The Playlist

Tom Hardy Heads To The Stage For "Crazy" Scorsese-Meets-Bollywood Musical 'Harold's Harem'

By Simon Dang
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May 31, 2012 11:40 AM
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0 Comments

News

As Charles Bronson for Nicolas Winding Refn, Bane for Chris Nolan, a Bondurant brother for John Hillcoat and an MMA fighter for Gavin O'Connor, if there's one thing that defines most of Tom Hardy's roles in his meteoric rise, it's pure masculinity. That doesn't look to be changing any time soon as he gears up to star George Miller's "Fury Road," but color us surprised as hell to hear that the actor's now set to team with playwright Brett C. Leonard for upcoming stage musical, "Harold's Harem."

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Robert Downey Jr. Wanted Bill Murray For 'Iron Man' But, Of Course, He Was Impossible To Get In Touch With

By Simon Dang
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May 31, 2012 11:20 AM
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5 Comments

News

Bill Murray is know for not having an agent, and if you want to get in touch with him, the word is that he's got a 1-800 number where you can leave a message, and if he feels like calling you back, then he will (if you have it, please send it to us, thanks). Thus, every time he stars in a film, there's generally a humorous tale about how the project managed break the communication barrier and/or how there was concern that he might not actually show up. For instance, after months of answering machine messages, Sofia Coppola resorted to cold-calling Al Pacino in the hope that he (who Coppola heard lived in the same region as Murray) could put her in touch with him for "Lost In Translation." Then, even after meeting Murray through Mitch Glazer, Coppola only had a verbal agreement from the actor and didn't hear from him again until he miraculously showed up in Tokyo a week before lensing began. Now comes another Murray tale of frustration and answering machines via Robert Downey Jr.

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'Rango' Collaborators Jim Byrkit & Alex Manugian Hired To Write Long-Developing 'Fraggle Rock' Movie

By Drew Taylor
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May 31, 2012 10:57 AM
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0 Comments

News

After years spent in development purgatory (everyone from Ahmet Zappa to "Hoodwinked" writer/director Cory Edwards have worked on the project, from as far back as 2006), it finally looks like the "Fraggle Rock" movie, based on the beloved Jim Henson series, will make it to the big screen. Last year New Regency got the project going again, and just yesterday the Hollywood Reporter revealed that a pair of screenwriters have been secured – Jim Byrkit and Alex Manugian, who both worked on last year's Oscar-winning animated western "Rango."

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Mark Wahlberg Out, Adam Sandler In For Will Ferrell's Football Comedy 'Three Mississippi'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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May 31, 2012 10:31 AM
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2 Comments

News

We've long lamented the evolution of Adam Sandler from the guy who made us laugh with stupid-funny stuff like "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore" to the guy who basically gets paid vacations in dreck like "Just Go With It" and "Grown Ups." But every now and then, Sandler will lift his pudgy frame off the couch and actually try. Hopefully, pairing him up with the nimble and constantly improvising Will Ferrell will help him step up his game.

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Review: 'Snow White & the Huntsman' Is A Beautiful Slog

By Drew Taylor
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May 31, 2012 10:10 AM
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21 Comments

Reviews

2012 has already delivered one big-budget movie based on the classic Grimm Brothers' fairy tale "Snow White." Earlier this spring arrived Tarsem's fizzy, Bollywood-ish "Mirror Mirror," which saw Julia Roberts vamping it up as the evil queen, surrounded by the most cheesily phony-looking sets this side of a Hammer horror movie -- if the movie had been any lighter it would have blown off the screen. And this week lands another: "Snow White & the Huntsman," an oppressively grim (pun very much intended) take on the fairy tale that instead favors mood, menace, and a kind of earthy grittiness, over the airier "Mirror Mirror." The problem is, that for all its frequently jaw-dropping visual panache, in narrative terms it sputters and stalls, sagging under the weight of its visual opulence.

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5 Surprising & Controversial Cannes Film Festival Winners From Years Gone By

By Oliver Lyttelton
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May 31, 2012 10:05 AM
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15 Comments

Features

As much as people have quibbles with (much more democratically voted on) awards like the Oscars, the decisions by juries at film festivals tend to be even more contentious. Usually drawn from practitioners, actors, with a few other curious participants in there as well, jurors often come in with their own likes, dislikes and agendas, and in the absence of a unanimous choice, often end up settling for compromises.

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Boxing Comedy 'Grudge Match' With Sylvester Stallone & Robert De Niro Surfaces Again, Aiming For 2013 Shoot

By Ryan Gowland
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May 31, 2012 9:39 AM
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2 Comments

News

2012 has already delivered one big-budget movie based on the classic Grimm Brothers' fairy tale "Snow White." Earlier this spring arrived Tarsem's fizzy, Bollywood-ish "Mirror Mirror," which saw Julia Roberts vamping it up as the evil queen, surrounded by the most cheesily phony-looking sets this side of a Hammer horror movie -- if the movie had been any lighter it would have blown off the screen. And this week lands another: "Snow White & the Huntsman," an oppressively grim (pun very much intended) take on the fairy tale that instead favors mood, menace, and a kind of earthy grittiness, over the airier "Mirror Mirror." The problem is, that for all its frequently jaw-dropping visual panache, in narrative terms it sputters and stalls, sagging under the weight of its visual opulence.

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Hold Onto Your Mullets, A Discography Of New Pics From 'Rock Of Ages' Turn It To 11

By Benjamin Wright
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May 31, 2012 9:25 AM
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1 Comment

News

If you still have Def Leppard’s Pyromania album on heavy rotation and prefer Jefferson Starship to Jefferson Airplane, then there’s a pretty good chance you’re excited for the upcoming musical adaptation, “Rock Of Ages.” An ode to the days of hair metal and tight leather pants, “Hairspray” helmer Adam Shankman has cooked up a tale of a small town girl (livin’ in a lonely world) and a city boy who fall for one another on the Sunset Strip, all while in pursuit of their Hollywood dreams. Some of us here at The Playlist have secretly been anticipating the film’s June release, and with a cast consisting of Russell Brand, Julianne Hough, Alec Baldwin, Malin Akerman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mary J. Blige, Bryan Cranston, Will Forte, and of course Tom Cruise doing his best Tim Cappelo interpretation, who can blame us?

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Matthew Vaughn Lands Rights To Max Barry's Upcoming 'Lexicon'

By Ryan Gowland
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May 31, 2012 9:05 AM
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0 Comments

News

Director Matthew Vaughn has been trafficking almost exclusively in comic book adaptations over the past few years, establishing franchises with 2010's "Kick-Ass" and last year's "X-Men: First Class." While Fox has Vaughn returning to direct the 'First Class' sequel, he'll still be involved in producing "Kick-Ass 2," and has optioned the rights to a couple of 'Kick-Ass' co-creator Mark Millar's other comic book properties, namely "The Secret Service" and "Superior." But it looks like Vaughn has aspirations outside of the comic book milieu, purchasing the rights to the upcoming novel "Lexicon" from author Max Barry with his own money.

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Who? Brenton Thwaites Crowned Prince In 'Maleficent'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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May 30, 2012 10:29 PM
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11 Comments

News

Is Brenton Thwaites going to be the biggest Aussie sensation to hit the United States since Paul Hogan or Yahoo Serious? Only time will tell, but Disney has picked the young stud and dropped him into their brewing "Maleficent" alongside Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Juno Temple and more. Not bad for a Hollywood debut.

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