The Playlist

Ewan McGregor Says He's "Totally Up For" Reuniting With Danny Boyle For 'Trainspotting' Sequel

By Oliver Lyttelton
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May 15, 2013 10:45 AM
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News

The history of decades-later sequels is a rocky one, as we've documented in the past. But that doesn't stop people from trying, and some prospects are more enticing than others. Take the idea of a "Trainspotting" sequel, which has kicked around for a while, but finally seemed to solidify earlier this year when director Danny Boyle told us he was developing a script for a follow-up to his seminal breakthrough with original writer John Hodge. After all, Boyle's at the top of his game, and the set-up seemed to be more suited for a follow-up than most, particularly given that novelist Irvine Welsh had already penned a literary sequel, "Porno."

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'Star Wars' Reunion: Ewan McGregor Saddles Up For 'Jane Got A Gun' With Natalie Portman

By Kevin Jagernauth
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May 6, 2013 10:30 PM
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9 Comments

News

Well, despite whatever upheaval is going on casting wise, perhaps Joel Edgerton wasn't kidding when he said everything was "wonderful" on the set of "Jane Got A Gun." Thus far, the villain role has been toughest to slot with Michael Fassbender, Jude Law and Bradley Cooper all coming and going as the movie has been rocked by director changes and cast defections, but perhaps this one will stick? At any rate, it will give "Star Wars" fans the reunion between Obi Wan-Kenobi and Queen Amidala they've been waiting for.

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Danny Boyle Says He's Done A Chronological Re-Cut Of 'Trance' For DVD, Admits He Treated Ewan McGregor Badly

By India Ross
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March 25, 2013 11:39 AM
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News

For a man with so much to say behind the camera, Danny Boyle is a little less tenacious in front of it, managing to survive Jonathan Ross' ITV talk show this past weekend with a mixture of diplomacy and Olympic anecdotes. On the London 2012 opening ceremony, which (ironically) won him more popular favor than all his directorial achievements combined, he stood tactfully and perhaps tactically back from credit: “It was the ordinary people who made it, by their belief in it.” The ceremony was subject to as much political scrutiny as it was artistic, with Conservative commentators jumping on its take on British history. Ross didn’t beat about the bush, asking, “Are you a socialist?” which Boyle rebuffed, saying, “Financially, I’m very lucky… but I wouldn’t describe myself as a socialist.”

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Watch: Citroen Commercial Directed By James Gray Featuring Ewan McGregor & Vinessa Shaw

By Kevin Jagernauth
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March 11, 2013 5:12 PM
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1 Comment

News

After a brief teaser dropped last week with little explanation, showing James Gray directing something with Ewan McGregor and Vinessa Shaw, we were quickly informed that it wasn't short film or any other kind of movie project. Instead, it was ad for French carmaker Citroen, and now the the results that collaboration have been revealed.

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Exclusive: Danny Boyle Says 'Trainspotting' Sequel With Original Cast Hoping To Shoot In 2016; Two Period Piece Films Also In The Works

By Rodrigo Perez
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March 9, 2013 7:12 PM
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10 Comments

News

The buzz out of Austin this afternoon is Danny Boyle's SXSW Film Festival talk with the New York Times' David Carr (more on that later). The filmmaker unveiled some footage of his new mindbending heist film (which we've seen mind you, and it's very good), "Trance," starring James McAvoy and Rosario Dawson, discussed his filmmaking career and his ongoing musical collaboration with Underworld's Rick Smith.

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Watch: Teaser For Commercial Directed By James Gray Featuring Ewan McGregor & Vinessa Shaw

By Kevin Jagernauth
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March 8, 2013 8:55 AM
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News

Well, here's a little bit of a mystery to cap off your week. Just like that, a teaser has dropped online without any context at all, but promises some kind of project involving director James Gray and stars Ewan McGregor and Vinessa Shaw. Hmmm....

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Review: ‘Jack The Giant Slayer’ An Unexceptional, But Still Satisfying Fairy Tale Blockbuster

By Kevin Jagernauth
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February 26, 2013 7:01 PM
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6 Comments

Reviews

Hollywood’s race to bring fairy tales to the big screen over the last few years, hasn’t had the best results, at least creatively. While “Alice In Wonderland” made a still unbelievable $1 billion worldwide, it simply wasn’t good, and subsequent efforts like “Red Riding Hood,” “Mirror Mirror” and “Snow White & The Huntsman” brought high concepts and diminished returns. Part of the problem has been an issue of approach, with fairy tale films either choosing to aim for kids, or go dark for tweens, with very little middleground. But that’s a problem screenwriters Christohper McQuarrie, Darren Lemke and Dan Studney solve with “Jack The Giant Slayer,” a movie that aims for that soft, MOR mainstream audience, but takes its source material and executes its modest ambitions into a satisfying big screen adventure.

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Watch: Battles Rage In 2 Clips From 'Jack The Giant Slayer'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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February 13, 2013 11:36 AM
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News

March will be be a bit of a testing ground for fairy tale movies, as two major tentpole movies re-imagining familiar tales will hit the multiplex in all their CGI glory. And in 3D too, no less. Having lived through two tepid Snow White movies last year, will audiences be more wary of "Oz The Great And Powerful" and "Jack The Giant Slayer"? We'll soon find out, but a couple of clips from Bryan Singer's forthcoming effort aren't exactly the most enticing teasers.

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Ewan McGregor Joins 'Snowtown' Director Justin Kurzel's John Le Carré Adaptation 'Our Kind Of Traitor'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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January 17, 2013 9:40 PM
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3 Comments

News

First announced last spring, "The Snowtown Murders" director Justin Kurzel's adaptation of John Le Carré's "Our Kind Of Traitor" has been moving slowly. There was a brief flick of life in November when it was reported that Mads Mikkelsen, Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain were rumored for roles. But now it seems the first actor has come aboard, and it's none of those names.

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Review: Overwrought 'The Impossible' Drowns In A Sea Of Melodrama

By Kevin Jagernauth
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December 21, 2012 11:05 AM
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12 Comments

Reviews

If "The Impossible" moves viewers to do anything, it may be to upgrade their life insurance policy to cover injuries due to tsunami. Following a wealthy family who encounter undeniable hardship, they are also blessed with the kind of luck and good fortune that only happens in the movies (or to people who can afford it). Except as director Juan Antonio Bayona takes great pains tell us, this is Based On A True Story (with the words "true story" then left to linger on their own before the movie begins). And while that may (almost) forgive some of the more happenstance developments in the film, it doesn't excuse the overbearing emotion and narrow focus of this overwrought picture.

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