Russell Crowe and Darren Aronofsky are busy with Noah. Will Smith is apparently tackling the Biblical brother rivals Cain in Abel in his directorial debut. Paul Verhoeven is taking on the big man himself in Jesus of Nazareth and now his earthly mother will be getting a big screen focus. Mary Mother of Christ will show Jesus’ life up until about adolescence and the recently retired Peter O’ Toole is apparently coming out of retirement to join the project, which is being billed as a prequel to The Passion of the Christ . The project is still casting, based on a script by Benedict Fitzgerald, who co-wrote Mel Gibson’s bloody crucifixion pic and Barbara Nicolosi. 15 year-old Odeya Rush ( The Odd Life of Timothy Green ) will play the role of Mary. Peter O’ Toole is apparently heading out of retirement to play Simeon, who blessed the infant Jesus, and Julia Ormond will play the mother of John the Baptist, Elizabeth, according to The Guardian. Ben Kingsley, meanwhile is apparently eyeing to play the era’s evil monarch, King Herod and producers are apparently hoping Judi Dench will take the role of Anna the Prophetess, a widow between 84 and 105 years old. They are also going after Hugh Bonneville to play Satan. Texas-based televangelist/author Joel Osteen is executive producing the project, and Aussie filmmaker Alister Grierson, who directed James Cameron’s deep sea dive film Sanctum , will direct Mary Mother of Christ. Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ made over $611 million worldwide and over $370 million domestically. [ The Guardian ]
Things have been a tad quiet on the Planet of the Apes front of late, but Deadline reports that the sequel to Rupert Wyatt’s hit reboot — saddled with the unwieldy title Dawn of the Planet of the Apes , which instantly makes me think zombies are going to join in with our primate frenemies on the assault on mankind — has landed a new director in Matt Reeves ( Cloverfield , Let Me In ). Wyatt did well with his franchise re-starting Rise of the Planet of the Apes (only his second film, following the festival hit The Escapist ) so it was a bit surprising when he left the Fox sequel last month. The film only earned one Oscar nod, for Best Visual Effects, but notably sparked debate over the performance-capture as art thanks to Andy Serkis’s work as ape Caesar. Reeves demonstrated an innovative sensibility with Cloverfield and earned critical support with his most recent effort Let Me In , the Americanized remake of the kid vampire flick Let The Right One In . (Cue groan-worthy Hollywood puns: Did Fox let the right director in? ) Given the effects work and close collaboration with WETA that the first Apes film involved, however, he’s got a big job ahead of him in order to meet the Apes sequel’s May 23, 2014 release date. [via Deadline ]
These hardscrabble times deserve a movie about hardscrabble life. So, it’s not surprising to see Deadline’ s Mike Fleming report that Sony Pictures and Scott Rudin are talking about making a feature film based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s classic book series about 19th-century farm life in the West, Little House On The Prairie. Judging from the players who appear to be coalescing around the project though, the Little House movie will be True Grit -tier — and, possibly, funnier — than the popular shucks-and-darn NBC TV series that ran from 1974-83. Rudin, who produced No Country for Old Men, True Grit and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo , likes to serve up culture that explores the darker aspects of humanity. Even the whimsical Moonrise Kingdom had two very troubled teens at the center of its story. Director David Gordon Green is best known for directing two smart-ass comedies, Pineapple Express and The Sitter , which really has me hoping that Seth Rogen will play Pa Ingalls as a homegrown hemp-smoking pioneer. And Abi Morgan wrote the screenplays for The Iron Lady and Shame, which were not exactly family-friendly movies. I’d love to see what Morgan would do with one of my favorite weird lines from the TV series. When Nellie Oleson, the 19th-century equivalent of a mean girl complains that Laura Ingalls too often does not smell as girlie as she should and often stinks of sweat and/or fish, Laura replies: “I sweat a lot and I fish a lot!” [ Deadline] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis will take part in a live question-and-answer session on Yahoo! in New York following an early special multi-city screening of Lincoln on Oct. 10. Dreamworks Pictures, which will release Lincoln on Nov. 16, announced on Monday that the discussion with the director and star of the hightly anticipated film will take place in New York after a 7 p.m. screening at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The movie will also simultaneously screen in nine other cities: Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Boston, Washington DC, Seattle, Miami, Atlanta and Houston. The Q&A will stream live on Yahoo! Movies and audiences at the screenings will view it live via satellite after the film. Questions can be submitted via Twitter using the hashtag: #Lincolnmovie. Let’s hope this goes more smoothly than t he glitchy Google Hangout session with Spielberg and Joseph Gordon-Levitt that took place Sept. 4.
Friday night saw the opening gala for the fantasy adaptation Life of Pi at the 50th Annual New York Film Festival, and oh boy the times they are a’changing! Who’d have ever guessed that a 3-D flick would open a prestigious film festival? Well, apparently if it’s from Ang Lee all bets are off. The director got major kudos from his peers for embracing 3D, with Fox head honcho Tom Rothman saying Lee has even topped Scorsese’s use of the medium in Hugo ! Check out my video interview below not just to hear Lee defend 3-D, but for an awesome Movieline shout out from Frank Oz himself. Plus: Tom Rothman has a warning for all other films on behalf of his upcoming Steven Spielberg sci-fi actioner, Robopocalypse , which I’m pretty sure will be in 3-D… Follow Movieline on Twitter . Follow Grace on Twitter .
After humming along with this weekend’s a capella comedy Pitch Perfect , you’re going to want to know more about Skylar Astin, the 25-year-old Broadway alum who made his film debut in Hamlet 2 , appeared in Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock , and sings his way into Anna Kendrick ‘s heart this weekend as Jesse, Beca’s adorably movie-obsessed aca-love interest and member of the Bellas’ rival team, The Treble Makers. Movieline put ten questions (more or less) to Astin for a chat about Pitch Perfect , the summer camp vibe on set, his upcoming comedy projects, and — perhaps most importantly — why the ’90s Swedish pop outfit Ace of Base deserves props. Musicals are popular in the age of Glee , and Pitch Perfect also pays homage to the spirit of John Hughes movies and the romantic comedies of the ‘80s and ‘90s, but why do you think it resonates so much? I think in so many ways it follows a formula that works in terms of big ensemble comedies, but there are elements of it that have never been done before. For one, a capella has never completely dominated a movie. There have been elements of it — I know John Michael Higgins had a moment in The Break-Up that was hilarious — but I think that there’s something unique about it that doesn’t go too far in one direction, and it’s just fun. You just enjoy it. There’s something that seems very organic about the comedy and the style. You started out very successfully on Broadway, alongside Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele in Spring Awakening . Were you looking for a project like Pitch Perfect that specifically involved music? It seemed like a healthy transition for me but it was more of a coincidence. I wasn’t only searching for these movies but it did seem to fall into place beautifully. I responded because it’s something that’s close to home but I wasn’t actively searching — but I’m not going to complain about it either. Your first film, which was also a musical, was Hamlet 2 — which featured you singing a song with the best song title. Which one? “Raped in the Face?” [Laughs] That is the most ridiculous song ever. It was quite the auspicious debut, Hamlet 2 , and now you have a few more comedies lined up after Pitch Perfect . What types of projects do you find yourself naturally drawn to? I’m at a place right now where I’m not opposed to anything. I worked on dramas before, I love sinking my teeth into something dramatic or a period piece, but there’s something so fun about doing a comedy. When you go to set and your only job is to make people laugh, there’s an unbelievable energy on set. Nobody’s tiptoeing or walking delicately around the actors. I really love doing it, and putting the puzzle together with the sole purpose of making people have fun and enjoy themselves. On the set of Pitch Perfect you had all of these great singers and performers constantly around you. Did the cast spontaneously erupt in song between takes or anything like that? We had a strict no-singing rule. No, I’m kidding. It was exactly that — I wish I could tell you something even crazier but it was like an all-star theater camp, where you had people you’d recognized from TV and film singing theater songs or pop songs on the radio. We were constantly harmonizing with each other, which got to a weird place after a couple of weeks. But when you’re in this kind of ensemble it really feels like you’re putting on a play. So there is that energy of all of us hanging out together and seeing movies together and singing, and God forbid someone pulls out a guitar — it’s just gonna get crazy. I do feel like the film is a bit unfair to one particular song. That would be Ace of Base’s “The Sign,” which becomes a running gag… Oh my god, 1994! I have the album. Were there any songs that, by the end of the shoot, you were all completely sick of hearing, that you wanted to call a moratorium on? The only song that could be in that category for the sake of pure repetition would probably be the medley that the Bellas do throughout the whole first half of the movie. They keep the same kind of routine just like they do in the movie and during rehearsals there were slight changes in each, but playback-wise it was the same thing. That was definitely the most-played song. But my mom used to work out to those songs in my basement when I was growing up; she used to blast “The Rhythm Is Going To Get You,” “Turn The Beat Around,” “The Sign” — those are songs that have been burned into my memory forever, so I don’t think I could a see them in a negative light. Good! Because “The Sign” demands and deserves a popular revival. I think Anna Camp and Brittany Snow are just the people to do it. Now, Skylar Astin is not your full birth name – what’s the story there? Skylar is my first name and Astin is my middle name, and my real last name is Lipstein. When I was 15 I think my first agent just kind of did it for me. I’m not ashamed, I’m not embarrassed, but she said it was just less specific to one thing and she kind of chopped it off. But forever to my friends I will be Skylar Lipstein. Looking to the future, you’ve got 21 and Over from the writer of The Hangover , and you also have a comedy called Cavemen . Meanwhile, your Pitch Perfect character Jesse is kind of the perfect college boy-romantic love interest. Where do you see yourself heading in, say, five years’ time? He’s definitely sweet as sugar. [Laughs] In five years I just want to be working on things that excite me. I’m open to everything. It could be a 19th century period piece or another awesome comedy with the same crew that did 21 and Over . Or it could be Pitch Perfect 4 ! Who knows? Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
As Movieline’ s The Player columnist Luke McKinney noted earlier this week, Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph could be the first true video gamer movie, in part, because of the way its animated cast of original characters mingle with some very recognizable classic video-game stars. And on Friday the studio offered a much deeper look into the world that Emmy-winning director Rich Moore has created for the big screen by releasing stills of characters from Wreck-It Ralph ‘s world as well as some familiar computer-generated faces from other games. Voiced by John C. Reilly , Wreck-It Ralph’s journey begins when he tires of always playing the bad guy to Fix-It Felix ( 30 Rock’ s Jack McBrayer ) and heads off on a long, strange (but family friendly) trip through multiple generations of video games to prove that he’s got the right stuff to be a hero. On his vision question, Ralph meets some new pixillated friends, including no-nonsense Sergeant Calhoun (voiced by Glee ‘s Jane Lynch) from the Call of Duty -like Hero’s Duty, and Vanellope von Schweetz ( Sarah Silverman ), a feisty gal in the candy-centric Mario Kart homage, Sugar Rush . If I’m putting money on which of those two characters becomes the chaste love interest, it’s Vanellope. These and other answers will be revealed on Nov. 2 when the picture is released in Disney Digital 3D. Q*bert Zangief, from ‘Street Figher’
Thor actress Jaimie Alexander was sidelined after something on set of the Marvel sequel went wrong, Thor: The Dark World . “Today I sustained a pretty horrible injury,” Tweeted the erstwhile superhuman warrioress Lady Sif on Monday. “I’m lucky I’m not paralyzed. Thank you (with all of my heart) to those who’ve looked after me.” Alexander kept her Twitter following updated as she underwent treatment for the as-yet undisclosed injury. Already in recovery mode and my spirits are high. I'll be back kicking ass as Lady Sif in no time! It can only get better from here on out!— Jaimie Alexander (@JaimieAlexander) September 24, 2012 Feeling better today! Speedy recovery taking place! Off to see another specialist. A smile on my face 🙂 Thank you for all the love! XO— Jaimie Alexander (@JaimieAlexander) September 25, 2012 Received great news today! Meds are kicking in. Awesome funny nurses here at the hospital. Physio tomorrow. All good. #HappySif #Thankful — Jaimie Alexander (@JaimieAlexander) September 25, 2012 The athletic Alexander reprises her role as Thor’s fellow Asgardian Sif in the November 13 pic. She Tweeted today that she was scheduled to be discharged from the hospital. Speedy recovery! [ @JaimeAlexander via Next Movie ]
Is there a name more tattered in the annals of big-movie casting choices than George Lazenby ? Notice I say “choice” rather than “mistake,” because for all the static about the admittedly somewhat wooden Lazenby’s shortcomings, he managed to hold his own as the steady center of what James Bond fans have gradually come to recognize as one of the hidden highlights of the series, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service . His filmmaking peers vouch that although inexperienced and not always a day at the beach in terms of temperament, Lazenby was ultimately a pro in his work habits and showed a confidence that enabled him to brazen through a rather daunting succession: replacing the world’s favorite Bond while acting opposite one of the franchise’s most memorable Bond girls. That would be Diana Rigg as Tracy, the daughter of crime boss Draco (played by Gabriele Ferzetti as The Most Interesting Man In the World, 1968-style). “What she needs is a man to dominate her,” Daddy D says of his daughter, but, before we get any comments from readers of The End of Men, be advised that Tracy is more than a match for Bond. And it’s not just because The Avengers goddess Rigg —that’s the classic 1960s UK TV spy series, not the Marvel superhero costume party—is more than a match for Lazenby. It’s because the rather sharp script from one of Ian Fleming’s darker Bond sagas gives the debonair spy license to submit to her charms and depths. As Charles Taylor wrote of Rigg’s Tracy in Salon nearly 15 years ago, “Her presence enhances the whole concept of James Bond. For the first time, Bond has to prove himself worthy of a woman he’s attracted to.” We meet Tracy (aka Countess Teresa) in the pre-credits action when her cardinal-colored Mercury Cougar zooms past Bond’s ride. Although he prevents her suicide in the surf and beats down two thugs who try to grab her, she zooms away, leaving a gaping Lazenby to break the fourth wall and say, “This never happened to the other fella.” [Related: POLL: Vote for Your Favorite Bond Film ] In the making-of featurette that’s found on the Special Editon DVD and in the new 50th-anniversary box set, Lazenby calls that line “A way of breaking the ice,” and he’s right. Director Peter Hunt, who’d been an editor on previous Bond films, explains he decided to accept that Sean Connery’s departure from the role (which would then go on to Roger Moore, et al) was a lurch. So, in order to “get on with it”, he simply asked Lazenby to insert the line, which the model-turned-actor — in his first film role — had been tossing out occasionally on set. It’s a moment not unlike one in the early innings of The Bourne Legacy , when Jeremy Renner , taking over for Matt Damon , is trying to puzzle out his place in the franchise’s deadly world. “You ask too many questions,” says his fellow operative, surely a subtle reminder from writer-director Tony Gilroy that we should simply belt in and take the ride with the new guy. Lazenby’s ride was a turbulent one, thanks in part to his back-seat driving. From the start, the producers of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service had problems calibrating the neophyte’s self-importance: Though he was a tough Aussie who’d been a soldier back home before moving to London in 1963 (where he initially worked as a car salesman), Lazenby groaned about the cold Portugese surf that day he shot the pre-credits surf scene with Rigg. When he had an “I’m the star” snit one night at the Swiss location where the film’s spectacular ski chases were shot, franchise kingpin Cubby Broccoli reminded him that he wasn’t a star until the public decided he was. That was never to be, of course. Director Hunt decided after a frustrating hunt for Connery’s replacement that Lazenby “oozed sexual magnetism”, and Rigg personally signed off on his casting. The film’s cinematographer rather hopefully avers in the making-of short that the filmmakers thought they had found the “ruthlessness of Jack Palance and the charm of Cary Grant” in Lazenby. Alas, the actor’s unfortunate wardrobe in the movie — color-coordinated ensembles, bathrobes and frilly formal shirts — made him look more Austin Powers than James Bond, though a kilt Lazenby wears makes for a good gag. After a girl in a mountaintop harem scrawls her room number in lipstick well up on Lazenby’s left thigh, a henchman for Telly Savalas’ marginally suave Blofeld asks Bond about his physical state following a chopper lift to the cold, mountainous climate. In response, our hero admits to “Just a slight stiffness coming on.”
More Muhammad pics are in the planning stages and this time, they may include cinematic quality. By now, just about every filmmaker or aspiring filmmaker knows that it’s a full-on major taboo to depict the Prophet Muhammad in a movie. That rule doesn’t just apply to the recent low-budget video that appeared on YouTube, Innocence of Muslims , which didn’t exactly depict the Muslim prophet in the best of light, but any depiction is absolutely forbidden among Muslims or anyone else for that matter, at least according to the raging crowds that have rioted for the past two weeks in front of American missions around the Muslim world. But while depictions of Muhammad have remained mostly absent in Hollywood and Western movies throughout the decades, the anti-Islam pic may have had the unintended (or not) effect of opening up a floodgate – or at least a trickle – as at least two filmmakers are looking to make separate pics featuring the prophet, and if all goes according to plan, their budgets will likely be higher. Leading the next possible wave of Muhammad projects are two ex-Muslims who are developing biopics that will give critical takes on Muhammad, according to the Los Angeles Times . L.A. based Palestinian filmmaker Mosab Hassan Yousef told the paper he has cast a “prominent Hollywood actor” to play Muhamad in a project he says has a proposed budget of $30 million. The story would center on the prophet from age 12 until his death and would be reminiscent of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ . “My goal is to create this big mirror to show the Muslim world the true image of its leader,” Yousef is quoted as saying. The one difference with the depiction of Jesus Christ, however, is that Yousef’s take may be less of a glorified account of Muhammad than Gibson’s Passion . Yousef’s book Son of Hamas tells of his journey from a “terrorist to Israeli spy to born-again Christian,” according to L.A.T. He claims to not be ‘anti-Muslim,’ and says his mother is still a practicing member of the religion that claims 1.5 billion followers worldwide, but he apparently converted under the guidance of a radical Egyptian Christian – Father Zakaria Botros Henein – who has criticized Muhammad as a “pedophile and buffoon.” Even further along the way to becoming reality is another film by an atheist raised in Iran, Ali Sina, which is said to be in pre-production and claims to have $2 million secured so far. Sina hopes to raise a total of $10 million for the project. Still untitled, the story will liken Muhammad to cult leaders Jim Jones or David Koresh. The Canadian resident plans to begin shooting the pic next year. “We can bypass theaters completely and sell the movie online with a profit to a large number of people, especially Muslims,” Sina said. “They can download it and watch it even if they are living in Karachi or Mecca or Medina.” Innocence of Muslims was actually not the first depiction of Muhammad in the West that incited violent reaction in the Muslim world. In 2005 and 2006, Danish publication Jyllands-Posten published a dozen cartoons that later sparked massive protests resulting in more than 100 deaths and the bombing of the Danish embassy in Pakistan in addition fires being set at the normally placid Scandinavian country’s embassies in Syria, Lebanon and Iran. Its prime minister at the time described the controversy as Denmark’s works international crisis since World War II. [Source: Los Angeles Times ]
