Noah Baumbach

Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Olivia Wilde and Brie Larson Up for Peter Bogdanovich’s SQUIRRELS TO THE NUTS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 24th, 2012 at 5:29 pm

Director Peter Bogdanovich is assembling an incredibly impressive team both in front of and behind the camera for his next feature.   Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Olivia Wilde and Brie Larson (21 Jump Street) are attached to star in the indie comedy Squirrels to the Nuts with Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach onboard to produce the pic; it’s essentially The Avengers of quirky cinema.  The film centers on a hooker-turned-Broadway-thesp, played by Larson, and follows the “recurring intersection between these two facets of her life.”  Hit the jump for more.

HBO Passes on THE CORRECTIONS Adaptation Starring Ewan McGregor and Maggie Gyllenhaal

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: May 1st, 2012 at 7:50 pm

I have a tendency to write a little too breathlessly about projects in development at HBO.  So it is important for me to learn that like every other network, HBO passes on some series, no matter how great the talent attached.  Variety reports the network passed on The Corrections, the adaptation of the bestselling Jonathan Franzen book about “the troubles of a Midwestern couple and their three adult children as they trace their lives from the mid-20th century to ‘one last Christmas’ together near the turn of the millennium.”  Writer/director Noah Baumbach (Greenberg) had assembled a stellar cast in Ewan McGregor, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rhys Ifans, Dianne Wiest, Chris Cooper, and Greta Gerwig.  McGregor, a man of taste and distinction, praised the scripts by Baumbach and Franzen, saying the “lovely writing” convinced him to spend four months of each of the next four years exploring this character.  They shot the pilot in February, but alas, the pieces apparently did not come together in a way that met the HBO standard.  For more on what we’re missing out on, hit the jump for the full book synopsis.

Ewan McGregor Talks HBO Series THE CORRECTIONS; Filming Begins in NYC This June if Pilot Gets Picked up

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 5th, 2012 at 3:59 pm

Author Jonathan Franzen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Corrections was met with wide acclaim when it hit bookstores back in 2001.  Given the book’s popularity, it’s a bit surprising that a film or television adaptation hasn’t come to fruition until now.  That said, I don’t think there’s a better way to adapt the book to the visual medium than through an ambitious HBO series.  Franzen and director Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) teamed up on the TV adaptation, and they’ve assembled an incredible cast for the show: Ewan McGregor, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rhys Ifans, Dianne Wiest, Chris Cooper, and Greta Gerwig.

Steve got the chance to sit down with McGregor to talk about the upcoming dramedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen earlier today, and the actor spoke quite a bit about his first foray into television.  In addition to confirming the show’s impressive filming plan (four seasons of 10 episodes each), McGregor revealed that he recently wrapped the pilot and should HBO pick it up to series, they’ll start shooting the first season this June in New York.  Furthermore, the actor talked about his initial hesitation about diving into television, the creative team involved in The Corrections, and more.  Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

Promo Poster for Jake Paltrow’s Sci-Fi Flick YOUNG ONES

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 5th, 2011 at 1:28 pm

Straight from the American Film Market, we’ve got the first promo poster for the sci-fi pic Young Ones. The film is director Jake Paltrow’s (yes, the brother of Gwyneth) first since his 2006 feature directorial debut The Good Night. While info on the pic is scarce, the film is said to have Elle Fanning attached to star in a story set in the not too distant future where water is a scarce commodity (per Ion Cinema). The film centers on a cowboy grieving over the death of his father when he finds out that his father’s killer has just moved in with his sister. Greenberg and The Squid and the Whale writer-director Noah Baumbach may or may not be producing the pic, which sounds like an intense character drama highlighted by touches of sci-fi. The promo poster boasts the tagline “Not all children have a childhood” and features a young boy carrying a gun, against a desert-like landscape augmented by what looks to be a large robot/machine. Hit the jump to check it out.

Dianne Wiest and Chris Cooper to Star in HBO’s Adaptation of Jonathan Franzen’s THE CORRECTIONS

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: October 18th, 2011 at 5:43 pm

Being a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is just one of many good ways to get your writing noticed. Luckily for Jonathan Franzen, his National Book Award-winning novel The Corrections has been picked up by the capable folks at HBO. Now, screenwriter Noah Baumbach (Greenberg) and producer Scott Rudin (The Social Network) have some equally capable actors to work with. Dianne Wiest (In Treatment) has landed the female lead of Enid Lambert and may star opposite Chris Cooper (Adaptation) who is in negotiations to play her husband, Albert.

The Corrections is a sprawling satire of a conservative Midwestern couple suffering from “empty nest syndrome,” among other things. The novel wanders through time, highlighting each of the family members’ successes and mistakes until finally converging at a point where they all begin to correct the individual courses of their lives. Hit the jump for more on The Corrections.

Director Scott Cooper Replaces Noah Baumbach on THE EMPEROR’S CHILDREN

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 11th, 2011 at 12:10 pm

Crazy Heart writer-director Scott Cooper has replaced Noah Baumbach (Greenberg) for the adaptation of Claire Messud’s novel The Emperor’s Children.  Twitch reports that the switch is likely due to Baumbach’s busy schedule.  He’s currently in production on a documentary, and he’s already set to direct his script While We’re Young (starring Jesse Eisenberg, Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts) next year.

Since last November, Cooper has becomes attached to a remake of Carancho, a project called The Pale Blue Eye, and the dark drama Out of the Furnace, but we don’t know if he’s still on board for these films, although Twitch says he’s still on for Furnace.  It’s unknown if Cooper will still use Baumbach’s script for Emperor’s Children.  The film is being eyed for a spring 2012 start date.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of the novel.

An Hour-Long Interview between the Coen Brothers and Noah Baumbach

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 13th, 2011 at 2:13 pm

The Film Society of Lincoln Center held an hour-long discussion between Joel and Ethan Coen and fellow filmmaker Noah Baumbach.  Normally I’d bitch and moan about how jealous I was not to be there and then cry myself to sleep.  But not today!  Filmlinc.com has kindly posted the discussion online and I know what I’ll be watching when I get off work today.  Some of the topics covered include how the Coens open their movies, their use of voice-over, how they use misdirection, and how their films compare to Baumbach’s.  The interview is also worth watching because the Coens rarely speak about the films and instead prefer to let them stand on their own.  People continue to speculate on the symbolism of the hat in Miller’s Crossing.

Hit the jump to check out the video and quotes pulled from the interview.

Jesse Eisenberg May Reunite with Noah Baumbach for WHILE WE’RE YOUNG; Naomi Watts May Co-Star

by Phil Brown    Posted: May 31st, 2011 at 2:42 pm

Jesse Eisenberg’s ascension to unlikely geeky movie star was a gradual one that required overtaking Michael Cera’s crown as the king of awkward 20somethings. Though he stood out as a teen in small films like 2002’s Rodger Dodger, the film that put Eisenberg on the map for most people was Noah Baumbach’s acidic divorce comedy The Squid And The Whale. Now famous and Oscar nominated, it looks like Jesse might be reuniting with Baumbach on the upcoming While We’re Young. Details on the film are pretty scarce at this early stage, but a few other interesting casting choices are already in place and the tone should be consistent with Baumbach’s previous films that place complicated personalities into difficult situations to watch them squirm and reveal who they truly are. As he proved by playing Mark Zuckerberg, Eisenberg certainly knows his way around making a character empathetic without ignoring his inherent arrogance and that’s exactly what Baumbach needs from his actors. Hit the jump for more details on the upcoming flick.

James Franco and Cate Blanchett Drop Out of WHILE WE’RE YOUNG

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: March 6th, 2011 at 11:06 am

Noah Baumbach (Greenberg) had an excellent cast lined up for his next feature: Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, James Franco, Cate Blanchett.  It is with great regret that I use the past tense.  Scheduling issues kept Gerwig from committing, and Just Jared reports that Franco and Blanchett have dropped out.  Filming on While We’re Young was set to begin in New York in June, but Franco will be busy shooting Oz, the Great and Powerful.  Blanchett’s motivation is not specified, but it’s possible there is overlap with her time on set for the sure-to-be sprawling production on The Hobbit, which starts shooting later this month.  More on While We’re Young after the break:

James Franco’s 2011: WHILE WE’RE YOUNG, OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, and SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 25th, 2011 at 10:44 am

James Franco is closing his deal to star in Sam Raimi’s Oz, The Great and Powerful.  That’s not really news since we reported last week that Mila Kunis joining the project had basically put Franco on board.  The real news in Deadline‘s story is how the busy actor’s schedule for 2011 is set to play out.  In addition to the press he’ll most likely be doing for his 2011 films Your Highness and Rise of the Apes, he’s got three films set for the year.  First up, he’ll costar with Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, and Cate Blanchett in Noah Baumbach’s While We’re Young.  In the summer he’ll move on to Oz, which is an origin story of the Wizard of Oz and the land’s various witches.  Finally, in the late fall/winter he’ll star alongside Nicole Kidman in David Cromer’s revival of the Tenneesse Williams play Sweet Bird of Youth.

Throughout his shooting scheduled he’ll continue working towards getting his PhD in creative writing at Yale.  I’ll be pretty busy myself, especially in the fall when a bunch of new video games come out.  Sure, Franco may make loads of money, earn tons of awards, and get his doctorate, but will he have solved all of the Riddler’s clues in Batman: Arkham City?  I think not.

Noah Baumbach Recruits Ben Stiller, James Franco, Greta Gerwig, Cate Blanchett for WHILE WE’RE YOUNG

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: December 1st, 2010 at 7:56 pm

Writer/director Noah Baumbach is prepping his next film, While We’re Young, and as usual, he’s culling an excellent cast.  Ben Stiller and James Franco are attached to star, with offers out to Greta Gerwig and Cate Blanchett.  Franco is the only newbie to the land of Baumbach.  Stiller and Gerwig assumed the lead roles in his last film, Greenberg; Blanchett acted in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, the script of which Baumbach co-wrote.

Vulture indicates the story centers on “a free-spirited Brooklynite twenty-something couple (Franco and Gerwig) who inspires an uptight documentarian (Stiller) and his wife (Blanchett) to loosen up — with comedic consequences.”  More after the jump.

Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach Producing Peter Bogdanovich’s SQUIRREL TO THE NUTS

by Ramses Flores    Posted: October 29th, 2010 at 8:56 pm

It has now been almost ten years since we last saw a Peter Bogdanovich film in theaters.  The critic-cum-director, who is probably best known for his work during the 70s (The Last Picture Show, What’s Up, Doc?), has spent the last couple of years directing TV movies, but it looks like that will change soon.  During a recent interview, Bogdanovich broke the news that he is now working on a few projects.  First up, he announced that he is working on a screwball comedy currently titled Squirrel to the Nuts.  The film will be produced by Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach (The Fantastic Mr. Fox), and will tell the story of “an escort, a theatre director and a private detective.”  Hit the jump to continue reading about what other projects Bogdanovich is working on.

GREENBERG DVD Review

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: August 30th, 2010 at 12:40 pm

It seems like every two or three years Ben Stiller makes up for the couple mediocre family comedies he makes (Madagascar, Meet the Fockers) by starring in a great comedy like Tropic Thunder (which he also directed) or in this case, leading an amazing character driven film like Greenberg from writer/director Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale). With is latest venture, Baumbach brings yet another peculiar, somewhat unlikeable yet inexplicably charming character to the table brought to life effortlessly by Stiller, an actor who usually keeps his comedy light, but isn’t afraid about going to the dark side. So without further adieu, hit the jump to dive into the wholly unique mind of Greenberg.

Jim Carrey, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson Under Consideration for Lead in MR. POPPER’S PENGUINS

by Jake Lasker    Posted: June 22nd, 2010 at 3:45 pm

Jim Carrey, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson are reportedly under consideration to star as the titular character in Fox’s upcoming adaptation of the children’s book Mr. Popper’s Penguins; Mark Waters (Mean Girls) is in discussions to direct.  This comes after Noah Baumbach and his Greenberg star Ben Stiller recently left the project.   For more details and some thoughts on the project, hit the jump.

Noah Baumbach No Longer Directing MR. POPPER’S PENGUINS

by Ramses Flores    Posted: April 30th, 2010 at 1:40 pm

Earlier this month we reported director Noah Baumbach and his Greenberg leading man, Ben Stiller, were getting ready to team up again for an adaptation of the classic children’s novel, Mr. Popper’s Penguins. Sadly, that is no longer the case, as The Los Angeles Times is reporting Baumbach has walked away from the project due to “creative differences”.

The 1938 novel by Richard and Florence Atwater is about “a house painter and his wife who come into possession of a dozen penguins but soon find themselves in over their heads with feeding and other responsibilities.”.  It would’ve been great to have seen what Baumbach had in mind for the film after seeing his take on another classic children’s novel with Fantastic Mr. Fox, which he co-wrote with Wes Anderson.  In the meantime, Baumbach is still set to direct The Emperor’s Children later on this year starring Keira Knightly, Richard Gere, and Eric Bana.

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