First Look: Benjamin Walker makes for one sexy, badass “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” in first poster

December 15, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images 1 Comment

Today IGN has unveiled our first look at one of our most highly anticipated movies of 2012. Benjamin Walker smolders in the understated yet highly conceptual first poster for “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”, hiding his face, wielding an axe. Just another Saturday night at the White House.

The self-explanatory title refers to this revisionist historical tale revolving around the 16th President of the United States, who has one singular goal in his life: to rid the world of vampires, one of whom killed his mother when he was a child. His subsequent run for political office and every landmark decision he ever made, from the Emancipation Proclamation to the Civil War, were made with that one goal in mind. Joining Walker in the titular role are a slew of up and coming actors, including Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Mary Todd (eventually Lincoln), Dominic Cooper as Henry Sturgess, Lincoln’s vampire mentor and Anthony Mackie as Will, Lincoln’s best friend. Director Timur Bekmambetov and producer Tim Burton recently wrapped up shooting in New Orleans and are aiming for a summer blockbuster release date of June 22, 2012.

There may be some other Lincoln story in the works for next year as well, but put us down for the badass, axe-wielding, monster-fighting Great Emancipator.

Tom Hiddleston, Benjamin Walker, Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Gadon and more vying for “Winter’s Tale”

November 4, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 3 Comments

Some of our favorite up and comers will be competing against one another for a pair of roles in Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman’s directorial debut and passion project, “Winter’s Tale”, from the novel by Mark Helprin, not the Shakespearean classic. The love story will require “chemistry reads” between various combinations of young actors and THR reports among them are Tom Hiddleston, Benjamin Walker, Elizabeth Olsen, Bella Heathcote, Gabriella Wilde and Sarah Gadon. The actors will be reading with one another over this weekend at Warner Bros, the studio behind the project.

Helprin’s 1983 novel takes place in a New York City that is markedly different from the island as we know it. It takes place in the 19th Century and follows a man named Peter Lake. A bad childhood forced him to join a gang and become a thief, only to end up estranged from the group and making a mortal enemy of its leader, Pearly Soames. On a house robbery, Peter meets and falls for the terminally ill Beverly Penn. She becomes the catalyst and the force of change in his life. Russell Crowe is said to be loosely attached to the role of Soames, and another major character is a mythical flying white horse, Athansor, who acts as Peter’s guardian.

Wilde can be see in the new “Three Musketeers” opposite Logan Lerman, while Olsen is gaining raves and Oscar talk for her role in Sundance hit “Martha Marcy May Marlene.” Walker will be seen next summer in the title role in “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” and Hiddlston recently wrapped up reprising his role as “Thor”‘s villainous Loki in “The Avengers.” Heathcote is an Aussie import soon to be seen opposite Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows” while Gadon is a David Cronenberg favorite, starring in both “A Dangerous Method” and “Cosmopolis.”

“Winter’s Tale” is aiming for an early 2012 shoot but still needs another major financial backer.

“The Killing” star Joel Kinnaman is Lancelot in “Arthur and Lancelot”; the hunt for Arthur continues

October 28, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

Warner Bros has found their version of one half of the most legendary friendship/rivalry of all time. THR reports “The Killing” star Joel Kinnaman has landed the hotly contested role of Lancelot in David Dobkin’s “Arthur and Lancelot”, a modernized retelling of the historical legend. Though previous reports had “Game of Thrones” star Kit Harington a front-runner for one of the two roles with Kinnaman, his casting is not nearly as certain. With the two under thirty day holds following a London screen test while filmmakers deliberated, it’s curious that Kinnaman ended up with an official deal while Harington did not.

THR further reports Kinnaman will now do chemistry tests with several up and coming actors for the role of Arthur. Whether this includes Harington, or other shortlist names like Sam Claflin, Dominic Cooper, Hans Matheson, Jim Sturgess, Ben Walker and Liam Hemsworth, remains to be seen.

Dobkin’s vision for the film remains vague with no plot details revealed, though he did tell The Playlist over the summer, “I pulled the legend apart. I only kept a few things. I kept certain characters, I recreated the entire launch of the legend and why it starts the way that it starts, I don’t want to give away too much but it’s always had a flaw. I pulled the flaws out, I reinvented the characters as grounded characters. I took a much more realistic and grounded approach towards everybody, you know why would this character be this way and why would this character be that way? You know Arthur’s superpower is compassion and vision. I will tell you this, the whole thing is wrapped around the birth of democracy as a concept and it’s positing Arthur as the first man to say all men are created equal.”

Kinnaman is currently working on the second season of divisive AMC series “The Killing”, which ended its first season on a twist of a cliffhanger involving his character. On the film front, Kinnaman’s star should be rising fast after breaking out in hit Swedish thriller “Snabba Cash”; with roles as Daniel Craig and Robin Wright’s magazine co-editor in David Fincher’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and as the man who operates Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington’s “Safe House.” He’ll next be seen as one of a quartet of young Americans -with Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Rachael Taylor and Max Minghella – who fend off an alien attack in Russia in “The Darkest Hour”, out in December.

“Arthur and Lancelot” already has a March 15, 2013 release date.

Newcomer Sam Reid joins “Paradise Lost” with Bradley Cooper and Benjamin Walker

October 14, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

British newcomer Sam Reid has snagged a hard-earned role in Alex Proyas’ 3D battle epic “Paradise Lost”, reports Britain’s Daily Mail. The recent graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art screen tested for months before finally landing the role of archangel Raphael, joining a fantastic cast led by Bradley Cooper as Lucifer and Benjamin Walker as Michael and which also includes Casey Affleck, Callan McAuliffe, Diego Boneta, Camilla Belle, Djimon Hounsou and Dominic Purcell.

Based on the epic poem by John Milton, Walker and Cooper will face off in what is described as “the war that began all wars”, beginning with Lucifer’s banishment from Heaven. He then builds his own army to battle Michael’s forces of good, leading to three major battle scenes that take place in Heaven, Hell and eventually Eden. Reid’s Ralphael is sent by God to warn Boneta’s Adam not to eat the apple from the Tree of knowledge of good and evil. The special effects will be the centerpiece of the film – “300 meets Lord of the Rings with winged warriors” – with production slated to begin in January in Sydney, Australia.

This is a coup and should be a major breakout for Reid, whose only other big screen credit is Roland Emmerich’s upcoming Shakespearean political thriller “Anonymous”, in which he portrays the Earl of Essex.

Young “Gatsby” Callan McAuliffe joins “Paradise Lost”

September 28, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Teen Aussie up and comer Callan McAuliffe is the latest to board Alex Proyas’ 3D battle epic “Paradise Lost”, according to Variety. McAluliffe joins a cast of strapping young men that already includes Bradley Cooper, Benjamin Walker, Casey Affleck and Djimon Hounsou, all of whom are portraying the most iconic of literary and biblical characters. Though they are not as official as the other cast members, “Rock of Ages” star Diego Boneta and Camilla Belle are being eyed for the roles of Adam and Eve.

Walker and Cooper will face off in what is described as “the war that began all wars”, beginning with Lucifer’s banishment from Heaven. He then builds his own army to battle Michael’s forces of good, leading to three major battle scenes that take place in Heaven, Hell and eventually Eden. McAuliffe is signing on to play Uriel, one of the first seven archangels created by God; a dedicated soldier who becomes Michael’s second in command after Lucifer’s banishment and Michael is named commander of Heaven’s army.

Sixteen year old McAuliffe made his American feature debut just last year in Rob Reiner’s “Flipped” and recently starred alongside Alex Pettyfer and Dianna Agron in alien action flick “I Am Number Four.” He’s currently down under in his native Australia playing the young version of Jay Gatsby – played in his adult years by Leonard DiCaprio – for fellow countryman Baz Luhrmann’s 3D adaptation of “The Great Gatsby.”

Diego Boneta and Camilla Belle may be Adam and Eve in “Paradise Lost”

September 22, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

UPDATE [10/10/11]: Variety reports Boneta is now in final negotiations to play Adam. Belle’s name is curiously missing from the new article…

Are these the faces of the most iconic couple of all time? Variety reports that director Alex Proyas is targeting up and comers Diego González Boneta and Camilla Belle to play Adam and Eve in his epic action 3D battle “Paradise Lost”, which already sees Bradley Cooper as Lucifer and Benjamin Walker as the Good to his Evil, the archangel Michael. Belle has an official offer on the table to play Eve, while Boneta is the “front-runner” for Adam. It was also reported earlier today that Casey Affleck has joined the cast as Gabriel, and Djimon Hounsou will co-star as Abdiel, the angel of death.

Walker and Cooper will face off in what is described as “the war that began all wars”, beginning with Lucifer’s banishment from Heaven. He then builds his own army to battle Michael’s forces of good, leading to three major battle scenes that take place in Heaven, Hell and eventually Eden. Deadline further details that Eve is in fact the cause of the struggle. Just as Helen of Troy was “the face that launched a thousand ships”, here Eve “sparks the war that began all wars for the future of mankind.” The special effects will be the centerpiece of the film – “300 meets Lord of the Rings with winged warriors” – with production slated to begin in January in Sydney, Australia.

Belle has had more of a roller coaster than a straight rising career, at one point seeming to be on the verge of a breakout with starring roles in “10,000 BC” and “Push” in 2009, but then disappearing when those films didn’t perform as expected at the box office. This role, said to have been highly sought after by young actresses and is the female lead of the film, will be one hell of a comeback for the actress who was last seen in “From Prada to Nada”, a film whose quality and gravitas should be plenty evident based on its title alone.

Boneta is much greener and seems to be in high demand in films now, after having a few recurring roles on teen series like “Pretty Little Liars” and “90210.” The Mexican actor/musician recently landed and wrapped filming the highly coveted lead role of Drew in Adam Shankman’s big screen adaptation of hit Broadway musical “Rock of Ages” after a massive open casting call was performed.

Do You Hear the People Sing? Our votes for who should join Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe in “Les Miserables”

September 20, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge and Rebecca Lewis in Casting, Features 4 Comments

Hands down, one of our most highly anticipated upcoming movies is the long-gestating big screen adaptation of worldwide blockbuster musical “Les Miserables”. Australian actors Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe – both acting and singing heavyweights, well done, Tom Hooper – have been officially set for the lead roles of Jean Valjean, a reformed escaped convict and Javert, the by-the-numbers police inspector relentlessly on his tail, but there are plenty of other crucial roles to be cast.

As Jean Valjean journeys through 19th century France with Javert hot on his heels, they meet plenty of new friends and foes along the way. Who will be the tragic symbol of the plight of the poor, Fantine? Her lovely daughter Cosette? The student revolutionaries Enjolras and Marius? There are rumors abound for most of these roles, including the likes of Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush for Monsieur and Madame Thenardier, the crowd-pleasing, hilariously greedy innkeepers tasked by Fantine to take care of Cosette, but one fact remains crucial: Whoever joins the cast must be talented in both acting and singing at the level that Victor Hugo’s classic story and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s libretto demands. Here’s a few actors that fit the bill who we would love to see join Jackman and Crowe in the film.

Benjamin Walker to be the good to Bradley Cooper’s evil in “Paradise Lost”

August 4, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Apparently playing Abraham Lincoln, arguably the most beloved President in United States history, just wasn’t aiming high enough for Benjamin Walker. The fast rising former Broadway star is now in negotiations to play the ultimate Good Guy, according to Deadline. Walker will be playing the archangel Michael in director Alex Proyas‘ epic action 3D battle “Paradise Lost”, which already has Bradley Cooper attached to play the ultimate Bad Guy, Lucifer.

“It’s not just armies battling in an epic war,” Proyas tells Deadline. “This is an adventure about the origins of good and evil after Lucifer’s rebellion gets him cast out of Heaven and leads to a struggle with his brother archangel over the soul of mankind, starting with Adam and Eve. That is the scope of the narrative here, and we’ve tried to say as faithful as possible to Milton’s text, particularly its focus on Lucifer’s evolution and the birth of evil. It’s a family saga, about a group of brothers, two in particular, who are on divergent paths, and Lucifer’s feelings of betrayal by his father and family that forge his descent into evil.”

Walker, who had already been winning raves for his role on Broadway’s “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson”, came out of seemingly nowhere to snag the title role in Timur Bekmambetov’s adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s bloody revisionist history novel “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” (we’ll let the title speak for itself) and was also recently shortlisted for the lead in Tony Gilroy’s spy franchise spin-off “The Bourne Legacy”.

First look: Benjamin Walker as “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”

May 9, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images 3 Comments

As Steven Spielberg preps his Abraham Lincoln biopic “Lincoln”, filming is already underway in Louisiana on a very different sort of film about the 16th President of the United States, and The New York Times has the first look. In “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”, rising star Benjamin Walker plays a highly trained axe-wielding warrior whose mission in life is to rid the world of the undead, after one of the creatures attacked and killed his mother when he was a child. And if he has to become President, end slavery and preside over the Civil War to accomplish that singular goal, so be it!

Screenwriter and author of the novel on which it’s based, Seth Grahame-Smith likens Abraham Lincoln as a vampire hunter to the topical subject of Barack Obama’s recent killing of Osama Bin Laden. “There’s something in the American psyche, we want our presidents to be warriors. We’re giving that to Abraham Lincoln, sort of posthumously in this case.”

Joining Walker in the titular role are a slew of up and coming actors, including Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Mary Todd (eventually Lincoln), Dominic Cooper as Henry Sturgess, Lincoln’s vampire mentor and Anthony Mackie as Will, Lincoln’s best friend. Filming began in March and continues as director Timur Bekmambetov and producer Tim Burton aim for a summer blockbuster release date of June 22, 2012.

See the first still taken by the NYT of Walker bearded up, in costume and looking eerily like the real Lincoln, below.

“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” gains a villian in Rufus Sewell

April 12, 2011 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Casting Leave a comment

The cast for Tim Burton’s adapatation of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is finally coming together after the process began back in Janaury this year. Benjamin Walker, Anthony Mackie, Dominic Cooper, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Robin McLeavy are all already in New Orleans for the start of filming, and today Variety have announced that President Lincoln finally has a bad guy to fight!

English actor Rufus Sewell has signed on to play head vampire Adam opposite Walker’s President Lincoln in the adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel, in which the death of President Lincoln’s mother by vampires sets young Abe’s life in motion. The novel follows the true events of President Lincoln’s life but with the twist that everything President Lincoln ever did was in an attempt to rid the world of the vampire.

Sewell has been absent from the big screen for a few years, apart from a small role in last year’s The Tourist, sticking mostly to TV mini-series, including the award winning John Adams.

Produced by Tim Burton and Jim Lenley, Timur Bekmambetov will direct and the film, set to be shot in 3D, currently has a tentative release date of June 22, 2012.

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