Ewan McGregor: 'The Corrections' axed

'The Corrections' axed

Scottish star Ewan Mcgregor was "creatively destroyed" when Tv bosses axed his new series before it had even aired, because he had devoted so much time and energy to the project. The Star Wars actor had cleared his schedule to take on the screen adaptation of Jonathan Franzen's bestselling novel The Corrections, about the family troubles of an elderly couple and its three adult children, portrayed by MCGregor, Bruce Norris and Maggie Gyllenhaal. However, bosses at America's HBO network were not impressed with the pilot episode, directed by Noah Baumbach, and the project was scrapped in May (12). Now MCGregor admits the failed venture was a huge disappointment for him. He tells New York Magazine, "At first I was sad, but when I saw the pilot I was devastated. Creatively, I was destroyed because it was so powerful." The actor had made a conscious decision not to sign up for big film roles after he agreed to take on a role in The Corrections because he was convinced the series was good enough to run for four or five years. But as a result of its cancellation, McGregor has been left with weeks of downtime in between projects. He says, "This is the least work I've ever done in my life, since I was 20 or 21, because of HBO and The Corrections." Source (including photo): Contact Music

Ewan McGregor: Amnesty International song, and 'The Corrections' update

Ewan McGregor and other artists record Toast To Freedom 

Amnesty International have released a new song called Toast To Freedom, commemorating the organisation's 50th anniversary.

Dedicated to human rights activism around the world, the song features performances from 50 artists, including Levon Helm, Kris Kristofferson, Carly Simon and Ewan McGregor.

"Human rights are everybody’s business," said Secretary-General of Amnesty International Salil Shetty.

“I would like to thank all the people who gave their time to make this project happen. I hope Toast To Freedom will become a major source of inspiration in the coming years."

The song is being released to coincide with World Press Freedom Day, with proceeds going to Amnesty International.  
Source: ITN News

Video source: YouTube 

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Ewan McGregor pilot 'The Corrections' declined by HBO
HBO have passed on the new Ewan McGregor pilot The Corrections.

Variety reports that the cable network has chosen not to pick up the series, starring McGregor and based on a novel by Jonathan Franzen.

The best-selling novel tells the story of a troubled Midwestern family over a span of several decades, from the mid-20th century to Christmas in the new millennium.

Shot in February, the pilot was directed and adapted by Noah Baumbach, known for his work on the Ben Stiller movie Greenberg.

It featured a cast including Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rhys Ifans, Chris Cooper, Greta Gerwig and Dianne West.

McGregor recently starred opposite Emily Blunt in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.

He will next be seen in the drama The Impossible with Naomi Watts.

Source: Digital Spy

Also reported by Baltimore Sun 

Ewan McGregor commits to HBO series

Ewan McGregor has explained his decision to change from making films to working in television.

The actor is to play troubled academic Chip in an HBO pilot The Corrections, which is adapted from Jonathan Franzen's novel.

He told Collider: "We shot the pilot in 15 days [and] I enjoyed it very much.

"If it goes, we'll go back in June and shoot the series for four months in New York."

The Scottish star admitted that initially he was wary about committing to a TV show.

He said: "I did have one week of [saying] 'Oh my God, it's TV... should I do TV?'.

"[But] after I went over to meet the director and Jonathan Franzen and Scott Rudin, the producer, I was totally in. I just think it's a quality piece of work.

"Having the opportunity to play a character at that length will be really interesting. Over four years... I'll be exploring this guy Chip in that story - it'll be great."

McGregor also criticised the movie industry for focusing on ideas "that we already know".

He said: "Films about people in real situations - it's the [genre] that's taking the biggest kicking after the financial crisis.

"It just seems in the last three or four years that it's harder to find that kind of drama.

"The big-budget films are about superheroes or fairytales or [they're] kids' films - branding that we already know. I'm always interested in original stuff."

The Corrections follows the lives of a Midwestern couple and their three children from the 1950s to the millennium.
Source: STV

Also reported by Forbes

Ewan McGregor making switch to small screen in US

He became one of the world’s biggest movie stars after the success of Trainspotting, eclipsing all his other co-stars. But Ewan McGregor’s blockbusters of Moulin Rouge and three Star Wars movies have been followed by a few flops at the box office.

Now it looks like the Scot could be copying his old pals from the 1996 movie of the Irvine Welsh book and heading to the American small screen.

Ewan has landed his first role in a US television show made by HBO, an adaptation of hit novel The Corrections. That makes him the last Trainspotting star to make it big on TV.

HBO, who make cult shows The Sopranos, Sex And The City and The Wire, are rumoured to have tied the Crieff-born actor into a megabucks four-year contract.

He doesn’t need to look far to see just how well his co-stars are doing since heading across the Atlantic.

Read more at Daily Record

Also reported by Hey U Guys

Ewan McGregor - new TV project, and DVD voiceover

• Ewan McGregor Moves to TV for HBO’s “The Corrections”

Ewan McGregor is set to star in HBO’s The Corrections, which is based on the Johnathan Franzen novel of the same name.

McGregor joins the pre-existing cast of Dianne Wiest and Chris Cooper, who will be playing his parents. The plot centers on elderly Midwestern couple and their three adult children and follows their lives from the mid 20th century right up until their last Christmas together near the turn of the millennium. McGregor’s role is Chip, the middle son, a Marxist who works for a Lithuanian crime boss after being fired from his professor job because he had an affair with a student. The roles of the other two children remain to be cast.

Read more at BangStyle
Also reported by Inside TV and Deadline

• Charge gets DVD release

It’s not the usual petrolhead fare, but an Isle of Man company is hoping a new documentary about the TT will be as groundbreaking as the bikes it's based on.
Charge is directed by Mark Neale and puts the zero emission racing centre stage as it follows electric bike teams.

Narrated by Ewan McGregor, the movie is finally getting a DVD release in Britain thanks to Tromode-based Duke Marketing.

Charge is released on December 19 and you can find out more about it at dukevideo.com

Isle Of Man