Big Gay Picture Show

Taking a look at the world of film through gay eyes - news, reviews, trailers, gay film, queer cinema and more

Taking a look at the world of film through gay eyes - news, reviews, trailers, gay film, queer cinema & more

Jai Courtney Joins Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken & Russell Crowe’s The Water Diviner

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Jai Courtney

Jai Courtney

A Good Day to Die Hard’s Jai Courtney is going to be busy working for actors turned war movie directors, as he has signed on to star in two war projects back-to-back, Unbroken and The Water Diviner, for Angelina Jolie and Russell Crowe, according to Deadline.

Courtney will first shoot director Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken, which has already started filming. The movieis based on the story of Louis Zamperini (Jack O’Connell), who survived after being shot down in the Pacific during World War II, only to be imprisoned and tortured by the Japanese when he was finally rescued. Jai Courtney plays Hugh ‘Cup’ Cuppernell, a veteran pilot who is involved in a gunfight alongside Zamperini.

The actor will then move straight onto The Water Diviner. It’s Russell Crowe’s directorial debut, and he’ll also play an Australian father who travels to Turkey on a mission to find his three sons’ bodies, who died during in World War I. Courtney will play Lt. Colonel Cecil Hilton, who is tasked with identifying the thousands of soldiers killed at Gallipoli, and reluctantly allows the father to conduct his search.

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First Look Behind-The-Scenes At Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken

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unbroken-pic1
Angelina Jolie’s second directorial outing has just started shooting, and to mark that the first behind-the-scenes image has been released ,featuring the director/actress and the man the movie is about, Louis Zamperini (let’s just hope Brad Pitt doesn’t get jealous of how much Angelina seems to like him).

Jolie and Zamperini, who are neighbours, have become close friends over the development of the film, as the filmmaker listened to the war hero recount the incredible incidents of his life over many months of preparation.

Jack O’Connell will play Zamperini, a former Olympic track star whose Air Force plane went down in the Pacific Ocean in World War II. He managed to survive for 47 days on a life raft in the midst of shark attacks and enemy fire, before he washed up on a Japanese island where he was taken prisoner for more than two years. Gerrett Hedlund is portraying fellow P.O.W. Commander John Fitzgerald.

O’Connell recently spent several afternoons with Louis Zamperini to his incredible tale firsthand. Louis Zamperini retains many keepsakes from his adventures in his home. Unbroken is set for release Christmas Day, 2014.

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Garrett Hedlund On For Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken

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Garrett Hedlund

Garrett Hedlund

After he apparently refused to take no for an answer (which is what he himself says) Garrett Hedlund has finalised a deal to star in director Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken. Initially it looked like scheduling conflicts were going to prevent Hedlund signing on, but he was really keen and so after spending a month shuffling things around, he’s signed up.

Jack O’Connell is set to star as Louis Zamperini in Unbroken, a former Olympic track star whose Air Force plane went down in the Pacific Ocean. He managed to survive for 47 days on a life raft in the midst of shark attacks and enemy fire, before he washed up on a Japanese island where he was taken prisoner for more than two years. Hedlund is portraying fellow P.O.W. Commander John Fitzgerald.

Angelina Jolie is directing, with film scheduled to begin in October. (Source: Variety)

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Jack O’Connell Set To Be Unbroken For Director Angelina Jolie

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jack-o-connell-shirtlessAngelina Jolie is busy setting up her second directorial outing, Unbroken, and now she’s starting to put together the cast, with Skins star Jack O’Connell playing the lead role of Lou Zamperini, according to Variety.

The film is an adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand’s book about Lou Zamperini, a 1936 Berlin Olympics track star who joined the US Air Force during World War II. When his plane crashed he survived for 47 days at sea, got captured by the Japanese and ended up fighting for his life in a prison camp.

Jolie comments, “I’ve had the privilege of spending a great deal of time with Louie Zamperini, who is a hero of mine, and now – I am proud to say – a dear friend. I am deeply honored to be telling his extraordinary story, and I will do my absolute best to give him the film he deserves. I am grateful to Universal for making this film a priority.”

Joel & Ethan Coen are the latest to take a pass at the script, and they must have done a decent job, as Universal feel they’re close enough to shooting to set a release date of December 25th 2014.

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Coen Brothers Rewriting Unbroken For Director Angelina Jolie

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coen-brothersA biopic of Lou Zamperini has been in the works for a long time, and a few months ago it got some extra impetus when Angelina Jolie signed on to direct. However it seems the script isn’t quite ready, as she’s reached out to the Coen Brothers for a rewrite, according to THR.

Although Joel and Ethan normally write scripts for themselves to helm, with the likes of Crimewave and Gambit they’ve been happy to work on the screenplay and then let others direct.

Currently titled Unbroken, the film is an adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand’s book about Lou Zamperini, a 1936 Berlin Olympics track star who joined the US Air Force during World War II. When his plane crashed he survived for 47 days at sea, got captured by the Japanese and ended up fighting for his life in a prison camp.

The likes of William Nicholson (Les Miserables) and Richard LaGravenese (Water For Elephants) have previously worked on the script.

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Angelina Jolie To Direct Unbroken, About WWII Hero Louis Zamperini

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Angelina-Jolie2Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut, In The Land Of Blood And Honey, may not have done much business at the box office, but it certainly showed she has talent behind the camera. Now it’s been revealed she’s lining up her second effort as a director, as Variety reports that she’s in talks to direct Universal’s planned adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand’s true-story novel, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.

The book is about Louis Zamperini, who competed in the US athletics team during the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he had a personal meeting with Hitler. A few years later he was a WWII soldier who, along with two other crewman, survived in a raft after a near-fatal plane crash in WWII. The men we eventually captured by the Japanese Navy and sent to a P.O.W. camp.

Jolie commented, “I read Laura Hillenbrand’s brilliant book, and I was so moved by Louis Zamperini’s heroic story, I immediately began to fight for the opportunity to make this film. Louis is a true hero and a man of immense humanity, faith and courage. I am deeply honored to have the chance to tell his inspiring story.”

William Nicholson wrote the first draft of the screenplay with Richard LaGravenese providing a re-write back in early 2011, although it likely someone else will be hired to finesse the script once Jolie signs on the dotted line. It isn’t known when it might shoot.

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Will Angelina Jolie Direct Fifty Shades Of Grey?

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At the moment it’s nothing more than rumour, but Deadline suggests that following her directorial debut, In The Land Of Blood And Honey, Angelina’s next outing as a director may be an adaptation of the erotic novel, Fifty Shades Of Grey.

Universal owns the rights to the book, and they deny the Jolie connection, but Deadline suggests it could happen, even if it won’t happen soon, as Jolie will be busy making Maleficent for much of the rest of the year. The books, written by E.L. James, have become a pop culture sensation in the States, focusing on a woman and her explicit, kinky relationship with the title character.

Here’s a brief synopsis of the books, ‘Fifty Shades of Grey follows the story of 27-year-old billionaire Christian Grey and 22-year-old virgin college student Anastasia Steele, who develop a relationship steeped in bondage, S&M, domination and submission. The sequels Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed continue their story. The erotically-charged novels have been referred to as “mommy porn” in The New York Times.’

Bizarrely it started out as a piece of Twilight fan-fiction! At the moment the Jolie connection is very loose, but it’s not impossible she will end up directing.

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