After the award-winning success of her series Derry Girls, which followed the lives of four school girls and a ‘wee English fella’ during the 1990s in Northern Ireland, creator Lisa McGee has announced her latest project: a comedy-thriller series called How to Get to Heaven from Belfast.

Like Derry Girls, the series will be created and written by McGee, and will focus on the close friendships at the heart of the story. However, this time the friends are in their late thirties and have chosen very different life paths since their days at school together. The story follows Saoirse, Robyn, and Dara, who are brought together again by the death of their old school friend, Greta. Saoirse is now a successful writer with middling impulse control, and Robyn is a foul-mouthed, stressed mother-of-three, while Dara has been stuck still living in her childhood bedroom and taking care of an aging parent. Things regarding Greta's death not as straightforward as they seem, and the three women find themselves on a journey out of Belfast and across Ireland in search of answers. 

Jane Austen fans can breathe a sigh of relief today, because the long wait for the final season of Sanditon is finally over. Although season 3 already had its American debut on PBS all the way back in March, fans in the UK were left wondering when the final season of the beloved series would make its way across the pond. Although Sanditon started out as a British television series on ITV, it was cancelled after one season. Luckily, campaigns by dedicated fans and interest from PBS Masterpiece gave the series a chance on American TV, where it continued for another two seasons. The third season of Sanditon is finally being released in the UK today, August 17, 2023, on ITVX.

The series is based on unpublished writings by famed 18th–19th century author Jane Austen. Her notable works have been adapted into acclaimed series and films several times, including but not limited to Pride and Prejudice (both the BBC miniseries and the film), Emma, Mansfield Park, Persuasion, and Sense and Sensibility. Sanditon was Austen’s final work, and she sadly died before completing the manuscript. Screenwriter and novelist Andrew Davies took on the task of adapting the text to the screen, basing the characters on Austen’s writing while taking their stories in new directions.

Past Lives is a South Korean - American drama written and directed by Celine Song. The film had its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival in January 2023, and then screened at a number of other festivals including the Berlin International Film Festival. The film has received critical acclaim on the festival circuit and is set for a theatrical release in the United Kingdom and select international markets. It is distributed by A24. Here’s what we know about Past Lives.

What is Past Lives about? 

Past Lives follows three characters whose lives are intimately entangled together. Nora and Hae Sung were close childhood friends in South Korea, but they lost touch when Nora and her family moved to Canada. Now an adult, Nora works as a playwright and lives in New York City with her husband, Arthur.

Out of the blue, Nora receives a message from Hae Sung. Hae Sung tells her that he is coming to New York and would like to meet her. Nora is confronted with her past, and a multitude of ‘what ifs’, as she comes face to face with someone who used to be such a big part of her world.

 

Gal Gadot has recently announced that she’ll be returning to play Diana Prince / Wonder Woman, and working with James Gunn on Wonder Woman 3. The news comes as a surprise, since it was not previously announced as part of Gunn and Peter Safran’s reimagined DC Universe, or their upcoming Chapter One: Gods and Monsters slate. 

Gadot previously played the iconic female superhero in Wonder Woman and its sequel Wonder Woman 1984, which were both directed by Patty Jenkins. It’s unclear at this point if Jenkins will return. 

While we wait for more information on the Gunn / Gadot collaboration, Gadot has a number of high profile films in the pipeline, starting with the Netflix action spy movie Heart of Stone. 

Heart of Stone

Tasked with ensuring the safety of a valuable asset, intelligence agent Rachel Stone is about to face the biggest mission of her career to date. Gadot stars as Stone in the upcoming Heart of Stone film, alongside Fifty Shades of Grey actor Jamie Dornan. Heart of Stone is directed by British director Tom Harper, and also includes Alia Bhatt, Sophie Okonedo and Matthias Schweighöfer in the cast. Read more about the film here. 

Heart of Stone will premiere on Netflix on August 11, 2023. 

 

The upcoming television series ‘Those About to Die’ is headed to Prime Video in the UK, exploring the world of gladiators in Ancient Rome. It is developed by Robert Rodat, and directed by Roland Emmerich and Marco Kreuzpaintner. Emmerich and Rodat also serve as executive producers on the project. 

Rodat is a producer, writer and Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay on Saving Private Ryan. Emmerich is a director, writer and producer, whose previous work includes Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow and White House Down. 

The show will air on Peacock in the US. ‘Those About to Die’ is one of few shows available to watch on different streaming services outside of the US, despite the fact that Peacock TV is available in the UK. The first season of the show contains ten episodes. 

The show will be available to stream exclusively on Prime in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Ireland, Poland, Turkey, Andorra, Luxembourg, Belgium and Monaco. Negotiations are still ongoing for the free TV rights outside of Prime Video’s exclusive distribution window. 

 

From the weird and wonderful mind of Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos comes Poor Things. After the success of past films such as The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Lanthimos has established himself as one of Hollywood’s most original auteurs, and is known for his thought-provoking storylines. Lanthimos’ films have also received critical acclaim, with 2018’s The Favourite winning the Grand Jury Prize at the 75th Venice International Film Festival, and earning ten Academy Award nominations with Olivia Colman winning for Best Actress. 

Lanthimos is known for his frequent collaborations with actors such as Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Joe Alwyn and Emma Stone. Emma Stone takes the lead role in Poor Things as Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back by the scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter. 

As Lanthimos and Stone gear up for the premiere of Poor Things, here’s what we know about the film so far. We'll cover: 

• What is 'Poor Things' about?
• Is 'Poor Things' based on a true story?
• When will 'Poor Things' be released?
• Who is in the cast of 'Poor Things'?
• Who is the production team behind 'Poor Things'?
• Where 'Poor Things' was filmed
• Why 'Poor Things' is R-rated
• 'Poor Things' trailer