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Who Will Play Stephen Hawking? Movie of Life Underway

Roger Friedman — Thu, 23 May 2013 06:46:45 +0000

Exclusive: Genius physicist and Albert Einstein of our day, Stephen Hawking is best known for publishing “A Brief History of Time.” Now his life and theories are going to be put on the big screen for everyone a la “A Beautiful Mind.” I am told that James Marsh, who made “Man on Wire” and many other fine films, is scheduled to direct a film called “The Theory of Everything.” It will comprise Hawking’s life and teachings. The title is from his 2007 book of the same name that comprised four lectures. The word is that casting has begun and the producers– Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan– are looking for the 2013 version of Daniel Day Lewis. Hawking is only wheelchair free for the first ten pages of the script. After that, his physical life will be portrayed as he is today. There’s an Oscar in there for whoever plays him. Of course, as always, Robert Downey Jr. comes to mind.

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Michael Douglas and Matt Damon Sex it Up in Hit about Liberace

Roger Friedman — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:08:42 +0000

Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, not to mention Rob Lowe, are sensational in Behind the Candelabra. Steven Soderbergh’s terrific film premieres in Cannes tonight and plays on HBO on Sunday night. It’s so good it should be a theatrical release. Hilarious to see Douglas, a notorious ladies man, sexing it up with equally straight Damon. But they are just great. Damon plays Scott Thorson, Liberace’s lover, Douglas is the flamboyant pianist who hid his gay life and died of AIDS. The sets and costumes are sumptuous, make up is wondrous. Rob Lowe is a scene stealer as the mens’ plastic surgeon. Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds scores as Liberace’s mother. Jerry Weintraub produced, Richard LaGravenese wrote the script. Everyone will get Emmy awards, trust me.

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James Franco’s Ambitious Faulkner Movie Divides Cannes Critics

Roger Friedman — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:30:39 +0000

Adapting any William Faulkner for movies is not easy — if it can be done at all. Legendary director Martin Ritt made a bad film in 1959 of Faulkner’s “The Sound and the Fury” with Yul Brynner and Joanne Woodward. Faulkner academics who stumble upon it are in for nightmares. Yesterday multi -hyphenate James Franco premiered his ambitious adaptation of “As I Lay Dying,” a Rashomon like tale of a burial told by 15 characters from different perspectives. (Franco, I think, whittled the number down to 9.) To accommodate the many speakers of the novel Franco does two things: he uses split screens a lot and head on interview close ups. Sometimes these things work and sometimes they don’t. A few times when the split screen came up I thought it would have been more effective to just have a regular shot. The split screen diminishes powerful moments especially when of the halves is pedestrian. At the press screening, you could see the divide: there were loads of exits before the film ended. And then there was applause. Go figure. [...]

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Timberlake: “My Music Career Hangs Over Me Like a Cloud”

Roger Friedman — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:22:09 +0000

Exclusive: Joel and Ethan Coen’s “Inside Llewyn Davis” got a 10 minute standing ovation last night in its Cannes premiere, the kind of reception that is real Cannes, and not the tepid deal for “The Great Gatsby” last Wednesday. Carey Mulligan, who stars in both movies, told me later (and not to put down Gatsby): “It’s thrilling to be watching a movie and feel that everyone loves it.” Indeed, the black tie audience was gaga for “Llewyn.” The cast was all there, even John Goodman, who sort of arrived and hen vanished again. He and Garrett Hedlund have a hilarious extended cameo that actually could be spun off into another movie. Folk singer Llewyn winds up driving to Chicago with them. Goodman is a mysterious sort of white blues man who talks a blue streak. Hedlund is Johnny Five, his “valet” who speaks almost no words.You couldn’t hope to meet a nicer celebrity couple than Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel. They’re polite, well spoken, gracious and good looking. And smart. What else could you want? They sort of stole the [...]

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Jennifer Lawrence. Hunger Games 2, Catching Fire in Cannes

Roger Friedman — Sun, 19 May 2013 05:30:29 +0000

How do you follow up “The Hunger Games,” a movie that made — are you ready? — $408 million in the U.S. alone? LionsGate- Summit Pictures, which also gave us the “Twilight” series, pulled out most of the stops last night in Cannes. Even though part 2, called “Catching Fire,” doesn’t open until November, the studio wanted to make sure everyone knew a new adventure of Katniss and friends is coming. The studio took over a beach club on the Croisette and completely redecorated it. This, despite torrential (how many times can I use the word? a lot) rains the likes of which are rare in this sunny beach resort. They supplied gorgeous models made up in “Hunger Games” outfits complete with multi colored cotton candy hair and streaks across their faces. How do you get into this party, especially with that ever present rain? The invite came in a fancy white box with a padded interior and a Capitol logo embossed on the front. Open the box, the size of a hardcover book, and you find a silver rose [...]

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Oscars 2014: Harvey Weinstein Has Most of the Best Actresses

Roger Friedman — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:05:57 +0000

Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara, as well as the casts of “Mandela” and “Fruitvale Station” helped Harvey Weinstein present his roster of 2013 coming releases. And as I suspected, The Weinstein Company may have most of the best lead and supporting actresses for the Oscars. From the looks of things, the Weinstein schedule is packed with potential Oscar nominees. It’s the strongest slate I’ve seen from the company including when they were Miramax. They’ve just bought Stephen Frears’s “Philomena” which will–from what I hear– bring Dame Judi Dench a lead nomination. Then there’s “Grace of Monaco” with Nicole Kidman, “August: Osage County” with Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, and “The Butler” with Oprah Winfrey. That doesn’t count Rooney Mara from “Ain’t the Bodies Saints” and Kristen Scott Thomas from “Only God Forgives.” Then there’s Octavia Spencer from “Fruitvale Station.” And those are just the actresses. The annual presentation of clips and trailers the Majestic Hotel was sold out, of course with standing room three deep. By accident I actually got to sit in the very front row with Rooney Mara, [...]

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DiCaprio, DeNiro, Russell: Taking on JFK Assassination

Roger Friedman — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:58:56 +0000

EXCLUSIVE: The so called conspiracy to kill President John F. Kennedy is coming to the big screen–and not from director Oliver Stone. About three years ago, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way production company announced intentions to make a film called “Legacy of Secrecy,” which threatened to blow the lid off of what really happened in Dallas in November 1963. Now DiCaprio’s father, George, who put the project together, says the film is coming to fruition. George DiCaprio told me yesterday that “Legacy” follows the saga of FBI informant Jack Laningham. DeNiro would play Mafia kingpin Carlos Marcello, who confided to Langingham that he ordered the hit on Kennedy. Marcello died in 1993. But back during the days following the assassination, at least a dozen of Marcello’s associates were questioned by the FBI. Neverheless, Marcello’s name never appeared in the Warren Report. van Laningham is alive. His story with Marcello was turned into a book called “Legacy of Secrecy” by Lamar Waldron and Thom Hartmann published in 2009. Leonardo DiCaprio already knew Hartmann: it was his work that inspired Leo’s heartfelt if [...]

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Gatsby Cannes: Director Baz Luhrmann Says He Never Got Good Reviews

Roger Friedman — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:17:28 +0000

The Cannes press conference for The Great Gatsby was more interesting for what wasn’t said than what was going on: beefy bodyguards for Leonardo DiCaprio stood at the edge of the stage. One of them filmed the audience of reporters and photogs with his iPhone. DiCaprio, center on the dais among the cast, drank espresso and some kind of fizzy water. The press, which did not applaud at all after this morning’s screening, seemed as muted as their reaction to the actors as they did to the movie. Director Baz Luhrmann said he didn’t really worry about the mixed reviews. “I’ve never had great reviews,” he said. He said that he and DiCaprio had not totally given up the idea of making the epic Alexander. “We even have a studio built for it, by Dino DeLaurentiis.” It was a film that never came to fruition. DiCaprio looked a little bored. The one time he lit up was when he mentioned the great US box office from this past weekend. He must be tired of doing press for this movie already. [...]

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Exclusive: Five Years Later, Hyatt Hotels Heir Will Re-Shoot Large Chunks of Unreleased Jazz Film with New Actors

Roger Friedman — Tue, 14 May 2013 06:55:47 +0000

A year ago I told you about Hyatt Hotels heir Dan Pritzker and his devotion to a feature film he started shooting in 2008 but never released. It’s called “Bolden!” about obscure jazz performer Buddy Bolden (1877-1931). Anthony Mackie played the lead in a cast that included Jackie Earle Haley and Wendell Pierce. Pritzker shot the film in North Carolina, brought it home to Chicago, and let it sit. In May 2012– a year after “Bolden” wrapped– he told me he’d release it when it was ready. Another year passed and I wondered what had happened. Now I can tell you that Pritzker, who has unlimited deep pockets– is planning to go back and re-shoot large chunks of the film this September. That’s over five years since he wrapped. The sets are in storage in North Carolina. But he won’t have the same Buddy Bolden. Pritzker’s producer, Jon Cornick, tells me that Mackie–who went on to make “The Hurt Locker” and has turned into a sought after leading man–isn’t available. So, says Cornick, they are now casting to replace him. [...]

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“Great Gatsby”: Too Early or Too Late for the Oscars? A May-December Romance

Roger Friedman — Sun, 12 May 2013 22:02:20 +0000

Now that “The Great Gatsby” is here, and it’s a hit, the question remains: is it too late or too early for the Academy Awards? “Gatsby” was supposed to be released last Christmas and in the running for this past February’s Oscars. When it was pushed to May, that changed the Oscar landscape. Quick– which film actually did win Best Picture? Why, it was “Argo.” Would the “Gatsby” we see now have made the short list? Probably. In the end, 9 movies were nominated. “Gatsby” could have been the 10th. But Leonardo DiCaprio, if nominated, would never have been Daniel Day Lewis in “Lincoln.” The film that “Gatsby” might have hurt: “Les Miserables.” Now “Gatsby” comes out seven months before the next Oscar season. Is it too early? In a word: yes. But the time the fall rolls around, “Gatsby” may be long forgotten. This year’s field of potential Best Picture nominees is already pretty crowded. We can already look forward to “The Butler,” “August: Osage County,” “Monuments Men,” “Inside Llewyn Davis,” “Blue Jasmine,” one of two movies starring Tom [...]

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