Academy Award nominated actress Diane Lane (“Unfaithful”) has been set to join the cast of Peter Landesman’s historical spy thriller FELT. She will co-star alongside Academy Award nominated actor Liam Neeson (“Schindler’s List”). Lane will play Mark Felt’s (Neeson) brilliant, ambitious and troubled wife, Audrey, who shoulders the burden of Felt’s isolated and dangerous struggle against the White House.
FELT is based on a script by Landesman, who will also direct and produce. MadRiver Pictures will finance and produce, alongside Scott Free Productions, Playtone and Cara Films. Ridley Scott, Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, Giannina Scott, Marc Butan, Christopher Woodrow and Jay Roach will produce. Steven Shareshian and Michael Schaefer will executive produce alongside Michael Bassick and Steven Marshall.
Principal photography is set to begin in March 2016.
FELT is a taut spy thriller, centering on “Deep Throat”, the pseudonym given to the notorious whistleblower for one of the greatest scandals of all time, Watergate. The true identity of the secret informant remained a mystery and source of much public curiosity and speculation for more than 30 years. That is until, in 2005, special agent Mark Felt (Neeson) shockingly revealed himself as the tipster. This unbelievable true story chronicles the personal and professional life of the brilliant and uncompromising Felt, who risked and ultimately sacrificed everything – his family, his career, his freedom – in the name of justice.
This will be the second collaboration for writer/director Peter Landesman, Giannina Scott and Ridley Scott, following their very successful collaboration on CONCUSSION starring Will Smith, which Sony will release wide on Christmas Day.
CAA arranged the financing and are currently selling the domestic rights at AFM. Sierra/Affinity is handling the foreign rights.
Lane is represented by UTA and can next be seen in TRUMBO and BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE.
Three-time Emmy Award nominee Elizabeth Banks (THE HUNGER GAMES franchise, PITCH PERFECT 2) is set to star in the adventure drama RITA HAYWORTH WITH A HAND GRENADE to be directed by award-winning director Sloane U’Ren (DIMENSIONS), it was announced today by producer Robert Graf (upcoming HAIL, CAESAR!, Oscar-winning NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN).
Radiant Films International is representing foreign rights and is introducing the film to buyers at the American Film Market. UTA Independent Film Group is handling North American rights.
An accomplished art director and set designer, U’Ren is directing her sophomore feature film after having honed her skills working on studio blockbusters such as Warner Bros.’ BATMAN BEGINS and HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE.
Written by Antony Neely, principal photography will commence in spring 2016.
Set in World War II, Caroline Baker (Banks), one of the first female war photographers, is shot down and stranded on a South Pacific island, where the only other inhabitant is a marooned Japanese soldier. As history passes them by, the two evolve from sworn enemies to reluctant allies in a 30-year battle against the forces of nature and their inescapable circumstances.
“I’m very excited to be working with Elizabeth, Mimi and everyone at Radiant and my dear friends Sloane and Ant on this beautiful story of shared humanity and its triumph over fear and isolation,” said Graf.
“I am delighted to be partnering with veteran producer, Robert Graf, who brings his years of experience working with The Coen Brothers to this project. This epic, heart-warming story of survival during war requires a compelling and dynamic actress to embrace the role of Caroline and Elizabeth fits the bill given her ability to transform herself so precisely in every role she takes on,” said Steinbauer.
Elizabeth Banks is currently receiving Oscar buzz for her critically acclaimed role in LOVE & MERCY opposite John Cusack and Paul Giamatti. She will next be seen as Effie Trinket in the highly anticipated final installment of THE HUNGER GAMES global box office franchise, THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 2 set for release this November through Lionsgate.
She has also appeared in Universal’s hit PITCH PERFECT 2 which she also directed, and Warner Bros.’ MAGIC MIKE XXL with Channing Tatum. Banks has been nominated for three Emmy Awards for her guest roles on NBC’s “30 Rock” and ABC’s “Modern Family.”
Sloane U’Ren made her feature film debut with the sci-fi romance DIMENSIONS starring Henry Lloyd-Hughes which won a number of awards including Best Film at the London Independent Film Festival and the Long Island International Film Expo, where she also won the Best Director Award. Prior to directing, U’Ren’s credits as an art director and set designer include Universal’s THE GOOD SHEPHERD, Disney’s REMEMBER THE TITANS and BEING JOHN MALKOVICH.
Robert Graf is an executive producer on Universal Pictures’ upcoming HAIL, CAESAR! starring George Clooney, Channing Tatum, Scarlett Johansson and Ralph Fiennes due for release in February 2016. His other credits include executive producing the Oscar-winning NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, TRUE GRIT, A SERIOUS MAN and BURN AFTER READING, all directed by The Coen Brothers. His other studio film credits include Universal Pictures’ PAUL with Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Seth Rogen and Fox Searchlight’s RUBY SPARKS with Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan.
Banks is represented by UTA, Untitled Entertainment and attorney P.J. Shapiro.
Michelle Rodriguez (FAST & FURIOUS franchise, GIRLFIGHT, MACHETE) is set to star in the title role in the crime noir thriller feature film TOMBOY, A REVENGER’S TALE opposite Academy Award nominated and Golden Globe winning actress Sigourney Weaver (AVATAR, ALIEN), it was announced today by producers Saïd Ben Saïd of SBS (CARNAGE, MAPS TO THE STARS) and Michel Merkt (upcoming LIFE, MAPS TO THE STARS).
The film is written and to be directed by Emmy-Award winning filmmaker Walter Hill (48 HOURS, THE WARRIORS). The screenplay is based upon a story by Denis Hamill.
The Solution Entertainment Group, co-founded by Lisa Wilson and Myles Nestel, is handling international sales on the project and will introduce it to buyers at the upcoming American Film Market. ICM is representing North American rights.
The feature film will begin shooting on November 9th in Vancouver.
TOMBOY, A REVENGER’S TALE is about an ace assassin (Rodriguez) who is double crossed by gangsters and a rogue plastic surgeon (Weaver) operating on the fringes of society. The story becomes a trail of self-discovery and redemption against a criminal mastermind opponent.
“We are beyond excited to be working with Walter, a renowned filmmaker known for producing the classic ALIEN franchise who continues to break boundaries with this original script which has attracted a phenomenal cast and crew. We can’t wait to begin shooting and bring all these visionary and talented minds together,” said Ben Saïd and Merkt.
“Following the massive global success of this year’s FURIOUS 7, we are delighted to have Michelle Rodriguez on board to inhabit this strong-willed, empowered character in the action-filled thriller opposite the legendary Sigourney Weaver. With master filmmaker Walter Hill at the helm, this unique story keeps audiences guessing at every turn,” said Wilson and Nestel.
Michelle Rodriguez is known for her role as Letty in Universal’s record-breaking FAST & FURIOUS franchise. Released earlier this year, the latest installment, FURIOUS 7, has made 1.5 billion worldwide. Her other feature film credits include Robert Rodriguez’s MACHETE and its sequel MACHETE KILLS, BATTLE LOS ANGELES, James Cameron’s AVATAR, 20th Century Fox’s TURBO and her breakthrough film, GIRLFIGHT, for which she won an Independent Spirit Award for her performance. She is currently filming MILTON’S SECRET.
Three-time Oscar nominee and two-time Golden Globe winner Sigourney Weaver has starred in numerous critically acclaimed and box office hits including the ALIEN franchise, GORILLAS IN THE MIST, WORKING GIRL opposite Harrison Ford and Melanie Griffith, and Ang Lee’s THE ICE STORM. She will next be seen in Focus Features’ A MONSTER CALLS based on the best-selling novel co-starring Liam Neeson and Felicity Jones due in October 2016 and will appear in the next three installments of James Cameron’s global box office phenomenon AVATAR.
Walter Hill began his renowned career in the film industry in the 1970s writing and directing such classic hits as 48 HRS and its sequel ANOTHER 48 HRS starring Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy, THE WARRIORS, THE DRIVER with Bruce Dern and SOUTHERN COMFORT with Keith Carradine. He is also an established producer having produced the cult ALIEN franchise and its subsequent prequels, Twentieth Century Fox’s PROMETHEUS and the upcoming sequel PROMETHEUS 2, in pre-production. He most recently directed BULLET TO THE HEAD for Warner Bros. starring Sylvester Stallone.
Rodriguez is repped by WME, Untitled Entertainment and David Markman of Greenberg Traurig. Weaver is repped by UTA and Alan Wertheimer, Hill by ICM and SBS by Behr Abramson Levy LLP.
Ryan Reynolds (THE PROPOSAL, WOMAN IN GOLD) is in final negotiations to star in dramedy TRUTH IN ADVERTISING, to be directed by Roger Michell (NOTTING HILL, HYDE PARK ON HUDSON, CHANGING LANES), it was announced today by The Solution Entertainment Group’s co-founders and partners, Lisa Wilson and Myles Nestel who are financing and producing the film alongside Lynn Hendee (Summit Entertainment’s ENDER’S GAME) and William Chartoff (Warner Bros.’ upcoming CREED).
The Solution is handling the international rights to TRUTH IN ADVERTISING, which is one of the most highly sought after properties in the independent film market, and will introduce the project to buyers at the upcoming American Film Market. WME is representing North American rights and arranged the financing.
Set to start principal photography Q2 2016, the screenplay was written by John Kenney, who adapted the script from his critically acclaimed debut novel of the same name.
When Fin Dolan’s (REYNOLDS) boss asks him to cancel his Christmas vacation to work on an ad campaign, his best friend announces that she has just been proposed to and his estranged father lands in the hospital, Fin begins to wonder why everyone else is moving forward with their lives while he is stuck in neutral.
A frequent contributor to The New Yorker, Kenney’s novel was published in October 2013 by Simon & Schuster. He won the Thurber Prize for American Humor in 2014 for the novel which takes a satirical look at corporate and consumer culture.
“John Kenney has adapted his genius novel beautifully and crafted a smart, funny modern tale which analyzes society’s obsession with consumerism. His script is in safe hands with Roger Michell who previously explored our media-crazed culture in NOTTING HILL. The charismatic Ryan Reynolds is perfect for the role of the everyday advertising executive trying to find his way in a confusing world,” said Wilson and Nestel.
Ryan Reynolds can currently be seen in theatres in A24’s MISSISSIPPI GRIND opposite Ben Mendelsohn and co-starred with Helen Mirren earlier this year in The Weinstein Company’s WOMAN IN GOLD. His upcoming films include 20th Century Fox’s highly anticipated DEADPOOL to be released in February 2016 and Summit Entertainment’s CRIMINAL with Kevin Costner and Gary Oldman set for release in April 2016.
Roger Michell is known for directing the classic and beloved romantic comedy NOTTING HILL starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. He is also in pre-production on MY COUSIN RACHEL for Fox Searchlight with Rachel Weisz and Sam Claflin in talks to star in the adaptation of the Daphne Du Maurier novel.
Reynolds is repped by WME and Michell by WME and Independent Talent Group.
We Are Movie Geeks recently had the opportunity to sit down with Brad Kane. Brad is a singer, writer, and producer who provided the singing voice for the classic 1992 Disney musical ALADDIN, which will be released on Blu-ray October 13th. (Trailer)
Brad was in St. Louis promoting the Diamond Edition Blu-ray and we asked him some questions about ALADDIN, Robin Williams, his role on the TV show Black Sails, and what it was like performing at the Academy Awards.
Interview conducted by Tom Stockman October 6th, 2015
We Are Movie Geeks:Were you involved in any of the extras on the ALADDIN Blu-ray?
Brad Kane: No, I think most of the extras involved Robin Williams and the way he used his voice and props and things. I think Ron Clements, the director, was involved in some of the extras as well, but not me.
We Are Movie Geeks:Have you been to St. Louis before?
Brad Kane: No, never. But we’re going to Pappy’s Smokehouse today for lunch.
We Are Movie Geeks: Better get there early. There could be a long wait.
Brad Kane: So your site is called We Are Movie Geeks? Are you a movie geek?
We Are Movie Geeks: Oh I certainly am.
Brad Kane: What do you do with the site?
We Are Movie Geeks: I write some reviews and do a lot of interviews and write about local movie events. There’s always some cool movie stuff going on around town. I host the midnight movies every weekend at the local art house.
Brad Kane: Cool. What’s showing this weekend?
We Are Movie Geeks: FLASH GORDON with Sam Jones.
Brad Kane: Oh I love it. 1980!
We Are Movie Geeks: Yes, next weekend they’re showing WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS which came out earlier this year.
Brad Kane: Oh yeah with Jemaine Clement. I love that movie. When I recorded ALADDIN in 1991, I was more of a movie geek that I was a musical guy. I had gone to NYU film school. At the time I said yes to taking ALADDIN I just thought it was a cartoon. I didn’t know it was going to be this run of Disney classics. So I said yes to that job but I was reticent to do it. My heroes at the time were directors like Fellini, and the Coen brothers and guys like that. A couple of years later I was at the Oscars. I got to sing a song at the Oscars and I was sitting in the green room and I heard this man with a thick Italian accent asked me to pass him a kruller and I turned around and it was Frederico Fellini. This was just a few months before he passed away.
We Are Movie Geeks: That’s too cool. What was it like performing at the Oscars?
Brad Kane: It was exciting. I probably shouldn’t say this, but we were told to lip-synch the song. We recorded the song the night before and then we lip-synched at the Oscars because of the complexity of the choreography. I had to walk backwards across the stage leading the girl with me. They didn’t think I could chew bubblegum and pat my head at the same time so I was leading her around and lip-synching the song at the same time and making sure we didn’t fall down.
We Are Movie Geeks: I’m sure I saw that because I never miss the Oscars. Was Robin Williams on stage as well?
Brad Kane: No he wasn’t on stage. None of his songs were nominated. A Whole New World, the song that I sang, was nominated and ultimately won.
We Are Movie Geeks: Congratulations.
Brad Kane: I didn’t get an Oscar! That went to Alan Menken, the guy who wrote it. But it was exciting to be there and to perform it.
We Are Movie Geeks: You sang some songs in some of the direct-to-video ALADDIN sequels, correct?
Brad Kane: Yes those were originally meant to be an Aladdin TV show. They had music in them as well, which I recorded but then they decided to break them up and make them direct-to-video sequels.
We Are Movie Geeks: Was there much of a difference with your job for the sequels?
Brad Kane: No not really. The songs were good but they weren’t Alan Menken songs. That was the main difference. It wasn’t Disney classic quality. They were made for television. They were delightful though.
We Are Movie Geeks: I’m sure they were lower budget and made a bit quicker. Talk a little bit about Alan Menken. What was his process like?
Brad Kane: His process was making sure that the intention of the song goes forward every time. I remember when he showed me a sketch of Aladdin right before I was going to sing a song called One Jump Ahead which is the opening song that Aladdin sings when he is on the run from the guards. He pointed something out to me in a Aladdin’s eye that the animators had drawn. He told me to capture the gleam in Aladdin’s eye with my voice. He wanted to make sure that the intention of what was in the image was captured in the voice. He was just meticulous about things like that. His music is the soundtrack of all of our lives.
We Are Movie Geeks: What do you think of the Broadway musical that was made of Aladdin?
Brad Kane: I think it’s a lot of fun.
We Are Movie Geeks: Where did you grow up?
Brad Kane: Born and raised in New York City. Went to NYU. So half of my life I lived in New York City and the other half in Los Angeles.
We Are Movie Geeks: Did you see a lot of movies when you were a kid?
Brad Kane: I saw every movie when I was a kid. Movies that you probably have heard of because you are a movie geek, but most people have not.
We Are Movie Geeks: I imagine living in New York City there are a lot of cool venues to see movies – places like the film forum and such.
Brad Kane: Oh yeah, I grew up in the Golden age of the grindhouse. I saw them all. I saw the kung fu movies and crazy low-budget movies like SLITHIS and EXTRO when they first came out and I loved them.
We Are Movie Geeks: Yeah, in the Midwest here we had drive-ins which were kind of the equivalent of the grindhouses. The movies at that that played at the grindhouse in New York made their way to the drive-ins here. Have you met a lot of movie stars?
Brad Kane: Sure, I’ve met my share. If you live in LA, you’re in line with them at the coffee shop. LA is a one-industry town just like if you live in Washington DC, you’re in line with senators and congressmen.
We Are Movie Geeks: Ever meet Clint Eastwood?
Brad Kane: Actually the year I was at the Oscars was the year that UNFORGIVEN won so I saw him there but never formally met him.
We Are Movie Geeks: I remember Eastwood at the Oscars that night. Remember he was sitting with his mother and they kept calling it the ‘year of the woman’? So when he won he said “since it’s the year of the woman, I’d like to salute all the whores of Big Whiskey!”
Brad Kane: That’s hilarious. I don’t remember that.
We Are Movie Geeks: Who are some of the favorite people that you have worked with?
Brad Kane: Well I really like the people that I’ve worked with on Black Sails. Have you seen that?
We Are Movie Geeks: I’ve heard of the show and people tell me I would like it but I have not seen it.
Brad Kane: It’s a show on Starz that I write and produce. There’s a guy on it named Toby Stephens. He’s actually Maggie Smith’s son. I think Toby is a breakout star. He plays Captain Flint on Black Sails. It’s a Treasure Island prequel, all pirate stuff.
We Are Movie Geeks: Did you work with Robin Williams?
Brad Kane: No, almost no one worked with Robin Williams. He came in on his own and did his own thing. The guy who did the speaking voice of Aladdin, Scott Weinger, got to work with him one day but I did not get to meet him because we didn’t sing any songs together.
We Are Movie Geeks: Did you ever record the song Proud of Your Boy, that was cut from the film?
Brad Kane: Yes, I did record that song. It wasn’t in the movie but they actually had me audition for the movie with that song so that was the first song I actually saying from ALADDIN, but they cut it before we started recording for the movie.
We Are Movie Geeks: You were in STARSHIP TROOPERS?
Brad Kane: Yes I was, I had one line. That was 19 years ago. I had no idea that Paul Verhoeven was making this subversive, satirical peace. I just thought it was this big bloody action film but it really foretold the Iraq war in some ways.
We Are Movie Geeks: The arachind war!
Brad Kane: Exactly.
We Are Movie Geeks: The special-effects seemed so state of the art it’s time but you watch it today and it looks like a video game.
Brad Kane: Oh sure, anything ages. Look at FANTASTIC VOYAGE from the 60s. You could make that on a Mac today.
We Are Movie Geeks: What was Verhoeven like?
Brad Kane: He was great. Very sweet, not very serious. I remember how excited I was to meet Michael Ironside because I was a huge fan of the movie SCANNERS. So he was kind of a legend to me and it was so exciting meeting him on the set of that movie. My part was with him. He asks me a question; I am one of the kids in the high school. He asked me what citizenship means to me and I gave him my line and that was a big thrill for me. I was just glad he didn’t make my head explode.
We Are Movie Geeks: Are you still working on Black Sails?
Brad Kane: Yes I’ve been working on Black Sails for the past four years. I’m a writer and executive producer. I also wrote a movie that will be produced in 2017 but I can’t talk about it right now unfortunately.
We Are Movie Geeks: Do you have a family?
Brad Kane: I do, I have a wife and a 20 month old daughter who is just starting to realize that daddy is Aladdin.
We Are Movie Geeks: I have trouble getting my kids to bond with Disney films. They’re at an age where Pixar is to them what Disney was to me.
Brad Kane: I hear ya!
Well, good luck with Black Sails and all of your future projects I hope you enjoy the rest of your visit to St. Louis.
Brad Kane: Thanks a lot. It’s been great talking to you
Here’s a great clip of Brad Kane discussing his experiences recording the memorable songs that we all know and love from ALADDIN:
Shirley Temple’s tap shoes and practice steps, given to her by Bill “Bojangles” Robinson during production of The Little Colonel, 1935, their first on-screen partnership, in which they performed the famous stair dance.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that it has received a gift valued at more than $5 million from the late Oscar-winning Hollywood actress and United States Ambassador Shirley Temple Black and her family.
This gift includes both a substantial monetary contribution to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ capital campaign as well as key artifacts from Shirley Temple Black’s indelible early career. To recognize this gift and honor the star’s legendary childhood contribution to entertainment, the Academy Museum’s education center will be named The Shirley Temple Education Studio.
“Shirley Temple Black captivated audiences as an actor and her work as a diplomat touched countless lives,” said Bob Iger, who is chairing the Academy Museum’s capital campaign along with co-chairs Annette Bening and Tom Hanks. “Her gift to the Academy Museum ensures her work will continue to inspire future generations of film lovers.”
The Shirley Temple Education Studio will be the center of the Museum’s dynamic education program, which will draw upon the expertise of Academy members, artists, and scholars in a range of disciplines to explore cinema history and the collaborative process of filmmaking. The program will provide hands-on workshops in moviemaking techniques, as well as inspire creativity and critical thinking. A core feature of the program will be its teen initiative, serving students from diverse backgrounds in the greater Los Angeles area.
“Our mother believed that the Academy Museum project will provide the key to broader public understanding both of the movie industry’s history and of its future,” said the Black family. “We are so pleased with the Academy’s naming of the Shirley Temple Education Studio, and again encourage our mother’s many admirers to join us in supporting the Museum and its new Education Studio with a donation honoring her memory.”
Shirley Temple’s Juvenile Oscar, awarded to her by the Academy in 1935.
In addition to financial support, this generous gift includes unique objects such as: the miniature Oscar presented to Shirley Temple at the 1934 Academy Awards in recognition of her screen work that year; the tap shoes and portable wooden practice-steps given to her by legendary dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson for their famed stair dance routine in 1934’s “The Little Colonel”; the star’s first set-chair from Fox Studios; and the ornate Los Angeles public-school system desk she used for her daily lessons on the Fox lot.
“We know Academy Museum visitors will be elated to see these treasures,” said Kerry Brougher, Academy Museum director. “This generous gift is a significant addition to our collection. The Shirley Temple Education Studio will provide students with opportunities to build meaningful connections with the finest creative minds in filmmaking today.”
The Academy is currently raising $388 million to support the building, exhibitions, and programs of the Academy Museum. The capital campaign was launched in 2012 and is chaired by Bob Iger and co-chaired by Annette Bening and Tom Hanks. The Academy has already secured more than $250 million in pledges from more than 1,300 individual donors globally.
Nicholas Hoult (upcoming EQUALS, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD), Luke Evans (FURIOUS 7, THE HOBBIT film series) and Henry Cavill (upcoming BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, MAN OF STEEL) are set to star in the intense war drama SAND CASTLE, produced by Oscar nominated Mark Gordon (STEVE JOBS, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN) of The Mark Gordon Company, Justin Nappi (ARBITRAGE, ALL IS LOST) through his company Treehouse Pictures and Ben Pugh (upcoming COLLIDE, WELCOME TO THE PUNCH) of 42, it was announced today.
Set in Iraq circa 2003, SAND CASTLE is based on Roessner’s experience as a machine gunner in Iraq’s Sunni Triangle. The story centers on Matt Ocre (Hoult) who is part of a mission to repair a broken water system in the dangerous and unstable Iraqi village of Baqubah. While the people of Baghdad welcome the Americans as saviors, the villagers resist their presence and Matt and his unit must try to convince the community that they are part of the solution, not the problem in order to save the town and get out alive.
Treehouse Pictures is fully financing the film which Gordon has shepherded from its inception.
SAND CASTLE was written by Chris Roessner and will be directed by Fernando Coimbra, whose recent credits include Netflix’s critically acclaimed ‘Narcos’ and A WOLF AT THE DOOR, which won the Cinema Brazil Grand Prize for best picture. Brian Kavanaugh-Jones (upcoming MIDNIGHT SPECIAL and TAKE SHELTER) is serving as executive producer.
Voltage Pictures is handling international sales for the film and will present the film to buyers next month at the American Film Market. Producers currently hold US rights.
Principal photography is set to start on November 2.
“It took little convincing for me to come on board to produce this extraordinary and gripping film which so accurately depicts the intricacies of real people in extreme circumstances. I am excited about our amazing lead cast who, in the hands of our masterful director Fernando, will deliver the most powerful performances of their careers. Nicholas, Luke and Henry are a dream team, as are my fellow producers Mark and Ben.” said Nappi.
Added producer Gordon, “Chris was my assistant and we worked on the script together for some time. It’s very exciting to see the movie come together with a wonderfully talented director and an amazing cast.”
Nicholas Hoult’s breakthrough performance was playing the role of Marcus Brewster opposite Hugh Grant in the critically acclaimed ABOUT A BOY. He has since then starred in Tom Ford’s A SINGLE MAN, the world-wide box office hit film series X-MEN, Jonathan Levine’s WARM BODIES, and most recently MAD MAX: FURY ROAD starring Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy. He will next be seen in Drake Doremus’ EQUALS opposite Kristen Stewart and X-MEN: APOCALYPSE opposite Jennifer Lawrence and Michael Fassbender to be released in May, 2016 by Twentieth Century Fox.
Luke Evans recently wrapped shooting on Bill Condon’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST starring Emma Watson, Emma Thompson and Ian McKellen. His other film credits include Ben Wheatley’s HIGH-RISE starring Tom Hiddleston, global box office hit films FURIOUS 6 & 7 starring Paul Walker and Vin Diesel, Peter Jackson’s THE HOBBIT and DRACULA UNTOLD starring Dominic Cooper.
Henry Cavill can be seen in Guy Ritchie’s THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., which is currently in theaters. He will next be seen in BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE where he will reprise the role of Superman/Clark Kent. His other film credits include IMMORTALS where he first worked with Luke Evans, Woody Allen’s WHATEVER WORKS starring Larry David and Showtime’s Golden Globe nominated ‘The Tudors.’
Nicholas Hoult is repped by 42, UTA and Fred Toczek. Luke Evans is repped by WME and United Agents in the UK. Henry Cavill is repped by United Agents in the UK and CAA in the US and his attorney is David Weber of Sloane Offer Weber & Dern.
Deadline is reporting that Australian newcomer Lauren Esposito has landed a lead role in THE CONJURING 2.
THE CONJURING 2 is the sequel to the critical and commercial worldwide hit film THE CONJURING which has grossed over $319 million globally and is one of the most successful horror films of all time.
THE CONJURING 2 reunites the filmmaking team behind the original film – producers Peter Safran and Rob Cowan and director James Wan.
Wan is coming off of the huge global success of FURIOUS 7 earlier this year and is writing and producing as well as directing the sequel.
The screenplay was written by Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes & James Wan with revisions by David Leslie Johnson. Richard Brener, Walter Hamada and Dave Neustadter will oversee for New Line.
Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson will reprise their roles as Lorraine and Ed Warren. Previously reported additions to the cast include Frances O’Connor and Simon McBurney.
Five time Golden Globe and Emmy winner Alec Baldwin and Oscar nominee Salma Hayek will star in the feature comedy DRUNK PARENTS, to be directed by Fred Wolf, from a screenplay by Wolf and Peter Gaulke. The film’s producers, Robert Ogden Barnum and Aaron L. Gilbert, announced a first quarter 2016 start date.
The film is a co-production with Fortitude International and Bron Studios, in association with CW Media Finance. Joining Fortitude’s Barnum and Bron’s Gilbert will be CW’s Jason Cloth, Fortitude’s Nadine de Barros and Daniel Wagner and Brillstein Entertainment’s Jai Khanna, serving as Executive Producers.
This comedy features Alec Baldwin and Salma Hayek as the Teagartens. They are not only drunk with love for their daughter, but also literally drunk the night after dropping her off at college, leading to a bad decision, a kidnapping, and a serious case of mistaken identity. Simultaneously moving and uproariously funny, DRUNK PARENTS becomes a “riches-to-rags-and-trying-to-stay-out-of-jail-while-hoping-your-superficial-friends-don’t-find-out” story of discovering who you really are when you’re at your worst.
Alec Baldwin is currently starring in Paramount’s worldwide box office hit MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION opposite Tom Cruise and will next appear in Columbia Pictures’ CONCUSSION co-starring Will Smith to be released on Christmas as well as the UNTITLED WARREN BEATTY PROJECT with Martin Sheen, Annette Bening and Matthew Broderick, in post-production. He is known to audiences as Jack Donaghy on NBC’s popular and award-winning sitcom, “30 Rock” for which he won two Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Salma Hayek has two films in theatrical release: Kahlil Gibran’s animated film THE PROPHET, which she produced and provided her voice opposite Liam Neeson and John Krasinski and the romantic comedy SOME KIND OF BEAUTIFUL with Pierce Brosnan and Jessica Alba. Her upcoming films include SEPTEMBERS OF SHIRAZ co-starring Adrien Brody which is world premiering at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival and Matteo Garrone’s 2015 Cannes Film Festival selection TALE OF TALES to be released by IFC Films. Her past credits include GROWN UPS and GROWN UPS 2, PUSS IN BOOTS and FRIDA, which led to an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
Fred Wolf previously directed Columbia Pictures’ THE HOUSE BUNNY, with Anna Faris and Emma Stone, and has written or co-written such comedies as TOMMY BOY, BLACK SHEEP, JOE DIRT and JOE DIRT TWO (which he also directed for Sony Crackle), as well as the box office hits GROWN UPS and GROWN UPS 2, with Adam Sandler. Peter Gaulke has written such comedies as ICE AGE 2: THE MELTDOWN, BLACK KNIGHT and SAY IT ISN’T SO.
Lakeshore Entertainment announced additional casting on AMERICAN PASTORAL with David Strathairn as “Nathan Zuckerman,” Peter Riegert as “Lou Levov,” Uzo Aduba as “Vicky” and Valorie Curry as “Rita Cohen.”
The film adaptation, based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel written by Philip Roth also stars Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Connelly and Dakota Fanning, with McGregor directing.
AMERICAN PASTORAL follows Seymour “Swede” Levov, a legendary high school athlete, who grows up to marry a former beauty queen and inherits his father’s business. Swede’s seemingly perfect life shatters when his daughter rebels by becoming a revolutionary and committing a deadly act of political terrorism during the Vietnam War.
AMERICAN PASTORAL’s adapted screenplay was written by John Romano (LINCOLN LAWYER) with filming scheduled for September 2015 in Pittsburgh, PA. AMERICAN PASTORAL will be produced by Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi.
Strathairn won the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival and earned nominations from the Academy, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA and Independent Spirit Awards for his compelling portrait of legendary CBS news broadcaster Edward R. Murrow in George Clooney’s Oscar-nominated drama Good Night, and Good Luck. He won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in the HBO project, Temple Grandin and was nominated for his portrayal of John Dos Passos in HBO’s Hemingway and Gellhorn. He was most recently seen in The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
Riegert, who has starred in iconic films such as ANIMAL HOUSE, LOCAL HERO and CROSSING DELANCEY, can currently be seen on David Simon’s new HBO mini-series SHOW ME A HERO as well as Dennis Leary’s SEX&DRUGS&ROCK&ROLL.
Aduba has won both Screen Actors Guild and Emmy awards for her role in Netflix’s ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK, which also earned her a Golden Globe nomination. She will be seen next in NBC’s THE WIZ LIVE!.
Curry is known for her roles on THE FOLLOWING, HOUSE OF LIES and TWILIGHT.
Strathairn is repped by ICM and Ryan Entertainment. Riegert is repped by Don Buchwald & Associates. Aduba is repped by APA and Management 360. Curry is repped by ICM and Thruline Entertainment.
