Director Roman Polanski (The Pianist) is set to direct Venus in Fur, an adaptation of David Ives’ Tony Award-nominated Broadway play.  The play, itself a meta-adaptation of the 1870 Leopold von Sacher-Masoch novel, centers on a young playwright and the adulterous, erotic game of cat and mouse with one of the actresses auditioning for a role. The picture will be filmed in French and will star Emmanuelle Seigner (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) and Louis Garrel (The Dreamers).  The independently financed film will shoot in Paris starting this November.  Hit the jump for the full press release. 

Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) and Oscar-nominated director James Toback (Bugsy) want to make a movie—a political drama (or something) in which Baldwin will star. But they don’t have the money. So they’re going to Cannes to pitch their ideas to some money men. There are no guarantees that it’s going to happen. But don’t worry, because while they’re trying to get that film made, they’re going to be making another film…a documentary, in fact, about trying to get their other film made. It’s all very avant-garde.

While the film they’re trying to get made is currently untitled, the film they’re filming about trying to get that film made is called Seduced and Abandoned. It will follow their efforts to secure financing for a movie armed with only an idea and take audiences inside Cannes, exploring how the industry is changing and the festival itself is no longer just a festival. The two have already lined-up interviews with the likes of Martin Scorsese, Roman Polanski, and Bernardo Bertolucci. Hit the jump for more.

Director Roman Polanski has settled on his next feature film.  It was announced today that Polanski will next direct the political thriller D.  The film is based on the Dreyfus affair, which encompassed to the wrongful imprisonment of a French captain for 12 years.  In December of 1894, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, one of the few Jewish officers on the General Staff of the French Army, was subjected to a secret court martial for passing secrets to the Germans.  The Captain was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island.

It turns out that Dreyfus was completely innocent of the charges, and the real culprit was still at large.  When Colonel Georges Picquart, the man charged with “making sure Dreyfus never returned,” realized the mistake, he himself was framed for crimes he didn’t commit and was sent to prison.  Polanski plans on treating the film as a spy story instead of a costume drama, and wants to draw parallels to current events.  Polanski last directed the disappointing 2011 comedy Carnage, but I’m eager to see a political thriller of this magnitude in the filmmaker’s hands.  Hit the jump to read the press release.

Every Auteur has his signature visual fetish. For Alfred Hitchcock it is women in pieces, for Martin Scorsese it is the omnipotent God’s-eye-view of the tracking shot and for Roman Polanski it is the domestic space made wild. So, when development began on an adaptation of Yasmina Reza’s award winning play, God of Carnage, it only made sense for Polanski to take the helm. Carnage, which stars Christoph Waltz, Kate Winselt, Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly, is a brutally funny and subtly disturbing film set entirely within the confines of a slightly bougie New York apartment, detailing the sublimated rage, self-righteousness and self-loathing that come to the surface when two sets of parents who come together to discuss a minor fistfight between their sons.

Recently, I sat down with Oscar Winner Christoph Waltz to discuss his role in the film and his approach to acting. During the interview, Waltz eloquently explained the differences between stage and screen acting, finding truth in his character and the faulty logic of always believing that you are the hero in your own story.  Hit the jump to watch.

A new clip from Roman Polanski’s comedy Carnage has been released. Based on the play God of Carnage, the film tells the story of two sets of parents who meet to settle a dispute between their children. The cast is spectacular—Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, Jodie Foster, and John C. Reilly—and this is Polanski’s first foray into comedy. This clip centers on the parents getting to the crux of their meeting, as they’re hashing out why their children were fighting in the first place. Reilly is great here as he keeps getting sidetracked by bragging about a fight he had when he was a kid, and Foster keeps trying to reign him back in. I’m really looking forward to seeing the interplay between the quartet of actors when the film hits theaters.

Hit the jump to watch the clip. Carnage opens on December 16th.

A new trailer for Roman Polanski’s Carnage has gone online. Based on Yasmina Reza’s play God of Carnage, the story takes place entirely in one house and revolves around two sets of parents who sit down to discuss a dispute between their children. The phenomenal cast is comprised of Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly, Jodie Foster, and Christoph Waltz. This trailer gives us a sense of the slow-building tension that no doubt drives the film. None of the jokes really stand out, and Waltz seems a bit one-note, but I’m assuming it’s hard to get a sense of the comedy from a trailer for a film that plays out in real-time. However, Reilly certainly seems like a stand-out amongst the immensely talented cast. Given the outstanding ensemble and Polanski’s involvement, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the finished film.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. Carnage opens on December 16th

While Roman Polanski’s Carnage received mixed-to-positive reviews after its premiere in Venice, it’s still a Polanski film that stars Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly, and Kate Winslet, so we’re all going to see it, especially because it’s Polanski doing a comedy.  The story revolves around two sets of parents who come together to discuss a schoolyard fight between their kids.  The first clip from the film has landed online and I don’t see what’s so bad about the movie.  In the scene, Reilly is tremendously proud that his kid is the leader of a gang and then he and Waltz bond over being gang-leaders back in their day while Foster seems bewildered and unimpressed with Reilly’s celebration of his schoolyard victories of yesteryear.  Of course, this is one scene of many and I’m curious to find out how the whole film comes together

Hit the jump to check out the clip.  Carnage will play at this year’s New York Film Festival and hit theaters on December 16th.

A Cul-de-sac is defined as a road that leads nowhere. And in Roman Polanski’s film of the same name, this is never made literal. It’s easy to imagine the simplified version that would have some visual metaphor for this road, but the title is more indicative of the narrative. Donald Pleasence and Francios Dorleac play a married couple whose home (a castle!) is invaded by a gangster (Lionel Stander). The film combines Polanski’s dark sense of humor with his fascination with claustrophobia, and though it doesn’t reach the heights of his best work, it’s must-see nonetheless. Our review of the Criterion Blu-ray of Cul-de-sac follows after the jump.

The first trailer for Roman Polanski’s Carnage has gone online and the movie looks terrific.  Based on Yasmina Reza’s play God of Carnage, the story follows two sets of parents who come together to discuss a fight between their children.  However, what should be a simply discussion over a trivial matter falls to pieces and this trailer does a great job of showing the influence of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? mixed with lots of humor and a little bit of drama.  It’s not the kind of film audiences expect from Polanski and that’s partially what makes it so exciting.  The other part comes from the great cast of Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Christoph Waltz, and Kate Winslet.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Carnage will play at the Venice Film Festival and the New York Film Festival.  It opens December 16th.

We’ve got a couple of release dates for you this evening, per Box Office Mojo. First up, two hotly anticipated films now have prime awards season release dates. David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method will open in limited release on November 23^rd, opposite two other Oscar bait limited release films: The Descendants and The Artist. The film stars Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen and Keira Knightley and centers on the relationship between Carl Jung (Fassbender), his mentor Sigmund Freud (Mortenson), and the woman that came between them (Knightley).

Additionally, Roman Polanski’s character drama Carnage has been slated for limited release on December 16^th, going up against the Meryl Streep-starred Margaret Thatcher drama The Iron Lady, also opening in limited release. The stellar Carnage cast includes Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly and centers on two couples who come together to settle a schoolyard fight between their kids. Finally, Paramount has moved My Mother’s Curse from March to November 2^nd, 2012. Starring Seth Rogen and Barbara Streisand, the film centers on an inventor who invites his mother along for a cross-country trip while he attempts to sell his new product and connect with a long lost love.

I don’t remember the last time I posted this many image articles in a single day.  This is number five and it’s got new images from Roman Polanski’s Carnage and Michael Winterbottom’s Trishna.  The Carnage images are just stars Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Christoph Waltz, and Kate Winslet doing dramatic stare downs at each other and even at the camera.  Carnage—which only runs 79 minutes since it plays out in real time—focuses on two sets of parents who come together to settle a schoolyard fight between their kids.  As for Trishna, the movie is based on Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles but set against an Indian backdrop.  I’m sure star Freida Pinto will have more to work with than she did in Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  Carnage opens this December and will play at the Venice and New York Film Festivals.  Trishna will play at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The summer movie season is coming to an end, which means we’re that much closer to an uber-promising end of the year. Towards the top of a long list of enticing character dramas I’m looking forward to this fall/winter is Roman Polanski’s Carnage, based off the stage play God of Carnage. THR now reports that Carnage is set to open the New York Film Festival this September, and the film will be hitting theaters in December.

The film stars Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet, and Christoph Waltz, and centers on two couples who come together to settle a schoolyard fight between their kids. Oh, and the movie plays out in real-time. Lest you worry that this means sitting through an agonizing hour and 45-minute argument, Polanski previously promised that the film maintains the humor and wit of the stage play.

The first image from Roman Polanski’s new film Carnage (based off the play God of Carnage) has gone online.  The film stars Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet, and Christopher Waltz as two sets of parents who come together to talk about a schoolyard fight between their kids.  If that cast combined with this director doesn’t make you want to see this movie, you’re nuts.  And while Polanski is known for the deadly seriousness of his movies, Foster says the movie has some humor:

“It all happens in real-time, so it’s about an hour and 45 minutes of negotiation between two sets of parents and how it all falls apart,” she said. “Kind of like Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, but a little funnier. There’s a lot of wit.”

So I guess it will be like Revolutionary Road but intentionally funny.  Hit the jump to check out the first image from the film as well as a photo of Polanski on the set.  Carnage is currently in post-production and may hit theaters before the end of the year.

The 2010 European Film Award Winners were announced this weekend, and the big takeaway is that the European Film Academy really liked The Ghost Writer.  The Roman Polanski-directed feature was warmly received on this side of the Atlantic, but I’d be shocked if it swarms the Oscars with quite the ferocity it did the EFAs. Six awards in total, including best film, director (Polanski), actor (Ewan McGregor), screenwriter (Polanski and Robert Harris), production designer (Albrecht Konrad), and composer (Alexandre Desplat).

The ceremony wasn’t entirely Ghost-written, though: Lourdes, The Illusionist, Carlos, and Lebanon were among the other winners.  Hit the jump for the full list.

John C. Reilly has signed on to star in Roman Polanski’s adaptation of the Tony-winning play, God of Carnage.  Written by Yasmina Reza, the play tells the story of two sets of parents who meet shortly after their sons get into a fight on the playground.  As parents sometimes do, they begin attacking each other’s parenting skills before turning on their spouse’s and exposing their own marital shortcomings.

Reilly joins an already solid cast which includes Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, and Matt Dillon.  Per Deadline, he will play Foster’s husband, Michael.  The role was originally turned on-stage by James Gandolfini.  Filming on God of Carnage is set to begin in Paris this January.  Reilly recently finished working on the comedy Cedar Rapids alongside Sigourney Weaver, Ed Helms, Anne Heche, and Rob Corddry.