The Hemsworth brothers aren’t stars yet, but Hollywood is intent on making them household names by the end of 2011. Chris Hemsworth is set to make the biggest splash cinematically possible as the lead in
Thor. The rise of younger brother Liam Hemsworth is a bit more gradual, with roles in
Knowing and
The Last Song over the last two years. Next year brings him into stage two as the lead in the period epic
Arabian Nights.
According to
TheWrap, Hemsworth will follow up
Arabian Nights with
Broken Run, a political thriller set in Washington D.C. Hemsworth is attached to star, and John Singleton (
Four Brothers) is attached to direct. If the project lines up a buyer, Jay Longino and Michael Browning are on tap to write the script. Singleton recently wrapped production on the Taylor Lautner thriller
Abduction.
http://www.collider.com/2010/12/01/broken-run-liam-hemsworth-john-singleton/Ben Foster (
The Messenger) and Giovanni Ribisi (
Avatar) are in talks to join Mark Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale in
Contraband, the American remake of Iceland’s
Reykjavic-Rotterdam. Wahlberg stars as a busted smuggler who becomes a security guard; in the face of financial troubles, he undertakes one last job.
According to
Variety, Foster will play Wahlberg’s brother-in-law. No details yet on who Ribisi might play. (Any Icelanders have a guess?) Baltasar Kormákur, who produced, co-wrote, and starred in the 2008 original, will produce and direct the remake. Hit the jump for the official synopsis of
Reykjavic-Rotterdam.
Like a fish on a dry land, Kristofer is stuck in a dull everyday routine, working as a security guard. He got fired from the freight ship he worked on, when he was caught smuggling alcohol. Faced with money problems, he is tempted to accept the help of his friend, Steingrimur, who manages to pull some strings to get his old job back. He decides to take his chances one last time on a tour to Rotterdam
by Jeff Ames Posted: December 1st, 2010
With
Pirates of Caribbean director Gore Verbinksi
officially attached to direct the big screen version of
The Lone Ranger, it’s no surprise attention is now focused on who will play the titular hero himself. The newest names to hit the pot come from none other than Tonto himself — or star Johnny Depp:
“There’s so many interesting possibilities out there. Brad [Pitt] would be great. [George] Clooney would be great. Don’t know who it’s going to be just yet.”
Depp is currently filming
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides with director Rob Marshall for a May 20, 2011 release. Pitt has a slew of upcoming films including the long-awaited
Tree of Life from director Terrence Malick, which opens on May 27, 2011.
The Lone Ranger is set for a 2012 release. Hit the jump for more.
The suggestion makes sense as Depp would likely have bumped into Pitt while filming
The Tourist with the
Inglourious Basterds’ wife Angelina Jolie – he would know better than anyone whether Pitt’s acting sensibilities would play off his own. Still, while Depp may have quite a bit of pull in Hollywood, the decision will likely rest in the hands of Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
I remain cautiously optimistic about
The Lone Ranger, especially considering its long-delayed pre-production process. It took nearly three years for Verbinski to officially climb on board, even after the inclusion of box office behemoth Johnny Depp. Personally I wish Verbinski had taken the directing gig on the big screen adaptation of the video game
BioShock (though Juan Carlos Fresnadillo remains a solid choice), something that more soundly fits his directing abilities.
Still, this latest rumor suggests a rather unique take on the legendary series, especially in regards to its depictions of Native Americans. Depp explains to
Entertainment Tonight:
“Native Americans in cinema, over the past however many decades, have been treated somewhat shabbily. This one has plans to rectify that.”
Hmmm … the whimsical (even comedic) tone of
Pirates meshed with the down-to-earth realism of
Dance with Wolves? Starring Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp? I’d pay to watch that.
Here’s a synopsis of the TV show:
The title character is a masked Texas Ranger in the American Old West, originally played by George Seaton (radio), but more famously by Clayton Moore (television), who gallops about righting injustices with the aid of his clever, laconic Native American companion, Tonto played by (amongst others) John Todd, Roland Parker, and (in the television series) Jay Silverheels. Tonto usually referred to the Lone Ranger as Kemo Sabe, meaning “trusty scout”. Departing on his white horse Silver, the Ranger would shout “Hi-yo, Silver, away!” as the horse galloped toward the setting sun, followed by someone asking “Who was that masked man, anyway?” “Why he’s the Lone Ranger.” [Wikipedia]
http://www.collider.com/2010/12/01/the-lone-ranger-brad-pitt-george-clooney/
