Emma Thompson

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES Casts Emma Thompson; Jenna Fischer and Rita Wilson Join KISS ME

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: February 9th, 2012 at 9:06 pm

Two-time Oscar-winner Emma Thompson (Sense and Sensibility) is the latest to join Beautiful Creatures, a supernatural love story based on the first novel in a best-selling series. Thompson will join Academy Award-nominee Viola Davis (The Help), as well as Jack O’Connell (Eden Lake) and newcomer Alice Englert. Richard LaGravenese (P.S. I Love You) will direct the adaptation from the stories written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

In other casting news, Jenna Fischer (The Office) and Rita Wilson (Sleepless in Seattle) have joined the indie drama, Kiss Me, directed by Jeff Probst (“Survivor”). The coming-of-age tale follows a teen with scoliosis as she navigates adolescent relationships. Hit the jump for more on both projects.

First Trailer for MEN IN BLACK 3

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 12th, 2011 at 6:02 am

The first trailer for Men in Black 3 has gone online.  The plot for the sequel involves J (Will Smith) going back in time to rescue K (Tommy Lee Jones).  If I didn’t know that the script was most likely a mess, I would be slightly excited after seeing this trailer.  Smith is back with his full-blown charisma and Josh Brolin is a pitch perfect young K.  Maybe there’s a chance that somehow the script worked itself out?  I’d certainly rather see a good MIB movie than a bad one.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film stars Alice Eve, Emma Thompson, Johnny Knoxville, and Jemaine Clement.  Men in Black 3 opens in 3D on May 25th.

New Trailer for Pixar’s BRAVE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 16th, 2011 at 9:22 am

A new trailer for Pixar’s upcoming film Brave has been released. The pic is the studio’s first fairy tale and revolves around a young princess (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) in the Scottish Highlands who defies an age-old custom, inadvertently unleashing chaos and fury in the kingdom.  The tone of the trailer is a bit scattershot.  On the one hand, there are grand statements about changing your fate and wanting freedom.  On the other hand, there’s a guy in a kilt mooning his fellow Scot.  Tone aside, the visuals look fantastic. Overall, the trailer is alright, but I think Brave still has the potential to be a great movie.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film also features the voices of Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, and Julie Walters.  Brave opens in 3D on June 22, 2012.

New Synopsis for Pixar’s BRAVE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 25th, 2011 at 10:22 am

A new synopsis for Pixar’s Brave has gone online.  We already knew the film was set in the mystical Scottish Highlands and revolved around a young princess (voiced my Kelly Macdonald) who defies a sacred custom of the land, inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom, and then makes an ill-fated wish in order to set things right.  The new synopsis adds a bit more color to the previous synopsis although it doesn’t add much in the way of new plot details.  However, it’s looking like that for everyone who was unimpressed with Cars 2 (i.e. everyone), Brave will be the terrific experience we’ve come to expect from Pixar.

Hit the jump to check out the synopsis.  Click here, here, and here for our Brave interviews at D23.  The film also stars Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, and Julie Walters.  Brave opens in 3D on June 22, 2012.

Dakota Fanning to Star in Emma Thompson-Scripted EFFIE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: August 16th, 2011 at 4:20 pm

It looks like Emma Thompson’s long-in-development biopic Effie is finally gearing up for production. Thompson wrote the original script, which is a biopic of Effie Gray and centers on her doomed marriage to art critic John Ruskin in 1840’s London. Despite her beauty, Ruskin didn’t consummate the marriage and the devastated Gray eventually fell in love with Ruskin’s protégé, painter John Everett Milias. Deadline reports that Dakota Fanning will star in the title role, taking a part that was previously circled by Carey Mulligan and Saorsie Ronan.

Greg Wise (who is Thompson’s husband) will play Ruskin, and it appears that Tom Sturridge (Pirate Radio) will be playing Milias instead of previously mentioned Orlando Bloom. Rounding out the cast is Julie Walters and Derek Jacobi as Ruskin’s parents, Thompson as Lady Eastlake, the woman who takes the suffering Effie under her wing, and Edward Fox is in talks to play Eastlake’s husband. Production is set to begin October 17^th in Scotland, London and Venice. Richard Laxton (An Englishman in New York) is directing.

Emma Thompson in Talks to Write ANNIE Remake

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: June 23rd, 2011 at 9:49 pm

It’s been a few months since we last heard about the Annie remake, developed by Will Smith as a starring vehicle for daughter Willow.  At the time, Glee creator Ryan Murphy was mentioned as the frontrunner to direct.  Smith and co-producer Jay-Z probably missed the chance to squeeze the shoot into the Glee spring/summer production hiatus between season two and three.  To do so they would have needed a script.  On that front, Vulture hears Smith and Jay-Z are in negotiations Oscar-winning screenwriter Emma Thompson to write the musical.  Presumably, the topic came up as Smith and Thompson shared a break on the set of Men in Black III.

Vulture actively lobbies for Thompson to tailor the role of drunk orphanage director Miss Hannigan for Oscar-winning actor Emma Thompson; I co-sign.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of the 1982 movie.

First Teaser for Pixar’s BRAVE Will Be Attached to CARS 2

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 19th, 2011 at 12:43 pm

One thing I love about the way Pixar markets their original films is that the trailers show very little footage from the actual movie itself. You’re able to go in almost completely fresh, without feeling like you’ve already seen 2/3’s of the movie. The next original film to be released from Pixar will be Brave next summer, and now The Pixar Blog confirms that the first teaser trailer for the film will be attached to Pixar’s Cars 2 when it hits theaters next month.

The studio’s first fairy tale (and their first film with a female protagonist), Brave centers on Princess Merida, a skilled archer who accidentally sets evil upon the Scottish highlands when she is granted an ill-fated wish. The phenomenal voice cast includes Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, and Julie Walters. Judging by the gorgeous concept art that Pixar released in March, we’re in for quite a treat. Brave is slated for a June 22^nd, 2012 release, while Cars 2 hits theaters June 24^th.

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.

Concept Art for Pixar’s BRAVE; Kelly Macdonald Replaces Reese Witherspoon in Lead Role [UPDATED]

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 28th, 2011 at 7:21 am

I’m already looking past Cars 2 and on to Pixar’s next film Brave.  That’s partially because Cars 2 looks awful and partially because Brave will feature the studio’s first female protagonist.  It was also going to be the studio’s first film with a female director (Brenda Chapman), but there was a bit of controversy last October when Chapman was replaced by Mark Andrews, who previously directed the Pixar short One Man Band.

Behind-the-scenes drama aside, Brave looks like it could be a great film.  The film is set in Scotland and centers on a tomboyish princess who accidentally unleashes evil on her kingdom and must save the day.  The princess was to be voiced by Reese Witherspoon but scheduling conflicts forced her to drop out.  She’ll be replaced by they actually scottish Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire).  Hit the jump for more details on the film plus a first look at the concept art.  Brave is set to hit theaters in 3D on June 22, 2012. [Updated: Disney has provided some high-resolution images of the concept, which you can check out after the jump]

Multiple Problems Plague Incomplete MEN IN BLACK III

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 10th, 2011 at 10:33 am

Barry Sonnenfeld’s Men in Black III has had an unorthodox production schedule.  The film started shooting in November with an incomplete script, scheduled a hiatus from December to mid-February to fix the rest of the script, and then pick back up and finish the movie.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures took this bizarre route because they wanted to take advantage of tax breaks in New York City and spring weather.

However, the hiatus has now passed and the script still isn’t finished.  As we reported last week, screenwriter David Koepp (Spider-Man) has been brought in to fix the script by Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder) and later Jeff Nathanson (Rush Hour 2).  But THR reports that those re-writes aren’t going smoothly as the project is caught between Sonnenfeld, producer Walter Parkes, and star Will Smith.  Hit the jump for more details.

MEN IN BLACK III Set Photos: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Emma Thompson, and Nicole Scherzinger

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: November 17th, 2010 at 8:27 pm

Today brings photos of Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Emma Thompson, and Nicole Scherzinger on the set of Men in Black III.  James Brolin, Jemaine Clement, and Rip Torn also star, with Gemma Arterton, Alec Baldwin, and Sharlto Copley rumored for small roles.  The plot reportedly revolves around the villain Yaz (Clement) travelling back in time to assassinate Agent Kay, which sets off a chain of events that will destroy the Earth.

The sequel started filming this week in advance of a May 25, 2012 3D release.  Hit the jump to see the images.

Saoirse Ronan to Play Title Role in Emma Thompson’s EFFIE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 2nd, 2010 at 3:14 pm

Actress/Screenwriter Emma Thompson has been working on a biopic of Effie Gray for some time now, and it appears that it’s finally gearing up to go into production.  When we spoke with Carey Mulligan back in March, she told us that she had read the Effie script a while back and was previously attached to the project, but she hadn’t heard anything as of late.  It now appears that Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones) will take on the title role instead.  Production Weekly says that the Thompson-scripted project will also star Orlando Bloom, Greg Wise (Johnny English), Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), and Thompson herself.

Gray was the wife of English art critic John Ruskin, and became entangled in a famous Victorian love triangle that has been adapted into more than a few novels and plays.  Without consummating the relationship, Gray left her husband, had the marriage annulled, and married Ruskin’s protégé John Everett Millius.  Greg Wise (who is also Thompson’s husband) is reported to play Ruskin, with Bloom assumed to be portraying Millius.  Thompson is no stranger to screenwriting, as she won the Academy Award for it with 1995’s Sense and Sensibility.

Emma Thompson in Talks for MEN IN BLACK III

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: September 30th, 2010 at 7:31 pm

Emma Thompson (An Education) lends a sense of credibility to every project she joins, in part because most cinephiles tend to double as Anglophiles.  Perhaps to combat the cynicism surrounding the sequel, Men in Black III seems to be aiming for that kind of credibility with the new cast members.  No Country for Old Men put Josh Brolin on a lot of lists, in such a way that he’s even appeared to weather Jonah Hex from the way we continue to write about him.  MIB 3 got him.  Jemaine Clement (The Flight of the Conchords) commands a different kind of respect, but if he was chosen over Sacha Baron Cohen as reported, that seems more motivated by comedic sensibilities (broad goofy vs. deadpan goofy) than box office.

Well, Thompson is in talks to play Agent Oh, joining Agents Jay (Will Smith) and Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) as an MIB operative from the 60s.  Hit the jump for more of what we know about the film at this stage.

Pixar Reveals First Logo for BRAVE

by Ramses Flores    Posted: September 22nd, 2010 at 5:48 pm

Pixar has released the first official logo for their upcoming film, Brave, on Facebook.  The film, which was formally titled The Bear and the Bow, will tell the story of “the impetuous, tangle-haired Merida, though a daughter of royalty, would prefer to make her mark as a great archer.” Reese Witherspoon will be providing the voice for Miranda and the rest of the voice cast includes Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, and Julie Walters.  You can hit the jump to check out the logo and to find out what we know about the film so far.

I Consider Carey Mulligan to Be MY FAIR LADY. So Does Emma Thompson. What Say You, Hugh Grant?

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: March 25th, 2010 at 12:13 pm

Once upon a time it was Keira Knightley who was to sing about rain, Spain, and plains as Eliza Doolittle in the upcoming remake of classic musical My Fair Lady, but that destiny crumbled.  Then Carey Mulligan, a newly appointed critical darling thanks to her splendid turn in An Education, was rumored to be in talks for the role.  She dismissed such rumors, lamenting, “It would be lovely, but no.”  But Mulligan and I are not the only ones who think such casting would be lovely, as scribe Emma Thompson confided to BBC, “I think Carey is set to play it, yes.”

Hear more of what Thompson had to say, including her speculation on whether Hugh Grant will play male lead Henry Higgins.

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