Tag: Articles

Netflix Takes Adam McKay Meteor Movie ‘Don’t Look Up’; Jennifer Lawrence To Star

Written by Annie

Comments are off

Netflix Takes Adam McKay Meteor Movie ‘Don’t Look Up’; Jennifer Lawrence To Star

New Project for Jennifer. Via Deadline:

Netflix has boarded Adam McKay’s new comedy feature Don’t Look Up, which Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence will star in. Deadline first broke the news about the project last November when we announced the Oscar-winning Big Short filmmaker’s new first-look deal at Paramount under his label Hyberobject Industries.

Don’t Look Up tells the story of two low-level astronomers who must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching asteroid that will destroy Earth. Production will begin in April for a release later this year.

McKay wrote the comedy and will produce under his Hyperobject Industries banner with Kevin Messick.

“I’m so thrilled to make this movie with Jen Lawrence. She’s what folks in the 17th century used to call ‘a dynamite talent’,” McKay said. “And the fact that Netflix sees this movie as a worldwide comedy sets the bar high for me and my team in an exciting and motivating way.”

Scott Stuber, head of Netflix films, added: “Adam has always had great timing when it comes to making smart, relevant and irreverent films that depict our culture. Even if he somehow ends up predicting planet Earth’s imminent demise, we’re excited to add this to our slate before it all comes to an end.”

McKay’s most recent feature Vice, about former Vice President Dick Cheney, went on to receive eight Oscar nominations, winning for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. In 2016, McKay won the Oscar, BAFTA and WGA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay with his co-writer Charles Randolph for The Big Short.

Lawrence won the Oscar for Best Actress for her turn in 2012’s Silver Linings Playbook. She has been nominated for three additional Oscars, for Joy, American Hustle and Winter’s Bone. She recently wrapped production on theater director Lila Neugebauer’s untitled film for A24 and Scott Rudin Productions in which she stars and produced alongside Justine Polsky under their production banner Excellent Cadaver.

Following Don’t Look Up, Lawrence will star in and produce Mob Girl, to be directed by Paolo Sorrentino for Universal through Excellent Cadaver’s first-look film deal and partnership with Makeready.

McKay and Lawrence separately have another project in development: Legendary Entertainment’s Bad Blood which he plans to direct, and she to star, with Vanessa Taylor writing. The Silicon Valley scandal project stars Lawrence as Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of the controversial blood testing company Theranos.

Lawrence is repped by LBI and Hansen Jacobson Teller. McKay is repped by WME (as a director and producer) and Ziffren Brittenham LLP.

Cooke Maroney Is “the Greatest Human Being” Jennifer Lawrence Has Ever Met

Written by Annie

Comments are off

Articles & Interviews

Cooke Maroney Is “the Greatest Human Being” Jennifer Lawrence Has Ever Met

After not discussing her fiancé for a while, J. Law now has a lot to say.

Considering she’s arguably the closest thing the current generation has to a Julia Roberts—an A-list movie star who is hugely popular and critically lauded—Jennifer Lawrence has been keeping an awfully low profile recently.

The actress had said in previous interviews that she wanted to take some time off from film work, and she has done just that. She hasn’t starred in a movie since Red Sparrow, which opened in March of 2018, and did a minimal amount of promotion for the recent Dark Phoenix, in which she had a supporting role. She hasn’t done much in the way of press, either. She’s showed up for her contracted Dior events, and occasionally stepped out for some revelry (see: her gay-bar outing with Adele that elated the Internet). And, most notably, over this time period, one of the world’s most famous actresses has been in a relationship so serious that she’s now engaged.

We don’t know all that much about her fiancé, Cooke Maroney, other than that he’s a 34-year-old director at a New York art gallery who previously worked at the Gagosian gallery after he studied art history at NYU. Per a Cut source, Maroney is “definitely fun-loving but [not] out of control,” a “young good New York guy who likes to participate and have fun.” Sounds cool!

This new era of Low-Profile J. Law has meant that we haven’t heard much at all from the actress about Maroney, whom she appears to have begun dating in June of 2018 (they were reportedly set up by Laura Simpson, a friend of Lawrence’s). We’ve had to content ourselves instead with the steady stream of photos of the pair dining out at a slew of buzzy New York restaurants (with the occasional jaunt to Europe). In one set of these photographs—taken of the two at dinner in February—an engagement ring was spotted on Lawrence’s hand, which is . . . how we found out they were engaged. A few weeks ago, the couple were snapped entering an engagement party of some sort—it’s rumored they’ll be getting married later this fall.

On Thursday, though, Lawrence appeared on a podcast (!)—hosted by former E! host Catt Sadler—during which she gushed about Maroney. She seems, uh, pretty happy! “He’s the greatest human being I’ve ever met,” she explained. “He really is, and he gets better.”

Asked why she decided to marry him, Lawrence continued, “I don’t know, I started with the basics. How do I feel? Is he nice? Is he kind? It’s just—this is the one, I know that sounds really stupid but he’s just, he’s—you know. He’s the greatest person I’ve ever met, so I feel very honored to become a Maroney.”

Does this mean our J. Law about to become J.…Mar? Also, we are very disappointed there wasn’t a follow-up question here about how she feels about the closeness of her new name to that of iconic 30 Rock character Jenna Maroney (played by Jane Krakowski).

“I definitely wasn’t at a place where I was like, I’m ready to get married,” Lawrence said. “I just met Cooke and I wanted to marry him. We wanted to marry each other, we wanted to commit fully. He’s my best friend. I want to legally bind him to me forever. And fortunately the paperwork exists for such a thing. You find your favorite person on the planet and you’re like, You can’t leave!”

While she is very, very adamant about her feelings about the man she is marrying, clearly, the other elements of the wedding rigamarole don’t seem to concern her all that much. “I’ve been in a good place,” she said. “I haven’t been neurotic about it. I’m like too lazy to be neurotic. I saw a dress I liked and I was like, That’s the dress. I saw a venue and I was like, Cool, we got the venue.”

She did, however, end up having a bachelorette party—or at least it sounds like she did? It’s hard to discern. “I thought I didn’t want to have bachelorette party, and then last minute I decided I did,” the actress said. “Then nobody was available because it was last minute. And then I started crying. I was like, I don’t even know why I’m crying. I didn’t know that I wanted a bachelorette party. I guess I just feel pathetic. [Maroney] was like, Oh my god, you don’t need to feel pathetic.” Imagine having anything else to do that you wouldn’t cancel even an hour in advance for a J. Law bachelorette party.

Cooke Maroney! The guy has a cool name, is the greatest person Jennifer Lawrence has ever met, is apparently a voice of comfort and encouragement when you’re feeling lame about demonstrating too much enthusiasm about an event. Not a bad C.V.!

Source

Jennifer Lawrence Sets Big-Screen Return Aligned With Theater Director Lila Neugebauer

Written by Annie

Comments are off

Movies

Jennifer Lawrence Sets Big-Screen Return Aligned With Theater Director Lila Neugebauer

Great news, new project for Jennifer!

In her first screen-starring role since announcing a year-long sabbatical, Jennifer Lawrence will star in an untitled film that will mark the feature directorial debut of acclaimed theater helmer Lila Neugebauer. Plot is under wraps, and the film is backed by IAC Films and A24. Script was written by first-time screenwriter Elizabeth Sanders.

Scott Rudin and Eli Bush are producing with Lawrence and Justine Polsky. A mid-June production start is set in New Orleans.

Lawrence has the X-Men: First Class sequel Dark Phoenix coming June 7 through Fox, and she took a break after making the films Red Sparrow and Mother! She won the Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook and got three other noms for Joy, American Hustle and Winter’s Bone, the latter a breakout turn that led to The Hunger Games and global stardom.

One of the standout young stage directors, Neugebauer made her Broadway debut last year with the acclaimed revival of Kenneth Lonergan’s The Waverly Gallery, starring Elaine May and Lucas Hedges and produced by Rudin and Bush. Her other plays include Tracy Letts’ Mary Page Marlowe, Edward Albee’s At Home at the Zoo: Homelife/The Zoo Story, and the world premieres of Sarah DeLappe’s The Wolves, The Mad Ones’ Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie and Miles For Mary, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Everybody, and Annie Baker’s The Antipodes. She also directed an episode of the Duplass Brothers’ HBO series Room 104.

The film becomes another in the alliance between Rudin/Bush, IAC and A24 that encompasses Lady Bird, Eighth Grade, Mid90s and Ex Machina, and has upcoming the Safdie Brothers-directed Uncut Gems, Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow, and Joel Coen’s Macbeth with Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. Rudin/Bush, IAC Films, and A24 also recently announced a joint venture for non-fiction films and series.

Polsky and Lawrence will produce through their newly formed production company Excellent Cadaver.

Lawrence is repped by LBI Entertainment and Hansen Jacobson; Neugebauer is with UTA.

Source

Jennifer Lawrence to Receive Sherry Lansing Award at Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Breakfast

Written by Annie

Comments are off

Awards

Jennifer Lawrence to Receive Sherry Lansing Award at Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Breakfast

Angelina Jolie will deliver the keynote speech, while Meryl Streep is set to honor Amy Pascal, and $1 million in scholarships will be presented at the star-studded event.
Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence and distinguished film producer-executive Amy Pascal will be honored at The Hollywood Reporter’s 2017 Women in Entertainment breakfast, it was announced Thursday. The star-studded gala will take place Dec. 6 at Milk Studios in Los Angeles.

Academy Award-winning actress-filmmaker Angelina Jolie will deliver the keynote speech at the VIP event, where $1 million in university scholarships will be given to young women from disadvantaged backgrounds who have taken part in the Reporter’s highly competitive, 8-year-old Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program.

Lawrence will become the youngest person ever to receive the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award, given annually to a woman who has been a pioneer and philanthropic leader in her industry. Last year, the four-time Academy Award nominee (and winner for Silver Linings Playbook) donated $2 million to establish the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Kosair Children’s Hospital in her hometown, Louisville, Ky. The Jennifer Lawrence Foundation also assists a wide range of charitable organizations, supporting abused and neglected youth, along with many educational and health organizations. Lawrence recently joined the board of Represent.Us, the nation’s largest grassroots anti-corruption campaign which brings together conservatives, progressives and everyone in between to work towards fixing America’s corrupt political system. She also has been outspoken on issues of gender pay disparity and privacy rights in Hollywood.

Lawrence follows a long line of extraordinary Sherry Lansing Award recipients, including Barbra Streisand, Shonda Rhimes, Oprah Winfrey, Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Helen Mirren, Halle Berry, Jodie Foster, Glenn Close, Barbara Walters and, most recently, Tina Fey.

Meryl Streep, a former Lansing Award recipient, will present Pascal with the second annual Equity in Entertainment Award, given to an individual in the showbiz community who has proved committed to providing opportunities for women and people of color. Pascal follows writer-producer Ryan Murphy, last year’s recipient. A former chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Pascal is also the producer of such movies as Spider-Man: Homecoming and the upcoming Molly’s Game and The Post. Her company, Pascal Pictures, strives to create avenues for women and people of color, in front of the camera and behind it.

“Both Jennifer and Amy perfectly embody the driving force behind THR’s Women in Entertainment initiative,” said Matthew Belloni, editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter. “They continue to use their voices and their talent to create opportunities for women in the industry, and I can’t think of two more deserving individuals to honor.”

“Having Jennifer agree to accept the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award is a wonderful honor,” said Lansing, the former CEO of Paramount Pictures and the first woman to head a Hollywood studio. “In merely a decade, her remarkable professional achievements, her willingness to take risks, and her philanthropic generosity have inspired millions. She reminds young women all over the world that their voices are meant to be heard. The Hollywood Reporter could not have chosen a better individual to recognize.”

Jolie, whose Cambodian war drama First They Killed My Father was recently selected as that country’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Picture at the upcoming 90th Academy Awards, has enjoyed a year of striking achievement. In addition to continuing her humanitarian work — which includes over a decade of service as Special Envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees — she is soon to reprise her title role in Disney’s upcoming sequel to its 2014 blockbuster Maleficent.

“Angelina Jolie has dedicated her life to helping women and girls in war zones, from her girls’ school in Kenya to her primary schools in eastern Afghanistan,” said Belloni. “Her efforts to end sexual violence worldwide is unparalleled in the Hollywood community, and we’re humbled and exhilarated that she’ll be delivering our keynote speech this year.”

Additionally, $1 million in university scholarships will be given to girls now taking part in The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program. Among the scholarships, each of the 18 girls currently in the program will receive $10,000 to attend the university of her choice (jointly funded by Lifetime and Entertainment Industry Foundation), with two girls receiving full-ride scholarships worth more than $240,000 apiece to attend Loyola Marymount University.

The Women in Entertainment breakfast, sponsored by Lifetime and Loyola Marymount University in partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation, coincides with the publication of The Hollywood Reporter’s annualWomen in Entertainment: Power 100, the definitive guide to the leading women in film and television.

Source

Jennifer Lawrence to Star in Ron Howard’s Zelda Fitzgerald Biopic

Written by Annie

Comments are off

Zelda Fitzgerald

Novels like The Great Gatsby and The Beautiful and Damned cemented F. Scott Fitzgerald’s status as a literary icon, but some bookish types (myself included) would argue that his wife, Zelda, was the more talented of the pair. Her creative contributions have certainly been less valued in comparison to her husband, but thanks to Ron Howard, she’s finally getting the biopic she deserves (or one would hope), with Jennifer Lawrence set to play the title role in Zelda.

THR reports that Lawrence has signed on to play Zelda Fitzgerald in Zelda, based on Nancy Milford’s bestselling biography of the same name. Ron Howard is developing the project, which he may also direct, from a screenplay by Emma Frost — whose TV series credits include The White Queen and Shameless. Lawrence’s casting is a great way to cement interest in the biopic, though it’s too bad that Alison Pill isn’t taking on the part after her great portrayal in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, in which she starred opposite Tom Hiddleston’s F. Scott.

Zelda Fitzgerald was a well-known Jazz Age socialite and party girl who loved to cause a scene. She was the chief muse for her husband, F. Scott, who christened her “America’s first flapper.” The couple’s tendency to overindulge in alcohol exacerbated their tumultuous relationship, which was fraught with affairs, accusations and resentments (typically with regards to their respective creative endeavors). Some, like Ernest Hemingway, accused Zelda of being responsible for F. Scott’s steady decrease in writing, while others defended her as a victim of the author’s incessant abuses.

Zelda had a brilliant creative mind in her own right: She was a talented painter, writer and poet, though she never achieved the same level of acclaim as her husband. She was later diagnosed with schizophrenia and lived in a series of clinics. Her first and only novel, Save Me the Waltz, was published in 1932 and was a semi-autobiographical account of her marriage; F. Scott was infuriated.

She also published a play, Scandalabra, but perhaps some of her best writing can be found in the collected letters between Zelda and F. Scott, which serve as a melancholy illustration of their romance and its decline. Zelda’s confessional writing is heart-wrenching and poetic:

You didn’t care: so I went on and on — dancing alone, and, no matter what happens, I still know in my heart that it is a Godless, dirty game; that love is bitter and all there is, and that the rest is for the emotional beggars of the earth and is about the equivalent of people who stimulate themselves with dirty post-cards.

Source

Jennifer Lawrence To Play Fidel Castro’s Lover In ‘Jane Bond’-Type Role

Written by Annie

Comments are off

Marita

Jennifer Lawrence is poised to trade in Katniss’ bow and arrow for a pistol in her next role as real-life “Jane Bond” Marita Lorenz.

The Golden Globe winner’s new project is “Marita,” a pitch from “American Hustle” writer Eric Warren Singer about Marita Lorenz, a German-born American woman who cozied up to some of the most famous dictators of the 20th century. Lawrence will produce the romance spy drama with Matt Tolmach, Scott Mednick and Andre Rouleau.

Lorenz began an affair with Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro at the age of 19, became pregnant with his child and left the country after she had an abortion. She later joined forces with anti-communist groups in the United States, where she was recruited by the CIA to assassinate Castro.

As the story goes, Lorenz returned to Cuba in 1960 to kill Castro using poison pills, but instead revealed the assassination plot and declared her love for the leader.

Lorenz later had an affair with a Venezuelan dictator and claimed to be involved in the JFK assassination. Her account was later refuted, however, earning her the title of “a patron saint of conspiracy buffs.”

“Marita” represents a departure from JLaw’s American sweetheart types, so we’re anxious to see if she continues her hot streak all the way to Havana.

Source

Jennifer Lawrence to Star in Love Story ‘Rosie Project’

Written by Annie

Comments are off

Rosie

Via The Hollywood Reporter comes the news of Jen’s new project “Rosie Project”:

The romantic dramedy is being developed at Columbia Pictures.

Jennifer Lawrence has found love.

The Oscar-winning star, who was at Comic-Con Friday as part of the Hunger Games panel, is attached to star in The Rosie Project, a romantic dramedy being developed by Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony.

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were looking to direct the project, but the Lego Movie filmmakers bowed out when they took on the young Han Solo Star Wars movie. The project is now on a fast-track search for a director.

Rosie, an adaptation of a Graeme Simsion book, tells of a socially inept genetics professor who comes up with a scientifically sound survey to find the perfect mate. His plans get curvy when he meets Rosie Jarman, who in her whirlwind manner possesses all the opposite qualities he should be looking for.

Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber, who tackled quirk and heartache with the acclaimed (500) Days of Summer, wrote the script.

Matt Tolmach and Michael Costigan are producing.

Sony is clearly intent on staying in the business of Lawrence, arguably the biggest female star on the world thanks to a mix of a beloved global franchise (Hunger Games, whose final installment, Mockingjay — Part 2, opens Nov. 20) and acclaimed performances in dramas and indies. Lawrence is already in pre-production to star in the studio’s Passengers, a sci-fi love story with Chris Pratt.

The actress, repped by CAA and Hansen Jacobson, is rumored to be back at Comic-Con Saturday for Fox’s X-Men: Apocalypse panel. This fall she also stars in Joy, which reunites her with David O. Russell, who directed her in Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle.

Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth cover the new Entertainment Weekly

Written by Annie

Comments are off

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth cover the new Entertainment Weekly

The newest issue of Entertainment Weekly brings a feature on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. With new interview with Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth.

Here is an excerpt from their website:

It’s time to say goodbye to The Girl on Fire. Part political allegory, part family saga, the Hunger Games franchise has already generated over $2.3 billion, proving that young adult adaptations can be substantive, and — most of all — that a blockbuster action-hero doesn’t need to have a Y chromosome.

But as much as these movies have influenced Hollywood (and millions of global fans), their greatest impact has been on their three leads: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth. They each entered the Games as relative unknowns, as wary of celebrity as Katniss was of the Capitol. But through the years, the actors — most notably now Oscar-winner Lawrence — have matured into major movie stars and have come to terms with the power of fame. “Jennifer realized at a certain point, that if people are going to be listening to you, you’d better have something to say,” says series producer Nina Jacobson.

The fourth and final installment, Mockingjay – Part 2 (out Nov. 20) opens in District 13. The propaganda campaign that filled most of Mockingjay – Part 1 has been predominantly successful with the exception of President Snow (Donald Sutherland) punishing Katniss by brainwashing her partner in crime Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson) before sending him back to District 13 to kill her. Part 2 opens with Katniss in a neck brace, recovering from Peeta’s Tracker-Jacker induced attack, and contemplating how she will enact her revenge on Snow. Meanwhile, under the watchful eye of President Coin (Julianne Moore), the rebels — including Gale Hawthorne (Hemsworth) — are making last preparations for their mission to topple the Capitol once and for all. It’s been a long run-up to the final battle, which finds the three leads, their camera crew and a few key allies engaged in warfare inside the booby-trapped hub of Panem. Returning director Francis Lawrence promises it won’t disappoint. “When you get to the end, you just feel the entire history of what these characters have been through,” he says. “It’s part of what makes this movie all the more satisfying.”

So with a three-finger salute, EW sat down poolside at a Beverly Hills hotel with Hemsworth, 25, Hutcherson, 22, and Lawrence, 25, to reflect on it all.

On being part of a cultural phenomenon:
HUTCHERSON When you see the tons of people screaming and going crazy… I have the same problem that Peeta does of distinguishing reality from not reality. So for me, that’s not real. It seems so strange.
LAWRENCE It’s like you’re an avatar of yourself.
HEMSWORTH You get back into the car after a premiere and it’s dead silent and you’re like…
LAWRENCE “I’m glad that’s over.”

Their friendship:
LAWRENCE If we had met each other in any different circumstance, we would still be best friends. And our love is as close to unconditional as it gets because there’s no fear between us because we love each other so much. There’s no fear in our love.

And the scene they were most worried about shooting on their epic 152-day Mockingjay shoot.
LAWRENCE I was excited about the scene at the end of the movie when I shoot my arrow—I won’t give it away— because when I was doing my archery training at age 20, that was always the scene I pictured. Five years ago I used to look at a stack of hay and pretend that it was this moment, and now it is here.

How was your aim?
LAWRENCE It was CGI, so let’s just say I nailed it.
HEMSWORTH You were particularly nervous about the singing scene [from Part 1]. We all know that.
HUTCHERSON It’s so stupid. You’re such a great singer.
HEMSWORTH She was so worried about it, I assumed that she must have a bad voice. And she did it and I’m like, “Jen, it’s actually good.” She’s like, “Shut up!”
LAWRENCE I only snapped at you because who else was I gonna snap at?
HEMSWORTH No, I know. I’m your punching bag, man. Don’t worry about it.
LAWRENCE But I can never be yours. Don’t you dare start thinking that’s a two way street.
HUTCHERSON For me it was the scene where Peeta had to freak out and lose his mind. I was more excited than nervous, but then right before we shot, I realized I hadn’t planned on what the hell I was going to do. And then they say “Action.” You’re like “Ah!” And you just kind of do it.
LAWRENCE But that’s always when you do your best because then you’re not thinking. You’re just feeling. Ugh! I meant that when I said it, but I realized how douchey it sounded so I just had to turn it into a joke.

Jennifer Lawrence and Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence may reunite for Red Sparrow

Written by Annie

Comments are off

Movies

Possible new project for Jen, via EW:

Though the final installment of the wildly popular Hunger Games series is set to be released in theaters this November, it seems the working relationship between lead star Jennifer Lawrence and director Francis Lawrence is far from over with the news that the pair may reteam for a film adaptation of Russian espionage novel Red Sparrow.

As first reported by Deadline, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 director Francis Lawrence is set to helm the adaptation of author Jason Matthew’s bestselling spy story for Fox. EW has confirmed the director’s participation, as well as that the actress is in talks to play Russian intelligence officer Dominika Egorva.

Published in 2013 and drawing heavily from Matthew’s experience as a former CIA officer, Red Sparrow follows Dominika, a highly trained agent assigned to an American intelligence officer as he attempts to expose Russian state secrets in what becomes an international life-and-death operation that unfolds across Moscow and Washington.

With what promises to be lots of butt-kicking and super-sleuth tactics, the role of Dominika seems perfectly suited for Lawrence, who has honed her take-charge nature and action-movie physicality as Hunger Games heroine Katniss Everdeen. Though the making of Red Sparrow is likely months away, Mockingjay – Part 2 promises to burn bright by making the most of Lawrence’s firebrand personality.

“There is some serious girl power in this movie,” Lawrence told EW earlier of the franchise’s final installment earlier this year, adding, “I think it’s the most satisfying of the bunch.”

It’s worth noting that Lawrence likes to reteam with familiar directors. Following the upcoming relase of Mockingjay – Part 2, Lawrence will next be seen in Joy, which reunites her with Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle director David O. Russell. And this isn’t the first time there’s been news of a reunion between her and Francis Lawrence: in January, it was announced that the two would reteam for the James Cameron-produced movie The Dive.

Jennifer Lawrence on the Joy of working with David O. Russell

Written by Annie

Comments are off

Joy

Jennifer Lawrence on the Joy of working with David O. Russell

Jennifer Lawrence was working on the final installment of the Hunger Games when she received a call at 4 a.m. from director David O. Russell. “He said, ‘Do you want to play the part of the woman who invented The Miracle Mop?’ ” Lawrence took the unusual hour and the call itself in stride. “I’ve gotten a lot of middle-of-the-night phone calls from David,” she says with a laugh. But Joy ended up evolving into something else. “From that seed he went off into David land and it developed and changed, and now it’s a completely different story,” she says. “Usually [a film’s focus] is about the fight on the way to success and the happy ending. David goes on to tell the struggle that comes after that, along with all the sacrifices that come with finally getting what you want.”

Russell, who’s last three films — The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook, and American Hustle — have all been nominated for Best Picture, was intrigued by the idea of doing a film larger in scope: an epic journey examing one woman’s life from age 10 to age 40, as she grows up, gets married, has children, and becomes an entrepreneur and matriarch. “It’s a woman’s soul over many decades of her life and how she changes,” he says.

Change is an important concept when it comes to a Russell production. Scripts and scenes and shooting schedules are, shall we say, fluid at all times. His actors just need to keep up. “It’s fascinating and terrifying working for him because he’s a mad scientist genius,” says Lawrence. “He’s inspired by anything. One time he wrote a scene by watching me get my hair done. He just went, ‘Oh! The sound of a shovel in the ground. Sinister!’ And then he ran out of the room.” She laughs. “I always see the wide eyes of people who’ve never worked with him before. I tell them, ‘You have to let go of all your s–t. You are the paint. He’s the paintbrush and the canvas.”

Édgar Ramirez (Zero Dark Thirty), who plays Joy’s husband, was one of those newcomers (along with Isabella Rosellini, Virginia Madsen, and Diane Ladd) joining Russell regulars Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper. “You have to be on your game,” he says. “There’s never a dull moment on a David O. Russell set. But that’s the beauty of it. That’s the magic.”

Less magical was the brutal winter that hit Boston during production last winter. “There was literally eight feet of snow outside,” says Russell, who was forced to move some locations, but still managed to see the upside. “It actually turned out great for us. The snow is very beautiful and Joy loves snow from a very young age.”

The actress who plays her does not, however. “I still have Snowst Traumatic Stress,” Lawrence says. “I feel like I’m in Game of Thrones, running around going, ‘Winter is coming again!’ ”

Joy marks the third Russell and Lawrence collaboration after Silver Linings (which won her the Oscar) and American Hustle, and they’ve developed a deep professional connection. “I almost don’t want to talk about it, it’s so special,” Russell says. “It feels like bad luck.” Lawrence, luckily, isn’t superstitious. “Working on his sets is like the Olympics of acting,” she says. “Everything moves so fast. It’s like watching someone do a giant abstract painting or sculpture and you go, ‘Where is this going?’ ” She laughs. “And then all of a sudden you’re like, ‘Oh, it’s a pegasus. It’s beautiful!’ ”

Joy opens on Dec. 25.

Via: EW.com

Jennifer Lawrence to Lead Romance THE ROSIE PROJECT from (500) DAYS OF SUMMER Scribes

Written by Annie

Comments are off

The Rosie Project

Jennifer Lawrence is lining up a new project, and this one already had prestigious pedigree before she signed on. THR reports that the Hunger Games actress has attached herself to the romantic dramedy The Rosie Project, which boasts a screenplay by (500) Days of Summer and The Fault in Our Stars scribes Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber and was initially intended as a directorial effort for Jump Street filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Now that Lord and Miller have signed on to helm a Star Wars movie, however, Columbia Pictures is quickly looking to fill the director’s chair.

Based on the book by Graeme Simison, the story centers on a professor of genetics who embarks on a project to help find him to the perfect partner, using a very specifically designed questionnaire. He is thrown for a loop when Rosie Jarman, who fills none of the criteria of the woman he should technically be with, stumbles into his life. The premise feels very close to Manic Pixie Dream Girl territory, but with such talent involved I’m inclined to believe (or hoping, rather) there’s more to the story than what this simple premise suggests.

With Lawrence’s attachment, Columbia sees this as a top priority and the studio hopes to put the project on the fast track. Lawrence recently wrapped a reunion with David O. Russell for Joy and is currently shooting X-Men: Apocalypse, and she has the sci-fi drama Passengers scheduled to start production later this year. If The Rosie Project comes together, though, it’s possible cameras could roll early next year, and the romance/dramedy would certainly make a nice change of pace from the more serious or grueling fare Lawrence has been tackling as of late.

Source

he MOCKINGJAY Epilogue Was Filmed This Weekend

Written by Annie

Comments are off

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

The final two films of The Hunger Games franchise, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, were filmed simultaneously last year, but one crucial scene was left unshot when production wrapped. When it came time to film the epilogue of Mockingjay – Part 2, the conditions weren’t right—director Francis Lawrence explained to us that they needed green landscapes, and that wasn’t the case in Atlanta when filming was winding down. So, since Mockingjay – Part 2 wasn’t coming out for over a year, the team decided they would return to Georgia later, when the conditions were favorable, and shoot that last scene.

Well that time has now come and gone, as over this past weekend Lawrence, producer Nina Jacobson, and the actors involved in the epilogue assembled in Atlanta to shoot the last scene of The Hunger Games ever. Those who’ve read the books know what we’re talking about, but in the interest of avoiding spoilers I’ll say no more.

The question of when the epilogue would be shot had been posed to Lawrence quite frequently as of late, so he and Jacobson took to Twitter to confirm that indeed production was underway on the scene. It’s nice to know that they were able to wait until things were just right to shoot this very crucial moment, but it’s also a little sad knowing that cameras will never roll on The Hunger Games again (until the inevitable reboot in 5-10 years, of course).

Sunrise. The epilogue, at last. pic.twitter.com/rP0foE6IC8

— nina jacobson (@ninajacobson) June 5, 2015

Source

Jennifer Lawrence Says Apocalypse Is Her Final X-Men Film

Written by Annie

Comments are off

Movies

Given how in demand Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult and James McAvoy are outside their roles in the X-Men franchise, and the fact that their contracts are up after next year’s Apocalypse, it makes sense that they may all be headed elsewhere once their latest mission is completed. Asked by MTV on a red carpet about that very subject, Lawrence has confirmed that she, at least, considers Apocalypse her last X-Men movie.

While the story of Magneto (Fassbender) and Lawrence’s Mystique is reportedly a big part of the new film’s story, there’s also scope for Bryan Singer and co. to start wrapping it up. And given the amount of new mutants – younger versions of Cyclops, Storm, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler and more – introduced this time, it already feels like the filmmakers are laying the groundwork for the likes of Magneto, Mystique, Beast and Professor X to take a back seat to the others, or at least drastically reduce their screen time. Or there is always the chance that the roles will be re-cast.

So it would appear that Apocalypse – which finds the mutants in the 1980s battling Oscar Isaac’s incredibly powerful villain – might be the swan song for one or more of the First Class cast. With Rose Byrne, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alexandra Shipp among those aboard, X-Men: Apocalypse is gearing up to start shooting next month in preparation for a May 19, 2016 UK release date.

Source

Jennifer Lawrence Breaks Into U.K. Music Singles Charts

Written by Annie

Comments are off

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

“The Hanging Tree,” taken from the ‘Mockingjay – Part 1’ soundtrack, is currently at the 29th spot after midweek sales

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 may be dominating the U.K. box office, scoring the year’s biggest opening weekend with $19.9 million, but Jennifer Lawrence looks to have landed a more unlikely chart positioning elsewhere.

The actress sings on “The Hanging Tree,” which is included on the film’s soundtrack. According to the U.K.’s Official Charts Company, the song is now positioned at number 29 on the charts after calculating midweek sales.

Source

Jennifer Lawrence’s Statement on Her Nude Photo Leak Is a Game Changer

Written by Annie

Comments are off

Articles & Interviews

VANITY FAIR OSCAR PARTY 2014 - Red Carpet Arrivals

This morning, Vanity Fair published a snippet of its upcoming cover story on Jennifer Lawrence, in which the actress addresses the leaking of her nude photos in August. “It is not a scandal. It is a sex crime,” the actress says. “It is a sexual violation. It’s disgusting. The law needs to be changed, and we need to change.”

Lawrence’s statement signals a major change in tone. In the past, the MO for a young starlet whose private photos were leaked online was to stay silent or to apologize. In 2007, an 18-year-old Vanessa Hudgens publicly asked for support from her fans after a nude cellphone pic of her was stolen and published on the Internet. In 2011, Scarlett Johansson’s private photos, sent to her then-husband Ryan Reynolds, were also stolen and leaked, and while the hacker was tracked down and arrested, she seemed to carry a tinge of regret around the violation. In an interview with Vogue in 2012, the actress admitted, “When all those photos came out, of course I go out to dinner and think, Goddamn it, these people have all seen my. . . . ,” her voice trailing off.

Many actresses, including Lake Bell, Mary-Kate Olsen, and Brie Larson, have chosen to stay silent about leaks of their nude photos. When selfies of an unclothed Blake Lively surfaced in 2011, her representatives denied it was the actress altogether and claimed they were “100 percent fake,” prompting hackers to release even more photos—both naked and fully clothed—in an attempt to prove they were of Lively. (Lively has never confirmed that the photos were of her.) A few of the actresses involved in this recent hack, including Victoria Justice and Ariana Grande, have also denied the photos were of them. And Kirsten Dunst seemed downright resigned to the leaks when she told E! News, “I try to have a sense of humor about a really unfortunate situation.”

Lawrence is not apologizing. “I started to write an apology, but I don’t have anything to say I’m sorry for,” she says. “I was in a loving, healthy, great relationship for four years. It was long-distance, and either your boyfriend is going to look at porn or he’s going to look at you.” Lawrence goes after not only the hackers and publishers of the photos, but everyone else who plays a role in these violations of privacy: “Anybody who looked at those pictures, you’re perpetuating a sexual offense.” The statement comes as lawyer Marty Singer, reportedly representing a few of the celebrities involved in the hack, is threatening to sue Google for $100 million for “failing to act expeditiously and responsibly to remove the images but in knowingly accommodating, facilitating, and perpetuating the unlawful conduct.” By changing the tone from embarrassed to incensed, Lawrence’s stance on these leaks might just alter the way we all respond to them.

Source