First Official Still of Natalie Portman in Terrence Malick’s “Knight of Cups”

May 15, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images Leave a comment

knightofcupssm The first official image from Terrence Malick’s “Knight of Cups” is basically what we’d expected it to be, based on set photos from about a year ago. THR has the first photo of Natalie Portman and Christian Bale frolicking in the waves, and reports footage from the secretive auteur’s latest will be screened for potential buyers at Cannes this week.

The film is now said to be about celebrities and excess, while it had been previously reported that Bale plays a man “on a search for love and truth.” Not that the two are mutually exclusive, of course. In addition to Portman, Bale was also photographed filming very similar beach frolicking scenes with a variety of young actresses including Imogen Poots, Freida Pinto, Teresa Palmer and Isabel Lucas. The film also stars Cate Blanchett.

See the first photo of Portman and Bale in “Knight of Cups” below. It has no US distributor just yet.

Bradley Cooper Leaves “Jane Got a Gun”; Will Joseph Gordon-Levitt or Tom Hiddleston Replace Him?

May 1, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

bradley-cooper To say “Jane Got a Gun” is something of a troubled production is likely to be the understatement of the year, and its troubles just won’t seem to end. After Bradley Cooper appeared to save the day by committing to play the villain role in the film, now he’s out again, according to Deadline.

Natalie Portman stars in the film, which is now being directed by Gavin O’Connor, as a woman who must defend her home when her outlaw husband returns injured and with a pursuing gang in tow, forcing her to turn to an ex-lover (Joel Edgerton) for help. Cooper was to play the leader of the pursuing gang, but now filmmakers are desperately searching for yet another replacement, with Deadline further reporting Jake Gyllenhall, Tobey Maguire, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hiddleston are amongst the actors they’re talking to. At least they have until June, which is when the supporting villainous role will need to be on set to begin filming.

Gordon-Levitt and Hiddleston both seem rather busy with other projects so it’s unclear if any of this will work out. Gordon-Levitt’s got his directorial debut “Don Jon’s Addiction” rolling out this summer, while Hiddleston will be heading off to Cannes to premiere “Only Lovers Left Alive” and is set to star opposite Hayley Atwell in Robert Capa biopic “Close Enough.” Still, if Cooper could almost manage to do “Jane” and David O. Russell’s “American Hustle” and Cameron Crowe’s next feature all around the same time, there’s hope.

Natalie Portman is Michael Fassbender’s Lady “Macbeth”

April 30, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

They said she would be played by “a Hollywood leading actress”, and they weren’t kidding. Natalie Portman is now set for the role of Lady Macbeth opposite Michael Fassbender in a big screen adaptation of iconic Shakespeare classic “Macbeth”, according to Screen Daily.

The film is expected to shoot later this year under the direction of fast rising Australian director Justin Kurzel, with Fassbender in the role of the ambitious Scottish army captain who resorts to regicide in order to steal the crown, plunging the rest of his life into turmoil and regret, and leading his country into civil war. Lady Macbeth, long considered one of the best and most complex Shakespearean villains, goads her husband into his murderous ambitions and is also subsequently wracked with guilt and torment. Out, damned spot!

Portman and Fassbender obviously really enjoyed working together on Terrence Malick’s latest feature, which wrapped last November. Fassbender had been set to star opposite Portman on the currently-shooting “Jane Got a Gun”, but while seemingly lots of backstage drama and “scheduling conflicts” forced his departure, he and Portman still appear to be on great terms. She’ll next be seen reprising her role as Jane Foster opposite Chris Hemsworth in “Thor: The Dark World.”

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.

Bradley Cooper Replacing Jude Law as “Jane Got a Gun” Villain

April 5, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

After a shaky start, production on western “Jane Got a Gun” appears to finally be getting back on track with the final piece of the missing puzzle now in place. Deadline reports Bradley Cooper has filled the villain role in the film which was vacated by Jude Law after he exited the project along with director Lynn Ramsay.

Natalie Portman stars in the film, which will now be directed by Gavin O’Connor, as a woman who must defend her home when her outlaw husband returns injured and with a pursuing gang in tow. She turns to an ex-lover (Joel Edgerton) for help. Michael Fassbender had originally been set for Edgerton’s role, with Edgerton in place for the villain role, but in the first of many rounds of musical chairs on this film, Fassbender exited and Edgerton got “promoted” to the bigger part, vacating his original role as the leader of the gang for Law, and then for Cooper. Still with me?

I’m not sure how the scheduling on this worked out for Cooper, as “Jane” is two weeks into filming and Cooper has been in Boston for about the same amount of time shooting David O. Russell’s untitled Abscam thriller with Christian Bale and Amy Adams. The fact that he’s supporting rather than lead in both films probably helped. He’s coming off his first Oscar nomination in “Silver Linings Playbook”, another Russell film, and has attached himself to a plethora of in development upcoming projects. He can currently be seen opposite Ryan Gosling in “The Place Beyond the Pines” and will next reprise his role in “The Hangover Part III”, and then opposite “Silver Linings” co-star Jennifer Lawrence in “Serena.”

Joel Edgerton joins Natalie Portman and Michael Fassbender in “Jane Got a Gun”

December 11, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

Lynn Ramsay’s “Jane Got a Gun” just keeps getting more impressive. Already set to star Natalie Portman and Michael Fassbender, the cast now boasts Aussie rising star Joel Edgerton as well, with Deadline reporting the in demand actor is now in negotiations to join the western.

Portman plays Jane, a woman who is forced to turn to an ex-lover (Fassbender) for help in defending her home when a violent gang of criminals descends to extract her outlaw husband (Edgerton). Filming is set to begin in early 2013, presumably after Portman and Fassbender finish shooting Terrence Malick’s newest movie together.

One of our Faces to Watch of 2012, Edgerton broke out in 2010′s Australian crime drama “Animal Kingdom” and then further impressed audiences in 2011′s MMA-fighting flick “Warrior.” He can soon be seen in Kathryn Bigelow’s Oscar front-runner “Zero Dark Thirty” and next May in Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby.” He’s currently in the hunt for the lead in Marvel’s next superhero franchise, “The Guardians of the Galaxy.” Not one to forget his indie roots though, he’s currently filming “Felony”, which he also co-wrote and which co-stars fellow Aussie up and comer Jai Courtney.

Set photos reveal Michael Fassbender and Boyd Holbrook wooing Natalie Portman on Terrence Malick’s next

October 10, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images Leave a comment

Just like with “Knight of Cups” before it, set photos are the method through which we are gathering scraps of info on elusive director Terrence Malick’s next untitled feature. The film formerly titled “Lawless” is now filming in Austin, Texas, and today we have our glimpse of two unannounced cast additions cozying up to Natalie Portman. Set against the backdrop of the music scene in Texas, the film is loosely described as being about two intersecting love triangles.

Michael Fassbender is seen holding Portman in his arms, while rising star Boyd Holbrook looks much more restrained, though there are subtle hints of intimacy between the two during their scene as well. Is this one of the intersecting love triangles the film is purported to be about in action right before our eyes? Of course, this adds more questions to how the cozy duos of Christian Bale and Haley Bennett and Ryan Gosling and Rooney Mara fit into Portman’s seemingly already complicated love life. Gosling and Mara have been pictured filming in Austin in recent weeks as well, and Gosling and Fassbender apparently had at least one brief scene together, but thus far, that’s been the only “intersecting” we’ve seen take place.

With “To the Wonder” and “Knight of Cups” on the docket for release before this film, it may be a long while before we get any answers. For now, some new set photos of Portman, Gosling, Holbrook and Fassbender can be seen below, and Just Jared has even more.

Natalie Portman sought for Jackie Kennedy biopic

September 28, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Fox Searchlight is courting their “Black Swan” star and Oscar winner Natalie Portman to play the titular role in Jackie Kennedy biopic “Jackie”, according to Deadline.

Noah Oppenheim wrote the script, which chronicles Kennedy’s life immediately following the assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy. “Black Swan” director Darren Aronofsky had at one point been attached to direct the film, which had his then-wife Rachel Weisz attached to the role, but had fallen out. Steven Spielberg also showed interest in the project in 2010. Portman’s deal is said to be contingent upon her approval of the director.

After winning the Best Actress Oscar for “Black Swan” in 2011, Portman took some time off to have a baby, but has been back to work, seen earlier this summer filming Terrence Malick’s “Knight of Cups” with Christian Bale. She’ll also star in Malick’s untitled next feature, formerly called “Lawless”, which is now underway in Austin with Ryan Gosling and Rooney Mara and is expected to reprise her role as Jane Foster in “Thor: The Dark World”, which is also now filming. Portman will also produce and star in Western “Jane Got a Gun” in early 2013, and recently snagged Michael Fassbender for the male lead.

Michael Fassbender negotiating to join Natalie Portman in Western “Jane Got a Gun”

August 27, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

They didn’t end up in Ridley Scott’s “The Counselor” together after all, but Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman have a second chance to become co-stars, as Vulture reports Fassbender is negotiating to join Portman-produced Western “Jane Got a Gun.”

“We Need to Talk About Kevin”‘s Lynne Ramsey will direct from a Black List script by Brian Duffield, and filmmakers are aiming for an early 2013 start. Portman plays a frontier woman whose husband returns home riddled with bullet holes as a result of his outlaw gang turning on him. She’s forced to turn to an ex-lover to defend her land and home. Fassbender is eyeing the role of the ex-lover.

The “Prometheus” star had an amazingly busy 2011 but looks to have no desire for a break. He is currently shooting “The Counselor”, as well as a third collaboration with director Steve McQueen on “Twelve Years a Slave.” He is also set to return as Magneto in “X-Men: First Class” sequel, “X-Men: Days of Future Past” early next year and is attached to romantic drama/thriller “The Mountain Between Us.”

Kat Dennings confirmed to return for “Thor: The Dark World”

August 21, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Indie darling turned bona fide TV star Kat Dennings has been confirmed to be reprising her role in sequel “Thor: The Dark World”, according to Deadline. This completes the gang of returning Marvel characters, led by Chris Hemsworth as the titular Norse God/Avenger, along with Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Idris Elba as Heimdall and Jamie Alexander as Sif on the alien side, and Natalie Portman as Jane Foster and Stellan Skarsgard as Erik Selvig on Earth. In addition, newbies include Zachary Levi, who takes over the role of Fandral vacated by David Dallas, and Christopher Eccleston as big baddie Malekith.

Alan Taylor takes over directing duties from Kenneth Branagh, and the plot, while under wraps, is expected to center around classic Marvel villains the Dark Elves, who are pulled from Norse mythology and ruled over by Eccleston’s Malekith. Filming is set to begin imminently on location in England and Iceland. Dennings’ role as snarky sidekick Darcy Lewis has reportedly been expanded for the sequel. “Thor: The Dark World” is scheduled for a November 8, 2013 release.

There had been question of Dennings’ return since – like Dallas and ABC series “Once Upon a Time” – she is now the star of a hit TV series that demands the majority of her time. But it appears CBS and “2 Broke Girls” have hammered out a schedule with Marvel Studios that will allow her to do both. The original “Thor” was the last time Dennings appeared on the big screen. “2 Broke Girls” heads into its second season next month.

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