A couple of weeks ago, Steve attended the American Film Market (AFM) and was able to snag a few promo posters, images, and synopses for some upcoming films.  One such pic happens to be the upcoming salsa dancing revenge comedy Cuban Fury, and we’ve now got a detailed synopsis and the first images from the film.  The story revolves around a former salsa-dancing prodigy (Nick Frost) who attempts to regain his dancing form in order to impress his new American boss (Rashida Jones).  The pic is based on an original idea by Frost and also stars Bridesmaids standout Chris O’Dowd as Frost’s nemesis.

Hit the jump to check out the images and synopsis.  Directed by James Griffiths, the film also stars Ian McShane and Olivia Colman.  Cuban Fury opens on March 22 in the UK and Ireland.

The outrageous comedy Frankie Go Boom, from writer/director Jordan Roberts, tells the story of Frank Bartlett (Charlie Hunnam), who tells himself that he’s holed up in the desert to write, but in reality is just hiding from his family, namely his brother Bruce (Chris O’Dowd).  A reckless but charming addict, Bruce has always enjoyed secretly filming Frank in all sorts of compromising positions and sobriety isn’t making their relationship any better.  And as much as Frankie tries to move on with his life, family just keeps sucking him back in.

At the film’s press day, actor Charlie Hunnam spoke to Collider for this exclusive interview about why he didn’t think he was right for this role, what finally convinced him to sign on, what made Ron Perlman the perfect actor for Phyllis, how it was to work with Lizzy Caplan, and giving CPR to a pig.  He also talked about what it’s been like to be a part of Sons of Anarchy and how bittersweet it is that they’re closer to the end of the show now than the beginning, and his desire to direct a film that he’s written for Tommy Flanagan (who plays Chibs on SOA) to star in.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

A new trailer for the comedy The Sapphires has been released.  Based on the play of the same name, the film takes place in 1968 and tells the story of four Australian aboriginal girls who are plucked from obscurity by a talent scout (Chris O’Dowd) and packaged as the answer to The Supremes.  The film actually looks really funny, with a sweet yet commanding performance by Bridesmaids stand-out O’Dowd and promising work from Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens, and Miranda Tapsell as the burgeoning girl group.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  Directed by Wayne Blair, The Sapphires will screen at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival.

The first trailer and poster for the comedy 3, 2, 1… Frankie Go Boom have landed online.  Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy), Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids), and Lizzy Caplan (Party Down) star in the pic which is described as “a comedy about two brothers a girl with a broken heart, a sex tape, an angel and a pig.”  Though this could very well delve into farce territory, the ridiculous situations in the trailer are actually pretty funny thanks to the innocent charm of Hunnam and overall stupidity of O’Dowd.  We also get the chance to see Ron Perlman playing a transvestite, so there’s that.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  Written and directed by Jordan Roberts, the film also stars Chris Noth, Whitney Cummings, and Nora Dunn.  3, 2, 1… Frankie Go Boom will be available on iTunes starting September 10th and will have a limited release on October 12th.

A new trailer and images for director Judd Apatow‘s new film This Is 40 have been released.  The film follows Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann‘s characters from Knocked Up as they approach middle age.  The laughs aren’t as big here as they were in the first trailer, but I’m encouraged by the promise of a really sweet and candid story about family.  Rudd and Mann can walk the line between comedy and drama like few others, and Apatow has been trying to nail that James L. Brooks balance with his previous directorial features to varying degrees of success.  There’s a clear emotional throughline with This Is 40 that I think could be the key, and the pairing of Albert Brooks and Rudd as father and son is an inspired move that I’m eager to see play out.

Hit the jump to watch the new trailer and see the images.  The film also stars Albert Brooks, Megan Fox, Chris O’Dowd, Lena Dunham, Ryan Lee, Charlene Yi, Robert Smigel, Wyatt Russell, Melissa McCarthy and Jason Segel.  This Is 40 opens on December 21st.

If you haven’t been following along with the developments of Cuban Fury, starring Nick Frost (Paul), Rashida Jones (I Love You, Man) and Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids), this new video blog will get you up to speed.  The behind-the-scenes featurette shows off the first look at footage from the dance comedy.  Cuban Fury stars Frost as a former salsa prodigy who attempts to regain his dancing form in order to impress his new American boss (Jones) with O’Dowd acting as a cock block.  James Griffiths (Up All Night) directs from a Jon Brown (Mongrels) script.  Cuban Fury, also starring Ian McShane (Snow White and the Huntsman) as Frost’s dance instructor, opens March 22nd of next year in the UK and Ireland.  Hit the jump to check out the video. 

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.

Casting news updates at a glance:

• Stephen Colbert (Monsters vs Aliens) and Allison Janney (Phineas and Ferb) have been cast in the DreamWorks animated production of Mr. Peabody and Sherman, starring Ty Burrell (Modern Family) and Max Charles (The Amazing Spider-Man) voicing the title roles.
• Ian McShane (Snow White and the Huntsman) will join Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation) and Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids) in dance-off comedy, Cuban Fury.

Hit the jump for more.

Before Chris O’Dowd really started making a splash on the movie scene with Bridesmaids and Pirate Radio, I was already a fan of the funnyman from his work in the British TV series The IT Crowd (check it out on Netflix Instant). And with his rising star in Hollywood (he next appears in Judd Apatow’s This is Forty), we’re only going to see more of him on the big screen. But it also sounds like more TV is in store for O’Dowd and with a truly brilliant man of comedy. Apparently mockumentary and satire icon Christopher Guest (the behind films like Best in Show and A Mighty Wind) is working on a new improvised comedy series called Family Tree that would see O’Dowd as a man attempting to track down his real family.

Hit the jump for more.

We have some casting additions for you today.  Here they are at a glance:

• Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) and Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids) will square off in the salsa-dancing revenge comedy, Cuban Fury.
• Michael Nyqvist (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) has joined the untitled adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s play, The Seagull.

Hit the jump for more on each project.

Adam Scott’s been killing it lately on Parks and Recreation and in small roles in comedies like Our Idiot Brother, Eastbound and Down and, of course, as the singing douchebag brother in Step Brothers.

This week you’ll get to see him be funny but also a little serious in Jennifer Westfeldt’s unique relationship comedy Friends With Kids. He’s looking pretty dapper in a suit next to considerably more scruffy Chris O’Dowd, who plays one of his miserable, married buddies in the film. We had the good fortune to interview them both in New York this week. Check out the video after the jump.

A red band trailer for the comedy Friends with Kids has gone online. Written and directed by Jennifer Westfeldt, the story centers on two best friends (Westfeldt and Adam Scott) who decide to have a baby together without being in a relationship. The cast is fantastic (Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Edward Burns, Megan Fox, and Chris O’Dowd), and I’m excited to see Scott take on his first leading role. This trailer delves more deeply into the plot and, as it’s red band, there are a few more off-color jokes (who doesn’t like masturbation humor?). The jokes work, and I really like the chemistry between Scott and Westfedlt. I’m looking forward to checking the full film out. You can read Matt’s review here.

Hit the jump to watch the red band trailer. Friends with Kids opens March 9th.

We’ve got a few quick casting stories to report this morning.  First up, Stark Sands (Generation Kill) has joined the Coen Brothers‘ upcoming film Inside Llewyn Davis.  The movie takes place in 1961 Greenwich Village and centers on a young musician (Oscar Isaac) trying to make it in the folk scene.  The film co-stars Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, Garrett Hedlund, and John Goodman.  According to Deadline, Sands will play “Troy Nelson, a young soldier on leave who’s a forlorn and talented musician.”  Sands’ recently appeared in the Broadway adaptation of Green Day‘s Americna Idiot.

Hit the jump for casting news on I’ll Follow You Down and John Michael McDonagh’s Calvary.

The first trailer for the comedy Friends with Kids has gone online. Written, directed by, and starring Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein), the film boats a fantastic cast that includes Adam Scott, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Chris O’Dowd, Megan Fox and Edward Burns. The story centers on a pair of thirtysomething best friends (Scott and Westfeldt) who observe the toll that having kids has taken on the couples they know and resolve to bypass that stress by having a child and then date other people. The trailer looks right up my alley, as it highlights some promising performances, chemistry, and a fair amount of laughs. Matt caught the film at TIFF and wasn’t exactly won over, but Scott has been killing it in supporting roles for years and I’m excited to see him finally take on a lead.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. Friends with Kids opens March 9th. If you missed them, be sure to check out Steve’s interviews with Hamm, Scott, and Fox from TIFF regarding the film.

While a slew of films at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival have already been picked up for distribution, there are other high-profile titles still hammering out their deals.  Variety reports that Lionsgate has acquired Jennifer Westfeldt’s new comedy Friends with Kids.  The story stars Westfeldt and Adam Scott as lifelong friends who decide to have a kid but keep their relationship platonic and open.  I was slightly disappointed by the film, but it’s got a great cast (the film also stars Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Chris O’Dowd) and I can see the flick having wide appeal.

In other TIFF picks-ups, Music Box has picked up the U.S. rights to Terrence Davies’ romantic drama The Deep Blue Sea starring Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston.  Weisz plays the wife of a high court judge who leaves her husband to move in with a dashing young ex-RAF pilot (Hiddleston), with whom she has fallen passionately in love.  Weisz picked up strong notices for her performance and I’m glad I’ll have a chance to see the film eventually.  No U.S. release dates have been announced for Friends with Kids or The Deep Blue Sea.  Hit the jump for Music Box’s press release regarding The Deep Blue Sea.