According to reports from "Deadline", one of HOLLYWOOD SPY's favourite movie stars Chris Evans will star in romantic film A MANY SPLINTERED THING. Chris will also executive the film which is actually called an antiromantic comedy. In the vein of "Amelie" and "500 Days Of Summer" the film tells the story of a young man disillusioned by love who meets a breathtaking young woman (Michelle Monaghan) at a charity dinner by pretending to be a philanthropist. Turns out that she’s engaged to a guy who doesn’t like her going on dates. Challenged by the chase, and egged on by his eclectic friends, he feigns a platonic relationship in order to keep seeing her as he tries to conquer her heart. The screenplay was featured on the famous Black List of best unproduced scripts in Hollywood.
HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES
Yesterday, I wrote about Dreamworks' new animated film THE CROODS, and
now "Variety" reports of a new animated project: 20th Century Fox is
apparently planning to do a movie adaptation of graphic novel CARDBOARD
by Douglas TenNapel. The story revolves around a young boy who receives
only a cardboard box for his birthday from his widowed father. They both
turn the box into a boxer named Bill, who somehow comes to life. The
duo must protect their creation from the neighborhood bully, who has
nefarious plans. Tobey Maguire will produce and possibly lend his voice
to one of the characters, while amazing Chris Wedge, the creator of ICE
AGE, is negotiating to take the director's seat.
PARENTAL GUIDANCE CLIP
To cheer you up a bit since it's Monday, here's a funny trailer for new comedy PARENTAL GUIDANCE with a delightful duo Billy Crystal and Bette Midler starring as grandparents who get a dose of the 21st
Century behaviour when they agree to look after their grandchildren. Coming out this November, the film follow old school grandfather Artie, accustomed to calling the shots, who meets his match when he and his eager-to-please wife Diane agree to babysit their three grandkids when their type-A helicopter parents go away for work. But when 21st century problems collide with Artie and Diane's old school methods of tough rules, lots of love and old-fashioned games, it's learning to bend - and not holding your ground - that binds a family together.The only weird moment is Marisa Tomei playing Bette's and Billy's daughter. Isn't she about their age?
I'm sure you will agree with me, dear people, that in the era of morbidly and irresponsibly dark movies, animated films have become pearls of optimism and inspiration and drop of light in the grim cinematic ocean. From deeply educational HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, to delightfully romantic TANGLED and mesmerizingly lovely THE OWLS OF GA'HOOLE, charmingly warm ICE AGE saga, strongly inspiring BRAVE, we shall arrive next year to new Dreamworks' animated story THE CROODS.
THE CROODS STORY
The story of THE CROODS takes us back to the beginning, to a previously undiscovered era known as the Croodacious, a time when Mother Nature was still experimenting and
the flora and fauna we know today had yet to evolve and when a man's position as a "Leader of the
Hunt" was threatened by the arrival of a prehistoric genius who comes up with revolutionary new inventions like fire. At the heart of
this comically chaotic world is the Crood family, led by Grug, an
over-protective father who, like all dads, is doing everything he can to
hold his family together as the world around them changes at a dramatic
pace. Surviving in a volcanic world is tough enough, but caveman Grug (Nicolas Cage) gets a rude awakening when an earthquake forces him to leave behind the only world he knows. With his family in tow, he ventures out into the volatile world in search of a new home. The situation becomes even more complicated
when Grug's family — in particular his oldest daughter — falls for a nomad (Ryan Reynolds) they encounter on their dangerous journey. This quirky, imaginative stranger's search for 'tomorrow' is at odds with Grug's reliance on the traditions of yesterday.
THE CROODS TIDBITS
The first Dreamworks' film to be distributed by 20th Century Fox after
their separation from Paramount is ready to hit cinemas March 2013 and
it will be directed by Chris Sanders, one of the people who worked on
LILO AND STITCH and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON. It is interesting that THE CROODS took eight years to be made due to many cancellations and breaks in the production.
THE CROODS CAST
The stellar voice cast is lead by Nicolas Cage as Grug, the well-meaning, overprotective but outdated patriarch of the Croods family. Ryan Reynolds is Guy, a boy who is not as strong as the Croods but prefers using his brain and comes up with various ideas, like fire or shoes. He is accompanied with a sloth-like pet. Catherine Keener appears as Ugga, Grug's wife. She is more open-minded than Grug, but has a hard job to make her family
safe. Emma Stone plays Eep, Grug and Ugga's daughter, who likes to experience new things, while Clark Duke is Thunk, Grug and Ugga's son, a 6-foot-9, 320 pounds and 9 years old middle child, who is not smart, has bad coordination but has a good heart. Cloris Leachman is Gran, a ferocious, very old (45 years) mother-in-law, and main antagonist for Grug.
It's a dry period in movie news world, people, so today you only get two trailers, but it's interesting that they have similar titles: I don't think we've ever had any "atlas" films and now we're getting two: CLOUD ATLAS and ATLAS SHRUGGED. Both are fantasy flicks.
ATLAS SHRUGGED II
Well, this is apparently a sequel, although, I must admit, I've never before heard of the first one, but my research shows it was a major flop at the box office
(it earned less than 5 million, while the budget of this one is $10 million, go figure). Anyhow, ATLAS SHRUGGED: PART II, which is to be released sometime later this year and is based on Ayn Rand's book, is set in a world in which the global economy is on the brink of collapse. Unemployment tops 24%. Gas is $42 per gallon. Railroads are the main transportation. Brilliant creators, from artists to industrialists, are mysteriously disappearing. Dagny Taggart, COO of Taggart Transcontinental, has discovered an answer to the mounting energy crisis - a prototype of a motor that draws energy from static electricity.
But, until she finds its creator, it's useless. It's a race against time. And someone is watching. The cast includes a few forgotten stars from the previous decades - Samantha Mathis and D.B. Sweeney.
CLOUD ATLAS TRAILER
Earlier this summer I've shown you a rather long, international trailer for the new sweeping sf film CLOUD ATLAS from the creators of
MATRIX the Wachowski siblings and Tom Tykwer (RUN LOLA RUN) and now an official trailer is here. The expensive sf film which cost around $100 million, but has strangely had almost no marketing so far even though it's out this October, is an exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution. Everything is connected: an 1849 diary of an ocean voyage across the Pacific; letters from a composer to his friend; a thriller about a murder at a nuclear power plant; a farce about a publisher in a nursing home; a rebellious
clone in futuristic Korea; and the tale of a tribe living in post-apocalyptic Hawaii, far in the future. And if you thought the story is weird, check out the even weirder cast: Tom Hanks, always dreadful Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Susan Sarandon,Jim Sturgess, Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, James D'Arcy, Jim Broadbent...
And here's another movie adaptation of a book for all you book lovers: according to "The Hollywood Reporter" David Slade (directed HARD HANDY with Patrick Wilson) will direct MATCHED for Disney. The fantasy trilogy
by Ally Condie is set in a futuristic world where government officials tell people how to live their lives, with everything from what books they should read to what people they should fall in love with. The plot revolves around a young woman who turns down her appointed romance to forge her own path. Another book to get adapted into a film is BREAK MY HEART 1,000 TIMES by Daniel Waters. The yet unreleased book (should be out next month) is set after a cataclysmic event that has left ghosts walking the earth. The story centres on a young girl who is terrorized by an apparition that she suspects to be a serial killer.
YOU MAY NOT KISS THE BRIDE TRAILER
And your trailer for today is one coming pretty late - it's for action comedy YOU MAY NOT KISS THE BRIDE which hits theatres
September 21st. The story of the comedy revolves around an unassuming pet photographer who is thrown into serious action, adventure and romance when he's forced to marry a Croatian bride and spend his honeymoon at a remote tropical resort where she is kidnapped. The good side of the film is that it features two mindblowingly gorgeous television stars in the lead roles - David Annable (from BROTHERS AND SISTERS) and Katherine McPhee (from SMASH) alongside a cast which features some legendary names such as Kathy Bates, some truly horrid faces such as Mena Suvari and Rob Schneider and some cameos from forgotten action stars Tia Carere and Vinnie Jones.
One of last year's biggest breakthrough stars, Irish/German hunk Michael Fassbender, whom you last time saw this summer in sf epic PROMETHEUS, has landed a role in FRANK. According to "Variety" the story revolves around an up and coming musician (Domhnall Gleeson son of Brandan) who gets in over his head when he joins a rock band, lead by Michael Fassbender's character. As I reported before, Fassy will also appear in the film adaptation of ASSASSSINS' CREED video game, in X MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST and in historical drama TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE next to Brad Pitt.
HOLLYWOOD SPY HEADLINES
Warner Bros. has revealed today that they have bought movie rights on
Dan Krokos' fantasy novel THE PLANET THIEVES which follows the SS Egypt,
which gets attacked by a group of aggressive aliens that steal some
sensitive technology that could bring the demise of earth. The story
revolves around Mason Stark, a young space cadet that leads the attack
against a group of aliens that stole technology. Meanwhile, "Variety"
also reports that young Max Minghella (AGORA) will play a district
attorney who is hiding a secret past in HORNS, a story about a seemingly
ordinary man who wakes up one morning and discovers horns are growing
out of his head. He comes to learn that these powerful appendages make
people confess their sins to him, a tool he decides to use in figuring
out the mysterious death of his girlfriend. Daniel Radcliffe has
recently replaced Shia Le Bouf in the lead role.
DOROTHY OF OZ TRAILER
Your trailer for today is a long awaited one: it really took long for DOROTHY OF OZ to be made. Coming to theatres sometime next year, the story of this animated movie takes place after the events of the
1939 classic, with Dorothy (Lea Michele) back in Kansas, after the tornado that took her to Oz has destroyed her hometown. Before long, she is whisked back to the magical land of Oz to help find her missing
friends Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and Tin Man. Dorothy sets out on a perilous journey to stop the Jester from using the power of the Wicked Witch of the West's wand to turn the people of Oz into puppets. Beside
the GLEE star, the film also features the voices of Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi, Martin Short, Hugh Dancy, Oliver Platt, Patrick Stewart and Kelsey Grammer. An extremely strong voice cast for a rather uninspired looking flick.
Your trailer treat for today is the first trailer for upcoming action adventure HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS. The unfortunate movie was originally supposed to be released into cinemas this summer, but due to the fact that this year we've already had too many fairy tale movies with MIRROR MIRROR and SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, the studio has opted to move the film to January 2013, a month usually known as the graveyard of films. When you see the trailer you might even support Paramount's decision: the clip offers something very trashy, cheap looking and unattractive.
HANSEL & GRETEL STORY
Following the latest trend of darkening popular children's fairy tales and putting grim twists into them, HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS takes us
to the period fifteen years after their traumatic gingerbread-house incident in which they were almost eaten by the evil witch, but they've escaped and now the siblings Hansel and Gretel have become a formidable team of bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world seeking the revenge for their childhood traumas. As you can see in the trailer, the lead roles are portrayed by English beauty Gemma Arterton (who looks rather uninspired in this role and who is no stranger to adventurous epics since you remember her as brave Io from CLASH OF THE TITANS and brave princess Tamina from PRINCE OF PERSIA
SANDS OF TIME, although most people prefer her in THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED and in QUANTUM OF SOLACE) and Jeremy Renner as her brother Hansel. The cast also includes another James Bond girl Famke Janssen and Peter Stormare.
HANSEL & GRETEL TIDBITS
Estimated budget of the HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS is about 60 million dollars. It is interesting that the film had problems even before this premiere date thing, since they've
changed lots of actors and actresses in the lead roles before they went to Arterton and Renner. Gretel was first supposed to be played by Diane Kruger and Eva Green. Famke Janssen has once said that she accepted the role as the head witch because she had to pay off her mortgage.
Just a week or so ago, your HOLLYWOOD SPY informed you that after the huge success of their THE HOLLOW CROWN series earlier this summer with Tom Hiddleston, Patrick Stewart, Ben Whishaw and Jeremy Irons, BBC has set their eye on another medieval project - WOLF HALL, which will be set in the 1520s with England facing civil war if Henry VIII dies without a male heir. And now I already have a new epic treat for you: BBC is preparing another period set television series - WHITE QUEEN. The War of the Roses set ten-part drama is going to be based on Phillipa Gregory's bestselling novel series "The Cousin's War".
WHITE QUEEN TIDBITS
The series follows a group of women who find themselves caught up in the race for the throne. The women work behind the scenes, scheming ruthlessly to help their lovers, and their children, and will stop at nothing to gain - or keep - the throne. With the nation at war for the past nine years over the rightful King of England, the two sides of the same family - The House of York and The House of Lancaster - are also facing their own battle. Young Max Irons will play the House of York's Edward IV, who is crowned the King of England thanks to Lord Warwick (James Frain from THE TUDORS).
However, Warwick's plans are altered after the King falls in love with a widowed Lancastrian commoner with two
children Elizabeth Woodville (Swedish top model Rebecca Ferguson). Academy Award nominee Janet McTeer plays Elizabeth's sorceress mother Jacquetta,who uses her magical powers to help her
daughter capture the king's heart, while Amanda Hale will portray the Queen's rival Margaret Beaufort. Faye Marsay and Eleanor Tomlinson will portray Anne and Isabel Neville, daughters of Lord Warwick, the so-called Kingmaker, while Aneurin Bernard features as Richard, Duke of York. THE BORGIAS star David Oakes will put a medieval costume on himself again playing George, Duke of Clarence, and Tom McKay will portray Jasper Tudor. Juliet Aubrey, Frances Tomelty, Michael Maloney, Ben Lamb, Hugh Mitchell, Simon Ginty, Eve Ponsonby and Robert Pugh will also appear in the drama.
WHITE QUEEN STORY
The year is 1464 and England has been at war for nine years battling over who is the rightful King of England – it is a war between two sides of the same family, The House of York and The House of Lancaster. The House of York’s young and devilishly handsome Edward IV (Max Irons) is crowned King of England with the help of the master manipulator Lord Warwick “The Kingmaker” (James Frain). But when Edward falls in love and secretly marries a beautiful young widow, the commoner Elizabeth Woodville (Rebecca Ferguson) Warwick’s plan for control over the English throne comes
crashing down around him. Frustrated by the new Queen’s influence he will stop at nothing to maintain his grip on the King. The most beautiful woman in the land, Elizabeth Woodville marries for the love of her King,
with the help of her mother Jacquetta (Janet McTeer) a self proclaimed sorceress. Elizabeth’s most fierce adversary is the staunchly loyal Lancastrian Margaret Beaufort (Amanda Hale) – a damaged and highly religious woman who would willingly lay down her life to see her young son Henry Tudor take the throne. And then there is Anne Neville (Faye Marsay), Lord Warwick The Kingmaker’s daughter - a pawn in her father’s battle for control, who finds her strength and ambition when she takes control of her destiny and marries the King’s younger brother Richard Duke of York (Aneurin Bernard).
According to "Variety" young Zac Efron, who is getting more and more popular, has joined the cast of romantic comedy ARE WE OFFICIALLY DATING. The story of the movie revolves around three Manhattan friends who make a pact to remain single. The plot thickens when each friend falls in love shortly after the vow is made. It is interesting that the plot of the film was on the famous Black list a few years ago, the list of best unproduced scripts in Hollywood. As I reported earlier, Zac will also join Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Goldie Hawn in THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU about a Jewish family that isn't used to observing their faith's traditions but is forced to ful-
fill their father's final wish and sit Shivah together for an entire week and confront their problems. Zack's last film THE LUCKY ONE earned triple its budget at the boxoffice earlier this spring.
WE'RE THE MILLERS
Speaking of comedian Jason Sudeikis, he has just started shooting a
new comedy titled WE'RE THE MILLERS. He plays David Burke, a small-time
pot dealer whose clientele includes chefs and soccer moms, but no
kids-after all, he has his scruples. So what could go wrong? Plenty.
Preferring to keep a low profile for obvious reasons, he learns the hard
way that no good deed goes unpunished when he tries to help out some
local teens and winds up getting jumped by a trio of gutter punks.
Stealing his stash and his cash, they leave him in major debt to his
supplier, Brad (Ed Helms). In order to wipe the slate clean David must
now become a big-time drug smuggler by bringing Brad's latest shipment
in from Mexico. Twisting the arms of his neighbors, cynical stripper
Rose (Jennifer Aniston) and wannabe customer
Kenny (Will Poulter), and the tatted-and-pierced streetwise teen Casey (Emma Roberts), he devises a
foolproof plan. One fake wife, two pretend kids and a huge, shiny RV
later, the "Millers" are headed south of the border for a Fourth of July
weekend that is sure to end with a bang.
THE RIDERS THRILLER
Meanwhile, Australian star Sam Worthington, who played a mythical hero earlier this year in Greek epic WRATH OF THE TITANS,
has signed on to star inTHE RIDERS. According to "Digital Spy" he will lead the cast which also includes GAME OF THRONE's Charles Dance and Timothy Spall. This dynamic and suspenseful thriller is based on the novel by Tim Winton, and the story revolves around Scully (Sam Worthington), a man who moves from Australia to Ireland and keenly awaits the arrival of his wife Jennifer and six-year-old daughter Billie. When a traumatised Billie arrives at the airport alone, the pair must retrace her steps to discover Jennifer's fate.
This year has certainly been a year of sf films, from a bunch of super hero flicks, to sf epic JOHN CARTER, and sf remake TOTAL RECALL and JUDGE DREDD, we shall arrive to sf action LOOPER this September. The film, starring Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt and Joseph Gordon Levitt, will open this year's Toronto Film Festival before it hits theatres around the world beginning with USA on September 23rd.
LOOPER STORY
In a futuristic gangland in the year 2047, a 25-year-old killer named Joseph Simmons(Joseph Gordon Levitt) works for a mafia company in Kansas City as a "Looper." Loopers kill and dispose of agents sent by their employers from corporate headquarters in Shanghai from the year 2077. Loopers are foot soldiers, paid on the terms that all targets must never escape. When Simmons recognizes his target as a future version of himself (Bruce Willis), his older self escapes after inca- pacitating him. The resulting failure of his job causes his employers to come after him, forcing him to fight for his life as he hunts his older self.
LOOPER TIDBITS
Beside Willis, Levitt and gorgeous English star Emily Blunt, the cast also includes Paul Dano, Piper Perabo and Jeff Daniels. LOOPER combines strong corporate influences for dealing with criminal organizations, technology for the time-travel machine itself, as well as
film noir. While the film is set in the future, the styling itself is a mixture of both retro and contemporary with a futuristic twist. For instance, many of the buildings used for the setting of the film reflect those from the 1930's and 1940's.
DID YOU KNOW?Emily Blunt will appear in another sf epic in which a hero
is lost in a time loop, constantly reliving his day of death - ALL YOU
NEED IS KILL, next to that crazy Tom Cruise.
According to "Wikipedia" many vehicles used for the film are from the present day with many of them equipped with solar panels, futuristic wheel plates, cable boxes attached to the back, and as well with additional features for them to fit into this alternate reality. Since Joseph and Bruce don't look alike, Gordon Levitt had to spend hours in the make up chair in order to even remotely resemble younger Willis.
Hey, kids, so many deeply inspirational and heartwarming songs have been released recently, that I felt the need to spotlight them since they truly shine in today's world of flimsy pop tarts who rule the stage with their backwardly superficial songs.
BEYONCE'S I WAS HERE
Probably one of the biggest music events this August was Beyonce performing her deeply touching song I WAS HERE in front of the live audience in the General Assembly Hall of United Nations in New York. Surrounded with stunning computer graphics with meaningful messages and clad in pure white dress, Beyonce celebrated the World Humanitarian Day with her powerful voice and her moving lyrics. Along with the United Nations and humanitarian aid organizations the aim was to launch a global
campaign today to shine a spotlight on humanitarian work and encourage people around the world to get involved by doing something good for others.
I wanna leave my footprints on the sands of time
Know there was something that meant something that I left behind
When I leave this world, I'll leave no regrets
Leave something to remember, so they won't forget!
I want to say I lived each day, until I died
And know that I meant something in, somebody's life
The hearts I have touched, will be the proof that I leave
That I made a difference, and this world will see!
SCRIPT'S HALL OF FAME
Another super inspirational song is the latest single from my favourite Irish band The Script. Popular trio, lead by ever so amazing Danny O'Donaghue, has deeply emotional songs as their trade mark with some of pop's best love classics such as BREAKEVEN, THE MAN WHO COULDN'T BE MOVED or FOR THE FIRST TIME. But their new song, isn't a love one, but a song about the inner strength that can help us reach all goals we want to, because, as the title of the song says, we can all reach HALL OF FAME. Don't forget to check out the deeply moving video.
Yeah, You could be the greatest , You can be the best
You can be the King Kong banging on your chest
You could beat the world, you could beat the war
You could talk to God, go banging on his door
You could go the distance you could run the mile
You could walk straight through hell with a smile
You could be the hero you could get the gold
Breaking all the records that thought never could be broke
Standing in the hall of fame
And the world's gonna know your name
Cause you burn with the brightest flame!
NE YO'S LET ME LOVE YOU
One of the young artists that surely never disappoints and keeps giving us marvellous songs and enchanting beats is Ne Yo. And it seems that after r'n'b classics such as SO SICK, CLOSER, ONE IN A MILLION, he did it again with his latest hit single LET ME LOVE YOU UNTIL YOU LEARN TO LOVE YOURSELF. Check out the heartwarming, deeply inspiring lyrics of the song: Much as you blame yourself,
you can't be blamed for the way that you feel
Had no example of a love that was even remotely real
How can you understand something that you never had
Ooh baby if you let me, I can help you out with all of that
Girl let me love you
And I will love you
Until you learn to love yourself
A heart of numbness, gets brought to life
I'll take you there!
So which songs are you listening to these days, and which are you favourite inspirational ones?
apparently planning to do a movie adaptation of graphic novel CARDBOARD
by Douglas TenNapel. The story revolves around a young boy who receives
only a cardboard box for his birthday from his widowed father. They both
turn the box into a boxer named Bill, who somehow comes to life. The
duo must protect their creation from the neighborhood bully, who has
nefarious plans. Tobey Maguire will produce and possibly lend his voice
to one of the characters, while amazing Chris Wedge, the creator of ICE
AGE, is negotiating to take the director's seat.
