***Halle Berry Says the Wachowskis’ Adaptation of CLOUD ATLAS Will Shoot Next Summer ***Carey Mulligan and James Badge Dale Possibly Co-Starring with Michael Fassbender in SHAME ***James Franco and Anne Hathaway to Host the Oscars

Halle Berry Says the Wachowskis’ Adaptation of CLOUD ATLAS Will Shoot Next Summer

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 29th, 2010

Back in September, we reported that the Wachowski Siblings were working on a mysterious project called Cobalt Neural but were also eyeing the director’s chair for an adaptation of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas with Tom Hanks, Natalie Portman, and Halle Berry attached to star.  At a Q&A following a screening of Berry’s new film Frankie & Alice for the 42nd NAACP Image Awards, the actress said that she’s planning to shoot Cloud Atlas in the summer.  Hit the jump for Berry’s quote and more on Cloud Atlas.

Here’s what Berry said regarding Cloud Atlas [via The Playlist]:

“I’m going to do a movie probably in the summer with the Wachowskis…..A really interesting movie [that is] sort of [like] what they did for ‘The Matrix,’ they have another really amazing idea that’s sort of gonna stretch our brains even further. And so I’m really excited about that and that’s probably gonna be in the summer. And that’s with Tom Hanks and Natalie Portman.”

As we previously reported, Tom Twyker (Run Lola Run) is handling the script and the Wachowskis are producing and possibly directing a few of the novel’s six interlocking story-lines.  Here’s the synopsis for Mitchell’s novel:

A reluctant voyager crossing the Pacific in 1850; a disinherited composer blagging a precarious livelihood in between-the-wars Belgium; a high-minded journalist in Governor Reagan’s California; a vanity publisher fleeing his gangland creditors; a genetically modified “dinery server” on death-row; and Zachry, a young Pacific Islander witnessing the nightfall of science and civilisation — the narrators of Cloud Atlas hear each other’s echoes down the corridor of history, and their destinies are changed in ways great and small.
In his captivating third novel, David Mitchell erases the boundaries of language, genre and time to offer a meditation on humanity’s dangerous will to power, and where it may lead us.

Ian McKellen and James McAvoy have also been mentioned in connection to the adaptation, but as far as we know, neither is attached at this point.
http://www.collider.com/2010/11/29/cloud-atlas-halle-berry-the-wachowski-siblings/

Carey Mulligan and James Badge Dale Possibly Co-Starring with Michael Fassbender in SHAME

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 29th, 2010

Shame, Steve McQueen’s follow-up to Hunger, has picked up two more talented actors.  According to The Irish Film & Television Network [via The Playlist], Carey Mulligan and James Badge Dale (Rubicon) have joined Michael Fassbender in the drama, which centers on Brandon (Fassbender), a Manhattan office worker with a sex addiction.  The Playlist reports that a look at the script leads them to believe that Mulligan is likely to play Sissy, Brandon’s sister, although she might be playing Marianne, a co-worker of Brandon’s that he begins a relationship with.  Dale is likely to be playing Brandon’s boss, David.
IFTN also reports that McQueen will be re-teaming with his Hunger cinematographer Sean Bobbit.  Shame is schedule to shoot for six weeks in New York with a release in the UK scheduled for late 2011.  Mulligan is currently wrapping work on Nicholas Winding Refn’s Drive and will presumably shoot Shame before moving on to play Daisy in Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby.  She’s also attached to star in Violet & Daisy and Park Chan-Wook’s Stoker.
http://www.collider.com/2010/11/29/shame-carey-mulligan-james-badge-dale/

James Franco and Anne Hathaway to Host the Oscars

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 29th, 2010

Last year, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin took the stage at the Academy Awards and did a great job hosting.  Now there’s a rumor that the Academy may be going for co-hosting again but with James Franco and Anne Hathaway.  Deadline is reporting that the pair has accepted the gig and an official announcement could be made this week.  However, I’m in agreement with Awards Daily that this rumor is bunk.  While Franco and Hathaway are charming, it’s tough to see them as a draw for expanding the show’s dwindling audience.  However, it would be interesting to see the Oscars hire a host who is likely to receive an Oscar nomination (Franco for 127 Hours).  While I think Franco and Hathaway could do a great job, I’m remaining skeptical.  Click here to see Hugh Jackman’s wonderful opening number with Hathaway from two years ago.
Update: So much for my skepticism.  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that James Franco and Anne Hathaway will host the 83rd Academy Awards.  Best of luck to them both.  Hit the jump for the press release.
Here’s the press release:

JAMES FRANCO AND ANNE HATHAWAY To Host Oscars^® Show

James Franco and Anne Hathaway will serve as co-hosts of the 83rd Academy Awards^®, Oscars telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer announced today. Both have previously appeared on the telecast but not in hosting capacities.

“James Franco and Anne Hathaway personify the next generation of Hollywood icons — fresh, exciting and multi-talented. We hope to create an Oscars broadcast that will both showcase their incredible talents and entertain the world on February 27,” said Cohen and Mischer. “We are completely thrilled that James and Anne will be joining forces with our brilliant creative team to do just that.”

Franco, who currently can be seen in “127 Hours,” will be making his second appearance on an Oscars telecast. His other film credits include “Eat, Pray, Love” “Date Night,” “Milk” and “Pineapple Express.” He is also known for his portrayal of Harry Osborn in the “Spider-Man” trilogy.

Hathaway will be making her fifth appearance on an Academy Awards telecast. She was recently seen in “Alice in Wonderland” and currently can be seen in “Love and Other Drugs.” Her other film credits include “Bride Wars,” “Becoming Jane,” “The Devil Wears Prada” and “The Princess Diaries.” Hathaway was nominated for an Oscar in 2008 for her lead performance in “Rachel Getting Married.”

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live as
“The 83rd Annual Academy Awards” on the ABC Television Network. The Oscars presentation will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

http://www.collider.com/2010/11/29/james-franco-and-anne-hathaway-hosting-oscars/