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Just days after she signed up to play Ruth Bader Ginsburg in
The Basis Of Sex and also one of the leads in the sci-fi spooker
Planetarium, Portman has agreed to play the former first lady in a film chronicling the first four days after the assassination of JFK. Pablo Larrain, the Chilean director of Oscar-nominee
No, is directing, and Darren Aronofsky will produce.
(THR)
The actress’ production shingle, Pacific Standard, is re-teaming with her
Wild partner Fox Searchlight for the movie, about a female astronaut who ends up facing a collection of personal demons upon returning to Earth from space. The major theme of the story is to explore a longstanding idea that says astronauts begin to lose their grip on reality after being in space for an extended period of time. Brian C. Brown and Elliot DeGuiseppi wrote the script.
(CB)
With Spike Lee and Jean-Pierre Jeunet already on board, Amazon Original Films and the man who runs it, Ted Hope, have added two more iconoclasts to the roster. No word yet on what film either director will make next for the studio, but Amazon plans to acquire and produce 12 features a year starting this year.
(SF)
When Fox renewed the show for two more seasons, it had everyone under contract except for Shearer, and had been doing cast recording sessions without him. Now comes the official word that he will not be returning at all. This comes on the heels of the 70-year-old actor winning his first Emmy for the show back in August.
(DH)
Collateral Beauty, written by Allen Loeb, is set in a New York ad agency and follows “a man whose life is flipped upside down after experiencing an incredible tragedy that sends him down a path of deep depression.” Gomez-Rijon’s Sundance hit, which won both the Jury Prize and Audience Award at this year’s festival, will get a limited summer release on July 1st.
(COL)
The studio is remaking the 1996 film that starred Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk and Neve Campbell, with
Honeymoon writer-director Leigh Janiak co-writing (with Phil Graziadei) and directing the project. Doug Wick, who produced the original, will do the same for the new version, along with partner Lucy Fisher through their Red Wagon banner.
(VAR)
The former George Costanza will be starring in a currently untitled live-action comedy for Adult Swim that’s set to be part of the 2015-16 season. The series, created by Adam Lustick (
Silicon Valley,
The Office), centers around a famed psychotherapist who loses his own marbles, but his patients end up going along with his newly unorthodox therapy sessions.
(UR)
Rolling Stone has compiled a list of some of the greatest series endings, as well as the most disappointing, with plenty of familiar choices on each list. There are also some surprises — like
Battlestar Galactica on the “Best” list — as well as some interesting omissions —
The Wire nowhere to be found — but it’s most definitely a pair of lists that will start a conversation.
(RS)
The latest look at the upcoming Michael Fassbender-Kodi Smit-McPhee film, about a young man who journeys from Scotland to the new American frontier in the late 19th century to find the girl he loves, picking up a mysterious "chaperone” (Fassbender) along the way. The movie hits select theaters on Friday.
(EMP)
Sometimes it’s more dramatic to have a character do absolutely nothing. Just stand there – without any trace of emotions at all. Some of you may be shocked, but even when you’re being subtle, remember that film is communication. The *character’s reactions* may be subtle, but the *situation the character is in* will have to give the audience all of the necessary information (and probably won’t be subtle).
(SM)
