Alan Rickman

Malin Akerman to Star as Blondie’s Debbie Harry in CBGB, Emily Browning Cast in Catherine Hardwicke’s PLUSH and Ahna O’Reilly Joins JOBS

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: May 25th, 2012 at 5:22 pm

Some easy on the eyes casting additions today.  Here they are at a glance:

• Malin Akerman (Watchmen) will star as “Blondie” front-woman, Debbie Harry in director Randall Miller’s indie, CBGB.
• Emily Browning (Sucker Punch) is in talks to join Plush, a psychic story from director Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight).
• Ahna O’Reilly (The Help) will star opposite Ashton Kutcher in the Steve Jobs indie picture, Jobs, from director Joshua Michael Stern (Swing Vote).

Hit the jump for more on each film.

Mia Wasikowska to Star in TRACKS, Minka Kelly Joins THE BUTLER

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: May 23rd, 2012 at 6:24 pm

Two bits of casting news today for some lovely leading ladies (although only one of the roles is actually a lead).  Here are the headlines:

• Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) is set to join Tracks for director John Curran (The Painted Veil).  The Australian-set picture is based on Robyn Davidson’s trek across the heart of the island continent.
• Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights) will join Precious director Lee Daniels‘ historical drama, The Butler, based on the life of Eugene Allen, who served on the White House staff from 1952 to 1986.

Hit the jump for more.

Casting Call: Alan Rickman to Lead CBGB; Amaury Nolasco and Megalyn Echikunwoke Join A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 14th, 2012 at 6:21 pm

We’ve got a couple of casting stories to share this evening.  First up, Harry Potter thesp Alan Rickman has landed the lead role in the biopic CBGB.  Variety reports that Rickman will play New York City’s famed nightclub owner Hilly Kristal in the film, with Randall Miller (Bottle Shock) set to direct.  The film will plot the real-life story of Kristal’s CBGB club and how it impacted the underground music scene with artists like the Talking Heads, the Ramones, and Blondie.  The script was written by Miller and Jody Savin, and the two wrote the role of Kristal with Rickman in mind.

Miller was supposed to first shoot the Dennis Wilson biopic The Drummer, but that film has been pushed back to the fall.  Rickman is a stellar actor, and we recently learned that Rickman may be playing President Ronald Reagan in Lee Daniels’ historical drama The Butler.  CBGB will start filming this summer.  Hit the jump for casting news concerning the fifth entry in the Die Hard franchise.

Matthew McConaughey, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alan Rickman and More Circling THE BUTLER

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 9th, 2012 at 3:32 pm

Director Lee Daniels’ historical drama The Butler is shaping up to be one of the more exciting projects on the horizon.  The film tells the true story of Eugene Allen, a butler who served at the White House from 1952 to 1986. Daniels is casting a slew of stars to take small roles as the famous men and women who come through the White House over the years, with Forest Whitaker, David Oyelowo, and Oprah Winfrey set as the three leads.

Jane Fonda and John Cusack are already onboard, apparently in the roles of Nancy Reagan and President Richard Nixon, and now a number of high profile actors are circling the project as the rights are poised to go up for sale at the Cannes Film Festival next week. Hit the jump to see who else is looking to take on the roles of some historical figures.

CBS Films Release Date Shuffle: GAMBIT, Starring Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz, Moved Up to October 12; Thriller 7500 Pushed to 2013

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 9th, 2012 at 2:01 pm

CBS Films has done a bit of release date shuffling for two of their upcoming releases.  First up, director Michael Hoffman’s remake of the 1966 caper comedy Gambit has been moved up from January 11th, 2013 to October 12th of this year (per Box Office Mojo).  Cameron Diaz and Colin Firth star as partners in a con to sell a fake Monet painting, and the film has a script by Joel and Ethan Coen.  Given the caliber of talent involved, the January date was always a bit of a puzzler.  The film will now square off against Ben Affleck’s stellar looking period thriller Argo and the Kevin James “comedy” Here Comes the Boom.  Hit the jump for more, including release date news concerning The Grudge director Takashi Shimizu’s airplane thriller 7500.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: November 22nd, 2011 at 4:17 am

Warner Brothers did what they could to drag it out, but after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the Harry Potter franchise is finally closed. Perhaps not for good – author J.K. Rowling has got her new Potter-centric website, and she may get bored and write another adventure in that universe. But no matter if it comes back or not, for performers Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint Potter will be part of their legacy. They spent ten years playing Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. And no matter what they do, they are as stuck to this as Sean Connery is to James Bond.  Continued after the jump.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 14th, 2011 at 9:54 am

Splitting J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was a risky proposition from a narrative standpoint.  Financially, it was an unsurprising move, but if you have one movie that’s all slow, methodical character development and the second movie that’s all fast-paced action, then each movie could be monotonous because they’ve lost the other half of their story.  Both parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows managed to avoid that problem.  The first part, while mostly centered on wandering and quiet moments, still managed to work in humor and thrilling set pieces.  By contrast, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is an almost non-stop epic battle that still finds time for the character development and deeply moving moments the series became known for.  It is the grandest of all of the Harry Potter films in scope, in action, and in heartbreak.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Featurette: “The Story of Snape”

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 13th, 2011 at 1:35 pm

For the majority of the Harry Potter series, Severus Snape is simply a bully.  There are brief hints as to why he particularly hates Harry, but nothing so revelatory as to change your perception of the character until the final book in the series.  While Alan Rickman has always played the role with great relish, the final movie finally provides him with a new side to play for Snape and he does it brilliantly.  Rickman and director David Yates basically have five minutes to make you reevaluate your opinion of Snape and they pull it off.  There’s a lot to love about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, and Alan Rickman’s performance is near the top of the list.

Warner Bros. has release a new featurette about Snape and it shows plenty of footage that’s not in the trailer.  Watch at your own caution.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 opens in 3D this Friday.  Look for my full review tomorrow.

9 Clips from HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: July 5th, 2011 at 6:38 pm

We’ve got 9 clips from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 for you today. As a massive fan of the book series, I cannot wait to see what director David Yates and Co. have in store for us for the final go around. This really is one of the most successful franchises in history—both commercially and critically—and it’s incredibly sad to see it come to an end.

Hit the jump to watch the clips. And if you missed it, check out Steve’s set visit coverage here. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. It all ends July 15^th in 2D and 3D.

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX and HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE Ultimate Edition Blu-ray Reviews

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: June 25th, 2011 at 9:25 pm

Warner Brothers has attempted to create ultimate editions for the films in the Harry Potter franchise to tie into the final title in the series – which opens this summer. The problem is that this made more sense for the early films, as those DVDs and those supplements were nearly a decade old – new transfers and new insight could be had. With the Ultimate editions of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince both were done after the inception of Blu-ray, and already had fairly elaborate special editions. These ultimate editions are for fans and completists. Daniel Radcliffe, Michale Gambon, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman, and Emma Watson all return in the series fifth and sixth installments. My review of the Ultimate edition Blu-rays of Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince follow after the jump.

11 New Posters for HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 8th, 2011 at 12:05 pm

What will I miss most about the Harry Potter franchise?  Probably the 800 posters that accompany every single film.  There have already been seven released for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, but apparently that’s not enough so here are 11 more.  That’s 18 in total and we both know there are more on the way.  Hit the jump to check them out and puzzle over who has the most pained expression (I vote Grint).  The film opens in 3D on July 15th.

Snape Poster for HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 31st, 2011 at 12:55 pm

Warner Bros. has released a poster featuring Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.  Of the character posters released so far, this is 7 of 532.  The previous six posters released were for Harry, Hermoine, Ron, Neville, Voldemort, and Draco.  Click on the corresponding links to check out the each character’s poster.

Hit the jump to check out the poster for Snape.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 opens in 3D on July 15th.

New Trailer for HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 27th, 2011 at 5:49 pm

Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.  There’s really only one word to sum up this trailer, however cliched its use might be: epic. It begins with a warped version of the Harry Potter theme that we’ve all come to know and love, generating some fantastic tension for what’s ahead. Fans of the book will not be disappointed and may let out a shriek or two at some of the memorable moments glimpsed in the trailer. I’m loving the operatic feel that Part 2 looks to embody, and can’t wait to see how David Yates and Co. wrap up the most successful franchise in film history this summer.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Ralph Fiennes.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 opens in 3D on July 15th.

Casting Call: Chris “Ludacris” Bridges Joins NEW YEAR’S EVE; Alan Rickman and Tom Courtenay Join GAMBIT Remake

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 22nd, 2011 at 1:51 pm

We have some quick casting stories for you this afternoon.  First up, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges has joined Garry Marshall’s upcoming romantic comedy New Year’s Eve.  The ever-expanding cast already includes (deep breath) Robert De Niro, Ashton Kutcher, Halle Berry, Jessical Biel, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sarah Jessica Parker, Hilary Swank, Zac Efron, Sienna Miller, Lea Michelle, Sofia Vergara, Abigail Breslin, Til Schweiger, Seth Meyes, Jon Bon Jovi, Josh Duhamel, and Carla Gugino.  So where does Bridges fit into this collection of actors getting paid for what probably amounts to a few days work in under-developed storylines about people falling in and out of love on New Year’s Eve?  According to THR, Bridges will play “a NYPD cop who is working with the director of the Times Square festivities (Swank).”

Bridges was recently one of the few redeeming aspects of No Strings Attached and he’ll next be seen reprising his character “Tej” in the new Fast and Furious movie, Fast Five.  Hit the jump for casting news regarding Alan Rickman and Tom Courtenay joining the remake of Gambit.

58 High Resolution Images from HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – Part 1; Many Are New

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 10th, 2010 at 12:17 pm

Are the nine more days until the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 just too grueling to endure?  Then you should just look through these 58 images from the movie.  Warner Bros. can afford to throw secrecy out the window since A) everyone has read the book and B) everyone is going to see the movie anyway.

And if this plethora of images isn’t enough for you, then be sure to read about Steve’s visit to the set, check out his interviews with Daniel Radcliffe, Warwick Davis, Rupert Grint, Evanna Lynch and director David Yates, and watch six clips from the movie.  Hit the jump to check out the images.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 opens November 19th.

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