Akira X
06-29-2004, 12:24 AM
Principal photography on Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth feature based on J.K. Rowling (news - web sites)'s magical mystery series, is now underway, Warner Bros. announced Monday.
Goblet of Fire is being shot at England's Leavesden Studios and is being helmed by Mike Newell, whose credits include Four Weddings and a Funeral, Donnie Brasco and the recent Mona Lisa Smile (news - web sites). The film is being produced by David Heyman and features a script by Steve Kloves, who masterfully adapted all three previous installments.
Potter's troika of young stars, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) are once again on board. This time the action takes place during their fourth year at Hogwart's School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, a term in which the lightning-scarred boy magician will encounter his greatest challenge yet--taking part in the life-threatening inter-school Triwizard Competition.
As usual, the movie will feature a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, this one named Mad-Eye Moody, who will be played by Brendan Gleeson (Troy (news - web sites), Cold Mountain (news - web sites)).
Other new additions to the cast include Robert Pattinson as Harry's heroic rival, Cedric Diggory, Stanislav Ianevski as Quidditch star Viktor Krum, Clemence Poesy as Fleur Delacour, Katie Leung as Harry's new crush, Cho Chang, and Francese De La Tour as Madame Maxime, the Headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.
Returning to their respective parts are Tom Felton, the young actor who plays Harry's nemesis, Draco Malfoy, along with Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), Michael Gambon (Professor Albus Dumbledore), Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall), Alan Rickman (Professor Snape), Gary Oldman (Sirius Black), Timothy Spall (Peter Pettigrew) and Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy).
One major role yet to be cast, however, is Voldemort--the wizarding world's ultimate practitioner of the dark arts and Harry's arch-enemy, who finally reveals himself in Goblet of Fire (not including the fleshy bloated face that pops out the back of Professor Quirrell's head in The Sorcerer's Stone).
According to London's Daily Mirror, producers are in talks with Ralph Fiennes (news) to play You Know Who once the actor wraps The Constant Gardener opposite Rachel Weisz currently shooting in Kenya.
Fiennes is a fine choice to play the villainous Voldemort, having earned an Oscar nomination for his work as a Nazi thug in Schindler's List and played the serial killer serial known as the Tooth Fairy in 2002's Silence of the Lambs prequel Red Dragon.
There's a hitch, however. Reportedly Fiennes isn't sure he wants to commit to at least three additional Potter installments, which will likely feature Voldemort.
But if all goes accordingly, Fiennes could be on the Leavesden set by the end of the year
Meanwhile, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azhaban--the Alfonso Cuarn-directed third film in the franchise, which received overwhelmingly praise from critics as the best of the three--has so far grossed more than $211 million domestically in four weeks of release. The film is projected to fall short of the $261 million and $303 million in ticket sales respectively generated by its predecessors, 2002's Chamber of Secrets and 2001's Sorcerer's Stone.
Goblet of Fire is scheduled to hit theaters in November 2005.
Quentin Tarantino has gone from "Kill Bill" to dollar bill.
He got paid exactly $1 to film a scene in "Sin City." Robert Rodriguez co-directed the rest of the Dimension Films drama with Frank Miller, who created the graphic novel series. Tarantino filmed a scene in the final segment featuring Clive Owen, Benicio Del Toro and Brittany Murphy.
While it seemed Tarantino was working cheap, he actually got the better of the deal between himself and Rodriguez. After all, Tarantino paid Rodriguez $1 to compose the score for "Kill Bill Vol. 2."
Tarantino went to Austin, Texas, to shoot the scene and because he wanted to sample the digital filmmaking techniques Rodriguez used on "Sin City."
While his cast got paid more than Tarantino, Rodriguez put together a strong ensemble for a reasonable budget. Michael Clarke Duncan was a late addition to a cast that included Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett, Mickey Rourke, Nick Stahl, Jessica Alba, Elijah Wood, Carla Gugino, Jaime King and Marley Shelton.
Before he toplines back-to-back "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels, Johnny Depp will first pull double duty for Tim Burton and Warner Bros.
Already booked to play Willy Wonka in the Burton-directed "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," Depp has just made a deal to provide the lead voice in "Corpse Bride," the stop-motion animated film Burton is co-directing with Michael Johnson and producing with Allison Abbate.
Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Albert Finney, Richard Grant, Joanna Lumley and Christopher Lee will provide character voices for the latter film, being made in London simultaneously with "Charlie."
WB will release the Wonka pic July 15, 2005, and "Corpse Bride" in October 2005.
Latter film shares the stop-motion animation technique used in the Burton-produced "The Nightmare Before Christmas," as well as a similarly charming but macabre setting. In a 19th-century European village, Victor (Depp) travels to the underworld for a quickie wedding to a mysterious corpse bride (Bonham Carter) while his living wife (Watson) pines for his return.
Burton has populated the film with actors who've made movies with him in the past. Prior to "Charlie," Depp starred in "Ed Wood," "Edward Scissorhands" and "Sleepy Hollow." Finney made "Big Fish""Big Fish" and Lee "Sleepy Hollow." Bonham Carter starred in the Burton-directed "Planet of the Apes."
The film is being scored by Burton's regular collaborator, Danny Elfman.
"Corpse Bride" was scripted by Caroline Thompson ("Edward Scissorhands") and Pamela Pettler. Jeffrey Auerbach is exec producing.
CULVER CITY, California — When it was announced that Jack Black would be starring in the new remake of "King Kong," a lot of people wondered: He's not going all serious-actor guy, is he?
"There are some funny things about my
character but, yeah, it is a different thing for me," Black revealed backstage at the 2004 MTV Movie Awards. "But I'm not approaching it differently. I'm approaching it with the same balls-to-the-wall attitude."
And there'll be a similar attitude throughout Peter Jackson's "Kong" remake, which Black promised will feature a much fiercer giant gorilla than some of the kinder, gentler versions.
"I just read the script for the first time. It's so rad. And it's top secret. I can't tell you much, but I can tell you this," he teased. "King Kong is going to be scary as hell, dude. He's not gonna be sweet and cuddly. It's not gonna be the cute kind [of movie]. He's a f---ing carnivore, as in, eats flesh!"
The movie will be shot in New Zealand with Jackson's team re-creating parts of 1930s New York. Black will be joined in the movie by Naomi Watts ("The Ring") and Andy Serkis, who will provide motion-capture work for the computer-generated Kong, a role similar to what he did for Jackson when he played Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings." Serkis will also play a smaller part in the movie, sans effects.
Serkis isn't the only "Rings" alum looking to re-team with Jackson, who achieved cult status with the horror flicks "Bad Taste" and "Dead Alive" before getting art-house credibility with Kate Winslet's "Heavenly Creatures" and his Hollywood break with 1996's "The Frighteners." Late last year, while promoting "The Return of the King," everyone from Elijah Wood to Ian McKellen publicly expressed interest in being involved (see " 'Rings' Cast Scrambling For Parts In Peter Jackson's 'King Kong' ").
"I don't blame them. You know, all my friends are telling me the same thing, too: 'Get me in "King Kong," man, you're tight with Jackson!,' " Black said, laughing. "And I'm not really that tight with Jackson. And I'm not going to be telling him, you know, 'Cast my neighbor, he really wants to be in your movie!' "
Black first encountered Jackson as something of a fanboy himself.
"It was weird because I kind of look like him now, with the beard and the 'baby,' " he said, patting his stomach. "We are kind of the same guy. But it was good to meet him. I was nervous. I'm a huge fan of his and I really wanted to be in 'King Kong.' I hadn't even read it yet, you know? I just met him and said, 'Uh, yeah, I heard you're doing 'King Kong.' So, uh, what do you think, man?' And he was like, 'I'm thinking about you for the role.' And I was like, 'Oh, all right!' "
Black is such a fan that he's likening one of his other projects — the long-discussed movie about his band Tenacious D, which is written and now has an April 1, 2005, start date — to the New Zealand filmmaker's famous trilogy. "It's like the 'Lord of the Rings' of rock. I swear to God it's going to be the best movie ever made. And there are lots of special effects, car chases and stuff — for real."
"I want — I need — Meat Loaf to play my dad," he added, without a hint of irony. "I want Rob Zombie to play the wizard. And I want Ronnie James Dio to play himself. I have my dream list. If I could get those people, I'd be squared."
He mentioned to Peter Jackson that he's aiming to surpass, or at least equal, "The Lord of the Rings" with the Tenacious D flick. "He's all right with it. He's closed that chapter in his life, you know? So there's room for more epic quests."
And perhaps there'll be room on Black's shelf for another MTV Movie Award.
"It's always good to win. I'm very competitive, so when I lose, it burns in my skull," he said about his taking home the golden popcorn for Best Comedic Performance in another guitar-driven movie, "The School of Rock." "I'd like to say to the other people that were in my category: I thank you all for being not quite as funny as me this time."
"King Kong" is scheduled to begin filming in August, with a December 2005 release date. Black's voice will be heard before that in the animated "Shark Tale," alongside Will Smith and Angelina Jolie ("I call her Angie," Black noted), which opens October 1.
Goblet of Fire is being shot at England's Leavesden Studios and is being helmed by Mike Newell, whose credits include Four Weddings and a Funeral, Donnie Brasco and the recent Mona Lisa Smile (news - web sites). The film is being produced by David Heyman and features a script by Steve Kloves, who masterfully adapted all three previous installments.
Potter's troika of young stars, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) are once again on board. This time the action takes place during their fourth year at Hogwart's School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, a term in which the lightning-scarred boy magician will encounter his greatest challenge yet--taking part in the life-threatening inter-school Triwizard Competition.
As usual, the movie will feature a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, this one named Mad-Eye Moody, who will be played by Brendan Gleeson (Troy (news - web sites), Cold Mountain (news - web sites)).
Other new additions to the cast include Robert Pattinson as Harry's heroic rival, Cedric Diggory, Stanislav Ianevski as Quidditch star Viktor Krum, Clemence Poesy as Fleur Delacour, Katie Leung as Harry's new crush, Cho Chang, and Francese De La Tour as Madame Maxime, the Headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.
Returning to their respective parts are Tom Felton, the young actor who plays Harry's nemesis, Draco Malfoy, along with Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), Michael Gambon (Professor Albus Dumbledore), Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall), Alan Rickman (Professor Snape), Gary Oldman (Sirius Black), Timothy Spall (Peter Pettigrew) and Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy).
One major role yet to be cast, however, is Voldemort--the wizarding world's ultimate practitioner of the dark arts and Harry's arch-enemy, who finally reveals himself in Goblet of Fire (not including the fleshy bloated face that pops out the back of Professor Quirrell's head in The Sorcerer's Stone).
According to London's Daily Mirror, producers are in talks with Ralph Fiennes (news) to play You Know Who once the actor wraps The Constant Gardener opposite Rachel Weisz currently shooting in Kenya.
Fiennes is a fine choice to play the villainous Voldemort, having earned an Oscar nomination for his work as a Nazi thug in Schindler's List and played the serial killer serial known as the Tooth Fairy in 2002's Silence of the Lambs prequel Red Dragon.
There's a hitch, however. Reportedly Fiennes isn't sure he wants to commit to at least three additional Potter installments, which will likely feature Voldemort.
But if all goes accordingly, Fiennes could be on the Leavesden set by the end of the year
Meanwhile, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azhaban--the Alfonso Cuarn-directed third film in the franchise, which received overwhelmingly praise from critics as the best of the three--has so far grossed more than $211 million domestically in four weeks of release. The film is projected to fall short of the $261 million and $303 million in ticket sales respectively generated by its predecessors, 2002's Chamber of Secrets and 2001's Sorcerer's Stone.
Goblet of Fire is scheduled to hit theaters in November 2005.
Quentin Tarantino has gone from "Kill Bill" to dollar bill.
He got paid exactly $1 to film a scene in "Sin City." Robert Rodriguez co-directed the rest of the Dimension Films drama with Frank Miller, who created the graphic novel series. Tarantino filmed a scene in the final segment featuring Clive Owen, Benicio Del Toro and Brittany Murphy.
While it seemed Tarantino was working cheap, he actually got the better of the deal between himself and Rodriguez. After all, Tarantino paid Rodriguez $1 to compose the score for "Kill Bill Vol. 2."
Tarantino went to Austin, Texas, to shoot the scene and because he wanted to sample the digital filmmaking techniques Rodriguez used on "Sin City."
While his cast got paid more than Tarantino, Rodriguez put together a strong ensemble for a reasonable budget. Michael Clarke Duncan was a late addition to a cast that included Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett, Mickey Rourke, Nick Stahl, Jessica Alba, Elijah Wood, Carla Gugino, Jaime King and Marley Shelton.
Before he toplines back-to-back "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels, Johnny Depp will first pull double duty for Tim Burton and Warner Bros.
Already booked to play Willy Wonka in the Burton-directed "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," Depp has just made a deal to provide the lead voice in "Corpse Bride," the stop-motion animated film Burton is co-directing with Michael Johnson and producing with Allison Abbate.
Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Albert Finney, Richard Grant, Joanna Lumley and Christopher Lee will provide character voices for the latter film, being made in London simultaneously with "Charlie."
WB will release the Wonka pic July 15, 2005, and "Corpse Bride" in October 2005.
Latter film shares the stop-motion animation technique used in the Burton-produced "The Nightmare Before Christmas," as well as a similarly charming but macabre setting. In a 19th-century European village, Victor (Depp) travels to the underworld for a quickie wedding to a mysterious corpse bride (Bonham Carter) while his living wife (Watson) pines for his return.
Burton has populated the film with actors who've made movies with him in the past. Prior to "Charlie," Depp starred in "Ed Wood," "Edward Scissorhands" and "Sleepy Hollow." Finney made "Big Fish""Big Fish" and Lee "Sleepy Hollow." Bonham Carter starred in the Burton-directed "Planet of the Apes."
The film is being scored by Burton's regular collaborator, Danny Elfman.
"Corpse Bride" was scripted by Caroline Thompson ("Edward Scissorhands") and Pamela Pettler. Jeffrey Auerbach is exec producing.
CULVER CITY, California — When it was announced that Jack Black would be starring in the new remake of "King Kong," a lot of people wondered: He's not going all serious-actor guy, is he?
"There are some funny things about my
character but, yeah, it is a different thing for me," Black revealed backstage at the 2004 MTV Movie Awards. "But I'm not approaching it differently. I'm approaching it with the same balls-to-the-wall attitude."
And there'll be a similar attitude throughout Peter Jackson's "Kong" remake, which Black promised will feature a much fiercer giant gorilla than some of the kinder, gentler versions.
"I just read the script for the first time. It's so rad. And it's top secret. I can't tell you much, but I can tell you this," he teased. "King Kong is going to be scary as hell, dude. He's not gonna be sweet and cuddly. It's not gonna be the cute kind [of movie]. He's a f---ing carnivore, as in, eats flesh!"
The movie will be shot in New Zealand with Jackson's team re-creating parts of 1930s New York. Black will be joined in the movie by Naomi Watts ("The Ring") and Andy Serkis, who will provide motion-capture work for the computer-generated Kong, a role similar to what he did for Jackson when he played Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings." Serkis will also play a smaller part in the movie, sans effects.
Serkis isn't the only "Rings" alum looking to re-team with Jackson, who achieved cult status with the horror flicks "Bad Taste" and "Dead Alive" before getting art-house credibility with Kate Winslet's "Heavenly Creatures" and his Hollywood break with 1996's "The Frighteners." Late last year, while promoting "The Return of the King," everyone from Elijah Wood to Ian McKellen publicly expressed interest in being involved (see " 'Rings' Cast Scrambling For Parts In Peter Jackson's 'King Kong' ").
"I don't blame them. You know, all my friends are telling me the same thing, too: 'Get me in "King Kong," man, you're tight with Jackson!,' " Black said, laughing. "And I'm not really that tight with Jackson. And I'm not going to be telling him, you know, 'Cast my neighbor, he really wants to be in your movie!' "
Black first encountered Jackson as something of a fanboy himself.
"It was weird because I kind of look like him now, with the beard and the 'baby,' " he said, patting his stomach. "We are kind of the same guy. But it was good to meet him. I was nervous. I'm a huge fan of his and I really wanted to be in 'King Kong.' I hadn't even read it yet, you know? I just met him and said, 'Uh, yeah, I heard you're doing 'King Kong.' So, uh, what do you think, man?' And he was like, 'I'm thinking about you for the role.' And I was like, 'Oh, all right!' "
Black is such a fan that he's likening one of his other projects — the long-discussed movie about his band Tenacious D, which is written and now has an April 1, 2005, start date — to the New Zealand filmmaker's famous trilogy. "It's like the 'Lord of the Rings' of rock. I swear to God it's going to be the best movie ever made. And there are lots of special effects, car chases and stuff — for real."
"I want — I need — Meat Loaf to play my dad," he added, without a hint of irony. "I want Rob Zombie to play the wizard. And I want Ronnie James Dio to play himself. I have my dream list. If I could get those people, I'd be squared."
He mentioned to Peter Jackson that he's aiming to surpass, or at least equal, "The Lord of the Rings" with the Tenacious D flick. "He's all right with it. He's closed that chapter in his life, you know? So there's room for more epic quests."
And perhaps there'll be room on Black's shelf for another MTV Movie Award.
"It's always good to win. I'm very competitive, so when I lose, it burns in my skull," he said about his taking home the golden popcorn for Best Comedic Performance in another guitar-driven movie, "The School of Rock." "I'd like to say to the other people that were in my category: I thank you all for being not quite as funny as me this time."
"King Kong" is scheduled to begin filming in August, with a December 2005 release date. Black's voice will be heard before that in the animated "Shark Tale," alongside Will Smith and Angelina Jolie ("I call her Angie," Black noted), which opens October 1.