After this year's OSCARS have been marked by the total debacle of James Franco, who by the way now blames the screenwriters for it even though I don't see what they have to do with his blank
faces, lack of humor and at moments zombielike expressions, the Academy is carefully choosing the new host for the next year ceremony. Believe it or not, according to fresh rumors, the top contender for this important task is the queen of television Oprah Winfrey. As you know she recently ended her famous show, so she might find some time for this gig? What are your reactions? At first I was in the what-the-hell? mood, but now I think it might not be a bad idea. At least she knows all those celebs and is rather close to all of them, and she might bring certain elegance to the whole ceremony which hasn't seen a good host since Hugh Jackman? __________________________________________________ It seems we have new cast members for WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING every day: after Cameron
Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Rodrigo Santoro and Elizabeth Banks, the new addition is gorgeous Chace Crawford who will play Anna Kendrick's partner in this story of seven pregnant women. Latest report from "Variety" says that Edward Norton could take the role of villain in THE BOURNE LEGACY film. The film will follow a new assassin trained in the same programme as Bourne, instead of Jason Bourne himself, and will have Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz in the lead roles. As "Deadline" reports Warner Bros. and Jonathan Liebesman (BATTLE LOS ANGELES, CLASH OF THE
TITANS 2) are preparing a huge JULIUS CAESAR epic about the time when Caesar was sent to Spain on a detail no one else wanted. There, he built the 10th Legion fighting force that would eventually march on Rome, overrun the forces of his rival Pompey, and establish Caesar as the unrivaled ruler of the empire. The film, which ends with Caesar's coronation, which means it could have a sequel in which he goes to Egypt, is planned with one of the biggest stars in the lead role. Give it to Karl Urban, oh, please give it to Karl Urban! ___________________________________________________ As HOLLYWOOD SPY has informed you a few times before, in the sea of remakes Tinseltown is planning a remake of ROBOCOP too.
According to "MovieWeb" MGM is currently trying to make Chris Pine take the lead role. Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves were previously rumored to take the famous role of the futuristic cop who becomes a robot and goes on to fight for justice, but now it seems the studio wants a younger star. It is also true that although he had a smashing success with his role of Captain Kirk in the megassuccessful STAR TREK, Pine hasn't really had any other bigger blockbuster after it, so he might use a bigger lead role such as this one. The remake should hit cinemas in 2013.
Ah, here it goes again. You remember how I recently noticed that some stars have started taking up roles in some cheap B-league
action flicks? Well it seems the same is happening with Chris Hemsworth. After the stellar success in THOR, STAR TREK he got the lead role in SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN and instead of searching for new roles in big blockbusters like those, he will now star in RUSH, a drama about Formula 1 racer Niki Lauda, but Chris won't even play the lead role but the role of Lauda's fellow racer James Hunt who was also his big rival. The film could be directed by Ron Howard. Double yawn if you ask me :( __________________________________________________ According to "Variety", Warner Bros. has bought the script for HAUNTED, a story of a haunted house but with interesting twist - it is told from the ghost's point of view :) It was written by SUPERNATURAL
producer. Peter Jackson keeps releasing pictures of the dwarves which will appear in THE HOBBIT, and the brand new one shows our dear British actor Aidan Turner (the vampire from BEING HUMAN) as Kili and Dean O'Gorman as Fili. Two of the youngest dwarves, Fili and Kili have been born into the royal line of Durin and raised under the stern guardianship of their uncle, Thorin Oakensheild. As skilled fighters, both brothers will set off on their adventure armed with the invincible courage of youth neither being able to imagine the fate which lies before them. _________________________________________________ Almost a year ago I've posted the first trailer for charming animated film ARTHUR CHRISTMAS and now I have the second one for you. The film sets out to answer the question of how Santa Claus delivers all his presents in one night. James McAvoy will
give voice to Arthur, the good-natured but clumsy younger son of Santa Claus who seems to be the only member of the family still enamored with the magic of Christmas. Hugh Laurie will play Arthur's older brother Steve, heir to the reins, a cool, incredibly capable guy who has given the North Pole high-tech efficiency, military-style precision. Jim Broadbent plays the big man in red himself who finds himself taking a backseat to the major operation that preparing for Christmas has become. Bill Nighy will voice the 136-year old Grandsanta, a cranky old codger who hates the modern world and liked Christmas better back in the day. Imelda Staunton will be Mrs. Santa and Ashley Jensen will play Bryony, a lowly elf from the Giftwrap Battalion, with an eager-to-please attitude and an obsession with wrapping and bows. The film is out November 2011.
The latest one to join the already stellar cast of WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING which includes Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Rodrigo Santoro ... is lovely Elizabeth Banks. In the story which will follow seven pregnant
women, Banks will play a breast feeding book author who is militant in her beliefs about what makes a good mother until she gets pregnant for the first time. According to "Screen Daily" Ralph Fiennes will go Russian again in the film adaptation of A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY play by Turgenev. The story follows a man who wants to seduce a rich landowner’s wife. The 2nd season of GAME OF THRONES has got a new cast member: Gwendoline Christie will play Brienne, the Maid of Tarth, a highly skilled warrior of abnormal size, strength, and near-absence of female sexual characteristics. She is tasked to escort Jamie Lannister to King's Landing to exchange him for Sansa and Arya Stark after their capture. __________________________________________________ You remember that last year I told you how famous TV soap DALLAS is coming back? Well, it's official, TNT has officially greenlit the project and we shall be watching the first ten episodes
in summer 2012. Back in the 80's DALLAS was the most popular show with 300 million viewers around the world, and now it will get some new blood. Although the old stars Patrick Duffy as Bobby, Larry Hagman as evil JR and Linda Gray as Sue Ellen will come back, the show will also focus on their children since hunkilicious Jesse Metcalfe and Josh Henderson will play JR's
and Bobby's sons who not only clash over the future of the family oil business but also take part in a love triangle with gorgeous Jordana Brewster. Brenda Strong from DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES will also join the cast and the pilot episode should be aired this Fall. ___________________________________________________ Well, I won't lie to you - I've never really heard about this film until recently even though it is supposed to premiere July 18th in the cinemas,
but I have a feeling it's not only me. It's rather peculiar for a fantasy film not to have any marketing whatsoever, but who knows maybe this one won't be so bad in the end: after all it does star Patrick Stewart, believe it or not. SINBAD: THE FIFTH VOYAGE follows the famous hero, the biggest one across the seven seas, who, after the Sultan's first born is taken by an evil sorcerer, is tasked with traveling to a desert of magic and creatures to save her. Sinbad himself is played by Shahin Sean Solimon, whom I've never heard of before, but he seems charming and exotic enough for the role. He apparently both stared in and directed DJINN movie from 2008. The trailer bellow is wonderfully trashy :)
As "Total Film" reports, one of our favourite actors Michael Fassbender (X-MEN 1ST CLASS) has joined Brendan Gleeson's
movie adaptation of AT SWIM TWO BIRDS, a novel by Irish writer Flann O'Brien. The story of the film follows a student who is writing a couple of stories that begin to intertwine, before the characters decide to rebel against their creator. It's interesting that this film, with a very complex plot which will connect Ireland's glorious past and grim present days, has three amazing Irish actors in its cast beside Fassbender - Cillian Murphy, Colin Farrell and Gabriel Byrne will all appear in the movie alongside Brendan's son Domhnall! _________________________________________________ After Dwayne Johnson and Adrienne Palicki, a new actor who will join Channing Tatum in G.I. JOE 2: COBRA STRIKES, according to "MovieWeb" is Ray Stevenson. Famous ROME
star, who has been active this year in THOR and in THE THREE MUSKETEERS as well, will play Firefly, a ninja working for the villainous Cobra Organization. He is a saboteur and explosives expert wearing a red ninja outfit. According to "TheDailyMail" we could get the third part of the BRIDGET JONES DIARY. Paul Feig, the director of BRIDESMAIDS (with horrid and talentless Kristen Wiig and delightful Melissa McCarthy) is negotiating to helm the film with Renee Zellweger. Everything is still just a gossip but the film will apparently have Bridget hoping to become pregnant but not knowing with whom - with Colin Firth or with Hugh Grant. _________________________________________________ Although I don't like the extremely unlikable Mia Wasikowska, the trailer for RESTLESS does promise a possibly enchanting film. To premiere this September, the film directed by famous Gus Van Sant, also stars charming young Henry Hopper, the son of late
Dennis Hopper in the story about a terminally ill teenage girl who falls for a boy who likes to attend funerals. Although deadly ill, she is still full of love of life and nature, and he is disappointed in life after he lost his parents in an accident. When these two outsiders chance to meet at a funeral, they find an unexpected common ground in their unique experiences of the world. For Enoch, it includes his best friend Hiroshi who happens to be the ghost of a Kamikaze fighter pilot. For Annabel, it involves an admiration of Charles Darwin and an interest in how other creatures live. Upon learning of Annabel's imminent early passing, Enoch offers to help her face her last days with an irreverent abandon, tempting fate, tradition and even death itself.
One of the films that will spice up the end of summer in August is RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES which basically brings a completely new take on one of 20th Century Fox's most beloved and successful franchises. The film is an origin story in the truest sense of the term. Set in present day San Francisco, it is a reality based cautionary tale, a science fiction/ science fact blend, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.
APISH TIDBITS
Oscar winning visual effects house Weta Digital, employing some
of the groundbreaking technologies developed for Avatar, will render, for the first time ever in the film series, photo-realistic apes rather than costumed actors. Tobey Maguire refused the lead role which then went to James Franco. The budget of the film was around $90 million!The film should premiere August 5th in cinemas around the world at the end of the summer blockbuster season. The slogan of the film is rather chilling and scary saying - Evolution Becomes Revolution!
THE STORY OF THE FILM
Will Rodman (James Franco) is working on a cure for Alzheimer's by performing tests on apes. The first test subject is Caesar: it genetically modifies his way of thinking to create a new breed of ape with human-like intelligence. Caesar learns well, but human authority continues to test him and contain him.
He eventually proves smart enough to break free from his cage and release the cure among other apes, affecting other apes like Caesar. Millions of apes begin to rally up a revolution. Soon, war breaks out between humans and apes. Rodman may be the only one able to stop them before the ape revolution succeeds in them becoming the dominant species on the planet.
Directed by Rupert Wyatt the film stars James Franco, Freida Pinto (whom we shall watch this year in IMMORTALS as well), Brian Cox, John Lithgow and Andy Serkis who gave life to the ape Caesar like he did to Gollum in LORD OF THE RINGS. I must admit that the first two trailers were horrid and they left me totally uninterested in seeing the film, but the fresh third one is absolutely magnificent and it left me speechless and a bit shaken. Check it out bellow:
Here's one for those of you who love BBC's enchanting mini series: scheduled for Christmas 2011 is their version of THE GREAT EXPECTATIONS (don't mix it up with the film version coming up with Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes) in which Gillian Anderson will play the rich miss Havisham,
Ray Winstone is evil Magwitch in the cast which will also have David Suchet (famous Poirot) and Mark Addy (from GAME OF THRONES). Young Douglas Booth, whom we shall soon see in new ROMEO AND JULIET, is taking the lead role of orphan Pip. Speaking of Romeo and Juliet, Fox is doing a film adaptation of ROSALINE, Rebbeca Serle's novel a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, set in the 16th century and following Rosaline Caplet, who is in love with her best friend, Rob Monteg. Rosaline's beautiful cousin, Juliet, steals Rob away, as revenge for Rosie's uncle having an affair with her mother years before. Rob eventually wants to win Rosie back, but she already has her eye on the quirky Ren. ___________________________________________________ One of the films we are looking for this summer is visually breathtaking and action packed remake of CONAN THE
BARBARIAN with Jason Momoa, gorgeous Rachel Nichols, Rose McGowan and Ron Perlman, and today you can check out a brand new, totally amazing, poster for the film. According to latest rumors Naomie Harris (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN) will not be a Bond girl but Miss Moneypenny in the new JAMES BOND 23. As you know Javier Bardem will probably play a villain and Ralph Fiennes will also play a rather grim character beside James Blond Daniel Craig. __________________________________________________ And I've finally found some time to show you the second trailer for THE THREE MUSKETEERS which premieres this October. As you remember, although we didn't expect much from it, the first
trailer managed to surprise the audience in a positive way bringing lots of entertaining steampunk elements and stunning visual images into the old tale. Another news is that British band Take That are singing the lead song for the film which will be called "When We Were Young". If you remember Take That also had a beautiful "Rule The World" song in STARDUST, and they also had the lead song in X-MEN FIRST CLASS this summer. As you know the film will star Logan Lerman, Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom, Matthew McFadyen, Ray Stevenson, Christoph Waltz, Mads Mikelsen, Milla Jovovich ....
Well, this is certainly interesting: according to "MovieWeb" next year we shall watch GODS BEHAVING BADLY, a comedy about a young couple (Alicia Silverstone and Ebon Moss Bachrach) who encounter a full panoply of gods living in a New York brownstone. A whole bunch of forgotten stars will play Gods: Christopher Walken will play Zeus, the king of the gods, John Turturro will play god of the underworld Hades, Sharon Stone is Aphrodite, Oliver Platt is Apollo, Edie Falco is Artemis, Phylicia Rashad is Demeter and Rosie Perez will appear as Persephone. ________________________________________________ A brand new image from THE HOBBIT has been released today featuring three dwarfs Nori (Jed Brophy), Dori (Adam Brown), and Ori (Mark Hadlow). These three brothers, all sons of the same mother, could not be more different from each other. Dori, the oldest, spends much of his time watching out for Ori, the
youngest, making sure he's not caught a chill or got himself killed by Wargs or Goblins. Nobody quite knows what Nori gets up to most of the time, except that it's guaranteed to be dodgy and quite probably, illegal. Dori, Nori and Ori are intensely loyal to each other and whilst they are perfectly happy fighting amongst themselves, woe-betide anyone who means harm to one of these brothers. ________________________________________________ Today's main treat is definitely the first teaser for THE IRON LADY, a film coming out this December in which divine Meryl Streep is shooting for an Oscar with her portrayal of British
prime minister Margareth Thatcher. The film will bring a surprising and intimate portrait of Margaret Thatcher, the first and only female Prime Minister of The United Kingdom. One of the 20th century’s most famous and influential women, Thatcher came from nowhere to smash through barriers of gender and class to be heard in a male dominated world. She also became one of Britain's most hated politicians. The film will also feature an insight into her private life with marvelous Jim Broadbent playing her husband. Although we can expect tremendous acting, I'm not sure how much we can expect from the film itself since it is directed by not so skilled Phyllida Lloyd, the helmer of rather visionless and mediocre MAMMA MIA. LINK OF THE DAY Don't forget to visit our dearLyndy Young who is celebrating her 25 birthday soon :)
