By James Whittington, 29th March 2025
Some of the our most iconic films will receive their Channel premieres on LEGEND this April, including John Carpenter's ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, starring Kurt Russell, Micheal Winner's DEATH WISH, starring Charles Bronson, Paul Verhoeven's BASIC INSTINCT, starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone, and Neil Marshal's CENTURION, starring Michael Fassbender and Dominic West.
Other premieres include Brit revenge crime thriller VENDETTA, starring Danny Dyer, and John Badham's DROP ZONE, in which Wesley Snipes freefalls into new heights of crime-fighting.
Plus, LEGEND presents six classic afternoon 'matinee' premieres, including the celebrated 1976 version of KING KONG, starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange, the 1972 rousing version of TREASURE ISLAND, in which Orson Wells is outstanding as Long John Silver and historical drama THE SCARLET BLADE, most notable for a stirring performance from the ever-menacing Oliver Reed.
Let's kick-off on the 5th with one of John Carpenter's most iconic movies, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. 1997 - and Manhattan has become a walled prison for three million criminals where they are left to run loose. The plane carrying the American President crashes there and he is taken prisoner by "the Duke". Sent in to rescue him from this land of hell is Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), former war hero turned criminal. To ensure he does not abandon his mission, two devices are implanted in his arteries, primed to blow him to pieces if he fails to return on time. Fast-forward to the 11th where Danny Dyer has a VENDETTA. A former special-ops soldier (Dyer) must stay one step ahead of the police and his former military unit while he hunts down and kills the gang who slaughtered his parents. Directed by Stephen Reynolds and co-starring Roxanne McKee. The following night we take to the skies in DROP ZONE. Wesley Snipes free-falls into the daredevil world of sky-diving to track down a cadre of techno terrorists. John Badham directs this chute-to-thrill adventure, which co-stars Gary Busey, Yancy Butler and Michael Jeter.
One of the most controversial movies ever made arrives on LEGEND this month, DEATH WISH is on the 18th. In this explosive story of revenge and urban violence, directed by Michael Winner, a New York architect, with liberal views, (Charles Bronson) has a change of opinion after his wife and daughter are violently attacked by a gang of thugs in their apartment. The next night we travel back in time for CENTURION. A splinter group of Roman soldiers fight for their lives behind enemy lines after their legion is decimated in a devastating guerrilla attack. Directed by Neil Marshall (Descent) and starring Michael Fassbender and Dominic West. Our final prime time premiere needs no introduction, BASIC INSTINCT. The mysterious Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), a crime novelist, becomes a suspect when she is linked to the brutal death of a rock star. Investigated by homicide detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), Catherine seduces him into an intense relationship. Meanwhile, the murder case becomes increasingly complicated when more seemingly connected deaths occur.
Looking at our matinee premieres let's start on the 9th with ARIZONA BUSHWACKERS . During the American Civil War, a Confederate spy takes a job as the marshal of a small town as a cover for his espionage activities. However, he finds out that a local businessman is selling weapons to a band of rampaging Indians. This entertaining Western is directed by Lesley Selander and stars Howard Keel, Yvonne De Carlo, John Ireland and Marilyn Maxwell. APACHE RISING on the 16th, follows a reformed man who now wears a sheriff's badge named Jim Walker (Rory Calhoun) who faces Apache trouble as well as a cunning thief who is plotting to rob a stagecoach carrying gold. This Western, set in post-Civil War Arizona, also stars Lon Chaney Jr, and includes the last screen appearance of one-time cowboy star Johnny Mack Brown. A remake of a classic which itself gained a huge cult following has its premiere on the 18th, KING KONG. Produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Guillermin, this monster adventure, praised for its advanced special effects, is a remake of the 1933 film and stars Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, and Jessica Lange in her first film role.
TREASURE ISLAND on the 21st brings to life Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of pirates and hidden gold which begins in an inn when a mysterious sea captain, Billy Bones, collapses with terror and dies, but not before entrusting the inn owner’s son Jim with an oilskin bag, which contains a map of buried treasure. Jim shows it to Squire Trelawney and Doctor Livesy and they decide to set sail in search of it, engaging, as cook, a one-legged seaman known as Long John Silver (Orson Wells). The 23rd has more historical drama in THE SCARLET BLADE. Set in 17th century England amid the bloody, head-on clashes between Cromwell's Roundheads and the loyal Cavaliers of King Charles I, Royalists are determined to fight to the end. Set against this troubled background the drama surrounds two families, and the conflicts that they face against each other and themselves. Stars Lionel Jeffries and Oliver Reed. We end on the 30th with THE LAST COMMAND. Legendary Texan Jim Bowie (Sterling Hayden) attempts to come to a nonviolent compromise with Mexican President Santa Anna (J. Carrol Naish), but the negotiations soon turn sour. Consuelo de Quesada (Anna Maria Alberghetti), a Mexican girl with close ties to Jim, then warns him that Santa Ana's men are planning to invade. So Jim, Davy Crockett (Arthur Hunnicutt) and a tiny crew of courageous Texans hide out in an abandoned mission, awaiting the violent confrontation.
Related show tags: VENDETTA, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, DEATH WISH, BASIC INSTINCT, CENTURION, DROP ZONE, KING KONG, TREASURE ISLAND, THE SCARLET BLADE MORE FEATURES September contains channel premiers from Travolta, Lundgren and JCVD! Posted on 26th August 2026
There are channel premieres for eight feature films this month, including military thrillers BASIC, starring John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson, SECOND IN COMMAND, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Guy Hamilton’s classic FORCE 10 FROM NAVORONE, the sequel to the 1961 classic The Guns of Navarone, starring Harrison Ford, Robert Shaw and Barbara Bach.
Jean-Claude Van Damme also stars in Sci-Fi action film UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: THE RETURN and another cult action hero hitting our TV screens this month is Steven Seagal, starring in crime thrillers CONTRACT TO KILL and KILLING SALAZAR, both directed by Keoni Waxman.
Other channel premieres include neo-Wester...
Those Duke boys are gonna cause trouble on LEGEND in September! Posted on 26th August 2026
Hazzard County’s most famous cousins are back on British screens. The classic hit action-comedy series The Dukes of Hazzard will receive its channel premiere on action and nostalgic TV channel, LEGEND. Starting on 2nd September 2026, all seven series will be aired at 6pm weeknights.
The Dukes of Hazzard follows the thrilling, high-octane escapades of the fiercely loyal Duke family -cousins Bo (John Schneider) and Luke (Tom Wopat), Daisy (Catherine Bach), and wise Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle). Together with their loyal mechanic Cooter Davenport (Ben Jones), they spend their days outwitting Hazzard County's comically corrupt Commissioner Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) and his bum...
LEGEND brings out Hackman, Stallone and Willis for August channel premieres Posted on 27th July 2026
Watch out for a sizzling summer line-up on LEGEND this August, headed up the Channel premiere of David Mamet's neo-noir crime thriller HEIST. Starring Gene Hackman and Danny DeVito it remains the highest-grossing film of the writer-director's career in the US. Another stand-out director, Renny Harlin has two Channel premieres – breezy action-heist film THE MISFITS, starring Pierce Brosnan, and DRIVEN, an action sports film set in the world of cart open-wheel racing, written by and starring Sylvester Stallone.
Other Channel premieres include action-thriller TEARS OF THE SUN, starring Bruce Willis and Monica Bellucci, John Lyde's B-movie prison thriller RIOT, st...
Interview with Terry Stone star of Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins Posted on 15th July 2026
Brutal Brit flick RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER: ORIGINS has its channel premiere on Friday at 11:10pm so we chatted to Terry Stone about the challenges of playing Tony Tucker and why he thinks this is the best film in the franchise.
LC: In RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER: ORIGINS, Tucker returns home from the Falklands War with severe PTSD. What was that like to emotionally explore?
TS: As an actor it was an interesting thing to play. It took me on a journey so when you see my character laughing a lot in the film it’s like a mask to hide all the shit that's going on in my head. It also explains how you can go from 1 - 10 in violence. Lots of Footsoldier fans didn’t know that Tony Tuck...
Fairbrass, Diesel and Stallone are ready for action this July on Legend Posted on 30th June 2026
In July LEGEND continues with its broadcast of the RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER franchise, this month covering the third, fourth and fifth films in the brutal British gangster saga that has been engaging its millions of fans since 2007.
First up is RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER 3: THE PAT TATE STORY, which charts the violent rise of ruthless Essex gangster Pat Tate (Craig Fairbass). Then comes RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER 4: MARBELLA, where we follow Pat Tate (Craig Fairbrass) to Spain with his henchmen, Tony (Terry Stone) and Craig (Ronald Manookian) to seek vengeance on those who double-crossed him. Finally, in RISE OF THE FOORSOLDIER: ORIGINS, we follow the story of how Pat, Tony and Craig unite to form their o...
Babylon 5 lands on LEGEND from Monday 8 June Posted on 2nd June 2026
LEGEND, the TV destination for fans of action, sci-fi, and thrillers, rides the nostalgia wave with the channel premiere of all five seasons of the classic '90s series BABYLON 5, which will air weeknights at 7pm from Monday 8 June.
The series will kick off with Babylon 5: The Gathering, the test pilot movie, before Season One launches on Tuesday 9 June. The Gathering covers events which take place roughly one year before those of the first-season episode, providing a framework of backstories and personal relationships for some of the series' major characters, which include Captain John Sheridan, (Bruce Boxleitner), Commander Susan Ivanova (Claudia Christian), Security Chief M...
Legend brings the heat this June Posted on 27th May 2026
There are ten thrilling channel premieres in June as LEGEND continue to offer a popular mix of nostalgic favourites and modern, star-studded premieres, including Joel Schumacher's gripping legal drama A TIME TO KILL, Jon Amiel's psychological thriller COPYCAT and both RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER and RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER: PART II - the first two films in the brutal British gangster saga that has been engaging its millions of fans since 2007.
Then there is Ted Kotcheff's gritty action-drama UNCOMMON VALOR, starring Gene Hackman, Robert Benton's much-praised revisionist Western BAD COMPANY, starring Jeff Bridges and Barry Brown, an...
A line-up not to be missed this May on LEGEND Posted on 28th April 2026
May on LEGEND sees an action-packed mix of classic and contemporary thrillers, headed by Sergio Leone's brilliant ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, starring Robert De Niro and James Woods on top form, Joel Schumacher's tense legal drama THE CLIENT, starring Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones, Spike Lee's Neo-noir remake of Park Chan-wook's 2003 South Korean cult masterpiece OLD BOY, and Sydney Pollack's political spy thriller THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR, widely regarded as a quintessential example of the 1970s "paranoia" cinema.
Then there is IMMORTALS, Tarsem Singh's epic, visceral retelling of Greek mythology, starring Henry Cavell and Mickey O'Rourke, Andrew Nicol's IN TIME, a dystopian science ficti...
Connery, Caine and Curry are starring in Channel Premieres this April on LEGEND Posted on 29th March 2026
It's action, suspense and high-stakes drama all the way as LEGEND presents eleven star-studded Channel premieres in April, spearheaded by Brian De Palma's brutal crime classic CARLITO'S WAY, starring Al Paciino, high octane action comedy MR. AND MRS. SMITH, starring Bratt Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Spike Lee's critically acclaimed heist thriller INSIDE MAN, and Timor Bekmambetov's all guns-blazing WANTED, starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman and Terence Stamp.
Then there is the cold war spy thriller BULLET TO BEIJING, starring Michael Caine as a retired Harry Palmer, buddy-cop film MONEY TRAIN, starring Wesley Snipes, and Jennifer Lopez, and two murderous action thrille...
PICK OF THE WEEK
