Director Fernando Meirelles has yet to match his 2002 breakthrough film City of God, but he’s cranked out some quality films since with The Constant Gardener and Blindness.  While I found his latest film, 360, to be incredibly disappointing, Meirelles is already looking to his next film: a biopic of Aristotle Onassis, the controversial shipping magnate who married JFK’s widow Jackie in 1968.  As we reported back in April, Meirelles sees the film as “a sort of Godfather, with Onassis at the center.”  The film is based on the Peter Evans book Nemesis and Meirelles says he plans to start shooting sometime next year.

Hit the jump for some encouraging words from the Brazilian director on why his next film will be like his breakthrough film as well as details on distribution for 360.

360 is not a movie I’d expect from Fernando Meirelles and I don’t mean that as a compliment.  Mierelles’ previous films (City of God, The Constant Gardener, Blindness) have an energy to them and they tackle serious subject matter in a way that’s tense, gripping, and unexpected.  360 is none of those things.  It’s another tired anthology of uninspired vignettes that show us how we’re all connected especially if the script is written that way.  The movie manages to waste a talented cast, its director’s abilities, and two hours of the viewer’s time.

More images from Fernando Mierelles 360 and Kenneth Lonergan’s Margaret have gone online.  360 has an impressive cast that features Jude Law, Ben Foster, Anthony Hopkins, and reunites Mierelles with his The Constant Gardner star.  The movie is billed as an “uncompromising dramatic thriller fuelled by the notion of how sexual relationships can transgress social boundaries.”

There are also a couple of new images from the long-delayed Margaret.  The movie will always be described as “long-delayed”.  That’s what happens when you shoot it in 2005 and it sits on a shelf because the director can’t get it out of the editing room and the studio has to call in the lawyers to get it out.  The upside is that movie nerds want to see it out of sheer curiosity.  Having a cast that features Matt Damon, Anna Paquin, Mark Ruffalo, and plenty of other great actors doesn’t hurt either.  Hit the jump to check out the images from both films.  360 will play at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 8 – 18th).   Margaret opens in limited released on September 30th.

Continuing our assault of all the new movie images that hit the net this morning, we’ve got our first official looks at Steve McQueen’s Shame (starring Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale and Nicole Beharie), Fernando Meirelles 360 (starring Jude Law, Anthony Hopkins, Rachel Weisz and Ben Foster), Jamie Linden’s Ten Year (starring Channing Tatum, Rosario Dawson, Justin Long, Kate Mara, Anthony Mackie and Chris Pratt) and Ralph Fiennes’ directorial debut Coriolanus (which stars Fiennes and Gerard Butler).

While many Film Festivals hope to land a few big movies, this year’s Toronto International Film Festival is an insane lineup that’s loaded with huge actors and high profile projects.  Like the past few years, I’ll be at TIFF, so you can expect plenty of reviews/interviews during the Festival which runs from September 8-18th.  Hit the jump to check out all the new images.

Both of them apparently fond of Oscar-nominations, director Fernando Meirelles and scribe Braulio Mantovani (each nominated for their work on City of God) are joining forces once again to bring together an Aristotle Onassis biopic. Vulture reports that the project, currently entitled Onassis, will be based on the Peter Evans book Nemesis: The True Story of Aristotle Onassis, Jackie O, and the Love Triangle That Brought Down the Kennedys. The report cites sources close to the project who claim that Meirelles sees the film as “a sort of Godfather, with Onassis at the center.”

Briefly, Onassis was a wealthy businessman in the international shipping industry who married JFK’s widow, Jackie, in 1968. As a result of his rocky personal and business relationship with Robert Kennedy, Onassis has been alleged to have helped fund his assassination in 1968. For more on the source material for Meirelles and Mantovani’s Onassis, hit the jump to check out the synopsis of Evans’ book. As for Meirelles, his next film, 360, stars Anthony Hopkins, Rachel Weisz, Jude Law, and Ben Foster. It is currently looking at a 2012 release.

If you’re a fan of Jason Statham action films, you’ll be happy to know his latest movie, a remake of The Mechanic, opens this weekend.  Like the 1972 Charles Bronson film that it’s based on, Statham plays a ‘mechanic’, which is “an elite assassin with a strict code and unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets.”   Unlike some remakes that stray far from the original, Statham’s remake uses the same plot, but updates all the technology and kills.  Also, Simon West directed (Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) the film so the action is well done.  I actually thought the remake was a lot of fun and casting Ben Foster to play the apprentice was a smart move as he’s an awesome actor that brings a lot to the role.  For more on the film, watch 4 clips here.

Anyway, I recently got to participate in a roundtable interview with Foster and you can either read a transcript or listen to the audio after the jump.  During the interview, Foster talked about working alongside Statham and what it was like to make The Mechanic, the nasty injury he landed as a result of doing his own stunts, how he prepares for each role, why he tends to play tough guys, and he gave us updates on Contraband, Fernando Meirelles’ 360, and Oren Moverman’s Rampart.  If you’re a fan of this great actor, you definitely should check out the interview:

Following his interview with Jason Statham, Steve had a chance yesterday to speak with the other star of The Mechanic, Ben Foster.  It just so happened that Foster had been announced as a cast member of Fernando Meirelles’ 360 about an hour before the interview, which came as a surprise to the actor.

Foster has quite a few projects on the horizon in addition to Meirelles’ 360.  He stars opposite Mark Wahlberg in Contraband.  The romance Here is set to premiere at Sundance later this month.  And he’s reuniting with The Messenger director Oren Moverman and co-star Woody Harrelson for Rampart.  Hit the jump for his updates on these projects and more.

With Warner Bros. The Rite arriving in a few weeks, the studio held a press day for the film this morning.  With Anthony Hopkins starring in the film, I was able to ask him (in a roundtable interview) about his work on Kenneth Branagh’s Thor and Fernando Meirelles next movie 360. For those not familiar with 360, the “project is based on the 1900 play Reigen that inspired French drama La Ronde and has provided the dramatic structure for scores of plays and films.”  Screenwriter Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon) is handling the script.

While neither update is major, if you’d like to hear what he said about both projects, hit the jump.

Development on 360, an adaptation of the 1900 Arthur Schnitzler play La Ronde, has been shaping up splendidly.  The script from Frost/Nixon scribe Peter Morgan (+1) has lured director Fernando Meirelles (+1) and Rachel Weisz (+1) on board the project.  According to Production Weekly, Anthony Hopkins has signed on to co-star (+1), with Frances McDormand (+1) and Eminem (+1) in talks to join.  For those keeping score, that’s five “Brendan Points,” an impressive total at this early stage in production. More after the jump.

Rachel Weisz is re-teaming with her The Constant Gardner director Fernando Meirelles for the psychosexual drama 360.  According to Variety, the story is about airs of characters and their sexual encounters and that the “project is based on the 1900 play Reigen that inspired French drama La Ronde and has provided the dramatic structure for scores of plays and films.”  Screenwriter Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon) is handling the script.

Weisz won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Constant Gardner.  She recently wrapped filming on the drama Dream House with Daniel Craig.  Last month, Weisz signed on to costar in Terrence Malick’s new film, which is currently filming in Oklahoma.

With The Twilight Saga: Eclipse finally in theaters, it’s time to post my final interview and it’s with producer Wyck Godfrey.  As the producer of all the Twilight movies, Godfrey is in the unique position to be able to talk about the franchise in a way the actors and even the directors can’t. After all, while an actor might be able to talk about filming a certain scene or what it was like for them working with the director, Godfrey is the person who can explain why they chose to film a certain way or why they wanted a certain actor or director to be a part of the franchise.  To put it simply: producers are the ones with all the answers.

Anyway, during the interview Godfrey talks about making Eclipse and what fans can expect on the DVD/Blu-ray.  We also talked a lot about Breaking Dawn including how they’ll be filming it in Louisiana and Vancouver, how long does he expect the movies to be, how did they get Bill Condon to direct them, and a lot more on the next two films.  We also talked about the eventual ultimate DVD/Blu-ray box set for Twilight, his other projects with Channing Tatum and Amy Adams, and way more than I can put in this intro.  It’s a great interview so take a look:

Director Fernando Meirelles (Blindness) and screenwriter Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon) have formed a rather formidable filmmaking team for the mature drama 360.  Morgan’s script is based on the 1900 Arthur Schnitzler play La Ronde, which examines “the sexual morality and class ideology of his day through a series of sexual encounters between pairs of characters.”  Despite initial scandal upon its release, Schnitzler’s work has inspired many a scribe: 360 is the thirteenth cinematic adaptation listed in Wikipedia.  According to Deadline, David Linde (Y Tu Mamá También) is executive producing.

For me, neither Blindness nor The Constant Gardener lived up to the promise of Meirelles’ City of God, but that film will sustain my interest in his career for decades.  Working with the words of Morgan, a proven ace by now, can certainly do no harm.  Morgan’s work will next be seen on the screen voiced by Matt Damon and directed by Clint Eastwood in Hereafter, which hits theaters October 22nd.

http://www.deadline.com/2010/06/fernando-meirelles-and-peter-morgan-take-360-turn-together/
Fernando Meirelles And Peter Morgan Take '360' Turn Together

EXCLUSIVE: Here's some news that ought to cheer up fans of mature movies who feel neglected in the escapist summer season. Director Fernando Meirelles just made a deal to direct 360, a Peter Morgan-scripted drama that will be co-financed by ORF Fernsehfilm and BBC Films. The film's producer roster is still coming together, but former Universal co-chairman David Linde is aboard as executive producer.

360 examines sexual morals within and between social classes, using various pairs of characters who have sexual encounters in and outside of their social classes. Morgan's inspiration is Reigen, the play by Austrian author/playwright Arthur Schnitzler. Originally published in 1900, the play was scandalous when first made public. It has since been turned into several films that include the 1950 French language drama La Ronde. Dor Film is also producing 360, a contemporized version of Schnitzler's work.

Linde became involved because of a relationship developed with Meirelles on The Constant Gardener while Linde ran Focus Features. Linde has been flying under the radar as he puts together backing for a new company he'll call Lava Bear. That moniker isn't part of the film package at this point.

WME-repped Meirelles, whose breakthrough film was City of God, last directed Blindness. UTA-repped Peter Morgan most recently wrote the Clint Eastwood-directed Matt Damon-starrer Hereafter and the HBO film The Special Relationship. Morgan's also repped by UK-based Independent.