This Week:
Sofia Vergara and Amber Heard help to sharpen Machete; Michael Biehn is involved in Treachery; Jon Favreau takes part in an Identity Theft; The Raid’s Gareth Evans is Breaking The Bank and The Weinsteins join Dustin Hoffman’s Quartet.
1. Sofia Vergara and Amber Heard have joined the cast of Robert Rodriguez’s latest action opus Machete Kills.
Danny Trejo plays the titular Machete in the film which also stars Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Demian Bichir and Mel Gibson.
According to Variety:
“Machete is recruited by the U.S. government to stop an arms dealer (Gibson) from launching a deadly missile. Heard will play a manipulative assassin code-named Miss San Antonio” while Vergara “is in talks to play the leather-clad Madame Desdemona, whose Mexican harlots have information that Machete needs”.
Expect all sorts of butt to be kicked.
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2. Aliens and Terminator favorite Michael Biehn will lead the cast of Treachery, a new thriller which also stars Jennifer Blanc Biehn, Sarah Butler, Caitlin Keats, Chris Meyer and Matthew Ziff.
Travis Romero writes and directs the project “which centers on a man (Biehn) who is reunited with his estranged son at a remote wedding party. When a storm strands the party, ugly truths are revealed”.
Biehn produces Treachery through BlancBiehn Productions, the production company which he runs with his wife, Jennifer Blanc Biehn.
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3. Iron Man director (and Screen Rant favorite) Jon Favreau has snagged a role in the comedy Identity Theft.
Jason Bateman plays a man whose identity is stolen by Melissa McCarthy-her character, not the actual actress. Favreau takes on the role of Bateman’s boss in the Seth Gordon directed comedy.
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4. Universal Pictures has picked up the script Breaking The Bank in the hope that it can entice The Raid director Gareth Evans to helm the project.
The script is based on the book Heist: The True Story Of The World’s Biggest Cash Robbery by Howard Sounes, and the Sports Illustrated article Breaking The Bank by L. Jon Wertheim.
According to Deadline:
“Breaking The Bank is based on the life of former UFC fighter “Lightning” Lee Murray, a mixed martial arts street brawler who masterminded the largest cash heist in history in England in 2006.”
Kerry Williamson penned the most recent draft of the script which previously had Darren Aronofsky attached to direct.
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5. Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut Quartet has been picked-up by The Weinsetein Company.
Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Michael Gambon, Pauline Collins and Tom Courtney star in the comedy which was written by Sir Ronald Harwood.
“Quartet tells the story of Reggie (Courtenay), Wilf (Connolly) and Cissy (Collins) who reside in Beecham House, a home for retired opera singers. Each year they stage a concert to celebrate Verdi’s birthday, which also raises funds for the home. Reggie’s ex-wife Jean (Smith) arrives at the home and creates tension, playing the diva part but refusing to sing in the concert.”
Did someone say Oscar?
That’s it for now. See you at the movies.
