“The Borgias” Star Holliday Grainger Taking On “Cinderella” Stepsister Role

June 10, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

holliday-grainger “The Borgias” star Holliday Grainger is in final talks to join Kenneth Branagh’s live-action adaptation of Disney fairytale “Cinderella”, according to The Wrap. “Downton Abbey” actress Lily James recently landed the titular rags to riches Princess role, with “Game of Thrones”‘ Richard Madden as her Prince and Cate Blanchett playing her evil stepmother. Grainger will play one of Cinderella’s beautiful but wicked stepsisters. Filming is set to begin this fall with a 2014 release date in mind.

Grainger plays the ambitious (and incestuous) Lucrezia Borgia on Showtime’s series “The Borgias” about the prominent and corrupt Italian family during the Renaissance. It was recently announced that this, the show’s third season, will be its last, though creator Neil Jordan has not given up on the idea of a feature film to wrap everything up. Grainger last appeared as Estella opposite Jeremy Irvine in Mike Newell’s “Great Expectations” and also had small roles in Joe Wright’s “Anna Karenina” and Cary Fukunaga’s “Jane Eyre.” She also may be joining Lone Sherfig’s adaptation of controversial play “Posh” with Max Irons, Sam Claflin and Douglas Booth.

Jeremy Irvine Set for Sequel “The Woman in Black: Angel of Death”

April 29, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

jeremy-irvine “War Horse” star Jeremy Irvine is set to follow in the footsteps of Daniel Radcliffe, signing on to star in the sequel to the film that proved to be a success for Radcliffe’s post-Harry Potter career. “The Woman in Black: Angel of Death”, takes place 40 years after the events that terrorized a Victorian British village in the original, and British actress Phoebe Fox will star opposite Irvine in the World War II set horror.

The creepy Eel Marsh House at the center of the original film is back, as the British government seizes the long abandoned property to house evacuated children, which awakens the ghostly presence that resides there. Tom Harper will direct and had this to say about his cast: “Jeremy and Phoebe are fantastic actors to continue The Woman in Black’s chilling tale. I’m looking forward to working with them both on the film and can’t wait to start shooting with the pair.”

Irvine was hand-picked by Steven Spielberg to headline his “War Horse”, which eventually went on to earn six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. He has since starred in Mike Newell’s new adaptation of “Great Expectations” as well as upcoming WWII drama “The Railway Man”, in which he plays a younger version of Colin Firth. He’s currently filming Ron Rash adaptation “The World Made Straight” opposite Minka Kelly.

Fox had a bit part in Anne Hathaway-Jim Sturgess romantic drama “One Day” and is a regular on series “Switch.”

Trio of Unknowns Join Shailene Woodley and Theo James in “Divergent”

March 25, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

divergenttrio Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Ben Lamb and Christian Madsen are the latest to join Shailene Woodley and Theo James in Neil Burger’s adaptation of Veronica Roth YA novel franchise “Divergent.”

The film, which kicked off production with its first table read today, also stars Miles Teller, Zoe Kravitz, Kate Winslet and Aaron Eckhart. It’s set in a dystopic future Chicago which has been divided into factions based on its residents’ prominent character traits. Woodley’s Tris chooses to leave behind her selfless faction, the Abnegation, to join Dauntless, the brave. There she meets new friends and foes in the forms of James’ Four, Teller’s Peter, Kravitz’s Christina, Lloyd-Hughes’ Will, Lamb’s Edward and Masden’s Al. And there she also discovers the dangerous secrets behind her shady society, leading her on a mission that, of course, carries out over three books (and potentially four movies, naturally). The first one will be released on March 21, 2014. Let’s hope it’s more “Hunger Games” and less “Beautiful Creatures.”

Lloyd-Hughes, who has appeared on popular Brit teen series “Skins”, was last seen in Mike Newell’s “Great Expectations” with Jeremy Irvine. Lamb is a newcomer who most recently completed filming on BBC miniseries “The White Queen.” Madsen has done a bunch of indies, including Gio Coppola’s “Palo Alto” with James Franco and Emma Roberts.

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.”

Jeremy Irvine and Minka Kelly to star in Ron Rash adaptation “The World Made Straight”

February 7, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

worldmadestraight Jeremy Irvine, Minka Kelly and Jeffrey Dean Morgan will star in “The World Made Straight”, a thriller based on Ron Rash’s novel of the same name, according to Variety.

David Burris will direct the film which follows Irvine’s character Travis, who is a high school dropout. When he happens upon a marijuana field, he steals some and sells them to a disgraced former teacher turned drug dealer (presumably to be played by Morgan), eventually moving in with him and his druggie girlfriend (presumably Kelly). The film is set, like all of Rash’s stories, in a rural Appalachian community haunted by the legacy of a brutal Civil War massacre. Filming is scheduled for later this year. Rash’s novel “Serena” was also recently adapted by Susanna Bier, with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence in the lead roles.

Irvine was hand-picked by Steven Spielberg to headline his “War Horse”, which eventually went on to earn six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. He has since starred in Mike Newell’s new adaptation of “Great Expectations” as well as WWII drama “The Railway Man”, in which he plays a younger version of Colin Firth. Irvine is presumably still in the running for the male lead in teen franchise adaptation “Divergent” opposite Shailene Wodley.

Kelly, of NBC series “Friday Night Lights” fame, recently completed work playing Jackie Kennedy for Lee Daniels’ historical drama “The Butler.”

Lucas Till, Jeremy Irvine and Alex Pettyfer vying for “Divergent” male lead opposite Shailene Woodley

January 8, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 7 Comments

Shailene Woodley is still searching for her Four. Two months after she tested opposite a quartet of young leading men, director Neil Burger and the filmmakers behind “Divergent” are still looking for the perfect male lead. Variety reports today that a trio of guys will test opposite Woodley later this week, and the contenders are Lucas Till, Jeremy Irvine and Alex Pettyfer.

Till is the only holdver from the guys who tested in November, so it seems fair to say Brenton Thwaites, Luke Bracey and Jack Reynor did not make the cut, while Variety is careful to point out that Till may have a slight advantage over his new competitors but there are no clear frontrunners just yet. Woodley plays Tris Prior, whose futuristic dystopic world is one in which society is divided into factions (Dauntless, Abnegation, Amity, Candor, and Erudite), and each person is sorted into each faction based on a personality test that determines their dominant character traits. Born into the selfless faction Abnegation, Tris shocks her family when she opts to join Dauntless, the brave, instead. There she meets Four, a fellow Abnegation defector who has now taken on a leadership role in their new faction. Four is stand offish, mysterious and super hot. Well, of course. In any case, they discover they have bigger problems to worry about than their burgeoning romance. The film is scheduled to begin shooting in Chicago this spring for a March 21, 2014 release.

Till is perhaps best known for his role as Havok in “X-Men: First Class” (he’s not yet confirmed to return for its sequel, and scheduling conflicts would surely arise if he landed “Divergent”). He will next be seen Chan-wook Park’s “Stoker” opposite Mia Wasikowska and recently wrapped up shooting on “Paranoia” opposite Liam Hemsworth. Irvine was hand-picked by Steven Spielberg to star in his Oscar-nominated “War Horse” and also recently played Pip in a new adaptation of “Great Expectations.” He recently wrapped up shooting “The Railway Man”, in which he plays the younger version of Colin Firth. Pettyfer, who’s had YA adaptation experience thanks to his starring role in “I Am Number Four”, most recently headlined Steven Soderbergh’s sleeper hit “Magic Mike” opposite Channing Tatum. He recently wrapped up shooting on Lee Daniels’ “The Butler.”

REVIEW: “Great Expectations” features a venerated ensemble cast and stunning visuals, but don’t expect too much else

November 30, 2012 | Posted by Lindsey Young in Reviews Leave a comment

To say that “great expectations” were had for Mike Newell’s adaptation of the classic novel by Charles Dickens would not only be corny, but also a great understatement. It’s not because of bad puns or unoriginal wordplay, but because with an impressive cast made up of film veterans and revered newcomers, as well as such rich textual material to work with, anything less than “great” couldn’t be expected. Despite having all of these magical ingredients, ultimately “Great Expectations” proved to be an impressively sound adaptation, but not exactly one that inspires any newfound exaltation.

First poster for Mike Newell’s “Great Expectations” starring Jeremy Irvine and Holliday Grainger

October 4, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images 1 Comment

British Film magazine Empire has unveiled the first poster for Mike Newell’s adaptation of Charles Dickens classic “Great Expectations.” The UK quad style poster seems ill-fated would-be lovers Pip and Estella, played by Jeremy Irvine and Holliday Grainger, channeling some Old Hollywood glamour while framed by the looming figures of Ralph Fiennes as Pip’s shady benefactor Magwitch and Helena Bonham Carter as Estella’s guardian Miss Havisham.

Irvine’s Pip is a kind orphan who grows up to be a distinguished gentleman of society through the generosity of an anonymous benefactor, who longs for unattainable and cold beauty Estella throughout the book and must face the dark places that his mysterious fortune originated from. This adaptation of “Great Expectations” is one of two released in 2012 to celebrate Dickens’ bicentenary; a BBC miniseries with Douglas Booth as Pip and Vanessa Kirby as Estella aired earlier this year.

Newell’s “Great Expectations” will be released in the UK on November 30th, but has no US release date just yet. Our own Lindsey Young caught the flick at the Toronto Film Festival, and you can catch her review a bit closer to release. See the full poster below.

Watch: first trailer for lavish and dark “Great Expectations” starring Jeremy Irvine and Holliday Grainger

August 15, 2012 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Videos Leave a comment

Mike Newell‘s “Great Expectations” adaptation has been one of our most anticipated films of the year, and we’ve been eagerly awaiting something new, following a first image late in 2011 and follow up images earlier this month.

Starring Jeremy Irvine and Holliday Grainger, the film follows Irvine’s Pip, a kind orphan who grows up to be a distinguished gentleman of society through the generosity of an anonymous benefactor, who longs for the unattainable and cold beauty Estella (Grainger) and must face the dark places that his mysterious fortune originated from. The film also stars Helena Bonham Carter as Estella’s eccentric guardian Miss Havisham and Ralph Fiennes as Magwitch, the ex-convict who sponsors Pip’s transformation into a man of means.

This first trailer (which comes with German subtitles) looks lavish and dark, with a haunting soundtrack and focusing on providing an overview of the entire plot. But the big challenge of adapting a beloved and oft-adapted Charles Dickens’ tale is coming up with something new. We’ll find out if Newell has succeeded when the film premieres at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival this September.

Click below to the view the trailer and let us know in the comments what you think of this first trailer.

First look at Holliday Grainger as Estella with Jeremy Irvine as Pip in Mike Newell’s “Great Expectations”

August 2, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images 3 Comments

It’s been almost a year since we got our first look at Jeremy Irvine as the orphan Pip in Mike Newell’s new big screen adaptation of Dickens classic “Great Expectations”, but with a premiere at the Toronto Film Festival around the corner next month, it was about time we get our first look at British rising star Holliday Grainger as the cold and manipulative love of Pip’s life, Estella. The Playlist got their hands on the new photos, which show a dramatic and somewhat unexpected costuming on Grainger’s Estella.

Irvine’s Pip is a kind orphan who grows up to be a distinguished gentleman of society through the generosity of an anonymous benefactor, who longs for unattainable and cold beauty Estella throughout the book and must face the dark places that his mysterious fortune originated from. This adaptation of “Great Expectations” is one of two to be released in 2012 to celebrate Dickens’ bicentenary; a BBC miniseries with Douglas Booth as Pip and Vanessa Kirby as Estella aired earlier this year.

The new photos can be viewed below, while The Playlist have a few more of Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham and Ralph Fiennes as the convict Magwitch.

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