Michael Shannon, the best good luck charm a director can have, belongs to Jeff Nichols—Shannon stars in all three of Nichols’ films: Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter, and Mud (currently in theaters).  Recently, Shannon revealed he and Nichols “are heating up our fourth collaboration to happen in the winter.”  Per Variety, said project is a sci-fi chase movie set in the present day.  The Warner Bros. project is Nichols’ first studio film.

The studio is keeping details under wraps, but Nichols described two scripts he is writing in January.  Midnight Special, which Nichols likens to a “1980s John Carpenter movie” (specifically Starman), sounds like a good fit.  More after the jump.

As the marketing campaign for Warner Bros.’ Man of Steel has heated up in recent weeks by way of new images and a truly remarkable new trailer, the veil has been lifted with regards to the film’s villain.  Michael Shannon seems an inspired choice to play General Zod in director Zack Snyder’s fresh take on the comics character, and we got a few tantalizing glimpses of the actor in action in the most recent trailer.

Steve recently spoke with Shannon in anticipation of the crime drama The Iceman, and the actor also talked a bit about his work in Man of Steel, confirming that Zod’s armor is entirely CG.  Additionally, Shannon discussed Jake Paltrow’s upcoming film Young Ones and his next collaboration with director Jeff Nichols, which they hope to start filming later this year.  Hit the jump to read on.

Director Jeff Nichols (Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter, Mud) has explored dynamic family relationships and blue collars with a Southern backdrop in each of his films, but might be leaning towards genre territory for one of his next projects.  In a recent interview for Mud, Nichols talked about his upcoming projects: the genre-slanted Midnight Special and an untitled work-in-progress that hits closer to his previous works.

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland, Nichols’ Mud opens April 26th.  Hit the jump to see what the director had to say about his next projects.

Jeff Nichols‘ Mud almost has it all.  It’s a sweet coming-of-age story, an adventure, a crime-thriller, and a romance.  Lead actors Tye Sheridan and Matthew McConaughey give outstanding performances as a boy and a man, respectively, who bristle when the world won’t conform to the mythic journey they’ve envisioned.  Nichols gives the movie a sweet, soft, and loving tone that takes the best of identity of the Deep South (i.e. avoids racism), and uses it as a rich backdrop for a captivating tale.  The film’s only flaw comes from implicitly agreeing with the main characters’ immature belief that women are not to be trusted.  To the film’s minor detriment, Nichols doesn’t examine how his characters can grow up when the script embraces such a facile and childish notion.

We saw the first two clips from writer/director Jeff Nichols’ Mud back in May of last year, but now the first trailer has been made available.  Starring Matthew McConaughey (Magic Mike) as a fugitive drifter who finds safe harbor on an island in the Mississippi River, but is discovered and befriended by two teenage boys (Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland).  The trailer gives a great sense of the tension that builds over the course of the picture and hints at the dangerous situation the boys unwittingly become involved in.  Also starring Reese Witherspoon, Sam Shepherd, Michael Shannon and Sarah Paulson, Mud opens in limited release on April 26th.  Hit the jump to watch the trailer.

After reporting that director Rupert Wyatt was exiting Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, 20th Century Fox is now looking for a replacement.  As of this writing, it looks like Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In) is leading the pack.  Rounding out the short list of directors is J Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed), Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) and Jeff Nichols (Mud).  Longer shots being reported are Pacific Rim director Guillermo del Toro (doubtful), Juan Antonio Bayona (The Impossible) and Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart).  Hit the jump to get this sorted out.

While superhero films like Spider-Man 2 and The Dark Knight Rises may toy with fictional nuclear fusion reactors in their plots, at 14-years-old, Taylor Wilson had already made a functional one.  Now Chernin Entertainment has acquired the rights to his story, catalyzed by an article in Popular Science titled The Boy Who Played with Fusion.  The company is negotiating with Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter) to direct.

While the tale of Wilson’s genius is compelling enough, the article parallels another young scientist whose path diverged wildly (Hazmat units and arrests compared to Wilson’s accolades and continuing success), stressing the need for mentors who will foster the gifts of these young minds.  Hit the jump for more on The Boy Who Played with Fusion.

The prestigious Cannes Film Festival kicks off next week, and we’re starting to see some promotional materials from a few of the films that will premiere at the fest.  We’ve already seen a stellar trailer for the prohibition-set crime drama Lawless and a fantastic clip from director Andrew Dominik’s (The Assassination of Jesse James) Killing Them Softly.  Now a few clips have surfaced for two Cannes films (both set in the South) that feature Matthew McConaughey.  The first is director Lee Daniels’ (Precious) adaptation of The Paperboy, which features McConaughey and Zac Efron playing a pair of brothers who team-up to investigate the potential wrongful conviction of a death-row inmate (John Cusack).

We also have two clips from director Jeff Nichols’ (Take Shelter) deep South drama Mud, which finds McConaughey playing a fugitive hiding out on an island in Mississippi who, with the help of two young boys, tries to escape and reunite with his lost love (Reese Witherspoon).  Hit the jump to check out the clips.

Now playing at theaters everywhere is director James McTeigue‘s (V for Vendetta, Ninja Assassin) The Raven.  If you’re not familiar with the film, the story takes place in 1840s Baltimore where a series of grisly murders appear to have been inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe (played by John Cusack).  Poe and a detective (Luke Evans) must team up to find the killer before he takes out the woman Poe loves (Alice Eve).  The film also stars Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Brendan Gleeson.   For more on the film, here’s the trailer and 40 images.

Recently, I got to sit down with producers Aaron Ryder and Marc Evans for an extended interview.  We talked about how they got involved in The Raven, the rating, deleted scenes, how the script changed when the actors got cast, Poe’s dark and extraordinary life, and more.  In addition, they also talked about their upcoming projects like House at the End of the Street with Jennifer Lawrence, Jeff Nichols‘ Mud, The Cold Light of Day and The Strangers 2.  Hit the jump for what they had to say.

The full line-up for the 2012 Cannes Film Festival has been announced, and there are some heavy hitting debuts making their premieres.  As we’ve previously reported, Wes Anderson‘s Moonrise Kingdom will open the festival.  This year’s Cannes will also include Cosmopolis (directed by David Cronenberg), The Paperboy (from Precious director Lee Daniels), Lawless (from The Road director John Hillcoat), Killing Them Softly (from The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford director Andrew Dominik), Mud (from Take Shelter director Jeff Nichols), Rust & Bone (from A Prophet director Jacques Audiard) and On the Road (from The Motorcycle Diaries director Walter Salles).

Click on the corresponding link for more on each film, and hit the jump for the full line-up.  The 65th Cannes Film Festival runs from May 16 – 25th.

Take Shelter marks the second collaboration between Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire) and his Shotgun Stories writer/director Jeff Nichols, and it only serves to verify that the promise this pairing demonstrated with their first outing was no fluke. Also like Shotgun Stories, I would be doing it a disservice to attempt to sell you on it in this intro with a single, sensational genre tag. Is it a disaster film? Eh. Psychological character study and suburban family drama? Mostly. Existential meditation? If it suits you. Checks across the board, yet it’s the way in which those distinct elements mesh that leaves Take Shelter without a clear home and all the better for it. In a way this Blu-ray’s arrival commemorates the anniversary of Take Shelter’s critically-lauded Sundance premiere and, given that most of you had no choice but to miss its limited theatrical run in L.A. and New York, this phenomenal disc makes for a handsome introduction. Take Shelter also stars Jessica Chastain (2011 movie) and Shannon’s Boardwalk co-star Shea Whigham. Hit the jump for my review.

The nominations for the 27th Annual Independent Spirit Awards were announced this morning with The Artist and Take Shelter each nabbing five nominations. In addition to The Artist and Take Shelter, Drive, 50/50, The Descendants, and Beginners will duke it out for the top prize. Absent from the Best Feature list is Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, though the film was recognized in Best Supporting Male (Corey Stoll) and Best Cinematography. Also of note, Elizabeth Olsen and John Hawkes landed nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Male for Martha Marcy May Marlene, and Ryan Gosling and Woody Harrelson were both singled out in Best Actor for Drive and Rampart respectively.

Hit the jump to check out the full list of nominations. Recognizing the best in independent film, the awards will be handed out on February 25th, the day before the Oscars.

Actor Michael Shannon is once again reuniting with director Jeff Nichols for his next project. The duo have previously worked together on the critically acclaimed Shotgun Stories and Take Shelter, and now turn their sights to Mud. Production on the “Deep South” drama penned by Nichols began today in Arkansas. The coming-of-age tale centers on two boys who come upon a fugitive hiding out on an island in the Mississippi. Excited at the prospect of danger and adventure, they enter into a pact together to help the man escape and reunite him with his lost love. Mud also stars Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon and Tye Sheridan (The Tree of Life).

Other recent additions to the cast of Mud include Sam Shepard (The Notebook), Sarah Paulson (Serenity), Ray McKinnon (The Blind Side), Joe Don Baker (Goldeneye) and Paul Sparks (Boardwalk Empire). Hit the jump for more info on the principal cast and full press release.

Austin filmmaker Jeff Nichols’ Take Shelter has been building buzz for some time now, ever since a compelling trailer arrived online a few months back…and particularly after the film enjoyed a rave-review-filled run up at the TIFF.  This weekend, Fantastic Fest’s programmers managed to snag the film for a very special, one-time-only screening for the film geeks currently mobbing the Alamo Drafthouse, and it’d be fair to say that the screening was just as difficult to get into as last night’s You’re Next screening.  Anticipation was running high, the TIFF hype had done its job, and the screening was appropriately exclusive—but did the film live up to the hype?  You’re gonna have to read on to find out, folks.

The Alamo Drafthouse has announced the final wave of programming for its upcoming Fantastic Fest. Included in this final batch of flicks the world premiere of director Tom Six’s The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence; Retreat starring Cillian Murphy, Thandie Newton and Jamie Bell; Morgan Spurlock’s documentary Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope; and director Jeff Nichols’ drama Take Shelter starring Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain.

Hit the jump to see the full announcement of final wave films. Fantastic Fest 2011 runs from September 22nd – 29th in Austin, Texas and, for the record, I’m already disappointed in myself for not being there.