Laurence Fishburne

Laurence Fishburne and Kevin Zegers in Talks for THE COLONY; Gillian Jacobs Joins BURT WONDERSONE

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: February 15th, 2012 at 8:32 pm

Laurence Fishburne and Kevin Zegers are in final negotiations to star in the sci-fi thriller The Colony.  I think you’ll like the logline: “A group of underground survivors after the next Ice Age fending off an invasion of feral cannibals.”  God gifted Fishburne that beautiful baritone voice to lend gravity to exactly this type of movie. Jeff Renfroe will direct from a script he co-wrote with Patrick Tarr, Pascal Trottier and Svet Rouskov.  Paul Barkin, Colin Brunton, Matthew Cervi, Pierre Even and Marie-Claude Poulin are producing.  THR hears shooting on the $16 million independent production begins in Toronto next week.

Hit the jump for details on Gillian Jacobs‘ role in the Burt Wonderstone.

CONTAGION Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 8th, 2011 at 9:19 pm

In Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion, the Center for Disease Control’s Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) is asked by a deputy from the Department of Homeland Security (Enrico Colantoni) if the growing pandemic could be a terrorist attack.  “There’s no need to weaponize the bird flu,” Cheever calmly responds.  “The birds are doing that.”  Similarly, Soderbergh knows there’s no need to sensationalize a pandemic.  The pandemic is already terrifying on its own.  By realistically depicting the response to the rampant spread of an unknown virus, Soderbergh makes us feel the intensity and the helplessness of the situation.  But in attempting to capture as many sides of the story as possible, some characters become one-dimensional, plotlines fizzle out, and unintentional xenophobia overshadows the intended misophobia.

13 Clips from Steven Soderbergh’s CONTAGION

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 31st, 2011 at 2:51 pm

Between the 60 hi-res images and now these 13 clips, you’ll probably know at least 20 minutes of Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion before you walk into the theater.  Think of the time you’ll save!  You can go to the bathroom or get some snacks!  Thank you, Warner Bros.

Hit the jump to check out the clips.  The film stars Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kate Winslet.  Contagion opens September 9th.

New Posters for CORIOLANUS, CONTAGION, and TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 17th, 2011 at 2:53 pm

New posters have been released for Ralph Fiennes’ Coriolanus, Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion, and Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.  The Coriolanus poster is one of the best I’ve seen all year and I would happily hang it on my wall (provided the film is good, and it certainly looks good).  The Contagion poster is made up of the character posters we’ve already seen.  Finally, there’s a new code-face poster for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.  This one features Mark Strong as MI6 agent Jim Prideaux.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.  Coriolanus opens December 2nd.  Contagion opens September 9th.  Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy opens November 18th.

Six Character Posters for Steven Soderbergh’s CONTAGION

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 9th, 2011 at 12:27 pm

Steven Soderbergh’s disease horror flick Contagion boasts an outstanding cast and now six of them have their own posters for the film.  Hit the jump to check out the character posters featuring stars Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, and Gwyneth Paltrow.  Contagion opens September 9th.

Laurence Fishburne Cast as Perry White in MAN OF STEEL

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: August 2nd, 2011 at 7:27 pm

Zack Snyder stirred up some controversy when he cast a Brit, Henry Cavill, as Superman in the upcoming Man of Steel.  To make up for it, he filled the core supporting cast with true All-Americans: Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Kevin Costner as Pa Kent, Diane Lane as Martha Kent.  Same goes for Laurence Fishburne, who was just cast as Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief Perry White.  The catch: Fishburne is black.  That’s not especially meaningful, but as Hero Complex notes, Fishburne is the first black actor to play White in “any of the many film, television or cartoon versions of Superman’s adventures.”  (Commenters, I need your help: Has White ever been drawn black in any of the comics?)

You may recall the racial debate that surrounded Donald Glover’s quasi-campaign to play Spider-Man, or similar discussion prompted by our claim that Will Smith would make a good Captain America.  I doubt the casting of a relatively minor character will raise as much of a fuss, but you never know — some fans refused to accept Idris Elba as a Norse god in Thor.  I don’t believe there is anything especially “white” about Perry White, but I do know this: Fishburne and his baritone voice will fill the Daily Planet newsroom to the ceiling with gravitas.  Man of Steel is scheduled for release on June 14, 2013.

First Footage from Steven Soderbergh’s CONTAGION

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 13th, 2011 at 9:47 am

We should be getting a trailer soon for Steven Soderbergh’s epidemic thriller Contagion, but because studios still think that anyone watches Entertainment Tonight, the show still gets to premiere footage from the latest movies which the ET anchors then proceed to ruin with their chirpy voiceovers.  However, since I’m jazzed for this film and this is the first look we’re getting at the flick, I’ll begrudgingly encourage you to hit the jump to check out some brief footage.  I’m hearing that the film is both epic in scope and truly terrifying.

Hit the jump to check out the footage.  The film stars Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Bryan Cranston, Kate Winslet, and Laurence Fishburne.  Contagion opens September 9th.

TV Casting Call: Will Ferrell and Matthew McConaughey Return to EASTBOUND AND DOWN; Ted Danson Replaces Laurence Fishburne on CSI

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: July 12th, 2011 at 10:08 pm

We just learned about the addition of Jason Sudeikis in a new recurring role on HBO’s hilarious comedy series Eastbound & Down. We now know that some familiar faces will return for the third and possibly final season later this year as well. THR reports that Will Ferrell and Matthew McConaughey will both reprise their respective roles in the series from the first and second season. Ferrell appeared in two episodes as cocky BMW dealership owner Ashley Schaeffer while McConaughey showed up in the second season as openly gay Texas baseball scout Roy McDaniel. The series starts shooting this summer and, if it’s really going to be the final season, I’m sure it’ll go out with the type of bang only Kenny Powers can deliver.

For details on Ted Danson replacing Laurence Fishburne on CSI, hit the jump.

Laurence Fishburne Leaving CSI

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: June 8th, 2011 at 9:49 am

Laurence Fishburne surprisingly joined CSI when William Petersen left in 2008, but now he has opted not to renew his contract to star in the series. Apparently the actor is now expected to return to feature films full time again. Someone on the inside told Deadline, “Nobody expected him to be on the show for 7 years, it’s Laurence Fishburne.” Now the question will be who ends up replacing the actor on the series which is moving from its Thursday 9/8c timeslot to Wednesdays at 10/9c in the fall. As for Fishburne, he next appears in Steven Soderbergh’s thriller Contagion. Any suggestions as to who should replace Fishburne on the series?

Are Two More MATRIX Films in the Works? And in 3D? [Updated]

by Jason Barr    Posted: January 23rd, 2011 at 4:01 pm

While there is a decent chance you’ll one day be able to file this under “Internet movie rumors that never amounted to anything,” we’d be remiss not to at least pass this along.  A report has filed in from a “Q & A” at the London International School of Performing Arts which claims that star Keanu Reeves spoke at moderate length about returning to The Matrix for two more sequels.  Per the account, Reeves claims to have had lunch with The Wachowski Brothers over Christmas during which they briefed him on a two-film treatment they had finished for the Matrix franchise.

Obviously, keep in mind that the purported eye-witness account of the “Q & A” is, as of yet, unconfirmed.  Nevertheless, if you’d like to here more about what Reeves purportedly had to say about reprising his role as Neo, hit the jump. [Update: It looks as if the lead in the write-up has been proven true as sources from both the Reeves camp and the London International School of Performing Arts claim the "Q & A" never even happened.]

APOCALYPSE NOW: Full Disclosure Edition Blu-Ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: November 22nd, 2010 at 2:00 pm

Finally, the definitive Apocalypse Now! Francis Ford Coppola’s mess of a masterpiece is one of those films worth poring over, examining and dissecting, and this format and new supplements make for a heady package. Martin Sheen stars as Captain Benjamin Willard, who along with a boatload of soldiers (Albert Hall, Laurence Fishburne, Sam Bottoms, and Fredrick Forrest) traverse Vietnam on the hunt for Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who’s gone native and Willard’s mission states that they don’t really want him bringing Kurtz back alive. Along the way, they meet a number of different people, including Lt. Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall), Playboy bunnies (including Colleen Camp), and other assorted characters, more so in the Redux version, which includes the famously deleted French colonists. My review of the Apocalypse Now Full Disclosure edition on Blu-ray follows after the jump.

PREDATORS Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: October 28th, 2010 at 12:59 pm

Predator is one of the great action movies of the 1980’s. John McTiernan directed the hell out of it, and it is one of the great signature Arnold Schwarzenegger roles. They tried sequelizing it, and then there were the pathetic Alien vs. Predator films – Fox knew there was a franchise here, they just didn’t know how to pull it off. So they hired Robert Rodriguez to produce a new sequel that ignored all the other spin-offs, and to class it up, they ripped off James Cameron by naming it Predators. Nimrod Antal directs Adrian Brody, Danny Trejo, Walton Goggins, Laurence Fishburne, Alice Braga, Topher Grace, Louis Ozawa Changchein, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, and Oleg Taktarov as a group of killers rounded up by Predators, and let loose on an Alien planet to defend themselves. In this case, the hunters become the hunted until they become hunters hunting the hunters who are hunting them. My review of Predators on Blu-ray after the jump.

Casting Call: Laurence Fishburne Catches CONTAGION, Gillian Anderson Meets JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN, Hina Abdullah Guarantees 30 MINUTES OR LESS

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: July 9th, 2010 at 12:02 pm

Contagion didn’t really need anything more to intrigue.  Director Stephen Soderbergh is re-teaming with The Informant! scribe Scott Z. Burns, with a cast that includes Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, and Jude Law for his first 3D movie, about a viral outbreak.  That’s already, like, seventy-eight degrees of awesome.  But according to Variety, Warner Bros. has added another degree by signing Laurence Fishburne to co-star. [Update–The Playlist reported on Fisburne in Contation back in February and in March reported that he was playing “Dr. Ellis Cheever, the head of the Center for Disease Control.”  This one is shaping up to be excellent when it premieres on October 21, 2011.

Hit the jump for casting details on Gillian Anderson in sequel Johnny English Reborn, and Hina Abdullah in 30 Minutes or Less.

PREDATORS Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 8th, 2010 at 10:14 pm

In today’s action blockbuster marketplace, it’s refreshing to see a film that boils the genre down to its bare essentials and thrives as a lean, mean, disemboweling machine.  Not designed to sell collectors glasses at Burger King or have an opening weekend gross that would dwarf the GDP of a third-world country, Predators is a solid B-action movie that delivers fun, thrills, and unapologetic violence for only a fraction of the cost of your run-of-the-mill special effects extravaganza.

PREDATORS Interview: Director Nimrod Antal and Producer Robert Rodriguez

by Jake Lasker    Posted: July 1st, 2010 at 6:20 pm

Earlier today I had the opportunity to see a screening of Nimrod Antal’s Predators, followed by a press conference with Antal and producer Robert Rodriguez. While I can’t say much about the film, just know that I loved it. In our 25-minute press conference, Antal and Rodriguez spoke about:

• the film’s inception
• why the Predator is such an enduring character
• the possibility of cameos and other allusions to the original film
• how Adrien Brody convinced them he was right for the part
• their own memories of seeing Predator for the first time
• when we can expect the next Machete trailer

Hit the jump for a full transcipt of the press conference. Make sure to check back next week to read about our other press conference with stars Adrien Brody and Walton Goggins.  Predators hits theaters July 9^th.

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