Posted Nov 23rd 2009 7:20PM by Jenni Miller
Filed under: Action, Drama, Casting, Mystery & Suspense, Fandom, Remakes and Sequels
Oh,
The Crow! I loved you so! I had the poster, the comic book by James O'Barr, the T-shirt, and the unrequited crush on Brandon Lee, whose tragic death only fanned the flames of my teenage desire. I even went to see the sequel,
The Crow: City of Angels, which featured the spectacularly bad line, "F*ck you, bird d*ck!" uttered by none other than Iggy Pop. (I did, however, forget to light a candle for
its 15th anniversary earlier this fall. Sniff.)
As previously reported, there is a relaunch being written by Stephen Norrington, who will also direct, that might not even include Eric Draven, the main character (
sacre bleu!). The last time that Norrington took a crack at directing a beloved comic book was the 2003 stinker
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but as
io9.com reported, so far the script is getting good reviews. Meredith Woerner at
io9.com coaxed some details from producer Ryan Kavanaugh (
Nine, Brothers, Zombieland), and while he wouldn't reveal which actor is going to be smearing himself with makeup to wreak vengeance on those who violated and murdered his beloved, he did say it will be "a whole relaunch of the franchise, much more of a dark superhero type" and starring an already-established actor.
Continue reading Who Will Be The Crow?
Posted Nov 23rd 2009 3:45PM by Cinematical staff
Filed under: Casting, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek
By: Zachary Hermann
We can all thank Natalie Portman for letting slip this bit of casting news for the upcoming Thor movie. While plugging the American remake of Brothers (hitting theaters Dec. 4), Portman told MTV News she is "really excited" to work with her friend Kat Dennings on Thor. It just feels like cast announcements have been pouring in for the upcoming Marvel adaptation -- Dennings will join Portman (love interest Jane Foster), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Anthony Hopkins (Odin), Stellan Skarsgård, Colm Feore, Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and just about everyone else under the sun for what is shaping up to be a very interesting stab at the Norse superhero. Kenneth Branagh will be directing from the script by Mark Protosevich (with Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller).
Of course the burning question here is who will Dennings be playing? MTV's Splash Page and /film both mention the possibility of Enchantress, which seems to make a lot of sense given Dennings's physical likeness to the character. Also, the character's ties to Iron Man and the Avengers could be crucial for connecting Thor to the more reality-based Iron Man movies and the larger Avengers universe.
Read the rest over at SciFi Squad
Posted Nov 23rd 2009 9:45AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Independent, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
There seems to be a slow and steady drive towards remaking everything that ever appeared on British television. I suppose that's all right (they do have fantastic shows and made-for-television movies in the United Kingdom) but what happens on that dark day when Hollywood runs out of British productions? Yikes. Let's not think about that, and turn instead to the dark version of 1980 that's being remade for the modern viewer, as
Variety reports that British favorite
UFO is being re-imagined for the big screen.
UFO will be helmed by Matthew Gratzner, and will star Joshua Jackson.
The British premise for
UFO was set in the near future (ten years in their case -- the show aired in 1970 and took place in 1980) where aliens had conquered Earth. Naturally, they didn't do so with altruistic means, but to use us as an organ harvesting ground. Humanity's future lay with SHADO, (Supreme Headquarters Aliens Defense Organization), a covert organization pretending to be a movie studio, who defend against the alien horde. Many have tried to remake UFO and failed, the last evolved into Space: 1999. (I can't find any reference as to
V took any inspiration from it. The timing screams that it wasn't a coincidence.)
Jackson will play Paul Foster, a test pilot who joins SHADO. Foster is one of the original characters, and had an interesting little conflict after he became involved with the enemy. Since Gratzner praises his ability to show Foster's "inner conflict," the movie will undoubtedly take that and run with it. The movie is aiming to begin filming in the spring.
Posted Nov 20th 2009 3:48PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Classics, Drama, Independent, Romance, Casting, Mystery & Suspense, Focus Features, Newsstand
The Brontes are all the rage for adaptation right now. It's undoubtedly due to Edward and Bella bestowing their favor on
Wuthering Heights, and had they chosen
Great Expectations, perhaps we'd see Dickens adaptations flinging themselves to the big screen. I love corsets and cravats, so I'm not going to complain, and I'm certainly not going to whine if
Cary Fukunaga gets
this cast for
Jane Eyre.
Variety is reporting that
Michael Fassbender and
Mia Wasikowska are in talks to play Jane and Rochester for Fukunaga, and oh, how torrid it would be!
This is actually the second time Fassbender has circled a Bronte adaptation. Last May, he was said to be
in talks for Wuthering Heights, but Ed Westwick stepped into that particular waistcoat. It's a shame. I think Fassbender would have made an excellent Heathcliff, and may have been the first one to actually snarl, bang his head against a tree, and slap people convincingly. But he will make a very simmering Rochester, and is the only actor who could top
Toby Stephens' wonderful turn in 2006.
Wasikowska is still a bit of a dark horse. She's becoming one of those much-discussed names, but most of us have yet to really meet her until Tim Burton's
Alice in Wonderland hits theaters. She's very pretty, but is just "ordinary" (if that doesn't sound too terrible) enough to fit the part of plain Jane, and as an Aussie, she'll be able to turn on an English accent better than Ellen Page. If this is the
Jane Eyre that makes it to the screen, I'll be happy. Let the eerie screams, mysterious fires, and lingering looks commence.
Posted Nov 20th 2009 1:32PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Casting, Deals, Noir, Scripts, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek
Few of us have had the chance to read Rick Remender's upcoming series,
The Last Days of American Crime, but it's already tapped for the big-screen treatment. To sweeten the deal,
American Crime already has a face. An Australian one.
Mania is reporting that
Sam Worthington has signed on to play the series' star criminal, Graham Brick.
American Crime is set in a near-future where the government has found a way to kill the criminal impulse in its citizens. That's good for everyone but the criminals, and chaos erupts as the unsavory element goes mad trying to get in one last job. One of these men is Graham Brick, who is in the midst of planning a big heist, and gets to watch all his best laid plans fall apart in a bloody fashion. I read the preview Radical handed out at Comic-Con this year, and like all previews, it was too short to really get a handle on the story. But the art was incredible, it was ridiculously violent, and it had that slimy feeling of
Sin City. You can check out
three pages here, and Radical has
15 pages up on MySpace. The first issue is scheduled to hit stands in December.
Remender will be penning the screenplay himself, and Radical will be producing it under their film shingle. We'll supposedly be getting a studio, a director, and more cast-members very soon, but it's tough to get excited without having read issue #1. Still, if this is really the mix of James Ellroy and David Mamet's
Heist that Remender promises,
Crime will be something to look out for.
Posted Nov 20th 2009 10:31AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Casting, Paramount, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek
Asgard has just added another brilliant actor to their semi-immortal ranks. According to T
he Hollywood Reporter,
Idris Elba has joined the cast of
Thor as Heimdall, guardian of the Bifrost Bridge. He's the man you have to pass if you hope to start some stuff in Asgard, and as he's all-seeing and all-knowing, good luck trying to kick his butt.
Elba's casting is undoubtedly going to cause a bit of a stir, as the
Heimdall of the Marvel comics
is a redhaired Caucasian. In the original Nordic myths, he was even called "the whitest of the gods" which seems like a thousand tasteless jokes in the making. (For the record, "whitest" refers to the light he emanated, not his skin color.) I imagine a lot of people are going to make those jokes, complain about things being PC, and just be very unpleasant.
But you know what? The Asgardians are gods. They can be any color they want, and should be. Marvel's Thor is also distinctly different than the original Norse myths, and I think a diverse cast is a fantastic and appropriate idea. Plus, this is
Idris Elba. He's the kind of badass you
want on that Bifrost Bridge, guarding the city gates, and having throwdowns with Thor. (He's
always trying to prevent everyone's favorite blonde from going in or out of Asgard.) Kudos to Kenneth Branagh for recognizing that, and for creating an Ultimate Heimdall in the course of pre-production.
Posted Nov 20th 2009 9:48AM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Drama, Romance, Casting
The rumor mill was buzzing
earlier this month with news that Nicole Kidman was going to, once again, go for the younger guy and star opposite Robert Pattinson in the adaptation of Guy De Maupassant's
Bel Ami. While it turns out that Kidman is
not taking the project on, another famous blonde is.
The Hollywood Reporter posts that
Uma Thurman will star opposite Pattinson, and
Kristin Scott Thomas has also joined the roster.
The film will star Pattinson as George Duroy, an aspiring journalist who finds his success by bedding many of Paris' rich and powerful women. Thurman will play Mme Forestier, the married woman who sparks his ascension and later marries him, while Thomas comes into the picture as "a socialite who falls for Duroy, becoming clingy in the process."
Now, much has been said, or argued, about Pattinson's talents as an actor, and I'd say this will be the ultimate test -- whether he can hold his own against Thurman and Thomas. Pattinson won't be able to hide behind sparkles or quirky, mustachioed mannerisms this time around! Both have considerable talents, although Thurman in particular is long overdue for some meaty and buzz-worthy dramatic fare (it's also about time she got into some retro wordy romance as well, a la
Henry and June). The drama will shoot next year in Paris.
Posted Nov 19th 2009 9:48AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Animation, Independent, Casting, Family Films, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand
Good actors never really retire, they just find new and easier ways to work.
Sean Connery loudly proclaimed his intention to retire from the silver screen, but he's decided to make a bit of a return. According to
The Hollywood Reporter, Connery will lend his voice to the CGI animated movie
Sir Billi, an independent film created by husband-and-wife team Sascha and Tessa Hartmann. Connery is an executive producer on the project, and has been heavily involved with its production.
The movie will have Connery playing "a retired, skateboarding veterinarian" who rescues an illegal fugitive who just happens to be a beaver. (I now wish this could cross over into
The Beaver.) The Hartmanns have been working on the project for five years, and it's now set for a 2010 release.
The final touch is apparently a
Shirley Bassey tune, and
THR reports that she's signed up to record a song titled
The Guardian of the Highlands for the film. Let me repeat that: Bassey singing a song called
The Guardian of the Highlands. It's now my favorite song of all time, and I haven't even heard it.
So, if you've been lying awake wondering what Connery has been up to, now you know. He's been overseeing a charming Scottish cartoon, and lending his slurry brogue to a skateboarding veterinarian. But I don't this heralds a return to acting -- remember, Connery was able to literally
phone in this performance and head back to the golf course, enjoying the fruits of retirement.
Posted Nov 19th 2009 9:03AM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Animation, Casting
As much as I love a good animated film, sometime I have to sigh and wonder what would be if the same cast was in a live action feature. This is one of those times.
Zack Snyder's
Guardians of Ga'hoole has found its official cast, and it's a little different from
earlier reports in January. Hugo Weaving and Ryan Kwanten are still in, Hugh Jackman is not, and there are a whole bunch of new folks.
The Hollywood Reporter posts that the cast will be headlined by
Sam Neill,
Geoffrey Rush,
David Wenham, and Weaving. (Mucho props to
Elisabeth for guessing right on Wenham in April '08!) These guys will be joined by the likes of Aussie folks Emily Barclay, Abbie Cornish, Emilie de Ravin, Jay Laga'aia, and Kwanten. PLUS -- three Brit actors with Miriam Margolyes, Helen Mirren, and Jim Sturgess. Unfortunately, there's no cast rundown of who will voice who, and with that many names, I'm not even going to try guessing. Check out
IMDb for a few casting names, but I'm not so sure on their accuracy since they list Sturgess as Soren, and
THR lists him last, rather than naming him as a headliner.
Holy crap! Is it terrible that this news makes me sad and wishes this cast wasn't wasted on owls? Many of these actors could offer so much visually, and oh, how I'd love to see them play off of each other -- especially Wenham, Weaving, and Mirren. At the very least, it's got me itching to watch the story of the young owl Soren and his enthrallment with stories of the winged warrior
Guardians of Ga'Hoole. How 'bout you?
Posted Nov 18th 2009 9:45PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Casting, RumorMonger, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek
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And the list of women who may or may not appear in
Spider-Man 4 continues to grow. Now Nikki Finke over at
Deadline Hollywood reports through her sources (who, when it comes to Marvel, seem to be pretty reliable) that producers have "approached"
Anne Hathaway regarding a starring role in
Spider-Man 4. It doesn't say she's been offered the role, or that she's in negotiations to take on the role, only that she's been approached.
Finke also wasn't sure which role it would be, though all signs point to it being that of Black Cat -- who, in the past couple weeks -- has seen everyone from Julia Stiles to Rachel McAdams vying for a piece of that pus ... Spidey pie. Hathaway definitely showed off her acrobatic side in last summer's
Get Smart, and certainly has enough of that hottie-yet-down-to-earth sex appeal to draw Mr. Parker into a web of problematic romantic entanglements. Personally, I still like Stiles for the role, but that's me. The studio, however, probably figures they'll get more butts in the seats with Hathaway. So we'll see. Regardless, we're getting close to an official announcement. Who do you want?
Spider-Man 4 hits theaters on May 6, 2011.
Posted Nov 18th 2009 6:33PM by Peter Hall
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Universal
Carl Rinsch is a name perhaps best known to those in the advertisement world, but the commercial director has been poised to break into the feature film world for some time now. His name had been attached to direct Fox's reboot/prequel to Ridley Scott's
Alien, until it became apparent that Scott wanted to direct as well as produce. All is not lost, however, as now Rinsch has been tapped to turn Keanu Reeves into a Samurai in
47 Ronin.
The project is being set up at Universal with a script from
Chris Morgan, who has been earning the studio hand over fist lately with his scripts for the last two
Fast & Furious movies as well as
Wanted. Currently the
immortal Keanu Reeves is the only actor attached to the project, meaning he's most likely to command the presumably effects-heavy film, something Reeves hasn't really done since 2005's Constantine. It's unclear precisely who he'll be playing in the story, but
The Hollywood Reporter explains the script "centers on a group of 18th century samurai who set out to avenge the death of their master."
Aside from the above, details are rather vague, as always, in these early stages, but in my experience, samurai make everything better, so news on
47 Ronin is worth keeping an eye out for on their focal inclusion alone. Plus, it's nice to see Rinsch have a firm project to be attached to. You may not recognize his name, but you've probably seen a few of his commercials. His most visible job was probably creating the robotic Heineken keg commercial, but his most impressive is a brilliant Evolution of Technology spot. Check them both out below (plus another of his); and believe me, you'll want to see the Evolution of Tech one, it's a stunner.
Continue reading Carl Rinsch to Direct Keanu in the Samurai Film '47 Ronin'
Posted Nov 18th 2009 10:32AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Casting, RumorMonger, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek
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A whole bunch of casting rumors have arrived online this week, pushing some, like CHUD's ever-vocal Devin Faraci, to write
an editorial-ish piece on why we shouldn't really be paying too much attention to these rumors because, well, they're rumors. And while your parents may have told you that rumors come from a stork who brings them in its mouth and drops them off on your pillow, the reality of the situation is that rumors can start from just about anywhere -- whether it's something overheard by some blabbermouth low-level assistant at an agency or something that's completely fabricated for more internet traffic (I'm looking at you
The Sun and
The Daily Express!), these days it's really hard to tell. That being said, rumors can be fun because they foster discussion and get those inner studio exec wheels turning in our brains, so here are a few making the rounds right now.
Spider-Man 4
Who: Julia Stiles
Role: Unknown, though with recent information somewhat confirming that Black Cat will be a character, folks are assuming she tried out for that part.
Source:
UGO are the ones claiming Stiles met with a casting company in New York City to discuss joining the film in some capacity.
Our Thoughts: Stiles has been in a lot of films throughout her career, though she's dabbled in the big-budgeted before playing Jason Bourne's sidekick in all three
Bourne movies. Thus, she definitely brings enough bad-assery to play a Spidey villain, and also enough sincerity to play a Spidey ally. Good choice for Black Cat in my opinion.
Continue reading Casting Rumors: Julia Stiles in 'Spidey 4', Steve Carell in 'Young@Heart' and More!
Posted Nov 18th 2009 9:45AM by Jenni Miller
Filed under: Drama, Casting, Deals
Jennifer Hudson, the multitalented performer who was once a finalist on American Idol and is now a sought-after Oscar winner, will be starring in a biopic about Winnie Mandela, based on the book
Winnie Mandela: A Life. Mandela, the ex-wife of South African President Nelson Mandela, is a controversial figure; although she's a stalwart activist against apartheid, with some calling her the Mother of the Nation, she has also been embroiled in several scandals, both of the personal and political nature. Perhaps most controversial was her association with a former bodyguard who was
charged with the murder of a kidnapped 14-year-old. She was also charged with bank fraud in 2001; as the
New York Times wrote, "there is no doubt that the woman who was once celebrated as a heroine of the anti-apartheid struggle has become mired in a particularly sticky set of financial and political troubles."
According to
Variety, the movie will be directed by Darrell J. Roodt, a South African who directed
Cry, the Beloved Country, which stars James Earl Jones.
Hudson said, "I was compelled and moved when I read the script... Winnie Mandela is a complex and extraordinary woman and I'm honored to be the actress asked to portray her. This is a powerful part of history that should be told."
Continue reading Jennifer Hudson Takes on Winnie Mandela
Posted Nov 17th 2009 2:15PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Casting, RumorMonger, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek
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Obviously folks can't handle not knowing anything about the next Batman film because once some random person mentions anything having to do with the movie, the entire online blogging world jumps, squirms and runs out the door with a story. The latest, so you're all caught up to date, is that some anonymous source told the
Batman on Film fansite that Warner Bros. and
Christopher Nolan would be making a decision regarding Nolan's participation in the next film by January. Some claim he's already signed on to direct, but last we heard he wasn't. Regardless, Batman on Film does make a good point in saying that it's probably in Warners best interests to make an announcement prior to Nolan doing press for
Inception since he's bound to be inundated with Batman-related questions. Will it by January? Who knows. Either way you're most likely not going to see a new Batman movie in theaters before 2012, so take a chill pill and let's wait this thing out.
In other news, guess who's not going to be playing Black Cat in
Spider-Man 4? Yup, Rachel McAdams has officially denied claims that she's up for the role. She told
Entertainment Weekly, "That's a total rumor, I have to say. I was hanging out in Toronto the other day and someone came up to me and said, 'I just heard you're doing Spider-Man 4.' And I said, 'Really? No one told me!' It's not true." A rep for Sony Pictures concurs: "It's an Internet rumor, as so many things are these days."
Then again, even if she was circling the part, her lips would be sealed, so are we really any closer to finding out the real truth? Probably not. But at least you're clued in to the latest goings-on.
Posted Nov 17th 2009 9:45AM by William Goss
Filed under: Comedy, Romance, Casting, Deals, Universal, Scripts
There's something to be said for those plain old reliable comedies, those that don't bust guts or break records but are always good for a spin in their inevitable cable circulation, stuff along the lines of
Role Models,
I Love You, Man and
Just Friends. That last one has proven particularly endearing (to me anyway) due to the priceless pairing of Ryan Reynolds' perfect snark with Anna Faris' endearing ditziness (they also went at each other in
Waiting..., to much amusement).
It's that combination that gives me reason enough for me to care about
TMI, an all-too-honest rom-com reuniting these two. Hell, their teaming is itself enough for me to hope that they can do right by a screenplay written by the minds behind
Serendipity and
The Ugly Truth; after all, Faris did bring all the funny to co-writer Kirsten Smith's
The House Bunny.
Not sure how much else there is to say, really. It's like hearing that someone's about to get your sexy, funny peanut butter in your sexy, funny chocolate... all over again.
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