Stars of the
Big Ten!
by
Patrick Corcoran
While
summer 2005 box office was down almost nine percent
from the (dizzyingly huge) summer previous, the top 10
movies
of summer 2005 actually outgrossed the top 10 of summer
2004 by more than $62 million!
So what, you may ask, is ahead for
the stars of that supersized 10-pack?
Samuel L. Jackson,
whose films have now grossed more than any other actor’s,
appeared in this summer’s
highest grosser. “Revenge of the Sith” brought
to an end both Mace Windu and the big-screen “Star
Wars” franchise, and left Jackson available for “Freedomland.” The
drama, which is covered in detail here,
is distributed by Sony and opens in New York and Los
Angeles on Dec.
23, wide on Jan. 13.
Jackson subsequently contends with the efficiently
titled “Snakes on
a Plane,” a thriller about an assassin who, in an effort to murder a
witness mid-flight, releases deadly reptiles onto a crowded jetliner. Second-unit
director David Ellis (“The Matrix Reloaded,” “Harry Potter
and the Sorcerer’s Stone”) makes his first-unit feature directorial
debut from a screenplay by Sebastian Gutierrez (“The Big Bounce”),
John Heffernan, David Loucka and Sheldon Turner (“The Longest Yard”).
Jackson’s co-stars include Julianna Margulies (“Ghost Ship”),
Rachel Blanchard (“Without a Paddle,” “Where the Truth Lies”),
Tygh Runyan (“K-19: The Widowmaker”), Flex Alexander (“Out
Cold”), and David Koechner (“The 40-Year-Old Virgin”). New
Line lets it slither into cinemas Aug. 1
Spring Ahead
Far be it for us to snub
the increasingly lucrative spring releases as we
celebrate the seasons. Here’s
what’s next from the pre-daylight savings time
stars.
Bruce Willis, who played an aging
cop in “Sin
City,” next plays an aging cop in “16
Blocks.” The actioner, set in New York, is
about one Jack Mosley, whose department assigns him
the deceptively difficult task of escorting a witness
to a nearby courthouse. Richard Donner (“Timeline”)
directs from a screenplay by Richard Wenk (“Vamp”).
Willis’ co-stars include Mos Def (“The
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”), David
Morse (“Proof of Life”), Cylk Cozart
(“Play It To The Bone”), Alfre Woodard
(“Beauty Shop”) and Jenna Stern (“Hitch”).
A 2006 release is planned.
“Alpha Dog” is a drama, written and directed
by Nick Cassavetes (“John Q,” “The
Notebook”), about a young skinhead who seeks
revenge on the drug dealers who murdered his brother.
It’s based on the true story of Jesse James
Hollywood. Willis’ co-stars include Kevin Costner
(“The Upside of Anger”), Mandy Moore
(“Romance & Cigarettes”), Dominique
Swain (“New Best Friend”), Sharon Stone
(“Broken Flowers”), Justin Timberlake
(“On the Line”) and Emile Hirsch (“Lords
of Dogtown”). New Line has yet to set a release
date.
“The Astronaut Farmer” tells the tale of an
eccentric farm owner who sets out to build a spacecraft
in his barn, attracting the unwanted attention of
his neighbors, the media and a U.S. government that
considers him a security risk. Michael Polish (“Twin
Falls,” “Northfork”) directs from
a script by Michael and Mark Polish (“Twin
Falls,” “Northfork”). Billy Bob
Thornton (“The Ice Harvest”) stars as
the farmer, Virginia Madsen (“Sideways”)
as his wife, Bruce Dern (“Monster”) as
his father and Willis (who traveled to space with
Thornton’s help in “Armageddon”)
as the farmer’s former NASA co-worker. Warner
Independent Pictures hasn’t started the countdown
to a release date.
“Lucky Number Slevin” is a thriller about a
ruthless gangster who stages his own death after
killing the son of a rival gang’s leader. Paul
McGuigan (“The Reckoning,” “Wicker
Park”) directs from a screenplay by Jason Smilovic
(TV’s “Karen Sisco”). Willis’ co-stars
include Josh Hartnett (“Sin City”), Lucy
Liu (“Domino”), Morgan Freeman (“An
Unfinished Life”) and Ben Kingsley (“Oliver
Twist”). The Weinstein Co. has yet to pick
a lucky release date.
Willis lends his voice to “Over the Hedge,” a
comedy adventure, set in the suburbs, about a raccoon
and a turtle who go to war with the yuppie humans
crowding them out of their longtime habitat. It’s
based on the popular comic strip by Michael Fry and
T. Lewis. Covered in detail in last month’s
Next!, DreamWorks moves it in May 19.
“A Scanner Darkly” is
a much-covered-by-Next! science fiction thriller
starring Keanu
Reeves about
a narcotics agent whose addiction prevents him from
realizing that he’s leading a double life as
the drug kingpin he is working to bring down. Warner
Independent Pictures plans a March 31 bow.
“The Lake House” is a romantic fantasy about
a young, lonely doctor and a handsome architect who
live in the same house two years apart, yet manage
to fall in love via letters they exchange through
a mysterious mailbox that bridges time. It’s
an English-language remake of the Korean film “Il
Mare.” Alejandro Agresti (“Valentín”)
directs from a screenplay by David Auburn (“Proof”).
Reeves co-stars with Sandra Bullock (“Crash”),
Shohreh Aghdashloo (“The Exorcism of Emily
Rose”), Jeremy Irons (“Kingdom of Heaven,” “Casanova”),
Christopher Plummer (“Must Love Dogs,” “The
New World”), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“Stealth”),
Dylan Walsh (“Blood Work”) and Willeke
van Ammelrooy (“Antonia’s Line”).
Warner Bros. is reportedly planning a Feb. 3 harbor
for the project, also known as “Il Mare.”
Following Naomi Watts’ stint in “King
Kong” (covered here), “The Ring” franchise’s
beset heroine may next contend with another early
20th century drama: “The Painted Veil” is
a romantic drama about an English scientist who learns
that his wife is having an affair with a local playboy
when they relocate to Hong Kong. John Curran (“We
Don’t Live Here Anymore”) is reportedly
set to direct from a screenplay by Ron Nyswaner (“Philadelphia”).
It’s based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham
(“The Razor’s Edge”). Edward Norton
(“The Italian Job”) may also star. Warner
Independent has already penciled in an October 2006
release.
“The Pacifier’s” baby-sitting
tough guy, Vin Diesel, is next in “Find Me
Guilty,” a crime thriller, based on a true
story, about an accused mobster who chooses to defend
himself in court rather than betray his accomplices.
Sidney Lumet (“Critical Care,” “Gloria”)
directs from a screenplay by T.J. Mancini and Robert
McCrea. Diesel’s co-stars include Michalina
Almindo (“In Good Company”), Peter Dinklage
(“The Baxter”), Eddie Marrero (TV’s “Guiding
Light”), Alex Rocco (“The Wedding Planner”)
and Cassandra Hepburn. It has yet to lock up a domestic
distributor.
Fresh off of his breakthrough
romantic-comedy role in “Hitch,” Will
Smith is busily engaged
in “Pursuit of Happyness.” He plays a
chronically unsuccessful salesman who takes custody
of his son just as he’s beginning a new career
as a stock-brokerage intern. Gabrielle Muccino (“Remember
Me, My Love”) directs from a screenplay by
Steve Conrad (“The Weather Man”). Smith’s
co-stars include Thandie Newton (“Crash”),
Smith’s real-life son Jaden Smith, Dan Castellaneta
(“The Cat in the Hat”), Zuhair Haddad
(“The Scorpion King”), Brian Howe (“Catch
Me if You Can”), Branden Weslee Kong (“Rent”),
David Pearl (“Rent”) and James D. Weston
II (“Rent”). Sony reportedly plans a
Dec. 15, 2006 release. |
Escaping the carnage at the end of “Episode
III,” Ewan
McGregor finds himself in a more kid-friendly project. “Stormbreaker” is
an actioner about a young teen who, after his guardian is mysteriously
killed, discovers that he’s been unwittingly trained for years to become an elite
spy. It’s based on the popular young adult Alex Rider novels by Anthony
Horowitz. Geoffrey Sax (“White Noise”) directs from a screenplay
by Horowitz (“The Gathering”). McGregor’s co-stars include
Alicia Silverstone (“Beauty Shop”), Mickey Rourke (“Sin City,” “Domino”),
Missi Pyle (“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”), Andy Serkis (“13
Going on 30”), Sophie Okonedo (“Hotel Rwanda”), Bill Nighy
(“The Constant Gardener”), Sarah Bolger (“In America”),
Stephen Fry (“Le Divorce”) and Damian Lewis (“An Unfinished
Life”). Weinstein plans a November 2006 release.
McGregor is notoriously at ease with “Scenes of a Sexual Nature.” The
comedy looks at the tangled relationships shared by seven couples during one
afternoon on London’s Hampstead Heath. British television director Edward
Blum makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Aschlin Ditta.
McGregor’s co-stars include Sophie Okonedo (“Stormbreaker”),
Catherine Tate (BBC-TV’s “The Catherine Tate Show”), Hugh
Bonneville (“Asylum”), Andrew Lincoln (“Gangster No. 1”),
Gina McKee (“Mirrormask”), Eileen Atkins (“Vanity Fair”),
Benjamin Whitrow (“The Saint”), Douglas Hodge (“Vanity Fair”),
Mark Strong (“Oliver Twist,” “Syriana”), Polly Walker
(“D-Tox”), Adrian Lester (“The Day After Tomorrow”),
Holly Aird (“Possession”) and Tom Hardy (“Layer Cake”).
It has yet to seduce a domestic distributor.
Natalie Portman sheds her Senator
Amidala persona for “V For Vendetta.” The dramatic thriller,
set in a futuristic, totalitarian Britain, is about
a young woman who unexpectedly becomes the ally of
a revolutionary who relies on terrorist tactics to
fight political oppressors. It’s based on the
graphic novel by Alan Moore (“From Hell,” “The
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”). Covered
in the June Next!, Warner Bros. recently pushed its
release date to March 17.
“Goya’s Ghosts” is a drama, set in 17th
century Spain, about the painter Francisco Goya and
the scandal that erupted when a monk accused Goya’s
muse of heresy. Milos Forman (“Amadeus,” “Valmont,” “Man
on the Moon”) directs from a screenplay by Jean-Claude
Carrière (“Birth”) and Forman (“Valmont”).
Stellan Skarsgård (“Exorcist: The Beginning”)
stars as Goya, Portman as his muse, Javier Bardem (“The
Sea Inside”) as the monk and Randy Quaid (“The
Ice Harvest”) as King Carlos IV. It has yet to
secure a domestic distributor.
“Paris, je t’aime” is a drama, told in 20
5-minute segments and set in Paris’ 20 arrondissements.
It was directed by 21 filmmakers: Joel & Ethan
Coen (“The Ladykillers”), Alexander Payne
(“Sideways”), Gus Van Sant (“Elephant”),
Richard LaGravenese (“Living Out Loud”),
Walter Salles (“Dark Water”), Alfonso Cuarón
(“Y tu mamá también,” “Harry
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”), Tom Tykwer
(“Heaven”), Vincenzo Natali (“Cube”),
Jean-Luc Godard (“Our Music”) & Anne-Marie
Miéville, Olivier Assayas (“Demonlover”),
Frédéric Auburtin & Gérard
Depardieu (“The Bridge”), Sylvain Chomet
(“The Triplets of Belleville”), Isabel
Coixet (“The Secret Life of Words”), Oliver
Schmitz (“Mapantsula”), Ettore Scola (“The
Family”), Daniela Thomas (“O Primeiro Dia”),
Nobuhiro Suwa and Christoffer Boe. Frédéric
Auburtin, Emmanuel Benbihy and Jean-Pierre Ronssin
wrote the transitions that are intended to pull the
segments into a cohesive whole. The cast includes Portman,
Steve Buscemi (“Romance & Cigarettes”),
Juliette Binoche (“Bee Season”), Willem
Dafoe (“XXX: State of the Union”), Marianne
Faithfull (“Intimacy”), Ben Gazzara (“Dogville”),
Gena Rowlands (“The Skeleton Key”), Bob
Hoskins (“Stay”), Isabella Rossellini (“Heights”),
Nick Nolte (“Hotel Rwanda”), Ludivine Sagnier
(“La Petite Lili”), Fanny Ardant (“Callas
Forever”), Emilie Ohana (“My Wife is an
Actress”), Elias McConnell (“Elephant”),
Gaspard Ulliel (“A Very Long Engagement”),
Melchior Beslon (“the Princess and the Warrior”),
Javier Camara (“Bad Education”) and Leonor
Watling (“Cronicas”). It has yet to address
the topic of domestic release.
When Tom Cruise wasn’t setting tabloid tongues
a–wagging with his couch-dancing, psychiatry-bashing
marriage-proposing antics, he was setting theatre turnstiles
spinning with his $232 million-grossing turn in “War
of the Worlds.” Now, he’s reportedly back
at work filming “Mission: Impossible 3.” In
it, secret agent Ethan Hunt is again deployed by the
U.S. government’s top-secret Impossible Mission
Force. J.J. Abrams, who created TV’s “Alias” and “Lost,” makes
his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by
Abrams (“Armageddon,” “Joy Ride”)
and Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman (“The Island,” “The
Legend of Zorro”). Returnees from parts one and
two include Cruise and co-star Ving Rhames (“Dawn
of the Dead”). Newcomers to the franchise include
Michelle Monaghan (“Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang”),
Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Capote”), Billy
Crudup (“Stage Beauty”), Keri Russell (“The
Upside of Anger”), Laurence Fishburne (“Assault
on Precinct 13”), Maggie Q (“Around the
World in 80 Days”), Sasha Alexander (“All
over the Guy”), Jeff Chase (“Transporter
2”), Eddie Marsan (“The New World”)
and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (“Alexander,” “Match
Point”). Paramount finds May 5 to be a possible,
even likely, release date.
Since Next! covered the activities
of wedding crashers Owen Wilson and Will
Ferrell in its “Anchormafia” edition
two issues ago, we’ve learned that Wilson will
add to his resume “You, Me and Dupree,” a
comedy about a newlywed couple whose marriage begins
to fray when the groom’s unemployed best man
decides to cohabitate with them. Joe and Anthony Russo
(“Welcome to Collinwood”) direct from a
screenplay by Mike LeSieur. Wilson plays the freeloader,
Matt Dillon (“Herbie: Fully Loaded”) and
Kate Hudson (“The Skeleton Key”) the couple.
Universal has set an Aug. 4 engagement.
Ferrell’s NASCAR comedy “Talladega Nights,” meanwhile,
is now reportedly titled “High, Wide and Handsome.” It
will reunite Ferrell with “Anchorman” writer-director
Adam McKay, as well as “Anchorman” players
David Koechner (“The 40-Year-Old Virgin”)
and Chris Parnell (“Down With Love”). Newly
added to the cast are Sacha Baron Cohen (TV’s “Da
Ali G Show”), Leslie Bibb (“See Spot Run”),
Gary Cole (“The Ring Two”), Emmy Laybourne
(“The In-Laws”), Michael Clarke Duncan
(“The Island”), Jon Glaser (“Pootie
Tang”) and John C. Reilly (“Dark Water”)
have joined the project. Sony takes it for a spin July
14.
“Stranger Than Fiction,” the Ferrell comedy about
an IRS auditor who begins to hear narration for his
daily life, has acquired a distributor – Sony – and
a release date – Nov. 10.
Post-Batman, Christian
Bale returns
to “The
New World,” about which you can learn more here.
New Line’s
epic historical drama opens Dec. 25 in New York and
Los Angeles and goes wide Jan.
13.
Then, it’s on to “Harsh Times.” The
drama is about two lifelong friends – one unemployed,
the other suffering post-traumatic stress following
his tour of duty in the Middle East – who idly
cruise their tough South Los Angeles neighborhood drinking
beer, smoking marijuana and robbing gang members. Screenwriter
David Ayer (“The Fast and the Furious,” “Training
Day”) makes his feature directorial debut from
his own script. Bale’s co-stars include Freddy
Rodríguez (“Dreamer: Inspired by a True
Story”), Eva Longoria (TV’s “Desperate
Housewives”) and J.K. Simmons (“Spider-Man
2”). Bauer Martinez Films plans a 2006 release.
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” has
minted more than $200 million in U.S. cinemas, and Johnny Depp,
who played chocolatier Willy Wonka in the enterprise,
revisits another offbeat character – this
one even more successful at the box office – in “Pirates
Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” The
sequel to the 2003 blockbuster “Pirates of the
Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” this
time follows the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow as he
tries to dodge the marauding ghost pirates who pursue
him. Other returnees from part one include director
Gore Verbinski (“The Ring,” “The
Weather Man”), screenwriters Ted Elliot & Terry
Rossio (“National Treasure”), and actors
Keira Knightley (“Pride and Prejudice”),
Orlando Bloom (“Elizabethtown”), Kevin
McNally (“The Phantom of the Opera”), Jack
Davenport (“The Wedding Date”), Jonathan
Pryce (“The Brothers Grimm”), Mackenzie
Crook (“The Brothers Grimm”), Lee Arenberg
(“Cradle Will Rock”) and Martin Klebba
(“Van Helsing”). Newcomers to the franchise
include Naomie Harris (“After the Sunset”),
Bill Nighy (“Hitchhiker’s Guide to the
Galaxy”), Tom Holland (“The Libertine,” “Pride
and Prejudice”), Jim Cody Williams (“The
Dukes of Hazzard”) and Stellan Skarsgård
(“Exorcist: The Beginning”). It sets sail
for Buena Vista July 7.
“Pirates Of The Caribbean 3” is reportedly being
filmed nearly simultaneously. This third chapter in
the adventures of Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth
Swann reunites series director Gore Verbinski, screenwriters
Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio and actors Depp, Knightley,
Bloom, McNally, Davenport, Crook, Branch, Arenberg
and Skarsgård. Those joining the franchise include
Chow Yun-Fat (“Bulletproof Monk”), Andy
Beckwith (“Snatch”) and Reggie Lee (“Masked
and Anonymous”). It remains in Buena Vista’s
harbor until 2007.
Brad Pitt and Angelina
Jolie (unlike
co-star Vince Vaughn) scored personal box-office
bests this summer
with “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” which grossed
a hefty dowry of more than $185 million. Pitt next
explores the final days of a famous outlaw in “The
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” based
on the novel of the same name by Ron Hansen (“Mariette
in Ecstatsy”). Written and directed by Andrew
Dominik (“Chopper”), it co-stars Pitt as
Jesse James, Casey Affleck (“Ocean’s Twelve”)
as Robert Ford and Sam Shepard (“Stealth”)
as Frank James. Robert Duvall (“Kicking and Screaming”),
Mary-Louise Parker (“Romance & Cigarettes”),
Jeremy Renner (“S.W.A.T.”), Sam Rockwell
(“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”)
and Garret Dillahunt (“The Believer”) also
star. Warner Bros. is gunning for a 2006 opening.
Also expected next year is “Babel.” It’s
a “linked anthology” of three stories set
in Morocco, Tunisia, Mexico and Japan, all set in motion
by a tragedy that befalls a vacationing couple. The “Amores
Perros”-”21 Grams” team of director
Alejandro González Iñárritu and
screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga reunite. Pitt’s
co-stars include Cate Blanchett (“The Aviator”),
Gael García Bernal (“Amores Perros,” “Bad
Education”) and Elle Fanning (“Because
of Winn Dixie”). Paramount is reportedly planning
a 2006 release.
Pitt’s Mrs. Smith and occasional tabloid partner
heads next to “The Good Shepherd.” It’s
an epic drama, set over 40 years, about the history
of the Central Intelligence Agency – as told
through the eyes of a counter-espionage expert who,
at the onset of World War II, was recruited out of
Yale by the U.S. Office of Strategic Service. Robert
De Niro (“A Bronx Tale”) directs from a
screenplay by Eric Roth (“The Horse Whisperer,” “The
Insider,” “Ali”). De Niro (“Hide
and Seek”) stars with Jolie, Matt Damon (“The
Brothers Grimm”), William Hurt (“A History
of Violence”), Alec Baldwin (“Elizabethtown,” “Fun
With Dick and Jane”), Tammy Blanchard (“Stealing
Harvard”), Michael Gambon (“Harry Potter
and the Goblet of Fire”), John Turturro (“Romance & Cigarettes”),
Timothy Hutton (“Kinsey”) and Billy Crudup
(“Mission Impossible 3”). Universal herds
it into cinemas Dec. 22, 2006.
She appears next as – go figure – a movie goddess in “The
Mirror.” It’s a comedy about a movie star named Ben Stiller who
awakens one day to find his image in the mirror has stepped into his life and
taken it over. To make matters worse, everybody likes the mirror image better.
Phill Allocco makes his directorial debut from a screenplay by Allocco and
Scott Smith. Besides Jolie, those playing fictional versions of themselves
include Ben Stiller (“Meet the Fockers”), father Jerry Stiller
(“Serving Sara”), mother Anne Meara (“Zoolander,” “Like
Mike”), wife Christine Taylor (“Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story”),
frequent co-star Owen Wilson (“Wedding Crashers”) and longtime
agent Nick Stevens. Actors not playing themselves include Robert Sedgwick (“Die
Hard With a Vengeance”). It lacks a distributor but hopes for a July
2006 release.
Jolie then lends her voice to “Beowulf.” The CG “motion-capture” animated
retelling of the Old English epic about a hero who defends a kingdom against
a gruesome monster was examined in last month’s Next! Sony anticipates
a 2007 release.
Adam Sandler segues from playing
a has-been NFL quarterback in “The Longest Yard” to a much smaller
role in “The Benchwarmers,” about never-were
Little Leaguers. It’s a comedy about three friends
who missed out on playing baseball in their youths
and form a three-man team to compete against regular
Little League teams. Dennis Dugan (“Big Daddy,” “Saving
Silverman”) directs from a screenplay by Allen
Covert (“Eight Crazy Nights,” “Grandma’s
Boy”) and Nick Swardson (“Malibu’s
Most Wanted,” “Grandma’s Boy”).
Sandler’s co-stars include David Spade (“Dickie
Roberts: Former Child Star”), Rob Schneider (“The
Longest Yard,” “Deuce Bigalow: European
Gigolo”), Jon Lovitz (“The Stepford Wives”),
Norm Macdonald (“Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo”),
Tim Meadows (“Wasabi Tuna”), Craig Kilborn
(“Old School”), Molly Sims (“Starsky & Hutch”)
and Jon Heder (“Just Like Heaven”). Sony
puts it out in right field April 7.
“Click” finds Sandler in a comic fantasy about
a workaholic architect who finds a remote control device
that allows him to rewind and fast-forward to various
parts of his life. Frank Coraci (“The Waterboy,” “Around
the World in 80 Days”) directs from a screenplay
by Steve Koren & Mark O’Keefe (“Bruce
Almighty”) and Tim Herlihy (“The Waterboy,” “Mr.
Deeds”). Sean Astin (the “Lord of the Rings” series),
Kate Beckinsale (“The Aviator”), David
Hasselhoff (“Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story”),
Henry Winkler (“Holes”) and Christopher
Walken (“The Wedding Crashers,” “Romance & Cigarettes”)
co-star. Sony pauses to set a release date of June
23.
“40-Year-Old Virgin” headliner Steve
Carell is slated to star in the sequel to the Jim Carrey-starrer “Bruce
Almighty.” “Evan Almighty” will feature
Carell in the anchorman role he played in the original,
except now God is talking to him (instead of the Carrey
character) and demanding the building of an ark in
preparation for an apocalyptic flood. “Bruce
Almighty” director Tom Shadyac and screenwriter
Steve Oedekerk are expected to return. Morgan Freeman
is reportedly negotiating to reprise his role as God.
Universal is said to have earmarked July 4 for this
second coming.
“Virgin” co-star Paul
Rudd may next be
seen in the similarly themed “The OH in Ohio,” about
a long-married woman on a quest for her first orgasm.
Arclight has just picked up the distribution rights,
but has yet to schedule a release.
“Diggers” explores the lives of two generations
of New York state clam diggers. Katherine Dieckmann
(“A Good Baby”) directs from a screenplay
by Ken Marino (TV’s “The State”).
Rudd’s co-stars include Marino (“The Baxter”),
Ron Eldard (“Freedomland”), Peter Dinklage
(“The Baxter”), Josh Hamilton (“The
Bourne Identity”), Maura Tierney (“Welcome
to Mooseport”), Lauren Ambrose (“Swimming”),
and Sarah Paulson (“Serenity”). Magnolia
Pictures has yet to set a release date.
“I Could Never Be Your Woman” finds Rudd in a
romantic comedy about a woman who falls for a younger
man at the same time her daughter is discovering first-time
love. It was written and directed by Amy Heckerling
(“Clueless,” “Loser”). Michelle
Pfeiffer (“White Oleander”) stars as the
woman, Rudd the younger man and Saoirse Ronan as the
daughter. Tracey Ullman (“A Dirty Shame”),
Fred Willard (“Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”)
and Stacey Dash (“View from the Top”) lend
support. Paramount has yet to set a release date.
