Gus Van Sant can't live on directing the likes of "Elephant," "Gerry" and "Paranoid Park" alone, and every now and then he comes out with a big, meaty piece of mainstream fare. His previous tub 'o popcorn film was the Academy Award winner for Best Actor and Best Screenplay "Milk," but there will be no such chances this time around.
"Restless"tells the story of a 16-year-old girl (Mia Wasikowska) who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and falls in love with an off-beat boy (Henry Hopper) who likes to attend funerals and is suffering from the death of his family — which somehow produces the ghost of a young, Japanese kamikaze pilot from WW II (Ryo Kase) (for real).
It's hard to tell what's in store from the trailer. It seems like a total quirk fest, and the January release date doesn't fill us with confidence. That said, we really liked Jason Lew's script which is funny, sad, weird, and in many ways all over the map with lots of interesting tones and tenors. So,it remains to be seen just how it all turns out, but we're curious and optimistic.
Over the weekend, it seemed like Emma Stone, who became one of the breakout stars of 2010 with the sleeper success of "Easy A," was all set to play Mary-Jane Watson, the love of Peter Parker's life, in Marc Webb's upcoming and still untitled "Spider-Man" reboot. An offer had gone out, and it seemed that the actress was likely to sign on. And indeed, a press release from Sony has announced that "Spider-Man" will indeed feature Ms. Stone in its cast. But not as Mary-Jane.
While Deadline suggests that Stone was originally offered the part of MJ, she has in fact taken on the role of Gwen Stacy, the first love of Peter Parker's life, and the role taken in "Spider-Man 3" by Bryce Dallas Howard. While the actress seemed to be a natural choice for the other role, partly due to the red-headed look she's been sporting since "Superbad," Marc Webb says in the release that it was fun to find out that our choice for Gwen (Emma) is also a natural blonde." Man, we hope that's not the only reason they've cast her... Stone will be sporting blonde locks for the currently filming civil-rights drama "The Help," so audiences will at least have some time to get used to the look. We're huge fans of the actress, and between her, Garfield and (if rumors are to be believed) Philip Seymour Hoffman, it's shaping up to be a mean cast for a superhero film that we're cautiously optimistic about: at least more so than next year's batch of "X-Men: First Class," "Thor," "Green Lantern" and "Captain America."
One imagines that Stone may have made the switch because as a rising star, she may not want to be tied to as many movies, and if the film stays true to the comics this time, *spoiler* Stacy may get chucked off a bridge at some point in the first or second movie, paving the way for MJ to take over -- we can imagine that the idea of a one- or two-picture deal would be more tempting for the actress than being locked in for three films.
It remains to be seen whether any of the previously mentioned names (Dianna Agron, Georgina Haig, Dominique McElligott, Lily Collins and Mia Wasikowska) will be in the running to play Mary-Jane or if Sony will go back to the drawing board for the role. We reckon it's safe at this point to count out Wasikowska, who was said to be skeptical of the project anyway, but any of the other three could still theoretically be on board.
Looks like speculation has ended, with "Easy A" star Emma Stone looking to step into the massive shoes of Kirsten Dunst asSpider-Man's redhead love interest Mary Jane Watson for Sony's untitled "Spider-Man" relaunch. Deadline Hollywood has announced that Stone should be expecting an offer very soon to star alongside Andrew Garfield in Marc Webb's "re-imagining" of the Spidey mythos. Stone has made some good money for Sony with both "Zombieland" and "Easy A," so it's no surprise they would pick someone so prominent on their Rolodex.
We like Stone, but it's hard to say anything positive or negative about what is such a secretive project. Though there is fresh talent all around, how much pressure will Sony feel to adhere to the formula that led the "Spider-Man" franchise to become a billion dollar extravaganza? In other words, will Stone being doing the damsel-in-distress BS that Dunst visibly grew bored from, or will she have a chance to utilize her comedic talent and make Mary Jane a fully-functioning character that might convince girls these movies are worth watching on their own?
Sony remains on the hunt for a Gwen Stacy character as well, revisiting the love triangle/square that helped the maligned "Spider-Man 3" to almost $900 million in worldwide theatrical gross. Adding Stone, who's appeal isn't exactly va-va-voom but more bubbly and warm suggests they might go in another direction for the Stacy character, but it's hard to say what's going on in Sony offices regarding this massive gamble, even with names like Mia Wasikowska and Dianna Agron being tossed around. But we're still bitter about not getting Oded Fehr as Kraven in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man IV: Keep On Webbin'" so maybe we're not the ones best suited to speculation.
Frankly, these contender stories are boring so let's get to the good stuff. Buried in Deadline's story about who has joined the list of female leads for "Spider-Man" is a much more intriguing little nugget: Sony wants to bring back Venom and wants Philip Seymour Hoffman to play him.
Bear in mind, it's who they want, not who they're gonna get, and we may have laughed at this suggestion in the past, but with the likes of Mark Ruffalo cashing in their indie cred to play The Hulk, it's not so far-fetched. And let's not forget than Hoffman is no stranger to tentpoles, playing the villain in "Mission: Impossible 3." Hoffman wasn't the first name to be rumored for the villain, as Christoph Waltz's name cropped up late in the summer, but it's the first we hear of Venom which makes us wonder if more than one baddie will be in store (though Venom in the "Spider-Man" origin story seems to make no sense and is far too soon). But Hoffman as a baddie in "Spider-man"? That's the most exciting news about this film since Andrew Garfield signed on.
Onto the more boring news, which starts with the question: who, who and who? If you didn't think Sony and director Marc Webb were casting a huge, wide net for the female leads for Peter Parker in the forthcoming "Spider-Man" reboot, this should be an indication. The upcoming/unknown Dianna Agron ("Glee," sorry we don't watch the show), Georgina Haig ("Wasted On The Young") and Dominique McElligott (Sam Rockwell's wife in "Moon") are in consideration for the roles of Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson. Agron actually tested last night, and we would imagine Haig and McElligott will be shortly.
According to Deadline, Agron, Haig, McElligott and the previously revealedEmma Stone and Mia Wasikowska are the final five candidates, but also adds the caveat that more may be added, so basically, this thing is not quite over and don't be surprised if more names crop up next week.
Director Marc Webb is getting closer to finding Peter Parker a leading lady or two for the upcoming "Spider-Man" reboot. After Andrew Garfield was announced as have secured the lead, there has been muchspeculation on who would be jumping into the role of Mary Jane Watson. But sources close to the production say that is not the only lead female role Webb has been testing actresses for, so comic book fans rejoice as it seems Gwen Stacy will also be making an appearance. With that in mind, a few new names have entered the mix for these highly sought after roles.
Emma Stone, whose latest film "Easy A" opened at number two at the box office this past weekend, was reportedly reading for the role of Mary Jane with Garfield earlier this month. A natural fit for the role, we laid out the case for her casting back in January, she would be able to play opposite Garfield's Parker and would bring a spunky comedic talent and presence to the role. Stone's reportedly "great relationship" with Sony head Amy Pascal couldn't hurt her from getting the part, but with her upcoming slate filling up quickly, she'd have to weigh how starring in a superhero blockbuster would fit into her career.
And for the role of Gwen, it seems Webb and Sony are smitten with "Alice in Wonderland" star Mia Wasikowska, who they recently flew in from New York to meet with. While Wasikowska has received rave reviews for her recent film "The Kids Are All Right," as part of 'Alice' she proved herself capable of being an anchor to a tentpole film. But if you're worried like us that Wasikowska's talents will be wasted in a comic franchise, you can sight a breathe of relief as she is apparently "ambivalent" about the part. Of course, that could also be a ploy for more cash, as even the Mark Ruffalos of the world eventually succumb to a franchise project at some point in their career. Finally, Lily Collins, who co-starred in last year's surprise hit "The Blind Side," has reportedly met with Sony for the film as well, but no word yet on which role.
With "Spider-Man" slated to begin filming later this year, Sony and Webb are likely to start making some hard decisions soon. With Fox stacking "X-Men: First Class" with a host of young, up-and-coming talent, it seems that Sony is taking the same the approach. Let's just hope this time they think bigger than Kirsten Dunst.
Gus Van Sant can't live on directing the likes of "Elephant," "Gerry" and "Paranoid Park" alone, and every now and then he comes out with a big, meaty piece of mainstream fare. His previous tub 'o popcorn film was the Academy Award winner for Best Actor and Best Screenplay "Milk," but there will be no such chances this time around.
