Winter’s Tale

Colin Farrell Offered Lead in Akiva Goldsman’s Directorial Debut, WINTER’S TALE

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 26th, 2012 at 7:20 pm

Colin Farrell has been offered the male lead in Akiva Goldsman’s directorial debut, Winter’s Tale.  The female lead is set with Jessica Brown Findlay playing a dying young woman who falls in love with a thief who breaks into her West Side Manhattan mansion.  Farrell, if he takes the role in the Warner Bros. picture, would play the thief in this supernatural drama that occurs both in the 19th century and in contemporary times.  Winter’s Tale, based on the 1983 novel by Mark Helprin, also stars Russell Crowe and Will Smith in supporting roles.  Shooting is set to begin in New York on October 15th.  Hit the jump to see who else could fill the role if Farrell opts out.

Jessica Brown Findlay to Star in Akiva Goldsman’s WINTER’S TALE; Aaron Johnson and Garrett Hedlund Frontrunners for Male Lead

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 21st, 2012 at 8:34 am

Several weeks ago, we reported that Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey) was in the running for the lead female role in writer-director Akiva Goldman‘s adaptation of Mark Helprin‘s novel Winter’s Tale.  Today, Deadline reports that Findlay has nabbed the role of “the dying young woman who falls in love with a thief who breaks into her home, a palatial West Side mansion, in a drama that takes place in 19th Century and contemporary Manhattan.”  Deadline adds that Aaron Johnson and Garrett Hedlund are the frontrunners to play the thief.  As we previously reported, Russell Crowe and Will Smith, who worked with Goldsman on A Beautiful Mind and I Am Legend, respectively, will have small supporting roles in the film.  Goldsman is making his directorial debut on Winter’s Tale, and shooting is set to begin on October 15th in New York.

I haven’t seen Downton Abbey, but I’ve only heard raves about the show, so I’ll assume that Findlay is great on it.  Hit the jump for a synopsis for Helprin’s novel.

Benjamin Walker, Tom Hiddleston, Lily Colins, Bella Heathcote, and Jessica Brown Findlay Testing for WINTER’S TALE

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: February 28th, 2012 at 8:11 pm

Akiva Goldsman has spent the last several years developing an adaptation of Mark Helprin‘s novel Winter’s Tale.  He signed a deal this time last year to make Winter’s Tale his directorial debut, but the progress was impeded when the budget for the supernatural period thriller became a concern at Warner Bros.  Goldsman turned to a pair of marketable A-listers he’s worked with for help: Russell Crowe (Goldsman wrote A Beautiful Mind and Cinderella Man) and Will Smith (I, Robot and I Am Legend) have agreed to appear in the film, so the project is back on track with $20 million subtracted from the projected budget.  Goldsman is now looking to cast the young leads: Heat Vision hears Benjamin Walker (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), Tom Hiddleston (Thor), Lily Collins (Abduction), Bella Heathcote (In Time), and Jessica Brown Findlay (Downtown Abbey) will undergo testing over the next two weeks.

The early 20th-century tale centers on “a thief on the run who, when breaking into a wealthy man’s home, strikes up a relationship with the man’s terminally ill daughter.”  Hit the jump for the full book synopsis.

Akiva Goldsman Lands Russell Crowe and Will Smith for Directorial Debut WINTER’S TALE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 1st, 2012 at 11:53 am

Exactly one year ago today, we reported that Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind) was set to make his directorial debut with an adaptation of Mark Helprin’s novel Winter’s Tale. The fantasy tells the story of a thief, a dying girl, and a flying white horse in 19th century and contemporary Manhattan. The $75 million film was set up at Warner Bros., but we’ve heard practically nothing about the project since that announcement. Apparently the film has been languishing at the studio over financial issues (why wouldn’t WB want to pay $75 million for a drama starring a flying horse?), but now Goldsman’s project has gained a considerable amount of steam with two casting coups: Russell Crowe and Will Smith. Hit the jump for more, including a synopsis of the novel.

Akiva Goldsman Makes His Feature Directorial Debut Adapting WINTER’S TALE

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: February 1st, 2011 at 9:06 pm

Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (Angels & Demons) has signed on to write and direct an adaptation of the Mark Helprin novel Winter’s Tale.  Goldsman has directed four episodes of Fringe (which he produces) and one episode of Kings, but this will be his feature directorial debut.  Goldsman was reportedly drawn to the fantasy of Winter’s Tale, which tells the story of “a thief, a dying girl and a flying white horse in 19th Century and contemporary Manhattan.”  According to Deadline, Warner Bros. is setting up the adaptation with a relatively large $75 million budget.  The studio has begun the casting search in preparation for a spring 2012 start.

Goldsman should have his hands full until then (and beyond) as the writer tasked with adapting Stephen King’s Dark Tower series for Universal.  Goldsman has written the first Dark Tower film and is on tap to script first season of television; he is on board as at least a producer for the other two films in the trilogy and subsequent TV seasons in the ambitious franchise.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of Winter’s Tale.

Akiva Goldsman talks LOBO, SWAMP THING and Says He Might Direct WINTER’S TALE

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: October 19th, 2009 at 7:55 pm

Akiva Goldsman is a very busy man. He’s also someone that fandom has never been happy with. That’s because as the producer or screenwriter of films like “Batman Forever”, “Lost in Space”, “The Da Vinci Code”, “I Am Legend”, “Angels & Demons”, and “Hancock”, he’s easily pointed at for problems with the adaptations. But no matter what fandom thinks, the films he’s involved with make tons of money, so he’s not going anywhere.

Anyway, he’s currently developing movie versions of “Lobo” and “Swamp Thing”, and he might direct his first feature and it’s looking like it’ll be “Winter’s Tale”, which is Mark Helprin’s 1983 fantasy about an alternate-history New York, a thief and flying white horse. So if you’re curious about any of the projects, hit the jump to read what he had to say:

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