Movie News

Here's a New Frozen 2 Teaser Courtesy of Jonathan Groff. If you're itching for any Frozen 2 nugget at all, Jonathan Groff's got you covered. The Glee alum, Mindhunter star and Broadway actor appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday and offered up a teaser for the new Disney sequel, in which he reprises his role of Kristoff. But first, a sweet moment; The star recorded a sweet voicemail for Fallon's daughters, Winnie, 6, and Frannie, 4 -- a snippet of the Frozen song "Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People." "Oh my God," Fallon said. "That will be played every single night in my house. Go to bed!" "In addition to getting the rights for this song, I also got permission, I was just recording my final [voiceover] session last Friday, and they allowed me to release a line from the movie, sort of like the trailer earlier," Groff said. "This is like a world premiere of one of my lines that will be in the movie, from Frozen 2." Frozen 2 picks up a few years after the events of the hit 2013 Disney animated film. With the help of sister Anna (Kristen Bell), Kristoff, his reindeer companion Sven and their snowman friend Olaf (Josh Gad), Elsa (Idina Menzel) sets off on a quest to the North, "across the enchanted lands," to discover the origin of her powers and save their kingdom of Arendelle. Back in 2015, co-director Chris Buck told Fandango that Elsa will have a bit more "fun" in the Frozen sequel. The new film also stars new cast members Evan Rachel Wood and This Is Us' Sterling K. Brown. Frozen 2 hits theaters on November 22. (Eonline)

Emilia Clarke Proves She's Ditched Game of Thrones' Daenerys For Good In Last Christmas Trailer. Emilia Clarke is saying "dracarys" to Daenerys Targaryen. In the oh-so-very charming trailer for the upcoming romcom Last Christmas, the actress proves she's certainly moved on from the HBO fire queen. Set in London, the flick follows her disgruntled Kate, a former singer who is now working as a costumed elf in a Christmas shop. (Dany would never!) Cue the meet cute with the saint-like Tom, played by Crazy Rich Asians' Henry Golding. Except their run-in is hardly dreamy: She gets pooped on by a bird. "It's good luck, you know," says the guy who doesn't have crap in his eye. Of course, there's also depth and drama. As revealed in the 3-minute teaser, Clarke's struggling musician previously came close to death after suffering from critical illness. Written by legend Emma Thompson, directed by Bridesmaids' Paul Feig and very loosely based on the titular Wham! hit, it's a holiday movie guaranteed to warm even the coldest of hearts. Just ask Golding himself. "It's a beautiful romcom...at the most magical time of the year," he raved on Tuesday's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. "It's just one of the most tear-jerking, hilarious movies you'll ever watch." What more could we ask for? Well, except for maybe a few dragons... Last Christmas lands in theaters November 8. (Eonline)

Greta Gerwig on casting Emma Watson, Meryl Streep, and the rest of Little Women's all-star ensemble. This December, everything's coming up March. Louisa May Alcott's immortal quartet of fictional sisters will hit the big screen once again in Greta Gerwig's adaptation of Little Women, and the filmmaker assembled an A-list cast to bring the American classic to life. For her tomboyish heroine Jo and romantic hero Laurie, Gerwig reteamed with her Lady Bird stars Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalamet (both of whom appear, by the looks of the trailer, to have been born for these iconic roles). "I just adore them. They are just spectacular as live actors, and there is some true pairing between them that feels like [it's] in the tradition of great cinematic pairing," the filmmaker tells EW and PEOPLE. "I don't know what they do -- I mean, it's magic. I direct them, but it's all there." To play Jo's elegant sister Meg, Gerwig turned to Emma Watson. "To me, [Watson] embodies everything that I was interested in, in terms of who the March women were," Gerwig says. "She's just smart. She's on multi-governmental organizations that speak to the U.N., and she's so thoughtful and present. She is way out there trying to do everything she can." Watson, an outspoken activist for gender equality, is best known for playing a witch and a princess who refuse to be limited by systemic oppression or social expectations -- but here, she is not the obviously feisty Jo, but her much more outwardly conventional sister. "For me personally, Meg March is a character that is long misunderstood," Gerwig says. "In terms of what [Watson] did with the character, she has so much open-heartedness and so much love combined with that much intelligence, it's heartbreaking and potent. Because she's absolutely herself with understanding the struggle of who that character is." The actress (and noted feminist book clubber) "would always bring so much to the conversation" from her extensive reading and research, Gerwig says. "She is all-in, not just as an actor, but as a mind." Also all-in was Laura Dern, who took her role as the preternaturally warm and patient Marmee very seriously. "Off-set, every single one of the girls actually did come to Laura with their heartaches and their problems," Gerwig says. "Everybody had a good cry with Laura. She became this mother, sister, confidant person for everyone on set, which was a very beautiful thing to embody. She was a rock for everyone." Rounding out the family as the imperious, wealthy Aunt March is Meryl Streep, who was on board from the start. "She said she wanted to be part of it. She loved the book so much when she was a girl, and she thinks [it's] so important, and she says, 'Tell me what you'd like me to do,'" Gerwig remembers. "I was like, 'Yes, ma'am.'" Beyond that, the director won't even attempt to adequately gush about the 21-time Oscar nominee. "Anything I say about Meryl is superfluous," Gerwig says. "All the adjectives I have don't touch it." Little Women hits theaters Dec. 25. (Entertainment Weekly)

Sylvester Stallone and Jamie Foxx Join Their Daughters on Red Carpet for 47 Meters Down: Uncaged. Both daughters are making their big screen debut with the shark horror film. Sylvester Stallone and Jamie Foxx are stepping into the background as their daughters' shine on the big screen! On Tuesday night, the actors joined their respective daughters, Sistine Rose Stallone, 21, and Corinne Foxx, 25, for the 47 Meters Down: Uncaged world premiere and red carpet in Los Angeles. Both Sistine and Corinne are making their film debut with the shark horror film. Sylvester, 73, even pulled the ultimate dad move while on the red carpet, taking out his own smartphone to take pictures and videos of his daughter's special evening -- prompting Jamie to do the same. The actresses laughed as the Hollywood stars joked around. Sistine's mother, Jennifer Flavin -- who Sylvester married in 1997 -- and two sisters, Sophia, 22, and Scarlet, 17, were also in attendance to support her big night. The stars of the evening dressed to impress. Corinne opted for a longer, form-fitting dress with a white bustier-like top and sparkly gold bottom. Sistine stayed in theme for the night with a shimmery, blue mini dress. Both paired their looks with strappy black heels. In the film -- the sequel to 47 Meters Down -- Sistine and Corinne play two of four teenage girls who find themselves trapped in a labyrinth of submerged caves, in the sunken ruins of a Mayan city. They quickly realize they're in the heart of a hunting ground for deadly great white sharks. 47 Meters Down: Uncaged dives into theaters August 16. (People)

Harry Styles Has "Respectfully Declined" the Prince Eric Role in Live-Action Little Mermaid. Harry Styles will not be a part of Ariel's world, much to the dismay of his fans. It's been a whirlwind day for the Little Mermaid cast. Early Tuesday, two large movie theater chains tweeted that Harry Styles was confirmed for the role of Prince Eric, which sparked a flurry of excitement in the Twitter-verse. But as news began spreading across the web, the theater chains deleted the tweets that appear to be very incorrect. Now, a source close to the project tells E! News, "While [Harry] is a fan of the project he has respectfully declined the offer." Just last month it was revealed that the One Direction singer was in talks to play the dreamy Prince Eric. Of course, fans were delighted at the possibility of seeing the singer star opposite Halle Bailey, who was cast in the role of Ariel, as well as the rest of the rumored cast. But as of today, Halle is the only cast member confirmed for the role in the highly-anticipated live action film. Fans are still waiting to learn if Melissa McCarthy, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina and Javier Bardem will join the Disney production, although other stars are trying to launch their own social media campaigns in order to nab a role. "just putting it out there that I am thirsty to be in the little mermaid, will pay," Chrissy Teigen joked on Twitter. And Chrissy isn't alone! Breakout artist Lizzo is more than willing to take over for Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, should their talks fall through. Lizzo proclaimed last year, "I'M URSULA. PERIOD." Truly everyone wants to live under the sea, where the seaweed is always greener. (Eonline)

Michael Gandolfini Reveals the "Hardest Part" of Taking On Late Father's Iconic Sopranos Role. Michael Gandolfini is revealing how stepping into his father's shoes helped him to get through the tough "grieving process." When his father, James Gandolfini, died in June 2013, the then-14-year-old hardly knew how to process the shocking death. Sadly enough, the Gandolfini family was vacationing in Rome at the time of the 51-year-old's ill-fated heart attack. In the days after James' passing, a friend suggested to Michael that he take acting classes as a form of therapy, according to an interview with Esquire. Michael shares, "From the first day, I fell in love with it. It actually started my grieving process with my dad." But as opportunities started arising, including a role in The Deuce, he found himself faced with a "difficult" decision. David Chase revealed he was planning on making a film about Tony Soprano's younger years, a role that Michael would be well-suited for. But there was a slight dilemma -- Michael says he had never even seen the show before auditioning. "I was just a kid when he was making it," the NYU student explains. "I would go to the set and ask him what it was about, and he'd say, 'Oh, it's about this guy who's in the mob and kind of goes to therapy.'" But that was just about all he knew of the series itself, which meant that if he intended to take on the role, he would have to watch his father's body of work. He says that this was the "hardest" part of preparing to take on his father's iconic character. He says, "It was an intense process. Because, as an actor, I had to watch this guy who created the role, to look for mannerisms, voice, all those things I would have to echo. But then I'd also be seeing my father. I think what made it so hard was I had to do it alone. I was just sitting alone in my dark apartment, watching my dad all the time." These countless hours he spent camped in front of the TV led to "crazy dreams" that seem like the stuff of horror movies. "I had one where I auditioned for David and I looked down at my hands, and they were my dad's hands," the 19-year-old reveals. Watching all 86 episodes of The Sopranos wasn't all that bad though. In certain moments, Michael says he almost felt his father's presence, like Tony Soprano was delivering a message from the afterlife. One example Michael describes is when, "[Tony] yells at A. J., and he gets a pizza to apologize, and he sits by his son's bed and says, 'I couldn't ask for a better son.' I just knew he was talking to me in that scene." It seems like a small comfort for Michael to be able to see his late father onscreen, but he says that his father's career was "rough" for the family since it meant he was "away a lot." Perhaps this is why James tried to dissuade Michael from pursuing a career as an actor. "As I got older, he wanted me to play sports. I felt that burden. I wanted to make him proud. And he said, 'Don't be an actor; be a director. They have the power,'" Michael shares. Regardless of his hopes for Michael, there's no doubt that James would be immensely proud of the newest Tony Soprano. (Eonline)

Bella Thorne to Premiere Short Film 'Her & Him' at Oldenburg Film Festival. The Disney Channel star-turned-indie film darling is among the VIP guests for this year's edition of Germany's leading independent film festival. Actress and LGBTQ activist Bella Thorne will attend this year's Oldenburg Film Festival and will premiere Her & Him, a short film she wrote and directed. Thorne, who first came to prominence in the role of CeCe Jones on the Disney Channel series Shake It Up, has since transitioned to the indie film scene, starring in Jeremy Ungar's tech thriller Ride and landing lead roles in upcoming features Southland from director Joshua Caldwell, science-fiction horror film The Friendship Game, directed by Scooter Corkle, and Chad Faust's thriller Girl. Thorne has also got behind the camera, directing a series of shorts and music videos. The 21-year-old actress was in the news recently after she had intimate photos of herself hacked. Rather than face extortion from the hackers, Thorne publicly released the photos herself. Oldenburg's festival director, Thorsten Neumann, said Thorne represented exactly the kind of "indie spirit" the German fest celebrates. Oldenburg on Tuesday also announced two new awards for its 2019 event: a first film award, given to a debut feature screening in any of the festival's sections; and an "Audacity Award," meant to honor a work of cinema that pushes the boundaries of the medium. Neumann said the audacity award would honor films "on the border between genre cinema and the avant guard." The first film award is sponsored by Luv&Lee, a local luxury gin brand, which will put up the $3350 (3000) prize money for the winner. Oldenburg also unveiled the first titles in its 2019 line-up, including the international premiere of Cuck, Rob Lambert's scarily-prescient debut feature about a right-wing blogger who turns to violence; MOOP, a fantasy romantic drama from director Arin Crumley (Four-Eyed Monsters), which will have its world premiere in Oldenburg; and In Full Bloom, a boxing drama from first-time directors Adam Villasenor and Reza Ghassemi, set in post-War Japan in which a down-on-his-luck American pugilist (Tyler Wood) signs up to fight a Japanese champion (Yusuke Ogasawara). In Full Bloom will also have its world premiere in Oldenburg. Ronny Sen's drug drama Cat Sticks, which premiered at the Slamdance festival earlier this year, will have its European premiere in Oldenburg. Other highlights this year include Jesus shows you the way to the Highway from director Miguel Llanso (Crumbs), Edgar Pera's Magnetick Pathways, Mothers' Instinct from Belgium filmmaker Oliver Masset-Depasse (Illegal), and Tito, the directorial debut of actress Grace Glowicki, which premiered at South By Southwest. The 26th Oldenburg Film Festival runs Sept. 11-Sept. 15. (Hollywood Reporter)

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