As in demand as he is right now, something that Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty" is only going to cement, Joel Edgerton seems intent on marching to the beat of his own drum. So for his next film, rather than taking the Hollywood dime, he's working on the thriller "Felony," based on his own script, and according to a press release, he's just got a great co-star in the shape of Oscar-nominee Tom Wilkinson. In the Matthew Saville-directed project Edgerton plays a cop who accidentally hits a child in his car, only to lie about the accident, while Wilkinson plays the lead investigator of the incident. Sounds promising, although we're curious to see whether this turns out to be set in Australia, or in the U.S.
Nearly twenty years on from his break out in Mike Leigh's "Naked," David Thewlis has become a go-to name for big directors, from playing Remus Lupin in the "Harry Potter" movies to his most recent turn, in Steven Spielberg's "War Horse." So while he might not have the legendary status of some of his co-stars, he's a fine addition to "Red 2," in which he'll play an 'information dealer' known as The Frog, who got his nickname by spiking the water supply at the Kremlin with a poisonous tree-frog. Thewlis joins returning cast members Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Mary Louise-Parker and John Malkovich, as well as new additions Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Byung Hun-Lee. Filming starts soon, and the film, directed by Dean Parisot, hits theaters in August 2013. [Heat Vision]
From Academy Award-winning director of “The Artist” to thespian: Michael Hazanavicius will be taking an acting role in the film “Jacky.” With the full title of "Jacky au royaume des filles" (Jacky in Women's Kingdom), the film is of the satirical nature and directed by comicbook artist-turned-filmmaker Riad Sattouf. The film follows a female-led military dictatorship that relies on gender roles being reversed – with men left to wear the veil. Hazanavicius is set to star opposite Charlotte Gainsbourg and Vincent Lacoste – with Hazanavicius assuming the mentor role of lead character Jacky, a young man who has fallen in love with an attractive colonel played by Gainsbourg, who is way above his class in society. It’ll be interesting to see how Hazanavicius does in an acting capacity, since his experience on film is limited to a few cameo spots, but we’re certainly eager to see him flex his acting chops. [Variety]
Brie Larson has been on our radars for quite some time now – with fine supporting turns in films like “21 Jump Street” and “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World,” along with a plum television role on Showtime’s series “The United States of Tara” – and now it looks as if she’s moving into leading lady territory with the upcoming “Short Term 12.” Larson will play the counselor of a few troubled foster kids, who, coming from a foster background herself, struggles with feeling worthy enough to help others. The film will be helmed by Destin Cretton, based on his Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship-winning script – and derived from a short film which covered the same subject matter and won the Jury Prize for Best Short film at Sundance two years ago. Next Larson has Peter Bogdanovich’s “Squirrel To The Nuts” opposite Owen Wilson and Olivia Wilde, with “The Spectacular Now” and the Joseph Gordon Levitt-directed “Don Jon’s Addiction” already in the can. We look forward to seeing her step out on her own though, with “Short Term 12.” [Deadline]
Now that *spoiler* Michael Pitt won’t be spending so much time around the “Boardwalk Empire” set *end spoiler*, Pitt has committed to star in “The First,” which is a new feature film about the life of Hollywood legend Mary Pickford — that is set to shoot in 2013. Pitt will fill the shoes of Owen Moore, who was Pickford’s first husband. Parties and events are set to take place at TIFF to promote the film and get folks excited, but it should be a treat to see the film come to life since Pickford was a seminal figure in the golden age of Hollywood — joining talents such as Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and D. W. Griffith, in creating United Artists as a way for them to engage in their own creative endeavors. Lily Rabe will play Pickford, and we’re sure Pitt will do fine as her beau. [Deadline]
Finally, veteran actor Donald Sutherland is set to join Russian actress Gia Skova in the action thriller “Shoot the Breeze," which follows a renegade Moscow detective who begins to investigate the murder of a Chechen war reporter. Skova will play the friend of the reporter, with no word yet on who Sutherland will play if he signs on. [The Wrap]