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Inside Movies Breaking Movie News and Scoops | Movie Reviews

May 30 2012 09:59 PM ET

Casting Net: Stallone and De Niro eyeing boxing comedy 'Grudge Match.' Plus: Gary Oldman, Dominic Monaghan, Anne Hathaway

Tags: Anne Hathaway, Casting, Casting Net, Dominic Monaghan, Gary Oldman, Josh Duhamel, Julianne Hough, Maleficent, Mireille Enos, Movie Biz, Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, the West Memphis Three, News

Image Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

• Rocky Balboa vs. Jake LaMotta? Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro are in talks for the boxing comedy Grudge Match, about two retired pugilists who touch gloves for one final fight. Peter Segal (Anger Management) will direct, with Entourage‘s Doug Ellin writing the most recent draft of the script. [TheWrap]

• Gary Oldman and Dominic Monaghan have signed on to the biopic Monster Butler, about real-life bisexual serial killer and thief Roy Fontaine (a.k.a. Archibald Hall), played by Malcolm McDowell. Oldman will play a taxidermist; Monaghan his lover David Wright. Director Doug Rath will be expanding his short film about Hall of the same name, that also starred McDowell. [THR]

• Get ready for wet kisses, memorable sunsets, and meaningful deaths, Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough, ’cause Relativity Media announced today that you’ve signed on to star in the latest Nicholas Sparks adaptation, Safe Haven. Lasse Hallström (The Cider House Rules) will direct.

• Anne Hathaway is circling the indie drama Song One, about a woman who falls for her injured brother’s favorite musician. Writer-director Kate Barker-Froyland will make her feature debut with the film. [Variety]

• The Killing‘s Mireille Enos just can’t get enough of slow-moving murder stories: She’s joining Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon in the West Memphis 3 drama Devil’s Knot. Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter) will direct. [Deadline]

• Angelina Jolie has found her prince. Aussie TV actor Brenton Thwaites will play the dashing suitor to Elle Fanning’s Princess Aurora in Maleficent, Disney’s live-action re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty. [Deadline]

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May 30 2012 08:12 PM ET

'John Carter' deleted scene: What is Taylor Kitsch drinking?! -- EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

by Adam B. Vary

Tags: Andrew Stanton, DVD/Blu-ray, EW Exclusive, John Carter, Taylor Kitsch, News

Of the many criticisms levied against John Carter, one of the most prevalent was a lack of a sense of humor. The story of the titular Civil War vet (Taylor Kitsch) transported to the war-torn surface of Mars via a mysterious cave of gold had plenty of dashing derring do, but surprisingly few moments of levity. In this exclusive deleted scene from the film — available on DVD and Blu-ray on June 5 — we get a peek at one of the film’s lighter moments, as the massive green Tharks Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and Tal Hajus (Thomas Haden Church) lug Carter back to their home camp just hours after he plopped onto the planet. You’ll note that the scene was cut early in post-production — none of the visual effects are completed, and you can still see Dafoe and Church in their Thark performance-capture costumes, which include tiny cameras directed at their faces.

Check it out below: READ FULL STORY »

May 30 2012 02:12 PM ET

Steven Spielberg's 'E.T.' coming to Blu-ray, and it's walkie-talkie free! -- VIDEO

by Adam B. Vary

Tags: DVD/Blu-ray, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Steven Spielberg, Universal Pictures, News

For many, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial remains Steven Spielberg’s most indelible film, holding a special spot in moviegoers’ hearts. (I know it does for me.) But when the movie was re-released in theaters in 2002 to celebrate its 20th anniversary, Spielberg tried to fix something that was not broken and “updated” the movie’s visual effects. He gave E.T.’s face a CG makeover, added back in a couple deleted scenes, and — most controversially — switched out the rifles held by police officers chasing down Elliott and his bicycle buddies with walkie-talkies.

Fans cried foul. South Park mocked the decision. Last year, Spielberg himself even admitted he regretted making the changes, vowing that the Blu-ray release would just be the 1982 theatrical version of the film.

And by gum, it’s exactly that. As you’ll see in the trailer for the 30th-anniversary Blu-ray edition of the film, out this October, those walkie-talkies are no more: READ FULL STORY »

May 30 2012 10:54 AM ET

'Les Miserables' trailer: Anne Hathaway is the most miserable of them all

by Hillary Busis

Tags: Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables, Movie Trailers, Musical, musicals, Russell Crowe

“I Dreamed a Dream” is one of musical theater’s greatest bummers — a pathos-drenched ballad about one woman’s descent into despair that sounds equally great whether it’s desperately belted or quietly warbled. Thanks to memorable renditions by everyone from Susan Boyle to Idina Menzel and Lea Michele, it also may be the most recognizable tune from Les Miserables. (Sorry, “On My Own.”) So it’s no surprise that the minds behind the upcoming film adaptation of Les Mis: The Musical chose to score their first official trailer with star Anne Hathaway’s version of the song.

Then again, the same folks who howled with rage when Taylor Swift was in talks to play Eponine may dismiss this clip as flagrant false advertising. It seems to indicate that Hathaway’s Fantine is the film’s female lead — but those who have read the book, seen the Broadway show, or spied any of the umpteen screen versions of Les Mis know that (150-year-old spoiler alert!) Fantine kicks the bucket fairly soon, paving the way for her daughter Cosette and the scrappy Eponine to share the spotlight.

READ FULL STORY »

May 30 2012 08:53 AM ET

Ralph Fiennes Q&A: Directing Shakespeare and taking orders from Bond

by Benjamin Svetkey

Tags: DVD/Blu-ray, James Bond, Ralph Fiennes, Skyfall, William Shakespeare, News

What the Dickens is going on with Ralph Fiennes? Not only is he playing Magwitch in Mike Newell’s upcoming adaptation of Great Expectations, but he’s also starring in and directing The Invisible Woman, a movie about the great author’s secret mistress. EW caught up with Fiennes to ask him not only about Dickens, but also two other great English writers: Shakespeare (Fiennes’ adaptation of Coriolanus is out on DVD this week) and Fleming (he’s got a top secret part in Skyfall, the new James Bond film).

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Coriolanus was your first attempt at directing a movie. Why choose Shakespeare? And why that particular play? For your first time, why not pick something easy — maybe Vacation of the Titans?
RALPH FIENNES: Its challenging nature is what I love about it. I performed it onstage years ago and have been thinking about it as a film ever since. Shakespeare is challenging for a lot of people but I find it thrilling. The language is like music. READ FULL STORY »

May 29 2012 10:14 PM ET

Casting Net: Adam Shankman comedy eyeing all-star cast. Plus: Jude Law, Michelle Pfeiffer, Gillian Anderson, Taran Killam

by Adam B. Vary

Tags: Casting, Casting Net, Gillian Anderson, Goldie Hawn, Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Jude Law, Leslie Mann, Malin Akerman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Movie Biz, Zac Efron, News

Image Credit: Kenzo Tribouillard/Getty Images

• Jason Bateman, Zac Efron, Goldie Hawn, Leslie Mann, Malin Akerman, and Jason Sudeikis are all in negotiations to star in the ensemble comedy This is Where I Leave You, author Jonathan Tropper‘s adaptation of his own novel about four grown siblings who return home to grieve their deceased father. Adam Shankman is attach to direct. [Deadline, Variety]

• Michelle Pfeiffer is in talks to play Robert DeNiro‘s wife in the dark comic thriller Malavita, about a mob family that moves to France under witness relocation, and falls back on old habits. Director Luc Besson adapted the script from Tony Benacquista’s unfortunately titled book Badfellas. [Variety]

• Jude Law is being eyed to play silent movie star Douglas Fairbanks in a biopic about his equally famous wife, Mary Pickford. Lily Rabe (American Horror Story) is attached to play Pickford, with director Jennifer DeLia (Billy Bates) also producing with Julie Pacino (yup, the daughter of Al Pacino). [Forbes/Roger Friedman]

• Gillian Anderson will play Haley Joel Osment‘s mother in the sci-fi mystery I’ll Follow You Down, which costars Rufus Sewell as Osment’s missing scientist father, and Victor Garber as his sleuthing grandfather. Director Richie Mehta (Amal) penned the script. [Deadline]

• Saturday Night Live‘s Taran Killam is set for a very busy hiatus. Already signed for a supporting role in Steve McQueen‘s Twelve Years a Slave towards the end of the summer, Mr. Cobie Smulders will also star opposite Amber Tamblyn in the comedy Growing Up (and Other Lies), directed by Danny Jacobs and Darren Grodsky (Humboldt County). Then Killam will co-star as the romantic rival to Happy Endings‘ Adam Pally in Killer Rebound Guy, which will serve as the feature directing debut for Funny or Die contributors Matt Villines and Osmany Rodriguez. [Variety]

• Parks and Recreations‘s Aubrey Plaza has joined the cast of the Shia LaBeouf romantic comedy The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman. She’ll join Evan Rachel Wood, Rupert Grint, Melissa Leo, Til Schweiger, and Mads Mikkelsen. [Latino Review]

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May 29 2012 09:34 PM ET

Is Will Smith still the box-office king he was a few years ago?

by John Young

Tags: Box Office, Men in Black III, Will Smith, News

Image Credit: Wilson Webb

It has been over three years since we last saw Will Smith on the silver screen in 2008′s Seven Pounds. Regardless of the profession, three years is a long break. But in the movie industry, it can be an eternity. So it was only natural for many to wonder whether Smith’s previous box-office dominance would waver at all when Men in Black 3 hit theaters last weekend. Could the movie star pick up where he left off in 2008 and continue selling a gazillion tickets as though his sabbatical simply never occurred? Well, sort of.

READ FULL STORY »

May 29 2012 08:05 PM ET

MTV Movie Awards: 'Project X' star Oliver Cooper campaigning for Best On-Screen Dirtbag -- VIDEO

by Adam B. Vary

Tags: Awards Shows, Movie Biz, Oliver Cooper, Project X, the MTV Movie Awards, News

While Academy Awards may be the foremost accolades for cinematic achievement, they are marred every year by the rabid For Your Consideration campaigns that saturate the industry. To mask the crassness of begging people to vote for you, the ads are dressed up with classy photography, and governed by strict rules of what can and cannot be said. For one thing, you cannot trash another fellow nominee: No negative campaigning allowed.

The blissfully irreverent MTV Movie Awards have no such concerns. Each year, the fan-voted honors always include an especially tongue-in-cheek category — Best Dance Sequence, Best Scared-as-S**t Performance, Best Sandwich in a Movie — and this year, one of the nominees is mounting what may be the first ever campaign to win one. Project X‘s Oliver Cooper is by far the least known of his fellow nominees for Best On-Screen Dirtbag – Horrible Bosses‘ Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell, Bridesmaids‘ Jon Hamm, and The Help‘s Bryce Dallas Howard — so he has no problem casting aspersions on his competition’s qualifications of dirt-baggery. Check out his ads below: READ FULL STORY »

May 29 2012 04:00 PM ET

Tom Cruise's Jack Reacher film has a new name

by Darren Franich

Tags: Tom Cruise

Image Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Paramount has confirmed that December’s Tom Cruise-headlined One Shot has a new name. The first adaptation of Lee Childs’ popular series of novels focusing on the drifter Jack Reacher, One Shot will now be titled (drumroll please) Jack Reacher. It’s a subtle confirmation that Paramount has big franchise hopes for the December film. Those hopes could be justified. Cruise is newly ascendant post-Ghost Protocol, and he brushed off concerns that he’s not tall enough to play Reacher in an old-school charm session at CinemaCon. And keep in mind, the film has a secret weapon: morose cinema icon Werner Herzog as the movie’s villain.

Follow Darren on Twitter: @EWDarrenFranich

May 29 2012 03:15 PM ET

'The Dark Knight Rises' trailer: Lucius Fox returns

by Darren Franich

Tags: The Dark Knight Rises

A new commercial for The Dark Knight Rises shifts the focus to Morgan Freeman’s tech guru Lucius Fox and adds further evidence in support of Jeff Labrecque’s theory that The Dark Knight Rises is an homage to the middle sequels of the Rocky franchise. Lucius/Apollo is all like “Yo, Rocky, you gotta get back in the ring!” But Bruce/Rocky is all like “Ehhh, I’m re-tie-yud, ehhhh.” Spoiler alert: Bruce Wayne is almost certainly going to fight Ivan Drago by the end of Dark Knight Rises. Watch the new commercial: READ FULL STORY »