Movie News

Anne Hathaway Embarks on a Dangerous Mission in Netflix's The Last Thing He Wanted Trailer. The Last Thing He Wanted stars Anne Hathaway as a journalist opposite Ben Affleck's government official. Anne Hathaway is diving into one of Joan Didion's most riveting stories. The Oscar winner, 37, stars in the first trailer for Netflix's original film The Last Thing He Wanted as Elena McMahon, a journalist tracking how heavy duty weapons are getting into the hands of Contras in Costa Rica in the mid-'80s. Her reporting leads her to the man in the center of the arms trade -- and it just so happens to be her ailing father. Torn between finishing the story and helping her dad, Elena soon finds herself in a dangerous position with the U.S. government and a right-wing rebel group at her heels. The adaptation is directed by Oscar nominee Dee Rees, who last found success with 2018's Mudbound, also a book adaptation for Netflix. Rees picked up a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination at the Oscars that year for her script. "Didion's prose is so internal, and this is such a character deep-dive," Rees told Entertainment Weekly of the film. "[With] Mudbound, I was starting from a script. The book itself wasn't one I would've chosen. This was a book of choice: It's small but dense. It had that density where it felt like there was more to blow out." The trailer gives a glimpse of Willem Dafoe as Elena's dad, as well as Ben Affleck's Treat Morrison, a high-level government official who is keeping an eye on Elena. The movie also stars Rosie Perez in a supporting role. As Elena embarks on a journey led by her father, it's not entirely clear what she's getting herself into. "We don't know if what he's saying is true, if it's a delusion," Rees said of Elena's father. "Is this an Alzheimer's thing? Is this the past? Is this actually happening? Dick's the great character who gives us that tension, in terms of what Elena's looking for." The movie will have its world premiere on Jan. 27 at the Sundance Film Festival. It arrives on Netflix Feb. 21. (People)

Channing Tatum Teams Up with Disney in Upcoming Movie Bob the Musical. Channing Tatum is set to star and produce Disney's Bob the Musical. Channing Tatum is once again taking out his dancing shoes! The Magic Mike star, 39, is set to star and produce Disney's latest project, Bob the Musical, according to Variety. The film has been in development for years before the actor signed on, the outlet reports. The story focuses on a man whose worst nightmare comes to life when he suffers a blow to the head only for him to wake up and discover he can hear the "inner song" of people's hearts, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Tatum has previously shown off his dancing skills in 2006's Step Up as well as 2012's Magic Mike. In January 2016, while promoting Hail, Caesar!, the actor told New York magazine he was approached by the film's director Joel and Ethan Coen to play a Gene Kelly-type character who sings and tap dances in the film. "This was the first time I've ever sung in front of anyone," Tatum said at the time. "I've sung to my daughter, and she cried every time." The star also admitted he'd never felt like much of a crooner, saying, "No, I've never been a singer." Despite his reservations about the part, Tatum said he "spent about three months preparing" for the role. "It's the most I've ever prepped for a six-minute section in a movie," he said. "We went over Christmas and New Year's [in 2014], so I had all that time to let it gestate. I let it sink into my bones over the holiday." He added, "When I'm nervous about something, I drill it to a point that is probably unhealthy, but as long as it works even halfway, I'm happy at the end of the torturous day." (Eonline)

Lara Jean's love story might be on its second chapter, but her happily-ever-after is just beginning. Reprising their roles from To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Condor and Noah Centineo star in the upcoming Netflix sequel, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, which will feature their characters Lara Jean and Peter wrapped up in a love triangle. While Lara Jean and Peter no longer have to pretend to be a couple, the new trailer released Wednesday teases trouble in paradise when another recipient of Lara Jean's old love letters re-enters her life: John Ambrose (Jordan Fisher) from Model U.N. John's return tosses Lara Jean into confusion about whether or not she could love two boys at once. "I thought that having a boyfriend meant that the idea of other boys left your mind completely," Lara Jean says in the trailer, as she spends time with both Peter and John. "I didn't want to be thinking about what might have been, but I was." As John seems to join Lara Jean and Peter's friend group, the two boys start to compete for her heart. In one scene from the trailer, John offers to stay late at a get-together to help clean things up, causing Peter to get a little defensive. "No, no I think I can help my girlfriend clean up," Peter tells the newcomer as Lara Jean looks awkwardly to the side. It looks like fans will be along for the ride as Lara Jean figures out her love life. "I thought I wanted happily ever after," Lara Jean says as the trailer ends. "But we're still at the beginning." In addition to fan-favorite characters from the first movie like Lara Jean's sisters Kitty (Anna Cathcart) and Margot (Janel Parrish), her dad Dr. Covey (John Corbett) and best friend Chris (Madeleine Arthur), Holland Taylor also joins the cast in the role of Stormy, an "unexpected new confidant" for Lara Jean. Condor, 22, and Centineo, 23, revealed last August that the story won't end with P.S. I Still Love You -- there will be a third installment of the story, which is based on the YA novels by Jenny Han. In a video shared on Centineo's Instagram, the two stars announced that they were currently in production on the third movie, which Netflix revealed at the time will be titled Always and Forever Lara Jean. That movie's released date has yet to be announced. To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You begins streaming on Netflix on February 12. (Page Six)

Sundance Film Festival's influence, cash flow on the wane, insiders say. Sundance kicked off Thursday, but insiders say they expect fewer power players this year, and add that the indie film festival is losing its luster with brands and stars. "Brands are pulling out. Liquor brands can't activate because Utah is a controlled state. The only thing happening there is content studios, like Variety magazine and digital channels," a marketing vet told us. "The only people that go are wannabe influencers or actual real talent in films that fly in and out for one day to do their commitment and leave." The exec said, "I've been going for almost 20 years, and I used to make six figures for three days ... the last couple of years, I only made $10K to $20K. I'm sitting this one out." Another Sundance regular complained the whole thing's become "too C-list." "The power players that used to do it are not there. It's like C-teams all around. Stars come in for a day and flee," the source said. Sales of films are also expected to lag, after last year's crop of Sundance titles bought for big bucks went bust at the box office. A third fest vet explained, "Sponsors and swag have died, but it's not because stars aren't hot. Like every year -- it fluctuates. It's all dictated by the movies. [Right now], it's a mediocre year for movies ... there aren't a lot of household names." Hillary Clinton, Taylor Swift, Ethan Hawke and Kerry Washington are expected to attend the Utah fest this year. Tao Group will host its annual pop-up with Casamigos as liquor sponsor. A rep for the festival told us, "We've actually got more official sponsors this year than in years past and have had no major changes there .?.?. Netflix is a leadership-level sponsor again this year, so no scale back there. Haven't heard anything about the 'expected lag.'" (PageSix)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Fall Book Discussion and Movie Series

Book discussion group to meet

City Page Survey