We'll have to wait a while longer to see what Julianne Moore looks like playing Sarah Palin for HBO's Game Change, but a photo recently surfaced of her playing another female political giant. Moore was supposed to play Hillary Clinton in the HBO movie from last May, The Special Relationship. The part eventually went to Hope Davis because of scheduling conflicts, but Moore apparently left behind this amazing photo from a makeup test for the film. Click through the check it out full size.
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The Planet of the Apes reboot title just changed again. Moving forward, it will be officially known as Rise of the Planet of the Apes. You may now be asking, why the sudden name change? And what the hell does that title even mean? Fortunately, Movieline has answers. Yes, the same source who gave us that transcript of the brainstorming session for the Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows title also happened to get an inside look at the blood, sweat and tears that went into this naming this monkey-oriented franchise tent pole.
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Earlier today, Penelope Cruz confirmed that she will star in Woody Allen's next film, an untitled project that is set to shoot in Rome. This means, of course, that the prolific writer/director is making good on his promise to wind his way around Europe -- both because it is cheaper than working in the U.S. and because he can declare his love to different international cities onscreen. Regardless of the reason, Movieline is excited for Allen to explore the rest of the continent and with the help of resident European City Expert Louis Virtel, have come up with 15 prospective titles for Allen to work with.
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Robert Redford's reemergence in film will involve the very sport he highlighted in The Natural, which is a welcome surprise, wouldn't you say? The 74-year-old Sundance king says he will play Branch Rickey, the executive who signed Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945, in an as-yet-untitled film written and directed by Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential, Mystic River). But does Redford's first quote about the project shed a dubious light on his reasons for joining?
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Over in progressive Sweden, cinema icons Ingmar Bergman and Greta Garbo are among six famous Swedes whose faces will appear on currency in 2014. Garbo, silent film veteran and one of the greatest actresses of the Golden Age of Hollywood, replaces noted 18th century botanist Carl Linnaeus on the 100 kronor bill; Bergman, one of the most influential filmmakers of the 20th century, gets his own brand-spanking new 200 kronor banknote. But this begs the question: Which influential and iconic American filmmakers similarly deserve to have their faces on dollar bills?
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J.J. Abrams can be cagey about his new projects (unless he's discussing his longtime dream of writing a theatrical tribute to Edith Head), but this new one is intriguing: The Super 8 writer/director will work with author Doug Dorst on a novel. Dorst wrote the supernatural crime novel Alive in Necropolis, and he happens to be a three-time Jeopardy! champion. I guess Alex Trebek's blessing can help introduce you to some amazing people. [NYT/ArtsBeat]
The past few weeks have been filled with Snow White casting announcements. Some were surprising (Lily Collins as the fairest of them all), others were oddly satisfying (Armie Hammer as the Prince), and all of them were hard to keep track of -- if only because Hollywood is not just regurgitating the Grimm fairy tale once next year, but twice. Ahead, Movieline distinguishes the Snow White projects once and for all.
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As if reprising his role of Gollum in The Hobbit wasn't enough for Andy Serkis, the motion capturing actor will also work as second unit director during the New Zealand film shoot. "I think I understand Peter's sensibility and we have a common history of understanding Middle Earth," Serkis told THR. No truth to the rumor that Serkis will also handle the costume jewelry on the set. [THR/Heat Vision]
Movieline hero Clint Culpepper strikes again! Sony announced today that it will distribute Joe Cornish's debut feature, the London kids vs. aliens action comedy Attack the Block, via its Screen Gems division. "The film is, at once, charming, scary, funny, hip, clever and completely hits its mark," said Screen Gems president Culpepper in a press release. Guess all that geek cred from SXSW did the film some good after all! Hit the jump for more info and a look at the film's nerdgasm-inducing trailer.
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In this weekend's release, Arthur, Helen Mirren reprises the role John Gielgud made famous (and won an Oscar for) by playing Arthur Bach's (Russell Brand) now female valet, Hobson, in the remake of the 1981 comedy classic. How did Helen Mirren transform herself from British film-and-TV stalwart to Oscar-winner to mainstream American comedy and action star?
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Shriiieeek!! Rob Zombie has taken to his blog to unveil the first official image from his upcoming feature The Lords of Salem, and according to the director, "the scene that involves this face is very painful." Your wild speculation about the pain to which he's referring is welcome after the jump.
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Perhaps the most underrated (and most valuable) achievement in the Scream series is the pitch-perfect casting of its protagonist Sidney Prescott. Neve Campbell was one of the few '90s heroines to convey smarts, vulnerability, and a distinctly teenage hostility -- which, together, are the Sidney Prescott signature. In this clip from the Biography Channel's Inside Story, we watch Ms. Campbell read back some stage directions, fool around with a non-Skeet Ulrich character, and find out that she could've been replaced by Alicia Witt.
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Speaking with Movie Hole, screenwriter Josh Stolberg (Piranha 3D, Good Luck Chuck) spilled the news that he and Bobby Florsheim have written Paramount's remake of To Catch a Thief, the 1955 Hitchcock romantic thriller starring Cary Grant as a cat burglar and Grace Kelly as the woman he falls for. The update, Stolberg enthuses, will be "more modern" and filled with gadgets -- and is being produced by Neal Moritz, the man behind such modern, gadget-filled flicks as xXx and the Fast and the Furious franchise.
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· Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class has that soaked-in-Dewars vibe of Mad Men going for it already, and these fan made opening credits for the film -- which mix together Catch Me If You Can, The Kingdom and Mad Men -- do nothing to slow that down. Click ahead to watch, then stick around for more Buzz Break.
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Will the failure of Sucker Punch and the development of Superman: Man of Steel prevent Zack Snyder from being involved in the now-untitled sequel to 300 (formerly called Xerxes). "I don't see us waiting two years to make the movie," said producer Mark Canton to MTV at WonderCon, referring to Snyder's commitments to Clark Kent. And yet, "Zack is very much at the helm of it at the same time." Got it. Thanks for clarifying. [MTV]
