We’re halfway through 2014, and Marion Cotillard has already delivered two performances worthy of attention. She earned no shortage of raves for her turn in the Dardennes’ “Two Days, One Night” (review here) and she shines in James Gray‘s “The Immigrant.” And now, here’s another project to put on your radar.
The actress has joined “Mal De Pierres,” set to be directed by Nicole Garcia (“The Adversary,” “Charlie Says“), who also co-wrote the script. The film is based on the novel by Milena Agus, and the story “spans 20 years, following the destiny of a passionate, free-spirited woman who is in a loveless marriage and falls for another man.” This one is a bit of a way off, with production starting next spring, but a promising endeavor nonetheless. [Variety]
Francos… unite! That’s just what’s happening as Dave Franco joins his brother James Franco‘s adaptation of the memoir, “The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room.” As you might guess, the movie will tell the story of the making of Tommy Wiseau’s cult disasterpiece “The Room,” with Franco directing and possibly playing Wiseau, with his sibling as actor Greg Sestero. This project is so Franco we don’t even know what to say, and production hasn’t even started yet. [Variety]
Allison Janney and Romany Malco have joined the ensemble of Mae Whitman, Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne, Bianca Santos, Skyler Samuels, Nick Eversman and Ken Jeong, for the indie comedy “The Duff.” Ari Sandel will direct this one about “a happy high school senior whose world is shattered when she learns the student body knows her as The Duff, meaning designated ugly fat friend to her pretty, popular friends. She enlists a jock pal (Amell) to help reinvent herself and overthrow the school’s ruthless label maker (Thorne) and remind everyone that no matter what people look or act like, we are all someone’s Duff.” Aww, lessons and feelings! [Deadline]
David Harewood, Ian McShane, Gabourey Sidibe and Johnny Vegas have joined Mark Strong in Sacha Baron Cohen‘s spy spoof “Grimsby.” Louis Leterrier directs this one about “a British black ops spy who’s forced to go on the run and team up with his idiotic English football hooligan brother.” Kind of an amazing premise, and with Leterrier at the helm, it’s clear this one isn’t gonna cheat on the action. Look for it in theatres on July 31, 2015. [THR]
Mark Rylance is set to star alongside Tom Hanks in Steven Spielberg‘s next film, an untitled Cold War thriller. The Coen Brothers wrote the script for the film, that will center on “James Donovan, a prominent American attorney enlisted by the CIA during the Cold War to slip behind the iron curtain to negotiate the release of a pilot captured when his U2 spy plane was shot down over Russia.” Production starts this fall. [Variety]
