Thompson on Hollywood

CASTING WATCH: Ramirez for Star Trek, Hopkins & Mirren for Making of Psycho, Lovelace Goes Blonder

News

J.J. Abrams is eyeing Edgar Ramirez to play the villain in the upcoming "Star Trek" sequel. Benicio del Toro was attached, but that's fallen through. The "Carlos" star now has a chance to make a grand franchise entrance into the mainstream.

By Sophia Savage
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December 8, 2011 2:14 PM
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Zachary Quinto's BTD Producing Horror The Banshee Chapter, A Blend of Fact and Fiction

Actor Zachary Quinto (best known as Star Trek's Spock) has a career in producing, too. His production house, Before The Door Pictures (their first film was J.C. Chandor's Margin Call, which premiered at Sundance), is kicking off production on horror film The Banshee Chapter this week in New Mexico. BTD is partnering with Sunchaser Entertainment and German producer Christian Arnold-Beutel. Ted Levine, Katia Winter and Michael McMillian will star, and director Blair Erickson is making his feature debut. Here's the synopsis:

By Anne Thompson
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August 25, 2011 9:00 AM
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Academy Watch: Star Trek VFX Show-and-Tell

Visual effects wonks (like me) who are lucky enough to live in L.A. may want to show up on Thursday, November 18 for the Academy's Science and Technology Council program “Visualize This: Previs in the Making of Star Trek." Using clips and behind-the-scenes footage, a panel led by Star Trek writer-producer Damon Lindelof (Lost, Cowboys & Aliens) will explore the challenges and opportunities of the previsualization (previs) process at the Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood.

By Anne Thompson
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November 10, 2010 9:31 AM
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Lawrence Goes Mainstream, Hardy vs. Pine, Crowe in Noyce's Dirt Music, No Sex and The City 3

-Jennifer Lawrence - star of Sundance jury winner Winter's Bone - will be entering the mainstream. She takes on Mystique in 2011's X-Men: First Class, followed by the horror film House at the End of the Street in 2012. The film follows a just-moved-in teen who discovers that she and her mother (Elizabeth Shue) live across the street from the site of a double murder; they befriend the surviving son (Max Thieriot) who still lives there. According to THR, House at the End of the Street hopes to be to Psycho what Shia LaBeouf's 2007 Disturbia was to Rear Window. The film will begin shooting next month at the end of a street in Ottawa.

By Sophia Savage
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July 27, 2010 5:29 AM
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Mad Men's Manly Hamm in Movies, Braff's Garden State Follow-Up, Quinto Talks Star Trek 2

New York Magazine profiles Mad Men womanizer Don Draper - or rather, they profile the man who channels him: Jon Hamm. While many of us already know that Hamm is funny (SNL show-stealer) and manly (he grows a beard in two hours), New York wanted to find out just exactly what Hamm is worth. Word on the street (the side where agent, managers and publicists hang out) is that while Mad Men fans love him, there are still plenty of people who need to discover Hamm. With a handful of film roles coming up, including supporting roles in Ben Affleck's The Town and Judd Apatow's Bridesmaids, Hamm's range and accessibility is growing. While he may not be an overnight leading man, he has Clooney-esque better-with-age sex appeal and good looks that can bide him some time as a long term investment.

By Sophia Savage
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July 26, 2010 5:30 AM
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Hero Complex Film Fest Books Nimoy, Scott, Nolan

Geoff Boucher's The Hero Complex blog at the LATimes is mounting its own Film Festival: tickets go on sale Monday at 10 am.

By Anne Thompson
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May 3, 2010 1:12 AM
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Oscar Watch: Final Nominations Predictions

Today, I picked up my credential to attend the Oscar nominations announcement bright and early Tuesday morning. I'll bring my laptop and file from there. I like getting the information packet that has all the stats and info about all the nominees. I have posted my final predictions, front runners and one long shot in all the categories except the shorts, which I have not seen.

By Anne Thompson
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February 2, 2010 2:01 AM
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Oscar Duel: Do Sci-Fi Films Like Star Trek Belong in Race?

In this dueling blog, Moviefone.com Oscarologist Jack Mathews and I discuss the recently-announced Producers Guild of America nominations and ask the question, do such sci-fi movies as District 9 and Star Trek, which made the PGA's 10-best ballot, really belong in the Oscar Hunt?

By Anne Thompson
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January 8, 2010 2:00 AM
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Oscar Watch: BAFTA Voters Prune Long List

The Orange British Academy Film Awards can be influential on Academy voters. Thursday, BAFTA released their long list of 15 in each category (on the jump).

By Anne Thompson
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January 7, 2010 4:23 AM
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Oscar Watch: Visual Effects List of Seven Led by Avatar

Seven movies have made the short list of the Academy Visual Effects branch. They will vote for the final three nominated films on January 21 at the annual bake-off, where 15-minute reels of each film are screened for the VFX voters. I'm always at Sundance for this; I'd love to go one day.