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.”

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.”

The newest YA heroine needs a co-star. Who should play Four in “Divergent”?

January 31, 2013 | Posted by Lindsey Young in Casting, Features 1 Comment

With the announcement that Shaliene Woodley has been cast in the lead role in the upcoming dystopian “Divergent“, as well as Kate Winslet being in talks for an unknown role, this adaptation of the YA novel just got a little more real. Naturally, the next course of action will be to seek out other young individuals (well-known or perhaps not) to fill out the rest of the roles of Tris’ friends and foes alike. It’s no surprise that among Tris’ circle of friends is a love interest, and yes, it’s time to play the casting game again.

After Woodley’s negotiations became public knowledge last year, names were thrown into the casting mix for the pivotal role of “Four”, Tris’ mentor-turned-love interest. Alexander Ludwig (Cato of “The Hunger Games“) tweeted that he had a meeting with Lionsgate about the role. Not too long after, “Teen Wolf” star Colton Haynes caused much speculation among fans when he announced his departure from the MTV show and soon after followed Veronica Roth, author of “Divergent” on twitter while tweeting that he had some “news” to share soon. Related instances? Who knows. They were, however, perhaps meaningless ones as earlier this month, Alex Pettyfer, Lucas Till and Jeremy Irvine were reported to have auditioned for the role. The search is definitely on, but nothing and no one has been confirmed as of yet.

Of the names who have been thrown into the pool, there are some that we at Up and Comers could see as Four – but then there are also some that we think should stay far, far away from this adaptation lest they just turn him into another lacking portrayal of a character with so much to work with. In the words of our Tris Prior herself, “This character needs to be extremely masculine, and his eyes need to scream vulnerability and sensitivity.” We agree, Shailene. And so here are five actors that we think would be great as Tris’ mentor and eventual love interest.

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

January 8, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 6 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.

Jeremy Irvine set for “A Night in Old Mexico”

July 23, 2012 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Casting 1 Comment

Jeremy Irvine recently wrapped filming on “The Railway Man” with Colin Firth but is jumping straight into another production, joining road movie “A Night in Old Mexico“.

The pic is set to begin shooting today in Texas and it will be the sophomore effort of Spanish director Emilio Aragon. From a script by Bill Wittliff, the film follows the developing relationship between Irvine and his grandfather, to be played by Robert Duvall, and features “action, tragedy and romance.”

Variety reports the film also stars Angie Cepeda, Luis Tosar and Javier Gutierrez.

Irvine was one of 2011′s promising young actors, being discovered by Steven Spielberg to take the lead in the director’s “War Horse” adaptation and then going on to land three other high-profile roles in quick succession, in World War II drama “The Railway Man“, the iconic role of Pip in “Mike Newell’s adap of “Great Expectations“, and joining Dakota Fanning in the “average, melodramatic, teen rom-com” “Now Is Good“.

“War Horse” went on to receive mixed reviews but garnered six Oscar nominations. Irvine has spent recent months in production, with the first stills of “Great Expectations” being released late last year.

Cannes REVIEW: Highly anticipated “Now Is Good” is a disappointing adaptation

May 20, 2012 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Reviews 7 Comments

Nearly a year after being cast, Dakota Fanning and Jeremy Irvine‘s “Now Is Good” screened this past week at Cannes Film Festival. One of our most anticipated films of 2012 and based on Jenny Downham’s novel “Before I Die”, the film follows 17 year old Tessa, a terminally ill teenage girl, and her desire to experience life to the fullest before she dies.

It’s a decent performance from Fanning, whose journey from child actress to movie star has been patchy. Fanning’s Tessa is played as mad at the world, unable to come to terms with her illness as she deals with an overbearing father and a mother who can’t deal with her daughter’s imminent death. Unfortunately for Fanning, she is hindered by a poor script which doesn’t allow us to feel any sympathy for Tessa.

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