Thompson on Hollywood

BAFTAs Go to King's Speech, Social Network, Inception, Black Swan, Alice, Dragon Tattoo UPDATED

The BAFTA Awards are under way at the Royal Opera House in London. Safe to say The King's Speech is winning many awards but is not sweeping; Inception and Alice in Wonderland are grabbing many of the technical categories. I predict that the Oscars will follow this trend.

By Anne Thompson
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February 13, 2011 7:48 AM
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Production Watch, Part I: Rapace & Fassbender for Prometheus, Stewart & Mortensen for Snow White

- The Alien prequel now known as Ridley Scott's Prometheus is getting an early summer 2012 release: June 8. Scott is working with Damon Lindelof (Cowboys & Aliens, Lost) on revising the original script by Jon Spaihts from Scott's original concept. Much of the plot in unknown, but Scott has confirmed "Alien DNA" will be in the genome of Prometheus. Noomi Rapace will star with Michael Fassbender (sorry, Snow White and the Huntsman, you lost him).

By Sophia Savage
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January 27, 2011 9:30 AM
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BAFTA Nominations Analysis: The King's Speech Reigns

The BAFTA Awards, the British equivalent of the Oscars, have announced their nominations, dominated, natch, by Tom Hooper's The King's Speech with fourteen. The film presumably has already made a strong showing on Oscar ballots which were due last Friday.

By Anne Thompson
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January 18, 2011 5:30 AM
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Casting Watch: Theron vs. Rapace For Alien, Hobbit Reunites Cast, Hawkes and Parker for Indie Drama

- Charlize Theron won't be joining Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer and new cast member Ed Westwick in Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar. Naomi Watts and Amy Adams are being eyed by Eastwood to fill the role of Helen Gandy (Hoover's personal secretary). Who can blame Theron for turning down a secretary when she's set to play the Evil Queen in Unviersal's Snow White and the Huntsman. Twentieth Century Fox reportedly is rewriting their Alien franchise prequel for Theron, but director Ridley Scott seems to be favoring Dragon Tattoo's Noomi Rapace. Theron is the only female movie star beyond Angelina Jolie who can carry an action movie--while less-known Scandinavian import Rapace is a gamble. She and Rapace would certainly bring different things to the character of Elizabeth Shaw.

By Sophia Savage
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January 11, 2011 6:29 AM
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Brits Weigh In: King's Speech, Another Year Lead London Critics

Don't underestimate the Brit factor when it comes to Oscar influence. There are many Brit voters in the Academy. The London Critics Circle just gave boosts to two Brit films, The King's Speech (seven nominations, including Film of the Year, Brit film of Year and Actor of the Year, Colin Firth) and Another Year (six, including British Director, Mike Leigh, British Actress, Lesley Manville and British Actor, Jim Broadbent). The Social Network nabbed five noms, while Brit debut featureThe Arbor got four, along with Joel and Ethan Coen's True Grit. Full list below.

By Anne Thompson
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December 21, 2010 5:08 AM
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Legacy Watch: Dragon Tattoo vs. Dragon Tattoo, John Cazale's Five Perfect Career Choices

- Sweden's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo director Niels Arden Oplev protests against David Fincher's remake and another actress playing the Lisbeth Salander role--"highly unfair because Noomi [Rapace] has captured this part and it should always be all her," he told Random House's Word & Film site. He goes on to compare the below-par American remake of Luc Besson's La Femme Nikita to Fincher's remake (Heat Vision attacks this argument). But Besson wrote and directed the original La Femme Nikita - it was his. Oplev was directing a screenplay adaptation of Stieg Larsson's book. If Columbia and Fincher have rights to the same story, it's fair game. Not to mention the countless Americans who have the original book on their nightstands, many of whom are yet to see the Swedish trilogy on screen. They're waiting for most worthwhile and accessible version, and that could well be Fincher's. Here's The Playlist's take on the Oplev's comments: the original Dragon Tattoo film was fairly shite anyway.

By Sophia Savage
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November 10, 2010 5:20 AM
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Gender Watch: Theron for Snow, Cholodenko Talks, Lisbeth Salander and Hollywood's Woman Problem

-Charlize Theron could be in, and Angelina Jolie out for director Rupert Sanders' Snow White and The Huntsman, according to ThePlaylist. It was always a hopeful stretch to think that Jolie would sign up (get in line) but Theron's schedule has opened up thanks to the Mad Max postponement. That makes her an attractive candidate for evil queen Ravenna, who hires a bounty hunter (Inception Brit Tom Hardy, also starring in Mad Max) to chase down Snow White after her escape. Theron is currently shooting Jason Reitman's Young Adult with Patrick Wilson. While not as established as an action star as Jolie, Theron is one of the few actresses who can legitimately be considered alongside Jolie in the action sphere (as much for Monster and In The Valley of Elah as "actioners" Æon Flux and Hancock). Plot details are murky, but we like the thought of watching Theron boss around Hardy.

By Sophia Savage
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October 29, 2010 5:55 AM
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Casting Watch: Portman vs. Rapace for Scott's Alien Prequel, The Raven Replaces Renner with Evans

Twentieth Century Fox is happy with Damon Lindelof's (Lost co-creator) screenplay for Ridley Scott's Alien prequel, and Vulture has a few tidbits to share.

By Sophia Savage
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October 13, 2010 8:02 AM
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Trailer Watch: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Rapace Interview

Music Box Films is opening the third installment of the Swedish global hit Millennium trilogy (based on the Stieg Larssen novels), The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, stateside on October 29.

By Anne Thompson
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October 4, 2010 10:11 AM
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Casting News: Hendricks in Drive, Renner and Rapace Witch Hunters, Seydoux vs. Bruni in Paris

- Drive just got juicier with Mad Men fixture Christina Hendricks set to join Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Oscar Isaacs and Albert Brooks in the Nicolas Winding Refn film, which shifts into gear at the end of this month. Hendrick's role is unidentified, though The Playlist suggests, following a perusal of the "terrific, noirish script," that she must be the female associate of bank-robber-Mulligan's-boyfriend (presumably played by Isaacs).