by Adam Chitwood Posted: May 23rd, 2011 at 3:26 pm
Because it’s been almost 15 years since Baz Lurhmann’s Romeo + Juliet, and Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes are all old now, it’s apparently time to make a new version of William Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy. Hailee Steinfeld is set to star as Juliet in the adaptation, set to be directed by Italian filmmaker Carlo Carlie (Flight of the Innocent). Now, Variety reports that Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick is in final negotiations to star as Tybalt in the indie. Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) wrote the screenplay and Holly Hunter recently joined the cast as The Nurse. The role of Romeo has yet to be cast. Production is set to begin this summer in Italy.
http://collider.com/ed-westwick-romeo-and-juliet/92444/
Sony Picks up Re-Imagining of THE LITTLE MERMAID for COUNTRY STRONG Filmmaker Shana Feste
by Matt Goldberg Posted: May 23rd, 2011 at 2:03 pm
Would you like to see another fairy tale re-imagining? Your answer is moot because you’re getting more re-imaginings whether you want them or not. Heat Vision reports that that Sony has picked up a re-imagining of Hans Christen Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, Carolyn Turgeon’s novel Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale (although “A Twist on a Classic Tale” could be applied to every single re-imagining that’s out there). Filmmaker Shana Feste (Country Strong) will adapt the story, which “centers on a princess who, in order to save her ravaged kingdom, sets out on a dangerous journey to marry the prince of her rival kingdom, not knowing that a beautiful mermaid has fallen for the same man and has sacrificed everything to be with him.” Aaaaawkwaaaard…
While the film is being billed as a “dark re-imagining” of Andersen’s tale, the original Little Mermaid was already incredibly dark. In the original tale, the mermaid sacrifices everything to be with the prince, he marries someone else anyway, and she kills herself. If she had a singing Caribbean crab as her friend, maybe that wouldn’t have happened. Hit the jump for the synopsis of Turgeon’s novel.
http://collider.com/little-mermaid-shana-feste/92431/
First Trailer for Showtime’s New Drama Series HOMELAND Starring Claire Danes
by Ethan Anderton Posted: May 23rd, 2011 at 12:20 pm
Last night The Borgias finished off their first season (and just got picked up for a second season as well), and viewers who tuned in also got a sneak peek at Showtime’s new thriller Homeland. Starring Clarie Danes, Damian Lewis and Mandy Patinkin, the series follows a taut psychological thriller about a volatile CIA officer (Danes) who becomes convinced that a recently rescued American POW (Lewis) may be connected to an al Qaeda plot to be carried out on U.S. soil. I’m not convinced it looks quite as thrilling as a series like 24, but it looks like it has potential even without Kiefer Sutherland ripping throats. See for yourself by checking out the trailer after the jump. http://collider.com/homeland-trailer-claire-danes/92419/
Trailer for TAKE SHELTER Starring Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain
by Matt Goldberg Posted: May 23rd, 2011 at 11:53 am
The trailer for Jeff Nichols’ intense psychological drama Take Shelter has gone online. I caught the film at Sundance and while I thought it could stand to lose a good twenty minutes to keep up the pacing and maintain the dread it creates in the first act, but the core of the story is fantastic and the performances are solid. The trailer tries to play up the psychological aspect of the story and that’s kind of necessary because after the recent spate of devastating tornados, most folks aren’t going to think that building a storm shelter is a crazy idea.
Hit the jump to check out the trailer. The film stars Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham, Katy Mixon, and Kathy Baker. Take Shelter opens October 7th. http://collider.com/take-shelter-trailer/92396/
First Trailer for THE MUPPETS plus Poster for Fake Movie GREEN WITH ENVY
by Collider Staff Posted: May 23rd, 2011 at 11:37 am
The first trailer for The Muppets has gone online. It takes a little while to get to the actual Muppets, but stick through the trailer for the first 50 seconds and you’ll get there. This is really more of an announcement trailer, and I’m not sure what will set this Muppets movie apart, but creating a trailer that basically goes “Surprise! Muppets!” isn’t a bad way to start. I’m slightly confused by the set-up of a fake Jason Segel/Amy Adams romance flick called Green with Envy, but I’ll go with it for now.
Hit the jump to check out the trailer for The Muppets and the poster for Green with Envy. The Muppets also stars Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, and a slew of celebrity cameos. The film opens November 23rd. http://collider.com/the-muppets-movie-trailer/89827/
Benedict Cumberbatch Joins THE HOBBIT
by Matt Goldberg Posted: May 23rd, 2011 at 9:45 am
If you watched the first season of BBC’s Sherlock, then you know that star Benedict Cumberbatch was a terrific modern interpretation of Sherlock Holmes that didn’t simply copy TV’s other modern-day Holmes, Hugh Laurie’s Dr. Gregory House. Now he’s set to join his Sherlock Holmes co-star Martin Freeman in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit. Freeman accidentally let the news slip to BBC Entertainment Reporter Lizo Mzimba [via TheOneRing], but I fully support any additional attention to Cumberbatch. He’s definitely an actor worth taking note of and audiences will get to see more of him later this year not only in the second season of Sherlock, but also in Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Steven Spielberg’s War Horse.
The Hobbit is set to arrive in 3D in two parts. Part 1 is slated to open December 2012 with Part 2 set to hit theaters in December 2013. Hit the jump for a synopsis of the novel.
Rumor: Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro to Reunite for THE COMEDIAN?
by Matt Goldberg Posted: May 23rd, 2011 at 7:12 am
Let’s keep this one in the rumor mill for now, but it’s possible that Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro could reunite for The Comedian. Showbiz411 reports that producer Art Linson co-wrote a script with comedian Jeffrey Ross about an insult comic who’s described as a cross between Don Rickles and Joan River. According to Showbiz411, Linson would like Scorsese to direct. I bet he would. I bet producers the world over would like Scorsese to direct their movie as well. If the project were to move forward (and that’s a big “If”), it would draw an obvious comparison to Scorsese and De Niro’s 1982 film The King of Comedy, even though the characters sound very different.
The reason this all sounds slightly dubious (or at least incredibly hopeful on the part of Linson) is that Scorsese has a wealth of other projects he could choose. Hit the jump for a refresher of what Scorsese is circling as his follow up to this year’s Hugo Cabret, which is the director’s first family film and his first 3D film. http://collider.com/martin-scorsese-robert-de-niro-the-comedian/92309/
