Here’s a nice new featurette for Contraband which gives us a great overview on what the film is about and introduces us to the lead characters played by Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale and Giovanni Ribisi. It’ll be with us March 16th and after watching this, I’m really looking forward to seeing it.

Contraband is directed by Baltasar Kormákur and also stars Ben Foster, Lukas Haas, Caleb Landry Jones, Diego Luna and J.K. Simmons.

Mark Wahlberg leads the cast of Contraband, a fast-paced thriller about a man trying to stay out of a world he worked so hard to leave behind and the family he’ll do anything to protect.  Set in New Orleans, the film explores the cutthroat underground world of international smuggling—full of desperate criminals and corrupt officials, high-stakes and big payoffs—where loyalty rarely exists and death is one wrong turn away.

Chris Farraday (Wahlberg) long ago abandoned his life of crime, but after his brother-in-law, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones), botches a drug deal for his ruthless boss, Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi), Chris is forced back into doing what he does best—running contraband—to settle Andy’s debt.  Chris is a legendary smuggler and quickly assembles a crew with the help of his best friend, Sebastian (Ben Foster), to head to Panama and return with millions in counterfeit bills.

Things quickly fall apart and with only hours to reach the cash, Chris must use his rusty skills to successfully navigate a treacherous criminal network of brutal drug lords, cops and hit men before his wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale), and sons become their target.

Ruben Fleischer’s first foray away from the comedies we’ve seen from him so far – notably Zombieland and 30:Minutes Or Less – looks set to be very impressive. Gangster Squad, previously known as The Gangster Squad, should be one of the best films of the year, with a fantastic cast that includes Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emma Stone, Giovanni Ribisi, Nick Nolte, Michael Peña, Anthony Mackie, and Robert Patrick.

Pretty damn awesome. We’ve now got a brilliant new image to share with you, courtesy of the LA Times via FirstShowing, that takes a look at the eponymous squad on the streets of Los Angeles.

“Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen​​ (Sean Penn​) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and—if he has his way—every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It’s enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop…except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin​) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling​), who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart.”

We got our first official look at the film at the end of last year, with a shot of Brolin and Penn squaring off against each other, coupled with an interesting interview with the director himself.

Gangster Squad is set to be released here in the UK on 9^th November, so we’ve still got a good few months to wait before it hits, but there’s every reason to expect it’s going to be worth that wait and then some. I can’t wait. Until then, here’s the new image to tie you down. As usual, click to enlarge.

Contraband is shaping up to be one of the best action crime dramas of next year, and we’ve already been seeing some great things from it, in the form of the first official trailer back in September, followed up by the first and second posters for the film, and most recently the second trailer just over a month ago.

Mark Wahlberg stars in the lead – therefore guaranteeing its brilliance; I’m a big Wahlberg fan – alongside the likes of the excellent Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, Kate Beckinsale, J.K. Simmons, and Lukas Haas, with Wahlberg’s brother, Robert Wahlberg, also taking a smaller role.

We’ve now got a brilliant new clip to share with you from the film, courtesy of Fandango, which should nicely whet your appetite and get you as excited to see this as I am, if you aren’t already.

“Chris Farraday (Wahlberg) long ago abandoned his life of crime, but after his brother-in-law, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones), botches a drug deal for his ruthless boss, Tim Briggs (Ribisi), Chris is forced back into doing what he does best – running contraband – to settle Andy’s debt. Chris is a legendary smuggler and quickly assembles a crew with the help of his best friend, Sebastian (Foster), to head to Panama and return with millions in counterfeit bills.

Things quickly fall apart and with only hours to reach the cash, Chris must use his rusty skills to successfully navigate a treacherous criminal network of brutal drug lords, cops and hit men before his wife, Kate (Beckinsale), and sons become their target.”

Director Baltasar Kormákur is already set to re-team with Wahlberg on 2 Guns, which I think it’s a great indication that they’ve had an awesome time filming Contraband, which in turn is a great indication that we’ll have an awesome time watching it.

This new clip sees Wahlberg talking to his boss, Ribisi, and things don’t look to be going quite his way, with the possibility of a $700k debt looming over his head – obviously not a nice situation to be in. Contraband will be hitting our screens on 16th March next year, which is a date that can’t come fast enough for me. Without further ado, here’s the great new clip. Enjoy.

Ruben Fleischer’s past two films, Zombieland and 30 Minutes Or Less, have been firmly placed in the comedy genre, the former in the zombie comedy sub-genre and the latter in the action/heist comedy, and both were absolutely fantastic.

With his next film, Gangster Squad (previously titled The Gangster Squad), he’s completely mixing things up, going back to the 1940s for an action-drama that is by far one of the films I’m most looking forward to next year.

The film is headed up by a terrific cast, including Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Peña, Robert Patrick, and Anthony Mackie, and we’ve now got a brilliant first official look at Brolin and Penn in what looks to be a pretty heated moment, courtesy of EW.

Back in September, we were treated to the film’s synopsis, which sounded immense:

“Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen​ (Sean Penn​) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and—if he has his way—every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It’s enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop…except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin​) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling​), who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart.”

We’ve seen shots of Gosling, Stone, and Brolin on the set already, but this is our first official look at the film, and our first look at Penn as the mob king, Mickey Cohen. Along with the image, EW also got to talk to Fleischer about the film, and it’s definitely an interview worth reading if you have a few spare minutes. I’ve put the first and last questions and answers below to whet your appetites, and to quell anybody’s concerns that a director with previous experience in comedy won’t be able to take on a gangster film like this – because I am so sure that Gangster Squad is without a doubt going to be topping a lot of people’s Top 10 Films of the Year lists this time next year, including mine.

“EW: This is a totally different direction for you after Zombieland and 30 Minutes Or Less. How did you go about convincing the studio that you were the right guy for this movie?

RUBEN FLEISCHER: I was just looking for an opportunity to try something new, and when I read the script, I was completely passionate about it. I think that passion and that love for Los Angeles and the love for this period of time and the love for this genre kind of swayed any misgivings the studio might have had. It’s been a real step forward for me. The size and scale and period — and just the L.A. of it — makes the movie singular and special.

…

EW: The city of Los Angeles seems like such an essential character in your story but I imagine it’s not always easy to recreate the Los Angeles of the 1940s.

RF: These places don’t exist anymore. We had to take blocks of streets and build period storefronts and recreate clubs that have been closed for years. The past two nights, we had a full tommy-gun battle inside the Chinese Theater with gangsters lighting off 50 rounds a minute. And then tonight and the next night, it’s going to bleed out onto Hollywood Boulevard as our Gangster Squad retreats. We’re going to have a full battle on one of the most famous streets in L.A. And staging a scene at the Griffith Park Observatory is just iconic because you instantly think of Rebel Without a Cause and all the great movies that have filmed there. On Monday, we were on the steps of City Hall with Nick Nolte. It’s like going in a time machine when you go to the set.”

It’s going to be so good. Gangster Squad is scheduled to be released here in the UK on 9^th November next year, which is definitely something to start looking forward to. Without further ado, here’s the great first image of Brolin and Penn from the film. Enjoy.

Yesterday I put up our interview with Amber Heard for The Rum Diary and today we get to chat with the with captain of the ship, Director Bruce Robinson about his new movie, The Rum Diary. The film stars Johnny Depp, Amber Heard Giovanni Ribisi, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Rispoli Richard Jenkins and is based on the book by Hunter S. Thompson.

Robinson is best known for his movie, Withnail & I that he both wrote and directed and has become part of Britishness. In the interview, we not only talk about that but about how both he and Johnny remembered Hunter on set, the first and only time that he met Hunter, the challenges of transitioning a novel into a movie and finally, what you should do if you want to get into screen-writing.

The Rum Diary is released in UK cinemas today. Check out the interview below. I hope you enjoy!

Last week, I got to chat with the beautiful Amber Heard for her new movie, The Rum Diary. The film is based on the story written by Hunter S. Thompson, stars Johnny Depp, Giovanni Ribisi, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Rispoli Richard Jenkins and is directed by Bruce Robinson who wrote and Directed the fantastic British movie, Withnail & I.

In the interview, we chat about her familiarity with Hunter S. Thompson’s work, the how she managed to get the best sun-tan I’ve ever seen and driving both fast and very very slow cars! She also speaks about her experience working with Johnny Depp and Aaron Eckhart and mentions a new project that she’s currently Producing at the moment which unfortunately she wouldn’t reveal but told us to stay tuned.

The Rum Diary is released in UK cinemas tomorrow, 11th November and our interview with Director Bruce Robinson goes live tomorrow so keep your eyes peeled.

A second trailer for the new Mark Wahlberg film, Contraband, has been unveiled and it’s not a subtle affair.

This trailer eschews the talking and plot which was preferred for the initial trailer we saw in favour of all out action, shouting, guns pointed and a nice looking explosion in super slow motion. Watch them both and make up your mind. I doubt it’ll change our worlds but as long as director Baltasar Kormákur has his action trousers on I think this one will be fun to watch.

Alongside Wahlberg​, Contraband stars Kate Beckinsale​, Caleb Landry Jones, Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi​, Lukas Haas​, J.K. Simmons and Diego Luna​.

“Chris Farraday (Wahlberg) long ago abandoned his life of crime, but after his brother-in-law, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones), botches a drug deal for his ruthless boss, Tim Briggs (Ribisi), Chris is forced back into doing what he does best – running contraband – to settle Andy’s debt. Chris is a legendary smuggler and quickly assembles a crew with the help of his best friend, Sebastian (Foster), to head to Panama and return with millions in counterfeit bills.

Things quickly fall apart and with only hours to reach the cash, Chris must use his rusty skills to successfully navigate a treacherous criminal network of brutal drug lords, cops and hit men before his wife, Kate (Beckinsale), and sons become their target.”

Here’s the trailer, direct from the good people at MSN

We got the first poster part-way through last month for Mark Wahlberg’s follow-up to his brilliant last film, The Fighter, and it was pretty awesome, coming a couple of weeks after the official trailer (which I’m personally avoiding, to stay spoiler-free, but you’re more than welcome to feast your eyes on it here).

The film’s second poster has now arrived, courtesy of IMP Awards, and it’s pretty damn good too. Largely in black and white, with the exception of the leading cast’s names, it focuses on the film’s lead, Wahlberg, and also gives us a great look at the main supporting cast of Kate Beckinsale (Underworld), Ben Foster (The Messenger), and Giovanni Ribisi (Avatar).

And like the first poster, it features the film’s tagline, What would you hide to protect your family?

“Chris Farraday (Wahlberg) long ago abandoned his life of crime, but after his brother-in-law, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones), botches a drug deal for his ruthless boss, Tim Briggs (Ribisi), Chris is forced back into doing what he does best – running contraband – to settle Andy’s debt. Chris is a legendary smuggler and quickly assembles a crew with the help of his best friend, Sebastian (Foster), to head to Panama and return with millions in counterfeit bills.

Things quickly fall apart and with only hours to reach the cash, Chris must use his rusty skills to successfully navigate a treacherous criminal network of brutal drug lords, cops and hit men before his wife, Kate (Beckinsale), and sons become their target.”

Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur has taken the helm on this, with whom Wahlberg will be re-teaming for the upcoming adaptation of the graphic novel 2 Guns. The States will be getting this before us on 13^th January next year, but we won’t have much longer to wait to see it here, with a UK release date scheduled for 16^th March. Mark the date down in your diaries, because this should be awesome. Without further ado, here’s the new poster to enjoy.

To celebrate the release of Johnny Depp’s new movie, THE RUM DIARY, in cinemas November 11th, we have teamed up with Entertainment Film to offer you the chance to win tickets to the Premiere in London on Thursday 3rd November.

THE RUM DIARY is directed by Bruce Robinson and also stars, Aaron Eckhart, Amber Heard, Michael Rispoli, Richard Jenkins, Giovanni Ribisi and Marshall Bell.

Based on the debut novel by Hunter S. Thompson which initiated his long, distinguished and brilliantly unpredictable career, THE RUM DIARY tells the increasingly unhinged story of itinerant journalist Paul Kemp (Depp). Tiring of the noise and madness of New York and the crushing conventions of late Eisenhower-era America, Kemp travels to the pristine island of Puerto Rico to write for a local newspaper, The San Juan Star, run by downtrodden editor Lotterman (Jenkins).

Adopting the rum-soaked life of the late 50’s version of Hemmingway’s lost generation, Paul soon becomes increasingly obsessed with Chenault (Heard), the wildly attractive Connecticut-born fiancée of Sanderson (Eckhart), a businessman involved in shady property development deals.

You can find out more about Entertainment film on their website.

Please note, to enter this competition, you MUST be free to attend the premiere on Thursday 3rd November in central London.

To be in with a chance of winning this great prize, simply answer the following question using the form below:

Who directed the movie, The Rum Diary?

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

T&C’s

• Closing date is Tuesday 1st November at midday.
• This competition is not open to employees of HeyUGuys, Entertainment Film Distributors, their agents or anyone else associated with this promotion.
•  The competition is open to UK residents aged 15 years and over, however, if the winner is under 18 years of age they must take a parent or guardian as their guest.
• The first prize is 2 tickets (1 pair) to the Premiere of The Rum Diary in London on Thursday 3^rd November 2011.
• Travel and any accommodation is the responsibility of the winner.
• The first prize winner will be notified by phone on Tuesday 1^st November to check their availability and if they cannot attend or be reached within 24 hours another name will be drawn. We will make all reasonable efforts to contact the winner within 24hrs and if the winner cannot be contacted within this time, we reserve the right to choose an alternative winner.
• The promoter reserves the right to substitute the prize for one of greater or equal value. The decision of the promoter in all matters is final and binding.
• The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence shall be entered into. Entertainment Film Distributors (EFD) cannot be held responsible if the event is cancelled or details changed due to unforeseen circumstances which are beyond their control. In this event the winner will receive tickets to another EFD premiere happening in 2011/12 which will be specified by EFD.
• Tickets are non-transferable.
• All prizes are subject to availability.
• Details are accurate at time of print.

Peter Mountain. © 2011 GK Films, LLC.

Mark Wahlberg’s next film, Contraband, is definitely one to look forward to next year. I’m a big Wahlberg fan, so anything he’s in I know I’m going to love, and this project sounds like more brilliance from him.

The first trailer landed at the end of last month, and I’ve heard that it’s looking pretty damn awesome (this is one of those films I personally want to stay trailer-free from). And now, courtesy of IMP Awards, we can share with you the great first poster for the film.

Along with Wahlberg is a fantastic supporting cast, including Ben Foster, Kate Beckinsale, J.K. Simmons, and Giovanni Ribisi.

“Chris Farraday (Wahlberg) long ago abandoned his life of crime, but after his brother-in-law, Andy (Jones), botches a drug deal for his ruthless boss, Tim Briggs (Ribisi), Chris is forced back into doing what he does best – running contraband – to settle Andy’s debt. Chris is a legendary smuggler and quickly assembles a crew with the help of his best friend, Sebastian (Foster), to head to Panama and return with millions in counterfeit bills.

Things quickly fall apart and with only hours to reach the cash, Chris must use his rusty skills to successfully navigate a treacherous criminal network of brutal drug lords, cops and hit men before his wife, Kate (Beckinsale), and sons become their target.”

Contraband is directed by Icelandic director, Baltasar Kormákur, who is also set to be directing Wahlberg in the upcoming adaptation of graphic novel, 2 Guns; clearly the two have enjoyed working together on this, which gives me all the reason to expect it’s going to be immense.

America are lucky enough to be getting this on 13th January next year, but we’ll have to wait a little longer for it, with the UK release date set as 16th March. It’s definitely going to be worth the wait though. Without further ado, here’s the great first poster for the film to enjoy. As usual, click to enlarge.

Universal Pictures has released the first official trailer for Contraband, a remake of the Icelandic thriller Reykjavik-Rotterdam.

Directed by Baltasar Kormákur (The Sea), Contraband stars Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Caleb Landry Jones, Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, Lukas Haas, J.K. Simmons and Diego Luna.

Chris Farraday (Wahlberg) long ago abandoned his life of crime, but after his brother-in-law, Andy (Jones), botches a drug deal for his ruthless boss, Tim Briggs (Ribisi), Chris is forced back into doing what he does best – running contraband – to settle Andy’s debt. Chris is a legendary smuggler and quickly assembles a crew with the help of his best friend, Sebastian (Foster), to head to Panama and return with millions in counterfeit bills.

Things quickly fall apart and with only hours to reach the cash, Chris must use his rusty skills to successfully navigate a treacherous criminal network of brutal drug lords, cops and hit men before his wife, Kate (Beckinsale), and sons become their target.

Contraband will be released in the U.K. on March 16, 2012.

Watch the trailer below:

Source: Yahoo!

Warner Bros. Pictures has announced that crime-thriller The Gangster Squad will be released on October 19, 2012.

Directed by Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland, 30 Minutes or Less), The Gangster Squad stars Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emma Stone, Robert Patrick, Michael Peña, Giovanni Ribisi and Anthony Mackie.

Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and – if he has his way – every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It’s enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop… except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O’Mara (Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart.

The Gangster Squad will open against Hotel Transylvania, Madagascar 3 and The Big Wedding.

Source: Comingsoon.net

In the past month, ahead of its upcoming release, we’ve been seeing some fantastic things for the adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s The Rum Diary, written and directed by Bruce Robinson (Withnail & I), and led by the one and only Johnny Depp.

We got the absolutely terrific first trailer for the film at the end of last month, and have since had a first and second poster for the film, as well as a great TV spot.

We’ve now got a great third poster to share with you, courtesy of The Playlist. Admittedly, this new poster does give the film a bit of a The Hangover-esque look to it, which I think is a bit of a shame, because judging by the trailer, this is going to be a very different film, and I’m expecting it to be even better, if not a little too different to fairly compare.

Nonetheless, Depp looks like more than a bit of a mess, presumably waking up in a ransacked hotel room with the telephone receiver off the hook, room service on the floor, empty bottles of alcohol, bowling pins present, a goldfish with just enough water in its bowl to survive, and, directly in the middle of the poster to top it all off, a revolver.

Pretty awesome stuff. Welcome to Puerto Rico.

The film is supported with a terrific cast that includes Amber Heard, Aaron Eckhart, Giovanni Ribisi, and Richard Jenkins, and is just weeks away from its UK release on 4^th November. I can’t wait. Until then, enjoy this brand new poster.

We gave you a fair amount of rumour-laden news on Gangster Squad a while back, mostly relating to speculation on whether Darren Aronofsky would direct, following Ben Affleck passing up the opportunity. Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland, 30 Minutes Or Less) eventually settled into the chair, casting was completed (and what a cast) and shooting (presumably in every sense of the word) is now firmly underway (Ed. – enough with the parenthetical inserts) (I’m serious).

The cast list now boasts Josh Brolin (The Goonies, No Country For Old Men, Milk), Ryan Gosling (Drive, Crazy Stupid Love, Blue Valentine), Sean Penn (Milk, Mystic River, Carlito’s Way), Emma Stone (Easy A, Crazy Stupid Love, Zombieland), Nick Nolte, Giovanni Ribisi and Michael Pena, among others, many of whom have therefore worked together and/or with Fleischer before. Collider have been kind enough to line up quite a spread of on-set shots, showing sharp clothes, dapper hats and Emma Stone looking all slinky and stuff. She and Gosling seem to share an easy chemistry and the whole enterprise looks promising from the little we know so far.

Enjoy the shots below and we will of course bring you more as we get it.

Source: Collider.

Johnny Depp’s highly anticipated return to the work of Hunter S. Thompson is getting closer and closer, and its release is definitely something to look forward to.

We got the exceptional first trailer for the film at the end of last month, and since then we’ve had a nice first poster for the film, and a great TV spot just last weekend.

Now comes another terrific poster, courtesy of IMP Awards, with Johnny Depp really looking the part on this one. Even the tagline on it, “Absolutely Nothing In Moderation,” is pretty fantastic, and I can’t wait for this to come out.

Along with Depp, we can look forward to seeing Amber Heard (Drive Angry), Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight), Giovanni Ribisi (Avatar), and Richard Jenkins (Let Me In), directed by Bruce Robinson, Oscar nominee for 1984’s The Killing Fields, from a script that he wrote based on Thompson’s novel of the same name.

“The Rum Diary tells the increasingly unhinged story of itinerant journalist Paul Kemp (Depp). Tired of the noise and madness of New York and the crushing conventions of late Eisenhower-era America, Kemp travels to the pristine island of Puerto Rico to write for a local San Juan newspaper run by the downtrodden editor Lotterman (Jenkins). Adopting the rum-soaked lifestyle of the late ’50s version of Hemingway’s “The Lost Generation,” Paul soon becomes entangled with a very attractive American woman, Chenault (Heard) and her fiancée Sanderson (Eckhart), a businessman involved in shady property development deals. It is within this world that Kemp ultimately discovers his true voice as a writer and integrity as a man.”

The few things that we’ve seen so far from the film couldn’t make me want to see it more, and with its 4th November release date fast coming up, we thankfully don’t have that much longer to wait. For now, here’s the great new poster to enjoy. Depp is the master at putting his own personal touch on all of his characters, and I can’t wait to see his performance in this. As usual, click to enlarge.

Johnny Depp and Hunter S. Thompson are an enviable combination and from what we’ve seen Bruce Robinson is making the most of Thompson’s story, written when the author was just 22.

Depp leads the film with Amber Heard​, Giovanni Ribisi​, Richard Jenkins​ and Aaron Eckhart in support. There’s a new TV spot out today but before we dive into that a synopsis right now would be great, wouldn’t it?

Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp) is a freelance journalist who himself is a turning point in his life. He left for San Juan there to write for The San Juan Star, an important newspaper. Paul tries to escape reality through the use of large quantities of alcohol, drugs, women and music. However, if a local outbreak of rebellion, he gets together with his new friend Bob Sala, embroiled in a corrupt Development of a hotel.

Here’s the spot,

Glasses raised to Coming Soon for this.

Talk about The Gangster Squad has been going around for some time now, with the job of helming the project, originally entitled Tales From The Gangster Squad, being a pretty competitive and high-ranking position.

It was offered to both Ben Affleck and Darren Aronofsky, who both ultimately passed it up, and then a shortlist went round that included Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum), Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend), and Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland).

Fleischer was the one who finally beat out the rest of the competition and was given the directing duties, and I think he’s going to make something incredible with it. Collider now have the official synopsis for the film, which has begun principal photography this week.

“Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and—if he has his way—every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It’s enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop…except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart.”

The cast of Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, and Josh Brolin alone would be pretty damn awesome going with that excellent synopsis. But it doesn’t stop there, it gets better. Starring alongside them will be Emma Stone, Robert Patrick, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Peña, and Anthony Mackie, with Nick Nolte, Holt McCallany, Josh Pence, and Mireille Enos all potentially though uncertainly attached.

Definitely a project to look forward to. Fleischer proved himself as a brilliant director with his feature debut, Zombieland, and his next effort, 30 Minutes Or Less, due out here on 16^th October, looks as though it will be another great success. Directed from a script by Will Beall (TV’s Nathan Fillion-starrer, Castle), based on a series of articles by Paul Lieberman, The Gangster Squad is set to be an entirely different direction to what we’ve seen from Fleischer in the past, and certainly one to expect big things from. With a fantastic cast attached, and a brilliant and engaging director, I can see nothing but good things coming out of this project. It’s due out sometime in 2013, and the earlier the better in my books.

We got the great first set photos for Johnny Depp’s next film, The Rum Diary, way back in June last year. Then came a lovely first look at Amber Heard in the film last month, and finally the fantastic first trailer for the film a couple of weeks ago.

The first poster for the film has now landed, courtesy of IMP Awards, gearing up for its 4^th November release here, which is something to get excited about.

The Rum Diary is adapted from the novel/memoir by Hunter S. Thompson, and has been written and directed by Bruce Robinson, the British director of Withnail & I, his first film in almost two decades. Alongside Depp and Heard, Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight), Giovanni Ribisi (Avatar), and Richard Jenkins (Let Me In), in what is really quite an impressive cast.

“The Rum Diary tells the increasingly unhinged story of itinerant journalist Paul Kemp (Depp). Tired of the noise and madness of New York and the crushing conventions of late Eisenhower-era America, Kemp travels to the pristine island of Puerto Rico to write for a local San Juan newspaper run by the downtrodden editor Lotterman (Jenkins). Adopting the rum-soaked lifestyle of the late ’50s version of Hemingway’s “The Lost Generation,” Paul soon becomes entangled with a very attractive American woman, Chenault (Heard) and her fiancée Sanderson (Eckhart), a businessman involved in shady property development deals. It is within this world that Kemp ultimately discovers his true voice as a writer and integrity as a man.”

This first poster bears the tagline, “One part outrage. One Part Justice. Three parts rum. Mix well,” which fits the feel of the trailer pretty nicely. Just another two months to wait. It’s going to be excellent. Without further ado, here’s the new poster. As usual, click to enlarge.

Film District / GK Films have released the first crazy trailer via Entertainment Tonight for Johnny Depp’s new movie, The Rum Diary which looks completely bonkers but completely brilliant! The movie is based on the novel by Hunter S. Thompson.

The Rum Diary is directed by Bruce Robinson and also stars Amber Heard, Giovanni Ribisi, Richard Jenkins and Aaron Eckhart. It’s based around Hunter S. Thompson’s memoirs written in the 1950s.

Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp) is a freelance journalist who himself is a turning point in his life. He left for San Juan there to write for The San Juan Star, an important newspaper. Paul tries to escape reality through the use of large quantities of alcohol, drugs, women and music. However, if a local outbreak of rebellion, he gets together with his new friend Bob Sala, embroiled in a corrupt Development of a hotel.

From what I can find, The Rum Diary is released in the UK September 24th.

Watch the new crazy trailer below:

Adapted from the novel/memoir of the same name by Hunter S. Thompson, The Rum Diary has been a long time coming. The first photos from the set arose more than a year ago, at which time the expected release date was towards the end of 2010.

With its release date finally set at 4th November this year, we’ve got our first look at Amber Heard opposite Johnny Depp, via The Playlist, courtesy of EW.

We last saw Heard in Drive Angry earlier in the year, and though the film didn’t perform very well at the box office, I personally thought it was a pretty decent film, and Heard made the most her role, as she always seems to. In The Rum Diary, Heard will be the love interest for Depp’s character, Paul Kemp, playing an engaged woman with whom Kemp becomes obsessed.

The film also stars Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight), Giovanni Ribisi (Avatar), and Richard Jenkins (Let Me In), and has been adapted and directed by Bruce Robinson (Withnail & I).

“The Rum Diary tells the increasingly unhinged story of itinerant journalist Paul Kemp (Depp). Tired of the noise and madness of New York and the crushing conventions of late Eisenhower-era America, Kemp travels to the pristine island of Puerto Rico to write for a local San Juan newspaper run by the downtrodden editor Lotterman (Jenkins). Adopting the rum-soaked lifestyle of the late ’50s version of Hemingway’s “The Lost Generation,” Paul soon becomes entangled with a very attractive American woman, Chenault (Heard) and her fiancée Sanderson (Eckhart), a businessman involved in shady property development deals. It is within this world that Kemp ultimately discovers his true voice as a writer and integrity as a man.”

Depp is of course no stranger to Thompson’s work, having already led the adaptation of Thompson’s other well-known work, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which has become something of a cult film since its 1998 release. I can’t quite decide what to expect from The Rum Diary. On the one hand, I’d love to see it do well, having such a good cast as it does. But on the other, I’m a little inclined to think that it’s not especially likely to find its audience, at least at the box office. I do think it will be a great film, but its box office takings (which of course aren’t necessarily a reflection on the film itself) may not agree. But here’s to hoping I’m wrong. Without further ado, here’s the nice first look at Amber Heard from the film, looking lovely as ever, undoubtedly being charmed by Depp’s character in this scene.