Broadway Vet Christian Borle Joins Michael Mann’s Cyber Thriller Opposite Chris Hemsworth

May 20, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

christian-borle The cancellation of NBC musical series “Smash” may have been a blessing in disguise for Broadway vet Christian Borle, as he has been freed up to take a role in Michael Mann’s untitled cyber thriller opposite Chris Hemsworth, reports Deadline. Viola Davis, Holt McCallany and Chinese stars Wei Tang and Leehom Wang are also on board the international cast.

There are no plot details available, but the film is said to be in the vein of Mann’s previous thrillers “Heat” and “Thief” but set in the world of cyber theft and cyber attacks, and Tang and Wang will play a brother-sister duo, with Tang also acting as love interest to Hemsworth’s character. Mann wrote the script with Morgan Foehl and along with the international cast, locations for the shoot will include Los Angeles, Hong Kong and others. Filming begins in June.

Borle is one of Broadway’s most recognizable stars, having starred in musicals such as “Spamelot” and “Legally Blonde”, and won a Tony last year for his role in Peter Pan prequel play “Peter and the Starcatcher.” He, like many fellow stage actors, had began in recent years to attempt a transition to screen acting, landing a series regular role as the writing partner of Debra Messing on NBC’s “Smash.” It was cancelled recently and will see its series finale this Sunday night.

Benjamin Walker Joining Chris Hemsworth in Ron Howard’s “In the Heart of the Sea”

May 7, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

benjamin-walker Stage and screen actor Benjamin Walker has landed a major role opposite Chris Hemsworth and Tom Holland in Ron Howard’s nautical actioner “In the Heart of the Sea”, according to Deadline.

Based on Nathaniel Philbrick’s factual retelling “In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex”, Hemsworth will play a first mate aboard whaling ship the Essex, which began a journey from Nantucket bound for the South Pacific in 1819 and was rammed and sunk by a giant sperm whale, the incident that served as inspiration for Meville’s “Moby Dick.” The initial crew of 20, to be led by Hemsworth’s character, dwindled as they struggled to survive aboard three lifeboats, facing hunger, disease and inclement weather. Holland is set for the role of Young Nickerson, an aspiring whaler, while Walker has the plum role of George Pollard, Jr., the unqualified, antagonistic captain of the Essex who would be come to be immortalized in fiction as Captain Ahab. Filming begins in September in London.

Broadway vet Walker starred in cult hit “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” and most recently in a revival of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” opposite Scarlett Johansson. His big screen metal has not been fully tested following the disastrous “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”, while other potential star-making films like Ed Zwick’s “The Great Wall” and Alex Proyas’ “Paradise Lost”, fell apart before filming even began. Luckily this project seems solid and has great potential to be the breakout that the talented and charismatic Walker is long overdue for.

Watch: Chris Hemsworth Returns in First Trailer for “Thor: The Dark World”

April 23, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Videos Leave a comment

thortrailer

Sequels have to be bigger and badder than the original, as a rule, and Marvel has clearly been strictly enforcing it thus far for their Phase 2 films. The first trailer for “Thor: The Dark World” has arrived and indeed, it already feels grander, more epic and more dangerous than 2011′s “Thor.” Chris Hemsworth returns as the God of Thunder to battle the Dark Elves, whose Earth-destroying capabilities far surpasses that of the lone giant robot The Destroyer that Thor fought in the first film. More of the action will also take place off Earth this time around, with even Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster transported to Asgard and beyond with her intergalactic superhero boyfriend.

Tom Hiddleston as Loki is back for the third time but I for one am hoping he’ll have a limited role this time around. There are other villains in the Marvel universe, after all. “Thor: The Dark World”, directed by Alan Taylor, will be released on November 8th, following next month’s “Iron Man 3.” Marvel Phase 2 is well underway and we could not be more psyched. Watch the trailer below.

Lightning Strikes for Chris Hemsworth on First Poster for “Thor: The Dark World”

April 19, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images Leave a comment

thor2sm It’s officially Marvel season! “Iron Man 3″ has been kicking off its worldwide promo tour – with screenings in London returning ecstatic results – and now “Thor: The Dark World” is prepping to begin its marketing push. Today USA Today has unveiled the first poster from the November release, featuring star Chris Hemsworth in some inclement weather.

Alan Taylor takes over the directing duties from original helmer Kenneth Branagh, and “The Dark World” will take Thor beyond Asgard and Earth to the Nine Realms, where dark elves, led by Christopher Eccleston, make up the villainous armies he must defeat. Tom Hiddleston is set to return as Loki but will have a smaller villainous presence than in “Thor” and “The Avengers”, while Anthony Hopkins as Odin and Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard and Kat Dennings as Thor’s human allies will return as well.

Marvel bigwig Kevin Feige also describes the unusual source for the original image on the poster. It didn’t come from a photoshoot, but from just another day on the set. “It’s rare that you have a poster that is just Chris Hemsworth shooting on the set,” says Feige. “But he just looks like Thor. We just put in some lightning, and he’s got his hammer and you’re there. It’s just an incredibly striking image.”

See the full poster below and prepare for “Thor: The Dark World” when it’s released on November 8th. The first trailer will be released next week.

“The Impossible” Star Tom Holland Joins Chris Hemsworth in Ron Howard’s “In the Heart of the Sea”

April 10, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

tom-holland You’d think young British actor Tom Holland must hate the water by now after spending half of “The Impossible” trying not to drown, but you’d be wrong. Deadline reports he’s joined another water disaster flick, Ron Howard’s period whaling thriller “In the Heart of the Sea”, which already has Chris Hemsworth in the lead role.

Based on Nathaniel Philbrick’s factual retelling “In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex”, Hemsworth will play a first mate aboard whaling ship the Essex, which began a journey from Nantucket bound for the South Pacific in 1819 and was rammed and sunk by a giant sperm whale. The initial crew of 20, to be led by Hemsworth’s character, dwindled as they struggled to survive aboard three lifeboats, facing hunger, disease and inclement weather. Holland is set for the role of Young Nickerson, an aspiring whaler. Filming begins in September in London.

Holland, who has a musical theater background and has starred in “Billy Elliot” on the West End, was the best part of tsunami disaster flick “The Impossible”, which also marked his big screen debut. He has wrapped up shooting on adaptation of YA novel “How I Live Now” opposite Saoirse Ronan, which is set for release this year.

Watch: Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl Race For Their Lives in First Trailer for “Rush”

April 8, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Videos 2 Comments

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Two totally different yet equally competitive racecar drivers are presented to us in the first trailer for Ron Howard’s Formula One biopic “Rush”, which sees Chris Hemsworth as the party-hard James Hunt and Daniel Bruhl as Niki Lauda, his dedicated and intense rival who doesn’t let a little thing like a near-death accident keep him from racing.

The two lived and raced in the 1970s, and the film, scripted by Peter Morgan, will focus on the 1976 race which Hunt won and which almost claimed Lauda’s life in a near-fatal accident. But as the trailer shows, that’s not the end of his story or their rivalry. Olivia Wilde is also on board as supermodel Suzy Miller, who Hunt romances and eventually marries but then ultimately loses to Hollywood actor Richard Burton.

“Rush” will be released on September 20th and the first trailer, which appears to be tailored for UK audiences, can be viewed below.

Jason Clarke In, Chris Hemsworth Out of Thriller “Candy Store”?

February 27, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

jason-clarke Last we heard back in November, Australian action star Chris Hemsworth had attached himself to Stephen Gaghan’s crime thriller “Candy Store”, but that may no longer be the case. In an interview with MTV at the Oscars on Sunday, Hemsworth’s fellow countryman Jason Clarke offered up that he will star in the film.

The film follows an elite operative who retires to Brooklyn, only to find the enemy he once fought setting up shop in his new neighborhood. It’s possible Hemsworth is still attached to the role of the protagonist while Clarke will play the villain, but since Hemsworth’s attachment was tenuous at best even at the time we reported it, it seems much more likely that Clarke, with an increased profile in Hollywood, will be taking over the lead role.

Clarke, one of our Faces to Watch in 2013, had a hell of a 2012 with roles in John Hillcoat’s “Lawless” and Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty”, in which he gave a scene-stealing, Oscar-worthy performance opposite Jessica Chastain. In 2013 he’ll see Channing Tatum starrer “White House Down” and Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” released, and most recently he landed his biggest role yet, as the lead of Matt Reeves’ sequel “The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.”

Chris Hemsworth attached to untitled Michael Mann thriller

February 14, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Director Michael Mann has not made a movie since 2009′s “Public Enemies” but appears finally ready to get back behind the camera, and Variety reports he has boarded an untitled thriller set up at Legendary Pictures which has Australian action star Chris Hemsworth attached to the lead role. There are not plot details, other than to say the film takes place “in a world of cyber threats and attacks.” Mann has been developing the project for over a year and co-wrote the screenplay with Morgan Davis Foehl. Filming is tentatively scheduled for June.

Hemsworth is looking to fill the rest of his year now that Steven Spielberg’s “Robopocalypse”, which had been slated to begin this spring, is on hold for the time being. Having just wrapped “Thor: The Dark World” in London, the plan is to film the Mann pic over the summer and then transition to maritime actioner “In the Heart of the Sea”, which Ron Howard is in negotiations to direct. Howard first directed Hemsworth in F1 racing biopic “Rush”, which is slated for release in September. All this activity likely leaves Hemsworth just enough time to catch his breath before picking up Mjilnor to play Thor again in “The Avengers 2.”

Too good to be true? The brothers Hemsworth may “Triumph” in onscreen team-up for Steve McQueen biopic

November 13, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

You better not be teasing us now, The Wrap. Buried in a story about Chris Hemsworth becoming attached to Stephen Gaghan’s crime thriller “Candy Store,” the paper also reports Hemsworth is being eyed for a role in “Triumph”, a biopic of iconic American actor Steve McQueen, and that film has also offered a role to Liam Hemsworth, Chris’s younger “Hunger Games” star brother.

The film is set up at Sony Pictures and the script – following the story of McQueen and his stunt double Bud Elkins – is still being written by Brandon and Philip Murphy, so this sounds like it’s far from being finalized. But the good news is that the Hemsworths may be open to doing a movie together, and if not this one, then perhaps another one. Why haven’t we thought of this great idea before, and now that we have, yes please, can we have it soon? Ahem.

Meanwhile, Hemsworth’s involvement with “Candy Store” seems at least slightly more plausible, and if everything falls into place, he will be taking on the role of an elite operative who retires to Brooklyn, only to find the enemy he once fought setting up shop in his new neighborhood.

The older Hemsworth is currently reprising his role as the God of Thunder and Avenger on “Thor: The Dark World” and will next star in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of “Robopocalypse.” The younger Hemsworth is reprising his role as Jennifer Lawrence’s best friend in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”, and recently wrapped up corporate espionage thriller “Paranoia”, as well as heist actioner “Empire State.”

UPDATED: Chris Hemsworth will NOT be an “American Assassin”

October 11, 2012 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Casting Leave a comment

November 9, 2012 UPDATE: Hemsworth will not join this project, Deadline reports. A deal could not come together.

Could Chris Hemsworth be any more in demand? Star of “Thor“, “Snow White and the Huntsman“, and “The Avengers” is currently filming “Thor: The Dark World” in the UK and has Formula One drama “Rush” in post-production awaiting a release date. The thesp has also signed on for Steven Spielberg’s “Robopocalypse” remake and the 19th century maritime flick “In The Heart Of The Sea“.

Now Deadline reports that the Australian actor is wanted for a big budget adaptation of Vince Flynn’s “American Assassin“, an action tale about a terrorist hunter.

Although the eleventh book in the series, Deadline suggests it is the ideal place to start a franchise. Hemsworth will play Mitch Rapp, a college scholar and athlete who becomes a ruthless hunter of terrorists for the CIA after a personal tragedy. “American Assassin” is a prequel to the previous ten books and goes into the details of Rapp’s tragedy.

The film has been in development since 2008, but CBS Films look to have Jeffrey Nachmanoff on board to direct. The director has experience of dealing with this subject matter after directing an episode of the Emmy winning drama “Homeland”. The script will come from Mike Finch, who is rewriting a script by Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz.

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