Hal Hartley’s recent work hasn’t been as high profile as his films back in the ‘90s, but it looks like the director is back in action yet again, with a continuation of one of his best known pictures. This time, the project is “Ned Rifle,” which is a follow-up to his previous films “Henry Fool” and “Fay Grim.” Parker Posey, Liam Aiken, and Thomas J. Ryan are all returning to reprise their characters, starring alongside Gemma Arterton. Production on the film is slated to begin later this year with Fortissimo Films taking on sales rights in Cannes. [Deadline]
German filmmaker Christian Petzold won the Silver Bear last year for his film “Barbara,” which was a box office success in his country. Now Petzold is at it again, with “Phoenix” which will star frequent Petzold-collaborator Nina Hoss. “Phoenix” is set after World War II, and tells the story of Holocaust survivor who returns home under a new identity to find out if her husband has betrayed her. Filming is set to begin in the fall. [Screen Daily]
“Now You See Me” is a few weeks away from its theatrical release, but director Louis Leterrier is already in talks to helm “Sea at War,” a top secret project written and co-produced by Luc Besson. It has been described as a mermaid adventure film, which sounds weirdly awesome for some reason. Leterrier and Besson previously worked together on the first two “Transporter” films, so we can only hope that this picture will involve Jason Statham headbutting a mermaid at some point. [Variety]
If there is one thing John Woo seems unafraid of tackling recently, it’s lengthy, epic, multi-part films. It started with the two-part, 280 minute-long war film “Red Cliff” from five years ago. Last month, there was news that he’d be helming an epic movie and six-hour mini-series set in WWII called “Flying Tigers.” Production on that was set to begin early next year, but first Woo has found the time to helm yet another project: a two-part Chinese-language romantic epic titled “The Crossing” — which does seem to be distinct from “Flying Tigers.”
The first feature is set for a 2014 release with the second slated for 2015. Production is set to begin this June and will star Zhang Ziyi and Korean actress Song Hye-kyo. “The Crossing” follows six characters and their intertwining love stories set in 1940s Taiwan and Shanghai. Woo further elaborates, “It is about three couples from different backgrounds whose lives are affected by the tide of history. They survive war and disaster to finally find happiness. But this is not a heavy or sad story. It is a story of hope, and has a lot of action, drama and humour.” So, there you have it, another John Woo epic to feast on for the next few years. How great is that? [Screen Daily]