Actor Simon Pegg discusses his character Scotty in this character profile video for Star Trek Into Darkness . Take a look: Star Trek Into Darkness Scotty Video Pegg rejoins Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto as part of the Enterprise Crew in the follow-up to 2009’s Star Trek reboot. This time, the Enterprise defies commands when it sets out to find the man responsible for attacking Star Fleet. Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve , Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Karl Urban, Bruce Greenwood also star. J.J. Abrams directs Into Darkness , which will hit theaters May 17.
At this point, it seems you have to be named Lily in order to play a fairy tale princess in a live-action adaptation. Sorry “Jessica,” not gonna happen. And you can just forget about it, “Claire.” Same goes for you, “Lilly” with two L’s. Lily James has been cast to play Cinderella in the new live-action adaptation. That’s after Lily Collins took on the role of Snow White in last year’s Mirror Mirror . James, best known for her role of Lady Rose on Downton Abbey , beat out Bella Heathcote, and Margot Robbie for the role. Kenneth Branagh will direct the film, which is set to begin production this fall for a 2014 release.
It’s a new era for Star Wars , with J.J. Abrams taking the helm as Disney is now in charge of Lucasfilm. But while many hope that Abrams will inject something new into the franchise, the director still wants to maintain a connection to the other six films. That’s why, at a press conference in Germany today, Abrams said that he wants original composer John Williams to score Star Wars Episode VII . The director stated, “For Star Wars , it’s very early days, but I believe that, going forward, John Williams will be doing that film, because he was there long before I was.” Michael Arndt is currently writing the new movie’s script, which is thought to take place some 20-30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi . It is believed that Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill will reprise their roles from the first trilogy, though not much else is known about the plot or casting. Star Wars Episode VII has a release date set for Summer 2015.
The website for the Tribeca Film Festival has finally put up video from the Q&A session that followed its closing-night presentation of The King of Comedy , but, alas, it’s just an excerpt. I was hoping that the discussion — which included the film’s director Martin Scorsese and its stars, Robert De Niro , venerable comedian and filmmaker Jerry Lewis and (briefly, via pre-taped video) Sandra Bernhard — would run in its entirety, because, even after 30 years, the creative tensions that contributed to the film’s greatness were still evident. At the center of that tension was the 87-year-old Lewis, who gives a brilliant, disciplined performance in the movie as the Johnny Carson -like talk-show host Jerry Langford. Given some of the recollections that were exhumed and catty comments that were made during the Q&A, Lewis was a handful on the set. When Bernhard appeared by video, she asked Lewis, “Hey, remember when you called me fish lips ?” and then recalled that he stole back the handwritten apology he’d given her as a result. (This prompted Scorsese to start laughing into his chest.) Sandra Bernhard vs. Jerry Lewis: The Feud Three decades later, Lewis — who, in 2000, told a comedy festival audience, “I don’t like any female comedians — did not sound like time had softened his feelings for his female co-star. In response to Bernhard’s taped comments, he took his own shots, saying, “ She’s the reason for birth control ” and “ She’s a wonderful guy, really . When you get to know him.” That tension between Lewis and Bernhard, who’s also brilliant in the picture, is palpable onscreen, especially during a so-pure-it’s-hard-to-watch scene in which Bernhard’s character Masha strips down to her lingerie to express her obsession with the captive Langford (Lewis), who’s bound to a chair with so much masking tape that he looks mummified. When Langford finally gets free of his bonds, he expresses his anger in brute fashion, and Lewis’ recollection of that scene suggested that he was really feeling the moment. The comic said that he told Scorsese, “I think when [Langford] gets out of the tape, he should punch [Bernhard] right in the mouth.’ [Scorsese] said, ‘You want to do that?’ I said, ‘More than you’ll ever know.” (Bernhard told the New York Times that, initially, Lewis wanted to punch her and have her careen into a glass table adorned with lit candles, but she refused to do it. ) The Last Word Through her spokesman, Bernhard declined to respond to Lewis’ comments. And why should she? All these years later, she still gets a rise out of Lewis, which has to be at least as satisfying as having the last word. Although Scorsese, De Niro and Lewis shared a lot of laughs on stage during the Q&A, I detected an undercurrent of discomfort when the veteran comic began to resort to some hoary Vaudeville-era gags that he’s been trotting out for ages. At one point, he reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a red clown nose that he wore on his schnozz for a wince-inducing length of time. He also wrapped his lips around a large water glass and clowned around like that for what felt like an eternity. Around that time, I noticed that even though Scorsese was laughing at these antics, he had shifted his body away from Lewis and could be seen shooting De Niro a few looks that said, Can you believe this guy? I can. Lewis’ unquenchable need for attention and to control the situation is show-business legend. As Bernhard told me in an interview last week, “Jerry loves to direct,” and he has directed some fine films. In the case of The King of Comedy , however, it’s a testament to Scorsese’s talents as a filmmaker that he was able to harness these potentially crazy-making dynamics and make them sing on screen. Here’s an excerpt from the Q&A. Scorsese is talking about a memorable scene in the movie where Lewis’ Langford character is stopped on the streets of New York by a woman on a pay phone who asks him to say hello to her nephew. When Lewis declines, the woman, who has been all charm up to this point, tells Langford that she hopes his gets cancer. It’s a powerful scene about the public’s demands upon celebrity, and, as Scorsese explains, it is based on an actual incident. Here’s hoping that the entire Q&A is eventually posted. WATCH: ‘The King Of Comedy’ Reunion At Tribeca Film Festival — Get Cancer More on The King of Comedy: INTERVIEW: Sandra Bernhard Says ‘It’s Too Late’ To Remake ‘The King of Comedy’ [ New York Times ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Olga Kurlenko as Head Mistress? Say no more, when’s the premiere? The Oblivion actress has joined the cast of the Vampire Academy adaptation as Kirova, the head mistress of the academy. Vampire Academy is a coming-of-age fantasy romance that tells the story of vampires in high school, adapted from a best-selling Young Adult novel series. So… Twilight ? No! Vampire Academy ! The story centers around a girl named Rose Hathaway, a half-vampire half-human called a Dhampir. She attends an Academy to learn how to properly use her abilities and take her place in the world. So… Harry Potter ? NO!!!! VAMPIRE ACADEMY! Zoey Deutch is signed on to play Rose, with Lucy Fry and Danila Kozlovski also starring. No production or release schedule has been announced.
The beautifully pregnant Kate Middleton is not moving in with her parents after giving birth this summer, despite rumors suggesting this scenario. While her preparations include stroller shopping and maintaining that ultra-chic maternity wardrobe, the Duchess is not changing addresses. Sources do say Kate will spend more time with her family once the royal heir(ess) is born. Middleton’s due date is mid-July ; the baby’s gender is unknown. Rumors are also swirling that Prince William and his wife, who mark their second anniversary today, are expecting a boy after purchasing a blue stroller. Sources say that may not be the case either, however. That particular color is actually more of a lilac than a blue, insiders say, and is also popular among those expecting a girl … or who choose to keep it a secret. So, who knows! What do you think they’re having? Vote! The Royal Baby will totally be a … Boy! Girl! View Poll »
It took only 3 days for Zach Braff’s Kickstarter project to reach its $2 million goal. After launching a Kickstarter last week to fund his new film Wish I Was Here , Braff gets to sit for 24 more days watching the till, which at the point of publishing sits at $2,224,565, continue to rise. Is it fair for celebrities with tons of money, fame, Hollywood access, and say, a wildly successful, long-running sitcom that’s currently in syndication on like 100 channels, to crowdfund their movies? Braff was inspired by the Veronica Mars Kickstarter earlier this year to subvert the Hollywood system and make a movie by donation. But given that Braff’s first movie Garden State earned over $35 million in theaters on just a $2.5 million budget, as well as numerous award nominations, you’d think Braff would be able to get a film made within the system. Do you think Kickstarter should be off limits to celebs? Or can Zach Braff and the like use their fame to crowdfund their projects with ease?
21 Jump Street is by far one of the most successful Small Screen-to-Big Screen adaptations ever. In fact, it currently sits 7th on the list of all-time box office gross for TV adaptations, behind Star Trek , three Mission Impossible Movies , The Fugitive , and Sex and the City . Now, 21 Jump Street is getting a sequel , with a release date set for June 6, 2014. Original writer Michael Bacall is returning to pen the script, with Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum coming back to star. Read through some 21 Jump Street quotes to relive the first film.
Unless you count the viral video cat named Lil Bub , the winners of the Tribeca Film Festival ‘s annual awards ceremony are not a glitzy lot, despite the event’s reputation as a celebrity-studded affair. Lil Bub & Friendz , Andy Capper and Juliette Eisner’s documentary about the walleyed cat with the perpetually protruding tongue and other famous Internet felines won the Tribeca Online Festival Best Feature Film , which was chosen by presumably human visitors to the festival’s website. Other winners announced at the awards ceremony at the Conrad New York Hotel on Thursday, included Dan Krauss’ The Kill Team . The documentary about a rogue group of U.S. soldiers charged with murdering Afghan civilians, took the festival’s Best Documentary Feature award. Here’s a complete list of winners: The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature: The Rocket ; director: Kim Mordaunt (Australia) Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film: Sitthiphon Disamoe in The Rocket (Australia) Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film: Veerle Baetens as Elise Vandevelde in The Broken Circle Breakdown ; director, Felix van Groeningen (Netherlands, Belgium) Best Cinematography in a Narrative Feature Film: Marius Matzow Gulbrandsen , for Before Snowfall; director: Hisham Zaman (Germany, Norway) Best Screenplay for a Narrative Feature Film: The Broken Circle Breakdown , written by Carl Joos and Felix van Groeningen Best New Narrative Director: Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais , for Whitewash (Canada) Best Documentary Feature: The Kill Team; director: Dan Krauss (USA) Best Editing in a Documentary Feature: Let the Fire Burn , edited by Nels Bangerter ; director: Jason Osder (USA) Best New Documentary Director: Sean Dunne , for Oxyana (USA) Best Narrative Short: The Nightshift Belongs to the Stars ; direct0r: Edoardo Ponti (Italy) Best Documentary Short: Coach ; director: Bess Kargman (USA) Student Visionary Award: Life Doesn’t Frighten Me , director: Stephen Dunn (Canada) Bombay Sapphire Award for Transmedia: Sandy Storyline , created by Rachel Falcone , Laura Gottesdiener , and Michael Premo (USA) Tribeca Online Festival Best Feature Film: Lil Bub & Friendz (chosen by visitors to the festival’s official website); directors: Andy Capper and Juliette Eisner (USA) Tribeca Online Festival Best Short Film (chosen by visitors to the festival’s official website) : A Short Film About Guns ; director: Minos Papas (USA, UK) Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
