The Weinstein Company has released the first trailer for director John Wells’ (The Company Men) adaptation of Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning play August: Osage County.  The story follows the women of a family whose lives have splintered in many directions until a crisis bring them back to their childhood home and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them.  While a bit lighter in tone than the actual story, this trailer does a swell job of teasing the film’s absolutely terrific ensemble cast, led by a characteristically great Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts in what could potentially be her best role in years.  Given the talent involved both onscreen and behind the scenes (Argo‘s George Clooney and Grant Heslov produce), this thing is a surefire Oscar contender that also promises delectable interplay amongst the film’s incredible ensemble.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Margot Martindale, Chris Cooper, Dermot Mulroney, Juliette Lewis, Abigail Breslin, and Sam Shepard.  August: Osage County opens on November 8th.

The forced theme of tonight’s casting report is One Word In The Title Causes Destruction:

• Ewan McGregor is in negotiations to play the villain in Jane Got a Gun, directed by Gavin O’Connor (Warrior).  Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton, and Noah Emmerich co-star.
• Benicio del Toro is in talks to join Joaquin Phoenix in Paul Thomas Anderson‘s adaptation of the Thomas Pynchon novel Inherent Vice.
  
• Michael Bay cast Sophia Myles (Tristan + Isolde) in Transformers 4.  Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, and Kelsey Grammer co-star.

Hit the jump for more on each project.

There are two ways to read a bedtime story to a child.  The first is to be animated, and to draw the child into the world.  You move around, you do the voices of the characters, you pause for dramatic affect, and you help the child craft a dream.  The other way is to lethargically read the words on the page, and hope the damn kid goes to bed already.  Bryan Singer‘s Jack the Giant Slayer plays like bored parent who begrudgingly recites the same familiar tale.  Most of the cast seems to have no idea what to do with their one-dimensional characters, and they’re stuck in a bland world that offers few challenges.  Furthermore, the film looks astoundingly cheap from the CGI effects right down to the costumes.  There’s no imagination to Jack the Giant Slayer, and it fails to make a case for why it even needs to exist.

Up until this point, I wasn’t entirely clear on the tone of Bryan Singer’s Jack the Giant Slayer, but these three new featurettes help to clarify that issue.  In terms of recent fairy tale movies, Jack the Giant Slayer appears to be more tonally in line with the lighter Mirror Mirror than the more “gritty and realistic” Snow White and the Huntsman.  Approaching the film with this expectation (and knowing that Ewan McGregor gets rolled up in dough like a pig in a blanket), one would probably enjoy it more for the fun family adventure film that it is.

Also starring Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson and Ian McShane, Jack the Giant Slayer opens in 3D on March 1st.  Hit the jump to watch three new featurettes. 

Warner Bros. has released a slew of high-resolution images from director Bryan Singer’s upcoming fantasy adventure epic Jack the Giant Slayer.  The images highlight the film’s massive scale and large amount of visual effects, as well as the impressive ensemble cast which includes Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, and Bill Nighy.  There’s a lot to sift through, but they definitely give us a good idea of what to expect from the full film.

Hit the jump to take a look at the images.  If you missed any of Steve’s set visit coverage, be sure to check out 15 things to know plus a video blog recap, and his interviews with Singer, Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, and Eleanor Tomlinson.  Jack the Giant Slayer opens in 3D on March 1st.

A handful of clips and some Russian character posters from director Bryan Singer’s upcoming fantasy adventure epic Jack the Giant Slayer have made their way online.  The clips tease more of Singer’s fantastical world, highlighting protagonist Jack’s quest to rescue a kidnapped princess from the titular creatures.  If you missed any of Steve’s set visit coverage, be sure to check out 15 things to know plus a video blog recap, and his interviews with Singer, Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, and Eleanor Tomlinson.  Hit the jump to take a look at the clips and a few nifty international character posters.  Jack the Giant Slayer opens in 3D on March 1st.

A new trailer has been released for director Bryan Singer’s Jack the Giant Slayer.  This trailer takes on a wildly different tone than the previous trailer and TV spots, as the film is painted as more of an “intense actioner” rather than a “fantasy adventure,” complete with pulsating rock music fast-cut fight sequences.  Though I’m all for a new adventure film from Singer, something still feels a bit off with Jack the Giant Slayer.  The CG giants don’t necessarily look all that convincing or threatening, and I’m hoping there’s more fun to be had than the trailers are letting on.  Nicholas Hoult more than proved his ability at leading a film with the swell Warm Bodies and Ewan McGregor looks to be having a blast, so hopefully the full feature delivers on the adventure aspect.

Hit the jump to watch the new trailer, and if you missed any of Steve’s set visit coverage, click here. The film also stars Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, and Bill Nighy. Jack the Giant Slayer opens in 3D on March 1st.

A new teaser for a new trailer for Bryan Singer’s Jack the Giant Slayer is now available.  It does the job well (ie, teasing) as, in just thirty seconds, we see Jack, a magic bean, a house-crashing beanstalk, a disrobing princess, a bewildered group of soldiers and a stampeding army of giants.  Not bad for a teaser!

Starring Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci and Bill Nighy, Jack the Giant Slayer opens in 3D on March 1st.  Hit the jump to check out the teaser trailer and come back on Monday February 11th for the full new trailer.

John Le Carre novels have always been ripe for Hollywood adaptation.  Anton Corbijn (The American) is working on an adaptation of A Most Wanted Man, and a couple years ago we got Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which sadly was a bit of a disappointment.  Hopefully, director Justin Kurzel (The Snowtown Murders) will have more success with his adaptation of Le Carre’s Our Kind of Traitor.  The adaptation is moving in the right direction with Ralph Fiennes and Mads Mikkelsen signing on to co-star.

Per Screen daily, “Ewan McGregor will star in the international spy thriller as one half of a couple who gets mixed up with a Russian oligarch and major money launderer (Mikkelsen). Caught up in his plans to defect, they are soon positioned between the Russian Mafia and the British Secret Service.”  Fiennes will play U.K. government fixer Hector Meredith.  Jessica Chastain was rumored for the female lead back in November, but it looks like she has passed, and casting for the role is still underway.  Filming is set to begin this summer.  Hit the jump for an update on the adaptation of Le Carre’s Smiley’s People, and click here for Steve’s interview with producer Eric Fellner.

Prior to last Sunday, Zero Dark Thirty was my favorite pic of 2012 by a considerable margin. However, after my matinee viewing of Silver Linings Playbook, that margin has been replaced with a draw. Whereas Zero provided me with a tension that left me on the verge of breathless at moments, Playbook‘s spectacular performances and head-on portrayal of mental illness and our ability to help each other cope/prevail proved not only hugely entertaining but also quite cathartic.

My 2012 movie scorecard aside, this week’s Top 5 includes our set visit coverage of Oz the Great and Powerful, Duncan Jones being tapped to helm the World of Warcraft movie, more visit coverage from the set of Jack the Giant Slayer, a slew of news from X-Men: Days of Future Past, and a Sundance 2013 wrap-up. A brief recap and link to each of the above is promised after the jump.

As the leader of the Guardians, the group in charge of security and safety for the royal family, Ewan McGregor has his hands full in Bryan Singer’s Jack the Giant Slayer.  After all, not only does he have a princess (Eleanor Tomlinson) fighting for her independence, he also has to deal with giants invading his homeland.  But when you live inside a fairy tale, I guess that’s to be expected.

During a break in filming on the set, I was able to participate in a group interview with McGregor. He talked about why he wanted to do the role, his relationships with the other characters, working with the 3D cameras, the CGI, the pre-viz, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to either read or listen to the interview.

Warner Bros. has released a new banner for director Bryan Singer’s upcoming adventure pic Jack the Giant Slayer.  Last week we saw a series of posters for the film that introduced us to the titular giants, and now this banner highlight’s the pic’s human characters.  Everyone’s putting on their best “I’m going to kill you…but also does my hair look okay?” faces while they wield an assortment of weapons.

Hit the jump to check out the new banner.  The film stars Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Bill Nighy, Ian McShane and Eleanor Tomlinson.  Jack the Giant Slayer opens in 3D on March 1st.

A new batch of images have popped up from director Bryan Singer’s Jack the Giant Slayer. Starring Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: First Class) as the title character, the contemporary fairy tale follows Jack the farmer as he leads an expedition into the land of the giants in order to rescue a kidnapped princess (Eleanor Tomlinson). Hoult and Tomlinson are featured in these new stills and set photos, alongside Ian McShane as King Brahmwell and Ewan McGregor as the knight, Elmont.

Jack the Giant Slayer, also starring Stanley Tucci, Eddie Marsan, Bill Nighy and Warwick Davis, opens March 1, 2013. Hit the jump to see the new images.

Opening this weekend, in limited release, is director Juan Antonio Bayona’s The Impossible.  Based on a true story, the film stars Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor as the parents of three boys vacationing in Thailand in 2004 when the tsunami hit.  Having survived, but finding themselves separated, the family members search for each other amidst the chaos, encountering strangers caught up in the same situation along the way.  The film also stars Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, and Oaklee Pendergast.  For more on The Impossible, here are eight clips and the trailer.

At the recent Los Angeles press day I got to speak to Ewan McGregor.  We talked about why he wanted to make The Impossible, how he prepared for the role, why he finally decided to get on Twitter (follow him here), and his thoughts on more Star Wars movies.  Hit the jump to watch.

We have eight clips from director Juan Antonio Bayona’s The Impossible to share with you today.  Starring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor as the parents of three boys, The Impossible centers on their family vacation in Thailand which is devastated by a tsunami. Having survived, but finding themselves separated, the family members search for each other amidst the chaos, encountering strangers caught up in the same situation along the way.  Hit the jump to watch the clips.