Sam Raimi Fighting with Disney to Cast Hilary Swank in OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL
by Adam Chitwood Posted: April 22nd, 2011
While he’s working on filling out the rest of his cast for Oz, the Great and Powerful, director Sam Raimi is having a little trouble getting Disney on the same page. James Franco is currently set to star as the Wizard in this prequel to 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, with Mila Kunis attached to play Theodora (the Wicked Witch of the West). Raimi wants Hilary Swank to join the cast as one of the elder witches in the film, but apparently Disney is none too keen on that casting choice. Vulture reports that the Mouse House is pushing Raimi to cast Michelle Williams in the role instead, but Raimi doesn’t seem eager to budge.
The report points out that the director ran into a similar problem on the first Spider-Man flick, when Sony wanted him to cast American Beauty star Wes Bentley as Peter Parker. Obviously Raimi won out on that film, but can he convince Disney otherwise this time? Hit the jump for more.
Awesome New Teaser Posters for 30 MINUTES OR LESS
by Adam Chitwood Posted: April 22nd, 2011
A couple of new teaser posters for Ruben Fleischer’s (Zombieland) heist comedy 30 Minutes or Less have been released and they’re absolutely fantastic. The red-band trailer for the film was released yesterday, and these posters echo the smart comedic draw that the trailer teased (ie. Wit in lieu of fatty-fall-down jokes). I really love how the posters hide the faces of the characters, but show just enough to get their personalities across.
The film stars Jesse Eisenberg as a hapless pizza delivery guy who is kidnapped by two wanna-be criminal masterminds (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson) and forced to rob a bank. Aziz Ansari and Michael Peña also star. 30 Minutes or Less opens on August 12th. Hit the jump to check out the posters.
END OF WATCH Photos Show Bald Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña as Cops
by Brendan Bettinger Posted: April 23rd, 2011
Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña have signed on to star as seasoned police partners in End of Watch, described as a “gritty cop drama.” I’m not entirely sure when writer/director David Ayer (Street Kings) will shoot the movie: Gyllenhaal told Access Hollywood he’s “about to start” work; Movie Insider lists Los Angeles as a location scheduled for July 6. But we have an early look at Peña and a very bald Gyllenhaal in uniform for a promotional photo shoot for End of Watch. Hit the jump to see the images.
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http://collider.com/end-of-watch-movie-images/87310/Kirsten Dunst and Sofia Coppola Reunite for SECRET DOOR
by Brendan Bettinger Posted: April 24th, 2011
Director Sofia Coppola is about to start work on her fifth feature film, titled Secret Door, which will establish a neat pattern: every other film stars Kirsten Dunst. Dunst starred in Coppola’s debut The Virgin Suicides and movie three Marie Antoinette — American Zoetrope, the production company run by father Francis Ford Coppola, announced on Twitter [via The Playlist] that Dunst will join Secret Door:
Happy to announce that Kirsten Dunst has agreed to be in Sofia Coppola’s new film ‘Secret Door’. Script is still being finished. Stay tuned!
I enjoy all of Coppola’s previous films, though I think you could develop a Star Trek-style theory that the even ones are better, primarily because of the overwhelming quality of Bill Murray in Lost in Translation, secondarily because last year’s Somewhere > Marie Antoinette. That silly combinatorics won’t keep me from being excited for Secret Door. Hopefully, “Stay tuned!” means Zoetrope will reveal more on story or casting later in the week when Hollywood returns from Easter weekend.
Dunst will next be seen in Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia, which premieres at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Recently, Dunst was part of the ensemble that adapted On the Road, and starred opposite Jim Sturgess in the romance Upside Down.
