Russell Brand has seemingly rebounded from Katy Perry into a Michael Bay production. He’s played a rockstar version of himself, a privileged version of himself, and at the start of his film career himself if he ever ended up a teacher in a school full of lingerie-clad 25-year-old schoolgirls. But now he’s set to return to our screens as The Hauntrepreneur – a man with a title so incongruous that I’m not sure whether to laugh when I hear it or just go along with it in the spirit I’m sure it’s meant to be taken.

The film tells the story of an eccentric man who helps a family adjust to a new town through the medium of a haunted house filled with strange characters.

Bay’s been working on this project with an eye to producing for a while now with a script first presented by Scott Rosenberg (of Con Air and High Fidelity mild fame). Brand is the only casting announcement to date and if there’s anyone who can carry off ‘kooky’, ‘affable’ and ‘charming’, I’m sure it’ll be him. But I nevertheless get the feeling that he needs to at least attempt one of those break-the-mould roles and the sooner the better really, lest fickle Hollywood grow tired of his repeated reliance on his all-English persona. I’m not talking an Anne Hathaway Havoc-style career tangent here, more of a Jim Carrey Truman Show-style affair.

Even so his next role will indeed see him back in the world of cheesy rock with the big screen adaptation of Rock of Ages in which he plays Lonnie the manager of the film’s The Bourbon Room and of course narrator. Let’s just hope that he doesn’t find himself too typecast too soon or Russell Brand’s foray into Hollywood might be an all too fleeting one.

Source: Variety.

We got our first look at Adam Shankman’s upcoming film adaptation of the Broadway musical, Rock of Ages, back in the summer with a great photo of Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand looking the part, followed swiftly by one of Tom Cruise looking awesome on stage.

The first trailer and poster for the film have now debuted over at Apple’s iTunes Movie Trailers, via ComingSoon.net, and they are fantastic, with Baldwin especially shining in his scenes, and looking awesome with a full head of long, shaggy hair.

““Rock of Ages” tells the story of small town girl Sherrie and city boy Drew, who meet on the Sunset Strip while pursuing their Hollywood dreams. Their rock ‘n’ roll romance is told through the heart-pounding hits of Def Leppard, Joan Jett, Journey, Foreigner, Bon Jovi, Night Ranger, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Whitesnake, and more.”

The cast is excellent, with Diego Boneta and Julianne Hough starring in the younger roles of Drew and Sherrie, and an older cast headed up by the likes of Cruise, Baldwin, Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul Giamatti, Mary J. Blige, Malin Akerman, and Bryan Cranston.

The film is due to hit our screens on 8^th June next summer, and judging by this first trailer, it’s going to be a lot of fun, with some ridiculously great music from start to finish. Without further ado, here’s the trailer in all its musical awesomeness, followed up by the film’s first poster. And if you’d like to watch the trailer in stunning HD, then you can click over to Apple here.

Comedian Russell Brand will produce and star in a new “political” comedy, The President Stole My Girlfriend, reported THR this week.

Warner Bros. acquired the script from writer Matt Portenoy, who is yet to have any of his scripts produced. Portenoy did, however, perform a well-received rewrite on the Porky’s remake which is currently in development, and scripted a segment for the comedy anthology Movie 43, which stars Emma Stone and Griffin Dune.

Whilst the exact plot of The President Stole My Girlfriend is unknown, Brand commented to THR that, “In this movie, the president steals the girlfriend of a sexy hippie—me, obviously. It was inspired by the night I naively invited [Warner Bros. president] Jeff Robinov for dinner.”

Brand, who made his film debut in Forgetting Sarah Marshall as rockstar Aldous Snow, who he again played in Get Him To The Greek, has recently wrapped a role in Adam Shankman’s musical Rock of Ages. He also starred in this year’s Arthur remake, and is poised to star in Diablo Cody’s upcoming directorial debut (previously known as Lamb of God) alongside Julianne Hough.

Producing alongside Brand from his Branded Films company will be partner Nik Linnen and the company’s Beau Bauman as executive producer.

For those of you who can remember the kids BBC series called Rentaghost (it ran from 1976-84) the idea of a Hollywood remake was a surreal enough to begin with, even with Britain’s very own US import Russell Brand in the lead. But now news from Deadline has Ben Stiller taking over from the comic, with Night At The Museum writers Tom Lennon and Robert Ben Garant also attached.

The original show (located in South Ealing) involved the titular agency run by a recently deceased loser by the name of Fred Mumford, who helped similarly below-par spirits find work in the afterlife. Although this is an American remake, the setting will still be good ole’ Blighty as the idea is for Stiller to play an American turnaround consultant who is sent to the UK to reinvigorate a failing company.

The Zoolander star will be seen on UK cinema screens next month in the Brett Ratner action/comedy ensemble, Tower Heist.

Here’s a taste of what’s to come/nostalgia trip:

After her tremendous Oscar-winning debut writing Juno back in 2007, Diablo Cody as much as the film became something of an overnight success, with her name suddenly becoming so well known.

She’s since written the not-brilliantly-received Megan Fox-starrer Jennifer’s Body, and has reteamed with Juno’s director Jason Reitman for the upcoming Young Adult, which already has so much positive buzz surrounding it.

It was really only a matter of time before Cody made her directorial debut, and Deadline are reporting that Russell Brand (Get Him to the Greek) and Julianne Hough (the upcoming Footloose) are set to star in her first film behind the lens.

“Hough plays a sheltered young woman who loses her faith after a plane crash and revels in the decadence of Las Vegas. There, she meets an unlikely companion who helps her find herself.”

The film is currently untitled, but production is set to start in spring next year, presumably from a script Cody has herself written, which by itself would be something to look forward to. Add to that the fact she’ll be helming the project too, and it becomes even more interesting. I’m already looking forward to seeing what she’ll be like behind the camera as a director. More news as and when we get it.

We all know Dudley Moore’s infamous performance as Arthur in the 1981 original. He was a spoilt, rich, man-child who had no grasp on the real world, and this is exactly what Russell Brand’s character, Arthur, in the 2011 version of this film is like. Unfortunately, because we’ve already seen this character 20 years ago, the fondness to Brand’s acting isn’t there. The reason the original will always override the remake is because you’ve experienced the exciting magic of a new character before. But this doesn’t make the 2011 version a bad film, it just makes it less appealing.

Brand has this incredible way to hold an audience. He’s intriguing to watch and mesmerising to listen to. He’s perfectly English with a cockney twist, and suits the role as Arthur perfectly. However, as you’re watching him, you can only feel it is an impression of Moore’s performance. It is a nice break from seeing Brand play a drug/alcohol addict though. He’s childlike persona is fun and carefree, and when put against the other characters in this film, it’s a strong presence on screen.

Speaking of other characters, they are what turns this film from bad to bearable. Helen Mirren (Hobson) is beautiful, elegant, charming and completely charismatic. She and Brand blend so smoothly together, and as they say, opposites do attract. From watching these two play off each other, you can see the chemistry and fun they must have had on set. Greta Gerwig (Naomi) is also lovely to watch. She’s the right balance between kooky and smart to make her the perfect co-star to Brand. To have these two characters in Arthur’s life, they balance out his dominant persona, keep him grounded and provide other levels to this relatively carefree film. What also provides this is Jennifer Garner’s (Susan) naughty yet sophisticated character who frankly wants money and will do anything for it, which makes Arthur seem almost sensible.

The levels of comedy vary from Arthur’s obvious punchlines, Jennifer’s slapstick approach, and the typical foreign man not understand things from Bitterman (Luis Guzman). We also watch as Gerwig and Brand have a knowledge of vocabulary speak-off with each other, making their conversations golden. We are given ridiculously childish scenes, which are extended in the special features on the DVD. We watch as Arthur puts on various fancy dress costumes, see as Naomi discovers the opposite worlds between her and Arthur, and cringe at statements made towards Hobson.

But it’s not all fun and games, there is a strong sentimental bond between Arthur and his two girls which shows his dependability. The final few scenes prove Brand’s acting abilities, giving him a sentimental touch which almost brings a tear to the eye. It ends with a nice conclusion as you would imagine, bringing the whole experience to a relatively satisfying end.

It’s not groundbreaking or as good as the original, but it’s still a light-hearted fun watch. If you’re a Brand fan you’re bound to be pulled in by the cover of the DVD, and then be pleasantly surprised with the outcome. If you’re not, then maybe you might want to just watch the original.

Arthur is available to buy and rent here.

***~~ (3/5)

The ultimate action-packed bunny adventure arrives on extras-packed Blu-ray and DVD on August 29th and HeyUGuys are giving you the chance to win a copy!

Featuring an all-star cast including the voices of Russell Brand (the voice of E.B.) and Hugh Laurie (the voice of E.B.’s Dad) HOP follows the trials and tribulations of teenage bunny E.B as he attempts to pursue his rockstar ambitions with hilarious consequences.

Not content with working in the family business, E.B heads to Hollywood to pursue his dream of being a famous drummer but when the cheeky chicks plan a takeover E.B has to leap in to save the day.

We have 5 extras packed Blu-ray copies of this laugh out-loud family comedy to give away so to be in with your chance to win one just answer the following question using the form below,

Hugh Laurie stars as which US TV Doctor?

Competiton Now Closed

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 29th August at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received
• No cash alternative is available
• Prize is non-exchangeable and non-refundable. There is no cash alternative
• The Editor’s decision is final and binding on the entrants. No correspondence will be entered into

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

TomCruise.com which obviously we follow avidly (and we do follow him on Twitter!) have released the first image Tom in his new movie, Rock of Ages. If you missed the previous image from the film, click here to take a look at Russell Brand and Alec Baldwin making the most of rock style!

The movie stars Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Akerman, Paul Giamatti to name but a few and should be with us Summer next year.

A small-town girl arrives in Hollywood at the height of the 1980s rock-music scene.

Click the image below to enlarge.

Hasn’t the world become a better place since Alec Baldwin began to lighten up, shed some of his ego (if not his weight) and show off his considerable comedic chops in small screen favourite 30 Rock.

As if you needed another reason to smile, he’s now been snapped by director Adam Shankman (with co-star Russell Brand) on the set of 80’s musical Rock of Ages in a somewhat outlandish, yet strangely natural-looking rock get-up.

With reports that the actor had to be talked into staying on what looks like an incredibly fun productions by the film’s producers (Alec – Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul Giamatti, Malin Akerman, Mary J. Blige and even Tom Cruise have also investing in having fun here!), having now seen this image, surely he realises that to have jumped ship would have been a real tragedy.

Keep smiling Alec. You rock.

Via Cinema Blend

Following on from our interview with co-star Greta Gerwig yesterday, we also (briefly) sat down with director Jason Winer to discuss his big-screen debut of the famed 80’s comedy, Arthur.

Winer (who is also an actor and comedian) is perhaps best known for being one of the directors on the award-winning ABC US series Modern Family (which is shown over here on Sky).

We asked him about how he tackled updating the material for a new, modern audience.

The remake of 80’s comedy Arthur is out now in cinemas and we were lucky to grab a couple of minutes to chat with rising star and Russell Brand’s love interest in the film, Greta Gerwig.

The film marks her second role in a big, mainstream Hollywood comedy (she featured in rom-com No Strings Attached earlier this year), but Gerwig is also known for her work within the independent ‘mumblecore’ film movement in the US, where, as well as appearing in front of the camera, she’s also performed writing and directing duties. She talks a little bit about this other side to her career (below).

Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago) has signed on to co-star in ensemble musical Rock of Ages.

Zeta-Jones will star opposite Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Mary J. Blige, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Julianne Hough, and newcomer Diego González Boneta.

A small-town girl arrives in Hollywood at the height of the 1980′s rock-music scene.

Adam Shankman (Hairspray) will direct, with production expected to begin in May.

Offspring Entertainment, Maguire Entertainment and Corner Store Entertainment will co-produce.

Source: THR

If you’ve seen the original Arthur, there’s not much (if any) point in seeing this remake. Unless, of course, you’re a diehard Russell Brand fan.

Perhaps the most complained about problem with Arthur, besides the fact that it’s starring Russell Brand, is the tagline “Meet the world’s only lovable billionaire.” A couple of valid points have been made by others and are worth repeating here: firstly – the fact that his mother threatens that Arthur will lose his inheritance of $950 million (note the M for MILLION), and secondly, even if he were a billionaire he’s certainly not the *only* lovable one – what about Bruce Wayne, or that woman that wrote that about a boy who finds out he’s a wizard?

Arthur (Brand) is a wealthy, unemployed alcoholic working his way through his trust fund feeling quite content that he won’t have to work a day in his life, spending his days avoiding his mother (Geraldine James) and being looked after by Hobson (John Gielgud in the original, a role now gender swapped to Helen Mirren) and his chauffer Bitterman (Luis Guzman). Tired of his womanising ways his mother tells him he must settle down and marry ex-girlfriend Susan (Jennifer Gardner) or face losing his inheritance but finds himself falling in love with a beautiful tour guide/writer named Naomi (Greta Gerwig).

It’s always better to go into a film with low expectations and be pleasantly surprised than have high expectations and be thoroughly disappointed. This is something to definitely keep in mind for Arthur.

It’s decent enough to provide some good laughs, but it rarely differs from the original and you’ve got to actually like Russell Brand if you intend to remotely enjoy the film, a task which some people find impossible to achieve.

I did think Helen Mirren was absolutely wonderful and often saved most scenes, in particular a distinctly awkward Alcoholics Anonymous scene and the first time Arthur tried to cook her breakfast is a charming and lovely scene of Arthur for the first time trying to take care of someone other than himself.

However the pros cannot outweigh the cons. Being a fan of Alias I used to like Jennifer Gardner, but now I feel like her choice in films doesn’t quite suit her and I’m a bit tired of her playing the kooky/quirky/a little bit crazy character as can be seen in the “cat sex” scene where she purrs and preens herself. Greta Gerwig is charming but a little too 2D for me to believe and everyone just trails along behind Brand’s one man show to the point that when the film tries to touch upon a serious and emotional point it feels very out of place and not within the tone of the rest of the film at all.

You could pick a worse film to see at the cinema, and if you like Russell Brand or want to watch how to get drunk and drive a Bat mobile you’ll get a few laughs, but otherwise I wouldn’t recommend rushing to the cinema to see it.

***~~ (3/5)

Usually when London is on the world stage for any movie premiere or event, it’ll be freezing cold, windy and raining but it seems that someone paid a pretty penny to have the sun shining down on London’s O2 area. last night for the European Premiere of Russell Brand’s new movie Arthur.

This footage comes from our friends at Upbeat who got to speak with all the main cast which as well as Brand includes Helen Mirren, Greta Gerwig, Luis Guzman, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Garner and is directed by Jason Winer.

Check out the interviews and footage from last night’s premiere in the video below. The movie hits UK cinemas this Friday, 22nd April.

Yahoo have released this new clip from Russell Brand’s new movie, Arthur which is a remake of the Dudley Moore film from 1981. Arthur is directed by Jason Winer and also stars Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner, Greta Gerwig and Nick Nolte.

Synopsis: Irresponsible charmer Arthur Bach has always relied on two things to get by: his limitless fortune and the good sense of lifelong nanny Hobson to keep him out of trouble. Now he faces his biggest challenge — choosing between an arranged marriage that will ensure his lavish lifestyle or an uncertain future with the one thing money can’t buy, Naomi, the only woman he has ever loved. With Naomi’s inspiration and some unconventional help from Hobson, Arthur will take the most expensive risk of his life and finally learn what it means to become a man.

If you’ve missed the previous trailers or other coverage for Arthur, you can catch up here.

From what we can find, Arthur us released in the UK on 22nd April.

Universal Pictures have released the third and most likely final trailer for their new Easter movie, Hop. It’s produced by the same people who brought us Despicable me and directed by Tim Hill. Hop stars James Marsden, Russell Brand, Kaley Cuoco, Hank Azaria, Elizabeth Perkins, Gary Cole, Chelsea Handler and Hugh Laurie.

Synopsis: Blending state of the art animation with live action, Hop is a comedy about E.B. (voiced by Russell Brand), the teenage son of the Easter Bunny. On the eve of taking over the family business, E.B. leaves for Hollywood in pursuit of his dream of becoming a drummer. He encounters Fred (James Marsden), an out-of-work slacker with his own lofty goals, who accidentally hits E.B. with his car. Feigning injury, E.B. manipulates Fred into providing him shelter, and Fred finds himself with the world’s worst houseguest.

Hop is released in the UK 1st April, just in time for Easter. Check out the trailer below or click here to view everything else HOP related!

While we were sleeping last night, Warner Bros. Pictures released the second trailer (first here) for the remake of the 1981 Dudley Moore movie, Arthur which this time sees Russell Brand take on the lead role. Arthur is directed by Jason Winer and also stars Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner, Greta Gerwig and Nick Nolte.

Synopsis: Irresponsible charmer Arthur Bach has always relied on two things to get by: his limitless fortune and the good sense of lifelong nanny Hobson to keep him out of trouble. Now he faces his biggest challenge — choosing between an arranged marriage that will ensure his lavish lifestyle or an uncertain future with the one thing money can’t buy, Naomi, the only woman he has ever loved. With Naomi’s inspiration and some unconventional help from Hobson, Arthur will take the most expensive risk of his life and finally learn what it means to become a man.

This second trailer gives us a much better insight into the storyline of the movie showing the love interest Greta Gerwig who gets in the way of the marriage between Arthur (Brand) and Garner’s character, Susan Johnson.

From what we can find, Arthur us released in the UK on 22nd April.

The Tempest brings Shakespeare’s final masterpiece to the big screen, I caught up with Djimon Hounsou where we talked about his Director Julie Taymor, and stars Helen Mirren and Russell Brand.

The Tempest stars Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Alfred Molina, Alan Cumming, Chris Cooper, Djimon Hounsou and is directed by Julie Taymor.

Synopsis: In Julie Taymor’s version of ‘The Tempest,’ the main character is now a woman named Prospera. Going back to the 16th or 17th century, women practising the magical arts of alchemy were often convicted of witchcraft. In Taymor’s version, Prospera is usurped by her brother and sent off with her four-year daughter on a ship. She ends up on an island; it’s a tabula rasa: no society, so the mother figure becomes a father figure to Miranda. This leads to the power struggle and balance between Caliban and Prospera; a struggle not about brawn, but about intellect.

The Tempest hits UK cinemas 4th March 2011.

Why not spend a few short moments taking a look at the new international character poster for Tim Hill’s animated film, Hop.

Out on the 1st of April this one has Russell Brand and James Marsden (one voicing a CG Rabbit, the other not) and let’s be clear – the only thing that will differentiate this from the thousand and one other CG/Real Life mash ups currently in production is a decent script with perhaps a hint of subversion.

Synopsis time reading fans,

Blending state of the art animation with live action, Hop is a comedy about E.B. (voiced by Russell Brand), the teenage son of the Easter Bunny. On the eve of taking over the family business, E.B. leaves for Hollywood in pursuit of his dream of becoming a drummer. He encounters Fred (James Marsden), an out-of-work slacker with his own lofty goals, who accidentally hits E.B. with his car. Feigning injury, E.B. manipulates Fred into providing him shelter, and Fred finds himself with the world’s worst houseguest.

Three posters await you should you cast your eyes downwards and click like crazy to make them big and stuff.

IMPA did it again.

Seth MacFarlane (the man who unleashed Peter Griffin on audiences around the world), is currently in pre-production with live-action feature, Ted. Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis are reported to be in final negotiations to appear, and now another name is in the mix.

Coming Soon has revealed that Giovanni Ribisi (last seen trying to drive those perky Na’vi out of their natural habitat) has joined the cast in the tale of a grown man who attempts to shed the everyday presence in his life of his favourite teddy bear from childhood.

This premise sounds like a cuddly reinterpretation of Drop Dead Fred (recently mentioned itself as a possible remake and vehicle for Russell Brand), although Family Guy creator MacFarlane must have cruder tricks up his sleeve, given his propensity for pushing the bad taste boundaries in his small screen work.