Public Enemies - What Did You Think?
Harrison Ford Earned Almost 2.5 Times More Than The Top Earning Actress in 2008
Posted on Thursday, July 2nd, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Forbes Magazine has released their list of the highest earning actresses, once again proving that Hollywood is sexist. Angelina Jolie tops the list with $27 million, almost two and a half times less than the highest earning male actor (Harrison Ford with $65 million - remember, Crystal Skull was a huge payday). The top 10 actresses earned $183 million, less than half of the $393 million total that makes up the top 10 actors. Check out the top 15 after the jump.
Angelina Jolie’s Character May Return For Wanted 2
Posted on Monday, June 15th, 2009 by Russ Fischer
A Russian report (spoilery English version here) quotes director Timur Bekmambetov saying that he’s about to start preparation for Wanted 2, and that the film could shoot in late autumn or winter. He also says that Fox, Angelina Jolie’s character, will be back. (Played by her, or someone else?) Which is a bit…surprising. More (including spoilers for Wanted) after the jump. Read More »
Yesterday, Columbia Pictures released the first two photos of Angelina Jolie as Evelyn Salt in Phillip Noyce’s thriller Salt. But the photos weren’t much to look at, just Jolie wearing different color wigs. Today the good folks at Columbia Picture have sent me a third (better) photo of Jolie as Salt. Click on the image above to enlarge. The film tells the story of a CIA officer who is outed as a Russian sleeper spy, and must evade capture by those who are convinced she’s aiming to assassinate the president.
Columbia Pictures has released the first two photos of Angelina Jolie as Evelyn Salt in Phillip Noyce’s thriller Salt. The film tells the story of a CIA officer who is outed as a Russian sleeper spy, and must evade capture by those who are convinced she’s aiming to assassinate the president. The photos aren’t much to look at, just Jolie wearing different color wigs — definitely nothing we haven’t seen before.
Described as Alias meets James Bond / Jason Bourne, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura says the film is “a reality-based spy movie with action set pieces as thrilling as the most crowd-pleasing movies of this genre.” But while the Jason Bourne series asks the question “Who Am I?,” Bonaventura says “the question of Salt is, ‘We know everything about her, but do we?’ [Her pursuers] have a ton of information to act on, but that’s where they begin to question what is real and what isn’t.” He continues:
“People who think they know the real her may or may not. Those who think they can tell whether she’s in a disguise also may or may not. You’re supposed to be kept guessing. She tells you her agenda, but are you supposed to believe it?”
You can read the whole article on USAToday.com.
Megan Fox ISN’T Lara Croft But Tomb Raider Reboot IS in Development
Posted on Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Rumors began to circulate around the Internet last week that Megan Fox had been cast as Lara Croft in a new Tomb Raider movie. IO9 was able to get a flat out denial from Fox’s spokesperson, but that doesn’t mean that a third Tomb Raider film isn’t in the works.
We knew it was in the works, but DreamWorks Animation has officially announced that a 3D sequel to Kung Fu Panda will hit digital theaters and IMAX theatres on June 3rd 2011.
The sequel will follow Po, “the world’s biggest kung fu fan, as he continues his journey as the chosen one who fulfills an ancient prophesy while mastering the art of kung fu.” Jack Black and Angelina Jolie have both signed on to return, with “other original cast members” to be announced (my guess is that everyone important will be back for the sequel). Screenwriters/producers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger are also back for part 2. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dreamworks didn’t take a cue from Pixar and try to rerelease the original film in 3D before then. But that’s just speculation.
In 1928, Christine Collins of Los Angeles reported her nine-year old son, Walter, as missing. In the midst of charges of corruption and negative publicity, the Los Angeles police department was desperate for a positive P.R. boost from solving the case. After much searching, they finally found a boy in DeKalb, IL claiming to be Walter, and returned him to his mother. But it wasn’t really him. This immutable fact galvanized Collins on a quest to find the truth and a battle against authorities that threatened to tear her life apart.
Decades later, Ms. Collins’ story was discovered and turned into a screenplay by screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski. The trailer for Changeling, directed by Clint Eastwood, is now here and it shows a great deal of promise. Despite recent films like Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Tomb Raider, and Wanted, I’ve always believed that Jolie has enormous amounts of legitimate acting talent that just needs an appropriate film outlet to be adequately displayed. Her recent lauded performance in A Mighty Heart was apparently demonstrative of this, and Changeling looks to continue the trend. Changeling is scheduled for limited release in the U.S. on October 24, 2008. What do you guys think of the trailer?
Aaron Eckhart Reveals Fate of Harvey Dent and Two-Face
Posted on Thursday, September 4th, 2008 by Hunter Stephenson
Yesterday, a screener for The Dark Knight leaked all over the interwebs, so the entire world has officially enjoyed Chris Nolan’s Batman sequel. Nevertheless, let me whisper “SPOILER ALERT” in your ear like a geeky Craig Mack. In a couple of new interviews, co-star Aaron Eckhart has revealed the ultimate fate of Harvey Dent and Two-Face per the ending to TDK and this second sequel we love to speculate about…
“[My character is] dead. I couldn’t even get the words out of my mouth. ‘Hey, Chris, am I–?’ ‘No. You’re dead. You’re dead,’” Eckhart told AICN. “…Well, it’d be easier than anything to bring him back, but… it’s like Chris said on the tour. He wasn’t thinking about the next movie when he made [THE DARK KNIGHT]. All the vegetables were in this stew. I think that this franchise has shown that it doesn’t have to bring back characters. I mean, there’s still Catwoman. I’ve heard Angelina Jolie really wants to do Catwoman; I think that’s a great idea. I’ll be a happy audience member this time.”
Do you guys agree with Eckhart that it’d be “easier than anything” to bring Two-Face back for the next installment? Like most of us, I’ve had this debate with friends. Given, Two-Face’s arc in TDK is swift (some fans have said too swift) and his final scene in the film is dubiously played (so is The Joker’s), but I feel that infection would have set in and killed him if a character ultimately did not.
One of my minor quibbles with TDK is that Two-Face’s appearance in the film entertains a Dick Tracy-type cinematic reality, whereas The Joker, his goons, and Lt. Gordon are based in a realistic universe that’s drawn comparisons to Heat. Having Two-Face return for another film would only reinforce this extension of disbelief. One of the counter arguments to this is that Dent, beloved by his peers and the city, could be medically treated and make a still-conflicted return with lots of scarring and facial reconstruction. And of course, there’s the chance, albeit small, that Eckhart is setting us up here for a similar surprise. So, Dent’s done, but what about Nolan?
“He never said he’s going to make another one. I’m sure they drove the Brinks truck up to his house and dumped money on his lawn. But I think Chris wants to go out and make other movies, too. And he should. He’s an independent filmmaker at heart.”
Money on the lawn? Meh. Nolan is probably sitting poolside in a purple beret next to an original work of Francis Bacon, demanding that Warner Bros. put his “face on the one dollar bill.”
Discuss: Eckhart’s statements aside, do you think Two-Face should return? If so, in what state and what’s his new arc? As it stands, was TDK’s take a definitive one for this major character? Is there a chance Eckhart is being sly? Angelina Jolie for Catwoman? How many films do you expect Nolan to make before a second sequel?
22% of Vanity Fair’s Top 100 are Filmmakers
Posted on Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 by Peter Sciretta
Vanity Fair has released the VF 100 - an annual listing of the top 100 leaders of the information age. Below you can find a listing of movie related entries on the list. Check out the full list on VanityFair.com.
4. Steve Jobs - Former Pixar CEO, Member of Disney’s Board of Directors
9. Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt - Actors
14. Steven Spielberg - Director, Producer, Dreamworks co-founder
22. David Geffen - Dremworks Co-founder
23. George Lucas - Writer, Director, Producer, Chairman of LucasFilm
24. Jerry Bruckheimer - Producer
28. John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Brad Bird - Pixar’s creative team
32. Sumner Redstone - Majority Owner of Paramount Pictures
33. Arnold Schwarzenegger - Actor
34. Tom Hanks - Actor, Producer
35. Robert Iger - Head of the Walt Disney Company
43. Oprah Winfrey - Actress (kinda), Producer
44. Jon Stewart - Comedian, Actor
45. Stephen Colbert - Comedian, Actor
53. Jeffrey Katzenberg - Dreamworks co-founder, CEO of Dreamworks Animation
55. George Clooney - Actor, Producer
58. Judd Apatow - Producer, Writer, Director
59. Robert De Niro - Actor, Producer, Director
66. Brian Grazer/Ron Howard - Producer/Director
85. The Coen Brothers - Writers, Directors, Producers
87. The Weinstein Brothers - The Weinstien Co
93. Jerry Weintraub - Producer
And The Dark Knight sequel gossip continues. Could Cher be in line to play Catwoman in the next Batman installment? The British newspaper The Telegraph is citing a “studio executive” source, claiming that Cher us “Nolan’s first choice” for the role.
“He wants to her to portray her like a vamp in her twilight years,” says the Telegraph’s source. “The new Catwoman will be the absolute opposite of Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry’s purring creations.”
While I agree that Catwoman should be given a Nolanverse-style reboot, if she were to make an appearance in the next Batman film, Cher seems like a strange choice even considering Nolan’s history. Of course, The Telegraph is known for it’s gossipy/tabloid like reports, and unless an actual source is clearly identified, I wouldn’t bet 25 cents on a story like this one. But let us pretend for a second that this rumor is true: I would expect a heavy fan backlash over the casting choice. Not that Nolan hasn’t encountered adverse reaction in his past decisions. From what I remember, when the casting announcement was first made, most fans hated the idea of Heath Ledger as The Joker.
Discuss: What do you think about the slight possibility of Cher playing The Catwoman in Nolan’s third Batman film?
Who even knows if Catwoman will be a featured villain in the third film. Here is what We Know So Far:
- June 29th: Gary Oldman suggested The Riddler might be the main villain during an interview with /Film. It was unclear if he had any information regarding that possible direction, or if he was just thinking out loud.
- July 3rd: Goyer admitted to BatmanOnFilm that the realistic tone of the Nolanverse would prevent some of the more unrealistic characters from making an appearance: “You’re not going to see Clayface in these films”
- July 9th: David Goyer told /Film at the Junket: ‘There are dozens, if not hundreds of other characters that are possibilities. Everyone says you have you use the Penguin or Catwoman. Well, I completely disagree.”
- July 21st: Goyer admits to MTV that he has “talked loosely about” the theme for the third film. And of course, the theme has always been connected with the choice of villains.
- July 27th: The New York Daily News reported that Angelina Jolie had inquired about playing the role.
- August 15th: Variety reports that Warner Bros has offered Christopher Nolan a deal for a third film, but Nolan hasn’t yet signed on: “We have no idea where Chris is going with this,” Alan Horn said. “We haven’t had any conversations with him about it.”
Yes, you read the headline correctly. Angelina Jolie has officially replaced Tom Cruise in Philip Noyce’s upcoming thriller Edwin A. Salt. Kurt Wimmer’s screenplay follows a CIA officer who is fingered as a Russian sleeper spy, and must eludes capture while proving that someone else is the traitor. The script will be redrafted to account for the gender change, and the project will be retitled (likely with the name of Jolie’s character). In Wimmer’s original draft, Salt is described as an friendly everyman. I’m guessing that this aspect might also change in the Jolie rewrite - I mean, who is going to confuse Jolie for the “everywoman”? The project has been circled by a few big name stars and appeared on the coveted 2007 black list.
The Truth About Those Dark Knight Sequel Casting Rumors
Posted on Saturday, August 2nd, 2008 by Peter Sciretta
Since The Dark Knight is headed to become the second biggest grossing film of all time (domestically), rumors have already begun as to what villains will be featured in the enevitable sequel. The latest from the rumor mill has Johnny Depp as The Riddler, Angelina Jolie as The Catwoman, and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin. Oh my!
Wouldn’t Johnny Depp make a great Riddler? Yeah, BUT the truth of the matter is that Christopher Nolan has not yet signed on for a third Batman film. His brother and screenwriter Jonathan Nolan is supposedly still on the set doing work for Terminator Salvation. And who knows what David Goyer is up to. Even if he is busy penning a treatment, which is doubtful, I’m confident that casting talks won’t take place for quite some time. Nolan is also the type of guy to cast a role only when he has a script in hand. So I’m sure we won’t hear any casting announcements any time soon. But also take note that none of the actors who have played villains thus far were considered A-listers. And by that I mean, none of them alone could (at least, at the time) open a big blockbuster movie.
As to which villains will be featured in the next Batman film?
Goyer recently told MTV that Chris has decided on a theme for a potential third film. And anyone who has seen either of Nolan’s Batman films know that the theme is inexorably tied to the villain. And while I can easily imagine someone like The Riddler in the Nolanverse, turned into a serial killer who leaves clues behind. I can’t quite imagine a theme based on The Riddler, which would effect Bruce Wayne. And the same could be said for many of the prominent characters in the Batman franchise.
And remember, Goyer and Nolan told us that with 70 years of Batman history, they are more interested in some of the “dozens if not hundreds of other characters” that “had not been in the movies before, and had not been in the sixties TV show before.” My guess is that the villain might not be anyone we expect.
