Baz Luhrmann Full of Crap, and 6 Other Stories You'll Be Talking About Today

baz_luhrmann_225.jpgAlso in today's edition of The Broadsheet: A Stephen King classic lands on the development track... an unlikely co-star orders Leonardo DiCaprio to "pucker up"... The King's Speech acquires another defender... John Cusack gets on a roll about Egypt... and more!

· On the one hand, you don't need some dumb-ass movie site to tell you that Baz Luhrmann's vaunted adaptation of The Great Gatsby was a longshot at best and, at worst, just another one of dozens of craven power/publicity plays perpetuated every day in the entertainment press. On the other hand, how about the balls on this guy? "I gotta make a decision in three days time [... w]hether to do it or not," he told a reporter at Saturday's DGA Awards, adding that he's "been workshopping with Leonardo [DiCaprio] and Tobey [Maguire] and all those great guys, [...] I think I've been a bit shaded out because I want everything to be perfectly positioned on it." Mm-hmm. Anyway, I'm assuming you didn't have your hopes up, but just in case: Don't get your hopes up. [Vulture]

· And while we're on the subject of movies that will never happen, CBS Films and Warner Bros. are officially developing Stephen King's epic apocalyptic bestseller The Stand for the big screen. Tell you what, guys: Just cut it down to Larry's escape from Manhattan through the pitch-black corpse panic of the Lincoln Tunnel. Let Duncan Jones direct. Now that's a movie we can get done. [THR]

· And while we're on the subject of Leonardo DiCaprio projects, his upcoming J. Edgar co-star Armie Hammer -- who plays the titular FBI founder's right-hand man and downlow lover Clyde Tolson -- is more than prepared for the duo's on-camera liplocks. "The scenes are in there for a reason. I'm really excited," Hammer said. "Yeah, you hear that, Leo?" he added. "Pucker up!" There you go. [OK!]

· A former stutterer sticks up for The King's Speech: "[S]aying this film isn't very good because it doesn't understand World War II geopolitics is like saying that Black Swan doesn't accurately depict the life of a ballerina. These issues can be indicative of greater problems, no doubt. Yet, like the Harvard inaccuracies of The Social Network, they don't explain why a movie is good or bad." [The Awl]

· Ricky Gervais says the HFPA has in fact asked him to return next year as their Golden Globes host, but he is unlikely to accept. Let's talk about it in, oh, 10 months. [Chortle]

· It appears John Cusack has taken a significant, barely literate interest in the crisis in Egypt... [@johncusack]

· ... But Egypt doesn't look likely to reciprocate any time soon: "F*ck the internet! I have not seen it since Thursday and I am not missing it. I don't need it. No one in Tahrir Square needs it. No one in Suez needs it or in Alex...Go tell Mubarak that the peoples revolution does not his damn internet!" Amen, son. [The Atlantic]



Comments

  • zooeyglass1999 says:

    1. Baz Luhrmann is a douche and his Gatsby will be terrible. 2. I love Armie Hammer. 3. Seriously, I love him.

  • NP says:

    Armie, call me.

  • topsyturvy says:

    Does Armie remind anyone else of John James of Dynasty fame circa 1981 during his days as Jeff Colby?

  • Brian says:

    If Gatsby falls through we will at least be spared the sight of Carey Mulligan in another lead role.

  • Spudley says:

    C`mon man ! Carey Mulligan has only had the lead role in 3 projects ("Blink" in Dr. Who, "An Education" and "Never let me go") and she was wonderful in all 3. Now you can criticize Wall Street if you like as i think that her part was written poorly and she comes off like a wet blanket. She was a bright spot in a wet blanket film in "The Greatest". I can criticize the narrative by the director of "Never Let Me Go"but the actors were fine. ...... Carey Mulligan will be the best part of "Gatsby" if they get it off the ground.