Casey Affleck Replaces Matt Damon in 'Manchester-by-the-Sea'; Ken Watanabe Exits 'Silence'

It's the downside of being among Hollywood's most sought-after actors. It may come with the perk of basically being able to pick any role that's up for grabs, but it also means there's not enough time to do everything. And for Matt Damon and Ken Watanabe they've been forced to drop out of two very high profile projects from top-notch directors.

First up, Matt Damon's too occupied with Ridley Scott's The Martian to star in Kenneth Lonergan's next film, Manchester-by-the-Sea. So instead it will be another Boston native, Casey Affleck, taking on the drama's lead role. Affleck will play a Boston plumber who returns home to take care of his deceased brother's 16-year-old son, only to have a secret from his past arise. There's still no word when filming could begin, but hopefully we won't have to wait years for it like we did with Lonergan's Margaret. [Boston Globe]

And Martin Scorsese has tapped Tadanobu Asano to replace Ken Watanabe in Silence, which stars Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson, and Adam Driver. If you somehow think this is a step down then I might suggest you check him out in Sergei Bodrov's Mongol. It will change your mind pretty quick. The film is based on Shusaku Endo's novel set in 17th century Japan where two Jesuit priests attempt to spread Christianity and locate their missing mentor. Asano will play the interpreter accompanying them on their mission. Asano can also be seen as Hogun in both Thor movies, and recently starred with Keanu Reeves in 47 Ronin. [Deadline]

Read More

Martin Scorsese's 'Silence', Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's 'The Revenant' Get 2015 Dates

It's too early to start really digging in to the 2014 Oscar race so it's definitely way too soon to be looking ahead to 2015's field. But if one were to hazard a guess at two potential contenders for next year they would be Martin Scorsese's Silence, and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's The Revenant. And apparently the studios agree because both films are set to get release dates that put them right in the thick of the race.

Paramount is on the verge of inking a deal to distribute Scorsese's long-developing adaptation of Silence for release in November 2015. Based on the Shusaku Endo novel about two Jesuit priests in 17th century Japan as they attempt to spread Christianity and find their mentor, the film will star Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson, Ken Watanabe, and Adam Driver. Filming is due to begin later this year. [Deadline]

And then there's Inarritu's film, The Revenant, a revenge thriller that will be considerably more than that with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy starring. Now that some financial hang-ups have been resolved (thanks to Megan Ellison and Annapurna Pictures), the film is set to shoot this October and hit theaters on Christmas Day 2015. That puts it up against some heavyweight competition in Mission: Impossible 5 and Joy, the Miracle Mop film reuniting David O. Russell and Jennifer Lawrence. Wow. Lots of amazing options next year. [BoxOfficeMojo]

Read More

Liam Neeson Joins Martin Scorsese's 'Silence'

If everything had gone according to plan, we'd have seen Martin Scorsese's adaptation of Shusaku Endo's novel, Silence, a long time ago. In the works for more than twenty years, Scorsese has repeatedly delayed it, putting other films ahead of it until producer Cecchi Gori got fed up and filed a lawsuit for misrepresentation and lost compensation. That lawsuit has since been settled, and Scorsese has been casting up the film as his next project, adding Liam Neeson to join Andrew Garfield and Ken Watanabe.

Neeson will once again play a priest for Scorsese, just as he did twelve years ago in Gangs of New York. The story centers on two 17th century investigating Christian persecution in Japan while searching for their mentor. Adam Driver co-stars with Jay Cocks helping Scorsese out on the screenplay.

Production on Silence begins later this year. [Deadline]

Read More

Adam Driver Joins Martin Scorsese's 'Silence'; Nick Nolte Added to 'Noah'

The third season of HBO's Girls debuted over the weekend, which no doubt has Lena Dunham fans (and fans of her boobs) dancing in the streets. While she and many of the women on that show have raised their profile significantly, the biggest breakout has been co-star Adam Driver. Over the last couple of years he's worked alongside Stephen Spielberg, the Coen Brothers, Noah Baumbach, Clint Eastwood, and is getting mentioned for major franchise flicks like Batman vs. Superman and Star Wars: Episode VII. So what's next up for him? How about working with Martin Scorsese?

Driver has joined Scorsese's long-developing adaptation of Silence, based on the Shusaku Endo novel about a pair of 17th century Jesuit priests who face persecution while spreading Christianity in Japan. Andrew Garfield, Ken Watanabe, and Issei Ogata are set to star. The only question is if Scorsese will actually get around to filming it this year as suspected. A July start date was mentioned before but doesn't seem to be set in stone just yet. [Showbiz411]

From one potential project to one that is nearing completion; Nick Nolte is a late addition to the cast of Darren Aronofsky's Biblical epic, Noah. The director tweeted the announcement, revealing that Nolte would be taking on the role of the Watcher Samyaza, the part which previously had Mark Margolis attached.  Samyaza is a fallen angel whose interactions with humans bore God's wrath, leading directly to the Great Flood. Noah opens on March 28th.

Read More

Martin Scorsese adds Ken Watanabe and Andrew Garfield to 'Silence'

It's been an extremely long road for Martin Scorsese's passion project, Silence, and every time it seems close to getting underway, something else causes it to be pushed back. After getting another promising update last month, it looks like Silence is finally happening because the first actors have come aboard.

Andrew Garfield, Ken Watanabe, and Issei Ogata (The Sun) have been set for the adaptation of Shusaku Endo's novel, which Scorsese says will be a Japanese-language production. The story follows two 17th century Jesuit priests investigating religious persecution in Japan. Garfield will play Portugese priest Father Rodrigues, there to find his mentor and spread the word of Christianity. The role of his colleague Father Garrpe has yet to be filled, but we know Watanabe will play their translator.

Earlier rumors had Daniel Day-Lewis, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Benicio Del Toro starring, but it looks like Scorsese has decided to go in a completely different direction. Garfield may seem like an odd choice for a role like this since he's best known for donning a pair of tights in The Amazing Spider-Man, but he's got no shortage of impressive dramatic credits to his name including The Social Network and Mark Romanek's Never Let Me Go. Filming on Silence begins in June 2014. [Variety]

Read More

Martin Scorsese plans adaptation of 'Silence' as his next film

After veering off into unfamiliar territory with Shutter Island and Hugo, it was expected that Martin Scorsese would slip back into the comfortable world of underworld crime stories and mob flicks. He recently signed on to direct The Snowman, a planned American remake of the Norwegian crime novel starring gritty detective Harry Hole. But it turns out that won't be next on the director's list, as he will be proceeding with his long gestating adaptation of Shusaku Endo's acclaimed 1966 novel, Silence.

Scorsese: I’m hoping to do Endo’s book next, Silence… Not hoping, we’re literally pulling all the elements together at this point. Also excited to do another HBO series on the Rock and Roll business in the 60s, 70s up to the 90s and that’s with Mick Jagger and Terry Winter.

Scorsese revealed that while doing some press for Hugo on a show hosted by Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode. Staying far away from his comfort zone yet again, the story centers on a Jesuit missionary sent to 17th century Japan, only to find that Christians have been persecuted and driven underground( Kakure Kirishitan).

Daniel Day-Lewis, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Benicio Del Toro have long been attached to the project, but it remains to be seen if that will turn out to be the case now. Day-Lewis is probably too deep into Steven Spielberg's Lincoln biopic to be involved, but we shall see.  Silence has been adapted into a feature film once before back in 1971's Chinmoku, directed by Masahiro Shinoda and co-written by Endo. [BleedingCool]

Read More