Jude Law recently revisited Chatham Dockyard, a filming location from Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, while shooting his new flick Dom Hemingway. He’s also been spotted this week in the same area, at River Medway, filming new movie Black Sea.
Directed by Ron Howard (Arrested Development, Happy Days), Dom Hemingway will see Law play an infamous safecracker alongside Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clark.
In feature film Black Sea, Law plays a submarine captain who goes in search of a vessel rumoured to be loaded with gold. Law stars alongside Scoot McNairy (Argo) in the movie.
Sherlock fans can call off the search for clues... it looks like 'Sherlock 3' is most definitely on its way!
A third film has been rumoured since the release of popular 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows' but has not yet been officially confirmed. However, we're pretty sure we can hedge our bets on the movie coming out sooner rather than later.
Film producer David Lin let the cat out of the bag by admitting that a script is definitely in development:
"Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3) is working on the script," he confirmed to Collider. This is great news - up until this we had no confirmation that things were moving forward.
"It's a high priority for the studio and for all the filmmakers involved.
Earlier this week, a fan blog posted an excerpted interview with Benedict Cumberbatch, who will voice the dragon Smaug in the upcoming trilogy of films The Hobbit, which raises questions about when this central character will actually appear in the films.
If you want to be completely surprised by the forthcoming of adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's novel brought to the screen by The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, you'd best stop reading here. What follows are not exactly spoilers, but refer to how the movies will be presented.
Cumberbatch, a fan-favorite who portrayed Sherlock Holmes in the hit series Sherlock, was one of many interesting casting decisions made by Jackson as work on The Hobbit began in earnest. Cumberbatch will be joining such familiar faces as Ian McKellen, who will be reprising his role as Gandalf the Grey. Additionally, Martin Freeman who played Dr. Watson alongside Cumberbatch on Sherlock will lead the cast as Bilbo Baggins.
In the excerpted interview, Cumberbatch reveals that Smaug -- or at least, his vocal contribution to Smaug -- might not appear in the first film at all. The interview was conducted by Anne Richardson and appeared on the Cumberbatchweb blog.
They're united in their passion for Sherlock Holmes but divided by their views on the two (soon to be three) modern takes on the great detective. And this March, the opposing camps will join battle in The Great Sherlock Holmes Debate... 2!
The first event, in November last year, drew live online participants from 23 countries around the world, creating millions of pages of comments on social networking sites.
Since then, the BBC's Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, has returned for an even more highly acclaimed second series, while the action-packed Warner Bros movie franchise, directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Robert Downey Jr as Holmes, has proved it has staying power with the hugely successful release of its second instalment, A Game of Shadows.
On 18 March, 25 of the world's top Holmes experts, including actors, directors, historians and writers involved in each of the franchises, will meet in person to once again argue over which is the best Holmes adaptation – and to share their thoughts on Elementary, the controversial modern-day take on Sherlock from US TV network CBS, set to star Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu.
Harry Potter said goodbye to Hogwarts and movie theaters in 2011, but not without earning boatloads of cash along the way.
The boy who lived dominated the box office this past year with more than $1.3 billion worldwide, making him the undoubted winner in a less-than-stellar year financially for movies, but “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2” wasn’t the only sequel to succeed. Eight of the top 10 earners at the theaters belonged to sequels, prequels or remakes.
This trend is what Jeff Bock, box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations, sees as the big box office story of 2011, for good and bad. “You can’t deny sequels’ potency at the box office, with seven of the top 10 grossing films of 2011 being continuing sagas — eight if you count ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes,’” Bock said.
But not every movie with a number slapped onto the back of it fared as well as “Harry Potter.” Bock pointed out that holiday sequels like “Happy Feet Two,” “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,” all underperformed compared to their predecessors.
“You could also argue that sequels are part of the problem, too,” Bock said. “The domestic box office looks like it’s going to come up short in terms of overall grosses and drop 3 percent versus last year, with attendance down nearly 5 percent — which will hit its lowest point in 15 years. That’s a no-win for the entire industry.”
As for surprise successes and failures, two films stuck out to Bock, the comedy hit “Bridesmaids” and DC’s disappointer “Green Lantern.”
“Bridesmaids” made $288 million worldwide on a budget of just $32 million, Bock said. “It was finally a coming out party for women of comedy,” Bock said of what he called the “female ‘Hangover.’ ” “Universal has already made plans for a sequel, and the brides-to-be are now flirting with A-list status.”
Ryan Reynolds’ most recent foray into the superhero realm did just the opposite. “This was supposed to be the next Batman for the studio, and it nearly turned into ‘Howard the Duck,’ ” Bock said. “Well, it wasn’t that bad, but when you spend $200 million on a film, you obviously expect to make more than $219 million worldwide. And that’s not including all the marketing and print advertising that went into the big-budget blockbuster.”
For 2012, Bock expects even more sequel domination, especially with the lineup of franchise films coming out next year. He predicts “The Dark Knight Rises” and “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” will top with box office in the #1 and #2 slots, respectively, with “The Hobbit,” “The Avengers” and “Men in Black 3” rounding out the top five.
Which films are YOU most excited to see in 2012? Sound off in the comments section or tweet us at @MTVMovieNight or @MTVCanada with the hashtag #2012Movies!
Exotic locations, fast cars, beautiful women, and crazy gadgets are the excitements in today's cinematic thrillers -- whether they be spy-oriented, crime adventure, or a suspense mystery.
And with such films as Sherlock Holmes - A Game of Shadows, Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol, The Adventures of Tin Tin, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, and Tinker Tailor, Soldier Spy (all which opened this weekend or very recently), there's a good chance of catching one variation or another of the genre.
Of this bunch, all pretty much satisfy the basic strictures of these spy/cop/crime dramas -- good guys, skillful associates (at least one of them has to be an attractive, sexy woman -- or, in Tin Tin's case, a cute dog) nasty villains, wealthy magnates, fancy moves and incredible weaponry. Only Tinker Tailor is more of an arthouse production with more talk and little action.
Among these four, the Brad Bird-directed Mission Impossible best hits the genre's high points with the most balanced results. Between its smart use of humor (with the comic Simon Pegg as one of the IMF's skilled team), Tom Cruise's gymnastic moves and Paula Patton's sultry turns, the film's story pulses forward.
Though the digitally animated Tin Tin reigns as the latest advance in performance-capture, it also serves as a successor to director Steven Spielberg's love affair with adventure films seen through such series as the Indiana Jones tales -- and terrier Snowy makes for a much smarter, cuter sidekick than Shia LeBouf. In Tin Tin's case, this series has lots more gas in its narrative engine than the now-tired Indie Jones saga.
Both Sherlock Holmes and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo deal with bloodthirsty villains -- one who kills for perverse greed, the other for sadistic passions -- and present convoluted stories that come to uncertain conclusions. While they each offer slick, visually stimulating sequences of death and destruction, one seems a sleekly-made yet unnecessary remake (Dragon) and the other an almost too-peculiar re-imagining (Holmes).
Drawing on author John Le Carre's cerebral novel, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy investigates the secret agent landscape as an intellectual exercise. In director Tomas Alfredson's version, this story of spymaster George Smiley ferreting out a mole in the British espionage bureaucracy tries to recreate the novel's complex machinations, but it spurs more confusion than insight.
And all of these films have roots in a raft of source material, but the granddaddy of it all is the James Bond series, longest running franchise in film history.
Some of the series' cinematic excursions ranged far afield from Ian Fleming's original novels where the world's most suave, savvy spy was actually a lot grittier and more of a cold, ruthless operator.
While the filmic Bond increasingly relied on fancy gadgets to enhance the drama -- especially after the character became far more of coy caricature during the Roger Moore years -- it still influenced a crop of sometimes superior imitators. And now the character has returned to a harder edge through actor Daniel Craig's recent re-invention.
Normally the Bond films can only be viewed on various DVD and Blu-ray sets but they have been viewable all this month on Epix -- the premium entertainment service available on television, video-on-demand, online and on consumer electronic devices.
And they dovetail into today's marathon of Bond movies. So if you still hunger for the original thrills set in play through James, the following are viewable: Goldfinger (3:45 pm ET), Thunderball (5:45 pm ET), Live and Let Die (8 pm ET), and You Only Live Twice (10 pm).
By Leah Rozen|Posted on Friday,
December 23rd, 2011
Remember when Jude Law was hot? And not just hunky looking but rather hot as in his status as a leading man was soaring. Seems like a long time ago, doesn’t it?
Law lately pops up more often in supporting roles than in leading parts. Sizable secondary roles, yes, but he’s not getting top billing. Take his current turn as Dr. John Watson in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, in which Robert Downey Jr. reprises the title role. The sequel was No. 1 at the box office this past weekend, though its $40 million gross in the U.S. was considered a disappointment because it was $22 million less than the first Sherlock pulled in on its opening weekend in 2009.
The London-born actor, who turns 40 next week, on Dec. 29, is also currently on screens with a small but key role in Hugo, director Martin Scorsese’s 3D family film, which is also considered an underperformer at the box office. (Hugo, a costly film to make, has grossed only $42 million worldwide since opening just before Thanksgiving.) And Law scored with both critics and audiences earlier in the fall when he portrayed a self-serving medical blogger in Contagion, where he was part of the movie’s large ensemble cast.
When and how did Law’s star wattage dim? For Law, the crucial year came in 2004, when he starred in six movies in a row: I Heart Huckabees, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Alfie, Closer, The Aviator and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. Sky, Alfie and Closer rested especially heavily on his shoulders and all three tanked at the box office, with critics yawning and moviegoers staying away in droves. In Hollywood’s view, Law was given every chance and was found wanting.
It didn’t help when Chris Rock, who was serving as host at the Oscars in early 2005, piled on the scorn. In his opening monologue, Rock asked, “Who is Jude Law? Why is he in every movie I have seen the last four years? He’s in everything. Even the movies he’s not acting in. If you look at the credits, he makes cupcakes, or something.” Sean Penn, when he came on stage later in the evening as a presenter, felt compelled to defend Law’s acting talents.
Despite Penn, it wasn’t Law’s acting talent that was the issue. Rather, it was his star power or lack thereof. It would seem that he just doesn’t have that mysterious, indefinable quality that makes a star a star. Whatever it is, it’s the difference between just another leading man, no matter how accomplished, and Tom Cruise (back in the day) or Will Smith, for whom moviegoers around the world will line up just because those guys are in a film.
Law has continued to work and will for years to come. But he is likely, in the long run, to have a career modeled more along the lines of Jeremy Irons than Michael Caine. Expect him to show up in movies that are class rather than mass. His next movie is a perfect example: he’ll be playing the husband whom Anna Karenina (Keira Knightley) cuckolds – Aaron Johnson is playing the dashing Count Vronsky – in the latest film version of Tolstoy’s classic Russian romantic drama. ————————- http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2011/12/the-incredible-shrinking-jude-law/
TWO tantalizing words at the close of the first Sherlock Holmes film in 2009 promised audiences that more adventures lie ahead.
This December, the release of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows fulfills that promise, bringing the legendary detective back to the big screen in a new action-packed mystery that reunites the stars and filmmakers behind that worldwide hit.
“I was very keen to return to Sherlock Holmes’ world because the experience of making the first movie was so positive, both personally and creatively," said Ritchie. "There were a myriad of story possibilities in revisiting this character because he has so many interesting facets. His idiosyncrasies almost transcend description, so I wanted the opportunity to explore that more, while giving audiences something they hadn’t seen.”
Ritchie’s version of Holmes redefined Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic character for a new generation with Robert Downey Jr. creating his own unique incarnation of the role, alongside Jude Law as Dr. John Watson.
“First and foremost, we wanted to maintain the visceral tone that was part of Guy’s original vision, while presenting Holmes with an even more difficult case, one that would challenge his considerable skills,” explained Downey Jr.
That challenge arises out of the threat from a redoubtable adversary, one whose name is familiar to anyone with even a passing knowledge of the Sherlock Holmes canon: Professor James Moriarty – the greatest criminal mastermind in the world.
“Because they are intellectual equals to a degree, there is the sense that this is a game that is stimulating to them both,” said Ritchie. “In this way, they actually need each other, and that idea is authentic to the books. Holmes needs Moriarty as much as Moriarty needs Holmes.”
Just as the hero in this film needed his villian, he also relied very much on his partner in crime, Watson.
“I was thrilled that the connection between Holmes and Watson, as we had developed it, was still very much the heart and soul of the story,” said Law.
Apart from Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows introduces film audiences to another character well known to readers of the original stories – Sherlock’s older and far more urbane brother, Mycroft Holmes, played by Stephen Fry.
Rachel McAdams’ Irene Adler is also back to tempt and torment Sherlock, while a new woman has entered the fray: a Gypsy named Sim, played by Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, who could provide the link to the final piece of the puzzle, completing the picture of Moriarty’s sinister plot.
As the vastness of Moriarty’s conspiracy unfolds, it broadens the scope of the action beyond the confines of London, to France, Germany and on to Switzerland.
Ritchie said: “Our narrative enabled us to spread our wings across Europe to expand the topography and tapestry of the story.”
The titular character created by Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes had defied convention. Gone were the once-emblematic deerstalker hat, curved pipe and posh British decorum, replaced by a streetwise, bare-knuckled brawler, whose physical prowess was equal to his superlative mind and preternatural powers of perception.
“One of the most important things about the first movie was to get away from the somewhat dustier, if you will, impression of the character that I think many people were expecting," explained Richie.
"In keeping with Conan Doyle’s original creation, we wanted to access the physicality of Holmes while conveying his intelligence and wit, and Robert brought all that and more to the equation. There were a lot of little nuances going on that added so much to the role. I find it impossible now to imagine anyone else as Sherlock Holmes.”
Downey added: “I love working with Guy; it’s such a collaborative process and he has a terrific sense of humour that really comes into play here. On this film, there was an element of rediscovering Sherlock Holmes all over again. We wanted to maintain that sense of fun but with even more gravitas.”
In the time that has elapsed since the end of the first film, Holmes has been bent on a singular mission, triggered by the revelation that, while he had taken down the evil Lord Blackwood, he had somehow missed an even greater threat. Shrouded in secrecy, Professor Moriarty had been patiently lying in wait to capitalize on Blackwood’s handiwork.
“Months later, we see the after-effects of Holmes having been consumed with Moriarty, to the point that he’s clearly kind of ‘nutting up.’ He’s focused on him to the exclusion of everything else, including, quite possibly, his own sanity,” Downey revealed.
That is the state in which Dr. Watson discovers his old friend when he returns to Baker Street on the eve of his wedding to Mary.
Law explained: “Watson arrives looking forward to the stag party that his best man was supposed to arrange. Instead, he finds he has reason to be concerned with Holmes’ obsessive behavior regarding Professor Moriarty. I don’t think he doubts that Holmes is right, and there’s still a bit of the old soldier in Watson who feels a responsibility to see justice done. But he does suspect it will result in the dilemma he always faces: a secure life with his wife or the thrill of the chase. He undoubtedly has great times when he’s on a case with Holmes and wants to help his friend out of the scrapes he gets himself into, so it’s a constant struggle for the poor chap.”
The connection between Holmes and Watson was reflected in the off-screen friendship between the two actors playing them, as Downey shares: “I feel about Jude the way Sherlock feels about John: I love the guy like a brother. I couldn’t ask for a better partner.”
Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows is in cinemas now, certificate 12A.
