tagged w/ movies_featured
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Sean Penn's busy shooting schedule has suddenly gone dark.
In an announcement that has caught two studios by surprise, Penn has pulled out of two films, citing personal reasons.
Penn has informed Universal and Imagine that he will be unable to star in the Asger Leth-directed drama "Cartel," which was to be his next movie. His role will be recast. Studio is putting together a list of actors now and hopes to stick with an early fall start date.
Scripted by Peter Craig, the movie follows a man who journeys to protect his son after his wife is murdered by Mexican cartels.
Penn will also be unable to make the start date of MGM comedy "The Three Stooges." He was to star as Larry in the pic, directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly. "Stooges" also stars Jim Carrey as Curly and Benicio Del Toro as Moe. It's unclear if the studio will recast or wait for Penn to return to work.
Penn has completed two films for River Road, both earmarked for release next year. "Fair Game," the Doug Liman-directed drama about outed CIA agent Valerie Plame, co-stars Naomi Watts. The Terrence Malick-directed "The Tree of Life" also stars Brad Pitt.
During the Cannes Film Festival, Penn was revealed to be in talks to star in "This Must Be the Place," which will mark the English-language feature debut of Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, with a script co-written by Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello (Daily Variety, May 17). Pic was to be produced by Nicola Giuliano of Indigo Film and Andrea Occhipinti of Lucky Red. Financing and scheduling were not yet complete on that film, but Penn still intends to make the film at some point.
Penn is taking an undetermined sabbatical -- possibly as much as a year -- to focus on his family.Sean Penn's busy shooting schedule has suddenly gone dark.
In an announcement... more
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Apparently Steven Spielberg has started work on Indiana Jones 5, having settled on a story - according to Shia LaBeouf, who starred in the 4th film as Indiana's son.
I'm sure it'll be as totally tolerable as the ending of the 4th film!
My favourite bit was the fridge.
Etc.Apparently Steven Spielberg has started work on Indiana Jones 5, having settled on a... more
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This story shows how a project can be going nowhere for years until it finally gets somewhere.
"Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan" could soon be taking flight.
After being set up in early 2007 at Universal, the project -- a supernatural thriller set in the world of New York City ballet -- has been reconstituted after being put into turnaround by the studio. It has been making the rounds to studios and specialty divisions, several of which are keenly interested.
Among the elements giving it a boost: Natalie Portman is attached to play the lead.
Several other changes have occurred since the Aronofsky-helmed project was first developed by Universal.
Mark Heyman, a development exec at Aronofsky's Protozoa Pictures, has done a rewrite of John McLaughlin's original script for the pic, which Mike Medavoy's Phoenix Pictures and Protozoa are producing.
Aronofsky, meanwhile, has gone on to helm the critical and commercial favorite "The Wrestler," putting him in high demand.
CAA packaged and is selling "Swan"; it also reps Portman and Aronofsky.
"Swan" centers on a veteran ballerina (Portman) who finds herself locked in a competitive situation with a rival dancer, with the stakes and twists increasing as the dancers approach a big performance. But it's unclear whether the rival is a supernatural apparition or if the protagonist is simply having delusions.
Those who've read the script say it's a spine-tingler with elements of "The Others," the Nicole Kidman breakout in which viewers are left to discern what's real and what's imagined.
If a sale happens imminently, "Swan" could begin shooting as early as this year. Aronofsky has not committed to a movie that's ready to go, though he has been developing the "Robocop" reboot at MGM."This story shows how a project can be going nowhere for years until it finally gets... more
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Pretty much all you need to know about underground filmmaking legends George and Mike Kuchar, 67, is contained in the titles of their movies - or "pictures," as the Bronx-born twins call them.
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I just saw the new doc, IT Came from Kuchar yesterday. If you're even an inkling into the concept of "underground" film, then you need to see the guys who even had John Waters fooled about fake poo.
But more so, just how their filmmaking has evolved.Pretty much all you need to know about underground filmmaking legends George and Mike... more
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A few weeks ago, some utterly clueless study was conducted showing that the Romanian films so popular on the festival right now were, shockingly, not box office successes in Romania. Why anyone was taken aback by this is hard to guess. Most country's festival films have always been persona non grata—commercially and sometimes politically—in the places they emerged. (Recall, for example, Tony Rayns launching his war against Kim Ki-Duk by pointing out that his financing was almost entirely foreign, as if that were an automatic demerit.)
In the late '90s, Iranian cinema was the wave of the art-house future: Jafar Panahi, Abbas Kiarostami, Mohsen Makhmalbaf and (grudgingly conceded) Majid Majidi were all enjoying fair success. Their films, too, weren't necessarily commercial hits in Iran (Panahi is used to having his work banned), but then something else happened: the amount of foreign cinematic attention paid to Iran these past few years—with the exception of Panahi's Offside—has been almost null. Kiarostami is off doing art installation-type dares to the audience, Makhmalbaf hasn't seen American distribution since 2001, Majidi continues to tickle the middlebrows with allegorical children and Panahi has to fight to make a film every three years. There is, of course, nothing inherently sinister about a country's cinematic profile temporarily ebbing a bit; certainly, given how the cinematic country du jour seems to change every few years (Iran, Korea, Thailand, Romania), it might just seem like some kind of anomaly. Given current events, that's really not the biggest of concerns right now. But what, precisely, has been going on?A few weeks ago, some utterly clueless study was conducted showing that the Romanian... more
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Hollywood nursed another big weekend hangover.
The Warner Bros. comedy "The Hangover" hauled in $33.4 million to remain the top box-office draw for a second-straight weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The tale of a Las Vegas bachelor party gone to extremes raised its total to $105.4 million after 10 days in theaters. It was the summer's first movie to finish at No. 1 for two weekends in a row.
Disney's latest Pixar Animation hit, the action comedy "Up," came in a close second again with $30.5 million. That lifts the acclaimed animated film's total to $187.2 million.
Debuting at No. 3 with $25 million was Sony's action remake "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3." The thriller stars Denzel Washington as a dispatcher matching wits against John Travolta as the mastermind of a subway hijacking.
Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony, said he was pleased with the results on "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" and that studio executives expect it to hold up well, since it drew mainly older viewers who do not rush out to see movies over opening weekend.
"Third place and happy about it," Bruer said.
Eddie Murphy delivered a dud with the Paramount family comedy "Imagine That," which debuted at No. 6 with a lackluster $5.7 million. The movie features Murphy as a work-obsessed dad whose daughter's three imaginary friends make him a financial whiz with their smart stock-market picks...
1. "The Hangover," $33.4 million.
2. "Up," $30.5 million.
3. "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," $25 million.
4. "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," $9.6 million.
5. "Land of the Lost," $9.2 million.
6. "Imagine That," $5.7 million.
7. "Star Trek," $5.6 million.
8. "Terminator Salvation," $4.7 million.
9. "Angels & Demons," $4.2 million.
10. "Drag Me to Hell," $3.9 million.Hollywood nursed another big weekend hangover.
The Warner Bros. comedy "The... more
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Marcus Nispel will direct Conan the Barbarian. I get this from an impeccable source, one who assures me that this isn't speculation or rumor. Nispel has signed on the line that is dotted.
This moves Conan into the next gear; the movie looked like it might stall when Brett Ratner, who had been developing it for Millennium for some time, backed out of the project. The company still wanted to shoot as early as this summer, but without a director or a star things looked rough for the production. Now that Nispel is on board things can get back to moving forward.Marcus Nispel will direct Conan the Barbarian. I get this from an impeccable source,... more
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Be the cool kid on the block with the multi-colored reflective hat that Marty and Marty’s kid wore in Back to the Future: Part II. This hat has geek scribbled all over it, and it can match with any outfit. Pre-order now for $24.99.Be the cool kid on the block with the multi-colored reflective hat that Marty and... more
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Paramount has debuted the first official trailer for Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer, Michelle Williams, Max von Sydow, and Jackie Earle Haley. It looks like Scorsese has finally decided to take on Hitchcock head-on, and DiCaprio may finally get that Oscar he's been waiting for. Shutter Island is the first movie we've seen anything from that is a big Oscar contender this year. And wow does it look incredible. The performances all seem exceptional, DiCaprio and Kingsley especially, and I can't wait to see this story unfold under Scorsese's direction.
Does this trailer live up to all of your expectations? Let us know what you think of Scorsese's latest below!Paramount has debuted the first official trailer for Martin Scorsese's Shutter... more
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Released three months apart, Death Wish and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three are twinned images of the subway as a microcosm of 1974 New York City: Death Wish the urban hell variant, Pelham a dystopian playground. Both focus on people with guns infesting the transport system and start a general acceptance of the city being as violent and out-of-control as could be. (The next year, the city almost had to declare bankruptcy, leading to the infamous Ford to City: Drop Dead Daily News headline, which pretty much sums up the overall tenor.) Both have lasted far past their initial sell-by dates as basic programmers. On the occasion of Tony Scott's ill-advised remake of Pelham, it's worth thinking about the ways the films complement each other.Released three months apart, Death Wish and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three are... more
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We’ve heard rumblings for a while now that a fourth Mission: Impossible film is in development. Last we heard. Tom Cruise claimed on a Japanese television show that he was “working on the story right now” and has been “thinking about how to stage a big action sequence in downtown Tokyo.” I just assumed that Cruise was talking out of his behind. And there have even been rumors that the fourth film could be a complete reboot.
Well now JJ Abrams confirms to TV Guide that he will be reteaming with Tom Cruise to produce Mission: Impossible 4.We’ve heard rumblings for a while now that a fourth Mission: Impossible film is... more
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Tattoos in the movies have a storied history, from the simple, classic LOVE/HATE knuckle tattoos in The Night of the Hunter to the slick and sexy additions to Angelina Jolie's existing body art in last summer's Wanted. Sometimes they're good. Sometimes they suck. Here's a collection of the worst for your enjoyment.Tattoos in the movies have a storied history, from the simple, classic LOVE/HATE... more
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In Night of the Living Dead, zombies are brought back from the dead by a "mysterious force" that allows their brains to continue functioning. But how exactly does a zombie brain function? Finally, a Harvard psychiatrist has the answers.
Through education Dr. Steven C. Schlozman is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a lecturer at the Harvard School of Education. He is also an avid sci-fi and horror fan - and, apparently, the world's leading authority on the neurobiology of the living dead. He has even drafted a fake medical journal article on the zombie plague, which he calls Ataxic Neurodegenerative Satiety Deficiency Syndrome, or ANSD (the article has five authors: one living, three "deceased" and one "humanoid infected").In Night of the Living Dead, zombies are brought back from the dead by a... more
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Members of the Screen Actors Guild voted overwhelmingly to ratify a two-year contract covering movies and prime-time TV shows made by the major Hollywood studios, ending a yearlong debacle that included union leaders calling for a strike.
The Guild said Tuesday that 78 percent of those who voted were in favor of the deal, a show of unity following bitter infighting that left the Guild further behind than where it started. About 110,000 SAG members were sent ballots and more than 35 percent cast votes.
The new contract immediately raises actors' minimum pay by 3 percent and grants another 3.5 percent raise in the second year of the deal, which along with better pension benefits and some Internet compensation gives them $105 million in overall gains, the union said.
But it does not improve upon the Internet terms that other unions have already accepted. Negotiators replaced in January had sought more lucrative Web compensation.
SAG fought alone for better terms than were secured by writers, directors and another actors union called AFTRA, but the battle ended up hurting it as TV studios like ABC, NBC, Fox and CBS sent most of their new work AFTRA's way. SAG maintains exclusive jurisdiction over feature films.
The deal comes nearly a year after the last contract expired, meaning SAG actors lost out on proposed raises over the past year that the studios estimated totaled nearly $80 million.
"We were behind the eight ball to some extent with the amount of time we had been working without a contract at all," said Adam Arkin, an actor who was elected to the Guild's board last fall. "Whatever gains are to be made in the future are going to have to start with us not going down the road of this level of fracture within the community of SAG."
The new contract takes effect after midnight and expires on June 30, 2011, about the same time as those of other unions, allowing SAG to maintain the future threat of a joint strike. That expiration date had been one of the final points of contention.
The past year's infighting came to a head in January when recently elected moderates staged a boardroom coup, ousting the Guild's national executive director, Doug Allen, and muzzling President Alan Rosenberg. Both had considered a strike vote a key negotiating tool but never could muster the support to send one out.
Their removal as negotiators set a new tone as Interim Executive Director David White worked to salvage a deal in backdoor talks with executives such as Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger and Warner Bros. Chief Executive Barry Meyer. Warner Bros. is a subsidiary of Time Warner Inc.
A tentative deal was reached in April, about a year after talks first began.
White said in a statement that work on the next round of negotiations "begins now," adding that he would also begin to repair damaged relations with other unions.
SAG and AFTRA split acrimoniously last year and decided to negotiate deals with the studios separately for the first time in three decades.
Rosenberg acknowledged Tuesday that actors did not agree with his executive team's hard stance. But he said he would run for a third term as president in the fall and hope to be part of the contract talks in two years.
"Our point of view was rejected for now. I don't think it was because they said necessarily we're wrong," he said. "You need solidarity. We weren't able to build that this time."
Every major segment of SAG voted for the deal, with 71 percent of voting Hollywood actors, 86 percent in New York and 89 percent in other U.S. regions voting in favor.
Sam Freed, an actor and president of the Guild's New York division, said the landslide vote, even in Rosenberg's power base in Hollywood, marked a repudiation of his team's strategy.
"The way that he perceived it was declined by 71 percent of the Hollywood membership. And that's all that needs to be said," Freed said...Members of the Screen Actors Guild voted overwhelmingly to ratify a two-year contract... more
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Today a completely random site based in New Zealand (via In Contention) has the first-ever image of Morgan Freeman in costume for the film as Nelson Mandela (a contributor to the site was an extra on the set).Today a completely random site based in New Zealand (via In Contention) has the... more
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That's right, "Bay's visage--stubble included-- transformed into an M&M."
You're welcome.That's right, "Bay's visage--stubble included-- transformed into an... more
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Tweet it, and it will happen.
"Michael Cera seems to have a Twitter feed and the feed has recently been used to tease the prospect of a Superbad sequel. Late last week this was randomly posted: “Decided i'm gonna contact Jonah and Jason tomorrow. See what they think about doing a movie. Maybe, Just an idea, but maybe superbad 2.” Today he followed those 140 characters up with 140 more which said, “I contacted Jonah. He thought it was a good idea for a superbad 2. I will let you know what's going on with that in the next few days!” "Tweet it, and it will happen.
"Michael Cera seems to have a Twitter feed and... more
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Earlier today, it was confirmed that Bradley Cooper (The Hangover) is in talks to play Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck in the Joe Carnahan-directed The A-Team, and now, Variety has broken the news that Liam Neeson (Taken) is in negotiations to play John "Hannibal" Smith!
20th Century Fox is planning a late August production start for the June 11, 2010 release based on the 1980s TV series.
Ridley Scott is producing with Jules Daly and series creator Stephen J. Cannell, with Tony Scott executive producing through Scott Free. Carnahan and Brian Bloom polished a script by Skip Woods.
The role of Hannibal was originated by George Peppard, while Faceman was played by Dirk Benedict.
Cooper has established himself as a commodity after his starring role in Todd Phillips-directed hit "The Hangover." He just completed playing the title role opposite Sandra Bullock in "All About Steve."
Still to be cast are the roles of Capt. "Howling Mad" Murdock, played by Dwight Schultz in the original, and Sgt. "B.A." Baracus, the role that made Mr. T an '80s icon.Earlier today, it was confirmed that Bradley Cooper (The Hangover) is in talks to play... more
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