The Year That Was: 2014 in Film

Check out ALL of the PDC end of year lists!

Review: Ava DuVernay's 'Selma'

Starring David Oyelowo

Review: Rob Marshall's 'Into The Woods'

Starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Anna Kendrick

Tim Burton's 'Big Eyes'

Starring Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams

Showing posts with label Freeheld. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Freeheld. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Steve Carell Joins 'Freeheld' Replacing Zach Galifianakis


Steve Carell will always be seen as a comedy actor first, but lately he's been branching out and showing he's capable of much more. After his darker turn in The Way Way Back he'll go even further with this season's Oscar-hopeful, Foxcatcher, and for those who prefer the light-hearted Carell there's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. For his next effort he'll weigh into the gay rights debate as part of Peter Sollett's Freeheld.

Carell is replacing Zach Galifianakis in the true-life film, which is based on the 2007 documentary of the same name. Ellen Page and Julianne Moore star as a gay couple who fought to amend the Domestic Partnership Act which grants pension benefits to domestic partners of New Jersey public employees. Galifiankis had to drop out for scheduling reasons, so now Carell will take on the role of  Garden State Equality advocate Steven Goldstein.

Probably not the Crazy Stupid Love reunion of Carell and Moore that we were expecting, but Freeheld promises to be a major film when it opens, especially with a script by Philadelphia writer Ron Nyswaner. [Deadline]

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Michael Shannon Boards 'Freeheld'; Adele Exarchopoulos in 'Bastille Day' ; Cate Blanchett Narrates 'Voyage of Time'



* Ellen Page's gay rights drama, Freeheld, has just added Michael Shannon to a cast that already includes Julianne Moore and Zach Galifianakis. Directed by Peter Sollett, the film tells the true story of a gay police woman diagnosed with a terminal illness who must fight to ensure her pension passes to her partner. No word on Shannon's role but the cast and subject matter alone make this project a pretty big deal.

* Blue is the Warmest Color's Adele Exarchopoulos is starting to see the results of her success. She's taken a role in Sean Penn's latest directorial effort, The Last Face, and now she's boarding action flick, Bastille Day, starring Idris Elba. Coming aboard to replace the departed Pierre Morel as director is James Watkins (The Woman in Black), which should amount to quite a change in approach. Anyway, Elba plays a washed-up CIA agent with Exarchopoulos likely as the artist accused of a terrorist attack in the Paris metro.

* Terrence Malick's forever-developing documentary, Voyage of Time, has long had Brad Pitt attached to narrate. And it made sense considering the director shot much of it while filming The Tree of Life, and is something he calls "a celebration of the earth, displaying the whole of time, from the birth of the universe to its final collapse.” After all this time the film still isn't coming out until 2016, with two versions of differing length, and now we know Cate Blanchett will be joining Pitt as narrator. She'll apparently be replacing Emma Thompson, who had been attached previously. [ScreenDaily]

Friday, February 14, 2014

Julianne Moore and Zach Galifianakis Join Ellen Page in 'Freeheld'



It's been a couple of years but it looks like Ellen Page's equal rights drama, Freeheld, is back on. Page has long been attached to star in the film, an adaptation of the 2007 Academy Award-winning documentary of the same name, and last we heard of it was when Peter Sollett (Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist) came aboard to direct. Now two big names have signed on that will give it a huge push forward.

Julianne Moore will star in the true drama penned by Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia), playing the late Laurel Hester, a terminally ill New Jersey cop whose longtime partner Stace Andree (Page) has been denied her pension benefits. Galifianakis will co-star as equal rights activist Steve Goldstein, who takes part in the legal battle to secure Laurel's benefits to her partner.

Filming is set to begin this summer, and given the timely material and great cast, Freeheld could make quite an impact when it's released.  [THR]