Ryan Gosling, Joseph Gordon-Levitt And Alexander Skarsgard Being Looked At For The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ryan Gosling and Alexander Skarsgard: three of the most in-demand young actors working in Hollywood today. The first broke out in last year's Inception, is earning Oscar buzz for his role in the upcoming 50/50 and has a part in Christopher Nolan's final Batman movie. The second has been everywhere this year and his performance in Drive, which is set to premiere tomorrow, has earned the actor almost unanimous praise. The third is a star on HBO's hit show True Blood and, like Gosling, has a new movie opening tomorrow (Straw Dogs). You have to imagine that every casting agent in Hollywood wants at least one of them to star in their new project, but a new report from The Wrap says that all three are being looked at for one project in particular.

Following the announcement that George Clooney will be unable to star in the film, the website says that Gordon-Levitt, Gosling and Skarsgard are now being looked at for the starring role in Steven Soderbergh's The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Unlike Clooney, however, who was being looked at for the role of Napoleon Solo - the character originally played by Robert Vaughn- the three young actors are being looked at for the part of Ilya Kuryakin, Solo's partner (yes, I am aware how weird that sounds). The story comes from a source close to the production, who says that the three actors are just a few of the names that the studio is looking at, the full list including upwards of 20 actors.

Based on the television series that ran from 1964 to 1968, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is about a pair of agents from the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement who are regularly tasked with protecting the planet from the evil forces of THRUSH. When I spoke with writer Scott Z. Burns a few weeks ago, he told me that the film is scheduled to begin production this spring and will be based on real events from the Cold War.

If you've ever had the desire to see a blond Joseph Gordon-Levitt, it may be in your best interest to contact Warner Bros. and plead them to cast him as Kuryakin. Any of the three actors would be great for the part, but assuming one of them gets it, who should be the one to take Clooney's place?

Ryan Gosling, Joseph Gordon-Levitt And Alexander Skarsgard Being Looked At For The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ryan Gosling and Alexander Skarsgard: three of the most in-demand young actors working in Hollywood today. The first broke out in last year's Inception, is earning Oscar buzz for his role in the upcoming 50/50 and has a part in Christopher Nolan's final Batman movie. The second has been everywhere this year and his performance in Drive, which is set to premiere tomorrow, has earned the actor almost unanimous praise. The third is a star on HBO's hit show True Blood and, like Gosling, has a new movie opening tomorrow (Straw Dogs). You have to imagine that every casting agent in Hollywood wants at least one of them to star in their new project, but a new report from The Wrap says that all three are being looked at for one project in particular.

Following the announcement that George Clooney will be unable to star in the film, the website says that Gordon-Levitt, Gosling and Skarsgard are now being looked at for the starring role in Steven Soderbergh's The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Unlike Clooney, however, who was being looked at for the role of Napoleon Solo - the character originally played by Robert Vaughn- the three young actors are being looked at for the part of Ilya Kuryakin, Solo's partner (yes, I am aware how weird that sounds). The story comes from a source close to the production, who says that the three actors are just a few of the names that the studio is looking at, the full list including upwards of 20 actors.

Based on the television series that ran from 1964 to 1968, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is about a pair of agents from the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement who are regularly tasked with protecting the planet from the evil forces of THRUSH. When I spoke with writer Scott Z. Burns a few weeks ago, he told me that the film is scheduled to begin production this spring and will be based on real events from the Cold War.

If you've ever had the desire to see a blond Joseph Gordon-Levitt, it may be in your best interest to contact Warner Bros. and plead them to cast him as Kuryakin. Any of the three actors would be great for the part, but assuming one of them gets it, who should be the one to take Clooney's place?

Christopher Plummer Rehearses For Richard III In The First Trailer For Barrymore

With the Toronto International Film Festival wrapping up, we've officially entered Awards Season. For the rest of 2011, a good chunk of new releases will be vying for Oscar gold, be it for their direction, writing, performances, or all of the above. One film most definitely aiming for Best Actor is the Erik Canuel-directed Barrymore, starring Christopher Plummer. Earlier this week we saw the first clip from the film and today TIFF has released a full trailer. Check it out below:

 
Based on the play by William Luce, Plummer stars as John Barrymore as he is rehearsing for a revival of his greatest work: Richard III. The movie is largely a one-man show, with Barrymore struggling to remember his part. When Luce's play was being performed on Broadway, Plummer won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. The film premiered this week at TIFF, but doesn't yet have a US distributor or release date.

Christopher Plummer Rehearses For Richard III In The First Trailer For Barrymore

With the Toronto International Film Festival wrapping up, we've officially entered Awards Season. For the rest of 2011, a good chunk of new releases will be vying for Oscar gold, be it for their direction, writing, performances, or all of the above. One film most definitely aiming for Best Actor is the Erik Canuel-directed Barrymore, starring Christopher Plummer. Earlier this week we saw the first clip from the film and today TIFF has released a full trailer. Check it out below:

 
Based on the play by William Luce, Plummer stars as John Barrymore as he is rehearsing for a revival of his greatest work: Richard III. The movie is largely a one-man show, with Barrymore struggling to remember his part. When Luce's play was being performed on Broadway, Plummer won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. The film premiered this week at TIFF, but doesn't yet have a US distributor or release date.

Super 8 Unspools On Blu-Ray And DVD November 22nd

In a summer of super-heroes and sequels, Super 8 stood out. Whether you were on board with J.J. Abrams ode to Spielberg and the "Amblin-style" movies many of us grew up with or not, there's no question that Super 8 was ambitious and original. If it failed, it certainly didn't do so for lack of trying. Thankfully, I'm in the camp that thought it worked remarkably well (with, granted, a few flawed spots), so I'm giving thanks that Super 8 has been announced for Blu-ray and DVD this November 22nd.

If you didn't check it out this summer, Super 8 is a love letter to both adolescence and the movies that still make many of us feel young, flicks like E.T., Close Encounters, or The Goonies. A group of young friends in the midst of shooting their own homemade horror movie unwittingly wind up in the middle of something much greater after witnessing a terrible train crash. Soon it becomes clear that the train was military in origin, and that it was carrying...something. Current It Guy J.J. Abrams directs alongside producer/muse Steven Spielberg.

Paramount Home Entertainment will release Super 8 as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack ($39.99), as well as a single-disc DVD version ($29.99). Here's what you'll get on the bonus features front:

Blu-ray

• Commentary by writer/director J.J. Abrams, producer Bryan Burk and cinematographer Larry Fong
• Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes
  • The Dream Behind Super 8
  • The Search for New Faces
  • Meet Joel Courtney
  • Rediscovering Steel Town
  • The Visitor Lives
  • Scoring Super 8
  • Do You Believe in Magic?
  • The 8mm Revolution
• Deconstructing the Train Crash
• Deleted Scenes

DVD

• Feature Film
• Digital Copy

The single-disc version will include the commentary and the "Dream Behind Super 8 and The Visitor Lives featurettes. Not bad considering many single-disc DVD editions roll out bare-bones. The one big disappointment with the set is that Mr. Spielberg didn't sit in on the commentary. Still, this one will be a guaranteed purchase in my household.

Super 8 Unspools On Blu-Ray And DVD November 22nd

In a summer of super-heroes and sequels, Super 8 stood out. Whether you were on board with J.J. Abrams ode to Spielberg and the "Amblin-style" movies many of us grew up with or not, there's no question that Super 8 was ambitious and original. If it failed, it certainly didn't do so for lack of trying. Thankfully, I'm in the camp that thought it worked remarkably well (with, granted, a few flawed spots), so I'm giving thanks that Super 8 has been announced for Blu-ray and DVD this November 22nd.

If you didn't check it out this summer, Super 8 is a love letter to both adolescence and the movies that still make many of us feel young, flicks like E.T., Close Encounters, or The Goonies. A group of young friends in the midst of shooting their own homemade horror movie unwittingly wind up in the middle of something much greater after witnessing a terrible train crash. Soon it becomes clear that the train was military in origin, and that it was carrying...something. Current It Guy J.J. Abrams directs alongside producer/muse Steven Spielberg.

Paramount Home Entertainment will release Super 8 as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack ($39.99), as well as a single-disc DVD version ($29.99). Here's what you'll get on the bonus features front:

Blu-ray

• Commentary by writer/director J.J. Abrams, producer Bryan Burk and cinematographer Larry Fong
• Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes
  • The Dream Behind Super 8
  • The Search for New Faces
  • Meet Joel Courtney
  • Rediscovering Steel Town
  • The Visitor Lives
  • Scoring Super 8
  • Do You Believe in Magic?
  • The 8mm Revolution
• Deconstructing the Train Crash
• Deleted Scenes

DVD

• Feature Film
• Digital Copy

The single-disc version will include the commentary and the "Dream Behind Super 8 and The Visitor Lives featurettes. Not bad considering many single-disc DVD editions roll out bare-bones. The one big disappointment with the set is that Mr. Spielberg didn't sit in on the commentary. Still, this one will be a guaranteed purchase in my household.

50 Cent Forced To Change His Movie Title

Good titles are hard to come by. Artist 50 Cent thought he had one all set to go for the film he’s making, however he was forced to change the name when he learned that the title chosen was previously claimed by an African author who doesn’t want to give it up.

According to the Guardian, Curtis Jackson a.k.a. 50 Cent spent much of last year filming a movie about a football player with cancer, which he intended to tile Things Fall Apart. It’s a great title, to be sure, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that someone else had previously used it for their own work.

Described as one of Africa’s greatest novelists, Chinua Achebe published a book in 1958 titled “Things Fall Apart.” Upon hearing that 50 Cent was titling his movie the same, Achebe contacted his legal team and had them put a stop to it. The writer also refused the million dollar offer 50 Cent put on the table in exchange for the rights to the title, taking it as an insult.

As a result of this, 50 Cent’s movie has been retitled to All Things Fall Apart.

It’s hard to know what to make of this. On one hand, if this novel is really the most-read book in modern African literature (as stated by Achebe’s lawyers), then it’s understandable that the author wouldn’t want to see the title recycled for some other story. On the other hand, the phrase “things fall apart,” is a reasonably common English phrase. Sure, there are a lot of phrases in the English language, however, coming up with workable titles for films, books, movies, songs, TV shows, etc, may prove to be extremely challenging in the coming decades if none of them were ever allowed to be re-used again. Then again, 50 Cent managed to find a way around it by adding the “All” part, which shifts the context of the title a little bit but sticks closely to the original idea.

50 Cent Forced To Change His Movie Title

Good titles are hard to come by. Artist 50 Cent thought he had one all set to go for the film he’s making, however he was forced to change the name when he learned that the title chosen was previously claimed by an African author who doesn’t want to give it up.

According to the Guardian, Curtis Jackson a.k.a. 50 Cent spent much of last year filming a movie about a football player with cancer, which he intended to tile Things Fall Apart. It’s a great title, to be sure, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that someone else had previously used it for their own work.

Described as one of Africa’s greatest novelists, Chinua Achebe published a book in 1958 titled “Things Fall Apart.” Upon hearing that 50 Cent was titling his movie the same, Achebe contacted his legal team and had them put a stop to it. The writer also refused the million dollar offer 50 Cent put on the table in exchange for the rights to the title, taking it as an insult.

As a result of this, 50 Cent’s movie has been retitled to All Things Fall Apart.

It’s hard to know what to make of this. On one hand, if this novel is really the most-read book in modern African literature (as stated by Achebe’s lawyers), then it’s understandable that the author wouldn’t want to see the title recycled for some other story. On the other hand, the phrase “things fall apart,” is a reasonably common English phrase. Sure, there are a lot of phrases in the English language, however, coming up with workable titles for films, books, movies, songs, TV shows, etc, may prove to be extremely challenging in the coming decades if none of them were ever allowed to be re-used again. Then again, 50 Cent managed to find a way around it by adding the “All” part, which shifts the context of the title a little bit but sticks closely to the original idea.

Snoop Dogg Signed On For Blues Singer Biopic

Looks like it’s time for a certain rap icon to trade in his gin and juice for some rhythm and blues. According to Deadline, west coast rap legend Snoop Dogg (née Calvin Broadus) is set to star in The Legend of Fillmore Slim. The film is a biopic of blues singer/guitarist Clarence “Fillmore Slim” Sims and is set to be directed by relative unknown Hawthorne James. Well I’ll be heezied for sheezy.

Snoop’s attraction to this subject matter may not be readily apparent at first. I mean, why would he want to take part in a biopic of a musician renowned in a genre outside his own? But it turns out that part of Fillmore Slim’s colorful past includes not only blues music, but also a significant amount of pimping. Slim made quite the name for himself in San Francisco during the 1960s and 1970s as much for his nefarious entrepreneurialism as he did for his music. He was called “The West Coast Godfather of the Game” and “The Pope of Pimping.” One need only listen to one or two Snoop Dogg tracks to understand that he has quite the affinity for pimp subculture. But really, a rapper staring in a biopic about a blues singer? Who’d want to see that?

I would, for one. There exists a stigma that musicians, rappers included, who cross over into the world of acting do so without much proficiency. But hip-hop artists like Mos Def, Common, and Ludacris have demonstrated legitimate talent in front of the camera. For his part, Snoop proved charming and impossibly likable as Huggy Bear in 2004’s Starsky and Hutch while 2001’s Training Day showcased his naturalism and street authenticity. It will be interesting to see what he can do with a role like this and whether or not he will do his own blues vocals.

The Legend of Fillmore Slim begins pre-production in December en route to a March start date.

Snoop Dogg Signed On For Blues Singer Biopic

Looks like it’s time for a certain rap icon to trade in his gin and juice for some rhythm and blues. According to Deadline, west coast rap legend Snoop Dogg (née Calvin Broadus) is set to star in The Legend of Fillmore Slim. The film is a biopic of blues singer/guitarist Clarence “Fillmore Slim” Sims and is set to be directed by relative unknown Hawthorne James. Well I’ll be heezied for sheezy.

Snoop’s attraction to this subject matter may not be readily apparent at first. I mean, why would he want to take part in a biopic of a musician renowned in a genre outside his own? But it turns out that part of Fillmore Slim’s colorful past includes not only blues music, but also a significant amount of pimping. Slim made quite the name for himself in San Francisco during the 1960s and 1970s as much for his nefarious entrepreneurialism as he did for his music. He was called “The West Coast Godfather of the Game” and “The Pope of Pimping.” One need only listen to one or two Snoop Dogg tracks to understand that he has quite the affinity for pimp subculture. But really, a rapper staring in a biopic about a blues singer? Who’d want to see that?

I would, for one. There exists a stigma that musicians, rappers included, who cross over into the world of acting do so without much proficiency. But hip-hop artists like Mos Def, Common, and Ludacris have demonstrated legitimate talent in front of the camera. For his part, Snoop proved charming and impossibly likable as Huggy Bear in 2004’s Starsky and Hutch while 2001’s Training Day showcased his naturalism and street authenticity. It will be interesting to see what he can do with a role like this and whether or not he will do his own blues vocals.

The Legend of Fillmore Slim begins pre-production in December en route to a March start date.