Saoirse Ronan joining Ryan Gosling’s “How to Catch a Monster”

February 9, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

saoirse-ronan Ryan Gosling continues to gather up an impressive cast for his directorial debut, the fantasy thriller “How to Catch a Monster.” The latest to join is Saoirse Ronan, according to Deadline, with Christina Hendricks, Eva Mendes and “Doctor Who” star Matt Smith already on board.

Filming begins in May in Detroit and Hendricks, in the female lead role, will play a single mother who is drawn into a dark underworld as her teenage son discovers a road leading to an underwater city. Smith plays the male lead and Ben Mendelsohn is also on board, though there’s no details on who any of the other actors are playing. Presumably the aforementioned teenage son still needs to be cast.

One of the most prolific and accomplished young actresses working today, Ronan was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Joe Wright’s “Atonement” and recently premiered Neil Jordan’s “Byzantium” at the Toronto Film Festival. She’ll try on her YA adaptation mettle when she stars in “The Host”, based on the novel by “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer. She’s currently in Budapest filming the female lead role in Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom” follow-up, “Grand Budapest Hotel.”

Saoirse Ronan takes female lead role in Wes Anderson’s “Grand Budapest Hotel”

November 2, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

After a five year wait between Wes Anderson’s last two live action features, the underrated “The Darjeeling Limited” and this year’s superb “Moonrise Kingdom”, we couldn’t be happier that he seems to be moving much faster on lining up his next adventure. Even more good news today as Variety reports that prolific young Irish actress Saoirse Ronan has been cast in the female lead role in that project, “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”

Anderson regulars Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman will unsurprisingly be part of the cast, along with newcomers Jude Law and Ralph Fiennes. The director has not revealed any plot details, but does confirm that the film is set in the early 20th Century in a Hungarian hotel, and is partly influenced by the films of classic directors Billy Wilder and Ernst Lubitsch. Filming begins early next year in Germany.

Ronan, who landed an Oscar nomination at the age of 13 for Joe Wright’s “Atonement”, recently wrapped up filming on young adult novel adaptation “How I Live Now” and will next be seen in the adaptation of “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer’s alien actioner “The Host” opposite Max Irons, as well as Neil Jordan’s vampire drama “Byzantium” opposite Gemma Arterton.

Caleb Landry Jones to star in “Hope and Glory” sequel “Queen and Country” for “Broken Dream” director John Boorman

September 11, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

They may not have officially worked together just yet, but director John Boorman and actor Caleb Landry Jones have clearly seen something in each other throughout the audition and pre-preoduction process, and are now looking to do a second movie together, all before they even started shooting on their first one. Variety reports Jones, who landed the lead role in Boorman’s “Broken Dream.”, is now negotiating to also take the lead role in “Queen and Country”, the long gestating sequel to Boorman’s 1987 drama “Hope and Glory.”

“Hope and Glory”, described as semi-autobiographical, followed a young boy, Bill (Sebastian Rice-Edwards), as he grew up in London during WWII. “Queen and Country” will take place a decade later as Bill, now a young man to be played by Jones, is conscripted into the Korean War. Neither “Broken Dream” nor “Queen and Country” have a start date yet, but Variety reports insiders believe “Queen and Country” will actually film first.

Jones, who is most likely going to return to reprise his role as the mutant Banshee in sequel “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, recently repped two movies at the Toronto International Film Festival, Brandon Cronenberg’s “Antiviral” and Neil Jordan’s “Byzantium.”

Watch: Yup, Saoirse Ronan is a vampire alright in first clip from Neil Jordan’s “Byzantium”

September 7, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Videos 2 Comments

She may look sweet and innocent, but Saoirse Ronan leaves no question about what she actually is in our first look at a scene from Neil Jordan’s “Byzantium.” The film premieres this Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival, and also stars Gemma Arterton as Clara, Ronan’s charcter Eleanor’s mother/vampire sire, and Sam Riley as Darvell and Caleb Landry Jones as Frank, the human boys they cross paths with.

In this clip, Jones’ Frank has clearly injured his hand pretty badly and Eleanor helps him home to his parents. Eleanor is visibly tempted by Frank’s spilled blood that still lies around her on the floor, and as the family drive away to the hospital, she does something that really grossed me out. But hey, I’m a lightweight when it comes to this stuff. Check it out below for yourself.

Saoirse Ronan to play “Mary Queen of Scots” in big screen biopic

August 9, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

Saorise Ronan is gearing up to play one of the most infamous rulers in history, as Deadline reports she is attached to the titular role in Working Title Films’ “Mary Queen of Scots.” Producers are talking to directors and hope to begin production early next year.

Ronan will be playing a scandal-ridden monarchy that saw Mary Stuart crowned Queen of Scotland at 9 months old, briefly become Queen Consort of France through marraige, two subsequent marriages, murder plots, abdication of her own crown and imprisonment in England and a major rivalry with her cousin Elizabeth over who the rightful queen of England is. Spoiler Alert: She was executed for assassination plots against Elizabeth after an 18 year imprisonment.

Ronan, who’s currently filming teen novel adaptation “How I Live Now”, broke out at age 13 in Joe Wright’s “Atonement”, for which she was nominated for an Oscar, and has impressed critics and audiences alike ever since. Most recently seen in another Wright film, “Hanna”, her upcoming features include alien ationer “The Host” and Neil Jordan’s Toronto-bound vampire drama “Byzantium.”

New photos from TIFF-bound “Byzantium” include first looks at Gemma Arterton and Sam Riley

July 24, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images Leave a comment

Vampires are coming to Toronto, but when they look like Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan, how bad could it be? Neil Jordan’s “Byzantium” was just announced this morning as a Special Presentation at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and now new photos from the film have been released, which include our first looks at Arterton and Sam Riley (we’ve already seen the first image of Ronan, though there’s a couple of new ones of her here as well).

Previously trying to remain mysterious and described as “two mysterious and penniless young women who flee the scene of a violent crime and end up in a run-down coastal resort where the past they’ve been running from may finally catch up with them”, TIFF’s official description of the film is much more explicit, calling it a “deliciously depraved supernatural drama” about “a pair of female vampires (Saorsie Ronan and Gemma Arterton) [who wreak] havoc on an unsuspecting English seaside community.” Riley and Caleb Landry Jones are the two young, presumably human, men who get caught up in the mother-daughter duo’s web.

“Byzantium” has no distribution and no release date yet, though TIFF should rectify that. See the new photos below.

Toronto International Film Festival line-up includes opening night film “Looper”, plus “Silver Linings Playbook”, “Byzantium” and more

July 24, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in General News 1 Comment

Toronto kicks off Awards Season 2012 in a big way today with the announcement of over 60 Galas and Special Presentations that will play at the annual International Film Festival, running this year between September 6-16.

Rian Johnson’s highly anticipated sci-fi action flick “Looper”, starring Joseph Gordon Levitt and Emily Blunt, will kick things off as the Opening Night film. Films making their World Premieres at the festival include Neil Jordan’s gang of vampires in “Byzantium” as played by Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan, Sally Potter’s 1960s family drama “Ginger and Rosa” (formerly “Bomb”) starring Elle Fanning and newcomer Alice Englert, and Mike Newell’s “Great Expectations” with Jeremy Irvine as Pip and Holliday Grainger as Estella.

Bradley Cooper will have two films at the festival, David O. Russell’s “Silver Linings Playbook” opposite Jennifer Lawrence, and Derek Cianfrance’s “The Place Beyond the Pines” with Ryan Gosling and Dane DeHaan. Logan Lerman is another actor represented twice at the festival, as he’ll appear in both “Writers” with Lily Collins, and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” alongside Emma Watson and Ezra Miller. The ever-busy Anna Kendrick will also be pulling double duty in Robert Redford’s “The Company You Keep”, starring Shia LaBeouf and Brit Marling, as well as David Ayer’s cop drama “End of Watch” with Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena.

See below for the complete list of Galas and Special Presentations (thanks to Movie Knight), which also include such highly anticipated premieres as Joe Wright’s experimental retelling of “Anna Karenina” starring Keira Knightley in the titular role and Aaron Johnson as Count Vronsky, and Terrence Malick’s long-gestating “To the Wonder” starring Rachel McAdams, Olga Kurlylenko and more.

And just think, there are more films to be announced in the coming weeks! Phew.

“On the Road” star Sam Riley to play “Ivanhoe” in new adaptation of Sir Walter Scott epic

July 20, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

British rising star Sam Riley will portray titular literary icon “Ivanhoe” in a new big screen adaptation of the Sir Walter Scott medieval epic, according to Screen Daily.

Published in 1820 and set in the 12th Century, “Ivanhoe” is a historical epic following the exploits of Wilfred of Ivanhoe, a Saxon knight exiled by his father for being loyal to the Norman king and for falling in love with Lady Rowena, who’s engaged to a much higher-seated nobleman. When he returns under disguise tournaments, forbidden love, political intrigue and more unfold, and even Robin Hood and his merry men somehow get involved. Iain Softley will direct from a script by John Brownlow and James Jacks.

Riley, who gained notice for his turns in “Control” and “Brighton Rock”, is currently shooting Disney’s fairy-tale redo “Maleficent” opposite Angelina Jolie, and will soon be seen in Walter Salles’ long-gestating, highly anticipated “On the Road” opposite Garrett Hedlund. He’s also wrapped up shooting vampire drama “Byzantium” opposite Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan.

Caleb Landry Jones dreams a “Broken Dream” in role originally slated for River Phoenix

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

Young actors probably all secretly dream of being compared to River Phoenix (or James Dean, or even Heath Ledger) whose untimely death has created a permanent and nearly untouchable image of the late actor as the pinnacle of untapped youthful talent, but to take a role originally meant for Phoenix must be on a whole other level entirely. Deadline reports Caleb Landry Jones will be the one to experience that surreality as he has been cast as the male lead in “Broken Dream”, which director John Boorman wanted to shoot with Phoenix nearly 20 years ago. He’s spent the time since searching for the right actor to take over the role, and it appears he’s finally found it in Jones.

Described as “love story in a futuristic, post-holocaust atomic world,” Phoenix had been slated to star alongside Winona Ryder in 1993, and now the search is on to find a leading lady for Jones. Perhaps the rising actor always had an inside track as the screenwriter who wrote it, all the way back in 1979, is Neil Jordan, who Jones recently wrapped up working with on vampire flick “Byzantium.”

“Byzantium” co-starred Gemma Arterton, Saoirse Ronan and Sam Riley, and Jones also recently appeared at the Cannes Film Festival where he starred in Brandon Cronenberg’s feature debut, “Antiviral” opposite Sarah Gadon. He played Sean Cassidy, the mutant known as Banshee in “X-Men: First Class” and should be expected to return for its sequel, filming early next year.

Gemma Arterton takes female lead in “Runner Runner” opposite Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck

May 30, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

British actress Gemma Arterton will romance Justin Timberlake in online gambling thriller “Runner Runner”, according to Variety. Ben Affleck, Anthony Mackie and “Project X” star Oliver Cooper also star in the Brad Furman directed film.

Timberlake and Cooper play a couple of Ivy League college students who get drawn into the world of online gambling and find themselves in over their heads when they’re hired to work for Affleck’s shady billionaire online gambling business owner. Filming begins late June in Puerto Rico, with Mackie in the role of an FBI agent who’s been trying to take down Affleck for years, and Arterton as Timberlake’s love interest.

Arterton was last seen on the big screen in the charming and underrated British comedy “Tamara Drewe” and recently wrapped up “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” opposite Jeremy Renner and “Song for Marion.” She’ll next be seen opposite Saoirse Ronan in Neil Jordan’s vampire epic “Byzantium” and is attached to play one half of comedic duo “The Wright Girls.”

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