Tuppence Middleton joins the Wachowskis’ “Jupiter Ascending” opposite Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis

February 12, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

tuppence-middleton British actress Tuppence Middleton is rounding out the cast of the Wachowskis’ “Jupiter Ascending”, according to Variety. She joins Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean and Douglas Booth in the sci-fi epic.

The film is set in a world where human beings are at the bottom of the food chain. Far superior beings keep an eye on the lowly homo sapiens from far away, and the story centers on Kunis as a Russian immigrant who’s scrubbing toilets for a living, unknowingly carrying some powerful genetic DNA makeup that make her a threat to the literal Queen of the Universe. A bounty hunter (Tatum) is dispatched to kill her, but the two fall in love and go on the run together instead. There’s no word yet on who any of the supporting actors are playing. Filming will begin this spring.

Middleton, still a relative unknown in Hollywood, has been busy in the UK and has wrapped up shooting on Iain Softley’s “Trap for Cinderella” opposite fellow British rising star Alexandra Roach, Danny Boyle’s heist thriller “Trance” and Nick Hornby adaptation “A Long Way Down” opposite Aaron Paul and Imogen Poots.

Douglas Booth joining Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis in the Wachowskis’ “Jupiter Ascending”

February 8, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

douglas-booth British rising star Douglas Booth is the latest to join the cast of the Wackowskis’ next sci-fi epic, “Jupiter Ascending”, according to Variety. He joins already onboard cast members Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Eddie Redmayne and Sean Bean.

The film is set in a distant future (or alternate reality) where human beings are no longer the most evolved creatures in the universe, but rather “just the Cro-Magnons, or even the Australopithecines, of what beings can ultimately go on to become in the galaxy.” Far superior beings keep an eye on the lowly humans from far away, and the story centers on Kunis as a Russian immigrant who’s scrubbing toilets for a living, unknowingly carrying some powerful genetic DNA makeup that make her a threat to the literal Queen of the Universe. A bounty hunter (Tatum) is dispatched to kill her, but the two fall in love and go on the run together instead.

Booth recently wrapped up playing Russell Crowe’s son in Darren Aronofsky’s biblical epic “Noah.” He’ll be seen this year as Romeo opposite Hailee Steinfield in Carlo Carlei’s new adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and played Pip in a recent BBC miniseries adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations.”

Santa Barbara Film Festival to present Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller and more with Virtuosos Award

January 8, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Awards Leave a comment

The Santa Barbara Film Festival has announced their honorees for the 2013 Virtuosos Award, and it’s again filled with some of the year’s biggest breakout stars. Part breakout, part performance, the award is given to “standout performers”, and this year’s recipients are: Eddie Redmayne, for his portrayal of student revolutionary Marius in “Les Miserables”; Elle Fanning for her performance as a young war protestor coming of age in 1960s Britain in Sally Potter’s “Ginger and Rosa”; Omar Sy, a French actor, comedian, writer, producer and television personality who garnered raves in “The Intouchables”; Ann Dowd for her performance as a manager unwittingly drawn into a twisted prank in “Compliance”; and Ezra Miller, as the outrageous and heartbreaking Patrick in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.”

Last year’s Virtuosos Award went to Demián Bichir, Rooney Mara, Melissa McCarthy, Patton Oswalt, Andy Serkis and Shailene Woodley, three of whom went on to receive Oscar nominations for their performances. This year’s honorees will be in town to pick up their trophies on January 29th. Other honorees this year include Jennifer Lawrence, who will be presented with the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award.

Up and Comers Presents: The Breakout Stars of 2012

December 27, 2012 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis and Linda Ge in Features 9 Comments

Another year, another new crop of fresh talent. Just like last year, the hardest part is narrowing down which of the dozens of the year’s rising stars shone the brightest. This year we heralded the arrival of the unlikeliest of movie stars, actors we’ve been familiar with for a while finally hitting their stride, a couple of international imports and some serious emerging acting talent guaranteed to turn out great work for years to come. As always, we’ve had to leave off some of our – and your! – favorites, but we are proud to present below our Top 10 Breakout Stars of 2012.

Breakout Stars: The Guys | Breakout Stars: The Girls

Pages: 1 2 3

“Les Miserables” star Eddie Redmayne joining Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis in sci-fi epic “Jupiter Ascending”

December 17, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

Who knew classically trained British actor Eddie Redmayne, known for doing Shakespeare on stage and currently playing Marius in “Les Miserables”, was so keen to take on a big budget sci-fi franchise? After testing for Marvel properties “The Amazing Spider-Man 2″ (he lost out to Dane DeHaan) and “Guardians of the Galaxy” (result pending), Redmayne has finally found success, landing a role opposite Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis in the Andy and Lana Wackowskis’ next feature, “Jupiter Ascending.”

Variety reports Redmayne is now in negotiations for an unspecified role in the film set in a distant future (or alternate reality) where human beings are no longer the most evolved creatures in the universe, but rather “just the Cro-Magnons, or even the Australopithecines, of what beings can ultimately go on to become in the galaxy.” Far superior beings keep an eye on the lowly humans from far away, and the story centers on Kunis as a Russian immigrant who’s scrubbing toilets for a living, unknowingly carrying some powerful genetic DNA makeup that make her a threat to the literal Queen of the Universe. A bounty hunter (Tatum) is dispatched to kill her, but the two fall in love and go on the run together instead. It’s possible Redmayne has taken the role that was at one point earmarked for Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Filming is set to begin in the first quarter of 2013, which may or may not interfere with Redmayne’s chances at landing the lead role of Star-Lord in Marvel Phase Two pic “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Redmayne was last seen opposite Michelle Williams in her Oscar-nominated turn in “My Week with Marilyn” and will soon be seen as idealistic student revolutionary Marius in Tom Hooper’s big screen adaptation of “Les Miserables.” The role is garnering Redmayne plenty of rave reviews and awards talk, but it appears the British rising star is ready to add that requisite studio genre franchise flick to his resume.

Faces to Watch: Oscar 2012 Edition, from Jennifer Lawrence to the young cast of “Les Miserables”

December 10, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Awards, Features Leave a comment

It’s almost that time of year again, when young actors who are lucky enough to be recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences see a drastic rise in their profiles and the movie offers come flooding in. But first, you have to get nominated. With critics awards already underway and the SAG and Golden Globe nominations both coming this week (!!), now is the perfect time to check in on the dozens of young actors who are vying for just a few spots come Oscar nomination time on January 15th.

From likely winners to maybe-nominees to long shots that deserve some more attention (in descending order), we assess the chances of up and coming actors in each acting category below.

Start Here: Best Actress >>

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5

First clips from “Les Miserables” feature “On My Own”, “A Heart Full of Love” and more iconic songs

November 30, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Videos Leave a comment

Guys, we are less than one month away from one of the most anticipated cinematic moments in decades. A big screen adaptation of “Les Miserables” has been in the works since as early as the 1990s, but it took until 2012 to make it a reality, and now we are finally beginning to see the fruits of this decades-long endeavor with the first scene clips from the film being released.

Tom Hooper cast a trio of relative unknowns for the pivotal roles of Cosette, Marius and Eponine, and below we have the first clips of Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne and Samantha Barks, respectively, singing some of their most famous songs from the international blockbuster musical. Redmayne and Seyfried sing the first few verses of “A Heart Full of Love” as Marius and Cosette meet and fall for the first time, while Barks appropriately takes on “On My Own”, which speaks of Eponine’s unrequited love for Marius. Also below is Anne Hathaway in a clip not from the now often-heard “I Dreamed a Dream”, but from “At the End of the Day”, the circumstances of which lead to that heartbreaking showstopper.

“Les Miserables” will be released on December 25th. What a Christmas present indeed.

Who will lead the “Guardians of the Galaxy”? Marvel testing Joel Edgerton, Eddie Redmayne and others

November 28, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 5 Comments

Marvel’s busy upcoming slate can only mean one thing: More young actors chomping at the bit to join the lucrative and prolific family. “Guardians of the Galaxy” was announced earlier this summer at Comic-Con, and after setting James Gunn to direct the film loosely tied to the ending of “The Avengers”, casting is now underway. Deadline reports five up and coming leading men have signed test deals for the chance to play the leader of the Guardians, a character named Peter Quill, while still others may be in contention as well.

The actors who have test deals are “Zero Dark Thirty” star Joel Edgerton, “Les Miserables” star Eddie Redmayne, “Cloud Atlas” actor Jim Sturgess and Jack Huston and Lee Pace, both of whom recently appeared in different installments of “The Twilight Saga.” Deadline also reports others who the studio is interested in or have shown interest in the part include the ever-present Garrett Hedlund, “X-Men”‘s Cyclops James Marsden and Edgerton’s fellow Aussie and “Animal Kingdom” co-star Sullivan Stapleton.

Redmayne, known for more serious acting work, seems keen to get a slice of the superhero franchise pie, as he’s also on the shortlist for the role of Harry Osborn opposite Andrew Garfield in “The Amazing Spider-Man” sequel. Edgerton seems made to be a superhero on film, but thus far has not committed to one. We think he’d be great here as Quill, aka Star-Lord, the half-human, half-alien leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy, which also includes the characters Adam Warlock, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Phyla-Vell, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot. In keeping with the intergalactic nature of this team, presumably not every member will be played by a human actor and much motion-capture and CGI will be involved in this adaptation.

“Guardians of the Galaxy” is already set for an August 1, 2014 release, so filming should begin by early next year.

Watch: Everybody sings in new full length trailer for “Les Miserables”

November 8, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Videos Leave a comment

Tired of hearing Anne Hathaway sing “I Dreamed a Dream”? Yeah, so are we, which is why we are so excited about the new, full length international trailer for Tom Hooper’s big screen adaptation of “Les Miserables.” Everybody – with maybe the exception of Aaron Tveit – gets a nice little solo singing time here, and for the most part, we continue to be impressed.

For built-in fans of the stage musical, there’s a great sampling of some familiar songs, including “Castle on a Cloud”, “One Day More” and yes, even more of “I Dreamed a Dream.” The cast members who are not named Anne Hathaway finally get to show off their voices, with Eddie Redmayne and Amanda Seyfried as lovebirds Marius and Cosette our standouts. Seriously, the “In My Life” / “A Heart Full of Love” scene looks absolutely beautiful. Samantha Barks’ Eponine is sure to garner tons of attention and while we only brief glimpses of her acting thus far, her voice sounds great too. Hugh Jackman continues to be impressive, but Russell Crowe is proving to be the weak link, at least singing-wise, thus far.

Still, this is looking like an adaptation that is up to the task of immortalizing this beloved international phenomenon and we can’t wait. “Les Miserables” will be released on Christmas Day, and the new trailer can now be viewed below.

Watch: Tons of new footage in extended behind the scenes featurette for “Les Miserables”

September 20, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Videos 1 Comment

There is so much to sift through in this new, nearly five-minute long behind the scenes look at the live signing Tom Hooper is making his cast do for his long anticipated adaptation of stage musical “Les Miserables.” Anne Hathaway as Fantine continues to be featured prominently (hello, Oscar!) along with Hugh Jackman’s convict Jean Valjean and Russell Crowe’s relentless Inspector Javert, but what really delights in this new video is we finally get to hear some of the younger cast do some singing.

Amanda Seyfried has a lovely, bell-like soprano voice as Cosette, longing for answers about her mysterious childhood and falling in love for the first time with Eddie Redmayne’s student revolutionary Marius, who stuns with a deeply operatic baritone. West End actress Samantha Barks also looks quite natural playing the lovelorn Eponine and singing “On My Own “, the musical’s most famous song. There’s been skepticism about Hooper’s decision to forgo the usual studio recording and lip-synching on set, but if this footage is anything to judge by, we hope more big screen musical adaptations will take this route in the future.

Watch the footage for yourself below. “Les Miserables” will be released on Christmas Day, December 25th.

Page 1 of 412 3 4 »

eddie redmayne