Sundance has been over for a week, but a few films are still being picked up by distributors. One of the more acclaimed Sundance hits this year was a picture called Smashed, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Aaron Paul as an alcoholic married couple. When Winstead’s character sobers up, she has to deal with a few lingering issues from her drunk life.
The film, directed by James Ponsoldt (Off The Black), is being showered with praise for the performance from Winstead, which Pete called “powerful, moving — a must see. It will bring you to verge of tears.” Sony Pictures Classics picked up the film over the weekend in a deal said to be worth about $1m. If that price seems low, consider that several of the big Sundance faves from 2010, such as Like Crazy, Take Shelter, Another Earth and Martha Marcy May Marlene, all scored relatively low box-office grosses. All those films will have a strong post-theatrical life, but none managed to break out as a mainstream crossover hit. We don’t yet have a release date for Smashed, but when SPC decides on a date and releases a trailer we’ll pass them along. [The Wrap]
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Filmmaker James Ponsoldt‘s feature debut Off The Black premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006. It was met with a lackluster response, but everyone seemed to praise the performances despite the troubled screenplay. After seeing last year’s heavily buzzed-about film Like Crazy, Mary Elizabeth Winstead contacted producer Jonathan Schwartz and Andrea Sperling because she wanted to be in a film like the one they produced. This year, Ponsoldt, Schwartz and Sperling returned to Park City Utah with Smashed, which features a must-see tour de force performance from Winstead.
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Posted on Friday, November 4th, 2011 by Angie Han
Ever since it was revealed that the fifth installment of the Die Hard franchise, A Good Day to Die Hard, would include one new major character in the form of John McClane’s son, rumors have been circulating about who might be up for the gig. Now a new report has surfaced claiming that the studio and director John Moore are getting closer to casting the role. They’ve apparently narrowed down their options to just four actors: Aaron Paul, James Badge Dale, D.J. Cotrona, and (because no casting search is complete without him, apparently) Liam Hemsworth. More details after the jump.
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Posted on Tuesday, November 1st, 2011 by Angie Han
My Week with Marilyn star Eddie Redmayne will join Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and Anne Hathaway in Tom Hooper‘s prestige musical Les Miserables. Based on the hit Broadway show and Victor Hugo‘s classic novel of the same title, the film follows an ex-con named Valjean (Jackman) in 19th century France as he seeks to redeem himself. Redmayne will play Marius, who falls in love with Cosette, daughter of Fantine (Hathaway) and eventual charge of Valjean.
Les Miserables is already being touted as a likely Oscar contender, with a release date of December 7, 2012. Redmayne isn’t exactly a household name yet, but has marked himself as a talent to watch in projects like The Good Shepherd, My Week with Marilyn, and Hick. [Deadline]
After the jump, Rashida Jones and the guy who played Ernest Hemingway in Midnight in Paris befriend Samantha Morton, while David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook picks up a Boardwalk Empire star.
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The Die Hard 5 news continues Thursday. We recently learned that the film, directed by John Moore, would be called A Good Day To Die Hard and released February 14, 2013. It’ll focus on John McClane, once again played by Bruce Willis, heading to Russia to get his son out of prison which then escalates into some kind of massive terrorist threat. With the McClane’s son seemingly the second lead and possible torch-bearer for the franchise, it surely will be a sought after role.
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Posted on Tuesday, October 11th, 2011 by Angie Han
Sunday night’s Breaking Bad Season 4 finale contained any number of intense OMG WTF moments, but perhaps the most disturbing arrived in the form of a quiet shot at the very end of the episode. The scene took many viewers by surprise, myself included, but as it turns out, the hints were lying in plain sight all along. After the jump, watch a video explaining exactly how the surprise twist went down — as predicted by YouTube user jcham979 days in advance of the finale’s air date. (It should go without saying that MAJOR SPOILERS for the end of Breaking Bad‘s fourth season follow.)
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Posted on Wednesday, October 5th, 2011 by Angie Han
Olivia Wilde has landed the coveted role of ’70s supermodel Suzy Miller in Rush, Ron Howard‘s Peter Morgan-scripted drama about the real-life rivalry between British Formula One driver James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Austrian racer Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl). Miller married the womanizing Hunt, but then fell in love with Hunt’s friend Richard Burton. Burton agreed to pay the $1 million divorce settlement that Hunt owned Miller, and then married Miller.
Howard is reportedly eyeing Russell Crowe to play the supporting role of Burton, but it doesn’t sound like negotiations are too far along at this time. Rush began preliminary shooting last month, but real principal photography is starting soon. [Deadline]
After the jump, Billy Crudup gets to show off his comedic chops while Helen Hunt, Maggie Grace, and Aaron Paul get to fight breast cancer.
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Posted on Wednesday, September 21st, 2011 by Angie Han
We write up casting stories several times a day here at /Film, but it’s not every day we come across an ensemble cast as intriguing as this one. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Nick Offerman, and Octavia Spencer are set to team up for the indie marriage dramedy Smashed, from director James Ponsoldt (Off the Black).
If you, like me and much of the Internet, are a fan of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Breaking Bad, and Parks & Recreation, I probably don’t have to explain to you what’s so exciting about that roster. Though I am torn between hoping that Smashed will allow them to stretch and demonstrate their range as actors, and wishing that I could just watch a movie about Ramona Flowers, Jesse Pinkman, Ron Swanson, and Minny Jackson from The Help hanging out. More details after the jump.
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