Posted on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 by Angie Han
There were plenty of reasons to love Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder when it came out in 2008 — for starters, it’s just really freaking funny — but one of the film’s most pleasant surprises was an inspired turn by Tom Cruise as hotheaded studio exec Les Grossman. The performance came at a time when Cruise’s popularity had dropped to an all-time low, thanks to his off-putting Scientology rants and his whackadoodle declarations of love for Katie Holmes. It’s no exaggeration to say Les Grossman helped to put Cruise back in the public’s good graces.
Not surprisingly, talk of a Les Grossman spinoff began swirling soon afterward. Actual progress on the film has been kinda slow, however, and it’s been a while since we’ve heard much about it. We still don’t know when cameras will roll or what the plot will be, but screenwriter Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) recently dropped a bit of info about what to expect from the film whenever it finally happens. Read his comments after the jump.
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Posted on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 by Angie Han
Briefly: The problem with following film news but not attending the Sundance Film Festival is that each year, there are a few highly praised titles that take forever to hit regular theaters. Take Sound of My Voice, for example. Though it helped mark Brit Marling as one of the hottest talents to emerge from last year’s event, non-festivalgoers will have waited for over a year to watch the movie by the time it finally gets a theatrical release this April.
Thankfully, Fox Searchlight is moving a bit faster on this year’s most buzzed-about film, Benh Zeitlin‘s Louisiana-set fantasy drama Beasts of the Southern Wild. The company snapped up U.S. distribution rights following Beasts‘ first screening, and it’s now slated the Grand Jury Prize winner for a limited release on June 29. Still a few months away, but it could be so much worse. While you wait, revisit Germain’s review of the film, and check out Zeitlin’s earlier short film Glory at Sea.
As for cinephiles abroad, while we don’t have all the details on international releases of the film just yet, there’s some good news for Spanish folks. Arthouse Golem Distribucion has just picked up all Spanish distribution rights to Beasts, in a deal with Toronto-based sales company eOne Films International.
[Sources: Box Office Mojo Twitter, Variety]
Posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 by Angie Han
Disney’s John Carter has had a rough go of it on the marketing front — a tracking report leaked last week showed “shockingly” low public interest in the film, and you don’t need statistics to know that the trailers and teasers so far have been kind of a mess. Such a mess, in fact, that one particularly devoted fan was able to create the movie’s best trailer yet using clips that had already been released.
But their latest tactic actually seems like a clever way of attracting the attention of the cool-geek crowd. The studio has teamed up with Mondo for a gorgeous new poster, which will be handed out for free to moviegoers who attend the midnight IMAX screening of Andrew Stanton‘s sci-fi adventure when it opens on March 9. Check out the full image after the jump.
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Posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 by Angie Han
TV watchers probably know Nick Offerman as mustachioed parks department director Ron Swanson on NBC’s Parks & Recreation, but we’re starting to see more of him on the big screen as well. Swanson’s upcoming movie roles include the Sundance hit Smashed and the high profile comedies 21 Jump Street and Casa de mi Padre, as well as two more indies due out later this year. We can now add to the list Lamb of God, Diablo Cody‘s directorial debut.
Cody’s script follows a young woman (Julianne Hough) whose faith is shaken after a horrible plane crash. She ditches her family and church and heads to Las Vegas for a taste of the wild life, encountering all manner of folk (including Russell Brand and Offerman’s Smashed co-star Octavia Spencer) along the way. Offerman’s role has not been revealed at this time. [Deadline]
After the jump, Josh Duhamel and Dan Fogler buddy up, while a Black List script lands some stars.
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Posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 by Angie Han
It’s been nearly two decades since the last time Perry Mason graced the screen, but considering Hollywood’s current obsession with making everything old new again, it’s probably not so surprising that the beloved defense attorney is slated for a big-screen revival. Last fall, Robert Downey, Jr., his wife/partner Susan Downey, and Warner Bros. announced a feature film reboot for the character. Now that project is inching a bit closer to reality as Green Lantern writer Marc Guggenheim enters talks to pen the script. More details after the jump.
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Posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 by Angie Han
Of course that last The Hunger Games poster wasn’t really the final one, no matter what the marketing folks claimed. But I’m not complaining. Two more banners have just dropped, promoting the film’s recently announced IMAX run. One is very much in line with the earlier poster, showing Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) taking aim with her trademark bow and arrow, while the other shows a uniformed Katniss in her training gear. In addition, we have a dozen new character photos of Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), Effie (Elizabeth Banks), Caesar (Stanley Tucci), and more, fresh from the official website. Check ‘em out after the jump.
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Posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 by Angie Han
This winter’s been so mild that it feels more like April than February, but unfortunately, actual spring is still some weeks away — which means we’ve still got some waiting to do before HBO kicks off its spring schedule. Thankfully, the network’s been good about reminding us of exactly what we have to look forward to, in the form of teasers, trailers, clips, and the like.
Today, we have another new trailer for Lena Dunham and Judd Apatow‘s Girls, as well as behind-the-scenes featurettes for Armando Iannucci‘s Veep and of course, Game of Thrones. Watch them after the jump.
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Posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 by Angie Han
Rachel Berry may be the Glee character known for her outsized dreams of superstardom, but it’s Kurt Hummel who’s taking Hollywood by storm at the moment. Or Chris Colfer, the actor who plays him, is, at any rate. Not content with simply earning a Golden Globe, two Emmy nominations, and a spot on the Time 100 for his role on the hit Fox series, Colfer has spent his time away from McKinley High penning feature screenplays, selling a Disney pilot, and landing a book deal — all by the age of 21.
The first of those scripts, Struck By Lightning, shot this past summer with Brian Dannelly (Saved!) at the helm, and we have an early trailer now. Colfer stars as an ambitious high school senior who blackmails his peers into contributing to his literary magazine before he is, you guessed it, struck by lightning and killed. The dark comedy also boasts some other notable stars, including Christina Hendricks, Allison Janney, Sarah Hyland, Angela Kinsey, Dermot Mulroney, and Rebel Wilson. Watch the trailer after the jump.
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