Latest news with #GangsofLondon
Belfast Telegraph
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
‘It will change the way I act, because it's changed me personally': Blue Lights star Richard Dormer on experience with SOS NI
Blue Lights star Richard Dormer has recalled how working with healthcare charity SOS NI has altered his life and subsequently will change the way he acts. The Co Armagh actor, who has starred in Game of Thrones and gritty crime thriller Gangs of London, played the role of PC Gerard 'Gerry' Cliff in the Belfast-based BBC police drama.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Harry Potter: Every actor cast in the new HBO TV adaptation
HBO's Harry Potter reboot has garnered the attention of muggles everywhere, as casting announcements continue. The television adaptation of the famous franchise was confirmed by HBO Max in 2023 and aims to be a 'faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter book series by author and executive producer JK Rowling.' The series is expected to run for a decade, with each season based on one of the seven Rowling books. The books follow the story of 11-year-old Harry Potter as he learns of his acceptance to Hogwarts, the esteemed wizarding school, and the adventures that ensue along the way. Filming for the retelling of the novels will start in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, this summer. According to Deadline, HBO CEO Casey Bloys said the show will likely debut in late 2026 or early 2027. There will also be some differences between the HBO series and the much-loved Harry Potter films. Characters will be the same age they are in the books, meaning Snape will only be 31, and the Dursleys will also be much younger than in the movies. It is not currently known if any original cast members will be making appearances throughout the series, but Daniel Radcliffe — who originated the role of Harry Potter — has expressed his excitement to watch as an audience member. Here is the cast of the new Harry Potter series. On May 27, HBO announced that after auditioning more than 30,000 actors for the three main characters, Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry, Arabella Stanton will portray Hermione, and Alastair Stout will be Ron. The three newcomers' characters were originated by Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, respectively. The Hogwarts headmaster was played by the late Richard Harris in the first two films before Michael Gambon took over for the remaining six. John Lithgow will be playing Dumbledore in the series. Speaking to ScreenRant at the time, the Oscar nominee said the casting news 'came as a total surprise to me.' The deputy Hogwarts headmistress and head of Gryffindor House was portrayed by the late Maggie Smith. In the new series, Golden Globe winner Janet McTeer will be playing the part. While the late Alan Rickman played the role of the potions and later the defense against the dark arts professor at the wizarding school, Snape will be played by Paapa Essiedu in the forthcoming HBO series. He is known for his roles in Gangs of London, The Lazarus Project, and The Capture. In the original films, the gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures professor was played by the late Robbie Coltrane. The new series will feature Nick Frost playing the part. Quirrell is Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in the first film and novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. While he was played by Ian Hart in the film, the role will be taken on by Luke Thallon in the television series. Filch is the caretaker at Hogwarts throughout the films and novels, known for being an extremely strict rule-enforcer. He was played by David Bradley throughout the films, but will turn over the torch to Paul Whitehouse in the forthcoming HBO version.
Mint
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Harry Potter reboot TV series: HBO announces newest Hogwarts trio Harry, Ron, and Hermione
HBO has officially announced the three young actors who will play Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley in its new television series based on the beloved books by JK Rowling. Let's meet our newest magical trio - Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Stout. Dominic McLaughlin will take on the iconic role of Harry Potter, while Arabella Stanton has been cast as the clever and brave Hermione Granger. Rounding out the golden trio is Alastair Stout, who will play Ron Weasley, Harry's loyal best friend. The announcement was made on HBO's official Instagram handle with the caption, 'Dear Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, and Mr. Weasley: We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please welcome Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley to the HBO Original Series Harry Potter.' The casting comes after a massive open call launched last autumn, where over 30,000 hopefuls auditioned for a chance to step into the magical world of Hogwarts. The final choices were made after months of careful consideration and screen tests. Filming for the HBO Original Series is set to begin this summer. The show is planned as a faithful adaptation of the books, with each season covering one novel in the series. Long before the trio was announced, there were a series of other castings that had fans talking about the show. Actor Paapa Essiedu, of 'I May Destroy You', 'Gangs of London' fame, will be stepping into the role of Severus Snape. Janet McTeer, best known for 'Tumbleweeds' and 'The White Queen', would be Minerva McGonagall in the series. On the other hand, Nick Frost, previously in 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz', will essay the role of Rubeus Hagrid. Last but not the least, John Lithgow, most recently seen in 'Conclave' will take on the role of the wise Professor Albus Dumbledore. Fans around the world have been eagerly waiting to see who would take on the beloved roles. While the new cast have big shoes to fill, there's growing excitement about seeing a fresh take on the wizarding world with a new generation of stars. The magic is about to begin—again.
Kuwait Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
Nigeria needs good fathers, says director who made Cannes history
Akinola Davies Jr -- who has made history by directing Nigeria's first ever film in competition at the Cannes film festival -- lost his father when he was two. "I've always collected father figures growing up," said the maker of "My Father's Shadow", which is in the running for the Camera d'Or for best first film. His homeland has also been looking for a father figure for a long time to put an arm round its shoulder, Akinola told AFP. The film -- which The Guardian praised as "rich, heartfelt and rewarding" -- follows a father and his two sons on an odyssey through Lagos just as the military "pulled the rug away from dreams of democracy" with yet another coup, annulling the result of the 1993 election. Many Nigerians had hoped opposition leader Moshood Abiola, known as "MKO", would save them from the military, Akinola said. Instead the generals threw him in prison. 'Dreams deferred' "There are interesting parallels between the father figures as the president of the country and as a military dictator," he said. "Growing up there was a perception that a father figure had to be a strong, authoritarian disciplinarian," said Davies, who grew up between London and Lagos. That was certainly the figure that Nigeria got after the coup in the shape of General Sani Abacha. But Akinola and his film subtly suggests that there could have been an alternative father of the nation -- a kinder, gentler, more nurturing "Daddy" personified by Sope Dirisu. The "Gangs of London" star plays a father who brings his boys from the village to Lagos in the vain attempt to get the months of backpay he is owed. He may be a good man but he is far from flawless as they discover that his eye has wandered from his wife in the big smoke. "The film is about the boys being able to hold their father accountable... And because they get to see how to be accountable they can be accountable themselves," Akinola said. The young director said the film was all about "interrogating masculinity", making a father's relationship with his children a "two-way street and not a dictatorship". Akinola wrote the screenplay with his older brother Wale, who he "idolized" as a kid -- a relationship that is mirrored in the film, with brothers Godwin Chimerie Egbo and Chibiuke Marvellous Egbo playing the boys. In a case of life imitating art, Dirisu had to be "Daddy" on set, gently laying down the law a few times, even as Marvelous -- in another echo of the script -- tried to keep his younger brother in check. "There are levels and levels," Akinola laughed. "I've witnessed my brothers become fathers, and the fatherhood that they perform with their kids is something that I would have loved to have had." With the film garnering warm reviews, and Akinola rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty on the red carpet, he said he hoped one day Nigeria's dreams would also come true. But the dreams of Africa's most populous country have been "deferred and deferred and deferred", he told AFP, "and they're still being deferred". - AFP
France 24
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
Cannes 2025: Nollywood basks in spotlight as Nigerian film finally makes the cut
Nollywood's Cannes moment has finally come. After decades on the sidelines of the world's most prestigious movie showcase, Nigeria is making a splash in Cannes this year with a first-ever feature film in the festival's official lineup – backed up by a slew of producers and officials determined to turn Africa's leading film industry into a global giant. Leading the charge is director Akinola Davies Jr, whose debut feature 'My Father's Shadow', featuring 'Gangs of London' star Sope Dirisu, screened in the festival's Un Certain Regard segment dedicated to emerging filmmakers. 'I always heard about Cannes when I was growing up and to find myself here with my first film in the most prestigious festival in the world is a bit surreal,' says the filmmaker, writer and video artist whose work is based between Nigeria and the UK. 'Being the first Nigerian film selected at Cannes is also something very special,' he adds. Set over a single day in Lagos in 1993, 'My Father's Shadow' follows two boys trailing after their absent father through the bustling metropolis as the country teeters on the brink of yet another military coup. Based on a screenplay by Davies' younger brother Wale, it's a deeply personal story for the two siblings who were both toddlers when their father died. 'Nigerian men are still expected to provide for their families, which means they're away working most of the time, and sometimes far away,' says the filmmaker. 'We wanted to explore this question of which is more important: the frantic quest to earn a living or spending more time with those you love?' Davies shot the film over six weeks, including in Lagos, the most densely populated city in Africa. He likens the experience to a 'logistical Olympics'. 'The film industry is massive in Nigeria, but with its own way of doing things,' he explains. 'Every day it felt like we had to move mountains.' Second only to Bollywood Nigeria's film industry has expanded dramatically over the past three decades to become the world's second most prolific, trailing only India's. It churns out some 2,500 films each year, almost five times as many as the United States. Most are produced in a matter of weeks, on shoestring budgets. They tend to carry a distinctive cultural imprint based on the everyday concerns of Nigerians, often spiced with the supernatural. 'It's a fantastic and extremely dynamic industry,' says Davies. 'Nollywood was born out of necessity. People who wanted to be part of the film world picked up VHS camcorders and just started making their films.' 09:09 Despite its massive output, the industry has traditionally struggled to reach beyond continental audiences and the African diaspora. 'As it comes from a densely populated country with a large diaspora, it's a cinema that can tend to be a little insular, wanting to tell its own stories for its own audience,' Davies explains. 'But it's also a young cinema, only about thirty years old." Amazon's volte-face Nollywood first took off in the 1990s in the wake of an economic downturn that closed the country's cinemas and fostered the emergence of a homegrown industry centred on films produced and distributed directly on video cassettes. Since then, the industry has grown exponentially, spawning local offshoots – such as the Muslim north's 'Kannywood', named after the city of Kano – and catching the eye of streaming platforms that have helped expand its international reach. But there have been setbacks, too. Amazon closed down its Africa operation last year in a major blow to local industries. Business insiders say Netflix is also poised to hit the brakes, making Nigeria's Cannes breakthrough all the more timely. The Nigerian government has sent a delegation to the French Riviera gathering to launch a new initiative dubbed 'Screen Nigeria', designed to raise Nollywood's global profile and attracting foreign investment. It is part of a wider development programme that aims to create two million jobs in tourism and the creative industries and contribute $100 million to Nigeria's GDP by 2030. 'Some people see the withdrawal of streaming platforms as a crisis. I think it's more of an opportunity to see how we can create our own distribution system,' says Nigerian film producer Lilian Olubi. 'Africa, as a whole, has the people and the talent to meet this challenge.' Showcasing 'our own stories' Olubi is in Cannes to present 'Osamede', a big-budget historical fantasy set during the British invasion of 1897. It tells the story of a young orphan girl with magical powers who sets off on a mission to save her kingdom from colonial invaders. Based on a Beninese legend, the Nollywood-style blockbuster is also inspired by Africa-set Hollywood action epics such as 'Black Panther' and 'The Woman King'. Its producer is counting on Cannes, home to the world's largest film market, to land deals with international distributors. 'In Africa, we have our own hero stories, but they are very local, and it is important to showcase them,' says director James Omokwe at the film's market screening. 'To make a profit from a film like ours, it's essential to be distributed outside Nigeria, both on the continent and overseas.' Omokwe, who is attending his first Cannes Film Festival, says Davies' selection in the official lineup is a boon for all Nigerian filmmakers. 'This will open new doors for our industry,' he explains. 'It's an international spotlight for our work.' The Cannes imprimatur sanctions Nollywood's 'international credibility', adds his producer Olubi. 'It's proof that our creativity is real and powerful.'
