First Trailer and Photos for 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'

When The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel scored a surprising $135M a couple of years ago it showed there is a substantial audience out there for older-skewing comedies, especially if they're British. And we've seen that play out pretty consistently ever since, but few would have expected that particular film to spawn a franchise, yet that's exactly what has happened with The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

The first trailer for the Brit-com has been released and it brings back much of the original cast while adding new faces in Richard Gere and David Strathairn. Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, and Ronald Pickup are back for an uplifting story centered on the hotel's manager (Dev Patel) and his impending marriage. John Madden also returns to direct and he tells USA Today that he doesn't consider the film a true sequel...

Madden: "I've always insisted on 'companion piece.' I think 'sequel' smacks of, 'Hey, we made a good one, it worked, let's do another one.' It certainly isn't the same movie again. We were very aware of wanting the experience to be completely fresh. If somebody simply walked into this film knowing nothing about the first, they would be just fine."

Same cast, same location, and it even has "second" in the title. Yep, smells like a sequel to me.

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel opens its doors on March 6th 2015.


The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Official Trailer (2015) Judi Dench HD. by Newest Trailer

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Charlize Theron to star in 'Murder Mystery' for John Madden

The career fortunes of Charlize Theron and director John Madden are similar in a lot of ways. Both saw incredible success fairly early on, she with her Best Actress performance in Monster, and he with Best Picture winner, Shakespeare in Love. Then, for whatever reason, both fell into something of a rut that lasted for years. And now suddenly, here we are with both back at the top of the A-list, with Theron making bank in both Prometheus and Snow White and the Huntsman and Madden scoring an unexpected hit with The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

So it kind of makes perfect sense to find them both hopping aboard the same project, an interesting one that features a highly praised script by James Vanderbilt(Zodiac). THR reports that Madden will direct the comedy caper, Murder Mystery, with Theron set to produce and star. Described as an "affectionate deconstruction" of Agatha Christie-style mysteries, the story follows an American couple on honeymoon who witness a murder, only to find themselves accused of the crime.

Kevin MacDonald(The Last King of Scotland) had once been attached to direct. No word on when it will roll, but with Theron's busy schedule it may be awhile. She'll begin filming on the long developing Fury Road starting next month.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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