June 2008 News Archive (Page 4)

Ben Kingsley is 64 and an Oscar winner.

Mary-Kate Olsen is 22 and really thin.

Still, the veteran actor recently told People Magazine that the former Full House star was "completely in charge" of the on-screen smooch between this odd coupling in The Wackness.

Writer/director of The Wackness, Jonathan Levine, said that although he was never a drug dealer, the movie is loosely based on his own experiences growing up in New York.

Even with this all-star cast, Levine still passed along a few valuable lessons. Most notably?

"I did have to teach Sir Ben how to take a bong hit," Levine said.

In a recent interview, Christian Bale refers to Heath Ledger - his costar in The Dark Knight - as a "kindred spirit," adding:

"He was a unique character, a very infectious character. He was a good man, and I was glad to have spent time with him."

From Bruce Wayne to John Connor, Christian Bale doesn't shy away from iconic roles.

Bale also spoke at length about his role as John Connor in the upcoming, rebooting of the Terminator franchise. The actor said:

"I've always had two varying degrees of success, and I'm not talking about anything to do with box office. I'm talking about my own parameters. You know, an interest in attempting in a wide variety of stories. I never desired to be a big studio movie actor, action actor.

I've never desired to be a serious independent movie actor. I enjoy all of those. It depends on what mood I'm in. And therefore, I will try to bend those stories into becoming something that I can enjoy myself, varying degrees of success with that. We have an opportunity with it for a continuation, but also a reinvention, and I have to say, much the same way in my mind as we have with Batman.

And beyond that I won't say anymore because we're just starting."

As previously reported, Matt Damon will be starring in The Informant, a dark comedy directed by Steven Soderbergh.

Not previously reported, however, were the lengths Damon is willing to go to in order to complete the role of businessman Mark Whitacre.

Here's a look at the actor on the movie's set, looking like he hasn't eaten a salad in weeks:

The next project for director Roman Polanski is a movie adaptation of "The Ghost," a Richard Harris novel about a ghostwriter hired to write the memoirs of an ex-Prime Minister.

Now, MTV News has announced the pair of major stars that has signed on for the film.

Pierce Brosnan and Nicolas Cage will portray the British Prime Minister Adam Lang and the unnamed ghostwriter, respectively. Brosnan himself said so.

"I'm going to go off and work with Mr. Roman Polanski and Nic Cage on a film called ‘The Ghost,'" Brosnan said. "It's a thriller."

The Ghost should be an easy transition for Cage. No one saw it, but he previously starred in Ghost Rider. No, really, he did.

As reported by Variety, DreamWorks has picked up screen rights to The 39 Clues, a multi-platform adventure series set to launch in the fall by Scholastic Media. Director Steven Spielberg is considering the project.

The 39 Clues launches September 9 and is envisioned as a 10-book series to be released over two years. It's meant to be a multimedia adventure that will include a set of collectible cards and an online game that will serve as a portal as young readers try to solve a mystery for a grand prize of $10,000. Interesting, no?

The focus of The 39 Clues is the most powerful family in the world, the Cahills, who count Napoleon and Houdini among their relatives.

Considering how Kit Kittredge: An American Girl is a limited-release hit (the Abigail Breslin vehicle opened last weekend in five theaters with $220,297; it opens nationwide on July 2).

Now, a second movie based on the popular American Girl line of dolls is being planned, reports Entertainment Weekly.

Warner Bros.' Picturehouse head Bob Berney recently said:

"Based on the opening numbers, I'm sure there will be another American Girl story. It's too early to tell if it's Julie or another one, or how it's going to happen. But the audience is there. There will be several American Girl movies."

Meanwhile, other sequel talk these days revolves around School of Rock 2, Anchorman 2 and Iron Man 2.

Which of these are you most looking forward to?

We've added 16 quotes from The Dark Knight.

Take a look at the examples below, and then browse around our complete collection of The Dark Knight quotes now...

The Joker: When the chips are down, these civilized people will eat each other. You'll see. I'll show you.

Alfred Pennyworth: Know your limits, Master Wayne.
Bruce Wayne: Batman has no limits.

Harvey Dent: You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

The Joker: [to Batman] You've changed things... forever. There's no going back. See, to them, you're just a freak... like me!

Hot on the heels of nicely summarized Iron Man 2 spoilers, here's a look inside Toy Story 3.

John Ratzenberger, who plays Hamm the Piggy Bank, recently told MTV that his character would have dual roles in the Pixar follow-up:

"Hammy is a villain in the beginning of the movie. [But then], Hammy becomes a superhero. You'll see."

We certainly will see, as 2010 can't come fast enough for fans of the first two great movies.

In Toy Story 3, Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the toy gang are left at a day care center when Andy goes away to college. (Are we the only ones feeling incredibly old at the thought of Andy in college?!?)

Whatever adventures are in store, viewers can reportedly look forward to a whole lot more of Mrs. Potato Head.

"[It's] wonderful!" gushed Estelle Harris, who voiced the wedlocked vegetable. "I have a much bigger part. Toy Story 2 was my entrance, and I was a newlywed. But now, I'm still very much in love with Mr. Potato Head."

It's nice to see some marriages in Hollywood last.

There have been numerous rumors floating around the Internet regarding the Iron Man sequel. Below, we've summarized a series of possible spoilers for the movie:

• Jon Favreau planned Iron Man as the first in a trilogy.

• According to MTV Movie Blogs, Favreau believes the sequel will explore darker story elements, such as alcoholism, which he intentionally set aside from the first film.

• Wikipedia quotes Robert Downey Jr. as saying: "The next one is about what do you do with the rest of your life once you've completely changed. I think the drinking and all that stuff would be a good way to confront his age, to confront his doubts, to confront the fact that maybe Pepper gets a boyfriend."

• Terrence Howard has said his character would become War Machine in the sequel, just like in the comics: "Judging from how that audience responded, we got a pretty good shot of having some War Machine go down."

Since Arrested Development ended, Jason Bateman has slowly built a film resume of solid supporting roles. He was the perfect slacker of a husband in Juno, for example.

Now, Bateman is set to star in the summer blockbuster Hancock. He recently discussed his part - as a do-gooding PR man who tries to rehab a superhero's image - with the Times of London.

"My character sees life through rose-coloured glasses, so he doesn't understand how people can't see the positive side of Hancock," Bateman said. "I like being the everyman. I like being the tour guide, the one who tethers whatever absurdity might be in a film and helps make that tangible to the audience."

Bateman is well aware that he isn't the main draw of Hancock, of course, referring to it as "[Will Smith's] world" and saying he's lucky to spend time in it.

Meanwhile, Bateman also confirmed the plans for an Arrested Development movie next year.

Continue Reading...