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For a while, it seemed that, of the two planned biopics about the late 1970's porn star Linda Lovelace, the Amanda Seyfried-starring Lovelace was getting the most traction. It recently added four actors to its cast and started production last month. Now it looks like the other Lovelace biopic, Inferno: a Linda Lovelace Story starring Malin Akerman (Watchmen) in the lead role, is finally putting together its cast as well.
So let's step back for a moment for Lovelace, which has also announced some new cast members. Deadline reports that Demi Moore, Eric Roberts and Adam Brody have all joined the cast. Moore will play feminist author Gloria Steinem, while Roberts is playing lie detector expert Nat Laurendi and Brody is playing Lovelace's Deep Throat co-star Harry Reems.
Meanwhile, Inferno, which, at one point, had Lindsay Lohan in the lead role until she was either fired or quit, has added cast members as well. Variety reports that Adam Goldberg (Saving Private Ryan), Harold Perrineau (Lost) and former porn star-turned-actress Sasha Grey (The Girlfriend Experience) have been cast in the movie. Goldberg will play Reems in Inferno, while Perrineau will play Lovelace's sometimes-lover Sammy Davis Jr. Grey's role in the movie was unspecified.
More on Lovelace and Les Mis >> Posted 01.04.12 by Ryan -
Casting is coming together for director Tom Hooper's musical version of Les Miserables. With Hugh Jackman confirmed to play the role of ex-convict Jean Valjean, now Hooper is looking to fill the role of Valjean's nemesis and one big name has been trying to make a deal. Russell Crowe is reportedly close to joining the movie as Valjean's adversary, Inspector Javert.
THR reports that Crowe is in negotiations for the role of the inspector, who will stop at nothing to recapture Valjean. Also joining the cast is Helena Bonham Carter, who will reunite with her The King's Speech director to play Madame Thenardier the greedy wife and initial caretaker of orphan Cosette after her mother, Fantine, passes away. Anne Hathaway is reportedly in talks for the role of Fantine.
more news on casting >> Posted 09.09.11 by Ryan -
At this year's Comic-Con, Hugh Jackman revealed that after he was done shooting The Wolverine he would play the role of ex-convict Jean Valjean in The King's Speech director Tom Hooper's musical version of Les Miserables. While The Wolverine is now possibly delayed until Spring 2012, Les Miserables is on track to start in February, and Jackman has his first female co-star.
Broadway World reports that Anne Hathaway is set to star in the movie as Fantine, the ill-fated mother of Cosette who sings the popular "I Dreamed a Dream" in the first act of the musical. EW confirmed that Hathaway is in talks for the role. Reportedly, Jackman pushed for Hathaway, who, in February, sang the song "On My Own" from the Les Miserables musical to Jackman while co-hosting the Oscars. At the time, Hathaway joked that Jackman wouldn't sing with her after he "bailed on [her] at the last minute," but the pair will have a chance to sing together in the movie should Hathaway's negotiations go through.
Russell Crowe is still reportedly looking to join the movie as Inspector Javert. Crowe's interest in the role was first reported in July. Les Miserables was adapted by author and screenwriter William Nicholson (Gladiator).
Affleck adds three to the thriller Argo; Baz Luhrmann adds two to Great Gatsby >> Posted 08.31.11 by Ryan -
Hugh Jackman appeared at Comic-Con to help promote October's robot boxing drama Real Steel, but also spoke about some of the upcoming projects he has lined up.
The first is a collaboration with Academy Award‐winning director Tom Hooper (The King's Speech) in a musical adaptation of Les Miserables. Jackman will play ex-convict Jean Valjean, the role Liam Neeson played in 1998 non-musical version, and revealed (via Screenrant) that shooting will begin in February.
Of course, prior to Les Miserables is the The Wolverine, the stand-alone, non-sequel sequel to 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Jackman will be shooting that first and even revealed the villain of the movie.
warning: Spoilers ahead >> Posted 07.23.11 by Ryan -
Now that Tom Hooper has won the Best Director Oscar for Best Picture recipient The King's Speech, the question remains: what will Hooper direct next? Since Hooper finished shooting King's Speech a year ago, the director has yet to accept another gig, though there have been offers. The LA Times reports that Hooper was offered the director's chair for Iron Man 3, but turned it down. Shane Black was hired instead.
While Hooper has settled on nothing so far, he is rumored for several projects. According to the same Times report, Hooper was "weighing" an offer to direct an adaptation of literary classic Les Miserables, but unlike his King's Speech actor Geoffrey Rush's 1998 non-musical version, Hooper's version would be a big-budget musical. Hooper had also told The Times previously that he's "on the lookout" for another historical or period drama, and there could be another such project that would reunite him with King's Speech screenwriter (and fellow Oscar winner) David Seidler.
two more possible projects >> Posted 03.02.11 by Ryan -
An edited version of Oscar-winning historical drama The King's Speech was first reported to be in the making, with director Tom Hooper responding by saying that he won't re-edit the movie to excise the f-bombs spoken by the movie's protagonist, played by Colin Firth. Executive producer Harvey Weinstein moved forward with creating a more family-friendly rating, with the LA Times reporting that, prior to the Academy Awards ceremony over the weekend, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) approved a PG-13 rating for a version of the movie where the foul language had been muted.
After the Oscars, Hooper, who won Best Director honors, was asked by THR what he thought of the PG-13 version. "I haven't seen it yet," replied the director, who reportedly will watch it today.
Colin Firth "doesn't support" the new version >> Posted 02.28.11 by Ryan -
Last week, the Weinstein Company revealed plans to re-edit their highly-lauded, Oscar-nominated historical drama The King's Speech, so that they could remove a few of the f-bombs uttered in Colin Firth's Golden Globe winning performance. Executive producer Harvey Weinstein expressed interest in receiving a more family-friendly rating and said he would work with director Tom Hooper in order to "find a unique way to do this that keeps his vision of the movie." Only Hooper isn't interested in re-editing the movie.
Helena Bonham Carter agrees >> Posted 02.01.11 by Ryan -
Director Tom Hooper's historical drama The King's Speech tells the story of England's then-Prince Albert (Colin Firth) and his struggle to overcome a speech impediment with the help of an Australian actor-speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush). Firth won a Golden Globe for his performance and when the Oscar nominations were announced on Tuesday, The King's Speech received more than any other movie, with a total of 12 nominations.
Since Tuesday's Oscars announcement, THR reports that ticket sales for The King's Speech have risen 76% on Internet vendor Fandango, just one sign of how the nominations will improve the movie's performance. So, with everything going so well, why is The Weinstein Company looking to re-cut the movie?
What's getting cut? >> Posted 01.27.11 by Ryan