Tag: Movie News

2019 Apr 17

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

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.

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2016 Jan 11

Jennifer Lawrence-Darren Aronofsky Movie Confirmed At Paramount

New Project for Jen, via Deadline:

Paramount Pictures said this morning that Jennifer Lawrence indeed will star in an untitled film directed by Darren Aronofsky. Scott Franklin and Ari Handel of Protozoa will produce the pic, about a couple whose relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence. The studio is eyeing a 2017 release.

News of this pic first broke back in October when newly minted Golden Globes winner Lawrence exited The Rosie Project, the Richard Linklater film from Sony based on the Graeme Simison novel.

Lawrence is repped by CAA and Hansen Jacobson.

2015 Aug 26

Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Schumer Will Play Sisters in a New Comedy They’re Writing Together

Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Schumer Will Play Sisters in a New Comedy They’re Writing Together

If you pay a wee bit of attention to how your favorite celebrities are spending their summer vacations, you may have noticed that Amy Schumer and Jennifer Lawrence have struck up a bit of a summer friendmance. The duo, who both have big, successful movies out this year (Schumer with Trainwreck and Lawrence with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2), vacationed together on Long Island and — according to a new interview with the New York Times — are now writing a screenplay together for a movie they will both star in.

Lawrence broke the news during the interview, revealing they’ll play sisters in the untitled comedy. “Amy and I were creatively made for each other,” Lawrence says. “We have different flavors. It’s been the most fun experience of my life. We start the day off on the phone, laughing. And then we send each other pages. And we crack up. I’m flying out tomorrow to see her in Chicago. We’ll write a little bit with her sister, Kim, who worked with Amy when she was writing ‘Trainwreck.’”

J-Law told the Times that they’re about 100 pages in and it’s just flowing out of them, noting that their friendship began after she randomly emailed Schumer after seeing Trainwreck. Those emails soon became texts, and then they were vacationing together and now they’re making a movie together.

Sure it may sound a little odd, but it’s those kinds of crazy, unique, real-life relationships that will most likely produce the most exciting material. No word on what the movie is about, but both women are wildly funny, entertaining and genuine when it comes to what they create, be it a performance, a stand-up routine or a screenplay.

For Lawrence, this would be her first produced writing credit, assuming the movie actually happens. Then again, on what planet would a movie written by and starring Amy Schumer and Jennifer Lawrence not actually happen?

Needless to say, this just shot up to the top of our anticipation list. What about you?

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2015 Jun 17

Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt’s Sci-Fi ‘Passengers’ Scores Greenlight

Hollywood’s two hottest stars are teaming for a new movie set in outer space — but only after quite a bit of behind-the-scenes drama could have taken it out of Sony’s orbit.

Sony Pictures’ new motion picture chairman Tom Rothman has greenlighted Passengers, a big-budget romantic sci-fi drama starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt with Oscar nominee Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game) set to direct. And thanks to a deal that tied his remuneration to the success of Jurassic World, which broke box-office records with a $524.1 million global opening over the June 12 weekend, Pratt’s fee has jumped from $10 million to $12 million.

Lawrence, an Oscar winner and considered a top star, is getting an exceptional $20 million against 30 percent of the profit after the movie breaks even, say sources. Sony declined to comment.

Whatever the famously fiscally prudent Rothman’s misgivings might have been about paying such big bucks to talent or risking $150 million ($120 million with production incentives) on an original script that has floated around Hollywood for years, he now finds himself in possession of a two-hander star vehicle with the most in-demand male and female actors in the business.

Passengers is set to begin filming in July so Sony has been under pressure to act. Sources say Rothman wrestled with whether to greenlight it, put it in turnaround or place it with Jeff Robinov’s nascent Studio 8, which is partly owned by Sony and will distribute its films through the studio but has outside financial backing.

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2015 Mar 24

Jennifer Lawrence Says Apocalypse Is Her Final X-Men Film

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.

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2015 Mar 09

Jennifer Lawrence to Headline Steven Spielberg-Directed War Photographer Tale

Two major Hollywood talents are set to team up today as Deadline reports that Jennifer Lawrence is set to headline a planned adaptation of war photographer Lynsey Addario’s memoir “It’s What I Do: A Photographer’s Life of Love and War” that has Steven Spielberg attached to direct. Warner Bros. Pictures secured the big screen rights to the original book, released just last month with the following official description:

Lynsey Addario was just finding her way as a photographer when September 11th changed the world. One of the few photojournalists with experience in Afghanistan, she gets the call to return and cover the American invasion. She makes a decision she would often find herself making—not to stay home, not to lead a quiet or predictable life, but to risk her life, to set out across the world, and to make a name for herself. It’s What I Do follows a course unavoidable for Addario—from her first camera and the pictures it inspired, to early years as a street photographer and the inspiration she found in the work of Sebastião Salgado. Photography becomes a way for her to travel with a purpose—a singular ambition that shapes and drives her.

As a woman photojournalist determined to be taken as seriously as her male peers, Addario fights her way into a boy’s club of a profession, eventually earning widespread recognition, a MacArthur Genius Grant, and a Pulitzer Prize. Refusing to turn down career-defining assignments, she puts romance and family on hold. Yet the sadness and injustice she encounters as as a conflict reporter give her a new vision for her own life, and the more she sees of the world, the greater her desires for love and family grow. It’s What I Do is also the story of how Addario met her husband and father to their child, and how as a war correspondent and a mother, she learned to live her life in two different—though hardly separate—worlds.

Watching uprisings unfold and people fight to the death for their freedom, Addario understands she is documenting not only news but also the fate of society. It’s What I Do is more than just a snapshot of life on the front lines; it is witness to the human cost of war.

Andrew Lazar is attached to produce the big screen version.

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2015 Feb 06

Jennifer Lawrence in Talks for Sci-Fi Drama ‘Passengers’

Possible new project for Jen! Via Variety:

Jennifer Lawrence is in early talks to star in Sony’s space drama “Passengers,” with “The Imitation Game” director Morten Tyldum to helm.

Jon Spaihts, writer of “Doctor Strange,” is penning the script. Sony bought rights to “Passengers” in December.

“Passengers” is set on a spacecraft in the future, with thousands of passengers making an interstellar voyage to a distant new planet. One passenger awakens from cryogenic sleep 90 years before anyone else and decides to wake up a female passenger, sparking the beginning of a love story.

Neal Moritz and Ori Marmur will produce through Moritz’s Original Film banner along with Michael Maher for Start Media and Stephen Hamel of Company Films.

The project has a long development history: Focus was in talks to acquire U.S. rights with Keanu Reeves attached earlier in 2014; the Weinstein Co. ditched the project earlier after acquiring the rights. Both Reese Witherspoon and Rachel McAdams were at one point attached to the project.

Tyldum has been nominated for an Oscar and a DGA award for “The Imitation Game.”

Lawrence is repped by CAA and was last seen in “Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1,” which was the highest-grossing movie of 2014. She will appear in “Mockingjay — Part 2″ later this year and in “X-Men: Apocalypse” in 2016.

2015 Jan 25

Jennifer Lawrence Reteams with Francis Lawrence for The Dive

Jennifer Lawrence is, according to a story today at TheWrap, looking to reteam with director Francis Lawrence for The Dive, the long-in-development true story of Fracisco “Pipin” Ferreras and his wife, Audrey Mestre. Together, the pair broke records as freedivers (diving without the use of breathing equipment) until Mestre tragically lost her life during a 2002 dive.

James Cameron, who is attached to produce the feature, was, at one time, planning to direct the film himself. Over the years, a number of other directors have nearly taken the reins on the true story with Casino Royale and Green Lantern helmer Martin Campbell being the most recent. The screenplay was initially written by Laeta Kalogridis with J. Michael Straczynski having stepped in to rewrite back in 2012.

Despite matching last names, the Lawrences are not related. They did, however, work together on the latter three films in The Hunger Games franchise, including the upcoming grand finale, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2. In The Dive, she’ll play Mestre with the Ferreras role yet to be cast.

In addition to Cameron, Barry Josephson and Rae Sanchini will produce with Mark Roybal overseeing the production for 20th Century Fox.

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2014 Aug 22

The Hateful Eight Wants Jennifer Lawrence to Join the Team

Possible new project for Jen. Via screencrush.com

In what is probably the best news since you woke up this morning and realized you were still alive, Quentin Tarantino has his eyes on Jennifer Lawrence to join ‘The Hateful Eight‘ — his previously aborted but once again in the works new Western, which recently debuted its first teaser trailer in front of ‘Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.’

The folks over at Collider have reported that Tarantino really wants Jennifer Lawrence to star in ‘The Hateful Eight’ because who doesn’t want Jennifer Lawrence in their movie right now? Lawrence is a smart actress who chooses smart roles, and this could be the smartest move of all if she takes it.

The role Lawrence is being sought for is presumably that of Daisy Domergue, aka “The Prisoner” introduced in the teaser, though we know that the live read version of the script had two female roles: Daisy and Six Horse Judy, who — as Collider notes — were played in that reading by ‘Django Unchained’ stars Amber Tamblyn and Zoe Bell, respectively. But as Tarantino has since done further work on the script, it’s possible that Six Horse Judy has since hit the trail.

So far, the rumored cast for the film has included the likes of Bruce Dern, Kurt Russell, Walton Goggins, Michael Madsen, and Samuel L. Jackson — but given that Tarantino has scrapped the project and started over, some of those names may have changed.
As for Lawrence, she still may have some additional shooting to do on the second part of ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay’ next year, and she’s attached to David O. Russell’s ‘Joy,’ the story of the woman who invented the Miracle Mop — that film is set to be released in December 2015. If she joins up with ‘The Hateful Eight,’ that’s going to give her a rather hectic shooting schedule, but we believe if anyone can pull it off, it’s J Law.

2014 Aug 08

Jennifer Lawrence’s ‘Glass Castle’ Gains Momentum at Lionsgate

Looks like The Glass Castle is finally moving on! From Variety:

Lionsgate’s “The Glass Castle,” starring Jennifer Lawrence, is gaining momentum after two years in development.

The studio is in negotiations with a “major” actor for the drama, CEO Jon Feltheimer disclosed during the company’s conference call with analysts Friday as part of a discussion about upcoming projects.

Destin Cretton, director of “Short Term 12,” was attached a year ago to direct and rewrite the script with Andrew Lanham. Marti Noxon wrote the first draft of the adaptation of Jeannette Walls’ 2005 bestselling memoir.

The story follows a young girl raised in dysfunctional family with an eccentric artist mother and an alcoholic father. Lawrence is producing with Gil Netter.

Lawrence has been a key figure in Lionsgate’s success, with her first two “Hunger Games” films grossing over $1.6 billion worldwide and two impending “Mockingjay” sequels slated for November 2014 and 2015. Feltheimer said Friday that “Mockingjay – Part 1″ should outperform “Catching Fire,” which grossed $865 million worldwide.

She’s also attached to the studio’s historical project “Burial Rites,” with “Hunger Games” helmer Gary Ross attached to direct.

2014 Feb 27

Jennifer Lawrence And Gary Ross’ East Of Eden Remake Doesn’t Look Far For Its Screenwriter

Much like the opinions embedded in the fandom of entertainment, the industry itself is an exercise in contradiction – often enjoyably so. For instance, it was just earlier today when there was talk of Jennifer Lawrence possibly taking a brief hiatus from acting, and it only took a couple of hours for news to break that another one of her future projects is moving forward. She’s set to star in an updated remake of John Steinbeck’s classic East of Eden, reteaming her with Hunger Games director Gary Ross, who has officially also taken on scriptwriting duties for the film. Or films.

THR doesn’t make it clear whether or not Ross is still planning his adaptation as two full features, as was originally reported. but this is one of the only instances where splitting a single novel into two films is entirely sensible. Ross first came on board in September when Universal and Imagine got the rights from the Steinbeck estate, and it’s no surprise that he eventually chose to write it, given he’d done the same for all three of his previous directorial efforts. It’s still a daunting task, whichever way he goes about it.

Widely considered Steinbeck’s greatest achievement, East of Eden is as much about pre-WWI Salinas Valley in California as it is about the families living therein. A loose retelling of Cain and Abel’s biblical story, it begins with the bullied and troubled life of Adam Trask, who later unwittingly married and had children with a ruthless whore named Cathy, who soon leaves them all behind. Those twins, Caleb and Aron, grow up oblivious of their mother’s identity, until it one day becomes a major part of their lives.

The previous adaptation was the 1955 version from Elia Kazan, starring James Dean in his first major role, but that film only took on the second portion of the book involving Caleb and Aron. Can Ross, whose previous films also include Seabiscuit and Pleasantville, do something that even the great Elia Kazan couldn’t do? Not that I’m sensationalizing it or anything.

It’s a heavy narrative, full of rich themes and characters, and it’ll probably take Ross a while to perfect his approach. Even then we’re not sure if Lawrence will be involved with the next X-Men film, or her eighth film with David O. Russell or something – and that’s assuming she even sticks with this and doesn’t opt out at some point. Either way, this is more interesting than the usual adaptation or remake, so let’s hope Ross knows the perfect way to bring it to the screen.

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