Radar Online reports that Leonardo DiCaprio is going to have to shed some pounds for his role in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception.’
A source on the set told Radar that Leo “needs to shed at least 30lbs,” for the film, currently shooting in Morocco.
The source said, “He’s gained weight recently and looks almost a bit flabby, which isn’t good, especially as the camera adds pounds.
“There’s an action scene coming up at the end of the year in which he needs to appear emaciated, so the pressure is on.
“Leo isn’t the kind of guy who can just lose a radical amount of weight though – he gets very nervous about it.”
So apparently the star is following a strict diet and embarking on a rigorous workout regime.
He wouldn’t be the first star to have to change his weight for a role. Among the many examples, Vincent Donofrio gained 70 lbs for ‘Full Metal Jacket’ (1987), Sylvester Stallone gained 40 lbs for ‘Copland’ (1997), Russell Crowe lost 50 lbs for ‘Cinderella Man,’ (2005) Renee Zellweger put on 20 lbs for ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ (2001) and, perhaps most markedly, Christian Bale shed 63 lbs for ‘The Machinist’ to achieve a shockingly skeletal frame in 2004.
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Don’t get excited. Megan Fox has not been cast as Catwoman after all.
Those who were sceptical of a UK Sun report from this week that Fox had been cast as Catwoman in the next Batman movie were right.
The film has not been cast. It hasn’t even been written, according to a studio rep, who told People.com, “It’s rumour. It’s not true.” The rep said, “There is no script. There is no project to be cast in.”
Many film buffs were quick to question the truth of the claims as the news spread across the Internet. Craig Sharp at Filmshaft.com, for example wrote, “While I’m all for the idea of Fox playing Catwoman, I can’t see this rumour going anywhere other than in the trash.”
Another uncorroborated story about the film is that it will be shot entirely in IMAX.
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MTV says Emile Hirsch will be channelling grunge god Kurt Cobain for his role in Catherine Hardwicke’s ‘Hamlet.’
In Hardwicke’s version, which begins shooting soon, Hamlet is a “credibility-sensitive” indie musician and college student instead of a vengeful prince.
She told MTV, “It’s a modern-day film, set at a liberal-arts college where words matter — so people are careful and talk in beautiful language, and Hamlet tries to express himself through music.”
A music lover herself, Hardwicke is probably the first director with a desire to combine the legendary spirits of the Nirvana frontman and the Bard. The idea is to create something new and geared towards a young audience.
Perhaps not for purists, Hardwicke says, “We’re using some of the cooler Shakespeare language, in a musical way. [My Hamlet] is like an [aspiring] rock star. He’s got six people that go to his performances, go to clubs and listen to him. It’s like an early Kurt Cobain.”
Another obvious inspiration was Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Romeo + Juliet’ (1996)
Emile Hirsch has been preparing for the role by taking singing and guitar lessons. He says he is excited and “just loves” the poetry of Shakespeare.
The project promises other intriguing elements as well. Hirsh recently told Collider.com that Hardwicke’s modernized version of the ghost story is “almost like mixing ‘Hamlet’ with ‘The Shining.’”
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The world is batty for vampires, and George Hamilton wants a bite of the action.
The very tanned Hamilton, who starred as Count Vladimir Dracula in the 1979 cult classic horror spoof ‘Love at First Bite,’ is planning a follow up.
According to WENN, Hamilton will produce a sequel titled ‘Batrimony: Love at Second Bite,’ thirty years after the original’s release.
With the popularity of ‘Twilight’ and HBO’s ‘True Blood,’ Hamilton believes that the time is ripe for more parody, and has clearly given some thought as to who his target audience might be.
He says, “I think ‘Twilight’ is a wonderful series of books. It’s so important for these young girls with hormonal changes and this love that’s worth giving your life for. But now I have to find a way to bring my ‘Love At First Bite’ character into that kind of story and make it funny and not be at all like ‘Twilight’ and I think I found a way to do that.”
Not limiting himself to vampires, Hamilton is also producing a movie about movie legend Errol Flynn’s son Sean, who was captured by the Khmer Rouge during the Vietnam War.
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Variety tells us that Fox is developing a contemporary take on the 1988 dark comedy ‘Heathers.’
The Michael Lehmann directed cult classic, which starred Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, will be adapted for TV by writer Mark Rizzo and ‘Sex and the City’ alum Jenny Bicks. Sony and Lakeshore Entertainment will produce.
The original movie centered around popular girl Veronica (Ryder) and her clique, all named Heather. The girls rule the school until a new student, J.D. (Slater), comes along; Veronica turns on her friends and students start dying of apparent suicides. It was a box office flop but later gained momentum on the VHS and DVD markets.
‘Heathers’ was full of pop culture references – the students attended a high school named for Replacements singer Paul Westerberg – and, 20 years after the fact, such references have become commonplace in stylized, mainstream pop culture from Quentin Tarantino movies to ‘Family Guy’ (where the kids attend James Woods High).
This might be one of the probably many reasons reps for Rizzo and Bicks decided the title was ripe for revival. Variety says they contacted Lakeshore, which owns the rights to the film, about potentially dusting off the franchise.
“We had the title, and talked about doing a film remake at times,” said Lakeshore’s Gary Lucchesi. “But doing it for TV seemed like a fresh and original idea.”
All the main characters from the original film are expected to appear.
Joan Jett is suing former Runaways bassist Jackie Fox, according to TMZ.com.
Jett is apparently angry that Fox is trying to cash in on the 70s girl band’s name, which Jett says she owns.
Jett alleges Fox has “threatened” her business partners and is claiming she also has the right to be paid for the use of the Runaways trademarks. Jett also claims Fox has caused problems for the production of the band’s biopic, alleging Fox has tried to halt filming until she sees/approves a script.
TMZ says the ‘I Love Rock and Roll’ star is seeking damages and a declaration from the court that Fox has no right to the band name or any money made from it.
Jett says there is no Jackie Fox character in the movie, which stars Kristen Stewart as Jett, Dakota Fanning as lead vocalist Cherie Currie and Scout Taylor-Compton as Runaways guitarist turned 80s metal queen, Lita Ford.
The Runaways movie is slated for a 2010 release.
And despite the bickering between the actual band members, the performances by the young women playing them on screen will apparently blow our minds.
Starpulse reports that Lita Ford actress Scout Taylor-Compton said, “It was a lot of hard work because we basically had to have band practice and we had to learn the instruments in a short amount of time. We performed for like 8 hours straight. It was crazy.
“Dakota will blow your guys’ mind,” she promised. “She’s amazing in it and so is Kristen.’
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If you ever wanted to see Queen Amidala get it on with Jackie from ‘That 70’s Show,’ you might be about to get lucky.
Scriptshadow.blogspot.com claims to have gotten its hands on the script for the Darren Aranofsky thriller ‘Black Swan,’ starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. And the site’s Carson Reeves says the two beauties will be having sex in the movie.
Reeves writes, “Yeah. You read that right. And not just nice sweet innocent sex either. We’re talking ecstasy-induced hungry aggressive angry sex. Yeah so…this movie is already on the must-see list of 2010.”
Mila Kunis would neither confirm nor deny the claim in an interview with Collider.com. She said, “I’ve heard about this from everybody. I mean, something got out…The script is so under lock and key that I can’t imagine anyone really truly ever getting a hold of it…I can’t really deny or confirm because I’m not allowed to talk about the script but all I’m going to say is that I can’t imagine anyone getting their hands on this project.”
Make of that “something got out” what you will.
In a description that sounds something like ‘Showgirls’ meets ‘Fight Club’ but with ballerinas, Scriptshadow says ‘Black Swan’ is about a ballerina competing against a rival dancer who may or may not be another version of herself.
The recession has claimed another victim: Leonardo DiCaprio’s ‘Shutter Island.’
Paramount Pictures has pushed back the Martin Scorsese directed thriller from October 2, 2009 to February 19, 2010, according to Deadline Hollywood Daily.
Paramount CEO Brad Grey said in a statement, “Our 2009 slate was greenlit in a very different economic climate and as a result we must remain flexible and willing to recalibrate and adapt to a changing environment. This is a situation facing every single studio as we all work through the financial pressures associated with the broader downturn.”
This is a bit of letdown for DiCaprio and Scorsese, whose past shared movie credits include ‘The Departed’ and ‘Gangs of New York.’ There has already been Oscar buzz around ‘Shutter Island’ but now it will not qualify for the 2009 Academy Awards.
Grey makes clear that the decision wasn’t personal, stating “Leonardo DiCaprio is among the most talented actors working today and Martin Scorsese is not just one of the world’s most significant filmmakers, but also a personal friend.”
He adds that they are “confident that ‘Shutter Island’ is a great anchor to lead off to lead off our 2010 slate.”
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Screen legend Lauren Bacall says they don’t make vampire flicks like they used to.
The Hollywood veteran recently watched ‘Twilight’ with her grandchildren, who had assured her that it was “the greatest vampire film ever.” Bacall, however, was not impressed.
She wrote on her Twitter page “Yes, I saw Twilight – my granddaughter made me watch it, she said it was the greatest vampire film ever. After the ‘film’ was over I wanted to smack her across her head with my shoe, but I do not want a (tell-all) book called Grannie Dearest written on me when I die. So instead I gave her a DVD of Murnau’s 1922 masterpiece Nosferatu and told her, ‘Now that’s a vampire film!’ And that goes for all of you! Watch Nosferatu instead!”
The opinionated Bacall knows a thing or two about good movies. Perhaps best known for starring in film noir pictures of the forties, it was Bacall who taught filmgoers how to whistle in ‘To Have and Have Not’ (1944). On that set she met her co-star, Humphrey Bogart, whom she later married. She is also a Tony award winning stage actress and, in 1999, was ranked one of the top 25 actresses of American cinema on the American Film Institute’s 100 Years… 100 Stars list.
The 84-year-old actress is apparently an active tweeter.
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The UK tabloid The Sun is reporting that Megan Fox has signed on to play Catwoman in Christopher Nolan’s next Batman movie.
Christian Bale and Michael Cain, who both helped reinvent the franchise, are reported to be back on board. The Sun claims that the ‘Transformers’ beauty — who topped FHM Magazine’s Sexiest Woman list for the last two years — will be donning the PVC catsuit and joining them on set when shooting begins next year.
The Catwoman character was invented as a supervillainess by DC Comics but later developed into something of an anti-heroine. The alter-ego of Selina Kyle, she has been portrayed by Julie Newmar, Eartha Kitt, Lee Meriweather, Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry. Berry’s 2004 ‘Catwoman’ film was a colossal box office flop.
Some are questioning the veracity of The Sun’s claims, however. Slashfilm’s Peter Sciretta states, “I don’t believe that Nolan would even consider someone like Megan Fox, who is great to look at, but not much more.”
And Michael Moran of Blockbuster Buzz says, “I’m as certain as I dare be that [Fox will] never be Catwoman. I believe that Christopher Nolan would cast a performer who could deliver some unique quality as a Batman villain. If not Heath Ledger’s darkly fizzing danger, then something like Liam Neeson’s understated gravitas or Cilian Murphy’s cold mania.”
‘Batman 3′ is slated for release in 2011.
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