Thompson on Hollywood

Will Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or Iron Lady Land New York Film Festival Berth?

A lot of folks expected Working Title's John le Carre thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy to wind up with a key New York Film Festival slot. In fact, it was in the running for opening night, but Focus and the NYFF weren't able to come to terms on exactly who (Gary Oldman and Tom Hardy are both currently filming The Dark Knight Rises) would show up for the glamorous black tie Lincoln Center event on September 30. Talent availability is a killer factor in these negotiations. So the NYFF went with Roman Polanski's Carnage (new European poster below), even though the exiled filmmaker would have to remain overseas. Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz brought the requisite star power--and satellite feeds do wonders at Q and As.

By Anne Thompson
|
August 15, 2011 5:08 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Bridget Jones Three Update: "Still In Development"

Yes, Helen Fielding is working on a third Bridget Jones installment, which will probably deal with the 40ish Bridget's troubles getting pregnant by her adoring swain, Mark Darcy. And yes, we can assume that three major stars will happily return for the third film in a Bridget Jones trilogy--after all, while Colin Firth is at his career apex with an Oscar win for The King's Speech plus the upcoming John le Carre thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which looks damned good, he knows perfectly well that Jane Austen is his career good luck charm. He's the best Darcy ever.

By Anne Thompson and Maggie Lange
|
August 12, 2011 8:22 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Moving Fest Slots For Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, J. Edgar; Young Adult Bypasses Circuit

Here's the new poster for Tomas Alfredson's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which Focus Features is opening November 18 after its debut in Venice, which is timed before its European release in September. That's the reason why the film isn't in the Toronto Film Fest line-up. There's speculation that the film might turn up as a centerpiece gala or closing night offering at the New York Film Festival, along with Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar, starring Leonardo DiCaprio (October 21). There's still time for these potential Oscar contenders to jockey for prime fest positions at the four fall fests, Venice, Toronto, New York and Telluride, which keeps its selection a secret until the last possible minute. Angelenos who take the Charter from LAX to Montrose, Colorado at the start of the Labor Day weekend are handed the schedule as they board the plane.

By Anne Thompson
|
August 1, 2011 7:02 AM
|
1 Comment

Toronto 2011: Guggenheim's From the Sky Down Opens Strong Slate of Star-Packed Films, Oscar Hopefuls

Davis Guggenheim's From the Sky Down will open the 36th Annual Toronto Film Festival on September 8, making history as the first documentary to do so. Of the U2 doc, Guggenheim says, "U2 has defied the gravitational pull towards destruction, this band has endured and thrived," and his film "asks the question why." Among the Gala (10) and Special Presentation (43) programs, there are 31 world premieres, from Luc Besson's Michelle Yeoh actioner The Lady and Bennett Miller's Brad Pitt baseball flick Moneyball to Canadian Sarah Polley's Take this Waltz, starring Michelle Williams; Jennifer Westfeldt's Friends with Kids, starring Jon Hamm; and Fernando Meirelles' 360, adapted by Peter Morgan from La Ronde.

By Anne Thompson and Sophia Savage
|
July 26, 2011 5:37 AM
|
2 Comments

More:

Decode the Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Poster

Appropriately enough for a spy thriller about deciphering codes, this Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy poster asks you to find clues embedded in its design. That's The Dark Knight's Gary Oldman playing MI6 agent George Smiley, a role made famous by Alec Guinness in John Irvin's 1979 mini-series based on John le Carre's Cold War thriller. (It's a great read.)

By Anne Thompson
|
July 19, 2011 4:35 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Trailer Watch: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Stars Oldman, Firth, Hardy, Strong

Take one of John Le Carre's best Cold War international espionage thrillers--1974's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy--adapt it with strong writers (the late Bridget O’Connor and her husband and writing partner Peter Straughan) and cast a strong Brit ensemble (Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch) led by Gary Oldman as George Smiley, the one spy you can trust. Add Let the Right One In director Tomas Alfredson and you may have a winner. See the new trailer below.

By Anne Thompson
|
June 30, 2011 5:14 AM
|
3 Comments

More:

In the Works: Eisenberg's Magician Heist Pic, Liman Meets Cooper for Luna, McCarthy's Home Movies

The Social Networks's Jesse Eisenberg will do magic for Summit Entertainment's Now You See Me, to be directed by Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans). Jake Gyllenhaal is being eyed to play the second lead and Melanie Laurent has been offered a role. The fun goes like this: A group of the world's top illusionists perform a series of bank heists during their performances and share the riches with their audiences. Of course, when the FBI gets word, the movie turns into a thriller. Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt wrote the script. Variety reports that Summit considered Colin Firth, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jim Carrey and Hugh Grant before settling on these younger men. While an Eisenberg/Gyllenhaal duo is appealing, a Firth/Cohen pairing is even sexier.

By Sophia Savage
|
June 8, 2011 8:26 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Universal Moves Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy to Focus Features for November 18 Release

Universal Pictures had the first look at acquiring U.S. rights to Working Title's John Le Carre adaptation Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and did so out of Berlin.

By Anne Thompson
|
June 1, 2011 11:58 AM
|
1 Comment

More:

Time 100 for 2011: Colfer, Damon, Hastings, Zuckerberg, Poehler, Oprah, Wahlberg, Rudin, Lively

The Time 100 for 2011 illustrates how powerful media and movies are in turning folks into trending influencers.

By Anne Thompson
|
April 21, 2011 7:06 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Gillespie Talks Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: "Strong Female Characters, Action, Witty, Gothic"

Craig Gillespie, who will direct Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, talks to EW about the upcoming project. He says he'll do his homework and consider EW's suggestion of zombie cameos from Keira Knightley (pictured in Joe Wright's 2005 Pride and Prejudice) or Colin Firth.