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Inside Movies Breaking Movie News and Scoops | Movie Reviews

Casting Net: Meg Ryan boards 'Fan Girl,' Jackie Weaver signs on for 'Zeroville;' more

By C. Molly Smith on Oct 23, 2014 at 9:24PM

Image Credit: AP

• Meg Ryan and Kara Hayward are joining Kiernan Shipka in Fan Girl. The film follows a 15-year-old post-Millennial teenager who combines her passions—making movies and idolizing her favorite band—in a final film project. Paul Jarrett is making his directorial debut with the semi-autobiographical film. Gina O’Brien wrote the script. The film also stars Scott Adsit, Joshua Boone, and Bill Sage. All Time Low will lend their music to the soundtrack and will appear as themselves. Jarrett, Nick Huston, and Adam Spielberg in association with Rosetta Films, Filament Productions and Literally Films are producing. O’Brien and Jonathan Gray are executive producing. [Deadline]

• Jackie Weaver will star in director James Franco‘s Zeroville. The two-time Oscar nominee will play lead character Dotty, a film editor who is a friend and mentor to Franco’s character. The film is an adaptation of Steve Erikson‘s 2007 novel about a 24-year-old student who arrives in Hollywood in 1969, hoping to make it in the business. Caroline Aragon and Vince Jolivette are producing. [Deadline]

• Margot Robbie is in talks to join Tina Fey in The Taliban Shuffle. If it goes through, it will reteam her with with Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who directed her in Focus. The film is an adaptation of journalist Kim Barker‘s wartime memoir, which recounts her outsider status in Kabul, being a woman in wartime Iraq and Pakistan, among other things. Robbie is up for the role of a beautiful, blond on-air news anchor who befriends Baker (Fey) in Afghanistan who is described as willing to do anything to launch her career. Fey is producing the film with Lorne Michaels. [THR]

• Julie Delpy and Greta Gerwig are in talks to star in Todd Solondz‘ s Wiener-Dog, an ensemble indie tied together thematically by a dachschund. The film acts as a sort-of sequel to Solondz’s Welcome to the Dollhouse: One story will center on Dawn Wiener from the 1995 cult hit. The nature of Delpy’s character is unknown, but if Gerwig signs on, she would play the adult Dawn Wiener in one storyline. Megan Ellison and her Annapurna production shingle will produce and finance with Christine Vachon and her Killer Films banner, which will produce as well. [THR]

• Bill Skarsgard, Claire van der Boom, and Paula Malcomson will star in Alison Eastwood‘s Battlecreek. The film tells a love story about reconciling your past and finding your future. Skarsgard will play a talented young painter who must live his life at night due to a rare skin disorder. He strikes a romance with a young woman (van der Boom), encouraging him to challenge his overbearing mother (Malcomson) and the lies that surround their relationship. Anthea Anka wrote the script. Connie Hoy is producing under her Maindiner Entertainment banner with Eastwood. Red River Studios is financing the film, and its Michael G. Wallace is executive producing. Production starts later this month in Mississippi. [The Wrap]

• Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones) has been cast in The Scorch Trials, the sequel to The Maze Runner. The film, which Wes Ball will return direct, previously added Aidan Gillen, Rosa Salazar, and Giancarlo Esposito to a cast with Dylan O’Brien and Will Poulter at its center. Emmanuel will play Harriet, the leader of a group of girls who have escaped from another maze and connect with O’Brien’s group. Harriet is involved in the third installment. The producers of The Maze Runner will return for its sequel. [THR]

• Jeremy Sisto (Suburgatory), Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty), Katherine La Nasa (Deception), Jenica Bergere (Trophy Wife), and Leonard Roberts (Drumline) have signed on for Love is All You Need?, a reverse gay-bullying drama starring Briana Evigan, Emily Osment, and Kyla Kennedy. The film, which Kim Rocco Shields is directing, is set in a world where homosexuality is the norm and heterosexual persons are bullied. Tyler Blackburn (Pretty Little Liars) also joins the cast as Ryan, a journalist who becomes romantically involved with Evignan’s star quarterback. Love is All You Need? is based on a controversial short film of the same name. It is currently filming in LA. [Deadline]

• Kea Ho has boarded Aaron Kaufman‘s debut film Urge. The thriller stars Pierce Brosnan, Danny Masterson, Ashley Green, Bar Paly, Alexis Knapp, Chris Geere, and Nick Thune. It follows a group of friends who test out a new designer drug while vacationing; the drug makes them unable to control their urges. Ho will play Xiomara, the central performer of Brosnan’s lair. Skip Williamson and Mark Neveldine are producing for their Blackmrkt Incorporated banner. Tim Smith, Alastair Burlingham, Lee Vandermolen, Yoram Barzilai, Frank Martinez, Anthony Gudas, Clay Pecorin, Russell Geyser, Gerald Fruchtman, and Peter Fruchtman are executive producing. [Deadline]

Martin Scorsese to exec produce Grateful Dead documentary

By Lindsey Bahr on Oct 23, 2014 at 8:38PM

Image Credit: Michael Putland/Getty Images

Get ready, Deadheads. The Grateful Dead turn 50 next year and to celebrate, they’re getting a new documentary from executive producer Martin Scorsese and director Amir Bar-Lev (Happy Valley).

The still-untitled doc will feature never-before-seen footage from various performances, archived interviews and behind-the-scene moments as well as new talks with surviving members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, and Bob Weir. It’ll also feature the eccentric characters from the “Dead universe.” Band archivist David Lemieux will serve as the music supervisor.

Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Bar-Lev noted that he’d first set out to make a film about the Grateful Dead 10 years ago. While there have been many documentaries, concert films and television specials chronicling aspects of the seminal band, including a 10-minute short from Paul McCartney, the press release notes that this film will be the first official career-spanning portrait of the influential rockers.

“The Grateful Dead were more than just a band. They were their own planet, populated by millions of devoted fans,” said Scorsese in a statement. “I’m very happy that this picture is being made and proud to be involved.”

The surviving members agreed heartily, saying jointly that they’re “humbled to be collaborating with Martin Scorsese. From The Last Waltz to George Harrison: Living In The Material World, from Bob Dylan to the Rolling Stones, he has made some of the greatest music documentaries ever with some of our favorite artists and we are honored to have him involved. The 50th will be another monumental milestone to celebrate with our fans and we cannot wait to share this film with them.”

It might be time to outfit that old VW microbus with a television.

Ethan Hawke lands role as jazz legend Chet Baker in 'Born to Be Blue'

By C. Molly Smith on Oct 23, 2014 at 8:20PM

Image Credit: Michael Stewart/WireImage

Ethan Hawke will play jazz trumpeter Chet Baker in writer-director Robert Budreau’s Born to Be Blue, EW has confirmed.

The actor—who just received a Best Actor nomination from the Gotham Independent Film Awards for Boyhood—is joined by co-stars Carmen Ejogo (Selma) and Callum Keith Rennie (Fifty Shades of Grey). The film, which Hawke helped develop with its producers, tells the story of Chet Baker’s amazing comeback and roller coaster love affair that altered the way he played music and aided him on the road to redemption.

New Real Films’ Jennifer Jonas and Leonard Farlinger, Lumanity Productions’ Budreau, and Black Hangar Sudios’ Jake Seal are producing. William Santor, John Hills, Andrew Chang-sang, Adam Moryto, Stefan Jacobs, D. Matt Geller, and Gurpreet Chandhoke are executive producing.

K5 International is dealing with the film’s international rights. It will introduce the film to buyers at the American Film Market in Santa Monica next month. eOne is distributing the film in Canada.

Born to Be Blue is currently in production in Canada.

The Weinstein Company teams up with Will Ferrell, Adam McKay on 'Plus One'

By Lindsey Bahr on Oct 23, 2014 at 6:54PM

Image Credit: Jim Spellman/WireImage

The Weinstein Company has found some surprising new bedmates in Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. The famously awards-focused company announced Thursday that they have acquired the rights to April Prosser’s Plus One, a female-driven comedy about a recently single lady whose go-to wing-women have all gotten married, forcing her to team up with a bawdy last resort. Gloria Sanchez Productions, the female-focused arm of Ferrell and McKay’s Gary Sanchez Productions, will produce under the supervision of executive Jessica Elbaum, who also produced Bachelorette.

“We’re thrilled to be on board with this hilarious and smart film by talented up-and-comer April Prosser. Her script drew one of the strongest responses from our team that I’ve seen in a while,” said TWC co-chairman Harvey Weinstein. “Female-driven comedies continue to be a tremendously exciting force in film these days and we couldn’t be more delighted to be behind one of this caliber alongside the amazing comedic minds at Gloria Sanchez.”

Peter Jackson walks us through his battle plans for 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies'

By Keith Staskiewicz on Oct 23, 2014 at 6:38PM

Image Credit: Warner Bros

Imagine Peter Jackson in a
general’s cap, planted wide-stanced in front of a huge New Zealand flag, teeth clenched around a cigarette holder as he rallies his troops of CG artists. While the reality is less Patton-esque, designing and creating the 45-minute fight at the climax of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is much like preparing
for an actual full-scale assault. “There’s a lot of logistics that have to be thought through,” says Jackson. “We have dwarves and men and elves and orcs, all with different cultures, with different weapons, and different shields and patterns and tactics.”

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Box office preview: 'Ouija' faces off against 'John Wick'

By Lindsey Bahr on Oct 23, 2014 at 6:24PM

Image Credit: Matt Kennedy/Universal

Keanu Reeves, once one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, will be competing against a board game thriller this weekend as John Wick opens against Ouija. In this case, it looks like the teen screamers might have the edge despite the overall stellar reviews for Reeves’ revenge pic—the latest R-rated film to hit a particularly crowded market. St. Vincent also expands nationwide after playing for two weeks in limited release, but its unlikely to crack the top five.

Here’s how things might play out:

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Watch the terrifying teaser trailer for 'Insidious: Chapter 3'

By Teresa Jue on Oct 23, 2014 at 5:54PM

Focus Features released a teaser trailer for Insidious: Chapter 3, the latest installment in the Insidious franchise.

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Exclusive: Chiwetel Ejiofor joins Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain and Kristen Wiig in Ridley Scott's 'The Martian'

By Sara Vilkomerson on Oct 23, 2014 at 4:03PM

Image Credit: Dan MacMedan/Getty Images

The cast of The Martian is getting even starrier: EW has exclusively confirmed that Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sebastian Stan, and Mackenzie Davis are the latest to join in director Ridley Scott’s The Martian, due in theaters November 2015. They join previously announced cast members Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig Kate Mara, Sean Bean, Donald Glover, Michael Pena and Jeff Daniels.

The Martian, adapted from the best-selling novel by Andy Weir, is about Mark Watney (Damon), an astronaut who gets left behind on Mars when his crew mistakenly believes him dead. “It’s quintessential Robinson Crusoe,” Ridley Scott tells EW. Drew Goddard (World War Z) penned the screenplay, and Damon and the rest of the cast quickly jumped aboard. “This is one of those movies that’s had a blessed life,” says producer Simon Kinberg. “Every actor is doing it for significantly less than their normal fee. It’s a real labor of love.”

Production begins in November in Budapest.

How Ridley Scott looked to science -- not miracles -- to part the Red Sea in 'Exodus: Gods and Kings'

By Sara Vilkomerson on Oct 23, 2014 at 3:38PM

Image Credit: Twentieth Century Fox

If there’s one Old Testament image everyone knows, it’s the parting of the Red Sea. And when shooting that scene in Exodus: Gods and Kings (in theaters Dec. 12), director Ridley Scott knew that he want to treat the incident as realistically as possible. “You can’t just do a a giant parting, with walls of water trembling while people ride between them,” says Scott, who remembers scoffing at biblical epics from his boyhood like 1956’s The Ten Commandments. “I didn’t believe it then, when I was just a kid sitting in the third row. I remember that feeling, and thought that I’d better come up with a more scientific or natural explanation.” READ FULL STORY

EW's Horror Quintessentials: The 5 best 'It Could Happen to You' movies

By Lanford Beard on Oct 23, 2014 at 3:10PM

Image Credit: Rico Torres

With Halloween fast approaching, EW is picking the five best films in a variety of different horror movie categories. Each day, we’ll post our top picks from one specific group—say, vampire movies or slasher flicks—and give you the chance to vote on which is your favorite. On Oct. 31, EW will reveal your top choices. Today, we’re ready to talk about those movies that hit a little too close to home.

All horror movies prey on the psychological premise that there’s beastliness roiling within everyone. But let’s get real: You don’t see news reports about werewolves, vampires, or zombies. You do see news reports about serial killers, sociopaths, and sadists. These are real people. They’re usually oddball outsiders. They’re sometimes handsome charmers. They might even be entertaining at a child’s party even as you read. These Big Bads walk among us—and you’ll most likely never be able to know who’s a threat until it’s too late. READ FULL STORY

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