Friday, January 29

• Jay Mohr Joins Clint Eastwood's Hereafter

  Comedian Jay Mohr has joined the cast of Clint Eastwood's next project, the supernatural drama Hereafter, according to Variety. Mohr, 39, was a recurring cast member on Saturday Night Live in the mid '90s and has also starred in the TV series Ghost Whisperer and Gary Unmarried.

  The script for Hereafter was written by Peter Morgan, who also wrote the screenplays for Frost/Nixon and The Queen. The story is a meditation on death that follows the parallel stories of three people: Matt Damon, a factory worker with the ability to see the deceased; Belgian actress Cécile de France, a journalist who's had a brush with death; and a London schoolboy, yet to be cast.

  Mohr will play Billy, the brother of Damon's character. Production is already underway, with shooting schedules in Paris, London, Hawaii, and San Francisco. DreamWorks has slated the movie for a December 2010 release, placing Hereafter at the heart of Oscar season.

  The Oscars have be good to Eastwood as of late, with five of his last six movies earning at least one Oscar nomination. We'll find out if Invictus will continue that trend when the Oscar nominations are announced Tuesday morning. Eastwood won his second Best Director Oscar in 2004 for Million Dollar Baby, which also won Best Picture.

  
  

  Posted 01/29/2010 by Rich Z

  Related: Clint Eastwood | Jay Mohr | Matt Damon | Peter Morgan | Bryce Dallas Howard | Cécile de France | Hereafter | Invictus

Friday, December 11

• Bryce Dallas Howard Joins Clint Eastwood's Hereafter

  Clint Eastwood's Invictus is out today, but the 79-year-old director is already at work on his next project. Bryce Dallas Howard is the newest addition to his Hereafter cast, according to Variety. Eastwood has already signed Invictus star Matt Damon and Belgian actress Cécile de France.

  The script for Hereafter was written by Peter Morgan, who also wrote the screenplays for Frost/Nixon and The Queen. A meditation on death, the movie follows the parallel stories of three people. Damon will portray a factory worker with the ability to see the deceased, while France will play journalist who has a brush with death. The third character, a London schoolboy, has yet to be cast. It's unclear exactly what Howard's role will be.

  Production is already underway, with shooting schedules in Paris, London, Hawaii, and San Francisco. DreamWorks has slated the movie for a December 2010, which means both Invictus and Hereafter will be at the heart of Oscar season. The Oscars have be good to Eastwood as of late, with five of his last six movies earning at least one Oscar nomination. He won his second Best Director Oscar in 2004 for Million Dollar Baby, which also won Best Picture.

  
  

  Posted 12/11/2009 by Rich Z

  Related: Clint Eastwood | Matt Damon | Peter Morgan | Bryce Dallas Howard | Hereafter | Invictus

Thursday, December 10

• Matt Damon Almost Starred in The Dark Knight

  Actors Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon recently spoke with MTV about their new movie opening this week, Invictus, but apparently that wasn't the only topic of conversation. MTV has been trickling out snippets of the interview, revealing that Christopher Nolan's Batman franchise was the subject on more than one occasion.

  In a short video released Tuesday, Freeman said that he is sure that Nolan is already working on Batman 3. Freeman went on to say that, if he had his way, Catwoman would be one of the villains in the movie.

  Now, MTV has released a new video featuring Damon discussing a missed opportunity to appear in The Dark Knight as District Attorney Harvey Dent/Two-Face, a role that ultimately went to Aaron Eckhart.

  I couldn't [appear in The Dark Knight]. It was a scheduling thing. But, I never spoke to Chris Nolan. I'm a big Chris Nolan fan, I never spoke to him.

  Look, Aaron is a great actor, so the movie didn't suffer for it. Every once in a while you get [an acting opportunity] and you can't do it.

  In Invictus, Damon portrays Francois Pienaar, the South African Rugby team captain opposite Freeman as South African President Nelson Mandela. Acclaimed filmmaker Clint Eastwood directed Invictus from a script by Anthony Peckham.

  
  
  Next Showing: Invictus opens December 11
  

  Invictus - Clip

  Interview: Matt Damon on his character
  

  The Dark Knight - Clip

  "You can't ask me to wait for that"

  Posted 12/10/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Aaron Eckhart | Clint Eastwood | Matt Damon | Morgan Freeman | The Dark Knight | Batman 3 | Invictus

Monday, December 7

• Morgan Freeman Was "Destined" to Play Mandela in Invictus

  In Invictus, Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman's latest teaming with multiple Academy Award-winning director Clint Eastwood, Freeman portrays anti-apartheid activist and former South African President Nelson Mandela. It is a role that Freeman said he always knew that he would play some day.

  ...it wasn’t necessarily this project, but I felt destined to do something about Mandela. I don’t know whether you know that in 1992, when he published his autobiography, he was asked who he would want to play him, if the book ever became a movie. And he named me. So, I was sort of the chosen one, as it were. Therefore, I expected that eventually I would play him, but we always thought it would be in a movie version of Long Walk to Freedom. It didn’t turn out that way, however.

  Based on the John Carlin book Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation, Invictus tells the story of Mandela's efforts to draw the fractured nation together following the fall of apartheid by using the 1995 Rugby World Cub as a rallying point. To prepare for the role, Freeman said that he had read a great deal about the Nobel Peace Prize winner, but that to him "acting is believing."

  That’s the way I learned it, and how I still think of it. So, in order to be true to any character, you have to believe that you are that character, and that you have his belief system working for you. That way, when you’re reciting your lines, you’ll be saying them from a place of conviction.

  The adapted screenplay was written by Anthony Peckham, who also wrote the script for the upcoming Guy Ritchie-directed Sherlock Holmes. Matt Damon also stars, as Francois Pienaar, the South African Rugby team captain.

  
  
  Next Showing: Invictus opens December 11
  

  Invictus - Trailer

  Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon star - Releasing Dec. 11, 2009

  Posted 12/07/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Clint Eastwood | Matt Damon | Morgan Freeman | Anthony Peckham | Invictus

Monday, November 30

• Warner to Release Clint Eastwood DVD Collection

  

  The Hollywood Reporter writes that Warner Home Video is planning to release a comprehensive DVD collection devoted to Clint Eastwood. Entitled "Clint Eastwood: 35 Films, 35 Years at Warner Bros," the 19-disc set will be available in February and will include both Eastwood's acting efforts and directorial efforts, including recent projects like Gran Torino and Million Dollar Baby.

  The set will also feature a documentary with commentary by noted critic Richard Schickel, who spoke with the press about the release.

  I've known Clint for most of the time he's been at Warner Bros. I was fortunate to be able to wander around the Warner lot with him and hear his reminiscences. To be able to show him in the places where he works and lives and feels most comfortable is, I think, a unique opportunity.

  As comprehensive as the collection is, it will still be out of date very quickly. Eastwood, who is almost 80 and still going strong, is releasing Invictus in a few weeks and is also at work on Hereafter. It doesn't look like he'll be slowing down his rate of one-two movies a year anytime soon, either.

  
  

  Posted 11/30/2009 by Rich Z

  Related: Clint Eastwood | Richard Schickel | Invictus

Tuesday, November 10

• Cecile de France Joins Matt Damon in Clint Eastwood's Hereafter

  Belgian actress Cécile de France has agreed to star in Clint Eastwood's Hereafter, according to Variety.

  The movie, a meditation on death involving the parallel stories of three people, takes place in Paris, London, Hawaii, and San Francisco. France portrays a journalist who has a brush with death, starring opposite Matt Damon, who is also in Eastwood's Invictus.

  Two months ago, Movie Line claimed to have obtained a copy of the script for Hereafter and described the plot in extensive detail. The site also referred to Damon's character as a "handsome, shy, soft-spoken" factory worker who can see the dead.

  Production on Hereafter began last month, and Warner Bros. has slated the movie for a December 2010 release. Invictus is due this December, placing both upcoming Eastwood projects at the heart of Oscar season. No doubt a decision driven by Eastwood's recent Oscar success — five of his last six directorial efforts have received at least one Academy Award nomination. Strangely enough, the most financially successful of the six, Gran Torino, was the only shutout.

  
  

  Posted 11/10/2009 by Rich Z

  Related: Clint Eastwood | Matt Damon | Invictus | Hereafter

Thursday, October 29

• Trailer for Clint Eastwood's Invictus Now on the Web

  Clint Eastwood is less than a year away from his 80th birthday, and he's still going strong. Oscar season is not far away, and Eastwood's next release, Invictus, is already gaining buzz as a potential contender.

  The trailer below is now on the web, and it looks and sounds like the trailer for every other drama released by a major studio. That said, the story looks promising: How Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) used the 1995 Rugby World Cup as a platform to address a South Africa still divided after the recent end to apartheid. He enlists the aid of Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), the captain of the South African rugby team, in an effort to unite the country.

  What's refreshing is that neither Freeman nor Damon feels familiar. Although Freeman's voice is easily recognizable, it's different enough from the omnipresent voice-over narration tone we've all heard non-stop since March of the Penguins. And Damon sounds like he's worked quite diligently on a South African accent.

  Invictus is based on the John Carlin book Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation. The adapted screenplay was written by Anthony Peckham, who also drafted the script for the upcoming Sherlock Holmes.

  
  

  Posted 10/29/2009 by Rich Z

  Related: Clint Eastwood | Matt Damon | Morgan Freeman | Anthony Peckham | Invictus

Friday, September 18

• Matt Damon to Star in Eastwood's Hereafter and Soderbergh's Liberace Pic

  Yesterday afternoon, Variety reported that Matt Damon has agreed to star in Hereafter, Clint Eastwood's next production, with a script by Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen). Just hours later, Empire reported that Damon had also signed on to star in Steven Soderbergh's upcoming biopic of Liberace.

  Although Warner Bros. is keeping the plot of Hereafter under wraps — describing it only as akin to The Sixth Sense — Movie Line, which claims to have a version of the script, has described the plot in extensive detail. Based on that description, the movie seems less a supernatural thriller and more a tragic meditation on death. Damon's character is described as a "handsome, shy, soft-spoken" factory worker who can ... yes, indeed ... see dead people. Production on Hereafter is expected to begin this fall.

  Meanwhile, Soderbergh confirmed that Damon is onboard for his next project, saying at the Deauville Film Festival that Damon has "accepted the challenge." Damon would most likely play the male lover of Liberace, the flamboyant musician whose stage and TV career spanned from the 1940s to his death in the late 1980s. The movie will apparently focus on a 1982 lawsuit, in which Damon's character revealed Liberace's homosexuality, shocking many around the world.

  The untitled project already has Michael Douglas on board in the main role, and Soderbergh talked about his enthusiasm for Douglas' fit for the role.

  We've already done some costume and wardrobe tests on Michael, and they're very, very, very good.... I swear to you, Michael amazed me. He crushed it.

  Damon has starred in other projects by both directors. He can be seen in Soderbergh's The Informant!, now in theaters, and he is also featured in Eastwood's Invictus, which is due out in December. The latter movie stars Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Damon as Francois Pienaar, captain of South Africa's 1995 Rugby World Cup team. It tells the story of Mandela's attempts to use the rugby event to heal his country's reputation after years of apartheid and internal struggle.

  
  

  Posted 09/18/2009 by Rich Z

  Related: Clint Eastwood | Matt Damon | Michael Douglas | Morgan Freeman | Peter Morgan | Steven Soderbergh | Liberace | Hereafter | The Informant!

Friday, June 5

• Clint Eastwood's Invictus Slated for December Release

  Variety reports that Warner Bros. has announced a December 11 release date for Clint Eastwood's Invictus.

  The movie, formerly titled The Human Factor, stars Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar, captain of South Africa's 1995 Rugby World Cup team. It's based on John Carlin's book Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation and tells the story of Mandela's attempts to use the rugby event to heal his country's reputation after years of apartheid and internal struggle. The title comes from the William Ernest Henley poem of same name, which Mandela often quoted.

  Invictus's mid-December release places it at the heart of Oscar season, which means it will undoubtedly get some nominations. Five of the past six Eastwood features were nominated for at least one award, including Million Dollar Baby, which earned Eastwood his second Best Picture and Best Director awards. Surprisingly, the one that wasn't nominated was his most commercially successful, last year's Gran Torino.

  The December 11 release date also puts Invictus aside Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones, so it's already looking to be a very promising Oscar season.

  
  

  Posted 06/05/2009 by Rich Z

  Related: Clint Eastwood | Matt Damon | Morgan Freeman | Peter Jackson | Million Dollar Baby | Gran Torino | The Lovely Bones

Thursday, December 11

• Golden Globe Nominations Announced

  David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Ron Howard's Frost/Nixon lead nominations with five apiece. Heath Ledger received his expected posthumous nomination for his stellar performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight, although the nod was the only love the Globes showed the year's most successful fan favorite.

  In the "Musical or Comedy" categories, much love was shown for In Bruges and Vicky Christina Barcelona, with both being nominated for Best Picture as well as two nods apiece in the Musical or Comedy acting categories.

  Mickey Rourke continues to draw acclaim for his transformation in The Wrestler, while his costar Marisa Tomei (considered an outside chance) was nominated in the supporting category. Bruce Springsteen's theme song was also nominated.

  78-year-old Clint Eastwood shows no signs of slowing down. The Hollywood legend surfaced in two unusual categories, nominated for Changeling's score and the theme song to Gran Torino, which Eastwood sings.

  See all the movie Golden Globe Nominations.

  
  

  Posted 12/11/2008 by reelz

  Related: Clint Eastwood | Marisa Tomei | Bruce Springsteen | Heath Ledger | The Wrestler | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | Vicky Cristina Barcelona | The Dark Knight | Frost/Nixon