Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese Reunite for The Devil in the White City
There aren't many guarantees in Hollywood, but the duo of Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese has proven their successful longevity over the years. Now, the The Wolf of Wall Street duo will reunite for a new thriller based on a true story.
DiCaprio and Scorsese's next joint project will be The Devil in the White City, a film adaptation of Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America about America's first serial killer, H.H. Holmes, and the purported 27-200 people he killed during the 1893 Chicago World Fair. DiCaprio will depict Holmes based on a script written by Billy Ray (Captain Philips).
While the film won't begin production for awhile, you can read the book's synopsis below:
Not long after Jack the Ripper haunted the ill-lit streets of 1888 London, H.H. Holmes (born Herman Webster Mudgett) dispatched somewhere between 27 and 200 people, mostly single young women, in the churning new metropolis of Chicago; many of the murders occurred during (and exploited) the city’s finest moment, the World’s Fair of 1893. Larson’s breathtaking new history is a novelistic yet wholly factual account of the fair and the mass murderer who lurked within it.
[via Collider]
Trailer for Alejandro G. Inarritu's The Revenant is Astounding
[youtube id="QRfj1VCg16Y"]
What happens when you combine perennial fan-favorite Leonardo DiCaprio, Mad Max: Fury Road's Tom Hardy (who is a fan-favorite himself), and Academy Award-winning Alejandro G. Inarritu (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))? Hopefully, one of this year's best films, if this first teaser trailer is any indication of the final film.
The Revenant is inspired by the true events of Hugh Glass (DiCaprio), a frontiersman during the 19th Century that was left for dead by his hunting team following a bear attack. However, he still perseveres through the struggles... even after a betrayal by his close friend and confidant, John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy).
The trio of DiCaprio, Hardy, and Inarritu is enough to elevate the hype for The Revenant. It looks amazing, the aesthetic Inarritu established with Birdman is sound and in tact, and DiCaprio and Hardy of two of Hollywood's best actors. The wait for The Revenant will be a long one, as it receives a limited release on Christmas with a wider release on January 8, 2016.
Danny Boyle Wants Leonardo DiCaprio to Play Steve Jobs in Next Film
jOBS wasn't the Steve Jobs film we deserved. It's easy to point at lead actor Ashton Kutcher and criticize his performance, given his status as a lightning rod for tabloid controversy and audience's unfamiliarity with his work outside of That 70's Show and Two and a Half Men, but jOBS' failings weren't solely on Kutcher. Rather, the film's narrative was rushed and didn't quite highlight Jobs' transformation from entitled asshole to brilliant visionary. As is the case with most biopics, they're dependent upon the source they're shaping the film upon, and what exactly they choose to take from it. In short: jOBS was a subpar film that didn't do justice for Steve Jobs' legacy.
Sony possesses their own Steve Jobs script that was written by Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, The Newsroom). At one point in time, frequent collaborator David Fincher (Fight Club, The Social Network, Gone Girl) was targeted to direct the film. However, Fincher and Sony couldn't agree to salary and creative control, leaving a vacant directing role. Enter Danny Boyle, director of Slumdog Millionaire and 28 Days Later. While Sony and Boyle are still negotiating, Boyle has already set his sights on the next Steve Jobs: Leonardo DiCaprio.
If DiCaprio and Boyle are both on board with the film, it would be the first reunion for the two since The Beach. The Academy absolutely loves biopics and period pieces, and it's no secret that DiCaprio is arguably one of the best actors of our generation. A film like this would certainly help his chances to finally capture that Oscar he so rightfully deserves. Word on Sorkin's script has it based on Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs, the official, authorized biography of Jobs' life. The script focuses on three pivotal releases in Jobs' career: 1984's The Macintosh, 1990's NeXT, and 2001's iPod.
We'll keep you updated on any new information regarding both Boyle's and DiCaprio's involvement with the film.
[via /Film]
Billy Ray to Script New Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill Film
Billy Ray is coming in fresh off an Oscar nomination for his latest work with writing the script for Captain Phillips. His efforts in depicting this real life drama were pretty fantastic, and now he is set to recreate the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing drama The Ballad of Richard Jewell based on Marie Brenner's Vanity Fair article. Following the security guard who reported the bomb and cleared out bystanders, the security guard found himself a suspect of the terrorism plot.
Wolf of Wall Street's Oscar nominated duo Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill will be brought together once again for the film as well. They are the two biggest stars attached to the future script, with Hill set to play Jewell and DiCaprio the lawyer attempting to clear his name. However, both of the actors have a ton of projects going on. Hill has a good handful of films in post production, and DiCaprio was just announced to be producing the film A Boy and His Tiger. Because of this, there's no date set specifically when the film will begin its production. Fox is working right now to acquire rights to the story and hire Ray in an effort to show that the story is their major priority. Additionally, DiCaprio may be producing with Jennifer Davisson Killoran through his Appian Way banner. Hill is also set to produce along with Kevin Misher who resurrected the article.
Ray has had a lot of great credentials in the past few years with his work scripting The Hunger Games and an award from the Writers Guild of America for best adapted screenplay for Captain Phillips last month. With his work on those two films alone, I have no doubt that he will be able to capture the essence of this next film's terror.
[via Variety]
The 86th Academy Awards Winners
An Oscar is undoubtedly the biggest honor any filmmaker could receive for their hard work in creating a cinematic work. While I may hear amongst many of the people in my life just how much they don't care about the evening's victors, I treat my viewing of the Academy Awards almost like the average American treats the Super Bowl. Growing up in an extremely small town, a lot of the nominated films weren't accessible to me and my predictions really reflected my sheltered viewings. Now that I'm in actual civilization, I've been able to catch a lot of the films, and I must say that I have become quite a professional at guessing who will be taking home the big prize of the evening. Last Friday I wrote a post on my predictions for the major categories of the evening, and I am proud to say I was pretty much eight for eight with my guesses. Perhaps I should say 7.5 for reasons of my Best Picture award, but I highly doubt anyone cares too much about that. With that said, here are this year's winners...
The 86th Academy Awards Winners Predictions
The early months of any year are full of awards and recognitions for all of those filmmakers who worked hard in the previous year to produce a form of entertainment that will have the capability to transcend the decades. While a variety of these award nights seem to take precedence throughout these first few weeks of the year, they all seem to merely be leading up to the largest of filmmaking honor ceremonies: The Academy Awards. The night on which the golden Oscar is distributed seems to always be the hype, and these smaller ceremonies just add to the predictions that film fanatics everywhere are making for the late winter celebration. 2013 brought a lot of excitement for filmgoers around the world, and this Sunday could be the test of whether a viewer's favorite film executed just the right amount of excellence for the Academy to spread cheer. So, without further blabber on my part, here is what I think will be receiving each honor this weekend.