Frank or Francis

Kevin Kline Talks DARLING COMPANION, Charlie Kaufman’s FRANK OR FRANCIS, and His Oscar Short with Mike Myers

by Christina Radish    Posted: April 19th, 2012 at 12:17 pm

In the drama Darling Companion, from director/co-writer/producer Lawrence Kasdan (Body Heat, The Big Chill, Silverado), Beth (Diane Keaton) and her daughter (Elisabeth Moss) take home a dog that they find on the side of the freeway, much to the ire of her husband, Joseph (Kevin Kline).  Before long, the dog, aptly named Freeway, becomes a beloved member of the family.  But, when the dog bounds away into the woods after a deer, everything is thrown into crisis mode and a search party forms that ultimately ends up bringing the entire family closer together.

At the film’s press day, actor Kevin Kline talked about what keeps him coming back to work with filmmaker Lawrence Kasdan (they’ve done six films together now), working for scale to get the movie made, why a film like this is a tough sell to a Hollywood studio, how much improvisation went on, why people seem to love their dogs more than each other, and what it was like to work with Diane Keaton.  He also talked about how he likes to have fun when he’s working, that he’ll be doing some Shakespeare this summer, and that he’s hoping to do the Charlie Kaufman film Frank or Francis next, in which he will play three characters.  Check out what he had to say after the jump:

Elizabeth Banks and Paul Reubens Join Charlie Kaufman’s FRANK OR FRANCIS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 27th, 2012 at 6:50 pm

Frank or Francis is officially going to be insane. Writer-director Charlie Kaufman’s (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) musical comedy stars Steve Carell as a director who becomes obsessed with a message board commenter (played by Jack Black) who’s trashing his movies on a Hollywood website. We recently reported that Kate Winslet and Catherine Keener were the latest to join a cast that already includes Nicolas Cage, and Kevin Kline, and now comes word that two more impressive actors are signing on: Elizabeth Banks and Paul Reubens.

THR reports that Banks will play “a highly regarded actress making formulaic comedy bombs” who’s having an affair with Carrell’s character, and Variety reports that Pee-Wee Herman himself will portray a film critic. Kaufman is amassing an incredible cast for his second feature as director (following Synechdoche, New York), and his script is said to be a scathingly brilliant satire of Hollywood. I absolutely cannot wait for this movie. Banks will next be seen in The Hunger Games, while Reubens is developing a new Pee-Wee Herman feature film with Judd Apatow.

Kate Winslet and Catherine Keener Join Charlie Kaufman’s FRANK OR FRANCIS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 10:08 am

Charlie Kaufman’s new film Frank or Francis is shaping up to be one of the most incredibly strange/amazing moviegoing experiences of recent years, and the Adaptation. scribe has tapped two Academy Award nominees to join the cast. The plot concerns a director (Steve Carell) who becomes obsessed with a message board commenter (Jack Black) trashing his movies on a Hollywood website. Nicolas Cage stars as a washed-up actor and Kevin Kline plays dual roles as the director of the highest grossing film of all time and an animatronic head that helps create a machine that develops a completely inoffensive product with the broadest possible appeal. Oh, and it’s a musical.

Now Vulture reports that Kate Winslet and Catherine Keener are poised to join the impressive cast. Winslet and Keener are no stranger to Kaufman scripts, as they starred in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich, respectively. Kaufman is directing his own script with Frank or Francis, and I absolutely cannot wait to see the finished product.

Kevin Kline to Play Dual Roles in Charlie Kaufman’s Movie Blogger Film FRANK OR FRANCIS; Character Details Revealed

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: September 30th, 2011 at 4:02 pm

The fact that Charlie Kaufman is making a new film is, in and of itself, incredibly enticing. The fact that Kafuman’s new film will focus on the back-and-forth between an online movie blogger and a filmmaker ups the interest level even more. Now Kevin Kline has joined the cast of Frank or Francis and will be playing two supporting roles, bringing my excitement level into the “dangerous to your health” category. Variety reports that Kline has joined the Hollywood satire that features Jack Black, Steve Carell, and Nicolas Cage. Black plays an Internet troll who writes movie reviews for a living, while Carell is playing a somewhat pretentious filmmaker who happens to be cheating on his wife. As for Cage? He’s playing a character called The Emcee, an actor famous for big-budget commercial fare whose last hit was the movie Fat Dad. Obviously.

Hit the jump for more, including details on Kline’s incredibly strange roles.

Jack Black, Nicolas Cage, and Steve Carell in Talks for Charlie Kaufman’s Musical FRANK OR FRANCIS

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: July 22nd, 2011 at 12:50 pm

Jack Black, Nicolas Cage, and Steve Carell are in talks to star in Charlie Kaufman’s next directorial feature, Frank or Francis.  Kaufman is also brewing another collaboration with his Being John Malkovich/Adaptation director Spike Jonze with Joaquin Phoenix attached to star — until today, that seemed to be in pole position on Kaufman’s slate.  However, Deadline says Frank or Francis is tentatively scheduled for a 2012 start, a more definitive date with more bankable stars than Phoenix circling.

Details are mostly under wraps, but here’s the logline: “The film chronicles a volatile back and forth between a film director (Frank) and an online blogger (Francis), who takes delight in berating his cinematic talent.”  Oh, and it’s a musical.  More after the jump.

Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze Pitching New Film; Plus New Details on Kaufman’s Script, FRANK OR FRANCIS

by Jake Horowitz    Posted: December 16th, 2010 at 2:36 pm

Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze, writer and director, respectively, of Being John Malkovich and Adaptation., are pitching a new movie around Hollywood. While the script hasn’t yet been written, one can be assured that it will incorporate some sort of meta or mind-meltingly incredible premise.

The plot is being kept under wraps, but seems to be separate from Kaufman’s script Frank or Francis, which he has been working on since finishing Synecdoche, New York in 2008. According to the LA Times, two people familiar with the project say that in recent weeks it has been making rounds to independent financiers. Hit the jump for more info on both projects.

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