September 25th, 2006

Harsh Times

Check out the US Trailer for Harsh Times here

The Prestige

Check out outnow.ch for some great hi-res pics from The Prestige.

Rescue Dawn / TIFF

Here's link to another report/video on the Toronto International Film Festival

September 20th, 2006

3:10 to Yuma

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Russell Crowe's remake of the old Western "3:10 to Yuma" finally has found a home.

Lionsgate has come aboard to distribute the film, which will begin shooting next month in New Mexico. Christian Bale also stars. James Mangold ("Walk the Line") directs.

With a budget of close to $80 million, "Yuma" is bigger than most films handled by Lionsgate, which is better known for such inexpensive hits as the "Saw" and "Madea" franchises.

"We are not abandoning the niche markets and the cost-efficient driven genre movie, but on occasion we are going to go beyond our reach," said Peter Block, president of acquisitions and co-productions. "This is a thoughtful and calculated step up."

The project originally spent four years in development at Columbia, which was planning to start shooting it this past summer. Tom Cruise had been circling the project for his follow-up to "Mission: Impossible III," with Eric Bana rumored to be in pursuit of a role as well.

But Columbia scrapped the project, and producer Cathy Konrad and Mangold, her husband, shopped the film to various studios. Last month, Relativity Media came aboard to finance the movie.

"Yuma" is based on the 1957 film that starred Glenn Ford as Ben Wade, an outlaw who finds himself in the custody of small-time rancher Dan Evans. The rancher is secretly trying to take Wade to a railway station to catch a train to Yuma for the outlaw's court date. A battle of wills ensues.

Mangold's take sees Crowe as the outlaw and Bale as the rancher. Alan Tudyk ("Serenity") has joined the cast as a doctor who helps the rancher get the outlaw on the train.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Read it here

It is set to start shooting next month in Mexico.

Batman Begins

Batman Begins will make its HD DVD debut October 10, 2006, with In-Movie Experience (IME), the interactive feature allowing viewers to enjoy new ways of accessing interviews and other material -- while the movie is running. The IME for "Batman Begins" gives viewers a window into director Christopher Nolan's personal journey bringing a new look and new direction to Batman, illustrated with comics, cast comments and behind the scenes footage that gives each scene new meaning.

Read it here

September 11th, 2006

Rescue Dawn

MGM to the "Rescue" at Toronto fest

By Gregg Goldstein and Anne Thompson

TORONTO (Hollywood Reporter) - MGM preemptively snapped up all rights to Werner Herzog's much-anticipated Vietnam War drama "Rescue Dawn," starring Christian Bale, during the Toronto International Film Festival's first weekend.

Many studios did not even get a shot at the film, which MGM claimed as its own before the movie's world premiere Saturday.

As a production, "Rescue Dawn" had a shaky start, according to its rookie producers, nightclub owner Steve Marlton, and Elton Brand, of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers, Initially, they had planned to invest $2 million of the then-$11 million budget, but after filming began in Thailand all of the other investors dropped out, leaving them holding the bag.

"We liquidated properties, made bridge loans and made personal sacrifices," Marlton said.

The pair hired Hollywood agent Graham Taylor, of the Endeavor Agency, to whip up a buyers' frenzy in Toronto. Taylor elicited interest from several studio specialty divisions for the now-$14 million film, and teed up an auction for Saturday, noting, "The reality is that MGM was not going to win in that auction."

But executive producer Elie Samaha wanted to show the film exclusively to MGM before its debut here. He screened it for MGM chief operating officer Rick Sands last week in Los Angeles, and Sands immediately responded with an offer. The deal was sealed Friday night. Terms were not disclosed.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Read it here

And here you can catch a glimpse of the Rescue Dawn Q&A at the Toronto International Film Festival - Thanks to Anya for finding it!

September 10th, 2006

Rescue Dawn

Christian attended the premiere of Rescue Dawn at the International Film Festival on Saturday, September 9 - check out wireimages for some great pictures of the event! There are also a couple on gettyimages.