All Articles by Matt Currie

Rupert Grint Joins THE NECESSARY DEATH OF CHARLIE COUNTRYMAN and CBGB

Posted: May 23rd, 2012 at 6:32 pm

Though Ron Weasley will always be the defining role of his career, Rupert Grint isn’t short on post-Harry Potter employment. The young Brit has lined up a pair of pretty intriguing projects; first up comes confirmation that he’s climbed aboard Fredrik Bond’s action-comedy-romance The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman. While the details of his role are unknown at this point, the film stars Shia LaBeouf as a hapless fellow that falls in love with a woman (Evan Rachel Wood) who’s lorded over by an unhinged mob boss (Mads Mikkelsen). Oscar winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter) and Til Schweiger (Inglourious Basterds) are set to play LaBeouf’s deceased (but still communicative) mother and a Serbian war criminal respectively. All told, it’s a pretty fantastic assemblage of on-screen talent. More than anything, I’m looking forward to Mads “Le Chiffre” Mikkelsen busting out his “insanely violent” side; I simply never tire of watching that man commit unspeakable deeds.

The script for Countryman comes from Project X scribe Matt Drake. It’s currently filming in Romania. Hit the jump for more, plus details on Grint’s other new project, CBGB.

MARGARET Blu-ray Includes 3-Hour Extended Cut

Posted: May 15th, 2012 at 7:50 pm

Fans of Kenneth Lonergan’s emotional marathon Margaret will have something to look forward to. The oft-delayed film won its share of raves when it finally received a limited theatrical release last year, with critics singling out Anna Paquin’s performance as a high-schooler whose innocence is shattered when she believes herself responsible for a fatal bus accident. Several called it the best film of the year. Now comes news that it will receive a limited-time Blu-ray combo pack release on July 10 via Amazon; in that combo pack, you’ll get a bonus DVD featuring a 3-hour extended cut sporting over 30 minutes of added footage. It promises to be at least 20% more devastating than you remember (if you got to see it at all).

Hit the jump for more, including a full press release and the box art. Margaret also stars Mark Ruffalo, Matt Damon, Allison Janney, Jean Reno, Kieran Culkin, and Matthew Broderick.

Alec Baldwin and James Toback Join Forces for Cannes Documentary SEDUCED AND ABANDONED

Posted: May 15th, 2012 at 6:38 pm

Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) and Oscar-nominated director James Toback (Bugsy) want to make a movie—a political drama (or something) in which Baldwin will star. But they don’t have the money. So they’re going to Cannes to pitch their ideas to some money men. There are no guarantees that it’s going to happen. But don’t worry, because while they’re trying to get that film made, they’re going to be making another film…a documentary, in fact, about trying to get their other film made. It’s all very avant-garde.

While the film they’re trying to get made is currently untitled, the film they’re filming about trying to get that film made is called Seduced and Abandoned. It will follow their efforts to secure financing for a movie armed with only an idea and take audiences inside Cannes, exploring how the industry is changing and the festival itself is no longer just a festival. The two have already lined-up interviews with the likes of Martin Scorsese, Roman Polanski, and Bernardo Bertolucci. Hit the jump for more.

Chris Pine to Lead MANTIVITIES; Alex Russell and Ansel Elgort to Star in CARRIE Remake

Posted: May 15th, 2012 at 5:38 pm

A couple of film’s got all actored up today. Here are the details on who climbed aboard what. First, fresh off playing in shaky-cam superhero hit Chronicle, Alex Russell has signed on for director Kimberly Peirce’s Carrie remake. Also getting in on the action is stage actor, Ansel Elgort, making his big-screen debut. The pair joins Chloe Moretz, who was previously cast as the lead. Based on the 1974 Stephen King novel (the book that kicked off the horror maestro’s prolific career), it will tell the tale of tormented high-schooler Carrie White, who, after being pushed too far by her classmates and mother, unleashes telekinetic hell. It was previously adapted in 1976 by director Brian De Palma, a film that still stands among the finest adaptations of the author’s work. Per Variety, Elgort has been cast as a friend who takes Carrie to the prom, while Russell will play a bully who ridicules (and, one would imagine, is brutally killed by) the troubled protagonist.

Hit the jump for info on Chris Pine’s latest.

Adult Swim Orders 8 Pilots Including an Animated HAROLD & KUMAR Series and a New Series from COMMUNITY’s Dan Harmon

Posted: May 15th, 2012 at 4:36 pm

The future of Adult Swim, Cartoon Network’s weird older brother, just got a little bit clearer, as the cable network has announced a bevy of new pilots that will compete for a schedule spot in 2012-2013. The most prominent of the bunch are an untitled animated continuation of the pot-fueled adventures of Harold & Kumar and Rick & Morty, a comedy from Community creator, Dan Harmon. The former is being scripted by franchise writers (and directors of Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay) Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg and will see stars John Cho and Kal Penn giving voice to animated versions of themselves. Rick & Morty, meanwhile, follows the adventures of an inventor and his dimwitted grandson. Hit the jump for more.

New Featurette for THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Turns the Spotlight on Director Marc Webb

Posted: May 15th, 2012 at 3:12 pm

A day after the 4-minute “super preview” for The Amazing Spider-Man showcased the film’s explosive, high-flying spectacle, we’re being treated to something a bit more intimate. Director Marc Webb, relating his Sony NEX camera-sponsored ”makedotbelieve story,” gives us a little insight into his filmmaking process—the importance of protecting your core notion of what this film is, allowing for inspiration, what it’s like watching words on a page come to life. There’s also plenty of behind-the-scenes footage of Webb interacting with his cast and crew.

Hit the jump to check it out. Prior to catching the third trailer for the film, I was still pretty “meh” on this particular reboot. Since then, it’s been a firm #3 on my list of the year’s need-to-see superhero flicks (prove me wrong, Dredd). The Amazing Spider-Man stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, and Sally Field.  It opens in 3D on July 3rd.

Scott Z. Burns to Write RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Sequel

Posted: May 15th, 2012 at 2:19 pm

Rise of the Planet of the Apes proved to be a sizable sleeper hit for Fox last summer. In an interview at CinemaCon, Fox CEO Tom Rothman told Steve that the studio was “pushing forward aggressively” on a sequel, in anticipation of a possible summer 2014 release date. Director Rupert Wyatt and star (no offense to James Franco) Andy Serkis were both already set to return; today comes news that Contagion and The Bourne Ultimatum scribe Scott. Z. Burns will write the script.

The first film saw a scientist (James Franco) experimenting on apes in search of a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. The result was super-intelligent chimp Caesar (Serkis), who, disgusted by the mistreatment he and his kind endure at the hands of man, leads an uprising. The sequel will, predictably, see Caesar and co. making use of their hard-won freedom to gain dominion over the planet (making it a sort of, “Planet of the Monkeys,” if you will). Hit the jump for more.

Will Forte and Bruce Dern May Hit the Road for Alexander Payne’s NEBRASKA

Posted: May 15th, 2012 at 1:24 pm

Having racked up awards buzz and a rather tidy box office sum with The Descendants, director Alexander Payne is set to ease back into his road-movie wheelhouse with Nebraska. Production on the project has been delayed a couple times in the past months, as Payne worked on the script and searched for the right leads. After names like Robert Duvall, Jack Nicholson and Robert Forster were bandied about, now comes news that the helmer has set his sights on Bruce Dern to play a cantankerous alcoholic and SNL alum Will Forte to occupy the role of his estranged son. The dramedy will see the two taking a car trip to collect on the father’s apparent sweepstakes win. At the moment, offers have not been made to either actor. Hit the jump for more on Nebraska.

New Featurettes for MOONRISE KINGDOM Spotlight Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, and Director Wes Anderson

Posted: May 14th, 2012 at 6:28 pm

Four featurettes for director Wes Anderson’s forthcoming Moonrise Kingdom have made it to the web.  And like everything Anderson is involved with, they’re nothing if not peculiar.  Each clip focuses in on one of Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, and the director himself.  And each is hosted by fellow cast member Bob Balaban, who comments on amusing behind-the-scenes footage of his subjects, exuding Anderson’s trademark oblique humor to parody the overly-earnest educational reels from the ’50s and ’60s. Example: “Edward’s a natural leader,” he proclaims.  “Here he is sticking a pencil in the mouth of a khaki scout.”  Needless to say, they’re both delightful and informative.

Hit the jump to check them out.  Set in 1965, on the fictional New Panzance Island, Moonrise Kingdom finds a pair of 12 year-olds (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) falling in love and disappearing together into the wilderness.  A group of oddball authority figures, including Willis, Norton, Murray, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, and Jason Schwartzman pull out all the stops to find them before a massive storm hits. It arrives in theatres on May 25.

HARRY POTTER Scribe Steve Kloves in Talks to Write and Direct DEFENDING JACOB

Posted: May 14th, 2012 at 5:20 pm

Having spent the last decade or so scripting the Harry Potter series (save for Order of the Phoenix), Steve Kloves is likely looking forward to never typing the words “Expelliarmus” or “Muggle” ever again. Kicking off the process of moving on, Kloves entered into talks to write and direct a live-action reboot of The Jungle Book. Now comes news that the in-demand scribe is in discussions to do the same for an adaptation of William Landay’s best-selling legal thriller Defending Jacob. Set in Massachusetts, it tells the tale of an assistant district attorney who is compelled to defend his teenaged son when he’s accused of murdering a fellow student. He’s driven by love to believe in the boy’s innocence, even as evidence of guilt continues to pile up. Hit the jump for more.

Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, and Adam McKay Developing HBO Series for Rob Riggle

Posted: May 14th, 2012 at 4:39 pm

Mark Wahlberg, Adam McKay, and Will Ferrell are gearing up to bring Daily Show alum and prolific bit-part player Rob Riggle to HBO. McKay and Ferrell (producers of the network’s black comedy Eastbound and Down) and Wahlberg (producer of seemingly everything else on HBO) will team with Riggle and fellow Eastbound producer Chris Henchy to develop a 1980s-set Wall Street comedy that Riggle will star in. He’ll be playing a successful bonds trader who, one assumes, will prove to be not unlike Kenny Powers in his repulsive yet enthralling overall approach to life. Hit the jump for more.

Ethan Hawke to Star in PREDESTINATION for The Spierig Brothers

Posted: May 14th, 2012 at 3:23 pm

Ethan Hawke is set to reteam with his Daybreakers directors The Spierig Brothers, time-travel actioner Predestination. Based on the 1959 Robert Heinlein short story “All You Zombies,” this one concerns a covert temporal manipulation agency that’s tasked with jumping into the past to prevent/facilitate certain key events. Hawke will play an agent who must take highly inventive action to ensure his very existence. The original Heinlein story is a witty, mind-bending temporal-paradox that plays heavily with perspective. It’s unclear at this point exactly how closely the film will follow it; hopefully, the answer is: to the letter. Because, without spoiling anything, this one’s got a doozy of a last-act reveal. Hit the jump for more.

Warner Brothers Eyes Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. to Lead EL PRESIDENTE; Jay Roach in Talks to Direct

Posted: May 14th, 2012 at 2:06 pm

Mega-star team-ups are all the rage these days. We’ve got everyone who ever kicked ass in the 1990s joining forces in The Expendables 2, Arnold and Stallone raiding The Tomb shoulder to shoulder and…um…Oh God, what am I forgetting? Anyway, Warner Brothers has its sights set on creating another, reportedly hoping to convince Tom Cruise (Rock of Ages) and Robert Downey Jr. (The Avengers….Right, of course!) to sign on for action- comedy El Presidente, which Jay Roach (Meet the Parents, HBO’s Game Change) is currently in talks to direct.

The flick would see Cruise stepping into the role of a gung-ho Secret Service agent assigned to protect a particularly reviled former President of the United States played by Downey Jr. At the moment, offers have not been made to either actor, but that could be forthcoming. Hit the jump for more.

Martin Scorsese to Produce Rolls Royce Biopic SILVER GHOST

Posted: May 14th, 2012 at 1:13 pm

American legend Martin Scorsese is set to lend his singular filmic eye to a British tale, signing on as a producer for car biopic Silver Ghost. He joins fellow producer Lord Richard Attenborough (Ghandi) on the long-gestating project, which will delve into the true story behind the Rolls Royce car company. Beginning around 1900,  it will follow the lives of founders Charles Rolls and Henry Royce, as well as touching on car enthusiast Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, whose secret love affair with his long-time secretary ultimately led to the creation of the brand’s signature hood ornament, “The Spirit of Ecstasy.” Hit the jump for more.

David Lindsay-Abaire to Pen Adaptation of THE FAMILY FANG for Star Nicole Kidman

Posted: May 8th, 2012 at 5:40 pm

In 2010, David Lindsay-Abaire scripted the screen adaptation of his award-winning play Rabbit Hole and, in the process, helped earn Nicole Kidman an Academy Award nom. Today comes news that the two will seek to replicate that success, as Lindsay-Abaire has signed on to write the script for The Family Fang, which Kidman will star in. Based on the 2011 Kevin Wilson novel, Fang tells the story of two performance artists who forced their two children to take part in their “madcap pieces;” filled with bitterness and royally messed up, the kids reluctantly return home as adults to find their parents have designs on one last great performance and still intend for their offspring to play an integral role, whether they want to or not. Kidman will play the clan’s matriarch. Hit the jump for more, including a full synopsis of the book.

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