Filmmakers who adapt a novel are not beholden to the major themes of that novel.  They’re free to take away what they want to see and leave the richer aspects of the material behind.  Such is the case with Baz Luhrmann‘s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s The Great Gatsby.  Where Fitzgerald saw the relationship between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan as a laughable excuse to escape into the past, Luhrmann sees a doomed romance because Baz Luhrmann likes stories about doomed romances*.  And like his previous movies—Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, and Australia—Luhrmann is too afraid of actual intimacy, and covers it up in glitter and other shiny objects while laboring under the delusion that it makes the story operatic.  With The Great Gatsby, Luhrmann isn’t adapting Fitzgerald as much as he’s remaking Baz Luhrmann.

One of the most anticipated films of the summer is Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher and Elizabeth Debicki.  The film is an adaptation of the classic American novel of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald that has become English 101 in high schools the country wide.  The story of the enigmatic Gatsby and his quest to win over his one true love Daisy Buchanan comes to life in 3D this May with grandiose party scenes even Fitzgerald would have enjoyed.

At the recent press day for the film in New York, Collider was present as the director and stars DiCaprio, Maguire, Mulligan and Fisher, along with producers Lucy Fisher, Douglas Wick and Catherine Mann (also the production designer and Luhrmann’s wife) held a press conference to speak about the film.  They revealed the literary influences behind many of the lines of dialogue, the surprising choice of a Jay-Z heavy soundtrack (he’s also an EP of the film) and the chemistry between the actors and director that led to the performances in the film.  Hit the jump to read our coverage of the press conference.

Director Baz Luhrmann promises an ambitious adaptation of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel The Great Gatsby, and we’ve been provided with some impressive Gatsby-related swag to give away to a few lucky readers.  For those unfamiliar, the story centers on a would-be writer (Tobey Maguire) chasing the American dream who moves to New York City in the spring of 1922 and encounters a mysterious millionaire named Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio).  Included in our giveaway is an iPhone case, a double v-neck T-shirt, a metal bookmark, a perfume bottle, a crystal decanter, a $100 gift card to Brooks Brothers, the soundtrack, and more.

Hit the jump to find out how you can win.  Special 10pm screenings of The Great Gatsby will be held on Thursday, May 9th, and it opens everywhere on May 10th.

We’ve been reporting on the film adaptation of The Great Gatsby since fall of 2010; the film will finally open in just a couple of weeks.  While you’ve probably seen a fair portion of the movie due to all the images, clips and trailers that have been released over the last year or so, we have a gallery of over 60 hi-res images for you to peruse at your leisure!

Baz Lurhmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Isla Fisher, Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke and Adelaide Clemens, and opens in 3D on May 10th.  Hit the jump to view the images.

Warner Bros. has released 7 clips (almost 5 minutes of footage) from director Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. For those unfamiliar with F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s source material, the story centers on a would-be writer (Tobey Maguire) chasing the American dream who moves to New York City in the spring of 1922 and encounters a mysterious millionaire named Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio). The film also stars Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke and Adelaide Clemens.

If you weren’t aware, Luhrmann shot Gatsby in 3D, so I’d advise paying the extra money to see it in that format.  Also, I saw some of the film in 3D and it looked like Luhrmann used the format to help tell the story.  Hit the jump to watch the clips.  The Great Gatsby opens May 10th.

The full lineup for the 2013 Cannes Film Festival was announced today, and it looks like a really great group of films will be screening in the south of France later next month.  Official selections include Steven Soderbergh’s Behind the Candelabra, Joel and Ethan Coen’s Inside Llewyn Davis, Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives, Alexander Payne’s Nebraska, Roman Polanski’s Venus In Fur, and James Gray’s The Immigrant (previously titled Low Life).  Additionally, the Robert Redford man vs. nature film All Is Lost will premiere out of competition, and Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring, James Franco’s As I Lay Dying, and the Sundance hit Fruitvale Station (previously titled Fruitvale) will screen Un Certain Regard.

A number of these titles are early awards contenders, and I’m particularly interested to hear the reaction for the Coens’ Davis and Payne’s The Descendants follow-up Nebraska, which is a black-and-white road trip movie starring Will Forte and Bruce Dern.  Hit the jump to read the full lineup.  The 2013 Cannes Film Festival runs from May 15 – 26th.

Check out the newest posters from the following films:

• Only God Forgives - Director Nicolas Winding Refn and star Ryan Gosling reunite for this violent and vengeful undertaking about the criminal underworld of Bangkok, Thailand.  Also starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Tom Burke, Only God Forgives opens July 19th.
• Turbo – DreamWorks Animation’s new film featuring the voices of Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Peña, Maya Rudolph, Luis Guzmán, Snoop Dogg, Bill Hader, Ken Jeong, Michelle Rodriguez and Richard Jenkins opens July 17th.
• The Great Gatsby – Baz Lurhmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Isla Fisher, Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke and Adelaide Clemens opens May 10th.

Hit the jump to view the posters and synopses.

Warner Bros. has released a new extended TV spot for director Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming adaptation of The Great Gatsby.  This TV spot appears to be geared towards the younger crowd, as it plays up the “Jazz Age” aspects of the film while highlighting Gatsby’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) lively parties and the flashier moments from the film.  While I’ve mostly been onboard with the new music Luhrmann has showcased in the previous trailers, Fergie’s “jazz-pop” track that accompanies this new TV spot is just plain awful.  Here’s hoping it doesn’t have a major showcase within the narrative of the film.

Hit the jump to watch the new extended TV spot, which also includes quite a bit of new footage.  The film also stars Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher, Adelaide Clemens, and Jason Clarke.  The Great Gatsby opens in 3D on May 10th.

Last year on the set of director Louis Leterrier‘s Now You See Me, Isla Fischer, who plays an escapologist, was asked why she wanted to do the movie.  She said:

“I read the script and I loved it.  It just had elements of an interesting movie, a good story, interesting people were attached and so many weird contrasting elements — romance, action, a heist… It just seemed like a mixture of a bunch of different movies, like a lovechild of Clash of the Titans meets Ocean’s Twelve.”

Fisher also talked about her character, her chemistry with the cast, performing the tricks, the tone of the film, how the script changed with once the cast was set, and more.  In addition, she since had just wrapped on The Great Gatsby, we also talked about that film and her other future projects.  Hit the jump for more.

Warner Bros. has released three more posters for The Great Gatsby because they’re Warner Bros. and they always release about 394 posters for every movie they do.  Every character deserves at least 4 different posters featuring the actor in various poses or in combination with their co-stars.  Eventually, extras will get their own posters if they’re in a Warner Bros. movie.  I look forward to seeing the Great Gatsby poster for Flapper #4.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.  The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Debicki, Isla Fisher, and Joel Edgerton.  The Great Gatsby opens in 3D on May 10th.

Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for director Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby.  For those unfamiliar with F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s source material, the story centers on a would-be writer (Tobey Maguire) chasing the American dream who moves to New York City in the spring of 1922 and encounters a mysterious millionaire named Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio).  This new trailer has a heavy focus on the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy (Carey Mulligan), while also giving us a strong dose of Joel Edgerton‘s Tom Buchanan.  Again Luhrmann’s vibrant visuals look fantastic, but the trailer also showcases a bounty of original music that the director has commissioned for the film from artists like Beyonce, Andre 3000, Lana Del Rey, and Florence + The Machine.  There’s a strong Romeo + Juliet vibe in this trailer, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing this thing on the biggest screen possible.

Hit the jump to watch the new trailer and to take a look at the full soundtrack listing.  The film also stars Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke, and Adelaide Clemens.  The Great Gatsby opens in 3D on May 10th.

A number of new posters have landed online.  Briefly:

• The Great Gatsby – A new poster for director Baz Luhrmann’s colorful adaptation arrives ahead of tomorrow’s new trailer debut.  The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, and Tobey Maguire and opens in 3D on May 10th.
• Pain & Gain – A new poster for Michael Bay’s “small-scale” black comedy puts Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, and Anthony Mackie front and center.  The film opens on April 26th.
• This Is the End – Fresh off the film’s WonderCon panel, a new poster has landed online for the directorial debut of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.  The star-studded comedy includes James Franco, Craig Robinson, and Jonah Hill and opens on June 12th.
• Before Midnight – A German poster for Richard Linklater’s highly anticipated sequel teases the return of Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy’s characters.  The film opens on May 24th.  Click here to read Matt’s review.
• The Kings of Summer – A new poster for this Sundance hit (formerly known as Toy’s House) highlights the film’s young stars.  The pic features Nick Offerman, Megan Mullaly, and Alison Brie and opens on May 31st.

Hit the jump to check out the posters and synopses.

The spring is usually a dumping ground for studios, and while there were big misfires in spring 2013 like A Good Day to Die Hard and Jack the Giant Slayer, there were also some nice gems like Warm Bodies, Stoker, and the great The Place Beyond the Pines.  Now we move towards the heavy hitters of summer, and it’s tough to choose just five among the many choices headed our way.  Summer 2012 was a slog, but hope begins anew with summer 2013.

Hit the jump to see the films that Matt, Adam, and Dave are most anticipating in from April to June.

Character posters for all tastes today:

• The Great Gatsby unleashed the most, with posters for Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Debicki, Isla Fisher, and Joel Edgerton.
• The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones has posters for young stars Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower.
• Kick-Ass 2 released one-sheets for Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Christopher Mintz-Plasse to follow up on the character posters for Chloe Grace Moretz and Jim Carrey.

See all the posters after the break.

Warner Bros. has released the first TV spot for director Baz Luhrmann’s (Moulin Rouge) adaptation of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel The Great Gatsby.  For those unfamiliar with the source material, the story centers on a would-be writer (Tobey Maguire) chasing the American dream who moves to New York City in the spring of 1922 and encounters a mysterious millionaire named Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio).  This TV spot features quite a bit of new footage, and I’m incredibly eager to see Fitzgerald’s novel adapted for the screen by way of Luhrmann’s bombastic, colorful, and vibrant vision.

Hit the jump to watch the new TV spot.  The film also stars Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke, and Adelaide Clemens.  The Great Gatsby opens in 3D on May 10th.