Simon Curtis is set to join forces once again with BBC Films, the British public broadcaster’s movie unit, to direct Woman In Gold, starring Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds and Daniel Bruhl. Shooting this month in the U.K., Mirren will play real-life heroine Maria Altmann, a Jewish WWII survivor who fought the Austrian government to retrieve several paintings by Gustav Klimt that were stolen from her family during WWII.

Helen Mirren is in talks to co-star with Bryan Cranston in the biopic “Trumbo,” which is based on the life of blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Jay Roach is attached to direct with Michael London producing through his Groundswell Productions banner, along with Janice Williams and John McNamara. Considered one of the great screenwriters of his time, Trumbo saw his career come to a halt when he was blacklisted after he refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1947 during the committee’s investigation of communist influences in the nation. He continued writing under pseudonyms and won two Academy Awards while blacklisted. He resumed his career under his own name after the blacklist effectively ended after 1960. His credits include “Roman Holiday” and “Spartacus.” No production date has been set and the film is still looking for a distributor.

This year, BAFTA’s highest accolade, the Academy Fellowship, was presented to Dame Helen Mirren, in recognition of her exceptional contribution to film. John Willis, Chairman of BAFTA, described Mirren as “one of the most outstanding actresses of her generation” and exuded that her incredibly successful career is testament to the determination, dedication and skill she brings to each of her roles. Upon hearing the news, Mirren herself said; “This is the greatest professional honour I can imagine, certainly one I never dreamt of as a schoolgirl in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. To join that list of legendary names is overwhelming.” The award was presented by Prince William, who said “The recipient of this year’s Fellowship is an extremely talented British actress, whom I should probably call granny”, and by Helen’s co-star Jeremy Irons. Here’s Helen’s acceptance speech:

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. I just want to just quickly blow a kiss to my husband who can’t be here tonight and he is such a great supporter. Taylor (blows kiss), got it? My journey to this place right here right now began with a great teacher, Alice Welding, who died just two weeks ago at the age of 102. She revealed to me the power of literature and she recognised my need to live in that world of imagination, that world of poetry. She alone was the person who encouraged me to become an actor. So I am standing up here thanking Mrs Welding and all the great teachers who have inspired the many creative people sitting here in this beautiful room. In fact, how many of you remember a great teacher who inspired you and opened the gate to the path that led you here? I want you all to put your hands up. That is a lot of teachers. So let’s right now thank those teachers, all of us together.

So my teachers in film have, of course, included directors — several of whom are here today – producers, ADs, costumiers, make up artists, caterers, grips, cinematographers, focus pullers, clapper loaders, writers, drivers, drivers, drivers especially of that honey wagon, you know, without whom we would all be squatting in the bushes. In fact I did squat in the bushes quite often. All the incredible carnival of characters who make up the brilliant and the astoundingly hard working army that march into battle on any film. I thank you all, all of you, in my past. It has been an amazing journey up to now.

I am going to finish with the words of a great writer. I think the words are kind of, in a way, apt. So, as I foretold you, our revels now are ended and these are actors, as I foretold you, were all spirits and are melted into air, into thin air, and like the baseless fabric of this vision the cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn temples, the great globe itself. Yea, all which it inherit shall dissolve. And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep. My little life is rounded with this honour. Thank you very much indeed.

Helen Mirren will be presented with a fellowship from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The organization’s highest honor, the fellowship is given to Mirren in recognition of her “exceptional contribution” to film. She will receive the honor Feb. 16 during the British Academy film awards. “This is the greatest professional honor I can imagine, certainly one I never dreamt of as a schoolgirl in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. To join that list of legendary names is overwhelming,” the Hollywood Reporter quotes Mirren as saying. BAFTA fellows include Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Sean Connery, Elizabeth Taylor, Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave and Martin Scorsese.

Congratulations to Helen Mirren for winning the Screen Actors Guild Award as Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for “Phil Spector”. This has been Helen’s tenth nomination and fourth win. She has received the coveted trophy before as Best Supporting Actress and Best Ensemble for “Gosford Park”, Best Actress for “The Queen” and Best Television Actress for “Elizabeth I.” Here is a transcript of Helen’s speech:

Goodness me, this – I am unprepared. Elisabeth was so extraordinary and Elisabeth… [applauds Elisabeth Moss] from me. [applause] Anyway, I love this little guy, he’s so sexy, isn’t he? You know, sort of naked, but not quite. And quite exciting. [laughter] [laughs] I don’t feel at all saggy, I feel quite perky, actually, [laughs] winning this [laughter] – after all. I’m thrilled. Thank you so much. I had the incredible advantage of acting with a person that you all know, you all love, you all respect, I believe, beyond any other actor, and that’s Al Pacino. [applause] And to work with Al and watch him close hand was just an incredible lesson for me. We can always learn all the time. Thank you David Mamet, thank you, HBO and everything. And thank you very much. [applause]

There’s actually an honor out there Dame Helen Mirren hadn’t yet received — but she’s taking care of that now. The actress has been named the 2014 Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year, an annual recognition by Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the nation’s oldest theatrical organization. Established in 1951, the Woman of the Year Award has been given to many A-list entertainers, including Meryl Streep, Katharine Hepburn, Julia Roberts, Jodie Foster, Elizabeth Taylor, Anne Hathaway, Claire Danes, and, most recently, Marion Cotillard.

How very saucy of the Hasty Pudding organisation to offer me their award”” said Mirren in a release. “As someone who adores Pudding in all its manifestations… Suet, Christmas, Treacle, Bread and Butter, Yorkshire, Plum, Figgy, etc., etc., I am so looking forward to the famous Hasty Pudding. (Helen Mirren)

The Woman of the Year festivities — featuring a parade and a roast — will take place Jan. 30. The Man of the Year will be announced at a later date.

Helen Mirren has received a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie for “Phil Spector”. She shares the category with Helena Bonham Carter (Burton and Taylor), Rebecca Ferguson (White Queen), Jessica Lange (American Horror Story: Coven) and Elisabeth Moss (Top of the Lake). Al Pacino has received a nomination as well. This is Helen’s 12th Golden Globe nomination! She previously won for in the television category for “Losing Chase” and “Elizabeth I” and in the film category for “The Queen”. The 71st Golden Globe Awards, hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, will be held on Sunday, Jan. 12 in Beverly Hills.

Helen Mirren has been nominated by the Screen Actors Guild as Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for “Phil Spector” by the Screen Actors Guild. She shares the category with Helena Bonham Carter (Burtonand Taylor ), Angela Bassett (Betty & Coretta), Elisabeth Moss and Holly Hunter (both for Top of the Lake). Al Pacino has received a Best Actor nomination for the film as well. Results will be tallied and sealed until the envelopes are opened by the presenters at the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony on Jan. 18, 2014.

Congratulations to Helen Mirren on receiving a Best Actress nomination for “The Audience” at the Evening Standard Awards. She shares the category with Linda Bassett (Roots), Lesley Manville (Ghosts), Billie Piper (The Effect) and Kristin Scott Thomas (Old Times). “The Audience” has received another nominations for Best Design (Bob Crowley). The 59th annual ceremony will take place on November 17 at the Savoy Hotel in London, with “Homeland” star Damian Lewis serving as the master of ceremonies.

As part of TCM’s annual “31 Days of Oscar” showcase in February of 2014, the network will present the world premiere of brand-new documentary “Oscar,” which traces the history of the Academy Awards. The special is co-directed and penned by filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (“Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt”). It features extensive clips from Oscar-winning and nominated films, plus behind-the-scenes ceremony footage from the archives of Hollywood Newsreel. Much of this has never been shown before. The doc’s high-profile interviewees include, among many others, George Clooney, Annette Benning, Tom Hanks, Ben Kingsley, Helen Mirren, Whoopi Goldberg, Steven Spielberg, Michael Moore and frequent Oscar host Billy Crystal. “Oscar” is set to air on February 1, the opening night of “31 Days of Oscar.” Each night’s lineup will feature a complete set of nominated films that faced each other in a particular category.