Update: Here's the new poster for the film via Yahoo.
After the first somewhat fluffy trailer for David O. Russell's boxing drama "The Fighter," the long-gestating project was looking like a shadow of its former self which, in the past, had attracted a prestige of talent including Darren Aronofsky, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon.
A new sneak peak that debuted last night on AMC during "Mad Men," however, has finally exhibited some of the potential which has seen the film touted as an award season contender. Adding equal parts of thespians Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo, the trailer hints at a plot involving a tug of war for Micky Ward's (Wahlberg) attention between his half brother/trainer (Bale), his girlfriend (Amy Adams) and his mother (Leo) which looks every bit a tense, hearty relationship/family drama lying underneath a rag-to-riches sporting tale. A passion project for Wahlberg, the actor has been attached to star as Ward for the best part of the last decade and linked up with familiar talent to help get the project on screen: O. Russell directed him in "I Heart Huckabees," while Bale was briefly attached to star alongside him in everyman-goes-vigilante project, "Prisoners." "The Fighter" hits theaters December 10th; color us excited.
While we're still getting our heads around the idea that David O. Russell has signed on to direct a video game adaptation, that blow may be softened with the right cast. And perhaps it'll start with Nathan Fillion.
The cult fave actor who is long overdue for a mainstream breakout (instead of settling into material way beneath him like the TV series "Castle") hit Twitter yesterday to urge his fans to campaign for him to get the lead role in "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune." Fillion told his followers: "If ever there was a Twitter campaign, let this be it. Rise, ye Browncoats. Rise, ye Castillions. RISE!"
The game focuses on Nathan Drake, a descendant of Sir Francis Drake and a treasure hunter, as he searches for the lost treasure of El Dorado, with the help of a journalist.And yeah, we could totally see Fillion easily playing the part.The film has a first draft script written by "Conan" scribes Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, but Russell will rewrite (thank god) before directing the film.
No word yet on when this will get in front of cameras but with Russell preparing to shoot "Old St. Louis" with Vince Vaughn next spring, this one is probably still a long way off.
It might be improbable that David O. Russell has become one of the most sought-after directors in town, considering his fiery reputation, but that's the way things seem to be going: he's gearing up to direct the comedy "Old St. Louis," with Vince Vaughn, and attached himself over the weekend to the actioner "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune," based on a video game. Of course, this leaves a slew of orphaned projects on his slate, with the likes of "The Grackle" and "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies" in search of new helmers. One of these projects, the teen rom-com "Aaron & Sarah" has a new helmer, and it's a somewhat unexpected one. Doogie Howser M.D.
Yes, Neil Patrick Harris, who made his name as the precocious doctor on the 1980s TV show, has signed on to make his feature directorial debut on the project, which is now set up at independent Single Cell Pictures (the company co-founded by R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe, and behind such films as, "Being John Malkovich" and "Saved!"). Harris has had one of the more glorious comebacks of recent years -- having disappeared for some time, he started to make his name on Broadway with performances in the likes of "Cabaret," before his cameo in the "Harold & Kumar" films and his role on the hit sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" (for which he directed an episode) rejuvenated his career. While there was a point where his omnipresence became a little irritating (he's 75% of the way to a hosting E.G.O.T, having presented both the Emmys and the Tonys, and opening the Academy Awards this year), we are admirers of the actor, particularly as he's an openly gay star who's managed to make his sexuality irrelevant to his career. Ron Howard, are you listening?
Harris has already set two actors for the leads in the script -- which focuses on a geeky guy and a popular girl who become best friends in high school -- and they're two of the fastest rising young stars around. Josh Hutcherson, best known at this point for "The Kids Are All Right," and for being one of the finalists for "Spider-Man," and Emma Roberts, who's currently filming the lead role in "Scream 4," will play the titular characters.
The script, from writers Chad Gomez Creasey and Dara Resnik Creasey ("Pushing Daisies"), has been doing the rounds for years, and it's a pretty decent, if undemanding, teen romance. Russell's interest in the project was a little puzzling -- we can only imagine he was circling it out of a desire to make teenage actors cry -- and Harris seems like a better fit, particularly with two strong actors in the leads. There's no firm word on when filming will begin, but we imagine it'll be in the late spring, during Harris' hiatus on "How I Met Your Mother." [Risky Business]
It's been a busy few weeks for director David O. Russell. With his comeback film "The Fighter" on its way, and looking set to be a major player in the awards season, he's leaping on and off projects like a man possessed. He was reported not so long ago to be considering the Jim Carrey comedy "Under Cover," and it was reported only a few days ago that, along with star Natalie Portman, he'd dropped out of "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies" in favor of the comedy "Old St. Louis," with Vince Vaughn and Chloe Moretz, which is set to shoot next March.
Now, the maverick director, who seems to become less and less of a maverick as time goes on, has signed on to another project that he'd been linked to, one that, not so long ago, it seemed that he had turned down. Columbia Pictures announced last night (via Coming Soon) that Russell had signed on to write and direct the tentpole "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune," an adaptation of the blockbuster Playstation 3 game.
The game focused on Nathan Drake, a descendant of Sir Francis Drake and a treasure hunter, as he searches for the lost treasure of El Dorado, with the help of a journalist. Russell was reported to have been offered the project, the first draft of which was written by "Conan" scribes Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, back in May, but by August negotiations were said to have fallen apart. Clearly, whatever the sticking point was, it has been resolved, as Russell will rewrite Donnelly and Oppenheimer's script, and direct the film. Columbia president Matt Tolmach said in a press release that "David is a tremendous choice to take on this film. He's equally adept at combining all the classic elements involved in this property: great character development, strong comedy and amazing action sequences. He has a brilliant vision for this material and we know he will bring his original, unique voice to this adaptation." We certainly hope so, because we're not wild about this announcement. The list of good movies made from video games currently stands at a big fat zero, and the derivative nature of "Uncharted" — basically Indiana Jones meets... no, just Indiana Jones — doesn't suggest anything groundbreaking. Having said that, Russell will hopefully be able to bring something fresh to the genre — among its many qualities, "Three Kings" also managed to be a kick-ass action film, so it's not entirely new territory for the filmmaker. But between this, the rather conventional trailer for "The Fighter" and the not-hugely-promising-on-paper "Old St. Louis," we rather pine for the filmmaker who could get something as bonkers as "I Heart Huckabees" made.
There's no word on a start date for the project — Sony were once fast-tracking it for a release next summer, but that certainly isn't happening. If the rumors of filming in March are correct, we imagine that "Old St. Louis" will come first as Russell works on the script. Fans of the game, start your fantasy casting now! (n.b. anyone who says the words "Fillion" and "Nathan," in any order, is sadly deluded.). And note according to the LAT, O. Russell has officially passed on "Under Cover" so we can wipe it off his long-list of potential projects.
With what will likely be the most financially successful project of his career, "The Fighter," hitting theaters this fall, David O. Russell is not lacking for a choice of projects to follow it up with. But it looks like he's walking away from one he has been linked to for the better part of the year.
NYMag reports that scheduling conflicts forced Russell's hand to exit the director's chair for "Pride And Prejudice And Zombies" so he could make the previously announced comedy, "Old St. Louis." 'Zombies' producer and star Natalie Portman apparently couldn't make the start date Russell was shooting for so he ultimately opted to leave the project and film 'St. Louis' next March.
The film is set to star Vince Vaughn who will play "a divorced traveling toy salesman who reconnects with his teen daughter after years on the road." Vaughn would play the salesman, with Scarlett Johansson eyeing the role of his lover and secretary who joins him on a cross-country jaunt. Johansson was announced earlier this year to be joining the cast, but with the film now shooting in March, her commitment to "The Avengers" has forced her out of the film. That said, the scheduling now makes it more likely that Chloe Moretz, linked to play the daughter, will be taking part in the film. While we would've loved to see a 'Zombies' pic helmed by Russell, it's no great loss either. The director is at his sharpest when chronicling dysfunctional relationships and 'St. Louis' looks to be right in his comfort zone. In fact, even though the project has been kicking around for years with scripts by Steve Pink ("Grosse Pointe Blank," "High Fidelity" ) and Allen Loeb ("Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps"), it's been given a complete overhaul by Russell who wrote a new script and will be receiving the only writing credit on the project. And at the very least, we hope it at least marks a return-to-form of sorts for Vaughn who has seriously been phoning it in for his last half dozen or so movies.
Update: Here's the new poster for the film via Yahoo.
