Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures announced today that filming has begun in Vancouver on director Gareth Edwards’ (Monster) new Godzilla film. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, and Juliette Binoche lead a cast that also includes David Strathairn and Bryan Cranson.  Additionally, the press release notes that Ken Watanabe has now joined the film as well.  Though plot details are firmly under wraps, we know from the film’s brief Comic-Con appearance last year that Edwards is taking a grounded, realistic approach to the classic monster.  His take attempts to answer the question, “What would it be like if all of this really happened?”

Edwards is working from a screenplay by Max Borenstein, Frank Darabont, and Dave Callaham.  Hit the jump to read the full press release.  Godzilla opens in 3D on May 16, 2014.

The latest casting news has Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) in talks to join Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla reboot.  Penned by Max Borenstein with a final draft by Frank Darabont, Godzilla is expected to star Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass), but no casting decisions will be finalized until the polished script is accepted by Legendary brass.  Therefore, it goes without saying that any plot or character details are being kept under wraps for the time being.  We do know that Darabont is promising a Godzilla that returns to its roots as a “terrifying force of nature” and that the picture will open May 16, 2014.  For what else we know, hit the jump.

In a female-led vehicle, the most powerful figure probably shouldn’t be the poor-man’s Garrett Hedlund.  Very Good Girls has two talented actresses in the leading roles, and their personalities and actions are defined not by their friendship, but how a boy controls that friendship.  For a couple of “girls” on the verge of going off to college, writer-director Naomi Foner has created a shockingly demeaning picture of shallow sisterhood and male-dependency.  Very Good Girls celebrates a friendship that shouldn’t exist by basing it around the kind of man who doesn’t exist.

One of the many films to premiere at Sundance this year was writer-director Naomi Foner’s Very Good Girls.  The film stars Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen as two lifelong best friends that fall for the same boy during a New York summer.  As the film unfolds, they learn life isn’t as simple as they had thought.  The cast also includes Boyd Holbrook, Demi Moore, Ellen Barkin, Richard Dreyfuss, Peter Skarsgaard, and Clark Gregg.

Earlier today I sat down with Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen here in Park City.  We talked about being back at Sundance, how much changed during production, the type of research they do for a role (Fanning tells a great Tony Scott story), how many takes they like to do, whether they like watching themselves on screen, and a lot more.  In addition, when talking about future projects, Fanning revealed she’s been cast in The Last of Robin Hood which is about the last two years of Errol Flynn’s life (Kevin Kline is playing Flynn).  Hit the jump to watch.

If poetry doesn’t broaden our view of our world and force us to push the boundaries of our lives, then it’s pointless.  Poetry cannot always tap into the chaos and beauty of life if it must be constrained by meter, verse, and rules set down centuries ago.  Poetry, when wielded by genius, can seduce, defend, condemn, and most importantly, transform.  Words are powerful enough to change the world, but even in the hands of the most gifted writers, they can be futile against our frailties, insecurities, and desires.  In his magnificent debut feature, director and co-writer John Krokidas has created a moving, exhilarating, and heartbreaking film in Kill Your Darlings.  Led by breathtaking performances by stars Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan, and Ben Foster, Kill Your Darlings watches the greatest writers of a generation push the boundaries of modern American culture only to find that even the best words, the most well-spoken words, the most honest words, can fail when spoken to a shattered heart.

Today, Sundance announced their stellar Premieres line-up and we have the first images from a few of the movies playing in the category:

• Top of the Lake – Directed by Jane Champion and Garth Davis, written by Campion and Gerard Lee, starring Elisabeth Moss, Holly Hunter, Peter Mullan, and David Wenham.

• Two Mothers – Directed by Anne Fontaine, written by Christopher Hampton, starring Naomi Watts, Robin Wright, Xavier Samuel, and James Frechevile.

• Very Good Girls – Written and directed by Naomi Foner starring Dakota Fanning, Elizabeth Olsen, Demi Moore, Richard Dreyfuss, and Ellen Barkin.

Hit the jump for the images and synopses.  The 2013 Sundance Film Festival runs January 17 – 27.

Director Spike Lee’s remake of Park Chan-wook’s South Korean new-classic Oldboy is currently in production in New Orleans, and a few more photos from the set have surfaced.  The film stars Josh Bolin as an advertising executive who is kidnapped and imprisoned for 20 years without explanation.  He is abruptly released and sets out to discover the who and why of his captivity, running across a social worker (Elizabeth Olsen) and an illusive man (Sharlto Copley) who allegedly holds the key to his salvation.   We previously got a brief look at Brolin in costume, and these new set photos reveal Olsen’s tattooed character and Brolin sporting some intimidating workout clothes.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film also stars Samuel L. Jackson and James Ransone.  Oldboy opens on October 11th, 2013.

While walking the floor of the American Film Market (AFM) this morning, Steve was able to grab some images and synopses for a few upcoming films.  Briefly:

• Rush – Director Ron Howard’s 1970s drama focuses on the rivalry between Formula 1 racers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl).  The film opens September 20th, 2013.
• Can a Song Save Your Life? – This uplifting music-centered drama comes from Once director John Carney and centers on the relationship between a struggling musician (Keira Knightley) and a music producer (Mark Ruffalo) in New York City.  The cast also includes Hailee Steinfeld, Adam Levine, and Catherine Keener.
• Thérèse – This adaptation of the classic novel stars Elizabeth Olsen as a young woman trapped in an arranged marriage who conspires with her lover (Oscar Isaac) to dispose of her sickly cousin husband (Tom Felton).  Jessica Lange also stars.

Hit the jump to check out images and detailed synopses for all three films.

After a rather drawn-out development period, production is finally underway on director Spike Lee’s remake of director Park Chan-wook’s now-classic 2005 South Korean revenge film Oldboy.  Josh Brolin stars as an advertising executive who is kidnapped and imprisoned for 20 years without explanation.  He is abruptly released and sets out to discover the who and why of his captivity, running across a social worker (Elizabeth Olsen) and an illusive man (Sharlto Copley) who allegedly holds the key to his salvation.

FilmDistrict announced today that the pic will open on October 11th, 2013.  There are currently no other films slated for release at that time, but it puts the redo in a great spot both for commercial success and awards consideration.  Samuel L. Jackson and James Ransone round out the impressive cast, and I can’t wait to see how Lee puts his spin on the material.

It’s tough to be original in the horror business, especially when filmmakers decide to do a remake of an existing film, as in the case of Silent House.  Directors Chris Kentis and Laura Lau, who previously collaborated on Open Water, chose the 2010 film La Casa Muda for their next feature.  Writer/director Gustavo Hernandez’s original film was based on a true story of a young woman trapped in a lakeside cottage with a killer.  The selling point of the 2012 remake was meant to be a seemingly continuous shot that ran for the feature’s entire 86 minutes, but perhaps they should have focused on making a cohesive story and establishing a sense of escalation instead, as the “found footage” gimmick quickly grows stale and the script leaves our protagonist, quite literally, with nowhere to go.  Hit the jump for my review of Silent House on Blu-ray.

Opening this Friday in limited release is writer/director Josh Radnor’s excellent drama Liberal Arts.  The film marks How I Met Your Mother star Radnor’s second directorial effort after 2010’s Happythankyoumoreplease and centers on a 35-year-old whose yearning for his glory days of college is intensified when he strikes up a romance with a 19-year-old college student (Elizabeth Olsen) over a shared love of music and literature.  The film simultaneously captures the essence of being young and free as well as the post-college feeling of thinking your best days may be behind you.  Radnor’s script is filled with insightful, funny characters that are perfectly embodied by the likes of Olsen, Richard Jenkins, Allison Janney, and Zac Efron.

During a recent phone interview with Elizabeth Olsen, who plays the young, soulful Zibby with the charm and emotion of an actress twice her age, she talked about how she first got involved with the project, her self-proclaimed literature nerdom, where she falls on the argument over reading as entertainment vs. enrichment, and working with a lead actor who was also the writer and director.  Olsen also talked briefly about Spike Lee’s Oldboy remake, confirming that they start filming in mid-October.  Hit the jump to read the interview.

No stranger to violent, auteur-driven films (ie. Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive), FilmDistrict has acquired U.S. distribution rights to director Spike Lee’s remake of Oldboy.  The film is a redo of Park Chan-wook’s now-classic South Korean revenge pic and stars Josh Brolin as an advertising executive who is kidnapped and imprisoned for 20 years without explanation.  He is abruptly released and sets out to discover the who and why of his captivity.  Lee has put together an impressive lead cast, with Elizabeth Olsen as the female lead and Sharlto Copley as “an illusive man who allegedly holds the key to his salvation,” but the director ran into a bit of trouble finding financing for the pic.  As such, word of FilmDistrict’s involvement is very good news indeed.

We recently heard that Samuel L. Jackson and Nate Parker were looking to join the cast, but the press release makes no mention of their involvement.  Chan-wook’s film is incredible but I’m interested to see Lee’s take on the material, especially how he handles the story’s more graphic/disturbing content. Oldboy is expected to be released in 2013, so luckily we don’t have to wait long to find out.  Hit the jump to read the press release, which includes a synopsis.

Today, we’ve got a poster round-up for you, featuring some new domestic and international looks:

• Liberal Arts, stars writer/director Josh Radnor (Happythankyoumoreplease) as a thirty-something  loser who falls for a 19-year-old college student (Elizabeth Olsen) when he returns to his alma mater.  Look for Liberal Arts in wide release starting September 21st.
• Zero Dark Thirty, the Osama bin Laden picture from director Kathryn Bigelow, stars Joel Edgerton, Chris Pratt and Jessica Chastain in the revealing story of the Navy’s elite SEAL Team Six operation.  Zero Dark Thirty lands December 19th.
• Alex Cross, the adaptation of the James Patterson novel, stars Tyler Perry in the title role opposite Matthew Fox as the antagonist.  Alex Cross debuts October 19th.
• Looper, a sci-fi time-traveling actioner from writer/director Rian Johnson (Brick) and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt, opens September 28th.

Hit the jump to see the posters.

The first trailer for How I Met Your Mother star Josh Radnor’s second directorial feature, Liberal Arts, has landed online.  Radnor stars as a 35-year-old whose yearning for his glory days of college is intensified when he strikes up a romance with a 19-year-old college student over a shared love of music and literature. The film debuted to a wildly positive reception earlier this year at Sundance, and despite the blaring music that screams “QUIRKY INDIE!” this trailer looks pretty swell.  Radnor and Elizabeth Olsen seem to have some genuine chemistry, and without having to set up jokes every two minutes Radnor is able to give a restrained, funny, and affable performance.  Given the positive buzz I’m inclined to believe that we’re in for something more than a by-the-numbers indie about a thirtysomething coming to terms with growing up, so Liberal Arts is definitely something I’m looking forward to in the coming months.

Hit the jump to watch the international trailer.  The film also stars Richard Jenkins and Allison Janney.  Liberal Arts opens on September 14th.

Production has officially commenced on two upcoming projects.  First up, filming is underway in Atlanta on the real-life drama Devil’s Knot, directed by Atom Egoyan.  The film stars Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth and follows the true story of the West Memphis 3 case, in which three teenagers were wrongfully charged with murdering three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas in the 1990s.  Witherspoon plays the mother of one of the victims, while Firth plays the private investigator hired to look into the case.  The cast also includes Amy Ryan, Dane DeHaan, and Stephen Moyer.

Additionally, production has begun in New York on the relationship drama Very Good Girls.  Directed by Naomi Foner, the film stars Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen as two best friends determined to lose their virginity, only to fall for the same boy.  The cast also includes Boyd Holbrook, Demi Moore, Ellen Barkin, Richard Dreyfuss, Peter Skarsgaard, and Clark Gregg.  The score will be composed by Jenny Lewis. Hit the jump to read press releases for both films.