Not fantasy per se, but Alexandre Dumas‘s “The Count of Monte Cristo” certainly had an influence on the genre and is a great piece of historical/adventure fiction in it it’s own right. Filmed multiple times, best known in the English world are the 1975 version with Richard Chamberlain and the 2002 version with Jim Caviezel. The latest version is due to open in France on June 28th.
RIP Bernard Hill
Bernard Hill, the English actor who played Theoden, the King of Rohan, in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, has died. He was also in the genre related Scorpion King. More here.
Shout! Studios gains exclusive rights to Jim Henson movies.
Shout! Studios has exclusive worldwide rights to Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and behind the scenes specials for both films. This comes a year and a half after Shout acquired the rights to fourteen other Jim Henson Company shows including The Storyteller & Farscape. More Here.
Jason & The Argonauts
I don’t think it’s as good as the 1963 film with Harryhausen special effects, but NBC’s 2000 Jason & The Argonauts is still entertaining and it’s currently available to view on youtube.
The 1963 film, with the famous skeleton fight, is also available on youtube currently.
Calling All Philatelists..
To celebrate the 50th anniversary in 2024, The United States Postal Service will release a series of Dungeons & Dragons Stamps from different points in it’s history. The stamps will be available via the official USPS online store.
Beating D&D to the fantasy-themed stamps, the New Zealand Post has issued Lord of the Rings: Return of the King stamps this year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film. Can read & buy them here.
The Three Musketeers: Milday
There can be only one…or maybe not
A long talked about re-boot of the cult classic Highlander is finally going ahead (once the actors strike end), with Henry Cavill to star with Chad Stahelski, best known for the John Wick films, to direct. More here and here. Original Queen music also to be used for the reboot.
Conan, what is best in life?
Arrow Video has announced that it releasing Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer in 4K in the US in Jan. ’24
Castlevania: Nocturne
New shows Castlevania:Nocture set to be released Sept 28th on Netflix.
Synopsis: France, 1792 – the height of the French Revolution. In a remote part of western France, the counter-revolutionary aristocracy has forged an alliance with a terrifying Vampire Messiah, who promises to ‘eat the sun’ and unleash an army of vampires and night creatures to crush the revolution and enslave humanity. Annette, a sorceress from the Caribbean, seeks out Richter Belmont, last descendant of the long-fabled family of vampire hunters, to lead the resistance.
RIP Kiyoshi Yamazaki
Back in January, I posted about Kiyoshi Yamazaki, who trained Arnold Schwarzenegger in both Conan films & Red Sonja. He also worked with Dennis Quaid on the film Dragonheart and with Ralf Moeller on the Conan the Adventurer tv show. More here.
Otherworld 