***Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds On Set Interview THE CHANGE-UP ***Collider Goes to the Set of THE CHANGE-UP ***Men in Black III Long Island Set Photos ***Hugo Weaving To Play Six Different Characters In The Wachowskis' Cloud Atlas ***Set Visit Report: Ryan Reynolds And Jason Bateman Get Raunchy In The Change-Up ***Angelina Jolie Says She Doesn't Want To Portray Cleopatra As A Sex Symbol

Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds On Set Interview THE CHANGE-UP

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 31st, 2011

This year, we’re getting two Jason Bateman movies and two Ryan Reynolds movies, and that is reason to celebrate.  Both actors have superb comic timing, and can carry a movie on their own.  The thought of them playing off each other is exciting, but their chemistry in The Change-Up becomes even more of a thrill when you realize that they’ll be playing against type.  While the beginning of the movie might have shades of Michael Bluth and Van Wilder sharing the screen (as if anyone would hate that), their characters Dave and Mitch switch bodies after peeing in a fountain and suddenly Bateman gets to go broad and Reynolds does more of a sardonic tone.  This may throw some audiences for a loop but fans of Reynolds and Bateman already know that both actors can excel at these kind of roles and the real hook is watching them share the screen.

On my visit to the set of The Change-Up, I spoke with the actors about filming in Atlanta, how they’re playing their roles, alternate takes, the hilarity of child endangerment, and much more.  Read this interview and you’ll instantly get a sense of how well Bateman and Reynolds play off each other.  The Change-Up opens August 5th. http://collider.com/jason-bateman-ryan-reynolds-interview-the-change-up/93542/

Collider Goes to the Set of THE CHANGE-UP

by Matt Goldberg   Posted: May 31st, 2011

Several years ago, Georgia passed legislation promoting generous tax incentives to studios and producers, and as a result the filmmaking industry in the state has been booming.  Films shot here include Zombieland, The Crazies, Fast Five, Hall Pass, and the upcoming R-rated comedy The Change-Up.  This past January, I traveled to Powder Springs, GA with some fellow movie bloggers to visit the set of the film.  While director David Dobkin made a slight detour in 2007 with the family film Fred Claus, what I saw on the set convinced me that The Change-Up is going to be the worthy successor to Dobkin’s smash 2005 comedy Wedding Crashers.  The movie is an R-rated take on the classic body-switching premise that was best used in Freaky Friday. The interplay between stars Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds looked terrific, we saw some great jokes that had us struggling to suppress laughter so we could be quiet on the set, and as someone who has spent most of his life in Atlanta, I was pleased to learn that my hometown will actually be in the film as Atlanta.

Hit the jump for to read about my visit to the set of the film (and don’t worry—I’m not going to spoil any of the jokes).  The Change-Up opens August 5th. http://collider.com/the-change-up-set-visit/93028/

Men in Black III Long Island Set Photos

May 31, 2011 by Brian Gallagher

Men in Black III is currently shooting in Long Island, New York, which is doubling for the NASA base Cape Canaveral. A new batch of set photos have recently come in, which feature Josh Brolin as a young Agent K, and some of the exterior sets. Click on these photos below to access our growing gallery.
 http://www.movieweb.com/news/men-in-black-iii-long-island-set-photos

Hugo Weaving To Play Six Different Characters In The Wachowskis' Cloud Atlas

published: 2011-05-31 13:34:09 Author: Sean O'Connell
Hugo Weaving’s IMDB page boasts such mouthwateringly villainous roles as Agent Smith, Megatron and the Red Skull. But according to the actor, he’s about to add six new characters to his resume, though they’re all part of one film.

The movie, in question, is Cloud Atlas, an adaptation of David Mitchell’s sci-fi novel that tells six-separate-yet-somehow-interlocked stories that stretch through opposing times and spaces. Weaving joins Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon and Jim Broadbent for a production that’s being co-directed by his Matrix collaborators Lana and Andy Wachowski, as well as the visually creative Tom Tykwer (Run, Lola, Run).

"That's a project that's really exciting because all the actors will be playing more than one role," Weaving told the Herald Sun while promoting the film Oranges and Sunshine in Australia. "I actually have six characters in the same film and they are all different people in six different stories."

Seeing as how Atlas tells a science-fiction story, accepting such a narrative schism shouldn’t require a leap of faith. And the fact that the Atlas team is going with gifted character actors like Weaving, Hanks, Sarandon and Broadbent gives me hope that all six stories will hold out interest. The film currently has a May 4, 2012 release date, so we’ll bring you more information on this intriguing film as it develops. http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Hugo-Weaving-To-Play-Six-Different-Characters-In-The-Wachowskis-Cloud-Atlas-24982.html

Set Visit Report: Ryan Reynolds And Jason Bateman Get Raunchy In The Change-Up

published: 2011-05-31 10:41:31 Author: Katey Rich
If you find yourself seeing The Change-Up this summer and envying the house occupied by Jason Bateman and Leslie Mann's characters- the big kitchen counters, the lushly carpeted bedroom, the giant cushy couch-- keep in mind that the neighborhood isn't so great. Not only is there a burly grip or sound guy standing just outside pretty much every wall, but there's a dusty prop storage area right next door, and even though we're in Georgia, it's still January, and it's still freezing in there.

Because the house, of course, is just one of the many enormous sets that Universal has built at an old warehouse just west of Atlanta, where The Change-Up had been shooting for nearly three months when I visited the set in early January. The film is actually set in Atlanta, unlike a lot of productions that shoot there, and the production had already visited local landmarks like Turner Field and Piedmont Park-- a good time for them to wrap outdoor shooting, since a giant ice storm set in on the city the day we left the set. And even though this January day would be one of the last the crew spent in Atlanta, stars Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds and Leslie Mann were at work on a scene that comes early in the film, in which Reynolds's slacker friend character visits their lovely home and provides some, well, slightly inappropriate advice to their five-year-old daughter.

Just what that advice was varied from take to take. We watched director David Dobkin take Reynolds through dozens of different versions of the short scene, in which the little girl asks "Uncle Mitch" to attend her dance recital and he responds with everything from "Only if it's exotic dance" to "Absolutely not. Now go upstairs and do something with your hair." The young actress was a champ, hitting her cue each time, allowing Reynolds to toss her ludicrously (but safely) high in the air, and even faceplanting perfectly on cue every time he pushed her up the stairs at the end of the scene. Mitch, as you can probably tell, isn't really the most responsible uncle, and like a lot of things in movies by Wedding Crashers director Dobkin, it's a scene that wouldn't be funny in real life but hopefully will wind up hilarious onscreen.
 "If you’re doing anything that you hope is worth doing, hopefully you’re making somebody uncomfortable, right?" Dobkin said later when the six of us visitors sat down with him at the big kitchen table on set. And the unexpected discomfort in The Change-Up actually starts with the premise, which takes the classic PG-rated notion of the body-switching comedy-- think Freaky Friday-- and transplants it to the foul-mouthed world of Dobkin and screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, who also wrote a little R-rated comedy called The Hangover. Where characters in other body-switching comedies get switched by a magical wizard or toy, Dave (Bateman) and Mitch (Reynolds) switch after a night of drinking that ends with them peeing in a magic fountain. And The Change-Up is like other comedies in the genre, seeing its characters caught in wacky situations, it's probably got more sex and poop jokes than all the others combined.

All of it was on display in the scene we saw them shoot, despite the fact that two twin infants were on hand in their high chairs as Mitch joins Dave and his wife in the kitchen while the boys prepare for their night out. Mitch and Dave are longtime friends who have grown apart in recent years, as Dave spends time with his wife and three young kids while Mitch continues living a raucous bachelor lifestyle. In this scene we see Mitch arrive at the house, flirt shamelessly with Dave's wife (Leslie Mann) right in front of him, and usher Dave off to a night at a Braves baseball game-- a night that ends with them getting drunk, admitting they're each jealous of the other's life, and peeing in that magic fountain. The next morning they wake up in each others' bodies, and all kinds of hell breaks loose from there. In fact, why don't you check out the red-band trailer below as a reminder of just what's in store.
The director, writers and the cast were all wary of letting loose any jokes or gags beyond what you're seeing in the trailer, and understandably so-- comedies, especially raunchy comedies like The Change-Up, always rely on taking you by surprise. So when we talked to Dobkin, Lucas, and then Bateman and Reynolds together in breaks between scenes, we mostly focused on the bigger picture-- what it's like to make an R-rated comedy in this post-Hangover era, how to keep pushing the envelope without making it totally absurd, how to adapt the squeaky-clean PG kind of body-switching story into this raunchy comedy style, and of course, the eternal hilarity of hitting kids.

Tomorrow we'll have our conversation on the set with Bateman and Reynolds, including details about their years-long friendship that led them to team up in the film and what we learned about their characters by snooping around the sets that act as their bedrooms. Today, though, check out what Dobkin and Lucas had to say about deciding to team up on the film, where they see the future of R-rated comedy, and as Lucas puts it, why "if you learn anything in this movie, we’ve failed." The Change-Up hits theaters on August 5.
...................
 


read more; http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Set-Visit-Report-Ryan-Reynolds-And-Jason-Bateman-Get-Raunchy-In-The-Change-Up-24978.html

Angelina Jolie Says She Doesn't Want To Portray Cleopatra As A Sex Symbol

published: 2011-05-31 00:39:29 Author: Eric Eisenberg
While I can't see myself ever advocating a remake of Cleopatra, if there's a modern actress better suited for the part than Angelina Jolie I will eat my shoe. A true beauty in every sense of the word, it makes sense that the project has become a passion for the actress since being attached last year. Now Jolie has started openly talking about what direction she'd like to see the project go in, and what's strange is that her ideas would seemingly make her an unwise choice for the part.

Sitting down with The Telegraph, Jolie began to discuss researched elements about the real Cleopatra that she wants to be part of the film, calling the Egyptian queen "very misunderstood." For starters, the actress wants to cut out the elements dealing with her as a glamorous beauty and instead wants to focus on the stronger parts of her personality, mentioning that she was, "a very strong mother, she spoke five languages and she was a leader." Unable to get Elizabeth Taylor's blessing for the film before she died, Jolie even admits that her performance won't be "as lovely as Elizabeth’s" and won't explore the character as a sex symbol. Completely upending everything we think we know about the Cleopatra, Jolie then put out this interesting tidbit:

"Even this idea of her having many lovers – it was possible that it was only two. She is very interesting, but she wasn’t a great beauty."

So here's my question: if Cleopatra wasn't actually a great beauty, why exactly should the part belong to Jolie? Shouldn't it go to somebody that hasn't repeatedly been named as one of the sexiest women in the world by multiple magazines and news outlets? I don't think I'd be alone in laughing if Jolie's script suggestions ended up with her losing the job. That would be pure, unadulterated irony. http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Angelina-Jolie-Says-She-Doesn-t-Want-To-Portray-Cleopatra-As-A-Sex-Symbol-24974.html

***THE SOCIAL NETWORK Producer Scott Rudin Options “The Terrorist Search Engine” as Possible Starring Vehicle for Jesse Eisenberg ***Jack Black to Star in Michael Winterbottom’s BAILOUT ***Cannes Casting Call: Zoe Saldana Joins THE WORDS; Susan Sarandon and Jim Broadbent in Talks for CLOUD ATLAS **Tim Robbins Joins Mark Ruffalo in THANKS FOR SHARING

THE SOCIAL NETWORK Producer Scott Rudin Options “The Terrorist Search Engine” as Possible Starring Vehicle for Jesse Eisenberg

by Matt Goldberg   Posted: May 12th, 2011 at 7:34 am

When it comes to prestige pictures, producer Scott Rudin is a heavy-hitter.  His credits include No Country for Old Men, The Royal Tenenbaums, and last year’s Best Picture nominees The Social Network and True Grit.  Now he’s optioned an intriguing New York Magazine article, “The Terrorist Search Engine” about Evan Kohlmann, who was once dubbed by an FBI agent “The Doogie Howser of Terrorism”.  Kohlmann, who is a government expert witness in terrorism cases due to his extensive study of jihad particularly in terms of how it relates to the Internet, has become a controversial figure because testifying has become his primary source of income.
Vulture reports that Rudin has taken the project to Sony’s Columbia Pictures and that the film is being set up as a starring vehicle for Jesse Eisenberg.  However, Eisenberg is waiting to see a script before making a commitment.

http://collider.com/scott-rudin-terrorist-search-engine-jesse-eisenberg/90455/

Jack Black to Star in Michael Winterbottom’s BAILOUT

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 12th, 2011 at 7:51 am

Jack Black has signed on to star in the Michael Winterbottom comedy Bailout.  The film is based on Jess Walter’s novel, The Financial Lives of The Poets. THR reports that the script (which Walter also wrote) “details the story of one man’s attempt to come back from the brink of financial ruin after meeting a couple of losers in a late night supermarket.”  Black will play the man on the brink of financial ruin although it’s amusing to think that a little over a decade ago, he probably would have played one of the two losers.
Winterbottom, who swings wildly between light comedy (The Trip, Tristam Shandy) and intense drama (A Mighty Heart, The Killer Inside Me) said Walter’s script accomplishes the “rare feat of being funny and true at the same time.”  Filming is set to begin in the US this August.  Black is currently promoting Kung Fu Panda 2 and he’ll next be seen in non-animated-panda-form in Richard Linklater’s Bernie.

http://collider.com/jack-black-michael-winterbottom-bailout/90468/

Cannes Casting Call: Zoe Saldana Joins THE WORDS; Susan Sarandon and Jim Broadbent in Talks for CLOUD ATLAS

by Matt Goldberg   Posted: May 12th, 2011 at 8:23 am

 

Yesterday, we reported some casting news for The Words and The Wachowski Siblings/Tom Tykwer’s adaptation of Cloud Atlas.  Turns out those films weren’t quite finished in the casting department.  Producer Cassian Elwes has tweeted [via The Playlist] that Zoe Saldana will star alongside Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons, and Dennis Quaid in The Words.  The drama centers on a celebrated writer (Cooper) who must pay the price for stealing the work of another author (Irons).  I imagine the price is somewhat higher than the lawyer’s fees for the litigation that would most likely occur in a less-interesting movie.
In other casting news, ScreenDaily reports that Susan Sarandon and Jim Broadbent are in talks to join Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving, Ben Whishaw, and Halle Berry in Cloud Atlas.  The movie is based on David Mitchell’s acclaimed novel that spans the progress of a soul across six separate existences across several centuries.  Shooting is planned to begin this September.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of the novel.

http://collider.com/zoe-saldana-the-words-susan-sarandon-jim-broadbent-cloud-atlas/90473/

Tim Robbins Joins Mark Ruffalo in THANKS FOR SHARING

by Matt Goldberg   Posted: May 12th, 2011 at 10:15 am

 

Tim Robbins will co-star with Mark Ruffalo in Thanks for Sharing, the directorial debut of The Kids Are All Right screenwriter Stuart Blumberg.  Risky Business reports that Blumberg’s script “revolves around characters in a 12-step program for recovering sex addicts in New York City.”  While Robbins earned an Oscar for his dramatic work, I’ve always found him to be delightful in comic roles even though Thanks for Sharing is being billed as a “dramedy”.  Filming is slated to begin this fall.
Robbins and Ruffalo will both next be seen in superhero films.  Robbins plays Senator Hammond, father of villain Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) in Green Lantern.  Ruffalo is currently filming on The Avengers where he plays Bruce Banner/Hulk.

http://collider.com/tim-robbins-mark-ruffalo-thanks-for-sharing/90483/

**First Clip from Lars Von Trier’s MELANCHOLIA **THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Starring Leonardo DiCaprio Lands at Red Granite Pictures, Martin Scorsese No Longer Directing **Katie Aselton to Direct and Star in BLACK ROCK Alongside Kate Bosworth and Lake Bell **Hugo Weaving and Ben Whishaw Join the Wachowskis’ CLOUD ATLAS, Halle Berry Confirmed to Star

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Starring Leonardo DiCaprio Lands at Red Granite Pictures, Martin Scorsese No Longer Directing

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 11th, 2011 at 10:23 am

It’s been a very long road for the adaptation of Jordan Belfort’s 2008 memoir The Wolf of Wall Street. Originally, Leonardo DiCaprio was to produce and star in the film with Martin Scorsese directing. When production stalled, the two made Shutter Island instead. Then Ridley Scott came aboard the film as director last summer, only to be replaced by Scorsese again in February, when we learned that Warner Bros. had dropped the project and producers were now moving forward with independent financing. Now, The Playlist reports that indie Red Granite Pictures has picked up the rights to the project, with DiCaprio’s Appian Way still producing.
The report also states that Scorsese has moved on from the project. The director is expected to helm his long-in-gestation 17^th century Jesuit priest drama Silence after he finishes post production on Hugo Cabret. The script for Wolf of Wall Street was written by Sopranos writer (and Boardwalk Empire creator) Terrence Winter and tells the story of stockbroker excess in the 1990s. No word on when filming would begin, but with DiCaprio shooting The Great Gatsby later this year I wouldn’t expect any movement before sometime in 2012. Hit the jump to read a synopsis of Belfort’s memoir.

http://collider.com/leonardo-dicaprio-martin-scorsese-the-wolf-of-wall-street/90209/

First Clip from Lars Von Trier’s MELANCHOLIA

by Phil Brown    Posted: May 11th, 2011 at 10:38 am

What better way could there be to celebrate a Wednesday than by watching a deeply depressing clip from an upcoming movie? And what filmmaker could fuel that mid-week depression better than Lars Von Trier? The eccentric Danish Dogme founder will be making his regular appearance at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival this year with his latest feature Melancholia, and will inevitably cause a media shitstorm of controversy as he does every time he walks the Croisette.
Today a new clip from the appropriately titled Melancholia has found its way to the internet, depicting a tearful Kristen Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg discussing the evil nature of earth. It should give you a sense of the tone of Von Trier’s impending apocalyptic tale and darken the mood of the rest of your day in less than a minute. In other words, it’s vintage Von Trier. The film will premiere in Cannes later this month with plans for a November North American release from Magnolia Pictures (expect it to make the summer/fall film festival run first). Melancholia stars Dunst, Gainsbourg, Charlotte Rampling, Stellan Skarsgard, and Udo Kier. Hit the jump to check out the clip.

http://collider.com/melancholia-movie-clip/90213/

Katie Aselton to Direct and Star in BLACK ROCK Alongside Kate Bosworth and Lake Bell

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 11th, 2011 at 11:26 am

 

Actress Katie Aselton is set to direct and star in the thriller Black Rock. Lake Bell and Kate Bosworth have signed on to co-star in the film which was conceived by Aselton and written by Mark Duplass (Cyrus). The story centers on “three childhood friends who embark on a weekend getaway to the isolated island of Black Rock, only to discover that they are not alone.” While that may sound like your standard thriller, with indie-staple Duplass writing the screenplay you can pretty much bet on it being something wholly original.
As an actress, Aselton has worked on FX’s The League and appears in the upcoming Paul Rudd indie comedy Our Idiot Brother. Submarine is handling U.S. and international sales at Cannes, with a portion of the film’s funding being crowd-sourced through Kickstarter. Hit the jump to read the full press release.

http://collider.com/black-rock-katie-aselton-kate-bosworth-lake-bell/90223/

Hugo Weaving and Ben Whishaw Join the Wachowskis’ CLOUD ATLAS, Halle Berry Confirmed to Star

by Adam Chitwood   Posted: May 11th, 2011 at 11:53 am

As production nears closer for the big-budget adaptation of Cloud Atlas, the cast is starting to come together. Last month, Tom Hanks was confirmed to star in the adaptation that will be directed by the Wachowski siblings and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run). Now, THR reports that Hugo Weaving and Ben Whishaw (I’m Not There) have joined the cast. The report also confirms earlier rumors that Halle Berry will indeed appear in the film.
No word on which roles the actors will take on at the moment, but production is set to begin this fall. Warner Bros. is releasing the film in North America and Focus Features International is currently looking for buyers at Cannes. The Wachowskis and Twyker are writing the film as well as directing. Hit the jump to read the synopsis for David Mitchell’s novel.

http://collider.com/cloud-atlas-hugo-weaving-ben-whishaw-halle-berry/90226/

**Sean Penn May Join Christian Bale in THE LAST PHOTOGRAPH **Tom Hanks Confirmed to Star in CLOUD ATLAS; Wachowski Siblings and Tom Tykwer to Co-Write and Direct **Joaquin Phoenix in Talks to Star in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Untitled Religious Drama **Daniel Sunjata, Diego Klattenhoff, and Burn Gorman Join THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Tom Hanks Confirmed to Star in CLOUD ATLAS; Wachowski Siblings and Tom Tykwer to Co-Write and Direct

by Matt Goldberg   Posted: April 12th, 2011

As early as last summer, we heard that Tom Hanks would star in an adaptation of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas.  Then there was confusion over who would be writing and directing: The Wachowski Siblings and/or Tom Tykwer.  In January, Natalie Portman—who was also rumored to co-star—said that the Wachowskis and Tykwer were directing together.  Today, we have confirmation on both facts with Deadline reporting that Hanks will star and that the Wachowskis and Tykwer will write and direct the movie.

Portman also said she had a small role in the film, but there’s currently no confirmation that she’s on board at this point.  We’re also awaiting confirmation on whether or not James McAvoy and Halle Berry will be in the film, which is scheduled to begin shooting in September.  Hit the jump for more on the project including a synopsis of the novel.

.............  http://collider.com/cloud-atlas-tom-hanks-wachowskis-tom-tykwer/85621/

Joaquin Phoenix in Talks to Star in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Untitled Religious Drama

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 12th, 2011

After discovering that no one really cared about his retirement from acting or about the movie about his fake meltdown, Joaquin Phoenix may be getting back into the moving pictures (even though he never really left it).  Variety reports that Joaquin Phoenix is in talks to join Philip Seymour Hoffman in Paul Thomas Anderson’s untitled religious drama.  The story is based on the founding of Scientology and has Hoffman playing “Lancaster Dodd, a charismatic intellectual known as The Master” who creates a new religion, but eventually comes into conflict with his chief disciple.  Phoenix would play the disciple, Freddie Sutton, “an alcholic drifter who becomes his right-hand man only to begin questioning his manipulative mentor.”

Last fall, the film—unofficially referred to as “The Master“—looked dead, but then this past February, Megan Ellison came to rescue not only of this film, but also Anderson’s planned adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice.  Hit the jump for my thoughts on Phoenix joining The Master.

......... http://collider.com/joaquin-phoenix-in-talks-to-star-in-paul-thomas-andersons-untitled-religious-drama/85625/

Daniel Sunjata, Diego Klattenhoff, and Burn Gorman Join THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 12th, 2011

With production looming closer, director Christopher Nolan has added a trio of actors to The Dark Knight Rises. Daniel Sunjata (TV’s Rescue Me), Diego Klattenhoff (Lucky Number Slevin), and Burn Gorman (Layer Cake) are all looking to join a cast that now includes Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Juno Temple and recent addition Josh Pence, who will take on the role of young Ra’s al Ghul.

Variety reports that Sunjata is in talks to play “a courageous special forces operative” and Klattenhoff is being offered the part of “a rookie cop who is looking to make a difference.” No word on who Gorman will play other than the fact that he’s being eyed for a supporting role in the film. Marion Cotillard was previously “in discussions” for a role in the film, but the report claims she’s now officially part of the cast. Hit the jump for more.

http://collider.com/daniel-sunjata-diego-klattenhoff-burn-gorman-the-dark-knight-rises/85630/

Sean Penn May Join Christian Bale in THE LAST PHOTOGRAPH

by Adam Chitwood  Posted: April 12th, 2011

Sean Penn is now looking at joining Christian Bale in the drama The Last Photograph. The film, said to be in the vein of The Searchers and Taken, is based off an original idea by Zack Snyder about a war correspondent in Afghanistan who is the sole survivor of an attack on Americans. Deadline reports that Bale is set to play the journalist, while Penn is circling the role of an ex-special ops soldier who enlists Bale’s help to find a missing family member who has been kidnapped. In exchange, Bale’s character gets the story.

Snyder’s 300 co-writer Kurt Johnstad penned the script, and Niels Arden Oplev (the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is set to direct. The film was set up at Warner Bros. but apparently negotiations are ongoing to move the film to Dark Castle, where Joel Silver and Andrew Rona would come aboard as producers. The report states that Penn is very interested in joining the project, having just turned down roles in the Superman flick Man of Steel (the villain, perhaps?) and Ruben Fleischer’s Gangster Squad. Plans are to shoot The Last Photograph in 2012 after Bale wraps The Dark Knight Rises.

...... http://collider.com/sean-penn-the-last-photograph/85637/

***Anne Hathaway: Gotham Independent Film Awards! ***Mila Kunis & Winona Ryder: Gotham Gala! ***Natalie Portman: Gotham Film Awards! ***Halle Berry & Natalie Portman: 'Cloud Atlas' Stars!

Mon, 29 November 2010

Anne Hathaway: Gotham Independent Film Awards!

Anne Hathaway steps out in Dolce & Gabbana for the Gotham Independent Film Awards, held at Cipriani Wall Street on Monday (November 29) in New York City.

The 28-year-old Love and Other Drugs actress, who will be co-hosting the 2011 Oscars with James Franco, finished her look with Fred Leighton jewelry!

Also pictured inside are Amanda Peet and Amber Tamblyn, who stepped out to celebrate the best in independent film this year!

http://justjared.buzznet.com/2010/11/29/anne-hathaway-gotham-independent-film-awards/

Read more: http://justjared.buzznet.com/page/2/#ixzz16lIysL00

 

 

 

Mon, 29 November 2010

Mila Kunis & Winona Ryder: Gotham Gala!

Mila Kunis and her Black Swan co-star, Winona Ryder, arrive at the Gotham Independent Film Awards held at Cipriani Wall Street on Monday (November 29) in New York City.

The 27-year-old actress wore a navy silk gazar dress with black silk organza flowers and black leather perforated from Oscar de la Renta’s Spring 2011 collection paired with Fred Leighton jewelry.

Winona, who wore a strapless, black lace t-length gown by Dolce & Gabbana, was spotted chatting with Harvey Weinstein.

http://justjared.buzznet.com/2010/11/29/mila-kunis-winona-ryder-gotham-film-awards/

Read more: http://justjared.buzznet.com/page/2/#ixzz16lJ6YOL7

 

 

 

Mon, 29 November 2010

Natalie Portman: Gotham Film Awards!

Natalie Portman hits the red carpet in style as she arrives at the Gotham Independent Film Awards held at Cipriani Wall Street on Monday (November 29) in New York City.

The 29-year-old actress wore a Lanvin for H&M dress paired with a Dior bag and earrings by Tiffany & Co.

Earlier in the day, Nat dropped by Good Morning America to chat about her new movie, Black Swan!

http://justjared.buzznet.com/2010/11/29/natalie-portman-gotham-film-awards/
Read more: http://justjared.buzznet.com/page/2/#ixzz16lJDwobN

 

 

 

Mon, 29 November 2010

Halle Berry & Natalie Portman: 'Cloud Atlas' Stars!

Halle Berry is gearing up for Cloud Atlas, a new project from the Wachowskis!

“They did The Matrix - they have another really amazing idea that’s going to stretch our brains even further,” Halle said at a recent NAACP Image Awards screening. “I’m really excited about that - that’s probably going to be in the summer.”

The 44-year-old actress would team up with attached actors Natalie Portman and Tom Hanks for the project - the Wachowskis know Nat from their work together on V for Vendetta!

Cloud Atlas is based on a book by the same name, which features stories spanning centuries and leading into the post apocalyptic future.

http://justjared.buzznet.com/2010/11/29/halle-berry-natalie-portman-cloud-atlas-stars/
Read more: http://justjared.buzznet.com/page/3/#ixzz16lJPhexi

 

***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/