Thursday, November 5

• Johnny Depp in Talks for The Tourist

  Can't get enough Johnny Depp? If yesterday's news that he is still attached to play Tonto in a live-action Lone Ranger movie wasn't enough for you, now Variety is reporting that Depp may be saddling up with Angelina Jolie in The Tourist.

  Graham King's GK Films is producing The Tourist, which has gone through a number of major changes since it was first announced. Originally, Spyglass planned on developing the movie with Bharat Nalluri directing Charlize Theron and Tom Cruise. Cruise bowed out, to be replaced by Sam Worthington, who subsequently left the movie, as well. When Nalluri also left the project, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck came aboard to direct, bringing Jolie in to replace Theron. Since then, von Donnersmarck has also departed. Will shooting still begin in February 2010, as planned? Your guess is as good as ours.

  
  

  Posted 11/05/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Johnny Depp | Angelina Jolie | Bharat Nalluri | Charlize Theron | Graham King | Sam Worthington | Florian von Donnersmarck | The Tourist

Friday, October 30

• Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy Will Star in Mad Max 4

  

  Variety writes that Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy have been confirmed for Mad Max 4 (also titled Fury Road). Writer/director George Miller helmed the first three installments between 1979 and 1985 and has already finished a script for the fourth, which will begin filming next August in Australia.

  The first Mad Max helped launch the career of Mel Gibson, who went on to star in the two sequels (and of course a slew of other blockbusters). Its story involves a cop living in post-apocalyptic Australia who takes the law into his own hands after his family and friends are killed. The sequels, however, have little to do with the first movie, and the series' continuity is more or less non-existent.

  
  
  

  Mad Max - Trailer

  Mel Gibson is a cop who plays by his own rules.

  Posted 10/30/2009 by Rich Z

  Related: Mel Gibson | George Miller | Charlize Theron | Tom Hardy | Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome | Mad Max | Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

Sunday, October 25

• Mad Max 4: Fury Road to Start Production in 2010

  Australia scores a big movie production just days after Green Lantern packed up its gear and headed to New Orleans.

  The Daily Telegraph reports that production will begin in Sydney and New South Wales on Mad Max: Fury Road, with director George Miller at the helm. Miller directed three previous installments — Mad Max, The Road Warrior, and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

  The production is a huge boost for Australia's movie industry with Premier Nathan Rees proclaiming that Mad Max 4 shooting in Australia "is a clear vote of confidence in Australian expertise" and "proves that Sydney is an international contender for major film production." All three of the Mad Max movies have been produced in Australia.

  No actor has been named for the iconic role of Max, made famous by Mel Gibson, who will not return. Rumors persist that Sam Worthington will play the role, though E!Online UK reports that Bronson's Tom Hardy is in talks for role, with Miller wanting Charlize Theron for the female lead. Hurt Locker's Jeremy Renner has screen tested for role, saying he's "fighting" for the part.

  Work has already begun on Fury Road, as Miller showcased some of the cars he's been putting together on ABC News in Australia.

  
  

  Posted 10/25/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Jeremy Renner | George Miller | Charlize Theron | Sam Worthington | Tom Hardy | Mad Max | Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome

Thursday, September 17

• Charlize Theron Answers Some Burning Questions

  When so many other Hollywood actresses are doing everything possible to look good, Charlize Theron seems determined to buck the trend by playing more rough-around-the-edges female roles. Her turn as the decidedly unattractive serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster shocked audiences but earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress. She followed up that role by playing a victim of sexual harassment in North Country, which also earned her an Oscar nomination. Theron is once again set to play an unglamorous role in The Burning Plain.

  Directed by Guillermo Arriaga, the award-winning writer of Babel, 21 Grams, and Amores Perros, The Burning Plain is a non-linear tale in which Theron plays a sexually promiscuous, suicidal character who is forced to confront the sins of her past. While it sounds like playing a character with such heavy baggage would weigh an actor down emotionally, Theron says that it's just a job.

  I love what I do, and I am not a tortured artist. I didn't necessarily start out that way, but I've kind of learned over the years the things that are important to me. I love my job but I also love my life. I started doing really good work that I was really happy with and not torturing myself and everyone around me. I became very disciplined about my work, and I think it made me a better actor. It's exhausting to be depressed and f--ing heavy, and I find that when I'm exhausted, my work suffers.

  While Theron has received wide recognition for her dramatic performances, she said that she would not be adverse to branching out into other genres.

  I would love to do comedy. But whether it's comedy or another genre, [it's about] just wanting to do work that really matters to me.

  Theron is a staunch advocate of gay rights and has said in the past that she would not consider marrying her boyfriend, actor Stuart Townsend, until gay couples everywhere are afforded the same opportunity. When asked if this still held true for her, Theron said:

  I've already once lived in a country where certain people got certain things and certain people didn't, and I refuse to live in another country that does that. I will not take part in a ceremony that right now is not available to everybody.

  The Burning Plain also stars Kim Basinger, Jennifer Lawrence, and Joaquim de Almeida.

  
  
  Next Showing: The Burning Plain opens September 18

  Posted 09/17/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Stuart Townsend | Guillermo Arriaga | Charlize Theron | The Burning Plain

Thursday, September 10

• Will Smith and Charlize Theron to Return in Hancock 2 - Plus a Third "All-Powerful" Actor

  "Everybody's going to come back for a sequel," said director Peter Berg in an interview with MTV about Hancock 2. Berg's confirmation validates what Charlize Theron said last September when she said she'd happily return to "ride the Will Smith train" if the rest of the key players returned too.

  Both Smith and Theron's characters were revealed at the end of Hancock to be immortal gods who become vulnerable when near each other for any length of time. For the sequel, Berg said we can expect the appearance of at least one more all-powerful god. What's more, he's got his eye on a well-known actor to play the third superhero.

  We have someone in mind. I'm not gonna tell you who, but we have!"

  Given that Will and Charlize are about as big as stars come, this means that he's clearly got another A-lister in mind for the movie. What a tease!

  
  

  Posted 09/10/2009 by Jim

  Related: Will Smith | Peter Berg | Charlize Theron | Hancock | Hancock 2

Wednesday, September 9

• The Road Release Delayed Six Weeks

  

  Variety reports that Dimension Films has pushed back the release date for The Road to November 25. The movie, which stars Viggo Mortenson and Charlize Theron, was originally scheduled for an October 16 release.

  Dimension head Bob Weinstein said the date was moved back in order to position it for Golden Globe contention, dispelling the notion that the studio pushed back the release due to worries about how the audience would receive it.

  We've been getting great audience reaction at Venice and Telluride.... We feel that this is a commercial film that's worthy of a wide release.

  The Road tells the story of a father (Mortenson) and his son wandering south across a post-apocalyptic America, largely devoid of plant and animal life, where many people have turned to cannibalism. Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce also star.

  The script from Joe Penhall is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Cormac McCarthy, who also wrote the fatalistic No Country for Old Men. Behind the camera is John Hillcoat, the Aussie who brought Nick Cave's fantastically dark Western The Proposition to cinematic life.

  
  

  Posted 09/09/2009 by Rich Z

  Related: Guy Pearce | John Hillcoat | Robert Duvall | Charlize Theron | Nick Cave | Joe Penhall | Viggo Mortensen | Cormac McCarthy | The Road

Friday, September 4

• Viggo Mortenson, Charlize Theron in Five Extended Clips from The Road

  

  Cinema Blend has just posted five extended clips from The Road, which stars Viggo Mortenson and Charlize Theron. For those unfamiliar, the story involves a father (Mortenson) and his son wandering south across a post-apocalyptic America, which is largely devoid of plant and animal life, thus turning many people to cannibalism.

  The movie promises to be a dark, emotionally charged affair. The script from Joe Penhall is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Cormac McCarthy, who also wrote the fatalistic No Country for Old Men. Behind the camera is John Hillcoat, the Aussie who brought Nick Cave's fantastically dark Western The Proposition to cinematic life.

  The folks at Cinema Blend seem very excited by these clips, giving them very high endorsements. As a result, we're excited too, and we can't wait to get a look at this movie, which promises to be pretty amazing both dramatically and stylistically. The Road, due in theaters October 16, also stars Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce.

  
  

  Posted 09/04/2009 by Rich Z

  Related: Guy Pearce | John Hillcoat | Robert Duvall | Charlize Theron | Nick Cave | Joe Penhall | Viggo Mortensen | Cormac McCarthy | The Proposition | The Road

Friday, May 15

• Trailer for The Road with Viggo Mortenson, Charlize Theron Released

  Dimension Films has just released a new trailer for The Road, starring Viggo Mortenson and Charlize Theron and based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men).

  The trailer makes the movie look like a bad combination of Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening, and Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds. However, the novel is nothing like this, and the movie is directed by John Hillcoat, the Aussie who brought Nick Cave's fantastically dark Western The Proposition to cinematic life. So we're hopeful The Road will be nothing like the unfortunate trailer mishmash.

  The movie is due in mid-October and will also star Guy Pearce and Robert Duvall. The story involves a father (Mortenson) and his son wandering south across a post-apocalyptic America, which is largely devoid of life, thus turning many people to cannibalism. Screenwriter Joe Penhall adapted the novel, which won McCarthy a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2007.

  
  

  Posted 05/15/2009 by Rich Z

  Related: Guy Pearce | John Hillcoat | Robert Duvall | Charlize Theron | Joe Penhall | Viggo Mortensen | Cormac McCarthy | The Road

Wednesday, April 22

• The Susan Boyle Movie: A Star Is Born

  After her surprisingly accomplished performance on America's Got Talent: British Edition -- or whatever they call it over there -- Susan Boyle, a frowsy, unemployed, diamond-in-the-rough, went from "total obscurity" to "global superstar" overnight as the clip of her appearance became a YouTube sensation. Now, Simon Cowell and other music industry starmakers are plotting number one albums, international tours, and we're guessing, given Boyle's Rocky Balboa-like triumph combined with her Forrest Gump-like chutzpah, a big-budget biopic about her unlikely rise to fame. But who will play the bushy-browed, frazzle-haired 47-year-old when the project is inevitably greenlit? Vote on your favorite choice below:

  Charlize Theron Will de-glam for Oscar nom.

  Joe Jonas Brows were born for the role, but is his voice up to the task?

  Jack Black Best approximates Boyle’s archetypal washerwoman physique

  Sinead O'Connor Finally a reason to grow her hair out!

  
  

  Posted 04/22/2009 by reelz

  Related: Jack Black | Sinead O'Connor | Charlize Theron | Joe Jonas

Thursday, October 18

• Movie news: X-Men Origins and The Burning Plain

  It's true, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is getting off the ground. Gavin Hood, who headed up this weekend's political thriller, Rendition, is the unlikely choice to direct this fanboy prequel that will explore the 'violent and romantic' early years of Wolverine. 

  Hugh Jackman will be reprising his role and Liev Schreiber is close to nailing down a deal to play a young William Stryker. Shooting is scheduled for Australia, New Zealand, and New Orleans, which is leading some to speculate that the character of Gambit might be making an appearance.

  In other news, Kim Basinger has signed on to join Charlize Theron in Guillermo Arriaga's directorial premiere, The Burning Plain. Arriaga, who wrote Babel, also wrote The Burning Plain, which follows a womaon who tries to repair her relationship with her parents after a troubling childhood. Basinger will play Theron's mother.

  Source: Variety.

  
  
  Next Showing: X-Men Origins: Wolverine opens May 1, 2009.
  

  In the Valley of Elah trailer

  Charlize Theron currently stars in this movie.

  Posted 10/18/2007 by reelz

  Related: Hugh Jackman | Liev Schreiber | Guillermo Arriaga | Charlize Theron | Kim Basinger | Gavin Hood | X-Men Origins: Wolverine | The Burning Plain

Thursday, July 12

• Charlize has a burning sensation

  South African stunner Charlize Theron has signed to star in The Burning Plain. The drama was written by Guillermo Arriaga (Babel), and will be his first time directing.

  Like Babel, it will follow intersecting stories. Looks like somebody wants another Oscar nomination.

  Source: Variety.com.

  
  

  Posted 07/12/2007 by reelz

  Related: Guillermo Arriaga | Charlize Theron | The Burning Plain | Babel