritable, Zakes (Will Ash) and Beth (Christine Bottomley) drive home along the M1 motorway, a familiar journey full of harshly lit service stations and bad coffee.