Which Villain Role Will Michael Fassbender Pick?

Big Fassie news today!!  MyNewPlaidPants clued me in that Michael Fassbender is up for one of two huge villain roles  (via):

He’s being pursued, I hear, for two different Marvel comics movies. Matthew Vaughn is said to want him for “X Men: First Class.” Fassbender would play young Magneto, the precursor for Ian McKellen’s later character.  James McAvoy is already signed to play Young Xavier.
At the same time, Fassbender is being pursued to play the villain in “Spider Man 4,”  aka “No Toby Maguire Here.”
Two different movies from Marvel, but two different studios: Fox for the first, and Columbia for the second. He can’t do both.

 I'm leaning towards X-Men, because my head might explode to have James McAvoy and Michael in the same movie!

Also, Fassinating Fassbender scored a phone interview with the man himself, and he discussed finishing Jane Eyre, and starting on the new film with Viggo.

And meanwhile, Jonah Hex is mere days away!

Empire Magazine Celebrates 20th

Empire magazine is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a special issue guest edited by Steven Spielberg. Included in the issue are actors in photos recreating iconic moments in film, including Atonement, above. Here are a few more of my favorites:

Michael Sheen from The Queen

Mel Gibson from Braveheart

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in Shaun of the Dead!

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.

First Look at Robert Redford's The Conspirator

Robert Redford has started filming his new movie The Conspirator in Savannah, Georgia.

 In the wake of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, seven men and one woman are arrested and charged with conspiring to kill the President, Vice-President, and Secretary of State. The lone woman charged, Mary Surratt, 42, owns a boarding house where John Wilkes Booth and others met and planned the simultaneous attacks. Against the ominous back-drop of post-Civil War Washington, newly-minted lawyer, Frederick Aiken, a 28-year-old Union war-hero, reluctantly agrees to defend Surratt before a military tribunal.

Mary Surratt, who was eventually executed, is being played by Robin Wright Penn, and James McAvoy plays Aiken, her laywer.  Justin Long was just added to the cast, as Aiken's one-armed fellow war veteran best friend.   The film has a very impressive cast, including Tom Wilkinson, Evan Rachel Wood (who plays Surratt's daughter) and Kevin Kline.

The Playlist has a few set pics and this video that shows some of the filming.

Rachel Getting Married - Review

I love Anne Hathaway. She is a comedic talent, but we saw her first dramatic role as Jake Gyllenhaal's wife in Brokeback Mountain. She surprised people in that small role. In Rachel Getting Married she stars as Kym, fresh out of rehab to attend her sister's wedding. She is raw, and unafraid to show us a character that we don't really like, but we can't look away as Kym trys to get her family's attention and love.

Jonathon Demme directed this movie with a hand held documentary style. You feel like you are a guest at this wedding weekend. The extras in them movie who play wedding guests weren't always told what was going to happen, and you share the stunned looks on their faces as you witness the uncomfortable family moments. Weddings bring up all sorts of family issues.

James McAvoy, Anne's co-star in Becoming Jane, wrote about her amazing performance in Variety:

The character of Kym is a challenge both for the actor and the audience. She is clearly our protagonist and our "way in" to the film. We want to, and, indeed, have to identify with her for the story to work. Yet, she is so destructive, at times her actions so repellent, that it strains the audience/protagonist relationship -- all of which makes that relationship very interesting. I was so compelled to watch -- sometimes through my fingers -- because Anne Hathaway has that indefinable quality of making an audience identify with the character she is playing.

At her sister's wedding, Kym constantly behaves like the most important person in the room. It would be so easy to dislike Kym, but Anne makes you feel that her character is perhaps in another room -- both mentally and socially, albeit not physically, and therefore her calamitous outburst and limelight stealing seem like an ill-conceived attempt to connect. And in an extended post-wedding party scene, Kym dances with the group. This moved me to tears as I realized that her flailing arms and "look at me" gusto were the result of a self-conscious and forced attempt to fit in. In the end we see her dancing with her eyes closed among a hundred or so people and she is completely alone. That is a lot of empathy and understanding to garner from one shot, but Anne gives a performance so open and raw that I could not help but connect with Kym, even if her family was not able to do so.

I also enjoyed seeing Debra Winger in this film. God, it's good to see her act again. How ironic that the actress known for playing the daughter in Terms of Endearment, one of the best mother daughter films, is here playing the emotionally distant mother in Rachel Getting Married.

The screenplay for Rachel Getting Married was written by Jenny Lumet, daughter of director Sidney Lumet, and granddaughter of Lena Horne. The dishwasher contest in the movie is based on a night Bob Fosse had dinner at her parents' home:

I was 11 or so and we’re at dinner with Bob Fosse. My dad’s loading the dishwasher and Bob Fosse is next to him with a cigarette and he says, “You know, Sidney, if you put the salad bowl and the containers in the top level, you’ll have 10% more space in the dishwasher.” And my Dad says, “Bobby, go fuck yourself.”

You’d think these titans would have something better to talk about or do! My Dad says the forks go up and Bob tells him that it’s so amateur. I can’t say that at 11 I knew I should use this in art, but it stuck with me because it was psychotic behavior.

There may have been a slip up on the Golden Globes website which briefly showed a star next to Anne Hathaway's name for Best Actress for Rachel Getting Married. Tomorrow night we'll find out if she beat the likes of Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet.

I give Rachel Getting Married 4 stars. It's an amazing film, and a fantastic raw performance by Anne Hathaway that I won't soon forget.

Millar Writing Wanted 2

Mark Millar has spilled the beans to Newsarama about his plans for the sequel to his Wanted adaptation.

He reiterated his pledge not to write a comic book sequel to the original miniseries, saying, "That six issues were the end."

Instead Millar said he would write some new original storylines that fit into the film's universe, but that will also use some of the elements from the original comics that didn't find their way into the first movie.

"It will be some of the stuff that we didn't utilize from the first book for the movie - like chapters three and four - there will be some stuff from that," said Millar, "so in the loosest sense it will be based on the book, but only very little."

Director Temur Bekmambetov, scribes Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, producer Marc Platt and star James McAvoy are already signed up for the sequel.

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.

James McAvoy in Garden Gnome Love Story

We'll take James any way we can get him, even as the voice of a romantic garden gnome!

From Perez:

When Shakespeare met Elton John, sounds good to us!!!

There's a new CGI-animated film in the works, and this will one deal with a Shakespearean theme.

James McAvoy and Emily Blunt are said to be the voices of the main characters in the Romeo & Juliet inspired flick.

And those main characters just happen to be some garden gnomes in love, but from rival gardens, of course.

Gnomeo & Juliet will represent an edgier adaptation of Shakespeare's play.

The original role of Juliet was said to go to Kate Winslet two years ago, though she had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.

The flick is being made by Mirimax and Elton John's Rocket Pictures.

And luckily it will feature several of Elton's classic songs.

Your Song sung by gnomes = cute!

Goonies 2!

Courtesy of Moviehole, we have this intriguing rumor:

A very, very, very good source – if I revealed his name, you’d know straight away this was a solid bit of news – informed me a few days ago that “the sequel Corey Feldman has been telling media will never happen”, one “Goonies 2”, is indeed… happening. (And I don't blame the Felddog for assuming it's never going to happen either - this one's been rumoured longer than the talking fridge).

So what have I been told? well, Warner Bros are finally going to give it the respect it deserves – this will be a large-scale theatrical release.. a tentpole. It will not be a direct-to-video release.

And let's not forget -- Goonies is James McAvoy's favorite movie:

It sounds weird, but there’s a film called “The Goonies.” [Laughter] And I mean it with all my heart. As a young boy that film made me cry because it’s about how you still have your problems at 10 years old or 12 years old. When I was little, you didn’t get chased by pirates and you didn’t get chased by gangsters and nobody was trying to kill you with guns, but your adventures were no less exciting. It helped inspire my imagination.

What was the most ridiculous thing about Wanted?

EW has a fun quiz -- but only read further if you've seen the movie!

**SPOILER ALERT**
A. Morgan Freeman's character translating binary code spat out by the "Loom of Fate" to determine which global bad guys were up for assassination.
B. A magical wax bath healing (overnight!) the injuries McAvoy sustained after colliding face-first with a cement overpass during a rousing game of subway surfing.
C. McAvoy's character using a dump truck full of peanut butter to capture a small army of rats-cum-suicide-bombers.
D. Multiple characters surviving (practically unscathed) after their train car plummeted several thousand feet off a bridge and then wedged itself between the narrowing rock edges of an Eastern European canyon.
E. A shrill female character cheating on the hotness that is James McAvoy.
F. Other. [Fill in your option in the comments section below.]

All of the above isn't an option!! LOL!! I'd have to pick E. What was she thinking when she had James in her bed?!!

James McAvoy Still Wanted for 2 and 3

The Sunday Mirror is reporting that James McAvoy has been offered 12 million pounds to reprise his role in two Wanted sequels. Wanted 2 is already in development, according to Variety.

"The creative team is still working on the challenge of continuing the story after most of the principal characters -- including Angelina Jolie -- ended the original in no position for an encore."

"The writers are at work already, and those creative discussions are taking place."

There's also a Wanted game due out possibly by holiday time, for XBox and PS3.

James McAvoy on Craig Ferguson for Wanted

I went out of town the night this appeared, and forgot about it until today. Another great one with the two Scots making each other laugh. I love how James is so comfortable he sits on the chair with one leg tucked under.

James McAvoy on cover of Details

Yum! Some Details interview highlights from Just Jared:

On the types of movies he likes to star in: “Hugh Grant is fucking great and he’s funny. I like romantic comedies. I’ve been in one and I f—ing loved it. I got to show off and I got to be a d—. It’s always fun to play d—. That’s why I loved Last King (of Scotland) —I got to be such a wanker.”

On being cast in Wanted alongside Angelina Jolie: “I think inside all actors, there’s a kid who secretly yearns to jump off buildings and say ‘Yippeekayay, motherf—er!’ I also thought that the fact that they were willing to cast someone like me showed a willingness to step outside the usual action-movie realm.”

Please, God, may he do more Rom Coms!! Studios, are you tracking the number of females buying tickets to Wanted? I saw it myself for the second time with a girlfriend last night, and we were surrounded by women in the theater.

To check out the full Details interview and video clip of James McAvoy, visit Details.com.

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).

Have a James McAvoy Night!

Courtesy of a new blog at EW.com called Bits & Bobs, we have a list of recommendations for a veritable James McAvoy fest!

In honor of Wanted's massive opening weekend at the U.S. box office, let’s get the party started by loving up its brilliant Scottish star, James McAvoy, for his telly work. The guy steals every movie he's in (sorry, Forest), but any self-respecting Anglophile knows he's been doing the same thing for years on British TV. So fire up that Netflix account, hit YouTube, and check out these shows (all available on DVD):

The first is James in a retelling of MacBeth where James even sings:

Next is Shameless in which I believe James met his wife:

Shameless, Season 1: Steve (McAvoy) is a car thief. His girl, Fiona (McAvoy's real-life bride Anne-Marie Duff) is living on a Manchester estate (Britain's version of public housing) and caring for her five younger siblings. The show’s humor (drunken teenagers, naked bums) is, well, shameless. Watch the entire first episode here.

I haven't watched the whole Shameless episode yet, but James comes in at about 4:30 in the first clip in a dramatic meetup with Fiona that includes a mooning by James! Gotta love British TV!

Read the rest of the recommended British TV shows with James HERE! The nice thing is most of them are on YouTube. You don't even have to wait for Netflix to get your James fix.

Wanted - mini-review

It killed me to wait, but we were at a family reunion all weekend, and I couldn't see Wanted until Monday afternoon. So, you're wondering, was it worth the wait and the hype? Hell, yeah!

This movie is a non-stop adrenaline rush. I got a kick out of the fact it was set in Chicago, but commuters can only dream that L trains go that fast!

Angelina Jolie is just so at home in her own skin in action roles like this. Morgan Freeman, excellent as usual. But, James, oh my, James McAvoy. His performance is simply brilliant. I can't imagine anyone better in this role. He starts out the movie as this nervous nebbishy cubicle slave, and ends the movie as a total badass. He makes the transformation completely believable. I feel like he poured everything he's been in other movies into this role, at times nervous and twitchy, sometimes showing anguish and emotional pain full out there, and then his intensity which has been seen sometimes in other films is given full throttle. Just brilliant. (James has even said that he made himself pass out by unknowingly holding his breath during intense scenes.)

What I am also excited about with this movie is the director, Timur Bekmambetov, a Russian-Khazak. People have been talking about two Russian films he's made: Night Watch and Day Watch that are supposed to be out of this world. The action sequences and the colliding bullets in Wanted reminded me of my open-mouthed amazement watching the first Matrix film. You're seeing things and techniques that are new and fresh.

Timur Bekmambetov told an interviewer that his influences aren't from living in Russia, but in the USSR:

"(The Soviet Union) was a fantasy world created by one man, and his name was Stalin, and he created and controlled everything," Timur said. "How to dress, how to drink, how to talk, how to think. He was the producer."

Timur continued, "We lived for seventy years in a fantasy movie created by one person. It gave us a sensibility and the ability to believe different things. That influences your way of thinking."

I cannot wait to see what this guy comes up with next. He is definitely a creative force to watch.

Three and a half stars. See it on the big screen. It is totally kickass. With the successful opening weekend that Wanted has had, there is already talk of a sequel. Given the ending, that will be interesting. Only if you've seen the film, read this interesting article on how the ending was reshot. Major spoiler alert!

Wanted has boffo box office weekend

Wanted did huge business at the box office in America.

The movie made $51.1 million and

- Wanted was the biggest opening of a live action film in Jolie's career
- It turned out to be the best June opening ever for an R-rated movie, beating Knocked Up's $30.6M, and the 6th highest R-rated opening of all time
- The studio expected only a $35+M opening, so the film did much better than anticipated
- Angie proved she is a big draw: Cinemascore said the main reasons given for choosing to see Wanted were the action (67%) and Jolie (61%).

I haven't seen it yet as I was at a family reunion this weekend. Tomorrow I have a date with James!!

James McAvoy on The Daily Show

Jon Stewart demonstrates to James his effect on the ladies by having the audience scream: "Do you hear that there is no lower register there?" LOL

Ann Curry makes James McAvoy blush on Today

Too funny. Ann Curry gets James McAvoy talking about kissing scenes, and he says he can't ever be "in the moment." "If we had a kissing scene in this interview, I would hope we'd both be professional."
Ann gives a goofy look and head shake into the camera and says, "No, I'd totally throw you on the ground!" Love it! Crush much, Ann?