Some bad news for Clint Eastwood fans hoping to see J. Edgar on the premiere schedule at the Toronto International Film Festival or New York Film Festival: the Leonardo DiCaprio-led Oscar contender won't debut at either prestigious gathering. As first reported by the Toronto Star -- and confirmed by EW -- J. Edgar will bypass both festivals and likely premiere in limited release on Nov. 9. (A full expansion follows on Nov. 11.) [Toronto Star via EW]
"Damon could represent the Hollywood Wing of the Democratic Party. His mom is a teacher, so he could run on the whole Working Families platform. Jobs and kids. The media loved the idea of a Trump presidency because he was on TV. Imagine the reaction a bona fide movie star would get. Obama comes out looking like he's fighting against the big-money Hollywood types--and Damon can hype his movie about playing Liberace's boyfriend. It's a win-win for everyone." And don't forget: He's great with the media! [The Awl]
Deep down in your soul, you knew it was coming as soon as The Smurfs stood toe-to-toe with Cowboys & Aliens at the box office: Sony has staked out Aug. 2, 2013 for the release of Smurfs 2, a sequel to this summer's popular CG reboot. A plot and director has yet to be announced, but Neil Patrick Harris did promise Movieline he'd float the idea of bringing in a socialist Smurfy slant should sequels happen. Make it so, NPH. [Deadline]
No sooner did Viola Davis sing his praises today than Tyler Perry sent an influential endorsement of her new film to his mailing list. "Had to tell you this. I saw a movie called The Help that opens this Friday. I must say, I really enjoyed it! I love looking back and seeing how far we've come. And the performances in this film are stellar. Ms. Cicely Tyson was exceptionally Cicely. Viola Davis, this woman is remarkable. Octavia Spencer, she was like watching joy rise on the screen. You know I don't recommend a lot of movies, so this one has to be special, right? Well it is!" Now you know.
Another day, another high profile Imogene cast member: Matt Dillon is joining the Kristen Wiig comedy about a playwright who stages her own suicide after she loses her job, home, and relationship. Dillion will play the "crazy" love interest of Annette Bening's character, Wiig's crazy, Jersey Shore-like mother. Will he be Drugstore Cowboy crazy or Crash crazy? Will she be Grifters crazy or American Beauty crazy? Or is it all of the above? Crazy. [Deadline]
Now that Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a success, there is talk of an Oscar campaign for Andy Serkis. Can the man who motion captured Caesar do what Zoe Saldana couldn't do in Avatar: get the Academy to embrace a digital performance? "Motion capture definitely is like this new wave of making films that still keeps that awe-ness of filmmaking [...] And you still get an amazing performance and everything," Saldana said at the Teen Choice Awards. She hopes the Oscars are "more open to the technological aspects, the same way you would want to see more comedies and more horror movies get recognized with awards." This is gonna be the Brett Ratner Oscars, so: anything goes? [LAT/24 Frames]
How much scrunched face can one detective story take? Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe will join forces on Broken City, the story of an "ex-cop-turned-private detective (Wahlberg) who is hired by the mayor (the role Crowe will play) to see if his wife is cheating on him." That investigation leads to murders and cover-ups, but the most intriguing bit of news is that Broken City's script was on the 2008 Black List -- where Inglourious Basterds, Up in the Air, No Strings Attached, and The Beaver (which ranked #1) first appeared. [Deadline]
Thanks to a nearly $26 million debut in China over the weekend -- plus the added $12 million at the U.S. box office -- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 passed The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King to become the third biggest global hit ever; only the James Cameron two-fer of Avatar and Titanic rank ahead of the final Potter film on the worldwide charts. The Deathly Hallows Part 2 has earned an astonishing $1.139 billion around the globe thus far. Your move, Twilight. [Box Office Mojo]
"Watching LORDS OF SALEM SFX test footage. Holy fuck this is fucking sick shit. I hope everyone loves demented, perverted satanic movies." Meanwhile, somewhere in Denmark, Lars von Trier yawns. [@RWZombie]
The Amazing Spider-Man doesn't even come out until next July, but Sony is already so confident in its potential world-beating success that the studio has placed its sequel on the schedule. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will hit on May 2, 2014 -- assuming the world doesn't end, Sony doesn't go out of business, and/or interest in Spider-Man doesn't wane to the point of nonentity. Mark your calendars! [Deadline]
Citizens of Pittsburgh, your local authorities have a message for you: If you hear gunshots, carnage, or superhero antics in your streets this weekend, do not assume that it's because The Dark Knight Rises is filming. According to a report, Pittsburgh police want the city's residents to dial 911 any time a mysterious noise disturbs them -- even if it's clearly just Christian Bale hollering about craft services and commanding Anne Hathaway to step away from his finger sandwich. The authorities have Pittsburgh's best interest in mind, but still -- I hope they aren't deluged with reports of a rowdy thug who keeps claiming to be through with batsuits professionally. [WTAE via Vulture]
Why isn't Glee creator Ryan Murphy writing or directing the Will Smith/Jay-Z production of Annie with Willow Smith in the title role? You can blame (or thank) Murphy's new FX series American Horror Story. "I met with Jay and talked to him about it. I wanted to write the script and direct it." Murphy told Deadline. "And then American Horror got picked up. Willow is a certain age and you need a script by November. I didn't think I could do it. So now she's got Emma Thompson who is 50 million times better than me. LOVE HER. I wish I could have had the time to do it." [Deadline]
Before you make rash judgments about Dimension's new remake of Short Circuit, the 1986 movie about a weaponized robot named Johnny 5 that gains intelligence after lightning strikes it, or its director Tim Hill, who helmed Hop and Alvin and the Chipmunks, let me say this: We can't be precious about middling robot drama from the '80s, nor can we underestimate Hill, a former Rocko's Modern Life writer and story editor. I'm kind of excited! Ideally, it'll be like Real Steel except without the hilarious robot feelings. [Deadline]
Before she became Buffy and became a household name, Sarah Michelle Gellar got her big break playing the scheming Kendall Hart on ABC's long-running soap All My Children. And now that the daytime fave is going off the air, Gellar plans to make one last trip to Pine Valley, joining fellow AMC vet Josh Duhamel in returning to the show that started her career. Gellar's one-day cameo role is still TBA, since there's only room in town for one Kendall (played subsequently by Alicia Minshew)... or is there? [Deadline]
At least some people may not like this weekend's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but PETA surprisingly does. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes reminds viewers that animals are feeling beings who deserve compassion, and its stunning use of CGI shows that there's no need to subject apes to the stress of filmmaking. Rupert Wyatt's methods back up PETA's message that apes should be protected and respected," PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange said. We're still waiting for their thoughts on James Franco's performance. [NextMovie]
