Henry Cavill is Superman, Tom Cruise & James Cameron Team Up & Much More!
OSCAR NOMS REACTION
Snooze. But seriously: Javier Bardem over Ryan Gosling in “Blue Valentine?” Javier can thank Sean Penn, Julia Roberts, and Ben Affleck for championing him over the 30-year-old Canadian indie actor with far less Hollywood connections. But congratulations to John Hawkes for his Best Supporting Actor Oscar nod for “Winter’s Bone.” Well-deserved.
UPCOMING PROJECTS
This is very intriguing. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ben Affleck is in early negotiations to direct ARGO – a film based on a Wired magazine article about the Tehran hostage crisis. George Clooney and his producing partner Grant Heslov are slated to produce. The article, “How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran,” was written by Joshua Bearman and published in April 2007. The trade says “the story centers on how, during the occupation of the American embassy by Iranians in 1979, a rescue effort was mounted by the CIA and the Canadian government to extract six U.S. diplomats.” You can read the entire Wired article HERE.
Cameron Diaz has signed on for GAMBIT, the remake of the 1966 crime caper, reports Deadline. The new version is set to arrive from director Michael Hoffman (“The Last Station”) and with a script from Joel and Ethan Coen. Slated to star Colin Firth as a English cat burglar (played by Michael Caine in the original), GAMBIT focuses on a heist that targets a billionaire’s priceless statue. Diaz is said to play a woman that Firth’s character hires to help him in the con game. In the original, the role was that of a Eurasian dancer played by Shirley MacLaine, but the new version of the character is said to be a “Texas steer roper.” The film is set to shoot this summer in London and Texas.
Tom Cruise is likely to play the lead in Guillermo Del Toro’s AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS, producer James Cameron revealed to MTV News. ”I don’t think we have a deal with him yet,” added Cameron, “but we’re hoping to get that closed soon. Guillermo is madly working on a new draft of the script. Hopefully we’ll be shooting by June or July.” Though the project, officially, has yet to be greenlit, it was revealed earlier that del Toro (“Hellboy,” “Pan’s Labryinth”) has been hard at work designing creature effects and pitching his R-rated take on the H.P. Lovecraft story.
Kevin Macdonald, whose next film, “The Eagle,” hits theaters next weekend, has announced that his upcoming project will be a return to documentaries with MARLEY, a documentary about the famed reggae musician Bob Marley, to be produced by Tuff Gong Pictures and Shangri-La Entertainment. Macdonald, whose past docs have included “One Day in September” and “Touching the Void,” is said to have been granted unprecedented access to the Marley’s family’s private archives and will, with their cooperation, attempt a definitive look at the artist’s life and work. The film will receive a world wide theatrical release in Q3 2011, during the 30th anniversary year after his passing in 1981.
CASTING NEWS
The British are coming! Not content with Brits playing Batman and Spider-Man, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that Henry Cavill will play Clark Kent/Superman in the Zack Snyder-directed SUPERMAN movie:
Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced today that Henry Cavill has won the coveted role of Superman, the iconic superhero. The film will be directed by Zack Snyder, who stated, “In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen. I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry. He is the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield.”
Meanwhile, according to Variety, Alice Eve (“She’s Out Of My League”), Rosamund Pike (“Barney’s Version”) and Diane Kruger (“Troy”) have emerged as frontrunners to play the female lead in the SUPERMAN film… but it’s not Lois Lane.
Long rumored to play a part in Christopher Nolan’s Batman sequel after his turn in the director’s Inception last year, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is now reported by Deadline to be in talks for a role in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. Currently filming Rian Johnson’s Looper, Gordon-Levitt has not officially been cast and, as of yet, there is no studio confirmation that he is even being sought to appear. The Dark Knight Rises is slated to feature the return of Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman, reprising their characters from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Newcomers confirmed to appear include Anne Hathaway in the part of Selina Kyle and Tom Hardy (who also appeared in Inception) in the role of Bane. The film is planned for regular and IMAX release on July 20, 2012.
Now this is great casting. According to the Los Angeles Times, “Biutiful” Oscar nominee Javier Bardem has been offered the role of the villain in the upcoming BOND 23 film – the next installment in the James Bond franchise. “”I’d be playing Bond’s nemesis, yes,” Bardem explains, ”but it’s not that obvious. Everything is more nuanced. It’s very intriguing… They’re changing the whole thing, the whole dynamic.” The film will be directed by Sam Mendes (“American Beauty”), and Daniel Craig and Judi Dench have both signed on to reprise their roles as 007, and M, respectively. And The Daily Mail reports that Ralph Fiennes has also been offered the role of a dark character in the film.
Tyler Perry (huh?) is set to star in I, ALEX CROSS, reports Deadline, the hard-boiled detective character based on the series of novels by James Patterson. The series of novels, begun in 1993 with Along Came a Spider, features a forensic psychologist named Alex Cross. Morgan Freeman played the role twice, first in an adapation of the second book in the series, Kiss the Girls in 1997 and later in 2001 when Along Came a Spider itself was adapted. Perry is best known for writing and directing his own films, beginning in 2005 with Diary of a Mad Black Woman and, most recently For Colored Girls. In fact, his only big-screen appearance as an actor in a film that he didn’t write was in a minor role in J.J. Abram’s Star Trek. Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious, XXX) is said to be attached to direct the project, which was initially being developed for “The Wire” star Idris Elba.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Barbara Streisand and Seth Rogen will star in Paramount Pictures’ road-trip comedy MY MOTHER’S CURSE, to be directed by Anne Fletcher (The Proposal) from a script by Dan Fogelman (Cars). Fogelman is said to have written the script based on his own experience traveling with his mother. The Hollywood Reporter says “the story follows an inventor (Rogen) who invites his mother on a cross-country trip as he tries to sell his new product while also reuniting her with a lost love.”
HOT NEW TRAILERS
BEGINNERS (June 3rd): Written and directed by Mike Mills (“Thumbsucker”), it’s the story of a young man (Ewan McGregor) who’s rocked by news that his elderly father (Christopher Plummer) has terminal cancer, and is gay. A burgeoning relationship with a beautiful woman (“Inglourious Basterds’” Melanie Laurent) helps him cope.
BRIDESMAIDS (May 13th): Directed by Paul Fieg (“Freaks and Geeks”) and starring “SNL” alums Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph, it’s about a group of bridesmaids who plan a wild bachelorette party in Vegas. Think the female “Hangover.”
ELEKTRA LUXX (March): A recently retired porn star (Carla Gugino) is pregnant with the child of a late rock star (Josh Brolin), but a quest for some missing song lyrics leads her on a hilarious series of events involving a sex blogger (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), private detectives, and other madness.
Tags: Alex Cross, Argo, At the Mountains of Madness, Barbra Streisand, Beginners, ben affleck, Bob Marley, Bond 23, Bridesmaids, Cameron Diaz, Colin Firth, Elektra Luxx, Gambit, George Clooney, Guillermo Del Toro, Henry Cavill, I, James Bond, James Cameron, Javier Bardem, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kevin Macdonald, Marley, My Mother's Curse, Ryan Gosling, Sam Mendes, Seth Rogen, Superman, Tom Cruise, Tyler Perry
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Golden Globes Round-Up, Spider-Man in Costume, Zoolander 2, and more!
THE GOLDEN GLOBES
It was a relatively uneventful Golden Globes when it came to the award winners – all the favorites (“The Social Network,” Firth, Portman, Bening, Bale, Leo) won. The big surprises came courtesy of host, the British comedian Ricky Gervais (“The Office,” “Extras”). His cringe-inducing monologue – where he rips on “The Tourist,” Hugh Hefner’s penis, HFPA bribes, and a certain closeted Scientologist – was truly a thing of beauty, even if the Hollywood Foreign Press Association brass were less than thrilled by the proceedings. HFPA execs can breathe easily, Gervais won’t be back next year to host, and many of the celebs appear to have approved of Gervais’ jokes:
The only other real highlight – or lowlight – was Natalie Portman’s maniacal laugh after cracking a joke during her acceptance speech for the Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Golden Globe for “Black Swan”:
ZOOLANDER 2 UPDATE
The script has been completed and ZOOLANDER 2 waiting for the go-ahead, Ben Stiller told Empire, offering a few plot details. The project reunites Derek and Hansel (Stiller and Owen Wilson) ten years later with a story set primarily in Europe. “Their lives have changed and they’re not really relevant anymore,” Stiller said, “It’s a new world for them.” Stiller also confirmed that Will Ferrell will return as Mugatu, stating that the character has an “integral part” in the screenplay. “Will Ferrell is written into the script and he’s expressed interest in doing it,” he explained, “…he features in a big way.”
FIRST LOOK AT SPIDER-MAN!
FIRST LOOK AT THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN!
UPCOMING FILM PROJECTS
Heat Vision is reporting the trade has learned who Christopher Nolan is looking at for the female role in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. Keira Knightley, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Biel are due to test for roles in the Warner Bros. superhero tentpole in the next two weeks. Also testing are relative newcomers Kate Mara and Charlotte Riley (fiancée of actor Tom Hardy, who’s playing the villain). Hot British actress Gemma Arterton has also scheduled to test, and Nolan is filling two female roles for his third Batman movie – a villain and a love interest. According to them, one character is Talia, the daughter of Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson in the first film).
Twentieth Century Fox announced that Ridley Scott will direct PROMETHEUS, a sci-fi epic for worldwide release on March 9, 2012. Damon Lindelof (“Lost,” “Star Trek”) and Scott have been working together on the script. “While ‘Alien’ was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place. The keen fan will recognize strands of ‘Alien’s’ DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative. I couldn’t be more pleased to have found the singular tale I’d been searching for, and finally return to this genre that’s so close to my heart.” Of the five major roles to be cast, Noomi Rapace (“The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo”) is the first actor signed to star in the film.
The next film from writer-director Judd Apatow will be a sequel of sorts to his film, “Knocked Up.” The untitled project will bring back Pete and Debbie, the unhappily married couple played by Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann in “Knocked Up,” according to The Huffington Post. “It is just a story from Pete and Debbie’s current life,” said Apatow. “People really responded to their characters and problems. I felt like there was a lot of ground I could explore with them, so we’ll be shooting in July and will come out the following June. There are some fun details yet to reveal but I will let them come out slowly.”
Not only will Elijah Wood (‘Frodo’) and Andy Serkis (‘Gollum’) return to “Lord of the Rings” prequel THE HOBBIT, but now comes word from The Hollywood Reporter that Ian McKellen (‘Gandalf’) has signed on for the two-film adaptation as well. With McKellen aboard, news of Christopher Lee and Ian Holm signing on to reprise their parts as Saruman and an older Bilbo Baggins, respectively, is expected to follow.
The Hollywood Reporter says that Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg are in talks to star in I HATE YOU DAD, a comedy at Columbia Pictures that Sandler’s Happy Madison banner is producing. According to the trade, the “story centers on a father who moves in on the eve of his son’s wedding and promptly begins feuding with the bride-to-be. Sandler would play the dad, with Samberg as the son, even though less than 12 years separate the two in real life.” The film was written by David Caspe with a rewrite by David Wain and Ken Marino (“Role Models”), and a director is not attached yet.
CASTING NEWS
Sounds like Oscar bait. Accoring to a press release from RKO Pictures, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Jeremy Northam, and Christopher Walken have joined the cast of A LATE QUARTET, the upcoming indie feature from first-time writer/director Yaron Zilberman. Principal photography is scheduled to begin late January 2011 in New York City. Hoffman, Keener, Northam and Walken play a world-renowned string quartet struggling to stay together as they mark their 25th anniversary in the face of illness, competing egos and insuppressible lust.
Ed Westwick (“Gossip Girl”) has been cast in the Clint Eastwood-directed drama J. EDGAR, while Charlize Theron won’t be playing Helen Gandy as was previously reported. Deadline says that Eastwood is now looking at Naomi Watts and Amy Adams as possible replacements for the Gandy role. Westwick is joining Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer and Judi Dench in the film about controversial FBI director J. Edgar Hoover…
…Until next time!
Tags: andrew garfield, Anne Hathaway, Clint Eastwood, Ed Westwick, Golden Globes, J. Edgar, Judd Apatow, Knocked Up, Leslie Mann, Natalie Portman, Paul Rudd, Prometheus, Ricky Gervais, Ridley Scott, Spider-Man, The Dark Knight Rises, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Zoolander 2
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Quentin Tarantino’s Favorite Films of the Year, David Fincher’s Upcoming Projects, and More!
R.I.P. PETE POSLETHWAITE
One of the most respected character actors in the film industry, Pete Poslethwaite, succumbed to a long battle with cancer at the age of 64. Poslethwaite experienced a resurgence this past year, with supporting roles in the blockbusters “The Town,” “Inception,” and “Clash of the Titans.” He received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in director Jim Sheridan’s 1993 film, “In the Name of the Father,” and also appeared as the priest in Baz Luhrmann’s contemporary adaptation of “Romeo + Juliet.” However, my favorite role of his is as the mysterious attorney and confidant of Machiavellian killer Keyser Söze in filmmaker Bryan Singer’s 1995 cult classic, “The Usual Suspects.” Poslethwaite is survived by his wife Jackie and their two children.
TARANTINO’S FAVORITE THINGS
Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino has named his top 20 films of 2010, and it’s a pretty eclectic list, including several animated films, and even the Tom Cruise vehicle “Knight & Day.” (?) Check the full list out HERE.
UPCOMING FILM PROJECTS
Entertainment Tonight premiered some exclusive (and very brief) set footage for the film CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, directed by Joe Johnston and starring Chris Evans as the superhero.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Natalie Portman, the Oscar frontrunner in the Best Actress category for “Black Swan” and the star of the upcoming “Thor” superhero flick, debunked some rumors floating around about her appearing in Zack Snyder’s SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL and Christopher Nolan’s THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. “What is that? (laughs) No, I haven’t heard anything,” she said when asked about “Superman,” and when asked about “Batman,” she replied, “Oh, I don’t know anything about that.”
Andrew Garfield, who experienced a massive 2010 with his Golden Globe nominated performance as spurned Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin in “The Social Network” and his melancholic turn in “Never Let Me Go,” chatted with radio station Capital FM about his role in the upcoming SPIDER-MAN reboot. “I’ve been lucky enough to work with Denis Leary and Emma Stone and hung out with Rhys Ifans a little bit,” Garfield went on, “I’m just in heaven, like a kid in a candy store. I feel like one lucky boy, I tell you.” Talking about the costume he said, “I have to kind of not look at my face because it doesn’t make sense to me. I have to imagine that it’s a much better actor’s face in that suit… I won’t lie. I shed a tear when I first wore the spandex. I didn’t think that the spandex would make me so emotional, but it did.”
Collider sat down with filmmaker David Fincher this week to talk about the DVD and Blu-ray release of his acclaimed Facebook drama “The Social Network,” and Fincher mentioned he’s planning to shoot his version of Jules Verne’s 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA for Disney using 3D technology. He wouldn’t say whether or not it would be his next project, or if that would be the 2nd installment in Stieg Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy, “The Girl Who Played With Fire,” since he’s filming “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” right now, but he also said he’s interested in directing RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA with his “Se7en” star Morgan Freeman, as well as a project called THE REINCARNATION OF PETER PROUD.
It’s been over three years since Andrew Dominik’s “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” was released, but the Australian filmmaker is set to reunite with Brad Pitt (who played Jesse James) for the upcoming crime-thriller COGAN’S TRADE, based on George V. Higgins’ novel. According to the local trade Scene Louisiana, the film is set to start shooting in New Orleans in March with a who’s who of hot actors, including a reunion with Casey Affleck, who played Robert Ford in “Assassination.” According to the article, the other actors rumored to be part of the ensemble include Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Bill Murray, Mark Ruffalo, Sam Rockwell and Zoe Saldana. In the film, Pitt plays Jackie Cogan, “an enforcer investigating the robbery of a high stakes poker game protected by the mob.”
CASTING NEWS
According to Deadline, Jodie Foster has joined Neill Blomkamp’s ELYSIUM, which is set in the far future on another planet and is filled with many sociopolitical ideas. Blomkamp, who wrote and directed “District 9,” is reteaming with Sharlto Copley for the sci-fi pic, which will also star Matt Damon.
Someone from a site called Sandwich John Films spoke to filmmaker Clint Eastwood on the red carpet and were able to get a scoop that he’s going to have Oscar-winning actress Dame Judi Dench appearing in his upcoming J. Edgar Hoover biopic J. EDGAR, starring Leonardo Dicaprio and written by Dustin Lance Black. When asked if Charlize Theron would appear in the film as well, Eastwood replied, “We think she will be in the film, and Judi Dench is definitely in the film and there we are.”
AWARDS SEASON
The PRODUCER’S GUILD AWARDS, honoring the best and brightest producers in the film and television industry, have been announced. The ten Best Picture nominees are as follows: “The Social Network,” “The King’s Speech,” “Black Swan,” “True Grit,” “127 Hours,” “Inception,” “The Fighter,” “The Kids Are All Right,” “The Town,” and “Toy Story 3.” There ceremony will be held January 22 in Los Angeles, and hosted by comedy director Judd Apatow (“Knocked Up”). You can view the full list of nominees HERE.
The WRITER’S GUILD AWARDS were announced, and aside from the nomination of John Requa and Glenn Ficarra’s “I Love You Phillip Morris,” there weren’t a whole lot of surprises. You can view the full list of nominees HERE.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Elvis Mitchell will apparently be leaving Roger Ebert’s new show, “Ebert Presents At the Movies,” and will be replaced by 24-year-old blogger Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, who blogs for film website Mubi and writes for the Chicago Reader. He will co-host the show with Christy Lemire, 38, a film critic for the Associated Press, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
AT THE MULTIPLEX
LITTLE FOCKERS won the weekend box office for the second week in a row, raking in another $26 million over the weekend for a cumulative earning of $103 million in only two weeks. It’s still behind last film’s “Meet the Fockers.” Meanwhile, the Coen Bros. TRUE GRIT is the surprise box office hit of the season, earning $24.5 million in its second weekend for a total tally of just north of $86 million, surpassing the total box office gross of “No Country For Old Men” to become the Coen Bros. highest grossing film ever…
…Until next week!
Tags: 000 Leagues Under the Sea, 20, captain america, Cogan's Trade, David Fincher, Elysium, J. Edgar, Little Fockers, marlow stern, Natalie Portman, Pete Poslethwaite, Producer's Guild Awards, Quentin Tarantino, Spider-Man, True Grit, weekly blog, Writer's Guild Awards
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MMM’s Oscar Picks, Hot New Trailers, and More!
UPCOMING FILM PROJECTS
According to The Hollywood Reporter, best-selling author Dan Brown will be handling script rewrites on adapting his third novel featuring symbologist Dr. Robert Langdon, THE LOST SYMBOL, to the screen for Columbia Pictures. The story involves Langdon traveling to the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., where he gets involved with a mystery involving the Freemasons and their search for an ancient pyramid containing vast knowledge. When the book was published in 2009, it sold a million copies in its first day. While the previous two movies – “The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels & Demons” – starred Tom Hanks and were directed by Ron Howard, both have yet to commit to the third installment.
CASTING NEWS
The Associated Press is reporting that award-winning Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou (“Hero”) is starting his next film, NANJING HEROES, in January with actor Christian Bale starring as a priest caught up in the brutal 1937 invasion and pillaging of the Chinese capitol by Japanese troops. Based on Chinese author Yan Geling’s novel “The 13 Women of Nanjing,” about 13 prostitutes who stepped in for female university students who were to be taken as “escorts” for the troops during the period when nearly 20,000 women and girls were raped and killed by the Japanese troops, Bale’s Catholic priest shelters a group of prostitutes and female students during the invasion. The $90 million production, one of the most expensive in Chinese history, will mix Chinese and English, and is set for release in December 2011.
Gemma Arterton (“Clash of the Titans”) let slip to Total Film that she will star in Michael Mann’s Robert Capa biopic, CAPA, alongside Andrew Garfield (“The Social Network”). She said she’s “aiming for even more diversity. Capa [biopic about the combat photographer Robert Capa] is confirmed, so I should be working with your hottest actor, Andy Garfield!” Arterton would play Capa’s partner, Gerda Taro, but it is not confirmed yet that “Spider-Man” star Andrew Garfield is on board to play Capa. Mann’s project at Sony will concentrate on Capa’s torrid two-year romance with fellow photographer Taro during the Spanish Civil War.
MMM’s OSCAR NOMINEES
BEST PICTURE
The Social Network
Carlos
Toy Story 3
Black Swan
True Grit
127 Hours
The Kids Are All Right
Winter’s Bone
Inception
A Prophet
BEST ACTOR
Colin Firth, “The King’s Speech”
James Franco, “127 Hours”
Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”
Jeff Bridges, “True Grit”
Tahar Rahim, “A Prophet”
BEST ACTRESS
Jennifer Lawrence, “Winter’s Bone”
Annette Bening, “The Kids Are All Right”
Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”
Carey Mulligan, “Never Let Me Go”
Emma Stone, “Easy A”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale, “The Fighter”
Geoffrey Rush, “The King’s Speech”
Andrew Garfield, “The Social Network”
John Hawkes, “Winter’s Bone”
Jeremy Renner, “The Town”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jacki Weaver, “Animal Kingdom”
Elle Fanning, “Somewhere”
Rebecca Hall, “Please Give”
Hailee Steinfeld, “True Grit”
Melissa Leo, “The Fighter”
BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, “Black Swan”
Jacques Audiard, “A Prophet”
David Fincher, “The Social Network”
Lee Unkrich, “Toy Story 3”
Christopher Nolan, “Inception”
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“127 Hours” – Simon Beaufoy, Danny Boyle
“The Social Network” – Aaron Sorkin
“Toy Story 3” – Michael Arndt
“True Grit” – Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
“Winter’s Bone” – Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Daniel Woodrell
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Inception,” Christopher Nolan
“The Kids Are All Right,” Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg
“The King’s Speech,” David Seidler
“Another Year,” Mike Leigh
“Black Swan,” Andres Heinz, Mark Heyman
BEST DOCUMENTARY
“Inside Job”
“Waiting for Superman”
“Exit Through the Gift Shop”
“Restrepo”
“Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work”
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“Toy Story 3”
“How To Train Your Dragon”
“The Illusionist”
HOT NEW TRAILERS
CEDAR RAPIDS
The film, opening in limited release on February 11, 2011, stars Ed Helms as an insurance agent who leaves his small town for the first time, representing his company at a convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Anne Heche, John C. Reilly, Sigourney Weaver and Isiah Whitlock Jr. also star.
RED STATE
Written and directed by Kevin Smith (“Clerks”), the film represents a return to Smith’s indie roots and also a try at something new, delving into the horror genre with his take on extreme fundamentalism in Middle America. The film stars Michael Angarano, Melissa Leo, and John Goodman, and will make its premiere at Sundance.
…Happy Blizzard!
Tags: andrew garfield, Cedar Rapids, Christian Bale, Dan Brown, Gemma Arterton, marlow stern, Michael Mann, Nanjing Heroes, Oscars, Red State, Robert Capa, The Lost Symbol, weekly blog
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Ratings Justice for ‘Blue Valentine,’ Oscar Madness, and more!
RATINGS JUSTICE
Finally, the MPAA did something right. The Classification and Rating Appeals Board overturned the NC-17 rating given to the movie BLUE VALENTINE. The Classification and Rating Administration (CARA) had assigned the movie the NC-17 rating for “a scene of explicit sexual content.” The film is now rated R, on appeal, for “strong graphic sexual content, language, and a beating.” In the appeal brought by The Weinstein Company, the Appeals Board heard statements on behalf of Blue Valentine from Harvey Weinstein, Co-Chairman of The Weinstein Company, and Alan Friedman, Counsel to The Weinstein Company. The Classification and Rating Administration was represented by Chairman Joan Graves. Directed by Derek Cianfrance, the romantic drama stars Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Mike Vogel, John Doman and Maryann Plunkett. It is scheduled for a December 31 release.
R.I.P. BLAKE EDWARDS
Blake Edwards passed away at 88 due to complications of pneumonia, The Associated Press has confirmed. A classic Hollywood talent, Edwards spent more than six decades working as a writer, director and producer, bringing to the screen films like “The Pink Panther,” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” and “Days of Wine and Roses” among many others. Though his last credited film was 1993’s “Son of the Pink Panther,” Edwards has been a long-celebrated talent, earning a lifetime achievement Oscar in 2004. Edwards is survived by five children and his wife, actress Julie Andrews. The pair had been married since 1969 and collaborated on a number of films, including “Darling Lili” and “10.” The clip below features the classic final scene of Audrey Hepburn starring in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”:
ACADEMY SILLINESS
Like “There Will Be Blood’s” amazing score before it, the Academy has decided to deem four Oscar-worthy scores ineligible, reports Variety. “Black Swan” and “True Grit” have been deemed ineligible as “scores diluted by the use of tracked themes or other pre-existing music,” according to sources inside the Academy music-branch executive committee. “The Kids Are All Right” and “The Fighter” are expected to be disqualified as scores “diminished in impact by the predominant use of songs,” following another of the Academy’s stringent music rules.
THE BLACK LIST
Film executive Franklin Leonard has released his annual list of “most liked” “unproduced” screenplays in Hollywood. We put quotes around unproduced as some of these projects have already been picked up by studios and a film like Margin Call is already ready to be shown at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival, for example. THE BLACK LIST began in 2004 as a survey with contributions from 75 film studio and production company executives. In 2009, over 300 executives contributed their opinion. Since its inception, dozens of screenplays that appeared on the list have been optioned, produced, and released, many to great commercial success. Two of the top three screenplays on the inaugural 2005 list – JUNO by Diablo Cody and LARS AND THE REAL GIRL by Nancy Oliver – went on to be nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 2008 Academy Awards, with JUNO winning the Oscar.”
You can view the BLACK LIST here.
SEQUEL CRAZY
It was announced that Miramax and The Weinstein Company have forged an agreement to produce sequels to some of Miramax’s biggest and most popular films with sequels to the dark comedy BAD SANTA, the poker drama ROUNDERS and the Oscar-winning SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE being at the forefront of those plans. The new alliance will also work on creating potential television shows and special products for home entertainment, which could essentially mean straight-to-video spin-offs of other Miramax films. Other films named in the press release about the collaboration that could warrant sequels either released theatrically or on DVD/Blu-ray include BRIDGET JONES’ DIARY, which already saw one sequel, the police drama COPLAND, Robert Rodriguez’s FROM DUSK TIL DAWN–which already had a direct-to-video prequel and sequel–Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau’s breakout SWINGERS, Kevin Smith’s CLERKS, which also already had a sequel, SHALL WE DANCE, and THE AMITYVILLE HORROR, previously remade by MGM. The two companies are already working on the upcoming SCREAM 4 (out April 15), SPY KIDS 4: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD (out August 19), as well as a SCARY MOVIE 5, of which no details have been released as of yet.
UPCOMING FILM PROJECTS
TheWrap is reporting that Electronic Arts is developing a sports comedy based on the MADDEN CURSE, which is believed to strike NFL players who appear on the cover of EA’s “Madden” video game series. The site says the film “will follow a former Madden video game champion who is forced out of retirement just as he finds himself on the corner of the game’s cover — and subject to the curse.”
Jon Favreau will not be returning to the Marvel Universe for IRON MAN 3, Vulture reports. It was later confirmed that Favreau is not returning for the third movie after he posted the following on his Twitter account: “It’s true, I’m directing Magic Kingdom, not Iron Man 3. I’ve had a great run with Marvel and wish them the best.”
Deadline reports that DreamWorks Pictures has picked up SOUTHPAW, a pitch for a film to be written by “Sons of Anarchy” creator/executive producer Kurt Sutter. Eminem (8 Mile) is attached to star as “a fast-rising welterweight boxer who brawls his way to the title, only to see his world crash down around him due to tragedy. The movie is about his fight to reclaim past glory.”
CASTING NEWS
George Clooney has secured the male lead in Alfonso Cuarón’s GRAVITY. The film, a science fiction story about astronauts trapped in space, already has Sandra Bullock attached for the lead. Clooney’s part was long-connected to Robert Downey Jr, but the “Iron Man” star stepped out of negotiations recently. Cuarón, who famously supplied the sci-fi drama “Children of Men” and directed “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” is expected to begin production on Gravity soon, aiming to shoot and release in 3D.
Deadline is reporting that Matt Damon is in early negotiations to join Sharlto Copley in writer/director Neill Blomkamp’s follow-up to “District 9,” the sci-fi film ELYSIUM. The film is set in the far future on another planet and is filled with many sociopolitical ideas wrapped up inside a Hollywood action film.
“The Social Network” co-star Armie Hammer is in talks to join Leonardo DiCaprio in the Clint Eastwood-directed J. Edgar Hoover biopic, now titled J. EDGAR, says Entertainment Weekly. Hammer would play lawyer-turned-FBI-official Clyde Tolson (who is said to have been Hoover’s lover). The Warner Bros. Pictures project, written by Dustin Lance Black, starts filming early next year. Also, Oscar winner Charlize Theron has been offered the role of Helen Gandy in the film, which is shaping up to be major Oscar bait.
Sofia Vergara (“Modern Family”), Zac Efron, Halle Berry, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Jessica Biel are in negotiations to join the ensemble cast of Garry Marshall’s follow-up to “Valentine’s Day,” NEW YEAR’S EVE. They will be joining Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hilary Swank and Ashton Kutcher, Lea Michele and Abigail Breslin in the romantic comedy that starts shooting mid-December in New York. The Hollywood Reporter says: “Biel is playing a pregnant woman who, along with her husband, try to win a cash prize given by a hospital to the couple who are first to give birth on New Year’s Day.”
HOT NEW TRAILERS
THE TREE OF LIFE
Fox Searchlight Pictures has brought online the trailer for “The Tree of Life,” opening in theaters on May 27. Written and directed by Terrence Malick, the film stars Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain.
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS
The film, set for release April 15, 2011, stars Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson and Christoph Waltz, and is directed by Francis Lawrence (“I Am Legend”). Based Sara Gruen’s best-selling historical love story, the film centers on a 90-year-old man reminiscing about his life during the Depression, when he found work at a B-level circus taking care of the animals. He sees the brutality of circus life while falling for the wife of an abusive animal trainer.
HANNAH
The trailer for Joe Wright’s (“Atonement,” “The Soloist”) next film is now online. Saoirse Ronan stars as the lead, Hanna, who, having grown up hiding out in the wilderness of Finland with her former CIA father (Eric Bana), is equipped with the strength, stamina and smarts of a top-level soldier. Cate Blanchett stars as a ruthless government agent tasked with bringing down the world’s greatest assassin: a teenage girl.
…Until we meet again!
Tags: marlow stern, weekly blog
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R.I.P. Leslie Nielsen, Oscar Hosts Revealed, and much more.
R.I.P. LESLIE NIELSEN, 84.
Actor Leslie Nielsen passed away today at a Ft. Lauderdale, Florida hospital, according to his agent John S. Kelly. He died of complications from pneumonia at the age of 84. Born on February 11, 1926, Nielsen is best known for his deadpan roles in spoof comedies such as “Airplane!” and “The Naked Gun” films, as well as “Forbidden Planet” (1956) and “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972). His agent sent out the following statement:
We are saddened by the passing of beloved actor Leslie Nielsen, probably best remembered as Lt. Frank Drebin in THE NAKED GUN series of pictures, but who enjoyed a more than 60 year career in motion pictures and television.”
Mr. Nielsen, 84, died of complications of pneumonia in a hospital near his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, surrounded by his lovely wife and dear friends at 5:34pm EST today.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in his name to the charity of your choice.
Nielsen appeared in over 100 films and over 1,500 TV programs during his career. Here are some classic Nielsen moments:
FRANCO and HATHAWAY to HOST OSCARS.
James Franco and Anne Hathaway will serve as co-hosts of the 83rd Academy Awards®, Oscar telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer announced today. Both have previously appeared on the telecast but not in hosting capacities.
“James Franco and Anne Hathaway personify the next generation of Hollywood icons — fresh, exciting and multi-talented. We hope to create an Oscar broadcast that will both showcase their incredible talents and entertain the world on February 27,” said Cohen and Mischer. “We are completely thrilled that James and Anne will be joining forces with our brilliant creative team to do just that.”
Franco, who currently can be seen in “127 Hours,” will be making his second appearance on an Oscar telecast. Hathaway will be making her fifth appearance on an Academy Awards telecast, and was recently seen in “Alice in Wonderland” and currently can be seen in “Love and Other Drugs.”
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
BIEBER MANIA!
Paramount Pictures announced a sneak preview event for the biopic JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER, happening on February 9th:
Moviegoers across the U.S. and Canada may be among the first to experience the new 3D film, “JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER,” at exclusive “sneak preview” screening events set for Wednesday, February 9th at 6pm at specially selected RealD® 3D equipped movie theaters across the country.
Each complete Sneak Preview Gift Pack is priced at $30.00 (plus shipping) and includes:
•One ticket to the movie sneak preview Wednesday, February 9th at 6pm
•A pair of limited edition purple “JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER” RealD® 3D glasses
•A souvenir VIP event lanyard
•Official “JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER” branded glow stick and bracelet
For event locations around the country, to purchase tickets, or to learn more about this exclusive event, please go to: JB3DPreview.com. Limit is 6 tickets per credit card transaction. Supplies are limited.
MICHELLE WILLIAMS is MARILYN.
London’s The Daily Mail is currently obsessed with BBC Films’ Marilyn Monroe movie MY WEEK WITH MARILYN, which just finished filming at Pinewood Studios with the Weinstein Company planning on distributing the movie stateside. The paper has a new interview with star Michelle Williams tying into the completion of filming with the actress talking at length about playing the iconic screen legend, Marilyn Monroe, with a new photo (below) from the movie accompanying that interview. “At a certain point, something else does take over. I don’t quite feel myself these days,” she told the paper. Co-starring Eddie Redmayne, Judi Dench, Julia Ormond, Dougray Scott, Dominic Cooper and more, the film focuses on Monroe’s relationship with Colin Clark (Redmayne), a well-to-do British laborer on the set of her 1956 movie “The Prince and the Showgirl” with whom she had a romance.
UPCOMING FILM PROJECTS.
Atlas Entertainment announced it is rebooting the beloved franchise, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, with Warner Bros. Pictures. Atlas’ Charles Roven and Steve Alexander will produce the feature film alongside Doug Davison and Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment (The Ring, How to Train Your Dragon, The Departed). Whit Anderson is writing the script. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” first appeared as a film in 1992, subsequently becoming a cult hit and spawning the wildly popular television series starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz, among many others.
Creator Joss Whedon responded to the announcement, saying, “This is a sad, sad reflection on our times, when people must feed off the carcasses of beloved stories from their youths—just because they can’t think of an original idea of their own, like I did with my Avengers idea that I made up myself.”
Walt Disney Pictures has confirmed that Gore Verbinksi is now officially signed on for Disney’s THE LONE RANGER. Verbinksi, who has worked with Johnny Depp on the first three “Pirates of the Caribbean” films and the upcoming “Rango,” will re-team with the actor, currently attached to play the Lone Ranger’s sidekick, Tonto. The Lone Ranger’s origin story begins with a group of Texas Rangers chasing down a gang of outlaws led by Butch Cavendish. The gang ambushes the Rangers, seemingly killing them all. One survivor is found, however, by an American Indian named Tonto, who nurses him back to health. The Ranger, donning a mask and riding a white stallion named Silver, teams up with Tonto to bring the unscrupulous gang and others of that ilk to justice.
Mark Wahlberg has confirmed to MTV that he will play Nathan Drake in the David O. Russell-directed UNCHARTED: DRAKE’S FORTUNE video game adatptation and that Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci may have roles as well. Wahlberg told MTV he hopes to reteam with his “The Fighter” and “Three Kings” director next year. “The idea that he has is just insane,” Wahlberg said about Russell. “So hopefully we’ll be making that movie this summer.” He added: “That’s who he wants to write the parts for. I talked to Pesci about it and I know David’s people have talked to [Robert De Niro]… I’m obviously in whatever David wants to do but the idea of it is so off the charts: De Niro being my father, Pesci being my uncle. It’s not going to be the watered-down version, that’s for sure.” The story will allegedly have something to do with antiquities dealers in New York.
CASTING NEWS.
Gael Garcia Bernal will play boxing champ Roberto Duran in HANDS OF STONE, reports TheWrap. Al Pacino is also circling the role of boxing trainer Ray Arecel in the biopic. Jonathan Jakubowicz (“Secuestro Express”) will write, direct and produce the project with Ben Silverman. The site says the film “will focus on the boxing champion and will tell the inside story of the ‘No Mas’ fight.” In the closing seconds of the fight’s last round, Duran turned his back to Leonard and quit, saying “no mas” (“no more”). Duran beat Leonard in an earlier welterweight championship bout. They would meet again in a 1989 middleweight championship fight in Las Vegas. Leonard won that fight in 12 rounds.
Until next week!
Tags: academy awards, Airplane!, Anne Hathaway, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gael Garcia Bernal, Hands of Stone, james franco, Joss Whedon, justin bieber, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, Leslie Nielsen, Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn, Naked Gun, oscar, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
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Daniel Day-Lewis is Lincoln, Mulligan in Gatsby, and much more.
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS is ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
I smell Oscar. Two-time Academy Award winner Daniel Day-Lewis will star as the 16th President of the United States in DreamWorks Studios’ LINCOLN to be directed by Steven Spielberg.
“Daniel Day-Lewis would have always been counted as one of the greatest of actors, were he from the silent era, the golden age of film or even some time in cinema’s distant future. I am grateful and inspired that our paths will finally cross with ‘Lincoln,’” said Spielberg.
Based on the best-selling book, “Team of Rivals,” by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, the screenplay has been written by the Pulitzer Prize winner, Tony Award winner, and Academy Award nominated writer Tony Kushner. It is anticipated that the film will focus on the political collision of Lincoln and the powerful men of his cabinet on the road to abolition and the end of the Civil War, with filming set to begin in the fall of 2011 for a release during Oscar season, 2012.
CAREY MULLIGAN is DAISY in THE GREAT GATBSY.
Carey Mulligan has been confirmed for the female lead in the upcoming THE GREAT GATSBY, reports Deadline. Mulligan, long rumored to be in the running, will take on the role of Daisy Buchanan, the female protagonist with whom Gatsby falls in love and begins an affair. Mulligan will join Leonardo DiCaprio in the role of Gatsby with reports heavily pointing towards Tobey Maguire stepping in as Nick Carraway, the novel’s narrator and best friend to Gatbsy.
Below is a photo taken by Luhrmann that shows Mulligan during an audition for the role.
UPCOMING FILM PROJECTS.
Leonardo DiCaprio will star in a feature film based on the non-fiction JFK assassination book LEGACY OF SECRECY, written by Lamar Waldron and Thom Hartmann. Warner Brothers, who is responsible for the success of the celebrated film “JFK,” plans to release the DiCaprio film in time for the 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination in 2013. DiCaprio will play FBI informant Jack Van Laningham, who obtained the confession of Mafia godfather Carlos Marcello to having ordered JFK’s assassination. An acclaimed director who has previously worked with Leonardo has expressed interest in directing the film, according to Warner Bros.
CASTING NEWS.
Robert Downey Jr. will not appear in Alfonso Cuarón’s GRAVITY, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Downey was rumored to be involved with the project for months while Warner Bros. searched for a female lead. Though still unconfirmed, Sandra Bullock is said to be in serious negotiations for the 3D space film. Downey, meanwhile, is rumored to be interested in a Fox property, HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS. To be produced by Shawn Levy, Girls is based on a book series begun by nine-year-old Alec Greven.
Will the most star-studded film in 2011 be a Muppets flick? The Hollywood Reporter says that Alan Arkin, Jack Black, Billy Crystal, Jean-Claude Van Damme and the previously-announced Zach Galifianakis are looking to take on cameo roles in THE MUPPETS. The James Bobin-directed film stars Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, Zach Galifianakis, Danny Trejo and Donald Glover. Arkin is playing a tour guide while Black will play a kidnap victim. Galifianakis plays a hobo. “The Muppets” is now filming for a December 25, 2011 release.
Malin Akerman (“Watchmen”) is replacing Lindsay Lohan in INFERNO, the story of 1970s porn star Linda Lovelace, according to Deadline. Matthew Wilder wrote the script – which made the 2008 Blacklist of the best unmade scripts in Hollywood – and will direct. The film is based on the novel “Ordeal: An Autobiography by Linda Lovelace with Mike McGrady,” and Lohan has been dropped because she is uninsurable, and has an uncertain future with her legal troubles.
Denis Leary is the latest name to join the cast of the upcoming SPIDER-MAN reboot, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Leary will play Police Captain George Stacy, father to Peter Parker’s love interest, Gwen Stacy (to be played in the film by Emma Stone). Leary also joins Andrew Garfield as Peter, Martin Sheen as Ben Parker and Rhys Ifans in an unspecified villian role. “Spider-Man” is slated to hit theaters on July 3, 2012.
HOT NEW TRAILERS.
COWBOYS & ALIENS: Directed by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”), this action-thriller stars Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano, Noah Ringer, and Keith Carradine, and hits theaters July 29.
YOUR HIGHNESS: Directed by David Gordon Green (“Pineapple Express”), this R-rated comedy-adventure stars Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, Justin Theroux, Toby Jones and Damian Lewis, and opens April 8.
CARS 2: Directed by John Lasseter, the Pixar sequel will be opening in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theaters on June 24, and features the vocal talents of Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, and Michael Caine, among others.
RED RIDING HOOD: Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (“Twilight”), the thriller take on the childhood fable stars Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, Billy Burke, Shiloh Fernandez, Max Irons, Virginia Madsen and Julie Christie, and is opening in March 2011.
GREEN LANTERN: Directed by Martin Campbell (“Casino Royale”), this superhero film stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, and Peter Sarsgaard, and opens June 2011. I find the trailer pretty underwhelming, especially the green screen work, but judge for yourself.
Until next week!
Tags: Carey Mulligan, cars 2, cowboys & aliens, daniel day-lewis, denis leary, Gravity, inferno, Leonardo DiCaprio, lindsay lohan, malin akerman, marlow stern, red riding hood, robert downey jr., Spider-Man, spielberg, the great gatsby, the green lantern, The Muppets, weekly blog, your highness
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The Dark Knight Rises searches for actresses, Bill Clinton cameos in The Hangover: Part II, and more!
UPCOMING FILM PROJECTS.
Relativity announced in a press release it is planning an adaptation of Michael Drosnin’s BIBLE CODE series, as a tentpole film to be released in 2012:
Relativity Media announced today that it has purchased film rights to best-selling author Michael Drosnin’s “Bible Code” series, including “The Bible Code,” “Bible Code II: The Countdown,” both top New York Times best-sellers, and the newest in the series, “Bible Code III: Saving the World,” which warns of the real Armageddon, but also tells how we can prevent it.
The series is based on a 3000 year-old code in the Bible found by a top Israeli scientist and confirmed by a senior code breaker at the US National Security Agency. It reveals momentous historical events, and predicts the future. The code has successfully predicted world events such as the election of President Barack Obama, the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks…
In the midst of complicated financial restructuring following their bankruptcy claim, MGM has issued plans for the future of their flagship JAMES BOND franchise, reports Bloomberg. The next, currently-untitled, 23rd Bond film – to star Daniel Craig and be directed by Sam Mendes (“American Beauty”) – is planned for November 2012 and the article claims that sequels will follow every other year…
Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”) is now attached to MAGIC KINGDOM, a family feature that takes place in a fantasy version of Disneyland, reports Variety. Favreau, currently gearing up to release his “Cowboys & Aliens” with Universal next summer, will helm the project for Disney. Currently without a script, the project is being compared to “Night at the Museum,” treating the theme park in the same way that museums have been treated for that franchise…
Speaking at a special retrospective screening alongside Martin Scorsese (via satellite), Leonardo DiCaprio confirmed plans to move forward with Clint Eastwood’s HOOVER early next year. “It looks like, yes, infidelity is in place,” joked DiCaprio of joining a non-Scorsese film, “I will be working with Clint very soon on the Hoover project. I think it’s going to start very soon. Maybe January or February.” The actor was confirmed to be involved with the project earlier this year and will star as the biopic’s focus, J. Edgar Hoover, who founded the Federal Bureau of Investigations in the 1930’s and whose ensuing career spanned decades…
CASTING NEWS.
Not only is Paul Giamatti filming an unspecified cameo in director Todd Phillips’ sequel, THE HANGOVER: PART II, which has the entire gang reuniting in Bangkok, Thailand, but the inimitable ex-president BILL CLINTON is also doing a cameo in the film, according to TMZ. The two join the previously announced cameo of Liam Neeson as a tattoo artist (a role once filled by Mel Gibson)…
Director Christopher Nolan (“Inception”) has met with a bevy of female actresses for the lead in his upcoming third and final entry in the Batman franchise, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, according to Deadline. Actresses that Christopher Nolan has been rumored to have met with include: Anne Hathaway, Keira Knightley, Blake Lively, Natalie Portman, Naomi Watts, and Rachel Weisz. It’s rumored that Nolan is casting for two different female roles, both that of Bruce Wayne’s romantic interest and that of a female villain. “The Dark Knight Rises” will star returning actors Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman as well as the recently-announced Tom Hardy in an unspecified role. The film will go into production shortly with a release planned for July 20, 2012…
Leonardo DiCaprio is attached to star as a serial killer in a big screen adaptation of Erik Larson’s novel THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Random House describes the book as follows:
Bringing Chicago circa 1893 to vivid life, Erik Larson’s spellbinding bestseller intertwines the true tale of two men–the brilliant architect behind the legendary 1893 World’s Fair, striving to secure America’s place in the world; and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction…
Brad Pitt will reunite with writer/director Andrew Dominik as part of the ensemble cast of COGAN’S TRADE, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Dominik, who worked with Pitt on “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” has drafted and will helm Cogan’s Trade himself. The comedic crime story is said to focus on a hit man’s point person, Jackie Cogan, who becomes involved in investigating a heist against the mob. Though Pitt is named for the lead, it is suggested that the supporting cast will be rounded out by some very high-profile names as well…
Variety has confirmed that Miley Cyrus will star in the action comedy SO UNDERCOVER, directed by Tom Vaughan (“What Happens in Vegas”). In the film, Cyrus plays a private investigator hired by the FBI to go undercover in the one place it can’t infiltrate — a college sorority…
Martin Sheen will play Uncle Ben in Columbia Pictures’ untitled SPIDER-MAN movie. Sheen will be joining Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Rhys Ifans in the Marc Webb-directed film, scheduled to hit theaters on July 3, 2012. Also, Sally Field is rumored to be playing Aunt May…
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT.
The great Francis Ford Coppola received a well-deserved Irving Thalberg Memorial Award – the lifetime achievement Oscar – at a ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday. Coppola is best known for directing “The Godfather” films, “Apocalypse Now,” “The Conversation,” and a variety of other films. At the same ceremony, Jean-Luc Godard was honored with a lifetime Oscar – though he refused to attend the event out of protest – and 94-year-old journeyman actor Eli Wallach did as well…
NEW FILM TRAILERS.
Columbia Pictures has debuted the AWESOME trailer for director Jonathan Liebesman’s BATTLE: LOS ANGELES, starring Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Ramon Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan, Ne-Yo and Michael Peña. You can watch the trailer for the March 11 release below:
Focus Features has debuted the trailer for the fantastic looking thriller (yes, thriller) JANE EYRE, directed by Cary Fukunaga and starring Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, Judi Dench, Holliday Grainger, Sally Hawkins, Tamzin Merchant and Imogen Poots. The Charlotte Bronte adaptation will be released March 11 and you can view the trailer here.
Hooray for 2D! Walt Disney Pictures has debuted the trailer for their next foray into traditional animation, WINNIE THE POOH. Based on unadapted stories by A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh returns to the Hundred Acre Wood in the style of the original Disney-produced featurettes. Check out the trailer below for the July 15, 2011 release:
Until next time!
Tags: Battle: Los Angeles, Bible Code, Brad Pitt, Coogan's Trade, Francis Ford Coppola, Hoover, James Bond, Jane Eyre, Jon Favreau, Leonardo DiCaprio, Magic Kingdom, marlow stern, Miley Cyrus, So Undercover, The Dark Knight Rises, The Devil in the White City, The Hangover: Part II, weekly blog, Winnie the Pooh
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Top Gun 2 in progress, The Dark Knight Rises, Avatar 2 and 3 news, and much more!
UPCOMING PROJECTS.
Prepare yourself for some serious homoeroticism if the TOP GUN 2 rumors are to be believed. The film’s original helmer, Tony Scott, is confirmed to be moving forward on the sequel, according to HitFix, who had a chance to talk with the director about the project, still in the earliest planning stages. Scott explained that his plan for the follow-up is to chart the development of the Air Force fighter pilot into the present day, inspired partially by a young Air Force pilot he met on a flight who runs drone simulations. In contrast to Tom Cruise’s character in the first film, the sequel will explore the evolution of the remote-control pilot. Still unconfirmed is whether or not Cruise will return to his star-making role of Maverick as well as when, exactly, the sequel will move forward. As it stands, the script for the film appears to still be in the research phase (with The Usual Suspects’ Christopher McQuarrie approached to write the first draft) and Scott made clear that it would not be his very next production.
Yes, New Line Cinema’s THE HOBBIT, based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien, has officially been greenlit. “The two films based on The Hobbit are now greenlit and will begin principal photography in February 2011, under the direction of Peter Jackson, it was jointly announced today by Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Operating Officer, New Line Cinema, Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros. and Steve Cooper, co-Chief Executive Officer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.,” said a press release. Martin Freeman (BBC’s The Office, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) will star as the film’s protagonist, Bilbo Baggins. And, despite protracted negotiations and union problems, filming will remain in New Zealand.
In an interview with Hero Complex, Christopher Nolan revealed that the title for his third Batman movie will be THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. He added that the villain “won’t be the Riddler.” “We’ll use many of the same characters as we have all along, and we’ll be introducing some new ones,” Nolan said cryptically. He also said that the studio has agreed with him not to shoot the film in 3D, but that he’ll be experimenting with the scope of IMAX in unprecedented ways. “We’re looking to do something technologically that’s never been done before,” Nolan explained. The filmmaker also reiterated that The Dark Knight rises will close out the trilogy. “Our ambition for the third movie is to complete a story that has begun,” Nolan said. “This is not starting over. This is not rebooting. We’re finishing something and keeping a consistency with what’s come before has real value.” The Dark Knight Rises is scheduled for a July 20, 2012 release.
Fox Filmed Entertainment Chairmen Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman announced that Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Cameron has agreed to make AVATAR 2 and 3 as his next films. Cameron, who had always viewed Avatar as the creation of a new world and mythology, will begin work on the scripts early next year with an eye towards commencing production later in 2011. Cameron will decide if he will shoot the films back-to-back after he completes the scripts, but the release of the first, as yet untitled sequel, is targeted for December 2014, with the third film contemplated for a December 2015 release.
Meryl Streep, Sandra Bullock and Oprah Winfrey will star in a new comedy from Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City films and series) at Universal Pictures. King will write and direct the untitled film, set in and around the world of a “Home Shopping” type network and follows the characters as they make their way through the maze of mania that surrounds marketing, marriages and the media.
DIRECTOR NEWS.
Darren Afronofsky (The Wrestler, the upcoming Black Swan) will not only direct WOLVERINE 2, starring Hugh Jackman as the titanium-clawed Marvel action hero, but will also direct MACHINE MAN, an adaptation of Max Barry’s “Machine Man,” reports Variety. The project, to be scripted by Mark Heyman (who co-wrote Aronosky’s Black Swan) will adapt Barry’s story, which originally appeared on the author’s website in serial form with a single page released each day as it was written. Not to be confused with the Marvel comics character, Machine Man concerns a tech engineer who, tired of going through life average and unnoticed, replaces parts of his body with titanium upgrades of his own design. He then discovers that he isn’t the only one with plans for his new body. The full story is available at Barry’s website: www.maxberry.com.
Exclusive Media Group and Cross Creek Pictures will finance George Clooney’s fourth film as director, THE IDEAS OF MARCH (formerly known as Farragut North). Adapted by Clooney and Heslov (co-writer on the Oscar-nominated Good Night and Good Luck) from playwright Beau Willimon’s award-winning 2008 play “Farragut North,” it will co-star Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood, with more casting to be announced before the film begins shooting in February 2011 in Michigan and Ohio. Set in the world of politics, Clooney will play Governor Morris, a candidate running in the presidential primary race for the Democratic Party ticket. Gosling plays his press spokesman, Giamatti plays a rival campaign manager, Tomei plays a reporter for The New York Times, and Wood plays an intern for the campaign.
Francis Ford Coppola has already started production on his next film, a thriller entitled TWIXT NOW AND SUNRISE, reports Deadline. Based on a short story by Coppola, the film will star Val Kilmer as a horror author. He will be joined by Bruce Dern and Elle Fanning in unknown roles. Little is currently known about the film’s plot, though the title is a direct reference to a 1835 short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Young Goodman Brown,” set in 17th century Salem, Massachusetts. The title character, Goodman Brown is returning home to his wife, Faith, when he encounters a man in the forest who is likely the Devil
CASTING NEWS.
Liam Neeson is replacing Mel Gibson in the cameo role as a tattoo artist in THE HANGOVER 2. “I just got a call to do a one day shoot on ‘Hangover 2’ as a tattooist in Thailand, and that’s all I know about it,” Neeson told Variety. “ just laughed my leg off when I saw ‘The Hangover,’ I was shooting in Berlin earlier this year and rented it on the hotel TV.” Director Todd Phillips said in a statement on Thursday that they were no longer going with Gibson following protests from the cast and crew, reportedly led by Galifianakis. “I thought Mel would have been great in the movie and I had the full backing of Jeff Robinov and his team,” said Phillips, “But I realize filmmaking is a collaborative effort, and this decision ultimately did not have the full support of my entire cast and crew.” Neeson was then asked by his The A-Team co-star Bradley Cooper to take on the role.
Due Date and The Hangover 2 star Zach Galifianakis, however, WILL be making a cameo in the upcoming THE MUPPETS, E! Online learned in a video interview with both Galifianakis and Robert Downey Jr., co-stars of Due Date. Galifianakis will shoot for “a couple of days,” meaning his role is likely just a cameo.
Mark Wahlberg is in final talks to star in Seth McFarlane’s directing debut, TED. The creator of Fox’s Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show will direct the film “about a grown man whose cherished teddy bear comes to life as the result of a childhood wish, causing all sorts of complications.” The teddy bear will be a CGI creation and voiced by MacFarlane.
Hopefully this is better than Taking Woodstock. Director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) is gearing up to start filming the long-anticipated adaptation of Yann Martel’s bestselling novel LIFE OF PI early next year with the casting of 17-year-old newcomer Suraj Sharma in the title role of a boy who is stranded in a tiny boat for 227 days with a number of zoo animals, including a Bengal tiger, saved from his family’s ship before it sinks. Lee spent months looking over 3,000 auditions to fill the role before finding Sharma, a student in Delhi, India. Directing from a script by Finding Neverland’s David Magee, Lee will start principal photography in January, shooting the entire film in 3D in Taiwan and India. 20th Century Fox has slated a holiday release for Life of Pi on December 14, 2012.
VIRAL VIDEO.
Due Date and The Hangover star Zach Galifianakis appeared on Bill Maher’s HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher and, presumably advocating for Prop 19, smoked a joint live on air. Hilarious.
French electro duo Daft Punk, who scored the upcoming TRON: LEGACY, have released a music video for their song “Derezzed” off the film’s soundtrack. Check it out.
NEW TRAILERS.
The official trailer for the Justin Bieber biopic, NEVER SAY NEVER, has hit the Internet. The film, directed by Step Up 3D helmer Jon Chu, follows Bieber’s rise from an unknown Canadian musician, to YouTube sensation, to selling out mega-arena’s worldwide. The film opens February 11, 2011.
Entertainment Tonight visited the Chicago set of TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON and you can now watch the show’s full segment below. Michael Bay’s third installment, starring Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Kevin Dunn, Julie White, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Ken Jeong, Patrick Dempsey, Alan Tudyk and John Turturro, opens in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D on July 1, 2011.
AT THE MULTIPLEX.
Don’t’ be dismayed by this past (crap) weekend that saw SAW 3D as the only new Hollywood entry. This weekend, you can check out Danny Boyle’s riveting film 127 HOURS, starring James Franco as a trapped hiker forced to amputate his arm to survive; the funny Zach Galifianakis/Robert Downey Jr. road comedy DUE DATE, from The Hangover director Todd Phillips; the animated superhero comedy MEGAMIND, featuring the voices of Will Ferrell and Brad Pitt; Tyler Perry’s FOR COLORED GIRLS; and, for the doc lover, the great Alex Gibney’s CLIENT 9: THE RISE AND FALL OF ELIOT SPITZER.
Until next time!
Tags: Ang Lee, Avatar, Bill Maher, christopher nolan, Daft Punk, darren aronofsky, Francis Ford Coppola, James Cameron, justin bieber, Liam Neeson, Life of Pi, Machine Man, Mark Wahlberg, marlow stern, Michael Bay, michael patrick king, Never Say Never, Peter Jackson, Real Time with Bill Maher, Seth McFarlane, Suraj Sharma, Ted, The Dark Knight Rises, The Hangover 2, The Hobbit, The Ideas of March, The Muppets, Top Gun 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Tron: Legacy, Twixt Now and Sunrise, weekly blog, Zach Galifianakis
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Two film stars pass on, Batman 3, Superman, Spider-Man news, and much more.
R.I.P. TONY CURTIS, ACTING LEGEND.
Oscar-nominated Tony Curtis died at his home in Henderson, Nevada on Wednesday evening from cardiac arrest at the age of 85, reports ABC News. Curtis, who starred in movies ranging from epics like “Spartacus” to screwball comedies like “Some Like It Hot,” passed away peacefully at midnight ET while laying in bed next to his wife. He was a major box office draw in the 1950s and 1960s, highlighted by his 1957 turn in “The Sweet Smell of Success” opposite Burt Lancaster and earned an Oscar nomination for “The Defiant Ones.” Curtis had six wives. One of his two children with Janet Leigh, his first wife, is actress Jamie Lee Curtis. Born Bernard Schwartz on June 3, 1925 in the Bronx, Curtis joined the Marines in World War II. He took the name Tony Curtis when he began his film career in 1949.
R.I.P. SALLY MENKE, TARANTINO’S EDITOR.
Sad news. Quentin Tarantino’s longtime film editor Sally Menke was found dead by searchers in Beachwood Canyon, Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Times. Menke, 56, received Oscar nominations for “Inglourious Basterds” and “Pulp Fiction.” She edited every single Tarantino film. The Los Angeles Times says that Menke had gone hiking in the morning, and her friends alerted police after she failed to come home. No cause of death was immediately reported, and it’s unclear whether Los Angeles’ record heat was a factor. Watch Tarantino talk about Menke below as well as the shoutouts to Sally that were done by the cast and crew of Tarantino’s Death Proof and Inglourious Basterds.
JAMES FRANCO GETS ‘D’ IN NYU ACTING CLASS.
Ha. Despite the Oscar buzz for his upcoming role in Danny “Slumdog Millionaire” Boyle’s trapped-hiker flick 127 HOURS, Franco did, in fact, get a ‘D’ in NYU acting class. “I did the work and I did well in everything else,” he confesses to Showbiz 411’s Roger Friedman.
SPECIAL ENGAGEMENTS.
Lucasfilm Ltd. announced today that the live-action STAR WARS saga will be converted to 3D. “There are few movies that lend themselves more perfectly to 3D; from the Death Star trench run to the Tatooine Podrace, the ‘Star Wars Saga’ has always delivered an entertainment experience that is completely immersive,” said the statement. Presented by Twentieth Century Fox and Lucasfilm Ltd., the “cutting edge conversion” will be supervised by Industrial Light & Magic. “Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace” is expected to be released theatrically in 2012. A release date has not yet been determined.
AMC Theaters is celebrating the 25th anniversary of BACK TO THE FUTURE by holding two special screenings of the digitally remastered original on 158 screens across 40 cities. The screenings will be held Saturday, October 23rd at 12:30 p.m. and Monday, October 25th at 7:00 p.m. (the night Marty McFly went back in time). All guests will receive a full-sized poster commemorating the 25th anniversary limited release of the movie with their ticket purchase, while supplies last. Each theater will also have special movie-related giveaways prior to the movie as a part of the experience. Read more HERE.
UPCOMING PROJECTS.
Zack Snyder (“Watchmen,” “300”) has been officially confirmed as the director of the upcoming SUPERMAN reboot, reports Deadline. The film will move forward with a script from David Goyer and Jonathan Nolan. Christopher Nolan will “godfather” the production, aiming for a late 2012 release. “I’ve been a big fan of the character for a long time, he’s definitely the king of all superheroes, he’s the one,” said Synyder. “It’s early yet, but I can tell you that what David [Goyer] and Chris [Nolan] have done with the story so far definitely has given me a great insight into a way to make him feel modern. I’ve always felt he was kind of awesome. I’ll finish ‘Sucker Punch’ and get right at it.”
Sir Michael Caine appeared on BBC Radio 1’s “The Chris Moyles Show” on Wednesday to promote his autobiography “The Elephant to Hollywood” and talk turned to director Christopher Nolan’s third BATMAN movie. He said the movie will “probably start in May next year…” Asked if he will be part of the cast, he said, “I assume I’m there. In the movie business, you never believe anything, you assume.” He added that Chris and co-writer Jonathan Nolan are not telling anyone who the villain will be in the new film. In related news, Chris Nolan confirmed to Empire that he is indeed directing, in case you had any doubts. Warner Bros. Pictures is targeting a July 20, 2012 release date for the film.
Excellent! Following a whole mess of rumors, MTV has officially confirmed that a third BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE film is in the early planning stages with word from one of the original film’s stars, Alex Winter (Bill). “[W]e have finally hit upon an idea that we think is pretty great,” said Winter, who also revealed that original writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon are currently working on the screenplay. Recently, Keanu Reeves revealed that, while he is not currently attached to the potential sequel, he’s all for the possibility of returning to the character. On the subject of Keanu, the amazing folks over at Vulture broke the news about the hilarious ‘sad Keanu’ meme to him, and he took it in stride.
Some details have been revealed regarding the Wachowskis’ (“The Matrix” films) next project, COBALT NEURAL 9, courtesy of Vulture. As was previously reported, the film takes place in the near future and deals with a homosexual relationship between a U.S. soldier and an Iraqi. Said to be shot in a Cinéma vérité style, Vulture suggests that much of the film is told through artificial news reports viewed from a narrative point a hundred years in the future. The American character is Butch, a marine who, after falling in love with the Iraqi character, conspires with him to assassinate President George W. Bush. The framework of the film, then, falls in both the future and the recent past, though apparently within an altered history. The odd title apparently has no meaning other than to derail script leaks.
20th Century Fox has acquired the film rights for the adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, to be directed by Timur Bekmambetov and produced by Tim Burton, according to Variety. The script for the 3D project was written by Grahame-Smith. The studio is planning a 2012 release. The following is how publisher Grand Central Publishing describes the book:
Indiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother’s bedside. She’s been stricken with something the old-timers call “Milk Sickness.”
“My baby boy…” she whispers before dying.
Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother’s fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire.
Lionsgate previously picked up the film rights to the author’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES, which Natalie Portman is attached to star in.
CASTING NEWS.
“Easy A” star Emma Stone will be offered the role of Mary Jane Watson in the upcoming SPIDER-MAN franchise reboot, according to Deadline. “500 Days of Summer” director Marc Webb’s Spider-Man movie will allegedly follow the comics more closely, introducing Gwen Stacey as Peter Parker’s initial love interest, with Stone’s Mary Jane Watson closing in on his heart later in the series. Andrew Garfield, who has earned raves for his portrayal of wronged Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin in “The Social Network,” will play the webbed crusader.
Jodie Foster will star opposite Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, and Matt Dillon in Roman Polanski’s adaptation of the award-winning Broadway play GOD OF CARNAGE, according to Deadline. The movie starts filming in Paris in February, and concerns two pairs of families who must meet after one of the parents’ children is accused of bullying the other (chaos, of course, ensues). The Broadway play starred James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden, Jeff Daniels, and Hope Davis.
Emma Thompson is confirmed for a role in MEN IN BLACK III. Thompson will play Oh, the head of MiB. It is unclear whether her character will serve as a replacement for Rip Torn’s Zed, who appeared in “Men in Black” and “Men in Black II.” Recent legal issues may prevent Torn from returning to the franchise. Thompson would be joining previously-announced cast members Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Jemaine Clement. Men in Black III is expected to go into production shortly with a script from Etan Cohen and David Koepp. Barry Sonnenfeld will return to the franchise as director. The film is being planned for release on May 25th, 2012.
COOL NEW TRAILERS.
TRUE GRIT: The Coen Brothers remake of the John Wayne-starring 1969 classic, with Jeff Bridges assuming the Wayne role. Amazing.
THE KING’S SPEECH: Directed by Tom Hooper (“The Damned United”), the Oscar frontrunner is based on the true story of the Queen of England’s father and his remarkable friendship with maverick Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue. The King’s Speech stars Academy Award nominee Colin Firth as King George VI, who unexpectedly becomes King when his brother Edward abdicates the throne. Academy Award Winner Geoffrey Rush stars as Logue, the man who helps the King find a voice with which to lead the nation into war. The cast also includes Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Guy Pearce, Derek Jacobi, Timothy Spall and Michael Gambon. The King’s Speech opens in theaters on November 24.
AT THE MULTIPLEX.
Go. See. The Social Network. It’s the best. Movie. Of. The. Year. Hell, even the Facebook employees took a company outing to see the movie.
…Until next week!
Tags: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, andrew garfield, Batman 3, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Cobalt Neural 9, emma stone, Emma Thompson, God of Carnage, james franco, Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, marlow stern, Men in Black III, Roman Polanski, sally menke, Spider-Man, star wars 3D, Superman, the king's speech, tony curtis, True Grit, Wachowski's, weekly blog, Zack Snyder
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