'Shantaram' to Film in January
ScreenDaily.com reports the upcoming Johnny Depp film Shantaram will begin filming January 19, 2008 and will take 75 to 80 days to complete.
New York-based director Mira Nair left Toronto Saturday night after a short 24-hour visit to the festival – she's now in Mumbai preparing for her largest film yet, Shantaram.
The $100m project, for Warner Bros with Graham King's GK Films producing and Plan B on board, starts shooting Jan 19 for what she estimates will be at least 75-80 days.
The book is set in Australia, India and Afghanistan, and Nair says that India is the only confirmed location so far. "In America I have to orchestrate the chaos, in India I just film it. It's so visceral and lively."
Johnny Depp and Amitabh Bachchan will star. Eric Roth adapted Gregory David Roberts's book about a former drug addict who works with children in Bombay.
Taking Chances with 'Sweeney'
The Chicago Sun-Times has a brief article about the upcoming Sweeney Todd film with a few possible minor spoilers of plot line (in case you're trying to avoid those). There are a couple of good quotes from Johnny, though:
"The beauty of it is Tim takes chances no matter when, no matter what," says Depp, who adds that the minute his favorite director approached him, he was in.
"I started telling people that the minute I put down my Pirates sword that I was doing a musical. People thought, 'No.' I said, 'Yeah, I'm doing it.'" Depp jokes.
Depp Makes Night Life List
He actually makes the list twice, according to a Times Online article hunting down the most popular dining and night spots in Paris:
The Buddha Bar may once have been renowned for its passing trade in international stars, but these days its giant effigy is more likely to look out over a wide-eyed sea of celebrity-hungry tourists and cash-ready businessmen. The entertainingly extravagant Mandala Ray or Man Ray (owned by Johnny Depp, Sean Penn, John Malkovich and Mick Hucknall) still hangs onto its A-list credibility, as does the opulent and fabulously fake Hôtel Costes, designed by Jacques Garcia and the setting for that real-life love story – when Johnny met Vanessa.
Johnny Depp, Luggage King?
I found this entertaining -- JustJared.com has declared Johnny Depp the "Lord of Luggage" with this shot of his arrival for the Venice Film Festival:
Actually, that's not too bad considering he travels with, like... oh, a dozen people. LOL
Depp Photos Share Exhibit
Newsday.com reports photos of Johnny Depp will be included in an exhibit at the New York Film Festival.
Autographed Polaroids of actors and filmmakers will make up "One Last Shot: Signed Polaroids, Photographs by Henry Garfunkel," which will run from Sept. 17th to Oct. 31st, in conjunction with the 45th New York Film Festival. The pictures, shot at the end of photos sessions, spotlight a more informal side of such luminaries as Johnny Depp, Helen Mirren, Jamie Foxx, Pedro Almodovar, Penelope Cruz, John Waters and Tim Robbins. The photos were taken over several years, beginning in 2000 at the Sundance and Toronto Film Festivals.
The exhibit will be held in the Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery, adjacent to the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center. The opening reception will be Sept. 25 at 6:00 p.m.
Recent Interview with Vanessa
The Belgian magazine Weekend Knack offers an interview with Vanessa Paradis in which she discusses her new album, her children and fame. An excerpt in English can be found on CelebrityBabyBlog. A few of the highlights include:
In that song, Jackadi, your son is singing along. Was that your idea?
Yes. On my previous disc my daughter sang along. He needed his own song, I thought. It's a beautiful souvenir for when he's older. We'll always have little Jack on tape.
You are getting married this summer?
God, we've been married for so long already! Can you be more married than having children together then?
Sneak Peek at 'Sweeney'
The Guardian offers a brief glimpse from Venice of Johnny Depp's presentation of Tim Burton's lifetime achievement award and the footage of Sweeney Todd:
Tim's perfect barbershop duet
I was given an exclusive peak at the first footage from Tim Burton's upcoming film version of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, which will be released next year. Johnny Depp was presenting a clearly delighted Burton with Venice's career Golden Lion, incredibly the director's first ever award from a major film festival. Depp said: 'Tim is my favourite director. I feel very lucky to have been included in his life and in his world of cinema. He's a true original and a true auteur, a rare breed in today's cinema.' The exclusive clip was then shown. It featured Depp's Todd duetting with Helena Bonham Carter's panda-eyed Mrs Lovett. Both were doing their own singing, and most impressively, as they powered through a dark ode to a cut-throat razor. In the brief dialogue, it seemed that Depp might just have finally got a decent cockney accent, and he held the gleaming object up like Edward reunited with his Scissorhands.
At the end, the camera flew out of the window to reveal Mrs Lovett's pie shop and an intricate, beautiful shot over the sky line of Dickensian London. This awesome set has been designed, at Pinewood, by the legendary Cinecitta team of Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo.
Depp Film at NC Teen Night
The Henderson County Public Library in North Carolina (U.S.) will screen the Johnny Depp film Secret Window at their Teen Movie Night this Friday, Sept. 14. The film will be shown at 6:15 p.m. in the Kaplan Auditorium. Admission is free.
'Sweeney Todd' Goodies
Playbill.com reports Nonesuch Records will release the soundtrack for the upcoming Sweeney Todd film, although no date has been set for its release. Nonesuch also released the recent cast recording from the Sweeney Todd revival on Broadway. The article also mentions a film companion book written by Mark Salisbury which will be released December 4. The book will reportedly include "interviews with Burton and the cast and crew, extracts from the shooting script, over 200 photos, plus concept drawing and production designs."
Depp Interviewed for Petty Biopic
All Headline News reports Johnny Depp provides a featured interview in a biopic about legendary rocker Tom Petty which will premiere at the New York Film Festival next month.
The widely anticipated retrospective of one of America's all-time finest singer/songwriters will chart the progress of Petty and his band, the Heartbreakers, all the way from a Gainesville college-town bar-band to their current role as the foremost purveyors of anthemic Americana. Runnin' Down a Dream, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, will be screened at the close of the New York Film Festival October 14th and then open in select cities the following day. It is said to include "archival material, 8mm footage, live and rehearsal clips, along with lengthy interviews from the likes of Stevie Nicks, Eddie Vedder, George Harrison, Jackson Browne, and Johnny Depp." Johnny has long been associated with Tom Petty, having starred in the Heartbreakers' music video for "Into the Great Wide Open" in 1991.
New 'Sweeney Todd' Trailer Clip
There's a new version of the trailer here: http://journal.nonesuch.com/journal/2007/10/preview-johnny-.htmlI can't get it to work right (it stalls out and gets all pixelated), but some people have been able to get it to work. Hopefully a better version will come along soon.
Sweeney Soundtrack at Amazon
The Sweeney Todd soundtrack CD is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. According to the site, the title will be released Dec. 18. Thanks to Guy for the tip!
Universal's Halloween 'Nightmare'
Universal Studios in Hollywood and Orlando is hosting "Halloween Horror Nights Carnival of Carnage", a PG-13 event which includes contemporary horror icons like Jason and Freddy Krueger. According to ajc.com, one of the eight haunted houses is the "Nightmare on Elm Street" house, which includes a replica of the bloody bed where Johnny Depp met his end in the original film. Visit halloweenhorrornights.com for more information. 
Should Johnny Lead the Classic Pack?
American Movie Classics (AMC) is conducting a poll asking readers to choose Today's Classic American Actor -- one who embodies the country as we now know it. Johnny Depp is currently leading the pack with 27% of the vote, followed closely by Tom Hanks and George Clooney respectively. Personally, I'm not sure Johnny is really the perfect choice for this particular poll. That's certainly no slam against him, I just don't think he embodies American culture the way Tom Hanks and George Clooney do. If the poll had asked, "Who's the Best Actor?", then sure, Johnny Depp hands down. But though he is an American actor, he tends to have more of a global scope. He defines many things, but his body of work is not limited to a particular culture or geographical boundary -- and 100 years from now, historians couldn't look at his films and say, "Ah, now that's America at the turn of the 21st century..." In that sense, I think the others are far better choices for this poll. So, what do you think?
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 Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 8:52 am Post subject: 'Shadows' still draws devoted fans, and Johnny Depp too |
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'Shadows' still draws devoted fans, and Johnny Depp too
By Richard Knight Jr. | Special to the Tribune
October 26, 2007
It has been more than 35 years since "Dark Shadows," daytime's long-running gothic soap opera from the 1960s, went off the air. But like its leading character, the moody, lovelorn vampire Barnabas Collins, nothing has been able to kill off the intense following the show continues to boast.
Two feature films based on the show were made in the early 1970s; a remake of the series hit the airwaves in 1991, and the original episodes after being rebroadcast over the years have been released on videotape and are now making their way to DVD—including the pre-Barnabas episodes, both from Orland Park-based distributor MPI Home Video. MPI will release the 4-disc, 40-episode "Dark Shadows: The Beginning Collection 2" on Tuesday. Members of MPI's exclusive "Dark Shadows" fan club will get their hands on the third set of "Beginning" episodes in November, while the general public will have to wait until February. Like other cult shows, "Dark Shadows" hosts annual conventions and offers fans a steady supply of collectibles, new and vintage (everything from boxer shorts to board games to bobblehead dolls). But with any luck, by next Halloween—or the one after that—a whole new crop of vampire lovers may join the coven, and the "Dark Shadows" resurrection will be complete.
The cause for the unholy excitement is due to a small announcement in Variety that Johnny Depp plans to co-produce and star as Barnabas in a new "Dark Shadows" movie.
"We've always wanted to do it as another feature and I read that Johnny Depp was a fan of the show so we approached his people," said Jim Pierson of Dan Curtis Productions, which created the series and oversees its marketing. "This was like eight years ago, when 'Sleepy Hollow' came out."
At that time director Tim Burton was interested in directing as well. "Johnny Depp's always been so busy," Pierson added, "But now he's figured out a way to squeeze it in his schedule." But though an agreement has been signed to develop "Dark Shadows" as a film for Depp, there's no word on whether Burton will join him, and a rumor that Rob Zombie is taking the directing reins is just that, according to Pierson. The agreement also calls for the new movie to be faithful to the original premise of the show.
That's something fans will breathe a sigh of relief over. Even with its overripe gothic plotlines and supernatural characters, "Dark Shadows" shared plenty with typical soap operas of the period—a given with its daytime-sized budget and tight shooting schedule that found accidents and missed cues caught on tape. But Dan Curtis, the show's creator (who died last year) always insisted that it be played straight, and any new incarnation as well.
Jonathan Frid, the original Barnabas Collins, who played the part throughout the series and in the 1970 feature "House of Dark Shadows," is now 82 and retired. But Pierson was able to lure him out last summer to participate in a celebratory 40th anniversary convention. Though Frid doesn't give interviews, Pierson had him autograph a photo for Depp and said, "He certainly wishes him well to carry it on as he did when Ben Cross played the part in the revised series in 1991."
Many of the other original cast members are still active in show business. David Selby, who played Quentin, the show's heartthrob, appears in HBO's "Just Tell Me You Love Me," and Lara Parker, who played the beautiful witch Angelique, recently released her second "Dark Shadows"-themed novel.
From her home in California, Parker mused on the seemingly immortal popularity of "Dark Shadows." "During last August's convention I turned to Kathryn Leigh Scott (the show's Maggie) and I said, 'You know, "Dark Shadows" gets better ever year. How can this be?' and she said, 'Because there's never been anything like it,' which I think is true. I think it has a certain emotional tug to it as well."
As for one of Hollywood's hottest actors taking on the "Dark Shadows" mantle, Parker commented, "I'm very proud that Johnny Depp is going to make a movie from our show. ... I think he'll be marvelous and I think there could be not one, but many made. There are five years of "Dark Shadows" stories to draw on, after all |
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Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 12:04 am Post subject: 'Pirates 3 - AWE' - Box Office ... Updates |
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'Pirates 3 - AWE' - Box Office ... Updates
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070526/box_office_pirates.html?.v=1
'Pirates' Has $43 Million Opening Day
Saturday May 26, 1:29 pm ET
By David Germain, AP Movie Writer
'Pirates of the Caribbean' Pulls in $43M but Misses Opening-Day Record Set by 'Spider-Man 3'
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Johnny Depp and his pirate friends pulled in a lot of plunder, but fell far short of a record opening day.
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" raked in $43 million domestically Friday, well behind the $59.3 million opening day for "Spider-Man 3" just three weeks earlier, according to studio estimates Saturday.
The numbers for "At World's End" were skewed somewhat because the Walt Disney Co. had preview screenings at about 3,000 theaters Thursday night in advance of the movie's official Friday release.
The movie pulled in $14 million at those screenings, putting its domestic total at $57 million in just over a day. Without the Thursday screenings, much of that business would have been done on Friday instead, putting "At World's End" in range of the top single-day grosses.
"Spider-Man 3," released by Sony Corp., had broken the single-day box-office record of $55.8 million set last July by "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," part two in the action-comedy franchise starring Depp as boozy buccaneer Jack Sparrow.
"Making $57 million in a day and a half is not bad for a bunch of pirates," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "Had all those preview numbers been folded into Friday, it would have maybe been the second-biggest single day in history."
"At World's End" also grossed $43 million Friday in 102 international markets. That put its worldwide total at $141.2 million since it began rolling out overseas Wednesday.
Despite opening in a record 4,362 theaters, "At World's End" is unlikely to break the all-time high for a three-day weekend, also held by "Spider-Man 3" with $151.1 million, said Chuck Viane, Disney head of distribution.
"Spider-Man 3" snatched the record away from the "Pirates" franchise, which had set a new high of $135.6 million with "Dead Man's Chest."
Viane said the record Disney aimed for is best four-day Memorial Day weekend debut. That record is held by last year's "X-Men: The Last Stand" with $122.9 million.
"At World's End" has a shot at that mark if it maintains its Friday momentum.
"Today's date is what matters," Viane said Saturday. "What matters to me now is how is it going to do today?"
The length of "At World's End" -- two hours, 47 minutes, nearly half an hour longer than "Spider-Man 3" -- is a factor, limiting the number of screenings theaters can squeeze in each day.
Reviews for "At World's End" were mixed at best, though the same was true for "Dead Man's Chest" and other recent blockbusters including "Spider-Man 3" and "Shrek the Third."
"We always have this disparity between the critics and the commercial," Viane said. "People just love the idea of Johnny as this character and the whole premise of the trilogy coming to an end."
"At World's End," whose Caribbean portions were shot at the same time as "Dead Man's Chest," picks up where the second movie left off, with Depp's Sparrow consigned to Davy Jones' locker and old allies and enemies (Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush) embarking on a voyage to save him. |
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| Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 10:15 pm Post subject: Johnny #14 - Hollywood's Most Influential Industry Players |
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Premiere.com Ranks Hollywood's Most Influential Industry Players With 18th Annual Power List
NEW YORK, Oct. 25
PRNewswire
Premiere.com (Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.) announces its 18th annual Power List, a ranking of 50 of film's most influential actors, directors, producers, studio executives and agents. Premiere.com editors compile the list based on box office results, news reports and in-depth interviews with participants and experts in the film.
The number one spot is occupied by Fox Film Chairmen-CEOs Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman (#3 last year) who have provided Fox with stable, sharp- minded, and aggressive leadership and a record-breaking string of profitable years. Fox's 2006 hits including The Devil Wears Prada, Borat, and The Simpsons Movie.
Amy Pascal, Cochairman Sony Pictures Entertainment and Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group is the highest ranking female, at #3, a spot she shares with colleague Michael Lynton, Chairman-CEO Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Current Hollywood golden boy Judd Apatow leaps into the ranking, at #13, from previous Power List obscurity with low-budget hits Knocked Up and Superbad.
With genre-proof success, Will Smith is the highest ranking actor at #9 (ranked #14 last year). He excels at action, comedy and even a father-son weepie like the The Pursuit of Happyness, which grossed $302 million worldwide. Other actors rounding out the top 20 include: Johnny Depp, at #14, and Brad Pitt, #15, Tom Hanks #18 and Tom Cruise #20. Matt Damon just missed out, ranking #21. 21-year old actor Shia LaBeouf appearance in the mega-hit Transformers and casting in the upcoming Indiana Jones secured him a spot on the list at #50.
Reflecting the current industry malaise towards actresses, only four actresses made the list (compared to 19 men). Angelina Jolie is the first female thespian to appear coming in at #32. Despite taking supporting roles and making smaller films, Jolie remains as high-profile - and in high demand- as ever. Julia Roberts at #37 just bests Reese Witherspoon #38. Jodie Foster landed at #45 due to the success of The Brave One, which was the first film in 2007 top-lined by an actress to open at number one.
Premiere.com
Web site: www.premiere.com
From the Premiere.com website.
TITLE: The Virtuoso
RANK LAST YEAR: 18
CAREER DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: $2.2 billion
CAREER WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE: $4.6 billion
STATUS REPORT: With his studied quirkiness, quiet sex appeal, and penchant for oddball characters, Johnny Depp is not the likeliest choice for global superstar, but chalk it up to Captain Jack Sparrow and the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy (coming on top of his series of Tim Burton hits). Other than the keen oversight of producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Depp's loosey-goosey charm is the driving factor behind the Pirates movies' overwhelming success.
NEXT: The movie version of Stephen Sondheim's cannibal musical Sweeney Todd, suspected Oscar bait and his sixth collaboration with Burton; and Shantaram, a Mira Nair–directed tale of an addict-convict who reinvents himself as a doctor, which Depp is producing and starring in.
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'Sweeney Todd' in EW
This week's issue of Entertainment Weekly features a Q&A interview with Johnny Depp and an article about the making of Sweeney Todd. Thanks to Guy for the link!Here's the article: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20155516_20155530_20156283,00.html
http://www.filmstew.com/showBlog.aspx?blog_id=1244
The Johnny Depp Two-Step
by Richard Horgan 11/19/2007 at 5:44:25 PM
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Round One of the official Oscar promotion campaign for the new Tim Burton film Sweeney Todd hit the strike-choked Broadway boards last week and was a runaway PR success.
“First peaks leave people gasping and saying Depp is sure to get another Oscar nod,” relays New York Post columnist Liz Smith today. “Depp’s performance has got Oscar written all over it,” chimed Roger Friedman on Thursday, November 15th. And TheEnvelope.com’s Tom O’Neil, who has been banging this drum long before he saw a single frame, was positively giddy on Wednesday November 14th in the wake of the much heralded 17-minute New York tease, writing that the movie is “a serious contender to win the Oscar for Best Picture, just as I’ve been telling you for months.”
You can expect more of the same after Round Two is completed this weekend in London, via the official November 23rd-25th press junket for Sweeney Todd. It is being held in conjunction with the junket for The Golden Compass, a movie that is likely to come out of the proceedings not quite so golden.
But before we start anointing Depp and Burton masters of the 2007 Oscar ball, it’s worth pointing out that this combo has not exactly slayed Academy voters in the past. Their five previous collaborations have garnered three wins, none of which connect to them directly (Best Makeup and Best Supporting Actor for Ed Wood; Best Art Direction for Sleepy Hollow). Then there are the five additional nominations over the years: a couple of Best Costume Design nods (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sleepy Hollow), another Best Makeup nomination (Edward Scissorhands), Best Cinematography (also for Scissorhands) and a Best Animated Feature kudo for The Corpse Bride.
Beyond suggesting that Sweeney Todd is assured of some costume, art direction and-or similar awards recognition, it’s really a leap of faith given the film’s dark tone to vault it, as some are, ahead of other contenders such as Atonement, No Country for Old Men and perhaps even Charlie Wilson’s War. It’s a crowded adapted field this year, and though Sweeney Todd’s Oscar marketing consultant Terry Press knows what she’s doing (not to mention the subliminal advantage of her portentous last name), it’s a little premature to start chorusing the victory dance.
According to Burton, the earliest the completed film can be screened is Thursday, November 29th. As press screenings start into the early weeks of December, we will be in the thick of Round Three. But it is Round Six that could really tip this thing in the direction of the above early prognosticators, e.g. when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association - who absolutely LOVE Depp - come out with their nominations.
Photos from L.A. Screening
Overview
Release Date:2009 (USA) more
Plot Summary:A heroin addict incarcerated for a robbery escapes prison and reinvents himself as a doctor in the slums... more
Production Notes/Status:
Pre-production
Comments:Delayed due to the WGA strike.
Additional Details
Overview
Release Date:2009 (USA) more
Plot Summary:Begun in 1959 by a then-twenty-two-year-old Hunter S. Thompson, The Rum Diary details the life and events of Paul Kemp... more
Production Notes/Status:
Status:Unknown
Comments:No known start date.
Status Updated:30 January 2008
Note:Because this project is categorized as being in production, the data is subject to change; some data could be removed completely.
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Also Known As:Hunter S. Thompson's The Rum Diary (USA) (working title) more
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