Today, Helen Mirren has been announced to play the lead in HBO and Sky’s upcoming Catherine the Great miniseries. The four-part drama will explore the politically tumultuous and sexually charged court of the most powerful female monarch in history, as Catherine ruled over Russia for almost 50 years during the 18th century. Specifically, the miniseries will focus on the end of her reign and her affair with Grigory Potemkin. Set to begin filming later this year, Catherine the Great hails from Nigel Williams (Elizabeth I) and is directed by Philip Martin (The Crown).

“I am very excited by the possibility of embodying a woman from history who grabbed and then wielded great power,” Mirren said. “She rewrote the rules of governance by a woman and succeeded to the extent of having the word Great attached to her name, Catherine the Great. I am very grateful to have HBO and Sky as partners in this endeavour. There are no other homes on television that bring the support and understanding needed for this kind of project.”

Catherine the Great marks the third Sky and HBO project to be greenlit worldwide following the massive $250 million multi-year co-production investment deal announced last year. “We are jubilant about having Helen Mirren back on HBO, playing the iconic Russian empress and joining this distinguished team of British filmmakers,” Kary Antholis, president of HBO miniseries said. “This collaboration will, no doubt, result in a truly regal mini-series.” The miniseries will air on HBO in the U.S. and Sky Atlantic in the U.K and Europe, similar to how The Young Pope was broadcast. “We’re incredibly excited to announce Catherine the Great and our further association with HBO, in what promises to be a definitive landmark drama,” Cameron Roach, commissioning editor for Sky drama, said. “The team assembled on the project is truly world class, and we look forward to Helen Mirren bringing this remarkable woman to life.”

Today, Helen Mirren has been a guest on “This Morning” to promote the upcoming theatrical release of “Winchester” and sharing an usual ghost story from her wedding night. The appearance can be watched above and in the video archive. Pictures and screencaptures have been added to the photo gallery.

Yesterday, Helen Mirren was among the guests on Graham Norton’s broadcast to promote the theatrical release of “Winchester”. Also on the show was former boyfriend Liam Neeson – sharing a couple of stories about meeting in Ireland while filming “Excalibur” and taking the train from Dublin to Belfast. The other guests were Jamie Dornan and Sigrid. This has been a fun interview, nothing special though, except a first look at either the final American poster or the UK poster for “Winchester”, which looks quite cool. You can watch the full show in the video archive, screencaptures have been added to the photo gallery.

On January 10 and January 12, Helen Mirren has been a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show as well as on The Today Show and The View, the latter two with Donald Sutherland. The Ellen interview is funny as always, especially with Helen reminiscing on age, while the interview by Whoopi Goldberg on The View is quite emotional. Be sure to check them out.

It’s been a busy week for Helen. After Sunday’s Golden Globes, she and Donald Sutherland have appeared in some extensive promotion for the March release of “The Leisure Seeker”, attending premieres in West Hollywood and New York, Sirius XM Radio’s station and three talkshows (watch next updates). Pictures from the events have been added to the photo gallery, with many thanks to Claudia for sending them in. Much appreciated. Enjoy the new additions.

The 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards have been handed out tonight. Helen Mirren was in attendance as a sole nominee for “The Leisure Seeker”, but lost to Saiorse Ronan’s “Lady Bird”. Earlier in the ceremony, Helen and Viola Davis took the stage to present the Best Supporting Actor award to Sam Rockwell. Over 200 additional pictures from the arrivals, show, after-party and screencaptures have been added to the photo gallery. You can also watch an exclusive clip of the presentation and the Best Actress segment in the video archive. Many thanks to Claudia for her support. Enjoy the new additions.

After the teaser trailer has given us the chills back in December, it gets even a little bit chillier with the just-released theatrical trailer for “Winchester”. Here’s the official synospsis by CBS Films: Inspired by true events. On an isolated stretch of land 50 miles outside of San Francisco sits the most haunted house in the world. Built by Sarah Winchester, (Academy Award®-winner Helen Mirren) heiress to the Winchester fortune, it is a house that knows no end. Constructed in an incessant twenty-four hour a day, seven day a week mania for decades, it stands seven stories tall and contains hundreds of rooms. To the outsider it looks like a monstrous monument to a disturbed woman’s madness. But Sarah is not building for herself, for her niece (Sarah Snook) or for the troubled Doctor Eric Price (Jason Clarke) whom she has summoned to the house. She is building a prison, an asylum for hundreds of vengeful ghosts, and the most terrifying among them have a score to settle with the Winchesters… The theatrical trailer can be watched in the video archive. Screencaptures from the new scenes have been added to the photo gallery.

Disney has launched a first trailer for 2018’s “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms”, giving us a blink-and-you-miss-it look at what seems to be Helen Mirren’s Keith Richards impression? Here’s the official synopsis with the trailer below: All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key – a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift from her late mother. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer’s (Morgan Freeman) annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key—which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. It’s there that Clara encounters a soldier named Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers and Land of Sweets. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world. Starring Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy and featuring a special performance by Misty Copeland, Disney’s new holiday feature film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is directed by Lasse Hallström and inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic tale. In theaters on Nov. 2, 2018.

What a great surprise from today’s announcement of the Golden Globe nominations. Helen Mirren has received a nomination as Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for “The Leisure Seeker”. She remains the film’s sole nomination. “The Shape of Water” leads with seven nominations. “The Post” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” received six each. “Lady Bird” has four nominations, and “I, Tonya”, “The Greatest Showman” and “Dunkirk” each have three. This is Helen Mirren’s 15th nomination for a Golden Globe! She has won three, for “Losing Chase”, “Elizabeth I.” and “The Queen”. The Golden Globes will be handed out quite early next year during a live ceremony on January 07, 2018.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Judi Dench, Victoria & Abdul
Helen Mirren, The Leisure Seeker
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Emma Stone, Battle of the Sexes

Helen has been busy these last two days. Yesterday, she and Taylor attended the 9th Annual Governors Award to celebrate co-star Donald Sutherland’s Honorary Academy Award win. Today, she and Sutherland were on hand for the AFI Fest premiere of “The Leisure Seeker. Pictures from both events have been added to the photo gallery.

Photo Gallery – Public Appearances – AFI Fest – The Leisure Seeker Premiere
Photo Gallery – Public Appearances – 9th Annual Governors Awards