The first full trailer for Shazam! Fury of the Gods has just landed online, giving us a glimpse of Dame Helen Mirren in action as one of the film’s central villains. In the new DC Extended Universe film, coming to cinemas this December, Mirren plays Hespera, one of the daughters of Atlas along with Kalypso, played by Lucy Liu, who make up the film’s central villains. They’ll take on Zachary Levi’s returning hero Billy Batson/Shazam, who is seen in the trailer struggling to bring his ‘Shazamily’ of super-powered foster siblings together, while still indulging in the fun of being a boy in a superhero’s body. The trailer was released during Warner Bros Theatrical’s San Diego Comic-Con panel, which also saw an appearance from Johnson dressed as Black Adam to hype up the crowd. In a message recorded with Zegler for the panel, Mirren said she “absolutely loved playing Hespera” and that she’s “such a delightful baddie and a bad ass”. Shazam! Fury of the Gods will be released in cinemas on 21st December 2022.

Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford have spent their busy weekend in Puglia, Italy, where they received the Attestato di Benemerenza “for having restored an ancient farmhouse and having contributed to the enhancement of the period and historical architectural and real estate heritage of Puglia”. The award was given during the event organized in Santa Maria di Leuca by the Italian Legend Club , the club promoted by Assocastelli to combine historic motoring with the historic and historical architectural and real estate heritage, chaired by Flavio Greco. Later in the evening, Helen was a guest at the opening of Santa Maria’s monumental waterfall. Pictures and screencaptures from the media coverage of both events have been added to the photo gallery.

Accompanying her appearance on The South Bank Show next Wednesday (27th July), Helen Mirren sat down with the series’ host Melvyn Bragg for an interview in this week’s Radio Times magazine as the latest issue’s cover star. In the interview, the pair talk about insecurities, Mirren’s Russian aristocratic heritage and what she really thinks of the Queen having played her in 2006. As part of the conversation, Mirren reveals that she wrote to the monarch before taking part in The Queen. She says: “I realised we were investigating a profoundly painful part of her life, so I wrote to her. How do you write to your queen? Was it Madam, or Your Highness, or Your Majesty? I said, ‘We are doing this film. We are investigating a very difficult time in your life. I hope it’s not too awful for you.’ “I can’t remember how I put it. I just said that in my research I found myself with a growing respect for her, and I just wanted to say that. She didn’t write back, of course, but her secretary did. You know, ‘Yours sincerely, da di da di da,’ on behalf of the Queen. I was very relieved subsequently that I had written that letter.”

It seems Helen Mirren receives an honor for her contribution to her designated second home region in Italy every time she sets foot in Puglia for the Summer Holidays. On July 13, Helen received the Inaugural Hypogeum Prize by the association of the same name for her cultural contribution to the region of Presicce and Puglia. Pictures from the event have been added, alongside a news report from RAI and accompanying screencaptures. Enjoy.

This weekend, Dolce & Gabbana took over Siracusa’s main Piazza Duomo for the 10th anniversary of their fashion extravaganza. The label’s version of haute couture – called Alta Moda for women’s wear and Alta Sartoria for men’s – is being held in Sicily this season, where Domenico Dolce grew up. Known for their grand and lavish scale that slowly unfurl over the course of three days, Dolce & Gabbana’s Alta Moda events showcase remarkable, one-of-a-kind high jewellery creations, as well as men’s and women’s unique couture. Helen Mirren has been a guest to all four of their functions. Pictures from the festivities have been added to the photo gallery.

Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson headline the upcoming coming-of-age film White Bird: A Wonder Story – and People has an exclusive first look at the moving trailer. The drama is based on the best-selling book of the same name by Wonder author R. J. Palacio, which was adapted into a 2017 film starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson, and sparked a movement to “choose kind.” White Bird, the inspirational next chapter, follows Julian (Bryce Gheisar), who has struggled to belong ever since he was expelled from his former school for his treatment of Auggie Pullman. To help transform Julian’s life, the boy’s grandmother (Helen Mirren) tells him of her own story of courage – as a child in Nazi-occupied France, a boy sheltered her from danger. White Bird: A Wonder Story, with a screenplay by Mark Bomback, opens in theaters October 14. A first set of production stills have been added to the photo gallery.

On Friday, Helen Mirren made the most out of a red carpet appearance at the Cannes Film Festival this week, dazzling at the screening of the film “Mother And Son (Un Petit Frere)”. Wearing a silver sequin and tinsel long-sleeve gown, Mirren turned heads with her extra-long hair extensions and dark eyeliner. She was seen dancing and grooving on the red carpet. At one point, she grabbed actor Andie MacDowell and twirled her around as photographers snapped the two having a blast. That night, Mirren was accompanied by her husband Taylor Hackford. Pictures from the screening have been added to the photo gallery.

It was an evening of praise and merriment as a myriad of acts graced Windsor Castle on Sunday, May 15, to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-years on the throne. As the 96-year-old Monarch was welcomed with a standing ovation upon arrival at the arena, Dame Helen Mirren offered the nation’s “most loving thanks” for her “unswerving” leadership thought her reign. “For all these years you have carried our nation. You have been at its heart, its drumbeat. You have given us purpose and when situations have been challenging, your hope, guidance and leadership have been unswerving,” she said. Taking to the stage, Mirren once again transformed herself into the royal Monarch, as viewers were taken through A Gallop through Time of the first Elizabethan era. Other key celebrations of the Platinum Jubilee this June include a four-day bank holiday weekend, an extravagant carnival, and a Platinum Jubilee Pageant on the last day of celebrations. Pictures of Helen Mirren’s appearance have been added to the photo gallery.

Helen Mirren made a surprise appearance at this week’s CinemaCon alongside co-star Zachary Levy to promote the upcoming “Shazam! Fury of Gods” during the Warner Bros. Pictures panel. Initially slated to hit theatres in 2023, Shazam! Fury of the Gods has now finally settled on its 2022 release date of December 21, a recent shift of just a few days after having shared its previous December release date with the long-awaited Avatar 2. Much of what Shazam! Fury of the Gods holds in store for audiences in terms of storyline has been kept largely under wraps. However, it has been confirmed that Mirren and Lucy Liu will both make their DC debuts as the daughters of Atlas, Hespera and Kalypso. CinemaCon offered a number of exciting teases for Shazam! Fury of the Gods, including confirmation of its new release date. Attendees were shown a short piece of footage from the upcoming release, which confirmed the much-rumored appearance from Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, as well as offering a glimpse of Mirren as Hespera. Pictures from the event have been added to the photo gallery.

When Dame Helen Mirren learned she’d been chosen as the cover star of PEOPLE’s 2022 Beautiful Issue, “I was absolutely sort of gobstruck, as we say in England. I never considered myself ‘beautiful.’ And at my age! So I was amazed,” she says. It’s not a false play at modesty, she makes clear: “Don’t get me wrong – I love beauty and I love looking at beautiful things. But I don’t like the word beauty as it’s associated with the beauty industry – makeup and products, skincare and all the rest of it — because I think it excludes the vast majority of us who are not beautiful.” You can read the whole article over at People Magazine‘s website. Scans and a lenghty video interview conducted during the shoot can be found below.