Kenneth Branagh And Kate Winslet Named In Queen’s Birthday Honours List

The actor and director Kenneth Branagh has spoken of his elation at the news he will recieve a knighthood from the Queen, after the Birthday Honours list for this year was revealed. He told the BBC that he feels “very happy, very grateful and delighted” at the announcement. He will be knighted for his service to drama and also for his work for the community in Northern Ireland.

He added: “It would be an amazing thing at any time. In the jubilee year, I’m sure anybody else that’s had the good fortune to be recognised would feel as I do. Very, very special.”

Kate Winslet (who won an Oscar in 2008 for her role in The Reader) will recieve a CBE for her services to drama. She also told the BBC: “I feel deeply proud to receive this, as a part of an ever expanding community of British actors and film makers who are fortunate enough to be able to contribute to an international industry. This makes me very proud to be a Brit!”

The Thick Of It writer Armando Ianucci, actress Jenny Agutter and cookery writer Mary Berry are set to recieve OBEs. Actress and star of  BBC One’s New Tricks, Amanda Redman, will become an MBE.

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Mads Mikkelson To Play The Villain In Thor 2

Danish actor Mads Mikkelson (best known for his role as Casino Royale’s Le Chiffre) is apparently set to play the main villain in the sequel to Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film.

Though Tom Hiddleston is confirmed to return as Loki (the antagonist in both Thor and this summer’s Avengers Assemble), Mikkelson is reported to be in talks to appear as the central bad guy. It’s currently unknown what role he will be playing.

Mikkelson had a supporting (and credible) role in Greek mythical mess Clash of the Titans and played the main character One-Eye in Nicolas Winding-Refn’s Valhalla Rising.

Also returning in Thor 2 will be Chris Hemsworth as the titular Thor, Natalie Portman as love interest Jane Foster, Anthony Hopkins as Odin and Idris Elba as Heimdall. Replacing Branagh as director is Alan Taylor, whose previous directorial credits include Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones.

Marvel Studios President Kevin Fiege gave an interview to Collider in which he outlined some ideas for the plot of the sequel:

“[The heart of the movie is] Thor and Jane, to continue that dynamic.  Really they were only together for three days, and do they love each other? Do they like each other? Do they know each other?  We’re acknowledging that that love story in the first movie was sort of a quick crush, essentially, over the course of three quick days in the middle of the desert. And [the heart of the movie is also] the relationship between Thor and Odin, which does change drastically as it did over the course of the first movie, and picks up and continues from there.”

Thor 2 is scheduled for release on November 15th, 2013.

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4 The Dark Knight Rises Stills Released

The Dark Knight Rises, one of the most anticipated films of the year, will be with us in a couple of months. July 20th, to be specific. To whet our appetite even more for the return of Gotham’s caped crusader, Empire magazine have got hold of four new, exclusive images from the film.

The conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s trilogy will centre on the arrival of villain Bane (played by Tom Hardy) into the world of Christian Bale’s Batman/Bruce Wayne. From what we’ve seen in the trailers, we’re guaranteed our fair share of explosive mayhem this summer. Bane is, afterall, a juggernaught of physical strength and intelligence.

Also set to appear is Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman and Inception alumni Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gorden-Levitt. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman will return as Alfred Pennyworth and Lucius Fox respectively.

The rest of the images can be found on the Empire website HERE

Watch the third trailer for The Dark Knight Rises below.

Why You Need To Be Excited For Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

If you haven’t yet heard about Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, where have you been?! 

The film, based on Seth Grahame-Smith’s bestselling novel of the same name, will be coming to your movie screens in June via visionary director Timur Bekmambetov. That’s the same man who brought you Angelina Jolie curving bullets in 2008’s Wanted. From what we’ve seen from the teaser and the trailer (see below) we can expect the same sort of eye-watering effects and incredible action that we’ve come to associate with the Kazak director.

Grahame-Smith wrote the screenplay, so you can be sure it’s as true to the book as you could have hoped, and the master of quirky gothic cinema, Tim Burton, is credited as a producer. Henry Jackman, who wrote the rousing score for X-Men: First Class, will be working his magic yet again to bring the creepy world to life. Excited yet?

The plot follows the young Abraham Lincoln, who discovers that vampires are very much real and are responsible for the deaths of a number of his family members. He vows to rid the world of them, all the while attempting to become the 16th President of the United States. It’s sort of the most badass coming-of-age story every written. It’s the American dream with fangs.

Though it’s probably true that vampires have been slightly over-used in cinema as of late, the thing that’s different about Vampire Hunter is that all the action is blended with the historic backdrop of the American Civil War. There’ll be no sparkly, pouting emos in this film; prepare yourself for neck slicing, head-severing goodness, all in glorious 3D.

The relatively unknown Benjamin Walker beat the likes of Nicholas Cage and Adrien Brody for the role of Lincoln. Also starring is Brit favourite Dominic Cooper as vampire-killing mentor Henry Sturges, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, and Rufus Sewell as Adam, the main vampire antagonist.

So that’s a great cast, a great director, producer and screenwriter and a fantastic story. Come on. Admit it. It’s going to be awesome.

Don’t believe me? Watch the trailer below.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is scheduled for release on June 22nd.

HBO’s Luck Cancelled After A Third Horse Dies During Filming

Luck, HBO’s horse racing drama, has been cancelled after a third horse was put down during filming. The heavily advertised and critically praised programme that stars Nick Nolte and Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman had come under considerable scrutiny for the treatment of the horses used on set. The cancellation was announced on Wednesday, the day after a mare fell and collided head first with the ground. It was euthanized after a vet decided that it was the best course of action.

HBO released a statement saying: “While we maintained the highest safety standards possible, accidents unfortunately happen, and it is impossible to guarantee they won’t in the future. Accordingly, we have reached this difficult decision.”

Despite heavy publicity in the US on the part of HBO, Luck has underperformed in the ratings, drawing an average of 625,000 viewers per episode. A second series had been commissioned.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) revealed they’d recieved information that told them that the horses used were “unfit or injured” and that of the two horses that had died previously, one was arthritic and one was drugged. They responded gratefully to the news, stating: “Knowing that old, unfit and drugged horses were forced to race for this series, PETA is glad that HBO has finally decided to cancel the show.”

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