Matt Damon Defines Summer Style in Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant
It’s time to play everyone’s favorite game, “Rejected Sears model, Amber Alert suspect or Matt Damon in character.” A celeb site ickily called Splash received a batch of open-shirted, pale Damon photos from the set of Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant. We haven’t talked much about the flick on: Damon plays Mark Whitacre, “the highest level executive to turn whistle-blower in U.S. history,” whose prolonged undercover work for the FBI gathering price-fixing evidence against his employer, an agri-biz powerhouse, um, did nothing to help a severe bipolar disorder.
Moreover, Whitacre embezzled millions from his employer while working with the “good guys.” He was released from prison in 2006 after serving more than eight years, and now has a COO position in bio-tech. If you saw the guy pictured here at the hotel pool, such a bizarre narc trajectory would sound about right, no? Scott Bakula will play the main FBI dude in the film, which is a welcome/unpredictable casting choice for a role usually created for Christian Bale. Opening March ‘09, The Informant looks to join notable white collar paranoia thrillers like The Insider, Michael Clayton and Damon’s own The Good Shepherd.
via Gawker
Jacinda Barrett Welcomes a Baby Girl
Australian actress Jacinda Barrett and her husband Gabriel Macht have welcomed their first child, a baby girl, her rep confirms to PEOPLE exclusively.
Satine Anais Geraldine Macht was born Aug. 20 in Los Angeles.
“Mum and Satine are happy and healthy,” says her publicist.
Barrett, 35, and Macht, 35, have been married since 2004. The couple first confirmed they were expecting a child to PEOPLE in May.
Audiences first met Barrett as a participant on MTV’s The Real World, set in London. She’s since appeared in films such as The Namesake, 2003’s The Human Stain and The Last Kiss with Zach Braff.
Her husband, an American actor, recently appeared in The Good Shepherd and the comedy Because I Said So. He recently finished working on White Out, opposite Kate Beckinsale, and can be seen next in Frank Miller’s The Spirit, opposite Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson and Eva Mendes.
• Reporting by MARK DAGOSTINO
Jacinda Barrett, Gabriel Macht Expecting Child
Australian actress Jacinda Barrett and her husband, actor Gabriel Macht, are expecting a baby later this year, their reps confirm to PEOPLE exclusively.
This will be the first child for the couple, who have been married since 2004.
Americans first met former model Barrett, 34, when she was on the fourth season of MTV’s The Real World, set in London.
She got her big break with 2003’s The Human Stain alongside Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins and Prison Break’s Wentworth Miller. She most recently starred alongside Zach Braff in The Last Kiss.
Macht, a New York City native who grew up in Los Angeles, most recently appeared in The Good Shepherd and Because I Said So.
Sequel Alert: The Departed 2?
Martin Scorsese’s latest film has grossed over $125 million domestically, and has become an award nomination black hole. Even though [spoiler alert] most of the main characters are no longer living by the time the credits role, talk has already begun of a Departed sequel.
According to industry sources, Departed screenwriter William Monahan is working on follow-up story that would bring back Mark Wahlberg’s character. The screenplay would also introduce a new mob boss which is being scripted for none other than Robert De Niro. The studio is also considering making a prequel.
De Niro was originally offered the role taken by Martin Sheen in the original film, but was too tied up with his directing duties on The Good Shepherd to accept.
If this is true, Scorsese would need to approve any development on the project, with or without him.
When Warner Bros acquired the rights to adapt the Honk Kong crime thriller Infernal Affairs in 2003, it also nabbed the rights to the film’s two sequels. In Hong Kong, Affairs did exceptionally well and was considered “a box office miracle”. It was heralded as a revival of Hong Kong cinema which at the time was considered to be direly lacking in creativity. It’s 2003 follow-up was a prequel, while still good, was not comparable to the first film. The third film was both a sequel and semi-prequel (similar to The Godfather Part II), as it inter-cuts events prior to and after the original’s events.