Scarlett Johansson ‘s sexy pillowy voice has once again been leant to recorded music. The Avengers star joined French recording star Lulu Gainsbourg for a club-loungy version of Bonnie & Clyde . The song is just one from other notables who took part in an album, which Gainsbourg created as a tribute for his father, Serge Gainsbourg. Other famous voices bellowing for the album called From Gainsbourg to Lulu are Iggy Pop, Rufus Wainwright as well as Johnny Depp and now ex Vanessa Paradis. In the original song, based off a poem penned by infamous outlaw Bonnie Parker herself, the elder Gainsbourg paired up with another blonde bombshell of the day, French actress Brigitte Bardot back in 1968. So, this latest duo seems a perfect match. The only notable change aside from the latest version’s apparently softer tone is that Johansson sings her parts in English, while Gainsbourg sticks with French. But this is not the first time Johansson has hit the recording studio. She also released an entire album of Tom Waits covers back in 2008. Listen to Scarlett Johansson and Lulu Gainsbourg’s verion of Bonnie & Clyde here . Listen to Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis’ version of Ballade de Melodie Nelson here . [Sources: Blogcritics , Huffington Post , E Online ]
Finally, a Wookiee-centric Star Wars vehicle that could get some actual laughs. Anyone who’s actually sat through The Star Wars Holiday Special should welcome a report by The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision blog that Fanboys director Kyle Newman is developing Chewie , a spec script by Evan Susser and Van Robichaux that is reportedly a tongue-in-cheek look at the making of Star Wars through the eyes of Peter Mayhew, the seven-foot-three-inch hospital worker who donned a fur suit and became one of the most memorable sci-fi/fantasy sidekicks of all time. In December, Deadline reported that Chewie was near the top of film executive Franklin Leonard’s 2011 Black List of hot unproduced screenplays. The script follows Mayhew as he tries to balance a career as a hospital worker while chasing his Hollywood dreams. Mayhew recently tweeted that he’s working with Newman on Chewie and Heat Vision reports that the Fanboys filmmaker acquired the gentle giant’s life rights to advance the project. Newman’s involvement bodes well for the project given that Star Wars creator George Lucas put his stamp of approval on Fanboys , which enabled the director to use the official sound effects. Let’s hope Lucas gives Chewie the thumbs up, too, since, a movie about Chewbacca that would not be permitted to use his official yowl — an amalgamation of bear growls “with a dash of walrus, dog, and lion thrown in,” according to Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt — would be sad indeed. A scene or two involving Mayhew’s involvement in the much-ridiculed Star Wars Holiday Special , which centered around the Wookiee Christmas equivalent, Life Day, would be an added bonus, but, if Lucas does become involved, we won’t be surprised if the subject is avoided. Lucas once deemed the 1978 CBS Television special a “travesty. [ Heat Vision ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Also in Thursday afternoon’s round-up of news briefs, Lynn Cohen joins the cast of the next Hunger Games , while Lucas Till takes on an action-thriller. Doc NYC releases some highlights for its November documentary festival. Drew Barrymore has a new directing gig. And Octavia Spencer joins a new Fox Searchlight comedy. Lynn Cohen Joins The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Cohen will play Mags in the next installment of the popular franchise. A former mentor to Finnick Odair, Mags is an eighty year old Hunger Games victor from District 4. The second round of the series begins as “Katniss Everdeen has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a “Victor’s Tour” of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) – a competition that could change Panem forever.” Lionsgate will release Catching Fire November 22nd. Doc NYC to Close with The Central Park Five New York’s documentary festival Doc NYC will close out its third annual event with Den Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon’s The Central Park Five . The film, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May, follows the story of five innocent teenagers wrongfully imprisoned for the infamous “Central Park jogger” rape case. The festival also announced an ambitious, expanded line-up of panel discussions called “Doc-a-thon,” covering the art and business of documentary filmmaking. Spanning five days, the program features some twenty seminars and panels with acclaimed filmmakers and experts devoted to different stages in the filmmaking process. Doc NYC takes place November 8 – 15. Lucas Till Boards Wolves Till ( X-Men: First Class ) will play the lead in the directorial debut of David Hayter’s Wolves who wrote X-Men . The action-thriller centers on Caleb Richards (Till) – a young, handsome eighteen year-old with an edge. Forced to hit the road after the death of his parents, Caleb finds his way to an isolated town to hunt down the truths of his ancestry. Around the ‘net… Bill Murray Won’t Haunt Ghostbusters 3 Dan Aykroyd said, “”It’s sad but we’re passing it on to a new generation. Ghostbusters 3 can be a successful movie without Bill.” Aykroyd also offered up that the sequel will begin shooting next year and also without its original star, Vulture reports . Matthew McConaughey Joins The Wolf Of Wall Street McConaughey will play Mark Hanna in the Martin Scorsese-directed feature, an early boss and mentor of Belfort, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, Deadline reports . Drew Barrymore to Direct The End The end of the world drama will be produced by Warner Bros. The story will apparently focus on several people as they face the apocalypse and will take an “uplifting and humanistic” approach. Aron Eli Coleite (writer-producer on TV’s Heroes ) wrote the script, THR reports . Octavia Spencer Joins Baggage Claim The Oscar-winner boards the cast of the Fox Searchlight comedy that stars Paula Patton as a flight attendant who is the oldest unmarried woman in her family and decides to find a mate before her sister’s upcoming wedding, Deadline reports .
At one point, Kate Beckinsale remembers, director Len Wiseman thought of tapping her for a cameo as a three-breasted hooker in his Total Recall remake. Luckily for the actress, Wiseman (who directed the British beauty in Underworld and Underworld: Evolution — and happens to be her husband in real life) instead cast Beckinsale in the much juicier role of Lori, the adoring wife of factory worker Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell) whom Quaid discovers is actually an undercover agent hellbent on killing him. Consider that a divorce, indeed . Expanded considerably by scribes Kurt Wimmer and Mark Bomback as an amalgam of Sharon Stone’s duplicitous Lori and Michael Ironside’s ruthless Richter from Paul Verhoeven’s 1990 version , Beckinsale’s Lori — her first onscreen villain — is baddie Cohaagen’s (Bryan Cranston) loyal right-hand woman, embittered by the humiliating role she’s been assigned, but relishing in her dogged pursuit of Farrell’s Quaid with glee. (She also boasts unfailingly fantastic hair, in keeping with Beckinsale’s action cinema filmography.) Beckinsale sat for a chat with Movieline about Total Recall , Lori’s inner psyche, how marriage lends insight to her working relationship with Wiseman, and how she resolves her “Kate Beckinsale” public image/action heroine reputation with her literary roots and lesser-seen work. This version of Total Recall is quite different from the Verhoeven original in many ways, including its emphasis on a more geopolitical commentary. But the Lori character in particular, which is vastly expanded here, is a sharp, strong woman who literally rejects this domestic role that she’s been given, playing wife to Douglas Quaid at the behest of her employer. I think she’s an extremely highly trained, highly intelligent, and very much at the top of her field operative, and the detail that she’s been given is actually quite degrading, if you think about it. For a police officer at that level to have to basically sleep in a bed, have sex with, make dinner for this person who appears to be a factory worker of no real note indefinitely, must be incredibly frustrating – and I think must feel like, “I have this because I’m a woman.” And there’s nothing more maddening than to feel like you’re being passed over or degraded or humiliated because of your gender. Were these elements that were in the script originally, or did those shades come in as you worked on the character? It was a little more sketched, and I know that Len wanted to feel like that about her, so it was quite early on when we were talking about the character. Because otherwise I think it’s peculiar; first of all, it’s a strange situation for someone to be undercover pretending to be somebody’s wife. What would that feel like, if you were that highly trained? And equally, there’s nothing more boring than a bad guy who’s just being a bad guy for no reason. Mainstream audiences know you best from the Underworld movies and as this lithe, lethal action heroine, but your career began with very different kinds of roles; ironically, the character of Hero in Much Ado About Nothing was one of your first breakthrough parts. And even before that, some of your first awards came as a writer, for your poetry. Does it feel strange to you that so many moviegoers know you primarily for your action roles in the Underworld movies and the like? I think that dwelling on other people’s perception of you is the road to complete madness, unfortunately. I try and resist that. You can’t help it a bit, because it is quite odd when other people are responsible for conveying your image or your words. That is quite a strange spot to be in, especially if things do come off unfamiliar. You can feel a bit gypped. But I suppose a part of you has to go, there is a kind of penalty for being so lucky to have this kind of a job that those things are going to happen. I do feel very fulfilled by the work that I’ve done, and often by the work that I’ve done that many people haven’t seen. So the bottom line is, I have actually done the work and I’ve had that experience, and it has been amazing. And yes, it would be nice if more people were aware of those, but at the end of the day it’s more important that I’ve actually had the experience. Even on Google, the first items that pop up about you involve your “Sexiest Woman Alive” type honors, or quote you talking about nude scenes… It’s maddening! And the thing is, a lot of the time you’ll do a whole long interview with somebody and then they’ll say, “By the way, have you thought about doing a nude scene?” and that’s the thing… so it’s quite skewed in terms of the balance of the interview where you’re talking about all sorts of things, but people tend to pull out the one that fits the image they have for you. And that can be a little bit annoying if it’s always about, you know, not having knickers on or being sexy or what beauty products are you using? I have no idea who that person is. It’s just odd when you kind of go, I’m coming off a bit as the sort of person who walks into a room and tries to tell everyone what I’m eating all day. Len [Wiseman] said he wanted to cast you in the role of Lori because he saw aspects in the character that he thought you hadn’t had the chance to play onscreen before very much – even Lori’s guile, her complexity. She’s not a comedic character, but the film has a sense of humor about her. What’s your take on Lori as a role? I think this is a really good part, and really great parts don’t come along every ten seconds. But I think the thing that’s great about her is she’s really intelligent – she’s obviously a bit unhinged, but she’s a very, very smart person, and people who are crazy and smart at the same time are usually the most dangerous people. I think he really wanted to get a sense of that, and I may have been in some rather not-very-intelligent looking photo shoots and/or movies, but my husband observes me in my natural habitat and knows that I’m quite a smart girl. It’s nice that your offscreen relationship could help lend that sort of insight into your working relationship. And it means he’s not just receiving the kind of Kate Beckinsale that’s out there. The quote-unquote “Kate Beckinsale.” Yes! There’s a dichotomy and gender reversal as Lori reveals herself and attempts to kill Quaid: As she chases him through the city, it’s clear that she’s highly lethal and the disoriented Quaid is rather clumsy and scared. Later you two have the most brutal hand-to-hand fight, but it remains on equal footing. I really like the movie, for all of that. It’s a very fun ride, but it’s actually very thoughtful. What deeper meaning could we draw from Len casting his own wife as the ultimate evil wife? And all the film’s many nods to their sham marriage, were those written in to begin with? Some of them were, some of them we came up with. But we obviously don’t have that sort of relationship. Len is still walking around! [Laughs] Total Recall is in theaters Friday. Read Movieline’s review here . Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Also in Thursday morning’s round-up of news briefs: Warner Bros passes the domestic $1 billion mark again. A Prometheus sequel is moving forward, Christopher Eccleston is a Marvel villain and Broadway to honor Gore Vidal. Nicole Kidman to Join Lars von Trier’s The Nymphomaniac Kidman revealed she’ll work a “few days” on Danish director Lars von Trier’s two-part The Nymphomaniac , which is set to star Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgard and Willem Dafoe. She starred in the director’s Dogville , The Playlist reports via AlloCine . Warner Bros Passes $1 Billion at Domestic Box Office The milestone has been reached 12 years in a row, which makes Warner Bros. the only studio to have accomplished the feat. The Dark Knight Rises lead this year’s pack with $304M in its first 12 days. Also scoring well is Magic Mike ($108.5M), Deadline reports . Prometheus Sequel Planned by Ridley Scott Scott is moving ahead with plans for a sequel, his return to the Alien universe. His return to the genre after three decades grossed over $300 million worldwide from a budget of $130 million, The Guardian reports . Paz Vega Joins Grace of Monaco as Maria Callas Vega will play the haughty opera singer in the film, which stars Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly. The director of Edith Piaf biopic La vie en rose , Olivier Dahan, will direct Grace of Monaco from a script by Arash Amel. The story centers on a six-month period in 1962 when Monaco had a dispute with France and Princess Grace worked behind the scenes to prevent a coup. THR reports . Christopher Eccleston to Play Thor 2 Villain Eccleston will star opposite Chris Hemsworth in the told of Malekith The Accursed in Marvel Studios’ Thor: The Dark World . Malekith is a “super-villain in the Marvel Universe, the ruler of the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim, Deadline reports . Broadway to Dim Lights in Memory of Gore Vidal Broadway theaters will dim their lights August 3rd in memory of Gore Vidal who died this week . His play The Best Man is currently playing at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater. The cast is dedicating its performances next tweak to his memory, The Guardian reports .
Actress/musician Brie Larson — AKA Scott Pilgrim ‘s Envy Adams, of 21 Jump Street and United States of Tara fame — is also a Criterion Collection fangirl, and given her terrific recent round of the cineaste label’s Top 10, she’s probably got a better-stocked DVD catalogue than you. Consider Red Desert : “Antonioni’s first color film. I felt like I was opening my eyes for the first time. An incredible palette and commitment to tone. He actually painted trees whites and grays! I have always wanted to talk technicalities with someone about this film. The fog? How did he do the fog?!” And, on Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage : “This was the most invested in any relationship I had ever been — including my own.” Read Larson’s full Top 10 and share in my newfound nerdy girlcrush. [ Criterion ]
If you’re already jonesing for more gritty Batman heroics, you won’t have to wait for the eventual home video release of The Dark Knight Rises to get your fix: The folks at Warner Premiere have announced the September release of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns , an animated adaptation of Frank Miller’s celebrated 1986 graphic novel charting the return of the retired Caped Crusader to a Gotham City in need. Bonus cool points: Peter Weller as Batman! Miller’s Dark Knight Returns story, which earned critical acclaim and has been heralded as one of the best graphic novels of all time, joins a slew of animated features from the studio behind previous direct-to-DVD animations Superman: Doomsday and Batman: Year One and will hit DVD/Blu-ray on September 25. This version of Bat-lore follows a 55-year-old Bruce Wayne as he comes out of retirement to battle old foe Harvey Dent/Two Face, also tangling with The Joker, local cops, and the U.S. government. Sidekick Robin pops up — in the form of a 13-year-old girl named Carrie — as does fellow DC superhero Superman, with whom Batman battles. (Christopher Nolan’s TDKR borrowed elements from Miller’s Dark Knight Returns , Batman’s retirement, beef with authorities, and arguably his fate included.) Bonus features on the Dark Knight Returns release: • Standard and high definition versions of the feature film • UltraViolet™* • Sneak Peak at Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 , the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie • Featurette – “Her Name is Carrie … Her Role is Robin” – An all-new featurette. Experience the role of Robin, through the eyes of a female warrior. • Featurette – “Batman and Me: The Bob Kane Story” – A documentary comprehensively chronicling the remarkable life of the creator of Batman. • Two bonus episodes from Batman: The Animated Series handpicked by producer Alan Burnett: Two-Face, Parts 1 and 2 . • Digital Comic – “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns” (digital comic with cover art and three full comic pages) [via THR ]
Finally, some news about Kristen Stewart that doesn’t involve her love life . Vulture reports that the actress has landed the lead role of Peyton Loftis in Crazy Heart director Scott Cooper’s adaptation of William Styron’s 1951 novel, Lie Down in Darkness . The project — and the role — sure sound like the level of work that will propel Stewart toward that Oscar that I’m counting on her to win. The film is set in 1950s Virginia, and according to the site, Stewart’s character’s “intense physical beauty makes her the object of her frigid mother’s jealous hatred and the target of her father’s incestuous, alcoholic lust.” Yikes! [ Vulture ]
Also in Wednesday afternoon’s round-up of news briefs news Hawk Koch steps down from PGA presidency; A pair of film pick-ups for U.S. release; Two companies team for a “social film project” and William Hurt and Michael McDonald take on new roles. Hawk Koch Temporarily Stepping Down as PGA President Koch was elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last night. He’s taking a leave of absence from the presidency of the Producers Guild of America. Co-president Mark Gordon will continue as the sole president of the group. Excuse Me for Living Headed for U.S. The film will open October 12 both theatrically and via day and date VOD platforms via DadaFilms/Required Viewing, which announced its acquisition of the title Wednesday. Starring Tom Pelphrey, Christopher Lloyd, Wayne Knight, Jerry Stiller, Robert Vaughn and Melissa Archer, the film centers on a charming, suicidal druggie must obey his rehab-clinic’s demand to lead a seniors men’s group or face incarceration and lose the love of his psychiatrist’s daughter. Sushi Girl Heads to U.S. Theaters Phase 4 Films and Magnolia Home Entertainment jointly picked up North American rights to the film directed by Kern Saxton. The revenge thriller will have a theatrical release in the U.S. and cable VOD by Phase 4 in late 2012, with Blu-ray, DVD and digital VOD handled by Magnolia in early 2013. Mark Hamill stars as Fish, who has spent six years in jail. The night he is released, the four men he protected with silence celebrate his freedom with a congratulatory dinner. The meal is a lavish array of sushi, served off the naked body of a beautiful young woman. The sushi girl seems catatonic, trained to ignore everything in the room, even if things become dangerous. Toshiba and Intel Team for The Beauty Inside The two companies are collaborating to create a social film project and has a global online casting call to audition for a starring role online . Starring Topher Grace ( That ‘70s Show ) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead ( Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter ) and directed by Sundance award-winning director Drake Doremus ( Like Crazy ), The Beauty Inside is an experiment in social entertainment. The project will engage the audience through social media and encourage them to connect and interact with Alex via Facebook. The film will be available online in weekly episodes starting on Aug. 16 and continue over 6 weeks. Around the ‘net… The Dark Knight Rises Hits $300M Milestone The final Batman installment by Christopher Nolan hit the $300 million milestone in North America Tuesday after 12 days. Only The Avengers and Nolan’s The Dark Knight have hit that figure quicker, THR reports . William Hurt Joins Winter’s Tale Hurt plays the father of a dying young woman who falls in love with a thief who breaks into her home in the Warner Bros adaptation of the novel by Mark Helprin. This will be Oscar-winning writer Adiva Goldsman’s directorial debut, Deadline reports . Michael McDonald Takes On The Heat McDonald hails from the Fox series Mad TV . He joins Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, playing a villain in the 20th Century Fox-produced project which Paul Feig will direct, Deadline reports .
Accompanying Her Majesty the Queen , James Bond — AKA Daniel Craig — sported a bemused expression in the cheeky sky-diving promo that kicked off the 2012 Summer Olympics in London yesterday. But later in the telecast, Bond fans got another treat: A brief but potent new TV spot teasing November’s Sam Mendes-directed Skyfall with glimpses of 007 in action, both in the field and with a few gorgeous ladies. Clocking in around half a minute, the new Skyfall TV spot keeps things short, sweet, and action-packed; the only line heard is Craig’s steely “007, reporting for duty.” There’s something for every kind of Bond fan here: car porn, gun porn, seductive femme fatales, exotic locales, Bond striding confidently through a shootout, a fleeting look at blond-haired baddie Javier Bardem, explosions, motorcyle stunts, and various intrigue. That said, it’s a deceptively simple shot of the bespoke Bond adjusting his cufflinks after sticking a train car leap that tantalizes the most. Let’s hope Skyfall has even a fraction of this swagger, savvy pacing, and steely energy of this ridiculously short sneak peek.
