The Search for Next Bond Girl Continues
Rumor has it Naomi Watts has been tipped to be the next Bond girl, Russian vixen Vesper Lynd, in the newest Bond movie Casino Royale. Hmmm. Now, while playing a Bond girl can be a lot of fun, the parts have typically belonged to beautiful ingénue types with little acting experience. Of course, over the last few years, things have changed a bit. Accomplished Chinese actress Michelle Yeoh(Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), probably the coolest Bond girl to date, lent her martial arts skills to Tomorrow Never Dies. Then Halle Berry decided to kick ass in Die Another Day. And now Watts? Would she even consider it? I mean, I just can’t see the talented Oscar-nominated actress wearing a skimpy cocktail dress and being talked into bed by the famous superspy–even if she did make monkey love look easy in King Kong. Still, it does look like the makers of Casino Royale have their hearts set on getting a big female actress to star opposite their new Bond, Daniel Craig. Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron have apparently already passed. Sorry guys, but you might just have to settle for an unknown.
Winslet to Play ‘Scarlett’?
Speaking of spies, Kate Winslet is in the running to play 007-type character Daisy Scarlett in Daisy Scarlett: Semper Occultus. According to the Web site Moviehole.net, Naomi Watts was the original choice for the part but now that she’s considering the Bond role, filmmakers are looking at the lovely Winslet, as well as Species actress Natasha Henstridge. The movie revolves around a female spy who investigates organ thefts and will be filmed in lavish locations like South Africa, Paris, London and Morocco. It co-stars Hugo Speer and martial arts expert Donnie Yen. Daisy Scarlett producer Ben Trebilcook says, “We’re seeking female acting talent who haven’t done this kinda thing before. Obviously a superb actress who could do this standing on their head, but would be ace in terms of fending off the baddies.” If I were Winslet, I’d do it. Foiling organ thieves? What could be more fun than that?
Wahlberg Tackles Real-Life Football Hero
Mark Wahlberg is set to play revered sports fan Vince Papale in Invincible, the true story of how Papale became a member of the Philadelphia Eagles football team in an open tryout. A teacher and part-time bartender, Papale became an unlikely sporting hero in the mid-1970s when, at 30, he became the oldest NFL rookie to play without any prior college football experience. Wahlberg told MTV News he was drawn to the real-life story because he’s an avid sports fan himself who understands what it must be like to join the heroes on the football field: “He’s what every person who ever aspired to play in the NFL or professional sports wants to be. The guy became the heart and soul of the team and uplifted the whole city. He’s the real Rocky Balboa of Philadelphia, and he’s an amazing guy.” It sounds a little like Rudy, a cult favorite of many male friends of mine, about a young man from a small steel mill town who overcomes all odds, gets accepted to Notre Dame, and ends up playing on the football team.
Haas, Ribisi Go to ‘Eden’
Lukas Haas, Giovanni Ribisi and Erika Christensen will star in the indie film The Gardener of Eden, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio. Kevin Connolly, who plays Eric on Entourage and is the real-life boyfriend to socialite Nicky Hilton, will make his directorial debut with this dark comedy, which centers on a young man who accidentally saves a girl from a neighborhood assault and then decides his calling in life is to become a modern-day hero. I’m glad the term “dark comedy” is attached because generally in situations like this, it doesn’t end too well for the guy trying to be the hero, if you know what I mean.
Moore on the Move
Julianne Moore is struggling to find financing for a new movie based on the alleged real-life oedipal romance between a socialite and her son. Uh, eww. The biopic–tentatively titled Savage Grace (nice title)–will center around Barbara Baekeland and her abnormally close relationship with son Antony, who she eventually murdered in London in the early 1970s. Apparently, star and producer Moore is having a tough time getting Hollywood studio executives to support the difficult subject matter. Wonder why? Moore is also considering Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage (another doozy of a title), based on a short story by Alice Munro. That film centers on a nanny hired to care for a teenage girl whose mother has just died. Complications arise when the nanny falls in love with the teen’s ailing father. I hate it when that happens.
Allen Moves to Spain
Once synonymous with New York, Woody Allen has really taken a real shine to Europe in his old age. His current hit Match Point was shot in London, as was Scoop, his next film, coming out sometime this year. Now for his next project, Woody is heading to Spain to write and direct an English-language feature using international actors, according to Daily Variety. Allen has become a frequent visitor to Spain of late, whether to play jazz, to vacation or to premiere his latest work, as Allen did in 2004 when he allowed the San Sebastian Film Festival to host the world premiere of Melinda and Melinda. In turn, Spaniards, like the French, appear fascinated by Allen, viewing him as a masterful ironist of the glitches in contemporary relationships, Variety reports. Anyone wondering why Allen has a newfound love for all things overseas need only to look at his wallet to understand, as American financing for his increasingly un-commercial movies has all but dried up. But I think the new locales have also helped him out of a creative rut. If the U.S. studios come calling again–and they most likely will if his films start becoming successful again–he should play it smart and stay in Europe. For awhile, anyway.
Jackie Chan Just Moves Around…A Lot
Jackie Chan has started shooting his latest kung-fu comedy, tentatively titled BB or Baby, in Hong Kong with local helmer Benny Chan. The plot revolves around the hijinks that occur when small-time crooks steal a car without realizing a child is in it. Chan sort of plays a bad guy in this one, though one with a heart of gold, natch. Looking forward, rumors are also swirling that Chan and Danny DeVito are in talks to team up for the film 90 Mins, a new action comedy from Indian filmmaker Iqbal Rizvi. Chan and DeVito, huh? That could just be the best (or worst) idea ever! At least the film sounds intriguing, telling of two competing football teams striving to win some major loot for their schools. Filmmakers hope to have it in cinemas in time for the World Cup in July. We’ll see.
