Archive for the ‘Romance’ Category
Filed under: Drama, Independent, Romance, Casting, DIY/Filmmaking
When an actor wins an Oscar, all bets are off, including the ones he’s made with David Cronenberg. Last December, Cronenberg revived The Talking Cure and had recruited Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, and Christoph Waltz to psychoanalyze one another in the name of love and medicine. But Waltz has been buried in offers, and Deadline Hollywood Daily reports that he’s dropped out of the project in favor of Water For Elephants. Luckily, Cronenberg has a very good actor and friend in his contacts, and he just called him up. The result is that Viggo Mortensen has now joined The Talking Cure as Sigmund Freud.
Cure centers on a young Carl Jung who uses Sigmund Freud’s “talking cure” on a young and troubled Russian woman. In the process of psychoanalyzing her, he falls in love with her. Freud comes along, marvels at his success, and anoints him his psychiatric successor. When Jung starts to develop his own ideas about therapy, Freud isn’t too happy, and their professional relationship sours. DHD says that the producers have promised “lots of spirited sex” which Cronenberg has always filmed rather well, so no surprise there.
Mortensen and Cronenberg have two excellent films under their belt, and there’s no reason to sneer at a third. (Or a fourth if they ever make that Eastern Promises sequel.) I’m eager to see Mortensen work with Fassbender and Knightley (who both rank among my favorites) and the two method men should really fire up the screen. It’s going to be good.
Filed under: Romance, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting
I completely understand the whirlwinds bred out of love for vampires and werewolves. They’re powerful, they’re mysterious, and they often have a nice amount of lusty machismo to make the young ladies go wild. But wolfy prey? Little red riding hood wolfy prey? While not the sort of theme one would usually expect to get dueling projects, there’s now a feature film and television film about the young wolf victim in the works. It just goes to show you what happens when you mix supernatural passion with the trend to remake old tales.
First, The Playlist noticed that on the red carpet at the Oscars, Amanda Seyfried confirmed that she will star in The Girl with the Red Riding Hood. You know, the Leonardo DiCaprio-produced feature that Catherine Hardwicke is helming and Seyfried was circling last month. (The feature Hardwicke is also describing as “super-sexy.”) Second, Entertainment Weekly reports that web goddess Felicia Day will star in a Syfy flick called Red. She’ll be a descendant of the famous Little Red Riding Hood, who “brings her fiancé home, where he meets the family and learns about their business — hunting werewolves. He’s skeptical until bitten by a werewolf. When her family insists he must be killed, Red tries saving him.” It’s quite the apt casting for the girl who was once a newbie Slayer.
Romantic Little Red Riding Hood movies. Whoulda thunk it? And how long until we get a saucy teen version of Hansel and Gretel?
Filed under: Comedy, Romance, Deals, Scripts
We live in a world with wickedly high divorce rates, so what does that mean for Hollywood’s love of romantic comedy? Well, according to Variety, the answer is starter marriages. The trade reports that Universal has finally tapped Sascha Rothchild to adapt her L.A. Weekly cover story “How to Get Divorced by 30″ — an article the studio grabbed almost two years ago.
Universal had “launched an exhaustive search” to find someone to adapt the tale, but after two years, they finally came to the conclusion that no one could do it better than Rothchild herself. (With all the writers out there, I wonder if no one was good enough, or simply no one was interested?) This is her story — she got married young, and watched her marriage dissolve as well as the marriages of five friends. As a feature film, it will focus on a woman “who road-tests the ’starter marriage’ premise and then finds her perceptions redrawn by reality and relationships.”
Gotta love it — there’s nothing like the lesson of stupidity in romcom form. Lots of people are getting divorced, so let’s do starter marriages! (Isn’t that counter-productive?) At least Rothchild has been able to turn a bad situation into a decent career — she’s turned her article into a book, and now is adapting the story for a feature film. However, she might have to pick up a few more dud husbands for follow-up efforts. All in the name of research, right?
Filed under: Documentary, Drama, Romance, Cinematical Indie
I’m all for documentary filmmakers making the occasional fiction film, particularly if it helps them fund another non-fiction film later on. But why must so many of the fiction films documentarians choose to make be trashy romantic comedies and teen dramas? Case in point: according to Variety, R.J. Cutler is set to direct an adaptation of Melissa de la Cruz’s sex-filled Hamptons-set young adult novel The Au Pairs. A few reviews I’ve seen of the 2004 publication, which spawned a few sequels (Skinny Dipping, Sun Kissed and Crazy Hot) recommended it for fans of Gossip Girl.
Cutler is best known recently for his Oscar-shortlisted doc The September Issue, which takes a behind the scenes look at the production of every mailman’s least favorite issue of Vogue magazine and its powerful editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour. Previously he directed the Oliver North campaign doc A Perfect Candidate. Other films Cutler has been involved with include D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus’ political documentary classic The War Room and Lauren Greenfield’s acclaimed film about anorexia, Thin. He also produces relatively serious reality series, such as Morgan Spurlock’s 30 Days.
Continue reading Documentarian R.J. Cutler to Helm Teen Drama ‘The Au Pairs’
Filed under: Drama, Romance, Casting, Deals, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
Remember Me writer Will Fetters was in New York this weekend to promote his romantic drama, which stars Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper, Lost’s Emilie de Ravin, and Robert Pattinson, but he also chatted about the remake of A Star is Born, which is on his list of upcoming projects. Seems demand for the young writer is growing; he’s also adapting the Nicholas Sparks novel The Lucky One for the screen, in what seems an appropriate follow-up to Remember Me.
He inadvertently confirmed that Nick Cassavetes is doing the Star remake, although the rumors about Beyoncé and Russell Crowe are still just that. Fetters said, “I am doing A Star is Born remake with Nick Cassavetes, also for Warner Brothers… I was with Nick on Thursday. As far as I know, there’s no contracts or anything, but Nick wants [Beyoncé] and I think Russell Crowe is another name that’s starting to circle, but there’s no contracts, there’s just talks so far.”
As opposed to making it in the same vibe as the earlier films, Fetters said, “We’re going to try and make our own statement on that. The one thing about it is it’s been made three other times, so you know, my draft of it was much more about trying to reconcile [the] modern music industry and how this, what is an iconic tale of a star’s rising and a star falling, can be kind of told in the modern day. And it’s really how much – not necessarily how much people change, it’s how much the industry’s changed and how much trying to make it [has changed]… It’s disconcerting how similar it is to get to the top as it was before, but there’s a lot of new in this story. It’s not just going to be a derivative kind of remake.”
He also said, “If it’s not Beyoncé and Russell, it will be that age range, I would imagine. That’s who it’s written for… It’s not going to end up having Zac Efron and someone… It’s going to be that age range [as before].”
Filed under: Action, Drama, Romance, New Releases, Scripts
As a general rule, I just can’t get into 17th century swashbuckling movies. It surprises me in some ways; I’m interested in swords and the rich costumes from an aesthetic viewpoint, but all the classic weaponry and elaborate getups aren’t enough to overcome my disdain for the foppish characters who seem to populate these films. Give me Clifton Webb’s dandy in Laura, or Daniel Day-Lewis as the pompous and self conscious Edwardian “gentleman” in A Room With a View; or even the sometimes dandy/sometimes fop-psycho Patrick Bateman, but don’t ask me to find the fun in The Three Musketeers’ frocked and feathered Charlie Sheen. Knights in shining armor? Yes please. Celtic warriors in kilts? Rock. Oversized feather hats? Just doesn’t have the same badass ring to it.
Call it a duel: Paul W.S. Anderson wants to modernize the story in his 3-D version, while keeping “…eye-popping action, romance and adventure” in the mix and Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes producer, Lionel Wigram, is looking for a helmer on the Warner Bros. adaptation. The studio is eyeing up both Marley & Me director David Frankel and Doug Liman (Mr. & Mrs. Smith) for the position. Liman seems the more likely of the duo to adapt the swordplay story, but for me it’s not the director I have an issue with, it’s the nagging question of why are they bothering with this in the first place?
Continue reading ‘The Three Musketeers’: Do We Really Need Another Feather in the Hat?
Filed under: Drama, Independent, Romance, Casting, Deals, RumorMonger, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Johnny Depp
Some actor couples have managed to star together successfully. Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy did all right, as did the legendary Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. But then there’s plenty of real life partnerships that went down in flames after they made a movie or two together. Work and marriage, it seems, don’t often mix. Nevertheless, Johnny Depp and his companion Vanessa Paradis are brave enough to give it a try. According to BangShowbiz, Depp and Paradis are preparing to make My American Lover together with Lasse Hallström directing.
To make matters even riskier, My American Lover isn’t just a standard love story. It’s about the legendary feminist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir, and her love affair with writer Nelson Algren. The couple traveled through Latin America in 1949, and he was the basis of the character Lewis Brogan in her novel The Mandarins. Her letters to Algren were collected in A Transatlantic Love Affair and they are epic, epic stuff.
Depp was characteristically quiet on the project and what it’ll mean to work with Paradis (who, it must be stressed, is a successful actress in France), saying only. “It’s in preparation. It’s called My American Lover. Vanessa plays the French feminist Simone de Beauvoir and I play her lover Nelson Algren who is real macho.” Well, good luck to them. Let’s hope it’s an Adam’s Rib kind of collaboration, and not an Eyes Wide Shut that we’ll all wince at later.
Filed under: Classics, Drama, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, New Releases, Critical Thought, Fandom, Remakes and Sequels
“I saw it with my mother when I was nine, and I didn’t like it,” the young woman next to me said. “But last night I stayed up until 3:00 a.m. watching it.” She was talking to her friend about 1986’s A Room with a View, the splendid Merchant-Ivory period piece. “Tim Burton’s wife [Helena Bonham Carter] was in it, but she was all young. Daniel Day-Lewis was in it, too, but he was playing an awful character.” Although I didn’t intend to listen to their conversation, I’m glad I did. We were all waiting to see The Crazies, Breck Eisner’s horror remake of George A. Romero’s original thriller, and the woman was hopeful and excited to see that too. In short, she appeared to be open to seeing all kinds of movies.
Too often, moviegoers seem to clump into camps: I only watch romantic comedies; I stick with horror; I gotta have my action fix; I won’t watch anything made after 1950; I won’t watch anything in black and white; I won’t watch anything with subtitles. To some extent, we’re pushed that way by modern media, as niche marketing gets more and more specific. Go to Netflix or Amazon, search for A Room with a View, and suggestions for other similar, period dramas may pop up as recommended choices for you, as determined by computer algorithms. The computer won’t recommend The Crazies.
Filed under: Comedy, Romance, Casting
There’s two casting goodies to share via The Hollywood Reporter:
She may have taken gigs like Bewitched, but did you ever imagine that Nicole Kidman would pop up in an Adam Sandler film? She’ll appear in Just Go For It, which was previously titled The Pretend Wife when Jennifer Aniston signed on last December. The film will focus on Sandler, who convinces Aniston to grab her kids and play his “soon-to-be-divorced wife” and family so that he may win the heart of his dream girl. (What a smart plan.) But no, he’s not pining for Kidman. Her under-wraps role is said to be a cameo. Instead, Sports Illustrated cover girl Brooklyn Decker will be the it girl.
Doesn’t this sound awesome? (In case you didn’t catch it, there’s a lot of sarcasm in that last sentence.)
In other femme casting news, the Farrelly Bros.’ Hall Pass is getting a big dose of ’80s flavor by casting Kelly Bundy and Samantha Micelli. Christina Applegate and Alyssa Milano have both signed onto the comedy, but unfortunately, their roles aren’t listed. What we do know is that the movie looks into the lives of two husbands who are “given permission to go outside their marriages for guilt-free romantic liaisons for one week.” Another tired plot? Yes. But if the two men decide to fulfill their freedom with the television crushes from their youth, this could be good stuff. Most couples have that jokey “freebie” for their favorite star, so it could be fun to see what happens if real people get their wish. Alas, chances are my plot hopes are way off base.
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Romance, Casting, RumorMonger, Scripts, 20th Century Fox, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand
That one-named wonder McG may find himself without a film set to call home again. A few weeks ago, he was in negotiations to direct the romantic comedy This Means War. War is centers on two spies who fall for the same woman, and proceed to try and kill each other over her. Fox has been trying to get it off the ground for ten years(!), and finally had lured Bradley Cooper and Reese Witherspoon to star in Timothy Dowling’s latest rewrite. It just needed another actor to fill out the love triangle, and a director to steer it all home.
But now War is without its only leading man. EW reports that Bradley Cooper has dropped out. 20th Century Fox is claiming that there are schedule conflicts with The Hangover 2. But War was set to begin filming in June, and Todd Phillips isn’t shooting Hangover 2 until fall. Reportedly, Cooper had issues with the script, and had “creative concerns” with the way the film was going though the actor and his reps didn’t comment. They never do.
McG remains in negotiations, but will he stay? Most importantly, why is Witherspoon clinging to this project? If Cooper truly has issues with the script, might that be a sign that an Oscar winning actress should also run screaming? Step away from the romantic comedy, Ms. Witherspoon. I know you’re much, much better than to be the center of a love triangle. You were June Carter Cash! You don’t need this, unless you can convince them to play one of the spies. A woman fighting a man over a woman’s affection? Why not? It would be like Imagine Me & Youwith cyanide capsules, and that would at least be different.
