Before
Maleficent comes out in March 2014, Disney will first roll out
Oz: The Great and Powerful in March 2013. Directed by Sam Raimi and starring James Franco as the wizard, it is also produced by ex-Disney Studio chief Joe Roth who now has a growing list of fairy tale adaptations including
SWATH (for Universal) and
Alice in Wonderland. At the recent 2012 CinemaCon (formerly called ShoWest), "
Roth
joked that he got involved with the (Oz) because he "wanted to make as
many March billion dollar movies for Disney" as he could -- a reference
to "Alice in Wonderland" and the upcoming "Maleficent."
The first image from
Oz was
released just a few days ago and shows Franco's character presumably before he becomes the wizard. There has been very little buzz about this film and I would attribute that to a general lack of interest in Franco after his disastrous turn as the Oscars MC. Things would probably be different if Robert Downey, Jr. was still starring but he had to drop out because of scheduling conflicts. In contrast, there is a lot more excitement and anticipation for
Maleficent even though filming just started. That of course is due in large part to Angelina and the enthusiastic reception of her first official photo in character.
The
Oz teaser poster that was just released over the weekend evokes a bit of
Alice -- which may be because Robert Stromberg,
Maleficent's director, did the production design of both films. The other film for which he has prod design credit is
Avatar.
Looking at the posters of the three films, we get an idea of Stromberg's visual flair and what he may have in mind for
Maleficent. I expect he'd pull out all the stops for his directorial debut and make it match or more likely exceed his two Oscar-winning efforts. Hopefully, he will also prove to be just as adept at pulling the whole film together.
I can't say enough how relieved I am that Tim Burton isn't directing
Maleficent. I tend to believe that he was never Angelina's or the studio's choice given that the iconic imagery from
Sleeping Beauty and his singularly Gothic taste weren't a good fit.
MovieInsider estimates
Oz's production budget at
$200M and
Maleficent's at
$170M. They will probably end up costing the same. $200M is par for Disney fantasy films as are the long 5 - 6 month shoots.
John Carter's and
The Lone Ranger's costs ballooned to $250M because of production overruns and rewrites/reshoots.
"The princess shall indeed grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who
know her. But... before the sun sets on her 16th birthday, she shall
prick her finger, on the spindle of a spinning wheel - and die!"
~ Maleficent
@ProgressCityUSA
@KaraLHayworth
Yep all good, just finished a run in the west end and working on
Maleficent at pinewood till end of September. ......
@pennychoocards
Jetset films
Production Weekly indicates there's been recent movement in the
Untitled Kathi Lynn Austin Project that was announced 5 years ago and was at the time set to star Angelina as the real life UN arms trafficking investigator. No word on whether she's still attached.
Original 2007 News Article
Angelina Jolie will star in Paramount's movie based on the life of intelligence operative Kathi Lynn Austin
Image credit: Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images
Angelina Jolie will star in
Paramount's upcoming spy thriller based on real-life intelligence
operative Kathi Lynn Austin's experiences in arms trafficking and
terrorism. The studio has acquired life rights to Austin's story for its
as-yet untitled project, which will focus on a fictional arms dealer
inspired by Victor Bout, the shadowy Russian who is considered one of
the world's most prolific dealers in illegal munitions. Media Talent
Group's Geyer Kosinski — Jolie's manager — is producing. Kosinski and
IPG's Joel Gotler, who will help Austin shop around her memoirs early
next year, put together a pitch similar to
The Bourne Identity,
and Paramount production president Brad Weston gave it the green
light. The studio and Kosinksi will choose a writer for the project once
the strike is over. Jolie is currently shooting the Clint
Eastwood-directed drama
The Changeling for Universal, Imagine, and Malpaso. (
Variety)
Demián Bichir, who was
nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of an undocumented-immigrant gardener in
A Better Life, represents the less savage side of the drug trade in Oliver Stone's adaptation of Don Winslow's crime novel
Savages.
While it's all in a day's work for other characters to steal, kidnap,
and kill, Bichir's character Alex — a lawyer for the Baja Cartel —
classes up the joint by treating everyone in a civilized manner, even if
there's no room for negotiation in his client's demands. Though
obviously, Alex wouldn't be taken seriously if it weren't for
Lado,
the cartel's enforcer, played by Bichir's friend Benicio del Toro, who
is always eager to get his hands dirty. Bichir, who previously worked
with Del Toro in
Che, chatted with Vulture about legalizing drugs, gifting tequila, and what his next Del Toro team-up could be.
When director Chris Weitz called you in to talk about A Better Life, you were momentarily confused, thinking he was proposing the part of a vampire gardener, since he was also doing New Moon at the time. But you nearly have a vampire gardener character in Savages with Lado, considering how he hides his work. [
Laughs.] I'm telling you, that's how crazy filmmaking is. In
A Better Life, we're showing you how wonderful gardeners are, and how much they help us all, and in
Savages,
you have this crazy guy who says he's a gardener and his methods are
all bloody. Lado, that's an instant classic right there. He could be a
vampire gardener. You know, we could do a vampire gardener film, Benicio
and I. We could both do it. Why not? [
Laughs.] I'll do it. I'd
love to step into that genre, but you need somebody really clever and
talented as a director to make sure it's going to fly.
Maybe Robert Rodriguez could do that one. You should talk to him when you're on set for Machete Kills. You're playing a madman?
I'm
jumping into that in the middle of July. I have no idea what I'm
playing — I don't think I know more than you do! I've been in
communication with Robert, and he's finishing the last touches on the
first draft. But it's anything goes with that one.
That's a genre
that I love. It's such a comic way of telling stories, and it's pretty
fascinating. But violence on that scale should only be allowed in
fiction. [
Laughs.]
Like your torture scene in Savages? How did you prepare for that? It's pretty brutal.
You
know it's coming, you're getting ready for it, and when it comes, it's a
special day. You're fully concentrated, 120 people are all around you,
and it's pretty heavy and hard-core. It's not an easy ride, when you
have those types of scenes. You're drained. You're wrecked. But this
guy, Alex, he's removed from that side of the business usually. He's the
educated arm of the organization. He's elegant. He's talented. He's a
lawyer. He brings dignity and redemption to the cartel. And even when he
"confesses," the way he protects his family gives him some dignity.
Since this is all about the violence that happens with the drug trade, do you think marijuana should be legalized?
It's
definitely an issue that needs to be talked about and brought to the
table. They need to debate it, seriously. And I think the urgency of
that debate would be ending the violence and seeing what works, if it's
possible to end that or not. There are many, many things you need to
talk about — legalization, decriminalization, regulation, taxation — but
you need to talk. It's like Prohibition, and a lot of people died back
then because of the same thing, and in this war against drugs, there are
a lot of innocent people dying. The great thing about Savages,
the book and the film, is that it talks about whose responsibility this
is, because it's not a one-country problem. This is on both sides of the
border.
How do you feel about the Supreme Court's recent ruling regarding Arizona's immigration law?
It's
great news! It only addresses a tiny piece of the problem, but it is
great news. Hopefully it leads to even better news, because you can
still be criminalized or stopped for the way you look. That's crazy.
Then the next thing you know, anybody who looks Latin or Mexican, we
would have to wear something on our arms, an
I for
Illegal, you know what I mean? It's just crazy. We can't allow that.
At one point, you turned down the part of Khan in the next Star Trek movie, after Benicio turned it down, so you could do your brother's production of Swimming With Sharks in Mexico City ...
Who said I turned it down? [
Laughs.]
I had a great meeting with J.J. [Abrams], but we couldn't do it at this
time, because of the play, and I was getting ready for opening night,
so I could not leave the project. But I didn't really, I never really
got the offer, so how could I say no? [
Laughs.] But I hope we work together someday, because I absolutely want to work with J.J.
You gave a bottle of tequila to each of your fellow Best Actor nominees for the Oscars. Did any of them reciprocate?
You
know, I just sent another bottle to Benicio, because he's a great
tequila lover — I send white tequila, because it's pure when it's
silver. It's pretty much the purest form of agave. But you don't give
gifts to get gifts, and pretty much what I got from them is really,
really great — warmth and affection and the chance to mingle and share
points of view. Although Jean Dujardin, he did send me a bottle of
Champagne, which was very nice of him. All the other guys were really
grateful, too. Brad [Pitt] told me that he almost finished the whole
bottle while watching the Super Bowl. I think he was joking!
Magazines like OK, Now, Closer and other bottom dwellers occasionally lift excerpts from old interviews and make it appear like they were granted a new interview. That is the case here.
Angelina Jolie: I find raising six children easy
By
News Desk on 03/07/2012
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie finds raising six children "easy".
The 37-year-old actress insist she and fiance Brad Pitt never
worry about missing anything in their careers due to the demands of
caring for Maddox, 11, Pax, eight, Zahara, seven, Shiloh, six, and
three-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne because they enjoy family life so
much.
She said: "It's just so easy for me to be looking after the kids even
thought it takes a lot of energy and you don't have much time for
yourself.
"The children are so much a part of my life and Brad's that we don't worry or stress ourselves about not working more often.
However, the 'Maleficent' star admits her large brood means she often
feels sleep deprived, though this is changing now the kids are getting
older.
She added to Britain’s OK! magazine: "I don't feel as if I'm
depriving myself from anything except maybe sleep. But now that the
twins are older, Mommy and Daddy are getting a little more rest and time
to be together.
"It's always hectic but more manageable than when I had two very
small babies who needed to be constantly with me. That was the most
difficult time but even then it was also a very beautiful time in our
lives."
Published Wednesday, Jul 4 2012, 2:30pm EDT |
By Paul Millar |
Angelina Jolie has praised her fiancé Brad Pitt for keeping their six children calm during their busy lives.
The Hollywood couple, who raise Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne, often travel around for work purposes.
Speaking to
OK magazine, Jolie revealed that Pitt creates imaginary games to take their minds off the pressures of relocating.
"Brad is very good at making sure the children never feel stressed when we're moving around," she said.
"He always makes them see it as a little game that we have to play, which in a way it is.
"But
we also know we have a very interesting life together and we've just
adapted to make things as easy as possible for the kids so they can grow
up as happy as possible."
One
report last week alleged that the couple, who
announced their engagement in April, are planning to marry in the UK.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have been an item since 2006.
@aalrefaie
@Reilly_Brown
Here's a commission of
Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty-- The evilest stepmother of them all!
