2010
07.19

Marisa_Ramirez

Daytime soap star Marisa Ramirez and Australian TV star Dustin Clare have been cast in Starz’ new “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” six-part prequel series “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.”

(Update: ‘Dexter’s’ Jamie Murray has also been cast as girlfriend to Lucy Lawless)

Ramirez will reportedly play a slave girl caught up in some very dangerous relationships. While that’s not a lot of information, if the role is similar to that played by slave girls Lesley-Ann Brandt and newbie Laura Surrich in the original “Spartacus” series, we’re going to have to stock up on Kleenex immediately.

Best know for her roles on “General Hospital” and “The Young and the Restless,” Ramirez does have a few genre creds to her name including the 2005 frightener All Souls Day: Dia De Los Muertos and appearances on the televison shows “Supernatural,” “Castle,” and “Roswell.”

Aussie actor Dustin Clare

Aussie actor Dustin Clare

Dustin Clare takes on the lead role of Gannicus, the first gladiator to become champion of Capua under the fledgling House of Batiatus.

Starz explains (via press release):

Batiatus is not yet the head of the family, or the ludus. Gannicus is the undisputed lead gladiator in the Ludus, but in the class-conscious world of ancient Capua, the House of Batiatus still hasn’t earned the respect of local society, or the right for its gladiators to fight in the championship bouts. Gannicus must survive the arena to not only keep his place in the ludus but also rise to become the champion in all of Capua.

Original “Spartacus” stars John Hannah and Lucy Lawless will reprise their respective roles as the debauched husband and wife team of Batiatus and Lucretia. Andy Whitfield, who plays Spartacus in the original series, will also make an appearance on the new show.

“Spartacus: Gods of the Arena”  is set to begin production next month in New Zealand. The spinoff will premiere on Starz in January.

2010
07.19

piranha_3dposter6

San Diego Comic-Con attendees hoping to catch a glimpse of director Alexandre Aja’s fish-&-chicks frightener Piranha 3-D this week will have to jump ship from the convention center to the Regal Horton Plaza. According to a press release from The Weinstein Company, the decision to screen a trailer from the film away from the convention was made shortly after event organizers sunk the studio’s plan to showcase R-rated footage during its Piranha Q&A panel.

The panel will now be held on Thursday, July 22 from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Regal Horton Hotel.

Director Aja explains :

It doesn’t make sense to go to an event like Comic-Con and not show what the movie is…It’s frustrating because I was so excited to show this at Comic-Con – I made the movie for that crowd.

The offending footage in question is set at a wet T-shirt contest in the fictional spring break town of Lake Victoria which is overrun by bloodthirsty piranha after an underwater earthquake. The clip includes graphic gore and bodacious coed boobs.

roth_girls

Piranha 3-D opens Aug. 20 and stars Elisabeth Shue (Hollow Man), Jerry O’Connell (Mission to Mars),Ving Rhames (Day of the Dead), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Richard Dreyfus (Jaws), Adam Scott (The Return), Dina Meyer (Saw IV), Jessica Szohr (House at the End of the Drive), porn star Riley Steele, and model/actress Kelly Brook.

2010
07.19

daniel_radcliffe

Unlike your unemployed father, British actors Daniel Radcliffe and Tom Felton won’t be sitting around in their boxers tossing beer cans at at their loved one’s heads now that their gigs on the insanely lucrative Harry Potter franchise have come to an end. The wizarding duo have wasted no time conjuring up high profile projects.

Hammer Films announced today that Radcliffe will headline their adaptation of author Susan Hill’s best-selling novel The Woman in Black. James Watkins (Eden Lake) will direct the film from a script by Kick Ass writer Jane Goldman, who aims to introduce a J-horror vibe to the Victorian ghost story.

Daniel Radcliffe says (via press release):

I am incredibly excited to be part of The Woman In Black. Jane Goldman’s script is beautifully written – both tender and terrifying in equal measure. It is thrilling to be working with James Watkins. From his brilliant work on Eden Lake and also having met him and heard his vision for the film, I know he will make a fantastic film.

The Woman in Black follows lawyer Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe) as he arrives in a small U.K. town to settle the estate of a deceased old widow only to discover a village held captive by a vengeful ghost.

tom_felton_wand

Felton, meanwhile, has signed on to star in 20th Century Fox’s eagerly anticipated Planet of the Apes prequel Rise of the Apes. The 22-year-old actor is playing the son of a cruel primate sanctuary owner (Brian Cox).

Felton is the latest addition to a cast that includes lead James Franco (Spiderman), John Lithgow (“Dexter”), Brian Cox (Trick’r Treat), Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings), and the gorgeous Freida Pinto (Immortals).

Directed by Rupert Wyatt, Rise of the Apes follows a San Francisco-based scientist’s (Franco) attempt to protect an ape named Caesar (Serkis) from the doctors using him as a test subject in Alzheimer’s research. What follows sets the stage for a simian revolution.

The film goes into production this month and is slated for release on June 24, 2011.

Felton also stars in Dark Castle’s supernatural thriller The Apparition, opposite Twilight babe Ashley Greene and Friday the 13th’s Julianna Guill, and in Eyeline Entertainment’s werewolf-frightener 13HRS with British actress/glamor model Gemma Atkinson.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the last entry in the beloved blockbuster saga, is being split in two with the first part set to hit theaters on Nov. 19 and the second on July 15, 2011.