David Fincher won’t Direct Cleopatra

David Fincher won’t be directing Angelina Jolie in Sony’s long delayed version of Cleopatra, after dropping out of the project to concentrate on other commitments.

Reacting to the loss of the Fight Club and Social Network director, Sony now has Ang Lee at the top of their wish list of possible replacements. The Brokeback Mountain and Sense & Sensibility director would seem to be a good fit, given his proven track record for sweeping romance and historical drama.

Producer Scott Rudin recently spoke about the inescapable comparisons with the iconic Elizabeth Taylor version of Cleopatra and described the new version as a

“much more grown-up sophisticated version. She’s not a sex kitten; she’s a politician, strategist, warrior.”

Looking to present a fresh view of the infamous Egyptian Queen, Angelina Jolie has spoken about the role and confirmed that contrary to popular history “she wasn’t a great beauty”.

Let’s just hope it all works out a bit better than Angelina’s last sand and sandals epic, playing Colin Farrell’s mother in Alexander.

FrightFest 2012 Opening Night

Horror fans are ready for another welcome orgy of gore, chills, terror and thrills as the five day Film4 Fright Fest kick off tonight with a line up that includes action chiller The Seasoning House and a world pemeire for comedy horror Cockneys vs Zombies.

Described as a cross between Pan’s Labryinth and Die Hard, opening film The Seasoning House tells the tale of an orphaned deaf mute enslaved in a military brothel. She moves between the walls and crawlspaces of her grim prison, planning her escape and her ingeniously brutal revenge.

Cockneys vs Zombies by contrast takes a more of a fun spirited approach to horror, matching the evil armies of the undead up against a gang of gun wielding hard nut cockneys. With a cast that includes Michelle Ryan, Honor Blackman and Harry Treadaway it’s aiming to be a tooled up Shaun Of the Dead. Trailer below for anyone not lucky enough to be checking out the world premiere tonight. The film hits cinemas nationwide on 31st August. 

Check out the full Fright Fest screening list below to check out what other horror treats are on show at this year’s festival. :

FRIDAY 24 AUGUST 

Main Screen

The Seasoning House
Cockneys vs Zombies
Grabbers
Nightbreed: The Cabal Cult
Hidden In The Woods
V/H/S
[REC] Genesis
Stitches

Discovery Screen

Guinea Pigs
The Victim
Elevator
A Night Of Nightmares
Sawney: Flesh Of Man
Errors Of The Human Body

 

SATURDAY 25 AUGUST 

Main Screen

Eurocrime! The Italian Cop And Gangster Film That Ruled The ’70s
Outpost 2: Black Sun
Paura 3D
Under The Bed
Tulpa
Maniac

Re-Discovery Screen

Inbred
The Arrival Of Wang
Crawl
Sawney: Flesh Of Man

Discovery Screen

May I Kill U?
Kill Zombie!
Nightmare Factory
Before Dawn
Remnants
Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings

 

SUNDAY 26 AUGUST

Main Screen

The Thompsons
International Short Film Showcase
Sleep Tight
Berberian Sound Studio
Sinister
Dead Sushi

Re-Discovery Screen

The Mummy’s Shroud
Rasputin, The Mad Monk
The Devil Rides Out
The Bride Of Frankenstein 

Discovery Screen

We Are The Night
The Inside
Community
Guinea Pigs
The Victim


MONDAY 27 AUGUST

Main Screen

American Mary
After
Chained
The Possession
Tower Block

Re-Discovery Screen

We Are The Night
Errors Of The Human Body
May I Kill U?
The Inside

Discovery Screen

Remnants
Before Dawn
A Night Of Nightmares
Elevator

Check Back later for full video coverage of this year’s festival including cast and filmmaker interviews

Frankenweenie Opens London Film Festival 2012

The 56th BFI London Film Festival will open on Wednesday 10 October with the European premiere of Disney’s Frankenweenie, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Tim Burton.

In a first for the festival, Frankenweenie will receive a simultaneous premiere in 30 cinemas nationwide, with audiences across the UK able to enjoy footage from the red carpet at Odeon Leicester Square prior to the screenings.

Frankenweenie is a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life – with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new “leash on life” can be monstrous.

A visually stunning black and white, stop-motion animated film in 3D, Frankenweenie features a voice cast which includes Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, Robert Capron, Conchata Ferrell and Winona Ryder. Disney will release the film in the UK on 17 October.

Tim Burton, Winona Ryder, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Landau, Producer Allison Abbate and Executive Producer Don Hahn are expected to attend the festival.

The festival will also host The Art of Frankenweenie Exhibition, which runs from 17 to 21 October at Southbank Centre’s Festival Village, and will be free to the public.

Clare Stewart, BFI Head of Exhibition said of her first Opening Night choice as Festival Director:

“Funny, dark and whimsical, this gloriously crafted stop-motion 3D animation from Tim Burton – the reigning prince of outsiders – playfully turns the Frankenstein story on its bolted-on head. Frankenweenie is a perfect choice of opener – it’s a film that revels in the magic of movies from one of cinema’s great visionaries. Tim Burton has chosen London as his home city and hundreds of talented British craftspeople have contributed to this production. To host the European Premiere, to present The Art of Frankenweenie Exhibition and to take our Opening Night out to 30 screens means we are making the Festival even more accessible for film fans across the UK.”

The 56th BFI London Film Festival, in partnership with American Express, runs from Wednesday 10 October to Sunday 21 October. The full programme will be available to browse online at bfi.org.uk/lff from Wednesday 5 September.

Lost Star joins Thor The Dark World

Lost star Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje has joined the cast of superhero sequel Thor: The Dark World.
He joins recently announced villain Christopher Eccleston and returning stars Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Stellan Skarsgard, Jaimie Alexander, Rene Russo and Kat Dennings.

Best known for his role as Mr Eko on JJ Abrams’ popular head scratching TV series, Akinnuoye-Agbaje also featured in the recent remake of The Thing and G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra.

In the Thor sequel Akinnuoye-Agbaje will be playing an evil Dark Elf called Algrim The Strong. He’ll be doing muscle-bound battle with Chris Hemsworth’s hammer wielding hero Thor, on behalf of his villainous master Malekith the Accursed (Christopher Eccleston).

We’ll be able to see it for ourselves on 8 November 2013 when Thor: The Dark World arrives in cinemas.

Sam Claflin Joins Hunger Games Catching Fire

The Hunger Games Catching Fire has added another willing tribute to its ever growing cast list, with Sam Claflin landing the role of Finnick Odair.

Fans will know Claflin best from supporting turns in Pirates of The Caribbean On Stranger Tides and most recently Snow White and The Huntsman. While Snow White may have showcased his lethal archery skills, he’ll be trading in his bow for a deadly looking trident as Finnick Odair.

For those unfamiliar with Suzanne Collin’s books Finnick Odair is a hunky former Games champion from District 4. He’s equal parts lethal killing machine and smug GAP model. It will be interesting to see whether Claflin can add the necessary bulging biceps to his handsome face by bulking up for the role.

Claflin joins an impressive cast that already includes Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Jena Malone and Philip Seymour Hoffman. 

Let us know what you think of this latest casting and who else you’d like to see join the cast in our lovely comments section.