Posted on Monday, October 31st, 2011 by Russ Fischer
Mark Steven Johnson, the director of the first Ghost Rider film, as well as of Daredevil, Simon Birch and When in Rome, is now set to direct a movie called Killing Season. This will be the first film to team Robert De Niro and John Travolta, and the two actors will face off in a pretty classic adventure scenario. Read More »
Posted on Thursday, October 27th, 2011 by Angie Han
I’m kind of a sucker for movies about fading stars (Sunset Boulevard is one of my all-time favorites), so I’ve been curious to see Art Linson‘s script The Comedian make it to the screen. I first heard about it this spring, when Martin Scorsese was rumored to be directing with Robert De Niro in the lead, but that report’s turned out to be only half true. De Niro is indeed set to star in the film, but it’s Sean Penn who’ll be taking over behind the camera.
Additionally, the project has just seen the addition of Saturday Night Live veteran Kristen Wiig, in a rare (I’m assuming) dramatic role. More details after the jump.
Posted on Monday, October 24th, 2011 by Angie Han
Actors signing on to play real-life figures is nothing new, but casting, say, Jesse Eisenberg in the role of ordinary-looking dude Mark Zuckerberg is one thing. When the character in question is a larger-than-life icon whose unique looks and mannerisms are recognized all over the globe, that’s something else entirely, whether it’s Michael Douglas playing Liberace, Michelle Williams doing her best Marilyn Monroe — or Eric Bana rocking the King’s pompadour.
The Aussie actor has signed on to star as Elvis Presley in Elvis & Nixon, the directorial debut of Cary Elwes. Bana will also executive produce, through his shingle Pick Up Truck Pictures. Meanwhile, Danny Huston is in final negotiations to play the other title role, of U.S. president Richard M. Nixon.
The story, which was written by Elwes with Joey Sagal and Hanala Sagal, revolves around a real-life visit that Presley paid to Nixon at the White House on December 21, 1970. The meeting came about after Presley wrote Nixon a letter requesting that he be allowed to visit and suggesting that the President make him an agent at large with the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. Presley brought family photos and a Colt .45 pistol to give the President as gifts. Elvis & Nixon will begin shooting in Los Angeles and Louisiana at an unspecified date. [The Hollywood Reporter]
After the jump, Robert De Niro also tackles a true-life tale — that of Ponzi scheme mastermind Bernie Madoff.
A new poster and trailer have dropped for New Year’s Eve, Garry Marshall‘s follow-up to his commercial hit Valentine’s Day. The film appears to be essentially just Valentine’s Day with warmer clothing and some casting changes. Once again, Marshall brings together lots of big-name celebs for a collection of interlinked love stories that revolve around the holiday name-checked in the title.
This time around, the stars are Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, Hector Elizondo, Robert De Niro, Halle Berry, Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Til Schweiger, Lea Michele, Zac Efron, Abigail Breslin, Sofia Vergara, Alyssa Milano, Hilary Swank, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ice Cube, Seth Meyers, John Stamos, Jon Bon Jovi, John Lithgow, Ludacris, and Ryan Seacrest, who all converge in or around Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Watch the trailer and check out the poster after the jump.
Posted on Wednesday, September 28th, 2011 by Angie Han
Good things keep coming for the stars of Animal Kingdom, as Jacki Weaver lands a role in David O. Russell‘s The Silver Linings Playbook. Weaver will play Bradley Cooper‘s mother in the film, based on Matthew Quick‘s novel about a former high school teacher (Cooper) who’s just been released from a four-year stint at a mental institution into the care of his mother. Upon his release, the protagonist initially tries to win back his ex-wife but eventually falls into a romance with an eccentric young widow (Jennifer Lawrence).
Also signed on for the project is Robert De Niro in an unnamed part. Chris Tucker was said to be in talks for the part of Cooper’s pal from the institution, but the latest reports don’t mention him, so I’m guessing he’s out. The Silver Linings Playbook is set to begin shooting this fall. [The Hollywood Reporter]
After the jump, Paul Bettany and Brian Cox team up for a film adapted from a BAFTA-nominated BBC series, and True Blood star Sam Trammell helps Virginia Madsen cope with her troubles.
Posted on Wednesday, September 7th, 2011 by Russ Fischer
The career of Chris Tucker is an unusual one, as movie star careers go. He’s got only eleven feature credits, three of which are for very small roles. He’s primarily a star based on The Fifth Element and three Rush Hour movies. Because those three Rush Hour movies have earned an amount of money that will greatly sadden you (just under a billion dollars globally before licensing, DVD, etc.) he probably doesn’t have to work all that much. And so he doesn’t.
But now Tucker may be following up his last screen appearance, in 2007′s Rush Hour 3, with roles in either David O. Russell‘s The Silver Linings Playbook or Akiva Schaffer‘s action comedy Neighborhood Watch. Read More »
Way back in late 2010, we reported on the potential casting of Bradley Cooper in the lead role for David O. Russell‘s The Silver Linings Playbook. At some point, however, Mark Wahlberg emerged as the star of the film, and Cooper was no longer associated with the project. Now, it’s looking like we’re back to square one, with Wahlberg out and Cooper back in. Wahlberg has dropped out of the film due to a scheduling conflict with a different project (possibly Broken City with Allen Huges), and Cooper is currently in talks to replace him.
Also in talks for the movie is Robert De Niro, who met with Russell earlier this summer regarding an unnamed part. Jennifer Lawrence is still set to co-star as the main character’s love interest. Based on a novel by Matthew Quick, the film follows a former high school teacher (that’d be Coopers part) who’s just been released from a four-year stint at a mental institution into the care of his mother. [Deadline]
After the jump: Reese Witherspoon teams up with Disney, Alden Ehrenreich joins Stoker, and Doctor Who star Karen Gillan nabs an indie romance.
Posted on Friday, June 24th, 2011 by Russ Fischer
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:
