Exclusive: Tom Hiddleston On War Horse

Exclusive: Tom Hiddleston On War Horse
'This isn't Saving Private Joey'

If it feels like forever since Steven Spielberg graced the big screen, there's a double return from Señor S to look forward to. October brings The Adventures Of Tintin and trotting in a few months later is his adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's novel War Horse.

For its May issue Empire sat down with one of the stars of the latter, Tom Hiddleston, to chat about War Horse. "Steven told me, 'I don't want to make Saving Private Joey,'" says Hiddleston of the director's determination to stay true to the spirit of Morpurgo's book. As Hiddleston explains, there's good news too for fans of the breathtaking National Theatre stage version. "[Steven had] seen the stage play and he wanted to retain the magic and heartbeat of that."

Considering the sheer horror of the Great War battlefields, you'd imagine Spielberg faced an equal challenge adapting the family-friendly War Horse in a way that doesn't give wee'uns shellshock - and you'd be right. "It's a moving, powerful story you can take children to see, but it is still very upsetting," explains Hiddleston. "People die, and it is war. Nine million horses were killed in the First World War. I can't even imagine that."

Joining Hiddleston on the cast are Benedict Cumberbatch and Patrick Kennedy (pictured here), as well as Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, David Thewlis and Eddie Marsan. War Horse is out on January 13, 2011. For more in the meantime, pick up the latest issue of Empire, on newstands from Thursday, March 31.

Source: EmpireOnline

New Source Code Pics Online

New Source Code Pics Online
A final sneak peek at Duncan Jones' film

Source: Exclusive

Source Code is finally hitting cinemas on Friday, April 1, and as that's just a few days away it should come as no surprise that we've got a few last-minute exclusive stills for you.

For those not in the know, Source Code is the age-old tale of boy-meets-girl-meets-explosions-meets-military-time-travel in an alternative world where all this kind of thing can take place.

It's been compared to Groundhog Day because Jake Gyllenhaal's character, Captain Colter Stevens, can only go back in time within an eight minute time frame, meaning by the end of the experiment he knows just what happens and when.

We'd now like to compare it to Before Sunrise, because it has a pretty girl (Michelle Monaghan's Christina) meeting a pretty boy (Gyllenhaal) on a train. Except instead of going around Vienna talking about life and stuff and junk, they get blown up. Again and again.

Anyway, with that random aside over and done with, here are the fresh and ever-so-exclusive stills for your perusing pleasure, featuring director Duncan Jones himself, as well as the cast and the train and the what not. It's all very exciting, really.

So tell us, are you excited about the Moon director's follow-up? Do the pictures whet your appetite? Giddy that you're going to get the chance to see Jake explode over and over come April 1? Let us know in the comment box below.

Source: EmpireOnline

New Deathly Hallows Part 2 Poster

New Deathly Hallows Part 2 Poster
Harry squares off with Voldemort

Judging by the reaction to the Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 featurette we posted the other day (see below), it seems there are a few of you out there who are quite excited about the final Harry Potter movie. Who knew?

So as this new HPATDH:P2 poster has hit the net (our acronym, um... no-one else's) we thought we should share it with you. Especially as it looks pretty damn cool.

Like the stills we've seen before, it's capitalising on the ultimate magical grudgematch between Harry and Voldemort. Or something. We're being silly, we know.

Anyway, here's the poster and after you take a closer look at it, why not tell us what you think in the comment box below.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 will hurtle headlong at your cinema screens come July 15.

Source: EmpireOnline

New Tree Of Life Poster Online

New Tree Of Life Poster Online
Now with extra dinosaurs

Source: IMDb

While the web melts down with news that Terrence Malick's fifth film, The Tree Of Life, is set to be released in the UK before the Cannes festival, thus taking it out of the running for a Palme d'Or, a rather lovely new poster for the film has come to light on IMDb.

Comprising a collage of images, it shows Sean Penn's Jack and his parents, Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain, as well as, well, just about everything else. There's births, deaths, deserts, Earth from space and all things in between.

Clearly Malick's latest won't be short of scope or - c'mon! - dinosaurs. The eagle-eyed will have noticed that one of those long-awaited dinos, a velociraptor no less, makes its scaly bow here. Bear in mind, though, that this is Malick. The scale of humility before nature is likely to blow all our minds.

With an Alexandre Desplat score and cinematography from virtuoso DoP Emmanuel Lubezki, it's certain to soar. Notorious publicity-whore Terrence Malick will no doubt soon be sofa-hopping his way through a press jamboree soon, but until then feast your eyes on the trailer here.

The Tree Of Life is out in the UK on May 4.

Source: EmpireOnline

Jennifer Garner Is... Miss Marple?

Jennifer Garner Is... Miss Marple?
She's playing Agatha Christie's sleuth

Source: Deadline

When you picture Agatha Christie’s iconic crime-solver Miss Marple, what comes to mind? The stalwart TV portrayal by Joan Hickson? Or perhaps the more modern version with Geraldine McEwan inheriting the sensible shoes and nice hat? Well, you can forget all that nonsense: for her big screen incarnation via Disney, Miss Marple will take the form of Jennifer Garner.

Er… So that means Garner will be sitting in a make up chair for hours every day on set to play the elderly sleuth? Not quite. The Mouse House is ditching the central concept of Miss Marple as an old spinster and re-inventing her for a younger generation.

Yep, according to Deadline, Disney is calling in writer Mark Frost (Fantastic Four, Twin Peaks) to craft a new version where Marple is Garner’s age. The actress is producing the new movie, working with her Vandalia Films company to fashion a star vehicle. No details of the plot are available yet (not a shocker given the early development stage) but we presume the usual St Mary Mead village setting might be swapped for, say, Chicago’s mean streets or possibly the Moon. Meanwhile, Judi Dench and Garner’s Arthur co-star Helen Mirren are probably on their way to “have a word” about someone taking away yet another part for older actresses...

Source: EmpireOnline

Could Jason Statham Be A Professional?

Could Jason Statham Be A Professional?
He's being eyed to join CI5's ranks

Source: Deadline

The last time we heard about a film version of classic ‘70s action show The Professionals, it was sitting amongst the pile of projects Neil Marshall was considering as his next movie after Centurion. But now it appears that the gang at CI5 – which, if the producers get their wish, will include Jason Statham – are looking for a new director.

Deadline reports that Lionsgate UK is still pushing ahead with the idea, looking to get it into pre-production before the year is out. Producer Richard Whelan is apparently taking meetings in Los Angeles to find a new director to call the shots (and explosions and car chases) and cast-wise, there’s the usual wish list of Brit talent.

So who do the team want to play former special ops mercenary Bodie and counter-terrorism ‘tec Doyle? Step forward Statham, Tom Hardy and Gerard Butler, with Liam Neeson and Gary Oldman as fantasy casting choices for their Scots boss, George Cowley.

Right now, it’s simply the film’s backers trying to drum up a little interest, but the idea of turning the series about hard nuts battling terrorism and major criminals is A) one that’s still very relevant and B) the fuel for a potentially great pic. “We really felt there was an opportunity for a bigger British action film,” says Lionsgate UK chief Zygi Kamasa. “The ambition is to make a powerful commercial movie with the best of British talent.” Let's just hope they don't try to "modernise" the awesome theme with some godawful new band...

Source: EmpireOnline

Teresa Palmer In Talks For Warm Bodies

Teresa Palmer In Talks For Warm Bodies
She may join Nicholas Hoult

Source: Heat Vision Blog

She’s tackled magic with The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and marauding aliens with I Am Number Four, but to date her specialty has been in horror, after The Grudge 2, Wolf Creek and sharing the screen with Adam Sandler in Bedtime Stories. But now it looks like Aussie actress Teresa Palmer wants to find some romance, albeit with a zombie in Warm Bodies.

Palmer’s in talks to star opposite Nicholas Hoult, who snagged the lead role in the rom-zom-com earlier this month.

If she locks in a deal, Palmer will play the daughter of one of humanity’s last remaining military commanders, who lives an existence tormented by the endless threat from brain-craving zomboids. But when a zombie named R (Hoult) snacks on her boyfriend, he also absorbs the man’s memories and feelings towards her, sparking an existential crisis and a friendship between the unlikely pair that might just have ramifications for the whole, shattered world.

The Wackness’ Jonathan Levine is directing the film, which he adapted from Isaac Marion’s forthcoming book. He plans to kick off shooting this summer.

Source: EmpireOnline

Midnight In Paris Trailer Strolls In

Midnight In Paris Trailer Strolls In
Woody Allen hits France

Source: Yahoo Movies

Did you hear what happened when Woody Allen arrived in France as part of his cinematic tour of Europe? Mayhem! Riots in the streets! President Sarkozy declaring a national day of…. All right, so none of that actually happened. He just filmed his latest rom-com, Midnight in Paris. And now the trailer is online, embedded below for your staring pleasure.

Midnight follows engaged couple Rachel McAdams and Owen Wilson holidaying in Paris. When they run into her parents, they decide to hang out and spend some time.

But Wilson’s character, a writer, is restless. He doesn’t really warm to the people that McAdams knows (especially Michael Sheen’s patronising intellectual) and so starts wandering the streets. There, late one night, he runs into an interesting collection of people who actually know how to have fun, including Marion Cotillard. Cue misunderstandings, magic and mystery…

Take a gander at the trailer below and let us know your thoughts.

Midnight in Paris will screen at the Cannes Film Festival on May 11 and is then out in the US on May 20. There’s no word on a UK release date yet.

Source: EmpireOnline

Stuart Beattie Says I, Frankenstein

Stuart Beattie Says I, Frankenstein
He's taking over the comic book pic

Source: Heat Vision Blog

That ol’ bolt-headed Frankenstein’s monster just can’t keep from staggering all over our screens, scaring the peasants and reminding us once again why it’s wrong for man to dabble in playing god. But if Lakeshore Entertainment and writer/director Stuart Beattie have any say in it, his misadventures are going to get a little more action-packed.

Back in 2009, the production company optioned Underworld co-creator Kevin Grevioux’s graphic novel I, Frankenstein, which finds The Monster a little more evolved that usual and able to clamp down on his more violent, basic urges. He’s also working as a private eye, investigating crimes in a world where Dracula is a crime kingpin and the Invisible Man a secret agent.

When it was announced, Underworld colleague Patrick Tatopoulos (a creature designing legend who made the jump to director with franchise outing Rise of the Lycans) was in the chair to call the shots.

But now, according to the Heat Vision blog, Beattie is the man for the job. A writer on the likes of Collateral, the original Pirates of the Caribbean and 30 Days of Night, Beattie recently made his own switch to writing/directing with Tomorrow, When the War Began, a Red Dawn-style tale of Aussie teenagers forced to take arms against invaders.

His work on that has won him the seal of approval from Lakeshore, which has handed him the task of re-writing and directing I, Frankenstein this autumn. There’s no word on any casting yet, but with Beattie aboard, expect the announcements to follow in the coming months…

Source: EmpireOnline

Thomas McDonell Joins Dark Shadows

Thomas McDonell Joins Dark Shadows
He'll play a younger Johnny Depp...

Source: Deadline

With Tim Burton about to start cranking the cameras on Dark Shadows, he’s gathering the remaining cast he needs for the film. And while there are many things his talented pal Johnny Depp can do, he can’t actually age backwards without expensive Benjamin Button-style CG trickery. Thank goodness, then, that the pool of young actors has offered up Thomas McDonell, who could easily pass for a more youthful Depp.

Which might be why Burton has cast him to play the young Barnabas Collins in Shadows alongside the likes of Michelle Pfeiffer, Bella Heathcote, Eva Green, Helena Bonham Carter and Jackie Earle Haley in the filmic adaptation of the gothic horror soap opera. Oh, and there’s also a chance that Michael Sheen – who voiced the White Rabbit for Burton’s Alice in Wonderland – will also hop aboard this to play Roger, the scheming brother of Pfeiffer’s Elizabeth Collins Stoddard.

McDonell has a fairly shot CV to date with the obligatory appearance on Law & Order and small roles in The Forbidden Kingdom and Joel Schumacher’s Twelve. But he’s about to get a little more well known thanks to a starring part in Disney’s new teen movie Prom. In Shadows, he and Depp will both play vampire Barnabas Collins, which makes us assume that we’ll see how Collins becomes one of the undead, since they don’t usually tend to age once bitten.

Source: EmpireOnline

Jack Ryan Prequel Delayed Again

Jack Ryan Prequel Delayed Again
Chris Pine will shoot Star Trek 2 first

Source: Deadline

Cracking that script just isn't getting any easier, and despite a revolving door of high-profile screenwriters attached to the project, Paramount has admitted defeat on the Chris Pine-starring Jack Ryan reboot for the time being.

Plans to get it before the cameras in February of this year obviously came to nothing, and the studio's immediate agenda for Pine is now to get him back on the bridge of the Enterprise, meaning it'll be some time before the tentatively-titled Moscow gets underway. Star Trek 2 is due to shoot in the autumn for a summer 2012 release.

It does mean though, that Paramount are keen to get Ryan Begins right, rather than rushing into production with a script that nobody's confident in, and hoping that it'll come together during filming. Hossein Amini (The Four Feathers) started the screenplay ball rolling, before newcomer Adam Cozad came aboard charged with retooling his non-Ryan original script, at that time titled Dubai. Then Anthony Peckham (Invictus, Sherlock Holmes) was hired to give it a polish, then Cozad came back, and then Steve Zaillian (Clear and Present Danger) was tasked with a draft, only to get cold feet and pull out again.

It's enough to make even an invincible CIA action dad call it quits and go home. Paramount are now interviewing other writers to take over the story, which as far as we know at the moment, finds Ryan just out of the Marines, before he joins the CIA, working as a financial consultant for a Russian billionaire, and getting framed in a terrorist plot. Despite being based on none of Tom Clancy's novels, it apparently does feature the NATO-exercise helicopter crash mentioned in The Hunt For Red October, which saw Ryan invalided out of the Marine Corps.

Lost's Jack Bender is still attached direct, but there are rumblings that the delays may change that...

Source: EmpireOnline