 This is the type of news that more likely than not is based only somewhat in fact (charitably), but word has recently been going around that the folks behind the James Bond franchise have been talking to Christopher Nolan about him taking over from Sam Mendes to direct the 24th Bond flick. The intriguing thing is, Nolan apparently is listening and has some level of interest. More likely than not, this won’t wind up happening, but can you imagine if it did? Skyfall was a Bond film that definitely had more than a bit of The Dark Knight influencing it, so imagine a movie that was full on of that ilk and by the helmer of that franchise himself? It could turn out to be rather epic. After the jump you can find out a bit more, but for now at least this is just a really cool rumor.
Read more on Is Christopher Nolan Considering James Bond?…
 With no shortage of films to decide between, besides the ones that were being offered and he turned down, Ben Affleck is in a pretty enviable position. Not only is he courted for nearly every big project out there, especially from Warner Brothers, but he can more or less decide to make whatever he wants. Well, he’s decided on what movie is next for him, and it’s going to be another adaptation of a Dennis Lehane novel. It’s called Live By Night and pre production has officially begun. It’s another collaboration with WB, so I’m sure they’re getting their awards campaign going as I write this. After the jump you can learn a little more about the book, but I know I’m definitely looking forward to this one.
Read more on Ben Affleck Decides on ‘Live By Night’ for his Next Directorial Project!…
 For the first time in nearly a decade (and honestly one of the rather rare times for his career on the whole) Steven Spielberg will be directing a film that’s not predominantly a period piece. Yes, for his next outing in the director’s chair, the Beard has opted to make the biopic of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, known as the most lethal sniper in United States military history. Scribe Jason Hall is adapting Kyle’s autobiography American Sniper, and as if Spielberg directing isn’t enough, he’s got Bradley Cooper in the lead role as well! Cooper actually picked up the rights to this book at one point, so it’s clearly a passion project for him, and now could be a future awards contender as well. After the jump you can see a little more about the book, but I’m very eager to see Cooper work with Spielberg and how the filmmaker chooses to bring this particular story to the big screen. They were competitors of sorts last season, but a team up could lead to even more awards glory for both. If it’s as good as I think it might be, then it could really turn out to be a winner. Read on below for more…
Read more on Steven Spielberg’s next movie will be ‘American Sniper’ with Bradley Cooper!…
 As if this project wasn’t already something to salivate over, filmmaker Christopher Nolan may very well be adding one of most in demand talents in the industry to his next directorial outing, the sci-fi film Interstellar. After already casting Anne Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey, Nolan is supposedly looking to add Jessica Chastain to his lineup. At this rate, anyone mentioned for an Oscar nod last year could very well wind up in the cast (someone tell those folks to sit by their phones), and honestly I wouldn’t mind that one bit.
Read more on Christopher Nolan wants to add Jessica Chastain to ‘Interstellar’…
 I’m still not 100% sure how I feel about crowd funding for movies that legitimately could be made through normal channels. On the one hand, this gives a filmmaker the creative control he or she wouldn’t have otherwise, but on the flip side it seems to just wind up costing fans more than usual to see a movie they’re interested in. That being said, I’ve been waiting for Zach Braff to make a follow-up to Garden State for years now, so if this is the route that this film needs to go, I’ll be interested in seeing how it goes. He’s looking to make Wish I Was Here with the help of fans, and so far he’s made over a million dollars. After the jump you can see his plea in video form. Read on below for the details.
Read more on Zach Braff is the latest filmmaker to turn to Kickstarter for ‘Wish I Was Here’…
 One of my very favorite authors currently working today is Jonathan Tropper, so I’ve been waiting with equal parts anticipation and dread for his books to begin getting the Hollywood treatment. So far, I’ve got mixed feelings on the development of his phenomenal “This Is Where I Leave You” and feel really good about Ed Burns tackling “The Book of Joe.” Apparently, now I have one more of his books to look forward to seeing on the silver screen, as none other than Mike Nichols is apparently in negotiations to direct Tropper’s newest novel “One Last Thing Before I Go.” It’s a dramedy that would be perfect for someone like Paul Giamatti, and after the jump you can read a little more about the book. Personally, this is now a project I’m anticipating as much as anything else in development. Read on for more.
Read more on Mike Nichols is in talks to direct ‘One Last Thing Before I Go’…
 For a while, I really doubted that Martin Scorsese was ever going to get around to making Silence, a longtime dream project of his that’s always seemed to be the “next” film that he wants to do, only to have one more movie jump to the head of the line (he’s even had casting somewhat set up, notably including Daniel Day-Lewis, Benecio Del Toro, and Gael Garcia Bernal headlining).
Most recently, that happened to the flick with The Wolf of Wall Street, even leading to lawsuits, but in the last few days Scorsese himself has actually declared this to really be his next film. He plans to shoot it next year, which means it most likely will be a 2015 awards contender, but you never know there. For those who don’t remember or know, Silence is an adaptation of a novel by Shusaku Endo that deals with 17th century Jesuits who risk their lives to try to bring Christianity to Japan. Scorsese himself penned the adaptation with Jay Cocks, so this is one that could really be something special. After the jump you can see what the book is about in slightly more detail, but stay tuned for more on this one as Marty might be at Cannes to talk more about it. Fingers crossed that he can get his original cast of Day-Lewis, Del Toro, and Bernal back together for it.
Read more on Martin Scorsese finally making his long passion project ‘Silence’…
 Young Adult novels have been all the rage these past few years from Twilight to Hunger Games to the upcoming Divergent series. When you have a glut of movies of “similar” subject matter, the only way to differentiate yourself is through the casting. The producers of The Maze Runner have tapped Teen Wolf star and internet favorite Dylan O’Brien to play the lead character in the adaptation of the dystopian trilogy. The film centers around a group of teens who wake up in a maze with no memory of how they got there and their struggles to search for a way out. Read more on Dylan O’Brien of MTV’s “Teen Wolf” lands Maze Runner Lead…
 The alternate title for this post was going to be ‘Why Channing Tatum is our Next Great Movie Star (and could win an Oscar soon)’ but I decided to spare you all the righteous indignation of it all. I decided to publish this after a lengthy Twitter discussion with Joseph, Joey, Robert, Mark and reader extraordinaire John Rivera regarding Channing Tatum. It started with me asking Joey if C-Tates, who is going to be in the presumed Oscar contender Foxcatcher, would be in a position to be nominated for an Oscar given that most people seem to be predicting big things from the film. It unraveled from there all in 140 characters (you can view the convo here and here) and I thought it might be fun to offer up a defense of the actor and really dig into his awards potential.
Read more on In Defense: Channing Tatum…
 If you’re anything like me, you enjoy watching Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show” at least from time to time. A nearly perfect hybrid of comedy, news, and politics, Stewart has gone from a comedian and sometimes actor to a political satirist, and now he’s making the jump to filmmaker. He’ll be taking a break from the show (supporting cast member John Oliver will be filling in during the eight weeks or so of shows that Stewart is gone) in order to make a movie called Rosewater. It’s an adaptation of the Maziar Bahari memoir “Then They Came for Me: A Family’s Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival“ and has Scott Rudin behind the scenes. Budgeted at about $30 million or so, this apparently seems like serious stuff. After the jump you can read the plot synopsis and why I think this could be an actual awards contender if done properly. Read below.
Read more on Jon Stewart is writing and directing a political drama…could Oscar come calling?…
 Terence Johnson and Joey Magdison
The Park City Dispatch is back, reporting all of the day’s events and shenanigans. Joey and I had our first multiple film screening day at the Sundance Film Festival and we recap some the movies we saw including the first festival hit Kill Your Darlings starring Daniel Radcliffe and Dane DeHaan, Matthew McConaughey’s newest film Mud, and a few documentaries about Cambodia and abortion. You also get to hear a firsthand account (from me) about what happens when a fire extinguisher explodes in a tent housing the line for the biggest theater. Check it out after the jump!
Read more on Park City Dispatch – Episode 2: Exploding Fire Extinguishers, Kill Your Darlings and McConaughey…
Categories: Festivals Tags: Austin Bunn, Ben Foster, Dane DeHaan, daniel radcliffe, film review, Jack Huston, Joey Magidson, John Cullum, John Krokidas, Kill Your Darlings, Kyra Sedgwick, Matthew McConaughey, Michael C. Hall, Mud, Park City Dispatch, Sundance Film Festival, Terence Johnson, upcoming projects
 Oscar Track Record: Never Nominated
I’m standing in for Clayton today and contributing the latest in the daily In Line series. It’s no secret that John Cusack is one of my favorite actors in the business, and when I tell people that he’s never been nominated for an Academy Award, a surprising percentage of them are shocked. Their disbelief is warranted, as Cusack has delivered a number of memorable performances in his career, ranging from his breakout in Say Anything…(1989) to his terrific turn in Woody Allen‘s Bullets Over Broadway (1994) to his Golden Globe nominated role in High Fidelity (2000). Cusack was also unjustly ignored by pretty much everyone for his baity performance in Grace is Gone (2007), perhaps a signal that Oscar isn’t too interested in the man yet.
IMDb currently lists Cusack as having a 70 film resume, and it speaks to his undervalued talent that fewer of them are romantic comedies than you’d think. In fact, of late he’s been mostly mired in a string of action flicks, which have had varying degrees of quality and success attached to them (one has been shelved for years and a few more are on the way). He’s been able to mix in heavy dramas, horror, thrillers, and even a sci-fi film or two. Give or take the past couple of years, he’s always been able to elevate whatever he was in, and as audience members we were more interested in said projects because of his participation.
Read more on In Line: John Cusack…
 Something that many never thought would ever happen is going on in Hollywood right now. Yes, ‘Star Wars Episode VII’ is in pre-production, and it’s not even being fully brought to us by George Lucas. We’re all aware by now that Oscar winner Michael Arndt has been hired to pen the script, and filmmakers like Colin Trevorrow and Matthew Vaughn have been rumored to be taking the directing job. Of course, A-listers like J.J. Abrams, Zach Snyder, Steven Spielberg, and Quentin Tarantino have already pretty much said no, while people like David Fincher and Christopher Nolan aren’t really even worth seriously discussing. That got me thinking though…who else would get people excited? I know Brad Bird is a popular name, but I wanted to get the input of the community here at The Awards Circuit. I’ll be sharing seven names that I’d be interested in seeing get the gig (not including Matt Reeves, who I always put in pieces like this and decided to take a short break from), but I’m just as interested in getting your names as I am in sharing mine. We’re likely not too far out from finding out who the directing choice of Disney is, so before long we’ll know the director of a new Star Wars movie! Until then, here are my picks for filmmakers who could do a good job with the new trilogy…
Read more on Who should direct ‘Star Wars Episode VII’?…
Categories: Article Tags: Andrew Stanton, Brad Bird, Christopher Nolan, Colin Trevorrow, David Fincher, Drew Goddard, Duncan Jones, Edgar Wright, Episode VII, George Lucas, J.J. Abrams, Joe Johnston, Jon Favreau, Josh Trank, lists, Mark Romanek, Matt Reeves, Matthew Vaughn, Michael Arndt, opinion, Quentin Tarantino, rumors, Star Wars, Steven Spielberg, upcoming projects, Zach Snyder
 Bond Week continues here at The Awards Circuit! As you all know, we’re going to be bringing you a whole host of James Bond related pieces between now and the release of ‘Skyfall’ this Friday. Historically, the gig of directing has taken a slightly lower profile. Directors such as Lewis Gilbert, John Glen, Guy Hamilton, Peter Hunt, Roger Spottiswoode, Lee Tamahori, and Terence Young are some prime examples. Of course, there have been slightly more well-known filmmakers like Michael Apted, Martin Campbell, and Marc Forster, plus the upcoming film which was made by Oscar winner Sam Mendes. This suggests a move away from caretaker directors and towards auteurs who might be able to add something to the franchise, so that’s where I’m picking up. I’ve got a list of filmmakers who I think would be fitting for upcoming Bond movies. Some have actually been talked about previously, though someone like Steven Spielberg, who once yearned for the job, is now wishful thinking, and likewise for Quentin Tarantino. I won’t be focusing much on people previously offered the job, such as Paul Haggis and Roger Michell, but I’ve got a dozen original names to throw out at you.
Read more on Bond Week: 12 Possible Future Directors…
Categories: Article Tags: Bond Week, Christopher Nolan, Dan Bradley, Danny Boyle, David Ayer, directors, Duncan Jones, James Bond, James Bond films, Joe Cornish, Joe Wright, kathryn bigelow, Marc Forster, Martin Campbell, paul haggis, Quentin Tarantino, Roger Michell, Sam Mendes, Steven Spielberg, Todd Field, Tom Ford, Tom Hooper, upcoming projects
 ‘Argo’ is a hell of a movie. I really can’t say enough about it, but I’ll let my Review (found here) speak for itself instead waxing poetic about it here as well. For Ben Affleck, I have to imagine that he could pretty much make any film that he wants next, and it seems that he’s planning to adapt another Dennis Lehane novel before moving on to his long gestating Whitey Bulger project. This one is called ‘Live By Night’ and would be another period piece…one that strikes me as a very interesting flick to boot. You can read the plot synopsis of the book after the jump, but stay tuned for more on this potential adaptation. I’d personally like to see him push ahead and try and do the wife-swapping baseball movie ‘The Trade’ or his ambitious adaptation of ‘The Stand’, but this one sounds like a solid fit for him as well. Read on below for more…
Read more on Ben Affleck’s next project behind the cameras will be another Dennis Lehane adaptation?…
 It looks as though the issues that Columbia/Sony has worked out whatever issues were potentially going to come between Marc Webb and directing their sequel to ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’. Webb owes a film to Fox Searchlight, but he’s not going to be held captive, so he’s back behind the cameras to work with Andrew Garfield as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. I loved his work on the characters, especially between Garfield and Emma Stone, so I’m very pleased with this. He’s going to have a more action packed script this time around, as Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are re-writing the screenplay that James Vanderbilt penned. As for the other projects that Webb has in the hopper, after the jump you can see what he’s likely to be making with Fox Searchlight after this sequel. Now, to speculate on who the villain Spidey will next be facing might be. Read on below for more on Webb’s future, but definitely let me know who the next bad guy in this franchise should be…
Read more on Marc Webb will officially return to direct ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2′!…
 To be certain, we’re now in the thick of ‘To the Wonder’ in terms of Terrence Malick, but it’s hard to forget that he’s also got a bevy of projects being worked on. Clearly, this is his most productive period to date, though still with the trademark secrecy that he’s cultivated throughout his career. His next film is going to be ‘Knight of Cups’ and The Playlist has gotten the first new bit of information here about the work (plus a bit on the film that was to be called ‘Lawless’ and the documentary ‘Voyage of Time’). Apparently it stars Christian Bale and it’s going to be about the movie industry…but you can read more after the jump. Malick on movies? I’m interested, that’s for sure. The details on this and his other upcoming projects can be found below…
Read more on Terrence Malick’s ‘Knight of Cups’ is about the movie industry?…
 We’re literally only a week and change away from Paul Thomas Anderson unleashing ‘The Master’ on paying audiences (not to mention festival screenings already underway and press screenings to come very shortly). Of course, that can mean only one thing…it’s time to start talking about what Anderson could be making next. He’s had his eye on an adaptation of the Thomas Pynchon novel ‘Inherent Vice’ for a little bit now, with Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role. He’s also now looking to adapt ‘Gravity’s Rainbow’ as well, so there are options, which The Playlist has gone over here. After the jump you can see what PTA had to say, but I’m interested in both works. Hit the jump for more…
Read more on Two Big Adaptations Circle Paul Thomas Anderson’s Next Projects…
 Despite my adoration for ‘Kick-Ass’, I must say that I’m more dreading the sequel than anything else. I sure hope that ‘Kick-Ass 2′ turns out to be good, but losing Matthew Vaughn’s direction is a big deal in my book. At the very least though, there’s an effort being made to keep the cast top notch, as Collider is reporting here that a supporting role will be played by none other than Jim Carrey. This is definitely not his normal sort of movie, and perhaps that will benefit both him and the film. After the jump you can find out who he’s playing, but I sure hope this flick works, or at least doesn’t sully my fond memories of its predecessor. Read on below for more…
Read more on Jim Carrey officially joins the cast of ‘Kick-Ass 2′…
 It’s been a few years now since Spike Jonze has unleashed his particular brand of moviemaking into the world, and truth be told…I miss him. I adored ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ and pretty much always look forward to a Jonze film, with his upcoming flick no exception. Not too much has been known about it aside from some of the cast (which includes Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara), but now The Film Stage has filled in some blanks here for us. Hit the jump for the full details, but the movie is called ‘Her‘, just to tease you. The synopsis can be found below, so let’s check it out now, shall we? I for one find it rather fascinating, but you can decide for yourself…
Read more on Details emerge about Spike Jonze’s upcoming project!…
 Since winning the Oscar for Best Director last year, it’s safe to say that ‘The Artist’ director Michel Hazanavicius has a lot of offers on his table these days. According to Collider here, he’s potentially going to be tackling a high concept comedy project that ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ and ‘Ruby Sparks’ directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris wanted to make called ‘Will’. It’s written by actor/comedian Demetri Martin, was supposed to have starred Paul Rudd and Zach Galifianakis in an earlier form (along with being produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay), and after the jump you can see what it’s about. I personally would have preferred Dayton and Faris to have made it, but I’m curious to see what Hazanavicius can do with a bigger budget comedy. Read on below for some details…
Read more on Michel Hazanavicius circles another project!…
 The rumor mill continues to churn out possibility after possibility in regard to who might wind up directing the ‘Justice League’ movie that we know for sure is coming in a few years. Obviously Ben Affleck was the original top choice, but he’s now firmly shot that down, leaving Warner Brothers to continue their search. Over at Moviehole (found here) they’ve put forward that Lana and Andy Wachowski are now at the top of the list for the duties. I actually think that might be a good match for the material, but time will tell there. After the jump you can see some of the story, but stay tuned to find out if they have any interest. Read on below for more…
Read more on Could the Wachowski Siblings helm Justice League?…
 There’s no such thing as a Cameron Crowe movie that I’m not highly interested in, and even if he doesn’t really step out of his comfort zone too often, I still look at those types of projects as just as interesting as his romantic comedy/dramedy ones. Over at The Wrap (here), they’re reporting that Crowe has a new project in mind to tackle after finishing the Emma Stone starring rom-com he’s previously been announced as gearing up to make, and this one is an adaptation of the memoir ‘Beautiful Boy’ (no, it’s not a remake of that melodrama from last year). After the jump you can see the details on the project, but I know that I’m in, since it’s Crowe and I’ve yet to dislike anything that he’s made to date…even ‘Elizabethtown’. Read on below for more on this intriguing new film that he’s looking to take on…
Read more on Cameron Crowe looking to adapt “Beautiful Boy”…
 Tackling the epic story of Cleopatra always seemed like an odd fit for filmmaker David Fincher. I have no doubt that a Fincher directed ‘Cleopatra’ would have had the potential to be something special, but it never felt like the type of movie he’s ideally suited for. While, Vulture is reporting here that we won’t actually be getting his take, as he’s dropped out of making the flick, still set to star Angelina Jolie in the title role. Apparently Ang Lee is now the top choice to direct, but nothing is set in stone. You can see some details after the jump, but I wonder if this is a sign that he’s more likely or perhaps less likely to take on ‘The Girl Who Played With Fire’, since both are set up at Sony. We shall see, but you can find out a little bit more about Fincher’s departure from the project below…
Read more on David Fincher is no longer attached to direct ‘Cleopatra’…
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