Robert Downey Jr. Circles Late Steve McQueen Project, 'Yucatan'

Here's something you may have forgotten about because I sure as heck did. A few years ago Robert Downey Jr. and his wife, producer Susan Downey, picked up the rights to Yucatan, a project developed by the late actor Steve McQueen. McQueen had developed a treatment for the treasure hunt film back in the '60s before he died, but now it looks like Downey may be taking it on as a starring vehicle for himself.

Deadline reports that Yucatan is moving forward now with a script by Pirates of the Caribbean's Terry Rossio. The project is based on the 1700 pages of notes written by McQueen, but all we really know is that it involves “a renegade salvage expert’s search for Mayan treasure in the Yucatan Peninsula.”  This sounds like just the kind of big tentpole project Downey loves, and since Warner Bros. is backing it just as they have his two Sherlock Holmes films we know it will have a ton of studio support.

Clearly, Downey is excited about this one as we tweeted this image of Team Downey piecing together the screenplay's components...

Back on the boards! #TeamDowney #Yucatan http://t.co/FClPyOqRhY pic.twitter.com/yb8FW8dIFn
— Robert Downey Jr (@RobertDowneyJr) November 20, 2014

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Steve McQueen will Next Direct Adaptation of Brit TV Series 'Widows'

Well, so much for that whole Paul Robeson biopic Steve McQueen was planning. While it appeared he would tackle that film next, THR now reports McQueen will direct an adaptation of Widows, a British TV series that ran back in 1983.

The original Widows series ran for six episodes and was created by Lynda LaPlante, the woman behind Helen Mirren's Prime Suspect series. It centered on the three widows of armed robbers who join up with a fourth woman to help pull off their husbands' failed robbery. It produced a pair of sequel series, and a dreadful American remake in 2002 starring Brooke Shields and Rosie Perez.

McQueen is moving fast on this one, too, with production on Widows set to begin by the end of the year. As always, we have to expect he'll find a role in there somewhere for his buddy Michael Fassbender, and maybe even a role for Lupita Nyong'o?

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Steve McQueen is Making a Biopic on Civil Rights Activist Paul Robeson

Steve McQueen has always favored doing the unexpected; he's only directed three films and they are as different from one another as possible. But now that his film 12 Years a Slave has earned him a Best Picture win, he's continuing the trend of walking to the beat of his own drum. While in New York for the Hidden Heroes awards, McQueen revealed his next film will be about blacklisted entertainer and civil rights activist, Paul Robeson.

Robeson was born in 1898 New Jersey the son of an escaped slave, and he grew up to be a fascinating, multi-talented man. Not only was he a singer of some reknown, but he excelled at football, was an actor on the stage and screen, and much more. He was also very politically active and became vocal during the civil rights movement, but it was his embracing of Communism that led to his being blacklisted during the McCarthy trials. McQueen has been wanting to tell Robeson's story for years, and now he's finally got the chance...

McQueen: “His life and legacy was the film I wanted to make the second after 'Hunger.' But I didn’t have the power, I didn’t have the juice", he continued, “It was about this black guy who was in Wales and was singing with these miners. I was about 14 years old, and not knowing who Paul Robeson was, this black American in Wales, it seemed strange. So then, of course, I just found out that this man was an incredible human being.”

So fascinating story, to be sure, and perhaps we'll see a reunion between McQueen and Ejiofor? He's always had the tendency to work with the same actors multiple times, so maybe there will also be a role in there somewhere for Michael Fassbender? [TheGuardian]

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Indie Spirit Awards: '12 Years A Slave' Wins 5 Including Best Picture, Best Director

The final pit stop on the overlong road to the Academy Awards was tonight's Independent Spirit Awards (although these are no longer true indies, let's be honest), held in Los Angeles, and it was a night that belonged to Steve McQueen and 12 Years a Slave. The historical drama led all with five big wins, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong'o. This should give it a great deal of push heading into tomorrow's Oscars.

As for the other major awards, Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto won the top male acting awards for Dallas Buyers Club, and that's very likely to continue on through tomorrow. Cate Blanchett racked up yet another Best Actress win for Cate Blanchett, and Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station was recognized as the Best First Feature.

The full list of winners is below:

 BEST FEATURE:
WINNER: "12 Years A Slave"
"All Is Lost"
"Frances Ha"
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Nebraska"

BEST LEAD FEMALE:
WINNER: Cate Blanchett - "Blue Jasmine"
Julie Delpy - "Before Midnight"
Gaby Hoffman - "Crystal Fairy"
Brie Larson - "Short Term 12"
Shailene Woodley - "The Spectacular Now"

BEST LEAD MALE:
Bruce Dern - "Nebraska"
Chiwetel Ejiofor - "12 Years A Slave"
Oscar Isaac - "Inside Llewyn Davis"
Michael B. Jordan - "Fruitvale Station"
WINNER: Matthew McConaughey - "Dallas Buyers Club"
Robert Redford - "All Is Lost"

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE:
Melonie Diaz - "Fruitvale Station"
Sally Hawkins - "Blue Jasmine" 
WINNER: Lupita N'Yongo - "12 Years A Slave"
Yolanda Ross - "Go For Sisters"
June Squibb - "Nebraska"

BEST SUPPORTING MALE:
Michael Fassbender - "12 Years A Slave"
Will Forte - "Nebraska"
James Gandolfini - "Enough Said"
WINNER: Jared Leto - "Dallas Buyers Club"
Keith Stanfield - "Short Term 12"

BEST DIRECTOR:
Shane Carruth - "Upstream Color"
J.C. Chandor - "All Is Lost"
WINNER: Steve McQueen - "12 Years A Slave"
Jeff Nichols - "Mud"
Alexander Payne - "Nebraska"

BEST FIRST FEATURE:
"Blue Caprice"
"Concussion"
WINNER: "Fruitvale Station"
"Una Noche"
"Wadjda"

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD:
"Computer Chess"
"Crystal Fairy"
"Museum Hours"
"Pit Stop"
WINNER: "This Is Martin Bonner"

BEST SCREENPLAY:
Woody Allen - "Blue Jasmine"
Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Richard Linklater - "Before Midnight"
Nicole Holofcener - "Enough Said"
Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber - "The Spectacular Now"
WINNER: John Ridley - "12 Years A Slave"

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY:
Lake Bell - "In A World"
Joseph Gordon-Levitt - "Don Jon"
WINNER: Bob Nelson - "Nebraska"
Jill Soloway - "Afternoon Delight"
Michael Starburry - "The Inevitable Defeat Of Mister & Pete"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
WINNER: Sean Bobbitt - "12 Years A Slave"
Benoit Debie - "Spring Breakers"
Bruno Delbonnel - "Inside Llewyn Davis"
Frank G. Demarco - "All Is Lost"
Matthias Grunsky - "Computer Chess"

BEST EDITING:
Shane Carruth & David Lowery - "Upstream Color"
Jem Cohen & Marc Vives - "Museum Hours"
Jennifer Lame - "Frances Ha"
Cindy Lee - "Una Noche"
WINNER: Nat Sanders - "Short Term 12"

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM:
"A Touch Of Sin"
WINNER: "Blue Is The Warmest Color"
"Gloria"
"The Great Beauty"
"The Hunt"

BEST DOCUMENTARY
"The Act Of Killing"
"After Tiller"
"Gideon's Army"
"The Square"
WINNER: "Twenty Feet From Stardom"

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
WINNER: Toby Halbrooks & James M. Johnson
Jacob Jaffke
Andrea Roa
Ferderick Thornton

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARDS:
Kalyanee Mam - "A River Changes Course"
WINNER: Jason Osder - "Let The Fire Burn"
Stephanie Spray & Pancho Valez - "Manakamana"

SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARDS:
Aaron Douglas Johnston - "My Sisters' Quinceanera"
WINNER: Shaka King - "Newlyweeds"
Madeleine Olnek - "The Foxy Merkins"

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
"Mud"

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'American Hustle' Named Best Film by New York Film Critics Circle

It looks like holding David O. Russell's political caper American Hustle to the absolute last second has paid dividends, as the New York Film Critics Circle has named it the Best Film of of the year. The film topped all with three victories including Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Jennifer Lawrence's ferocious performance.

One place where it couldn't secure a win was in the Best Director category, with Steve McQueen earning the honor for 12 Years A Slave. Robert Redford received a significant bump, winning Best Actor for his mostly wordless turn in All is Lost, while likely Oscar favorite Cate Blanchett won for Blue Jasmine. The Coen Brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis secured a single victory in the Best Cinematography category, a far cry from the Best Feature win it earned at the Gotham Awards yesterday. One thing of note is the serious groundswell of support for Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises, with critics groups perhaps giving the legendary director the send off he deserves.

So does mean we should begin updating the Prognosticator 2000? Eh, probably not. It's still too soon to start drawing any conclusions, but things will get real interesting when the National Board of Review weighs in tomorrow. Full list of winners below:

Best Film:
"American Hustle"
Best Director:
Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave"
Best Screenplay:
Eric Singer & David O. Russell, "American Hustle"

Best Actress:
Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"
Best Actor:
Robert Redford, "All Is Lost"
Best Supporting Actress:
Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"
Best Supporting Actor:
Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club"
Best Cinematography:
Bruno Delbonnel, "Inside Llewyn Davis"
Best Non-fiction Film:
"Stories We Tell," directed by Sarah Polley
Best Foreign Language Film:
"Blue is the Warmest Color," directed by Abdellatif Kechiche
Best Animated Feature:
"The Wind Rises," directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Best First Feature:
"Fruitvale Station," directed by Ryan Coogler

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Chiwetel Ejiofor Wants More than Survival in New '12 Years A Slave' Clip

Steve McQueen's stirring slavery drama 12 Years A Slave was always going to be an Oscar favorite, but after winning the People's Choice Award in Toronto and amassing a number of glowing reviews, the film has moved into the pole position. With its release coming up, Fox Searchlight is looking to capitalize on the solid word-of-mouth by unveiling a brand new clip.

Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as the real-life Solomon Northrup, a free black man who is scammed by a phony ad and forced into slavery. This new scene gives us a glimpse at the heartache he feels at all that he's lost, from his freedom to his family, and his unwillingness to simply roll over and let it happen. Ejiofor is predictably excellent, but it's also worth noting the physical transformtion undergone by Michael K. Williams, playing a fellow captive who has clearly felt the effects of slavery for a very long time.

Also starring Paul Dano, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Fassbender, Dwight Henry, Quvenzhane Wallis, and Paul Giamatti, 12 Years A Slave opens in limited release October 18th before going wide November 1st.

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First Clip from Steve McQueen's '12 Years A Slave' Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor

Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave was probably considered the frontrunner in the Best Picture race already, but with Grace of Monaco, Foxcatcher, and possibly The Wolf of Wall Street moving into 2014, its prospects are even greater. The reviews out of Telluride and Toronto have been nothing short of phenomenal, and now we're getting just a taste of what they were all raving about.

The first clip has been released and it features star Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northrop, a free black man tricked by a phony job offer and kidnapped into twelve years of slavery. This footage isn't one that I remember from the novel, taking place before he is captured, shopping with his wife in a white man's store. The scene takes a poignant turn as Northrup is reminded that his situation is one not afforded to most blacks. It also serves as an ominous precursor to the trials that await him.

12 Years A Slave opens on October 18th and stars Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Paul Giamatti, Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ruth Negga, Quvenzhane Wallis, Sarah Paulson, Scoot McNairy, Garrett Dillahunt, Alfre Woodard, Dwight Henry, and Michael K. Williams. Check out a few new images below, as well.

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