Back in May, we heard that Brendan Fraser would play William Tell in a 3D film to be directed by Doctor Who veteran Nick Hurran. The movie is still moving forward, but one thing has changed: Hurran will no longer direct. Instead, Eric Brevig, who directed Fraser in Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D, will helm William Tell 3D, the film that is planned to shoot in the styles of — what else? — Pirates of the Caribbean and Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes. Read More »
.
Please Recommend /Film on Facebook
We had a couple of days where mid-level casting for a lot of projects was going crazy. Maybe there was something in the air; maybe casting directors and agents just all got together and had a field day. It’s been a bit slower today, but still there are a couple of items to catch up on. After the break, you’ll find info on how:
- Robin Williams appears to be cast in Gently Down the Stream, with Robert De Niro and Susan Sarandon.
- Joel David Moore (Avatar) will be in Oliver Stone’s Savages.
- and Katie Cassidy takes the lead in Freaky Deaky. Read More »
If writer/director Charles Matthau was looking to get everyone’s attention for his upcoming adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel Freaky Deaky, mission accomplished. A few months back, he got a good start by casting William H. Macy in a major role and today he upped the ante by getting Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser and Craig Robinson to join the film about a couple of former hippies who use bomb making skills to extort millions of dollars. Dillon plays an LAPD office who becomes wise to the scam, Fraser is one of the hippies, Macy is the millionaire mark and Robinson is his former Black Panther assistant. Read More »
If it feels like Brendan Fraser is suddenly everywhere, that’s because he is. After being relatively low-profile for a couple years he is about to be in several films: he’s shooting the Belfast-based heist comedy Whole Lotta Sole right now, will soon shoot Gimme Shelter (playing against type as a less than accepting father) and now has two new roles.
He’ll be in the ‘sweeping epic historical drama’ Four Kings (not a sequel to Three Kings, fortunately) that will shoot late this summer in Toronto with Damien Lee directing. And he’ll play the title role in William Tell 3D (ok, not so exciting) from director Nick Hurran, a Doctor Who vet. More info on both new films is after the break. Read More »
The indie drama Gimme Shelter will go into production at the end of this month in Connecticut, and it has Brendan Fraser set to star, with Vanessa Hudgens now likely appearing as well. Ron Krauss wrote and will direct; the film follows a pregnant homeless girl (Hudgens’ role) who “flees her abusive mother and seeks out her biological father. He first takes her in but then throws her out when she refuses to abort her child.”
The dad is Brendan Fraser, and it sounds like the sort of not so massively sympathetic role that he doesn’t often play. So that could be interesting. As a side note, I understand why the film is titled as it is, but at this point it is really time to leave certain Rolling Stones songs alone, and ‘Gimme Shelter’ is one of them. [THR]
After the break, Seth MacFarlane’s Ted gets one more, and Anthony Mackie might be in line for a couple big films. Read More »
Terry George, who wrote and directed Hotel Rwanda and Reservation Road and wrote In the Name of the Father, has roped in Brendan Fraser to star in the comedy heist film Whole Lotta Sole. The film is written by Mr. George and Thomas Gallagher, and follows “a young man robbing a fish shop in order to pay off a gambling debt; the heist goes terribly — and humorously — awry when it turns into a hostage situation.” Yep: robbing a fish shop.
Brendan Fraser is not the young man; he’s the shopkeeper. (But he is trying to elude his father in law, a gangster.) He can be a solid actor, when not being called upon to mug and grimace in family adventures. No idea how this one will turn out, but we’ll keep a lookout for the actors chosen to play the robber and gangster father in law. [Variety]
After the break, Clifton Collins, Jr. faces the supernatural and Hayley Atwell books an odd gig. Read More »
Years ago, the idea of Brendan Fraser working with Neil LaBute would have been appealing. In 1998 it would have been the guy from Gods & Monsters being directed by the firebrand behind Your Friends and Neighbors. Good stuff. Now, well, it’s the guy from Furry Vengeance directed by the guy behind The Wicker Man. Not such an easy sell.
Still, let optimism reign. Brendan Fraser will star in Seconds of Pleasure, the new film Neil LaBute, about which details are non-existent. All we know is it will shoot in the UK this March. Alongside him will be Kristin Scott Thomas, with possible additions Colin Firth and Ed Harris. So that’s quite a solid cast if things come together. I’d love to see both these men make a good film again, so fingers are crossed. [Deadline]
After the break, that Kevin James MMA film gets a director. Read More »
I do remember, but it takes some work. Earlier this week there was a poster debut for his new film Extraordinary Measures, which was notable for the image being extraordinarily forgettable. Now the trailer has hit for the Harrison Ford film, which co-stars Brendan Fraser and Keri Russell as a couple whose two kids are diagnosed with a terminal disease. They go to a researcher, played by Ford, and attempt to bootstrap a company with the resources to develop what the kids need to survive. Catch the trailer after the break, and pine for bygone days when Harrison Ford was great. Read More »
