Universal scraps 'Wanted 2'

Earlier this month Mark Millar stated that the Wanted 2 script was almost complete and shooting would soon begin. But Universal has now decided to scrap the sequel because Angelina Jolie has signed on to Gravity:

Apparently the studio was expecting for Angelina Jolie to return for "Wanted 2," but the actress has instead joined the cast of "Gravity," a space thriller to be directed by Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men). Instead of recasting Jolie's character, Universal decided to just abandon the sequel. [WorstPreviews.com]

New Douglas Henshall interview

Douglas Henshall talked to Susanne Kinnaird over at Douglas Henshall.com about upcoming projects including The Eagle of the Ninth and TV pilot season in LA. An excerpt is below and don't forget to check out the rest of the interview:

The last six months have been especially busy for Douglas Henshall, with film after TV drama after film. The Silence, How I Was Stolen By The Germans and Eagle Of The Ninth are a few of his recent projects still due for release. I manage to catch up with him just before he heads out to Los Angeles to explore opportunities on the other side of the Atlantic.

What will you be doing in Los Angeles?

I’m just going over there to do some meetings with agents at the tail end of pilot season. And to get a little bit a sun to be honest. I’ve been in Dublin filming.

...Another part you did recently was a Briton in The Eagle Of The Ninth, and you said it was a really fun part to play.

Yeah, it was great fun for me to play. I didn’t have much to do. I think was in about the first 15 minutes of the film. But I had a whale of a time riding chariots! I mean its just the greatest fun. It really is. It’s like a go-kart for an adult. Its this cut-out wicker basket with like, two wheels, with no suspension obviously, because they didn’t have any suspension then, and all you’ve got is two strips of leather attached to two stallions. And you’ve got to try and control with that! These are horses with a proper opinion about whether they want to go left or right. But, oh man, I had such a good time.

...So you’re looking to do things in America now?

Well I’ve always been looking to do things in America, America’s never asked me to do anything. It’s not that I never wanted to. Its just the way that my careers gone, but I think if you want to work in America you have to make the effort and go and thats why the last couple of years I’ve started to go.

How long will you going out there for this time?

Just a couple of weeks. I’m meeting with some agents and managers just for some pilot TV shows and we’ll see what happens. I’m just going to start going out there a little more often. At this time of year in Los Angeles there’s this kind of casting frenzy, there’s all these pilots to be made. A very small percentage of those get picked up by the TV stations. You get a lot of British actors go out there, you know, swallows in spring. [Douglas Henshall.com via Dougie Fans]

More 'Ghost Writer' interviews with Ewan McGregor + new Davidoff ad campaign unveiled

Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan talk to ABC News.



Ewan and Pierce talk about The Ghost Writer director Roman Polanski to the Associated Press.



TV Guide interview with Ewan and Pierce.



Katie Hasty from HitFix sat down with Ewan and Pierce Brosnan in New York last week to discuss The Ghost Writer.



Davidoff unveiled its new Eau Fraîche ad campaign with Ewan. You can head on over to the official website and go to the Advertising section for a look at Ewan's commercial.

New stills: Gerard Butler in 'The Bounty Hunter' & Craig Ferguson in 'How to Train Your Dragon' + more

Gerard Butler's tux up for charity auction
Artists for Peace and Justice is auctioning off Gerard Butler's Dolce & Gabbana Golden Globe tuxedo at CharityBuzz.com. All proceeds will go to APJ's Haiti relief efforts. The auction will end Wednesday, March 17.

On set and production stills from The Bounty Hunter
Photos come courtesy of Totally Hollywood Hunks News photo gallery:









Character stills and on set stills from How to Train Your Dragon
Photos courtesy of Totally Hollywood Hunks News photo gallery



The Bounty Hunter and How to Train Your Dragon premiere dates
GerardButler.net shares the US and UK premiere dates for The Bounty Hunter and How to Train Your Dragon:

March 11
UK The Bounty Hunter Premiere
Vue West End Cinema Leicester Square – London

March 16
US The Bounty Hunter Premiere
Zeigfeld Theatre – New York City

March 21
US How To Train Your Dragon Premiere
Location TBA – Los Angeles

Kevin McKidd interview from the World Poker Tournament + more

Kevin McKidd was one of the celebrities who spoke to TV Guide from 2010's Celebrity World Poker Tournament over the weekend. Kevin's brief interview starts at 0.37:



Gawkk Interview (via Kevin McKidd Online) discussing Percy Jackson:


Percy Jackson has grossed over $127 million worldwide. As of now it is the highest grossing movie of 2010.

Ewan McGregor on The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Ewan appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show today to promote The Ghost Writer. This is just a clip from today's show, but as soon as another video from the episode goes up I'll post it:



Update: A good quality full length interview is now up:

John Barrowman on The One Show; makes 'Desperate Housewives' news

John appeared on The One Show today and talked about Torchwood and Desperate Housewives. A segment from the show is below:



John also revealed there he will appear in at least one more episode of Desperate Housewives:

Speaking on BBC's "The One Show," Barrowman revealed that his character will be introduced an episode earlier than originally planned and confirmed that his character is nothing short of evil.

"I leave in about a week and a half to do 'Desperate Housewives,'" he said. "I just found out today that I was supposed to be doing 5 episodes, it has increased now to 6. So I'm really, really chuffed about that. They've decided to put my character in sooner than we thought. He's a villain, he's a bad guy and he's going to affect all the women in Wisteria Lane."

...According to executive producer Bob Daily, Barrowman will be playing the much alluded to, Patrick. When he arrives in town, Patrick will be getting very involved in the lives of all the central figures on the series and will serve as an insight into Angie's mysterious back-story. [InsideBlip]

David Tennant cast in 'Retreat'?

David Tennant is reportedly attached to Magnet Films’ psychological thriller Retreat, along with actors Thandie Newton and Jason Isaacs. The film will be is co-written and will be directed by Carl Tibbets and "follows a couple (played by Newton and Isaacs) who are seeking to rebuild their relationship by taking time out on a remote island but their peace is shattered when they find a man in military uniform (Tennant) half-dead on their doorstep who tells them there is a lethal virus killing millions on the mainland." Shooting is set to start in May in Canada.

Peter Capaldi on the BAFTA red carpet

Peter Capaldi interview on the red carpet at last night's 2010 Orange British Academy Film Awards:

'I Love You Phillip Morris' release date changed + Ewan McGregor's new 'Ghost Writer' interview

I Love You Phillip Morris opening moved to April


I Love You Phillip Morris had originally been scheduled to open March 26, but now Consolidated Picture Group has rescheduled its limited American release to April 30. The film will then be expanded in the first two weeks of May:

Written and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa ("Bad Santa"), "Phillip" tells the story of a married conman (Jim Carrey) who falls in love with his cellmate, played by Ewan McGregor. Pic co-stars Leslie Mann.

"Phillip" will face off with Warner Bros.' wide release of the "Nightmare on Elm Street" remake, as well as Summit's Brendan Fraser-comedy "Furry Vengeance" about a real estate developer who battles local forest animals after a proposed housing development threatens their home. [Variety via Best of Ewan]

Exclusive Maxim interview with Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan

The Ghost Writer opened with $179,000 on just four screens over the weekend.

Ewan McGregor to guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Ewan is scheduled to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday, February 23 in the US.

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Weekly schedule for Late Show with Craig Ferguson

Mo 2/22: Parker Posey, Tom Everett Scott
Tu 2/23: Stephen Fry
We 2/24: Don Cheadle, Jeannette Walls
Th 2/25: Seann William Scott, Jackie Collins
Fr 2/26: Quentin Tarantino

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Ewan McGregor on the Late Show with David Letterman, GMA + more

Ewan appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman on Wednesday, and the interview is now online thanks to jbritston.

Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:



Ewan on Good Morning America.



Ewan and co-star Pierce Brosnan talk about The Ghost Writer at the New York premiere.

David Tennant cast in new BBC drama

David Tennant has been cast in Single Father, a four-part show being made by BBC Scotland. It is scheduled to shoot on location in Glasgow in March:

...Tennant will play a man who is struggling to raise four children after the death of his wife in the drama written by Mick Ford and produced by Red Production Company.

The character, Dave, is a photographer who then falls for his late wife’s best friend.

He struggles with falling in love again while being a father to his children.

Tennant, 38, who grew up in Ralston in Renfrewshire, said: “I feel very lucky to have been sent this script.

Red Production Com­pany made Casanova – which starred Tennant in the lead role – and Queer as Folk, and will start filming Single Father in March. [Herald Scotland via David_Tennant]

David Tennant: Best Dressed Man of 2009 + 'Hamlet' Blu-ray release

David was recently voted the Best Dressed Man of 2009 by Hello! Magazine readers. With more than 10,000 votes cast he won with 35.4% of the vote. He is also nominated for Hello! Magazine's Most Attractive Man of the Week and you still have time to vote for him.



According to Warner Home Video, Hamlet will be released on Blu-ray on May 4 in the US after its April airing on PBS's Great Performances.

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Ewan McGregor to star in 'The Raven'?

Looks like it might happen, according to Jeremy Renner. In a NY Times profile the actor announced that he will star in James McTeigue's The Raven, with Ewan McGregor in talks to co-star:

The project, announced late last summer, is "a fictional account of Edgar Allan Poe's final five days as the joins a hunt for a serial killer inspired by his stories." McTeigue told /Film, "It's like the poem, 'The Raven', itself, crossed with 'Se7en'. It should be pretty cool. The script is really good and everyone responds to it really well. I'm in the middle of casting." We're guessing that McGregor is being eyed for the role of Poe, with Renner playing a sidekick of some kind. [The Playlist]

While we're on the subject of Ewan McGregor, you can read a new review of upcoming film, The Ghost Writer over at Rolling Stone.

Brand new James McAvoy interview

James did an interview with The Scotsman to promote The Last Station which opens on Friday, February 19 in the UK. An excerpt (via JMMB) is below:

...McAvoy is not the sort of actor you'll find regularly beaming from the pages of Hello!. Neither is he the sort person prone to pouring his heart out in an interview. Which is aptly demonstrated when I ask how he feels about impending fatherhood.

Excited, nervous? "Yeah, the usual emotions, I suppose," he says, his soft Glasgow accent striking a note of caution. "The usual healthy emotions. Excited and all that." Then again, as a 30-year-old male, he probably doesn't really know what to think about the prospect of changing nappies and sleepless nights.

...On the day we meet, the Oscar nominations have just been announced. McAvoy's veteran co-stars Christopher Plummer, who plays Tolstoy, and Helen Mirren, who stars as his unhinged and unhappy wife Sofya, are both up for awards.

"We're dead, dead chuffed," he says, presumably referring to himself and Duff, who plays Tolstoy's daughter Sasha in the film. "We will totally be crowded round the telly, cheering them on."

He's also pleased for the film, which has been written and directed by Michael Hoffman. "It needs it. It's a small film – and there are loads of small films out there, doing well.

...Rarely given the chance to use his own accent on screen, most people are surprised to discover he's Scottish. "Even now, in America, people will go, 'Hey, I didn't know you were Irish.' You go, 'I'm not.' They go, 'What? Where are you from? Australia?' What?"

While he may have won the Bafta Rising Star award, he still gets mistaken for other actors. "People hear your accent and go, 'Are you Ewan McGregor?'" he says, with mock horror on his face. "I look nothing like him." He gets stopped in the street "hardly at all". And when people do recognise him, it's usually followed by, "You're the guy from Wanted." [James Mottram]

New 'Bounty Hunter' poster

"A bounty hunter (Gerard Butler) learns that his next target is his ex-wife, a reporter working on a murder cover-up. Soon after their reunion, the always-at-odds duo find themselves on a run-for-their-lives adventure."

The Bounty Hunter opens on March 19 in the US.

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Kevin McKidd news update: 'Percy Jackson' box office, casting news, & interviews

I had been meaning to post a Percy Jackson/Kevin McKidd news post, so I'm sorry that this is a few days late.

Percy Jackson box office

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief opened in second place at the North American box office. The film has grossed nearly $40 million over the four-day weekend. International grosses haven't yet been announced.


Kevin McKidd reunites with Ewan McGregor

As previously posted Kevin is set to star in a film about Mount Everest with his Trainspotting co-star Ewan McGregor. Both actors are expected to shoot on location in Nepal. Thanks again to Magdaléna for pointing us to this on our Facebook page.


Percy Jackson press tour

Kevin McKidd red carpet interview with TV Guide.


People TV interview with Kevin.


Empire Magazine interview.


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Dougray Scott cast in 'The Magnificent Eleven'?

According to The Celebrity Cafe, Dougray Scott is listed as one of the stars set to appear in The Magnificent Eleven, an adaption of the 1960s classic The Magnificent Seven. The film will be directed by Irvine Welsh:

According to Sreendaily.com, 'The Magnificent Eleven,' called so because there are 11 members on a soccer team, is loosely based on the original, (which was also loosely based on Akira Kurosawa's 'The Seven Samuri'). The story is told as if a local amateur soccer team are the cowboys and the Indians are the owners and operators of a local Tandoori restaurant. The bandits are a group of thugs and criminals lead by a psychotic named Blonde Bob. [The Celebrity Cafe]

James McAvoy in Vancouver

James arrived at the airport in Vancouver, Canada yesterday. He's in Vancouver to shoot his new film formerly titled I’m With Cancer. Shooting should probably start sometime around February 20. You can head on over to Just Jared for more photos of his arrival.

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Ewan McGregor news roundup: 'The Ghost Writer' in Berlin, Out Magazine interview, & new film with Kevin McKidd

The Ghost Writer promotion gears up



Above is another new Ghost Writer TV spot.

Ewan was at the Berlin International Film Festival on Friday, February 12 to promote The Ghost Writer. Some photos of the event are below.

Ewan at the photocall for The Ghost Writer on February 12.







Ewan's red carpet arrival at the world premiere.






Out Magazine interview

Ewan McGregor is on the March 2010 cover of Out Magazine. Scans of the photoshoot and interview via ONTD! and Ewan_playground.

Ewan McGregor and Kevin McKidd reunite

Thanks so much to Magdaléna for pointing us to this casting news on our Facebook page. Ewan and Kevin will reunite for the first time since 1996's Trainspotting in a new film about Mount Everest. Both actors are set to travel to shoot on location in Nepal. The film doesn't have a title yet and details are being kept under wraps for now.

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Award wins & nominations: What's On Stage & Press Guild

John Barrowman wins What's On Stage Award

Whatsonstage.com announced the winners for its "10th annual Whatsonstage.com Awards, the only prize-giving event for the theatre industry voted for purely by the ticket-buying public." An awards concert was held yesterday, February 14 for charity.

John won the What's On Stage Award for Best Takeover in a Role for his performance in La Cage aux Folles. John couldn't go to last night's award ceremony, but you can watch his video message over at What's On Stage website.

Press Guild TV Award nominations

The 36th annual Broadcasting Press Guild TV Award nominations were announced a few weeks ago. Members of the Press Guild will choose the winner with the final round of voting to end on February 18.

David Tennant is nominated in the Best Actor category for his role in Hamlet in the BBC 2 film version and for his role in Doctor Who. Other nominations in the Best Actor category inglude Douglas Henshall for Collision on ITV1 and Peter Capaldi for The Thick of It on BBC2.

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Ewan McGregor to appear on the Late Show with David Letterman

Ewan will be a guest on the Late Show with David Letterman on Wednesday, February 17 on CBS. Don't forget that he'll also appear on Live with Regis and Kelly on Friday, February 19.

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Weekly schedule for Late Show with Craig Ferguson

Mo 2/15: Colin Firth, Amanda Righetti
Tu 2/16: Matt Lucas
We 2/17: Helena Bonham Carter, Sinbad
Th 2/18: Jimmie Johnson
Fr 2/19: Jennifer Tilly, Peter Sagal

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James McAvoy on Nylon TV + more interviews

James McAvoy is on the cover of the March issue of Nylon Guys and now you can watch an interview he did for the magazine.



Here's an interview James did with Stephen Holt that went up last week:



You can also head on over to the BBC to watch James on BBC Breakfast yesterday.

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New TV spots: 'The Ghost Writer' & 'How to Train Your Dragon'

Ewan McGregor plays a ghostwriter who is hired to write the biography of a former British Prime Minister. As he works he "uncovers secrets that put his own life in jeopardy." The Ghost Writer is set to premiere tomorrow at the Berlin Film Festival and the new exclusive TV spot comes courtesy of JoBlo.



Gerard Butler plays Stoick in How to Train Your Dragon. It's an animated film about a "young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons" and "becomes the unlikely owner of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed." How to Train Your Dragon opens on March 26 in the US. "Changes", the film's first TV spot from Trailer Addict is below.



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Summit picks up James McAvoy cancer project

Summit Entertainment has picked up the North American rights to Mandate Pictures' untitled James McAvoy project.

The film was formerly called I'm With Cancer, and also stars Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, and Bryce Dallas Howard, who has just been cast.

Shooting is expected to take place in Vancouver sometime in February.

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'Triage' to screen at the ICA

Triage, if you'll remember, stars Scottish actor Jamie Sives and is about "The wife of a photojournalist" setting "out to discover why he came home from a recent assignment without his colleague." Thanks to TRIAGEmovie for pointing out the UK screening of Triage:

Following its first stop in Toronto as part of TIFF Cinematheque in February, the 14th Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, featuring 28 films from 20 countries, will continue on its tour making London the next stop, where Danis Tanovic’s TRIAGE will enjoy its UK premiere screening.

The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival in London runs March 17-26, with TRIAGE screening 8:30 PM March 20th 2010 at the Institute of Contemporary Arts.

To book your tickets for the London screening, CLICK HERE.

As a reminder, the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival in Toronto runs February 24 – March 6, 2010. To book your tickets for the Toronto screening of TRIAGE, 7:00 PM February 25th, CLICK HERE.

You can also join the Toronto Human Rights Watch International Film Festival on Facebook. [TRIAGE Movie Fan Supporters]

Ewan McGregor at the 'I Love You Phillip Morris' Paris press conference

Comme Au Cinema

I Love You Phillip Morris reportedly opens today in France and Belgium.

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Craig Ferguson joins the Twitterverse

Craig is officially now on Twitter. He got over 30,000 earlier this afternoon and as of right now he's nearly at 40,000 followers. Craig announced joining on the Late Late Show last night which you can check out below:



Don't forget to follow @CraigyFerg

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Gerard Butler speaks out for Artists for Peace and Justice + New TV spots for 'The Bounty Hunter'

Gerard Butler is one of the celebrities voicing support for Artists for Peace and Justice in Haiti. Other celebrities include Daniel Craig, Paul Haggis, Olivia Wilde, Penelope Cruz, and Maria Bello.



Two new TV spots from The Bounty Hunter are now online. Thanks to GerardButler.net for pointing them out.

Closer:


Extremes:


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More 'Percy Jackson' interviews with Kevin McKidd

Kevin McKidd talked with MTV News about Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and he revealed that he was asked to play a villain in the last two Harry Potter films.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

NBC LX New York interview (thanks once again to Geniusmentis).



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James McAvoy nominated for Olivier award & on the cover of Nylon Magazine

James has been nominated for a Laurence Olivier theatre award in the best actor category for Three Days of Rain at the Apollo theatre. James is nominated with James Earl Jones, Mark Rylance, Ken Stott, Jude Law, and Samuel West. Winners will be announced in London on March 21.



James is featured in the March 2010 issue of Nylon Guys.

Here's an excerpt from the interview:

GREAT SCOT!

James McAvoy: A very different kind of movie star.

Though he’s shared the screen with Angelina Jolie, Keira Knightley, and Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy is in no rush to be the next big name.

Stephanie Trong found out firsthand while spending a chilly evening in New York City with the Scottish actor. Here, a few of his secrets.

Why you never hear about him in the tabloids:
“I’ve only had somebody try and take pictures of me outside my house once in my entire life. And they stopped after about half an hour.”

How his resume is impeccable:
“Every now and again, [my agents] thought that I should do something, and I’ve been, ‘What the fuck are you thinking?’ But that’s only happened once or twice in my entire career.”

The co-star that left the biggest impression on him:
“I was intimidated by the humongity—this is a good made-up word—the humongity of Keira’s sort of world presence.”

Why it’s only a matter of time until he wins an Oscar:
“I was very sensitive. Cried easy. Enjoyed crying from an early age. Ehm, not in public. On my own. I think I recognized its therapeutic qualities early on. And then as I came into my teenage years it became very handy ‘cause I could wallow about my lack of girlfriend or general cool or mystique.” [Nylon Magazine]

You can get a look at the rest of the photos and the entire interview over at ONTD!

Outtakes from the Nylon photo shoot are posted below:









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