Gotham Journal

Although Woody Allen’s film “Match Point” was both a critical and financial success, giving the 71 year old director a much needed boost to his career, his follow up project “Scoop” proved to be a totally different story.

Despite an amusing plot reminiscent of Allen’s own “Manhattan Murder Mystery” and a stellar cast which included Scarlett Johansson and Hugh Jackman, “Scoop” barely registered at U.S. box offices and failed to get distribution in the U.K., where the film was produced.

Now comes word that Allen’s latest cinematic endeavour, “Cassandra’s Dream,” didn’t fair too well at the Cannes Film Festival where it was seeking distribution, failing to gather any interest, not only from British distributors, but from anyone at all.

The film, which was not shown in competition at the festival, was rumoured to have had a deal in the works with a U.S. distributor during the event, but as of the festivals closing nothing concrete was finalised.

Described as “an even more sober affair than Match Point,” “Cassandra’s Dream” stars Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell as brothers with serious financial woes, who become bitter rivals when they turn to a life of crime.

Source: Teletext News

Update: May 31, 2007
Good news for Woody Allen fans, according to The Hollywood Reporter, The Weinstein Co. has obtained U.S., Australian and New Zealand distribution rights to “Cassandra’s Dream.” No release date has been set.

Gus Van Zandt’s fictional account of two disturbed teen-agers who plot and carry out the massacre of their fellow high school students, owes as much to Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” as it does to the events of Columbine which so clearly inspired the film’s tragic story.

From the long, Steadycam shots of the students walking down the fluorescent lit hallways of the doomed high school to the black and white titles announcing the beginning of a new scene, Van Zandt cleverly mimics and draws frightening parallels to Kubick’s masterpiece of modern horror.

My rating: 3 out of 4 stars.

Official site: elephantmovie.com

It looks as if the long-awaited Sex and the City movie will finally get to see the light of day. MTV reports that Emmy winner and SATC executive producer Michael Patrick King, will direct the big-screen adaptation of the popular HBO series.

The movie is tentatively scheduled to start filming this fall, but series regular Mario Cantone revealed that none of the stars have signed on thus far. “They called me about my availability, but nothing’s negotiated,” says Cantone. “HBO’s just gotta give everybody what they want. It better get done cause I want to do it.” Cantone said that his character, Anthony Marantino, plays a major role in the movie’s plot.

Source: MTV

Sex and the City isn’t the only long-awaited project to finally go into production this week, legendary producer Dino De Laurentiis and Universal Pictures have snapped up Robert Rodriguez (“Sin City”, “Grindhouse”) to direct an all new adaptation of Barbarella.

This is not your parents Barbarella however, writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (“Casino Royale”) are said to be penning a completely new adventure which takes it’s inspiration from Jean Claude Forest’s 1960′s comic books rather than the campy 1968 Jane Fonda sex romp.

Director Rodriguez is said to be very excited about the project, having been a big fan of Heavy Metal magazine which published new installments of Barbarella’s adventures in 1978. Plans are to have the new film out sometime next year to coinciding with the original version’s 40th anniversary.

Source: Aint It Cool

::imdb(High Society,High Society)::

Frank Sinatra, Bring Crosby, Grace Kelly, Celeste Holm and Louis Armstrong shine in this musical adaptation of “The Philadelphia Story.”

Reset to Newport, Rhode Island, the movie boasts an original musical score by Cole Porter.

Christina Ricci will be joining Emile Hirsch in the Wachowski brothers’ live-action adaptation of the 1960s cartoon “Speed Racer”. Ricci will play Trixie to Emile’s Speed, with John Goodman and Susan Sarandon playing Speed’s parents.

In these clips Ricci and Hirsch discuss the upcoming production, which is scheduled for a May 9, 2008 release.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Here’s a first look at Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway in the film version of the classic TV show Get Smart. Carell stars as secret agent Maxwell Smart with Hathaway as his partner, Agent 99. The cast also includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Terence Stamp, Academy Award winner Alan Arkin and Borat’s sidekick Ken Davitian.

Filming began March 21, 2007 in Los Angeles, and will continue with locations in Washington, D.C. and Montreal. Get Smart is slated to open in theaters June 20, 2008.

Source: Coming Soon

::imdb(Emile Hirsch,Emile Hirsch):: ( ::imdb(Alpha Dog,Alpha Dog)::, ::imdb(Lords of Dogtown,Lords of Dogtown):: ) is the latest name being tossed around to star in Larry and Andy Wachowski’s ( The Matrix ) live-action version of the anime cartoon classic “Speed Racer.”

As you may recall, last week it was reported that “High School Musical” star Zac Efron was being considered for the lead role, this week however, Hirsch is said to be the front runner.

They both look like anime characters, but between the two I’d go with Hirsch. Something about Efron doesn’t sit well, he’s too “pretty” in an almost gender-bending Cupie Doll kind of way. We’ll just have to wait and see who the Matrix duo decide on.

Speed Racer is scheduled to shoot in Germany this summer for a summer 2008 release. Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Continue reading Go Speed Racer

Character posters for ::imdb(Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer,Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer):: are out. Check the entire set out along with the poster to ::imdb(28 Weeks Later,28 Weeks Later):: at the Gotham Journal Flickr gallery.

Casting news all around. ::imdb(Bryce Dallas Howard,Bryce Dallas Howard):: is in negotiations to replace Lindsay Lohan as the lead in Tennessee Williams’ “::imdb(The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond,The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond)::”. The recently uncovered screenplay by Pulitzer Prize-winning Williams, centers on Fisher Willow, a Memphis debutante with a distaste for narrow-minded people and a penchant for shocking and insulting her high society counterparts. ::imdb(Ann-Margret,Ann-Margret):: plays Willow’s spinster aunt and ::imdb(Chris Evans,Chris Evans):: co-stars as Jimmy, a handsome farm hand who may be Fisher’s way out of her personal hell. ::imdb(Ellen Burstyn,Ellen Burstyn):: and David Strathairn round off the cast.

Bryce is a natural for the part of Williams’ rebellious socialite, she’s an amazing actress and one of the very, very few young actresses working today who could pull the part off. Question is, what were they thinking when they originally cast Lindsay Lohan? Whoever made that decision should be fired. Lohan, of course, is known more for her substance abuse, partying, and personal life than for her so-called acting “career”.

Source: Production Weekly

In other casting news, ::imdb(Zac Efron,Zac Efron):: one of the stars of the Disney sugar rush phenomenon known as “High School Musical”, is apparently in talks to star as Speed Racer in the Wachowski brothers’ ( ::imdb(The Matrix,The Matrix):: ) big screen adaptation of the popular cartoon show. Efron, 19, has been “granted permission” by the Disney Reich to take a break from filming “High School Musical 2″ ( god help us ), in order to audition for the role. Efron already looks like an anime character, making it easier to create action figures and other paraphernalia which will no doubt be sold at Disney’s Speed Racer The Musical on Broadway – I can see it coming.

And finally – she’s not even a year old, but “it” girl Shiloh Jolie-Pitt is already a force to be dealt with. The newborn has taken over co-starring chores on daddy Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett’s upcoming film “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. Seems Shiloh had to step in when “twin sisters hired to take turns playing Cate Blanchett’s character as a baby wouldn’t settle down”- amateurs.

Ever the consummate professional, Shiloh saved the day when “quick-thinking Brad realised his daughter’s happy and mellow disposition made her a quick fix for the role.” “Shiloh was swiftly put in costume” and a star was born – for the second time in under a year.

“::imdb(The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)::” is based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald and is currently filming in New Orleans under the direction of ::imdb(David Fincher,David Fincher):: ( ::imdb(Se7en,Se7en)::, ::imdb(Zodiac,Zodiac):: ). Shiloh is pictured above with sister Zahara and brother Maddox, both of whom clearly need new agents.

Source: The New Zealand Herald

The film adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel 300 opened this weekend with a box office grosses coming in way above industry expectations. The highly visual gladiator epic which cost $60 million to produce, brought in a better than expected $70 million, making it the biggest March opening of all time, and the third highest R-rated movie opening weekend since “The Passion of the Christ”.

While film critics have given the film mixed reviews ( nothing new there ), audience reaction and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

Insiders are saying 300 could be the wave of the future, the film was shot entirely in Montreal using green screen backgrounds with sets and landscapes being added digitally in post production. It’s estimated the movie would’ve cost three times as much to produce had they shot on location, using actual sets. Thankfully, all of the nearly naked, beefy actors used in the movie are real.
Source: Dark Horizons

In casting news, it seems “ER” star Goran Visnjic may have locked in the part of James Bond’s next nemesis in the follow-up to last years highly successful “Casino Royale”.

According to a Croatian newspaper, while auditioning for the role of James Bond in “Casino Royale”, Visnjic impressed the producers so much that they kept him in mind and have offered him the role of Vesper Lynd’s French-Algerian former lover in the upcoming chapter. Goran, who was one of several actors being considered for the part James Bond at the time, lost the role for apparently being too young. The part of course went to Daniel Craig.
Source: MI16