Jason Statham, one of our favourite action heroes with a good heart :) has taken a new role: Helen Mirren's husband, director Taylor Hackford will helm PARKER, and Statham will take the lead role in the story about a disciplined thief who lives by a strict code of conduct. He never steals money from people who actually need it, although he will strike back with a vengeance if he is crossed. The movie about a charming thief will be based on the books by Donald E. Westlake.
Today, thanks to "Beyond Hollywood" you can check out first pics of Christian Bale from the shooting of Zhang Yimou's (HERO) new epic drama NANJING HEROES. I've already wrote about this movie which will chronicle the slaughter of thousands of Chinese citizens
by the Japanese troops in the city that was the nation’s capital back in 1937. Bale will play a priest named John who saved many innocent people by working with German businessman called John Rabe. With the budget of $90 million it will be one of the most expensive Asian films ever. The film will be shot about 40% in English and the rest in Chinese.
Now, this also sounds like an unusual but charming film. Coming out in USA in just a few weeks, THE VINTNER'S LUCK starring Jeremie Renier, Gaspard Ulliel, and two Oscar nominees Vera Farmiga and Keisha Castle Hughes (who's acting I've never
liked), tells the compelling tale of Sobran Jodeau, an ambitious young peasant winemaker and the three loves of his life: his beautiful and passionate wife Celeste, the proudly intellectual baroness Aurora de Valday and Xas, a fallen angel, who strikes up an unlikely friendship with Sobran which endures for many years. A fantastical creature with wings that smell of snow, Xas turns out to be an unconventional mentor. Under his guidance Sobran is forced to fathom the nature of love and belief and in the process grapples with the sensual, the sacred and the profane - in pursuit of the perfect vintage. Set in 19th century France, the film was shot on location in France and New Zealand.
And if you have some time, Dezzy will kindly ask you to go to HOLLYWOOD SPY's OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE and click LIKE :) We must add as much new readers and followers there as possible :) If you LIKE my page over there, you will be able to receive HOLLYWOOD SPY updates at your HOME Facebook page daily :) You know HOLLYWOOD SPY loves you ;) You also have a LIKE button for my page here in the left sidebar ;)
I must admit Alfonso Cuaron has returned my interest in his upcoming project GRAVITY when he kicked Robert Downey Jr.
from the cast and gave the male role to George Clooney beside Sandra Bullock who took the lead role after it was turned down by Rachel Weisz and Angelina Jolie. According to "Collider" the shooting of this sf epic movie should start later this May in UK. Using innovative technology and artsy visual approach, the film will tell the story of a female astronaut, the lone survivor of a space mission, who desperately tries to return to Earth, and reunite with her daughter. The $80 million production will see her racing against time in the middle of dark universe. George Clooney will play the captain of the ship who has a pivotal role in the story.
Although I'm not overly amazed by HOT IN CLEVELAND show, I must admit it does have one huge huge quality - amazing Betty White as crazy but adorable Elka :) And it seems Elka will get even crazier at the end of the first season, since she will have a cat fight with, believe it or not, Doris Roberts, whom we remember as annoying and manipulative mother from EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND. She will appear in HOT IN CLEVELAND as a woman who had an affair with Elka's husband in the past, but since she still makes her angry, Betty White will get into a huge physical fight with her :)
Now this could be interesting to those who like American literature.A production has just started on BIG SUR, in whichFrench actorJean-Marc Barr will play Jack Kerouac. According to "MovieWeb" Josh Lucas has been cast as Neal Cassady, with Kate Bosworth playing his girlfriend Billie. The story will follow Jack Kerouac's move from New York to Northern California where he tries to rediscover himself while writing his famous work "On the Road". The semi-autographical tale will also cover Kerouac’s battle with fame, his battle with drugs and his relationship with Cassady’s mistress Billie. Anthony Edwards, Rahda Mitchell, Stana Katic and Balthazar Getty are also in the cast.
I wanted to take a moment to send support and love to the most amazing woman in Hollywood, our dear Welsh queen Catherine Zeta Jones. As you probably know a few days ago she went to a
clinic in order to solve her bipolar disorder. As a truly magnificent and kind person she always has been she didn't hide this from the public, wanting to show that having a psychological problem isn't something to be ashamed of. As you know we haven't seen Catherine in cinemas for almost four years know (Ever since her refined and profound role in NO RESERVATIONS) because she had to deal with too many personal issues of her husband Michael Douglas. His problems with his ex wife, with his drug using son and his cancer have put Catherine in some really difficult situations with which she had to deal beside raising their two little kids. So let us send some positive energy and love to our Catherine, may she return to us as soon as possible with her stunning beauty, dignified personality and mesmerizing charisma.
SHORT HEADLINES According to "MovieWeb" Robert Zemeckis will produce the movie adaptation of crazy book HOW TO SURVIVE A GARDEN GNOME ATTACK. The film, which won't be for kids, will be based on the tongue-in-cheek survival guide to help garden gnome owners prepare for and ward off an imminent invasion from the menacing lawn statues. *According to latest rumors, Disney is currently negotiating with Ryan Gosling to take the title role in THE LONE RANGER. If he accepts it, he will star beside Johnny Depp, whose Tonto will actually be the lead character in the film unlike the previous versions. Before this, Gosling is doing LOGAN'S RUN remake, and Depp is doing DARK SHADOWS film adaptation.
A film which just started playing in US cinemas, earning positive criticism, is French historical adventure THE PRINCESS OF MONTPESIER, starring Melanie Thiery and two of my favourite French actors Gaspard Ulliel (BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF, A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT) and Lambert Wilson (MATRIX, CATWOMAN). Gaspard Ulliel plays a cunning warrior who is in love with Marie de Mezieres (Mélanie Thierry) and although she loves him as well, her father arranges Marie to marry the Prince of Montpensier (Grégoire Leprince Ringuet). When the Prince is sent off to war, he leaves his new bride with his loyal friend Chabannes (Lambert Wilson). When he returns from war, along with Duc d'Anjou (Raphaël Personnaz), all four men become smitten with Marie and vie for her affections.
And you could all pop over to our dear Lynda Young and vote for her blog as the best one in whole Australia! :)
Now this sounds like a potentially interesting project. HBO is preparing TV series based on Neil Gaiman's book AMERICAN GODS which describes a battle between two different God-like factions. One set of Gods is based on myths and legends who became real because the human race believed in them at one time. They're starting to disappear, and are being replaced by a new set of Gods that are a manifestation of America's preoccupation with technology, celebrity, media and drugs. The main character will be an ex-con who gets mixed up in this war when he unwittingly decides to join a conman who turns
out to be a dieing deity gathering troops for the final battle.
Today you can also check out stunning first picture from the set of Brian Singer's JACK THE GIANT KILLER showing Ewan McGregor in full armor as the captain of the royal guard. The film will follow young man Jack (Nicholas Hoult) who unwittingly breaks a long standing peace between the humans and giants when he goes after a princess who the giants kidnapped. Beside McGregor and Hoult, the cast also includes Bill Nighy, who will play the two-headed leader of the giants, and Stanley Tucci, who will play the main villain.
And are you super excited about the grand premiere of HBO's new epic fantasy series GAME OF THRONES which starts this Sunday, April 17th? If not, check out this stunning clip which could change your mind. The beautiful video depicts the first meeting of brute Dothraki leader Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) and Daenerys Targaryen, whose brother promised her to the horseback savage in order to use his people to regain the throne of Westeros. During the prescreenings of the show everyone was so amazed and breathtaken that apparently the second season has already been ordered even before the Sunday start of the first one. The second season will follow George R.R. Martin's novel "A Clash of Kings from" his "A Song of Ice and Fire" saga.
Hugh Laurie in a less grumpy and cynical role than usual? Why not, it could be a pleasant change especially for those who aren't really fans of his popular show HOUSE. He will play the lead
role in the film adaptation of Lloys Jones' novel MISTER PIP which follows Mr. Watts, the last white man left on the war-torn island of Bougainville. Asked to open a school there, he reads the kids his favorite novel, "Great Expectations" and bonds with them over the book, which sheds some perspective on their own difficult lives. The film will be directed by Andrew Adamson (SHREK, CHRONICLES OF NARNIA).
SHORT HEADLINES Gorgeous Olga Kurylenko has joined Aaron Eckhart in THE EXPATRIATE, about a former CIA agent who tries to reconnect with his young daughter but
discovers that his assistant is really an assassin trying to kill him, and must go on the run with his daughter. Olga Kurylenko will play a spy and his former love who helps them escape. *British director Mike Newell is preparing a new film adaptation of GREAT EXPECTATIONS, and he apparently wants young Jeremy Irvine (from Steven Spielberg's upcoming WAR HORSE) and Helena Bonham Carter in the lead roles. As you know it's a story about a young orphan who suddenly enters the life of luxury, thanks to a mysterious lady benefactor.
Today you can also check out the first trailer for sf action RISE OF THE PLANET OF APES with James Franco, Freida Pinto and John Litgow which comes out this August. With the usage of groundbreaking special effects used before in AVATAR, the new
version of the RISE OF THE PLANET OF APES is an origin story set in present day San Francisco, a reality-based cautionary tale, a science fiction and 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. I must admit I found the trailer rather bad and boring, and the films doesn't seem like something which could refresh the old saga.
Just few days ago I mentioned that famous classic THE CROW also awaits its remake, and now they already have a possible lead star. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, the director of the remake, is apparently in talks with Bradley Cooper to take the role of Eric Draven, a rock star who is murdered along with his girlfriend, the night before their wedding. One year later, a mysterious crow resurrects Draven to seek vengeance on those responsible for his death. As you remember, Brandon Lee, the star of the original film, died during the shooting of the film.
SHORT HEADLINESRufus Sewell has just joined ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER in which he will play the main villain, the leader of the vampires. *Although Disney has dropped sf epic OBLIVION last week (a film about a lone repair man who is the last man left on desolate Earth) its director Joseph Kosinski (TRON LEGACY) is now in talks with Tom Cruise to take the lead role and produce the film. *Paramount will adapt THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES, Ray Bradbury's sf story about human attempts to colonize Mars. In the story, the resistance of Martians against human invaders leads to a nuclear war. *Young Nico Tortorella, will join Stephen Sommers' ODD THOMAS film adaptation as a local cop
and the member of a satanic cult, in the story which follows Odd Thomas (Anton Yelchin) a young cook from a little town who can talk with the dead.
Now here's a lovely piece of news for all of us dragon loving people :) Bestselling saga DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN by writer Anne McCaffrey, about a group of warriors who use their fire-breathing, telepathic dragons to battle a terrifying airborne threat to the exotic planet of Pern, will be adapted into a huge epic film. Screenwriter David Hayter (X-MEN, WATCHMEN) has already been hired to write the script. First published back in 1968 this popular fantasy saga has had twenty two novels so far!
You've probably noticed so far, that HOLLYWOOD SPY kinda likes Blake Lively, and it seems Hollywood likes her to. According to latest rumors, Oliver Stone wants her beside Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch in SAVAGES, in which Salma Hayek will be a drug cartel boss who kidnaps the girlfriend the two of them share, because she wants to put their successful marijuana business under her control. But that's not all, Blake Lively is also wanted in Sam Raimi's OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, in which she would play Glinda the Good Witch of the East beside James Franco as Oz and Mila Kunis as the Evil Witch of the West. Colour me intrigued :)
SHORT HEADLINESJohn Travolta and Lindsay Lohan in the same movie? Yep! I kid you not! And not any movie - a mafia movie! They and Joe Pesci will star in Nick Cassavetes' GOTTI, a biopic on American mobster John Gotti *You can
also check out amazing pictures (click on them to see them better) of Ryan Reynold's fascinating costume in GREEN LANTERN. I think this will be a super hero costume I like most. The tight green costume with luminescent green fibers will be totally CGI made. The film is out this June.
HOLLYWOOD SPY has already informed you that a ROBOCOP remake is in works in Tinseltown, but now we have the first names wanted for the new version of the famous 80's sf classic. The lead role which was given to Peter Weller in the original film could now go to Keanu Reeves, Tom Cruise or Johnny Depp (yep, the two of them again). The script is still in works but as you remember the story centered on a cop who was part man, part machine. He was first a normal human, but after being wounded he returned to the futuristic police as a powerful cyborg. The film should premiere sometime in 2013.
