Public Enemies - What Did You Think?
Fox Searchlight to Release Drew Barrymore’s Whip It! in October
Posted on Thursday, April 30th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Ropes Of Silicon has received word that Fox Searchlight has picked up Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut Whip It!, and will release it on October 9th 2009. Searchlight is the best possible distributor for a film like this. And while October isn’t the best month to be released, the mid-October slot has done well for the studio in the past: Boy’s Don’t Cry and Sideways.
Based on the book Derby Girl by Shauna Cross, the film stars Ellen Page as Bliss, “an indie-rock loving misfit” who finds a way of dealing with her small-town misery after she discovers a roller derby league in nearby Austin Texas. Marcia Gay Harden plays Bliss’ disapproving mother, Jimmy Falon plays a cheesy hungover announcer named Hot Tub Johnny, while Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis, Zoe Bell and Eve play roller-derby stars.
Cillian Murphy and Ellen Page Cast in Christopher Nolan’s Inception
Posted on Wednesday, April 1st, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Warner Bros is in talks with Marion Cotillard (La Vie en rose, Public Enemies), Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins, Sunshine) and Ellen Page (Juno) are in talks to join the cast of Christopher Nolan’s scifi action film Inception. Leonardo DiCaprio is already signed on to star. THR has a couple character-centric details: DiCaprio’s character is mentioned as a CEO-type, Cotillard is his wife, Page is a young college grad student and DiCaprio’s sidekick.
Nolan and crew are keeping the details of the project under wraps, and the only thing we know so far is the movie is being described as “a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind.” So your guess is as good as mine.If anyone has any details about this project, please shoot me an email.
All we know is that Nolan approached Warner Bros with the project, and they preemptively snapped it up before Nolan could approach other studios. Which is kind of obvious, because they want/need him to return for a third Batman film. Inception hits theaters on July 16th 2010.
Discuss: What do you think of the casting choices thus far?
source: Variety
Leonardo DiCaprio To Star in Christopher Nolan’s Inception
Posted on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Leonardo DiCaprio is in final negotiations to star in Christopher Nolan’s Inception. As of right now, we know almost nothing about this film, other than that it is a contemporary sci-fi action movie set in “the architecture of the mind”, whatever that means. The plan is to begin shooting this Summer, with a July 16th 2010 release date.
It’s hard to really comment on this story since we know next to nothing. One thing is for sure, DiCaprio is a three-time Academy Award nominated actor, and very capable of turning out a good performance. Anyone have any idea what Inception is about? E-Mail me. Last week, it was rumored that both DiCaprio and Ellen Page had been cast in the film (although, I can’t find the original source of this rumor), so might Page be next?
source: Variety
Anna Kendrick Cast in Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air
Posted on Thursday, November 20th, 2008 by Peter Sciretta
Anna Kendrick has been cast as the female lead in Jason Reitman’s adaptation of Walter Kirn’s novel Up in The Air. Kendrick scored the role after nailing a set of auditions which was said to involve nearly every young actress in Hollywood, including Ellen Page and Emily Blunt.
Kendrick has a small role in Twilight, but don’t let that scare you away. I remember her from a wonderful coming of age film called Rocket Science, which I saw a couple years ago at Sundance. Anna played a fast talking debate team leader named Ginny. Unfortunately, the film came and went, unseen by most of the movie-watching world (but please got Netflix it if you have the time). In my review for that film, I called her performance “career-making”, but being cast in Reitman’s Juno follow-up will certainly launch her profile into much higher orbits. You can watch a clip of Anna from Rocket Science below:
Kendrick will star opposite George Clooney, who plays Ryan Bingham, a guy with a simple goal: to accumulate one million miles in his frequent flyer account. Kendrick will play romantic interest. Here is more information from the book’s cover synopsis:
“Bingham’s job as a Career Transition Counselor has kept him airborne for years. Although he has come to despise his line of work, he has come to love the culture of what he calls “Airworld,” finding contentment within pressurized cabins, anonymous hotel rooms, and a wardrobe of wrinkle-free slacks. With a letter of resignation sitting on his boss’s desk, and the hope of a job with a mysterious consulting firm, Ryan Bingham is agonizingly close to his ultimate goal, his Holy Grail: one million frequent flier miles. But before he achieves this long-desired freedom, conditions begin to deteriorate. With perception, wit, and wisdom, Up in the Air combines brilliant social observation with an acute sense of the psychic costs of our rootless existence, and confirms Walter Kirn as one of the most savvy chroniclers of American life.”
What we already know:
- Paramount will distribute the film
- Estimated budget of around $12 to $15 million
- He wrote one of the roles for Reitman regular J.K. Simmons (who played Ellen Page’s father in Juno and Aaron Eckhart’s boss in Thank You For Smoking)
- Reitman took a break from adapting this book when he came across the script for Juno.
- Up in the Air was named one of Amazon.com’s Best of 2001.
- Time Out New York called Up in the Air “a hilarious, often ingenious ode to America.”
- The Washington Post called it “A dead-on, wry portrait of the life of the road warrior.”
- Another one of Walter Kirn’s novels, Thumbsucker, was adapted as a feature film back in 2005.
Jimmy Fallon Cast in Drew Barrymore’s Whip It!
Posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 by Peter Sciretta
I haven’t seen this officially reported anywhere, so I thought I’d pass along word that Jimmy Fallon has been cast in Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut Whip It! Fallon has been spotted by /Film sources on set of the roller derby dramedy playing “Hot Tub Johnny”, a cheesy hungover announcer who makes nasty comments to all the skaters.My sources have also spotted Andrew Wilson, brother of of Owen and Luke (fans of Wes Anderson know as “Future Man” in Bottle Rocket), who is playing a roller derby coach. The film stars Ellen Page as “an indie-rock loving misfit” who finds a way of dealing with her small-town misery after she discovers a roller derby league in nearby Austin Texas. Whip It! is currently in production.
Step Up 2: The Streets Wins Best Dramatic Film of The Year!?
Posted on Sunday, August 3rd, 2008 by Peter Sciretta
Not that anyone really cares, but the Teen Choice Awards apparently took place tonight. I mean how can you take any award show seriously that has a category like “Choice Bromantic Comedy” and where Step Up 2: The Streets can win Best Dramatic Film of the year?! The show will air on Monday at 8:00pm et/pt on FOX, but we have the list of movie related winners below.
Action Adventure: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Drama: Step Up 2: The Streets
Chick Flick: 27 Dresses
Bromantic Comedy: What Happens in Vegas
Comedy: Juno
Horror/Thriller: I Am Legend
Action Adventure: Hancock
Summer Movie Comedy: Get Smart
Actor - Drama: Channing Tatum, Stop-Loss
Actress - Drama: Keira Knightley, Atonement
Actress - Action Adventure: Rachel Bilson, Jumper
Actor - Comedy: Ashton Kutcher, What Happens in Vegas
Actress - Comedy: Ellen Page, Juno
Actor - Horror/Thriller: Will Smith, I Am Legend
Actress - Horror/Thriller: Jessica Alba, The Eye
Villain: Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Breakout Female: Ellen Page, Juno
Breakout Male: Drake Bell, Superhero Movie
Here is a round up of stories that just didn’t make the /Film front page, or what we like to call…. Page 2!
Global Nerdy brings us the photo of the day: Speeder Dogs.
Charles Grodin will cameo in Jason Segel’s new Muppet Movie. [mtv]
TorrentSpy already shut its doors earlier this year, and now they have been hit with a $110 million judgment against its parent company, Valence Media. The MPAA has won. [mashable]
Collider has a preview of their set report of G.I. Joe.
Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman have just completed a screenplay based on Mark Millar’s graphic comic book ‘Kick-Ass‘. [dailymail]
HollywoodInk has a poster for this year’s Summer movie season (pictured left).
Rotten Tomatoes has an exclusive video diary from the set of Quantum of Solace.
Vulture wonders what unsung comic book superheroes should star in The Avengers.
Ellen Page is set to play one of English literature’s most famous characters, the eponymous heroine of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. [Variety]
Topless Robot counts down the 11 Best Songs from Geek-Movie Soundtracks.
Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt will star in the Marc Webb-helmed romantic comedy 500 Days of Summer for Fox Searchlight, which centers on a man (Gordon-Levitt) who falls hopelessly in love with a woman (Deschanel) who doesn’t believe in love. [variety]
CineVegas has announced their line-up which includes: The Rocker, Dark Streets, Your Name Here, Beautiful Losers, Chelsea on the Rocks, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Choke, and Schoof [thecircuit]
The Sundance Channel has been acquired by New York-based Cablevision Systems for $496 million in stock and cash. [imdb]
Director Darren Lynn Bousman has officially been asked to direct the remake to Hellraiser. [bloody-disgusting]
io9 has the latest on the Cloverfield Managa.
SNL have announced Shia LeBoeuf will host May 10th with My Morning Jacket and Steve Carell will host season finale on May 17th with Usher. [collider]
The internet teaser trailer for Kevin Smith’s Zack and Miri Make a Porno will hit the web next week. [newsaskew]
The first production photo of Moon Bloodgood as Det. Maya Sunee in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li was released on the movie’s official blog.
Susan Sarandon, Bill Pullman and Josh Lucas are joining Cillian Murphy and Ellen Page in Michael Lander’s psychological thriller “Peacock.” [THR]
GuideSpot has a Google Maps guide of Alfred Hitchcock’s Bay Area.
Tom Cruise has launched Tom Cruise.com.
Tom Hanks endorses Barack Obama.
My friend John Campea over on The Movie Blog listed five lesser known comic character movies he’d like to see
Wanted and Hellboy 2: The Golden Army will open and close the Los Angeles Film Festival.
FirstShowing takes a look at the Future of Iron Man: Alcoholic Tony Stark, War Machine, and Beyond!
The first trailer for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor will hit in June. [SciFi]
Maya Entertainment has acquired all U.S. rights to Alex Rivera’s Sundance award-winner Sleep Dealer. [THR]
Juno II Movie Trailer created by Mad TV
The Pitch: “From the irritatingly quirky mind of Oscar Award winning Diablo Cody comes the sequel that half the country has been violently waiting for. Juno kills a homeless man and has conversations full of inane pop-cultured nonsense.”
Video of the Day is a daily feature of /Film showcasing geekarific video creations. Have a video we should be feature on VOTD? E-Mail us at orfilms@gmail.com.
Juno II Movie Trailer created by Mad TV
The Pitch: “From the irritatingly quirky mind of Oscar Award winning Diablo Cody comes the sequel that half the country has been violently waiting for. Juno kills a homeless man and has conversations full of inane pop-cultured nonsense.”
Video of the Day is a daily feature of /Film showcasing geekarific video creations. Have a video we should be feature on VOTD? E-Mail us at orfilms@gmail.com.
Juno hits DVD on April 15th 2008, and the special edition DVD features 11 deleted scenes.
Fox Searchlight has released an advance look at one of those scenes. “Cafe Triste” features Juno (Ellen Page) performing a one man show at a little cafe with best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby) and always-awkward former semi-boyfriend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera) in attendance.
It should be noted that the color timing and audio was never finalized, which is typical of most deleted scenes released on DVD. Enjoy.
You can preorder the two-disc Juno Special Edition on Amazon.com for $22.99 (34% off the $34.98 retail price).
Justin Long to Star in Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell
Posted on Monday, March 10th, 2008 by Hunter Stephenson
“Wasn’t me.”
Peter emailed me the following question regarding the announcement that Justin Long will now star in Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell: How did a movie go from so much potential with a return to old form, an Oscar nominated actress [Ellen Page] attached, to a Justin Long movie? I have no idea, but I too would rather see Mr. PC star in Raimi’s first horror thriller in years than the baby-faced star of Jeepers Creepers, Drew Barrymore’s prolonged youth and Apple propaganda.
Long (Live Free of Die Hard) will star alongside Ellen Page’s lesser known replacement, actress Alison Lohman, who joined the film just days ago after Page bailed due to scheduling conflicts. Written by Raimi and his brother Ivan, not much is known about Drag Me to Hell except that it will follow the unfortunate recipient of a supernatural curse, it has an awesome title, and it harks back to Raimi’s Evil Dead salad days but with less gore and less Bruce Campbell.
Next up for Long is He’s Just Not That Into You. Make ‘em swoon Long, make ‘em swoon.
Discuss: What has more scary potential, Drag Me to Hell or Justin Long in a movie?
Alison Lohman to Replace Ellen Page in Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell
Posted on Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 by Hunter Stephenson
Blonds tells fewer blog jokes, it’s a fact, so maybe director Sam Raimi is onto something by casting actress Alison Lohman (Beowulf, Flicka) in the lead role formerly occupied by Ellen Page (Juno) in his upcoming horror thriller Drag Me to Hell.
Oscar nominee Page aborted the project days ago amid rumors that she was unhappy with the script by Raimi and his brother Ivan Raimi. There was also the trusty rumor that Page forever hisses at her agent anytime she hears the words “how about a horror movie, Ellen” post-Academy Awards. As our pub brothers at FirstShowing have pointed out, Variety reported on Sunday that the real reason might have been, yep, “scheduling differences” after all…
“We were racing to start production so that we could accommodate Ellen’s schedule,” Ghost House and Mandate said in a joint statement. “But like so many other productions trying to start before the potential SAG strike date, this one needed more time, and we had to push back the start of production.”
Indeed, the SAG strike is fast becoming the new “forgot my homework,” or, sure, WGA strike. Lohman, who is almost 30 but looks teenish, is of Irish descent, an environmentalist and I’m sure she can belt out a scream with the best of them. But I dunno, does she have the spark, that hamburger phone aura, that Page has?
Discuss: Page versus Loh(m)an. What difference does this play in your anticipation of Drag Me to Hell?
Ellen Page Drops Out of Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell
Posted on Friday, February 29th, 2008 by Hunter Stephenson
The horror genre’s nasty feud with Oscar nominees continues, as Juno star Ellen Page has pulled out out of the dark place that is director Sam Raimi’s upcoming horror-thriller Drag Me to Hell. Bloody Disgusting reports that the sweet tart wasn’t happy over the latest draft of the script, which was written by Raimi and his brother Ivan Raimi, but they speculate that this is really “Oscar cold feet.” Page came aboard the film earlier this month.
No word on a replacement, but who would you like to see in the flick? It was described here earlier as “a ’spook-a-blast,’ a wild ride with all the chill and spills of [Raimi's] The Evil Dead, without relying on the excessive violence of that film.” I’m digging the exploitation-vibe of the title, which recalls grindhouse films like I Spit on Your Grave and Thriller: A Cruel Picture. The plot reportedly revolves around “the unwitting recipient of a supernatural curse” and presumably that’s who Page was going to play. Page will next be seen in Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, the rollerskating-fem movie Whip It!, due in 2009.
Discuss: Who’s the best replacement for Page? What young actress who hasn’t starred in a horror flick would you like to see take “the plunge”? And after three Spider-Man films and many Jacuzzi nights, does Raimi still have the goods to scare you up a wall and make you do a spit-take back to back?
