Having a baby can’t stop Australian actress Cate Blanchett. Yes, it’s true that she and her husband Andrew Upton are expecting their first child, but the news came while she was finishing filming Lasse Hallstrom‘s The Shipping News with Kevin Spacey. She’s already in talks to star in Chasing the Dragon: The Veronica Guerin Story, the Joel Schumacher-directed film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Now she’s in consideration to star in a sci-fi project for director Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream). Hmmm, let’s see, what else? She’s also just completed Charlotte Gray for fellow Australian director Gillian Armstrong, costarring Billy Crudup. And she’ll be seen in Bandits with Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton. Oh, and don’t forget Lord of the Rings, coming out later this year. Can we say nanny entourage?
Benigni’s nose is getting long
An Italian version of the classic fairy-tale Pinocchio–what a fitting follow up for Italian actor-director wunderkind Roberto Benigni, whose happy-go-lucky nature could be described as puppet-like. Filming has begun in a southern village of Pignone, near Terni, under tight security. It has been tagged as the most expensive film ever made in Italy, rounding in at around $45 million. Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia also has blessed the set, not necessarily a luxury every movie gets (but many may have wished they did). “I have found many analogies between Pinocchio and the Bible,” the actor reportedly told the bishop in a Variety report. “I have used some inspiration from Life Is Beautiful to teach religion; I hope I’ll be able to do the same with Pinocchio.” Benigni will play the title role, with wife Nicoletta Braschi, his costar in the Oscar-winning Life is Beautiful, playing the Blue Fairy.
Toon “Thornberrys” coming to big screen
Nickelodeon fans can get excited. The popular animated TV series The Wild Thornberrys is getting the big screen treatment from Paramount Pictures, with Rupert Everett, Marisa Tomei, Lynn Redgrave, Brenda Blethyn and Alfre Woodard lending their vocal talents the animated feature. The premise of the show centers on Eliza Thornberry, a Dr. Dolittle-like 12-year-old girl who can talk to animals. Eliza and her family travel the world searching for exotic, endangered animals to star in their nature documentaries. In the film, the family runs into some nefarious types who try and use Eliza for their benefit. Ah, this will be good family fun.
No “Deed” goes undone
John Goodman, Toni Collette and Bryan Brown are set to make the comedy Dirty Deeds, shooting in Australia in August. The story is set in the world of organized crime in 1960s Sydney. There’s organized crime in Australia? I guess so. Anyway, when a gangster’s illegal activities, which is booming due to the U.S. soldiers fighting in Vietnam having a little R&R in Sydney, is noticed by the Chicago mob, the stateside wise guys decide they want a piece of the action. So, the Chicago uptights go to the laid-back Australia and have a beer? Sounds like an entirely skewed version of Crocodile Dundee.
