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.
