With all of the summer’s big hitters gearing up for the home stretch of post-production, editing, looping, scoring and the like, we can expect a steady stream of stills, trailers, clips and so forth to issue out of the machine that is the Wood of Holly. Indeed, it is less than a month until Super Bowl Sunday in the US, when there will be a massive splurge of TV spots for every summer release you can think of, but in the meantime we have at least a new still from Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man, which (come July) will tell us how well audiences will respond to a reboot of what has until now been their most financially and critically successful character.

Much as I enjoyed the first two Raimi Spider-flicks (and I really, really did), I’m far from in thrall to his vision of the web-slinging one and I am keen to see what a lower budget, a more stripped back iteration of the character and Andrew Garfield’s acting chops make of Spidey.

Until we get something more meaty (and a proper trailer cannot surely be far off), we have this still from Entertainment Weekly, via ComicBookMovie.com to enjoy, with a mask-less Peter Parker readying to spin some web and leap into action. He seems to have the characterisation of Parker and Spider-Man nailed down from the little we have seen so far. Here’s hoping for a cracking film….

Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s renowned The Great Gatsby is one of the many highly anticipated films due out next year, and we’ve already seen some great photos from the set back in August and last month.

We’ve now got two beautiful first official images from the film, courtesy of SassiSam via Collider, and they are truly intoxicating in their presentation of the glamour of Fitzgerald’s 1920s Jazz Age.

The Great Gatsby’s official synopsis surfaced back in September, along with a promise to do Fitzgerald’s story justice from Luhrmann, and it looks a little something like this:

““The Great Gatsby” follows Fitzgerald-like, would-be writer Nick Carraway​ as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz and bootleg kings. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy, and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan. It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, within and without the world he inhabits, he pens a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles.”

Leonardo DiCaprio stars in the leading eponymous role, with Tobey Maguire taking the role of Nick Carraway, Joel Edgerton and Carey Mulligan​ playing Tom and Daisy Buchanan​, Isla Fisher​ and Jason Clarke playing Myrtle and George Wilson, and Elizabeth Debicki playing Jordan Baker, Nick’s love interest.

Luhrmann’s anticipated adaptation is set to be released in the States in 3D on Christmas Day, which will see it released directly alongside Tarantino’s Django Unchained, both of which seem to be lining themselves up for the Oscars at the start of the following year. The UK is yet to have its release date confirmed, but we can no date expect it to hit our cinemas either late in 2012 or very early in 2013. Without further ado, here are the beautiful first images from the film. As usual, click to enlarge.

Set pictures of Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire for the novel adaptation of The Great Gatsby have been put online this week, showing the cast filming at Centennial Park on Friday (18th November) in Sydney, Australia.

Baz Luhrmann is directing the adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel. The story follows Nick Carraway who moves to Long Island and is lured into the lavish world of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby.

DiCaprio, who will be playing Gatsby, told Access Hollywood that, “What’s really cool is working with [director] Baz [Luhrmann] and this 3D format that’s being used for drama.” He explained: “Most of the time, you associate 3D with the spectacle of it, but he really wants to use 3D to create emotional impact with the characters and almost use it like what it would be like to immerse yourself in a theater production.”

Maguire will be playing Nick Carraway and Mulligan will be playing Daisy Buchanan, Nick’s friend and Gatsby’s love interest.

The cast also includes Brendan Maclean, Amitabh Bachchan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher, Elizabeth Debicki, Jason Clarke, and Callan McAuliffe, and the film is set to be released on 25th December, 2012.

Here are the set images, courtesy of Just Jared

We recently got the first photos from the set of The Great Gatsby showing Leonardo DiCaprio looking younger than ever, cruising around in a classic car with Tobey Maguire riding shotgun.

With production now underway, Collider report that the official synopsis for Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s brilliant novel has been released, along with a promise to stay true to Fitzgerald’s story from the director himself.

““The Great Gatsby” follows Fitzgerald-like, would-be writer Nick Carraway as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz and bootleg kings. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy, and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan. It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, within and without the world he inhabits, he pens a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles.”

So far, so good. I admit that it’s been a few years since I last read The Great Gatsby, but if I remember correctly, though Nick is indeed the narrator of the novel, telling us Gatsby’s story, I don’t think he is actually writing the story as the novel progresses. So it will be interesting to see if this minor change has been made, as the final sentence of this synopsis might suggest.

It’s also nice to hear Luhrmann’s reassuring promise to do Fitzgerald’s story justice, and I sincerely believe he’ll stand by his word and make a brilliant film.

“Fitzgerald loved the movies and was a passionate believer in the power of cinema. “The Great Gatsby” has been adapted for the screen no less than four times. Fitzgerald’s story defies time and geography. The vision and the goal of our remarkable cast and creatives is to do justice to the deftness of Fitzgerald’s telling, and illuminate its big ideas and humanity. This is our challenge and our adventure.”

Leonardo DiCaprio stars in the leading role, with Tobey Maguire taking the role of Nick Carraway, Joel Edgerton and Carey Mulligan playing Tom and Daisy Buchanan, Isla Fisher and Jason Clarke playing Myrtle and George Wilson, and Elizabeth Debicki playing Jordan Baker, Nick’s love interest.

Luhrmann has shown us with films like Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet that he is incredibly capable of bringing classic stories to life so brilliantly, vividly, and successfully, and I fully anticipate that his take on The Great Gatsby is going to do the same. The novel is certainly a classic, but I think Luhrmann’s vision of it really will do it justice like he says.

One of the things I am most curious about this project is the fact that it will be in 3-D, because I can’t necessarily see a need for it to be in 3-D. It could be that Luhrmann is a big fan of the technology, and he wants to show that it isn’t just action films that benefit from it. Whatever the reason, I am very much looking forward to seeing this project when it’s completed, and can’t wait for its release at the end of next year.

There are a small number of actors and actresses in Hollywood who seem to be able to defy time and stop the aging process. The list would include the likes of Jodie Foster, Matthew Fox, Morgan Freeman, and a handful of others.

The first photos from the set of Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s much-loved novel, The Great Gatsby, via ComingSoon.net, show that Leonardo DiCaprio is very much a member of that list.

We recently got our first look at DiCaprio in Clint Eastwood’s upcoming J. Edgar, and these new photos from Luhrmann’s set look like the actor has gone one step further and actually discovered a way to reverse the aging process, because he really does look so much younger when you consider the two films have been shot so close together. Pretty impressive stuff.

The brilliance of Fitzgerald’s original novel, set a few years after the end of WWI, means many will be sceptical of Luhrmann’s project and whether or not it will do justice to the original material. Nonetheless, it’s a project I’m rather looking forward to. I really enjoy Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet, so I remain hopeful for another brilliant film with The Great Gatsby. It’s certainly a big undertaking, but he’s put together a fantastic cast to help him make it.

DiCaprio will be playing the eponymous Jay Gatsby; Tobey Maguire will be playing Nick Carraway, the novel’s narrator and Gatsby’s next-door neighbour; Joel Edgerton will be playing Tom Buchanan and Carey Mulligan will play his wife, Daisy, with whom Gatsby is in love; Jason Clarke will play George Wilson, the local mechanic, and Isla Fisher his wife Myrtle, with whom Tom is having an affair.

The film isn’t due out until the end of next year, so we’ve still some time to wait to see the final product, but production has begun over in Sydney, and for now we can enjoy these first photos showing DiCaprio and Maguire looking the part in a beautiful, and undoubtedly rather expensive, old-fashioned car. Without further ado, here are the first three photos from the set of The Great Gatsby. As usual, click to enlarge.

THR is reporting that Lee Daniels, director of 2009’s Academy Award-winning Precious, is going to be directing Matthew McConaughey, Tobey Maguire, Zac Efron, and Sofía Vergara in upcoming thriller, The Paperboy, the film adaptation of the 1995 book of the same name by Pete Dexter.

Pedro Almodóvar (The Skin I Live In, All About My Mother) has been working with Dexter on turning the novel into a film for over a decade, and with Daniels now signed on to direct, and the leads now filled with some promising names, the project is certainly taking a more concrete form.

At the centre of the story is the character Jack James (presumably to be played by Efron), younger brother of investigative journalist, Ward, who works for the Miami Times. Ward returns to his hometown in Moat County, Florida, with fellow reporter Yardley Acheman to look deeper into the murder of a local sheriff, whose supposed murderer is on death row. A woman by the name of Charlotte Bless has fallen in love with the inmate, and comes to Florida to help fight against his execution, and it is she who first puts Ward and Yardley onto the case.

Though it is yet to be announced, it’s likely safe to assume that Ward and Acheman will be played by McConaughey and Maguire, and Bless will be played by Vergara. Which of the roles will go to each of the men is not yet clear. Acheman is said to be a man who likes to cut corners and is more willing to be a little more lenient with the “facts,” so I think McConaughey could well be the more likely of the two to be cast in his role, with Maguire perhaps more believable as a small-town reporter making a name for himself in Miami. The novel is told from the perspective of Jack, so of all the stars, Efron could well be the most prominent in The Paperboy, which gets its name from Jack’s job delivering the papers for his father’s newspaper.

Efron is often undeservedly written off as a ‘serious actor’ because of his popularity amongst young teens after his success with High School Musical, but in my eyes he’s shown he’s more than capable to fill other roles in recent years. Hilary Shor (Children of Men) will be producing alongside Daniels, and Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, and Danny Dimbort (the team that brought us The Expendables, The Mechanic, and will be bringing us Red Sonja) will be serving as executive producers. Daniels is going to be working on Selma, an upcoming film about the Civil Rights Movement in 1960s America, and hopefully work on The Paperboy will get underway soon after that.

All change for Baz Lurhmann’s big screen 3D adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby as a long rumoured cast member walks away while any saunters in.

e Affleck’s name has been floating around the project for a while now and he was rumoured to be set to star as Tom Buchanan, and now Deadline report that his directing duties on the film Argo prevent him from taking on both jobs.

Argo will be Affleck’s directorial follow on from the well received 2010 movie The Town and will tell the true story of the rescue of six US diplomats in 1979 Tehran. The film is based on Joshuah Berman 2007 Wired article, “How the CIA Use a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran” and is said to have George Clooney on producing detail.

So, Affleck is out and a new Tom Buchanan is sought. Whoever it is they’ll have a rising star on their arm as THR are reporting that Isla FIsher is in talks to star as Buchanan’s mistress, Myrtle, who has a crucial part to play in the story. Fisher was recently in John Landis’ Burke and Hare and Confessions of a Shopaholic and you’d be hard pressed to find anything to compare with the dramatic scope she’ll have on take on if she is offered and accepts the role.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Macguire are all set to star in the production.

Ben Affleck (The Town) is in talks to star in The Great Gatsby, Warner Bros. Pictures’ 3D adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s literary classic.

Affleck is circling the role of Tom Buchanan and, if successful in his bid, would star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception), Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man) and Carey Mulligan (Never Let Me Go).

Midwesterner Nick Carraway is lured into the lavish world of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Soon enough, however, Carraway sees through the cracks of Gatsby’s nouveau riche existence, where obsession, madness, and tragedy await.

Baz Luhrmann (Australia) is attached to direct a screenplay he co-wrote with Craig Pearce (Moulin Rouge).

Production is expected to begin later this year.

Affleck will be seen next in Terrence Malick’s as-yet-untitled follow-up to The Tree of Life, alongside Rachel McAdams, Javier Bardem, Rachel Weisz and Olga Kurylenko.

Source: Deadline

Carey Mulligan (An Education) has officially signed on for the female lead role in Baz Luhrmann’s forthcoming adaptation of The Great Gatsby, Deadline have confirmed.

Mulligan will portray Daisy Buchanan, and joins Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception) in the role of Gatsby, with reports suggesting Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man) is expected to play his friend, Nick Carraway, who narrates the story.

Below is a photo of Mulligan taken during her an audition for the role.

It would appear that the auteur from down under, Baz Luhrmann, is ready to put the memory of his much-maligned romantic epic Australia behind him and get back into the director’s chair once again.

Bleeding Cool have reported on the news that Luhrmann has met with previous leading man Leonardo DiCaprio, the luminous Rebecca Hall and Leo’s mate Tobey Maguire with an idea of casting the trio in a new version of famed novel The Great Gatsby.

The screenplay has been adapted by the director and Craig Pearce, who was also co-writer on all three films in Luhrmann’s Red Curtain Trilogy – Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge.

We’ll keep you updated when we hear of any official announcements casting-wise, it this certainly seems like an interesting and intriguing venture for the Aussie director to make his comeback with.

Whatever the perceived rights and wrongs about Sony’s decision to ditch Sam Raimi and Maguire and reboot the Spidey franchise, it has obviously left Maguire with a bit more time on his hands.

How is he filling it? Well, by producing and starring in an adaptation of the Marcus Sakey thriller “Good People”. The novel centres on Tom and Anna Redd, who find $400,000 and then go to extreme lengths to try to keep it.

This sounds a little like the Raimi directed (and Bill Paxton/Billy Bob Thornton starring) A Simple Plan, though this time the director will be Niels Arden Oplev, who directed the original adaptation of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

With Maguire producing, we’re assuming he is eyeing the role of Tom Redd. We have no more news on casting or when the production will kick off, but of course you’ll hear as soon as we do.

Thanks to Production Weekly for the initial news and to Coming Soon for a bit more background info.

Andrew Garfield – those of you still scratching your heads are now officially beyond help – has, at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, spoken further on his casting in Sony’s upcoming Spider-Man reboot.

With dramatic double-bill The Social Network and Never Let Me Go due for release in the next few months, Garfied will begin filming on Marc Webb’s Spider-Man this December.

Voicing his enthusiasm for the character, a role he has been indirectly preparing for since the age of four, the actor explains:

His youth, his relatability, his struggle. He was just this skinny boy. He was a skinny boy who felt stronger on the inside than he looked on the outside, and I related to it immediately, and it stayed with me as I grew up.

Every single generation of the comic, the cartoons and the movies, it all means a great deal to me. It was always something that gave me hope as a skinny little kid whose sense of injustice about the world didn’t match his sense of strength about his body.

I found it so inspiring and uplifting and reassuring. To be a part of that mythology and that legacy is a true honor.

While the 27 year old actor’s boyish enthusiasm and thespian filmography may stand him in good stead for the role of Peter Parker, before the actor can take on the alter-ego of Spider-Man Garfield accepts he will have to undergo a certain level of training.

We’re just talking about where we want to go with it and what kind of body shape it should be. What the skill set should be. I know I’m going to be doing a lot of flexibility training and a lot of strength training, because I have to swing and stuff. I’m just guessing, but it’s all kind of early stages.

It will certainly be interesting to see how Garfield’s approach to the character differs from that of your ex friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man Tobey Maguire. With Webb reportedly taking the franchise in a – predictably – grittier direction than Raimi had previously, it is possible that Garfield may find himself spending more time in the costume than his CGI-happy predecessor.

As for the threat to Garfield’s treasured anonymity, the actor remains determined to avoid the call of celebrity.

I’ll do everything I can to avoid it, I think, by not associating myself as a brand, just by associating myself as an actor and not trying or pretending to be anything else. I’m just a performer who plays roles. I don’t want to be a celebrity. I don’t want to be famous. I just want to have a nice, fun life, creating things that I want to create.

Spider-Man is currently penciled in for a July 3rd, 2010 release in both 2D and 3D.

Yahoo had it first.

It was revealed this week that Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire have been ejected from the Spider-Man series, and that the franchise is to again be rebooted. Several reasons have been cited. The ‘official’ reason appears to be creative difference, the general consensus has added in financial reasons. Raimi’s Spider-Man has been one of the most successful movie series of all time, making a lot of money. So is the real problem a lack of agreement on which direction to take in a post-Dark Knight climate? Is the deeper problem that the world and character of Spider-Man are losing their relevance?

 Several recent attempts at superhero reboots and sequels have struggled. Superman Returns was accused of being too reverential to Richard Donner’s original movies. It was also a victim of development hell and too many writers. The Hulk has been attempted a couple of times with very limited success. The Fantastic Four movies have also failed to kick-start an enduring franchise.

 These properties have similarities with Spider-Man. Primary colour spandex heroes, all with extraordinary powers, living in ordinary worlds where the populace around them have no powers. They are lifted directly from the pages of decade old comics. Can we relate to characters that struggle to relate to the universes in which they are drawn? The world has changed since their creation, so should they have changed with it? Is it possible to tell mature stories with such a black and white, almost childlike ideal of clear cut good and evil?

 The X-Men movies made a concerted effort to move away from the bright, larger than life colour palette and was all the better for it. This wasn’t necessarily the reason it worked so much better than the other adaptations i’ve mentioned, though. I think the more important difference is that there is a place for them in the universe around them. They live in a world of other mutants, a whole mythology based around a jump in the evolutionary scale. The X-Men are not beyond the environment around them, they are firmly a part of it. The characters have issues, dark pasts and don’t always do the ‘right’ thing.

 The reason it works for a graphic novel property like Hellboy is that although he is painted into a contemporary environment, he is not alone. A whole underworld of demons and monsters exists, so again his existence perfectly meets the logic of his universe.

 The success of Iron Man was a bit of a surprise. It was the first movie based around the character, and Iron Man wasn’t very well known beyond the comic book community. It worked, however, because there was a relevance to it. Tony Stark has no powers, his ability is based around technology. He is not genetically advanced of the people around him, he is not an alien. Also, with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq on the minds of everyone, the military basis of the storyline is very much ‘of the moment’. Tony Stark has his own inner demons too, which may well come to the fore in this year’s sequel.

 Batman of course works for very similar reasons. No super human abilities, all the technology has real world (albeit far-fetched) application. Crime is rife in Gotham, the law enforcement is corrupt, the authorities powerless. Again, this relates to the way our society seems to be heading. Bruce Wayne is also a very dark character, which allows for deepr storylines.

 This year’s Kick-Ass, along with other ‘superhero’ movies on their way like Super and Defendor have been influenced by the shift. They all feature ordinary people, with no real ‘powers’ as the heroes. They contain characters that we can relate to, because they are no different to us or the people around them. It’s for these reasons that forthcoming movies like Thor and The Green Lantern might struggle. Thor has god-like powers, Green Lantern’s are extra-terrestrial in origin. If these projects aren’t handled the right way, they could easily suffer the same fate as Hulk and Superman.

 They CAN still work though. Because for all i’ve said, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man DID work. Movie goers bought into the characters, and they bought into the world. That’s the benefit of making a good movie. If you draw the audience in with a compelling story, they’ll happily accept the mythology it’s built around. And that’s why Sony have made a huge mistake. They should have stuck with Raimi, given him a chance to shepherd the series into the new era of comic book movies. He still had the audience.

 By starting again with a new team, and new actors, they open up the property to all the issues i have highlighted. They risk killing the franchise. If the new Spider-Man isn’t a great movie, it will join Hulk, Superman Returns and The Fantastic Four on the pile of comic adaptations best forgotten.

Please help support Heyuguys by going here and voting us Best Newcomer in the Total Film Movie Blog Awards.

 Bazmann – You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/baz_mann

The enormous sound heard around the world a moment ago was the collective drop of geek jaw at the news that Sony have scrapped plans to do a fourth Spider-Man film with Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi, instead they are sending Peter Parker back to high school.

No, seriously.

SuperHeroHype may soon collapse with the incoming hits but here’s their announcement.

Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios announced today they are moving forward with a film based on a script by James Vanderbilt that focuses on a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises.

The new chapter in the Spider-Man franchise produced by Columbia, Marvel Studios and Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin, will have a new cast and filmmaking team. Spider-Man 4 was to have been released in 2011, but had not yet gone into production.”

Now, this is crazy news. Not least because this is another Hulk-style reboot just than a few years after the most recent incarnation, but also because the film series Raimi created was very successful, and nowhere near in need of a total reboot. But this is not The Fantastic Four, whose own reboot isn’t looking too likely. This is Spider-Man and for many people Tobey Maguire is Peter Parker. The story arcs were completed in a fairly overblown manner in the trilogy but half the fun of seeing Spider-Man on the big screen again was the thrill of a nostalgic and fresh look at a beloved hero – that’s not an easy thing to do.

Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures said: “Now everything begins anew, and that’s got us all tremendously excited about what comes next. Under the continuing supervision of Avi and Laura, we have a clear vision for the future of Spider-Man and can’t wait to share this exciting new direction with audiences in 2012.”

Sam Raimi had this to say:

“Working on the Spider-Man movies was the experience of a lifetime for me. While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job,” said Sam Raimi.

The rest of the world commented: “WTF.”

About ten years ago, three promising young actors were working to secure a place amongst the Hollywood A-list. Natalie Portman had finished her first major acting role, as Mathilda in Luc Bessons Leon. She would go on to make her major breakthrough in the Star Wars prequels. Tobey Maguire had small roles in respected films like The Cider House Rules and Wonder Boys, then also got his major break in a high budget franchise, winning the role of Spiderman. Jake Gyllenhaal came to public attention through his role in sleeper Indie hit Donnie Darko, then hit the big time through a combination of big budget popcorn in The Day After Tomorrow, and critically acclaimed drama in Brokeback Mountain. Next week in the US, these three actors, firmly A-List, come together for Jim Sheridan’s brothers.
 
Brothers is a remake of Susanne Bier’s Danish film Brodre. Tobey Maguire plays Captain Sam Cahill, a family man, married with two young daughters. Sam is sent overseas to Afghanistan on his fourth tour of duty, and goes missing during the fighting. Maguire showed he was capable of good dramatic work early on, with parts in The Cider House Rules and Wonder Boys. He hit the big time with Spiderman and it’s sequels, but has struggled since to land good serious roles. With a compelling drama like Brothers in his hands, he’ll be hoping to use the chance to re-establish himself as a talented, well rounded actor.
 
Natalie Portman plays Sam’s wife Grace, who has to struggle to take care of daughters Isabelle and Maggie when her husband is overseas. Portman in contrast has done a great job of shaking off the stigma of the underwhelming Star Wars trilogy, in which she played a major role. Since Revenge of the Sith she has shone in movies as diverse as The Other Boleyn Girl, The Darjeeling Limited and V for Vendetta.
 
Jake Gyllenhaal plays Sam’s drifter brother Tommy, a charismatic rogue fresh out of prison. Gyllenhaal has continued to mix dramatic and commercial roles since he came to the fore, including great performances in Sam Mendes’ downbeat Jarhead, and Zodiac. Tommy moves in to the family home in Sam’s absence, to take care of his brother’s family. However, with no way of knowing if Sam will ever return, a relationship develops between Tommy and Grace.
 
The ill-advised union raises eyebrows amongst their extended family, and is sure to tear the family apart if Sam does ever come back. Brothers also stars An Education’s Carey Mulligan, tipped to become the next big thing in the coming year, with roles in Wall Street 2 and Never Let Me Go also on her slate.
 
Irishman Jim Sheridan is no stranger to dramatic movies, having directed the critically acclaimed My Left Foot in 1989, then later 1997′s The Boxer. Having helmed the ill-advised Get Rich or Die Tryin’ with Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson four years ago, Sheridan will be hoping this latest film will be a return to his past excellent form.
 
The screenplay has been adapted from the original Danish picture by writer David Benioff. Benioff has a past record of mixed quality. He was responsible for so-so epic Troy, and the awful X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It’s not all bad news however, as the scribe also produced cinematic gold in well received drama The Kite Runner. With a good source film to work with, all are hoping this script will be more comparable to the latter.
 
As a small dramatic piece, box office could run very slow for Brothers. Sheridan doesn’t have a lot of name value amongst mainstream movie-goers. Furthermore, despite having had lead performances in movies that grossed hundreds of million dollars, none of the three young actors are a proven draw. Spiderman and Star Wars are big franchises that would have grossed big with any cast. Similarly, Emmerich’s big budget disaster flicks have a history of making lots of money with almost B-list casts. Disney will certainly be hoping that Gyllenhaal shows some kind of cache here, as he is the star of their next big franchise hope Prince of Persia, due next year.
 
Sheridan has had a taste of Oscar with nomination for My Left Foot as best director. He’ll be hoping all the elements will come together to enable him another stab. Certainly he has the talent, as do the young cast he has put together. Decide for yourself if it looks like it has what it takes with the trailer here,  the TV Spot here, and some images here.

Brothers is released in the US next Friday 4th December, and in the UK on 22nd January.

Bazmann – You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/baz_mann

I wouldn’t say that I’m the biggest Tobey Maguire fan in the world but after seeing a bit more of the movie for Brothers from the latest TV spot, it looks like a great performance. We showed the first trailer ack in July and this one features lots of the same clips but tells more of the story. I’ve emebedded it below or head over to Yahoo to view in HD.

Brothers stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman along with Maguire and is directed by Jim Sheridan. The movie is based on the Danish version of the film, Brødre, which was released in 2005. This new version adaptation tells the story of a family who grieve the loss of their husband and father as he has been KIA in Afghanistan, only to discover that he is alive a while later. The problems come when Maguire’s brother (played by Gyllenhaal) has been comforting his wife (Portman) and getting a bit too close for comfort. The poo hits the fan when Sam Cahill (Maguire) returns to discover what’s been going on and from the trailer, goes absolutely psycho.

Brothers is released 22nd January.

Some more casting news reaching us from Variety.com that the wonderfully named “Mad Men” star January Jones has joined Nicolas Cage in the bizarrely named “The Hungry Rabbit Jumps”.

Being directed by Roger Donaldson, he who directed Cocktail and the Bank job at both ends of his career, and having the current hit and mostly miss Cage on board I’m feeling it’s heading for averageness already but time will tell.

Produced by Tobey Maguire, James Stern and Ram Bergman the film is based on Nicolas cages character who after a crime is committed on his wife he enlists a vigilante group to help him settle the score with devastating consequences as he will owe them a favour in return.

An interesting sounding film that has all the potential for Cage to overplay, but possibly this is the one we’ve all been waiting for from Cage. Fingers crossed.