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2013 is looking like it will be a good year for Nicholas Hoult — about as good as 2012 was supposed to be.
After playing Beast in Fox's adaptation of X-Men: First Class, Hoult was cast in director Bryan Singer's Jack the Giant Killer and then as an existentially tormented zombie in writer-director Jonathan Levine's adaptation of Warm Bodies. Both movies were set for release this year, but Warner Bros. decided to push Jack from its June release to March 2013, and now Summit Entertainment has decided to move Warm Bodies as well.
THR reports that Summit has moved Warm Bodies from its August 10th release date to February 1st instead. Based on the book by Isaac Marion and adapted by Levine, Warm Bodies will (eventually) follow Hoult as R, a zombie who falls for a human girl named Julie (Teresa Palmer) and protects her from the zombie hordes just as he discovers that, besides being a zombie, he may have some humanity left. Dave Franco (the upcoming 21 Jump Street and brother of James), who plays the leader of the resistance in the movie, recently told MTV that he decided to take part in Warm Bodies partly because Levine's take on the zombie genre, which Franco said is "grounded in reality," despite its undead premise.
Franco discusses Warm Bodies >> Posted 02.13.12 by Ryan -
It's obvious that vampires can be a profitable romantic figure at the box office, and writer-director Jonathan Levine's adaptation of Warm Bodies wants to do the same for another member of the undead legion: the zombie.
Released earlier this month, the first photo of actor Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: First Class) as the existentially-tormented zombie named R showed that Hoult was going to avoid the open sores and dislodged jaw often associated with zombies, and would instead look as horrific as a pale, emaciated indie rocker stuck outside a Radiohead concert without a ticket. Levine recently called Hoult "the Brad Pitt of the zombie world," adding that he wanted him to "stay true to the zombie tradition and yet make a believable romantic interest."
Teresa Palmer (I Am Number Four), who plays R's human love interest Julie, would seem to agree with Levine, telling MTV during an interview at the Sundance Film Festival that she is "excited" to see Hoult's "incredible performance".
read palmer's comments >> Posted 01.23.12 by Ryan -
Earlier this week, the first photo arrived online of Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: First Class) as the existentially-tormented zombie named R from writer-director Jonathan Levine's adaptation of Warm Bodies, and, already, there are more new photos online of Hoult.
Based on the novel by Isaac Marion, Warm Bodies follows R as he falls for a human girl named Julie (Teresa Palmer, I Am Number Four) after eating the brain of her boyfriend and absorbing his memories. "You can imagine it's a very complicated relationship," Levine told USA Today. "We're breaking new ground here."
While the new photos are a bit more grisly than the previous rain-soaked photo, Hoult was not outfitted with a dislodged eyeball or visible gashes on his face, a look that was no accident. "By any standards, Nicholas is pretty fantastic," Levine admitted. "He's definitely the Brad Pitt of the zombie world. We wanted to stay true to the zombie tradition and yet make a believable romantic interest."
see the new photos >> Posted 01.11.12 by Ryan -
Director Jonathan Levine (The Wackness) knew he would have it tough convincing audiences there was humor to find in cancer with the upcoming dramedy 50/50, which stars Joseph Gordon Levitt as 27-year-old Adam who is suddenly diagnosed with cancer and Seth Rogen as his best friend. At first, Levine turned down the movie, but then one of his family members was diagnosed as well. Levine told The Playlist that the experience "made the script resonate that much more for me — I went through those experiences where you know things are just so ridiculous and so intense that you have to laugh and I went through those experience where things are so ridiculous sometimes that you have to cry." Levine soon accepted the movie.
More hurdles were to follow. First was in casting, with James McAvoy, initially cast in Gordon-Levitt's role, but, after his wife went into early labor, McAvoy dropped out just as the movie was about to start. Gordon-Levitt accepted with "about a week to ten days to prep."
We were definitely freaking out, but, honestly, there was something in the chemistry that we all had, we had too good of a thing going here for it to fall apart, and we just kind of put our heads down and did our jobs. And thank god they sent [Gordon-Levitt] the material... I know we would have been heartbroken if Joe had not been able to make it.
head shaving, name changing and more >> Posted 09.12.11 by Ryan -
It's official: Jonah Hill is joining Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn in 20th Century Fox's up coming comedy Neighborhood Watch.
Last week, the recently slimmed-down actor was reportedly in talks for the movie, but concerns about his price tag made the casting questionable. Deadline reports that Hill is a go for the movie, though what role Hill will play is still unknown.
Written by Superbad's Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the comedy sees Stiller and Vaughn start a neighborhood watch group as an excuse for dads to hang out together, and then uncover an alien plot to take over the world. Akiva Schaffer (Hot Rod) will direct.
Corddry a zombie, a Victoria's Secret model to PLay Jeff Bridges, Posted 08.25.11 by Ryan -
Summit Entertainment has added the second lead for its upcoming zombie love story, Warm Bodies.
Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: First Class) was cast in the lead role of "an existentially tormented zombie named R" earlier this month, and now THR reports that Teresa Palmer (I Am Number Four, Take Me Home Tonight) will play the girlfriend of one of R's victims and a military leader's daughter. The two eventually embark on an unlikely friendship as Palmer's character tires of the constant battles between zombies and humans.
Jonathan Levine (50/50) directed and adapted the screenplay for the movie, which is based on an upcoming novel by Isaac Marion. Marion's novel began as a short story called "I am a Zombie Filled With Love" which can be read here.
Warm Bodies isn't the only zombie love story in development. Screenwriter Diablo Cody (Juno) is producing an adaptation of Breathers: A Zombie's Lament, based on the novel by S.G. Browne.
Warm Bodies has the advantage since Summit has experience blending romance and the undead, having produced all of the Twilight movies. Whether Hoult's skin will sparkle is unknown so far.
Posted 03.30.11 by Ryan -
Nicholas Hoult is filling up his post-X-Men: First Class schedule. After donning blue fur to play the mutant X-Man Beast, First Class producer Bryan Singer was impressed enough to cast Hoult as the lead in his upcoming Jack the Giant Killer. After that, Hoult will play a romantic member of the undead.
undead romance... sign me up! >> Posted 03.03.11 by Ryan -
Looks like James McAvoy has been cured of cancer. MTV reports that the Scottish actor has dropped out of an upcoming comedy about cancer produced by and co-starring Seth Rogen after shooting began in Vancouver last month. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has stepped in to replace McAvoy. Rogen tried to explain the situation in a statement.
It's incredibly unfortunate that circumstances outside of everyone's control have taken James away from the project, but, with James's blessing, we were able to have Joseph step in to take on the [lead] role of Adam. We all look forward to working with James in the future.
Formerly titled I'm With Cancer, the movie is based on screenwriter Will Reiser's own battle with the disease. Reiser is a friend of Rogen's and in a separate interview with MTV last year, Rogen talked about the personal nature of the movie, and the fact that it won't be the first time that Rogen has tackled a comedy about a deadly disease.
It's funny, actually. I'm with Cancer existed as a script before Funny People, but they were written around the same time. I'm with Cancer is a very personal story, about what happened to our friend for the most part, so we didn't really need much added insight into that. I was there with [Reiser] as he experienced a lot of it.
Production on the movie has stalled for the moment but will resume March 8. Jonathan Levine (The Wackness) is directing the movie, which also stars Anna Kendrick and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Posted 03.05.10 by Ryan -
Director Jonathan Levine (The Wackness) recently replaced Nicole Holofcener as the director of a comedy about cancer formerly titled I'm With Cancer, which stars Seth Rogen, James McAvoy, and new addition Anna Kendrick. Turns out Levin also has another project in the works as well.
According to The Playlist, Levine will also adapt and direct the zombie love story Warm Bodies, based on an unreleased novel by Isaac Marion. Marion based the novel on the short story "I Am a Zombie Filled With Love," which examines a zombie's desire for love through his diary entries.
Summit Entertainment, the production company responsible for The Twilight Saga movies, has lined up the project, in a move that seems to signal a wish to be involved with any story involving love and the undead.
Levine starts production on the Cancer movie next month, and hopes to have the Warm Bodies script done by then. Production is likely to begin after Levine finishes with Cancer, which puts Warm Bodies into a possible 2012 release date. Until then, Marion has made his short story available online, which can be read here.
Posted 01.20.10 by Ryan -
If you don't have a comedy coming up these days in Hollywood, you are totally out of the loop.
Variety is reporting that shooting has already started on The Wackness, a comedy written and directed by Jonathan Levine (All the Boys Love Mandy Lane) about a teenaged drug dealer who trades pot for therapy sessions and then falls for his shrink's daughter. Sir Ben Kingsley (Schindler's List, You Kill Me), Famke Janssen (X-Men, Love & Sex), and Mary-Kate Olsen (Full House, New York Minute) all have roles.
And The Hollywood Reporter has news on three more comedies.
The funnyman with the unbelievably deep voice, Will Arnett, (Arrested Development, Blades of Glory) will finally get his moment in the sun with Space Invader, a comedy about the son of a NASA legend who must overcome his fear of flying to win back his astronaut girlfriend--who is, of course, headed into space with an unbelievable hunk. It will be directed by Andrew Currie (Fido, Mile Zero).
Kate Hudson and Dane Cook (Employee of the Month) are slated to act opposite each other in Bachelor No. 2, a romantic comedy about a man whose job it is to take women on awful dates so they go back to their ex-boyfriends.
The dry and hilarious Alec Baldwin will co-star and Howard Deutch (The Whole Ten Yards, Pretty in Pink) will direct.
Finally, teen-movie queens Rachael Leigh Cook (She's All That) and Sarah Roemer (Disturbia) are signed to star in a romantic comedy called The Golden Door, about a blue-collar nursing student who gets a job as a swanky Manhattan doorman and falls in love with one of the residents. Joseph Cross (Running With Scissors) and Snoop Dogg (Starsky & Hutch) are in negotiations to co-star.
Posted 08.11.07 by reelz