With an Oscar under his arm for “The Great Beauty,” Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino is using that momentum to line up Hollywood stars for his next effort, “Youth” (aka “In The Future“), which already has Michael Caine slated to star.
Rachel Weisz, Harvey Keitel and Paul Dano are the latest to board the movie, that will tell the tale of “Fred and Mick, both knocking on 80 — one a long retired composer-conductor, the other a still-jobbing film director — who are vacationing together in an elegant hotel in the lap of the Alps. Sensing their time could be quickly running out, they decide to face the future together, regard with curiosity and tenderness their children’s confused lives, the enthusiasm of Mick’s young writers and the other guests at their hotel. Mick is scrambling to finish what he imagines will be his last important film. Fred gave up his music career a long time ago. But there is someone who wants at all costs to hear his compositions and to see him conduct again.” So, this movie will basically be Keitel and Caine hanging out? We could roll with that. Production begins this month and we presume a Competition slot already awaits Sorrentino at Cannes next year. [Variety]
Speaking of Sorrentino, his second unit AD, Piero Messina, has landed Juliette Binoche for his directorial debut “The Wait.” The story will follow “a match-up between two women: a mother and her son’s fiancee. When the fiancee appears at the villa claiming to be invited, the two women, who do not know each other, spend Easter holidays together waiting for the son to show up and slowly get to know, and size up, each other.” Sounds promising, particularly with Binoche—filming starts in July. [Variety]
Nick Offerman, Kristen Schaal and Emma Thompson have joined Robert Redford and Nick Nolte for “A Walk In The Woods.” The road trip comedy follows an aging travel writer who decides to hike the 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail, accompanied by a long-estranged high school buddy he’s been avoiding for years. Along the way, the duo face off with each other, nature and an eccentric assortment of characters only to discover that some roads are better left untraveled. The movie is based on the best-selling memoir by Bill Bryson and Ken Kwapis (“Big Miracle,” “He’s Just Not That Into You“) directs with filming now underway.
Lastly, Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick will star in “Mr. Right.” Penned by Max Landis (“Chronicle“), the movie follows “a woman whose bad luck streak at finding lasting love seems to end when she meets Mr. Right. That’s until she discovers he is a reformed hit man. When his dark past catches up, their fledgling relationship is tested as they try to save one another.” Uh, wacky? Sounds like something we would’ve watched in the ’90s, but we like these two leads a lot, so we’ll give it a shot. Paco Cabezas (“Neon Flesh“) will direct with production starting this fall. [Deadline]