“Freeman’s rep tells us the actor remained silent for years because he didn’t want to ‘dignify these stories by commenting’ … but now he feels compelled to speak out after the reports were picked up by various ‘mainstream media’ outlets. In his statement, Freeman says, ‘The recent reports of any pending marriage or romantic relationship of me to anyone are defamatory fabrications from the tabloid media designed to sell papers. What is even more alarming is that these fabrications are now being picked up by the legitimate press as well.'” Sorry about that, Mr. Freeman. In other news: TGIF. [ TMZ ]
“It sounds creepy, but basically I just enjoy looking at her face, and think about it a lot. Even when she was a child actor in Panic Room , she just always appears very, very tired. She looks like she has an old soul. There’s something about her presence on camera and how she carries herself. She’s very intriguing. A lot of times, it looks like she hasn’t slept for two days and it’s exciting to think about: ‘What were you doing? Why were you awake so long? What were you thinking about?'” Julia Vickerman’s MUCHOS KSTEW , comprised entirely of artwork inspired by Twilight ‘s Kristen Stewart , runs through April 20 at L.A.’s Meltdown Comics. [ Next Movie ]
Continuing along the theme of projects that make you feel unsafe within the confines of your own house/cabin/local bed and breakfast, Innkeepers director Ti West has been tapped to script Bedbugs , adapted from Ben H. Winters’ 2011 novel of the same name. The tale follows a woman who moves into the perfect Brooklyn brownstone with her family, only to be plagued by an infestation of bugs … that only seem to be biting her. Is your skin crawling yet? West, who also has Liv Tyler signed for his next directing project The Side Effect , previously wrote and directed 2005’s The Roost , 2007’s Trigger Man , his 2009 breakout horror House of the Devil , the disavowed Cabin Fever 2 , and his haunted hotel tale The Innkeepers , and contributed shorts to the forthcoming horror anthologies V/H/S and The ABCs of Death . The psychological horror of Bedbugs , meanwhile, drew comparisons to Rosemary’s Baby upon publishing last year. Take a look at the book trailer for Bedbugs for a general taste of the “urban paranoia” at hand. Though no director has yet been set for the film, you can at least count on West to pen better atmospherics than the infomercial-grade scares seen here. The book’s synopsis, via Amazon: FOR RENT: Top two floors of beautifully renovated brownstone, 1300 sq. ft., 2BR 2BA, eat-in kitchen, one block to parks and playgrounds. No broker’s fee. Susan and Alex Wendt have found their dream apartment. Sure, the landlady is a little eccentric. And the elderly handyman drops some cryptic remarks about the basement. But the rent is so low, it’s too good to pass up. Big mistake. Susan soon discovers that her new home is crawling with bedbugs . . . or is it? She awakens every morning with fresh bites, but neither Alex nor their daughter Emma has a single welt. An exterminator searches the property and turns up nothing. The landlady insists her building is clean. Susan fears she’s going mad—until a more sinister explanation presents itself: she may literally be confronting the bedbug problem from Hell. [via Deadline ]
Promoting his indie genre-bender Detention today in Los Angeles (in theaters Friday), Hunger Games star Josh Hutcherson found himself in the line of questioning about the much-discussed ambiguity surrounding director Gary Ross ‘s potential return to the franchise. “I think Gary’s the man,” he diplomatically told The Hollywood Reporter . “Gary is in my mind is the only one that could ever direct the second one. That’s what I’m sticking to.” ( UPDATE : Looks like Hutcherson’ll have to readjust his thinking – Ross is officially out of the running for Catching Fire .) Also speaking with ComingSoon , the erstwhile Peeta Mellark stood his ground on Team Ross. “He killed the first one, absolutely knocked it out of the park. Everyone loved him. Myself, Jennifer and the others loved him. I couldn’t imagine making another movie without him, so that’s what I have to say about that.” Ross is still reportedly hashing out the Catching Fire gig with Lionsgate despite suggestions that the two had reached an impasse in negotiations. For the time being, the studio isn’t quite ready to pull a Catherine Hardwicke and announce the search for a new franchise director. But the clock is still ticking, especially if the next book in Suzanne Collins’ bestselling Hunger Games series is set to begin filming later this summer… [ THR , ComingSoon ]
Well, that was fast: Just hours after Josh Hutcherson gamely threw his support behind Hunger Games director Gary Ross , Ross has officially announced he’s not directing the franchise sequel, Catching Fire . “I simply don’t have the time I need to write and prep the movie I would have wanted to make,” wrote Ross in a statement. More after the jump. Whatever happened behind the scenes, Ross and Lionsgate’s joint statements make a point to emphasize that not directing Catching Fire was Ross’s decision, not the studio’s — a nicety that conveys good terms whether or not tough negotiations over salary and the like were had. Similar sentiments were expressed back in 2008 when, after opening the first Twilight film at number 1 on the way to a $392 million global take, director Catherine Hardwicke and Summit parted ways. Back then, the reason given was that Hardwicke’s desired amount of time to properly develop the sequel was longer than what the studio wanted to allot. “I am sorry that due to timing I will not have the opportunity to direct New Moon ,” Hardwicke said in December 2008 . “Directing Twilight has been one of the great experiences of my life, and I am grateful to the fans for their passionate support of the film. I wish everyone at Summit the best with the sequel — it is a great story. Compare that with Ross’s statement and let the wild speculation roll as to why Ross is truly out — and, more importantly, who’ll step in to fill his director’s chair on the rapidly approaching Catching Fire , said to be slated to begin filming as early as this August. Despite recent speculation in the media, and after difficult but sincere consideration, I have decided not to direct Catching Fire . As a writer and a director, I simply don’t have the time I need to write and prep the movie I would have wanted to make because of the fixed and tight production schedule. I loved making The Hunger Games – it was the happiest experience of my professional life. Lionsgate was supportive of me in a manner that few directors ever experience in a franchise: they empowered me to make the film I wanted to make and backed the movie in a way that requires no explanation beyond the remarkable results. And contrary to what has been reported, negotiations with Lionsgate have not been problematic. They have also been very understanding of me through this difficult decision. I also cannot say enough about the people I worked with: Producer Nina Jacobson, a great collaborator and a true friend; the brilliant Suzanne Collins, who entrusted us with her most amazing and important story; the gifted and remarkable Jennifer Lawrence whose performance exceeded my wildest expectations, and the rest of the incredible cast, whom I am proud to call my friends. To the fans I want to say thank you for your support your faith, your enthusiasm and your trust. Hard as this may be to understand I am trying to keep that trust with you. Thank you all. It’s been a wonderful experience. Statement from Lionsgate: We’re very sorry that Gary Ross has chosen not to direct Catching Fire . We were really looking forward to making the movie with him. He did an incredible job on the first film and we are grateful for his work. This will not be the end of our relationship, as we consider Ross to be part of the Lionsgate family and look forward to working with him in the future. [via Deadline ]
The off-Broadway musical adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie may have outlasted its 1988 stage predecessor by four times the stage run, but it died nonetheless last weekend — two weeks early! The NYT has the post-mortem: “Several theater producers contacted recently said that Carrie , no matter how well acted and sung, presented far more than the usual share of difficulties, the most insurmountable being that nearly every character is dead at the end….Several reviewers complained about certain songs and a one-note blandness in the high school scenes, but the sharpest criticism was that Carrie had been de-camped to the point of dullness.” Chloe Moretz , you’re our last hope! [ NYT via Movie City News ]
The off-Broadway musical adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie may have outlasted its 1988 stage predecessor by four times the stage run, but it died nonetheless last weekend — two weeks early! The NYT has the post-mortem: “Several theater producers contacted recently said that Carrie , no matter how well acted and sung, presented far more than the usual share of difficulties, the most insurmountable being that nearly every character is dead at the end….Several reviewers complained about certain songs and a one-note blandness in the high school scenes, but the sharpest criticism was that Carrie had been de-camped to the point of dullness.” Chloe Moretz , you’re our last hope! [ NYT via Movie City News ]
Where does Martin Scorsese stand on the enduring cultural clash between vampires and zombies? Where else? “I happen to like vampires more than zombies. A vampire, quite honestly, you could have a conversation with. He has a sexuality. I mean the undead thing… Zombies, what are you going to do with them? Just keep chopping them up, shooting at them, shooting at them. It’s a whole other thing that apparently means a great deal to our culture and our society. There are many, many books written about it and many movies. I saw one in London when I was doing Hugo. I saw one late at night one weekend. It was called Colin, by a young filmmaker [Marc Price]. He shot it, I think, digitally by himself, edited it himself. It was savage. It had an energy that took the zombie idea to another level. Really interesting filmmaking. Disturbing.” Also: He gets Raging Bull II just about as much as you and I do. [ GQ via /film ]
Where does Martin Scorsese stand on the enduring cultural clash between vampires and zombies? Where else? “I happen to like vampires more than zombies. A vampire, quite honestly, you could have a conversation with. He has a sexuality. I mean the undead thing… Zombies, what are you going to do with them? Just keep chopping them up, shooting at them, shooting at them. It’s a whole other thing that apparently means a great deal to our culture and our society. There are many, many books written about it and many movies. I saw one in London when I was doing Hugo. I saw one late at night one weekend. It was called Colin, by a young filmmaker [Marc Price]. He shot it, I think, digitally by himself, edited it himself. It was savage. It had an energy that took the zombie idea to another level. Really interesting filmmaking. Disturbing.” Also: He gets Raging Bull II just about as much as you and I do. [ GQ via /film ]
Since Will Ferrell dropped the late-night bombshell that Anchorman 2 was a go the other week, the world’s been wondering: What has Ron Burgundy been up to since 2004’s Anchorman ? Speaking with AM760/Salon , co-writer/director Adam McKay dropped a few hints about the sequel, which is currently being scripted. “I don’t want to give away too much, but I’ll just give a couple pieces of ideas that we’ve kicked around. Keep in mind we’re still writing the story, but I’ll say one phrase for you: custody battle. I’ll give you that. I’ll give you one other one: bowling for dollars.” So… any guesses? It has been eight real world years since Ron wooed his lady co-anchor Veronica Corningstone with his sweet jazz flute stylings circa 1975, so assuming the same amount of time has passed in Anchorman years it’d make sense if they now have a little Burgundy running around. Mind you, this is pure speculation, but just think about that for a second: A MINI RON BURGUNDY. YES PLEASE. Maybe the pressures of co-hosting World News Center drove a wedge in Ron and Veronica’s relationship and they’re fighting over their kid, Kramer vs. Kramer -style and the only way to get his family back is with… bowling? That’s all I’ve got with so little to go on. So have at it, Movieliners; what could Ron Burgundy be up to in Anchorman 2 — and what would you like to see from him and the rest of the Channel Four News Team? [AM760/ Salon ]
