Oscar winner Julianne Moore (Still Alice) and Nicholas Galitzine lead the cast of Starz’s new period drama Mary & George. Episode one, “The Second Son,” premieres on April 5, 2024 at 9pm Et/Pt and finds Moore as Mary Villiers plotting how to improve her family’s standing.
The cast also includes Tony Curran (Mayflies) as King James I, Nicola Walker (The Split) as Lady Hatton, Niamh Algar (The Wonder) as Sandie, Trine Dyrholm (The Legacy) as Queen Anne, and Sean Gilder (Slow Horses) as Sir Thomas Compton. Adrian Rawlins (Living) plays Sir Edward Coke, Mark O’Halloran (The Miracle Club) is Sir Francis Bacon, Laurie Davidson (Masters of the Air) is Earl of Somerset, Samuel Blenkin (The Witcher: Blood Origin) is Prince Charles, and Jacob McCarthy (Sas: Rogue Heroes) as Kit Villiers.
“The Second Son” Plot: Mary Villiers develops a cunning plan to transform her family’s fortunes forever, but first,...
The cast also includes Tony Curran (Mayflies) as King James I, Nicola Walker (The Split) as Lady Hatton, Niamh Algar (The Wonder) as Sandie, Trine Dyrholm (The Legacy) as Queen Anne, and Sean Gilder (Slow Horses) as Sir Thomas Compton. Adrian Rawlins (Living) plays Sir Edward Coke, Mark O’Halloran (The Miracle Club) is Sir Francis Bacon, Laurie Davidson (Masters of the Air) is Earl of Somerset, Samuel Blenkin (The Witcher: Blood Origin) is Prince Charles, and Jacob McCarthy (Sas: Rogue Heroes) as Kit Villiers.
“The Second Son” Plot: Mary Villiers develops a cunning plan to transform her family’s fortunes forever, but first,...
- 4/5/2024
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Early in Mary & George, George Villiers (Nicholas Galitzine) halfheartedly attempts suicide in protest of his family’s refusal to let him marry the lowborn Jenny (Emily Fairn), despite his insistences that she’s no mere servant girl “in my heart.” When his mother, Mary (Julianne Moore), finds him, however, she reacts not with worry, but annoyance. “That’s not how it works. That’s not how a single thing fucking works,” she snaps. “Are you five?”
Thus the tone is set for DC Moore’s take on what will turn out to be a romantic affair so potent, it’ll help to define the last days of King James VI and I (Tony Curran). (The monarch’s confusing double title pertains to his sovereignty over Scotland and over England and Ireland, respectively.)
In short: earnest, heartfelt sentiment is out; icy pragmatism is in. The approach does not always serve the Starz miniseries flawlessly,...
Thus the tone is set for DC Moore’s take on what will turn out to be a romantic affair so potent, it’ll help to define the last days of King James VI and I (Tony Curran). (The monarch’s confusing double title pertains to his sovereignty over Scotland and over England and Ireland, respectively.)
In short: earnest, heartfelt sentiment is out; icy pragmatism is in. The approach does not always serve the Starz miniseries flawlessly,...
- 4/3/2024
- by Angie Han
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Having collaborated with Writer Frank McGuinness on a number of projects including their BAFTA-nominated short film The Stronger, Actor/Filmmaker Lia Williams returns to the director’s chair for another McGuinness-penned script in the form of Jsb Films produced historical prison drama Samovar. The story is an imagining of Swedish Architect and Humanitarian Raoul Wallenberg’s life spent behind bars in a Soviet prison and the development of a tender relationship he forms with a fellow inmate, who recounts to him the impact of humanitarian actions. It’s a fascinating rendering of the prison life of a man who remains quietly defiant of a bleak and brutal world and Dn is delighted to Premiere Samovar online accompanied by an interview with Williams about her ongoing working relationship with Frank McGuinness, the practical challenges of shooting alongside a working prison, and the empathetic understanding she has for the actor’s process.
- 5/9/2023
- by James Maitre
- Directors Notes
Pinocchio Review — Pinocchio (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Chris Weitz, Robert Zemeckis and Carlo Collodi and starring Tom Hanks, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Angus Wright, Cynthia Erivo, Sheila Atim, Lorraine Bracco, Keegan-Michael Key, Jamie Demetriou, Giuseppe Battiston, Jaquita Ta’le, Lewin Lloyd and Luke Evans. Tom Hanks stars [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Pinocchio (2022): Tom Hanks is Geppetto in a Harmless Live-Action Remake of the Classic Cartoon...
Continue reading: Film Review: Pinocchio (2022): Tom Hanks is Geppetto in a Harmless Live-Action Remake of the Classic Cartoon...
- 9/10/2022
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Black Film Archive
Created by Maya Cade, the newly-launched Black Film Archive is an essential resource featuring every Black film made between 1915 and 1979 that is currently available stream. With over 200 films indexed, if you’re looking for a place to start, check out Cade’s curator picks, ranging from Ousmane Sembène’s Black Girl to Perry Henzell’s The Harder They Come to Madeline Anderson’s I Am Somebody. Also, if you’re able to help the evolving, self-funded project, consider supporting their PayPal, Cash App, or their monthly Substack here.
Where to Stream: Black Film Archive
The Courier (Dominic Cooke)
Early on in The Courier, directed by Dominic Cooke, British salesman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) realizes he’s sitting at a...
Black Film Archive
Created by Maya Cade, the newly-launched Black Film Archive is an essential resource featuring every Black film made between 1915 and 1979 that is currently available stream. With over 200 films indexed, if you’re looking for a place to start, check out Cade’s curator picks, ranging from Ousmane Sembène’s Black Girl to Perry Henzell’s The Harder They Come to Madeline Anderson’s I Am Somebody. Also, if you’re able to help the evolving, self-funded project, consider supporting their PayPal, Cash App, or their monthly Substack here.
Where to Stream: Black Film Archive
The Courier (Dominic Cooke)
Early on in The Courier, directed by Dominic Cooke, British salesman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) realizes he’s sitting at a...
- 8/27/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
The Courier (Dominic Cooke)
Early on in The Courier, directed by Dominic Cooke, British salesman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) realizes he’s sitting at a table with both a MI6 officer (Angus Wright) and a CIA officer (Rachel Brosnahan). Excited, he admits: “I can’t believe I’m having lunch with spies!” It’s a moment of brevity that speaks to the interesting tonal dance the filmmakers are trying at. – Dan M. (full review)
Where to Stream: VOD
Hope (Maria Sødahl)
While writer/director Maria Sødahl never really leaves Anja’s side to focus on what Tomas is feeling, her film Hope makes certain we know. It’s in...
The Courier (Dominic Cooke)
Early on in The Courier, directed by Dominic Cooke, British salesman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) realizes he’s sitting at a table with both a MI6 officer (Angus Wright) and a CIA officer (Rachel Brosnahan). Excited, he admits: “I can’t believe I’m having lunch with spies!” It’s a moment of brevity that speaks to the interesting tonal dance the filmmakers are trying at. – Dan M. (full review)
Where to Stream: VOD
Hope (Maria Sødahl)
While writer/director Maria Sødahl never really leaves Anja’s side to focus on what Tomas is feeling, her film Hope makes certain we know. It’s in...
- 4/16/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Benedict Cumberbatch in The Courier.
Photo Credit: Liam Daniel. Courtesy of Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions
Benedict Cumberbatch stars in the true-story The Courier, an entertaining Cold War-era spy tale told in a pleasingly classic style. Grounded by sterling performances by Cumberbatch and Merab Ninidze, from TV’s “McMafia,” this is a true story about an ordinary British citizen Greville Wynne (Cumberbatch) recruited by MI6 and the CIA to contact a high-level Soviet military intelligence colonel Oleg Penkovsky (Ninidze), and who ends up at a courier carrying intelligence back to London as the Cold War heats up, intelligence that proves crucial in the Cuban Missile Crisis. The two men form a unexpected friendship, bonding as family men who both want to avoid nuclear war, something the Russian colonel fears Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev is moving towards.
In the long Cold War, the most heated moment was the Cuban Missile Crisis, when...
Photo Credit: Liam Daniel. Courtesy of Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions
Benedict Cumberbatch stars in the true-story The Courier, an entertaining Cold War-era spy tale told in a pleasingly classic style. Grounded by sterling performances by Cumberbatch and Merab Ninidze, from TV’s “McMafia,” this is a true story about an ordinary British citizen Greville Wynne (Cumberbatch) recruited by MI6 and the CIA to contact a high-level Soviet military intelligence colonel Oleg Penkovsky (Ninidze), and who ends up at a courier carrying intelligence back to London as the Cold War heats up, intelligence that proves crucial in the Cuban Missile Crisis. The two men form a unexpected friendship, bonding as family men who both want to avoid nuclear war, something the Russian colonel fears Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev is moving towards.
In the long Cold War, the most heated moment was the Cuban Missile Crisis, when...
- 3/21/2021
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
(Note: This post was originally published on Jan. 19, 2020.)
“The Courier” (formerly titled “Ironbark”) director and Sundance Institute creative advisor Dominic Cooke dropped by TheWrap Studios at the 2020 Sundance film festival to discuss how his suspenseful political drama, based on a true story, differed from other espionage thrillers.
“I was sent the script by my agent along with a bunch of other scripts and it just stood out from the rest so immediately,” Cooke tells The Wrap. “I just think it’s written with such heart and vision, and it’s a true story but I didn’t know that when I first read it.”
“I think it kind of takes you into a very different place in terms of the espionage movie in that it’s much more of an emotional relationship based story about the cost of heroism and the cost of acting for the greater good, and all...
“The Courier” (formerly titled “Ironbark”) director and Sundance Institute creative advisor Dominic Cooke dropped by TheWrap Studios at the 2020 Sundance film festival to discuss how his suspenseful political drama, based on a true story, differed from other espionage thrillers.
“I was sent the script by my agent along with a bunch of other scripts and it just stood out from the rest so immediately,” Cooke tells The Wrap. “I just think it’s written with such heart and vision, and it’s a true story but I didn’t know that when I first read it.”
“I think it kind of takes you into a very different place in terms of the espionage movie in that it’s much more of an emotional relationship based story about the cost of heroism and the cost of acting for the greater good, and all...
- 3/19/2021
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
While the spy thriller The Courier is the true-life story of British businessman Greville Wynne (played with bravado by Benedict Cumberbatch), it is also the tale of a friendship between two men that transcends borders and political ideologies.
Set in the early 1960s, the film follows Wynne, who has been recruited by Mi-6 and the CIA to partner with a high-ranking Soviet officer named Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze) to gather intelligence in an effort to defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis and avert an all-out nuclear war. Wynne is tasked by CIA operative Emily Donovan (Rachel Brosnahan) and Mi-6 agent Dickie Franks (Angus Wright) to relay messages and state secrets between themselves and Penkovsky under the guise of the normal course of his regular business trips. Everything goes according to plan, that is until the Kgb begins to suspect that something is afoot and the whole operation and the safety of...
Set in the early 1960s, the film follows Wynne, who has been recruited by Mi-6 and the CIA to partner with a high-ranking Soviet officer named Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze) to gather intelligence in an effort to defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis and avert an all-out nuclear war. Wynne is tasked by CIA operative Emily Donovan (Rachel Brosnahan) and Mi-6 agent Dickie Franks (Angus Wright) to relay messages and state secrets between themselves and Penkovsky under the guise of the normal course of his regular business trips. Everything goes according to plan, that is until the Kgb begins to suspect that something is afoot and the whole operation and the safety of...
- 3/19/2021
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
The Courier Trailer — Dominic Cooke‘s The Courier (2020) movie trailer has been released by RoadsideFlix. The Courier trailer stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Jessie Buckley, Rachel Brosnahan, Merab Ninidze, Anton Lesser, Angus Wright, Miles Richardson, Keir Hills, David Bark-Jones, Charles Walters, Mariya Mironova, Vladimir Chuprikov, Merab Ninidze, and James Schofield. Cast and crew Tom O’Connor wrote the [...]
Continue reading: The Courier Trailer: Benedict Cumberbatch is a Businessman-turned-spy in RoadsideFlix’s 2020 Espionage Film...
Continue reading: The Courier Trailer: Benedict Cumberbatch is a Businessman-turned-spy in RoadsideFlix’s 2020 Espionage Film...
- 1/28/2021
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
"The Courier" (aka "Ironbark"), set in 1962, is the new dramatic thriller, directed by Dominic Cooke, starring Benedict Cumberbatch ("Doctor Strange"), Rachel Brosnahan, Jessie Buckley, Merab Ninidze, Angus Wright and Kirill Pirogov, releasing March 19, 2021:
"...'The Courier' tells the true story of the British businessman who helped the 'CIA' penetrate the Soviet nuclear programme during the Cold War.
"Wynne and his Russian source, 'Oleg Penkovsky' (codenamed 'Ironbark'), provided crucial intelligence that ended the 'Cuban Missile Crisis'..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"...'The Courier' tells the true story of the British businessman who helped the 'CIA' penetrate the Soviet nuclear programme during the Cold War.
"Wynne and his Russian source, 'Oleg Penkovsky' (codenamed 'Ironbark'), provided crucial intelligence that ended the 'Cuban Missile Crisis'..."
Click the images to enlarge...
- 1/28/2021
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Lionsgate is in the final stages to acquire U.S. distribution rights to the Benedict Cumberbatch thriller “Ironbark,” an individual with knowledge of the deal said. Roadside Attractions will handle theatrical distribution as part of the deal following the film’s Friday night premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Director Dominick Cooke’s film, which also stars Merab Ninidze, Rachel Brosnahan and Jessie Buckley, is based on the true story of a British businessman who is unwittingly recruited into an international effort to end the Cuban Missile Crisis of the 1960s.
Tom O’Connor wrote the script, which follows Cumberbatch as Greville Wynne, who leads a quiet life with his wife Sheila (Jessie Buckley) until he’s recruited because of his ordinariness to serve his country when rumblings of a mole in the Soviet Union government reach British intelligence agent Dickie Franks (Angus Wright) and CIA official Emily Donovan (Rachel Brosnahan...
Director Dominick Cooke’s film, which also stars Merab Ninidze, Rachel Brosnahan and Jessie Buckley, is based on the true story of a British businessman who is unwittingly recruited into an international effort to end the Cuban Missile Crisis of the 1960s.
Tom O’Connor wrote the script, which follows Cumberbatch as Greville Wynne, who leads a quiet life with his wife Sheila (Jessie Buckley) until he’s recruited because of his ordinariness to serve his country when rumblings of a mole in the Soviet Union government reach British intelligence agent Dickie Franks (Angus Wright) and CIA official Emily Donovan (Rachel Brosnahan...
- 1/27/2020
- by Thom Geier and Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
North American rights to Benedict Cumberbatch’s civilian spy thriller “Ironbark” have been acquired by Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate out of the Sundance Film Festival, insiders close to the deal told Variety.
Roadside, the specialty label currently behind Oscar contender “Judy,” and partial owner Lionsgate emerged out of a competitive, days-long bidding process and won the title. UTA Independent Film Group repped filmmakers in the sale for domestic rights, with FilmNation handling international.
Spokespeople for Roadside and Lionsgate had no immediate comment on the matter. “Ironbark” previously sold out international territories at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018. Lionsgate grabbed U.K. rights during those sales.
The movie was one of the most anticipated sales titles headed into the annual Park City event, and serves as confirmation that the sales marketing is heating up after days of premieres and overnight negotiations. The world premiere was held on Friday night at the Eccles Theater.
Roadside, the specialty label currently behind Oscar contender “Judy,” and partial owner Lionsgate emerged out of a competitive, days-long bidding process and won the title. UTA Independent Film Group repped filmmakers in the sale for domestic rights, with FilmNation handling international.
Spokespeople for Roadside and Lionsgate had no immediate comment on the matter. “Ironbark” previously sold out international territories at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018. Lionsgate grabbed U.K. rights during those sales.
The movie was one of the most anticipated sales titles headed into the annual Park City event, and serves as confirmation that the sales marketing is heating up after days of premieres and overnight negotiations. The world premiere was held on Friday night at the Eccles Theater.
- 1/27/2020
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Early on in Ironbark, directed by Dominic Cooke, British salesman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) realizes he’s sitting at a table with both a MI6 officer (Angus Wright) and a CIA officer (Rachel Brosnahan). Excited, he admits: “I can’t believe I’m having lunch with spies!” It’s a moment of brevity that speaks to the interesting tonal dance the filmmakers are trying at.
In 1960, Russian colonel Oleg Penkovsky (codename “Ironbark”) sent a message to the West: he wanted to avert catastrophe under the impulsive rule of Nikita Khrushchev. To help recruit their source, Western intelligence enlisted Wynne to begin a business relationship with Penkovsky in order to smuggle confidential documents out of the Soviet Union. The two men become fast friends, complicating a dangerous situation that will ultimately converge at the Cuban Missile Crisis.
From the start, Cooke directs this film at a fast clip. Montages abound with...
In 1960, Russian colonel Oleg Penkovsky (codename “Ironbark”) sent a message to the West: he wanted to avert catastrophe under the impulsive rule of Nikita Khrushchev. To help recruit their source, Western intelligence enlisted Wynne to begin a business relationship with Penkovsky in order to smuggle confidential documents out of the Soviet Union. The two men become fast friends, complicating a dangerous situation that will ultimately converge at the Cuban Missile Crisis.
From the start, Cooke directs this film at a fast clip. Montages abound with...
- 1/26/2020
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
While not quite as stiff as its title might suggest, Dominic Cooke’s “Ironbark” is unambiguously dad cinema down to its core. , it’s the perfect movie for anyone who watched “Bridge of Spies” and thought: “If only that had been 30 minutes shorter, a bit less artful, and a lot more British.” Never fear, the director of “On Chesil Beach” is here, and he’s naturally brought along Benedict Cumberbatch for good measure.
Holding a magnifying glass to a remarkable (but rather unheralded) footnote of Cold War history, “Ironbark” tells the story of how two men from opposite sides of the Iron Curtain forged a bond that would help avert nuclear armageddon. Cooke’s lean version of events begins in the heart of the Soviet Union circa the autumn of 1960, when a war hero and military intelligence colonel by the name of Oleg Penkovsky has become so desperate to de-escalate...
Holding a magnifying glass to a remarkable (but rather unheralded) footnote of Cold War history, “Ironbark” tells the story of how two men from opposite sides of the Iron Curtain forged a bond that would help avert nuclear armageddon. Cooke’s lean version of events begins in the heart of the Soviet Union circa the autumn of 1960, when a war hero and military intelligence colonel by the name of Oleg Penkovsky has become so desperate to de-escalate...
- 1/25/2020
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
It’s another Sundance Film Festival full of slopes, snow, stars and sales. That’s right, the market at the Sundance Film Festival is gearing up yet again with some buzzy titles among those just premiering at the festival and those in competition. And after last year produced some mega deals for movies like “Late Night,” “The Farewell” and “Brittany Runs a Marathon” to name just a few, these are the features and documentaries TheWrap will be keeping an eye on while in Park City.
Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen
In “Disclosure,” trans director Sam Feder sits down with Hollywood’s other leaders and thinkers in the trans community like Laverne Cox, Lilly Wachowski, Yance Ford, Mj Rodriguez, Jamie Clayton and Chaz Bono. The documentary grapples with the history of trans characters in TV and movies, going way back to “Dog Days Afternoon” and “Boys Don’t Cry” up through FX’s “Pose.
Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen
In “Disclosure,” trans director Sam Feder sits down with Hollywood’s other leaders and thinkers in the trans community like Laverne Cox, Lilly Wachowski, Yance Ford, Mj Rodriguez, Jamie Clayton and Chaz Bono. The documentary grapples with the history of trans characters in TV and movies, going way back to “Dog Days Afternoon” and “Boys Don’t Cry” up through FX’s “Pose.
- 1/21/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Dominic Cooke directing Cold War drama.
Irish rising star Jessie Buckley has boarded Ironbark, Dominic Cooke’s Cold War drama that will star Benedict Cumberbatch and Rachel Brosnahan.
Merab Ninidze, Angus Wright, and Kirill Pirogov have also joined the cast of the film, which starts shooting in the UK on Monday (Oct 15).
Buckley, a Screen Star of Tomorrow in 2017, was the breakout star of Michael Pearce’s psychological thriller Beast last year, and has just fronted Tom Harper’s Toronto premiere Wild Rose, which was picked up for Us rights by Neon.
In Ironbark, Buckley will play Sheila Wynne, the...
Irish rising star Jessie Buckley has boarded Ironbark, Dominic Cooke’s Cold War drama that will star Benedict Cumberbatch and Rachel Brosnahan.
Merab Ninidze, Angus Wright, and Kirill Pirogov have also joined the cast of the film, which starts shooting in the UK on Monday (Oct 15).
Buckley, a Screen Star of Tomorrow in 2017, was the breakout star of Michael Pearce’s psychological thriller Beast last year, and has just fronted Tom Harper’s Toronto premiere Wild Rose, which was picked up for Us rights by Neon.
In Ironbark, Buckley will play Sheila Wynne, the...
- 10/11/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Ewan McGregor and Rufus Sewell are to team up as part of a madcap Shakespeare experiment at London's Globe theatre.
The two actors will play multiple roles in Hamlet as part of a midnight production of the classic play on 6 September.
It will mark the one-year anniversary of The Factory theatre troupe's first frenetic hit, during which castmates swapped characters during the show.
The idea became an instant hit and sold out shows have been taking place in and around London every Sunday for the past year.
They are advertised online at the last minute.
The one-off Globe anniversary show, in which Sewell and McGregor will play multiple characters, will also feature actor Will Keen, Angus Wright and "an exceptionally special guest".
The two actors will play multiple roles in Hamlet as part of a midnight production of the classic play on 6 September.
It will mark the one-year anniversary of The Factory theatre troupe's first frenetic hit, during which castmates swapped characters during the show.
The idea became an instant hit and sold out shows have been taking place in and around London every Sunday for the past year.
They are advertised online at the last minute.
The one-off Globe anniversary show, in which Sewell and McGregor will play multiple characters, will also feature actor Will Keen, Angus Wright and "an exceptionally special guest".
- 8/28/2008
- WENN
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