Sony Pictures announced Tommy Lee Jones will star in Great Hope Springs to be directed by David Frankel. Jones joins Meryl Streep and Steve Carell in the project, with Sony Pictures aiming for a 4th quarter of 2012 release.
Vanessa Taylor wrote the script, which earned her a spot on Hollywood’s prestigious Black List, with Todd Black producing and Nathan Kahane, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, and Jessie Nelson executive producing.
The story follows “a middle-aged couple who after thirty years of marriage attend an intense counseling weekend to examine the intimacy issues that are threatening their marriage.”
Mandate Pictures says production will start in August 2011.
Filming has just begun on White Vengeance in Hangzhou and Dunhuang, China, with production expected to be completed by July 4, 2011.
From Arclight Films:
Writer/director Daniel Lee (14 Blades, Three Kingdoms, Resurrection of the Dragon, Dragon Squad) is joined by a talented cast including Leon Lai (Bodyguards and Assassins, Forever Enthralled, Infernal Affairs), Zhang Hanyu (The Message), Yifei (Crystal) Liu (The Forbidden Kingdom), William Feng, Anthony Wong (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor), Jordan Chang and Andy On. Key crew include action director Leung Siu Hung, production designer Henry Fong, Cinematographer Tony Cheung and costume designer Eddie Mok.
White Vengeance tells the story of two brothers of war cast against each other during the fall of the Qin Dynasty, which ruled Imperial China from 221 to 206 BC. As rebels rose, the nation fell into chaos. Liu Bang (Leon Lai) and Xiang Yu (Shaofeng Feng), serving under King Huai, became leaders of the rebellious army, and also became sworn brothers in battle. They conquered the heartland of the Qin Dynasty and caused its destruction. Threatened by Liu and Xiang’s power, King Huai formed a plot to turn the brothers against each other.
The once-sworn brothers now held resentment toward each other. Xiang planned to kill Liu at a banquet held in Hong Men, but who will emerge as the winner of this epic battle and survive to claim their path to the crown?
Daniel Tosh’s Web Redemption turns to Tay Zonday for the “Behind the Crappy Internet Music” piece first aired on Tosh.0 on May 17, 2011. Zonday’s “Chocolate Rain” was an internet sensation and Tosh gets up close and personal with the deep-voiced singer.
CBS announced today its new 2011-2012 primetime schedule, ordering five new series and making key time-period moves for CSI and The Good Wife to strengthen its already top-rated primetime lineup. CBS will, once again, finish the season as America’s most-watched network, marking the eighth time it has done so in the last nine years.
The new series include three new dramas and two new comedies: Person of Interest, a crime thriller from renowned executive producer J.J. Abrams starring Jim Caviezel, Emmy Award winner Michael Emerson, and Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson; Unforgettable, starring Dylan Walsh and Poppy Montgomery as a former detective with a rare condition that enables her to remember virtually every detail from every day of her life; A Gifted Man about a preeminent surgeon whose life changes forever when his deceased ex-wife returns, starring Patrick Wilson and Jennifer Ehle; 2 Broke Girls, a comedy about two strikingly different young waitresses who form an unlikely friendship, starring Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs; and an odd-couple comedy, How to Be a Gentleman, starring David Hornsby and Kevin Dillon, about a refined magazine columnist and his very unrefined personal trainer.
The freshman series will be joined by 19 returning shows, including the season’s #1 drama/scripted series, NCIS; #1 comedy, The Big Bang Theory; #1 news magazine, 60 Minutes; # 1 new comedy, Mike & Molly; along with two franchise reality series, Survivor and the seven-time Emmy Award winner, The Amazing Race.
The other returning series include: How I Met Your Mother; Hawaii Five-0; NCIS: Los Angeles; Criminal Minds; CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; The Mentalist; CSI: NY; Blue Bloods; Rules of Engagement; 48 Hours Mystery; The Good Wife; and CSI: Miami.
For mid-season, CBS will present the third season of the reality series Undercover Boss, and the new police drama, The 2-2, from Tribeca Productions and executive producers Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal.
The 2011-2011 CBS Schedule:
MONDAY
8:00-8:30 PM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
8:30-9:00 PM 2 BROKE GIRLS (New)
9:00-9:30 PM TWO AND A HALF MEN
9:30-10:00 PM MIKE & MOLLY
10:00-11:00 PM HAWAII FIVE-0
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS
9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: LOS ANGELES
10:00-11:00 PM UNFORGETTABLE (New)
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SURVIVOR: SOUTH PACIFIC
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMINAL MINDS
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (New Time)
THURSDAY
8:00-8:30 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY
8:30-9:00 PM HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN (New)
9:00-10:00 PM PERSON OF INTEREST (New)
10:00-11:00 PM THE MENTALIST
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM A GIFTED MAN (New)
9:00-10:00 PM CSI: NY
10:00-11:00 PM BLUE BLOODS
So says the 2011 Maui Film Festival. The star of House, Tron:Legacy and Cowboys and Aliens, Olivia Wilde, has been tapped to receive the 2011 Maui Film Festival Female Shining Star Award at a ceremony to be held June 15-19th at the Wailea Resort in Maui.
“As the festival with a reputation for honoring film artists for their lifelong achievement as well as those luminaries very much still in the ascendance of her journey, the Maui Film Festival is thrilled to honor Olivia Wilde with the 2011 Maui Film Festival Female Shining Star Award,” said Festival Director Barry Rivers.
From the Maui Film Festival:
The Female Shining Star Award honors a film artist, still in the ascendance of her career—with many magnetic performances both behind and ahead of her—whose very presence on screen guarantees as much light as heat. Wilde will be presented the Female Shining Star Award at one of evenings at the Celestial Cinema located at the Wailea Gold & Emerald Golf Course.
Following her Award Presentation, there will be a screening of Sun City Picture House, a new short film, Executive Produced by Wilde and Maria Bello. Sun City Picture House is a stunning and uplifting documentary about building a movie theater amidst the rubble of the aftermath of the powerful 2010 earthquake, which devastated Haiti and the last of the island’s old colonial movie theaters.
Wilde will next be seen opposite Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford in the Universal fantasy-action film Cowboys & Aliens, being released on July 29th. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film takes place in the year 1873 and tells the story of a stranger who stumbles into the rough and tumble desert town of Absolution. Wilde will also be seen in five other films; the physical comedy The Change Up, to be released in August, starring opposite Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman; Andrew Niccol’s futuristic thriller, Now will hit theaters starring Justin Timberlake; The Weinstein Company’s quirky political satire Butter, starring Jennifer Garner, Hugh Jackman and Ty Burrell; Stefan Ruzowitzsky’s Blackbird, with Eric Bana; Alex Kurtzman’s directorial debut, Welcome to People with Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks.
Wilde’s previous film credits include Tron: Legacy, The Next Three Days, Year One, Alpha Dog, Bickford Schmeckler’s Cool Ideas, and Conversations with Other Women.
Lionsgate’s big screen adaptation of the first book in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games is heading to theaters next March with Jennifer Lawrence in the lead role of Katniss Everdeen. Director Gary Ross cast the 20-year-old Oscar nominee (Winter’s Bone) to play the role of the 16-year-old heroine of the story, and fans didn’t immediately embrace his decision. Lawrence is older than Katniss and her coloring’s different, but Ross is convinced fans will be won over by her performance.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly just days before shooting was about to begin, Lawrence recalled her first meeting with Ross. “He was asking me what the experience was like,” said Lawrence, “and I just kind of opened up and said, ‘I feel like a rag doll. I have hair and makeup people coming to my house every day and putting me in new, uncomfortable, weird dresses and expensive shoes, and I just shut down and raise my arms up for them to get the dress on, and pout my lips when they need to put the lipstick on.’ And we both started laughing because that’s exactly what it’s like for Katniss in the Capitol. She was a girl who’s all of a sudden being introduced to fame. I know what that feels like to have all this flurry around you and feel like ‘Oh, no, I don’t belong here.”
And Lawrence admitted to EW she wasn’t initially sure whether to take on the role. “I knew that as soon as I said yes, my life would change,” she says. “And I walked around an entire day thinking ‘It’s not too late, I could still go back and do indies, I haven’t said yes yet, it’s not too late.'”
But ultimately she found she just couldn’t say no. “I love this story,” said Lawrence, “and if I had said no, I would regret it every day.”
The big screen version of the ’80s cop show 21 Jump Street set to star Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill has picked up MGM as a financial backer.
From MGM:
MGM will become a financial partner on the upcoming Sony Pictures Entertainment film 21 Jump Street, it was announced today by MGM Co-Chairmen and Chief Executive Officers Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum and Sony Pictures Chairman and CEO Michael Lynton and Co-Chairman Amy Pascal. Sony will handle marketing and distribution, while MGM will handle select international television licensing for the film.
21 Jump Street is part of the recently announced agreement between Sony and MGM to explore co-financing opportunities on future motion pictures produced by each of the respective studios for the next five years. They have most recently partnered on the highly anticipated Bond 23, set for worldwide release on November 9, 2012.
In recent years, the two studios have collaborated on numerous films, including Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, 21, Yours, Mine and Ours, The Pink Panther, and the summer tent pole Kevin James comedy Zookeeper, which opens nationwide on July 8, 2011.
21 Jump Street is based on the television series, which focused on young cops with youthful appearances who work undercover in high schools and colleges. The film is being directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, from a screenplay by Michael Bacall based on a treatment from Hill and Bacall. Neal H. Moritz will produce the film with Stephen J. Cannell, who will receive posthumous credit.
Filming will begin in late 2011 on Tracey’s Slumba Party, according to Arclight Films.
From the studio:
Arclight Films horror/sci-fi unit Darclight has picked up foreign rights to director Louise Alston’s (All My Friends are Leaving Brisbane) next film, a horror musical spoof entitled Tracey’s Slumba Party. Darclight will take charge of foreign sales outside Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Arclight Managing Director Gary Hamilton announced that the film would be produced by Michael Robertson and Kent Smith under their new genre banner Croweater Entertainment, a production alliance between Robertson’s Prodigy Movies and Smith’s producer/distributor Kojo Pictures. Darclight will produce with Croweater.
The film centers on a teen girls’ sleepover gone wrong that quickly evolves from “manicures and boy talk to murder and mayhem,” says Smith. Alston expects to start filming later this year in South Australia with stars Kate Geck and Mel Sano from the cult punk girl group “Toxic Lipstick.”
“Darclight are pleased to support this exciting new production team,” says Hamilton. “Both Michael and Kent are experienced producers in the world of low budget, genre-driven films, and their talents in Croweater present a potent combination. We’re looking forward to Tracey’s Slumba Party helping keep Darclight at the forefront of horror films aimed at young audiences worldwide.”
Lady Gaga The Edge of Glory RemixesLady Gaga has done the impossible: she’s knocked Oprah Winfrey out of the top spot on Forbes’ Celebrity 100 list.
From Forbes:
Lady Gaga tops our power list not just because of her $90 million in earnings, but also because of her 32 million Facebook fans and 10 million Twitter followers, who helped move 1 million copies of her hit single, “Born This Way,” in just five days. The earnings power of The Celebrity 100 dropped slightly in 2011, with this year’s stars having earned a collective $4.5 billion during the past year, down from $4.7 billion in 2010.
Justin Bieber debuts on the list at No. 3, and is also the youngest, at 17 years old. He earned $53 million over the last 12 months, and in addition to concerts, movie sales and a 3-D documentary movie, his “Baby” hit song video was viewed 500 million times, a YouTube record. He is joined by other notable newcomers, among them musician Katy Perry (No. 12), actor Christopher Nolan (No. 47), actress Natalie Portman (No. 75), television actor Mark Harmon (No. 98) and reality TV star Bethenny Frankel (No. 42). Frankel is among several celebrity entrepreneurs featured in the June 6 issue cover story, “The New Celebrity Money Makers” (p. 65), who illustrate that power is more than earnings and followers – it’s also about building a brand and a business.
Donald Trump (No. 17) breaks into the Top 20 (from No. 32 in 2010) thanks to his increased media attention around the birther issue. Leonardo DiCaprio (No. 15) is the biggest gainer, up from No. 71 a year ago, with two huge films, Shutter Island and Inception. Notable drop offs include Britney Spears (who was No. 6 in 2010, but fell off because she didn’t tour) and Daniel Radcliffe (who ranked 82nd last year) of Harry Potter fame. Sixty-seven of the 100 people on the list this year are men, and they pull in 73% of the total earnings. Musicians rule the 2011 list (in fact, six of the Top 10 spots are held by musicians).
2011 Rank and Earnings:
Lady Gaga, $90 million
Oprah Winfrey, $290 million
Justin Bieber, $53 million
U2, $195 million
Elton John, $100 million>
Tiger Woods, $75 million
Taylor Swift, $45 million
Bon Jovi, $125 million
Simon Cowell, $90 million
LeBron James, $48 million
Focus Features announced filming has begun on Seeking a Friend for the End of the World starring Steve Carell and Keira Knightley. The pre-apocalyptic comedy will be written and directed by Lorene Scafaria.
From the press release:
Confirmed as joining the two lead actors in the cast are – in alphabetical order – Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights), Adam Brody (Damsels in Distress), Roger Aaron Brown (The District), Tonita Castro (The Sarah Silverman Program), Rob Corddry (Mandate’s Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay), two-time Academy Award nominee Melinda Dillon (Close Encounters of the Third Kind), Rob Huebel (Human Giant), Gillian Jacobs (Community), Derek Luke (Focus’ Catch a Fire), Melanie Lynskey (Focus’ Away We Go), T.J. Miller (Cloverfield), Mark Moses (Desperate Housewives), Patton Oswalt (United States of Tara), William Petersen (CSI), Lindsay Sloane (Horrible Bosses), and Bob Stephenson (Jericho).
Two-time Independent Spirit Award nominee Tim Orr is the film’s cinematographer; the production designer is Chris Spellman (Indian Paintbrush’s Jeff Who Lives At Home). Kristin Burke (Insidious) is costume designer; Zene Baker (Mandate’s 50/50) is editor.
Set in a too-near future, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World explores what people will do when humanity’s last days are at hand. Can one man find his greatest love at the worst possible time? As the respective journeys of Dodge (Carell) and Penny (Knightley) converge, the two spark to each other and their outlooks – if not the world’s – brighten.
Ms. Scafaria, who wrote the original screenplay, is making her feature directorial debut with the film. She wrote the screenplay adaptation for the 2008 feature Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, also for Mandate, which starred Michael Cera and Kat Dennings.
