He's portrayed a few iconic characters, including Shakespeare's Romeo and Howard Hughes, but could Leonardo DiCaprio be taken seriously as an iconic superhero? Specifically the Sentinel of Liberty -- Captain America? According to Latino Review (a site well-known and typically respected for its accuracy with rumors of this sort), Marvel Studios has placed Leo on the top of their list of candidates for the role. Of course, there's been no offer made yet, and this is simply the same sort of wish list we heard about for Thor(Brad Pittis the top of that list), so there's no need to get crazy over the possibility ... yet.
Speaking of Pitt, Marvel apparently has placed him as second on their list for Cap. They either want him for The First Avenger: Captain Americaor Thor. Maybe they'll even offer him the roles of Ant-Man and everyone else in The Avengers (it would be like this, but with Pitt playing all the roles instead of Johnny Depp). There's no mention of who is #3. It could be Matthew McConaughey, who was rumored to be considered before. Or, it could be George Washington. Yes, the real G.W., first President of the United States. Not only is he perfectly relevant for the part, but I think Marvel has as good a chance of casting him as they do of casting Leo.
I know I'm not the first person to come to this conclusion, but Matthew McConaughey really does seem to have a charmed existence. Sure, he makes some crappy movies, but they keep paying him to star and we keep paying to see them in theaters. Coming Soon reports that the perpetually shirtless actor (I'm not complaining, mind you) has struck a deal with Anchor Bay Entertainment to release Surfer Dude, a comedy that he produced.
McConaughey stars as Steve Addington, a surf bum who returns home to Malibu after a world tour. The good times don't last long, and when the waves disappear for the whole season, Addington starts to go off the rails. In true stoner fashion, producer Mark Gustawes was quoted as saying, "Matthew plays a character who's a throwback to the '70s: Peace, love, and a righteous wave is what 'Surfer, Dude' is all about. Anchor Bay dug it -- and we decided to surf it, together." Classic, brah. McConaughey scored some (kinda) big names for the film including Woody Harrelson and Willie Nelson -- I can only imagine the dust clouds of smoke coming out of those trailers.
Anchor Bay will release the film in theaters this summer, but they're also planning to release the film onto DVD shortly after. Back in the old days, when a studio jumped on the home video release it meant the movie was no good. Luckily, these days a studio can spin it into a bright shining example of the new face of film distribution.
Surfer Dude will coast into theaters in late summer.
Ever since Marvel announced release dates for a slew of new comic book-related films yesterday, the internets have come alive with scoopers. We were a bit burned on the last rumor Cinema Blend reported, so take all three of these with a huge grain of salt.
Captain America: According to CB, Matthew McConaughey is the first name to hit the possible cast list. The film, now titled The First Avenger: Captain America, has been given a release date of May 6, 2011, and so I wouldn't expect a name to sign on for awhile. That's not to say there isn't a wish list floating around -- and, if one did exist, I imagine McConaughey's name would be on it, along with several others. I'm sure fans already hate the idea of seeing Mr. Rom Com himself show up as their beloved Captain America, but I actually think it's a good choice -- an interesting choice -- and one I'd definitely support. With the right script, he'd bring the looks, the muscle and the charisma. (Actually, I could kinda see him playing Thor, too.)
Iron Man 2: Yes, work will begin on this monster right away as a release date of April 30, 2010 is already in place, giving Jon Favreau and his team two years to get what will soon become the world's most highly-anticipated sequel in the can. But what will it be about? Well, CB claims that one of the plot lines being considered involves Sam Jackson returning as Nick Fury in order to team up with Stark to go after a terrorist called The Mandarin (featured prominently in the comic books as one of Iron Man's greatest villains). They also claim Marvel may throw a Thor cameo into the sequel to further tie The Avengers thing together, and also because Thor will debut his own film a couple of months later on July 4, 2010.
The trailer for My Best Friend's Girl (originally known as "Bachelor No. 2"), starring Kate Hudson and Dane Cook, is now online, and the only word that comes to mind is "monstrosity". Why don't you take a look at it up top. Go ahead, I'll wait here.
Are you as horrified as I am? Normally I prefer not to inflict my negativity about upcoming releases on you; if all I have to contribute is whining, I try to leave the blogging to someone else. But I couldn't pass this up. What we seem to have here is: a) the ten-millionth iteration of the plot where X starts a relationship with Y on a bet or a job but ends up falling in love; b) starring Kate Hudson, the reigning queen of the nondescript rom-com (at least Matthew McConaughey is nowhere to be found); c) co-starring Dane Cook, whose very presence is the equivalent of nails on a chalkboard, as a professional a**hole, and Jason Biggs as an awkward nice guy; and d) directed by Howard Deutch, who is responsible for some of the worstcomedies of the last ten years. Oh, and it's named after a song. Despite not being dead, the Cars are spinning in their graves.
On one hand, I'd love to be proven wrong about My Best Friend's Girl; on the other hand, I really, really don't want to subject myself to it. Would it be a dereliction of duty to skip the thing?
But now the big question still remains: Will he get to take his shirt off? According to Entertainment Weekly, Matthew McConaughey was offered the leading role of Thomas Magnum in Universal Pictures' adaptation of Magnum P.I. In fact, right this very second (and possibly shirtless) McConaughey is said to be reading over the script from writer-director Rawson Thurber (Dodgeball); trying to decide whether or not he'd be a good fit. For those youngsters in the crowd, Magnum P.I. was a boss '80s TV show about a Navy Seal-turned-detective who liked Hawaiian shirts and big, porn mustaches.
This isn't the first we've heard of McConaughey and Magnum P.I. All the way back in January of 2007, he was rumored to be up for the part -- a role that, at one point, was going to Ben Affleck, George Clooney and Vince Vaughn. And ... what about Tom Selleck? Will he get to play a part? Probably not. Back in 2006 (oh yes, this project has been lingering in the halls of Hollywood detention for quite some time), Selleck called the movie idea "stupid" and said he'd take no part in it. Heck yeah, Tom! Tell it like it is. But if they were to move ahead on this, I like McConaughey out of everyone. Keep in mind, they'll update it to a point where the only traces from the old TV show come in character names and cheesy Hawaiian shirts.
What do you think about a Magnum P.I. movie? Keep it or kill it?
Now that we have all gotten over the initial shock of seeing Robert Downey Jr. in 'black face,' we can all settle down and direct our attention to all of the other reasons why Ben Stiller's action comedy Tropic Thunder is going to be pretty high on the list of must-see summer flicks. Slash Film now has two new pictures from the comedy with the whole cast in tow.
Stiller came up with the idea of Tropic Thunder while he was working on Empire of the Sun with Steven Spielberg. Thunder centers on a group of spoiled actors making an expensive Vietnam flick. Inexplicably, the group find themselves in the middle of a real war and they are forced to become real live soldiers. The all-star comedy cast includes Stiller, Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey (in a part originally intended for Owen Wilson), and Steve Coogan as the wacked-out "Dennis Hopper in Apocalypse Now" role.
While these photos may not be as much fun as the teaser that was just released, I'm sure this is just the first of many media releases for the film. If you are over 18, I highly recommend checking out the teaser -- with possibly the best tag line for an action film in the history of the movies. If not, you'll just have to figure out how to sneak into the theater with the rest of us when Tropic Thunder lands in theaters on August 15th.
By the time this review is over, I will have spent more time thinking about Fool's Gold than the writers of its script. This...thing...is one of the sloppiest pictures released by a major studio in recent memory. What can you say about a "romance" with no romance, a "comedy" with no laughs, an "adventure" with no excitement? Though I certainly wasn't rubbing my hands together in anticipation walking in to the theater, I thought this would at least succeed at being an enjoyable time waster. "Attractive people wearing few clothes in exotic locales -- I can handle watching that for a few hours," I thought to myself. But I was wrong. So very wrong. The whole affair is about as compelling as a two-hour fart.
I don't ask a great deal from romantic comedies. I don't need every one to be Annie Hall or When Harry Met Sally or Love, Actually. I don't even need them to be particularly good -- I kinda enjoyed The Holiday, for God's sake! Give me a few laughs, appealing leads, a warm squishy feeling, and you've done your job. Plainly, the makers of Fool's Gold did not do their job. Listen, I know Valentine's Day is coming up, so heed this warning -- if you see this crashing bore of a movie on a first date, your relationship is doomed, cursed even. Do not speak on the way home, avoid eye contact, just go your separate ways and don't speak of the evening again.
The story centers on "a womanizer (McConaughey) who attends the wedding of his younger brother and bride. There, he's haunted by several old flames, including the bride's best friend. Douglas will play "Uncle Wayne, a '70s playboy, who was his mentor and he wears Bob Evans shades and guides him (McConaughey) around the ghost world". The cast also includes Jennifer Garner as one of McConaughey's exes, Lacy Chabert (Black Christmas) as the bride, as well as Anne Archer and Emma Stone (Superbad).
Originally, the film was set to star Ben Affleck with Betty Thomas directing. The production hit a snag when Disney shut the film down and Affleck walked away from the film. Maybe Affleck just wasn't looking forward to all the conversations at home on the subject of previous girlfriends. McConaughey then rode in to save the day and now the film is back on. Plus, I have to agree with Waters when he says that, "There's something great about Matthew. He has an aspect of him that he can get away with murder with women. He's the kind of guy where women are apologizing to him when he breaks up with them, because he's so charming". Girlfriends Past will start shooting February 19th in Boston and will hit theaters sometime in 2009.
One thing is for certain, Matthew McConaughey definitely would've been fighting for his right to dance, if he was ever stranded in the land of no dancing with Kevin Bacon. Above you an check out an exclusive outtake from Moviefone's latest Unscripted episode, where McConaughey and Kate Hudson interview each other about their new movie Fool's Gold. Above is a short clip that didn't make a cut, but is a definite must-see for those of you who love Matt, or those who want to hear a little bit about what it's like to have Goldie Hawn as your mom.
After checking that out, you can head to Moviefone and watch this latest Unscripted. There's serious bits about the acting advice Kate received from her family, Matthew's upcoming fatherhood, and a recurring adventure dream, plus Kate's kissing roster and some effervescent treble. To find out what in the world that means, you'll have to check out the clip.
The pieces have now fallen into place for the upcoming Mark Waters romcom The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Back in September, Jennifer Garner was circling the long-gestating project, which already had Matthew McConaughey so surprisingly attached as the lead womanizer. (Fun note: Jen's hubby was originally attached to the film, but now she gets to run around with another guy instead.) Now The Hollywood Reporter has laid out the plot and main players. Matt and Jenn will be joined by Breckin Meyer, Lacey Chabert, Anne Archer, Amanda Walsh, and Emma Stone.
So, McConaughey is "Connor, a womanizer who attends the wedding of his younger brother (Meyer) and bride (Chabert). There, he's haunted by several old flames, including the bride's best friend (Garner)." I have to say, it's strange to think of Meyer as an adult and not a Clueless skater, or to think of Chabert getting married. Man, I'm getting old. Anyway, by "womanizer," they're not meaning just a deluge of sexy women who are Connor's age -- Archer, who will play Chabert's mom, is also "a potential Connor conquest," while Walsh will be the one "bridesmaid he hasn't conquered." (Canadian audiences will recognize her as the ex Much Music VJ.) This suggests that Garner is definitely the school sweetheart, since she's Chabert's best friend, but not the one girl who hasn't gotten it on with Connor. (Unless, for some reason, her best friend isn't in her wedding party.)
Stone, finally, will lead Connor through his womanizing wasteland. A move from Superbad paramour to supernatural guide isn't bad at all. Production begins this month in Boston.
I must admit -- I was not a fan of Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey's How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. That being said, I like Hudson and McConaughey, and I like good romcoms, so I'm pretty curious about their next flick, Fool's Gold. The film stars McConaughey as Ben, a treasure hunter obsessed with a specific exotic treasure lost at sea in the 1700s. Hudson plays his estranged wife, Tess, who goes to work on Nigel Honeycutt's (Donald Sutherland) fancy yacht. When Ben finds a big clue about the treasure, he convinces Honeycutt to join him on the search, and rekindles things with Tess.
If a gorgeous locale and two alluring people aren't enough to whet your appetites, how about Sutherland, or heck, Ewen Bremner! Seeing that picture above, all I want to do is sit back, see what Sutherland made of this role, and drink a mojito. How about you?
In ye olden, golden days of movies, we had great screen couples like Bogey and Bacall, Hepburn and Tracy, Myrna Loy and William Powell ... but these days, celebrities rarely seem to share top billing twice.
Every once in a while, though, two actors have the kind of chemistry that makes us want to see them together again -- and that's the case with Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, who first sparred, hooked up, broke up and made up in How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. Sure, it was a lightweight movie, but McConaughey and Hudson were perfectly suited to each other: They're both charismatic, funny and ridiculously good-looking, and sort of ... well, golden. And despite all that, it's almost impossible not to like them. That's a gift. Damn them.
McConaughey and Hudson are teaming up a second time in Fool's Gold, a romantic action-adventure movie in which they play a couple whose marriage is on the rocks. In something of a stretch, McConaughey's a lovable cad -- a treasure hunter looking for one big score -- and Hudson is his long-suffering wife, who's over his juvenile ways ... until McConaughey's character finds a clue that may lead to some serious booty (if you know what I mean).
The two sunny stars will be hanging out in the Moviefone studios on Jan. 26 for our next edition of Unscripted, interviewing each other using your questions. Got a question for either Hudson or dad-to-be McConaughey? Drop it here, then check back here to see if your question made the cut. Happy hunting, y'all.
The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Josh Lucas will star in Tell-Tale, a psychological thriller directed by Michael Cuesta. Cuesta directed two very good indies -- L.I.E. and Twelve and Holding, and has helmed episodes of two of my favorite shows -- Six Feet Under and Dexter. The film's producers include big-time directors/brothers Tony Scott (Top Gun) and Ridley Scott -- who is currently tearing up the box office with the terrific American Gangster. The script was written by Dave Callaham, who also penned the video game adaptation Doom. (Had to look that up because THR managed to mention every aspect of the film but the screenwriter -- see why writers feel under-appreciated?)
Tell-Tale is a contemporary adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's classic story "The Tell-Tale Heart," (which was also reimagined as a hilarious Simpsons episode -- "Lisa's Rival"). Lucas will play a "single father whose recently transplanted heart leads him on a frantic search to find the donor's killer before a similar fate befalls him." I love the Poe story, so I'm up for this new take. Lucas was rumored to be playing Captain Pike in the upcoming Star Trek film, but we learned this morning that's not the case. What I really think Lucas should be doing is a movie where he, Matthew McConaughey, and Bradley Cooper try to tell each other apart for two hours.
After going nowhere with Disney, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past got nabbed by New Line, and it was over a year ago that the company was trying to get Matthew McConaughey to star. At the pace of a snail, the pieces are coming together. In February, The House of Yes and Just Like Heaven helmer Mark Waters had signed on to direct, from a script by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. Now, according to Variety, Jennifer Garner is in talks to co-star in an unspecified role. To recap -- the film will focus on a womanizer who gets haunted by 'ghosts' of his past, present, and future girlfriends while at the wedding of his younger brother. These apparitions lead him to realize that he's in love with his childhood sweetheart.
I imagine that means Garner is the sweetheart, although she could be the new sister-in-law, or a ghostly shepherd that herds the beings in and out of the guy's head. I really hope this flick is worth it, but I don't have much hope. I'm quite sure it will be a fluff success, but it would be really nice if it could be a substantial, fun, and worthy comedy. Or, even a decent one -- 13 Going on 30 wasn't a flawless movie, but it was a welcome change from the usual fare, and it had a killer Thriller recreation. Furthermore, Garner has been involving herself in some solid work lately, like The Kingdom and the hugely-buzzed Juno, so it would be a waste to tarnish those stints with a stinker of a cinema cherry. We'll have to wait a while to find out, however -- production won't get in gear until January.
Taking potshots at people can seem fun in the moment, but regrettable later. Especially when someone shoots back. For example, in choosing this list of the most overrated actors, I might at one time have chosen someone like Tobey Maguire, Mark Wahlberg or Ryan Gosling. At various points in the past, I was convinced that none of them could act a lick and they all proved me wrong. I could also shoot fish in a barrel, taking aim at people who are already down, like Freddie Prinze Jr., Ben Affleck, Chris Tucker, Paul Walker or Ryan Reynolds. Or Jennifer Hudson, whose flash-in-the-pan Oscar win will probably prove to be a hilarious mistake. History tends to sort things out into their proper places, which is why I ended up not choosing anyone from cinema's glorious past (I wrestled with Gary Cooper and Gregory Peck, but decided against them). So in choosing this final seven, I went with people who, at this moment, feel "overrated." They're all currently working, and each could use a serious career adjustment.
1. Ben Kingsley Is there a more arrogant, conceited, pretentious actor alive? And why does no one ever call him on it? I wrote a nasty review of House of Sand and Fog in 2003 and got volumes of angry e-mail from his fans and supporters, but it remains that Kinglsey can barely disguise his own smugness even while acting. The last straw came during the opening credits for the small scale "B" picture Lucky Number Slevin: "Sir Ben Kingsley." If he can't even loosen up for something that silly, then what good is he? He is also a screen hog, overshadowing all his co-stars with his scenery-chewing. His one great achievement came in Schindler's List, in which he generously allowed the leads to shine, while he did marvelous things in his small, meek role. He needs more jobs like that.
He's portrayed a few iconic characters, including Shakespeare's Romeo and Howard Hughes, but could Leonardo DiCaprio be taken seriously as an iconic superhero? Specifically the Sentinel of Liberty -- Captain America? According to Latino Review (a site well-known and typically respected for its accuracy with rumors of this sort), Marvel Studios has placed Leo on the top of their list of candidates for the role. Of course, there's been no offer made yet, and this is simply the same sort of wish list we heard about for Thor (Brad Pitt is the top of that list), so there's no need to get crazy over the possibility ... yet. 
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