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 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...
Reynolds, Washington and Schwarzenegger join the LEGEND line-up for March Posted on 25th February 2026
An action-packed mix of cult classics, popular remakes and contemporary thrillers headline LEGEND's selection of eleven Channel premieres in March, spearheaded by Kathryn Bigelow's gripping, suspenseful, and brilliantly crafted, ZERO DARK THIRTY, which dramatises the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Then there is the 2005 action-packed remake of ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, starring Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne, Clint Eastwood's high-stakes assassination thriller THE EIGER SANCTION. and Frank Mitchell's survival drama ALIVE, the true story of a Uruguayan rugby team forced to eat the flesh of their dead companions following a plane crash.
Further Channel premieres include grindhouse-inspired exploitatio...
De Niro, Pacino and Eastwood are starring on LEGEND in February Posted on 27th January 2026
De Niro, Pacino and Eastwood give us powerhouse performances as LEGEND celebrates the work of legendary directors this month, spearheaded by the Channel premieres of such cult classics as Brian De Palma's SCARFACE, Martin Scorcese's CAPE FEAR, Donald Seigel's THE BEGUILED, and John Frankenheimer's BLACK SUNDAY.
Other notable Channel premieres this February include Keanu Reeves' directorial debut, MAN OF TAI CHI. Leigh Wannel's tech horror thriller UPGRADE, Doug Liman's action comedy, AMERICAN MADE, starring Tom Cruise, Gary Fieder's quirky crime drama THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU'RE DEAD, which stars Andy Garcia, Christopher Walken and Steve Buscemi, and Kevin McDonald's blistering politi...
LEGEND announces January 2026 premiere line-up! Posted on 23rd December 2025
LEGEND ushers in the new year with ten adrenaline-fuelled channel premieres, including Peter Weir's much acclaimed war drama GALLIPOLI, which solidified Mel Gibson’s stature as a leading man. Other well-known directors featured this month are The Fast and Furious helmer Rob Cohen with military science fiction action thriller STEALTH, Mike Figgis, who teams up with an outstanding Richard Gere for psychological crime thriller INTERNAL AFFAIRS, and Saturday Night Fever director John Badham, with American political thriller NICK OF TIME, starring Johnny Depp and Christopher Walken.
Other channel premieres include the box-office smash MECHANIC: RESURRECTION, the sequel...
LEGEND unwraps nine channel premieres this December Posted on 30th November 2025
It's seasonal thrills all the way as LEGEND unwraps nine channel premieres this December, including three 90's cult classics - Mike Hewell's classic crime drama DONNIE BRASCO, starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp, Paul Verhoeven's futuristic alien invasion thriller STARSHIP TROOPERS, and Robert Rodriguez's action-packed DESPARADO, with Antonio Banderas, Quentin Tarantino and Salma Hayak.
Favourite LEGEND action heroes showcased this month are Steven Seagal in crime vengeance thriller THE ASIAN CONNECTION, Jason Statham in gangster actioner WILD CARD, and Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg in boxing drama THE FIGHTER.
Other crackers include Gerard Bulter in heroic fantasy GODS...
LEGEND line-up for November brings Stone, Gibson, Willis and Van Damme Posted on 23rd October 2025
It's thrills, kills and spills all the way on LEGEND this November with sixteen channel premieres, including Sam Raimi's comic-book Western THE QUICK AND THE DEAD, starring Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio, Walter Hill's buddy action comedy RED HEAT, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Belushi, Roland Emmerich's epic historical drama THE PATRIOT, starring Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger, Robert Harmon's cult classic THE HITCHER, starring Rutger Hauer, and Barbet Schroeder's outstanding crime thriller KISS OF DEATH, starring David Caruso, Samuel L. Jackson and Nicolas Cage. Samuel L. Jackson also stars in disturbing psychological thriller, UNTHINKABLE...
Heroes, assassins, warriors and rogues descend on LEGEND in October Posted on 27th September 2025
Heroes, assassins, warriors and rogues descend on LEGEND in October, with thirteen channel premieres, including Xavier Gens’ exuberant computer game adaptation HITMAN, sci-fi bad-ass action movie RIDDICK, starring Vin Diesel, historical action-adventure THE 13TH WARRIOR, based on Michael Crichton's 1976 novel Eaters of the Dead and Sylvester Stallone’s Veteran warrior John Rambo returns for one final battle as he seeks ferocious vengeance on a drug cartel targeting his family in the Channel premiere of RAMBO: LAST BLOOD.
Other favourite LEGEND action heroes are out for revenge this month, including Dwayne Johnson in FASTER, Craig Fairbrass in LONDON HEIST, Eric Roberts in...
PICK OF THE WEEK
