González Iñárritu to Direct Leonardo DiCaprio in the Thriller “The Revenant”

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro González Iñárritu is about to get revenant in the near future…

This September the 50-year-old Mexican filmmaker will direct Leonardo DiCaprio in the gritty thriller The Revenant.

González Iñárritu and Mark L. Smith co-wrote the script for the film, an adaptation of the Michael Punke novel The Revenant: A Novel Of Revenge.

The film will star DiCaprio as Hugh Glass, a 19th century fur trapper who gets mauled by a grizzly bear, and then is left for dead by cohorts who rob him. When he survives, he is not a happy camper and sets out on a treacherous journey to exact revenge on those who betrayed him.

Produced by New Regency, the film is slated for release in the fall of 2015.

In the meantime, González Iñárritu’s next film Birdman, his first comedy project, will be released by Fox Searchlight on October 17.

González Iñárritu’s Black Comedy “Birdman” to be Released in October

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro González Iñárritu’s next project will be migrating to theaters in October…

Fox Searchlight co-president Stephen Gilula has announced that the 50-year-old Mexican filmmaker’s Birdman will open in theaters on Friday, October 17.

The film isn’t expected to complete post-production until late May or early June, with producers it eyeing fall festivals for its premiere.

It’s González Iñárritu’s first black comedy, following the Academy Award-nominated director’s dramatic films Amores perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003), Babel (2006) and Biutiful.

“It’s the heart of the fall, and a great time historically for us with films like Sideways, 12 Years A Slave, and historically Slumdog Millionaire and Black Swan,” Gilula tells Deadline.com. “We’ve had great success launching films at festivals, but this hasn’t been screened for anyone, despite the speculation. Alejandro is famous for his meticulous work in post-production, and this film is unusual for him in that is has some visual effects, and an unusual sound design. The most important thing is to make sure that the film is right.”

The film has an all-star cast that includes Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone and his muse Naomi Watts, who appeared in the director’s Babel and 21 Grams.

Keaton plays a washed up actor who once played an iconic superhero who tries to mount a stage play despite his dysfunction and the dysfunction of others in his repertoire.

Inarritu wrote the film with Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo.

Trailer Released for Rapace’s “The Drop,” Featuring the Late James Gandolfini

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

There’s overwhelming interest in Noomi Rapace’s latest project…

Fox Searchlight has released the trailer for The Drop, starring the 34-year-old half-Spanish actress.

The film, which opens in theaters on September 19, features the late James Gandolfini in what would be his last movie.

The crime drama, based on a screenplay from author Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone), follows lonely bartender Bob Saginowski (Hardy) through a covert scheme of funneling cash to local gangsters — “money drops” — in the underworld of Brooklyn bars. Under the heavy hand of his employer and cousin Marv (Gandolfini), Bob finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and entwined in an investigation that digs deep into the neighborhood’s past where friends, families and foes all work together to make a living — no matter the cost.

Michael R. Roskam (Bullhead) directed the movie, which also stars Matthia Schoenaerts, John Ortiz, Ann Dowd and James Frecheville  .

Gandolfini died in June at age 51 of a heart attack while vacationing in Italy. Following his death, he also appeared in Enough Said, released last September.

Derbez Signs with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Eugenio Derbez is one step closer to taking over America…

Following the success of his comedy-drama film Instructions Not Included in the United States, the 52-year-old Mexican actor has signed with Creative Artists Agency.

Derbez is hailed as one of the top Latino filmmakers/actors in the business; and he’s one of the most recognizable Latino faces in the world.

He’s the creator and star of one of Mexico’s most popular sitcoms La Familia P. Luche (The Plush Family), which ran for 10 years on Univision. He also created the Televisa produced sketch-show XHDRbZ, which aired for two seasons.

Both programs not only appeared in the U.S. but also ran in Europe and Latin America. He had very recognizeable names in the Latino market on his sketch show, including the Mexican president Vicente Fox.

Derbez also wrote, directed and starred in last year’s Instructions Not Included, which is touted as the highest-grossing Spanish-language film in the U.S., earning $44.4M in the U.S. and $41M internationally for a total of $85.5 million worldwide.

He was also the voice of Donkey in the Spanish-language version of Shrek and lent his voice to one of the characters in Guillermo Del Toro’s animated comedy Book of Life.

U.S. audiences may remember him from Liongate’s Girl in Progress starring opposite Eva Mendes (2012) or in Fox Searchlight’s sleeper hit Under the Same Moon.

Trailer Released for the Black Comedy “Dom Hemingway,” Starring Bichir

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

He may portray a police detective on FX’s The Bridge… But Demián Bichir is far from law-abiding in his latest film.

Lionsgate has released the official trailer for Dom Hemingway, starring the 50-year-old Mexican actor as Jude Law’s maniacal boss.

Law plays the eponymous larger-than-life safecracker in the black comedy. Back on the streets of London after 12 years in prison, he’s eager to collect what he’s owed for keeping his mouth shut. But things take a turn when he and his partner (Richard E. Grant) visit his boss (Bichir) in the south of France.

Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke also stars in the film from The Matador writer-director Richard Shepard.

Lionsgate UK is releasing the film on November 15th in Britain and Fox Searchlight will release the film in North America next year.

Dawson Prominently Featured in Latest “Trance” Trailer

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Rosario Dawson has James McAvoy following her voice in the latest trailer for Danny Boyle’s psychological thriller Trance.

The 33-year-old Puerto Rican & Afro-Cuban American actress takes the lead in this latest clip, with her dialogue used as the narration for the teaser video.

Trance, which also stars Vincent Cassel, tells the story of a fine art auctioneer mixed up with a criminal gang who joins forces with a hypnotherapist (Dawson) to recover a lost painting.

“It was exciting because it’s a journey, it’s a puzzle… It’s a number of things; it definitely wasn’t the ‘sure-fire hit’ where everyone’s going to get it, where every aspect of it will connect – because even nudity alone can throw people,” says Dawson of working on the film.

The movie premiered in London on Tuesday and will be released in the United Kingdom via Pathé on March 27.

Fox Searchlight will release Trance in theaters in the United States on April 5.

González Iñárritu Casts Edward Norton in “Birdman”

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro González Iñárritu has found the foil for his first comedy film…

The 49-year-old Mexican filmmaker, known for dramatic films like 21 Grams, Babel and Amores perros, has cast Edward Norton in his dark comedy Birdman.

From Fox Searchlight and New Regency, the film will center on a former actor ( played by Michael Keaton) who once played a superhero who puts together a play on Broadway based on a short story by Raymond Carver. Unfortunately, the ex-superhero’s plans to soar again are threatened by his egotistical lead stage actor portrayed by Norton.

Along with Norton and Keaton, the cast includes Emma Stone, Naomi Watts and Zach Galifianakis.

The film will be shot in a Broadway theater in New York beginning mid-April.

Dawson’s Thriller “Trance” to be Released in April

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Rosario Dawson will be leave moviegoers in a Trance starting in April…

Fox Searchlight has set an April 5 platform release for Trance, the Danny Boyle-directed psychological thriller starring the 33-year-old Puerto Rican/Cuban American actress, James McAvoy and Vincent Cassel.

Trance, which arrives in theaters in the United Kingdom on March 27 via Pathe and 20th Century Fox, follows a fine-art auctioneer mixed up with a criminal gang who joins forces with a hypnotherapist (Dawson) to recover a lost Goya painting.

This is Boyle’s first film since 2010′s 127 Hours. The filmmaker shot Trance just before taking time out to direct the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 London Games last summer. Boyle returned after the Olympic Games to complete the film’s postproduction.

Rapace to Star in “Animal Rescue”

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Noomi Rapace may be coming to the rescue…

Fox Searchlight is reportedly offering the 32-year-old half-Spanish actress the female lead role in Animal Rescue, and is in final talks with Tom Hardy to co-star.

Scripted by Gone Baby Gone author Dennis Lehane from a short story first published in the collection Boston Noir, the drama focuses on a man who wants to shed his criminal past but managed to get mixed up in a bad heist and a killing resulting from a lost and contested pit bull.

Animal Rescue will be directed by Michael R. Roskam, whose breakout film Bullhead was an Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language film last year.

Rapace – the original Girl With a Dragon Tattoo in the original Swedish version – most recently starred in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, and she’ll return for the sequel to the sci-fi film.

She also starred in the Brian DePalma-directed Passion, which made its debut at the New York Film Festival.

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