John Krasinski Joins Benghazi Drama '13 Hours'; Emily Blunt Eyes Villain Role in 'The Huntsman'

Husband and wife duo John Krasinski and Emily Blunt made for quite the gorgeous couple at the Critics Choice Awards earlier this week as she won for Best Actress in an Action Movie. He wouldn't let me get close enough to snag a picture and I'll forever hold a grudge over that, but it won't stop me from checking out the new films they've lined up.

A few months ago we learned uber-patriot Michael Bay would be taking on the Benghazi attack with 13 Hours, an adaptation of Mitchell Zuckoff's book that would follow "the six-man security team that fought to defend the many Americans stationed at the U.S. State Department Special Mission Compound in Benghazi after it was attacked on Sept. 11, 2012." Krasinski is set to lead the film as security operator Jack Silva, which is a pseudonym for Zuckoff. Hopefully the film sticks to the facts and steers clear of the lies perpetuated by those with political agendas.  [THR]

And Emily Blunt could take on another action movie as she's in talks to join Chris Hemsworth in The Huntsman, a spinoff of Snow White and the Huntsman. She'd take on a villainous turn as The Snow Queen, the twin sister to Charlize Theron's evil Ravenna. There's one major problem, though, and it's the sudden departure of director Frank Darabont who left over creative differences. Universal has a replacement in mind and the film should still hit the target April 22nd 2016 release date. [TheWrap/Deadline]

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John Krasinski to Direct Anna Kendrick and Richard Jenkins in 'The Hollars'

Even before The Office aired its final episode, John Krasinski was looking to establish himself as a filmmaker. With Matt Damon he co-wrote and starred in the heartland drama, Promised Land, and in 2009 he made his directorial debut with the Sundance hit Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. And now he's lined up his follow-up effort in The Hollars, and an impressive cast has already come aboard to join him.

Anna Kendrick, Richard Jenkins, and Margo Martindale will star alongside Krasinski in the film, which he will direct, produce, and take the lead role in. Penned by James C. Strouse and described as Garden State meets Steel Magnolias, the story follows "John Hollar, an aspiring NYC artist who takes his girlfriend (Kendrick) back to his Middle America hometown on the eve of his mother’s (Martindale) brain surgery. There he’s forced to navigate the crazy life he left behind as his dysfunctional family, high school pals, his father (Jenkins), and his over-eager ex flood back into his life ahead of the operation."

Great cast and familiar territory for Krasinski as he heads back to "flyover country".  Let's just hope he can do something new with what sounds like well-worn material. [Deadline]

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Rosemarie DeWitt heads to Gus Van Sant and Matt Damon's 'Promised Land'

Rosemarie DeWitt got her big break a few years ago as the titular character in Rachel Getting Married, although her magnificent performance was drowned out by Anne Hathaway's more showy one. Since then she's kept herself plenty busy, playing the flighty sister in The United States of Tara, along with a number of smaller films. This year promises to be her biggest yet, as she'll star with Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn in Neighborhood Watch. My hope is that when people see how good she is in Lynn Shelton's small budget dramedy, Your Sister's Sister(my review here), she'll finally start getting the larger roles I think she's so perfectly suited for.

Maybe Gus Van Sant sees what I see, because he's chosen her to be the lead in Promised Land, the film that once was to be the directorial debut by Matt Damon. Conceived by writer Dave Eggers and John Krasinski, the film centers around two rival executives in a small town, with one having his entire life thrown into question. Damon will star alongside Krasinski, with both also teaming up on the script. The tone has been compared to some of the wholesome, message laden films of Frank Capra.

Filming should kick off in April. DeWitt should be seen next when Your Sister's Sister opens in June, followed up by Neighborhood Watch in July. [Deadline]

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Matt Damon, John Krasinski, and Gus Van Sant's 'Promised Land' goes to Focus Features

Real brief update on the film which was initially intended to be Matt Damon's directorial debut before he had to drop out due to his already jam packed schedule. The small budgeted flick, co-written and starring Damon and John Krasinski(The Office), was passed on by Warner Brothers, leaving the film a little bit in the lurch. But now Deadline reports it's landed in what I think is the perfect situation, with Focus Features and Participant Media teaming up to handle production. Very nice, as Focus knows exactly how to push a prestige picture like this, whereas Warner Brothers really only makes blockbusters nowadays.

Gus Van Sant came aboard a couple of weeks ago to direct the film, which now has the title of Promised Land. The story, described as being similar to the works of Frank Capra, will follow two rival executives in a small town, with Damon's character having his entire life thrown into question.

Filming should begin in April, and personally I think Focus has found themselves a winner here.

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Gus Van Sant takes over Matt Damon's former directorial debut

Well, so much for my theory it'd be Ben Affleck stepping in to help an old friend. Yesterday we learned that Matt Damon made the reluctant decision to drop out of making his directorial debut,  in a film that he co-wrote and will continue to star in with John Krasinski(The Office). Earlier today, reports started to swirl that Damon's long time collaborator Gus Van Sant may take over, and now Deadline confirms it.


It's a move that makes perfect sense. Damon first shot to stardom as co-writer on Good Will Hunting, which Van Sant directed. The two teamed up again for Gerry, which Damon and Casey Affleck co-wrote and starred in as a pair of friends lost in the desert. It's...not a movie for everybody. That's all I'll say about it.

Plot details have been sketchy, but we know the untitled film is based on an idea by Dave Eggers, and is now being described as a "Capra-esque" tale of two rival corporate executives. Damon's character arrives in a small town only to have his entire life thrown upside down. The story is said to have been spearheaded by Krasinski, who wanted to make a film with modern day relevance, centering on corporate greed.

Damon has been in the middle of what has turned out to be a very long shoot for Neill Blomkamp's Elyisum, and is likely the reason why he had to back off the directing duties. Krasinski is preparing his film future as The Office wraps up, while Van Sant's most recent effort was the summer dramedy, Restless.

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Matt Damon no longer making his directorial debut

What? Has Jason Bourne lost his nerve? Vulture is reporting that Matt Damon will no longer be making his directorial debut, an untitled film he co-wrote with John Krasinski. The two are still expected to star, in a story that has been kept mostly under wraps to the point. What we know is that it springs from the mind of Dave Eggers(Away We Go), and involved a salesman who sees his life turned upside down when he arrives in a small town.

The only other name attached at this point is Frances McDormand, so whoever jumps aboard is going to have a wealth of talent at their disposal. The reason Vulture gives for Damon dropping out involves some sort of script problem, but that doesn't make a lot of sense considering he wrote the thing. Whatever. I'm sure it's bigger than that.

Damon's busy schedule is probably the real culprit. Since this is a Warner Brothers joint, and we know how much they love Ben Affleck, what are the chances he steps in to help out his buddy?

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Ok, Krasinski NOT Captain America! Maybe?

This whole Captain America thing is turning into one big cluster****. Yesterday we ran a story that John Krasinski(The Office) was the frontrunner for the title role in The First Avenger: Captain America. That was taken from a story pushed by Fox411. Now Deadline.com is stating that Krasinski is out of the running for the role, and that only three serious contenders remain: Chris Evans(Fantastic Four, London), Garrett Hudland(Tron Legacy), and Mike Vogel(She's Out of My League).

Well I'm certainly hoping this is the real story. I actually kinda like the idea of Evans in the role, although he wouldn't be anywhere near my top choice. I tend to trust Deadline.com far more than Fox411 in the news department.

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Say it Ain't So! John Krasinski Frontrunner for Captain America!??

I'm on my way out the door to catch the second part of the Red Riding trilogy, so this one will be short. Probably for the better because if I spend too much time dwelling on it I'm likely to curl up in the fetal position and cry. Fox411 is reporting that John Krasinski(The Office) is the lead dog to take on the role of Steve Rogers in Marvel's upcoming Captain America film. Krasinski's name was on the short list of candidates a couple of weeks ago, but when his name got floated, fanboys like me threw up our arms in disgust.

Reportedly, Krasinski is currently reading with a number of different potential female leads to test screen chemistry. The goal is to nail down the Cap part first, then work on the other characters. Director Joe Johnston has previously stated that the part needed to be finalized by March 1st. A little late on that one, homie.

This....SHALL NOT STAND!!! I don't want Jim from The Office slinging the red, white, and blue. I couldn't even buy him as a football player in Leatherheads. How am I supposed to buy him as the defender of the stars 'n stripes? I can't.

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Review: It's Complicated

My biggest beef with Nancy Meyers' films is that she has the tendency to leave us poor men in the dust. We're either hopeless or clueless. I just never got the feeling that she has any sort of ear for male dialogue. By contrast, a writer like Nick Hornby who has been accused in the past of not being able to write women wrote arguably the strongest female lead of the year in An Education. Here, Meyers does her best writing of men yet in a film that frankly succeeds by the skin of it's teeth and the strength of it's leads.

The incomparable Meryl Streep plays Jane, an almost unnaturally successful baker with a huge glamourous house. The house is an issue for me. It feels like it's there solely to be used as a plot device, and it definitely is. Jane also has an ex-husband, Jake, played with his usual brilliant comic timing by Alec Baldwin. Jake is married to the same woman he cheated on Jane with 10 years prior, the much younger and somewhat looney Agness. Jane is just finally starting to get ahold of her life, but as is to be expected, things don't quite go as planned.

Jake is in the middle of one of those midlife crisis things. He's no longer in love with the woman he married, burdened by the many needs of a parent that he thought he was past now that his other kids have already grown up. During a trip to NY to celebrate their son's graduation, Jake and Jane revisit old memories. Drinks get drank, nature starts rising, and the two fall into old habits...and into bed. For Jake, Jane is like his own personal shot of B-12. She invigorates him, makes him feel younger again, ironically given their ages, and it's like they never left. For Jane, it's a confusing act that goes against how she's been her entire life. She's now the homewrecker she and her friends always hated, but damn if it ain't fun!

It's Complicated walks a fine line between madcap hilarity and sitcom cliche, and most of it starts when Jane meets her architect, Adam(Steve Martin). Adam is building a new wing onto her house because...well, I guess it's just not quite huge enough. She needs a kitchen that can rival Julia Child. Doesn't quite ring true, but that's a minor quibble. Adam represents a potential fresh start for Jane. A genuinely good guy, without Jake's bloviating and smugness. The two hit it off like gangbusters, only confusing her situation even more.

Meryl Streep could find depth and nuance out of reading the phone book. It's not often that we get to see her playing "the other woman", but she pulls it off with genuine ease. Apparently she can do whatever she puts her mind to. She's sexier and funnier than ever, and when she and Alec Baldwin are together it makes for one wild ride. Baldwin does what he does best, playing the overgrown big lug with a big ego and even bigger strut. Jake's enthusiasm for Jane is infectious, and you can see how these could have once been in love. I was less convinced by the pairing of Jane and Adam, and that's no knock on Steve Martin. His character just seems like more of a bland outline of a "decent guy" than a genuine person. He does everything right, gets hurt at just the right moments, and basically stands as a less interesting but acceptable option to Jake. Ok, not totally uninteresting. He does know how to get high, and seeing Steve Martin and Meryl Streep stoned out of their minds is as funny as it sounds. Definitely one of the film's highest notes. I can also say that I finally liked John Krasinsky in something not on TV. Watching him stumble around as Jane's future son-in-law who finds himself knowing more than he ever hoped to about Jane and Jake is an absolute riot.

There's a lot to like here. Meyers is mining some of the same material she explored in 2003's
Something's Gotta Give, which I liked but felt somewhat disconnected from. Her point there seemed to be to highlight the burgeoning "cougar" generation while simultaneously crucifying men who date younger women, and I found it irritating. It's Complicated has no such ideas. It's just plain funny. Nothing complicated about that.
6/10

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