This is it, the last piece of film news for 2010, altough we're publishing in 2011 (I hope everyone had a good night last night). Not much new going on, one resurrected project and a couple of casting rumours. I'll be posting later today about the schedule for January's events so keep your eye out for further info.
Pinkville
Oliver Stone's long planned movie about the My Lai massacre, for those of you who don't know this was the US's most disgraceful incident of the Vietnam conflict where anything up to 500 people were murdered by members of the 23rd Infantry Division. The film, which is said to focus on the cover up and subsequent investigation, was abandoned during the writers strike of 2007. Over the last week reports that Stone will be returning to Pinkville and will cast Shia LaBeouf in an as yet unnamed role have been proliferating.
I think this is a chapter in 20th century history that must be told, and oddly the firebrand Stone may just be the right director to make it.
Casting News
Onto less serious stuff Dame Judi Dench is in talks to join the cast of Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar and Javier Bardem has joined the long list of potential stars for The Dark Tower adaptation.
Saturday, 1 January 2011
A horrific chapter (Film News - 01/01/11)
Monday, 27 December 2010
Pink Elephants on Parade (Film News - 25/12/10)
So, that title could be in relation to the Christmas period and the inevitable slide into alcoholic stupour that often accompanies it. I know I may have had one or two too many over the last few days, and I very much hope all of you did also. Alternatively it could be related to this weeks top story. By the way news is pretty thin on the ground at the moment, oddly enough Hollywood gets a few days off the party too, so there isn't much to write about. There are some schedule changes mind, and I done a look at production news so the week isn't completely wasted.
Our Wild Life
The only new project I've heard about in the last 7 days is this conservation related piece that may be enticing Philip Noyce away from the Salt sequel. It's a biopic about Dame Daphne Sheldrick who campaigned her entire life for the protection and conservation of African elephants, including perfecting the formula and husbandry for raising milk dependent baby elephants and rhinos, indeed it's difficult to understate her impact on these endagered species.
Here is Daphne, more can be found on her work at http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/index.asp
The film itself has had a somewhat rocky road to here (and it's surprising I didn't know about it), first Nick Cassavetes was attached to direct, but following his script revision he was promptly fired by New Line who then approached Walter Salles. Since then Salles (who had interested Julia Roberts in the role) has bailed leaving Noyce to potentially pick up the pieces. No news yet on casting but apparently Kate Winslet is ineterested. More on this as soon as I know.
Read on for wandering cowboys, unsung pop stars and another wild creature.
The Dark Tower
The enigmatic lead of Stephen King's most complex piece, Deschain, is currently being cast for the upcoming Ron Howard/Akiva Goldsmith film and TV adaptation. It's a part that will require an extreme amount of charisma through very little wordplay or even action, as the man is more of a cypher than an actual fully realised being. Potential names being bandied about include Viggo Mortensen (the fan favourite but probably too old for the role), Jon Hamm (more likely), Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman. Whoever they choose I wish the actor who takes on the task all the luck in the world with this potential poisoned chalice.
Release Schedules
A few changes for the next couple of months:
It's a Kind of Funny Story - I'd already let the cat out of the bag for the shift of this nuthouse set comedy - a teen Cuckoo's Nest, if you will - when the trailer was slipped in a couple of Tuesday's ago. Check yourself in for a bounce against the walls on 07 January 2011.
True Grit - It's had an exception first weekend in the States and looks set to become the highest grossing Western since Unforgiven yet it's dropped back a month to get away from other calibre competition over here. Persue your father's killer on 11 February 2011.
Melancholia - I needed a summer picture, there's very little on the blockbuster front really doing it for me next year, thank heaven for Lars von Trier and his little end of the world movie without a happy ending. Don't expect "them" to save you on 01 July 2011.
One Day - Lone Shefig's follow up to An Education, based on the novel by David Nicholls, is another ill advised romance this time with two university students who sort of fall in love over a period of twenty years. Find your soul mate on 30 September 2011.
Moneyball - The troubled baseball picture (check back over it's last minute collapse and rehabilitation) is set to bring the game back to the forefront of cinematic sports, shame it's about the manager using a PC. Use a computer to pick the best seats on 04 November 2011.
It's not all good news, though. Gus van Sant's Restless has been postponed but without a new release date (or at least without one this side of the Atlantic) and Joel Schumacher's Twelve has gone directly to DVD, which could actually turn out to be a blessed relief to cinemagoers.
Production News
Remember I do this so you don't have to is the motto for this section of the News, once a month (although it's usually rarer than that) I trawl through imdb looking at the stories that piqued my interest to see if they've gone into production and if so update here. Occasionally I come across something else you might like this way, but first the updates:
Clint Eastwood's FBI supremo biopic is back on with Leonardo DiCaprio set to star as the eponymous J. Edgar, talking of resurrected projects the release of MGM from bankrupt status means Bond 23 is back on the cards. Kathryn Bigelow's Triple Frontier about the drugs trade is underway although I expect the 2011 date may be rather optimistic. Tim Burton is prepping for a Dark Shadows shoot in the new year, Steven Soderbergh is showing confidence that Michael Douglas will beat the cancer as the Liberace movie is a close as it's ever been, Andrew Dominik's Cogan's Trade has bumped up his schedule - expect to see his Marilyn Monroe movie to vanish altogether. Revenge dramas The Jesuit, Savages, Creed of Violence and Forgiveness of Blood all look to be coming over the next couple of years, all of which you can look up more details using the post labels below, except for Forgiveness which is Joshua Marston's Albanian picture. Finally expect a Trap for Cinderella, the young adult picture from Iain Softley, in 2012.
Two new film titles also managed to grab my attention:
Zebras
Not a continuation of the earlier conservation in the serengeti theme we touched upon with Our Wild Life this is inspired by The World Cup and concerns a South African football team taht come out of nowhere to become big league players. Bizarrely Ryan Kwanten of "True Blood" fame is rumoured to take the lead.
Blondie: The Florence Ballard Story
If ever I discussed afilm that was likely to end up as a TV movie it was this, even the title screams Tuesday afternoon. It will focus on Florence Ballard (no s**t) and her brief career with soul sensations The Supremes before her ill-timed exit from the group. Can anyone tell me if Florence (below) is the inspiration for Effie White?
Saturday, 1 May 2010
Film News (01/05/2010)
Can you believe it's May already?
I can't - this years going awfully quickly. In this weeks news we've got two stories that relate to Brad Pitt, two that relate to Ron Howard and one that may relate to two films. But none of these are really enough to make me salivate in longing for these films. Saying that there are some new productions kicking off that I didn't pick up on - many of which may just be the ticket.
The Hatfields and The McCoys
First Brad rumour of the week is his potential return to the Western with this adaptation of the infamous family feuds in Kentucky/West Virginia following the close of the American Civil War. The feud, which lasted some 30 years, led to many deaths in both families and an unlikely romance in the younger generation and the whole story takes in desertion, corruption, boot-legging and pigs. If this sounds more like a TV soap, you're right, as it was first translated to the small screen in the mid 1970's. Although the feuding families concept has been a backdrop in many classic Westerns, including The Big Country.
Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart) is set to direct with Robert Duvall confirmed in a supporting role.
The Hatfield's pose for thefamily protrait.
Read on for tattoo's, Aliens, cheating spouses and the beam...
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Sticking with Mr. Pitt he's also been linked this week with David Fincher's remake of the Swedish hit drama, along with Carey Mulligan. I'll be honest I have nothing against Carey's casting - alhough you would be forgiven for thinking she's just a little too well known - but Brad is just wrong for the rol of the middle-aged journo played by Michael Nyqvist in the original. The part is meant to be a pretty ordinary guy just investigating a murder, he's no-one that you'd take a second look at if you saw him in the street. With Brad playing this role you would be totally unsurprised that all of the women in the film are throwing themselves at him.
Alien Prequel
On the press junkets for Robin Hood Ridley Scott been letting out snippets about his next project - the prequel to the Alien movies. Surprising no-one he's told us that it'll be in 3D (yawn!) and that it will focus on the space jockey glimpsed in the first film. There may also be some references to the company, and how it knows about the Alien before the Nostromo picks it up. What is interesting is that Scott plans to make two prequels, although right now he's focussing on the first.
Cheaters
Formerly Your Cheating Heart, the Vince Vaughn/Ron Hward collaboration has just picked up Jennifer Connelly to play Vince Vaughns wife. With both of them obsessing over whether to tell Kevin James his wife is cheating. In the right hands this could be really funny (imagine classic Woody Allen) but somehow I've got the feeling this will just about be average.
The Dark Tower
There have been rumours for years that Stephen King's masterpiece will make to a screen foramt, although these rumours usually begin and end with a TV miniseries. It is, after all, a dense piece of work; lasting 7 novels and poking it's head into almost all of King's works that involve a supernatural presence. The latest story is the rights have been picked up by Brian Grazer with a view for a Ron Howard directed, Akiva Goldsmith penned big screen version of the first novel (The Gunslinger) and then a TV follow up to bring together the rest of the elements. This may be a good idea for marketing reasons. The Gunslinger is a significantly easier option to start with, largely avoiding the metaphysical detours the later novels enjoy, and if done well it will create a fanbase who will turn to the TV for the next installment.
Ron's also had some success with adapting King's The Green Mile (no mean feat based on the appalling films that have characterised his novels), and that too was originally a number of books strung together. We'll have to wait and see hos this pans out.
Production News
I've been trawling through imdb again looking for new films that have appeared in pre-production to see if I've got a vague interest in them. Many of these I've already mentioned in the news stories, but there's a few that have completely missed me.
The titles that have been covered include the Steven Soderbergh quickie, filmed in Australia whilst rehearsing for a play with Cate Blanchett. It's been called The Last Time I saw Michael Gregg and oddly is creditted as being in Japanese. Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn is up there wih it's new director Bill Condon. Sarah Polley's cheating drama Take this Waltz is back on tracks, as is the Abigail Breslin vehicle Dear Eleanor, which was thought to have disappeared, as was Sam Raimi's Warcraft. Footloose and The Girl with the Red Riding Hood were both mentioned in the last couple of news posts. Scream 4 looks like it's definitely coming - we've had some plot details leaked this week too. And finally casting has begun on the big screen version fo Jack Karouac's On the Road - it's a tricky property to adapt but it'll certainly be worth seeing.
But what else (sounding better as they go along):
Conduct Unbecoming - Not many details around, but I'm hoping it's a remake of the 1975 British Army in India film about an Officer who assaults the widow of a fallen colleague, and the resultant trial.
Little Red Wagon - David Anspaugh adds another project to his slate with this story of a young boy becoming an advocate for the homeless. Anyone know what's happened to Chris Brown vehicle Phenom or the basketball tragedy 4Chosen also on his list of things to do?
Games they Play - Sounding just a little like a more violent retread of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe this two hander follows a romantic(?) dinner between a wife who enjoys emotional torment and a husband who has decided murder is the best way to end it.
The Danish Girl - OK, so the Nicole Kidman starrer about the worlds first transgender operation, performed inside a loving stable heterosexual relationship, has been kicking about for a while. But it is pickingup steam so I thought I ought to mention it.
The Eye of the Storm - if you think there simply aren't enough films about the moral dilemmas in the right to die discussions then this Australian drama with Judy Davis, Geoffrey Rush and Charlotte Rampling is definitely going to be worth watching. Hit and miss director Fred Schepisi takes the helm.
