In Monday afternoon’s round-up of news stories, Twilight rocketed atop the box office again. Liz & Dick is Lifetime is a ‘moderate’ success despite the hype. Dubai picks an opening film and highlights lineup. Susan Boyle may head to the big screen. And India is set for a Cannes fete. Twilight On Top at the Box Office Again Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 , the final installment of the vampire fantasy films, has topped the US box office for the second week in a row. Early estimates suggest it took $43.1 million between Friday and Sunday, James Bond film Skyfall was second with $36 million, followed by Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln with $25m (£15.6m). Domestic revenues for the year currently stand at $9.75 billion, with a strong December line-up still to come. The current annual domestic record is $10.6 billion, set in 2009, BBC reports . Liz & Dick Pulls In 3.5 Million Viewers The made for Lifetime TV movie about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton was the fourth biggest viewed origin movie premiere on ad-supported cable this year. It drew 3 million less viewers than Steel Magnolias which played the network in October, Deadline reports . Life of Pi to Open Dubai International Film Festival The festival running December 9 – 16 will also include Hitchcock , Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away and Cannes Palme d’Or winner Amour . The Sapphires will close out the event. Other highlights include Karzan by Kadar Bekas and Wadjda directed by Haiffa Al Mansour, Saudi’s first-ever female moviemaker to shoot a film on her own in the conservative country THR reports . Fox Searchlight Eyes Susan Boyle Biopic The company has picked up the life rights to Boyle’s story along with rights to the musical I Dreamed a Dream . The idea will be to merge the two to develop a re-imagined film version of the musical. A director and screenwriter are still pending, Deadline reports . Cannes to Fete India in 2013 It’s hard to believe Cannes news is beginning, but event organizers said it will commemorate the 100th anniversary of India’s film industry by making it the festival’s “Guest Country” for 2013. The home of Bollywood will be the third country to be honored by festival organizers following Egypt in 2011 and Brazil last year. The 66th annual Cannes film festival runs from May 15 to 26, The Guardian reports .
Jessica Chastain is riding a huge wave of Best Actress buzz this week for Katherine Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty , but let’s not forget the memorable impression she made earlier this year as a bootlegger’s moll in John Hillcoat’s brutal period drama Lawless . See Chastain, Shia LaBeouf , Tom Hardy , and the Lawless gang channel Depression-era chic in Movieline’s exclusive set of never-before-released photos from the Lawless set. I’m particularly enamored of this shot of Chastain as Maggie, the city girl with a past laying low with the Bondurant brothers, posing Bonnie Parker-style LIKE A BOSS. Head here for high-res versions of our exclusive Lawless set photos . Although these Lawless are only available here, the film hits DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday (November 27) with featurettes, audio commentary with director John Hillcoat and author (and Bondurant descendant) Matt Bondurant, deleted scenes and more. They were brothers who became outlaws, and outlaws who became heroes…The three Bondurant boys (Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke), along with their sultry new hire (Jessica Chastain), command the most lucrative bootlegging operation in Franklin County, Virginia. The locals consider them “indestructible.” But the law – in the form of a corrupt special deputy (Guy Pearce) – wants a cut of their action, at any cost. When youngest brother Jack (LaBeouf) gets a taste of power with a deadly gangster (Gary Oldman), the whole business blows sky high. Based on the astonishing true story, the Bondurant brotherhood is the stuff of legend. READ MORE ON LAWLESS AT MOVIELINE ! Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
The Twilight series’ concept of imprinting ? Still a little weird. But interspecies love never looked so sweet as it does in this special effects reference photo of the real-life Jacob Black getting friendly with a human, the perfect shot of furry adorbs to counteract today’s gruesome Hobbit pony-killing revelations . Effects guru Phil Tippett Tweeted the pic of the affectionate reference wolf used to create Twilight ‘s CG wolf pack today during a VFX Q&A session. Technically I’m not sure which smoldering, shirtless Quileute werewolf this fella was played by onscreen, but if Taylor Lautner was a wolf I’m pretty sure he’d look like this. (I’ll also admit it’s unclear whether or not this is a Christian the Lion -style wolfy kiss or the prelude to a grisly VFX research visit gone very wrong.) Tippett Studios worked on the last four Twilight films, specializing in the wolf CG effects; for Breaking Dawn Part II they also created the scene in which Bella wrestles and devours a cougar. I’d like to see the reference photos they snapped for that . [via @PhilTippett ]
Carrie Fisher , aka Princess Leia, came out from under the heavens giving her hilariously light-hearted thoughts on the future of Star Wars and whatever came of Leia and Han Solo. Episode VII writer-apparent, Michael Arndt may want to take a peek at what Her Celestial Highness has to say about the character she first brought to the Galaxies way back in the late ’70s and a tidbit or two on where to go from here. One thing for sure, given the recent sale of Lucasfilm to that big time studio that asks its fans to Wish Upon a Star, Fisher knows her place. “I’m now a Disney Princess,” she said on CBS’ The Talk to laughter from the show’s hosts and the live audience Wednesday. “She’s never been gone. She’s been with me forever.” Arndt may have other ideas, but Fisher apparently sees Leia as married to you-know-who, but she would not be a domestic sort of spouse. “I like the idea of being Mrs. Solo and we just fought and fought and I killed him,” she joked. And perhaps alluding to a raging controversy today right here back on earth, Fisher offered up: “I probably even had an affair with some General.” Fisher and Luke Skywalker co-star Mark Hamill first learned of creator George Lucas’ intent to continue the Star Wars saga last summer after the celluloid siblings had lunch with him. Said Hamill: “…When he said, ‘We decided we’re going to do Episodes VII, VIII , and IX ,’ I was just gobsmacked. ‘What? Are you nuts?!’ [laughs] I can see both sides of it. Because in a way, there was a beginning, a middle, and an end and we all lived happily ever after and that’s the way it should be…” Fisher did not hint at a return on The Talk , but after giving her two-cents on what might come next, she talked about her earthly mother, Debbie Reynolds, who recently was released from a hospital. “She’s fine,” she said, adding some details about some risqué banter she had with her 80 year-old mother after meeting with a doctor. Check out the clip from the show below: [ Source: TV Guide ]
Carrie Fisher , aka Princess Leia, came out from under the heavens giving her hilariously light-hearted thoughts on the future of Star Wars and whatever came of Leia and Han Solo. Episode VII writer-apparent, Michael Arndt may want to take a peek at what Her Celestial Highness has to say about the character she first brought to the Galaxies way back in the late ’70s and a tidbit or two on where to go from here. One thing for sure, given the recent sale of Lucasfilm to that big time studio that asks its fans to Wish Upon a Star, Fisher knows her place. “I’m now a Disney Princess,” she said on CBS’ The Talk to laughter from the show’s hosts and the live audience Wednesday. “She’s never been gone. She’s been with me forever.” Arndt may have other ideas, but Fisher apparently sees Leia as married to you-know-who, but she would not be a domestic sort of spouse. “I like the idea of being Mrs. Solo and we just fought and fought and I killed him,” she joked. And perhaps alluding to a raging controversy today right here back on earth, Fisher offered up: “I probably even had an affair with some General.” Fisher and Luke Skywalker co-star Mark Hamill first learned of creator George Lucas’ intent to continue the Star Wars saga last summer after the celluloid siblings had lunch with him. Said Hamill: “…When he said, ‘We decided we’re going to do Episodes VII, VIII , and IX ,’ I was just gobsmacked. ‘What? Are you nuts?!’ [laughs] I can see both sides of it. Because in a way, there was a beginning, a middle, and an end and we all lived happily ever after and that’s the way it should be…” Fisher did not hint at a return on The Talk , but after giving her two-cents on what might come next, she talked about her earthly mother, Debbie Reynolds, who recently was released from a hospital. “She’s fine,” she said, adding some details about some risqué banter she had with her 80 year-old mother after meeting with a doctor. Check out the clip from the show below: [ Source: TV Guide ]
Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert are shifting their attention from Evil Dead to Angels of the Apocalypse. The filmmakers have teamed up with Good Universe to acquire multipicture rights to Susan Ee’s bestselling Amazon Publishing book series Angelfall. The project sounds like it has the potential to be a Hunger Games -type franchise. Raimi and Tapert will produce while Good Universe principals Joe Drake and Nathan Kahane will take executive producer credits for what the players obviously envision as a film franchise. Lucy Stille of Paradigm brokered the deal. Ee, a lawyer-turned-writer, initially self-published Angelfall, and after being courted by a number of publishing houses chose to have her debut novel released through Amazon Children’s Publishing. The book became an instant success, topping Amazon’s Most Wished For Teen Book list and ranking fourth on the Young Adult best seller list just behind the Hunger Games trilogy. She will publish a second Angelfall book in fall 2013. If you’re not familiar with the universe Ee has created, here’s the Angelfall synopsis that was included in the announcement. Do I detect a whiff of Legion in the plot? Six weeks after angels of the apocalypse descend to demolish the modern world, street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back… even if that means making a deal with an enemy angel Raffe, a warrior who has been left bleeding and wingless. Having only each other to rely on for survival, the two journey towards the angel’s stronghold where she must risk everything to rescue her sister and he must decide whether to put himself at the mercy of his enemies for the chance to be made whole again. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
If you weren’t one of the scores of moviegoers who contributed to Skyfall’ s $90 million box office take this past weekend and you’re still in spoiler-avoidance mode, then you should stop reading right here. If you did see the movie over the weekend, then you’re probably still thinking about the surprises that Skyfall holds for James Bond fans. Key among them is the reveal in the movie’s final scenes that Naomie Harris , who opens the movie by accidentally shooting Daniel Craig ‘s Bond, is the franchise’s sexy new Ms. Moneypenny. In an interview with Movieline , Harris talks about becoming the first black woman to join James Bond’s MI6 support team (Colin Salmon played Chief of Staff Charles Robinson in Tomorrow Never Dies , The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day ) and how, after playing a zombie-killing bad-ass in 28 Days Later and a secret agent in Skyfall , she’s well-equipped for the apocalypse. Movieline: When you took the role of Eve in Skyfall, were you aware that you were going to be revealed as Moneypenny and what that would entail? You are clearly going to be in other Bond movies as a result of this. Harris: Let’s see, who knows! But yes, when I took the role, I was told about the role fully. And that was part of the reason that it really excited me. I knew that my character was going on this amazing journey — and in a really modern way, which is fantastic. You are the first black woman to be cast as a member of the MI6 support team and, let’s presume, in a recurring role in the franchise. Have you thought much about the cultural significance of that? I was brought up in Britain, and I’m very proud of my Britishness and my culture. And Bond is a big part of that. So, I’m very aware of the significance of this role and being in a Bond movie. I don’t take it lightly at all. Barbara and Sam and Michael auditioned actors of all different ethnicities around the world, and there was no sense of, we just want a black person for this role. I love that kind of open casting. It’s really brilliant and speaks so highly of them. It’s fundamentally who they are. They’re so progressive. They were looking for the best person for the role. [Smiles] Exactly. Related Story: ‘Skyfall’ Producers On 007’s Post-9/11 Progressive Streak & Idris Elba Rumors: Could Bond Be Black, Gay, Or A Woman? Bérénice Marlohe told me that she found the concept of being a Bond girl very abstract. Is it different for you because James Bond is so firmly rooted in your culture? I don’t have a problem with the label. I don’t necessarily think it’s relevant anymore, but I don’t have a problem with it. If that’s what people want to refer to me as, then I’m more than happy. [Being a Bond girl] means glamor, sexiness, classiness and having an enigmatic quality. It means all good things really. But I do think they’re the building blocks for more. So, I would hate to be just that. That’s the starting point, basically. You’ve got to have so much more. You’ve also got to be extremely fit. I was surprised by all of the physical training you had to undergo for the role. Were you aware of this going in or did it surprise you? Sam did say to me, “It’s an action role, but you’ve done action stuff before. You’re used to that.” And in the audition, I was like, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll do anything. I can ride. I can shoot.” So I kind of agreed to it, and then I didn’t realize how intense it was going to be. It was two months, five days a week, two hours a day working with a personal trainer who did running and circuit training and yoga. Then it was three days a week on the gun range: machine guns, Walther PPK’s, sniper rifes. Then it was two days a week doing stunt driving. And once a week with the stunt guys doing combat training as well. So, for a girl who does not exercise, that was a big physical change. And I have to say it was really tough in the beginning, but by the end of it, I got used to it. I loved it, actually. Do you own a gun? No! I certainly do not own a gun, although I went through my bag the other day and discovered that I had a dummy gun in there that we used while we were filming. Good thing you didn’t go to the airport with that. I know! I definitely would have gotten arrested. Between 28 Days Later and Skyfall , you are clearly prepared for the apocalypse. I am. I’m the woman to be with if there’s any crisis going down. What are you doing next in between your Bond films? I finished Bond and then two days later, I flew to South Africa to play Winnie Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom . I finished that a month ago. So, I’m going to do this tour for Skyfall , which is over a month long, and then I’m having a break. It’s a year of non-stop work. Have you talked to Danny Boyle about doing any more work with him? I haven’t, but I would always work with Danny because he’s an amazing director. I really credit him with giving me the career that I have. He’s the guy who — when I had just left drama school — took a risk on me and cast me in 28 Days Later , which changed my life and my career. And then 10 years later, he was the guy who cast me in Frankenstein on the Olivier stage when I hadn’t done theater for 10 years. And that’s how I got Bond, which has brought my career to a whole new level. So I would always work with Danny. Have you ever thought about directing? No. I think that if I was going to do anything it would be writing. That’s what my Mum does. [Editor’s Note; Harris’ mother is sitcom writer Lisselle Kayla.] That’s what I grew up around. But at the moment, I have no real interest in that. I always imagine myself retiring and writing somewhere in the countryside. Let’s see. Read more on Skyfall and celebrate Bond’s 50th anniversary with all things 007. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Also in Friday’s early round-up of news briefs: Oscar winner Javier Bardem gets a Hollywood Honor ahead of Skyfall release; A Royal Affair , Chasing Ice and Starlet are among this year’s look at new Specialty Releases; And Harold & Kumar writers are eyeing their next gig. Twilight Fans Set Up Tent City for Monday’s Breaking Dawn – Part 2 Premiere Distributor Summit is offering camping spots to 2,200 Twi-hards, making this the franchise’s largest camp to date and almost double last year’s. The final Twilight premiere takes place at LA Live on Monday, Deadline reports. Lindsay Lohan’s Barbara Walters 20/20 Interview Stopped By Lohan’s New PR Team Dissatisfied with “the direction ABC wanted to take the interview,” Lohan’s new PR reps, Rogers & Cowan, have said that the actress will not appear on 20/20 for an interview with Walters on a scheduled slot set to air November 16th, Deadline reports. Specialty Release Preview: Chasing Ice , Citadel , Coming Up Roses , In Another Country , A Royal Affair , Starlet Bernadette Peters and French actress Isabelle Huppert will open their latest respective films Coming Up Roses and In Another Country ,. Starlet with Dree Hemingway has a San Fernando Valley adult film industry bent, while Citadel won SXSW Festival’s Audience Midnight section prize. Film sales outfit Submarine releases the climate-change documentary Chasing Ice via its distribution label Submarine Deluxe, scoring talk show attention as a result of Hurricane Sandy’s devastation, while Magnolia’s A Royal Affair will get a traditional theatrical rollout, Deadline reports. Javier Bardem Nabs a Hollywood Star Academy award-winning actor Javier Bardem has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Bardem, who plays villain Silva in the latest Bond movie Skyfall , was joined by his female co-stars Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe. Bardem received a best supporting actor Oscar for his role in the Coen brothers film No Country for Old Men in 2008, BBC reports. Harold & Kumar Writers Set to Direct Cherries The story centers on three dads who come together to stop their daughters from fulfilling their sex pact to lose their virginities on prom night. Cherries would be a reunion of several key Harold & Kumar behind the camera talent, THR reports.
Lincoln took the spotlight at a rainy premiere Thursday night, closing out AFI Fest 2012. But whispers of Star Wars made their way to the red carpet. Steve Spielberg , however, took the speculation head-on, saying he won’t direct any future Star Wars installments. The long-time colleague and friend of George Lucas gave an emphatic negative about possibly taking on directing the planned Episode 7 , set for 2015. “No, no!” he told Access Hollywood at the Lincoln event. “It’s not my genre. It’s my best friend George’s genre.” Furthermore, he said he’s no longer interested in action-pics (though he has signed on for Sci-Fi thriller Robopocalypse post- Lincoln ). “I knew I could do the action in my sleep at this point in my career,” he said. “In my life, the action doesn’t hold any … it doesn’t attract me any more,” he said recently on 60 Minutes . Star Wars will return courtesy of the sale of Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Company for $4.05 billion, which promptly said it will launch a new installment in the huge franchise in 2015 and that a Star Wars 8 and 9 are also on tap. But just how much Lucas will oversee the next Star Wars movies is still a matter of speculation. He said in the official statement about Lucasfilms’ sale that it’s “…Now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime.” He also said recently at a post-sale event that he’d like to do “little personal films” going forward and that he’s turning the ship over to another long-time collaborator. “I’ve turned it over to a wonderful producer, Kathy Kennedy, and I’ve known her for years,” he said. “She’s more than capable of taking it and making it better than I did.” He added, “It’s very sad. It’s 40 years of work and it’s been my life, but I’m ready to move on to bigger and better things.” [ Source: Access Hollywood ]
Well, maybe Brad Pitt won’t save all of us. As you can see in the first full trailer for Marc Forster’s big-budget action pic World War Z (via Apple), a few billion Earthlings will kick the bucket (but will probably reanimate, so there’s that) when the undead rise against us. Watch the trailer to get a look at Pitt’s shaggy-maned family man hero, who must to leave his wife (Mireille Enos) and their kids to go fight the zombie apocalypse for the sake of humanity in next summer’s World War Z . Head to Apple for the trailer debut. The full trailer has me breathing a sigh of relief after this week’s rather underwhelming trailer tease ; I can get used to World War Z ‘s superfast undead swarms, pouring through streets and leaping like lemmings off of buildings chasing desperately after Pitt’s delicious, delicious body. I mean brain. Or whatever these zombies eat. It must be high in protein to keep this kind of zombie metabolism going. Despite the departures from the book that will have lit fans up in arms, and the vaguely I Am Legend / War of the Worlds vibe this gives off, World War Z has me excited to see Pitt as an action hero. And how great is it that he’s doing a rare action turn while looking like a long-haired crunchy hippie dad? World War Z hits theaters June 21, 2013. How’s it look to you, Movieliners? Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
