Casting Corner: Cate Blanchett, Leonardo DiCaprio, Megan Fox and More
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: FOCUS, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Independent, Musicals, Period, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Casting, Celeb News,
Here’s a quick look at some of the casting announcements made recently:
Cate Blanchett: The Benjamin Button actress will be paired with a new leading man for her next feature. Blanchett was recently tapped to replace Sienna Miller in the latest version of the Robin Hood tale. Cate will star as Maid Marian opposite Russell Crowe’s Robin of Loxley. The movie, previously titled Nottingham, will be helmed by by Crowe’s favorite director, Ridley Scott.
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Box Office Breakdown: Dark Knight Struck Down by Tropic Thunder
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Horror, Musicals, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
Despite a somewhat disappointing opening last Wednesday ($6.5 million), Tropic Thunder actually managed to surpass the four-time box office winner. The comedy grossed $25.8 million over the past three days, nearly $10 million more than its caped competitor.
And while Ben Stiller should be happy by his movie’s accomplishment, the Dreamworks/Paramount film still left a lot to be desired. Recent comedies such as Get Smart ($38.6 million) and Step Brothers ($30.9 million) debuted to better numbers. But then those two films didn’t have a distraction like Michael Phelps to contend with.
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Variety
Box Office Breakdown: Batman Smokes Pineapple Express
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, New Line, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Musicals, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers,
Pineapple Express’ strong open last week made number crunchers wonder: Would this be the week Batman was finally taken down? Unfortunately, breaking the record for ‘Any Wednesday in August’ doesn’t necessarily mean a movie will succeed on Friday or Saturday or Sunday. And despite Pineapple‘s promising start (the movie grossed $12.1 million on its first day), the comedy found itself smoked by the Caped Crusader.
The Dark Knight‘s recent $26 million take has now pushed the film past $441 million. When the sequel passes Star Wars’ $461 million (which should happen shortly), it will become the #2 film of all time. By staying on top for the fourth weekend in a row, Knight has also accomplished something that hasn’t been done since 2003’s Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.
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Yahoo! Movies
Box Office Breakdown: The Dark Knight Fights Off the Mummy
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Family, Music, Mystery, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
It was a close one. A very close one. But after a tight contest, The Dark Knight once again emerged as the box office winner this weekend.
Although it initially appeared as if The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was going to bring Batman down, the three-quel lost steam at the end. The film, which grossed $40.4 million over the past three days, narrowly lost out to Knight and wound up being the lowest performer in its series. (The Mummy opened at $43.4 million in 1999 while The Mummy Returns scored $68 million in 2001.)
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Variety
Box Office Breakdown: The Dark Knight Hits $300 Million
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Musicals, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Despite the combined forces of Ferrell/Reilly and Duchovny/Anderson, Team Bale/Ledger could not be slowed down.
This past week, The Dark Knight added a few more records to the franchise’s box office mantle:
- The film became the fastest movie ever to surpass the $300 million mark. (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest crossed that line in 16 days; Knight did it in 10.)
- The sequel is now predicted to break $400 million in approximately 18 days. Shrek 2 took 43 days to the same in 2004.
- IMAX theaters also continue to benefit from the blockbuster’s success. Another $4.6 million was grossed over the weekend.
- It’s now believed the latest Batman installment could soar to $500 million - making it only the second movie to do so. Domestically, Titanic ($601 million) still reigns as the box office champ. (The original Star Wars pocketed $461 million while Shrek 2 earned $436 million.)
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Variety
Sequel News: Hairspray, Anchorman, School of Rock
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, New Line, Paramount, Musicals, Sequels, Comedy, Casting, Celeb News, Rumors, Upcoming Releases,
Here’s the latest scoop on the sequel buzz spreading across Hollywood:
The film that inspired a Broadway show and an update may soon spawn another creation: a sequel. New Line Cinema, obviously encouraged by the success of the High School Musical franchise (and last week’s debut of Mamma Mia!), has asked John Waters to begin writing a treatment for a follow to Hairspray.
According to Variety, the studio hopes to reunite members of last year’s cast in time for a 2010 release. The story would again be set in the 60’s, just where the Turnblad family left off.
While no actors have yet been lined up, most of the musical’s key players - including director/choreography Adam Shankman - are scheduled to return.
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Variety
In Theaters This Weekend: July 25, 2008
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, Magnolia, Miramax, Paramount, Sony, Adaptation, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Music, Period, Political, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- Step Brothers (R): starring Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Mary Steenburgen (directed by Adam McKay)
- The X-Files: I Want to Believe (PG-13): starring David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Xzibit (directed by Chris Carter)
- American Teen* (PG-13): starring Megan Krizmanich, Mitch Reinholt, Hannah Bailey (directed by Nanette Burstein)
- Asian Stories* (NR): starring James Kyson Lee, Kirt Kishita, Kathy Uyen (directed by Ron Oda)
- Brideshead Revisited* (PG-13): starring Emma Thompson, Michael Gambon, Matthew Goode (directed by Julian Jarrold)
- Bustin’ Down the Door* (NR): starring Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew, Mark Richards, Shaun Tomson (directed by Jeremy Gosch)
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Casting Corner: Brad Pitt, Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Sony, Weinstein Company, Drama, Period, Comedy, Casting, Celeb News, Upcoming Releases,
Here’s a quick look at some of the casting announcements made recently:
Although the paparazzi has been aiming to get close to Brangelina for days, Quentin Tarantino was recently able to score a one-on-one with Brad Pitt. Tarantino, who recently completed his script for Inglorious Bastards, just met with the actor in France in hopes of casting him in the film. According to Variety, Brad was in discussion to play the role of Aldo Raine.
As we reported earlier, the Kill Bill director would like to start production on his WWII era movie soon, and his current schedule is reflecting that mood. In addition to his meeting with Pitt, Quentin was reportedly scheduled to meet Leonardo DiCaprio yesterday about the character Hans Landa. Meanwhile, Tarantino and Harvey Weinstein are meeting with five different studios to secure a financial partner.
Filming on Inglorious Bastards is set to begin this fall in Germany and France.
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MTV Movies
Robert Downey Jr. Will Star In Competing Sherlock Holmes
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Mystery, Books, Casting, Upcoming Releases,
We now know who Team Ferrell/Cohen will eventually have to face off against at the box office: Iron Man.
Just last week, we told you that former Talledega Nights co-stars Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen would be reuniting for film about Sherlock Holmes. Unfortunately, their Columbia Pictures comedy did not have a director or release date attached to it yet. It also faced comparison to a similar project being formed at another studio.
Now Warner Bros. has announced that Robert Downey Jr. will be donning the detective’s cap for their take on the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle novels. While there will most likely be tone differences between the two movies, Downey’s version will reportedly be “less stuffy” than what we have seen in the past.
The Guy Ritchie film will start production in October (before the Columbia version) in hopes of a October 2009 opening.
Variety
Sacha Baron Cohen, Will Ferrell Reunite for Sherlock Holmes
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Mystery, Comedy, Books, Casting, Upcoming Releases,
For his next production, Judd Apatow has once again reached into his bag of funny men to decide on casting. This time around, Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen - rivals in 2006’s Talledega Nights - will be working as a team on a comedy about Sherlock Holmes.
In the currently-untitled project, the Borat star will play the famous literary detective. Meanwhile, Ferrell will take on the role of Watson, his crime-solving assistant. The movie will be penned by Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder) for Columbia Pictures. No director has so far been assigned.
Although a target date hasn’t yet been determined, Apatow’s film could face comparisons to another upcoming project. Warner Bros. has plans for its own adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s books; that version will be helmed by RocknRolla‘s Guy Ritchie.
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