Danny Boyle just bolstered the cast of his new thriller Trance, which will shoot later this year, then go dormant until late 2012 while the director works on the London Olympics, before finally being completed next fall for release sometime in 2013. James McAvoy is already set to play an accomplice in a botched art heist, and now he will likely be joined by Rosario Dawson and Vincent Cassel. Read More »
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New animation from Aardman Animation (Wallace & Gromit) is like a gift, so the company is (appropriately) making a Christmas film called, er, Arthur Christmas. We’ve seen one brief, cheeky teaser trailer, and now there is a second just as cheeky teaser to put you in mind of the November release. It’s good stuff; check it out along with a new poster for the film, after the break. Read More »
Posted on Tuesday, July 5th, 2011 by Angie Han
The last time we checked in on casting for Danny Boyle‘s Trance, there was some confusion as to would-be star Michael Fassbender‘s involvement with the project. Now it seems Fassbender is definitely out, thanks to “scheduling issues” — but happily, Boyle’s top choice to replace him seems just as good. The director is reportedly looking to cast Colin Firth in the role recently vacated by Fassbender. Meanwhile, Scarlett Johansson is leading the shortlist of actresses for the heist thriller’s female lead. Read more details after the jump.
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We were surprised when Danny Boyle announced his intent to direct a thriller called Trance this fall, even though Danny Boyle’s reposnsibilities with the upcoming Olympics in London mean the film won’t actually be finished until fall of 2012 and released in 2013.
Then we were very happy when Michael Fassbender was announced as the likely choice for one of the lead roles. Hopefully this won’t be too much of a blow to your interest in the film, but Mr. Fassbender has now backed out. Instead his role will likely be played by his X-Men: First Class cohort James McAvoy. Read More »
Posted on Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 by Angie Han
Gossip Girl actor Penn Badgley has been tapped to star as Jeff Buckley in a new biopic about the singer-songwriter. No, not that one — the other one. In true Hollywood fashion, there are currently two Buckley-based projects in the works: the one Jake Scott’s making with Buckley’s mother Mary Guibert as executive producer, and this one, directed by Daniel Algrant (Naked in New York). Scott’s film will be look at Buckley’s (tragically brief) life and career arc, whereas Algrant’s will focus on Buckley’s breakthrough performance at a 1991 tribute concert for his father, the late Tim Buckley. According to The Playlist, Algrant’s will also include a romance between Buckley and a working at the concert.
I really only know Badgley from Easy A and the handful of Gossip Girl episodes I’ve seen, and I can’t say he’s ever left a strong impression on me. (Well — I hated his Gossip Girl character, but that’s probably less his fault than the writers’.) So I can’t say whether this will be a good thing or a bad thing. Either way, there’s a chance he’ll be going up against fellow teen heartthrob Robert Pattinson, who’s still rumored to be circling the corresponding role in Scott’s movie. [24 Frames]
After the jump, rising star Andrea Riseborough wins the female lead in Welcome to the Punch, and Fairly Legal‘s Sarah Shahi signs on for Walter Hill’s next project.
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On Saturday, I had the opportunity to see Matthew Vaughn‘s X-Men: First Class. Over the last year, we’ve heard about how the film had morphed from the original concept of X-Men Origins: Magneto into a prequel/reboot in the same style of what JJ Abrams did for the Star Trek franchise. I can confirm that the completed film is exactly both of these things. It fits right in with Bryan Singer’s first two X-Men films and is probably the second best film in the series next to X-Men United. And I say that with a certain but of nostalgia for the sequel, as it came out at a time when comic book adaptations didn’t strive to be anything more than popcorn fun. But the more and more I think about it, the more and more I think Vaughn’s film might have surpassed it.
Going into the film, I had so many expectations (most of which were set-up by the trailers). I had assumed that the advertising was being packed with all the moments in an effort to sell a action-less origin story, but I was surprised at how much action was actually the film. I don’t think anyone will see this movie and come out disappointed. It strikes a great balance of being accessible to non-comic book fans and packing some pretty cool easter eggs that comic geeks will love (I will keep this vague as I don’t want to spoil any of the fun).
While I have read a lot of X-Men comics in the 1990′s, I’m not really clear on the origins on some of these characters and what events in the comic universe led to certain situations. So while I’m unable to assess how faithful it is to comic book canon, I will say that everything is handled quite nicely. Picky fans might notice some continuity nitpicks and possible timeline issues (especially if you look at this as a prequel to the film series), but nothing major
And Vaughn adds his trademark style to the series in all the right moments, without making the cinematography feel out of place in the period setting. For example, one such moment (and I wouldn’t consider a spoiler in any way) is Hank McCoy’s transformation into Beast. Vaughn handles the sequence like a werewolf transformation, but shot in a way I’ve never seen it before, from Hank’s POV. It is very cool. There is a bit of cheesy dialogue, especially in the scenes that focus on the younger mutants. But at the core, this is a story about Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr (played brilliantly in this film by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender), two best friends who will become enemies at the center of the mutant revolution.
We can’t really go into specifics at this time, so I’m trying to keep everything general. I recorded a short video blog with Frosty from Collider, joined by /Film’s own Germain Lussier. Watch it now embedded after the jump.
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If you’re like me, with each photo and trailer (posters not included) that’s revealed from X-Men First Class, excitement and anticipation slowly rises. It seems like director Matthew Vaughn, with an extremely talented cast including James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and others, might have actually pulled off something special. We won’t know for sure for a few weeks but, if the pacing and energy of this seemingly simple clip from the film is any indication, June 3 can’t come soon enough.
Check it out, as well as a few new TV spots, after the jump. Read More »
There’s a reason this article is illustrated with a ten-year old image of Nicole Kidman in The Others: she’s not quite a stranger to making low-budget chillers, and now she seems to be tapped for a new one. Saw and Insidious director James Wan is putting together a movie called Spectre, and a throwaway mention in a Variety report on Cannes sales mentions that Nicole Kidman is in talks to star. We don’t know what the film is, but knowing James Wan’s general M.O. I’ll let you guess the basics. Nicole Kidman already has one thriller in the can for this year (Joel Schumacher’s Trespass, with Nic Cage) and may be Park Chan-Wook’s Stoker and/or Sam Raimi’s Oz the Great and Powerful. But I’ll admit: fond memories of The Others make me hope this comes together.
After the break. Mark Strong gets ready to punch, and Amber Heard is in a film called Syrup. Read More »
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