Another quickie – This time it’s Tom Hooper discussing how much more enjoyable the ceremony is without the pressure of a nomination, and talking about Les Miserables. (see all our BAFTA coverage including the full winners list and other interviews here).

I presume you get invited to these forever now that you’re a winner.

‘I know. I’m presenting this year, but it’s amazingly relaxed. I can’t tell you the difference between last year. There’s a lack of stress arriving in the car, but it’s obviously nice to be here having won last year, that’s the nicest way to do it.’

Presumably though last year it was almost a foregone conclusion.

‘Not from where i was, and not at this stage in the year. In fact, when I started I never thought I could win the Oscar, so in a way the pressure mounts the more it’s possible rather than decreases.’

And obviously back in the saddle this year with Les Mis.

‘Yeah, I start shooting in five weeks time in Pinewood Studios with Hugh Jackman, Russel Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Sascha Baron-Cohen, Helena Bonham-Carter, Amanda Seyfried and Eddie Redmayne. It’s an outrageously wonderful cast.’

Anyone you’ve not cast in it?

‘Unfortunately Victor Hugo didn’t write enough parts to get every wonderful actor, but I’ve got a few’

At the start of this year it was being touted as a 2012 release, but there have been rumours that it will slip to 2013. Is there any truth in that?

‘We’re still looking to make the December date. Because it’s very tight we’re all being careful about it, but we’re still on the December date’.

Everything about Tom Hooper’s upcoming film adaptation of Victor Hugo’s renowned novel, and the subsequent stage musical, Les Misérables, sounds perfect so far.

Russell Crowe will be playing the male co-lead of Jean Valjean, with Hugh Jackman joining him as Inspector Javert, and Anne Hathaway will be bringing to life the female lead, Fantine.

When Hooper announced last month that he wouldn’t be using 3D for the film, he also said that we should expect to soon hear casting news about the roles of Éponine and Cosette, and it looks as though we could well be getting confirmation soon now.

Twitch are reporting, via The Playlist, that Taylor Swift and Amanda Seyfried have been offered the roles of Éponine and Cosette, respectively, after Hooper’s search in the past few months, with Swift beating the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Evan Rachel Wood, and Lea Michele for the role.

It was also announced last month that the cast of the film is expected to sing live on set, in front of the cameras, rather than pre-recording their vocals in a studio, which sounds like such a novel approach to me. Naturally, this means that the actors and actresses will need to be able to sing themselves, rather than use voice doubles. Swift of course has a background in music, but I hadn’t realised that Seyfried has been trained in opera singing herself, so both should come in handy for the hopeful pair.

The rest of the casting so far announced includes Sacha Baron Cohen and Eddie Redmayne, and the production is set to begin this spring. This could potentially cause a scheduling conflict with Swift, who has a tour lined up forAustraliaandNew Zealand, but hopefully this is something they can work around.

Les Misérables is set to make its US debut on 7^th December this year, perfectly lining it up for the Oscars in 2013. With a bit of luck, we’ll be getting it here in theUK at the same time to enjoy it before the end of the year too. I can’t wait. More news as we get it.

Already pencilled in as an Oscar contender with a release at the end of next year, news surrounding Tom Hooper’s follow-up to The King’s Speech with Les Misérables has just been getting better and better.

Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman will be taking the roles of the male co-leads Jean Valjean and Inspector Javert respectively, and Anne Hathaway will be gracing the big screen adaptation in the role of Fantine, the female lead. And joining them will be Eddie Redmayne and Sacha Baron Cohen, who’s really been mixing up his career in the past few years.

We heard back at the start of the month that Hooper had decided against using 3D for the big screen production of the world-renowned novel by Victor Hugo, which of course spawned the musical that has become world-famous in itself.

We now have the very interesting news, courtesy of The Sun via Collider, that the film’s cast will be doing something beyond what is ordinarily asked of film musicals’ casts. Rather than recording their vocals in a studio, and miming the words in front of the cameras, they will instead have their vocals recorded live before the cameras, which sounds like it should definitely bring a sense of immediacy, not to mention authenticity, to the film.

“Unlike most film musicals, the cast will record their vocals live on camera rather than go into a studio first then mime on film to the pre-recorded vocal… First they have to learn the complex songs, then they’ll have to get it right on set in front of the other stars and crew.”

Hooper clearly isn’t making things easy on himself or the cast, but it sounds like a thoroughly interesting path to take with the film, and I’m loving everything that we’ve heard about the project so far. I’ve never seen a musical that’s been made like this, and can’t wait to see how it translates on screen.

Les Misérables will be released in the USon 7^th December next year, and though theUK is yet to have a release date announced, I’d imagine that we’ll be getting it around the same time too. The date really does set it up to be an Oscar contender in the following year’s awards, and it’s not too far a stretch to imagine that Hooper’s production might well see a similar success to his last film.

Just to add a little context/random information, the last weekend of November and the first two weekends of December this year saw Hugo, The Muppets, The Artist, A Dangerous Method, My Week With Marilyn, Shame, Young Adult, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy all released in the States, and pretty much all of them are being talked about as potential Oscar candidates for the Academy Awards next February. So with a little bit of luck, we’ll be saying the same thing about Les Misérables by this time next year. I can’t wait.

In the past year, director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) has seen himself become almost overnight a huge success, with The King’s Speech topping many critics’ and individuals’ Films of the Year lists last year, along with earning himself the Best Director award at the Oscars earlier this year.

His next project, a film adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel, Les Misérables, is lining up to be pretty damn brilliant, with a cast that currently includes Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, and rumours of Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter to boot.

Talking to the BBC, Hooper has now put to bed the possibility of the project being released in 3D, saying,

“I can definitely announce it’s good old-fashioned 2D.”

He confirmed that he had been doing some testing with shooting it in 3D, but ultimately decided against it, which I think is a good move for him. Justifying the decision, he said that he wanted to make a film that everyone could connect with:

“One of the things I’m most proud of with The King’s Speech is how it managed to do that, whether you’re eight or 80 years old.

“So I slightly worry with 3D that some people will physically struggle with it. If you have a certain type of eyesight it can be more demanding than watching a normal movie.

“With a two-and-a-half hour film, I didn’t want to make something that anyone might think ‘That’s not for me, because I don’t like the medium’.

“I wanted to make a film that would touch everyone. I believe the story is so strong, 3D is not essential.”

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the 3D medium, in part because the 3D glasses on top of my regular glasses just doesn’t feel comfortable and often ends up giving me a bit of a headache, so I can definitely appreciate Hooper’s reasoning here. Granted, I definitely would’ve still gone to see the film however it was released, but I’m glad that he’ll be sticking to 2D, and it’s that much better for ticket prices on our end.

Hooper also added that we should be getting some more casting news soon for the roles of Cosette and Éponine, both of which I believe are child roles, and hopefully we’ll get confirmation of Rush and Bonham Carter’s involvement with those announcements too.

“I’ve never done a film where big star actors are as obsessed with being in it as this!”

The cast is already fantastic, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out when it arrives on the big screen next year. Shooting is scheduled to begin in March, with a release date currently set for December of next year, perfectly lining it up for consideration for the Oscars at the start of 2013. As always, more news as we get it.

Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) has made a huge name for himself both here and in the States with his Oscar-winning direction of The King’s Speech, which won four Oscars and earned a further eight nominations earlier this year.

His follow-up film has been set as an adaptation of Les Misérables, based on the 19th Century novel by Victor Hugo and the subsequent musical adaptation for the stage in 1980.

For a little while now, Golden Globe-nominated actor Hugh Jackman (X-Men) and Oscar winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator) have been attached to the project as the male leads, and Deadline now report that the film has found its leading lady in Academy Award-nominated actress Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married).

With a script from twice Oscar-nominated William Nicholson (Gladiator), everyone on board so far is clearly immensely talented. The story focuses on ex-convict Jean Valjean (Jackman), a man with a dark past in search of redemption. Hathaway will play the leading lady, Fantine, a beautiful young single mother abandoned by her lover; and Crowe will be playing the role of police inspector Javert.

Universal have clearly marked their intentions for the film by setting it in prime time for the Oscar race next year, with a US release date currently scheduled for 7th December, 2012.

Hathaway is currently at work playing Selina Kyle/Catwoman for Christopher Nolan’s upcoming and highly anticipated The Dark Knight Rises, due out next year on 20th July, which means we’ll have two films in which Hathaway plays the leading lady to look forward to in 2012.

It’s easy to become blinded by the shine from its multiple awards but the Blu-ray and DVD release of The King’s Speech is an opportunity to enjoy Tom Hooper’s excellent film again, and it’s an opportunity well worth taking.

The film tells the story of the ascension of King George VI to the throne and the painful maturation of the man’s public persona and its key ingredient, the voice of a King. The central relationship between Firth’s King George and Geoffrey Rush’s unorthodox Australian speech leads the film from the 1925 closing speech of the British Empire Exhibition to the rousing speech to the nation on the outbreak of War. It is a rich tale, told with impeccable pacing, focus and is something of a triumph for a relatively low budget British independent film.

It may have been decried as Oscar bait on its release, a label as unfair as it was prophetic, but there is something undeniably classic about Hooper’s film with an affecting and rich central performance from Colin Firth. The choices Hooper made with the composition and layering of the speech therapy sessions do as much for the film’s momentum as the crippling moments of public speaking, and the use of silence is pitch perfect and Hooper has spoken about his collaboration with composer Alexandre Desplat which resulted in Firth’s vocal performance having the space to breathe, to be heard.

Their is a line through Hooper’s work in which a public figure and a private relationship play out, his Damned United and TV series Longford and John Adams both played with the notion of discovering a public voice and in The King’s Speech the theme finds its most accomplished execution. We feel emotionally charged and viscerally attuned to the savage expectation, both from commoner and King, of the importance of ‘the voice’ and there is a tangible sense of helplessness in Firth’s King and  Hooper’s skill is in relaying the human aspect of the pomp and circumstance; we all feel the same as our words hit the air.

The director’s commentary has Hooper his usual generous self, and the construction of character and his famous ‘triangle of man-love’ between him and Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush is not only great fun but illuminates the on-screen relationship. The real history behind the film is given its due and the DVD and Blu-ray is bolstered with these additions but the jewel here is the rarest of beasts: an Oscar-winner that is worthy of the hype surrounding it, and is even more satisfying on a second watch. Firth arguably did better work with Tom Ford’s A Single Man but here he has to lead us through a far wider world and the reason it works it because Hooper never lets us forget who the man is. In moments of crises Hooper kicks in with a very shallow depth of field and Firth seems increasingly lost in his own prison. To be the most public person in the country and still be completely alone is a hard trick to pull off as an actor and for a director, but Hooper and Firth manage it flawlessly.

The supporting cast is exceptional, Hooper shows his playful side by casting I Claudius actor Derek Jacobi and in Jennifer Ehle he reunites the Darcy and Lizzie of the BBC’s iconic Pride and Prejudice, and it’s churlish to suggest that this film is an automatic Oscar winner and the performances and direction are not worthy of the praise it’s received. Hooper allows the film’s central story to be peppered with small moments as the bedtime story with the Princesses and the embittered interplay between Firth’s George VI and Guy Pearce’s irascible Edward VIII, never drawing our eye away from the story, embellishing it and rewarding us with a solid and inspirational piece of work that will stand with the best of British film for years to come.

Film ****~ (4/5)

Disc ***~~ (3/5)

• Commentary with director Tom Hooper
• An inspirational story of an unlikely friendship – The making of The King’s Speech
• Filmed Interview with Mark Logue
• Speeches from the real King George VI
• Production sketches from Academy Award® nominated Production designer Eve Stewart
• Production stills and Behind the Scenes photo gallery

To mark the release of The King’s Speech, available on DVD and Blu-ray 9 May, we have teamed up with Momentum to give three lucky readers the chance to get their hands on a Blu-ray copy of the award-winning film!

Toast of this year’s Academy and BAFTA Awards, The King’s Speech is the cinematic phenomenon of the year. Starring Colin Firth, Helena Bonham-Carter and Geoffrey Rush, the film is now set to become the must-have home entertainment release of 2011. Based on the true story of King George VI’s epic journey to overcome immense personal difficulties on his way to the throne, The King’s Speech deftly explores the touching and intricate personal relationship between a reluctant King and his unconventional speech therapist, Lionel Logue.

To be in with the chance of winning this fantastic prize, all you need to do is answer this simple question using the form below:

In the King’s Speech, King George VI is played by which actor?

1. Colin Firth
2. Brad Pitt
3. Hugh Grant

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 9th May 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

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

Tom Hooper’s film has waltzed through awards season winning accolades for its stars, directors, screenwriters and the film itself, and in order to capitalise on this success the film has been re-edited in the States, taking out the more offensive language and gaining a new, box-office friendly PG-13 rating.

The debate will rage on and on, but this new poster, found by our friends at Best For Film, sets the new tone nicely.

Which immediately richochets off of the cultural consciousness and suggests this moment from a true family classic,

The moments which affected me most in Tom Hooper’s film were the bedtime story with the princesses, or the quiet beakdown before the storm – and it has a huge heart. I’m also extrememly pleased that more people will be enticed into seeing the film, but I can’t help but feel Tom Hooper and David Seilder’s film has been compromised in order to make money.

Offensive language and censorship is a big part of cinematic culture and we are seeing boundaries shift back and forward for social or economic reasons and new version of The King’s Speech will make even more money and prove that re-editing a film is a viable commerical option, even if it plays merry hell with artisitic integrity.

And if you’re really annoyed just make a slight adjustment to the poster when you see it.

Last night HeyUGuys had the pleasure of attending the 31^st London Critics’ Circle Film Awards.  Hosted at the BFI Southbank, it was a great evening, featuring talented names aplenty all supping from complimentary miniature bottles of Moët served up classily with bendy straws.

It might not have the same profile as this weekend’s BAFTA ceremony, but with its awards voted for by more than 120 members of the London Circle – including critics, broadcasters and writers – it’s certainly not an event to be ignored. And with this article, accompanied by our own personal photographs from the occasion (click any image to enlarge), you can feel like you were there.

First to arrive on the red carpet were Lesley Manville, who would pick up British Actress of the Year for her performance in Mike Leigh’s Another Year, and actor Thomas Turgoose, nominated for Young British Performer of the Year for his part in The Scouting Book For Boys. Though it turned out that Turgoose was to miss out on this occasion (the award going to Conor McCarron for his role in NEDs), he was more than happy to discuss his upcoming work with us.

Known for his collaborations with director Shane Meadows, we inquired as to whether Thomas had any news on the latest This Is England sequel, this time set in 1988. “It’s like a Christmas special,” the actor revealed, giving a nice hint at when we can expect to see it on air, “But I’m not allowed to say what happens in it! Literally only about seven people have the script at the moment, but I think you can expect some surprises. In fact, you should definitely expect some pretty major surprises. It’s going to do well, I think.” What a tease!

But with all Turgoose’s projects to date being set in familiar English territory, would the actor ever consider the move across the pond? “No, definitely not. Well, to be fair, I guess I’d consider it if it was a good offer, but I still live in Grimsby at the moment – I’ve never been to America. I won an award at Tribeca once, Robert De Niro’s festival, but I had to do my maths exam!”

Shortly after Thomas left us, a wave of excitement rippled through the autograph hunters on the other side of the carpet. “Danny!”, the shouts came, “Danny who?”, we wondered, flicking through our list of attendees. Turning around, it soon became apparent than one certain Mr Danny Boyle (nominated for British Director of the Year for 127 Hours) had apparently sneaked into the ceremony unannounced, using a back entrance and avoiding the pomp of the red carpet. Dressed casually in jeans and a zip-up jumper, he posed for some publicity shots with a bottle of Moët before making his way back inside.

Next to come our way was Gareth Unwin, co-producer of The King’s Speech.  Speaking about the film, he had nothing but praise for how his colleagues approached the screenplay. “We always knew the script had humour,” Unwin explained, “but it wasn’t until Colin and Geoffrey started vibing off each other on set that we realised we had this kind of comedy bromance in the making.  If you watch the film, I think there’s this wonderful ebb and flow between high drama and real humour, which Tom Hooper manages wonderfully.”

The film’s screenwriter David Seidler followed soon after and expressed how grateful he’d been to hear about those audience’s that burst into spontaneous applause at the end of their screenings. “When it started happening in America, at the film festivals, I was really blown away by it,” he shared. “And when we were at Toronto and two thousand people stood as one and applauded, I completely lost it. I disgraced myself – tears rolling down my face – and then they put a spotlight on me!” Clearly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of praise the film has been drawing, Seidler added; “I keep on looking over my shoulder waiting to see the guy who really wrote it! I’m waiting for the alarm clock to go off and to realise that it’s all been a dream.”

When asked about the current situation regarding the film’s American certificate battle, the writer responded that “the film would have to be re-cut anyway eventually for aeroplane use and for television, so that was always going to happen.” Speaking honestly, Seidler added that he thought that “the possible error of judgement was to talk about it before the Oscars, amongst the general public. Harvey Weinstein’s a very bright man, he loves film and he’s a great marketer, but I think announcing it this early was not one of his best ideas.”

With Colin Firth being whisked past before we got a chance to lunge in with any questions about the upcoming Gambit remake, the only thing we did manage to overhear at this point was the Sunday Mirror attempting to grab an exclusive scoop of Colin’s favourite party trick. “I don’t have any party tricks, I’m afraid. I’ll have to get back to you on that one!” Drat. Though after winning his award, the star did later reveal to the News of the World that he’d been having a little jam on his guitar just the day before. Asked whether he’d ever like to set up his own band, Firth grinned as he replied; “Who says I haven’t?” King George VI rocking a six string? You heard it here first! And there’ll be more from Mr Firth later on.

Incidentally, Mrs Firth – better known as Livia Giuggioli – dazzled many of the press with an eye-cathing Henrietta Ludgate structured dress and multicoloured heels. For pictures, see the gallery at the end of this article.

With Aaron Sorkin also slipping through our fingers on the red carpet (don’t worry, we got a hold of him later on), it was time to head inside to the Winner’s Room, where we were visited by the successful gong collectors after they had received their awards.

Among the first to join us was Olivia Williams, picking up the award for British Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in The Ghost. Williams had no trouble relating what had first drawn her to the project. “Well, there’s the obvious attraction of being married to Pierce Brosnan and shagging Ewan McGregor,” the actress quipped, much to the delighted agreement of the female attendees, “but there’s also the attraction of getting to work with the greatest living auteur, possibly the greatest ever auteur, Roman Polanski. I’m still looking for the down side.”

Sharing her experience of Polanski’s directorial style, Williams suggested that the director was frank, but fair. “He tells you what he wants you to do and if you don’t do it right then you go back and do it again. But he’s always right, so if you don’t do what he tells you, you’re a fool. He’s the master of suspense and it was an honour to work with him.”

Speaking to us after receiving her award for British Actress of the Year for her part in Mike Leigh’s Another Year, Lesley Manville paid tribute to to the other actresses in the film, including Ruth Sheen who she was nominated against. ”There have been some great parts for women this year,” Manville told us, “and especially women over 40, which I think is a good move.”

Relating her fondness for Leigh, whom the actress has worked with on six occasions, Manville said; “he’s great director. The work you do with him so collaborative. You really do get asked to work with him and create the characters from scratch. With Another Year, I think he’s made a great film about the human condition and how difficult it is for all of us to try and form those relationships that can last throughout a lifetime.”

Next came the return of the man of the moment, Colin Firth, fresh from receiving his prize for Actor of the Year.  It is the second year in a row that Firth has won the award having won last year for his role in A Single Man. Speaking in a similar vein to screenwriter David Seidler, Firth suggested the response to the film had been humbling, explaining that “to hear that people are actually standing up or clapping or expressing a personal response is probably as good as it gets.”

Going on to praise the validity not only of the Critics’ Circle, but every audience, Firth commented that “films like this depend entirely on what people say about them. They don’t depend on the money because there wasn’t much, they don’t depend on a big studio machine or a big financial apparatus.” Asked about reports that the Queen has both watched and enjoyed the film, he said that “it means a very great deal to me if that is the case.”

But despite the success of The King’s Speech, it was The Social Network that came out on top, winning Film of the Year. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin was on hand to claim all four of the film’s awards – including his own for Screenwriter of the Year. “Andrew [Garfield] won tonight, David Fincher won tonight,” Sorkin summarised, “but of course the one we’re most proud of is the one we all won together.”

The key to the film’s success, Sorkin suggested, is the number of ways it can be interpreted. “I think if you line up ten people and ask them what they just saw after seeing The Social Network, you’re going to get ten different answers,” he said, “One of those answers is going to be that old media was sticking it to new media. Now, that certainly wasn’t my intention, but I don’t think it’s any less valid to take away than any of the other nine.”

When we asked him if he ever felt weary during the writing process as to how audience’s would take to a project about the founding of Facebook, Sorkin gave us an insight into his process. “I try to write what I like, what my friends would like and what I think my father would like. After that you keep your fingers crossed,” he explained. “I think if you try to write for what you think everybody’s going to like, that’s a good recipe for a bad movie.” Not wishing to take all the credit, however, Sorkin suggested that there were still “about a hundred different ways to make this movie badly. David [Fincher] managed to avoid every cliché.”

But before Mr Sorkin left, we seized the opportunity to try and wangle any exclusive news we could about his upcoming HBO series, which is set to portray the goings on of a cable news network.  ”It’s coming along well,” he shared, “I’ve written the pilot and we’re at the beginning of casting now.” The title? “More As The Story Develops.” And until we find out more, it seems very apt.

So, there you have it – the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards – done and dusted for another year! Click here to read a full list of the night’s nominees/winners and please feel free to look at the remainder of the night’s photos in the gallery below, including appearances by Will Poulter, Dexter Fletcher and winner of the Outstanding Contribution to Film award, Kristin Scott Thomas.

See you next year!

Tonight saw the fall of the 31st Critics’ Circle Film Awards, which was held for the first time at London’s BFI Southbank. Our full report will be online later today with all the red carpet gossip and winner’s reactions. Want to see Danny Boyle advertising Moët, hear about Aaron Sorkin’s upcoming HBO series, or find out whether Colin Firth has a favourite party trick? Then don’t miss out!

To whet your appetite in the meantime, though, we can now give you a full list of all the night’s winners. It was The Social Network and The King’s Speech which came out on top, grabbing four and three awards respectively, with Another Year, NEDs and Monsters also scooping rewards for their British talents.

The list below shows winners in red whilst blue text indicates the “Runners Up” as ruled by the critics board, so you can know who came close.

BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILM-MAKER

• Banksy- Exit Through the Gift Shop
• Clio Barnard – The Arbor **Runner Up**
• J Blakeson – The Disappearance of Alice Creed
• Gareth Edwards – Monsters **Winner**
• Chris Morris – Four Lions

YOUNG BRITISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR

• Jessica Barden – Tamara Drewe **Runner Up**
• Conor McCarron – NEDs **Winner**
• Will Poulter – The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
• Saoirse Ronan – The Way Back
• Thomas Turgoose – The Scouting Book For Boys

BRITISH ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• Helena Bonham Carter – Alice in Wonderland
• Christine Bottomley – The Arbor
• Minnie Driver – Barney’s Version
• Rosamund Pike – Made in Dagenham **Runner Up**
• Olivia Williams – The Ghost **Winner**

BRITISH ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• David Bradley – Another Year **Runner Up**
• Pierce Brosnan – The Ghost
• Andrew Garfield – The Social Network **Winner**
• Tom Hardy – Inception
• Peter Wight – Another Year

BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR

• Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech
• Lesley Manville – Another Year **Winner**
• Rosamund Pike – Barney’s Version
• Ruth Sheen – Another Year
• Tilda Swinton – I Am Love **Runner Up**

BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR

• Riz Ahmed – Four Lions
• Christian Bale – The Fighter **Winner**
• Jim Broadbent – Another Year **Runner Up**
• Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
• Andrew Garfield – Never Let Me Go

ACTRESS OF THE YEAR

• Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right **Winner**
• Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone
• Natalie Portman – Black Swan **Runner Up**
• Noomi Rapace – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
• Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit

ACTOR OF THE YEAR

• Jeff Bridges – True Grit
• Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network
• Colin Firth – The King’s Speech **Winner**
• Ryan Gosling – Blue Valentine
• Edgar Ramirez – Carlos **Runner Up**

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR

• Dogtooth
• I Am Love **Runner Up**
• Of Gods and Men **Winner**
• The Secret in Their Eyes
• Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR

• Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg – The Kids Are All Right
• Joel Coen & Ethan Coen – True Grit
• Chris Morris, Sam Bain, Simon Blackwell & Jesse Armstrong – Four Lions
• David Seidler – The King’s Speech **Runner Up**
• Aaron Sorkin – The Social Network **Winner**

BRITISH DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

• Clio Barnard – The Arbor
• Danny Boyle – 127 Hours
• Tom Hooper – The King’s Speech **Winner**
• Mike Leigh – Another Year **Runner Up**
• Christopher Nolan – Inception

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

• Darren Aronofsky – Black Swan **Runner Up*
• Joel Coen & Ethan Coen – True Grit
• David Fincher – The Social Network **Winner**
• Christopher Nolan – Inception
• Apichatpong Weerasethakul – Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR (THE ATTENBOROUGH AWARD)

• 127 Hours
• The Arbor
• Another Year **Runner Up**
• The King’s Speech **Winner**
• Monsters

FILM OF THE YEAR

• Black Swan
• The Kids Are All Right
• The King’s Speech **Runner Up**
• The Social Network **Winner**
• Toy Story 3

And finally, the Critics’ Circle named their TOP 10 FILMS OF 2010 as follows:

1. The Social Network
2. The King’s Speech
3. Black Swan
4. Toy Story 3
5. The Kids Are All Right
6. Another Year
7. True Grit
8. Inception
9. I Am Love
10. Winter’s Bone

And that just about wraps it up for the night’s accolades. Let us know what you think of the winners and don’t forget to check back later on for our full report of the evening’s event, complete with pictures and words from the guests themselves.

The King’s Speech is in cinemas nationwide and to celebrate this we’re giving you the chance to win a King’s Speech Notebook, Tote bag, Mug and a bookmark. We’ve been given three sets to give away so scroll down for more info.

THE KING’S SPEECH is based on the true story of Queen Elizabeth II’s father and his remarkable friendship with maverick speech therapist Lionel Logue.   Fascinating, moving and often humorous it charts the personal relationship that developed between England’s reluctant King George VI, plagued by a nervous stammer, and his irreverent Australian speech therapist.

As the second son of George V, Prince Albert “Bertie” was not expected to ascend to the throne, but when his brother Edward abdicates to marry American Wallis Simpson, Bertie, as his successor, is crowned King George VI.

George becomes King as radio is taking off as a mass medium and the Second World War looms.  Thrust into the international spotlight he must speak not only to the nation but to the people of the British Empire, across the world.  His wife, Queen Elizabeth – the future Queen Mother – is tireless in her belief in him.  Having tried all the traditional doctors she engages unorthodox outsider, Logue, to help him find a voice that can inspire a nation on the brink of war.

BAFTA winner Colin Firth (A Single Man, Mamma Mia!) stars as Prince Albert, alongside his Shakespeare in Love colleague, Oscar® winner Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean, Shine), as speech therapist Lionel Logue. The multi-award-winning cast includes Helena Bonham Carter (Harry Potter, Sweeney Todd) as Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), with Guy Pearce (The Hurt Locker) as the abdicating King Edward VIII, Derek Jacobi (Gosford Park) as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Cosmo Lang, Timothy Spall (The Damned United) as Winston Churchill, Jennifer Ehle (Pride and Glory, Pride and Prejudice) as Logue’s wife Myrtle and Michael Gambon (Harry Potter) as King George V.

To be in with a chance of winning this great prize, all you have to do is answer the following question using the form below:

Who directed the movie, The King’s Speech?

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 15th February 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

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

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The King’s Speech is currently the toast of Hollywood. Director Tom Hooper has just won the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film at the 63rd annual Director Guild of America Awards, and the film, so far, has grossed $72.2m domestically.

If it sweeps the boards at this year’s Oscars, it’s already impressive box office will undoubtedly lift the film past the magic $100m mark, although it looks like the The Weinstein Co have a plan to reach that amount sooner than that.

Harvey Weinstein wants to create a PG-13 version for a younger audience who are currently limited from seeing the film due to the numerous uses of the f-word. The R (Restricted) rating it has currently been awarded requires that under 17’s need to be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian. Weinstein gained a level of notoriety in the past with his insistence in cutting some of the films he acquired (earning him the famous nickname Harvey Scissorhands) but this is the first time he’s expressed interest in doing it, post release.

It does appear that Weinstein will only go ahead if he gets the director’s blessing, but Hooper’s own thoughts on this odd, rather contradictory rating system, would suggest he may not concede:

“The word ‘fuck’ being used in a very humorous therapeutic context — to help a man with a stammer unblock a problem — is considered a threat. Casino Royale, with Daniel Craig having his balls smashed in, tied to that chair with no bottom, doesn’t get an ‘R’. Our (America’s) film censorship is quite bizarre. Violence is acceptable while language is not, no matter the context.”

News via Deadline

The 83rd Academy Awards will take place on the 27th of February this year and the nominations have just been announced and the debate can begin.

Last year Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker defied all expectations and won Best Picture and Best Director, Jeff Bridges got his Oscar and Christoph Waltz made a lot of friends with a gracious acceptance speech.

Pixar will hope to follow their 2010 Best Animated Oscar win for Up with the runaway success of  Lee Unkrich’s Toy Story 3 sure to end with a little gold man. Inception, Black Swan, David Fincher’s The Social Network and The King’s Speech will be fighting their corners on the night and we’re hoping Colin Firth gets the nod when the 2011 Oscar for Best Actor is announced.

Whatever you think of the Oscars it’s a good time to reflect on the state of mainstream cinema and we’ll be watching on the night – join us why don’t you?

Here is the full list :

Actor in a Leading Role

• Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”
• Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”
• Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”
• Colin Firth in “The King’s Speech”
• James Franco in “127 Hours”

Actor in a Supporting Role

• Christian Bale in “The Fighter”
• John Hawkes in “Winter’s Bone”
• Jeremy Renner in “The Town”
• Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
• Geoffrey Rush in “The King’s Speech”

Actress in a Leading Role

• Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”
• Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”
• Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter’s Bone”
• Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
• Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

Actress in a Supporting Role

• Amy Adams in “The Fighter”
• Helena Bonham Carter in “The King’s Speech”
• Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
• Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”
• Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”

Animated Feature Film

• “How to Train Your Dragon” Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
• “The Illusionist” Sylvain Chomet
• “Toy Story 3” Lee Unkrich

Art Direction

• “Alice in Wonderland” – Production Design: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara
• “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” – Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
• “Inception” = Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat
• “The King’s Speech” – Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Judy Farr
• “True Grit” – Production Design: Jess Gonchor; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

Cinematography

• “Black Swan” Matthew Libatique
• “Inception” Wally Pfister
• “The King’s Speech” Danny Cohen
• “The Social Network” Jeff Cronenweth
• “True Grit” Roger Deakins

Costume Design

• “Alice in Wonderland” Colleen Atwood
• “I Am Love” Antonella Cannarozzi
• “The King’s Speech” Jenny Beavan
• “The Tempest” Sandy Powell
• “True Grit” Mary Zophres

Directing

• “Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky
• “The Fighter” David O. Russell
• “The King’s Speech” Tom Hooper
• “The Social Network” David Fincher
• “True Grit” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Documentary (Feature)

• “Exit through the Gift Shop” Banksy and Jaimie D’Cruz
• “Gasland” Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
• “Inside Job” Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
• “Restrepo” Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
• “Waste Land” Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley

Documentary (Short Subject)

• “Killing in the Name” Nominees to be determined
• “Poster Girl” Nominees to be determined
• “Strangers No More” Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
• “Sun Come Up” Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger
• “The Warriors of Qiugang” Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon

Film Editing

• “Black Swan” Andrew Weisblum
• “The Fighter” Pamela Martin
• “The King’s Speech” Tariq Anwar
• “127 Hours” Jon Harris
• “The Social Network” Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Foreign Language Film

• “Biutiful” Mexico
• “Dogtooth” Greece
• “In a Better World” Denmark
• “Incendies” Canada
• “Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)” Algeria

Makeup

• “Barney’s Version” Adrien Morot
• “The Way Back” Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
• “The Wolfman” Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Music (Original Score)

• “How to Train Your Dragon” John Powell
• “Inception” Hans Zimmer
• “The King’s Speech” Alexandre Desplat
• “127 Hours” A.R. Rahman
• “The Social Network” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Music (Original Song)

• “Coming Home” from “Country Strong” Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
• “I See the Light” from “Tangled” Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
• “If I Rise” from “127 Hours” Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
• “We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3″ Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Best Picture

• “Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
• “The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
• “Inception” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
• “The Kids Are All Right” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
• “The King’s Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
• “127 Hours” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
• “The Social Network” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
• “Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer
• “True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
• “Winter’s Bone” Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

Short Film (Animated)

• “Day & Night” Teddy Newton
• “The Gruffalo” Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
• “Let’s Pollute” Geefwee Boedoe
• “The Lost Thing” Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
• “Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)” Bastien Dubois

Short Film (Live Action)

• “The Confession” Tanel Toom
• “The Crush” Michael Creagh
• “God of Love” Luke Matheny
• “Na Wewe” Ivan Goldschmidt
• “Wish 143” Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

Sound Editing

• “Inception” Richard King
• “Toy Story 3” Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
• “Tron: Legacy” Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
• “True Grit” Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
• “Unstoppable” Mark P. Stoeckinger

Sound Mixing

• “Inception” Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
• “The King’s Speech” Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
• “Salt” Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin
• “The Social Network” Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
• “True Grit” Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

Visual Effects

• “Alice in Wonderland” Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
• “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
• “Hereafter” Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell
• “Inception” Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
• “Iron Man 2” Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

• “127 Hours” Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
• “The Social Network” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
• “Toy Story 3” Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
• “True Grit” Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
• “Winter’s Bone” Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

Writing (Original Screenplay)

• “Another Year” Written by Mike Leigh
• “The Fighter” Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson;
• Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
• “Inception” Written by Christopher Nolan
• “The Kids Are All Right” Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
• “The King’s Speech” Screenplay by David Seidler

I finally got to see The King’s Speech last night and I’m pleased to report that it’s every bit as good as everyone says it is. After the news that it has received 14 BAFTA nominations, The Weinstein Company have released this rather excellent behind the scenes featurette for the movie that is 23 minutes long!

If you liked the movie and want to go behind the scenes to find out just how the movie was created, grab a cup of tea and spend 23 glorious minutes watching the below.

The King’s Speech is directed by Tom Hooper and stars Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Colin Firth, Michael Gambon, Geoffrey Rush, Timothy Spall and Derek Jacobi.

Thanks to /Film for the heads up.

Tom Hooper’s film The King’s Speech is out in UK cinemas on the 7th of January and is the perfect way to start your cinematic year.

Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush take the lead in the story of King George VI’s reluctant ascension to the throne and the crucial relationship he strikes up with speech therapist Lionel Logue to tame the stammer which threatens to undermine his presence as King as he is thrust before his subjects under intense public scrutiny at a point in history when the people need a monarch to lead.

I had the chance to sit down with Hooper who was very keen to play up the collaborative nature of the film’s development, including his work with Firth and Rush on the all important central relationship and how this creative partnership extended beyond the filming. Hooper’s humility and considered opinion of his success was a pleasure to see and I’m hopeful for much more from Hooper in the future.

The interview took place a few days after The King’s Speech won five awards at the British Independent Film Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Colin Firth, with Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter taking home the  Supporting Actor and Actresses awards, and Hooper was in a genial and generous mood, eager to discuss his film and his next steps.

HeyUGuys

The film did very well at the BIFAs, have you been pleased with the reaction to The King’s Speech as a whole?

Tom Hooper

Absolutely, but I was almost worried because the film probably looks bigger than it was, and has taken on this momentum, so people might not acknowledge it as a British, small budget, independent film. But that’s what it is. Without the Film Council it would not have got made, without Momentum, the distributors, it wouldn’t have got made. And the studios all had it, but there were never going to make it in today’s climate.

HeyUGuys

Why do you think that is?

Tom Hooper

Well, it may change, and these things are cyclical, but at the moment the studios are focused on films that make £400 million or so, or franchises that can make over a billion and they’re not so interested in this kind of filmmaking. I think it might change but certainly when I was setting The King’s Speech up that was the world we were in. So, I was sitting at the BIFAs thinking that this is only possible thanks to independent filmmaking, and it really is a classic British independent movie.

HeyUGuys

It didn’t look like it was a small movie.

Tom Hooper

Yeah, sure and I was hoping it wouldn’t become a victim of that.

HeyUGuys

With the success of the film and the involvement of the Film Council, and given the turbulent times the industry is in where do you see yourself?

Tom Hooper

Well, I’ve always been in filmmaking, I started when I was 13 on a clockwork Bolex 16mm camera and it wasn’t to do with school, nor something to do with my parents, it was something I just did by myself so I suppose the idea that cinema is independent has always been behind the way I’ve done it. As for where I see myself now, I was very inspired by what Danny Boyle did, he had the success of Slumdog and he didn’t go and take a huge payday, he went and did a passion project on a similar kind of budget to Slumdog and people have given him credit for the fact that he followed his heart. That’s what I want to do; I want to follow my heart. I’m sure at some point there will be one of those huge movies I’ll be attracted to, the right one will come along. There’s a part of me that’s always been attracted to the Bond films because as a kid growing up they were always so associated with cinema. So, one day, in the right circumstances I can see that happening, but it would have to be right, I don’t feel as if I have to do a big film next. I think I’ll do another film like The King’s Speech. And also, people always say “Oh, I suppose you’ll be doing an American film next?” and surely the joy of The King’s Speech is it proves you can make an English low-budget film that is successful in America.

HeyUGuys

That’s good to hear, and after seeing Transformers on the TV last week I suddenly thought of you as the Anti-Michael Bay, particularly as The King’s Speech there’s an excellent use of silence and the feeling I got that you allowed yourself to step back and let the characters play the story out.

Tom Hooper

Yeah, and also what’s good to remember is that this film has an unusually small amount of score and if you look at the classic Hollywood movie, the tendency is that everything is mediated through music, and you have films where 80-90% is scored in some way and it’s almost as if they’ve lost confidence that performance and naturalism holds and it’s so great collaborating with Alexandre Desplat because as a composer he’s not an egotist, and it’s not about putting himself into every frame. He’s as likely as I am to consider a scene is better without music, or think that silence is important here. He’s a real team player. I felt it was only in the silence that you could hear this tiny detail of the clicks and stammers, and the little tiny noises that Colin’s throat was making, and even if you put any kind of background traffic on you could lose it. It was in doing the sound that I realised that it needed to be an incredibly intimate soundtrack where you gave particular emphasis to the sync soundtrack we recorded at the time that had all these extraordinary noises Colin made

HeyUGuys

Looking back at your work, in particular Longford with the title character and Myra Hindely and in The Damned United with Peter Taylor and Brain Clough, you have these dynamics in the central performances where one is very public facing and one is a bit more of an adviser…

Tom Hooper

…yes, and even John Adams with Abigail, the wife and John as the public face…

HeyUGuys

Sure, I wondered if that’s what attracted to you the project, with the man who would not be King but who had a huge public duty and yet in the more intimate moments where he breaks down, or reads the bedtime story, you were able to focus on the man himself.

Tom Hooper

Yeah, it’s funny how you only get to see themes in your work when you’ve done enough of it, and I clearly have an interest in being subversive, and this, to me, was an extremely subversive way to get through the story of the abdication, and Geoffrey Rush likes to say we were effectively telling the story of two nobodies. We had the younger brother who was never going to be King, and this Australian speech therapist who had no expectation that they were going to be in the limelight, so there was a kind of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead quality to the story – that the star of the film is Guy Pearce, who is the centre of attention and is charismatic and then suddenly these two characters get thrust into the lead. And also to tell the story of Myra Hindley through the prism of Lord Longford is subversive and to tell the story of John Adams, the non-famous President, the non-iconic revolutionary founding father, that’s quite subversive too. He’s not the natural hero of a nine-hour, $100 million series. I also share this with Peter Morgan, I have this interest in iconic personalities and what they reflect back to us about our national culture, so with John Adams it was whether you can explain the schism in modern political America through the personalities of the founding fathers, can you trace back the way America is divided against itself through the personalities of the originators. In The Damned United it’s looking at Britain through the prism of sport and Cloughie and that culture and the moment when sport exploded and in The King’s Speech it allows one to meditate on the reason why the monarchy has survived, why it’s even in a healthy position. No one is tearing down the ramparts and I think that’s because the charge against the monarchy, which is that it enshrines class privilege in a way that’s unacceptable is complicated by this story that this guy wasn’t privileged. In his childhood he was abused by his Nanny, neglected by his parents, becoming King was his idea of a nightmare and suddenly the notion of privilege falls apart with King George VI, which is interesting. On a human level, lots of stories about self development, particularly in the modern age, it’s all about me me me, it’s about turning in, and I do think I tell these stories where it’s about turning outwards, where you only become great when you turn yourself out to collaboration. In the case of Bertie it’s because he listens to his wife, and because he is willing to bring this speech therapist into his life, that he becomes great. With Brian Clough it’s about discovering that only with Peter Taylor can he be great. Maybe there’s an analogy as being a director – you’re not great alone as a director because you’re standing on the shoulders of many brilliant people. Your director is a number of people, your actors, your writers, it’s (cinematographer) Danny Cohen, it’s (production designer) Eve Stewart, it’s my regular collaborators like Nina Gold who’s cast everything I’ve done for years. So, you’re really reliant on collaboration and I wonder at some level if it’s an expression about how I feel about directing?

HeyUGuys

At the heart of the story is the collaboration between Lionel Logue and George VI, how did you work with the actors on those scenes?

Tom Hooper

We did a three week rehearsal which is really rare on a movie, usually you get a week if you’re lucky, I think on A Single Man Colin flew on a Friday and started shooting on a Monday. Geoffrey said it was the only film he’d done where the rehearsal period was as thorough as a play and what that meant is we took that script and there was not a line that we didn’t analyse and discuss, improve if we could and David (Seidler – screenwriter) was in the room, so it was a team thing. And I discovered that Colin and Geoffrey were both brilliant on text, they are fiercely bright on structure and story and they became true partners with me on how to tell the story. At the end I could ask them about not just their character but about any character, and for the first time I sent them my cuts of the film and their gave me brilliant notes, so the collaboration carried on into post production which it never had before. And we became great friends through the film, and that is evident in the film, Geoffrey had this way of describing it as a ‘triangle of man-love’, but that aside part of the film’s DNA is my fondness for those two guys and you can’t fake that, and that’s where a lot of the heart of the movie is.

HeyUGuys

It’s true there is a love for the characters, and the story in the film.

Tom Hooper

It’s true, and I think as a director I have a kind eye, and I have a love for the people in the films, and my forte tends to be stories where I can be compassionate about people rather than hating them, or keeping them at a distance. Like a movie about a serial killer where you hate him or keep pushing him away, and I feel I want to shoot people in a compassionate way, engage with them in a compassionate way.

HeyUGuys

Something that occurred to me when you reunited Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle on screen, and having great fondness for the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice I enjoyed that moment, and I think the line when they are introduced was ‘You two know each other?’…

Tom Hooper

Yeah, or something like ‘You know the King?’, well I do have a mischievous side, I mean it’s bit mischievous of me to cast Derek Jacobi who is television’s most famous stammerer from I, Claudius in this film about George VI, and there was definitely something mischievous about reuniting Colin and Jennifer which people who care about both of them would enjoy.

HeyUGuys

So, what’s next? Is Long Walk to Freedom still in your future?

Tom Hooper

Yeah, that’s still bubbling. That won’t happen next because the cast we’re thinking of means it might be 2012, next I’m not sure, but you know me, I like to shoot once a year, so I’ll probably be doing something in the spring.

HeyUGuys wishes to thank Tom Hooper for his time and we heartily recommend you see The King’s Speech as soon as you can.

IMPA have another new poster for the a movie which everyone is raving about, The King’s Speech which gets released in the UK, 7th January. The King’s Speech stars Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush. We’ve already a trailer for the movie to coincide with the screenings at the London Film Festival. Craig saw the movie and his review is up here.

Synopsis: George VI, also known as Bertie, reluctantly takes the throne of England when his brother, Edward, abdicates in 1936. The unprepared king turns to a radical speech therapist, Lionel Logue, to help overcome his nervous stutter and the two forge a friendship.

Check out the new poster below which you can click to enlarge.

Here’s a new poster for The King’s Speech, the much anticipated royal period biopic from Tom Hooper, director of last year’s The Damned United.

Colin Firth has been highly praised for his role of King George VI of Britain, who employs a speech therapist to help overcome his stammer. Geoffrey Rush (who plays said therapist) has been winning plaudits too, and it’s the image of both actors which appears to be dominating the marketing drive, despite a rather impressive ensemble including Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Michael Gambon and Timothy Spall.

The film opens in the UK on 7th January.

Poster courtesy of IMP Awards.

Colin Firth (A Single Man) is in advanced negotiations to topline a remake of the 1966 British action comedy Gambit.

Gambit centers on Harry Bean, a cat burglar, who attempts to rob a billionaire with the help of a waitress who looks exactly like the victim’s dead wife.

Firth, if cast, would play the cat burglar Harry Dean.

Michael Hoffman (The Last Station) is attached to direct a script by Joel and Ethan Coen (True Grit).

Firth is tipped to win multiple film awards for his portrayal of King George VI in Tom Hooper’s highly-acclaimed The King’s Speech.

Deadline reported this story.

Last week HeyUGuys were invited to attend the Alfred Dunhill BAFTA A Life in Pictures event and in an extended interview on stage at BAFTA Headquarters along with critic, writer and broadcaster Francine Stock, was BAFTA Award Winner and Academy Award Nominee Colin Firth. Greeted with rapturous applause, Firth’s appearance had the audience on tenterhooks as we were privy to a thoroughly engaging evening dedicated to one of Britain’s most respected, versatile and beloved actors.

Having appeared in a variety of critically-acclaimed television, film and theatre productions, Firth’s career shows no signs of slowing down at the age of 50. Much like a fine wine, his body of work just keeps on getting better and better. From his humble family roots in Grayshott, Hampshire, Firth’s journey into acting began as a sprightly 5 year old, whose determination to act was made touchingly clear by his penchant for playing dress-up and performing in school pantomimes. Fascinated by storytelling as a child, Firth’s ambition to become an actor was fully realised at 14 years old.

Encouraged by a certain teacher with whom he disclosed as having a crush on, the newly liberated and inspired teenage public school boy set his sights on an acting career. Born into a family of academics, Firth’s early years were spent living in Nigeria and mid-west America. He soon returned to Britain aged 11 and spent the best part of his secondary school years focusing on his theatre and drama studies, a departure from his missionary/teaching parents. After enrolling into the London Drama Centre, Firth admitted he felt more cut out for the avant garde than he did about getting into film work, thus focusing on more cutting edge experimental theatre instead.

Some of his earlier notable TV and film appearances ranging from ‘Lost Empires’ and ‘Tumbledown’, to ‘Valmont’ and ‘Circle of Friends’ were well received, but it wasn’t until he went onto star in the BBC’s hugely successful Jane Austen adaptation of ‘Pride And Prejudice’ that Firth was really thrust into the mainstream. Unenthused by the predictability of the character of Mr Darcy or the prospect of a costume drama being a hit, Firth turned down the role that made him a household name… several times. Taking a further two months to reconsider, Firth admitted that he only agreed to accept the part of Mr Darcy because he didn’t want it to go to anyone else and welcomed the prospect of it propelling him into mainstream acclaim. And what a sound decision that was!

Not only did ‘Pride and Prejudice’ go onto become an award-winning period piece for the BBC, it catapulted Firth into international heart-throb status. Darcy’s legacy has continued to follow him around ever since.  When asked about the longevity of Mr Darcy’s popularity among fans (self-dubbed “a national phenomenon”), he admitted his continued surprise and astonishment of it all. Known for playing extremely intense, repressed characters, the fear of being typecast did not dissuade him from pursuing his other infamous Mr Darcy character, in Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary. Accepting this role, which was coincidentally created and inspired by his Pride and Prejudice’s Darcy counterpart, is further proof of his highly commendable good humour. Never more clear than in this delightful interview conducted by Bridget Jones herself!! You really should check it out – it’s a fabulous treat for Firth and Bridget fans alike.

Continuing with the light-hearted theme, Firth reminisced about his experiences of working on the worldwide smash hit movie ‘Mamma Mia!’. Openly unapologetic about his pleasure in seeing critics and sceptics won over by this undeniably fun flick, Firth emphasised his disdain for karaoke, but admitted that he loved the feel-good fun factor of this project.

We were then treated to a snippet from the 2005 film, ‘Where the Truth Lies’, which co-stars Kevin Bacon. Based on the acclaimed novel by Rupert Holmes, Firth described it as, “a film about extraordinary guilt and bizarre tension between life off and on stage”. When asked by Stock about his particular interest in performing desperate roles onscreen, Firth went onto say that he’s “fascinated by the way people hide their true nature, their desperate and anxious sides”. And that as an actor, he’s especially drawn to those qualities, as seen in his stunning portrayal of Professor George Falconer in ‘A Single Man’.

‘A Single Man’ earned Firth his first ever BAFTA win as best actor and could not have been more well deserved. His strikingly moving performance is truly unforgettable, as was the experience of filming it, apparently. Taking 21 days to shoot, Firth described how lonely it made him feel filming so much of it on his own. Although it gave him an enormous sense of freedom, he emphasised how much he loved the experience of working with director Tom Ford and co-star Julianne Moore, even though they only filmed together for a short three days. It would be impossible to summarise this heart-breakingly beautiful and stylish film into just a few short sentences, so you can read Jon’s review of A Single Man here instead. It’s a quality piece of work, and will stick with you long after you’ve seen it.

 Firth’s filmography continues to please critics and audiences alike, and more so than ever in the upcoming release of highly anticipated ‘The King’s Speech’. With an exquisite acting ensemble, The King’s Speech is an epic true story based on the relationship between King George VI and Lionel Logue (his speech therapist). In the years leading up to his rise as King, George VI is forced to painfully confront his speech impediment in order to fulfill his public speaking duties.

A huge hit at the Toronto and London Film Festivals this year, The King’s Speech continues to reign triumphant winning the Best British Independent Film, Best Actor for Colin Firth, Best Supporting Actor and Actress for Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter, and David Seidler for his screenplay at last week’s British Independent Film Awards. Speaking candidly with Stock, Firth’s interest in this role was piqued by the psychology of stammering. Initially mortified by director Tom Hooper’s suggestion that almost every line be delivered with a stammer, he was worried that the audience would be unable to deal with the fatigue of it all.

Ultimately, it appears that this was an unnecessary concern as all eyes are firmly set on the upcoming Oscars as The King’s Speech continues to generate huge early Oscar buzz. It’s hotly tipped to scoop the Best Picture and Best Actor awards, after having already achieved a “must-see” status. Heralded as a masterpiece and film of the year by many movie critics, the countdown to the Oscars is on.

Our special thanks to BAFTA  for a truly unforgettable evening with one of Britain’s finest actors. Firth is an extremely charming and charismatic man and embodies the idea of a true English gentleman. His body of work is incredibly interesting and diverse and his international success is a credit to the UK Film industry. We wish him all the very best at the Oscars next year. The King’s Speech is released in the UK on Friday 7th January, 2011.

Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech took the lion’s share of the awards on offer last night at the 13th British Independent Film Awards, winning the Best British Independent Film, Best Actor for Colin Firth and Best Supporting Actor and Actress for Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Cater, who also took home the Richard Harris award for Outstanding Contribution to British Film.

David Seidler won an award for his screenplay for The King’s Speech and Carey Mulligan repeated last year’s Best Actress win for her work in Mark Romanek’s adaptation of Never Let Me Go, and while many expected Romanek to triumph in the Best Director award it was not to be. Instead it was Gareth Edwards’ night, taking home the award as well as Best Technical Achievement and Achievement in Production awards for Monsters.

Recalling the love for Duncan Jones’ Moon last year it’s good to see a film like Monsters championed here and it will hopefully act as encouragement to filmmakers, which is exactly what these awards are for.

Here’s the full list of awards direct from the BIFA website,

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM

Sponsored by Moët & Chandon

THE KING’S SPEECH

BEST DIRECTOR

Sponsored by The Creative Partnership

GARETH EDWARDS (MONSTERS)

THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD [BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR]

Sponsored by 3 Mills Studios

CLIO BARNARD (THE ARBOR)

BEST SCREENPLAY

Sponsored by BBC Films

DAVID SEIDLER (THE KING’S SPEECH)

BEST ACTRESS

Sponsored by M.A.C

CAREY MULLIGAN (NEVER LET ME GO)

BEST ACTOR

COLIN FIRTH (THE KING’S SPEECH)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

HELENA BONHAM CARTER (THE KING’S SPEECH)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

GEOFFREY RUSH (THE KING’S SPEECH)

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER

Sponsored by Optimum Releasing

JOANNE FROGGATT (IN OUR NAME)

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION

Sponsored by Ascent Media

MONSTERS

RAINDANCE AWARD

Sponsored by Exile Media

SON OF BABYLON

BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

Sponsored by Chapter Media

GARETH EDWARDS – VISUAL EFFECTS (MONSTERS)

BEST DOCUMENTARY

ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE

BEST BRITISH SHORT

BABY

BEST FOREIGN FILM

A PROPHET

THE RICHARD HARRIS AWARD(for outstanding contribution by an actor to British Film)

Sponsored by Working Title

HELENA BONHAM CARTER

THE VARIETY AWARD

LIAM NEESON

THE SPECIAL JURY PRIZE

Sponsored by UK Film Council

JENNE CASAROTTO