Saturday, April 9, 2011
PROFOUND TRAILER FOR LARS VON TRIER'S SF DRAMA "MELANCHOLY"! HAILEE STEINFELD IN "ROMEO AND JULIET"! BEN STILLER IN "THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY"!
Ah, it seems that in the time of world wide tragedies and wars, Hollywood wants to surround us with fairy tales. So, here is yet
another fairy tale film adaptation. Young Hailee Steinfeld, who just last week landed the lead role in the new film adaptation of SLEEPING BEAUTY, will now also star in new ROMEO AND JULIET. It will be her next film, with the production starting this Spring, and the film will be directed by Italian filmmaker Carlo Carlei with a modest budget of $15 million. According to "MovieWeb" the role was first meant for Lily Collins but she went on to play Snow White in Tarsem Singh's film. The screenplay will be written by Oscar winner Julian Fellowes (GOSFORD PARK).
SHORT HEADLINES *Ben Stiller will star in the remake of 1947 film THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY, a story about a milquetoast man who lives life vicariously through daydreams in which he envisions himself in a series of heroic, fantastic personas. The film is looking for a director after Steven Spielberg, Gore Verbinski and Ron Howard opted for other projects. *Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, the director of famous 28 WEEKS LATER, will helm the remake of THE CROW, the story of a man who is resurrected in order to avenge his dead wife so that they could be together in heavens.
I must admit I've been waiting to see the first trailer for Lars Von Trier's new film MELANCHOLIA, and here it is. With quite an interesting cast including Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, John Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Rampling, Alexander Skarsgård, and Stellan Skarsgård the film will basically start with the end, with the audience seeing the world being crushed and destroyed at the beginning and then it will not be a film about what happens but how it happened! The film will show people who are trying to deal with the planet’s impending doom. Kirsten Dunst will be a woman who is planning to get married to Alexander Skarsgaard while his father Stellan Skarsgaard will play the best man and John Hurt will play Dunst's father.
There are a lot of fairytales lately, aren't there.
ReplyDeleteI think Hailee Steinfeld will make a decent Juliet. But I'll still always love Olivia Hussey in that role best. :) But we'll see. Steinfeld is a great young actress.
more than a lot :) The only thing which nobody still knows is whether this new ROMEO AND JULIET will be a period movie or something set in present.
ReplyDeleteI'm very excited about the Melancholia trailer. Ben Stiller will be perfect for Walter Mitty, last played on screen by Danny Kaye. It was a fantastic movie and the story was tremendous as well. A remake of Romeo and Juliet? Well, I suppose since it's been a thousand years since Baz Luhrmann's film, the world needs a bouncing baby new set of star-crossed lovers. At least they've cast a Juliet of some talent. ;)
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen the original film, but I'm sure Ben will be great if he doesn't go too crazy :)
ReplyDeleteLet us hope that ROMEO AND JULIET won't be to teenish :)
I'm not sure what to make of MELANCHOLIA after watching the trailer. Might be a bit too "artistic" for me ;)
ReplyDeleteI don't think Ben Stiller's film is going to be all that good. When director after director turns your project, there tends to be a legitimate reason as to why. I'd say the reluctance foretells doom for the remake.
ReplyDelete@Lyndy
ReplyDeleteit is quite strange, as all of Lars von Trier's films are :)
@Matty
they didn't really turn down the project, but the studio had problems finding money and actors ... Jim Carrey, Mike Myers and Sacha Baron Cohen were all once in the game to play the role ... but it didn't happen.
Whoever gets the role of Romeo should be very afraid - Hailee knows how to dominate a scene.
ReplyDeleteNice to see Kiefer Sutherland on the big screen again.
ReplyDeleteoooh! that plot of melancholia reminds me of this bit of research i came across on wiki about nemesis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemesis_(star)
ReplyDeletea hypothesized dwarf star that orbits our sun, and is nearly always hidden on the other side of it, except for every 26 million years or so that it's orbit draws it nearer to the Earth. some scientists came up with this as a theory of why there seem to be periods of mass extinctions in the fossil record. nothing's really been proved or anything, of course! but it's actually fodder for an element of one of the stories i'm working on now...
anyways! :)
looks like a beautiful movie! i like weird! :)
and i really need to see true grit, i think... even though i wasn't crazy about the original. i hear marvellous things about that little girl! good for her! :)
That Melancholia trailer is making me melancholy. Wow, can't believe how many end of the world pics and fairy tale/super hero pics there are.
ReplyDeleteMELANCHOLIA is intriguing; I love the cast, but will it be too artsy?!
ReplyDeleteoooh, I wonder who will be Romeo...I hope it is a period piece!
I think there are a lot of "fairytale" type movies coming out lately to help us get over the nightamre that we are living now in these hard as days and time. Shit, now I go to the movies just to "get away" for a few hours mentally!
ReplyDeleteNot really impressed by Melancholia trailer. I hope the film is better.
ReplyDeleteTHE CROW is one of my favorite movies. I don't know about the remake. The original isn't that old. Oh wait, 1994. Now I feel old.
ReplyDeleteTHE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY sounds wonderful.
hmmm interesting. Melancholia does indeed look like it could be a bit arty farty for me. I am not very good at high brow movies. Looks pretty though.
ReplyDeleteWalter Mitty could be a cool, loved the story when I was a kid, shame it is pretty doomed with the director situation.
YES!
ReplyDeleteA new Lars Von Trier film. I always look forward to them.
Thanks for the trailer!
Hmm. Ben Stiller as Walter Mitty. I loved the short story so I'm going to have to let that sink in for a while...
ReplyDelete@Alex
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen her in anything so far
@Debra
we really haven't seen him in million years!
@Vics
wow, aren't you a little scientist :)) Hope that cycle isn't nearing its end any time soon :( I myself haven't seen TRUE GRIT, and you know why :)
@Clarissa
ReplyDeletethe trailer does have that vibe, it's very atmospheric, but all of Trier's films need a mentally very strong audience.
@Ella
I'd also prefer it if it was a period film :)
@Falsy
oh, please, as if we don't know that you go to the movies to do some mischief in the dark with your boo :)
@Jaccsy
ReplyDeletethere isn't enough violence and horror in it, for you, Jaccksonsvile? :))
@Medeia
ah, yes, we are really growing old these days :( THE CROW was quite some time ago, more than 15 years.
@Custard
ah, what is it with my readers, nobody likes artsy, haven't I enlighten you all with my profound and ethereal posts and pics? :)))))
@Andrew
ReplyDeleteI knew you would gonna like that one. It sounds and looks interesting and less violent than most of his previous films, so I'm anxious to see this one, even though I don't really like Dunst.
@Sam
not a fan of Stiller? :) I haven't seen the original film, so I don't know what to expect, hope it won't be overly crazy.
Jumping over from Alex's - after reading his glowing words, I needed to visit your site. I didn't realize they were remaking the Crow! How sad. The first is so powerful, in part due to Brandon's death. I just don't see how they could duplicate that sorrow.
ReplyDeleteHey Dezzy - I'm not really interested in another remake of Romeo and Juliet. That play depressed me. I always want to smack them. Yeah, I can be violent. LOL
ReplyDeleteAs for MELANCHOLIA - it has a lot of fun actors. I hope it's good.
@Diane
ReplyDeletehey, Diane, welcome to HOLLYWOOD SPY :)! Oh, I hope they won't even try to duplicate the sorrow, we don't need such sad accidents at the set again :(
@Shells
smack who? Capulets or Montagues? Which side are you on? :)))
Hailee is certainly beautiful, but can she act? Juliet is quite the dramatic role.
ReplyDeleteThe classic fairy tales are making there way for sure in film these days. Some good, some not so good. Let's hope Sleeping beauty will be good.
I have no idea, Michael, I haven't seen her in anything, but it's true that most young actors can't really act, which is normal having in mind their young age.
ReplyDeleteWhy have I not been here before? see this is the beauty of the A to Z!
ReplyDeletehttp://baygirl32.blogspot.com
Melenachoy looks like it could be interesting. I do remember reading that Lars promised "no happy ending" for his next film after Antichrist(If there was supposed to be a happy ending in that one i missed it. Seriously, that had one of the few scenes that mas made me look away, ans i've seen some pretty violent/disturbing stuff). I am kind of surprised that you like him to be honest Dez
ReplyDelete@Baygirl
ReplyDeletewelcome to HOLLYWOOD SPY, hope we will be seeing you here often :)
@Dirty
who says I like him? :) I actually totally oppose most of his films (MANDARLAY, ANTICHRIST) but he has one film I adore - DOGVILLE.
Hmm, that trailer was quite interesting and the story sounds very bone-chilling (in a non-horror movie way). I'll have to keep my eye out for that one!
ReplyDeletehe was always an unusual director :)
ReplyDeleteScreenwriting should look at Kal Bashir's 510+ stage hero's journey work over at http://www.clickok.co.uk/index4.html
ReplyDeleteGlad to see Hailee is getting some prominent roles, that girl is massively talented! I sure hope this Romeo + Juliet will NOT be Twilight-ish though, have you seen the Franco Zeffirelli version w/ Olivia Hussey, Dez? I still think that was beautifully filmed and Olivia looks young enough to be the proper age of what Juliet is supposed to be in the original story.
ReplyDeleteThe Walter Mitty story can be an easy one to botch on screen. I don't really remember the Danny Kaye version very well but I don't recall being blown away by it. Then again I never was a huge fan of Danny Kaye--he strikes me as a more refined version of Robin Williams, maybe not as annoying.
ReplyDeleteBen Stiller might be able to pull it off with the right director and screen-play, but I would picture a more scrawny actor in the role.
Lee
Tossing It Out
Twitter hashtag: #atozchallenge
Okay, who is going to take Ben Stiller serious at all in a movie like Walter Mitty? He's comical and maybe he has some decent moments, but on the whole he's not a great actor. He's just Ben Stiller being Ben Stiller in different stories.
ReplyDelete@Flixy
ReplyDeleteI've seen Zeffirelli's version as a kid, but I don't really remember it any more :)
@Arlee
ah, back as a kid I didn't like DAnny Kaye either :) but I do love Robin Williams.
@Eric
kinda like Jim Carrey always being Jim Carrey :)