Eric Bana & Rebecca Hall Join Suspense Thriller
Friday February 3, 2012
For director John Crowley
It's always surprising how many films head for production without a title - or at least they probably had a title at one point, but not one everyone can agree on, and so they put the decision off until a later date. One such nameless flick in John Crowley's planned suspense thriller.
THR reports that the movie's now signed Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall to star in the film, which starts shooting in April. They'll play ex-lovers who must work together on the defense team during a terrorist trial.
Crowley is best known for directing Boy A (the movie that launched Andrew Garfield's career), and is directing this new project based on a script by Oscar nominee Steven Knight (Eastern Promises).
Edgerton & Chastain Up For Double Feature
Friday February 3, 2012
They'll appear in The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby
It's always good to see Hollywood trying something a little bit different, and The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby is certainly that, as it's a double-feature, with two movies telling the same story but from different perspective. There'll be a 'His' and a 'Hers' version, with Deadline reporting that Jessica Chastain and Joel Edgerton will be the man and woman in question.
The love story explores a New York City couple’s relationship during a difficult time in their marriage, from the different perspective of the husband, a restaurant owner, and of the wife, who goes back to college. William Hurt is also in discussions to join the cast.
Ned Benson (In Defiance of Gravity) wrote the scripts and will also direct both films. Interestingly they're moving ahead even though distibution plans are yet to be made, and they're uncertain if the films will be released separately or as one big back-to-back double feature. the plan is to make each film work on its own, but for each to compliment the other.
Insidious Sequel Planned
Friday February 3, 2012
James Wan and Leigh Whannell in talks to return
As Insidious grossed over $150 million around the world despite costing only $1.5 million to make, it's little surprise Alliance Films wants to make a sequel. THR reports that plans are now moving forward, with writer-director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell both in talks to return.
Jason Blum will also return as producer, as will Insidious executive producers Oren Peli, Steven Schneider, and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones. No plot details are know for the sequel, and it isn't certain if Insidious stars Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne are reprising their roles (they'll probably want a big salary bump if they do). The first film revolved around a young boy, who has become possessed by an evil spirit.
The producers hope to start production later this year, with a 2013 release being targeted.
Catherine Keener Up For Captain Phillips
Friday February 3, 2012
She'll star opposite Tom Hanks in Paul Greengrass' film
Catherine Keener is always a good addition to a cast, and Paul Greengrass knows that, as he's just signed her up for his upcoming movie, Captain Phillips. Keener joins Tom Hanks, who's been attached to the movie for several months.
The project is based on the true story of Maresk Alabama captain Richard Phillips (Hanks), who sacrificed himself to be taken hostage by Somali pirates, so he could save the lives of his crew. He spent three days in captivity before being rescued by a Navy SEAL team in 2009.
Keener will play Phillips' wife, Andrea Phillips, who never lost faith that her husband would survive the arduous ordeal.
Paul Greengrass is directing Captain Phillips from a screenplay by Billy Ray, which is adapted from Richard Phillips' own book, A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea. It's not certain when the movie will shoot, but it'll probably be fairly soon, as a US release date of March 22nd, 2013 has already been set. (Source: Variety)
Sharon Stone Signs on for Attachment
Friday February 3, 2012
Going into Basic Instinct territory with Tony Kaye
Since her brief flush of 90s fame, Sharon Stone only seems to pop up in movies periodically, but now THR reports she's booked a new role in Tony Kaye's upcoming movie, Attachment, which will see her return to vaguely Basic Instinct territory.
Stone will play a married teacher who has a one-night stand with a student. Her infidelity comes back to haunt her when the young man starts dating the teacher's daughter, and stalks the whole family.
Tony Kaye, who's only recently returned to filmmaking following a long post-American History X absence, will direct Attachment from a screenplay by Christopher Denham, with the shoot slated to begin this April.
Octavia Spencer On For Snow Piercer
Friday February 3, 2012
She's signed up for Joon-ho Bong's train-bound flick
For years Octavia Spencer was stealing scenes but never getting particularly good roles. Thanks to The Help she's now in demand and the favourite for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Now THR reports that she's joined the cast of Korean director Joon-ho Bong's Snow Piercer.
The intriguing story is set in an alternate future, where a failed experiment to stop global warming results in a new Ice Age. The frigid climate has killed off all life on Earth, except for the passengers aboard a train dubbed Snow Piercer. A class system develops among the passengers on this train, which ignites a revolt. Octavia Spencer will portray a passenger who joins the uprising in order to save her son. Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, John Hurt, and Kang-ho Song also star.
Joon-ho Bong is set to make his English-language debut with Snow Piercer, having found success with his excellent Korean movies, The Host and Mother. Chan-wook Park and Dooho Choi will produce. Production is set to begin in March.
Shiloh Fernandez Takes Evil Dead Lead
Friday February 3, 2012
He'll be opening the book of the dead
The long-gestating remake of The Evil Dead has moved a step closer to realiy as Variety reports that Shiloh Fernandez (Red Riding Hood) has landed the male lead in the movie for director Federico Alvarez.
The film centres on a group of friends who head to a remote cabin for the weekend, where they unwittingly unleash a demonic force after reading from The Book of the Dead. It is said that the role Fernandez won was highly sought after by young actors, although it isn't certain who else was in contention for the part.
Lily Collins was attached as the female lead in The Evil Dead, but last month the actress was forced to drop out, due to scheduling conflicts. As of now, Shiloh Fernandez is the only confirmed cast member in this The Evil Dead remake.
Federico Alvarez is directing The Evil Dead from a script he co-wrote with Rodolfo Sayagues, which was rewritten by Diablo Cody. Production is scheduled to start next month in New Zealand.
John Hawkes To Star In Jackie Brown Prequel
Thursday February 2, 2012
He signs up for Switch alongside Mos Def
Anyone want a prequel to Jackie Brown, but without the involvement of Quentin Tarantino? Well, we're getting one as Variety reports that actors John Hawkes and Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) have signed on to star in Switch, a prequel to the Elmore Leonard book.
Robert De Niro played ex-con Louis Gara in Jackie Brown, with Samuel L. Jackson as low-rent arms dealer Ordell Robbie. Switch is set 15 years before the events of Jackie Brown, with Louis Gara (Hawkes) and Ordell Robbie (Bey) pairing up to kidnap Mickey Dawson, the wife of a Detroit real estate tycoon. Things don't go according to plan, as the husband refuses to pay up and so the wife ends up using the criminals to get revenge.
Daniel Schechter is set to direct from his own screenplay. Schechter made the risky move of adapting the novel on spec, without acquiring the rights to Elmore Leonard's book beforehand. However, after sending his finished script to the author, Leonard granted the director rights to his novel, and will produce the adaptation. Production is scheduled to begin in May.
Emma Watson May Star In Your Voice in My Head
Thursday February 2, 2012
The film could reunite her with director David Yates
There's been a lot of interest in what the stars of the Harry Potter series would get up to now the movies have come to an end, and there's also been plenty of people wondering what director David Yates' next movie would be.
Now Deadline reports that Emma Watson and David Yates are in final negotiations to reunite for the Emma Forrest biopic, Your Voice in My Head. Emma Watson will play a young woman whose eccentricities and emotions get to the point where she attempts suicide, before being saved by a New York-based psychiatrist who's dying of cancer. The studio has yet to find someone for the male lead, but the they're said to be aiming high and thinking of the likes of Tom Hanks or George Clooney.
Yates previously said about the movie, "It's about a young woman who self harms and she visits this psychiatrist who helps her to learn to live again. It's got very heightened, odd moments in it that are slightly trippy."
It's a long way from Harry Potter for both Watson and Yates, but would allow both to show there's more to them than the fantasy franchise. There's no news on when the film may shoot, or if Yates is going to make this before some of the other projects he's been developing, such as the Al Capone movie Cicero.
Colin Firth Joins Atom Egoyan's Devil's Knot
Thursday February 2, 2012
Playing a private eye in the West Memphis 3 case
Almost the moment the West Memphis 3 were released from prison, it was revealed Atom Egoyan was working on a movie about the case, which many believe was a major miscarriage of justice. Now Deadline reports that Colin Firth has joined Reese Witherspoon in the movie, which is titled Devil's Knot.
The actor will play Ron Lax, a private investigator who was the first pro bono supporter of the defendants when they headed to trial in 1993. Lax built one of the most prominent private investigative firms in the Southeast, and offered his services for free to the defendants, who at the time were reviled because many truly believed they had killed small children, amid sensationalised reports about devil worship and ritualistic sacrifice.
Against that backdrop, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley were convicted, despite there not being a shred of physical evidence against them, and the fact the reports of devil worship were completely unfounded. Lax helped find the DNA in the knots that bound one of the victims, which cast suspicion on Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of Steven Branch, one of the 8-year old murder victims.
Reese Witherspoon will play Pam Hobbs, the mother of Branch. She initially believed the trio murdered her son, but was eventually persuaded that the three suspects were innocent and wrongly accused.
The script is based on investigative reporter Mara Leveritt's 2003 book Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three. The book is an in-depth chronicle of the trials that sent the three to prison for the murder of the three boys who were found hog-tied in a drainage ditch. The project is set to start filming this summer in Louisiana.