The Last Station Trailer

What a treat to have all these great actors in the same film. Can't wait.

6 Clips from The Last Station

ScreenDaily reports that Helen Mirren won best actress for The Last Station at the Rome Film Festival:

Helen Mirren won Rome’s Silver Marc’Aurelio award for best actress for her performance as Leo Tolstoy’s devoted wife in Michael Hoffman’s The Last Station. Gabriele Muccino presented the honour to Mirren, who brought the house down with an acceptance speech in Italian in which she cited the inspiration of Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’Avventura and that of the iconic actresses Monica Vitti, Claudia Cardinale, Stefania Sandrelli, Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren.

Then there's this gorgeous new still of James McAvoy's character in bed with Masha, played by Kerry Condon


5 more clips from The Last Station have surfaced and you can view them after the jump.

Maximus Hood - back to fighting trim

USA Today has a first look picture of Russell Crowe in Robin Hood, with a haircut and physique very much like his look in Gladiator. He's lost the weight he gained for Body of Lies, and I guess that long hairdo he sported in State of Play which I thought was for Robin Hood was jettisoned.

Producer Brian Grazer compared Crowe to his Gladiator look and says about the film:

Grazer says Robin Hood's story was ripe for revisiting.

"Oddly, it's a metaphor for today," Grazer says. "He's trying to create equality in a world where there are a lot of injustices. He's a crusader for the people, trying to reclaim some of the ill-gotten gains of the wealthy. That's a universal theme."

Even Helen Mirren in State of Play seems to be thinking "Get a grip and pull yourself together. You look like a slob!"

Below Russell last week in NYC, and chubby hubby Crowe last October:

Russell Brand is Tempest's Jester

Just read this today in my EW:

Perhaps it's redemption for being kicked out of the prestigious Drama Centre London a week shy of graduation. Or maybe it was just too juicy a part to turn down. Whatever the reason, this year's outrageous host of MTV's Video Music Awards, Russell Brand, will play drunken jester Trinculo in Julie Taymor's adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest. The British-born comic will appear opposite Helen Mirren, who stars as Prospera (Taymor's version of Prospero), and Alfred Molina as Sebastian. Jeremy Irons (King Alonso), Geoffrey Rush (Gonzalo), and Djimon Hounsou (Caliban) are also in negotiations to join the cast. Taymor (Across the Universe) has directed the Bard's island-set play twice on stage, but in November, she plans to take her shoot to Hawaii.

From The Guardian:

Russell Brand last week revealed his secret plan to seduce Helen Mirren. Adopting that familiar "naughty little me" persona, Brand told reporters at the Pride of Britain awards: "There's something about her that drives me wild. She's so sexy and enchanting, just look at her form ... They're going to have to hold me back when we start work. I'll be all over her. I don't know how I'll get any work done."

Russell also has an upcoming one hour special on Comedy Central in 2009, that will tape next month in New York City. I'm looking forward to seeing his standup routine madness.

The author of The Last Station interviewed

The Scotsman has an interview with Jay Parini, author of the novel The Last Station which is being made into a movie starring James McAvoy, Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren.

It's the first time McAvoy, who plays Tolstoy's shy, virginal amenuensis, Valentin Bulgakov, has starred opposite his wife, the actress Anne-Marie Duff, since they met on the TV series Shameless.

The movie is due out later this year. "They have to gear these things to the timing of the Oscar nominations, apparently," says Parini, who is tipping The Last Station for at least seven nominations. "If we don't get them, I'll eat my hat," he says.

It's McAvoy's movie. "As Tolstoy's young secretary, he's in every scene and he's brilliant as the ingenue. He was born to play this part. He's one of Scotland's treasures."

Filming began this spring at a small railway station near Wittenberg, south of Berlin. The "station" was dressed to resemble Astapovo junction in Russia, where Tolstoy died in 1910, in the stationmaster's house, after fleeing his family and disciples.

First Look at The Last Station

From WeAreMovieGeeks:

The film, based on the book The Last Station, is about the life of famous Russian author Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer). Mirren plays his wife Sofya. The much in demand James McAvoy plays Valentin Bulgakov, Tolstoy’s secretary. Mirren and Plummer were replacements for Meryl Streep and Anthony Hopkins. Paul Giamatti also co-stars. The film is being directed by Michael Hoffman, whose biggest hit to date was the Pfeiffer/Clooney romantic comedy One Fine Day (1996). But since this is a period bio will we see it in this years Oscar race? Hoffman’s only Oscar film previously was the 17th century drama Restoration (1995) which won for costume design & art direction.

Helen Mirren has another big year ahead of her with three films coming our way. The other biggies are an A list ensemble crime thriller (State of Play) and one true story about a brothel in Nevada (Love Ranch) directed by her husband Taylor Hackford (Ray).

The Last Station Press Conference

For James McAvoy lovers . . . Two photocall and press conference videos in Germany for The Last Station:

Leo Tolstoy Biopic lines up amazing cast

Talk about an ensemble replacement. In an attempt to replace Anthony Hopkins and Meryl Streep in The Last Station, Warner Bros. has found Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren.

Director Michael Hoffman's (A Midsummer Night's Dream, One Fine Day, Soapdish) Leo Tolstoy biopic The Last Station began shooting April 7 in Germany with several more high-quality players on board. Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer join Paul Giamatti, James McAvoy, and McAvoy's wife Anne-Marie Duff in the film, which is based on Jay Parini's 1990 novel.

According to Variety, the movie follows "the turbulent final year in the life of the Russian writer and philosopher and his troubled marriage." Plummer will play Tolstoy and Mirren will step into the role of Tolstoy's wife Sofia. Giamatti plays Tolstoy's trusted follower Chertkov, a supporter of the writer's nonviolent socialist Christian movement who becomes Sofia's cunning adversary, while McAvoy plays a naive private secretary sent by Chertkov to work for Tolstoy. British actress Anne-Marie Duff stars as Tolstoy's daughter Sasha.