Edgar Wright Back To Writing ‘Ant-Man’

While two big Marvel superheroes charge toward theatrical releases this summer in Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, one very small one still hides in the corner. Fans of Edgar Wright and Marvel who remain hopeful that Ant-Man will get an official release date or appear as part of the superhero roster in The Avengers can remain disappointed.

Like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and the lengthy amount of time it took to come to fruition once Wright climbed aboard, Ant-Man has been in the script stages for years. The latest update places the geek favorite director still at the writing stage, working alongside fellow writer Joe Cornish (The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn) on the latest Ant-Man script draft.

Unlike the Iron Man films which are assigned strict release dates before stories are finalized and forced into production without adequate time for preparation, Ant-Man is a lower budget film that doesn’t seem to have had any strict deadlines (yet).

“This one’s not about about the urgency of summer tentpoles and things going into production without a script… It’s slightly different than that. “

Wright recently had another meeting with Marvel President of Production Kevin Feige where they discussed the project and now they seem to be at the stage of putting together the next draft. While there’s been no official movement on the project or the story it will follow, we have a general idea of Wright’s vision to go along with our comedic expectations – even if it’s not a comedy – from what he described about his Ant-Man concept last summer.

“I know there’s a big stigma attached to it, mostly because every movie about shrinking has been about people in peril. I think it’d be great to do a shrinking film about a bad-ass secret agent.”

“Even something like The Incredible Shrinking Man, which is a fantastic film, is about a guy in trouble. But this is going to be nothing like that. It’s essentially a high-tech spy heist film with somebody with a very particular power.”

With The Avengers being the only currently scheduled Marvel Studios film of 2012 and ditto for Iron Man 3 in 2013, there’s room for a second film both summers to fulfill Marvel’s goal of two major theatrical releases per year. Since Runaways has been delayed from its previously planned March 2011 production date, will Marvel push for another film to enter production this year for a 2012 release? Could it be Ant-Man?

When Feige talked about the future Marvel Studios movies, he did indicate that Ant-Man would go intro production not long after The Avengers and that shoots from April to September.

We hope so as Wright delivers what fans want in a quality manner. Scott Pilgrim didn’t make big bank at the box office, but everyone who watches it, critics and moviegoers alike, all come out with a positive reaction.

Tell us your thoughts on this through Twitter @rob_keyes and @screenrant.

Source: LA Times

View the original article here

Charlize Theron Not Joining ‘J. Edgar’; Possibly Starring in ‘Alien’ Prequel

Things change fast in the world of movie news – just ask Charlize Theron. One day she’s reportedly all but set to play Leonardo DiCaprio’s lifelong secretary in J. Edgar; the next brings words that the blonde bombshell could be duking it out with slimy extraterrestrial killing machines in the Alien prequel instead.

The only official news for the time being is that Theron won’t take on the role of J. Edgar Hoover’s devoted assistant, Helen Gandy, in Clint Eastwood’s biopic about the FBI founder. What her next project will be, however, is not clear.

Theron is definitely out of the running to join J. Edgar, which recently added Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick to its cast as Agent Smith (no Matrix jokes, please). Deadline claims that Eastwood is now considering actresses Naomi Watts (Fair Game) and Amy Adams (The Fighter) as possibilities to play Miss Gandy, instead. Theron, meanwhile, is reportedly in the process of signing on for Universal’s new version of Snow White, in which she would appear as the evil queen.

Here’s where it gets tricky; Vulture is now reporting that 20th Century Fox had the role of Elizabeth Shaw (the female protagonist of Ridley Scott’s Alien prequel) rewritten and expanded to accommodate someone of Theron’s stature. The rumor is that a new version of the script will be sent to Theron later this week and only after that will the actress decide for certain what her next role will be.

Noomi Rapace of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo fame reportedly remains Scott’s top choice to play the attractive but hard-edged lead of his sci-fi prequel – and given Rapace’s fierce portrayal of Lisbeth Salander, she seems like a perfect fit for the part. If Scott has his way, the costly CGI project will apparently revolve around a multi-cultural space crew that could feature name actors like Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and/or Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class) – however, Fox is reportedly concerned about production costs and wants a better-known name than Rapace to headline the film.

Scott reportedly still wants Rapace for his 'Alien' prequel.

To reiterate: the only concrete bit of news at the time being is that Theron won’t be starring in the Hoover biopic – everything else is essentially RUMOR and should be taken as so. There have been rumblings in the past about Fox delaying the Alien prequels (back when it was believed there would be two movies) and the studio having concerns about the budget for the entire project. Remember also that Scott is a highly respected, Oscar-nominated filmmaker with a healthy number of blockbusters under his belt – so he does have a fair amount of influence with respect to the casting of his Alien prequel.

Both Theron and Rapace are excellent actresses and either could make for an engaging lead in Scott’s latest (and presumably 3D) sci-fi venture, which will feature new work by Oscar-winning sculptor/set designer H.R. Giger as well. Production on the Alien prequel looks to get underway later this year, so expect an official statement about the film’s cast in the relatively near future. J. Edgar, meanwhile, will begin shooting next month and should reach theaters by late 2011.

Source: Deadline, Vulture

View the original article here

Judi Dench Joins Eastwood’s ‘J. Edgar’; Charlize Theron Likely To Follow

Two lovely, Oscar-winning ladies are looking to appear opposite Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar Hoover in Clint Eastwood’s latest directorial effort, J. Edgar. That one of those ladies is a 76-year old English thespian and the other a blonde bombshell from South Africa merely goes to show that we here at Screen Rant are not biased against great talent due to a trivial matter like age.

Dame Judi Dench’s involvement with the Hoover biopic has been confirmed by Eastwood himself, who also says that Charlize Theron is likely to officially join his project in the near future as well.

This scoop comes via Sandwich John Films, who were informed by the famously raspy-toned acting legend and now acclaimed auteur that the seemingly ubiquitous DiCaprio liked Dustin Lance Black’s J.Edgar script so much, “he actually volunteered [to star in it].” The quality of said screenplay and the opportunity to work with Eastwood understandably looks to also be enough to convince Theron to pass on terrorizing Snow White and instead play Mr. Hoover’s lifelong personal secretary, Helen Gandy instead.

Now that she’s done being hoodwinked by Jack Sparrow, Dench is set to star in Eastwood’s new film as well. James Bond’s M will join a cast including DiCaprio as FBI founder Hoover; The Social Network‘s Armie Hammer as Clyde Tolson, J. Edgar’s confidant/rumored secret lover; and Australian actor Damon Herriman as Bruno Hauptmann, the convicted Lindbergh baby killer.

J. Edgar Hoover was a pivotal historical figure in the 20th Century – one whose controversial approach and methods arguably still influence contemporary U.S. national security policy. He was also known for being a highly intelligent individual who suffered from almost debilitating paranoia and kept inscrutably detailed files on a variety of artists and activists that he considered “dangerous.” DiCaprio will certainly find himself on familiar territory, playing a famous figure who begins to descend into madness as they accumulate more power and control.

Eastwood has spoken about his Hoover biopic in the past and referred to the man himself as “a very complex man… he was very clever about keeping himself in a certain position in life, so it is an interesting study.” It’s an appropriate observation and a statement that could apply to Eastwood’s own professional career even – though juxtaposing the Dirty Harry actor’s life to that of Hoover’s is like comparing apples and oranges, of course.

The 80-year old Eastwood’s preference for character-driven storytelling is a proper match for the subject matter of his Hoover biopic, which will feature a good deal of talent both in front of and behind the camera. While the director’s 2008 period drama, Changeling, was generally regarded as being too conventional to achieve masterpiece status, the film was widely lauded for its attention to details and accurate recreation of 1920s-era America. Look for J. Edgar to at least capture the atmosphere of mid-2oth century living with similar aplomb.

J. Edgar begins filming this February and looks to reach theaters by late 2011.

Source: Sandwich John Films (via The Playlist)

View the original article here

New ‘J. Edgar’ Title for Eastwood’s Hoover Biopic; Casting Rumors

Armie Hammer pulled off a tricky double-act when he played the Winklevoss twins in David Fincher’s The Social Network. He may follow that performance by taking on a role in another real-life project from a high-profile filmmaker – namely, Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar Hoover biopic.

Hoover has been officially retitled J. Edgar and will star Leonardo DiCaprio as the controversial FBI founder. The well-respected leading man could be joined by both Hammer and Oscar-winner Charlize Theron, who is in talks to play Hoover’s longtime secretary.

EW has the scoop on the title change and the news that Hammer is in negotiations to play Clyde Tolson, a lawyer-turned FBI official – and loyal confidante to Hoover himself. Tolson has historically been rumored as having also been Hoover’s secret lover, an issue which will surely be addressed in Eastwood’s biopic – though, as the director himself put it, “[Hoover] was a very complex person. The [closet] homosexual aspect is just one of many. I would say that’s the least of his problems.”

Word of Theron joining J. Edgar comes from Vulture, who is reporting that the actress is up for the part of Justice Department file clerk Helen Gandy, a woman that ended up working for Hoover for over 54 years. Oscar-winner Dustin Lance Black’s screenplay will likely pick up several years after Gandy and Hoover first met, since the former was 21 when the FBI head hired her, and (as lovely as they both are) neither DiCaprio nor Theron look like people in their early 20s any more.

DiCaprio will play Hoover in Eastwood's 'J. Edgar'.

Hoover was a fascinating individual who developed quite the intimidating reputation over the course of running the FBI for half a century (there’s a reason Bill Murray makes a crack about him destroying New York in the original Ghostbusters). Few would argue that DiCaprio won’t make for a more handsome Hoover than his real-life counterpart, but the actor should also be able to communicate the complex, and conflicted, nature of a man who will likely always remain a bit of a mystery.

Black crafted a solid script for Gus Van Sant’s acclaimed Harvey Milk biopic that examined a variety of aspects in the fellow’s personal life – while addressing his influence and behavior as a public figure. He’ll likely take a similar approach in his J. Edgar screenplay as well.

Filming on J. Edgar is scheduled to begin in early 2011 and the film could potentially arrive in theaters by the end of next year.

Source: EW, Vulture

View the original article here