GENERAL MOVIE NEWS

Like most of Leigh Francis’ creations, from Bo! Selecta to Avid Merrion, Keith Lemon is a bit of a love him or loath him character. However there’s little doubt he’s crossed over into the mainstream, from hosting I’m A Celebrity spin-offs and Celebrity Juice to being a regular guest reviewer on This Morning. Now it seems Lionsgate UK reckons he’s popular another to hit the big screen.

It’ll be the company’s first comedy film, and starts shooting in Belfast on November 17th, with Paul Angunawela directing. Verne Troyer is confirmed to co-star opposite Francis as Keith Lemon. According to the press release, ‘Keith Lemon: The Film is a comedy about Keith following his dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur, just like his hero Richard Branson. He comes to London from Leeds, becomes an overnight billionaire then an over day failure before finding the road to redemption.’

It may be Lionsgate UK’s first comedy movie, but they do have some reason to believe a Keith Lemon film might do quite well as they released his parody workout DVD last Christmas, Keith Lemon’s Fit!, which went on to sell over 100,000 copies.

Keith Lemon adds “It’s a privilege to have the power of sight, hearing, touching and feeling. But to make a film which I am going to be able to see myself in, hear myself in, but unfortunately not touch or feel myself in (because it’s not in 3d) is even more’rer’rer of privilege. Especially since it’s based on true life events that have happened in my true life, apart from of course 982 per cent of it which has been made up simply for entertainment purposes.”

General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser

How quickly things can change. Until a few months ago Elizabeth Olsen was just one half of the mini-industry that is the Olsen twins. Then she made Martha Marcy May Marlene and suddenly people realised she could act and she started getting a lot of serious movie attention.

Now EW reports she’s signed on for a period drama that will see her face-off against the veteran powerhouse that is Glen Close. The film is Therese Raquin, based on the 19th century novel and play by Emile Zola. EW says ‘Described as a dark, erotic thriller, the film, set in Paris in 1867, follows young Therese (Olsen), who is forced by her aunt, Madame Raquin (Close), into a loveless marriage to her sick, spoiled first cousin. Therese soon becomes obsessed with her husband’s friend Laurent and is pulled into a devastating affair with him that unravels all of their lives. Close has been attached to the project for years; the role of Laurent has yet to be cast.’

Charlie Stratton will direct with shooting set to begin in the spring. Well, that’s assuming Olsen and Close don’t fall out during awards season, as both are expected to be getting a lot of attention for Martha Macry and Albert Mobbs respectively.

General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser

When people think of David Schwimmer, the words ‘stone-cold killer’ rarely come to mind. However it seems he’s looking to change our minds about that as Variety reports that he’s in talks to play a mob assassin in The Iceman. Yes, I did just say Ross from Friends might be playing a mob assassin.

In fact it’s almost a surprise he’s playing anything, as he’s done little acting other than a few voice roles and cameos since Friends came to an end, instead concentrating on becoming a director of movies like Run Fatboy Run and Trust.

The long-gestating Iceman has Michael Shannon lined up to play the title character, Richard Kuklinski (Shannon), a notorious mob contract killer and loving family man. He earned his nickname by freezing the bodies of his victims, disguising the time of death, and throwing police off-track. However he didn’t just kill for money, as Kulinski was a true psychopath, and had murdered numerous people before he attracted the mob’s attention. His family and neighbors believed he was an average businessman, having no idea about his deadly alternate life. Kuklinski killed over one hundred people during his life.

Schwimmer is going to play Josh Rosenthal, a fellow assassin in the employ of mob boss Roy Demeo (Ray Liotta), a man he reveres and desperately wants the respect of. Those role were originally going to be played by James Franco and Benicio Del Toro, but production delays caused them to drop out. Maggie Gyllenhaal will also be in the movie as Kulinski’s doting wife, while Ryan O’Nan will play a young hustler who gets caught up in Kuklinski’s deception.

Ariel Vromen is set to direct the film, with shooting beginning in December.

General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser

We’ve gotten used to Tarantino putting together great casts for his movies and Django Unchained is no exception. We already have Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L Jackson, Kurt Russell, Tom Savini, Don Johnson, Gerald McRaney and (probably) Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Now Variety reports that James Remar (Dexter), Tom Wopat (The Dukes Of Hazzard), James Russo (Public Enemies) and Todd Allen (The Apostle) have been added to the mix.

The film sees Foxx’s Django escaping enslavement and with the help of Washington’s bounty hunter going of a mission of revenge against those who wronged him. Most importantly he wants to find his wife, who being kept be evil plantation owner Calvin Candie (DiCaprio).

Remar and Russo have signed on to play Ace and Dicky Speck, the slave trading brothers who originally bought Django. Allen is on as plantation boss Dollar Bill, and Wopat will be Marshall Gill Tatum.

Shooting is set to begin in January.

General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser

There were going to have to be some casting changes on Seven Psychopaths, as it was revealed in the last couple days that Mickey Rourke had left the production (with a few choice words for director Martin McDonagh, with Rourke saying “The director was a jerkoff. He wanted a whole lot for nothing.”).

However In Bruges helmer McDonagh probably isn’t crying to much, as while Rourke goes off in a corner to take himself far too seriously again (one of the things that helped derail his career first time around), the always excellent Woody Harrelson has taken over the gangster role Rourke was in talks for. Olga Kurylenko and Tom Waits have also joined the cast in unknown roles, according to Deadline.

Rourke actually dropped out of The Expendables 2 to focus on Seven Psychopaths, but now he’s not gonna get to do either.

Seven Psychopaths is about a screenwriter (Colin Farrell) who is stuck on how to write his latest script. He gets lured into his friends’ (Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken) plot to steal a gangster’s Shih Tzu. The ordeal provides plenty of fodder for his writing, if he can get out of it alive. Shooting started this week in Los Angeles.

General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser