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 ]
Crazy Heart writer-director Scott Cooper isn’t holding back with the follow-up to his double-Oscar-winning filmmaking debut, dialing in Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Sam Shepard and Zoe Saldana (not to mention producers including Leonardo DiCaprio, Ridley Scott and Relativity Media mogul Ryan Kavanaugh) for the family crime-and-redemption drama Out of the Furnace . Read on for full details just over the transom from Relativity; adjust your Oscar 2013 pools accordingly. ================= (Beverly Hills, Calif.) April 5, 2012 – Relativity Media has closed deals with Oscar®-winner Christian Bale ( The Fighter ), Oscar®-nominated Casey Affleck ( The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford ), Zoe Saldana ( Avatar ) and Oscar®-nominated Sam Shepard ( Safe House ) to star as the lead roles in the upcoming gripping and gritty drama currently titled Out of the Furnace , written and directed by the critically-acclaimed Scott Cooper ( Crazy Heart ), it was announced today by Relativity’s Co-President, Tucker Tooley. Bale will star as older brother Russell Baze in the film alongside Affleck who will play the role of younger brother Rodney Baze Jr. Saldana has also been cast as Bale’s love interest Lena Warren and Shepard will play Red, Russell and Rodney Baze’s uncle. Production is set to begin in Braddock, Pennsylvania later this month. Relativity Media will release the film theatrically in the U.S. Red Granite, the Los Angeles based film production, finance and international sales company has acquired foreign rights outside of the U.S. and will handle international sales. Red Granite International President Danny Dimbort and Co-President Christian Mercuri will begin shopping the film to buyers in Cannes next month. In making the announcement, Tooley said, “This is a meaty script with characters as strong as they are complex, and we needed powerhouse actors who complement the story. Christian, Casey, Zoe and Sam each approach everything they do with heart and conviction. We can’t wait to see what each of them brings to this film,” says Tooley. The film is a drama about fate, circumstance, and redemption. Russell and his younger brother live in the economically depressed Rust Belt, and have always dreamed of escaping and finding better lives. But when a cruel twist of fate lands Russell in prison, his brother is lured into one of the most violent and ruthless crime rings in the Northeast – a mistake that will almost cost him everything. Once released, Russell must choose between his own freedom, or risk it all to seek justice for his brother. Producing are Appian Way’s Leonardo DiCaprio ( J. Edgar ) and Jennifer Killoran ( The Ides of March ) alongside Scott Free’s Ridley Scott ( The Grey ), Tony Scott ( Man on Fire ) and Michael Costigan ( American Gangster ) as well as Relativity’s CEO Ryan Kavanaugh ( The Fighter ). Bale and Affleck were both represented by WME in the deals. Saldana and Shepard were both represented by ICM in the deals. ###
