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Earlier today, Production Weekly reported on its Twitter feed that Kathryn Bigelow, director of The Hurt Locker, would take on the story of David Rohde, the American journalist who was kidnapped by the Taliban in 2008.
The New York Times, however, says that the report was in error. Speaking with MTV News, a Times spokeswoman said:
This report is inaccurate ... There is no deal and no one is attached to the project.
David Rohde recounted his experiences in his New York Times piece "7 Months, 10 Days in Captivity." While Kathryn Bigelow seems tailor-made for a project like this, we'll have to wait and see who does get on board.
Posted 01.15.10 by reelz -
Awards season is heating up, and today the Director's Guild of America announced its list of five nominees for outstanding directorial achievement.
The five honorees are Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker, James Cameron for Avatar, Lee Daniels for Precious, Jason Reitman for Up in the Air, and Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds.
Bigelow, who is only the seventh woman to be nominated (none has ever won), expressed gratitude for the honor:
This is an extraordinary guild and it's an extraordinary honor for that reason. It's so incredibly gratifying to be recognized for a film that puts a magnifying glass on an insane situation. There are still men and woman taking these incredible risks and making these incredible sacrifices.
Reitman expressed similar sentiment:
I can't even begin to explain how thrilled I am to be nominated by my fellow directors. This morning's honor will stay with me for a long time.
Daniels seemed completely flabbergasted by his nomination, saying, "I am speechless ... I wasn't expecting it."
The LA Times notes that in 60 years, only six DGA award winners have failed to win the Academy Award as well, so whoever wins must be considered the frontrunner for the Best Director Oscar. The DGA announces its winners on January 30, while the Oscars won't be until March 7.
Posted 01.08.10 by reelz -
The Hurt Locker was the big winner when the National Society of Film Critics announced their awards for the movies of 2009. The Iraq War drama took home Best Picture, Best Director for Kathryn Bigelow, and Best Actor for Jeremy Renner, who plays a soldier addicted to the adrenaline rush of disarming landmines.
If history is any indication, this may be bad news for the movie's Oscar chances. In 40-plus years, the only movies that have ever won Best Picture from both the NSFC and the Academy are Annie Hall, Unforgiven, Schindler's List, and Million Dollar Baby. The match-up is better, however, for the director and actor categories, so Bigelow and Renner may be soild contenders when the Oscar nominations are announced on February 2.
The Best Actress award went to Yolande Moreau for her performance as French artist Séraphine Louis in the biopic Seraphine. Christoph Waltz and Paul Schneider split the Best Supporting Actor award for their work in Inglourious Basterds and Bright Star, respectively. Mo'Nique took home Best Supporting Actress for Precious, while Joel Coen and Ethan Coen received Best Screenplay honors for A Serious Man.
Posted 01.05.10 by reelz -
Variety reports that Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal, the director and writer who collaborated on The Hurt Locker, are again at work on another action movie that features violence and crime amidst international settings. Triple Frontier will look at organized crime in South America along the borders of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina.
The Hurt Locker, which several have called the best fictional movie to date involving the Iraq War, tells the story of a soldier so addicted to the adrenaline rush of near-death experiences that he attempts to disarm landmines at close range.
Producer Charles Roven hopes Triple Frontier will begin shooting next year. No casting decisions have been announced. Bigelow directed Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves in Point Break and Boal also wrote the story for In the Valley of Elah.
Posted 08.11.09 by reelz