August 4, 2000

Secrets, secrets, secrets and now comes word that someone was actually able to get a few pics behind-the-scenes on the set of EPISODE II, which is presently filming down in Sydney, Australia. The nicest guy on the Web, Garth Franklin, an Aussie himself, went out and got himself a copy of the paper with the pics and scanned in the best ones. The first pic is of Christensen himself, the second is of some extras on the set and the third is McGregor. Click on the pics to see the bigger versions, or better still, check out Dark Horizons for more behind-the-scenes info.

August 4, 2000

It's official, folks! A third actor will portray the character of Jack Ryan made famous in Tom Clancy's novels, and his name is big Ben Affleck. The Ben-man will take Harrison Ford's place after he starred in the two previous films PATRIOT GAMES and CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER, which followed Alec Baldwin's adios after Ryan flick number one, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER. Director Phillip Noyce appears to be attached to the project, with shooting to begin later on this year.
  

August 4, 2000

With shooting scheduled to start this coming October, and the possibility of having Matthew McConaughey as its lead, actor Bill Paxton is set to make his directorial debut in a psychological horror-thriller entitled FRAILTY. The film is described as a SEVEN meets THE SHINING. Yikes...a lot to live up to, eh?
  

August 4, 2000

Talk about the invisible woman! After winning an Oscar for AS GOOD AS IT GETS in 1997, actress Helen Hunt seems to have disappeared off the face of the planet. But now comes word that she will be starring in director Woody Allen's next project (always secretive), which begins filming this coming September with actress Charlize Theron in a small role.

Hunt is also co-starring opposite Kevin Spacey and Haley Joel Osment in Mimi Leder's PAY IT FORWARD, opening this October, and two more films coming out in December, one opposite Mel Gibson called WHAT WOMEN WANT, and the other opposite Tom Hanks called CAST AWAY. Phew.....so THAT'S what she's been doing all this time!!
   

August 3, 2000

HOLLOW MAN (7.5/10): Thriller starring Kevin Bacon and Elisabeth Shue
COYOTE UGLY (6.5/10): Drama starring a whole lotta babes
SPACE COWBOYS (6.5/10): Drama starring Clint Eastwood and Tommy Lee Jones
  

August 3, 2000

Ed Norton will reunite once more with the director who helped him nail his first Oscar nomination back in 1996 for PRIMAL FEAR, a man who goes by the name of Gregory Hoblit, for a film called HART'S WAR. Norton will play Tommy Hart, an American who gets shot down over Europe and winds up in a POW camp. A law student before enlisting, Hart defends a black prisoner accused of murdering a fellow soldier, a racist who is suspected of killing the only other black in the camp. Sniff, sniff....do you smell that also? Smells like another Oscar to me!

This film becomes the second major WWII tale this year for MGM, which is weeks from starting production on "Windtalkers", a John Woo-directed drama starring Nicolas Cage and Christian Slater.
  

August 3, 2000

Joblo.com was recently lucky enough to participate in the first-ever "i-junket"-- Internet Junket-- with director Paul Verhoeven and actor Kevin Bacon from HOLLOW MAN. Read the entire transcript of the interview here.
  

August 3, 2000

Oscar-nominated actor Robert Downey Jr. was freed from prison on Wednesday, after an appeals court ruled that the Superior Court judge had erred in sentencing him. The actor, who has admitted to being addicted to drugs since the age of eight, told Vanity Fair in a magazine interview published in June that he was depressed and angry in prison and had not used drugs since June 1999.
  

August 3, 2000

Helena Bonham Carter, or the "strung-out girl" from FIGHT CLUB as I like to remember her, has now joined the ever-expanding cast of Tim Burton's PLANET OF THE APES movie. She joins Mark Wahlberg, with whom she reportedly might have a human/ape romance in the film, Tim Roth, Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti and Estella Warren.
  

August 2, 2000

Hugh Jackman, the very popular man who portrayed the character of Wolverine in the recent summer blockbuster X-MEN, has now landed another great role in the upcoming drama SWORDFISH starring John Travolta. Jackman will play a paroled computer hacker coerced by a spy (Travolta) into one final heist. Dominic Sena (GONE IN 60 SECONDS) will direct and Joel Silver will produce.
  

August 2, 2000

THE MATRIX has quickly become the biggest selling DVD in history with over 3,000,000 copies sold according to Warner Home Video. Ironically, there are only 7.5 Million DVD players in North America, which means that almost half of the DVD player owners have a copy of THE MATRIX.
 

August 1, 2000

Actor/Rapper DMX has been cast as the next Crow in the fourth installment of the film franchise, called THE CROW: LAZARUS. He will play a gangsta rapper who gets gunned down in a drive-by, only to return seeking vengeance. Ironically, the film's third installment, entitled THE CROW: SALVATION has yet to determine its distribution strategy. Read THE CROW: SALVATION movie review by JoBlo here and by The Arrow here. Save the CROW 3 petition here.
 

August 1, 2000

ALMOST FAMOUS: Drama directed by Cameron Crowe starring Billy Crudup, Jason Lee..
THE WATCHER: Thriller starring Keanu Reeves, James Spader and Marisa Tomei
CHERRY FALLS: Horror starring Michael Biehn, Brittany Murphy and Jay Mohr
  

August 1, 2000

After months of nasty dirty laundry back and forth, it seems as though Mike Myers and the studios that weren't happy with his exiting the DIETER project early, are just about ready to settle. Spielberg may be involved as the mediator. More news to come soon.
  

August 1, 2000

Disney has given writer/director Laurence Kasdan the green light on a police drama that he wrote himself. The man behind 1999's MUMFORD details the story about "an elite special response team of big-city cops trained to deal with the most vicious criminals and most volatile situations".
 

August 1, 2000

Actor Keanu Reeves announced on TV's "Access Hollywood" today that he, along with Carrie Anne-Moss, Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving would be beginning their training for the MATRIX sequels this coming November, and that the film would more than likely begin shooting March./April 2000. He said that some of the newer effects were gonna blow people's minds.
 

August 1, 2000

Director Steven Spielberg has asked GREEN MILE writer/director Frank Darabont to polish off the original script for MINORITY REPORT written by Jon Cohen. Tom Cruise will star in Spielberg's flick, after Steven finishes up with the long-awaited A.I. Matt Damon is another possible cast addition.
 

August 1, 2000

The film based on the popular video game series for which every horny teen has been waiting, has finally begun principal photography in London, England. Angelina Jolie stars in the film as Laura Croft and Simon West (CON AIR, THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER) directs. Tentative release date of the film is summer 20001.
  

August 1, 2000

The word is now official. Critically-acclaimed 25-year old actor Tobey Maguire (WONDER BOYS, THE ICE STORM) has been cast to star as the web-slinger himself in Marvel Entertainment / Columbia Pictures SPIDERMAN, directed by Sam Raimi (EVIL DEAD, FOR LOVE OF THE GAME). Rumors are now swirling about Nicolas Cage as The Green Goblin. Wait and see. The film is slated to begin shooting in November 2000, with a tentative release date of November 20001. Official Press Release of this announcement can be found here.
  

August 1, 2000

Sylvester Stallone's next film, entitled D-TOX, is in big trouble. First, Stallone booted director Jim Gillespie out of the editing room, and now the studio isn't going to release the film until they give it a shot overseas under the new title EYE SEE YOU. If the film does well overseas, they might consider releasing the film in the US. If not, this will be Stallone's first straight-to-video flick.