The Weinstein Company has released the first trailer for director Lee Daniels’ (Precious, The Paperboy) historical drama The Butler.  Based on a true story, the film stars Forrest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines, a butler who served at the White House from 1952 to 1986.  The trailer plays up the film’s awards prospects as we see a flash of famous faces playing the many notable persons who walked the halls of the White House throughout this period (Alan Rickman is particularly striking as President Reagan), and that’s balanced with an overview of Gaines’ life in a racially tense America.  While the film certainly looks like it has the potential to be powerful, cautious optimism is key whenever Lee Daniels is involved.

Hit the jump to watch the debut trailer.  The film also stars Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, Mariah Carey, John Cusack, Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Minka Kelly, Lenny Kravitz, Melissa Leo, James Marsden, Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Redgrave, Liev Schreiber, and Robin Williams.  The Butler opens on October 18th.

Love him or loathe him, you’ve got to admit that filmmaker Lee Daniels has some stones on him.  His schlock in sheep’s clothing Precious garnered tremendous acclaim and award nominations.  It also must’ve persuaded actors to wanna work with him because his follow-up film, The Paperboy, features some big names despite its uneven script and shockingly insane moments that became quickly infamous.  Does the insanity onscreen outweigh the poor script? Find out after the jump with our Blu-ray review of The Paperboy.

While there was previously a Janis Joplin biopic in the works (the one simply titled, Joplin), another project centering on the Queen of Rock n’ Roll is attracting some big names.  Reports have director Lee Daniels (Precious) in talks to helm the project, titled Janis Joplin: Get It While You Can. Amy Adams (The Master) would star as the late singer in a pic that focuses on one day in her life.  The script was turned in by producer Ron Terry and his wife Theresa-Kounin Terry.  Hit the jump for more. 

The Weinstein Company has picked up distribution rights for Precious director Lee Daniels’ period drama The Butler.  The film tells the true story of Eugene Allen, a butler who served at the White House from 1952 to 1986, and Daniels has filled his supporting cast with a number of familiar faces to play the notable persons who walk the halls of the White House throughout this period.  The stars of the film, however, are Forrest Whitaker as Allen, Oprah Winfrey as his wife, and David Oyelowo as his son.  Though one might think this is an early awards contender acquisition, Daniels’ latest film The Paperboy has been viciously panned this year so it’s with cautious optimism that I approach The Butler.  The film is being readied for release sometime in 2013.

Hit the jump to read the full press release and the check out a new image of Whitaker in character.  The film also stars Mariah Carey, John Cusack, Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Minka Kelly, Lenny Kravitz, Melissa Leo, James Marsden, Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Redgrave, Alan Rickman, Live Schreiber, and Robin Williams.

Lee Daniels‘ The Paperboy technically has a plot.  It’s an idiotic, rambling plot that has no level of cohesion or momentum whatsoever, but it’s a story that chronologically follows from “A” to “B”.  Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy has characters.  They’re gross, idiotic people whose actions are repulsive and ambitions are bizarre, but their repulsive behavior and bizarre ambition are consistent.  Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy doesn’t earn points just because it meets the bare minimum of plot and character since it fails on just about every level of filmmaking.  Daniels, in his effort to go big all the time, mistakes luridness for atmosphere, sweat for character, and style for substance.

Direct from the ongoing shoot in New Orleans comes the first look at Forest Whitaker in costume as Eugene Allen, the man behind the title role in director Lee Daniels’ The Butler.  We also have some new set photos of James Marsden and Minka Kelly in costume as John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie Kennedy.  The ensemble drama about the life of the White House servant who looked after eight first families was based on Wil Haygood’s 2008 Washington Post article about Allen.  The picture also stars Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, John Cusack, Alex Pettyfer, Aml Ameen, Alan Rickman, Jane Fonda and Robin Williams.  Hit the jump to check out the images. [Update: The set photos have been removed at the request of the pictures' owners.]

The first trailer for Precious director Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy has been released, and it’s pretty out there.  The film is an adaptation of the Pete Dexter novel and stars Matthew McConaughey and Zac Efron as two brothers who team-up to investigate the potential wrongful conviction of a death-row inmate played by John Cusack.  The trailer’s pretty muddled, and it’s tough to make out just exactly what this movie is.  Efron appears to be fixated on a rather free-spirited woman played by Nicole Kidman, while Cusack seems to be playing some sort of victim/villain.  The pic was greeted with a less than enthusiastic response when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and while this trailer doesn’t inspire much evidence to the contrary I’m still interested to see the talented ensemble cast work together.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer and check out the poster.  The Paperboy opens on October 5th.

For some years now, director Lee Daniels (Precious) and actor Hugh Jackman (The Prestige) have dreamed of developing Selma, a passion project involving the civil rights struggle in America.  It looks like the duo will get their chance with Orders to Kill, a film that takes a new look at the assassination of civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The unconventional take on the historical tragedy centers on controversial lawyer and activist, William Pepper (Jackman), who has argued that convicted assassin James Earl Ray never shot MLK.  Hit the jump for much more.

Robin Williams has now firmed up plans to star in two upcoming projects.  First up, Williams will play President Dwight D. Eisenhower in director Lee Daniels’ drama The Butler.  The film tells the true story of Eugene Allen, a butler who served at the White House from 1952 to 1986.  Forest Whitaker plays Allen, Oprah Winfrey is set as his wife, and David Oyelowo will star as Allen’s son.  Daniels is casting a number of stars to play the famous men and women who come in and out of the White House over the years, and it was announced today that Williams will be playing Eisenhower.  John Cusack, Alan Rickman, Terrence Howard, Vanessa Redgrave, Jane Fonda, Colman Domingo, Minka Kelly, and more are also lined up to appear.

Additionally, we previously heard that Williams would star alongside Mila Kunis and Peter Dinklage in Phil Alden Robinson’s high concept comedy The Angriest Man in Brooklyn.  The actor’s involvement has now been confirmed, and you can read the full press release after the jump.

A couple of new release dates have been announced.  First up, Lee Daniels’ adaptation of The Paperboy will hit theaters on October 5th (per Deadline).  The film stars Matthew McConaughey and Zac Efron as two brothers who team-up to investigate the potential wrongful conviction of a death-row inmate played by John Cusack.  The film was met with a less-than-enthusiastic response at the Cannes Film Festival, but I’m still interested in seeing the pic based on the impressive cast.  The drama faces considerable competition on that October release date, as Frankenweenie, Taken 2, the a capella comedy Pitch Perfect and the horror film Sinister all open on the same day.

Additionally, Studio Canal and Big Talk Pictures have set the salsa dancing revenge comedy (how’s that for a genre?) Cuban Fury for release on March 22nd in the UK and Ireland.  Nick Frost plays a burgeoning salsa dancing star alongside Rashida Jones, Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids), Olivia Colman (Hot Fuzz) and Ian McShane.  Production begins next week in London, and hopefully we’ll get a US release date announcement soon.  Hit the jump to read the press release.

Though his latest feature, The Paperboy, was met with a less than enthusiastic response at its Cannes Film Festival premiere, director Lee Daniels continues to fill out the impressive cast for his next film, The Butler.  The pic tells the true story of Eugene Allen, a butler who served at the White House from 1952 to 1986, and 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.  Forest Whitaker plays Allen, Oprah Winfrey is set as his wife, and David Oyelowo will star as Allen’s son.  Deadline reports that Alex Pettyfer (I Am Number Four) will play Thomas Westphall, a character who appears early in the film and has a pivotal influence on Allen’s life.

Moreover, Deadline adds that Vanessa Redgrave is circling a role in the pic as well.  The supporting cast thus far includes Alan Rickman, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Minka Kelly, Jane Fonda, and Lenny Kravitz.  Production begins next month and Pettyfer will next be seen in Magic Mike.

This new clip from director Lee Daniels’ (Precious) upcoming movie, The Paperboy, highlights not only stars Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman, but Daniels’ editing style and a mighty fine musical choice.  It features the same washed-out tones as the previous clip we posted and I have to say, I’m a fan of the look.  However, the clip, titled “Jack’s Daydream,” is loaded with overlays, cuts and transitions that come across as a bit heavy handed.  Luckily, the scene is saved by David Oyelowo snapping Jack and the audience back into reality.  You’ll have to look twice to spot Matthew McConaughey who, in a bit of a departure, doesn’t steal the scene and barely registers on the radar.

The Paperboy, an adaptation of the Pete Dexter novel, features McConaughey and Efron playing a pair of brothers who team-up to investigate the potential wrongful conviction of a death-row inmate (John Cusack).  Hit the jump to check out the clip.

Let’s talk movie casting additions for a change of pace from all of the TV news we posted earlier today.  Here are the new announcements in brief:

• Sam Claflin (Snow White and the Huntsman) will star in The Quiet Ones, a supernatural horror/thriller directed by Quarantine 2′s John Pogue.
• Michelle Monaghan (Source Code)  is set to join Owen Wilson in The Coup, a thriller directed by John Erick Dowdle (Quarantine).
• Jesse Williams (Cabin in the Woods) is in talks to join The Butler, the Lee Daniels‘ historical drama about White House staffer, Eugene Allen.

Hit the jump for more.

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.

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.