Latest news with #ofMonteCristo
Metro
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Peaky Blinders legend finally sets record straight over Netflix film rumours
One of the stars of Peaky Blinders has set the record straight after mass speculation over whether or not he's going to be in the Netflix film. Three years on from the final series of the Birmingham-set BBC period drama, fans are going wild over the latest developments regarding the upcoming movie spin-off. The feature-length film, titled The Immortal Man, will see Cillian Murphy reprise his role as gang leader Tommy Shelby, with other returning cast members including Sophie Rundle, Stephen Graham and Ned Dennehy. But what about Sam Claflin as real-life fascist politician Oswald Mosley? Metro recently had a conversation with Sam about leading the new adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo as Alexandre Dumas' tragic protagonist Edmond Dantès. During our chat, we had to find out once and for all if Mosley is returning to the Peaky Blinders franchise. The Hunger Games star initially admitted that he could 'keep the speculation going' by not saying anything – but then instantly cleared up the rumours. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. 'I don't know that I should not say anything, and keep the speculation going… but no, sadly, I'll share – I'm not in the film, though, I'm so excited as a fan of the series,' he said. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'I don't know any details other than the casting and some of the people in it. I'm thoroughly excited.' Sam, 39, joined Peaky Blinders from season five as Oswald Mosley, the politician who founded the British Union of Fascists in the 1930s. In the season six finale, it's discovered that Mosley married Diana Mitford (Amber Anderson) in Germany – and that's where the story leaves them. In real life, Mosley and Mitford wed in 1936, and the former died in 1980 at the age of 84. Addressing the possibility of playing Mosley again in the future, Sam said: 'The hope is that he is still alive. Well, I mean, Oswald Mosley lived until 84. He is still alive in the world, whether or not he's a part of the world. 'I've heard rumours similar that [the film is] set in the future. I think Oswald Mosley kind of started losing light and his following during the war.' Now, Sam is starring in a new period drama, but set in a vastly different period from Peaky Blinders. Instead of early 20th-century England, he's gone back even further to 19th-century France, telling the tale of a wrongfully imprisoned man who vows revenge upon his release. The Count of Monte Cristo, which was originally serialised between 1844 and 1846, has been adapted multiple times over the years on the big and small screen, with actors including Richard Chamberlain and Louis Jourdan portraying Edmond Dantès. 'It's known as a classic for a reason,' Sam remarked. 'Back then, people didn't have televisions or radio sets. The fact that it has this cliffhanger element to it to keep people wanting to stick with the story definitely adds to its flavour. 'The characters are so rich and so complex. It's an incredibly authentic insight into what life was like back then in France, the politics, as much as seeing how the nobility lived.' Sam acknowledged that playing Edmond Dantès was a 'dream role' for him, given there are 'so many layers' to the character. 'It was a challenge, but one that I was very excited to get my teeth stuck into,' he added. Speaking of iconic characters, two years ago, the actor transformed into a '70s rockstar when he played Billy Dunne in the Amazon Prime series Daisy Jones and the Six, adapted from the beloved book by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Ever since the one season was released, fans have expressed their desperation for a second outing, or for the actors who were a part of the band to reunite for a live tour. While nothing is set in stone at this point, there clearly is a desire among the cast to make something happen in the future. 'What I will say is I would love to,' Sam confirmed. 'It goes without saying that has been my favourite job that I've done, and my favourite people that I've worked with.' The Me Before You actor outlined how special an experience it was to work with the actors and the crew, filming in the 'magical cities' Los Angeles and New Orleans post-Covid. 'With regards to season two, and with regards to a tour, there were initial conversations about doing a tour. The band itself is six actors, and we all have different schedules. We all live in different parts of the world, trying to align, that was proving difficult,' he said. 'Then we had the opportunity of playing at the MTV Movie Awards, which we rehearsed for. We were rehearsing, and I think it was the day before the MTV Movie Awards, the writers' strike happened, so loads of actors and acts were pulling out in solidarity with the writers. We were advised to do the same, so we reluctantly agreed to pull out. 'Then, of course, the actors' strike started, and then by that point, too much time had passed. All of a sudden, [it was] two years on from the show coming out.' In November, Sam was in LA and met up with his co-star Riley Keough and the book's author Taylor, where the three of them were 'conversing and trying to think up ways in which we could get a season two off the ground'. More Trending 'It's not up to us, it's not up to me, it's not up to the fans,' he stressed. 'I feel like if there was a petition made, maybe there's a way in which it could get going. The desire is there. Everyone would want it to be perfect. We don't want to rush anything if there was to ever be anything. But all I know is the desire is there across the board.' In three years, it will have been five years since the show was released. So perhaps that could be a prime time to pop a reunion in the calendar? 'Maybe a five-year anniversary, [we could] get together and do a tour,' Sam said. 'Suki's now making her own music. Will Harrison was in the Bob Dylan biopic. Everyone's so busy, and everyone's had a baby. Suki had a baby, Riley's had a baby. It's gonna be difficult to get all together.' When there's a will, there's a way. View More » The Count of Monte Cristo is available from 2nd August on U and U&Drama. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 'Brutal' film based on harrowing true story finally comes to Netflix MORE: Mind-bending' TV drama that had fans calling in sick races up Netflix chart MORE: I'm a WWE expert – I'm shocked the Netflix documentary went so far
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
French prison for drug kingpins in political spotlight
At Vendin-le-Vieil Prison, France's most dangerous drug kingpins will be guarded by 250 wardens. (AP PHOTO) At Vendin-le-Vieil Prison, France's most dangerous drug kingpins will be guarded by 250 wardens. (AP PHOTO) Credit: AAP They are France 's most dangerous drug kingpins, according to the country's justice minister — prison inmates so wealthy and powerful that even behind bars, they can continue to order assassinations, run narco-trafficking operations and launder money. Flexing his powers as minister in charge of the French prison system, Gérald Darmanin's solution to the problem is contentious. He is moving 100 inmates — men he describes as "France's biggest criminals" — into an austere maximum security penitentiary in the country's north that critics say has echoes of tough US prisons. The move is also possibly vote-catching for Darmanin, who has joined a growing field of possible successors to President Emmanuel Macron after the next election, less than two years away. In the newly reinforced Vendin-le-Vieil prison, the selected inmates will be locked in individual cells for 23 hours on most days. Largely cut off from the world, Darmanin argues, they will no longer be able to fuel drug-related violence, which has become a political issue ahead of the 2027 presidential election. "We are here to guarantee that they don't speak to the outside, that they don't continue their trafficking outside, that they don't corrupt prison officers, magistrates, police officers," Darmanin said on primetime evening television after the first 17 inmates were transferred earlier this week to Vendin-le-Vieil from other, less secure facilities. Another 12 were moved in on Thursday. France has had a long history of both notorious prisons (the Bastille) and prisoners — both real (Napoleon) and fictional ("The Count of Monte Cristo"). Still, Vendin-le-Vieil's lock-up conditions are exceptional, similar to the ultra-secure "Supermax" prison in the United States and Italy's tough "carcere duro" incarceration rules for Mafia members. Vendin-le-Vieil already houses some of France's most infamous prisoners — including Salah Abdeslam, lone survivor of a team of Islamic State extremists that terrorised Paris in 2015, killing 130 people in gun and bomb attacks. To make way for the specially selected 100 inmates — some already convicted, others in pre-trial detention — many other Vendin-le-Vieil inmates were moved out. The newcomers will be grouped in the prison's new "Section for Combatting Organised Crime," with reinforced security and regulations, and equipped with systems to block mobile phone signals and drones. Among those on the list for Vendin-le-Vieil is Mohamed Amra, nicknamed "The Fly," who staged an escape last year that killed two guards and then fled to Romania before he was captured and returned to France. The newcomers will have just one hour a day in a prison exercise yard, in groups of no more than five. The rest of the time, they will mostly be confined to individual cells fitted with holes so prison guards can handcuff them before moving them and with ratchet systems so inmates can't yank the doors open or shut when they have to be unlocked. They will be guarded by 250 wardens — elsewhere, the ratio is usually 20 guards to 100 inmates, Darmanin told French broadcaster TF1. Instead of unlimited calls with family members from prison phones, they will be limited to a maximum of two hours, twice a week — a restriction that Darmanin says will make monitoring their conversations easier. Prison visiting rooms have also been equipped with security glass dividers to prevent physical contact between inmates and visitors. Darmanin says this will prevent mobile phones and other contraband from being smuggled in. The new Vendin-le-Vieil inmates also won't have the rights accorded in other prisons of intimate time with partners and family members. Darmanin said the conditions will be "extremely hard" but are necessary because France risks "tipping into narco-banditry" in the absence of tough decisions. Critics say Darmanin is taking a gamble by grouping together so many inmates he describes as dangerous. "From what I know, even when they're placed under the strictest isolation, they're so smart that they always find ways to communicate with each other," said May Sarah Vogelhut, a lawyer for one of the prisoners transferred this week. "It's almost more like a networking club for billionaire narco-traffickers." She and others also say the tough conditions could inflict an unacceptable toll on the prisoners' mental health. Vogelhut said her 22-year-old client was a major drug dealer in the southern French port city of Marseille and was convicted and sentenced to 25 years for torturing his victims. He is appealing his sentence. Held in isolation in another prison before his transfer to Vendin-le-Vieil, his biggest concern was the glass barrier that will prevent him from hugging his mother and touching other visitors, Vogelhut said. "Like what we French see in American movies, when the person is behind a glass and you talk through a phone," she said. "I find that inhumane. I mean, imagine that a guy spends 10 years there — for 10 years, he can't hug his mother?" she said. "I think it's going to dehumanise them." First as a minister for public accounts, then as interior minister and since last December as justice minister, Darmanin has proven to be one of Macron's most loyal lieutenants. His close ties with the unpopular president, who can't run again, could work against Darmanin if he runs in 2027. But his government experience and tough-on-crime rhetoric could work in his favour with voters. Darmanin has announced plans for at least two other high-security prison units for convicted and accused drug traffickers, one of them in the overseas territory of French Guiana. Vogelhut accuses Darmanin of angling for votes and playing on: "French people's fears and anxieties". "It won't solve any problems," she said. "There won't be any less crime."
Daily Mirror
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Peaky Blinders fans are just discovering star in 'masterpiece' period drama
Peaky Blinders star Sam Claflin is taking on the lead role in a period drama, which will be available to stream this summer and fans have already hailed it a 'masterpiece' Bridgerton enthusiasts are set for a delightful surprise as a timeless period drama is heading to streaming platforms shortly, featuring none other than Peaky Blinders' heartthrob Sam Claflin. This thrilling adventure tale chronicles a wrongfully convicted mariner who breaks free following years of imprisonment and adopts a fresh persona as a wealthy Count. The young seaman, Edmond Dantes, pursues vengeance against those behind his unjust detention after being charged with betraying his country. The programme in question is The Count of Monte Cristo, and it's arriving on U&Drama this summer. Edmond Dantes is portrayed by Claflin, with the synopsis explaining: "Falsely accused of treason, Edmond Dantes, a young sailor, is imprisoned without trial in the Château d'If, a grim island fortress off Marseille." "After many years of captivity, he finally escapes and assumes the identity of the wealthy and enigmatic Count of Monte Cristo. "With his newfound resources, he embarks on a journey of revenge on those who have wrongly accused him." The ensemble also features House of Gucci star Jeremy Irons, The Gilded Age star Blake Ritson and The Royals actress Poppy Corby-Tuech. The programme initially broadcast in Switzerland in 2024 and premiered in Italy earlier this year, receiving glowing critiques. Responding to the show's official poster, one admirer commented: "This series is a masterpiece indeed!" @RayanMAljohani1 posted on X, formerly Twitter: "Finally, a worthy adaptation of the novel masterpiece -The Count of Monte Cristo. This mini-series truly satisfies." Kurtis the Quant enthused: "Just finished the 2024 8-episode Count of Monte Cristo series. The best adaptation of this book and one of the best pieces of cinema I have seen." The much-anticipated Count of Monte Cristo is set to premiere on U and U&DRAMA come August 2.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A 'Count of Monte Cristo' TV Show Is Coming to PBS Masterpiece Next Year
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." In the classic novel by Alexandre Dumas, Edmond Dantes is imprisoned for a crime has not committed. While confined to the Château d'If, a prison, 'he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo, and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration.'$9.11 at The Count of Monte Cristo has captivated readers for generations, and now, a television adaptation is coming to PBS Masterpiece next year, directed by Oscar winner Bille August. Here's what we know about the series. The rest of the cast is as follows: Ana Girardot as Mercédès Jeremy Irons as Abbé Faria Mikkel Boe Følsgaard as Gérard de Villefort Blake Ritson as Danglars Karla-Simone Spence as Haydée Nicolas Maupas as Albert De Morcerf Lino Guanciale as Vampa Michele Riondino as Jacopo Gabriella Pession as Hermine Production for The Count of Monte Cristo took place in Paris, Torino, Rome, and Malta. The Count of Monte Cristo premiered at the 19th Rome Film Festival in October 2024, and aired in Switzerland, Sweden, and Italy. Per PBS, The Count of Monte Cristo is 'produced by Palomar and DEMD Productions, two Mediawan companies, and distributed worldwide by MediawanRights in cooperation with CAA (for North America) and with the participation of Entourage Ventures.' There will be eight episodes. No specific premiere date has been set yet, we'll update this as soon as we learn more. You Might Also Like 12 Weekend Getaway Spas For Every Type of Occasion 13 Beauty Tools to Up Your At-Home Facial Game
Metro
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Poldark fans - get ready for your next period drama binge 10 years later
It's been ten years since Aidan Turner first hit screens as Captain Ross Poldark and swept fans away with the BBC programme's gripping drama, leaving fans devastated when it came to an end after five seasons. But a decade later, and we may have just found your next fix. 2024 miniseries The Count of Monte Cristo will be launching on UKTV's free-to-air channel U&Drama and streaming service U this summer. The epic historical adventure drama, based on Alexandre Durmas's classic novel of the same name, stars Daisy Jones & the Six actor Sam Claflin and House of Gucci's Jeremy Irons. Sam stars as young sailor Edmond Dantes, who was falsely accused of treason and imprisoned without trial in the Château d'If, a grim island fortress off Marseille. After many years of captivity during which he is educated by a fellow prisoner, he finally escapes and takes on the identity of the wealthy and enigmatic Count of Monte Cristo. The synopsis teases: 'With his newfound resources, he embarks on a journey of revenge on those who have wrongly accused him.' The series also stars The Gilded Age's Karla-Simone Spence, Harry Taurasi, Poppy Corby Tuech, Ana Girardot and Gabriella Pession. After premiering in Italy, The Count of Monte Cristo reached immense success with an average of nearly six million viewers. It's also scored 7.8 on IMDb, with viewer reviews branding the eight-part series 'captivating', 'amazing' and 'magnificent'. @sjensenstrad said: 'Great acting, great flow in the story, cinematic experience was superb felt like a historical experience and the audio was amazing. Our family, old and young, was glued to the screen for two days.' 'I'm extremely happy with how this series was made. Not only have they found a way to make it realistic, but they've also found a way to make the story so precise that it could have easily happened in reality. One of the few adaptations I can say is wonderful. The cast and locations are breathtaking in their authenticity,' @tactrix added. @omigen wrote: 'I can honestly say, that I didn't miss a second of this fantastic version of the classic tale. The cast, the direction, the locations… all of it is perfect. Nothing less. I binged it all through Christmas day and now I don't know what to watch next! It's that kind of adaptation. It's that good. It's worth a second watch, and that's what I will do.' @reggiemiller-59077 called it 'Television at its finest!' with @tiky-41483 writing: 'The masterful interpretation of the Count of Monte Cristo by the actor Sam Claflin is spectacular, which together with the direction and costumes, photography, gives the spectator an unparalleled cinematic spectacle.' Filmmaker Bille August revealed in a past interview that he was lured by the project because it's 'all about relationships, the complexities of human beings and in that sense it's very modern and timeless'. More Trending According to Variety, he said: 'I love The Count of Monte Cristo [it's] a great story about the human being and about person who is so obsessed by revenge that it eats him up from the inside and he is not able to love anymore. That's an important message.' He added that the series is a 'beautiful love story' despite the darker themes. View More » The Count of Monte Cristo will be available to watch on U&Drama this summer. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
