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Filed under: Casting, Deals, Newsstand, Politics

I’m sorry, but this has got to be one of the strangest projects in recent years. The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Elizabeth Banks is about to sign on to play First Lady Laura Bush in that George W. Bush biopic Oliver Stone is directing. If she signs on, Banks will join Josh Brolin, who’s already landed the part of our current President of the United States. Banks, who, funnily enough, just wrapped a film called Zack and Miri Make a Porno, would probably make a pretty good Laura Bush. She definitely resembles a much younger version of the woman, and, like Mrs. Bush, as an actress Banks often fades into the background.

Then again, some folks might think Brolin and Banks are way too hot to be playing the President and the First Lady. Personally, I feel Josh Brolin needs the most work — but if he slims down and practices that famous Bush dialogue, I can almost see it. The film, which will be called simply W, will begin shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana in late April. Stone will direct off a script he co-wrote with Stanley Weiser (Wall Street).

What do you think about this film? Are the lives of George W. Bush and Laura Bush really that interesting? Or, will Oliver Stone make them interesting?

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Filed under: Classics, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, RumorMonger, Fandom, Newsstand, Peter Jackson, Remakes and Sequels

Sir Ian McKellen has been pretty vocal about wanting to reprise his role as Gandalf the Grey in a future adaptation of The Hobbit. And that enthusiasm hasn’t diminished. Over on his official website, where he graciously answers fan questions on everything from Gandalf to Shakespeare, he reaffirmed that he would happily return to Middle Earth. I can’t resist posting the entire exchange because of the brilliant Tolkien quote and the mental picture of McKellen reading it:

Q: So has it come to pass, good Sir McKellen? Shall the dreaming masses with their musty books and their blackened pipes at long last hear those immortal words issue from under that famous nose? “Yes, yes, my dear sir –and I know your name, Mr. Bilbo Baggins. And you do know my name, though you don’t remember that I belong to it. I am Gandalf, and Gandalf means me! To think I should have lived to be good-morninged by Belladonna Took’s son, as if I was selling buttons at the door!” Looking about, I find I share the same hopes as millions of others, so I ask, a single query in a chorus … Will you again be our Gandalf in The Hobbit now that the deal is settled?

A: Yes I will, if Peter Jackson and I have anything to do with it, he being the producer and me being, on the whole, a very lucky actor. I’ve just read your quote out loud — fabulous speech.

Continue reading Sir Ian McKellen on ‘The Hobbit’ — He’s Waiting For the Call!

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Filed under: Comedy, Foreign Language, Romance, Box Office, Cinematical Indie

Hormones, an ensemble teen romantic comedy, is tearing up the box office in Thailand. Variety says that the film took in $1.2 million in its opening weekend — six times what is usually considered a strong opening. Meanwhile, the US remake of Thai horror flick Shutter did just OK by comparison ($252,964), finishing third behind Hormones and (surprise!) the critically-maligned Step Up 2 the Streets, per Box Office Mojo.

The movie behind the headline may be even more interesting than its financial success. “Some surprises are in store in Hormones, not the least of which is the presence of a former Japanese porn star in an orange string bikini.” So begins Wise Kwai’s eye-opening review. (He’s an excellent writer, especially on Thai films.) Inspired by Richard Curtis’ Love Actually (don’t groan yet!), the film follows four romantic scenarios: two schoolboys compete to get a girl’s phone number, a geeky college boy tries to woo a popular girl, an excitable teen girl obsesses about her favorite male singer, and another college student contemplates cheating on his long-time girlfriend.

Continue reading Thai Moviegoers Celebrate ‘Hormones,’ Shun ‘Shutter’

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Filed under: RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Distribution, The Weinstein Co.

Who’s really behind the campaign to boycott all Weinstein Co. films until the original cut of Fanboys is shown in theaters? And are they the same group of people everyone thinks is behind this whole thing? I’ll leave it at that. As you’ve probably already noticed, the whole Fanboys debacle heated up once again today when a press release announcing the Weinsteins plans to release both versions (cancer version, non-cancer version) of the film on DVD, while they “explore” theatrical options, hit the inbox of every movie blogger in the known universe.

This came on the heels of a potential boycott of the latest Weinstein Co. release, Superhero Movie, by a group of Star Wars fans who simply want to see one version — the original version — of their beloved Fanboys up on the big screen. Since the press release, the group has responded with plans to still go ahead and stage two large Superhero Movie protests this Friday in New York and Los Angeles. According to a Cinematical source close to the production, no one involved in the film (producers, director, etc …) were made aware of these newest developments prior to the press release hitting the public. And apparently some folks are pissed.

They’re pissed the film is being yanked around. They’re pissed at the lack of progress. And they’re pissed that the new director brought on (Steve Brill) knows jack about Star Wars. Seriously. Word has it the dude never even saw the original Star Wars when he was hired to re-shoot Fanboys. (But that’s a rumor, it hasn’t been confirmed and you didn’t hear it from me …)

Continue reading Discuss: The ‘Fanboys’ Debacle

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Filed under: Festival Reports, Exhibition, Movie Marketing, Cinematical Indie

One of my favorite films from Sundance, Phoebe in Wonderland, is set to open the 10th RiverRun International Film Festival, according to indieWIRE. The film, which stars Elle Fanning, Felecity Huffman, Patricia Clarkson and Bill Pullman, is about Phoebe (Fanning), a little girl struggling with behavioral problems and relating to others.

Phoebe finds hope through her eccentric drama teacher (Clarkson), who casts her as the lead in the school’s production of Alice in Wonderland. Meanwhile her parents (Huffman and Pullman) struggle with balancing their work with their family life, and with accepting that raising their daughters to be creative and non-conformist also means accepting Phoebe as she is, and helping her navigate her way through the world.

Continue reading ‘Phoebe in Wonderland’ to Open RiverRun

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Filed under: Drama, Casting

The latest Wim Wenders (produced) film, The Open Road, was sounding pretty decent back in February, when Jeff Bridges, Justin Timberlake, and Mary Steenburgen signed on. Now it’s gotten even better — The Hollywood Reporter has posted that both Lyle Lovett and Harry Dean Stanton have joined the cast. I just wish that Wim was heading this feature, since the last time that both Stanton and Wenders were on the same project, it was in the great film Paris, Texas back in 1984. This time around, writer/director Michael Meredith gets the honor (he did write Wenders’ Land of Plenty, so this isn’t out of left field).

The film is a reconciliation tale that focuses on a man (Timberlake) who is trying to reconcile with his former sports pro father (Bridges) as they head to his ailing mother’s bedside. As Christopher Campbell noted back in April of 2007, there’s also a girlfriend in the road trip mix. THR says that Kate Mara is the other player in this film, so I imagine she’s Justin’s love interest. As for Lyle and Harry — the former plays a Memphis bartender who “lends a helpful ear” to Timberlake’s character, while the latter will play his grandfather.

After his creepy stint as Roman Grant in Big Love, it will be nice to see him as a grandfather who isn’t some gangster-like Mormon. Then again, maybe he is, but that’d be a totally different sort of story. Production is currently underway in Louisiana.

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Filed under: Comedy, Romance, Casting

I’d say it was about time that Woody Allen hired some eye candy that wasn’t of the female persuasion. The Hollywood Reporter announced that Henry Cavill (The Tudors) has signed to star in the director’s upcoming romantic comedy. The as-yet-to-be-titled film also stars Evan Rachel Wood, Larry David, and Allen. There are very few details about the story, but according to early rumors, Rachel Wood is playing Larry David’s love interest. Apparently, Allen originally wrote the starring role for himself, but now feels too old to take it on. Thus, he’ll appear in a supporting role.

Cavill is probably best known to most as Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk, but he has also earned the reputation as being one of the unluckiest guys in Hollywood. Cavill was in the final stages of auditions for Batman, Superman and James Bond. Of course, we all know he didn’t get those parts, but he did score the lead in Joel Schumacher’s upcoming sci-fi thriller, Town Creek. Maybe now that the offers are starting to come in, Cavill can get a reputation for being something other than an ‘almost was.’ Allen’s film is currently in production in his old stomping grounds (aka New York City) and is set for release in 2009.

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