Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Kruger and Emile Hirsch sign on to 1940s-set drama “Midnight Sun”

February 7, 2013 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Casting Leave a comment

Now here’s an interesting project with some talented actors. Jesse Eisenberg, Emile Hirsch and Diane Kruger are attached to star in 1940s set drama “Midnight Sun“.

It’s 1943 and two young postgraduates (Eisenberg and Hirsch) are “recruited by the US Government to work on a top-secret project in New Mexico. Along with one of the students’ new wife (Kruger), they drop their jazz-filled lives in New York and move to a secret community of scientists in the desert.”

Screen Daily report from Berlinale that Chris Eigeman has scripted the film and will also sit in the director’s chair. Production will begin this summer.

German actress Kruger first got our attention in Quentin Tarantino’s Oscar-nominated “Inglorious Basterds” and has since gone on to join high-profile adaptation “The Host”, which is due out late March 2013, indie romcom “5-7” with fellow rising actor Anton Yelchin, and young Lincoln biopic “The Green Blade Rises” with Brit Marling.

After a few years away from the big screen Hirsch recently won raves at Sundance Film Festival for “Prince Avalanche“, a David Gordon Green pic with Paul Rudd, and joined Peter Berg’s “Lone Survivor”, a chronicle of SEAL team members in Afghanistan.

Eisenberg, who broke out in “The Social Network” garnering an Oscar nominee for his performance, has been picking his roles carefully since but will next be seen in “Now You See Me”, a futuristic magic thriller.

Aaron Johnson emerges as frontrunner for “Godzilla” reboot

January 10, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

We knew it wouldn’t be Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but now it looks like “Godzilla” won’t be fended off by Scoot McNairy, Caleb Landry Jones or Henry Cavill either. Instead, a new contender has taken the frontrunner role in this casting game, with Deadline now reporting Aaron Johnson has emerged as the first choice for the lead role in Gareth Edwards’ reboot of the classic Japanese monster movie.

Frank Darbont is now putting the final touches on a rewrite, and Johnson is said to be interested, but waiting to make his decision until after he sees the final script. Despite a messy legal battle with exiting producers, Edwards is expected to get cameras rolling in March, with the film already set for a May 16, 2014 release. Deadline further reports Johnson would have a second franchise on his hands if he accepts the role, indicating this probably won’t be a stand-alone movie.

Johnson, of course, broke out as the star of 2010′s comic book adaptation “Kick Ass”, and he recently completed work on its sequel. A perennial name on various high profile properties casting for young male leads (“X-Men: First Class”, “Winter’s Tale”, etc), he was seen in this year in Oliver Stone’s “Savages” and Joe Wright’s “Anna Karenina”, in which he played Count Vronsky opposite Keira Knightley.

Taylor Kitsch prepares for “The Grand Seduction”

July 30, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

After headlining blockbusters didn’t really work out for him, Taylor Kitsch is giving small indies a shot. Variety reports the “John Carter” and “Battleship” star has signed on to star in “The Grand Seduction”, a remake of 2003 French film “Le Grand Seduction”, rounded out by a cast that includes Brendan Gleeson, Gorden Pinsent, Mary Walsh, Cathy Jones and Liane Balaban.

The film, to be directed by Don McKellar and written by Michael Dowse and Ken Scott, who also wrote the original French film, centers around a small ailing village who needs a doctor in residence in order to land a contract for a new factory to be built. Kitsch will play a doctor who passes through and ends up on the receiving end of a town-wide “seduction” effort to get him to stay permanently. Filming began today in Canada.

Kitsch received critical acclaim for his role as Tim Riggins on NBC series “Friday Night Lights”, prompting quick castings in major blockbuster films “John Carter” and “Battleship.” They were set to be Kitsch’s introduction to the movie audience, but really through no fault of his, both films were box office bombs and critically panned. A more serious role in Oliver Stone’s “Savages” didn’t garner much higher marks, so it’ll be interesting to see where his career goes next.

Aaron Johnson and Chloe Moretz set to return for “Kick-Ass 2″

May 31, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

The original stars of Matthew Vaughn’s “Kick-Ass” – Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse – are close to finalizing deals to return for the recently greenlit sequel, according to Deadline.

Jeff Wadlow takes the directing reigns on the sequel since Vaughn is committed to directing the “X-Men: First Class” sequel that was recently set for a July 18, 2014 release date. In the original film, based on the comic book of the same name by by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr, Johnson played Dave Lizewski, an ordinary teenager and comic book fan who decides to become a real life superhero, giving himself the moniker Kick-Ass. He was aided by the foul-mouthed and highly trained Hit-Girl, played by Moretz. Since the two stars have enjoyed considerably higher profiles in Hollywood since the film in 2010, there had been a question of whether they would be able to return or whether their characters would have to be recast, but now it seems everything is coming together and a planned fall shoot is in sight.

Moretz was recently seen opposite Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows”, which was unfortunately mostly passed over in the shadow of “The Avengers”, and recently landed the titular role in Kimberly Pierce’s remake of Stephen King classic horror “Carrie.” Johnson was last seen opposite Glenn Close in her Oscar-nominated role as “Albert Nobbs” and will next be seen alongside Taylor Kitsch and Blake Lively in Oliver Stone’s “Savages.”

Watch: Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson rescue Blake Lively in first trailer for “Savages”

April 5, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Videos Leave a comment

“Just because I’m telling you this story doesn’t mean I’m alive at the end,” narrates Blake Lively as her character O introduces us to the hyper sexual and violent world in which she resides in the first trailer for Oliver Stone’s drug cartel thriller “Savages.” Yes, it’s one of those stories, in which certain death for most if not all parties involved seems inevitable.

Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson play best friends and business partners Chon and Ben, two Southern Californian pot growers whose business is starting to really become lucrative. No surprise then that the Mexican drug lords want a piece of the action. When they refuse to work for Salma Hayek’s organization, Benicio Del Toro is dispatched to kidnap O, the girlfriend they share between them, setting off a chain of violent events that may or may not culminate in everybody killing each other.

“Savages”, based on the best-selling novel by Don Winslow, will be released on July 6th, and will coincide with the publication of “The Kings of Cool”, a prequel novel that traces the beginnings of Ben, Chon and O’s unusual friendship.

Watch the brilliant and intense first trailer below.

Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively and Aaron Johnson featured on first “Savages” poster

April 2, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images Leave a comment

We’re just a couple of months away from the release of one of our most anticipated films of the year, and today we finally have our first look at the poster for Oliver Stone’s drug cartel thriller “Savages.” The trio of young stars, Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson and Blake Lively are joined on the hyper colorful and dramatic poster by John Travolta, Salma Hayek and Benicio Del Toro, playing various friends and foes of the two pot-growing best friends, Ben and Chon, played by Johnson and Kitsch, respectively. Lively plays O, the wild child girlfriend the boys both love – and unlike other love triangles, unselfishly share between them. When Hayek’s Mexican drug cartel decide the boys should work for her, she unleashes her brutal enforcer Del Toro to kidnap the girl for ransom.

“Savages”, based on the best-selling novel by Don Winslow, will be released on July 6th, and will coincide with the publication of “The Kings of Cool”, a prequel novel that traces the beginnings of Ben, Chon and O’s unusual friendship.

JoBlo had the exclusive reveal of the poster, which you can see below, and also report the trailer will be released on Thursday.

Benicio Del Toro terrorizes Blake Lively in first still from Oliver Stone’s “Savages”

January 27, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images Leave a comment

Though it doesn’t even have South American release dates yet, Universal Pictures Argentina got a jump on the US base of the studio by tweeting the first official still from Oliver Stone’s drug cartel thriller “Savages”, one of our most anticipated titles of the year.

Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson star in the movie based on Don Winslow’s best-selling novel about two pot growers and best friends whose shared girlfriend O (Lilvely) is kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel intent on blackmailing the two into working for them. The two then muster up a complicated scheme to get their girl back without losing all their weed and profits. Seen here, Lively – who replaced Jennifer Lawrence in the role after Lawrence chose to do “The Hunger Games” instead – as the damsel in distress is visibly bruised and defeated, while Del Toro’s ruthless drug cartel enforcer callously continues to torture her.

John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Salma Hayek and Emile Hirsch co-star. “Savages” is set for release on September 28, 2012.

UPDATED: Blake Lively passes on “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”

September 23, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

UPDATE: Another one bites the dust. Lively, too, has officially passed on the chance to slay zombies as Lizzie Bennett.

Emma Stone won’t be a twisted version of Jane Austen’s Elizabeth Bennett, but could Blake Lively? Twitch reports that director Craig Gillespie has met with the blonde beauty and has offered her the role in his “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”, but there is no read one way or another whether Lively is inclined to accept. After all, plenty of other young actresses have been offered the part, but for one reason or another, they have all thus far said no. At this point, any actress offered the role must be asking herself why so many people have turned it down, and weigh how she feels about being number 6 or 7 on the production’s wish list.

Seth Grahame-Smith adapted the screenplay from his own novel of the same name, which faithfully retells the courtship between Jane Austen’s famous lovers Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy, but with one major twist: the idyllic Victorian setting of their courtship is overrun with blood-sucking, brain-eating undead zombies. And with both Elizabeth and Darcy well trained in the art of combat, their iconic verbal sparring sometimes descends into inflicting actual physical violence on each other.

The project has been going through musical chairs not only with directors – David O. Russell was originally tapped, followed by Mike White, who also dropped out, paving the way for Gillespie – but also with castings, with Natalie Portman as the original Lizzie, followed by talks with Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway and Mia Wasikowska. Portman still remains part of the project as a producer. On Darcy’s side, the likes of James McAvoy and Bradley Cooper were considered at one point.

Lively, longtime star of The CW’s “Gossip Girl”, now in its fifth season, has been successfully aligning herself neck and neck with some of film’s hottest actresses, landing a breakout role in Ben Affleck’s 2010 “The Town” and subsequently showing up on one shortlist after another, sometimes landing the role (Oliver Stone’s highly sought after “Savages”), sometimes not (David O. Russell’s “Silver Linings Playbook”). She was most recently seen in gritty drama “Hick” opposite Chloe Moretz and Eddie Redmayne, though the indie flick may have trouble finding distribution after it debuted to horrific reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival.

If you ask us, Gillespie already has the perfect zombie-killing Elizabeth Bennett in his “Fright Night” actress Imogen Poots. But who knows? Perhaps she, along with the likes of Stone, Portman, Wasikowska and Hathaway, has too said no. Will Lively follow or has Lionsgate found their Lizzie at last?

First Look: Aaron Johnson on the set of Oliver Stone’s “Savages”

September 12, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images Leave a comment

Aaron Johnson looks a bit like a 70′s porn star in our first glimpse of the young British actor in character as Ben, a pot dealer in Oliver Stone’s highly anticipated “Savages”, based on the best-selling novel by Don Winslow. Johnson sports a pornstache, big hair held back by a bandanna and gold jewelry, including an earring, while filming in Redondo Beach over the weekend. Kind of a far cry from the nerdy, quiet genius as described in Winslow’s novel, if you ask me. Ben is the complete opposite of his business partner and best friend Chon, and together they must come up with a complicated scheme to outsmart a brutal Mexican drug cartel when their mutual girlfriend O is kidnapped for ransom.

Just Jared has the first pics of Johnson as Ben, and also an earlier set of photos featuring Blake Lively, sporting Ophelia’s signature purple-streaked hair, and Taylor Kitsch as Chon, an ex Navy-SEAL who is the brawn to Ben’s brains. See below for a couple more of Johnson and head over to Just Jared to see more pics!

“Savages” has a release date of September 28, 2012.

Taylor Kitsch is a “Lone Survivor” as Peter Berg jumps on the Navy SEALs bandwagon

May 18, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

Well, it was always inevitable. In the wake of the killing of Osama Bin Laden, Navy SEALs have suddenly become a hot commodity in Hollywood, with Disney trademarking the term SEAL Team Six” (can they do that?) and Joel Edgerton starring in “Kill Bin Laden” for director Kathryn Bigelow. Peter Berg is the latest filmmaker to jump on the trend, as he preps to begin work on “Lone Survivor”, an adaptation of the book by Marcus Luttrell, chronicling Luttrell’s own experience in Afghanistan. Berg has already set his “Battleship” star Taylor Kitsch to play one member of the four man team, and has met with actors over the past several weeks, so casting should be firmed up quickly on the rest of the quartet. Berg is eyeing a January start on production.

The story follows Luttrell as “he and his Navy SEAL team members fought to stay alive after being ambushed in Afghanistan in 2005 by Taliban forces during a covert mission in the Hindu Kush mountain region, where the team went to kill a terrorist leader.” Berg wrote the screenplay two years ago after embedding with a SEAL team for a month in Iraq. He had wanted to make the movie back then, but Universal implored him to make “Battleship” first. Though there was doubt on his end whether the studio would actually allow him to go ahead with “Lone Survivor”, due to modern war movies having a dismal box office record, but Bin Laden’s death changed everything. “They leaned right into it with me,” Berg told Deadline. “Bin Laden’s death has cleared the way for this, a movie that will be an unapologetically patriotic film that honors and pays homage to an incredible group of badass guys who do this.” No word on which team member Kitsch will play, though surely the role of Luttrell is the meatiest, with the book titled “Lone Survivor” for a reason.

As for Kitsch, the “Friday Night Lights” series star becomes increasingly in demand for big budget action films (“Battleship”, “John Carter of Mars”) and dramas/thrillers (Oliver Stone’s “Savages”) alike. He had a bit of a breakout moment starring as Gambit in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and already has some experience telling wartime stories, recently starring in “The Bang Bang Club” as a combat photographer.

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