Briefly: 2011 was a great year for Woody Allen. His playful, entertaining film Midnight in Paris turned into the year’s runaway arthouse hit, taking in $60m to become Allen’s greatest domestic success. Sony Classics has distributed the director’s last few films and after their stellar success with Midnight in Paris, I think it has been pretty much a foregone conclusion that his next movie, Nero Fiddled, would go out via the company as well.
Variety reports that deal has been set, with Sony Classics picking up North American and UK rights to the film, which stars Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penelope Cruz, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig and Ellen Page. As is typically the case with a new Allen film we don’t know much about the plot — all we’ve got is that the Rome-set film “consists of four separate vignettes — two with American characters, two with Italian characters — but the vignettes never intersect.”
The film will get a summer 2012 release, and is a likely bet for a Cannes debut.
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This past summer, Woody Allen enjoyed the unexpected success of his film Midnight in Paris, which has been going strong in arthouses since May with over $100m earned worldwide. He also shot a new film in Rome, and for quite some time he was planning to call the movie Bop Decameron. There’s a lot to like about that title — it’s very Woody Allen, and even a good bit more jaunty than most of his titles. But it isn’t the sort of title that will keep a movie on screens for six months. Midnight in Paris sounds romantic and enticing. Bop Decameron sounds like… well, I imagine Woody realized a lot of people might not know what it sounds like.
So the film is now called Nero Fiddled. Not as jaunty or romantic, but at least people will know what he’s talking about. I hope. Read More »
Coming off Midnight in Paris, his biggest financial success in decades, Woody Allen is ready to shoot his 2012 film. It’s called The Bop Decameron and he’s just finalized the very impressive cast, many of which we were already aware of. The most exciting news is the confirmation that Allen himself will return to the screen after a few films off (his last one was 2006′s Scoop). He’ll star along with Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig and Ellen Page. It’ll start filming in Rome next month. No word on the plot, as Allen likes to keep those under wraps, but we try and decipher the title and announce more cast members after the jump. Read More »
As Woody Allen prepares to arrive in Cannes with his latest film Midnight in Paris, he is confirming some casting reports about his next film, to be shot in Rome, which he calls “a comic picture, an out-and-out comedy.” Speaking to USA Today he offered that quote, said that reports pegging the film’s title as The Wrong Picture were, uh, wrong, and confirming that he would indeed appear in the film.
And he also confirmed Deadline‘s report that Roberto Benigni would play a part in the movie. We don’t know what that part will be, but he’ll join Penelope Cruz, Ellen Page, Jesse Eisenberg and Alec Baldwin. Read More »
Woody Allen is notoriously shy about naming his movies, typically only doing so after writing the script, and sometimes picking a name far later in the process, like when the film has been shot. He has lately been prepping a film that will shoot in Rome this year, with a cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Penelope Cruz, Ellen Page and Alec Baldwin.
Now in an interview with Le Journal du dimanche, the director appears to say the name of the film is The Wrong Picture. That could be a working title, and we’re waiting for confirmation. No plot details accompanied that revelation, but that is also standard operating procedure for the guy. What can we glean about the new film from the title? Not a whole lot at this point, but if he’s letting the name slip now expect to hear more casting soon.
After the break, the Emma Roberts Sundance film Homework gets a new title. Read More »
The other day when Alec Baldwin was set as one of the actors for Woody Allen‘s next film, Jesse Eisenberg was mentioned as a possible choice as well. And many of you probably thought “well, duh. Of course he is.” Is there any more obvious, even necessary actor to put in a Woody Allen movie? Not now. So, no shock to know that he’s now been confirmed for the currently mysterious project that will be shot in Rome. And along with Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page has been added to the mix, too. They join Penelope Cruz, who was the first cast. Because there is no plot or even a title announced just yet, that’s all we can tell you for the moment. [Variety]
After the break, 21 Jump Street gets one more, and Jeff Foxworthy makes his big-screen debut. Read More »
Briefly: While Alec Baldwin was once actively talking about retirement, we know better than to take talk like that too seriously. He says he’s done with 30 Rock after the next season, and in the meantime will shoot a part in Adam Shankman’s adaptation of the musical Rock of Ages. And now we know that he’ll be in Woody Allen‘s next film as well. At this point we don’t know too much about this particular project, other than that it will be set in Rome and also star Penélope Cruz.
Deadline says that Jesse Eisenberg is also rumored for a role, but we have no confirmation on that yet. As is typical for Woody Allen, there is no title or even basic description of the story for this film yet. But a reunion with Alec Baldwin (they last worked together on Alice over 20 years ago) is another good selling point.
The latest addition to the cast roster of The Three Stooges is Modern Family‘s Sofia Vergara, who is now in talks to play a femme fatale. (THR describes her as “a devious woman who pretends to be the wife of a dying man and tells the Stooges she’ll pay them a handsome sum if they kill the man in his sleep.”) The part factors into the middle section of the film; the Farrelly Brothers are presenting the movie structured as three 30-minute shorts. As for the rest of the cast, Will Sasso is Curly, Sean Hayes is Larry, and no Moe has been picked. (Or none has been announced, anyway.) [Original report: Variety]
After the break, Woody Allen and Penélope Cruz reunite; 21 Jump Street gets a bad guy and one more is added to David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis. Read More »
