Wes Anderson’s ‘Moon Rise Kingdom’ Attracts Big Talents

Wes Anderson is very much a true auteur whose “quirky indie” filmmaking sensibilities will surely be on full display in his latest project, a period piece titled Moon Rise Kingdom.

Anderson was responsible for last year’s stop-motion adaptation, Fantastic Mr. Fox, but will return to working with flesh and blood thespians in his new film, which has already attracted the attention of several big name talents.

Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swinton are currently in talks to star in Moon Rise Kingdom, which was scripted by Anderson and his Darjeeling Limited co-writer Roman Coppola. Deadline describes the project as a 1960s-set tale about two romantically-involved young adults, a boy and a girl, who choose to flee their New England hometown. The local city leaders set out to find the couple, as they believe the two disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Personal drama ensues as the townspeople have their own fair share of personal issues and secrets to deal with as well.

Willis is in talks to star as the town’s sheriff, while Norton would play a Boy Scout leader that leads the investigation into the couple’s disappearance. Moon Rise Kingdom would mark the sixth collaboration between Anderson and Murray, who’s in line to star as the troubled father of the missing girl, and the first for McDormand as (most likely) the vanished girl’s mother. No word yet on Swinton’s role in this pic, but we’ll keep our ears open.

The (possible) leading men for Wes Anderson's 'Moon Rise Kingdom'.

Anderson has a limited but loyal cult following that very much adores his particular approach to the art of cinema. While his trademark preference for colorful cinematography, eclectic musical soundtracks, laconic acting style, and characters that suffer from a variety of neuroses and personal issues is not to everyone’s taste, Anderson’s films tend to be critical hits that play well with the arthouse crowd. Moon Rise Kingdom will likely be no exception.

Moon Rise Kingdom is expected to begin production next spring and could reach theaters by late 2011.

Source: Deadline

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Jon Favreau Looks To Direct Disney’s ‘Magic Kingdom’

Actor/writer/director Jon Favreau has been at the helm of movies about elves, magical board games, men in robot suits, and a wild west battle that involves extraterrestrials. So is a film about Disney’s classic Magic Kingdom attraction the logical next step?

We’re not sure if there’s a proper answer to that question, but Favreau is reportedly in talks with Disney to direct their Magic Kingdom movie, which was originally scripted by Battlestar: Galactica‘s Ron Moore but is being rewritten under the Iron Man filmmaker’s supervision.

Deadline says that the plan is for work on Magic Kingdom to commence while Favreau completes post-production work on Cowboys and Aliens. It’s not yet clear where Iron Man 3 – which, presumably, Favreau is all but a lock to direct – fits into the schedule, but that threequel is not slated to hit theaters until 2013, so Disney might have a 2012 release date in mind for Magic Kingdom. The Mouse House owns Marvel and acquired the distribution rights for Tony Stark’s third outing a while ago, so it has a fair amount control over Favreau’s production schedule right now.

Favreau has a good deal of experience handling big-budget, FX-heavy flicks by now and his resume as a director includes the family-friendly fantasy adventure Zathura: A Space Adventure (a.k.a. Jumanji in outer space) and Will Ferrell’s holiday comedy, Elf. Odd as it may seem, the man is an ideal candidate to take on the challenge of turning the Magic Kingdom into a full-blown moviegoing experience.

Favreau's 'Zathura' starred a pre-'Twilight' Kristen Stewart.

Disney also has a Haunted Mansion film adaptation in the works, as well as a Tiki movie (which the company claims is NOT based on the Enchanted Tiki Room, but there’s good reason to doubt that claim). We’ve also heard rumblings about a Jungle Cruise movie being in the works and wouldn’t be surprised if Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain look to make the jump to the big screen in the future as well.

The immense financial success of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is in no small part to blame for these other ride-inspired projects; however, the company has always loved a movie with instant marketing tie-ins, so the finger of blame can’t be pointed solely at the adventures of Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow (besides, we still love that guy).

Coming soon to a theater near you.

We expect Disney will aim to release Magic Kingdom sometime in 2012. Do you think the project has potential?

Source: Deadline

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