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Exclusive: HBO and Sky-backed producer Bad Wolf has teamed up with Steve Coogan's BBC Worldwide-backed production company Baby Cow to develop a historical drama series for UK broadcaster ITV. I have learned that the two companies are working on a high-end scripted adaptation of Amanda Foreman's book Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire, which was previously the basis for Keira Knightley film The Duchess. It's rare that two high-profile UK producers would team for such a…...

More Dickens and even more Shakespeare, but also new novels from Toni Morrison, Hilary Mantel, Zadie Smith, plus exciting new voices – 2012's literary highlights

January

10 Charles Dickens's The Mystery of Edwin Drood, starring Matthew Rhys and Tamzin Merchant, begins – and, unlike the book, ends – on BBC2.

13 Michael Morpurgo's much-loved children's novel War Horse, a long-running favourite at the National and on Broadway, gets the Hollywood treatment. A tearjerking saga about a young soldier and his horse – it was only a matter of time before it was Spielberged.

16 Ts Eliot prize. Despite withdrawals from the shortlist over objections to a hedge fund's sponsorship of the prize, the Eliot remains the UK's premier poetry award, and its eve-of-event reading is always a treat. This year's shortlist includes Daljit Nagra, Carol Ann Duffy and John Burnside.

20 Release of film of Coriolanus, an Orson Wellesian effort directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes,...

Filed under: Drama, Fandom, Movie Marketing, Trailers and Clips

Cinematical has just received this exclusive clip from the period drama The Duchess (click image above or head after the jump to view), directed by Saul Dibb and based on Amanda Foreman's best-selling novel. Starring Keira Knightley as Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, the film chronicles the life of a vibrant beauty and celebrity of her time; a woman held prisoner in an unhappy marriage, but one who'd risk it all for the love of a young politician. (Been there, done that -- right ladies?) Also starring Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper and Hayley Atwell, the following clip takes us inside a pretty intense confrontation between Georgiana and the Duke of Devonshire (Fiennes) as they battle one another for the respect each feels they deserve.

The Duchess (which is currently enjoying a limited release) expands to theaters across the...

Back in the late 18th century, while England was dealing with rebellion in its colonies and a call for greater democratization at home, Georgiana Spencer married William Cavendish, the Duke of Devonshire, and via her husband's Whig-affiliated circle of associates, she began taking an interest in politics, primarily by supporting the career of future prime minister (and lover) Charles Grey. In Saul Dibb's The Duchess—adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from Amanda Foreman's biography Georgiana—Keira Knightley plays the duchess as a freethinking fashion plate, admired by the ladies of London for her sense of style and her insistence that there's no such thing as "freedom in moderation." But her domestic situation tests her public calls for universal liberty, as her husband—played with creepily calm menace by Ralph Fiennes—reminds her that she has no real power in their relationship. He can sleep with whomever he wants, and...

The past day was all about the parties along with the clothes at Fashion Week. Eva Mendes — who it's your last chance to submit interview questions for! — was having fun at a bash for La Mer, while a dramatically made up Keira Knightley held court with Anna Wintour at a Cinema Society screening of The Duchess. Liv Tyler was off hosting an event of her own at the Rose Bar and Michelle Trachtenberg joined Vanessa Minnillo at the grand opening of the Target Bodegas. As for the shows, Mena Survari brought her fiance Simone Sestito to Rebecca Taylor today along with Rashida Jones. We're sure to see many more familiar faces as the week heads into its final day tomorrow. Aside from all the star sightings in the tents, make sure to check out Fab and Bella for the inside scoop on all the new looks from the runway. To see more of the action,...

On Wednesday, September 3, "The Duchess" has rolled down its red carpet in front of Odeon Theatre in Leicester Square, London to celebrate its world premiere. The special occasion was made merry with the attendance of the stars, Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes and Dominic Cooper, as well as director Saul Dibb and "Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire" author Amanda Foreman.

Still, all of the attention of the evening was on the leading lady Knightley who was dressed in a strapless blue gown with lace accents on the neckline and hemline. Walking down the red carpet, she made time to casually chat and sign autographs for her fans waiting for her at the event. On her role in this film, she commented, "It's very interesting to me to play these types of roles and work with other women. There's always lots of men on the film set so it's good to have the...

Before "The Duchess" hits limited theaters, the period drama film will be specially screened for the first time more than two weeks before its due date on September 19. Taking place at the Odeon Cinema in Odeon Leicester Square, the Paramount Vantage's period drama will roll down its red carpet to celebrate its London premiere on September 3.

Though the list of the stars to attend the special event has yet unraveled, there is possibility that "Duchess" cast ensemble, including Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes, is coming to join the celebration. The complete coverage of the premiere event will be reported after the stars and other celebrity guest tread the red carpet.

Based on the biography of the talked about Duchess written by Amanda Foreman, "Duchess" resolves its story on the outrageous life of Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, as she charms every man getting close to her but fails miserably in seducing her own husband.

Acting picky when it comes to strip off on screen, Keira Knightley has agreed to appear in intimate love scenes for her new role in the forthcoming big screen movie "The Duchess." Playing the lead character, Georgiana Spencer, she willingly shares her experience filming love scenes for the flick with co-star Dominic Cooper. She discusses almost everything, from the costumes to her opinion about having sex in front of the camera.

Claiming the dresses she had to wear during the shooting as "an absolute nightmare" because the authentic 18th century costumes were too tight for her, she nevertheless found them helpful too. "It kind of helps because if you're feeling at all emotional then it makes it ten times worse as you can't catch your breath, so that helps in playing the scene," so she told MTV UK. "The worst part is after lunch, because they're so tight they don't...

Keira Knightley has defended her new movie The Duchess after images of late royal Diana, Princess Of Wales were included in the trailer for the film.

In the new movie, Knightley plays Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, a distant relation of Diana - who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

The promo for The Duchess sparked outrage by showing pictures of the late Princess and emphasising the link between the film's lead character and her modern-day descendant.

The trailer, which is currently being shown in cinemas ahead of the movie's release next month, shows juxtaposed images of Knightley's character and Princess Diana and reads: "The two were related by ancestry and united by destiny."

And Knightley has stepped into the debate about the promo - insisting her character should not be compared to the late royal.

She says, "I am Georgiana. I am not Diana. The film is not about Diana."

The promo has also come under fire from Amanda Foreman, who wrote the biography which the film is based on, who called it "a bad joke," and the director Saul Dibb, who blamed "the marketing men" for the short.

Dibb adds, "We didn't want to make any parallels between the two women. It didn't govern the shooting of the film or the performances."...