Garrett Hedlund Replacing Jason Clarke to Join Oscar Isaac in “Mojave”

May 16, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

garrett-hedlund “Inside Llewyn Davis” co-stars Garrett Hedlund and Oscar Isaac are set to work together again as Hedlund is replacing Jason Clarke in psychological thriller “Mojave”, according to Screen Daily.

William Monahan wrote and will direct he two-hander, which follows “an angst-ridden artist who heads into the desert to wrestle with his existential crisis, only to meet a homicidal drifter who happens to be his doppelganger.” Hedlund will play the artist, Isaac his antagonist.

Hedlund and Isaac are premiering the Coens’ 1960s folk music drama “Iside Llewyn Davis” at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday. Hedlund was last seen earning rave reviews for his performance as Dean Moriarty in Walter Salles’ long-gestating adaptation of “On the Road.” He also has indie ensemble drama “Lullaby” set for release later this year and just signed on to star in crime thriller “Violent Talent” with Toby Kebbell and Margot Robbie.

First Look at Jason Clarke in “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”

May 10, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images Leave a comment

apes-jasonsm Jason Clarke faces off against some would-be apes in our first look at the filming of a scene from “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.” Director Matt Reeves tweeted the photo showing Clarke and Andy Serkis in full mo-cap garb atop a horse. Oh yeah, apparently the apes in this one have learned how to ride horses. We’re doomed.

In the background we also have glimpses of Clarke’s character’s human cohorts, namely Keri Russell and Kodi Smit-McPhee, all carrying large backpacks and what appear to be large metal tubes and containers (weapons of some kind?). Reeves tweeted out the first photo with the message “A New Dawn…”, and judging by what a surprising great movie “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” turned out to be and the amazing cast he’s assembled for this sequel, we are psyched.

See the first photo below. Filming is now underway in New Orleans and “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” will be released on Ma 23, 2014.

Toby Kebbell Witnesses the “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”

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

toby-kebbell Matt Reeves has been directing anticipated sequel “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” with Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Keri Russell (as well as Andy Serkis and Judy Greer motion-capturing performances as apes) for a few weeks now, but we have late breaking news that British actor Toby Kebbell is also part of the cast.

The Star of Production release also gives us the first official synopsis for the film, which had been reported to be set 15 years after the events of “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”: “A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar (Serkis) is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species.” The sequel will be released on on May 23, 2014.

Kebbell has been seen in supporting roles in “War Horse” and “Wrath of the Titans” and will next appear opposite Alexander Skarsgard and Ellen Page in Brit Marling’s “The East”, opening at the end of this month (our review here). He’s also wrapped a starring role in indie crime thriller “Buddha’s Little Finger.”

Omar Sy Joining Jason Clarke in Thriller “The Candy Store”

April 4, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

French breakout star Omar Sy has joined “Zero Dark Thirty” actor Jason Clarke in thriller “Candy Store”, according to THR. Clarke confirmed his involvement with the Stephen Gaghan film last month, after it had been rumored to be going to Chris Hemsworth.

The film will interweave stories set in the criminal underworld of Brooklyn. Clarke will play an elite operative who retires to Brooklyn, only to find the enemy he once fought setting up shop in his new neighborhood. He teams up with a disgraced local cop to investigate, and they encounter “a king pimp (Sy), a Cold War consigliere and a beautiful woman wrapped up in an elaborate threat against Manhattan.”

Sy, who has been steadily acting in his native France for a decade, broke out in “The Intouchables” and moved to Los Angeles last year but will continue to make French movies. He is attached to culinary comedy “Chef” opposite Bradley Cooper as well as “Chocolat”, a biopic of Rafael Padilla, “a former slave born in Cuba who became the first black artist in France during the Belle Epoque era” which will film in early 2014. He’ll next be seen in Michel Gondry’s “Mood Indigo” and also recently landed an unspecified role in “X-Men: Days of Future Past.”

Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” to Open 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival

March 12, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in General News Leave a comment

gatsby

Ever since it was delayed from a Christmas 2012 release to May 2013, speculation has pegged Baz Luhrmann’s splashy 3D adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” to be eyeing the Cannes Film Festival Opening Night slot, and today the festival has made it official.

Luhrmann and his all-star cast – Leonardo Dicaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher and Jason Clarke – will walk up the famed red carpeted stairs to the Grand Theatre Lumiere and kick off the 2013 festival on May 15th. The film, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic American novel set in the roaring 20s, will screen in the Out of Competition category. “It is a great honor for all those who have worked on The Great Gatsby to open the Cannes Film Festival,” said Luhrmann. “We are thrilled to return to a country, place and festival that has always been so close to our hearts, not only because my first film Strictly Ballroom was screened there 21 years ago, but also because F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote some of the most poignant and beautiful passages of his extraordinary novel just a short distance away at a villa outside Saint-Raphaël.”

Luhrmann’s 2001 musical extravaganza “Moulin Rouge” also opened Cannes. This year’s festival runs from May 15th-May 26th and once again, we hope to bring you exclusive coverage straight from the Croisette. The full lineup of films will be announced on April 18th. Meanwhile, “The Great Gatsby” will actually be released in the US theaters five days prior to its big Cannes premiere, on May 10th.

“Felicity” Reunion Alert: Keri Russell Joins Matt Reeves’ “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”

March 6, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

keri-russell Perennial TV star Keri Russell has landed the female lead role in sequel “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”, according to Variety.

Matt Reeves is directing the follow up to 2011′s smash hit “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman and Kodi Smit-McPhee are already on board for the sequel, as is Andy Serkis, who will once again be motion-captured and digitally rendered into the lead ape, Cesar. The sequel is set 15 years after the events of the Rupert Wyatt-directed reboot of the franchise which starred James Franco and Freida Pinto, and will further concern Cesar’s evolution into the leader of his species as well as a group of humans still struggling to survive in San Francisco.

Russell, who shot to fame as the titular college girl on beloved WB series “Felicity” (co-created by Reeves and JJ Abrams), has flirted with being a franchise star before when she was a finalist for the Lois Lane role in Bryan Singer’s “Superman Returns” and then starred opposite Tom Cruise in “Mission Impossible III”, but has gone back to the small screen. She currently stars on FX series “The Americans”, which has already been renewed for a second season.

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.”

Kodi Smit-McPhee Joins Jason Clarke in “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”

February 22, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

kodi-smit-mcphee Matt Reeves first directed Kodi Smit-McPhee in 2010′s horror remake “Let Me In”, and the duo are reuniting, with Deadline reporting Reeves has cast Smit-McPhee in sequel “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.”

“Zero Dark Thirty” star Jason Clarke has the lead role in the follow-up to Rupert Wyatt’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, which is set 15 years after the events in the first film. Genetically enhanced ape Caesar – motion-captured from a performance by Andy Serkis – continues to lead his species in their takeover of the planet Earth, while a group of isolated scientists – presumably led by Clarke’s character – struggle to survive alone in San Francisco. No word on who Smit-McPhee may play, with filming set to begin in the spring.

Smit-McPhee, who’s currently shooting futuristic thriller “The Young Ones” with Nicholas Hoult and Elle Fanning, most recently voiced the titular character in “ParaNorman”, which is nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar. He’ll be seen later this year as Benvolio in Carlo Carlei’s new adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet”, which has Douglas Booth and Hailee Steinfeld in the lead roles.

Jason Clarke to star in “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”

February 19, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

jason-clarke “Zero Dark Thirty” breakout star Jason Clarke has signed on to topline sequel “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”, the follow-up to 2011′s surprise hit “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, reports THR. Matt Reeves is taking over directing duties from Rupert Wyatt and Clarke is the first actor to sign on to the sequel. Original stars James Franco and Freida Pinto are not expected to return.

Part of the reason they will likely not return is because the sequel takes place 15 years after the events of the first film, which saw genetically fortified apes – led by Andy Serkis as Caesar – launching a successful revolution and overtaking humans. Part of the story will follow a group of scientists still trying to survive alone in San Francisco, while another storyline will follow Caesar’s ongoing struggle to remain in control of his new kingdom. Presumably Clarke will play one of the scientists. Filming is set to begin this spring.

Clarke, one of our Faces to Watch in 2013, already 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 have Channing Tatum starrer “White House Down” and Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby”, in which he plays Isla Fisher’s husband, to show off his considerable talents even more.

Up and Comers Presents: 20 Faces to Watch in 2013

January 18, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Features 17 Comments

After a somewhat unpredictable year in which the stars we expected to break out largely didn’t but fresh faces came out of nowhere to surprise us all, we are ready to look ahead to the new talent waiting to be discovered in 2013. It’s looking like a strong year with plenty of hopeful action stars ready to debut to the world for the first time and some who have been quietly working hard finally seeing their films released. As always, there’s a mix of names you’ve never heard of with some who are ready to hit another level in their rising career, so without further ado, here are 20 names and faces we will be watching this year.

Faces to Watch: The Girls | Faces to Watch: The Guys

Pages: 1 2 3

Page 1 of 312 3 »

jason clarke