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.
I, Frankenstein has found its writing brain. According to a story from The Hollywood Reporter, Lakeshore Entertainment has hired Stuart Beattie as its screenplay writer and director. Beattie is best known for his writing has worked on films such as G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Australia and 30 Days of Night.
A Darkstorm Studios graphic novel created by Kevin Grevioux, I, Frankenstein pictures a modern-day world where the classic literary monster stands between humans and a host of other supernatural creatures looking to rise up and take over. Grevioux co-created the successful werewolves vs. vampires series Underworld, also produced by Lakeshore.
CinemaCon has officially kicked itself off with the debut of three brand new posters. WB has released the posters for The Hangover Part II and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II. But perhaps the most exciting of the three is the poster for Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life. We all know what to expect from the first two films, but to see an exciting poster for Malick’s upcoming movie is great
