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 baltasar kormakur. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baltasar kormakur. Show all posts

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Cate Blanchett Eyes a Role in Disaster Thriller, 'Cascade'



In a couple of weeks you'll be able to see the always-glamorous Cate Blanchett in full glory as Galadriel in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. But the days of getting dolled up for Middle Earth are over, and Blanchett is now eying a role in Cascade, a film based on a 2003 BBC mock documentary, The Day Britain Stopped.

Ridley Scott and Steve Zaillian picked up the rights a couple of years ago, and now they've set Baltasar Kormakur (Contraband) to direct. Written by Kieran Fitzgerald (The Homesman), the story is set after an oil tanker collision in the Persian Gulf sets off an international crisis. Blanchett would play the tanker captain who must convince others she's not a terrorist. [THR]

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Baltasar Kormakur Directing 'Vikingr'; Jacques Audiard Helms 'Erran'; Joe Dante Plans 'Ombra Amore'


Icelandic filmmaker Baltasar Kormakur continues to make in-roads in Hollywood where he's found success making genre flicks with some pretty big stars. The Contraband and 2 Guns director has lined up his next project, Vikingr, based on the classic tales of Vikings and Nordic settlers.The gig keeps Kormakur in partnership with Universal Pictures, who backed his prior U.S. features and will distribute his next film, Everest, which stars Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, and John Hawkes. [Deadline]

You know how much I loved the brutally tough Rust & Bone a couple of years ago, and I've been waiting patiently for word of Jacques Audiard's next film. Well now comes word that he will write and direct Erran, about "a Sri-Lankan Tamil fighter who is a political refugee in France, where he works as a caretaker on an 'unruly' council estate in the Parisian suburbs." Even better, filming begins next week with the plan to have its premiere at Cannes. [Cineuropa]

Joe Dante (Gremlins, Burying the Ex) continues his comeback with the supernatural romance, Ombra Amore. Set in the midst of Italy's current economic crisis, the story centers on the love affair between Pete, a werewolf whose pack is responsible for the economic downturn; and Maggie, a vampire whose aristocratic family was bankrupted by the greedy wolves' schemes. How is this not titled The Wolf of Via Veneto? [THR]

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Jason Clarke, and Jake Gyllenhaal May Climb 'Everest'




After taking us on a harrowing sea journey in The Deep, director Baltasar Kormakur is taking on another man vs. nature tale in Everest, and he's been aiming high in looking for a star. Christian Bale had been eyed to lead the film, which is based on Jon Krakauer's novel Into Thin Air about a doomed 1996 expedition, but now four more big names are set to play the explorers.

Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Jason Clarke, and John Hawkes are in talks to join Everest, with Bale appearing to be out of the picture. The film will be based on a number of sources, including interviews with survivors recounting the climb that claimed the lives of eight experienced climbers.

If all goes to plan, filming will begin this November.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Rupert Sanders Preps 'The Kill List'; Baltasar Kormakur Eyes Next Crime Film; Simon Beaufoy To Pen 'Everest'



A few things that escaped my notice over the last few days that are worth keeping track of, if only because of the talents behind the camera: Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders, and Contraband helmer Baltasar Kormakur.

Sanders is set to direct an adaptation of the upcoming Frederick Forsyth espionage thriller, The Kill List. Producers picked up the rights to the book barely a month ago and are moving on this quickly, so there's a good chance this will be next for Sanders and his other projects will have to wait awhile. Last fall he came aboard to helm The Juliet, a sci-fi "Bonnie & Clyde" film, but we haven't heard anything about it since. The Kill List follows a U.S. Special Forces "tracker" hunting down an extreme fundamentalist terrorist.

Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur has a couple of films in the pipeline, so let's start with the new one. He has an untitled crime film in the works that is based on a real life scandal involving corrupt politicians releasing criminals from prison as hired killers. The story inspired the recent Filipino film, On the Job, but Kormakur's version won't be a remake.

Before that, Kormakur has Christian Bale all geared up to star in Everest, which details the disastrous 1996 expedition to scale the titular mountain, which was hit by sudden, blinding storms leading to the deaths of eight climbers. Our friend Brendon Connelly over at Bleeding Cool recently spoke to Kormakur, who revealed that Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) is penning the script.

Kormakur recently wrapped up the action comedy 2 Guns with Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. I wish his American work was half as inspired as what he does back home, but maybe Everest will change all of that. He does seem to have a great command of films involving the ferocity of Mother Nature, such as with his deep sea survival film, The Deep. You can check out our review of that here.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Christian Bale to scale 'Everest' for director Baltasar Kormakur


Suddenly, it looks like everybody wants to be a mountain climber. With Tom Hardy already set to play Sir George Mallory in a film titled Everest for Doug Liman, now Christian Bale finds himself attached to another with the same title and essentially the same subject matter.

Deadline reports that Bale is in talks to star in Everest, with Contraband's Baltasar Kormakur in line to direct. The film details the disastrous 1996 expedition to scale the mountain, which was hit by sudden, blinding storms leading to the deaths of eight climbers. It's a familiar story, notably recounted in Jon Krakauer's book, Into Thin Air, based on his own experiences. A 1997 television movie was released based on the book.

Justin Isbell wrote the script, and one has to expect this to be a grueling shoot. Probably the most grueling of Bale's career if the deal goes through. Kornakur seems like a nice fit for the material, recently directing The Deep, which deals with the true story of the lone survivor of an Icelandic fishing vessel that went down. He recently wrapped up 2 Guns, the action flick starring Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington.