Natalie Portman sought for Jackie Kennedy biopic

September 28, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Fox Searchlight is courting their “Black Swan” star and Oscar winner Natalie Portman to play the titular role in Jackie Kennedy biopic “Jackie”, according to Deadline.

Noah Oppenheim wrote the script, which chronicles Kennedy’s life immediately following the assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy. “Black Swan” director Darren Aronofsky had at one point been attached to direct the film, which had his then-wife Rachel Weisz attached to the role, but had fallen out. Steven Spielberg also showed interest in the project in 2010. Portman’s deal is said to be contingent upon her approval of the director.

After winning the Best Actress Oscar for “Black Swan” in 2011, Portman took some time off to have a baby, but has been back to work, seen earlier this summer filming Terrence Malick’s “Knight of Cups” with Christian Bale. She’ll also star in Malick’s untitled next feature, formerly called “Lawless”, which is now underway in Austin with Ryan Gosling and Rooney Mara and is expected to reprise her role as Jane Foster in “Thor: The Dark World”, which is also now filming. Portman will also produce and star in Western “Jane Got a Gun” in early 2013, and recently snagged Michael Fassbender for the male lead.

“Oz” duo James Franco and Mila Kunis reunite to join Olivia Wilde in Paul Haggis’ “Third Person”

August 22, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Continuing this lovely trend, “Oz The Great and Powerful” co-stars James Franco and Mila Kunis are set for an onscreen reunion in Paul Haggis’ international drama “Third Person.” It was announced this morning that Kunis and Franco, along with Casey Affleck, are in talks to join Liam Neeson and Olivia Wilde in the anthology-style interlocking love story.

Haggis’ film will follow a frustrated writer and his lover in Paris, a mother fighting for custody in New York and an American man helping to free an Italian woman’s daughter from a local gangster in Rome. It’s unclear which actor will be playing which characters, though The Wrap did specify Neeson would play a journalist and Wilde a gossip columnist, and Neeson himself confirmed he and Wilde play romantic partners. Filming begins on October 13th on location in Rome.

Before joining forces to retell the Wizard of Oz story for Sam Raimi’s upcoming “Oz the Great and Powerful”, Franco and Kunis both went through the whirlwind of Oscar season, Franco a Best Actor nominee for Danny Boyle’s “127 Hours” and Kunis an almost-nominee for Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan.” Since then, Franco has spun off into vastly random and eclectic projects, including starring in Harmony Korine’s Venice-bound “Spring Breakers” and directing a variety of his own films. Meanwhile, Kunis continues her mainstream Hollywood rise, starring opposite Mark Wahlberg and a talking stuffed animal in this summer’s comedy hit “Ted”, shooting Gallaume Canet’s “Blood Ties”, as well as prepping for the lead role in the Wachowskis’ “Jupiter Ascending.”

Natalie Portman heads for Western “Jane Got a Gun”

May 22, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Natalie Portman is attached to produce and star in Western “Jane Got a Gun”, according to THR. The suddenly hot property is being shopped to financiers at Cannes and in addition to Portman’s star power, it also has a director in “We Need to Talk About Kevin”‘s Lynne Ramsey with a Black List script by Brian Duffield. Needless to say, a bidding war for both financing and distribution is currently underway.

Portman will play a woman whose husband returns home riddled with bullet wounds and barely alive, the result of his outlaw gang turning on him. She’s forced to turn to an ex-boyfriend for help in defending her farm when the gang eventually finds their way to her front door to finish the job of killing her husband.

Portman, who will not be in Ridley Scott’s “The Counselor” after all (the role went to Penelope Cruz), took a brief hiatus after winning her first Oscar for Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” to have a baby, but is now ready to go back to work, with Terrence Malick’s back-to-back “Knight of Cups” and (formerly) “Lawless” as her first comeback vehicles.

Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis offered Wachowskis’ “Jupiter Ascending”

March 26, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis have both certainly been making a case for being part of the next generation of movie stars, and today their fast rising profiles are solidified a little further as Deadline reports Warner Bros have offered them the lead roles in “Jupiter Ascending”, the next highly secretive sci-fi project from Andy and Lana Wachowski.

Natalie Portman had reportedly been offered the female lead back in January, but it looks like that didn’t come together and her “Black Swan” co-star may get the job instead. The Wachowski siblings are currently finishing up on the ambitious “Cloud Atlas” with co-director Tom Tykwer, but should begin production on “Jupiter Ascending”- based on an original idea, their first since “The Matrix” – in the fall.

Tatum gained some new fans last week when “21 Jump Street” opened and he surprised audiences with his comedic abilities, and will next reunite with Steven Soderbergh for a third time in “Bitter Pill” opposite Rooney Mara, shooting next month. Tatum and Soderbergh’s second collaboration, “Magic Mike”, is in the can and awaiting a June release. Kunis came close to landing an Oscar nomination for Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” and can be seen later this year in Seth MacFarlane’s feature directorial debut, “Ted”, and as the Wicked Witch of the West in Sam Raimi’s “Oz The Great and Powerful” opposite James Franco.

Natalie Portman in talks for Ridley Scott’s “The Counselor”; Jeremy Renner vs Javier Bardem for villain role

March 8, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

Michael Fassbender may be meeting his friends and foes for Ridley Scott’s “The Counselor” soon. Twitch Film reports that Natalie Portman is in early talks to take on the role of love interest Laura, while Jeremy Renner remains a top contender for the villain role of Reiner, though Scott is said to be leaning towards Javier Bardem. No official offers nor negotiations have commenced.

Scripted by Cormac McCarthy, “The Counselor” has been described as “‘No Country For Old Men’ on steroids.” Fassbender will play a lawyer who decides to dip his toe into the drug business without getting in too deep. Of course, that doesn’t turn out so well for him. Laura unwittingly gets dragged into the mess, while another pivotal female role, Malkina, has yet to be filled. All the roles should be locked down soon, given how quickly the turnaround has been thus far and with a May start date looming.

Acting steadily since she was 13, Portman received her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for 2004′s “Closer” and followed it up with a win her second time around for Best Actress in Darren Aronofsky’s psychological ballerina thriller “Black Swan.” Always deft at doing both indie and mainstream films, she followed it up with a couple of lower brow comedies, “No Strings Attached” and “Your Highness”, and played love interest to Chris Hemsworth in Marvel’s blockbuster hit “Thor.” It was thought her return to acting would be in a pair of Terrence Malick films – “Lawless” and “Knight of Cups” – filming this summer and fall, but if she signs on, “The Counselor” will get that distinction instead.

Natalie Portman ends hiatus, joins Terrence Malick’s back-to-back “Knight of Cups” and “Lawless”

February 8, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

New mom and new Oscar winner Natalie Portman is ready to get back to work and has picked a hell of a comeback vehicle. Deadline reports the “Black Swan” actress has committed to starring in both of Terrence Malick’s next movies, which will film back to back this summer and fall. First she’ll do “Knight of Cups” with Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Isabel Lucas, and then take on “Lawless”, also with Bale and Blanchett in addition to Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara and Haley Bennett.

Of course, there are no plot details on either project, though “Lawless” perhaps being somewhat musically inclined might be a logical conclusion after Bale and Bennett and then Gosling and Mara were spotted filming… something at various Texas music festivals. That footage is widely believed to be pre-production and rehearsal work, and will not end up in the final film. Also interesting is the crossover cast members between the two films, first Bale and Blanchett, and now Portman as well, though the narratives are said to be separate and distinct.

Acting steadily since she was 13, Portman received her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for 2004′s “Closer” and followed it up with a win her second time around for Best Actress in Darren Aronofsky’s psychological ballerina thriller “Black Swan.” Always deft at doing both indie and mainstream films, she followed it up with a couple of lower brow comedies, “No Strings Attached” and “Your Highness”, and played love interest to Chris Hemsworth in Marvel’s blockbuster hit “Thor.” Malick’s films will mark her return to acting since winning the Oscar and having her first baby last June.

Rosario Dawson falls under Danny Boyle’s “Trance”

July 27, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Rosario Dawson – not Scarlett Johanson, Melanie Thierry or Zoe Saldana, as previously rumored – has landed the female lead in Danny Boyle’s heist thriller “Trance”, reports Deadline. Dawson will join James McAvoy in the lead role of Simon, and Vincent Cassel is now also on board for the role of Aiden, a role previously held by Michael Fassbender, who had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.

A remake of the 2001 British TV movie originally directed by Joe Ahearne, “Trance” tells the story of an art heist that goes wrong when the mastermind behind the mission is injured and suffers from amnesia. Among the gang of thieves, he is the only one who knows the location of the stolen art and after the team begins to suspect that he might be faking the loss of his memory, a hypnotist is brought in to search his mind. McAvoy’s Simon is the amnesiac theif and while Deadline reports Dawson will play a character who “develops an unusual relationship with both men”, previous reports seemed to confirm she will be the hypnotist.

Boyle will direct the moderately budgeted thriller this fall in London, then shelve the footage until August 2012, after Boyle is finished directing the Summer Olympics. “Trance” is expected to be ready for a March 2013 release.

Dawson can currently be seen opposite Kevin James in “Zookeeper” and will be part of the large ensemble cast of “Ten Year”, announced yesterday to be premiering at September’s Toronto International Film Festival.

Independent Spirit Awards full winners list and exclusive backstage images

February 26, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Awards, Interviews Leave a comment

It was a cold and windy afternoon under the tents at the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards, as many of the usual suspects picked up awards, including James Franco and Natalie Portman for Best Male and Female Leads for their roles in Oscar favorites “127 Hours” and “Black Swan” respectively. “Black Swan” was the big winner of the night, also winning Best Director for Darren Aronofsky and Best Feature. “Winter’s Bone” also made a strong showing, winning both Best Supporting Actor and Actress for John Hawkes and Dale Dickey. Awards juggernaut “The King’s Speech” also picked up Best Foreign Film.

We managed to get a bit of James Franco in the press room on video and a bunch of great images of everyone from Mark Ruffalo to Jesse Eisenberg to Jon Hamm and more.

Exclusive Backstage Images from the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards

See the full list of winners below.

Mila Kunis set for Wicked Witch opposite James Franco as “Oz, The Great and Powerful”

February 17, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

It was just a couple of weeks ago there was speculation that director Sam Raimi was pursuing James Franco for the title role in Disney’s “The Wizard of Oz” prequel, “Oz, The Great and Powerful”, and today Vulture pulls a twofer by reporting that Mila Kunis will be joining the film, and thus good friend and frequent collaborator Franco’s involvement is finally cemented as well.

Hot off the breakout role of a lifetime in “Black Swan”, Kunis has been fielding many high profile offers and will walk away from the Hughes Bros remake of 1988′s manga epic “Akira” to do “Oz”. David Lindsay-Abaire‘s script calls for a younger, sexier version of Oz, with Franco as a snake oil salesman masking as a magician, who lands in Oz in his hot air balloon fleeing from an angry mob. There he meets the three Witches who run the colorful land, Glinda the Good Witch, Evanorah, the Wicked Witch of the East and the role Kunis would take on, her younger sister Theodorah, who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West.

This would mark the third project Franco and Kunis have worked on together, having previously collaborated on skits for FunnyorDie.com in 2007 and a scene-stealing turn in 2010′s Steve Carell / Tina Fey comedy “Date Night”. Coincidentally, new Oscar nominee Franco was also rumored for a role in “Akira” and is attached to at least half a dozen upcoming projects. He will next be seen in “Your Highness”, a bawdy stoner comedy set in medieval times, opposite Natalie Portman. Kunis will next be seen in “Friends with Benefits” opposite Justin Timberlake and is attached to star in “Ted”, from her “Family Guy” creator/co-star Seth MacFarlane.

2011 BAFTA Awards Nominations

January 18, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Awards Leave a comment

Those who threw in the towel and called this year’s awards race over might consider taking a second look. The Orange British Film Academy just announced their nominations for the 2011 Awards (Britain’s most prestigious awards – oftentimes referred to as Britain’s Oscars) and while predictably, “The King’s Speech” dominated with the most number of nominations (14) and ront-runners like “The Social Network” and “Black Swan” still made a strong showing, the Brits offer up a number of huge upsets and surprises. First and foremost, “True Grit” edges itself into a Best Film nomination while “The Fighter”, which had been dominating stateside, was left out. Ditto for “The Fighter” Supporting Actress contender Melissa Leo, who had been winning award after award, not even nominated by the Brits. Her co-star Amy Adams received a nomination instead.

The late Pete Postlethwaite received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for “The Town”, while co-star Jeremy Renner had been the one racking up nominations in the category. And the Best Actress category at the BAFTAs might have provided the most surprises of all. Indie darling Jennifer Lawrence of “Winter’s Bone” was left out, while “True Grit” breakout Hailee Steinfeld was nominated, while all awards in the US had placed her in the Supporting Actress category. Also making a showing in Lead Actress is “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” star Noomi Rapace, considered a breakout performance but never picking up much awards steam stateside.

How do the surprises and upsets at the BAFTAs affect the Oscar race? Perhaps not at all, since Oscar nomination ballots have already been mailed in. But momentum is still a huge factor between now and when the awards are announced next month, and some heavy momentum was just gained and lost in the last 20 minutes.

See below for the full list of nominations.

Page 1 of 312 3 »

black swan