File under WTF, Out of Left Field, and Most Probably Not Happening, Like Ever: According to Deadline , rumor has it that Angelina Jolie , coming off of her directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey , has been in the unofficial running to join the 50 Shades of Grey adaptation — not as Mrs. Robinson, not as some kinky bondage-enthusiast, but as… director. Mike Fleming reports from the floor of the rumor mill: “I’ve heard rumors about the possibility of Angelina Jolie having a conversation or two about directing it… The studio says that no discussions have been had, but they note that if she was interested, that the studio would be also. They loved her directorial debut, In The Land Of Blood And Honey .” I’m not sure what about Blood and Honey would suggest that Jolie is a great pick to direct the steamy erotica adaptation, though she has won “honors” in various men’s magazines for being the Sexiest Woman Alive, and those things ought to count for something. In any case, Fleming says, Jolie’s busy. “I’m told she’s completely focused on her next film, Maleficent , at Disney and isn’t entertaining other offers at this moment.” So maybe the Jolie train has already come and gone. Assuming so, which director would you like to see tackle 50 Shades of Grey ? I’ll start with a few: Adrian Lyne (via Deadline commenters). Just Jaeckin. John Waters. Go! [ Deadline ]
Pattinson said in Cannes there wasn’t much in the way of rehearsal before he began shooting the David Cronenberg-directed film and that he “worried” in his hotel room before it all began. Distributor Entertainment One said it will hit U.S. theaters August 17th, well after its release north of the border. Cosmopolis opens this Friday in Canada and it will head a week later to the U.K. for a June 15th roll out. Pattinson noted about making the film recently , “I’m not very scared of it going away at all. If I could somehow maintain a career in which I keep making movies like Cosmopolis , than I think it would be amazing, because not very many of them are made.” Based on the novel by Don DeLillo, Cronenberg’s latest stars the Twilight heartthrob as a 28 year-old billionaire assets manager who begins a day-long journey in his very tricked out limo as it inches its way through Manhattan. Eric Packer’s (Pattinson) objective is simple enough — he wants to get a haircut. He has everything, so what else can fulfill him? Perched on his throne in the back of his stretch limo, Packer encounters individuals as his car meanders the packed New York City streets. Juliette Binoche, Paul Giamatti, Samantha Morton, Sarah Gadon and more represent his physical, material and intellectual desires as well as demise and some — but not all — joining him one-on-one in his inner sanctum.
Stop. Collaborate and listen. Ice is back with a brand new invention. No, really! He is. Rob Van Winkle, who you know as ‘90s rap sensation Vanilla Ice, has a major role in this summer’s new Adam Sandler comedy That’s My Boy , in which he plays himself, Vanilla Ice. The set-up: Donny Berger (Sandler) became famous in the ‘80s for having an affair with his hot teacher. Donny knew Ice from the flash in the pan/has-been circuit, and goes back to hang out with Ice when he reunites with the grown son ( Andy Samberg ) he fathered. Winkle joined the stars of That’s My Boy at a press conference over the weekend, and he stole the panel right from Sandler and Samberg. He’s still dropping mad rhymes, and they’re full of wisdom from his 20 years of growing up and self-reflection on the Vanilla Ice days. We could all take a lesson from Vanilla Ice, so start with some of these. 1. No slippin’ on your pimpin’. “You keep your hustle tight and you never get caught slippin’ on your pimpin’,” Winkle said when the panel was asked how they deal with failures in their careers. Our takeaway is that he has not been slippin’ on his pimpin’, since Winkle keeps working, even on reality shows like Surreal Life and Celebrity Bull Riding . “If you get caught slippin’ on your pimpin’ you’re up sh*t creek without a paddle.” 2. Well, just in case you need that paddle… If you end up paddle-less in a creek, all is not lost. “Learn how to swim through the trenches and get to the other side and when you get there it’ll be paradise for you. I was in the trenches, trying to get to the other side. Sh*t creek, I found a paddle. [Sandler] helped me with the other paddle and here we are.” 3. Embrace the past. “We are who we are because of who we were, which I had to accept, and there’s a little truth to that,” Winkle said when we asked if he’s always thinking in deep wisdom and mad rhymes. 4. Look to the future. “Yesterday’s history, tomorrow is a mystery,” Winkle said when asked if this movie comeback could lead to a Cool As Ice 2. Not only would a Cool as Ice sequel be awesome, it’s also good advice in general. “Take it day by day, man. Get in where you fit in and enjoy the ride. You never know about it.” 5. These mad rhymes matter. These slogans kept the press laughing, but Winkle explained he truly uses them to get through life. “That’s one thing I’ve learned, I live off these little phrases. It’s not all jokes, but these little phrases, they’re more valuable than thousands of dollars worth of therapy to me. They make sense.” 6. Love yourself. “Be yourself, enjoy yourself,” was another one of Winkle’s life lessons. More specifically, find the place that’s right for you, whether it’s rapping or starring in an Adam Sandler movie. “I just get in where I fit in.” 7. Be happy. In a genre of music that can often spiral into anger and violence, positivity is important. “Show me a smile and I’ll show you one back. They’re contagious. So, it works for me. Stay positive, good things happen. Look where I’m at.” 8. Mind the company you keep. It also matters who you let in your life. The Sandler crew was good for Winkle, but be careful of your entourage. “Show me who your friends are and I’ll show you who you are. Karma, believe in it. It’s real. It comes back to you.” 9. Listen to your mother (and word to her!) Since the film is about an embarrassing parent, the panel was asked what they learned from their parents. Winkle shared his mother’s lesson. Maybe mad wisdom runs in the family. “My mom always told me, ‘Act smarter than you are. Always know where your exit is in case you get into too much trouble.’” To borrow from the immortal popular words of Mr. Van Winkle: If there was a problem, yo, he’ll solve it. That’s My Boy opens June 15.
Also up for Tuesday morning’s new round up, Oscilloscope picks up a SXSW selection, MTV Movie Awards suffers a decline in ratings. Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins readies for the camera to play the role of a rock legend and Venice taps an Italian actor to lead its Horizons jury. Oscilloscope Nabs SXSW Doc Tchoupitoulas Pronounced “Chop-Ih-Tou-Less,” the New York-based specialty distributor picked up North American rights to the feature directed by Bill and Turner Ross. The film is described as a “lyrical documentary that follows three adolescent brothers as they journey through one night in New Orleans, encountering a vibrant kaleidoscope of dancers, musicians, hustlers, and revelers parading through the lamplit streets.” The deal was finalized at the recently completed Cannes Film Festival. David Laub and Dan Berger of Oscilloscope negotiated the deal with George Rush on behalf of the filmmakers. The film is produced by the Ross Brothers along with Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, and Josh Penn of Court 13. 1st Look East: Korean Film Festival Takes Shape Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood will be the home of the first annual event celebrating Korean cinema June 23 – 24. A 3D version of cult favorite The Host is on tap to join the roster of ten films, including U.S. premieres Flower in Hell and A Hometown in My Heart . Around the ‘net… Next Up for Ridley Scott: Moses The Prometheus director had some choice words for religion – all religions – and let it slip that he will direct the film about the Biblical figure, noting, “I probably shouldn’t have let that slip out. I’m not supposed to say anything. It’s definitely in the cards though…” Esquire reports . Amazon Studios to Conquer Rome with Zombies The studio has tapped Clive Barker to re-write and direct Zombies vs. Gladiators in which a shaman who faces death in the Coliseum casts a spell creating the world’s first zombies. But a gladiator steps in to try and end the zombie menace and save Rome, Deadline reports . MTV Movie Awards Takes a Hit The zany awards show saw a 28% decline in the 12 – 34 age range, perhaps a victim of the waning Twilight craze, Deadline reports . Foo Fighters Drummer to Play Iggy Pop Taylor Hawkins will play rock legend Iggy Pop in the upcoming rock film CBGB . Also joining the cast are The Big Bang Theory ‘s Johnny Galecki as music manager Terry Ork and portraying Patti Smith will be The Borgias actress Mickey Sumner, THR reports . Favino to Preside over Venice’s Horizons Jury Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino ( Angles and Demons ) will lead the Venice Film Festival’s cutting-edge Horizons section. Venice’s new artistic director Alberto Barbera has tightened the Horizons section’s lineup to 18 feature films, including some docs, representing “the latest trends in global cinema,” Variety reports .
A swarm of celebs including cast members turned out Monday night for the New York premiere of Jane Fonda and Catherine Keener starrer, Peace, Love & Misunderstanding at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The event, which benefited The Women’s Media Center, held its post-screening bash at the Royalton Hotel in Midtown. The party didn’t take a cue from the film’s hippie-vibe, but who needs bohemian when there’s champagne and sliders to guzzle! Along with Fonda and Keener, fellow cast members Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chace Crawford, NatWolff, Marissa O’Donnell and Maddie Corman joined in for the party hosted by Forevermark and The Wall Street Journal. Directed by Driving Miss Daisy director Bruce Beresford, the film, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall (followed by a U.S. debut at the Woodstock Film Festival – natch!) follows Manhattan lawyer Diane (Keener) who drives her teenage son Jake (Nat Wolff) and adult daughter Zoe (Elizabeth Olsen) to visit their Woodstock-bound hippie grandmother Grace (Fonda), who the kids have never met. Grace stages protests, smokes and sells dope, but their weekend getaway morphs into a summer adventure of romance, music and more. “It was amazing to have such veteran actors like Jane Fonda and Catherine Keener working alongside newcomers [at the time] Nat Wolff and Elizabeth Olsen,” Peace producer Claude Dal Farra told ML. “This was actually the first movie-set for Elizabeth and Nat.” Others at the party Monday included Robin Morgan, GloriaSteinem, Carol Alt, Ashleigh Banfield, Joshua Bell, Jewelle Bickford, Sandy Brant, Julie Burton, Ron Claiborne, Jamie Colby, Alan Cox ( The Dictator ), Rebecca Dayan ( Celeste & Jesse Forever ), Aleksa Palladino ( Boardwalk Empire ), Savanna Wise ( Smash ) and Casper Zafer ( The Vampire Diaries ). IFC Films will open Peace, Love & Misunderstanding beginning this Friday. [Photo credit: Amanda Schwab/Starpix]
A swarm of celebs including cast members turned out Monday night for the New York premiere of Jane Fonda and Catherine Keener starrer, Peace, Love & Misunderstanding at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The event, which benefited The Women’s Media Center, held its post-screening bash at the Royalton Hotel in Midtown. The party didn’t take a cue from the film’s hippie-vibe, but who needs bohemian when there’s champagne and sliders to guzzle! Along with Fonda and Keener, fellow cast members Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chace Crawford, NatWolff, Marissa O’Donnell and Maddie Corman joined in for the party hosted by Forevermark and The Wall Street Journal. Directed by Driving Miss Daisy director Bruce Beresford, the film, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall (followed by a U.S. debut at the Woodstock Film Festival – natch!) follows Manhattan lawyer Diane (Keener) who drives her teenage son Jake (Nat Wolff) and adult daughter Zoe (Elizabeth Olsen) to visit their Woodstock-bound hippie grandmother Grace (Fonda), who the kids have never met. Grace stages protests, smokes and sells dope, but their weekend getaway morphs into a summer adventure of romance, music and more. “It was amazing to have such veteran actors like Jane Fonda and Catherine Keener working alongside newcomers [at the time] Nat Wolff and Elizabeth Olsen,” Peace producer Claude Dal Farra told ML. “This was actually the first movie-set for Elizabeth and Nat.” Others at the party Monday included Robin Morgan, GloriaSteinem, Carol Alt, Ashleigh Banfield, Joshua Bell, Jewelle Bickford, Sandy Brant, Julie Burton, Ron Claiborne, Jamie Colby, Alan Cox ( The Dictator ), Rebecca Dayan ( Celeste & Jesse Forever ), Aleksa Palladino ( Boardwalk Empire ), Savanna Wise ( Smash ) and Casper Zafer ( The Vampire Diaries ). IFC Films will open Peace, Love & Misunderstanding beginning this Friday. [Photo credit: Amanda Schwab/Starpix]
Also in Tuesday afternoon’s news round-up, Participant Media picks up Mexican actor/filmmaker Diego Luna’s latest project starring Michael Peña and America Ferrera, Relativity scores Alberto Iglesias for its latest project, indie thriller Backgammon gets rolling, meeting young Hollywood’s “It-Photographer” and Moscow’s Bolshoi to hit U.S. theaters. Participant Takes Rights to Diego Luna’s Chavez Participant Media has taken North American rights to the film which stars Crash actor Michael Peña as the famed California labor organizer Cesar Chavez. Currently filming in Sonora, Mexico, the film also stars America Ferrera, Rosario Dawson and Wes Bentley in a script by Hotel Rwanda writer Keir Pearson. The story revolves around “Chavez’s fearless determination in organizing the largest non-violent protest in U.S. history to accomplish his ultimate goal of obtaining basic human rights for over 50,000 farm workers in California.” Relativity Taps Alberto Iglesias to Score Scott Cooper’s Out of the Furnace The three-time Oscar®-nominated composer Alberto Iglesias ( Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ) to score the gritty drama currently-titled Out of the Furnace , written and directed Scott Cooper ( Crazy Heart ). The film stars Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Forest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe and Sam Shepard. Indie Thriller Backgammon Begins Shoot 3:1 Cinema and Fischer Productions have begun production on the project, based on the cult novel Bloody Baudelaire by R.B. Russell. Directed by Francisco Orvañanos stars group of up-and-comers including Noah Silver ( The Borgias ), Brittany Allen ( The Rocker ) Alex Beh ( Sugar ), Olivia Crocicchia ( Terri ) and Christian Alexander ( The Lying Game ). Around the ‘net… Jon Favreau May Be Heading to Jersey Boys The Iron Man director is apparently the frontrunner to direct GK Films’ Jersey Boys , Graham King’s feature adaptation of the Broadway musical “Jersey Boys: The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.” The story revolves around Valli and the other members of pop group Four Seasons during their meteoric rise to stardom, Variety reports . Police Academy Reboot Taps Jeremy Garelick Garelick, who wrote The Break-up is joining New Line’s revival of the Police Academy franchise which produced seven versions of the comedy beginning in the ’80s, Deadline reports . Extreme Photographer of Lindsay Lohan & Young Hollywood Gets Notoriety and Threats Tyler Shields, who photographed Lindsay Lohan with a gun in her mouth, is getting death threats with his new series, which shows his g/f Francesca Eastwood (daughter of Clint) destroying a $100K Hermès Birkin bag. Shields is young Hollywood’s de factor house photographer, The Daily Beast reports . Six Ballets to Emerge at Cinemark Theaters: Summer Emerging Pictures will present “Ballet in Cinema” at 50 Cinemark Theatres beginning in June. The six recently recorded live ballets will play across the U.S. through August inkling performances from Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet, Thompson on Hollywood reports .
The Perks of Being a Wallflower stars Three Musketeers cutie Logan Lerman as introverted-but-adorbs high school freshman Charlie (Lerman), who enters teen society searching for like-minded “misfits” and finds Emma Watson and Ezra Miller (last seen making a very different impression on his classmates in We Need to Talk About Kevin ). Is Charlie going to go all Angela Chase, narrating the brave new world of busting weird dance moves at Homecoming and standing up to bullies and shouting ironically at cheerleaders? If you’ve read Stephen Chbosky’s source novel of the same name, you already know what to expect — and it’s not quite as My So-Called Life -y as the trailer suggests. (Chbosky also writes and directs the film, with John Malkovich among producers who are onboard.) While we get a glimpse here of Paul Rudd as Charlie’s teacher, there’s not much of a peek at the rest of the cast, including Nicholas Braun, Johnny Simmons, Kate Walsh, Dylan McDermott, and Melanie Lynskey. Still… Verdict: In for the triple threat of young talent that is Lerman, Watson, and Miller alone. Bring the angst, kids. The Perks of Being a Wallflower hits theaters on September 14.
Also in Monday afternoon’s news round up, Outfest unveils its 30th anniversary lineup, Ashley Tisdale joins the next Scary Movie , Cannes and Sundance winner Beasts of the Southern Wild is set to open Stateside film festival, Matt Dillon and Brendan Fraser are among the cast set for a new dark comedy, Christina Ricci will join Susan Sarandon in an upcoming project and Christopher Nolan says good bye to Howard Hughes pic. Woody Allen Sets Cast for Untitled Project The director named his cast in alphabetical order Monday for his next film which will shoot in New York and San Francisco this summer. Joining the cast are: Alec Baldwin, Cate Blanchett, Louis C.K., Bobby Cannavale, Andrew Dice Clay, Michael Emerson, Sally Hawkins and Peter Sarsgaard. Co-stars include Max Casella and Alden Ehrenreich. It is a Gravier Productions film produced by Allen’s long time producers, Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum. This will be Allen’s second film in San Francisco following his 1969 debut Take the Money and Run . Outfest Unveils 30th Anniversary Roster Director John Waters will be feted at the event, which will open with HBO documentary Vito on July 12th. The oldest festival in Los Angeles and one of the largest LGBT film events in the U.S., Outfest will screen 147 films from 24 countries. The festival will close with Struck by Lightning starring Glee star Chris Colfer who wrote the script. Other galas include Keep the Lights On , sexually charged Young & Wild , ACT UP doc How to Survive a Plague and Mosquito Y Mari which will screen as the fest’s Centerpiece. For more info on the Outfest lineup, visit their website . Ashley Tisdale to Star in Scary Movie 5 Ashley Tisdale has been cast as one of the leads in Dimension Films’ Scary Movie 5 , the latest installment in the franchise. Scary Movie 5 production will begin this summer. Tisdale played Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical franchise. The Scary Movie franchise has made over $800 million worldwide. Beasts of the Southern Wild to Open 16th American Black Film Festival The Sundance and Cannes winner will bow the event taking place June 20 – 23 in Miami, Florida. Raising Izzie , which was the winner of the 2011 GMC Faith and Family Screenplay Competition, will close out the festival on Saturday, June 23. Beasts is set in a “forgotten but defiant bayou community cut off from the rest of the world by a sprawling levee where a six-year-old girl exists on the brink of orphanhood. Buoyed by her childish optimism and extraordinary imagination, she believes that the natural world is in balance with the universe until a fierce storm changes her reality,” according to the event. Zarafa and Rabbi’s Cat Head to GKids U.S. rights to Zarafa which debuted at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year as well as The Rabbi’s Cat have been picked up by GKids. The Rabbi’s Cat won the French Cesar Award for best animated feature in February. Around the ‘net… Prometheus Arrives to ‘Mixed Atmospheric Readings’ “The 87% ‘fresh’ audience rating on rottentomatoes.com makes it one of the year’s best-received saturation-release films, and yet there’s a thread of uncertainty running through even the most gushing of reviews, a sense that Scott has produced an epic entertainment without actually delivering a particularly ‘good’ film,” writes The Guardian . Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser Board Pawn Shop Chronicles Also joining the cast of the project directed by Wayne Kramer are Elijah Wood, Vincent D’Onofrio, Pell James, Thomas Jane, Lukas Haas, Chi McBride, Ashlee Simpson, Kevin Rankin, DJ Qualls, Michael Cudlitz and Norman Reedus. The dark comedy centers on a man searching for his abducted wife, Deadline reports . Christina Ricci Joins Mother’s Day She will join Susan Sarandon and her real life daughter Eva Amurri Martino in the drama. Directed by Paul Duddridge, the film revolves around the relationships between a dozen mothers and daughters, Deadline reports . Christopher Nolan’s Howard Hughes Pic is Dead The director said the project is now gone in the latest issue of Empire Magazine, via The Playlist . “Luckily I managed to find another wealthy, quirky character who’s orphaned at a young age,” the director said referring to his next film which will hit theaters this summer, The Dark Knight Rises .
Also in Monday morning’s brief roundup, the American Black Film Festival will celebrate Think Like a Man , Moonrise Kingdom and Best Exotic Marigold Hotel reign in the specialty box office, while The Avengers passes a new milestone. And the team behind 21 Jump Street take on resuscitating a floundering project. American Black Film Festival to Fete Think Like a Man Think Like a Man opened to $33.6 million on just over 2,000 screens and became Screen Gems’ highest opener ever targeting African-American audiences. On Friday, June 22, the 16th Annual American Black Festival in Miami Beach, FL, ABFF will celebrate the success of the hit film in an event that will include the film’s producer Will Packer, his business partner Rob Hardy, the film’s director, Tim Story as well as select cast members. Around the ‘net… Specialty Box Office: Moonrise Kingdom and Marigold Hotel Shine as Newcomers Fizzle Among specialty releases, holdovers held the spotlight the first weekend of June. Memorial Day weekend’s record-breaking opener Moonrise Kingdom retained its crown atop the box office in the specialty arena, averaging just over $53K per theater in 16 locations, Deadline reports . Carousel of Hope to Throw George Clooney Bash The group which fights childhood diabetes will host an October gala featuring George Clooney. The biennial fundraiser is the “glitziest, most elaborate event on Hollywood’s charity calendar.” The 26th Carousel of Hope ball, set for Oct. 20 at the Beverly Hilton, Variety reports . The Avengers No. 3 Film of All Time Disney said its latest superhero blockbuster is now the third largest grossing film domestically, surpassing The Dark Knight ‘s $533M. The Avengers passed $538.1M domestically and over $793M internationally making its total over $1.3 billion, Deadline reports . Michael Mann to Lead Venice Jury The director/producer will serve as the leader of the main jury at the 69th Venice Film Festival taking place August 29 – September 8. Also a TV producer ( Miami Vice he directed Manhunter, Heat and Collateral, among others, Variety reports . 21 Jump Street Directors in Negotiations for Carter Beats the Devil Phil Lord and Chris Miller are trying to get Carter Beats the Devil off the ground. Based on the historical mystery novel revolving around magician Charles Carter and written by Glen David Gold, the project has been on Hollywood’s hit list since it was published back in 2001, but it has nevertheless floundered despite heavy-hitters efforts, THR reports .
