Sam Riley Joins “Suite Francaise” Opposite Michelle Williams and Matthias Schoenaerts

June 14, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

sam-riley British actor Sam Riley has joined WWII romance “Suite Francaise” opposite Michelle Williams and Matthias Schoenaerts, according to Deadline.

Saul Dibb is directing the film which follows Williams’ Lucille, a young French woman who is left in the care of her domineering mother-in-law when her husband goes off to war. She ends up falling for the German officer (Schoenaerts) assigned to guard their home. Riley will play a French officer named Benoit, but it’s unclear if he is Lucille’s husband. Kristin Scott Thomas is also part of the cast, presumably as Lucille’s mother in law. The film is loosely based on one story in Irene Nemirovsky’s unfinished novel of the same name, which she wrote as the Nazi occupation was unfolding around her and which she was not able to complete before her arrest, deportation to and death at Auschwitz. Two stories, part of a planned five part series, were hidden in a suitcase and taken by her daughters into hiding and then into freedom, and were not published until 2006.

Riley, who gained notice for his turns in “Control” and “Brighton Rock”, recently wrapped up shooting on Disney’s fairy-tale redo “Maleficent” opposite Angelina Jolie, and was last seen in Walter Salles’ long-gestating, highly anticipated “On the Road” opposite Garrett Hedlund. He’s also got Neil Jordan’s vampire drama “Byzantium” opposite Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan awaiting release this year.

Watch: Saoirse Ronan’s Eleanor Webb Spills Secrets in First Trailer for “Byzantium”

May 21, 2013 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Videos Leave a comment

There’s a feeling of the vampire stories of old in today’s newly released “Byzantium” trailer, as we witness secrets being kept and told over the centuries, gorgeous period costumes, and the occasional murder.

Saoirse Ronan stars here as Eleanor Webb, an eternal sixteen year old who meets and befriends Caleb Landry Jone’s Frank in a sleepy English coastal town that she is hiding out in with her mother Clara (Gemma Arterton). Eventually Eleanor lets Frank in on her secret – changing their lives forever. There is also plenty of backstory given to us here, featuring Sam Riley as, what appears to be, a vampire hunter, and this generally looks like a welcome return for director Neil Jordan, who bought Tom Cruise’s vampire to life in the 90s classic “Interview with a Vampire” and has stayed away from monsters ever since.

The pic premiered at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival and has been making the festival rounds, preparing for a June 28th release date in the US.

You can watch a previously posted clip here, and click below to catch the trailer, and also the new poster, courtesy of Apple

REVIEW: Walter Salles’ adaptation of “On The Road”, the Kerouac classic, ‘explodes like spiders’ across the screen

October 29, 2012 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Reviews 1 Comment

In 1957 American author Jack Keroauc wrote to Marlon Brando asking him to buy the rights to, and star in, Kerouac’s novel “On The Road“. Brando never replied and it took another twenty two years for Francis Ford Coppola to purchase the rights and then spend decades hiring different screenwriters all of whom tried, and failed, to adapt the notoriously tricky spontaneous prose; after all, even Kerouac knew the story could not work on screen, telling Brando “Don’t worry about the structure, I know to compress and re-arrange the plot a bit to give a perfectly acceptable movie-type structure … ” Fifty five years after Kerouac’s letter, Brazilian director Walter Salles has finally succeeded in being the one to take the unfilmable and turn it into a thoughtful character study – one that burns and explodes, but ultimately, still remains too long.

Watch: Yup, Saoirse Ronan is a vampire alright in first clip from Neil Jordan’s “Byzantium”

September 7, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Videos 3 Comments

She may look sweet and innocent, but Saoirse Ronan leaves no question about what she actually is in our first look at a scene from Neil Jordan’s “Byzantium.” The film premieres this Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival, and also stars Gemma Arterton as Clara, Ronan’s charcter Eleanor’s mother/vampire sire, and Sam Riley as Darvell and Caleb Landry Jones as Frank, the human boys they cross paths with.

In this clip, Jones’ Frank has clearly injured his hand pretty badly and Eleanor helps him home to his parents. Eleanor is visibly tempted by Frank’s spilled blood that still lies around her on the floor, and as the family drive away to the hospital, she does something that really grossed me out. But hey, I’m a lightweight when it comes to this stuff. Check it out below for yourself.

New photos from TIFF-bound “Byzantium” include first looks at Gemma Arterton and Sam Riley

July 24, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images Leave a comment

Vampires are coming to Toronto, but when they look like Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan, how bad could it be? Neil Jordan’s “Byzantium” was just announced this morning as a Special Presentation at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and now new photos from the film have been released, which include our first looks at Arterton and Sam Riley (we’ve already seen the first image of Ronan, though there’s a couple of new ones of her here as well).

Previously trying to remain mysterious and described as “two mysterious and penniless young women who flee the scene of a violent crime and end up in a run-down coastal resort where the past they’ve been running from may finally catch up with them”, TIFF’s official description of the film is much more explicit, calling it a “deliciously depraved supernatural drama” about “a pair of female vampires (Saorsie Ronan and Gemma Arterton) [who wreak] havoc on an unsuspecting English seaside community.” Riley and Caleb Landry Jones are the two young, presumably human, men who get caught up in the mother-daughter duo’s web.

“Byzantium” has no distribution and no release date yet, though TIFF should rectify that. See the new photos below.

“On the Road” star Sam Riley to play “Ivanhoe” in new adaptation of Sir Walter Scott epic

July 20, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

British rising star Sam Riley will portray titular literary icon “Ivanhoe” in a new big screen adaptation of the Sir Walter Scott medieval epic, according to Screen Daily.

Published in 1820 and set in the 12th Century, “Ivanhoe” is a historical epic following the exploits of Wilfred of Ivanhoe, a Saxon knight exiled by his father for being loyal to the Norman king and for falling in love with Lady Rowena, who’s engaged to a much higher-seated nobleman. When he returns under disguise tournaments, forbidden love, political intrigue and more unfold, and even Robin Hood and his merry men somehow get involved. Iain Softley will direct from a script by John Brownlow and James Jacks.

Riley, who gained notice for his turns in “Control” and “Brighton Rock”, is currently shooting Disney’s fairy-tale redo “Maleficent” opposite Angelina Jolie, and will soon be seen in Walter Salles’ long-gestating, highly anticipated “On the Road” opposite Garrett Hedlund. He’s also wrapped up shooting vampire drama “Byzantium” opposite Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan.

Aussie newcomer Brenton Thwaites will be Elle Fanning’s Prince in “Maleficent”

May 30, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

In a bit of casting that should round out the ballooning cast of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty redo “Maleficent”, Deadline reports Australian actor Brenton Thwaites will play the young Prince opposite Elle Fanning as Aurora, the slumbering princess. Angelina Jolie takes the titular role of the Evil Queen who curses her, while the supporting cast includes Sharlto Copley, Juno Temple, Miranda Richardson, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Lesley Manville and Kenneth Cranham.

Robert Stromberg will direct the fairy tale re-imagining that will be set before the events of Sleeping Beauty, and trace Jolie’s queen and her motives for cursing the young princess to 100 years of sleep. Temple, Staunton and Melville play the three pixies who look after Fanning’s Aurora while Richardson will be a fairy queen who is Maleficent’s aunt. Cranham plays Copley’s father and human king who plans a takeover of the fairy kingdom, while Riley will play Diaval, Maleficent’s right hand man who can transform into a raven. Filming is set to begin next month in Europe.

Thwaites is an alum of famous Australian soap and proven Hollywood starmaker “Home and Away”, which also exported the likes of Chris Hemsworth, Heath Ledger, Isla Fisher and another potential star in the making, Elizabeth Blackmore. Thwaites recently completed work on Lifetime’s redo of “Blue Lagoon”, in which he plays the male lead opposite fellow Aussie Indiana Evans.

Watch: two new clips give us a glimpse into the lives of Sal and Dean “On The Road”

May 24, 2012 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Videos Leave a comment

Walter Salles’s “On The Road“, the long-awaited adaptation of the Jack Keroauc classic, may have premiered yesterday at Cannes Film Festival to mixed reviews but for those of us who have to wait until closer to the release dates to watch the film, we have two newly released clips giving us a glimpse into the big screen lives of Sal, Dean, Marylou and Camille.

An adaptation thirty years in development, the film finally moved into pre-production in 2010, with Salles behind the camera and Garrett Hedlund as the wild and crazy Dean Moriarty and Sam Riley as our protaganist Sal Paradise, the dreamer searching for the elusive It.

With a great supporting cast including Kristen Stewart, Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortensen, Amy Adams and Tom Sturridge, “On The Road” still has no definitive release date for the US, although we’re sure it will be looking at an awards friendly date. Lucky European fans can see the film on the big screen from today and over the next few months.

Juno Temple the latest to join Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning in “Maleficent”

May 17, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

Disney’s Sleeping Beauty redo “Maleficent” continues to grow its already ballooning cast, with THR reporting that Juno Temple has now signed on to star opposite Angelina Jolie in the titular role and Elle Fanning as the slumbering princess, Aurora. The cast already also includes Sharlto Copley, Sam Riley, Miranda Richardson, Imelda Staunton, Lesley Manville and Kenneth Cranham and filming is set to begin next month in London.

Robert Stromberg will direct the fairy tale re-imagining that will be set before the events of Sleeping Beauty, and trace Jolie’s queen and her motives for cursing the young princess to 100 years of sleep. Temple will join Staunton and Melville to play the three pixies who look after Fanning’s Aurora while Richardson will be a fairy queen who is Maleficent’s aunt. Cranham plays Copley’s father and human king who plans a takeover of the fairy kingdom, while Riley will play Diaval, Maleficent’s right hand man who can transform into a raven. All these new characters and yet, we still have no Prince Charming.

Temple recently wrapped up thriller “Magic Magic” opposite Michael Cera and Emily Browning and is currently filming indie drama “Truck Stop” opposite “American Horror Story” star Evan Peters. She will soon be seen in Christopher Nolan’s final Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises” and has a strong supporting role opposite Amanda Seyfried in pornstar biopic “Lovelace.”

“On the Road” star Sam Riley joins Angelina Jolie in “Maleficent”

May 7, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Disney’s Sleeping Beauty redo “Maleficent” continues to get more star-studded with every new announcement. Angelina Jolie is already toplining as the titular villain with Elle Fanning as the slumbering princess and Sharlto Copley as her half-fairy father, and today THR reports joining them will be some of England’s most revered: Imelda Staunton, Miranda Richardson, Lesley Manville, Kenneth Cranham and rising star Sam Riley.

In the Robert Stromberg directed re-imagining of the classic fairy tale, “Maleficent” will explore Jolie’s character’s backstory and tell the tale of why she decides to curse the innocent princess to 100 years of slumber. Staunton and Melville play two of three pixies who look after Fanning’s Aurora while Richardson will be a fairy queen who is Maleficent’s aunt. Cranham plays Copley’s father and human king who plans a takeover of the fairy kingdom, while Riley will play Diaval, Maleficent’s right hand man who can transform into a raven. Confused yet? Same here.

British thesp Riley earned high marks for 2007′s “Control” and even in the less well received “Brighton Rock” in 2010, and is poised to have a breakout year when he stars in in the lead role of Sal Paradise in Walter Salles’ long-gestating adaptation of “On the Road”, heading to Cannes next week. He also recently completed work on Neil Jordan’s vampire flick “Byzantium” opposite Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan.

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