It was Russell Brand versus Russell Brand in a no holds barred box office fight with Russell Brand winning the bout by $9 million. Hop went on to become the number one movie at the box office for two consecutive weeks in a row, having out grossed four of its newest movie competitors. Three of those four earned slots in the top five, while the other still found its way into the top ten. Overall the box office is down 7.4% since last week with the top five movies grossing approximately $65 million at the box office.
It’s hard to believe that someone with Eric Bana’s build has not had any hand-to-hand combat scenes in his entire career. But that seems to be the case. In some of the promotions that Focus Features have been airing for their latest film Hanna, we have seen Bana actually throw a punch, something movie audiences or fans of his are not normally used to seeing him do. Along with his hand-to-hand combat scenes, Bana talked with us about a couple other things relating to his newest film. Check out the interview below, audio version included at the end of the page.
As someone who has worked in powerful meaningful dramas, one should be surprised that director Joe Wright has decided to take on a film like Hanna. This is the first time that we have seen Wright direct something that can be considered his own. His previous works have tied him down to two things, staying true to the novels (Pride and Prejudice and Atonement) while creating his own adaptation and staying true to the real story (The Soloist) without embellishing or staining it. But now that the director is no longer restricted to those factors, he is able to direct the film how he wants to and how he wants his audience to see it.
A cold vast icy environment pans itself towards one of its inhabitants. A deer’s breath is clearly visible as it breathes through its nostrils and just like that it is struck down by an arrow. A female adolescent walks up to her target and says "I just missed your heart." Director Joe Wright introduces us to Hanna (Saoirse Ronan), a stealthy and cunning 16 year-old teenager raised in the cold forests of Finland by her former CIA agent father Erik Heller (Eric Bana). Unknowing to Hanna, she is a secret government project, who has been trained in survival and fighting skills by Heller in order to protect her from Marissa Weigler (Cate Blanchett), a cold and ruthless CIA agent on the hunt for those who were connected to the young girl.
Rising star and apparently avid Lady Gaga fan Saoirse Ronan recently spoke to us while promoting her new film Hanna. The young actress stars as the titular character, who goes on a large scale journey to find herself and stop a cold and ruthless CIA agent from killing her. Ronan's character Hanna is a secret government project raised by Eric Heller (Eric Bana). Heller is training Hanna with different sets of survival and fighting skills, as well as educating her. Heller plans to unleash Hanna onto her pursuer, the cold hearted CIA agent Marissa Weigler (Cate Blanchett).
Movies based on newspaper articles or columns aren't anything new. Recent examples include, Joe Wright who directed The Soloist based on the relationship between LA Times writer Steve Lopez and musician Nathaniel Ayers, and Owen Wilson, who starred in the romantic comedy Marley and Me, which was based on columns written by John Grogan. Now Deadline is reporting that Shawn Levy will direct a film based on an article written about the end of Kodak’s Kodachrome development.
Projects are picked up and dropped almost everyday, but for one studio to pick up one and drop the other simultaneously that is another story. Variety is reporting that Universal has acquired the rights to distribute Oliver Stone’s Savages. The film is based on a novel written by Don Winslow.
In 2009 audiences saw the work of Sheldon Turner go up on the big screen with his adaptation of Up in the Air. That little project directed by Jason Reitman and starring George Clooney was nominated for an Oscar and although the screenwriter did not win the award, he did receive his just desserts. Now Turner is looking towards his directorial debut of By Virtue Fall. In addition to directing, he screenwriter will also pen the script.
Looks like a distributor has been found for Oscar-nominated Whit Stillman's latest film, Violet Wister's Damsels in Distress. Sony Pictures Classics have announced that they would distribute the comedy worldwide. The film stars Greta Gerwig (Arthur) Adam Brody (Scream 4) and Analeigh Tipton (Crazy Stupid Love).
Violet Wister's Damsels in Distress is a comedy that follows a trio of beautiful girls who set out to revolutionize life at a grungy East Coast university – the dynamic leader Violet Wister (Gerwig), principled Rose (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and sexy Heather (Carrie MacLemore). They welcome transfer student Lily (Tipton) into their group which seeks to help severely depressed students with a program of good scent and musical dance numbers. The girls become romantically entangled with a series of men --including slick Charlie (Brody), dreamboat Xavier (Hugo Becker) and the mad frat pack of Frank (Ryan Metcalf) and Thor (Billy Magnussen)—who threaten the girls’ friendship and sanity.
Centurion director Neil Marshall is no longer attached to direct the film adaptation of the 70s British television series The Professionals. Instead, the director has found himself attached to direct another project in place of The Professionals. Neil Marshall has revealed to Live For Films (via Comingsoon.net) that he's currently writing an alien invasion movie, to be set during World War II. Details are limited as of the moment as the director just announced that he took the project.
