Latest news with #HisDarkMaterials
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Outlander star Sam Heughan to make stage comeback in Macbeth
Heughan will appear alongside Lia Williams, star of The Crown, His Dark Materials and the Missing, in what is being described as "an intimate and compelling" RSC production. The show, which will be directed by Daniel Raggett, will get a two-month run at the RSC's 200-seater venue, The Other Place, in Stratford-upon-Avon. Read more: Heughan, who started filming Outlander in 2013, will be following in the footsteps of fellow Scots Alan Cumming, David Tennant, James McAvoy and Reuben Joseph, who have both played the role in recent years. Heughan, who will be appearing in Macbeth from October 9-December 6, has spoken previously of his admiration for McAvoy's theatre performances. Outlander star Sam Heughan will be making a return to the stage in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Macbeth this autumn. Picture: Sony/Starz Other actors who have starred in previous RSC productions of Macbeth include Ralph Richadson, Laurence Olivier, Ian McKellen, Bob Peck, Derek Jacobi, Anthony Sher and Greg Hicks. Heughan, who was born in Balmacellan, in Dumfries and Galloway, moved to Edinburgh when he was 12 and joined the youth theatre group run by the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh before securing a place at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. He was still studying when he landed a lead role in the David Greig play Outlying Islands which won a Herald Angel Award at the 2002 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Heughan was nominated for the most promising newcomer honour at the Olivier Awards after the play transferred to the Royal Court Theatre in London. Heughan would go on to make theatre appearances across the UK over the next decade, including playing the role of Malcolm in Macbeth at the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh, as well as productions of Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet. Heughan had his first major TV role in 2004 when he appeared in the mini-series Island at War and had a recurring role in the BBC soap Doctors for 21 episodes. However he was a relative unknown until 2013, when he was cast as Jamie Fraser in the Sony-Starz adaptation of American author Diana Gabaldon's Outlander books. Heughan and co-star Caitriona Balfa recently finished filming their final scenes for the eighth and last series of the show. Speaking previously to The Cultural Coven podcast, Heughan spoke of his passion for Shakespeare's work and his ambitions to return to the theatre. He said at the time: 'Jamie Fraser has obviously been brilliant and I've been doing a number of film roles to try to play other parts, but they've all been primarily in the same sort of realm. 'I'd love to have a real acting challenge - I think that's where you get to really stretch yourself. 'Outlander has been so unique. My character has been a young warrior, who has become a laird, a father, a husband and a grandfather now, he's been in battles, he's been abused... I've had so much to play. 'But of course we all get burn-out and want to do different things. 'I'd love to go back to theatre. I have been talking to various people. 'It's about scheduling and that's kind of tough right now with the film schedule I've got, but in the future, I'd love to. 'For me, it's always been about Shakespeare. I'd love to do Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth.' In a separate interview with the Square Mile podcast, Heughan said: 'I started in theatre, I'd love to go back to theatre. 'I recently saw James McAvoy in Cyrano and he was brilliant. I know James from drama school and he was my mentor. I saw him onstage at drama school and to see him there is kind of an amazing journey. I feel like I've got it in me as well.'
Daily Mirror
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Harry Potter series price tag unveiled after claims of record breaking budget
Harry Potter is facing a reboot with a brand new cast of actors and it's been reported the series would beat Rings of Power as the most expensive TV show ever to be created HBO has responded to claims the upcoming Harry Potter TV series will be the most expensive television show ever made, following reports suggesting the cost per episode would reach a staggering £75 million. The adaptation of JK Rowling's book series is set to be a decade-long project, with each season dedicated to one of the seven novels. Reports originally published by The Express claimed that the ambitious project would dramatically outspend even Prime Video's The Rings of Power, which cost around $465 million (£399 million) for its first season. However, a source close to the production has now confirmed to that the reported £75 million per episode figure is inaccurate. Instead, the budget is expected to be more in line with the final season of Game of Thrones, which cost approximately $15 million (around £12 million) per episode. Even with a more modest budget than reported, the new Harry Potter series is shaping up to be a landmark production. Casting directors received over 30,000 applications from young actors hoping to play the new generation of Hogwarts students. Now, Warner Bros. and HBO have confirmed that Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Stout will take on the roles of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. This also marks the actors' first professional appearances on screen. Showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod shared: "After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione, and Ron. "The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen." Francesca Gardiner, whose previous credits include His Dark Materials and Killing Eve, is on board as showrunner and writer. She will be joined by Mark Mylod, a veteran director known for his work on Succession and The Last of Us, who will direct multiple episodes. The cast also includes acclaimed actors such as John Lithgow as Professor Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid. The series is scheduled to begin filming this summer and premiere in 2026. It is said to be a faithful adaptation of the books and HBO bosses are hoping to use it to bring the wizarding world to new and existing fans alike. HBO Max will stream the series in various countries, including the UK, Germany, and Italy. Production is already underway, with a £1 billion studio expansion being constructed in Leavesden that includes an on-site school for the show's young stars. Analysts are predicting that this will have a long-term impact on the UK's creative industries. Tom Harrington from Enders Analysis has told The Times: "It's not just the box office, the merchandise, the tourists or the tours arising from the books, but the resurgence of big UK film and TV production that came in the wake of the Potter films."
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Meet the new generation of wizards: Harry, Ron and Hermione cast announced for long-awaited Harry Potter series
HBO has officially announced the names of the three young actors who will play Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley in the upcoming television series based on J.K. Rowling's novels. Dominic McLaughlin will take on the role of Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton will play Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout has been cast as Ron Weasley. Selected after months of open casting The announcement comes eight months after HBO launched an open casting call for the central trio. Casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann led the process, which invited children from the UK or Ireland aged between 9 and 11, as of April 2025, to audition. In a statement, showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod said, 'After an extraordinary search… we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione, and Ron. The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold.' They also thanked the 'tens of thousands' of children who auditioned. The casting call also emphasized HBO's commitment to 'inclusive, diverse casting' and encouraged applications from all backgrounds, without bias related to ethnicity, gender, disability, or other protected categories. Incrível 🤩 'A nova Hermione Granger da futura série de Harry Potter da HBO, ao lado da ilustração original criada por J.K. Rowling.' Carrying forward iconic roles The new cast members inherit their characters from Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, who played the trio in all eight Harry Potter films. The upcoming series is described as a 'faithful adaptation' of the books, with plans to explore each of the seven novels in greater detail. Though HBO hasn't confirmed the total number of seasons, the show aims to delve deeply into the original texts. Francesca Gardiner, known for her work on His Dark Materials, will serve as the writer, executive producer, and showrunner. Mark Mylod, known for directing episodes of Succession and Game of Thrones, will direct multiple episodes and serve as an executive producer. J.K. Rowling will also be on board as an executive producer. Additional cast and production timeline Several other roles have also been announced. John Lithgow will play Albus Dumbledore, while Janet McTeer takes on the role of Professor McGonagall. Paapa Essiedu will appear as Professor Snape, and Nick Frost has been cast as Rubeus Hagrid. Paul Whitehouse will play Argus Filch, and Luke Thallon has been cast as Professor Quirrell. Production for the series is scheduled to begin this summer. To stay updated on the stories that are going viral follow Indiatimes Trending.
ITV News
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ITV News
ITV UNVEILS FIRST LOOK AT PROPULSIVE THRILLER RED EYE 2 AND ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL CAST
RED EYE 2 AND ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL CAST ITV has today released a first-look image from the brand new series of Red Eye 2 featuring its leading cast Jing Lusi and Martin Compston. The highly anticipated return follows the hugely successful launch of the series last year, which achieved audiences in excess of 8 million viewers and gained 29.3m streams on ITVX, making Red Eye one of ITV's top ten dramas of 2024. Produced by Bad Wolf and written once again by the show's creator Peter A Dowling, the high-octane series was commissioned by Polly Hill, ITV's Director of Drama. Red Eye 2 will see Jing Lusi reprising her role as DS Hana Li alongside new guest star, Martin Compston, who together, must set aside past differences to solve a new high-stakes conspiracy. This epic series - comprising of six brand new episodes - will also see the return of Lesley Sharp as the Head of MI5 Madeline Delaney and Jemma Moore as journalist Jess Li. Also returning are Jonathan Aris (His Dark Materials, The End of the F***ing World), Robert Guilbert (Killing Eve, Bergerac), Cash Holland (The Completely Made Up Adventures of Duck Turpin, Out of Her Mind) and Steph Lacey (Doctor Who, Stay Close). With new cast members joining including Isaura Barbe-Brown (Guilt, The Gold), Nicholas Rowe (The Crown, A Spy Among Friends), Danusia Samal (The Great, Ghost in the Shell), Trevor White (Industry, I Hate Susie) and Guy Williams (The White Princess, London Has Fallen). With filming well underway, Jing Lusi commented: 'I'm incredibly excited to return to the world of Red Eye, and thrilled to be sharing this rollercoaster with the brilliant Martin Compston.' Martin Compston added: 'I'm delighted to be joining the Red Eye team. Hoping to build on the massive success of the first series and give viewers another thrilling ride. Red Eye 2 will be produced by Chris May. Julie Gardner, Peter A Dowling and Lachlan MacKinnon will again serve as executive producers and Kieron Hawkes returns to direct episodes 1-3, with Camilla Strøm Henriksen directing episodes 4-6. The series consists of six new episodes written by Peter A Dowling, with Jingan Young returning to write an episode. The first series has broadcast in over 120 territories worldwide and recently received the Broadcast Award for International Programme Sales.
BBC News
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Philip Pullman announces The Rose Field, the final novel in the Book of Dust trilogy
Author Philip Pullman has revealed details of the sixth and final book in his series about Lyra Silvertongue, the character at the heart of His Dark Materials and The Book of Dust Rose Field will be published on 23 October, and will follow his heroine's story up to her early was 11 when she was introduced in the best-selling and award-winning first His Dark Materials book, Northern Lights, in 78, said he was "relieved" to have "come out of the end alive and able to see it being made into a book and published". The Rose Field refers to a magnetic or gravitational field, and was mentioned in the opening chapters of Northern Lights, when scholars at Lyra's Oxford college secretly discussed a mysterious phenomenon called Dust."In this final book, Lyra is on the verge of discovering what Dust is and what it means, and the story is about how that happens," the author told BBC Radio 4's The World At story also deals with the nature of imagination, the former Oxford English teacher said. "I've got a view of what the imagination is, and Lyra discovers what she thinks the imagination is, so we're talking about that as well." The Book of Dust Beyond the world of Dust and daemons, this book has been influenced by real-life global events, including the rise of tech billionaires, Pullman revealed."It has become clear to me in the last 10 years that the influence of money and the power of the billionaire class, the power of the tech industry and all those extractive things like oil and gas and so on, have a much deeper effect on the world than I had thought," he said."And in thinking about that, and seeing the way the story's gone, and seeing what Lyra has to face and endure and decide about, I've thought about it more deeply myself."The world has changed enormously. We're either at the end of a long period of American power, which will end, presumably, like the end of any empire, in chaos, destructiveness, and then the gradual coming together of nations in a new form. That'll be interesting to watch, if I'm still alive to watch it."But we're also at a time when we can look back, with the resources of the internet and so on... We're at an age where we've got the wisdom of centuries and millennia to draw on. It'll be interesting to see if we do or we don't. I suspect that most of us won't, but some of us might."The Rose Field comes six years after the publication of the previous book in The Book of Dust trilogy's first two books have sold 49 million copies around the world, publisher Midas said. Pullman said he would now turn his attention to planning a memoir, which would be titled Before I Forget."I've been talking for quite a while about writing a memoir before I forget everything, and that's something that's possibly on the horizon," he said."I was born in 1946 I was brought up as a child of the British Empire, which still existed then. And I've seen a very great number of changes, as everyone of my age has."There's nothing remarkable about that, but I've seen a lot of things that I loved, enjoyed, made me happy, made me excited in various ways. And I'd like to remember those and write them down, because I think it's a shame if they're not celebrated and remembered."
