Bruno Goes To The Middle East
Sasha Baron Cohen is at it again with Bruno. Cohan/Bruno tricked Yossi Alpher, a former Israeli spy and Palestinian academic Ghassam Khalib into appearing in the film which they thought was a serious documentary on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At one point, Bruno compared the Middle East conflict to the battle between Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie over Brad Pitt, saying: ‘Your conflict is not so bad.’ He also said:
“What’s the connection between a political movement and food. Why hummus?” Cohen asked, later adding: “Yesterday I threw away my pitta bread because it was dripping hummus. And it’s too high in carbohydrates.”
It was too late to pull out because the two had already signed release forms and received payment for the interview. The way things are going Bruno could end up being just a great as Borat…maybe even better! So far there has been talk of Ben Affleck being interviewed by Cohen in character, along with Arnold Schwarzenegger. There was also an incident in the lobby of Wichita Kansas Airport, where Bruno and his friend were caught stripping down to tight shorts.
Casting Couch: Bonham Carter Gears Up for T4; Matthew Fox Up in Smoke
Helena Bonham Carter is testing her mettle against the Machines.
The Oscar-nominated thesp is in negotiations to play a small but pivotal role in Terminator Salvation, the fourth film in the sci-fi/action franchise, Warner Bros. confirmed today.
T4 stars Christian Bale as an adult John Connor leading humanity’s rebellion against Skynet and its army of killer cyborgs. Sam Worthington costars as a time-hopping amnesiac who teams up with Bale’s character. McG (Charlie’s Angels) is directing.
No word exactly on the nature of Carter’s part, but, along with Bale, the Wings of the Dove star’s casting brings a whiff of prestige to a series best known for launching the big-screen career of Arnold Schwarzenegger with robotic lines like “I’ll be back” and “hasta la vista, Baby.”
Carter is no stranger to summer blockbusters, with roles in the Harry Potter franchise and partner Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes redo.
Shooting began last month in New Mexico; Terminator Salvation is being targeted for a May 22, 2009, release.
In other casting news:
- Marcia Gay Harden, Juliette Lewis, Kristen Wiig and Zoe Bell have signed on to star opposite Ellen Page and Drew Barrymore in Whip It!, a roller-derby comedy that will also mark the E.T. star’s feature-helming debut. Harden plays a bossy beauty queen who pressures her daughter (Page) to forgo the ring for pageants, while Lewis is the team’s star, Dinah Might, SNL’s Wiig is boisterous mentor Malice in Wonderland and Bell is a medical technician moonlighting as derby skater Bloody Holly. Shooting starts this summer.
- Gone Baby Gone Oscar nominee Amy Ryan will be back for a multiepisode stint in NBC’s The Office, reprising her role as a human resources rep (and potential Michael Scott love interest) Holly Flax.
- Lost’s Matthew Fox is in talks to headline Warner Bros.’ movie adaptation of the forthcoming comic book Billy Smoke, about a contract killer who’s eyeing to redeem himself after a bungled job by ridding the world of all of its hitmen.
- Jesse Plemons is putting aside the pigskin in NBC’s Friday Nights Lights for a role opposite Kevin Spacey, Robin Williams and Saffron Burrows in the indie drama Shrink. Plemons plays a drug dealer who supplies pot to Spacey’s character, a Hollywood psychiatrist who turns to Mary J. due to his inability to deal with a personal tragedy and his own patients.
- Erik Jensen, Jose Pablo Cantillio and Clea DuVall are set to topline a two-hour backdoor pilot for Fox called Virtuality, a sci-fi drama about a starship on a mission to explore a distant solar system. Jensen plays the ship’s navigator, Cantillo a mathematician and DuVall the copilot and engineer.
- Malik Yoba and Warren Kole are joining the ensemble of Fox’s one-hour pilot Inseparable, a sort of modern-day Jekyll and Hyde tale starring Lloyd Owen. Both play detectives.
Rose McGowan to Wield Red Sonja’s Sword
Rose McGowan has been the go-go dancer with the machine-gun leg, and now she’s going to be the She-Devil With a Sword.
The titian-haired former Charmed star has signed on to play the titular mythical comic book hero in Red Sonja, to be produced by fiancé Robert Rodriguez and directed by Highland: Endgame helmer Douglas Aarniokoski, Millennium Films and Nu Images announced Friday.
“This is an amazing property and film for our company,” studio exec Avi Lerner said. “Working with the talented Robert Rodriguez, having Rose McGowan as Red Sonja and Douglas Aarniokoski directing is a fantastic combination. We could not be happier.”
The action flick will find Red Sonja, a Marvel character who first appeared as she is now in the Conan the Barbarian series, seeking vengeance against the evildoers that destroyed her family and then realizing it has fallen upon her and her kickass ways to save her Soviet-area land of Hyrkania from the sorcerer Kulan Gath.
Red Sonja was first brought to the big screen, B-movie-style, in 1985, with Brigitte Nielsen as the title warrior and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Conan-esque Lord Kalidor.
McGowan, who most recently starred in both parts of the Quentin Tarantino-Rodriguez double-feature Grindhouse, appeared in a range of darkly funny films before settling down as Shannen Doherty’s replacement on Charmed, including Scream, Jawbreaker and Monkeybone.
The 34-year-old actress also currently cohosts The Essentials on Turner Classic Movies.
Shooting on Red Sonja is expected to kick off in October. Millennium and Nu Images are currently scouting locations in Michigan and other U.S. spots.
Rose McGowan Is Red Sonja
It seems another 80’s fantasy film is being remade. Rose McGowan has been cast as Red Sonja in Red Sonja, the movie will be produced by Sin City director Robert Rodriguez and will begin filming in October. The casting isn’t too surprising, seeing as though Rose McGowan and Robert Rodriguez have engaged in sexual intercourse many a time and are due to be wed. It also isn’t too surprising that he had this to say:
“Rose is a pistol. She’s whip-smart, has attitude to burn, is sexy, extremely strong, yet has a vulnerable side that would surprise her closest friends. That description also fits Red Sonja.”
Red Sonja will be directed longtime Rodriguez associate Douglas Aarniokoski and the aim is to get a franchise started.
The 1985 version stared a young Arnold Schwarzenegger who said it was the worst film he has ever made, and a crap Brigitte Nielsen as Red Sonja. The movie made a measly $6 million with a $15 million budget and was described as “Hilariously awful” and “Unwatchably bad sword-and-sorcery nonsense”. It appears that Robert Rodriguez has no pressure to live up to previous incarnations, so all he has to do is take notes from female action driven movies such as Aeon Flux, Catwoman and Elektra on how NOT to do things. and we could have a good movie coming our way.