Park Chan-wook May Direct Carey Mulligan & Jodie Foster In ‘Stoker’

The last we heard about the upcoming drama Stoker it was set to star Carey Mulligan and Jodie Foster, with Ridley and Tony Scott producing and Ridley possibly directing. However, fast-forward five months and we’re hearing word that a certain acclaimed Asian filmmaker may be taking the directorial reigns instead.

24 Frames reports from “two people familiar with the film” that Park Chan-wook, the director behind the masterful Oldboy, is in talks to make his English-language debut with Stoker. The film is about a “moody teenager” whose eccentric uncle comes back into her life after her father dies.

There’s no word why Ridley Scott ultimately decided he didn’t want to direct but I’m guessing it was because he has his hands full with other projects, not least of which are his much anticipated Alien prequels. Not snagging a talented director like Ridley Scott is unfortunate, but if it means we get Park instead then I have to say I’m not all that upset.

Park is one of international cinema’s most acclaimed directors and a personal favorite of mine. In particular Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance – collectively known as “The Vengeance Trilogy” – I think are a few of the most striking, affecting and rewarding movies of the last decade. Park has won many international awards, including the Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival (for Oldboy) and the Alfred Bauer Prize at the Berlin Film Festival (for I’m A Cyborg).

Park Chan-wook wins the Alfred Bauer Prize at the Berlin Film Festival

Park has only ever made films in his native Korean language and I’m very curious to see how he does with an English-language film. That doesn’t mean Park won’t be just as good working in English as he would in his own language, but undoubtedly there are cultural and language differences (the type of tone, humor, etc.) that he will have to adjust his style of filmmaking to.

The script for Stoker was written by Ted Foulke, which is actually the pen name of Prison Break star Wentworth Miller. This is Miller’s first script but it has nonetheless been getting a lot of attention (obviously).

Ridley Scott, Jodie Foster and Carey Mulligan

As previously speculated, Mulligan will be playing the lead role of the moody teenager and I think we can safely assume that Foster will play her mother. The pivotal role of the returning uncle hasn’t been cast yet, but word is it will be a pretty big name completing the trio (“eccentric uncle” just screams Robert Downey Jr. to me).

Park certainly isn’t the first foreign-language filmmaker to make the jump to English-language films: Russian director Timur Bekmambetov burst onto the Hollywood scene with the graphic novel adaptation Wanted back in 2008 (and has since become attached to a thousand and one other projects). Other directors who’ve made the jump include John Woo (Face/Off), Wong Kar Wai (My Blueberry Nights) and the Pang brothers (The Messengers).

In my opinion, Park is one of the best directors (in any language) working today, and I have little doubt he’ll pull off his first English-language film with ease.

More on Stoker as news comes out.

Source: 24 Frames

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Carey Mulligan Is Daisy Buchanan in Baz Luhrmann’s ‘The Great Gatsby’

Carey Mulligan, one of Hollywood’s brightest and most beautiful starlets, will portray Daisy Buchanan in Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming adaptation of The Great Gatsby.

This casting comes on the heels of a recent developments that presented names like Leonardo DiCaprio and a virtual who’s who of top female actresses for parts in the Gatsby remake. Ironically, she wasn’t even on that list last week.

After exploding on the scene with An Education, Mulligan has taken roles in increasingly high profile films in just the last two years. In that short time, she has been in five movies, starring in four of them (she had a small cameo role in Public Enemies). Each was critically well-received and her performances drove much of the praise.

Carey Mulligan in An Education

Mulligan’s beauty is only enhanced by her elegance. The 25-year-old British actress is perfectly built to portray Daisy Buchanan in this adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s story. While she may fit the bill physically, her typical on-screen characters are nothing like Daisy. This departure from her normally strong female leads will be an interesting angle for Mulligan.

Daisy is the epitome of a ditsy woman that you might find circling a mall for ten hours in modern society. Will Mulligan bring a shroud of maturity to the role? It could work, but might not fit the tone of the character’s arc within the story.

Baz Luhrmann’s eccentric style will be another new fit for Mulligan. But her ability to transform into the characters she has played on camera will help the transition – as will the apparent rehearsals with Luhrmann.

Baz Luhrmann gave Deadline this photo of Mulligan as Daisy in rehearsals.

Luhrmann told Deadline that the pair rehearsed the character in early November and he snapped the above photo of her in full makeup. Luhrmann has also shown a propensity for directing period pieces.

The Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet director has always been committed to workshopping the roles before casting. This is what ultimately led to his casting of Leonardo DiCaprio in Romeo + Juliet.

We still do not know who will portray Gatsby, but the early rumors of DiCaprio would be a fun match on screen. This is a good start for Luhrmann’s adaptation, but he is still unsure if The Great Gatsby will be his next film. He is in the early stages of pre-production, so we shouldn’t jump the gun here, but casting Mulligan is a great starting point.

What do you think of Mulligan in the classic role once played by Mia Farrow? How would she fit across Leonardo DiCaprio? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Source: Deadline

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