Julie Walters, best known to Potter fans for her role as Molly Weasley, will be starring in C4’s Indian Summers, which will begin filming this Summer and air some time in 2015.  It is a 10 part series that tells the story of the final years of British colonial rule in India. Julie plays “grand widow Cynthia, who is a force to be reckoned with at the Royal Club in Simla. She has influence on all those around her.”  A description of the series, from a press release back in 2013 is as follows:

Set against the sweeping grandeur of the Himalayas and tea plantations of Northern India, Indian Summers tells the rich and explosive story of the decline of the British Empire and the birth of modern India – seen through both British and Indian eyes. Commissioned by Head of Drama Piers Wenger for Channel 4, the ten part epic will begin filming next year.

It’s the summer of 1932. India dreams of Independence, but the British are clinging to power. In the foothills of the Himalayas stands Simla; a little England where every summer the British power-brokers of this nation are posted to govern during the summer months. At the heart of Simla is the Royal Club – at its gate a burnished sign reads ‘No dogs or Indians’. Here the world of an illegitimate Anglo-Indian boy collides with that of tennis and polo, and gunshots interrupt the clink of ice on a sultry summer’s day.

The Kalka-Simla Express steams through the Himalayan foothills bringing the Britishers to India’s summer capital, while an endless trail of Indian and Tibetan servants prepare Viceregal Lodge. Inside, a handsome young Englishman Ralph Whelan waits accompanied by his restless and put-upon clerk Aafrin. Ambitious and charismatic, Ralph is a rising star in the Indian Civil Service. When an assassination attempt brings the evening’s glittering welcome to an abrupt end, their world comes under threat. For some this is terrifying, but for those in power – it’s an opportunity.

As Indian Summers begins, the stories of promises, secrets, politics, power, sex and love play out as the British Raj begins to falter and a nation opens its eyes to the possibilities of freedom.

As we reported a couple weeks ago, J.K. Rowling guest edited/hosted BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour today.  The BBC Radio site has been updated with the full episode as well as clips from Rowling’s show, here. A description of the hour long episode is below:

Multiple Sclerosis affects roughly 100,000 people in the UK and three times as many women as men will develop the disease. The incidence of MS is higher in Scotland than in any other country in the world. J.K. Rowling’s mum Anne died of an aggressive form of the disease nearly 15 years ago and in her memory she has helped to fund the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, part of the University of Edinburgh, which is pioneering research into neural regeneration and patient care.

Her passion for Scottish Rugby is something that many fans may not know. We look at the current state of Scottish Women’s Rugby, what is being done to make the sport more attractive to women and what needs to be done to help the sport grow more.

The UN estimates that up to eight million children around the world live in institutions. These are often called orphanages or children’s homes, although at least four out of five of those children in institutional care have living parents. What’s inspired J.K. Rowling to get involved with helping children reunite with their families?

Plus shoes. They hurt our feet and our bank balance, and yet to so many of us they are objects of desire. Jo is no exception, she’s often wondered why women are so fond of this particular item of clothing. From high heels to statement brogues, we explore the complex and fascinating world of women and their relationship to their footwear and ask, what is the power and myth of the shoe?

The sixth annual LeakyCon is almost upon us and today we have a press release announcing some information on the fan conference taking place this July in Orlando, Florida (July 30 – August 3). LeakyCon is one of the largest and most recognized annual fandom conventions in the world and is attended every year by thousands of fantasy film, television and book fans. The event was started in 2009 as a conference for Harry Potter fans and has since grown to include fans of some of the most popular films, television shows and books.

Attendees can participate in programming that caters specifically to them and meet a community of like-minded enthusiasts. LeakyCon includes a wide array of special events, panel discussions, Q&A sessions, workshops, live performances, music concerts, celebrity meet-and-greets and a marketplace with a variety of vendors. Attendees will get a chance to meet their favorite authors, take pictures with celebrities from film and television and have 5 days of nerdy fun.

This year’s LeakyCon will also feature a special private event at the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Orlando. The new attraction will be closed to the general public and available only to LeakyCon attendees, who will have an exclusive opportunity to see the Harry Potter-themed park.

In addition to the main convention, LeakyCon offers a special literary track with programming focused on books, featuring hands-on sessions and events with some of today’s most popular authors for teens and young adults.

Special guests to-date for this year’s event include: Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima (Mina Lima), graphic designers responsible for the visual look of the Harry Potter films; John Green, author (“Looking For Alaska,” “The Fault in our Stars”); Scarlett Byrne, actress (Pansy Parkinson in three Harry Potter films; Jon Cozart, YouTube sensation; Joe Moses, actor (“A Very Potter Musical”); Tessa Netting, Broadway performer (“Billy Elliott”) and creator of popular YouTube parody videos (“HELLO-Harry Potter Book of Mormon”); Laurie Halse Anderson, author (“Speak,” “Prom,” “Wintergirls”); Holly Black, author (“The Spiderwick Chronicles”); Rainbow Rowell, author (“Eleanor & Park,” “Fangirl”). Musical acts scheduled to appear include Alex Carpenter and Harry and the Potters (Paul and Joe DeGeorge). Additional special guests and musical acts will be announced regularly leading up to the event.

[…]

Attendees can choose between four different types of tickets. General admission tickets are available for $175 and include access to most of the events at the convention; general admission plus literary tickets are available for $275 and include general admission access plus special literary track programming; Rockstar tickets are sold for $375 and include preferred access to all events including literary track programming; and literary focus tickets are available for $125 and include access to literary track programming only. Tickets can be purchased online at www.LeakyCon.com.

Team StarKid was also recently announced to attend the event:

Team StarKid will perform a special one-time-only reading of “Starship: Requiem,” the romantic sci-fi comedy sequel to their 2011 space odyssey “Starship.” The story follows the adventures  of Mega-Girl the robot and her half-witted Starship Ranger husband. The newlyweds are sucked into a black hole of trouble when they go to visit Mega-Girl’s human-hating family, including her overbearing mother-unit, her jealous sister-unit and the return of her hunky ex-boyfriend-unit.

As an added bonus for LeakyCon attendees, Team StarKid will celebrate their five-year anniversary at a retrospective panel where they will answer questions, share stories and read some of the deleted scenes from their “Very Potter Musical” series.

We have been sent a new clip of Tom Felton in Belle. Belle —opening in theaters on May 2nd! Inspired by a true story, Belle follows the life of Dido Elizabeth Belle (played by Gugu-Mbatha-Raw), an illegitimate mixed race young woman raised in an aristocratic family in Georgian England. Belle’s lineage affords her certain privileges, yet her status prevents her from the traditions of noble social standing. While her cousin Elizabeth chases suitors for marriage, Belle is left on the sidelines wondering if she will ever find love.

The first clip of Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan in What If? has been released. The film, formerly titled The F Word, will be released in US theatres on August 1st.

Thanks to Mugglenet for the tip

The Orlando Sentinal is reporting that the Today show will no longer be broadcasting from Universal Orlando this Friday as we reported yesterday. Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said:

“Plans for live broadcasts are ever-changing things, any attempt to draw conclusions beyond that would just be wrong.”