Michael Fassbender Eyes Derek Cianfrance's 'The Light Between Oceans'

Perhaps better than most, Michael Fassbender has found the right balance of mainstream popcorn flicks like X-men: First Class, more refined fare like 12 Years a Slave, and quirky art house stuff like Frank. With his latest turn as Magneto set to storm multiplexes when X-men: Days of Future Past opens next week, Fassbender has set his sights on working with indie auteur Derek Cianfrance.

Last fall we learned that Cianfrance, best known for Blue Valentine and last year's incredible The Place Beyond the Pines, had signed on to direct an adaptation of M.L. Stedman's novel, The Light Between Oceans. Fassbender is now in talks to join the film which is set in Australia and follows a lighthouse keeper and his wife who discover a 2-year-old girl and a dead body in a row boat. They think the girl to be a blessing and decide to raise her as their own, only for the decision to prove tragic.

The combination is definitely worth getting excited about. Fassbender is a remarkable talent and Cianfrance is an actor's director, capable of pulling career-best performances from his cast. The potential here is simply off the charts. [THR]

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Jon Chu Exits 'Masters of the Universe'; Derek Cianfrance to Helm 'A Cotton Candy Autopsy'

* He-Man may have the power of Grayskull, but it's starting to look like Skeletor is personally holding up a Masters of the Universe movie. Jon M. Chu has been attached to the project for awhile, but with G.I. Joe 3 in development and rumors he may take over a third Star Trek film, he's had to drop out. But there is some positive news....well, depending on your perspective, I guess. Terry Rossio, who has written every single Pirates of the Caribbean film and The Lone Ranger, is the latest hired to draft a new script. At least he's got plenty of franchise experience, even if its not exactly the most inspiring choice. [THR]

* Suddenly The Place Beyond the Pines and Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance is extremely busy, and that is a very good thing. Recently adding adaptations of The Light Between Oceans and ESPN flick Those Guys Have All the Fun, Cianfrance will next tackle one of the weirdest comics....well, ever. He revealed on Jeff Goldsmith's great podcast that he'll adapt A Cotton Candy Autopsy, based on the first issue of DC Comics' long-shelved series Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children. The story will probably strike even greater terror in those who fear clowns, and might inspire it in those who don't. Written by Dave Louapre and Dan Sweetman, it followed an insane clown who, after his circus burns to the ground, gathers up his clown colleagues for a drunken, crime-filled road trip where they kidnap women and steal cars with reckless abandon. Definitely not one for the kiddies. Even better, Cianfrance revealed that his 'Pines' co-star and Animal Kingdom breakout Ben Mendelsohn will be starring. It's unclear where this will fit in Cianfrance's crowded schedule.

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Derek Cianfrance to Direct 'The Light Between Oceans'

The first two features by  director Derek Cianfrance have explored the familial ties that can bind and fray. Both films starring his frequent collaborator Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine looked at a happy marriage as it begins to crumble, while this year's The Place Beyond the Pines showed that the personal demons of the father are frequently passed on to the son. Now for his latest film, Cianfrance is taking on what is sure to be another unflinching family drama.

Dreamworks has announced that Cianfrance will helm an adaptation of M.L. Stedman's best-selling novel, The Light Between Oceans, and the premise sounds like it's right up his alley....

After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.

Tom, who keeps meticulous records and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel insists the baby is a “gift from God,” and against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.

While it's unclear if Cianfrance will be penning the screenplay, Harry Potter's David Heyman will produce for his Heyday Films banner. The director's schedule is pretty wide open, with only the HBO TV series Muscle on his list of things to do, so he could conceivably get to work on The Light Between Oceans pretty quickly. Here's a look a teaser for the novel....

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Cinema Royale #12- Derek Cianfrance; 'Evil Dead'

On this week's show, host Travis Hopson is joined by 'The Place Beyond the Pines' director Derek Cianfrance to talk about working with Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper on the acclaimed drama.

Plus, Sam Raimi has called his 'Evil Dead' remake the most terrifying film you'll ever experience, but does it measure up to that bold claim? Examiner.com film critic Mae Abdulbaki weighs in on the much buzzed-about horror!

You can find Cinema Royale every single week on Blogtalkradio, Itunes, and Podomatic. Listen to this week's episode below...

Listen to internet radio with Cinema Royale on Blog Talk Radio

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Watch the incredible opening tracking shot from 'The Place Beyond the Pines'

Hitting theaters in most cities today is Derek Cianfrance's sprawling, dramatic epic The Place Beyond the Pines. My review of it will be up here shortly, but those who have already read it elsewhere know that I consider it one of the year's best, a challenging film with something worthwhile to say.  But it's also gorgeously photographed, mesmerizing right from the start, as evidenced by the amazing tracking shot that opens the film and establishes the melancholic mood.

You can now get a look at that opening segment, which follows Ryan Gosling as the tattooed stunt biker Luke, as he walks through a carnival on his way to the dangerous globe of death. Gosling trained for weeks as a rider to perfect his role, and in watching the footage you might be convinced that he actually is performing the stunt himself. In my conversation with Cianfrance, he revealed that he actually used a technique called the "Texas Switch", but it's impossible to see exactly where it was pulled off.

The Place Beyond the Pines is out now, and you should probably make it a priority this weekend. If my review doesn't convince you, maybe this scene will...

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Bradley Cooper and Omar Sy eying 'Chef', but it won't be with Derek Cianfrance

*UPDATE* Cianfrance gave an interview recently where he said he won't be directing Chef. Oh well! [Premiere]

In just the last few days we've seen Bradley Cooper eying a number of different projects, from the WWI film Dark Skies, to a Lance Armstrong biopic, and just yesterday the mystery adaptation The Man from Primrose Lane. Now today the Oscar-nominee is circling a long developing film once eyed by David Fincher, and would give Cooper the chance to put his cooking skills on display. That's right, ladies, he can cook too.

Cooper, along with  The Intouchables' Omar Sy are in talks to star in Chef, written by Steven Knight(Eastern Promises) and directed by Cooper's The Place Beyond the Pines helmer, Derek Cianfrance. Fincher had been involved with the film back around 2008, describing it at the time as a "celibate sex comedy". The story involves a disgraced chef who loses his Michelin-rated restaurant in Paris, only to reunite his staff to create the best restaurant in London. It wouldn't be the first time Cooper has played a chef, either, having starred in the short-lived Fox series, Kitchen Confidential. Here's what he told a radio station about the project, in fluent French...

Cooper: "We've been talking about this project. I want to do it. It's a beautiful story. And I love cooking,"

The film wouldn't shoot any time soon, as Cooper has a lot on his plate already. The same goes for Sy, who I think is destined to become as big a star here as he has abroad. He'll appear next in Michel Gondry's Mood Indigo, and also has Chocolat, a French biopic on Cuban artist Rafael Padilla. That film shoots in the spring of 2014. [Variety]

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Two new clips from 'The Place Beyond the Pines' with Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper

One of the films that arrived into the fall season under the greatest veil of mystery was The Place Beyond the Pines, the follow-up from Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance. Described as a multi-generational crime story, it features the unfair male lead duo of Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper, a bank robber and cop respectively engaged in a years long feud that encompasses both their families. Fresh off its mostly well-received debut in Toronto, a pair of new clips have been released

The first clip is drowned out in a bunch of red carpet stuff with Cianfrance and co-star Eva Mendes. But the second one is pretty good, and appears to take place not long after a violent confrontation between Gosling and Cooper, in which the latter is in his hospital bed being questioned by Bruce Greenwood.

Focus Features snapped up the rights to the film pretty quickly, with Cianfrance revealing they'll hold off on releasing it until some time next year. I smell a late season Oscar run for sure.

Check out the two clips from The Place Beyond the Pines below....[HitFix]

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1st official look at Ryan Gosling in The Place Beyond the Pines

In Drive, Ryan Gosling proved to us how much of a kick ass tough guy he could be, playing a stuntman who moonlights as a criminal wheelman with a strict code you'd best not cross. In The Place Beyond the Pines, his second film with Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance, he's playing a guy who doesn't appear to be all that different on the surface. With the exception that he's sporting a slick motorcycle rather than a sports car.

We've posted a few photos of Gosling on set before, with his new tattoo and blond hair, but the above image is the first official image from the film. Looks pretty badass. The multi-generational story focus on Luke, a motorcycle stuntman who takes to crime in an effort to support his son. However he ends up crossing paths with a cop turned politician, kicking off a feud that lasts for years and soon envelops their own children. Whether this turns out to have the same sort of Oscar heat that Blue Valentine had remains to be seen. Bradley Cooper, Rose Byrne, Eva Mendes, Ben Mendolsohn, Ray Liotta, Max Martini, Dane DeHaan, and Emory Cohen co-star.

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Rose Byrne replaces Greta Gerwig in The Place Beyond the Pines

A little bit of mixed emotions on this story. One of the best looking movies we'll likely be seeing next year is The Place Beyond the Pines, Derek Cianfrance's much anticipated follow-up to Blue Valentine. The star-studded film covers a multi-generational feud between a motorcycle stunt rider who robs banks to support his son, and a cop turned politician. Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Ben Mendelsohn, and Ray Liotta make up just a portion of a fantastic cast.

One name you'll note that I left off is my indie darling, Greta Gerwig(Greenberg), who has long been linked to the role of Cooper's wife. Unfortunately, her hectic schedule has forced her to pull out, and while I'm disappointed in that, her replacement is more than adequate. Rose Byrne, already seen this year in Insidious and Bridesmaids, has stepped in to take her place.

This is a lateral move, in my opinion. Both actresses have proven they can handle the dramatic just as easily as comedy, although by the sounds of it the latter won't be called for so much in this film.  Shooting is already underway, so expect to see The Place Beyond the Pines on the festival circuit next year. [Vulture]

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1st look at a tatted up Ryan Gosling in The Place Beyond the Pines

If I had one problem with Ryan Gosling it was that he was almost too intense. Ever since he turned all of our heads in The Believer, the guy has barely cracked a smile in any of his films. If he did, his face would likely fall apart. His latest film, Crazy Stupid Love, has him showing off his comedic chops opposite Steve Carell, playing a smooth talkin' ladies man, and proving just how versatile in actor he really is.

Gosling's next film has him re-teaming with Blue Valentine director, Derek Cianfrance, in a multi-generational drama titled The Place Beyond the Pines. He stars as a stunt motorcycle rider who as an act of desperation, turns to robbing banks to support his newborn son. He runs afoul of a cop turned politician, which kicks off a years long feud. Bradley Cooper is his nemesis in the film, which also features Ray Liotta, Greta Gerwig, Eva Mendes, Ben Mendelsohn, and Max Martini. Shooting us underway now, but JustJared has snagged a few shots of Gosling looking vastly different than he does in Crazy Stupid Love. He looks like he fell asleep and his buddies gave him a bunch of fake tattoos he's unaware of. Oh, and he looks like he forgot to do his shirt laundry.

 
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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Ray Liotta joins the cast of A Place Beyond the Pines

In the span of like two weeks Derek Cianfrance's A Place Beyond the Pines has become a film that I'm anticipating like no other. As a follow-up to last year's Blue Valentine, Cianfrance has put together a "multigenerational crime film" featuring Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Greta Gerwig, and Eva Mendes. Can it get any better? Yes. Yes it can.

Ray Liotta, who can play dirty cops in his sleep, has signed on to do just that in the film about a motorcycle racer who turns to crime in order to support his newborn son. He runs afoul of a police officer turned politician, kicking off a feud that lasts generations.

If you ever saw the way Liotta kicked ass in the excellent cop drama, Narc, then you know he's the man for this part. The last time he played a questionable officer of the law it was in the Michael Cera comedy, Youth in Revolt, and he was hilarious there as well.  He'll appear next in Cogan's Trade, alongside Brad Pitt. [Variety]

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Sure Shots: Pacific Rim; The Place Beyond the Pines; Despicable Me 2 gets a release date

* Charlie Day has turned his role as the resident wacko on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia into a fast rising film career. After cranking out a few laughs in the Justin Long/Drew Barrymore rom-com Going the Distance, his big starring turns comes in a couple weeks as part of Horrible Bosses. But his biggest gig to date is on the horizon, as Variety reports he's in talks to play a professor(no doubt an eccentric one) in Guillermo Del Toro's monsters vs. mechs film, Pacific Rim. He'll be starring opposite the only known castmember at this time, Charlie Hunnam(Undeclared), who is featured as a mech pilot who snaps into action when the planet is under attack. Shooting should begin in the fall, so hopefully by then the rumored Idris Elba will be signed and ready to suit up.

* If you ever saw Animal Kingdom, then you were probably creeped out into a puddle by the actions of Pope, played to terrible perfection by Aussie actor Ben Mendelsohn. So while that film has seen many of it's stars blow up and move on to very different roles, Mendelsohn is set to make the jump himself, only he's staying very much on the villainous side of things. Variety notes that Mendelsohn is set to join The Place Beyond the Pines, from Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance. He'll play Robin Van Der Zee(how cool is that name??), a bank robber who let's Ryan Gosling's character into the criminal fold. Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, and Greta Gerwig also star.

* I like what Universal is doing in their plans for a sequel to Despicable Me, last year's animated where a bunch of little yellow minions stole the show from star Steve Carell. They aren't jamming it down our throats in a year's time like some other movies(Alvin and the Chipmunks), they're taking their time. They've just set a release date for the film on July 3rd 2013. Two years away. Good move. No other details on it right now. In other release date bits, Oliver Stone's Savages will open on September 28th, 2012. The crime film stars Aaron Johnson, Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Uma Thurman, Emile Hirsch, Salma Hayek, and Benicio Del Toro. And lastly, Oblivion, from Tron Legacy director Joseph Kosinski will open on July 19th 2013. Tom Cruise leads the way of the futuristic sci-fi film, based on Kosinski's own graphic novel.

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Noted Frenchman Bradley Cooper joins Ryan Gosling in The Place Beyond The Pines

The buffoonery of The Hangover part II safely behind him(for now), Bradley Cooper is set to join Ryan Gosling in Derek Cianfrance's anticipated follow-up to Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond The Pines. Variety describes the film as a multi-generational crime story in which Gosling plays a motorcycle stuntman who turns to crime in order to support his newborn son. Things spiral downwards when he crosses paths with a rookie cop(Cooper), and a generational feud kicks off.

Pines has been on the backburner for Cianfrance since last year, but that's actually short considering how long it took him to get Blue Valentine off the ground. Ben Coccio(the controversial Zero Day) co-wrote the script with Cianfrance.

Shooting begins on July 25th, with the fast turnaround likely due to the packed schedules of both stars. Gosling has Gangster Squad coming up, along with Nicholas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives. Somewhere in there is the Logan's Run remake.  Cooper will be starring in The Words, from Tron Legacy writers Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal. And if it ever gets off the ground, it appears that he'll be starring in the relaunch of The Crow franchise.

I'm loving the choices Cooper is making lately. Limitless wasn't exactly a great film, but Cooper showed his star quality in it. He's managing to have a decent mix of mainstream stuff(The A-Team, The Hangover), high concept stuff like Limitless, and now prestige stuff from highly respected auteurs.

As for the "Frenchman" thing? Well..check out the video for yourself. Women you can commence swooning.

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