Actress Diane Kruger (R) and actor Joshua Jackson arrive at the Los Angeles premiere of "Unknown" at the Mann Village Theater on February 16, 2011 in Westwood, California.
( February 15, 2011 - Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images North America)
Executive Producer Susan Downey and actor Robert Downey Jr. arrive at the Los Angeles premiere of "Unknown" at the Mann Village Theater on February 16, 2011 in Westwood, California.
( February 15, 2011 - Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images North America)
Actress January Jones arrives at Warner Bros. Los Angeles Premiere of "Unknown" held at Regency Village Theatre on February 16, 2011 in Westwood, California.
( February 15, 2011 - Photo by Michael Caulfield/Getty Images North America)
(L-R) Actors Liam Neeson, January Jones, Diane Kruger and Aidan Quinn arrive at Warner Bros. Los Angeles Premiere of "Unknown" held at Regency Village Theatre on February 16, 2011 in Westwood, California.
( February 15, 2011 - Photo by Michael Caulfield/Getty Images North America)
Earlier this week, Samuel L. Jackson confirmed his involvement in Joss Whedon’s The Avengers. The actor also stated that he was testing with five female actresses jostling for the role of his new sidekick (since, apparently, Scarlett Johansson is too big to be a sidekick). Deadline reports that TV star Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother) is close to landing the role of SHIELD executive director Maria Hill, and that a deal could be done long before we’ve gotten over our Super Bowl XLV hangovers. If Smulders and Marvel close the deal, she would join Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, and Scarlett Johansson in The Avengers. Hit the jump for more on Maria Hill. ..... more; http://collider.com/cobie-smulders-the-avengers-maria-hill/74753/
With director Jaume Collet-Serra’s (Orphan) Unknown opening Febrauary 18, Warner Bros. has sent over 5 clips from the film which stars Liam Neeson, January Jones, Diane Kruger, Bruno Ganz, Aidan Quinn and Frank Langella. Here’s the synopsis:
Dr. Martin Harris (Neeson) awakens after a car accident in Berlin to discover that his wife (Jones) suddenly doesn’t recognize him and another man (Quinn) has assumed his identity. Ignored by disbelieving authorities and hunted by mysterious assassins, he finds himself alone, tired, and on the run. Aided by an unlikely ally (Kruger), Martin plunges headlong into a deadly mystery that will force him to question his sanity, his identity, and just how far he’s willing to go to uncover the truth.
David Koepp, the director and writer of 2008’s Ghost Town and writer of action blockbusters like Spider-Man, War of the Worlds, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, has been working on a new action thriller entitled Premium Rush – which he wrote and directed. You’ll remember the films star, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, ended up with 31 stitches during the filming of one of the actions scenes back in July. You can check out pictures of Levitt on set here. Anyway, we’ve been sent an early synopsis for the film and you can check it out after the jump. Premium Rush is produced by Columbia Pictures and also stars Jamie Chung (Sorority Row) Dania Ramirez (Entourage) and Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire). It’s slated for a January 13th, 2012 release: “A New York bike messenger is given an envelope by a young woman at an uptown Manhattan college and is told he has 90 minutes to deliver it to an address in Chinatown. Complications ensue when an undercover police office appears and demands the envelope on special grounds. The truth, hidden motivations, and the life-and-death stakes on all sides are revealed through a series of flashbacks as the cop and the messenger engage in a length-of-Manhattan chase, racing against time after the messenger discovers the precious nature of the envelope’s slender contents. This movie also stars Jamie Chung (Grown Ups, Hangover II), Dania Ramirez (Entourage, Heroes), Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire)” http://collider.com/premium-rush-synopsis/74793/
Earlier this month, we reported the rumor that Mark Wahlberg was to play the lead in David O. Russell’s adaptation of the video game Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. We also reported that Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci were in talks to co-star. Speaking to MTV, Wahlberg has now clarified those rumors. He confirms that he will play the lead role of adventurer Nathan Drake (sorry, Nathan Fillion). It will be his fourth film with O. Russell. Said Wahlberg,
“David is one of the best writer/directors I’ve ever worked with. The idea that he has is just insane. So hopefully we’ll be making that movie this summer.”
Hit the jump for how De Niro and Pesci fit into the picture and my thoughts on Wahlberg as Drake.
Neither De Niro nor Pesci are officially on board, but Wahlberg tells MTV that he’s spoken to Pesci and that O. Russell’s people have talked with De Niro. As to who the two Hollywood icons would play:
“I’m obviously in whatever David wants to do but the idea of it is so off the charts: De Niro being my father, Pesci being my uncle. It’s not going to be the watered-down version, that’s for sure.”
I’m not sure what the watered-down version is. I can’t imagine this movie getting an R-rating despite the violence of the video game and that Drake basically murders about 500 people over the course of the story. As for De Niro and Pesci, Drake’s father and uncle have never appeared in the games, so it will be interesting to see how far O. Russell’s script branches into new territory. The first game centers on Drake’s quest for El Dorado while the second game has him searching for Shangri-La.
But I’m not a huge fan of casting Wahlberg. Wahlberg plays a good tough guy, but Drake (at least the endearing Drake from the game) is more scrappy and resourceful. He’s the guy who goes “Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!” when a grenade lands near him. It’s a looser character and while Wahlberg may be able to play it, he’s always seemed too uptight and stoic, even in a comedy like The Other Guys. Hopefully he’ll be able to pull it off, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed that Fillion didn’t get the role.
Warner Bros. has released the poster for their upcoming thriller Unknown. The film stars Liam Neeson as a man who awakens from a car crash only to find that another man has assumed his identity. Judging by the poster, at some point in the movie Neeson’s face falls into the Uncanny Valley. Hit the jump to check out the poster and click here to see the trailer. Unknown also stars January Jones and Diane Kruger. It opens February 18, 2011. [Update: We've updated the story with the high resolution version of the poster]
Click on the poster to see it in hi-res.
Here’s the official synopsis for Unknown:
Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) awakens after a car accident in Berlin to discover that his wife (January Jones) suddenly doesn’t recognize him and another man (Aidan Quinn) has assumed his identity. Ignored by disbelieving authorities and hunted by mysterious assassins, he finds himself alone, tired, and on the run. Aided by an unlikely ally (Diane Kruger), Martin plunges headlong into a deadly mystery that will force him to question his sanity, his identity, and just how far he’s willing to go to uncover the truth.
Following on from our recent interview with Mila Kunis about her exciting role in upcoming psychological thriller Black Swan, we’re excited to offer a new clip from the movie. It’s just shy of a minute long, but it certainly conjures some serious intensity as Natalie Portman get’s the heebie jeebies during a wardrobe fitting. Anyone unsure of the tone of the movie will be left in no doubt after watching this – it’s an excerpt that’ll have you clamoring for the whole film. Sadly you’ll have to wait a few weeks. Black Swan opens on December 3rd. The film also stars Vincent Cassel and Winona Ryder.
Hit the jump for the clip and further coverage of the film.
Aside from the natural eeriness of the new video clip, one thing that really struck me is the darkly haunting, ominous soundtrack by Clint Mansell. Mansell has a long history with Aronofsky, dating all the way back to his first film soundtrack for Pi in 1998, and anyone who has seen The Fountain will know his scores are near perfection. For Black Swan the composer has loosely based his music on Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake – the ballet at the heart of the film. Things just keep getting better! Here’s the official synopsis for Black Swan:
BLACK SWAN follows the story of Nina (Portman), a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her retired ballerina mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) who zealously supports her daughter’s professional ambition. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side with a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.
Be sure to check out the bizarrely beautiful posters to the film, award-worthy alone, and don’t miss the trailer. If after all this you’re still not sufficiently psyched, (God help you – I’m burning up with anticipation), then watch this trippy music video for a quick hit.
