EVANGELINE LILLY WILL PLAY A SYLVAN ELF IN "THE HOBBIT"! WARNER BROS. MAKING $90 MILLION "ARTHUR AND LANCELOT"! STUNNING CONCEPT ART FROM "JOHN CARTER" SF EPIC!

 You all know how much I love me some Arthurian legends. Well, according to "MovieWeb", Warner Bros. has just won a huge battle for the screenplay for ARTHUR AND LANCELOT

by David Dobkin. They apparently gave $2 million for this story which will be a modern reimagining of the King Arthur and Sir Lancelot legendary tales. With a hefty budget of $90 million, the epic will be directed by the very same Dobkin who wrote the story and whom you remember by WEDDING CRASHERS, SHANGHAI KNIGHTS and the upcoming THE CHANGE UP film with Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds! It seems that after charming, lovely and decent BBC's show MERLIN and atrocious, horrible and shockingly bad CAMELOT on Starz, we shall watch some knights in cinemas too!

After I've announced earlier this weekend that Luke Evans and Benedict Cumberbatch have joined THE HOBBIT, I have a

new update: a few minutes ago, Peter Jackson has announced two new additions to the Middle Earth cast. Gorgeous Evangeline Lilly (LOST) will be a new female face in the film playing a Sylvan Elf, a new character called Tauriel. Her name means "daughter of Mirkwood". Hilarious Barry Humphries will be portraying the Goblin King, in the way Andy Serkis created Gollum. Barry is best known for playing the unbelievably hilarious British comedy character Dame Edna Everage which US audience probably remembers from ALLY MCBEAL.

Check out the first concept art (thanks to "Beyond Hollywood") from next Spring's huge sf epic JOHN CARTER. It features  a landscape of Mars from the story which follows adventures of a confederate soldier who ends up on exotic planet of Mars where

he meets strange alien nations battling each other and also a stunning princess Dejah Thoris. Directed by amazing Andrew Stanton (WALL E, FINDING NEMO) this visual masterpiece has the most amazing cast ever including Taylor Kitsch,   Lynn Collins, Polly Walker, James Purefoy, Mark Strong, Samantha Morton, Ciaran Hinds, Willem Dafoe, Dominic West, Thomas Hayden Church ... The first trailer should arrive very soon!

LINK OF THE DAY Always witty Mr. Munk finds the connection between writing and building over in the cave of MUNK DAVIS :)
And have you noticed that this weekend HOLLYWOOD SPY has crossed the magical number of 600,000 visitors? 'tis madness I say, madness, but I thank you, you crazy little freaks for visiting your spy who loves you (and there's nothing you can do about it) :)

HOLLYWOOD SPY'S UPCOMING STARS: SAM CLAFLIN, JENNIFER LAWRENCE AND HENRY CAVILL

Since we've witnessed a lot of young stars appearing more or less from nowhere at one moment and getting numerous roles in biggest blockbusters at the next one, I thought I'd start a new

HOLLYWOOD SPY'S UPCOMING STARS feature. So here's the first part, with some of this year's breakthrough young stars.

SAM CLAFLIN

We've been supporting talented and dashing young Brit Sam Claflin for some time now here at HOLLYWOOD SPY and we are happy that this year he has managed to charm the audience with his role in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES. The post in which I wrote about him previously has had almost 10,000 readings since the premiere of the film. We first noticed his charisma and warm presence in PILLARS OF THE EARTH epic series and then in sf mini series THE LOST FUTURE beside Sean Bean.

He already has two lucrative lead roles in two future blockbusters: he will play the prince in SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN beside Charlize Theron, and a young magician in fantasy epic THE SEVENTH SON beside Julianne Moore and Jeff Bridges. He's the next big thing, mind what I say :)

JENNIFER LAWRENCE

She's unusual, since unlike other young stars, she didn't draw attention to her with her looks (which are definitely breathtaking, deeply charismatic and sensual) but with her critically acclaimed role in THE WINTER BONE for which she got an Oscar nomination as the second youngest actress in the best female role category ever. And then she basically sealed the deal by scoring two huge roles: the role of powerful Mystique in X-MEN: FIRST CLASS and then the lead role in the biggest of the upcoming YA fantasy films THE HUNGER GAMES. That pretty much brought her millions of fans around the world. She is already quite a sex symbol.

HENRY CAVILL

To me he's already one of the biggest stars, and one of my favourite celebs for many years now, but it seems that Henry Cavill's time is finally coming. After spellbinding us all with his role of Duke

Charles Brandon in the four seasons of the cult TV show THE TUDORS (in which he marvelously depicted the just, loyal and honorable Duke who later on gets haunted by his own conscience for doing deeds the king and the state demanded from him) he will finally shine in the lead roles of two of the biggest upcoming blockbusters: he will be brave Theseus in Greek epic IMMORTALS this winter after which he shall take the cape of the brave Superman in THE MAN OF STEEL. He also plays the lead in 2012 action thriller THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY beside Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver. Before THE TUDORS you saw him in STARDUST,

TRISTAN & ISOLDE, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO and BLOOD CREEK. And yes, he is also British, which is how we like our thespians best :) Click if you want to read our long post about him from back when he won THE BEST BRITISH ACTOR poll at HOLLYWOOD SPY.
Stay tuned for the second part of the upcoming stars list!
LINK OF THE DAY Don't forget to visit our dear David tomorrow at his SICK BY TREND, where he's reporting live from Gucci show in Milan! He's there, people, live at the show :)

LUKE EVANS & BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH IN "THE HOBBIT"! "PERCY JACKSON" TO BATTLE "THE SEA MONSTERS"! MAGICIANS AGAINST HITLER IN HBO'S "HOBGOBLIN"! LASSE HALLSTROM HELMS NICHOLAS SPARKS' "SAFE HAVEN"

 Fresh news from the Middle Earth keep on coming as the casting for Peter Jackson's THE HOBBIT continues along with the shooting of the film. There are two new members in the cast.

Jackson has decided to take yet another of Tarsem Singh's actors for the new film (as you remember he already took Lee Pace from Tarsem's THE FALL, who will play an Elven king), and it's my beloved Luke Evans (CLASH OF THE TITANS, IMMORTALS, THE THREE MUSKETEERS) who will play Bard the Grim, an expert archer and the heir to King Grion of Dale's throne. His character is similar to Aragorn in having a lot of action scenes in the film. Another new cast member is Benedict Cumberbatch who will play a powerful dragon Smaug in a motion capture way,  and will also lend his voice to Necromancer or the evil Sauron. (Source: Deadline)

SHORT HEADLINES Fox has found a director for their PERCY JACKSON sequel called THE SEA MONSTERS in Thor

Freudenthal (DIARY OF A WIMPY KID). This time Logan Lerman will go underwater to find the mythical Golden Fleece and rescue a kidnapped friend. I have another news on Darren Aronofsky today: according to "Variety" he might direct HBO's HOBGOBLIN, a pilot episode for an extremely interesting new  fantasy adventure series revolving around a group of con men and magicians during World War II, who use their skills to battle the supernatural forces unleashed by Hitler!

One of my favourite directors, who always makes heartwarming and positive film, Lasse Hallstrom (CHOCOLAT, DEAR JOHN, CIDER HOUSE RULES) is going to helm the film adaptation of

Nicholas Sparks' bestselling novel SAFE HAVEN. The suspense story follows a young woman who, trying to escape her past,  moves to a small North Carolina town, and falls for a loving widowed father, who  heals her heart and helps her escape the danger that threatens her. As you remember, Lasse already worked on the adaptation of Sparks' novel in DEAR JOHN, and you also remember other films based on his novels, such as THE NOTEBOOK and THE LAST SONG. Of course, hater fanboys will hate the project, but the funk with them :)
LINK OF THE DAY My gorgeous Samantha Sotto is getting published by famous Random House this year. Be sure to follow her THE SLIGHT DETOUR blog and tell her I sent you :)
And don't forget to come by on Sunday, when you will read the new HOLLYWOOD SPY's UPCOMING STARS segment here at your favourite spy place ;) Unbelievable pics and hotness tomorrow!

HUGH JACKMAN & PAUL BETTANY IN "LES MISERABLES"? KATE WINSLET & JOSH BROLIN IN "LABOR DAY"! JAMES MANGOLD DIRECTS "WOLVERINE"! HBO'S "THE VIAGRA DIARIES"

 Now, I'd generally try to avoid any movie adaptation of Victor Hugo's famous LES MISERABLES novel, since it's a rather grim and monotonous story, but this piece of news might just change

my mind: according to "MovieWeb" Hugh Jackman has signed on to play one of the two lead roles in the story about a prisoner named Jean Valjean, who is on the run from a policeman named Javert during the French Revolution. He will probably be Jean and Paul Bettany might take the role of Javert. As you remember, HOLLYWOOD SPY has informed you before that the director of the film will be Tom Hooper, whom we loved as the director of THE KING'S SPEECH and the famous ELIZABETH 1 mini series with Helen Mirren. And maybe this film could bring Hugh his well deserved first Oscar?

SHORT HEADLINES Now this sounds as a super adorable and totally unusual match: delightful Melissa McCarthy (of GILMORE GIRLS fame, currently enjoying the spotlights after her role in BRIDESMAIDS) and dashing Jon Hamm(MAD MEN)

will play in an unconventional love story in which his character will be obsessed with hers. The untitled project will be helmed by Judd Apatow (THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN). Famous TV mogul Darren Star will produce HBO's new show THE VIAGRA DIARIES in which Goldie Hawn will be a woman who struggles with being single for the first time in 35 years, after her husband has a midlife crisis at 65 and leaves her. It's official - Hugh Jackman's THE WOLVERINE will be directed by James Mangold (3:10 TO YUMA, WALK THE LINE, IDENTITY).

As "Entertainment Weekly" reports, the movie adaptation of Joyce Maynard's novel LABOR DAY has just got its two lead

stars: our British rose Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin. The story follows a divorced, broken hearted mother, an ex dancer, and her 13 year old lonely and friendless son, who are spending their Labor Day weekend in New Hampshire when a mysterious bleeding man approaches them and asks for a help. In the next few days he will teach the boy many things he didn't know - from how to throw a baseball to how to put those we love above ourselves. The biggest surprise is that the man who has joined them is an escaped convict and a murderer.
LINK OF THE DAY Our favourite Irishman, Lurk, over at THE ANGRY LURKER brings his review of Jason Statham's THE MECHANIC.

1ST POSTER FOR SPACE OPERA "JOHN CARTER" WITH A STUNNING CAST! "STRAW DOGS" WITH JAMES MARSDEN & ALEXANDER SKARSGARD! GERARD BUTLER WANTS AN OSCAR FOR "MACHINE GUN PREACHER"? RUSSELL CROWE IS SUPERMAN'S DAD

Well, you can't really see much on this poster except for the bare chested Taylor Kitsch and some red letters :) but it's the first teaser poster for my most anticipated upcoming film (beside Tarsem's IMMORTALS) Andrew Stanton's space opera JOHN CARTER (previously OF MARS). Coming to theaters next

March, the film is set on the exotic planet following a war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands. The stunning cast also includes ROME's Polly Walker and James Purefoy, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Samantha Morton, Dominic West. Click to read the whole detailed post on the film (with some very indecent pictures :).

SHORT HEADLINES As "Playlist" reports, Relativity has bought Gerard Butler's MACHINE GUN PREACHER from Lionsgate in order to make it an Oscar vehicle for the Scottish

actor who plays  a former drug-dealing Hell’s Angel who returns to religion and opens an orphanage in Sudan, after which he also forms a militia to prevent the children from being turned into child soldiers. And speaking of Oscars, the Academy had decided that next year the Best Film category can have between five and ten nominated films and not all ten like this year. The films will have to have 5% of the first place votes to get nominated. Russel Crowe is in talks to play Superman's real dad Jor El from Krypton in MAN OF STEEL in which Kevin Costner plays the adoptive father.

Check out the first, rather beautiful, poster for action thriller STRAW DOGS which premieres this September with impossibly hot cast including James Marsden, Alexander Skarsgaard, Dominic Purcell and Kate Bosworth. The film revolves around a Los Angeles screenwriter David Sumner (James Marsden) who decides to move with his wife (Kate Bosworth) to her hometown somewhere deep South. There, while tensions build between them, a brewing conflict with locals becomes a threat to them both. This is off course a remake of Dustin Hoffman's 70's classic but with a changed setting.
LINK OF THE DAY Budd over at SCIFI MEDIA is giving away three copies of Scott Sigler's INFECTED novel!

CHRISTIAN BALE IN DARREN ARONOFSKY'S "NOAH"? MATTHEW FOX IN BRAD PITT'S "WORLD WAR Z"? JESSICA SIMPSON IS "FASHION STAR"!

 I must admit I've kinda expected this to happen: according to "Vulture" Darren Aronofsky's new $130 million epic project

NOAH has possibly found it's lead man in Christian Bale, which is logical since such an expensive project does need a star of Bale's caliber. It would also help Aronofsky to find money at the major studios. As you remember, based on a graphic novel, this dark fantasy epic will bring a more grim, gritty, edgy and shocking version of the famous Biblical story of Noah who gathered all the animal species on his ark before the Flood.

SHORT HEADLINES The story of BEASTS OF BURDEN does sound crazy,but this comic book is getting its movie

adaptation. The story revolves around a bunch of dogs and a cat who are trying to defend their owners and their town's residents from unusual supernatural forces. The film will be produced by Andrew Adamson (SHREK, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA). Gorgeous cutie Jessica Simpson will be a celebrity mentor in Elle Macpherson's and NBC's new reality programme FASHION STAR which will see a group of unknown designers competing for a multimillion dollar contract. Jessica owns a very lucrative fashion company of her own.

As you know, Brad Pitt's movie adaptation of WORLD WAR Z is currently one of the hottest projects when it comes to casting, and according to "MovieWeb" the latest cast adddition is LOST's

Matthew Fox who will play a character called Parajumper, while Pitt will be a U.N. researcher. Based on a bestselling novel by Max Brooks the film is set ten years after the human victory over the world wide Zombie epidemic, referred to as World War Z, and it follows the researcher who scours the world collecting the stories and experiences of those who have survived the conflict that almost eradicated humanity. According to some rumors, Ed Harris could also join the film, and James Badge Dale (THE PACIFIC) has already joined it as the soldier who first spotted the zombie invasion.

LINK OF THE DAY Join our favourite Scottish writer, Michael Malone, in his talk about last meals over at MAY CONTAIN NUTS!

CULT ROMAN SERIES "I,CLAUDIUS" COMING BACK? HBO PUTS $40 MILLION IN NEIL GAIMAN'S "AMERICAN GODS" TV SHOW! "STAR WARS" TV SHOW TOO EXPENSIVE TO HAPPEN?

Although George Lucas has already written 50 episodes for a live action STAR WARS TV series, it seems we really won't see it produced any time soon. Beside the fact that there haven't been

any successful sf shows in recent few years so the project could be risky, the main problem, which Lucas mentioned a number of times himself, is the price: producing huge sf episodes in the way he imagined it, with CGI and huge futuristic sets is expensive. And according to "MovieWeb" the biggest problem is digital animation which would be used in the amount TV is still not able to finance. If it gets done it would be set between episodes 3 and 4 in the time when the Empire was spreading around the galaxy from its Coruscant capital, following the underground leaders who control the black market.

Now, HOLLYWOOD SPY has already informed you that HBO is planning a mini series based on Neil Gaiman's famous novel AMERICAN GODS, but now "The Hollywood Reporter" says

that ten or twelve episodes will have a huge budget of around $40 million! The story describes a battle between two different God-like factions. One set of Gods is based on myths and legends who became real because the human race believed in them at one time. They're starting to disappear, and are being replaced by a new set of Gods that are a manifestation of America's preoccupation with technology, celebrity, media and drugs. The main character will be an ex-con who gets mixed up in this war when he unwittingly decides to join a conman who turns out to be a dieing deity gathering troops for the final battle.

Do you remember legendary BBC TV series I, CLAUDIUS with marvelous Derek Jacobi? Well, according to "Deadline NY" it is

getting a new mini series version over at BBC and HBO by producers of equally legendary but more recent ROME. Based on popular ancient Roman epic novels by cult writer Robert Graves the story brings a glimpse into the power, madness, murder, backstabbing and debauchery that was part and parcel of ruling-class Rome by following the rise of Roman emperor Claudius who was hiding his wit and wisdom behind a stutter and a limp in order to achieve his goals.
LINK OF THE DAY My dear Matty brings an extensive X-MEN: FIRST CLASS review over at FilmMattic!