In Case You Missed It: Film News is back once again to fill you in on all the latest stories from the silver screen. In this edition, we’ll be covering the loss of a monumental figure of both film and television, some explosive new trailers and some exciting casting news. So in the words of Samuel L. Jackson in Jurassic Park; ‘hold onto your butts!’
NEWS: GONGS, GOODBYES, AND GASTON
DAN STEVENS AND LUKE EVANS JOIN EMMA WATSON IN BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Following the frankly perfect news that Emma Watson is to play Belle in an upcoming live-action version of Disney’s Beauty and The Beast, more news has arrived in the casting of the film’s two leading male roles. It has been revealed that Downton Abbey‘s Dan Stevens is to play the Beast to Watson’s Beauty, while star of The Hobbit and Dracula Untold, Luke Evans is set to become the film’s arrogant antagonist, Gaston. The news was confirmed by Watson, who tweeted her delight, warmly welcoming her co-stars to the project with an apt ‘bonjour’. The rest of the cast is yet to be confirmed, but there are rumours that Emma Thompson could potentially be the voice of Mrs Potts – the teapot, iconically voiced in the original animation by Angela Lansbury. Filming/Release dates are also yet to be announced.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: THE OSCAR WINNERS OF 2015
It’s been a good two weeks since The Oscars dazzled our screens and awarded the best of the industry, but on the off-chance that you haven’t heard already – here’s a small low-down on the winners. Birdman was the biggest winner of the night, collecting the gongs for Best Film, Director, Original Screenplay and Cinematography, respectively. Meanwhile, the leading acting categories were predictably won by award season favourites, Eddie Redmayne (for The Theory of Everything) and Julianne Moore (for Still Alice). Also continuing their winning streak were J.K Simmons with his Supporting Actor win for Whiplash and Patricia Arquette for her performance in Boyhood – which despite previous successes failed to beat Birdman to many statuettes on the night. The Imitation Game won Best Adapted screenplay, while Big Hero 6 was awarded the title of Best Animation. For full winners, visit the Academy Website.
LEONARD NIMOY: 1931-2015
The entertainment world mourns the loss of an icon with the death of Leonard Nimoy, who passed away in Los Angeles on February 27. Best known for his role as half human, half vulcan Spock in the Star Trek franchise, Nimoy was also a legend behind the camera just as much as he was in front of it. Among his behind the scenes credits, he wrote the fourth and sixth Star Trek films; The Voyage Home (which he also directed) & The Undiscovered Country . He was also a voice actor, photographer and published poet. When the news broke, tributes came from all over, but were most poignant from the worlds of entertainment, science and politics. NASA tweeted “So many of us were inspired by Star Trek. Boldly go…” in tribute, while US president Barack Obama quoted “Long before being nerdy was cool, there was Leonard Nimoy”. Original Captain Kirk, William Shatner also paid tribute to his co-star, writing; “I loved him like a brother. We will all miss his humour, his talent and his capacity to love.” Zachary Quinto, who plays Spock in the new Star Trek franchise (with the personal approval of Nimoy) shared: “My heart is broken. I love you profoundly my dear friend. And I will miss you everyday.” What would turn out to be Nimoy’s last message on Twitter just before he was last hospitalised has taken on a new poignancy with his passing, as we remember his life and achievements as well as the legacy – which literally spans generations – he will leave behind. RIP and LLAP.
FIRST LOOKS: JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT IN SNOWDEN AND EDDIE REDMAYNE IN THE DANISH GIRL
The first images of Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Edward Snowden in Ridley Scott’s upcoming biopic have been unveiled. Both images see Gordon-Levitt in uniform as Snowden (from his time as a US Army Reserve) to mark the start of production. Joining Gordon-Levitt in the biopic is Shailene Woodley as Lindsay Mills -Snowden’s longtime girlfriend – and Melissa Leo and Zachary Quinto as Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald, two of the journalists who helped Snowden with leaking the NSA information to the world’s press in 2013.
Also seen for the first time was Eddie Redmayne as Lili Elbe in Tom Hooper’s The Danish Girl. Based on David Ebershoff’s novel of the same name, the film tells the story of Elbe, born Einar Wegener, who was one of the first people known to have undergone gender reassignment back in the 1930’s. Redmayne recently defended his casting in the role over a trans-gender actress: “There is an incredibly valid discussion for why a trans actress isn’t playing the part, because there are so many brilliant trans actresses, and I’m sure there are many who could play this part sensationally. But one of the complications is that nowadays you have hormones, and many trans women have taken hormones. But to start this part playing male you’d have to come off the hormones, so that has been a discussion as well. Because back in that period there weren’t hormones.” Alicia Vikander will star alongside Redmayne as Wegener/Elbe’s wife Gerda in the film, which is due for release later this year.
HARRISON FORD IN PLANE CRASH
Indiana Jones Star, Harrison Ford was involved in a small plane crash this week, after his 1942 Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR began showing signs of engine failure. The actor, aged 72, crash-landed his vintage plane on a Venice golf course, suffering multiple gashes to the head on impact. His publicist has since reported however, that “The injuries sustained are not life threatening, and he is expected to make a full recovery”. Ford’s son Ben also tweeted about his condition, saying “Dad is OK. Battered but OK!” Many experts have also since noted how remarkably Ford managed to save himself – calling him a “more than competent pilot”. This is Ford’s second accident in nine months, after he broke his leg on the set of Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens. The film – in which Ford returns to his famous role as Han Solo – is now in post-production and so is still, despite this incident, set to be released in December this year.
MORE CASTING NEWS
- Independence Day 2 has confirmed its first castings. Jesse Usher will play the son of Will Smith’s character Steven Hiller (Smith himself will not return). While, popstar Usher joins Liam Hemsworth and returning cast member Jeff Goldblum in the sequel to Roland Emmerich’s 1996 hit. The film is scheduled to be released in 2016.
- Suicide Squad has a leader. Viola Davis (The Help, How To Get Away With Murder) will play Amanda Waller; the agent in charge of the group of villains, in the upcoming DC film. Davis joins Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Jai Courtney and Cara Delevingne in the David Ayer film due to be released in 2016.
- Jennifer Lawrence has been chosen to play war photographer Lynsey Addario in a future Steven Spielberg directed-film, based on Addario’s acclaimed memoir of her life experiences. The film, entitled ‘It’s what I do‘, has been snapped up by Warner Bros and is currently in development.
TRAILERS
THE LATEST TRAILER FOR AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON COOKS UP A STORM
The latest trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron has arrived, with less than 50 days left until the finished product is in cinemas, and it is awesome. But don’t be fooled – the stakes are high for our favourite superhero ensemble. In this two minute clip, we get to see more of James Spader’s menacing AI villain, Ultron and his two mutated minions, Scarlett Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) as they wreck chaos on both the city and the supergroup. Some of the most powerful scenes of the trailer are in the interactions between the villains and our heroes – Scarlett Witch does something wicked-looking to Black Widow’s mind, Quicksilver ‘whooshes’ Captain America (Chris Evans) onto the floor and Ultron mercilessly gives Thor (Chris Hemsworth) what he unwittingly asks for (“Is that the best that you’ve got??”). There’s also a really badass slow motion shot of the whole team in fighting mode, as well as a peculiar shot that would suggest that Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) and Bruce (Mark Ruffalo) have gotten closer since last we saw them. And we finally get a sneaky peek at Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr) other AI creation, The Vision. The Avengers: Age of Ultron is released in cinemas, 24th April.
TEASER TRAILER TO MR. HOLMES FINALLY RELEASED
Following our last article’s coverage of the film’s first clip and poster, the official teaser trailer for Mr. Holmes has finally been released. The movie focuses on an aging version of Arthur Conan-Doyle’s infamous detective, played by Sir Ian McKellen, who struggles to solve a final case in the wake of his dementia. Instead of Watson, he is accompanied by a young boy called Roger, who is his housekeeper’s son. The film, directed by Bill Condon, is yet to receive a release date, but is expected to hit cinemas sometime this Summer.
VOTE FOR THE MTV MOVIE AWARDS
Though the most prestigious ceremonies of Awards Season are over, the opportunity to reward the films you love with Golden Popcorn certainly isn’t, as MTV has announced it’s nominees for this year’s Movie Awards. Chief among the nominees are Marvel blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy, John Green’s YA Romance The Fault In Our Stars and Seth Rogen comedy Bad Neighbours – who all have seven nominations each. 22 Jump Street and Whiplash are also up for 5 nominations. British actress, Rosamund Pike also holds three nominations for her portrayal as Amy Elliott-Dunne in Gone Girl. The ceremony, which is due to be held on 12 April at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, will be hosted by comedian Amy Schumer. And YOU can vote for the winners, here!
Words by Annie Honeyball and Megan Roxburgh
Compiled by Annie Honeyball