The Playlist

Will We See 'Cloud Atlas,' 'Only God Forgives' & Terrence Malick's Latest & More Before The End Of 2012?

By Oliver Lyttelton
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April 30, 2012 12:02 PM
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8 Comments

Features

We're almost exactly a third of the way through the year, and thanks to the announcement of the Cannes Film Festival line-up a couple weeks ago, we're now a little clearer on the timetable of some of the most anticipated films of the year. We know that "Cosmopolis," "Killing Them Softly," "On The Road," "Mud," "Rust And Bone," "Amour" and "The Paperboy," among others are done, and will be screening in only a few short weeks for critics, and U.S. releases, if not set already, can't be far behind. And the release schedule for the rest of the year is firming up fast, with films like "The Master" and "Seven Psychopaths" getting added to the calendar.

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Tom Hiddleston Describes The "Wounded Soul" Of Loki & Ralph Macchio, Toby Kebbell & More Chat At NYC Premiere Of 'War Horse'

By Jen Vineyard
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December 7, 2011 10:05 AM
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News

Much of the cast of Steven Spielberg's new epic "War Horse" will be unrecognizable to mainstream American audiences (save for Emily Watson and David Thewlis) -- and that is by design. The director didn't want the distraction of recognizable people in his lead parts, so he instead plugged in a lot of up-and-comers, especially unknowns who had never acted before. And as The Playlist learned at the Sunday night premiere of "War Horse" at New York's Lincoln Center, based on their upcoming projects, they won't remain unknown much longer.

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Brit Marling Says 'The East' Has An Undercurrent Of "Revolution And Rebellion" In The Story

By Todd Gilchrist
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November 30, 2011 3:58 PM
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News

Just a year ago, Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij were scrambling to finish their debut collaboration, “Sound of My Voice,” to have it ready in time for the Sundance Film Festival. Speaking last week to Marling from the Shreveport, LA set of their follow-up, “The East,” the multitalented actress seemed enormously grateful for the opportunities she and Batmanglij are currently enjoying, even if Hollywood hasn’t yet quite written them a blank check.

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Shiloh Fernandez & Aldis Hodge Board Zal Batmanglij & Brit Marling's Eco-Thriller 'The East'

By Simon Dang
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November 1, 2011 4:29 AM
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3 Comments

Park City has been the scene of plenty of break-out performances in recent years, but this year's festival looks set to be known as the birth and unveiling of Brit Marling. The actress came to the festival with Mike Cahill's "Another Earth" and Zal Batmanglij's "Sound Of My Voice," and walked away with her name on everyone's lips -- she's since scored roles in "Arbitrage" opposite Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon as well as in Robert Redford's "The Company You Keep," which boasts an all-star cast.

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Patricia Clarkson Will Head To Eco-Terrorist Thriller 'The East'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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October 6, 2011 4:45 AM
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2 Comments

Patricia Clarkson is simply one of the best (and one of our favorite) actresses out there. And while the Oscar nominee can do dramatic work with ease, more recently she has been showing that she's just as adept at comedy, delivering memorable turns in "Easy A," "Friends With Benefits," and as Tammy One in a fantastic appearance on "Parks & Recreation" (sidenote: last week's episode was one of the best in the show's history). But for her next role, Clarkson is returning to drama and putting herself in the hands of a rising director.

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Alexander Skarsgård Says His Dad Encouraged Him To Work With Lars Von Trier

By Kevin Jagernauth
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October 5, 2011 7:18 AM
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While Lars von Trier might get himself into trouble with everybody else and may have ruffled the feathers of Björk, who swore off acting after starring in "Dancer In the Dark," the Danish auteur has a small stable of actors who continue to return to his films. The promise of working on a set that is unlike anything else they will ever experience is a lure and coupled with the director's ambitious and at times outrageous concepts, it's just too good to resist. But for rising star Alexander Skarsgård, he received firsthand knowledge from someone very close to him who is one of von Trier's most frequent collaborators.

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Toby Kebbell Joins Brit Marling, Ellen Page & Alexander Skarsgard In 'The East'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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October 4, 2011 3:05 AM
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There may be no sign of their first collaboration, "The Sound of My Voice," appearing in theaters yet -- the disappointing box office take of "Another Earth" probably means a rethink in marketing -- but that hasn't stopped Fox Searchlight, writer/star Brit Marling and director Zal Batmanglij from planning another venture. Marling and Batmanglij, who have been riding high since their cult thriller dropped at Sundance, sold a new script to the indie label earlier in the year, and they've been busy filling it with all kinds of rising stars in the last few weeks.

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Ellen Page Will Be Alexander Skarsgård's Former Lover In ‘The East’

By Kevin Jagernauth
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September 29, 2011 7:01 AM
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2 Comments

We'll say this for Ellen Page, she's not following anyone's playbook. After breaking out in a big way thanks to "Juno," the actress stuck it out (mostly) with smaller films, taking on roles in "Smart People," "Whip It" and "Peacock." Of course, you don't ignore the phone when Christopher Nolan comes calling, but while she starred in last year's "Inception," she followed it up with low-budget indie superhero spoof "Super." And after spending the summer tossing around bon mots with Woody Allen in Italy for "Bop Decameron," Page continues to seek out interesting work rather than just play the girlfriend/secretary/hipster in some studio rom-com.

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Alexander Skarsgård Headed To Brit Marling & Zal Batmanglij's 'The East'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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August 23, 2011 2:28 AM
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10 Comments

Swede Alexander Skarsgård first made his talent known on this side of the ocean as Sgt. Brad 'Iceman' Colbert in HBO's "Generation Kill" but these days he's better known as the devilishly handsome Eric Northman on "True Blood." Though he's yet to make a major presence on the big screen, he's got a few projects hitting theaters in the next little while that should bring more attention to the actor from those who don't watch the vampire series. Next month he'll be one of the main antagonists in the "Straw Dogs" remake and later this fall, he'll appear opposite Kirsten Dunst in a brief role in Lars Von Trier's "Melancholia" while next summer he'll yell "H5!" (or something) in the bloated blockbuster "Battleship." And while he's trying to get the viking pic "The Vanguard" off the ground over at Warner Bros. he's making a smart play for his next movie role.

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Brit Marling Reportedly Eyes Tom Cruise's 'One Shot' & Redford/LaBeouf Pic 'The Company You Keep'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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August 2, 2011 5:20 AM
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5 Comments

Allegedly Turned Down Steven Soderbergh's 'Magic Mike' To Focus On 'The East'There is no mistaking it -- Brit Marling is having a moment. Arriving at Sundance earlier this year with two films, “Another Earth” and “Sound Of Your Voice,” performing triple duties on each film -- acting, writing and producing -- she soon saw major buzz surround both works, with Fox Searchlight picking up rights for the pair, and the former flick earning two prizes for director Mike Cahill. Certainly not a bad way to make your entrance into Hollywood and like Noomi Rapace and Jennifer Lawrence in 2010, this year Marling seems to be the new actress that everyone wants to have a piece of. It looks like everyone is back from summer vacation and with numerous films gearing up to start shooting this fall, it seems Marling's agent has been fielding several calls.

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