It’s all star cast time, as Variety reports that Brad Pitt, Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling are teaming up for the financial drama, The Big Short. Pitt also has his producer hat on for the movie, which will be his second adaptation of a Michael Lewis non-fiction book, following Moneyball.
Part of the reason for the starry line-up isn’t just down to Pitt’s involvement and Lewis’ reputation, but because it will be one of the first studio movies directly about the financial crash in the 2000s. Many have noticed that despite the global ramifications of the credit crunch and its fallout, Hollywood has generally only dealt with it obliquely. Even those films which appear to deal with it, such as The Wolf Of Wall Street, have tended to look at individuals more than the machine itself.
However Lewis ‘book tells the story of the build-up of the housing and credit bubble during the 2000s that led to the financial crisis of 2007-2010’.
Some have suggested Tinsel Town’s reluctance to handle it directly is due to the fact the studios rely on many of the institutions implicated in the crash for funding and financial ‘expertise’, and so haven’t wanted to be too critical. However Paramount is planning to back The Big Short.
It’s expected more major talent will sign up, as it’s planned as a Traffic-style ensemble tale, with lots of characters all who have a roughly similar sized role. However at the moment it’s not known currently involved actors will play.
Adam McKay, who’s best known for his comedy work with Will Ferrell (such as Anchorman, The Other Guys and Step Brothers), is set to write and direct. It’s not clear when it will shoot.
David Fincher, Ben Affleck and writer Gillian Flynn must have had a great time working together on Gone Girl, as 
I’ve been keen to take a look at Spy even since it was announced (although back then it was known as Susan Cooper), as initial reports had compared it to Casino Royale, but then it was revealed it was a comedy with Melissa McCarthy set to star.
While GI Joe: The Rise Of Cobra was seen as a bit of a failure that many thought would doom he franchise before it started, the slightly belated follow-up, GI Joe: Retaliation, was better received (although to be honest, not massive more successful at the box office).
The new trailer for Avengers: Age Of Ultron may start out fairly quietly, but by the end of its running time it’s certainly upped the action, with plenty of explosions, fighting and perhaps most excitingly for fans, some hulkbusting.
The Golden Globes may be over and the Oscars may be a month away, but what is undoubtedly the most important gongs of the year have just announced their nominees – the Dorian Awards, as handed out by GALECA (Gay & Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association). And yes, part of the reason it’s the most important is that I’m a member, but of course that doesn’t sway my opinion of it at all.
Every year the Iris Prize Festival – the celebration of LGBT-themed short films which takes place in Cardiff each autumn – gets bigger and better, and this year that includes the main prize itself. Organisers of the Iris Prize have today confirmed that the Iris Prize, awarded to the best LGBT short film, has been increased from £25,000 to £30,000 thanks to the generous support of The Michael Bishop Foundation.