Looks like speculation has ended, with "Easy A" star Emma Stone looking to step into the massive shoes of Kirsten Dunst as Spider-Man's redhead love interest Mary Jane Watson for Sony's untitled "Spider-Man" relaunch. Deadline Hollywood has announced that Stone should be expecting an offer very soon to star alongside Andrew Garfield in Marc Webb's "re-imagining" of the Spidey mythos. Stone has made some good money for Sony with both "Zombieland" and "Easy A," so it's no surprise they would pick someone so prominent on their Rolodex.
We like Stone, but it's hard to say anything positive or negative about what is such a secretive project. Though there is fresh talent all around, how much pressure will Sony feel to adhere to the formula that led the "Spider-Man" franchise to become a billion dollar extravaganza? In other words, will Stone being doing the damsel-in-distress BS that Dunst visibly grew bored from, or will she have a chance to utilize her comedic talent and make Mary Jane a fully-functioning character that might convince girls these movies are worth watching on their own?
Sony remains on the hunt for a Gwen Stacy character as well, revisiting the love triangle/square that helped the maligned "Spider-Man 3" to almost $900 million in worldwide theatrical gross. Adding Stone, who's appeal isn't exactly va-va-voom but more bubbly and warm suggests they might go in another direction for the Stacy character, but it's hard to say what's going on in Sony offices regarding this massive gamble, even with names like Mia Wasikowska and Dianna Agron being tossed around. But we're still bitter about not getting Oded Fehr as Kraven in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man IV: Keep On Webbin'" so maybe we're not the ones best suited to speculation.
10/02/2010
Emma Stone To Be Offered Mary Jane Role In 'Spider-Man' Remake
Opening Moments Of 'X-Men' To Be Recreated For 'First Class'
Even after the good folks at Fox skullfucked the continuity of one of their prized franchises, they seemed adamant about making these demented square pegs fit. Bleeding Cool begs to differ, sharing what they've learned about a crucial sequence for "X-Men First Class" that borrows liberally from the opening moments of 2000's "X-Men."
In Bryan Singer's original film, many remember the initial moments of Erik Lensherr, the boy who would be Magneto. He is taken by SS soldiers to be lorded over in a concentration camp and separated from his family in WWII Poland. Suddenly, his magnetic abilities manifest, as he starts to manipulate the surrounding fences, almost in the shape of a malevolent claw. It's a wonderful sequence, and the three following films, despite their highlights, never arrived at a moment as psychologically troubling.
As it turns out, director Matthew Vaughn is a big fan of that scene, and intends to recreate the milieu with his brand new cast and crew. However, Bleeding Cool won't reveal a major digression between the scene and accepted continuity, but say that up to a point, the moment in the new film will be a scene-by-scene recreation. Singer is serving as a producer and quasi-godfather to the new film, but its unclear as to whether the new "twist" in this scene is merely a small surprise within the already-established X-universe or, as hinted in the article, a motion towards a brand new continuity.
It's been confirmed that the majority of the new film will take place in the 1960s, so perhaps some course correction may take place? The opening of the first film clarifies that the bulk of the X-Men adventures take place in the "near future," and in "First Class," 15 year old "Son Of Rambow"'s Bill Milner will play Lensherr, who ages twenty-something years later into Michael Fassbender. In keeping with original chronology, Ian McKellan's Magneto in the original films is in his mid-seventies, which... doesn't seem all that accurate. Perhaps this is the first step towards continuing a series without an antagonist deep into his early-bird-special years.
10/01/2010
Noah Oppenheim ('Jackie' Writer) Hired To Write 'Snabba Cash' Remake Starring Zac Efron
By now on this blog you've probably read about "Snabba Cash" and Daniel Espinosa so we'll try not to bore you too much with the rehash.
"Snabba Cash," or "Easy Money" as it will be known in the U.S. when it's released later this year is a taut little crime thriller we admire (see our review from TIFF 2010).
We're not the only ones who were impressed with it and earlier this year, the Swedish-made crime thriller that weaves together the intersecting lives of three disparate men was the hit of Hollywood and everyone wanted a piece of its director (he took meetings for "Wolverine 2" and more A-list gigs and eventually landed "Safe House" with Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington).
Fox 2000 Picks Up Beach Boys-Based Musical Film... By Producer John Stamos
Fox 2000 (a 2oth Century Fox subsidiary) has nabbed the rights to a new film — not a biopic — about the seminal Californian pop outfit, The Beach Boys.
The projects is coming under the aegis of actor John Stamos who is one of the co-producers on the film (along with Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the duo responsible for "Hairspray" and attempting the new "Footloose")
And you're probably thinking, wtf Stamos? But then you're not fully remembering history. In 1990, he started playing drums and recording with the Beach Boys during their "Kokomo" days. Stamos actually does still tour with the group until this day. As someone much younger than everyone else in the group (the group are all approaching their '70s; though these days it's just scoundrel Mike Love, Bruce Johnston --who joined in 1965 after Brian Wilson left -- and a bunch of other touring musicians), we imagine Stamos must have some stories.
However, those stories won't matter — not even legendary ones like Brian Wilson going nuts trying to best The Beatles with Pet Sounds and Smile. It's not a biopic and or band film in any way. Variety describes it as a "feature musical set to the music of the Beach Boys" which would mean something in the vein of "Across the Universe," the Julie Taymor film set to Beatles music (but generally not having much to do with The Beatles themselves or their history). But the real impetus of this picture is less arty like that pic and more success-oriented like Universal's "Mamma Mia!" which grossed an astounding $609 million worldwide and used the music of Abba set to a fictional storyline (the same idea will happen here and you know the studio is hoping to create a repeat of that financial success).
'The Hobbit' Rumored To Get An Official Studio Greenlight Within The Next Few Days
Facing insurmountable odds, the LA Times reports that "The Hobbit" is only days away from getting an official green light to begin production from Warner Bros., New Line and MGM.
According to their sources, Peter Jackson is close to finalizing a deal that will see him direct both films in the two-part set, overseeing a production that will cost an estimated $500 million. Both parts will be shot together and the first film is being tentatively slated for a holiday 2012 release, with part two arriving in December 2013. But before you get too excited, the project still faces a few hurdles it will have to jump even if the switch is flipped.
First of all, MGM is bankrupt, and while they are said to be close to reaching an agreement with the over 100 debtors they owe money to, the project will need to find half of its financing. Spyglass Entertainment chiefs Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, who are widely expected to be taking over management duties at MGM, will have Barber approaching potential investors including 20th Century Fox or Warner Bros. themselves to put up the rest of the budget. Warner Bros. may potentially throw in additional funds in exchange for additional distribution rights in various territories.
As for the very public, and ugly, union battle? The LA Times says that the situation is close to being resolved and even some lingering rights issues with the Tolkien Estate are said to have been cleaned up to allow everything to move forward without delay.
'Breaking Dawn' Adds MyAnna Buring, Mia Maestro, Casey LaBow & Christian Camargo To Cast
The already ginormous cast of vampires, werewolves and brooding teens in the two-part emo finale of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn" is now adding four more thesps, MyAnna Buring ("The Descent"), Mia Maestro ("Poseidon"), Casey LaBow ("Skateland") and Christian Camargo ("The Hurt Locker").
The quartet will be part of the Denali clan, with "Buring playing Tanya, a rival to Kristen Stewart’s Bella for the attention of Edward (Rob Pattinson), while LaBow will play Kate, who has the ability to produce an electric current that can shock opponents. Maestro portrays Carmen and Camargo is Eleazar, the two Spanish heads of the coven, which in the “Twilight” universe is the only other non-human-feeding vampire clan besides the the Cullen clan."
The four actors join the recently announced Maggie Grace (who plays the villainous Irina) and Mackenzie Foy (Renesmee) along with the extended cast that includes Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Dakota Fanning, Ashley Greene, Anna Kendrick, Jackson Rathbone, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz and Rami Malek.
The films shoot this fall and will thrill tweens and moms who should know better when the first installment arrives November 18, 2011. Part two is scheduled to hit theaters on November 16, 2012.
Emily Blunt Joins Bruce Willis & Joseph Gordon-Levitt In Rian Johnson's 'Looper'
First rumored by Production Weekly, we confirmed with a source close to the film that the news is accurate, and Emily Blunt is joining Rian Johnson's sci-fi, time travel thriller, "Looper."
Blunt will join previously announced stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis in a story that Johnson has previously described as "set in a near future where time travel doesn't exist but will be invented in a few decades. [The story] involves a group of killers (called Loopers) who work for a crime syndicate in the future. Their bosses send their targets hogtied and blindfolded back in time to the Loopers, and their job is simply shoot them in the head and dispose of the body. So the target vanishes from the future and the Loopers dispose of a corpse that doesn't technically exist, a very clean system. Complications set in from there."
Last we heard, production was gearing up for a January shoot and with the casting now firming up, it looks like it's on track. No word yet on what specific roles the cast will be slotted in but that should be cleared up by time the story hits the trades. No release date yet, but hopefully a late-2011 release, though 2012 is probably more likely.
Ron Howard To Direct 'My Stroke Of Insight,' Wants Jodie Foster To Star
Ron Howard has signed on direct an adaptation of the true story memoir "My Stroke Of Insight" by brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor.
The Sony Pictures and Imagine Entertainment co-production is set in 1996 when "the 37-year old Taylor suffered a massive stroke caused by a blood vessel that exploded in the left side of her brain. A Harvard-trained neuro-anatomist, Taylor's brain function deteriorated in a matter or hours to where she couldn't walk, read or write, or even recall past memories. It took 8 years for her to mend. Her knowledge of how the brain works gave her the opportunity to experience and write about brain recovery that became at times a mystical experience, as the right half compensated for the damaged left half and infused her with feelings of peace and well-being that she has tried to retain, even after struggling to reclaim her life and standing in the scientific community." Sounds like some rich material, and certainly something that Howard is eyeing toward awards season (like Steven Spielberg, he tends to alternate between blockbusters and prestige material).
Howard wants Jodie Foster to take on the lead role, but she's not yet attached. No word yet on where this will fall in Howard's schedule. He also recently signed on to direct the first of three films of the mega-"The Dark Tower" franchise being launched by Universal. But we would imagine Howard will try and get this one in the can before beginning extensive work on the Stephen King project. [Deadline]
The Films Of David Fincher: A Retrospective
Known for his impeccably stylish, technically meticulous and resoundingly tenebrous films that tend to gravitate towards anti-heroes, flawed protagonists and forsaken souls, Fincher's films are always intensely dark, hyper-detailed, always challenging and never really fit for mass consumption. Yet, with each of his films arriving via a major studio, Fincher's oeuvre does resonate with a strong contingent of mainstream audiences and "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button" — his most accessible film — earned him the attention of the Academy that ignored his less embraceable, but much better, previous efforts.
The modern horror of his serial killer film " Se7en" placed him firmly on the map, the anarchic "Fight Club" became a cult-classic basically the day it was released in theaters and the filmmaker has been highly in demand ever since. With "The Social Network" logging into theaters — and having already looked at 5 of his films (and more) that have yet to to the screen — we take a look back on an already impressive body of work that is only growing in stature with each new addition.
“The Game” (1997)“The Game,” the “Twilight Zone”-y thriller about a wealthy businessman (Michael Douglas) who is engaged in an elaborate, possibly nefarious role playing game by his delinquent brother (Sean Penn), is probably David Fincher’s coolest cool-for-coolness-sake pop outing, but also his most hollow. No matter how deeply Fincher wants to connect the material (written by the geniuses that gave us “Terminator 3”) to resonate themes of loss, regret and legacy (since Douglas’ game begins on the anniversary of his father’s suicide), the movie is too slick and polished to be anything more than it is. Thankfully, what it is is a really fun rollercoaster ride, one with plenty of twists and turns and some extremely weird flourishes (like the fact that a large section of the film’s last act takes place in Mexico), anchored by two fine performances by Douglas and Penn (in a role written for Jodie Foster, hence his name - “Connie”). The film is a trifle for sure, with Fincher working comfortably within the flashy boundaries of his music video days and possibly stifled by the resounding critical and commercial approval of “ Se7en,” but it’s hard to fault a movie in which Spike Jonze shows up in the last scene as a concerned EMT technician, because that’s just funny. [C+]
'True Grit' Gets A Badass, Old School Teaser Poster
With the impressive and haunting teaser trailer for the Coen Brothers' upcoming "True Grit" reminding everyone that the Oscar race is far from over, the marketing campaign continues for one of the year's most anticipated films.
The old school, Wanted-style teaser poster has arrived and we dig it. A lot. With the words "Punishment" and "Retribution" bookending the top and bottom of the poster with a thin stream of blood running down the page, it says more about the film than big headed poster for "The Tourist" that also landed online.
Starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, the film follows a young girl (Steinfeld) who acquires the assistance of aging, drunken U.S. Marshal Rooster J. Cogburn (Bridges) and young Texas Ranger, La Boeuf (Damon) to track down her father's killer, Tom Chaney (Brolin), who has taken to a gang led by "Lucky" Ned Pepper (Pepper).
"True Grit" will make your Christmas merry, opening on December 25th. Look for an extended trailer this weekend in theaters, and online early next week.
The 5 Lost David Fincher Projects We'd Still Love To See One Day
But what of the projects that slipped through the cracks? As soon as "Se7en" pushed him onto the A-list, there have been a number of intriguing projects linked to Fincher that never saw the light of day. Whether falling apart just as they seemed ready to go, or never quite getting the support from those who hold the Hollywood purse strings, they provide an fascinating look at avenues and genres Fincher has yet to explore on screen (sci-fi and comedy) as well as material that fits very much into the thematic and aesthetic wheelhouse that is associated with his name. With "The Social Network" hitting theaters today, we've rounded up five that we'd still love to see some day.
"Rendezvous With Rama"Let's face it, should Fincher ever make this movie it will be his Stanley Kubrick-esque science-fiction space epic. Not only was the project based off Arthur C. Clarke's novel (he wrote '2001'), the picture has space odyssey written all over it. Shepherded under the aegis of actor Morgan Freeman for over a decade, the actor admitted to MTV in 2007, "it's a very intellectual science fiction, a very difficult book to translate cinematically." Making the sell even harder he said, "There are no guns, no explosions. Although it's fiction, it's all based on pure science."
An opaque sci-fi novel about mankind's awakening relationship with the universe and zero action? Paging Terrence Malick maybe? Otherwise yeah, we see how it would incredibly difficult to get a studio on board. The novels (four of them in total) focused on a 30-mile-long hollow cylindrical alien spaceship that is discovered in our solar system and a group of space explorers sent out to investigate, who find out its intentions and unlock its mysteries. But since the novels had little action to speak of, the project could have ended up more "Solaris" then "Sunshine" (and neither project was very profitable at the box-office) and it never got off the ground.
Freeman spent years developing the passion project (he once wanted to direct himself) until he convinced his "Se7en" director to take a crack at it in 2007, but by the following year Fincher had pronounced the project dead. Freeman had been in an auto accident a few months prior and the filmmaker had said even after all this time there was no script.
Our only hope is that Alfonso Cuarón's action sci-fi film "Gravity" gets made and somehow does gangbusters at the box-office and then studios start rifling through their drawers for similar projects. But one really can't imagine the slow, arty and hypnotic "2001: A Space Odyssey" being green lit in this day and age, let alone a picture that sounds like its not-too-distant cousin, that is unless some superstar cast comes on board and those names will sadly have to be much bigger than Morgan Freeman.
Sony Wants Philip Seymour Hoffman To Play Venom In 'Spider-Man'; 3 More Candidates Join List For Female Leads
Frankly, these contender stories are boring so let's get to the good stuff. Buried in Deadline's story about who has joined the list of female leads for "Spider-Man" is a much more intriguing little nugget: Sony wants to bring back Venom and wants Philip Seymour Hoffman to play him.
Bear in mind, it's who they want, not who they're gonna get, and we may have laughed at this suggestion in the past, but with the likes of Mark Ruffalo cashing in their indie cred to play The Hulk, it's not so far-fetched. And let's not forget than Hoffman is no stranger to tentpoles, playing the villain in "Mission: Impossible 3." Hoffman wasn't the first name to be rumored for the villain, as Christoph Waltz's name cropped up late in the summer, but it's the first we hear of Venom which makes us wonder if more than one baddie will be in store (though Venom in the "Spider-Man" origin story seems to make no sense and is far too soon). But Hoffman as a baddie in "Spider-man"? That's the most exciting news about this film since Andrew Garfield signed on.
Onto the more boring news, which starts with the question: who, who and who? If you didn't think Sony and director Marc Webb were casting a huge, wide net for the female leads for Peter Parker in the forthcoming "Spider-Man" reboot, this should be an indication.
The upcoming/unknown Dianna Agron ("Glee," sorry we don't watch the show), Georgina Haig ("Wasted On The Young") and Dominique McElligott (Sam Rockwell's wife in "Moon") are in consideration for the roles of Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson. Agron actually tested last night, and we would imagine Haig and McElligott will be shortly.
According to Deadline, Agron, Haig, McElligott and the previously revealed Emma Stone and Mia Wasikowska are the final five candidates, but also adds the caveat that more may be added, so basically, this thing is not quite over and don't be surprised if more names crop up next week.
Radiohead's Thom Yorke & Jonny Greenwood Contribute To Score For 'Stone'
Ed Norton has got some talented friends, in high places. Speaking at the Variety Screening Series (via Pitchfork) presentation of his upcoming legal/sexual thriller "Stone," Norton reveals Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood helped inspire the score for the film by John O'Brien.
"I'm friends with the guys in Radiohead. And Johnny Greenwood, who did the incredible score for Paul Anderson's 'There Will Be Blood,' met me in London a while back when John (Curran) and I were developing the script," Norton recalls.
"So given the spiritual ties in this film, I started talking to him about this idea: 'What would you use to record this divine-like tuning sound?' And he and Thom (Yorke) had been playing a lot of weird ambient stuff at the time and so, amazingly, they just unloaded tons and tons of files to us of these sound experiments that they had been doing. We just listened to them in awe until John (Curran) eventually got John O'Brien to come in and see what he could make of it."
It's unclear if O'Brien used the sound files as a jumping off point for his own score or re-cut and re-assembled the material; there is no composer credit for the film that we can find. We're just mostly amazed Radiohead handed over tapes of their experiments; we'd kill to hear it. You can go over the film's official site and hear some of the music from the film, and parts of it definitely sound like it could easily have come from Yorke/Greenwood.
As for the film, the reviews from TIFF were not good and advance word in general is not strong on the film. "Stone," starring Ed Norton, Robert De Niro and Milla Jovovich, opens in limited release starting October 8th.
In Theaters: 'The Social Network,' 'Let Me In,' 'Case 39'
Oscar season kicks off with a click of a mouse as David Fincher unveils his latest film "The Social Network" or as most know it "That Facebook Movie." It's a really strong film and is poised to do great business at the box office against a weak group of contenders this weekend. With reviews this strong, the picture could have a long shelf life as we rocket into awards season. Competition this week comes in the form of a couple of horror films. "Let Me In" is the English-language remake of 2008's swedish vampire movie "Let the Right One In." It should easily outdo the buzz-less Renee Zellweger-lead "Case 39" for your multiplex dollars. The art-house is a quiet spot this weekend as well, with a couple of interesting documentaries, "Freakonomics" and "Casino Jack and the United States of Money" looking like your best bets.
Nick Hornby Writing Original Comedy Script For Rosamund Pike
"High Fidelity," "About A Boy," "An Education" -- it's quite an impressive film resume for novelist Nick Hornby (we'll politely overlook both versions of "Fever Pitch"; they're not that great) but it appears he has a new muse.
The Daily Mail reports that Nick Hornby is writing an original comedy script, not based on any of his books, with a part in mind for Rosamund Pike. Pike was part of the cast of the Carey Mulligan career-maker "An Education," and we presume he was taken by her turn as the willfully ignorant girlfriend of the shady art dealer played by Dominic Cooper. Of course, since its still a script stage, there's no director or studio attached and the project is probably more than a year off. It's an exciting prospect nonetheless.
As for Pike, she has a number of films hitting the big screen in the next little while including the women's rights drama "Made In Dagenham," the Mordecai Richler film adaptation of "Barney's Version" and the comedy "The Big Year" with Owen Wilson, Jack Black and Steve Martin.
Ridley Scott In Battle With Fox Over Budget & Rating For 'Alien' Prequel?
Remember earlier this year when Ridley Scott talked non-stop about his "Alien" prequel films? And then remember how everything suddenly got very quiet? Perhaps there is a reason for this.
Script Flags (via Bleeding Cool) are reporting that Ridley Scott and 20th Century Fox are clashing over the budget and rating for his prequels. According to the site, "Scott wants a budget of around $250m to make it a sci-fi spectacular, and is also pushing for an 18-rated level of violence and horror" (bear in mind this is a Brit site so change "18-rated" to "R"). Fox apparently don't want to spend that much and want a wide audience friendly PG-13 rating.
While we can't vouch for the source, the circumstantial evidence does add up. Scott has already intimated more than once that his 3D prequels will be gritty, and that he wants to out do James Cameron's "Aliens." And he was definitely jazzed about doing the films after reading the original script by Jon Spaights, but the hire last summer by Fox of "Lost" writer and "Star Trek," "Cowboys & Aliens" c0-writer, Damon Lindelof to re-write the script certainly seems like they want a much more populist and PG-13 affair.
No Brainer: 'The Tourist' Poster Features Johnny Depp & Angelina Jolie And Nothing Else
How do you sell a movie with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie in it? You make a poster with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie on it. Columbia Pictures aren't trying to reinvent the wheel here, and this first poster for "The Tourist" puts its two biggest assets right there for the world to see. Though we have to say, the airbrushing of their features is beginning to freak us out.
Directed by Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck (the German helmer behind "The Lives Of Others"), "The Tourist" is a romantic spy drama based on the 2005 French film "Anthony Zimmer," that follows a bumbling American tourist (Depp) as he finds himself romantically involved with an international spy (Jolie) in this quasi-Hitchcockian tale of a man in the wrong place at the wrong time.
While we had minor issues with the trailer, it looks like breezy enough fun and it will surely be a nice antidote to the steady stream of serious, awards season fare when it's released right in the thick of it on December 10, 2010.
Set Aside Some Oscars: Meryl Streep & Julia Roberts Team For 'August: Osage County'
Like pairing chocolate and milk or peanut butter and jelly, The Weinstein Company have sealed up an instant awards horse, getting Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts to team up for the big screen adaptation of the Tony-award winning play, "August: Osage County."
Set to be directed by John Wells ("The Company Men") and utilizing a screenplay by the playwright Tracy Letts, the film will find Streep once again stretching her talents playing "Violet, the drug-addicted matriarch of the working class Weston clan. Roberts will play Barbara Fordham, the oldest daughter in the family. While mom's problems and her penchant for revealing family secrets is a big issue, Barbara is melting because her husband is cheating with a college student. They are brought together when Violet's husband goes missing and all three of their daughters come home to rally around mom. In the process, a lot of family secrets get revealed." Sounds pretty damn great.
Production on the film is set to begin by next summer. What effect this might have on the gestating Streep vehicle "Great Hope Springs" with Philip Seymour Hoffman and James Gandolfini, which was aiming for a March shoot, remains to be seen, but we hope it's still in the works.
Does This Mean We Have To Rent The Goddamn Thing? Ciaran Hinds To Play Villain In 'Ghost Rider 2'
We mentioned last week the Luis Guzman Memorial Club that we're building in Hollywood for the unsung heroes of the character actor world, and somehow, we failed to mention Ciaran Hinds. The Irish-born actor came to prominence in the theater world (he was in the original cast of "Closer," and played Richard III for Sam Mendes), before breaking through to Hollywood as the Russian president in "The Sum Of All Fears."
Since then, he's been one of those guys who crops up in everything, amassing a pretty impressive collection of collaborators: "Road To Perdition," "Munich" (one of his best performances, actually), "Miami Vice," "Margot at the Wedding," "In Bruges," and "Life During Wartime" have all come in the last few years, although he's probably best known for playing Caesar in HBO's "Rome," and for being Daniel Day-Lewis' right-hand-man in "There Will Be Blood." And, like the best character actors, he pretty much elevates everything he's in.
Unfortunately, everyone's got to eat, and Hinds, who's already done the tentpole villainy thing a couple of times, in "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life" and "Race to Witch Mountain," has just signed on to one of the more unnecessary sequels of modern times, "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance." Hinds will play the devil in the film (renamed Roark in the script, for no apparent reason), taking over the role from Peter Fonda, who took it on in the original. He was something of a background player in the first film, at least as far as we can remember before we threw the DVD out the window, but he's very much the villain in this piece, aiming to take over the body of his human son, and only a fiery-headed Nic Cage can stop him.
Violante Placido ("The American") has also joined the cast, as the boy's mother. We hope that they'll both be paid handsomely for their efforts. Hinds at least has brighter things in his future: he's in the starry cast of "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," he's supporting Daniel Radcliffe in ghost story "The Woman In Black," and he'll crop up in "John Carter of Mars," and even the final Harry Potter films, as Dumbledore's brother. "Crank" directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor are the men in charge, and the film hits theaters, in 3D of course, on February 17th, 2012.
Baz Luhrmann Trying To Choose Between 'The Great Gatsby' & New York Musical Film; DiCaprio, Maguire & Seyfried Circling 'Gatsby'?
Despite "Australia" being something of a misfire, we're always keen to see what Baz Luhrmann is cooking up -- we may not be unconditionally in love with all his films, but few directors working in big-scale cinema are doing what he does. For some time, Luhrmann's been circling a number of projects: while he flirted with "My Fair Lady," the main contenders have been an unknown historical epic, a musical, possibly a collaboration with "Slumdog Millionaire" composer A.R. Rahmann, and an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby."
MTV spoke to our favorite Australian Roger Sterling-lookalike at the premiere of "The Social Network," and he confirmed that he'd narrowed his decision down to two projects, 'Gatsby,' and the mysterious musical, which seems to be set in New York. Luhrmann told them "I've got the script for both of them and I'm making that decision in four to six weeks, no longer than six weeks."
Coincidentally, Production Weekly ran with some casting rumors for 'Gatsby' via Twitter yesterday -- namely Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway and Amanda Seyfried as Daisy Buchanan. DiCaprio makes sense, although there's a suavity to the character he's never quite displayed (Ryan Gosling would be perfect), but as always, the names are probably at this point not much more than names on a wishlist. Luhrmann was non-committal when he spoke to MTV, telling them that "You know I think of casting all the time, but I put that to the side and I complete the text. Obviously there are natural choices and there is a natural top of the list, but I really refuse to say anything until we have the text right." With that in mind, we're certainly not going to take the casting rumors with anything other than a colossal pinch of salt at this point.
That said if the intel is on the right track, both DiCaprio and Maguire do have open calendars in 2011 (with former shooting Clint Eastwood's "Hoover" early in the year) when we presume 'Gatsby' would shoot -- if that's what Luhrmann decides to do. And as DiCaprio and Maguire are good pals, it would certainly lend an extra element to the film.
Matthew McConaughey To Reunite With Richard Linklater For Texan Crime Comedy 'Bernie', Rip Torn Also Joins
Update: THR confirms Matthew McConaughey and in additional news that Rip Torn has joined the film. Torn will play Bernie's defense lawyer.
Matthew McConaughey "plans to" reunite with director Richard Linklater for the self-described "Fargo"-esque Texas-set crime thriller/black comedy, "Bernie," which will star Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine.
Renowned for his fair share of fluffy rom-coms and a tendency to appear topless, McConaughey has failed to live up to the promise of his cult-favourite character, David Woodersen, in Linklater's 1993 comedy "Dazed And Confused." Though briefly linked to Linklater's spiritual sequel to 'Dazed' titled "That's What I'm Talking About," the actor looks set to reunite with Linklater once more for "Bernie," a true crime story set in East Texas.
"It's a film I wrote about ten years ago," Linklater told us. "[And it's] set in a little town of Huntsville, East Texas, kind of a little black comedy. It's my 'Fargo' in East Texas, where I group up, so it's crazy local with fifty characters. It's about a funeral home assistant who befriends this old lady. It's kind of a true crime story."
9/30/2010
Review: 'Freakanomics' Doesn't Quite Make The Leap From Page To Screen
“Freakanomics,” the anthology-style documentary adaptation of the bestselling book from economist Steven D. Levitt and author Stephen J. Dubner, is a mishmash of interesting concepts, with less interesting direction. The book, which discussed and analyzed popular culture theories through economic data points, doesn’t lend itself well to a big screen adaptation. Documentaries, when done well, seem to have their “story” evolve throughout, but when adapting a book of this type – the story is essentially written for you. This is one of the many areas where the film falters, as it has the opportunity to go a bit more in depth and express more than just a realized version of text to film.
The “Freakanomics” anthology is divided up into four mini-stories, each directed by respected filmmakers given the task of adapting a specific concept from the book. The challenge here is to effectively intersect these four separate films into a cohesive documentary, which ultimately just doesn’t happen. Morgan Spurlock, director of game changer “Super Size Me” continues his satirical documentary style with his section, where he looks at the direct effect of baby names on children’s lives and experiences (ie. like a child named Destiny is destined to strip). Spurlock’s mini-story is lackluster and the topic seemingly doesn’t need much analysis – it’s not the name but the socio-economic barriers children are put in that have the greater effect.
NYFF '10: 'The Tempest' Is Much Ado About Nothing
Everything associated with Julie Taymor's "The Tempest," at least in the initial build-up of pre-release hype, has been built around the faux-provocation of Helen Mirren, distinguished British film actress, multiple award winner, Queen of England, playing Prospero, a character that has traditionally been portrayed as being male, in Shakespeare's classic play. (In the new movie, she's now called Prospera.) It's only after you've been watching the movie for a few minutes, after you take in the changes in the character (if you're a Shakespeare fan or graduated with a Literary Studies degree), that the momentary thrill subsides and then vanishes altogether. The reason all the hype is centered around this slightly oddball casting decision is because there's nothing else to sell the rest of "The Tempest" on.
Which is to say: "The Tempest" is bad. Like, really, really bad.
But it does have a nice title card: large, crisp font, taking up much of the screen, superimposed over the arresting, surreal image of a tiny sandcastle in the palm of a young girl's hand. But once this image is gone, and it's gone fairly quickly, the goofy overwrought nightmare that is "The Tempest" consumes you.
Ryan Gosling In Talks To Play The Lead In George Clooney's 'Farragut North'
While Chris Pine looked like he might be scoring the lead role of a young communications director who works for a fast-rising presidential candidate in George Clooney's upcoming directorial effort "Farragut North," it looks like Ryan Gosling is now negotiating to get the gig, according to Deadline.
A role once sought by Leonardo DiCaprio (the project has been gestating for at least two years), Deadline makes no mention of previously discussed actors vying or offered parts such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood and Marisa Tomei. And perhaps it's because those talks haven't turned into any kind of concrete negotiations yet, who knows.
Optioned by Warner Bros. in 2008, the film is an adaptation of a political play by Beau Willimon. It is loosely based on the 2004 Democratic primary run of Howard Dean, and "the story is set in Des Moines, Iowa, just weeks before the state’s Democratic caucuses officially commence; it follows the exploits of a twenty-something presidential campaign spinmeister/wunderkind named Stephen Myers, and the dirty pool he plays to get his candidate the nomination against a rival senator."
WB doesn't sound involved anymore. Clooney is shepherding the project through his Smoke House Productions banner with partner Grant Heslov (the director of "Men Who Stare At Goats"), which is now set up at Sony, and while no distributor has been named (nor financiers), they could be a potential contender.
Updated: Wes Anderson To Shoot New Film In Spring 2011, 12 Year Old Boy & Girl Sought For Lead Roles; Film Titled 'Moonrise Kingdom'?
Updated: Production Weekly says the film is called, "Moonrise Kingdom." This is the same title that was dropped in /Film's comments section yesterday. We're hoping they didn't grab the information from there. Our emails and calls to Anderson's American Empirical productions have not been returned.
Production Weekly has been hitting Twitter in a big way over the past 24 hours, and now they've dropped their biggest piece of news yet: Wes Anderson plans to shoot his next film in the spring of 2011.
We did some digging and while we don't have too many details yet, from what we've heard, the director is seeking a boy and a girl, aged 12 years old for the lead roles. So could Anderson be continuing in the vein of younger fare after the excellent "Fantastic Mr. Fox"? Could be. At any rate, he's already said he doesn't plan to direct "The Rosenthal Suite," his rewrite of the French comedy hit "My Best Friend" that he was linked to late last year. And we don't think it's the long-gestating script he and Noah Baumbach have been kicking around that doesn't quite seem finished anyway.
At any rate, it's a new Wes Anderson film to look forward to. We're excited and eager to see what the director has in store. Story was originally published 2:40 PM ET on September 29, 2010.
Emma Thompson Joins The Cast Of 'Men In Black 3D'
Oh, Emma Thompson, why have thee forsaken us?
Yes, it's true. The British thespian, who doesn't really embarrass herself in the "Nanny McPhee" films, is set to embarrass herself in the third installment for the "Men In Black" films, "Men In Black 3D," which are films for.... kids? Or adults with the sensibilities of kids? It's hard to tell these days since people of all stripes seem to enjoy this delightful sci-fi comedy franchise.
Maybe we're being overtly harsh, but one, we happen to like Thompson a lot and two, what's the point of a third "Men In Black" film other than to buy Jaden Smith a "Back To the Future" time travel Delorean that actually works?
Barry Sonnenfeld made a great Coen Brothers cinematographer, but his cartoonish sensibilities never really gelled as a director (even for his cartoonish films). The original "Men In Black" was marginally fun entertainment and the sequel quickly flew south into unwatchable territory. The mild hope is Etan Cohen, who wrote "Tropic Thunder," will make the threequel -- said to sport a time travel bent -- enjoyable, but David Koepp has already re-written it, and tentpole comedies like this tend to be overwritten to death by committee.
Anyhow, Deadline reports she'll take a lead role in the film that already stars Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, plus Josh Brolin (rumored to be the young version of Tommy Lee Jones), Jemaine Clement and probably Rip Torn if he's not rolling around a ditch with his pants around his ankles and a blow-up doll in one hand. Dare we say we'd rather see the completely unnecessary "Ghostbusters 3" before we see this? As you were.
Keke Palmer Says She's Been Asked To Join Marvel's 'Runaways'
Last we heard, Marvel's "Runaways" was set to being shooting next March, but buzz on the project has curiously been zero. No casting rumors at all and essentially no chatter around what should be a film with heavy geek interest.
At any rate, the buzz should start to build again as it looks like casting is indeed underway as Keke Palmer ("True Jackson, VP") tells Essence magazine that she's been asked to join the film saying, "['True Jackson, VP'] had me tied up so much that I haven't been able to do much of anything else. But before the show I did a lot of films, so I'm familiar with it. But I'm ready to go back. I've had a nice little break with the steady TV show but I'm definitely ready to do some more films again. I was just asked to join a new Marvel comic project called, 'Runaways.'"
The project is interesting for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Peter Sollet ("Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist," "Raising Victor Vargas") has been tapped to direct, which is intriguing given that he has essentially no action or special effects experience. But given that the film has been called "'The Breakfast Club' with superheroes," it seems like the right choice. Additionally, this will be the first Marvel film to hit with what could arguably be called unknown characters. "Iron Man" these kids are not. The story revolves around a group of teenagers who discover their parents are part of an evil crime group called Pride.
The last issue had the film under the title "Small Faces," but we're guessing that's a production code name, not an official title switch. But it definitely appears that offers are going out and a March shoot seems to be on target. The film was written by Brian K. Vaughn ("Lost") and has not yet been slotted with an official release date, but expect it sometime in 2012.
Brett Ratner Options 'The Reluctant Communist' With An Eye To Direct
Even though he's getting set to direct Ben Stiller in the caper comedy "Tower Heist" this fall, Brett Ratner is keeping an eye on what's next.
The auteur has optioned the 2008 memoir "The Reluctant Communist," with an eye to possibly direct the film. The story follows U.S. Army sergeant Charles Robert Jenkins, who surrendered to North Korea while drunk and ended up being imprisoned for forty years. As if that isn't odd enough, he became a minor celebrity in the country after being forced to act in anti-American propaganda films.
Ross Katz, writer/director of the TV film "Taking Chance" and producer of "Marie Antoinette" and "Lost In Translation," is penning the screenplay with Rat Entertainment's John Cheng producing. The material sounds great, but we're not convinced Ratner could do it any justice. Here's hoping it finds another director. [Variety]
Reasons Why 'The Social Network' Is Not The (TV) Movie Of The Decade
Slow down there tigers. David Fincher's "The Social Network" is an admirable piece of work, another outstanding piece of technical craftsmanship from the notoriously fastidious filmmaker, a tour de force of editing, a snap, crackle and pop of witty "His Girl Friday"-like tête-à -tête dialogue, and it does feature Jesse Eisenberg's best performance so far. Admittedly, there is a lot to love about the film, but those critics bemoaning the fact that it doesn't have a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes because of Armond White (that evil man, how could he!?) are being downright silly. The picture — like all movies — is not perfect (does a truly perfect movie even exist aside from a handful of unimpeachable classics?) and more importantly, it has its flaws.
Moreover, it's a film that has been doused in hyperbole. The film that defines a generation. Really? Why, because it features computers? It's well established that the film is not about Facebook and or social media or social networks. It's about — at the end of the day — friendship, greed, betrayal, entitlement, and to an extent, communication in the communication age. But how most of those themes only apply to this decade is puzzling (Peter Travers, care to explain?). Don't get it twisted, we liked the film (this writer's grade is more B, B+ than the A-grades it's been getting across the board, but whatever), but it's not god's gift to movies (though it certainly will have more long-tail resonance than the enjoyable, but slight, "Toy Story 3" which also almost had a 100% RT grade until Armond did his unspeakable dislike thing).
Michael Caine Reveals The End Of 'Inception'
Obviously, if you haven't seen the film or if you have your own satisfactory theory for the end of "Inception" don't read this story, because Michael Caine is putting an end to speculation about the end of the film.
Talking on BBC Radio's The Chris Moyles Show (via ScreenRant) Michael Caine decided to drop some truth bombs about Christopher Nolan's playfully open ended conclusion to his dream world blockbuster "Inception." Caine says, “[The spinning top] drops at the end, that’s when I come back on. If I’m there it’s real, because I’m never in the dream. I’m the guy who invented the dream.”
Is your mind blown yet? Truthfully, this is pretty much what we figured (frankly, we would've preferred a darker ending) and confirms what costume designer Jeffrey Kurland said about the ending back in August.
The Captain Sully Story Headed For A Theater Near You
A year and a half after the awesomely named Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger saved the lives of his passengers on Flight 1549, landing them safely in the Hudson River after an errand flock of birds flew into the plane's engines, those desperate moments are finally going to come to the big screen.
The Kennedy/Marshall Co. and Flashlight Films have optioned Sullenberg's memoir "Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters" with plans to turn it into a movie. We can't wait to find out how it ends.The producers are currently seeking backing for the film and it's not aligned with a studio yet, though it is going out to writers. No offense to Sullenberger, who certainly did act heroically that day, but we have no desire to watch a movie about this. This is a project we might expect, at best, on Lifetime, not from a major Hollywood studio.
But, audiences show great affection for big-hearted movies, particularly those with a story they're already familiar with, and they usually reward them with steady box office receipts. So, any ideas on who should play Capt. Sully? We're voting for Christopher Walken. Just to spice things up. [Variety]
Trent Reznor Says He Turned Down 'The Social Network' Scoring Gig At First
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' score to David Fincher's "The Social Network" is an incredible piece of work vacillating between ominous, yet melancholy tracks ("Hand Covers Bruise") and the more pulsating electronic tracks ("In Motion") that keep the already fast-paced picture propelling forward. While it won't be recognized by the Academy come Oscar time, score aficionados are likely going to be rocking it on their iPods long after the film has been released.
And yet when Fincher first approached the Nine Inch Nails frontman to do the score, Reznor said he wasn't in a good state of mind and actually turned down the gig. "And of course it gnawed away at me," Reznor said in a recent L.A. Times interview. "I got back in touch with him in late winter or early spring and apologized again and asked him to keep me in mind in the future [on other projects].
Of course the tenacious Fincher knew all along that Reznor was doing the score and had never taken his no for an answer. "He said, ‘No, what are you talking about? You’re doing this one.’ ” And that was pretty much that.
Naomi Watts In Early Talks To Join Dakota Fanning In 'Now Is Good'
Call it the suicidal, teenage "Bucket List" if you will, but Naomi Watts is reportedly in early talks to join Dakota Fanning in "Now Is Good," an adaptation of Jenny Downham's Before I Die.
The story follows Tessa, a teenager dying from leukemia who drafts a list of things to do before she dies (the top choice being sex), while dealing with the relationships with various family members in the lead up to her death. Sounds fun! The film is set to be directed by Ol Parker ("Imagine Me & You") and we would imagine Fanning and Watts would play mother and child.
No word yet on shooting schedules or other details, but as always, early talks are just that.
The Drums, Common, Black Sabbath, Queen, The XX & More: All The Music Featured In 'It's Kind Of A Funny Story'
Alright, to keep it brief. You've already seen the soundtrack tracklist, you've heard some of the music and you know that Broken Social Scene wrote the score, plus some original songs for Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden's upcoming coming-of-age dramedy, "It's Kind Of A Funny Story" which stars Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis and on-the-rise starlet Emma Stone.
The soundtrack does feature contemporary indie bands like The Wowz, Pink Mountaintops, The Middle East, '80s punk from The Damned, A Pixies' cover on piano (Maxence Cyrin's "Where Is My Mind"), soul R&B funk from Little Denise (the awesome "Check Me Out") and Egyptian funk (Rachid Taha's "Habina") to name a few.
But music is an integral part of the film and there's much much more. Indie-rockers will be happy to hear the name-check mention of Vampire Weekend, plus use of The xx, The Drums and Dead Oceans, classicists will enjoy the mentions of Dylan, the standout use of Queen/Bowie, Black Sabbath, hip-hop heads will dig the Common and Method Man trainspotting and deep cut soul enthusiast will surely love the appearances of Kenny Smith, the aforementioned Little Denise, Lil` Lavair and The Fabulous Jades ("Cold Heat"). There's plenty of music in the film and it's all well utilized. Anywhoo, if you're curious. All the music is listed below. The soundtrack dropped on Tuesday (September 28 via Rhino Records) and the film hits theaters October 8.
Katherine Heigl Considering Lead Role In Adaptation Of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'
With the rom-com "Life As We Know It" hitting theaters next weekend, and the high concept private investigator flick "One For The Money" arriving in 2011, Katherine Heigl is considering a shift into some straight fantasy/dramatic fare for her next film.
In an interview with the NY Times, the actress reveals she's circling the lead role of the film version of Diane Gabaldon's "Outlander" saying, “Scotland? 2012? What do you think?” The book, the first in a six novel series, starts in 1945 and follows Claire Beauchamp Randall, an English nurse, who while on honeymoon in the Scottish highlands is transported back in time to 1743, where she finds a series of adventures and romance.
The books were optioned by Essential Pictures back in 2008 with an eye to creating a franchise. Randall Wallace ("Braveheart," "Pearl Harbor") was hired to pen the script, with a director being sought for a 2009 start. Obviously that didn't happen, but if Heigl were to join, we would imagine the pieces would come together quickly. However, judging by her comments, it doesn't seem likely to shoot until 2012.
Timur Bekmambetov & Tim Burton Shop 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' Around Town
Back in August, Timur Bekmambetov revealed that "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" would be his next directing gig and the project, produced by Tim Burton, is now headed out to studios to see who will bite.
Based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith ("Pride And Prejudice And Zombies"), the story spins the familiar history of Abraham Lincoln, but casts him as a ruthless vampire killer. Last month, Bekmambetov said the film would shoot in the United States and he was eyeing a winter start date. As for what we can expect stylistically, Bekmambetov said, " If you remember 'Nightwatch,' it is maybe in the vein of that kind of movie." He also hopes to explore the world Grahame-Smith has created in potential sequels.
As for who will pick up the project, it remains to be seen. DreamWorks and Disney are said to be "out of the running" but the other big boys, Universal, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Bros. are still in play. It's definitely in the vein of revisionist history/fables that seems to be du jour in Hollywood and with Burton involved it should attract interest. [Vulture]
Darren Aronofsky Rumored As Candidate To Direct 'Preacher'
We're paraphrasing here -- it's something we read on another site recently but can't seem to find now -- but it more or less goes like this: Darren Aronofsky just made a movie about lesbian ballerinas but people still want him to make a comic movie. The sentiment is one we share; coming off "Black Swan," one of the most ambitious and original films of the year, we're not sure why Hollywood or geeks keep throwing boring comic book material at the guy or why people want him to do it.
Following talk of "Wolverine 2" and "Superman: The Man Of Steel," Newsarama (via MTV) is claiming that a source has informed them that Aronofsky is one of Columbia Pictures' top choices to direct the long-developing comic "Preacher." Please note, this is a "choice" which means his name is most likely on a list with a bunch of other people as is the usual case for this kind of thing.
The series, published between 1995 and 2000, follows a priest who comes into contact with a supernatural being called Genesis and goes on a mission to find an absentee God, and has seen a number of directors circle the project. "Tank Girl" director Rachel Talalay was attached for some time, and "Daredevil" writer-director Mark Steven Johnson was working on a version for HBO. More recently, John August was hired last year to script it for Sam Mendes and Joe Carnahan most recently expressed interest in the material.
At any rate, just add it to the list of projects being sent Aronofsky's way and don't expect it to be the last linked to him. He's an acclaimed director with geek cred so we're sure his name is on many studio lists as their choices for franchise projects, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to happen. For us, we'd rather see him continue to pursue projects that are closer to his heart.
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