Twilight Saga: New Moon - First look at the Volturi Clan

Above is the first peak at the Volturi Vampire clain from the new Twilight film. You can see Michael Sheen, Dakota Fanning, Jamie Campbell Bower, Christopher Heyerdahl and Cameron Bright.

The Twilight Saga's New Moon stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Edi Gathegi, Rachelle Lafevre, Billy Burke, Charlie Bewley, Jamie Campbell Bower, Daniel Cudmore, Christopher Heyerdahl, Dakota Fanning, Cameron Bright, Noot Seer, Michael Sheen, Graham Greene, Tinsel Korey and will hit theaters nationwide on 20th November.

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TRON Legacy - Could Michael Sheen be the big bad

A good few months back Michael Sheen twittered that he was heading to Vancouver to play a role and that he couldn't say what it was. At the time he said that the role he was playing wasn't a person, and other such clues. There was lots of guessing by various people, but the majority vote was that it was going to be Tron 2 (now called Tron Legacy).

Turns out the majority was right as today Disney have confirmed that he will star in it.

The question now is what role will he be playing? As he has already said it won't be human then it looks as if it will be a Computer program. I am guessing it will be the villain of the peace as he is a British actor and that's what usually happens. Plus in the original David Warner played the main bad guy.

Check out the Tron Legacy trailer for a whole dose of awesomness.

What do you think of the casting?

Source: Filmstalker

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Alice in Wonderland - Trailer for Tim Burton's take on the classic

IGN has unveiled the first teaser trailer for Alice in Wonderland, starring Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Michael Sheen, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway.

What did you think of that then?

Due out on 5th March 2010.

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Alice in Wonderland - First proper look at Tim Burton's Wonderland.

There have been hints and teases as to how Tim Burton's adaption of the Lewis Caroll classic would look. There was nothing definite until now. Below are character posters of The Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) and The White Queen (Anne Hathaway).
They finished shooting after just 40 days the live action is being merged with CG animation and motion-capture creatures, and then transferred into 3-D.
The traditional tale has been freshened with a blast of girl power, courtesy of writer Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast). Alice, 17, attends a party at a Victorian estate only to find she is about to be proposed to in front of hundreds of snooty society types. Off she runs, following a white rabbit into a hole and ending up in Wonderland, a place she visited 10 years before yet doesn't remember.
Mia Wasikowska plays Alice. In the top photo you can see the White Rabbit, voiced by Michael Sheen. All in all it is looking very nice. However, I've never been a fan of the story. One of those things that always irritated me a little. I will probably still go and see the film and will marvel at the look of it all, but it does not fill me with as much joy as it does some people.

Source: USA Today

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Michael Sheen as Blofeld? Throw me a frickkin' bone here

Last week a press release went round saying that James Bond 23 had a new screenwriter in Peter Morgan.

According to The Guardian, actor Michael Sheen is in negotiations to portray the villain in Bond 23.

Sheen would portray Ernst Stavro Blofeld, a Bond villain who has appeared in six previous Bond films and he's been portrayed by actors such as Donald Pleasance, Telly Sevales, Charles Grey and the villain was also the inspiration for Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers film series.

Sheen has previously worked with the new Bond 23 writer Peter Morgan in several films, including The Queen, The Last King of Scotland, last year's Best Picture nominee Frost/Nixon and The Damned United. Plus he was a werewolf in the Underworld films so he does have a bit of a range.

Now as a scriptwriter has only been announced I seriously doubt that they have got as far as casting. However, Sheen is a top actor (although I always see a bit of Tony Blair in him) and would be good at grounding the Blofeld character in the slightly more realistic Bond Universe that has been shown in the Daniel Craig era.

I still think they should set up the Bond name as an ID given to all 007 agents which would make it so much easier for all future updates to the franchise and they could do the same with Blofeld. Have the name given to all leaders of SPECTRE.

What do you think of the rumour? Would Sheen make a good Blofeld?

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Has Stephen King's Gunslinger been cast in The Dark Tower?

Stephen King. He's written some very good stories and a few of them have been turned into very good films - The Shining, The Shawshank Redemtion, The Mist.

He has written many books and his largest tale to date is that of The Dark Tower. It has had it's own series of books following Roland the Gunslinger hunting down the Man in Black (A poster of Roland appears briefly at the start of The Mist).

It has also had it's own spin off comic book series showing the origin of Roland and the Dark Tower and the man in black have cropped up in most of King's other books.

Recent news has it that J J Abrams (Lost, Alias, MI3, Star Trek) has got a film adaption in development and it now looks as if things are moving forward with the Gunslinger possibly being cast.

Filmstalker have the news that Michael Sheen (Frost / Nixon, The Damned United, Underworld) has mentioned on Twitter that multi-franchise man, Christian Bale, could be strapping on the gun belt.

At the moment take this as a very much unconfirmed rumour as Abrams is busy with Lost and the inevitable Star Trek sequel and Bale is down for at least one more Batman film and probably a few Terminator films.

However, I do feel he would be quite a good Roland in the film, which would lead into a multi picture deal no doubt.

Would Bale make a good Gunslinger? Who else could fit the part? What actor would you like to see as the man in black?

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The Twilight Saga: New Moon gets new actors

Summit Entertainment have announced that The Twilight Saga: New Moon has started principal photography. The Twilight sequel will be shooting in locations in Vancouver and Tuscany (Italy), and it sees stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner reprise their roles as Bella Swan, Edward Cullen and Jacob Black, respectively.

The good folk over at SceenRant have some news that they will be joined by lots of new actors playing members of the Volturi, a coven of vampires who are hell bent on on disrupting the existing vampire laws. Michael Sheen has already been announced as the leader of this group, Aro, as well as Dakota Fanning as Jane, a high ranking member, and supermodel Noot Seear as Heidi. But joining them is Charlie Bewley as Demetri, Jamie Campbell Bower as Caius, Daniel Cudmore as Felix, Christopher Heyerdahl as Marcus and Cameron Bright as Jane’s brother, Alec.

Other new cast members announced are Graham Greene (the actor, not the now-deceased writer) as Harry Clearwater, an old friend of Bella’s father Charlie and Quileute tribal leader, and Tinsel Koley, who will play Emily.

Thanks to Pam for sending me the news.

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The Damned United, 2009 - Movie Review

Director: Tom Hooper
Starring: Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney, Jim Broadbent
Running Time: 97 minutes

This review by mredrew.

I watched this film at a preview screening and although there were no trailers, the film more than made up for it. Based on the popular book of the same name, the film charts the early career of the legendary and outspoken Football Manager Brian Clough. It simultaneously contrasts Clough's rise to glory as Manager of Derby County in the late sixties, with his disastrous subsequent appointment at local rivals Leeds United lasting only forty-four days.

Brought to the screen by a similar team as 'Frost/Nixon', it stars: Welsh actor Michael Sheen as Brian Clough; Timothy Spall as his long-suffering assistant manager and best friend Peter Taylor; Jim Broadbent as the snooty Derby County chairman, 'Uncle' Sam Longson and Colin Meaney as Clough's idol-turned-rival, former Leeds Manager Don Revie. British gems, the lot of them! Famous players are well represented in the cast, most notably by Stephen Graham as former Leeds Captain Billy Bremner.

Michael Sheen's Brian Clough is an entertaining, arrogant but likable character with self-destructive flaws. Obviously he has the best lines (unfortunately many of which feature in the trailer) and some of his best scenes are with Timothy Spall's Peter Taylor, who's friendship is severely tested as the events unfurl. Clough's vulnerability and insecurities are explored in his relationship with Taylor and the audience learn that only as a team do they conquer English football. Clough's apparent hatred for Revie stems from being snubbed by the latter at an early Cup match. This experience drives Clough's ambition to not only succeed, but to attempt to eclipse the architect of Leeds United's 'Golden Age'. Along the way we learn about the now familiar friction between the Manager and the Chairman, the task of signing players and the universal theme of pride coming before a fall (there's a football pun in there).

Set in the late sixties/early seventies and seamlessly interspersing the action with real footage and interviews, this film enables the audience to embrace the spirit of the times and appreciate the simplicity of 'the good old days' whilst still going on a journey with laughs and tension throughout. As with 'Frost/Nixon' the story caters for people with very little prior knowledge of the subject matter and as such, it can be enjoyed by football fans, history fans and film fans alike. Plus there isn't a huge amount of actual ball kicking by the cast, so people won't switch off. There is an obligatory montage, but it's nicely done and over quickly.

The only downside to this film is that it's a little bit short if anything, but it leaves you wanting more which can only be a good thing. There's a mild bit of comical swearing throughout, which is justified (and probably even toned down) given the situations the lead characters face.

To sum up, I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoyed 'Frost Nixon', Biopics, Football or quintessentially British films. This film isn't my favourite of the 2009, but is definitely getting a Champions League spot!

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The Damned United - Brian Clough's first day as Leeds Manager

Michael Sheen is the legendary Brian Clough in this funny and heart warming biopic alongside Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent, Colm Meaney and Stephen Graham.

Set in 1960’s and 1970’s England, THE DAMNED UNITED tells the confrontational and darkly humorous story of Brian Clough’s doomed 44 day tenure as manager of the reigning champions of English football Leeds United. Previously managed by his bitter rival Don Revie (Colm Meaney), and on the back of their most successful period ever as a football club, Leeds had an aggressive and cynical style of football - an anathema to the principled yet flamboyant Brian Clough, who had achieved astonishing success as manager of Hartlepool and Derby County building teams in his own vision with trusty lieutenant Peter Taylor. Taking the Leeds job without Taylor by his side, with a changing room full of Don’s boys, would lead to an unheralded examination of Clough’s belligerence and brilliance over 44 days. This is that story. The story of The Damned United. Jim Broadbent plays Sam Longson, Derby Chairman. THE DAMNED UNITED was filmed in locations throughout Yorkshire, Leeds, Derbyshire and Spain.

It opens tomorrow.


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Dennis Quaid to play Bill Clinton

Dennis Quaid will star as President Clinton, Michael Sheen will portray British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Julianne Moore will play Hillary Clinton in "The Special Relationship," an HBO film about the unique and sometimes turbulent political relationship between the newly installed PM and the U.S. president.

The film isn't greenlit yet but is expected to mark the directing debut of "Frost/Nixon" playwright Peter Morgan, who wrote the screenplay.

Sheen, who starred as David Frost in "Frost/Nixon," played Blair in the Morgan-scripted "The Deal" and "The Queen." Helen McCrory, who played Cherie Blair in "The Queen," will reprise that role in "The Special Relationship."

Quaid as Clinton? Anyone else seeing that? Moore as Hillary?

Source: Variety

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Alan Rickman talks about Alice in Wonderland

This is a radio interview where Alan Rickman discuss Tim Burton's upcoming film 'Alice in Wonderland'. Rickman is playing the Caterpiller in the mix of CGI and real life.

The film also stars Mia Wasikowska as Alice, Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter, Anne Hathaway as The White Queen, Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen, Michael Sheen as the White Rabbit, Crispin Glover as The Knave of Hearts, Stephen Fry as The Cheshire Cat, Christopher Lee, Timothy Spall as The Bloodhound, Eleanor Tomlinson as Fiona Chataway, Noah Taylor, and Matt Lucas as Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

Thanks to Pam for sending me the link.

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Frost/Nixon, 2008 - Movie Review

Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell, Rebecca Hall, Matthew Macfadyen, Oliver Platt, Toby Jones.
Running Time: 122 minutes
Score: 8 / 10

This excellent review is by Sarah Louise Dean.

(Warning: Minor Spoiler Alert)

When reading the cast list for certain films, you might find you doing the same thing I do. I can’t help but make judgments regarding the film’s credibility and its plot, before even the first words have been uttered. Looking at the cast here, you already know it’s top-notch. You see that Ron Howard is the Director, so you know that noone is going to be allowed to drop the ball. You may also have some prior knowledge about the Frost/Nixon interviews which lend the film its central theme. You are aware that David Frost, the celebrated but seemingly lightweight comic/interviewer needs to score a high profile interview to facilitate his way back into the favour at the BBC and in the US. You know all about Watergate and you wonder why Richard Nixon would agree to such an interview. You may know that the film is based on a play, so you imagine it might have that same stilted feel – limited scenes in a few locations, and an emphasis on language over imagery. You might even feel a little disheartened, assuming that this might be a bit worthy and over-intellectualised with its focus on events that occurred when the majority of today’s filmgoers were very young. In fact maybe you’ve nearly talked yourself out of seeing the film, its not contemporary, its not what you’d normally see and it might be, heaven forbid, a bit…..dull.

I say STOP! Give yourself a shake and watch the film because it is an absolute delight. This is one of those films that is filled with the unexpected by opening up a ponderous stage play about a story we all think we know, and giving it the wings that only visual imagery on the big screen (and a bigger budget) can provide. I found Frost/Nixon mesmerising.

I will say this though, you must persevere. Ron Howard understands that we may not fully understand the characters intentions and therefore provides us with a lengthy first section. He wants the viewer to fall into the trap of categorising Nixon as a washed and derided figure and Frost as a frivolous underdog. But then you are introduced to James Reston Jr (played with flair by Sam Rockwell) a passionate anti-Nixon biographer who believes the American public deserve an admission of Nixon’s culpability, and Jack Brennan, (an assured turn by Kevin Bacon) an ex-military right-hand man with a voice of reason who fundamentally believes that certain practices are perfectly necessary for the good of people. Brennan is a deadly serious force in a world filled with unholy camaraderie. The period detail is fantastic, seen in the seventies hotel suite décor, the tailoring and riotously, the hairstyles (particularly Matthew Macfadyen very much enjoying John Birt’s shaggy hair) and highlighted by Nixon’s obsession with Frost’s Italian loafers. The action (no car chases and explosions of course) effortlessly flicks between Australia, London and LA, and the playing out of the four key interviews of foreign policy, domestic policy, personal life and Watergate is interspersed with behind-the-scenes style footage allowing each character to escape from their caricature. It’s a good move, giving this film to Ron Howard, placing delicate material in such a capable pair of American hands.

Of course, this film has flaws. It is neither controversial nor particularly hard-hitting, and female characters are given short shrift. Rebecca Hall is woefully underutilised even though she gets the best lines outside of Nixon. However the screenplay expertly expands on an important moment of history making it both entertaining and far more relevant, than you’d initially conceive. The film asks some important questions. Can the media provide us with something from our politicians that Government can’t provide? Can Trial by Media sometimes be the only option left and the best way forward? Peter Morgan, expanding on his celebrated play, allows Brennan and Reston Jr provide the storyline with its heart, as two characters on either side of the divide but both feeling with absolute certainty that they are in the right and the world should know so.

Plaudits for Frank Langella have naturally come flooding in. Yes he effortlessly deals with the sizeable task of taking someone morally corrupt and giving them some much needed three dimensionality, making him look savvy, unflinching and erudite. But he is ably counterbalanced by Michael Sheen’s brilliant performance. Frost almost makes the most interesting viewing. He is the ultimate playful playboy for the majority of the film but as he suffers Nixon’s punch after verbal punch, his discomfort is tangible. We may all know what was coming, but the film in its denouement, is masterful. You come to care for the playboy and you realise how he has stretched himself to pull off this coup, moments before the limelight passes. And Nixon's late night, inebriated phone call sets up the power struggle of the Watergate discussions with meticulous genius. You want to feel Frost's gratification at extracting a small apology, but more importantly, you see Nixon's own epiphany as to his responsibility for his own downfall, and his realisation as to what he has lost.

To feel sympathy for someone so ravaged by power is testament to the sheer brilliance of Howard's light touch. A wonderful film.

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The Damned United - Brian Clough biopic starring Michael Sheen

From the best-selling and critically acclaimed novel by David Peace, The Damned United is directed by Tom Hooper and stars Michael Sheen as the legendary, opinionated football manager Brian Clough, with Timothy Spall as his right hand man, only friend, and crutch Peter Taylor.

Set in 1960s and 1970s England, The Damned United tells the confrontational and darkly humorous story of Brian Cloughs doomed 44 day tenure as manager of the reigning champions of English football Leeds United. Previously managed by his bitter rival Don Revie (Colm Meaney), and on the back of their most successful period ever as a football club, Leeds had an aggressive and cynical style of football - an anathema to the principled yet flamboyant Brian Clough, who had achieved astonishing success as manager of Hartlepool and Derby County building teams in his own vision with trusty lieutenant Peter Taylor. Taking the Leeds job without Taylor by his side, with a changing room full of Dons boys, would lead to an unheralded examination of Cloughs belligerence and brilliance over 44 days. This is that story. The story of The Damned United. Jim Broadbent plays Sam Longson, Derby Chairman. The Damned United was filmed in locations throughout Yorkshire, Leeds, Derbyshire and Spain.

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Alice in Wonderland - Some cool casting news for Tim Burton's latest.

Just a quick post before I head to bed.

/film have the news that Michael Sheen may be playing the White Rabbit in Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland and, even better, Stephen Fry will be playing the Cheshire Cat. Pretty cool casting if it's true.

Night all.

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Danny Boyle cleans up at the 11th British Independent Film Awards. Could Slumdog Millionaire win him an Oscar?

After Trainspotting and zombies, a teaboy millionaire is tipped to win Boyle an Oscar: Happy-Go-Lucky and Hunger are big winners at independent film awards

In Bruges Best screenplay

Slumdog Millionaire Best film, best director, most promising newcomer

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas Best actress

An uplifting yet grimly realistic tale of a young chai-wallah scraping a life out of poverty was last night being talked of as an Oscar contender after it took three awards at the British independent film awards (BIFAs).

Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire, the story of a Mumbai teenage boy who astounds all around him by doing well on the Indian Who Wants To Be a Millionaire quiz show, won best film, best director and best newcomer for its British lead.

In a night when honours were spread about, there were also three wins for Hunger, Steve McQueen's unflinching portrait of Bobby Sands and the hunger strikes; two for Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky; and one for In Bruges, Martin McDonagh's comedy about two Irish assassins sent to Belgium.

But Boyle was the talk of the night. The former artistic director of the Royal Court theatre is already on many pundits' Oscar prediction lists after a film career which has seen him happily flip genres: from Edinburgh heroin addicts in Trainspotting to Leonardo DiCaprio in The Beach to zombies in 28 Days Later.

Last night he was named best director at the BIFAs and Slumdog Millionaire was best film. The film's young lead, Harrow-born Dev Patel - best known to British audiences as Anwar in E4's Skins - won best newcomer.

Slumdog Millionaire, written by The Full Monty's Simon Beaufoy, tells the story of a Mumbai street child. As he does well on the quiz show, flashbacks chronicle his life, the realities of which Boyle does not flinch from showing.

Boyle's film, a third of which is spoken in Hindi, opens in the UK on January 9 but has already gone down well on the festival circuit and opened to fantastic reviews in the US.

A Rolling Stone critic said: "What I feel for this movie isn't just admiration, it's mad love."

USA Today was similarly won over: "The beautifully rendered and energetic tale celebrates resilience, the power of knowledge and the vitality of human experience. Horrifying, humorous and life-affirming, it is, above all, unforgettable." The Los Angeles Times declared it "the best old-fashioned audience picture of the year".

The Turner prize-winning artist Steve McQueen, who represents the UK at next year's Venice Biennale, won the best debut director award for Hunger and the film's cinematographer Sean Bobbit, won best technical achievement. Leading man Michael Fassbender won best actor for his astonishing - not least in the 33lbs of weight he had to lose - performance as Sands.

Hunger is not a film for a cheery romantic night out. It shows the reality of the dirty protests in the Maze prison in stomach-churning detail. Nothing from the Sands story is stepped away from: the brutality, the torture and the alarming effects starvation has on a man's body.

At the other end of the movie spectrum, Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky, which follows a relentlessly cheerful London teacher called Poppy, won two acting awards. Eddie Marsan won best supporting actor for his role as the crazed racist driving instructor, and Alexis Zegerman won best supporting actress as Poppy's best mate, Zoe.

The well-fancied In Bruges, featuring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as a pair of chalk-and-cheese killers sent by their psychotic boss (Ralph Fiennes) to Bruges, came away with the best screenplay award for its writer and director Martin McDonagh. It was the playwright's film debut.

Vera Farmiga won best actress for her role in concentration camp drama The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas, while the Israeli animation Waltz With Bashir won best foreign film.

At the ceremony in Old Billingsgate Market, London, special awards were also given out. The actor David Thewlis was rewarded for his outstanding contribution to British film, while Michael Sheen - best known for being able to pass himself off as Kenneth Williams, Tony Blair and David Frost - was given the Variety award.

It was the 11th BIFA ceremony, with the awards seeming to grow in stature each year. Co-directors Johanna von Fischer and Tessa Collinson, said: "It's been another stellar year for independent film in Britain, as represented by the diverse spread of nominations across the board.

Source: The Guardian

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Underworld: Rise of the Lycans Poster

Underworld 3 or Rise of the Lycans is a prequel to other two films, and details the history around the centuries-old feud between lycans and vampires. Mitra plays Sonja, Viktor's (Bill Nighy) daughter, who falls in love with Lucien (the eventual leader of the lycans), played by the very talented Michael Sheen. Sonja's decision to be with Lucien combined with an uprising among the vampires' slaves causes an epic battle.

What do you think of the poster?
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Underworld Rise of the Lycans Trailer

I posted a dodgy copy of this back in August from the Comic Con but here it is in much better quality. Let me know what you think of it. It looks a little better than the first two.

The third film in the $200 million UNDERWORLD franchise delves into the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires, known as Death Dealers, and the barbaric Lycans (werewolves). A young Lycan, Lucian (Michael Sheen), emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor (Bill Nighy), the cruel vampire king who has persecuted them for hundreds of years. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, the beautiful vampire Sonja (Rhona Mitra), in his battle to free the Lycans from their brutal enslavement.
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Frost / Nixon Poster

Poster for Ron Howard's Frost / Nixon movie starring Frank Langella as Nixon and Michael Sheen as David Frost.

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