The gangster drama Killing Them Softly, adapted from the George V. Higgins novel Cogan’s Trade, tells the story of Frankie (Scott McNairy), a broke young crook who’s fresh out of jail, and Russell (Ben Mendelsohn), an Australian junkie who makes a living stealing dogs, who are recruited to steal from a mob-protected card game that’s run by Markie (Ray Liotta).  But, even though their plan seems foolproof, the mob feels otherwise and brings in seasoned enforcer Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt) to send a message.  From writer/director Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), the film also stars James Gandolfini, Richard Jenkins, Sam Shepard and Vincent Curatola.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, filmmaker Andrew Dominik talked about what he most connected with in this story, how he approached adapting it for the screen, why he wanted Brad Pitt for the film, how easy this impressive cast was to assemble, his approach to the violence, deleted scenes, the test screening process, and film versus digital.  He also talked about his desire to make Blonde, about the life of Marilyn Monroe, his next film with Naomi Watts in the lead role.  Check out what he had to say after the jump. 

In May 2010, we reported about two Marilyn Monroe movies headed into pre-production: Simon Curtis‘ My Week with Marilyn and Andrew Dominik‘s Blonde.  Dominik’s film was set to begin shooting in January 2011 with Naomi Watts attached to play the blonde bombshell.  However, Dominik’s project stalled, and My Week with Marilyn ended up making it way to theaters first with two Oscar nominations to show for it (Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor).  Usually, if two similar projects don’t begin filming around the same time, then the one that didn’t get the green light fades away and the director moves on to something else.  That seemed to be the case with Blonde since Dominik decided to go forward with an adaptation of the crime novel Cogan’s Trade, which reunited him with his Assassination of Jesse James star Brad Pitt.  The film, entitled Killing Them Softly, recently premiered at Cannes where it received positive reviews.

But it looks like Mr. Dominik hasn’t given up on Blonde, and now Pitt has come aboard to produce.  Hit the jump for more.  Killing Them Softly is due out in the U.S. on September 21st.

The Cannes Film Festival is celebrating its 65^th anniversary this year and has chosen one of the most iconic faces of movie history for its poster. Photographed by Otto L. Bettmann , Marilyn Monroe is blowing a candle on a birthday cake. Looking at it, her unforgettable rendition of  “Happy Birthday”, which she sung to President Kennedy in 1962, springs to mind…

It is also a touching tribute to the actress. August 5^th will mark the 50^th anniversary of her death.   Check out the poster after the jump.  The 65th Cannes Film Festival runs from May 16 -27th.

NBC is looking to siphon off the success of FOX’s hit, Glee, by including some famous guest stars in their new musical drama, Smash. Having recently released a promising trailer, the series from executive producer Steven Spielberg will follow Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee) along her journey from Iowa to Broadway. Though the show already supports a strong cast in Debra Messing, Christian Borle and Anjelica Huston, Smash is going to need some star power: that’s where Uma Thurman comes in. Thurman will be featured in a five-episode arc as a famous, but pretentious, movie star who competes for the starring role in “Marilyn,” the featured musical of Smash’s plot. Hit the jump for the press release.

Director Simon Curtis’s My Week with Marilyn offers an all-too-rare glimpse of the real woman behind the carefully cultivated image of Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe and lately it’s been generating a lot of Oscar buzz. Curtis couldn’t believe his luck when he was able to secure the rights to Colin Clark’s entertaining follow-up memoir to The Prince, The Showgirl and Me, which affectionately recalls a tense, erotically charged week spent with the most famous woman in the world at the peak of her fame. Curtis felt Colin’s book provided wonderful insight into the very real side of Marilyn away from Hollywood and the pressures of London where she was working at the time.

We sat down and talked exclusively with the veteran TV director about what inspired his feature film directorial debut and the challenges of revealing a private side of such a public figure. Curtis told us about his collaboration with screenwriter Adrian Hodges, how he assembled the impressive cast, why he never doubted Michelle Williams’s ability to pull off the iconic role, and how Harvey Weinstein’s passion for the project helped the film grow. He also discussed how this story from another era defines our modern day fascination with celebrity and obsession with staying young forever. Hit the jump for our full interview.

A new image of Michelle Williams as the titular character in My Week With Marilyn has been released, proving more and more that she was a superb choice to play the one and only Marilyn Monroe. The photo exudes the grace and ease that made the original bombshell so beloved and famous. The film is based of the memoirs of Colin Clark, an employee of Sir Laurence Oliver, who experienced firsthand Monroe’s and Olivier’s tumultuous relationship during the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl in 1956. This film boasts of some of Britain’s finest actors, with Kenneth Branagh as Olivier, Dominic Cooper, Julia Ormond, Judi Dench, Emma Watson, and Eddie Redmayne as Colin Clark.  Williams told the Daily Mail that she didn’t immediately want the role, but was pulled in by Monroe’s depth:

“I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist, eventually. Physically and vocally, everything about her is different from me. I’ve kind of gone to school and had teachers help me understand Marilyn, so I could project an essence of her. When I first approached the part, I thought that there were three, even four parts to Marylin.”

For more quotes and information on the film, continue after the jump.

My Week With Marilyn has begun principal photography and the production has released the first image of Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe.  The film centers on a week Monroe’s life in the summer of 1956 on the set of the movie The Prince and the Showgirl.  My Week with Marilyn is directed by Simon Curtis (Return to Cranford) costars Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Dominic Cooper, Emma Watson, and Julia Ormond.   Filming is scheduled to continue for the next seven weeks at Pinewood Studios and on location in and around London.  Hit the jump to check out the image of Williams as Monroe plus the full press release.

Eddie Redmayne (HBO’s upcoming The Miraculous Year) has been cast in the Marilyn Monroe biopic My Week With Marilyn.  Helmed by veteran television director Simon Curtis, the film is based in part on Colin Clark’s book The Prince, the Showgirl, and Me: Six Months on Set with Marilyn and Olivier.  The Playlist reports that Redmayne will play Clark, an employee of celebrated actor/director Laurence Olivier, whose published diary documents the tense relationship between Monroe and Olivier on the set of 1957’s The Prince and the Showgirl.

With shooting on the film set to commence in ten days, Redmayne joins a cast that already includes Michelle Williams (Monroe), Kenneth Branagh (Olivier), and Judi Dench (one of the stars of Prince, Sybil Thorndike).  For a better grasp on what to expect from My Week with Marilyn, hit the jump for a brief synopsis from Clark’s book.

Few men have had adapted the works of Shakespeare for the screen quite so passionately as Kenneth Branagh and Sir Laurence Olivier.  It is suitable, then, that the former is in talks to play the latter in the Marilyn Monroe biopic My Week With Marilyn.  Michelle Williams will star as the titular bombshell, with British TV producer Simon Curtis set to direct. My Week takes place on the set of the 1957 comedy The Prince and the Showgirl, where Monroe reportedly clashed with director/co-star Olivier.  More after the jump:

Marilyn Monroe is too big of a cultural icon to have just one more.  Deadline reports that two films centering the late model/actress are in the works.  The first up is from Andrew Bergman who directed the amazing The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Ford. [Correction: Andrew Dominik directed Assassination of Jesse James; Andrew Bergman is producing.  Movie is still amazing.] The film, Blonde, is based Joyce Carol Oates’ imaginary Marilyn Monroe memoir.  Filming is set to begin January 2011 with Naomi Watts playing Monroe.

But the Weinstein Company has its own Marilyn Monroe flick in the works. Simon Curtis (The BBC TV series Cranford) will direct My Week with Marilyn late this September.  The film is about the time Monroe spent in England shooting The Prince and the Showgirl opposite Laurence Olivier.  Michelle Williams will play Monroe in this biopic.  Ralph Fiennes was originally set to play Olivier but dropped out to direct and star in Shakespeare’s Coriolanus.

So the question falls to you, dear readers: Who would make a better Marilyn Monroe—Watts or Williams?  Or is there another actress who would be an even better choice?  While you ponder that, hit the jump to check out my favorite photo of Monroe, taken by Richard Avedon.